#village because we are HARDLY a nation. unfortunately

[cabinette]

happy valentines day martim village <333

[blackbird0blog]

Short Story Summaries

Here are the stories for which I have chapter one nearly completed and just need to fill in a few more scenes and edit. Currently 5 have been posted.

Uchiha Chiasa (Naruto SI) - Posted!

In which Uchiha Shisui and I trick the whole world into believing I’m his little sister, and together we proceed to wreck canon one step at a time. Or the one in which Bro-con!Shisui saves the world.

Senju Tobirama’s Guide to Screwing Up Time Travel

Tobirama and Mito mourned Hashirama’s death in the tradition of the Senju and Uzumaki; they got blind drunk while cursing his name. In his drunken fugue, Tobirama gets an Idea. In her drunken fugue, Mito thinks it’s Great.

In a display of true irony and proof that karma is very real, Tobirama lives once again as the second son of the clan head – the Uchiha clan that is. 

In which Tobirama is Sasuke, Mito is Karin, and the rest of the world is scrambling to catch up. 

Mustang and Al’s Elemental Nations Road Trip.

In which Truth is an ass, there are dimension, body, and soul exchanges, and suddenly we have Hoshigaki OMG-A-Fluffy-Cat Kisame, Uchiha Why-Am-I-Still-Blind Itachi, and Edward Mysteriously-Missing Elric, who didn’t have the decency to end up together with Al and Roy. 

Surviving Your Genin Team

In which Kakashi gets assigned Team Seven, consisting of a Hokage wannabe, an avenger, and a rabid fan: only they’re not who you think they are. 

Aspiring Hokage Sakura, Avenger Naruto, and Fanboy Sasuke.

Ino Time Travel

Yamanaka Ino isn’t anyone’s first choice for time travel. She is, unfortunately, the only choice. But just because she’s come back alone doesn’t mean she has to do everything herself. Uchiha Itachi was minding his own business, committing great acts of evil while spying for his village, when a pint-sized blonde literally kicks down his door and kidnaps him. Is it kidnapping when your kidnapper is the kid?

Void Contract (Naruto SI) - Posted!

Uzuki Yuuto was content to serve his village as a career chuunin manning an insignificant outpost on the outskirts of Konoha while exploring the wonders of chakra. He stayed far away from The Plot and was happy about it. Then, he accidentally stumbles across Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, and his easy life as an unnoticeable grunt comes to an explosive end.

SI!Sasuke - Posted!

The general consensus around Konoha was that Itachi had driven me into incomprehensible, blithering insanity. It was a wonderful excuse for my personality transplant before and after the massacre. Honestly, I was a little embarrassed for them. They called themselves ninja yet didn’t suspect Sasuke’s body had been taken over by an alien. I wasn’t exactly hiding it.

SI!Hinata

Hinata - sunflower. A delicate name for a delicate girl. The moment I blew the balls off my would-be kidnapper aged three, I somehow got the premonition it wouldn’t suit me quite as well.

Hidden Fire - Shiranui Genma Time Travel

Officially, Shiranui Genma was still a special jounin with a specialisation in poisons. Good to have along on a mission with his mild, easy-going demeanour, honed over years of practice as a laid-back, wise-cracking pain-in-your-arse. 

To his close friends, he was ANBU who had been incredibly hard to see since the Kyuubi attack, hardly spending time inside the village. 

To the Hokage, Genma was a dedicated shinobi who had mastered Minato’s Flying Thunder God technique since his death three years ago. With it, Genma had become his most efficient assassin. 

Uzumaki Mito’s Guide to Starting Your Harem

In which Mito seduces both Hashirama and Madara at the same time – for Konoha, of course. Not just because she wants two deliciously muscled men in her bed. 

The Dove and the Crow

It’s the greatest scandal of the decade when the Uchiha heir and Yamanaka heiress are caught in bed together by assassins. Ino only wishes they were boning instead of conducting highly illegal experiments on his sharingan – at least then she would be getting laid.

Fem!Naruto Time Travel

Naruto sends himself back in time, Kushina performs the sealing and saves his dad. The only problem is - he somehow turned himself into a girl. Thus begins the saga of Uzumaki Naruto’s seduction of Uchiha Itachi, to the great chagrin of her doting father.

A Naruto x Itachi romantic comedy 

Monsters of the Mind (Yamanaka OC) - Posted!

Summary:There is nothing more terrifying than the fears you conjure in your own mind. No one knows this better than Yamanaka Kazue.

Harry Potter and the Alv Invasion

During the summer before fourth year, the Alv Nation emerges from their portal realm and overthrow the magical world. In Great Britain, a meritocracy is forcibly put in place. Harry, Ron, and Hermione must now find their place in the new world where magic and might are one and the same.

Prison, Piracy, and Perfect Planning

Draco’s plan was perfect: keep his head down, stay far away from Potter, and when the Dark Lord returned, dose his parents with Draught of Living Death and flee the country. Simple. Only Draco could fail so badly he ended up as a fugitive on the run with Sirius Black. 

The Bane of Atlantis

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are being hunted by monsters only they can see. Creatures so horrific that every mention of them have been struck from history. This new, unknown scourge threatens to consume Hogwarts, and only three souls stand in its way.

Regulus Black and the Flames of Judgement

It all happened because of a stray jelly-legs jinx. One moment Professor Flitwick was walking past the Goblet of Fire carrying a stack of old essays taller than he was, and the next half the pile went straight into the lit cup, being consumed by the flames before anyone could stop it. The question now was… who would be Hogwarts’ Triwizard Champion?

A Harry Potter Epilogue - Posted!

Harry’s post-Voldemort life kicks off with a bang when he is attacked by mercenaries seeking the Elder Wand. Soon the Trio find themselves caught up in a race to keep the Hallows out of the hands of those who seek them for their own nefarious ends. Humour and Crack AU.

Grim Apparitions

The Blacks are the stars in the night sky, and Sirius is the brightest of them all. He was so sure, so determined that he would be different from his family. But when his newly discovered animagus form comes with magicks that would make even the darkest of Blacks flee in terror, Sirius starts to realise that perhaps being different from his family isn’t a good thing after all.

Desperation 

Desperation can drive anyone to the greatest heights - or the deepest abyss. Draco Malfoy knows this better than anyone. Draco succeeds in killing Dumbledore, and all that follows.

PKMN Trainer Hiccup 

This is Berk. In a word? Sturdy. And it’s been here for seven generations, but every single building is new. We have fishing, hunting and a charming view of the sunset. The only problems are the pests. You see most places have rattata or beedrill. We have – 

Dragons.

Or that pokémon AU you never knew you needed.

Scorching Fire (KHR) - Posted!

Summary:Something is burning beneath his skin, clawing and screaming and desperate to get out. An inextinguishable fire that can only be felt by him. There is a monster that lives inside of Sawada Tsunayoshi. And the worst thing is – the monster is him.

Grab your Freedom with Both Hands 

 Rickard Stark – intrigued by the idea of alliances with the South – accepts the invitation to the royal wedding of Prince Rhaegar and Princess Elia. For Lyanna Stark, this was her chance for adventure. Meeting Oberyn, the infamous Prince of Dorne was an unexpected coincidence, and the more time she spends with him, the more she is convinced he is freedom in the flesh; everything Lyanna has ever wanted. Lyanna curses her traitorous heart for falling for his seductive charm, knowing she is promised to someone else. 

[simp4kuvira]

The Guilty Consequences

My second-ever fanfiction! I tried to approach this using an angsty/hurt/comfort angle. Hopefully it’s satisfactory. Likes and reblogs are always appreciated 💚

Summary: Kuvira has achieved everything she's ever dreamed of. The Avatar and her fiancé are gone, Republic City has fallen, the Earth Empire is fully united, and there's nothing obstructing her goals anymore. But why does she feel the guilty consequences of her actions gnawing at her psyche?

Rating: Mature for foul language and mentions of death and violence.

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Kuvira

Word count: ~3,950 words

To read on fanfiction.net, click here.

To read on AO3, click here.

“Great Uniter?”

Your gentle voice draws Kuvira’s attention away from the cockpit’s windows of her enormous mecha suit, which is currently situated over the rubble of what used to be President Raiko’s office. After successfully stopping Team Avatar from meddling in Kuvira’s efforts to conquer Republic City, the rest of the United Republic of Nations fell neatly into the hands of the Earth Empire. Korra and her friends were clever enough to believe that kidnapping Kuvira’s so-called fiancé and using him as a bargaining chip would convince her to give up the assault on Republic City. Little did they know, Kuvira was ecstatic to seize the opportunity to rid herself of the engagement and wipe out Team Avatar for the good of the empire. One simple blast of her mecha’s spirit cannon directed towards Future Industry’s factory killed two birds with one stone. Of course, Kuvira still had to worry about Korra’s reincarnation when the new earthbending Avatar came of age, but seeing as how they would be reborn into the Earth Empire, the Great Uniter was not concerned about the future Avatar’s actions for now. She would worry about that problem on another day. For now, the aftermath of Republic City’s defeat was a more pressing matter.

The corner of Kuvira’s lip twitches upward in a faint smile when she turns to meet your gaze. You stride towards her and wrap an arm around her waist before planting a quick kiss on the beauty mark underneath her eye. A noise of contentment emanates somewhere deep in her throat as she leans into your touch. “You know you don’t have to call me Great Uniter, Y/N. Especially not when we’re alone.” 

“Oh trust me, I know,” you retorted. “I just thought it would be fitting to use your official title to commemorate you on a job well done. The Earth Empire is completely unified now thanks to you.” 

Kuvira’s eyes flicker back to surveying the remnants of Republic City. “You flatter me, Y/N. I hardly completed the effort on my own. There were my soldiers, my engineers, and don’t forget the radio technician that triangulated Team Avatar and Baatar’s location in Future Industry’s factory. We’d still be at war with Republic City if it weren’t for their intel. I owe my success to my loyal followers, and especially to you. I don’t regret appointing you to draft annexation treaties for the states that yielded peacefully.” She chuckled softly. “I would’ve never gotten to know you so intimately if I hadn’t done that, much less had the privilege to call you mine.” She presses an innocent kiss to the corner of your mouth.  

You scoffed playfully and pulled back from Kuvira’s waist. “You give yourself too little credit! Not many people would’ve had the mental fortitude to take out your strongest opposition using the spirit cannon. The Earth Empire exists because of you.” You lower your voice and snuggle back to Kuvira’s side. “You know… I’m kinda glad that you did it, even if it sounds awful. It’s unfortunate that Korra and Baatar are gone, but at least we don’t have to worry about the Avatar for another sixteen-something years. We don’t have to hide our relationship from everyone anymore, and you don’t have to pretend to be attracted to some gross guy. We can be authentically together in peace while you build your nation. That’s what matters.” A twinge of guilt spreads through your chest when you dare to defile Korra and Baatar, but you ignore it as best as possible. This is for the best, you repeat to yourself. Funnily enough, that phrase has become a personal mantra for both you and your lover.

You felt Kuvira’s muscles stiffen almost imperceptibly when she heard the words “Avatar” and her ex-fiancé’s name on your lips. Surely she must feel relieved that she doesn’t have to fake being in love with a man as a cheap cover-up for her true sexuality, even if he was taken out of the picture a tad bit brusquely, to say the least. She also doesn’t have Korra breathing down her neck anymore, so what gives? Kuvira’s eyes are glued to the windows offering a panoramic view of the leagues and leagues of wreckage. She remains uncomfortably quiet. 

Unsure of whether or not Kuvira wants you to remain clinging onto her, you start pulling away when she shows no sign of breaking the silence. You’ve been romantically involved with Kuvira for three years now, and you know that when she clams up, there’s no use trying to pry her open until she’s ready. During the first few months of your relationship, she would often have trouble separating her outwardly ambitious and cunning persona from her inwardly vulnerable and tender true self. On days where her reunification efforts fell behind schedule or the Avatar knocked her carefully calculated plans awry, Kuvira’s sour mood leaked into your personal lives. At times, she would inadvertently lapse into Great Uniter-mode while you were trying to relax together after a long day’s work. It wasn’t until you gently coaxed her out of her tension that she began to share what was weighing heavily on her mind. You supported her as best as you could, but when it came to more delicate topics, such as her childhood, her relationship with her adoptive family, or her innermost feelings, Kuvira shut down. She would come clean to you when she was prepared to talk. All would reveal itself in due time. 

You murmured something vague about seeing her later as you padded quietly towards the door. Just as you were about to leave the mecha’s cockpit, a feeble voice called out for you to wait. Stopping in your tracks, you spun on your toes to look at Kuvira. The orange sunset filtered in through the windows and outlined her body in a shimmering glow, which seemed to have a softening effect on her unusually tense body language. Her entire frame was as rigid as a steel beam, legs shoulder-width apart, arms poised behind her back. Her brow was furrowed ever-so-slightly and the corner of her eyes were pinched, as if she was lost in thought or fighting off a headache.

“Y/N,” she ventured. She inhaled sharply before continuing. “I thought reuniting the Earth Empire and conquering the United Republic of Nations would be… different. Ever since Suyin refused to stabilize Ba Sing Se and share Zaofu’s progressiveness, I believed I was the only person competent enough to take initiative. I stepped up to the plate and accomplished my goals. The Earth Empire is stronger than ever. I’m finally in the position to launch industrialization and modernization campaigns in villages neglected by that archaic monarchy everyone despised. I restored order where there was anarchy. I stopped lawless bandits stealing from the poor. I gave resources to the needy when we annexed states, yet…” her eyes flutter closed for a moment as she pauses to collect her thoughts. When she reopens her eyes, her jade colored eyes plead silently at you. Even when you’re standing across the cockpit from each other, you notice that her shoulders are trembling ever-so-slightly. 

You’re astonished at Kuvira’s rare moment of vulnerability. Usually it takes her a few hours, maybe a day or two, for her to open up about a touchy subject. Even then, she’s not one to show emotion so openly on her countenance, not unless she’s severely distressed and totally certain that you and her are alone together. You took a few hesitant steps towards her. 

“You thought winning would be different, huh?” Unsure of how to proceed, you decided to try your hand at a bit of light-hearted banter to see if it might have an effect on your lover. “Well, yeah winning was going to be different! You made your plans based on the assumption that Korra would always be a pain in the ass even after we annexed the United Republic and started our projects, but now you don’t have to worry about her anymore! What about the wedding? You don’t have to marry a guy you don’t love, and we don’t have to worry about hiding our relationship from everyone. Isn’t that a weight off your shoulders?” Despite your confession, you knew the loss of life was a tragedy. You convinced yourself that it was for the greater good, and you knew Kuvira shared your sentiment. This is for the best, you recited. You shimmied towards her and reached out to hold her gloved hands in your own. Icy fingers of anxiety began to spider its way throughout your chest when you looked into her eyes plagued by fear. “Kuvira… is everything alright?” You squeezed her quivering hands for emphasis. 

Kuvira’s eyes flitted to a spot right over your shoulder. “That’s not what I meant, Y/N. I meant I thought winning would be better than this.” 

“Better?” 

“Yes. Better.” It appears Kuvira is becoming irritated at you.

“Kuvira, I won’t understand what you’re trying to say if you keep beating around the bush like that. Why isn’t this better?” 

Kuvira lets out an exasperated groan and yanks her hands away from you. “Don’t pretend to be stupid, Y/N. You know what I’m talking about. There’s more good in the Earth Empire than bad. At least, that’s what I keep trying to convince myself. This is for the best, we would always say. I made more progress than what I took away from people. The price I paid— no, the price other people paid— for my progress was justified. Isn’t it?” Kuvira’s voice falters on the last two words tumbling out of her lips. “What good is ruling the Earth Empire if all I have to show for it is a pile of rubble? Just look at this! How am I supposed to uplift my people if this is what I have to work with?” Her voice steadily rose in volume the more she spoke, until she was practically yelling when she swept her arm to the window showcasing Republic City’s destroyed buildings. 

