#retrace xi

[fivekrystalpetals]

it'd be a real pain to have Break in the house coz he appears from under the bed-

leaves through a closet--

appears from under the table--

and so on.

at first, I thought that his chain has something to do with shadow travelling/teleporting (to put it in very simple terms) but turns out that it isn't his but Sharon's chain that has to do with shadows that makes this all the more funny

because it obviously means Sharon is fully in cahoots with his pranks and that under the mask of a well-bred, educated, highly cultured, tea-sipping elegant noble lady, Sharon is as chaotic as Break, or maybe even more

which is why this is happening:

plus

[queenlucythevaliant]

the stories are true

i. Caspian’s nurse told him a story about a dwarf and a talking badger who were best friends.

ii. As Dwarf and Badger returned from a long walk through the wood, Dwarf noticed that a button has fallen from his jacket. Dwarf and Badger retraced their steps in search of the missing button, and together they found five buttons, none of which were Dwarf’s. Dwarf grew angry (as Red Dwarves are wont to do), and eventually returned home in a rage, only to discover the missing button sitting on his threshold. In apology to Badger for the afternoon wasted (and for his temper), Dwarf sewed all six buttons they had found that day onto his jacket and gave it to Badger for a gift.

iii. Caspian did not understand what a talking badger would do with a dwarf’s jacket, but such mysteries of life were best left to grown-ups, like his nurse.

iv. She told him other stories too: centaurs that had conversations with the stars. Giants that built and guarded bridges. A naiad who made a basket of reeds so perfect that it could hold the wind. They were light, almost frivolous sorts of stories: the kind that make good sense to a child.

v. When Nurse left, there were no more stories. Caspian invented his own sometimes, and whispered them to himself while he played with his toys. When his aunt caught him at it, she struck him.

vi. Doctor Cornelius's stories were not like the ones Nurse had told. They were solemn, grand tales that sounded almost like they might have really happened. In his stories, there were two kings and two queens who ruled Narnia together.

vii. Caspian imagined King Peter like a high tower, all straight lines and immovable might. He knew better now than to tell the stories where he might be overheard, but at night he whispered them to himself as he sank into sleep. King Peter, who was like a tower, went off to fight the Giants in the north. Queen Lucy and King Edmund sailed over the sea on a ship to another country. The water was blue like the sky, and it glittered. Queen Susan kept a light burning at home.

viii. Part of Caspian was afraid of not telling the stories. They were like strangers’ hands reaching out to him in darkness. He was afraid of not reaching back, of letting those strangers fall away into the pitch black night.

ix. On the castle’s highest tower, Doctor Cornelius threw back his hood and declared himself the blood of Old Narnia. The stories are true, he said.

x. All of them? Caspian wanted to ask. What about the naiad's magic basket? If dwarves were real, then why shouldn't the old Kings and Queens be real too? And if King Peter was real—if his stone-heavy feet had really trod on Narnian earth— then why shouldn't every fanciful thing he'd ever heard be just as true too? It made Caspian giddy to think.

xi. The night Caspian’s cousin was born, he fled the court with Queen Susan’s horn hanging from his saddle. It made him think of lights in windows as he rode away from the only home he’d ever known.

xii. When he woke, he found himself gazing into the faces of Dwarf and Badger from his nurse’s stories. They were arguing over what to do with him, but Caspian thought, absurdly, are you missing any buttons today?

xiii. They went about the next day, issuing invitations to the Great Council on Dancing Lawn, and Caspian put out his hand to greet centaurs and fauns, talking Mice and talking Bears. Each one of them reached back. No wonder Caspian woke the next morning half-convinced he'd been dreaming.

xiv. King Peter was real too, and there was King Edmund at his elbow. Caspian greeted them, inclining his head and saying in a voice that only trembled a very little, "Your Majesty is very welcome," and it felt like carving his name on the bones of time.

xv. And soon he knew that King Peter really was a tower, facing Miraz with the kind of stalwart might that Caspian had been imagining for years. Queen Susan was a light in the window: her horn had called them all home.

xvi. And Aslan. Aslan. Wonder of all wonders, he was real too.

xvii. Caspian said farewell to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and it felt like reaching out across the planes to a world he would never see, except for a few minutes— but that wouldn't be for many years yet.

xviii. In the end, Queen Lucy and King Edmund sailed over the sea on a ship to another country. King Caspian was with them.

[bu1410]

Good morning TUMBLR - March 9th - 2024

''Mr. Plant has owed me a shoe since July 5, 1971."

Ch. XI.1 - Morocco - 1989 - 1991

The ferry ''Marrakech Express'' in the port of Sete - France

TRIP TO MOROCCO So on Dec 18th 1989 I left Italy, heading towards the French port of Sete, where I was supposed to board the ferry ''MARRAKECH EXPRESS'' to Tangier. My Range Rover was packed to capacity, since in a few months my wife and son would be joining me by plane. And so in addition to my luggage, there were suitcases and boxes with their clothes, shoes and toys. I filled the tank at the nearby petrol station and paid the considerable sum (at the time) of 94,000 lire! In any case, the journey was smooth and problem-free till Sete: Autostrada dei Fiori, Menton, Nice, Aix en Provence, Arles, Montpellier and than Sete, an important port in Languedoc region. I arrived there on a gray and foggy afternoon, around 3.00 pm – no sign of the Marrakech Express ferry at the port. Near the dock, a local fisherman was repairing a net.  ''Sorry Sir…is it here where the ferry to Tangier leaves from?''  ''The Marrekesh Express? ''  Yes…….  Ahh well yes…but it's already set sail…'  How come did it already set sail? It's only 3. 10 pm..?  Yes but… the Captain said they'll find heavy seas on the route….  So???  So he decided to leave early…… '' WTF....….  And .....sorry… may I ask you when does the next ferry leave?  Ahh….well...........in seven days, next Tuesday……

Suddenly the kilometers I would have had to travel by car went from 1,100 to 3,600!! You can imagine my state of mind, to tell the truth I was more angry than worried: after all it was a matter of retracing roads that I had traveled several times in previous years, and with cars that performed much less well than the Range Rover I had now. After a few minutes of confusion, I was already on the highway to get back to the Autoroute du Sud. The journey to South - alone and on a ''winter'' highway was unparalleledly boring - I crossed the border at La Jonquera, and than via Girona, Barcelona, Valencia, Almeria, Malaga and then finally Algeciras. Again I chose the ferry to Ceuta, since it was the first to leave. Quiet crossing, even I had to stay indoors, given the cold wind blowing over the Strait of Gibraltar. The disembarkation operations were faster than usual, because in winter few people are crossing the Strait. It was just after 2.00 in the afternoon, and the day was grey. I soon reached the Moroccan border post and entered the border police offices, where I immediately noticed the presence of couple of Italians (which was quite unusual for that time of the year). Two rather elderly men, who were animatedly discussing each other in MY DIALECT!!! Yes, with that particular inflection, which replaces the ''s'' with ''z'' and the ''a'' with ''ooo''. I stayed for a few seconds listening to them, and than I realized that I had forgotten my registration document in the car, necessary for transit procedures. I then suddenly said, without giving the two Italians time to reply:  ''Could you please keep my luggage a moment? I'll be right back! (Talking in common dialect) The two looked at me in shock!! But I had already left the office, leaving them speechless. Upon returning, after a few moments, the two guyscontinued to look at me as if I were an alien.  ''Good afternoon… I understand that you're coming from my area'' I said  One of them, suddenly cautious: ''why you said so …from where are you''????  ''Well……Just few km North of Milan.....''  ''We...we are from Monza !! You know where's located the famous racing circuit!!???  Well – I replied after the introductions – (One's name was Perego and the other Fumagalli) May I ask you what are you doing at Spain-Marocco border on Dec 20th?

(All this conversation in pure North Milan's dialect).

 Ahhh… Perego said - ……we're traveling with two campers you know– when it starts to get too cold in Munza, we are used to pack and go heading South – so in addition to avoid the cold season, we save lot of money house's heating''. At this point, once the customs operations were completed, we went out into the border parking and Perego invited me 'to have a cup of coffee' in his camper.  Hey…Italian expresso ehh…!!! I willingly accepted, and therefore got to know the respective ladies - who, too, showed amazement in meeting an Italian (even from their very same area) 2,000 km away from Italy and in that particular period of the year. We had a chat inside their beautiful camper, sipping good Italian coffee and than Perego asked:

 ''And you, where are you going''?  ''I'm on the way to Agadir'' - I said  ''Than we'll see you there because we'll be still around for at least 3 months ehh…''  Okay guys, I'll be for at least 2 years, therefore I'll see you again next year… if you'll come back''. That's caused an embarrassing glance between Perego and Fumagall, which their faces were expressing all the disappointment of not to be ''the ones who hang around the most.....'' So we shaked our hands, promising to see each other again in a couple of months at the campsite South of Agadir.

I than took the state road, heading South, passing through Tetouan, the Rif region where the road is flanked by extensive cultivations of kif, the Moroccan's renowned''smoke''. Once past Rabat and Casablanca, instead of turning towards Marrakech, I decided to continue along the coastal road. I than saw El Jadida (the ''New'' in the local language) and than Oualidia, the city that has made oyster cultivation its main livelihood. And then down to the splendid Essaouira, a city founded by the Carthaginians in the 2nd century BC, and which regained strength when the Portuguese settled there in the 15th century, renaming it Mogador. In the 17th century the Arch. Frenchman Theodore Cornut, on behalf of Sultan Muhammad III, redesigned the entire layout of the city - wide tree-lined avenues were created, hence the new name of Essaouira (the well-designed). On the bastions of the walls surrounding the city, called '' Skala'', overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Orson Welles set his famous film ''Othello''. The coast between Essaouira and Agadir is truly wild: sometimes it overhangs directly into the Atlantic, other times the road climbs the mountain, passing through the argan forest, an endemic plant that grows only in this region and on the other side of the 'Ocean, in Brazil. Particularly spectacular is the stretch of coast of Tamri, which runs alongside the 'Parque National de Tamri' - This national park is a paradise for birdwatchers and also offers breathtaking views of the ocean. The park is home to very rare bird species believed to survive only in Morocco, including the Northern bald ibis. Finally towards late afternoon I came in sight of the bay of Agadir: the road makes a final turn behind the mountain, and suddenly the white of Agadir makes its appearance. I stopped on the side of the road, because after over 3,000 kilometers I wanted to enjoy this moment in peace. Great impression, of course - and satisfaction, in the sense that I had reached the destination alone and without problems. And while I was there fully enjoying of having reached my destination, two cyclist racers appeared! They also stopped in the lay-by area where I had parked the Range Rover, also admiring the view of Agadir. That's how I had the opportunity to read the writing on their shirts, and to my amazement I read ''ASD Brugherio Sportiva''!!!! I mean… after having run all those roads, at a sidereal distance from home, who do I meet? Two Moroccan cyclists, that, after a chat, I discover they were living in Brugherio, at the walking distance from my home in Italy! They were coming from Casablanca and in two days they had covered the 460 kilometers that separate Casablanca from Agadir, arriving at that lay-by area almost at the same time as I had arrived from Italy! Life is really made up of crazy coincidences....or not? I don't know….

AGADIR Agadir was founded by Portuguese sailors in 1505 with the name of Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué. In 1541 it became a territory of Morocco and in 1911 at the height of Franco-German tension Germany sent the warship Panther in front of the city. The incident (known as the Agadir Crisis) threatened to spark war between the two countries and caused France to declare Morocco its protectorate in 1912. A serious earthquake devastated the city at 11.40pm on February 29, 1960. The tremor lasted 15 seconds, with a magnitude of 5.7 on the Richter scale - with its epicenter right under the city, hence the many deaths, despite the relatively low magnitude. In the neighborhoods of Founty, Yachech and the Kasbah, all buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged, and 95% of the population of these areas remained buried under the rubble. In the Talborjt district, 90% of the buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, while the new town and the waterfront were relatively spared. In the end, around 15,000 dead were counted, that is, around a third of the population, and around 25,000 wounded. The kasbah was completely abandoned, and the city was built on the plain, facing the sea. King Mohammed V, visiting the city immediately after the earthquake, spoke of ''Divine punishment'' following the sinful conduct of the inhabitants of Agadir.

My Company mission team on the construction site for the new airport was made up of:  Eng. Alfonzo, Head of Mission - He was a very particular character. Argentinian by birth, son of an Italian immigrant, his mother of Indian ethnicity, native of the province of Santa Rosa.  Alfio Curreli – Supervisor of aeronautical aspects - Sardinian from Quartu Sant'Elena, in possession of a pilot's license for tourist aircraft.  Myself – looking after the civil works of the project  Antonio Argento – taking care of the electro-instrumental of project's aspect. Sicilian from Palermo, boasted a relationship with the famous director. Then there were external collaborators, among which one stood out: Architect Bozon, a Frenchman who had lived in Morocco since long time, so much so that he was now mistaken for Moroccan. The new airport was under construction about 20 km from South of Agadir - Main Contractor was the famous French company Bouygues, which had snatched the contract from SAMPROGETTI thanks to the support of the French Government - which had guaranteed a twenty-year loan of 300 million dollars to Morocco, at the preferential rate of 3%. In any case, the Moroccan Ministry of Transport had insisted that SAMPROGETTI remain as ''Ingegneur Conseil'' (Works Management Supervision) as the original Italian design was still in place. The airport area was located in an argan trees forest, which required the uprooting and subsequent replanting of approximately 6,000 trees before proceeding with earth movement.

