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narniagiftexchange · 4 years

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THE AUTUMN NARNIAN GIFT EXCHANGE.

for: @valiantlylucy from @nonbinarycasmund.

the dancing lawns.

Lucy was thrilled to be back in Narnia. She absolutely wanted to take advantage of it. Thousand years gone by or no, she wanted to have a proper dance on the Lawns with the trees and the maenads and the fauns and everybody! It wasn’t hard to gather everyone together for such an event. Most Beasts had already emerged from their burrows and nests, and the fauns and maenads were already around and keen to dance again. Lucy gathered a few animal helpers and went into the woods to find everyone else.

Their hidey-holes were subtle enough not to be found by the Telmarines, who feared the woods and knew nothing about them, but Lucy had spent years among her subjects and knew all about how to spot a burrow. So she knocked at doors and called out hellos until she had collected things necessary for a dance: great big skin drums, skins of wine and barrels of mead, bread and grapes and cheese. Peter carried the barrels, trying his hardest to make it look easy in front of his baby sister, while Edmund carried the drums and Susan balanced platters and bowls of food in her arms. Before long they’d all reconvened at the Dancing Lawn.

The dirt was stone-solid now, packed down under the feet of a thousand years of dancers, and the clearing was surrounded with trees grown so tall Lucy hadn’t recognised the Lawns when they had first gathered there under King Caspian. Lucy pressed her hands to the gnarled bark of the first tree she saw. They had grown much bigger than any tree Lucy had ever seen, and she reveled in it. She tilted her head back to look at their branches and leaves far, far above.

Cornelius had warned Lucy that the dryads would be more cautious to emerge from their trees than the Beasts would be from their holes. But Lucy knew what to do. She gathered everyone in to the Lawns with her infectious grin. They lit a bonfire, welcoming all their guests into the warmth. Dwarves took their places at the drums, beating a steady rhythm. Some of the other Beasts and spirits took up tambourines and began to weave between the trees at the edges of the Lawn.

Lucy could feel the drumbeat through her feet, vibrating its way up into her ribcage, pulsing in time with her heart. She felt as though she was waking up from a long and boring dream; Spare ‘Oom was as far away as it was possible to be. She sat down to remove her shoes and wiggled her bare toes in the fresh grass.

Peter walked toward her from across the lawn. “I had my doubts, Lucy, but I think this was an excellent idea.“ He leaned down and offered her his hand.

"I knew it would be.” Lucy took Peter’s hand and pulled herself to her feet. “I just can’t wait for the dryads to come out!”

Peter looked up at the trees above them. “I hope they do.”

Lucy dusted pieces of grass from her knickerbockers before joining in the dance. She used to practice the steps in her bedroom in England, just to make sure she never forgot them, and it had paid off; but the dances had evolved somewhat in a thousand years, so she had to learn them anew. The maenads slung their arms across her shoulders and drew her into the dance.

Caspian, of course, had never seen such a thing. He had heard about the Dances, of course; he’d longed to be able to see one. But his imaginings paled in comparison with the real thing. Even just warming up, the clearing was full of laughter, shouts, and the ever-present beating of the drum. Some of the Beasts he’d met, of course, but he hadn’t seen the maenads. They were fiercely beautiful with their long black hair all woven through with grape vines, barefoot and wearing fawn skins. Caspian stood just at the edge of the crowd taking it all in.

Susan came up next to him, holding a goblet of wine. “It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?”

Caspian nodded, still watching the dance, before turning to Susan. “Is it all like this?”

“Narnia, do you mean?”

“Yes.”

Susan took a slow sip of her wine. “This is something special. Enjoy it while you can!“

"What do you mean?”

Susan cocked her head and watched the dancers, long dark hair falling over one shoulder. “It’s easy to get buried in paperwork and making laws, if you aren’t paying attention.”

“I will have to pay attention, then!”

"Good.” Susan smiled at Caspian. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but the swell of the crowd swirled toward them, and Lucy reached out for her sister. Susan grabbed her hand and joined the maelstrom.

Even with the pounding of drums and of feet thrumming through the ground and the jingling of the tambourines and the hum of talk, Caspian’s attention was drawn by something new. There came a rumbling that felt as if it came from somewhere down deep, so that the whole earth felt unsteady under Caspian’s feet. He grabbed a nearby tree. The tree swayed under his palms, no steadier than the earth, and Caspian tightened his hold.

Then the tree moved in quite an unexpected way. It went forward as though it was gliding across the ground, and Caspian realised too late that he was holding onto a living tree. He scrambled backward and landed on the grass. The ground rolled underneath him as though he was on the deck of a ship. All around him, the other trees began to move.