The adrenaline rushing through your body begins to drown out all hopes of rational thought and speech. You find yourself raising your voice to match your lover’s anger. “Kuvira, I thought this is what you wanted. You wanted to tear out the old and bring in the new. That’s all you ever talked about when we were campaigning. Why are you changing your mind now?” 

“For fuck’s sake, don’t you see? You even said it yourself! It’s a tragedy that the Avatar and my ex-fiancé and all these other people are gone.” Kuvira’s eyes flash dangerously with seething rage. “Why did I make other people pay for my hopes and dreams for the Earth Empire? I dethroned Prince Wu and ridiculed him in front of the whole world, I threatened to let people die if they didn’t join me, I forced Varrick to build a weapon of mass destruction, I destroyed the most spiritual and sacred tree in the Foggy Swamp for the sake of violence, I didn’t hesitate to put dissenters in reeducation camps to be brainwashed and dehumanized.” She takes a ragged breath before bellowing “I murdered people with my spirit cannon. Why didn’t you fucking stop me, Y/N?”

Your voice reaches a shrill pitch as you hurl back your rebuttal. “I didn’t stop you because this is what you wanted,” pointing an accusing finger towards Kuvira to accentuate your points. “You’re charismatic enough to make other people agree with you. You convinced yourself you were doing this for everyone else’s good, and you convinced me, too. Don’t you remember? This is for the best. No one stopped you because you locked yourself in an echo chamber filled with people that agreed with your plans. And when someone did have the courage to speak up, you sent them to reeducation camps, threatened their lives, or outright killed them.” 

“So you think this is my fault?” Kuvira takes an intimidating step towards you and looks down upon you threateningly. Her voice drops to a dangerously low growl. “Me? This is all me?” 

“Now it’s your turn to stop being dense, Kuvira. You just admitted that you thought winning would be different and you just gave a guilt-ridden speech about making other people pay for your mistakes. Open your damn eyes!” 

Kuvira abruptly pivots her body away from you and takes several steps back. “You are dismissed, soldier,” she whispered in a cold voice as unyielding as steel. She resumed looking out the window with her arms behind her back. 

“Seriously, Kuvira?” you moan. “You can’t just push me away like that when you’re so close to realizing the truth. Why don’t you listen to me? Why don’t you listen to yourself?” You cautiously take a step closer before she whips around and metalbends a fragment of her shoulder plate in your general direction which misses your face by a mere hairsbreadth. Your body freezes as your mind races to comprehend that Kuvira would dare threaten your safety. 

“Leave me, Y/N.” Kuvira refuses to look at you.

You stand motionless for a moment that stretches on for an eternity as your eyes overflow with bitter tears. The cockpit’s door slams loud enough to reverberate throughout the mecha suit as you plod your way down to the nearest exit and catch a ferry to Kuvira’s base of operations on Air Temple Island, knowing she would meet you there when she was ready to be calm and civilized. The whole time you spent traveling from the giant mecha to Republic City’s docks, throngs of weary-eyed refugees peeking behind piles of rubble plagued your sights. Thankfully, the two bodyguards escorting you to the personal quarters you shared with Kuvira kept the masses at bay, but the stark reality of so many war-torn people suffering from the conflict infected your guilty conscience. You roughly dismissed your bodyguards once you set foot on the Island and wasted no time briskly marching to your shared bedroom. You hoped the evening’s darkness masked the silent tears flowing down your cheeks. 

 Your nightmares consisted of petrified throngs of innocent people fleeing Kuvira’s army. Exhausted bodies toiling away in reeducation camps. The terror etched upon soldiers’ faces as Kuvira intimidated them with violence. And finally, a vision of what you imagined Baatar’s, Korra’s, and the rest of Team Avatar’s last moments on earth must’ve been like before an overpowering purple light burned their bodies out of existence. 

You jolted upright in bed drenched in a cold sweat and gasping for air. “Fuck,” you stammered under your breath over and over. “Fucking fuckity fuck. Kuvira really did convince me that everything was for the best, didn’t she?” You didn’t want to believe it at first, but the nagging voice lingering somewhere in your head relentlessly reminded you that this destruction wasn’t worth thousands upon thousands of ruined lives. 

Your only job in the Earth Empire’s army was to help expedite the political and legal process of unifying a country. If your position was relatively peaceful and bloodless, you couldn’t begin to imagine Kuvira’s guilt about orchestrating this three year long operation. How am I supposed to convince Kuvira to see the light? you pondered. She was so close to realizing it before she snapped at me. Maybe I can talk to her again and—

An abrupt knocking shook you out of your thoughts. I thought I told those guards to leave me alone. You shuffled to the door and slid it open, half expecting for it to be another diplomat’s messenger begging for you to revise this oh-so-important legal paperwork that couldn’t possibly wait until morning, until you looked up and saw Kuvira slouched against the doorframe. Her chocolate-colored hair cascaded about her shoulders, and her uniform was rumpled from head to toe. You could count on one hand the number of times Kuvira allowed herself to look this haggard, and frankly, the fact that she looked this way hours after your fight in the cockpit led you to believe that maybe she had taken your advice seriously. 

“Kuvira?” you gasped.

“Y/N,” she mumbled feebly. “I’m sorry. I know you probably don’t want to see me after how I reacted, but I don’t know where else to go.” Her voice quavered. “I don’t have anyone else who I can trust with these feelings that are eating me up inside, and I thought maybe you could…” her sentence trailed off unfinished. “Before you left, you mentioned that you knew all of this,” she gestured vaguely at the surrounding area, “was wrong, but I convinced you that it was okay, and I convinced myself that it was okay too, but now I realize that it’s wrong and for fuck’s sake I don’t know what to do about it now.” The last of her strength escaped her body and she crumpled to the floor in a heap of unrestrained sobbing.

Swooping down to the floor alongside her, you promptly wrapped your arms around her shoulders and nestled her into your embrace. Whatever animosity you felt because of how she shooed you out of the cockpit had dissipated. Your fingers threaded themselves into the locks of her hair as you whispered soothing words. 

 “I’m so sorry I pulled the entire world down with me. I’m so sorry I ruined nearly everyone’s life.” The full force of her words bubbled out of her mouth uninhibited by her previous attempts of restraint. She couldn’t stop talking now if she tried. “I saw how hopeless my nation was after it descended into lawlessness. I was willing to pay the ultimate price to nurture it into something stronger than ever before, but I didn’t realize I had no authority to take away other people’s autonomy. I had no right to take lives, no right to let people suffer when I didn’t get what I wanted, no right to let people starve on the streets if a state didn’t join the Empire, no right to usurp power, no right to throw the entire world out of balance by murdering the Avatar just to achieve my vision.” She buries her face into your nightshirt before choking out her final sentences. “I’m so sorry I pulled you down with me, Y/N. I especially didn’t want to threaten you the way I did earlier. You’re the last person I ever want to hurt.” 

You feel that Kuvira’s sorrow is rather misplaced. She shouldn’t be entirely apologizing to you, but rather to the whole world and everyone whom’s lives she changed for the worse. But now is not the time to object to her apology. For now, you let her weep into your chest for several minutes until her tears subside and her body stops trembling.

After her emotions have stabilized somewhat, you help your lover stand on her feet and guide her to the edge of the mattress. You gently work out the knots in her hair using your fingers and begin to strip the layers of her uniform off her body. She tries protesting by claiming that she’s perfectly capable of doing it herself, but you discourage her by pressing a finger to her lips and muttering “you’ve had a rough day in more ways than one. Let me help you get ready for bed.” Once you’ve helped her don her nightclothes, you stretched yourself out on the bedsheets and gently pulled her into your protective embrace once more. 

Several minutes of silence pass like this, Kuvira curled up flush against your body, before you felt it was safe to express your thoughts about her confession. “Kuvira, I appreciate you apologizing to me, but I’m not the only person you should be apologizing to. Telling me you’re sorry isn’t going to absolve all of your guilt.” 

“I know,” she said. “I know I have a long journey ahead of me, but you were the first person I felt I needed to apologize to before I kept going.” 

“I say this with love, but I think you owe an apology to the entire world. You can’t keep living in guilt like this.” 

Kuvira pauses briefly before saying “I don’t think I could live with myself if I keep being the Great Uniter. The position I created for myself carries too much blood and suffering.” 

“Does that mean you’re going to stop being the Great Uniter?” 

“I think I’m going to convene with all the major world leaders. Raiko is still around somewhere, and so is Prince Wu, Tenzin, the Beifongs, Fire Lord Izumi. I still want the country to be modernized like the rest of the world, but I think it’s best if they take the reins. I don’t think they’d appreciate me doing the work after how I’ve hurt everyone. I’ll arrange a speech announcing my decision to permanently step down. And then,” she takes a shaky breath, “I’ll happily walk into a courtroom and accept whatever punishment the law deems fit.”

“I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to take such a drastic decision so quickly, but I’m glad you did. I’m not blameless either, Kuvira. I’m sorry for enabling you. I hope I can make up for it by being with you every step of the way.”

An unamused grin creeps upon Kuvira’s face. “Even if it means we’ll go to prison together?”

“Especially if it means we go to prison together,” you chided. “How else would I keep you company? I wouldn’t leave you all by yourself. Maybe we can be cellmates.” Her face is still marred red-rimmed eyes and a slight scowl. If you dared to tickle her, she might crack a genuine smile for the first time since Republic City fell. 

You dig your fingers into Kuvira’s side, eliciting a sharp yelp from her before she’s overcome by a fit of giggles. The sound of Kuvira’s mirth is a treat she rarely shares with anyone, especially since she shouldered this massive enterprise. Who knows when you’d ever get to hear or see her happy like this?

A fraction of the tension in her body has melted away after her laughter subsides. “Thank you sincerely. Your support is priceless, and so is your humor.” She snuggles closer into your body before murmuring “I love you, Y/N” into your shoulder. 

“I love you too,” you whispered before you both drifted off to sleep. The peace between you and Kuvira would be radically different, if not uncertain, by the time she calls upon the world leaders and steps down. For at least this one silent night, you can cherish your last few moments of freedom together with her.

[unknownentery]

The Yokai Village: Chapter 1 The Encounter

I was walking deep in a forest far away from human civilization. It was quite peaceful and silent as a result. The leaves were blowing very softly and relaxing. It was quite nice considering the bullshit that humans can bring. There were rumors of spirits and monsters living out here, at least in isolated areas far from human civilization. They say that if you encounter one, you will be lucky if you don’t die in the first minute. In fact, you would be insanely lucky if you got to live at all. However, I hardly believe those rumors. I continued to walk for about 2 more hours. It was about 1 PM and I realized that I need to start heading back. However, shortly after turning around I heard something. It sounds like someone walking up behind me. But before I got a chance to turn around, I was being grabbed by someone! I was about ready to scream in panic, but my mouth was almost immediately covered! However, I heard a female voice. “Calm down human, calm down. I am not going to kill you. I am going to take you to my home.” I tried to break free, but I could even get her to budge. “It’s hopeless to resist human, I am much stronger than you,” she said. I just had a feeling of what I was dealing with. “Ok this is not going to work out like this” she said. “So tell you what, I'm going to release, but don’t attempt to run away” She continued. She released me, and I immediately turned around. I got a good look at her, she was beautiful. Her hair was blond and long. Looked somewhat young, and has big breast. However, I notice she has ears of a fox along with a tail. I realized what she was, she was a fox spirit. “I wouldn’t scream if I were you” she said with a sadistic smile. “No human would hear you and would only attract yokai that would want to kill you” She followed up on. “Your a…. Fox Spirit?” I asked. She replied “Yes I am, but don’t be scared. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already”. “However, you are coming with me, I can’t let you escape” She said. She has a grin on her face, but why would she want me? She doesn’t want me to escape, but won’t kill me. I should be grateful, but something tells me I am not going to like what she has planned for me. However, before I had a chance to do anything, she grabbed me by the hand and started pulling me as she started to walk. I am shaking with fear, and the fox realized that and said “Relax I am not going to hurt,” Then she said “In fact, how about this, my name is Tamamo! What is your name?” That did not calm me down, it made me even more fearful “Tamamo No Mae” I asked? She replied “No, the one you humans think is evil! My mother named me after the great fox spirit sorceries due to my skills with magic. But again my name is Tamamo, what is your name?” I then say “My name is Zack”. “Zack, that is such a nice name” she replied. Suddenly she hugged me for some reason. Her body was really soft, partly because of her huge breast. It was clear she had no intention of hurting me; moreover, it's clear she even wants to be friends with me. I finally start to relax a little. “Good” Tamamo said as she rubbed me on the back. “We are almost at my village now” she followed up with excitement! I saw the back of a house. It was made of wood, one floor, not very big, and a few windows. Tamamo then said “I have to enter the back of my house so no other yokai see you.” Me and Tamamo enter the back of the house through a glass door. “Welcome to your new home Zack” Tamamo said while hugging me. I assume Yokai would be fairly primitive with technology, but the house had quite a bit of technology I would find in my home. It had lights, a ceiling fan, and freezer. It even had a computer and game system to my surprise. However, the technology was somewhat behind. The oven appears to be powered by charcoal, and judging from the back of the box for one of the games, the graphics on the game system appear to be on par with a N64 just without the shitty textures. “Are you Impressed Zack?” She asked. “More than what I was expecting” I replied. “Good! you must be hungry, why don’t I cook up something for both of us” Tamamo said with excitement. Tamamo opened the freezer and got raw chicken. She put it in the oven. Then she lifted her hand and had her 2 main fingers and thumb about ready to touch each other. Then a small piece of fire suddenly popped up. She chucked it into the oven igniting it. She then turned to me. I still had a bit of uneasiness. I realized that yokai are afraid that if a human finds one of their settlements, they will tell other humans and be hunted. Yet, she basically forced me to come to one of her settlements. Maybe she might hold me for ransom so that if humans find this place, she will use me as a hostage to get the humans to back off. However, that doesn’t make sense as I could still escape and make things worse for this village. Also, I doubt that tactic would work long term. Or other humans could just forget about me and attack anyways and I die. Humans are full of shit sometimes, so that wouldn’t surprise me. However, I also haven’t really seen much of the village anyways. I tried looking out the window next to the front door. However, I couldn’t see much at this angle. Tamamo then said something to me “Go ahead look out the window. Just don’t show too much of your face out there. I moved closer to the window to see what out there. There was a stone road out there. I saw a few other houses that looked similar to this one. But my eyes were glued to the yokai's. I saw a black tengu girl out there. I saw a wolf girl as well and a male oni. There was even a kappa out there. The village appeared to be somewhat large as there were at least a few dozen yokai. “Do you like what you see?” Tamamo said. “Yeah, it's a little interesting,” I replied. Tamamo giggled. Well Dinner is not far from finish. She used her fingers to create another small piece of flame, and she flung it into the oven. “See this is my spiritual power” Tamamo said enthusiastically. “Fanisanting” I said with excitement. “Oh this is nothing compared to my overall powers” Tamamo replied. “Anyways dinner is finally finished” Tamamo said. She brought the cooked chicken over to the table and we both sat down. Tamamo took a leg for herself, and she gave me the other. I took a bite into it, and it tasted better than any chicken made by a human. “It tastes good doesn’t it Zack?” Tamamo asked. “My fox fire that I used to heat the oven went into the food enhancing it taste” she followed up on. We both ate until there was nothing left. At this point it was getting dark. “Come here Zack” Tamamo said by the back door. We both sat down next to each other. Tamamo couldn’t help but leen against me. Tamamo began to tell me something “You know Humans and Yokai aren’t much different from each other despite how we all treat each other. “I don’t know, I can’t use spiritual power like you,” I replied. “Yes you can” Tamamo said! “it’s just really hard for you to learn and you can’t wield it that well” Tamamo followed up on. “Well actually it is possible for you to wield spiritual powers that are on par with yokai; however, the few that achieved that sometimes became yokai simpithers and with a little help became yokai” Tamamo continued. “Who were those humans” I asked? “Pristist, yokai hunters, humans who seek us out and kill us,” Tamamo grimly said. “Many Yokai settlements originated in Asia; however, hunters became so rampant that many moved to other nations like America. We even learned the language and a bit of culture. We were hoping they wouldn't expect to find us here. However, we believe that they might be catching on recently. In the last 5 years we found some pristist getting close to a few settlements. We had to kill them before they told any other priest,” Tamamo continued. “I never knew Yokai and yokai hunters existed,” I told Tamamo. “I’m not surprised by that, it tells us we did a good job hiding,” Tamamo replied. “However, we unfortunately have to kill any humans that come near this village” Tamamo said in remorse. “I might have to kill you Zack,” Tamamo said sadly. I immediately freaked out. Then Tamamo said “However it depends on the offer I am giving you. Zack….. If you want to live you must…. Become a yokai.” my face immediately lit up. “You see I mention it is possible for people with high spiritual power to become a yokai with help from other yokai; however, average humans with little to no spiritual power are near impossible. The survival rate is extremely low, often putting the human in extreme pain before death. I know fox spirits are not the nicest to humans, but we do not put humans through extreme cruelty. However, we don’t like killing humans either” Tamamo explained. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This is kind of fucked up. “However, I discovered a way to turn humans into yokai with a guaranteed change of survival. I am a highly skilled fox spirit after all and I don’t want to kill you. I captured you to try it out on you, but I really began to like you. You are full of charm and you are a friend to me. I know this is hard for you, but I really don’t want you to die” Tamamo said, hugging me. I was totally shocked, a part of me wanted to accept, but I don’t know what will be in store for me as a yokai. Then Tamamo said “ You don’t have to accept today or tomorrow, I’ll even give you a week to consider. However, do you trust me, do you like me, are you considering it?”