PROJECT HALT About 8 months after the start of work - and with the structures of the airport and control tower already erected, a ''Royal Order'' suddenly arrived to stop all construction activities. King Hassan II's architect, a Frenchman named Penseau, had secretly flown over the construction site a few days earlier. Once back in Rabat, Arch. Penseau had asked for an audience with His Majesty the King. During the meeting Penseau had reported to King Hassan II his concern that the new Agadir airport ''did not present any 'Marocain' cache''. Practically Penseau believed that the tourists, once off the plane, should immediately realize that they arrived in Morocco on the first sight of the airport. Contrary, the Italian design envisaged an airport that could easily be in any Western city. Arch. Penseau wasn't wrong, but infact this was actually his last desperate attempt to get back into one of the greatest project being carried out in the country during those years. It is worth remembering that the Architect Penseau was the designer and director of works of the Great Hassan II Mosque of Casablanca, a gigantic work that employed more than 8,000 Moroccan artists and artisans then. This gives the measure of how egocentric Penseau was, not content with already being at the center of a megaproject, but also wanting to have his hand in the new Agadir airport. So at the beginning of March the construction site was stopped, awaiting decisions from His Majesty the the King. The decision arrived after about 3 months, and it was a total acceptance of Pinseau's suggestions. The terminal completely changed its appearance, taking on the famous ''Marocain cache'' invoked by the architect. Furthermore, a ''Pavilion Royal'' was added (a building reserved for the Royal Family and its guests upon departure/arrival). As a partial excuse, it must be said that the Sovereign of Morocco, during the years of his reign, had suffered two serious attacks, including one while he was on board his personal DC9, while returning from France. Therefore the security measures against him were particularly stringent.

''Al Massira International Airport'' - Agadir, Morocco

''Le Pavillon Royal''

LIFE IN AGADIR After couples of months I was still sleeping at the Anezi hotel, waiting to find suitable house. From financial point of view, the mission suffered a problem on money's transfer from Italy to Morocco to pay for all the current services. Speaking of payments, the Anezi hotel Manager appeared particularly nervous (he was a Moroccan of the Jewish religion and in theory the hotel policy required the invoices to be paid every 15 days). Director did not fail to show all his uneasiness since we were not paying any hotel's invoice after months. . A morning Eng. Alfonzo and I were going down the imponent hotel staircase, which led directly into the large entrance hall. Out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed the hotel manager leaving the reception desk and rushing towards us. I whispered to Alfonzo ''The Director… watch out for the Director…'' He reached us at the staircase landing, but as he was about to start speaking Alfonzo with the most classic coup de teatre hit him with:  DIRECTOR!! This is already the second time this has happened!!!  What happened Mr. Alfonzo??? - said the Director with a worried face.  Alfonzo: ''Yesterday afternoon I returned from work, and in my room there was no trace of the fresh fruit basket hat you have to have deliver daily!!! THIS IS INADMISSIBLE, DEAR DIRECTOR! MAKE SURE THAT THIS UNFORTUNATE EVENT IS NOT REPEATED IN THE FUTURE! AHHH.......HAPPY JOURNEY! And we left the place without looking back, but sure that the Director was looking at us transfixed at the large entrance door of the hotel, repeating his ''Oui Messieurs …oui…sans douts…excuse' moi Messieurs…bonne journee Messieurs' '

Hotel Anezi - Agadir, Morocco.

MADAME RACHIDA. In the meantime, the fact ee were looking for houses to rent had spread around the city, and every evening alleged ''Real Estate Agents'' were waiting for us at the gate, upon our return to the hotel. An initial selection was made, excluding the proposals that weren't right for us, and than we set off to check the conditions of the proposed houses. Very often it happened that the same house was offered several times, by different brokers, on different days. This ordeal lasted about 3 months, during which we visited half of Charaf, the residential neighborhood where almost all the available terraced houses were concentrated. In the end, I decided to accept Mme Rachida's rental proposal. She was the widow of a Royal Armed Forces officer who had crashed in his helicopter a few years earlier. Upon the disgrace, the FAR (Force Armee Royal) had given M.me Rachida excellent compensation: in addition to the pension, she had been gifted the terraced house that I would rent, a car with a driver always available, and the possibility of stocking up at the Army store free of charge. I Ivisited the house on a late Saturday afternoon. At the moment it was still occupied by a Saudi tourist, who would be leaving it in a few days, after a 3-month stay. The house was a made up by ground floor and first floor, in good condition, with a small garden and a little courtyard at the back. I accepted even though the rental was higher, as much as 5,000 Dihrams. The final negotiation was directly with Mme Rachida, to woum I asked to provide a washing machine for the house.  Mme. Rachida: ''And why do you want the washing machine? Would you like to say that you want to take away from a good ''good'' Moroccan the possibility of a job and a salary, with which she will probably also help the family to survive?  Me: ''Of course not, Mme. Rachida! Maybe you have someone you know to suggest to us?  Of course I have her ! said Mme Rachida That's how ''la bonne'' (as it is called in French) Saadia joined us - and it was a real stroke of luck: the girl, despite having practically never left the house in her 27 years of life, turned out to be very good at all the household chores, in preparing meals, and subsequently in taking care of my son, which was increasingly revealing itself to be a real naughty boy.

Charaf - Agadir's neighborhood.

[hppyniiuye]

China, Australia embark on right path of improving ties: Xi

BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Beijing on Monday, saying China and Australia have embarked on the right path of improving relations.

"This year marks the 50th anniversary of the visit by Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Your visit is a journey to retrace history and plan for the future. Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, China and Australia have resumed exchanges in various fields and embarked on the right path of improving relations," Xi told Albanese.

Xi said China and Australia are both Asia-Pacific countries and important members of the G20, with no historical grievances or fundamental conflicts of interest, but every reason to be partners of mutual trust and mutual achievement, calling on the two sides to keep to the right direction of bilateral relations amid the profound changes in the world.

From the perspective of self-interest, the world is small and crowded, with risks and competition all the time. From the perspective of shared destiny, the world is vast and broad, with opportunities and cooperation everywhere. In the stormy waters of the global crisis, countries are not riding on more than 190 small boats, but instead on a big boat with a common destiny, Xi said.

China and Australia should follow the trend of the times, proceed from the common interests of the two countries, pursue a bilateral relationship that features treating each other on an equal footing, seeking common ground while shelving differences and mutually beneficial cooperation, and push forward the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi said.

This serves the common interests of the two countries and peoples, meets the common expectations of countries in the region, and helps the international community better respond to the risks and challenges brought about by the changes unseen in a century, Xi said.

Xi stressed that at present, the global economy is facing increasingly destabilizing, uncertain, and unpredictable factors, and the economies of all countries are facing considerable challenges. In the face of a complex external environment, the Chinese economy has withstood pressure, stabilized its size, and improved its quality.

"China's development still has a sound foundation and many favorable conditions. With its steady development, China will bring valuable certainty to the uncertain world economy. China cannot develop in isolation from the world, and the world needs China for its development," Xi said.

Xi said that "small yard, high fence," "decoupling and severing industrial and supply chains," or "de-risking," are essentially protectionism, which runs counter to the laws of the market, the laws of scientific and technological development, and the trend of human society.

He said China pursues a win-win strategy of opening up, seeks a new development pattern, and comprehensively promotes building China into a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation through a Chinese path to modernization, which will bring unprecedented opportunities to Australia and other countries.

"China and Australia should enhance mutual understanding and trust through peaceful coexistence and achieve common development through mutually beneficial cooperation," Xi said.

He called on both sides to give full play to the potential of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, expand cooperation in emerging areas such as climate change and green economy, uphold the global and regional free trade system, and provide a sound business environment for the investment and operation of companies.

He also said the two governments should support exchanges between their legislatures, political parties, think tanks, youth, and sub-national regions, facilitate cross-border travel and enhance mutual understanding and amity between the two peoples to cement public support for friendship between the two countries.

Xi said in the Asia-Pacific region, China does not engage in exclusive cliques, bloc politics, or camp confrontation. Small cliques can neither solve the major challenges facing the world nor adapt to the drastic changes in today's world. He urged vigilance against and opposition to those attempts to throw the region into chaos.

"China is ready to carry out more trilateral and multilateral cooperation with Australia to support South Pacific countries in enhancing development resilience, addressing climate change and other challenges, and maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region through openness and inclusiveness," the Chinese president said.

Albanese said it was a great honor to pay an official visit to China on this historic occasion of the 50th anniversary of Mr. Whitlam's visit to China. In recent years, China has made remarkable achievements in poverty alleviation and development. Australia and the world have benefited significantly from China's long-term, stable, and sustained development.

Albanese said the two sides should respect each other, be equal and benefit each other, stay in communication, enhance understanding and cooperation, and achieve win-win results. He said the Chinese people have the right to development, and he is always optimistic about China's economy.

As Australia and China have different political systems, it is normal for differences to occur, but they should not be allowed to define the relationship. Australia and China share extensive common interests, and dialogue and cooperation is the right choice, he said.

He said Australia adheres to the one-China policy and stands ready to work with China to promote the steady development of bilateral relations, strengthen economic and trade exchanges, enhance cooperation in clean energy and climate change, and bring more benefits to the two peoples. He expressed a willingness to advance communication with China on regional affairs, including the Pacific Islands Forum.

[lindsaystravelblogs2]

Days 11 & 12 - 14-15 March

Day 11 - Tuesday, 14 March  Skua & El Brujo Glaciers

We had a landing at Skua Glacier in the morning – actually at least two kilometres from the glacier face and we walked in.  It started with a long trek across some open sandy/stony beach and then it gradually became grassy, then bushy and hilly, and the track was barely wide enough to put one foot after the other.  It also became wet and wetter and we walked through patches of water up to almost 30 centimetres deep.  It was a challenging walk and quite a few people gave up a few hundred metres shy of the best lookout.  Heather was one of them and she stood high on a point where most of the glacier was visible, but I went down to another section of rocky beach and up some hills to where the glacier front was immediately in front of us but still a few hundred metres away. Well, it was immediately in front of a dense phalanx of French-speakers who stood shoulder-to-shoulder chatting and editing their photos while the rest of us pointed our cameras over their shoulders or between their legs – or like me who tried to outflank them and almost fell off the side of the hill.  I took three quick snaps and headed back to Heather.  I saw a couple of small birds on the way and as we walked back across the beach, I saw some more and added two more species to my Chilean list.  The walk was quite enjoyable, albeit pretty challenging in places, but it was raining almost all the way, and quite heavily towards the end of the trek.  As we neared the zodiacs to take us back to the ship, the wind came up and we were severely stung, almost cut, by driving hail and quite a lot of snow.  It was a good morning, but we were certainly glad to be back on board, starting to warm up, and able to remove our soaking clothes.

During lunch, the ship moved several kilometres to the El Brujo Glacier where a zodiac cruise was on offer.  This is a big glacier with a front of more than two kilometres, but we had just had hot showers and didn’t relish the thought of sitting for another two hours of strong wind and heavy rain on a zodiac, so we both stayed on board – the first excursion we have missed on this voyage.  I still don’t think we missed anything though.  The ship slowly turned a full circle in the wind a couple of times so we saw whatever there was to see out of our window – and we saw a pod of dolphins playing around just outside our balcony and none of those in the zodiacs saw them.  We also had ready access to the bar that added to the inducement to stay on board.

They had a formal White Night dinner on Deck 3, followed by a Traditional French Revue in the Lecture Theatre at night, but we managed to miss both of them.  As well as the White Night dinner, there was also a special dinner in the Officers’ private restaurant on Level 3 that we could have attended, but as luck would have it, we enjoyed a very quiet meal in our almost deserted favourite restaurant on Deck 6.

Day 12 - Wednesday, 15 March  Pie XI Glacier

This is the largest glacier in Chile: 64 kilometres long and covering more than 1200 square kilometres.  It is over four kms across the face.  It got its name in honour of Pope Pius XI who was reigning when it was named in 1930. When the French say it, it sounds like Pea-leven.

We did not make a landing here because the ship had to be at the English Passage (not the English Channel) at high tide later in the morning, but the ship sailed a few kilometres along the glacier front four hundred metres away, then turned and retraced its course so passengers on the starboard side could also get good views of it as well.

The English Passage is a very narrow section of the Magellan Strait, restricted to ships less than 180 metres in length (Le Boreal is 146 metres long).  It has several islands in it and a few curves that make navigation a challenge.  It didn’t look too bad to me (as a rank non-professional) but they closed th bridge and slowed the ship so the crew could concentrate on getting us through safely. Obviously, they succeeded or I would be penning this from the bottom of the fiord – which I am not!  It was very picturesque and most people were out on deck watching the islands slide past as we passed through the narrowest section of the Passage.

There was quite a lot of rain during the day, and most of the afternoon was so misty that we couldn’t see the shore on either side of the ship.  There were low clouds all day and it was a bit exciting because it seemed almost dark by early afternoon.  We have had quite a lot of fog in places, but this was certainly much thicker – almost spooky at times.  And then, during dinner, a thunderstorm hit with lots of lightning.  It was really very exciting.  With a steel-hulled ship, it seemed to me that there was no cause for alarm, but I spoke to one couple who were afraid to venture outside in case they were struck by lightning – maybe there were other Nervous Nellies too, but I just enjoyed it.

During the afternoon, one of the naturalists did a presentation about some of his work with birds.  He has worked in many places but he focussed mainly of one particular area where he and some volunteers do annual blanket surveys, literally walking every square metre of some islands, counting eggs and chicks, banding them and recording a range of measurements in a longitudinal study because the same birds return to breed in the exact same place every year.  It was a fascinating discussion and I would love to be involved with ‘on the ground’ projects like that.

[misshoneybee]

⟣ 𝑌𝑂𝑈'𝑅𝐸 𝑀𝑌 𝐴𝐶𝐻𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐸𝑆 𝐻𝐸𝐸𝐿 ⟢

— 𝑋𝐼𝐼. 𝑇𝐻𝐸𝑅𝐸 𝐼𝑆 𝐴𝑁 𝐼𝑁𝐷𝐸𝑁𝑇𝐴𝑇𝐼𝑂𝑁 𝐼𝑁 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑆𝐻𝐴𝑃𝐸 𝑂𝐹 𝑌𝑂𝑈

Masterpost — OFC Biography — Playlists — Chapter XI — Chapter XIII

❧ Pairings | Post-Endgame!Bucky Barnes x Original Female Character, Previous Steve Rogers x Original Female Character

❧ Warnings | Mature content, explicit language, smut (light dom/sub, voyeurism via reflection, fingering, oral sex (f-rec), dirty talk, p in v sex, squirting, multiple orgasms, light overstimulation, slight dumbification, praise kink)

❧ Wordcount | ~7.7k

❧ Disclaimer | Dividers are by firefly-graphics. If you are a minor, or do not have your age in your bio, and I catch you interacting with this, you will be blocked. If you believe you were blocked unfairly, send me an ask with your url.

