#some of these are from aden!! was discussing this with them some time ago and we got real into it | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jabbers-written-world · 5 years ago

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Jabber’s Writings

Blossoms of the Heart

All right, ladies and gents and nonbinary friends! As it stands, I am currently beginning work on a novel series called Blossoms of the Heart. I don’t know how many books will be in the series. I don’t know how many of you will be interested. I don’t even know how this series will end! But guess what. That’s where you guys come in.

Blossoms of the Heart is planned to be a series of novels surrounding the female lead. Princess Alyria of Belanor. She is nineteen years old, and her father King Aldric has sent her to live at the secluded family estate, far away from the castle. Now, you may be wondering why he would send his daughter away. Is there a threat? Did she anger him in some way? Perhaps he’s ashamed of her behavior? None of these, my friends. The plot here is something far more interesting and exciting.

King Aldric has sent Princess Alyria to live in the family estate, alongside fifty young men all vying for her hand in marriage. Yes, that’s right. King Aldric has sent his daughter to live with her suitors, for as long as it takes for her to finally choose a husband. Now, this may seem like unfair treatment, to leave his daughter alone with fifty young men all competing for her. It even seems like it could be dangerous. So many possibilities for what may happen if these gentlemen are left unchecked, with only the princess.

Well, that’s just it. Alyria has insisted to her father that she would rather marry for love, than just for politics or because she’s told to do so. So, he is letting her make her own choices, and get to know these young men on her own, so that she may possibly fall in love with one of them, and finally take a husband. To protect their family line, and so that he no longer has to worry about what will happen to their kingdom when he is no longer there.

Oh, and don’t worry. She isn’t left alone with just her suitors. She has all of her most trusted attendants and staff right alongside her as well. All of these individuals are present for her protection, her support, and to ensure she is well taken care of while she is away from the castle. All of them as well, are people her father trusts most with his daughter’s well-being. And they are as follows:

Harrison, her direct attendant and confidant, as of the last seven years. He is elusive, and hardly shows his true feelings, but he is the most capable individual of all the staff present. In a test years ago to earn a place attending to royalty, as is Belanorian custom, there was no one who could compete with this man.

Devon, her favorite cook who has a mysterious way of knowing all that goes on around him, despite rarely leaving the kitchens. He’s a riddle, inside a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery and bound in an enigma. He tends to keep to himself and not cause much trouble, but there are others who seem to want to cause trouble with him.

Elias, the groundskeeper she adores dearly and who manages the horses, though for some unknown reason he doesn’t dare enter the estate unless absolutely necessary, and it could be due to what seems like a secret feud between him and Harrison.

Haru, the secondary captain of her father’s guard who she has known since they both were children, and who so often is like an older brother to her, especially in the way he teases her and even perhaps bullies her a little.

Crosjando, the weaponsmaster who has taught her self-defense and genuinely cares for her safety, and who also manages the excess energy of the suitors by keeping them busy in the training yard.

Gintoki, the king’s advisor who has been lent to Alyria in case she may need his input on these matters (don’t worry, he has another he can rely on back at the castle), and while he may be a bit of grump, he is calmed by his cat and does genuinely care about the princess despite his gruff attitude. Though, he too may have a bit of a feud, and his is less than secret.

Rowain, the king’s most loyal soldier who has also been lent to Alyria for her time at the estate. He is bound by an oath of honor and a life debt to serve King Aldric in whatever his wishes may be, and he is genuinely loyal to the man, and to Alyria. He is her greatest asset alongside Harrison and Gintoki.

Vasha, the djinn that was once given to King Aldric as a gift but instead bonded to Alyria and so now follows her everywhere. He’s mischievous and clever, and more than a little prideful, but truth be told, what djinn isn’t? He doesn’t always obey Alyria, and instead prefers to tease her, but she trusts him with everything. More so than anyone else.

And of course, Alyria has a few maids and housekeeping staff around the estate as well. Which is of course beneficial, since her male attendant Harrison cannot accompany her for certain tasks regarding her privacy. It would be far too indecent to have a man assisting the young lady in bathing or changing her clothes. And that is why the female staff are present for such things. Still, they all report to Harrison, as he is head of staff.

Now, that brings us to the suitors. Fifty young men of all sizes and species, and varying ages, and they are all vying for Alyria’s attention. Some are more polite than others, some are crude, some are lords in their own right, others are of the more common people. The king left it all up to Alyria to decide, and so did not discriminate based on class or species, especially considering that Alyria herself is half-fae. That being said, let us discuss these young men. They are as follows:

Adam, the quiet and loner-ish half-Minotaur from Kalein. He is 21 years of age, and due to his Minotaurian heritage, he has been largely discriminated against. Even King Aldric was hesitant to allow him as a suitor, but gave in with only one condition. If Adam could defeat the strongest castle guards in fair combat, then he would be requested to protect Alyria and stay by her side even if he doesn’t win her affections. Adam agreed, and defeated the guards with barely any harm done. Only minor scrapes, and nothing at all that painful. He treated the men with kindness in battle, and intentionally did not hurt them. He only subdued them, and so has been allowed as one of Alyria’s suitors.

Aden, the charitable half-elf from Kalein. 19 years of age, he is genuinely kind-hearted if perhaps just a little reckless at times. But what he lacks in impulse control, he makes up for in generosity and.. perhaps a little too much honesty. It may be a benefit that he’s as straightforward and direct as he is, even when admitting to his feelings, or it may be off-putting and drag him down instead. Aside from that though, Aden is always willing to lend a hand, to anyone who needs it.

Aladi, the enthusiastic Ha’adani tailor with stories to tell. Also 19 years of age, Aladi has an abundance of energy and good cheer, even if there is a hidden darkness behind it. He has his secrets that he’s hiding behind that smile, and it isn’t just that he used to be a thief. Still, he’s kind and always there to help cheer someone up. The problem is that he has fast hands and a fast tongue. So, by the time Alyria or anyone else may have caught up with the conversation, he’s already taken measurements and mentally chosen fabrics.

Alekai, the younger of a pair of half-demon brothers from Tesak. 19 years of age, Alekai can be considered the more mild-mannered and sweet-natured of the two brothers. He’s often the one apologizing for his brother Eivan’s temper, and is more adaptable and not quite so stubborn. Still, he blames himself for the injuries his older brother sustained on his behalf, and if he could turn back time and fix it all, he would. He loves his brother, but he worries that the elder of the two hates him and blames him for all that happened.

Archer, the gluttonous demon monkey from Belanor. Like quite a few of Alyria’s suitors, he is 19 years of age and full of life. He’s stubborn and a bit of a hot-head, and honestly, he thinks more with his stomach than with his head. He’s an honest sort, even if he is a little slow on the uptake from time to time. He loves to eat, and will happily do so all day, but don’t think he can’t defend himself. Oh, and don’t ask why he’s a monkey without a tail, he doesn’t like to talk about that particular incident.

Arten, the chivalrous knight of the Belanorian guard. 23 years of age, and one of the older suitors at the estate, Arten has actually known Alyria, or Lia as he calls her, for a good portion of her life. Orphaned at a young age when his parents were killed by undead, Arten trained to become stronger and specifically, to fight the undead. When he was sixteen, he offered his services to King Aldric, who.. at first didn’t take him seriously. But when a roaming skeleton attacked the king while out on a hunt, and the creature was quickly dispatched by Arten, King Aldric gave the young man a high honor, and of course made him a member of the guard.

Avis, the ever-praised phoenix of Ha’adan. 21 years of age, and raised as a god. Avis knows he isn’t truly a god, but all he has ever known was growing up in a shrine in Ha’adan, and told he was their god. He has no knowledge of where he really came from, but he knows he isn’t of Ha’adani heritage. Recently, he left the shrine to venture out on a sort of pilgrimage to hopefully find answers, though he is a bit shy when meeting new people. However, while roaming Belanor, he took one look at Aurelia and was infatuated.

Balthazar, the gentleman dragon of Belanor’s seaside. 19 years of age, Balthazar comes from a long line of dragon chieftains, but he was separated at a young age from his clan and instead found himself washed up on the shore of an abandoned shipyard. He has tried over the years to find his clan again, only to learn in recent years that they had all been slaughtered. So he is the last in his line, and it is up to him to carry on their heritage. Upon discovering he was the only one left, Balthazar at first attempted to throw himself into the sea in a fit of despair, but he was rescued by an avian Beast named Marius. The two have been friends ever since, though Marius may deny it. Still, Balthazar knows. They are definitely friends.

Bartleby, the feral but friendly Beast of Belanor. 21 years of age, Bartleby used to be a pirate plundering ships on the high seas. It was a good life for him, but it wasn’t meant to last. A wild storm, coupled by an attack from a serpentine sea beast, and Bartleby washed up near-dead on the shores near the shipyard that had by then become a permanent home to Balthazar and Marius. And with Balthazar’s soft spot for broken things and people, the bear-like Beast was nursed back to health. But no sooner had he recovered and gotten back on his feet, when he was abruptly arrested and thrown in prison for his crimes against the Belanor Empire. He was set for the gallows, soon to be hanged until dead, when Balthazar once again came to his rescue. To this day, he still doesn’t know how the dragon pulled it off, but now he is utterly devoted and loyal, and where Balthazar goes, Bartleby goes.

Blaine, the not-so-angelic angel from Oslana. 18 years of age, and with a bad attitude for the record books. Blaine is far from being the most angelic of angels, and his black wings have nothing to do with it. For one thing, he actually can’t fly. His wings were badly broken when he was a child, and never quite healed the same. But the fisherman who raised him has always done his best. However, now that there’s a dire shortage in Oslana, Blaine has reluctantly come to Belanor to ask for aid. Though, he has yet to actually ask for it. Instead, he set himself as one of Alyria’s suitors, perhaps to gain her assistance first before discussing the problem with her father.

Caine, the blinded serpentine blacksmith of Ha’adani heritage. 20 years of age, Caine has only live in Belanor for the last five years. Before that, he spent much of his life in slavery in the deserts of Ha’adan. He was born to a slave mother, and so has never known freedom until he escaped while in transit to a new master. Surviving on his own has always been difficult, after he was blinded at the age of two, but for a naga at the size he is now, it’s gotten even harder. Still, he made his way to Belanor, and found work for himself as a blacksmith. But when he heard of the call for suitors, well.. he figured why not give it a try.

Cale, the young lord from Oslana. 19 years of age, Cale does his best to be a kind and forgiving person, but he does have a bit of a stubborn streak. So while he is always willing to help out, he may have his own opinions about how things should be done. And he will stick to them. Now, of course his father sent him to court the princess of Belanor, simply for the money and political power that could be gained from the union. Cale, however, has his own reasons for courting Princess Alyria, and his are genuine and honest, and only for the sake of love.

Dantalion, a demonic prince of Belanor with a darkened past. 22 years of age, Dantalion is polite and charismatic, but his life hasn’t really been quite as charmed as a prince’s should be. But of course, demonic politics are those of a separate realm, and so may not always be acknowledged by those living across the veil. Summoned by a warlock and bound to the man, forced to call him ‘master’, Dantalion has been wretchedly abused for years. Only recently was he finally able to escape, and he ran straight to the king, setting himself as a suitor to the princess, citing his own nobility as the prince he truly is, and if all goes well, the warlock who he is still bound to will be dealt with, and he can truly be free again.

Dezimir, a flirtatious Pennari from Roveska. 19 years of age, and very confident in himself. Not many know what a Pennari is, as they are only found in Roveska and some small islands off the coast of Kalein. They are unusual to say the least, and could even be mistaken for elves. Except.. for the tail. And the fact that they tend to be a little broader and even more lanky than elves. The species runs to tallness, and has one very particular trait that is genetic to the breed. Addiction. But not quite in the way anyone might think. Pennari are often more likely to be addicted to an activity, rather than substance. And Dezimir is no exception. His addiction is somewhat more lewd than he probably should ever admit in front of the king, but at least it boosts his confidence. And his flirtatious charisma. But everyone should be careful if he is forced to go too long without tending to that addiction.. Because he can, and will, turn dangerously feral and could cause serious harm, only by pure instinct and a genetic code in his very existence.

Eivan, the elder brother of the pair from Tesak. 21 years of age, Eivan is stubborn and has a very short temper. Also, it probably doesn’t help that he’s actually shorter than his younger brother. And the fact they’re both half-demons certainly doesn’t do him any favors either. Still, he would do everything in his power to protect his brother from any harm that may come to him. And the proof is in the prosthetic arm and leg he has, from an incident in which he defended his brother from being attacked by a monstrous beast. And now, in recent years, he and Alekai have been forced to flee their home, and they settled in Belanor, trying to start their lives over again. And now, hearing the call for suitors, they’ve realized there may be something they can do, for all those like them.

Elliot, the Doomwood mage of Belanor. Everyone knows Doomwood Forest is a place of nightmares, but the people who live there either had no choice, or they settled there to protect the rest of the kingdom. To keep the monsters at bay in the forest and prevent them from spreading across the rest of the kingdom. Elliot is one of those people. Training as a mage, he does what he can to keep the spectres and ghasts and undead, and all manner of monsters from leaving Doomwood. But he’s still training, only 18 years of age, and all he could do for now was to cast a barrier spell over his hometown, hoping that it’ll defend them, and keeping the monsters interested long enough that he can get help, and better training in the capital city. However, his plan was somewhat derailed as he developed a crush on the princess, and so now is among her suitors trying to win her affections.

Ferrin, the half-fae swordsman of Oslana. 19 years of age, Ferrin is not quite all he seems to be. At the surface, he is stubborn, blunt, and confident, even occasionally a bit too confident. But he does know when to back down and when to shut his mouth. He’s not the idiot he occasionally pretends to be, and he is loyal to those who earn it. He appears as a wandering swordsman, roaming the land with no ties to anyone. But that is far from his real story. Truth be told, Ferrin is actually a prince among Fae, but being that he was only half-blood, he was deemed unfit to ever inherit the throne, and was cast out, his memory of his heritage erased. He feels drawn to Princess Alyria, though, like she might have the answers to fill in the blanks he can’t remember.

Ferris, the boisterous Kaleini pirate of the high seas. 20 years of age, and already captain. Ferris started out as a cabin boy, and worked his way up the ranks faster than anyone had ever seen. And when the previous captain was lost to a sea monster attack, the crew was left without a leader. And they chose Ferris. Even men older than him who may have deserved the position in their own right, chose the wild and adventurous young man to lead them to glory. Which worked out for the better, seeing as he lost a leg in that same attack, now living with a prosthetic in its place. He’s been captain for four years now, and now he’s suitor to the princess, alongside two other members of his crew.

Garrick, the second-sighted scaredy-cat from Doomwood Forest. 20 years of age, Garrick has a gentle and kind heart and he’s even perhaps protective of those who need him to be, but he’s also so easily frightened that he may even burst into tears if he’s scared badly enough. Like Elliot and Arten, Garrick comes from Doomwood Forest, born in one of the two known towns in the woods. But he wasn’t born like the others. They can see the physical monsters, and perhaps they know of the rest. But Garrick can see it all. Spectres, ghasts, spirits and all other creatures otherwise unseen. As a young child, he watched his family get carried off by spectres and dragged deep into the woods, never to be heard from again, except for the occasional lingering screams. He has recently come to King Aldric for help, but was distracted as he found himself infatuated with the princess, and just seeing her made him forget his fear, if only for a while.

Geilver, the second son of a Belanorian lord. He was not the one who was intended to be suitor to the princess. His elder brother was the one their father would rather have sent, but as the elder of the two happened to be away on an overseas journey, Geilver was instead the one sent to court Princess Alyria. He is 21 years of age, and is actually rather overconfident, even perhaps to the point of mild narcissism. And he likes to talk, especially about himself. Still, underneath all of that bravado, is an uncertain young man who is deeply loyal to his brother and would like to see him home safely. His father sent him as a suitor for the politics of the affair, but Geilver just isn’t interested in that side of it.

Ifari, the mysterious fae of Ha’adan. His age is a mystery, and really all that is known is his species and his gender. Very few have even seen more than his eyes, his face usually covered by a cloth mask. He is actually the advisor to Prince Rukh, and followed him to this whole affair if only to keep the poor-tempered prince in check. But.. now he too has made his own decision to court the princess. And no one knows what reason he may have for it.

Karval, the foul-mouthed troll from Teris. 16 years of age and the youngest of all the suitors, Karval fled his home country and didn’t stop running until he collapsed in Belanor. His breed of troll is unique only to Teris, and they are hunted for sport, like they are no more than animals. Karval lost his parents to hunters at a young age, and was forced to survive on his own, dodging all manner of dangerous people and animals. He has had a few close calls though, and even he feels it’s a miracle he’s even alive today. Nursed back to health by a kind Belanorian duchess, she has more or less adopted him as her unofficial son, so to speak, and it was she who sent him to court the princess, telling him that if he can gain influence with the royal family, he may be able to use it to change the way things are for his people.

Kin, the devilishly clever kitsune mercenary from Koshima. 21 years of age, Kin is a mercenary who was hired by a lord in Belanor to guard his home and possessions. However, the lord thought little of him, and refused to pay Kin what the job was truly worth, instead only offering the barest of bare minimums. Offended by the man’s rudeness, a state no one should ever want a kitsune to be, Kin simply left the man to fend for himself, instead roaming the kingdom looking for work that would actually pay. When he heard of the call for suitors to the princess, he joined among them. For even if he isn’t chosen, he may still offer his services to protect the royal family.

Lowell, Belanor’s free-spirited bookkeeper. 19 years of age, and.. only technically a bookkeeper. Truthfully, he’s the old man’s apprentice, and he’s easily distracted from his real work. It’s that that led him to become a suitor to the princess, believing in his own charms to help win her over. However, his teacher almost didn’t allow him to do so, reminding him that their work was far more important. But, after some persuasion, they came to an agreement. If Lowell does not succeed in this endeavor, then he will return to his duties with renewed diligence and will never stray again.

Lyric, the patient and watchful nymph from Umai. 18 years of age, Lyric is a lotus nymph who grew up in the lotus ponds and the shade of their trees, in a monks’ temple in Umai. While he isn’t actually a monk, he enjoys their companionship and finds comfort in following their teachings, and joining them in meditation and prayer. They are his family, and he is their beloved lotus child. It was they who sent him on his worldly journey when he was of age, as all monks must do, and that was how he discovered the princess and her father’s call for suitors. But he has to be careful. As a nymph, he can’t venture too far from his source without risking his life, and so to travel, he carries a piece of home with him. A lotus seed, tucked carefully in his pocket. But he may die if that seed gets lost, so he needs to watch his possessions wisely.

Marius, the wild and aggressive avian Beast of Belanor’s shores. 21 years of age, Marius has a foul temper and an even fouler attitude. He’s not fond of most people, and usually minds his own business, acting as lookout around the shipyard and guarding Balthazar from harm. Together, the two of them fixed up the yard and made it livable, even perhaps functional as a proper cargo dock too. Except Marius’ attitude does tend to scare away potential customers. However, he has his reasons for being aggressive, though he won’t speak about it to anyone.

He was once a brawler in the arenas, enslaved in the underbelly of Belanor’s darker districts. He was forced to fight for his life, and was the reigning champion for quite a while before he was finally defeated, and tossed to the streets, left to die from his wounds. However, he was found by an old man called Magnus, who returned him back to proper health, and taught him how to work in the shipyard. But when Magnus was killed in an attack from raiders, the loss shattered Marius. He became foul-tempered and bitter, and he returned to the arenas with a renewed vengeance. But he wasn’t a slave this time. He was free to come and go. And he did leave after a while, only to return to the shipyard on a whim, and that is when he saw Balthazar, and made his own private oath to always protect him no matter what. So now he’s followed him all the way to become a suitor to the princess. Go figure.

Mikhael, Oslana’s feline farm boy. 22 years of age, Mikhael is generally friendly, though he can occasionally come across as rather forceful and aggressive, being rather loud on occasion and bearing a pretty bad temper. Sometimes that temper causes him to storm off in a fit of rage, especially if he has repeatedly failed at a task. He can be kind, however, and also has a great sense of humor. Which, actually helps considering his start in the world. Abandoned as an infant one stormy night, he spent the entire night in the rain, shivering and hungry, only to be found the next morning by a farmer and his wife. They quickly adopted the young feline Beast, and raised him as if he were their own. Now he’s a grown adult, and he does well in keeping pests out of the barn, and works hard to help his father tending the fields. But.. Well, he isn’t entirely sure how he ended up as a suitor to the princess of Belanor, but that isn’t to say he entirely minds.

Montague, the cursed son of a Belanorian lord. 17 years of age, Montague was probably not his father’s first choice to send as suitor to the princess. But, similar to Geilver’s situation, his older brother was not available as an option. So, the lord sent his unfortunately cursed son. Montague was cursed as a young child, after he managed to offend a witch living in the woods. Now, when he gets too excited or angry, or is incapacited and weak, Montague transforms into a river otter, and he has no control over doing so. Only time will tell how this will work out. But at least he’s a friendly sort.

Nathan, the feline member of Kalein’s pirate crew. 20 years of age, clever and quick on his feet, Nathan is never short of something to say, and he certainly puts on a show of confidence. Of course.. That confidence is mostly fake. He has been on the pirate ship he calls home since he was two years old, and has actually never set foot on land. This is uncharted territory now, and he has no idea what he’s doing. He just followed his captain, and may or may not have taken interest in the princess himself as well. But.. hopefully at least Ferris knows what he’s doing.

Niklaus, Roveska’s best kept secret. His age is a mystery at this point, even to him. But he is more than certainly a gentleman, polite and mostly keeping to himself, except to restlessly roam the halls at night. However, to those he does encounter in the night, and in the moments around dawn and dusk, he is charming and dignified. He became Princess Alyria’s choice of his own accord, and perhaps simply out of curiosity, but truth be told.. He hasn’t done this sort of thing in 200 years. Niklaus is a vampire, and one of the oldest still existing in Roveska. After a storm of raids on vampire castles, the slaughter of many by overconfident vampire hunters, Niklaus and a few others are now kept secret under the protection of the Roveski government. But.. Niklaus apparently no longer wants to stay in hiding.

Nora, the dragon bookworm from Teris. 18 years of age, and with quite a story to tell, Nora is one of only a few on the outside now that is privy to one of Teris’ darker secrets. While things may seem rather pleasant on the surface, at least if you aren’t a Terisian troll, underneath all that charm and political majesty, there are prison camps in Teris, where the Crowned Prince or.. someone who may simply look eerily like him, has been throwing all those who he disagrees with or simply dislikes. Until a few months ago, Nora was trapped in one of those camps, until he and three others managed to escape. The rest have gone into hiding, but Nora is looking for help. Setting himself as suitor to Belanor’s princess, this may be the most strategic opportunity to gain aid from Belanor.