[adventures-or-death]

Before going crazy from three months of carona quarantining, we booked a hotel, packed up the dog and drove four hours to San Diego for some beach time. It was our safest choice and San Diego is really cool. Here’s how it went!

We arrived at the hotel near check-in time. The hotel staff took all of the necessary Carona precautions. The place was empty and I felt totally safe.

After checking in, we disinfected our room by wiping down all surfaces with anti-bacterial wipes and sprayed anti bacterial mist over everything. I tore off the comforter and stored it in the closet and sprayed down the sheets. The hotel had a new policy where they will not clean your room unless you requested it. We opted out and cleaned up after ourselves, made our own bed and took out our own trash for the entire week. I don’t like people in my hotel room under normal circumstances so this didn’t bother me at all.

Before setting out to explore, we checked the news and the city of San Diego was in an all out war with the police due to the George Floyd protests. The beach towns looked clear so we planned our five night trip around beach activities.

The weather for the week looked decent. San Diego goes through what they call “June Gloom”, which means most of the June and the summer months are cloudy. We lucked out because we had two days of full sun (I got sun burned the first day) and five days of partly sunny skies. It didn’t matter to us. We were happy to be in new surroundings and at the beach!

Hers is a list of places we visited. Every day was spent walking on the beach and taking in the beautiful sights of San Diego.

Dog Beach

A beach for dogs and humans! We let our dog run around for a long time while we watched the tide go. No matter where you are it’s always fun to watch dogs play. I call Dog Beach the happiest place on earth!

Pacific Beach Pier & Cottages

The first time we visited San Diego we checked out Pacific beach and really liked the location. Parking wasn’t hard to find and there are miles of beach to walk in either direction. If you’re not into walking on the sand, you can walk the concrete path that runs parallel to the beach with all the skateboarders, bike riders and rollerbladers.

There are tons of shops and eateries here, but they were empty due to the virus. It wasn’t anything like we experienced the last time we visited, but it was nice because it felt like the place was ours.

La Jolla Tide Pools

It’s best to go when the tide is almost out, or even all the way out so you can explore all of the tide pools. You can spend hours looking in to each tide pool big and small. They’re so clear and full of life!

Children’s Pool/Beach

Children’s Pool Beach was a super fun stop on our trip. It’s a man made cove originally built for kids to swim away from the big powerful ocean waves. Unfortunately for the kids, the seals thought it was a great spot too and they took over half the beach to sunbathe and give birth to their babies. People still swim here, but need to keep their distance. We loved watching them play in the shallow water and wobble around on the sand.

The Cave Store

This is a store with a secret! The place looks like a regular store front when you walk up and in to it, but towards the back there is an entryway to a secret cave. Go through the small door and walk down 140+ tiny steps through a tunnel to that opens up to a beautiful cave. Watch your head!

The cave was dug over a hundred years ago and was used to smuggle alcohol and drugs during the prohibition era. The sounds alone are worth the visit.

The store portion is closed right now because of Carona, but the cave is open. Call ahead and make a reservation. The cost is $10.00 per person and your group can stay in the cave area for 1/2 hour.

Cabrillo National Park& Minument ($20 per car, but worth every penny)

The gift store is closed due to Carona, but the rest of the park is open. The views of San Diego here are jaw dropping.

Before buying your pass into the park, take a drive through the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. There was hardly anyone there when we went and it was stunning.

Point Loma Tide Pool

https://goo.gl/maps/HLWbeoYhKUbUG9F46

Located within the Cabrillo National Park.

If you’re here during low tide, you can climb down the cliffs to the rocky beach below for some exploring. There are also hiking paths on the cliffside to explore too.

Coronado Beach

This is where I found sand dollars for days. This is a long stretch of beautiful beach. It’s a long each too so there is plenty of room to keep yo yourself here.

While you’re here, check out Hotel Coronado (Built in the 1800s!)

A huge old victorian hotel built in the 1800s that a majority of the presidents and royalty have stayed at. We walked by it on the beach, but didn’t go in to check it out.

Mission Beach

A laid back neighborhood whose namesake sands attract surfers, sunbathers and volleyball players. A paved path curls around Mission Bay, which is a popular spot for water sports. Belmont Amusement Park (Closed due to Carona) has a small wooden rollercoaster in it that was built in the 1920’s. There are also cafe’s and eateries here as well.

Gaslamp Quarter

This cool section of the city is 16 blocks of historical buildings, shops and restaurants of all kinds!)

The protesting quieted down so we went to dinner here on our last night. We were one of two couples that dined inside. It felt weird, but everyone wore masks and everything was wiped down.

Gaslamp Quarter is usually jam packed with people, but it was super quiet when we were there, and a majority of the restaurants were open for business. Take out or dine-in.

Torrey Pines Glider Port

2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037

https://goo.gl/maps/JWzx5TbEdS27S1HWA

Watch paraglider take off and land off of steep cliffs over the ocean. This was really cool to watch!

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park

Ladera St. San Diego, CA

https://goo.gl/maps/WTorDWuViaJ6S2NJ7

Nature Cliffs overlooking the Pacific ocean. This is great place to watch the sunset! You might see the occasional cliff diver or two.

Here are a few photos I took while running around for the week. I wish I was able to capture more but I was too busy having fun. I’m already looking forward to our next trip back to to beautiful beach towns of San Diego.

[juliet-simms-discussions]

Just a thought:

In the UK and I think likewise in the US protesters are vandalising and destroying historical monuments - even ones that have nothing to do with race/slavery for example the war memorials. I do not agree with this in any sense of the word. Protesters are asking for shows/films to be scrapped due to their content and history to be re-written.

I agree that POC have been removed from history - I studied the US Civil War during my A-Levels and we didn’t actually learn a lot about slavery and the slaves who helped revolt against the Confederacy and fought for change. When Edison is studied we do not learn of the POC individual who helped discover that the light bulb needed the middle bit (I can’t remember the name 🙈). When learning about the Crimean War, many are taught about the amazing work of Florence Nightingale but hardly any know about the amazing on field work of Mary Seacole who was denied by Nightingale because she was of African decent.

I do believe that POCs should have their history told for longer than a month each year but the history of whites should also be studied as well. Unfortunately the winners are the ones who write history so a lot of documentation is not correct in the textbooks but it doesn’t mean that anyone’s history should be wiped out. It’s important for people to learn about the Confederacy and fully what they stood for (not just slavery but also state rights and not being ruled like Britain) We should learn about how slavery occurred and the full story behind it and how everyone was treated. We should learn about the railway which helped slaves escape from the south to the north. We should also learn about how slaves were kidnapped in Africa (how in some cases it was fellow Africans who kidnapped people for money.) We should learn about the truth behind the British Empire and how during many British wars our colonies around the world were used for soldiers as well. We should learn about Rhawnda and their genocide, and the genocide in Cambodia. We should learn about the aborigines of different countries that have long been forgotten. We should learn about Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, the Suffragettes, Stonewall and also how far-right groups began to form. Everyone deserves to understand history and how different organisations, civilisations, etc occurred. How many white people in Australia, US, Canada, South Africa, etc actually understand and know the full extent of the aborigines of the land and how they’re ancestors settled on that land.

Yes I agree that the statues should not be celebrated but fight for them to be moved to a museum or to have statues made of historical figures that represent your history. The place I am from took a lot of our local history away as I was growing up and now there are people fighting for it to come back and for us to celebrate our history. We have enough resources and time to educate ourselves on history but please don’t strip someone else’s history away to get your narrative or your history across. There is enough time whether in school or at home to educate yourselves.

If we destroy someone else’s history then the lessons will be forgotten and those atrocities will happen again.

And for anyone who wants to say it’s easy for white people to say shit like this let me give you some insight and open your eyes a bit.

I am Welsh which is a country part of the United Kingdom - we have had our history tarnished from us. And majority of us do not have a great knowledge of our language because it was beaten out of us. When we learn of the British army, we do not learn about how the first battalions to go in were normally Welsh and many Welsh villages became abandoned due to the amount of young men who died from Welsh villages. We are not taught about how against the Romans, a Welsh queen rallied against them - Boudicca. And a funny fact that not many people may know - the Tudor monarchy was of Welsh heritage. I understand that my oppression has not been anywhere near as great as POC but I do know what it’s like to not fully know your own history because intruders took it over and wrote your nation out of history.

My point is - is that everyone’s history should be remembered and nothing should be scrapped otherwise we will never ever learn from past mistakes.

[kyrie-silverwings]

Never Ending Survey: Kyrie Silverwings

Rules: Repost, do not reblog. Tag 10 blogs!

Tagged by: @blood-of-the-dragons, @under-the-blood-moonlight (you gets a Kyrie!)

Tagging: @kael-haustefort-xiv, @resistance-ranger, @lavender-hemlock, @bookbornexiv, @spotofmummery, @herohikara-wol, @lady-dusk-balmung, @cahli-tia, @seina-kurokiba, @of-sea-and-forest

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Kyrie Silverwings

NICKNAME: “Banshee”, “Mistress”

AGE:  ~28

BIRTHDAY:   5/26

ETHNIC GROUP: Hyur Midlander (in appearance)

NATIONALITY: not of Hydaelyn

LANGUAGE/S: Common, some understanding of others due to Echo

SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Pansexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Panromantic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS:  In a relationship

HOME TOWN / AREA:  a small forest village of hardly any note

CURRENT HOME:  Valorem Tenebris company house, personal apartment (both in Lavender Beds)

PROFESSION: Adder Captain, secretary / accountant (VT), information agent

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: White, usually shoulder length. Formerly a chestnut brown

EYES: Vibrant green, with an unsettling glow at times. When turned, the sclera is black

FACE: Slender, good bone structure, considered a dark beauty

LIPS: Medium-sized, usually with lipstick

COMPLEXION: Pale

BLEMISHES: An odd “birthmark” left on her left shoulder blade, a discoloration of the skin

SCARS: Few, mostly small faded ones from her childhood

TATTOOS: Purple patterns over her eyes and forehead, of unknown design

HEIGHT:  5′8″

WEIGHT: Average

BUILD: Slim, athletic, leans slightly pear-shaped

FEATURES:  Inconsistent hair growth, occasional eye patch, dark make-up. When turned, black veins across her body

ALLERGIES:  None.

USUAL HAIR STYLE:  Shoulder-length, feathered style. When long, it’s kept loose.

USUAL FACE LOOK :  An intrigued, bemused smile. Lidded eyes that cast about.

USUAL CLOTHING:  Prefers dark clothing, coats if travelling heavy, otherwise tends to wear moderately revealing attire

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR/S: Her past, falling back into old habits, apathy

ASPIRATION/S:  To commit to a peaceful existence, but still desires the strength to keep her allies safe

POSITIVE TRAITS: Adaptive, cunning, accepting of others, tenacious

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Callous, antagonizing, violently self-protective, prideful, reckless

TEMPERAMENT:  Phlegmatic

SOUL TYPE/S:  Warrior

ANIMALS:  fat cat tasmanian devil, black widow, hawk

VICE HABIT/S: soul harvesting, morbid curiosity, attracted to danger

FAITH: Next to none

GHOSTS?: Yes, unfortunately.

AFTERLIFE?: No

REINCARNATION?:  Not sure

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Unconcerned with politics, whether local or far-reaching. Willing to work with most clients.

EDUCATION LEVEL:  Self taught

FAMILY.

FATHER : Ewan of Astora (alive)

MOTHERS :  Nylea Silverwings (alive)

SIBLINGS : none

EXTENDED FAMILY: Naveia (grandmother), Yanne (aunt), Cyneric (grandfather)

NAME MEANING/S: comes from the Greek word for “lord” because... Dark Lord ending yes

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: Nope.

FAVORITES.

BOOK:  History, reference material

DEITY: Gods already dead, thanks

HOLIDAY:  Closest would be All Hallow’s Eve

MONTH: November

SEASON:  Autumn

PLACE: A cozy cabin in the wilds of Limsa

WEATHER: Light rain

SOUND / S: Cat’s purring, the wind in the trees

SCENT / S:  Books, leather, faint perfume

TASTE / S:  Tea, blood in the mouth

FEEL / S:  Cold metal, soft black fabric, the whisper of shadow magic

ANIMAL / S:  Cats, snakes

NUMBER: 6

COLORS: Black. Purple. Green

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Good hunter, excellent tracker, excels in stealth 

BAD AT: Letting go of rivalries, giving up before overstepping boundaries

TURN ONS: Mysterious demeanor, height differences, strength, kindness, soft lingering touches, ruggedness, rough handling, beautiful eyes

TURN OFFS: Boorish manners, zealous attitudes, close-mindedness / bigotry

HOBBIES: Scouting across the Shroud, reading, collecting valuables for her company

TROPES: More Deadly than the Male, Double Agent, Silk Hiding Steel / Femme Fatale, Mysterious Woman, Wild Card (many more)

QUOTES : “I can handle this. Just watch, but don’t you dare interfere.”

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 : If you could write your character your way in their own movie,  what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?          

A1 :  I’m thinkin’ like how Interview with the Vampire was. Starts with her relating her story to, probably, another Adder and it goes over her life beginning with her curse and ending where she is now. May or may not kill the poor sod afterwards.

Q2 :  What would their soundtrack/score sound like?          

A2 :  Quiet, expressive orchestra. Ambient foreign vocals. I frequently listen to Dark Souls and Witcher music for background inspiration for her.

Q3 :  Why did you start writing this character?          

A3 : I used my Dark Souls oc and reworked her to interact with the story of FFXIV. She started out a bit “lighter and softer” than what she is now, but has grown quite a lot.

Q4 :   What first attracted you to this character?          

A4 : The theme of a girl who had to grow up very quickly in a bleak, hostile environment but pulls through due to support from friends and family. She has a dark side that I get to express that I don’t have in other characters. Unlike the rest, she’s hit the bottom before; writing her is a reminder of just how much worse things can be.