Or were they trees? As Caspian craned his neck up, up, up to look at the trees, they looked more like people. The one he had grabbed resembled a woman with long tangled hair flowing down her back and over her arms, if hair flowed like leaves and branches.

All around them Narnians stopped dancing to watch the trees. The drums and tambourines went silent. Lucy clasped both hands to her heart before waving them in the air.

“The trees have awoken!” she cried. Voices of all timbres (deep, rolling dwarf voices, nasal faun voices, shrill voices of birds and squirrels and mice) rang out, joining in the cry.

The arms of the trees, or the branches of the people (Caspian couldn’t tell which), dipped and swayed above them in a graceful motion. The branches sent great gusts of wind down on all the dancers as the trees began to move with more speed. Lucy threw her arms up again and twirled in a circle, almost wishing she still had her gymslip on so it would swirl around her legs. She caught Caspian looking her direction and waved at him. Susan waved over Lucy’s shoulder.

Caspian waded into the crowd just as it began moving again. The dwarves resumed their drumbeat, the Beasts their tambourine accompaniment, and everything was a swirl of sound and colour. Lucy and Susan each caught one of his hands and gently pulled him along.

“Left in front, right behind, left in front, kick!” Lucy called, and Caspian tried his best to keep up. He’d been trained in dancing for years, of course, but Telmarine dances were nothing like Old Narnian dances. Still, he got the hang of the dance after only a few stumbles.

A million textures brushed past their arms and legs: soft furs, rough furs, bare skin, hair, leather, homespun fabric. Lucy was still wearing the clothes she’d been wearing on the train platform, though she’d discarded her cardigan, gymslip, shoes, and stockings. Susan had tutted at her, of course, but in the absence of many other humans (let alone those from England), she eventually threw her stockings aside as well. It had been a hot day, and with so many people close together the day was slow to cool down, though the trees’ dance served as a sort of air conditioning.

Eventually Lucy, Susan, and Caspian worked their way out of the crowd and flopped onto the grass at the edge of the Lawns. Lucy laid all the way back on the grass, enjoying the breeze ruffling her hair.

Caspian looked around the clearing, taking in this wonderful slice of his kingdom. The crowd had lessened, leaving many Beasts relaxing just as he was. Leopards arched their backs, tails waving languorously in the air. Birds ruffled their feathers and rolled in the grass.

Peter came over to them on the grass, still breathing hard from dancing. He settled down next to Lucy and ruffled her hair.

“Thanks for organising a dance, Lu. I didn’t know how much I missed it until now.”

Lucy grinned and turned her face up to the last rays of the setting sun. “Couldn’t you just stay here forever?”

The older Pevensies laughed.

“It’ll be much too cold here in the winter,” Susan said sensibly.

Lucy frowned. “You knew what I meant!”

Caspian cut in before it could all come to tears, not that it probably would. “I could stay here forever, Lucy.”

Lucy grinned and bumped her shoulder against Caspian’s. “Thank you! Isn’t it lovely?”

“Yes, it is.” Caspian again looked out over the dwindling crowd as pairs and groups left the Dancing Lawns, chattering and laughing. “I would have you stay forever if I could!”

Peter and Susan exchanged glances.

“Why do you look like that?” Lucy asked.

“It’s nothing,” said Susan, and, “Don’t worry about it, Lu,” said Peter.

“I can tell when you’re keeping something from me, you know. I’m not a baby!”

Peter shrugged at Susan, who sighed.

“Aslan told us — Susan and I — that we won’t be coming back to Narnia.”

“No, it can’t be!” Lucy gasped.

Peter put one hand on Lucy’s shoulder. “It’s quite alright, Lu. It all made sense to us when he explained it — you’ll see.”

“Still!”

Caspian leaned into Lucy from the other side. “Let’s enjoy our time with them while we can.”

“Yes, let’s,” Susan said, smiling softly. “And I’m sure we’ll have many more adventures together back in England.”

“Promise?” Lucy asked.

“Promise,” they all said together, and pulled Lucy into a group hug.

“Good.”

#tcon #tconedit #narnia gift exchange #narniagiftexchange #type: fanfiction #for valiantlylucy #from nonbinarycasmund #The Chronicles of Narnia #lucy pevensie #susan pevensie #peter pevensie #caspian x

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the-blind-assassin-12 · 4 years

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in the arms of the ocean - intro

A/N: Ha...hahaha...hi. So um... I had not planned for this to be the next thing that I posted. I have a few lingering requests from my last event (3 more to be exact, one each for Billy, Benjamin and Logan) and I have created so many loose ends in all my many train wrecks, but here I go again with another...I don’t make the rules, I just play the game. Anyway! I have been wanting to write something *like* this for quite some time now, and though I never saw myself writing for Caspian (because it terrifies me more than Billy for some reason) here we are all the same. Don’t want to give anything away so gonna go ahead ad zip it here and now. I hope you enjoy!

