#Pivot to Asia

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

By Gregory Elich

Last year, in an act of overt intimidation, the U.S. conducted seven exercises with nuclear-capable bombers over the Korean Peninsula. Through its actions, Washington sends far more provocative messages than anything that could be honestly construed in Kim Jong Un’s speech. The threat is real and unmistakable from the targeted nation’s perspective.

[thegenderfluidgokenin]

All-purpose animation dump from my old pivot days to now!

With so much more to come..

[xtruss]

Jackson Hinkle: Western Elites Want War Against Russia, China

The US Establishment is Not Hesitant to Start World War III to Maintain its Globalist Dominance, American Political Commentator Jackson Hinkle told Sputnik's New Rules Podcast.

— Sputnik International | September 23, 2023

B-52H Stratofortresses from the 2nd Bomb Wing line up on the runway at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana., October 14, 2020. The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions and has been the backbone of U.S. strategic bomber forces for more than 60 years. - Sputnik International. © Senior Airman Tessa Corrick

"I guess Tucker [Carlson] has got a point when he says, 'I'm willing to bet my house that Joe Biden is going to start World War Three with Russia,' because look what they've done," Jackson Hinkle told Sputnik. "These people are insane. Even like, taking [ex-House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi on her jet to go to Taiwan and meet with Taiwanese officials. There was a lot of people, myself included, who were thinking, 'Goodness, the [Chinese] People's Liberation Army (PLA) is going to shoot her out of the sky or something right now? Is this going to be how it all begins?' They're reckless. They are completely Russophobic and beating the drums of war to go to war with China."

Moreover, the American elite's hostility toward Russia has surpassed that of the Cold War era, leading to a worrying breakdown in communications between Washington and Moscow, according to the political commentator.

"The level of communication breakdown is so severe compared to the Cold War," he said. "I got to meet the guy that actually developed the telephone, they had the red hotline telephone between the US and the USSR during the Cold War. And he told me he’s like, 'there's nothing like that right now in the White House. There's no communication whatsoever.' And we're not too far off from that same sort of a lack of dialogue with the Chinese, because they want to go to war against the Chinese."

It did not happen overnight, according to the analyst. Over the past 30 years, Washington and its allies have reneged on all the pledges they made to Moscow at the end of the Cold War. One of them was a verbal promise that NATO would not extend an inch east of Germany. "NATO since then, at the behest of the US, has violated that promise on 16 occasions now," Hinkle remarked. The transatlantic alliance does not conceal its plans to draw in Ukraine and possibly Georgia, thus moving even closer to Russia's borders.

Jackson Hinkle. “These people are insane. Even like taking Pelosi on her jet to go to Taiwan and meet with Taiwanese officials. There was a lot of people, myself included, who were thinking, "goodness, PLA is going to shoot her out of the sky or something right now? Is this going to be how it all begins?" They're reckless. They are completely Russophobic and beating the drums of war to go to war with China,” Jackson Hinkle, host of The Dive, told Sputnik.

US Elites Seek to Dismantle Economic Alternative Offered by Russia & China

The emergence of a multipolar world order - with Russia and China at the forefront of the movement - is challenging the globalist Great Reset aimed at prolonging centuries of Western colonial hegemony, according to Hinkle.

"[The multipolar world] poses a serious threat to the West's effort to secure the Eurasian heartland, which that's been like the basis of US foreign policy for so long, is to have control over the people and the resources in the Eurasian heartland, which of course encompasses Russia," Hinkle said. "And now that Russia and China and these other countries more and more and more are working together to form BRICS and develop a new currency that's going to challenge the dollar, I would be worried if I was the United States and I was also refusing to do business with them. We could just do business with them and we'd all win, but they're not going to do that."

At the recent BRICS summit, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August, the group's participants condemned the West's unfair trade practices and unilateral sanctions and discussed the increased use of national currencies and domestic financial mechanisms instead of the US dollar. The Global South leans toward Russia and China, whose economies have proven remarkably resilient despite Western predictions of imminent collapse. Moreover, in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), China has overtaken the US as the world's largest economy. Russia, for its part, overtook Europe's three largest economies - France, the UK and Germany - in PPP terms in 2022.

"The State Department and Wall Street are very concerned," the US political analyst said. "I think the State Department currently, as it presents itself, is just a tool of Wall Street, because what is Wall Street? Wall Street is just this Byzantine labyrinth of predatory economic schemes. It's rent, it's interests. It's speculation on stocks. All of this is just BS. It's nothing. And at the end of the day, when you compare that sort of an economy to what China and Russia represent, which is real production that's aimed at uplifting the public good, China's lifted 840 million people out of poverty over the last 40 years through developing oil, gas, coal, doing land reform, silver, gold, all these things and more, agricultural goods. Yeah, that is a challenge to the West, and it's a substantive one because the West doesn't produce anything anymore. We outsourced all our manufacturing. So what is left? Nothing, really. And that can crumble very easily if there's a real challenge." — Jackson Hinkle, American Political Commentator

Russia and China Aren't Enemies of US People

It's not Russia and China that pose a real threat to Americans, Hinkle emphasized, but those who hoard all U.S. resources and act contrary to U.S. national interests.

"We have this rich group of people in America that are hoarding all of our resources. Some of these large investment firms like BlackRock and Vanguard. (…) BlackRock, they're making money off of all this real estate. Bill Gates is as well. Why is it that they get to buy up all the real estate, but 60,000 American veterans have to sleep out on the streets every night? That's supposed to be acceptable, and we're not supposed to question that?" Hinkle asked.

“Average Americans are being put in prison because they can't pay their taxes, because we're sending $250 billion to Ukraine, and hundreds of millions to Taiwan. Anyone who thinks that Russia or China is our enemy is sorely mistaken. Our enemy is Wall Street, World Economic Forum, the DC Beltway region and the city of London,” Jackson Hinkle, host of the Dive, told the New Rules podcast, commenting on the real enemies of the American people.

"There is no reason for them to be running free on yachts and traveling back and forth to Lake Como, to the Hamptons and wherever when average Americans are being put in prison because they can't pay their taxes, because we're sending $250 billion to Ukraine, and hundreds of millions to Taiwan. The people that are our enemies are really this globalist class of finance capital that are sucking out every last bit of breath from the American public in the working class. For anyone who thinks that Russia or China or whoever is our enemy, they're sorely mistaken. Your enemy is Wall Street, World Economic Forum, the DC Beltway region and the City of London," the political commentator continued.

The neocons in the Biden administration, Wall Street and the U.S. military-industrial complex have already profited from Washington's proxy war in Ukraine and are salivating at the opportunity to profit even more from the US conflict with China. However, these overseas conflicts have nothing to do with core US interests. What's worse, these proxy wars would most certainly backfire, according to the analyst.

"I think a lot of people have their eyes set on China and a war with China, and I think that's what they really want. And I think that [they’re also eyeing] a war with Russia. I pray that there's no World War Three with Russia. That's how it starts," Hinkle concluded.

[apas-95]

small reminder stalinism isn't communism, there is no such a thing as "socialism in one country" + stalinists are often queerphobes helping bigotry + you're still an environment killer

surrendering 100 years of successful revolutionary practice and theory to the immensurate wisdom of your 'vibes-based analysis'. I'd suggest you go read desert and then kill yourself but I guess reading isn't your forte so like. idk live a long life and watch as your ideology does literally nothing, just like it's done literally nothing so far in history. btw the people's republic of china just reached peak greenhouse gas emissions and has been installing more green power than the rest of the world combined. it's weird you only learned the word 'han chinese' when the US started its "Pivot to Asia" and funneled billions of USD into "countering Chinese influence", but hey, no need to think about that when you know 'stalinists' are homophobes

[psychotrenny]

Pretending like any communist country had no faults is just as bad as Europeans acting like their country has no faults, you can only battle corruption by calling it out and I have a feeling that if Israel was somehow communist you'd be defending them and somehow excusing what they're doing to the Palestinians much like how you're excusing what China is doing to the Uyghurs

Thank you for providing an example of exactly what I was talking about. Now China isn't perfect (and I never claimed it was) and if you want to criticise it's mistakes and wrongdoings there's plenty to talk about both past and present. Just off the top of my head you could talk about the reflexive anti-Sovietism leading to attacks on fellow revolutionaries (i.e. Vietnam) and support for misguided or even counter-revolutionary movements (CPK in Cambodia, UNITA in Angola) or the excessive concessions to foreign capitalists (i.e. Foxconn) in the name of economic development that allowed these firms to exploit and abuse Chinese citizens. But what you can't talk about is the "Uyghur Genocide" because it's not a fucking thing that's happening. It's completely fucking made up by reactionary dipshits as a part of the USA's strategic "pivot to Asia". Like it's not as though China has perfectly handled the issue of Islamic Fundamentalist violence in the territory (i.e. forbidding certain items of clothing is clearly an unnecessarily oppressive and likely counter-productive tactic) but their focus on countering terrorism by changing the material conditions that led to radicalisation in the first place put the Chinese above any part of "The West" in this regard. And whatever you want to say about China's policy towards Xinjiang it's sure as fuck not "genocide"

Anyway plenty of people do in fact claim that Israel is some sort of communist and on this blog I have always expressed the view that this position is complete bullshit; "Labour Zionism" is a fucking joke of an ideology that only functions as a tool for class collaborations with the Settler Bourgeoisie granting their Proletariat concessions in exchange for support in the super-exploitation of the Indigenous working class. Like you can't just say "Oh I'd bet you'd fall for this" when I very clearly haven't

My point isn't that "any communist country has no faults". My point is that Left Anti-Communists don't want a good faith discussion of these faults as is proven by their obsession with faults that aren't even fucking real. Just like you are doing right now in fact. If you want to criticise people for being too soft on communist regimes then please do so over things that are actually happening and not completely fabricated by the most rabidly reactionary US propagandists. Thanks 👍

[megyulmi]

➠ Symbolism of Yuuji’s childhood memories in Chapter 265 and how it connects to his conversation with Sukuna:

I was rereading the latest chapter and ended up dwelling on how the order in which certain things appear along the path Yuuji and Sukuna are walking connects with the progression of their conversation and the outcome of it, so I want to point out a few of such details in case someone else finds it interesting.

