#extraordinarily widespread

[read-marx-and-lenin]

It's funny how liberals will bring up "most Americans don't vote" as evidence for the unpopularity of conservatives, because just because most voters didn't vote for them doesn't mean they're extraordinarily unpopular. Yes, more people did not vote than voted for Trump in either 2016 or 2020. But polls have consistently shown that non-voters do not lean significantly towards either party. If you forced every registered voter to vote, chances are the ratio of votes would not change considerably. Australia has compulsory voting, for instance, and that hasn't given their left-wing or right-wing any advantage over the other.

Yes, having the president elected via popular vote instead of through the current convoluted and anti-democratic system would have changed election outcomes in the past. Yes, getting rid of gerrymandering and other mechanisms used to manipulate the outcome of elections and suppress votes would be a positive thing to do. But none of that changes the fact that at the moment, both parties have on average relatively equal support.

You cannot vote your way out of conservative and reactionary politics having widespread support. You need long term organization that can support a wide-reaching education and outreach program to provide the masses with a coherent and truthful narrative to counter right-wing propaganda. The narrative being put forward by the "progressive" wing of mainstream media in the US has consistently failed at this task. That is because both Democrat and Republican politicians represent the interests of the bourgeoisie first and foremost, and so neither side is able to fundamentally critique the other. So they end up quibbling over minor policy differences and culture war chaff, and the country flips between red and blue without any meaningful political change as a result.

[sotwk]

Horses in the Woodland Realm

Historically, the Silvan Elves that dwelt in Greenwood the Great, prior to the coming of their Sindar rulers, had no desire or reason to keep horses. Horses were neither necessary nor practical for travel within their dense woodlands, and the Silvans did not journey frequently enough from their home territory to require them. As peaceful Elves, they also had all the stamina and time in the world to walk leisurely to their destinations.

Even with the arrival of the would-be King Oropher and his brethren, there were only a handful of Sindar who brought horses along with them, and continued the practice of riding as a means of transport, whether for recreation or warfare. In the Second Age, the most skilled of these horse-riders was the Crown Prince Thranduil.

Thranduil, the Great Rider

Thranduil grew up in Doriath among the Sindar, an environment where horse riding was not a very common practice.

It was not until he participated in the War of Wrath and trained as a soldier amongst the Vanyar and Noldor, did he learn to be around and ride horses.

(Note: Thranduil's participation in this war is a controversial headcanon and a massive deal that doesn't get addressed enough. It needs its own separate, in-depth discussion--or two or three!)

For his valor during the war, Thranduil was gifted by his commanders with the orphaned horse he rode during the later battles, a great stallion that originated from Valinor, carried across the sea with the Host of the West. He named the horse Raindal, meaning "wandering feet".

As a creature of Valinor, Raindal was blessed with extraordinarily long life and vigor, similar to that of Elves. The steed accompanied Thranduil throughout his widespread travels and adventures early in the Second Age, and carried him to Greenwood when Oropher and his kin migrated out of Lindon in c. SA 750.

Thranduil commanded the forces that cleansed Greenwood from the encroachment of orcs and evil creatures that had survived the Great War (see related HCs here).

He made such a fearsome, terrible vision in hunting down the foul beasts, astride his great horse, that the Silvan Elves thought he might have been Oromë himself coming to their aid.

During the Second Age, many Greenwood Elves referred to their new Prince reverently as "The Great Rider".

Sadly, Thranduil's 1,700-year friendship with Raindal came to an end when the great horse perished during the Sack of Eregion, a battle in which Thranduil fought to rescue the elleth he loved, Lady Maereth. Later on, opponents of his betrothal to Maereth claimed it was an ill-foreboding sign that he should not marry her.

Despite mating with countless different mares over the centuries, Raindal never successfully sired offspring.

After the loss of Raindal, Thranduil never kept or claimed another horse of his own. For the rest of the Second Age, he rode only in certain times of need, and never using the same animal.

Thranduil only found a replacement for Raindal when he discovered the first of his elks, a one-of-a-kind species never before seen in Rhovanion or perhaps all of Middle-earth. He named the elk Alvar, meaning "good fortune", considering the creature a gift from the Valar themselves.

Henceforth that particular breed of elk became known as the "King's Elk", and was bred and raised exclusively to be the mount of the Elvenking of the Woodland Realm.

(Note: A detailed history of Thranduil and his elk, and the characteristics of the "King's Elk" will be discussed in future headcanons, since it is also a lengthy topic!)

The finding of Alvar factored heavily into Thranduil's decision to join the Last Alliance of Elves and Men (which then pushed Oropher to ride into war), and was instrumental in his survival of the bloody battles.

Alvar lived up until TA 318 to an estimated age of about 400 years old. The great steed was replaced by his offspring sired with a native Greenwood elk, a crossbreeding effort overseen by Thranduil's young son, Prince Gelir. (referenced in the fanfic "Greenleaf's Day Out")

Mirkwood's Ties with the Rohirrim Ancestors

Very early in the Third Age, horses were bred and kept by the Greenwood Elves in small numbers, for the main purpose of travel outside of the Woodland Realm to other kingdoms.

Because most Silvans seldom ventured beyond Woodland territory, such travel was primarily done by the Royal Family and their retinue.

However, the Greenwood breeds at that time, which descended from native wild horses in the eastern plains of Rhovanion, struggled to meet the rigorous work often required by Thranduil and his elder sons.

Greenwood horses were smaller, gentler, and not physically built for warfare, charging, or enduring over long distances.

Thranduil and his elder sons, Crown Prince Mirion and Prince Tuhrir, were all over seven feet tall, and the princes inherited the heavy warrior builds of their Noldorin ancestors from the First Age. As they grew older and stronger and heavier, it became very difficult to find horses that could match the level of physicality their activities required.

The Woodland Elves had friendly relations with the Northmen who occupied the Vales of Anduin in scattered tribes.

One nomadic tribe in particular, who called themselves the Lôthéod, had old traditions of taming and breeding wild horses all across Rhovanion.

When they learned about the Woodland Princes' unique predicament, they came forward and offered knowledge about an "untamable" herd of "giant" wild horses they came across in their travels down the northern Wilderland.

The Lôthéod believed their lack of success in capturing this wild horse breed was because they descended from horses of the High Elves from the First Age, and therefore could only be mastered by those with High Elf (Calaquendi) blood.

Young Prince Turhir (less than 90 years old at the time) received permission from his father the Elvenking to accompany the Lôthéod to the northern lands and seek out these special horses.

After several years, around TA 120, the Lôthéod--with the help of Turhir--succeeded in capturing and taming the first of the northern wild horses, which were given the name, "Arroch" (noble horse).

With the Lôthéod's guidance, the Woodland Elves succeeded in bringing the Arrochs to their lands and bred them in very small numbers for over two millennia.

From that time on, Turhir had a special affinity for the Northmen horse lords, a friendship that continued for centuries to their descendants, the Éothéod, and finally the Rohirrim.

SotWK Fancast: Sam Heughan (Outlander) as Prince Turhir Thranduilion

The Arrochs: Horses of Princes

Similar to the Mearas, the Arrochs were extremely selective about whom they permitted to ride them. Presumably, only Elves with Calaquendi blood (which the Mirkwood Princes had through their mother) could safely ride an Arroch.

Although Arrochs were owned almost exclusively by the Sons of Thranduil, there were no laws restricting the use or ownership of Arrochs to Elven nobility. However, it was extremely risky to attempt to mount one without "permission", as these great horses were notorious for seriously injuring or even killing riders they rejected.

Their accepted origin story is that Arrochs descended from Valinoran horses of the Great War, similar to Thranduil's old horse Raindal but interbred with Middle-earth horses.

They were long-lived, but not immortal. Their lifespan averaged about two hundred years. Although more durable (in flesh and will) than most horses, they could be slain by standard weapons.

Arrochs were highly intelligent, and could be trained to understand commands in different languages.

They were extraordinarily brave in battle and did not scare or bolt even in the face of terrible monsters. They were fiercely loyal to their masters, willing to give their lives rather than preserve themselves.

They had high endurance levels, and could sustain a hard gallop for hours without need for rest, even when bearing heavy or multiple riders.

They could be ridden without saddle or reins, but the Princes usually outfitted them with tack for the safety of others who assisted in handling and caring for them (such as stable hands or soldiers).

What differentiated the Arrochs most from the Mearas was their enormous size. On average, they stood 7 feet tall at the withers and weighed at least 2,000 pounds.

SotWK Fancast: Henry Cavill (The Witcher) as Crown Prince Mirion

Mirkwood Horses in the Third Age Onward

The Arrochs thrived as a breed in the Woodland Realm from TA 120 to about TA 2600, enduring even when the Elvenking's lands grew increasingly infested by the darkness of Dol Guldur.

However, with the succeeding losses of the three eldest Princes--Mirion, Arvellas, and most especially Turhir, the Arrochs gradually stopped breeding.

Turhir's final horse was the last known Arroch to survive. After its death, the breed seemingly became extinct despite the best efforts of Prince Gelir to preserve their line.

By TA 2600, only the native Greenwood horses remained to serve what was left of the royal family and the realm's limited mounted cavalry.

By the time of the War of the Ring, the Arrochs (like many things in the Woodland Realm's long history) were thought by most people in Middle-earth to be merely a myth.

For more Thranduil/Mirkwood headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Elves HC Tag List: @quickslvxrr @laneynoir @auttumnsayshi @achromaticerebus @tamryniel @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @blueberryrock @aduialel @scyllas-revenge @glassgulls @ladyweaslette @asianbutnotjapanese @ratsys @conversacomsmaug @lemonivall @lathalea @heranintomyknife23times @heilith @entishramblings @stormchaser819 @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @freshalmondpandadonut @beekieboo @elan-ho-detto-elan-15 @konartiste @g-m-kaye

Interested in more SotWK AU content?

