#even if he's technically serving as chief he's not living in the village as one so like. go pick up the broom son

[nguyenfinity]

She’d stay with them while visiting I think

Bonus:

[ideas-on-paper]

Monster Hunter Tri Diary, Part 2: Day cycles & Nighttime hunt in the Moga Woods

For previous entries, search for #monster hunter tri diary

Disclaimer: Text is paraphrased from my localization and might slightly deviate from the English version.

Moga Village (night)

Yay, we have day cycles! This is actually a feature that got scrapped in MH3U; while there were day and night versions of each map (probably a leftover from this mechanic), it was always day in Moga Village. In Tri, however, time advances in the village too, and you actually get to explore Moga at nighttime! (I believe the only previous time they tried something like this was in MH Dos, with the seasonal cycles.)

And look, fireflies! Or are those Thunder Bugs? (Given that this is Monster Hunter, probably Thunder Bugs.)

Also, there is a nighttime version of the village theme! I've never heard it before, due to there being no day/night cycle in 3U. It's a tad softer and more tranquil than the daytime version - I like it!

Chief's Son: "To restore the base camp, we need to dig new latrines, rebuilt the tent, cover the old latrines, delouse the bed..." Sounds like a really pleasant job. Might be easier to just throw the lousy bed into the trash and get a new one, though.

Okay, so the Chief’s Son tells me I have to report to him what I hunted in the forest, since he’s responsible for keeping tabs on that. Makes sense, since you kinda need to keep an eye on the monster population to prevent an imbalance in the ecosystem if you want to ensure a sustainable economy.

Actually, this reminds me... I remember there's an in-lore explanation that the Guild keeps records of the monster population in each area, to prevent certain species from going extinct and others from growing too large in number. (I think the only time they integrated this into the gameplay was in MH Dos; there was some kind of "bounty system", and the more often you hunted a certain monster, the less money you'd get for it.) So, are the reports I give to the Chief's Son sent to the Guild as well? (I suppose that would be like constant surveillance; but maybe, that's the exact intention behind it.)

At first, I thought the Jumbo Pearl might be a reference to MH Dos (since the village from that game is called Jumbo). However, after checking the Japanese item name, the kanji indicates that it's just an extraordinarily large pearl, rather than a pearl found near/associated with Jumbo Village. (Pity, though; that would've been so cool.)

Chief's Son: "Go report to my dad, will you? He LOVES reports." Okay - well, at least that shows he's taking his job seriously.

Chief: "There are no hopeless causes... Just lost confidence!" That's actually a damn good motivational quote right there.

Gossipy Lady: "It's obvious whenever the Chief is in a pensive mood. He stands at the left pier and gazes out at the sea." I wonder if there's a story behind this habit...

Guild Sweetheart: "The good news is that the Guild apparently has completely forgotten about us. So, you're not missing out on anything!" Well, I guess that's the bright side of it... xD Still, a bit odd if you consider the Guild is technically responsible for protecting the village - all they do is send one rookie hunter here and that’s it. They don’t even bother helping the villagers repairing the damage in any other way.

Outfitter: ""No weapon is perfect. Every one has its strengths and weaknesses." Maybe grandpa was right after all..." Well... A fault confessed is half redressed, or so they say. xD

The shy kid tells us about a goblin with a mask living in the Moga Woods (his older brother also says he's "constantly talking nonsense about an elf"). If my memory serves correctly, that has to be Cha-Cha.

Blacksmith: "I'm gonna to tell you - but just this once!" Except when you cycle through the dialogue by repeatedly talking to him, you can select "yes" again. xD

The Bowguns are completely different in Tri. Instead of the usual two classes (Light and Heavy Bowgun), you have to assemble your Bowgun out of individual parts (stock, frame, barrel), each influencing the stat values and overall performance. I guess this was done in an attempt to make the Bowguns more customizable, so you can have a sort of in-between as opposed to just light/heavy. I'm not a Gunner myself, but I think the idea is kinda cool; ultimately, they didn't stick with it, though.

Btw, there are some weapons that are completely missing from Tri: Dual Blades, Hunting Horn, Gunlance and Bow are all unavailable in this game (despite being available in Freedom Unite).

Also, the Switch Axe and the Long Sword are not available from the start; you have to unlock them later on (you have to do the 3-star Urgent Quest to hunt a Gobul to get access to Long Swords). I was a bit confused when I saw that I couldn't make any Long Swords, since I was sure I heard they existed in Tri. However, the selection of Long Swords in this game is very limited: Minus the weapons from online events, there are only seven Long Swords you can make in the game. That's right: seven. A bit of a bummer for me as a Long Sword main, especially since there are not even blades for every element. (There isn't a single Ice Long Sword you can forge offline.)

So, seems like I'll have to get a little creative here - I think I'll make myself a Great Sword when I get the chance, since that's a weapon I'm at least moderately accustomed to. I also might try out a Switch Axe against Gobul, since you already unlock these after the 2-star Urgent Quest. (Can't say I'm looking forward to it, though. xD)

Btw, I don't know if it's just a translation error in my localization, but when explaining weapon sharpness, the smith says orange is sharper than yellow which is sharper than green. Of course, it's the other way around, with yellow being sharper than orange and green being the sharpest. So, this is a small pitfall for anyone who might be new to the game - just wanted to mention it.

"Fuel for the furnace, chemicals for forging... All of that costs money, so you gotta pay something." I think this is the first time I've seen it mentioned that the smithies in MH are using chemicals to make weapons/armor. Guess that makes sense, since a lot of the equipment pieces are composed of both organic and inorganic materials, so it probably wouldn't hold together otherwise.

"My life's goal? To forge a weapon beyond anyone's imagination! I've tried again and again, but failed. One day, I'll succeed - just you wait!" Well, as long as you have a goal and dedication, you can achieve anything. Better luck next time! :-)

I really like the smith in general - such a lively and spry guy. ^^

What the?! How did the smartass kid get into my house? Who let you in? WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SWAMPHOUSE?!?

"Did you know you can skip conversations? That way, you can skip boring conversations with people you don't even want to listen to. Very handy!" I wish this was a feature in real life.

"But some things you'll get to hear only once. And then you'll say: "Oh no! Why did I press the cancel button? Now I can never hear this again! Buhuuuu!" Unironically me every time I want the text to scroll faster and accidentally end up missing dialogue. xD

"Oh, some conversations you can't skip, like important village info and lectures from your mom..." Pity - I'm sure everyone would appreciate the latter. xD

"Do you believe there is life on the moon?" I dunno, kid - I've never read sci-fi literature from the MH universe myself.

"Why don't hunters use their huge airships to fly to the moon? Did no one get this idea before?" Well, maybe they did - I just doubt they got very far. xD

Yay! I can actually give my Poogie a name! (Actually, I think this is the first time in the series you can do this.) Though it's curious that the list includes both male and female names - is Poogie's gender just whatever you want it to be?

The cuddle timing for the Poogie is WAY more lenient than in Freedom Unite (seriously, that was hardcore).

Moga Woods (night)

"Hello, it's me, the Chief's Son! Not Junior! Nobody calls me that!" Yep, definitely daddy issues. (Nice to see the Chief's Son inherited his dad’s telepathic skills, though.)

"Oh, nice attack! Maybe you're not such an inexperienced hunter after all..." Shit, they've caught onto my ruse - they know I'm too good to be a noob! xD

It will never not be funny to me that the "So tasty!" when you make a Well-done Steak is the only voice line they ever bothered to record for the old games. In fact, it was so important that they even recorded it in different languages. xD

I appreciate how there's a brief display of "MAX" at the end of the stamina gauge - that way, you know when you're at max stamina.

Okay, so the monster list also works differently in Tri. Instead of buying the books with the info at the item shop, you have to gather the infos yourself while being out in the field. It feels a bit like a spiritual predecessor to MH World; I guess they did this to add more to the "exploration" feeling. It's a little tricky to do though, so I understand why they got rid of it. (You have to open the monster list in the menu, point the Wiimote at the monster and then add the info to your list via drag-and-drop. I can imagine this is going to be rather difficult with large monsters, since you kinda have to pay attention that you don't die while gathering data. xD)

Honey: "Full of nutrients, but indigestible in this form." What? Last time I checked, honey was a perfectly digestible type of food. What makes MH honey different?

Okay, so I've picked up an item called "Firedouse Berry". It increases fire resistance, apparently. The logical conclusions would be that there are other berries in Tri to counter the other elements (water, thunder, ice). Either way, I've never seen these in any MH before.

I’ve always wondered what the "houses"/windows carved into the cliffs of Area 7 are. I suppose this is what the Head Farmer meant when he was saying that the statue in the cave had something to do with the "forest ruins". Is this where the ancestors of the sea people lived? If so, why are these great buildings in ruins? What brought about their demise?

You see, it's the little things that always kept me fascinated in Monster Hunter. You can find these ancient ruins in all of the old MH games, but it’s never explained who built them. It's like a dark mystery of the past, constantly looming over you - and perhaps, a silent threat that this might happen again.

It's funny how the Jaggi were my literal introduction to Monster Hunter. If I hadn't read an article about there being "raptors" in MH4U - despite the Jaggi looking more dilophosaurs with their frills (which is ironic, since they're the bird wyverns that don't spit poison) - I probably wouldn't have picked it up. xD

After playing Lies of P for so long, I have to get used to MH combat again. Although I adjusted the controls of LoP so it was basically the standard MH controls (because I literally can’t play with anything else xD), the combat itself feels very different. MH’s is a lot more mobile in comparison, involving lots of dodging and repositioning; since there’s no target lock-on (targeting for large monsters only got introduced in MH3U if I remember correctly), you can’t just lock onto your target to circle around them.

Also, I don't think there’s a pause button in Tri? A bit strange since Freedom Unite had one, but I guess you're supposed to use the Wii Home button for this.

There was a young Aptonoth in Area 1, probably the one who fled from Area 3 when I killed its parents (cool that the monsters move to other areas, though!). I briefly contemplated to let it live, but then I told myself "well, it's probably not gonna survive without its parents anyway" and did the mercy kill. (I'm such a cold-blooded murderer, guys. xD)

One thing that never fails to make me laugh is how there are wooden struts sprouting from the ground if you place the BBQ spit on uneven terrain. xD (That BBQ spit is so important, it even gains the magical ability to support itself if need be.)

So, in summary, I killed 15 Jaggi, while also gathering some stuff along the way. I would've needed 30 resource points at minimum, I delivered 90 - so, thrice as much. Well, there's no kill like overkill. xD

Moga Village (day)

As far as I know, 3rd Gen is the first to have its own kinds of fertilizers for mushroom and insect farming spots on the farm (Shroom Germ and Funky Pheromones, respectively).

Dung: "That's right: Monster poop. The odor reveals (too) much about the monster's diet." Must be really pleasant to carry that around in your pockets (or store it in your item box). xD

The item description says you can only sell Pittance Fangs for "pocket change" - that "pocket change" being 180z per piece, which is quite a lot by early game standards. (I've been wondering about the name, though; could it be that monster parts like fangs, teeth etc. are used as currency in some places in the MH universe? Is it custom to give these kinds of fangs to beggars so they can buy themselves something for it?)

Okay, the smith now wants me to bring him some Iron Ore to prove that I’m “worthy” of being his customer - at least he was so kind as to lend me his Mega Pickaxe for it. (Remember, kids? The time when you still had to carry pickaxes and bug nets with you to gather ore and insects?)

Village Chief: "All wyverians are hard to please. And this one is the worst. I know him since my early youth. I got into more brawls with him than the sky has stars!" Sounds like the Chief and the smith were best friends. xD It's charming to see the Chief reminiscing about his youth, though.

Chief: "My son still has a lot to learn... But you have to overcome barriers to grow." That's true - ngl, the Chief does have some pretty deep quotes.

Guild Sweetheart: "Drum roll... The Guild says: absolutely nothing!" Man, they sure are taking their time... Okay, how about this: I'm gonna go out to get some Iron Ore for the smith (and for myself), and you see if you can get through to the Guild in the meantime, alright? Don’t worry, sweetie - I’ll be right back!

To be continued

[maguro13-2]

Miku.EXE Origin : The Revenge Pt.7

[Majin Sonic Zone]

[Mystic Ruin - Fumie Kumatani]

Zatsune.EXE : Wow. This place for a CD guy is really huge. This is your territory?

Majin Sonic : Yep, and this is where I live here. Welcome to Majin Sonic Zone. We the Majin are a proud and prideful people of this territory, I am the village chief of this here territory, we've known that this village has been dedicated for many years since your father has stepped foot into this place. We presume that "God" has been here to spend time with us in order to protect this land from being destroyed by the enemy threats. But now our territory has became part of "God's" reserved after he established the defense line that he and his people created.

Zatsune.EXE : Yep. That's dad alright. I hope he isn't too okay with the defense line that we stepped in. Not sure why tho.

Miku.EXE : So how is everything going with the village?

Majin Sonic : Well, the village I...how do I put it? The village is putting strange borders around the defense line, but I believe that we found these strange "Red Rings" that have been found on the ground and we told that it's highly a threat. I don't know who or what "Thing" manage to put those ring over in the territory, but we managed to destroy each and one of them before bad things happened.

Miku.EXE : Wait..."Red Rings"?

Zatsune.EXE : What the heck are those, and what's a red ring?

Majin Sonic : Oh, ummm...You don't want to know what it is. But we had make to decisions, let's just say how do we put these "Red Rings" of this other "EXE" fella. Let's just say we put those things in a safe place, guarded with the best security in the world!

Zatsune.EXE : Oh! Seems fair to me! If it's not safe to find any red rings around the territory. We should defitenly get ourselves a head start to help around things in the village. So what'll be for us to handle?

Miku.EXE : [bows] I am grateful that we would help around the village and for the safety our kind. Please, give us a nice stay for a while.

Majin Sonic: Sure! Anything is possible when it comes to you two girls! And remember, you know our motto because...

Zatsune.EXE : ..."Fun is Infinite"? I presumed that would be your catchphrase, correct?

Majin Sonic : Ah! The smart thinker! It seems you have that IQ of yours with that in your system! I've seen you girls doing a lot things to make you speak for yourselves with all the knowledge in your head. There's no way a genius like you should be greater than your sister.

Zatsune.EXE : Yeah...I've always done this after doing to my studies. I should be the one thanking you as a smart thinker. Technically, I am a girl that solves people's problems and even throw a punch at them. [hears stomach gurgling] Speaking of geniuses, haven't forget something. You got any eats around this place?

Majin Sonic : Sure! It's around the house.

Miku.EXE : Hope you serve us well with the food. I hope I won't say "no" to dinner.

Zatsune.EXE : Trust me, Majin's a good man and good friend to dad. He'll never say "No" to anyone.

[scene later transits]

Majin Sonic : So, how are your meals today?

Zatsune.EXE : This food of your sure hit the spot! Who knew that your excellencies in cooking was this bit of a success?

Majin Sonic : I've been doing some resources to give my people some food, we the Majin's have been giving out to the wonders of all the best cooking chefs in the world. For me, I and your father have been head chefs to prepare a wonderful feasts for our people!

Zatsune.EXE : Really? You and dad were head chefs like us that we did all the cooking? That's a really good statement that you are best at cooking for all the wonders to the best chefs around the world. But you know how cooking isn't just my style. But hey, if we could prepare a feast for your people, we should do that with you together! But there isn't any kind of food around the forest. But there's gotta be plenty of ingredients to prepare the feast.

Majin Sonic : You think so? You're gonna help us with the preparations for the feast of our people? And you are willing to help us out?

Zatsune.EXE : Sure! We'll always do! After all, we are the daughters of "God" and nothing's gonna stop us! Leave it to me!

Miku.EXE : And leave it to us!

Zatsune & Miku : [together] We'll do anything for you to help!

Majin Sonic : Then it's settled!

[scene flips]

Majin Sonic : Listen up, my people! We, the Majins of the Majin Sonic Zone Territory, have gathered here today that I will announce that we are preparing a feast for our pride with the help of Master Xeno's daughters, Zatsune and her sister Miku.EXE! These two wonderful daughters of "His" will help me out to gather all the ingredients in order to create the perfect "dish" That we and their father created not by a single person, but to help it out with a friend! And so it is begins, tonight, we will prepare our latest "feast" "for our people in the awakening of Master Xeno's "Return".

[Everyone cheers and applause]

Majin Sonic : Well then, what are we waiting for? Let the Feast Preparations begin!

~ THE FEAST FOR GOD'S WILL AND FRIENDSHIP ~

[oss-crime]

Chapter 2-Project “Ma” --Eve--; Scene 1

Original Sin Story: Crime, pages 16-21

This is the story of the beginning.

