#do people actually read these still? if so did you know that back in 1842 the juggalos had their first terf war against the Detroit furrys

[sliceoflifebear]

1st world horror story:

-Buys Pidermen 2

-installs

-takes a hour to download game

“Ok time to-“

-instant download a copy and extras for another hour

“Ok that’s fine I guess…now time to play the $75 complete product that-“

-3 HOUR DOWNLOAD PATCH UPDATE!!!

“Annnnnd there goes my day.”

[snowdice]

Folds in Paper (Chapter 5: It Spills Itself in Fearing to be Spilt)[Folds in Time Universe]

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Janus/Patton, Remus & Roman, eventual Logan/Virgil (maybe more)

Characters:

Main: Janus, Patton, Remus

Appear: Remy, Emile, Virgil, Logan, Roman

Summary: Janus, a disillusioned senior agent working for the Time Preservation Initiative, struggles to find meaning in a world where time travel could change everything about your life’s history in less than a moment. When time distortions start popping up, threatening the timeline and the fabric of reality as he knows it, it becomes a race against the clock to fix the damage before everything unravels. And the problem with time travel… you never how long you have before the clock strikes 12 and your time is up.

With a partner who has more mysteries in his past than Janus had anticipated and an enigmatic free agent time traveler mucking about time always with a clever pun or a time appropriate pet name on his lips, Janus will need to figure out what went wrong with time, and more importantly, how to fix it.

Chapter Summary:  

So full of artless jealousy is guilt, It spills itself in fearing to be spilt

-Shakespeare in Hamlet

Notes: Time travel AU, mystery, enemies to lovers, alcohol

This is a fic I’ve been writing on study breaks that you have probably all already seen at this point. I’ve slightly edited it for wording and grammar, but not for content from my previous posts. Feel free to send in asks to direct it because I’m not 100% sure where this is going and you can help decide if you feel so inclined! You can see the process I went through to build this at this link.

I also have a playlist on youtube (because Spotify didn’t have one of the songs I wanted).

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Janus stepped back into the reception area and booted up his time piece. Instinct said to go back to the office despite it being late enough that most people had gone home, but he hesitated. Surely Emile had given up by now, but considering he’d sent someone to ambush him in his office, Janus wasn’t sure if he should trust that. He could just go home, but he already knew his mind was racing too much to sleep tonight, so he’d probably just end up staring at the lake for the next 6 hours. That in mind, he decided on the only other legitimate option he had. He pulled up Remus’s home coordinates and selected.

The home that Remus had chosen (after his long line of rejected requests) managed to somehow make no and absolute sense simultaneously to anyone who knew him. It was a small farm in the United States just west of the Mississippi in 1842 in what would be ratified as the state of Iowa in a few years. When asked why he would choose that time and place, Remus always responded with “I thought it was funny,” whatever that meant.

Unlike most time agents who simply used the identities assigned to them by the AMO as a cover, Remus actually lived his part time. Janus was… fairly certain he was cheating a bit to get everything done, but he maintained his small farm all on his own, growing most of his own food. The neighbors he had lived very far away, but he still spoke with them far more than Janus did his own.

Janus appeared inside the small home, his eyes already shut. “Are you here and dressed?” Janus called. Something bumped lightly into his legs.

“I’m in the kitchen!”

Janus peaked his eyes open and squatted to pet the cat at his feet. “That doesn’t answer my second question!” he called back to Remus.

“It’s a surprise!” Remus said.

“Remus.” Diesel Fuel the cat flopped to her side on the ground as Janus continued to pet her ears. He heard Remus’s footsteps, and saw cloth covering his legs, so risked looking up. He was currently not only dressed, but wearing an apron that Janus was fairly sure was not time appropriate judging by the fabric and cat pawprint design. He had a bit of flour on his hands, and it may have been a bit too white for the time and place, but Janus couldn’t be completely sure.

“What’re you doing here?” Remus asked.

“My day has been an endless series of frustrations,” Janus said. “So, I have come to see the only tolerable being in the history of the universe.”

Remus snorted. “Since I know that isn’t me, I’ll assume you’re talking about the cat.”

“I still don’t understand why you tolerate this creature,” Janus addressed Diesel Fuel. She blinked slowly up at him. “To be fair, he was assigned as my partner. I didn’t have much of a choice in it. You could always run away and become feral in the woods if you’d like.”

“So, could you, technically,” Remus pointed out.

“I’m thinking about it after today.”

“Would you like some bread?” Remus asked. “That’s all I’ve been making this afternoon. Some fresh should be coming out of the oven in a few minutes.”

“Do you have anything stronger made out of wheat?”

“Ew, no, but I do have vodka.”

“Vodka works.”

“Want me to mix it with something?”

“No.”

“One of those night then,” Remus said, easily. “Let me finish up the bread, so I don’t burn the kitchen down. You can go get the alcohol from the cellar while you wait if you want, or you can just flop down on the couch.”

He was going to just flop down on the couch.

He did just that as Remus disappeared back into his kitchen. The cat hopped onto his stomach, proceeding to purr loudly and kneed at chest. Janus petted the cat and listened to the noise of Remus moving around in the other room, letting his mind drift. His mind drifted to Virgil for a bit and he steadfastly did not allow it to drift to his brother. Yet, the thing that most was on his mind was the strange man who had flirted with and charmed Janus all night before mercilessly screwing him over. ‘Pat’ he’d said his name was, but surely that was not his real name.

Janus sighed and scratched the cat’s ear. “He certainly wasn’t an amateur,” Janus mused to the cat. “With that amount of precision to get in before we did, he must have someone not on the ground feeding him information. Perhaps more than one.” He was part of a group of time traveling thieves perhaps or something worse. “I didn’t get a good look at his face since he was wearing a mask,” Janus said, “but I spent a lot of time with him, and I’m sure Remy swiped the mask from the police since it had been on me when I was arrested. It’s a good lead.” He continued to pet Diesel Fuel. Eventually, Remus came back in, noticed Janus hadn’t bothered to get the alcohol and went outside to the cellar. “I’m going to find him,” Janus told Diesel Fuel. “I’ll stop whatever it is he’s doing, and I’ll bring him in.” Diesel Fuel mewed her support, and Janus patted her on top of the head.

Remus came back in with the bottle of vodka and handed it to him without a word. He sat down on the couch near Janus’s feet and patted his lap so Diesel Fuel would come over to him and allow Janus to sit up.

The bastard waited until he was approximately 3 shots in (he didn’t have a shot glass and was just taking drinks from the bottle) to ask the questions Janus really didn’t want to answer. “Are you mad at Emile?” Remus asked.

Janus groaned, trying to wash out the bitter taste of shame and grief with the sharp sting of vodka. It didn’t work. “No,” he said to Remus.

“Then why have you been avoiding him?”

“Shit, I’m here because I didn’t want to think about it. Can’t we just not.”

“Don’t want to think about what?

“It’s none of your business, Remus.”

He could feel Remus frowning at him, but Janus stared resolutely ahead. At least, he did until a foot poked his face. He slapped it away, but it did the job of getting Janus to look back at Remus.

“It is my business,” Remus said, foot still in the air. “I’m your partner and your friend.”

“If I’m your friend, you’ll drop it.”

“So, you’re not mad at Emile,” Remus continued, contemplatively. “Did you do something to him, then?” Janus bit his lip and looked away. “What?” Remus asked. Janus didn’t respond. “Look, I’m sure he’ll forgive you for whatever it is. He’s a good guy. Just talk to him about it.”

“I can’t,” Janus said.

“Whatever it is, it’s probably been long enough that he forgives you. You literally just have to have a conversation, say you’re sorry, and everything will be A-OK.”

“I can’t,” Janus repeated.

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t know about it.”

Remus paused. “So, as far as he knows, you just cut contact with him all of a sudden for no reason and have been avoiding him ever since?”

Janus looked at his shoes. “Yeah.”

“That…” Remus said, “is not fucking fair Janus.”

“I know.”

“Then why the hell are you doing that to him? He’s like… soft and feeling-y. He’s probably really upset.”

“I know, Remus.”

“Tell him. Whatever it is.”

“I can’t.”

“Look,” Remus said. “You tell him and he either forgives you or he doesn’t. If he does, everything’s fine. If he doesn’t… well, it’s not like it would be any different from you two never being in the same room the last few years. Either way, you can’t just do this to him. He’ll probably forgive you. He’s your brother. Brothers don’t… brothers would forgive each other.”

Janus laughed softly and met Remus’s eyes. “That’s the problem,” he said. “He’d definitely forgive me.” He turned away and opened the vodka bottle again. “Now, if you’ll shut up for a few minutes, I’m going to drink until I black out.”

Want to read more? Click below!

AO3 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

[jawritter]

A Thousand Years...

Chapter 1

Heart beats fast. Colors and promises. How to be brave. How can I love when I’m afraid to fall. But watching you stand alone. All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow…..

Summary: A soulmate’s purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master. – Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

A new town, a new job, and a new life, one that you didn’t even expect……

Pairing: Reader x OFC Crystal, Reader x OFC Jessie Jensen Ackles x Reader.

Word Count: 1842

Warnings will include… Smut, language, unrequited/ requited love, cheating, and possibly more. This is gonna be a slow burn y’all!! This is brand new, so I will add to it as I know. Chapters will have warnings of their own if need be….

A/N: So my little cousin was watching breaking dawn in the living room, and I was folding clothes in the guest room… When the credits rolled and this song started, this fic hit me right in the face… I couldn’t escape it.. I don’t know yet how many chapters it will be! But If you want to be tagged let me know!! As always all mistakes are mine!! Feedback is gold!! Hope you guys enjoy this one!!

Fic Based on the Song A Thousand Years, by Christina Perri

Want more? Check out my Masterlist?

*****Masterlist*****

******Series Masterlist*****

Austin, Texas. A city that seemed to have a life force of its own. Full of art, culture, music, and people of all verities. There was very little that people didn’t love about this place once you visited it. It draws you in and keeps you there. Holding you like a giant magnet and never letting you go. Like it had its own invisible pull. 

Well, that’s what it did for you anyway. 

And what better place to start life over than right here in Austin, Texas. 

If there ever was a place in your mind you could start fresh, make something different of yourself, it was here; and if there was ever a place you could hide from you past it was here too. 

