#hello Nunavut!

[mllebleue]

I love this map quite a lot.

From this source: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220427/mc-b001-eng.htm

[atla-confessions]

I know the Water Tribes are inspired by Inuit peoples, but they’re also based on indigenous cultures all over the world - not just the Alaska-Canadian region. This is such a mild thing for me to be peeved by, but I reeeeaallllyyyy need to get it off my chest.

We’re talking about a fictional world here, but when I see people (US Americans) provide real-world examples, they only consider ‘Inuit’ to mean Alaskan-native. When really, the term includes all the culturally & historically similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting the surrounding arctic and subarctic regions affiliated with North America. Which includes Russia’s Chukotsky District, Greenland, Labrador, Québec, Nunavut, and more. I don’t remember all the places, but most of them are Canadian provinces.

But what about Siberia? and Mongolia? yes, i know Mongolia is landlocked which kind of defeats the point of the water tribes, but it borders the region of Siberia & shares some traits. geographically fits the northern parts of the earth kingdom.

but that’s the NWT and northern earth kingdom.

the SWT also takes influence from Aboriginal Australians - Sokka’s boomerang (yes, also found elsewhere, i know. but evidence of the boomerang in australia dates back 50,000 years & the oldest surviving boomerang is from 10,000 BC. that’s thousands of years older than boomerangs from ancient egypt [~1330 BC]), rabbaroos, koala sheep, etc.

the foggy swamp can also be likened to Indigenous Australia (the northern and southern tribes originated there, and it can be assumed that the first waterbenders are from there, too. Aboriginal Australians are the oldest / longest standing cultures on earth). biome similarities etc.

also, hello?? south pole?? Antarctica?? aurora australis? it’s not the north pole. OH OH ANOTHER PETTY PET PEEVE is when fics use ‘arctic’ for the southern water tribe. boo 👎👎 antarctic supremacy.

I forgot where I was going with this. something something pacific & torres strait islanders influence something something.

TL;DR alaska isn’t in asia & the atla universe takes inspiration from all over the world, not just china, japan, tibet, and alaska.

sry this is really petty of me & i may be flexing my mad HSIE skills just a bit. but i had to get it out there 🙏. i’m just so fed up with us-centralism.

also before anyone says anything: australia has snow. ✌️.

X

[bitchinbarzal]

Hello - Canadian here! In elementary school, we have to colour maps of Canada. The territory of Nunavut is made up of a bunch of islands and it was always a pain to colour as a kid and I know others feel the same way. I can imagine Astrid asking Elias for help with homework, her asking him to help her colour Nunavut, and him noticing Nunavut for the first time (like why else would he look at a map of Canada?) he agrees to help her colour and I can see him being disgruntled about colouring it 🥰

You came home to hear them arguing in Swedish.

“pappa du gör fel” daddy you’re doing it wrong

“hur kan jag färga fel?” how can I color in wrong?

You stood in the doorway amused watching them, they sat at the kitchen table with a large map and colouring pens.

“What are you two up to?” You smirked

“She’s here to save me!” Elias poked Astrid as you walked over and kissed him.

“Mama he’s doing it wrong!”

“What’s he doing wrong Älskling?” You crouched by the table

She explained how he’d agreed to do her homework with her and now he wasn’t using the right colours, outside the lines.

You tutted “now, now babe do our babies homework right”

“Oh hush” he grumbled, getting back to colouring in.

They continued grumbling at each other in Swedish while you cooked dinner but you could see how happy your girl was to be spending time with her daddy.

[godnectar]

Hello! I found your blog and now expect seal facts everyday in your askbox, now heres one for ya:

Seals Are Related to Bears, Skunks, and Badgers

Evolutionary biologists have been arguing over seals' origins for more than a century. While relatively sure that pinnipeds evolved from land-dwelling carnivores, scientists are divided on the precise steps that occurred between terrestrial ancestors and modern marine mammals. Along with the three subclades of pinniped, the suborder Caniformia contains Ursidae (bears), Mustelidae (badgers, otters, weasels, and relatives), and Mephitidae (skunks and stink badgers). In 2007, a nearly complete skeleton of a new semi-aquatic carnivore from an early Miocene lake deposit in Nunavut, Canada, was discovered and became known as an evolutionary link between land mammals and seals.

woah- 😳 bro,, this is cute ( because- s e a l s ) and interesting at the same time 😂😭

[anikaimmigrations]

How Many Provinces in Canada?

Hello, welcome back to another Anika Immigration knowledgeable blog.

Canada has ten provincesand threeterritories.

The provinces and territories are:

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Newfoundland and Labrador

Nova Scotia

Ontario

Prince Edward Island

Quebec

Saskatchewan.

The territories are:

Yukon,

Nunavut and

the Northwest Territories.

Facts

The provinces have more powers and responsibilities than the territories, as they derive their authority from the Constitution Act, 1867.