Orson, the wild and untamed bear warrior of Belanor’s forests. 22 years of age, and barely more than a feral animal, Orson comes across unfortunately rather aggressive, pushing and generally being a rather physical individual, he is actually rather sweet and loving, but.. Well, he comes by it honestly. He was abandoned in the woods as an infant and expected to be eaten. However, instead of devouring the human child, a mother bear who had recently had her own cubs simply adopted him and raised him like her own. So Orson was raised in the woods by a bear, and as such is the case, he’s unfortunately rather disconnected with civilized society and is easily confused. No one is sure how he got the approval of the king, but having recently ventured into town, Orson has become suitor to the princess, largely due to an interest in learning human courtship, and curiosity about her as well.

Pallum, the winged loudmouth of Kalein’s plundering pirates. 18 years of age, Pallum generally comes across as a very angry bird. He has a quick temper, and he’s very loud and aggressive when he’s upset, but he can be calmed as easily as he’s angered. This little harpy has a lot to compensate for though, considering he’s a runt. As such is the case, many adult harpies in his clan tried to simply kill him, seeing him as useless because he was so small. However, Pallum survived every attempt on his life, until he was simply exiled instead. And that was how he made himself at home in the crow’s nest of a pirate ship, and quickly earned his place as the barrelman. And now that his captain and another member of the crew decided to court the princess of Belanor, that’s what he’s going to do too.

Pteryn, the littlest angel in Belanor. 17 years of age, and largely considered a runt among angels, he’s determined to prove all those who doubt him wrong. He’s stubborn, and a little bit naive, but he has a kind heart and is always willing to help. He is just as trained in combat as any other angel his age, even if they might have tried to stop him from training at all. And now he has pledged his life to King Aldric, in addition to becoming a suitor to the princess. All to prove himself just as strong as any other.

Rai, Oslana’s wandering warrior of the demon sword. He is 19 years of age, and he was human once.. But he has since become a demon of rage and hate. He comes across as cold and unfeeling at first, but he is actually surprisingly agreeable, and even friendly. Perhaps a little forceful with his friendliness, but it is only because most of his emotions have been suppressed by his sword. He gets easily frustrated, or angered. Most of what he can feel is anger in some form or another. Still, he is usually understanding if what aggravated him was an accident. But beware if he is intentionally crossed, for he will be on a very dangerous warpath.

He has been an orphan as long as he can remember, alongside his younger sister, and together the two of them struggled to survive on the streets. At least, until they were called before the Prime Minister. They hoped that perhaps they would be saved, and something would be done for the starving children in the streets. But they should not have hoped at all. His sister died only a few weeks later, and Rai barely made it out with his life, only to find his way to an old and long-forgotten battlefield.. Where he found the Azel Sword. He took hold of the weapon, and his life was forever changed as he was twisted and warped into something no longer human. He is out for blood now, vengeance for all wrongs that had been done to him. And yet.. Maybe Princess Alyria can soften this tormented soul.

Reiss, Kalein’s most stubborn half-fae. If anyone of these suitors could really be considered a wild child, it’s this 17-year-old. He comes across as rude and even inconsiderate, but truth be told, he doesn’t actually know much of human culture, as much as his family may have tried to teach him. He was orphaned at a young age, and was instead raised by the mountain trolls near Roswater. They tried their best to teach how humans live, and even about fae. But there wasn’t much they really knew either, so it was difficult for him to learn. Instead, he lives as the trolls do, hunting and foraging alongside them, even joining in the occasional playful wrestling match.

Recently though, he has set out from home to venture into the world and learn what he can. Or.. rather what he has interest in, which unfortunately isn’t much that would actually help him in the societies outside his home. But, due to a growing interest in Princess Alyria, perhaps there is some hope for him yet.

Rukh, the winged prince of Ha’adan. While his age is unknown, he has lived much of his life praised and practically worshipped. He is a very rare being himself, named for exactly what he is. A rukh. It is due to his existence being seen as a blessing, that he has known nothing but praise, and so he has turned out rather spoiled, and rude. No one has ever told him ‘no’, and so he has a bit of a foul temper whenever someone tries. Only one person has ever been able to get away with it, and that is his advisor, Ifari. And now, at the suggestion of Ifari, Rukh has left his home in order to learn more of the world, and in doing so, he has insistently set himself as one of Princess Alyria’s suitors.

Sadir, the silent warrior of the Ha’adani deserts. There isn’t much known about Sadir, not even his age. All that is known is that he is a half-demon, and he is a rather reclusive and elusive individual, even with all his curiosity. He typically keeps to himself and very rarely speaks, even when spoken to. He often comes across as somewhat gloomy or melancholy, but if asked, he won’t say much more than that those who come near him will only get hurt. Still, for whatever reason that is known only to him, he has come to play suitor to the princess.

Sindar, the charming Ha’adani sailor of the high seas. 23 years of age, and practically swimming in his own charisma, Sindar is the type of individual many young men dream they could be. He is a man of courage, of charm, and of independence. A free spirit living his life upon the seas, a new adventure has been brought to his attention, by a very particular tailor in the bazaars of Ha’adan. Now, he is a suitor to the princess and ready to sail those uncharted waters.

Sun, Umai’s most mischievous monkey. 19 years of age and ready to face the world, Sun is an energetic young monkey Beast with what he considers a great sense of humor, even if others may disagree. However, beneath his carefree attitude and his penchant for mischief is an anxious and stressed young monkey who would do anything to keep those he cares about safe. Though.. that may be on the more difficult side.

Sun was one of eight children and his life started out happy. Until their town was raided and he and his family were sold into slavery. He put up with years of abuse before he was given a chance to escape. He broke loose, but turned back to save his family too. However, his mother shooed him away, telling him to just run and not to worry about them. If one of them was free, that was all that mattered. So he ran. He ran as far as he could, only stopping to rest when he couldn’t bring himself to go any further. He became a brawler in a few underground arenas to train himself so that he may one day save his family. Now, he’s become a suitor to Princess Alyria, with the hope that she and her father may give him the help he needs.

Taeval, the last of Kalein’s oldest breed of dragons. 20 years of age, and the last of his kind, no one is quite sure where Taeval came from. He is a gentle soul, however, calm and respectful. He is always there to support those who need him, traveling only to learn what he needs to and to help where he is needed, before disappearing again to return somewhere else. However, now something has drawn him to become a suitor to Belanor’s princess, and no one is exactly sure what that might be.

Takhal, the prideful and spoiled Oracle from Ha’adan. 18 years of age, and somewhat of a spoiled brat, Takhal has been praised from his early years and onward, which has led him to be rather arrogant and even childish. He boasts about his accomplishments, and how powerful of an Oracle he is. But.. little does he know, he was kidnapped in infancy as part of a far greater plot. And underneath his bravado as well, is a scared and lonely child. But he saw Princess Alyria in a vision, and now has come to understand why.

Titian, a fierce Norland warrior with a dangerous curse. 21 years of age, and he is already as foul-tempered and bitter as an old man with too many bad memories. But there is a reason for the aggressive way he behaves. Titian is under a curse, and so is possessed by a spirit of anger, turning him into a Berseker. The only emotion he is allowed to feel much of is anger, and so he comes across fairly aggressive and rude.

But the truth is that he’s looking for someone. The man who raised him in place of the parents who bore him. After an attack on their hometown, by soldiers who claimed to be from Belanor, the only father Titian has ever known has disappeared. So now he has come to Belanor, both to seek out his father, and to get vengeance for the attack on his home.

Toris, the sweetheart of Oslana with a dark secret. 21 years of age, and generally rather shy and gentle, Toris seems utterly harmless, and for the most part he is. Except for one tiny detail. He has in fact killed a man. But of course, as with all good murder mysteries, there is more to the story. Toris was a slave for many years, shuffled from one lord to another and to another, and he had even just simply grown used to it. Or at least.. he thought he had. As his last master was dealing out punishment yet again, something inside Toris snapped, and he murdered the man in a fit of rage. Now he has fled to Belanor, and perhaps the princess can find a way to help him.

Vince, Princess Alyria’s oldest friend. 19 years of age, and another one who comes across somewhat aggressive, the truth is that Vince is lonely, and he has a lot of trouble expressing it. But it’s no wonder he is the way he is. His birth was an accident, and his aristocrat mother immediately decided she wanted nothing to do with the half-troll monstrosity she had given birth to. She ordered her servants to get rid of the infant, and they would have.. if they hadn’t fallen in love with him themselves. Still, they knew they couldn’t keep him, and so took him into the forest, giving him to a troll woman who was out foraging for berries.

She gladly took him and raised him as her own in the troll village that was her home. But, despite all the love she offered him, Vince knew he didn’t fit in there. He remained lonely and misplaced, even venturing to the edge of the forest to look upon the estate that belonged to the woman who had given birth to him. Several times when doing so, however, the woman caught sight of him and sent her hounds to chase him off, not even knowing that he was her son.

At some point while he was young, Vince happened to encounter Princess Alyria and her father, and the two have been friends ever since, ultimately growing up with each other. And now that he’s heard King Aldric calling for suitors for Alyria, Vince is determined to win the heart of the only one who ever made him feel like he truly belonged.

Warren, the changeling child that replaced a Belanorian lord’s son. 19 years of age, and a bit pushy and snappish, Warren is a tough nut to crack on occasion. He comes across as rude and self-centered, and is generally fairly difficult to get along with most of the time. But the truth is that he is deeply insecure and very sensitive to insults. While he was raised as the son of a Belanorian lord, the truth is that the real son of the lord was stolen as an infant, and replaced with the changeling child that is Warren.

However, Warren genuinely believes he is the lord’s son. He knows nothing about changelings, and the lord as well is unaware of what Warren is. As such is the case, when Warren’s form shifts even a little, it makes him panic and he believes it’s some strange disease that flares up from time to time. So, he mostly tries to ignore it, and now, of course, he has been sent to court the princess for the sake of politics.

Yukito, the lone warrior from Koshima. He is 21 years of age, and he generally comes across fairly moody and lonerish, even perhaps a little cold and unfriendly. But underneath it, he does actually genuinely care about others and would give his life to protect everyone around him. He is diligent and hard-working, and very loyal despite his grumpy attitude. Whatever drew him to court the princess of Belanor, though, is something only he knows.

Yuri, the Belanorian noble that grew up on the streets. 18 years of age, and fairly confident in himself and even a bit flirtatious, but.. could that be just a front he puts up? Nah, couldn’t be. Or.. could it? Yes, it is. The youngest in a family of ten kids, Yuri was mostly ignored as a child, and so developed a bit of a habit of showing off just for the attention. However, when he was about ten years old, his home was raided and his family scattered. He has no idea where any of them are now, and since then, he grew up mostly on the streets, learning to cheat, gamble, and steal to survive.

He’s been arrested several times for his thefts, somehow managing to talk his way out of most of his possible punishments. Still, he’s stolen a few too many things by now, and was set for execution. Except.. he was recently pardoned by the king, who saw that the young man still had some good in him, and had hope he could be rehabilitated. Now, Yuri has set himself as a suitor to the princess, hoping maybe she’s that rehabilitation the king wants from him.

Zoroaster, the mercenary from Teris. 20 years of age and highly trained with a sword, Zoroaster spent most of his life at sea. He hardly knew his own parents, and was instead raised by a crew of naval warriors from Norland. However, his ship was recently sunk by pirates, killing most of the men on board, and so he has lived ashore in Oslana for the past year. Training himself further in swordsmanship, he is now nearly unrivaled with a blade, and he has come to Belanor now, as suitor to the princess, and to offer his services in her protection.

Zuri, the naive Beast of Ha’adan. 21 years of age, and a member of a rare clan of Beasts known as Bengalit, Zuri is.. Well, he isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, to put it lightly. He’s easily trusting of most people, despite what his best friend Sindar may tell him. He can of course defend himself if things turn out wrong, but he likes to look for the good in everyone, really. He trusts Sindar with his life as well, and will follow him to the ends of the earth, which.. is of course how he became a suitor to Princess Alyria as well.

#;; the word of a beast (jabber writes)#writing #romance #novel discussion #critique welcome #be prepared for the longest post ive ever written in my life #and i know who to blame #this took me twelve hours to write #and after that long of writing #you start to hate things about it #don't follow my example kids #just don't #you'll never want to write again

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thefallenguardianbook · 3 years ago

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Chapter Fourteen

General CW

It was late, and the wind threatened to turn into another storm. Todd made cocoa, as neither man could sleep after the events from that evening.

"You really held back on that punch, didn't you?"

“I had to. If I put all my strength into that punch, Damien’s head would have disintegrated into a million tiny pieces.” Aden accepted a mug and made himself comfortable on the sofa. "And you, along with the rest of your farmhands, would have to spend the next month or so cleaning up after me."

"Damn." Todd was seated next to him, going through the post. He grew tense when he picked up an elaborate-looking envelope. The addresses were in his mother's handwriting.

Aden saw it too. "What have you got there?"

Curiosity got the better of Todd as he tore open the envelope and pulled out a card. It was a wedding invitation. "A cousin on my mother's side is getting married in three weeks."

"Three weeks? Are you sure?" Aden looked at the date, then studied the handwriting. It looked hurried and a little untidy. “This looks like it has been sent at the last minute.”

There had to be a reason for this invitation, and Todd already had a motive in mind. "Yup. I think someone wants to save face. That's why this has been to me."

“Who... your parents?"

"Mum and Dad may not have been all honest about my keeping my distance from them," Todd said bitterly. "Do you think I should go?"

"It is up to you whether you want to go or not," "But can I ask, why you do not want to go?"

"Because facing everyone who cut me off will be hard. Because mum will keep on harping about me finding a girl. Because Dad would bring eligible women over for me to talk to. Because, god forbid, I get involved with a man. "

Aden felt another flush of jealousy and quickly silenced his link. The teasing would be unending if the others found out. "They will introduce you to other women. Huh."

There was heat in his voice. "Aden?" Todd put the card away, all the while struggling to hide a grin. "Are you jealous?"

"Me? Pfff. Jealous?" Aden winced, then replied after a struggle. "All right. Yes. Yes, I am jealous. Are you happy? I. Am. Jealous."

He felt a kiss on his cheek and beamed, his gold eyes twinkling when there was another kiss that lasted a little longer this time.

"Would you like to come with me?" Todd went back to the card. "It has a plus one."

"What about your parents?" There was going to be a scene when Todd walked in with another man, Aden was certain of it. "They are not going to stay quiet if they see us together."

No matter how hard he tried, Todd could not keep avoiding them forever. "I can deal with them if I have someone in my corner."

His hands were trembling. He was afraid of dealing with his parents on his own. Aden, however, had no intention of letting him walk into the lion's den unguarded. "I will always be in your corner." He put an arm around Todd and held him close. "You will not face your parents on your own."

Todd would have enjoyed the moment but there was something important to discuss.

"Aden? Can you dance?"

"Of course, I can dance. All angels can dance. Why?"

Todd went over to the cd player and turned it on. "Do you know modern dancing? Any type of modern dancing?"

“Erm,” the last time Aden danced was at a feast held over a thousand years ago. "Actually, you may find that I come up rather short in that area."

"I thought as much," Todd mumbled as he went through a song list. "Right. We won't do anything fancy or over the top, so how about some slow dancing."

A hand was held out as music filled the air. "Come on."

Aden grumbled, then joined him in the center of the living room. "All right. What do I do now?"

"Put your left hand on my right shoulder," Todd tucked his right arm around Aden's waist. "And hold my free hand with your right. Now, follow my lead."

They started moving, clumsily at first. "I am sorry," Aden stepped on Todd's feet. "I appear to be all left feet right now."

Todd was giggling instead of being angry. "I guess you weren't joking when you said you come up short in this area."

Someone was being cheeky. "Ha ha. Laugh it off. But just you wait," Aden promised. "One of these days I will surprise you with my skills in dancing."

"Is that a bet?" Todd grinned.

"Yes." Aden was grinning too. "In three weeks from now, I will astound you with my moves."

Todd snickered as he continued to teach Aden.

"Todd?" Aden was more confident now with his steps. "Why did your mother's side of the family not contact you in all these years?"

"I heard through the grapevine that mum and dad had been telling everyone I stole money from them. They have said that I was dishonorably discharged, that I had broken the law." Todd felt his anger growing. "By the time I found out, my grandfather really sick, and I was too busy taking care of everything to try and fight them."

Aden noticed how Todd's eyes grew cold at the mention of his family. "And your father's side of the family?"

"Dad and Grandpa were only children, just like me."

Aden deliberately slowed them both down. "You are angry,"

“Damn straight I am. Being lied about makes me angry. Being cut off just for being me makes me angry." Todd's eyes narrowed to slits and his cheeks grew red. "Everyone dropping me instead of asking about what was really going on makes me angry." His shoulders slumped in defeat. "I suppose it's bad a thing? Being angry?"

"Not necessarily." Aden took the lead. "Anger can be a good thing if handled properly and used in a justified manner. Now holding onto anger unnecessarily? That can cause serious harm to your soul."

He was right. Todd had been holding onto his anger from the time he turned eighteen. That was sixteen years of not letting go. "You're right. I'll deal with my folks once we get there."

"And until then, forget them," Aden tightened his hold around Todd and rested his temple on his. "I would rather you focus on what we have now."

"You're right." Todd draped his arms across Aden's shoulders. "You also pick up fast."

"I guess I will not be needing those three weeks after all." Aden quipped.

“I guess you won’t.” Todd grinned. “Speaking of the wedding, we need to the both of us suited up. I’m taking you to the tailor tomorrow morning. You need a suit.”

“A suit?” Aden tried to form a picture of modern-day mortals wearing special attire for weddings.

“Yes, a suit. You can’t exactly waltz in with that armor of yours.”

“Aww,” Aden clucked. “And here I was hoping to make quite the entrance at the wedding.”

Todd snickered as they continued dancing.

#tfgchapterfourteen #story #my story #creative writing #writing #amwriting #writeblr

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scripttorture · 7 years ago

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National Styles: 1950s to the present

‘National Style’ is a phrase Rejali coined to try and describe some of the patterns he saw in torture worldwide while he was researching his book.

It’s not so much a theory as an observation: particular countries and cultures seem to consistently favour particular torture techniques.

This doesn’t mean that torturers from these countries don’t use other techniques. It’s a general observation of the most common techniques and that which techniques are the most common varies between countries.

National Styles can change and unique tortures can still occur. What I’m hoping to do with this Masterpost is give an overview of the most common techniques in different countries.

This isn’t just for those of you setting your stories in a particular place. A lot of the sci-fi and fantasy asks I get are understandably vague about where exactly the story takes place. I’m hoping that a resource on National Styles will help you think about the cultures you’ve based your world on. Something set in the far future does not have to adhere to a particular National Style but it could serve as a useful starting point for thinking about the sorts of torture techniques that might exist in your world.

Just because I’ve excluded a country does not mean that the country is torture free. I don’t have adequate information on all countries to describe a National Style.

This is focused on the 1950s through to the present. I'm doing a separate post for World War 2 on the basis that when I tried to include it in the same post this was far too long. If I can find good sources in English for a variety of places in earlier time periods I’ll do some follow up posts on historical periods. Please keep in mind that there’s a trend towards non-scarring or ‘clean’ tortures currently, so most of these styles concentrate on techniques that rarely leave marks.

General Tortures that are common Worldwide

I’ve listed some of these in National Styles as well when I’ve felt it’s a particularly prominent feature of that country’s National Styles

-Beating

-Starvation

-Sleep deprivation

American Modern

American torture is incredibly similar to French. There isn’t any clear evidence about why exactly that is but one of the main theories is that Americans learnt at least some of these techniques during the Vietnam War. Previously, Vietnam was a French colony and there is considerable evidence that the French used these torture techniques there. Which doesn’t mean that is where the Americans got these techniques, just that it’s a possibility.

Electricity- Generally using Tasers or stun guns that are officially issued though in the past magnetos were also used. Police departments in particular experimented with many different uses of electricity in the early 1900s with many different accounts existing from that period.

Waterboarding- Waterboarding is a form of near-drowning torture that was first recorded as a torture used by the Dutch in the 1620s. It usually involves covering the mouth and nose with a cloth and restraining the victim so they are lying down with their feet above their head. Water is poured over the face and this stops the victim from breathing. Americans have been using this torture for decades.

Standing Stress Positions, with restraints- The favourite American stress position is ‘Standing cuffs’. A victim’s hands are cuffed and raised above their head until they’re standing on their toes. This also serves to deprive the victim of sleep. In some places victims were made to wear adult diapers as this was seen as especially humiliating.

Solitary Confinement- Rejali doesn't include this as a feature of American torture and barely discusses solitary confinement at all. I'm including it on the basis that it is: so normalised in American prisons and military facilities, is used for punishment, causes intense pain, causes systematic mental and physical health problems and is allowed to continue for time periods that are frankly ludicrous.

French Modern

Electricity- French electrical torture strongly favoured use of magnetos for many years. With the technological shift away from magnetos it now seems to favour Tasers and stun guns like most modern countries.

Waterboarding- France's history of waterboarding may be longer than America's. There are records of waterboarding in French colonies and records of French Nazi sympathisers using waterboarding extensively during the Vichy government.

Crouching Stress Positions- Most of the stress positions I'm aware of that are particularly 'French' were strongly associated with the military and the French Foreign Legion. I am unsure whether they are still commonly in use today but they were 40 years ago and I've chosen to include them.

English Modern

The UK has very rarely used electrical torture and instead has relied on a variety of stress positions. This is unusual as most countries have regularly used electrical torture at some point even if it is no longer a feature of their National Style. It's worth keeping in mind as a feature, should you ever have characters who experience or witness torture from different groups.

English torture has also been more varied in some respects. Torture in different colonies during the colonial period could vary dramatically, possibly a feature of the decentralisation of administration throughout the empire. Practices in Kenya were different to practices in Aden, Cyprus and Ireland. I've tried to focus on the overall similarities rather than list cases that only occurred in one particular place.

Positional torture without restraints- Accounts of English torture in Ireland usually contain a description of 'Walling'. The victims were made to stand close to a wall, leaning forward. Their finger tips touched the wall but they were prevented from putting their weight against it. England has a long history of stress positions, especially in the military and a great many different positions have been used. English use of stress positions in the modern age seems to avoid restraints and instead rely on guards beating prisoners who don't hold the stress position. Other standing stress positions apart from Walling have been used and the only common feature seems to be the lack of restraints.

Beating

Sleep deprivation- Methods of sleep deprivation were not consistent. Stress positions and sleep deprivation were often combined, but sleep deprivation was also inflicted by continually waking prisoners, use of noise and light or near-constant interrogation as in 'sweating' or 'relay interrogation' practices.

Exhaustion exercises- These are the practice of forcing someone to exercise until they collapse. Running, cleaning and aerobic exercises such as crouching then jumping repeatedly have all been used. Obstacle courses and forced crawling have also been used. While worthy of a place here I feel it should be noted that exhaustion exercises seem to be particularly associated with the English military and I've never seen an account involving the police. The exact form varies widely in English torture.