Pulling the last shirt out of your bag and folding it before placing it in your dresser, you take a deep breath and look around at your new apartment. It was small, only a studio apartment, but that’s all you could afford right now. Besides, it was a start. There was a waiting list to get into most of the places like this in Austin, and you were lucky enough to know the manager of this apartment complex. She was actually your sister-in-law.

Sure, it was cheating, but you always loved your brother and his wife; and when your life fell apart back home they were the ones that suggested you move here. 

Shoving the memories down of a failed engagement, and a promise of love that was obviously a lie, you make your way from your bedroom to your kitchen. You put on a small pot of coffee and sitting down with your laptop at the bar, letting out a sigh as you looked around your small space.

There was no point in dwelling on the past, only the future mattered now, or at least that what you kept telling yourself. 

You had been avoiding every type of social media and most relatives since Justin left you standing at the altar. You just didn’t want to talk about it anymore. It was humiliating enough to be the bride that apparently no one really wanted, and reliving it over and over again every time someone wanted to discuss it wasn’t something you wanted to do. That was one of the main reasons why you left your home town when you were invited to live out here. 

Crystal and your brother Jessie were the only people you knew in Austin. There were no high school classmates you had a danger of running into at the local supermarket, there were no “almost in-laws” living up the street from you. There were no ex fiances that you could run into at random moments in this town. No one knew you, no one knew your past, and no one would ever know if you had your way about it. 

You left all that behind when you got in your car and drove to Austin, not looking back, and burying that part of you deep, deep down; never to be dug up by anyone else again. 

You were just about to log onto the resume builder to start working on your resume when you heard a pounding on the door. That could only be one of two people, so you didn’t bother getting up to answer the door.

“It’s open!” you yell in the direction of the front door, not even bothering to look up when the door opened and Crystal flounced into the apartment, dropping her purse down on the bar next to you before flopping down on the vacant bar stool. 

“So, you get yourself settled okay?” she asked, looking around your apartment like she’d never seen one before even though she works for the apartment complex and looks at the same damn floor plan every day.

“Yup,” you mumble, popping the P at the end. Not bothering to look up from your computer as you did.

You were a little aggravated that your brother and his wife and insisted on paying your rent up three months ahead for you, giving you a “jump-start” while you look for a job around here that could support you.

“You are still annoyed with me for paying the rent up aren’t you?” She ask, a smirk on her tinted lips. She was always one to apply the makeup heavy, and when she was at work she laid it on pretty thick.

“Yup,” you said again, hopeful she’d just drop the subject so that you could concentrate. 

You’d been working for a local bar while you were still in your hometown, and so far that’s the only “job” experience you had. So you were basically just staring at your resume, with your past employer's information on it, and nothing else… 

Maybe this was going to be a little harder than you thought it was going to be. 

Crystal looked over your shoulder at your laptop screen, reading over your last employment information. 

“So...got any idea what you want to do now that you’re here in Austin?” she asks you, stating the question like you might bight her head off if she caught you in the wrong mood. 

Maybe you had been a little touchy lately, but you’d been through a lot, and your trust in people was pretty much nonexistent at this point. 

The one person you let yourself trust, the one person you thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with, had let you down in one of the most humiliating ways possible, and it was going to take a lot to get past that. Even though you didn’t even want to admit it to yourself, you were pretty hung up on what happened to you. It wasn’t even “hurt” at this point, you were angry with Justin, and with most of the male population in general.

“Not a damn clue,” you admitted, running your hand through your hair and getting up to fix your cup of coffee, walking away from the most pathetic work experience list that you’d ever seen in your life on a resume for a moment before you started to cry again. 

So much for a fresh start.

You were going to starve to death before you could find a damn job with a list of work experiences like the one you had, or at least that’s what the little sarcastic voice in your head retorted to you before laughing maliciously. 

“Look there are a lot of bars and things around here in Austin. My suggestion is go with what you know. It may not be exactly the change you were looking for, but it will keep you in food and clothes while you look for something different that will let you start out on a training level.” 

You pass her a cut of coffee across the small island bar in the middle of your kitchen before setting back down with a defeated huff, staring at your computer like if you stared at it long enough, you could will it to change it to suit you better.

Sighing defeatedly you exit out of the resume builder and start googling local bars you could walk around downtown to and see if they need a bartender. Thankfully you had just renewed your liquor license before you moved here, so at least you had that working for you. 

“It’s not all bad you know, you get to meet all kinds of people in Austin working at a bar. Musicians, artists, hell we even got a few famous actors that live around here! You never know, mister right might walk right into one of those places and sweep you right off your feet,” she said, giving you an elbow to the ribs. You grimaced at her from the top of your coffee cup.

“I’m not looking for Mr. Right or Mr. Anyone for that matter. I’ve had enough of dating, relationships, and men right now to last me a lifetime,” you retort a little more sadistically than you probably actually intended. 

“Oh come on, Y/N! There’s nothing wrong with having someone to have a little fun with. You’re a young, attractive woman. Don’t count off all men just because of one asshole. You will be surprised by the men out there that would give their left arm to have a chance with you. You sell yourself too short,” she chided, watching your reaction closely. 

Shrugging, your roll your eyes dramatically as your brother burst through the door, not even bothering to knock.

“What’s up, ladies?” Jessie said, sitting down a few boxes of pizza on the bar in front of you.

“Dinner is served! I thought I’d be nice and pick up dinner for you girls tonight since Chris has to work late and you’re just getting settled,” he said, leaning against the bar, looking over your computer at your computer before you slammed it closed. 

“My hero,” you said with a sneer. 

Crystal snickered at you before opening the pizza box and grabbing a slice. “Dear God. Pizza and coffee for supper. I feel like I’m in college all over again.” 

“Fuck, at this point I wish I’d have gone to college. I’m never going to find a job here that’s not slinging drinks for a bunch of drunk men at all hours of the night,” you grumble, grabbing a slice of your own.

“So that’s up with the list of local watering holes you had pulled up there? Here I was thinking you just wanted to get tossed,” he said sarcastically. 

“No jackass, it’s just the only job I’m qualified for,” you growl, shooting him the finger and causing a coughing fit from Crystal who was laughing hysterically next to you.

“Well, you know if you are not interested in the whole bar scene anymore there’s a fairly new brewery that has opened up in Dripping Springs, Texas. One of our local celebrities and his family opened it up. They might be looking for someone. It is out in the country, it closes fairly early, usually it’s shut down by like 11 at night. It’s a bar, but it’s not a bar. Hell, you might even like it. Live music, trivia nights, I think it’d be a good thing for you,” he said, walking around you grabbing a glass and feeling it with water before returning back to the opposite side of the bar.

Rubbing your face with your free hand and taking a deep breath you tried to decide what to do. It didn’t sound that bad, but could things actually work out like you were supposed to? Could things actually go that right, or would it be just something that you got your hopes up for again and got let down?

Jessie could see your internal battle, reaching across the bar he grabbed your shoulder and made you look at him. 

“I’ll tell you what, both Chris and I have tomorrow off, let’s drive out there and see if they’re looking for anyone to hire. Either way, it might be fun. You deserve to have a little fun after everything that you’ve been through. Let’s just go have a good family day.”

“Okay, okay fine!” you said, leaning back and crossing your arms over your chest. “We’ll go check it out.”

Deep down inside there was a twinge of nerves you hadn’t felt in a very long time, and you didn’t know what to make of it, but you knew that if this worked out it could be the change you were looking for. 

Could you really be that lucky?

———————————————————————————————-

Tag List:

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Series Tag List:

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[lenezdansleruisseau]

Why Feuilly cares about Italy or “a lot of words to explain Hugo’s crush on Garibaldi”- part 4.2

Hi everyone! I’m officially back *trumpets play a funny song* and with me, it’s back also my niche history corner for everyone interested in answering the question: why did Hugo care about Italian politics? 

My friends this is THE chapter, the chapter everyone was waiting for, the chapter that starts to finally explain the title of this series of little history lessons: yes, you guessed it, it’s about Giuseppe Garibaldi.

First of all though, if someone has no idea of what I’m talking about because this is the first time they see me posting anything like this: here, here, here and here you can find the first four parts. 

If you’re here just for the main man, Garibaldi, or you just don’t have time to read the other four parts, just a quick reminder: the Kingdom of Sardinia, Piemonte and Savoy are the same thing (more or less, it’s a bit complicated, but this way you’ll follow better the events). 

And finally a disclaimer: Garibaldi is a HUGE figure in the history of Italian independence, he is the pinnacle of Italian heroism and he remains on a pedestal of bravery and glory. And he was kind of an incredible figure, I mean I’m not surprised in the least that both Hugo and Dumas LOVED him, he was everything they liked in just one person: (sorry for the spoilers!) he had been a sailor, he was in a secret society, he had been a corsair, fought in, at least, three war of independence, changed identity too many times to be counted, had a romantic and tragic love story started with love-at-first-sight first meeting, he had been a factory worker, he freed slaves, he insulted kings and he was a fervent republican. 

But as we well know, and Hugo himself in the book we are all here to analyze in its every detail, no man is perfect and Garibaldi certainly wasn’t. He was better than most, but not perfect. 

Why am I saying this? Because I’m not a historian and I’m not perfect either so it can be that some part could be more pro-Garibaldi than they should be, I tried my best though! 

The last disclaimer then I’ll start, I swear: there is a part about Brasilian history. Do I know a lot about Brasilian history? Unfortunately not! Did I try to research enough not to say anything really stupid? Yep! Still, if someone wants to expand on that subject or correct me or specify something I couldn’t be happier! 

And now let’s begin! 

Giuseppe Garibaldi was born in Nice on 4 July 1807. Second son of Domenico, a merchant captain, and Rosa Raimondi. At 8 years he saved a laundress who was drowning and helping people drowning was a constant through his whole life, so much so that it is reported that he saved at least 12 other people in the course of his life. 

His parents wanted to make him study to become a lawyer, a doctor or a priest, but Giuseppe did not like to study, preferring physical exercises and sea life. Seeing himself hampered by his father in his vocation to become a sailor, during the holidays he tried to escape to the sea from Genoa with three of his friends. Discovered by a priest who warned the family, he was stopped as soon as he reached Monaco and brought back home (rumors has it that this episode was the beginning of his dislike of the clergy, but I prefer to think his dislike for the clergy was rooted in the knowledge that it was a corrupt institution rather than for some petty teenage resentment).

