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echoes-of-the-clockwork · 3 years

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Book One: Gold (Prompto x Reader) Chapter XXXIV

Noctis pushes open the doors to the throne room, flanked by Gladio, Prompto, (Y/n), and Ignis. Looking up, he gritted his teeth as he sees corpses hanging from the ceiling.

Prompto gasped in horror at the gruesome sight. "What is that?"

Ardyn sits above, on the throne of Lucis, with Callyx by his side. Facsimiles of the corpses of the emperor, Regis, Lunafreya, and Nyx Ulric hang from chains before the throne. Ardyn smirks as the group walks to the center of the room to stare him down. "I'm afraid you're out of luck. The throne brings you here? It seats only one."

Noctis glared at the man. "Off my chair, jester. The king sits there."

Ardyn stands and places one foot on the throne before scowling down at the king. "Oh, Noct... How I have waited for this. Longer than you could ever know." He slowly raises his hand into a fist. "Tonight, the dreams of the blood royal...come to an end."

"Spite's all that's kept him going," Gladio grumbled, eyes narrowed as they focused on Ardyn.

"Talk about a grudge," Prompto muttered.

Ignis lowered his head, his tone of voice dropping. "Ardyn sits the throne?"

"Not for long," Noctis scoffed. "This is my ascension."

Suddenly, Callyx summoned his sword as his eyes focused on Noctis. With a running start, he leapt into the air and targeted the king. Before any of the men could move, (Y/n) had already summoned the Creator's Blade and stood in front of Noctis. She blocked the spirit's sword and pushed him back. He glared at her, lowering his blade. "I've been waiting for this for ten years."

"I can tell. You've aged horribly," she sneered. She smirked in amusement when seeing her insult irked him. "How about we take this outside where we can unleash our true powers?"

Callyx bursted out with laughter. "You'll regret that decision."

"We'll see about that," she spat. Without hesitating, both spirits vanished. They reappeared in the streets of the city, not too far from the Citadel. Facing off against each other, they readied their blades. (Y/n) twirled her sword around with a grin. "To think you hit on me when we first met... Makes my stomach churn."

"If you honestly believe I was interested, you're wrong," Callyx snarled. "I was only hoping to lower your guard and stab you where you stood, but that damned human kept getting in the way. What's sickening is spirits like you who fall in love with humans. They're weak and gullible."

(Y/n) rolled her eyes. "You're such a hypocrite, you know that?"

"Oh, really? And how's that?"

She raised her blade and pointed it at him. "I know who you really are, Callyx."

His eyes narrowed. "Like hell you do." He lifted his sword, infusing it with lightning. "Enough of this chatting. Let's get this over with."

"Took the words right out of my mouth."

Callyx was the first to attack. He charged towards (Y/n) and slashed at her numerous of times. Their blades clashed over and over again, sparks flying around them. When their sword clashed for what felt like the hundredth time, they tried to push each other back. The girl took advantage of their situation and kicked him in the chest, causing him to stumble back. She raised her hand and sent a fireball at him, but he sliced it in half. Lifting his sword, he manipulated the spell he casted on it and sent the lightning towards her. She sidestepped just in time to avoid being electrified. With the others gone, she would have to be extra careful because she didn't carry around any curatives.

The emerald-eyed guardian released a war cry when he enhanced his body. Two wings grew from his back and green stripes covered his face and exposed areas of his arms. Using one wing, he swatted at her and sent her sailing through the air. Her body slammed against one of the crumbling buildings with a grunt of pain. Pushing herself free from the indentation in the bricks, she landed on her feet. Her legs shook slightly from the pain. Pushing through it, she performed another sidestep just as Callyx appeared and tried to stab her. She kicked him in the back and caused his own body to collide with the building. A few bricks from where she made impact rained down on him, hitting him but causing no real injuries.

Putting some distance between her and Callyx, (Y/n) ran down the street. She turned around at the sound of maniacal laughter. The male spirit was sauntering towards her and clearly wasn't in any hurry. Two black horns sprouted from his forehead, eyes glowing brightly. The moment she blinked, he suddenly appeared in front of her. A soundless gasp fell from her lips as he grabbed her throat and lifted her body up effortlessly. She gasped for air as her throat was crushed in his hand. She weakly glared at him as she latched onto his arm with both her hands. In his eyes, she could see the psychotic glint in them.