Q5 :  Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5 : She’s borderline antisocial and very bad at judging dangerous situations. Sh will walk into fights and will disregard whether she can win or lose, so she might come off as a liability...

Q6 :  What do you have in common with your muse?          

A6 :   Not much, but we love cats very much!

Q7 :   How does your muse feel about  you?          

A7 :   She’s probably surprised someone so nice could think of these terrible, horrible things to put her through.

Q8 :  What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ?        

A8 :   Those with secrets or are similar to her. She’s slow to trust and that makes regular interactions difficult because of her aloof nature, but anyone who can break through her shell tends to find a good friend. Or...perhaps a rival should she desire to test your strength.

Q9 :  What gives you inspiration to write your muse ?        

A9 : DARK SOULS, but also anime and literature, anything thematically related to her

Q10 : How long did this take you to complete ?          

A10 : Several hours, since I was playing at the same time =v=;

[riding-alpacas]

Tierra del Fuego

My route through Patagonia leads me from south to north - starting in the southernmost city of the world: Ushuaia. As usual in South America there are some debates if this is really the southernmost city, given that there are a few more towns and villages further south in Chile. Population wise it certainly is one of the bigger southernmost places.

I didn't have the highest expectations when I came here. Ushuaia is clearly a very busy, touristy place in summer. Lots of cruise ships stop here and it is also the starting point for Antarctica expeditions. I considered doing one of those as well, but when I researched the cost and what kind of trip it would be, I backed off. They are ridiculously expensive and pretty much all of them are targeting a more senior audience. If Antartica still exists when I'm 60, I might consider it again at that age.

Closer to Straya than to Canada

On my first day there was only a limited amount of people in the hostel. Well, that's what I thought. It turned out that during the day almost nobody was in the hostel ever. In the mornings and evenings though the place was buzzing. In one of the Backpacker groups on Facebook I found Corinna who also just arrived in Ushuaia and was looking for hiking buddies. During the following days we spent the majority of our time together as we got along really well. It's a shame that we have very different plans for our time after Ushuaia, but we figured that we might meet again in Central America.

The first hike we attempted was the one to Laguna Esmeralda. It gave me a first taste of the landscape so far south on our wonderful planet. If I'd have to describe it with one word it would definitely be rugged. There is something quite harsh but beautiful about the environment here - which makes sense, given that we had hardly more than 15 degrees during the day and it's basically winter down here most of the time. The tree line is super low (500m or so), the brownish colour above it is quite unique and the mountain peaks are just spectacular. And best of all, it's all pretty much untouched.

Felt a bit like Lord of the Rings

The hike itself was a lot of fun but not only due to the beautiful surroundings. It was muddy like hell. Parts of it led through peat bogs which I never hiked through before. First we both tried to avoid getting into the mud as much as possible by doing ridiculous detours (we actually almost got lost on the first 500m in) but for me at least the tolerance limit got lower pretty quick. My boots were waterproof and in my hostel they had boot brush cleaners anyway. Walking through peat bogs was pretty weird at first. They have a spongy, springy texture and no matter how dry they look, once you step on it you basically press out a lot of water. The lake itself was pretty nice. Many of the lakes I saw in Canada had the same blue, milky colour but that doesn't make it any less beautiful. Unfortunately I wasn't super lucky with the weather during the whole week but again: It's still just beautiful being out there in the spectacular outdoors of the Land of Fire.

A little bit of mud

Mystic

Next day was rest day. And rest day usually means checking out town and its museums. The first museum I tried was an old prison that Ushuaia is famous for. They've split it up into multiple sections, grouped by topic. I was very disappointed. Firstly, it was totally overpriced and secondly it was just... random. I expected some sort of golden thread when walking through the different prison cells but it felt just like a random collection of stuff. And it wasn't even good stuff. I was hoping to learn a little bit about the history of Ushuaia, the indigenous people who lived here etc. but it was very underwhelming. On the way to the city I had a quick look at a "museum" about the Islas Malvinas which was a huge flop, too so I almost skipped the last museum I had in mind. But thankfully I didn't because that one was finally a good one. Historia Fueguina tells four storylines that are related to Ushuaia’s history:

The indigenous people

One of the first European expeditions

The prison

An unbelievable rescue story about Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance

You wander from section to section, each one consisting of life-sized historic figures while listening to the story on the free audio guides. Most of the exhibits can be entered and you can pose for pictures. It was quite quirky but very educational and a lot of fun. Spoiler: Most indigenous people are now eradicated because the Europeans brought diseases and bullets when they discovered gold in the area. Same shit, different country.

Almost as comfy as my hostel beds

Next thing I did was a little hike up to the local glacier in town: Glaciar Martial. I did this one by myself because I really wanted to start it early and Corinna didn't want to pay for the taxi. It's very popular and I wanted to avoid the crowds. Surprisingly life generally starts late here, mostly around 10am. For this one I left the hostel at 8 and was on my way up at 8:30. And I am very happy about my decision because I had the whole trek for myself. Initially I felt a bit meh about this hike. Most photos in the web are quite underwhelming and the start of the hike is basically just walking along a ski slope. Luckily one of my room mates told me about some side trails and that the hike generally is actually quite nice. I'm glad I listened to him. At the beginning I walked along a beautiful creek with some of the clearest water on earth. After getting to a little viewing area, I continued up to the actual glacier. It became quite steep here, but it also wasn't a particularly long section. At the top I had a wonderful view of Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. I found a beautiful section where lots of small streams of water merged and just rested here for about 45 mins to soak in the view and some of the sun when it showed itself for a few seconds.

If I remember correctly this was also the very first time that I was making full use of my layering system. I started with my insulated jacket as it was pretty cold in the morning. Halfway through I added my windbreaker as it became quite windy above the tree line. On the way down it gradually became warmer but it also started raining, so I removed both jackets and changed into my rain jacket. Yes, you truly need a good layering system when in Patagonia.

Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel

More Lord of the Rings

The next day was the highlight of my time in Ushuaia. Corinna, the couple that she shared her Airbnb with and I rented a car and we made our way to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. Corinna and I had a crack at the Cerro Guanaco Trail which literally took our breath away. The hike starts at a glacial lake, then turns into a forrest and climbs up pretty steeply. After a while we reached a little viewpoint before going through some muddy terrain again. With the tree line behind us, we were now in pretty exposed and rugged territory and the trail became extremely steep. But we continued, slowly and steadily until we reached the top and a jaw-dropping view to all sides. We could see Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel in the distance, the glacial lake with some impressive mountains below us, ragged cliffs right next to us. It was just spectacular and very close to what I had in mind when thinking about Patagonia.

Ragged

My favourite view so far

Corinna and I

Beagle Channel

After our return we continued to explore the southern part of the National Park, took some dorky pictures at some touristy signs and returned back to Ushuaia. By the way: If I wouldn't know that the water is freezing cold down here I would just love to jump into all the little lakes and inlets here. The water is crystal clear and when the sun comes out and you actually feel a bit warm it is just too inviting...

The end of the road

Second best thing to do with these water conditions

Jump in!

What stroke us the most during our time down here was the very limited amount of wildlife on land. We saw a couple of brumbies (or whatever they call them here), some birds and a few flies, but that was basically it. No guanacos, no armadillos, not even a bloody worm or ant. I actually digged a little hole at one point to see if there is anything hidden in the soil but there wasn't anything. Corinna and I started building a theory that everything we saw was just fake and we were actually in some sort of TV show. I hope you are all very entertained by now!

The last activity I did was a rather disappointing one. Corinna had now left town and I decided to do a little trip to an island full of penguins and a cruise along the beagle channel on my last day. Little Penguins are quite common in Australia and I already saw a lot of them in Melbourne and on Phillip Island. I was hoping that the species they have here in Ushuaia would be a bit more different, but it turned out that the Magellanic Penguins (by far the biggest group of penguins here) are very, very similar. I also saw Gentoo Penguins and a King Penguin though, which was pretty cool. After spending about an hour on the island and some other random stuff on the way there (trees that were shaped by the wind, a museum about marine mammal skeletons (creepy (especially when they showed us the fresh carcasses (let's just add more brackets because I can)))) we started our cruise. And the cruise was just 100% meh. Towards the end we stopped at the famous lighthouse and at a few rocks with sea lion colonies but I guess I'm just too used to these animals so that in hindsights I'm a little angry with myself spending so much money on that activity.

Looks like it's a bit windy out here

The lady was very excited about skinning this skull

Gentoo Penguins

Spot the king!

Look at this ugly fella

That was my adventure at the end of the world. I started making some good friends and it was a great start to get to know Patagonia. Next up is El Chalten, the hiking capital of Argentina. Apparently they have really bad internet there, so it might get a little quiet here. Apart from that I also managed to get sick (Coronavirus?), so I'll probably have to rest a bit in the next few days.

I might meet Jean (who I met in the hostel) again in Bariloche

[iturbide]

Since you are an Awakening expert, what's your opinion and headcanons on Robin's lovely adopted sister, Aversa? There is a lot to speculate about her since the game never gives us full answers. Were her parents killed by Chrom's dad? Maybe. Was she brainwashed from the start or she followed Validar of her own accord to seek revenge? How many horrible things did she actually do? We know she has been a spy for Validar but on the other hand we never see her kill anyone on screen. What do you think?

I’m really flattered that you think of me as an Awakening expert <3 It’s definitely my favorite Fire Emblem game that I’ve played, and I’ve put way more time than I maybe should have into understanding the characters. 

But I have a lot of thoughts on Aversa, and unfortunately many of them are sad because she is a really tragic character in a lot of ways. 

To begin: I’ve always been of the opinion that she hails from western Plegia, so her home was well away from the path of the crusade’s destruction.  Instead, it was Validar who killed her parents: on one of his forays through the nation in search of the missing Heart of Grima, he happened to pass through the village where she and her family lived, and immediately recognized her innate magical talent as she played with the other children.  Rather than pass up such a promising find for the Grimleal (since depending on her specialty, she could be utilized in trying to find the missing Heart of Grima), he reached out to her parents with the intent to take her on as a pupil.  Having the son of the Grimleal hierophant make such a request was hardly something they could refuse, so they sent her off with him – and he proceeded to have the village and everyone in it wiped out, so that Aversa would have no one to return to even if she thought to leave.  He then proceeded to brainwash her and induct her into the ranks of the most fanatic Grimleal as his right hand, using manipulation coupled with mental and emotional abuse to keep her in line. 

Unfortunately, it’s highly likely that she committed any number of horrific acts at Validar’s command.  Personally, I headcanon that Validar and his father (the former hierophant) had a terrible relationship, which was in part responsible for how Validar ended up; in fact, Validar hated his father so much that when news of the previous Plegian king’s imminent passing reached him, he ordered Aversa to assassinate his father, feeling assured that it would pave the way for his coronation as the next king since he would be standing as the foremost member of the Grimleal with his father dead; however, Gangrel was chosen by the diviners instead, setting his plans for control of Plegia back yet further.  Undeterred, though, he used Aversa to make contact with the new Plegian king, and on discovering exactly what Gangrel wanted (to make Ylisse pay), he pledged the support of the Grimleal to that purpose, leaving Aversa to act as the king’s right hand – where she not only acted as his spy, but also stoked all of his worst impulses, making his descent into madness that much faster.  

Canonically, we also know that she displays at least a cruel streak, if not an outright murderous one, as at the start of Awakening Chapter 9 (Emmeryn) she punishes the Grimleal captain to the brink of death – enough to warrant Gangrel to remark, “Do try not to kill ALL the soldiers, my dear.  We’ll need at least a few for the welcoming party.”  It’s possible that this is learned behavior, something that she’s been conditioned to do rather than necessarily enjoying it (considering that she doesn’t seem to display any similar bloodlust after her recruitment), but the fact remains that she has blood on her hands (and likely quite a bit of it).  And I think there’s a part of her that doesn’t like it.  I really believe that she acts primarily out of fear, following Validar’s orders rather than questioning because she knows deep down that it’s the best – and perhaps only – way to keep herself safe: he might use her as nothing more than a pawn, but she would likely die far faster if she wasn’t one worth keeping around. 

Ultimately, I really enjoy Aversa.  I think she’s really interesting, and what she goes through is nothing short of horrific.  All I want is for her to be able to life the life of her choosing – and I really think that she would choose a quiet, simple one, doing her best to help people with the power at her disposal. 

[aoibaratraveler]

UK Road Trip Week 4

Ok, so I was actually semi productive with this, this week and finished typing it out on Tuesday morning but then my tumblr app stopped working on my phone and then when I tried to use the browser on my phone it uploaded all weird. So I am finally able to upload this from a Starbucks on the bf’s laptop.

Day 22:

I woke up feeling lucky to have done Snowdon a day before because torrential rain came down all night and seemed to persist well into the morning and afternoon and looking at the forecast for the next month...well, its bleak. I did, however, feel much better after a good night's sleep and even though I am a bit sore, I think that I am more than ready to do another hike or scramble like Snowdon because I just enjoyed it so much. If the rain does let up then I would love to do Scafell Pike in England and Ben Nevis in Scotland, the tallest mountains in each. Soon after we woke up, we decided to head to Llandudno for a walk along the coast and to get some coffee but after charging up for a bit and grabbing some pasties from the local bakery, the bf had the grave misfortune of having half his pasty stolen by an aggressive seagull. In fact, most of the seagulls in this town were rather aggressive, one of them swooped down at my head while I was eating my pasty. After this unfortunate event though, the bf's mood took a dip so we decided to leave and head to Betws y Coed where we would be meeting up with T, the bf's friend later on. It was certainly a cute little village but because of the torrential downpour, we couldn't explore much and so we retreated to a hotel for some Welsh cream tea and to have a safe shelter to watch the rain. After a couple of hours T showed up and we attempted to go on a walk to a nearby lake since it seemed to have stopped raining but not even 10 minutes into our walk and it came down hard again and we were properly soaked. Luckily, it was warm rain so I didn't mind it too much. We retreated to T's car where T and the bf reminisced on their uni days. The rain seemed to let up a bit so we took a chance and explored the other side of Betws y Coed where there were a cute train station and a rhino made of metal that encased bottle caps to promote recycling. Near the station there was a lovely little suspension bridge with a backdrop of a field scattered with sheep and a forest. We played poo sticks there for a couple of minutes and then decided to head to a restaurant called Olif for Welsh Tapas and we were very happy that we did because not even a minute later the torrential rain came back which didn't seem to let up for the rest of the night. It was great timing for us. The Welsh Tapas was delicious, we thoroughly enjoyed the croquetas which was a breaded ball of melted cheddar cheese, potato, and leek, yum. We ate, drank, and were merry for a couple of more hours before heading to a nearby nature reserve to pitch up for the night; the rain still coming down with a fury.

Day 23:

Today was a bit disappointing only because we really just couldn't do anything for there was torrential rain for most of the day. We set off from the spot we were parked and drove through the gorgeous valleys that gave off an almost ominously beautiful atmosphere to it because of the rain. We made a stop near Tryfan, a cool mountain that is mostly a scramble that the bf had wanted to take me on but because of the rain he couldn't. We tried to wait out the rain for a bit but to no avail so we retreated to a Starbucks for a few hours and read. When we got hungry we decided to leave and we grabbed some Chinese takeaway before heading to T's place to stay for the night. I got to play with her gorgeous border collie so not a bad end to the day.

Day 24:

Today we initially had plans to meet up with another friend of T's but he bailed on us so T decided to be our tour guide around Snowdonia. We had a delicious full breakfast in her town and then set off to a town called "BeddGelert". It was a lovely little town that had a beautiful nature walk and river and where the legend of Gelert is said to have taken place.

