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bellatrixobsessed1 · 4 years

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The Art Of Remembrance (Part 5)

A bitter wind whips at her face bringing with it a bitingly cold sting. Azula has come to find that the only thing worse than the poles is the poles at sea. She curls her fingers around the rails and looks out at the rolling waves. Their captain carefully navigates the water, weaving between large blocks of ice. On the odd occasion they come to a block that they can’t avoid, and so the few firebenders on board melt it away.

Having nothing better to do as well as no desire to float in the icy ocean, she takes to helping them clear some of the ice.

She folds her arms over her chest, wondering just what the hell is taking Sokka so long. She lets a few more minutes pass before wandering below deck to seek the man out. As far as she is concerned, she has waited more than long enough to learn a thing or two about her past, especially with the way people look at her.

It isn’t lost on her that they seem to slink back as she passes. That they exchange glances and hushed words and take special care to avoid meeting her gaze.

Finally she succumbs to boredom enough to try to make conversation. She doesn’t quite know where to begin so she simply finds a spot next to girl and mutters, “it’s aggravatingly cold on deck.”

The girl seems to go tense and gives a nervous laugh, “yeah, cold.”

“I suppose that you’re used to it?” Azula asks.

“Just because I’m from the tribes doesn’t mean that I like the cold…” She pauses. “That’s like assuming all firebenders can’t swim.”

“We can’t.” Azula confirms. But the girl doesn’t laugh. Perhaps her delivery had been too deadpan. She is certain that she hasn't said anything particularly unsettling, but the girl seems absurdly uneasy. And so she retreats, finding herself rather isolated and without knowing why.

Yes. It is definitely time to pry answers from Sokka.

.oOo.

The waters roll and rock the boat, but they aren’t the reason for his nervous jitters. He sits in the corner of his quarters and waits for Katara to arrive. She will either be compassionate and sympathetic or completely off-put and angry. There is seldom an in between during the initial discussion.

“Hi, Sokka.” She greets with a cheerful smile. She holds out a steaming cup of tea.

Sokka accepts it but isn’t quite ready for a drink.

“What did you want to talk to me about.”

“ I wanted to talk to you about the woman I saved…”

Katara nods, “what’s her name, anyways?” And then she seems to recall something. “Oh, that’s right, she doesn’t remember it. What have you been calling her?”

Sokka takes a deep breath. “I lied, Katara. She does remember her name. But…” he pauses. “That’s the only thing she remembers.”

Katara crinkles her brows, “why would you lie about something so stupid?”

He supposes that it is better to rip the band-aid. “It isn’t stupid, trust me.” And yet he still finds himself stalling, even if it is only for a single sentence. Katara tilts her head and he knows that, he hasn’t even bought himself that much. “It’s Azula. She’s Azula.”

Katara opens her mouth in a silent sputter.

“I didn’t know that when I saved her and even if I did, we couldn’t have just let her die.”

Katara sighs. “Of course we couldn’t have let her die. But we don’t need to keep her around either. We need to get her back to the institution.”

Sokka reflexively cringes, before logic settles; she was only speaking of sending the princess back to the Fire Nation hospital. His nerves don’t subside, if anything his paranoia hightents. “What if that institution is linked to the one she escaped in the poles?” In which case, he notes, she would have had to have been taken back to the Fire Nation one somehow and then transferred to the location in the poles. Katara leaves him no time to reflect on that theory.

“What if it is?” She may as well have added a ‘so’ at the sentence’s front with that tone.

“She ran away from it…”

“Why are you assuming that they mistreated her and that she didn’t escape to go after Zuko again?”

“She can’t remember a thing.” Sokka replies.

“We last saw her in the Forgetful Valley, Sokka. You don’t think that she might have done this to herself?” Katara asks. “She wasn’t exactly stable when we saw her last.”

“I don’t know. Something isn’t right. I don’t know what it is but I think that it’s more than than. She wasn’t all there,” he gestures at his head, “but she’s not dumb enough to go around pissing off spirits.”

Katara quirks a brow.

“Look, I just think that there’s more to it. She was in the Fire Nation and then I find her, almost dead, in a snowstorm.”

“Here’s what I think happened.” Katara pauses. “I think that she wandered back into that jungle, angered a few spirits, wandered out of the jungle, and was found and re-committed.”

“Then how’d she end up in the poles, Katara?”