Warning: death

Word Count: 3,276

25 years ago...

“Sereia!”

She fought back a sob as she pushed on, wading out into the shallows. Her long dark hair swirled around her as the wind whipped through it, heavy raindrops pelting her cheeks to mix with the salt of her tears and the spray of the sea. Each step she took cut into her heart, slicing like daggers the further she got from him. From them.

“Sereia, no! No!”

It was impossible to hear anything over the thrashing of the waves and the collisions of clouds overhead, but his voice reached her ear, broken by despair but clear as a bell. Vash. Her chest went hollow, his ache scraping at what was left of her heart after ripping herself from his kiss and from you, her daughter. She wanted to turn back, to see him one more time, let her eyes drink in the sight of the only man- the only being- to ever give her so much love that she had no choice but to sacrifice everything to protect it. But looking back would shatter her resolve to pieces, would send her running back into his arms, would make it impossible for her not to scoop you up and hold you tight and breathe in the sweet scent of your hair as she kissed it. Looking back would send you all to your death. Looking back would mean that Narnia would never be safe again. It’s the only way, Vash. Please understand.

“Come back! You don’t have to do this! Please, please! Don’t do this! ”

A small cry accompanied his pleas this time, and she froze, knees nearly buckling as the cold water bit into her skin through the skirt of her dress. Your name flashed through her mind then and she squeezed her eyes tightly against the burning at their corners. No, I have to… A barrage of memories swarmed Sereia’s mind as just a few meters away from where the sandy sea floor dropped off to the fathoms below, a whirlpool began to open. She felt the rushing of the surf as it flew out again, pulled back over her ankles and calves and out to the deepening funnel. Holding you for the first time, Vash’s arms around her as he kissed their daughter and his cheeks glowed with pride. Your first toddling steps aboard one of the many ships that passed in and out of her and Vash’s care, sure and more sturdy than most children double your age on dry land could manage. Your squeals of laughter as your pudgy little hand wrapped around her fingers and the two of you splashed through the foamy tide pools near your home. So much joy, so much love. Unsticking her feet from the soft, sucking sand, she carried on, her steps slicing deeper now.

Another rush pulled more icy water out into the threatening maelstrom and Sereia was hit again, this time with images of the things that would never come to pass if she faltered now. You as a tall, lanky young girl, climbing the rigging of a ship to join Vash in the crow’s nest, his wide smile softer on your face than his. Love, perhaps, your fingers twined with another pair as your eyes radiated the happiness you felt. A whole lifetime of memories and triumphs, growth and adventure that you’d never get to have if she turned back now. So much out there for her still, for both of them.

“Sereia, you can’t do this...please...please don’t leave me like this…”

Something in Vash’s voice was changing, the fight draining out of him as realization set in despite his continued begging. You know, Vash. You understand. You’ve always been able to understand. Their love story had never been a simple one, and therefore it made sense that the end would be no different. You understand, you have to. From the moment that she first saw him, clinging to that board out in the middle of the ocean, skin burnt and breaths shallow, she knew it wouldn’t be an easy love. The will of water was one of the most powerful forces in existence. Yet it was not powerful enough to take him like it had taken the rest of his crew, their souls already joining the ranks of those claimed by the sea. And by the merfolk. Sereia knew that her people had the capacity for violence, for vicious acts against the sailors that dared to brave the Bight of Calormen on their way out to the Great Eastern Sea. Domination, that was what they wanted, to control the glimmering expanse of ocean. Sereia never could grasp the concept that Narnians or Telmarines or any other man or beast that she shared these lands with were nefarious or unworthy of safe passage across their domain. Most of them don’t bother with us at all, they’re afraid. And with good reason.

She knew of the stories sailors told to greenhorns as warnings; tales of beautiful creatures, half human but with the glittering tail and fins of a fish, bottom half covered in radiant scales. The stories told of a song so sweet that men had no choice but to give in to the trancelike state that drew them away from the safety of their ships and into the dark, silent void, so deep and cold that not even moonlight could reach it. Sereia knew the stories the men told each other because she often swam close to their ships; close enough to see and hear but not to be seen or heard. She knew the stories they told, and she knew them to be true. She’d always felt a sadness in that, in knowing that the horrors that these men built superstitions and rituals to avoid were true and that they were carried out by her people. So the night that she first saw Vash, she made a choice not to be like them. She made the choice to be a protector instead of a combatant, an ally instead of an enemy. Sereia didn’t know it yet, in the moments when her fingers brushed the man’s damp hair out of his eyes, but she made the choice to love.