"According to the oft-told legend, Llywelyn, Prince of Gwynedd and the most powerful man in the whole of Wales, had a hound called Gelert. In some versions of the tale, the dog had been given to Llywelyn by none other than King John of England. One day Llywelyn went hunting, leaving Gelert behind to look after his infant son. When Llywelyn returned he found his tents in disarray. There was no sign of his son and Gelert, when he jumped up to greet his master, had jaws stained red with blood. Instantly assuming the hound had killed the baby, the Prince drew his sword and ran the dog through. Only then did Llywelyn discover the unharmed baby lying beneath its upturned cot and the body of a wolf that had tried to kill the child, in the corner of the tent. The faithful Gelert had defended his charge and killed the wolf. The hound was buried with great ceremony and, legend says, prince Llywelyn never smiled from that day onwards." (https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/entries/e6f11332-ae6f-3364-96a4-1af14401369b)

We had a long stroll around the river and then had coffee and cake at a cafe. We decided to get three cakes and split them; chocolate fudge, coffee-walnut, and carrot. They were scrumptious but personally I liked coffee-walnut the best. Afterward we drove to a place called Black Rock Sands--in English, the Welsh name is supremely hard to pronounce. It was a vast, sandy beach with an outstanding view of the mountains. There were a few really cool caves that we were able to explore because the tide was low. I imagined how cool it would be to swim in these caves and I hoped that maybe someday I'll get the opportunity. We then climbed on top of a cliff edge to get a better view. It was awesome. I wanted to walk across the cliff but T said that if it was closed off then we may risk being able to get down while the tide is low so we made our way back down and walked some more along the beach. After our walk T remembered one more cool place that she wanted to show us which was an ancient Celtic forest within Snowdonia National Park and was surrounding a lake. This forest had so many traits to it that made it feel like you were walking inside a forest straight out of a fairytale, from the most covered slate walls to the ancient trees to the lush green nature enveloping a fallen over tree to the misplaced plant life like bamboo trees. It was such a whimsical walk that felt almost therapeutic. It was nearing 17:30 so we decided to grab a bite at the pub outside the forest but were quite disappointed with the portion sizes they gave us of the chips we ordered so we set back to T's town of Blaenau Ffestiniog and purchased some more (which ended up being too much) chips and a couple of spring rolls that were the size of paninis from a local Chinese takeaway. We ate our takeaway next to a lake for a bit...before being attacked by midges so then we ran to T's car to finish it off. We felt properly full of grease after this so we went for a short walk around the lake (by now you can guess that Snowdon National Park is just full of picturesque lakes, mountains, and forests and is very much the scenery that I've been craving to see all year). We then headed back to T's place, said our goodbyes to her and her lovely parents and dog and then set off towards Conwy to pitch up for the night.

Day 25:

I'm so pleased that I've been able to see so many castles on this trip. Last time I lived in England, I hardly saw any although I saw a few castles in mainland Europe during my 2 month backpacking trip before starting my university exchange in Preston. This past year as well I don't think we saw any castles. We started the morning by driving back through Conwy and having a look at the medieval castle there. I unfortunately didn't get a photo though. We then began our drive out of Wales. We did, however, stop in a place called Prestatyn before fully leaving to nip into a Tesco's and use their facilities and get some caffeine. Here, I had the most ridiculous experience. I've dealt with some, let's say not so knowledgeable customer service people before in supermarkets in the UK but this took the cake. I decided to buy some Redbull and in the UK red bull is age restricted to people aged 16 and over (any energy drink is). But then there is also the think 25 policy here where customer service employees ask to check ID for anything age-restricted if they think you look under 25. This is completely fine because even though I am 25, I'm well aware that I could pass as 18 or younger so I always have my ID on me when I buy energy drinks. The thing is when I pulled out my Canadian driver's license that has my photo and age and everything that a normal ID has and which has been accepted literally everywhere else I've gone to (which is what I told her), the checkouts girl (who looked to be my age or younger) rejected it and refused to sell me the Redbull. I couldn't believe it! At first she looked at it and then immediately showed it to her associate who then said she would go and ask the manager about it. She gave me the absurd reason that because she had never seen this kind of ID before or don't get them often in the store (what do you mean "them"? Foreign ID?) that she needed to check that it was legit...I couldn't believe what I was hearing...so essentially because my ID was foreign and she'd never seen it before, she questioned whether it was real. Well, I've spent some time working at another supermarket here called Sainsbury's and we were taught that as long as the ID has their photo and age and looks like ID then it's acceptable. I said that to her (although didn't mention that I had worked at Sainsbury's) and she just kept giving me the most condescending look and said "you'd be surprised what people could fake! And I can't sell you this item if you are underage" ...well she showed it to her manager and she said that even the manager said they couldn't accept it! I tried to remain calm and reiterate that, that just can't be right but she stuck to her guns and said she couldn't sell me it. I went to tell the bf what had happened and he was equally shocked and angry on my behalf and said I should try and argue it so I decided to go back in, directly to customer service and ask to speak to the store manager myself. The customer service woman herself agreed that my ID should have been accepted but said I should be flattered that they thought I look younger than my age...that isn't the point though? I know I look younger than my age and I'm always happy to show my ID (I don't look younger than 16 though) but the point is that checkouts people (1 of which was apparently the checkouts manager!?) refused to accept my official, government-issued Canadian driver's license because it was foreign to them which is really just due to them being ignorant and clueless more than anything, but that's unfortunately how a large portion of the UK is now...when the manager came, he agreed that my ID should have been accepted. Vindication. So, feeling a bit petty, I went back to the same checkouts girl, asked her which manager exactly she spoke to because I had just spoken to the store manager and he said that my ID was completely fine. She gave me another stupid excuse but I just thanked her as a way of saying "fuck off" in my own way without actually saying it. She never apologized. I then used the self-scan machine right next to her but the coward that she is stormed off and got her friend to authorize my red bull instead while she grabbed a basket and aggressively threw it right next to me to pretend she was putting it away. I gave her a smile on the way out and felt victorious but still in complete disbelief at how unprofessional that whole interaction was. We then drove to the top of a hill that had a gorgeous viewpoint of the entire city that wiped away the frustration of that whole event. We drove to Preston from there and had German doner for dinner and then to the Forest of Bowland AONB to chill for the rest of the evening (my favourite AONB so far).

Day 26:

Waking up in the Forests of Bowland was spectacular with the mountains on one side and the sun on the other, it was beautiful. We drove through such gorgeous valleys and fields, it didn't feel like the England that I'd been living in for the past 11 months. I was overjoyed to have the opportunity to see it but a bit sad that I was missing out on sights like this all year. Once we'd driven through the forest, we filled up on petrol at ASDA and freshened up in their washrooms. We then headed into the city of Lancaster where we first had dessert for breakfast at a place called Kaspa's (oh my I'm going to be working off a lot when we get back home). From there we ventured off and walked around the city and up to the Lancaster castle which served as a prison for some time but now houses the Crown Court and is open to the public in some parts. I was pretty tired owing to having a restless sleep the night before with the storm being easily audible from inside the car. At about 5 we decided to set off towards the lake district and Scafell Pike. This drive was probably just a bit more amazing then the one we had this morning. It was absolutely stunning, the bf had to pull over so I could take more photos but my camera most likely doesn't do it any justice. Just absolutely breathtaking and just what you want to end the night on before going to bed.

Day 27:

Ahh! Scratch what I said about need 2 1/2 to 3 months for the UK and Ireland (well I suppose you can do if you want to take your sweet time), we have covered so much ground and expect to cover a lot more by the 31st, so this trips need at most 2 months and we reckon if we were to do the whole of Ireland then we could probably do it 10 days but we're still saving that for another time. You know those days when you feel like you did a lot but didn't really accomplish anything? This would have been one of those days. I don't know, I guess it was because of the rain as well but the bf and I were also feeling pretty grumpy all day and were short with each other a lot. We had parked just outside Scafell Pike hoping that maybe there was a chance we could wake up and the weather would be great for a hike but it had rained all night and it didn't look like it was going to let up in the morning so unfortunately, we had to give up on the idea of hiking Scafell Pike at least at this part of the trip. The bf told me it always rains in the Lake District and that it's hardly ever sunny but I was really hoping that I would get to see the lakes in all their glory. There was nothing around (except for the lakes and mountains of course) so we decided to drive 15 mins North West out of the lakes to a small seaside town called Seascale. It was very quiet there and we found a small, family-run cafe that served breakfast, cakes, coffee, and tea. We managed to freshen up there and made a new plan for the day which was to drive to Windermere, Grasmere and then watch the Liverpool game somewhere. Well, when we got to Windermere, it was absolutely packed with tourists and still raining which just made us more grumpy. The bf and I don't do well in big touristy crowds. We walked around for a bit and then the bf got more coffee but we quickly gave up on trying to enjoy ourselves since it was just so noisy and busy and the visibility of the lake was horrendous because of the rain and honestly I was just really bummed out about not being able to see the lake properly. So off we went to Grasmere. It was a tiny village but really cute. The reason we went to Grasmere was because of the gingerbread shop that's been there for hundreds of years with an old recipe that claims to make unique gingerbread that is crumbly and gooey. Well, let me tell you that, that claim is not unfounded. There was a big line outside the shop too so you know they're popular. They weren't mind-blowingly delicious or anything but they were yummy. After that, we were at a loss of what to do. The weather was miserable so we couldn't really do anything outdoorsy which is also sad because half the point of this trip was to explore Britsh nature and wilderness and do a lot of hikes but we're in the second half of this trip and that seems unlikely to happen now. Especially since I'm kind of running out of funds for this trip now. We debated whether or not to go to a hotel for afternoon tea but it was getting too late for that. We settled on just cutting our losses and leaving the lakes early. We decided to drive straight up to Glasgow. On the drive up I could really feel how burned out the bf was getting and I started feeling really guilty. I'm used to roughing it up for long periods of time but I don't think he is. I mean we've both been grumpy today but for different reasons. I'm sad this trip isn't going as I hoped it would because of the weather and not being able to save up enough this year and he's just tired and growing more and more irritable as the days go on. I booked us a night's stay in an Airbnb for the day after because we both need to do laundry anyway and he just needs a good night's sleep. Once we got to Glasgow, we watched the game (Liverpool won, yay!) and then we drove up to a country park to pitch up for the night.

Day 28:

When we woke up it was rainy and windy so we decided to head to a nearby shopping mall from the country park to charge up with some coffee. After a couple of hours there we drove into Glasgow for some sightseeing. This proved to be a bit difficult because we soon found out that Glasgow is an outrageously expensive city with exuberant parking charges. It took us a while to find something, but after around 45 mins of driving around we chanced upon a car park that was behind a pub that looked to have absolutely no parking charges or restrictions and seemed to be somewhat of a mostly unknown free car park. After double-checking that it really was free we set off to explore the city. Glasgow is really cool. It has an interesting mix of old school buildings and historical architecture as well as more modern ones with a TON of incredibly artistic graffiti on the side of buildings everywhere . We walked around for a while and tried the famous deep-fried Mars bar which I thought was yummy but it wasn't to the bf's taste. We were still hungry so we grabbed lunch at a place called Bread Meats Bread because I heard that they do great poutine and boy was I right. The poutine was massive and absolutely delicious with tons of gravy and cheese curds, probably the best poutine I've had in the UK. We also got a pastrami sandwich and a fried chicken grilled cheese melt that were both oh so good and served in some pretty spectacular toast. After exploring more of what the city had to offer which included a Tardis propped up in the city square and a statue of a colourful laughing child. At around 4 we decided it was time to head to the Airbnb that we booked for the night but not before stopping in Morrisons to grab some instant noodles for the road. This Airbnb was lovely, clean and just what we needed to have a proper charge up. We took the rest of the night easy, did our laundry, played with the host's dogs and had a shower. The host, herself, was also really friendly and was into all the same fandom as us from Marvel to Doctor Who to Game of Thrones to Harry Potter. The tv in our room was also massive so we watched an episode of Doctor Who before calling it a night.

[firenation-turtleducks]

Day 2 - Hidden Identities

This is a continuation of my fic from Day 1. And...more of a “revealed identities” than “hidden identities,” to be honest.

Day 2 of @thirtydaysofzutara

Zuko could hardly believe his ears. He stared at the waterbender, feeling his heart speed up.

A sky bison. Here in the city.

That could only mean the Avatar was here too.

Could this waterbender be the one traveling with him? The one Zuko had fought at the North Pole? No, that wouldn’t make sense—what would she be doing alone, running around in the Lower Ring? Zuko hadn’t seen her with the Avatar or the Water Tribe boy any night she’d been here, and the three of them always traveled together.

(Of course he wouldn’t admit it, but above all, he didn’t want the vigilante waterbender to be the one traveling with the Avatar. She’d become something of a comforting presence to him, another person with a similar short-term goal. He’d taken up the Blue Spirit persona again because he couldn’t stand being nothing more than a tea server—he wanted to be a part of something bigger, doing something more important. And this city was filled with people like the Earth militia in that kid Lee’s village; Zuko couldn’t let them lord over the people here, the people who couldn’t so much as fight back. The waterbender had to feel the same way. They had something in common, and he held onto that.)

“No,” Zuko said eventually. “What have you heard?”

Maybe the Avatar was with the bison. Maybe he was looking for it. Either way, Zuko had to follow this lead. If he had another chance to find the Avatar—to go home…he had to take it.

The waterbender was silent for a beat. “Only that there’s one here,” she said. “I’m worried it might be sold on the black market, and it’s probably the only one left.”

Zuko nodded in acknowledgement. “I’ll help you find it.”

He had a chance. Even after being declared a criminal, he might still have a chance to go home.

“Thank you,” said the waterbender. “Could you meet me back here tomorrow night? We can share what we’ve found out.”

Zuko nodded again, and the waterbender left.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he muttered once she was out of earshot.

…

His uncle was going to be opening a tea house in the Upper Ring.

Zuko’s first reaction was a cold stab of concern. He slammed the door as he left the tea shop and slumped against the wall outside. Everything was going to be ruined—how would he get back to the Lower Ring and find the waterbending vigilante? He and his uncle probably wouldn’t move before tomorrow, but how much could either Zuko or the waterbender figure out in one day? Finding the bison could be his last chance at finding the Avatar. He needed more time.

A slip of paper drifted down from the sky and Zuko picked it up as it fell. His eyes widened as he recognized the drawings on it: the bison and the Avatar.

It’s not just a rumor, he thought. It’s here in this city, and—if flyers are being dropped, who could be dropping them but the Avatar on his glider?

He cast around for the tallest building he could see and climbed it as quickly as he could. His heart pounded. If he could so much as see where the Avatar landed…

The sky was empty. Nothing but clouds as far as the eye could see. A growl built up in Zuko’s throat. He was so close! The Avatar had been in the same city as him for Agni knew how long and he hadn’t even considered it until now!

He had to find that bison. He’d find what he could tonight, then meet up with the waterbender and see what she knew. He didn’t really see another option. Over everything, he needed to get home.

…

After knocking out the Dai Li agent he’d ambushed and interrogated, Zuko made his way to where he’d agreed to meet the waterbender. She was waiting for him when he arrived.

They both said at the same time, “Lake Laogai.”

“You found something on Lake Laogai too?” she asked in a hushed voice. “That’s got to be it. Thank you. Thank you so much. I know I don’t really know you, but this means a lot to me.”

He stomped out the pang of guilt he felt at the realization that he was essentially using her. Lying to her. It wasn’t as if he was going to hurt the stupid bison. He just—he just needed it to locate and capture the Avatar. After that it would be free and happy just like the waterbender apparently wanted.

