#can we talk about forbidden 8th side yet

[boygirlctommy]

it’d be really cool if the tss season finale could come out before the 1 year anniversary of wtit but. that’s in about a month. this video is NOT coming out within a month it’ll be at least 4 more before he starts editing

[sorry-i-ship-drarry]

This probably was a complex idea but here goes. I tried my best. Hope I met your expectations @bleurlover12

Love him or lose your clothes

"Now for today's special announcement , forbidden forest is still out of bounds , third floor halls are forbidden for anyone below 3rd year and a list of all that I can see right now is stuck outside Mr. Filch's office, kindly do the favour of actually going through it once " Ms. McGonagall announced with stern look , the new headmastress of Hogwarts. There were a few snickers around the hall which came to a halt as soon as she began speaking again

" Now for the more important announcements for the year, as we have all have suffered immensely in the period of war and many were on the run due to the investigations in the ministry or otherwise , the school have decided to keep recapitulation classes for the students in 8th year who have missed the entire year and wish to learn " Minerva briefly looked at Ron , Hermione and harry , who weren't surprised to know that they did get indirect attention .

" the recapitulation classes would only cover the important topics of the year and an exam at the end of march which will not be accounted for in the future or the year exams . These will only be experimental classes without any of the theoretical homework if you have wondered . We understand the immense amount of grief you all have suffered but it is important for every wizard and witch who dreams to end up somewhere to know what they will face outside. I repeat the classes will only be for year 8th and year 7th students if they wish to join. The rest of the information would be given in the classes . Interested students may drop by my office and submit their names later. To the next part , to build unity among school, we have arranged inter house collective quidditch matches. For the rest of the year Slytherin and Gryffindor House will be one team and Hufflepuff and ravenclaw will be one team who will play against another. Off you go now " Minerva ended her speech with immense amount of groans from the entire hall. Quidditch as Harry liked to think was the only way to let off some heat if he was mad at the other house, especially Slytherin but now as they had been combined it would be rather difficult .

As months went by, quidditch faced more and more trouble for Slytherin and gryffindor team, the problem being there couldn't be 2 seekers coming from the history that Draco and harry both were great seekers. As more and more trouble began to come up , it was decided that only for the position of seeker there will be 2 players for each team meaning 4 seekers in total and 2 snitches to be caught.

This might've developed in the quidditch practices that harry declared he neither hated Draco nor liked him any more than anyone else. The only problem however was, he was lying to himself. There wasn't a Doubt that draco had changed quite a lot in the past few months and that might've made harry question his sexuality. It was after one of the practices when he was getting into the showers he bumped into Draco who had just gotten out of the shower. While harry was either busy looking at the scars on draco's exposed chest or looking at his exposed body, he didn't know, draco had been telling him something that harry didn't quite get.

" are you even listening ?" Draco snapped his fingers in front of Harry's face. He finally looked up to draco's face which held an amused smile.

" I said there isn't enough hot water left " Draco replied smirking when harry didn't say anything. In the thick intensity of the moment harry without a word hurriedly left for the common room, again shared with Slytherin. Harry liked to believe that it was done purposely to torture him right now. It didn't help that draco showed up not more than 15 minutes later and didn't stop smirking at harry. The moment however soon died out in a couple of days.

Everything was fine or not weird as harry liked to believe until the week before Christmas . Harry was going back from potions recapitulation classes (which frankly harry still hated to be in, if it wasn't for Hermione he wouldn't had joined at all) when he realised he had accidentally picked up draco's wand instead of his. The only problem with it was that he had look almost everywhere for draco until he finally found him in astronomy tower ( he really was slow at using marauders map) . Draco didn't refuse Harry's invitation and they ended up talking about a lot more than they let on, harry blamed the firewhiskey that draco smuggled for finding draco's presence downright pleasing.

It was the next day during disapparation lessons things got a bit too suspicious for harry. It was as if whatever harry liked to do now involved Slytherin and more specifically, a particular Slytherin, Draco which only made things for harry bit more difficult.

" now I know most of you have already learnt apparation however a few of you aren't ministry approved yet. If anyone who's already ministry approved is more than welcome to leave or stay" as soon Mr. Lloyd said a few students left the classroom, leaving harry, Draco, Ron, Hermione by choice, Dean, Seamus again by choice or not a choice who knew and a couple others. The leftover students were immediately put into pairs and they began with the lesson.

Harry and draco stood alongside listening to the instructions carefully and soon started performing. The weird thing was right after alongside apparation between harry Draco, harry noticed something strange .

" where's your tie ?" Harry asked . Draco furrowed his eyebrows slowly touching around his neck only to find his tie was missing. It wasn't the only thing, harry was suddenly very much aware of his missing sock in his left foot. They assumed it might've loosened before apparation and fell out and It was indeed on the floor. This didn't however help the fact that his sock was missing. He looked back at Ron and held the same expression as harry, as if a part of the clothing was missing. They didn't really talk about it and the next day again came back for apparation tests. Harry again apparated along with Draco and this time he was aware of his lost belt which harry later on found behind draco's legs. Draco had a missing missing shoe. Their curiosity lingered on but they assumed that it was something wrong that they were doing because nobody else in the room seemed to have missing a shoe or a sock or in his case a belt except ofcourse Ron who frankly harry thought was just as wrong as him.

Harry and draco decided they'd practice the apparation in hogsmeade after hanging out together like Hermione had suggested to do but no matter what they tried something was missing and each time more items were missing. It was just after harry has lost his shirt while practicing that they came to halt. It got more awkward than he had liked to admit, it was the same as the day of that quidditch practise because draco was left speechless. Harry himself wanted to tease Draco for staring but had simply obliged with not doing so.

They practiced for a few more days after their usual hang out at astronomy tower until one day they both were rendered with nothing but boxers while practicing. They knew something was definitely wrong but were too embarrassed to say anything. As a few more seconds went it became hot and bothering for both of them that they dressed up and decided not to practice anymore and maybe practice with someone who had already passed the test. The weird part was, they both knew apparation very well.

Their questions weren't answered until among the last few lessons of apparation Hermione had questioned something almost just as embarrassed as harry was that day.

"Mr. Lloyd are there any other potential side effects of apparation other than splinching ?"

" oh yes my girl " he smiled " it's not a very discussed side effect considering its only applicable for young men and not women and in most cases not even evident "

" do you think we had potential side effects ?" Draco whispered in Harry's ear, if only draco knew how much it bothered him. Harry shrugged off knowing if he opened his mouth his voice would come out high pitched.

" you see if a young man have unrealised attraction towards someone then during a side along apparation they might lose their clothing while disapparating . It might even be little things if the feelings aren't that strong but the stronger the feelings are the more you'll lose the clothing. However it's only applicable during side along apparation with their love interest and not otherwise. This might somehow be used to identify your lover or soon to be lover , something like amrotentia " mr. Llyod ended with a strange smile over his face, as if he was almost proud of not sharing that information earlier.

If harry didn't know any better the situation between Draco and harry grew much more awkward than it was previously and the entire lesson they couldn't stop blushing. Harry looked at Ron behind and he knew that Ron had experienced the strange side effect with none other than Hermione, he chose not to ask him about it.

When the lesson ended harry walked out along with draco not breaking the silence until Draco spoke up " so I guess now you know "

" I guess now we both know " harry replied much more in the sense that they had come face to face with the fact that they had feelings for each other that they didn't know of. Maybe it started from after the day of quidditch practice or maybe it was the playful lessons, he couldn't care anymore . He liked draco and that was the bottom line.

" so..." Draco turned to harry blushing Scarlett red while running the back of his neck nervously.

" I think it's better if the next time we do apparation we're doing it after a date " harry smiled. Draco was almost shocked and embarrassed of thinking about the aftermath of the date " really !"

" I think there's nothing more left for us to do right!" Harry replied shrugging. Draco smiled at harry and nodded .

" I'll send you the note for the date then" harry replied awkwardly. Draco bit his lip lightly before nodding and walked back to the tower together.

" harry ?" Draco held harry back by his wrist before entering the dorm tower.

Harry turned to Draco with a confused expression.

His confusion was washed away when Draco lightly pecked Harry's cheeks " I look forward to the date harry potter " and he left.

Harry was left there blushing to himself lightly touching where draco had kissed his cheek. It felt nice harry thought. It was better than nice and harry entered his room and giddily threw himself onto the bed. He felt like a teenage girl.

It was after the first date that the losing clothes after apparation did not matter much, they had already planned the night anyways.

Side along prompts

Day 2- running finger through the hair

Day 3- hiding face in the neck

[tigerkirby215]

5e Oleander, the Dark Unicorn build (Them’s Fightin’ Herds)

(Artwork by Mane 6)

My brain completely didn’t register that it was spooky month, even though ironically I made a build for literal Satan last week. Where do you go after making the pure embodiment of evil? …Unicorns are scary, right? I mean they’re certainly scarier than a scarecrow.

GOALS

My magic may be dark, but it will bring light to the world - It seems all you need to do to get phenomenal cosmic power is read a cursed book. We’ll need teleportation, chapter traps, and Eldritch Shadow Blasts.

Or dark; either one - Oli’s got friends on the other side... of the page. FHTNG, I summon thee!

I don't have the time or crayons to teach you how to fight! - You’re still a fighting game character so you’ve still got to be able to throw a punch. Or stab with a horn in your case.

RACE

If you want to be a unicorn the closest you’ll get is Centuar, but even if you ignore the stats Centaur isn’t that great for you. Almost all the abilities are based on keeping in melee range, and you’re mostly played as a zoner.

With that in mind you’re only half under the influence of darkness, so how about a Drow Half-Elf for all the fun of being a Drow without the penalties and lore connotations of being a female Drow? (Feel free to play a full Drow if you wish just realize that you’re getting Sunlight Sensitivity which is seriously obnoxious.) Your Charisma increases by 2 and you can increase another two abilities by 1: Dexterity and Constitution will let you dodge some hits and tank what few hits do connect. You have Darkvision up to 60 feet and your Fey Ancestry gives you advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

As a Drow Half-Elf you can pick up Drow Magic for a bit of extra spark in your shadow sparks which I’ll go over at the appropriate levels. And you get Common, Elvish, and one additional language of your choice so grab Deep Speech to talk with Fred. (Note: Depending on your DM Fred may not speak Deep Speech.)

ABILITY SCORES

15; DEXTERITY - You’re as nimble as a horse, because you are a horse. (That, and I want this ability score to be even.)

14; CHARISMA - You are the prettiest unicorn with a mane as white as... well it was white.

13; CONSTITUTION - When in the business of fighting cows, ice deer, and sheep with armies of puppies you’ve gotta be able to take a hit.

12; INTELLIGENCE - Read enough books and you’re bound to get some smarts, even if that book is alive and is teaching you how to manipulate darkness.

10; WISDOM - Oli is a smart cookie. Not smart enough to realize that reading the demon book would make your coat black, but still pretty smart.

8; STRENGTH - I’d argue that a head horn is a finesse weapon, and simply put we need everything else more.

BACKGROUND

To find a forbidden shadow book you’ve gotta know your way around a library, and as a Sage you know exactly that. You get proficiency in Arcana and History along with two languages of your choice (to maximize Demonology take Infernal and Abyssal, though you may want to talk to your extended family with Sylvan or Celestial.)

Your Researcher feature will always let you know where to find a book that you may need. It may not be easy to find (if it’s back home with your old friends they probably won’t welcome you in) but you’ll know where to go to grab it.

(Artwork by Linvidia on DeviantArt)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - WARLOCK 1

Hey it’s the funny class I use too much! Jokes aside you literally get your magic from an otherworldly being so what else would you be? Regardless Warlocks get proficiency in two skills from the Warlock list: Investigation will help you search for the key and Intimidation will let you scare away anyone who’ll try to stop you.

Unlike most classes Warlocks choose their subclass at level 1, and there’s certainly a lot to pick from. But without any Shadow patron who is there to choose? Well the Archfey patron can recreate a lot of Fred’s powers. Notably Fey Presence will let Fred give your foes a jump! As an action you can cause each creature near you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your Warlock save DC: the creatures that fail their saving throws are either charmed or frightened by you until the end of your next turn. Consider the charm being you and your natural unicorn beauty. Regardless you can use this action once per short or long rest.