The territories are delegated their powers by the federal government.

Difference

The provinces and territories vary in size, population, and economic activity.

v Ontario is the most populous province with over 15 million people, followed by Quebec with over 8 million people.

v Nunavut is the largest territory by area with over 2 million square kilometers, but also the least populous with less than 40 thousand people.

v Alberta is the richest province by GDP per capita with over 78 thousand Canadian dollars, while Prince Edward Island is the poorest with less than 46 thousand Canadian dollars.

Specialties of Canada

Canada is a diverse and multicultural country that welcomes immigrants from all over the world.

Each province and territory has its own culture, history, and attractions.

Some of the most famous landmarks in Canada

Niagara Falls in Ontario

the CN Tower in Toronto

the Parliament Hill in Ottawa

the Old Quebec City in Quebec

the Rocky Mountains in Alberta

British Columbia

Churchillthe Polar Bear Capital of the World

Manitoba.

I hope you enjoyed learning about Canada’s provinces and territories. Have a nice day! 😊

[wndaswife]

hi rae <3

i’ve come to realise that our last few talks were about me!

so i wanted to know more about u!!!

i remember reading once that u live in Canada? right?i assume it’s very cold there! r there a lot of moose around? we don’t have those here in new zealand. i think they brought them over but they went extinct :(

do u have hobbies? play an instrument?

oh! i seen u reblogged the post for a anonymous message saying what we think of u!!

sooo i’ll do it while i’m hereeeee

i feel u r a very warm person. u probably pay attention to the very last detail. your blog reminds me of the warmth from a campfire if that makes sense. i bet ur a very attentive listener. i like how u respond to anons and stuff because it feels u actually read what they said and took the time to responded accordingly. i find u very funny and omg ur writing!! very well done. trying not to overkill here but ur vv cool.

anyways i hope ur well <33

hello!!! :> we did talk about you in our last talks but there's nothing bad about that, though im happy to tell you anything you wanna know about me!! <3 im really rambling here too it's rly early and i have a lot of energy so this is a forewarning !!!

yep i live in canada!! it's relatively cold but not colder than other places that get regular winters and stuff. i live in the very south part of canada so im a bit warmer here, tho vancouver and especially the north like nunavut and yukon are very cold, so i also see why the entirety of canada is generally viewed as colder than most places

which actually may or may not be true idk but where i am it's not soooo bad, except we do get pretty intense winters here and there. actually this winter a lot of people in my region had a bunch of power/heat outages etc etc for a few days, so winters r usually very cold.. is that normal for people outside of canada?? like on average? 🧐 there is a funny stereotype where we live in igloos and stuff LOL in quebec there's a huge winter festival where people can go to ice hotels and stay there, and those desserts where people pour maple syrup onto snow and eat it is actually real tho i've never tried it

hehehehe that's funny about the moose 😭 i've never seen one!!! i think it's also a popular idea that there r a lot of moose! not around where i live but more secluded nature-y parts of canada, which is mooooost places i think?? i have a bit of an uneducated view maybe because i've always lived around toronto which is very city-like. they're huuuuugeee actually and run super fast god i would wanna see one in person but keep my distance for sure. i have a friend from new zealand! i've never talked to anyone from there before him and his accent was a real mix of things i thought, never imagined i'd hear scottish and australian sounding accents in one person! my friend and i were just talking about how weird it is how there r animals all over the world, like cats in russia or bunnies in egypt or something,, like how did y'all get there for real what are u even doing there (i mean the answer is obvious but it's a slightly weird thought)

ummmm hobbies ah i like to read and write uuuuhhhmm i like graphic design! like i used to do it on adobe photoshop tho i haven't done it in a while, i like to swim (even though it's very rare that i get to) and no i don't play any instruments! took piano lessons for a few months (ish?) before tho. what about you? do you play instruments and what r your hobbies?

thank you so much for saying that T_T that's really really nice of you to say and i think i do make an effort to put that energy across sometimes, it's just nice to be kind and it makes me rly happy to imagine being able to make people feel seen and comforted! i personally really value comfort as well :D ehehe thank u for saying you think im funny that's very sweet and im glad, i think sometimes my humour may not rly reach people 😭 😭 i think you r a really cool and very lovely person too <33

im doing well yes!! thank u for checking in and i hope you've been doing alright too 💓💓💓💓

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Hello - I'm having a hard time finding a rundown of what each of the provinces and territories are like. do you already have a post that gives a rough summary or a site about the provinces' political leanings? No worries if not!

BC is the only province run by the NDP (Centre-Left).

Yukon and Newfoundland & Labrador are run by Liberals (Centrists)

Northwest Territories and Nunavut have no political parties.

Every other province in Canada is run by Conservatives (Centre-Right to Right-Wing).

Large cities are generally more progressive even if a province leans towards the right, so take that into account.

