#and i know there are many countries suffering this fate even now

[justawritterwithideas]

Boy Wonder and the Rockstar | s.r

✩ next part ✩

summary: Spencer and Y/N meet in college after a book search, creating a friendship where opposites attract. But Spencer has to move across the country to pursue his happiness and completely loses contact with Y/N. What if fate decides it's time to meet after 15 years and with a crazy stalker in between? Spencer won't lose to fate again and will do anything in his power to protect Y/N.

warnings: mentions of death, alcohol, drugs, strong vocabulary, as well as talk of heartbreak, disappointment and arguments. It also contains content regarding CM season 13, so it clearly contains spoilers. this is a spencer reid x famous!reader story.

this will be a small series of chapters so here are the general precautions of the series, each chapter will have its own precautions. !!!

words: 3,909 words.

a/n: hey! here alme with a little series i've been planning for a couple of weeks now. as you may know, i've been talking about the spencer reid x famous!reader relationship but as hayley williams, so i decided to set myself the challenge and write a little series called "boy wonder and the rockstar", so i hope you like it. i haven't planned how many chapters it will have yet but i don't want to make it too long, and also patience with each chapter. so, I don't want to make it longer and I'll leave you the first chapter. thank you. ♡

𝟎.𝟏: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐲.

Spencer always lived under the stigma of being a child genius. His I.Q. was 187, he could read 20,000 words per minute and had an eidetic memory.

Everyone around him told him what to do, from his mother, to his "friends," to his teachers, to his neighbors.

"Hey Spencer, with that brain of yours you could make it in the government" "Spencer you could be part of NASA" "Spencer you could be a mathematical genius like Einstein!" "Spencer you're going to get into the CIA!"

"And where are you going to go to college? Because you know Harvard is already a lock for you" "I bet you'll go to YALE, that's where all the smart ones go" "Princeton is an excellent choice for you!" "MIT could open a lot of doors for you"

Spencer this, Spencer that.

But no one really thought about what Spencer wanted. Maybe he wanted to be a magician and make children happy with his tricks. Maybe he wanted to be a trapeze artist, or a fireman, or an astronaut, or just an ice cream man.

All these expectations of Spencer reached a point where he didn't even know what he wanted in life. He lived under the shadow of the expectations and visions people had placed on him, and he didn't want to let them down. He was just a kid, a kid scared of adult life who had to impose himself because others imposed it on him.

That's how his brain made him skip grades, have to enter high school at age 12, and have to suffer a lot of abuse from the grown-ups for just being a boy genius.

Spencer sometimes wished he could make his brain disappear and have a normal one. Then he could have normal friends, go to a normal school, have a relationship, experience the problems people his age have, and be able to feel the phases of adolescence like any other kid.

But things were not like that.

He had to live the life he had been dealt, with his genius brain and the damn adult problems at 13.

CalTech was a new life he had to accept, but it wasn't as bad as the one he had before. His mind was kept busy for a long period.

He was forced to grow up around books full of equations, chemical elements and mathematical problems, managing at 16 to get his first college degree, which was Mathematics, and the following year to get a PhD in it. But he did not dislike this.

But as they say it is never enough, he kept on studying until he was 21. Thanks to this, he became a doctor of two more degrees, Chemistry and Engineering, in addition to Psychology, Sociology and Criminology.

His social life at the university was not so hectic, in fact, he only stood out for the fact that he was a boy genius, and that was it. To other people, he was a person like any other.

Until one autumn day, in the middle of his 19 years and studying psychology, his paths were interrupted by crossing that of others, and that, probably, is the person who changed his life the last years of college.

It was an ordinary day in the university library. Spencer had been rereading an encyclopedia of human anatomy for two hours. Why you may wonder, well, it was his way of killing time during his free time.

Acquiring knowledge was the best way to keep his brain fed and occupied, according to the boy.

He had eaten his sandwich a couple of minutes ago and let his brain feed on information at that moment, trying to persuade his intrusive thoughts at that minute. Through the pages you could see the muscular system, focusing on the leg and foot areas.

To be honest, it looked quite interesting.

That day, leaves were beginning to fall from the trees, filling the ground with their autumn colors; there was a gentle cool breeze, a strong smell of wet dirt and people were crowded in the warmer areas of the campus. It was no surprise to anyone that the library was one of the most crowded areas, the vast majority of people were gathered around the tables as large college texts lay open on them.

Spencer was sure he had seen more than one student curse at the fact that they couldn't find what they were looking for, and then walk out of the room in exhaustion. It wasn't the first time someone had cursed his name because they found themselves reading the text they were looking for and, besides, they weren't able to approach and ask for it.

He could believe it was cowardly on their part, maybe they were too shy to be able to do it or it was an excuse to put off studying what they were looking for. Even though he considered that the The study methods they had were not very good and, if they started studying earlier, they could increase their grad-

"Excuse me."

A voice interrupted the conversation Spencer was having with himself, pushing away his intrusive thoughts that were beginning to take over his mind. The young man's head turned and he saw a girl, perhaps his age, staring at the encyclopedia in front of him.

"I asked Miss Wellington about the Rouviére and Delmas encyclopedia of human anatomy, and well..." The girl looked over Spencer's shoulder. "She told me that maybe the boy sitting at the back table had it. There are no other tables in the back and you're the only guy sitting here, so I think my deduction is correct and you have it."

"Y-yes, this is the encyclopedia you're looking for." Spencer admitted, looking at the young woman.

More than looking at her, he was admiring her. She was wearing a red skirt and hoodie with some embroidered words on it, her legs were also wearing dark leggings and some rather damaged black converses, over it she was carrying another coat and a backpack; her arms were loaded with medical and anatomy books, plus her hair was disheveled.

"Great! Must be my lucky day that a cute guy has it." Her books fell onto the table and she sat down next to Spencer.

The boy could smell the scent of tobacco and mint mixed with the scent of cherry perfume.

"May I see?" Spencer turned to look at her and, even though he was reading that book first, his head nodded. "Fine! I just want to see..." The sound of the leaves was rapid, as if a fan was moving them. "This... Nervous system."

Suddenly, and as if by magic, a notebook appeared in front of them both and quickly the girl was beginning to write on the blank sheets, even though to Spencer it looked more like a scribble than a resume as such.

"Shit, what is this?" the girl paused to read more closely. "In the central axon, the electrical signal is converted into a chemical signal, and then releases the chemical signal with chemical messengers called neur-neurotransmitters." The sound of the pencil falling on the table made the boy startle.

"Nervous system?"

"That's right, I have a lecture in three days and I'm still trying to associate concepts in the nervous system. Like my nervous system isn't nervous anymore."

Spencer chuckled to himself, the girl had a funny sense of humor.

"In fact, when the brain interprets that we are in danger, it produces a rush of adrenaline that activates the heart and muscles to place them on alert, but if prolonged, it can lead to health problems such as cardiovascular disease like heart attack and is associated with hypertension and arrhythmias and is the enhancer of other cardiovascular risk factors." Spencer turned to look at the girl, who looked quite interested in what he was saying, jotting everything down in her notebook. "But it's not that your nervous system is 'nervous', it's that it interprets that it's in danger and so it sends that kind of stimulus to your body that makes you anxious."

"I see you know about the nervous system, much more than I do." The girl scanned him from head to toe. "Are you a medical student?"

"No, CalTech doesn't have a medical degree, but I am a doctor." The boy admitted.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"Shit, and you already have a doctorate?"

"Actually I have three."

Silence stretched between the two, caused by the woman's shock.

"Are you some kind of alien or is your brain too big that it stores more information than I can retain?"

"Well, I have an IQ of 187 so I can read 20,000 words per minute, plus I have eidetic memory. But I prefer the concept of being more advanced than others."

The girl stared at him.

But to his surprise, the young woman only let out a giggle.

"You're funny, I like it." No one had ever told Spencer that he was funny. In fact, he thought that adjective didn't directly relate to him. "I'm Y/N, Y/N L/N."

"Spencer...Spencer Reid." Y/N denied.

"No, you're not Spencer."

"Excuse me?"

"You're Dr. Spencer Reid." Spencer smiled, she was right. "Well, it's nice to meet you, dr. Reid."

"Nice to meet you, Miss L/N." They both smiled.

"Well, now that I know your name, dr. Reid, we can start our friendship."

Spencer never thought making friends was so easy, even though he knew it was because the girl had gone to the trouble of calling herself his "friend," without even knowing him.

But that didn't bother him, in fact, he found it nice that someone had decided to be his friend.

Overnight, Spencer's evenings began to become more colorful, smelling of tobacco and mint, and filled with questions from Y/N, his new friend.

Although, at first, Spencer didn't seem comfortable around the girl, he quickly got used to it. He had learned several things about Y/N over the days, such as that she was a medical student at Pasadena City College, a college a couple of blocks from CalTech; she was the youngest in the family and had an older brother who had been diagnosed with leukemia a couple of years ago.

He had also learned that she was very into fashion, lived in an apartment complex nearby, smoked a couple of years ago, and only liked menthol tobacco cigarettes. Her favorite color was orange, but she didn't think it looked good on her, and she didn't see herself going to medical school, but she wanted to be a singer.

The first time Spencer heard Y/N sing was during a kermes in Pasadena City, she had been invited to sing on behalf of the medical school. Spencer never liked the idea of being around so many people, let alone at a kermes which was as unsanitary as possible, but his new "best friend" had begged him to go.

He couldn't say no.

He remembered perfectly how her hands shook with nerves, how she bit her lip as she cleared her throat and watched her bandmates, aka Y/N's other friends, rehearse with their instruments.

He knew she had practiced for this moment a bunch of times, had more than once arrived at Spencer's dorm wet from head to toe from running in the rain after a rehearsal, and hummed the songs under her breath every time they studied together in the library.

She was more than ready, but her own fears sometimes made her afraid of her talent.

Reid's eyes were on her, smiling confidently to convey that feeling as a guitar began to play the first chords, and announced the start of her performance.

Spencer didn't know what song it was, he wasn't even sure if the song was to his taste, but when he heard Y/N's voice he knew it had become his favorite song.

“Her name is Noelle

I have a dream about her, she rings my bell

I got gym class in half an hour

And, oh, how she rocks

In Keds and tube socks

But she doesn't know who I am

And she doesn't give a damn about me”

Their gaze was on each other, as if they were the only ones in that large space. The few times the eye contact was broken was when Y/N closed her eyes.

The song ended successfully and an avalanche of applause greeted Y/N, who thanked the audience for their attention. Soon another band filled the stage and for a few seconds, Spencer lost sight of Y/N. He wanted to tell her how great she had turned out, how all her effort and practice had made everything come out perfectly and that she looked like a total rockstar on stage.

"Spence! How was it, did you like it?" Y/N hugged the boy's arm, who turned to look at her with a sweet smile on his face.

"It was amazing, Y/N. Everyone loved it." Affirmed the boy.

"I was so nervous, I was so afraid it wouldn't go well, but I saw you there, and I felt like I could do it. You're my lucky charm, Spencie."

Spencer felt something jump in his chest.

"Let's get something to eat, I'm dying for some corn-dogs." Said the opposite.

"Y-yeah, let's get something to eat, my treat."

The day Spencer was accepted into the FBI academy was probably the most bittersweet day of his entire life.

At 22 years old, and in the middle of finishing his college semester for what felt like the fifth time, a letter arrived in his dorm room.

A letter of acceptance.

He could feel that all his hard work had been rewarded by whoever was up there. He quickly put on his sneakers and ran a marathon to the medical building at Pasadena City College.

His best friend's short red hair he could quickly visualize as he saw her smoking by the entrance, she seemed to be listening to something on her MP4 and bobbing her head to the beat of-who-knows-what song.

"Y/N! Y/N!" Spencer's voice sounded agitated, trying to get her best friend's attention.

The, now, redhead removed her earpiece and turned to see the tall boy running towards her.

"Spence?" From her mouth came the tobacco smoke, causing her to let the cigarette burn between her fingers.

"I made it, I got into the academy!"

The two big hazel eyes made contact with those of the girl, who dropped the cigarette to the sidewalk and hugged her friend tightly.

"I can't believe it, Spence! You did it! You did it! My goodness, I couldn't be prouder!" The younger girl began to do some jumping jacks as she didn't let go of her grip on his embrace.

"Thank you, Y/N. I couldn't have done it without you, you were the one who stuck with me through this whole process."

"You don't have to thank me, dorkie. I knew you'd make it, they couldn't leave out a genius like you." Soon they both disengaged from the embrace and the girl looked at the boy's face. "W-where is the academy? Tell me."

"I don't know, I-I didn't fully read the letter." He admitted embarrassed.

"Then read it! Go on." The girl took him by the arm and forced him to sit down on the faculty stairs.

Slowly, Spencer began to read the letter while Y/N listened intently to every word.

"The course begins on September 23rd of the current year in..." A pause.

Y/N looked at Spencer, who had stopped reading the letter.

"Where, Spence, what does it say?"

"The course begins September 23rd of the current year in Quantico, Virginia."

Y/N felt like a bucket of cold water had just been dropped on her.

Quantico? That was on the other side of the country!

"Q-quantico? Spence, that's on the other side of the-"

"Country, I know Y/N. I-I... I can't do it, I can't."

"What the fuck are you talking about!" The girl stood up startled, looking accusingly at her best friend. "No, I refuse. You have to do it, it's your dream, Spence! What you've always wanted for the last three years that I've known you, I refuse to let you back down now, I won't allow it!"

Spencer looked up from the letter, watching Y/N who was looking at him with her face burning with anger.

"You know I can't do that, what's going to happen to my mom? You know what's going on with her and her schizophrenia, I can't leave her alone."