“She’s dangerous. TyLee couldn’t be there all the time to block her chi so they sent her to a facility that could...contain her. Like the coolers in the boiling rock.”

“We can’t just send her back there. Not until we know what happened.”

“Nothing happened, Sokka. Nothing that she didn’t do to herself.” Katara insists.

“She has nightmares.” He counters. “I think that she’s afraid.”

This gives Katara pause. A halt that he takes advantage of. “How can we punish her for things that she doesn’t remember doing?”

“She’s still dangerous.”

“I don’t think that she is.” Sokka says. “How can she remember that she wants to hurt us or overthrow Zuko if she doesn’t even remember us at all? Her fire is orange now, I think that she can only bend by instinct.”

Katara hesitates again. “Her being able to bend without remembering any forms...that’s scary. That’s a sign that she is dangerous. We’re going to bring her home and then she’s going back to the institution.”

“We’re at least going to talk to Zuko--you know, her brother--about this, right?”

“She tried to kill him and then me while I tried to save him; he’s going to say the same thing.” Katara replied. “But, yeah, of course we’re going to talk to him.”

The unease in his stomach only intensifies. He truly hopes that he’ll have better luck convincing Zuko. The butterflies double twice over at the realization that he might have just made Katara angry. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner.” He calls to the empty doorway. He flops down onto the bed with a resigned groan. He wonders just why he cares so much, it isn’t as though she had treated him any better in the past.

“There you are.” Azula remarks.

Sokka bolts upright. “Spirits! Don’t do that.”

Azula gives a little laugh. “Priceless.”

“That’s not funny.” He grumbles.

“Well you’re pleasant company.” She frowns.

“Says the one who can’t appreciate the southern water lights!”

Azula shrugs and makes herself comfortable at the foot of his bed. “You said that you would tell me about my past.” She pauses. “Do it.”

“You were always this commanding.” Sokka shrugs.

“So you have a sense of humor afterall.”

“I am the funniest guy on team Avatar!” He declares.

“Team avatar?”

Sokka sighs, “I’ll tell you about that later.” He tries to pick his brain for a pleasant memory. Anything that doesn’t paint her as someone evil. He rubs his head, having trouble doing so. Maybe he ought to just cave in and tell her that she’d been stark raving mad the last time that’d met. But is that really any better than telling her that she was out to conquer or destroy the world in the name of her father?

He observes her drumming her fingers upon the mattress.

He recalls her chasing them down, tracking them and keeping them up all night. He remembers how she’d taunted him about Suki, the way she used her as bait. He remembers Katara recounting how she didn’t think that she’d make it out of that final battle alive.

And he begins to resent the woman sitting on his bed, twirling her bangs around her finger. Maybe he should just throw her back into the institution and let her solve things herself.

“I’m a bad person, aren’t I?”

Sokka flinches. “Why would you think that.”

She gestures around the ship, presumably to people that aren’t present. “Why wouldn’t I?” The question hangs for a moment. “No one will talk to me. You don’t want to tell me anything about me…”

Briefly his mind wanders to how the crew would recognize her when Katara did not. Perhaps she was simply trying not to see the truth. Having let the silence drag for too long already he starts, “Azula…”

Her deadpan expression unsettles him as she cuts in, “I’d rather know that I’m dreadful than know nothing at all.”

.oOo.

Sokka’s expression softens. Whatever resentment that had built up inside of him--no doubt the same breed that is harbored by everyone else on the ship--seems to ebb away. His face softens. “You’re not a bad person.”

“Don’t lie to me!” She snaps. He winces.

“You don’t have to be a bad person…”

“Don’t patronize me either.” She warns, her voice taking on a sinister sort of low.

He lifts his hands, “I’m not trying to.”

His expression, the fear and retreat. She is only confirming what she now knows to be true. “Alright. Fine. I’m sure that there are plenty of people around who will have no problem telling me exactly who I am.” It is probably better this way, she’d find more truth from someone who would disregard her feelings completely.

He catches her hands, “your mom was banished and your brother wanted to find her.” Sokka starts. “We went on this whole journey and there was this thing that happened.”

Azula rolls her eyes. “A thing?”

“We were attacked by some kind of spirit wolf that threw up spirit moth-wasps. It was about to ruin everything and then you made this big ball of lightning and all of the moth-wasps flew into it. The wolf and the rest of the swarm retreated.” He says. “You saved us.”

Sokka’s grip on her wrist loosens and she finds herself sitting back down.