From where shall I tell?

.

--They say that the witch of the forest uses a blue spoon instead of a staff.

It was a concerning situation for Eve that this rumor was spreading amongst the Mogera.

She made her living selling fruits and mushrooms that she’d gathered in the forest.

Though she was the village chief’s daughter in the small village of Nemu, that didn’t mean she could escape from having to work.

It wasn’t all that hard in itself.

At the very least it was much better than having to stay cooped up in the village all the time, and fortunately she was never wanting for customers. The Mogera who worked in the plains that stretched from the east of the village were always looking for a meal.

The Mogera referred to those who excavated legacy pieces. They would come in and out from the twelve royal capitals, and though it was their fault that these plains were now riddled with holes, there were few who’d voice any ill-will towards the Mogera in the village.

It was an undeniable fact that the money they brought in had made the village prosperous.

Even the automated carriage that Eve was driving had been bought with that money. Technically her father owned it, but he’d never used the carriage once. The chief had ended up becoming confined to his house ever since he had injured his lower back two years ago.

That was why he had allowed Eve to use the tools for his trade in his place.

The carriage was on its way to the biggest excavation site, the luggage area packed with her harvest from the forest.

Though she called it a carriage, unlike the usual kind the main body wasn’t pulled along by horses or anything. The wheels were moved by special gears that operated by magic that Eve would let off.

Those gears were one of the legacy pieces unearthed by the Mogera. Eve had no idea how they were made, specifically, but whatever the case it was certain that this carriage was ordinarily a very expensive luxury item.

Her father told her that he’d been able to buy it relatively cheaply through some old connections of his, but even so it must have cost enough money to live idly for a year. It probably would have caused a big row if her mother were still alive.

She would have to use this carriage to save up quite a bit to make up for it.

.

“Everyooone, good to see you all. Eve Zvezda’s mobile sale cart is open for business!” Eve shouted when she’d arrived at the excavation site.

It was around lunch time, so a bunch of brawny men began to shuffle around the carriage.

The most popular item was pfifferling. Apparently it was a trend among the Mogera right now to cook these mushrooms alongside venison bought from hunters. After that was trauben. Though it wasn’t the fruit itself that sold well so much as the wine made with it. It was the village chief’s specialty.

Close by where Eve was selling her wares, some Mogera were lighting a fire to start cooking with.

At once they started tossing the ingredients they’d bought from Eve into a pot.

Eventually they filled some copper bowls with the food that they made from it; after receiving them the men then sat down on the ground and started eating.

Around then, having mostly run out of the ingredients in her luggage compartment, Eve started to pack up. When she did, a good-natured Mogera approached her and handed her a bowl with soup in it.

Sharing the bounty with her. She decided to accept it with thanks.

Ah…

Then she realized that she didn’t have a spoon.

“Oops, sorry ‘bout that. I forgot.”

The Mogera who had given her soup came back with a spoon.

“Oh, that’s alright, I actually already—” About to say that she had one on her, Eve clammed up. “…Thank you kindly,” she said instead, taking the spoon.

…Phew.

She sighed inside her mind.

She couldn’t very well show him her blue spoon.

Today as well, as the Mogera were eating a discussion bloomed regarding that “witch of the woods”.

“I hear the witch of the woods has driven off the ‘White Army’ again.”

“Serves ‘em right. Thanks to her this dig site is peaceful now.”

The white army was a savage tribe causing havoc in this area.

They all had white hair, and they could summon flames. Apparently they were originally nomads who came from the east, but after having a dispute with the “people of the forest” long ago, eventually they changed into a bandit clan…Or so Eve’s father had told her.

The white army had killed hundreds of citizens of the forest. And apparently they were also after the artifacts excavated here, and so had attacked the dig site several times before.

Whatever the case, there was no one more dangerous to the people who lived here than the white army.

The witch of the forest was a hero of righteousness who punished this white army…Or at least, that’s how the Mogera took it.

“But then, how does the witch of the forest counter the white army’s frightful arts? That Peck guy get a huge burn from the flames that those white-haired bastards let off, didn’t he? Wouldn’t be surprised if she died to those.”

“I hear that the witch of the forest uses some extreme lightning art. Rumor is she turns the white army to ashes before they can throw fire at her.”

“A battle between fire and lightning, that’s pretty badass. But if they overdo it the forest’s gonna vanish without a trace, ha ha.”

Eve finished up her soup and returned her eating utensils to the Mogera.

She’d have to get back to the village soon. …Right as she was thinking that.

She heard a loud scream from the north.

When she turned in that direction alongside the Mogera, she could see a cloud of dust in the air far away.

She heard another scream. Not just one, but many people.

“Is that…The white soldiers?”

The Mogera started to murmur.

“This is serious. Are they coming to attack us!?”

“No…That’s not it.”

The troupe of white soldiers appeared to be fighting with someone else.

They all fired upon a large silhouette at once.

“What’s that, a giant?” one of the Mogera said.

Eve replied in her mind that it was not.

That…was probably an automated carriage.

Something much bigger than the one Eve had been riding.

It was being attacked by the white army, and attempting to escape…that’s what it looked like.

I’ve gotta move!

Eve jumped into her carriage and poured magic into the crystal in the control console.

After quickly turning the carriage around as it roared to life, she raced towards the direction where the cloud of dust was forming.

“Oi, miss! Stop, it’s too dangerous!” she heard someone cry from behind her, but Eve ignored it and pushed the carriage onward.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[trojantoast]

Cold is the Night (Day One: Reunion)

 Zutara Week 2020

@zutaraweek

AO3

“Once he's gazed upon her, a man is forever changed

The bravest men return with darkened hearts and phantom pain

Ages come and go, but her life goes on the same

She lives to see the sun and feel the wind and drink the rain

Her colors change to mark the passing of the days

No Earthly sight can match the beauty she displays

And when I die I want her lying by my side

In my grave, in my grave”

- La Belle Fleur Sauvage (Lord Huron)

___

The arctic wind was bitter cold, but the sight of the Southern Water Tribe as he rounded the iceberg filled him with warmth. Unlike its northern sister, with its white, impenetrable walls. Only a wide harbor filled with ships and sea birds, separated the frigid ocean from the village.

 No great citadel greeted him, no sparkling palace. Yet, it was not the same tribe as years past. Gone were the huts and animal skin tents. A broad path in the snow led from the port to a neat cluster of igloos nestled at the snow covered foot of the mountains, cradled by a low wall. The only permanent settlement was the low rotunda of sculpted ice and snow that crowned the village. The home of the Southern Tribe winked with fire light in the eternal dawn.

Fire Lord Zuko breathed in the crisp, familiar scent of brine and metallic snow, as his cruiser dropped anchor in the harbor. In minutes his motor boat reached the shore, and his breath of fire was the only thing keeping him from shivering right out of his parka. Summer or not, Zuko was chilled to the bone. 

Three figures greeted him on the docks of ice. All were male, tall and broad. One broke away and as he grew closer his voice carried over the arctic wind, until he was only a few feet away.

“Gran Gran will be happy to see you wearing the parka she made you, though… the matching toboggan seems to be missing.”

Zuko smiled as he was enveloped into an embrace, “Hello, to you too, Sokka.”

The warrior gave him a quick squeeze and pulled back, his characteristic grin plastered on his face.  Zuko looked down at his previously mentioned navy blue parka. It was cut in the Fire Nation style, and lined with white fur. “Well, I couldn't refuse a gift from a foreign dignitary, especially one that was handmade for me.”

“Certainly not, parkas of that quality can take an entire winter to hand stitch. To have one made for you is a declaration of trust and allyship, sacred to our tribe.” Zuko looked up to the second Warrior, taller than Sokka, but narrower in the shoulders. The firebender bowed formally, 

“General Bato,”

There was a bark of laughter, and the third man joined the group, “General... that’s a good one.”

The tall warrior rolled his eyes, “What would you prefer, Hakoda, ‘Igloo-maker in Chief’?”

The leader of the southern Water Tribe threw his arm around the warriors shoulders and smiled, “As long as it's not my igloo.”

There was another round of chuckles, and Hakoda grasped Zuko’s forearm in a formal greeting.

“You really should take care of that parka. Bato’s not kidding, they do take all winter and you know how long those are around here.”

“I’ll be sure to express my gratitude to Kanna when I see her.”

“Glad to hear it,” Hakoda smiled softly, but his eyes turned more earnest, and he placed a strong hand on Zuko’s shoulder. The Fire Lord’s guards didn't even flinch. Snow swirled absentmindedly around the group in the moments before the chief spoke, “I believe we have some things to discuss.”

Zuko nodded, his hand dipping unconsciously into the pocket of his parka, “yes, we do.”

___

Talking could wait, apparently, as Zuko and the rest of his crew were loaded up into sleds (recently reintroduced to the tribe's way of life, after they finally had enough food to feed arctic dogs as well as themselves) and taken to the village. It was bigger up close, but barely larger than the smallest of villages in his home country. Children trailed after them, and Zuko smiled as Captain Jee sent little spirals of sparks, like fireworks, towards their awed faces. 

Sokka was giving him a very speedy tour, pointing out new landmarks and trying to explain who lived in what igloo, before they passed by in a shower of kicked up snow. The main gathering building of the tribe was circular and sprawling. Multiple branches and bubbles of different rooms peaked out of the drifts of snow. The ship's crew was taken to the temporary barracks to get cleaned up before the feast that the tribe's women had prepared. Zuko was led to the guest house he usually occupied on his visits.

Zuko tried to refuse any big ta-do about his arrival. It wasn't even an official visit. He knew that even if the tribe was quickly bouncing back after the war, that there wasn't much food to spare. However, the tribe members had been insistent, and he couldn't really argue. 

He followed Sokka around the backside of the rotunda to the igloos and huts that Chief Hakoda’s family and visitors used. 

He tried not to let his eyes drift to the home nestled between his and the chief’s. It’s doorway was dark, no smoke curled from its chimney, and from the snow drifted against the door, it had not been entered in a while.

That’s a good thing, he said to himself. 

He wasn’t very convincing.

“You know, I'm surprised you haven't asked about her yet.”

Zuko stilled at the door of his igloo, a now familiar place. He let his eyes linger on the other home.

“I know she’s not here, and that’s how I wanted it to be, so…” he trailed off.

“What has it been? Six months?” Sokka continued past him carrying Zuko’s trunk with little effort. He set it down by the large cot and bed roll. Zuko sighed and followed suit. The space was immediately warmer than the outside air. The curtain of a door settled behind him. 

“Seven… and three quarters.” He grabbed a tea kettle and set it on the small cooking fire at the center of the single room house. Sokka plopped down on the cushions around the pit, arranging them so he could comfortable lounge back.

“Hey, I haven't seen Suki in almost five months. I mean,” there was a grunt as Sokka removed his boots, “It's not quite the same, since me and Suki are technically married and you guys…” Sokka seemed to struggle for the right thing to say. In the meantime Zuko removed his own boots and parka, which had grown hot, and ran a hand through his unbound hair. He had kept it roughly the same length for the past five years. 

“We agreed that this was the best thing for everyone. Katara’s where she's needed, and so am I.” Sokka raised a critical brow, but just shrugged.

“And, I'm sure your visit here has nothing to do with ‘being where you're needed’” Zuko shot him a withering look. Sokka had the decency to look sheepish.

“Hey,” the warrior raised his hands in surrender, “I only speaking the truth.”

Zuko wasn’t quite ready to face the truth.

He wasn’t ready, because the truth frightened him. It kept him up at night. It made him lose focus in meetings and it made him count the days between every time he saw her. He knew the truth, and he didn’t want to hear it.

“Well, buddy, I’m just glad you’re here.”

Zuko looked up from inspecting the tea pot, and smiled, ever so slightly, 

“Me too.”

___

The meal was no feast or ball, but the entire village gathered in the largest and center-most room of the rotunda. The tribe’s numbers, with it’s warriors returned, and half a decade of peace, had grown to nearly 200. Yet, the room didn’t seem cramped as everyone piled onto cushions around low dining tables. Even when Zuko’s crew and personal guards (who where only there on principle, Zuko had never felt safer than among the Southern Water Tribe), joined the company, the crowded space felt comfortable and warm.

Zuko had been placed in the seat of honor, at the left hand of chief Hakoda, and the right hand of Kanna, the chief's mother, and the village’s elder. As per tradition, the youngest of the group and the unmarried women served the rest of the tribe before eating. Sokka told him once, that the action was to reinforce loyalty and represent how they serve their tribe first, until they marry, or become adults. 

The food was traditional water tribe cuisine, made by collective effort of the women, both married and unmarried, of the tribe. 

Platters of roasted fish, and savory rein-caribou meat was served, alongside various stews and cooked greens. sea prunes, clams, and other crustaceans were also distributed. The food, like the tribe who made it, was hearty. It was salty, and fatty, and so unlike the hot spices and complicated recipes of his Zuko’s homeland. The Fire Lord hadn’t had a meal as delicious in a long time. 

The room was filled with chattering voices and laughing children, muffled by the animal pelts and cushions they all lounged on. Everyone had striped their outer clothes off, and the parkas joined the piles of furs surrounding the group. People moved from table to table, catching up on the day's activities and trading jokes and stories. The older warriors took special interest in comparing notes with his crew on sailing techniques. Every member of the tribe, from the oldest widow, to the mother’s with their tiny babies, came to Zuko’s table and greeted him formally. Zuko gave them a warriors handshake or a bow, according to their age. Some of the children brought him tiny, crude, carvings of bone, made in the shapes of animals or people. In return, he bestowed a carefully wrapped cake from the satchel at his side into their tiny hands. The pastries were crunchy on the outside and impossibly soft on the inside; shaped like lotus flowers. They were straight from the royal kitchens, and Zuko pretended not to notice when they came back for seconds. 

Zuko barely had time to eat the food that had been piled onto his plate, between greeting the tribe, and joining into the discussions at his own table, but he made do. 

“So, young man,” Zuko turned from giving a little girl her third pastry, to Kanna. The older woman had finished her bowl of stew, and was now working on the delicate and complex embroidery on a deep blue parka. “What is it you plan to do with all those carvings the children are giving you?”

Zuko smiled, and turned to look at the small army of animals he had absentmindedly arranged in rows next to his table setting. 

“I’ll probably put them with the others. I have a glass bureau in my office that holds some of the gifts I’ve received from other dignitaries. The children’s carvings have their own shelf.” The carvings had become a sort of tradition every time he came to visit. 

She chuckled, it was a rumbling, gravelly sound, “I can’t imagine these next to the rich items you must get.”

Zuko picked up the carving closest to him. It was a black wolf-whale. The little boy who had given it to him, had charred the bone to mimic the pattern of black and white splotches of the animal in real life. 

“Yeah, but these are my favorite.”

He ran his hands along the upright fin on its back.

Kanna smiled quietly to herself and returned to her embroidery.

Slowly, as the night went on, the children grew tired, and their parents bid last goodbyes to the members of Zuko’s table. And as the kids were rebundled up and carried, sleepily, back to their own homes, the rest of the village filed out as well. The younger men and women left in groups, or pairs, laughing heartily together, to spend time among themselves. The widows and widowed warriors bore their own farewells. Soon, even the village elders grew sore of sitting and talking and eating, and went their own ways, wishing the guidance and protection of the spirits in the dreams of their chief, his family, and the Fire Lord. 

The dishes had been cleared away much earlier in the night, so when Hakoda led them into a hall toward a small study, they left the gathering room quiet and empty. 

Zuko rose from his seat, and extended his elbow to Kanna, who excepted it with a pat to his for arm and a smile. 

“Such good manners.” She praised. Zuko felt himself blush.

The adjacent room was furnished with low couches and a stone fireplace that peaked out of the white ice walls. More thick pelts lined the floor. Zuko recognized the large maple shelves and desk as those he gifted Hakoda himself, made of the finest Fire Nation lumber. 

Sokka, Kanna, Bato, and Zuko all settled into the couches, as the Chief pulled out a dark blue glass bottle from the bottom drawer of his desk. He poured each member of the group a drink of the clear liquid, before he sat another one of the couches, instead of his high backed desk chair. 

Zuko took a sip, and tried not to wince as the alcohol burned his throat. Immediately, he was warmer than before. He watched the others. Zuko knew what was coming.

Hakoda took a very slow sip of his drink, and turned to the firebender.

“I’m assuming you didn't sail all the way down to the South Pole to take in the scenery.”

Zuko swallowed, as they all turned their attention to him.

“No, no I didn't.” he took another drink, stealing his nerves, then placed the glass down. 

“Me and Katara have discussed it, at length.” Zuko found that Kanna’s stare was level and calm, he felt reassured. “She thinks it’s the best thing for us, and I agree.” Zuko looked around the room.