Even in my worst times, you could see the best of me Flashback to my mistakes, My rebounds, my earthquakes, Even in my worst lies, you saw the truth in me ( Dress | Reputation )

June 22, 2024

There was just something about crowds that seemed to put Maggie on edge. Maybe it was anxiety, maybe it was the way that she’d gotten used to the world being such a quiet place, but either way, she was getting tired of feeling like she needed to return home as soon as she stepped one foot outside the five-block radius of her apartment that she’d deemed her comfort zone. And going somewhere, aside from work, that required a ferry or the subway? It felt impossible.

But perhaps, the location itself was what was making Maggie feel like she needed to be promptly medicated. She hadn’t been to Coney Island in five years—not since that late summer day when Steve had wanted to show her around the landmark as they danced around their feelings for one another. That one day had changed everything and when she’d accepted Bucky’s impromptu invitation, she should have realized how difficult it would be to return to what was once some kind of holy ground in her mind.

As Bucky had pointed out odds and ends and rattled off old facts, Maggie felt like her ears were filled with water; it was like she’d jumped right into the Coney Island Channel, gotten caught in the rip current below the surface, and was getting swept out to sea before she could even locate shore. There was so much pressure in her head, and everything sounded muffled because, at every turn, it felt as though she was retracing the exact steps she’d taken with Steve on the very same boardwalk.

Knowing his friend, Bucky had plied her with the promise of food that morning and had made good on it as soon as they’d arrived. Oil had seeped into the fibers of the thin, paper plate in her hand, weakening its integrity and making it flimsier than it was to begin with. Carefully, she tore off another piece of the fried mass of dough that had been coated in mounds of powdered sugar and popped it in her mouth. Like a less attractive relative of the mouthwatering beignet that she’d tried in Louisiana, it still scratched the itch.

As she glanced over at him while he continued talking about some little attraction that they’d just walked past, he paused with a little smile as he looked at her. The wide brown eyes he’d gotten to know so well were attentive but a sheer, white streak of powdered sugar dusted on her lips caught his attention and he couldn’t rid himself of the urge that he suddenly had.

“Doll, you got—” Chuckling, Bucky cupped her face tenderly, “C’mere…”

Thankfully, both of Maggie’s hands were occupied when he caught her lips in a short kiss—if they’d been free, there was a high probability that they would have flailed a bit in surprise. It was sweet, the feeling and the taste of sugar on her lips, and slow. Though it wasn’t as if it was their first kiss—not by a long shot—it was the first time he’d ever kissed her in public and it sent her head spinning.

“Bucky!” Maggie chastised softly with rosy cheeks as he pulled away, a charming grin making him look boyishly handsome as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“Mm, you’re right.” Tearing off a piece of the funnel cake, he popped it in his mouth and gave her a little wink, “It is good.”

Rolling her eyes, she couldn’t help the way that she looked around to ensure that their little moment had gone unnoticed. They were a secret…although, it wasn’t as if she’d told him that. It was an unspoken thing; but it wasn’t like she was ashamed of Bucky—not at all. She’d never want him to think that. No, there was just something about someone else knowing that made things feel real. And when things felt real, they hurt a lot more when they eventually ended.

A tall, rectangular box-structure behind Bucky caught her eye and any hint of a smile that had been on her face, slid away in an instant. After all this time, the little booth still looked the same—the blue lacquer on the outside with painted filmstrips had been bleached by the sun and weathered by storms, the heavy black velour curtain that separated the interior from the world around it hung limply from the rings on a small bar.

One of the millions of filmstrips that it had produced over the years was in her nightstand at home, another had been carried through space and time, across the universe and back into the past. That photobooth had ended a relationship that broke her heart and began another that eventually did the same in the end. And there it was, just silently standing as if it were a monument to all of her heartbreak, a piece of some modern-day Stonehenge that had been erected to taunt her.

“Do you want to get some pictures?” Bucky’s line of sight had followed hers to the box that advertised ’30-second photos.’

“No!” Her refusal came far too quickly, and his expression turned mildly suspicious, but she had a feeling that climbing into that photobooth would be like taping over an old video cassette; it would muddle the memories and destroy the old ones and she didn’t want to do that. As it was already, her presence at the amusement park, alone, made her feel like she was trying to replicate, or even replace, a moment that she’d shared with Steve.

Taking a breath, she added, “I mean, I just…would rather look around some more. Maybe later.” Linking her arm through his, Maggie pulled him along and continued past the old photobooth though it took everything inside of her not to turn around and stare because maybe if she looked long enough, she could have seen five years earlier, when things were easier and she was happier, but she couldn’t keep allowing herself to slip into the past.

It hurt far too badly.

Changing the subject quickly, she watched as a group of giggling kids disembarked some thrill ride, “When everyone was gone, this place mostly shut down, you know? It was empty and everything was out of order. It was kind of creepy.”

“Now, it reminds me of when I was a kid.” Bucky sighed with a nostalgic smile as he took in the sight. Sure, nowadays there were screens everywhere and the music was more electronic, but the bones were still the same. A newly repainted, yellow sign caught his eye and he let out a low, impressed whistle, “I can’t believe this thing is still standing. It has to be a hundred years old.”

Squeezing his arm, Maggie asked innocently, “What, like you?”

“Brat.” Cutting his eyes at her, he took the last piece of funnel cake and bit into it with a playfully spiteful grin and Maggie pouted, tossing the white plate into the trash, and brushing the residual sugar from her hands. Speaking through the bite, he nodded towards the advertised ‘Wonder Wheel,’ “Want to give it a shot?”

Maggie had to crane her neck back to look at the towering ride; it was a massive Ferris wheel made from green, crisscrossing metal and red spokes that led out to multicolor cabins for the passengers inside. The ones on the outside of wheel were stationary as they made the slow rotation but the smaller ones within swung back and forth threateningly with the breeze; the movement made her nauseous to even imagine.

Screaming from only a few hundred feet away caught her attention and she peered over her shoulder slowly; the rickety, white, wooden rollercoaster that Bucky had been teasing her about all morning looked like it was on its last leg. It seemed to be some kind of a lose-lose situation. Grimacing, she turned back to her neighbor and bartered, “If I do, does that mean I don’t have to ride the Cyclone later?”

“Deal.” He offered a hand, and she accepted his terms with a handshake and a decisive nod. At least the Wonder Wheel looked semi-stable, not accounting for the swinging cars that she kept an apprehensive eye on; she could only hope they were purposeful and by design rather than a mechanical failure.

The teenager that closed and latched the metal door behind Bucky, sealing he and Maggie within one of the small passenger cabins, somehow looked less than uninterested in his work. Had he even done the proper safety checks? What if the door swung open while they were hundreds of feet in the air? Or if the car detached from the wheel and plummeted to the ground? Were there safety mechanisms in place? When was the last time someone had inspected the old ride?

A creaking sound drowned out the cheery carnival music that was pumped through the park’s speakers and she gripped the metal handle beside her, turning her knuckles white as they slowly began their ascent. The music grew distant, and she was soon left with only the sound of her own heart beating thrumming in her ears. Bucky’s arm casually rested on the back of their bench seat while he placidly took in the sight of everything growing smaller on the ground below them.

Counting each excruciating second of her inhales and exhales, Maggie silently forced her heartrate to slow. Ever since she was a child, she’d never been too fond of heights in certain capacities. Once, on a family trip to Chicago sometime in the late nineties, Phillip Hall had needed to carry his six-year-old daughter across the glass floor of the Sears Tower when she’d been paralyzed with fear after reading that the ground was more than a thousand feet below where they were standing.

She flew relatively often but, for some reason, planes were fine—they were regulated and, as long as she didn’t look out the window during take-off, she could pretend that they hadn’t actually left the ground, so it didn’t matter. But amusement park rides and glass floors and the mere idea of something like parasailing or riding in a hot air balloon? They made her break into a cold sweat and were typically out of the question.

There was just something so disconcerting about not having her feet on the ground; she’d never been one to have her head in the clouds, physically or metaphorically. Feeling the burn of Bucky’s always intense gaze, she cracked an eye open to chance a look at him and hesitantly admitted, “Have I ever told you that I don’t really like heights?”

“Then why the hell did you agree!?” She could hear the exasperation that tinted his tone as he stared incredulously at the woman crammed into the small seat beside him.

With a huff, as if it was obvious, Maggie finally opened her eyes, carefully staring at him so she didn’t look down, as she shot back weakly, “Because you wanted to ride it!”

“You could have just told me that you’re afraid of heights. Jesus, Mags.” Scrubbing a hand over his face, he peeked out through caged metal to check the ride’s progress as they slowly continued their trip up to the top of the wheel.

With a little sniff, she started, “I’m not—” An eerie creak from the aging metal monster took the remaining words from her mouth and suddenly she was glued to his side with shaking hands. The glimmer of amusement was unhindered in his eyes as she grumbled lowly, “Shut up.”

“You’re too stubborn.” The words that should have been biting were, instead, affectionate. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder as the cabin came to a stop at the wheel’s apex, Bucky trailed his thumb back and forth over her bare shoulder. After all this time, he felt like he knew so much about the woman, but small things like everyday fears or favorite colors just seemed to go unmentioned. “Just a few more minutes, then we can get off.” Giving her a squeeze, he added teasingly, “And I won’t make you ride the cyclone either. Promise.”

“My hero.” Her disdainful words were dry. It felt as though they’d been stationary for an hour though it had been less than a minute as she muttered, “We’re in a tin can, in the summer heat, two hundred feet in the air, and—”

“We aren’t that high up.” He chimed in, peering down at her.

“Well, that’s how it feels.” Maggie protested, sitting so incredibly still as to not let their little car move. All she wanted was to relax into Bucky, but every muscle was almost painfully tensed, “I hate this.”

Chewing on her bottom lip, she could feel the word vomit swelling beneath the surface. When Maggie got stressed, she had two defaults: complete silence and nonstop talking, and it seemed as though the latter was what was coming. Maybe it was due to the close quarters and the need to fill the silence, but she couldn’t stop herself.

“I lied.”

Brow furrowed, he watched her worry her bottom lip, “Hm?”

“This morning when…you asked if I’d ever been here, I lied.” Pressing her lips together, she looked down at her hands in her lap. Taking a breath, there was a hint of regret that reflected back at him in her eyes when she looked back at him and admitted, “I have been here. Once. A few years ago.”

Nodding, he was able to piece the story together but quietly clarified, nonetheless, “With…”

“Yeah.” With a sigh, she finally relaxed back into the seat and into Bucky’s side, flinching at the quiet groan the metal let out at the motion. “I thought, I don’t know, maybe it would be easier and help me move forward, but I just kind of want to throw up instead. Then again, that could be the ride, not the circumstance.”

A nostalgic little laugh broke from her as she remembered that summer morning when she’d looked at the paper that Steve had been reading over breakfast, “It was before he and I got together—I was actually dating someone else, and Steve and I were friends and he brought me here because I’d never been.”

Bucky was quiet, just listening as she spurted out all of the thoughts that swam around her head like she was prone to doing at times, “I knew how I felt about Steve but apparently, I hadn’t convinced anyone but myself.” At once, it simultaneously felt like so long ago and like she could still feel that cautious, giddy excitement of falling in love; for so long she’d tried to keep those feelings at bay, but it was futile. There was no choice when someone’s heart made the decision for them.

“The guy was kind of a jerk but…I shouldn’t have led him on when I couldn’t give him what he wanted.” She felt that familiar sting of regret deep in her chest as disappointment colored her words. She’d hurt Nick and had sworn to never do that again, but she’d come to realize that, although in a different way, she’d ultimately hurt Ben just the same. Her indecision and refusal to admit how she felt for Steve had brought about an irreparable rift.

“I didn’t even know what I wanted.” The arm around her shoulder felt like it weighed a ton; what did she want anymore?

Maybe there was a reason that she could still feel that cautious excitement, that terrifying, exhilarating feeling that stole her breath and made her feel like she was free falling from the sky. Maybe it was Bucky.

Somehow that felt like more than she could give. Her heart was still being held together with rolls of tape and cushions of pins—it felt far too fragile to dive off the cliff’s edge again so soon.

But maybe she already had.

The way the wheel rotated was far too slow for her comfort. Looking out through the caged metal as they slowly crested the top, she caught side of the white roller coaster and quickly changed the subject, needing something else to focus on, “He said he got sick on that because you made him ride it.”

With a snort, Bucky defended himself as he watched the little rollercoaster’s car bank around one of the many turns on the track, “He was always sick. It wasn’t the cyclone’s fault.”

Ignoring his shoddy defense, she was reminded that the first time Steve had spoken about Bucky to her had been during their day trip into the city as they walked around the abandoned park. Was this how he’d felt? Plagued by a painful nostalgia for someone who was long gone?

“He told me how you met, about the kids trying to get his lunch money before you stopped them.” Nudging Bucky gently with her shoulder, she added earnestly with a little smile, “He was really lucky to have had you.”

His only response was a pained half-smile as he bit his tongue. Maybe there was still some residual anger that swam just below the surface, leaving a bad taste in his mouth when he thought of his old friend. He hadn't just left Bucky. Steve had been lucky to have Maggie and he’d let her go too, so what did that say about him?

Even after all this time, he still couldn’t understand how he could have walked away from her. Perhaps it was bias, but he didn’t know how anyone else could hold a candle to the complicated, aggravating, beautiful woman that was tucked into his side.

Before he knew it, the rotation slowed to a stop as their car dangled just slightly over the loading platform. Giving her a crooked smile, he unwrapped his arm from around the shorter woman to unlatch their door, “See? Already done. You made it.”