“It’s nothing.” It wasn’t. “But I don’t think I can help you anymore. I don’t want to get caught up with the Dai Li.” It was a little too late for that, but the waterbender didn’t know that and he didn’t have another excuse. He wanted to get to Lake Laogai long before she did. He couldn’t tell her that he was—what? Stealing the bison? Using it as bait? Whatever he figured out when the time came—so he had to be long gone by the time she showed up. He tried not to feel bad for lying to her.

“Of course,” she whispered. “It’s...really a situation. I wouldn’t ask you to do that.” She paused. “I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here. But if I don’t see you again...good luck in life.” He thought she gave a quick smile under her mask.

‘Here’? Where, Ba Sing Se? Where else would you go? Why would you leave when you’re doing so much good here?

But he didn’t know how to say that, so he said, “You too.”

She gave a tiny wave as she walked away.

The Dai Li are holding it under Lake Laogai, the Dai Li agent had told him. To the southeast. The entrance is hidden under a few inches of water at the south side of the lake. That’s all I know. Please, believe me, that’s all I know.

Zuko started walking.

…

His plan (if he could really call it a plan), of course, didn’t go as smoothly as he’d hoped. But he was far from surprised by that. Frankly, he’d be more surprised if things did go his way.

As he made his way through the cold, dripping underground corridors, he heard shouts and the rumble of earthbending. Warily, he followed the noise. The Avatar always seemed to attract trouble, and if his bison was here, that was a good enough reason for him to be.

Drawing his swords, he approached a gash in the stone wall torn by an earthbender and ducked through it after catching a glimpse of one of the Avatar’s friends.

Zuko found himself in a cavernous room filled with Dai Li agents, the Avatar’s two Water Tribe friends, an earthbender girl that he recognized from the fight with Azula at the ghost town, and Jet’s two cronies from the ferry. But no Avatar.

And the Dai Li, unfortunately but not unexpectedly, noticed Zuko.

He dodged a barrage of rocks bent at him by the nearest Dai Li agent, then spun and shattered another rock hurtling toward him with a blow from his swords. He leapt at the earthbender to put him on the defensive, slashing at him only to be blocked each time by stones the earthbender kept levitating. Eventually, he landed a blow with the pommel of one sword to the agent’s head and he crumpled.

Only a handful of Dai Li were left standing at this point, now outnumbered. Zuko brandished his swords at them and the Avatar’s friends drew closer to him, facing off the last of the Dai Li. It was strange to be fighting against the same people as the Avatar’s friends, even if he wasn’t fighting on their behalf.

“You’re here!” exclaimed the Water Tribe girl as she stood next to him, not taking her eyes off of the Dai Li. “I can’t believe it—after you said you wouldn’t come! Thank you!”

“What?” How did the…

Oh no.

His heart dropped. She was the waterbending vigilante. And…

“You’re the Avatar’s waterbender.” He’d been so stupid—the waterbender had said she’d go to Lake Laogai today, and what other waterbender would be wandering Ba Sing Se but the one traveling with the Avatar? He’d just been hoping that it wasn’t her, as if hoping could make any difference.

Her brow creased. “What?” She flung an ice dagger to meet a rock sent at her, both shattering on impact. “How do you know I’m traveling with Aang? And—my name’s Katara!”

“How do you know this guy, anyway?” the Water Tribe boy muttered to the waterbender—Katara—as he caught his returning boomerang.

“You’re the Avatar’s waterbender,” Zuko repeated quietly.

Katara warded off another earthbending attack and glared at him. “And? What does…” She trailed off as she gasped. “No...Zuko.”

He fought not to cringe at the amount of poison she put into his name. The one person he thought he might have something in common with and she was his enemy. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

He had to get out of here. His mind whirled. Find the bison—find the Avatar—get away from here and back to the Fire Nation.

Katara swiftly turned her attacks on him and he bolted across the rubble-strewn floor for the gap in the wall. Water slammed into the wall behind him as he ducked out of the way and sprinted down the empty corridor.

…

Two Dai Li agents blocked Katara’s path and sent chunks of stone flying towards her, forcing her to block and engage in another fight.

Aang had mentioned the Blue Spirit helping him escape from Pohuai Stronghold, only for it to turn out to be Zuko trying to capture Aang for himself. Katara had recognized the mask but didn’t think it was related at first. There was more than one Blue Spirit mask, after all.

But when he’d been so shocked that she was the Avatar’s friend, the pieces had started falling into place. How quickly he’d agreed to help her find Appa. How he lied that he wouldn’t be here, then showed up anyway, probably because he was after Aang again. The mask and dual swords.

She’d thought he was a decent person—more than that, a good person, for helping the defenseless people in the Lower Ring. And then he turned out to be the prince of the Fire Nation. Why would he be up to vigilante business in the Lower Ring anyway? She’d bet it was all part of some horrible trick to find Aang, running around interrogating people at swordpoint about him. He probably hadn’t even been helping people at first and just started doing that to get on her good side so that she’d give him information or something. And it had worked! She’d told him about Appa and Lake Laogai—he might’ve figured it out on his own anyway, but she felt so extraordinarily stupid for falling for whatever he was up to! She should’ve at least recognized his voice!

Finally she struck the Dai Li agent she was fighting with her mass of water and sent him sprawling. Around the room, the remaining Dai Li were unconscious or simply not willing or able to stand.

“That was Zuko?” Sokka demanded as the five of them regrouped and Toph opened the door on the far side of the room that Aang and Jet had disappeared through moments before Zuko had shown up. “I’d say I can’t believe he’s here except I can. Maniac’s chased us across the world already.” He looked sideways at her. “But you need to tell us how you knew him when he was Creepy Mask Guy.”

…

I want my honor, I want my throne, I want to go home, Zuko thought. But his uncle was right. This wouldn’t get him anywhere. He had no plan, no way to get the Avatar to the Fire Nation even if he managed to capture him. He didn’t know what he was doing—didn’t know if it was what he even wanted to be doing. But he had to. It was his destiny, his only way home, his only way for things to return to any semblance of normal.

He threw his swords to the ground and roared in frustration.

“Prince Zuko,” said his uncle from behind him, “you have the opportunity to choose between the destiny that has been laid out for you, and the one you can lay out for yourself. The choice is yours, and I hope you are happy with your decision.”

He thought about the destruction the Fire Nation had caused in the Earth Kingdom. He thought of Song’s burn scars, Lee’s missing brother, the refugees desperately flocking to Ba Sing Se. He didn’t want to be a part of what caused that. He didn’t want to be someone who deserved all the hate Katara spoke his name with.

And if he wanted to, all things considered, he didn’t really have the opportunity to return to the Fire Nation now. He was a wanted criminal, with no plan for capturing the Avatar and no way to travel back home.

He strode up to the sky bison and crouched beside one of its shackles, sending a concentrated stream of fire into the lock. It burst in a matter of seconds.

…

Katara couldn’t quite believe it, but there was only one person who could have freed Appa. She and her friends hadn’t gotten to him, and if he was free, Long Feng hadn’t either.

She wondered if, just maybe, not everything Zuko had said and done was a trick.

[toursandjourneyworld]

Top 5 Things to Do in Sonamarg - Tour and journey

It was our Sonamarg day, a scintillating valley almost 90 kilometers from Srinagar. Altitude was around 9500 feet only above mean sea level, but due to its topographical proximity to the Three Kashmir Sisters (Mount Harmukh, Amarnath and Kolhoi), Sonamarg remains snow blanketed almost round the year, opened to public only for two months during April and May. Luckily we had been there in mid-May.

By road it takes around 5 hours from state capital Srinagar, via National Highway 1D. Road conditions are pretty good until Gund village; however it gets abruptly narrow after the last check post. Sonamarg, as the name suggests, means ‘Valley of Gold’. It got its name not because of any abundance of the glittering metal ore, but because of the golden gleam on snow by the rising sun. On a clear sunny day, when the rays fall on ice caps, they glitter like gold. Nevertheless, this span of higher Himalayas lacks wildlife, flora and fauna due to the frequent avalanches and heavy snowfalls. The three sisters of Kashmir seen at Sonamarg  lead to major glaciers like Thajiwas and Kolhoi.

Here are some of the top attractions which you must not miss during your trip to Sonamarg.

Thajiwas Glacier Trek: We parked the car at the roadside of basecamp area and took the pleasure of walking towards the snow on foot. One striking aspect of Sonamarg ’s mountains was the flat tops with gradual slopes. So high, yet no cliffs! One need to be an expert to climb up to the summits of Harmukh, Amarnath or Kolhoi, but amateur hikers with strong lungs may dare a trek up to the Thajiwas summit by foot or on horseback.

While casually hiking on the glacier, taking photo-breaks in between, we did not realize when we had lost our direction. Unknowingly, we had landed at a solitary corner, without realizing that we had actually reached the Thajiwas Glacier stage 0, aka the summit. Believe me, there were no lives around! Not even the army men.

On the glacial top, we were shocked to discover numerous skeletons here and there, scattered on the ground. The scene was so horrendous. You could see different skeletal parts of animals (hopefully, though all did not seem to be) – skull, leg bones, ribcages etc and no human beings around. Sweat droplets filled my forehead at that biting cold. Just imagine our dreadful condition!

Sledge Ride: Staying on the top for around 15 minutes, we decided to descend. Walking down, we passed by the Gaddi huts which I could remember seeing during our uphill trek. Within a few minutes, God knows, suddenly wherefrom three sledgewalas approached us for a snow ride. One of them told, if we agree, it would be their first income of the season. We did not take the risk of confronting them. They charged Rs. 300/- per person for an hour’s ride.

Who knew sledge riding was so difficult! You need so much of body balance to enjoy a fall-free ride. In fact, one must take a sledge ride to know what happens once you fall down. Finally, we reached the top in 60 minutes with muddy dresses and cold toes. Thankfully driver was not around, so I could change my dress inside the car.

Island Retreat Park: Near stage one of the Thajiwas Glacier, there was a small riverside restaurant named Island Retreat Park, claiming to serve hot and fresh foods like Kashmiri Wazwan, Kahwa, Kashmir special Fish fry, Mutton rogan josh etc. Unfortunately, during our time of visit hardly anything was available except tea, coffee, ice-cream and instant noodles. A nice wooden bridge connected the park with the mainland of Sonamarg valley. The foaming waters of Sindh Nalla flowing under the bridge offered a tantalizing sight.

Kheer Bhavan Temple: On our way back to Srinagar, there is a much revered Hindu temple called Kheer Bhavani Mandir. This is the sacred place where Swami Vivekananda could transform his Vedantin convictions into complete surrender to the Divine Mother. The antiquity of this ancient temple offers a very exciting story which connects to Hindu mythology. It is believed that way back during the Ramayana age, Ravana used to worship a rare form of Goddess Shakti named Maha Ragya Bhagwati (another name of Goddess Bhavani) who is considered as the embodiment of cosmic power and active energy. As mentioned in the epic, Ravana had established a small temple of Goddess Ragya at his golden capital in Lanka. Owing to his misbehaviour with Sita (who is also believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Ragya by a school of Kashmiri Pandits), the goddess ordered Rama to shift her from Lanka to this Kashmiri village named Tulmulla where Sita had spent couple of years during exile. Since then, Goddess Shakti is being worshipped at this ancient temple in the titular form of Devi Ragya. At present it is under the management of Dharmarth Trust of J&K.

Aman-ka-Phool (Flower of Peace): There is a huge Kund (holy pond) beside the temple which is surrounded by lofty Chinars and Mount Harmukh at the milieu – a personification of amity and tranquility. Just as we walked inside, the whole area was shining with white blooms of a very special tree, they say it’s called ‘Aman-ka-Phool’ (flower of peace) as this is the flower which is exchanged every day at the international border while greeting our friends from the neighbouring country.

It was almost five in the evening. After a tiring trip to Sonamarg, it was time for a dreamy escape to the world of snow under bed warmers. We reached our hotel by six and retired for the day.

[agameoftragedy]

Dothraki, Representation, and Slavery

I can’t remember how long ago it was now or who wrote it, but I recall somewhat recently a post about how we’re not meant to empathise with the slavers in ASOIAF - we see a few higher-ups of the cities of Slaver’s Bay, but we don’t get anything to make us feel much but hatred or disdain for them. Understandably, because slavers are major-league assholes.

But I don’t remember the person who made that post making the jump my brain has now made, to the Dothraki. I’ve seen many people talking about how the Dothraki aren’t so developed (especially in comparison to the free folk beyond the Wall) and wishing they were more nuanced, and I think that’s understandable for people thirsting for more developed characters who are also (clearly) POC, but maybe the Dothraki is just setting our standards way too low.

Obviously these are writing choices by the author and we can side-eye them, but the Dothraki are pretty terrible as a society. They often seem to be the starting point of the chain of slavery - violently attacking peaceful villages, raping and killing many and driving others into slavery at the slaving cities for the money. It’s clear from the attack of the Lhazareen that they also consider themselves inherently superior to them (the men refuse to take the Lhazareen women as wives). It’s also made clear at the mountain that they do not create much at all of their own, they just steal what they find useful from those they attack and enslave.

Dany is with them, of course, but Dany didn’t have much of a choice as to who she was being married off to, and the people of the Dothraki she was left with after Drogo’s death were largely the marginalised who didn’t have much choice, and/or those who witnessed Dany’s ‘miracle’ who will follow her will (ie: no rape or slavery). And it seems likely that Dany will wind up back with more of them next book - we can’t be certain what will happen yet, but I feel like either: a) she’ll convert more to her more moral methods through ‘dragon diplomacy’ (and probably some well targeted burning of assholes), or b) they may stay the same and (like the tattered prince) it will be part of the darkness of the next book of people making deals with the devil to achieve their (ultimately benevolent?) ends.

So yeah, maybe we don’t want to get to fully empathise with the mindset that allows the Dothraki to do the terrible things they do and actively participate in the slavery process. We see some common humanity to them - Irri and Jhiqui seem like ‘normal’ girls/women, some of the bloodriders have their moments, and we do get snippets of their beliefs about the world and existence. I would be curious how the ‘lesser’ members of their society feel about things when they get less out of it, but it may be unfortunately like real life where the lowest free members of the society still love slavery because at least they’re above the slaves...

I think more interesting is the Lhazareen. Technically speaking they’re hardly in the books, but Mirri Maz Duur’s fairly short appearance does quite a lot to flesh things out and show her character:

"My mother was godswife before me, and taught me all the songs and spells most pleasing to the Great Shepherd, and how to make the sacred smokes and ointments from leaf and root and berry. When I was younger and more fair, I went in caravan to Asshai by the Shadow, to learn from their mages."

"All men are one flock, or so we are taught," replied Mirri Maz Duur. "The Great Shepherd sent me to earth to heal his lambs, wherever I might find them."

“I saw my god's house burn, there where I had healed men and women beyond counting. In the streets I saw piles of heads... the head of the baker who makes my bread, the head of a young boy that I had cured of fever just three moons past.“

I think it’s fair to assume that Mirri Maz Duur is not a common kind of woman for the Lhazareen, they’re probably not all travelling around the continent devouring knowledge, but still she shows their religion and methods, a glimpse into village life before the Dothraki destroyed it all. And of course she’s a complex character - she effectively took the life of Dany’s unborn child against her will, and possibly deliberately effectively ended Drogo’s life, but we see why she does it. From her point of view it makes a lot of sense.

“The stallion who mounts the world will burn no cities now. His khalasar shall trample no nations into dust.”

It’s basically the argument of time travel to kill the human monsters of history before they commit their crimes. What argument can the Dothraki have to justify their actions in comparison?

So yes, I would argue to stop focusing so much on the Dothraki and why we can’t empathise with them as POC, and instead look to other peoples and characters - the Summer Islands would be good (though it seems unlikely we’ll go there), more about Naath from Missandei, the Lhazareen... There’s a lot of Planetos that’s not ostensibly ‘white’ and doesn’t base itself on violence and slavery, and that would be good to see.

