Goa Politics News: BJP में शामिल हुए पूर्व सीएम समेत गोवा कांग्रेस के 8 विधायक

Goa Politics News: BJP में शामिल हुए पूर्व सीएम समेत गोवा कांग्रेस के 8 विधायक

पणजी। Goa Politics News:   कांग्रेस के पूर्व अध्यक्ष राहुल गांधी पार्टी को मजबूत करने के लिए भारत जोड़ो यात्रा निकाल रहे हैं। इसी बीच, गोवा में कांग्रेस (Goa Congress MLA) को बड़ा झटका लग गया है। कांग्रेस के आठ विधायक आज भाजपा में शामिल हो गए हैं। कांग्रेस के पूर्व विधायक माइकल लोबो ने कहा कि हम पीएम मोदी और सीएम प्रमोद सावंत के हाथ मजबूत करने के लिए बीजेपी में शामिल हुए हैं। ‘कांग्रेस छोडो,…

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कंगना रनौत ने साधा उद्धव ठाकरे पर निशाना- उन्हें तो शिव भी नहीं बचा सकते

कंगना रनौत ने साधा उद्धव ठाकरे पर निशाना- उन्हें तो शिव भी नहीं बचा सकते

Image Source : TWITTER कंगना रनौत, उद्धव ठाकरे साल 2020 का वो समय तो आपको याद ही होगा जब बीएमसी ने कंगना रनौत का ऑफिस ढहा दिया था, उस वक्त कंगना रनौत ने एक वीडियो शेयर करके उद्धव ठाकरे को चुनौती दी थी और कहा था- आज मेरा घर टूटा है, कल तेरा घमंड टूटेगा।  साल 2022 में जब राजनीतिक उठापटक के बीच उद्धव ठाकरे को सीएम पद से इस्तीफा देना पड़ गया तो कंगना रनौत ने उद्धव ठाकरे पर तंज साधते हुए एक और वीडियो…

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In the live-action "One Piece" adaptation, there's a brief confrontation in which Cabaji says that Zoro chased him and his brother through the jungles of Goa Kingdom or something. Which made me think IMMEDIATELY about an AU in which Zoro and Luffy meet early, when Luffy is around 15 or so and Zoro is around 17, sometime shortly after Ace has set out on his own adventure and Luffy is on his own.

So, like, imagine Zoro being this 17yo bounty hunter who thinks he's hot shit, people are starting to call him "THE Demon of East Blue". He gets one Cabaji brother but the other escapes, leaving Zoro injured and alone in the jungle (similar to the side wound that Zoro gets at Orange Town in the manga). It's getting dark, he has a corpse to drag back to a Marine base somewhere back in Goa Kingdom, and there are beasts here. He thinks he can see a tiger, stalking him in the bush.

And then some 15yo in a straw hat and shorts bounces out of the trees going, "WHOOOOOAAAAA, you're SO cool! I was watching your fight! You're amazing! You should join my pirate crew!" Like... what? (If there was a tiger, the tiger has fucking RUN FOR IT. It doesn't want to be EATEN.)

So, Luffy drags Zoro back to Dadan's place for medical aid ("YOU BROUGHT A BOUNTY HUNTER INTO MY HOUSE?!" Dadan yells, while her guys patch up this kid anyway) and politely introduces Zoro to Makino ("I'm not going to be your first mate, don't introduce me that way," Zoro says for the tenth time already). And Zoro ends up being convinced to stick around Dawn Island and Foosha Village to train for a month (and also to heal, but that's less persuasive), with Luffy following him around like a starry-eyed puppy the entire time, unless he's dragging Zoro off to fight beasts and each other in the jungle. Kicking the shit out of each other is a sign of FRIENDSHIP.

Seeing Luffy's burgeoning fighting skills is enough to make Zoro go, "Maybe this kid is alright," and hearing Luffy talk about dreams is the beginning of Zoro's doom. But he's not going to sign up until Luffy is more impressive! If Luffy wants him for his crew, he has to come find Zoro when he sets out on his own adventure. And Luffy agrees this is reasonable even if he's going to miss his new best friend sooooo badly.

Now, I'm a Zolu fan (ace-spectrum Luffy), so I like to imagine Zoro and Luffy having a really dorky teenage romance between future monsters here. If only because when Luffy and Nami bust into Captain Morgan's Marine Base, Luffy can go (after 2 years of having Makino keep track of Zoro in the newspapers), "Oh, my boyfriend is here!!! 😃 I wonder how much stronger he's gotten? I need to impress him so that he'll join my pirate crew!!!" And Nami and Koby can be like, "What the FUCK are you talking about?! The PIRATE HUNTER?! The demon who kills pirates?!" Luffy: "Yeah! ❤️"

Even better if Luffy has already gone to a couple different islands (with or without Koby), loudly going, "I'm going to be King of the Pirates! And also, HAS ANYONE SEEN MY BOYFRIEND?! He has green hair and three swords and he gets lost really easily!" Or maybe Luffy was just shouting this on Alvida's ship and around the town under Morgan's control? It doesn't really matter. It just has to be loud enough that Garp finally catches wind of this situation.

𝐀𝐜𝐞, 𝐒𝐚𝐛𝐨 & 𝐋𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐲 [𝐇𝐂𝐬: 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 ]

✦ requested by anon for the free requests ➜ hi sashi! can you do a hc about random funny things asl trio would do to annoy you? much love❤️ ➜ hi sweety! of course! I suck at HCs but I tried! Hope you enjoy! thank you for requesting :3 ✦ tw: completely sfw. sweet funny hcs of these three pests. ✦ wc: 369

✦ Luffy doesn’t do it on purpose, but when you all eat together, he does it savagely. (His brothers too). Everything ends on your face, and if the piece is big enough he will lick it out of your face. Of course, Ace would laugh (and ultimately fall asleep over his food, getting even more pieces on your face) and Sabo will try to stop them (while his cheeks are pretty stuffed, and you can’t understand a single word of what he is saying)

✦ No matter how old they are, if they find a bug they will shove it in your face to show it how cool it is. Lord, why?!

✦They will “compete” for your love. “(Name), I am the strongest!” Ace will shout, pulling from your right arm. “No, clearly I am. Right, (Name)?” Sabo will state with a cocky grin and his hands on his hat. As for Luffy, he won’t say anything but attack you with his sticky hands (sticky from something he ate earlier) “I am, the strongest” he will say. And you, almost asphyxiated by his arms, will agree… “Ye- yes, Luffy…”

✦ Ace will use your hair products. Do you really think his waves were naturally so soft? You didn’t know who it was at first, however, you were sure it wasn’t Luffy. Come on, he bathes once a week! Ace will not admit it for the longest time until you decide to hide your products… “(Name), where is your shampoo?” “Ace… you bitch”

✦ Sabo will call you at any time, no matter if it’s 3 am in the morning, if there is any type of political news that he thinks everybody is interested in… “Sabo…? I was sleeping, what happened?” “Oh, (Name)! Can you believe they voted the new law against den den mushis in Goa Kingdom?!” “Sabo… ngh… ok…?”