In the end, he was able to make his dreams come true and become a sailor, he was, first of all, on the brig Costanza, then sailed with his father and other ship-owners to the East. At 25 he commanded a ship of his own and the following year, in 1833, in an inn of Taganrog, on the Black Sea, informed by a friend of his of the Mazzinian political action (= trying to create a Republic in Italy), he was "initiated", as he himself said, to the "sublime mysteries of Patria", and decided to devote himself to the national cause by enrolling in the secret society founded by Mazzini called Giovine Italia (which meant Young Italy).

He embarked as a simple sailor with the name of Cleombroto (which is the name of a Spartan king who fought against Thebes) on the frigate Des Geneys, to participate in the revolt that should have helped the Mazzinian expedition to Savoy.

The revolt failed in February 1834 and he was forced to flee. He was almost caught several times during the escape, after having passed the Varo river (between Savoy and France): the first when on the border it was led momentarily to Draguignan, then to a tavern where he sang all night to escape the host who threatened to denounce him. Finally, he arrived in Marseille.

Meanwhile, he had been declared one of the leaders of the conspiracy and he was sentenced to an ignominious death in absentia as an enemy of Patria and the State.  Garibaldi thus became a wanted man and for that time he lived with his friend Giuseppe Pares. Escaping again under a false name, he assumed the identity of an Englishman, Joseph Pane: on the 25th of July, he set sail towards the Black Sea on the French brig Union declaring he was a 27-year-old born in Naples.

He disembarked on the 2nd of March 1835 and in May he was in Tunisia. When he returned to Marseille he found the city devastated by a serious cholera epidemic and so offered himself as a volunteer to work in a hospital and stayed there for fifteen days. Since the routes were partly closed due to cholera, Garibaldi decided to leave for South America with the intention of propagating the Mazzinian ideals.

On September 8, 1835, he left Marseilles on the Nautonnier brig, assuming the false identity of Giuseppe Pane and claiming to have been born in Livorno.

In Rio de Janeiro he participated with other Italian exiles in the meetings of the Giovine Italia. Later he agreed with his friend Rossetti to run a war in favor of the state of Rio Grande do Sul that was rebelling against the Brazilian government, he first became a corsair in the name of the rebellious state (he apparently refused to take any part of the loot for himself even when he became captain and made a point to free any slave they encountered in their missions) and he later became commander of the war fleet. This experience will have great value for the formation of Garibaldi both as a leader of men and as an unpredictable tactician.

In the city of Laguna in 1839 Garibaldi met the woman he would have married some years later: Ana Maria de Jesus Ribeiro da Silva. It is said that, after having seen her with the binoculars while he was on board of his ship, once he reached her on the shore, he said in Italian "tu devi essere mia" (= “you must be mine”). Ana Maria, at the time 18 years old while Garibaldi was 32, had married four years before with a shoemaker, Manuel Duarte de Aguiar, much older than her, who, enlisted among the imperial troops, had fled from Laguna sometime before, but his wife did not follow him.

Garibaldi and Ana Maria passed to history and almost to the legend of the Italian Risorgimento with the diminutive Anita, married on March 26, 1842, at the church of San Francisco of Assisi with a religious rite. It is often told that Anita, a skilled horsewoman, taught Garibaldi how to ride, Giuseppe, in turn, instructed her, by will or by necessity, to the rudiments of military life.

At the beginning of 1842, forced to flee in Montevideo, Garibaldi brought with him Anita, he entered in the Uruguayan navy and he immediately resumed fighting in favor of Fructuoso Rivera against Oribe, supported by the Argentine Dictator De Rosas.

At the command of a flotilla, he was forced by the Argentine fleet near Nueva Cava to seek refuge ashore. Garibaldi had the command of a new flotilla and, having organized an Italian legion, went up the Plata. In September 1846 he was called back in Montevideo where he received the news of the Palermo’s revolution which persuaded him to embark for Italy.

In January 1848 he sent Anita and her sons (from the previous marriage) to Nice to his mother, but the Savoy ambassador didn’t allow him to embark until April of the same year. Once he arrived in Gibraltar, he learned that the king of Sardinia was preparing to intervene against Austria, so he decided to land in Nice, where, to the surprise of his fellow Mazzinians, he declared "not to be Republican, but Italian".

What did these simple words mean? You might ask, my dear readers. Well, they meant that Garibaldi who was a quite good military strategist and a not-too-bad political strategist had understood that the only chance for Italy to become a united, independent state was the Savoy family: Italy had to be united under a monarchy before becoming a Republic.

Was he right? We will never know and we will never know how much he actually believed in the Savoy monarchy. All we can say is that they did manage to unite Italy (after a couple of decades) and that Italy did become a Republic, just only 85 years later.

But back to the first war of independence!

Garibaldi was coldly received by the Sardinian government which wasn’t really convinced he had abandoned his republican dreams especially because Garibaldi was a severe critic of the at-the-time king of Savoy, Carlo Alberto. So much so that the king gave the order to stop him and, if deemed necessary, also to arrest him, causing the desertion of some volunteers. Not even bothered about that, at the command of a group of volunteers, he fought in Luino and conquered Varese which he had to abandon shortly afterward. He resisted in Morazzone and then, pressed by the overwhelming Austrian forces, he sheltered in Switzerland.

Back in Nice, he left with a few hundred volunteers for Sicily, but, having stopped in Tuscany, he offered his sword to the Roman Republic: first he fought in Macerata, which appointed him deputy to the Constituent Assembly, and then in Rieti, he was later called to Rome for the last defense against the French. After the bloody battle of April 30th, 1849 he participated in the brief campaign against the Neapolitan army, interrupted by Mazzini, and later he fought in the siege of Rome which ended with the fall of the Republic.

Garibaldi escaped and repaired to San Marino, from which he intended to reach Venice still a free Republic. Still, in San Marino, he discovered that his wife, who had already been sick for the whole journey, had cholera. They had no choice but to try and find shelter in Venice, but on the way, they were attacked by Austrian ships and they landed on the coast of Magnavacca (now Porto Garibaldi), in the pursuit that followed Garibaldi would carry Anita in his own arms since she was too sick to even walk. In August they were able to find a ship to escape the Austrians but once on the ground again, Anita died.

Garibaldi wanted to give his wife a dignified burial and to transport her to the nearby Ravenna, but there was no time and a grave was hurriedly dug in the sand of the pine forest. A few days later, a young girl, discovered the corpse and it was transferred in the cemetery of a nearby town.

The causes of Anita's death were long discussed in later years, even to attack Garibaldi. Eleven years later, on September 20, 1859, Garibaldi with his children Teresita and Menotti will return to Ravenna to move the remains of Anita to Nice, alongside those of Rosa, Garibaldi's mother.

Escaping through Romagna and Tuscany he managed to reach the Piemontese territory, from which, without protests, he accepted to be exiled. First, he stayed as a guest of the Piemontese consul of Tangier, then he went to New York to work in a candles factory, he finally resumed sailing in Central America, and between Peru, China and Australia.

Conquered by the realistic politics of the Sardinian government, in 1854 Garibaldi returned to Europe. After a shipwreck, Garibaldi stopped being a sailor for a while and decided to devote himself to agriculture, working as a farmer and breeder: he owned an olive grove with about 100 olive trees, as well as a vineyard, with which he produced wine, and raised 150 cattle, 400 chickens, 200 goats, 50 pigs and more than 60 donkeys (this isn’t really important information, but I thought it was something nice to know, he brought there his children to help him, it’s a really lovely image).

In August 1856, following a secret meeting with Cavour he made his thoughts public by distancing himself from the Mazzinian positions.  In December 1858 he met Cavour again, but this time publicly, on that occasion he also met Vittorio Emanuele (the new king of Savoy). He became vice-president of the National Society (a society that believed in a united Italy under the Savoy monarchy) and he was put at the head of troops: the next year the Hunters of the Alps were established, thanks to a royal decree and Garibaldi had the rank of major general.

In command of the Hunters of the Alps, he won the battles of Varese and S. Fermo, he protected the flanks of the Franco-Piemontese army and entered triumphantly in Brescia. Throughout this campaign, the number of volunteers following him grew from around 3,000 to a number not well quantified: 12,000 according to some historians, but only 9500 according to Garibaldi’s letters.

The events that followed the Villafranca peace (in which Vittorio Emanuele promised to retire his troops from Veneto in exchange of Lombardia) cooled the relations between Garibaldi and the Sardinian government. Second in command of the troops of the military league formed between Tuscany, Romagna, Parma and Modena, he passed through the Marche to extend the revolutionary movement there, but, called back by Vittorio Emanuele himself, he renounced the command, retiring to the island of Caprera, after launching a manifesto in Genoa to the Italian people of violent criticism of the Piemontese politics.

 We stop here for this part, in the next one, we’ll talk about Garibaldi’s famous Expedition of the One Thousand in Sicily and Italy’s unification. 

As always, if you have questions, doubts or corrections don’t hesitate to ask, I’m always glad to talk about history.

See you next time!

[famous-aces]

Henry David Thoreau

Who: Henry David Thoreau

What: Author, Philosopher, Abolitionist, Activist, Naturalist, Critic, Surveyor, Yogi, Historian...ah, Jeez, what wasn't he?

Where: American (active largely in the US)

When: July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862

(Image description: a photo of Henry David Thoreau from 1861, it is obviously in black and white but has faded to sepia. He is a white man in a jacket and what appears to be a scarf or cravat. He has a long, tired face, circles around his eyes. He has a thick beard and mustache and slightly messy hair, his hair is dark but graying.  End ID)

You have probably heard this name even if you don't know why. He is best known  for his memoirs, essays, and his role in the founding of the Transcendentalist movement. His progressive philosophy remains relevant to this day. His influence has lasted well over a century and he served as inspiration for the likes of JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., Hemingway, Tolstoy, Shaw, Gandhi, among dozens of other names of equal note.

Thoreau was a Transcendentalist through and through, meaning he believed in the inherent goodness of humanity and nature in conjunction with science, and the power of the individual. His writing is generally practical, thoughtful, detailed, and observant, and he wrote extensively on a number of subjects. Perhaps most notably on environmentalism (he is one of the inspirations for and a precursor to the 20th century environmentalist movement), nature, ethics, simple living, direct action, civil disobedience, abolition, tax resistance, anarchy, among countless other topics.  

