#or foreign nobles visiting on a diplomatic mission

[wordycheeseblob]

Hey hmm

Not to imply anything but you think the Rhodelite King ever went abroad?

[thxnews]

American Music Abroad Promotes Global Peace

Uniting the World Through Music

Launching American Music Abroad 2024 The U.S. Department of State proudly announced the commencement of the American Music Abroad 2024 spring season. This remarkable initiative features more than three dozen American artists and groups spanning a wide array of musical genres, set to journey overseas to foster peace and understanding through American culture.   Embracing Global Music Diplomacy Initiated by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in September 2023, the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative underlines the power of music to bridge cross-cultural divides. This program aligns with the U.S.'s broader foreign policy goals of expanding education, economic opportunities, equity, and societal inclusion through cultural exchange. For more details on this groundbreaking initiative, visit www.state.gov/music-diplomacy.  

American Music Abroad: A Rich Legacy

Continuing a Historic Tradition American Music Abroad, a key component of this initiative, continues the legacy of cultural diplomacy that began with the Jazz Ambassadors program in the 1950s and 1960s. Each year, this program sends American musical talents to over 30 countries globally, engaging international audiences through performances, collaborations, and educational endeavors.   Elevating American Music and Culture This initiative stands as a testament to the enduring influence of American music as a diplomatic tool, resonating with global audiences and showcasing the richness of American cultural heritage.  

Showcasing Diverse Musical Talent

2024 Spring Season Highlights The American Music Abroad 2024 Spring Season features an eclectic mix of artists representing various musical genres and U.S. regions. Some notable participants include: - Artist/Group Genre Hometown Destination Birkhead Jazz Washington, D.C. Qatar Marielle Kraft Pop Nashville, TN Algeria, Morocco, Peru Matthew Whitaker Jazz Fusion NJ Antigua, St. Lucia Pipeline Vocal Project A Capella Anchorage, AK Kiribati, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu Raining Jane with Natalia Zukerman Folk-Rock Los Angeles, CA Pakistan Sihasin Alter-Native Flagstaff, AZ People’s Republic of China Sub-Radio Indie Pop Washington, D.C. Estonia The Beatbox House Hip-Hop New York, NY Brazil, Egypt, Liberia The Invisibles Hip-Hop Detroit, MI Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Senegal   Promoting Peace and Understanding These artists not only represent the diversity of American music but also embody the spirit of unity and peace. Their tours are more than performances; they are powerful acts of cultural diplomacy that foster understanding and respect among nations.  

The Future of Cultural Diplomacy

Strengthening International Bonds As these artists span the globe, they carry with them the message of peace and collaboration. The American Music Abroad program exemplifies the U.S. commitment to building stronger international relationships through the universal language of music.   Contact for Further Information For additional information about the U.S.'s efforts to promote peace and democracy through music, interested parties can contact eca-press@state.gov.   Conclusion American Music Abroad 2024 embarks on a noble mission, leveraging the universal appeal of music to bridge cultural gaps and promote global harmony. Through this initiative, the U.S. Department of State not only showcases the rich tapestry of American musical talent but also reinforces the role of art and culture in diplomacy. These artists, as cultural ambassadors, are set to make a lasting impact on international relations, proving that music can indeed be a powerful tool for peace and understanding.   Sources: THX News & US Department of State. Read the full article

[hatredcurse]

shinobinvku​ | Chitose:

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐖, heading northwest until they reached the country border into the Land of Rivers, the set a course northeast while following alongside the Suigen-Chi River, the largest river of the five in this country, going deep into the Kinitsumori Forest. There, they will reach their final destination.

❝ The forest’s entrance is just ahead, but considering the time, we’ll only have an hour of daylight left. Kinitsumori is ancient, full of scattered swamplands, steep rock ledges concealed by overgrown foliage and mist, ❞ Chitose replies, coming to a halt, so Sasuke can catch up to her.

❝ We’re maybe three hours from the checkpoint, though I wouldn’t recommend traveling through the forest at night. Perhaps setting up for camp would be best? ❞

It’s not been long since Chitose’s last visit to Ryugu-jo, and while at one point in her life she had wished nothing more than to see her homeland, there’s been this sense of disconnection and melancholy since returning.

This arrangement as diplomat was to mend ties between Ryugu-jo, Konoha, and further, with the other greater hidden villages, but if she’s being honest with herself, the role has her feeling more displaced than ever. One source of comfort has been that she was granted an escort to see to her on her travels, which have been interesting thus far to say the least. Uchiha Sasuke isn’t very talkative company, but Chitose believes their relationship has been pleasant.

❝ What say you, Uchiha-san? I’ll leave the decision to you.❞

They could make it by nightfall if they truly wanted, and be greeted by lavished comforts, or rough it for one more night under the stars. // @hatredcurse

Sasuke continued pace until their shoulders met on path. He was willing to break his self-imposed ruling of 15 feet for important conversation. That is not to say anything spoken between the two had been non-important; he simply didn't want to waste a VIP's precious time with idle chit-chat. As if he entertained small talk in the first place.

"We should seek camp tonight. It wouldn't be in anyone's best interest for you to appear exhausted." He looked towards the enclave of trees, their low hanging branches coloring the path with speckles of evening sunlight. "There's no telling what might be waiting near the perimeter either."

Had it not been for the circumstances, Sasuke could easily brave the forest to the township within hours, but this was not a solo mission and he was not escorting Lady Ryuketsu as a teammate of equal status. She was akin to a noble and he a guard, in which case it was fitting to carry at an unhurried pace. Sasuke was at her whim, regardless of his capabilities.

That is to say, it would not be above him to carry her in arms on track through the trees, if it weren't for the very real possibility of rogues running amuck the territory. In foreign lands outside major countries, there was a lack of faith that the lands would be clear of strays and deserters. The last thing the Uchiha needed was unnecessary injury in the late hours of night. Even more so, needing his charge —of all things— to tend to him. Some guard he would be.

"I see an alcove Northeast of us. No less than 100 yards," he flashed his vision through the shrubbery. "Unless you want to travel another 30 minutes and chance a potential clearing near the riverbend."

For the first time during their trip, Sasuke faced her, discolored eyes in full view to gaze upon her countenance. Those eerie crimsons and lavenders scanning her, checking for signs of exhaustion or stress. They travelled over the ruby shine of her hair to the muscle flexing at the angle of her jaw. The stress was evident, but luckily the exhaustion has yet to color the thin skin beneath her eyes. 

"The alcove it is then."

[mysterymanjoseph]

Not Noble, But Necessary:  mysterymanjoseph and inhuman hacker

The situation was beyond infuriating.  Some of Joseph’s employees, along with a few visiting foreign diplomats, were kidnapped by anti government rebels, but, rather than make some sort of demand for their release, the hostages were executed.  When news of the people being snatched came out, Joseph’s mercenary force was put on standby to go in as a rescue mission, but, the rebels made their move first.  Now, it was a mission of revenge, to simply go in and kill as many of the rebels as they can, a statement had to be made, that the bad actors around the world better take notice of, his people should not be touched.  That being said, the operation is going to take a bit more planning to carry out, and some extra effort.  The rebel base is far enough inland that to go in by helicopter launched from a ship at sea is not feasible.  The problem was solved, a small base in the country was arranged for, the ground forces flown in by his HC-130 cargo planes to be in position, then march to the site, guided by some natives of the region that have had their own problems with the rebels.  But, there needs to be some sort of ‘first strike’ to knock the rebels off balance before his troops launch the ground attack.  Oddly enough, it was something his grandfather had either foresight, or just wild happenstance, to build and have waiting.  Recreations of WWII era B-25 bombers, highly evolved, still with no micro chip tech on board, to prevent any sort of cyber attack on the planes.  The real kicker, was that back in the 90s, Joseph’s grandfather had pulled what might be the greatest bait and switch move in history.  Back then, the WWII era Essex class aircraft carrier, USS Hornet, was decommissioned for scrapping.  By hook and crook, the ship was towed to Germany, but, rather than being scrapped, it was updated and refit, then left for the secret Caribbean base that the mercenary force operates from.  This ‘first strike’ was inspired by the Dolittle raid during the second world war, the bombers will launch from the carrier, fly in at treetop level, drop bombs on defensive positions, the head for friendly territory where refueling had been arranged.  That done, Joseph and his ground forces will move in to engage the rebels, eradicating them.  It was going to be on the ‘up and up’, the judiciary, parliament, and the president of the country having signed a document, in secret of course, granting Joseph’s force permission to operate in the country’s borders, and providing ‘death warrants’ for the rebel forces.  The march to the standby position was long, but now, they wait, and finally, the radio man tells Joseph the message they have been waiting for has come,...’the big brown truck has left the depot’,...meaning, ‘the bombers have launched, on time, operation in motion’.  It will still be a bit over an hour, time to do last second equipment checks, then wait for the show to begin.

@inhumanhacker

[lukeskywaker4ever]

Christopher Columbus: Master Double Agent and Portugal’s 007

Henry IV of Spain – known as "The Impotent" for his weakness, both on the throne and (allegedly) in the marriage chamber – died in 1474. A long and inconclusive war of succession ensued, pitting supporters of Henry's 13-year-old heir, Juana de Trastámara, against a faction led by Princess Isabel of Castile and her husband, Ferdinand of Aragon. Portugal, Spain's much smaller antagonist for centuries already, sided with the loyalists.

(Wedding portrait of King Ferdinand II of Aragón and Queen Isabella of Castile.)  

The civil war ended in 1480, with the Treaty of Alcáçovas/Toledo, whereby Portugal withdrew support for Juana; in exchange, Isabel and Fernando promised not to encroach on South Atlantic trade routes that Portugal had long been exploring and wished to monopolize.

Treaty Not Worth Much

Spain immediately began to violate the Treaty of Alcáçovas. Portugal's gold trade with Ghana was a powerful enticement, but the Spanish were also lured by the priceless knowledge that Portugal had painstakingly gathered about the currents, territories, winds and heavenly bodies relative to the Atlantic regions. The Portuguese were far advanced in the sciences of geography and navigation pertaining to the Atlantic Ocean, both south and west of Portugal itself.

Meanwhile, João II ascended to the throne of Portugal in 1481, reversing the policies of his father, another weak, late-Medieval ruler who'd surrendered excessive estates and privileges to the nobility. Large swaths of the noble class rebelled, but João II was an astute diplomat, with powerful alliances among the military and religious orders across Europe, along with an extensive network of spies. He sprang a trap on his adversaries, capturing and executing the ring leader.

                                                (João II of Portugal)

Conspiracy!

Queen Isabel supported the traitors in Portugal, having obtained their promise to annul the Treaty of Alcáçovas. When the conspiracy was exposed, numerous traitors among the Portuguese nobility fled to Spain, where they found asylum, along with a base from which to continue their hostilities against João II. Prominent among the defectors were two nephews of the highly-born wife of Christopher Columbus – who would himself sacrifice the next twenty years of his life to join this exodus, faking desertion to his sovereign's most bitter foe. The internecine strife was so keen that after another occasion when his agents had tipped him off, which resulted in João II personally executing the Duke of Viseu, he threatened to charge his own wife with treason for weeping over her brother.

(Christopher Columbus was arrested at Santo Domingo in 1500 by Francisco de Bobadilla and returned to Spain, along with his two brothers, in chains)

The Mother of All Secrets

It's now been amply proven that evidence of hostility between Columbus and João II was fabricated. Columbus was, in fact, a member of João II's inner circle, in addition to being one of the most seasoned of all Portuguese mariners. After his false defection to Spain, Columbus attended three secret meetings with João II, the second of these, in 1488, being prompted by the mother of all maritime secrets: Dias having rounded the Cape of Good Hope, thereby establishing the shortest route to India by sea.

Now, the Holy Grail of all commercial bonanzas was a sea route to the riches of India – sought because Christendom was at war with Islam, and Muslim armies blocked the much shorter land routes across the Middle East. What the most knowledgeable Portuguese pilots knew was top secret, state of the art, a scientific prize for international espionage.

(The Portuguese discovered numerous territories and routes during the 15th and 16th centuries. Cantino planisphere, made by an anonymous cartographer in 1502.)