✦ Movie night with the guys? sure, Luffy will eat everything and then fall asleep. His snoring will be louder than the movie volume itself, but ultimately you will giggle happily… whenever Luffy sleeps all of you melt at his cuteness.

But after all… who wouldn’t like to have these sun rays warming up your days? 💖

Okay you're making me obsessed with Sabosan- I'm in need to posts about them

Just an AU where they meet during childhood, like, Sabo and his parents go to Germa bc of some politic shit and he don't want to be there so he just walks around.

And be accident he finds Sanji outside the castle, crying, and he knows he is one of the princes since they were already presented to each other. But the boy is hurt and crying so much that Sabo can't not help him.

In the beggining Sanji is scared, but soon he notices the other blonde don't want to beat him like his brothers. They talk all the day and for the first time in Sanji's life, he feels like he made a friend.

When Sabo's family has to go back to Goa, both kids are sad but hope to meet again soon. After this, everything in Sanji's past happens (Sora's death, he being locked and running away).

Month's later, the nobles from Goa go again to Germa and Sabor receive the terrible news that Sanji is dead. This broke's his heart 'cause the boy was sweet and kind and even just being with each other during one day he was sure the prince was amazing.

Since Sanji were 8 and Sabo 9 during this, ge just meet Luffy one year later and all he can think sometimes is how much the two would love each other. But don't matter now, his friend is dead.

Everything happens, and years later he remember everything and all he can think is how he forget them? How he let other person he loves die? The boy is broke bc he lose another person.

And he is going to meet Luffy's crew, hearing his young brother talk about them when he says about a guy named Sanji and- Sabor freezes, he ask about him and this boy is identical to his dead friend- but can't be him, right...? He can't have hope.

When they arrive in the ship, he's knowing everyone and then he go to the kitchen with Luffy to meet said boy and- it's Sanji, alive. Breathing, older and so much beautiful.

And Sanji is looking at him too and- both are in shock. Luffy is there, confused and looking at the two. "Luffy, can I talk for a moment with your friend?" Sabo asks intenting to not show how he is emotional.

"Uh? You know each other?" Luffy ask but go outside the kitchen anyway, they still are silent during some minutes. Sanji is read to say something when Sabo hugs him.

"I thought you were dead" is all he says and the blackleg hugs him back, feeling bad for making Sabo think this.

Both don't say much, but they are happy they're together again.

Agh, you all know I am extremely weak for childhood AUs!!!!! This is beautiful :(

I can't stop thinking about Sanji obviously getting forced to meet Sabo, but he doesn't really want to because he always hates it when important people come over. Yes, his father is more distracted with them, but that leaves them a free day from training, and sometimes those are even worse than regular days. Because even if his brothers already make fun of him and beat him up when they train, whenever they're not doing anything it's even worse because they take their time and it's a complete nightmare. Besides, introducing himself with the name Vinsmoke has always made him want to throw up, even from a very early age, and there's this uneasy feeling inside of him whenever Judge speaks about him normally instead of saying how much of a disappointment he is. He prefers that rather than him lying to strangers because he knows what he says isn't true. He doesn't consider him his son, and he doesn't see him as his father either. It's nauseating.

When Sabo and Sanji get introduced along with the other Vinsmoke siblings, Sanji doesn't want to look up. He has to, of course, but he doesn't feel like being there at all. But he's even more scared of what might happen if he doesn't do what Judge says. When he looks up, he can tell that the kid in front of him doesn't want to be here either. He's good at pretending, though. He smiles politely and shakes their hands and it's obvious that he's been trained to act that way, but he doesn't look at all like a noble. He has a missing tooth and scratches in his hands and face and it's quite obvious that he tries to cover it (not him, his parents) but it isn't working for Sanji. Besides, there's this rage in his eyes that Sanji can't quite place but he knows something is going on with him. That just scares him even more, because, even if it's not the same rage his brothers have in their eyes, it's still rage. If he was a simple kid like all the others that have come to their kingdom with their families, Sanji would not be that worried, but he isn't. And Sanji fears the worst because he can't figure him out.

On the other hand, Sabo wants to jump off a bridge. He would rather drown than be here. Get the kid out of there!!!!!!!! He didn't want to come at all but his parents wouldn't stop pressuring him and tbh it was easier to end this quickly so he could go home even quicker (home being Gray Terminal and next to Ace, thank you very much). So he's on his best behavior so he can just quickly go back home. He hates them. The kids, he means. Rich, spoiled brats that are modified to be that way. To be selfish. To kill. It's disgusting and he despises how the father talks with so much pride about it. But- But he never, not even once, mentions the blond. He talks praise about all of his kids except him, but he also doesn't even mention him. Sabo can tell his name is Sanji because his brothers won't stop teasing him about stuff Sabo can't understand, but he knows enough to get that something's off. Whatever. Not his fight. Not his siblings. Not his responsibility.

But his sense of responsibility and morals are already strong enough to make him overly sensitive to this stuff, so he watches the behavior of the kids carefully. Their parents tell them to go do whatever because they're talking about "grown-up stuff" and they need to form "royal bonds for future needs" or whatever bullshit they keep making up. And, uh, Sabo fucking hates it. The kids are scary as fuck. Like, creepy. Type of thing he wishes Ace were with him for because this is way worse than the things they've seen happening at Gray Terminal. The way they speak about the staff and human lives is just disgusting. With no emotion in their voices other than plain selfishness and cruelty. They show Sabo around the castle and- And Sanji isn't around anywhere? Apparently? When he asks where he might be, that's when his brothers start trash-talking him. Calling him a coward. A weakling. Worse things Sabo does not want to repeat but- But it's just extremely fucked up. But again, not his fight. He can keep an eye on them but not intervene because he really, really wants to go home soon. And he's pretty sure this is just the way siblings talk about each other. Rich, noble siblings, at least. Even if Sanji seemed different, he's still one of them.

Sabo eventually gets bored of them, and also they're disgusting to be around. So he just disappears and hopes they don't give a fuck about him to look for him. That's when he finds Sanji crying outside of the castle. He really knows he shouldn't intervene. He never does when he goes to these meetings. But Sanji seems different. He's crying. These kids, in theory, should not be able to feel like this, right? There's just something so human about him, from the first second they saw each other, that Sabo can't help but want to protect him. He's not much older than him, but still. Sanji looks way weaker and shorter in comparison, and,, And in need of someone. Like he's always asking for help.

