#republic day 2022 wishes

[expensiveusa]

Lukashenko wishes the Dominican Republic a happy Independence Day

Lukashenko wishes the Dominican Republic a happy Independence Day As the nation celebrates Independence Day, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko sent greetings to Dominican Republic President Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, BelTA learned from the Belarusian leader’s press office. “Your country has one of the fastest rates of development among the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean,…

[mock-arts]

Happy approaching new year all! I just wanted to look at all the covers I’d made for Star Wars fics in 2022 all at once lol

links to each beneath the cut!

Crashing Down by @oakwyrm (art)

Marshal Commander Cody of the 7th Sky Corps is, despite his reputation, mortal. When a severe injury threatens his life and his continued ability to function should he recover, protocol states he should be sent back to Kamino. It does not explicitly state that he would likely be decommissioned, but his vode all know how to read between the lines.

General Kenobi’s response is equally predictable.

Careful What You Wish For by @shadowlight17 (art)

Cody was head over heels for his Jedi General, so when Order 66 was executed, he was in emotional turmoil. And then he died. Or so he thought. He said he would give anything to fix this...would it be worth it if fixing it meant leaving everything he knew behind? Thrown into the past, Cody is given that chance. To make things right.

Cody was head over heels for his Jedi General, so when Order 66 was executed, he was in emotional turmoil. And then he died. Or so he thought. He said he would give anything to fix this...would it be worth it if fixing it meant leaving everything he knew behind? Thrown into the past, Cody is given that chance. To make things right.

Cody was head over heels for his Jedi General, so when Order 66 was executed, he was in emotional turmoil. And then he died. Or so he thought. He said he would give anything to fix this...would it be worth it if fixing it meant leaving everything he knew behind? Thrown into the past, Cody is given that chance. To make things right.

Cody was head over heels for his Jedi General, so when Order 66 was executed, he was in emotional turmoil. And then he died. Or so he thought. He said he would give anything to fix this...would it be worth it if fixing it meant leaving everything he knew behind? Thrown into the past, Cody is given that chance. To make things right.

In This Our Liberty — currently unposted, series here.

from ancient grudge (to soap opera television) by @eclipsemidnight (art)

The Jedi and the Sith, in fair Coruscant where we lay our scene...ancestral enemies, whose battles these days are more likely to be to first spend rather than to first blood. This does not amuse the clone security forces who have to break them up, or Chancellor Windu who has to deal with them afterwards.

Meanwhile, Maul and Ventress's marriage is arranged by Sidious and Dooku. Obi-Wan and his friends Ahsoka and Quinlan crash their engagement party. We all know how this is going to end--a wedding, of course! It just takes a few hands, the threat of the Coruscant Guard, and a porg-print towel to get there!

This I Vow by @wanderingjedihistorian (art)

To secure a planet's help for the Republic, Obi-Wan and Cody must get married. Having been quietly together for some time, it is an easy decision for the pair to make. They didn't expect what followed. Nor did anyone else.

Once Upon a Dream by @glimmerglanger (art)

The man was still warm; not warm enough but he obviously hadn’t been dead long. Cody thinned his mouth, looking at the man. He had a fall of copper hair and a beard, scars here and there on his body. He looked like he’d been a fighter, all muscle, trim and--

“Sith’s spit,” he added, cutting over the chatter in his bucket, as his assessment reached the man’s hand, curled, even in death, around a familiar metallic cylinder. “General Tachi, I think he was a Jedi.”

OR, the one where Marshal Commander Cody finds a mystery figure three years into the Clone Wars, and it changes the course of history.

Or Why Comes Thou to Caterhaugh? by Afiregender (art)

In the midst of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan very abruptly goes on leave to attend a "personal matter" on his homeworld Stewjon. Both Cody and the Jedi find this somewhat odd, and Cody goes on leave himself to investigate. He finds his General at a banquet meant to celebrate the new Fae King... which turns out to be Obi-Wan himself. Or: Tam Lin but Codywan.

Descent by @kutaisi (art) (we’re just getting started on this one!)

As they're fighting in the rain on Kamino, Jango Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi are thrown forward in time to a version of the galaxy that neither of them could have imagined.

Finding themselves fifteen years in the future, their struggle to get back to their own time is complicated by devasting discoveries and a nightmare of a reality that they have no idea how to navigate through.

...and also by each other.

I also illustrated a bunch of other fic this year, that didn’t necessarily get covers.

Soul Found by @darthtarvera (art)

It had been five years since he’d dreamed of his soulmate. 

Five years since the council broke the bond between them. 

Now, a last test as the council sends Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to Mandalore to protect the Duke of Mandalore and his two daughters. Obi-Wan is determined to prove once and for all he has what it takes to be a good jedi. 

But can even the jedi truly break a bond between a jedi and their soulmate? As Obi-Wan discovers more of the culture and people his mark ties him to he realizes that maybe his path isn't so rigid as he thought.

i don’t wanna feel stuck by @ghostlandtoo (art)

Three years after the war, Obi-Wan has stuck to diplomatic missions from the Order, tired of fighting. When he's burned by the Republic on the tail-end of one such mission, Obi-Wan finds himself stuck on Myam-1, a beach planet in the Outer Rim. Work doesn't stop, even on a vacation planet. Reunited with an old flame and a few old friends, Obi-Wan can't help but help the several people on Myam-1 in need of help, even if he lost his lightsaber a few planets back.

This, too, was a gift by @lttrsfrmlnrrgby (art)

The Rako Hardeen mission was a success, but it left Obi-Wan Kenobi sick at heart after the empathic stresses of the mission, and questioning whether the mission was worth it. The troopers of the 212th welcome him back, wanting nothing more than to assure him he did the right thing, and Obi-Wan works to make their trust in him worth it.

The Force, however, shows Obi-Wan a detailed vision of the future to come. He eliminates the threats posed by the Sith, but feels he cannot return to the Order or to his men, and sets out alone, letting the Force direct him to the grimmest parts of the galaxy and the people who were always overlooked and underserved. 

Marshal Commander Cody takes his general's warning and evacuates Kamino and all of the clones from Republic space. As the Jedi work to recover from the Sith plot and the Republic stalls out on how to move on, the clones settle a new world, try to heal, and look for their missing general. Along the way, apart and together, Cody and Obi-Wan make discoveries that will change their and the galaxy’s future, and learn how to move forward even when things are broken and like nothing they'd planned.

I think that’s it as far as Star Wars fic I’ve illustrated/made covers for goes? (There’s a little bit of punisher/daredevil fic I’ve still been working on illustrating this year but that would be off theme lol)

if you’re a Star Wars fic author I’ve worked with this year and I’ve somehow missed you, let me know and I’ll add a link in! I’ve had an absolute blast collaborating with everyone this year, and I’m looking forward to digging in next year too! ❤️

[gffa]

My current progress on The High Republic books, comics, etc. I DESERVE CONGRATULATIONS AND WELL-WISHES TO CATCH UP BEFORE THE ACOLYTE AIRS. MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE I:

The High Republic: Light of the Jedi

The High Republic: A Test of Courage

The High Republic: Into the Dark

The High Republic: The Rising Storm

The High Republic: Race To Crashpoint Tower

The High Republic: Out Of The Shadows

The High Republic: Mission to Disaster

The High Republic: The Fallen Star

The High Republic: Midnight Horizon

MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE II:

The High Republic: Path of Deceit

The High Republic: Convergence

The High Republic: Quest for the Hidden City

The High Republic: Cataclysm

The High Republic: Quest for Planet X

The High Republic: Path of Vengeance

MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE III:

The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness

The High Republic: Escape from Valo

The High Republic: Defy The Storm

MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE I:

The High Republic (2021) - 15 issues

The High Republic Adventures (2021) - 13 issues

The High Republic: The Monster of Temple Peak - 4 issues

The High Republic: The Edge Of Balance - 2 manga volumes

The High Republic: Trail of Shadows - 5 issues

The High Republic: Eye of the Storm - 2 issues

MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE II:

The High Republic: The Blade - 4 issues

The High Republic (2022) - 10 issues

The High Republic Adventures (2021) - 8 issues

The High Republic: Edge of Balance: Precedent - 1 manga volume

The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror - 4 issues

MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE III:

The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight - 4 issues

The High Republic (2023) - 5 issues [ONGOING]

The High Republic Adventures (2023) - 4 issues [ONGOING]

MAIN STORYLINE AUDIODRAMAS - PHASE I:

The High Republic: Tempest Runner

MAIN STORYLINE AUDIODRAMAS - PHASE II:

The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha

ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE I:

Star Wars Adventures (2020) #6 - “The Gaze Electric”

The High Republic Adventures: Free Comic Book Day 2021

The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021

The High Republic Adventures: Galactic Bake-Off Spectacular

Star Wars Adventures (2020) #14 - “A Very Nihil Interlude”

The High Republic Adventures: Free Comic Book Day 2023

ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE II:

The High Republic Adventures: Quest of the Jedi

ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE III:

The High Republic Adventures: Crash Landing

ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - PHASE I:

Star Wars: The High Republic: Starlight

ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - PHASE II:

Star Wars Insider: The High Republic: Tales of Enlightenment

ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - ALL PHASES:

The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life

EVERYTHING ELSE:

Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures - 25 episodes

This is a bit misleading in that several of these I'm halfway through, I've been watching Young Jedi Adventures in the background while I do other things and it's super cute! It's very much a preschooler-aimed series, but the animation is gorgeous, the voice acting is adorable, and it's fun to have on in the background. (It does make me pine for this style of animation to be used for more familiar characters, what I wouldn't give for baby Mace Windu in this style or baby Obi-Wan or baby Plo or baby Shaak, THEY WOULD BE SO CUTE.) I'm also halfway through The Fallen Star, which isn't as far as I'd like considering I started it several days ago, but I don't have as much on-line time these days and I listen to it in the background while doing other things. It's fine so far, I'd say! I'm eager to get to Phase III, though. One thing that's really hitting me all over again, especially as I'm wrapping up reading Shadows of Starlight is that the Nihil are now trying to set up their own area of the galaxy, to set up a government in their claimed area, they've been strong-arming planets into being forced to join them, they've been actively killing Jedi--including one general who opens his coat to reveal a collection of lightsabers to show that he'd be a good fit to join the Nihil--and it's so many echoes of the prequels that it's fascinating. Because the way the Jedi react, the need to align with the Republic for strength, the need to fight back against an enemy that is specifically targeting them, the need to help free the worlds that are being occupied by this government that claims to have nobler intentions, but really just wants to crush worlds under its boot? It's really showing, consistently, the Jedi being put in the same positions as the prequels Jedi and showing why their choices weren't great, but they had to choose something, because the alternative was worse. Reading all of this has given me a more sympathetic reading of the prequels' set-up, served up to me on a silver platter. OKAY, WISH ME LUCK in getting through at least one more comic run today and tell me how your High Republic reading journey is going, too!