"She would want you to go, Spence. Her happiness is where yours is, you know she'll be able to do it, there are plenty of options to help her." A long silence settled between the two of them.

Spencer didn't want to leave California, he didn't want to leave his mother or Y/N, he couldn't.

"Spencer Reid, I know what you're thinking right now, but I won't let you let this opportunity pass you by. You have dreamed of this exact moment for years, for as long as I have known you you have always wanted to go to the academy and you have done everything in your power to do so. Now they are offering it to you on a silver platter, you have to do it, there is nothing more you can do here in California. You've already studied all the existing careers in the world, you've already done what anyone in 50 years would have done and at your short 22 years you're already a doctor of three careers." The girl settled back down beside him, letting her icy hand wrap around Spencer's warm one. "You can't just limit yourself to staying here just because you have an engagement, the world has to know who Dr. Spencer Reid is like I know him, you have to go."

Spencer drew an elongated smile, feeling his body fill with that feeling of sadness that pervaded him from head to toe.

The redhead's words were true, it was his dream. But he didn't want to leave the only thing that made him happy on the other side of the country, he would love to carry it in his pocket to Virginia and have his dose of serotonin after each day.

He didn't want to stop smelling her tobacco and minty breath, the cherry smell coming off her clothes and the blueberry smell coming off her hair. He wanted to keep seeing the reddish locks of hair on his clothes and the cheesy paper notes in his pockets every time they met. He wanted to keep listening to the music on Y/N's MP4 every time he went to her apartment and drink coffee with lots of sugar that she made for him, keep hearing her voice in the shower and get biology questions at three in the morning every time she had a test.

He wanted to go to thrift stores to try on printed T-shirts and watch Y/N's camera fill up with pictures of the two of them, keep going to her shows with her band and eat frozen pizza after every gig.

He wanted to keep being with her.

But if she was letting him go, then he had to let her go too.

"I think I can go on living without hearing your bad jokes." Spencer's words lifted Y/N's spirits, who gave him a playful smile.

"Hey! My jokes are the best, last time you laughed for two hours."

"Because it was stupid."

They both laughed, letting the tension of the moment go with the last echo of their laughter.

"So you'll go across the country to make me proud?"

"Yes, I'll go make you proud."

Y/N's arms wrapped around Spencer's body, resting her head in the space of his shoulder and chin.

"I'm glad you didn't make a dumb decision."

Staying here with you isn't a dumb decision, Spencer thought.

They both pulled apart.

"Well, screw the skeleton. Let's go to the library and write your answer."

The girl's small hand imprisoned the boy's large hand, guiding him to the library to write what would be Spencer's fate.

The flight from California to Washington was five hours.

Five hours where Spencer and Y/N would be separated, and they would have to accept that fate had something different in store for the two of them.

Despite California being a sunny paradise, that day he wanted to keep the two friends company as they said goodbye at the airport.

"You already know my number, you know you can call me whenever you want." Commented the girl, who was in charge of carrying the book she had given him to read during the trip.

"I'm not such a fan of technology, you know that."

"There are pay phones over there too, Spence. It only costs a couple of cents to call me, plus they must have landlines there, and you have my email." The girl stopped in front of the door that separated goodbyes with new beginnings. "And if not, you can send me a letter. You know my address."

"A letter doesn't sound bad at all, in fact, for centuries, it was one of the most widely used means of communication by human civilizations since man began to write and whose importance transcended nations. The oldest courier service ever found was in Egypt in 2400 B.C. and in 1840, Sir Rowland Hill created the first postage stamp, which was called Penny Black, which was a profile drawing of Queen Victoria of England that had the rate 'One Penny' written on it."

"Oh Spence, I'm going to miss your fun facts about absurdly boring things." Commented the girl before she could hug him.

Spencer felt his heart clench.

"I'll miss you listening to me." They both turned in an embrace so tight it could take all the oxygen out of their bodies.

Neither wanted to be the first to say goodbye, neither was ready to leave the other. Their hearts were bound together like puzzle pieces, and just as when you lose one, the puzzle will no longer be complete.

"Now, you must go, your flight is about to leave." Y/N commented, separating from the young man as she wiped away the small tear that escaped from her eyes. "Miss me a lot, huh? And show off how pretty your best friend is."

"Always. Remember that wherever you are, whatever you do or whoever you're with, you'll always be in my heart."

A pout settled in Y/N's mouth, who felt like she was letting a part of her go with Spencer.

"Don't forget about me, because I will never forget about you." Demanded the girl, who was pushing the boy to go for his flight.

"It's impossible for me to forget you, I have an eidetic memory." He said laughing, waving goodbye as he received the book the girl handed him.

The two met in a final embrace, where Spencer could smell the girl's cherry and menthol tobacco scent for the last time.

"Write me!" Y/N vociferated, waving goodbye to the boy who nodded and disappeared behind the airport doors.

Y/N and Spencer didn't know that at that moment fate would place them on trial, causing their paths to diverge for many years until, magically, they would come together again.

“When two souls are meant to meet, fate brings worlds closer, erases distances, joins paths and defies the impossible.” Anonymous.

@alexa-33 | @ahhhhyesk | @imthefuckingleader | @narmothewraith | @kneelforloki | @niyahwhoreworld | @lexie0037 | @deadunicorn159 | @corpsebridenightamare | @preciousbabypeter | @sakuramadae | @zzz000eee | @runefirestarter | @sebastiansstanswhore | @whateverrrrrrrrs | @xsarcasticwriterx | @chris-seb-marvel | @bellaramseygfsblog | @lillysbigwilly | @dezibou | @astrophileous | @ily2lia | @sophiario | @valenftcrush | @oxace-of-heartsxo | @spencerrxids | @w31rdg1rl | @ineedsomezzz | @yeehawbitchs

If you like it, don't forget to like and repost it.

a lot of love, alme. ❀

[k-s-morgan]

I in no way mean to be disrespectful, I hope you and your family are doing well and I’m so sorry for the recent attacks. I’m just ignorant and want to know what would happen if Ukraine surrendered to Russia?

I hope you are safe from bombing and air raids 🙏🙏

Hi! Thank you <3 And don't worry, that's a good question.

What I'm 100% sure would happen in case of Ukraine's surrender, even under the most optimistic scenario:

We'd have to give up the entire country, not just a part of it. Russia always comes back for more. It's been following the same pattern with different countries forever. With Ukraine, it got a pretty decent chunk back in 2014. That land continued to belong to Ukraine on paper only - in reality, it was fully under Russian control, and no one really fought for it any longer. Was Russia satisfied with it? No. It kept preparing and then attacked to overtake even more land. It will never have enough, so to give up now means to acknowledge that the entire Ukraine will cease to exist as a country, whether right away or after Russia starts another war against us.

Ukrainian language, culture, and heritage would be destroyed completely in the coming years. Our history - and the history of the world children are taught - will be re-written. There is a reason why the majority of countries that were a part of USSR speak primarily Russian. Russia keeps carefully erasing other languages and culture, it's been doing it for ages. It's doing it right now on the occupied territories.

Pro-Ukrainian activists and people of note would be persecuted, kidnapped, tortured, and killed. This is also a pattern, it happens everywhere Russia invades. I know many examples personally.

We'd be gradually cut off of the outside world. Like, Russia has banned major fanfiction sites; it's trying to block YouTube and other platforms. The transformation into a semblance of North Korea would be inevitable.

Ukrainians would be treated as third-rate non-humans on their own territory. Again, it's been happening everywhere Russia barges into.

Ukraine would be used as a military base to attack other countries, and Ukrainians would be forced to become Russian soldiers.

As for the rest, it could go in several ways. Maybe Russia would want to show how 'amazing' it is, so it'd turn Kyiv into a second Moscow, creating different well-paid positions and opportunities to suck up to Kyiv residents and to prove its hypocritical benevolence.

On the other hand, it could just as well turn the entire country into a concentration and extermination camp. Russia has been torturing, raping, degrading, and murdering our people everywhere. Stealing their homes, kidnapping children, etc. and etc. I have a huge number of friends, people I know, or their friends who shared their stories, and each of them has been absolutely horrific.

My Mom's colleague, for example, used to live near Bachmut. When Russians came in, they immediately began to hunt down anyone related to the police and the military and killing them or actually demanding ransom for them. They kidnapped this colleague's friends, a married couple, kept them in a dog's kennel, pissed on them, beat them up, and raped the wife repeatedly. At that point, the colleague managed to flee the area, and she has no idea as to what happened to them afterward.

This could very well be the fate of our country in case of our surrender since the world obviously doesn't care and wouldn't bat an eye at the millions suffering and dying, kind of like it's happening now.

So surrendering is dangerous because we might cease to exist, but perhaps we are just prolonging the inevitable. A tiny country with a pathetic level of support cannot win against a giant that has a ton of everything and whose allies keep sending it even more weapons of destruction. Oh, and let's not forget how Russia keeps producing more and more weapons because the US and EU keep selling it the parts it needs for missiles and other stuff, and how Ukraine, after seemingly getting help from these US and EU, is forbidden to use it to strike Russia back.

It's all a joke to everyone but us, so I honestly don't envision a positive outcome at all. In the end, as long as our heroes are determined to defend Ukraine, we'll keep trying to hold on. The future will show what it'll lead us to.

[a-french-coconut]

Luke Castellan (Part 2)

Each day, his forces grow a little stronger, demigods joining them from all over the country, even Camp Half-Blood.

It's time.

Already ? It's only been one year.

He's in his office, seated next to a golden coffin that grows more visible every time a demigod pledge themselves to Kronos.

Our army is strong and with Jackson on his father's side, we need another piece in the game.

He stays silent, reaching for a piece on the chessboard on front of him.

Would it really work ?

Will it bring her back ?

Yes, the Golden Fleece is a powerful artefact.

They why didn't Chiron, or even Dionysus, ever told him ?

He would have went on that quest without hesitation, he would have saved her !

I feel your anger rising, good. Remember, Chiron, Dionysus and all the other gods don't care about you. With her dead, they thought they could avoid the Great Prophecy.

He clenches the piece in his hand, his familiar hatred boiling in him again.

They had killed her, valued her as a defective object that needed to put down.

I shall inform our spy at Camp to proceed.

If Silena didn't change her old calendar, she should be horse riding now.

"Silena, do you copy ?" He asks her through the charm bracelet.

"Hi Luke."

As always, the daughter of Aphrodite have this sweet voice, one that could work on many guys but Luke couldn't be more indifferent to it.

Silena Beauregard is not his type of girl but he can't risk having her offended by a rejection.

"Hey Lena, I need you to do me a favor."

"Of course ! Anything you need." Comes back the answer, cheerful and hopeful.

"The poison Lila gave to you last time you two met ? Use it on the target."

"Oh, okay." She sounds disappointed but frankly, she should know better than expect him to like her, daughter of Aphrodite and all that. "Are you sure you want to do this ?"

"Of course I'm sure," he frowns, "why are you asking ?"

"It's going to hurt her Luke, deeply. It's like she'll die again."

"She isn't going to die" he snaps at Silena, voice cold and harsh, "a quest will be issued to save her. Now go do your job and stop questioning my orders !"

He abruptly cuts contact, not caring about how it might affect Silena.

He looks at the piece in his hand.

Kronos wants a new pawn to balance the careful game they are playing.

"Castellan," an empousa barges in, "Torrington is asking for you on deck, he needs you to teach the soldiers a manoeuvre."

"Tell them I'm coming Kelli."

She nods, promptly leaving him alone.

He gets up, puts some light armor before gripping Backbiter and getting out of the office.

On the table, away from the chessboard and its pieces, stands the dark queen, as proud as the girl she represents.

--------------------------------

He dreams of her, of the pine's leaves slowly turning gray, the bark rotting and falling on the ground.

He wonders if she can feel it.

(When he faces her again, on a mountain top surrounded by ruins, he'll know that he made her suffer.)

As expected, Chiron is fired and Tantalus takes over the leadership.

Luke thinks he knows why Kronos chose him. Indeed, they seem to share the same culinary taste.

"How long until the poison kills the tree ?" He asks Alabaster who created it.

"One week, depends on what cure they will administrate it." The son of Hecate shrugs, clearly unconcerned with Thalia's fate. "Don't worry Luke, they should make it time."

"They better," he mumbles under his breath, "if Thalia dies, there is no way for me to convince Annabeth to join us."

"About that," Alabaster fidgets, "Are you sure she'll want to join ? She seems pretty loyal to the Olympians."

"When Thalia joins us, she will too." Luke assures his second in command, "why don't you go find Ethan ? Last time I heard he was still pining over you, looking at you with awe in his single eye."

He snickers slightly when his friend's face turns red, promptly leaving to find the son of Nemesis.

"This is a waste of time," Kelli scoffs from the corner of the room, "why aren't we sending our own forces to get the Fleece ? It would be a lot more productive."

"Because" he glares at the monster who languidly gets closer to him, "they need to ultimately have the Fleece and they are not going to accept it as a gift from us. Hence, they need to find it by their own."

"If you say so, Castellan." Kelli sighs, seating on his armchair, "the girl you keep talking about, Talia or-"

"Thalia" he corrects her, slightly uncomfortable with her proximity.

"That," Kelli narrows her eyes on him, her talons tracing lines on his shoulder and arm," what does she mean to you ?"

"She's a dear friend," he quickly gets out of the chair, earning himself a scowl, "and a powerful ally to have."

"I'm sure she would make quite a feast," Kelli smiles, "Zeus' blood is always so delicious-"

"Don't kid yourself" Luke cuts her off curtly, "you don't stand a chance against Thalia."

"Is that so ?" she hisses, "then maybe I should pay her visit when she's done housing birds and squirrels, to see her worth."