Thoreau's most famous and popular works include Walden, which is the published version of of the diary Thoreau kept over his two year social experiment at Walden Pond (written beginning in 1845, published in 1854), "Civil Disobedience,"  which helped both Gandhi and Dr. King form their philosophies, and states that in an unjust society the just must rebel, (it was originally titled "Resistance to Civil Government or Civil Disobedience", 1849), "Walking" an instruction manual on how Thoreau thought, observed, and wrote (1862), "Slavery in Massachusetts", a speech given at a rally to protest the re-enslavement of escapee/fugitive slave Anthony Burns (1854) and Excursions, collection of essays, published posthumously in 1863 with biographical introduction by fellow author and Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson.  He also wrote on John Brown and his execution ("A Plea for Captain John Brown" [1859], Remarks After the Hanging of John Brown [1859], and The Last Days of John Brown [1860]).

(Image description: a replica of Thoreau's cabin in Walden. It is a very small wooded. Cabin in a clearing, one room at most, brown/gray in color. It has a white multi-paned window and a brick chimney in the back. The whole cabin is not much taller than its door. Behind it is a shed or outhouse.  They are surrounded by trees. Touching one of the closest trees is a brown metal statue of a man walking, presumably Thoreau. End ID)

Probable Orientation: Gay ace or possibly aroace with a desire for a male QPP.

I am very confident in Thoreau's asexuality, if a little shakier on his romantic orientation. As far as anyone knows (and his life has been repeatedly and heavily scrutinized since the 19th century) Thoreau never had a romantic or sexual partner. He was a public figure with a wide circle of friends, someone would have known at some point during his life and if somehow a partner escaped notice the historians who dedicated their lives to studying his life specifically would have uncovered them. Thoreau wrote on male/male relationships, some more platonic, some queerplatonic, some vagulely romantic, none sexual.

Thoreau, like Elizabeth I, is one cishets hold onto, turning away from the idea he could be anything but heterosexual regardless of the evidence to the contrary.  Like Andy Warhol he is one exclusionists refuse to acknowledge was ace, although they have even less of an argument here. Many aphobic fans of Thoreau are terrified by the idea that maybe, just maybe, the thing Thoreau loved most was nature. Some outrageous arguments from either side include: one historian claimed a poem Thoreau wrote for a man was actually meant for that guy's sister, some say he was being hip in writing about Achilles, some say he was too repressed to have sex, especially since he was gay. One blogger got heated in his admantness that Thoreau wasn't ace but was "a human being with feelings and needs." Nice aphobia there, dude.

But here is the thing about any of those arguments: Thoreau broke every other rule in his culture. He was not afraid to be different, and separated himself from society.  He was all about the individual breaking away from society and its traditions and going with your human nature. Thoreau did what he believed to be right.

He had a following, many friends and aquaintences, almost certainly suitors, he spent a lot of time alone in the company of men he seemed to find attractive e.g. Tom Fowler (who was his sole companion and guide through Maine) and Alek Therien (who visited Thoreau alone at Walden). I firmly believe that his percieved "prudishness" was not artificial but came from a genuine disinterest and failure to even really understand sexual attraction (his journals imply as much, you will see). If he did sleep with any of these men Thoreau never documented it, not even in his own journals. But what he did articulate in letters is that society's refusal to discuss sex/physical relationships was proof of its problems. Sex was natural so dismissing it wasn't. 

His feelings about sex are contradictory, he thinks it must be natural but he also finds it repulsive and dirty. He makes note at one point of how beautiful pollination is (he is quoting and translating J. Biberg but agrees with the sentiment and indeed only uses the quote to prove his point on the beauty of sexless flowers), but he vilifies or dislikes human intercourse. Thoreau seems to like the idea of sex without the sex, he likes closeness more than intercourse. He wants to like sex but can't, the closest he gets is the desire for these things to be open.

Quotes:

Hang onto your hats. There are some long ones here, but Thoreau, like Chopin, is pretty overtly ace. Like he couldn't make it clear without waving an asexual pride flag, would be hard considering it was invented in what? 2010? And Thoreau had already been dead 148 chaste, chaste years.

"What is commonly honored with the name of Friendship is no very profound or powerful instinct...I do not often see the farmers made seers and wise to the verge of insanity by their Friendship for one another. They are not often transfigured and translated by love in each other’s presence. I do not observe them purified, refined, and elevated by the love of a man…I do not often see the farmers made seers and wise to the verge of insanity by their Friendship for one another. They are not often transfigured and translated by love in each other’s presence. I do not observe them purified, refined, and elevated by the love of a man…Nor do the farmers' wives lead lives consecrated to Friendship. I do not see the pair of farmer Friends of either sex prepared to stand against the world...Even the utmost good-will and harmony and practical kindness are not sufficient for Friendship, for Friends do not live in harmony merely, as some say, but in melody. We do not wish for Friends to feed and clothe our bodies,--neighbors are kind enough for that,--but to do the like office to our spirits…[the ideal friendship] will make a man honest; it will make him a hero; it will make him a saint. It is the state of the just dealing with the just, the magnanimous with the magnanimous, the sincere with the sincere, man with man.”

-Henry David Thoreau, from his journal 1839. This entry on friendship the hope for something deeper than what most people call by that name, but still looking for friendship. He is looking for a partner, an emotional, spiritual, partner. This quote could be read as romantic or queerplatonic. You know which one I am leaning toward, queerplatonic, especially because he specifies these relationships as unique from marriage (which he equates in other texts with sex and maybe romance) also he was writing while on a trip with his brother, John, to whom he would later dedicate the publication after John's death in 1842. But it could easily also be a sexless romantic relationship, what he is looking for is not explicitly either.

The following are all from 1852 letters written by Thoreau to his friend and proofreader Harrison Blake. One of these letters was overtly written on the subject of "Chastity and Sensuality" and contains his complicated feelings on sexuality:

"What the essential difference between man and woman is, that they should be thus attracted to one another, no one has satisfactorily answered."

(Note: self explanatory)

"If it is the result of a pure love, there can be nothing sensual in marriage. Chastity is something positive, not negative. It is the virtue of the married especially. All lusts or base pleasures must give place to loftier delights...The deeds of love are less questionable than any action of an individual can be, for, it being founded on the rarest mutual respect, the parties incessantly stimulate each other to a loftier and purer life, and the act in which they are associated must be pure and noble indeed..."

(Note: in the above quote he seems to believe that in marriage sex must eventually stop because there is something better. As if they have gotten the sex stuff out of the way.)

"Love and lust are as far asunder as a flower-garden is from a brothel.

(Note: this was part of his description for his disdain for human sex vs human love, his confusion about sex but love of human relationships. It is part of that desire for sex without sex thing I mentioned but harsher than his tone in a later letter.)

"'The organs of generation, which, in the animal kingdom, are for the most part concealed by nature, as if they were to be ashamed of, in the vegetable kingdom are ex posed to the eyes of all ; and, when the nuptials of plants are celebrated, it is wonderful what delight they afford to the beholder, refreshing...'"

(Note: this is Thoreau quoting and translating J. Biberg. Part of the same letter as the brothel line. In this letter he discusses how perturbed he is by sex and lust, but how it should be something beautiful. He celebrates pollination, while finding human sex distasteful, again sex without sex.)

"The intercourse of the sexes, I have dreamed, is incredibly beautiful, too fair to be remembered. I have had thoughts about it, but they are among the most fleeting and irrecoverable in my experience."

(Note: Also self explanatory)

(Image description: the original title page of Walden. It has an illustration on it drawn by Thoreau's sister Sophia. Above the illustration it reads "Walden; or Life in the Woods by Henry D. Thoreau, Author of "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers". Then is the illustration showing Thoreau's cabin, it looks very much like the modern replica if with a slightly different treeline.  There is a path leading from the cabin down to the bottom of the image directed at the words below. The text continues after the drawing "I do not propose to write an ode to dejection, but to brag as lustily as chanticleer in the morning, standing on his roost, if only to wake the neighbors up. -Page 92. Boston, Ticknor and Fields. M DCCC LIV.". End ID)

[under-the-lake]

Crimes of Grindelwald:  The Phoenix, the Blood Pact and the Skull -  More Questions than Answers

When watching Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (in Newt’s Suitcase) - The Crimes of Grindelwald, many questions arise, first of which is WHERE ARE THE CRIMES? Grindelwald doesn’t really commit any crime in this film, apart from a couple of murders, which, given Grindelwald’s record, can be considered trifles. Unanswered question as of yet.

Many things happening in the film seem to make no or not much sense:

1. What about this mess during Grindelwald’s escape? - What about the blood pact?

2. The For-The-Greater-Good- Narghile-Projector-Skull, 1898

3. Is Credence really a Dumbledore?

4. McGonagall cannot have been teaching at Hogwarts in 1927. In Order of the Phoenix, she says she’s been teaching at Hogwarts for 39 years. And OoP is roughly 70 years after CoG...

I won’t develop more than the first two points. I guess there’s not enough evidence for or against the Credence is a real Dumbledore thingy to make a fair point, yet there are a lot of theories out on the web. And the last point, well, it speaks for itself. So either Production and Rowling changed the canon, which means reprint books with the right dates and review all the data about McGonagall, or admit the film bit with her is crap. Plus she’s so much out of character that it’s just a joke anyway.

1. Grindelwald’s Escape Mess and the Blood Pact Business 

When I watched the beginning of the film, it made no sense to me. Unless, as it dawned on me right after it, Abernathy and Grindelwald had already swapped bodies before the transfer took place, and Abernathy would be the one in the carriage, the Grindelwald without a tongue. SWAPPED BODIES. Yeh. Not used Polyjuice Potion, but actually Transfigured into the other. We know that Grindelwald is a fearfully skilled bloke, but that’s something we haven’t seen yet. I mean he spent a lot of time as Percival Graves, but that was only Transfiguring himself. 

Anyway, had the plan not backfired, Grindelwald would be free and Abernathy would have been tried in London and probably sent to Azkaban since the UK Wizarding Community has no death penalty. Still, that would have given Grindelwald the freedom to act in the shadows and eventually reach his goal, changing the script rather thoroughly.

Now why didn’t this trick work? Why did Grindelwald have to get inside the carriage eventually? Because of the Bloody Blood Pact.

What is a blood pact?