[mariacallous]

Around the world—in Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan and more—over 400 million, or about 1 in every 5 children are caught in the crossfire of conflict. They are innocent victims, caught in something they did not start and something they can’t control. The average large-scale humanitarian crisis lasts about a decade and the average length of displacement is now 17 years—a full childhood. For these children, education can be a lifeline, but it is often under attack.  

What happens to children in conflict?  

Injury, death, or displacement

Conflict does not discriminate: All people—young and old—are at risk. Children, parents, teachers, and other education personnel may themselves be injured, separated from family and friends, displaced, or lose their lives. A recent report from the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack indicates that in 2022 and 2023, attacks on education where schools were threatened, hit with bombs or airstrikes, looted and burned, were greatest in Palestine, Ukraine, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Myanmar with over 10,000 students injured or killed. Ten-year-old Abdul Rahman from Gaza, who lost a leg in the conflict, said, “We are children and families. I am very sad. I had a football and a bicycle. I used to play with my friends at school. I wish my leg would come back so I can play again.”   

Elevated stress and mental health ailments

Children may witness death and atrocities that no child should see, lose connections with their friends and family, and have their daily routines disrupted. These psychological scars cut deep and can have long lasting negative impacts. The World Health Organization found that elevated stress during humanitarian contexts impacts most people, and a smaller percentage of those people (about 1 in 5) can develop post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health ailments. Research indicates that when adversities pile up, as can happen during conflict, children are more likely to experience toxic stress, a form of significantly elevated and continuous stress that can in the short term impact a child’s ability for normal functioning, and in the long term can alter chemical/hormonal makeup and genes.  

Recruitment into armed forces or groups

Recruitment of children, a breach of international law, also occurs in conflict. Children can be forced or otherwise compelled to serve as soldiers or “wives” of soldiers, for example; some are forced to join while others do so because they lack educational or other opportunities. An adolescent boy from DRC said, “When the militia took me, I wasn’t in school because my parents had died. I was in the village—this is where they take you,” Between 2005 and 2022, UNICEF verified that over 105,000 children were recruited and used during conflict.  These practices not only impact the child, but also society as it then needs to invest in reintegrating them back into society. 

Loss of learning opportunities and brain development

Children’s brains develop rapidly, particularly in early childhood and adolescence.1 Yet, in conflict, this crucial point in development is unable to be fully taken advantage of due to damaged educational infrastructure and a heightened focus on basic necessities. At present, more than 80% of schools in Gaza are damaged or destroyed, impacting over 300,000 students. In Sudan, 90% of schools are closed or inaccessible and approximately 19 million children are out of school. When intact, places of learning, including spaces other than schools, are often taken over by military/armed groups or used as shelters by displaced families. In the best-case scenario, spaces are used for multiple purposes and learning can continue, even if for a truncated period. While all children are negatively impacted during conflict, the most vulnerable, including girls and those with disabilities, are often the ones that either never had access to learning to begin with or lose it during conflict and never return.  

The cost of inaction 

Conflict not only impacts children, but costs society money. Reconstruction of education infrastructure, hiring and retraining teachers, and providing health services, nutrition, shelter, and more to conflict-affected children can be costly, but the cost of inaction is greater. Syria’s long conflict and more than 2.8 million children out of school have resulted in a loss of approximately 5.4% of GDP. In 2015, it cost an estimated $3.2 billion to repair damaged school infrastructure and train new teachers. In Brazil, it costs less to get kids into school and keep them there than to support out of school children. Between 2009 and 2012, Pakistan estimated that the lack of access to education for some 5.5 million children due to conflict, cost about $2.9 billion in lost income. 

The solution: Education in emergencies 

Education in emergencies is defined as quality and inclusive formal and nonformal learning for children of all ages and all abilities—from early childhood through secondary school. It is like education in non-emergency contexts, but tends to be more flexible, modular in nature, and more strongly integrates psychosocial well-being. It can happen in school buildings, but also in homes, community spaces, under trees. It can be delivered in person, virtually, or through hybrid means. Education in emergencies is a buffer against adversities in humanitarian crisis experience as it provides physical safety, continued learning, a return to routines, and a place for children to form and re-form social support networks. 

Numerous models for providing quality education in emergencies, such as accelerated learning for older children who have lost years, mobile learning, and learning through radio or television, have been tested. As the COVID-19 pandemic impacted locations already facing conflict, the double emergency proved that technology might offer hope for the continuation of learning in some contexts, particularly in strengthening knowledge and skills of caregivers, teachers, and other adults. 

Moreover, a Save the Children survey of 8,749 children in 17 different humanitarian emergencies revealed that approximately 99% of children and their families demand education in emergencies. A 15-year old South Sudanese boy said, “We don’t want to delay. If we delay, we will remain behind.” Another 16-year-old South Sudanese refugee said, “I would leave again if I had to, to get my education.”   

Education must be protected and prioritized 

Many children are born during conflict, and many lose their lives and their childhoods in conflict, so action needs to be taken.

Increase humanitarian investment into education in emergencies. While evidence is mounting on the benefits of education in emergencies, funding remains around 4% of humanitarian aid.

Monitor and call out countries that are not adhering to the Safe Schools Declaration. In 2015, the Safe Schools Declaration, an intergovernmental political agreement that outlines commitments to protect education from attack, was developed and endorsed by 120 countries. By endorsing the declaration, countries commit to collecting data on attacks on education and investigating and prosecuting war crimes involving education.   

Implement evidence-based approaches to ensure education continues including:

Accelerated learning for older students.

Hybrid and virtual learning with the use of technology and media (e.g., computer, radio, tv).

Mobile learning where learning is taken to displaced children.

Train teachers to support children’s psychosocial needs along with their learning needs.

As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use change the world.” We must protect children’s rights to education under all circumstances and especially in conflict situations. 

[wackyharpy]

Hello, guys!

Today is an important day for me and my country, and I feel that I can't stay silent and don't share what I've already lived out.

On the 24th of February 2022, russia started the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It's been going on for two years so far, and it's been ten years since russia waged the war in 2014 when it occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and Crimean peninsula.

You may know that I'm Ukrainian, I have written the country of my origin in my bio, I don't hide this information. I'm proud to be a citizen of Ukraine, the country of brave people. And I'd like to share my story with you, because I feel that I need to do this, I must do this.

On this day, in 2022, I was woken up by my mum. She was crying and said that russians were on our territories, they'd already bombed some cities. I remember the feeling I had that time, it's so difficult to describe, but the feeling is still vivid. Something just exploded inside of me, and the sudden realization of death came to my mind. I understood that any day, any moment could have been the last for me, for my family, friends, beloved ones. And as I was an already grown-up human, I had to stay calm, not to panic. But you can't even know how difficult it is to explain to a small child what a war is, and what can happen (I have a small brother).

The most dreadful night in my life was the first night of the war. I couldn't sleep normally. And then... I don't even know how to explain. This feeling. It's like you want to vomit, to cry, to shout, to run, to hide, to do something, but you can't because of sudden fear, and terror. I felt sick, probably a hightened temperature, I felt hot, and cold at the same time. It happened when I heard the first air alert at night. You know, it's so difficult to grab, with trembling arms, things you need, documents, and then run to the shelter. The legs couldn't even move properly. I realized that I may have never seen my house the next morning, or my district where I lived.

And it was like that every single day, and night. I saw what was the panic attack for the first time. My mother had it. She couldn't move and speak, and eat, and drink. She was just lying, and staring at one place. And it was like that for several days. Now I feel so sorry, so ashamed of myself that I couldn't help her at those times. But I didn't know how. I was so scared, I had to look after my brother, to do something not to become mad.

You know, I had been thinking about death, not even once, not twice. Plenty of times. At times, I'm still thinking about it. And because of it, it's difficult to hope, to make plans for the future because there could be no future. And I'm so afraid of it. I believe in our victory, but still some doubts are eating me alive. And I can't stand this feeling.

I had been thinking about killing people in order to protect myself. About what I would do if I saw enemies on my street. I had been thinking about how it was to be tortured, to be raped. I remember making a decision to commit suicide if something like that would be about to happen to me.

In summer 2023, I had opportunity to visit Germany and Czech Republic. I'm so grateful to those who support Ukraine, who understand what is happening now. I'm so grateful to the world, to every person who didn't remain silent when this genocide started. We still need your support, your help. Please, don't be indifferent. We live on the same planet, let's be humans, let's not permit such atrocities to happen.

Now, I got used to war. But it sounds insane because it's not normal to get used to such shit. I'm still studying, writing my thesis currently, grateful to Ukrainian army forces for their protection. And I hope, every single day I hope that there will be the end of it. Hope, I will be alive, see the victory, and experience it along with other Ukrainians.

And for you I wish all the happiness in life, and most importantly peaceful sky above your heads. I'm here, on tumblr, I will post my fics, write for you as I love you all, adore when you comment, and reblog.

Here, I want to share several pics of what happened in my city on the 14th of July 2022. russians launched several missiles and they fell in the center of Vinnytsia. The day before I was right in this place, and now I realize that if I had been there on the 14th, I would have been dead now.

[brian-in-finance]

Twitter

Twitter

Sinead O'Connor at her home in County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland in 2012. David Corio/Redferns/Getty Images

Caitríona Balfe, Michael Stipe and more pay tribute to Sinéad O’Connor

On Wednesday, as the news of Sinéad O’Connor’s death broke, many celebrities took to social media to pay tribute to the music icon.