[sane-human]

I would like to see you draw the Canadian provinces and territories! I love your art style btw

Hello! Thank you! bsjdksk

To draw all the provinces is a lot Q Q

I did Canada and the Four corners for now!Again thank you and sorry, I'll eventually do every province as time goes on!

Canada‘s national animal is the beaver so I gave them those traits!

They were under the kingdom of France at first (there were five colonies, with Canada the most developed colony that was divided into the districts of Québec, Trois-Rivières, and Montréa )

Then they were given to Great Britain and Spain in 1763 under the Treaty of Paris!

I also read a bit about the Burning of Washington, but I need to study it more deeply!

And they got independence in July 1, 1867!

Here are the Four corners as chibi!

(They are the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut!)

[flooficandii]

NUNIQ

Raised in the biting blizzards of Iqaluit, Inuk revolutionary Nuniq turns the battlefield into her fortress. Her defensive abilities transform areas into fiercely guarded citadels; if you dare to tresspass, you'll have hell to pay.

—

EDIT: nuniq's official wiki doc is out! read here:

—

meet nuniq; an inuk sentinel from nunavut, canada. she's a radiant with snow and ice-based abilities.

(hello!! this is the original masterpost for all things nuniq. formatting and consistency is messy here since this is a wordvomit post. i suggest you read her wiki for a better understanding of her character. this does have some basic oc stuff and remnants of her character in early development. feel free to have a look!)

codename: north

profile:

callsign: nuniq

real name: nauja (pronounced now-ya) keenainak

role: sentinel

spoken languages: inuktitut, inupiaq, english, french

29 years of age, nunavut native and member of a vigilante group aiming to drive kingdom away from her home and several other affected territories. she joins the protocol shortly after they catch wind of the growing protests in nunavut + obtain footage of her using radiant abilities in an attempt to storm one of kingdom's many power plants.

turnaround/art reference:

abilities:

passive ability: FROST

All of Nuniq's abilities deal FROST damage. After 1.5 seconds of being slowed, players affected by her utility will begin to take damage.

(frost damage is 1hp per tick. good luck trying to get out of the molly field while slowed lol)

C cast: COLD FEET

INSTANTLY silence Nuniq's footsteps and gain a speed boost. Nuniq will leave behind footprints that linger in her path.

(15% speed boost for 6 seconds, so she’s a lil bit slower than neon in that regard. cold feet applies a status effect instead of sprinting, so player can use all their weapons. footprints last for 3 seconds and are a big giveaway, could be used for deception if you're a pro lol)

Q cast: CRYOTROP

EQUIP a bundle of ice crystals. FIRE to place a sheet of ice that is invisible from afar. ACTIVATE the Cryotrop to raise a field of ice spikes that slow and deal instant FROST damage.

(utility starts to shine with northern lights when approached and has a distinct crunching/shattering sound effect when walked over, similar to sage’s slow field. spikes lasts for 8 seconds.)

signature ability/E cast: SNOWPILE

EQUIP a snowball. FIRE to throw a snowball that detonates upon landing, forming a lingering field that slows and deals FROST damage. Throwing a second snowball at the field turns it into a snow pile that blocks vision and doubles FROST damage. Throwing a third snowball turns the pile into a solid wall.

(three charges, replenishes after a 40-second cooldown. snowpile is half the height of sage's wall, fully covers a crouched player. snowpile can be walked through, snow wall cannot.)

ult/X cast: AVALANCHE

EQUIP a kakivak. Fire to plunge into the ground, sending bursts of snow outwards in all directions around Nuniq that freezes all enemies caught in her radius.

(FROZEN enemies, unlike detained enemies, cannot move away into safety. they are frozen in place for 6 seconds until status effect melts away.)

(imagine if like . kj’s ult was instant, spread like viper’s ult, and moved like breach’s ult)   

(rotoscoped from:)

lore:

CHILDHOOD:

nauja keenainak is descended from a long line of skilled harpoon fishers, who use the technique to this very day despite the conveniences of modern technology. her father is one of these practitioners and taught her as early as 10 years old.

she's a strong survivalist; she can swim, hunt, and sew her own clothes, an important skill in iqaluit's winter.

though her father offered his knowledge on many basic survival skills, nauja was closer to her mother— an artist who creates and sells sealskin jewelry.

nauja was homeschooled for most of her life, meaning she didn't quite have many friends her age. what she lacked in social skills, she made up for with service to her community. she helped her father with transporting and selling fish in outdoor markets– which is where she would eventually meet her lifelong friend amaruq ipellie.

amaruq was older than her by four years, and similarly he was helping his mother sell her goods. since their stalls were close by, they grew close quick and would spend time together during their free hours. nauja begin to view amaruq as her older brother, and would soon find herself spending time with his friends. she would get into trouble a lot because of their rambunctious nature.

when nauja was 14, amaruq moved away to ottawa to pursue his education. she wouldn't see him for a while outside of the occasional visits.