Stepping out first, he used one hand to steady the little cabin while Maggie accepted his other, outstretched one as she disembarked the ride with wobbly legs, giving him a grateful, slightly embarrassed smile.

She couldn’t remember ever feeling so thankful for her feet to be back on solid land than she was in the moment. If it wasn’t Coney Island and there weren’t questionable substances splashed all over the pavement, she would have kissed the ground.

With a hand on the small of her back, Bucky led her to the exit, past the line of people waiting to board the Ferris wheel as heavy, gray clouds began to obscure the sun with the threat of a short, seasonal storm that would become a deluge before clearing the sky and leaving only blue and swirls of white behind.

As Bucky held the old, metal gate open to allow them passage, a stout, older woman with a wide brim hat clutched her husband’s arm as she cooed at Bucky and Maggie when they passed, “Aren’t you two the sweetest?” Looking between the white-haired man by her side and the young pair, she sighed wistfully, “Don’t they remind you of us, Jack?”

As the tall, thin man nodded in response to his wife, Maggie’s pink, sun-kissed cheeks went darker than they already were as she shook her head with a small, awkward smile, “Oh, uh—we’re not a couple”

“Oh, we said that too. Now it’s fifty-five years next month.” As she waved Maggie off, she looked to Bucky with a knowing, nostalgic expression. “I remember those early days. Don’t let them pass you by.”

With a small nod, he gave the older woman that strained smile, that he’d found himself wearing far too often, as he continued to guide Maggie away from the ride and the couple with a quiet, “Have a good one.”

The door was barely closed before Maggie turned and had Bucky pressed against the solid wooden slab. Pulling him down to her level with her hands on his cheeks, she could feel the way he chuckled as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her in tighter, murmuring against her lips, “What’s gotten into you?”

“Need you.” Her words were muffled as she shoved her hands under the hem of his shirt, trying to push it up and get it off. She needed him; she needed something to remind her of what they were doing. The lines were starting to blur, and it was terrifying; were they friends who’d had a normal day out? Or had that been some kind of date?

“Hm?” Appeasing her, he shed his t-shirt before she gave a satisfied hum as her hands trailed over the ridges of the muscles on his abdomen before quickly going to work on his belt with only one goal in mind.

“I want you to…” Trailing off as she undid the buckle with shaking hands, she paused as he dropped his forehead to rest against hers. Her thoughts were everywhere, bouncing off the walls as she. fought to gather them, “I don’t want to think.” Her teeth dug into her bottom lip as she hesitantly began, “Would you…”

With a finger under her chin, he tilted her face up, forcing her to look into his eyes. Her pupils were blown out, making her chocolate eyes even darker as she stared up at him with that wide gaze that made him want to devour her whole. With a little smirk, he asked, “You want me to be in charge, peach?” At her nervous nod, the wolf-like grin on his face spread wider as he hoisted her up, “I’ve got you.”

Wrapping her legs around his waist with a giggle, he carried her through the apartment, murmuring against her mouth, “You don’t want to think?” At her quiet hum, he continued lowly, “Gonna fuck you hard enough to turn off that brilliant brain of yours, get you all stupid and cock drunk for me…” With a pained groan, he carefully sat her on the floor with one last gentle squeeze to her ass through her skirt as he demanded, “Take that off and kneel on the bed.”

As Maggie pulled the flowery, sun dress over her head, she was left in only a little, blush pink set with lace embroidered on the hips and cups and he bit his bottom lip as he watched her toss the light fabric into her laundry basket. She never knew when they’d decide to act on the benefit part of their friendship, so she’d recently taken to wearing the little matching sets that she’d found herself purchasing more and more often.

With a quiet curse, he pulled the mirror from her wall, and she chastised half-heartedly as he carried it across the room, “Bucky!”

“I’ll fix it later. Now, do what I said.” He snapped, pointing to the bed with a mischievous glint in his eye. A coy smile on her lips, she climbed onto the bed, kneeling in the center as he propped the mirror up on the dresser directly in her line of sight. Meeting her eyes in the mirror as she followed his instruction, he murmured with a prideful smile, “Good girl.”

Shedding his pants, he positioned himself behind her so she could see him over her shoulder in the framed mirror. The bulge in his boxers pressed firm against the small of her back and Maggie gave a teasing wiggle of her hips that he stilled with his hands. Closing her eyes as his touch ghosted over her body, his breath was hot against her ear, sending heat rippling through her as he murmured, “Now, I want you to watch yourself. Keep your eyes right there.” With a firm hand on her jaw, he directed her face to the mirror, and she opened her eyes. The orange sunset that bled through the curtains illuminated the room and set his eyes ablaze as he stared into hers through the mirror; with a single brow, raised in challenge, she nodded.

Appeased, he gathered the bronze waves of her hair and tucked them in front of her shoulder. His lips trailed over her shoulders and neck, whispering, as he went to work unhooking each of the tiny clasps that kept her bra hooked around her ribs, “You know how pretty you look when you’re coming all over my cock,” Nipping at the pale, smooth skin of her throat, he slipped his thumbs under the straps that had fallen limp and helped slide them the rest of the way down her arms. “And my fingers?” Tossing it aside, he cupped the warm, soft mounds on her chest, kneading them as he let out a low groan, “And my tongue? Never seen such a beautiful sight.”

As his vibranium fingers rolled her pebbled nipple teasingly, his other hand grazed down her stomach and slipped beneath the lacy fabric of her panties where she’d felt warmth beginning to pool from his touch and words. Gliding a finger over the seam of her folds, he let out a low groan as she sank back into his arms when he just barely ghosted a finger over her clit, “God, already so wet. You needy for me?”

One of her hands slipped back, clutching the firm muscle of his thigh as she let out a soft, pleasured sigh at the feeling, rocking her hips into his hand. Keeping her eyes open as she watched him through the looking glass she nodded as she murmured, “Yes…”

“Tell me what you need.” His words were muffled as he pressed his mouth against her neck, trailing up and down, never staying in one spot long enough to leave a mark as he slipped his hand back up to where his other was still occupied.

“Touch me.”

“I am.” He teased and she gave a soft whine, wrapping her fingers around his wrist as she tried to push his hand down to where she really wanted it. Feigning surprise, he grinned wide, “Oh, you want my fingers?” Feeling the way his chest shook as he chuckled made her shiver as he brought his right hand to her mouth, pressing his middle and ring fingers to her lips as he murmured lowly, “Get them wet for me, baby.”

Her tongue swirled around his digits, sucking as she hollowed out her cheeks before he slipped them out and replaced them where she wanted them. Spreading her knees further apart, Maggie’s breath caught in her throat as he traced slow circles around her clit before dipping his fingers into her warmth.

“James, fuck…” With a soft sigh, she reached back, threading her fingers into his hair as he slowly pressed them inside before drawing them back out. In the reflection, she could see the way his hand moved beneath the thin fabric and let out a soft moan. A breathy gasp caught in her throat as he crooked his fingers inside, making her keen as he pressed against the spongy spot that made her see stars.

A hand on her throat forced her to look forward and she felt her walls clench around his digits involuntarily at the new sensation, her face flushing as he caught her eyes in their reflection. Grinning at Maggie’s reaction, he relaxed his hand as he teased, “Naughty girl…”

“Bucky…” His fingers moving in and out of her at a relentless pace forced everything from her mind except the sensation of touch; the vibranium hand on her throat, his hard, warm body pressed firmly against her back, his breath on her ear as he whispered into it.

“Never knew you liked this—such a fucking slut…” A deep chuckle broke from his chest as he tightened his hand just slightly, bringing a pleasant fuzzy feeling to her brain that was already swimming in an ocean of dopamine. “Tell me what you want, peach,”

The nickname that had initially made her flush with annoyance had somehow become her favorite. The gentlest squeeze from his hand forced her to respond with a broken moan as his thumb focused intently on her clit, “Your tongue…”

“Where do you need it?”

“My…” Trailing off, her cheeks went red as she tried to get the word out. He was the one that always did the dirty talking—not her. It felt as if her entire body was on fire as she opened her mouth again before she was cut off by her own moan as his fingers brushed against a particularly sensitive spot deep inside of her channel.

“Tell me, baby.” Bucky’s taunting voice was almost sing-song as he murmured lowly into her ear, “Say it.”

As his fingers moved faster, she felt her thighs begin to shake as she gasped out a half-hearted, “Please…”

Pretending not to hear her, he teasingly asked once more, “What was that?”

It felt like the edge was just slightly out of her reach as she gasped out desperately, demanding, “Fuck— I want your tongue on my pussy. Bucky, fuck, please!”

“Mm, fuck…” Before she could wrap her mind around the way he moved, she was on her back, staring up at him as hovered above her with that cocky grin. Capturing her lips in a smooth kiss, he dipped his tongue into her mouth, caressing hers. Trailing kisses down her neck and chest, taking a moment to pay attention to her rosy nipples that were pert in the cool, conditioned air, he settled between her legs with a smirk as he looked up at her. “Let me clean you up.”

Dragging a finger over the little damp spot that had formed from his prior actions, he watched as she propped herself up on her elbows, choking back a little whimper at the too-soft touch. Rolling the light pink fabric down her legs, Bucky tossed them aside as he hooked her legs over his broad shoulders; a shiver ran through her as the cool vibranium pressed against the back of her knee.

With a playful click of his tongue, his tone feigned disappointment, “Made such a mess of this sweet little cunt. You sensitive, doll?” He barely brushed a finger down her soaked slit, and she couldn’t stop the way her hips bucked at the stimulation, a sob pulled from her chest. Nipping at the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, she could feel the way he smiled as she shifted restlessly. With his thumbs, he parted her lips to expose her soaked center as he cooed, “Look at this pretty, pink pussy all spread out for me.”

Without adieu, Bucky’s talented tongue licked a broad stripe from her weeping entrance to her swollen clit before going to work on her core insatiably. His hands all but covered her thighs as he held them open, spreading her wide before him. No matter how badly she needed to clench her thighs closed, whether to keep him close or push him away because the pleasure was too much, it wasn’t possible. “So sweet for me, peach…”

The vibration of his words made her whimper as he wrapped his lips around her clit, sucking in an erratic pattern that made her writhe on the wrinkled sheets as her fingers gripped his hair tightly; he was ravenous as he licked and sucked and nipped, driving her wild. As he slipped two fingers into her tight channel, pumping them in and out with lewd noises, she sobbed out his name as he worked to get her ready for him, “Bucky—”

A warmth pooled low in her stomach, and she couldn’t stop the breathy oh’s that were pulled from her chest. Squeezing her eyes closed, Maggie rocked her hips up into his mouth as he sucked at her labia and dipped his tongue into her clenching core like a man starved. Just as she was about to fall over the edge, he pulled back with a lecherous grin. A needy whine fell from her lips as she gripped his hair tighter, trying and failing to keep his mouth pressed where she needed him most as he held her firmly by the hips, pressing her into the bed.

“Such a greedy little slut for me…” Pressing his lips to her mound, his thumbs brushed over her hips as he asked with a faux naivety, “What? Did you wanna come?”

With a shuddering breath, she dropped her head back against the pillows as her fingers tightened in his hair, pleading, “God—fuck, yes.”

“Where are your manners, peach?” His words were low as a gentle swat to her clit made her back arch off the bed at the surprising cocktail of pleasurable pain. Rubbing over her little button with a thumb, soothing the barely-there sting, he cautioned with a teasing smile, “If you come, I’m not letting you stop ‘til you’re begging.”

“Don’t care—please, James.” Shaking her head as she looked down at him, Maggie wasn’t even certain that her words were intelligible as she begged and babbled with hooded eyes, “Please, let me come. Please, fuck—”

Without a verbal response, he ducked his head back down and returned to his lingual assault, pulling a loud, ‘James!’ from deep in her chest as she rocked her hips against the two fingers that were thrusting deep inside of her at a punishing pace, working her open. It wasn’t long before her thighs were clenching as he crooked his fingers just right and sent her over the edge.

“That’s it, fuck…” He hummed.

Her back bowed off the bed as a pleasant warmth spread through her body, radiating out through her fingers and curled toes as his tongue laved over her sensitive skin, graduating from flat broad strokes to little kitten licks that made her twitch with aftershocks of her climax. Trying to close her thighs and shy away, she whined before he sat up, blushing as she spotted his lips and chin shiny with her juices. With the back of his hand, he wiped away some of it with a smug wink.

“You thought we were done? Not even close, baby.” Maggie’s eyes were wide as he crawled up to lay beside her. As he began to trail his right hand down her neck, she shook her head and shyly grabbed at the vibranium appendage; there was something so beautiful about it. He may have hated it, but it was one of the things that she adored most about him and she’d been nervous to ask for him to touch her with it. But now, she couldn’t help herself.

With a chuckle, he switched hands at her silent request, “This what you want, hm?” His black and gold fingertips trailed down her throat, to her chest that was still heaving as she tried to find her breath again; holding her still with his other hand wrapped around her, resting low on her stomach, he reminded her softly, “Use the word if you need me to stop.

Before he could do anything else, Maggie gave him a cheeky grin as she instructed quietly, “Don’t stop.”

“Such desperate little girl, aren’t you?” She didn’t realize just how sensitive his touch had left her until the metal fingers dragged through her wetness, gathering it, and smearing it messily across her glistening folds as she squirmed in his tight embrace. His thumb focused on her little bud as he pushed two fingers back into her warmth, “Need this little cunt stuffed all the time. Should just keep my cock right here, shouldn’t I?”

With a blush that spread from her cheeks down her chest at his teasing, she could only let out a moan in response. With a hand behind her, she slipped her hand into his dark green boxers and easily found what she was seeking. Using her thumb to spread the precum leaking from his tip, that she knew was swollen and red and ready for her, Maggie slowly jerked him off at an uneven pace as his fingers scissored inside of her, trying to ready her for what was still to come.

“You like that idea, peach?” He sucked at a spot just behind her ear and she whined in some semblance of agreement as the movement of his fingers quickened.

They’d spent more time in bed together than either of them had expected to and, while he teased her about the way she clung to him after he came deep inside of her, she knew he liked it just as much as she did. There was something about the warmth and feeling of fullness that made a shiver run down her spine.