A blood pact, or blood oath, is an agreement between the parties that is traditionally sealed with a mixing of blood from all who take the oath. It sometimes involves spilling the blood, or drinking it. It can also be a more allegorical description of an oath. The most common is blood-brotherhood, or any kind of pact of non-agression and boundless loyalty between parties. According to some academic sources, blood pacts have been considered from the 12th century onwards as satanic, or primitive and non Christian (what a surprise), thus helping the building of the construct of the barbarian in the Middle Ages. And besides, that makes me smile because what else is the foundation of Christian religion but a blood pact of sorts between Jesus getting crucified and his followers? Pact which is, moreover, re-enacted during every mass by Catholics?

History has many instances of blood pacts recorded. One of them is part of Hungarian history, when the heads of seven tribes swore a blood oath to one amongst them, thus acknowledging him as their leader. It was around 830 AD. The blood was kept in a vessel.

I read that in East Africa, among the Maasai, blood oaths were made to form blood brotherhood, and they meant that no harm could be done among the brothers. That is rather close to what Dumbledore and Grindelwald made. 

In early Mongolia and China, blood brotherhood was seen as something more intertribal than individual. Whole societies were bound together by the oath of two people. It is said that Genghis Khan’s dad was blood brother with his friend, and that the young Genghis Khan himself, when he was still called Temujin, had a sworn brother since childhood.

Some historical events also happened with a ‘blood oath’ that was only so called because of its seriousness, but not involving any real bloodshed. For instance, in 1842, Joseph Smith instituted the endowment ritual in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA. It was later known as the penalty, in Mormonism, and the words and gestures were removed from the rituals in 1990. Critics call it a blood oath because of the words of the actual oath, that speak of bloodshed (like cutting the throat). Similar vows are found in Freemasonry at the beginning of the 19th century.

This side of the Pond, Norsemen used blood oaths to become foster-brothers. That happens for instance in the Icelandic story of Gisli the Outlaw, where the taking of the oath is described in detail. The four men in the story end up not carrying on. They do shed blood on turf together, but at the moment of tying hands, withdraw. Blood-brotherhood is something rather common in Norse mythology too. For example, Loki and Thor are said to have shared blood in the days of old, which is one of the reasons why Loki would be tolerated at all by the Gods.

So apparently, Grindelwald and Dumbledore did something of the like, and they also did, as some cultures would have done  keep the blood in a vessel (and that would include the Holy Grail... no comment) .

Why did Grindelwald need a blood pact in the first place and why is it he who keeps it and not Dumbledore?

Theories are flooding the wizarding network. One of them is that Grindelwald was nice and happy when he came to visit his auntie in Godric’s Hollow (see pic; from https://www.pottermore.com/features/the-life-and-times-of-albus-dumbledore). Come on, folks. He was already gathering followers in Durmstrang, was expelled for using Dark Magic and was already in quest of the Hallows. I personally think that Grindelwald never was caring and affectionate towards Dumbledore, but always the manipulative, ambitious and unscrupulous bloke we know. A former Voldermort, without Horcruxes. 

Second thing. According to Rowling, Grindelwald was a Seer. Remember that letter in Rita Skeeter’s The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore ? Here it is:

Gellert-

 Your point about wizard dominance being FOR THE MUGGLE’S OWN GOOD - this, I think, is the crucial point. Yes, we have been given power and, yes, that power gives us the right to rule, but it also gives us responsibilities over the rules. We must stress this point, it will be the foundation stone upon which we build. Where we are opposed, as we surely will be, this must be the basis of all our counter-arguments. We seize control FOR THE GREATER GOOD. And from this follows that we meet resistance, we must see only the force that is necessary and no more. (This was your mistake at Durmstrang! But I do not complain, because if you had not been expelled, we would never have met.)

Albus

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, chapter 18, pp. 395-396

Well. Here’s a theory based on this: How come Grindelwald went to meet Dumbledore just after the latter graduated from Hogwarts? How come he suddenly discovered Bathilda was family? Bathilda who lived across the road from the Dumbledores in Godric’s Hollow. If Grindelwald was a Seer, he might have Seen that Dumbledore was the man to thwart him in the future. He might also have Seen this letter. So would he want to finish his education in Durmstrang or get to the man who was to be his downfall but who was to fall in love with him? The other most powerful wizard of his generation? Maybe Grindelwald actually got himself expelled intentionally, to be free. I argue it’s Grindelwald’s ambition, fear and cunning that drove him to Godric’s Hollow, that he never had the slightest bit of positive feeling towards Dumbledore, and that he came intentionally to find a way to keep Dumbledore out of his way: the Blood Pact. 

BUT. Love is one of the main themes in Rowling’s wizarding world. Love as a means of protection. I therefore argue that the Blood Pact is NOT the thing that actually prevents the two men from fighting each other. It would only work as a magical artifact if both wizards’ intentions were pure and positive. So Grindelwald used Dumbledore as a weapon against Dumbledore himself. His love for Grindelwald is the thing that prevents Dumbledore from attacking, not the Pact. I think the pact acts like a Prophecy: it only works because one makes it work. So Grindelwald relies on Dumbledore’s love as a protection. Dumbledore was completely besotted with Grindelwald and Grindelwald used that as much as he could. That is also why Grindelwald had to keep the Pact and not Dumbledore: because it had no affective value for him, and he most certainly would not seek to destroy it, whilst Dumbledore might, once he realised he had been manipulated. That might also account for the pretty thorough bit of thinking that Dumbledore must have made about Love and about Prophecies… and that he shares with Harry in Half-Blood Prince, for instance.

So basically the Pact is Grindelwald’s ultimate protection against Dumbledore because Dumbledore loves Grindelwald. All right. Now how come, if that is the case, that by the end of the film Grindelwald hasn’t noticed that the thing had disappeared (remember, Newt’s Niffler nicked it during the Père Lachaise rally)? He was so keen on getting it back at the beginning, in the flooded carriage… I mean normal people would check their possessions after a meeting like the Père Lachaise one. Moreover, I don’t think that they only just arrived in Nurmengard when the final scene takes place. So why not worry about the Pact? Is the feeling of completion of having Credence finally in his grip so overwhelming that the pact is forgotten? A bit like Voldy doesn’t feel it when the first Horcruxes are destroyed?

I’m also curious about how the Pact is going to be destroyed and why it does take another 18 years. Provided it is destroyed. Fighting without destroying the Pact might get us back to the Dumbledore-Aberforth-Grindelwald duel that resulted in the death of Ariana. I don’t think any of the three wizards killed her, but her death might have impressed upon Dumbledore the power of Grindelwald, his unscrupulousness, and the might of the Pact as an obstacle to their confrontation.

2. The For-The-Greater-Good-Narghile-Projector-Skull, 1898

My first impression on seeing this skull in the hands of Grindelwald’s assistant Rosier made me think of a Muggle magic show. Impress people, show them stuff they don’t or can’t grasp. Lure them. Pure Grindelwald. Pure any dictator.

The Skull is a human one, without the lower jaw. It is engraved with Grindelwald’s symbol, the double G that reminds me so much of a swastika. It also has a date, 1898, and a German inscription: ‘Für das Größere Wohl’, which translates to ‘For the Greater Good’, and which is supposedly Grindelwald’s motto. It was also used by Dumbledore in that letter he sent his ‘friend’ in 1899 when they met in Godric’s Hollow (see above). People all over the internet tend to say Dumbledore invented the phrase. Well he did not. It was coined way earlier, and for instance it was used by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) who was a British jurist, philosopher and advocate of utilitarianism and animal rights. In the ideological duel that opposed Dumbledore and Grindelwald, using a phrase from utilitarianism is full of sense. Utilitarianism is a moral theory that explores the ethical reasons of action. An action can be morally acceptable or not, depending on its consequences. In our situation it’s the debate about why wizardkind should rule the Muggles. The reason for seizing power is different in both men. Dumbledore has positive ideas, Grindelwald thinks domination.

Many theories are out in the wild about the date on the skull. 1898 is one year before Grindelwald and Dumbledore met. If we stick to the idea that Grindelwald had a vision of the letter mentioned above, then he could have taken the phrase from there to use it and lure Dumbledore. He might also have simply come across it, but he doesn’t seem to me like someone who’d delve into philosophy books, nor care about what people thought. Using the quote is proof he’s manipulating people around him, for sure, and maybe he used the letter, maybe not. 

The weirdest bit to me is the narghile-projector. The Skull appears to be an object used by Grindelwald to project his visions so that other people can see them. A bit like a Pensieve, but with the show-off factor. The thoughts are actually blown into it via the mouth, whilst in the Pensieve, it is quite rational that they would come from the head and not the lungs. They are blown through a hose that is actually connected to the back of the skull, not the Foramen Magnum (the hole where the spinal marrow reaches the brain and only hole sizeable enough in a skull, apart from the eyes, nasal cavities and mouth). So I guess the skull was damaged to attach the hose. I mention this because it’s again showing how much respect Grindelwald has for anything. 

Grindelwald is a Seer, according to Rowling. So when he projects images of WW2 during his meeting in the Lestrange Vault in the Cimetière du Père Lachaise, he’s actually using this incredibly powerful way to get people to rally his cause: fear. Using the threat of a second war after peoples having barely recovered from the first, and economy being on the brink of implosion, is a very cunning move. Fear has always been the main vehicles of the rise to power of dictators. They need to be feared because the usually fear everyone. I won’t be analysing this too much here, because I’m planning another paper about that very issue.

To summarise, we can simply say the Skull is a way to show off and intimidate people. Next to that, even Circus Arcanus is schoolyard stuff.

3. The Phoenix

I’m not willing to discuss weather Credence is Aurelius and where he would be from. I don’t reckon there is enough evidence to make a point. However, I want to have a look into the phoenix, as a bird.

Let’s start with basics for beginners: Newt’s book. It is said that the Phoenix is the only creature that Newt might not have encountered on his travels. Might be he saw one in Dumbledore’s office, who knows when he got Fawkes. Ministry of Magic rating for the Phoenix is XXXX, which is ‘dangerous’. A footnote in the book mentions that the rating is not due to the fact the bird would be dangerous, which it is not, but to the fact that few wizards are known who have tamed one. According to Scamander, Phoenixes are found in Egypt, China and India, are peaceful and gentle, and have never been known to kill. They eat only herbs. 