Temperature torture- This is usually done through exposure and seems to be slightly less common then the previous three methods but I felt it was worth including. Freezing showers and standing in extremely hot or cold rooms seem to be the 'usual' methods.

English 'Five Techniques'

These were used in Ireland during the 'Troubles' and I felt they were worth inclusion. They're a seperate category because I haven't found any evidence of them regularly being used in conjunction by the English or British elsewhere.

Standing stress positions

Hooding

Starvation and dehydration

Sleep deprivation

White Noise- This seems to have been uniquely used in Ireland. I've found no evidence of regular use elsewhere.

Russian Modern

I'm a little unsure of just how current my sources on Russia are. The following techniques were representative after the Cold War but may not all be currently in use.

Electricity- Russia like many countries that use electrical torture originally relied on magnetos but has since switched to more modern methods. I can't find evidence for a preferred electrical source in Russia at the moment. The use of electricity is relatively recent, Soviet torture avoided electricity.

Dry choking- This was originally done using old fashioned gas masks. Manipulation of the air vent can be used to produce near-suffocation. Plastic bags are much more common now.

Beating

Suspension- Suspension by the wrists with the feet off the ground is a scarring torture that ruins hands and dislocates the shoulders. It causes permanent nerve damage on an average sized individual in around 15 minutes and acts more quickly when the victim is larger and heavier. Such practices are generally rare but this is still a common torture in Russian institutions. I am unclear on whether any sort of precautions are taken to avoid permanent damage to the victims or not.

Israeli Modern

Israel, like Britain, is notable for avoiding electrical torture. This is a relatively recent development with electrical torture and water based choking tortures being employed before the 1990s and not afterwards.

Positional torture using furniture- Use of child-sized furniture to deliberately cause discomfort in prisoners is, so far as I know, unique to Israel. An example would be making a victim sit in a child's chair during a prolonged 'interrogation'. The size of the furniture makes it impossible for the victim to sit comfortably and has a similar effect to restraint torture, producing a prolonged discomfort but allowing enough movement to avoid the risk of kidney failure associated with stress positions. In some variants victims are shackled to child-sized chairs and this does seem to function as a stress position causing the tell-tale swelling in hands and feet.

Stress positions- Forced standing, including standing cuffs and forced squatting appear to be common.

Exhaustion exercises- I've seen reference to three specific forms of forced exercise which appear to have been in regular use since the 1980s. The first is making victims stand up and sit down repeatedly until they collapse from exhaustion. The second is the 'Bear Dance', making victims run while holding a heavy object (sometimes a full bucket) in each hand. This exhaustion exercise is usually combined with a 'gauntlet' of guards who hit or trip the victims as they run. The third was a sort of 'deep sit up' performed on chairs while prisoners were handcuffed.

Hooding

Temperature torture- The Israeli style tends to use extremely hot or cold rooms rather than exposure to the elements.

Iran

Iran went through a period of using electrical torture but so far as I can tell after the 1990s it was no longer common. Electricity was used from at least the 1970s through to the 1990s.

I have not included punishments that are torture in the list but these include flogging, blinding and amputation.

Falaka- Beating the soles of the feet. This technique is common throughout the Middle East and North Africa. It has also been used historically in China. Different impliments cause different degrees of damage.

Beating

Stress Positions- My sources are unclear on what positions are favoured.

Turkish Modern

This basic combination of falaka and electricity is common throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa, though different countries add different techniques to this basic mixture. Israel and Iran stand out as distinct in the region.

Falaka

Stress positions- I don’t have any clear indication of which stress positions are common in Turkey currently

Electricity- As previously Turkey once used magnetos but has since switched to more modern implements such as Tasers and stun guns.

Indian and Pakistani Modern

I've chosen to put India and Pakistan in the same section due to the overwhelming similarities in their National Styles. This may be in part due to continued conflict between the two countries resulting in a constant exchange of torture techniques. As with the similarities between French and American Styles, there's no proof this is the case, but it's a possibility.

Stress positions, murgha- The victim is made to bend forward, putting their head between their knees. They are sometimes made to hold their ears. This is extremely painful and in some cases can cause bleeding from the mouth, nose and anus.

Pepper- In India and Pakistan this means insertion of irritants and spices into the nostrils, anus or vagina.

Electricity- The instruments used to generate electricity in Indian torture have varied widely since the 1950s. Magnetos, live wires, the mains and more conventional Tasers and stun guns have all been used in different regions. Pakistan has generally favoured electrical prods.

Ghotna- This is distinct to India and Pakistan. A large pestel, like a huge stone rolling pin used to grind spices, is rolled over the victim's thighs. Sometimes police officers stand on the ghotna.

Falaka- Slightly more common in Pakistan but also used throughout India, falaka is the practice of beating the soles of the feet.

Choking- More common in India than Pakistan, dry choking is near strangulation or near suffocation.

Chinese Modern

I've had some difficulty with this one. What I'm reading suggests that Chinese torture is either not consistent across the country (which would be understandable in such a large and varied country) or that Chinese torture is changing. The result is that this is a bit vague, may be edited later and some of these practices may not be current or used everywhere in China.

Restraint tortures- I've seen several accounts of political prisoners being kept in retraints long term (ie for days, weeks or in some cases months). The favoured device is a combination hand and leg cuff, with a chain connecting the hands, another connecting the feet and a longer chain linking them together. This keeps the victim hunched over in an extremely uncomfortable position but allows enough movement that they do not die of kidney failure (a difference from stress positions which allows the torture to continue for much longer)

Positional torture using furniture- These include devices such as 'tiger chairs' which are essentially restraint devices victims are strapped into and left in for prolonged periods (over 24 hours). I am unclear on whether these could have the same effect as a stress position and suspect it depends strongly on the piece of furniture and how the victim is restrained. Chairs which strap down the victim's arms, legs and chest seem to be the most common but boards which restrain victims so they're laying down have also been used.

Sleep deprivation

Restriction of circulation- I've mentioned the old Chinese practice of 'finger-milking' on the blog before. I'm unsure if the current practice is finger-milking but it shares similarities. Currently the victim's hands or feet are restrained and the cuffs are deliberately made too tight, cutting off circulation and causing painful swelling in the hands or feet. In finger-milking this is accompanied with attacks to the swollen hands or feet. This is not always the case today.

Japanese Modern

Beating- One thing that I've seen particular reference to in Japanese cases that I haven't seen elsewhere is hair pulling. There also appears to be higher use of furniture to beat suspects then in other countries.

Crushing hands with flat objects- Placing a stuff, hard, flat object like a ruler over the back of the hand and applying pressure. This produces intense pain but rarely leaves any lasting marks.

South Africa

This is predominantly focused on the post-Apartheid period. During Apartheid scarring torture was much more common and in addition to the techniques I’ve listed falaka, whipping, and pumping (forcing liquid into the stomach until it flows out of most orifices causing intense internal pain) were all used. Targeted sexual violence was and remains extremely common.

Electricity- Prods and stun guns seem to be the implements of choice.

Dry Choking- This was previously done using gas masks but now seems to be done with some sort of hooding. Plastic bags now seem to be the most common method.

Stress Positions- Predominantly forced standing.

Nigeria

Unusually for a modern state most torture in Nigeria is scarring. This may be because there is more or less complete impunity for torturers and torture is often justified by people in positions of power, citing the unrest in the north. Targeted sexual violence against women, queer people and people perceived as either is common.

Scarring beating- Using batons, gun butts, machetes, sticks, rods or cables.

Shooting extremities- Such as the leg, feet and hands.

Extraction of nails and teeth with pliers

Suspension by the feet- Another scarring torture.

Electricity- Amnesty describes this as using ‘battery powered objects’.

Near-strangulation- Using a rope around the neck.

Being forced to sit of lie on sharp objects- Broken glass appears to be a favourite.

Stress positions using implements- The ‘Parrot’s perch’ and a position called ‘Tabay’ are both used. The parrot’s perch has the victim’s hands tied together and their feet tied together. Their limbs are bent and a stick is inserted under the knees and over the elbows. They’re then lifted by the stick, exposing the buttocks and leaving them dangling upside down. In ‘Tabay’ the victim’s elbows are tied together and the arms are raised using a stick.

Sources:

Torture and Democracy by D Reajli, Princeton, 2009

Amnesty International Report on Torture 2016-2017

Amnesty International Report on Torture in China 2015

Amnesty International Report on Torture in Nigeria 2014

Amnesty International: The aftermath of the failed Turkey coup, 2016

Cruel Britannia: A secret History of Torture by I Cobain,

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airbookworm · 9 years ago

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What is That?

~with Aden (24) and Jinora (21)~

Aden

The two of them had been together since they were children. They learned to live with each other’s flaws (though Aden would argue that Jinora was perfect) but Aden still had his secrets. He hated keeping things from her but his time in prison was something Aden wanted to keep buried away in his mind. Jinora didn’t need to know the horrors of what he went through.

A few months ago Jinora had accepted Aden’s necklace. Wedding plans had them both fairly stressed, but Aden probably took it a bit more to heart. Most of Aden’s friends were criminals and Jinora’s parents were still clueless of his past. If he messed this wedding up no one would ever forgive him.

Every morning was the same for Aden. He made sure to give himself enough time to hide away in order to cover the mark he was most ashamed of. Though with all the stress of planning, he just wasn’t getting enough sleep.

When Aden woke up and saw the time, he rushed to get out of bed to get ready. They had to figure out the food choices today. So without a second thought, Aden ran out the door. Forgetting all about touching up the makeup on the side of his face.

Jinora

Punctual as ever, Jinora had arrived at the selected restaurant five minutes before the time she and Aden had agreed to meet, ten minutes before their appointment. A quick glance at the city clock told her they had four minutes left until their appointment, and she wasn’t sure if she should worry or not.

He was generally on time, sometimes early, sometimes a few minutes late, but never this late, it seemed, unless something had happened. Jinora hated the idea of becoming one of those women who worried endlessly over how late their man was, but Jinora knew she was justified in at least wondering about worrying. She was marrying Aden, after all.

They had met young and hadn’t gotten off on the best foot, but things had happened and they ended up as close friends. It wasn’t too long before close friends had turned into a couple, and their engagement happened. Her parents didn’t quite approve (her mother did, her father was still on the fence it seemed), but she was happy they didn’t outright disapprove based off the little she had told them about Aden.

Before her worrying could gain anymore ground in her mind, she saw him. Running up the street like he was, she was surprised he hadn’t knocked anything over. She smiled, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek once he was next to her.

“Morning, Aden. We’ve got three minutes, we should get inside. Unless something came up?” She asked, subtly prodding.

Aden

Jinora had to be worried by now. He was never this late. His half of the guest list kept him up most of the night. Aden was marrying the most perfect woman in the world and no one he knew was going to be there to see it.

Pulling out his pocket watch to check the time, he picked up speed. The guest list would have to wait, their appointment was in five minutes and spirits be damned if he was going to miss it.

As he rounded the corner to the restaurant, he narrowly avoided a group of people. Tripping and stumbling, but not falling, over a dip in the sidewalk Aden rushed over to where his soon-to-be wife was standing.

“Morning, Jinora. No no, nothing came up. I overslept. I didn’t expect wedding planning to be this stressful” he returned the hug and kiss, smiling at her sweetly. “Let’s get inside. We don’t want to miss it.”

Jinora

“I’m sure they would let us reschedule again..” Jinora trailed off even as Aden led her inside. This was the third time they had set this appointment. First time around Jinora had to cancel due to being called out to the Southern Temple for some spirit issues a few days earlier. The second time hadn’t been their fault, but the restaurant’s for mixing appointment times with several others Jinora would like to keep this appoint, but if they had to change, she as sure they would allow it. Hopefully.

She turned her head to look at him, to make sure nothing was wrong, and nearly tripped at what she saw. She had known Aden for years, knew that he had received a very difficult hand in the game of life, and knew at least the very basics of everything about him. But the tattoo (yes, it was a tattoo, not a wound like her mind first assumed) on his face? She had never seen that before, and it definitely wasn’t new. She didn’t know he even wanted tattoos!

Her grip on him tightened a result from nearly falling and being so surprised. She had stopped walking as well, and had just opened her mouth when the restaurant manager hurried up to them with a greeting. Steeling herself, Jinora returned the greeting best she could, but didn’t let up her grip on Aden’s hand. She had never seen this tattoo on her fiancé, not something she could easily ignore; they were going to have to talk after their appointment.

Aden

“We are not rescheduling again. Especially just because I slept in. We have to get this food figured out.” Aden grabbed her hand and started to pull Jinora into the restaurant. “They aren’t going to keep letting us change days.”

He started to lead her inside over to where the restaurant manager was when she suddenly stumbled slightly and her grip on his hand tightened. “Careful, Jin”

When she suddenly stopped walking, Aden turned his head to face her. She still had a tight grip on his hand. “Is everything okay?” The manager rushed over to them, he returned the greeting before following them. Squeezing Jinora’s hand back, he kissed her head. They would have to talk later.

Jinora

Managing a quick nod, Jinora tried to direct her full attention to the manager. She paid attention to his words for the most part, but she couldn’t get the tattoo out of her mind completely. How long had Aden had it? Why did he get a tattoo there, and why tattoo that symbol? More importantly, why was she only just now seeing it?

The appointment went smoothly. They met the head chef, discussed what they were hoping for, looked at and sampled a few, and selected a few to try as they continued discussing over brunch. Eventually it was all done. Paperwork given for the couple to fill out and return, light notes for the restaurant n the meantime. Pleasantries were exchanged, and the young couple left the restaurant.

Aden

Aden did his best to pay attention to the meeting. The couple had been dealing with these types of conversations for weeks now and he couldn’t help but zone out every now and then. Especially with Jinora acting so oddly, hopefully she wasn’t getting sick.

As they left the restaurant, Aden couldn’t help but wrap his arm around her as they walked. The rest of their day was mostly free, so the couple just took their time getting home.

Once they had made it to the stairs of Aden’s apartment, he finally spoke up. “Are you feeling alright, love? You seemed a bit out of it back there. I have some tea inside, would you like me to make you some?”

Jinora

“Tea sounds great. I’ll help,” Jinora replied after a moment, following him inside. She put her bag on the coffee table before heading to the kitchen. She got two mugs out and set them down, leaning against as she watched Aden move, her eyes never leaving him. Specifically, never leaving the tattoo.

She knew she would be the world’s biggest hypocrite if she said she didn’t like tattoos. She had gotten her arrow tattoos when she was 11, for spirit’s sake, and she honestly didn’t mind when others chose to have tattoos. It wasn’t wrong, in her opinion, to ink something meaningful onto your skin, to make it a part of your identity. She just didn’t know why this tattoo had somehow become part of Aden’s identity, it seemed so unlike anything he would ever choose.

A tense, awkward silence seemed to settle between them as they waited for the tea. Jinora had no idea what to say; how did one even start a conversation like this and not have it turn into an argument of some kind? As in love as she and Aden were, it seemed they excelled at turning certain topics into fights, and Jinora felt this tattoo would be one of those topics.

It wasn’t until they were settled on the couch, tea in hand, that Jinora dared to start the conversation. She had tucked herself into one end of the couch, facing Aden, her toes tucked beneath his leg for warmth. She wiggled them once, took a sip, and braved herself for whatever was to follow.

“Aden.. How come you never told me you had a tattoo?”

Aden

Unlocking his door, Aden made his way inside toward the kitchen. “You don’t have to help. Just go sit down and relax” He hummed as he dug through his cupboards, getting out everything he needed. Hearing Jinora following behind him. “You’re stubborn.”

She was acting so weird. It didn’t seem like she was sick, maybe all the planning and her airbaby duties were finally getting to her. Aden could feel her eyes on him the entire time he made the tea. Was Jinora having second thoughts? Is that why she wanted to reschedule again, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go through with it all.

The silence just added to Aden’s nervousness. This kind of quiet always meant something was up. Probably a hot topic between the two of them. He really didn’t want to fight today.

Aden filled their mugs with tea before leading the two of them over to the couch. Chuckling at Jinora as she got comfortable. As he went to take a sip of his tea, Jinora’s words sucked all the air out of his lungs. Tattoo.. She shouldn’t be able to see it. He covered it up before-No.. No, he rushed out the door before he could. How stupid could he be! That’s the most important thing he has to do!

He was starting to panic, hands shaking and before he knew it his mug had shattered on the floor. “I..I..”

Jinora

Before she realized it, Jinora shot forward, mug still gripped in one hand. Her other hand and landed on Aden’s chest, just under his collar bone and above his heart. Forcefully she pushed him back against the couch, and kept him there for a second. “Don’t move,” she stated, her tone demanding his attention.

Seeing the look she got in return managed to clear her head a bit. Aden had been through so much, she didn’t want to hurt him if she could help it, so in a gentler tone she said “The mug, it’s broken. You’ll cut yourself on the pieces, so don’t move until I clean it up, okay?”

Carefully, she got off the couch and set her mug on the table. Disappearing to the kitchen for a moment, she returned with a bowl, a small brush and a damp towel. She kneeled on the ground and carefully began picking up the larger pieces of the mug.

“I’m sorry I surprised you. I wasn’t expecting to see you with a tattoo, I know how much you dislike them,” she said after a few silent moments. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Aden

Aden didn’t have the chance to run before Jinora pushed him back against the couch. Her voice scared him. She was mad.. She had to be mad. He had left his equalist life years ago but the mark of a traitor still dawned on the side of his head. His widened eyes shot to her face. Her next words sounded nice but that would change. Aden knew it would. She had to be mad.

When Jinora moved, he debated running to the bathroom, going and quickly covering the mark back up. Make up some dumb story of it being marker or something, but Jinora was back before his mind could figure anything out.

His hands were still shaking, while she was away he had managed to adjust his hair to cover the tattoo. “I.. I don’t have a tattoo..” Spirits she was never going to believe him. “I passed out working on some things. I probably just got marker on my head.. I should go wash it off…”

Jinora

“Aden, I’m not stupid. I know that’s a tattoo, and not marker. Marker ink spreads on skin through the tiny lines. Tattoos don’t.” She wasn’t mad at him. Not entirely. A little upset he never told her, certainly, but she wasn’t truly mad.

Jinora knew Aden kept secrets. He had kept them his entire life. From the equalists, for the equalists, from the public, from her. She knew that some of these secrets were okay for her not to know though. She didn’t want to know everything about the equalists, as much as she disliked the actions of the group. She had accepted aden’s proposal knowing about these secrets, and she was fine with it. This secret though, this one hurt a little. He knew she wouldn’t care if he had a tattoo. So why hide it from her?

She finished cleaning up the broken mug and spilled tea, and set the bowl on the table before sitting back down on the couch with him. Gently, she took one of his hands in hers, rubbing her thumb across the back of his hand. “Please, Aden. Talk to me?”

Aden

Aden was shaking his head the entire time she spoke. Why wouldn’t she just let it go. He didn’t want to talk about it. It was painful to remember. “It.. It’s marker. I’ll show you. I’ll make it go away.. If I can go to my room I’ll make it go away..”

He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t tell her how it happened, where it happened. She didn’t need to know he’d had it since he was 16, marked as a traitor at 16. Aden had many secrets and he did his best to not keep any from Jinora anymore, but this was different.

When she made her way back up onto the couch and grabbed his hand, he flinched slightly. “It’s not real..” Aden squeezed her hand. “Please.. I can make it go away..”

Jinora

Returning his squeeze with one of her own, Jinora scooted closer to him. Tilting her head, she tried to get him to look at her.

“Aden,” she said softly. “Aden, please. I’m not mad that you have a tattoo. It’s okay, it doesn’t have to go away. I just… I just want to understand, okay? So can we talk? Please, Aden?”

The repetition of his words and his tone was worrying her. She’d only heard him like this a few times, and every time turned out to be terrible. She couldn’t just walk away though, he was her fiancé. More importantly, he was her friend. She had to help him, and as much as he seemed not to want her help, Jinora felt that he really did need her help, need her.

Aden

He couldn’t look at her. Not now that she saw the mark. He was mad and embarrassed and all the feelings from when the tattoo was forced onto him were coming back. So his eyes closed tightly.

Jinora’s voice sounded so nice though. She always knew what to do. Always knew how to make things better. Maybe Aden should tell her, but.. she would give him that look. The look of pity and regret and no.. She had to know. He had to tell her. They were getting married. She needed to know.

“It.. It’s not a tattoo. Your arrows are tattoos. Mako’s dragon is a tattoo. I don’t have a tattoo” Aden still couldn’t look at her. He was too ashamed. “It’s the mark of a traitor..”

Jinora

Jinora desperately wanted to contradict him on that statement right now, but bit her tongue. She had a feeling that saying anything like that right now would stop Aden from talking, from telling her this. She would have time after to prove him wrong, prove that he wasn’t a traitor. Time to prove that he was just Aden.

So instead she dropped her eyes from his, squeezing his hand again. She curled herself up against his side, leaning her head on his shoulder in a silent display of support. He needed her right now, she though, and she needed him too. So silently they sat, Jinora waiting patiently for him to continue, her thumb still rubbing the top of his hand. Silently telling him that she was still there for him, that she would always be there for him.

Aden

Aden sat in silence for a long while. Relaxing slightly as Jinora leaned against him. Maybe she would understand why he kept it hidden for eight years. Why he couldn’t tell her. She would understand. No.. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t relive all the pain and fear. Couldn’t tell Jinora about all the pain he went through in that hell. Lying was the only way. Stories of him being dumb and vulnerable.

His whole demeanor changed. More stiff. More cold. Less weakness. “The equalists had just fallen apart and I couldn’t accept everything I had done. Everything I lied about. Everything I did to you. Betraying my family…” He couldn’t thank Kason enough right now. Her training did wonders sometimes. “I was young. I was dumb. I wanted to remind myself everyday of all the people I hurt.” Hopefully Jinora wouldn’t see through his lies, but she was always good at seeing the real Aden.

Jinora

If Jinora hadn’t known Aden and his moods so well, she might have missed the subtle change from him. His words sounded true, and anyone else would probably accept them as the truth, but something about them just rubbed Jinora wrong.

She knew that he had been upset, devastated even, when the equalists had fallen. They had been his family, taught him so much. Jinora didn’t know much about his blood family, but she didn’t think he thought of joining the equalists as betraying them. Maybe he meant betraying the equalists by being a bender himself? That didn’t sound right to her, nor did his admission of feeling guilty over everything he had done. Just last month, they had gotten into a spat about the old days of bending versus non-bending. None of this sounded right, and she had no idea what to do.

“You weren’t dumb,” she started, slowly, unsure of what exactly she wanted to say. Slowly, she reached one hand up behind him, stroking his hair by the tattoo gently, hoping he could feel what she was trying to convey to him.