Having no other choice, (Y/n) enhanced her own body. Tails grew from near her tailbone and her nails turned into sharp claws. She plunged them into Callyx's arm, which forced him to drop her. She coughed, trying to regain her breath. She manifested a single throwing knife and threw it at her fellow spirit. It pierced the man in the shoulder. Then, she formed a fiery vortex around him and casted her own lightning spell, weaving it around the flames.

Callyx chortled in amusement. "Look at you. Now you know how to wield lightning. Never took you for a spirit to learn another element."

"Yeah, and I didn't take you for a spirit who would betray his own master," she snarled.

"Ardyn is my master," he spat.

"No, he's not." She jammed her blade into the ground. "Your true master is-"

Callyx's eyes widen when he heard the one name he hadn't heard in centuries. "No..." He dropped his sword and grabbed his spiky hair with both hands, yanking on the sable locks. "Don't you dare say his name again, you bitch!"

"Touchy subject?" She asked.

"Damn you!"

The male guardian released another battle cry. He morphed into his spiritual form and roared as loud as he could. It echoed through the empty streets of the city. He emerged from the vortex, breaking through the flames and the lightning. It caused him pain, but nothing too severe.

(Y/n) took a few steps back before also transforming. She screeched threateningly at the winged tiger. Forming a ring of fireballs, they spun around her. She ran around the street, hurtling the fireballs one by one. Callyx dodged most of them expect for one. It nicked him in the side and wound up resulting in him to lose his balance slightly. Some of his fur was singed and his skin was burnt. Fueled by anger, he flapped his wings and took to the sky. He flew overhead and created a large storm. Lightning struck near the fox and forced her on defense. She leapt around, trying to predict where the bolts would strike. However, she was nailed in the back by a single one. She shrieked and searched for a way out of the storm.

(Y/n) escaped the vicinity of Callyx's spell and hopped on the roof of some of the buildings to get a higher vantage point. She leapt from rooftop to rooftop across Insomnia, hearing the tiger flapping his wings as fast as he could. He may be able to fly, but her agility made it difficult to keep up. Reaching a tall enough building, she immediately spun around and pounced on the flying tiger. She sunk her teeth into his neck as her weight dragged him and her down. Blood spurted from his neck as he wriggled around in mid-air to try and escape.

Eventually, the guardians' bodies crashed through the roof of one of the buildings. They pummeled through floor after floor until reaching the bottom level. The building came crumbling down around them. (Y/n) unlatched her jaw from Callyx's neck and jumped to safety. He, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.

With a thunderous roar, half of his body was buried underneath a pile of debris. He felt shards from the metal support frame of the building pierce his body, pinning him to the ground. When he tried to move, a fierce amount of pain ripples across his entire body. Forced to revert back to his human form, he coughed up a large amount of blood. The crimson liquid trickled from the corners of his mouth as he weakly glared up at his opponent with his one good eye. "D-Dammit... After ten years, and I...fail..."

(Y/n) changed forms and kneeled in front of him. She wasn't happy about her win, especially after learning from Brahma who Callyx truly was. "You fought well, Callyx. I'm sorry it had to end like this. If only you were on our side..."

"Don't pity me," he spat. "Dying like this is the least I deserve after all the shit I've done. Are you happy to see me go?"

"Of course not," she sighed. "Not after learning the truth."

"Who told you...?"

"Brahma. Those ten years I was asleep, he spoke to me." She stared intently into his good eye. "You are Callyx Vespertine, the guardian of the Founder King, Somnus Lucis Caelum. After Ardyn was branded a monster by his own brother, you wanted to help him because you didn't agree with Somnus' methods. You tried desperately to save him before he was consumed by the scourge, but it was too late. When Aera died at the hand of Somnus, the rage over her death caused Ardyn's infection to fully manifest. At the time, you didn't know he had infected you with the Starscourge which bound you to his soul. You were no longer Somnus' guardian but Ardyn's."

Callyx chuckled weakly. "I was a damned fool... I chose my master's brother over him..."

"Do you wish to make up for what you've done?" She questioned.