Introduction to SotWK

My Headcanon Masterlist 

My Fanfiction Masterlist

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Horsey

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

June 7, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUN 08, 2024

Two big stories today that together reveal a broader landscape.

The first is that the Bureau of Labor Statistics today released another blockbuster jobs report. The country added 272,000 jobs in May, far higher than the 180,000 jobs economists predicted. A widespread range of sectors added new jobs, including health care, government, leisure and hospitality, and professional, scientific, and technical services. Wages are also up. Over the past year, average hourly earnings have grown 4.1%, higher than the rate of inflation, which was 3.4% over the same period. 

The unemployment rate ticked up from 3.9% to 4%. This is not a significant change, but it does break the 27-month streak of unemployment below that number. 

The second big story is that Justice Clarence Thomas amended a financial filing from 2019, acknowledging that he should have reported two free vacations he accepted from Texas billionaire Harlan Crow. While in the past he said he did not need to disclose such gifts, in today’s filing he claimed he had “inadvertently omitted” the trips on earlier reports. ProPublica broke the story of these and other gifts from Crow, including several more trips than Thomas has so far acknowledged. 

Fix The Court, a nonprofit advocacy group that seeks to reform the federal courts, estimates that Thomas has accepted more than $4 million in gifts over the last 20 years. As economic analyst Steven Rattner pointed out, that’s 5.6 times more than the other 16 justices on the court in those years combined.

These two news items illustrate a larger story about the United States in this moment. 

The Biden administration has quite deliberately overturned the supply-side economics that came into ascendancy in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan took office and that remained dominant until 2021, when Biden entered the White House. Adherents of that ideology rejected the idea that the government should invest in the “demand side” of the economy—workers and other ordinary Americans—to develop the economy, as it had done since 1933. 

Instead, they maintained that the best way to nurture the economy was to support the “supply side”: those at the top. Cutting business regulations and slashing taxes would create prosperity, they said, by concentrating wealth in the hands of individuals who would invest in the economy more efficiently than they could if the government interfered in their choices. That smart investment would dramatically expand the economy, supporters argued, and everyone would do better. 

But supply-side economics never produced the results its supporters promised. What it did do was move money out of the hands of ordinary Americans into the hands of the very wealthy. Economists estimate that between 1981 and 2021, more than $50 trillion dollars moved from the bottom 90% of Americans to the top 1%.

In order to keep that system in place, Republicans worked to make it extraordinarily difficult for Congress to pass laws making the government do anything, even when the vast majority of Americans wanted it to. With the rise of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to the position of Senate majority leader in 2007, they weaponized the filibuster so any measure that went against their policies would need 60 votes in order to get through the Senate, and in 2010 they worked to take over state legislatures so that they could gerrymander state congressional districts so severely that Republicans would hold far more seats than they had earned from voters. 

With Congress increasingly neutered, the power to make law shifted to the courts, which Republicans since the Reagan administration had been packing with appointees who adhered to their small-government principles. 

Clarence Thomas was a key vote on the Supreme Court. But as ProPublica reported in December 2023, Thomas complained in 2000 to a Republican member of Congress about the low salaries of Supreme Court justices (equivalent to about $300,000 today) and suggested he might resign. The congressman and his friends were desperate to keep Thomas, with his staunchly Republican vote, on the court. In the years after 2000, friends and acquaintances provided Thomas with a steady stream of gifts that supplemented his income, and he stayed in his seat.

But what amounts to bribes has compromised the court. After the news broke that Thomas has now disclosed some of the trips Crow gave him, conservative lawyer George Conway wrote: “It’s long past time for there to be a comprehensive criminal investigation, and congressional investigation, of Justice Thomas and his finances and his taxes. What he has taken, and what he has failed to disclose, is beyond belief, and has been so for quite some time.” A bit less formally, over a chart of the monetary value of the gifts Thomas has accepted, Conway added: “I mean. This. Is. Just. Nuts.”

As the Republican system comes under increasing scrutiny, Biden’s renewal of traditional economic policies is showing those policies to be more successful than the Republicans’ system ever was. If Americans turn against the Republican formula of slashing taxes and deregulating business, those at the top of the economy stand to lose both wealth and control of the nation’s economic system. 

Trump has promised more tax cuts and deregulation if he is reelected, although the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently projected that his plan to extend the 2017 tax cuts that are set to expire in 2025 will add more than $3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. In April, at a meeting with 20 oil executives, Trump promised to cut regulations on the fossil fuel industry in exchange for $1 billion in donations, assuring them that the tax breaks he would give them once he was in office would pay for the donation many times over (indeed, an analysis quoted in The Guardian showed his proposed tax cuts would save them $110 billion). On May 23, he joined fossil fuel executives for a fundraiser in Houston.

In the same weeks, Biden’s policies have emphasized using the government to help ordinary people rather than to move wealth upward. 

On May 31 the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that it will make its experimental free electronic filing system permanent. It asked all 50 states and the District of Columbia to sign on to the program and to help taxpayers use it. The program’s pilot this year was wildly successful, with more than 140,000 people filing that way. Private tax preparers, whose industry makes billions of dollars a year, oppose the new system. 

The Inflation Reduction Act provided funding for this program and for beefing up the ability of the IRS to audit the wealthiest taxpayers. As Fatima Hussein wrote for the Associated Press, Republicans cut $1.4 billion from these funds last summer and will shift an additional $20 billion from the IRS to other programs over the next two years. 

Today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued five new reports showing that thanks in part to the administration's outreach efforts about the Affordable Care Act, the rate of Black Americans without health insurance dropped from 20.9% in 2010 to 10.8% in 2022. The same rate among Latinos dropped from 32.7% to 18%. For Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, the rate of uninsured dropped from 16.6% to 6.2%. And for American Indians and Alaska Natives, the rate dropped from 32.4% to 19.9%. More than 45 million people in total are enrolled in coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

President Biden noted the strength of today’s jobs report in a statement, adding: “I will keep fighting to lower costs for families like the ones I grew up with in Scranton.” Republicans “have a different vision,” he said, “one that puts billionaires and special interests first.” He promised: “I will never stop fighting for Scranton—not Park Avenue.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[benegesseritofficial]

Pushing Daisies has immediately struck me as extraordinarily queer coded. Enjoy my rant.

This show came out in 2007 and yet Ned is an extremely gentle man in every aspect of his characterization. He was emotionally wounded as a child, a fact we linger on and explore at length. He drives people away but in an incredibly passive way. He isn't interested at all in the hot woman throwing herself at him. The only person he's interested in was his childhood best friend. The man is passive, sweet, and a romantic; not someone who would chase you but a prize to be won.

Chuck is literally named Chuck. Sure her name is Charlotte but when we first meet her she's in a dinosaur costume and her name is Chuck. No one's called her Chuck since Ned, and when he does again she only wants him to call her Chuck. Almost immediately everyone calls her Chuck. Also... Charolette Charles? Charolette is the feminine form of Charles. Gender fuckery is afoot from square one. And she's assertive. She has no trouble talking over Ned, or any other man for that matter. She cares deeply about feelings and emotions and her perceptions of right and wrong, and she will steamroll anyone who tries to contradict her. She kisses Ned first. She figures out how she can safely kiss Ned. They both wanted it but she's the one who starts problem solving. Now, her actress Anna Friel is slender, her hair is long, and she is dressed exclusively like a 1950s fashion model. She's 5'5", but dwarfed by Lee Pace's 6'5". But what if she wasn't? What if she was opposite a man who wasn't a fucking tree? What if these lines and actions were given to a woman who wasn't a size 2? What if Anna Friel wore jeans for even one scene while Chuck interrupts and problem solves and takes action? Well, the audience might start to notice that the character isn't very feminine at all. Chuck is all character and very little gender. She could really be played by anyone.

And finally, Olive. Dear, sweet, Olive, longing after a man who shuts down one half her advances and doesn't seem to notice the other half. Olive, who is bold and brash and catty and fun and (apparently, by the costuming department's choices) obsessed with '70s fashion. It's 2007. A gay writer cannot express his struggles longing after a straight man who will never care for him. Not in so many words. But he could write most of that character. He could just swap a few little details and pronouns. By the time a minuscule, high voiced actress is reading Olive's lines, the average straight viewer would never even guess. But there Olive is; a readymade gay icon, over the top and feminine and unapologetically attracted to men. Everything a more feminine gay man wishes he could be out in the open. Olive can tell gay men's stories when they couldn't use their own voices. Relatedly, once you see her and Chuck's aunts as drag queens, you just can't unsee it. When Olive first meets those two, they take her under their wing as a kindred spirit. In the course of telling a story, it's not a trope or action that makes much sense for straight women. Younger women don't seek out and value the advice of old women. Not on TV, not in the cultural wisdom of 2007 or today. Gay men on the other hand. Drag queens on the other hand. If you were in the culture, you understood to value your elders when they bestowed wisdom.

And none of that addressing the situation. Ned absolutely cannot touch the person he's in love with. He and Chuck kiss in (I think) the third episode. Chuck isn't a love interest, she is arguably his girlfriend for most of the series. And yet, a forced wall must remain between them. Chuck has to remain in disguise when they're in public. They are together, but still feel they have to restrain themselves. There is no clear future for their relationship, no matter how in love they are. Much like a gay couple might feel, years before widespread societal acceptance and legal recognition of their relationship. It isn't safe, and only a few close friends can know.

[dottoreparadox]

Theory: How did Dottore make his Segments?

To start off this blog, let's get right into one of my favorite living Harbingers.

That's right, it’s essay time, baby. Let’s fathom out how Dottore made his segments.

(Tl;dr included at the end if you only care about the conclusion and not how I reached it and what evidence I have for it because this shit gets looong. Over 3k words long, in fact.)

What we know about Dottore’s segments:

They were created by Dottore. Yes, that seems like a very obvious statement to make, but I do need to establish that these are not things he found but rather an invention of his own making. We’ll get into it later.