First, I will start with Morning Glory (asagao, 朝顔, lit. morning face) Yuuji mistakes Ajisai for. Asagao was brought to Japan with the advent of Buddhism and came to represent Enlightenment. When one thinks of the flower, an old line often comes to mind: [Asagao blossoms and fades quickly to prepare for tomorrow’s glory]. It is the theme of one of the oldest songs on the morning glory, written by the Chinese priest at the temple of Obaku near Uji, who is said to have been the first person to introduce the flower to Japan. Since its arrival, it has been a frequent theme in Japanese Buddhist poetry, particularly when writing on the fleeting condition of human lives, as the poets found a congenial subject in the morning glory, for they considered no flower has a briefer life and beauty, and the buds of yesterday are flowers to-day, but only for a few short hours, and then nothing will be left but ruin and decay; though how quickly fresh buds will appear and fresh flowers open to be the tomorrow’s ‘morning glory’. Therefore, in Japanese culture, asagao is a symbol of new beginnings. The flowers open in the morning, representing the dawn of a new day, and close in the evening, symbolising the end of the day and the passing of time.

Next comes Ajisai (紫陽花), the Japanese hydrangea. The flower has both positive and negative connotations in Japanese tradition, symbolising both deep or heartfelt emotion and also a fickle or changeable heart. However, I mentioned in this post that the blue hydrangea (I am assuming blue, because Yuuji mistook it for asagao) can mean sincerity, forgiveness, remorse and spirituality. Ajisai are also an important part of the ceremony in celebration of Buddha’s birthday (Kambutsue), where his statue is washed with sweet hydrangea tea by the visitors of the temples. As such they are often found at shrines and temples.

After that, Yuuji and Sukuna catch Crayfish. Interestingly, Buddhist philosophy references the crayfish when speaking about the temporary nature of existence. All that seems solid and permanent, like the crayfish shell, eventually disappears. There is a famous painting of Priest Xianzi (Japanese: Kensu) by Unkoku Tōgan from the Momoyama period. It depicts a seated figure of a Buddhist monk who appears to be contemplating the large crayfish (or shrimp). Kensu or Xianzi is a semi-legendary eccentric priest of the Tang dynasty, who spent much of his time wandering along riverbanks, eating crayfish and clams. He allegedly achieved Enlightenment while catching a crayfish.

Later they come across Horses, which hold a special place in Buddhism, embodying spiritual virtues and the timeless quest for Enlightenment. The story of Siddharta Gautama Buddha’s renunciation and his separation from his beloved horse, Kanthaka, is a significant story in Buddhism. As Siddharta decided to leave behind his life of luxury and embark on a spiritual journey, he faced the task of saying goodbye to his beloved horse. The separation from Kanthaka symbolises the profound sacrifice he took when he renounced worldly attachments in the pursuit of Enlightenment. Additionally, in the Shamanistic tradition of East Asia and Central Asia, there is a concept of the Wind Horse, a flying horse that is the symbol of the human soul. In Tibetan Buddhism, it was included as the pivotal element in the centre of the four animals symbolising the cardinal directions.

After the horses, we see them engage in Archery. As a Buddhist symbol, the bow and arrow are found throughout the art, mythology and theology; held by gods, part of vivid legends, lauded in sacred texts and painted on the walls of the temple fortresses. They are symbols of the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha. Just as the arrow flies straight to its target, so too must the mind of the archer be focused and free from distractions.

And lastly, Snow. As a symbol of purity, it is taken as representative of naive innocence behind heroic undertakings. In this regard, it is also a subject of paintings in special combination with cherry blossoms as a symbol of what is ephemeral and transitional as is the life of the hero. However, snow is often associated in the Japanese short poetry with the Zen notion of Emptiness. This is because, to quote the poet Naitō Jōsō, snow covers and clears everything: [fields and mountains / all taken by snow / nothing remains]. From the lens of Buddhism, as the defilements—greed, hatred, and delusion—melt away like snow, the process of purification speeds up our relinquishment of impurity. To do this, one needs to be able to feel their humanity from within, where the invisible factors of mindfulness, clarity, faith, energy, concentration, and wisdom can dismantle and dissolve years of deluded ways of perception, of relating to life. Only then will the ground of awakening begin to appear.

I find Yuuji’s conversation with Sukuna to be rich in symbolism, each element along their path reflecting deeper themes of compassion and Enlightenment. Their journey begins with the morning glory, symbolising a new beginning and Yuuji’s offer of redemption to Sukuna. The hydrangeas, mistakenly identified as morning glories by him, signify Yuuji’s readiness and offer of remorse as he sincerely reminisces on his childhood with him. The appearance of the crayfish continues this theme, highlighting that this conversation is a chance for Sukuna to contemplate the temporary nature of existence and the path he wants to continue leading from there on. The horses, embodying spiritual virtues and the timeless quest for Enlightenment, appear as Yuuji’s way of asking him to renounce his old ways in pursuit of Enlightenment, followed by Archery right after, emphasising his readiness for compassion despite all Sukuna has done to him, mirroring the Buddhist ideal of a concentrated, undistracted mind. And lastly, comes snow as a symbol of purity and the potential for redemption, evoking the Zen notion of emptiness and the purification of defilements. Yuuji, by invoking these symbols, offers Sukuna the last chance at redemption and Enlightenment. He shows Sukuna the final act of compassion if Sukuna shows remorse, which Sukuna refuses.

In the end, Yuuji and Sukuna walk the same path, but their choices lead them in opposite directions. Yuuji embraces the symbols of Enlightenment, striving for a higher understanding and compassion, whereas Sukuna rejects these ideals, choosing instead to renounce the path to Enlightenment.

[meirimerens]

i had warned you. patho equestrian au image dump with elusive lore.

all competition outfits were made to be FEI guidelines-compliant (except for the Yulia's Hunter, which is not regulated by the FEI, which complies to the standards of Hunter/Equitation competitions regulatory bodies i could find), and if they're not it's not on purpose and will ask you to pretend they are.

characters that are not depicted in this imageset i either do not see as pivotal or even accessory to this AU OR i just didn't want to draw them because i'd like to. do something else with my life eventually. as it were.

this au takes place exactly where it takes place. typically western/american sporting disciplines such as barrel racing, calf roping, rodeo, [...] are not included in this au because these disciplines are not widely exported outside of its north-american birthplace, go figure, as they are historically anchored in the cattle herding and ranching traditions of vaqueros and cowboys on the great northern american plains, and depend of a historical, political, anthropological and geographical context that was not replicated in europe or asia (because we have our own things). Exception is made for Yulia's Hunter/Equitation competition, as Hunter/Equitation is a sporting discipline itself based on westen european (typically british) upper-class horseback fox-hunting traditions, so it's a "what goes around comes around" type of deal. also isn't she dapper lol.

a horse's height is measured at the withers, which is the ridge between their shoulder blades, appearing as a bump between their neck and back, just behind which the saddle is put, so if a horse's height appears "small" for a big animal, it's because the length of the neck is not counted in that height.

[mariacallous]

It’s telling that both Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais decided to end 2023 by releasing specials in which their comedy pivots to poking fun at the disabled. Could they be more obvious about finding new ways to punch down than targeting people physically unable to fight back?

In a false promise near the opening of his brand-new special and seventh for Netflix, The Dreamer, Chappelle boasts: “Tonight, I’m doing all handicapped jokes,” because “well, they’re not as organized as the gays, and I love punching down.”

Similarly, Gervais decides to have a bit of fun at how we’ve decided as a society to say “disabled” instead of “handicapped” and what that says about us, and suggests further in his special Armageddon, released on Christmas Day, that he’d mock Make-A-Wish kids if given the chance to make videos for them.

And, of course, both men take yet more cracks at the trans community.

Early in The Dreamer, Chappelle tells the audience trans people make him feel like he has to go along with them pretending, as if they’re method acting like Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman: “If you came here to this show tonight thinking that I’m gonna make fun of those people again, you’ve come to the wrong show,” only to keep going back on his word.

He says he hoped to “repair” his relationship with the LGTBQ+ community – by writing a play for them in which a black trans woman only identifies as the N-word to trip up liberals. He also jokes that if he went to jail in California, he’d identify as a woman so he could tell the other inmates to “suck my lady dick.”

But it’s all just jokes, right? Can’t we just take a joke? Have we lost our sense of humor? Or have they?

Earlier this month, we lost two pillars not just of the comedy community but of our American community writ, as Norman Lear and Tommy Smothers stood taller than most anyone and everyone else in television, standing up to the establishment and protesting the powers that be for the sake of civil rights and humanity.

Now we’re left with Chappelle and Gervais—two titans in terms of Netflix ratings and paychecks—who are fighting for… the right to utter slurs onstage and tell already marginalized people that their existence is a joke for reasons that are nearly impossible to divine. Especially when there’s so much in the world to talk about right now, that they’ve chosen anti-trans rights as their comedy cause célèbre is dispiriting. As Mae Martin said in their 2023 Netflix special, Sap: “Big multimillionaire comedians in their stand-up specials are, like, taking shots and punching down at a time when trans rights are so tenuous and slipping backwards.”

Lear and Smothers used their clout on TV to speak truth to power about America’s involvement in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, the hypocrisy of religion, racism, abortion, homosexuality and civil rights. While great trans comedians such as River Butcher and Jaye McBride resorted to releasing their stand-up specials straight to YouTube this year, which famous straight comedians can you recall sticking up for the rights of trans people in America?

It feels so frustrating to sit and watch comedians with the stature of Chappelle and Gervais devote so much of their time and energy to bullying the LGBTQ+ community when they could be doing anything else on stage. And then they have the temerity to question us, the audience, for not laughing with them.

For his part, Gervais willingly misdefines and misuses “woke” by suggesting, “if woke now means being a puritanical, authoritarian bully who gets people fired for an honest opinion or even a fact, then no, I’m not woke. Fuck that.” Is Nazism or transphobia an honest opinion that shouldn’t get you fired? He then claims in his closing bit that “all laughter’s good,” a concept that would be news to 2005-era Chappelle when he cut ties with Comedy Central precisely because he could hear racism in the laughs during a taping of Chappelle’s Show.