“You wanna keep my cock warm like the good, little whore that I know you are? Never gonna leave your cunt, baby. Love how tight and sweet it is, all for me.” As Bucky felt her body shudder, his hand low on her belly pressed steadily as the tips of his fingers easily found her g-spot and massaged the spongy area deep in her cunt, “Look at your legs shaking—you close already? You gonna come for me again?”

“James—” Maggie was all but chanting his name as her hand stilled, wrapped loosely around his hard shaft as she felt yet another orgasm beginning to approach. Squeezing her eyes closed, her head lolled back to rest against his shoulder; there was a familiar pressure that she hadn’t felt for quite some time and she all but wailed out a broken, “I—god!” as her second orgasm of the night washed over her.

From over her shoulder, he groaned as a clear burst of her liquid came from around his still-thrusting fingers. Rubbing her clit with his other hand, he held her squirming body tight against his as her orgasm continued shooting through her. After several seconds, and a few shorter bursts of fluid, he finally felt the tension leave her body as she relaxed back into him, limply.

Finding her lips, he helped her rest back against the pillows before trailing kisses back down her heaving chest. Ducking his head down, he dragged his tongue through the wetness, sucking at the creamy skin of her thighs as he all but licked her clean despite her mewls as she tried to shy away from his focused tongue.

With one last kiss to her pussy, he shoved his boxers off as he sat up between her legs. Brushing some of the messy hair from her forehead, Bucky’s thumb brushed over her swollen, bottom lip. He waited until her smudged liner eyes opened and found his before continuing with a little smile and a gentle squeeze to her soft skin, “Lift your hips for me, baby,”

Listening, she held them up as he slipped a pillow beneath her. Like it was second nature, her knees fell open, as she exposed her puffy, pink lips to him and her blush went maroon as he teased, dragging the tip of his throbbing cock up and down her slit, “Look at you, spreading your legs for me like a little, fucking slut and I didn’t even need to ask. Such a good fucking girl for me…”

When his crown breached her clenching hole and slowly began to push in, he let out a low groan, “Goddamn, you’re so tight. Love your sweet, little cunt, peach…”

Holding her hips tightly, Bucky sank deep into her with one, slow, languorous thrust. Rocking his hips back, he almost pulled out completely before pushing back in and forcing a muffled whimper from her lips. Finding an easy pace, she let out a hum at the feeling of him pressed deep inside of her, the rhythm become soothing as it rocked her into submission.

Leaning down, covering Maggie’s body with his, he trailed his hands up her arms. Lacing their fingers together as he pressed her hands into the mattress, her head was already in the clouds as she muttered a soft, “Harder—”

“You need it harder? Fuck,” Snapping his hips into hers again and again as she let out a moan that bounced with his every move, he groaned when he felt her body begin to tense beneath his, “Whose pussy is this?”

“Yours!” Maggie gasped out just before his lips found hers again, his tongue massaging hers in a languid, breathy kiss.

Rolling his pelvis against hers, brushing against her swollen clit with each thrust, he taunted, “And who’s the only one who can make you feel like this, baby?”

“You, James, only you—please.” Maggie’s thighs wrapped tight around his hips as she pressed her chest against his, letting out a quiet sob as her sensitive nipples brushed against his chest.

“Only me, that’s right…” Nodding, he quickened his pace, feeling himself near the edge as her walls pulsed around him, “Can feel you squeezing me. You gonna come again, peach? That’s right, come for me—squirt on my cock like a good girl…”

“Oh god, I can’t—” There was an exhausted desperation that tinged her voice as she watched him. Her head felt empty as she shook it, but she didn’t want to use their safe word; she wanted him.

“Yes, you can.” He pressed his forehead to hers while the pressure began to build deep inside of her again, murmuring lowly as his nose brushed hers, “My girl can do it; I know you need to come again, so come for me, baby.” Grunting, he chanted out a quiet, “Yes, yes, yes…”

“James, fuck—” The muscles in her stomach clenched as he pushed deep inside of her with one last, low moan, painting her walls with hot, thick ropes of his cum, sending her reeling as her back arched off the bed for the last time. More of the clear fluid squirted out from her core as she whined brokenly, her body shaking as her third orgasm of the evening washed over her and made her walls flutter around his not-yet softening length, “I, oh—”

“Good job, peach. Fuck, you did so good.” Gathering the limp woman in his arms, Bucky pressed his lips to her glistening forehead as he whispered sweet praises into her ear. After a moment, he helped to rest her back against the plush pile of pillows with a soft, “I’ll be right back.”

Knowing her apartment like the back of his right hand, Bucky easily navigated the space as he grabbed a glass of water from her kitchen, giving Alpine an absentminded scratch, before going to her bathroom to run a washcloth under some warm water from the old, silver tap of her sink.

Sitting the glass on her bedside table, he frowned worriedly when she had no reaction to the mattress sinking as he returned to his spot beside her, “Come back to me, baby.”

“Mmph.” The grumble she gave in response wasn’t enough and he rested a hand on her cheek, his thumb brushing over the ruddy skin that still hadn’t redistributed all the blood that had rushed to it.

“Hey, need you to look at me.” At his request, Maggie finally, lazily, opened her eyes with a sated smile. Looking at him upside down, her eyes trailed over his handsome face and the exhale he let out was drenched in relief as he greeted the sleepy woman, “Hey, peach. You okay?”

“Never better.” Stretching like a feline ready for a long day’s nap, she let out a soft hiss as he dragged the soft, warm cloth over the sensitive skin of her thighs. Eventually, she grew used to the routine as he methodically cleaned her up and murmured as her eyes fluttered closed, “We should get dinner—I’m starving.”

Chuckling, he leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead once more before pulling her into his arms, “You’re a goddamn dream, Maggie Hall.”

Perhaps, in all of the rules and stipulations that Maggie had set a few months earlier, she should have thought about sleeping arrangements because there was something about the way that Bucky’s lips were pressed against her hair, that felt distinctly relationship-like. His sleepy groans as he pulled her closer in the middle of his REM cycle made her wish that she’d thought about it earlier, but it was too late—it would have been strange to create a new rule after so long, wouldn’t it? She just had to…compartmentalize. Even after all the therapy and emotional labor to try and resolve it, she still seemed to be good at sorting things into boxes.

Maybe they’d finished their earlier romp, gotten up to have dinner, then returned to her bed to finally go to sleep, but they were just having sex—really fantastic, earth-shattering, amazing sex—but it was only sex. No feelings permitted. He was her friend and her sexual partner; there wasn’t anything romantic about it. Not in the slow, languid kisses, or the way his hands possessively gripped her waist, and certainly not even in the way that he held her body close to his as he slept soundly by her side where her bed had begun to shape to his form.

Bucky’s heartbeat against her back felt like it was synchronized with her own, each gentle thump should have brought her closer to unconsciousness, but her eyes were still wide open. No matter how sated the multiple orgasms had left her, the way that the moonlight streamed through the window and fell upon her nightstand drawer like a spotlight, was far more enticing than sleep.

All she had to do was take the handle and open it; it had been long enough. Stretching out her arm, careful not to jostle her bed mate too much, she slid the drawer open. Reaching into it blindly, her fingers brushed against the glossy photo strip that she sought; it had been tucked away towards the back, and she felt her breath hitch as she picked it up. It had been half a year since she’d allowed herself to look at the photos.

Carefully, she extracted the plasticky, little paper strip. The dim light of the room was just enough to make out the familiar faces in the four frames, but it wasn’t like she needed it. They’d been tattooed on to her brain long ago; there was one that caught Steve off guard, two were a little silly, and the last one showed a sweet look that he had given her when she’d been totally unaware. At one time, it made her heart swell but now it only stung. Trailing a finger over the photos, she let out a slow breath, but the prickle of tears didn’t come like she thought it would.

Somehow, looking at the gilded memory didn’t hurt nearly as badly as she had imagined. And, for some reason, she wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that.

[agentrouka-blog]

Who is Elder Brother in asoiaf? I have read the thread about he is rapist and is getting redeem. Is he connected to hound in books?

The Elder Brother is the current leader of a monastic community on the Quiet Isle. A former knight, rapist and all, he almost died in the Battle of the Trident at the end of Robert’s Rebellion, but was washed up naked downstream on the Quiet Isle and spent the next ten years in repentant silence, and is now serving the community there. He is trying to heal others, physically and mentally.

It is not redemption. It is atonement. Not a state of arrival but a constant state of active reparation. The difference is absolutely crucial. 

We meet him in AFFC Brienne VI, when Brienne, Septon Meribald and Hyle Hunt are stopping there for the night on their search for the Hound, who they suspect holds Sansa, and who is accused of the horrifying raid on Saltpans which obliterated the town. Brienne wants to question and kill him.

The entire chapter is a meditation on guilt and atonement, on inner torment and inner peace, on where to go when you are lost. From the crooked path through the mudflats to reach the island, to the revelation of the Hound’s fate (to the reader, if not entirely to Brienne) to Brienne’s confession.

It prepares the reader for the next chapter, in which Brienne performs her act of ultimate heroism by saving the orphans at the Crossroads Inn. Everything in AFFC leads up to it.

The Hound is Brienne’s dark counterpart, which is why this act of ultimate knighthood and her subsequent near-death takes place in the same place the Hound was mortally wounded. Why Brienne retraces his steps in being captured by the now much less honorable Brotherhood, after searching for the sisters the Hound spent so much time with.

On the Quiet Isle she casually observed a very tall, injured gravedigger serving the community, as well as a black warhorse in their stables, renamed Driftwood. They never interact. 

The Elder Brother informs Brienne that he found the injured Hound and cared for him, and he “died”. He did not commit the atrocity at Saltpans, someone else stole his helmet from his “grave”. She should not look for retribution from a dead man. The girl is no longer with him. She should go home to her father. She doesn’t. Her quest, though more hopeless than ever, continues and leads her to her true self.

The Hound, meanwhile, is in stasis. He quietly serves, but his war horse “washed up” with him and remains in the stables, aggressive to all who come near.

Is redemption possible for a killer of children? We don’t know. Atonement and repentance is a path that is open to him, though. It is tread by many others in this fourth book. A Feast For Crows is all about the aftermath of chaos.

But for some, it is not over.

“Though he committed many sins, he never sought forgiveness. Where other men dream of love, or wealth, or glory, this man Sandor Clegane dreamed of slaying his own brother, a sin so terrible it makes me shudder just to speak of it. Yet that was the bread that nourished him, the fuel that kept his fires burning. Ignoble as it was, the hope of seeing his brother’s blood upon his blade was all this sad and angry creature lived for … and even that was taken from him, when Prince Oberyn of Dorne stabbed Ser Gregor with a poisoned spear.”

Just as Stranger is alive in the stables, so is Gregor a revenant of his former self. Sandor’s dark “quest” is not over.

"The maesters may believe what they wish. Ask a woods witch if you would know the truth. The grey death sleeps, only to wake again. The child is not clean!"

(ADWD, Jon XI)

The Hound is maybe trying on the shoes of atonement, but he has barely begun. And everything suggests he will “rise” again. Just like the dead in the North, just like the dragons from stone, just like his brother.

There is unfinished business between him and Gregor, between him and the concept knighthood, between him and the concept of mercy.

Sandor Clegane will not become the second Elder Brother of the Quiet Isle because there is a different elder brother waiting for him.

[joachimnapoleon]

"I only want to be your best friend..."

It's Father's Day, so a perfect excuse to share more of some of my favorite series of letters--those from Murat to his eldest daughter, Letitia (who was ten years old at the time). Here are three from May of 1812, when Murat was on his way to join the Grande Armée for the Russian campaign; he would not see his family again until the end of January 1813.

[Transcribed in Murat's own original all-lowercase; apparently he rarely used punctuation either, so I'm assuming the original editor was the one who added it into these to make them more readable. The occasional variations in spelling of Letitia's name (ex. "Loetitia") are also Murat's. Any translation errors are my own.]

***

St. Cloud, 7 May 1812

my dear letitia, i arrived in good health, though sorry for having left my good children, but happy to have seen the queen again who is going to get en route for naples. my dear letitia, she returns alone, papa will not accompany her; honor, the well-being of my children, the interest of my kingdom command this great sacrifice, the love that i bear for the emperor is as to me a law to go and fight; but don’t be distressed: all the gods will watch over me. your mama, the love of my peoples will safeguard you during my absence: and prompt successes will soon restore to you your papa, and he will return to you, i hope, even more worthy of himself and of you. make wishes for me, heaven always grants the prayers of beautiful souls like yours, pure like those of all my children. you, do not cry on my absence, sigh only for my return, our sighs will be heard, because i will imitate you, i will ask heaven for a prompt victory, and a prompt return to the midst of my family. yet work hard, make mama and mme de roquemont happy, write to me often, your letters bring me happiness. give my regards to mmes picerno and ferrier and to mme athénaïs. embrace louise, my good louise, for me. i will look forward to embracing you. how i am going to miss our lovely concerts, and our lovely games of wist and our charming soirées: these memories will console me. i need them. farewell, farewell, my daughter. i embrace you with all my heart.

your good papa

J. Napoléon

***

Paris, 15 May 1812

my dear loetitia. mama will give you this letter. i will not accompany her. i am going to be separated again from her and from my children, but i hope that my absence will not be long and that soon it will be permitted to me to go and embrace you. i will send you three mantles and three dresses each, wear them for love of me, they cannot make you any more beautiful, but they will recall to you your papa. i await your portrait with impatience. farewell, my dear children, make mme de roquemont happy and love your good papa always. speak often of him: you will always be in his memory. i embrace you with all my heart, as well as my good louise.

your affectionate father

J.N.