“You were young, yes, and you were hurting, but you weren’t dumb. I don’t know why you won’t talk to me about this, but I know you’re not telling me the truth. Not all of it, anyways. But know that I’m here for you, okay? I love you, and if you ever need help with anything, anything at all, please, just tell me and trust me. I don’t ever want you to feel alone. We’re going to be married, going to spend the rest of our lives together. I want you to know that you can trust me with your life. Your past, your secrets; everything. I’m always going to be there for you, Aden, even when you won’t trust me,” she finished, letting silence fall between them, even as she continued stroking his hair.

Aden

The silence that hung between them gave Aden the slightest bit of hope that Jinora has believed him. She knew he had regrets of his past, but she also knew that joining the equalists wasn’t one of them. Amon and the equalists fell almost a decade ago and the couple still had arguments about their beliefs. Aden didn’t feel guilty about the things he’d done. He did what he thought he has to in order to survive. Spirits why could be never master making up lies.

“You can’t say I wasn’t dumb. I was an equalist living in Triple Threat Triad territory. I became friends with the 3rd in command’s brother. I was threatened daily and never left until I went to.. went to prison” He flinched slightly when Jinora’s hand touched near the tattoo. She was never going to let this die.

Aden finally opened his eyes. Finally looked at her. “I love you, Jin, and I trust you with everything. But this. I just.. I never wanted you to see it. No one out here has seen it. ”

Jinora

“Then you can’t say I wasn’t dumb either. Look at the family I was born into; I’m certain no one would have guessed I would become best friends with a group of street kids. I got into trouble, even caused some. I fell in love with an equalist. I still love him, and I’m going to marry him, criminal record and all,” Jinora responded, turning her head to press a kiss to his shoulder before looking at him.

“I know you hated prison, I know your time there hurt you, in ways I can’t even imagine. You can’t just leave it in the past, though. It’s a part of your memories, part of you. I know you think that what I believe sounds silly and stupid sometimes, but you need to accept those memories. Not all at once, but maybe start with the tattoo? You can’t hide it forever; one day, you’re going to forget about covering up, just like today.”

Aden

“You’ve never been dumb. You saw a bunch of street kids and instead of treating us like the garbage we slept near, you got to know us. No one would give us the time of day. I don’t want to even imagine where I would be if it wasn’t for you” Aden let out a shaky breath and pulled Jinora up into his lap, wrapping his arms around her.

“I have to leave those memories in the past.. You just. You don’t get it, Jin. I was a kid and I was in prison.” He buried his face against her. “They found I was an equalist. The guards put me with a triad. The triads… They.. I..I couldn’t get away.” His breathing had sped up and his eyes were starting to fill with tears. “They pinned me in my cell, pushed my face into ground.” The tears had started to flow, shaking his head. “Carved that bloody symbol into my head. Marked me as an equalist. Marked me as a traitor.”

Jinora

She let him pull her closer, her hands automatically linking together loosely behind his neck. Feeling more than seeing the change in his breath immediately made Jinora feel terrible for causing him to relive so much pain, but she knew that he would have to deal with it sometime. Better now, with her in the privacy of their new home, than some other time in public, with who knows watching and judging.

Pulling herself closer, bringing his forehead down to rest on her shoulder. Pressing a soft kiss to his hair, she hugged him, stroking his hair and rubbing circles on his back as she murmured in his ear. “I’m sorry, so sorry you had to go through all that. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you, couldn’t get you out of there. But you’re not there anymore, you’re here with me. You’re safe, and none of them can hurt you like that anymore. I’m sorry. You’re okay, you’re okay..” Her voice trailed off, murmuring the words again and again, even as she fought to keep her own tears from falling. He didn’t need to see her crying, not when he had been hurt so much.

“You’re okay, Aden, you’re safe..”

Aden

His body had started to shake again. All the memories of the years he had spent behind bars flooded his mind. The years of freedom he lost. Years of torture he endured. “I made my mistakes. I..I had to live with them. There was nothing you could have done. Mako got under my skin and I got caught. I hurt everyone that day. Ruined everything.”

That time was done. He was free, happy, engaged. Aden had to stop this, had to be strong. Stay strong. He pulled away from Jinora slightly, wiping his eyes and looking at her. “You find friends when you’re hurting. I found someone. I had my protection after I was marked. Protection from the guards, the triads. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than nothing. I don’t remember most of the attacks. Just the pain. Hok'ee protected me the best he could.” She didn’t need to know who Hok'ee was. Didn’t need to know that when Aden’s eyes glazed that it was just Hok'ee checking in. She had met him more times than Aden could count. Jin didn’t need to know the truth.

“I’m safe with you, but this mark.. No one can find out. No one can see it.”

Jinora

“I would normally say friends in prison aren’t good friends to make, but I’m glad you found this Hok’ee,” Jinora attempted to joke. It sounded pathetic, even to her ears. She let out a sigh, before pulling herself closer for another hug.

“Still, I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you. And the tattoo, don’t worry about it so much. Cover it if you still want to, but don’t worry if you forget, okay? No one’s going to notice it, no one looks at anyone’s faces on the streets.” She pulled away, enough to kiss his cheek before tucking herself into his arms, head beneath her chin, their arms around each other.

“I’m sorry I made you tell me, but I’m glad I did. I’m always going to be here for you, Aden. I love you.”

Aden

“Finding people is the only way to survive.” Hok'ee’s name had been hidden for so long. Actually saying it calmed both their nerves. “Hok'ee is a life saver”

“It’s hard for you to help me when you all hated my guts.” He gave a small smile, squeezing her tight. Face-dropping again slightly at the mention of the tattoo. “No. It.. It has to stay hidden. I’m not going to be invisible once our wedding hits the papers. If anyone sees it. They’ll… I.. No one can see it. No one needs to know that I was an equalist. ”

The kiss helped him relax. “I love you too” with that. He just held her, humming lightly to himself.

Jinora

“They never have to know that you were an equalist. But you never have to hide it from me. I know you’re not a traitor,” Jinora mumbled into his shirt, eyes closed. She cracked one eye open after a moment, mischief evident in the brown color.

“Even if they do find out, I’d like to see them try and stop me from loving or marrying you. They won’t know what hit them, I can promise you that.”

Aden

“The tattoo proves that I was, but.. As long as you don’t mind it, that’s all that matters to me.” A smile shot across Aden’s face as she spoke. “An angry Jinora is not one to mess with.” He kissed her head softly. “I’ll let them try to separate us.”

#equalistaden #adenora #what is that?#threads #thread: complete

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cruez2788 · 7 years ago

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How to save a life

Summary-Clarke is determined to save Lexa, even if everything around her is working against her.

A/N- A while ago someone asked how we would have written Lexa/Alycia off the show without killing Lexa and knowing Alycia might not be able to commit to future episodes after 3x07. I pondered this for a long time and took what happened in 3x07 and changed it a bit and this is what came of it. Now without further ado I give you how to save a life.

Chapter 1

Black blood covers her hands. Clarke is doing her best not to focus on it. If she does it will remind her that the blood on her hands is coming from Lexa's torso. If she focuses too much on whose blood it is she might begin to panic and that's not something she can do right now, Lexa's life depends on it.

Clarke moves Lexa carefully forward from where she lays. She can feel the brunette wince in her arms but almost sighs in relief when she sees there is an exit wound. There is no bullet that she will have to attempt to dig out. Although there is a fair amount of blood Clarke thinks the bullet might have gone straight through without damaging any organs or major arteries. She carefully lays Lexa back down and checks the wound. The blood coming from the wound is already slowing down and Clarke wants to cry in relief. Her status as Wanhead may have just changed. She is certain Lexa just looked death in the face and avoided it.

As the panic she is attempting to keep at bay subsides she becomes more aware of her surroundings. She notices Murphy as well as Titus in the room with her and the few horrifying minutes that led to this moment all comes back. Her eyes narrow as she remembers Titus is the whole reason they are in this mess. He approaches Lexa and the growl that comes from Clarke is feral and terrifying. Titus stops immediately.

"If you value your life you will stay where you are." Clarke says, her voice dangerously low.

"The flame." Titus mumbles still looking at Lexa with a nervous and worried look on his face.

"We must remove it." Titus mutters moving towards Lexa again with something in his hand. Clarke moves quickly and retrieves the gun Titus had earlier and points it at him. Once again Titus falters because he knows Clarke will be far more accurate with the weapon then he was.

"Murphy pressure." Clarke says and nods her head to Lexa not willing to take her eyes off Titus. Out of the corner of her eye she watches Murphy do as she asks.

Titus is about to speak again when screams are suddenly heard in the distance. They both rush to the window and see fire in the distance and a small army moving towards Polis. Titus' eyes widen and he again moves towards Lexa a scalpel becoming visible in his hand. Clarke rushes forward again blocking his path and pointing the gun at him.

"The flame must be removed!" Titus says with frustration and Clarke is tempted to just pull the trigger. "Polis is under attack and if the flame falls into the wrong hands everything Heda has built will be lost..it's what Lexa would want." Clarke looks at the brunette. Murphy is still applying pressure but watching them carefully. She knows Titus is right Lexa would want what is best for her people so she reluctantly lowers the gun.

The best option, Clarke decides is to allow Titus to do what he needs to do so that she can better asses Lexa's condition and figure out how to get her safely away from the fighting.

Murphy helps Clarke move Lexa. The brunette is in and out of conscious making Clarke more anxious to get this over with. Titus is surprisingly quick and efficient. Clarke watches as a spider like object it taken from the back of Lexa's neck. She applies pressure to that wound as well, because at this point Clarke is adamant about keeping as much of Lexa's blood inside of her body as possible.

Titus does not offer any information on where he is going with the object nor does Clarke ask. As soon as he does she begins to dress the wounds with material she finds in the room. To her relief the bleeding seems to have stopped and Lexa is mostly unconscious due to the pain. With Murphy's help they work quickly. The sounds of fighting does not seem to be coming closer so Clarke goes to check out the window. She can still see flames but the small army she saw earlier approaching Polis is even smaller and being pushed back from Polis by Trikru warriors.

"Clarke?" The blonde pulls away from the window and rushes to Lexa. Clarke laughs and cries at the same time when she finds familiar green eyes staring back at her. Clarke's sole focus becomes keeping those eyes open and alert.

Titus rushes through the tower taking short cuts whenever he can. He is not sure if Lexa is alive and guilt consumes him as the reality of everything he has done in the past hour sets in. He may have killed one of the most successful and respected Hedas since Pram Heda and he is aware he might not survive the repercussions, but if he is to meet his end he will do so knowing he did what he could. The sound of fighting has not come closer to the tower but it's still too close for comfort. If the attackers reach the tower he needs the flame to be in someone that can be easily moved so the flame will be protected. Titus enters the training grounds for the natblidas and finds them preparing to fight should they be needed. He approaches Aden and quickly pulls him aside motioning for him to follow. The boy does as he is told without question. He can see spots of black blood on Titus and Aden visibly pales because that can only mean one thing. Tears prick at the young boy's eyes. Not only is their leader dead but also his mentor. Aden stands tall as he walks refusing to allow tears to fall, he would want to make his Heda proud. They reach an empty room and Titus reveals the flame.

"Heda has been gravely injured and the flame must be protected. There is no time for a concalve." As if to emphasis this, they see a fire erupt in the distance from the window of the deserted room. "You are Heda's most promising initiate so you will take the flame." Aden opens his mouth to protest but Titus holds up his hand. "This is what Heda would want. She would want you to take the place you were destined for. Would you deny your Heda that?" Any argument Aden has dies on his tongue. Titus points to a table and Aden approaches it preparing to take the place he was destined to take but wishes he didn't have to. Aden watches Titus approach him with the flame in hand. Seeing the flame separated from Lexa causes a single tear fall from his eye.

She can feel Lexa's eyes on her as she checks the wounds. Murphy is at the door keeping watch at Clarke's instance. She wants to know the second if and when Titus approaches the room. The flow of blood has finally stopped for sure and and Clarke wants to cry with relief, instead she lessens the pressure she had been applying with her other hand.

"Lexa, baby we need to move you." Clarke looks to Lexa and finds the tiniest hint of a smile gracing her lips even through the pain. The moment is broken when she hears Murphy saying something. A second later Titus enters the room. Lexa's gaze hardens and he fidgets under the intense gaze. It does not mask the look of shock on his face when he sees that Clarke has indeed managed to keep Lexa alive. The uncertainty of his actions only grows.

Aden follows in behind him and Lexa's gaze changes again to a softer gaze, although different from the one she uses with Clarke.

Aden's eyes widen and he rushes forward.

"Heda!" He exclaims as he approaches her side taking stock of the black blood on his Heda's shirt and on Clarke's hands. Lexa wants to say something to assure the young warrior but something else catches her eyes. A small amount of black blood stains Aden's neck and the sudden realization of what it means crashes into her. Her breathing becomes erratic and shallow and she can suddenly feel a pain at the back of her neck that she did not notice before.

"Heda?" Aden says concern and fear lacing his voice. Clarke is next to her within seconds unsure of what has brought on the sudden change and fear gripes her. She checks the wound but it remains unchanged. She takes Lexa's hand.

"Hey, hey I need you to look at me and take deep breaths." Lexa looks at her and attempts to do as she is told but her eyes wander back to Aden. Clarke looks at the boy beside her, fear radiating off him. It's when she notices the blood on the boys neck and a small incision similar to the one Titus made on Lexa's neck and it all becomes clear. She leans into the brunette and whispers.

"Whatever this means we will figure it out together ai hodness." It takes Lexa a few seconds to process the words through the panic but when they do she looks to Clarke.

Clarke brushes some hair away from Lexa's face and allows her hand to graze Lexa's jaw. The brunette leans into the touch and nods her head because she knows it to be true.

Lexa refuses to leave Polis until she is updated about the attack. Murphy volunteers to go with Titus for information. Clarke is unwillingly to let Lexa out of her sight and as far as everyone knows Lexa is still Heda. She is informed that Ontari had attacked Polis but they have been driven back to the outskirts of Polis.

Almost as soon as she has the information Lexa attempts to rise from her position but Clarke is prepared for this reaction and gently pushes her back.

"You were just shot. You are in no condition to do whatever you have planned. It is not up for discussion." Lexa wants to fight the pain and defend her people and her city but the blinding pain from the little movement she accomplished stops her.

"We need to draw Ontari away from Polis." Lexa says to Clarke glancing at Aden. Clarke understands her immediately. Lexa wants to protect the new and young Heda from such an assault hours into his new role. Clarke nods her head to show she understands.

"I'll do it. Ill draw her away." Clarke does not look at Lexa because she knows the the brunette will argue with her. Instead she looks to Murphy.

"Lexa needs more medical attention then I can provide here. Will you please bring her to my mother?" Murphy nods his head. He hasn't been around Clarke in sometime but he can see whatever has happened between her and the former commander runs deep, and he has a feeling they are the ones to align himself with.

Clarke is unsure if she is able to give commands to the natblida sitting next to her, but she is still not ready to give her full attention back to Lexa and the argument she is sure awaits her.

"Aden will you please accompany them back to camp?" Aden nods his head quickly.

"Sha Wanheda." He replies, and for the first time since the title has been placed on her shoulders it does not feel like a burden. With Lexa's care in place she finally turns to the brunette and much like she anticipated the look that greets her is not an amused one.

"Clarke." The blonde can hear in how Lexa says her name that she is not happy. The K at the end of her name comes out much shaper than normal.

"Please." Clarke starts "Before you try to talk me out of this someone has to do it. You're injured and I can't send you and Murphy alone. What if someone from Ontari's group or worse Ontari herself finds you along the way?" Clarke closes her eyes at the thought and takes a deep breath. When she opens her eyes they are filled with tears that fall freely. "I could lose you, I can't lose you. I cant." Clarke whispers the finality of losing Lexa setting in.

Lexa reaches out and takes Clarke's hand pulling her down to her. "You will ride with my color. It will draw Ontari's attention but it will also protect you. My people will protect you without question if you wear it." Lexa glances to Aden and without a word the boy runs into her room. He returns with the red garment and places it carefully in her hands. Lexa places it around the blonde's neck and uses it to pull Clarke closer to her and presses a soft kiss on her lips.

"Safe passage on your travels." Lexa whispers and Clarke shudders as the emotions she feels towards the woman in front of her sweep through her.

'Until we meet again." The blonde whispers in response. Clarke leans in and kisses Lexa with a passion that she hopes they will be able to feel for the rest of their lives.

When they break apart Lexa looks to Titus and the softness in her eyes that had been reserved for Clarke is gone instantly.

"You will be in charge of protecting her. Should anything happen to her you will pay a severe price. It is because of your actions while I was Heda that we are in this position and, because it was under my reign I have the right to deal with your transgressions. You will do well to remember that. Should any harm come to her, death would be a more favorable option than returning to me." No one in the room says a word. The look Lexa is giving the man in front of her is so intense it's a wonder that he is not cowering under it. Titus straightens his back and nods his head in understanding of what he is to do and the repercussions should he fail.

A/N-this is a one shot but looks like I am going to have to break it up into 2 chapters because I maxed the word count for this post.

#commander lexa #clarke griffin #john murphy #abby griffin #lincoln #octavia blake #clexa #clexa fanfic

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williammarshal-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Just You & Me

Prompt: “GETTING MARRIED AND HONEYMOON. Finally, I remembered one of the things I'd always wanted done. (preferably canon)”

"Clarke? Clarke kom Skaikru?"

BAM. BAM. BAM.

Clarke groaned as she rolled over in bed. Her arm flopped out and realised Lexa wasn't on the other side, and the hammering on the door continued. It was a boy's voice—and after a few beats of "Clarke kom Skaikru", she recognised it as Aden's. Rolling her eyes, she decided she was not ready for whatever bullshit he was pulling today—yet, and she would smack herself later, she flung the door open, her messy hair resembling a lion's mane and her face resembling...thunder.

Aden, smartly dressed, nearly jumped out of his skin. "Oh no," he said disapprovingly, shoving into the room. Offended, Clarke opened her mouth, and then Aden's entrance was followed by a group of maids. He spoke to them. "Will you please make her look presentable?" They muttered something in Trigedasleng and Clarke, folding her arms, waited. Aden tried to keep it quiet. "Well—at least make her look like a human!"

Shit-head.

"Is that possible?" Aden carried on, because clearly he hadn't been laid yet. "Yes? Alright—if possible, can you do it within the hour?"

They spoke as if Clarke was not there.

"Two hours?" Aden's gaze flickered from Clarke to the floor, and nodded. "I'll give you three."

"Wow," Clarke snapped, "Way to make a girl feel comfortable!"

"I was just trying—"

"Pass me my bra."

"Er—this—bra commodity you speak of, what does it look like?"

"Oh, God."

Clarke shucked off her tunic and Aden physically turned around in embarrassment, nearly tripping over his two feet as she slipped her bra on, quickly got changed into her everyday breeches and snatched a comb from one of the maids. "Let's go."

Aden looked aghast. "But—"

"Go."

Aden extended his arm for Clarke to take as they descended the never-ending staircase of the Polisian tower. A crap design, she liked to remind Lexa, who would roll her eyes every time.

Since the quashing of Ice Nation's rebellion, Lexa had welcomed Echo as the new Ice Queen, with her stepping into the previous Queen's shoes. It was unstable. Echo and Lexa's ethics regularly collided, but Echo was far more accommodating than her predecessor. What happened up North was far away from the worries of Polis, the clan leaders advised, but Lexa had been adamant that the civilians up North got the same privileges and rights as the Polisians, the Trikru...

Aden noted the blistering sunlight outside the windows as they traipsed downstairs. "We could get you better-dressed," Aden suggested.

"D'you think I look shabby as I am?" Clarke asked.

"...No..."

"Then I'll go dressed as this. I'm assuming Lexa wants to see me."

"Not yet!" Aden blabbed, mentally slapping himself. Think on your feet. Improvise. Anticipate and parry. Okay. Jab. "I need to do something first."

"I thought—"

"It isn't urgent. If you don't mind..." Aden played the sob-story in his head, and then he clasped his hands in front of him, bowing his head. "I need to do some shopping for my mother. The Commander is engaged for the time-being, hence why I asked for a few hours, but—my mother—she rarely sees the sunlight for she is cooped up inside for so long. Could you...?"

Clarke gripped his wrist, and squeezed lightly. "Aden, of course. Come on."

Lexa dismounted, wiping the sweat from her brow. It had been a hellish day (or night). As soon as Clarke had fallen asleep—and she fell deeply asleep—Lexa had slipped away from the bed, nodding towards Jona, her chief City Guard by the gate. Jona had already saddled her horse and wished her a nervous "good luck".

It seemed, as Lexa arrived by the gates to the Ark crowded by Abby, Kane, Raven, Octavia, Bellamy, Monty, Jasper and Harper—that judgement day had arrived.

"Uh," she had began, very un-Commander-ish of her. "I would like an audience with Abby Griffin alone, please, if I may."

"Intention?" Harper was the girl by the gates, Lexa assumed. She did not know all of Clarke's friends.

"Confidential."

"I can't let you in without—"

"It's fine," Abby said, stepping forward to unbolt the gate. It was 3am, and the Commander of the coalition didn't just ride here, alone, in the middle of the night, for no reason. If there was intent to harm, Lexa would've slain them all by now. "Commander, please step inside."

Abby had been calm and cordial in escorting Lexa to her personal chambers, ignoring Marcus Kane's concern. She'd brushed him off and Lexa respected that. She knew Abby Griffin as a trustworthy figure—she was a healer after all, and what were they except goodness? Kane was reasonable and fair, but he was also a politician. Lexa could empathise with him. But she knew that whatever Abby Griffin projected tonight, it would be straight from the heart—quite like her daughter.

Lexa made polite but short conversation as they walked, trying to recite the books she'd read on the topic. Their book-house was forged from stories told of the old Commanders, poetry written decades ago, and some books that had been foraged and found and returned to Polis as relics of the old earth.

Books could only get Lexa so far, though.

"You—you want to marry Clarke?" Abby repeated in disbelief, hanging her head in shock. Lexa's ears reddened, knowing Clarke's friends would be outside the door, their ears pressed to the solid surface. "Commander Lexa, I...just..."

"Please," Lexa said, "Let me explain."

Abby relented, waving her arms frantically. "Please do."

Lexa swallowed hard, and began pacing the room—which did not help Abby, who'd sat down on the edge of her bed as if she was about to collapse. She respected Abby's stance in this: she remembered Lexa as the heartless Commander who had left her daughter for death at Mount Weather. Despite Clarke's residence in Polis, Lexa could try and sympathise with a mother's dilemma. Empathy—maybe not. Clarke was happy. Clarke smiled and laughed and played with the kids in the Square. But Abby was not privy to this.

"I have been made aware that some customs of the old earth have stayed with the Sky people," Lexa started hesitantly, trying to remember Aden's five pages of scribbly notes. "I am also aware that when two people love each other, it is customary to gift your loved one and ask for their hand."

Abby nodded silently, her jaw still slack. Lexa angled her head for a verbal response, but she received nothing. Slightly exasperated, but in full knowledge that she had to appear courteous, not like she had a bad case of constipation, Lexa plucked courage from thin air.