We have seen them referred to with the terms “segments” and “prostheses” in canon (also as “surplus” but that’s just Dottore being Dottore). A segment is defined as: “each of the parts into which something is or may be divided” while a prosthesis is: “an artificial body part, such as a leg, a heart, or a breast implant.”

I would like to make a note here that they are not referred to as “clones” despite the widespread usage of this term in reference to them by the fandom. I’ve certainly done it myself. It's important to note that they are not clones. Clones would imply that these are genetic copies of the original and/or organic in nature. This is not the case (I’ll get into the not organic argument in a bit). If they were mere clones, they would be their own person. Instead, these are “the eyes” that Dottore “placed in the dimension of time.”

They ARE Dottore. Not copies of him. Think of them more like time travelers in some kind of stable paradox rather than clones.

Also, they likely share a mind space in some capacity or other based on the overlapping dialogue we saw when Dottore erased his segments and the implications held in this statement:

“What did you see when you were imprisoned [by the Akasha]? You were observing me, and that's how you know I've long grown tired of their doubts and endless arguments. ”

The Omega build was able to speak to and listen to the other segments while he was in Sumeru and they were not present (having just sent the one segment that was helping him back to Snezhnaya).

(I would like to take a second here to clarify that while the many segments may have shared a mindscape of some sort, they were not a hivemind as we’ve previously seen in Genshin. A hivemind, as we saw it in Alhaitham’s story quest and as it is often used in science-fiction, is when multiple individuals all share a single “mind.” The segments all had their own minds. They could not have all been constantly arguing with each other if that was not the case. (Remember how the hivemind made by Siraj fell apart.) So they shared a mindscape where all their minds could touch, while keeping their own mental boundaries.)

Anyways, the shared mindscape is another important bit of evidence in proving they are not mere clones and are instead multiple versions of the same person. (Well... maybe. It could also be taken as evidence that they're all robots running using a single, remote central processor; but I don't have any evidence for this besides the likely shared mindscape; so I won't be exploring that theory further.)

Okay, now that I’ve quibbled excessively over the terminology around Dottore and his segments and brought up a bunch of interesting but kind of irrelevant points, let’s get into the actual purpose of this analysis and theory: how did Dottore make his segments?

The only direct statement we have to go on for answering this question is this line of dialogue:

“Segments are extraordinarily difficult to make. They require extremely rare resources and enormous amounts of time and effort.”

The time and effort seem like they go without saying for any kind of creation at the level of complexity as an entire functioning human being. So we won’t be going into a deep analysis of this part. Instead, let’s focus in on these “rare resources” and what they might be.

To start off, we need to establish what kind of work Dottore does. After all, if his specialty was in organic life, he would likely have made clones rather than what the segments are.

Let’s start with the one hundred percent confirmed work he has done rather than the speculated accomplishments. We have definitely seen Dottore work with:

Ruin Machines (the ruin guard factory we visited in Childe’s story quest, Zandik's legacy note series if that does end up being him)

God remains (Dottore invented Delusions and, at least in Inazuma, the Delusions were made using the Tatarigami energy left behind after Orobashi was killed. He also released the Tatarigami energy in the first place during the Tatarasuna incident. In the manga, he used god remains to suppress Collei’s Eleazar.)

Robots (Krupp in the manga, Scaramouche’s mecha body in game)

The Akasha (I’m not entirely sure how to define this one. God power? Cognition? Software? Maybe all of the above. But he could use it so well that he could edit people’s minds and trap Nahida’s consciousness in the Sanctuary of Suresthana, so let's put it on the list)

Human enhancement (based on the wise doctor’s pinion from the pale flame artifact set and just about every soldier we’ve seen from Snezhnaya. I’ve seen lots of comments along the lines of: “what are they putting in the water over in Snezhnaya to make everyone giant?” Yeah, the answer is Dottore. He’s doing weird shit to people again.)

Human cognition (this one kind of falls under the enhancement section above, but I felt his work with things like manipulating minds and dreams was its own category, see the second event in the Apple Island Archipelago. I can't remember if it was directly stated that Dottore made that machine... but it almost definitely was him.)

And more! (I’m sure we’ll learn about new and more exciting atrocities he’s committed as the game continues. Also I probably forgot something, oops.)

Out of all of that, the best basis for building a body would be his interest in machinery. This assumption is backed up by what we are told in the Pale Flame artifact set:

“"A human is nothing more than a machine of a certain level of complexity." Thus declared the youth from his lectern in the seedbed of wisdom. If one were to disassemble a part of this machine and make enhancements to it, Its performance could be greatly amplified. With or without a Vision, and irrespective of their physique or combat skills, "Enhanced humans" would surely display strength far beyond the average.”

Now, if we also pull on some evidence that is most likely to have been done by Dottore (even if it hasn’t been confirmed that it was him), then we can put stronger emphasis on his interest in Ruin Machines. Dottore is almost definitely Zandik from the Zandik's Legacy series of notes. Zandik was fascinated by the Khaenri’ahn machinery to the point that he was reprimanded for his interest in such dangerous technology. He was ultimately denied permission to bring parts of the Ruin Golems (or other Khaenri'ahn machinery, it's unclear) back to the Akademiya and instead had to help seal them up. (His interest could explain the Fatui’s later knowledge on how to reactivate a Ruin Golem that we used in the Tanit quests. Just a bit of further evidence on Dottore being Zandik.)

Pulling from Zandik’s Legacy again, we know that he wasn’t a member of the Amurta darshan, so I think it is fair to say that his interest here lies in machinery rather than human biology/anatomy. (Though, honestly, the darshans are so weirdly laid out that who even knows where any one topic of study will show up.) I’m not going to speculate here on which Darshan Dottore might have been in (that’s a future post I'm considering making) because I don’t think it matters due to the fact that we’ve seen three (or maybe four depending on how you count it) separate Darshans work with machinery.

Even if we ignore Zandik’s Legacy, we know that Dottore has definitely studied Khaenri’ahn machinery from Childe’s story quest where we visited his old Ruin Guard research lab.

I wish we had a better answer to exactly what he was doing there (was he just studying them? Was he making his own Ruin Guards?), but it is fair to say that he has likely formed a comprehensive picture of Ruin Guards due to the fact that he abandoned the research lab later on. He doesn’t seem like the type to leave a question unanswered, so he most likely figured out whatever interested him about Ruin Guards.

So if he understands how Ruin Machines work, he is capable of repairing broken ones using pieces from other machines (as mentioned in Zandik’s legacy notes),

"...It should be possible to repair this titanic machine's primary weapons system using components salvaged from abandoned mechanisms, but to avoid attracting the attention of the other team members, I have simply made some basic measurements for now."

and is capable of making human machines (Krupp in the manga);

then I think it is very likely that the prosthetic bodies created for his segments were made using Khaenri’ahn technology (or at least took inspiration from them because he found them so ingenious).

This actually might explain why his segments are so human. Ruin Machines specialize in biomimesis. Every single Ruin Machine we have seen so far (except the Perpetual Mechanical Array, but that’s based on the Algorithm of Semi-Intransient Matrix of Overseer Network (never make me write that out ever again, oh my god), so it’s still mimesis even if it’s not biologically based), has mimicked biological life forms including humans.

So the idea of using Khaenri’ahn technology to create a realistic human is not far-fetched. It would need some sort of skin to complete the mimicry, but that honestly seems much easier to create than the entire functioning robot (but I’m no robotics expert. I could be wrong about that) plus we’ve already seen evidence that Snezhnaya has that kind of capability. Just look at Katheryne. She’s some kind of robot but appears fully human. She might have even been a prototype for the segments. (Though she could equally be a creation of Sandrone's. We don't know enough yet to say. It's equally possible she is a collaboration between the two of them or that they both based their humanoid robots on Khaenri'ahn tech. If my theory about Sandrone's identity turns out to be right, this is actually highly likely.)

(A very human looking and acting robot, Katheryne is.)

Using scavenged Khaenri’ahn technology to build the body would also explain the rarity of the parts needed to build a segment better than the segments being made using purely Snezhnayan technology.

Just building any old robot would be easy for Snezhnaya. Based on passing mentions of their nation having things like trains, they are most likely in the midst of some kind of industrial revolution, so we know they can create intricate metal work with complex moving pieces and engines (also like, Katheryne, again). Plus we’ve seen the mass produced clockwork mecha from Fontaine. It’s not unreasonable to assume that, since Snezhnaya seems like it’s more advanced than Fontaine (compare Fatui elemental guns to the Fontaine muskets), they could produce something similar.

Pristine Khaenri’ahn technology, on the other hand, is a rare find and disabling machines that still work in order to get their parts would result in damage, possibly to the very pieces that Dottore would need. Likely, it takes a great number of Ruin Machines to build a single segment and on top of that they might require specific, potentially rare pieces (such as the Eye of the First Field Tiller that we found with Dainsleif, but that's just an example of a rare piece, not something I think Dottore actually needs to build segments) rather than the run-of-the-mill mass produced legions’ pieces. This is speculation though. We really have no idea about the full intricacies of Ruin Machines.

Now, I hope that was convincing enough on it’s own to establish that Dottore most likely used Khaenri’ahn technology or Khaenri’ahn inspired technology to build the bodies of his segments.

Because my closing argument is the model of what is under his mask and that is understandably not a reliable resource as it hasn't been seen in game.

I know the color scheme is off, but it does remind me of a Ruin Guard's eye. And I don't think anyone can deny that it's very mechanical, even if it doesn't look Khaenri'ahn per se. Before you dismiss this evidence entirely, may I remind you of the monster version of Dottore from the storybook.

Beyond the immediate similarities in the images, I would like to direct your attention to the single eye the monster has and the fact that it was wearing a suit to hide its true body. These are weird details to use if they just wanted to establish that he was a monster. The foxes were happy to accept a cat as a fox. Dottore didn’t have to have a fursona. And if he did, he didn’t have to be a strange, bird-like cyclopes. He could have just been a bird.