***

Posen, 24 May 1812

my dear letitia, it has been a long time since i left you and this time must have seemed for you as extremely long as it has for me. when will i see you again? soon i hope because the emperor is accustomed to getting to work quickly; but nothing has begun yet, we await the signal of battles and only then will i be able to fix a little closer the time of my return. how beautiful will be the day when i will embrace my beautiful letitia, when i will embrace all my children, when i will be united with them to be separated from them no more! already your lovely mama enjoys this happiness. yet my letitia works, sings, makes great progress, perfects her youthful talents, she will want to pleasantly surprise me upon my arrival and prove to me by facts how much she has taken advantage of the moments of our separation. yes, you should apply yourself and follow with courage the course of your studies. how happy you will be one day, having acquired such knowledge, such talents, and to be able, in any event, to be sufficient in yourself to make those happy to whom you have attached your destiny. your papa, your mama will be themselves happy for your happiness. do you still ride your horse? i’m sorry for taking away gaeta [ed. note–one of Letitia’s horses] and i am tempted to send the order to return her to you. however i will look for a pretty polish pony that i will send you, you will ride him often, you will love him very much, papa will have given him to you. –you don’t neglect dancing, you always study english, german, i don’t speak to you of italian, you are neapolitan and you should know your language. take great care with your writing, a beautiful character gives a new grace to all that one writes; you read well, because madame de roquemont reads marvelously, and you know how much a lovely diction lends its charms, even to the best of writing; read a lot, but may your readings be within your grasp. avoid with care that which can bring into your young heart any trouble, or agitation. at your age one should only experience sweet and tranquil feelings. you will not abandon drawing, you will like painting. the arts awaken the imagination, elevate the soul; what sublime talent to be able to revive on canvas one who is no longer, or whose absence we mourn, to retrace on paper the places we have loved. but i see that i’m moralizing, that i’m setting myself up as governess, this isn’t my intention. i would badly fulfill such delicate functions, and you would be losing in the change. i only want to be your best friend, the most tender father.

tell achille that i will write him one of these days; kiss your mama for me, make her very happy, her health has need of calm and happiness. kiss your brothers and your sister. i embrace you with all my heart.

your good father

J.N.

***

The entire translated series of these letters, Quarante lettres de Joachim Murat à sa fille Laetitia, can be found in four parts on my blog at the links below:

https://projectmurat.blog/2019/11/15/forty-letters-to-letitia-part-one-i-x/

https://projectmurat.blog/2019/11/18/forty-letters-to-letitia-part-two-xi-xx/

https://projectmurat.blog/2019/11/24/forty-letters-to-letitia-part-three-xxi-xxx/

https://projectmurat.blog/2019/11/30/forty-letters-to-letitia-part-four-xxxi-xl/

[shijiujun]

[ENG] History3: Make Our Days Count - IF Alternative Ending

“That Day, You are Still Here”

That car accident left Xi Gu with severe injuries, and at one point, his heart even stopped beating. The Xi Gu in his dreams even left him, leaving Hao Ting behind to slowly walk through life on his own. Even when he went to university, entered a well-known biology research center, at his side one person was always missing from his side. That feeling is as if his heart was dug out, leaving behind an empty space. Regardless of when he’s asleep or awake, Hao Ting feels the panic and fear so deep, the kind that leaves him with a face covered entirely in tears when he comes back to himself…

“It’s been so long already…” Xi Gu squints, but in his eyes the joy at having someone care for him like this is revealed, as does the gentleness and softness his feels for the one he loves.

“I’m still here, don’t worry.”

---

Pages: 250-260 (sorry my bad at counting it’s 10 not 15 pages)

Word Count: ~3580 words 

Disclaimer: Translations are entirely mine - these are not official translations and some phrases have been changed for better English interpretation so you’ll definitely see better/different translations elsewhere. And yes some teeny weeny details and words may not turn up in the translation because the Chi to Eng mind acrobatics didn’t work out. If you see asterisks, scroll all the way to the bottom for notes! Doing this in a rush so there may be some errors, will read through again when I get back from work!!

Full chapter below the cut

Xiang Hao Ting opens his eyes, and for a moment he does not even know where he is, who he is; his face feels a little cold, just like the feeling of touching water and having a cool breeze blow over it after.  Turning his face to the side, Yu Xi Gu’s sleeping face comes into his line of vision. It’s easier to look at Xi Gu’s face now, which has become fuller since their days in high school. The only things that haven’t changed are his long eyelashes and his white as porcelain skin colour - even though he’s running outside more frequently now, Xi Gu’s skin has not darkened.

His breaths are deep and long, and this is the breathing technique most suitable for being on a mountain. Hao Ting and Xi Gu watched each other’s breathing pattern and rhythm closely before this to practice breathing in this manner. People who did not know what they were doing exactly may have thought they were practicing Lamaze Breathing instead.*

Ah, breathing. Hao Ting slowly remembers that where he and Xi Gu are right now is Paiyun Lodge.

He dreamt of that scene again. His entire body is drenched in cold sweat, and the sleeping bag he is in is now abnormally warm and stuffy because of that. Shifting his gaze towards the outside, he sees that a ray of sunlight has already entered the room. Hao Ting thinks that they still have an hour before they have to get ready for breakfast, and he can use the time to wipe himself dry. 

He does not expect Xi Gu to open his eyes the moment he moves.

“Is it time?” Xi Gu asks and keeps his voice low, because it’s not just the both of them in this room.

There are other hiking friends with them, and loud noises can easily disturb the rest.

“Not yet,” Hao Ting replies, then points at his wet hair.

“So wet…” Xi Gu might as well get up, and with light movements he finds the dried towel sitting on top of the backpack next to their bedrolls so he can help Hao Ting dry his hair.

Under the dim light, he sees that Hao Ting looks both a little sick and upset, and idly asks if Hao Ting had a nightmare. Xi Gu does not expect Hao Ting’s body to shudder hard at that, both his brows furrowed tight.

“You had a bad dream?”

Xi Gu’s heart aches for the man. After all, before they slept the night before, Hao Ting did seem a little unsteady and anxious, so he’s not surprised that Hao Ting had a bad dream.

“I dreamt of… the day you met with the accident, and your entire body was covered in blood…”

The accident happened such a long time ago, but thinking about it still makes Hao Ting afraid, because the details in his dream were exceptionally clear, and the fear and terror he felt from that day is written deep in his bones.

That car accident left Xi Gu with severe injuries, and at one point, his heart even stopped beating. The Xi Gu in his dreams even left him, leaving Hao Ting behind to slowly walk through life on his own. Even when he went to university, entered a well-known biology research center, at his side one person was always missing from his side. That feeling is as if his heart was dug out, leaving behind an empty space. Regardless of when he’s asleep or awake, Hao Ting feels the panic and fear so deep, the kind that leaves him with a face covered entirely in tears when he comes back to himself…**

“It’s been so long already…” Xi Gu squints, but in his eyes the joy at having someone care for him like this is revealed, as does the gentleness and softness his feels for the one he loves.

“I’m still here, don’t worry.”***

Hao Ting embraces Xi Gu so tight, with the strength of someone trying to absorb Xi Gu into his body. Xi Gu is the person whose hand Hao Ting has held in his all this time, and Xi Gu is his prized treasure. Not even talking about losing him, if Xi Gu hurts himself usually by knocking into or hitting things, Hao Ting’s heart will ache for half a day at least.

“We promised that we’ll be together! You’re not allowed to break our promise!”

Suddenly, Hao Ting feels the person in his arms jolt, and the hand on his back is lightly shaking as well. When he realizes what a dumb thing he’s doing right now, it’s too late.

How could he pass his anxiety and fears to Xi Gu? Hao Ting treasures him so much, and usually, if he has any frustrations or things he’s unhappy about, he would keep it inside and swallow it.

“It must be because I wasn’t feeling well yesterday before I slept!” Hao Ting blinks as he speaks, even though his tone is a little more high-pitched than usual.

“Shhhh!” Xi Gu quickly presses his hand over Hao Ting’s mouth, because it wouldn’t do to wake the rest of their hiking party up. “Talk softly. All is good, I’m here, I won’t leave you all aline.”

Hao Ting blinks with his two huge eyes, and with muffled noises of assent, he nods in agreement. However, the fear and anxiety in his eyes do not vanish completely. Just like the fog outside, Hao Ting finds his emotions hard to dissipate in the moment.

~~~~~~

The both of them leave Paiyun Lodge after breakfast with their friends. Today is the second day in their hiking plan, and they plan to head straight for the mountain’s peak before going back to the lodge, retracing their steps. Then, they will leave the mountain tomorrow.

Hao Ting began to hike and climb after attending university, and Xi Gu, on the other hand, has not exercised in a long time and is extremely skinny and weak in physique. Not to mention that car accident which left him resting for a long, long while after, so no matter how much Xi Gu likes being   close to the forests and nature, there are undeniably some physical limitations for him.

However, a long journey begins with a small step, so after much preparation and consideration, they decided to choose a three day and two night hiking schedule that is low on difficulty as their first step to conquering more mountains in the future.

On the way up to the mountain’s peak, their legs are steady as they climb because the backpacks they chose are able to efficiently hold the weight of all the items they need without putting the stress of the weight on their legs. At first, Xi Gu said that they should pick the cheapest bag, the cheaper the better, but Hao Ting refused. He’d done his homework, and the backpack and hiking shoes are the most important items to spend money on.

“You have to carry the backpack the whole day, and shoes carry your entire weight!”

With this, Xi Gu gave into Hao Ting, but Hao Ting also knew that Xi Gu doesn’t have much savings he can tap into for this, so he secretly paid for the items for Xi Gu. When he was exposed for it, he still dared to laugh and grin, and directly said that this was the duty of a husband! Xi Gu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at that.

The both of them are the least experienced among the group, so they are placed at the very back of the group with the more experienced leader keeping up the pace behind them. This is so that if anyone leaves the team or feels uncomfortable at any time, he can react quickly and lend them a hand.

Along the way, everyone’s pace is not fast. After all, this is not the kind of two day and one night hike which requires them to hurry down the mountain, and so there is the occasional chatter and laughter among them. However, Hao Ting is a little more quiet, and only when Xi Gu turns around to look at him does Hao Ting smile.

He is still thinking about the dream from yesterday. He knows what the cause of this dream is, and while the scene at that particular road where the accident occured didn’t leave him with any regrets, his memories of that day are clear, and it has permanently left a shadow of fear in his heart.

“Are you still okay?” asks the leader in concern when he sees Hao Ting starting to stray away from the main group.

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, I’m good, I’m just thinking about some things…” Hao Ting replies.

“You have to stay focused, if you lose your footing and injure yourself you’ll have to go back to the lodge and rest.”

The leader pats at his shoulder and brings him back, closer on the inside.

There are two routes in total to Yu Shan main peak - Dong Bu’s ‘Ba Tong Guan’ route which is more difficult, where even experienced climbers usually stay off this path, and instead they use the route on the West, the ‘Tataka’ route. It has a complete, properly marked out route and the necessary facilities and is beginner-friendly. All they have to do at this time is to hold onto the route’s chains and watch their own footsteps, and they will be able to see the gorgeous view of the mountains as they make their climb upwards. The fog is gradually vanishing as the sun inches upwards, and the air is especially fresh.

Hao Ting quietly hastens his footsteps to follow Xi Gu. Seeing that his forehead is filled with sweat, Hao Ting takes off the towel at his waist and helps him to wipe that away.

“Thank you,” Xi Gu remembers the breathing technique and is making his way upwards steadily one step after the other, but he did not miss the conversation between the leader and Hao Ting earlier, so in between his breaths he manages, “You’re still thinking about that dream?”

“Hnn? No! I was just thinking, when we finally hit the peak, how beautiful that view will be!” he lies quickly.

“The scenery will be beautiful and it’ll make you forget that dream,” Xi Gu smiles.

He is no longer that adolescent, innocent young man anymore, and it’s not as if he’s been with Hao Ting for only a day or two, so Xi Gu is familiar with all of Hao Ting’s moods. He knows that at this point, he cannot argue with Hao Ting. Following Hao Ting’s lead and what he says is the right way to understand him. Furthermore, just arguing with him on whether Hao Ting is concerned about that or not has no meaning.

Xi Gu returns the towel to him and continues the climb, and this time he doesn’t forget to hold onto Hao Ting for a few steps before releasing him. Holding hands while climbing is considered a pretty dangerous thing, but the warmth from Xi Gu’s hold lingers in Hao Ting’s palm, and successfully pushes the fear and anxiety to the back of Hao Ting’s mind. It will not disappear entirely, but he can exist together with it instead.

~~~~~

The moment they reach the peak, Hao Ting is blown away by the view before his eyes.

It is a whole stretch of blue and there is not a single cloud in the sky. Forests are abound at a glance and under the glorious rays of the sun, it seems as if a layer of gold dust was scattered across the forest. The sight is blinding. Yet, even with the sun, they do not feel hot and just wipe at their sweat with towels, unafraid of catching a cold with the breeze.

The leader gets everyone to put their bags in a particular area, and if they want to take photos they can use this time to do it. If they’re hungry, they should eat some bread and chocolate right now. When the time is up, everyone will line up again and make their descent to Paiyun Lodge.

After everyone takes moment to catch their breath, they begin to head towards the peak’s sign to take a photo momento, and the older members of the group say they want to take more photos to boast of their climb to their friends, so the atmosphere is particularly warm.

Hao Ting does not join them in their fun, and instead brings Xi Gu slowly to the side, a distance away from everyone else. He really wants to take photos too, but more than that he wants to be glued to Xi Gu. After all, the only reason why he found an interest in the mountains and skies is because Xi Gu likes it.

“It’s a bit of a pity that we can’t come up here at night,” he says.

“It’s okay,” Xi Gu, surprisingly, is not concerned about that much.

After all, this is not their final goal, but their beginning.

“When we go back to the lodge, we can tell them, that we’ve made the first step and we are getting closer and closer to them!”

Their goal then was to climb the Himalayas, to stand at the point that is closest to the stars to tell Xi Gu’s parents that everything is good with him.

“Hnn! They’ll definitely be very happy.”

“You think so?” Xi Gu’s smile is exceptionally sweet, and with a brief peek to the people gathered at the sign taking photos, chatting and admiring the view, and making sure that no one is looking at them, Xi Gu then dares to give Hao Ting’s cheek a kiss, “Thank you.”