The Portuguese had been the first Europeans to launch expeditions in search of the Equator, which they reached around 1470, discovering while they were at it, the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. By 1485, expert Portuguese technicians had invented charts and tables – based on the height of the sun at the Equator – which allowed navigators to determine their location in the daytime. While King João II was keeping Columbus up to date with all of the cutting-edge developments in maritime science, he was at the same time spreading so much disinformation elsewhere—among friends and foes alike— that we are still unraveling it.

(This secret letter, written by King João II was found in Columbus’ archives. Here is the exterior, addressed in the hand of King João II to, “Xpovam Collon, our special friend in Seville.”)

João II’s agents spent years pursuing the most important traitors across Spain, France and England. With that in view, the following comparison is revealing. Both Columbus and his nephew Don Lopo de Albuquerque (Count of Penamacor) fled Portugal at the same time, took refuge at Isabel's court under false identities, and fostered invasions of the Portuguese Atlantic monopoly from foreign shores. Lopo was tenaciously pursued, finally cornered in Seville and assassinated; in contrast, Columbus disposed of Portuguese secrets, exchanged letters covertly with King João II throughout his eight-year residence in Spain, stopped in Portugal on three of his four voyages, and lied to the Spanish Monarchs about these secret contacts.

A Secret Identity

Christopher Columbus is the garbled pseudonym of a very wellborn, learned, seafaring Portuguese nobleman. The antidote to all subsequent confusion about this man's true identity and character is simply to recognize that the news of his "discovery," which broke like a thunderbolt across the rest of Europe, was in fact nothing more than the release of information that the Portuguese had been hoarding for decades, laced with a linguistic insinuation that Spain had just pioneered the shortest route to India.

Everything Falls into Place

This new perspective on Columbus – as a Portuguese double agent – results in a major paradigm shift. All of the lies perpetrated by Columbus, his family, and the royal chroniclers suddenly begin to make sense as elements in a single, grand design, whose architect was King João II.

It is remarkable that the wave of treasons occurring in Portugal during the mid-1480s – engaging both Queen Isabel and Columbus so deeply – has never been linked by Portuguese historians to the biography of Columbus. Yet, no serious historian today accepts that Columbus was the first European to reach the Americas. There is no excuse any longer for maintaining that he was, or for sustaining the obsolete, pseudo-historical pretense that Columbus invented the idea of sailing west or that he ever really believed he'd landed in India.

(The secret Memorial Portugués, advising Queen Isabel that Portugal engineered the Treaty of Tordesillas specifically to safeguard the best territories for herself. Note how King João II is called  (A) “an evil devil,” malvado diablo , and (B) how the “Indies,” Indias”, that Columbus visited are described as NOT the real India)

Having skirted the western lands from Canada to Argentina, the Portuguese understood there were no established commercial ports, no ready-made commercial goods, and was thus no trade potential there to compare with that of India. Columbus – and his many other co-conspirators in Spain, easily identified in retrospect – guarded these secrets faithfully, secrets they had to be privy to if they would guide the Spanish Monarchs to the counterfeit of India. The trade for gold and other goods along the west coast of Africa was immensely profitable, but still more jealously guarded was knowledge that the sea route to India lay also in this direction. The Portuguese were intent on keeping Spanish ships out of these waters. With both war and treaties having failed, João II and Columbus launched an audacious ruse to obtain their objective through less obvious means.

How History is Shaped

Colossal planning, nerve, and effort went into this accomplishment – seven years of convincing knowledgeable skeptics that the voyage was possible, outfitting a fleet and loading it with merchandise for trade (including cinnamon that would later be presented as evidence of contact with India). On a secret mission to Germany, Martim Behaim, another Templar knight member of the Portuguese Order of Christ, built a false globe based on Toscanelli's theory that East Asia lay just across the Atlantic. This globe still exists; it is the oldest one in the world. Genuine Portuguese traitors warned the Spanish Monarchs that they were being deceived.

(Martin Behaim’s globe intentionally placed the Azores islands, where Behaim lived and was married, on top of the Americas. This made Asia appear much closer to Europe than it really is, thus supporting the project that Columbus was advocating for: Map of  Atlantic Ocean)

The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), observed fairly well by both sides, achieved João II's strategic objective: to engage the Spanish in the west while keeping them out of those regions that Portugal wished to dominate. Its effect on the linguistic, racial and cultural substance of an immense portion of the globe has scarcely been rivaled by any other treaty between two nations.  No single factor did more to realize this outcome than the erudite seamanship, cunning, ruthless persistence, loyalty and sangfroid of the man whom we still remember today as "Christopher Columbus," a real-life 007, on May 20th, 1506.

(Cover from the master spy and sailor's Book of Privileges , which clearly shows that the owner's pseudonym was "Colon." An international transmission of the stunning "discovery," in March of 1493, distorted the name in such a fashion as to leave us with "Columbus" in English today. Technically speaking, "Colón" as the Spanish still call him, is correct, and it will someday most likely replace "Columbus" in common usage)  

Another particularly factor that King João II knew of existence of land on the west was that when the first Treaty of Tordesilhas came, the line that separate Spain and Portugal territory was just near the Cape Verde territory (already belonging to Portugal). King João II refuse that line and asked for more 370 nautical miles west from that line. The Spanish Monarchs, not knowing anything about the globe, accepted, thinking that it was just more water. When the new Treaty came, the line that King João II asked put Brasil over Portuguese domain. How King João II knew exactly the number of miles to put Brasil in Portugal territory? Because he already knew there was land on the west. The “discovery” of Brasil was NOT an accident. 

[kivaember]

Plot: In a politcal plot to remove Aymeric from power, the house of lords votes to change his job title to traveling diplomat and sends him to kugane.

(okay i just wrote something for it instead uuuuuuuuuuh no regrets??? man tempted to do a few oneshots of WoL/Aym in Kugane and see how that goes)

“By majority vote,” Artoirel said in a quietly apologetictone, “You have been nominated as Ishgard’s official ambassador to Kugane. Youare expected to report to your new posting by the end of this month, sailingschedules permitting.”

Lucia drew in a sharp breath through her clenched teeth.Aymeric ignored it. He did not flinch, kept his expression one of cool neutralityas he quietly absorbed the blow Artoirel had delivered him. He should begrateful that this had been done in the privacy of his office, and not in thevery public space of the House of Lords session he was meant to be attending inthe next hour. Artoirel himself looked rumpled, as if he had ran here themoment he heard Aymeric had returned from his inspection of Dzaemel Darkhold.

He shouldn’t be surprised. There had been many debates onwho to send as part of the contribution to diplomatic mission in Kugane. TheEorzean Alliance had established an embassy there, eager to try and secure afoothold there to allow better communication and diplomacy with their new Domanally, and sent the call for each City State to contribute. Various names hadbeen drawn up in both Houses, but Aymeric’s had been bandied about the most.

Logically, it made sense: he was charismatic and well knownfor his political acumen. He also had a genuine interest in expanding Ishgard’sforeign ties, was friendly and culturally sensitive to foreigners, and was oneof the loudest supporters for the Eorzean Alliance – and had several enemies inboth Houses that would enjoy neutralising him by sending him as far away asphysically possible without launching him into space. He had already provenhimself too troublesome to cleanly assassinate.

Aymeric folded his hands on his desk, very carefullycompartmentalising his personal feelings on the matter and forced himself toregard it with cold calculation. In all honesty he was impressed at the cunningof this plan – he had been aware there was a voting session whilst he was oninspection, but as it didn’t pertain to any high-profile proposals orlegislation, hadn’t paid much mind to it. If he had known…

Well, what could he have done? From the sounds of it thishad been a plan long in the making and the votes already decided before thedebate had even begun. The majority of Ishgard’s MPs wanted him out of Ishgardand causing trouble for other people. He should, in fact, look at this as anopportunity. He was already coming to the end of his term as Speaker – he hadbeen elected twice, already, and their constitution stated that one could onlydo two consecutive terms at a time – and he had been considering whether to revertto being mainly the Lord Commander or becoming a full-time politician.

It was a prestigious position, on paper. He should behonoured that he was chosen to represent Ishgard and strengthen their ties withtheir allies.

He should be.

(he wasn’t)

“I see,” Aymeric finally said, when three full minutes ofsilence stretched between them, “Thank you for informing me, Lord Artoirel.Should I assume that my presence is therefore not needed in the upcomingsession?”

Artoirel dipped his head, “Correct. It has been decided thatI will carry out the remainder of your duties until the next Speaker is chosenin the upcoming month.”

Aymeric relaxed a fraction at that. At least his exile hadn’twrenched a hole open for the likes of Lord Dounon to slither into, “Am I ableto nominate a successor for Lord Commander, or has that too been decidedwithout me?”

Artoirel winced slightly at that, “If you are able tonominate a successor that meets the Houses’ approval in the next week-”

“Lucia,” Aymeric said instantly.

“Sir,” Luciaprotested, “I am-”

“More than acceptable,” Aymeric said shortly, “LordArtoirel, if the Houses’ have a complaint on my successor, feel free to directthem to myself. Notwithstanding her origins, she has proven herself time andagain as a loyal soldier of Ishgard, unflinching in her service and diligent inher duties. I will accept none other as my successor, if only because she hasbeen carrying out the Lord Commander duties on my behalf for the past few yearsso I know she can do it. She has proven herself.”

A grim kind of humour flickered across Artoirel’s face asLucia stood in stunned silence, “I am sure no one will protest, sir.”

“I will protest,”Lucia said immediately, “Sir, my place is at your side.”

“You would be better served here, Lucia,” Aymeric said, “Irefuse to relinquish this seat to someone who would abuse it. I know I cantrust you with Ishgard and the Temple Knight’s best interests.”

Lucia wavered, but after a pause where Aymeric met her gaze evenly,her shoulders slumped and she inclined her head with a soft, unhappy, “Understood,sir.”

“I shall leave you to your preparations, Lord Commander,”Artoirel said, rising from his seat, “I wish you luck in your new position.”

The door that clicked shut behind the departing Artoirelsounded damningly final. Silence reigned again, until slowly, Aymeric pushedhis seat back and stood up.

Lucia watched him with wary eyes, “Sir?”

“Pardon me, Lucia,” he said with a strange, unsteady sort ofcalm, “I need a moment to collect my thoughts. Please take over my duties untilI return.”

“… yes, sir.”

Aymeric barely remembered the walk back to his home. Hismind was too busy spinning over how he had been exiled from a home he had shed sweat, blood and tears over for all hislife. Should he be surprised, though? From the moment Lord Borel had raised himup from one of the many unwanted, faceless orphans that clogged up the Brume,Aymeric had always had to viciously fight and defend his place in a world thatwas determined to shut him out, had always had to dig his heels in so he wasn’ttossed aside. No one had believed he would amount to anything more than alow-rank knight – and even then, that had been considered too good for a bastardlike him. But he had proven them wrong – had forced them to look at him and admit he was better than his peers who came from good stock.

That did not come from being passive and earnest. Aymerichad to be more ruthless, more calculating and smarter and stronger and moreskilled to achieve his goals. He had crushed more than a few noble hopefulsunder his heel to claw his way into the position of Lord Commander, and while hewas eventually, grudgingly,acknowledged… he was never accepted.

He’d gotten complacent, he realised. He thought things hadchanged enough that he could relax into a position he made himself and not worry about having to continuously prove hisworth to remain there. He was elected! They wanted him there! They wanted him there!

Hah. What a lie he told himself.

When he reached home, he stood in the front hallway for along while, feeling adrift. He should start getting his affairs in order. Heneeded to see if he could transfer his funds from the Ishgardian bank to whateverthe equivalent was in Kugane, he needed to find which ports directly travelledto Kugane, he needed to pack and whatwas he going to do with this house? Should he place everything in storage? Lasthe heard the diplomatic mission in Kugane was a three year posting, but what ifthey just continuously renewed his place there? He’d never come home and thenwhat? There was so much to consider in so short a time – transporting hisbelongings would have to be done the slow way, by ship, even if he possessedjust enough anima and aetherical control to teleport to Kugane. Though it tooka lot out of him and he had to take a day to sleep it off and-

Aymeric closed his eyes and stopped his thoughts, taking adeep, long breath.