In his Grammy-nominated lecture to students at his alma mater, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, What’s In A Name?, Chappelle claimed: “The more you say I can’t say something, the more urgent it is for me to say it. It has nothing to do with what you’re saying I can’t say. It has everything to do with my right and my freedom of artistic expression.”

But that’s not comedy, either—much like Gervais’ admission in his special that as a university student, his idea of a joke was calling his mother and pranking her by saying he was hospitalized and potentially blind. Gervais said her mom could’ve had a heart attack, but in his mind, he remembers it now as “they could take a fucking joke, right?”

At least Sam Jay, in her 2023 HBO special Salute Me Or Shoot Me, wrestles with her conscience and moral compass over the use of certain words in her act and concludes that having empathy for others is key. “How do the rest of us get here? I don’t know… I’m not going to pretend that I have the answers,” Jay says, adding: “So we’re doing things like we’re policing words, but we’re not policing behavior.”

Anthony Jeselnik, who has built his comedy career on brandishing himself as an offensive caricature of a comedian, told fellow comedian and podcaster Theo Von earlier this year that too many stand-ups would rather get into trouble by saying the wrong thing instead of focusing on their job and saying funny things.

“People think — oh, as a comic your job is to get in trouble. But they don’t want to get yelled at. It’s like, it’s OK to make people mad, but they don’t want any push back. And I think that’s wrong,” Jeselnik said. “As a comedian, you want to make people laugh. This is a quote attributed to Andy Warhol that I love: ‘Art is getting away with it.’ You know, if you put out a special and everyone’s pissed, like, you didn’t get away with it. You know. You need to make everyone laugh that they’re like, ‘Yeah, he talked about some fucked up stuff, but we’re all happy.’ That’s art. Otherwise, you’re just a troll.”

Kliph Nesteroff, a comedy historian whose newest book is Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars, similarly told me last month that some while comedians see themselves sometimes as “philosophers” he believes they are “betraying their job description because you’re supposed to make people laugh, and philosophers are supposed to philosophize.”

Comedians may claim they can’t joke about anything anymore, but they joke about more now than ever before. The real problem with stand-up today is that too many comedians would rather kick people when they’re down, then lecture us on how we’re too sensitive for not laughing about it.

When Chappelle, Gervais or their acolytes have to incessantly explain that their jokes are just jokes, then they cease to be great comedians—or even comedians at all.

[sansculottides]

𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗦 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀

On June 14, 2024, international news agency Reuters exposed a secret disinformation campaign by the US Department of State meant to discredit Chinese-manufactured COVID-19 vaccines amongst Filipinos. The US anti-vax fake news campaign ran from 2020 to 2021, and involved the use of dummy social media accounts posting false and unscientific information about the efficacy of Chinese vaccines, as well as weaponizing pervasive racist conspiracy theories that the COVID-19 pandemic was created and spread by the Chinese government.

We demand an immediate investigation by the Philippine government on the matter, and for decisive action to be taken by the government to hold the US accountable for its deception campaign against the Filipino people. The Reuters exposé has uncovered a clear national security threat to the Filipino people. The US carried out its fake news campaign at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was ravaging the Filipino people, and worsened already widespread anti-vaccination beliefs amongst the public.

We are appalled by the glaring lack of Philippine media coverage on the Reuters exposé. An international scandal has just been uncovered. How can truth be spoken to power, and how can political action be taken by citizens, if the media does not play its part? Silence is silence, whether due to the threat of repression or the suffocating consensus by media capitalists that unsavory things be left unsaid. We call on all media workers, whether working at mainstream media organizations, independent media, social media, or campus media, to take the lead themselves and focus public attention on this issue.

The year-long campaign clearly demonstrates the untrustworthiness of the US as a strategic diplomatic and military partner of the Philippines and of all Global South countries. The campaign was initiated by the Trump administration and was first focused on the Philippines. Later on, the project was expanded further into Central Asia and the Middle East. It took the Biden administration three full months to end the globalized and state-sponsored mass disinformation project.

This issue is not just a problem of specific administrations. The year-long campaign should remind the workers and the masses of the Philippines and the world that the US remains the world’s foremost imperialist power. Its overriding foreign policy concern is the maintenance of its dominant global military and economic position, and its means are deception and force.

The US’ covert effort to corrupt public discourse in the Philippines should prompt the Marcos administration to question the intentions of its close diplomatic and military ally. The disinformation campaign was motivated primarily by the US’ geopolitical rivalry with China, which has, since the former’s Pivot to Asia in 2012, increasingly taken on a more militarized and antagonistic form. US military and intelligence agencies are manufacturing consent in the Philippines to win the hearts and minds of the Filipino masses in its effort to overpower China through military means. This is its real goal, and not to aid the Filipino people to address Chinese maritime aggression.

The US has no legitimacy to pose as a champion of international laws and norms and as a partner to secure the Philippines’ national sovereignty. It conducted its campaign to serve its own geopolitical interests with no regard for the immense need of the Philippines to vaccinate its citizens against the pandemic. Once again, Washington D.C. has Filipino blood on its hands.

US interference in Philippine public life cannot be left without consequences. Philippine foreign policy should pivot away from its longstanding reliance on the US and towards ASEAN, and away from addressing Chinese aggression through militarized means and towards regional multilateral diplomacy. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨. 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨!

📷 AP

Reposted from SPARK - Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (Union of Progressive Youth), a socialist youth organization in the Philippines.

[darkmaga-retard]

The right to food, a concept enshrined in international law as a fundamental human right, has long been a cornerstone of United Nations (UN) policy. The human right to food was formally recognized in the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Governments once came together to ensure the right to an adequate standard of living, including sufficient food and they required states to take measures to ensure this right. However, the United Nations and other intergovernmental bodies today are enacting policies that threaten farming operations, making it harder to grow food, while restricting access to culturally appropriate foods and driving up the cost of certain foods that are not "sustainable" in the eyes of the elite.

The original humanitarian intent of the UN is being replaced by nefarious climate agendas

Established in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was created to ensure global food security, with its motto “Fiat panis” (Let there be bread) reflecting its mission. The FAO, headquartered in Rome and comprising 195 Member States, plays a crucial role in promoting agricultural practices and addressing food insecurity. The FAO’s pivotal role in the 1960s and 1970s Green Revolution significantly boosted global food production, particularly in Asia and Latin America. However, the environmental costs of this era, such as soil pollution and the emergence of resistant pests, highlight the complex trade-offs involved in the process of ensuring food security.

Historically focused on alleviating food insecurity in low- and middle-income countries, the United Nations (UN) is now systematically destroying the right to food by adopting climate change policies that threaten food, fertilizer and energy production worldwide. For these reasons, today’s UN is designed to make it harder to afford food, while slowly killing off the population through hunger and malnutrition (disease).

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the whitespotted bamboo shark!

The whitespotted bamboo shark, known by scientific name Chiloscyllium plagiosum is an average carpet shark. With a range across the Indo-Pacific ocean, from Japan to India living in and around coral reefs, close to the shore. They can stretch as far as the coast of madagascar, but most populations are focused around Southeastern Asia at depths from 0-50 meters deep. The coloration of the whitespotted bamboo shark is unique among carpet sharks, and other sharks in the area making it easy to identify when found. Like other carpet sharks, this shark contains 5 gills, and 2 distinct dorsal fins, allowing a wider range of movement.

The diet of the whitespotted bamboo shark consists of small fish and nearby invertebrates, they have only about 30 teeth of the upper and lower sections of their jaw, but the teeth are small and skilled at grasping and crushing. Softer prey is grabbed by the teeth, biting in to prevent escape, however harder prey, such as crabs or other crustaceans, are grabbed with a different method. To prevent damage to teeth tips, the shark can pivot their teeth backwards, and grab hard shelled prey with this flattened surface, crushing down on them. This diet can support them getting as a large as a meter, with the largest recorded getting up to 37 inches.

Like many other carpet sharks, the whitespotted bamboo shark is egg laying. A single laying will contain anywhere between 2-6 eggs, which will then spend between 14-15 weeks hidden on the sea bed before hatching. However in an aquarium in Detroit in 2002 had a female whitespotted bamboo shark that had eggs despite not being anywhere near a male within 6 years. These eggs went on to hatch and produce healthy offspring. Although, we are currently unsure, the more popular theories being that: this species of shark contains both female and male genitalia, this shark can store sperm for longer than initially thought, or that this species may be able to complete a process called parthenogenesis, which is a kind of asexual reproduction.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

By Vijay Prashad

During Balikatan, the defense ministers of the four main nations met in Honolulu, Hawaii to discuss the political implications of these military exercises off the coast of China. Australia’s Richard Marles, Japan’s Kihara Minoru, the Philippines’ Gilberto Teodoro, and the United States’ Lloyd Austin met for their second meeting to discuss their collaboration in the region that they call the Indo-Pacific. It was at the edges of this meeting that the public relations teams of these ministers began to float the term “Squad” to refer to these four countries. While they did not formally announce the creation of a new bloc in East Asia, this new nickname intends to provide a de facto announcement of its existence.

[hamsterclaw]

The world is burning, and Jimin's struggling to find meaning in anything, until he meets Namjoon.

Pairing: Jimin x Namjoon

Genre: mem x mem, post nuclear war apocalyptic AU

Rating: 18+

Word count: 7.4k

Warnings: Sex, swearing, mentions of blood, injury, mentions of military, PTSD

Jimin tucks and rolls, the moulded alloy of his droid armour scraping against the tarmac.

The flash of heat and light blinds and deafens him, for a few long moments he’s completely vulnerable to attack. 

He blinks, and the world comes back in a rush. 

With it, the face of his partner, creased with concern as he leans over him. He taps his visor, and as Jimin says his name, his voice filters through to Jimin’s earpiece.

‘You’re not going to die on me, are you?’ Namjoon asks, his light tone at odds with the way his eyes are fixed on Jimin’s face.

‘Not today, Joon,’ Jimin replies. He accepts Namjoon’s hand, lets Namjoon put his muscles to work hauling him up to his feet.  