The most notable fact about Phoenixes is their capacity to die by bursting into flames and regenerate from their own ashes, their ability to disappear and reappear at will (a power they share with Diricawls), and the fact that their tears have extraordinary healing powers, and can act against venoms as potent as Basilisk’s. Oh. Phoenix songs are magical too: they give the pure of heart courage and increases the fear of the impure.

Scamander’s allegations about Phoenixes being found in Egypt are confirmed by Muggle archaeology: Egyptians in Heliopolis worshipped a solar heron-like bird called Bennu (see picture above), but the information about this bird is scarce and subject to much controversy. The Chinese culture has a phoenix too, indeed, who is called fènghuáng. It shares some characteristics with our European phoenix. In China, its qualities are, besides being the female part of the dragon-phoenix yin-yang duo (see picture below), symbols of fire, the sun, justice, obedience, and fidelity. Remember Dumbledore speaking about Fawkes? ‘He’s really very handsome most of the time: wonderful red and gold plumage. Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers and they make highly faithful pets.’ (Chamber of Secrets, chapter 12, p.225). Faithfulness going to the point that if someone is faithful enough to their master, they can help them out of tricky situations, as we saw in Chamber of Secrets. 

Other cultures have phoenixes or phoenix-like birds: the Russians have the Firebird, the Japansese the Hō-ō, northern America the Thunderbird from Native American traditions (and Newt’s book). The Native American Thunderbird is part of the North West Coast (pic below, from https://pnsn.org/outreach/native-american-stories/thunderbird-and-whale/thunderbird-and-whale-stories/list-of-stories ) and Midwest Plain cultures, and has different statuses in each region. However, the notions of power, protection and strength are common to all. For instance, in Algonquian culture, the Thunderbird rules the upper world, while the earth part is the kingdom of the underwater panther or Great Horned Serpent (rings a bell? :P ). In Menominee culture, there is also this opposition between the Thunderbird and the Great Horned Serpent, but it is more of an actual manicheistic fight: the Thunderbird prevents the Great Serpent from overrunning the earth, and it controls rain and hail. However, in Menominee culture, Thunderbirds are the messengers of the Sun. So this draws a parallel with the Egyptian Bennu. Other cultures also feature the fight with the underwater spirits. In Ojibwe culture, for instance. They also state that the Thunderbird was created by Nanabozho especially for this purpose. Ok I think I’ll stop here and plan a paper about the Thunderbird. But what can be said is that somehow I feel like the Thunderbird is a sort of equivalent of our Eurasian Phoenix variations.

The phoenix is also an alchemical symbol. It symbolises the perfection of Quintessence (the fifth element, also called Ether). It also symbolises the Three Principles (Tria Prima: salt, mercury and sulphur, which relate to any triad in the world, like for instance energy, matter and entropy). Paracelsus adds that it refers to the fundamental matter, also called energy, dark energy, creative chaos, or the formless essence that defines all matter. Some authors go as far as saying that this means the phoenix is ‘the completely healed, perfected human being’, the one that has integrated himself so much that they don’t need their physical body anymore. All this talk about perfection and all that also means that eventually, phoenixes are related to the ultimate goals of Alchemy, which, in addition to healing and perfection, are the Elixir of Life and the Philosopher’s Stone… rings a bell?

Now all this makes Phoenixes quite special and, let’s face it, sort of the perfect birds for a bloke like Albus Dumbledore. Still. Why would phoenixes be the Dumbledores’ birds? In Crimes of Grindelwald, Dumbledore states that in their family, a phoenix will always appear to one who is in dire need of help. Why single Dumbledores out? And anyway, how and when did Fawkes come to Dumbledore? The only answer we have for sure about that last question is that it came before 1938 and was grown enough at that time to give two tail feathers to Ollivander to use as wand cores. As we know, one of them ended in Tom Riddle’s yew wand, which he got in 1938, and the other in Harry Potter’s holly wand. About the other questions, it’s a big ‘search me’. For the moment.

PS: Any comments, questions, critics or additional info welcome! :)

Online Sources

Blood pact:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magyar_tribes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_oath_(Hungarians)

https://dailynewshungary.com/mythical-blood-oath-this-is-what-the-leaders-of-the-7-hu-tribes-said/

Phoenix:

https://www.boutique-of-arts.com/the-alchemical-phoenix/ 

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/alcbirds.html 

Thunderbird:

http://www.native-languages.org/thunderbird.htm 

https://pnsn.org/outreach/native-american-stories/thunderbird-and-whale/thunderbird-and-whale-stories/list-of-stories

Books and Papers

Baabar (2018, 2nd ed.). Almanac History of Mongolia. Nepko Publishing. Ulaanbaatar.

Gaiman, N. (2017). Norse Mythology. Bloomsbury Publishing. London.

Hughes, L. (2006). Blood Oaths, Boundaries and Brothers. In: Moving the Maasai. St Antony’s Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Klossowski de Rola, S. (1973; 2013). The arcane doctrine of alchemy. Thames and Hudson, London.

Oschema, K. (2006). Blood-brothers: a ritual of friendship and the construction of the imagined barbarian in the middle ages. Journal of Medieval History, 32(3), 275-301.

Rowling, J.K. (1998). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Rowling, J.K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Rowling, J.K. (2005). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Bloomsbury Publishing. London.

Rowling, J.K. (2007). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Scamander, N. (1927). Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Bloomsbury Publishing, London, in association with Obscurus Books, Diagon Alley, London.

[leighpadolina-blog]

BLOG: Short Stories

The Cask of Amontillado

The Cask of Amontillado is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. It was first published on November 1864. This short story was very dark which is a recurring theme among other Edgar Allan Poe’s written works.

The story was narrated by Montresor. Montresor elaborately narrated how he took revenged on how his friend insulted their family name by killing Fortunato, his friend. Since Montresor knew Fortunato’s weakness was wine, he used it to lure him to go where he planned to kill him. Montresor told Fortunato that he obtained an Amontillado, a vintage wine and invited him in a private tasting in the palace of Montresor. They went under the palace where the bones of Montresor’s descendants reside. While they were walking inside the catacomb, Montresor offered and offered Fortunato glasses of wine until the latter became a little drunk as they walk. At the end of the catacomb, Montresor trapped Fortunato and fifty years later, his body was still trapped inside.

 The story of how Montresor killed Fortunato was clear but Montresor’s reason for doing such atrocious act is still a mystery. Because of its dark theme of drunkenness, revenge, and murder, some people might have a different view regarding the short story but nevertheless, it was a great story.

The Masque of Red Death

The second short story was also written by Edgar Allan Poe entitled The Masque of Red Death that was published in 1842. Since the story’s author is Poe, we could always expect a dark, horror theme in almost all of his works. This story focuses on the inability to escape both death and fate.

The story starts at the introduction of a plague called Red Death that was pestering the whole city which killed half of the population of his kingdom; However, Prince Prospero, was not alarmed by it and instead, he shut himself out of the city together with other nobles and women that he like inside an abbey to prevent the Red Death. The Prince held a masquerade party inside the abbey. After some time, the guests noticed an uninvited guest inside and they tried to catch the unwanted visitor to unmask him. At first the visitors and even the prince was scared but eventually Prince Prospero followed him but the prince was killed by the visitor. The people attacked the masked visitor to unravel his face, but to their surprise, there was no body inside the costume and mask. It was the Red Death. In the end, all of the people inside the abbey died.

The story contained a lot of symbolisms that it was very challenging to read. It is very frightening most especially if you really imagined every scenes and description that Poe used in his story. The way Poe conveyed the moral “inevitability of death and fate” was really unique and will make your heart pound.

A Father

This story was written by Anton Chekhov and it is a heartwarming story about a father and his sons. Musatov is a father who is also a drunkard and Boris is his very kind and understanding son. The story revolves around the time when Musatov visited Boris to lend some money.

What’s very touching about the story is despite Musatov’s drinking, he is still blessed with very loving sons who are always ready to help and visit him even if he is not sober. Chekhov does not sugarcoat anything and really shows how despicable the father is. In our generation, kids like Boris are rare. Kids who unconditionally love and support their parents despite everything else should be our role models.

At the end of the story, Musatov told his son “Attendez” and when I searched its English translation it means “Wait.” It does not really make sense and it was not explained what does he mean when he said wait to Boris. That is the question that Chekhov left us to think about and the answer might be the reason why his sons were all so kind to him despite his attitude and all.

God Sees the Truth, But Waits

This was a short story written by Leo Tolstoy published in 1872. The story’s theme was all about forgiveness, which as we all know, is very hard to give most especially to someone who did horrendous things to us. God Sees the Truth, but Waits will really bring emotions in your heart.

Aksionov is a merchant with a loving wife and kids. One day, he must left his family to go to a fair with his friend who is also a merchant. As they travel and stayed in one inn, Aksionov decided to go first, leaving his friend in the inn. On his way, he met an officer who forced to let him check his luggage and to Aksionov’s surprise, he saw a knife with blood. The officer said that his friend merchant was found dead in the inn and only Aksionov is the only one who can do it. Aksionov was imprisoned for 26 years until there is someone new inside the prison and the new prisoner later on confessed that he was actually the one who killed Aksionov’s friend. Semyonich, who killed the merchant, asked forgiveness to Aksionov and Aksionov unhesistantly forgave Semyonich. Before Aksionov was given a chance to get out of the prison, he was already dead.

At first I thought that it was really Aksionov who killed his friend because at the first part of the story, it was said that he is a drunkard that is why in the end, it was very devastating that it was really Semyonich who killed the merchant. It was also infuriating because Aksionov spent his 26 year inside the prison, which he does not deserve, making him miss all the things happened to his family.

Aksionov’s attitude and character is very ideal. The way he forgave Semyonich without asking for something in return must be imitated for those people who asks for our forgiveness. The moral of the story should always be thought deeply most especially to us students who always encounter different types of person who will might annoy us in the future.

The Piece of String

The Piece of String is a 1883 short story written by Guy de Maupassant which was included in his collection of other short stories Miss Harriet. It is a story of how Maitre Hauchecorne, a peasant, was accused of theft.