“We want, no… we're going to get married.”

Zuko didn’t know what reaction he would receive. He had been obsessing over what Katara’s family would say, what they would do, since the idea of marriage first entered his mind. He expected it would involve being forcefully thrown into the arctic ocean. The sensible part of his mind knew there was nothing to worry about, since almost immediately after him and Katara had announced their courtship her family, and her tribe, had taken him in as one of their own (Bato had even teased them about step-grand children). Yet, the other voice in his head still haunted him with fears of rejection. But, Hakoda only sat up, placed his glass down, looked into Zuko’s eyes, and waited for him to continue.

So Zuko did.

“We know that it’s not going to be easy. We know that it will be dangerous. We know that we each have responsibilities and duties, and I respect hers and she respects mine. We’ve been considering it for a while now, and it's what we both want. I know that relations between my nation and yours, are...tense, but they're getting better, and there's people where I’m from that won’t like it, but I think that together, we can show that the four nations can coexist and that the Fire Nation cares about reperatio-”

Hakoda held up a hand, Zuko went silent, he swallowed again. 

The chief looked deep into his eyes, Zuko didn't break the contact.

“I don’t care what your union means politically. I don’t care what message it will send to the other nations, what message it will send for your people, son. I just want to know one thing.”

“Anything.” 

“Do you love her?”

Immediately, he answered, “Yes,” his hand settled on his chest, between his two lungs, where he knew the scar sat, “with all my heart.”

Zuko looked around the room, each pair of bright blue eyes were fixed on him. 

“I don’t know when I started to, maybe it was the day of the comet, maybe before, maybe after, but when I asked her to come with me to fight my sister and regain my throne, I knew it had to be her that came. I love Katara, but before that, I trust her. I trust her with my life. I trust her with my people and my country. I would die for her.”

Zuko felt it then, the ghost of the pain, the exhilaration, the fear as he watched Azula take aim. “Taking that lightning was the easiest thing I’ve ever done, and I would do it again, ten thousand times over.”

Bato spoke next, “And she feels the same way?”

Zuko thought, for a second, replaying the last five years in his mind. The image that lingered in his mind was the flashes of blue fire through clear water as she battled Azula, risking her life to defeat the most dangerous firebender in the world, just to save him.

He smiled, gently, “Yes, I know she does.”

Kanna’s face was stone, “You swore an oath to serve your people and your country? Is that correct Fire Lord Zuko?”

He nodded. The elder looked him in the eye. He felt like she was looking deep into his soul.

“In our culture, the marriage vow outweighs any oath to lord or land. Katara must come first, before your throne, before your crown. The binding of two souls is far more ancient than any border or king, as old as the very first marriage of the spirits Tui and La. The promise you will make to each other trumps any other loyalty, and will last beyond your last breath, into the next life. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I do.” he instinctively reached into his pocket, “The only reason Katara doesn't know I’m here is because she would say that asking for permission from the bride's family was an outdated tradition” Sokka smirked at that, “but I also know how much your good opinion means to her, and I don’t want to hide anything from you.

“I want to do this by the book, so I’m here, to ask you personally,” he looked from person to person, “do me and Katara have your blessing for our union?”

There was silence in the room. No one moved. Zuko barely breathed. 

Then Kanna rose, slowly. Instinctively Zuko moved to help her but she held up a withered hand and crossed over to him.

“Kneel, and close your eyes.”

Zuko did. 

He felt her brush her fingers across his forehead. 

“Now,” he looked up, “I, Kanna, matriarch of the Southern Water Tribe, mother to Hakoda, grandmother to Sokka and Katara, grant you my blessing, and the blessings of the spirits for your union.” She looked behind her, “Does anyone present of the bride's family object to the bestoying of the blessing?”

The only response was Sokka’s wide grin. Kanna nodded, and returned to her seat. Zuko stood, he couldnt hid the joy on his face, he bowed, low, to each person in the room.

“So,” Hakoda dawned a smile for himself, “have you carved the necklace?”

___

Later that night, Sokka walked Zuko back to his igloo. After Zuko’s announcement there were multiple rounds of celebratory drinks, and the pair was distinctly drunk. The southern warrior threw his arm around the other man’s shoulders as they neared the entrance.

“You know, Zuko…” He burped, “we all knew it was a matter of time before you asked her. Dad just put you through all those formalities to make you sweat.”

Zuko chuckled, “Well, it worked.”

His friend, and soon to be brother-in-law, turned to him, seriously, "You also have to know Zuko, that if Katara was here she would object to you asking us not just because it's and 'outdated tradition' but because there's no question that our answer would be 'yes'."

The Fire Lord looked at the ground, "I just... wanted to be sure."

Sokka shook his head, placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder, "We love you, Zuko. Everyone does. Honestly, I think Gran-gran likes you more than me, which hurts, but whatever," he shrugged, "bottom line, your an important part of this family, and you were long before you an Katara started sucking face." Zuko couldn't hold back a snort of laughter, 

"I know, but sometimes it's hard, I'm not used to the whole 'unconditional love' stuff." he looked back, across the shining tops of the tribe, "you all just make it look so...easy."

Sokka laughed, "Yeah, tell that to dad the next time I loose blueprints." 

He ruffled Zuko's hair, and returned to his position leaning on him.

“So, when are you formally popping the question?”

Zuko’s eyes traveled over to Katara’s igloo next door, then to the lights of the harbor beyond, and the twinkling stars and moon reflected in the still water. 

“She comes back from Ba Sing Se in three weeks, so I figured as soon as she got home.”

Katara’s brother nodded, then grasped each of Zuko’s shoulders, making him look into his eyes, “That means you're staying long enough for bro time?” his brow was furrowed in absolute seriousness. 

“I wouldn’t dream of anything else.”

___

!!PLEASE REBLOG WITH THOUGHTS AND CRITICISMS!!

You guuuuuuys... it’s officially Zutara Week!!! YEE HAW!!!

Anyway, I’m sorry there was only indirect Katara in today’s submission. That will be rectified tomorrow. My plan for this year (though I haven't followed any plan for Zutara Week yet) is that all of my submissions will be apart of a linear narrative. It starts with today’s prompt, five years after the war, and goes from there. All of the submissions can be stand alone, but thay can also all be tied together. The only day that won’t follow this is Day Three: Celestial. I really love that particular one so its special. All of this could change, so don’t quote me on that. I hope you enjoyed :D

P.S. I’ll be tagging all my Zutara Week submissions for this year #ems zkw2020 

[kdinthecity]

Love Amongst the Turtleducks (Part Three)

@zutaraweek​ for Day 3: Fuse. Also posted on Ao3. I struggled with this prompt, and yes, it’s a stretch. After this transition chapter, there is major fluff ahead. Also, the OCs’ names here, Amaruq and Takanni, both mean wolf in Inuit.

For the second day in a row, Katara’s healing lessons were cut short. Yesterday Dr. Yang was called into emergency surgery just after they finished a tour of the capital hospital. Katara desperately wanted to observe, but apparently the doctor ran things like the military, and she’d have to move up through the ranks first.

I’m already a master healer in the Water Tribe, Katara seethed. Although they didn’t do surgeries in the South Pole. It sounded fascinating… and also very serious, she conceded. She was here to expand her healing knowledge, not flaunt it.

Besides, she couldn’t complain too much because it meant she could spend the rest of the day with Zuko. Or the parts of his day that he wasn’t running between meetings, at least.

Today’s lessons with Dr. Yang were hard. Of course the royal family’s physician would be an expert on burn care. The method for making burn salve was frustratingly technical. Katara couldn’t stop thinking about Zuko’s scar, speculating on how he got it, wanting to know for sure. Would waterbending have healed it when it first happened? Could she heal it now with spirit water from the North Pole oasis?

Dr. Yang sensed Katara’s distress and insisted she take a break. Katara said she didn’t need one. Dr. Yang said some just don’t have the stomach. Katara cut her off with a stomp of her foot and loudly proclaimed, “I can do this!” Before their brewing argument reached full steam, though, two blue-clad tribesmen interrupted them.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Katara,” the younger one, Amaruq, said. “But there’s a problem with the air ship.” He cast a sideways glance at his fellow crewman.

The other one, Takaani, cleared his throat. “Yes, um… we were preparing for the trip back home when we found a stowaway in the engine room.”

Katara’s curiosity was definitely piqued. “I’ll come take a look.”

She resolutely ignored Dr. Yang’s glare and whatever the doctor mumbled under her breath as she left.

“Ohhhh, aren’t you cute!?” Katara crouched down and reached a hand toward the cowering wolf pup in the corner of the air ship’s engine room.

The responding growl sounded too menacing to belong to such a ball of fluff.

“We think it’s hurt,” Takaani said.

“Burned, maybe,” Amaruq added. “Got too close to the heating mechanism.”

Katara stood and looked around the room. There weren’t many supplies in here, but she soon spotted what she needed. “Amaruq, give me your bag.”

“What? Why?”

Takaani gave his fellow tribesman a look that said, “She’s the Chief’s daughter. Give her what she wants,” with his eyes alone.

Katara smirked at them both. They had served on her father’s crew, barely older than Sokka and among the youngest to leave their village when the men went to war. Before that, they had all been childhood playmates, of sorts. Mostly Katara would just throw snowballs at her brother and his annoying friends.

She took the bag and sifted through its contents. Amaruq did not disappoint—proven Water Tribe, through and through. She pulled out a package of half-eaten seal jerky and slipped his yak-hide waterskin over her shoulder.

The wolf perked up at the scent of meat and scrambled toward the offered treat. When Katara inched closer, he shuffled back a few steps and eyed her warily. He was favoring his right front paw, she noticed.

“He’s probably starving,” Takaani said. “We only just found him, so he’s been in here since we left the South.”

It took careful coaxing to get the pup to eat. And he wouldn’t let Katara examine his paw until she’d given him the last slice of seal jerky. Amaruq lamented his loss by sighing dramatically.

The wolf finally crawled into her lap with a soft whimper. She placed glowing hands on his matted fur and felt the mangled skin knit itself back together. It might’ve been a burn, but she wasn’t sure. This probably meant she needed to swallow her pride when it came to Dr. Yang.

Takaani and Amaruq’s eyes widened at the sight. They hadn’t grown up with healers—or benders, even—in the South.

“He still needs a few more healing sessions,” she said.

“How long do you think it’ll be? Our orders from the Chief—“ Amaruq was cut off by Takaani’s fake cough.

“It’s OK. You go back to the South Pole,” Katara replied. “This little guy can stay with me.”

Later, at the predetermined nightly turtleduck pond meeting, Katara introduced her new pet to her anti-pet friend. Zuko nearly had a conniption fit when the wolf lapped up huge mouthfuls of pondwater.

“I guess he’s thirsty,” Katara said with a giggle.

Zuko gripped his topknot-less hair. “But doesn’t he eat—“

Mama turtleduck—Zali?—squawked loudly at the intruder, but the wolf paid her and her brood no attention. Right now, he only had eyes for Katara. Bright blue Water Tribe eyes. It struck her how something so simple could make her feel at home.

The pup settled in Katara’s lap, and Zuko chanced a pat on its fluffy gray head.

“He needs a name,” she said. “I’m at a loss because we usually name everything after wolves. I’m not sure what to name an actual wolf.”

“My uncle names animals after how he finds them,” Zuko mused aloud. “Like he named a meadow vole that once took residence in his billowy sleeve Jacuzzi. And he named this ostrich horse we had Song…” Zuko trailed off, suddenly downcast.

“He stowed away in the engine room on the air ship,” Katara said. “So, what’s in an engine room? Controls? Fuse?”

“You need something that fuses fire and water, I think.”

“Right… because the Fire Nation built the air ship and then traded with the Water Tribe. Hmm… what about Smoke? Or Steam?”

Zuko shrugged. “Or I was thinking because he’s Water Tribe, but living here in the Fire Nation.”

Right. Like me.

They sat in companionable silence until the sun went down. Katara felt a weary Fire Lord relax against her shoulder. With the wolf pup asleep in her lap, she sheathed her hand in glowing water and ran it along the injured paw.

There was something about the scene—being here in the Fire Nation, healing, tears falling. She closed her eyes and saw flashes of lightening, a new scar forming. She opened them to find him staring, worried.

There were no words to describe what had happened between them that night. And no words to describe what she was feeling. She tucked her head under Zuko’s chin and pressed her cheek against his chest, soothed by the steadiness of his heartbeat.

“I think I’ll name him Storm,” she said finally.

[dweemeister]

The Little Colonel (1935)

Whenever I watch older films with black actors in subservient roles, I have a habit of pausing the film, and scrolling through their filmography. For the African-American actors and actresses that worked at Hollywood’s major studios before the emergence of Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, and Dorothy Dandridge in the 1950s, they toiled in stereotypical roles that read repetitively – servant, maid, busboy, slave, villager, savage, African chief. Like many black moviegoers in the early twentieth century, I am glad these mostly-unknown actors found work, but am sick to see the buffoonish, stereotype-adhering characters they play on screen (this raises questions about whether no representation or bad representation is better, but that is for another day).

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was the highest-paid black entertainer of the 1930s: a masterful tap dancer (tap dancing is an innovation from the minstrel show, where Robinson’s career began) idolized by Fred Astaire, the Nicholas Brothers, and Gene Kelly. His birthday, May 25, is National Tap Dance Day. Robinson’s vaudeville and Broadway career had long made him a national celebrity, and Hollywood studios looked to procure his services for bit and supporting roles. While in Hollywood, he quickly learned that he could not escape the restrictions Hollywood executives had set for non-white actors – casting directors, whether by a lack of imagination or naked racism or somewhere in between, could not envision black actors beyond certain roles.

Another American cultural fixture in the 1930s was an adorable, curly-haired girl named Shirley Temple. Months before its merger with Twentieth Century Pictures, Fox Film Corporation cast Robinson in a Shirley Temple picture, The Little Colonel. Shirley Temple movies often relegated A-list actors to supporting roles – disgruntling those actors to some extent, but mollifying their frustration with the dependable profits made at the box office. Seen today, The Little Colonel is problematic in its depiction of race relations and portrayal of its black characters. And yet, it is also groundbreaking. The film features the first interracial dance couple in American film history, and spawned a close intergenerational friendship between Temple and Robinson that lasted until the latter’s death.

It is the early 1870s in Kentucky, and life has changed little since the American Civil War ended. White landowners retain their plantations and black subordinates. Those subordinates are no longer slaves, but racially-coded relations remain. Though Kentucky remained in the Union, there are numerous veterans and supporters of the defeated Confederacy within its borders, including Colonel Lloyd (Lionel Barrymore). The colonel has learned that his daughter, Elizabeth Lloyd (Evelyn Venable), has married a Yankee, Jack Sherman (John Lodge). Furious, the Colonel disowns Elizabeth – forcing her and Jack, an American soldier, to accept a posting in the West. There, they raise a girl, Lloyd Sherman (Temple), before moving back to Kentucky six years later. Before leaving the fort with her parents, Lloyd, the outfit’s darling, is made an honorary colonel of the United States Army. Elizabeth, Jack, little Lloyd, and housekeeper Becky “Mom Beck” Porter (Hattie McDaniel) settle in a household near Colonel Lloyd’s plantation without his knowledge. Colonel Lloyd eventually learns that the happy-go-lucky rapscallion bothering him and his head servant Walker (Robinson) is his granddaughter, and continues to exile Elizabeth and Jack from his life.

The Little Colonel, shown in black-and-white, ends with a brief two-strip Technicolor scene (Walt Disney’s monopoly on three-strip Technicolor would end later that year) – a “pink party” that marked the only time Shirley Temple wore makeup in a Fox film.

Adapted from Annie Fellows Johnston’s novel of the same name by screenwriter William M. Conselman (several Shirley Temple films, including 1934’s Bright Eyes and 1936’s Stowaway) and journeyman director David Butler (another Shirley Temple regular, 1942’s Road to Morocco), The Little Colonel sees Temple play a hallmark of her characters: a precocious troublemaker whose very charm melts hearts and inspires others to do what is just, despite their personal prejudices and historical biases. Only if the real world could be like that, audiences must have thought – packing movie theaters to see escapist fare like this, to forget momentarily the Great Depression. Like any Shirley Temple picture, the film is at its best when it concentrates on its young star. Most of the G-rated humor on display is gentle, ribbing others’ sense of self-importance and their absurd, absolutist behavior (especially Barrymore’s Colonel Lloyd, who looks as if he is about to sell me fast food served in a red-and-white tub). Not even little Lloyd is spared:

LLOYD SHERMAN: Aren’t papas supposed to love their little girls? MOM BECK: Yes, honey, they should. LLOYD SHERMAN: It seems might funny to me. MOM BECK: It’s ‘cause all the Lloyds are stubborn. The old colonel is, your mama is, and you is. LLOYD SHERMAN: I’m not stubborn! Don’t you call me that! MOM BECK: Don’t you stomp your foot at me. That don’t change it, that just proves it!