"It's too late for that..."

"No, it's not. Are you willing to hand your own soul over to the Astrals to undo the wrong you've done?"

"Yes..."

(Y/n) summoned the Creator's Blade and jammed it into the ground in front of Callyx. "If you're truly ready to pay for your sins, touch this blade and Brahma shall see to your soul himself."

The emerald-eyed guardian thought back to his life with Ardyn and Somnus as he gazed melancholically at the sword. A single tear trailed down his cheek as he reached out to touch the weapon. The moment his hand grazed it, he could feel his soul leaving his body. "Thank you, (Y/n)..." He whispered with his dying breath.

She watched in silence as his soul left his body. His body, now lifeless, gradually began to vanish. She watched sorrowfully until there was nothing left of Callyx. "Farewell, Callyx..." she whispered. Grabbing Brahma's sword, she headed back to the Citadel. Stopping for a brief second, she looked up at the sky as it began raining. She heard the creator address her.

The price has been paid, Child of Pneuma.

"Thank you for granting such a selfish wish, Brahma," she smiled before continuing forward.

Back in the courtyard at the Citadel, (Y/n) saw the men standing by the stairwell. They had yet to notice her presence as she strolled up and listened to their final goodbyes.

"So this is farewell," Ignis spoke up.

"Yeah. Here we are," Noctis muttered sorrowfully.

"It's all you," Gladio said.

Noctis nods, turns, and begins ascending the steps just as Prompto melancholically mumbled, "No turning back now."

However, Noctis does indeed stop and turn around. He addresses each of his friends in turn. "Prompto. Gladio. Ignis." He then spotter the girl standing a few feet behind them. "(Y/n). I leave it to you. Walk tall...my friends."

All are silent for a moment. Ignis was the first to shatter the silence. "Godspeed...and take care." He, Gladio, and Prompto all put their hand over their chest and bow. "Majesty."

Behind them, two iron giants begin manifesting up out of the ground. Noctis puts his own hand over his chest. "The time has come." He turns and continues ascending the steps.

Prompto, Ignis, Gladio, and (Y/n) turn to face the approaching daemons as more iron giants begin manifesting. The men raised their weapons and were ready to attack, but were stopped as the guardian strolled past them with her sword resting by her side. She could hear Brahma's voice as he spoke to her.

Our bodies shall become as one. Our fused powers shall smite all those that dwell in the dark.

Coming to a stop, (Y/n) eyed the approaching daemons. She then jammed the Creator's Blade into the ground. The cosmic glyph appeared underneath her as she was enveloped in a column of light. From the light emerged a large fox that towered over the daemons. Its body was composed of the reflection of the galaxy, its eyes glowing a pure white. A golden halo floated around its neck and many more were hovering around the tip of each tail.

The fox lowered its head as the cosmic glyph from earlier manifested underneath it. Hues of purple, white, green, and blue shone from the glyph as a large cosmic rift appeared in the sky. A powerful gust of wind began pulling on the daemons. Their bodies were lifted into the air and were swallowed up by the rift. The daemons that were fortunate to escape the rift were sliced in half when a large ring of light pulsated from the fox's body. Their corpses slowly decayed, leaving nothing behind.

The streets of Insomnia were purged of daemons. The cosmic fox's body discorporated, the glyph fading with a blinding light. As the brightness subsided, (Y/n) stood where the beast once did. In front of her loomed Brahma. The god kneeled down as he addressed her.

You have served me well, Child of Pneuma. Not only I, but the True King himself as well. I unbind our souls. You are free.

She smiled up at the Astral. "Thank you, Brahma. What will you do now?"

Return to the stars from whence I came. This world no longer needs me.

Her smile fell. "So you still wish to remain the forgotten one..."

You seem sad, Child. Why is that?

"You've been a part of me for so long. It feels like I'm losing a piece of myself," she said.

Look to the stars for I shall be there. Farewell, Child of Pneuma. I shall be watching over you and this star for all eternity.

Brahma stood up, his body slowly fading from existence. (Y/n) watched the god vanish before looking towards the Celestial Crescent. Her smile returned seeing just how brilliantly the stars radiated. Turning around, she saw Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio stand there. Before any of them could say anything, the rays of the rising sun caught their attention. The darkness was vanquished as the rays of the sun casted across all of Eos for the first time in ten years.