“You told me that I smelled like a wet possum-pidgeon.”

She succeeds in not laughing but can’t suppress a faintly humored smile. She supposes that, that does sound like her. “Why?”

“Because we were trying to sneak around and we needed disguises. I made a beard out of fur. I had too, it’s a classic! But you didn’t like it.” He declares. “On that same quest, we were attacked by...nature.”

“By nature?”

“Long story. The point is, I was about to get strangled...or something...by a bunch of vines. You saved me from that too…and then you said that you only did it so that you’d have more peasants around to keep you safe.”

“If I help people, then why do they look at me the way they do.”

Sokka bites his cheek. “You...uh...you went a little…” he holds his finger up to his head and twirls his finger.

She stares at her palms, “oh.”

“Yeeeah…”

He isn’t making her feel any less awkward.

But she had asked for...demanded answers. “That’s how I ended up in that institution, isn’t it?” At least she can piece together some of the how’s.

“That’s the thing that doesn’t make any sense.” Sokka replies, practically throwing his hands up. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while...you escaped…” he reconsiders his words. “You made a deal with your brother and he let you leave and then you ran away. You were still in the Fire Nation when that happened.”

“Exactly where did I run to?”

“Right into the Forgetful Valley.”

Azula’s belly tickles unpleasantly. She rubs her hands over her face, “so I did this to myself?” She feels a disorientation to match that which she felt in the tundra. Had she taken her own memories? Had they, those people, taken her for her own protection? Perhaps she has simply filled the holes in her mind with visions as ominous as they are untrue.

“I. I don’t think so.” Sokka puts a sudden halt on her self-doubt.

Azula cocks her head. “Why?”

“Mostly because of your nightmares. But I guess it’s also because why would you run away if they didn’t hurt you?”

Azula shrugs, “because I’m crazy.”

She ought to start keeping a tally on how much she makes him flinch.

“You said that they did something to you.”

“I thought that they did…” now she is beginning to doubt. “Maybe I did something to me, Sokka.” What if they were just trying to save her from herself? She rubs her hands over her face again and lets them rest there. It could be that they were trying to save her from herself. That she is a cocktail of mental affliction; simply a mess of amnesia accompanied by paranoid delusions.

A hand presses itself, comfortingly, between her shoulder blades. “You didn’t do this to yourself.”

“I did.” She persists. “You said it yourself, I lost my mind. And then I lost it again...”

#Avatar #Azula #Sokka #Sokkla #Katara #Fanfiction

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goddesstrolls-archive · 5 years

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This is what i spent most of the night writing

hopefully the readmore works for people on mobile....i’d link the google doc i wrote this in but there’s a l o t more info there than just this

Men Called raanin/raan (’thieves/thief’) by the beastfolk, bjeir (old orc term for unequal/weak enemy) by orcs, nen (‘lesser one’) by selesse, and tosuin (’tall’) by dwarves.

Beastfolk and selesse have a second term for them that is slightly more polite (or less so given the usage). Beastfolk call them poruk (plain) but may also use raan in the same sentence; “poruk raan” aka “plain thief”, or a very rude way of saying a man. Selesse may use a more honorable term, “llandir”, meaning “hero”.

They are not quite humans, but are similar; They’re resilient with higher endurance than most other races, though they lack some of the refined techniques. They excel at elemental magic.

Selesse Also called raanin or raan by beastfolk, but also may be called sikisik, a term similar to ‘barbarian’, ‘conqueror’, or ‘murderer’. Similarly to men, both terms are usually used in tandem, “sikisik raan”.

Their own term, Selesse, is derived from a phrase meaning ‘people of the stars’. They are called fair folk, star folk, or ‘meiale’ (literally ‘star people’) by men. Orcs use the same terms as men, as well as ‘waevala’ or ‘sea people’. Dwarves call them Asii, a word meaning ‘high above’ or the sky.

Selesse are taller and slimmer than humans, often with unusually colored skin, eyes, or hair. They have impeccable eyesight, and are faster than humans, but lack physical strength and endurance. However, they excel in many different forms of powerful magic. They are borne from the water of the heavens that holds the stars, and are thus an aquatic people. They primarily eat fish, but use herbs and plants to season and accentuate.