As reported by Irish broadcaster RTE earlier in the day, O’Connor’s death was confirmed by a family statement. No cause of death was immediately available.

“I hope you are at peace,” actor Caitríona Balfe wrote on her Instagram page, adding “and with your baby boy. Thank you for sharing your soul with us and soothing us with your incredible voice beautiful Sinéad.”

O’Connor contributed her vocals to the opening credits of Season 7 of acclaimed series “Outlander,” in which Balfe stars. The actor’s mention of O’Connor’s “baby boy” was in reference to the singer’s son Shane, who died by suicide at age 17 in 2022.

Michael Stipe, famed REM singer-songwriter, simply wrote on Instagram aongside a photo of him with O’Connor that “there are no words.” Stipe has spoken about how much he was influenced by O’Connor, telling the Washington Post in a 2020 interview that “so many people have lifted from her, from me to Miley Cyrus. She’s one of our great, living icons.”

Belinda Carlisle, lead vocalist of the all-girls 80s rock band The Go-Gos, wrote “may she find peace now. Forever loved,” on her Twitter page on Wednesday, while singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge wrote on her page that news of O’Connor’s death “is such a tragedy.”

“What a loss. She was haunted all her life. What a talent,” Etheridge continued. “I remember my first Grammy show meeting this small shy Irish girl.”

The Cranberries – who lost their lead singer, the Irishwoman Dolores O’Riordan, in 2018 – shared a tribute on their official Instagram account, writing that they “are shocked and saddened to hear of Sinead’s sudden passing. We have all been big fans for many years. Our thoughts are with her family.”

Shirley Manson, lead singer of Garbage, posted in honor of O’Connor to the band’s Instagram page, writing, “I’m heartbroken.”

“This disgusting world broke her and kept on breaking her. Godspeed dear fragile dove,” the post continued. “Thank you for all the beauty and all the wise teachings you offered up to us. I wish you nothing but peace and I will love you for all of time.”

O’Connor’s contemporary Annie Lennox shared a poem in the late singer’s memory on her Instagram, beginning it with, “You bared your soul… | Shared your brilliance | Through exquisite artistry”.

Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis penned a lengthy tribute to O’Connor on her Instagram page, saying, “I once heard Sìnead (sic) sing acapella in an empty chapel in Ireland. It was under construction at the private home of our host. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“I loved her. Her music. Her life,” Curtis added, going on to reminisce about the time she spent with O’Connor at a music festival.

“Sixth Sense” actor Toni Collette also shared a personal memory with O’Connor, writing on Instagram, “I was lucky enough to hang out with her a few times in my twenties. On one occasion we all sang in the hills of Wicklow in Eire. I sang a Jane Siberry song and Sinead then asked/encouraged me to sing one of my own. Can you imagine the terror? The intimidation? The thrill?!”

“She was so talented, so generous, humble, resilient, courageous and true,” Collette continued. “What a voice. What a force. My heart breaks.”

Beyond those in the arts, O’Connor’s impact was felt in her home country of Ireland.

“What Ireland has lost at such a relatively young age is one of our greatest and most gifted composers, songwriters and performers of recent decades, one who had a unique talent and extraordinary connection with her audience, all of whom held such love and warmth for her,” Irish president Michael D. Higgins said in a statement sent to CNN.

“May her spirit find the peace she sought in so many different ways,” his statement concluded.

CNN

Remember… you bared your soul… shared your brilliance through exquisite artistry. — Annie Lennox

[adamwatchesmovies]

Shotgun Wedding (2022)

Shotgun Wedding will feel familiar to most viewers. While I can't recall any other movies where a bride and groom must save their wedding party from pirates, much of what we see feels like bits and pieces collected from other films. Not necessarily better films, but other films. This is perfectly serviceable for something you’d watch at home “for free” (that’s to say, the price of a monthly subscription that also gives you other perks). If you had to travel outside of the house to see this rom-com, that'd be a different story.

On the day of their destination wedding on a private island in the Philippines, Tom (Josh Duhamel) and Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) get into an argument and step away from the wedding party. Just in time, too, as a group of pirates arrive and take everyone hostage.

Shotgun Wedding has a great cast and knows it, which is why the film ends with footage of everyone having a good time, shot as if it were a home video. Jennifer Coolidge plays Carol, Tom’s mom (despite only being 11 years older than he is), Lenny Kravitz plays Sean, Darcy’s rich and successful ex-fiancé, Cheech Marin plays Darcy’s father, Robert and Sônia Braga is his ex-wife, Renata. My favorite is Callie Hernandez as Darcy’s sister, Jamie. The members of the wedding party all have some good moments, particularly when they try and humanize themselves so the pirates build sympathy and don’t shoot them.

I called this a romantic comedy earlier, but this is more of an action romantic comedy, with much more emphasis on Tom and Darcy dealing with the pirates than scenes that will make your heart swoon. Maybe it’s the wibbly-wobbly chemistry between Lopez and Duhamel that prevents you from feeling the love. They’re ok together but they don’t feel like they're excited to get married. They're more like a couple who have been together for so long that they “might as well make it official”. Part of that may be intentional, as the argument that takes them away from the wedding party is about Darcy feeling uncertain about the whole thing… but tangible sparks between the leads would have elevated this film a lot.

Directed by Jason Moore, Shotgun Wedding has a decent amount of laughs. I just wish they were bigger, or that the movie felt more distinct. The action scenes, the twists, even some of the best jokes and most tender moments never make you think "I'm glad I saw this movie because I would've missed out on this joke/twist/action scene if I hadn't". The wedding is taking place in the Philippines but was shot in the Dominican Republic and the actors portraying the resort’s owners sound like they’re from… well, not the Philippines. The film is often unexpectedly violent and gruesome so I’m not even sure those who want to see lovers getting together will be 100% on board. What this movie needed to do was get way more extreme. More romance, more action or more comedy. This attempt at an even mix of all three makes for a digestible, but bland end result.

Shotgun Wedding is missing something. For the price I paid, I'm satisfied and had a decent time. It’s just that down the line, I won’t remember it. (February 14, 2023)

[shefanispeculator]

Bryce Leatherwood

Bryce Leatherwood rose to fame in 2022 while competing on Blake Shelton’s team on the NBC hit television show The Voice, and earning the coveted title of Season 22 winner. Once his time on the show came to an end, Leatherwood was ready to embark on his journey of pursuing music full-time, and that started with saving up enough money to make the move from Woodstock, GA, to Nashville, TN. He spent the summer bringing his music to new fans across the country through supporting tour dates with Dwight Yoakum, a variety of festival sets, and his debut at Nashville’s historic Bluebird Cafe. Plus, Leatherwood has become a frequent performer at Shelton’s various Ole Red establishments and even achieved a sold-out, four-show residency in the Ole Red Tishomingo, OK location. Things kicked into high gear for Leatherwood this fall when he landed his first major label record deal with Universal Music Group Nashville in alliance with Republic Records. Along with this newly-inked deal, the country newcomer dropped his first original tune, “The Finger.” Leatherwood didn’t have a hand in writing this song, but he previously admitted to wishing he had because of the instant connection he felt with the narrative that depicts the painful experience of seeing an ex move on with someone new. It’s been a whirlwind of a year for Bryce Leatherwood, and based on the trajectory he’s currently on, country music fans will likely be seeing a lot more of him in 2024.

Emily Ann Roberts 

Before even graduating high school, Emily Ann Roberts launched her career as a contestant on Blake Shelton’s team on The Voice, where she earned second place in the overall competition. Since then, she’s seen tremendous growth and continues to work her way up the ladder, building on her days of booking shows at tiny venues around her hometown in East Tennessee. Roberts has come a long way from those stages as she’s now racked up a whopping total of 17 performances at the Grand Ole Opry and counting. While she’s still in the early stages of her career, Roberts’ countless hours spent performing, writing music, and finding her sound has resulted in her racking up more than 25 million streams to date. Emily Ann Roberts was raised on eras of country music that celebrated the Smoky Mountain sounds and bluegrass tendencies, from Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton to Miranda Lambert and Cody Johnson. These influences shine through aspects of her own career with songs like “He Set Her Off,” “Infinity,” “Chickens,” and “Walkin’ Shoes,” all of which were released this year as part of the emerging artist’s first full-length project, Can’t Hide Country. Released on September 22, this album features 13 tracks, 12 of which Roberts co-wrote, drawing inspiration from her journey as both a budding artist and a young woman steering her way through the rollercoaster of life. Beginning in February 2024, Emily Ann Roberts will further prove her steadily rising star status as she joins Blake Shelton as a special guest on the second leg of his 17-date Back To The Honky Tonk Tour. 

[sevaghves]

To clear things up for our Ukrainian friends.

Ukraine didn't condemn Azerbaijan's aggression against Armenia in 2020. Armenia didn't condemn Russia's aggression against Ukraine in 2022.

Why?

For some reason Ukrainian political elite considers Artsakh similar to the Donetsk and Luhansk "republics". That's not the case. Artsakh was annexed from Armenia in 1920s by the bolsheviks along with Nakhijevan. The 1st Karabakh war happened because when Artsakh as autonomous republic voted independence during the collapse of USSR, Azeri and Russian forces started military operations against Armenians. For comparison, imagine these 2 regions be recognized as Russian territory to "stop the conflict", Ukrainians in Donetsk and Luhanks organize self-defense units and uprising for reunification with Ukraine and be called separatists.

After the betrayal and war of 2020, when Russia deployed "peacekeepers" to Artsakh, 120000 people in Artsakh became Putin's hostages. That predetermined Armenia's foreign policy for the next 3 years. Every independent move resulted in Azeri attacks on Artsakh and Armenia proper, sanctioned by Putin. Over 140 sq km of Armenian territory became occupied by Azerbaijan. The West refused to help as they didn't want to interfere in the areas of Russian influence.

The war in Ukraine opened the Western eyes to Putin's real objectives. Or rather they could no longer afford to stay blind. Putin's Imperialist agenda arrived at their doorstep.