Elsewhere, too much of The Little Colonel’s humor is premised in racial stereotyping. That Lloyd Sherman befriends two black children in May Lily (Avonne Jackson) and Henry Clay (Nyanza Potts) might be enough to spark outrage among millions of American moviegoers in the 1930s. As much as this decision should be commended, that commendation is tempered by their appearance – inspired by minstrel shows – and by the fact they are eating watermelon in several scenes. Barrymore’s Colonel Lloyd is not only a misanthrope, but a racist misanthrope. Where little Lloyd sees an old man who needs to be taken down many notches, few others who see this film would probably be as disarming towards him. Colonel Lloyd refers to May Lily and Henry Clay as “pickaninnies”, threatens physical punishment towards Walker and Mom Beck at the slightest mistake, and indulges in Lost Cause rhetoric that glorifies the Confederacy as righteous. He is the sort of person that many Americans on tumblr would rather not speak to over Thanksgiving dinner. For Mom Beck and Walker, the two black servants in this film are understandably undereducated. But though the film paints them as self-aware and quick-witted, it mocks their lack of education during a scene where their poor spelling and grammar is apparent.

The Little Colonel is less of a musical than other Shirley Temple films, but it is obviously not devoid of musical moments. Its one notable musical scene is without lyrics and is best known for its fancy footwork. The staircase dance between Bill Robinson and Shirley Temple is transcendent cinema. This sequence is set to an original rhyme before transitioning into “My Old Kentucky Home” (Robinson mimics a trumpet to provide the melody) and follows a late-night confrontation between little Lloyd and Colonel Lloyd. Lloyd Sherman, who has been sent away from home because her father must be quarantined due to illness, wants to see her parents – ironically, this is for the good of the film, as Lodge and Venable’s performances are indifferent. She has never been away from her parents this long, and finds herself unsettled by living with her cantankerous grandfather. But there is Bill Robinson, as Walker, to provide comfort and solace.

In this complicated, potentially dangerous dancing scene, they showcase their agility and technical ability together. Robinson was Temple’s sole tap dancing teacher; she was a quick study, soon learning how to feel the beat rather vocalize or visualize it. Without hyperbole, Robinson would later claim Temple to be one of the best dancing partners he ever had. Depression-era audiences of all races witnessed their mastery on-screen. The scene celebrates and implies that blacks and whites can address and overcome hardship together. Robinson holding Temple’s hand proved incendiary to many Southern theater owners, as many requested prints that edited out the hand-holding.

During the years after The Little Colonel’s release, Robinson – fifty years Temple’s senior – became her most frequent co-star and a dear friend (best described as a close uncle-niece relationship). Nevertheless, unlike his white co-stars, he could never embrace or kiss Temple on-screen. Robinson also stayed in and used different facilities – giving the young Shirley Temple an early, though, understanding of the racism blacks faced in America. She recalled how, on the set of The Little Colonel, Robinson was the only person in the cast or crew to treat her as an equal, never patronizing her. The two sent telegrams when apart, encouraging and motivating the other to do and be their best. This meeting of two cultural giants, their careers constrained in their respective ways, continues to provide the inspiration and joy that audiences in the Depression sorely needed – even if the films themselves reflect the most unsavory aspects of American attitudes towards race.

My rating: 7/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[aokane-eldarya]

Well. On the French forum, there is a player very angry, because of the "weakness" of Erika, saying she is useless etc ... She does not accept the bond with Leiftan and all that what she wants is for Erika to awaken her powers, fight against Leiftan and Lance, and kill them. She is a very extreme player in her words, we are many to have tried to explain things to her, with concrete evidence, but she keeps her speech, so we do not even try anymore (seriously, I even asked myself if she was a troll or not)

That said, I know other people have similar ideas, but being much less extreme. So I decided to do a post to talk about the concept of coherence concerning Erika, because I see that, sometimes, this coherence is put aside in the minds of the players.

I will first talk about Erika's physical weakness and her evolution in the story.

There are players who do not like the fact that Erika has been so often possessed, hurt, etc. And yet, it makes sense. She is a human. Since when can an untrained human gain against a being with magic and training? It's impossible.

This is the starting situation for Erika.

Of course, Erika is not totally human. She is an aengel. Let's talk about her faery heritage.

The probabilities are extremely high that Erika's ancestor Aengel lived during the time of the Blue Sacrifice, around 1530. In genealogy, we consider that a generation = 25 years. The theory is that this aengel is an ancestor of the 20th generation. But the problem with the theory is that it is very simplistic and it forgets a lot of variables. I like genealogy, I started my family tree and I found the name of many of my ancestors born around 1550. For me, these are my ancestors of the 13-15 th generation (as you see, the difference is important with the theory). I am a concrete case, so I will apply my case to that of Erika and imagine that the aengel is her ancestor to the 16th generation.

In your opinion, what is the percentage of DNA we have from only one of our 16th generation ancestors?

I did the math : just 0.01%. 1%, taking into account significant consanguinity, would be extremely optimistic.

This means that Erika is faery at only 0.01%.

Since she is aengel, I will take Lance, a dragon, as an example, since both species have similar power.

What does Erika, who is 0.01% aengel, do against Lance who is 100% dragon? Nothing, of course. In any case, at the beginning.

She needs to evolve.

First, the training in the guard. Training increases abilities, it's a fact. Even if she is 99.99% human, her faery nature is that of an Aengel, an overpowered being : coupled with the training, it allows her to reach a level similar to that of the lambdas faerys: during the tests of the obsidian guard and the shadow guard, her speed impresses Nev and Valkyon; Jamon and Cameria also notice it.

But that is not enough.

On several occasions, Erika receives help from other beings. The Oracle lends her power several times and the Memoria dragons do it too. But the problem is that she can not keep these powers. They do not belong to her.

This is where Leiftan comes in. By making him another aengel and her soulmate, the writers gave Erika the source of her power. A power that belongs to her legitimately: it is a power of aengel but it is especially the power of her soulmate. And as the legend says, soulmates are nothing but one and the same soul split in two. Erika and Leiftan form the same entity. When the crystal is corrupt and the HQ is surrounded by a barrier, Erika receives help from her crush. Ezarel, Nevra and Valkyon tell her to tap into their magic. Leiftan does not ask her to take his magic. He proposes to act together ("together, we are stronger"). A similar situation occurs during the fight against Marie-Anne. They act together (although technically, the power she uses is that of dragons).

When Erika arrives on Eldarya, she has a very small amount of manaa, while Leiftan is 100% faery. Throughout the story, the connections between them will be made. First, their meeting. Then came the gift of blood. Thanks to her predispositions and this 100% compatibility, Erika's body did not reject Leiftan's blood, she could support this new contribution of manaa without her body and her mind suffering the consequences. And that's what allows her to easily fight against the contaminated faery.

Finally, episode 25, the ritual of soulmates. Leiftan gave her half of his life and he says that she is going to receive his Aengel inheritance. She wakes up feeling a lot of energy in her. He gave half of his manaa to someone who had hardly any. Now, Leiftan and Erika have an equivalent level. Certainly, Leiftan is weakened, he will suffer the backlash of his gift of manaa (it's the same thing when we donate blood) and his body will have to adapt. But now Erika finally has that source of manaa that she missed and could never have had otherwise. She no longer needs the help of the Oracle and the dragons, the only help she may possibly need is that of Leiftan, since they each form half of a single entity.

So much for the physical part. Now, let's talk about Erika's mind. I still have post-traumatic stress disorder remnants related to sexual assault and for a character from one of my novels, I started to research post-traumatic stress disorder in the specific case of war. So I know what it looks like. And what I'm sure about is that Erika has exceptional resilience. It's an incredible strength. Resilience is the ability to overcome trauma. It's been 10 months since she was in Eldarya and she has suffered a lot of trauma, knowing that she has never been confronted with this kind of violence on Earth. Small listing:

- she lands in an unknown world inhabited by magical beings who lock her in a prison and treat her like sh**

- she learns that she can not leave

- she is, at first, degraded because of her humanity (hello Ezarel, among others)

- She has to face a blackdog a few days after her arrival, one of the most feared creatures, when she has never faced anything dangerous in her life.

- she misses drowning after having to turn into a siren: it will be her state of post-traumatic stress disorder the longest and most visible. And she healed.

- a hamadryad tries to kill her by strangling her. Not only must she participate in Yvoni's incapacitation, but she sees her being burned alive and she is asked to pick up the remains.

- she is sent on a mission to Balenvia and has to face the death of some villagers, but especially she discovers how myconids live. There, one or the other of the chiefs of guard miss to die before her eyes and she must manage alone their rescue

- she is kissed by force to make her swallow a potion that will erase her existence on Earth and in the minds of her family and friends. And this, after discovering that she had been lied to about this potion

- she serves as bait for the monster of the library.

- back to the Myconides, whose condition is more catastrophic than ever, with men, women, young, old dying, locked in their caves.

- she has to face Naytili in her mind

- she is possessed by a dead Chimera who is ready to sacrifice her to regain her lost love.

- she must face the corruption of the crystal that imposes the pain of the Oracle, the hate felt by the daemon, while killing her little by little.

- she gets stabbed by Naytili

- she meets Marie-Anne and witnesses the death of Mery, who is killed with great violence.

- she prevents Twylda from committing suicide

- She meets a dragon who makes her go through trying times, while insisting that if she had been there, Ethel / Master Kappa would not be dead. And to top it off, she learns that she is an aengel / daemon.

- she is strangled by Ashkore and finds herself in Purgatory, after another destruction of the Crystal.

And in what state is she today? Well, mentally, she's fine (if I put aside her kidnapping by Lance). And it's amazing when you consider the list above. The strength of a character is measured in two ways. Physically, and we know that from this point of view, it was normal that she was weak until now. But also mentally and this time she has shown incredible strength

[maneaterwithtail]

Character I Love Meme: Axebear

Time to take my own advice, while slow on the adaptation analysis project Fangbone Page II Screen (its tag search for it) That's mainly as I only have a tablet and need a terminal and time to really try to hammer out entries. Which, looking back, haven't been good enough I can't fault a lack of discussionGetting a little down on the project I figured should at least try to have some interest in Fangbone and discussion on it stirring, especially if want robust discussion outside of Fangbill pairing, which I have disinclination for but is easily, and understandably, the most popular subject and stuff on the Fangbone tag.

Still want to Promote @rubyreddraws @g-00lden @cordset and others and appreciate likes from folks but really more of a forum/conversation sort as to socmedia guy. But I hear using standard memetic questionnaires can cause discussion on threads to keep up, if no fanart or theories to really go into...also sucker for design and feel, in a way character needs more love.

Whole series does, but I think appreciation of animated Fangbone's leader-cheiftain is in order for those who like interesting and thick characters who have character and not just a joke either. Though is a joke, but so is EVERYONEon the show, but a nuanced one with lots of valiance

1: Orientation headcanon

Functionally bisexual.  Prefers/more familiar with men and dismissive overall of feminity but not *self consciously* macho 

2: otp

Triple

Him, Ms. Gillian, and Twinklestick.  Likely after some character growth for him, some respect for the last, and Ms. Gillian gets her muscled man meat who knows she’s a prize.

3: brotp

His battle Brother died some time ago and he’s found no replacement worthy for the honor to entitle, so tends to act “alone” or with subbordinates 

(bonus points if looks like GN Axebear...or maybe not).  Technically is kind of this with Twinklestick but has ISSUES about “softbelliedness” and being civilized and so on.  Also it was sort of a shotgun arrangement (needed a wizard, couldn’t pay him in material wealth, position by elderhood/capture-marriage was the workaround)  But get along as seen in show with begrudging concession though takes for granted

4: notp

One-eye the Slippery...Just got a thing of “all antagonism is UST” though do see them getting more Bro-like.. but more hate One-eye for being a living conflict ball and asshole

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

Basically the Mighty Lizard Clan, in my head, have taboos on relationships which he follows, if not embodies.  That includes same sex relations but to us they would seem peculiar in specificity versus our assessment.  (you always sleep with men why freaked out at two of them marrying and raising a kid together? Why mock hetero marriage or think child custody works like dividing lovestock birth!!!)

As Chieftain he’s physically intimate (that oil rub demand) with tribesmen in certain ways.  But affection if not codified in writing comes with specific rules/guidance he knows and expected to follow.  Also if abusive, well can be challenged or they can leave and spread word of how treated, which is shameful (as mentioned relations not be public, plus other stuf)

 Hilariously, while known and universal in Skullbania, committed marriage is rare amongst the Mighty Lizard Clan. Fangbone’s parents are unique or rare in the clan. The clan being predominantly male and most procreating comes through inverted demographic clans, or wandering wench groups, during special days of revelry (which the Chief is expect to lead/direct) and meetups, or “bridal stealing”  much like the MLC claims its artisans and teachers which can be true kidnappings or “pay-offs” or similar with no direct obligation to *keep* the target even if must serve kidnapper.  Kidnapee may escape (in quotes or this is sincere) and unlike with goats or gear clan not obligated to help retrieve beyond personal bond/wish. Escapee goes back to their clan who can return as will or “reclaim” by their method or way.  Gets complicated with the ‘civilized’ societies like out in Minkwater (professional damsel/wetnurse/broodmare is a thing, got a guild and everything)

Recreating with tribesmen is done, its not shameful but not proudly displayed (unless making a statement..or being ‘lazy’ or) compared to other MLC activites (why we don’t see it or introduced as such).  Hilariously this is looked down on with battle brothers, as you’re meant to be equals, and there are superstitions about positions, history of exploitation, worries about protege setups, etc (insert our own justified issues with pedophilia, teacher-student hankypanky, and power dynamics/abuse and harassment here) But this is in a “assume not, unless otherwise stated” situation.  Those of equal standing can and do marry but this is more for alliance.. sort of.. its complicated.  

There are hopes to have more women as a subgroup and thus ‘revive’ the female branch and traditions but most of the women are all warrior and aggro ala fangbone himself (as the MLC leans TOOmuch on warrior and only warrior plus lost a lot of women due to reasons generations before Axebear took the seat, then they keep selecting or slanting things to guys...)

Basically as Village Elder he is sort of married to Twinklestick who, as wizard/shaman from out of the tribe, occupies a weird position regard to elder, barbarian, man or woman, and husband/wife (unlike typical one isn’t expected to be/auto-dumped after x time of no kids produced).  Personally has little recreational interest in ladies, but not unattracted to them, more he’s so much about work and already has an atypical spouse AND as chieftain has open “rolladex” if frisky AND has obligations for how he sexually must act out for the good of the clan... well he GETS where Ms. Gillian is coming from.  But she’s not like Lizard Clan suitors or women.. but not like Minkwater wenches either...

And now she’s showing not just wisdom (thus a possible good target for bridal and teacher theft) but also feirceness in battle and leadership (that really gets him going). And so forward that’s different and unique (so exotic and new, and Fangbone likes her ALOT).  Twinklestick likes her too much though and well that’s a problem.  As for one technically Twinklestick is “teaching capture” who by dint of “is a magical storied wizard” who could leave at any time and no one in the tribe could really stop him and recapture be a bitch as his ‘clan’ likely act in defense of his egress as to insist on his return.  So how could this relationship work, it isn’t like a man having two bridal captures, or a brood and lifetime-battle-brother or permenant ally or something he gets and familiar with...

what he feels inclined to do he knows he’s not suppose to do.  And that’s a sign of going soft/corrupt from Earth, like Ms. Gillian of the Steel Desk who is NOTsoft like he thought Earth was but strong in ways Bill and other Earthlings have shown and helped train Ingrid and defeat drool with...WHat can he DO!!!!

Secondmost? Until mentioned SPECIFICALLY in an episode I thought he was Fangbone’s father (explained a few things about look, Fangbone’s attitude, and so on) but the MLC do communal raising with obvious biases to flesh and blood.  That or Fangbone was adopted by Axebear out of the “fighting pits” they stick the kids into until they graduate/prove themselves.

6: favorite line from this character

too many to choose from...

But one that gets the most acute reaction from me? 