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FIRST LIGHT, RADIANCE, AND RELOCATION:

nauja was 18 when first light occurred. two years later, its effects would change her life permanently. while ice fishing, she became exposed to a raw ore chunk underneath the ice of the surrounding lake. scientists from out of town drove over to investigate, and when the extracted ore was identified to be radianite, researchers from kingdom took over. kingdom took the initiative to seal the site off until it was determined to be safe.

nauja fell very ill in the days that followed, experiencing nonstop fevers and chills. this led the people of iqaluit to question the health effects of radianite. kingdom's public statement released that it was most likely a reaction to raw radianite, whose qualities may have changed under extreme temperature. eventually it was discovered that traces of radianite were lodged deep beneath the city itself. considering the concerns and safety of the residents, kingdom ordered the immediate evacuation of the city until the excavation and research operations were over. locals were paid not to speak about radianite's health effects, for the sake of their business.

while the relocation was in motion, nauja discovered she had obtained supernatural abilities. she could freeze water and manipulate the texture of snow just by touching it. she had her papers updated to officially recognize her as a radiant.

the people of iqaluit were moved to a more remote campsite further up north, and it was there nauja would train to control her radiance. she discovered that what she needed to help her was in front of her the whole time— her harpoon, which had also absorbed radianite from her initial exposure. by tuning in to the radianite traces in the harpoon and using it to stabilize the radiance in her body, she could devise a safe way to use her abilities at will.

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a year had passed after the relocation. kingdom promised them that their estimated return would be at least six months after the excavation. delays kept occuring due to "unexpected reactions and complications." by the second year, nauja began to have doubts.

the mining equipment within and around iqaluit was an understandable sight— the numerous research tents and new laboratory structures were not. before she could even question what had taken place, it was already too late- kingdom had purchased the residential land to be turned into a radianite refinery. this naturally enraged the residents, who would soon make demands for kingdom to give their homes back.

UPRISING:

the commotion was enough to bring amaruq back from ottawa. fueled to act, and with nauja sharing his sentiments, he decided to band together the homeland reclamation movement.

the movement was initially a diplomatic organization, requesting audiences with both kingdom and canada’s government. receiving nothing but empty promises from both, they turned to more unconventional methods.

they would protest, go on strikes, vandalize kingdom property, and put on demonstrations to get their message through. 

fed up with the inaction, amaruq proposed something more extreme– a direct attack on the radianite refinery itself. he knew contacts back in ottawa who could smuggle weapons and incendiaries. though nauja was hesitant about extremist violence, she decided it was a necessary sacrifice to drive away kingdom's operations once and for all. for a long time they planned, gathering supplies and willing militants to carry out the attack. nauja took inspiration from a similar uprising in bahia, and partially directed the operation. 

the day came when it was time to strike. amaruq and the hrm's militants stormed the radianite refinery, only to be met with the retaliation of heightened security that led to a clash. in the middle of combat, amaruq was nearly killed, prompting nauja to use her radiance. using her kakivak, she directed a gust of snow to blow away kingdom security, forming a permanently frozen wave of devastation in its wake. 

it was here that nauja realized she was no longer an activist, but a criminal. with the small window of time she had created, amaruq ordered the team to flee. 

as they began their escape by motorboat, they were shortly followed. amaruq, deciding that his position as leader puts him at high priority, sacrificed himself for the safety of his crew. the last thing nauja witnessed was the searchlight on him before he dove into the icy waters below. it was unknown if he ever survived.

nauja quietly led the crew to one of the hrm's remote hideouts. amaruq's absence meant her immediate promotion to the stand-in leader. as the new leader, she had much to manage. she had to figure out how to tend to the wounds of those who participated in the attack, replenish the food supply, and devise plans for what to do if they were discovered. tensions were high as her face and name, along with the others', were on the news; returning to the campsite wasn’t worth the risk.

amaruq's disappearance weighed heavily on her mind. her lifelong friend was either dead, or arrested. if he was alive and in hiding, he would've figured out how to contact her. she began an investigation of her own, determined to learn of his fate.