(Honestly, I just found myself caught on the detail of the single eye and was sort of confused by the decision until I saw that data mine/leak/whatever it is. I thought it was pretty cool attention to detail, even if they weren’t details we knew about yet. And don’t come at me saying Genshin doesn’t pay that kind of attention to detail. They absolutely do. I remember how Venti's Vision didn't glow in the Unreconciled Stars event because it isn't a real Vision.)

I wrote all of that and then reread Scara's 4th char story and it straight up says he got the segment's bodies from studying Scara, who in turn was based on Khaenri'ahn tech. So I guess I'm right, but not for the reasons I thought. OTL.

So if that’s the body of a segment accounted for, what about the aspect of time?

I’ll admit, his work with god remains threw me for a bit of a loop at first. My initial, tentative speculation was that he had somehow found remains of Istaroth, the god of time, and used them to get his different perspectives of time. This mostly came from the fact that Istaroth was the name of the god of moments in Greek mythology and that fit the idea of the segments very well. However, I am pretty sure this is not the case.

For one: we don’t even have definitive proof that Istaroth is dead. Well… maybe. Neuvillette’s story about Visions included this little gem: “all fragments of the primordial were driven to devour each other,” which might be a reference to the four shades, of which Istaroth was one. In that case, Istaroth would be dead, but the state of their remains, pardon my channeling of Cyno for a moment, remains a mystery.

(Get it? Remains? Cause they're remains that remain? I’ll stop now.)

Anyways, we don’t know exactly what “devour each other” might entail, so we can’t say for certain that Istaroth is dead. They might exist in a different form now instead.

For two: we have another, much more reliable, accessible, and established place where Dottore could have gotten different versions of himself from time: Irminsul. It is well established in canon that Irminsul contains the entirety of a person’s memory/data in Teyvat, and we also know that it is possible to visit Irminsul and access the data stored in it.

So the next question becomes: what proof do we have that Dottore used Irminsul? We’re going to go on a little side track about Irminsul really quick to answer this question.

Remember what Nahida said about Irminsul?

"Irminsul's inner region consists exclusively of torrents of information."

This inner region in question was noticeably blue. And as the quote above, plus other comments and observations made during our foray with Scaramouche into Irminsul suggest, all of the data stored in Irminsul takes on that same glowing, blue color.

This quest is not the first time we have seen the color blue in reference to memories obtained from Irminsul. Remember: all ley lines are roots of Irminsul. What blue phenomena do we see in relation to ley lines? Blossoms of Revelation.

They are described in the adventurer’s handbook as follows:

“A flower blossom known as "Revelation" which grows from the Ley Lines in response to someone's desire for battle. Perhaps the treasures within it can help one recall the perils that they have experienced once before… ”

Computer: zoom, enhance.

“Recall.” Blossoms of Revelation tap into the memories stored in the ley lines. We also know that ley line disorders can disgorge past memories from various quests and events. (Such as during the Caribert quest where we literally experienced our twin’s memories after the Abyss Order messed with the ley lines in the area. There were several others in Inazuma from what I remember but I don’t feel like looking up their names rn. It’s like 2:30 in the morning idgf. This is well established fact. Google it yourself.)

Also, it gives you experience books. Experiences are relived via memories. I really don’t think I need to go further into proving what’s up with the Blossoms of Revelation.

Now what does establishing that blue has to do with memories in Irminsul have to do with Dottore? Let’s take another look at Dottore. In fact, let’s look at every segment of Dottore we have seen so far. The versions from the manga and the game are pretty wildly different.

So what’s the one common point? That’s right. Their blue hair! He can have multiple versions of himself because he has blue hair!!!!

I’m kidding. I mean, that is a common point, but the actual important detail here is that earring.

The earring has held my attention for quite a while because it’s such a strange detail. Why does he have a weird glowing blue vial as an earring? Is it just to show that he loves science? I mean, maybe. We can’t rule that out. But I think it might be something more important. It is the one thing that was not changed between cow-mask Dottore and yassified Dottore. And it’s the same shade of glowing blue as Blossoms of Revelation and Irminsul's heart (and fruits and sapling fragments/information packets and-- I think you get the point).

So my theory is this: the earring contains some form of past data extracted from Irminsul. This is the “save file” that the segment is operating from. Or at least part of it. I’m not convinced Dottore put his entire “brain” into an easy target like that. If we look at the segments we saw in Sumeru, we see some other parts of his outfit with that same blue glow. So it’s more likely that this is simply some overflow or a backup or some other function I haven’t thought of. Or maybe he’s just bragging and it really is his memory drive sitting around as an easy target because he doesn’t think anyone is smart enough to realize what it really is. Fuck if I know.

I think it's also worth pointing out that Scaramouche seemed familiar with navigating the inside of Irminsul. Presumably, this means he's been there before on at least one occasion. (anyone remember if this is directly stated in the quest?) This would imply that the Fatui have had business with Irminsul before. So either they're editing time for their own reasons or Dottore made Scaramouche go fetch these copies of him for him.

And before you say that Scaramouche deleting himself from time means that Dottore couldn't make the segments without him, remember that fate is fate and always happens no matter which form it takes. If Scaramouche couldn't get the data for him, then it would happen in another way. The same applies for him getting the Segment's bodies from studying Scaramouche. (Also, I feel like if Dottore knows about Irminsul's ability to edit memories, he probably would have come up with a way to get around it? That seems very much in his wheelhouse. So we can't be sure that he doesn't remember Scaramouche. I have my own theories about the scope of Irminsul and how you might be able to dodge its edits by being in, say, the Abyss or another place outside Teyvat proper. So if Dottore stuck a segment in one of those places... But that's speculating. And wouldn't apply to the Scaramouche deletion anyways as he'd just erased them all.)

To sum it up: I think the Doctor is getting his past versions of himself by extracting copies of his own data from Irminsul somehow. Perhaps he has a way to make Irminsul give him fruits containing his own data from certain points in time. I have no idea how he's doing it. (If someone else has any ideas of how, please let me know.)

Now, before anyone comes at me all: "um actually we also see blue energy like that from Desheret's civilization, explain that." You're right. We do.

Primenergy (name stolen from Alain Guillotine) is indeed another possibility for what the blue light is. If it's Primenergy rather than Irminsul juice, then it's probably the power source that Dottore has decided to use to power the segments instead of azocite. Which I guess makes the earrings something like a backup battery? And leaves us with no clues as to how he's playing around with time. (Still probably Irminsul as it's the only thing we've seen such capability from.) But there you go. Possibility explored. The Segments could be a mix of Khaenri'ahn and Desheret's technology. It's as likely as any of my other ideas. Hell, it might even make more sense than it being condensed Irminsul juice.

I don’t know that we’ll ever actually get an answer to how Dottore built his segments as we don’t know if he’s going to build more or not. And even if he does, we don’t know that the game will go into how he’s done it. It’s not super relevant to the plot. This was just me satisfying my own curiosity and figuring some other people might have had the same question as me.

Tl;dr: Dottore built the bodies of his segments using Khaenri’ahn technology and put his mind in it using saved copies of himself from Irminsul, which are possibly stored in the glowing blue earrings he wears.

So there we have my theory on how Dottore built his segments. Please, feel free to give me your thoughts and possible refutations/further evidence (comments, reblogs, asks, in the tags, however you feel comfortable talking with me is fine). I would love to know what the rest of you think.

As for future areas I’d like to get some answers on, please hoyo, explain what the fuck he was talking about when he said “A long time ago, I made a major decision in hopes of preserving all my perspectives of how I observed the world.” What the fuck was the major decision? It can’t just be making segments. Does this imply that he had to do something to himself to become capable of making segments at all? Did it have to do with accessing his past records in Irminsul? Did he turn his original body into the first segment? Like, probably that last one, as he should be somewhere between five hundred to four hundred years old, but I demand answers!

(Actually, on that topic, I would really like an answer to whether or not there is a "prime" Dottore, as the fandom likes calling him. We don't actually have any clue what's up with his original body. We just know that all the segments except the Omega segment got deleted. So is Omega the last Dottore or is there still an "original" around as well? Or is Omega original Dottore and all the others are earlier versions of him as he never grew past that age?)

[good-old-gossip]

Condemning Israeli Nuseirat massacre, Euro-Med Monitor calls for an investigation into use of US pier for military purposes

Palestinian Territory - The massacre carried out by the Israeli army today, Saturday, in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip is strongly condemned by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. Grave concern is also expressed over reports that Israel may have usedfor military purposes the US pier intended for transporting humanitarian supplies to Gaza.

Over two hundred Palestinians were killed today and hundreds more injured, most of them women and children. This is a preliminary figure that could rise as recovery efforts proceed. The attacks occurred inintense, two-hour-long Israeli army air, land, and sea raids on the Central Market area, where thousands of people from the Nuseirat camp and its environscongregate daily. Most of the central Gaza Strip was also subject to the attacks.

After the widespread assault, the Israeli army declared that four Israeli detainees had been freed in an operation conducted by special forces in the Nuseirat camp, working in tandem with the Israeli Police (Al-Yamam) and the General Security Service (Shin Bet).

Massive, indiscriminate air and artillery attacks were launched by the Israeli army during the operation in order to conceal the withdrawal of Israeli forces. This caused an excessive number of civilian casualties and extensive damage to civilian property, and also violated numerous principles of international humanitarian law, such as those pertaining to humanity, distinction, military necessity, proportionality, and due diligence.

Nasser Ghaben, a 45-year-old Gaza City refugee who moved to the Nuseirat camp, reported to the Euro-Med Monitor team that gunfire during the camp attack was extraordinarily heavy and random. He observed that the attack included air and artillery targeting of numerous residential buildings and apartments.

Miraculously, he survived the intense Israeli bombingwhile in the Nuseirat market area buying food for his family. Leaving the area, he saw scores of bodies lying in the road, some in dismembered pieces, some of which were children.