There was only one other that she knew who felt like she did, her aunt Coralia, who the merfolk had banished to the farthest reaches of their kingdom and labeled a witch. Coralia, like a fair few other merpeople, had been gifted with magic, but unlike the others, she chose not to use her powers for destruction. In secret, she cast protective spells upon the currents as they passed by her hideaway, enchanting the waters in an attempt to do all she could to undo the violence of her people. Sereia had been forbidden from seeing her aunt- contacting an exiled merperson was seen as an act of treason, as was Coralia’s refusal to use her magic to help conquer the seas. But as Sereia grew older and became more and more conflicted about what was expected of her, she began to care less and less about excommunication, and on the night that she pulled Vash safely to shore, she swam straight for Coralia’s dwelling without stopping and without even the idea of looking back.

She had thought she would have to beg Coralia to grant her wish, and had spent the entire journey working on her argument, strengthening her reasoning for wanting to leave this world behind and join the world above. But Coralia had surprised her, welcoming her with open arms and a compassionate heart. She agreed to grant Sereia the gift of humanity, because she could see that her niece could never truly find happiness if she were forced to forsake her kind heart and give in to the cruel tendencies of the cold blooded creatures that lived only to see the demise of those that were different than they were.

“Sweet child,” her honeyed voice filled Sereia with an unfamiliar warmth, her soft hands falling delicately on the younger mermaid’s bare shoulders. “You have love and compassion in your heart and peace in your spirit.” She shook her head slowly, her piercing green eyes never leaving her niece’s face. “I’ve been waiting for this day to come since you were small.” She tucked Sereia’s rippling hair behind her ear, and despite the free flowing water around them, the long silken strands stayed put at Coralia’s enchanted touch. “You don’t belong in this world, my darling girl. You never have.” Reaching up to her own crown of delicately arranged locks held in place by strings of iridescent pearls and bits of net pinned between golden starfish, and pulled a pin loose, bringing it down in front of Sereia’s wide eyes. “You were destined for far greater things, Sereia. Far greater things than you’d ever be allowed down here. You’re brave, child, and strong. You would not be here if those things weren’t true.”

Tilting forward, she pressed her lips to Sereia’s cheek. “It will not always be easy, I’m afraid. Becoming one of them means more than dancing and merriment.” Her eyes grew sad then, her lips turning down. “It means bearing the burden of their emotions, the weight of their pain. And child, I wish I could protect you from that pain, but even my magic would be useless there.” Smoothing back the hair on the other side of Sereia’s face, she arranged her features into a warm smile once more, though it lasted less than a second before dipping down. “You will know heartache and tears and loneliness, and those things can tear some people apart. Knowing all of this, is it still your wish to join them?”

Sereia’s heart raced and her fingers tingled with the memory of Vash’s hair and skin beneath them, the feel of the sand as she dragged him ashore, the rush she felt in saving the man that otherwise would have fallen victim to the violence of the sea. It wasn’t love then, not yet, but Sereia had known that she had crossed Vash’s path for a reason as surely as she knew that she couldn’t go back to life as she knew it. She could stay here with Coralia, doing what she could to keep safe the sailors that traveled above. But she’d never have anything more than that. She’d never see Vash again, she’d never dance, never know what it was to leave prints in the sand. “Yes,” her voice was small but certain. “Yes, that is my wish.”

Coralia smiled then, her eyes flickering with hope and happiness. “Then let it be.” Delicately gathering Sereia’s hair between her fingers, Coralia took the golden star pin that she’d pulled from her own hair, and secured it away from her eyes. “The spell will allow you to swim to shore,” she explained. “But once the water becomes shallow enough,” she looked down at Sereia’s shimmering silver scales and lacy tail fin and nodded, eyes narrowed, not having to tell her what would happen next. “It will hurt, at first,” she warned. “But the pain will be fleeting. By the time you reach the sand,” she nodded again, this time with more vigor. “The pain will be replaced with joy, and though the spell will have worn off,” She brought her fingertips up to brush at the points of the hair pin. “The magic will stay with you, Sereia. Use it for good. Use it bravely.” She squeezed Sereia’s shoulders. “Use it to protect the ones you love.”