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RECRUITMENT [WIP]:

as news of an attack on the iqaluit radianite refinery involving a radiant became mainstream, many were divided. some saw the HRM as heroes, some called them terrorists. it wasn't long until the word reached the VALORANT protocol as well, in need of a new recruit. with cypher's help, sova and brimstone were able to find the exact location of agent 17*. the two took flight for nunavut.

extras:

nuniq has a pet named aputi (or just aput, for short.) he's a northern inuit dog that she brings along with her everywhere she goes. it’s a pet peeve of hers when they call him a husky/malamute.

she has trouble adjusting to heat. maps like bind and breeze take the soul out of her, she has no idea how sova does it

she can throat sing, her mother taught her how and it was how they bonded when she was much younger

her favorite food is muktuk/mattaq, but it's harder to find when she's away from home so she settles for sushi

she wants to stay far, FAR away from reyna. something about working with a real-life vampire puts her off.

she absolutely loves gossiping despite appearances,,,,get on her good side and she'll dish out all the dirt shes got

the duelists make her sing let it go. She Refuses.

nuniq used to cut her own hair and is really bad at it. it looks really choppy when it's not held together in braids. she’s been growing her hair out but it doesn’t take the choppiness away

killjoy, as per usual, made her snow-pack. she fashioned it from her snowball launcher design. (aka a bastardized molly launcher) it's self-replenishing and can keep nuniq's snow at freezing temperatures even in maps like bind and breeze.

nuniq is shorter than jett, but taller than neon. essentially in between them.

playlist:

agent dynamics:

oc interactions:

quotes: 

voice claim:

miscellaneous noony content:

agent contract:

blackmailer dossier:

oc x canon things...hehe

[mbenvs3000w22]

BLOG 8

Hello everyone!

The blog prompt this week is to talk about something in nature that is amazing! At first, when I read this multiple subjects for interpretation came to mind so I gave myself some time to choose what I truly wanted to talk about – the Northern Lights. Ever since I could remember I always dreamed of seeing them one day, and still do! 

This week's textbook reading highlights the importance of using interpretation to help educate visitors about the historical and natural significance of the location. I think that anyone preparing to see the Northern Lights should educate themselves before seeing them to truly take it all in. There are many different resources and interpretive tools that can be used when learning about the Northern Lights.

The Northern Lights occur from collisions of electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the Earth's atmosphere. The different colours that can be seen are a result of the type of gaseous particles that collide. The green colouring results from the oxygen molecules that can be found 60 miles above the world. The red colouring, which is rare, is from high-altitude oxygen molecules which are about 200 miles above the Earth. The blue and purple are produced by Nitrogen. The pink and green colouring is most commonly reported by Northern Light viewers. The lights can be seen from the northern and southern hemispheres' magnetic poles. The lights seen in the northern hemisphere are called the Aurora borealis and the lights in the southern hemisphere are called the Aurora australis. The best place to see the Northern Lights is in the Northwestern area of Canada, including Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Alaska, Iceland and Antarctica. It is best to see them in small community areas as there is less light pollution. The best time to see them is during the winter months on a clear night. 

When interpreting the Northern Lights it is important to discuss the historical significance and beliefs associated with them. Many different cultural groups have legends about the Northern Lights. For example, in medieval times the lights were believed to be a sign of war or famine. A more popular belief by the Menominee aboriginal group of Wisconsin believed that the lights told the location of manabai’wok (giants) which are spirits of great fishermen and hunters. The Inuit people of Alaska believed the lights were the spirits of the animals they had hunted. If I was an interpreter at the Northern Lights I would make sure my visitors appreciate this to help them develop a stronger relationship between themselves, the beauty of the lights and its heritage. 

Lastly, the textbook discusses how experiences of “awe” can spark curiosity, purpose, perspective and curiosity. I would predict that experiencing the Northern Lights would be a moment of “awe” for any person.  

Reference:

Waldek, S. (2022, January 7). Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis): What they are & how to see them. Space.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://www.space.com/15139-northern-lights-auroras-earth-facts-sdcmp.html

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World (1st ed.). Sagamore Publishing. 

[mynamemeanscute]

i’ve realized over the past few months that leaving this corner of the internet untouched for the better part of this year has left me a bit overwhelmed and a lot uncertain of where and how to pick back up. while i recognize this blog isn’t monetized, i don’t have a huge following, and there is literally zero obligation to regularly post random tidbits about one’s life for all to see, i have genuinely enjoyed logging my life in such a way that i’m able to scroll through what is essentially the last decade of my life and have a pretty decent clue as to what was going on at any given point. i have decided to jump back in here by highlighting a meaningful project my partner and i have taken on over the past few months.

back in september, there was a post going around showing how much $43 amounts to in school supplies in iqaluit. it got a lot of attention and many supplies (an excess, in fact!) were sent to inuksuk high school. recognizing the high costs of many items in the north affects more than the budget of a single school, we got in touch with vice principal of the local high school in cambrige bay, nunavut .

kiilinik high school is able to provide school supplies for their students from the school's budget (!!); however, their vice principal explained period poverty is very real for their community, as it is for many menstruating individuals in the arctic. it is not uncommon to pay upwards of $15-$18 for a small box of tampons, and the lack of menstrual products can lead to, "missed school and work days, health problems and a decreased sense of self-worth" (source). in response to this need, we decided to ship three flat rate boxes filled with tampons, pads, and reusable cups to the school with the hopes of helping them to better support their students and their community.