Skin colors: Human shades, shades of purple/blue-grey, lighter shades of blue Eye colors: White/black sclera or sclera matching the irises; White, black, silver, gold, red, yellow, blue, green, purple irises Hair colors: Shades of purple, white/silver/grey, pale gold/blonde, jet black

Feature list: Long, pointed ears, webbed/fin-like ears, pointed/ridged ears, small pointed ears, two-toned skin, glittering, freckle-like marks in gemstone colors, usually only on the face and shoulders, glittering or glowing skin, usually only in symmetrical patches on the face, shoulders, back, top of arms, outside of legs, ect., webbed fingers, elongated toes and webbed feet, long, thin, reptilian tails, sometimes with tufts of fur, strangely shaped jaws/mouths that can open wider than others, fangs/sharp teeth, glowing eyes

Beastfolk They call themselves Kyarou-Ferim, or ‘dark mother’s (Kyarou’s) children’, but have adopted men’s term for themselves as well. They may also refer to themselves as ferim- ‘children’. Men call them beastfolk, or kekir, ‘mudfolk’. Selesse call them fex/fexen, or ‘tainted/dirty people’. Orcs and dwarves also use the same words as men, and have no word of their own.

The strength of their senses is typically equal to that of a human, but may be better or worse depending on the animal they take after. For example, a feline ferim might have exceptional hearing, whereas an eagle ferim would have exceptional eyesight. They may have additional abilities- A bear ferim might have incredible strength; Bird ferim can fly; Wolf ferim might be able to essentially skyrim shout and knock an enemy back.

They usually look human, but with animalian features. They have a resistance to disease and poisons, and can eat practically anything, including tree bark, raw meat, spoiled food, ect.

Their fangs and claws can grow, usually when they’re angry or fighting, to match a proportionate size to the creature they ghost (take after). For example, a bear or wolf would have larger fangs but smaller claws than a bird.

Some may also have horns and bat wings despite their ghost, usually seen as a blessing from their goddess.

Skin colors: Human shades, shades of grey ranging from almost white to almost black, as well as human tones Eye colors: Human tones that are typically more saturated/pronounced, saturated shades of red, yellow, green, purple, and blue Hair colors: Stark black or white or matching their species (Reddish-orange for lions, shades of brown for bears, ect.)

Feature list: Animalian features/abilities Slit, unusually dilated or constricted, vertical/rectangular pupils Cross-shaped, triangular, or square pupils Tapetum lucidum- Eyes that glow/flash in the dark and allow night vision Large fangs or claws regardless of their ghost

Orcs Beastfolk have no word for them; Men call them orcs or Rorin (Barbarian/enemy) Selesse call them Ulen, which is only a word to refer to them and has no meaning Dwarves call them desta, or ‘furthest/far away’. They sometimes call them desta’fal, or ‘furthest friend/far away friend’.

Orcs are a seafaring people who live in tribes along the shore. They are known for raiding sea ports and fishing villages, regardless of the race. However, they are most often prideful and honorable, and consider their raids to be well-earned.

They have raised scar-like marks along the sides of their necks and sides, evidence of the gills they once had.

They are stronger and taller than men, with black bones that are difficult to break, but bleed heavily when injured and succumb faster to blood loss and disease. They also have black horns similar to a ram’s, that spiral along their heads, and pointed ears. Their nails are black and blunt.

Skin colors: Shades of green ranging from verdant to ashy and pale, two-toned, prone to vitiligo-like markings Eye colors: Rarely iridescent, saturated shades of teal, bright yellow or orange, purple, red, icy blue Hair colors: Black or dark brown, sometimes streaked with white or silver, rarely full silver or white

Dwarves Beastfolk have no word for them; Men call them dwarves or ‘roruk-tal’, ‘earth-men’. Selesse call them ke’ojjiwol, or ‘Ojjiwol’s people’. Orcs call them Felsín, or ‘friend-folk.’

Dwarves are shorter and stockier than men, and have thick body and facial hair regardless of their gender. As a result, they have a very loose definition of gender, and use he/him as a matter of course. They are a proud and honorable race, and enjoy the thrill of combat. They influenced and were influenced by the orcs more than men or selasse.

They have human skin tones and hair colors, but most often have black, red, or brown hair that turns white/silver as they age. A blonde dwarf is very rare. They also tend to have darker, more earthy tones for eye color; Brown, green, grey, and hazel are more common, while blue and purple are rare.

#bastet speaks #its fun to think about what each race calls each other

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guynamedultimax · 5 years

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Smash Characters and people who main them

So, I was thinking about who mains certain Smash characters. Aaaand I got these ideas.