[morningsound15]

Clexa Week 2018

Day 3 — Tuesday, February 27th: At Work

“Clarke,” Lexa murmurs, “I’m working.”

“You’re always working.”

“The job of the Commander is never over.”

“Not even when you have a beautiful woman trying to take you to bed?”

Read the earth, that is sufficient on AO3.

I think heroic deeds were all conceiv’d in the open air, and all free poems also, I think I could stop here myself and do miracles, I think whatever I shall meet on the road I shall like, and whoever beholds me shall like me, I think whoever I see must be happy.

“Clarke,” Lexa murmurs, “I’m working.”

“You’re always working,” Clarke says disapprovingly. She’s standing behind Lexa, her arms wrapped around her shoulders, the hard back of Lexa’s chair digging into the fleshy part of her stomach. She presses lazy, open-mouthed kisses to the sharp line of Lexa’s jaw, and Clarke can feel more than she can see the way Lexa smiles in response.

“The job of the Commander is never over,” she says, keeping her eyes on the work spread out in front of her, though her tone indicates that she’s more than a little distracted.

“Not even when you have a beautiful woman trying to take you to bed?”

Lexa chuckles a little as Clarke places another kiss on her neck. “Unfortunately.”

Clarke frowns as she brushes her nose against the shell of Lexa’s ear. “You’re no fun,” she grumbles, but still, she pulls away. It isn’t Lexa’s fault, after all, that she’s been so swamped with work recently.

Well… that’s not entirely true, if Clarke takes the time to think about it. In a way it is her fault. Killing the Ice Queen had thrown the entirety of Azgeda into chaos. And though Roan ascended to the throne easily and with no direct challengers (even Ontari, who looked ready to murder everyone in sight on the day of his coronation), that doesn’t mean that it has been a smooth transition of power. There are many warriors left in Azgeda territory still loyal to the dead Queen; many who vow to seek revenge in her name. Roan assures the Ambassadors that he is doing the best he can at ferreting out the traitors, but it is slow, difficult work. Two seasons have passed since the Queen was forcibly deposed, and still, his hold upon his own people is tenuous at best. He does what he can, but Clarke worries it won’t be enough.

All throughout the Coalition, tiny spats of violence have been sparking up. Villages raiding villages, neighbors turning on neighbors, and though the incidents are mostly isolated to Azgeda territory, the destabilization has far-reaching implications for the other Clans. The Ambassadors and Clan leaders worry that violence within Azgeda will spread to their own people. The Ice Nation seems perched on the brink of a full-blow Civil War, and though Lexa stands by the actions she took and her decision to recognize the legitimacy of Roan’s rule in the face of his mother’s untimely death, Clarke knows that the guilt still weighs heavily upon her. She is not a leader who takes the deaths of her citizens lightly — even ones who are blatantly and openly mutinous, like Azgeda.

Clarke once said that she has no kill marks because her back isn’t big enough to fit a scar for every life she’s responsible for ending. She thinks Lexa wouldn’t have enough room even if she let them carve up her entire body.

Clarke falls into the seat across from her companion at the cluttered table in the Commander’s private rooms — the place Lexa prefers to do most of her work — and watches her closely. Lexa is bent low over her paperwork, her brow furrowed in concentration. But Clarke can still see the faintest hint of a flush on her cheeks — evidence of the effectiveness of her earlier ministrations, no doubt. The sight makes her glow with pride. Usually Lexa’s external appearance is one of complete control; it has to be, given the precariousness of her rule. It’s not often that Heda allows herself to appear flustered and affected by minor acts of romance and intimacy. Though admittedly she has been learning to let go more and more when she’s alone in Clarke’s presence.

Clarke is quickly becoming addicted to the sight. She is quickly becoming addicted to the abrupt transition between Lexa’s two personas; to the way Heda falls away as Lexa takes her place, the severity melting into kindness, the professional façade melting into something like love. She is quickly becoming addicted to the sounds Lexa makes, when she surprises her with a kiss late in the afternoon; to the way Lexa’s back arches off the bed as her hips struggle to get closer to Clarke’s touch.

And God, how Clarke has gotten addicted to the way Lexa looks when she touches her. A soft hand on her arm; a quick and fleeting kiss to the cheek; nails scratching along her back; teeth biting hard into the skin of her hip, scattering black and blue bruises in places no one else will ever see. The way Lexa looks at her when Clarke lowers her mouth to her body.

Though their sex is something of a regular occurrence, at this point (and what a wonderful occurrence it is), Clarke still isn’t sure if Lexa is in love with her. Not that it matters, really — she hardly needs to be in love with someone to enjoy having sex with them — but she strongly suspects that Lexa might be in love with her. She has suspected it ever since Lexa had suggested Clarke stay in Polis, rather than return to Arkadia and fall behind the blockade. She has suspected it ever since Lexa said, “May we meet again,” while they were saying their final goodbyes, and Clarke had thought, This is it; I’ll never get another chance. She has suspected it ever since Lexa’s lips quivered against her own, ever since her words came in gasping little breaths, ever since she gripped Clarke’s face in her hands like she was afraid if she let go she would lose her forever.

Clarke kissed her and Lexa melted from it and all of the tension and the power and the swirling, roiling emotions that had been churning between them for months finally, finally broke. And when Clarke’s fingers slipped inside her, when Lexa gasped and moaned her name… she had broken a little bit, too.

She decided to stay on this side of the blockade. Because what other choice did she have, really? She couldn’t live off of Maybe Somedays and May We Meet Agains forever. Life on the ground was harsh, and cruel, and there was no guarantee of survival. Watching Lexa fight to the death and come within an inch of her life was a sharp reminder of that fact.

She decided to stay on this side of the blockade, and though the situations in both Arkadia and Azgeda now seem to be deteriorating, Clarke feels almost guilty in the face of her own bright happiness.

So, Clarke strongly suspects that Lexa might be in love with her, and she finds great relief in that fact, considering she is absolutely head-over-heels, herself. It’s a comforting sort of knowledge: that she loves and is loved in return. Lexa might not have said it yet — not in so many words, at least — but she expresses her love in a million other ways. She says it in the way she slips quietly from their shared bed in the morning, feet impossibly soft on the cold ground so as not to wake her still-sleeping companion. She says it in the way she coaxes pleasure from Clarke’s body whenever she gets the chance, determined to give and give and give until Clarke is a shaking, shivering mess. She says it in the way she shoots Clarke sly smiles, meant only for her, in the midst of some of Titus’ longer rants. She says it in the way her voice gets quiet and hopeful whenever they talk about the future they hope to build, together.

So Lexa may not have said that she loves her out loud, but actions speak louder than words, and Lexa’s actions have been screaming love love love at her for months.

And Clarke loves her. She knows that she does. So that’s all that matters.

Clarke’s face melts into an easy smile and she laughs a little, to herself, her happiness bubbling up until she can’t quite stop the sound. Lexa looks up from her papers, and though she frowns slightly in confusion, she, too, is smiling. “What’s so funny?” She asks, her voice easy and relaxed and happy, and Clarke feels her chest swell with that undeniable feeling of love once again.

Clarke shakes her head. “Nothing,” she says truthfully. “I just like watching you work.”

Clarke knows how all-encompassing the job of the Commander is. She has to, with how often Lexa has to leave meals early, with how many nights she falls asleep in the Commander’s bed alone, wrapped in blankets that smell like her to compensate for missing out on the real thing.

Clarke knows how all-encompassing the job of the Commander is, and usually, she doesn’t mind it. She understands that Lexa’s duties are, first and foremost, to her people and the sanctity of the Coalition. Clarke understands this. And she knows that, were their situations reversed, Lexa would be just as understanding of any commitments she might find unavoidable.

So, Clarke understands that Lexa’s job is pressing, and urgent, and that it’s really less of a job and much more of an existence. That doesn’t mean she’s happy to hear a sharp pounding on Lexa’s door in the goddamn middle of the night.

Were they simply sleeping, it might have been another story entirely. Were they simply sleeping, Clarke could roll over and go back to sleep as soon as Lexa slipped from the room, and her night would be otherwise largely undisturbed. But tonight was supposed to be one of Lexa’s all-too-uncommon nights off, and they had been taking extraordinary advantage of that fact. So this particular interruption is… ruder than most, in Clarke’s opinion.

Clarke groans in particularly acute frustration as Lexa immediately withdraws from her, removing her sinfully skilled mouth and fingers from Clarke’s body. She stands from the bed at once, pausing only long enough to throw on a long, flowing night dress before she is at the door, fully composed. Clarke, on the other hand, remains sprawled out on Lexa’s gigantic bed (completely naked, by the way), her pulse racing and her legs twitching with the agony of suddenly-averted release. There had been no preamble, no discussion, no slow come-down. Clarke throws an arm over her eyes and bites down hard on her lip to try and stop her trembling.

“Titus,” Lexa says quietly, her voice betraying no hint of the activities she had been engaging in only moments before. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Heda,” Titus says with a low bow, “but it is about Adela.” If he is aware of Clarke’s presence within the room, he chooses to ignore it, which Clarke thinks is probably for the best.

Clarke is slowly gaining the self-awareness to realize that she should probably be wearing clothes, at this point. She moves quietly around Lexa’s bedroom, pulling her own clothes back on, keeping one ear tuned to the conversation taking place only feet from her.

“Her fever has worsened in the past few hours,” Titus continues. “They fear she may not make it through the night.”

Lexa hums quietly, and though Clarke can’t see her face, she can imagine her expression severe and her jaw set tight, the way it always is when she’s thinking. “Clarke,” she says, turning back towards her bed. Clarke, thankfully, has somehow managed to pull together something resembling a presentable ensemble. Titus still averts his gaze pointedly to the ceiling. Clarke wants to slap him. “I would like your assistance, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, of course,” she says, hoping that the rough edge to her voice will be attributed to sleep, and not the effort of choking down pleasurable screams for the past forty-five minutes. If the look Titus shoots her on the way out the door is any indication, she is far from successful.

Adela, it turns out, is one of Lexa’s Natblida. She’s small, which is why Clarke thinks she didn’t recognize her name — she’s been trying to learn the names and faces of all of Lexa’s pupils, but she’s had more success with the older ones, those who seem willing and even eager to converse with her. The younger ones still seem to cower, whenever she’s near. (She hears them whisper Wanheda sometimes, as she passes by their training grounds, and she tries not to let it show just how deeply upsetting it is to hear the sound of her tragically-earned moniker coming out of the mouths of children.)

At the sight of the feverish child lying motionless on the bed, any thought of returning to the warmth and comfort of Lexa’s arms anytime in the next few hours immediately flies out of Clarke’s head. She feels the doctor within her stir, and she allows her practiced movements to take over almost without thinking, examining the medicines available to her, walking around the girl’s bedside, gently taking her temperature, checking her vitals. Titus wasn’t joking — she feels like a furnace. Clarke frowns down at the tiny body, and feels sympathy well within her.

She shakes herself. No time for that now.

Clarke takes another look at the medicines gathered around them, her eyes scanning tables and reading bottles. She approaches the table nearest and starts smelling the different herbs, looking for those she recognizes as helpful. The sight of a bowl on the ground near the bed, stained a deep and ugly shade of black, makes her do a double take. “Em medo drein au?” She asks, quickly and sharply, wincing at the clunky formation of her Trigedasleng. The Healers blink at her in confusion, and Clarke looks helplessly toward Lexa. “Have they been bleeding her?” She asks, this time in English.

She hears Lexa turn and repeat her question to the girl’s Healers, and she grits her teeth at the “Sha” she gets in response.

Clarke slowly and carefully unclenches her jaw. “They shouldn’t do that,” she says quietly to Lexa. “They should never do that. A body needs all the blood it can get when it’s fighting off infection. Bleeding her will only make her sicker.”

Lexa nods and translates her message. The two Healers seem a little disgruntled, now, at the appearance of this Skaikru woman who is trying to tell them how to do their jobs, ordering them around in Gonasleng. They say nothing, though. They wouldn’t dare talk back to Wanheda; not in the presence of their Commander.

“Skaikru medicine is more advanced than Trikru medicine,” Clarke says by way of explanation, now rifling in earnest through the herbs and potions that lay out about the room. “I know they can’t understand me, but they should at least believe me. I know what I’m doing.” She growls in frustration and pushes the useless items to the side. “Lexa,” she says, turning back to her (and forgetting, in her haste, to use her proper title), “I need you to go inside my bag. There’s a bottle of pills, in there — it’s the only one, you’ll find it right away. It’ll say ‘acetaminophen’ on it. You got that? Acetaminophen.”

Lexa nods once. “I understand.”

“Good. Grab that, bring it back here.” She looks down at the girl on the bed and softly brushes her damp hair off of her flushed forehead. “She has the flu. She just needs rest and some help taming her fever. As long as we get her to swallow the medicine soon, and as long as we keep her hydrated, she should be fine within a couple days.”

Lexa moves toward the door at once, but Titus stops her with a hand on her arm. “Heda,” he says imploringly, glancing at Clarke, “you don’t need to fetch—”

“I know where it is, Titus,” Lexa cuts him off sharply. “I’ll be back in just a minute.”

Titus watches her go with an unhappy frown on his face. Clarke, even in the midst of her work, can’t help but be a little pleased by it.

Many sleepless hours later — once the girl’s fever has finally broken, and her regular Healers have taken over monitoring duties — Lexa leads an exhausted and bedraggled Clarke back to her chambers. Clarke’s feet drag heavily on the ground, and Lexa guides her with a gentle hand on her lower back.

Once they’re finally back inside, Clarke kicks off her shoes and immediately groans. “God, I’m exhausted.” She stifles a yawn behind her hand, already trudging back to the warm and inviting bed she’d had to so brusquely vacate what feels like years ago. She sits on the furs with a heavy groan and starts to struggle with her pants. Finding them stubbornly in-place and her own body too tired to continue fighting to remove them, she debates whether or not she should just pass out right now, and leave the task until morning, when Lexa’s soft and sure fingers cover her own.

Clarke looks up at her and immediately relaxes. She allows herself to sink back into the bed as Lexa kneels down in front of her and slowly, gently, pulls her clothing from her body. There’s nothing sexual to the act, yet Clarke still shivers at the easy and unexpected intimacy of it all.

“Six hours ago my Healers thought that girl was all but dead,” Lexa practically whispers, once she’s managed to work Clarke’s pants completely off of her legs. “Now, they say she’ll make a full recovery.” She looks up, her eyes alight with something like a twinkle. “You did something really amazing tonight, Clarke. Thank you.”

Clarke shakes her head. “I just did whatever I could.”

“It was more than that.”

Clarke hums and closes her eyes. Lexa’s hands slide up her sides, her fingers hooking on the bottom of Clarke’s shirt as she pulls it off of her. Naked on Lexa’s bed once more, Clarke finds that all she really wants to do is sleep. She yawns again and wriggles herself underneath some of the lighter furs — it’s a fairly warm night, for this time of year, and Lexa always runs hot anyway. She can hear the sounds of Lexa moving around her own room, the sounds of boots sliding off feet and clothing thumping heavily onto the floor.

By the time Lexa slides into bed with her, Clarke is struggling to keep her eyes open. Bone-tired as she is, she’s still not quite ready to go to sleep, just yet. They so rarely get the chance to talk like this: tired and exposed and uninhibited. She wants to stay awake to experience it.

Lexa smiles at her, no doubt endeared by the sleepiness of her expression. Clarke pouts until Lexa laughs and presses a light kiss to her forehead.

When she pulls back, Clarke asks, around a yawn, “Do you think your Healers will ever forgive me?”

“Forgive you for what?”

“For taking charge like that, without even asking. Insulting their tactics.”

“Your tactics saved Adela’s life.”

“I just gave her some medicine. Really, anyone could have done it.”