‘Where’s the kraken?’ Jimin asks.

‘Took care of it,’ Namjoon says, nonchalant.

Jimin rolls his eyes. ‘I set you up for the kill.’

‘You’re good like that,’ Namjoon agrees. He’s quiet a moment, setting his co-ordinates, getting his bearings. Finally, he turns to Jimin.

‘Let’s get back.’

***

Whenever Jimin ventures out of skylock, he finds that more of the world is burning. The nuclear war was two scant years ago but it feels like a lifetime. 

The first nuclear explosion took out half of Asia, the second, North America. After that, the world was dying too fast for anyone to keep track. 

He’d been on secondment in Algeria, thirty miles west of the first skylock base. He’d been lucky.

He’d made it into skylock hours before the final explosion set the whole world on fire. 

The first person he met in skylock was Kim Namjoon, brisk, efficient and decent, even in the face of total devastation. He’d been so overwhelmed by the engineer’s kindness it had taken him a while to notice how attractive he was.

He’s facing away from Jimin now, stripping off his droid suit in the annexe. He’s lean, his shoulders and back corded with muscle.

He turns unexpectedly, brushing his hair out of his eyes. He catches Jimin staring at him.

Jimin does a terrible job of hiding his reaction, startling and dropping his visor on the concrete. 

He ducks his head.

He’d been fine facing off against the kraken, one of numerous predators that had mutated out of the nuclear war. 

It’s beyond him why he can’t handle himself with one man.

He’s just a man, even if he’s got the body of a Greek god and dimples that make Jimin’s stomach flip.

Jimin realises Namjoon’s talking.

‘Your lip’s bleeding,’ he says.

Jimin presses a finger to his lip. ‘I must have bit it,’ he mutters.

He steps out the rest of his droid suit and lines it up with the others. His hair, usually a shade long and now longer than he’s ever kept it, is matted to his forehead, covering his eyes.

Namjoon says, casual, as they both step into skylock, ‘want to eat together after we report in?’

‘Sure,’ Jimin says. 

He keeps forgetting how popular Namjoon is. They’re both by the food arena, about to enter, when they get stopped. 

‘Hey Joon, we wanted to catch up about the greenhouse,’ says Miyoung, one of the botanists. 

‘Sure,’ Namjoon says, glancing at Jimin. ‘What about ——‘

‘Why don’t you eat with us?’ asks Jae, gesturing.

Jimin smiles at Namjoon. ‘I’ll catch you later, ok?’

He ends up eating alone, taking his tray outside the foodhall to the benches that overlook the large lake in the centre of skylock. 

When he’s putting his tray back Namjoon catches up to him.

‘Hey, you should have stayed,’ Namjoon says.

Jimin looks up at Namjoon. ‘Sounds like they wanted your help.’

Namjoon had been an engineer before the world disintegrated, and whilst this skylock was stabilising  after the first nuclear bomb, he’d been pivotal in resource planning and a maintenance regime for their skylock’s many moving parts, none of which could be allowed to fail.

The atmosphere outside skylock is pure radiation, rearranging cell lines for fast spreading cancers and worse things Jimin’s never had the stomach to consider. 

To top it all off, Namjoon had also been an avid gardener as one of his many hobbies. His encyclopaedic knowledge of botany has come in useful more than once.

In a world that’s been destroyed, Namjoon is valuable in many ways.

Jimin? Not so much.

He’d joined the military out of high school, had kept going whilst he was trying to figure out his life until one day ten years later he’d realised that it was his life. 

For Jimin, there’s not much that’s familiar in skylock, the world going to shit has a way of flattening the hierarchy.

Jimin makes himself useful by volunteering for missions venturing out of skylock to gather information, collect items that haven’t been obliterated to allow them to be reverse engineered. 

There’s a limit to how many he’s allowed to do though, the medics are strict about it. It’s mainly Min Yoongi, and although Jimin will go toe to toe with anything with a pulse or a current, there’s something that makes him hesitate about challenging Min Yoongi.

The man isn’t physically intimidating but he looks like he wouldn’t hesitate to fight dirty. 

Jimin realises Namjoon’s still looking at him.

‘Sorry,’ he says, sheepish, ‘I got distracted.’

Namjoon’s dimple flashes as he smiles, the warmth in his eyes making Jimin’s own skin prickle with heat. 

‘I asked if you wanted to visit the underwater channel with me. I need to run some tests on the stucture, and I could use the company.’

‘Yeah,’ Jimin says.

‘Great. Are you free now?’

***

Jimin’s only visited the underwater channel once, he gets claustrophobic after one of the tasks he had to do in the military was crawl along a few hundred feet of underground tunnel and the sides caved in when he was mere yards from sunlight.

He’d survived, physically, but he has recurring nightmares of being trapped, choking on loose rocks and dirt, unable to call for help.

Jimin’s never had the interest to unpick his past traumas, he’s alive and the dreams are few and far between and there’s always been inanimate objects for him to take his grievances out on when he’s needed to.

He’s following Namjoon further into the channel, which thankfully is high enough that even the taller man doesn’t have to stoop. He’s staring at the breadth of Namjoon’s shoulders when Namjoon turns.

Jimin looks away too quickly, too obviously, and facepalms internally. 

‘Do you see?’ Namjoon asks, voice low, leaning closer.

Jimin swallows, hopes it’s not obvious that his mouth has gone dry at the handsome engineer’s proximity.

He’s been told a few times how good-looking he is, himself, but he’s never just relied on his looks. 

There’s something about Namjoon’s serious demeanour that stops Jimin from sharing the flirty remarks he usually gets by on.

‘Wh-what?’ asks Jimin.

Namjoon points, so close his chest brushes Jimin’s shoulder, and Jimin pleads to whatever god is in charge of this mess for composure because popping a boner right now, in the dark, with Kim Namjoon’s solid chest against him, would just be too much for him to handle.

Jimin would rather toss himself out of skylock and take his chances with the krakens.

‘That,’ Namjoon says.

This time, Jimin looks.

A gold luminous fish slips between the mud and aquatic plants. It gleams even in the low light, and it’s been so long since Jimin saw anything beautiful there’s an odd tightness in his chest.

‘It’s pretty,’ he says, hushed in his awe.

Namjoon looks like he’s about to say something but he just smiles.

‘I’m going to set up my equipment, it’ll probably take twenty minutes. If you get claustrophobic—‘

‘I’ll watch the fish,’ Jimin says. He crouches down next to the closest porthole, face next to the glass.

The bottom of the lake is dark for the most part, but there are lights under the tunnel that illuminate it just enough to see.

Namjoon watches Jimin press his face to the porthole for a moment, then he starts unpacking his things.

Jimin awakens without the sense of rising panic that he usually feels, the uptick of his heart rate that’s so unbearable he usually leaps out of bed. 

Instead he’s gradually aware of the low drone of machinery, the unyielding solidity of the ground beneath him, the gooseflesh on his skin from the coolness in the air.

Jimin opens his eyes.

Almost immediately Namjoon’s voice sounds in the dark, the warmth and timbre of it reassuring Jimin further.

‘We’re still in the tunnel. I’m almost done.’

Jimin rubs sleep from his eyes. His voice comes out husky like it does when he’s slept a while.

‘Was I out long?’ he asks.

‘Not long, half an hour,’ Namjoon says.

As Jimin’s eyes adjust to the gloom he sees the outline of Namjoon moving, packing his equipment.

‘Do you —‘ Jimin’s voice cracks. ‘Do you want help?’

‘I’m done,’ Namjoon says. ‘Don’t worry.’

It’s only when they’re back above ground that Namjoon asks, ‘Do you have nightmares?’

Jimin’s instantly self-conscious. ‘Why?’

‘You talk in your sleep,’ Namjoon replies.

‘What did I say?’

‘It sounded like military shorthand,’ Namjoon says, shrugging. He looks at Jimin. ‘I’d have woken you but you settled down.

‘I’m sorry,’ Jimin says. He hesitates. ‘I was only in active combat once, I’m really not that —-‘

‘Once is enough,’ Namjoon says. He puts his hand on Jimin’s shoulder. ‘You don’t have to talk about it. I didn’t mean it critically, I was curious.’

For some reason, Jimin can’t stand the thought that Namjoon might think he’s traumatised or damaged in any way. He’s thinking of something to say that doesn’t sound defensive when Namjoon takes his hand away.

‘Side note, you look cute when you’re sleeping,’ Namjoon says.

Jimin’s instantly ascatter. He stares at Namjoon, but Namjoon’s already walking away.

***

‘Yes, yes, Jungkook!’

Jimin waits outside Jungkook’s pod, trying not to look like he’s some sort of voyeur as Jungkook apparently fucks the living daylights out of some chick.

Ah shit, it’s Miyoung the botanist.

She emerges disheveled from Jungkook’s pod, bows demurely in Jimin’s general direction and hurries away.

Her shift is still tucked into her panties but Jimin doesn’t want to be the one to mention it and judging by the glow on her face, she probably wouldn’t care anyway.

A moment later Jungkook emerges, shirtless, his hair a mess.

‘You couldn’t save the fucking until after?’ Jimin asks, raising an eyebrow.

Jungkook snorts. ‘What after? You mean when we all die on our radiation ravaged remnant of a planet?’

The kid’s got a point.

Jungkook’s not done. 

‘Maybe if you got laid once in a while you’d be less tightly wound,’ Jungkook advises.

He takes the walkie-talkie Jimin’s holding out to him, tattooed arm a stark contrast to the plain beige of his jumpsuit.

Jimin rolls his eyes. Jungkook’s a cocky little shit, and why wouldn’t he be?

There weren’t many people who looked like him in the world before it all went to shit, much less in a skylock with barely six thousand people.

Add to that a devil may care attitude and an uncanny ability to look hot in skylock-issued beige, and Jungkook’s got it made.

Jimin would be tempted himself, if the kid wasn’t so aggressively hetero.

Once a week he and Jungkook patrol the perimeter of their section of skylock, looking for breaches, gathering information about new creatures and wildlife outside the dome to share with the scientists.

