#tales of misty albion

[alexandrialinos]

tales of misty albion

[hopefullydreaming]

Once, in the Future

The land once known as Albion had burned. Raging wildfires scorched its earth; processions of pathetic politicians had torn its people apart and turned them against each other; the land had been united at a terrible cost to the world. For a millennia and a half, a lonely warlock had wandered this land, working magic where he could, breathing life into the defeated and teaching those who were willing to learn.

But magic was dying now. He could feel it in his bones, as the world around him raged and burned. In all his years, he had seen the worst and the best of humanity. He had seen their brilliance and ingenuity, and he had seen the terrible things which they had done to prove it. They had no need of magic now, and no need to believe it. Superstition, most people had called it. For centuries now, magic had been dismissed or persecuted and now merely ridiculed, in the name of conformity or enlightenment or civilization. It lived only in books and fairytales, in legends twisted beyond their truth to fit their times.

The warlock had borne many names. Merlin was his first and Emrys was his favourite. He had worn so many faces he didn’t know if this one was real. He was sure of very little, now. So much has changed; so much that he had fought for, longed for, had come to pass and only made the world worse.

He was only sure of Arthur.

He had never stopped mourning. He had never stopped hoping either, visiting the coast that looked out onto the misty isle of Avalon — hidden to the naked eye, visible only to the most determined of dreamers — even on the days he most loathed himself for allowing this world to become what it had. Even on the days he thought he had invented his own memories, muddled by the tales which claimed to be histories.

He always knew Arthur; his face, his touch, his heart. He was sure of him, because he needed to be.

Because one day, he knew in his heart, Arthur would return to him. Fate had never forgotten anything before; only time would tell.

Merlin just didn’t know if he could stand to be around to see it. Or if, yet again, they would be too late. Not just for Albion, or magic, or the world, but for his own bitter heart and the ever-dying hope it clung to.

Now, Merlin stood at the edge of the water, staring out to see. Hoping. Dreaming. The veil between the worlds was thin; it was Samhain — Halloween, it was now called — and children had been running about the streets on his way here. Some with swords, others with staffs and wands, all dreaming of magic and a time once past.

Merlin hadn’t had the heart to do magic in some times, nor had the land sustained him. It was dying now, and after all these long and terrible years, Merlin believed he might be too.

“I miss you,” he whispered to the sea. He had no need for tears now. They had been spent many years ago. “I miss you all. I miss being young.” His wrinkled reflection stared back at him, resigned, shrouded in silver hair. “I always thought you needed me, you know. Turns out, I needed you, too. I needed all of you, and your hope.

“I miss you.” The end of his staff drew whorls and runes in the sand. “Come back, Arthur, please.”

The sea was silent. Avalon retreated behind silver clouds. On the road behind him, a car roared and a child yelled, “Boo!”

Merlin did not startle. He had half-forgotten how to move. The world moved so quickly it made him feel stagnant.

And then the night was still. The same as every night before it; empty, and cold, and dying.

Merlin sat down and waited until dawn for his hope to die again. He wondered how many more dawns he could endure, and he whispered sweet sorrow to the sky before he left, alone as he always had been.

If you enjoyed this, consider following my ao3: hopefullydreaming

[helenart555]

Vladislav Yerko. Tales of Misty Albion.

[think32blog]

‘IT IS NEW STRUNG AND SHALL BE HEARD’

I promised to write a short piece a while back but so much was happening with the political landscape changing and shifting under our feet on a daily basis, I couldn’t keep up, could anyone. Everyday brings new Brexit darkness and rays of light to the Irish Unity debate as events unfold before our very eyes, what a time to be alive some say, what an opportunity to shape our future … or as Maya Angelou put it

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again” … that future is both green and orange.

I think that time has arrived for the people of this island. I suppose I should start somewhere on this debate, so no better place than that aul €50 euro to visit your GP in the south a sorta return serve retort to dismiss the conversation on the Irish Unity. Well, if that is what it was all about after all these years of conflict I’m sure free GP appointments and prescription charges would have been hastily sorted a long time ago to resolve the perennial issue of partition never mind the £billions spent on Britain’s war machine in the north. The truth is, it’s an example of what at times passes for debate, but its just plain nonsensical codswallop and those saying it must know this, if they look close enough.

In any new dispensation I certainly won’t be paying €50 euro to see my doctor. We will have a fully funded 32 county INHS. It’s a deliberate simplification of the discourse as these ‘short fire’ negative tropes keep us all busy on the daft stuff, just like Senator Mark Daly’s findings that protestants believe they will lose possession of their land as it’s taken of them in a new Ireland. I’ve never ever heard that one before which again is uber codswallop creating that misty fear of the bogeyman narrative, conjured up from past fears and suspicions, but such scare stories have always existed in Ireland for many many years long before partition and certainly won’t stop now, no doubt it will always be with us…but its still just tosh.