in an update from the vice principal, we learned the students were incredibly excited to open the packages and went about setting up a “room of requirements” (yes, this is a HP reference) in the school for whomever needs clothing, shoes, and basic toiletry items. we were graced with a photo of the “period shelf” (below). the high schoolers also took the initiative to put together a presentation to educate the junior high students about good period hygiene and product use, and to make sure they all knew they can go to any of the seniors if they need extra support.

in november, the students of kiilinik high school collaborated and gave our project a name: “pijitsirniq, period”. the first part of the name is one of a number of inuit societal values and means, “serving or providing for family and/or community.” the second part speaks for itself. we are both honoured and excited to have been given this name.

once we had a name, we created a GoFundMe page, in an effort to increase the legitimacy of our project and to reach a wider audience. the goal of $6,000 is the approximate amount it will take to support kiilinik high school, with three flat rate shipping boxes shipped monthly, for the next school year. we are please to announce we have already successfully collected enough funds to support the school for the remainder of the current school year and into the next.

this past week, we spent the better part of four days baking, decorating, and delivering assorted holiday cookies and treats, as a fun and festive way to raise money that wasn’t just, “hello, money please.” we managed to raise over $500, and only sacrificed one spatula in the process. needless to say, we are very done with cookies for the next while and the celebratory bowl of kale was probably the best decision i ever made.

i did the big shop for the december shipment yesterday, so i’ll be getting that boxed and to the post office asap. we have some future plans for our little two person organization and i may have a particularly exciting phone meeting next week, so sit tight (and thank you for following along... if you read this mini novella here, you are fully up to speed, and i am so jazzed you stayed). if you are able and willing to donate, please check out the GoFundMe page. if you can’t or just don’t want to (both valid), please consider sharing, chatting about what we’re doing, generally spreading the word. we are (and will be) all the grateful.

[gigi-sinclair]

It’s @ferrame‘s birthday!!!!!!

If you don’t know, this is the author of the definitive John Irving/Tom Hartnell modern AU, I dreamed of the fine deep harbour I’d find, as well as the entire Another New World series, which is A-MAZING.

As a little birthday gift, I have the first part of an untitled Irving/Hartnell plane crash AU I will likely never finish, and which was going to be super sad if I did. (Hint: Tom’s brother died of cancer several years before the story is set.) Rated M for a bit of naughtiness. 

Happy Birthday @ferrame!

Tom arrives at his parents' house just as the snow begins to fall.

Betsy is the only one of the kids still at home, but their parents still decorate as much as they always did. The same wreath—faux pine branches with Styrofoam apples and wall-eyed wooden birds—is on the front door. The same string of multicoloured bulbs hangs from the eaves. There is a new addition: a wire-framed reindeer lit up in the middle of the front garden, snowflakes landing on its back, its antlers, its festive red scarf. With a smile, Tom raises his hand to ring the bell.

It seems the polite thing to do, given he no longer lives there. When there's no answer, he slips his key into the lock. The hall is in darkness, but firelight flickers from the direction of the front room. It sends out shadows, dancing on the floorboards and on the opposite hallway wall.

“Hello?” Tom hangs his coat on a hook, and puts his scarf on top. He kicks off his boots, then lines them up carefully against the wall. He didn't live with his mother for twenty-one years without learning something.

“Tom? We're here.” A voice comes from the other room, where the firelight glows. Tom follows it, his socks sliding on the wooden floor.

This room is also decorated, of course. The tree is short and scraggly as always. Betsy is the type of person who chooses that type of Christmas tree. Its spindly branches sag beneath the weight of half a dozen childhoods' worth of handprint ornaments and painted baubles and twinkling lights. Up top, an angel with a paper cup body and a golf ball for a head surveys all.

“Hey! What took you so long?” Tom's brother Johnny says. He's lounging on the sofa in tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt, his feet up on the coffee table and an open tin of Quality Street chocolates on his knee. Tom stops. He can't quite remember why, but he didn't expect to see him here. His presence is a surprise, but it's not the biggest one.

“John?” At the other end of the sofa sits John Irving, formal and tidy, his feet on the floor. He's dressed nicely as always, in a knitted jumper and corduroy trousers. “Like you're fifty years old,” Tom often teases him, but in truth, he likes the look. It suits John. Tom can't picture him wearing anything with an elastic waistband. “What are you doing here?”

John and Tom weren't going to be together over the Christmas holidays. They decided that weeks ago. “I have to go to my dad's,” John had said.

“Maybe you could drop by our place on Boxing Day,” Tom offered. “Or I could come to you.” It was worth a shot, even though John's reaction was exactly as Tom had expected it to be.

“I'm so sorry, Tom.” He seemed it. “It's not that I'm ashamed of you.” Tom knew that was true. “It's complicated.” That was also true. Tom knew he was lucky, as far as families went. They drove him mental most of the time, but there had never been any question of acceptance. From the earliest days, Tom knew there was nothing he could do, no one he could be, that would make his family love him any less.