“And yet you’re the one who did.” Lexa smiles, her fingers reaching out to brush a few loose strands of hair out of Clarke’s eyes. “My Healers would be foolish if they chose to ignore superior practices simply because of pride. They’re smarter than that. I wouldn’t keep them around otherwise.” She pauses momentarily, though her fingers continue to comb lightly through Clarke’s hair. “But your medicine,” she says softly, her hands warm against Clarke’s skin, “it is… impressive.”

Clarke smiles even as she stifles another yawn. “Your medicine is extremely advanced for what you’re working with, but with our technology…” She shrugs. “We have an advantage.”

“Can you get more of it?” Lexa asks. “I can’t imagine how it might help the other Clans if they knew…”

But Clarke shakes her head, and Lexa drifts off. “I don’t know how we’d get any more,” she admits. “Whatever supplies we had on the Ark… a lot of them were lost, in the crash. And the stuff that we do have is very regulated; it’s only to be used for emergencies. My mom gave me a full bottle just in case something happened while I was in Polis. I’m not really supposed to have it, not that much, at least, but… well, right now I’m glad she insisted.”

Lexa looks thoughtful. “Do you not have anyone amongst your people who could use what you do have to make more? Raven, or your mother, maybe?”

“I…” Clarke blinks a few times. “I hadn’t thought of that. But that’s a really good idea. We should look into th-that,” she says, her words interrupted by a loud yawn. “But in the morning, maybe? Or…” She glances out the window, noting the early-morning sunshine streaming through the curtains. “Or maybe tomorrow morning? I want to sleep for about a full day, after last night.”

“Do you really?” Lexa inches forward under the covers, until her bare knees touch Clarke’s. Clarke shivers at the reminder that, less than an arms-length away, Lexa is lying completely naked, too. Lexa has a mischievous glint in her eye when she says, “But we never got to finish what we started…”

Clarke laughs and shakes her head. “I appreciate your dedication, Lexa, but really. I’m exhausted. I just want to close my eyes and—” She’s cut off as Lexa’s lips claim hers in a hard and demanding kiss. The intensity of it surprises Clarke, but she does not pull away immediately. Instead, she lets out a little moan into Lexa’s mouth and allows herself to be rolled over, until Lexa’s body is hovering above her own, pressing her down into the bed’s soft form.

Clarke blinks up at her, clearly surprised, her mouth feeling a little swollen and bruised from the pressure of Lexa’s lips against her own. “What was that for?” She asks in a breathless whisper.

“You were amazing, tonight,” Lexa purrs, swinging one leg over Clarke’s hips so that she ends up straddling her. Clarke gulps but her hands still fall to Lexa’s waist, almost bracingly. “Seeing you… how much you care for our people…” Clarke’s heart gives a little flutter, at that. Lexa shakes her head. “Meizen, Klark. Badas.”

Lexa lays her out in her luxurious bed and worships her body for hours, until Clarke is shaking and practically incoherent. Lexa’s mouth does not leave her until Clarke begs her to stop, and even then she seems reluctant to part with her.

Clarke, even in her exhausted state, can’t help but smile at the way Lexa has seemingly been so deeply effected by watching her work. She is relieved to realize that it at least doesn’t just go one way.

[tipsycad147]

Stop Modern Witch Hunting – thousands of Witches murdered annually

By The Alchemist

Modern Witch Hunting? Could this be real?We can hardly accept the fact the fact that this was keep happening for centuries.  Could even this be truth for the 21st century?

The Legacy of Witchcraft is Still ALIVE

They may call us witch, wizard, shaman, sorcerer, enchantress, conjurer, pagan, wiccan, magus but these are just words that try to define our Awaken soul in the English language. The whole earth has got words for us.

They may call us boksi in Nepalese, μάγος in greek, strega in italian, mchawi in Swahili, sanguma in Pidgin… the list is endless but so are the sufferings all wizards and witches endured all over the world, all over the centuries.

Modern Witch Hunting – a New Old Nightmare

United Nations (UN) researchers and human rights agencies like Amnesty international estimated the number to be in the thousands annually, even in 2015. They may be women, they may be men, they can also be children or animals but the rage against the ones who can bend reality is the same.

Few days ago, in the last week, a 63 year-old woman was dragged violently from her home in Assam, India, stripped naked and brutally murdered, because of some accusations of nearby villagers which “blamed” her to be a witch and that she casted a plague on the area. The list is much bigger than this as around 2,000 people have been executed or murdered nationwide after accusations of witchcraft between 2000 and 2012, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau in India.

Unfortunately these disturbing news of Witch-hunting is not confined only in India.  The Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, in his most recent report to the Human Rights Council, says: “In too many settings, being classified as a witch is tantamount to receiving a death sentence.” Countries that Witch-hunts are considered common are Congo, Nepal, the South Africa, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Uganda and yet in Europe too!

Modern Witch Hunting is here

Countries that Witch-hunts are considered common are Congo, Nepal, the South Africa, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Uganda and yet in Europe too!

Click here to read the article from the United Nations.  You can donate directly to the United Nations from their site by clicking here.

According to “The Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network (WHRIN) documents” accusations of witchcraft are not rare even against children where a witch child can be easily accused of psychic cannibalism and vampirism or even flying and transforming into an animal in order to hurt humans and animals. They are even accused of causing road accidents(!!) or spreading deadly plagues like this woman in India.  Witches and wizard are even accused (and tortured) for causing joblessness to innocent men and women.

Some countries still use law to confine witchcraft like, Papua New Guinea’s parliament, two years ago who repealed the 1971 Sorcery Act, which allowed murderers to use sorcery and black magic as a defence and argue for reduced reduce penal sentences. It also punished those practicing sorcery with up to two years’ imprisonment.

The disturbing fact that witch-hunts are still real should not be taken lightly. On the other hand, vengeance is always destructive. Let’s all help to spread Love and Light to everyone in this world. Help us spread the Light of Magic everywhere in this world. Help us raise the spirituality of this World.

Help us to spread the Light of Witchcraft everywhere in this World. PASS IT ON!

https://www.magicalrecipesonline.com/2015/08/stop-modern-witch-hunting.html

[armeniaitn]

Prime Minister: Karabakh under Azerbaijan’s control means Karabakh without Armenians, which is genocide

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/politics/prime-minister-karabakh-under-azerbaijans-control-means-karabakh-without-armenians-which-is-genocide-64249-31-10-2020/

Prime Minister: Karabakh under Azerbaijan’s control means Karabakh without Armenians, which is genocide

Karabakh under Azerbaijan’s control means Karabakh without Armenians, which is genocide, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with AL Arabya.

“And this is why we believe that especially now the principle of “remedial secession” should be applied to Nagorno-Karabakh,” he noted.

The full text of the interview is provided below:

Question – Mr. Pashinyan, welcome to Al Arabia. Thanks for sparing time for this interview. How dangerous is the situation in Karabakh today, especially considering that a few days ago you called for nationwide military and civilian mobilization?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – I would like to talk about the regional threats, since I think it is obvious how dangerous the situation is for Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. But I think it important for your audience to understand why the war is going on, what the context is.

First of all, let us state that this war would not have broken out without the intervention of Turkey, because there is flagrant evidence that Turkey has transported mercenaries from Syria to Azerbaijan to launch the offensive.

Second, this war was essentially a continuation of the joint Turkish-Azerbaijani military exercises that began in August and did not actually end before the start of the war. Turkish troops were still in Azerbaijan when the hostilities started. In fact, they attended the military operations.

It is important to understand why Turkey is interested in this flare-up; I think we should consider all this from the perspective of Turkey’s expansionist policy in the Mediterranean, Libya, Syria and Iraq. This is, in fact, a policy of rebuilding the Ottoman Empire; I believe that this policy must be strongly countered by the international community, otherwise it will pose the same threats to the Mediterranean countries, the Arab world, the South Caucasus, and Europe.

I have repeatedly told European televisions and media outlets that if this situation is not properly analyzed and assessed by European nations, they will have to see in Turkey at Vienna. Similarly, if the situation is not properly assessed by the international community, we will soon see other manifestations of Turkey’s imperialistic policy. Now we can see them in the South Caucasus, then we will see them in the north, east, south-east and south. So, this is a situation with Turkey’s aspiration to restore the Ottoman Empire at its heart.

[embedded content]

Question: Mr. Pashinyan, you said why Turkey is interested in supporting Azerbaijan, but you also accused Baku of recruiting mercenaries through Turkey, just as you responded to the allegations of calling in Arabs with Armenian roots to help you. What is the difference between mercenaries and them?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – First of all, we do not have such a phenomenon. In other words, there is no such phenomenon, secondly, they are Armenian citizens, citizens of the Republic of Armenia who work or live in foreign countries. They came back to defend their homeland. There are also Karabakh citizens who live abroad and have returned to defend their homeland. But note that this is not as widespread as you depict it. I do not rule out such incidences, but I do rule out anything beyond this logic.

Question: Mr. Pashinyan, what is your vision for resolving this conflict?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – First of all, the hostilities should be stopped, since we can hardly imagine a diplomatic solution amid ongoing hostilities, after which substantive talks should be held, as provided in the Moscow statement of October 10, issued by the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan.

Question: This time, what can persuade Armenia to sit down and negotiate?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – We have always been prepared for talks; we have always been ready for a compromise. The point is that when a compromise turns out to be acceptable for to Armenia, it suddenly becomes unacceptable for Azerbaijan. I can cite the example of the Kazan process held as early as in 2011. The most important issue for the Armenian side is the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, more specifically the acknowledgement of its independence, its right to self-determination. Nevertheless, during the so-called Kazan process the Armenian side agreed to the interim status of Karabakh, which was not a final status, but only an intermediate status.

In other words, we stepped back from our initial benchmark with the logic of reaching a compromise, but at the very last moment Azerbaijan refused to accept that compromise and came up with tougher conditions. This approach of theirs has prevented us from reaching a diplomatic solution until now.

Question: Mr. Pashinyan, President Donald Trump stated yesterday that the United States of America has good relations with Armenians, and they will definitely help them. What is your comment?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – I cannot comment on his statement right now, because the statement made by President Trump should be followed by detailed proposals and actions, so that I could comment on it. We know that the Armenians represent an influential force in the United States, and only time will tell what concrete action the United States will take to support this process.

Question: Mr. Pashinyan, in one of your tweets you said that Azerbaijan’s claims on Nagorno-Karabakh are not well-grounded as seen from the perspective of international law; you called for acknowledging and facing historical realities. What provisions of international law do you mean?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – It is crucial that we knew the truth about the Karabakh conflict. Something important happened the other day. Unfortunately, attempts are being made to present the Karabakh issue as a territorial dispute, where there are two sides with either side claiming that Karabakh is their land. But in reality, this conflict has nothing to do with such allegations. Speaking at the Valdai Club two days ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that this is not a territorial dispute, but an ethnic conflict?

Unfortunately, as the conflict is a protracted one, the international community seems to have lost track of its origin, I mean the understanding of what this history of the Karabakh issue is. The Karabakh issue arose in 1988, when a democratization process began in the Soviet Union. At that time Nagorno-Karabakh has the status of an autonomous region with an 80% Armenian population. In a bid to take advantage of the ongoing the democratization process, the Armenians of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region decided to restore their violated rights.

What were their violated rights? When the Soviet Union was being formed in the 1920s, Nagorno-Karabakh, which still has an Armenian population of more than 80 percent, was not included in Soviet Armenia, but in Soviet Azerbaijan due to Stalin’s arbitrary decision. The Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, the parliament of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region decided to get the issue of their status resolved through absolutely peaceful political means, to which the Soviet Union and Soviet Azerbaijan responded with violence. Violence was first manifested in the killings of Armenians in Sumgait, Baku. This was the first stage of the conflict.

The next stage was the collapse of the Soviet Union. And according to the rules of the Soviet Union, if one of the Soviet republics gained independence, its autonomous unions, such as the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, could decide on their status, because they were considered to be equal subjects in the Soviet Union.

When Azerbaijan declared its independence, Nagorno-Karabakh in turn declared its independence. And according to the same logic as Azerbaijan broke away from the Soviet Union, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region became independent from the Soviet Union and Soviet Azerbaijan.

The international community’s failure to recognize Karabakh’s independence resulted in the conflict or in the Nagorno-Karabakh people’s struggle in this conflict. The Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh are fighting for their right to be recognized by the international community. This is the whole story. But it is crucial to understand the reasons and the causal links behind their aspiration to independence.

The Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh did not seek independence just out of a whim; they were facing an existential threat in Soviet Azerbaijan, which first manifested itself in a cultural genocide, in the violence that followed the 1988 peaceful struggle and in the full-scale military offensive launched in 1991. Even today we can see that the towns and villages are being shelled in Nagorno-Karabakh.

It is now obvious to everyone that the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, who have always constituted more than 80% of the local population, cannot survive in Azerbaijan. The fact that terrorists and terrorist methods are being used against Nagorno-Karabakh comes to reaffirm the Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to independence, which is described in international law as “remedial secession.”

Question: Mr. Prime Minister, what is your attitude to the fact that Azerbaijan puts it as “liberation” when talking about Karabakh or Artsakh?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – That is what I am saying. That word must be translated: it means liberating Karabakh from the Armenians, which is a direct threat of genocide. And that is why we say that it once again proves that Karabakh under Azerbaijan’s control means Karabakh without Armenians, which is genocide. And this is why we believe that especially now the principle of “remedial secession” should be applied to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Question: Yesterday the President of Azerbaijan said that their army had established control over some border villages. What can you say about that?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – Military operations are taking place; I would say very heavy operations are taking place on the ground. The Azerbaijani army has made some progress, but the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Defense Army are fighting heroically for their independence and safety. They will fight to the last.

Question: Mr. Prime Minister, how would you comment on the allegations that the current confrontation has nothing to do with a traditional territorial dispute, and that it has a gas component? What can you say about that?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – Gas definitely has a non-primary meaning here. An attempt is being made to give this conflict a gas, a religious, or a territorial context. Why is all this being done? To divert attention from the essence of the conflict. This is very important. You see, in answering your questions, I just tried to point out that we should pay attention to the essence of the conflict, since an accurate diagnosis is needed before treating the problem.

Why do they say territorial dispute? Why is it called a gas conflict? Why is it sometimes called a religious conflict? This is being done to divert the international community’s attention. As long as the problem has not been diagnosed and perceived correctly, it will not be solved. Therefore, I think it is being done by those forces not interested in settling the issue. They need manipulations to serve their own interest in that context. What has gas to do with all this?

Question: After all, how long will this conflict continue, and how should it end?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – You know, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are doing everything to stop violence. Yet again, we must understand the essence of the conflict, because while the representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia discussed the possibility of a ceasefire with the representatives of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Turkey insisted that Azerbaijan should not cease hostilities. And it was more than once confirmed that Turkey is fueling the conflict and getting terrorists engaged in the region.

No coincidence that many countries have already come to believe that violence cannot be stopped without taking terrorists and mercenaries off the region, restricting Turkey’s involvement in the conflict. Otherwise, we will not have the desired outcome.

Question – Observers are also asking whether Armenia has strong evidence of the transfer of military equipment from Turkey to Baku.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – I would like to talk about two facts so as not to go into too much detail. First, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Turkey’s involvement in this process has been proven at the request of Armenia. The ECHR has applied a means of securing the suit. Second, the presence of mercenaries was confirmed by the representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation, France and a number of other countries, including the United States. There is specific evidence published on the web. Armenia, in turn, has a package of evidence that we have reached out to our international partners.

Question: Let me ask you one last question. In the end, what would you like to say to Azeris and Armenians?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – I would like to conclude with what I said after becoming Prime Minister. We must find a solution acceptable to the people of Azerbaijan, to the people of Armenia, and to the people of Karabakh.

Al Arabiya: Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. Thanks for taking the time.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – Thank you, too.

Read original article here.