…

He couldn’t believe he had been exiled.

Realising he wasn’t going to get anything done, Aymeric satdown on the bottom step of his stairwell and stared at his hands. If this hadhappened differently, if this had been a choiceof his, he knew he would be excited and eager to carry out a diplomatic missionin a foreign country. But it wasn’t his choice. It was a thinly veiledrejection, of the Houses coming together and saying ‘thanks for everything butwe don’t want you here anymore so go be someone else’s problem’, and that…

That really hurt.

Aymeric gently prodded that hurt for a moment and sighed. Itsounded childish even to him. No doubt there were more than a few who genuinelythought he was the best man for the job, who probably thought he’d be overjoyedat such a posting, but emotions rarely took logic into consideration, so he wasleft with a throat-clenching, chest-tightening ache that he had to breathe throughslowly.

He’d get over it, he told himself as he rubbed roughly athis face. He always got over it. He just needed to think how this would be adelightful change of pace, and how it opened so many new opportunities andexperiences for him. He would enjoyit, the initial pain of sorting his admin out aside, and it might, potentially,mean more time with Aza-

-shit. Aza. Aza hated Kugane.

It felt like a stone had dropped hard into the bottom of hisstomach. Aza refused to go to Kuganeunless it was absolutely vital for work or to fulfil a favour for a friend. IfAymeric was trapped there full time, would Aza go against his understandableand visceral hatred of the place to visit him? Even if he did, would Aymericeven ask him of that? It seemed cruel, and he couldn’t force Aza to besomewhere he hated. He would hate it, Aza would hate it, and they’d be equallymiserable.

For a very brief, desperate moment, Aymeric was actuallytempted to do something drastic like commit political suicide and force theHouses to elect someone more ‘proper’… only to realise that they’d probablysend him anyways as punishment for whatever he did. He anxiously stood up,paced the width of his front hallway, and sat down again, feeling a caged animal.

He should call Aza.

Forcing himself to push away his unsettled emotions andfocus, he tapped at his linkpearl, reaching for his partner’s frequency. He wasat Camp Dragonhead today, helping Lord Emmanellain with some task or other, sothe connection should be stable enough without enduring static-

“Hello?”

“Aza,” Aymeric murmured, feeling his stomach do somethingvery weird and potentially medically unhealthy, like it couldn’t decide whetherto twist or sink, “Hello, love.”

“Aym?” Aza’s surprisewas understandable. Aymeric only tended to call his linkpearl for long absencesor emergencies, “What’s wrong? Are youokay?”

“I’m-” he found himself incapable of finishing. He was fine, but also not. He also feltinexplicably foolish. Aza was supposed to be back by dusk, and it seemedridiculous to call him in the middle of work simply because Aymeric’s feelingswere hurt over a reassignment. It wasn’t pressing, or an emergency, and couldvery easily wait for that evening when Aymeric didn’t feel so raw about it.

“It’s nothing,” he said instead, “I’m sorry if I distractedyou. I’ll speak to you to-”

“Bullshit,” Aza interruptedsharply, “Aym, you sound really fucking upset. What happened? Do I have tokill someone?”

“I- do not sound upset,” Aymeric said unconvincingly, becausehe sounded strained even to his own ears, “No one needs to be killed either.”Unless Aza was willing to eliminate the entirety of Ishgard’s government, thatis.

(Terrifyingly, Aymeric knew Aza would do that, for him, but it was best not to dwell on those things)

“You sure?” Aza’stone gentled, “C’mon, tell me what’swrong. I’m just sitting here watching people fail at mining, so I can talk. Youwon’t be bothering me.”

Fail at mining? “How can you fail at mining?”

“Easily, if you’re a CampDragonhead knight, apparently. They keep fucking up the extraction ofdarksteel,” Aza sighed, “Amateurs,honestly. I’m gonna wait for a few hours before putting them out of theirmisery.”

Aymeric was half-tempted to ask about how one exactly ‘fuckedup the extraction of darksteel’, but that would be procrastinating and both ofthem knew it. Aza would indulge him, but Aymeric really shouldn’t try talkingcircles about this. He took a moment.

Aza patiently waited. On his end he could hear the softcrackle of the aether connection, distant, muffled shouts and the howl of astrong wind.

“… I’m… I’m no longer the Speaker of the House of Lords,” Aymericfinally said, surprised at how much it hurt to say that aloud. It was more realwhen he actually said and acknowledged it.

“You’re… how?” Azagasped, “I thought you had another twomonths!”

“It seems,” Aymeric muttered, his voice brittle, “That theHouses unanimously agreed that I would be better served in Kugane as Ishgard’srepresentative in the Eorzean Alliance’s embassy.”

“They’re kicking youout of Ishgard!?” Aza hissed,understanding immediately, “They can’t dothat! You’re the reason their government isn’t a steaming pile of shit rightnow! You single-handedly-”

“I cannot claim all the credit for Ishgard’s recentsuccesses,” Aymeric said tiredly, “I’m not that arrogant to think the governmentrevolves around me. No, I…” he paused and then continued with a conviction hedidn’t feel, “I have fulfilled my purpose here, and can… do more in Kugane. It’sfine. It’s a prestigious position to have and they clearly think I can do wellin it. It… it will go well.”

“…” Aza sighed, “Aym, you don’t have to lie to me.”

Aymeric felt awful. He wanted this conversationface-to-face. He should have waited, “I’m not lying.”

“You are,” Azasaid firmly, “You’re upset, so be upset.Why else did you call me? C’mon.”

“To give you the good news?” Aymeric croaked out.

“You didn’t even tryto sound sincere then,” Aza said, unimpressed, “Look, I’ll come home right now-”

“You hate Kugane,” Aymeric blurted.

“What?”

“You hate Kugane,” Aymeric repeated, “So, if I’m there… you-”

“Gods, Aym,” Azasounded like he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or yell at him, “Yeah, I hate it, but… shit. I won’t letthat stop me from visiting you or hogging your blankets. You’ll have to pry meout of your bed almost every morning, same as usual.”

“But,” Aymeric began and… faltered, because that part of Aza’spast was always a taboo subject, “Your history…”

“Was over twenty yearsago,” Aza murmured so quietly Aymeric almost didn’t hear him, “I… I’ll be okay. For you, I’ll be okay. Imean, try to have your living quarters as Eorzean as possible and don’t startdressing like a Doman, but… yeah, it’ll be fine.”

Aymeric wavered, “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Aza soundedlike he was smiling, “You’re totallyworth a bit of discomfort, handsome. You just gotta be extra distracting whenever I visit, okay?”

“Easily done,” Aymeric said with unspeakable relief. Thatwas one burden eased from hisshoulders, at least.

“Was that the onlything that was upsetting you?”

Aymeric hesitated, but confessed, “No. I’m… there is more.”

“Okay,” Aza’svoice was gentle, “Let me show these guyshow to mine, and I’ll be home within the hour so we can talk properly, alright?”

“Alright,” Aymeric almost whispered, “Don’t needlessly rush.I can wait.”

“Pfft. No, you can’t. You’remore important to me than a bunch of stupid rocks. Go make your birch tea shitand go relax. I’ll be with you soon.”

“It’s not ‘birch tea shit’,” Aymeric grumbled, “It’s-”

“Love you, handsome!”Aza cut over him cheerily, and made a noisy kissing noise down the line, “Talk to you soon!”

“Aza-”

‘Click!’

Aymeric lowered his fingers from the linkpearl at thatrather rude hang up and sat there for a moment. He felt, surprisingly, a littlebetter. The hurt was beginning to slowly give way to simmering, ugly resentmentand indignation, but Aymeric put a lid on that for when Aza came home and stoodup.

He still felt adrift. He still felt as stunned as if he’djust taken a knife to the back, but… at least he knew Aza would still be withhim, every step of the way. And he’d recover from this. He always bounced backfrom shit like this, from people determined to declaw him and render himharmless. He just needed to brush the dust off his more… ruthless tendencies.

Deep breath. Exhale.

Good.

With his head lifted high, Aymeric made for the kitchens to makehis ‘birch tea shit’, to prepare for his new political battlefield.  

[heyhowdyhellohi]

Courtship

Blog Masterlist

Pairing: Loki x fem!reader

Word Count: 2.6k

Summary: Thor plays matchmaker, tricking Loki into courting you because he knows Loki will fall in love with you and you with him.

Warnings: The pacing is so weird. it’s so bad. I don’t know what I was thinking writing this as a one shot. This is terrible.

“The Alfheim diplomatic delegation is visiting Asgard tomorrow. We are to renegotiate the terms of our treaty. It is our job to assure the alliance stands. Their king is sick. It is likely he will pass his title on to his first born soon. Rumor has it his daughter can be even more ill-tempered than he,” Thor informed Loki as they roamed the halls of the palace.

“And do you have a plan to safeguard the peace between our kingdoms?” Loki inquired, keeping up with Thor’s long strides easily.

“Oh yes, it’s quite simple, genius if I do say so myself. I will court her. Perhaps make up some excuse about duty as to why we cannot join our kingdoms in marriage. When she is in love with me, she shan’t go lightly into battle.” Thor smiled widely at his brother before opening the door to the throne room.

“You are going to court her? We’d have more luck maintaining peace if Frandral fired an arrow at their sick king.” Loki’s voice echoed in the vast empty hall, joining their reverberating footsteps to form an eerie symphony.

“Oh yes? And what? You think you have a better chance at courtship, brother?” Thor taunted as he opened the ornate golden door behind the throne.

“No. I’m merely suggesting that” Loki swept into the war room behind Thor, ”while you may have strength and power, such a delicate diplomatic mission requires tact, subtlety, elegance. All of which you have very little” he propped himself on one of the divan nearest the fireplace before muttering under his breath, “if any.”

“And you believe you do? You could do better?” Thor laughed raucously, filling up the entire room with his booming voice. He sat himself heavily upon a couch across from Loki’s, beside the King’s ostentatious, stiff, wooden chair. In the center of the room, in between all of the chairs, was a large rectangular table covered in maps at varying stages of decay.

“You think I couldn’t?” Loki asked, splaying out his fingers over the table and leaning forward.

“Well, Loki, I’ll let you try. Then! When you fail miserably and bring our kingdoms to the brink of war, I’ll fix everything, swoop in, and win her heart.” Thor leaned back and flicked his hair over his shoulder.

There were so many words bubbling to the surface as Loki looked at his pigheaded brother, mouth agape. Instead, he took solace in the fact that he would prove Thor wrong and simply said, “You’re insufferable,” as he laid back comfortably on the divan.

Thor laughed boisterously again. “You love it. And so will the Princess!”

“But it’ll be a fair fight? You won’t work against me or court her at the same time as me?” Loki clarified, glancing over from his lax position.

“Of course, brother. If anything, it is me who should be asking for a fair fight. No magic love spells or potions or whatever it is you do.” Thor pointed a round finger at the dark haired prince.

“I won’t need it.” Loki closed his eyes, bending his arms up under his head and kicking up his feet.

Thor smiled to himself as Loki feigned sleep. For the god of Mischief, he really is easy to fool.

* * *

The delegation arrived the next day around midday, just as the sun passed the highest point of its skyward journey. The welcoming ceremony took place at the edge of the bifröst, the great rainbow bridge. The visitors were shown to their temporary quarters in the West wing of the palace before the due celebrations began. As according to Asgardian custom, a great feast was to be held to celebrate the coming of a foreign king, followed by a grand ball.

“I’m sure, Brother, that you are aware of the light elves’ traditional noble dance?” Thor commented to Loki on his right through a mouthful of pork. It was the fourth course of the nine part feast. Truly, no one celebrates with as much food as Asgardians.

“And I’m sure that you are aware of common decency and how it is disgusting to chew with your mouth open and talk with you mouth full of food?” Loki raised an unimpressed eyebrow, not turning to look at his blond brother.

Thor laughs and slaps a hand on Loki’s back. His brother rolls his eyes and pretends not to wonder if any of his bones have just snapped apart. “It is traditional for the unmarried nobles to share a dance with each other. The princess will be dancing with every unwed Asgardian of my court. You’d better hope she likes you best.”