What can we do as former colonies of Russia to stop this direct and indirect aggression?

First of all recognize each other as sovereign states that are out of Soviet framework of "brotherly" nations. It's okay to have different interests and alliances. But in this fight we have to be united and show understanding for the ways Putin manipulated our countries. We need to be honest and pragmatic with each other.

I wish victory to Armenia in her fight for survival and I wish the same to Ukraine. And just as my Ukrainian friends are focused on their war, I am focused on mine. This doesn't mean we don't care about the other. My family has friends in Ukraine who spend almost every night sheltering from Russian bombing. Some of our Armenian friends are refugees of the 2014 aggression.

And I wish my Russian friends that one day in the future they see their country free from the thugs and fascists that have usurped the power for so long. We all deserve better than this vile chaos.

[workersolidarity]

Part 1: Origins of the Ukraine War

Watch "Kim Iversen: Former NATO Analyst & Top UN Official Says THIS Is The REAL Reason For War In Ukraine" on YouTube

Going back a year to remind people of the origins of the current stage of the Ukraine Proxy-war.

Today, this history is swept under the rug, forgotten about out of convenience because it runs counter to the Western narratives around Ukraine.

Once again, as I have to constantly remind people, the Far-Right forces within Ukraine; paramilitary forces such Azov, Right Sector, and C14 had drastically and exponentially increased shelling of the Donbas in the days leading up to the war. Many Eastern Ukrainians feared the Kiev regime was on the verge of launching an offensive into the DPR and LPR which had declared their Independence in 2014, triggering a kind of Civil War stalemate period for the next 8 years.

I also want to clear up another point of contention; initially, the breakaway Republics were NOT trying to become independent of Ukraine. Instead they were seeking an autonomous status, similar to what Crimea enjoyed for a time prior to the coup regime.

So let's go back to 2014 and review the facts around the origins of the War.

To begin, we must take a look at the actions taken by the Ukrainian Govt after the Maidan Coup. We should all be aware by now, regardless of personal feelings about the war or Russia's justifications for entering into Ukraine, that the United States was elbow deep in it with regards to the Maidan Coup and the govt that took power after the coup, with Victoria Nuland on audio handpicking the next President of Ukraine: Petro Poroshenko

The FIRST official act of the new coup regime in Kiev in 2014 was to remove Russian as an official language in Ukraine, beginning the waves of repression that began in earnest against Russian speaking Ukrainians in the Donbas and elsewhere in Ukraine.

And UNLIKE the propaganda we've been fed by US and Western media, the Russian Federation NEVER supported the Donbass rebels until February 2022. They were NOT funded or trained or directed by Moscow in ANY way, as attested to in this article by Jacques Baud, a former member of the Swiss Strategic Intelligence and a specialist in Eastern Europe, he was also the former head of the Doctrine of the United Nations Peace Operations. Within NATO, Jacques Baud was involved in Programs in Ukraine before and after the Maidan Coups and has authored a multitude of books on Intelligence, war, terrorism, National Security and Russia.

And he says:

But, of course, immediately after signing the agreement, Ukrainian "President" Petro Poroshenko violated the Minsk I Accords (likely on orders by NATO) by launching a massive offensive in the Donbas which ended in failure, forcing Ukraine to once again return to the negotiating table and producing the Minsk II Accords.

Minsk II seemed like it was a game changer. The new agreement afforded the Donbas Republics a degree of autonomy, which was all they ever wanted to begin with. That and to have a say in their own governance. After the Russian language was removed as an official language, the next step was to ban Russian from being spoken by government officials. This of course meant that Russian speaking Ukrainians no longer could work in or have a say in their own governance, effectively handing over control of Eastern Ukraine to Kiev. But under the new agreement, Minsk II offered the promise of a return to a degree of normalcy. It was a framework from which to negotiate a settlement between the Kiev regime and DPR/LPR officials.

Of course, Kiev refused to implement the Minsk II Accords and instead continued with a campaign of terror, randomly and unexpectedly shelling populated civilian neighborhoods with alarming regularity.

And even with all this going on, the Russian Federation treated the matter as an internal issue for Ukrainians to settle amongst themselves. I'm sure in retrospect, Russian officials wish they had done more to intervene earlier in the conflict.

In fact, only 56 Russian fighters were observed in the Donbas during this time.

At this point, the Ukrainian Military was completely and thoroughly corrupt, demoralized and broken. And so they turned to NATO to reconstitute and reimagine the Ukrainian Military. To this end and to move as quickly as possible, NATO utilized Far-Right and Neo-Nazi Paramilitary Forces to form the backbone of the reconstituted Ukrainian military.

Even after the Far-Right Paramilitary Forces were integrated into the Ukrainian Military, they remained fairly independent and still remain unreformed to this day.

Stick around for Part II on the origins of the Ukraine Proxy-war...

[nordleuchten]

24 Days of La Fayette - December 24th: Doctor James McHenry

I hope that everybody who celebrates Christmas has a most happy and blessed day!

There were no posts these last few days because life simply got in the way. But they will follow in a few days. :-)

On this last day we focus on the most famous (and probably the most beloved by the modern audience) aide-de-camp of La Fayette – Doctor James McHenry. I purposely kept the part about his life before and after his tenure as aide-de-camp to La Fayette brief. Not because there is not enough information, quite the contrary – McHenry was very involved in the politics and social life of the young Republic, and one could fill volumes with his life and actions.

He was born on November 16, 1753 in Dublin and was educated there before emigrating to Philadelphia in 1771. After a short pause, he continued to study medicine under Doctor Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He joined the war effort out of patriotism for his new home and worked at the American Continental Hospital in the fall of 1775 before being appointed surgeon for the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment on August 10, 1776. He was captured during the assault on Fort Washington on November 16 of the same year and spend his time treating fellow prisoners of war. McHenry was part of a prisoner exchange in March of 1778, and he returned to the army and served as a surgeon during the encampment in Valley Forge. In May of 1778 he accepted George Washington’s offer to become one of his assistant secretaries. Two years later, in 1780, McHenry was yearning for a change.

James McHenry wrote to George Washington on July 18, 1780:

I would beg leave to mention to your Excellency, a matter, in which I feel too much to be longer without laying it before you. The approaching campaign opening an interesting field, makes me desirous to appear, in a more military character, than that I now hold. I have also had before me for some time past, a prospect of visiting Europe; and especially those places where our interest is most cherished: And as my present character, of secretary, is not in the same estimation, there, as with us, I would therefore request your Excellency, that I may be considered as a volunteer. Hitherto, I have acted without pay, and it is my intention to receive none in future, unless some alteration in my circumstances render it necessary. If I receive your permission, to come as a volunteer, or accept such a station in the army as may place me, wholly, in a military light, I shall be happy, because, in it, I combine, with what I owe myself, that duty proper to my country.

“To George Washington from James McHenry, 18 July 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 27, 5 July–27 August 1780, ed. Benjamin L. Huggins. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2019, pp. 175–176.] (12/21/2022)

In alignment with McHenry’s remarks that he desired a more “hands-on” position in the army and desired to be employed in a military position, he transferred to La Fayette’s staff in August of 1780 and became the Marquis’s voluntary aide-de-camp. While an aide-de-camp was still a far cry from a field-command, the position was more military than the position of a secretary.

Alexander Hamilton wrote to James Duane on July 22, 1780:

I take the liberty my Dear Sir to request your interest for a friend of mine and a member of the family, Dr McHenry. He wishes to quit a Station which among foreigners is not viewed in a very reputable light and to get into one more military. He will go into the Marquis’s family as an aide. He has been in the army since the commencement of the War—first in the medical line, since the 15th of May 78, as a Secretary to the Commander in Chief. You know him to be a man of Sense and merit. A more intimate acquaintance with him makes me hold him as such in an eminent degree. He has now no military existence properly speaking—no rank. I believe he is not immoderate.

“From Alexander Hamilton to James Duane, [22 July 1780],” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, vol. 2, 1779–1781, ed. Harold C. Syrett. New York: Columbia University Press, 1961, pp. 363–364.] (12/21/2022)

In his new position, McHenry was a direct witness to one if not the greatest scandal during the American Revolution – McHenry was at the breakfast table with Benedict Arnold when Arnold received the letter informing him of John André capture. La Fayette wrote to the Chevalier de La Luzerne on septembre 26, 1780:

When we left Fishkill yesterday we were preceded by one of my aides-de-camp and the aide of General Knox, who found General and Mrs. Arnold at table and joined them for breakfast. While they were there, two letters were brought to General Arnold informing him of the capture of a spy. He ordered a horse to be saddled, then went upstairs to his wife to tell her he was ruined, and commanded his aide-de-camp to tell General Washington that he was going to West Point and would return within an hour.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 3, April 27, 1780–March 29, 1781, Cornell University Press, 1980, pp. 179-180.

It was around the same time that McHenry set out to secure a fixed rank for himself, since under La Fayette he was only employed as a volunteer. He benefited in his endeavor from the help of his former fellow staff-member, Alexander Hamilton. Philip Schuyler wrote to Alexander Hamilton, his future son-in-law, on September 16, 1780:

I have communed with the Governer on the Subject of McHenrys wish; he is very much disposed to use his Influence on the occasion but doubts if he should be able to obtain a lieutenancy unless the Ensigns that now are could all be provided for. If McHenry merely wants military rank for the campaign and will not accept of an Ensigncy, The Governor can and will give him a Lieut Colonelcy in the State levies, which will always give him rank in our militia and Consequently in the army when the militia is in the field; but this must be determined before the legislature rises; please therefore to desire McHenry to write me on the Subject without delay, and to assure him of my best services in my power.

“To Alexander Hamilton from Philip Schuyler, 16 September 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, vol. 2, 1779–1781, ed. Harold C. Syrett. New York: Columbia University Press, 1961, pp. 432–434.] (12/21/2022)

Congress eventually granted James McHenry the rank of Major (although not everybody was exactly happy with this agreement) in April of 1780. General Greene had spoken out in McHenry’s favour and had possible tipped the scale in McHenry’s favour.