“Instead of saying thank you, you might as well kiss me a few more times!” Hao Ting teases him, raising his eyebrow,.

“We’re outside right now!”

Xi Gu definitely will not kiss him right here. The both of them exchange glances and laugh, and while there are no kisses, Xi Gu replaces that by secretly digging his finger into Hao Ting’s palm. A silent promise is more beautiful than any declarations at this point.

So immersed the both of them are in their world that it is only when the leader announces their descent that Hao Ting and Xi Gu rush to the sign and ask a few of their group members to take a few photos for them. The older members of the team, seeing them like this, start to laugh loudly and say that these two children are just too adorable.

~~~~~

In the evening, the members of team do not sleep early as they are still sharing their excitement about reaching Yu Shan’s peak, and they even plan to continue on some other climbs together. Laughter echoes through the room, and influenced by the merry atmosphere, he too laughs.

“Happy?” Hao Ting asks, his hands holding onto a hot cup of cocoa.

“I’m really happy! I can be together with you, and I can come and see dad and mom, so I’m really happy!” Xi Gu beams, his smile so radiant. “Oh right, are you still feeling not so well? Is there a buzzing in your ear, dizziness or do you feel like throwing up?”

“Nope!”

Hao Ting knows that Xi Gu wants to ask about his dream and not his physical well-being right now, but strangely enough, since hitting peak and returning to the lodge until now, he has not thought about the dream again. Instead, his mind is set on which other climbs they can do next. While Yang Ming Shan isn’t actually difficult, but the both of them can go to the onsen with that trip, which is quite attractive.

“That’s good. If you’ve got nothing to do don’t dream of those things. You and I are going to live until we are a hundred, and we’re also going to climb all the mountains in Taiwan, then set our sights on those overseas, and conquer the world’s highest peak.”

Their ambitions sound entirely not realistic, but they are also faced with a future teeming with possibilities and opportunities, so they do not worry about whether it is realistic or not. They only fear not making the first step, and now that they have reached Yu Shan’s peak, then that is their first step.

Hao Ting laughs awkwardly, and says, “I won’t dream of it anymore.”

He lifts his head up to look at a sky full of stars, and even if they cannot see the Rosette Nebula, the entire star system is connected.

“Papa Yu, Mama Yu, I know you can hear me,” Hao Ting reaches for Xi Gu’s shoulder and brings him into his embrace, and with his other hand he secretly takes out a small box from his pocket.

He has prepared for this moment for a very long time, and he knows that giving it to him here is most meaningful.

Xi Gu lifts his face up to look at him, and does not realise that his middle finger is being held by Hao Ting.

“We worked very hard today, and we managed to climb up Yu Shan. Sadly, we were unable to do the climb at night, otherwise I’ll be able to tell you guys directly.”

The man in his arms uses the back of his head to lightly knock against Hao Ting’s chest, the moment especially sweet.

“In the future we will also continue to climb other mountains, and we will definitely climb up the Himalayas, and at the point where we are closest to the stars, I will ask you both to entrust your son to me. Before that, I have to ask the both of you to be a little more patient. I promise, I will treasure your son and be very good to him.”

“What are you saying, so serious…” Xi Gu laughs at him.

“Xi Gu.”

At the call of his name, a solid, round object is secured at the bottom of his middle finger. When Xi Gu finally reacts and raises his hand, he sees that it is a silver ring. No other embellishment or decoration, only a single diamond set in the middle of the band. It is sparkling, and more blinding than any of the stars in the sky at the moment.

“This ring, is an engagement ring,” and Hao Ting seriously places another ring into his palm, “Inside I engraved both our names, and I feel that on a special day like today, we need to commemorate it properly.”

He stresses that this ring isn’t very expensive, and is perfect to symbolize the start of their journey together, because he is also afraid that Xi Gu would be troubled that Hao Ting spent too much money on this.

“When we finally climb the Himalayas, then it’ll become a wedding ring. When that time comes, you’re not allowed to say no, and you can only say ‘I do’.”

“Xiang Hao Ting…” Xi Gu is surprised to the point of speechlessness, and he is clutching onto the ring so tight that it is leaving a mark behind.

He doesn’t know whether to scold Hao Ting for spending money like this, or should he say that Hao Ting is truly too meticulous, that he would prepare such a surprise, shocking him to the point of tears.

“Who does it like this!” Xi Gu ends up scolding, his voice a little hoarse.

“I do!” Hao Ting says with no shame.

After, he urges Xi Gu to help him put on his ring, and warmed up from the heat of the hot chocolate, can clearly feel the engraved words on the inside of the ring against their skin.

As he softly calls ‘Xi Gu’, Hao Ting kisses along Xi Gu’s face until he reaches his lips. The scent of the sweet and thick hot cocoa becomes stronger, along with their quickening breaths with every kiss. In the end, it is Xi Gu who remembers that they are still outside and situated in the midst of a mountain, so they should both avoid doing anything that would cause their breathing rhythms to falter. Only then do they return from the edge of losing control from their hot kisses.

“When it’s time for the wedding ring, it’ll be my turn,” Xi Gu says in satisfaction.

He hides himself in Hao Ting’s embrace, and uses his coat to cover his own body, leaving only his head outside, looking just like a little animal afraid of the cold.

“Sure, we can choose the style we want together. Sun Bo recommended a store to me, and I picked these there…”

The both of them continue to chat, and the stars before them sparkle, as if giving their blessings to Hao Ting and Xi Gu who have decided to walk down the rest of their lives together, hand in hand.

*******

Notes:

*Lamaze Breathing - The breathing technique that women in labour use XD

**Stebeee’s note - Once again, I kind of hate you show writers, because to watch it in ep 20 was one thing and then having to read about this deep-seated fear of Hao Ting through the years as he deals with this? Wow. Thanks but no thanks.

***Stebeee’s note again - We worry, Xi Gu, because we saw it happen *sobs loudly in a corner*

[fuzzybat]

Star Wars Time Warp

If I could go back in time and oversee Star Wars productions after the sale to Disney, and before the impending canon reboot, here’s what I would do.

@jadelotusflower @threadsketchier

- finish up The Clone Wars, include setups to things later down the line (Cassian cameo, Galen & Lyra & Krennic meeting Palpatine)

- rework Rebels into Rebellion: follow many of the same beats, but extend wider into a bigger cast (including Cassian Andor’s career) and farther into the timeline so it interweaves with the movies, particularly the release of...

- Rogue One, which would introduce the Erso family into the Rebellion, along with forming a new crew to focus on alongside the Ghost crew and the Falcon crew formed in ANH

- Rebellion would continue onward through the Battle of Jakku, continuing from ANH with a subplot concerning Vader’s mission to retrieve the Emperor’s Hand after her betrayal seguing into Jade Erso wrapped up in Vader’s quest to get his son before the Emperor gets too interested.

- A Palpatine origin movie would be released, led up to by the mystery of the Jakku Observatory, including Darth Plagueis as a major character

- After the Battle of Jakku and the splintering of the Empire, three new interwoven series are released: New Order, New Republic, and New Horizons

- New Order stars Luke Skywalker, Jade Erso, and Force Ghost Anakin as they work with Lor San Tekka to bring about the return of the Jedi Order while dealing with those who wish to maintain their fall.

- New Republic stars Leia Organa, Winter Retrac, and Mon Mothma as they navigate the intricacies of restarting a democracy with the help of Evaan Verlaine and the rest of New Alderaan

- New Horizons stars Han Solo, Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian as they face off with formerly Imperial warlords in their strangely altered territories alongside Wedge Antilles and the rest of the Republic military.

- these three shows would lead up to Episode VII: The Final Order which would then kick off a show called...

- Ancient Fears stars Rey Skywalker, Finn Galfridian and Poe Dameron as they deal with rediscovering themselves amidst reawakened horrors from the past.

- After a few seasons Episode VIII: Stroke of the Dark Master would be released

- After a few more seasons of Ancient Fears, Episode IX: Rise of Plagueis releases, setting the stage for one final trilogy of movies

- Episode X: A Galaxy Asunder

- Episode XI: The Last of the Celestials

- Episode XII: The Resurgence of Skywalker

[fivekrystalpetals]

Echo being the sweetest Cinnamon Roll to ever cinnamon roll: a collection

(Change your sleeping spot, Oz! Echo is recommending this course of action)

(she is Not Little Echo 😣 she is not impressed)

(A glimpse from Little Echo's secret diary)

(a low quality Echo)

(a high quality Echo)

(a high quality Echo low quality chibi)

Echo complaining about her 'Master' to 'Mister Jouta'

(Echo and Break should def start a Bash Vincent Nightray Club and bring Emily and Jouta along)

[e8luhs]

TAURUS.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY.

tracklist/annotations under the cut! and make sure you check out my other astro playilsts for your moon/rising if you like this one

I. DIVINA / TORO Y MOI

[instrumental]

II. HOLY ROLLER / THAO & THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN

i am a woman of leisure i've been looking for the end of want i don't want it, but I need it well come on baby won't you give me some?

III. SEASON 2 EPISODE 3 / GLASS ANIMALS

baby, now my head is on backwards and my feet at funny angles and every time i take a step, we're moving forwards faster and lately i can't take it

IV. NECESSARY EVIL / UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA

transform into the animal you need to fly from a destiny infested with chemicals you need a new drug not invented by the C.I.A i wanna be your friend but don't have the self-control we're in love, but i don't get what you see in me

V. THE LESS I KNOW THE BETTER / TAME IMPALA

she said, "it's not now or never wait ten years, we'll be together" i said, "better late than never just don't make me wait forever" don't make me wait forever don't make me wait forever

VI. WILL DO / TV ON THE RADIO

anytime will do, my love anytime will do, no choice of words will break me from this rule anytime will do, my love anytime will do, what choice of words will take me back to you?

VII. MINOTAUR / THEE OH SEES

men get sick at their work, each and everyday there ain't no cure but to stay stay home today, go to the beach instead and the dreams, in their heads cannot be found in the maze, or so they say

VIII. SHUGGIE / FOXYGEN

if you believe in yourself you can free your soul my heart is breaking in two, i don't know what to do you were right with the words, you make it too loose i'm happy if she's happy

IX. WASTING AWAY / STRFKR

[instrumental]

X. SAME SUN / REAL ESTATE

when does one thing ever end and the next begin? every day back then felt like a hyphen i do not wish to retrace the steps i've taken all that madness now is where i'm going

XI. NEW PERSON, SAME OLD MISTAKES / TAME IMPALA

the point is, i have the right not thinking in black and white i'm thinking it's worth the fight soon to be out of sight knowing it all this time going with what i always longed for

XII. PASS THE HOURS / MORMOR

days wash over me i felt it all i'm caught underneath and you're falling through, through, through

XIII. SO GOOD AT BEING IN TROUBLE / UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA

now that you're gone it's been a long, lonely time it's a long, sad, lonely time rolling along i'm in a strange state of mind it's a strange old state of mind

XIV. 10:37 / BEACH HOUSE

chances are, like night you’ll disappear caught in the atmosphere where you go she casts no shadow still, you know she's near

XV. LATE AGAIN / STRFKR

[instrumental]

XVI. DISAPPEAR ALWAYS / WILD NOTHING

and this house is now a grave i've been sleeping here for days i'm too hidden to awake so i disappear always

XVII. PATIENCE / TAME IMPALA

just growin' up in stages (lay down, lay down) livin' life in phases another season changes and still my days are shapeless

XVIII. THE BUS THAT COULDN’T SLOW DOWN / THE J ARTHUR KEENES BAND

don't stay home we're all sick of you lazing around don't stay home keep looking until you've been found

XIX. SOME PLACE ELSE / MORMOR

another day like yesterday where it all just slips away a change of scene, a change of pace i'm waiting on some better days

XX. EVENTUALLY / TAME IMPALA

but i know that i'll be happier and i know you will too said, i know that i'll be happier and i know you will too eventually

[terracottahearted]

everything i wanted - a reylo mix

I. Everything I wanted // Billie Eilish 

As long as I'm here no one can hurt you. Don't wanna lie here, but you can learn to. If I could change the way that you see yourself, you wouldn't wonder why you hear, "They don't deserve you.”

II. Meet Me on the Equinox - Death Cab for Cutie

Let me take your hand, and as we walk in the dimming light. Oh, darling understand, that everything, everything ends.

III. Together // The xx

You said you don't have to speak. I can hear you. I can feel all the things you've ever felt before. I said it's been a long time since someone looked at me that way. It's like you knew me, and all the things I couldn't say.

IV. Ilomilo // Billie Eilish

Said I couldn't love someone, 'Cause I might break. If you're gonna die, not by mistake

V. In My Mind // M86+Susie Q

In my mind. Intertwined. Are our limbs twisted? Chase your ghosts. Chills for hours. Chemicals lifted. I'll lay the stones, and you'll come walking. Fill in all the holes from our explosions. You in my mind. Hear your call. I capsize. Water cold and vicious. We keep chasing exit signs as if they existed. You, me our madness, and all its glory. Bleeding for your return.

VI. Fade Into You // Mazzy Star 

A stranger's light comes on slowly. A stranger's heart without a home. You put your hands into your head, and then its smiles cover your heart. Fade into you. Strange you never knew.

VII. Six Feet Under // Billie Eilish 

Retrace my lips. Erase your touch. It's all too much for me. Blow away, like smoke in air. How can you die carelessly?

VIII. King of Shadow // Kat Cunning 

Everywhere you turn I'm chasing you. Tell you where to go I follow. Everywhere you run I'm stuck on you. I can be the dark, you can look right through me. In a flash of love, we are just one body.

IX. What Kind of Man // Florence + The Machine

You were on the other side, like always, you could never make your mind. And with one kiss, you inspired a fire of devotion.

X. Reconsider // The xx

Did you lie awake like I did? I stayed up 'til the stars didn't recognize me. So long, I waited so long. Now you don't see the skies that I do. My sun becomes your moon. 

XI. I Will Follow You Into the Dark // Death Cab for Cutie

"Son, fear is the heart of love.” So I never went back [...] If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks, then I'll follow you into the dark. 

XII. Take Me to Church // Hozier 

If I'm a pagan of the good times, my lover's the sunlight. To keep the Goddess on my side, she demands a sacrifice.

XIII. With or Without You (with strings) // Scala & Kolacny Brothers

My hands are tied. My body bruised, she's got me with, nothing to win and nothing left to lose. 

[psitrend]

Missing in China: people who disappeared in China in 2018

New Post has been published on https://china-underground.com/2018/12/14/missing-in-china-people-who-disappeared-in-china-in-2018/

Missing in China: people who disappeared in China in 2018

2018 was another terrible year for human rights in China.

Between rehabilitation centers in Xinjiang, an ever more invasive and effective surveillance system, social control, a very heavy censorship, and an intensive propaganda, Xi Jinping’s China has become a reference model for the authoritarian regimes, not only from the political point of view but also from the technological one.