And of course as a Warlock you get access to Pact Magic. You learn two cantrips from the Warlock list and hey look it’s Eldritch Blast: for the shadow spark in you. To rip out some pages take Create Bonfire to lay down some Chapter Traps. Now would also be a good time to mention that thanks to Drow Magic you also get access to the Dancing Lights cantrip, in case you’re in a dark cave and your Darkvision isn’t enough.

You can also learn two first level spells: Arms of Hadar will let you stick a tentacle out of your book to give yourself space to back away from your enemies. To make it easier to get past an opponent’s block Faerie Fire from the Archfey list will light up an opponent’s weak spot to give you and your allies advantage. It helps to know the hitboxes.

LEVEL 2 - WARLOCK 2

Second level Warlocks get access to Eldritch Invocations and oh hello there Agonizing Blast! How did you get here? Jokes aside for your other invocation grab Armor of Shadows to keep it light and still be up for a fight!

You can also learn another spell: Sleep is also from the Archfey list and as the name implies it’ll put your enemies to sleep! No one likes late night fights, especially with net lag.

LEVEL 3 - WARLOCK 3

Third level Warlocks can choose their Pact Boon and since your best friend lives in a book you’ve gotta take Pact of the Tome. As a Tome Warlock you get the Unicornomicon Book of Shadows, in which you can inscribe three cantrips from any class’ spell list. Guidance is never a bad thing to have so I’d start with that; get Fred to help you with your research, as he’s literally a living book! Thaumaturgy will let you channel some shadow magic to do spooky stuff like make candles flicker or create ominous whispers. And to channel some of your unicorn magic take Druidcraft to shape nature somewhat.

You can also now learn second level spells: for some short range teleportation take Misty Step to vanish in a puff of darkness. And remember that Faerie Fire spell? Thanks to Drow Magic you can cast it once per long rest without using a spell slot.

LEVEL 4 - WARLOCK 4

4th level Warlocks get an Ability Score Improvement: increase your Charisma to be the prettiest unicorn of darkness.

You can also learn another spell along with another cantrip! For your cantrip take Prestidigitation to complete the trifecta of minor magic mastery. As for leveled spells Mirror Image will let you up your dodging game, putting you in four places at once to make it much harder for your enemy to hit you!

(Artwork by Angelzillah on DeviantArt)

LEVEL 5 - WARLOCK 5

5th level Warlocks get another Eldritch Invocation and hopefully you didn’t expect Fred to do nothing but whisper sweet nothings to you, right? With Book of Ancient Secrets you can spend some time reading to cast a variety of spells! When you take this invocation you learn two 1st level spells with the Ritual tag like Detect Magic and Identify to help you find the key or anything else of importance. You can now cast those spells as Ritual spells, as well as any Warlock spells you may learn with the Ritual tag. You can also inscribe new Ritual spells into Fred your Book of Shadows at a cost of 50 gp and 2 hours per level of the spell.

And speaking of spells you can learn third level spells at this level such as Fear, which causes fear in your enemies. Funny how that works. Additionally thanks to Drow Magic you can cast the Darkness spell once per Long Rest, to turn off the lights and let Fred out to play. Sadly you don’t have Fred yet, and it should be mentioned that most people can’t see through the dark.

LEVEL 6 - WARLOCK 6

6th level Archfey Warlocks get some more potent teleportation with Misty Escape. When you take damage you can use your reaction to turn invisible and teleport up to 60 feet. You remain invisible until the start of your next turn unless you attack or cast a spell. You can only use this super teleport once per short or long rest, but it should be enough for some mix-ups right?

Speaking of mix-ups you can put your opponents in a dizzy state with Hypnotic Pattern. Just remember that hitting them will break them out of it.

LEVEL 7 - WARLOCK 7

7th level Warlocks can learn 4th level spells like Dimension Door for some cross-map teleports.

You can also grab another Eldritch Invocation! Trickster’s Escape will let you tech out of grabs. Is Freedom of Movement overly situational? Yes! Are there better invocations to choose? Yes! Are they in character? No! But anything can be in character if you want it to be!

LEVEL 8 - WARLOCK 8

8th level Warlocks get an Ability Score Improvement so cap off your Charisma to be a master of shadows.

You can also learn another spell and I think it’s about time: Dark spirits, twist the trees, foul the lake, and curse this land! FHTNG I SUMMON THEE! Summon Aberrant Spirit is an Unearthed Arcana spell likely to be in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything that lets you summon a tentacle monster from beyond! Fred can take the form of a Beholderkin, Slaadi, or Star Spawn.

Star Spawn is probably the closest to Fred, attacking a creature’s mind with his attacks and also having an aura that drains at their sanity. The Slaadi is a good tank that can also counter cheese strats by denying healing. And the Beholderkin? Well it can fly and shoot at range. Fred’s a demon of many forms, and he’s also fun at parties!

(Artwork by probablyfakeblonde on DeviantArt)

LEVEL 9

Now that we’ve got our book smarts it’s time to improve our combat smarts. If you’re going to fight predators you need to have the best combat training possible, which is why we’ll be going into the class that is the most well-known for expertise in combat...

BARD 1

The Bard class, master of close-ranged combat with expertise in every skill required to keep you in a fight. Jokes aside first level Bards get proficiency with a skill of their choice (Perception would further help with spotting danger or potential keyholders) and a musical instrument. (Pan Flutes seem in character for a forest child.) Bards also get Bardic Inspiration at first level, letting you pull out an assist to give allies a d6 to attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws.

But most notably Bards get more Spellcasting! You get two cantrips from the Bard list: to weaponize salt take Vicious Mockery, for BM so bad your opponent messes up. Psychological warfare! And since you don’t have hands of your own as a unicorn (you do as a half-elf though) grab Mage Hand to use your magic to grab things with your horn.

You can also learn 4 spells from the Bard list: for some dark powers manipulating your foes take Dissonant Whispers. For some dark powers helping you take Unseen Servant. To recover more easily from air combos take Feather Fall. And for some push-blocking take Thunderwave for more push and less block.

LEVEL 10 - BARD 2

Second level Bards get Jack of All Trades, letting you add half your proficiency bonus to any skill you aren’t already proficient in. Dark magic works in strange and mysterious ways... and Fred’s a long book. You also get Song of Rest to let your allies heal an extra d6 during short rests, which is nice because you’re going to be short resting a lot as a Warlock. I mean, you’re level 10 so a d6 of healing probably isn’t going to help much but...

You can also learn another spell like Bane, giving your opponents some input lag to open them up for attacks.

LEVEL 11 - BARD 3

Third level Bards get Expertise in two skills of their choice: Arcana will make you the master of the arcane, and Intimidation... you have a literal demon as your best friend.

But more importantly you can choose your Bard college and to actually gain some combat proficiency go into the College of Valor. Along with proficiency in medium armor, martial weapons, and shields (Oli doesn’t wear armor but Medium Armor might be nice. The only weapon you’ll really be using is a rapier but if your DM allows it there’s no reason not to equip a shield?) you also further your assists with Combat Inspiration, allowing your inspiration die to be added to damage rolls and AC; basically the only two things you couldn’t add it to before.

And you can learn second level spells such as Locate Object, because these silly ungulates keep losing their keys!

LEVEL 12 - BARD 4

4th level Bards get an Ability Score Improvement and Dexterity will make you tougher to hit while also increasing the potency of your horn stabs.

You can also learn another spell along with another cantrip! A lot of people say Friends is a bad cantrip because it makes the person you’re talking to hate you after using it but here’s the thing: Friends works on Intimidation checks too. Who cares if they hate you when they fear you? But a spell that people don’t say is bad is Lesser Restoration, which will help you break out of stun lock.

LEVEL 13 - BARD 5

5th level Bards see their Bardic Inspiration increase to a d8 which is great because they also get Font of Inspiration, allowing their Bardic Inspiration to come back on a short rest. Told you you’d be doing a lot of short rests!

You can also learn third level spells like Sending to challenge your friends to a duel, as long as they’re on the same plane of existence. TFH isn’t on the Epic Games Store; thank god.

LEVEL 14 - BARD 6

6th level Valor Bards get an Extra Attack, letting them attack twice with the attack action; it’s really that simple. Well you do also get another spell, and I have no doubt that Oleander’s used to speaking in Tongues... Oh and you get Contercharm which is godawful poop-garbage, letting you spend your action to give your allies advantage against Charms and Fears. Maybe this is why TFH is a 1v1 game; no need to use Countercharm?

(Artwork by SinniePony on DeviantArt)

LEVEL 15 - WARLOCK 9

5th level spell time! For a massive single target Shadow Blast grab Negative Energy Flood! Look, just because we’ve never seen Oleander turn someone into a zombie...

You can also grab another invocation and while we’ve never seen Oleander fly Ascendant Step is an insane utility that I’m sure Oli would’ve learnt to reach the high book shelves.

LEVEL 16 - WARLOCK 10

10th level Fey Warlocks have Beguiling Defenses for immunity against charms, and if someone attempts you charm you you can spend your reaction to instead charm them! You can also learn another cantrip like Minor Illusion to manipulate the shadows around you. 

LEVEL 17 - WARLOCK 11

11th level Warlocks get a 6th level Mystic Arcanum, which is a 6th level spell that uses a 6th level slot that comes back after a long rest. There are a lot of nice options at 6th level but if Fred is getting grabby he might send them to a Mental Prison. If they succeed against the spell they take a bunch of psychic damage but if they fail they are surrounded by an illusion which only they can see which has “hideous maws filled with dripping teeth” as one of the available options. Basically Fred sends them to a hellscape and they can either sit there in horror or try to break out, taking 10d10 psychic damage in the process.

You can also learn another regular Warlock spell from the regular Warlock spell list: Dream will let you reach your foes even in their dreams (duh) and let Fred give them a spook to stop them from sleeping! Or you can use it for some otherworldly messaging. Maybe use it to call a smug reindeer a pompous princess?

LEVEL 18 - WARLOCK 12

12th level means an Ability Score Improvement: time to cap off that Dexterity modifier to be quick on your feet and sharp with your horn!

Additionally you get your last Eldritch Invocation at this level: there are a lot of options but none that really feel in-character, so pick whatever you want.

LEVEL 19 - WARLOCK 13

13th level Warlocks get their 7th level Mystic Arcanum: while there are a lot of good options Crown of Stars will let you charge up some powerful shadow blasts, creating 7 stars that float around you and shed light. You can shoot one out as a bonus action to do 4d12 Radiant damage. While you have a star floating above you it also creates light, which might be useful.

And you additionally get another regular Warlock spell: since it’s my build take Synaptic Static, because I like this spell. Have Fred assault your foes minds to make them easier to read!

LEVEL 20 - WARLOCK 14

As a 14th level Archfey you can finally pull your foes into Fred’s realm! Dark Delirium gives you a new not-quite-spell: Take an action to choose a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. It must make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On a failed save, it is charmed or frightened by you for 1 minute or until your concentration is broken, though the effect ends early if the creature takes any damage.

Until this illusion ends, the creature thinks it is lost in a misty realm, the appearance of which you choose. The creature can see and hear only itself, you, and the illusion. You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this again, but your time in the pixel lobby to do as you please. Maybe just teabag to taunt them with a unicorn shuffle.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

So naïve trying to beat me - Maxed out Charisma means the best spells you can get. Maxed out Dexterity with Mage Armor means 18 AC (up to 20 if your DM lets you slap a shield on!) And a +2 CON mod means your health isn’t bad either!

Fine, but let's make it quick - A lot of your better features come back on short rests. Both Bardic Inspiration and your 5th level Pact slots are easily refreshable, allowing you to always be ready for a fight.

I have trained years for this; you will not dissuade me - Despite coming from a game without assists you are a master of helping your friends. Jack of All Trades in all skills, Bardic Inspiration for all rolls, plenty of utility spells (including an ungodly amount of cantrips and Book of Ancient Secrets to handle any ritual spells) and plenty of languages to top it off.

CONS

I am no weakling! - Big investment in AC... not so much in saving throws. Your Intelligence, Constitution, and notably Strength all have very low saving throws.

Itty-bitty living space - Low Constitution saves mean a frequent drop of concentration. And speaking of concentration you’ve got a lot of them but can only have one up at a time. Can’t have Fred around if you want to float too.