With the speed of a son of Hermes, Luke unsheathes Backbiter and furiously slashes at Kelli but she jumps out of the chair and the only thing damaged is now his furniture.

"Thalia is an essential person in our plan, do you want me to tell our Lord that you wish to harm her ?" He snarls, pulling off his sword from the wood.

"Oh, now" Kelli chuckles nervously, "there's no need for such rash action, I have no intention to go near the daughter of Zeus."

"Good," he says firmly, "now get out, I have work to do."

She hisses at him, hair burning a bright orange but nonetheless hobbles her way out, the sound of her bronze leg hitting the ground echoing in the corridor.

He forces himself to breathe, to squash down his fury against that damned empousa.

His charm bracelet heating up, the signal Silena is trying to contact him, distract him from his insider turmoil.

"Silena," he says rather irritably, "Lila is in charge of receiving your infos, I have enough work to do."

"I thought you would have wanted to hear this but fine, I'll just transmit to Lila and she can tell you." The daughter of Aphrodite says with a snappy voice.

"Wait," he calls to her," what it is ? I'm not busy right now."

A lie since he has to prepare a meeting concerning their sponsors but he is curious about what is so important.

"Clarisse got a quest and she's leaving first thing tomorrow morning to retrieve the Fleece."

"Clarisse ?" He frowns, "why would they send Clarisse when the Fleece is on an island in the Sea of Monsters ? Jackson's obviously a better choice."

"Tantalus isn't very fond of him."

"Tell that idiot that Percy must come." Luke hisses, furious against the new director. "it's the perfect opportunity to trap and kill him."

"It's too late, it would be weird for him to suddenly change opinions." Her voices curls in distaste, "how are we going to keep him Luke, the guy gives the creeps."

"Then avoid him because he is going to stay as long as possible."

"But", her voice wavers, "he might want to hurt the kids."

"Kids" he scoffs, "that are on the opposite side Lena. We are bound to fight them sooner or later."

"We want a better word for all demigods," she stresses her word, "even them, do we not ? I don't see how Tantalus fits into our vision."

"He does for now" he grits out, "anything else ?"

"No, Percy has arrived at camp but he isn't going on the quest. Oh ! Wait, no, I have something to tell you-"

"It'll have to wait," he eyes Chris who just entered and mouthing to him they are here, "I really need to go, please inform your official agent of any new developments and not me."

"Our spy ?" His brothers asks, tilting his head.

"Clarisse has been sent to retrieve the Fleece," Luke eyes carefully his brother's face, "dangerous quest, some might say lethal."

"Clarisse's strong," he mutters quietly, not looking in Luke's eyes, "she'll get through it."

"One day, we are going to fight her, are you sure you'll be able to do so when it happens ?"

"Yes, my loyalty is to Kronos and you."

Chris looks at him with a hardened gaze, grim determination etched on his face.

"I'll do whatever you need me to if it means getting retribution."

"Good," he smiles," I'm please to see your faith in me."

When he passes in front of him, he puts a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Kronos will appreciate that kind of loyalty once we win the war, brother, be sure not to lose it."

As he leaves to greet his guests, he doesn't see Chris carefully taking a picture of his trouser's pocket, with on it a girl with a bright red bandana hugging with one arm a younger Chris.

-------------------------------

"Well, I have to say I didn't expect you here."

He looks rather amused at the trio confronting him.

"Percy, I should have known you couldn't stay far from me for too long, Annabeth," he looks at her, properly seeing her since he left, "you've grown and-"

His voice dies out as he looks with disbelief at the boy in front of him.

Except he's not a boy.

No, he's monster.

A cyclops.

"Really, Annie ?" He says rather hysterical, earning himself a weird look from everyone except Annabeth who's red with shame, "of all monsters, a cyclops ?" He pronounces it with such disgust, such hater towards that kind.

"Don't talk to Tyson that way !" Percy angrily say, struggling against Agrius's grip.

"Why ? Fond of him Jackson ?"

To that, the son of Poseidon stays quiet, the same red Annabeth has colouring his cheeks.

"Well, as fun as this is, I'm afraid it must come to an end." He sighs, "Agrius and Oreius, take them downstairs, I heard the monsters were hungry."

But the cyclops breaks free and sends Oreius tumbling on his brother, giving Percy to opportunity to escape.

"Catch them !" He roars to his soldiers but they have already bolted out of the room.

He can only watch them, seething, disappearing on the horizon on one of the emergency life boat.

He had them...

They were on his boat, unarmed and outnumbered and they escaped.

Shame and rage churn his stomach, make his body vibrate with fury and Alabaster is the one to pay the price.

"Torrington !" he bellows at the son of Hecate, "they were three and you had six demigods and two monsters at your commands !"

"The monsters don't listen to me !" he protests, looking straight into Luke's eyes, "I'm the General of your demigods' army."

"And what have you been doing all those months ?" he hisses, "how come they were completely useless to stop them !"

He sees Alabaster's eyes glower and green ruins appear on his jacket. He reaches for Backbiter but a little girl suddenly puts herself in the way.

"Stop this ! Please !" she begs, looking fearfully at Luke.

"Lou," Alabasters says softly, "get out of the way."

"No, I'm not letting you fight with him !" Lou crosses her arms defiantly, stubbornly not moving.

"Your sister ?" He asks his general who curtly nods, still eyeing him and ready to fight.

But Luke only looks at Lou.

She's small, black-haired and has startling green eyes.

If he has to guess, she must be eleven years old, younger maybe.

And yet, despite her young age, she looks at him warily and ready to protect her brother.

He sheathes his sword to Alabaster's great surprise.

"They'll have to come back once they get the Fleece, we'll catch them then."

He leaves the deck and Torrington's confused face to isolate himself in his cabin.

He spends the next hour twirling a cheap ring on his necklace, thinking of a young blond girl with startling grey eyes and wondering if she would too protect him if he needed it.

-----------------------------

He doesn't remember falling asleep.

And yet he is chained upside down, with an unbearable heat burning his face as he looks at the cauldron below him.

He remembers that place.

It's when they were on the run and Thalia and he got captured by a cyclops.

Annabeth had been the one to save them, stabbing bravely the monster and freeing them.

"Luke ! Stop looking like an idiot and use your powers !" A voice next to him snaps in the air.

She's there, looking wildly alive, face etched into a scowl and gleaming from sweat.

"Thalia..." he whispers with a broken voice.

"Is the heat making you lose your mind ?" She says harshly, a worried frown appearing on her features, "yes it's me, Thalia. The girl who is about to buzz you if you don't find a solution."

It's been so long since he heard her talking and not screaming.

The way her eyes pulse with electricity.

The way her freckles are a constellation adoring her pale skin, contrasting so much with her spiky jet black hair.

The way she's pulsing with life, trashing against the chains restraining her and not cold dead on a forest's floor.

"Thalia, I-"

He wants to tell her everything, like he did before, to tell her about Kronos and his rebellion against the gods.

"Hurry, Luke !" She trashes even wilder, a small edge of fear in her voice.

He knows what happens next.

The cyclops comes back, failing to lure Annabeth in his trap, and as he's ready to cut their bonds, to let them fall into the boiling steaming pit below, the monster screams in pain and Luke seizes his chance.

He gets out of the now loosened chains, managed to free Thalia despite only using one hand, the other firmly gripping the chain, and the both of them jump onto the cyclops's arm.

That's when he sees the cause of the monster's pain.

Annabeth had stabbed him in the toe, his little sister looking terrified but determined to fight the beast.

Quickly, Thalia and he climb down the screaming monster until they're on the ground and help Annabeth kill him.

Then, she punches him in the gut after praising Annie.

"What the fuck Thals !" He groans, doubling over.

"What was that back there, huh ?" She asks angrily, irritated enough for not scolding off for the bad word, "why'd you froze like that ?"

"I didn't freeze, my powers were just useless." He winces when he feels his abdomen, it's definitely going to bruise.

She scowls but doesn't push him further.

"Come on, we have to go, Grover is waiting for us outside." Annabeth urges them, dragging them to the exit.

"It's too late."

Both Annabeth and Thalia look at him with utterly confused faces.

"What do you mean it's too late ? Too late for what ?"

"Forget I said anything," he mumbles hastily, pushing them aside to reach the exit, "it's nonsense."

A hand on his shoulder stops him.

It's not like her punch, no.

It's a prolonged contact, one where her hand barely touches his skin and yet, it is warmer than the boiling cauldron.

"Luke," he hears her say his name with worry, "what's wrong ?"

"Nothing's wrong Thals," he reassures her, not looking in her eyes. "We have to go, the monsters are gaining on us."

But she doesn't let go of him and her hand gets closer to his neck.

He doesn't turn, can't bear to look at her.

"You can tell me anything, you know that right ?" She whispers, her voice centimetres away from his ear.

"And I will," he replies, "I will but not today."

He terribly wants to face her, to tell her everything but he can't waste any more time.

It's stupid of him to think that maybe, in this dream Thalia makes it to Camp alive. It's like jumping off the cliff again when he knows he'll break himself on rocks below.

Yet, he hopes.

--------------------------------

"Welcome back to the States, cousin." He smiles at Percy, holding Backbiter under his throat, "I'm the welcoming party."

"Really wasn't necessary."

"So uncivilised," he shakes his head, "come aboard, all of you."

This time, Grover is with them. Luke doesn't know why he is there, surely something Silena could explain, but he doesn't particularly care. There's only one thing he wants, and it's within his reach.

"Where is it ?"

"Where's what ?" Percy asks innocently, the ghost of a smile floating on his face.

"The Fleece, Jackson." Luke patiently says, "give it to me."

"I can't, it's gone." He says, his smile now very visible and irritably smug.

"It can't be gone Jackson, you are all here," Luke snaps before a horrible idea dawns on him, "no, there's no way, you didn't-"

"Yes," Percy says glowing with satisfaction, "Clarisse is already on the way to Camp with the Fleece. You lost Luke."

"What where you planning to do with the Fleece, anyways ?" Annabeth asks him coldly.

"Well, since none of you are getting out of here alive, I suppose I can tell you," he shrugs, trying to hide his growing panic at the perspective of telling Kronos he failed again, "I was going to use the Fleece to resurrect Kronos but I would have given it back to you after."

"Really ?"

"Of course Jackson, I know why you need the Fleece and I wouldn't have stopped you."

"That's rich," he scoffs, "considering what you did."

To his grand surprise, Jackson hurls a coin at him. One he easily dodge, the drachma falling in the water behind him.

"You betrayed me, betrayed DIONYSUS AT CAMP HALF BLOOD !"

"Old news Jackson, why are you doing this ?"

"Did you poison Thalia's tree ?"

"Of course I did !" He snaps at Jackson, utterly confused, "but you-"

"So Chiron had nothing to do with it ?" Jackson presses on.

"As if that old man could ever hurt his Camp !" Luke rolls his eyes, "why are you doing this ? You already know all of that !"

"I do, but now all the others do too."

"What others-"

His voice dies at he turns and sees the whole Pavillon of Camp Half-Blood looking at them, dead silent, through an Iris Message.

"See Mr D ? Chiron is innocent !" Percy says behind him.

"I suppose so Peter," the god sighs, "well then, goodbye Tantalus."

He waves his hand and the earth opens, swallowing the man whole.

With a furious scream, Luke slashes the Iris Message, making it pop in a cloud of mist.

"Chris !" He barks at his brother, "ready my stallion, I'm going after the Fleece."

His brothers nods and hastily leaves the room.

"As for you all, Oreius and Agrius are in dire need of fresh meat."

"So you're just leaving us here, not even able to kill us yourselves ?" Percy yells at him as they go on deck where a black pegasus awaits Luke.

"I have more urgent matters than you Jackson, believe or not."

"Why don't you fight me, eh ? Scared you'll lose like the first time ?" The son of Poseidon taunts him.

It's an impasse and they both know it.

If Luke declines, he loses credibility and if he accepts, he doubts he'll manage to intercept Clarisse.

"Very well, Jackson. Give him back his sword."

He arms himself with Backbiter and a shield and faces Percy.

"It's not fair Luke," Annabeth protests angrily, "at least give him a shield too !"

"The world's hardly ever is fair Annabeth," he snarls, "I had hoped you would know that by now."

He looks at Percy, scanning for weak spots and when he finds one, he attacks.

"You've gotten better Jackson" he grunts, blocking Riptide with his shield, "but there's not water trick to save you this time."

He kicks him in the leg and sends Riptide flying out of reach.

He hears Annabeth screaming, the cyclops bellowing and Grover bleating as he lower down Backbiter to stab Percy in the stomach.

Water slaps him, sending him tumbling backward and loud screams and confettis ?

Dozens of centaurs are on his ship, trampling his forces or throwing party hats and shooting paintballs.

One hits him on the stomach, splattering his shirt blue and bruising his skin.

Amidst the chaos, he registers Percy mounting Chiron while the others are on other centaurs, his old mentor whistles and they're all gone as fast as they came.

"Chris !" He roars, face red with fury, "the horse, where is it ?"

"It left with them," his brother groans from where he's sprawled on the floor, covered in paint, "saw Percy talk to him."

He feels like he might explode from shame and rage.

It's the second time Percy escapes him, the second time a thirteen years old beat him, an experienced twenty years old demigod.

"All of you, clean this mess ! I have to inform our Lord of this recent development."

He closes his office's door rather harshly, taking a few minutes to calm himself before contacting Kronos.

Master.

Next to him, the coffin glows and he feels him stirring, his presence lingering in the air.

You have failed.

Luke feels his throat drying, yes master.

And yet we are still successful.

I... I don't understand Master. Without the Fleece, you'll take more time to fully awake.