“I, Axebear, will crush all teachers, parents, AND INTERVIEWS” *smash*

7: one way in which I relate to this character

His hygenic presentation/mannerisms are bold like I wish I was, and while obstinate he is genuine and has method to his madness.  Even when makes are harsh authorative judgement when out of his depth, committing to plan and fearing issues or messups will re-assess what feeling and own values and make decision on that.  And despite it all WILLAPOLOGIZEand openly justify redecision

I was not a good older brother growing up so liked the niance of him being a leader and that particularly showing strenght and leadership with affection, judgement, and self reflection.  He didn’t even need, as expected, any direct prompting to take Fangbone back.  And get how he was embodying MLC values not betraying them.  ANDlearning to integrate/appreciate new and diverse things. And reassess his views.

Overall just like is bold ANDthoughtful at once and not..a contradiction?

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

Being attached with lamer weirdos or someone with a tendency to not think, ramble, or have to do something “again” as that describes how actually AM and would think see me.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

More to the latter than the former but not so problematic as given space to grow while staying true to self and, in a way, avoids some problematic cliches about barbarians/less advanced peoples and how respond to things.  Its more most comfortable with what he knows and thinks best. As to “too dumb/macho to live”

[avatarsymbolism]

The Full Avatar Trek AU

I  felt bored, so I decided to do a follow up on all of @yinza​‘s awesome Trek/Avatar crossover art by creating a timeline (with episodes) of all the Avatar Trek shenanigans. Also because I’m a huge nerd and there are just SO MANY THINGS that kind of parallel each other in really weird ways despite their differences.

I’ll start off with ATLA and make a post later for Korra. 

Anyway, let’s begin!

Note: This was made pre-”Star Trek: Discovery” so, unfortunately, there won’t be any Lorca/Zhao parallels…yet. I did add one “Discovery” related thing though. 

Avatar

Avatar is the story of a Vulcan-Trill hybrid named Aang who commands the Appa, one of the most prized ships in the Vulcan fleet. Aang himself is a prodigy of sorts, so much so that only he was deemed worthy of the Avatar sybiant–one of the oldest symbiants known to the trills–despite not being fully Trill himself. And, to make the Klingon’s hunt for the Avatar make more sense, I guess we can maybe say that because it’s an old symbiant the Avatar has access to some kind of higher plane of power? That, or maybe the Avatar just tends to be very powerful?

He was merely a Lieutenant Commander serving as first officer to Captain Gyatso when the Klingons attacked the Vulcan homeworld. After Gyatso was fatally wounded in one of the Klingon’s initial assaults on Vulcan, Aang took the initiative and tried to steer them towards safety. 

But, as luck would have it, the Appa got caught in some kind of space anomaly which forced Aang to land on the nearest planet–a small Bajoran colony–which is where our story begins…

Book 1

The Man in the Anomaly 

Katara and Sokka are two Bajorans hunting for food to bring back to their village. The situation on Bajor (and the Bajoran colonies where Katara and Sokka live) is a mix of the ATLA and DS9 canons While there are no signs of camps, the Klingons have frequently raided the Bajoran colonies and tried to harvest their resources in order to weaken Bajor Prime. 

Anyway, Katara and Sokka are out hunting when a space vessel decides to land a few hundred feet away from them. Sokka cautions Katara to stand back, fearing that it might be some kind of Klingon trick. But, when the doors open, the only person to step off the ship is an exhausted looking Aang. 

Meanwhile, on a worn out looking Klingon warbird, Lieutenant Jee informs Zuko that they’re receiving a strange signal from a nearby planet. Zuko investigates. This is rather odd, since last he checked the Vulcans began masking their signals to protect them from the Klingons long ago. Hell, he didn’t even know how many of them were left alive–unless…

And that’s when Zuko decides to head a course to the planet. 

I guess I shroud probably also add that the space anomaly that Aang encountered whipped his ship through time and space. 

The Avatar Returns

The kids’ grandmother informs everyone that a Klingon ship is coming their way. Everyone panics, and Aang is banished from the village by Sokka, who still doesn’t quite trust the guy. 

Enter Prince Zuko and his awesome bat’leth. Zuko demands to know the location of the Avatar–basically a similar situation to what actually happened in canon. Aang appears, offers himself up on the condition that Zuko leaves everyone alone etc., etc. 

Back at the village, Katara and Sokka investigate the ship–a few canonical things happen–and they end up taking control of the vessel to go and save Aang. 

Canon stuff happens–and Katara and Sokka end up managing to teleport Aang back onto the ship. 

As they make a run for it, Aang thanks his new friends and appoints them as officers aboard the Appa (Later on, Katara becomes the chief medical officer and Sokka becomes the science officer).

Also, I just realized that there should technically be a ton of dead bodies on the ship…no idea when/how they’d be removed yet. 

Return to Vulcan

The Gaang travels to Vulcan (just go with it) where they try to look for Vulcan survivors, knowing that not all the Vulcans were actually killed in the Klingon attacks. This leads to some Aangstig when our captain voices regret about not tending to Gyatso when he had the chance, and not being there when his people needed him. Katara assures him that that was nothing he could do anyway (which makes this episode a mix of “The Southern Air Temple” and “The Storm.”).

Meanwhile, Zuko meets Gul Zhao (Yes, he’s a Cardassian and you can’t tell me otherwise. Also, there’s been a long standing alliance between the Cardassians and the Klingons and Ursa was a Cardassian which is why Azula looks like  a Cardassian and Zuko looks like a Klingon in @yinza‘s fan art), and some canon taunting happens. Also, Iroh is not a fan of red leaf tea. He does like prune juice through. “A warrior’s drink!” That, and blood wine.

[filler stuff and exploration I guess] 

I guess instead of a waterbendding scroll, the Gaang could be after some kind of prized Bajoran manuscript?

I was also going to suggest that, with Rene Auberjonois playing one of the tribal leaders in “The Great Divide,” that that episode could be about Bajoran orbs but, that would still be a very boring episode, I think. 

The Storm

BACKSTORY TIME!

After some asshat spouts bullshit, Aang and Katara find themselves in a cave where Aang recounts the events leading up to his landing in the future.  

Meanwhile, the crewmen of Zuko’s ship are threatening mutiny and bringing up the prince’s dishonor. Iroh intervenes and explains Zuko’s story because everyone respects General Iroh (I feel like he’d get along well with General Martok for some reason…man, I need that au now. Meanwhile, Zuko and Worf can talk about how they restored the honor of their families.). 

Cut to Aang’s story. Aang’s busy serving under Gyatso when the Klingons attack. Everyone’s on red alert. Gyatso is busy captaining and trying to get the Appa away from the Klingon flank. Gyatso gets hit, but instead of tending to Gyatso, Aang takes the helm. Aang voices regrets about leaving Gyatso to die saying that he should have been by his side. Katara assures him that that there was nothing he could do (Hmm, since this is partially a repeat of “Repeat to Vulcan,” this may need some work).  

Cut to Iroh and the story of Zuko. Zuko is a young, enthusiastic youth eager to learn how to rule. He wants to observe a war meeting etc., etc.

(Oh, and fun fact: Daniel Riordan, the guy that voices General Bujing–the guy that Zuko speaks out against–played a Klingon in Star Trek: Enterprise. What kind of Klingon lets someone else fight his own challenge!) 

Zuko speaks out of turn…dual…Zuko gets a quarter of his face cut by his father’s bat’leth and is discommendated and banished from Qo’nos until he manages to find whoever holds the Avatar symbiant. 

The Blue Spirit 

Similar premise to the actual episode, although it may need a better name (btw, instead of being a theater geek, the Zuko of this universe is a big fan of Klingon opera). I keep re-imagining Aang’s speech from this episode as something that sounds like it may have come from Captain Picard. (Hmm…Kuzon and Kurzon…).

The Siege of Bajor

Zhao’s plot in the latter half of this season is basically the final arc of Gul Dukat’s plot. I have a few words for you all:

I AM A LEGEND NOW. CARASSIA WILL FOR GENERATIONS TELL STORIES OF THE GREAT ZHAO WHO CONQUERED BAJOR! THEY WILL CALL ME ZHAO THE CONQUEROR, ZHAO THE GODSLAYER, ZHAO THE INVINCIBLE! 

Zhao tries to destroy the orbs or something like that, but Aang manages to get the Prophets to intervene and Zhao is killed the same way as Dukat. That, or Aang just shows up, doesn’t intervene with the Prophets and it’s Zuko that watches Zhao get destroyed by the Prophets…or maybe Aang. I don’t know how Zuko fits into all this. 

Book 2

So, after the Siege, Pakku decides to travel from Bajor to some of the settlements to help them rebuild, and gives Katara some kind of special Bajoran poultice thing…I don’t know–something like the spirit water that Pakku gives Katara in ATLA canon. 

Meanwhile, Zuko meets up with Azula, who tells him that Ozai has apparently decided to restore his honor. Canon stuff, big fight. I can’t decide how Iroh and Zuko would try to disguise themselves. Maybe they just try to blend in, somehow? There’s no way they could just do reconstructive surgery or something since they’re fugitives. 

I’m also wondering if there could be some stuff that makes the Avatar symbiant more significant. I don’t know what though. 

The Cave of Two Lovers

The Gaang’s plot would probably play out differently, but the cave could be some kind of alienish thing that the Gaang encounters. 

The idea of having Chong and co being hippie aliens makes me laugh though for some reason (Oh, I bet it’s because of the drug psa episode of TNG). 

The Swamp

I feel like this could be a variant of “If Wishes were Horses,”  or better yet “Where No Man has Gone Before.” Huu could even be a traveler or something that the Gaang meets. Maybe this planet has some sort of alien property that connects them to the universe in such a way that they almost become enlightened just by being there for a period of time. 

Katara sees a vision of her dead mother, Sokka sees Yue, and Aang has a vision of a girl wearing a VISOR, standing beside a flying boar. 

(Another fun fact: Buck Bokai is Jeong Jeong, Also, Wesley Crusher is the pet shop owner in “City of Walls and Secrets,” and the circus trainer that hurts Appa? Yeah, that’s Lt. Barclay.)

The Blind Bandit

So, the Gaang is trying to find their  way to Earth when they meet Toph in some kind of arena.While there, Aang tries to talk to her but, Toph doesn’t really give a shit. 

Later they manage to find the Beifong household, and Aang meets Toph. Just like in canon, Toph’s parents try to shelter Toph s much as possible, not thinking that she could manage anything on her own, even with her VISOR. 

Later, Aang and Toph talk, and she tells him about the VISOR. By the episode’s end, Toph decides to join the Gaang as their engineer. 

(Wait, this now brings up the valid question of who’s running the ship before all this and whatnot. Maybe we can have a few episodes about the crew and whatnot like we had in TNG? Granted, I don’t think Aang’s crew would like it all that much if he just randomly approved two Bajorans as his science and medical officers. Maybe there could be some other officers and Sokka/Katara/Toph can eventually work their way up? That, or somehow Aang is the only one left on the ship.) 

Zuko Alone

Zuko disguises himself with a hat (yes, we’re doing that), and enters a small village in one of the Earth colonies. There, he gets in trouble with some Terran officers (since we can’t really do Starfleet at this point. Although, Starfleet being like the URN would be cool–Oh, so THAT’S why Raiko is so incompetent. He’s one of those asshat Starfleet command types that knows diddly squat about what he’s doing.)

Zuko meets Lee’s family, and we get some nice character development an some flashbacks.

In this universe, Zuko’s family has a monopoly on the Chancellor position (that or it has become hereditary). General Iroh has laid siege to Earth for 600 days when his son is killed in a Terran counterattack. Devastated by the death of his son, Iroh ends the siege.

Meanwhile, Ozai meets with Azulon and asks that he be made his father’s heir instead of Iroh. Azulon is offended by Ozai’s request and orders Ozai to kill Zuko.

Ursa intervenes, and thanks to some chance events, Ozai is made Chancellor after Azulon;s death.

(It is also at this point that I’ve come to realize that Zuko would basically be the Avatar equivalent of Alexander Rozhenko…I hated that kid. Zuko is 1000 times cooler and less lame. Although, Zuko’s lack of fighting skills as a kid and his empathy probably puts him on par with Alexander…somewhat.)

Lee’s mom meets up with Zuko and tells him that the Terran soldiers are threatening to take Lee away. So, Zuko decides to help her get Lee back, and we get some canonical stuff with a fight.

Well, Zuko’s hat comes off (man, that just sounds really stupid. I’ll come up with something more clever, eventually…maybe) and everyone find out that Zuko is a Klingon. Also, prejudice just like the actual episode.

The Chase

I feel like this would be another fun episode to Star Trekify. You get lots of action, fighting, wisdom etc. Maybe Toph still meets up with Iroh, and she doesn’t realize that Iroh is a Klingon so the two of them drink tea and share wisdom (wait, the VISOR would tell her he’s a Klingon. I’ll have to fix that sometime.). . 

The Serpent’s Pass

This will probably need a name change. But, this could probably have the Gaang traveling through an asteroid belt or something. Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh are ALSO on their wa to Earth, and Zuko meets Jet. I’d love to see a Star Trek version of their relationship. It would be interesting. 

(Ok, this now brings up the question of: if Jet realizes that Zuko and Iroh ar Klingons, why doesn’t he just remove their hats? This hat problem is now sounding ridiculous.)

City of Walls and Secrets

The Gaang arrives on Earth and tries to meet with the United Earth Council Finding that they’re having difficulty meeting some of the higher ranking officials, the Gaang decides to sneak into one a gala hosted by Kuei. 

However, things don’t go quite as planned when the Gaang gets taken captive by Long Feng, the head of Section 31. Long Feng tells Aang to stop distrupting the state of peace that’s been maintained by him and his agents. For here they are safe. 

Meanwhile, Jet tries to reveal Zuko and Iroh’s identity and fails, being taken prisoner by Section 31 and is brainwashed. 

(Also, what if, in this univrse, Long Feng tries to steal Aangs ship so he can better keep tabs on him or something?)

Ok, the Book 2 plot definitely needs to be reworked so ‘ll just skip to the finale. 

The Earth King

(Or, rather, the equivalent of)

The Gaang manages to show the Council that Long Feng and Section 31 have been running a massive conspiracy, and Long Feng is arrested. 

Meanwhile, Azula (Cardassian), Mai (Klingon), ad Ty Lee (a human presumably from a Klingon colony or something), infiltrate the United Earth Council and are ‘caught’ by Long Feng. 

The Crossroads of Destiny

Plotwise, this episode is pretty much the same as canon.

The Star Trekified differences are that the Appa, Azula’s ship, and Zuko’s eventually meet up. 

Zuko and Kaara were busy having their canon conversation when Katara is beamed away to the Appa, and Azula takes her place. 

The Gaang waits anxiously, all the while wondering what the hell is going on. 

Azula teleeports back to her ship..

Zuko’s ship readies to fire…and the Gaang realizes that they’re about to to get attacked!

Katara is heartbroken! A hit surges through the circuits and Aang gets zapped in his captain;s chair!

Madness endues!

The Gaang just barely makes it out alive, and Katara ends up using some Bajoran medicine to revive Aang 

Book 3

Book 3 pretty much follows canon, so I don’t think I need to explain much. The Gaang travels from place to place, meets different people,there’s an equivalent to “The Day of Black Sun” (not sure what exactly it involves, but maybe they use the cave systems mentioned in “Star Trek: Discovery”) and then the finale. 

[vespaporn]

WHEELS

It Looks Like a Vespa, Rides Like a Vespa, but Doesn’t Smell Like a Vespa

An Irish mechanic in London has developed a kit to transform classic Italian scooters into clean-riding electric machines.

By Nick Czap

April 1, 2021, 6:00 a.m. ET

Among the iconic designs of Italy’s vibrant postwar period, few capture the essence of La Dolce Vita like Vespas and Lambrettas, the free-spirited motor scooters that brought mobility to the masses and became beloved across Italy, and subsequently, the world.

While the two companies still make scooters, those early models — whose whining two-stroke engines spew plumes of aromatic smoke — are by far the most sought by collectors, some commanding up to $30,000.

But just as vintage scooters are reaching a new peak of popularity, a wave of emissions regulations aimed at reducing pollution threatens their access to Europe’s city centers. Within every regulation, though, lies an opportunity, and one lifelong scooter enthusiast has seized it firmly by the tailpipe.

Niall McCart, an Irishman from the city of Armagh, got his first Vespa at 16. De rigueur for a youth swept up in Britain’s early-1980s Mod revival, the Vespa was eminently practical as well.

“A two-stroke is a very simple mechanical structure,” Mr. McCart said, with a modesty common to the mechanically gifted. “I could fix it with a screwdriver and a hammer” — an ability that would eventually serve him well on rallies along the English coast, and on extended tours of Europe and India.

In 1989, at the age of 21, Mr. McCart moved to London, where, after stints in the building trade and delivering packages on a Vespa, he began working as a mechanic at a scooter shop. In 2000, he opened his own concern in a garden shed. Today, his business, Retrospective Scooters, occupies a 3,500-square-foot warehouse in the East End town of Walthamstow.