Mario: Probably Mickey Mouse. Or Emmet from the Lego Movie franchise idk

DK: Surely not King Kong because he has big hands and would break a Joy-Con just by touching it, not even a GameCube controller is safe. 100% Winston from Overwatch is the candidate, even better if he takes the blue DK skin lol

Link: Sora. This one is easy as hell.

Samus: Tony Stark is the first option that comes to mind.

Dark Samus: And since Rhodes can’t use Samus, might as well use the OTHER Samus lol

Yoshi: It is canonically stated in Deltarune that Asriel Dreemurr mains him and loves him to death.

Fox: I’m not sure how a red pirate fox animatronic holds a Joy-Con or two but probably Foxy from FNAF is the perfect main here.

Pikachu: It’s either Agumon or Jibanyan, too easy. Also put Jibanyan in Smash Sakurai pls

Luigi: Probably Donald Duck to parallel Mickey, the only difference between the two would be that Donald has a short temper while Luigi is a cowardly lion (and the plumber-sailor thing)

Ness: *MEGALOVANIA AND GAME THEORY INTRO INTENSIFIES* Ok jokes aside I think John Egbert and/or Sans are good candidates as Smash main.

Captain Falcon: Raphael, the red turtle from the Teena- wait why am I explaining an obvious character. His bros collectively main another character.

Jigglypuff: D.Va, full stop. She is a bunny person but may also love a Jigglypuff (now I want a drawing of Hana hugging the Puff help me)

Peach: Sooo, let’s see...Mickey has Mario... Donald has Luigi... I think you know where I’m going with this one.

Daisy: OH GOD I JUST REALIZED THAT DAISY DUCK MAINS PRINCESS DAISY, IT’S A “HI I’M-DAISY-CEPTION!”

Bowser: Is there any drawing of Bowser cosplaying as Peg-Leg Pete and viceversa? I’d die for that, it would be hella funny, especially with Mario and Mick dying from laughter in the distance.

Ice Climbers: Hmmm...twins...you can use them to make icy puns...I KNOW! IT’S GEORGE AND FRED

Sheik: Literally any of the ninjas from Lego Ninjago, bonus points for Lloyd.

Zelda: I have literally no damn ide-oh wait. I can use literally any blonde Disney princess lol

Dr. Mario: Undecided between Sorcerer Apprentice!Mickey and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Pichu: Shogunyan makes the most sense to me. I don��t know a lot about any other Digimon so I’m sorry if I don’t have Digimon ideas for Pichu.

Falco: I don’t know why but the thought of Chica maining Falco makes me laugh. Not that I ship Fox and Falco, of course, but seeing my FNAF OTP using two best pals looks funny enough to me

Any Fire Emblem character that is not Robin or Corrin: I literally have no damn idea.

Young Link: The first one that came to mind was Kenny from South Park and I don’t know, don’t even ask me

Ganondorf: I can just see Gamora giving Thanos a copy of Smash for the Switch and him curbstomping people as Ganondorf

Mewtwo: I still think that Beerus is an AU version of Mewtwo. If Beerus wasn’t a lazy dickhead maybe he would have been similar to Mewtwo.

Mr. Game & Watch: Bendy. Just, Bendy. And not even moster Bendy, just, regular Bendy.

Meta Knight: I wonder how much does Bruce Wayne play Smash when he is not being Batman. Although it’s probably possible that his favourite is Brawl.

Pit: I can just see Tony Stark losing at Smash against Pit and saying: “Fuck you, Barton.” AHAHAHAHAH

Dark Pit: This is for Hawkeye post-Decimation. Sorry if u lost ur family pal. Really sorry. I wanna kick Thanos in the groin for this.

Zero Suit Samus: Of course Natasha Romanoff mains Zero Suit Samus. Fanservice girl for fanservice girl.

Wario: I know Roadhog isn’t greedy and doesn’t care a lot about money except for his fee from Junkrat but he looks like the perfect Wario main in my opinion.

Snake: A spy for a spy. The name is Snake. Solid Snake. *mashup of James Bond theme and Encounter plays in the distance*

Pokèmon Trainer: Literally Ash Ketchum is the only possible choice here.

Diddy Kong: Uuuuh, the Apes from Ape Escape. Yup.

Lucas: Ok listen up, it’s Darwin Watterson. A squishy adorable fish boi for an adorable psychic blondie kid. It’s the perfect matchup! Almost...(Thank god Ninten is not yet in Smash)

Sonic: Me. What, can’t I reclaim one of my mains? The fella here introduced me to gaming with Sonic Rivals on the PSP. Thank god I didn’t buy a PS3 or ‘06.