Although happy to see the sun, the men were saddened by the loss of their king. (Y/n), on the other hand, had a stoic expression. Her mouth opened slightly to say something, but her eyes darted over to the entrance of the Citadel when the doors opened.

The three men turn around, eyes widening when they saw Noctis walking down the steps to join them. The king smiled at his friends, amused at their expressions. "Sorry I'm late. I thought it would be better to watch the sunrise with you all."

Prompto's legs shook slightly as if he was learning to walk for the first time. He took a couple steps towards his best friend, eyes wide as saucers. "H-How...?"

"This isn't some crazy dream, right?" Gladio asked, his expression matching the marksman's.

"How is this possible?" Ignis gaped.

"Someone already paid the price." Noctis looked over at the only girl in their merry band. "It was you, wasn't it, (Y/n)?"

All eyes fell on the guardian. She clasped her hands together behind her back. "I may have asked Brahma to pull a few strings..."

"The Astrals do not simply change the course of destiny by listening. What did you offer in exchange?" Ignis inquired, curious as to how she was able to keep Noctis from perishing.

(Y/n) met Noctis' gaze. "A soul of the same bloodline. Let's just say I found a small fragment of one of your ancestors and offered it to the Astrals in exchange for your life."

Prompto was the first to react. He grabbed and pulled her into his arms, embracing her tightly. He felt tears of joy cascading down his cheeks. "Thank you for saving him, (Y/n)."

She soon found herself in the center of a group hug. A gentle smile tugged at her lips, enjoying the joyous moment. Her golden eyes trailed up to the sky, her smile widening. "It truly is a happy ending."

••••••••••• A/n: I originally had planned for Noctis to die as like on the game, but I'm a baby and still can't accept that ending. The next chapter will be the last one and it'll just be pure fluff. Love you all!!!

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#final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv x reader #ffxv #ffxv x reader #prompto argentum #prompto x reader #prompto argentum x reader

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newstfionline · 4 years

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Friday, October 30, 2020

U.S. refugee admissions (Foreign Policy) The number of refugees allowed into the United States in the coming year will be at its lowest level in modern times, after the White House announced just 15,000 refugees would be allowed settle in the country next year. According to a White House memo, 5,000 of those places will go to refugees facing religious persecution, 4,000 are reserved for refugees from Iraq who helped the United States, and 1,000 for refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras; 5,000 open slots remain, although refugees from Somalia, Syria, and Yemen are banned unless they can meet special humanitarian criteria. The future of U.S. refugee policy hangs on Tuesday’s vote: Former Vice President Joe Biden has promised to increase annual refugee admissions to 125,000, while the Guardian reports that a second Trump administration would seek to slash such admissions to zero.

Days From Election, Police Killing of Black Man Roils Philadelphia (NYT) There is a grim familiarity to it all. In the final days of a bitter election, it is a reprise of the terrible images that the country has come to know all too well this year: The shaky cellphone video, the abrupt death of a Black man at the hands of the police. The howls of grief at the scene. The protests that formed immediately. The looting of stores that lasted late into the night. It began on Monday, when two officers confronted Walter Wallace Jr., a 27-year-old with a history of mental health problems. A lawyer for the family said that he was experiencing a crisis that day and that the family told officers about it when they arrived at the scene. In an encounter captured in video that appeared on social media, Mr. Wallace is seen walking into the street in the direction of the officers, who back away and aim their guns at him. Someone yells repeatedly at Mr. Wallace to “put the knife down.” The officers then fire multiple rounds. After Mr. Wallace falls to the ground, his mother screams and rushes to his body. Mr. Wallace later died of his wounds at a nearby hospital, and the neighborhood exploded in rage. In the days since, dozens have been arrested, cars have been burned and 53 officers have been hurt. On Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf called in the National Guard. On Wednesday, the city declared a 9 p.m. curfew. And once again, the people in the neighborhood where it all took place were left to consider what had happened and what, if anything, could be done about it.