Report

9th and 10th That Tench Tilghman Esq: receive the Commission of Lieut. Colonel to take Rank from and Doctor McHenry the Commission of Major to take Rank from.

Remarks

9th—and 10th—Mr Tilghmans Commission to be dated the 1st of april 1777. Mr McHenrys from the time at which Genl Greene applied in his favr—(last Octobr).

“Report and Remarks, 3 April 1781,” Founders Online, National Archives, [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.] (12/21/2022)

In the General Orders for June 5, 1781 we can read the following:

That Doctor James McHenry receive the Commission of Major in the Army of the United States to take rank from the 30th of October last.

“General Orders, 5 June 1781,” Founders Online, National Archives, [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.] (12/21/2022)

General Greene was an important proponent of McHenry’s and wrote to George Washington on May 3, 1781:

When I was appointed to the command of this army, I solicited Congress to give Doctor McHenry a majority that he might serve me in the character of an aid. This they refused. I was perswaded when I made the application of the necessity, and since have felt it, most sensibly. Your Excellency can scarsely tell how happy you are in your family and therefore can hardly judge of my situation. I cannot make a second application to Congress upon this subject, nor should I have hopes of succeeding if did, but I shall esteem it a peculiar mark of your Excellency[s] friendship and esteem if you will interest yourself in the matter and get him a Majority.

“To George Washington from Nathanael Greene, 1 May 1781,” Founders Online, National Archives, [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.] (12/21/2022)

Washington had been aware of Congress initial refusal and was quite angry at the time. He had written to Joseph Jones on January 27, 1781:

I was concerned when I came to Congress to hear so small a favor was refused Genl Greene then going to his new Command as that of granting his request respecting Dr McHenry—from my conversation with Gentlemen on the subject many think the Genl shod have been indulged and if it [can] be done the question will probably be revived This however the Dr shod not be acquainted with least the attempt shod be unsuccessfull.

“To George Washington from Joseph Jones, 27 February 1781,” Founders Online, National Archives, [This is an Early Access document from The Papers of George Washington. It is not an authoritative final version.] (12/21/2022)

Although this affair left some aftertaste, life went on with McHenry as a Major under La Fayette – who was very warmly attached to McHenry. La Fayette wrote on February 15, 1781:

Every Body Says You Are Going to Get Into the Governor's Council. If You Quit the House for the field, I shall Be Very Happy to obtain the Preference in Your Military Employements, and Hoping You know My tender friendship and affectionate Regard for You, will Not lengthen this letter with Assurances from My Heart While the Heart itself must Be known to You. 10 I intend to write You Again in a few days and with Every Sentiment of Attachement and Esteem Have the Honor to be Yours

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 3, April 27, 1780–March 29, 1781, Cornell University Press, 1980, pp. 322-325.

La Fayette was alluding to the fact that McHenry tried to become a member of the Maryland Council. This appointment never came to pass but he instead became a member of the Maryland Board of War and La Fayette often commented in his letters, how industrious McHenry was on behalf of Maryland. His diplomatic ties and great patriotic zeal brought him in an ideal position to function as a liaison officer between La Fayette and civil authorities in Maryland in Virginia. He served under La Fayette during the complete Virginia campaign and during the Battle of Yorktown.

Towards the end of 1781 Nathanael Greene wrote to La Fayette and asked if McHenry may be transferred into his own staff. La Fayette replied to the request on August 12, 1781:

My Dear General

I Have Received Your letters Concerning Mr. McHenry, And Have Considered them with that Attention I pay to Every thing that Concerns You, and that interest which is founded upon My Most affectionate friendship.

McHenry is So well Acquainted with My Sentiments for Him that He knows My attachement is independant of whatever Steps He Might take on the occasion. He knows I am not of a temper that finds faults with the Measures of My friends, and that I will ever feel an obligation to the Man who obliges General Greene.

Give me leave to observe, My dear Sir, that upon Every principle

which Makes Mr. McHenry Useful to you, He Must in My Circumstances Be Still more useful to me. I May add that Clel. Nevill and Mr. Langhorne Being prisoners, I Have No aid de Camp But McHenry and Washington, But I am willing to give up My interest to your wishes, and McHenry's Remaining Some time with me is owing to an other Circumstance.

He is far from Being determined to Accept of a Military Commission. He Has Expectations of a Seat in the Senate and would much prefer it. This will Be determined Next Month and was He Now to join you it would Seem He Renounces an object which He expects without Sollicitation But which He would Seem to give up By going to So far a Distance.

The Matter Being Such Stated, My dear general, You will Be able to determine what to wish. You ask My Consent, and I Give itHeartly or to speak Better affectionately for tho' I will Be glad He joins you I Cannot Help Being Sorry to part from Him. But I Sincerely think if He Has no Senatorial prospects He ought to pay you a visit. It is His Intention, and I will not only Consent But join with you and with Him in that desire and that opinion. Should I go to France towards the End of the winter, and Should He wish to devote that time to travels I am Sure you would Return me the Sentiment I evince to you when I advise McHenry to join for a time your family. With the Most tender affection Your friend for ever

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 4, April 1, 1781–December 23, 1781, Cornell University Press, 1981, pp. 318-219.

Greene had previously on July 24, 1781 written to McHenry:

I wish you with me exceedingly; but there is no inconvenience to which I will not subject my self to oblige the Marquis

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 4, April 1, 1781–December 23, 1781, Cornell University Press, 1981, p. 319.

Since McHenry was elected to the Senate of Maryland on September 12, 1781, he never joined Greene’s staff and resigned his commission in December of that year. He would continue to have a prosperous career as a physician as well as a politician. Among other things, he served as Secretary of War, both under President George Washington and under President John Adams.

James McHenry died on May 3, 1816.

[bereft-of-frogs]

friday update!

we are reaching the end of my vacation week which is both good (I miss my routine and my own apartment) and sad (I have to go back to work and no longer have all day just to write)

reading:

(finished) The Great Transition - Nick Fuller Goggins : Not quite as good as Station Eleven but...surprisingly decent for a book doing stuff I normally find annoying.

(in-progress) Kill Show: A True Crime Novel - Daniel Sweren-Becker : Look I LOVE trying to recreate found footage in literature. House of Leaves, S...I'm not sure this one is doing it for me. I wish there was something more than just the interview transcripts, which he has room for. Like at one point there have been quotes from a journalist and a professor, instead of doing the same interview block quote, he could have put in excerpts from articles/dissertations, we could have had more narration and description that way. It's just a little flat with it all being the same and also I'm not sure he has enough distinct character voices to justify it all exclusively being interview quotes. I feel like you need really good, unique character voices to exclusively do transcript quotes. And there are other issues I feel like he didn't think through, like I still don't really know how old the brother is supposed to be in relation to the main missing girl because it's not in the character intro and no one's mentioned it. But I'm not super far in, I'm going to stick with it to see if it gets better.

(in-progress) Jaw Bone - Monica Ojeda: Also only a little ways in, intriguing though, I like this one much better than Kill Show so far.

Lord of the Rings reread: I did fall a little bit behind by a couple chapters this week, but! We're onto the last book of Return of the King.

(phone book) Into the Dark - Claudia Gray: haven't had to read on my phone much this week since I've been on vacation, but the High Republic reread continues!

watching (tv):

*vibrates* Yellowjackets (Paramount+/Showtime): oh my GOD I have been wanting to watch this for years and I finally did, binged all two seasons this week. (Minus two episodes I have left to watch, so no season finale spoilers yet!) Yellowjackets. What is there to say? It's great, you all knew it was great, I was late to this party. There's like a venn diagram you could make between this show, NBC's Hannibal, and Black Spot/Zone Blanche but I can't articulate it yet. It's just got everything to appeal to me specifically: spooky forest settings, plane crashes, cannibalism, antler gods, murder, not one but two cults. It's great, extremely on brand for me, Shauna is my poor little meow meow, Melanie Lynskey should play more cannibals, murderers and warlords, she does it so well.

watching (film):

Pearl / X (2022) (double feature): Is it an unpopular opinion that I like X better? I'm also a bit late to this party but I feel like I remember people being like 'oh X is fine but Pearl is so good!' (Confirmed by looking at their comparative Letterboxd scores.) I just think X had a more interesting time period setting, better ensemble cast, better cinematography...which I think make sense given my understanding was X was the film they were originally making, and then they added on Pearl as an origin story project while they were working on X. It felt like more thought was put into X. Also, the 'Don't Fear the Reaper' scene was great. It seems like most of the reviews just comment on Mia Goth's performance as a highlight but like...it's just a lot of yelling and then a very long monologue and then the end credits. Idk, I think X just worked better as a whole, with the ensemble cast.

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2023): This movie was so funny, probably my favorite ending/explanation to a 'wow everyone went from no murder to yes murder really fast' film I've ever seen. I also just love Lee Pace. Lee Pace sabre-ing a bottle of champagne. That is all.

there is no video game update because I have no mobile video game consoles so they are all at my apartment and I am not there, and since I had to leave early Friday instead of my original plan (Sunday) I didn't get to do anything before I left

craft update: slow sweater progress, so close to linking up the armholes and no longer having to purl, so close...

writing to-do list update:

I didn't end up working a ton on oneshots or 'omens' because...

I did it! I got up through chapter 6 on the longfic tentatively titled 'the station'. that's about the halfway point in chapter count, and I've been doing a pretty good job keeping the lengths even and hovering around 5k so far. It's 33k words now so I expect the final word count to be around 65-70k? Thereabouts? Which will be my longest Star Wars fic by quite a lot, even counting adding up the two pieces of the dark ocean duology. But since I'm only at the halfway point, maybe I shouldn't get ahead of myself. It's so much. I love it. I'm terrified it's secretly bad. But it's probably fine haha, I'm actually feeling pretty good about the plot I'm using to string together a bunch of self-indulgent angst, which really, what is fanfiction if not finding a suitable plot to tie together self-indulgent scenes, angst or otherwise?

list for the upcoming week:

I still have to extract my dogsitting fee aka do all of my laundry

got a couple social events over the weekend

pack up and head back to the city sunday

I'm considering doing a probably ill-advised chaos rearranging of my room when I get home unless reason and logic kicks back in and stops me

go back to work (boo)

also clean whole apartment throughout the week because I have eclipse guests

eep somehow acquire eclipse glasses yikes I put this one off

keep chipping away chapter-by-chapter on this fic. I'm just getting to the action, which is both fun because a bunch of things are coming to a head and terrible because oh god writing action scenes is so hard

[redrobinhoods]

snapshots | work

A collection of short moments in Fox and Riyo’s relationship through the perspectives of those surrounding them. [ @foxiyoweek 2022]

Day 4: Work - Gala | [AO3 Link]

A/N: I like to think Padme and Riyo were good "coworkers" but would've been great friends if not for their line of work

-

Padme’s face broke into a smile at the sight of the Pantoran approaching her. “Riyo.”