And so they talk. Sabo approaches him and the first thing Sanji does is flinching. He thinks Sabo is going to hit him, apparently? What the fuck. Sabo instantly kneels beside him to tell him that he is definitely not here for this, and why the hell would he even think that?? Sanji doesn't reply, of course, he just hugs his knees closer to his chest and looks away, hoping for Sabo to not ask more questions. But Sabo notices this glint of hope in his eyes that he doesn't want to show. Like begging for him to get him out of there. Sabo just sits beside him in a very nonchalant and very not noble way and starts talking. He tells Sanji how he doesn't want to be here either, and trash-talks his family and nobility and starts saying all of these things he only tells Ace about. He usually doesn't trust people so easily, and Ace would kill him for this, but Sanji needs this. And apparently, it doesn't bother him at all to give him this. Sanji starts opening up little by little, hope in his eyes and excitement starting to come out of his voice when they change subjects. Sanji, apparently, isn't like his siblings. In any way. And he likes cooking and sea creatures too! Sabo has a lot of stories to tell about those! And they keep talking and talking and hours pass and suddenly Sabo doesn't want to go home. It's not only fun to be here, but scary to leave if it means never seeing Sanji again and leaving him here. Especially when he tells him about everything his family does to him (because they end up talking about that) and he has to hold Sabo back from yelling because he has never been angrier in his entire fucking life. What the hell does this family think they are? Sanji doesn't deserve this. He's nice. Cute, too. Smart. Extremely sweet and empathetic. Selfless. Kindness itself.

But time moves quickly and they have to return to their ship. He hates leaving Sanji. He really does. But they promise to see each other again! He even gives Sanji his white handkerchief. The one he likes. The one that's all ripped and worn out. Because it's the one he uses the most. The one he uses when he's with Ace! And it has his initials engraved there, but the S is the only thing that can be seen, so it's okay! Sanji keeps it like a reminder of freedom and the fact that they'll for sure see each other again!

But they don't.

Because the news of Sanji dying reach Sabo and he's devastated. It's so unfair. And it's true. He knows he's dead and he can't do anything about it. But he also knows his family had something to do with it because he's not stupid. He has to move on past the rage, though, even if it's extremely infuriating and frustrating. He has to move on. Sanji, on the other hand, doesn't let go of the handkerchief and Sabo's words, even if he has lost all hope. Yadda, yadda, yadda, you know how the story goes. So Reiju helps Sanji escape and he knows he'll probably never see him again, but he still hopes. Sabo thinks, meanwhile, when he meets Luffy, that he'd love Sanji. With how much he keeps talking about food and dreams! And Sanji would love being here too. Well, not really, because Gray Terminal doesn't seem at all like something Sanji would enjoy, but it for sure would be better than Germa. And Sabo would be able to protect him too. It doesn't matter now, though.

Time-skip moment. Sabo remembers his childhood and his brothers and Sanji. And Ace just died. So great. It seems that the world is always against him. He doesn't have much time to think about Sanji because right now the only thing he has in mind is Ace, his fruit, and finding Luffy. But Sanji's image, for some reason, keeps appearing in his mind. He isn't sure why, but it's still engraved there. He tries to forget him, but now that he truly wants to forget, he doesn't. Fuck it. Well. Dressrosa happens. Yay! He got a brother back and Ace's fruit. Yadda yadda. We know how it goes.

He doesn't actually get to meet Sanji in Dressrosa because I'm trying to be loyal to the timeline, so let's say that this is post-wano and pre-egghead (and Sabo is fine and he isn't in the huge mess he's in right now). Sabo goes "oh, I want to pay an actual visit to my brother's crew. I didn't get to meet everyone properly" and that's when the cool stuff happens.

You know, he tells Robin first about it and she informs the crew and stuff. When Sabo gets there, the only one on deck is Luffy, so of course he gets all excited and jumps to hug him and keeps talking about his crew and how much he's gonna love everyone! Like Nami because she's super smart like him!!! And Usopp because he has the coolest inventions!! And Sanji because he is the best cook-

Wait, Sanji?

And it can't be, because his Sanji is dead. His Sanji can't be Luffy's Sanji, right? Impossible. He guesses it might be just a coincidence and tries to move on from Luffy's words. But then he starts meeting everyone and Sanji gets out of the kitchen to greet him and- Oh. Okay. Yeah. That's definitely him. He has not forgotten those eyebrows and blue eyes and bangs. He could tell it's him from a mile away. Sabo thinks it's his memory playing with him, but then he remembers Sanji's sudden death without any explanation and blames his young self for not realizing sooner what truly happened. What's funny is that Sanji had the same reaction, because when Luffy talks about Sabo for the first time, he freezes at the name. But he guesses it can't really be him, and Luffy doesn't talk enough about him for Sanji to make the correlation.

But no, yeah, it's definitely him.

As you said, they both freeze. And it's actually kind of weird because everybody is looking at them, but they're only focusing on each other so it's also extremely romantic. Sabo tries to act calm and collected when he asks Luffy if he can speak to Sanji in private, and Luffy instantly says:

Luffy: It's to ask for extra food, right?! I am not going to steal yours like when we were kids! I don't do that anymore! Usopp: He still does that. Luffy: But Sabo can have whatever he wants! Sanji will make it! But not more than me. I'm sure you're gonna do it just to piss me of- Sabo: Luffy, you can have all of my food if you want to. Just let me talk to him for a second. Luffy: ?? But why?! It's been so long. I want to be with you! Sabo: Because- Sanji: If you let us talk in private I'll give you two desserts. And more meat. We'll have whatever you want tonight. Luffy: OH! AWESOME! Nami: What is this about again? Franky: Yeah... It looks like you two know each other. Sanji: Who says we don't? Luffy: YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER? Sabo: No. Not- Luffy. Give us a moment. *They go into the kitchen together* Zoro: First he's a prince and now he's fucking Luffy's brother. Are we sure Curly doesn't have anything else to tell us? Luffy: He's not- Nami: Shut up!! I can't listen to their conversation through the door if you keep talking!

(She doesn't hear them at all, actually, because the others keep talking and Sabo and Sanji are pretty quiet and she gets bored of trying to spy on them).