Zeta soaks Southeast after swamping Gulf Coast; 6 dead (AP) Millions of people were without power and at least six were dead Thursday after Hurricane Zeta slammed into Louisiana and made a beeline across the South, leaving shattered buildings, thousands of downed trees and fresh anguish over a record-setting hurricane season. From the bayous of the Gulf Coast to Atlanta and beyond, Southerners used to dealing with dangerous weather were left to pick up the pieces once again. In Atlanta and New Orleans, drivers dodged trees in roads and navigated intersections without traffic signals. As many as 2.6 million homes and businesses lost power across seven states, but the lights were coming back on slowly. The sun came out and temperatures cooled, but trees were still swaying as the storm’s remnants blew through. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state sustained “catastrophic” damage on Grand Isle in Jefferson Parish, where Zeta punched three breaches in the levee. Edwards ordered the Louisiana National Guard to fly in soldiers to assist with search and rescue efforts and urged continued caution.

Violent criminal groups are eroding Mexico’s authority and claiming more territory (Washington Post) Organized crime here once meant a handful of cartels shipping narcotics up the highways to the United States. In a fundamental shift, the criminals of today are reaching ever deeper into the country, infiltrating communities, police forces and town halls. A dizzying range of armed groups—perhaps more than 200—have diversified into a broadening array of activities. They’re not only moving drugs but kidnapping Mexicans, trafficking migrants and shaking down businesses from lime growers to mining companies. It can be easy to miss how much the nation’s criminal threat has evolved. Mexico is the United States’ No. 1 trading partner, a country of humming factories and tranquil beach resorts. But despite 14 years of military operations—and $3 billion in U.S. anti-narcotics aid—criminal organizations are transforming the Mexican landscape: In a classified study produced in 2018 but not previously reported, CIA analysts concluded that drug-trafficking groups had gained effective control over about 20 percent of Mexico, according to several current and former U.S. officials. / Homicides in the last two years have surged to their highest levels in six decades; 2020 is on track to set another record. Mexico’s murder rate is more than four times that of the United States. / Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes to escape violence; the Mexican Congress is poised to pass the country’s first law to help the internally displaced. / More than 77,000 people have disappeared, authorities reported this year, a far larger total than previous governments acknowledged. It is the greatest such crisis in Latin America since the “dirty wars” of the 1970s and 1980s. / The State Department is urging Americans to avoid travel to half of Mexico’s states, tagging five of them as Level 4 for danger—the same as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has created a 100,000-member national guard to reclaim areas with little state presence. It’s not clear that will make a significant difference. Years of Mexican and U.S. strategy—arresting drug kingpins, training Mexican police, overhauling the justice system—have failed to curb the violence.

Many Cubans hope US election will lead to renewed ties (AP) Not so long ago the tables at Woow!!! restaurant in Havana were filled with tourists ordering mojitos and plates of grilled octopus. But as President Donald Trump rolled back Obama-era measures opening Cuba relations, the restaurant grew increasingly empty. Now entrepreneurs like Orlando Alain Rodríguez are keeping a close eye on the upcoming U.S. presidential election in hope that a win by Democratic challenger Joe Biden might lead to a renewal of a relationship cut short. “The Trump era has been like a virus to tourism in Cuba,” said Rodríguez, the owner of Woow!!! and another restaurant feeling the pinch. Few countries in Latin America have seen as dramatic a change in U.S. relations during the Trump administration or have as much at stake in who wins the election. Former President Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations, loosened restrictions on travel and remittances and became the first U.S. chief of state to set foot in the island in 88 years. The result was a boom in tourism and business growth on the island. Trump has steadily reversed that opening, tapping into the frustrations of a wide segment of the Cuban American community that does not support opening relations while a communist government remains in power. He put into effect part of a previously suspended U.S. law that permits American citizens to sue companies that have benefited from private properties confiscated by the Cuban government, put a new cap on remittances, reduced commercial flights and banned cruises. The president has also forbidden Americans from buying cigars, rum or staying in government-run hotels. A Trump reelection would likely spell another four years of tightened U.S. sanctions while many expect a Biden administration to carry out at least some opening.