It’s a two day job usually, although lately they’ve been having to cover more and more ground as patrol teams are gradually dwindling.

People are dying in their skylock, sometimes at their own hands. 

Hope springs eternal but not in the presence of total destruction. People have given up on looking for a savior.

Which is why Jimin’s tone softens as he asks, ‘Want an energy bar?’

For all his faults, Jungkook’s so fiercely, vitally alive that Jimin finds it hard to be apathetic around him.

Jungkook accepts. 

After a moment he says, ‘I’ve had a couple people ask me about you, you know.’

Jimin concentrates on a mound of rubble just outside of the perimeter of the dome. Is it bigger than it was?

He says, unencouraging, ‘Yeah?’

Jungkook’s got the log out, starting to fill it in. ‘Yeah. I said you have a type.’

‘And what would that be?’

‘Dimples,’ Jungkook says, so innocently Jimin has to laugh. 

‘Shut up, you asshole.’

Jungkook laughs. 

‘If we weren’t stuck in this skylock there’s no way I’d ever hang out with a little shit like you,’ Jimin says, but there’s affection in his tone.

‘Please,’ scoffs Jungkook. ‘You’re littler than me.’

Jimin laughs and takes the log out of Jungkook’s hands. 

‘Give that to me, Kailash said he could barely read your writing last time.’

Jungkook shrugs. ‘Who gives a shit what I write? We’re all dying, just slow.’

Jimin pointedly crosses off the panda that Jungkook’s drawn in lieu of an observation.

‘There are other skylocks. We just need to get to them,’ Jimin says, quietly. 

‘More people, just what this dying planet needs,’ Jungkook retorts.

Jimin says, ‘The nuclear explosions didn’t touch the poles.’

Jungkook tilts his head back, towards the radioactive orange glow from the atmosphere. 

For a second Jimin has a glimpse of Jungkook how he would have looked before the world fell apart, sun on his face, grass around him, and it’s so unbearably tragic he has to look away.

For all that there are barely two years between them, Jungkook’s so young sometimes Jimin feels like there are lifetimes between them.

Jungkook blinks, and the cynicism etched in his young skin falls away. 

‘I like penguins,’ Jungkook declares, eyes bright. 

The absurdity of it makes Jimin laugh again, what else is there?

***

Jimin’s running along the lake, trying to burn off the fatigue he feels from another sleepless night.

There’s a noise behind him, and he whirls because he’s always hated being followed.

It reminds him of being hunted.

‘Sorry,’ says Namjoon.

He’s stayed a reasonable distance away, as though he’d known Jimin’s a hair trigger away from—

From what?

Jimin doesn’t know. It’s been a while since his last mission, and he can feel tension building inside him again. 

Fuck Min Yoongi, Jimin has to get on another mission outside skylock, and soon. 

The turmoil inside him needs an out, and what better way than to take it out on a creature that would otherwise kill him?

Kill or be killed are better options than dying inside, although Jimin’s tempted by Jungkook’s approach of fucking everything that moves.

Jimin realises Namjoon’s still looking to him for a response.

‘It’s ok,’ Jimin says. He swipes a hand over his face. ‘How are you?’

‘Been better,’ Namjoon says, quietly.

He gestures, and they start running together. 

Jimin finds he has to put effort in to match Namjoon’s longer strides, and although the taller man looks elegant when he’s standing still, when he’s loping along at pace he has a discoordination to his movements that’s sort of….

Goofy.

Jimin smothers his smile as Namjoon nearly trips over a tree root. 

‘You ok?’ he asks, touching Namjoon’s arm.

Namjoon gives him an embarrassed smile. ‘I can be a little clumsy.’

Jimin smiles back. ‘Thank god, I was worried you were perfect.’

Namjoon gives an incredulous snort. ‘Perfect?’

Jimin thinks of Jungkook and is emboldened to double down.

‘Yeah,’ he says. ‘You’re pretty impressive.’

Namjoon’s smile is shy, dimples stamped into his cheeks. ‘I think you’re kind of cool too, you know.’

Now it’s Jimin’s turn to be embarrassed, but Namjoon’s brown eyes are warm and he seems perfectly sincere, so he responds in kind.

‘Thank you.’

They’ve gone almost full circle now. 

Namjoon looks like he’s about to speak when the siren blares.

It’s an assembly.

***

Jimin shifts restlessly from his vantage point near the raised dais. Namjoon, next to him, says uneasily, ‘I think I know what this is about.’

Jimin thinks back to the underwater channel.

Their skylock is run like a civilisation of sorts, there’s a collective of committees who are responsible for running various essential areas, the leaders of which form the Council.

Water and food supplies.

Air purification.

Defense.

Health.

Joseph Poon, leader of the Council, a Chinese military strategist who proved his brilliance time and again in the early days of skylock, starts the assembly.

He lays out the problem with his usual crisp brevity.

‘Our skylock was never meant to sustain this large a population for this long. Although the intelligence and tech gained from missions has helped, we of the Council are of the belief that the time has come for difficult decisions to be made.’

Beside Jimin, Namjoon murmurs, ‘The tunnels.’

Jimin has an uneasy vision of the tunnel that collapsed on him. He wills the unwanted image out of his head.

‘We’re going to need to seek alternative means of shelter and survival. The world atmosphere remains hostile to human life, but—-‘ 

Joseph looks grave. 

‘But, from what we know, the nuclear bombs weren’t detonated at the Poles. We of the Council feel that the only chance of survival of the many is to create a path to the Arctic circle.’

There’s murmurings, raised voices. Jimin looks to Namjoon for verification, and immediately knows that this information isn’t new to him.

Namjoon puts his hand on Jimin’s arm. Jimin hadn’t realised it, but he’s been clenching his fists so tightly he’s drawn blood. Crescents of crimson bloom on his palms when he releases.

‘We can die hiding or we can die trying to forge a future for humankind.’

Jimin knows which option he’d pick.

‘We’re going to select a team to venture out to get the tech we need to join our underwater channel to the tunnels of the Nordic skylock.’

Joseph looks grim. ‘Hopefully the Nordic skylock has realised the same as us and have already started extending their underground bases Northward.’

There’s a flurry of discussion, shouted questions, but Jimin’s stopped listening.

All he sees is a course of action and orders he can get behind. There’s a reason he thrived in the military, after all. 

***

Jimin’s suited up in droid armour, checking for breaches in the protective cladding of his suit. 

Beside him, Namjoon’s doing the same.

It’s two days since the assembly. Jimin had walked straight up to the Council after and volunteered himself for the first mission.

And all missions thereafter but he hadn’t declared that openly because Min Yoongi had also been present. 

Min Yoongi had pointedly switched out Jimin’s radiation counter for a second one, trading a full line of bars for a clean slate. Two counters were all one was allowed before enforced sabbatical.

Jimin doesn’t intend to go on sabbatical. He’d rather….

Rather what?

Jimin’s worried that death won’t provide the relief he seeks. Worse, he’s worried that for all his bravado  he doesn’t really want to die.

Namjoon motions for Jimin to turn so he can check his armour. He hands Jimin his helmet with its visor, his respirator. 

Jimin snaps his helmet into place, depresses the tiny button beside his jaw.

Namjoon’s voice fills his in-ears. 

‘Remember, we get into the digger and we head straight back. No fighting, even if we run into kraken.’

They’re heading to a farm three miles west of skylock, to see if they can acquire equipment that might aid in constructing the tunnels.

Jimin watches as Namjoon checks his video camera and deioniser, and when the engineer gives him a thumbs up, he hoists the backpack of their supplies onto his shoulders and checks the clip on his yag laser.

Namjoon punches in the eight-figure code to exit skylock and they’re off.

As always, it’s eerie venturing out beyond the confines of skylock. 

The air is still, stagnant, and there’s a thin heat in the atmosphere that feels like standing outside an oven set to high.

There’s distant screeching, occasional growling, none of the birdsong Jimin’s used to.

The worst was when he and Namjoon ventured towards the sea on a previous mission. The scores of dead fish and the odd dolphin washed up on the red shores, silent, unblinking, haunt him to this day.

Jimin’s always loved the beach and now he can’t imagine the ocean how it was before without feeling uneasy.

He and Namjoon keep close together, each on high alert. 

Namjoon’s voice crackles through. ‘I never get used to it.’

‘It’s worse every time,’ Jimin agrees.

‘I used to like hiking,’ Namjoon says. There’s sadness in his voice that Jimin’s not used to hearing. 

‘What do you think of the Council’s plan?’ Jimin asks.

They’ve settled into a steady rhythm now, easing past the tension that sees them off whenever they start a mission.

Namjoon says, ‘It’s a long shot.’

Jimin agrees. ‘I guess it’s better than staying put and waiting to die.’

Namjoon turns to him. ‘You’re a realist.’

Jimim shrugs. ‘Aren’t you?’

‘I have hope,’ Namjoon says, so simply Jimin can hear the honesty in his words.

Jimin can’t see Namjoon’s face at all through the visor and respirator but he gets the sense that he’s smiling. 

‘It’s easier to talk to you like this,’ Namjoon says. ‘When I’m not distracted by your pretty face.’

Jimin’s trying to think of a good comeback when Namjoon says, ‘Sorry, that was inappropriate.’

‘Are you flirting with me?’ Jimin asks, finding his voice.

‘Trying to,’ Namjoon replies. 

‘You couldn’t have done it in skylock? When we’re not masked up and in danger of being attacked by mutant creatures?’

Namjoon laughs. ‘Are you complaining?’

‘Yes,’ Jimin says, but he’s smiling under his visor. 

Namjoon says, ‘I did ask you to go to the underwater channel with me.’

‘Was that….. your idea of a date,’ Jimin wonders.

Namjoon laughs. ‘There are limited options,’ he points out.

‘At least you tried a date and didn’t just skip to the fucking like Jungkook,’ Jimin says.

Namjoon says, droll, ‘I’m a gentleman.’ 

Jimin laughs. ‘We can try again when we get back,’ he suggests.

‘I’d like that,’ Namjoon replies. 

‘Me too.’

Jimin realises he means it.

***

Jimin’s got a prickly feeling in the back of his neck but he can’t work out why.