They don't really know what to do except to stare at each other. Sanji is about to make some joke or something to make things lighter, but Sabo goes and instantly hugs him tight. Sanji feels he's about to start crying. Especially when Sabo says "I thought you were dead" / "Well, I am not" / "I can see that" / "I- I'm sorry. I truly hoped we could meet but- Things have been a little- Fuck. Just. I'm sorry. Judge- My-" / "Yes. I know. I mean. I don't know, but it's obvious you don't want to talk about it now and I know it's your shitty father's fault. Don't worry about it" / "... Alright" / "Is it weird if I don't want to let go of you?" / "Shut up. You're the one making it weird" / "You grew up. Quite a lot. Remembered you so tiny and cute" / "Oh, fuck you, I am not-" / "Still cute, though" / "You were nicer to me back then" / "You were less sarcastic" / "Touche" / "Hey! So you finally got to be a cook! And for the future king of the pirates! How does that feel?" / "Tiring. Exhausting. Frustrating... A dream come true" / "....... You look happier" / "I am.... Hey? Can you keep like- Holding me for a while? Because-" / "It's okay. Yes. If I let go of you I might start sobbing. This is fine. As long as we don't move, we're fine" / "Great". (Also have in mind that this is post-wano so Sanji is extremely sensitive and wants to kind of sort of die. This is probably the best thing that has happened to him lately. Or ever)

And this is getting reaaaally long already so to end this just say that they definitely end up kissing at some point and dating and then uh, things™ happen. But just think about them having a happy ending. I- I want to write a fanfic now. You can't do that to me. Ughhh. What if I did- What if I did write this fic- Thinking thoughts.

Royalty AU (ASL)

!!Likes do nothing, Reblog instead!!

Masterlist

•Asl royalty AU. Where they were all -minus Luffy- born not as nobles, but as normal kids. One day Roger -who’s “enemies” with Garp- gives the king his infant , claiming that the tiny human would be more then safe and secure with him. Garp takes the infant, after some small protest.

•From that day forward the infant -named Acrux- was raised inside the Goa kingdom palace, surrounded by servants that were at his beck and call. But the only one he truly ever liked, or even semi respected, was a lady in her late 30s called Dadan that was part of the guards. She took care of little Acrux and he would always go to her before anyone when needing someone, even his own grandpa.

•One day, however, Acrux got bored and left the palace in a “disguise” and with a fake name, Porgas D Ace. Acrux, or Ace now. Roamed around the capital of Goa, meeting various people who, in his opinion, were super mean rude and just plain boring. That is until he met a boy around his age named Raka. The boy was shorter than him by a bit and had blond short hair. He dressed like a noble but didn’t act like one, in fact he seemed to hate being one.

•So Ace did what anyone else would do and took the kids out with him to the jungle. They stayed there for a few days and decided that the two will continue to stay hidden so they can finally be free of their duties as nobles. That is until Dadan managed to find the two and drag both of them with her back to the palace. Raka’s -who decided to go under the alias Sabo- parents were waiting at the palace, worry painting their face.

•But Ace didn’t let them take his new brother back. So the two left Sabo at the palace, delighted that the crown prince had taken a liking to their little boy. And so Sabo became a prince. He attended etiquette lessons with his brother -he got so happy when he called him that- and went everywhere with him.

•One day the two boys were called by their grandpa, Garp, to the throne room. The two thought it was just another one of his weird harsh training sessions, but instead were greeted with the sight of young boy with black hair and the brightest smile ever. Garp introduced the boy as Nika, his biological grandson. Nika was more than delighted to meet them and decided to cling to them from that day forward.

•At first Ace and Sabo hated the kid and his clinginess. But as time went on the two ended up warming up to Nika and started treating him like their own brother. They taught him things that they knew. They took him with them places. And soon they took him with them to the treehouse and they did what both of them did in that treehouse, finding a different name for him, and that name was Monkey D Luffy.

•And that’s how the three grew up. Ace, the crown prince, Sabo, second in line for the thrown and Luffy, the shining star for the Goa kingdom. Years passed by like this. A few things did change however, Sabo getting more into politics, and Luffy somehow managed to recruit a bunch of random people throughout all the blues and make alliances with a bunch of countries.

•One day Luffy gets an invite to a banquet at a faraway kingdom, it wasn’t unusual for the young prince to get invites to various things from the most random people -he was extremely loved by young and old alike- so of course he accepted the invite without hesitation. But there was a minor problem, he couldn’t be left unsupervised and no one was free or could free up their schedules to go with him -except zoro but that was worse then him going alone-, so Garp assigned one of -if not- his most trusted knights, Koby.

•And so they sailed away. Koby -Luffy noted- was younger than him but very tense and nervous, especially around the prince. And no matter how many times Luffy told him to refere to him by his name as they are friends now, Koby kept referring to him by his honorific -Prince Nika-. As they spent more time together the two grew closer and closer. Koby started to open up to the young prince -even calling him Luffy once, which he beamed at- and Luffy opened up to him and hyped him up in return.

•By the time they returned the two had basically became best friends, and would seek each other out at random. Luffy would also always seek out the other whenever he had to leave, whether that be on a walk, a party or when going away on a voyage. At this point everyone knew that if you’re looking for Prince Nika, simply find Koby. And if you’re looking for Koby, simply find Prince Nika.

•As time passed people had noticed something shift between the two. While everyone knew how clingy and touchy Luffy can get, he was especially touchy with Koby.

•Whenever Koby was in the same room as him -weather it was just to hang out or for formal business like talking to the king- Luffy would always find a way to attach himself to the young knight. And Koby wouldn’t even flinch or back away nervously like how he does when anyone else gets too close to him. Instead he would lean into his touch. The people closest to them -the strawhat crew(the people under Luffy) Sabo Ace and Helpmo- also noticed how they would always take about one another and would always get excited when the other was brought up.

•The first one to bring this up was, of course, Nami. One day her and Luffy were sat in his study, her actually doing work while the teenager played with something. She started by testing the water, asking what Koby has been up to. And just as she predicted Luffy gave up right away and started yammering about how Koby was up for a promotion and what not. After around, 20 minute? Nami asked him the question.

•“Luffy, do you like Koby?”

•And of course being the idiot that he is Luffy didn’t get the question. So Nami explained it him. And after what felt like ages the young prince looked out the window, where the pink haired knight was talking to Ace, and smiled softly at the two.

•“Yeah” he said softly, voice filled with adoration and love “yeah I think I do”

!!requests are open!!

comments are more than appreciated. but reblogs help the content reach more people so please reblog if you want to like<3 likes do nothing. Seriously, don’t like, reblog.

Tag list🏷️: @dibbledoodle @midnightmah07 @siphoklansan @jade-s-nymph @carameldansan @drdepper

East Blue Blues

(Gen, no pairings)

Summary: What's a pirate like Shanks doing in a place like the East Blue?

When people -the newer members of his crew, Mihawk, the occasional bewildered ship of unprepared Marines- ask Shanks why a New World pirate takes a couple of months every few years to bum around the East Blue of all places, he'll usually laugh it off as vacation time. Sure, sure they are Grandline pirates and he's a man that grew up cutting his teeth on the New World, but if you were going to relax, you ought to do it right, yeah?

The straight-forward, honest waves, the temperate land -as if the entire sea was a spring island-, Marines and pirates that (with a few noticeable D. named exceptions) were so weak that they didn't even qualify as a fight, it was the perfect place to spend some drunken, lazy days singing sea shanties, appreciating the ocean breeze, and feasting on the spicy-sweet dishes of the region.