Foolish boy, do you think I cannot wait a few more years ? I have spent eons awaiting for this moment, I do not lack patience.

It was never about you, Luke realises, all you wanted was for the Fleece to reach her tree.

And it has, soon, we'll have another pawn in the game.

----------------------------------

Far away, on a hill overlooking Long Island Sound, a girl opens her eyes under a grand pine tree for the first time in seven years.

[redgoldsparks]

December 2023 Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

Despite how much promise there is in the premise of this novel I was ultimately fairly disappointed by it. I'll start with the positives: it's set in a diverse and creative fantasy world with multiple different countries and cultures. It has several queer characters, including one of the four POV characters. It has dragons, even though I think they were severely under-utilized. It is also far too long, and astonishingly, nearly every scene in the book felt rushed. I think it actually had too much plot; if I had been editing this book I would have suggested the author cut one of the POV characters and use the freed-up space to flesh out the queer love story, which was the emotional heart of the book. This book is marketed as adult fantasy, yet whenever a character is in serious danger they are nearly always rescued by a talking animal with super-speed abilities. Choices like this book made the book read younger than I expected. It also suffered, perhaps unfairly, due to the fact I read a book with a much smarter and more interesting use of dragons, human/dragon cultural tensions, and dragon politics earlier this year: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, which I would recommend over Priory any day of the week.

Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe

Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe is a Coast Salish poet and punk who digs deep into the lineage of women in her family searching for connection, strength, and healing. While writing a Master's thesis, LaPointe opened the door to memories of a childhood sexual assault, precarious runaway teen years, and the intergenerational trauma that affected all of her family after the colonization of the Pacific Northwest. The memories that surfaced shattered her life. The path to picking up the pieces was slow, and involved traditional healing ceremonies, friendship, writing, music, and multiple journeys to places where her female ancestors once lived. I found this book very quick and easy to read despite the often heavy subject matter (it also includes a divorce and a miscarriage). Some passages are quite beautiful, but the author was an emotional mess for most of the time period she recounts and behaved in some questionable ways towards many of those around her. It ends on a hopeful note, and I would recommend it, especially to people with connections to the PNW area, while keeping the content warnings in mind.

Golden Fool by Robin Hobb read by Nick Taylor 

I hardly even know how to talk about this book because I loved it so much. It's a rich, nuanced, painfully human follow up to the earlier Farseer trilogy. I am amazed at how deftly Hobb wove the narratives of her characters across three decades of their lives and counting. There's Fitz, the royal bastard and reluctant assassin, who we first met at age six. Now in his mid-thirties, he is finally exploring his magical talents, teaching, learning, and taking more and more misfit young people under his wing. There's Chade, who we first met at a mysterious and wise teacher- now he's a royal advisor, and his hunger for power and influence might yet take him down a very dark path. There's Kettricken, who as a teenage princess was engaged to a stranger, now grown into a powerful queen bent on changing her kingdom for the better. There's the Fool, whose multiple identities are threatening to collapse as more and more of his prophesies come true. And Burrich, Fitz's adopted father figure, who in his anger and grief disowns a son who reminds him too much of his past. All of these characters feel so deeply rooted in their own histories, traumas, choices; I care so deeply about their lives and see so clearly how the twists of fate led them to where they are now. This is seriously one of the best fantasy series I have ever read, and I highly recommend anyone who loves long form fantasy to go back and pick up book one, Assassin's Apprentice.

The Well by Jacob Wyatt and Choo

Lizzy lives with her grandfather on one of many small islands in an world plagued by mist and monsters. Her mother, father, and grandmother all died fighting against the leviathan that used to threaten the seas between the islands; Lizzy has heard the stories, but never knew any of them. Her daily concerns are with goats, the market where she sells their cheese and milk, and her crush on a girl who works the island ferry. Magic doesn't regularly touch her life, except when she foolishly steals three coins from a wishing well, and is then tasked with completing the three wishes that are bound to them. This story has much the feel of a fairy tale with it's orphaned protagonist, three wishes, three tasks, and characters who are often more archetype than fleshed out people. But it manages a sweetly emotional ending and simple but lively and effective illustrations.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles read by Martyn Swain

Set in England during the reign of King George the third, this historical romance delivered a satisfying amount of plot along with the spice. Gareth is the son of a Baronet, but grew up with none of the privilege of that position having been send away from home after the death of his mother during his childhood. He works as a law clerk in London with few connections, no friends, and nothing much to recommend him. He seeks companionship at a tavern that turns a blind eye on the illicit sexual activities of men in the upper rooms. There he meets Kent, a working class man from Romney Marsh, with whom Gareth sparks an intense and intimate connection. Then it falls apart. Gareth is sacked from his job. He fights with Kent. His father dies unexpectedly, and Gareth is summoned to a manor house he hasn't seen in years to take on the responsibilities of a title, including the care of a teenage half-sister and his father's mistress. And by chance, the house Gareth inherits is in Romney Marsh, home of many waterways, pastures, smugglers, and also Kent, his former lover. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two romantic leads, and the crime plot which entangled both of them. If you are interested in R-rated M/M romance with action adventure and danger, I'd definitely recommend this series and also KJ Charles' Will Darling series.

Subtle Blood by KJ Charles read by read by Cornell Collins

A very satisfying installment in the Will Darling adventures! If this is the final book, I am happy with where it's left the characters, but it does also leave the door open for more. If you enjoy spicy M/M romance with a hefty side of action/adventure, this is a great series. It kept me company through a week of holiday cleaning, cooking, and baking, and I think it's my favorite yet from the series.

Death Strikes: The Emperor of Atlantis by Dave Maass & Patrick Lay

This comic is grim, funny, gory, and darkly poetic. It's impossible to read it without an awareness of the history of the script, which is based on a suppressed opera written in 1943 two prisoners at the Terezín concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. The authors did not live to see their play performed. Maass and Lay have done an impressive job transferring a story meant for the stage into a comic. The stars of the show are the characters of Life and Death who narrative and frame the story of a paranoid dictator in the fictional nation of Atlantis and his reign of terror against his own citizens.

The Cliff by Manon Debaye

This was beautifully illustrated but too sad and violent for me to enjoy reading. It's the story of a dysfunctional middle school friendship between two unhappy girls who make a suicide pact. This story will really hit for some readers but it wasn't for me.

Walkaway by Cory Doctorow 

I really enjoyed this book, even thought I think it's more interesting as a collection of ideas than as a novel. The characters in the first third felt somewhat flat, and the dialog is often delivered in hefty paragraphs with minimal dialog tags. But the story picks up in the second half and by the end I was reading it daily in big chunks. The concepts this book explores are what really shine, especially the idea of walking away from capitalist society and living in self-sustaining communities without formal governments or laws. This novel contains some future technology which we don't currently have today including 3D printers which can print food, clothing, and building pieces for vehicles and housing and also internet interfaces implanted into people's bodies which allow them global network access from anywhere almost all the time. The nation state of Canada also seems to have fallen before the start of this novel, as most of the characters end up walking away from the US into northern Canada to find these alternate communities. I liked seeing Doctorow play out the clash between on faction wanting to run a group house as a meritocracy versus another group committed to allowing all members to work as much or little as they want to or can, for example. The book does not shy away from showing the violent crack down of the existing governments on these alternate communities. There are major character deaths. But the other big theme of the book is exploring the digital scanning and uploading of human consciousnesses to the web allowed people to walk away from death.

[mewlabu]

Some angry couch warrior posting unconfirmed claim about Israel/Palestine: *10,897 reblogs*

Images and videos of daily attacks and destruction of Ukrainian cities and people: *60 reposts and mostly from Ukrainians*

I am honestly so disheartened by this world and so angry at every western leftist, and the flood of Palestinian or Israeli flags when there is no much silence now about Ukraine.

You told us we had enough support that's why you needed to focus elsewhere, so when do enough if us die for you to think us worthy of attention again?

I don't mean this to be an what about. This is just an expression of personal hurt and disappointment at the so called progressives.

And at the so called allies who defend the skies of one ally, finger wagging at them at most over what they do with their offensive weapons they give them while Ukraine begs and pleads for help, told not to hit the enemy here or there, told to watch itself or be left alone and even as Ukraine did everything it was asked for, fighting this war with hands tied and blindfolded, while it was dragged through every possible mud imaginable, belittled, and told to know it's place, it is now left alone anyway, while allies can't even manage sanctions worth a damn, while allies show concern over their oil prices, while allies debate and hand wring about Ukraine isn't NATO and escalation, another ally of theirs erases entire cities and with their weapons.

When so called progressives and allies of the oppressed spent years telling Ukrainians why the mere presence of bad elements in their country, and any mistake among any of their people in history means they should all be left to a hungry empire, don't deserve to live free, now call a terrorist organization who kidnap, rape, murder and oppress "freedom" fighters. The same people who dehumanized Ukrainians for years, called Ukraine a puppet, a proxy, a nation without a will of its own, now do the same to Palestinians, ignoring internal voices and needs. The same people told Ukraine over and over to accept its fate and give up, not to drag the world down with it, to take what they get and be fucking grateful, now demand the most useless and outlandishly impossible, uncompromising victory, who cry genocide at any suggestion of giving up, who have refused to see what life is like for Ukrainians under occupation, are now eagle eyed about why Palestinians or Israel's can't give in based on a history of abuses.

When every tragedy and massive loss of life by Ukraine was called into question, was doubted, lied about, debates, and turned over on every side to diminish the suffering, every report of every tragedy and accusations in I/P conflict is treated as gospel by thousands and then these same people turn around and mock Ukrainians for being so privileged, even as Ukraine stands increasingly alone apart from words and promises.

The hypocrisy is so blatant, so painful. Funny even when these same people point out petty instances of "bias" and "hypocrisy" of this state or that or the media.

This is not a special or unique anger and despair. This must be how many feel as the western "activists" move on to their next hip cause, presiding over tremendous suffering and deciding which one actually matters, completely blind to their own arrogance, and the colonialism of that thinking.

Then the dare, dare to use Ukraine to claim and compare to illustrate the bigger scope of the tragedy as if the losses aren't ongoing, as if soldiers aren't people, as if entire generation isn't being wiped out defending their country, as if lives can be weighted like grain. It does a disservice to all of the people involved and is moreover unnecessary. No one who doesn't yet support your cause is going to be convinced by these comparisons. It serves no benefit to raise support for one, merely feeds the self righteousness of current supporters. It only paints the other as less worthy of attention, as less important. It is a cruel and self serving act by people with no teeth in either game.

And I'm so angry.

I have no trust.

[starcrossedyanderes]

Okay idea that you totally don’t have to do anything with:

Xavier’s darling is (like me) a history nut and knows about a lot of history from all over the world from reading books and watching documentaries

So when Xavier decides to start a long lecture about Colvakia’s history because his future wife needs to know these things, darling finishes his sentences and eventually takes over the lecture as Xavier sits there stunned with major heart eyes

I just know he’d be so happy and think that it was so cute that his darling already knew all about his homeland, he might even think it’s fate

This is so long, but I couldn’t help it! Inspiration struck, ya know? Also I assure you, I am working on that Tom fic!

Xavier taps a baton onto a large map that hung up on the wall.

“Ok, dahling, listen up. It is absolutely vital that you learn and remember the history of Colvakia, if you want to rule it one day with me.”

You were sat down at a table, notebook and pencil at the ready. You nodded your head eagerly, being the little nerd you are.

“Alright then. Colvakia for quite a while was part of Österreich-Ungarn, or as you may know it, the Austro-Hungarian empire. But in 1918 the Great War, or World War 1, ended and the empire was dissolved. Colvakia was one of the countries that were formed.”

Your eyes shined with excitement, the eager learner you were.

“But in 1922 the Soviet Union was formed. And a few years before that the Romanovs were assassinated. This is where the history of Colvakia really starts to begin.”

You eagerly raise your hand, practically bouncing on your toes. Xavier sees this and raises an eyebrow.

“Yes, dahling?”

“But aren’t the Devorskýs related to the Romanovs?”

Xavier nods his head, content with the question.

“Very good, dahling! We in fact are related to the Romanovs! We were cousins that managed to evade the slaughter. And this is important why..?”

Xavier lead me on with that question.

“So it makes your claim to the throne legitimate!”

Xavier chuckles at your eagerness.

“Correct, once again (Y/n)! 100 points to you!” Xavier snaps his fingers, instantly summoning a servant. “You there, get the future tsarina some ptichye moloko! I think she’s earned it after such a-“ Xavier goes in to caress her cheeks “-wonderful answer” Xavier steps back and the servant scuttles off, probably to the kitchen.

“Now, with the Soviet Union now formed, you can imagine some people did not want any part in it, or wished for refuge. So that is how Colvakia got such a surge in Russian citizens. But, around World War 2 we were conquered by Germany, then the Soviets. You can understand how this was an awful time for us.”

You solemnly nod your head, thinking to all the suffering that must have occurred.

“We mostly kept to ourselves, primarily farming. And by some miracle, we were relinquished to our own devices! The Soviets were too busy on other fronts, that we were able to be relinquished from their grip!”

You raise your hand again.

“Wasn’t that called the Day of Miracles?”

Xavier eagerly nodded his head, so happy with your answer.

“Yes, it most certainly is! It got its name because of how many miracles seemingly occurred that day. For one, the fact we got our independence back so quickly. The second being forces from other countries thinking we were still occupied by Germany, and the fact most of the Soviet forces that were present were redirected. Many say it took an act of God for all to happen, hence the name.”

“Now, we were in an interesting state. We needed to rebuild, and most of our citizens were immigrants from Russia or other countries. But we were also heavily Austrian-Hungarian still, hence where we get our 3 main languages or German, Russian, and English.