Loki glances down both ends of the table, as if this was the first time he had considered it. “Well, I can’t say I have much competition.” His eyes fell on you, sitting at the other end of the great table, to the right of your father, King Haemir. Your cold gaze fell upon all the occupants of the table, deeming none of them worthy of your attention until your eyes met Loki’s. His first instinct was to look away and pretend he hadn’t been staring, but he calmed himself, offered a small smile to you, and returned to his meal. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed your own lips quirk for a moment before freezing back into their marble stoicism.

Yes, Loki decided, this shall be interesting.

* * *

“If I may, Princess?” Loki bowed to you as the song ended, signalling the end of Darunia’s turn.

“It has been a pleasure, your Highness,” Darunia bowed also before the princess.

“The pleasure has been mine, Lady Darunia.” you asserted, a tight smile on your lips. You turned to the black haired prince and bowed your head to him. “Prince Loki.”

With all propriety, Loki stepped forward, delicately placing his hand on your hip, and taking your right hand in his. “Princess.”

The music started up again smoothly, harps and lyre’s echoing in the high ceilings of the dance hall, mingling with the idle conversations of other nobles.

“I hope you will forgive my earlier impropriety,” Loki began, as you flowed smoothly across the marble floor. He was an excellent dancer. You didn’t feel you were being led so much as floated.

“Why did you stare, your highness?” you answered, blinking patiently up at his crystal blue eyes.

“I do admit I was curious of you.” Loki said mysteriously.

“And what about me exactly inspires curiosity?” you asked before he spun you fluidly out, then back into his arms.

“There are rumors about you, Princess. I find it curious that, standing here before you, none of them seem true.” Loki spoke softly.

“Oh?” you made sure your expression was impenetrable, that there was no quiver in your lip or quirk of your eyebrow to give you away as you steadily met his gaze and kept dancing.

“They say you are of volatile temper, that you are angry and commanding.” Loki looked meaningfully into your eyes.

“Do they?” you gave a non-answer. You had heard this before, too many times. “And do you know what they say of you, Loki the trickster?” you shot back.

You had caught him off guard. His face was as cool as yours, but his step faltered as you danced. He spun you again and when finally the room came into focus and you were gazing into his eyes again, he had regained his composure, smiling easily.

“Yes, I do. I suppose we are both masters of illusion,” Loki whispered in your ear, pressing you against his chest and hold you there as the music ended. Then, just as quickly as it had happened, he had swept away and bowed politely as your next dancing partner stepped in.

* * *

“Are you the one having the servants leave flowers in my chambers?” you called as you stalked into the royal library, your tone clipped but controlled. Loki was laying placidly on a settee, he has a knack for dramatically sprawling across antique furniture and looking like a painting from the Asgardian Silver Age.

“I beg your pardon. What was that, princess?” Loki asked as he sat up and closed his book.

“Have you been leaving amaryllis in my chambers, Prince Loki?” you asked evenly.

“Yes. I thought they would brighten the room during your visit. If you wish for me to stop, I will do so immediately.” Loki bowed his head.

“So you do not know the light elf floral tradition?” you asked slowly, watching the trickster’s face carefully for any sign of deceit.

“Whatever do you mean, your highness? Have I made some sort of mistake?” Loki delivered his line perfectly.

“To send amaryllis to another person is to announce the beginning of courtship. If these are not your intentions, your highness, I suggest you stop before my father begins wedding preparations,” you spun to sweep out of the room. Instead, Loki appeared before you, holding a hand out to stop you. As you tried to understand how he had gotten in front of you so quickly, Loki disappeared before your eyes and suddenly he was behind you, pulling you by the hand to turn toward him.

“A thousand apologies princess,” he whispered, lips inches from yours, so close you could feel his breath fall upon them. Your expression had been careful, composed, but you knew from the heat on your cheeks that you had gone red. You escaped his grasp after lingering a moment too long and continued your journey away from the library.

* * *

“Brother, I thought I would remind you that your goal is to make her fall in love with you, not wish you dead.” Thor smiled charmingly as they walked to the grand hall for breakfast. “Why don’t you stop sending her flowers since it bothers her so? You are like the child pulling on a girl’s hair because he fancies her.”

“Tact, brother. She would not fall for just any man who shows kindness. To her, that would be the clearest sign of a trick. I must confuse her before I convince her that my love is true.” Loki explained.

“Careful brother or I’ll believe you truly do love her.” Thor laughed as they entered the hall. The blond man sat next to King Haemir. Loki bowed to the king of Alfheim and his daughter before sitting next to Thor. The foreign king seemed in good spirits as he broke fast and shared stories of war, glory, and conquest. But his poor health was evident in the sunkeness of his eyes and the pallor of his cheeks. His every laugh ended in a fit of coughing. Loki noted how, finally, your lips turned up as you watched your father, but your eyes held a deep sadness.

After breakfast, you stopped Loki in the hall and led him to a secluded part of their gardens. “What is it you are plotting, snake?” you demanded harshly, the cold of your features flaring with rage.

“I beg your pardon?” Loki asked, truly not expecting you to react so rashly.

“Do you wish to put my father in good spirits by tricking him into thinking that he shall see his daughter marry before his death? I assure you it is a low and cruel play, even for you serpent,” you lashed insults at him.

“Princess, please calm yourself. I have no ill intentions.” Loki spread his arms out in a nonthreatening stance of surrender.

“Then why do you still send flowers?” you demanded, glaring fixedly as his bright eyes, so talented at feigning innocence.

“I wish to court you, Princess. If you would accept,” he had the audacity to seem bashful now, to blush, to falter in maintaining your gaze, and standing impassively with his hands held behind his back.

“You do not fool me, Loki. I will not be taken in by bright eyes and smiles. You think me a fool, a damsel so afraid of the throne she would throw herself into the arms of any willing man who would rule for her. You, second-born of Odin, think I am your chance at a throne. You would control me and take my wealth and power. No, your highness, I think not. I may not have wanted it at first, but I have suffered too long, sacrificed too much for you to swoop in as my savior. If I speak, I am loose lipped. If I do not I am too silent. If I bow I’m a submissive coward, if I do not I am arrogantly disregarding proper etiquette. If I smile I am a spineless girl and if I frown I am a cold unhappy wretch. If I give a command or decree, I an ill-tempered brash war queen. If I say please and thank you, I am not queenly. No matter what I do, I am not fit to rule. Did you know that a faction of my own people has risen up to place my half brother, a mere babe, on the throne instead of me? So, no, Prince Loki, I do not believe your courtship. I see only a play for the crown that I have bled for,” you were panting as you finished, realizing you had shared that with no one. There was something different in his eyes now as he offered you a seat at a bench in the garden, something deep and genuine.

“Princess, I apologize. You do not deserve the scorn and disrespect with which you have been treated. But I swear my intentions are pure. You are a beautiful, strong, intelligent woman and I am dazzled by you. Truly. I wished to court you in earnest, but if you do not accept. I understand. I do want to say, Princess, that I know how it feels to know nothing you do is viewed objectively. I have done terrible things, of which I’m sure you’ve heard. My brother is the only one who has forgiven me in all of Asgard. Since he is the King, that makes me safe, but the rest of the court, the people, no one else trusts me. If I try to be kind, it is looked on with apprehension, surely fueled by some duplicitous motive. If I do nothing, they claim I have not changed. And of course I cannot go back to my old ways. I cannot do that to my brother.” Loki chanced a look at you, also realizing he had never told these secret thoughts to anyone. You were a vision of beauty then, with a struck expression too complex to decipher, the cold wind sweeping your robes, the flowers of the trees cascading behind you. Loki’s heart thawed and gleamed with the hope that, if not more, the pair of you could be friends.

“I-I had no idea. And I went and did the same thing.” you said. deciding perhaps to trust in his sincerity.

“It is not your fault, Princess. It is no less than I deserve,” Loki said, smiling softly at you.

“Do you... wish to continue the courtship?” you asked.

“You have already struggled so much. What will your people think if I began to court you?” Loki asked, peering up at your eyes through his dark lashes.

“You know? I do not think I should care quite so much what they think, anyhow,” you answered. “I shall prove to them I am worthy once I wear the crown.” You smiled, happy to have someone to share with, finally.

Dis what happens when I try to fit a slow burn into a one shot. What is wrong with me???

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Minions and Master – an army of obedient servants needed

from Gifts of Deceit – Sun Myung Moon, Tong-sun Park and the Korean Scandal by Robert B. Boettcher  (pages 144-148) An army of obedient servants would have to be recruited and trained to restore the Kingdom of Heaven to earth under Sun Myung Moon. They would have to work as people had never before worked because there had never been such a great mission. They would have to go wherever Moon sent them to raise the $300 million he needed for making his project worldwide and the billions more he needed to control the wealth of the planet. But Moon did not have shiploads of chained tribal people at his disposal when he arrived in America in 1971. Involuntary servitude was against the law. Could he make people think they were actually willing to be slaves?   He got the answer he wanted from idealistic American youth. He and they were ready for each other. They were people in the age group eighteen to twenty-four, in transition from adolescence to adulthood, student to professional, getting in or getting out of school, family life to life alone. For one in search of a coherent view of the world, college had the effect of making things more confusing by presenting so many different approaches to life without identifying one as altogether right. In the “real” world, problems abounded, from family disunity to the threat of nuclear destruction. At best, things were in disarray; at worst, life was chaotic, depressing. Such minds were fertile soil. Their idealism was the key. Describe how happy people would be if discord could be turned into harmony. Show how this can be done through unified love for God. Then play on the distance between what a person thinks he is and what he wants to be. Hold up ideals and make him ashamed of not living up to his own standards. Instill ideas of self-worthlessness. Make him feel guilty about putting concern for himself above group unity. The burden of guilt could be lightened by working as a family with others who believe the ideals can be attained here on earth. The family has a father who will lead the way. The harder one works for Father, the closer one gets to achieving the goal. Follow Father. God has shown him alone the path to perfection because he is the Messiah.   Moon taught a clear strategy for attracting prospective converts. Until the prospect is converted, he must not know that a strategy is being used. Later he will appreciate being deceived because the motive was his own salvation. First, all church members must make as many new acquaintances as possible. Befriend them by taking a personal interest; do not disagree with their views, whether right or wrong. Do favors. Find the right style to use on each kind of person. Classify his personality. Introduce him to a church member with a similar personality, but don’t reveal that he is a church member. Meet together like that two or three times. Get into conversations on current issues, ethics, or morality. Then say, “I know where there are many serious young people talking about things like this,” or “I have heard of some lectures about a new philosophy, very sincere, very interesting, talking about the problems of life. I would appreciate it if you would go with me so I can get your opinion on it.” The prospect will pay attention to the lecture because he has been asked for criticism. When he says it was wonderful, say, “Oh, I don’t know. Not necessarily so.” But suggest going again in order to learn more about it.   Chris Elkins was president of his fraternity at the University of Arizona when John Shea, a recent acquaintance, invited him to attend a lecture about something called the One World Crusade. What he heard was philosophical, nonreligious, and interesting. So he went again each week for a month or more. The One World Crusade was explained as a movement encompassing all aspects of life. He was impressed by the magnetism of the lecturer, Dr. Joseph Sheftick. He and his fifteen or twenty followers had an aura of confidence, friendliness, and sincerity. They related well to his own interests and seemed warmly concerned about him. As the lectures progressed, a Korean named Sun Myung Moon was mentioned as a great teacher, but the main stress was on the coming of a Messiah to build heaven on earth. It dawned on Elkins that Sun Myung Moon must be the Messiah in question, although no one had said he was. During dinner with the group one night, he stated that observation. Dr. Sheftick raised his head, sat up straight, and announced, “We have a new brother: Chris Elkins.”   Elkins did not affirm Sheftick’s declaration, nor did he deny it. He simply went along for the time being. In fact, he was seriously considering joining. The goals were so noble: peace and brotherhood at all levels. Fund-raising didn’t appeal to him, but he could swallow it because he felt he and the movement really belonged together. And the people gave him so much love and attention that he couldn’t just say no. His best friend tried to dissuade him. When his family protested, Dr. Sheftick warned that Satanic forces work best through those most loved.   Euphoria prevailed during his honeymoon period with the Moon cult. Then the atmosphere became more serious. Elkins didn’t like fasting and staying up all night praying aloud with the others. After a couple of weeks, it all seemed too heavy. Driving back to Illinois to visit his mother in the hospital, he was in a daze. He tried to think things out. What had he got into? Was this the life for him, separated from the rest of the world? The love … the concern … heaven on earth… . What if Moon was really what they said he was? Could he risk losing what they offered? From Illinois, he called the group. It felt good to hear their voices. He would return.   He resigned as president of the fraternity. The Moonies sent him to Phoenix to fund-raise by selling peanuts on the street. He was still restless because Satanic spirits were at work inside him, so he was grateful that another member was by his side at all times. His parents wanted the car back, but a leader chided him: “Who needs it more? Your parents or the movement?”   He was learning. The great crusade required everything he had. The attachment to Father must be total, as Father said: Your whole body, every cell of your body, every movement, every facial motion, even every piece of hair, every ounce of energy must be directed to this one point.   Just as other members were always with him physically, Father was always with him too: You must live with me spiritually all the time—while you are eating, while you are sleeping, while you are in the bathroom, while you are taking a bath, taking a rest, even in dreams you can be sitting with me and discussing with me. That’s the only way. This is the secret of our movement. Whoever has that basic, fundamental attitude and that spiritual power will perform miracles.   Spiritual regeneration required mental somersaults. What once seemed true was now false. What once seemed unreal was now real. The world Elkins had known since birth was the product of original sin. The fall of Adam opened the floodgates to Satanic spirits, which had inundated the lives of Elkins’s ancestors. If he gave himself to Moon completely, he could rid himself of that awful heritage and be restored…