He and Namjoon arrived at the farm uneventfully and were able to get the information they needed from an excavator that had been stored in a barn, untouched by the extreme atmospheric changes.

There had been a kraken lurking around the peripheries which hadn’t detected them, and they’d been able to leave without being attacked.

Now they’re less than half a mile away from skylock, making good time, and he’s got the oddest sensation that they’re being watched.

It wouldn’t be the first time.

Jimin’s yag laser is drawn, finger on the trigger guard, and beside him, Namjoon’s been uncharacteristically subdued.

Then Namjoon says, ‘You feel it too, don’t you. Something’s watching us.’

‘It’s close,’ Jimin says, clipped.

The hair’s rising on the back of his neck now, the tension ratcheted up so high he could scream.

He whirls, and Namjoon moves to protect his back.

There’s nothing, but his sense of unease deepens.

‘Can you run the rest of the way,’ Jimin asks, quietly. 

‘Yeah. Say when,’ Namjoon says, tersely.

‘Now.’

Jimin starts running. 

They’re within sight of the annexe when Namjoon says, wonderingly, ‘Holy fuck.’

There’s someone else in droid armour between them and the annexe, but it’s wrong.

It’s all wrong, because only two people venture out of skylock at any one time.

It’s all wrong, because the droid armour doesn’t belong to their skylock.

Jimin’s already raising his yag laser when the other person raises their own weapon.

Jimin recognises it immediately. There hadn’t been many people on Earth before the nuclear war who’d faced down an AK-57g and survived to tell the tale.

Jimin could list out the specs but the crux of the matter is that no one faced down an AK-57g and survived because it didn’t just annihilate —- it vapourised. 

Jimin had been one of the lucky ones, and he doubts he’d be so lucky as to survive it twice.

He fires off a shot, aiming at the centre of the breastplate, and immediately puts himself between Namjoon and the enemy.

‘Get into the annexe,’ he shouts.

Namjoon’s shouting something back, but Jimin’s focus is narrowed down to the man who’s trying to kill them both.

He fires off another shot, this time aiming for another kill shot. 

There’s the hiss and screech of rubber and metal. 

In his periphery he can see Namjoon at the entrance to the annexe, and just beyond it, Jungkook, armed to the teeth and hastily donning his droid armour, ready to step in.

The kid’s brave as fuck but he’s too late.

Jimin’s got no cover, just a burning desire to get his ass out of the trajectory of the AK-57g before it gets handed to him.

He’s three feet from the entrance to the annexe when he hears the low drumming of the AK-57g.

Jimin wonders, idly, how much force droid armour can withstand.

He wonders if he’ll ever find out.

At least Namjoon got back into skylock.

Is this the end? 

Jimin waits for his life to flash in front of his eyes.

There’s a wave of heat, then a force so great that mercifully, it knocks him out.

***

The roof of the infirmary is open to the sky through two sheets of titanium enforced clear plexi-shield.

Thank god for small favours. If Jimin had to look at an actual ceiling he’d have wriggled out of the steel cage restraining him long ago.

Jimin’s quite sure he can move all of his body, he’s been trying out different muscle groups over the last two weeks whilst he’s been healing.

The blast from the AK-57g would have liquefied him to a pulp if Jungkook hadn’t dropped the rest of his droid armour and yanked Jimin out of the worst of it.

As a result the kid’s in the next bay with minor burns and a sprained wrist, and Jimin?

Jimin’s alive to tell the tale.

His shoulder will probably never be the same and Min Yoongi’s worried about a spinal injury so Jimin’s immobilised for the time being, but he’s alive.

Jimin closes his eyes as the door to the bay slides open.

He hears a distinctive shuffle, then Min Yoongi’s dry voice.

‘I know you’re awake.’

Jimin opens his eyes.

‘How long till I can move, Dr Min?’

‘Trust me, as soon as it’s safe I’m kicking you out of my infirmary,’ comes the reply. 

Min Yoongi sounds like he’s shaking his head. ‘Between you not listening to anything I say and the menace in the bay next to you, all my nurses have whiplash.’

Jimin stifles a grin. 

He’s heard most of Jungkook’s pickup lines in the two weeks he’s been next to him.

The kid’s even sleazier than Jimin had thought, with a side of being so fucking sweet and endearing he’s surprised anyone can resist. 

He also snores like a bear, it’s just as well Jimin doesn’t sleep much.

Yoongi’s face comes into view above him.

‘Soft tissue and ligament injuries take weeks to heal but I think if you carry on the way you have been, you should be good to start moving properly in the next week or so.’

Yoongi says, ‘No missions until you’re fully recovered.’

Jimin says, ‘With me and JK out, they’re going to need new patrol.’

Yoongi says, straightfaced, ‘Funnily enough, there are more than enough volunteers in this skylock to keep this place safe. Everyone kind of has a vested interest.’

Jimin can’t argue with him.

Yoongi dips out of view. ‘While you’re here, there’s someone I’d like you to speak to. He’s an ex-army doc who got extra qualifications in psychology and behavioural therapy.’

Jimin scowls. ‘I don’t —-‘

‘Don’t you?’ Yoongi interrupts. Jimin still can’t see him, but there’s kindness in his voice that makes Jimin shut his mouth.

Yoongi comes back into view. ‘I can see your PTSD a mile away, Jimin-ah.’

‘While you’re waiting to die have you ever thought that maybe life could be a bit more bearable?’

Jimin stares at him, mouth shut, afraid of what might come out if he opens it.

‘Or you could be like our friend there and fuck everything that moves,’ Yoongi says, loud enough for Jungkook to hear.

Jimin can hear the pout in Jungkook’s voice.

‘I can’t help that everyone wants me, hyung.’

‘It’s Dr Min to you,’ Yoongi retorts. ‘And you won’t be this handsome forever, Jungkook, better think of a backup plan.’

‘How about dying from our imploding planet,’ Jungkook mutters sulkily.

Yoongi’s silent a moment. Then he sighs. ‘What am I going to do with you both?’

‘I did well,’ Jungkook declares. ‘I saved Jimin.’

‘Thanks Jungkook,’ Jimin says.

Yoongi’s exasperated. ‘Who’s going to save me from the both of you?’

***

It’s sometime in the early morning, Jimin thinks, he can tell from the way Jungkook’s snoring has changed to quiet breathing that he’s in deep sleep.

Jimin hears the swish of the infirmary door, assumes it’s one of the nurses but whoever it is has a heavier tread than either of the two nurses on tonight.

He wishes he could turn his head.

‘Jimin?’

It’s Namjoon.

Namjoon’s been coming by at odd times since Jimin got injured. He hasn’t asked for the details but from piecing together what he’s heard he knows that work on the tunnels has started in earnest.

The stranger in droid armour who attacked them was from an underground military bunker who was trying to access their skylock. They weren’t able to find out more — Jimin’s last shot had been fatal and destroyed any chance of finding out more. 

The AK-57g had blown a fissure into the skylock panel where Jimin had been before Jungkook yanked him out of harm’s way.

‘Still here,’ Jimin says. 

He wishes he could see Namjoon’s face, there’s barely any light. He knows the moon’s still up there in the sky but truly, he hasn’t seen its familiar shape since the world fell apart. There’s only the ghostliest of glows that separates the total darkness of night from the inflamed red of day.

‘Can I get you anything?’ Namjoon asks. 

‘I’m fine,’ Jimin answers. 

He’s worried he sounds curt, but a moment later Namjoon’s face hovers above him.

‘They’re close to reaching the furthest Nordic tunnel,’ Namjoon says.

Jimin thinks about that.

He realises Namjoon’s still looking at him.

‘What time is it?’

Namjoon hesitates. ‘It’s 4am.’

‘Can’t sleep?’ Jimin asks.

‘I know you have trouble sleeping sometimes,’ Namjoon says. He moves out of Jimin’s field of vision, the shape of him wavering around Jimin’s peripherals. 

He shrugs. ‘I figured I’d keep you company.’

It’s true. The early mornings are the darkest part of the night for Jimin. 

‘Do you want me to read to you?’ Namjoon asks.

Jimin tries to nod but doesn’t quite manage it. Somehow Namjoon gets the gist.

‘I’m reading this book I think you’ll really like,’ Namjoon says.

He pulls a chair close to Jimin’s bed.

‘Tell me what it’s about,’ Jimin says. 

‘It’s set in the future,’ Namjoon starts. He breaks off abruptly. ‘Well, it was written in the past and it’s how the author imagined the future to be.’

Jimin can think of a thousand responses to that, each more bitter than the last, but he likes Namjoon’s voice and he’s stuck in this bed and part of him wants Namjoon and his story to take him someplace else.

He shuts his eyes and listens.

***

Jimin’s upright for the first time in weeks. He ignores the warning sound from Min Yoongi, swings his legs out of bed and promptly collapses on the floor in a heap.

Yoongi can’t resist an ‘i told you so’ but he also helps Jimin up so there’s that.

Jimin stretches his calves experimentally, sighing at the newfound tightness. This is worse than the time he was shot on duty near the borders but at least he’s still here to tell the tale.

Yoongi says, dryly, ‘Thank god, come take him off my hands.’

Jimin looks up to see Namjoon approaching.

‘I can make it back to my living space,’ he says, lying through his teeth because he doesn’t want Yoongi to know he was right about suggesting a transport pod.

‘Yeah,’ says Namjoon, agreeably. ‘But if you take a transport pod it means I can’t play the big buff hero.’

He flexes jokingly but Jimin’s mouth goes a little dry as he gazes at Namjoon’s broad shoulders. 

For the first time in a long time, Jimin can feel flirtation lacing his voice as he says, ‘Yeah ok, you can carry me back home.’

Namjoon’s dimples flash. ‘Why don’t we start with leaning on me.’

He offers his arm, and Jimin slips his hand into the crook of it.

Jimin’s no slouch in the muscles department, he’s got a core honed through years of training, but his physique is lithe, slim.

Namjoon’s not just tall, he’s also got the broad shoulders and chest Jimin’s always had a weakness for.

His bicep tenses under Jimin’s hand.