"I was also made aware that it is etiquette one must approach their loved one's father—or in Clarke's case, mother—to permit such a big ask."

"Uh-huh," Abby said faintly. "Have you been reading Georgian novels?"

"Have I—excuse me?"

"Never mind," Abby hastened. "Are you asking me if it's okay to marry Clarke? Wait—" she said again, before Lexa could open her mouth. "You want to marry...Clarke?"

"She may not agree to take my hand," Lexa provided helpfully. "In such a case, my feelings for her will not fade. I will still love your daughter as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west."

Abby stared at her. The impossible answer would be "no". Clarke and Lexa would bench it anyway—but she didn't want to say no to this sparkly-eyed, hopeful Commander. Kane had been right. She was a revolutionary. And Abby's desire to throttle Lexa for what occurred at Mount Weather would never go away, but the fact that Lexa had ridden all the way here just to ask for permission was something Abby didn't want to let go. She had not seen Clarke's face in so long; she had not heard from Clarke at all. But if Lexa was here, she could feel Clarke's smile; her laugh...

"I will have a carriage arranged for her to discuss it with you if you wish," Lexa said quickly, and Abby snapped out of her thoughts. "I understand it's difficult without Clarke actually—"

"You know Clarke, Commander," Abby laughed. "Do you really think I'd have much sway in whether she says yes or no?"

Lexa smiled reluctantly. Abby had a point.

"Your ways," Abby murmured, "don't always agree with what I think is right. I think you know that. Maybe our ways aren't right either. But you rode all the way here, alone, just to ask me a question."

"In all fairness, Abby kom Skaikru, it is not just a—"

"I know. But you asked."

"I wanted to."

"She's barely an adult." Abby closed her eyes, and Lexa watched awkwardly as a solitary tear trickled down her cheek. She did not move to comfort her; that was too strange. And she could not empathise either. Her Nightbloods—the youngest being seven—could assume command at any given minute. Childhood did not mean weakness, and though Abby seemed to mentally cradle Clarke like a baby, Lexa would not forget the three hundred warriors this child had scorched to death. She would not forget Mount Weather. She would not forget the fury and then the anguish on Clarke's face as she tried to kill her with a concealed knife.

She would not forget. Yet here she was, because she loved.

"I'd be giving my daughter to you," Abby said heavily, and she was not ashamed of the tears flowing from her eyes. Lexa found she did not care. "Commander, I trust you with her life—but I don't know if I trust you with this. And this is her life."

When Lexa rode for Polis in the early hours of the morning, beckoning her horse to pound faster through the forest, she wondered how she would cope with her heart exploding tomorrow.

Aden, it turned it, was a rubbish liar. He'd brought a singular apple from the fruit market, a bottle of wine ("for my mother"), a swishy bracelet which he gifted Clarke with ("for the future!") and then double-backed to the fruit market only to spend over an hour asking what the odd-looking ones were, and then buying one.

As if Aden was controlled by some sort of switch, he decided they would take a walk. By now, Clarke was exasperated and tired enough to consider punching the boy's lights out, until they made it to the wall. Jona, a familiar face, grinned broadly at her.

"Mochof, Aden," Jona said.

"Good luck, Clarke kom Skaikru!" Aden said cheerily as he left, waving.

Clarke was completely lost, and Jona was of no help either. She spoke in riddles, and Clarke was baffled as to why everyone was being so goddamn cryptic around her all day. This was mainly Aden and his suspiciously suspicious gazes. Clarke noted the beautiful sunset, with the oranges and yellows merging with the lilacs and pinks of the sky. Another day fading, and another day on the brink tomorrow. Jona led her up the stairs to the wall-walk, and Clarke stopped in her tracks.

Lexa, dressed only in simple but smart black garb, swivelled on the spot to face her. Her hair was braided back neatly, her face slightly pale. In one hand, she held a braid of hair. The other was shoved inside a pocket. Jona left them, muttering under her breath. In the distance they both heard her yell for the guards to block passage to the wall-walk.

"Clarke," she greeted, too formally. Clarke nearly balked. What the fuck was going on? Was Lexa in on this weird ass trip too? "I...hope you are well?"

"What?" Clarke threw her arms up in the air. "Are you part of this too? Is someone gonna come and shove some mud in my face 'cause it's clearly prank Clarke day?"

"Excuse me? No!" Lexa's bafflement was genuine, and she hastily held out the familiar-looking braid of hair. Clarke stared at it, memories of water, memories of a muddy Anya—all crashing into her like a tidal wave. For some reason, Lexa had brought her up here again. "Do you remember this?"

"It's Anya's lock of hair," Clarke said quietly. "I kept it for you."

She wondered if it was Anya's name-day today, or if there was some particular reason—

"That was the first time I met you." Lexa's tone was soft, and hesitantly, she trudged over towards Clarke. Her words were not as smooth and confident as Clarke was accustomed to. "I remembered your flowing light hair and your sky-blue eyes, and I wondered if she'd fallen as a product of my wishes. A cruel lesson was when I realised that no, it was not. But I ask you here today because I asked your mother, who said yes—"

"You—saw my mom?"

"Yes. And I told her I loved you. I—love—you. Do you remember, when we were last here? When the sun slept and we watched over Polis—our city—swell with life?"

Clarke felt a lump grow in her throat. "Yes."

"I want to see that every day with you," Lexa said simply. "I want to wake in the morning with you by my side. I want to kiss you until I cannot, because I've fallen asleep. I want to remind you with every waking moment that I love you. Ai hod yu in, Klark kom Skaikru."

"Yes." Clarke didn't know what else to say, her eyes stinging with emotion. It was not sadness—no, it definitely was not. It was a sense of impossibility suddenly becoming possibility. They had always been inevitable together; they had never been possible—not without their duties blocking their ways. And Clarke knew despite this—whatever Lexa was going to ask, and whatever Aden had been clearly distracting her from today, that the rule would remain in place. Lexa was a lover of her people, but in her heart—which was bigger than she knew—she had carved a space for Clarke, too. "I love you too, Lexa."

"Then be mine, as I am yours," Lexa said. She moved closer, and then knelt on the gravelly ground. Clarke stared down at her, stunned. Her heart felt as if it had stopped. "I want my eternity to be intertwined with yours. I declare my heart as yours. I vow to treat your people as mine; I vow to caress your body and soul with nothing but love."

Holy shit... "Lexa, you don't need to do this—"

"I love you. As a storm may brew ahead for us one day, I will not let you fall away from me. My duty as the Commander is to my people; my duty as Lexa kom Trikru is to ask for your hand in betrothal, for I am utterly captivated by you. Every day I am more and more enamoured by your smile. Every day my hands smooth over your skin and I am entranced. Every day my heart swells when I think of you. Clarke kom Skaikru, would you do me the honour of joining your heart to mine?"

Abby's ring, gifted to her by Jake, was now on Clarke's finger. She glanced at it, and back at Lexa, who smiled at her.

That night, they made love. Clarke had never wished to be married, but here she was. And she kissed Lexa as she her lithe body crawled up Clarke's, tasting herself on Lexa's tongue. That night, they made love and that night, they worshipped each other.

"Where are we going?"

"A little patience," Lexa teased her as she tested her new horse. It was pitch-black, named Thunder, and they trotted at a leisurely pace. Clarke's arms wrapped around Lexa's waist, resting her chin against the crook of Lexa's neck as she rode. As they rode, Clarke took in the beauty of the Trikru territory—the plains just outside of the Polisian walls, the lake, and the forestry.

It was buried deep within the forest, but Lexa finally tsked at Thunder and dismounted easily, hoisting Clarke off the horse too. She quickly tied Thunder up, scruffing him by the neck, and Clarke studied the sight before her.

There was a very modest hut before her.

Clarke noticed how green the grass was, and how fresh the lake seemed to be. The hut was shoddily put together, as if it had been a single-man job. It lacked the grandiose of Polis—that was for sure. But in there were trees nearby that grew apples, and Lexa plucked one off said tree and chomped hungrily into it. Clarke didn't even have the time to warn her about sanitation before she picked one for herself, rubbed a little consciously at it, and then bit into it. It was crisp and juicy, and she let out a moan of appreciation. Lexa's head snapped back and she smiled lopsidedly at her.

"What is this place?" Clarke asked in wonder. If anyone wanted banishment, they should definitely come here—that was the thought running through Clarke's mind. It was nicely done-up, and it was surrounded by life—life that was charmingly silent, compared to the hustle and bustle of Polis' City Square.

"A reprieve," Lexa said. "Even the Commander needs one sometimes."

"How did you find it?"

"It found me." Lexa, even after her grand, dramatic proposal on the wall-work of Polis, had clearly not lost the knack for a cryptic word puzzle. "Now it has found us."

"Well, you rode towards it. So I'd argue otherwise."

Lexa was not amused.

Together, they cracked the door open and Clarke marvelled at how clean it was; she supposed Lexa must've ridden for this place and given it a good tidy before Clarke's arrival. There were fresh sheets and fur placed over the bed, with pastels and charcoal in a tin marked "KLARK" resting in the corner on top of a well-constructed desk. Other than that, everything else was basic. She assumed they would catch dinner in the woods or in the lake, and cook outside. The only other luxury Lexa had allowed was a fresh sketchbook, and far too many candles.

"It creates ambience," Lexa said when she saw the look on Clarke's face. "Sometimes there is a middle setting that is required between the bolstering sunlight and the pitch black darkness of the night."

"It's called sunset, Lexa."

"Yes, sunset. I like sunset."

Clarke wasn't quite sure how to argue that back. Instead, she flopped onto the bed, and revelled in some space to just sprawl over and spread her limbs. The journey from here to Polis had been long, and she closed her eyes momentarily.

Without really thinking, a small smile spread across her face. Lexa had effectively proposed on the wall-walk, requesting they join their lives together. In many ways, Clarke figured they had unofficially married months ago. But Lexa was a stickler for tradition. She did not even want to know how many books she'd leafed through trying to figure out what Skaikru tradition was. She still needed to ask Abby what had been said—or if her mother would start vomiting rainbows at the mention.

"Are you happy?"

Lexa's voice was gentle when she asked it, and when Clarke's eyes slowly opened, Lexa had cocked her head to gaze at her curiously. Clarke couldn't help but fiddle with her mom's old ring. If this was the only message Abby could get out to Clarke in a long time, then it had worked. She knew of the depth of love between their parents.

"I'm with you," Clarke answered.

"Does—does that make you happy?"

"It makes me think you're an idiot for asking."

"I won't touch your heart except only to caress it," Lexa promised her, just like she had on the walls of Polis, overlooking her city. "I brought you here to get away from it all. Soon we will have to return to being the Commander and Wanheda respectively. But here, no-one will find us; no-one will hear us. Here, it is safe to shuck off the skin of a Commander and wear one of Lexa kom Trikru. Likewise, it is the same with you."

Clarke indulged herself in the idea, her natural greed coming to the forefront as she wished this could be their eternity. Lexa being her eternity was more than enough...but Lexa was not always Lexa in Polis. Sometimes, she had to execute decisions as simply the Commander. Sometimes it was not Lexa, but rather the Commander, who argued fervently over ethical issues of a situation. The promise of an escape—where Lexa could always be that tentative young woman who'd dared to open the portcullis to her heart in her tent—was entrancing.

This, she realised, was their honeymoon.

Clarke grinned when she realised, her grin slowly fading at the thought. Their honeymoon was this: a stolen moment of blissful freedom, where there were no politics, no betrayals, and no fighting. Their honeymoon was a world where only two of them existed as who they really were. One: a delinquent fallen from the sky, her eyes the colour of the world she no longer belonged in. Two: a woman with the world on her shoulders; a child of the forest and a beacon of hope for all future generations. Here they could forget genocide; betrayal; assassination; wilderness...

Here, they could revel in something Clarke had wanted, solely: Lexa.

"I'm happy," Lexa mused. She was perching on the edge of a chair, watching as Clarke spread-eagled on the bed. "You make me happy."

"Do I?"

"You make me smile."

"That's a first."

"It's true. You make me happy when you are here; when you're not here I think of you and you make me happy once more. Your kiss makes me invincible. Your embrace renders me at your disposal. You, Clarke, I love. If you'll accept this twisted heart of mine."

Clarke shifted on the bed, shuffling to one side as she rested the side of her face on her palm, lying on one side. "Your heart's not twisted, Lexa."

"Beyond repair," Lexa disagreed. "I wish my love could be gentler. But you find me scarred and ruthless and sometimes cruel."

"I find you human," Clarke said honestly. "If you were anything but, I wouldn't love you the way I do."

"How do you love me?"

"Do you want me to show you?"

Wordlessly, Lexa crawled onto the bed, and all of a sudden she was a virgin again. Clarke encouraged her, wondering how the most confident speaker in all of the realm could be reduced to this—but she did not know what was racking through Lexa's mind. Knowing Lexa, that was probably everything.

"You needn't kiss me any differently," Clarke murmured, as Lexa's hand rested on her hip. "When you kiss me, I feel everything. I always have."

And so Lexa kissed her.

She kissed her, gently, tentatively—just like the very first kiss they'd shared. It was an exploration; a test. Lexa kissed her as if she'd never kissed her before, her lips brushing tenderly over Clarke's as her grip on Clarke's waist tightened ever so slightly. Clarke cupped both of Lexa's cheeks in her hand and returned passionately, coaxing Lexa's lip open.

"Trust me," Clarke whispered against her mouth, and slipped her tongue in, brushing their noses together as they drew apart. She nibbled on Lexa's bottom lip, giggling softly at Lexa's rakish grin, and knocked their foreheads together. "We're in this together."

"The sky always joins the earth; it was a matter of destiny," Lexa said hoarsely. "It is of luck you are of the sky. Together I believe we can take the world back."

"Us two?"

"Maybe they'll write stories of us. Not of how we fought for peace, but of how we loved. How we broke each other and pieced each other back together. How we ruled the world because you believed in me, and I believed in you, and that candle never blew out."

"Maybe," Clarke agreed, "but I don't give a fuck about stories right now."

"No?"

"No."

Clarke kissed her again, surging up to meet Lexa's lips as they kissed properly this time, all cover of shyness and tenderness vanishing in an instant. She yanked Lexa by the waist, causing her to grunt in surprise as she involuntarily rolled over Clarke's body, straddling her hips. Clarke's hands roamed her body greedily as they wriggled out of their clothes, laughing as they tossed them anywhere and everywhere. Wanton fingernails sunk into the soft flesh of Lexa's ass, and Lexa shuddered as she dipped her head down, her kiss full of bite and tongue.

"Someone's keen," Clarke panted between kisses as Lexa ravished her. Her lips flew everywhere, from licking their way down the length of Clarke's neck to clamping her teeth down by her collarbone. With every kiss and lick and suck and bite, Clarke's back arched in pleasure, her head thrown back against the pillows as Lexa feasted on her, cherishing every contour of her body.

"You're so beautiful," Lexa mumbled against her sternum, her hands deftly pushing Clarke's underwear out of the way.

"Come here," Clarke beckoned.

Lexa, placing soft kisses on Clarke's breasts, gently clamped down on her nipple, her tongue swirling. She smiled at the way Clarke groaned in response, but she did as she was told, encouraged by Clarke's hand.

"Grab onto the headboard," Clarke said firmly.

"Clarke—"

"Heda."

Lexa had very few weaknesses, but Clarke calling her Commander—even if it was out of jest or just to get her own way—was far too easy. The power-trip she had was so stupidly immense that Clarke had to mock her for it—and the way she fell for it every time. Lexa's hands gripped tightly onto the railing of the headboard, her arm muscles rippling as she did so. Clarke placed her hands either side of Lexa's thighs, clamping down to hold her in position.

"Say it." Clarke had her own ways. "Say 'fuck me'."

Lexa obliged. "Fuck me."

"Mm." Clarke dipped her tongue in, feeling Lexa's growing wetness as she pressed the flat of her tongue hard against Lexa's lips. Her hips immediately jerked, but Clarke held her steady, gently tracing her tongue against the outer lips of Lexa's cunt.

"Please." Lexa was breathless as Clarke teased her, her teeth grazing against her inner thigh, her tongue swirling over the skin she bit. "Fuck me, Clarke."

Clarke's hands held her down as she thrust her tongue inside of her, satisfied all the way to the bottom of her belly and the overbearing ache between her legs as Lexa cried out in pleasure, bucking her hips as Clarke lapped up Lexa's wetness. She did not have to do a thing. She sucked at Lexa's sensitive clit, her darkened eyes flicking up to watch Lexa's sweaty body rock above hers, her forehead glistening with sweat. Her fists clenched harder against the headboard, and Clarke raked her fingernails up Lexa's back, digging her nails in so they'd leave scratch marks all over. She knew how sexy Lexa found it; how badly she wanted to be marred by Clarke's lust and affection. Lexa rolled her hips, desperately trying to keep up with Clarke's rhythm but Clarke wasn't doing a thing: it was all Lexa.

And it was a magical sight; the stuff of fantasies. Lexa, a goddess in her own right, throwing her head back as she came loudly in Clarke's mouth, her body spasming in sheer bliss. A mortal's tongue had driven a goddess crazy; a mortal's tongue had robbed the legendary Commander, a myth in centuries to come, speechless and dry-mouthed and buzzing with ecstasy as she came hard. If Lexa was a goddess, then Clarke was drinking the honeyed nectar.

Oh, but they were so human. It was why they hid from the world upon such an occasion; they 'married' in-secret, officiated by Kane and proudly escorted by her mother. Clarke thought with a laugh what her mother would say if she walked in on them now.

Lexa rolled off her, utterly spent and exhausted. She breathed hard, lolling her head back. Jok.

"This is why Sky people wish to become betrothed," Lexa deduced. Clarke was so in awe of watching her that she didn't even bother correcting how utterly and hilariously wrong Lexa was.

"Sure..."

"Here, we are Clarke and Lexa," Lexa said, heavy-lidded eyes filled to the brim with dark desire. She turned to face Clarke. "It is noon. I do not want to stop ravishing your body until the birds caw in the morning."

Clarke smirked at her. "Yeah?"

"I will make love to you," Lexa said softly, and then she said: "then I will—" she tested the word on her lips, "—fuck you. I will do it so hard you will scream my name so loud that the Polisians will wonder who is calling from the Trikru territory."

"You're all words," Clarke laughed, raking a hand through her sweaty hair. "If you could, you'd do it."

"I do not make promises I cannot keep."

It took them four days to ride back to Polis as they both complained of an ache down there as they rode Thunder.

So this was how a Grounder-Skaikru wedding would be like, then...

#clexa #clexakru #clarke x lexa #clexa fanfic #clexa fic

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aspiring-dm · 8 years ago

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Thunder Sands Campaign: A Lore Summary

This is going to be a look into the campaign I’m currently putting together. Thunder Sands is a desert campaign named after the region in my world it’s set in. There are two other regional campaigns happening almost simultaneously, Fyrwuld and the Clearrun, which I’ll discuss another time.

Idk how long this is going to be, so I’ll go ahead and slap a “Keep Reading” on there. IF YOU ARE ONE OF MY PLAYERS, please do not read this, as it could contain spoilers for the game you will be playing.

I’ll do another post for the Lore, but tl;dr the world’s name is Nexus, the continent’s name is Raros, the region’s name is the Thunder Sands. The world is massive compared to Earth, and the Thunder Sands is about the size of Africa, and being the only real desert I’ve currently designed, I’ve used cultures from all sorts of real-world deserts as inspiration, including Mexican/American, African, Middle-Eastern, etc. The continent of Raros alone is probably the size of, if not larger than, Earth.

There are three important eras that historians have divided history into: The Primordial Age was a time before time. The Ordinal Age was the time when giants ruled the world and enslaved lesser races while warring with dragons. Nexus is currently about a thousand years into the Mortal Age, where humanoids have swarmed across the world after a grand apocalyptic event at the end of the Ordinal Age and taken control.

The Lore of this game was being designed at a time when I was watching a lot of Dark Souls and Bloodborne lore videos, so I borrow heavily from them, mostly from Bloodborne’s lore style.

The Primordial Age, in a time when Nexus was still forming and primordial beings like aboleths, dragons, and krakens ruled the world, giants were starting to rise up as a prominent force. This was the turning point between the Primordial Age and the Ordinal Age, some 4-7,000 years ago. At this time, the Ordning did not exist yet, and giants warred among themselves to determine who was strongest and should rule above the others. Across Raros, maybe half a dozen or so kingdoms of humanoids were able to permanently gather and stand strong to defend themselves against the massive civil war. These were usually run by humans, whose ingenuity and relatively strong free will allowed them to unify other races and combine their strengths.

In the Thunder Sands, this first bastion against the giants was known as Talis, which settled in the eastern Thunder Sands and warred both with the various giant armies to the Clearrun to the east and also with the nomadic Sand Giants to the west who wanted nothing to do with the Ordning.

Gods at this time showed little interest in humans, as it was the dragons and giants who would surely rule their creations. Of course, dwarven gods supported the dwarves, and elven gods supported the elves, but humands were left mostly without a prayer, literally. Since the gods showed no favor to humans, mankind turned to elementals who were still very strong in the Material Plane at this time. Genies became revered as gods in return for their protection, and over time the lines became blurred and people forgot that they weren’t actually gods.

The assistance looked as though it might balance the war against giants, but suddenly the true gods cared. Furious at this blasphemy, they sent hordes of angels to smite Talis. Once again, with three fronts to fight on, Talis was outmatched. But the child of one of the gods, an Empyrean named Adenes (AH-deh-neez), took pity on mankind and betrayed his parentage to aid them in this war. Adenes became good friends with Talis’s king, David Larsly, and with together, combined with the four “elemental gods” and the powers of some very talented mages, they were able to survive the Holy Giant War.

During one particular battle however, some of Adenes’s blood spilled upon the sand beside King Larsly. The king was overcome with an unexplained desire to taste the blood. In the middle of the fight, he touched a finger to the wet sand, and place the blood upon his lips.

Immediately, Larsly changed. He was once a king chosen by necessity, thrust into a war he never wanted to be part of. But the taste of godblood was filled with power, and it changed him so that he wanted more of it.

He later assembled a group of scholars to research godblood. They traveled far to the north to conduct this study in secret, and later began gathering more scholars as they began calling themselves the College of Blood. They committed many atrocities in the name of their research, provided some wonderful additions to the war effort, and many more discoveries of a less beneficial nature. However, they very rarely came anywhere close to discovering anything about godblood.

Eventually, there was a split in ideologies. Two of the most prominent members of the College of Blood believed that a god’s blood would only give one mortal power- a god’s soul would make one a god in their own right. They took a decent number of scholars with them to form the Church of the Black Divinity. Many of their members believed that Yasid Alabyr, one of the founders, would become a god, and worshiped him as one. They conducted a great deal of research into the power of spells, and discovered a method of burning one’s own soul to cast divine magic, as well as methods of stealing other people’s souls to use for this very purpose.