If ever there were a time to use Coralia’s magic, hot tears ran down her wet cheeks as she reached the edges of the swirling funnel, forked spears of lightning striking all around, the sky and water both the same steely gray. Rising from the funnel, a great serpent reared it’s hideous head, an insidious glow in it’s many eyes and thick, sticky venom dripping from it’s fangs. As it surfaced, so did a dozen or so merfolk, tridents in hand and geared for battle. It’s now… Raising her trembling hands towards the beast, she finally allowed herself one last backwards glance at the man and child she had been seemingly created to shield with her love. You understand, Vash, don’t you? “I love you,” she spoke so softly that they wouldn’t have heard her even if she were sitting on the porch steps at home, holding them close. “Both of you.”

Before she ventured out into the roiling sea, she’d explained to her husband, as quickly as she could through trembling lips and burning tears, that the time had come for her to do all she could to save not only him and their child- you- but all of Narnia.

“They won’t stop, Vash.” She’d told him between desperate kisses all over his face. “They’ll never stop, their numbers are too great, and now they’ve joined with her.” She saw the truth break her husband’s heart. He knew. He’d seen it. The merfolk had grown restless in their quest for dominance. Wrecking the occasional ship and pillaging the treasures on board no longer satisfied them. But to get more power they needed to make a powerful alliance. “Jadis, Vash.” She couldn’t stop saying his name, letting him hear it, running her tongue over it just a few more times.

Sereia shook her head, tears blurring her vision, and when she blinked them open again she looked down at you. You were so small, clutching onto your father’s shirt, your eyes the size of sand dollars and filled with uncertainty and fear. Dropping her lips to your forehead, she repeated the same frantic kisses she’d given him over your cheeks and eyelids and hair. When she’d covered every inch of your little face, she looked back up at her husband and finally understood what Coralia had meant about heartache. “She’ll destroy this world, Vash. She’ll leave nothing for our girl...she’ll leave nothing for anyone.” You know it. She knew he did. Even as he begged and pleaded for her to turn back, he knew she wouldn’t. She took his hand in hers and placed it over her heart, and as soon as his palm made contact he released a sob that told her he’d accepted it- all of it. “You have given me so much more than I ever thought I could have, Vash. You will always have my love.”

The storm was growing in intensity, the waves pitching and crashing. I don’t have much time. Reaching up, Sereia plucked the old but still shining pin from her hair, and scooped your fine strands between her fingers. “You,” she took your face between her palms and wiped your confused tears away. “You, sweet girl, you are my love. And I will always, always keep you safe.”

That’s when she’d torn herself away, knowing that the longer she stayed the harder it would be to leave them. In that same impossibly soft whisper, Sereia sent one last blessing to her daughter. “Close to you I’ll always be, to keep you safe upon the sea.”

She waited one more beat, gave herself one last glance at her family, and closed her eyes. I want them to be the last thing I see, not...not some beast. Them. Turning back towards the towering monster, eyes still clamped shut with the imagine of you and Vash imprinted behind them, she released all the power that she had, all the light that would have lasted her so many more years, all at once, defeating the serpent and banishing the merfolk, a protective barrier forming to push them and their monsters and even the evil witch herself far from the shore. As the last of her power drained, Sereia rejoined the sea, dissolving into the foam as the ocean calmed and the skies cleared.

I will always keep you safe.

.. .. .. .. .. .. ..

1 Year ago

The air was full of crashing, cacophonous peels of thunder rolling so quickly after the other that they were impossible to discern from the smashing of the sea. Lighting rode right on it’s back to rip the sky open with sharp, white forked flashes. Caspian gripped the helm with both hands, adding to the strength of the several crewmen already fighting the waves, muscles straining like never before to turn the great wooden wheel even the slightest degree. Salty water splashed over the deck in furious, frothy waves making the boards slick and perilous, but he planted his boots firmly where he stood, weight down through the soles of his feet as he pulled and heaved, desperately trying to negate the torn sail.

“We won’t make it much longer, Your Majesty,” Drinian’s already gruff voice was reduced to a grunt as he too threw all of his weight behind the helm. There were no signs of fear or panic in the man’s words, only facts. Facts that Caspian knew well enough to be true.

He glanced up at the rigging, what was left of the sails hanging in limp tatters and flapping in the harsh wind. We won’t. We need to get to shore. He nodded, eyebrows pinched together in determination.

At first they had thought that they could push through the storm, sail hard and fast through the eye of it and out the other side. But there didn’t seem to be another side. They’d been battling the storm for hours without any indication that it would be letting up soon. Pushing through was no longer an option. Caspian closed his eyes and silently hoped that Aslan would send him a sign, an answer, some way to lead his men to safety, some way to keep Narnia’s King from ending up at the bottom of the sea. When he opened them again, he had to blink to be sure that what he was seeing was not an illusion. Is that?