Need... more... power... - Truthfully there’s a lot I didn’t take from Warlock. I didn’t take any of the better spells from Archfey like Blink, Greater Invisibility, or Dominate Person. You could’ve gotten level 15 Eldritch Invocations like Witch Sight and Shroud of Shadows, but I wanted Extra Attack. Truthfully if you know your campaign will be going to level 20 then Warlock 15 / Bard 5 might be a better build, and nothing is forcing you to take the spell I did.

But you’re used to being underestimated. When it comes to matters of life-and-death any advantage is necessary. So go all out with your friend on the other side! Fight with spell and horn sword to prove that all magic can save the world. Well, perhaps not salt magic...

(Animation by Szafir87 on DeviantArt. Original artwork by OgaraOrCynder on DeviantArt.)

[kabhi-haath-pakad-k-tu-mera]

The Circle Of Life

A Harry Potter Fanfiction

Death doesn't seem so imposing when you know that you're dying--when you realised it a long time ago. Harry's journey as he deals with Cancer. Diary fic. Haphne. IWSC Season 1 Final entry. Hogwarts JP!

Written for the International Wizarding Schools Championship Season 1

Round: Finals!!!

Theme: Dittany which means healing, mentally, emotionally and physically and also injury (as you can't be healed if you're not injured). The theme is shown here as Harry trying his best to recover from cancer.

Year: Year 7

School: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. JP from Hogwarts!

Prompts: Potions (object) [additional]

Emerald (colour) [additional]

St. Mungo's (setting) [main]

Special Rule and Link: The special rule here is used by Showing 'birth' both Harry's own birthday, and his grandchild's birth. As for the link, In this fic the link is again Harry's birthday, as we're showing his feelings on his birthdays through different stages of his life, this being the last one. Mentions of infertility.

Word Count: 2190

***

14th January 2060

8:35 p.m.

Diary,

Death doesn't seem so imposing when you know that you're dying—when you realised it a long time ago. It's funny, really. We know we're all dying but rarely does it ever truly sink in. But in my case, I've had the pleasure of having realised this way back at the age of seventeen. I hadn't thought I'd get out of the Forbidden Forest alive again, especially if I were meant to die in the end, and so I had submitted to my sentence. I was as surprised as anyone at my continued living, I assure you, and with the amount of downright stupid things I've done in my lifetime—fighting Voldemort some five different times, riding thestrals, wandering into acromantula nests, and then contemplating becoming an auror before Daphne talked me out of it—I've already outlived my expectations, so I don't think it bothers me too much that death has come to claim me now.

Daphne and Hermione would both glare at me for saying that probably, and Sothis, Jacob, and Lily would frown. Acquiring blood cancer does not necessarily mean death, especially since it's a muggle disease, but at the age of 80, I have my doubts. Wizards might not be as affected by muggle ailments, but this is cancer. It's been nearly ten days since I've written to you, as you might have noticed, and that was because of the numerous tests they conducted and reconducted at St. Mungo's. I've had to quit teaching at Hogwarts because of this accursed illness. Those of my family who haven't had much exposure to the muggle world didn't realise just how serious cancer was, and they were rather unconcerned—it's a muggle disease, wizards always recover from muggle diseases—but Hermione knew exactly what it was, and how serious, and she passed this information to both Ron and Daphne—even when I begged her not to—who told others. So now, everyone is extra polite around me, and extra careful. I hate how everyone looks at me like I might shatter at any moment. Even Malfoy's started acting differently again, and it's just so frustrating!

I just want everyone to get back to normal.

Harry James Potter

***

8th February 2060

8:15 p.m.

Diary,

My health has gotten worse instead of better. Last week, I began coughing violently and realised that I was coughing blood. My body hurt. I also had a temperature and felt dizzy. Daphy took me to St. Mungo's as soon as she saw my pitiful state. I was kept there for a whole day while the healers ran tests and took samples. While the wizarding world doesn't use injections, their methods of extracting blood hurt just as much. The healers only let Daphy see me during around dinnertime after they thought me stable enough. Daphy was by my side the entire night after that, holding my hand, helping me eat, and then finally settling me down for the night. I hadn't seen her that tired in a long time, diary, and it was ... unsettling. I wonder if I'm being too selfish in not really caring if this cursed disease takes me down. Daphne would be shattered.

Hermione and Ron were there at the hospital before I woke up the next day, considerably late and still feeling pretty shitty. The two of them and Daphne were talking to a healer, and none of them had realised I was awake. I could only catch a few phrases of their conversation—flu, immune system, careful—but the grim expressions on their faces told me that whatever it was, it wasn't good. The healers sent me home with instructions to take some fifty odd potions every eight hours and to exercise regularly, but not so much that I overexert myself.

I was too tired the next three days to pick up a pen to write, let alone go for a walk. But yesterday, after Daphy and I got back from the walk she had coaxed me into going for, we came home to a pleasant surprise in the form of Lily and Sebastian. Lily has always been big on surprises, but the one she gave us yesterday was the best surprise I have gotten in a long time. They're expecting their first child in July! After a number of failed tries, Lily and Sebastian had both given up on trying to have children, but that right there was proof that miracles do happen. Daphne was so happy, she had tears in her eyes. So did I. For a moment there, I think all of us present in the room were a little misty-eyed. It took a little effort to digest that bit of news, happy as it was because our sweet little witch had grown so old so fast. Wasn't it just yesterday that I had first held her in my arms? She was finally going to be a mother now! I am happy as can be, of course, but I wonder if I'll be able to live long enough to see my grandchild in this life.

I really hope I do.

Harry James Potter

***

18th March 2060

8:00 p.m.

Diary,

I don't think I'd be able to stand a single more piteous look directed toward me, even if my situation is miserable. I feel tired all the time now, even though I've been taking all my potions on time and have done all the exercises that the healers had told me to do. My body still hurts sometimes, and I feel utterly useless. The healers in St. Mungo's still take samples of my blood to see if my condition is getting any better.

They don't say so to my face, but I'm only getting worse. It is clear by the looks they direct towards me, in how Ron and Hermione both always say goodbye to me at the end of the day as if it were their last goodbye, in how Daphne strokes my cheek at night when we're both in bed and tells me to stay strong for her. I wish they'd just tell me, so I don't have to go through everything pretending to be blissfully unaware.

Sothis and Jacob came to see me today. I hadn't seen them since my birthday last year. Sothis lives in America now with his family and practices as a curse breaker while Jacob has been wandering around the world with Lorcan Lovegood. They were upset when they'd been told of my cancer, of course, but today I truly saw how much my sickness really affected my family. If I had been my old self, I would not have wanted them to see me like this, but times have changed. At least I'm not in St. Mungo's because I wasn't able to fight a common cold.

I really do want to get better.

Harry James Potter

***

21st May 2060

8:40 p.m.

Diary,

Things have begun to look up for me now, and I feel I've gotten a little better for the past few weeks. I don't feel as tired anymore, and Daphy does not have to force me to get out of the house. Daphy could not be happier about this. I've begun working on a book to keep me occupied. This was Hermione's idea—to write a book on Defence Against the Dark Arts from my experience as a professor and what I learnt when I was still studying for it. That I have fought the supreme leader of the dark is an added bonus. I think the one single perk of being sick is that the children come to see me more often. The others came around too, recently—the Weasleys, Neville, Luna. It felt nice to see them all after so long, but it felt a little disconcerting that this might be the last time we saw each other. I suppose that was the reason they made the visit in the first place, to see me again while they still could.

In other news, I am in the news again. The Daily Prophet found out about my illness somehow, and it was all anyone talked about for the last week. Daphy and Hermione both blew up over the staff of St. Mungo's because no one else would ever leak any information to the Prophet of all people. Astoria, who works there, is having the board conduct an entire investigation to find the gossip.

Lily had her first contraction while she was here with us. It was a false alarm, the baby is due in the second week of August, but it felt strange and surreal. Everyone was excited though, Lily especially, even if she complained non-stop about her backache. Things are looking up, finally, and everyone, the healers included, think that I'm going to get better quite soon.

I hope I do.

Harry James Potter

5th July 2060

8:40 p.m.

Diary,

While my health had been stable enough for the past two months and was inching towards recovery, it has now gotten worse again. The healers think that I've been exposed to an infection which my body is not able to fight off. The incessant pain, the omnipresent tiredness have both returned with assorted bottles of potions that taste like sewer water.

I was kept at St. Mungo's for a week, and the healers were still reluctant to let me go home because apparently, my immune system has become so compromised that even the mildest of bacteria or virus could be the cause of my death. It wasn't until Hermione had reasoned with them that I was more likely to be exposed to pathogens—whatever those were—in a hospital than back home that they let me go. I've been told in no uncertain terms to take all my potions on time and to get plenty of rest. The worst part is that I am to avoid the outdoors completely, so no more walks or anything. Daphne looked defeated yet determined.

When they thought I wasn't listening, they also told Daphne and Hermione to keep the visitors to a minimum, so people coming to see me is also out of the question now, although Lily did come here the other day, so I guess the kids are allowed.

I had thought I was getting better, but now ... they don't say it to my face, but their pitiful expressions make it clear that my days now are numbered. I hope I get to see my youngest grandchild before I die, though. They aren't here yet, but I love them already.

Harry James Potter

***

31st July 2060

8:45 p.m.

Diary,

It's my birthday today, but so much has changed since last year. I was teaching at Hogwarts happily. People weren't scared of sneezing around me. I was cancer free. But most importantly, I didn't have a new grandson who looked exactly like me. His eyes are the same emerald green as mine, and he has a small tuft of jet-black hair, although I really hope he has better luck with it than I have had.

From what Daphy tells me, Lily had been visiting when her water broke. I don't know the exact details of what happened since I had been in St. Mungo's since the past week, but everyone panicked except Daphne, who had gone home for a while to shower and eat after leaving me in Hermione's care. She calmly called for a mediwitch from St. Mungo's and made preparations to transport Lily to the hospital for the delivery.

The baby was two weeks early, but still very healthy. He had curious green eyes, and the memory of how he looked at me with interest when I first held him is still fresh in my mind. I did finally get to meet my grandchild—Lily's first child—and I couldn't possibly be happier. If I were to die now, after I've seen my grandchild, I'd die happy. My princess had finally started a family of her own, and the baby looks just like me. He's a tiny and beautiful baby, and I am so proud. Lily and Sebastian are both beaming. They named him after me and Sebastian's father—Harry Alex Grahams.

I love him.

Harry James Potter

***

Daphne closed the diary shut on the morning of August the 2nd with tears rolling down her eyes. She put it beside her on the padded carpet she was sitting on and drew her knees closer to her. Harry had to go, leave, just as Lily's first child was born, just as he had turned 81. It was painfully sad. Lily had cried through the last night, and it had taken Daphne all she had in her to not join her in it and to comfort her instead. She took in a deep breath. Harry was right, though. The child was beautiful and looked painfully like him. At least she knew that he had died painlessly in his sleep. Happy. Content. His suffering had ended, and he had had the joy of holding his grandson in his arms. He had been happy. That was all that mattered.

[stuckinapatriarchalbullshitland]

The Revenge of the Shadows (Who wants to see the world BURN) - Camren

47° edition of The American Music Awards ceremony - Microsoft Theatre Los Angeles, CA.

Lauren PoV

The day had come. It was the AMA's 2019 and I was screwed. Fucking nervous! Brenda insisted on accompanying me and I decided to bite the fucking bullet and appear alone at the ceremony. I didn't want to repeat the same scene last year with Ty and be his "companion." I went alone to this event despite knowing that the couple of the year would be here;

Camila and Shawn.