As Mr. McCart’s business grew, so did restrictions on older vehicles. The European Union’s first Low Emission Zones were established in 1996. By 2018, there were over 260, and still rising.

London has one such zone, as well as an extra-stringent Ultra Low Emission Zone, in the city center. Introduced in April 2019, the more stringent zone will expand substantially this October. To drive inside it, owners of polluting scooters must pay a daily fee of 12.50 pounds (about $17). Failure to pay can result in a hefty fine.

In 2017, with the end of cheap and dirty scootering looming, Mr. McCart posed a question to a friend and fellow scooter enthusiast, John Chubb: “Wouldn’t it be great if we could make our old Vespas electric?”

Mr. Chubb recalled the moment vividly. “We were sitting in a tent in a music festival in Cornwall, and he was saying the future is electric. I said, ‘I reckon I could build one of those.’”

He could also bring a raft of technical competencies to the project. A retired Royal Navy commander with degrees in electrical engineering and rocket science, Mr. Chubb is also an expert in anti-ship missiles, a qualification whose benefit, though perhaps unquantifiable, couldn’t hurt.

Mr. McCart’s brief was explicit. The conversion “was not to interfere in any way with the original design and setup of the scooters,” he said. “You don’t do any cutting or welding or destruction of the original chassis.” And critically important for preserving a scooter’s value, the process had to be reversible.

An encounter with a Chinese manufacturer at a motorcycle show in Milan in 2017 proved instrumental.

“The Chinese have been riding electric scooters for 15 years-plus,” Mr. McCart said. “They’ve done it and made it and perfected it. They had it all laid out.”

Mr. Chubb, meanwhile, hobnobbed with the chief technical officer of QS Motor, a firm in Zhejiang Province that makes motors for electric scooters and e-bikes.

“We had a really good conversation,” Mr. Chubb said. “I’d done a whole load of first-principles calculations about the power of an electric motor and how that would work in an electric scooter. I saw all his equations, and he and I did it exactly the same way.

“Seeing that data was very interesting,” he continued, “because we knew exactly where the sweet spot was in terms of the specifications of what we wanted to run as a motor, and we could run it more or less to optimum efficiency.”

Mr. McCart and Mr. Chubb devised the basic plan: Pull the gas tank and put a lithium-ion battery in its place, and replace the scooter’s original swing arm (which supports the engine and rear wheel) with a custom-made swing arm that holds a wheel with a built-in hub motor.

Mr. Chubb set to work on the prototype, meeting periodically with Mr. McCart, who fine-tuned various components. In June 2018, Mr. McCart unveiled their creation — an electrified 1976 Vespa Primavera — at the Vespa World Days rally in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The initial reaction was skeptical. “These guys were purists,” Mr. McCart said. “They were against it when they seen it,” he recalled, “but as soon as they drove it to the other end of the car park and back again, they had the biggest grin on their face.”

One rider made a pivotal suggestion: “You’ve got to sell it as a kit.” Mr. McCart, who had planned to offer electric conversions only as a service, embraced the idea. “I thought, ‘He’s right. I’ve got to make it really simple.’ The next step was to try and make a plug-and-play kit.”

Three years later, Retrospective Scooters sells kits for five types of vintage Vespas and Lambrettas. Costing £3,445 (about $4,750), each includes a 64-volt, 28-amp-hour battery that can push a scooter to a top speed of 50 miles an hour and go 30 to 35 miles on a charge.

Certain scooters can accommodate two or three batteries. A Lambretta GP for instance, packed with three lithium-ion units, can go 120 miles between charges. Mr. McCart, though, thinks a single battery is sufficient.

“Let’s not forget what scooters were invented for — traveling in a 20-to-30-mile radius of where you lived,” he said.

To date, Mr. McCart has sold 60 kits — 24 in Britain (20 of them installed at his shop), and 36 to customers overseas, mostly, and somewhat surprisingly to Mr. McCart, in the United States.

“I expected more to go into Europe,” he said, “but there’s quite a lot of bureaucracy and official inspections of any vehicle alterations, so there’s really no incentive for Europeans to buy our kit with all that up against them.

Last summer, Danny Montoya, the owner of a children’s woodworking studio in San Francisco, installed a kit in his 1973 Vespa Rally 180. Mr. Montoya had owned the scooter since 1999, but in recent years had grown uneasy with its pollution, not to mention the constant reek of petroleum.

A capable do-it-yourselfer, he initially considered cobbling together his own electric kit with information gleaned from internet message boards, but when he came across Mr. McCart’s, he said, he thought: “Whoa, this guy has actually done the work.” Although the price gave him pause, after corresponding with Mr. McCart, who promised to assist with any technical issues, Mr. Montoya said, “OK, this is legit.”

Mr. Montoya estimates he spent 20 to 30 hours on the project, the most complex part of which, he said, was ensuring that all of the electrical connections were correct. Mr. McCart acknowledges that at the time, in late 2020, the installation guide was rudimentary. Since then, he explained, the design of the kit and the instructions have been improved so that someone with basic mechanical skills should be able to complete the installation in about 16 hours.

These days, Mr. Montoya seeks any excuse to ride his electrified machine, which performs just as advertised, delivering 30 miles on a charge, even on San Francisco’s hills. Recalling his first ride, Mr. Montoya said: “It was very weird. A normal scooter is so loud, all you hear is the motor. This is so quiet, all you hear is the wind.”

On a recent afternoon, as Mr. Montoya did a few drive-bys, a reporter struggled to discern which was louder — the soft hum of the motor or the sound of the tire treads licking the pavement.

The new incarnation is so stealthy, in fact, Mr. Chubb finds that “when you live in a quiet village, people walk right in front of you.” He’s looking into noise generators that could produce anything from the thrum of a Harley-Davidson to the futuristic racket of a “Star Wars” Podracer.

Mr. McCart, who commutes every day on his electrified Vespa, takes a different approach to unwary pedestrians: “I shout at them. I say, ‘Oi!’”

[orbemnews]

It Looks Like a Vespa, Rides Like a Vespa, but Doesn’t Smell Like a Vespa Among the iconic designs of Italy’s vibrant postwar period, few capture the essence of La Dolce Vita like Vespas and Lambrettas, the free-spirited motor scooters that brought mobility to the masses and became beloved across Italy, and subsequently, the world. While the two companies still make scooters, those early models — whose whining two-stroke engines spew plumes of aromatic smoke — are by far the most sought by collectors, some commanding up to $30,000. But just as vintage scooters are reaching a new peak of popularity, a wave of emissions regulations aimed at reducing pollution threatens their access to Europe’s city centers. Within every regulation, though, lies an opportunity, and one lifelong scooter enthusiast has seized it firmly by the tailpipe. Niall McCart, an Irishman from the city of Armagh, got his first Vespa at 16. De rigueur for a youth swept up in Britain’s early-1980s Mod revival, the Vespa was eminently practical as well. “A two-stroke is a very simple mechanical structure,” Mr. McCart said, with a modesty common to the mechanically gifted. “I could fix it with a screwdriver and a hammer” — an ability that would eventually serve him well on rallies along the English coast, and on extended tours of Europe and India. In 1989, at the age of 21, Mr. McCart moved to London, where, after stints in the building trade and delivering packages on a Vespa, he began working as a mechanic at a scooter shop. In 2000, he opened his own concern in a garden shed. Today, his business, Retrospective Scooters, occupies a 3,500-square-foot warehouse in the East End town of Walthamstow. As Mr. McCart’s business grew, so did restrictions on older vehicles. The European Union’s first Low Emission Zones were established in 1996. By 2018, there were over 260, and still rising. London has one such zone, as well as an extra-stringent Ultra Low Emission Zone, in the city center. Introduced in April 2019, the more stringent zone will expand substantially this October. To drive inside it, owners of polluting scooters must pay a daily fee of 12.50 pounds (about $17). Failure to pay can result in a hefty fine. In 2017, with the end of cheap and dirty scootering looming, Mr. McCart posed a question to a friend and fellow scooter enthusiast, John Chubb: “Wouldn’t it be great if we could make our old Vespas electric?” Mr. Chubb recalled the moment vividly. “We were sitting in a tent in a music festival in Cornwall, and he was saying the future is electric. I said, ‘I reckon I could build one of those.’” He could also bring a raft of technical competencies to the project. A retired Royal Navy commander with degrees in electrical engineering and rocket science, Mr. Chubb is also an expert in anti-ship missiles, a qualification whose benefit, though perhaps unquantifiable, couldn’t hurt. Mr. McCart’s brief was explicit. The conversion “was not to interfere in any way with the original design and setup of the scooters,” he said. “You don’t do any cutting or welding or destruction of the original chassis.” And critically important for preserving a scooter’s value, the process had to be reversible. An encounter with a Chinese manufacturer at a motorcycle show in Milan in 2017 proved instrumental. “The Chinese have been riding electric scooters for 15 years-plus,” Mr. McCart said. “They’ve done it and made it and perfected it. They had it all laid out.” Mr. Chubb, meanwhile, hobnobbed with the chief technical officer of QS Motor, a firm in Zhejiang Province that makes motors for electric scooters and e-bikes. “We had a really good conversation,” Mr. Chubb said. “I’d done a whole load of first-principles calculations about the power of an electric motor and how that would work in an electric scooter. I saw all his equations, and he and I did it exactly the same way. “Seeing that data was very interesting,” he continued, “because we knew exactly where the sweet spot was in terms of the specifications of what we wanted to run as a motor, and we could run it more or less to optimum efficiency.” Mr. McCart and Mr. Chubb devised the basic plan: Pull the gas tank and put a lithium-ion battery in its place, and replace the scooter’s original swing arm (which supports the engine and rear wheel) with a custom-made swing arm that holds a wheel with a built-in hub motor. Mr. Chubb set to work on the prototype, meeting periodically with Mr. McCart, who fine-tuned various components. In June 2018, Mr. McCart unveiled their creation — an electrified 1976 Vespa Primavera — at the Vespa World Days rally in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The initial reaction was skeptical. “These guys were purists,” Mr. McCart said. “They were against it when they seen it,” he recalled, “but as soon as they drove it to the other end of the car park and back again, they had the biggest grin on their face.” One rider made a pivotal suggestion: “You’ve got to sell it as a kit.” Mr. McCart, who had planned to offer electric conversions only as a service, embraced the idea. “I thought, ‘He’s right. I’ve got to make it really simple.’ The next step was to try and make a plug-and-play kit.” Three years later, Retrospective Scooters sells kits for five types of vintage Vespas and Lambrettas. Costing £3,445 (about $4,750), each includes a 64-volt, 28-amp-hour battery that can push a scooter to a top speed of 50 miles an hour and go 30 to 35 miles on a charge. Certain scooters can accommodate two or three batteries. A Lambretta GP for instance, packed with three lithium-ion units, can go 120 miles between charges. Mr. McCart, though, thinks a single battery is sufficient. “Let’s not forget what scooters were invented for — traveling in a 20-to-30-mile radius of where you lived,” he said. To date, Mr. McCart has sold 60 kits — 24 in Britain (20 of them installed at his shop), and 36 to customers overseas, mostly, and somewhat surprisingly to Mr. McCart, in the United States. “I expected more to go into Europe,” he said, “but there’s quite a lot of bureaucracy and official inspections of any vehicle alterations, so there’s really no incentive for Europeans to buy our kit with all that up against them.” Last summer, Danny Montoya, the owner of a children’s woodworking studio in San Francisco, installed a kit in his 1973 Vespa Rally 180. Mr. Montoya had owned the scooter since 1999, but in recent years had grown uneasy with its pollution, not to mention the constant reek of petroleum. A capable do-it-yourselfer, he initially considered cobbling together his own electric kit with information gleaned from internet message boards, but when he came across Mr. McCart’s, he said, he thought: “Whoa, this guy has actually done the work.” Although the price gave him pause, after corresponding with Mr. McCart, who promised to assist with any technical issues, Mr. Montoya said, “OK, this is legit.” Mr. Montoya estimates he spent 20 to 30 hours on the project, the most complex part of which, he said, was ensuring that all of the electrical connections were correct. Mr. McCart acknowledges that at the time, in late 2020, the installation guide was rudimentary. Since then, he explained, the design of the kit and the instructions have been improved so that someone with basic mechanical skills should be able to complete the installation in about 16 hours. These days, Mr. Montoya seeks any excuse to ride his electrified machine, which performs just as advertised, delivering 30 miles on a charge, even on San Francisco’s hills. Recalling his first ride, Mr. Montoya said: “It was very weird. A normal scooter is so loud, all you hear is the motor. This is so quiet, all you hear is the wind.” On a recent afternoon, as Mr. Montoya did a few drive-bys, a reporter struggled to discern which was louder — the soft hum of the motor or the sound of the tire treads licking the pavement. The new incarnation is so stealthy, in fact, Mr. Chubb finds that “when you live in a quiet village, people walk right in front of you.” He’s looking into noise generators that could produce anything from the thrum of a Harley-Davidson to the futuristic racket of a “Star Wars” Podracer. Mr. McCart, who commutes every day on his electrified Vespa, takes a different approach to unwary pedestrians: “I shout at them. I say, ‘Oi!’” Source link Orbem News #doesnt #rides #Smell #Vespa

[sareesinthewind]

Photo 1: Thavamany and Arunachalam on their 25th wedding anniversary,1965 Photo 2: Thavamany at 95 years old, 2015 Photo 3: Thavamany with her youngest granddaughter Luxmi who lives in the UK on her 18th bday, 2016 Photo 4: Thavamany with her great grandchildren Sasha and Ziva, and their appa and her eldest grandson Sajith, who live in in Hong Kong, 2016.  NAREN Florida, USA My amma, Thavamany,  was born on the 23rd of April 1921 at Inuvil Hospital, Uduvil Division in the Jaffna District. Her appa’s name was Thambu Chinniah and he worked as the Superintend of Minor Roads in the Kurunagala District.

At that time wild elephants were in plenty in the Kurunagala District and would harass local farmers. Thambu Chinniah was a good marksman and villagers would often seek his help to track the elephant and shoot it dead. This reputation of his overtook him and he was also known as “யானை சுட்ட சின்னையா”  (Chinniah who shot the elephant).  Thavamany’s amma’s name was Marimuttu Chellamah.  

My appa was the fifth child. She had two elder sisters Poomani (Ponnudurai) who was a housewife and Jeyamani (Brodie), a Government nurse as a spinster, and a housewife subsequent to marriage. She had two elder brothers Selvarajah, who retired as a Major in the Sri Lanka Army and Dharmalingam, a lawyer who practiced in the Kurunagala District Court. Her younger sibling was Rajadurai, who retired as chief mechanical engineer at Gal Oya Development Board. Rajadurai was also a Major in the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force.

When Marimuttu Chellamah was eight months pregnant with Thavamany, she fell into a well while bathing. Back then the wells in Kurunagala had wooden planks on their rims. People would stand on the planks and draw the water with a rope and bucket. Ladies, when bathing, would wrap part of their sari around themselves and leave the other part on the wooden bars. On this said day, after drawing four buckets of water, the plank gave way and Marimuttu Chellamah fell into the well. Luckily her sari got entangled on the wooden bars and held her from going under water. Hearing her screams, the neighbors rushed to her and pulled her out of the well by her sari. That day Thambu Chinniah was away on work-related matters. He got the news three days later and rushed home with worry. When he opened the door, he was relieved that his wife was their soon to be born daughter, my amma were safe and healthy.

A humorous side note: if Chellamah had not been saved by her sari, I, her eldest son, would not be writing this and my amma would not be enjoying the excellent care she has been receiving at Jesmond Nursing Home in Sydney.

Sadly, Thavamany lost her appa when she was eight years old. After this, Chellamah left their home in Kurunagala, and moved to Jaffna. She found a place in Clock Tower Road in Jaffna Town. Chellamah was a very determined and industrious lady. She was also very determined to educate all six of her fatherless children. She managed to admit all three of her sons to St. Johns College in Chundikuli and the three girls to CMS Chundikuli Girls School. Chellamah being a strict disciplinarian made sure her children successfully completed their Senior Matriculation Examination - equivalent to the present day Senior School Certificate.

Chellamah earned money to raise her children by having a couple of milking cows. She supplied unadulterated milk to all her customers, including to the residence of the then Government Agent of Jaffna, a British Officer. She was famous for her cooking skills. The family had very little money, but she was rich in kindness and compassion and brought up her six children with these values and an understanding unity. They remained united until their last breath.

Thavamany helped her amma in so many ways: cooking, organising the milk supply and keeping accounts. When I was growing up, she did impart most of her knowledge and experience to me which helped me a lot in my later life.