“There!” He thrust one arm out ahead of him, his drenched sleeve hanging heavily from it. Drinian’s sharp blue eyes followed the line of the young King’s arm and widened when they fell upon the landform that had gone unnoticed until now. Or had it not been there until now? Just because he was King didn’t mean that Caspian was foolish enough to believe that he knew all of Narnia’s secrets. But regardless of how the island came into their line of sight, or why, it was their only option for safety.

“Aye!” Drinian agreed with a nod of his head before shouting orders to the crew without a second’s hesitation.

It was difficult to steer the massive ship with hardly anything left of the sails, but miraculously they did, throwing the anchor as soon as they were clear of the outcropping of rocks along the shoals. The storm continued to churn, angry waves tossing the Dawn Treader from crest to crest and rain lashing at the windows and portholes. But once everything was tied off and secured, Caspian had made sure that every last member of his crew had taken shelter, remaining on deck until only he and Drinian were left. More tired than he ever remembered being, and given his first real dose of fright- however fleeting it had been- in a long time, Caspian stripped off his soaked clothes and changed into something warm and dry, and collapsed into his mattress.

We have to mend that sail tomorrow… first thing… need to find a sailmaker and…

But the half thought slipped away as he slipped into a quick and heavy sleep, certain that they’d find all that they needed once they were able to go ashore.

please let me know if you would like to be added or removed from the tags! I know some of you troopers have told me you’ re down for all the rides in the park, but I didn’t want to assume otherwise!

@something-tofightfor @its-my-little-dumpster-fire @malionnes @suchatinyinfinity @gollyderek @pheedraws @russobill @thesumofmychoices @beautifuldesastre

#in the arms of the ocean #itAotO #King Caspian #king capian x #king caspian narnia #king caspian x you #king caspian x reader #the chronicles of narnia fanfiction #voyage of the dawn treader #I cannot believe i am writing this #instead of the 1000 other things i should be focusing on #but #the juices are FINALLY flowing and who am i to say no to a king?#no one that's who

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whatisycupto · 6 years

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Day 36, 5 Feb 2019, Tehran

So our story continues with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who decided to move his place of residence to the northern suburb of Tajrish for he was desirous of peace and tranquillity in frantic Tehran. Many of his close allies, including high-ranking ministers, army generals, and wealthy businessmen, also followed the Shah’s relocation. Today, Tajrish is a gentrified neighbourhood that is home to hip coffee shops, fancy restaurants, and upmarket hotels. While we were not chasing after the rich and famous in 33109 in America or in the exclusive District 10 in Singapore, nonetheless, we tried to experience a typical upper-middle class Tehrani-style excursion to Tajrish by visiting two spots: Darband and Tochal.

Darband sits at the foot of the Alborz Mountain, of which the latter is also known as the North Star of Tehran, because the entire city is built on the gentle, lower slopes of the mountain range. Apart from gifting the city an extremely picturesque backdrop, the mountain range also serves an important navigational function to tourists. In other words, if you ever find yourself lost in Tehran, find a road around you that leads uphill and chances are that you are heading north. Anyway, because Darband is situated so far away from the maelstroms of traffic that dominate Tehran, the air here is crisp, and there is also the sound of water cascading down the slope. Enterprising shopowners set-up teahouses along the meandering river by building cushioned seats over the flowing river, and locals kick back with tea and a qalyan without a care for the world. A short hike of about 1.5 hours can be completed in Darband by taking the chair lift to the summit-ish, where there is a spot that commands a good view of Tehran on the rare day that the city is not covered by smog and pollution.

We returned to Tajrish the next day to ski at Tochal Ski Resort. There is a system of gondola lifts connecting Station 1 (at the foot of the mountain) to Station 7 (at an altitude of 3933m, where the ski resort is). The entire journey takes about 45 minutes to run 7.5km up towards Station 7, and this is possibly the world’s longest gondola lift system. In fact, this system was the brainchild of none other than Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whom having been educated at Switzerland in his adolescence, dabao-ed the idea of building ski resorts from the Swiss Alps to Iran (Tochal, Dizin, Shemshak). The interesting bit is that one would also notice a further network of metal structures to hoist the gondola lifts beyond Station 7, even though the system ends at Station 7. This is because the 1979 Revolution halted the development of the gondola lift system, which if it had been brought to its fruition, would have reached the Caspian Sea 100km further up north. Nonetheless, skiing in Tehran was an exciting experience, and I can say with great certainty that the facilities at Tochal are on par with international standards. So, there is nothing to worry!