‘Can you walk?’ Namjoon asks, low, so that Yoongi can’t hear.

Jimin nods. He’s going to walk at least until he’s out of Yoongi’s line of sight, he’s not going to let the smug asshole medic win this one.

Behind them, Yoongi sighs, exaggerated. 

‘It’s not too late, I can call a transport pod now, Jimin-ah.’

Jimin can feel Namjoon’s arm tighten again. 

‘We’ll be fine, Yoongi,’ Namjoon says, so firmly Jimim could kiss him.

He smiles up gratefully at Namjoon and for just a second Namjoon blinks.

‘Shit, if I’d known playing the big strong hunk would have made you smile like that I’d have done it from the start,’ Namjoon teases, gently.

Jimin’s laughter is genuine, and despite the ache from his long unused calves, he hasn’t felt this good in a while.

***

Jimin’s running again. He’s been seeing the ex-army psychiatrist Yoongi recommended, having therapy sessions once a week.

He’s not sure if they’re helping him, except he’s dreading waking up less. It’d taken him a while to realise he was sleeping more and waking up feeling less panicky. 

He’s been seeing Namjoon almost every day, helping with excavation work on the tunnels, and he thinks that’s going well too.

Both the tunnels and this thing with Namjoon.

Whatever it is.

Namjoon’s waving at him now, all near six feet of him, all bulky arms and dimples and Jimin’s damn near blinded by the sight of him.

The man is beautiful, and Jimin’s not been able to flirt since he stared down an AK-57g. The first time.

Jimin waves back, then pretends he has to check on some of the excavation equipment so he has an excuse to turn his back and compose himself.

Moments later he hears footsteps, Namjoon’s familiar loping gait.

‘Checking equipment, huh?’ Namjoon’s voice is dry, but it sounds like he’s smiling.

‘Yeah,’ Jimin says.

He risks a glance at Namjoon.

‘Looks like the heating coil’s down,’ Namjoon observes.

‘They don’t work with a heating coil —‘ Jimin starts, before realising Namjoon’s just fucking with him.

He is an engineer after all.

Jimin looks up at Namjoon, pretending to be annoyed. ‘I know I’m just a soldier but I know how to work machinery.’

Namjoon eyes Jimin’s crossed arms, and a dimple appears in his cheek. 

‘You’re cute when you’re mad.’

‘I kill enemies,’ Jimin says, unable to keep the pout out of his voice. He can hear himself sounding like Jungkook but he can’t help it.

‘I know,’ Namjoon says. ‘You’ve saved my ass a few times.’

‘It’s a good ass,’ Jimin concedes.

There’s a spark in Namjoon’s gaze, a fizzle that makes Jimin feel warm all over. 

He’s about to say something, but Jimin never hears it because there’s shouting near the entrance of the tunnels, the low, menacing rumble of a landslide.

To Jimin’s horror, the mouth of the tunnel starts to crumble, partially obscuring the entrance.

‘There are people in there,’ Namjoon breathes.

It’s the last thing Jimin hears before he’s running to help.

He knows what it’s like to be buried alive.

***

Jimin’s not there, not all of him anyway.

He watches, detached, as he helps with the rescue effort.

He thinks, dispassionately, that no matter how much planning takes place, rescue efforts don’t go to plan because humans are wildcards in an emergency.

Fight. Flight. Freeze.

The people around him are doing variations of all three.

Jungkook, covered in sweat and dirt, driving an excavator, single-minded in his focus.

Yoongi, staying where he is like he’s rooted, directing the people around him, triaging and treating.

Namjoon on comms coordinating teams of rescuers.

Himself, choking on rubble, half buried because if he wasn’t he’d be running. Jimin can’t run so he leaves part of him here and no one’s checking if all of him’s there and that’s ok.

Jimin’s shoring up the sides, packing rubble with his bare hands. His shoulder stopped screaming a while ago, now it’s seized up. He has to turn his whole body to move rocks but he keeps going anyway.

Gradually he becomes aware of hands on his, his name being called. Jimin tries to shut it out but eventually he can’t.

Namjoon’s voice, coming like it’s from far away. Hands on his arms, on his busted shoulder, making him step away.

Jimin comes back into the shell of himself, a mess of tears and blood and pain, and immediately wants to leave but there are arms around him, holding him like a child. Namjoon’s voice keeps him grounded, low and urgent. Jimin can’t understand the words but he listens anyway, until he’s anchored and he can no longer get away.

***

There’s the light of the moon in the pod, dead quiet all around.

Apart from breathing, separate from his own.

A shape next to his.

Jimin looks.

He’d know the slope of that deltoid anywhere, the curve of that torso.

There’s an arm around his own waist that Jimin explores, tentative, with his fingers. Skin smooth as marble, muscle roped underneath.

Namjoon, stretched out in the moonlight like a man who’s never worried that death is coming for him in the form of an enemy soldier, an AK-57g, a landslide.

Jimin envies him.

He touches along Namjoon’s shoulder, down to his chest, his waist.

Taking his fill.

A tension’s building into muscles that were lax with sleep. Jimin can’t see Namjoon’s face but he’s stirring under his touch.

Namjoon says, in a tone that makes Jimin shiver, ‘Don’t stop.’

Jimin tilts his face towards Namjoon’s, and he obliges with a kiss.

Feather light, the faintest pressure on his mouth.

For a big man, Namjoon’s so gentle.

It’s Jimin who seeks another, wanting another taste. He sighs when Namjoon obliges again.

Namjoon huffs out a breath. ‘I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long,’ he tells Jimin.

Jimin kisses him again so he doesn’t have to speak. His skin warms under Namjoon’s fingers wherever he touches.

Under the thin blanket his body responds, curving into the heat of Namjoon’s body until they’re close, skin to skin.

Namjoon doesn’t take, so much as let Jimin give, and Jimin revels in it. He relishes the way Namjoon’s breathing stutters as he places his palm on his chest, the way Namjoon groans thickly into the skin of his neck as he rocks his hips against his.

There’s fabric between them still, but Jimin can feel how beautifully hard Namjoon is, pressed between them.

Namjoon utters a curse, emphatic, and the gravel in his voice makes Jimin’s eyes close. He can feel Namjoon touching him, exploring the ridges of his abs, sliding round to his back, pulling his hips closer, curving round his ass, hands so big his fingertips dip between his cheeks.

Then, whispered against his ear, ‘Can I?’

Jimin has no idea what he’s agreeing to, only that he wants whatever Namjoon wants.

‘Yeah.’

There’s the click of a lid, and Namjoon’s hand delves under the waistband of Jimin’s bottoms. 

His grip is firm, like Jimin likes, slippery with lube that’s warm. Jimin wonders how he managed that, idly, but then his thoughts fade as Namjoon strokes him.

He’s hard, so hard. 

It’s been so long since someone else has touched him like this.

‘Stay with me,’ Namjoon says, voice thick now. ‘Fuck, stay.’

Jimin reaches up to curl his hand around Namjoon’s neck, tug him closer. 

‘Fuck me,’ he breathes in Namjoon’s ear, and Namjoon shudders, big man that he is, his skin prickling under Jimin’s touch.

Then he’s turning Jimin over, onto his front. The cool sheet against Jimin’s cock makes him moan a little in protest.

He can feel Namjoon behind him, pressing kisses down his spine, down to his cleft, parting him. Namjoon’s tongue flicks against his rim, and Jimin muffles his cry against the pillow.

There’s more lube, sliding down his hot skin, then Namjoon’s pressing two fingers against him, slow.

Jimin groans at the feel of him, and Namjoon stops. 

‘Is this ok?’ he asks, calm like his cock isn’t throbbing against Jimin’s ass, hard and smearing precum.

‘Yeah, fuck, don’t stop,’ Jimin pleads. ‘Don’t stop.’

Jimin moans as Namjoon’s fingers rub inside him.

‘Sound so pretty,’ Namjoon grunts. He presses, gentle, and Jimin’s cock jerks, spilling more precum onto the sheets.

‘You like that?’

Namjoon lifts Jimin’s hips, runs the head of his cock between Jimin’s cleft, tantalisingly close to his rim.

More lube dribbles down on him, then Namjoon’s lining himself up, pushing in.

‘So fucking tight,’ Namjoon utters. 

He curls a hand around Namjoon’s forearm, braced against the bed.

‘You feel so good, baby,’ Namjoon croons, reassuring him even as Jimin can feel the tension in Namjoon’s body as he holds himself back.

‘Fuck,’ Jimin moans. ‘Don’t stop.’

Namjoon curses, slips in another inch, and the stretch of him is so good Jimin can barely breathe.

Namjoon moves a little, a short thrust that makes Jimin’s hand tighten on Namjoon’s forearm.

‘Doing so well,’ Namjoon praises. 

He thrusts again, slipping deeper, sending another jolt of pleasure up Jimin’s spine. 

He can feel his release beckoning with every thrust, the heat of Namjoon’s cock inside him, the friction from the sheets against his own cock, and Jimin’s not sure how much longer he’ll have any form of control.

Namjoon presses a kiss to the back of his neck, cock slipping deeper as he reaches around to take Jimin’s cock in his hand.

Jimin wants to warn him but he can barely breathe to speak.

Namjoon groans, deep, as Jimin pulses in his hand, spilling white streaks of cum between his fingers, the pleasure making him loose, floaty.

Jimin thinks he cries out as Namjoon pulls out, fisting himself.

‘Fuck,’ Namjoon gasps, ‘fuck’, as he comes and Jimin can feel his hot release dripping over his ass, the backs of his thighs.

Namjoon’s turning him over then, wanting to see his face, and Jimin pulls him close to tell him it’s all right.

Everything’s all right.

***

Jimin’s running again, a loop around the lake, only this time it feels different.

Jimin stops so that Namjoon can catch up. The atmosphere in skylock has changed again, whatever Earth’s trying to do to heal itself is changing the climate outside skylock.

It’s cooling down, and Jimin doesn’t know if that’s a good or a bad sign.

Namjoon approaches, sticky with sweat, his skin golden and gleaming in the light of the rising sun.

Jimin tilts his head and Namjoon leans down for a kiss.