I knew that. I knew perfectly well that this day would be the same as my girl spent last year having to see Ty and me kissing in public because yes, last year Tara forced me to do a fucking show and apparently this year Roger and Andrew are forcing Camila and Shawn to continue theirs. I had had my share of shit with the birthday of the pretty boy. The bastards of Roger and Andrew created another circus on August 8th for Shawn's birthday, but I prefer not to think about that. I am already thinking about disappearing in the bathroom to smoke a roll of weed and relax. I promised myself that I wouldn't do it and I won't. The flashes blind me and I can hear the excited screams that announce the arrival of the couple of the year. When I finish going through the red carpet to parade for the press, Brenda approaches me and tells me that Camila and Shawn are giving a kissing show before parading through the same carpet that I already passed. I didn't curse and didn't say anything because I expected it but that didn't take away the fact that I died of jealousy inside. I can understand how Camila felt last year now and I have to say that the feeling is fucking shit. How we had to wait for the interview round I decided that I could take some pictures and upload them to my Instagram stories. I had already uploaded some, with my black Valentino dress, similar to last year's model but with a princess cut instead of the mermaid. I had dark brown ironed hair and black heels. I wanted to look elegant and Brenda helped me along with Carlene who did my makeup. I handed my Iphone to Brenda and she took a couple of photos asking me to smile but I did not, I wanted my fans to know that I was not very well with the Shawmila circus and I left that posted next to the legend: "Enduring the storm ..." I knew that my fans, our fans would understand. They have been the only ones who have not changed much during all these years and Camila and I know it very well. I had finished uploading my stories and I saw some photos of Camila, I know I shouldn't but I couldn't help it. She was beautiful dressed in red. It was a dress very similar to the one I used for the 2018 Grammys but this one had braces and showed her beautiful curves that I loved to draw but without any clothes. The dress looked very luxurious like all of it. Camila also looked nervous and sad. Her smile was false and did not reach her eyes. I hated that Camila. To the one who had to act on her feelings, the one who didn't feel anything she said she felt. The one that hid everything that she really was. And I missed her. To the real one. I was meditating on the subject until Brenda interrupts me and tells me that Chelsea Briggs wanted to interview me. Damn blonde who decided to stop supporting us ... I understand why she did it, even when still is fucked up that she denied my relationship with Camila when she knows the whole story, and that the story is fucking real. She did it for Camila and I understand it but there are too many mixed feelings and I hate having them right now. I looked at Brenda also dressed in black with a raised eyebrow and she shrugged. - It's Billboard - she warned me - You know how this shit is. - I know - I nodded and sighed mentally preparing not to make the same mistake as last year with this blonde. It was not long before the stunning blonde appeared with camera men and her microphone. She was dressed in white and looked so excited that I couldn't help smiling because her energy was contagious. She greeted me with the same enthusiasm that characterizes her and asked me the obvious questions about my musical career, my debut album and my music. I answered all the questions with an excited smile and she was happy with my answers until of course, She had to ask the awkward questions. About Ally and Normani who were also at the ceremony and about Camila of course. - What do you think that Ally and Normani are also here this year? - Chelsea wanted to know - Have you talked to them? Have you seen them? - I think it's great that the girls are at the event and that they present their respective music because that is what we have come to - I responded nervously fighting with my desire to twist my hands - We have come to enjoy tonight and music because it is the most important. And no, I haven't seen them yet or talked to them but I'm sure I'll find them out there and we'll do it. - That's awesome Lauren - Chelsea smiled delightedly - And what do you think of Camila's new music? Have you managed to see her again? - Camila's music is amazing - I answered sincerely without being able to contain myself despite my nerves - And no, I haven't seen her either but I don't know ... if I see her there maybe. I don't know... Chelsea looked at me smiling, the freaking blonde knew that her questions about Camila made me nervous but she saved me by taking the conversation to my career and my music again so I could relax. After answering a couple more questions about my singles and my tour, she signaled to the cameraman who turned off the camera and walked away, leaving Chelsea and me in an awkward silence until she apologized for making me nervous. I shrugged and smiled at him knowing how everything was and she came closer to me showing me her cell phone. - I have Camila in her interview - she told me while still smiling - Do you want to see her? I had never seen her as nervous as last year. I looked at Brenda who made an affirmative gesture and she lifted three fingers. I had three minutes to do it. - That's more than enough - Chelsea agreed and showed me Camila's interview that she had asked to send to her cell phone and advanced it to the part that interested me: She talking about me, about Ally and Normani - How about Ally, Normani and Lauren being present tonight? - Chelsea asked to my sun and Camila was very nervous looking at the blonde - Have you seen them or talking to them? - I think it's amazing that the girls are here sharing their music with the audience tonight - Camila responded with a completely acted attitude because she was nervous. I know that Normani is breaking it right now and Ally is on the same path as ... Lauren and I am very proud of them. And no, I have not seen or talked to them but I am sure that if I see them I will. I saw Chelsea nod in the video and Camila smile nervously looking where I assumed Roger was watching the interview. I saw Camila nod with a hint of sadness and Chelsea cut the video just as Shawn appeared next to Camila. Jealousy attacked me again but I was able to repress them. - Sorry - Chelsea apologized - I should have cut the video before ... - I already knew - it was all I could say until Chelsea said goodbye wishing me luck and Brenda joined me again. - Do you want to talk about that? - It was all she asked me. - Not now Bren - I suddenly sighed feeling tired - Not now.

When the AMA's started I knew that I would have to endure a new circus and I was not mistaken. Our seats were on the left and in the center was Camila next to Shawn and Taylor. I was very surprised when I discovered Karlie Kloss and Zac Stenmark in the same row as me. Zac was Shawn's boyfriend and Karlie was Taylor's girlfriend. I could not believe my luck. I couldn't help saying hello to both of them and of course talking about our respective partners that shone throughout the show. In spite of that, the three of us seemed to have the same fucking downer when we saw our loved ones at the hands of their beards. Tonight Taylor had also decided to bring Joe Alwyn but she was forced by the actor's manager so Karlie was on the ground. - Enough ... - I complained looking at Zac and Karlie who didn't understand my words - We have to do something. We can't let them beat us. - And what can we do? - Zac was elegantly dressed in black and his model bearing showed it - We are forbidden to approach them. I looked at Brenda and I knew she couldn't forbid me approaching Camila, exactly. I could not because of the contract and because the one that forbade it was actually Sylvia Rhode's daughter of a bitch and of course, Roger. Brenda looked at me and shook her head, approached me and warned me: - She will have problems, you know that? - she looked at me suspiciously - I know what you plan to do but be careful. - I will - I agreed and it was all I needed to get close to the guys and tell them about my plan. They looked at me, smiled and nodded. We already had it. They gave us a circus. And we were going to give them another one. But in  that moment Zac enjoyed Shawn's song that was for him, Lost in Japan. Karlie enjoyed Lover, the song Taylor dedicated to her I did the same with Camila when she sang Consequences. I went back to enjoy it and cried like the first time I did it. Camila was nervous again singing it but she did it in a spectacular way. - That girl loves you - Karlie encouraged me with an excited smile. I had changed places with Brenda and had her on my left side while Brenda was on the right side and Zac next to Karlie. "Camila loves me as much as Taylor loves you, girl," I said with a smile just as excited as Brenda handed me a tissue. I hated crying but I know that Consequences always It will make me cry - I've already seen them. - Well, it's true - the tall blonde dressed in white Armani shrugged - we are your mentors for something, right? - Touché - I laughed. This blonde always made me laugh every time I saw her. She and Taylor made a beautiful couple. It was my turn to get on stage. Camila had sung a couple of songs from her new album in addition to Consequences and Taylor, Ariana, Normani and Ally had already taken the stage. My presentation would be short because I had to choose between two songs. Of course, I chose Burning and Expectations. I had a couple of dancers for both songs and I tried to give my all with Expectations knowing that Camila would be the one who would see me sing this time. I prayed to be able to master my nerves behind the scenes before going on stage but my nerves increased when I heard murmurs, some laughs and Brenda cursing loudly in Spanish: -  ¡Niña! No puedes estar aquí, ellos pueden demandarnos! (Girl! You can't be here, they can sue us!) I turned around to ask Brenda what the hell was going on but a red shadow was all I saw before being surrounded by a pair of thin arms that hugged me tightly and a pair of lips that literally ate mine. - What...? - I tried to look at Camila but she just kissed me and I tried to kiss her back - Camz ... What ...? - You will do well my moon - she told me with an excited smile that I corresponded and kissed her again. - Five minutes Lauren! - Brenda yelled at me and then I saw Camila being ripped from my arms by an almost terrified Taylor Swift. - Mila we have to go! - She almost dragged my girl because she didn't want to leave while I tried to comfort her with soft kisses in her check - Shawn is desperate trying to distract Roger and Andrew, come on! - Taylor looked at me trying to apologize - I was supposed to accompany her to the bathroom but she ... lucky on stage Lau. - Thanks Taylor - I nodded with a nervous smile and saw Camila letting go of Taylor to run into my arms for the last time. - I love you Camz, but go with Taylor. Come on love, go now, okay? - I don't want to leave ... - Camila complained and I couldn't contain my emotions when I heard her scream my name from the door. Taylor had managed to take her away and I knew she must be crying in the blonde's arms. I hated what they did that to us. Keep us apart as if we were enemies knowing we were far from it. We could be together but our time was short. Measured and scarce but we enjoyed it very much. Brenda and Carlene helped me with the makeup because I had run so in record time the girls helped me to be ready just in time to go on stage. I sang Expectations dedicating it to Camila even though I couldn't distinguish her from the public. I looked where I knew she was and smiled as the audience applauded. I left the scene full of energy directly to my hotel room sending a message to Zac and Karlie to start with our own circus. Nor Camila, Taylor and Shawn  didn't know anything about that, but Carlene and Shawn and Taylor's assistants knew it too. They had the mission of taking our loved ones to our respective hotel rooms when the ceremony ended and they did so. Before that, of course, we needed food. Above all Camila needed food. She had posted about wanting to eat chicken nuggets and ice cream so that was what I asked for it at the hotel buffet. I switched to more comfortable clothes, black sweatpants and a white T-shirt and waited five minutes until our food arrived and three minutes later Camila appeared still in her ceremony dress without knowing that I was waiting for her in bed, with food and roses that I ordered Carlene to send to the room along with Camila's suitcase. I learned that Shawn and Camila and Taylor and Joe made a show that they were going to their hotel rooms together but everything was done for the press. When Camila arrived she was surprised to see me in the room and kissed me. I was so happy to have her in my arms again that I didn't stop kissing her and then we enjoyed the food until dessert arrived. Camila was so hungry that she ate with her dress on and left dessert for last. It was there when I took advantage of doing a couple of insta stories in the same way that Camila did with me last year. I recorded myself with my cell phone saying how tired I was and how I wanted to spend the rest of the night "alone" in my room. With good food, drink, (and ice cream with two spoons) and then I panned to the mirror where you could see the blurred silhouette of Camila in her red dress trying to take it off. I burst out laughing when I saw her almost fall off when she took off her dress but I quickly covered it up as if the phone was falling. I cut the video just before I heard Camila screaming my name and cursing because she was stuck with the dress to half removed. - Lauren! Stop playing with the phone and help me ... - she complained loudly - I'm freezing my ass here. I did it. I helped her with the dress while watching her finish undressing to make herself comfortable. Sweatpants and a long t-shirt of Ed Sheeran. We finished taking the ice cream and I sent Zac and Karlie a picture of Camila in my room. They sent me back other photos, Zac sent me a picture of him without a shirt lying on the bed next to Shawn also without a shirt and half asleep. Karlie sent me a picture of herself in a white bathrobe accompanied by Taylor that in that moment she was drinking a glass of white wine and was also wearing a white bathrobe. - It's done .... It was the three answers we needed to know. We won. The motherfuckers of Camila's teams, Shawn's teams  and Joe's tried to fuck us with the circus but we screwed them back knowing the risks we would run when the day came. But it was worth it. Our loves were worth it and the rest of the world could go to hell. The sun and the moon had their own eclipse and we would see the world burn. Literally.

_____________

First of all, I have to say that this is my first Camran fanfic in English. That means apologizing for bad grammar if it exists. I had help with spelling but I'm still not sure of the rest (Tiff, thanks you so much for your help) This story is my idea of having a night like the one we had with Camren at the AMA's last year, but this time from Lauren's point of view. It's a one shot so it's a short story that I hope you like it.

[beardyallen]

Well, that went quickly...

What day is it? I’m starting to lose track of how long I’ve been here...

Well, it’s been a week since my last post, and it seems that a lot must have happened, but honestly I feel like I’ve just been cranking through a bunch of comic books.

But I do know that Friday and Saturday involved a good deal excitement, so I guess we had might as well pick up pretty much where we left off!

Last Friday was Orientation for ICB, which meant getting all of the 35-40 instructors, 10 staff members, and the 6-8 people in charge of this program together in a room to introduce us to...basically what we’d been doing all that week. Also, aside from a couple study-abroad-undergrads and my officemate and me, everyone there had probably already heard the spiel.