"Wasn't that all reason enough?" Shanks will answer, followed by a teasing threat that nobody better get any ideas about crashing his vacation time.

The few times they've met up over the years, Whitebeard never asks about these trips to the East Blue, he doesn't have to. Shanks is the type to return the favor - he's a good guy like that - so in addition to always bringing good booze when goes to see the old alcoholic, he doesn't mention how Whitebeard's eyes trace the horizon in the direction of Wano.

----------------------------------------------------------

Dawn Island's a bad place to dock a pirate ship - what with it being the home of the Goa Kingdom that most of the smaller islands in this region swear their allegiance and tax dollars to. Even worse, the nation is one of the Founding Twenty and is therefore subject to the dubious honor of World Nobles occasionally stopping by to check on their ancestors' old homeland. All of which means, it has a sizeable Marine presence nearby and enough political importance to call over someone with actual power if shit hits the fan.

All of this makes Foosha Village, on the opposite side of the mountain a great place for a pirate ship to dock, yes, really Benn, just think? What wet-behind-the-ears Marine, or over-dedicated challenger from the New World would think to look for the Red-Haired Pirates here?

Benn also never asks about their regular trips to the East Blue, which is probably good because Shanks has yet to successfully bullshit his first-mate once, in his entire life. (He'd never been able to bullshit Rayleigh either, perhaps it was the true mark of an excellent first-mate.) He's pretty sure, Benn knows because Benn probably knows everything, but his first mate never asks. Seems to make point of it even.

Whatever, whatever. Benn could pointedly not ask all he wanted. They'd picked up some great treasure on their trips to the East Blue each time anyway.

Some of the honest-to-sea-and-sun best goddam food Shanks has ever eaten at a restaurant shaped like a fish, the world's best and most chatty sniper in Yassop, and more than one case of excellent booze for Shanks to drink and to use as a bribe from when he wanted something from Whitebeard.

And it is with the scent-memory of that beer and grub lingering in his mind that Shanks strolls into the lone bar of Foosha village; Benn, Roo, Yassop and the rest busy restocking and exploring solo or in pairs, the better to not scare the sleepy village by presenting them with a pirate mob.

It is clean and well-kept on the inside - the floorboards scratched, but not tacky with unwashed alcohol and blood like more pirate orientated taverns. It's wall and shelves are adorned with bottles and old fishermen's knick-nacks. The only decoration that stands out is a framed poster of the East Blue's hometown hero, Garp the Fist, (the old loud-mouthed, Marine bastard).

The only people in the bar are its apparent owner, a pretty lady either ending her teens or starting her twenties, and what looks to be her only patron, a scrawny little brat swinging his legs back-and-forth under the bar stool. The rounded vowels and quick pace of the East Blue's spoken accent bounces to Shank's ears as the two banter fondly.

"Dinner was great, but Makino I'm still hungry. I need more meat!"

"Hmm, but I still see some vegetables left on that plate, so you can't be that hungry."

Shanks smiles.

--------------------------

Sea Kings may hunt and breed throughout the ocean, but they always returned to their home water of the Calm Belt to give birth and die.

Likewise, a man could sail a thousand seas and become the ocean's king, but he'd always carry the salt of his hometown.

Roger, his captain, might have conquered the Grandline but he'd still liked his food spicy-sweet, still sang shanties about peaceful waves and clear skies, still rounded his vowels and spoke quick.

That wayward Shogun Whitebeard took as a brother won't come back, not matter how much the old man stares at the horizon.

Likewise, no matter how often Shanks comes back to the East Blue, he won't find his captain, won't find his captain's hidden child if Roger and Rouge had any sense (they really didn't, but they'd had Rayleigh so close enough).

Still, the water here hooks beneath Shank's heart and above his stomach and pulls him back to the East Blue, like if perhaps he sails these specific waves enough it will quell the longing that rots in his gut to hear his Captain's laugh just once more, and for just a single cherished second longer to once again be chasing Roger's crazy dream all together with his family on the Oro Jackson.

------------------

Miss Bar Owner turns out to be named Miss Makino, and on top of a very pretty face turns out to be an absolute hoot in her ability to gently and politely smile through every tall-tale and crazy stunt a New World pirate crew can pull. In another life she'd have made a damn fine first-mate or ship's doctor with that nerve, though in this one, she's happy to live a peaceful life in a sleepy town, which Shanks can't begrudge her. Everybody's got their own dreams, after all.

The little runt is Luffy - a cute name for a cute little spitfire of a brat -, and he's great too. A fearless, mouthy child with more energy than anybody in Foosha knows what to do with, and eyes that sparkle like black diamonds when Shanks or any of his crew talk about their adventures, about their freedom.

A little pirate-to-be if Shanks ever saw one, and when the crew sets sail for their next bit of wandering then promptly sails right back to Foosha when it comes time for a resupply, his crew takes to calling little Luffy their Anchor and singing love songs about sailor's wives when Shanks so much as glances at Makino's place.

Assholes the lot of the them, right though they are.

Whatever, Shanks has found his treasure this trip in two new friends and lucky for his crew, he's the sharing sort.

-------------------

Anchor's a fun kid to tease, quick to anger and even quicker to forgive. He'll spend dinner at the bar arguing and shouting that he is 'definitively tough enough to be a pirate, you jerk', till Makino puts him to bed huffing, then excitedly shake Shanks awake an hour before sunrise and drag him giddily by the hand up a nearby cliff to show his friend the rising sun.

Luffy promises it's the coolest and prettiest sight on the whole island, and that he's only showing Shanks, just Shanks, cause he's his friend.

("Whipped", Roo mouths with glee as he watches the kid drag Shank's hung-over ass out of the door from where he's eating his breakfast, and Shanks would've flipped him off but Makino was watching.)

Waking up that early does suck, there are a million and one reasons Shanks could never be a Marine and one is definitely his desire to drink later into the night and sleep till lunchtime, but he'd got enough honor to respect Luffy sharing something he treasures with him.

The dawn's light really is stunning from the cliff side Anchor dragged them to. It paints the sky with an untameable riot of yellows and countless shades of fierce reds, all against a backdrop of brilliant blue, and Luffy laughs with unrestrained pride at the impressed look on Shank's face.

That horrific subtle riptide that always drags Shanks back to these waters still sits in his chest, but he's got good food in his stomach, a friend's laugh in his ear, and the rising sun in a clear sky, so -

... so for the first time in quite while, Shanks manages to ask, "What is your dream?"

Luffy turns to face him, a large-grin nearly splitting his cheeks.

"My dream - " he says, so excited to share, his dark hair standing out against the brightness of the dawn sun.

----------------------------------------

"My dream - " says Captain Roger, the sun behind him mimicking the old straw hat he's just plopped onto Shank's head, so excited to share like he's the kid, not Shanks

And, hearing this silly, impossible, ridiculous dream, Shank's can't help but throw back his head and -

-----------------------------------------

-laugh, and laugh, and laugh, free for the first time in more than a decade of the gut-rot of grief.