Now, here’s where the Devorskýs come in. My great grandfather, Dominik, was a rather wealthy man as he came from rather high ranking Russian nobility. But they also used that money to build varying companies, along with farms. He had a specialty with breeding peacocks, hence the prevalence of them here. Either way, Dominik was also known as a rather kind man, who essentially spearheaded the rebuilding efforts. In fact, many buildings here are named after him because of his funding of philanthropy.”

You oohed, at this fact, as it finally answered why you’ve seen so many buildings with the name Dominik.

“Now, Colvakia was in need of a government, and we played around with regular democracy for a bit there. But it was terribly, terribly corrupt in our case. It was how we ended up under the thumb of the Germans, then Soviets. Also, it was completely and utterly rigged. So still reeling from that, we thought it was best to stay away from that form.

But we also saw how badly communism affected us, and knew it wasn’t a viable option. So that mostly left a monarchy as the only option.

Oddly enough, Dominik had-“

You couldn’t help it anymore, you had to blurt out what you knew!

“Dominik was volunteered for the role because of his philanthropy and him being a leader already! Also people liked him being descended from Russian royalty so they eventually declared him King! Then Colvakia slowly gained more land from either purchases, or some countries volunteering to join them! That’s how Colvakia got to where it is today!”

You panted, trying to catch your breath after blurting out so much. Meanwhile, Xavier just stared at you, in awe.

“Y-yes. Absolutely correct!”

Before you knew it, you were being absolutely bombarded with kisses.

“Correct! All of it! Wunderbar dahling! Wunderbar!”

Xavier let out a chuckle

“You cheeky little thing, I bet you were just trying to put me under your spell even more!”

You chuckled as well

“Well did it work? But in all seriousness, I just really love history.”

“Well, it’s certainly clear you are meant to be queen one day. And here I thought I couldn’t fall in love even more~”

[vochka]

Appreciation... rant?

So it is Wednesday and in the past two years, this has become movie night. A beloved colleague became a friend and because we worked next to the cinema, we could go watch a movie after afternoon shifts. We did this just about every week, even though there was no transit to take us home by the time the movies ended so we'd have to walk home alone at night like absolute idiots. It was fun. I feel like a little kid ready to stomp my feet with that "but I don't wanna go home!" attitude every time we have to; I have no words to describe how much I enjoy this woman's company.

It is now Wednesday and I'm sulking at home because I suffered workplace injuries and we have to skip our little tradition for yet another week. No movie night tonight!

Instead, I reflect back on what we've seen already. It's a lot. I'm not picky so I let her choose whatever she wants to watch, which usually means I neither know the title of what we're watching nor what it's about until after I've seen it. Maybe even after-- I am dense.

What I do know is that there's never been a queer piece of media we've missed. This woman has, to my knowledge, had little interaction with gay people before me, but her immediate instinct has been to look for media that would be relatable for me to watch and I have sat and cried in that cinema more times than I can count. Partially, because of her.

Mostly because of her.

This is whom I befriended.

I live in a Slavic country. We're better about queer rights than many of our neighbors, but the people themselves are largely still uneducated, bigoted, and stuck in their ways. Not long ago there was an effigy of a gay couple and their child burned in the streets by a mob. It's ridiculous. Then there's her.

Not once has she asked invasive, probing, or judgemental questions to ridicule or mock, not once was there a comment about finding me the right partner, and not once has there been a hint of judgment in her eyes, even for things she directly said she didn't understand!

When she doesn't know something, she asks. When she heard I was trans, she took the initiative to ask for my preferred name and pronouns and made sure I knew I could speak to her if something made me uncomfortable. She made every effort to make sure I knew she was there if I needed someone to talk to, that she was a safe person to turn to, and that her doors were open if I had nowhere else to go.

I love her.

Fiercely and platonically, as a sister and as a friend, I love her to death. She has been such a solid rock in my life in the few years I've known her that I lament fate for not letting me meet her sooner. She's done more good for me in a handful of years than my family has in decades; I don't even know how to begin paying her back for the light she's brought into my life. She's an absolute ray of sunshine.

This, unfortunately, is too much to smother a normal person in so I can't bring that level of energy into a single conversation and instead get to rant? vent? yell my appreciation for her at internet strangers because the world deserves to hear she's amazing and she deserves to be loved by the entirety of it.

[hilacopter]

I've been trying to put into words this frustration of mine for a while, and I think I've finally got it figured out:

So! Israel is built on genocide! And that's certainly not a good thing. You can try to argue about whether or not Jewish people are indigenous to the land (though I won't get into that whole argument here), but there's no denying the fact this country was built on blood. Lives were lost and people were banished. Therefore, us Israelis are deemed colonizers for living here. Is it false? No, not necessarily. Is colonialism okay or justifiable? Of course not! However, the way people have used this as an excuse to dehumanise us Israelis is absolutely disgusting.

Western leftists have this mindset that we should either be sent "back to where we came from" (and by that they mean countries we have never been to in our lives and just so happen to have ancestral ties to), or that we should be eradicated. Because it's easy to see these groups of people you don't know as simply blank NPCs, or a hivemind. I've had an online friend of mine tell me that there's this level of dissociation when you aren't the one going through it, and that a lot of times it takes having someone you know suffer that fate to go "oh shit, REAL PEOPLE are going through that", and I think the problem stems from the fact so many of the people who insist on being involved in this conflict don't actually have Israeli (or Palestinian, for that matter) friends to tell them what it's like to be living through this nightmare. We're faceless and nameless, which leads to dehumanisation and demonization.

It is a universal fact that no human is the same, everyone's life is valuable and unique. Everyone has something to bring to the table, and something like the country you were born in is inconsequential to how good or bad of a person you are. Unless, of course, you're an Israeli. That means you're nothing more than a filthy colonizer. That means you're a part of an evil hivemind being led by an evil government (yes, Israel's government is horrible WHICH IS WHY WE'VE BEEN PROTESTING AGAINST IT FOR MONTHS NOW). That means you've done wrong merely by existing.

I'm certainly going to offend some people with this comparison, but in my opinion telling an Israeli to simply deport is not much unlike telling a queer person to go to conversion therapy. It's obviously not the same thing, but just like you aren't able to get rid of someone's gender or sexuality, you aren't able to get rid of someone's heritage. Simply sending us away won't magically make everything better, believe it or not (I won't get into it in this post, but know that there will be no Palestinian utopia under Hamas rule, as Hamas actively harms the people of Palestine too). We won't just forget about Israel and keep living like nothing happened. We have lives here. We have friends and family we'd be separated from. Most of us won't simply be able to adjust to a new country we don't even know the language of. And if you think the solution is to kill us all... I don't even know what to say to you at this point. Is being attached to the place you were born in truly such a horrible crime? You can argue we deserve it for being colonizers, but it's not like we chose to be born here. Which leads to my next point:

The global left is used to everything wrong being a mindset. Homophobes, racists, sexists; all of those are not something people are born as, rather something they've been lead to believe. Something that can be fixed by teaching them better and having them unlearn their ways. So when faced with the fact that being an Israeli isn't something which can be reversed, leftists don't know how to process it. They cope by seeing us as something inherently evil and violent. Something inherently unworthy of living. Something that automatically deserves whatever bad things happen to it. Something less than human. Something that must be erased, one way or another. It doesn't matter that we're people with feelings and minds, we're all just filthy colonizers! Get rid of us pesky Israelis and everything will be better! Just burn it all down!

It's human nature to want to get rid of something you don't like. Whether it's a bug in your kitchen, a shitty friend, a mindset you don't like, whatever. It's when "something I don't like" translates to millions of people that you start to get under my skin. It's when you celebrate a brutal massacre and root for a terrorist organisation that I deem you a disgusting human being.

Like it or not, new life has been created here. And no matter how many chant "death to colonizers", you won't be getting rid of it. You won't be getting rid of us.

Because we, as human beings, don't deserve to be gotten rid of.

[marquisevonobst]

Okay, I did a thing! Little snippet about Mary's death, because I love to suffer.

@acrossthewavesoftime tiny gift for you.

At first, you did not notice me. A playful child, full of hope, mother’s beloved little girl. She, who still wept for her lost ones. Little Charles, James and the ones that will follow. But you do not know it yet. Too carefree. Too enchanted by the world that surrounds you. And mother will not cry in front of you, father will not acknowledge her feelings. You grasped your sister's hand, when they put your siblings one after another into a coffin. Tiny bones and a pale face, fire left their eyes. “They are sleeping, and God will greet them in heaven. It is his will.”, you told her. But she did not understand and started to cry. You hated black. Foremost you hated black on your mother. She did not deserve such sorrow.

“How can someone this graciousdamn her?”, you asked yourself one night after a prayer. A blasphemous thought that you immediately discarded, because everything is God’s will. But do not fret, my love, you will not remember their voice and laughter. Sometimes it is best to forget. But I, dearest Mary, will not leave your side. I was there when your far too young mother took her last rasping breaths. She, who loved you the most. The sixth death in your fledgling life. And not the last one. The day you loathed the way they light candles. I, who cradled you, when you thought about me, as a monstrous being. You have built up a façade. A mask you put on when life strangles you. Like that one fateful day, you had to marry him. So young, so frightened. Fifteen years is not an age one should endure this much. But neither your uncle, the king, nor your father, the duke, cared. Your father almost did my job, you know. You cried like a banshee when you saw your soon-to-be wedded husband. Smaller than you, crooked, with a hooked nose and an ugly moustache. Shipped off to an unknown country with a language you did not speak and a husband who could not love you, yet. And soon you will know how your mother felt when she lost her children. Miscarriage. You have tried so hard, my sweet. Cried and shouted for dear life, your mother, your sister and even your father. All were absent. Even Willem, who should have held you. But no. You met me again. And I almost got you, when I dried your tears and caressed your cheeks. But you grew stronger. And before I knew it, I had lost sight of you. I have met many others in your family. Poor Maria, who wanted nothing more than to join a convent and instead suffered one failed pregnancy after another. The same fate your sister was about to face. I gave the king his last glass of wine. Watched, as the doctors drained him of all his strength, all the glory of Old Rowley, the greatest stallion in the whole of England. But in the end, he has wished for nothing more than to be reunited with his father and lost siblings. Your family was replaced in my hands by lonely soldiers who died fighting for your husband, screaming out for their mothers in their last breaths. I gave them the most tender kiss. Kissed them like Willem kissed you. I admire how you have created love out of estrangement. My soul shattered when I saw your husband crying his heart out. “Nee, niet haar, niet haar alsjeblieft. Ze is nog zo jong!”

I saw how his body cramped, how his breathing became more laboured and convulsive, how he collapsed and was considered dead sooner than you. But, dear Mary, now I am with you again. But you do not detest me like you did the last time we met. You see me as a friend who pulls you into a long-awaited hug and strokes your hair. I dry your tears again, but you cannot stop them from flowing. You once told Willem that you wanted to die sooner than him because you would not be able to bear his death. And here I am, keeping my promise. Your feverish hand touches my cheek, for you know there is no compromise. And you kissed me, like you kissed him in the January rain.

But Mary, do not weep, for I will sing your song.

[mariacallous]

Even as missiles fall on Ukraine and troops brace for a Russian spring offensive from the east, Kyiv is looking west. The U.S. congressional fight over aid to Ukraine, entangled as it is with border policy and presidential politics, has become a matter of survival for 43 million Ukrainians. In more than two years of war, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not broken Ukrainian will. Abandonment by the United States could achieve what Putin never has.

This month, I made a 1300-mile trip around Ukraine as part of a delegation hosted by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). We visited Kyiv and Odesa as well as Dnipro, Kharkiv, and other places farther east. The situation on the ground is changing, and U.S. political leaders should understand the enormous stakes. Those now debating the fate of assistance to Ukraine are deliberating over the fate of Ukraine itself.

The first thing that strikes a visitor to wartime in Ukraine is how remarkably normal life seems in many areas. Normal, that is, until the signs of war creep in—gradually and then suddenly.

Odesa’s elegantly beautiful theater remains open, and operas and shows go on. (Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco and Franco Alfano and Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot played a few days after our visit.) Yet the city was under an air alert as we arrived, and a walk along the seaside promenade revealed coiled barbed wire at each staircase.

In a mostly unheralded success, Ukraine has cleared the Black Sea coast of Russian warships—despite having a tiny navy with no warships of its own—and now exports grain from Odesa at near prewar levels. Ships load grain and skirt the coast as they head west, staying away from Russian predation. Outside the city, soldiers man roadside checkpoints to examine the papers of draft-age men.

In a town that we visited in Kherson Oblast, which suffered under Russian occupation until late 2022, virtually every building was damaged. Missile strikes, mortar fire, and machine guns took a serious toll. Many inhabitants fled the fighting, joining either the 6.5 million Ukrainian refugees outside the country or the 3.7 million displaced inside it. UNHCR and other aid agencies are assisting those who remained and others who have returned. Some never will.

We met one man in the town who stayed through it all. “It’s like you see on TV in America,” he said. “You know when there’s a hurricane and someone says, ‘It’s my home, I’m not leaving?’ That was me.”

The biggest problem, he said, were soldiers from the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, the puppet governments set up in the regions by Moscow. Often drunk, the soldiers looted houses, hassled people, and carted home everything they could. A local official said that Russian troops had established multiple torture centers during the occupation.

The man’s son, a tall 15-year-old with a grin and the taciturn bearing of a teenage boy, described life before and after the Russians came. Did he miss the way things were before the war? Yes, he said: “Some of my acquaintances have passed away.”