Another young man, identifying himself only as "Faisal" for security reasons, informed the Euro-Med Monitor team that Israeli drones and warplanes had begun with heavy attacks over the Nuseirat camp's northwest area. These attacks later spread to other parts of the camp, including the camp's northeastern Al-Awda Street area and the entrance to Al-Bureij camp.

Thousands of civilians attempted to escape the Nuseirat camp due to the severe and widespread indiscriminate and intense Israeli bombing, he continued. However, many were hit by artillery shells and gunfire from quadcopter drones, which resulted in many dead and injured people scattered all over the streets, particularly in the Jules Street area at the center of the camp.

According to a US official cited by the US website Axios, a US "hostage cell" backed the Israeli attempts to free the four prisoners who were being held in the Gaza Strip. Israeli media reported that an Israeli truckcarrying Israeli special forces conducting the operation to retrieve the four detainees departed from the vicinity of the US pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip, under the pretense of carrying humanitarian supplies.

Other sources indicated that the vehicle transporting Israeli forces was a civilian truck disguised to look like it was meant for transporting humanitarian aid, while others indicated that the truck appeared to be carrying civilian displaced persons and their belongings to the area.

According to Israeli Army Radio, "the US hostage cell played a decisive role in freeing the hostages”, with“high-precision American technology that had not been used before in the process of freeing the hostages." Prior to the incident, video footage of the truck and a Caddy vehicle were released at the time of the breach. 

The rules of international humanitarian law state that it is illegal to gain the trust of an adversary through actions that lead them to believe they are entitled to protection or must provide it, with the intent to betray that confidence, resulting in their death or injury.

This includes simulation of civilian status, using civilian transportation or vehicles designated for humanitarian aid, or wearing civilian attire or attire of humanitarian relief workers as cover. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court classifies treacherously killing or wounding as a war crime.

Washington announced it was ready to bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on 17 May by means of its pier, before subsequently announcing the pier to be inoperable a few days later. An investigation should immediately be opened into whether the US pier was used for military purposes and contributed to the killing of Palestinian civilians.

Euro-Med Monitor also rejects the Israeli army's continued use of a variety of weapons and ammunition, as well as its indiscriminate use of destructive force,against Palestinian civilians and their property. Since the Israeli army began its military assaults on the Gaza Strip last October, massacres have been carried out on a daily basis without cause or explanation.

The devastating effects of the Israeli military's attacks on the Gaza Strip, coupled with the alarming numbers of casualties and extent of destruction, confirm that Israel has committed and will continue to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity that are all part ofthe genocide it has been committing against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip for nine months. All available international, legal, and judicial mechanisms must diligently be brought to bear to hold Israeli leaders and soldiers accountable, ensure that they face consequences, and provide compensation to the victims and their families in compliance with international law.

For its military, logistical, operational, and financial support of Israel during its attack on the Gaza Strip, the US must be held accountable as a major collaborator in committing crimes against the Palestinian people in the Strip, including the crime of genocide. This includes holding accountable all US officials who took part in making decisions that could have criminal consequences.

As part of their international obligations, all countries should put Israel under strong sanctions, halt all financial, political, and military assistance, and immediately halt all arms transfers to Israel—including export permits and military support.

[argumate]

The Russian MoD has begun to remove commanders from some of the Russian military’s most combat effective units and formations and appears to be accelerating this effort.

The reported dismissal and arrest of commanders leading combat effective units and formations appears to be associated with cases of insubordination. Popov flagrantly attempted to bypass Russian Chief of the General Staff and overall theater commander Army General Valery Gerasimov and directly bring his complaints about the frontline in western Zaporizhia to Russian President Vladimir Putin. A prominent Kremlin-affiliated milblogger claimed that Seliverstov’s dismissal was a result of similar insubordination, and Russian sources claimed that Seliverstov had a reputation for speaking up on behalf of his soldiers. Kornev may have voiced criticism of a host of potential issues on behalf of the 7th VDV Division, including the likely failure to be notified beforehand about the Russian destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station (KHPP) on June 6, reported attritional fighting that failed to eliminate a Ukrainian presence near the Antonivsky Bridge, or conditions in western Zaporizhia Oblast similar to those that Popov complained about. Ibatullin’s arrest may be associated with the 90th Tank Division’s resumption of assaults in Luhansk Oblast, where it conducted widespread offensive operations that failed to achieve territorial gains during the Russian 2023 winter offensive campaign. It is unclear why Ibatullin would have been arrested, if, indeed, he was, when the other commanders were reportedly simply removed from their commands.

Insubordination among commanders appears to be spreading to some of their soldiers. Russian milbloggers shared an audio excerpt on July 16 in which the alleged elements of the 7th VDV Division threatened that they would withdraw from their positions in occupied Kherson Oblast if the Russian MoD arrests Teplinsky or threatens his life. The elements of the 7th VDV Division also claimed that they would defend Teplinsky against the Russian MoD and asserted that the high command is targeting Russia’s most combat effective commanders. This audio appeal, if legitimate, is a threat of mass desertion in the face of the enemy on behalf of Teplinsky. Desertion in the face of the enemy is a capital offense in many militaries. The VDV servicemen are blackmailing the Russian MoD to ensure that Teplinsky continues to command troops in Ukraine, despite Teplinsky’s previous affiliation with Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin who had led an armed rebellion on June 24 to overthrow Shoigu and Gerasimov.

The Kremlin’s chronic disregard for the Russian chain of command is likely hindering Shoigu and Gerasimov in their attempts to suppress insubordination and establish full control over the Russian military in Ukraine. Putin consistently bypassed or ignored the established chain of command in hopes of securing rapid successes on the battlefield throughout the war, degrading Shoigu’s and Gerasimov’s authority – especially when military failures on the frontlines also eroded their reputations. Putin had cultivated an environment in which military personnel, officials, and even Russian war correspondents bypassed Shoigu and Gerasimov to present Putin their understandings of the current state of the war and recommendations for what to do. It is unusual but not unique for a commander in chief to solicit views on the war from outside experts. It is more problematic, although still not unique, for a commander in chief to solicit the views of subordinates opposed to senior leadership directly. But allowing a quasi-military commander such as Prigozhin to conduct his own campaign parallel but not subordinate to the one being executed by the formal chain of command is extraordinarily unusual and badly corrosive of the authority of the formal military leadership.

Putin also established the Russian MoD as the scapegoat for all Russian military failures, which saddled Shoigu and Gerasimov with a reputation for incompetence and failure that they are unlikely to repair. ISW previously assessed that Putin regularly grants and withdraws his support for different commanders in hopes generating rapid improvements in Russia’s military fortunes but without always doing so formally. Shoigu and Gerasimov likely expected that Putin would restore their full authority over the Russian military’s decision-making processes given their loyalty to him after Wagner’s armed rebellion on June 24. Putin, however, has clearly not done so.  He has instead followed his normal pattern of seeking to divert backlash away from himself and rotating commanders instead of outright dismissing them. Intensifying insubordination and widespread outrage in response to the ongoing officer purge may force the Kremlin to reconsider its partial backing for Shoigu and Gerasimov in the wake of Wagner’s rebellion.

Russian commanders are likely setting information conditions to prevent the Russian MoD from punishing them for their insubordination by promoting narratives among Russian servicemembers along the front and thereby risking widespread demoralization.

The apparent crisis in the Russian chain of command and the corresponding morale effects it may produce will likely degrade Russian capabilities to conduct tactical offensive operations that are critical to the Russian elastic defense in southern Ukraine.

snippets from recent ISW updates, this isn't even relating to the Ukrainian offensive, it's all Russian-on-Russian violence

[astarab1aze]

Magic

In my universe, magic itself is energy that exists within all things, even humans. It's fluid, malleable, flowing through the universe and fostering life and growth, evolution and change, fueling infinite necessary processes from the beginning of any given cycle until the end and repeating unto eternity. It serves this single purpose, but can be used, moved, changed, wielded as a tool to shatter stone into stackable bricks, shears to cut space and time apart and the needle to sew it back together, twist and alter the cosmos, predict and outline the future - and it can be used as a weapon, too, even the gauze used to treat a wound. It has many uses despite really only having one universal purpose.

How it's used varies, and is personal to its user. For some, it's as quick and effortless as a snap of their fingers, yet for others it requires time, focus, and a catalyst such as Vayn's blood palmseal, Loux's grimoire and knife Brie, Furie's wand, and Kaede's jade hip ornament. Most nightfolk aren't capable of casting without a catalyst in their possession - in fact, most nightfolk tend to hover around Vayn's level of magical prowess. Capable, but generally content with moderation - mastering utilities, dabbling in elemental control, and calling it a day. Fewer and fewer each generation reach for power, innovation, change, though that isn't to say there are none; As we can see with the likes of Sortia and Loux alone, there are still plenty who are hot-blooded and ready to take the world into their hands and change it forever, and those who would rise to the occaison to stop it by any means they can, as we see with Furie, Kaede, and Crovita.

Ultimately, magic largely manifests in use through visualization and force of will, accompanied by magical tools of varying utility that act as catalysts or conductive applicators - some don't need tools or visualization. Take Vayn and Loux for example; Vayn's strength of will is persisting however feeble, thereby disabling him from progression both as a vampire and as a mage, thusly entirely dependent upon a palmseal in order to use the bulk of his magic-- where Loux's is almost too strong, opening up far more pathways in just one element than are available to any other living mage and allowing him the ability to shapeshift, functionally, into anything he can imagine as well as use his magic without any tools, he is the catalyst. Now look at Sortia, whose slow- but hot-burning spirit led directly to the rarest evolutions in the last few hundred years, morphing her into a sanguinaurum without need for special items to cast either. Crovita is a different case, never more dependent on her magic than she needs to be, always using tools, though not because she can't, just by preference (better to have it and not need it than the reverse).