Book review: Robert Boettcher’s Gifts of Deceit insightfully and thoroughly documents the activities and findings of the Fraser Committee. This congressional subcommittee (through its 1978 report) on International Organizations opened a window on a world in Washington which many would prefer to see closed forever. The report of this committee, informally called the Fraser Report, exhaustively documents and details Sun Myung Moon’s role in working to shape American foreign policy. It further names a whole host of characters including American politicians, military leaders, Korean diplomats, former Japanese prime ministers, not to mention President Dwight D. Eisenhower who, wittingly or unwittingly, wound up acting as agents or surrogates for Sun Myung Moon and his “Unification Church”. In addition to reading like a first rate who dunnit Boettcher’s book gives the reader a behind the scenes look at official Washington, which to this day has done nothing about the principal findings of the Fraser Committee: namely that the Unification Church has engaged in systematic violations of U.S law. Banking and currency laws, securities and exchange commission laws, Immigration and naturalization laws and charities fraud laws. Boettcher’s book is the first book which reveals the global geo-political ambitions of the Moon organization. It is a must for students of foreign relations, students of destructive cults, and for students of the U.S. Constitution – particularly those who take an interest in the first and the thirteenth amendments. Allen Tate Wood     2001

United States Congressional investigation of the Unification Church Robert Boettcher’s mysterious death – New York Times http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifts_of_Deceit

Bo Hi Pak and The Origins of KCFF

[heavyarethecrowns]

People that have married in the Royal Families since 1800

Sweden

Eugénie Bernardine Désirée Clary better known as  Désirée Clary (8 November 1777 – 17 December 1860) 

Clary was born in Marseille, France, the daughter of François Clary a wealthy silk manufacturer and merchant, by his second wife Françoise Rose Somis Eugénie was normally used as her name of address.

Clary had a sister and brother to whom she remained very close all her life. Her sister, Julie Clary, married Joseph Bonaparte, and later became Queen of Naples and Spain. Her brother, Nicholas Joseph Clary, was created 1st Count Clary

As a child, Clary received the convent schooling usually given to daughters of the upper classes in pre-revolutionary France. However, when she was barely eleven years old, the French Revolution of 1789 took place, and convents were closed. Clary returned to live with her parents, and was perforce home-schooled thereafter. Later, her education would be described as shallow.

In 1794, Clary's father died. Shortly after, it was discovered that in the years before the revolution, he had made an appeal to be ennobled, a request that had been denied. Because of this, Désirée Clary's brother Etienne, now the head of the family and her guardian, was arrested. 

Désirée Clary met Joseph Bonaparte and was introduced to her family. Bonaparte and Clary were engaged, and his brother Napoleon Bonaparte also met her family. Soon Joseph was engaged instead to her older sister Julie while Napoleon was engaged to Désirée Clary on 21 April 1795. In 1795–1797

Clary lived with her mother in Genoa in Italy, where her brother-in-law Joseph had a diplomatic mission; they were also joined by the Bonaparte family. In 1795, Napoleon became involved with Joséphine de Beauharnais and broke the engagement to Clary on 6 September. He married Joséphine in 1796. 

In 1797, Clary went to live in Rome with her sister Julie and her brother-in-law Joseph, who was French ambassador to the Papal States. Her relationship with Julie remained close. She was briefly engaged to Mathurin-Léonard Duphot, a French general. The engagement has been assumed to be Napoleon's idea to compensate her with a marriage, while Duphot was attracted to her dowry and position as sister-in-law of Napoleon. She agreed to the engagement though Duphot had a long-term relationship and a son with another woman. On 30 December 1797, on the eve of their marriage, Duphot was killed in an anti-French riot outside of their residence Palazzo Corsini in Rome.In later years, Clary vehemently denied that her engagement to Duphot had ever existed

After her return to France, Clary lived with Julie and Joseph in Paris. In Paris, she lived in the circle of the Bonaparte family, who sided with her against Josephine after Napoleon had broken off their engagement. She herself did not like Josephine either, as she has been quoted calling her an aged courtesan with a deservedly bad reputation, but she is not believed to have shown any hostility toward Josephine as did the members of the Bonaparte family. She received a proposal from General Junot, but turned it down because it was given through Marmont.Clary eventually met her future spouse, Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, another French general and politician. They were married in a secular ceremony at Sceaux on 17 August 1798. In the marriage contract, Clary was given economic independence. On 4 July 1799, she gave birth to their only child, a son, Oscar.

In August 1810, Bernadotte's husband was elected heir to the throne of Sweden and she heiress, now in that position being given the official name of Desideria. She initially thought this was to be similar to the position of Prince of Pontecorvo, and did not expect to have to visit Sweden more than she had been forced to visit Pontecorvo: "I thought, that it was at it had been with Ponte Corvo, a place from where we would have a title."She was later to admit, that she had never cared about any other country than France and knew nothing of foreign countries nor did she care about them, and that she was in despair when she was told that this time, she would be expected to leave Paris. Desideria delayed her departure and did not leave with her spouse. She was delighted with the position she had received at the French court after her elevation to crown princess (she had been invited to court events every week), and she was frightened by the stories of her reluctant French servants, who tried to discourage her from leaving by saying that Sweden was a country close to the North Pole filled with Polar bears.Finally, she left Paris and traveled by Hamburg and Kronborg in Denmark over the Öresund to Helsingborg in Sweden.

On 22 December 1810, Desideria arrived with her son Oscar in Helsingborg in Sweden, and the 6 January 1811, she was introduced to the Swedish royal court at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The Swedish climate was reportedly a shock for her: she arrived during the winter, and she hated the snow so much that she cried. Her spouse had converted upon his election as heir to the Swedish throne, and upon their arrival, her son was also to do so, as was required, and was taken from her to be brought up a Lutheran. There was, in accordance with the Tolerance Act, no demand that she should convert, and a Catholic chapel was arranged for her use. Desideria was not religious,but the Catholic masses served to remind her of France, and she celebrated the birth of the son of Napoleon, the King of Rome, by a Te Deum in her chapel. 

Desideria was unable to adapt to the demands of formal court etiquette or participate in the representational duties which were required of her in her position of Crown Princess. Her French entourage, especially Elise la Flotte, made her unpopular during her stay in Sweden by encouraging her to complain about everything.She did not have a good relationship with Queen Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte, though the Dowager Queen Sophia Magdalena was reportedly kind to her. In her famous diaries, Queen Charlotte described her as good hearted, generous and pleasant when she chose to be and not one to plot, but also an immature "spoiled child", who hated all demands and was unable to handle any form of representation, and as "a French woman in every inch" who disliked and complained about everything which was not French, and "consequently, she is not liked." Queen Charlotte, who wanted to remain the center of attention at her own court, was not pleased with Desideria and also influenced King Charles against her. 

Desideria left Sweden in the summer of 1811 under the name of Countess of Gotland, officially because of her health, and returned to Paris, leaving her husband and her son behind. She herself said that the Swedish nobility had treated her as if they were made of ice: "Do not talk with me of Stockholm, I get a cold as soon as I hear the word." In Sweden, her husband took a mistress, the noble Mariana Koskull. Under the same alias Desideria officially resided incognito in Paris, thereby avoiding politics. However, her house at rue d'Anjou was watched by the secret police, and her letters were read by them. She had no court, just her lady's companion Elise la Flotte to assist her as hostess at her receptions, and she mostly associated with a circle of close friends and family.

In 1818, her husband became King of Sweden, which made Desideria Queen. However, she remained in France, officially for health reasons. After she became Queen, the Swedish Queen Dowager wrote to her and suggested that she should have Swedish ladies-in-waiting, but she replied that it was unnecessary for her to have a court as she still resided incognito. She officially kept herself incognito and did not host any court, but she kept in contact with the Swedish embassy, regularly visited the court of Louis XVIII and often saw Swedes at her receptions, which she hosted on Thursdays and Sundays, unofficially in her role as queen, though she still used the title of countess. 

During this period, she fell in love with the French prime minister, the Duc de Richelieu, which attracted attention. According to one version, she fell in love with him after Louis XVIII had given him the task to deny her regular appeal for her sister Julie in the most charming way possible. True or not, she did fall in love with him, but the affection was not answered by Richelieu, who referred to her as his "crazy Queen". According to Laure Junot, she did not dare to speak to him or approach him, but she followed him wherever he went, tried to make contact with him, followed him on his trip to Spa and had flowers placed in his room. She followed him around until his death in 1822.

During the summer of 1822, her son Oscar made a trip in Europe to inspect prospective brides, and it was decided they should meet. As France was deemed unsuitable, they met in Aachen and a second time in Switzerland. In 1823, Desideria returned to Sweden together with her son's bride, Josephine of Leuchtenberg. It was intended to be a visit, but she was to remain in Sweden for the rest of her life. She and Josephine arrived in Stockholm 13 June 1823. Three days later, the royal court and the government was presented to her, and 19 June, she participated in the official welcoming of Josephine and witnessed the wedding

On 21 August 1829, she was crowned Queen of Sweden in Storkyrkan in Stockholm. Her coronation had been suggested upon her return, but her consort had postponed it because he feared there could be religious difficulties. There was actually a suggestion that she should convert to the Lutheran faith before her coronation, but in the end, the question was not considered important enough to press, and she was crowned all the same. She was crowned at her own request after having pressed Charles John with a wish that she should be crowned: "otherwise she would be no proper Queen". A reason for this is believed to have been that she regarded it as protection against divorce

The relationship between her and her husband King Charles XIV John was somewhat distant, but friendly. Charles John treated her with some irritability, while she behaved very freely and informally toward him. The court was astonished by her informal behavior. She could enter his bedroom and stay there until late at night even though he hinted to her that he wished to be alone with his favorite Count Magnus Brahe. Every morning, she visited her husband in her nightgown, which was seen as shocking, because her husband usually conferred with members of the council of state in his bed chamber at that time. Because of their difference in habits, they seldom saw each other even though they lived together. Because she was always late at dinner, for example, he stopped having his meals with her, and as he also preferred to have his meals alone, it was not uncommon for the nobles of the court to sit alone at the dinner table, without the royal couple present

The 1830s were a period when she did her best to be active as a queen, a role she had never wanted to play. The decade is described as a time of balls and parties, more than had been seen at the Swedish court since the days of King Gustav III, but Desideria soon grew tired of her royal status and wanted to return to France. However, her husband did not allow it. As queen she is mostly known for her eccentric habits. She is known to have kept reversed hours and, consequently, for often being late and keeping guests waiting, something which agitated her spouse. Normally, she retired at four in the morning, and awoke at two o'clock in the afternoon. Before she went to bed, she took a "walk by carriage": during these trips, she often paid unannounced visits, which were normally inconvenient because of the time. When the weather was bad, her carriage drove round the courtyard of the royal palace instead. It was normal for her to arrive for a visit to an opera when the show had ended.