Winter gloom settles over Europe (Washington Post) The clocks were dialed back an hour across Europe this week, and the long nights come early now. The hospitals are filling up, as the cafes are shutting down. Governments are threatening to cancel Christmas gatherings. As new coronavirus infections surge again in Europe, breaking daily records, the mood is growing dark on the continent—and it’s not even November. The reprieve of summer feels a long time ago, and Europe is entering a serious funk. Germany and France announced national lockdowns Wednesday to try to get the virus under control. The new measures are less restrictive than in the spring, and yet they face more resistance. People are no longer so willing to remain confined to their homes, venturing onto balconies in the evenings to applaud health-care workers. Many people remain scared of covid-19, but they are exhausted and frustrated—and growing angry and rebellious. In a sign of the times, the head of the World Health Organization recognized the “pandemic fatigue that people are feeling” but urged “we must not give up.” The smugness in Europe about having bested the Americans under President Trump is fading with the daily record-breaking counts.

Young and Jobless in Europe: ‘It’s Been Desperate’ (NYT) Like millions of young people across Europe, Rebecca Lee, 25, has suddenly found herself shut out of the labor market as the economic toll of the pandemic intensifies. Her job as a personal assistant at a London architecture firm, where she had worked for two years, was eliminated in September, leaving her looking for work of any kind. Ms. Lee, who has a degree in illustration from the University of Westminster, sent out nearly 100 job applications. After scores of rejections, and even being wait-listed for a food delivery gig at Deliveroo, she finally landed a two-month contract at a family-aid charity that pays 10 pounds (about $13) an hour. “At the moment I will take anything I can get,” Ms. Lee said. “It’s been desperate.” The coronavirus pandemic is rapidly fueling a new youth unemployment crisis in Europe. Young people are being disproportionately hit, economically and socially, by lockdown restrictions, forcing many to make painful adjustments and leaving policymakers grasping for solutions. Years of job growth has eroded in a matter of months, leaving more than twice as many young people than other adults out of work. The jobless rate for people 25 and under jumped from 14.7 percent in January to 17.6 percent in August. Europe is not the only place where younger workers face a jobs crunch. Young Americans are especially vulnerable to the downturn. In China, young adults are struggling for jobs in the post-outbreak era. But in Europe, the pandemic’s economic impact puts an entire generation at risk, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

3 dead in church attack, plunging France into dual emergency (AP) A man armed with a knife attacked people inside a French church and killed three Thursday, prompting the government to raise its security alert status to the maximum level hours before a nationwide coronavirus lockdown. The attack in Mediterranean city of Nice was the third in two months in France that authorities have attributed to Muslim extremists, including the beheading of a teacher. It comes during a growing furor over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that were republished in recent months by the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo—renewing vociferous debate in France and the Muslim world over the depictions that Muslims consider offensive but are protected by French free speech laws. Other confrontations and attacks were reported Thursday in the southern French city of Avignon and in the Saudi city of Jiddah, but it was not immediately clear if they were linked to the attack in Nice.

Germany does not believe Thai king has breached state business ban: source (Reuters) Germany does not believe that Thailand’s king has so far breached its ban on conducting politics while staying there, a parliamentary source said on Wednesday, after lawmakers were briefed by the government. Following a meeting of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, the source said the government had briefed lawmakers that it believes the king is permitted to make occasional decisions, as long as he does not continuously conduct business from German soil. When asked about the status of the king, the government told the committee he has a visa that allows him to stay in Germany for several years as a private person and also enjoys diplomatic immunity as a head of state. Thailand’s political crisis has made the king’s presence a challenge for Germany, but revoking the visa of a visiting head of state could cause a major diplomatic incident.

China’s New Confidence on Display (Foreign Policy) The Chinese leadership is currently meeting in Beijing to set economic and political goals for the next five years. In the run-up to the plenum, speeches by President Xi Jinping and others have demonstrated a bold confidence that this is China’s moment. As economic policymaker Liu He put it, “Bad things are turning into good ones.” Despite the damage to China’s global reputation this year, its leaders seem to believe that Western economic weakness and mishandling of the coronavirus have created opportunities. That may be true, but it may also encourage dangerous overconfidence, as happened in 2009, when the Chinese leadership was convinced the economic crisis had significantly weakened Washington. That overconfidence is most frightening when it comes to Taiwan, where recent saber-rattling has again raised the specter of an invasion. Distinguishing signal from noise on Taiwan is difficult, but the traditional restraints on Chinese military action—fear of U.S. intervention, reputational damage, and corruption inside the People’s Liberation Army—have weakened. The odds of Chinese action in Taiwan increase if the U.S. election doesn’t produce a clear result, or if a lame duck President Donald Trump embarks on a scorched-earth program on his way out—since Beijing may be convinced that a distracted Washington has no will to block it.