Dedede: King Candy from Wreck-It Ralph. At least before he reveals himself as the fucker known as Turbo.

Olimar: Keroro from Sgt. Frog. Don’t ask.

Lucario: Sasuke? Idk

R.O.B.: Shared between C-3P0, R2-D2 and BB-8. Easy.

Wolf: Idk Boris the Wolf? I really dunno I suck at this.

Toon Link: Happy from Fairy Tail. JUST LOOK AT HOW MUCH OF A CAT TOON LINK DOES LOOK LIKE

Villager: Chara from Undertale. I don’t need to explain this.

Mega Man: Give me any blue Power Ranger.

Wii Fit Trainer: Hard one. I have no idea help

Rosalina and Luma: IT’S TINKERBELL

Little Mac: *Rocky theme intensifies* ROCKYYYYYYYYYYY BALBOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAA

Greninja: Naruto full stop

Palutena: Cosmos from FF Dissidia.

Mii Fighters: The Xbox avatars. I think this one was pretty obvious.

Pac-Man: Donnie, Mikey and Leo all collectively main Pac. Best part they stop literally any attempt from Raph to spam Falcon Punches lol.

Robin: *Hedwig’s Theme intensifies*

Shulk:...Kirito?

Bowser Jr.: My other main, the one I use the most. For you, I shall summon the perfect main! *Lancer pops out from nowhere*

Duck Hunt: It’s Pluto. You know, Mickey’s dog? Jeez, why doesn’t Disney focus a little more on Pluto?

Ryu: KAME....HAME...HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Ken: *insert Vegeta reference here*

Cloud: FINAL FANTASY TIME, COME ON AND GRAB YOUR FRIENDS, WE’LL GO TO VERY DISTANT LAANDS, WITH JAKE THE DOG AND FINN THE CLUD STRIFE MAIN- ok enough I think you understood the reference.

Corrin: Danaerys Tyrgaryen. Did...did I write that right? I really dunno

Bayonetta: *Insert Dante quote here*

Inkling: de Blob. You...you don’t know de Blob? You should go check that game, it’s fire.

Ridley: Smaug. I know, I’m out of ideas.

Simon: Van Helsing, of course.

Richter: ...I HATE WHEN i AM OUT OF IDEAS

King K. Rool: Does Godzilla count? Or is he a King Kong issue? Ok no wait, any member from the Croc tribe of Legends of Chima is fine

Isabelle: Lucy Heartphilia, easy.

Incineroar: Ok, listen up, before I get in this one, I DO NOT SHIP ISABELLE WITH INCINEROAR. That being said.....Natsu. I can just imagine him and Lucy playing Smash in such an intense way while Happy just plays calmly and beats both lol

Pirahna Plant: Actually the first one that came to mind and gave me the idea for this post. Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Cause, you know, teeth.

Joker: Robin Hood. I know Joker is not an archer user but the gentleman thief thing is there after all

Sorry for the long post, here is the word “potato”. See ya next time and if you have any ideas for missing characters I’d be glad to get them

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ejazkhanphotography · 5 years

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The Arctic Expedition by Ejaz Khan

My passion has always been pushing the boundaries of human endurance, coming as I did from the bylines of Mumbai to the Big Apple and exploring the harshest extremes of nature. The lure of Alaska had beckoned, but now I wanted to push the envelope beyond that to the rugged terrain of the icy arctic snow to Grise Fiord, in the northernmost part of Canada, population 132. The planning for such a journey has to be meticulous and took 7 months with someone finally willing to take me to a space where no USA photographer had gone before & tracked the Arctic Wolf at the North Pole.

The desolate location found me sitting in a tiny 6seater aircraft, which took 5 days to reach Grise Fiord, due to harsh conditions. The tiny aircraft was forced to land midway in a swirling snow blizzard, with no one around, & no connectivity to normal life as we know it. I was hit by a panic attack, scared of the isolation & fearful of dying alone & anonymous in the cold Arctic snow, I broke into cold sweat despite the sub Artic temperatures. Finally, I reached the tiny town of Grise Fiord and met a sprightly 72-year-old man called Raymond who was to be my wolf tracker! I went into another bout of shock looking at the elderly man, whom I thought would need help himself, let alone be able to support my quest for the Arctic Wolf. Nevertheless, we left the one-horse town, on a snowmobile ride for 8 hours. The destination was a desolate wilderness, which had no trees, no grass, no signs of life other than the two on the snow.