The past few years had already been characterized by various limitations of individual liberties and by the disappearance or detention of numerous prominent figures from a cultural point of view, like the case of Hong Kong booksellers, but what happened in 2018 has particularly struck the international attention because almost every month there have been sensational episodes of disappearances of Chinese and foreign citizens.

The pattern is often the same.

If witnesses are present, they tell of agents taking their victims, often also using force.

The arrested are then detained in survey centers to be interrogated.

They are often accused of generic crimes of corruption, within the framework of the anti-corruption campaign of Xi Jinping, who among the important victims has already left on the field political opponents of Xi as Sun Zhengcai in March.

In the meantime, they disappear and are prevented from communicating with the outside, relatives or lawyers.

Sometimes the missing people reemerge to make a self-criticism, like the well-known actress Fan Bingbing, while others disappear forever without a trace.

We try to retrace the most sensational facts.

The citizens of Xinjiang

Uyghur detainees in a rehabilitation center in Xinjiang. (photo April 2017, Lop County (Luopu), number 4 re-education center “洛浦县 第四 教育 培训 中心”)

In Xinjiang, the western autonomous region with a Muslim majority, many structures have been introduced and strengthened to hold Xinjiang citizens over the past few years.

In October, China even legalized these re-education camps for “religious extremists”.

According to some reports in these prison camps, up to a million ethnic Uyghur citizens are gathered, to be re-educated according to the requirements of Beijing.

One of the aims is to organize “ideological education to eliminate extremism”, to conduct behavioral and psychological correction operations in order to “help the trainers to transform their thoughts and return to society and their families”.

Gui Minhai, 桂敏海

Gui Minhai and daughter Angela

Gui Minhai is a Hong Kong publisher with Swedish citizenship.

Gui, after being held in custody in China for over two years, was snatched from a train bound for Beijing, while he was accompanied by two Swedish diplomats.

In 2015, Gui became a symbol of the Chinese government’s willingness to suppress criticism from the outside when he disappeared from a holiday in Thailand in 2015.

He was accused by the Chinese media of outrage to party leaders.

After months of his disappearance, he reappeared on national television confessing his guilt for an accident that occurred 10 years earlier, when he killed a person while driving drunk.

In October 2017 he was released, without being able to leave the country.

During a train trip to Beijing, accompanied by two diplomats of the Swedish consulate in Shanghai, the man was approached and taken away by 10 agents.

The two diplomats were accompanying him to the Swedish embassy in the capital for some medical checks.

Meng Hongwei, 孟宏伟, Head of Interpol

Head of Interpol arrested in China

Meng Hongwei, former deputy minister of the Public Security Bureau, was Interpol president from 2016 to 2018, when he literally vanished during a visit to China.

He was later accused of accepting bribes from the anti-corruption authority.

His sudden arrest and his imprisonment, which seems to have occurred without trial, have raised numerous questions about the role that China can play in the world community, and about the legal practices of the Chinese government.

Meng “resigned” in October.

Meng had come to China on September 25, 2018. After sending a knife emoji to his wife, he disappeared.

According to some sources, he was arrested shortly after having arrived in the country, accused of favoring a cybersecurity company.

Lu Guang, 卢 广

Lu Guang is a Chinese photographer and his works consist of projects on the social realities of the margins of Chinese society.

On November 3, Lu Guang was traveling to the western region of Xinjiang, when his wife Xu Xiaoli lost all contact with her husband.

Patrick Poon, a researcher at Amnesty International, believes that the Chinese authorities are afraid the photographer has taken some shots that testify the real conditions of what is going on in Xinjiang.

A few days ago, the family was contacted by the Kashgar security office who informed them of the arrest, even if no written document was issued, and the photographer was not allowed to contact the family or his lawyer.

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are two Canadian citizens arrested in China.

Some elements may suggest the hypothesis of espionage charges, as a form of retaliation against the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the powerful daughter of the founder of Huawei, happened a few days ago in Canada.

Michael Kovrig is a former diplomat who works for a think tank and is currently held in Beijing from December 10th.

Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur specializing in travel to North Korea, is being investigated by the Dandong City PSB.

Wang Yi

Pastor Wang Yi (photo: Facebook)

Christian pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu was charged with subversion against the state after his church was raided.

Over 100 other members of the congregation were interrogated and taken into custody, some of them reported violence during the period of detention.

The Early Rain Covenant Church is one of the major unofficial churches.

Nothing is known about the situation of the pastor’s wife, Jiang Rong.

Wang risks a sentence between 5 and 15 years. Wang Yi’s assistant Li Yingqiang was also arrested for causing “disorder” online.

Before becoming a pastor, Wang was a human rights activist and was quite famous especially among Chinese Christians abroad.

The Early Rain Covenant Church did not operate underground like many other Protestant congregations in China, but posted online sermons and practiced evangelization in the streets.

In fact, unauthorized religious gatherings are illegal in China, and this year’s amendments to the Religious Affairs Regulation give more power to local cadres to prosecute unauthorized religious groups.

Marxist students

Members of the Solidarity group for Jasic workers pose for a photo in Shenzhen, Guangdong

While in the previous cases the missing people in some way are not aligned with Xi’s vision, that of the Marxist students is a very bizarre case.

The ideological reference point of these students is the one designed by Xi Jinping who strengthened the teaching of Marxism within Chinese universities, reaffirming ideological orthodoxy: less tolerance towards religion, the study of the texts of Marx, Lenin, and Mao.

The fault of these students was paradoxically that of having followed the teachings received too effectively, inexorably triggering the contradiction on which China is founded in the post-Mao era: solidarity with exploited workers, ecology, and rights for women.

Some students like Zhang Shengye were forcibly taken from the campuses and disappeared.

Others like Yue Xin, a 22-year-old student who had reported the case of a suicide of a girl raped by a senior party official, disappeared under other circumstances.

Another 50 students and workers have disappeared with them.

Shao Zhumin, 邵 祝 敏

Shao Zhumin, bishop of the unofficial Catholic Church aligned with the Vatican, of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, has disappeared, according to some priests of the diocese, despite the historic agreement reached between China and the Holy See just two months before, a preparatory agreement for a diplomatic rapprochement between the Church and the Chinese government.

The Vatican and China had interrupted diplomatic relations since 1951.

Only this year Shao disappeared three more times, each time held for periods between 10 and 15 days.

Fan Bingbing, 范冰冰

Fan Bingbing in Li Chen’s movie Sky Hunter (2017)

Fan Bingbing is one of the most famous Chinese actresses in the world and one of the highest paid.

In July her disappearance caused a stir.

After being under house arrest in a holiday resort in a Jiangsu coastal area, generally used to investigate party cadres, the Chinese actress returned to Beijing.

According to the investigations, which also uncovered the case of the yin-yang contracts used in the Chinese show business, to circumvent the limits imposed on the contracts for the stars, Fan Bingbing would have evaded something like 250 million yuan.

To avoid the arrest, Fan and his company had to pay a fine of 127 million US dollars.

The actress turned to her 62 million followers on Weibo to ask for forgiveness.

#ChineseStudents, #FanBingbing, #HumanRightsInChina, #LuGuang, #WangYi

[maverick96]

George Soros Says Xi and Putin Must Be Removed from Power Before They Can "Destroy Our Civilization" • OP News

[heatload384]

Adobe 10 Download Mac

Oct 06, 2020 Adobe Reader 20.012.20043 for Mac is free to download from our application library. The following versions: 11.0, 10.1 and 9.4 are the most frequently downloaded ones by the program users. The unique identifier for this application's bundle is com.adobe.Reader. Adobe Reader for Mac is categorized as Productivity Tools.

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Adobe Reader software is the global standard for electronic document sharing. It is the only PDF file viewer that can open and interact with all PDF documents. Use Adobe Reader to view, search, digitally sign, verify, print, and collaborate on Adobe PDF files.

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Today, Adobe is announcing our next generation Acrobat XI software with new cloud services. Products included in this release are: Acrobat XI Pro, Acrobat XI Standard, Adobe Reader XI and newly integrated documents services, Adobe FormsCentral and Adobe EchoSign.

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Store files on Acrobat.com for access from multiple devices

Support for OS X Mountain Lion and Windows 8 with new “touch-mode” for optimal tablet interaction

Create PDF or Export PDF files to Word and Excel online

Security

Enhanced Protected Mode now includes data theft prevention capabilities

New Protected View implements a separate desktop and winstation for the UI, which provides an additional layer of defense

PDF Whitelisting Framework allows selective enablement of JavaScript for both Windows and Mac OS

Elliptic Curve Cryptography support for digital signatures

Enterprise Deployment

Citrix XenApp enhancements for better performance

New App-V support, including a Package Accelerator

GPO Template for the most common enterprise settings

Enhanced support for Microsoft SCCM/SCUP and Apple Remote Desktop

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We all have been there where we are stuck with processing a beautifully captured raw frame. Sometimes as an artist we definitely visualise that a small tit and tat in the images that we have captured can make a huge difference. Now when it comes to altering frames, we all have been there in the position where we are stuck with choosing the right image and space.

We need to make sure that the editing software complies to all the standards of the system that we are using and also at the same time it must be a well adaptable software.

License Shareware

File Size 1.3GB

OS Mac OS

Language Multilingual

Developer Adobe Inc.

Overview of Adobe Lightroom CC 2020

Presenting the best software in-line the Adobe lightroom CC for mac-based computers. There has been a lot of differences in the ways in which we use editing software to get the job done but the biggest highlight would definitely be the ways in which lightroom can drastically enhance the quality of the output.

There are a lot of in-built features within the software that makes a drastic difference in a lot of ways. One of the most significant features are mentioned below, make sure that you are able to make the best of each to bring out the best in each of your projects with Lightroom.

Now if you were to question if the software is adaptable to a mac-based system, I would suggest that the software works at its best in a Mac-based operating system. the amount of significant changes that are visible in a Mac-based operating system is pretty determinant and that is exactly what each and every editor, photographer or anyone will look forward in an Editing software.

Also Read:-Download Microsoft Office 2001 for Mac

Features of Adobe Lightroom CC 2020

60 seconds game. Some of the features that a user must look-forward in a Mac-based operating system in the Adobe Lightroom CC 2020 are mentioned below.

1. Perfecting Images made easy

The biggest highlight with the images created with Lightroom is that the sharpening tools that are used in the platform make sure that there is a better methodology in sharpening the images. The mac-based platform and screens from Apple will make sure that you have the best output preference.

Sharpening images in Adobe Lightroom CC 2020 is definitely a well-touched feature that will make sure that it is proper and well-organized. Age of empires 2 free download. The colour profile of the project is kept intact even after a lot of meddling with the pixel count of the image.

2. The organizational nightmare has taken care of

Mac users always look forward to making sure that the data that they handle using their system is much easy. Well with the Mac version of the Adobe lightroom that is also taken care of. The very much looked upon feature with the Adobe lightroom 2020 cc is the ways in which you can use the various files and projects that you are handling under the software.

The biggest disadvantage with the previous editions of the software is that there were no proper organization tools or importing tools that eased the process. There were a lot of complications with the previous editions of the software that made the users of the software face frequent crashing of the software and worst-case scenario, data losses. But with the Mac version, the things have been done and perfected seamlessly.

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3. Share as much as you want

You can now transfer the projects that you have created to the social media platform and make the world know about the quality of the work that you create in the social media space The biggest lookout for all the users of the Adobe software platform is that they couldn’t share their work in the social media space. There has been a lot of other sharing features that have been added in the space.

4. Get off the internet

Offline working has been the most expected feature by the Adobe community for a very long time and that means with the release of such a feature, it is definitely good days ahead for the lightroom CC suite. The biggest highlight is that now you can carry over you’re already working on projects offline. This will greatly improve the ways in which you can actually work with the system.

5. Love editing

There are also bigger developments for Mac users in terms of editing in the lightroom. One of the most looked-after features in the Adobe Lightroom CC 2020, is the 64-bit memory handling feature that will make your editing process a definite and solid one. Retrace your colours as specific as you can, by that it means that you can bring back the colour of old photographs and also remaster the exact ways in which the rough picture actually looked.

The biggest hauls with the software are definitely the editing space. The editing space is loaded with features like retracing your editing process. This will greatly benefit users who are in a constant process of making errors.

System requirements for Adobe Lightroom CC 2020 for Mac

Mac OS Sierra and above

12 GB RAM requirement

2 GB HDD space

1024X768 resolution monitors required

1 GB V-RAM for normal monitors

2 GB dedicated V-RAM for 4K or 5K monitors

AMD: Radeon GPU compiled with direct X 12

Nvidia graphic cards

Intel: GPU with direct x 12 compiled

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Download Adobe Lightroom CC 2020 for Mac

You can download the installer file of the Adobe lightroom cc 2020 by accessing the link below. Make sure that the minimum requirements of the systems are met before you proceed with the download.

Download Adobe Lightroom CC 2020 full version for Mac - ISORIVER

Presenting the best software in-line the Adobe lightroom CC for mac-based computers. There has been a lot of differences in the ways in which we use editing..

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: Mac OS

Application Category: Image Editor Download mac os snow leopard.