Maitre Hauchecorn and Maitre Malandain are enemies. One day, Maitre Hauchecome saw a piece of string on the ground and decided to pick it up thinking that it can be useful for future. Upon picking up the string he saw Maitre Malandain.  He was embarrassed of the thought the he will be seen picking up such string so he decided to act as if he was searching for something. At night, the mayor announced that his wallet was lost and Maitre Malandain accused Maitre Hauchecome of stealing it.  The latter told everyone the story of how he supposed to pick up a piece of string and all just to prove himself innocent but no one believed him even after the wallet was found, still the town did not believe him. Maitre Hauchecome died of a broken heart because of the incident.

In my own understanding, the string represents poverty that it why Maitre Hauchecome is embarrassed to be seen picking it up from the dirt. The theme surrounding the story was injustice and cruelty among humanity. Since Maitre Hauchecome was poor, he can be easily accused of doing such thing out of poverty and even though it was proven that he is not the one who stole it, the thought of stealing was now attached on his name.

You can really feel sympathy towards Maitre Hauchecome because from the beginning, we already knew that he was really innocent and yet no one believed him. Just like in today’s justice system, those who are under mostly suffer and cannot do anything to bring back the pride they have lost.

Hills like White Elephants

Hills like White Elephant is a short story written by Ernest Hemmingway in 1927 which shows the conversation between an American man and a young girl.

The girl and the man were having a conversation in train station while waiting for the train. The girl started their conversation by telling the man that the hills look like white elephants. The two are conversing but it seems that none of them are listening to each other. The two talks about an operation that the man wants the girl to have. Though it was not explicitly mentioned in the story but the operation was all about abortion.

The story was short but full of symbolism in order to deeper understand it. One example would be the White Elephants that the girl mentioned out of the blue which may be interpreted with the idiom “Elephant in the room” that means talk about a difficult situation or a problem that does not want to talk about.

The story needs deeper analysis from the reader in order to grasp the whole situation. I think Hemmingway deliberately wrote the story that way for the readers to leave the readers something to think about after reading.

[nahret]

For Honor

This is where it all started. Before I discovered the gods from the stars, my first love in this newly discovered world of otome games were the brave men of the Shinsengumi, a group of samurai in 19th century Kyoto. It’s a funny thing how I got there. Apparently, my browser had realized that I had started to learn Japanese, and in a well-targeted add, it showed me the title picture of this particular set of stories. I have to say, I do love it when the algorithm gets stuff right. And here we are, one year and countless stories later, and yet I’ve never written about the Shinsengumi.

The truth is, I needed a break. After reading a few of the stories, I was desperate for something more frivolous, more light-hearted. The stories of the Shinsengumi are good. They are very good. But because of their very nature, they have a capacity for tragedy unmatched by titles set in the modern world, for example. Death is possible every time the men set foot outside the compound; and when they come back alive, there’s still no guarantee that they will be healthy in body and mind. If, like me, you get emotionally invested in characters, that really takes a toll.

But it’s been a year, and I thought I’d pay a visit to my favorite samurai (I know, they are technically ronin, themselves). Maybe with some light-hearted holiday fluff? But first, obviously, I owe you an introduction.

What’s the Story?

Kyoto, 1863.

After the untimely death of her father, a doctor, the MC takes over running his clinic. While not fully trained, she is able to make simple remedies, using her father’s notes and journals for guidance. One day, a young man she’s never seen before stops by the clinic to have a minor wound treated. Overhearing the patients in the waiting room talking about a band of ronin who are supposedly in town, the man advises the MC to be careful “around those wolves”, lest she be devoured. When she chides him, he apologizes for his thoughtless words and is on his way.

A stranger at the clinic…

A chance encounter in the streets…

Are we surrounded by wolves?

That very same evening, the MC comes across an errand boy being accosted by just such a ronin. Being who she is, she is ready to rush into the situation, even though the ronin is armed. Fortunately, a casually dressed stranger steps in and defeats the ronin. As he runs for his life, the ronin shouts something about wolves. Could this stranger be one of the wolves the young man at the clinic mentioned?

When the MC tells her friend Oryo what happened, and how she was saved by a “wolf”, Oryo is shocked. She tells the MC that, of all the ronin in the area, those wolves are the worst ones. They dress in pale blue coats with a jagged white pattern on their sleeves, and they apparently loot and pillage their way through town – or so she heard from a customer. Another man standing nearby, reassures the women: those wolves will soon be expunged from this world; peace will come once again.

That night, as the MC is poring over her father’s books, several ronin break into the clinic. They are looking for a place to hide, since they are being pursued. Despite blowing out the candles, it is not long before the men who are after them find them. They are all wearing sky blue coats with a white, jagged pattern on their sleeves… As the newcomers fight the ronin in the MC’s house, a fire breaks out. The MC, who had made it outside, runs back into the flames to save her father’s medical journals. As she loses consciousness, she feels that she is lifted from the ground.

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The MC comes to in an unfamiliar room. Beside her, a man is sitting, apparently watching over her. He gives her a change of clothes, and one of her father’s journals that he was able to save from the blaze. It is thus that she is formally introduced to the men in the blue coats: they are the Shinsengumi, an elite police squad under the patronage of the Aizu clan, come from distant Edo to provide protection to the shogunate, and root out the lawless ronin that have been terrorizing the city. Since her house was burnt to the ground by the ronin, Kondo, the commander of the Shinsengumi, asks the MC to stay with them. She has nowhere else to go, and they could use the assistance of a fledgling doctor. Also, the Chōshū – the ronin sowing terror in the city – know her face, so, it turns out, it is actually in her best interest to remain under the protection of the wolves…

Left to right, top to bottom: Hijikata Toshizo, Okita Soji, Harada Sanosuke, Saito Hajime, Kondo Isami, Takasugi Shinsaku

The Guys

Hijikata Toshizō, also known as “the Demon Deputy” is a harsh man. As Kondo’s second in command, he supervises the Shinsengumi with iron discipline. There is, however, a softer side to him, for he likes to gaze at the moon and write poetry.

Okita Sōji, renowned swordsman and a bit of an ass, is as fierce in battle as he is irreverent outside of it. He is charming and surprisingly good with children, who love hanging out with him. He generally gets on well with people. It’s a good thing they don’t know he comes home every night, drenched in blood.

Harada Sanosuke is a tall, forbidding, and taciturn young man. He wants nothing to do with weaklings, and by extension, with women, since they are weak. His opinion on the latter is, as we can imagine, subject to change. So much so, that he puts his life on the line to save the MC.

Saitō Hajime is one of the best swordsmen in existence, which is notable especially since he is left-handed. He is also a blank canvas, a man with no memory of who he was before he was found by the Shinsengumi. What we do know is that he cannot cook to save his life.

Kondō Isami, the commander of the Shinsengumi, is an honorable, benevolent, and warm person. Nothing is more important to him than the well-being of his men, and of the citizens of the capital who have been entrusted to him.

Takasugi Shinsaku is a traitor. That is to say, he is not one of the Shinsengumi, but of the opposing Chōshū. All I know is that he is a very handsome man, as is commented upon in almost every route, but he is also the enemy, and I never considered playing his story.

Why would I date you?

You mean, apart from the fact that they are samurai? There needs to be an additional reason? Have you no honor? Okay then, how about this: these characters are men that actually existed. Yes, indeed, the Shinsengumi were real.

History

Since European wars have a way of spilling all over the world, an incident between England and the Netherlands in which Japan was collateral damage, led the Tokugawa shogunate to double down on its policy of “Sakoku”, closed country, which prohibited foreigners from stepping foot on Japanese land. The strictest application, which also sought to expel foreigners from Japan, remained active until 1842.

Friction arose between factions of differing philosophy regarding the usefulness of employing technology and knowledge gained from the limited exposure to foreigners the Japanese had had so far. Some argued that only traditional Japanese methods should be employed to stave off increasing foreign influence, others felt it necessary to “control the barbarians with their own methods”. In the end, it was again the white people who forced Japan’s hand, this time in the person of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, who simply threatened the Japanese with violence if they did not open up to trade.

Japanese depiction of Perry’s ship. Looks benevolent.

The results were political and economic instability. The shogunate was weakened after having had to concede in the treaties with the Americans and the Russians, which came soon after. Since the exchange rate between gold and silver in Japan was “cheaper” than in the European-controlled world, foreigners bought gold in massive amounts in Japan, thus destroying the Japanese currency and its economy. As is also the norm, the foreigners brought a heretofore unknown disease with them. Cholera wiped out several hundred thousand people.

Finally, in 1863, an Imperial Order was issued to “expel barbarians”. And while the Emperor was the head of government, of sorts, his role was understood at the time as ceremonial, much as it is today. Therefore, an order issued by the Emperor that contradicted the policy of the shogunate was… difficult. The Chōshū clan, however, immediately began to carry out the order, in open defiance of the Tokugawa shogunate. After a failed attempt by the Chōshū to restore Imperial order over the shogunate, the Tokugawa, Aizu, and Satsuma clans expelled the Chōshū from the palace.

This is when the Tokugawa gathered an elite force to patrol the capital and protect the interests of the shogunate against the Chōshū incursions. After a predecessor of the group fell apart, the Shinsengumi were formed. They then also requested permission to patrol the streets of Kyoto from the Aizu, a request which was granted.

The real Hijikata Toshizō

The Serizawa faction of the Shinsengumi, however, was more disruptive than beneficial to the capital, which is why the Aizu ordered Kondo to eliminate Serizawa and his officers. Yamanami Keisuke and Hijikata Toshizo ordered one of Serizawa’s men to commit seppuku for breaking regulations. Serizawa himself was assasinated by a small force led by Hijikata. This left Kondo as the leader of the Shinsengumi.

The showdown in the main stories of our fictional Shinsengumi is the real-life Ikedaya Incident: there, the Shinsengumi killed a group of ronin in the employ of the Chōshū, who had apparently planned to kidnap the daimyo of the Aizu clan, and set fire to Kyoto.

Kondō Isami, born in 1834, was the youngest of four siblings. The son of a farmer, he was adopted by the third generation master of the Tennen Rishin-ryū, Kondō Shūsuke, who had seen him train in his dojo. He became the fourth generation master, and took over the running of the Shieikan (the main dojo). It is there that he first met Hijikata. Kondō was known to be an avid reader and scholar. He was apprehended by Imperial forces in April 1868, and was executed by beheading on May 17th, 1868. His head was publicly displayed on a pike.