It was scheduled from 5p-6p with a buffett afterwards, but a bunch of the Communications people from my floor were going out to eat (again?) afterwards, so I made plans with NR. She wanted to try this Mexican restaurant in what I’ll describe as the “international district” of Beijing. Most everything around us when we got there looked like it belonged in literally every metropolitan area in the world. Every major brand you can imagine had a store. Multiple. Too many...

But the Mexican restaurant we visited is owned and managed by a Mexican expat, apparently. He even stopped by our table to ask how the food was, and let me tell you: that quesadilla was the BOMB!!! And the margarita was pretty good (not as good as MHO’C’s, though!). By the time we finished up dinner, it was kind of late, so we wondered around the shopping center, found a bookstore. You know: the usual.

Fun fact: when a store or restaurant wants to indicate to their patrons that they are getting ready to close, they play smooth jazz and turn the lights down. Like for real. Had their not been windows open to the pavilion outside with it’s hundreds of light displays, I would have been seriously concerned when the lights in the place just went out and Kenny G popped up on the speakers.

We entertained the idea of finding the cinema nearby to see Alita Battle Angel, but during the 15 minutes that we spent wondering around in search of the complex, it seemed to elude us. Plus it was getting close to that time when the subway shuts down, and I wasn’t exactly hankering for a taxi ride this early in my stay....if at all.

The next morning, I got up early to meet back up with NR at the National Museum near the Forbidden City. Now, for the most part, the stairs I get don’t bother me. But I will say, if you’re going to stair at the pasty white guy with a hard-to-describe-its-color-accurately-beard, maybe don’t do it when you’re going 15 mph on a bike, facing in the wrong direction! *sigh.....Some people’s kids...

But what really bothered me, especially at the time, was the father-of-three who straight-up filmed me on his phone from 5 feet away for a solid 6 minutes, three hallways, and two escalators! I get it, I’m funny looking. But I really think I a picture would have done just fine...

One of the things that bothered me the most about that experience was that (a) he had a shit-eating grin plastered on his face, (b) his daughters seemed rather embarrassed, (c) he filmed me with the screen aimed at me so I could watch myself on his phone, (d) there was text on the screen, and (e) it went on for a solid 6 minutes.

In hindsight, I was wearing sunglasses and a hat, in a subway system, in the morning, heading to the center of Beijing. Maybe he thought I was a celebrity? I had spoken to a Communications graduate student the other day who happens to be black, and he told me the story of how a citizen here pull out their phone with a picture of Samuel L. Jackson on it, and gestured to him as it to ask if it were him...even though SLJ is for sure at 70 years old and this kid is no more than 35. And he looks 25. #smh

Anyway, after dealing with whatever the hell that was, I got to visit the museum! They, for whatever reason, were not allowing people to bring their charging blocks into the museum (external battery that you can use to charge your cell phone and other devices on-the-go), but more surprising to me was just how many people carried one with them! At least, it was surprising until I took a moment to think about it. As I’ve mentioned before, basically every payment made in Beijing is through WeChat, which needs internet access, so I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising. You also really can’t navigate through the city with some sort of Maps app; there are just too many bus routes, train routes, terminals and stops to keep logged in your head.

As far as the museum itself goes, the gifts to China from foreign governments exhibit and the Ancient China exhibit themselves took most of the day. Also, no surprise: the gift that took up the most floor space was given by a U.S. President. I also got a refresher in 8th Grade Social Studies. Too many small countries to remember all of them, and that space made me feel somewhat moronic.

The Ancient China exhibit was exceptional, though. They broke up the last, oh...750,000 years of human-ish life in China into 8-10 separate eras, the first few cataloguing the life and evolution of Homo erectus pekinensis into Homo sapien, while the latter eras were segregated dynastically. I’ve never seen the progression of human evolution laid out in such detail! The rock tools became better rock tools, then pottery and paper, stamps, buildings and so much more! There were even ceremonial helmets that would put the Juggernaut to shame!

It was strange, though, to have all of this knowledge just beyond my fingertips both literally and figuratively. The literal sense isn’t too shocking, as I’ve been to a museum before and know not to touch the pieces, but to have placards written in a language that would take years to learn was frustrating. Fortunately, NR has a never-ending supply of patience, and she translated much of the text. She even quizzed me on several of the characters. I’ve worked out how to write “rock” for sure.

After the museum, we wondered over to a nearby mall that, honestly, puts the Mall of America to shame. No joke. This place was huge! It just kept going and going and going! There was a particular alley that has all of the “exotic foods” that you might see on The Amazing Race, which I haven’t tried yet but intend to, but the rest is mostly-outdoor shopping center. Our reason for being there was to find food (we had been in the museum for a bit over 7 hours), and then sit our fine asses down in a movie theater to watch Alita.

We found a restaurant that served food traditionally found where NR grew up. It was exceptional. And the beer just made it better. :P

The movie experience was something else entirely. I’ve gotten used to watching television and movies with subtitles so that, when people decide to talk to me, I can follow along with both bits. Or if people are just talking near me while I’m watching television, I don’t have to rewind the show. That helped a lot; the movie was still spoken in English, but there were Chinese subtitles. I recognized the Chinese character for “1″ frequently enough, but that was about it.

The movie itself was way more than I expected. I shouldn’t be surprised, given that one of the primary characters is played by Christoph Waltz. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely consider it.

Also, additional fun fact: I’m thinking that most (if not all) showings of major motion pictures here are in 3D. *shrug* Side note: we’re going to see Captain Marvel tomorrow and I’M SO FREAKIN’ EXCITED!!!!

After the movie, we wandered back to the subway station and parted ways mid-subway-ride to head home. The next day I spent playing Kingdom Hearts 3 and sipping some beer in the 3rd Floor Lounge. All day. It was blissful.

This workweek has consisted of four main things: teaching responsibilities, a bit of dissertation work, trying out another one of the cafeterias on campus, and reading comic books. Oh, and beer. But that kind of goes without saying, doesn’t it? There’s a convenience store on the other side of the building in front of the Guest House that has cans of beer. You can buy them individual for 3 yuan, or roughly 45 cents. I won’t lie to you: I bought 12 of them and it didn’t cost me more than 6 bucks. And it’s really not bad, and even more convenient than the liquor store I lived by in Denver.

Anyway, as I said, I’m going to see Captain Marvel tomorrow, then to “W-Town” (originally Watertown...so glad they shortened it...) in northern Beijing, which sits at the base of part of the Great Wall. More than 20 people from ICB will be heading up to their on Saturday, so I imagine one of them will take pictures. Probably ML or S. So you’ll have those to look forward to since you know I won’t be taking any!

Oh!!! I almost forgot the biggest thing that happened this week! Actually, it might be the biggest news of my entire stay!!!

I did laundry.

And I washed my slippers. I’m not convinced that they’ve stopped smelling, but I’m holding out hope that I’ve finally figured out how to resolve an issue that I know humanity has been seriously struggling with for decades. I’m on the verge of a breakthrough, people, I swear!

Anyway, time to finish this beer, read a bit more of Scott Lynch’s Republic of Thieves (WE FINALLY FIND OUT ABOUT SABETHA!!!!), and head to bed. Big couple of days ahead...

Sláinte,

BeardyAllen

P.S. I bet you thought I was gonna forget! After class on Wednesday, I worked out how to make a phone call from here to the States to wish my Mom a Happy BIrthday. Caught her at work, and we got to chat for a good long while. It really put a nice cap on my evening, and it seemed it gave her a good start to her day. Anyway, I hope you had a great evening, found something nice at C&B and enjoyed that glass of wine you mentioned! Love you!!

[secular-jew]

An important letter (fact, not opinion) written by Dr. Denis MacEoin, a non-Jewish Scottish professor, senior editor of the Middle East Quarterly, and expert in Middle Eastern affairs: 

TO: The Committee Edinburgh University Student Association.

May I be permitted to say a few words to members of the EUSA? I am an Edinburgh graduate (MA 1975) who studied Persian, Arabic and Islamic History in Buccleuch Place under William Montgomery Watt and Laurence Elwell Sutton, two of Britain 's great Middle East experts in their day. I later went on to do a PhD at Cambridge and to teach Arabic and Islamic Studies at Newcastle University . Naturally, I am the author of several books and hundreds of articles in this field. I say all that to show that I am well informed in Middle Eastern affairs and that, for that reason, I am shocked and disheartened by the EUSAmotion and vote.

I am shocked for a simple reason: there is not and has never been a system of apartheid in Israel . That is not my opinion, that is fact that can be tested against reality by any Edinburgh student, should he or she choose to visit Israel to see for themselves. Let me spell this out, since I have the impression that those members of EUSA who voted for this motion are absolutely clueless in matters concerning Israel, and that they are, in all likelihood, the victims of extremely biased propaganda coming from the anti-Israel lobby.

Being anti-Israel is not in itself objectionable. But I'm not talking about ordinary criticism of Israel. I'm speaking of a hatred that permits itself no boundaries in the lies and myths it pours out. Thus, Israel is repeatedly referred to as a "Nazi" state. In what sense is this true, even as a metaphor? Where are the Israeli concentration camps? The einzatsgruppen? The SS? The Nuremberg Laws? The Final Solution? None of these things nor anything remotely resembling them exists in Israel, precisely because the Jews, more than anyone on earth, understand what Nazism stood for.

It is claimed that there has been an Israeli Holocaust in Gaza (or elsewhere). Where? When? No honest historian would treat that claim with anything but the contempt it deserves. But calling Jews Nazis and saying they have committed a Holocaust is as basic a way to subvert historical fact as anything I can think of. Likewise apartheid. For apartheid to exist, there would have to be a situation that closely resembled how things were in South Africa under the apartheid regime. Unfortunately for those who believe this, a weekend in any part of Israel would be enough to show how ridiculous the claim is.

That a body of university students actually fell for this and voted on it is a sad comment on the state of modern education. The most obvious focus for apartheid would be the country's 20% Arab population. Under Israeli law, Arab Israelis have exactly the same rights as Jews or anyone else; Muslims have the same rights as Jews or Christians; Baha'is, severely persecuted in Iran, flourish in Israel, where they have their world center; Ahmadi Muslims, severely persecuted in Pakistan and elsewhere, are kept safe by Israel; the holy places of all religions are protected under a specific Israeli law. Arabs form 20% of the university population (an exact echo of their percentage in the general population).

In Iran, the Bahai's (the largest religious minority) are forbidden to study in any university or to run their own universities: why aren't your members boycotting Iran? Arabs in Israel can go anywhere they want, unlike blacks in apartheid South Africa. They use public transport, they eat in restaurants, they go to swimming pools, they use libraries, they go to cinemas alongside Jews - something no blacks were able to do in South Africa.

Israeli hospitals not only treat Jews and Arabs, they also treat Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank. On the same wards, in the same operating theatres. In Israel , women have the same rights as men: there is no gender apartheid. Gay men and women face no restrictions, and Palestinian gays often escape into Israel, knowing they may be killed at home.

It seems bizarre to me that LGBT groups call for a boycott of Israel and say nothing about countries like Iran, where gay men are hanged or stoned to death. That illustrates a mindset that beggars belief.

Intelligent students thinking it's better to be silent about regimes that kill gay people, but good to condemn the only country in the Middle East that rescues and protects gay people. Is that supposed to be a sick joke?

University is supposed to be about learning to use your brain, to think rationally, to examine evidence, to reach conclusions based on solid evidence, to compare sources, to weigh up one view against one or more others. If the best Edinburgh can now produce are students who have no idea how to do any of these things, then the future is bleak.

I do not object to well-documented criticism of Israel. I do object when supposedly intelligent people single the Jewish state out above states that are horrific in their treatment of their populations. We are going through the biggest upheaval in the Middle East since the 7th and 8th centuries, and it's clear that Arabs and Iranians are rebelling against terrifying regimes that fight back by killing their own citizens.

Israeli citizens, Jews and Arabs alike, do not rebel (though they are free to protest). Yet Edinburgh students mount no demonstrations and call for no boycotts against Libya, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Iran. They prefer to make false accusations against one of the world's freest countries, the only country in the Middle East that has taken in Darfur refugees, the only country in the Middle East that gives refuge to gay men and women, the only country in the Middle East that protects the Bahai's... Need I go on?