Desideria was interested in fashion, devoted a lot of interest and pride in her hair and wore low cut dresses until an advanced age. She enjoyed dancing: her standard question at court presentations were if the debutantes liked to dance, and she herself danced well also during her old age. Her conversations were mainly about her old life in France. Her niece, Marcelle Tascher de la Pagerie, served as her Mistress of the Robes her first years as queen and also her main company, as she could speak to her of her main topic, her old life. After her niece had returned to France, she often socialized with the rich merchant Carl Abraham Arfwedson, who had once been a guest in her childhood home.She never became very popular at the royal court, where she was regarded with some snobbery because of her past as a merchant's daughter and a republican. She never learned to speak the Swedish language, and there are many anecdotes of her attempts to speak the language.

In 1844, Charles XIV John died and Desideria became Queen Dowager. Her son, the new King Oscar I, allowed her to keep her usual quarters in the Royal Palace as well as her entire court, so she would not have to change her habits. When her daughter-in-law Queen Josephine tried to convince her to reduce her court of her own free will, saying she no longer needed such a big court as a queen dowager, she answered: "It is true that I no longer need them all, but all of them still need me." She was a considerate and well-liked employer among her staff. One notable member of her court was Countess Clara Bonde, who was described as a personal friend and served the queen from her return to Sweden until her death. 

Desideria did engage in charity but it was discreet, and it has been said: "Her charity was considerable but took place in silence". One example was that she supported poor upper-class women by giving them sewing work. She also acted as official protector of charitable institutions, such as the Women's Society Girl School. The same year she became a widow, she was described by the French diplomat Bacourt: "Royalty has not altered her — unfortunately, for the reputation of the Crown. She has always been and will always remain an ordinary merchant woman, surprised over her position, and surprising to find upon a throne."He also added that she was a goodhearted woman.

After becoming a widow, she grew more and more eccentric. She went to bed in the morning, got up in the evening, ate breakfast at night and wandered around the corridors of the sleeping palace with a light. Desideria sometimes would take in children from the streets to the palace and give them sweets; she was not able to engage in any real conversation, but she would say "Kom, kom!" (Swedish for "Come come!") There are stories about people having been awakened by her carriage when she drove through the streets at night. The carriage sometimes stopped; she would sleep for a while, and then she would wake and the carriage would continue on its way. Her habit or circling the courtyard in her coach she called "Kring kring" (Swedish for "around and around"), one of the few Swedish words she learned.

On the last day of her life, Queen Desideria entered her box at the Royal Swedish Opera just after the performance had ended, and collapsed before reaching her apartment upon returning to Stockholm Palace on 17 December 1860.

[we-are-guildmaster]

101 D&D Quest Ideas

Taken from Boccob's Blessed Blog

News spreads that a dragon was slain while away from his cave, a search for its unguarded hoard is underway

A thief has stolen a powerful item from a lich and then joins the party for protection

A wizard/collector wants a live troll to study

Rat catchers are going missing under the city and a plague is spreading in their absence

A local caster has summoned a creature that they cannot contain and it is destroying the area

A charismatic charlatan claims (and has proof) to be the cousin/brother/son of one of the PCs

A wandering merchant trades a pc for their magic item for a fake he claims is more powerful

Shipments from a nearby mine have stopped when the PCs investigate they find the miners crazed and covered with red welts apparently from exposure to a new element they uncovered

A white dragon is driving monsters from the north into the southern lands

A planar rift has formed and outsiders are seeping through

A powerful noble/wizard is hosting a masquerade ball where the guests are polymorphed into monster as their costume, but an actual monster attends to kill the noble/wizard

A sorcerer has died of old age, strange things are creeping out of his tower as his spells, and dweomers break down

A map has been found that leads to parts of an artifact that once reassembled, will summon a fiendish kraken

The dead are rising as zombies one hour after their death

Slavers are capturing peasants and merchants on the highway and selling them to mindflayers

A shop/traveling merchant sells pets/familiars that are actually polymorphed people

The PC’s are sent to find a hermit that lives on the “moving island”, a zircon/dragon turtle

A traveling circus/faire comes to town and completely vanishes in the morning with several children

An Ur priest cult is killing all the divine casters in the area

Water drawn from a certain well is animating into water elementals/mephits

An evil druid has taken up residence in the sewers and is waging a guerilla war on civilization

Anyone who reads a cursed book, brought into town by an adventuring party, dies after reading it

A killer is leaving rare flowers in the mouths of his victims

A member of a planar cartographical society offers the PCs membership into the elite group if they can complete a scavenger hunt that leads them across several planes in one day

A mysterious helmed/hooded/masked figure has forged an impressive army by bringing tribes of kobolds, goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins under one banner. The leader is actually a cleric disheartened by the lack of faith and respect of his flock and means to increase belief and prayer for his deity by leading an army of wolves against his flock

The owner of a failing inn claims to have the entrance to a mysterious dungeon in his cellar hoping that the ruse will draw business from adventurers

A pack of displacer beasts/displacer beast lord are preying on farm animals and farmers alike

Two rival gangs are actually devils and demons fighting a Blood War battle on the city streets

The daughter/apprentice of a caster that polymorphed himself into a golden cup and placed himself in the hoard of a green dragon in an attempt to learn more about dragons, but it has been weeks and he has not come home contacts the PCs

Reports that a gold dragon is ravaging the countryside turn out to be true. The dragon, sick with a rare disease, has gone mad and must be stopped

Grave robbers working for a necromancer are running out of graves and start looking for easy prey

A “red” dragon demanding tributes from a village is actually an especially greedy copper dragon

A killer is released from prison and the father of one of his victims stages a similar murder in the hopes of framing him

A traveling “holy man” is selling relics that disappear in the morning

The new judge is in fact a devil hoping to harvest souls for not guilty verdicts

A logging camped is being haunted by the ghost of a treant/forest haunt and his dryad followers

A band of fey has been stealing wine from a rural tavern

A good and helpful aranea has been captured and tried for murder while the true culprit is a drider that resides close by

A college that teaches science over magic opens and arcane casters start going missing

Drug-related deaths lead the PCs to an evil alchemist

The PCs are hired to retrieve a meteor, but find it is being worshipped by a tribe of goblins/orcs/lizardmen etc.

Several women in the area are pregnant under strange circumstances, an incubus is to blame

An artifact is needed to avert a major catastrophe; its last known owner was Levistus the arch devil trapped within a glacier

The PCs must find a rare herb only known to grow within Gith monasteries

The PCs visit a strange village where all the people are simulacrums, an ancient wizards mark is seen everywhere

The PCs are sent to a distant land to find an NPC that it turns out has been dead for 20 years

The PCs must help a conflicted Erinyes to the Cradle of Creation (phb2) to be reborn into a non-evil body

A map leading to the legendary Shield of Praetor has been found, it states that the shield is in the cave of a dracolich. The map was sent by the dracolich’s minions in the hopes of freeing their master who is sealed magically into his cave

A local orphanage is actually run by a demonic cultist that sacrifices the weak children and raises the strong ones to be followers

A powerful artifact that will allow teleportation through the layers of the abyss/hells has been uncovered and a race to claim it has begun. The PCs must beat the groups of devils and demons that see the artifact as a powerful tool to end the Blood War

An overmatched Marut seeks assistance with a powerful lich/vampire/mummy

Rumors of “The most powerful sword” lead the PCs to an evil, intelligent, dancing sword that can animate other weapons to fight for it

The PCs are sent to a battlefield to retrieve a family heirloom from a missing soldier where a necromancer and his corpse collector golem are raising the fallen as undead

A cult of Tiamat have discovered a spell that ages living creatures and they are trying to use it on dragon eggs to raise powerful allies

The PCs are sent to deal with a raiding ogre that turns out to be a gnome illusionist

The PCs are looking for an arrow used to slay a dragon a hundred years earlier, but when they pull the arrow from the dragon’s skeleton, it animates and attacks

The PCs need the help/information of a treant that will only add them if they agree to be shrunk down to clear out an infestation of insects that invaded his roots

The PCs are invited to a Three Dragon Ante tourney, either as guards, VIPs, or to play

A lawful good lich (Monsters of Faerun) seeks the PCs to protect him from a zealous paladin on a quest to rid the world of undead

Thieves have plundered a tomb and until his golden burial mask is returned, a ghost/ghast/specter will continue to kill innocent people

A group of fire giants has taken up residence in an inactive volcano, their activity threatens to awaken the volcano and cause widespread devastation

A grandmotherly, if slightly senile, NPC asks the players to rid her attic of rats. The rats are in fact a group of thieves trying to open a magical doorway left by the wizard that previously owned the home

A monster seen roaming close to town is actually a cursed person and not evil

The PCs find a genie in a bottle, but the genie agrees to help/grant wishes/serve only after the players travel to the City of Brass and save someone the genie cares about

The PCs find a wounded angel that is being hunted by powerful outsiders

A newly discovered dungeon is actually a complex trap to harvest souls/magic/life energy

The PCs must break an innocent man from a complex magical prison

Murders attributed to a small girl are being done by her doll, a slaymate (libris motris)

An ancient beholder has gone mad and his destroying the Underdark, driving monsters to the surface

A gnome settlement has been overrun by Drow displacing hundreds of citizens

A mad wizard has been selling potions that have poisonous/odd effects

Mind flayers are draining people of their quintessence in hopes of using the substance to return to the far realm from which aberrations came

A spelljammer has crashed in a remote forest/jungle and the inhabitants seek materials to repair their helm

A foreign diplomat seeks the party’s monk to protect him on a mission to a country/city where magic and weapons are not allowed

The tarrasque is wreaking havoc on the countryside and the party (lvl 10ish) must slow it down until the champions (20th) can arrive, but the tarrasque is actually a simulacrum (cr 10) sent by an outsider/caster/etc. and not the real thing

Cultist seek a tablet that depicts a ritual that will summon a Fist of Spite (BoVD)

The party must save an NPC from the stomach demiplane of Dalmosh (MM5)

The guild master of the cooper’s guild wants to discredit the owner of a local winery with whom he has had an argument by poisoning his barrels

A local sage/astronomer is convinced that a massive meteor is going to strike the kingdom/city/town

The normally-inert gargoyles atop the temple/castle/mansion have animated and started attacking people who approach the building

A group of bulettes is keeping anyone from entering or leaving the city/town/inn

A doppelganger/changeling serial killer claims the identity of their most recent victim for one week before killing again

A gnome settlement has been overrun by fiendish duergar led by a demon

PCs seek out a powerful dwarven, smith that traded his soul to Asmodeus for unearthly crafting abilities. Before the smith will help the PCs, they must reclaim his soul from the arch devil

The players find/are sent to a city that reflects the entire multiverse scaled down with a neutral inn in the center run by a power caster

The PCs search for a legendary library that when found, has no books only the corpses of long-dead sages and librarian clerics that use speak with dead to obtain the knowledge

The PCs need a party member/NPC raised from the dead but the only cleric powerful enough to do so has recently been turned by a vampire he was hunting

The PCs find/buy/are given a strange bag of holding that has a small pocket dimension inside it where a frightened caster hides. He/she created the bag to hide in and saw that it ended up in the PCs hands to keep it safe

The PCs seek an answer/information from a forgotten bard. When they find him, he is a ghost and he will only help them if they give him peace by finishing his final poem/song/movement

A chaotic good horselord (CAd) has led all the horses in the region/city/town away into the hills to freedom

The huntsman of a local lord/mayor has kidnapped the NPC’s daughter, and only a highly trained tracker can follow the trail and find the girl

An aged and grizzled warrior is going town to town offering his magic sword/shield/armor to any fighter that can best him in honorable combat

After returning from a diplomatic journey, the noble/diplomat/prince/queen is acting strangely. The PCs are asked to look into it only to find that the NPC is a doppelganger/changeling/simulacrum/charmed/possessed

A pair of ethereal filchers are stealing all the curative magic in the area/city/town

The answer/riddle/name/code that the PCs require is etched onto the helm of a massive golem that paces a deadly dungeon

Monthly full moon attacks are blamed on a good lycan, and are actually being carried out by a pack of Moon Rats (MM2)

Summoned Thoqqua threaten to compromise the structural integrity of the city/town/inn/dungeon/ as they melt tunnels through the ground below

Centaur knights (phb2) are running any humanoid from their forest

The PCs are sought by the patrons of a desert land where a despotic temple of cleric charges impossibly high rates for fresh water to people not of their faith

A temple has hired a large number of bards for a festival where music is to be played from sun up until sundown, the only problem is that no one recalls the obscure holiday because it is a ruse to mask the sound of tomb robbers breaking into sealed vaults below the church

A xenophobic elvish lord has begun to arrest non-elves after his daughter eloped with a human

[luna-whiskers]

Minific for @antivanonmytongue, who has been suffering many hurricane woes.