Across Ireland there has always been a significant strand of political opinion on the island – which believes in unification its always been there, it never really went away, it just waited then Brexit fell on its lap…. Indeed ‘all changed’ and ‘The Good Friday Agreement’ was caught in its gravitational vortex of incompatibility with this English nationalistic empire spasm –

‘never the twain shall meet’ as it drags us into the political 5th dimension. For the first time since partition and previous conscription crisis of 1918 in Ireland -an existential threat has arrived that directly effects the 32 counties of Ireland.

The unity genie is now firmly out of the bottle and it’s not going back-in anytime soon. It senses freedom after years of being stuffed into the straightjacket of two reactionary states who condemned it to a life of religious zealotry, gombeenism, migration and conflict. Those days are gone and they’re not coming back. A new confidence has appeared on the horizon, people feel empowered, engaged the old certainties have been debunked, challenged and dismissed as exceptionalist claptrap. Modernity is here to stay. The political purgatory is shifting gear and its looking to Dublin for guidance.

A new chapter in Irelands history is about to be written once again as “La perfide Albion" tries to force others to act against their own interests only this time its 2019-not 1819, Gunboat diplomacy is old hat, so are any ideas of dispatching Sir Francis Drake to pay a visit to Rathlin, just to make a point- though at times you’d think given half the chance the mad swivel eyed loons of the British rightwing would sink to any depths to achieve Brexit nirvana, thankfully those days are dead and gone, but not the memories and the suffering of Sorley Boy McDonnell.

Perhaps in the past such malevolence won the day, but not this time. Ireland has friends, powerful friends and they will use them to protect herself. Perfidy has met its match this time as Hibernia is not for turning.

A few points need mentioned, the first is the demographic debate has been raging like a boney on the twelve night and gathering impetus and ruffling feathers. It must be remembered that the north was designed to lock-in Unionist ascendancy forever they even abandoned their brethren in the rest of Ulster to achieve thus. The last census in 2011 in the north showed that Protestant-Unionists now account for less than half of (48%) the population of the north, with Catholics on 45%. Of course, not all Catholics want a united Ireland, just as not all Protestants dislike the idea either, but the figures are still a pretty good steer going forward. So, when the results of the upcoming 2021 census are out, probably leaked around Christmas 2022 unionism will be in for a shock, that’s not to say that nationalism/catholic stats will come out at (50%+) I doubt it will, but you never know.

The real shock figures may reveal those who say they’re from a protestant/unionist background drops below 40%. Put it another way 60% are non-unionists, now that puts the cat amongst the pigeons as the north’s raison d’etre no longer exists. It will show the train has not only left the station but has turned into a high rapid transit with ‘Eurostar’ emblazoned on the side of it.

https://www.irishcentral.com/news/thenorth/shock-as-expert-predicts-catholic-majority-in-northern-ireland-by-2021

The other issue is the so called ‘subvention’ now this is something I’ve looked at quite closely and realised that it is actually the biggest spoof of all, its completely bogus. Critics say the south can’t afford us, they’re in debt to their eyeballs down there after the financial crash, sure didn’t the Brits bail them out..blah..blah…humbug.

When writing this Jude Collins just posted up a piece on his website, he lays it out here.

http://www.judecollins.com/2019/08/they-could-never-afford-us-and-related-economic-myths/

Can also recommend you listen to Pearce Doherty who knows a thing or two about finance, he gives us a great insight here at Feile last week.

'Busting the myths of the subvention'

https://youtu.be/Hu0N50cKofg

Finally, its essential that people realise that there are a number of unionists who wish to remain within the EU and want to play their part of an integrated European family – these unionists are now seriously considering unity as an option. They believe in Europe and what it has to offer them, after all it was their antecedents who brought the ideas of the ‘French Revolution’ to Ireland and showed great enthusiasm for Thomas Pain’s ‘Rights of Man then going on to found the ‘Society of United Irishmen’ in Belfast in 1791, its in their blood as they say….the original republicans, are the souls of McCracken, Drennan, McCabe and the Rev.Porter returning.

It’s now up to the Irish government to give leadership at this critical junction in our history as we go forward to create the new ‘2nd Republic’ that awaits - instead of listening to a tale of the €50 note to see the Doctor to smother at birth the unity debate...the work starts mow.

“It is new strung and shall be heard”

Written by @seanofthesouth for @think32_