“Padme.” Riyo returned the smile as she embraced her. When she pulled away she did so with a tug on the hemline of Padme’s dress, bringing the royal purple fabric into the light. “Great color choice!”

Padme laughed, taking in the fabric of Riyo’s dress. “Yours too!” They were far different dresses— Riyo’s emphasizing her waistline and shoulders while Padme’s fell loosely beneath her breasts, wrapping her in a waterfall of fabric that hid both the fast-emerging baby bump and the protective vest that Commander Thorn had insisted upon— but nonetheless, the fabric was distinct. “Silven’s Formal Wear?”

Riyo’s mouth dropped in feigned surprise, as if her trip there had been made alone. “How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.” Padme teased in return, turning her attention to the festivities surrounding them. “It feels wrong, doesn’t it? To be celebrating now.”

“Indeed.” Riyo’s eyes searched around the room. “We speak of budget cuts and banking deals in the rotunda to fund civilian relief programs, but when the Chancellor wants to impress…”

“… then there are no concerns as to the cost.” Padme agreed as a grey shape weaving through the crowd caught her attention. She tilted her head towards the man as he approached. “Speaking of Republic expenses.”

“Charming as ever, Senator Amidala.” Commander Thorn said as he looked back and forth between the women. “You both look stunning.”

“You look naked.” Riyo responded.

“I feel naked.” Thorn touched his hand to his chest. “No armor, no plates, no kama. Just fabric and tacky ornaments.”

“Absolutely disgraceful.” Padme joined in Riyo’s teasing. “Pray tell, Commander, what’s the reason for this evening’s attire?”

“My armor is ‘too worn’ for formal events. Apparently the Chancellor doesn’t want his guests to look at blaster bolt marks this fine evening.”

“Can’t have any signs of the war here, can we?” Padme agreed. “A civil dispute might upset beings.”

“Can’t have that. But the perimeter is safe and we have men patrolling the floor. I hate to make assumptions, especially after the affair on Scipio, but your safety should be guaranteed without escort tonight, Senator Amidala.”

“Thank you, Commander Thorn.”

Thorn’s gaze shifted over towards Riyo. Padme followed it to find the Pantoran watching a pair of white and red armored men making their way through the crowd. In the gaps between the beings, she could make out the red-lined kamas swinging around their waists.

She turned back to Thorn. “I see Captain Thire has returned.”

Thorn nodded. “Yes, he has. I hope that he will be able to provide you with the same protection that I can in the times when I am absent.”

“And perhaps that will alleviate some of the burden on Commander Fox concerning the protection of Senator Chuchi? Unless, of course, you favor the Commander’s presence, Riyo.”

Riyo blinked suddenly as if startled. “I favor Commander Fox’s protection as you favor General Skywalker’s, Padme. Nothing more.”

Nothing more, thought Padme as she watched Riyo’s face light up as the two men made their way over to join the conversation, as Fox’s uptight stance relaxed as he approached Riyo, as their fingers gently brushed. She caught the look exchanged between Captain Thire and Commander Thorn. Padme wished that she and Riyo could truly be close, that they could share their stories of forbidden relationships, the narrow escapes from being found out and the amusing antics they undertook to keep their secret. But their duties prohibited that, and so she resigned herself to hiding her amusement as she joined the conversation once more.

[exodusmc]

Insider 08

Genre: Power au, war au, rebel au

Words: 2022

Paring: Light manipulator Baekhyun  x  Reader

Side character/s: Exo, Bts

Warning!: Hinting forced birth, mention of death

a/n: I’m sorry for being gone again but I’m currently working on a royal Jimin fic, which is around 10 k already and I’m looking for ideas to write the next part in my hogwarts series. I was supposed to post a little earlier but then the news about Moonbin came out. I’m seending my condolences and wish everyone the best. Please now that there will awalys be someone who loves you and that you are enought!

Gif is not mine 

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About two four months had passed, months filled with training. Minseok and Jongdae worked with you almost every day, giving you everything they had. It was hard but one on one was nothing. You didn't see Namjoon or Seokjin around much, only Jungkook and Hoseok. They were skilled in combat, their smiles bright. 

Jungkook was better in close contact, brown hair pulled back as dark eyes turned sinister, while Hoseok usually worked with long-range weaponry. He had locks close to red on his head, a gaze sharp like an eagle. The two of them built a team, just like Minseok and Jongdae, something you learned from the many late nights. 

The rebels were one team but they valued never being alone, which led to a system of two people making sure the other was safe. It was their way of keeping the majority alive. But apparently wasn't it something healers had, as long as they didn't go out in combat. Jongdae told you almost everything, how their lives had been built and what rules there were. They thought of you as one of them, a part of their mindset...Maybe you had accepted them, never smiling but you spoke more, retoring sarcastic words which made Jongdae howl with laughter and occasionally huff in annoyance. 

You felt at home with the two special men, their ever different stands on life which seemed to keep them close to one another. Even Jungkook and Hoseok made you a little less of a feather floating in the wind. But there was still one thing you couldn't talk about and that was your parents, the mere thought of them made the walls too close. Maybe there was some sort of repressed memory, something your child brain thought was too scary.

“Y/n?”your eyes snapped from staring at the wall, finding the leader smiling down at you. Namjoon stood tall above your sittig form, no one else around.”Is everything okay?”

You snuck away to be alone for just a second, finding a small room where you sat. Sure, you did like the others but going from not working with many people and being a lieutenant weren't easy, the constant work with keeping their feelings in mind and trying to understand somethings they did.

“Yes, sir.”

“You don't have to call me sir.”Namjoon sighed, sitting down by your side. He had a new scar by his mouth, small enough to be invisible for untrained eyes.” I have some questions I would like to ask you, they would probably be great help in what we are about to start..”

His words were ominous, surely hinting to a war you weren't sure anyone was ready for. Every since you arrived at the rebels, you didn't know anything that in the republic but it didn't mean you were clueless. They wanted the rebels gone and over time had you started to understand people a little more, making the higher ups far from human. 

“Okay..”

“It’s about the republic and what you know..”you weren't surprised, eyes staying on your fingers. There was invisible blood on them, blood you tried to scrub away but it was still there.”Tell me anything you feel comfortable with..”

“They tried searching for you in the sky when I last heard about strategies but I don't think they will do it for a long time…”your gaze rose to the wall, a fan swishing over your head. Everyone was so young and yet they had to lead a revolution for rights you didn't think about before. Suddenly did you remember the book you wrote, hoped that it was destroyed when the hospital exploded.

“They have already stopped…”Namjoon, you learned, was only 20, so much responsibility laying on his shoulders at the tender age. It didn't make sense to you but if no one stepped up, would nothing change..”A base was bombed, most of the people in it died..I think around 80 made it..”

You didn't like the feelings in your body, cold and nauseous, hot and clawing. They were dead and you could have been the one killing them. 

“Junmyeon has been asking about you and how you’re doing..”Namjoon saw the color start draining from your face so he changed the subject.”I’ve told him that you’re doing really well and seems to like Jongdae and Minseok..But maybe you can call him so he calms down a little?”

“Okay..but I-I want to tell you something…”your head felt like mush, heart picking up its pace. Stress never faced you in battle, it didn't matter if Minseok tried to impale you with ice, you didn't care, but the second you started to think about everything, were you shaking. Guilt, you guessed you felt guilt.”..They have hidden buildings where they birth children for the armies..”

Namjoon stared at you, his orbs darkening to a thunder night sky. No one knew about it and you had only seen a sip bit of a video, the dying  body which would never survive the birth. You weren't supposed to care so you didn't, brain forcing the images to burn.  

“I don't know where but I know where they keep the videos..”he stood up, towering with broad shoulders. Namjoon was beyond rage at your confession. 

“Come with me, we need to speak with Junmyeon..”

-

Baekhyun ate quietly, thoughts turning in his head. You weren't back and Yixing was always busy, even after he returned..The light bender had no clue what he was doing, only that the doctor ran around and smiled anytime he saw Baekhyun. They didn't share a room anymore..well maybe they did but Yixing never slept there so Baekhyun wasn't sure what to believe. 

At least, he wasn't alone. Chanyeol and Sehun were always there. Goofed around and laughed, even when they were training. The two of them were close and made Baekhyun smile with little effort. It was weird how fast things could change, only short of half a year had passed and he felt like he belonged somewhere. 

Everytime Baekhyun looked in the mirror could he see muscles on his arms and a fuller face due to the fact that he got to eat. His skin wasn’t dull and it had a slightly darker tone to it now, made him more alive to the eyes of bystanders. He was appealing to look at, Chanyeol would often tease him because of the multiple females and males sending him long gazes, but he couldn't find one he actually felt something for. It was something he couldn't tell anyone, since it was a lie. He couldn't find anyone here but he would often think about someone somewhere else. 

Baekhyun coughs slightly, breaking his gaze from the table just for it to get stuck on the chair before him. You circled his mind whenever he got a moment for himself. He wasn't sure what feeling you brought him but he knew that no one else occupied his brain as much as you did. Your eyes were empty but you cried and now when he felt safe in himself, was he remembering the shimmer in them, the depths of a well with high walls built on lies. People never knew anything more about you than that you were a lieutenant, that it was your choice to kill for them, but Baekhyun knew more, just like Yixing and probably Junmyeon. You were just human like everyone else. Human with a buried heart, guarded by thorns and locked behind mirror orbs.