The son of a well-to-do farmer, Hijikata Toshizō was born in 1835, the youngest of ten children. It is said that he was uncommonly tall compared to the average male at the time, and he was handsome. It seems that he was also a bit of a spoiled brat when he was young. He helped in the family business of selling their Ishida sanyaku, a herbal remedy for treating bruises and broken bones. Through his brother-in-law, he was introduced to Kondō and the Shieikan. He never fully mastered the Tennen Rishin-ryū, but instead developed the “Shinsengumi-Kenjutsu” fighting style. In the final battle of the Boshin War, Hijikata gave his page his katana, a photo of himself, a letter, a few strands of his hair, and a death poem, to be taken to his brother in Hino: “Though my body may decay on the island of Ezo, my spirit guards my lord in the East.” On June 20th, 1869, he died by a gunshot wound sustained while leading his men into battle.

Okita Sōji‘s older sister Mitsu was adopted by Kondō Shūsuke, so that she could marry the adopted son of the Okita family. This is, of course, the same man who had adopted Kondō Isami. Okita started training at the Shieikan at the age of nine. He was unusually gifted, and had mastered all the techniques by age 18. He was born in 1842 or 1844, which made him one of the youngest recruits of the Shinsengumi. He is described as charming and polite, but also as strict as an instructor of kenjutsu for his students. He was appointed by Kondō to become the fifth generation master of the Tennen Rishin-ryū. Okita developed a signature technique, called “Mumyo-ken”, which could attack the opponent’s neck, left shoulder, and right shoulder in one motion. Okita was hospitalized during the Boshin War, and when the shogunate forces retreated, he stayed behind in Edo in the care of his sister Mitsu. He died of tuberculosis on July 19th, 1868, at the supposed age of 25.

Nihonbashi bridge in Edo

Harada Sanosuke was born in 1840 into a family of chūgen: better than commoners, but less than samurai. He was trained in the  Hōzōin-ryū style, using a spear as a weapon, rather than a sword. Once, he was taunted by a higher-ranking retainer of the Matsuyama clan that, given his low social class, he didn’t even know how to properly commit seppuku. Upon which he immediately drew his sword and attempted to actually do it. The wound, however, was shallow, and Harada survived. After leaving the Matsuyama’s service, he went to Edo to train in Kondō’s Shieikan.Having left the Shinsengumi after the defeat in the Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma, he returned to Edo, where he fought with the Shōgitai, who also sided with the Tokugawa shogunate, in the Battle of Ueno. He was severely wounded by enemy gunfire, and died two days later, on July 6th, 1868. There is, however, an interesting rumor, that Harada did not die, but was able to flee to China, where he then became the leader of a gang of bandits on horse-back. He is also rumored to be the mysterious old man who came to the aid of the Imperial Forces in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894/5…

Little is known about the early years of Saitō Hajime. His birthname was Yamaguchi Hajime, and his father was a foot soldier in the employ of a samurai in Edo. Saitō left Edo after accidentally killing a hatamoto (a ronin in the direct employ of the Tokugawa shogunate). He was of an age with Okita when he joined the Shinsengumi, making him one of the youngest in their ranks. Saitō Hajime was, even in real life, the dark, mysterious kind, in that he spoke sparingly. He was also known for his immaculate appearance and exemplary posture, typically sitting in the formal seiza position. Believed killed in the Battle of Nyorai-dō, Saitō managed to escape alive and rejoin the ranks of the Aizu. However, when Aizuwakamatsu Castle fell, he, along with other Aizu soldiers, was held as a prisoner of war. The surviving Aizu traveled to Tonami, the new domain of the Matsudaira clan of Aizu, and Saitō with them. In 1874, he returned to Edo, which in 1868 had been renamed “Tokyo”. There, he began working for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. In a twist of fate, he fought, in this capacity, on the side of the Imperial Army against the Satsuma Rebellion*, former allies of the Aizu. In 1875, he assisted in setting up a memorial for Kondō Isami and Hijikata Toshizō. Saitō Hajime died in 1915, at the age of 72 years, in his living room, while sitting in perfectly straight seiza posture.

Takasugi Shinsaku was born in 1839 in Chōshū Domain, present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture. He was a samurai and a brilliant military tactician. In 1862, Takasugi went on a reconnaissance mission to China, to observe the effect of western influence on the country. Shocked by what he saw, he returned to Japan determined to avoid the fate of colonization. He formed the revolutionary shotai, a militia comprised of not just samurai, but people of all classes. Apparently, everybody from farmers and merchants to sumo-wrestlers and priests could (and did) enlist. He also provided this new militia with western weapons and tactics, thus outwitting the traditional Tokugawa forces. In the end, his approach proved successful: the Tokugawa shogunate fell in 1868, and the Meiji Restoration restored (hence the name) the Emperor to power. Takasugi, however, did not live to see the day; he died in May 1867 of tuberculosis.

* The Satsuma Rebellion was the last stand of samurai Saigō Takamori. The movie “The Last Samurai”, featuring Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise, tells his story.

What’s with the history lesson?

What? Like this isn’t interesting? I guess not everybody gets a kick out of history, huh. What I’m quite impressed with, though, is how some of the corner-stones of the real Shinsengumi’s peculiarities were worked into the stories here. I really appreciate that, because research has clearly been done, and the stories are better for it. No, that doesn’t mean they’re historically accurate. That wouldn’t be very… romantic. But the characters are recognizable from their templates.

I choose you!

I’ve read the main stories of Hijikata, Okita, Saito, and Harada. And yes, we call them by their family names. Kondo was too pure for my tastes, and indeed, my friend The Librarian found his story to be rather boring. Don’t get me wrong, he is a very good man, but the vibe is more “guardian” than “lover”, I guess. All the stories are really intense, as the threat of death constantly hangs over the men. Especially Saito practically seeks it out. If you’re looking for gut-wrenching, you’ve come to the right place.

A word on our MC: I like her. As opposed to her modern-day counterparts, this girl is actually a virgin, so all the blushing has a place. What she also is, though, is courageous, and capable. She learned medicine from her father, and continued his clinic on her own after his death. She is not squeamish around blood (it’s just that sometimes, there’s a bit much of it). Actually, she is not squeamish in general. After initially being intimidated, she finds her place among those “brutes”, as Kondo calls them.

This is still one of my favorite titles. Even if it’s a bit much for my poor heart…

Era of Samurai: Code of Love A historical drama about samurai who were actually people in real life. Includes a history lesson. You're welcome. For Honor This is where it all started. Before I discovered the gods from the stars…

[christineannetang]

0) The Hong Kong List Guide

(My boyfriend reminded me to present the Hong Kong List Guide in a form that would be easier to read and share. The PDF has all the same content, but I split the guide up into 0+5 sections for easy reading. If you want the guide in one whole PDF, click here. Otherwise, read on!)

Hello and welcome to the Hong Kong List Guide!

My name is Christine Tang and I studied at City University of Hong Kong from August 2015 to December 2015 when I was a junior at Drexel. During my stay in Hong Kong, I discovered a few things that I wish I had known about before going there, and I also wished I had mentors or friends that could give me tips around the campus and city. Unfortunately, I did not have guides and had to find out many things by myself, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but meant more work for me. This is what motivated me to create a guide for Hong Kong. I wanted to help future students adjust to this city quickly and painlessly and like it as much as I do. This guide is composed of 5 lists, with 10 items on each list:

1) General Tips for Everyday Living in Hong Kong

2) Things to Know About CityU

3) Things to Eat

4) Places to Go

5) Things That Should Be Appreciated in Hong Kong

A few disclaimers, though: I did not go to every single tourist spot or must-see spot in Hong Kong, regrettably. Additionally, many of the things in my guide (as are all other guides) are my own opinions. Lastly, as of March 2016, this guide is up-to-date and all correct, to the best of my knowledge.

 A few facts about Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is composed of three land masses: Lantau Island (which is where the airport and Disneyland are), Kowloon (which is connected to China), and Hong Kong Island (south of Kowloon, many business buildings here). The language primarily spoken here is Cantonese Chinese, and English is their other official language. Cantonese Chinese is not the same thing as Mandarin Chinese. As a fluent Mandarin Chinese speaker, I can say that the Cantonese dialect is so different from Mandarin, I can't understand a word. The written languages for both are Chinese, but Mainland Chinese is simplified Chinese (for example 龙) while Hong Kong uses traditional Chinese (the same word but in traditional Chinese is 龍).

Hong Kong was occupied by the UK from 1841 and ceded by China in 1842. On July 1st, 1997, Hong Kong was handed back to China, not as a regular city but a special administrative region (SAR), which means that it is under China's sovereignty, but is not part of the mainland. That's why sometimes you'll see HKSAR written in places -- it stands Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Hong Kong is famously known for its "one country, two systems" way of running things, but right now there's a lot of tension between Hong Kong and China. This is on a big scale, of course, but you will observe this on a smaller scale, too, with the people you will meet; Hong Kongers consider themselves different from Mainland Chinese and not part of China, and the Mainlanders (generally) insist that Hong Kong is still part of China and the people are one and the same. Maybe the tension I observed was only in my mind. Maybe not.

Some parts of Hong Kong are clearly influenced by the British -- the most obvious examples include cars driving on the left side of the street and the use of British English (rubbish, queue). There is a street and MTR (mass transit railway, subway) station called Prince Edward, named after Edward VIII (or The Duke of Windsor). Speaking of the MTR, getting around Hong Kong is pretty nice. The public transportation system is easy to understand, clean, and efficient. More on that later.

The US dollar to Hong Kong dollar exchange rate is about $1 to $7.75, but of course this varies.

The weather upon arrival late August was so. Incredibly. Hot. It felt like about 100 degrees each day, if not more. I felt like a slug or something because my skin was always moist (i.e., covered in sweat). You could actually just sit in a room somewhere, not do anything, and be covered in sweat. Winter weather is pretty mild (my cousin coming directly from the US said it felt like spring), maybe about 60-70 degrees for daily highs. Unfortunately for me, I had grown accustomed to the 80-degree weather, so 60 degrees to me felt like Antarctica.

 If this guide isn't enough, or if you want more, you can read the 31 blog posts I wrote for Drexel Study Abroad's office:

https://drexelstudyabroad.wordpress.com/author/christineannetang/

I also have a personal blog:

https://lingeringinklings.wordpress.com/

 I sincerely hope this guide will be of use to you on your upcoming term abroad!

Best of luck!

 Christine Tang

March 7, 2016