Now, this makes magic literally limitless in application and power, and, well, yes, that's because it is. All things are possible because magic is manipulatable energy, both physical and etheric, but it's not without its road blocks. There are many things that can completely nullify magic, reverse its course, unravel and disperse it, and just as many that can amplify and concentrate it, causing widespread devastation; What would most commonly be used to nullify it is silver, which when applied to nightfolk flesh behaves similarly to irradiated metals and burns, blisters, blackens, bleeds, sapping them of the magic inherent to them and dispersing or collecting it (the result of this is an empty, catatonic husk of a person and is a common punishment in prisons the world over). Some crystals can be used for this purpose, and herb mixes heavy on deathbloom or other such already extraordinarily deadly flora. Certain curses and binding spells developed over the years fall under the Nullification sub-category of the Spacial tree, and such magic is frequently employed in admission to institutions like the Triangulary.

What can amplify it is...much the same - magic itself, in fact, but also herbal enhancement blends, draughts, potions of all sorts, enchanted items, and certain magical reactions or events. Concentrated or over-amplified magic very quickly becomes a problem however, if improperly managed, resulting in rapid, often devastating discharges of magical energy. There are times it's near impossible to stop, both environmentally and per the nightfolk, and so heavy damage is inevitable both externally and individually - such is prevalent in people like Loux, wherein he possesses such a high concentration of magic, it can be difficult to contain and manage it unless he uses it; Not using it leads to layers of skin charring to volcanic rock and, if left any longer than that, limb loss, all accompanied by bursts of fiery magic both in small and large areas of effect. Because he can manage it, he's not at any immediate risk for harm, but if in a situation he's prevented from doing so, everyone's in trouble.

Schools of Magic

Utility Magic: husbandry, alteration, enchantment, light, divination, illusions, hexes, alchemy, herbalism, conjuration, binding, rejuvination / restoration, barriers / veils, dispel, ritual, telekinesis - these are what anyone can use regardless of element, with time and effort.

Air Magic: flight*, thunder, gas, smoke, sound, silence, storm, wind, and breath.

⸻this element is uncommon, but not rare, and is another exceedingly difficult element to gain full control over on account of its strength and relative unpredictability. it's very easy to overshoot and cause more damage than anything even for masters of this element.

Beast Magic: shapeshifting, transformation*, communication*, companions / summons, ehancement, taming, and anthromorphic*.

⸻is not considered an element unto itself, but something that works in conjunction with the elements in shapeshifters and weres. in a sense, it's basically a utility school for them specifically. otherwise, generally used to deal with alterations to physical appearance and animal husbandry on the whole.

Blood Magic: healing*, leeching, vampirism, memory, life, death, hypnosis, mind control, sex, birth, blood oaths*, sacrifice*, madness, and love.

⸻rare in non-vampires, uncommon even in vampires and most commonly associated with the Morningstar House. looked upon unfavorably and with fear except in terms of medical care (basically seen as inherently dangerous unless used in professional, regulated environments such as bloodweaver institutions). also associated with sanguinach

Fire Magic: thermal, lightning, explosive, plasma, hellfire, ash, volcanic, and solar.

⸻the most common of all elements and simultaneously the most difficult to master on account of its volatility. most users are really only capable of low- to mid-level applications at best, but masters gain a wealth of destructive power (i.e. Loux). associated largely with some old depictions of the hellplane. what becomes strongly associated with the flametongue

Ice Magic: water, steam, cold, vapor, bubbles, glacial, oceanic, rain, corrosion, snow, mist, fog, waterbreathing*, and waterwalking*.

⸻common, but not quite as common as fire. not so much volatile as it is wholly unforgiving, equally as consumptive and destructive. it has a number of uses both in and out of combat, and is associated with old stories about the end of the world in sunjatti tradition. simulatenously held sacred and afeared

Necro Magic: spiritwork, funerary*, summoning*, possession*, acid, death, spiritflame, shadow, reanimation, clairvoyance*, soporific, disease, bone, undead.

⸻more common than ice but less common than fire. all necrotic magic is tied intrinsically to sunjatti funerary traditions and the concept of death; while certainly dark, death plays an important part in the world as a whole, equally as sacred as life itself. it tends to be seen as an honor to be born with it, however common it may be, for this reason. necromancers are still weird

Earth Magic: floral, metal, poison, growth*, sand, seismic, crystal, mud, dust, wood, glass, fey, fungal, and thorn.

⸻equally as common as spacial, but not as common as ice or flame. associated largely with sunjatti shapeshifter gods such as the face-eater. earth-based mages are usually deeply protective of the environment, sometimes aggressively so, and are particularly adept at alchemy and interfacing with the environment. associated with balance and natural harmony, but also trickery and mysticism

Spacial Magic: cosmic, meteor, gravity, time, portal, floating*, vacuum, nullification*, force, and void.

⸻equally as common as earth, but not as common as ice or flame. this element is rarely ever mastered; most tend to choose a particular talent and stick with it for most elements as it stands, but this one beats out the rest, even blood magic. cosmic forces are unpredictable and near impossible to control, and time is impossible on most scales. extremely effective in all applications if one takes the time to master it. associated almost exclusively with the goddesses of fate

Light Magic: sealing*, darkness, prismatic, blessing*, healing*, cleansing*, holy, life, vows*, and exorcism*.

⸻viewed as instrinsically tied to the clergy in most cases though isn't necessarily. uncommon, but quite useful against necrotic evils (though is not without its own...) and commonly associated in tandem with blood magic with life and sanctuary. not so difficult to control as it is tedious

*School-specific utilities, meaning these utilities are only useable if an individual was born with such specific elements. Those who are capable of wielding more than one element have access, though use is not always guaranteed.

[warsofasoiaf]

Was the Russian invasion a failure of deterrence on the West's part and, if so, what can we learn to make sure it doesn't happen again?

Yes.

I think the big issue is to re-establish credible deterrence. The Russian invasion of Ukraine was enabled by the failure of deterrence in the annexation of Crimea in 2014; so to re-establish credible deterrence, you need to ensure treaty obligations that obligate the destruction of the invading army. If we had turned the columns outside of Kyiv to slag, Russia would not be so willing to kidnap children and conduct widespread atrocities against the Ukrainian civilian population because they'd actually have consequences for their actions.

Of course, the actual response matters based on the psychology of the country. Russia doesn't really give a shit if a bunch of mobiks brought up from the non-Slavic portions of Russia die miserable deaths - that's just the lesser peoples dying for the glory of Greater Russia which is the natural order (yes, Russia is an extraordinarily racist society). So you need to establish deterrence measures that hurt the country in areas that they value. For Russia, that would be seizure of their sovereign wealth funds stored abroad, seizure of Russian-owned foreign properties connected to state actors and siloviki, and revocation of Russian visas for their elites to study in Western universities. For China, it would be expulsion from supranational entities, revocation of charters for their outreach organizations, decoupling industrial and commercial partnerships, and using supranational governmental forums explicitly to call out Chinese subversion - such as calling out the WHO for supporting China's cover-up of COVID and suppression of the virus's origins because the truth is detrimental to Chinese national prestige.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[mariacallous]

Europe’s never-ending struggle to provide tidbits of assistance to Ukraine while still pandering to the agricultural lobbies that dictate so much policy in Brussels took another tortured turn this week. The European Commission hammered out its latest, tentative compromise plan to offer Kyiv another year of tariff-free access to the European single market for some agricultural products—but it’s not a done deal, and it could end up as a nasty tripwire for Ukraine’s hopes to join the European Union.

At issue is a monthslong tussle over the renewal of tariff-free access for a handful of Ukrainian farm goods, such as eggs, poultry, honey, and maize (corn). Ukraine, which is not a member of the EU and is in the middle of a war with Russia, desperately wants the trade relief, which it figures is worth well over 1 billion euros a year in much-needed export earnings. 

Europe as a whole is unlikely to be concerned about such rounding-error figures, but certain groups in Europe—namely farmers in eastern “front-line” countries—care very much indeed. Farmers in Poland have added angry chants against Ukrainian food imports to the standard-issue complaints about the European Green Deal and free trade that animate farmer protests across the continent; they’ve even blocked the borders east and west in protest against what they say is a flood of outside food that is undermining their livelihood.

In a nutshell, Europe’s bid to offer Ukraine the tiniest of economic lifelines is threatening to weaken support for the country’s eventual membership in the EU by angering groups with outsized political influence that feel threatened by what looks to them like the stealth arrival of a new trade rival. That is most evident in Poland, Ukraine’s neighbor, which when the war began was hugely supportive of aiding Kyiv in any way possible but which in recent months has become a lot more sour on defense assistance, Ukrainian refugees, Ukrainian wheat, and, of course, Ukrainian EU membership.

According to recent opinion polls, support among Poles for further aid to Ukraine is dropping sharply, and that is especially true among more right-wing voters (as is true across much of Europe). One big reason for this decline in support is the fight that Polish farmers have waged against what they see as a flood of cheap, foreign food.

“What I can say is that the support for Ukraine has taken a real hit in Poland. Look at enlargement, support for refugees, even weapons,” said Isabell Hoffmann, a survey expert at Eupinions, an independent platform for European public opinion. “Support was extraordinarily strong before, and it is still strong today. But it weakened notably and quickly.”

Poland has been fighting over Ukrainian food imports for a year, but the protests intensified at the beginning of this year with further border blockages and anti-Ukraine animus which have found widespread popular support.

“This issue has become very toxic in domestic politics. There are more and more critical voices in Poland,” said Piotr Buras, the head of the Warsaw office of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). “This is the paradox: The European Commission is talking about more gradual integration with Ukraine and the single market, but we are talking about the gradual closing of the single market for Ukraine.”

All this began, like so many of Ukraine’s current woes, with the full-scale Russian invasion in early 2022, which threatened Ukraine’s breadbasket agricultural regions and, importantly, its main export route through the Black Sea. The EU offered emergency tariff relief for a host of Ukrainian agricultural goods so they could travel overland and into the EU and trade without prejudice. 