The imbalance is perceptible, and it sheds no credit on anyone who voted for this boycott. I ask you to show some common sense. Get information from the Israeli embassy. Ask for some speakers. Listen to more than one side. Do not make your minds up until you have given a fair hearing to both parties. You have a duty to your students, and that is to protect them from one-sided argument. They are not at university to be propagandized. And they are certainly not there to be tricked into anti-Semitism by punishing one country among all the countries of the world, which happens to be the only Jewish state. If there had been a single Jewish state in the 1930's (which, sadly, there was not), don't you think Adolf Hitler would have decided to boycott it?

Your generation has a duty to ensure that the perennial racism of anti-Semitism never sets down roots among you. Today, however, there are clear signs that it has done so and is putting down more. You have a chance to avert a very great evil, simply by using reason and a sense of fair play. Please tell me that this makes sense. I have given you some of the evidence. It's up to you to find out more.

Yours sincerely, Denis MacEoin

[syphiria]

Makai Ouji Pillar 89 Translation

RAW via imey-chan. Thank you!

Enjoy and cry...

1 D: Wha……

2 Foraii Ipos Ronwe And Oriax (N/ Great Marquis of Hell, 59th demon; also spelt Orias) Zaleos…! (N/ Great Duke of Hell, 19th demon; also spelt Sallos or Saleos) The demons of the 72 Pillars…!

3 Don’t get in the way! I won’t show any mercy G: [This isn’t good Dantalion is Lucifer’s kin He can’t rebel against Lucifer]

4 SFX hit D: (At this rate, my power will be wasted for nothing) SFX swing SFX crash

5 G: Dantalion! Dantalion, you are not able to kill Lucifer That’s what it means to be his kin If you oppose him, you’ll lose your life D: That’s what I intended from the start

6 G: ……I thought so But If we manage to push the Emperor to his limits, we should go to Limbo By escaping to Sheol and sleeping No one will be able to lay a hand on you D: ……I can’t G: Why? D: If I go to Sheol, I won’t be able to wake up for hundreds of years (…I…….haven’t

7 said goodbye to William yet……) D: I’ve given up on fleeing from all the past

8 and the present! SFX pierce

9 D: Ugh, we’re being pushed back At this rate, we’ll… SFX crackle pierce pierce pierce SFX step SFX swish B: Damn

10 F: Master, over there B: So you’ve come, Sitri!! SFX Charge S: Those who reside in the shadows Pray for forgiveness The way of God is that of justice and loyalty

11 There is no place for injustice It is righteous and remains true SFX Boom F: Your Excellency!

12 SFX clash B: heh In that state, you look exactly the same as that SFX kick Good gracious The debt of raising you like a doll has come now To think that you’d be in a rebellious phase after so long

13 S: !?

14 W: What happened to ‘in secret’! That guy Mathers, dropping us right in the middle of a battlefield like this A: Why is a human in a place like this… Is that… The Elector…!?

15 (The vessel of Solomon in the current world!) SFX turn SFX realise SFX charge K: Please stay back

16 !? W: I invoke thee By the supreme name I do command thee By the highest omnipotent master Thou shalt appear, without delay, in the appropriate form The Great President Zagan

17 The kind-hearted Barbatos (N/ Duke of Hell, 8th demon) The star-gazing Oriax The friendly Uvall- (N/ Great Duke of Hell, 47th demon; also spelt Vual or Voval)

18 The re-contracts were successful…! (If this works, then Sitri too!!) By the eternal destined law and the quality of thy soul, aid my will I do command thee Thou, Sitri Comest to my side!

19 S: Ugh- What is this SFX stab Another voice besides God is in my head! J: The exaltation hasn’t been undone!? W: Damn it! Even the Elector’s command can’t win against God’s enslavement?! B: -I’ll return you to normal now, Sitri F: Master!?

20 SFX Strike

21 B: You’re my doll; Heaven can’t have you Nor can a revenant……

22 S: I wonder who I really am Neither an angel, nor a demon Not a human either For someone who is no one, there is no place where I belong [The girls who danced with me back then have aged and died-] Sol: Really? S: Eh… Sol: Really?

23 SFX crack crack crack SFX break

24 S: …U n…cle……? [Baalberith falls after taking Sitri’s attack!?]

Translation Note The author has again used alternative spellings for some of the demon names. Where the spelling is also used in English, I have kept the author’s choice, (Ronwe, Oriax, etc.). Where there is no English-equivalent of the Japanese, I have gone with the closest sounding and accepted English Spelling. フォルファクス (Forfax) -> Foraii (Morax/Marax more common) (choice explained in Pillar 87 translation) ザエポス (Zaepos) -> Zaleos (Saleos more common) バルバルス (Barbarus) -> Barbatos

That is all for this month. Let the waterworks begin T_T

Baalberith’s character development is amazing; everyone seemed to hate him during the early chapters - now I have mixed feelings.

On an unrelated note, William seems to have summoned one of the demons (Oriax) that was fighting Dantalion. I wonder how things will turn out on his side.

BTW, I also spent quite a while longer working on this chapter because of names. First finding which demon the author is actually talking about, then seeing if the English name matches, then finding a suitable alternative if it doesn’t. Barbatos was a difficult decision:

According to Japanese Wikipedia, the ‘バルバルス’ spelling was used in the Munich Manual of Demonic Magic. I don’t have a copy of Richard Kieckhefer’s Forbidden Rites so I couldn’t confirm the English spelling (could be Barbarus, Barbaros, etc.). I’ve tried browsing through the original manuscript, but there isn’t a contents page – it isn’t really worth the time. So I’ve gone with the Lesser Key of Solomon’s (of which I do have a copy) spelling of ‘Barbatos’. If anyone is dedicated enough, this is the page of the manuscript that I got to; if you manage to find the correct spelling, please let me know. It will likely be in a summoning seal; I don’t recommend actually attempting to read the script (unless you can read 15th century Latin handwriting)…

When possible, I try to use the author’s spelling choices, so I really wanted to find the correct English spelling of バルバルス. But purchasing a copy of the text would’ve meant delaying the release this translation. Thus I tried looking through the original manuscript - unsuccessfully. Hopefully someone will have better luck? ^^?

[thebioticbasilisk]

So, I Finished reading Legend of Korra: Turf Wars.

Recommendation to fans who are UK residents like myself: if you’re still waiting until August 8th -10th, try looking a comic shop as opposed to a more mainstream retailer. I’d preordered mine at Forbidden Planet, went to pick it up on the 28th, and they had copies out on display for sale. In fact, any fan in any country, if a comic shop is an option for you, go for it.

I don’t want to risk spoiling it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet, so I’m going to add a ‘Keep Reading’ feature, and have it tagged to be on the safe side. Just wanted to express a couple of viewpoints about the comic. Expressing my opinion... on Tumblr... why do I feel like this isn’t going to end well :/

I can’t stress enough if you’ve yet to read it, SPOILER WARNING! Keep reading at your own risk.

What I Adored/Loved:

Like I even need to say it; KORRA AND ASAMI! Seeing them together, all the little looks they gave eachother, the interactions, the dialogue, the kisses. It was sweet, cute, funny, and heartwarming. It’s all I could ask for, just seeing them so happy, after what they’ve both gone through since LoK began, and getting far more freedom to express their feelings than the show would allow. Cannot wait to see more of that expanded on in the next books.

Speaking of interactions, dialogues, and looks, I think every character during some of the most ‘stand out’ moments in the comic really spoke a lot more than words ever could. Irene Koh has clearly proven herself to be highly talented at depicting the feelings and emotions of characters through expressions and body language, and i’m eager for more she has to offer not just in the continuation of Turf Wars, but in her own work. What can I say, I like analyzing the subtle features within art. Some of my favourite examples, i’ll list as seperate points;

Kya’s suspicious/curious little glances as she suspects something’s up between the two leading ladies.

Tenzin’s enthusiastic smile/look of joy at the evacuee camp when he see’s Korra and Asami have returned. And looking so proud of Korra after she’s addressed the people. She even referenced a past advice quote from him (“Change can be good or bad, depending on your point of view.”). Being her mentor and also - dare I say - like a second father to her, it all feels just so right for his character and gives me a major case of the feels.

Mako during Korra and Asami’s reveal to their friends. I’ve said it before that regardless of my pairing preferences, I like him as a character, and while I suspected this was going to take him off guard at first, he’d be supportive because that’s the kind of loyal friend he is. And his reactions throughout that scene were not just priceless, but appropriate (considering the past position he’s been in ;) ). Like much of what I’m saying throughout this ‘review’ it’s all just my personal opinion, but if you’ve read the comic and are reading this, look closely at Mako’s expressions throughout that scene. Doesn’t it look like that - in his head - he’s thinking the following: Whoah, What just happened? > Well, how about that. Good for them > Wait, are we all actually expressing reactions now? Should I say something > OH DAMN! Ummm. Uhhhh. What do I say?

Speaking of Mako, his skills as a detective are my favourite aspects of his character, so it’s great to see him back on the job and not letting that still injured arm of his slow him down.

Mako and Bolin: Brothers in Armed Forces :P  Adored the Brothers together, and smart move getting team Avatar 2.0 back together before the major fight towards the end. So sweet to watch Mako still viewing Bolin as his goofy sidekick/younger sibling throughout, only to embrace how well they work together side by side during the climax. “Thanks for the save -- Partner”. And I can’t help but be all smiles as i’m continued to be reminded how Bo has grown and that there’s a formiddable fighter behind the goofiness. Want a good way to pwn a villain? Break his Weapons!

What I thought was Great:

Tokuga. I didn’t know what to make of him at first, but I began to see him shine trough as a villain as I watched his fight scenes and took a closer look at his fighting style. Notice how one panel focuses on how he snags Mako’s sling with one of his hook blades; he saw a weak point and exploited it! Perfect villain behaviour. And look who came prepared with Gas Grenades and Throwing Knives. Add his little ‘spirit infection’ at the climax into the mix, and now I await great things from him.

Some extra exploration into the lore/myths of the Avatar Universe. In this case the four nations’s different views of same sex relationships. Now, I’m not going to talk about how this is significant to/relates to representation of LGTBQ relationships - as a straight, it’s not my place to say - but as someone who’s list of Kryptonites includes lore/myths/history within fictional worlds (*cough* Dragon Age *cough* Mass Effect *cough* Lord of the Rings) I just find extra details like that fun and fascinating.

That one of my other favourite pairings - Bopal - is still going and got some recognition (if only minor). Bolin even proposed a double date with Korra and Asami! Oh, by Raava, please make this happen! If not, looks like i’m going to have to get my arse back in to gear with new drawings. Already been feeling a burst of inspiration after reading this!

Zhu-li takin’ charge. Like in Book 4, she’s no longer settling with just being Varrick’s assistant, as she tries to keep things under control at the evacuee camp and starts collabing with Asami for a solution. And if the teaser description, on the preorder pages I’ve seen on Amazon, for the plot for Turf Wars Part 2 is anything to go by, she’s only going to get more awesome!

What I feel indifferent towards:

Some characters either missing or getting ‘backgrounded’. E.g. Where’s Bumi? Where’s Varrick? Or Kai? That being said, I realise that this is only the first part and there may be more chances for characters to make a proper appearance. And in hindsight I have no expereience within the comic industry so I can’t pretend to understand the process of writing a story, working within limits, and not to overload it with more content than it needs.

Would’ve been nice to see a little more ‘page-time’ with characters than they got. Such as Tenzin, Lin and Opal (still having fingers crossed for that double date). But like the previous point: I need to remember that this is only the start. I’m just being honest and I don’t wish to sound ungrateful - espeically with all the things I listed which I loved - but in the unlikely event that anyone who actually worked on this comic actually reads this, I apologize and hope you don’t take what I say too much to heart.

Korra getting mad with Tonraq after the initial celebration of her and Asami’s comming out to her parents. I silly little thing to nit-pick at, I know, but it just makes me sad seeing Korra and her Dad fight *feeling horrible Book 2 flashbacks* and so soon after the whole family was happy for her and Asami. On the other hand, it’s understandable that he - as a parent - would feel cautious, it does lead towards the afformentioned exploration on same sex relationships within the Avatar Lore, and is all in keeping with Korra’s character. I love her, but she can be quite the hothead. I just hope that in one of the next comics, there’ll be a forgiveness/making up moment between father and daughter.