With this research completed, they believed themselves ready to steal a god’s soul. For this, they tricked Adenes into walking into their secret temple and killed him. However, they failed to steal his soul. King Larsly had the entire church mummified for their crime, and in his depression took Adenes’s body to some secret tomb and sat beside his old friend for the rest of time.

The College of Blood almost completely disbanded. Tauren Loxos, one of the founding members, swore off any involvement with the gods at all and took about a dozen members out into the desert to become druids known as the Ga’ara’da tribe. The others returned to Talis, leaving only one founding member and a few select students behind.

That was at the dawn of the Ordinal Age. It is several thousand years later, and the game begins.

#dm ideas #me #my games #thunder sands #lore #worldbuilding

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maxwellyjordan · 5 years ago

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A “view” from the courtroom: “Strong feelings” in the latest abortion case

The court has just one case today to close out the argument portion of the February sitting, but it’s a big one.

In June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, the justices will consider whether Louisiana’s law requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals conflicts with the court’s decision just four years ago in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt striking down a similar law in Texas. There is also the cross-petition from Louisiana about whether abortion providers have third-party standing to challenge health and safety regulations on behalf of their patients.

Today, virtually every seat in the courtroom will be filled, which doesn’t always happen even in some blockbuster cases.

Bird’s eye view of the courtroom during argument in June Medical Services v. Russo (Art Lien)

In the public gallery, Kathaleen Pittman, the director of the Hope Medical Group for Women clinic in Shreveport, which is owned by June Medical, is here. Nancy Northrup, the president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents the clinic, is here, as is Amy Metzler Ritter, the chair of CRR.

Amy Hagstrom-Miller, the CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, the consortium of health care and abortion clinics at the center of the Texas case, is also here.

I was told by CRR that none of the several doctors identified in court papers as “Doe” would be in attendance today. Their particular circumstances with respect to the admitting-privileges requirement will be the subject of numerous questions.

At the south end of the front row of the public section sit two U.S. senators who have evidently taken up Chief Justice John Roberts’ invitation to attend a session of the court. One is Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana who is trained as a physician. He is among the 207 members of Congress who signed an amicus brief in support of Louisiana organized by Americans United for Life, a prominent anti-abortion group.

The other is Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, who is among 197 different members of Congress who signed a brief in support of the challengers. The difference in the number of signers of the competing briefs probably does not carry any great weight with the justices.

In the bar section, there is a contingent from the American Civil Liberties Union, including Louise Melling, the deputy director and director of its Center for Liberty, which oversees abortion rights and other issues. Also in the courtroom today is Ilyse Hogue, the president of the National Abortion Rights Action League.

At the counsel table on the left, Julie Rikelman of CRR, who will argue for June Medical Services, arrives with her co-counsel, including Travis Tu of CRR and Jeffrey Fisher of Stanford Law School and O’Melveny & Myers.

Meanwhile, the Louisiana entourage arrives to defend the state’s law, including Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and Solicitor General Elizabeth Murrill, who will argue the case. They are joined in the bar section by U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana’s 4th district, who will video tweet afterwards to say that he helped defend the law in the federal district court before being elected to Congress in 2016 from the district that includes Shreveport.

Abortion clinics in the Shreveport, Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas are the focus of this litigation, but because Hope Medical Clinic is in Shreveport, there is a bit more attention on that medium-sized city.

This might be a good place to mention that your reporter once lived in Shreveport, which is in northwest Louisiana and might be said to have more in common with button-down Dallas and conservative East Texas than it does with the “laissez les bon temps rouler” vibe of New Orleans and southern Louisiana. This Chicago native was a bit of a fish out of water in that sleepy burg. I’ll put it this way. Seemingly right after I left after two years at a newspaper job there, the region gained two, um, cultural innovations that would have made it a more interesting place to live: a minor league hockey franchise and riverboat gambling. Also, somewhat improbably, the area became one of those non-Hollywood film production locations, so you might occasionally read that one star or another was arrested in a local bar fight “while he was filming a movie in Shreveport.”

Among the representatives of groups supporting the Louisiana law here today are Steven Aden and Clark Forsythe of Americans United for Life and Jordan Lorence and John Bursch of the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Just 10 minutes before the start of court, Ashley Kavanaugh, the wife of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, arrives and takes her seat in the VIP section. She is soon followed by Joanna Breyer, the wife of Justice Stephen Breyer, and Jane Roberts, the wife of the chief justice.

Top court officers also fill most of the seats reserved for them. But retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, who provided the crucial fifth vote for striking down the Texas regulations in Whole Woman’s Health, is not in the courtroom today.

As the argument proceeds, demonstrators on both sides of the abortion issue are holding their competing rallies on the sidewalk outside the court. No one inside the courtroom is aware of the contretemps that Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, is evidently causing with his remarks to the abortion rights demonstrators, which will later elicit a public response from the chief justice.

Amy Howe has this blog’s main account of the hourlong argument.

Just minutes into Rikelman’s presentation on behalf of June Medical Services, a cellphone chime goes off, followed by a bell. The culprit is not evident, though it does not appear to be a member of the court. Whenever I appear before a student group or others to discuss the court, I mention the time in 2017 when Breyer inadvertently brought his phone into the courtroom and, of course, it rang. The students whose phones have long been regulated in school really identify with the justice.

When the mystery phone isn’t pinging and chiming, as it does a couple more times throughout the hour, there are two distinct vibes to the argument. One revolves around the fact that the newest members of the court are facing their first argument in an abortion case. Justice Neil Gorsuch does not ask a single question. Kavanaugh, meanwhile, has quite a few.

“Are you saying that admitting privileges laws are always unconstitutional, such that we don’t have to look at the facts state by state?” he asks Rikelman. “Or are you saying that actually you do look at the facts state by state, and in some states, admitting privileges laws could be constitutional, if they impose no burdens?”

She holds her ground in several variations of the question, maintaining that such laws serve no valid state interest.

Kavanaugh asks five questions of Rikelman, one of Principal Deputy Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall, who is arguing on behalf of the U.S. government in support of Louisiana, and none of Murrill.

For the other members of the court, the vibe is that positions are well staked out on this divisive issue.

Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the minority in Whole Woman’s Health, sharply questions Rikelman on the third-party standing of the abortion providers, finding several of her answers “amazing” or “highly debatable.”

Roberts asks a question (Art Lien)

As for the other dissenters in Whole Woman’s Health, Justice Clarence Thomas is silent as usual while Roberts asks questions that will be highly scrutinized but don’t seem to reveal his views.

“Counsel, do you agree that the inquiry under Hellerstedt is a factual one that has to proceed state-by-state?” he asks of Rikelman. He poses a variation of that question to both Murrill and Wall.

“[W]hy do you look at each state differently if the benefits of the law—they’re not going to change from state-to-state?” the chief asks Wall.

The remaining members of the majority in Whole Woman’s Health—Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan—each have vigorous questions that show their skepticism of the Louisiana law’s constitutionality.

Ginsburg ponders the issue at hand (Art Lien)

Ginsburg gets a laugh when she asks Rikelman a friendly question about Craig v. Boren, a 1976 case involving disparate legal drinking ages for young men and women, in which she filed an amicus brief when she was with the ACLU. The decision helps bolster the abortion providers’ third-party standing claim.

“You made a point about Craig versus Boren, that the ostensible purpose of the law was to save the vulnerable young men from the evils of 3.2 beer?” Ginsburg says.

“That’s correct, your honor, and the court allowed the saloon keeper to bring the third-party standing claim,” Rikelman says.

Ginsburg seeks repeatedly to knock the state’s rationales for its admitting-privileges requirements.

“Is it not the fact that most hospitals in Louisiana, in order to get admitting privileges, you have to admit a certain number of patients?” she asks Murrill. “Abortion providers will never, … if they’re not also doing obstetrics and gynecology, they will never qualify because their patients don’t go to the hospital.”

Breyer, who wrote the majority opinion in Whole Woman’s Health, has an exchange with Wall late in the argument that seems to summarize the ideological gridlock over abortion rights.

“How do you deal with this?” Breyer asks Wall. “I have read the briefs. I understand there are good arguments on both sides. Indeed, in the country people have very strong feelings and a lot of people morally think it’s wrong and a lot of people morally think the opposite is wrong.”

“And in [Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v.] Casey, and the later cases,” he adds, “I think personally the court is struggling with the problem of what kind of rule of law do you have in a country that contains both sorts of people.”

When the argument is over, the clinic director, the advocates and the politicians make their way quickly to the court’s plaza to address the media, and then to the wide sidewalk, where “both sides” of this intractable issue hold their loud, competing rallies.

The post A “view” from the courtroom: “Strong feelings” in the latest abortion case appeared first on SCOTUSblog.

from Law https://www.scotusblog.com/2020/03/a-view-from-the-courtroom-strong-feelings-in-the-latest-abortion-case/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

#law #justice

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nsschaintale · 6 years ago

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Link 5: Kindness Is Not Here

CHAINTALE Extra

Chain Link: The Fallen Royal Scientist

Link 5: Kindness Is Not Here

Several years went by and things were starting to look up somewhat. Progress on the Core has increased, and Project Barrier Break is one step closer to its completion. There was even news of a rising star among the Royal Guard ranks in the form of a young fish woman named Ketju. Despite the advances of civilization in the Underground, things weren't exactly going well within the Gadwyn family with Gadwyn himself slightly diverging from his initial path. Ever since retrieving the Soul of Perseverance from Percy, his relationship with Tether has become severely strained. They would argue about the methods used to collect the human Souls, the doubts about the experiment for the barrier, and the loss and cruel death of Tether's first friend he made, despite it being a human. Catena was visiting from Royal Guard training at the time, and tried to diffuse the situation with some success.

Gadwyn: I don't have time to discuss this, Tether! There are more important matters to be taken cared of.

Tether: Dis is just as important! I still 'aven't fergotten what ya did years ago!

Gadwyn: I thought you would have by now!

Catena: D-DAD, TETHER, CAN'T WE DISCUSS THIS LATER!? YOU TWO WILL BE LATE FOR WORK!!

Tether: Tch, all right, Catena...

Gadwyn: Fine... I swear you remind me of your mother...

Tether: Mother?

Gadwyn: ….Shit...

Tether: What about our mother?

Catena: WE HAVE A MOTHER?

Gadwyn (sighs heavily): ...Had a mother.

Catena: WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?

Gadwyn: ...Let's discuss this later on today, all right? We'll be late... (gathers his things and leaves for the door)

Catena: “HAD” A MOTHER?

Tether: I dunno. If it's true, I must've fergotten...

Catena: ….

The day went on as normal, besides the occasional bickering between Gadwyn and Tether. For the majority of the project, Tether has vehemently refused to help the other scientists with studying Percy's body and Soul. He was willing to help with the chosen human body PA02, but anything having to do with Percy was out of the question. Since the project involves the boy, Tether was stuck doing menial tasks, deliveries, and checking on the Core's progress. Meanwhile, some of the scientists had noticed Gadwyn was acting strangely, but chalked it up to stress from overseeing PBB, the Core, and the rocky relationship with his elder son. He had been pouring most of his hours into studying and combining the essences by himself while occasionally glaring at the young human's body. He was even wanting to cut every piece of the boy's body and make it disappear, but he knew the king wouldn't allow such a thing since it would be outside of his scientific tasks, so he had to hold in that desire and not incur the wrath of both King Kette and Tether. Other than that, it was another stress-filled successful day at work. Once the day was over, though, things started to get tense again when the Gadwyn family returned home.

Gadwyn (takes off his coat): So tired...

Tether: ...So...

Gadwyn: What is it now..?

Tether: About our mother...

Catena: OH YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT! YOU SAID YOU WOULD TELL US ABOUT OUR MOTHER!

Gadwyn (rubs his temples irritably): ….All right, but let me rest first. We had a long day.

Tether: Yeah..... (watches Gadwyn trudge his way to his room)

Catena (sits down with Tether): I WONDER WHAT OUR MOTHER WAS LIKE.

Tether: Dunno. Hmm...I think I have some vague idea of what she's like, but it's not really coming up.

Catena: WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER?

Tether: Um... I'm thinking flowers....and...a smile...

Catena: UMM...THAT'S..NOT REALLY MUCH TO GO ON...

Tether: Yeah, it must've been years since then. (shrugs) Who knows. Papa'll explain it. Hopefully.

Catena (twiddles his thumbs anxiously): HMN...YOU AND DAD HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN ON GOOD TERMS SINCE THE HUMAN DIED. WAS IT THAT SPECIAL?

Tether: Yeah... There was something about him....I can't really place it... I just wanted to be his friend somehow. Percy, he promised that he'd leave here and take our story to the surface. He wanted to show me what it was like up there. He never got to, because you know. (frowns) The project.

Catena: OH...

Tether: Yeah... (stretches) I guess since he's taking a nap, I should, too. (lays fully on the couch) Wake me when he does.

Catena: REALLY? RIGHT HERE ON THE- (sees Tether fall asleep; sighs heavily) OF COURSE HE DOES...

The few hours Tether and Gadwyn had slept, Catena spent cleaning up the house. He was getting pretty excited to finally know about what his mother was like. He's never had any prior knowledge of his early childhood since he's only known his father and brother. If he did know something about her, he may have forgotten like Tether had. Speaking of his father, Gadwyn made his way back downstairs, finding Catena dusting the TV and Tether asleep on the couch. Once Tether was awakened and the family ate together, Gadwyn reluctantly began his story.

Gadwyn: You boys wanted to know about your mother, hm?

Catena: ABSOLUTELY!

Tether: Of course we do.

Gadwyn: Haaa.... All right. This was long before you two were born....long before we monsters were sealed underground...long before the war...

Tether: Long before...sealed... Wait...are you saying that..

Gadwyn: Yes.. We once lived on the surface. You two were born on the surface...

Tether (shocked): Wha... Are you kidding me!?

Catena: AND IT'S WHERE YOU MET OUR MOTHER?!

Gadwyn: Yes. It was close to Autumn up there and there was a festival going on....

-FLASHBACK: LIFE ON THE SURFACE-

The color of Autumn was slowly creeping up across the land as the air was cooling down. Despite that, the atmosphere in a certain village is much more warm and festive. The annual Autumn Equinox Festival is in full swing as humans and monsters alike were enjoying the festivities. This was during a time where both races coexisted and festivals like this were great ways for them to come together. For one young monster, it would be where his life would soon change. That monster is Aden Beth Gadwyn. He works at a church and was in the process of coming up with a design of a temple the clergy wanted to build nearby. That was before he was dragged to the festival by his equine friend Keldin.

Keldin: Come on, it'll be fun!

Aden: I don't know, Keldin, this looks like too much.

Keldin: Well, yeah, it's a festival! It's supposed to be like this!

Aden: Keldin, I'm supposed to be helping the church wit-

Keldin: It can wait! Come on! (rushes off)

Aden: Keldin, wai- (sees him disappear in the crowd) Aah... Geez... (glances around) Well, now what...?

Left behind by the quick-footed Keldin, Aden started to wander around. Wandering past the food stands, meandering by the random magic shows some of the monsters performed, and browsing the trinket stands, Aden didn't really show much interest in such things. He was never really an outside person unless it was for the church and even then, most of his activities were indoors. He only went outside to gather information about the future temple site and maybe the occasional nature studies before getting pulled away by Keldin. Aden was ready to give up trying to find him when he caught a scent of something peculiar. It didn't match the foods that are present, so it was unique. He wanted to ignore it, but curiosity got the best of him so he followed it. The more he did so, the stronger the smell became, becoming more entranced by it. It seemed to be like some kind of flower. A rose? A sunflower? He wasn't sure, but his vision also started to cloud in a strange way as if a green fog was setting in.

Aden (rubs his eye sockets): Ah? What's going on? My eyes... Everything's turning...green? (looks around at the people) Is...no one else seeing this? So weird....

Aden aimlessly wandered around as he tried to figure out why he was seeing green, not realizing he was heading towards the festival square area. A small group of a lute player, a pipe player, a drummer, and a violinist were playing various songs to keep the cheerful mood up during the festival and a few monsters and humans were dancing along. Lots of people and monsters were loitering around a large wooden square stage as if they were waiting for something while the music is playing. Once the band finished, a man stepped forward, announcing that a performance is about to begin. As the performers took their places, the crowd gets closer to the stage to get a closer look as Aden nearly gets squished by the excited attendants.

Aden (gets bumped): Gah! Watch it! Hmph! (straightens his glasses) What's so special about this-

Aden's mind screeched to a halt when he locked eyes with one of them. The one he assumed was the lead performer. She was a skeleton like him, dressed in white, yellow, brown, and green. She wore a green head wrap with a white stripe and yellow chain print on it, a large gold loop that has a small chain link, a twine necklace with an emerald pendant, a white tunic with a yellow bow under her chest and green stripes and dashes on the hemlines of her top, the left sleeve missing and the right sleeve split from her elbow, a pair of a thin green bracelet and a thick yellow bracelet on her left wrist, a brown leather hoop belt with a long chain link dangling on the right side, brown capri-length pants with twine tied at the bottom, and brown sandals. The grin that graced her face widened as she saw him before she waved at the crowd before the music begin and she shook the tambourine she has in her hand. The moment the skeleton girl started to move, Aden became entranced. Her dance was graceful, entrancing, powerful. Aden has never seen anything like it. Every movement of her body, every tap of her feet, every shake of the tambourine, every part of her dance made Aden think of a thunderstorm. From her hands controlling the rolling clouds to the thunderous stomps of her feet to the jangling rain from her instrument, it was a sight to behold. He never even noticed the other dancers joining her halfway into the dance, he was too drawn to the skeleton girl. So much so, Aden didn't realize the performance ended and the girl was standing in front of him.

Aden (startled): AAH!!

Skeleton Girl (medium-high Irish voice): Oops, sorry! Didn't mean ta scare ya!

Aden (calming down): No, no, I was..j-just was not paying attention, is all! I, uh....I, uh.... (blushing dark blue) I...I liked your d-dancing, it was...it was great. I've never seen anything like it before!

SG: Why, dank yee! I was kinda nervous at how people here would respond, but I'm glad ya like it!

Aden (scratches the back of his neck shyly): Eh heh.. The way she talks...

SG: Yee know, I didn't know dere were other skeleton monsters 'round dese parts. I was surprised ta see ya 'mong the crowd! (whispers to Aden) M'haps, it may be fate...?

Aden: ...Fate?

SG: O' course! At first, I figured a storm was rollin' in 'cause everythin' was turnin' dark and blue, but when I caught eyes wit' yee, it was like a light had broken de dark. Had m'soul aflutterin'!

Aden: R-Really?

SG: Really!

BlondeDancerGirl: Alysída! Come on, we're gonna explore a bit!

SG: Comin'! Well, looks like I'm headin' off. It was nice meetin' ya! (turns away)

Aden: W-Wait! She mentioned your name, what was it?

SG (faces Aden): Ah, forgive me! I'm Alysída! Yours?

Aden: A...Aden Beth Gadwyn.

Alysída: Aden Beth Gadwyn! What a lovely name! Beth, is it short fer 'lizabeth?

Aden: Lizabeth..? Oh..you mean Elizabeth, no, no, it's just Beth. (frowns) Although, I do get teased for that..

Alysída: Dat's no good! Ruinin' a good name as yours!

Aden (rubs the back of his neck sheepishly): Th-Thanks.

Alysída: Gotta go now! See ya next time! (skips away towards her friends)

Aden (waves at her then sighs, having a slight blush): Alysída...

Keldin: Eeeeh? Do I spy someone in looove?

Aden (startled): GAH!!

Keldin: Ha! You lucky guy! You don't see other skeleton monsters around these parts every day!

Aden (glares at Keldin): Keldin....

Keldin: Yeah?

Aden: You left me behind!

Keldin: Whoops!

Aden spent the rest of the festival trying a few foods and chasing his equine friend with attempts to smacking him with his notebook for ditching him. But at the same time, he often had thoughts of Alysída. He does keep her out of his mind while concentrating on the church, but it was slowly becoming clear that he was attracted to her over time, especially when he's found by her in unexpected places sometimes. Aden was looking over the temple blueprints out in a large meadow when he heard a familiar Irish voice from behind him.

Aden (turns to see Alysída): A-Alysída?! What are you doing out here?!

Alysída: I'm here ta relax. I'm after finishing a performance so I'm completely knackered. (notices Aden's confused face) Err...I finished one so I'm tired, I mean, so I just lay about out 'ere. (falls backward carefully)

Aden: Aah! (catches Alysída in a dip stance before she hits the ground) Be caref- !

(they stare at each other before sitting on the ground, blushing hard and silent; Alysída is blushing green, she notices a large rock nearby where she would've landed)

Alysída: How..um...How kind of yee... Didn't spot dat rock dere...

Aden: I, uh...Welcome... Um, yeah, be...uh...be careful...doing that...

Alysída: S-Sure. (feels the breeze blow through) Ya know, I sometimes envy humans.

Aden: Eh? How so?

Alysída: I can barely feel de wind and sun, but not in de way humans do. Does it bother ya while out here, also?

Aden: Hmm...not really. I never really notice things like that, so it doesn't really come to mind.

Alysída: Ah. (notices Aden's open notebook) What's on dere?

Aden: Oh. (picks up the notebook, showing the pyramid designs of the temple) This is the temple the clergy wanted to build out here. I've been making sure nothing diverts the plans for the construction.

Alysída: …. (stands up and looks out at the landscape) ...To turn dis beautiful place into temple grounds.... (puts her hands on her hips) Dis place is already sacred enough.

Aden: To who?

Alysída (glances down at Aden): To nature! Dere's no need fer silly temples when yer blessin's come from all dat surrounds us!

Aden: That sounds.... Hmn...I don't want to say she sounds crazy, but... It sounds...

Alysída (turns away with her arms back and tapping the rock with her foot): Blasphemous, I know.

Aden (surprised): I..That wasn't what I-

Alysída: Ya don't 'ave ta say it, I've been told it whenever I speak of it. Mostly by humans who probably 'aven't got a nature-lovin' bone under all dat skin. Can ya believe it? I can't!

Aden: You love nature, do you?

Alysída: Love it? (does a twirl) I do! It's my muse! Dere's so much harmony and unity dat comes naturally like us monsters and humans. If it gets ruined, it'll be years before it can be restored. (lowers her gaze) Or worse...never return...

Aden: (stands up) W-Will it actually get that bad...?

Alysída: ….It's what I fear...

Aden: …...

Alysída (glances back): Surely, dere's another place...?

Aden: ….I thought of another, but I felt it would be dangerous.... (turns to the direction of a nearby mountain)

Alysída: A mountain?

Aden: Ebbot Mountain. I thought it would be a good place to put the temple before it, but then I felt something would go wrong, so we went with this place. But listening to you speaking so highly of this land, I'm starting to have doubts. Thinking about it, maybe it's better to be closer to the village...