Downtown Dnipro could pass for Vancouver or Boston, with its illuminated streets, pedestrian areas, fine restaurants, and high-end boutiques. Couples dine, families stroll at night, and the stores are stocked. Yet the war wasn’t far away during our visit; an air alert awakened us early in the morning. As our phone alerts went off and air raid sirens sounded, we headed to the shelter. Russia launched more than 60 drones and missiles at Ukraine that day, some of which made it to Kyiv. The attack set a large apartment building on fire in the capital and killed four people. Two days later, we would visit this site, where the rebuilding had already begun.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has emerged as an epicenter of recent Russian military activity. Most students there are relegated to online learning, since their schools lack the shelters necessary to protect against air attacks. More than 2,000 children go to class underground in subway stations. We visited one of these subway schools, watching fourth graders solve math problems and work on projects. Play areas took up space at the backs of classrooms. I wish members of the U.S. Congress could see the effects of Russia’s two-year war on the country and witness Ukrainian resilience in the face of relentless attack.

Ukrainians are resilient but not invincible. They see bombed-out buildings, awaken to air alert sirens each night, and feel Moscow’s newfound confidence on the battlefield. They know that last year’s counteroffensive produced few gains, and that Avdiivka’s recent fall marks Russia’s first significant territorial gain since May 2023. Diminishing supplies of ammunition and other Western-provided weapons have made the war more difficult and more costly in terms of Ukrainian lives.

Yet most wish to fight on. Polls show a small but growing number of Ukrainians wishing to trade land for peace, if such an outcome is possible. The majority wish to continue the fight. They watched Putin’s interview with Tucker Carlson and saw the Russian president’s insistence on their country’s historic artificiality. They know, from the atrocities that have occurred in Bucha and elsewhere, what Russian occupation might mean. They see the war as a fight for survival.

Ukrainians also know, however, that they cannot keep it up alone. They quietly observe that European aid (generous though it is) won’t be sufficient, either. In Kyiv, officials follow every twist and turn of the $60 billion earmarked for Ukraine in a proposed supplemental aid package from the United States. It’s a large amount of money, equivalent to roughly 7 percent of the U.S. Defense Department’s annual budget, and combines military, humanitarian, and budget support. Ukraine’s future turns greatly on it.

U.S. missile defense currently protects Ukrainian cities, and officials worry about the violence that Russia will unleash if U.S. interceptors stop arriving. Front-line Ukrainian troops are running out of ammunition, and declining access to military equipment could allow Russia to take more territory. Even factoring in the latest European aid package, Ukrainian officials (and those at the U.S. Treasury Department) project empty government coffers within months, rendering them unable to pay worker salaries or pensions. Their fallback plan is to print more money, fully understanding the disastrous hyperinflation such a move would produce.

In the meantime, U.S. humanitarian aid provides food, shelter, medical care, and other support for a traumatized population that nevertheless wishes to carry on.

Beyond material support, my visit made clear that the psychological effect of global solidarity, especially from the United States, remains vital. In conversations with everyone, from the top of government to citizens living just miles from the front lines, there was one message: Please stay with us—we can’t do this alone. U.S. abandonment would be devastating.

There is a lot of trouble in the world today, some of it far closer to home for Washington than places such as Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Kherson. A poll conducted in February by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Ipsos found that a majority of Americans continue to support helping Ukraine, as do majorities in both houses of Congress. Yet two years in, and after billions of aid has already been delivered, Americans might reasonably ask why more, and why now.

Calls to defend the rules-based international order tend to provoke eye-rolling derision these days. So too do descriptions of the United States’ indispensability in the face of global problems. Yet the prohibition against forcible conquest stands at the heart of the postwar global order. Putin’s violation of that taboo—if ultimately successful—would augur a new and more dangerous era. The United States, unfashionable though it may be to observe, is indispensable in resisting it.

Ultimately, Ukraine is fighting a shift from order to the law of the jungle, where the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. In a world awash with trouble, and with huge demands on U.S. resources, the stakes in Ukraine remain very high—and perhaps unique. The alternative to continued Western support is not an indefinite stalemate or frozen conflict. It is a potential Russian victory.

This is the context in which today’s debate should take place. It’s clear on the ground: Ukrainian will to resist aggression is remarkable, but it remains inextricably linked to U.S. support and solidarity. If the United States abandons Ukraine, then the West may well accomplish the very thing that Putin has thus far found impossible.

[officialleehadan]

Four Days

hello darlings! today's story was brought to you by Stefan! Darling, thank you so much for your support! 

Prompt: Desert Glass - Honeymoon

+++

It was not Dabir’s first time to the Redsand Isles and he took special pleasure in showing Kalaesa all around the place that he often used to come during his studies. It was hot, of course. The Isles were tropical, even now, in what was, after a fashion, ‘winter’. All that meant was that there were afternoon rain showers of thick, warm rain that helped the island’s thick jungle flourish.

Currently, Dabir was introducing his lovely wife to the island’s many markets. As a major trading port, the Isles were a frequent port for ships crossing the ocean, and that meant goods of all sorts filled the markets. Dabir was thrilled to discover many of his favorites were still available, and had been introducing Kalaesa to the wide range of cultures on offer. Some she knew already, and happily traded him experience for experience.

Dressed as wealthy commoners, it was a blessing to finally be free of both her duty to the crown, and his worries about his enemies. Here on this island, with the protections of his old friend so thick he could almost smell them, mixed with the heady scent of flowers, it was safe.

Really, he was a fool for not running here to the protections of his own kind, but then, he wasn’t known for his good decisions when he didn’t have time to make a real plan.

Also, if he did that, he wouldn’t have met Kalaesa.

“You’re thinking too much,” Kalaesa said as she walked beside him, barefoot in the pink sand, with a skewer of some sort of fruit on it. Neither of them were entirely sure what the fruit was called, but it was almost like melon, and almost the same shade of pink-orange. Regardless, it was common about the isles, and they were eager to eat it whenever it was available. “But I know you. Tell me what’s on your mind?”

“How beautiful you are,” Dabir said, and twirled her gently by one hand. She really was lovely, dressed in floating pale blue silks that set off her auburn hair. It left her shoulders and a fair part of her back bare, and would be utterly inappropriate anywhere but the Isles, where everyone dressed so lightly. Even Dabir himself had relented to the heat and wore little but a loose shirt and trousers, and the sandals his own people preferred to boots. “And how glad I am to have met you.”

“You’re a flirt,” she accused him playfully but spun again at his urging, before she looped her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked. “And I’m sure you’re lying.”

“I am a little,” he replied and kissed the top of her head. “I was thinking I was an idiot for not running here, when I left Evash’hai. Yaimerisal would have given me shelter, and even Chakir would not be so fool as to challenge two Pillars, particularly one of Yai’s age and experience. I might be young to the title, but he has turned the fates of countries with little more than a visit for tea.”

“It does seem a little silly not to go to him, then,” Kalaesa agreed, never one to be delicate when she thought he was being a bonehead. It was, as it happened, something Dabir loved about her. She would never hold information from him to spare his feelings. “But I’m glad you didn’t, although I would wish you did, if only to spare you the suffering. This is very far from Kaelavash.”

“It is,” Dabir said and tossed their now-empty skewer into one of the many small braziers that the meat-sellers roasted their products over. “I would likely have never come to your cold shores. At least, not until Chakir gave up on me.”

“Maybe we would have met on a venture like this one,” Kalaesa suggested mischievously. “You wouldn’t know I was a princess, just wandering the markets, and I wouldn’t know you were a Pillar. Would you even notice me?”

“I wouldn’t be able to take my eyes off you,” Dabir played along with her game and was rewarded by her bright smile. “I’m not brave. It would take me days of glimpsing you to work up the courage to say hello.”

“With your Evash’hai manners, you would sweep me off my feet just as fast as you did in this life,” Kalaesa teased, and drew him to where they could hear musicians, setting up for the evening market. The Isles loved to dance, and there was music every night. Dabir was only a passable dancer, but no one here was an expert in the colorful whirl. “And I’m sure I would scandalize you, what with my northern manners.”

“I imagine you would be the one to drag me off, not the other way around,” Dabir admitted with a laugh, since that was also rather what had happened. “But I would be in love with you between one glance and the next, so I would let you take me anywhere.”

“Oh anywhere?” Kalaesa asked with a coy look at him up through his lashes that immediately had him thinking of a different sort of dance entirely. By her sly smile, she knew exactly what she was doing to him, and was not the least bit sorry. “That’s a very dangerous thing to say to someone like me.”

“If you asked, I would give you the world,” Dabir said and pulled her close in the shadows of a towering palm. She fell into his arms with a soft laugh of triumph that told him he had fallen for her trap without even noticing it. “Everything in my power to give. If you asked for a drop of time itself, held in a crystal, it would not be too much.”

“I don’t want the world,” Kalaesa whispered to him, and stood on her toes for a soft, slow kiss. “I don’t want your power. I don’t want a drop of time, held in a crystal. I just want you to love me as much as I love you.”

“That, I will do until the end of our days and beyond,” Dabir promised her between kisses that made his heart pound under her small hand. He pulled her close and wrapped his power around them with a twist of thought he rarely used. The market vanished from around them in a rush of smoke that left them standing in the sand before their borrowed villa. Kalaesa gasped at the sudden rush of magic and Dabir took the moment to sweep her off her feet into his arms. “Come, my beloved. My wife. We have four days yet before we’re expected back. I see no better use for those days than worshiping you as you deserve.”

+++

Desert Glass: (FULL COLLECTION)

Desert Glass Volume 1

+

Desert Glass V2 (For full collection, see V1)

Two Spies

Four Days (NEW!)

+++

MASTERLIST

[lucy-water]

HEAD CANNON ABOUT PRUSSIA x FEM AUSTRIA

I just discovered that King Frederick William III of Prussia did marry an Austrian noble lady, Countess Auguste von Harrach in 1824.

So now I cannot stop a headcanon that at one point in history Mr.Prussia married Ms. Austria. (Or Mr. Austria to Mr. Prussia. Or Ms. Austria to Ms.Prussia. Or Ms.Prussia to Mr. Austria. Whatever floats your PruAus boat).

However, the marriage between Countess Auguste and King Frederick was a sad one. As Auguste was a Catholic (she later changed to Protestant) the marriage was kept a secret at first and when the Prussian court knew about this, not many of them welcomed her. Auguste also came from a small noble house which unfit to marry a King so she was never regarded as a queen in her own right. In the Prussian court, she was ranked after all the princes and princesses of the royal family. She had to sit behind them in the opera theater and at the meal she could not sit beside the King but had to sit in the last row of the table, far away from her husband. Even King Frederick treated her coldly, never spoke to her nor looked her way when they were in public.

But despite all of the humiliation, Auguste still composed herself with kindness and kept her warm nature to everybody. Soon, she gained the respect of the court and was allowed to attend her husband's funeral. According to some accounts that I could find, she was usually sick and had frequent travel to France and Italy to visit her relatives. But some suspect that the true reason for this might come from the way she was treated at the Court. When she wrote to her family, she always tried to hide all the suffering she faced but one still can feel the sadness in her letter. Auguste did not have any children and passed away when she was 72 in 1873.

So my head cannon for the marriage between Gilbert and Annaliese would be the same as Auguste and Frederick- an unhappy kind of marriage. But I don't think Gilbert treated her badly as the King of Prussia did with his wife. I think they married a few years after 1824, and to be able to do so they did it as humans rather than as countries. Countess Auguste had tried to warn the sad fate of an Austrian marrying a Prussian to her friend, but Lady Annaliese Von Edelstein was head in the cloud for the Cavalry Colonel- Gilbert Beilschmidt, who rescued her from Paris when the Revolution happened. One could say Colonel Beilschmidt and his lady wife were a happy couple. He truly cared for her and did not give a damn about the protocol, he proudly introduced everyone to his musically talented and beautiful wife at the Prussia court, he sat with her, danced with her at the balls, and held her hand while they walking in public. Although was neglected and being treated with coldness in the Court when Gilbert not around, Annaliese still thought her life was happy like a fairy tale for the first time after many centuries of political marriages.

But everything changed around 1848, Gilbert was busy with the Schleswig war so he usually left the house. Without Gilbert's appearance, Anna was not welcome at the Court nor even in her own house. The servants listened and obeyed Lord Beilschmidt rather than the lavish Lady Beilschmidt. Some whispered she was too much like that Queen in France, spendy and only cared about herself. While her husband was on military campaigns, risking his life; she traveled on her own whim. Some even rumored that she had love affairs behind her husband's back. This put many strains on Gilbert and Anna's relationship. Every time he came home, Gilbert could not find his wife sweetly waiting for him like she used to as she was on her trips, and the rumor about her "love affair" came to his ear. So when Anna returned, both of them started to fight. He demanded to know why she kept leaving. "I just want some fresh air", Anna would only answer him like that. (Truthfully, she felt neglected and disrespected that why she ran away.)

Of course, he knew she lied, so he ordered the servants not to let her leave the house without his permission. Anna started to develop serious illnesses (mental problems were not a thing back in those days) which required her to be bedridden for many days. As countries, this is really strange as they do not usually fall ill like this. But Gilbert did not have time to dig more on the matter, he had a war to worry and the best thing he could do for Anna at that moment was brought her to the countryside for resting. She tried to run away back to Austria but the servants always guarded her carefully so Anna was never successful. Gilbert kept her there most of the time between 1848-1864 and only brought her back to Berlin or Vienna when ordered by his King. At this point, Prussia and Austria were in alliance, Anna was being told to make Gilbert feel more at ease with her so Austria would have more advantage in the political situation. In short, even when stayed in Vienna, Anna could not find any help and had to return back with Gilbert. Life with Gilbert in the countryside could never be said horrible, he spoilt her to the root every time he was around her, but Anna felt suffocated. She knew that once Gilbert back to his campaign, the people around her would treat her with coldness and she would be left alone again. She missed the time when she could gather all the ladies at the court and had a small music concern, she missed the walk in the Vienna woods, she wanted to see the newest opera and discussed with all her lady friends, stay up late at night read books in the library, or just wandering around Vienna and admire the beauty of Cathedrals and Palaces. Anna missed her freedom.