For Ukraine, desperate to earn foreign currency and boost the few exports that were left after the Russian invasion, it was a tidy little lifeline. 

“From an economic point of view, agriculture remains one of the key export sectors of Ukraine,” said Marek Dabrowski, an expert on European trade and enlargement issues at Bruegel, a think tank. “Before the war, it was metallurgy and industry, but then part of that was destroyed, and part is occupied, so exports now are essentially down to agricultural goods. The reason for these ‘emergency measures’ has not gone away.”

Indeed, those emergency measures have continued every year since—until now. The European Commission planned to simply roll the tariff relief over this year, giving Ukraine one more year of free access, worth about 1.7 billion euros for Kyiv’s empty coffers. But many of the countries bordering Ukraine, including Hungary, Poland, and  Slovakia, pushed back at what they viewed as a flood of cheap Ukrainian grain that was undermining their own farmers. Some countries, such as Poland, unilaterally blocked Ukrainian farm goods from staying in the country. 

Together, and most recently backed by France, those countries pushed for a tougher version of tariff relief for Ukraine that would have limited the amount of agricultural goods it could sell to Europe. The European Commission and European Parliament have been at work hammering out ever-tougher versions of tariff relief ever since. 

The latest proposal would still offer Ukraine relief for another year but with tougher quota baselines, which would cost Kyiv about 350 million euros annually. Ukraine’s farm lobby on Thursday decried the slide toward EU “protectionism” in the latest wrangling. But even that compromise measure still has to pass the European Parliament, where it could face yet further efforts to weaken Ukraine’s access. 

While an extension, even a watered-down one, would still be welcome in Ukraine, the problem is the perception that such preferential trade policies create in front-line countries such as Poland. Ukrainian grain is not the cause for the plight of Polish farmers any more than it is the reason for angst in the countryside in the other 26 EU member states; that has a lot more to do with falling prices for global agricultural staples such as wheat, as well as slightly tougher (and costlier) EU regulations on agricultural production. 

But many who are getting kicked while they are down don’t look carefully at precisely who is doing the kicking, and continual European assistance for Ukraine rubs many in the east the wrong way.

The temporary trade measures amounted to a full opening, Buras of ECFR said. “Basically, Ukraine jumped from a piecemeal opening to European access to the final stage of this process,” he said. “Nobody expected these measures to remain in place for three years or more. Technically, we have a full opening of the single market to Ukrainian products.”

The risk is that the tiny measures Europe is taking to shore up Ukraine today with trade relief could end up as a poisoned chalice in years to come. Once the war is over, Ukraine is widely expected to get on with its decade-long quest to become a member of the EU—a step that ultimately needs the go-ahead from all current member states.

“The Ukrainians should also, seen from Warsaw, be a little more careful when they push for more liberalization,” Buras said. “At the end of the day, Ukrainians are dependent on Polish support” to join the EU, he added.

[nettlewildfairy]

Tumblr made that big long post and a lot of people are angry reacting to some like surprisingly reasonable suggestions that solve widespread long time  complaints

i dont know how they plan to solve everything just yet but as someone who knows some things about the industry and jargon here are my 2 cents

Here is a link to the referenced post

Principle 1: Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr

in an age where most social media sites are making it aesoteric and difficult to share posts offsite /app tumblr is considering making it easier to do

yall do you know how hard it is to link a long tumblr post with like a comic or funny string of replies to share with my friends who arent on tumblr? i have to take like 15 screenshots every time. IF staff is priorizing making it easier to share posts that would be so much better oh my god 2 High quality content on launch.  the pessamistic assumption is that this could mean a mandatory algorithm but if you read carefully you’ll notice they never fully say thats even remotely what they are going to do. This seems to be a suggestion that the default new user experience will change. 

If you like me made an account 10 years ago this looks like it won’t affect your experience whatsoever. 

but like trying to sort through tags to find blogs and curate my own feed actively took like over a year to get to a place where i’m happy when i did it in 2011/2012

if feeds and tags Worked that would be good. the for you page and exploration features on tumblr do, admittedly suck right now. there SHould be easier ways to find and search for stuff on tumblr. if their search worked better and finding stuff you wanted to see was easier that Would improve the experience for most people on this site.  3. facilitate easier user participation in conversations folks if replys could be threaded in some way it would be 1000 times easeir to have convos with them. like i do not get what people are upset about here. like a person shouldn’t have to reblog their own post 15 times in a row to reply to different people about the same thing. they could make this so much better.  4. Retain and grow our creator base

 it IS hard for art to see and get seen. if i had a nickle for every time i saw a post begging people to reblog art i’d have like so many nickles.  I would like to see more art. and ttrpg creators. there’s like stuff i have to go to twitter for and its small time ttrpg, art, writing, and literary magazines because even when those folks are on tumblr its extraordinarily difficult to find them with the systems currently in place.

 like i don’t know that tumblr has a good plan to make this kind of thing easier but if they did figure it out it would rule. and its good to know that this is a priority for the company 5.  Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr

throttling notifications rules. i have commented on tumblr staff posts dozens of times for like 5+ years asking for this, thank GOD. if you reblog a lot of posts you get a lot of notes even if you have like 15 people regularly interacting with your stuff on 100 posts a day thats like 1500 notifications. it collapses some by post or interaction type but that is NOT enough and the notification bar always says 99+ unless i checked it less than a minute ago, im dying please make notifications meaningful and not overwhelming. 

6: Performance, stability and quality

this is generic and means very little obviously anyone making an app wants it to crash less often.  bonus: ive seen people get upset at the implication that they are instituting a mandatory algorithm but the site has had an option algorithm for like ages, it doesn't imply its mandatory anywhere or that they're taking away our option to turn it off. there are already artist showcase things on the dash on the regular, if you have adblock on you can’t see some of those, but they've had them for fully years. 

its highly unlikely that they would get rid of one of the main selling points of tumblr.com they’re like a real company thats done bare minimum market research, like folks no one other than musk would do something that boneheaded

[lillatorg]

Lightning or a Taper's Light

A few months ago I was doing a little light googling for another project. I wanted to write a historical fic without firearms and in this part of the world, that meant going back to the very early 1400s.

The widespread use of gunpowder in military conflicts changed warfare. At the time that arquebuses began to be used in war, Ayutthaya, the kingdom on which Theerapanyakul is extraordinarily roughly (so very roughly, I am not a historian) based, had tens of thousands of war elephants. War elephants.

Obviously at this point in my other project, I wondered why I was so determined to write a fic without gunpower if it also meant that I had written a fic without elephants. What a silly decision.

While no elephants are harmed in my fic, elephant warfare was pretty much all about harming elephants. I cried when I read the wikipedia article. Especially when we consider the impact of gunpowder weapons.

I wasn't able to find a source detailing how Ayutthaya changed military tactics to mitigate risks to their elephantry corps, but I imagine they would have been very concerned about the new weapons and very curious to know who was supplying them.

Thus I walked away from my light googling with the filaments of a plot. New weapons are being used against Kinn's people and he wants to find out where they are coming from.

If Theerapanyakul is so very roughly (not even broad strokes, enormous swaths of creative liberty here) based on Ayutthaya, that makes Kittisawat based on Lan Na to the north, with a cluster of city-states in between.

Some sources suggest that Lan Na may have obtained arquebuses first in this part of the world due to the country's invasion by Đại Việt. So, Porsche has access to new, devastating weapons that will change warfare forever. Only some go missing. He wants to find out who is stealing them.

And that's where we begin Lightning or a Taper's Light, aka the Elephants and Arquebuses AU. It's really just about the elephants and arquebuses, folks. And miscommunication. And fake dating. And falling in love, though that's a foregone conclusion.

Read it here.

[ukrainenews]

Daily Wrap Up April 13-17, 2023

Under the cut:

Kyiv said on Monday a U.N.-brokered initiative allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain was in danger of "shutdown" after Russia blocked inspections of participating ships in Turkish waters.

Ukrainian and Russian armed forces are fighting extraordinarily bloody battles in the ruined eastern city of Bakhmut, but pro-Kyiv forces are still holding on, Ukraine’s military says.

Russia launched attacks across Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Donetsk oblasts over the past 24 hours, causing widespread property damage and injuring at least three people.

At least 11 people have died and 22 more are wounded after Friday's strikes on residential buildings in the eastern city of Sloviansk, according to an update from the State Emergency Services. (The death toll has been updated to 15, but this number may continue to change.)

One hundred and thirty Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released and returned home in a "great Easter exchange", a senior Ukrainian presidential official said on Sunday, the day of Orthodox Easter.

Kyiv said on Monday a U.N.-brokered initiative allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain was in danger of "shutdown" after Russia blocked inspections of participating ships in Turkish waters.

Ukrainian Black Sea ports were blockaded after Russia's invasion last year, but access to three of them was cleared last July under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv that was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.

The agreement - intended to help ease a global food crisis - was extended last month, but Ukraine said the number of cargo ships passing through the Bosporus carrying Ukrainian agricultural products was critically low.

"For the second time in 9 months of operation of the Grain Initiative, an inspection plan (for participating vessels) has not been drawn up, and not a single vessel has been inspected," Ukraine's restoration ministry said on Facebook under the headline "Grain initiative under threat of shutdown."

Highlighting the bottleneck in the Bosporus, Bridget Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said on Twitter over 50 ships were awaiting approval to go to Ukrainian ports "to load grain that will feed those who need it."

Russia did not respond to Brink's or the ministry's comments, but the Kremlin said prospects for a renewal of the grain deal were "not so bright".

Moscow says a separate deal, under which the U.N. agreed to help Russia with its food and fertilizer exports, is not working.

Ukraine's restoration ministry said Russian representatives in a Joint Coordination Center were operating an "unacceptable" plan for inspecting vessels which contradicted the terms of the initiative.

In the last three days, Russian inspectors had refused to register three vessels without any explanation, it said.

"Ukraine categorically rejects Russia's latest demands and opposes its interference in the operation of Ukrainian ports," the ministry said.