No roads, no paths to follow, just oceans of snow and my tracker and me. We pitched our tent in the freezing cold of -56 Celsius and that was to become our home for the next 9 days. The artic could just as well have been the land of the midnight sun, since the Daylight shone even up to midnight on a clear night, and yet it felt like it was only 4 pm. Since we were two of us on a snowmobile, there was a weight restriction & so we carried limited supplies. We awoke the next morning to search for wildlife so we could eat for the next 9 days. The biting arctic cold was oppressive & hostile and even 6 layers of warm clothing could not protect me from the elements of nature. Covered in polar bear skin pants, I began to understand how the animal felt, in its own natural habitat

Our hunt began for food, and that proved to be one of the highlights of my trip. Once our search had ended, we pitched the third tent as a base camp which was more than a mile away, from where I would stalk my arctic wolf prey to shoot on celluloid. Few people can relate to the isolation of being alone with yourself, the elements and your maker, and it holds a mirror up to your soul when you spend 15–18 hours alone in nature. The wilderness offers you no second chances and no toilets, no showers, and no bedrooms. Dinner each night is frozen air cured slices of wild Musk Ox served cold, and sleep in a basic sleeping bag deep within the snow. Sitting in mounds of snow for hours on end in total isolation brings home the stark reality of who you are & how insignificant a being the human is, amongst Gods Creations.

The frailty of humanity is best expressed when confronted with solitude & battling the elements of nature’s fury — be it snowstorms, blizzards, hurricanes, tidal waves or earthquakes, making you one with your maker, brings reality to the forefront. I became delusional, like the protagonist Pi Patel in Yann Mattel’s “Life of Pi”, seeing things in the -50 sub-zero temperatures and freezing cold & loneliness, the only solace is that I could meet my aged tracker at nights when I returned for the day. Less than 7 days into the expedition, my delusions became more vivid and I began to see artic snow wolves in the moving blizzards of snow. My fingers numbed without sensation, my feet frostbitten and my personal organs that had developed a mind of their own. From Mahim to Manhattan, the cacophony of human chaos presents a symphony of sound when compared to the high pitch of silence in the Arctic circle, and at times I prayed for the cacophony to return. Having faced all the adversities one could think of in one week, I decided to call off the expedition on the 7th day, frustrated and broken within, that I was defeated, not by the elements of nature alone, but by the gremlins within my mind.

Once the snowmobile was packed and on its way, en route the nearest town, 8 hours away, I was suddenly stopped in my tracks — the elusive Arctic Wolves appeared on the horizon, almost to bid me goodbye, as I was giving up my expedition into their native territory. Divine intervention or poetic justice, it was the highlight of a week of adversity and terrifying loneliness, facing nature’s elements, yet meeting the beauty of the Wolves in their pristine natural habitat, untouched by a human hand or even a cell phone tower. There are times that one marvels at the magnificence of a solitary existence, this was one of those times. I have been fortunate to learn to make myself one with my nature and surroundings and have shot the magnificent Musk Ox in Norway, the Puma in The Chilean Andes, the Arctic wolves in the arctic circle, the Alaskan Bear in Alaska and the magnificent Arabian Horses in the beautiful valleys of France.

My journey and travels now bring me to my motherland, India, where I will dare to confront the greatest Mountain range on earth and picture the magnificent Himalayan Snow Leopard, one of nature’s enigmatic animals, almost extinct and reclusive.

With Global warming and the snow receding, the Himalayan snow leopard is forced to lower altitudes for its food. The cattle of hill tribes & natives play a great role here and their livestock is easy prey. It is time that we educate our natives to care for these precious animals like their own family.

Human beings are the most efficient predators on earth and the snow leopards will lose this battle, like many of the great beasts that went before. Educating natives & humans to co-exist with the snow leopard will help in elongating their lifespan into the next century.

Our world needs to recognize these beautiful beasts and rescue them so future generations of our children can admire God’s creations for what they are.

View more images of the Arctic Wolves at www.ejazkhanearth.com

Watch the Arctic Expedition Short Film

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#wolves #wolf #arctic #animals #wildlife #wildlife photography #wildlife conservation #animal protection #animal planet #natgeo #nikonphotography #nikon camera

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