The situation between Austria and Prussia got worse by the end 1864. Austrian Court demanded Anna to be returned but Gilbert decided to keep her closer to him to make her a bargaining chip if the situation called for. He moved her to a more rural area and made sure she could not hear any news from Berlin or Vienna. Even put soldiers to guard her instead of normal servants. The Austrian Government sent men to rescue her, but since Gilbert hid her too well all the attempts had to be abandoned. Anna decided to plan her escape on her own. Somehow she succeeded this time and ran far away as best as she could just to realize, she lost. When Gilbert found her again, she already passed out from hunger and dehydration. He took care of her, but she refused to talk to him nor eat anything, only drank a little bit of water. A lot of drama happened here, but in the end could not see Annaliese suffering like that, Gilbert agreed to let Anna back in Vienna. A few months before the Austro-Prussian war happened.

Ludwig at first did not know much about his brother's relationship with Miss Austria except big historical event between them. However, during a summer holiday, while staying at the Beilschmidt country's house. He heard the people around told about a story of a Colonel and his mistress, the previous owner of this house. That the mistress was a noble lady from Austria, being kidnapped by the Colonel and locked here. Passed away while being held captive, the ghost of the Austrian lady was still full of hatred and haunted the place. When Ludwig asked his brother about this, he laughed and told him that just a silly old wives's tale. But Ludwig could sense that his brother was lying and when Miss Austria came to visit him, he saw the peasants nearby were afraid of her. That woman, she shared the same face as the Mistress. The peasant whispered like that and the rumor about the Austrian ghost returning to take revenge on the Colonel's descendants spread among the whole area and made Ludwig's vacation end sooner than planned. Back to Berlin, Ludwig did some of his own research and found out about his brother's marriage with Miss Austria. But until recently, Ludwig discovered that this marriage was still valid as his brother nor Miss Austria had never requested to annul this marriage yet. Now he understands why his brother can stay at Miss Austria's house without any of her protests about this.

------------------------------------------------

Credit to Aguste Von Harrach. Here a picture that I really like about her. (Thank you lady for inspiring me to write a whole fanfic plot for my OTP. Truly hope you got your own happiness right now than the previous life you got).

[cjoatprehn]

Survival Financial Request!

My mom’s been filing for bankruptcy, has been extremely financially stressed lately, and trying to get me over to her has been really stressful. She’s a burn victim from a Yankee Candle catching on fire on Halloween, she received 3rd degree burns on most of her body for trying to save her support dog. Between support animal costs, food, rent, and hospital recovery, she’s in dire need of aid. If y’all could and are in a position to help, could you send some money over, please, to help ensure she will be able to at the very least have some pressure off her shoulders? And a sweet note, if you want to—? Thank you…

Adding to this post-

I want to make clear I’ve been struggling to keep us and others afloat, and now I’m at a point in my life and health where I am no longer able to do so. They’re cutting away more food stamp money from many households in the legislature not just ours, and I’m in the process of moving to my mom’s to help out. And also—

I’m kinda Flipping out right now. I don’t want to lie, with the US being a 3rd world country now. I’m flipping out because last month…was the last month they would be giving food money in the 100s. With food so high and Rent higher. SSI—I don’t even know. …I’m smiling but I don’t know what else to do. My moms still recovering from 3rd degree burns, surgery, and trying to get me there, and I’ve learned that the Aunt that had control of late great grandma’s reservoir for funds…Help won’t last long.

I’m scared, and I’m losing hope. I don’t want to go out as the person who Fucking struggled and suffered their entire life, never got to flourish. …I’ve never thought of making a gofundme again. Every time I’ve made one it never reached anything. And…I-can’t even maintain a savings for long. If we run out of money or assistance, then my mom stops getting treatment. Her dog doesn’t get food or treatment…and we’ll lose the little we have left.

She doesn’t have any friends or many connections outside of herself or her former government job. So—I’m just—like—trying to convince her to.. at least accept my help. I know everyone’s not in the best financial situation to help but—I can’t continue giving good energy to the universe from an empty cup…so I really appreciate the support..!

For record only, no longer helping someone who wants to gaslight and abuse me. I’ve been evicted as of May 9th, 2023. I found a place to stay for last night and possibly tonight. After that I’m on the streets. I’ve accepted I might not make it. I’m bedbound forced to rest by my body and disabilities. My phone has been deactivated by my mom only to discover she can’t reactivate it due to my phone being 6-7 years old. It’s too old to be reactivated with its old line.

But…hey…I’m no longer at my abusive home situation. I don’t wish to tell my dad’s side of the family. My mom prolly let them know anyway. I don’t know for sure though.

…I’m so flipping screwed. Had to deactivate my throne, due to no longer having that address. So…I’m just.. Here. Waiting. Watching my time come closer.

Thread of some of the abuse from my mom. I don’t feel like typing it all here..

https://cjoatbysamwise.com/donate-to-cjoat

…I’m scared. But I don’t know what else to do so I’m accepting my fate and situation for now at least. So.

Here’s to updates..

Late Update:

Got yelled at, insulted, and screamed at by my mom through text. She’s called AT&T to lock everything down; I asked her for my account information. When she didn’t answer for the next 5-6 hours. I had AT&T send an email and a text to her & asked her for what they sent her. I got accused of hacking. I’m Not getting my phone line back.

Oh and to top it off, she sent me a picture of Storme laying outside of where I used to sleep. With Storme saying hi. I relayed a message to Storme. It would be a goodbye unless we meet again.

…So I’m unable to exactly…Do anything so. Just…Trying to calm my heart rate down…It’s been elevated all damn day…and increasing..

Good News: The Situation has Partly Cleared!

I cued a erasure on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which my mom gave me and then took away from me after snooping through my iPhone 8+ and kicking me out, as soon as it connects to the internet; that way, my mom gets to return the phone, she gets her $1K+ back, problem solved. However, twice my mom sent 2 “Reset Apple ID Password” pop-ups on my devices, which…fuck off, mom, tf?

In response, after checking with the select few, I have changed my Apple ID email, because she doesn’t know my Apple ID password. I will be working with Apple Customer Servicee to ensure she can not steal my Apple account through Screen Time (which is possible). Conclusively:

I have a bed and address, temporarily but for awhile, unsure of how long, definitely more than a few days. Right now, until things stabilize with assistance, I don’t have to pay yet, despite being willing to. Currently slowly getting out of survival mode. Many of my stuff remain at my mom’s. I am able to get another physical SIM for my phone. Throne should be showing and working now, because I now have a new address, temporary while I figure what to do from here. I am no longer am able to draw due to my stylus breaking and my disc tips running out. Still got to get back. Laptop is out of commission until I get a new laptop charger, or until I get my old one back. That’s the update for now.

…I’m…finally going to heal, now that I’m safe and in a warm & accepting, and lax environment.

Still going to need assistance, thank y’all so much for supporting me so far.

[skyethewolfwizard]

In times of despair I find myself within

It feels so unfair how they slaughter kin

My fellows just ended without a thought

Six feet below, nothing fended their shots

Yet I am here. Both a person of colour and queer

Every tear, shed for another one facing death

I know it's near, though it feels like it's right here

I continue to fear. Yet I continue to fight till the last breath.

I may be exhausted, yet I and many others persevere

Many have been executed, but we are still standing

Many more continue to suffer, and fear. Yet we are still here

I see so many issues and crisis, yet I still continue to be always fighting

Even now, even if I am tired and exhausted

Even if I am more uncertain and anxious

Even if I am fearful and in despair

I and many others hold on to the hope and certainty that our fight will yield a better world

Maybe we won't get it, maybe I won't be able to be myself after all

Maybe I will succumb to the same fate as many other trans people in my country

Or maybe this fight and fervour we have cultivated will allow us to have a beautiful world.

Will you be on the right side of history and join us to free the persecuted peoples of this earth?

[weirdestbooks]

Secrecy and Deception Chapter 7

Rebuilding Europe (Wattpad | Ao3)

Table of Contents | Prev | Next

Maverick in this chapter is in reference to America. It was his human name in 1947 and James always refers to America by his human name.

Event: Truman Doctrine 

Location: Joint Session of Congress, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America

Date: March 12, 1947

James was tired. He hated getting involved with Maverick’s complicated politics, but it was his job to ensure things ran smoothly with Maverick gone for the past few days. Luckily, DC was with him and could translate the speech into the language of politics all country people seemed to speak.

“The gravity of the situation which confronts the world today necessitates my appearance before a joint session of the Congress. The foreign policy and the national security of this country are involved,” President Truman said at the Joint Session of Congress. James tried his best to pay attention, as he knew this speech was necessary, and America would want a rundown of what President Truman said.

He started his speech by explaining how one aspect of the present situation concerned Greece and Turkey. President Truman explained that Greece needed financial and economic assistance and that preliminary reports said that assistance was imperative for Greece to survive as a free nation.

James knew that well. Greece has been speaking to Maverick when he can and asking for assistance. Greece seemed so scared about his chances of survival, which was reasonable, especially since, according to him, the Communist fighters had their own personification.

James was worried for Greece and didn’t want to see another nation fall under the Soviet Union’s control. He had witnessed and fought in America’s Civil War, and he knew that civil wars were bloody and horrific. He knew Greece had reason to be scared, and he was glad that Maverick was doing something to help instead of just sitting by and waiting for Greece to die.

“I think it’s cause he’s finally stopped ignoring everyone else.” Caleb pointed out.

President Truman then explained that he didn’t believe any American wanted to ignore the appeal. He described how Greece wasn’t rich and had suffered invasion and occupation since 1940.

James sighed. Greece was one example of a country still struggling because of the Second World War. James and his family were lucky to be on a different continent. It made it easier for them to stay out of wars and recover.

President Truman then talked about how the liberators of Greece had found that the Germans had destroyed all communications and transportation in Greece, as well as burned over a thousand villages. President Truman also explained that eighty-five percent of children had tuberculous and that livestock and draft animals had disappeared, with inflation wiping out all other savings.

James frowned. That was the fate of many of the countries occupied by Germany. Thankfully, that bastard’s gone, although James thinks he could speak for everyone when he says he wished that Germany suffered more when he died.

“Careful, Uncle. You keep up that attitude, and you’ll start thinking like a countryhuman before long.” Unorganized Territory joked.

“As a result of these tragic conditions, a militant minority, exploiting human want and misery, was able to create political chaos which, until now, has made economic recovery impossible.” President Truman said.

If Greece can’t recover, it will be more susceptible to awful people who made big promises. That’s what happened to Weimar, and it ultimately killed her.

Even if Greece’s problems were not the same, they were similar enough to concern James. Greece was…well, Greece didn’t know James existed, but James was a citizen of an allied country to Greece, and it was his duty to help.

President Truman then explained that Greece didn’t have the funds to import goods essential to bear subsistence and that, because of that, it could not make progress in reconstruction. He explained that financial and economic assistance was needed to resume imports and restore internal order and security.

James really hoped Congress agreed with this, especially since the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia were probably working against Greece and supporting the communist personification. 

“We don’t know that,” Rebecca pointed out. James suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, knowing it would look bad for Maverick. Sure, they didn’t know that, but it wouldn’t surprise James. Even though he loved his nieces and nephews and loved Maverick like a brother, he distrusted countries greatly. He spent too long around them not to. 

President Truman then told Congress about how the Greek Government had asked for the assistance of American administrators, economists, and technicians to ensure that any aid given would be used effectively to stabilize Greece’s economy and improve his public administration.

It seems Greece was very dedicated to getting help now, so once things improved, they would never get that bad again, at least. That’ll reassure Maverick’s people that any aid they give Greece will be put to good use. 

President Truman then began talking about how Communist terrorists threatened Greece’s life and how an UN-appointed commission was investigating the terrorists and their border violations between Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia.

The Soviet Union and his lackeys and puppets were causing a lot of trouble, and James didn’t think this would be the last time. James sighed. He knew the Soviet Union was trouble initially, but no one wanted to listen to him then.

President Truman then began talking about how the Greek Government could not cope with the situation, how the Greek army was small and poorly equipped, and how it badly needed supplies to restore order. He explained that Greece needed assistance to become a self-supporting democracy and that the United States must supply that assistance. President Truman explained that they had already given Greece types of relief and economic aid that had proven inadequate.

Greece had been telling Maverick that at every given opportunity. He was panicked and anxious. It hurt James to see how, even with the war over, people still suffered greatly because of it. He was glad they would do more—that they could do more.

President Truman explained that democratic Greece could not turn to other nations, as no one else could support them. Britain, which had been supporting Greece, had to stop providing aid because he was having his own financial issues.

Almost all nations involved in the Second World War were having financial issues. America didn’t because it had benefited economically from this war, especially since it had just started selling weapons.

James sighed. That’s why they needed to help Greece. They were the only nation that could afford to help, that could help.

“It’s our duty to help,” Caleb said wryly. 

President Truman explained that they considered help from the UN but that the situation was too urgent and that the UN was not in a position to help. The president also explained that it was necessary to note that the Greek Government wanted them to supervise the funds and help Greece improve his public administration and that all money used would be used to make Greece a self-supporting and healthy democracy.

Trust me, Mr. President. James thought, Greece will definitely be using any money and aid we give him well. He needs it.