“Sup Baek!”Chanyeol broke him from his trans, the clatter of tupperware brought him back to the canteen. 

Sehun sat to his right while a boy named Kyungsoo sat to Chanyeol’s life. Kyungsoo had come and gone over the course of three months, his eyes dark but easily flammable. Baekhyun still felt the ache from training the first time with Kyungsoo who was completely ruthless, seeding stone after stone right at his face. 

It had been extremely tiring for Baekhyun since he had to use copious amounts of energy to destroy the blocks but in the end did he manage...it was not like passing out and had to be pushed aside by Sehun’s wind or anything. Kyungsoo was a little nicer the times after but still didn't stop until everyone in the room was panting. 

“Still not gonna give Soha a chance?”Baekhyun cringed at the name, remembering the teleporting girl and how she turned up while he just finished showering. 

“Please..can we forget that?”Chanyeol snickered before shrugging his shoulders. 

Everyone started eating, the rustle around them fading into a slight buzz, but Baekhyun suddenly saw Junmyeon making his way over them, his stepps fast. 

Sehun noticed the slight confusion in his friend's face, fork stopping just for his mouth. 

“Kyungsoo can you come with me?”four pairs of eyes rested on the eldest torne face. Junmyeon had aged due to his position and his past, everything the still young man had seen.”It’s urgent…”

“Is something wrong?” Chanyeol was ready to leave and fight in a second, arms tense as he almost stood up from the chair.

Baekhyun learned over time that the power one possessed was growing from your personality in some way, but he didn't tell anyone this, even as Chanyeol with fire in his heart held his head high, or when Sehun moved through space quietly, observing everything with a fleeting touch. 

“I need to talk with Kyungsoo and it’s important but right now it is not dangerous..”with that,  both of them walked away. 

Watching them, hair moving with every step, Baekhyun had a feeling that he would be seeing the one he thought about sooner than later. 

-

Soft sounds of beeping and turning paper floated in Yixing’s head, fingers gracing over every file he had as the room was peaceful. He spent most of his time by his bed, flipping through the documents he mangade to steal. Your parents were among them but the words were nothing of help, only small bits of useless information since the republic didn't know who they were. 

Sighing, Yixing pressed his fingers against his drumming temples, the slowly rising headache making him irritated. After the explosion and his injury had the headaches been more regular, creeping up his spine to hammer at his skull. But it’s whatever, he’s fine even when feeling in his right leg starts to fade. 

Suddenly there was a small sound of sheets moving and his dark gaze found honey eyes on a honey boy who had paled slightly. 

“Jongin?”

-

“How come we get to use the tunnels now?”your question made Minseok send you a side glance, his packing movements stopping for a millisecond. 

You had changed, maybe not as much as Baekhyun according to what Junmyeon said, but there was something hiding in your gaze. There was a fire in your movements, another force he couldn't feel in the beginning. 

Minseok never knew you parents but it was your mother who found him and…, she found all of them and saved them. You had her lips when they weren't pulled into a deep frown, he wondered if you knew..that you still had a connection to them even though you really had no clue who they were. 

“Because they trust you more now?”Jongdae grinned, his hand coming to rustle your hair even if he wasn't that much taller than you.”You’re on our side now so I’ll let you in on all our secret tunnels..”

Jongdae laughed, leaning closer to your ear so Minseok could hear what he was about to say.

“Even the ones they don't know about..”his smirk was playful, eyes shimmering like they always did.”Hanhee won't tell..”

Minseok turned to stare at them both, the sheepish look on Jongdae and your indifferent face. He sighed, having slept too bad to scold Jongdae.

“Come on, they will be here soon..”

So after four months would you return to the place you woke up in, you would meet them all again...and everything would begin.

Tags: @shesdreaminginoverdose

[mariacallous]

With Catholics now outnumbering Protestants in Northern Ireland, advocates for unification are starting to believe their dream could become a reality. But is it inevitable – and would a referendum reignite old enmities?

The 3Arena in Dublin has hosted U2, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears and Arcade Fire, but on 1 October 2022 5,000 people streamed in to watch a very different spectacle. The performers on stage were Irish politicians, dozens of them from ruling and opposition parties, and all they did was talk. A river of words that touched on pensions, healthcare, taxes, social policy, constitutional arrangements – worthy topics that could put an audience to sleep. Instead, people craned forward in their seats, thirsty for every word. An energy pulsed through the auditorium because each speech articulated a collective wish, a wish once dismissed as hopeless fantasy, a pipe dream for sad ballads, and declared it alive with exhilarating possibility. The wish for a united Ireland.

“Together, we look to an Ireland beyond partition,” Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of Sinn Féin, told the crowd. “We reimagine the future of our country, discuss our ideas for a united Ireland and a tomorrow that captures all the potential and immense opportunities for this island. We are here in the spirit of ambition. To seize the day.” She paused, and the rhetoric soared: “Friends, we have come together to build our nation anew.”

McDonald finished to cheers and a standing ovation and there was yet more rapture: in a keynote speech, the actor James Nesbitt, a Northern Irish Protestant from a unionist background, declared it was time for a “new union of Ireland”, one that accommodated all identities and allegiances. “We’re standing at a profound moment here in the history of the islands,” he said. The crowd whooped and gave another ovation. They streamed out into autumn sunshine confident history was finally on their side, that demographic and political forces were aligning to erase the border. “It’s closer now than it’s ever been,” said Mary Greene, 63, from west Belfast. Wally Kirwan, 78, a retired senior civil servant who used to advise Irish governments about Northern Ireland, hoped to see Ireland become one. “If I’m given a few more years, I might be there for it.”

These were the converted, people who had paid €7.10 to attend the conference organised by Ireland’s Future, a non-profit that advocates unification. But they are hardly alone. British politicians are increasingly vocal about where things seem headed. “It looks more likely than not that in the not too distant future, the province will become part of the republic,” Norman Tebbit, a Thatcherite minister wounded in the IRA bombing of the 1984 Conservative conference at Brighton, recently wrote in the Daily Telegraph. Shaun Woodward, the Labour government’s last Northern Ireland secretary, told the BBC the conditions to call a referendum were nearing: “It’s getting pretty close.” Peter Kyle, Labour’s shadow Northern Ireland secretary, said he would call a referendum, also known as a border poll, if certain conditions were met. “I am not going to be a barrier if the circumstances emerge.”

For Irish unity even to be taken seriously is a dramatic turnaround – and a century in the making. Rebels led by Michael Collins ended British rule and won autonomy for 26 of Ireland’s 32 counties in 1921. The British cleaved off six northern counties as a statelet for Protestants who wished to remain in the UK. Protestants in this new state, Northern Ireland, outnumbered Catholics two to one, ensuring a seemingly permanent unionist majority. Discrimination against Catholics paved the way to the Troubles, which revived the IRA and republican dreams of unification. Then the 1998 Good Friday agreement enshrined the principle of no constitutional change without the consent of the majority. If a secretary of state believes a majority would favour unification, he or she is to call a referendum. For two decades this was a remote prospect since most people in Northern Ireland, including many Catholics, favoured the status quo. It meant stability, the NHS and an estimated £10bn annual subvention from London. The unification dream hibernated.

Over the past six years, little by little, it has awoken. What prompted the comments from Tebbit, Woodward and Kyle were results last month from the 2021 Northern Ireland census. Of the 1.9 million population, Catholics now outnumber Protestants: 45.7% versus 43.48%. The demographic tilt was expected – the gap has narrowed every decade – but was still a landmark. The late Rev Ian Paisley, the founder of the Democratic Unionist party (DUP), had feared such a doomsday when he warned that Catholics “breed like rabbits and multiply like vermin”.

Perhaps even more significant in the census was a loosening of British identity. Some 32% identified as British only, 29% identified as Irish only and 20% as Northern Irish only. In 2011, the figures were 40% British only, 25% Irish only and 21% Northern Irish only. Brexit’s fingerprints are all over this waning Britishness. Most people in Northern Ireland, as in Scotland, voted in 2016 to remain in the EU and resented being forced out of it by the English. It wasn’t just about markets and travel. The Good Friday agreement’s success hinged on blurring identities – in Northern Ireland you could feel British or Irish or both. By resurrecting the debate over borders, Brexit revived an existential question – which side are you on? In a LucidTalk poll in August, 48% said they favoured staying in the UK versus 41% who favoured uniting with Ireland. A University of Liverpool poll in July found both sides tied at approximately 40%.

Sinn Féin, once the IRA’s mouthpiece and a political outcast, is now ascendant. In May’s assembly election, it overtook the DUP as Northern Ireland’s biggest party, a milestone that makes Michelle O’Neill eligible to be first minister. In the republic it leads the opposition, is surging in popularity and appears poised to lead the next government, a once unthinkable proposition. Sinn Féin leaders welcomed King Charles to Northern Ireland last month with a flawless show of republican respect – yet another milestone – that impressed even some unionists.

While Irish-unity advocates polish their credentials, the putative defenders of Northern Ireland’s place in the UK immolate their credibility. The DUP has alienated liberal Protestants by resisting same-sex unions, abortion rights and other social changes. It has collapsed power-sharing at Stormont to protest against the Northern Ireland protocol, leaving the region rudderless in the midst of a cost of living crisis and reinforcing a sense that Northern Ireland, as a political entity, simply does not work – long a cherished goal of the IRA.

Meanwhile the Tories, officially the Conservative and Unionist party, have prioritised Brexit over the union. In a 2019 YouGov poll, 59% of party members said they would accept Northern Ireland leaving the UK as a price of Brexit. Boris Johnson exhibited this disregard in agreeing to the protocol, which puts a trade border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. Liz Truss seeks to empower her government to rip up parts of the protocol with a bill currently at the House of Lords but that was devised before her fiscal policies put financial markets and her own party in revolt, reordering her priorities. There are signs Truss is preparing to cut a deal with the EU. Why else, the DUP nervously wonders, did the arch-Brexiteer Steve Baker, a Northern Ireland minister, last week apologise to Dublin and Brussels for previous behaviour?