Thavamany married Arunachalam, my appa,  in May 1940 in Kurunagala. At that time Arunachalam was working as a bookkeeper at the State Mortgage Bank in Colombo. Arunachalam lost his parents when he was child. St. John’s College, founded in 1823 by British Anglican missionaries, provided him with free board, lodging and education. He was also christened with the name Abraham. He was a good friend of Thavamany’s three brothers who he met at St. John’s College. Arunachalam served in the Ceylon Army Volunteer Force during the Second World War for a short period .

Arunachalam was also a hard-working and industrious man. Subsequent to his marriage he attended evening classes at the then known Colombo Technical College and obtained his Diploma in Accountancy. This helped him in his professional career and when he retired, he was the chief accountant at the State Mortgage Bank.

After their marriage, they set up house in Hunupituya, Wattala, about 10 miles north of Colombo. As the family expanded, they moved from one house to another and finally settled down in a reasonably spacious house to accommodate their seven children. The house also had a large yard with coconut trees. This allowed appa to have two milking cows and some banana trees. Amma in addition to being a housewife and mother, cared for a couple of goats and some poultry, which provided eggs for the family. It was tough for the couple who did not have any dowry assets or inherited assets. But by sheer hard work and frugal living they made sure all the basic needs of the children were met and provided the children with a good education. They also made sure to teach their children good social values, good manners, to be respectful to elders and all other human beings. Since they also had cows, goats, poultry and dogs, they also taught the children how to care for them and be kind to them.

Most of the residents in Hunupitiya were middle class Sinhalese Buddhists. Because of this amma and appa picked up the Sinhala language as did we, her children. Thavamany, an observant and willing learner, became very proficient in preparing most of the Sinhalese specialty dishes like achcharu, kalu thothal, lunu miris, katta sambol and few others.

When the 1958 pogrom started, appa was away in Omanthai, Vavuniya and could not return back, nor could he make contact with the family. We didn’t even know if he had survived. Thavamany and her six children (I was not with them as I was in Jaffna Hindu College Hostel) sought refuge at the Royal College in Colombo, which had been set up as a refugee Camp with thousands of other Tamils. Amma made the brave decision to secure her children's safety by joining the Tamils who were fleeing the south by  open boat to Jaffna. As a woman with three young daughters and a baby only a few months old, in a time of such uncertainty and violence, this would have been an incredibly tough decision to make. We had no family property in Jaffna, but she had her siblings and extended family who showed us love and kindness.

This caused a big setback to the family. We had to close down everything in Hunupitiya, set up house in Chavakacheri, and attend new schools in Jaffna. During this difficult period appa continued to work at the State Mortgage bank in Colombo. He was boarded in a house in Pickering Road Kotehena. Most Fridays he would take the mail train from Colombo Fort Station and arrive in Chavakacheri on Saturday Morning. He would return back to Colombo taking the Sunday afternoon Yaldevi.

Amma continued to develop her Sinhala skills by reading books and studying  with her children, as she stayed up with the girls, into the late hours of the night. At 41 years of age, when her second son sat for his  Senior School Certificate (SSC) exam in 1962, she persuaded my appa to let her sit the SSC Sinhala language exam as a private student. She received a Distinction - the highest mark for the Sinhala language exam among all her children.  

In Chavakacheri, a few youngsters heard about amma’s fluency in Sinhalese and were keen to learn from her, as finding jobs without knowing the language was becoming tough. Understanding the importance of her knowledge and the difficulties the young Tamils were in, she taught anybody who was willing to learn. As a result she had a  regular stream of students who learnt Sinhalese.

Wanting to give the children the opportunities to have a good education they moved houses to Jaffna Town, then to Nallur and finally Tirunelveli where they owned their first house.

By this time most of the children completed their education, finding employment - some locally and some overseas.

Thavamany’s children settled in three different countries: the UK, America and Australia. She and appa travelled to various countries and stayed with their children for long periods of time.

Appa passed away while living with my sister Thevi and her family in Zambia on 2nd of August 1987. Although scattered all over the world, all seven of his children attended his funeral in Zambia. After his death, amma settled down in Australia with her three children. She was fortunate to be able to spend quality time with all her grandchildren and some of her great grandchildren who would regularly visit Australia and spend many of her birthdays with her.

Amma was a big fan of Swami Vivekananda. She was also very religious and practiced her spirituality without talking about it or enforcing her will on others.

One of her noble traits was patience and acceptance without complaint. She would often tell her children “பொறுமையாய் இரு. பொறுத்தார் அரசாள்வார்” (Be patient, for those who wait will rule the world).

*This story was written early in 2020 by Naren, Thavamany’s eldest son. Thavamany passed away in her sleep on 22 October 2020 with her daughters and granddaughter by her side. She had spent her last years at Jesmond Nursing Home in Sydney close to her son, two daughters and their families. She was loved and cherished dearly by all who knew her. 

[antoine-roquentin]

It can be hard to keep quiet when those around you reinforce the notion that you ought to be proud of your work, even as you are expected to cloak it in doublespeak. Take voter ID laws: since the 2012 presidential campaign, it’s almost as if every Republican official has been itching to take credit for their effort to prevent minorities and the poor from voting, starting with Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Mike Turzai who bragged: “Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania: done!”

Despite the backlash, this wasn’t even a one-off. A number of other GOP officials came out with similar, bizarrely honest remarks — including the GOP consultant Scott Tranter, who mused about his party’s “toolkit”: voter ID and long lines at polling stations — eventually prompting a Washington Post article titled Republicans keep admitting that voter ID helps them win, for some reason. As the cherry on top, a GOP precinct chair named Don Yelton, a minor party activist interviewed by The Daily Show in 2013, said of voter ID: “If it hurts a bunch of lazy blacks that want the government to give them everything, so be it!”

Donald Trump, too, periodically utters truths that are not supposed to be uttered, as happened again just a couple weeks ago with regard to the shipping industry’s interests in Puerto Rico. But anything at all can come out of his mouth, and does: from drivel, to conspiracy theories, to the left-wing critique of American foreign policy, to more drivel. (And anyway, let’s not talk about Trump.)

He’s quite different from another gaffe-prone leader under whose government I’ve lived. I’m currently based in Hong Kong, and arrived here three years back at a historic moment, just days before the pro-democracy Umbrella Revolution kicked off. Throughout the most tumultuous phase, Hong Kong’s then-leader kept his feet firmly planted in his mouth. CY Leung, the widely-despised chief executive (up until last June), turned into a veritable gaffe machine, high on truth serum. My favorite moment was at the onset of the Year of the Sheep when, in his prepared message for the Lunar New Year’s celebration, he advised Hongkongers to “be more like sheep”.

This was an even more ill-advised choice of words than you might think, as Leung was called “the wolf” by his detractors, one of many puns on his name. As tonal languages, both Cantonese and Mandarin are great for wordplay which often figures into political sloganeering and mockery. (For the same reason, the mainland banned puns a few years back, citing “cultural and linguistic chaos”.)

Thanks to Leung’s nickname, a toy animal sold by Ikea became a mascot of the Umbrella Movement after someone hurled “Lufsig” the wolf at him during a town hall meeting in 2013. The adorable critter — fond of “mischief” according to Ikea’s website — became a sensation and soon sold out. As it turns out, Lufsig’s name was innocent enough in Mandarin, but the same Chinese characters read in Cantonese can be made to sound quite crude. The Swedes were no doubt horrified to find that the local name of their “lumbering one” (as the original roughly translates) could mean “your mother’s pussy” in Cantonese. Worse still, “throw a Lufsig at you” can be translated as “fuck your mother’s pussy”.

Another unforgettable Leung moment was when the chief executive explained in an interview with the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times how the problem with democracy is that poor people would influence policy. “If it’s entirely a numbers game,” he elaborated, “then obviously you’d be talking to the half of the people in Hong Kong who earn less than US$1,800 a month.” It’s almost refreshing when a leader is so clueless that they just come out and say it — imagine how many in the political class think this.

One that jumps to mind is a man whose great-great-grandmother (also his wife’s great-great-grandmother, as it happens) once ruled Hong Kong: the gaffe-prone Prince Philip. Visiting General Alfredo Stroessner — the Nazi-admiring dictator of Paraguay who wiped out entire indigenous populations through ethnic cleansing and slavery — he remarked: “It’s a pleasant change to be in a country that isn’t ruled by its people.” (In another moment of honesty, he told a 13-year-old schoolboy dreaming of space travel: “You’re too fat to be an astronaut.”)

Hillary Clinton, too, has been quite upset at how the electorate inserted itself between her and her coronation. In her new book, Clinton sets out to thoroughly explain how what happened in the presidential election was not her fault, and thus, she cannot forgive those who didn’t vote for her.

It’s hardly surprising that someone this out of touch — unaware she should be asking for forgiveness rather than withholding it — would also be as blithe about modern-day slavery as Sheriff Prator of Louisiana. If there were some way to measure the degree of earnest monstrosity — a “Kinsley scale” of sorts — Hillary Clinton’s infamous admission of employing slaves at the governor’s mansion in Arkansas would be its Planck temperature. As many have noted, this is not rhetorical hyperbole, either: the black prisoners serving her Flavor-Blasted Goldfish Crackers were slaves by any technical or legal definition, fully in accordance with the Thirteenth Amendment.

The Clintons bare a lion’s share of responsibility for turning the USA into the for-profit incarceration nation it is. Hillary Clinton recounted these fond memories of her unpaid servants in the book It Takes a Village, which came out just days before her infamous “superpredator” speech — a term attributed to the bigoted rightwing nutcase John J. DiIulio — about black youths who must be “[brought] to heel”. In her own house, she was strict about enforcing rules, and anyone who “broke a rule” was sent to prison.

Clinton makes no bones about her mud-sill-theory notions of forced labor, either, and sees a happy alignment between the civilizing influence and financial benefits of the arrangement. These people aren’t criminals as a “result of inferior IQs or an inability to apply moral reasoning”, she tells us, but due to an inability to “control their emotions”. Luckily, though,

“…difficult as it may be, it is never too late to teach the elements of emotional intelligence. The structure imposed by the responsibilities of work and the enlightened assistance of concerned people in the prison system and at the governor’s mansion helped those onetime murderers I knew in Arkansas to achieve a greater understanding and control over their feelings and behavior.”

None of the many people involved in writing, editing and publishing the book seem to have seen anything problematic about any of this. That’s pretty much as honest, and terrifyingly so, as it gets.

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

100 Dungeons & Dragons Campaign/Session Ideas

While I have always been fond of RPGs, my first encounter with tabletops was Dungeons & Dragons. The iconic platform was created in 1974 and has served as one of the greatest contributions to the gaming world. While there are many great systems out there in tabletop format (Mutants & Masterminds, Shadowrun, Vampire: The Masquerade), none of them would have been possible if D&D had not paved the trail first. Of course, the pioneer of the tabletop RPG world can be intimidating to try out. The technical aspects can be difficult to navigate, it’s the most enduring tabletop, and you may be wondering what you can make that hasn’t been done already. However, one of the best parts of this system is that if you have ever dreamed of going on an epic adventure, being the hero of a magical world, or wanted to battle the forces of evil with friends, this system gives you the freedom to do all of this and more. It’s for this reason that I have made a list of campaign or session ideas I’ve either field tested or always wanted to try out. Enjoy!