John, it seemed, couldn't say that about his father and stepmother.

“You didn't tell me you had a posh boyfriend,” Tom's brother accuses, unwrapping a chocolate from its crinkly purple paper.

“I'm not posh,” John protests.

“Oh, no. Of course not.” Johnny laughs. “'I say, old boy, would this happen to be the residence of one hot piece of arse known as Sir Thomas Hartnell, Esquire'?”

“Shut up, Johnny.” Belatedly, Tom's heart soars. “I can't believe you're really here, John.” He goes around the sofa to sit beside him. “What made you change your mind?”

John licks his lips. His cheeks are pink, from the fire or from embarrassment. Tom knows John well. It's probably embarrassment. “Christmas is about love. I decided I wanted to spend it with the person I love the most.”

Tears prick at the back of Tom's eyes. He has more questions: does that mean he came out to his parents? How did they react? Tom's not sure he wants to hear the answers, or if John wants to share them now. Instead of asking, Tom kisses him. His hands go to John's strong shoulders, his thigh presses against John's. John kisses him back, softly and sweetly, with all that natural talent that made Tom doubt, the first time they did it, that John was really as inexperienced as he claimed to be. “Why would I lie about being a virgin at my age?” Was John's counterargument. Tom didn't have an answer for that one.

“Right, then. If it's going to be like that, I'm fucking off out of here.” Tom hears Johnny stand up. “And I'm taking my chocolates with me.”

“Bye,” Tom says, his lips still against John's.

“Don't come on the sofa,” Johnny warns. “Mum will kill you.” John's cheeks go from pink to scarlet, even as Johnny leaves the room.

“Ignore him,” Tom advises.

“He's...”

“An arsehole.” But Tom loves his older brother. He can't believe he's here, and John as well. It's going to be the best Christmas ever. “He likes you.”

“How can you tell?”

“He only takes the piss out of people he likes.”

“Oh.” John's eyebrows furrow, adorably. Tom kisses the spot between them. He lets a hand slip beneath John's jumper, tracing the muscles of his abdomen and his chest. That was a very pleasant surprise. Tom knew John was kind, and sweet, and as handsome as fuck from the moment they met. He hadn't known John was built until the first time they had sex. Which had happened to be John’s first time. 

John presses closer as they kiss again, exploring Tom's mouth as he slides his own hands up the back of Tom's hoodie. Tom pauses just long enough to pull it off, tossing it aside. The fire pops. John startles a little, and Tom laughs fondly.

“He's right though,” Tom admits. “About the sofa.”

“Oh. I, I, I...”

“So I'd better swallow.”

“Tom!”

Tom wishes he had a bearskin rug. John deserves decadence like that. Instead, Tom kneels on the beige Berber carpet, urging John to slide his hips forward. Gratifyingly, his cords are tented already. Tom reaches for his belt, and John lets out a groan that goes straight to Tom's own cock.

“Tom,” he repeats. John unzips him. The fire is hot at his back, warming him. The lights on the Christmas tree cast a festive glow on John's cock. “Tom,” he moans.

“Yes.”

Again, “Tom. Tom, stay with me.”

“Always,” Tom promises. He shivers as he takes John's cock into his mouth. And shivers, and shivers, and shivers.

“Tom!”

First, he notices the smell. Fire. Real fire, burning wood, not like the odourless gas fire at his parents' house. The cold is next. He's lying on his back, wearing a coat that doesn't feel like his own. It's big and bulky, but still, the cold permeates, making him shake.

The dark is the last thing. He opens his eyes to see nothing but black.

“Tom.” The voice says again. He doesn't know it. “Are you awake? Thank Christ.” Whoever it is sounds genuinely relieved. A pinprick of light pops into Tom's field of vision, cutting through the darkness. There's a man beside him, standing over him, holding up the overbright light of a mobile phone. He's got blue eyes, and a large gash on his forehead. Tom doesn't know him. There's a polar bear pin on his jacket. That, Tom recognizes. He can't think why.

“Where am I?” Tom's voice is weaker than he expected. He clears his throat. “Where...” It doesn't help.

He's lying on a bench of some kind, an uncomfortable sofa or chairs, but he's not inside a building. It's far too cold for that.

The man sighs. He looks tired, that's obvious even in the thin light. Tom feels tired, too. Maybe he should go back to sleep.

“You need to stay awake,” the man says, as if reading Tom's thoughts. “ What do you need? What can I get for you?”

Then, Tom remembers. Everything comes back in a flood, the dam broken by those few words. Tom wishes it hadn't been.

***

“What can I get for you?” The flight attendant smiled at Tom from behind his drinks cart. He was good-looking, Tom noticed, in his navy blue suit and red tie. His name tag read “Thomas”, and there was a pin on his lapel shaped like a little polar bear.