Title: Silver Tongue Ship: Mars/Jadeite Warning: Mild swearing A/N: Vaguely SilMil-era

The village smelled of rot and death, but it was not the smell that repulsed her. It was the dark aura that hung over the place, curdling the air. Over the backs of her hands and her cheeks and the space by her throat where her robes tugged loose, she could feel it sliding across her skin like clammy fingers. Mars suppressed the urge to let the fire within her flare up, just to burn away all that touched her. They were skittish about foreign kinds of magic on this planet, though, particularly of the kind that burned.

The infestation of corrupted monsters on Earth’s surface was neither a war nor an epidemic yet, but pockets of them seemed to spring up without warning. This planet felt so big, for being so small. People were so spread out across the countryside, not crowded together like in the floating cities of Venus, or the small but richly populated moons of Jupiter. On her own home planet, vast desert rolled out around her city like an endless sea, but what cities there were put any on Earth to shame, having spent centuries growing around the few readily available water sources. Villages like this were vulnerable here, so far from the capital city, where the royal palace resided. Those who were not injured or killed by the beasts would see their crops fail once the corruption spread to the soil. And those who had the power to purify it were in short supply.

No entourage followed the princess of the red planet as she stepped over muddy wagon tracks. The demons that had ravaged this place posed little threat to her, and it would be faster for her to make the magical jump into the remote village on her own, unencumbered by less powerful assistants. And anyway, it was a perfect opportunity to bow out of what was meant to be a diplomatic mission. Mars was not particularly fond of those at the best of times, but on Earth they inevitably meant running into – oh dear.

She heard him before she saw him, of course. He was all mouth, that one. Silver tongue promising everything and nothing to every noble and visiting dignitary within earshot. It was a wonder he was not there now, charming the Martian diplomats who liked to speak in circles. She could feel the patina glossing his every word. Once, he tried to speak to her the same way. Mars resisted the urge to light his hair aflame, and opted instead to walk away without the satisfaction of her response. 

She followed his voice to the shrine of Serenity. In a village such as this, it was the largest and sturdiest building they had, and it was where they had hidden while the monsters raided. This would be a good place to begin the purification process, she thought, where the corruption would be less potent to begin with. Even as she drew closer, she could feel some of the taint in the air lifting. A mere visage of Queen Serenity had power enough to do that.

Even if she had not met him before, he would stand out from the humble peasants crowded inside. Hair like spun gold and a face that looked like it had been carved by a Venusian artisan, complete with that damned ever-present smirk. His uniform was less pristine than usual, collar askew and the sleeves rolled up, but its authority remained unmistakable. Such as it was, compared to hers.

He had not noticed her yet, and were it not for the many people that crowded between them, she would have interrupted with something snide. Instead she clenched her jaw as she picked her way toward him, steeling herself for what would certainly be the least pleasant part of this mission. 

That was when she noticed how different his voice sounded now from when she heard it in the halls of the royal palace. Where was that veneer that she had heard when he had courted the wealthy and powerful on his prince’s behalf? It had softened to something else in the face of an elderly woman in priestess robes who clutched at his hand. He was reassuring her, offering a promise that sounded more sincere than any she had heard him utter in Prince Endymion’s court. He offered more respect to this humble country priestess than to the would-be kings and handsy duchesses who drank in his flattery.  

That was when he noticed her. For a moment, he seemed not to know what to do, blue eyes blinking in honest surprise. Then his posture straightened, his smirk returning. He was caught without his mask on, and now it returned as though it had never been gone. “Your highness. Come to take me up on that offer of a dance? I admit it has been some months, but...”

He was all mouth. But she knew his secret now, and Mars could not find it in her to reward him with her annoyance. Instead she allowed the barest hint of a smile to pull at her lips. “A dance? Here?” She cast a glance around the little shrine, scantly ornamented and filled with farmers and their families milling about. “I can think of worse places.”

She glanced his way only once as she turned away. Just to see the confusion on his face.

[criticalrationalism]

Plague of the 14th century (from Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World)

In 1331, chroniclers recorded that 90 percent of the people of Hopei Province died. By 1351, China had reportedly lost between one-half and two-thirds of its population to the plague. The country had included some 123 million inhabitants at the beginning of the thirteenth century, but by the end of the fourteenth century the population dropped to as low as 65 million. 

China functioned as the manufacturing center of the Mongol World System, and as the goods poured out of China, the disease followed, seemingly spreading in all directions at once. Archaeological evidence of graves near trading posts indicates that by 1338 the plague crossed from China over the Tian Shan Mountains and wiped out a Christian trading community near lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan. The plague was an epidemic of commerce. The same Mongol roads and caravans that knitted together the Eurasian world of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries moved more than mere silk and spices. The roads and way stations set up by the Mongols for merchants also served as the inadvertent transfer points for the fleas and, thereby, for the disease itself. With the luxurious fabrics, exotic flavors, and opulent jewels, the caravans brought the fleas that spread the plague from one camp to another, one village to another, one city to another, and one continent to another. If plague destroyed only a single, crucial station in a mountain pass or blocked one route through the desert, it potentially isolated a large region within the vast empire. 

Plague reached the capital of the Golden Horde at Sarai on the lower Volga in 1345. At this time, Yanibeg, the Kipchak khan, was preparing to lay siege to the Crimean port of Kaffa (modern-day Feodosija in Ukraine), a trading post established by merchants from Genoa primarily for the export of Russian slaves to Egypt. The Mongols had sometimes cooperated with the Italian slave merchants and at other times tried to suppress their trade. The Mongol authorities had closed the trading post and expelled the Genovese on several occasions, but each time they would eventually relent and allow them to return. To protect themselves from further Mongol threats and to safeguard their transit in slaves, the Genoese built a strong protective wall around their city and a second inner wall to protect the heart of the trading post. 

When plague broke out in the Mongol army, it forced Yanibeg to lift the siege and retreat, but the disease readily spread from the Mongol camp to the adjacent port. According to a single European report, Yanibeg had the bodies of plague victims catapulted over the walls and into the city, and though the Genovese tried to dispose of the bodies by throwing them in the sea, the disease erupted. Though often repeated, the story was not based on eyewitness accounts; the only known source for it comes from the papers of a lawyer, Gabriele de Mussis, who worked near Genoa in the town of Piacenza. He claimed, in turn, to have heard the story from some sailors. Since the dead bodies could not breathe on their intended targets and spread the disease in the common manner, they would have needed to carry living fleas to infect the city. The story seems doubtful, not because the Mongols were unwilling to spread the disease in that manner, but because it probably would not have been a strategy likely to succeed. 

With or without human intention, the disease was already spreading and would continue to do so. When the Genovese and other refugees fled the port by boat, they took the disease with them to Constantinople, from where it easily spread to Cairo in Egypt and to Messina in Sicily. If the city was the ideal home for the plague, the closed environment of the ship was the ideal incubator, a place where humans, rats, and fleas could mix intimately without the noxious presence of horses or fire, the two things that fleas most avoid. Freed from the comparatively slow movement on the trading route, where the disease had to wait for precisely the right cart or cargo of goods, the plague spread with the speed of the wind in the sails. In 1348, it ravaged the cities of Italy, and by June of that year entered England. By the winter of 1350, the plague had crossed the North Atlantic from the Faeroe Islands on through Iceland and reached Greenland. It may have killed 60 percent of the settlers of Iceland, and the plague was probably the single most important factor in the final extinction of the struggling Viking colony in Greenland. 

In the sixty years from 1340 until 1400, according to some estimates, the population of Africa declined from 80 million to 68 million inhabitants, and Asia from 238 million to 201 million. The total world population—including the Americas, where the plague did not strike for another two centuries—fell from approximately 450 million to between 350 and 375 million inhabitants, a net loss of at least 75 million, or more than a million people a year for the remainder of the fourteenth century. As more evidence accumulates, scholarly research continues to push the losses higher. The population of Europe declined from around 75 million to 52 million. With a death toll of around 25 million the loss in the European continent alone was roughly the same as the total worldwide toll of AIDS in the twentieth century. For Europe in the fourteenth century, however, the figure represented between a third and one-half of the total population. By comparison, in the tremendous destruction of World War II in Europe, Great Britain lost less than 1 percent of its population, and France, the scene of much fighting, lost 1.5 percent of its population. German losses reached 9.1 percent. Widespread famine pushed the World War II death rates in Poland and Ukraine toward 19 percent, but even these remained well below the rates for the plague in the fourteenth century. 

The plague left some areas completely depopulated, while a few cities survived virtually unscathed. One of the few effective measures was taken by the city of Milan. As soon as plague broke out in a house, officials raced to seal up the entire house with everyone—sick and well, friends and servants—sealed inside. Other cities tried less effective means, such as the ringing of bells or the banning of the ringing of bells. Whether it erupted in a particular community or not, the epidemic permanently changed life in every region of the continent. The plague effectively destroyed the social order that had dominated Europe since the fall of Rome, leaving the continent in dangerous disorder. The disease brought down urban dwellers more readily and thereby destroyed the educated class and the skilled craftsmen. Inside and outside the cities, the closed and polluted environments of monasteries and convents provided an ideal opportunity for the disease to kill everyone, a tragedy from which European monasticism in particular, and the Roman Catholic church in general, never recovered. Dense villages faced a similar danger, as did the residents cooped up inside castles and manorial estates. 

The social impact of the plague was best recorded in Florence, where it erupted in 1348, in the writings of Giovanni Boccaccio, one of many to lose numerous family members and close friends. In his Decameron, ten young noble ladies and ten men flee the plague and find refuge in a country estate, passing the time by telling tales. In the world described by Boccaccio, husband deserted wife, mother abandoned child just to escape the plague. So many died that priests had no time to offer services and diggers could not accommodate the bodies, which were then tossed into group graves or left for dogs and pigs to eat. The “venerable authority of laws, human and divine, was abased and all but totally dissolved.” Officials were “unable to execute any office; whereby every man was free to do what was right in his own eyes.” 

Without understanding the disease’s true cause or methods of transmission, people still quickly recognized its close association with commerce and the movement of people in and out of cities. The writings of Boccaccio, Petrarch, and others of the time show the two primary reactions to the disease were to abandon the city, if possible, or at least to close the city to outsiders. Either response immediately halted trade, communication, and transportation. Local authorities throughout Europe enacted plague laws to limit its spread and control popular reaction. In 1348, the small city of Pistoia in Tuscany barred entry of people from infected areas, banned the importation of any type of used textiles, and forbade the sale of fruit or the slaughtering of animals that might cause the smell of death, which they suspected as contributing to the spread of the disease. Similarly, they forbade the tanning trade, and without it the commerce in leather goods ceased. Citizens returning from other places could only bring a small amount of baggage equivalent to about thirty pounds. No one could send a gift to the home of a person who had died of the plague or go there to visit, and no one was allowed to buy new clothing. 