“Part of the sense of momentum towards a border poll is that Britain is so embarrassing at the moment,” says Malachi O’Doherty, the author of Can Ireland Be One?, a new book that interrogates the case for unity. “If I vote for unity, it’ll be out of not wanting to be governed by a Little England run by Tory prats till the end of time.”

Every month seems to bring another book on the topic: United Nation: the Case for Integrating Ireland, by Frank Connolly; Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground, by Susan McKay; Making Sense of a United Ireland, by Brendan O’Leary. Ben Collins, a former British government press officer who campaigned for the Ulster Unionist party, details his conversion to the cause in Irish Unity: Time to Prepare. Next week, Rosemary Jenkinson will launch Extraordinary Times, a literary thriller that imagines Belfast on the eve of a referendum.

The tide seems remorseless, inevitable. Unity advocates are at pains to avoid triumphalism. There are no Irish tricolours or rebel ballads at Ireland’s Future events. Gerry Adams stays behind the scenes. The message is: unity is coming, unionists will be welcome, let’s discuss details. “Constitutional change will require planning and preparation. It’s not about imposing a preordained result on anybody,” said John Finucane, a Sinn Féin MP.

But unification is not inevitable. Sinn Féin’s rise, and the census results, are in some ways deceptive. The party is popular in the south because it promises free-spending leftwing solutions to a housing crisis and other problems unrelated to a united Ireland. Opinion polls suggest support for unification in the republic is wide but shallow, with only 22% prepared to pay more tax to fund it. A Sinn Féin-led government will be expected to prioritise housing, income and welfare. Its electoral surge in the north comes at the expense of the Social Democratic and Labour party (SDLP), which also favours unification. In recent elections, the overall nationalist vote has plateaued at about 40%, as has the overall unionist vote.

A referendum will hinge on the non-aligned middle, approximately 20% of voters. “It’s not an Orange or Green thing – it’s a class thing, it’s about whether you can heat your house,” says Niall Carson, 23, a Belfast barman.

The fastest-growing party in Northern Ireland is Alliance, which is agnostic on any border poll, saying it will decide if and when one comes. “The constitutional question is not what gets me out of bed in the morning. It’s the bread-and-butter issues: climate, social justice,” says Eóin Tennyson, 24, an Alliance member of the assembly. Young people resent being hustled into tribal positions, he says. “If you’re an atheist, it’s: ‘Yes, but a Protestant atheist or a Catholic atheist?’” Voters will judge a prospective unitary state on how it affects the health service, pensions and other pragmatic concerns, says Tennyson. “There is much talk about the need to focus on details but we never seem to get there.”

He has a point. Studies on unification tend to fill gaps in research with wishful thinking and questionable assumptions. The speakers at the 3Arena event tacitly acknowledged that when they said serious work was needed to flesh out what a united Ireland would look like.

Persuading voters to leap into something new – as Scottish nationalists discovered in 2014 – is not easy. It is likely to be even harder if a stable Labour government replaces Tory melodramas. Irish nationalists may find that Northern Ireland, for all its dysfunctions, is not quite dysfunctional enough to sway the non-aligned. They enjoy a relatively low cost of living, job opportunities and a vibrant arts scene.

“There is so much in this place that is good and exciting and ambitious,” says Anne McReynolds, the chief executive of Belfast’s Metropolitan Arts Centre, better known as the Mac. The Lyric theatre, the Grand Opera House and other venues are thriving despite savage cuts to arts funding, she says.

The city’s Cathedral Quarter has transformed into an arts and hospitality hub that draws hordes of students. “There used to be nothing here except the odd dead body and lurking terrorist. There is a vitality about this place, it’s buzzing,” says Damien Corr, the area’s business improvement manager.

The other deterrent to constitutional change is that it could get very messy, very quickly. Herding a minority into a new state against its will did not work out well the last time. Promises to respect unionist culture – perhaps adopt a new flag and anthem, rejoin the Commonwealth, keep a role for Stormont – cut little ice in hardline unionist areas.

Stroll down Lower Newtownards Road in east Belfast and you see freshly painted loyalist murals that announce “freedom corner” and depict masked figures manning a roadblock. Many homes have union jacks and posters of the Queen. “We’re British and we’re staying British. We do not want a united Ireland,” says one resident, Catherine McCormack, 64. “We don’t want our country run by terrorists. It’s up to us to stop it.” Her friend Agnes, 68, says: “I’ll put it plainly, love. We don’t want Sinn Féin-IRA running the country.” She was not impressed by Sinn Féin welcoming the King. “They have as many faces as the Albert clock.”

Richard Stitt, 52, a former Ulster Defence Association paramilitary, says he could never accept Dublin rule. “I’d never go under the Irish government – or the pope.” The UDA and Ulster Volunteer Force, a rival paramilitary group, are still ready to defend British identity, he says. “If there is a referendum, everyone would start fighting again, they’d start shooting again. They’re still collecting guns.” Police agree the groups remain armed and dangerous.

Malachi O’Doherty says some loyalist areas might demand their own police, courts and sovereignty. “Unionists in the north hold territory, defined territory which they would assert through murals, flags, parades, maybe weapons. It would be a very hard rock for a united Ireland to swallow. You’re creating a potential Donbas region.”

Shane Ross, a former Irish politician and author of Mary Lou McDonald, a new biography of the Sinn Féin leader, shares the foreboding. “A united Ireland is a kind of nirvana that is very dangerous. It’ll resurrect all the ghosts of the past.”

The crowds at the 3Arena shrugged off such talk as scaremongering and defeatist. There was a new nation to build. However, Nesbitt ended his keynote speech with what sounded like a coded warning. “I’ll leave you with a traditional and appropriate Irish blessing,” he said. “May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far.”

[heaven-s-black-box]

Notes- Modern Star Wars pt.3

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Recovery date: September 6th, 2022

Description: N/a

Notes: N/a

Parts: 1 2 3 4

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-Thrawn and Ar'alani are adopted by Ba'kif

- Thooraki had originally adopted Thrawn, which is why his name is still Thrawn(because Chiss naming conventions), but Ba'kif adopted him after the latter's passing and didn't change Thrawn's name

- in this AU Thooraki passes when Thrawn is still sort of young (maybe 16-17) so Ba'kif's adoption is more a formality, and the chiss family adoption thing is a much more direct adoption/guardianship thing

-Ar'alani was disowned before Ba'kif adopted her (probably 10 or so, she's adopted much earlier than Thrawn) which is why her name isn't Ziara

- The Chiss Ascendancy is an island country up north of the AU planet, it's icy

- All three are military, probably air force, but Thrawn has quite the art hobby

- Thalias is Che'ri's foster mom, Thalias is an adopted cousin of Thrawn and Ar'alani

- the sky walkers (not skywalker family) are more like a girl scout(?) thing in this AU, maybe, I'm not quite sure what to do with them

- I sort of imagine it like a kind of foster sytem

- Che'ri becomes a pilot when she grows up, Thalias is a teacher

- Ani and Thrawn bump into eachother on a military mission (idk how military stuff works) and sorta keep in contact, this is how Thrawn winds up meeting the Ghost crew

-he visits Ani one day and Ezra's doing a project with the twins and meets Thrawn

- I started Thrawn, so now Eli is here😁 (note, there are 2 separate pathways for Thrawn and Eli's careers below)

- Eli and Thrawn met when Thrawn transfered to Courscant's military (some militaries allow their soldiers to serve under allies... or something like that... I think)

- Eli was doing a boot camp because why not and sort of got dragged into being Thrawn's translator*

- Thrawn eventually returns to the Ascendancy after a brief period, his exile in this is just him temporarily being deployed under Courscant

- OR some dumbass thought Thrawn's interest in other cultures made him a good, and I use this word loosely because it's Thrawn, diplomat and he met Eli while visiting to see how their military runs stuff

- in this AU Eli does get his wish of being a supply officer, but he mostly runs military supplies especially for things involving Thrawn (I don't know how anything military works, incase you couldn't tell)

- later he ends up resigning from his Republic job and joins the Ascendancy, being placed under Ar'alani who usually asigns him to Thrawn (they are a set, I refuse seperation)

- Alternatively, and while I lean towards this point as their canon AU occupations my previous points more closely align with canon so I've left them in, highschool math teacher Eli and Art theory professor Thrawn

- They meet completely by chance while Thrawn visits Lysatra to look at the local art and stuff, Eli is chauffering a trip and Thrawn ends up giving an analysis to the students

- Something in the museum sparks a conversation and Thrawn is exposed to Eli's numerical and mathematic genius, and he, in a very Thrawn fashion, suggests Eli pursue a career as a math professor

- Eli is very adamant that he's happy as a highschool math teacher, cut to him dealing with a group of teens trying to do something stupid, so Thrawn decides he wants to see what's so great about these kids and offers to do a small camp/ guest speaker thing for art and history (both of which he has degrees and published papers in)

- Thrawn cannot deal with teens, Eli is mildly amused until he somehow gets assigned as Thrawn's aide (why not the art or history teacher? I'll give you a hint, Si Bysti, because while it is a trade language Eli only knows it because his parents owned a shipment company)

- Tbf that could be an AU of its own, highschool math teacher Eli and art theory professor Thrawn

- In this route he would meet Anakin while doing research for one of his history papers on modern vs old strategies or something, Anakin was one of his sources

- alternatively alternatively, and this is more of a crack route, they could have a Castle thing going on. Maybe Eli is a police cadet and Thrawn is an artist that takes an intrest in drawing Eli while on duty

- seriously these Thrawn and Eli AUs could be a post of their own

- In this AU I would say the Republic works sort of like the U.S/Canada with the various territories being the main Star Wars planets that are under Republic/Empire rule (so Courscant, Naboo, Lothal, ect.)

- Ryloth would be a neighboring nation for example, same with Lysatra and Lira San, the unknown region is spread out throughout the world based on canon climate and are just fairly reclusive nations

*the reason for them being in two wildly different carrier places(Eli taking a random camp and Thrawn being in a proper military career) is because while neither of their ages are confirmed, I saw some thing guessing Eli is probably at least 17 in Thrawn and Thrawn is in his mid to late 20s in Ascendancy