President Truman explained that no government was perfect and that a virtue of democracy was that defects were visible and could be pointed out and corrected. The president explained that the government of Greece was not perfect, but they were elected fairly.

Who had a perfect government? Maybe Greece’s government wasn’t ideal, but his people picked it. The communist government had not. James knew the government was unwanted and would only lead to the misery of Greece’s people.

James didn’t want that to happen. Greece’s people had been through enough occupations and unwanted governments.

President Truman explained that the Greek Government had been operating in an atmosphere of chaos and extremism and had made mistakes. He explained that by extending aid, the USA would not condone everything the Greek government had done. The USA will condone extremism from the left and the right and will always advise tolerance.

But no one will practice it. Countries and humans all liked hating each other for the dumbest of reasons. James had seen it before, and he would surely see it again. There were reasonable reasons to hate each other, of course, but some of it was so idiotic that it made James wonder how many of these countries were supposed to be hundreds of years old.

President Truman then explained that Turkey also deserved their attention. He explained that the future of Turkey as an independent state was no less important to freedom-loving people than Greece's, even if the circumstances between the two countries were very different. The president explained that Turkey was spared the disasters Greece had and that during the war, the USA and the UK had given him material aid, but that he still needed support.

“Everyone is so broke right now. It’s like the Great Depression all over again.” Caleb groaned.

“Except we didn’t start it this time,” Rebecca said calmly.

President Truman explained that Turkey had sought financial assistance from the UK and the USA since the war to modernize effectively and maintain its national integrity. The president explained that preserving order in the Middle East depended on that integrity. The UK had informed them they could no longer help Turkey due to their own financial difficulties.

“We all saw how destroyed London was when we were there. I’m surprised he was giving aid for as long as he was.” Rebecca said, some sort of wishful hope in her voice. James sighed.

“Becca,” Caleb chided warningly.

“I know, I know. Let a girl dream,” she murmured. James would never understand Rebecca’s affection towards Britain. At least she realized that her former opinions were wrong and unrealistic, but she seemed to cling to some hope that Britain was the wonderful father and person she thought he was. 

In any case, Rebecca’s attitude towards Britain wasn’t important right now.

President Truman explained that just like Greece, Turkey can only get the aid he needs from the US, and they are the only country able to help. The president explained that he understood the implications of their extending aid and that he was prepared to discuss them with Congress. 

James knew the implications of their long policy of isolation ending, but he was okay with that. He'd rather help than bury his head in the sand.

President Truman explained that one objective of the US’s foreign policy was to create conditions for nations to create a way of life free from coercion. He explained that that was a fundamental issue with the wars with Germany and Japan, and victory was won over countries that sought to impose their will and way of life on other nations.

The Soviet Union seems to want to do this. They're a threat and a reasonably big one. The Soviet government influences Eastern and Central Europe, and who knows how much of its control it is forcing onto those countries. 

Especially in the Baltics. James needed to get his brother to make it official that they didn’t recognize the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, and James needed to see if he could see them. James pushed that thought aside. Now wasn’t the time for thinking about the Baltics. That was for another time.

President Truman then explained that to ensure the peaceful development of nations, the US helped to establish the UN, which was designed to provide lasting freedom and independence for all members. President Truman then explained that these objectives would not be realized until they were willing to help free peoples maintain their institutions and national integrity against those who wish to impose totalitarian regimes. The president explains that those regimes undermine the foundations of international peace and the UN.

Germany, Japan, and Facist Italy were all totalitarian regimes that tried to destroy international peace. If they didn’t try to prevent those regimes from appearing again, they could have a Third or Fourth World War. Protecting other democracies from non-democracies was one of the best ways to prevent those regimes from coming about in the first place. They could only exist if they were given a suitable climate.

President Truman explained that many peoples of many countries have recently had totalitarian regimes unwillingly forced on them and that the US has protested against coercion and intimidation, in violation of the Yalta agreement, in Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria, and that similar developments were underway in other countries.

James scowled, the familiar feeling of worry growing in his stomach. He was worried about those countries, worried about whether or not they could control their minds and what may be happening to them. The Soviet Union was a threat to democracy. He was a threat to freedom-loving people. 

James’ family needed to limit his influence and protect others he threatened, such as Greece and Turkey.

President Truman explained that nearly every nation must choose between alternative ways of life at this moment and that the choice is often not a free one. The president explains that one way of life is based on the majority's will and is distinguished by free institutions, representative government, free elections, guarantees of individual liberty, freedom of speech and religion, and freedom from political oppression.

James hopes all countries will one day be able to experience this way of life, especially those who have never been allowed to. 

President Truman then explained that the second way of life is based on the will of a minority forced on the majority, one that relies on terror and oppression, controlling the press, manipulating elections, and suppressing personal freedoms.

That’s the kind of government Soviet had. And the type of government that started the Second World War. It was a kind of government that shouldn’t be allowed to exist. James didn’t want that kind of government to exist.

President Truman explained that he thought the US must support the attempts of free peoples to resist armed minorities and outside pressure. He believed the US must assist free peoples in working out their destinies and that their help could come primarily through economic and financial aid.

Supporting free people across the globe would be a lot of work, but it would be a noble goal, and James would be happy to try to accomplish it, no matter the workload.

“Just don’t overextend yourself. It won’t do anyone any good, especially with Dad’s lack of care for his own safety.” Unorganized Territory said.

President Truman then explained that the status quo was not sacred but that changes that violate the UN Charter through coercion or subterfuges like political infiltration could not be allowed. By helping free and independent nations maintain their own freedoms, the US would be implementing the principles of the UN Charter.

Especially since the governments of certain nations seem to ignore those principles when it fulfill their own goals, James thought, annoyed.

President Truman explained that it was necessary to glance at a map and realize how vital Greece's survival and integrity were to the broader situation. If Greece fell, the effects on Turkey would be severe, leading to confusion and disorder throughout the Middle East. It would also have a profound impact on European countries whose people were struggling to maintain their freedom and independence while healing from the war.

If Greece falls and becomes another country under the influence of the Soviet government, then who knows what country will fall next? Which country will become the next communist state? If it spread across Europe, then the Soviet Union would be the master of Europe and its colonies. It’s a slippery slope and a dangerous game.

Like most things involving countries.

“It’s too much to ask them to behave like humans for once,” Caleb sighed.

President Truman explained that it would be an unspeakable tragedy if those countries, which had struggled long and hard for freedom, lost it to a totalitarian government. He said it would be disastrous for them and the world and that neighboring peoples would be the first to see their freedom and independence undone.

That’s precisely what James was worried about. If democracy falls…there will be horrible consequences for all nations.

President Truman explained that if they failed to aid Greece and Turkey now, the effect would be far-reaching in both East and West and that they must take immediate action. President Truman then asked Congress to provide him with the authority to assist Greece and Turkey before requesting a sum of 400 million from the 350 million that he asked Congress to authorize to prevent starvation and suffering in countries devastated by the war.

That was a large sum of money, but it was money that Greece needed. They aren’t directly threatened by communism, not yet, in any case. But Greece is. He needs that money. 

President Truman also asked Congres to authorize sending American civilian and military personnel to Greece and Turkey, at the country’s request, to assist in reconstructing and supervising the use of the given aid. The president also recommended that the authority be provided to instruct and train select Turkish and Greek personnel. 

Although James wanted to help them both, he and Maverick couldn’t do everything for them. They would assist them, make sure they used it correctly, help them use it in a way that benefited them the most, and make sure their people could continue doing that without them. A nation that relies entirely on another country is not truly independent.

President Truman concluded his requests by asking Congress to provide authority permitting the speediest and most effective use of the funds. He said that if more funds were needed, he would not hesitate to bring the matter before Congress again, explaining that the Executive and Legislative branches had to work together.

“The branches working together? Good luck with that.” Caleb snarked, causing James to bite back a laugh.

President Truman explained that he would not recommend it except that the alternative was more serious, that the US contributed 341 billion to winning WW2, and that it was an investment in world peace and freedom. He explained that the assistance he requested was much less than that, and it was only common sense that the US needed to safeguard their investment and ensure it was not in vain.

If the Second World War was in vain…oh, James didn’t want to think about what it could mean for the world. It was time to be hopeful, to try and fix the world. Worrying about the possibility of it breaking wasn’t going to help.

President Truman explained that the seeds of totalitarian regimes were nurtured by misery and want. They spread and grew in poverty and strife, reaching their total growth when the hope of a people for a better future died. President Truman explained that they must keep that hope alive and that the free peoples of the world looked to them for support in maintaining their freedoms,

They would have to prevent strife and poverty in Europe. Oh, that’s going to be an absolute nightmare of a job.

“If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world -- and we shall surely endanger the welfare of our own nation. Great responsibilities have been placed upon us by the swift movement of events. I am confident that the Congress will face these responsibilities squarely.” President Truman finished. 

———————————

After waiting for the session of Congress to end, a period during which James might have fallen asleep, DC and he left the building, talking to each other about President Truman’s speech.

“Well, that was an interesting speech,” DC said.

“President Truman makes a good point, though. We need to support other nations, especially with the Soviet Union’s desire to gain control over more countries.” James said before yawning. DC shot him a concerned look.

“I wonder how much is him and how much is the government, Uncle James. You know the free will of countries only goes so far. You’re lucky in that regard.” Unorganized Territory said bitterly.

“You should get some sleep, Uncle James. More than the sleep you got in Congress. You haven’t been sleeping well ever since the war ended.” She said.

“I know, I know, I’m working on it. America can’t sleep, and the new stresses have made it harder, not to mention the old ones aren’t going away. Speaking of old problems, has anyone heard from Confederacy?” James asked.

“He saved Dad’s life in Okinawa.” DC reminded him. James sighed.

“I don’t trust him. There’s something off about it all. He’s a living ghost, and it would be better if he weren’t here to haunt us.” James explained.

“You’re really talking like a country now,” Unorganized Territory said.

“I’m not talking like a country, Nize. I’m talking like a concerned citizen and brother and uncle. That Confederate is only gonna cause problems.” James said. DC rolled her eyes.

“He’s not going to do anything stupid. We should be worried about real problems, like the Soviet Union, not your theories about the Confederacy being evil,” she said. James sighed again.

Country people were so prone to tunnel vision. James wished that, for once, they tried to see things like humans. He knew it was a fantastical wish, but it was a nice one. If they became tunnel-visioned in helping everyone else, they would no longer be able to help themselves.

Instead of voicing the idea he knew would fall on deaf ears, James decided to sink away from control to think, leaving Unorganized Territory to control their body.

Sometimes, he wished he could just be a normal human.

[wuxiaphoenix]

Book Review: The Lord Julian Mysteries

The Lord Julian Mysteries, by Grace Burrowes, start with A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times. I’m reviewing them as a group because I’ve read all five out on Kindle so far, and I have them on my list of “I want to get the paperbacks to snuggle for comfort reading.” Five out of five stars, blissfully clever Regency mysteries.

And I do mean blissful, to anyone who has frayed nerves from the general morass we’ve all been dealing with lately. Nobody dies.

Granted, there are insults and injuries, and it’s just after the Napoleonic Wars, so an awful lot of people have died. And some of those deaths have left thorny knots of inheritance, allegiance, and ill feelings to sort out. But the mysteries themselves are not about finding a murderer. The consequences are all to the living. Blackmail, assaults, dognapping, persons gone missing, did someone leave an illegitimate (but in fact very welcome) heir behind. Lord Julian Caldicott investigates them all, discreetly.

...Or as discreet as you can be when half the ton’s decided you betrayed your country, even when the military cleared you. Bit awkward, that.

And this is where the Lord Julian mysteries succeed and a lot of other recent stories trying to show their protagonists as “heroic underdogs” fail. Lord Julian did not start life as a persecuted man.

He did, however, start it as a bastard. An actual, legitimized bastard; though he bears the Caldicott name, he doesn’t know who his father is. (Though he supposedly has suspicions.) Still, his mother’s husband acknowledged him as a son, and few outside the family are any wiser. He grew up a normal, loved, third son of a duke; not the heir, nor even the spare. And he admits that before he went off to war he was very young and stupid.

He was a reconnaissance officer, and good at it. But so was his older brother Harry, and when Harry got caught... Julian tried to get him out. That went very badly. Warning, there’s nothing extremely graphic, but various kinds of torture are mentioned and it’s pretty clear Lord Julian suffers from PTSD. He’s getting better. Slowly.

And then his godmother invites him to a house party.

Shenanigans ensue, including meeting up with an old flame he truly respects, searching for an assailant, a battle on the lawn with lawn darts, a horse stolen, all kinds of insults and societal posturing, and finally uncovering a thoroughly nasty villain who had no compunctions about taking advantage of anyone and everyone around him.

But the villain gets caught.

Because even exhausted, battling his symptoms, and all the disdain of High Society, Lord Julian is not going to leave his friend Lady Hyperia West when she needs help. He has learned from his experiences - even the torture. He’s become a wiser and better man. And that man is an investigator.

Yet he couldn’t have done that if he hadn’t believed, truly believed, that he was a decent person, and loved. And therefore honor-bound to act like a decent person, even in the face of what seemed overwhelming odds and the scorn of all around him.

Lord Julian did not start life persecuted, but he faces that fate now. He has a bad reputation with many; he’ll always be facing an uphill battle with those determined to believe he betrayed England. But he acts as a good, decent, and smart man. He is a hero.

Too many writers start with every man’s hand against their character, and an upbringing that not only skipped over moral, it didn’t even read it in the dictionary. This is wrong. To make a hero, you need love.

...Yes, and then have some horrible things happen to them. But there has to be love. Always.

The quiet love in this series, between Julian and Hyperia, and Julian and his family - the honor and respect he gives to every person he deals with - is not to be missed.