The Young Revolutionary

Chapter 6 KOALA TAKES A DEEP breath, then opens her eyes with determination.   I need to find out if the Outlooks’ son is close to marrying the princess of the Goa Kingdom.   Thanks to Sabo’s Den-Den Mushi, she managed to pass for a maid and slip into the home of her target without raising suspicion: gathering info about the Outlooks was the first part of her mission; then, she would infiltrate the royal palace.   Intelligence gathering was vital for the revolutionaries.   Focused, Koala steps into the room she had been assigned to clean; once inside, the first thing that catches her attention is the only window, which is fenced off with wooden planks. That wasn’t something she expected to find in a noble house.   “Surprised?” A think voice with a pompous tone makes her heart skip a beat. “This was my stepbrother’s room once, but the fool tried to run away from our oooh-so-perfect noble life and ended up dying. Before that, he was locked up here, but eeeeven that was not enough to make him regain his wits.”   Forcing herself to act calmly, Koala turns around and lightly bows to the child: Stelly, the only son of Outlook III... or so she had believed until now. Dragon hadn’t told her all the details before the mission, fully trusting Koala: she could do her research and discover everything she needed by herself, but this revelation wasn’t something she had foreseen: a noble trying to leave a life of leisure by their own will? That was something new to her.   Wait, what if…?   Foreboding creeps into Koala’s mind, and she wishes she were alone to search the room for clues… However, that noisy brat didn’t seem intentioned to leave yet.   “My fooooolish stepbrother even made friends with two diiiirty vagabond kids once: he called them his ‘brothers’… Ewww!”   Stelly was still young, but Koala felt disgusted by his words and smug face; the adults’ influence had already corrupted that child.    Luckily, Outlook’s son finally leaves the room after spouting more boastful words (“I need to dress uuup for the court ball!”).   Koala bows at him politely while her heart starts pounding faster.   It’s time to work!   She tugs up her sleeves, forgetting that they are just virtual projections, and starts turning the room upside down (not to leave traces of her investigations, she would clear things up later). --- “Do you think Koala will be all right?   “She will. Please stop fidgeting and help me talk with that group of people. Dragon wants to know if the Goa situation has improved since he visited four years ago.”   “…But what if she’ll drop my Den-Den Mushi?”   “Stop it, Sabo. She isn’t a child—she’ll be ok.”   “But—”   “Fine! If you’re so much worried, then check on her. As you are now, you’re useless here anyway.”   “Thank you, Hack!” The blond revolutionary takes a pipe from a pile of scraps and runs to the capital, leaving Grey Terminal behind. --- Koala sits on the dusty bed, still unsure what to think of what she has just discovered.   A diary…   She had found it she found in a secret compartment of the desk.   …his diary.   Filled with dreams and adventures to come that the child who had once breathed and lived in that room had secretly written down.   Koala feels tears burning in her eyes. She had always wondered why Sabo had that lonely look sometimes… Well, now she knew.   But does he remember?   To her knowledge, Sabo hadn’t regained his memories yet. But what if he had but was keeping it secret? If so, did Dragon know, too? The leader of the Revolutionary Army didn’t like to meddle in the revolutionaries’ past: he respected their privacy as long as they were dedicated to the cause and behaved accordingly. No one of them knew who Monkey D Dragon really was, either.   Anyway, you did have brothers, Sabo…   “Well, you still have one—for what it's worth.” Koala scoffs.   She was more curious about his sworn brothers: Ace and Luffy. Were they still alive? Their names didn’t ring a bell; they couldn’t be revolutionaries. Did that mean they still lived in Goa?   I need to talk to Sabo about this!   Koala stands up with a start but then sits down again. She puts her face into her hands and whispers, “I can’t… what if he doesn’t want to remember his past?” That wasn’t something she should choose for him.   “Koala, are you ok?”   Her head jolts up upon hearing Sabo’s voice.   That same question again.   Sabo asked her the same thing just the previous day. She smiles and nods at him, starting to cry despite herself.   Seeing her like that, Sabo tears one of the planks from the window and climbs into the room. “What happened? Are you hurt?”   “Sabo… I’m so sorry…”   “‘Sorry’?” he repeats, puzzled, sitting with her on the bed. “Sorry for what?”   “I…” Koala sniffles. “I discovered something about you… I d-didn’t mean to… No, that’s not true. I was…” She lowers her gaze. “I was curious, so I read this.”   When Koala gives him the diary, Sabo takes it with just the slightest hesitation. But once he opens it and starts reading the childish writing, his eyes go wide. [TO BE CONTINUED]

I’m posting this a bit late in my time zone, but I skipped posting a chapter for #saboala_hd27cmday last month so I didn’t want to skip it again. This time, the chapter is a bit longer than usual—I hope you’ll enjoy it!  ^^ (For new readers, this is a canon-divergence SaboKoa story, and you can find all the previous chapters linked in the comments.)

The Dragon's Clause

Sabo x Fem Reader CW: Forced marriage, intrigue, character death, fantasy violence, blood, magic, language, smut, 18+ mdni

Tag List: @mfreedomstuff

Chapter 2: Word About Town

Approaching the capital city of the Goa Kingdom was a relief for several reasons. It was good to be done with your long journey, but also the state of the infrastructure leading up to the city was remarkably well cared for.

Some kingdoms didn’t have the capacity to maintain their roadways, and some kingdoms let them rot unless they were paths commonly traveled by nobility or the Empire. Oftentimes the maintenance of such farm roads and trade routes fell to the people who needed them the most.

Between merchant-maintained and farmer-maintained, you found you preferred the latter over the former. Merchants would often opt to set up informal checkpoints, and while the fees could be manageable, sometimes the enforcers were not. Farmer maintained roads were often of better quality, since farmers would simply walk their livestock over the roads.

Repeatedly.

This made for remarkably smooth and wide roadways. The only downside being that these paths often reeked. But the stench of manure tended to be less headache than dealing with those who were full of it.

You hadn’t traveled all the roads between Lulusia and Goa, but the roads between any two kingdoms were rarely traveled by nobility. As a rule, anything more than three days was worth the cost of magic, so any nobles who traveled by carriage further than that were either poor, miserly, or trying to win the favor of the masses.

Technically, you fell into none of the three categories, because you were neither important enough, nor powerful enough, to command the wealth that was associated with your name. But more to the point, a good infrastructure was a good sign.

You had no care for useless opulence, and no desire to deal with vapid royals. A functional kingdom was the sign of functional royalty, and that was the bare minimum you had hoped for. Most nobility married for politics, so you’d long since set aside the ideal of love, even more so when your father died. Your Uncle might not have loved you as warmly as your father had, but if this was how you could repay him then so be it.

