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Posts published in “Once upon a quote”

On Wednesday, when the sky is blue,
and I have nothing else to do,
I sometimes wonder if it’s true
That who is what and what is who.

– Winnie the Pooh

Welcome to the most pointless day of the week, Wednesday! The week has been going on forever and is far from over. And so the only thing that helps is escaping reality! Off to the worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Let us be inspired by the truisms and true profundity that our favourite characters have spoken. Maybe we’ll find our entertainment programme for the next weekend, as well as just enough motivation not to throw the alarm clock against the wall tomorrow with a bloodcurdling scream.

I can bear pain myself…

Published 20. April 2022 by Theresa Thunig
I can bear pain myself…
Spoiler-Alert!

This article contains mild spoilers about the first season of Outlander, in particular the episode "The Watch" (S01E13).

We hear, read and tell countless stories in our lives. Our imagination seems immeasurable. And yet we find ourselves returning to some themes again and again, even though one might think we have no need to repeat ourselves. One of these themes, however, that somehow seems to hold a very special place in our hearts, is love. Of course. What else has such power? Love seems to find a way into almost all our stories - in one way or another. As if we could not (or would not) escape it.

Funny if we both got it wrong, eh?

Published 6. April 2022 by Theresa Thunig
Funny if we both got it wrong, eh?
Spoiler-Alert!

This post contains spoilers for the first season of Good Omens.

One cannot really let a story begin earlier than at the beginning. It is therefore fair to say that the connection between Aziraphale and Crowley has lasted longer than anything known to us. Especially when there was supposed to be no "connection" between the two of them at all! They should be arch-enemies, for after all Crowley is a demon and Erziraphael an angel. But an actual biblical matter brought them together, a matter that has to do with nothing less than a very specific apple and a flaming sword.

Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate

Published 23. March 2022 by Theresa Thunig
Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate
Spoiler-Alert!

This article contains spoilers about "Pirates of the Caribbean".

Who would expect words of real wisdom from the mouth of a pirate - an extremely strange one at that? But if anyone is always good for a surprise, it is Captain Jack Sparrow. He truly does not live up to the initial accusation that he is the worst pirate one has ever seen. On the contrary, he proves to be the best of his guild, even if or precisely because his manner is not what one would expect from a pirate.

Sometimes a feeling is all we have

Published 9. March 2022 by Theresa Thunig
Sometimes a feeling is all we have
Spoiler-Alert!

This post contains spoilers for the episode "A Taste Of Armageddon" of the series "Star Trek: The Original Series" (TOS S01E23).

It always seems amazing how people in the past - when popular science fiction was still in its infancy, so to speak - thought of humanity's relationship to technology in the future. Sometimes we are dominated by it, it itself becomes our greatest enemy, and sometimes it is an instrument that serves our own progress. The hopes and fears reflected in it are almost as numerous as the stars in our sky. This ambivalence is expressed in a strikingly witty way in the series "Star Trek: The Original Series", if nothing else.

To turn on the light

Published 23. February 2022 by Theresa Thunig
To turn on the light
Spoiler-Alert!

This article contains mild spoilers about Harry Potter III: The Prisoner of Azkaban.

With a bloodcurdling squeal, the constant "Dadamm-dadamm" of the train comes to a halt. Where there should be the joyful or excited talk and giggles of hundreds of children, there is only tense whispering. Fearful glances roam the grounds. The castle, which is actually home and school in equal measure, seems different today than it usually does. Today the mist hides more than forests and magic. You can almost feel them, the ghosts that can bring the worst memories to light. It is the 1st of September 1993 and a new school year begins at Hogwarts and it brings with it a whole new darkness.

If you live an ordinary life…

Published 9. February 2022 by Theresa Thunig
If you live an ordinary life…
Spoiler-Alert!

This article contains slight spoilers about the film "Passengers" (2016) and the novel "Around the World in Eighty Days" by Jules Verne and all adaptations.

What do we dream of? How do we imagine our life, our future? What are our hopes and wishes? Such existential questions have great power to drive or paralyse us. They can make us aware of the responsibility we have while the earth keeps turning. Because no one can make better decisions about our lives than we can. So what on earth do we do with the time we have?

Deeds that move the wheels of the world

Published 2. February 2022 by Oscar Cuypers
Deeds that move the wheels of the world

My first idea this Wednesday was to write something about the quote "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future", which comes from the Lord of the Rings movies and is spoken by Galadriel. But then I came across a short article by Marcel Aubron-Bülles that reminded me of the quote which can be seen as the inspiration for Galadriel's words, which only occur in the movies:

Existence is chaos

Published 26. January 2022 by Theresa Thunig
Existence is chaos
Spoiler-Alert!

This post contains mild spoilers about the Disney+ series "Loki".

The biblical creation narratives describe how God created the earth and ordered the chaos. Thus the world became a place for life and humans could subdue it. But what is the moral of the story? Perhaps that chaos is the enemy of human beings? That chaos is the one thing we can't handle? Who knows? In the "Loki" series, on the other hand, there is a remarkable quote that may help to look at the issue from a slightly different angle.

In 900 years of time and space

Published 19. January 2022 by Oscar Cuypers
In 900 years of time and space

"In 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important before." An iconic sentence of the 11th Doctor, which falls in an equally great episode (Feast of Love - S05E14) and in my eyes forms a core sentence of the Doctor's philosophy. For this reason, I would like to take a closer look at it on this Quote Wednesday.

You’re just as special as anyone else in this family

Published 12. January 2022 by Theresa Thunig
You’re just as special as anyone else in this family
Spoiler-Alert!

This post contains spoilers for the new Disney film "Encanto" and mild spoilers for season 2 episode 7 of "The Witcher".

What does it take to be special? Mirabel Madrigal from "Encanto" is confronted with this question every day, as the "specialness" of those she is closest to is constantly brought to her attention. Since her abuela was given a miracle fifty years ago - as you might imagine the expression literally sent me into euphoria, but perhaps more on that elsewhere - every member of the family was given a gift at a certain age. And these gifts are indeed incredible: Mirabel's mother Julieta was given the power to heal people; her aunt Pepa can control the weather; her uncle Bruno can see the future; Mirabel's eldest sister Isabela can grow flowers ex nihilo and so on. One gift is more magnificent than the next. That the Madrigals are special is thus completely beyond question.