He knits his fingers in Namjoon’s.

Later today, the first team of explorers, including Namjoon, Jungkook, Yoongi and Jimin himself, are setting off into the tunnels where they’ll breach the last few hundred yards to the tunnels of the Nordic skylock. Then, after that, the Arctic.

The possibilities are limited, and terrifying.

Namjoon squeezes Jimin’s hand, pulling him back into the present. His profile is beautiful, and Jimin reminds himself to really look just in case this is the last time he sees Namjoon like this.

For the first time in a long time, Jimin wants to remember. 

©hamsterclaw 2024

[ficnoire2]

A Little Legendborn/Bloodmarked Scent Theory

Scent is nostalgic.  It transports us back to a memory, a person, and the feelings that lived in that pocket of time.  When I was a teenager Snoop Dog proclaimed in Lodi Dodi “For all the bitches I might take home, I got the Johnson’s Baby Powder and Cool Water cologne.”  Yes, I have happily dated myself with that reference (all my youngins, do your Googles) but nearly every boy I knew had that scent profile and every time one of them said, “Where my hug at” I would bury my nose in its familiar embrace.  Tracy has been hella intentional with so many of her choices in this amazing series (see a bit more in my “A little LB/BM…” series at the end) and I don’t think the way our favs smell is any different.  Let’s take a dip in the olfactory pool shall we?

Bree Matthews - scent profile Gourmand, Green, Mossy Woods

“Do you want to know?” he asks in a low voice that makes me shiver.  He reaches for my hand, and his fingers are hot against my palm.  “What your magic smells like?”... “Honey wine.  Amber.  Green things growing.  The tiniest hint of copper, like fresh blood.  Something else…”  A deep inhale, and I feel him shudder.  “Power.”

Well now, Selwyn said a mouthful when describing Bree’s scent and every note fits her perfectly.  

Honey Wine - Did y'all know that honey wine is also called Meade?  Arthur went on about someone drinking all of it when Bree popped up in one of his memories.  It is made from honey, yeast, and water and can vary in alcohol content and can be mixed with fruit.  In Celtic cultures, Meade is thought to enhance virility and fertility and has aphrodisiac qualities (had Sel on his ass in the woods).  This wine was said to have been first made in secret by Irish Monks. Its origins, however, are lost in prehistory with the earliest archeological evidence dating back to 7000 BC. It was used in feasts and celebrations across Europe and Asia and still exists today. A scent fit for a King. 

Amber - Warm and exotic, amber which is derived from tree resin and described as “Gold of the Sea” and has been touted as the world’s oldest and most desired treasure.  It is considered beautiful and unique and has special chemical properties that are electrically charged and could ignite when rubbed together (A bit volatile and explosive like our Bree).  Amber is a powerful Chakra cleanser and can absorb negative energy, transferring it into positive. It can be used in meditation for relaxation and can heighten and enhance psychic abilities. 

Green Things Growing - The scent of fresh cut grass, blooming flora, mother earth.  Representing growth, new beginnings, healing, and renewal.  I find it interesting that Sel tapped into this aspect of her scent as taking in her root (after giving him consent) revitalized him.  In a way Bree’s arrival has brought forth new beginnings and growth for everyone she has come into contact with.

Copper, Fresh Blood, Power - Smelling blood (where none is present) can signify a deep connection with ancestral ties.  As we know Bree has seen Vera bathed in blood, and its use has been pivotal to her communing with her ancestors.  It can also serve as a shield or protection.  Erebus has Bloodmarked Bree which alerts him to her danger, in a way protecting her. This scent being part of her profile is telling because it is a symbol of life, sacrifice, and spiritual potency.  These attributes are ever present in Bree.  She after all is their sharpest and strongest blade with a powerful connection to the spirit realm. 

Selwyn Kane - Scent profile Oriental (amber/sweet), woody (smoky), peaty (aged whiskey)

“We are so close I smell whiskey and smoke.  His aether signature, back again.”

Whiskey - Did you know that smelling alcohol has spiritual significance involving evolution, cleansing, and reemergence with renewed clarity?  Smelling alcohol can be a call to purify oneself, to get rid of negativity.  It can signify a period of transition or transformation, a rebirth if you will.  Selwyn Kane has managed to change immensely throughout both books.  He can literally transform by owl shifting.  By the end of Bloodmarked, we see yet another iteration of him as he transitioned more towards his shadow side, his demon nature.  Historical context suggests the scent of alcohol is associated with sacred rituals (Oathing ceremonies) and can be a bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. 

Cinnamon - In the oriental scent family, this scent is exotic and seductive (just like our favorite, angsty, goth).  Some people use cinnamon for protection, prosperity, and healing.  It is said to be anti-viral, anti-biotic, anti-microbial, and antifungal “I don’t get infections.”  Cinnamon has therapeutic properties, it's no wonder Selwyn is able to heal so quickly from injury (bruised ego aside).

Smoke- While a part of Sel’s scent profile, when Bree smells the hint of smoke he gives off, it suggests her closeness to the ancestral plane and the supernatural.  Like Bree, people that smell smoke when there is none can sense the spiritual world.  Selly has an affinity for detecting those pesky Shadowborn that continuously make their way to our world. Its scent is also associated with messages from our ancestors and the divine.

Nick Davis - Scent profile Woody, fresh

“When he catches up, his fresh laundry and cedar scent comes with him.  Of course he smells good.”

Fresh Laundry-Nick’s scent has been described as a bit boring, but I tend to disagree.  Tracy has been extremely intentional with her choices in this series and I don’t think Nick’s scent is any different.  Fresh laundry makes you want to bury your face in it.  After a long day and a nice shower, it feels like home to snuggle into freshly laundered sheets (Is it just me?).  It is comforting to snuggle up in your favorite blanket that smells of your favorite detergent.  It is soothing and in a sense freshly laundered linens are a clean slate.  If that isn’t Nick, I don’t know what is.  He is deeply comforting to Bree and is a soft place to land for her.  Whenever she is in his room, she is smelling his clothes, sheets, she is able to find respite with him.  He is a change of pace in all the chaos happening in her life.  Not only does he serve as comfort for her, but for Sel as well (hello Bloodwalk).  Plus, tell me you haven’t taken clothes out of the dryer and took a big ol’ whiff.

Cedar- I love the smell of cedar.  Symbolically it represents protection, wisdom, strength, and spiritual grounding (come on Nicky!).  In some cultures Cedar trees are considered sacred and are known for their healing relationship with humankind.  The scent of cedar clears the mind, opening it to past memories. Cedar trees in particular are said to store energy, only releasing it when important healing needs to occur.  We know Nick has a lot of inner rage (Max fucked around and found out), but he is also optimistic and seeking correction of the wrongs his father and The Order have imposed on the Legendborn.  I don’t know about you, but I’d bathe my clothes in this for sure.

Scent is such a powerful medium. What do you think of our faves’ scents?  I find it interesting that the spiciest characters (looking at you Bree and Selwyn) are in the oriental/woody scent family and our more level headed bunch is in the fresh scent family. 

In part two, we’ll take a look at Valec, William, and Incense Daddy himself, Erebus. 

Color Theory

Symbolism

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - December 19, 2022

1. Biden to sign Respect for Marriage Act, reflecting his and the country's evolution

President Biden signed into law Tuesday a bipartisan bill that codifies same-sex and interracial marriages with a large celebration on the South Lawn of the White House.

The president spoke before a crowd of thousands gathered to celebrate the federal protections in the Respect for Marriage Act.

"The road to this moment has been long, but those who believe in equality and justice – you never gave up," Biden said.

2. MacKenzie Scott reveals details of her $14bn in donations to 1,600 non-profits

She has signed pledge promising to give away over half of her wealth. The billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott's donations have yielded more than $14bn for about 1,600 non-profits since 2019, according to her new website Yield Giving, which was unveiled on Wednesday night.

3. A stranger on a plane gave two girls fleeing civil war $100. Decades later, they reunited.

This is so heartwarming! I’m so glad they’re able to meet again!

Ayda Zugay was a nearly 12-year-old refugee fleeing the former Yugoslavia with her older sister when a stranger handed them the envelope on a flight to the United States in 1999. The woman made them promise not to open it until they got off the plane. The girls were later shocked to discover dangly earrings and a $100 bill inside.

A note scribbled on the outside of the envelope is signed with only a first name — Tracy. And for almost a decade, Zugay says she's been trying to find her.

After years, her message finally made it to Tracy Peck of Blaine, Minnesota. Her daughter reached out to Zugay: "You are looking for my mom Tracy Peck! Her handwriting is unmistakable. She remembers you girls from the flight!"

4. US scientists boost clean power hopes with fusion energy breakthrough

US government scientists have made a breakthrough in the pursuit of limitless, zero-carbon power by achieving a net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the first time, according to three people with knowledge of preliminary results from a recent experiment. Physicists have since the 1950s sought to harness the fusion reaction that powers the sun, but no group had been able to produce more energy from the reaction than it consumes

5. Cancer mRNA vaccine completes pivotal trial

Researchers say they have successfully completed a trial of a personalised cancer vaccine that uses the same messenger-RNA technology as Covid jabs. The experimental vaccine, made by Moderna and MSD, is designed to prime the immune system to seek and destroy cancerous cells.

Doctors hope work such as this could lead to revolutionary new ways to fight skin, bowel and other types of cancer. Moderna and MSD called it "a new paradigm" moment.

6. Historic ban on shark fin trade poised to become U.S. law

The U.S. is poised to ban the lucrative trade in shark fins, a move conservationists hope will help protect millions of sharks that are butchered every year to satisfy demand in China and other parts of Asia.

The practice of shark finning, whereby sharks are caught for their fins and their carcasses then dumped back into the ocean, has been banned in U.S. waters for decades. But the U.S. remains a major hub for the brisk trade where the fins of as many as 73 million sharks are cut off around the world each year.

7. Ukraine says power restored to almost 6 million people in last 24 hours

Ukraine has managed to restore power to almost 6 million people in the last 24 hours after massive Russian strikes against the electricity generating system, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday.

"Repair work continues without a break after yesterday's terrorist attack," he said in a video address.

...

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