#iran #tehran

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mideastsoccer · 6 years

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Saudi gas export plans shine new light on efforts to isolate Iran

By James M. Dorsey

A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and Tumblr

Saudi plans to become a major gas exporter within a decade raise questions about what the real goal of the kingdom’s policy, and by extension that of the United States, is towards Iran.

Officially both Saudi Arabia and the US, which last year withdrew from the 2015 international accord that curbs the Islamic republic’s nuclear program and imposed harsh economic sanctions, are demanding a change of Iran’s regional and defense policies rather than of its regime.

Yet, statements in recent years by some Saudi leaders and US officials as well a string of declarations at the recent US-sponsored Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Stability in the Middle East in Warsaw by officials of the Trump administration as well as Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain suggested that regime change was on their radar.

President Donald J. Trump’s hard-line national security advisor John Bolton, a past advocate of regime change and a covert war to destabilize Iran, concluded an outline on the White House’s official Twitter account of Washington’s long list of grievances and accusations levelled at Iranian leaders by addressing supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, directly: “I don’t think you’ll have too many more anniversaries,” Mr. Bolton said as Iran celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Islamic revolution.

The notion that the real goal of Saudi and US policy is regime change prompted by the sanctions and a destabilization campaign that would foster unrest among Iran’s ethnic minorities was bolstered by multiple indicators.

These include statements of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Mr. Bolton before he became Mr. Trump’s advisor; a flow of funds from the kingdom to militant, ultra-conservative anti-Shiite, anti-Iranian madrassas or religious seminaries that dot the Iranian border in the troubled Pakistani province of Balochistan; US and Saudi support for an exile Iranian group that demands regime change in Tehran; and a string of recent attacks inside Iran.

With Saudi Arabia, however, announcing that it will invest US$150 billion to enable it to export three billion cubic metres of gas a year by 2030, suggests that imminent regime change may not be in the kingdom’s immediate interest.

Viewed through the lens of the timeline of Saudi Arabia’s gas plans, the kingdom is likely to benefit more from an Iran that is isolated and weakened for years to come to give the Saudis the time to get up to speed on gas rather than an Iran that under a new more accommodating government returns to the international fold. A potential destabilization campaign that is low-level and intermittent but not regime threatening would serve that purpose.

It would also extend the window of opportunity on which Saudi Arabia relies to assert regional leadership. That window of opportunity exists as long as the obvious regional powers – Iran, Turkey and Egypt – are in various degrees of disrepair. Punitive economic sanctions, international isolation and domestic turmoil serve to keep Iran weak and unable to leverage its assets.

The emergence of Saudi gas plans appears to put Saudi strategy towards Iran at cross purposes. If Saudi Arabia’s gas-driven interest is prolonged containment of Iran, operations at the Indian-backed Arabian Sea port of Chabahar were believed to have given the effort to achieve a change of Tehran’s regional and defense policy, if not its regime, a sense of urgency.

Pakistani militants reported the flow of Saudi funds to Baloch madrassas at the time that a government-backed Saudi think-tank, the International Institute of Iranian Studies, argued in a study that Chabahar, a mere 70 kilometres up the coast from the Chinese-backed Pakistani port of Gwadar posed “a direct threat to the Arab Gulf states” that called for “immediate counter measures.”

Written by Mohammed Hassan Husseinbor, identified as an Iranian political researcher, the study warned that Chabahar posed a threat because it would enable Iran to increase its market share in India for its oil exports at the expense of Saudi Arabia, raise foreign investment in the Islamic republic, increase government revenues, and allow Iran to project power in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

Pakistani analysts expect around US$5 billion in Afghan trade to flow through Chabahar after India in December started handling the port’s operations. It could also further strain ties with Pakistan that accuses India of fomenting nationalist unrest in Balochistan. India and Pakistan are on the brink of a potentially escalating military conflict over Kashmir.

The perceived threat of Chabahar, however, pales against the opportunity that Saudi Arabia’s ability to be a major gas exporter would open up.

In a study published in 2015, energy scholar Micha’el Tanchum suggested that it would be gas supplies from Iran and Turkmenistan, two Caspian Sea states, rather than Saudi oil that would determine which way Eurasia’s future energy architecture tilts: China, the world’s third largest LNG importer, or Europe.

With 24.6 billion cubic metres potentially available for annual piped exports beyond its current supply commitments, Iran, unfettered by sanctions and with no Saudi competition, could emerge as Eurasia’s swing producer, which would significantly enhance its regional clout.

Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s resignation in recent days, had it been accepted by President Hasan Rouhani, would have amounted to a victory for hardliners and served the interest of the Saudis and their allies.

“Zarif went. We are rid of him,” Israeli prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu gloated prematurely on his Farsi-language Twitter account.

The departure of Mr. Zarif, a suave, US-educated moderate who was Iran’s main negotiator of the nuclear accord, would have enhanced the quest of Saudi Arabia and its allies even if their timelines for a change of Iranian policies, if not of the regime, differ.

His continued tenure as foreign minister is likely to encourage Europe, China and Russia in their efforts to salvage the nuclear deal but little to change Saudi or US long-term strategy.

Tweeted US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: Zarif “and @HassanRouhani are just front men for a corrupt religious mafia. We know @khamenei_ir makes all final decisions. Our policy is unchanged—the regime must behave like a normal country and respect its people.”

Dr. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, co-director of the University of Würzburg’s Institute for Fan Culture, and co-host of the New Books in Middle Eastern Studies podcast. James is the author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer blog, a book with the same title and a co-authored volume, Comparative Political Transitions between Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa as well as Shifting Sands, Essays on Sports and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa and recently published China and the Middle East: Venturing into the Maelstrom

#saudi arabia #saudi #iran #Iran sanctions #pakistan #balochistan #europe #eurasia

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narniagiftexchange · 4 years

Text

THE AUTUMN NARNIAN GIFT EXCHANGE.

for @valiantlylucy from @nonbinarycasmund .

Peter walked toward her from across the lawn. “I had my doubts, Lucy, but I think this was an excellent idea.“ He leaned down and offered her his hand.

"I knew it would be.” Lucy took Peter’s hand and pulled herself to her feet. “I just can’t wait for the dryads to come out!”

Peter looked up at the trees above them. “I hope they do.”

Susan came up next to him, holding a goblet of wine. “It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?”

Caspian nodded, still watching the dance, before turning to Susan. “Is it all like this?”

“Narnia, do you mean?”

“Yes.”

Susan took a slow sip of her wine. “This is something special. Enjoy it while you can!“

"What do you mean?”

Susan cocked her head and watched the dancers, long dark hair falling over one shoulder. “It’s easy to get buried in paperwork and making laws, if you aren’t paying attention.”

“I will have to pay attention, then!”

All around them Narnians stopped dancing to watch the trees. The drums and tambourines went silent. Lucy clasped both hands to her heart before waving them in the air.

“The trees have awoken!” she cried. Voices of all timbres (deep, rolling dwarf voices, nasal faun voices, shrill voices of birds and squirrels and mice) rang out, joining in the cry.

Peter came over to them on the grass, still breathing hard from dancing. He settled down next to Lucy and ruffled her hair.

“Thanks for organising a dance, Lu. I didn’t know how much I missed it until now.”

Lucy grinned and turned her face up to the last rays of the setting sun. “Couldn’t you just stay here forever?”

The older Pevensies laughed.

“It’ll be much too cold here in the winter,” Susan said sensibly.

Lucy frowned. “You knew what I meant!”

Caspian cut in before it could all come to tears, not that it probably would. “I could stay here forever, Lucy.”

Lucy grinned and bumped her shoulder against Caspian’s. “Thank you! Isn’t it lovely?”

“Yes, it is.” Caspian again looked out over the dwindling crowd as pairs and groups left the Dancing Lawns, chattering and laughing. “I would have you stay forever if I could!”

Peter and Susan exchanged glances.

“Why do you look like that?” Lucy asked.

“It’s nothing,” said Susan, and, “Don’t worry about it, Lu,” said Peter.

“I can tell when you’re keeping something from me, you know. I’m not a baby!”

Peter shrugged at Susan, who sighed.

“Aslan told us — Susan and I — that we won’t be coming back to Narnia.”

“No, it can’t be!” Lucy gasped.

Peter put one hand on Lucy’s shoulder. “It’s quite alright, Lu. It all made sense to us when he explained it — you’ll see.”

“Still!”

Caspian leaned into Lucy from the other side. “Let’s enjoy our time with them while we can.”

“Yes, let’s,” Susan said, smiling softly. “And I’m sure we’ll have many more adventures together back in England.”

“Promise?” Lucy asked.

“Promise,” they all said together, and pulled Lucy into a group hug.

“Good.”

#tcon #tconedit #The Chronicles of Narnia #Caspian X #lucy pevensie #peter pevensie #susan pevensie #type: fanfiction #by nonbinarycasmund #for valiantlylucy #narnia exchange #narnia gift exchange #narniagiftexchange #autumnexchange #autumnexchange: 2

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