Alysída: …..

-END FLASHBACK-

Catena: SHE REALLY LOVED NATURE THAT MUCH, HUH?

Gadwyn: She did. I didn't think she'd convince me to change locations like that. I guess at the time, I didn't want to upset her. I did upset the clergy, but it was better than nothing.

Tether: No wonder I had thought of flowers and smiles. Sooo, where do Catena and I come in?

Catena: THAT'S RIGHT! YOU SAID WE WERE BORN ON THE SURFACE! WE DON'T REMEMBER THAT HAPPENING!

Gadwyn: It's because you two were very young at the time, Tether being born first then a few hundred years later, Catena was born when Tether was four, according to the humans anyway. To be honest, I hadn't expect us to have two children, but here you two are. She loved you both dearly, to the point of spoiling you. Showed you everything life had to offer, I even had less time at the church because I wanted to be there for you all. (glances at Tether) You even picked up on her odd language which apparently she was from a part of...hmm...someplace... She told me, but it's been far too long for me to remember.

Catena (glances at Tether curiously): IT DID SEEM LIKE HE SPOKE A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE WHENEVER HE SPOKE OR WAS UPSET.

Tether: Really? I never noticed. But um, how come we've haven't seen her since we've been down here?

Catena: YEAH, AND HOW COME I BARELY EVEN REMEMBER HER?

Gadwyn (leans forward with his elbows on his knees, resting his forehead on his clenched hands): …...

Tether: ...Papa..?

Gadwyn: She's.....no longer in this world.....Your mother had...turned to dust....

(the brothers are horrified)

Tether: What do ya mean “turned to dust”?! When? H-How?!

Catena: WHY?!

Gadwyn (straightens up): I mentioned the war, remember...?

Tether: The Monster-Human War..?

Gadwyn: Yes... It was a few months before then. You two were still children in monster terms, but everyone we once knew who were humans, especially Alysída's human friends, were dead and gone. This was getting into a time when there were superstitions cropping up towards monsters and humans alike...and then..that incident occurred...

Catena: WHAT INCIDENT..?

Gadwyn: ….The one that shattered the human-monster coexistence forever....

-FLASHBACK: THE DOMINO EFFECT-

A few centuries have passed and there had been tension creeping across the land. Stories of humans killing other humans due to witchcraft had been spreading and it has everyone on edge. The people and monsters of Ebbot Village felt safe from such things ever since the temple had been built nearby years prior, so it served as a welcoming comfort for them. But as the days went on, some of those stories came close to home in a much different way. It was almost Winter, but snow was already falling. One night, Alysída was returning home from her work at a produce stand when she overheard some people talking. She thought nothing of it at first until she heard something like a screech suddenly getting silenced. Curious, she snuck over to the sound and found something horrifying.

Two men had just finished stabbing a child.

Man1 (laughing): That was easy. It won't be long now.

Man2: We just need a monster to come by and take the blame.

Alysída (hides): Gods above, what did I just see?! I....I gotta leg it and tell someone... de Elder!!

Before the men noticed her, she had rushed off to go tell the village elder in the temple about what she saw. Along the way, she noticed the people and monsters are acting strange towards each other, either with disdain or avoidance. Once there, she found the elder kneeling before the altar, likely to be in prayer. She waited until he was finished, but realized by the time he would be done, the men would try and kill another person.

Alysída (approaches the elder cautiously): Sorry, Elder, but I need to speak-

Elder: I know why you're here....

Alysída: You do...?

Elder: It's about the incidents, yes?

Alysída: Yes, I just saw-

Elder: Don't bother... I knew this day would come.... (stands up and faces Alysída) ...the day you monsters would betray us by harming our own...

Alysída: Betray?! What?! No! I saw two humans killin' a child in an alley a while ago!

Elder: Impossible. No one would dare harm a child...and besides...humans had been disappearing from the village and people had been finding monsters in their blood...

Alysída: No... It... You're lyin'....We would never...

Elder: I have already sent for help... Begone from my sight....

Alysída: …... (turns to leave then stops at the doors) I'll pray to de Gods to have mercy on yer soul.

Elder: Monsters have no Gods.

Alysída: Nor do yee, if He doesn't stop dis madness... (leaves)

Frustrated, Alysída made her way home but was seeing signs of discord cropping up. She had told Aden what had happened, and the pair grew worried about the future. And they had every right to be worried. The few months that went by, the incidents reached a fever point and by the end of the third month, the humans declared war on the monsters. This eventually led to the arrival of the ones whom the Elder had called upon a few months prior. Seven chosen humans with unique powers showed up as the Monster King Kette Diefessel and his armies faced them and theirs. A magic swordsman in red, a dancer, a holy knight, a cloaked man, a scruffy-looking thief, an archer woman, and a Buddhist monk, all of them helped the humans decimate the monsters to the point when it's seen as a massacre. The battles raged on as monsters who can fight held the humans back as their families rush away from the village for safety. After a while, the monsters were slowly being driven towards Ebbot Mountain. Those who tried to escape were either driven towards there or slaughtered on sight, no matter if they were old or young. For centuries, the mountain was already inhabited by monsters, but as a place for those who liked being underground. Many other monsters who lived on the outside mingled among the humans all over the country until now. Any monsters who didn't make a mass exodus towards this mountain were hunted down and executed by the chosen humans along the way. For those living in Ebbot Village, it was easy to send them there. At some point, Alysída served as a healer for monsters who were injured during the battle, but it was becoming too much as more and more monsters were being injured beyond repair to where they become Fallen and turn to dust. Understandably, she was released by Kette due to her fears for her own family's safety, seeing as more monsters were dying than the healers can handle even in an emergency situation. As a result, the Gadwyn family didn't have a choice but to go to the mountain as well. Aden was holding Tether's hand and Alysída has baby Catena in her arms when she suddenly had a thought as she saw some of the monsters rush by to go and aid their fellow monsters on the battlefield.

Aden (stops as he sees her facing the entrance): Alice..?

Alysída: Oh....nothing...

Aden: Then let's hurry. The further we go in, the safer we'll be.

Alysída (looks at Catena as he's crying): ….My sweet Autumn child.... (kisses his forehead)

Aden: Alysída, what are you- (is given Catena in his arms) Wha...

Alysída: My darling Addy.... (kisses Aden)

Aden (watches her lean down to kiss the top of Tether's head, calling him her wonderful Summer child): Alysída...

Alysída (faces Aden): Let's keep goin'. We better crack on before it's get too crowded, ya?

Aden: Y-Yeah...

Aden took Tether's hand again as the family continued further in the caverns into the underground city. When Aden felt Tether stop and turned to see what was wrong, Alysída was gone. Aden went into a slight panic as Tether asked where she went. He wanted to find his wife, but he couldn't leave his children alone. Before he could decide, he felt something painful like a cut shoot through him, nearing making him collapse. He forced himself to sit against the wall so he wouldn't fall forward and hurt Catena. He sat there watching the monsters run by, hoping to see Alysída come by and find them, but instead only spotted Keldin directing a large group of monsters and catching his attention.

Keldin (runs up to Aden): Aden! Why are you just sitting here?! We gotta go!

Aden: Have you seen Alysída?

Keldin: Alysída? No, I haven't. Wasn't she with you three?

Aden: She was, but-

Tether (holding something in Aden's face): Papa!

Aden: Wha-What is it, Tether? Papa's talking.

Tether: Dingie! Papper!

Aden (notices a folded a piece of paper in Tether's hands): Paper? Hmn, I have Catena in my arms, can you get that, Keldin? (rocks Catena gently to calm him)

Keldin (takes the paper from Tether): Sure. (unfolds and reads it)…...............................I....

Aden: What does it say?

Keldin: I can kinda make out what it says, but um…..”Aden, if you're reading this....I'm sorry....I tried my best to tell the humans they were wrong about us....but it...didn't work. There were people who told everyone that we're evil...and need to be destroyed....If a war breaks out...I want to make sure you all survive....If you fell..” I think she meant “feel”...”If you feel....something....in your Soul....I have to break our bond, for our children's sake, so if something happened to one of us, at least we both won't die and leave our children behind. I want it to be you.......Watch over them.....Aden...The years I've been with you have been truly....” (squints at the scratched out word before the word “brilliant”) “Sav....brilliant....and I enjoyed every moment of it. Please stay safe....I do pray that this war ends before I become dust. If it does, I'll return to you and our boys....and we'll be happy again.....” (looks confused) What's this sentence? Grá..go..Deo...? And this symbol- (hears sniffing) Eh? (sees Aden in tears) Aden?

Aden: It's...It's pronounced “graw gu djo”.....Alysída said it means “Love forever”....Damn it...(stands up) I have to go find her!

Keldin: But what ab- (is given Catena gently)

Aden: Tether, stay with Mr. Keldin, okay? Papa's gonna find Mama.

Tether: Kay...

Keldin: Wait! (looks at the brothers worriedly and tries to calm Catena down in a singsong voice to the tune of “Rockabye Baby”) Hushy-bye baby, in my own arms, your Papa better come back ASAP....

Aden rushed past the monsters that were being sent in and when he reached the entrance, he caught a glimpse of a large bird skull unleashing a powerful attack that sent shock waves outward, sending him back inside the cave. The few monsters that lingered behind caught him before he landed on the ground. He scrambled away from them to his feet and rushed back outside.

Aden: Alysída! What is she doing...! ALYSÍDA!!

Alysída (turns to face Aden): Aden?! (feels something pierce through her back out her chest, severing her Life Chain) GuhAAAAA!!... (staggers away)

Aden: NOO!! (sees one of the humans approaching Alysída as she trips to the ground; teleports to her, catching her mid-fall; glares at the humans) STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY WIFE!! VESTER!!!

A large long-snouted animal skull with two wavy horns that reach under its eyes and a long string of chains dangling from the horns appeared and roared at the humans. Aden gave the signal to fire at them and Vester drew in the chains into its mouth, releasing a powerful blast. Once the smoke cleared and the chain shrapnel and Vester vanished, the skeleton duo had retreated inside the mouth of the cave. Aden and the four monsters who fought with Alysída stayed with her as she struggles to stay awake.

Aden: Alice! Stay with me, you'll be okay!

Cat monster (healing Alysída's wounds): The most I can do is heal her wounds-

Aden: It's better than nothing, just keep at it!

Alysída: A...den...Our..boys...

Aden: They're with Keldin. They're safe!

Alysída: Aah....Good....I'm...glad....I hope...

Aden: Alice, you need to save your strength...

Alysída: I...

Bird Monster: Hey....What are those humans doing?

(the group looks out of the entrance and sees the seven humans glowing; Alysída reached out towards the entrance like she wanted to go back outside; the entrance glowed white then seven thick chains of different colors crossed each other in layers and connected from one side of the hole to the other before becoming translucent)

Alysída (almost in tears): Oooh....

CM: What is that...?

BM: I think...it's a barrier.....

Little Monster: They're trapping us here!?

Alysída: …..Our...home...

Aden: Alysída..?

Alysída (crying): De wind.....De sun...De...flowers...We'll...never...

Aden (grabs Alysída's hand): We will!

Alysída: !

Aden: We will all leave this place! You, me, our sons, everyone! I...I'll make sure of it!

Alysída: …..You..will...?

Aden: Yes, then we'll have the life we had before! ...Right?

Alysída: Right....I'm sleepy....

Aden: Rest...We'll meet up with the others soon....

Alysída (drifts to sleep; her Soul dimming and cracking): …...

-FLASHBACK END-

Gadwyn: …..Unfortunately....she didn't wake up from her sleep. She had fallen down and eventually....

Silence fell over the family before both brothers began to weep. They never realized how close they were to seeing their mother die, but were spared of having it dwell within them throughout their lives. It still disturbed them that they only found out about her fate so late, but it was better than not knowing at all. The fact that Alysída had sacrificed herself to save them by severing her bond with Gadwyn in order to prevent him from dying with her when they were young was still shocking to them. But this also made another thing clear: Gadwyn's hatred for humans.

Gawdyn: So you understand now...Tether...?

Tether (rubs tears from his eyes): What..?

Gadwyn: Why I couldn't allow that human to be near you? When you think you can trust them, you'll get shot in the back.

Tether: ….

Gadwyn (hears the wall phone ring; goes to it and answers): Hello, this is Dr. Gadwyn. ….Yes? …..I see....Very well. I'll be there soon. Good bye. (hangs up then turns to his sons)I'm afraid I must head off to the lab right now. (heads to the door and gathers his things)Tether, Catena, I'll let you two stay home to collect yourselves while I work.

Tether: Something....going on at the lab..?

Gadwyn: The alarm was sounded. It appears that another human was caught. It's time for me to go to work.

Tether: …..

As Gadwyn left the brothers to mull over the story, he made his way to the lab. He found out that the latest human named Kindel had tried to go through the surface portion of the lab, but found it was locked. He ended up scaring a lot of the monsters there. He managed to make his way past the lab by inching his way against the building's wall, and ran. The human was later caught in the second level of Hotland after he succumbed to his injuries and the heat. Like the others before him, Kindel's body and Soul were subjected to experiments. Again, Gadwyn's colleagues were noticing odd things about him, but brushed it off.

Or tried to.

(Gadwyn is seen in the Mirror Room, just having finished checking over the report of a broken-down mechanism in the room beyond the Mirror Room)

Gadwyn: Now that we’ve obtained our fifth human Soul, we can now- (notices a black wall) Hmm? (approaches it) …Strange. (touches it) I don’t recall having a single black wall in- (several strings of black ‘paint’ sticks to his fingers) It’s not dry? (the black paint starts to move on his fingers) What in the Un- Aah!

The mysterious black paint crawled its way over his hand, staining the sleeve of his lab coat as he tried to scrape it off. The more Gadwyn tried, the faster it crawled. He soon realized the lower half of his body was already engulfed in the black sludge, and he vainly struggled to escape.

Gadwyn: WHAT IN KETTE’S NAME IS THIS SUBSTANCE?! (his shoulders are covered) I…can’t move…!

Stop.

Gadwyn (freezes): ….Who…?

Resisting.

Gadwyn: My voice..? No.. (looks up) Who-

Gadwyn looked up to see a white face. The left eye is empty and the right is closed. The chain markings, left to the mouth, right up the eye, were black, and the face looked…sad.

At first.

Gadwyn (trying to stay calm): What matter of….creature are you…?

The face just stared for a moment before contorting into something out of a nightmare, and his own voice came from behind him.

YOU. DR. GADWYN.

Gadwyn was dropped to the floor as his name was repeated over and over. When he opened his eyes, one of Gadwyn’s other assistants was tugging at his left arm.

Assistant: Dr. Gadwyn!

Gadwyn: What is it?!

A (flinches): Ah!! Err, I’m sorry, but you’ve been staring at your reflection for the last few minutes. Is everything all right, sir?

Gadwyn: My reflection? But the wall’s- (sees his reflection in a mirror; looks around to realize that none of the mirrors are black) Ah. (clears his non-existent throat) Well.. (straightens himself up) Perhaps there is something in the air. (removes his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nasal cavity) We may need to go and seek out any leakages here.

A: Yes, doctor.

As the duo walked off, his facial reflection kept watching them before disappearing into the mirror. To clear his mind of that terrifying experience, he thought about the story he told Tether and Catena. Thinking about it, Gadwyn could never forget about what the humans had done, and seeing Tether getting close to Percy awoke a deep-seated hatred for the ones who took away the love of his life. That sense of betrayal was turned into revenge when he figured out how to break the barrier. Coupled with Kette's declaration of the hunting of fallen humans, Gadwyn had the freedom to use the Souls to break the barrier and alleviate his vengeful thirst. Tether and Catena were unsure of what to feel after hearing the story of their mother, besides confusion and mostly sorrow. But something did become much clearer to them: the day Alysída perished was the day Gadwyn's kindness was beginning to drain away.

TO BE CONTINUED

#ABGadwyn

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melindarowens · 8 years ago

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China’s A Shares Get Added To The MSCI!

Good day… And a Tub Thumpin’ Thursday to you! I’ve done my share of Tub Thumpin’ the last two nights, and with today being an infusion day, I’ll have to leave all the Tub Thumpin’ to all of you! Please Tub Thump responsibly! HA! I’m greeted this morning by Chicago, and their song: Old Days… I was just doing some writing yesterday for an article, and talked about the old days of arriving at a currency’s value… Pretty interesting stuff, I must say!

The dollar strength that was being displayed all over the globe yesterday, has faded, but there’s really been no turn-around, just consolidation of the dollar moves on Tuesday and yesterday morning. The Gold price finally saw some light of day, but the price of Oil slipped further, falling to the $ 42 handle in the past 24 hours…

Let’s start with Gold today, you know, mix it up a bit, and see where it takes us, eh? Well… Gold didn’t do much again yesterday… Closing up only $ 3.70… I said yesterday morning when it was up nearly $ 5 in the early morning trading that it would be interesting to see what happened when the short Gold paper traders arrived… Well it didn’t take long to figure out what they thought! And the short Gold paper traders saw to it that Gold’s mini-rally didn’t go any further…

Then there was this article that showed up on the Kitco.com site, from Simona Gambarini — with the job title of “commodity economist,” reports that “gold’s luck has run out” with the 25-basis-point nudge in rates by the Fed. She further explains that her predicted two more rate hikes will cause even more money to leave the gold market.

I about fell out of my chair folks… As the U.S. economist, Dave Kranzler, responds to the GATA folks, “Hmmm. … “If Gambarini were a true economist, she would have conducted enough research of interest rates to know that every cycle in which the Fed raises the Fed Funds rate is accompanied by a rise in the price of gold. This is because the market perceives the Fed to be “behind the curve” on rising inflation, something to which several Fed heads have alluded.”

I’ll also throw in my two-cents, and say HOGWASH to those two more rate hikes! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, by the end of summer the Fed will be putting a halt on their plans to hike rates, and by Rocktober, they will be beginning their reversal that will eventually lead to QE4, and maybe even negative rates! Let’s see what Ms. Gambarini says then about Gold!

Whew! give me a minute while I climb down from the soapbox… OK, I’m back on terra firma now, and ready to talk about something else! The BIG NEWS yesterday involved China, so let’s talk about that for a minute.. I told you a couple of weeks ago that the MSCI (Morgan Stanley Corp Index) International Index was contemplating adding Chinese A share stocks to this index, and I said that they probably would add them, after telling the Chinese no, the previous 3 times they were up for adoption.

This deal comes with some parameters, as only 222 of Big Cap stocks were admitted, and since the Chinese like to “suspend stocks”, any stocks that had been suspended in the past 50 days were excluded. There was no discussion as to how the index would treat the 10% rule that the Chinese have on their stocks… No stock that gains or loses 10% in one day is allowed to trade further that day. But here’s the real benefit for China…

You see, their stocks and currency will get a wider distribution, which has been a goal of the Chinese to gain a wider distribution of their currency for over a decade now. China has a lot of debt problems that they’ve created in creating an infrastructure that’s second to none. Have you seen the new Beijing Airport? They also keep their citizens happy by spending lots of money… And they have something called WMP’s, which is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme, but… China always seems to be able to weather their storms, and while a collapse of the WMP’s could bring on major damage to the economy and China’s reserves, the Gov’t continues to make inroads to having a free floating currency, that will most likely be backed by some percentage of Gold…

Earlier this morning, the Norges Bank met (Norway’s Central Bank) and like I said on Tuesday when I went through the events of the week, the Norges Bank left rates unchanged… But also like I said on Tuesday, Norway has seemed to have weathered the storm from the drop in the price of Oil, which they had leaned on very heavily through the years.

Here’s a comment from the Norges Bank this morning after the announcement of no rate change. “Capacity utilization in the Norwegian economy appears to be higher than envisaged earlier. Inflation is lower than expected and may continue to drift down in the months ahead, but increased activity and receding unemployment suggest that inflation will pick up. Inflation expectations appear to be firmly anchored. Low house price inflation will curb debt accumulation, but it will take time for household vulnerabilities to recede.”

“The Executive Board’s current assessment of the outlook and the balance of risks suggests that the key policy rate will remain at today’s level in the period ahead,” says Governor Øystein Olsen.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) also left their Official Cash Rate (OCR) unchanged at 1.75% and in out going RBNZ Gov. Wheeler’s dwindling opportunities to diss kiwi strength, chose to just briefly mention that a weaker kiwi would help rebalance the growth outlook towards the tradables sector. Hmmm… what’s gotten into Wheeler? Has he gotten soft on kiwi strength? I really don’t know, but this is just not like him. Maybe he sees the light at the end of the tunnel, which will come when he steps down from his post in September… Not that I want him to be himself with regards to dissing kiwi strength, I’m just being a Curious George here…

Kiwi did gain some ground after the OCR announcement, and no major dissing of the currency… So, kiwi has that going for it today!

Next week’s article for the Dow Theory Letters is going to be about what I talked about some yesterday, and that will be all about the euro… I’m putting the finishing touches on it today… www.dowtheoryletters.com is the website where these articles will print on Thursdays, but you have to pay for a subscription to the site, which is very good, with different writers each day, and ending the week with the Aden Sisters, so if it floats your boat, set sail my friends!

The U.S. Data Cupboard is still being restocked, but we will see the color of the latest, Leading Indicators Index today… This report and Capacity Utilization are about the only two forward looking pieces of economic data, so I’ll be watching for the data print today… On Tuesday, the U.S. Current Account Deficit for the 1st QTR printed, and printed worse than expected… The forecasters had the deficit around $ 112 Billion, but the actual print was $ 117 Billion!!!!!! UGH, when will the deficit spending every stop? When the wall of debt comes crashing down, that’s when!

To recap… The dollar strength of Tuesday through Wednesday morning faded into consolidation yesterday, and the currencies and metals have won a little of the lost ground back… Both the Norges Bank and the RBNZ left rates unchanged and really didn’t have much to say about their no rate moves either. Strange that RBNZ Gov. Wheeler wasn’t out dissing kiwi strength! Gold finally saw some light of day yesterday, but its gain was kept to just $ 3.70… And the price of Oil slipped further falling to the $ 42 handle…

For what It’s Worth… In 2003, I remember sitting in our convertible mustang, as the three Amigos, Chuck, Duane and Rick were setting out to find Roger Dean Stadium on our first trip to Spring Training together. And Duane asked me what was on my mind regarding the U.S. economy. (now this was long before they realized they should never ask me stuff like that!) And I responded that I had been reading and writing about something that really troubled me, and that was the underfunding that was going on with Pensions.. That’s right I said that in 2003… And I’ve been writing about it since, sounding like a broken record, I guess, but still it goes on and on, and keeps getting larger and larger… Look at Illinois, they’ve now been ordered by a Court to pay bills, but they have no money, and their State Pension is grossly underfunded!