-via Reuters

~

Ukrainian and Russian armed forces are fighting extraordinarily bloody battles in the ruined eastern city of Bakhmut, but pro-Kyiv forces are still holding on, Ukraine’s military says.

Reuters reported that Russia’s defence ministry said earlier on Saturday that fighters from the Wagner mercenary group had captured two more areas of Bakhmut, the main target of Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern military command, told the 1+1 television channel:

Bloody battles unprecedented in recent decades are taking place in the middle of the city’s urban area.

Our soldiers are doing everything in bloody and fierce battles to grind down [the enemy’s] combat capability and break its morale. Every day, in every corner of this city, they are successfully doing so.

The Russian defence ministry said Wagner units had taken two areas on the northern and southern outskirts of the city. Russian army paratroop units were supporting the claimed advance by holding back Ukrainian forces on the flanks, it added.

Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

The UK said in an intelligence update on Friday that Ukrainian troops had been forced to cede some territory in Bakhmut as Russia mounted a renewed assault there.

-via The Guardian

~

Russia launched attacks across Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Donetsk oblasts over the past 24 hours, causing widespread property damage and injuring at least three people.

Settlements in the Kharkiv, Kupinask, Chuhuiv, and Izium districts of Kharkiv Oblast were targeted by Russian attacks over the past 24 hours, Governor Oleh Syniehubov wrote.

At least 11 buildings were damaged and fires had to be put out, according to Syniehubov. In the village of Kurylivka, located in the Kupiansk district, a private home was damaged as a result of Russian mortar attacks.

A private home in the village of Pershotravneve, located in the Izium district, was destroyed. However, there were no reported casualties.

Russia launched 56 attacks against 16 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast over the past 24 hours, Governor Yurii Malashko reported.

This includes 46 artillery strikes, four air strikes, four drone attacks, and two attacks with multiple launch rocket systems.

According to Malashko, there are at least 52 reported cases of damage to infrastructure, including apartments, private houses, and cars.

A 61-year-old man was hospitalized for his injuries.

There were ten recorded strikes after Russian forces used rocket launchers to attack the Bilopollia community in Sumy Oblast overnight on April 17. There were no casualties, the Sumy Oblast military administration wrote.

Russian forces also shelled the border of Chernihiv Oblast. Six explosions were recorded between 06:45 a.m. and 07:15 a.m. near the village of Karpovychi, Operational Command North reported. Russian forces likely fired 120mm mortar rounds.

From 06:50 a.m. to 06:52 a.m. two explosions, also likely to be from 120mm mortar rounds, were recorded near the village of Leonivk. No casualties were reported.

Russian forces shelled Kherson Oblast 46 times on April 16, firing 170 shells from heavy artillery, drones, and aviation. Residential areas in Kherson were targeted three times, the Kherson Oblast military administration wrote. No casualties were reported.

Nikopol and a nearby settlement of the Chervonohryhorivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast were attacked with barrel artillery on April 16, Yevhen Yevtushenko, head of Nikopol's military administration, wrote.

Two people were injured as a result of the attack. One man received outpatient care and one woman was hospitalized for her injuries, but she is in stable condition, according to Yevtushenko.

A church, five residential buildings, two cars, several power lines, and four buildings were also damaged. One was also destroyed.

Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast was hit by two missiles, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote. According to the governor, Russian forces were targeting the territory of an enterprise. Three buildings and a car were damaged.

Russian forces shelled multiple other settlements across the oblast but no casualties were reported beyond the rising death toll from the April 14 missile strike on Sloviansk, which killed 15 people, including a two-year-old boy.

-via Kyiv Independent

~

At least 11 people have died and 22 more are wounded after Friday's strikes on residential buildings in the eastern city of Sloviansk, according to an update from the State Emergency Services.

The Ukrainian agency said four more people may still be trapped under the rubble Saturday.

“A total of 75 tonnes of rubble have been dismantled at the site,” the service's report said.

At least eight explosions rocked the city Friday afternoon local time, as Russian forces targeted it with S-300 rockets, according to Sloviansk Mayor Vadym Liakh. The strikes hit apartment buildings, houses, administrative buildings and a schoolyard.

A 2-year-old boy was among those killed in the assault.

-via CNN

The death toll from Friday's Russian missile barrage on residential buildings in Sloviansk, Ukraine, has reached 15, according to a regional Ukrainian official.

A further 24 people were wounded in the strikes, up from the previously reported total of 22, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk region's military administration, said in a Telegram post Sunday.

Kyrylenko said rescuers pulled five people, including a 14-year-old girl, from under the rubble. The bodies of 10 of the victims were recovered.

Some context: The strikes, which killed a 2-year-old boy, are among the worst attacks on Sloviansk since the year began.

At least eight explosions rocked the city Friday afternoon local time, as Russian forces targeted it with S-300 rockets, according to Sloviansk Mayor Vadym Liakh. The strikes hit apartment buildings, houses, administrative buildings and a schoolyard.

-via CNN

~

One hundred and thirty Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released and returned home in a "great Easter exchange", a senior Ukrainian presidential official said on Sunday, the day of Orthodox Easter.

Ukrainian and Russian forces have held regular prisoner exchanges during Moscow's invasion, now in its 14th month. Russia holds swathes of territory in Ukraine's east and south.

"We are bringing back 130 of our people. It (the exchange) has been taking place in several stages over the past few days," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on the Telegram messaging app.

It was not clear how many Russians were sent back the other way.

Yermak said those returning home included military, border guards, national guard members, sailors and employees of the state border guard.

The exchange was the second large prisoner swap in the past week. On Monday, Russia and Ukraine said they carried out a major prisoner swap with 106 Russian prisoners of war being freed in exchange for 100 Ukrainians.

Ukraine said on Friday it had also retrieved the bodies of 82 of its soldiers from Russian-controlled territory.

-via Reuters

[hazardous-waste-containment]

[Interwar fascism] articulated, fomented, and channelled inchoate but extraordinarily widespread longings for a new type of political system, a new élite, a new type of human being, a new relationship between the individual and society, for a more planned economy, for a revolutionary change in the values of modern life, for a new experience of time itself. The mobilizing myth which can be treated ideal-typically as the definitional core of fascism (the ‘fascist minimum’) is that through the intervention of a heroic élite the whole national community is capable of resurrecting itself Phoenix-like from the ashes of the decadent old order (‘palingenetic ultra-nationalism’).

Roger Griffin, “Interregnum or endgame? The radical right in the ‘post-fascist’ era”

[sataniccapitalist]

[karimsa22]

The Rise of Egyptian Football: A Historic Overview

Egyptian football, or soccer as it is known in many parts of the world, holds a prominent place in the heart of the nation and has a rich history filled with triumphs, legends, and memorable moments. As one of the most successful footballing nations in Africa, Egypt's national team, affectionately known as the Pharaohs, has made significant contributions to the sport both on and off the pitch.

A Storied History

Egypt's football journey dates back to the early 20th century, with the national team first competing internationally in 1920. However, it was in 1957 that Egypt made its mark on the continental stage by winning the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). This victory set the tone for the team’s future successes and established Egypt as a dominant force in African football.

The Pharaohs continued their impressive form by securing a total of seven AFCON titles as of 2024, making them the most successful team in the history of the competition. Their triumphs in 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, and 2010, during a period often referred to as the "Golden Era" of Egyptian football, solidified their reputation. The 2010 AFCON victory was particularly remarkable as it completed a hat-trick of consecutive titles, a feat unmatched by any other team.

Iconic Players and Legends

Egyptian football has been home to some of the most talented and influential players in the sport's history. Among them, Mohamed Salah stands out as a global superstar. His dazzling performances for clubs like FC Basel, Chelsea, Roma, and Liverpool have earned him widespread acclaim and numerous individual awards, including multiple Premier League Golden Boots. Salah’s impact extends beyond club football; his leadership and skill have been pivotal in Egypt’s international campaigns.

Another legendary figure is Mahmoud El Khatib, a revered striker who shone in the 1970s and early 1980s. Known for his exceptional goal-scoring ability and technical prowess, El Khatib is celebrated as one of Egypt's greatest footballers. His contributions to Al Ahly SC and the national team have left an indelible mark on Egyptian football.

Domestic and Continental Success

At the domestic level, Egyptian football clubs, particularly Al Ahly SC and Zamalek SC, have been extraordinarily successful. Al Ahly SC, often referred to as the "Club of the Century" in African football, has won a record number of Egyptian Premier League titles and CAF Champions League trophies. Zamalek SC, their arch-rivals, has also achieved considerable success in both domestic and continental competitions.

These clubs have not only dominated local football but have also contributed significantly to the national team by providing a strong pool of talent. The intense rivalry between Al Ahly and Zamalek, known as the "Cairo Derby," is one of the most fiercely contested and watched football matches in Africa, drawing immense crowds and generating passionate debates among fans.

Challenges and Future Prospects

Despite its historical successes, Egyptian football has faced its share of challenges. The national team's performance in recent years has been somewhat inconsistent, with notable underperformances in recent World Cup qualifiers and AFCON tournaments. Issues such as administrative challenges, the need for improved infrastructure, and the development of young talent are areas that require attention.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has been working on addressing these issues, with a focus on grassroots development and investing in youth academies. Additionally, there is a renewed emphasis on strengthening the national team’s coaching and technical staff to better compete on the international stage.

Looking ahead, there is a sense of optimism among fans and analysts that Egyptian football can regain its former glory. The emergence of young talents, combined with the experience of seasoned players, could pave the way for a new era of success. The goal for the Pharaohs will be to harness their rich footballing heritage and adapt to the evolving landscape of the sport to achieve future victories.

Conclusion

Egyptian football remains a beacon of success and passion in African football. With a storied past, legendary players, and a fervent fan base, the Pharaohs have left an indelible mark on the sport. As they navigate through contemporary challenges, the hope is that they will continue to build on their illustrious history and inspire future generations with their footballing prowess.