Diplomatic delegations and letters ceased to flow. Without the Mongol transportation system, the Catholic church lost touch with its missions in China. Frightened people everywhere blamed foreigners for bringing the disease, further threatening international commerce. In Europe, the Christians once again turned on the Jews, who had a close association with commerce and with the east, from whence the plague came. Some Jews were shut up in their homes and burned; others were taken out and tortured on the rack until they confessed their crimes. Despite a papal bull from Pope Clement VI in July 1348 protecting the Jews and ordering the Christians to stop their persecutions, the campaign against them escalated. On Valentine’s Day in 1349, the authorities of Strasbourg herded two thousand Jews to the Jewish cemetery outside of the city to begin a mass burning. Some Jews were allowed to save themselves by confessing their crimes and converting to Christianity, and some children were forcefully converted. More than a thousand perished over the six days that it took to burn them all, and the city outlawed the presence of any Jew in the city. City after city picked up the practice of publicly burning Jews to thwart the epidemic. According to the boasts of one chronicler, between November 1348 and September 1349, all the Jews between Cologne and Austria had been burned. In the Christian parts of Spain, the people initiated similar persecutions against the resident Muslim minority, driving many of them to seek refuge in Granada and Morocco. 

The plague not only isolated Europe, but it also cut off the Mongols in Persia and Russia from China and Mongolia. The Mongol rulers in Persia could no longer procure the goods from the lands and workshops they owned in China. The Golden Family in China could not get its goods from Russia or Persia. With each group cut off from the other, the interlocking system of ownership collapsed. The plague had devastated the country, demoralized the living, and, by cutting off trade and tribute, deprived the Mongol Golden Family of its primary source of support. For nearly a century, the Mongols had exploited their mutual material interests to overcome the political fault lines dividing them. Even while sacrificing political unity, they had maintained a unified cultural and commercial empire. With the onslaught of plague, the center could not hold, and the complex system collapsed. The Mongol Empire depended on the quick and constant movement of people, goods, and information throughout its massive empire. Without those connections, there was no empire. 

As foreign conquerors, the Mongols had been tolerated by their subjects, who often outnumbered the Mongols by as much as a thousand to one, because they continued to produce a tremendous flow of trade goods long after the strength of their army had dissipated. In the plague’s aftermath, with neither trade nor the likelihood of military reinforcement from other Mongols, each branch of the Golden Family of Genghis Khan had to fend for itself in an increasingly volatile environment that might easily turn hostile. Deprived of their two advantages of military strength and commercial lucre, the Mongols in Russia, central Asia, Persia, and the Middle East searched for new modes of power and legitimacy by intermarrying with their subjects and consciously becoming more like them in language, religion, and culture. Mongol authorities purged the remaining elements of shamanism, Buddhism, and Christianity from their families and strengthened their commitment to Islam, which was the primary religion of their subjects, or, in the case of the Golden Horde in Russia, the religion of the Turkic army that helped keep the family in power.

[interkomitet]

Leonid Slutsky held meetings with the heads of diplomatic missions of Switzerland and Iceland

Chairman of the International Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky held meetings with the heads of diplomatic missions of Switzerland and Iceland, where they discussed the development of cooperation between Russia and these European countries in various fields.

With the Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to the Russian Federation Christine Marie Lang, the parties discussed in detail the economic aspects, issues of interaction at inter-parliamentary platforms, including in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, as well as the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. L.E. Slutsky proposed to intensify contacts through parliamentary diplomacy.

The topic of inter-parliamentary cooperation was also central at the meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iceland to the Russian Federation Aurni Tor Sigurdson. Prospects for an exchange of visits by parliamentary delegations, the creation of a Friendship Group of the State Duma with the Althingi, and a joint meeting of the foreign policy committees of the parliaments of Russia and Iceland were discussed.

L.E. Slutsky recalled the initiative of the Chairman of the State Duma Viacheslav Volodin to create an International Institute for the Preservation of Historical Memory, the main task of which would be to resist attempts to falsify the history of the Second World War. “Along with the possibility of opening its branches in Belgrade (the Serbian colleagues confirmed their readiness), one could think about a branch of the institute in Rekjavik, if, of course, the Icelandic side supports Russia in this noble undertaking.”

http://interkomitet.com/main/leonid-slutsky-held-meetings-with-the-heads-of-diplomatic-missions-of-switzerland-and-iceland-2/

[itsnelkabelka]

Speech: UK-Afghanistan relations are in extraordinarily good shape: Speech by Sir Nicholas Kay

I welcome you and thank you for joining us to celebrate 92nd Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Why are we here tonight? Why do we and all embassies have this ritual of a National day? I offer two reasons.

First, for us it’s all about the Queen.

We are here today to celebrate the official birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, who this year has reached the grand age of 92. I had the enormous privilege and great pleasure of meeting her last month, and I can assure you, she is the bright, kind and very insightful lady you see in this photograph. Her sense of duty, hard work and resilience over the last 76 years as Queen is an inspiration to many. It is hard to imagine that she started the job on 6 Feb 1952 - I imagine before most of us were born.

Second, this evening is a chance for us to share with friends and colleagues some hospitality and good cheer and to reflect - just briefly - on the state of the friendship between our two peoples and countries.

On this let me just say that UK-Afghan relations are, like HM the Queen, in extraordinarily good shape: vigorous, healthy, long-standing yet modern. This week we had our Foreign Secretary in Kabul; currently the First Lady is in London; and HE Dr Abdullah was in UK two weeks ago. Do not worry, I am not going to recite a litany of statistics and examples. Nor shall I boast about the great things we are doing together in the fields of development, education, security, institution building and more! I recognise that all in this garden tonight – in uniform and out of uniform - play an important part in the hard but noble work of helping build peace and reduce poverty.

I pay tribute to our Afghan brothers and sisters who bear the heaviest burden and also to international friends and colleagues, who far from homes, families and loved ones, labour with skill and some sacrifice to help Afghans enjoy a better future.

Our collective work is not easy. It needs patience and humility. But I am extremely confident that a brighter future is dawning in Afghanistan. The glimmering light of that new day was seen during the historic Eid ceasefire, when the whole world saw Afghans embrace and share in ways that many had not done before. In cities and villages across the country, we saw understanding and camaraderie of a sort which Afghans have been yearning, for so many years. In the humblest of backgrounds, with the peace caravan making its way towards Kabul, and the National Unity Government having made the bravest and most open of offers to the Taliban, society came together for a blessed weekend.

Like our Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Monday when he visited Kabul to commend the signs of progress he sees, he called on all countries with influence in Afghanistan, especially in the neighbourhood, to use it constructively at this crucial moment.

Conflict has sadly become so common in Afghanistan that it is sometimes hard to imagine what peace feels and looks like. Earlier this year, we held a photo competition asking Afghans to imagine a peaceful future, and to photograph what peace, cooperation and unity mean to them. You will have seen many of their photographs as you came in. Peace for these talented photographers meant everything from children playing merrily on a slide, to a friendly policeman helping a taxi driver out of a rut.

Peace is many things to many people. It is at the forefront of my Government’s mission here, working always in strong support of the Afghan led and Afghan owned efforts in this field.

Now is an exciting moment. A moment of rare hope. I salute the efforts of Afghan religious leaders, civil society and the security forces to create and seize this moment of opportunity. I commend equally the National Unity Government for its courage and vision in listening to the Afghan people’s thirst for peace and being led by them. As diplomats and friends of Afghanistan, we must support the Afghan people. We too must be bold, confident and imaginative.

The world is changing fast and Afghanistan is not alone in having to adapt to new realities. Geopolitics in the coming year will not get easier. All the more reason why we all need to seize the moment to make vital progress now.

Before we, inshallah, hold Her Majesty the Queen’s 93rd birthday celebration in Kabul next year, I believe three important things will have happened in Afghanistan: timely and credible parliamentary and presidential elections will have been held (this is so important and I urge us all to redouble our efforts); the momentum towards peace will have become unstoppable and progress will have been made in ways which we cannot imagine today (and I urge all political actors not to play politics with peace) ; and thirdly - and possibly as importantly - Afghanistan’s cricket team will have won their first matches in England in the World Cup series in 2019.

I thank you for your patience in listening. I thank you for your friendship and hospitality over the last year in Kabul.

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[dani-qrt]

Pompeo Promises to Return ‘Swagger’ to the State Department

On Wednesday, for Mr. Pompeo’s ceremonial swearing in, President Trump will take his first trip to the State Department. It will signal to the world — and, perhaps just as important, to the rest of his administration — that Mr. Pompeo is now in charge of the United States’ foreign policy.

Mr. Tillerson never got that kind of forceful endorsement and was often undercut by Mr. Trump openly disagreeing with him. The president also gave some of the administration’s most important foreign policy assignments to Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, including an effort to broker peace in the Middle East and another to rescue the relationship with Mexico. And Mr. Tillerson never visited Israel without the president, an extraordinary hole in his travel itinerary.

Mr. Pompeo fixed that omission almost immediately, hopping on a government jet hours after his Senate confirmation on Friday for a four-day trip to Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Jordan.

The trip sent “a pretty clear signal that the new secretary of state intends to establish himself as the major force in the administration’s foreign policy,” said Aaron David Miller, a former top Middle East negotiator at the department.

Mr. Pompeo has promised to spend the next several weeks in Washington sorting out the mess that Mr. Tillerson left behind.

There are scores of top positions in the State Department that have been left vacant for more than a year, including ambassadorships in South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. And in Mr. Pompeo’s office sit more than 1,400 memos needing his approval for significant spending decisions — decisions Mr. Tillerson never got around to making.

As important, in the coming weeks, Mr. Pompeo faces crucial deadlines involving Russia, North Korea, Syria, China and Venezuela. He must also mend some of the United States’ closest alliances that are on shakier ground than they have been in decades.

European allies, for instance, are worried that Mr. Trump will soon start a trade war against them and renounce the Iran nuclear accord, a pact many see as vital to their national security.

Continue reading the main story

Mr. Trump also faces a potential trade war with China and an increasingly combative relationship with Russia, and he has unnerved Japan with his plans for a summit meeting with Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader.

Mr. Pompeo has promised that he would soon speak in more detail to the State Department about his plans and leadership strategy.

But on Tuesday, he simply tried to reassure a dispirited diplomatic corps that they need “to be in every corner, every stretch of the world, executing missions on behalf of this country.”

“And it is my humble, noble undertaking to help you achieve that.”

Continue reading the main story

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[cleopatrarps]

Pompeo, on first day at State Department, promises new

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, arriving for his first day at the State Department, said on Tuesday he would help the U.S. diplomatic corps in “getting back our swagger” but offered few details about his plans for the agency.

Pompeo, who was confirmed last week in his role before immediately setting off to meet with allies in Europe and the Middle East, avoiding the customary first day at the State Department, joked that he now held the record for the longest trip to the first day of work.

“I talked about getting back our swagger, and I’ll fill in what I mean by that, but it’s important. The United States diplomatic corps needs to be in every corner, every stretch of the world, executing missions on behalf of this country and it is my humble, noble undertaking to achieve that,” Pompeo said to loud applause from several hundred diplomatic staff.

In the Trump administration, the State Department has been shaken and demoralized by the departures of many senior diplomats and a hiring freeze, and has found itself sidelined by the White House on foreign policy.

Pompeo’s remarks were brief and without any detail on possible changes in store for the department. He is a former congressman who headed the Central Intelligence Agency from January last year until last week and is seen as a loyalist of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump would formally swear him into the new post on Wednesday, Pompeo said. It will be Trump’s first visit to the department.

New U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks to employees on his first day at the State Department in Washington, U.S., May 1, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Trump fired his first secretary of state Rex Tillerson in March after public rifts on North Korea, Iran and Russia.

The United States is preparing for a historic meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the United States pushes for changes to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which Trump has threatened to abandon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Monday that Israel would publish evidence it says it has of past Iranian nuclear arms work.

While Pompeo suggested the United States was still working on language to “fix” the 2015 deal, Netanyahu said the evidence showed Iran lied going into the deal.

Slideshow (7 Images)

Additionally, tensions between Washington and Moscow have increased over U.S. intelligence agency allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election and Moscow’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a seven-year war.

Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; editing by Grant McCool

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