1) Slaves are rounding up captives on every continent. Some believe it’s to diversify the types of slaves sold, but it’s really a plot to find the legendary Gatekeepers. There is said to be one from each race and the Slavers won’t stop until all of them are captured 2) A Holy War has broken out between two rival Gods. While both sides go to war with promises of salvation, there’s something much more sinister lurking under the surface 3) In an attempt to save his wife, a young Necromancer gets a ritual wrong at the Tomb of Uther, and has instead summoned hoards of the undead. They are rampaging all across the continent, and only you can stop them. 4) The Queen has been assassinated and the king has hired you to find out who among her many enemies carried out the contract on her life. 5) A Thief Guild has taken a step out of wanton crime and into overthrowing governments. You must either assist these anarchists in their goals, or join the nobility and try to stop them 6) The party encounters a coliseum, and they are offered a chance at profit if they win. But there are sinister elements at play in this world where murder is a sport. 7) A terrible Plague has swept its way across the kingdom, but the source is most unnatural 8) You are tasked with storming an ancient crypt riddled with traps in order to collect parts of a map. However, the map leads to a multitude of new locations, each with a miraculous treasure and a harrowing obstacle 9) A local Barbarian Tribe has kidnapped a noble’s son. You have been hired to bring him or his body back. Only it seems that the Barbarians have accepted the young lad into their ranks by the time you arrive. 10) The party is tasked with finding a legendary creature in a safari. However, the Goddess of Nature deems this the last straw and wages a war on the civilized world. 11) A city ahs lost its inhabitants overnight, and it seems that otherworldly forces are at play 12) The party must retrieve an artifact from an ancient bandit tribe. But when they make contact, they learn that the bandits have a terrible secret. One that grants them immortality and makes them a danger to the entire world. 13) A massive portal has been ripped in the center of the kingdom, and the royalty has tasked you with discovering how and why this has happened 14) A demented Gorgon has been harvesting people and animals for her “Garden of the Dead.” You must find a way to rescue them all and not become a new addition to her collection 15) You encounter a graveyard, yet the rumors of a Necromancer being at large are debunked by the presence of moving statues that are gifted with great combat finesse 16) An ancient Lich has waged war against the Elfish Kingdom. Yet the reasons are more personal in nature 17) A series of enchanted objects have appeared, and it’s up to the party to collect them all and return them to the Tower of Secrets before they fall into the wrong hands 18) An ancient race of Giants invaded the kingdoms after they were believed to be long dead. After they were defeated, it’s revealed that they’re not the only ancient race that has resurfaced 19) A dark figure arrives at a hanging ordained by the nobility. He claims that this corrupt system is going to be replaced with a new one. One that is even more terrible and awe inspiring 20) A series of dark crystals are found in your world. What’s more is that touching one gives you access to a shadowy reflection of your world, and it’s filled with a wilderness of horrors 21) An ancient artifact is revealed to have belonged to one of the Bard Kings. It soon goes missing and it’s up to the party to find it and return it to the proper heir 22) A Ranger arrives at a tavern, and he is full of life and charismatic. Only when he takes his first sip of ale, he is found he is found dead some time later. The catch? The ale isn’t poisoned 23) A series of Ogres charge through the countryside and are casting spells with greater finesse than trained wizards. What’s most troubling is that Ogres shouldn’t be able to use magic. 24) A God has issued a contest to the mortal kingdoms. He has dropped a blessed object on Earth and encourages all of them to fight in order to obtain it 25) The most oppressive of the Kingdoms has outfitted their armies with incredible weapons. They have the ability to cut through the hardest armor and its available to each of them. There can only be one explanation, one of the legendary blacksmiths has been enslaved! 26) Despite centuries of transgressions and unprovoked wars, the Orcs are attempting to come to peace terms with the other nations. Is it an honest attempt at peace, or some kind of trick? 27) The forest has been producing a series of insidious and bloodthirsty creatures. Local mages claim there’s only one explanation, the arcane center of the forest has become corrupted 28) There is an “Arcane Olympics” taking place at the capital 29) A series of “crimson cuts” have formed in the sky, and they are spilling monsters onto your world that are unnatural and extremely intelligent 30) You must clear the name of one of your party members, who has been framed for a crime. This is likely the doing of your party member’s rival, a noble who has lusted after your friend’s bride/husband for years 31) The God of Death ahs discovered a way to turn the souls of the departed into fuel for a ritual that will change the course of history 32) Monsters have been ravaging the wilderness, but it turns out that they are children that were contorted into these awful shapes. They are simply trying to communicate or defend themselves from hostile people. It’s up to you to either rescue and reform them, or to put them out of their misery 33) The Dwarf Kingdom has shut its borders. Yet the Council of 40 Clans protests against this. Perhaps the conflict lies with the King himself. 34) The Elves are suffering severe persecution and are being hunted within their own nation’s borders. You must decide whether to aid the hunters, or to resist and keep the Elves safe 35) A group of mercenaries claim they have a mission vital the safeguarding of the kingdom they need you to deliver a message to them and persuade them to help. Is it a scheme by the mercenaries, the negligence of the nobles, or something else entirely? 36) A massive lake that was once the center of the Halfling way of life has now been frozen in the middle of summer. It’s up to you to return the lake to its original glory 37) The entire party is turned into animals and they must find a way to return to their original humanoid forms 38) You happen upon a village an find that it’s teeming with beauty, peace, and pleasure. But upon realizing that it’s too perfect, it’s actually a village of murderers and manipulators. 39) The animals are suddenly attacking a local village. But what could anger them so intensely? The village doesn’t even hunt. 40) After a strange cosmological event, thirteen new islands have surfaced in a sea that was entirely deep water. You have been tasked with investigating each new island and reporting what you find 41) You happen upon a seaside church where many sailors have been taken in for injuries. What’s more is that the monks refuse to let you bathe in the water. They claim that something terrible lurks beneath the waves 42) The party is knocked unconscious and awakens in a village at the peak of the trees, all resting on chutes of bamboo and in the company of Monkeyfolk 43) You enter a town where there are no children. The mayor gets the party in a room alone and reveals that twisted alchemists are stealing all of the children to unlock the secret of immorality 44) You encounter a tribe of Gnomes that have turned their mountain village into a mobile mountain. It’s a marvel of engineering that could either bring the Gnomes from the brink of destruction from the last war, or it could make them the initiators of a new war 45) A Vampiric group known as the Red Fang is acting in opposition to local Clerics. They claim that it’s wrong to have the public live short life in fear when there’s another life waiting where they can be free and do as they please. The chief one of these new rights being the right to kill in order to feed 46) A family of four nature spirits has been separated so that corrupt mages can exploit their arcane potential 47) A witch that lives in a hollow Elder Tree promises knowledge in exchange for services. Simple as it seems on the surface, she is masking truly vicious intentions 48) A war is about to break out between Bandit Clans because the “perfect heist” was foiled 49) A family of Kobolds occupies a nearby mine. The nobility insists that these Kobolds are vicious and untrustworthy. But the Kobolds have a different story. They are looking to start anew 50) A series of murders are being committed inside the city walls that mirror the methods of a killer that was publically executed a week ago 51) The Council of Wizards and the Circle of Druids are in opposition. A marriage from one member of both parties has driven both of them off the deep end 52) Mysterious runes form at the front of a town hall’s door and reveal a riddle 53) A n ancient witch is trying to bind three royal sisters in an attempt to absorb them in a spell to give her Life, Form, and Magic. She will then return from the grave with all the power to exact revenge on the people that wronged her in life 54) The combination of magic and industry has created a massive rift where the laws of nature have no meaning 55) After years of researching, you discover a tree that has the ability to turn you into any race. Some believe it can turn you into a God, while others will not consume it because it can turn you into a Demon 56) You encounter a group of merchants that deal in items of emotional value rather than monetary value 57) You have been tasked with recovering artifacts that contain six of the most ancient Gods that scriptures of any religion can record. Some are benevolent and cooperative while others are hostile and manipulative 58) You must find a way to break out of a prison that is run by your sworn enemies 59) You must rescue a young warrior who is trapped in a mysterious forest. What’s more is that you must defeat a Demonic Insect Queen before getting this warrior free 60) A noble family has been thriving off of the exploitation of minorities in their jurisdiction. It’s up to you to find a way to take this family down in the name of justice 61) A council of mages has designs on becoming the most powerful group on earth. They have numerous arcane plots afoot that will shake the world as you know it to the core. You must find each member and defeat them before their plans can be completed 62) In a botched attempt to claim vengeance on a Dread Pirate, you must enter his service in order to survive on the high seas 63) A horrific creature has been attacking the Mead Hall every full moon. It seems entirely immune to weapons, both conventional and enchanted 64) You encounter clues that the legend of a city in the clouds is true. You must reach the city before the Human Nation does, as they want to use the weapons it holds for world domination 65) An ex-thief has teamed up with the nobility. In exchange for taking down Thief Guilds, his children are guaranteed a future 66) As a Beast Hunter, you must collect the five Grand Trophies, Razorfish, Manitcore, Kopru, Thraal, and Necronaut 67) Lovecraftian priests from another realm have invaded the physical plain, possessed humans, and are now manipulating the most powerful people on earth. They hope to bend the entire world to their will before the year is out 68) Magic has entered a state of flux. Mages of the world have come to the conclusion that the only way to return it to normally is by reaching the Fountain of Divination. 69) People have gone missing in the Forest of Dark Dreams. You go there and discover that an infestation of intelligent spiders have been keeping people a live and feeding off of them piece by piece 70) Nine of the most gifted warriors to ever assemble are forced into exile after the last way. Yet with them gone, crimes and wars have gone up in all of the kingdoms. It’s up to you to find each of them and to return the world to normal 71) An inventor is crafting items that are far ahead of your time (pistols, rudimentary tanks, primitive flying machines, etc) 72) As you travel with a group of Bards, trouble is following them like ticks on a dog. Yet it’s not simple bar fights or pranks amongst themselves. Assassins are trying to reach them wherever they go, and everyone from thrones to gutters is after them. But why? 73) An ancient mine ahs had its workers going missing. Many believe it to be a mining accident, but you hear rumors that it could be “her.” 74) A network of smugglers and murderers has overtaken the sewers. As long as they maintain this place as their hideout, not even the Royal Guard can keep them in check. Either smoke them out, or join their ranks. 75) An ancient castle has been discovered, but the landscape has been turned into frigid cold and the entire structure has fallen onto its side. The entire castle remains intact, but you will have to crawl through this dungeon from a different perspective 76) A volcanic tribe of Dwarves has lost contact with the outside world. You investigate to find that insects have infested this tribe’s homeland. What’s more is that they seem totally immune to heat and lava 77) Your ship is caught in hurricane winds along the high seas. Your entire party falls overboard, and you awaken to find that you are in an undersea dome where a pocket of air holds a legendary kingdom that has faded out of history books and into obscurity and myth…until now 78) You encounter a temple that is at the center of a natural anomaly. The seasons are at full strength in different directions, with the temple as its center. Winter to the North, Summer to the South, Fall to the West, and Spring to the East 79) A string of island nations have been overcome with horrible water known as the Crimson Tide. All creatures that swim in it are overcome with rot and ships deteriorate when they sail in it. What’s more is that the ring of destructive water is closing in on the islands, as though it going to devour them all. You must find a way to relieve these kingdoms of this curse before a genocide occurs 80) After all of the High Kings and Queens have been poisoned at a feast, every nation is at each other’s throats. You must find who is responsible, or the world as you know it will be torn apart in an endless war 81) You are welcomed by some of the wealthiest nobility for miles around. Yet for all the rumors, their home is dark, the villagers are terrified to speak the family’s name, and they eat from empty plates and drink from empty glasses 82) Toward the end of his life, an Alchemist created an “Ultimate Dowser.” It was first regarded as junk but was used to help prevent cosmic catastrophes. Now the time for using it has come again, yet it only works in one person’s hands…yours. 83) You walk through a forest and find that the trees are bleeding and that moans form with no wind to produce them 84) A handsome man has been seen in multiple towns and cities. He courts only the most wealthy and beautiful young girls. Yet for all his promises of keeping them safe, they always end up dead. He is now hunting an Earl’s daughter, and he pleads that you protect her from this horrible man. His presence has already been confirmed near the estate 85) A Barbarian boy is left for dead when his tribe has suffered a beating. He claims that with the death of their current leader (which is now inevitable, given his age), they will surely unleash the monster they’ve been keeping hidden for so long: the Mountain Troll 86) The King has had dozens of legitimate children and even more illegitimate ones. With his dying wish, he pleads you bring his true eldest son, Alan. The boy doesn’t know that he’s the son of a king, but you must protect him from his knifing siblings or else the kingdom will be in ruins 87) A terrible drought is sapping the earth and forests of their vitality. Most don’t know what to do, but all of them suspect tha the new Archmage is involved 88) At the center of all nations lies a mountain range known as the Eye. It is one of the wildest portions of the world. Some caverns go deeper than any recorded mine, and the peak goes well beyond the clouds. It’s up to you to find out what wonders this natural marvel holds 89) A master spy has lost contact with her lover. She pleads that you find him before he is tortured into giving information up or before he’s dispatched. In exchange, she will give you the chance to live any life you want 90) A mother has lost her son to the horrible plots of a coven of Witches. In an attempt to get revenge on them, she too begins practicing sorcery and enlists your help in exacting her revenge 91) A routine exterminator job turns out to be a dungeon crawl. You enter a woman’s pantry, and you find a passage that leads to a historical marvel of a site. The rats soon grow to enormous sizes and you see the ruins of a great battlefield that extend for miles beneath the surface. It’s your job to find out what happened. 92) After losing himself to madness, Kai-Von the Swift (mightiest of the Barbarians) has issued a decree to all other tribes: surrender or see true darkness 93) Corrupt Paladins have been tricking their apprentices into delivering young sacrifices to them so they can conduct rituals to Pagan Gods. 94) A blackmailer has been harvesting the so did secrets of all nobles in the kingdom 95) A clever Countess has arranged for a ball where she can delight her guests and kill her enemies 96) You are tasked with delivering a small chest to the next kingdom, but you are forbidden from looking inside 97) An ancient grove reveals itself. You see there are several figures appear, each claiming to be a guardian spirit that was once human 98) A child is kidnapped by their uncle for ransom. But this isn’t a normal crime, the commoner child has aspirations of killing the heroes 99) The party is caught in the throes of a terrible storm, and they must find a way to escape from the pale-faced creature that chases them relentlessly through the rustling trees 100) The Grand Forest is more expansive than any sea and more dangerous than any battlefield. Yet the crown has decreed that you must investigate it. You can bring any allies or friends you wish, but when you go out there, you are both at your most free and your most vulnerable.

[phgq]

Central Mindanao proves resilience in 2019

#PHnews: Central Mindanao proves resilience in 2019

COTABATO CITY – Central Mindanao has stood by the facets of life in 2019, capped with both pleasant and distressing events.

Amid all these fusion of events though, Central Mindanao continues to hurdle the trials gearing towards progress.

The old Central Mindanao region was abolished geographically and was changed to Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, [North] Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and the cities of General Santos, Tacurong, Kidapawan, and Cotabato) following the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) that included the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur in its set-up during the November 1989 ARMM plebiscite.

Political aspect

On January 21 and February 6 this year, constituents of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) trooped to various voting centers to ratify the formation of the expanded Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The BARMM replaced the old ARMM set-up, with the newly expanded political entity comprising the provinces of Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur, and Basilan; the cities of Marawi, Lamitan, and Cotabato; and the 63 villages in six towns of North Cotabato.

“An estimated two million voters or an 85 percent turnout of electorates participated in the plebiscite that created BARMM,” Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, BARMM’s minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government told reporters in a huddle with reporters on Dec. 24.

He said that BARMM, borne out of more than two decades of the Moro struggle for self-determination in Mindanao is currently led mostly by former leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front led by interim BARMM Chief Minister Ahod “Murad” Balawag Ebrahim.

The BARMM, currently on its transition phase, is set to elect its regular set of elected officials in 2022.

Meanwhile, during the May 13, 2019 midterm polls here, where voters elected once more local government officials and members of both houses of Congress who would serve for the next three years, the people of North Cotabato saw the winning of Governor-elect Nancy Catamco, the province’s first-ever Manobo leader.

Following her assumption of the governor’s seat, Catamco has pushed for programs that would benefit both the Indigenous Peoples and other constituents of the province.

Peace and order

Since the imposition of martial law in Mindanao following the May 23-Oct 23, 2017 siege staged in Marawi City by the Maute-led terror group, peace and order in the island-region greatly improved, paving the way for Mindanao leaders to be divided in opinion on its proposed lifting by the end of this year.

For one, Cotabato City Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi said the city council has passed Ordinance 4529 or the Discipline Hours in May this year, implementing a 10:30 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. curfew in the city residents - with violators ordered to render community service once caught.

A corresponding fine and imprisonment are also imposed on repetitive violators.

“We will continue to impose our curfew hour ordinance even if martial law is lifted because it has done good for the city,” Sayadi said.

In June this year, the city police office has reported a 55 -percent decrease in crimes occurring in the city, both in the index and non-index crime categories.

In 2018, the Police Regional Office -12 has also regarded the city as the safest city in the region after registering a 47 percent drop in crime volume.

Although joining the BARMM this year, crime volume in Cotabato City continues to drop due to the efforts exerted by the local security sector.

On Dec. 23 though, a series of explosions rocked the city and believed to have been perpetrated by peace saboteurs. At least 14 people – nine soldiers and five civilians – were injured following the first explosion that took place just outside the city’s Immaculate Conception Cathedral.

Police and partner security agencies are still investigating the case.

Regional police and military authorities said they would leave everything to President Rodrigo R. Duterte the decision to lift or extend martial law in Mindanao.

In Maguindanao, the Dec. 19, 2019 conviction of members of the Ampatuan clan implicated in the infamous Nov. 23, 2009 “Maguindanao massacre” is also seen to improve the peace and order situation in the province.

At least 25 massacre plotters that included former Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal “Datu Unsay” Ampatuan Jr. and his brother, former ARMM Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan, were sentenced by Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 to Reclusion Perpetua for 57 counts of murder, among them 32 journalists, in the worst election-related incident in the country’s political history.

“This just proves that the rule of law had prevailed,” Sinarimbo said of the case decision.

Some 80 other suspects linked to the decade-old murder case remain at-large and are being hunted by authorities following an order by the court for their immediate arrest.

“Justice has been served,” Maguindanao 2nd district Representative Esmael “Toto,” Mangudadatu told newsmen here in radio interviews following the verdict.

Mangudadatu, then vice mayor of Buluan town, challenged Ampatuan Jr. for the governorship of the province in connection with the May 13, 2010 polls when the tragic incident took place.

Ampatuan, Jr., backed by a 200-man private army that included several policemen, herded a convoy of vehicles that carried the journalists, together with Bai Genalyn, the wife of Mangudadatu, and several other Mangudadatu relatives while passing by Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao, and brought to the interior hilly part of the village where they were brutally executed.

Subsequently, Mangudadatu was elected governor in 2010 and was twice reelected.

He won by a wide margin against political rivals during the May 13, 2019 race for the congressional seat in the second district of the province.

Business aspect

Being the new center of BARMM, Cotabato City’s construction of a modern airport and seaport with a combined amount of some PHP200-billion is underway in Barangays Tamontaka and Kalanganan respectively, through a Private-Public Partnership scheme by the local government with the China Engineering and Construction (Shenzhen) Company Incorporated.

The PHP176-billion airport alone would need some 15,000 skilled workers, from carpenters, masons, and laborers, Sayadi said.

Also set to begin construction in 2020 is the China-Cotabato Friendship Technical School.

Sayadi added that the three projects are the result of steadfast relations between the people of Cotabato City and China.

At the BARMM, the prospect of becoming a major investment destination in the country remained bright as the Regional Board of Investments (RBOI) recorded PHP4.1 billion worth of financing in 2019 which is 80 percent higher compared to last year’s PHP2.5 billion.

The big investors included the Lamitan Agri-Business Corporation with investments worth PHP1.8 billion in Cavendish banana plantations in Basilan; the PHP1.4—B JMI Sand and Gravel Truck Services Corporation in Maguindanao; the PHP515-million Maguindanao Corn Development (MCD) DSA-1 Corp.; the PHP-306-M Wao Development Corporation in Lanao del Sur; and the PHP100-M abaca processing plant Hong Kong Feng Sheng Heritage Philippines Inc., also in Lanao del Sur.

“A total of 2,724 jobs are expected to be created from these projects,” Lawyer Ishak Mastura, RBOI-BARMM chairman. said during a forum held here earlier this month.

Rising from calamities

The province of North Cotabato has remained steadfast in rising from the effects of the episodes of earthquakes that hit the province since October 16, 2019.

Three of the major temblors were above magnitude 6 and centered in Tulunan, North Cotabato.

Also affected by the series of the quakes were the provinces of Davao del Sur, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Bukidnon, Sultan Kudarat, and Maguindanao, among others.

In North Cotabato alone, at least 52,195 families or an equivalent of 260, 975 were affected by the quakes, according to records of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The NDRRMC also listed more than 20 persons dead and more than 400 injured in the succession of quakes from the Davao Region, Soccsksargen and the BARMM.

Damaged infrastructures were also placed at 37,340, the NDRRMC said.

Mayor Joseph Evangelista of Kidapawan City in North Cotabato has repeatedly said in media in interviews following the quakes that they will continue to rise and face the challenges through the help of the national government, kind-hearted individuals and other regions across the country that did not hesitate on extending help through relief goods and donated cash in their time of need.

“This is to point out that the spirit of ‘bayanihan’ still lives in the hearts and minds of Filipinos,” Evangelista said as the city and the rest of the North Cotabato continue to brace for more small to moderate aftershocks recorded at over 500 so far. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Central Mindanao proves resilience in 2019 ." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1089592 (accessed December 27, 2019 at 08:54PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Central Mindanao proves resilience in 2019 ." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1089592 (archived).