None of this sat in your heart as malcontent. It was what it was, and you had only to make the best of what you could within those lines. It was far easier to find joy when those around you were competent.

Just inside the main city proper you found an inn. You had funds enough to put yourself and your small retinue up for a month of days, so it wasn’t an issue to get everyone rooms and get them settled. Everyone was road-weary, your coachman and knights more so than yourself, you were sure. You provide each with ample funds to eat as they pleased, and to drink with consideration toward your destination the next day.

Small in number, but your Uncle did not send you to a new country with fools, and you were grateful for their collective competence. Something you would miss after tomorrow, since all four would take the long journey back to Lulusia. Another kingdom’s knights would not be provided entry into Goa’s castle, unless they were your own personal guards, and even then the King could deny them if he so desired.

Such an action would cause strain between the two lands, but as you did not have personal knights, it wasn’t something for you to be worried about right now.

You paid handsomely for a hot bath to be brought up to your room and prepared. It wasn’t an easy process, and an inn just inside the city gates wouldn’t have many who would request it, but it was worth the cost. You cleaned most of the muck and grime of the last week off before even getting in the bath, making use of it to soak for a long while until you caved in and washed your hair.

Basic cantrips had kept you and your small entourage mostly clean during the long travel between Capital cities, but they had limits. Cantrips couldn’t clean as well as proper baths, and the longer you went between one the harder it was to get accumulated grit and grim free. The week and change wasn’t too terribly long, but you were used to bathing far more regularly, and could

With a bath at your disposal there was no reason to delve into anything more advanced. Another draw of cantrips was that they didn’t leave any marks and were almost impossible to track, unlike advanced magic, which could draw unwanted attention. The restrictions upon it could also come back to bite you, so it was better to avoid even considering it until you were properly settled.

Simple clothing was your choice for the evening, and you went down into the inn’s common areas to eat and relax. The best part about your upbringing was how you could easily fit into two very different worlds.

Life on the road wasn’t about etiquette, and until you’d gone to your Uncle’s castle, all you had learned about socializing was from fighters and rowdy tavern keeps and campfire gatherings. As long as you dressed down you weren’t anything more than a young lady enjoying a meal after having traveled. It was unlikely someone would match you up with the noble who came in earlier - the very idea of nobility dressing down was taboo. Besides, all you wanted to do was eavesdrop for a couple hours while nursing some ale and a hot bowl or two of stew.

Most of it was expected. News about an expedition to the Northern border to cull the monsters. Those happened about once a month, depending on the ferocity of the beasts, and how much their bones were worth. There was some scattered chatter about how the Crown Prince’s fiancée was due to arrive any day now from the kingdom of Lulusia, but no one seemed to say much beyond that.

It was good that there weren’t any rumors about you or your cousin, but it was a little interesting how little the people were talking about the royal family of Goa at all. Some kingdoms barred commoners from speaking to nobles first, but no one barred them from speaking about nobles as far as you knew.

You weren’t even sure how such a thing could be enforced. People would just start talking in code anyway, but there wasn’t even a sense of that in the idle chatter of the inn.

Even if they weren’t going to talk about concerns or joys or praise, commoners still gossiped the same as anyone else. You didn’t hear them mention any other noble households, at least not directly. People mentioned some when they were talking about the expedition, but they were merely listing who was going and who wasn’t.

Maybe the people were tense for some reason, related to the nobility or not, and it had trimmed down their desire to gossip. You drained the rest of your drink and were about to step away when a shout caught your attention. A small gesture from you kept the guards away - you weren’t trying to draw attention to yourself.

“Say that again, you rat!” One man bellows, standing up, and over, the one who had raised his voice first.

The smaller man seems unbothered by the other’s size, finishing off his drink before responding.

“I said yer a fool.” He repeats, standing up and squaring off despite barely coming up to the first man’s chest. “How could you think the Grand Duke would only take ‘alf as many knights as usual fer any other reason ‘dan the prince forced ‘im?”

The taller man visibly bristles. “You’ll call him the Crown Prince, as is proper!” He bellows. “An’ he wouldn’t put his brother in harm’s way like that! The Duke’s just too arrogant to ask fer extra help!”

Ah, that explains a lot, you muse to yourself.

There was a deep divide in the kingdom, at least among the commoners. People didn’t gossip cause it was easy for it to turn into a squabble over the smallest things. Usually this sort of divide only happened when there was an impending war of succession on the horizon, but there were no other signs of it. The Grand Duke had no desire for the throne, and the Crown Prince would be solidified in his position the second he was officially engaged.

But these people were really passionate about their stances. Already the rumors you were aware of were proving to be at least slightly wrong. There wasn’t any true malice in their bickerings, and they weren’t referring to either party as cruel or unjust; whatever the cause for the divide was, it wasn’t some sort of “good vs evil” situation.

That probably just made it more complicated, and drove the dividing lines deeper. Nebulous concepts often caused people to dig their heels in even deeper than objectively clear-cut ones.

“Yer precious lil’ Prince can’t even-.”

“OI!” Someone else bellows over him, smacking the smaller man across the back of his head. “You mind yer tongue, or you’re gonna lose it.” He admonishes.

You knew the Crown Prince was adopted. It wasn’t a secret, and maybe there was a point of contention among the people that made small concerns larger in their minds. Commoners could get more bull-headed about bloodlines than even some nobles. If you believed in the Divine Clause as something more divine and less legal, then a little fanaticism wasn’t surprising.

Turning away and heading to your room, you wondered what it was that the Prince couldn’t do.

Lula in China: The End of Brazil’s Flirtation With the Quad Plus

The new Lula administration has brought Brazil’s China policy back in line with its traditional approach, after the anti-China rhetoric of Jair Bolsonaro.

In 2018, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi dismissed the idea of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), formed by the United States, Japan, India, and Australia, asserting that it would “dissipate like sea foam.” The Quad, created to facilitate the convergence of the four countries in terms of policies toward the Indo-Pacific, not only proved to be resilient over time but also intensified its activities in the region under both former U.S. President Donald Trump (2017-2021) and current President Joe Biden. During this period, the consultation between the group members went from being a biannual foreign ministerial dialogue to head of government-level consultations. 

Analysts introduced the term Quad Plus in 2020 to describe a minilateral dialogue of states that extends the Quad beyond the four lynchpin democracies. However, while the term “Quad Plus” is not officially endorsed by Washington, Canberra, New Delhi, and Tokyo, it has become shorthand for non-Quad members that are closely cooperating with the group. That list includes other important U.S. partners such as Brazil, South Korea, Vietnam, Israel, New Zealand, and France. The idea originated during the uncertainty and global tensions at the time of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first concretization of the Quad Plus framework took place on March 20, 2020, when then-U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun proposed a Quad meeting including Vietnam, New Zealand, and South Korea, which aimed to enable an exchange of assessments of the national pandemic situation of participant nations and align their responses to contain its spread. Later, a foreign ministers-level meeting in May 2020 with the participation of Israel, South Korea, and Brazil consolidated the Quad Plus with a global outlook. The extended initiative also materialized for the first time in the security realm in April 2021, when France led the La Pérouse Naval Exercise in the Bay of Bengal. 