#headlines #news

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peaceforourtime-blog1 · 7 years

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Through the Looking-Glass

I started this journal one year ago today in the hopes of looking deeper into the world around us, and how it parallels to history. The first - and to this date only - post came in the wake of the Brexit referendum, and with the United States Presidential election looming. Unfortunately, after the first post, a lot changed, throughout the world and personally, and I no longer desired to write down my thoughts. I had recently decided to look back at my only post on Peace For Our Time, and realized that I was coming up on the one year anniversary of its posting. So, one year later, I have decided to look back at the broad topics I had discussed in my introduction post, and see where we stand now.

A year after Brexit, life in the United Kingdom has changed significantly. Understandably there has been economic uncertainty, as the UK has not yet left the European Union, and the markets do not know how the British economy will fare once it has fully jettisoned itself from the EU. Politically, there has been a historic shift towards the more left-wing Labour Party, spearheaded by Jeremy Corbyn.

Corbyn, once a Euroskeptic himself, has more recently changed his stance on Britain’s inclusion in the European Union. In a speech last June, Corbyn said “We, the Labour Party, are overwhelmingly for staying in, because we believe the European Union has brought investment, jobs and protection for workers, consumers and the environment,”[1]. Following the Brexit results, Corbyn faced harsh criticism from his own party members who believed that he did not do enough in the lead-up to the EU referendum to convince citizens to vote Remain, and it seemed as though his position as the party’s leader was at risk. Jeremy Corbyn managed to defeat Owen Smith - the only member of the party contending against him - and solidified his position as Labour leader. His victory over Owen Smith would be the prelude to a much greater challenge.

On April 18th, Prime Minister Theresa May of the Conservative Party (The Tories), called for a snap election, which May believed would result in a stronger majority for the Tories. The crux of the election was based on how to manage Brexit negotiations, but also the security of the nation. National security became a hot topic in the United Kingdom when the nation was rocked by two separate terrorist attacks in Manchester and in London. These attacks cast a spotlight over May’s cuts to police and anti-terrorism units, with former Met chief inspector Peter Kirkham calling May "criminally negligent with the safety of the public,"[2]. The damage was done, and on June 8th, British voters granted Labour its biggest victory since 1945 - gaining 30 seats in the House of Commons to give them 262 seats - and the Tories losing 13 seats, forcing them to seek support from the nationalist Democratic Unionist Party. Though Theresa May remains Prime Minister, it was a crushing blow for a party that believed the election would provide greater returns. Instead, Jeremy Corbyn’s dynamic personality and promises to strengthen public services, security, and industry energized supporters and swayed those on the fence to come out in support of the Labour Party.

Last year, the United States presidential election was heating up, with Republican nominee Donald Trump squaring off against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The populist fervor in this country grew significantly from candidates such as Donald Trump and Clinton’s main challenger in the Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders. Trump campaigned on radical reforms to the US government - claiming that, if elected, he would “drain the swamp” in Washington of lobbyists and insiders, leave NATO, and repeal all of Obama’s reforms, among other things. Trump was able to channel conservative anger at Obama’s policies, paranoia towards immigrants, refugees, and even fellow Americans into a frenzy, feeling almost like the polar opposite of Obama’s ‘HOPE’ slogan that he ran on originally in 2008. Clinton - a former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State - was seen as the “insider” in the election, which did not bode well for her campaign.

Clinton maintained a slight advantage in opinion polls in the weeks leading up to the election, even though both candidates were regarded rather negatively by Americans. Clinton’s lead would be damaged just eleven days before the election, as then-FBI Director James Comey came out and said that they had obtained additional emails pertaining to Hillary Clinton from a different case, which reignited discussions on Secretary Clinton’s private email server. On November 6th, only two days before the election, Comey came out and said that there was nothing on the emails that changed the FBI’s results from their initial Clinton investigation, but the damage had been done, and on November 8th, Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States.