What I didn’t Like/Hated:

Wonyong Keum. Prick. Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

Raiko being a moron... again! I’m not gonna lie, I’ve never been much of a fan of politician characters for petty reasons. But Raiko is just one of those guys that just keeps finding ways to aggrivate me. What was it he said: “Avatar Korra... so you’re finally done gallivanting around the Spirit World?”. Said the guy who has previously banned her from Republic City, then acted as if they were good after her poisioning, and invited the annoying press whilst Korra was trying to work on a solution to the Spirit Vine issue at the start of Book 3. After all that she’s done to try and help the city up to this point...you ungrateful sod. I’m just gonna say it now: ZHU-LI FOR PRESIDENT!

That I now have to wait until January until the next part. Thought i’d close this with a joke ^^;

[newstfionline]

Forbidden Questions?

24 Key Issues That Neither the Washington Elite Nor the Media Consider Worth Their Bother By Andrew J. Bacevich, TomDispatch, May 7, 2017

Donald Trump’s election has elicited impassioned affirmations of a renewed commitment to unvarnished truth-telling from the prestige media. The common theme: you know you can’t trust him, but trust us to keep dogging him on your behalf. The New York Times has even unveiled a portentous new promotional slogan: “The truth is now more important than ever.” For its part, the Washington Post grimly warns that “democracy dies in darkness,” and is offering itself as a source of illumination now that the rotund figure of the 45th president has produced the political equivalent of a total eclipse of the sun. Meanwhile, National Public Radio fundraising campaigns are sounding an increasingly panicky note: give, listener, lest you be personally responsible for the demise of the Republic that we are bravely fighting to save from extinction.

If only it were so. How wonderful it would be if President Trump’s ascendancy had coincided with a revival of hard-hitting, deep-dive, no-holds-barred American journalism. Alas, that’s hardly the case. True, the big media outlets are demonstrating both energy and enterprise in exposing the ineptitude, inconsistency, and dubious ethical standards, as well as outright lies and fake news, that are already emerging as Trump era signatures. That said, pointing out that the president has (again) uttered a falsehood, claimed credit for a nonexistent achievement, or abandoned some position to which he had previously sworn fealty requires something less than the sleuthing talents of a Sherlock Holmes. As for beating up on poor Sean Spicer for his latest sequence of gaffes--well, that’s more akin to sadism than reporting.

Apart from a commendable determination to discomfit Trump and members of his inner circle (select military figures excepted, at least for now), journalism remains pretty much what it was prior to November 8th of last year: personalities built up only to be torn down; fads and novelties discovered, celebrated, then mocked; “extraordinary” stories of ordinary people granted 15 seconds of fame only to once again be consigned to oblivion--all served with a side dish of that day’s quota of suffering, devastation, and carnage. These remain journalism’s stock-in-trade. As practiced in the United States, with certain honorable (and hence unprofitable) exceptions, journalism remains superficial, voyeuristic, and governed by the attention span of a two year old.

As a result, all those editors, reporters, columnists, and talking heads who characterize their labors as “now more important than ever” ill-serve the public they profess to inform and enlighten. Rather than clearing the air, they befog it further. If anything, the media’s current obsession with Donald Trump--his every utterance or tweet treated as “breaking news!”--just provides one additional excuse for highlighting trivia, while slighting issues that deserve far more attention than they currently receive.

To illustrate the point, let me cite some examples of national security issues that presently receive short shrift or are ignored altogether by those parts of the Fourth Estate said to help set the nation’s political agenda. To put it another way: Hey, Big Media, here are two dozen matters to which you’re not giving faintly adequate thought and attention.

1. Accomplishing the “mission”: Since the immediate aftermath of World War II, the United States has been committed to defending key allies in Europe and East Asia. Not long thereafter, U.S. security guarantees were extended to the Middle East as well. Under what circumstances can Americans expect nations in these regions to assume responsibility for managing their own affairs? To put it another way, when (if ever) might U.S. forces actually come home? And if it is incumbent upon the United States to police vast swaths of the planet in perpetuity, how should momentous changes in the international order--the rise of China, for example, or accelerating climate change--affect the U.S. approach to doing so?

2. American military supremacy: The United States military is undoubtedly the world’s finest. It’s also far and away the most generously funded, with policymakers offering U.S. troops no shortage of opportunities to practice their craft. So why doesn’t this great military ever win anything? Or put another way, why in recent decades have those forces been unable to accomplish Washington’s stated wartime objectives? Why has the now 15-year-old war on terror failed to result in even a single real success anywhere in the Greater Middle East? Could it be that we’ve taken the wrong approach? What should we be doing differently?

3. America’s empire of bases: The U.S. military today garrisons the planet in a fashion without historical precedent. Successive administrations, regardless of party, justify and perpetuate this policy by insisting that positioning U.S. forces in distant lands fosters peace, stability, and security. In the present century, however, perpetuating this practice has visibly had the opposite effect. In the eyes of many of those called upon to “host” American bases, the permanent presence of such forces smacks of occupation. They resist. Why should U.S. policymakers expect otherwise?

4. Supporting the troops: In present-day America, expressing reverence for those who serve in uniform is something akin to a religious obligation. Everyone professes to cherish America’s “warriors.” Yet such bountiful, if superficial, expressions of regard camouflage a growing gap between those who serve and those who applaud from the sidelines. Our present-day military system, based on the misnamed All-Volunteer Force, is neither democratic nor effective. Why has discussion and debate about its deficiencies not found a place among the nation’s political priorities?

5. Prerogatives of the commander-in-chief: Are there any military actions that the president of the United States may not order on his own authority? If so, what are they? Bit by bit, decade by decade, Congress has abdicated its assigned role in authorizing war. Today, it merely rubberstamps what presidents decide to do (or simply stays mum). Who does this deference to an imperial presidency benefit? Have U.S. policies thereby become more prudent, enlightened, and successful?

6. Assassin-in-chief: A policy of assassination, secretly implemented under the aegis of the CIA during the early Cold War, yielded few substantive successes. When the secrets were revealed, however, the U.S. government suffered considerable embarrassment, so much so that presidents foreswore politically motivated murder. After 9/11, however, Washington returned to the assassination business in a big way and on a global scale, using drones. Today, the only secret is the sequence of names on the current presidential hit list, euphemistically known as the White House “disposition matrix.” But does assassination actually advance U.S. interests (or does it merely recruit replacements for the terrorists it liquidates)? How can we measure its costs, whether direct or indirect? What dangers and vulnerabilities does this practice invite?

7. The war formerly known as the “Global War on Terrorism”: What precisely is Washington’s present strategy for defeating violent jihadism? What sequence of planned actions or steps is expected to yield success? If no such strategy exists, why is that the case? How is it that the absence of strategy--not to mention an agreed upon definition of “success”--doesn’t even qualify for discussion here?

8. The campaign formerly known as Operation Enduring Freedom: The conflict commonly referred to as the Afghanistan War is now the longest in U.S. history--having lasted longer than the Civil War, World War I, and World War II combined. What is the Pentagon’s plan for concluding that conflict? When might Americans expect it to end? On what terms?

9. The Gulf: Americans once believed that their prosperity and way of life depended on having assured access to Persian Gulf oil. Today, that is no longer the case. The United States is once more an oil exporter. Available and accessible reserves of oil and natural gas in North America are far greater than was once believed. Yet the assumption that the Persian Gulf still qualifies as crucial to American national security persists in Washington. Why?

10. Hyping terrorism: Each year terrorist attacks kill far fewer Americans than do auto accidents, drug overdoses, or even lightning strikes. Yet in the allocation of government resources, preventing terrorist attacks takes precedence over preventing all three of the others combined. Why is that?

11. Deaths that matter and deaths that don’t: Why do terrorist attacks that kill a handful of Europeans command infinitely more American attention than do terrorist attacks that kill far larger numbers of Arabs? A terrorist attack that kills citizens of France or Belgium elicits from the United States heartfelt expressions of sympathy and solidarity. A terrorist attack that kills Egyptians or Iraqis elicits shrugs. Why the difference? To what extent does race provide the answer to that question?

12. Israeli nukes: What purpose is served by indulging the pretense that Israel does not have nuclear weapons?

13. Peace in the Holy Land: What purpose is served by indulging illusions that a “two-state solution” offers a plausible resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? As remorselessly as white settlers once encroached upon territory inhabited by Native American tribes, Israeli settlers expand their presence in the occupied territories year by year. As they do, the likelihood of creating a viable Palestinian state becomes ever more improbable. To pretend otherwise is the equivalent of thinking that one day President Trump might prefer the rusticity of Camp David to the glitz of Mar-a-Lago.

14. Merchandizing death: When it comes to arms sales, there is no need to Make America Great Again. The U.S. ranks number one by a comfortable margin, with long-time allies Saudi Arabia and Israel leading recipients of those arms. Each year, the Saudis (per capita gross domestic product $20,000) purchase hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. weapons. Israel (per capita gross domestic product $38,000) gets several billion dollars worth of such weaponry annually courtesy of the American taxpayer. If the Saudis pay for U.S. arms, why shouldn’t the Israelis? They can certainly afford to do so.

15. Our friends the Saudis (I): Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on September 11, 2001, were Saudis. What does that fact signify?

16. Our friends the Saudis (II): If indeed Saudi Arabia and Iran are competing to determine which nation will enjoy the upper hand in the Persian Gulf, why should the United States favor Saudi Arabia? In what sense do Saudi values align more closely with American values than do Iranian ones?

17. Our friends the Pakistanis: Pakistan behaves like a rogue state. It is a nuclear weapons proliferator. It supports the Taliban. For years, it provided sanctuary to Osama bin Laden. Yet U.S. policymakers treat Pakistan as if it were an ally. Why? In what ways do U.S. and Pakistani interests or values coincide? If there are none, why not say so?

18. Free-loading Europeans: Why can’t Europe, “whole and free,” its population and economy considerably larger than Russia’s, defend itself? It’s altogether commendable that U.S. policymakers should express support for Polish independence and root for the Baltic republics. But how does it make sense for the United States to care more about the wellbeing of people living in Eastern Europe than do people living in Western Europe?

19. The mother of all “special relationships”: The United States and the United Kingdom have a “special relationship” dating from the days of Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Apart from keeping the Public Broadcasting Service supplied with costume dramas and stories featuring eccentric detectives, what is the rationale for that partnership today? Why should U.S. relations with Great Britain, a fading power, be any more “special” than its relations with a rising power like India? Why should the bonds connecting Americans and Britons be any more intimate than those connecting Americans and Mexicans? Why does a republic now approaching the 241st anniversary of its independence still need a “mother country”?

20. The old nuclear disarmament razzmatazz: American presidents routinely cite their hope for the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons. Yet the U.S. maintains nuclear strike forces on full alert, has embarked on a costly and comprehensive trillion-dollar modernization of its nuclear arsenal, and even refuses to adopt a no-first-use posture when it comes to nuclear war. The truth is that the United States will consider surrendering its nukes only after every other nation on the planet has done so first. How does American nuclear hypocrisy affect the prospects for global nuclear disarmament or even simply for the non-proliferation of such weaponry?

21. Double standards (I): American policymakers take it for granted that their country’s sphere of influence is global, which, in turn, provides the rationale for the deployment of U.S. military forces to scores of countries. Yet when it comes to nations like China, Russia, or Iran, Washington takes the position that spheres of influence are obsolete and a concept that should no longer be applicable to the practice of statecraft. So Chinese, Russian, and Iranian forces should remain where they belong--in China, Russia, and Iran. To stray beyond that constitutes a provocation, as well as a threat to global peace and order. Why should these other nations play by American rules? Why shouldn’t similar rules apply to the United States?

22. Double standards (II): Washington claims that it supports and upholds international law. Yet when international law gets in the way of what American policymakers want to do, they disregard it. They start wars, violate the sovereignty of other nations, and authorize agents of the United States to kidnap, imprison, torture, and kill. They do these things with impunity, only forced to reverse their actions on the rare occasions when U.S. courts find them illegal. Why should other powers treat international norms as sacrosanct since the United States does so only when convenient?