Well, any-old-way you look at it, Chuck was out there seeing stuff that was going to be a problem, long before anyone else did, and that brings me to today’s FWIW… It’s an article on Bloomberg, that talks about GE’s pension shortfall, and when I say shortfall, I’m being kind to GE! You can find the article here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-16/ge-s-31-billion-hangover-immelt-leaves-behind-big-unfunded-tab?utm_source=ST&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ShareTrader+AM+Update+for+Saturday+17+June+2017

Or, here’s your snippet: “It’s a problem that Jeffrey Immelt largely ignored as he tried to appease General Electric Co.’s most vocal shareholders.

But it might end up being one of the costliest for John Flannery, GE’s newly anointed CEO, to fix.

At $ 31 billion, GE’s pension shortfall is the biggest among S&P 500 companies and 50 percent greater than any other corporation in the U.S. It’s a deficit that has swelled in recent years as Immelt spent more than $ 45 billion on share buybacks to win over Wall Street and pacify activists like Nelson Peltz.

Part of it has to do with the paltry returns that have plagued pensions across corporate America as ultralow interest rates prevailed in the aftermath of the financial crisis. But perhaps more importantly, GE’s dilemma underscores deeper concerns about modern capitalism’s all-consuming focus on immediate results, which some suggest is short-sighted and could ultimately leave everyone — including shareholders themselves — worse off.”

Chuck again.. well, there’s no reason for me to pile on here… You know when I played football, I was usually the guy that made the first hit and then as we fell to the ground, I got piled on. I always hated that feeling of being at the bottom of a pie of people, especially other football players! Yes, I was what my dad would call, a “pretty good country athlete”, but that was in a different life, for if you’ve seen me in my adult life, I no more look like any kind of athlete! HA! (maybe a Sumo wrestler! HA)

Currencies today 6/22/17… American Style: A$ .7540, kiwi .7253, C$ .7510, euro 1.1165, sterling 1.2665, Swiss $ .9736, … European Style: rand 13.0052, krone 8.4890, SEK 8.7398, HUF 276.65, zloty 3.7957, koruna 23.5154, RUB 59.82, yen 111.33, sing 1.39, HKD 7.8003, INR 64.56, China 6.8287, peso 18.17, BRL 3.3268, Dollar Index 97.55, Oil $ 42.66, 10-year 2.16%, Silver $ 16.59, Platinum $ 927.73, Palladium $ 888.07, and Gold… $ 1,251.60

That’s it for today… Running a bit later this morning, but no biggie! A great day for me yesterday, I was sent the subscriber list for the Pfennig, which means, we can load it up now and maybe by tomorrow, but probably Monday the emailed Pfennig will be going out once again! YAHOO! Things are looking up once again for yours truly… I do have to get a chemo infusion today though, so I’ll deal with that later this morning, and hopefully it doesn’t rain on my parade! Another extra inning win for my beloved Cardinals last night. But like I told my friend Dennis Miller, winning extra inning games against the worse team in baseball, isn’t what I would call “good wins”… But a win is a win, right? Ok.. time to get going. The iPod has reshuffled and we’re being taken to the finish line today by Billy Squier and his song: My Kind Of Lover… I hope you have a Tub Thumpin’ Thursday, and Be Good To Yourself!

Chuck Butler

Daily Pfennig

source http://capitalisthq.com/chinas-a-shares-get-added-to-the-msci/ from CapitalistHQ http://capitalisthq.blogspot.com/2017/06/chinas-shares-get-added-to-msci.html

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everettwilkinson · 8 years ago

Text

China’s A Shares Get Added To The MSCI!

Kiwi did gain some ground after the OCR announcement, and no major dissing of the currency… So, kiwi has that going for it today!

Or, here’s your snippet: “It’s a problem that Jeffrey Immelt largely ignored as he tried to appease General Electric Co.’s most vocal shareholders.

But it might end up being one of the costliest for John Flannery, GE’s newly anointed CEO, to fix.

Chuck Butler

Daily Pfennig

from CapitalistHQ.com http://capitalisthq.com/chinas-a-shares-get-added-to-the-msci/

#TrumpNews #CapitalistHQ.com

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chpatdoorsl3z0a1 · 8 years ago

Text

Trump: The Hunger President

“One death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.”

The quote comes from Stalin. The policy comes from Donald Trump.

Trump famously changed his policy on Syria after seeing photographs of a couple Syrian children killed by a chemical attack. It didn’t matter that the Syrian government had already killed thousands of children. In targeting the Assad regime, Trump was moved by the tragedy, not the statistic.

When it comes to world hunger, Trump’s resistance to statistics is even more appalling. There are now 1.4 million children at risk of dying from famine. No one apparently has shown Donald Trump, or his daughter Ivanka, any photos of these at-risk children. So, the U.S. president is comfortably ignoring this statistic.

Because of a combination of weather conditions and military conflict — the two horsemen of the 21st century apocalypse — 20 million people are on the verge of starvation in four countries: Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and Nigeria. It’s the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II, according to a senior UN official. In response, the UN put out a request for $4.4 billion in emergency assistance to avert catastrophe.

As of the middle of April, it hadn’t even received a billion.

At first glance, the United States comes out looking pretty good in terms of contributions. It tops the list of donors at $407 million (followed by various EU countries, Canada, Japan, and even $60 million in private pledges).

It turns out, however, that all the money that Washington has contributed this year comes from an allocation made during the Obama administration. Last year, in fact, the United States provided 28 percent of the assistance to the four countries.

This year, USAID hasn’t added anything to meet the emergency famine relief appeal, which is no surprise. In Trump’s budget request, USAID stands to lose 37 percent of its funding. After all, Donald Trump has declared foreign assistance a zero-sum game: What doesn’t go to them can go to us. “America First” means that we protect our own first.

Except that Trump isn’t giving to the most needy at home. Our billionaire president is also threatening to take away the health care of millions of Americans. His proposed federal budget would dramatically reduce programs for the working poor like affordable housing.

The Trump doctrine, such that it is, is really all about taking from the poor and giving to the rich.

Trump’s America First approach, then, is a shortsighted, cruel, and ultimately self-defeating shell game. Unless Donald Trump reverses his opposition to foreign aid, he will go down in history not just as the Absentee Golfer President or the Insane Clown President.

He’ll be forever known as the Hunger President.

Full-Spectrum Famine

Yemen has been in a precarious state for some time. It’s a desperately dry place where as many as 4,000 people a year were dying in disputes over land and water even before the outbreak of the current hostilities.

In 2014, a Shia religious-political movement known as the Houthis threw their lot in with ousted leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, a corrupt politician who’d ruled for three decades before losing his position during the Arab Spring protests that swept through Yemen in 2011. Together, they took over the capital and surged southward to expel the government of former military commander Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who had holed up in the port city of Aden.

That’s when Saudi Arabia intervened on the side of Hadi and against the Houthis. The United States has been assisting the Saudis from the beginning by sending weapons and providing intelligence. The United States has also been helping to refuel bombers that have increasingly targeted civilian sites such as schools and hospitals.

It’s all part of a larger struggle in the region between the Saudis and their Sunni allies on one side and Iran and its Shia allies on the other, though Iran denies that it has much to do with the Houthi struggle. The Trump administration has only upped the ante by restoring the arms sales to Saudi Arabia suspended by the Obama administration and aligning itself even more closely to Riyadh’s war effort.

The war has pushed Yemen over the brink. The areas where the most fighting has taken place — Taiz and Hodeidah — are, not surprisingly, where the risk of famine is greatest. Both sides are to blame, says Mark Kaye of Save the Children in Yemen:

This crisis is happening because food and supplies can’t get into the country. Yemen was completely dependent on imports of food, medicine, and fuel prior to this crisis. You have one party delaying and significantly preventing food from getting into the country, and another on the ground detaining aid workers or preventing aid and food from getting to areas they don’t want it to go to.

Of course, it doesn’t make much sense to send in food and water to people only to make them into better-fed casualties in the ongoing conflict. And the conflict shows no sign of abating, with the Houthis governing in the capital and the Saudi-backed supporters of Hadi only in tenuous control of areas in the south. The geographic and sectarian divisions that make the conflict more complicated than just Houthi vs. Hadi also make a peace deal that much more elusive.

Of the four countries at risk of famine, Yemen is the place where the United States has perhaps the greatest chance of making a difference. It can stop supporting the Saudi war effort. It can begin to scale back its own drone attacks in Yemen. It can support the UN peace process.

Even just stepping back from the conflict — something that Donald Trump seemed to favor during the campaign as a general approach to any conflict not involving the Islamic State — would deprive the ongoing war in Yemen of some of the oxygen that keeps it going.

Climate Change and Famine

The Pentagon long ago figured out that climate change was becoming a chief driver of conflict worldwide. If anyone can persuade Donald Trump that climate change is real, it’s not going to be environmentalists. It’s going to be people with a lot of medals on their chest, people who know better than anyone that you can’t bomb a famine to make it go away.

The generals could begin a climate-change discussion with Trump by talking about what’s currently going on in Africa. The three African countries on the famine alert – South Sudan, Somalia, and Nigeria — are all dealing with endemic military conflict. They’ve all been vulnerable to famine in the past. And climate change has been pushing them ever closer to the edge.

Take the example of Somalia, which last experienced a famine in 2011. Somalis depend on agriculture and livestock. Even the most modest increase in temperature throws the ecosystem out of equilibrium.

“Awareness is growing among Somalis themselves about climate change: Communities across the country have noticed marked changes in temperature and rainfall, although most attribute it to divine retribution for the failings of humankind,” writes Halae Fuller in a Stimson Center brief from 2011. “African farmers and herders have adapted to changing environmental conditions with remarkable resilience. But where individual ingenuity fails, Somalia lacks the institutions and government structure needed to protect its population against increased food insecurity.”

A growing population and a shrinking resource base are a recipe for disaster under any circumstance. Throw in two dry spells in 2016, and now nearly half the Somali population needs emergency food relief.

The failure of the international community — and particularly the United States — to help those in desperate need in Somalia, South Sudan, and Nigeria could become a powerful recruitment tool for anti-Western terrorist organizations. At the very least, the increased competition for limited resources will sharpen already-existing political and sectarian divisions.

The Trump administration could continue to avert its eyes from famine. It could continue to deny the real-world impact of climate change. And it could insist that drone attacks from above are the only way of dealing with terrorists on the ground. But it won’t be able to pretend for long that these problems won’t ultimately affect the United States. The growing number of refugees pouring out of those countries and the growing anger of those who perceive that they’ve been abandoned by the West will necessarily have a blowback effect on the last superpower standing.

On this narrower issue of famine relief, the Trump administration can still change its position. Right now, it’s living off the political capital and budget allocations of the Obama administration. That will run out very soon.

If humanitarianism fails to persuade Trump, perhaps naked geopolitics could do the trick.

Significantly, on that list of donors answering the UN famine appeal, one country is conspicuously absent: China. In the Trump era, China has been very vocal about its desire to be a more prominent player on the world stage. But here’s a reminder: It’s pay to play. If China wants to shoulder global responsibilities, it must start by paying attention to the world’s most vulnerable people.

In the meantime, while China considers the costs of global leadership, the United States still has a chance, by making a splashy and significant contribution to famine relief, to regain some portion of its status as a global leader in an arena that actually means something for the lives of millions of people.

If it doesn’t, Trump will have more than just a couple tragedies on his hands. He’ll face some very damning statistics indeed.

Crossposted with Foreign Policy In Focus.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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airbookworm · 9 years ago

Text

Secrets of the Past

~with Aden (36) and Jinora(33)~

Aden

Well over a decade had passed since the unlikely pairing had taken the next step and wed. The years had brought the couple two children even with Aden’s fear of passing on his ‘curse’. Everything seemed to be going well, but as the children grew and eventually went off to school, Aden’s worries grew.

The children would bring home Republic City history books and homework that included lies about the ‘terrorist’ group that attacked the benders of the city. Years of keeping his past a secret was starting to wear the former equalist down. No one, but his loving wife, knew the truth of Aden’s past. Of how his parents died, of his few years in the Threats, and especially not of his time as an equalist. Everyone had to learn the truth. Jinora’s parents, their friends, their kids.

One night after a trying day at the docks and an afternoon of helping the children with their homework, Aden spoke up. “I can’t handle this anymore, Jin. I can’t keep lying to everyone.”

Jinora

“So stop lying and tell them that you still hug the kids each and every morning. No one will think that’s a bad thing, they’ll think ‘oh, such a good dad,’ which you are,” Jinora responded tiredly without looking at him. Instead her attention was on the basket of clothes by her feet, which she was steadily folding and sorting into piles. She had meant to get to them earlier, but the day’s events hadn’t allowed it until she and her husband managed to get the kids to bed.

The couple’s lives had always been hectic it seemed, and being married with kids was no different. It made her wonder just how her mother and father managed four kids during everything that had happened. She always made a note when she thought of it to tell her parents she loved them and was thankful for them and all their help. Having someone who loved the kids and loved to watch them was always nice when she and Aden needed some down time.

Today hadn’t been one of those days. The entire day had been hectic and busy, both at home and work, and she was glad to just sit and do something mundane without serious thought for a few minutes. When she realized he hadn’t responded to her words, she looked up at him, brow furrowing slightly.

“You’re not talking about morning hugs , are you?”

Aden

His wonderful wife was so busy with her own work that she really didn’t know what he was talking about. Most afternoons it was Aden’s job to make sure homework got done while she finished whatever air duties she was tasked with. As Jinora spoke he responded with a shake of his head. “My boss knows I have to help with the kids in the morning, that’s not a problem anymore.”

Grabbing the extra basket, he started placing the folded clothes that were to be taken up to the couples bedroom inside. Jinora was in her own mind right now, she looked exhausted. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head while she finished folding the clothes.

Maybe now wasn’t the best time to start this conversation. They could talk when she wasn’t so out of it. “No. It’s not the morning hugs. Just when you have some free time, look at Navid’s latest lesson.”

Jinora

Jinora paused in her folding, giving her husband a curious look. “Navid’s lessons? What about them?” she asked, folding the shirt before pausing completely. She leaned back into the couch, looking at him carefully.

“Aden, talk to me. I probably won’t get to look at his homework tomorrow morning, and I’d like to avoid talking to his teacher. The man doesn’t know his gurus from his Water Tribe leaders,” she muttered offhandedly before putting the shirt in the basket. She covered one of his hands with her own, tangling her fingers with his.

“What’s the deal with the lessons, honey?”

Aden

As Jinora wrapped their hands together, he brought them up to kiss the back of her hand. “It’s not Navid or the teacher.” He sighed. This stuff should not bother him. Amon and the Revelation fell over 20 years ago, and he still couldn’t help but feel something when his old cause was brought up. Especially when everything he had read earlier in the day was completely false.

“They’ve started looking into a little more recent history. They’re going to start getting into Avatar Korra’s arrival to the city. You remember what was happening then..” He looked up at Jinora, face showing the slightest bit of sadness.

“I don’t want to lie to everyone anymore.”

Jinora

Automatically Jinora moved closer to him, her free hand reaching out to touch his cheek as she leaned in to kiss him. She pulled away after a moment, squeezing his hand as she looked at him seriously.

“So don’t,” she said simply. “Don’t lie about this. I know, and I love you. We can tell the kids, and they’ll both love you. Navid will think you’re the toughest, coolest dad ever and Sesi will think you’re even more amazing than before. We’re not going anywhere, and no one can make us leave you. You don’t have to keep the truth a secret anymore.”

Aden

Aden can’t say he wasn’t a bit shocked by the kiss. As Jinora broke it though, he pulled her up onto his lap and returned the kiss. The former street rat was definitely blessed with such an understanding wife, but it didn’t help with his worries.

“You didn’t read the stuff he brought home. It’s all lies. Everything was so exaggerated. And what about your parents? Sesi and Navid are with them so often. And the people at school and they’re gonna learn about what w- what the equalists tried to do to you. Your family.”

He closed his eyes for a second. “I’m scared, Jin”

Jinora

She settled in his arms, cuddling to him as she thought. Admittedly they had never really planned something like this happening, or discussed it much. Telling her parents about the past had always been something they’d disagreed about on some level, but these were their children. They couldn’t be arguing about what to tell their kids.

“No need to be scared,” Jinora muttered, lifting their joined hands to kiss the back of his hand. “The kids will still love you and my parents.. they’ll understand, they’ll be okay. I can talk to the teacher and tell him I don’t want him teaching Navid about the movement, tell him I’ll take care of Navid’s history lessons. I can teach Sesi history when her class gets there as well.”

“We can do this, Aden. We can be us, we can be honest, and it’ll all be okay. No need for fear.”

Aden

This is something Aden should have been able to leave in the past. The movement was dead and he had nothing to do with it or his former allies anymore. He was happy. Finally actually happy but for some reason he still felt attached to the dead cause. Maybe he should have listened to Jinora all those years ago and told her family. Everything would be so much easier.

“I can’t ask you to do that just because I’m sensitive of my mistakes. You’re far too busy to be adding history lessons to your plate.” He sighed laying his chin against her. “How to you know your parents will understand… That they’ll be okay knowing that their eldest daughter became friends with and married an equalist”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, love, cause I sure don’t.”

Jinora

“I know they’ll be okay because you’re family to them now,” she said confidently, lightly shaking their hands, as if in triumph. “You’re not just some guy who married their daughter, you’re their son-in-law, a third son. Father of two of their grandkids, you are family. Family makes mistakes, it happens, but there’s forgiveness for everyone. Family, friends, rude neighbors, mean shoppers, thieves, equalists; everyone is deserving of forgiveness, and you’ve had it for such a long time, even if you didn’t know it.”

Jinora shifted in his arms again, making it so she could comfortably rest her head on his shoulder. “I don’t know what I’m doing wither, but I know we’re doing it together. Marriage is a team, and you’re my partner- I’d bet on us in a parenting competition against the other parents from school.”

Aden

Aden stayed quiet for a few minutes as Jinora spoke. She was right. He had long since become a member of the airbending family. Everyone treated him so nice and even Tenzin didn’t act like he was just someone who took his daughter away. The news would probably come as a shock, but they would understand. Jinora was always right.

Squeezing her hand, Aden finally spoke. “After a life of mistakes, I don’t know how I got so lucky with you. You’re just.. You always know what to do and say.” As Jinora adjusted, Aden released her hand so that he could wrap his arms around her with a little laugh. “You’re weird sometimes, Jin”

“And I know that you’re right.. But I’ve kept this hidden from them for so long. I can’t help but be a little scared.”

Jinora

“Not always,” Jinora responded, stifling a yawn. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes, said and done the wrong things; Ikki and Meelo will attest to that. And you love my weirdness.”

“I’m a little scared too, but I’ve got you. I know we’ll make it through it all together. We always have, remember?”

Aden

“Seems like you always do and Ikki and Meelo just love proving you wrong.” Aden kissed her cheek. “We somehow keep making it through to the other side. Don’t know how we keep doing it.”

“I do love your weirdness. Now why don’t you head up to bed? I’ll finish folding the laundry and we’ll figure out how to bring up this topic tomorrow.”

Jinora

“I’m the lucky one,” Jinora muttered with a grin. “Two great kids and a loving husband that sends me to bed so he can finish the laundry; how did I get that lucky, hm?”

She let out a light chuckle before moving so she was next to Aden instead of in his lap, pressing a kiss to his cheek as she did so. She then leaned forward to grab another shirt and folded it. “Team effort, honey. Team effort.”

Aden

A smile crossed Aden’s face. “You gave a street rat, who would do anything to make the ones he loves happy, a chance. Your kindness is how you got lucky.”

Aden sat back up as Jinora moved off his lap. Returning the kiss as she folded a shirt. Once the shirt was set down, Aden stood up in order to pick Jinora up. “You are not folding any more clothes. I am taking you upstairs to bed and I’m going to finish these.”

Jinora

“Aden!” Jinora laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck as he picked her up. “Aden, put me down. You lift heavy things at the docks all day, no reason you should be picking me up at home,” she argued, even as she lifted her feet so she didn’t knock a vase of flowers down as Aden walked past it.

She let out an exaggerated sigh as he started up the steps, making sure her legs were tucked down to avoid scraping against the wall. “You should come to bed with me; laundry can wait until tomorrow.”

Aden

“Shhhh Jin. You’re gonna wake the kids and I don’t want to have to tell Sesi another story.” Aden stated in a hushed voice. “Exactly. I lift heavy crates at work. You’re far from heavy, love. Plus you deserve a little spoiling sometimes.”

“Do you really want it to wait until tomorrow?” He asked as he carefully set Jinora down on the bed. “I can go down and finish it so we don’t have to worry about it.”

Jinora

“Stay- you get up early for work too, you need sleep more than I do,” Jinora responded, refusing to unlock her arms from around his neck.

“Laundry can wait. It never goes away, and Navid would probably knock the basket over in the morning anyways and I’d refold it all tomorrow. Stay, sleep.”

Aden

“Everyone in this house wakes up early. I do not need more sleep than anyone else. You deal with all the air acolytes from all the different temples daily. Along with training and household stuff. You’re always so busy.” Aden kissed her head with a smile.

“You will not. I’ll fold it. I told you that I would so I will in the morning.” He shifted slightly so that he was laying next to her. “Okay? Now you sleep. I won’t go anywhere.”

Jinora

“You lift heavy crates all day, said so yourself. You need rest and relaxation at home, not carrying your wife and staying up to finish folding clothes,” she muttered, rolling onto her side and snuggling up to him.

“Hey,” she mumbled after a few minutes of silence, her voice sleepy. “We can make the kids fold the clothes. Try to fold, anyways. They can sort at least.”

Aden

“I don’t need rest and relaxation. I’m perfectly fine. Plus I enjoy carrying my beautiful wife and helping her with stuff around the house.” He waited until she got herself comfortable before wrapping his arms around her.

“I think that’ll end up being more trouble than it’s worth” he stated with a yawn. “Now sleep. You sound exhausted”

Jinora

“Worth a try,” she chuckled. It felt like a perfect golden moment, both of them sleepy and in each other’s arms. A perfect shining moment to be added to their growing collection, and despite all the dark and scary moments, Jinora wouldn’t have traded any of them in. They simply added to the happy times in their life, partnership, marriage. It was simply them, and it was perfect.

“You sleep,” she mumbled once more, already half asleep herself. “Love you, Aden..”

#equalistaden #adenora #threads #secrets of the past #thread: complete

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pat78701 · 8 years ago

Text

Trump: The Hunger President

“One death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.”

The quote comes from Stalin. The policy comes from Donald Trump.

As of the middle of April, it hadn’t even received a billion.

The Trump doctrine, such that it is, is really all about taking from the poor and giving to the rich.

He’ll be forever known as the Hunger President.

Full-Spectrum Famine

Climate Change and Famine

If humanitarianism fails to persuade Trump, perhaps naked geopolitics could do the trick.

If it doesn’t, Trump will have more than just a couple tragedies on his hands. He’ll face some very damning statistics indeed.

Crossposted with Foreign Policy In Focus.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2q1LNE2

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