Though Trump lost the popular vote by nearly three million votes, the Trump campaign worked several battleground states like Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida, and Michigan harder than Clinton, and flipped them to his side, helping him to secure the Electoral votes necessary to defeat his Democratic opponent. Since becoming President, Trump has been criticized for a variety of reasons - claiming he would ‘drain the swamp’ while filling his cabinet with Washington insiders, lobbyists, and Goldman Sachs executives, reneging on his promise to reveal his tax returns after the election was over, his immigration policies, tweetstorms in which he rails against political opponents, celebrities, foreign leaders, the media, and even his own intelligence committees, firing FBI Director Comey and then threatening to reveal recordings of their conversations before Comey testified before the Senate, for taking advice from men such as Steve Bannon and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and most importantly the relationship between Trump, his cabinet, and Russia.

The details of the Trump presidency would require a separate post to get into greater detail, but what is more important is the reverberations felt in this country and around the world following Trump’s victory. In the United States, there have been significant protests from different groups - from citizens opposing Trump’s travel ban, to the scientific community, those against the proposed Healthcare plan being pushed by the GOP which stands to “increase the number of people without health insurance by 22 million by 2026,“[3], and those angry with Trump’s words inciting hate crimes across the nation.

With Trump’s victory, white nationalist groups have continued infecting sections of the internet and “redpilling” them. Websites such as Reddit’s r/The_Donald and 4chan’s /pol/ section have been havens for these groups to grow their influence and rail against a variety of boogeymen - SJWs, Islam, Communists, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, etc. Clashes between these groups have become more commonplace, and the divide in this country becomes deeper. Hate crimes have become more commonplace since Trump’s victory, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a report this year describing how in 2016 there was a “57 percent increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents over 2015. This was accompanied by a 44 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the same period,”[4]. While American citizens fight an ideological battle in the streets of major cities to silence from Trump, his administration begins to cut back on education spending, the EPA, and plans to slash Medicaid spending “by $834 billion over 10 years,“[5], all in the name of Making America Great Again.

Internationally, Trump’s election became a specter to countries with their own elections coming up. In The Netherlands, far-right candidate Geert Wilders of the nationalist Party for Freedom (PVV) sought to become the next Prime Minister. With Trump’s support, Geert Wilders was eager to follow up on his victory in the US election, but failed to unseat Mark Rutte as PM. Despite the loss, Wilders and the PVV’s anti-Islam, anti-immigration, Euroskeptic stance resonated with Dutch voters, as they gained five seats from the election and will still be a challenger to Rutte’s majority in the future.

In France, Marine Le Pen, daughter of National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, also sought to ride the wave of populism and right-wing anger from Trump’s victory and become President of France. Marine had changed the face of the National Front, which was once seen as too radical, and made it more “friendly” to French voters. Le Pen had the backing of both Trump and Russia, who saw her hard stance on the refugee crisis as a way of stemming the perceived tides of violence and terrorism, but ultimately could not defeat the young, charismatic Emmanuel Macron, a centrist banker who formed his own party - En Marche! and brought a message of hope and unification. Macron is seen by the far-right as a radical who will open up the borders to more refugees and further destroy the fabric of French society, while some on the left see Macron as someone who will not uphold progressive policies and will be more on the side of corporate interests. While Macron has criticisms from both sides, his victory was another blow to the far-right populist movements growing around Europe.

We have gazed into the looking-glass and seen a world changed by far-right nationalism, populism, and extremism. White nationalist sentiment continues to grow in spaces on the internet where anonymity is king, but all is not lost. The reaction from those who wish to fight back against the tides of populism and white nationalism has invigorated people who felt hopeless in the face of Trump’s victory. During the interwar period, fascism grew from the ashes of war. Nations such as Italy, Germany, Spain, and Hungary fell under its enticing power, but ultimately fascism crumbled after World War II. We live in a time where fascism’s dark specter has been revived under the code word of “nationalism” and seeks to grab hold of the people once again and entice them with nationalism, populism, and hatred of the “other”. It is up to us to ensure that fascism does not return to prominence, as it does not lead to peace. Peace for our time has once again not been achieved and that is why the fight continues.

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