23. Double standards (III): The United States condemns the indiscriminate killing of civilians in wartime. Yet over the last three-quarters of a century, it killed civilians regularly and often on a massive scale. By what logic, since the 1940s, has the killing of Germans, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Laotians, Cambodians, Afghans, and others by U.S. air power been any less reprehensible than the Syrian government’s use of “barrel bombs” to kill Syrians today? On what basis should Americans accept Pentagon claims that, when civilians are killed these days by U.S. forces, the acts are invariably accidental, whereas Syrian forces kill civilians intentionally and out of malice? Why exclude incompetence or the fog of war as explanations? And why, for instance, does the United States regularly gloss over or ignore altogether the noncombatants that Saudi forces (with U.S. assistance) are routinely killing in Yemen?

24. Moral obligations: When confronted with some egregious violation of human rights, members of the chattering classes frequently express an urge for the United States to “do something.” Holocaust analogies sprout like dandelions. Newspaper columnists recycle copy first used when Cambodians were slaughtering other Cambodians en masse or whenever Hutus and Tutsis went at it. Proponents of action--typically advocating military intervention--argue that the United States has a moral obligation to aid those victimized by injustice or cruelty anywhere on Earth. But what determines the pecking order of such moral obligations? Which comes first, a responsibility to redress the crimes of others or a responsibility to redress crimes committed by Americans? Who has a greater claim to U.S. assistance, Syrians suffering today under the boot of Bashar al-Assad or Iraqis, their country shattered by the U.S. invasion of 2003? Where do the Vietnamese fit into the queue? How about the Filipinos, brutally denied independence and forcibly incorporated into an American empire as the nineteenth century ended? Or African-Americans, whose ancestors were imported as slaves? Or, for that matter, dispossessed and disinherited Native Americans? Is there a statute of limitations that applies to moral obligations? And if not, shouldn’t those who have waited longest for justice or reparations receive priority attention?

Let me suggest that any one of these two dozen issues--none seriously covered, discussed, or debated in the American media or in the political mainstream--bears more directly on the wellbeing of the United States and our prospects for avoiding global conflict than anything Donald Trump may have said or done during his first 100 days as president. Collectively, they define the core of the national security challenges that presently confront this country, even as they languish on the periphery of American politics.

It may well be that, as the Times insists, the truth is now more important than ever. If so, finding the truth requires looking in the right places and asking the right questions.

[kabhi-haath-pakad-k-tu-mera]

The Circle Of Life

Death doesn't seem so imposing when you know that you're dying—when you realised it a long time ago. Harry's journey as he deals with Cancer. Haphne. IWSC Final entry. Hogwarts JP.

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Written for the International Wizarding Schools Championship.

Round: Finals!!!

Theme: Dittany, which means healing. The theme is shown here as Harry trying his best to recover from cancer.

Year: Year 7

School: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Prompts: Potions (object) [additional]

Emerald (colour) [additional]

St. Mungo's (setting) [main]

Special Rule and Link: The special rule here is used by Showing 'birth'.

Warnings: Cancer, Major character death, mentions of infertility.

A/N: In this fic, Harry and Daphne are 80, and their children 40-44 years of age. The three children Harry and Daphne have are called Sothis, Jacob, and Lily.

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14th January 2060

8:35 p.m.

Diary,

Death doesn't seem so imposing when you know that you're dying—when you realised it a long time ago. It's funny, really. We know we're all dying but rarely does it ever truly sink in. But in my case, I've had the pleasure of having realised this way back at the age of seventeen. I hadn't thought I'd get out of the Forbidden Forest alive again, especially if I were meant to die in the end, and so I had submitted to my sentence. I was as surprised as anyone at my continued living, I assure you, and with the amount of downright stupid things I've done in my lifetime—fighting Voldemort some five different times, riding thestrals, wandering into acromantula nests, and then contemplating becoming an auror before Daphne talked me out of it—I've already outlived my expectations, so I don't think it bothers me too much that death has come to claim me now. 

Daphne and Hermione would both glare at me for saying that probably, and Sothis, Jacob, and Lily would frown. Acquiring blood cancer does not necessarily mean death, especially since it's a muggle disease, but at the age of 80, I have my doubts. Wizards might not be as affected by muggle ailments, but this is cancer. It's been nearly ten days since I've written to you, as you might have noticed, and that was because of the numerous tests they conducted and reconducted at St. Mungo's. I've had to quit teaching at Hogwarts because of this accursed illness. Those of my family who haven't had much exposure to the muggle world didn't realise just how serious cancer was, and they were rather unconcerned—it's a muggle disease, wizards always recover from muggle diseases—but Hermione knew exactly what it was, and how serious, and she passed this information to both Ron and Daphne—even when I begged her not to—who told others. So now, everyone is extra polite around me, and extra careful. I hate how everyone looks at me like I might shatter at any moment. Even Malfoy's started acting differently again, and it's just so frustrating!

I just want everyone to get back to normal.

Harry James Potter

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8th February 2060

8:15 p.m.

Diary,

My health has gotten worse instead of better. Last week, I began coughing violently and realised that I was coughing blood. My body hurt. I also had a temperature and felt dizzy. Daphy took me to St. Mungo's as soon as she saw my pitiful state. I was kept there for a whole day while the healers ran tests and took samples. While the wizarding world doesn't use injections, their methods of extracting blood hurt just as much. The healers only let Daphy see me during around dinnertime after they thought me stable enough. Daphy was by my side the entire night after that, holding my hand, helping me eat, and then finally settling me down for the night. I hadn't seen her that tired in a long time, diary, and it was … unsettling. I wonder if I'm being too selfish in not really caring if this cursed disease takes me down. Daphne would be shattered. 

Hermione and Ron were there at the hospital before I woke up the next day, considerably late and still feeling pretty shitty. The two of them and Daphne were talking to a healer, and none of them had realised I was awake. I could only catch a few phrases of their conversation—flu, immune system, careful—but the grim expressions on their faces told me that whatever it was, it wasn't good. The healers sent me home with instructions to take some fifty odd potions every eight hours and to exercise regularly, but not so much that I overexert myself. 

I was too tired the next three days to pick up a pen to write, let alone go for a walk. But yesterday, after Daphy and I got back from the walk she had coaxed me into going for, we came home to a pleasant surprise in the form of Lily and Sebastian. Lily has always been big on surprises, but the one she gave us yesterday was the best surprise I have gotten in a long time. They're expecting their first child in July! After a number of failed tries, Lily and Sebastian had both given up on trying to have children, but that right there was proof that miracles do happen. Daphne was so happy, she had tears in her eyes. So did I. For a moment there, I think all of us present in the room were a little misty-eyed. It took a little effort to digest that bit of news, happy as it was because our sweet little witch had grown so old so fast. Wasn't it just yesterday that I had first held her in my arms? She was finally going to be a mother now! I am happy as can be, of course, but I wonder if I'll be able to live long enough to see my grandchild in this life. 

I really hope I do.

Harry James Potter

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18th March 2060

8:00 p.m.

Diary,

I don't think I'd be able to stand a single more piteous look directed toward me, even if my situation is miserable. I feel tired all the time now, even though I've been taking all my potions on time and have done all the exercises that the healers had told me to do. My body still hurts sometimes, and I feel utterly useless. The healers in St. Mungo's still take samples of my blood to see if my condition is getting any better.

They don't say so to my face, but I'm only getting worse. It is clear by the looks they direct towards me, in how Ron and Hermione both always say goodbye to me at the end of the day as if it were their last goodbye, in how Daphne strokes my cheek at night when we’re both in bed and tells me to stay strong for her. I wish they'd just tell me, so I don't have to go through everything pretending to be blissfully unaware.

Sothis and Jacob came to see me today. I hadn't seen them since my birthday last year. Sothis lives in America now with his family and practices as a curse breaker while Jacob has been wandering around the world with Lorcan Lovegood. They were upset when they'd been told of my cancer, of course, but today I truly saw how much my sickness really affected my family. If I had been my old self, I would not have wanted them to see me like this, but times have changed. At least I'm not in St. Mungo's because I wasn't able to fight a common cold. 

I really do want to get better.

Harry James Potter

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21st May 2060

8:40 p.m.

Diary,

Things have begun to look up for me now, and I feel I've gotten a little better for the past few weeks. I don't feel as tired anymore, and Daphy does not have to force me to get out of the house. Daphy could not be happier about this. I've begun working on a book to keep me occupied. This was Hermione's idea—to write a book on Defence Against the Dark Arts from my experience as a professor and what I learnt when I was still studying for it. That I have fought the supreme leader of the dark is an added bonus. I think the one single perk of being sick is that the children come to see me more often. The others came around too, recently—the Weasleys, Neville, Luna. It felt nice to see them all after so long, but it felt a little disconcerting that this might be the last time we saw each other. I suppose that was the reason they made the visit in the first place, to see me again while they still could. 

In other news, I am in the news again. The Daily Prophet found out about my illness somehow, and it was all anyone talked about for the last week. Daphy and Hermione both blew up over the staff of St. Mungo's because no one else would ever leak any information to the Prophet of all people. Astoria, who works there, is having the board conduct an entire investigation to find the gossip. 

Lily had her first contraction while she was here with us. It was a false alarm, the baby is due in the second week of August, but it felt strange and surreal. Everyone was excited though, Lily especially, even if she complained non-stop about her backache. Things are looking up, finally, and everyone, the healers included, think that I'm going to get better quite soon. 

I hope I do.

Harry James Potter

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5th July 2060

8:40 p.m.

Diary,

While my health had been stable enough for the past two months and was inching towards recovery, it has now gotten worse again. The healers think that I've been exposed to an infection which my body is not able to fight off. The incessant pain, the omnipresent tiredness have both returned with assorted bottles of potions that taste like sewer water. 

I was kept at St. Mungo's for a week, and the healers were still reluctant to let me go home because apparently, my immune system has become so compromised that even the mildest of bacteria or virus could be the cause of my death. It wasn't until Hermione had reasoned with them that I was more likely to be exposed to pathogens—whatever those were—in a hospital than back home that they let me go. I've been told in no uncertain terms to take all my potions on time and to get plenty of rest. The worst part is that I am to avoid the outdoors completely, so no more walks or anything. Daphne looked defeated  yet determined.

When they thought I wasn't listening, they also told Daphne and Hermione to keep the visitors to a minimum, so people coming to see me is also out of the question now, although Lily did come here the other day, so I guess the kids are allowed. 

I had thought I was getting better, but now … they don't say it to my face, but their pitiful expressions make it clear that my days now are numbered. I hope I get to see my youngest grandchild before I die, though. They aren't here yet, but I love them already.

Harry James Potter

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31st July 2060

8:45 p.m.

Diary,

It's my birthday today, but so much has changed since last year. I was teaching at Hogwarts happily. People weren't scared of sneezing around me. I was cancer free. But most importantly, I didn't have a new grandson who looked exactly like me. His eyes are the same emerald green as mine, and he has a small tuft of jet-black hair, although I really hope he has better luck with it than I have had. 

From what Daphy tells me, Lily had been visiting when her water broke. I don't know the exact details of what happened since I had been in St. Mungo's since the past week, but everyone panicked except Daphne, who had gone home for a while to shower and eat after leaving me in Hermione's care. She calmly called for a mediwitch from St. Mungo's and made preparations to transport Lily to the hospital for the delivery. 

The baby was two weeks early, but still very healthy. He had curious green eyes, and the memory of how he looked at me with interest when I first held him is still fresh in my mind. I did finally get to meet my grandchild—Lily's first child—and I couldn't possibly be happier. If I were to die now, after I've seen my grandchild, I'd die happy. My princess had finally started a family of her own, and the baby looks just like me. He's a tiny and beautiful baby, and I am so proud. Lily and Sebastian are both beaming. They named him after me and Sebastian's father—Harry Alex Grahams.

I love him.

Harry James Potter

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Daphne closed the diary shut on the morning of August the 2nd with tears rolling down her eyes. She put it beside her on the padded carpet she was sitting on and drew her knees closer to her. Harry had to go, leave, just as Lily's first child was born, just as he had turned Eighty-One. It was painfully sad. Lily had cried through the last night, and it had taken Daphne all she had in her to not join her in it and to comfort her instead. She took in a deep breath. Harry was right, though. The child was beautiful and looked painfully like him. At least she knew that he had died painlessly in his sleep. Happy. Content. His suffering had ended, and he had had the joy of holding his grandson in his arms. He had been happy. That was all that mattered