“Coke, please,” Tom said. He glanced beside him, to where John slept against the airplane window. “And a water for him.” He would want something when he woke up.

Thomas shovelled  a scoop of ice into a little plastic cup and poured half a tin of Coke on top. He passed it over, carefully avoiding the man on Tom's other side, then gave him John's cup of water and two packets of biscuits.

“And for you, sir?” Thomas turned his attention to the other man in their row, the one in the aisle seat. He was dark-haired, with thicker sideburns than Tom had seen on anyone for a long time. He’d spent most of the time watching what seemed like a home improvement show on his tablet.

“I'll have a gin and tonic.”

“Certainly, sir.” Thomas poured the drink as Tom fought to open his biscuits. Thomas gave the other man his cup, followed it up with a quick kiss to the man's forehead, and continued down the aisle.

Tom didn't say anything. Growing up in a big family, he'd become an expert at minding his own business. Still, the man beside him said, “That's, ah, that's my, um, my husband.”

“Ah.” Tom nodded.

“We're going on our honeymoon.”

“Congratulations.” Tom didn't really want to continue the conversation, but he said, “In Toronto?”

“We're flying on from there. To Nunavut.”

“So are we.” It was a longstanding dream of John's to see the northern lights. They'd talked about going to Finland or Sweden, but he wanted to do it in northern Canada. It was a big trip, and an expensive one, but the look on John's face when Tom agreed to it made it all worthwhile.

Almost. There was an engagement ring burning a hole in the pocket of Tom's carry-on bag. That would make it extra worthwhile, but he wasn't sure about it. Rather, he wasn't sure how John would feel about it.

Tom wasn't sure what else to say, so he put his earbuds back in and picked up his phone.

Tom hadn't flown that much. Of the two of them, John was the more experienced traveller. He didn't seem nervous when the plane started to shake. Nobody did. Thomas' cheerful voice came over the intercom informing them Captain Crozier had turned on the seatbelt light, and asked them to return to their seats. John, who had been in line for the toilet, came back grumbling, but he didn't appear worried. Obediently, he buckled his seatbelt, a moment before the plane dropped what felt like a hundred feet in one go.

That was when John started to look a little nervous.

As a concerned murmur ran through the crowd, the man on Tom's other side unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up.

“Thomas!”

“You should probably sit down,” John advised.

“He's married to one of the flight attendants,” Tom explained. Thomas had likely been standing up. He might have been hurt by the sudden drop. Tom wouldn't have been that inclined to sit down if John was in that position.

“Still,” John insisted, “you should...”

Another drop, although this one was less severe. Someone screamed, then someone else. More than a few began to cry. The man beside Tom stumbled, and sat down again.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Thomas' voice returned on the intercom, as smooth as before. So he's okay, Tom thought. He was glad of that. It would suck to be injured on your honeymoon. “Please stay in your seats. We'll be making an emergency landing in Gander.”

The murmuring didn't abate. John reached for Tom's hand, and squeezed. “That's not so bad.” John’s voice was calm, reassuring. Steady. “We saw 'Come From Away', right?”

[iamp-nova-scotia-appreciation]

Hello! -Nunavut-gh

Hi Nunny! How’ve ya been?

[tulugak]

Hello everyone! I was in a red cross interview! This video touches a bit on the importance of music and culture in Nunavut, especially in helping with recovery in mental health here!

[writingwithcolor]

Hello! I was wondering if you know of any good books on Inuit mythology. Specifically, I'm looking for something that hasn't been "European-ized"/had the myths retold from a European perspective to sugar coat them. After some digging, I found "Kappianaqtut" by Neil Christopher, and it looks like it might be okay? I want to give it bonus points for including/featuring Sedna (since that's the story I'm specifically after), but I also want whatever book(s) I get to be a solid resource besides.

Books on Inuit Mythology

Taking a very quick look at Neil Christopher, that book seems solid. He lives in Nunavut and works very closely with Inuit communities, and it’s even featured on an Inuit website of resources as a good one.

I would suggest browsing other books on that same site, considering it would appear to be one of the most visible resources of educational material (and, bonus, they preserve Inuit orthography as well). It might not be exactly what you’re looking for (considering there seems to be a high focus on preserving the language, which might make it difficult for readers who aren’t fluent.

You can also check out Inhabit Media’s books; they’re an Inuit-owned publishing company to focus on Inuit art and culture. You can also check out Strong Nations, another Indigenous-owned publishing company that might have some Inuit resources, although it’s not Inuit-focused.

Followers are welcome to give more suggestions!

~ Mod Lesya

[aph-ask-usstates-and-provinces]

i tried to make my canadian territory ocs in picrew

the one with braids: northwest territories

the one with the ponytail: nunavut

the one with the tea (sis): yukon