The unstated motivation of the Quad is the shared concern among the four original members about the rise of China’s international political and economic clout and the desire to check Beijing’s increasing military activities in the South and East China Seas. At the time, Brazil seemed to share such wariness in relation to Beijing since it was under the Jair Bolsonaro administration (2019-2022). The far-right former Brazilian Army captain aligned the country’s foreign policy to Washington’s interests. Bolsonaro also embraced fierce anti-Chinese rhetoric due to his distaste for Communism and China’s growing investments in sensitive Brazilian sectors like agriculture, meatpacking, and mining. Bolsonaro insinuated that China had engineered the COVID-19 virus and purposefully spread it worldwide to benefit from the pandemic economically. 

Despite contentious relations with the East Asian power, Brasília failed to concretize a rapprochement with the Quad. It happened for three main reasons. First, Brazil is clueless about the Indo-Pacific. It lacks a full-fledged long-term strategy toward the region and has failed to include the very term “Indo-Pacific” in its official vocabulary. Brazil’s geographical position, facing the South Atlantic Ocean, and its limited capacities of naval power projection beyond marginal seas make it unlikely that Brasília will be able to ensure the freedom of navigation in a region half a world away. For example, among the last seven IBSAMAR Naval Exercises, carried out with India and South Africa, Brazil deployed an offshore patrol vessel to Goa only once. 

Continue reading.

First Raindrops Always Taste Bitter

[LawLu Week 2022 Day 2]

Prince Luffy was a blessing born in a human body, a secret hidden from the population of the kingdom of Goa. Being the third prince and much younger than his siblings, this prince grew up healthy, often spotted in the shadows of the castle’s crypts and garden. The prince was mostly found creating havoc in the royal kitchen or chasing the royal horses and spreading joy and laughter. He had no interest in politics nor in gaining a name for himself, things the prince cared about, were running away from his lessons and playing around and having good food.

He was born on the seventh year of the long draught that had followed after a long winter, the queen and the king had prayed to the gods for a blessing; to grant the kingdom with rain. The day Queen Luna went into labour, was the day the grey clouds gathered, and after a thunderous night long struggle Prince Luffy was born, he laughed instead of wailing! With his first laugh, the rains began to fall. The kingdom of Goa respired; the farmers rejoiced, the sailors wept, fisherfolk wailed and everyone cried. Cattles bleated, the plants thrived, flowers bloomed, and the dust settled down.

The blessing was discovered a month later, Prince Luffy was giggling in his crib and people around him began to giggle without any reason. The more they laughed, the lighter they felt, by the time the news of the laughing mania spread, King Dragon’s face dusted with anger and laughter and the entire castle was drunk on giggles. In no time, it was understood, Prince Luffy was blessed! His joy was contagious and if he had made too many people laugh, rain would fall. King Dragon thanked the gods again! He bowed to the gods for days to have sent them a blessing of rain!

The Covid-19 pandemic played a key role in the global supply chain logjam of the last 18 months that has disrupted commerce and fueled a cost-of-living crisis around the world. And it seems that no pipeline escaped its impact. After years of trying to raise awareness about a shortage of dogs with the necessary genetic, physical, and emotional attributes to work as bomb-detection dogs in the United States, experts say that pandemic-related turmoil has complicated the situation even more.

The US sources 85 to 90 percent of its detection canines from overseas, particularly from European countries like Germany and the Netherlands. Dogs receive advanced training in a number of sub-specialties including bomb and drug detection and search and rescue. But their breeding, genetics, environment, and training during early life are all crucial to producing dogs with the mental and physical characteristics that will protect them on the job and enable a good quality of life. 

“The canine nose is the best technology we have for locating explosives, so we need to have a very consistent and high-quality source of dogs,” says Sheila Goffe, vice president of government relations at the American Kennel Club. "We used to talk about, well, what if there's a global crisis or geopolitical issues, we’re not going to be able to get all of these dogs we’re importing from Europe. And then it happened.”

In congressional testimony in March 2016, Cindy Otto, executive director of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center at the University of Pennsylvania, warned the Senate homeland security committee about these risks. “By outsourcing our national security requirements we give up control of the type of dogs, the health of the dogs, and the early training of the dogs,” she said at the time. “We also are at risk for supply interruption due to politics, disaster, or disease.”

Today, she says that she sees progress toward expanding the domestic supply of detection dogs in the US. Expanded federal contracts for projects at Johns Hopkins Advanced Physics Laboratory, Auburn University, Gallant Technologies, K2 Solutions, and others are working to develop new technologies and procedures to support an expanded network for domestic detection dog breeding. And programs like the American Kennel Club's “Patriotic Puppy Program” are working to teach existing US breeders about the requirements and criteria for specifically focusing on detection dogs. But she adds that the progress has been incremental and takes years of foundational work to bear fruit.

“I wish we were way further along, but certainly the pandemic slowed the research down, slowed all the programs down," Otto told WIRED. “It restricted the inflow of dogs from overseas and slowed progress in this country to establish alternatives—it just beat us all up.”

Last month, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a nearly 100-page report about working dogs and the need for federal agencies to better safeguard their health and wellness. The GOA says the US federal government had approximately 5,100 working dogs, including detection dogs, across three federal agencies, as of February. Another 420 dogs “served the federal government in 24 contractor-managed programs within eight departments and two independent agencies,” the GAO report says.

The report also underscores the demands placed on detection dogs and the potential for overwork if there aren't enough dogs available. "Working dogs might need the strength to suddenly run fast, or to leap over a tall barrier, as well as the physical stamina to stand or walk all day," the report says. “They might need to search over rubble or in difficult environmental conditions, such as extreme heat or cold, often wearing heavy body armor. They also might spend the day detecting specific scents among thousands of others, requiring intense mental concentration. Each function requires dogs to undergo specialized training.”

As institutions emerge from pandemic restrictions, they are scrambling to make up lost time on two equally important components of the problem: developing procedures for reliably producing successful detection dogs and actually breeding and raising puppies. Auburn University focuses on the former.

“At Auburn, we were fortunate that the pandemic did not force us to stop doing research altogether, but we were affected by scheduling issues, supply chain issues, all the things that slow the pace of progress down,” says Skip Bartol, associate dean of research and graduate studies at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. “There is not yet a road map to a complete solution to domestic sourcing for detection dogs, but what we are trying to do is establish best scientific practices. Everything from making sound genetic decisions about the breeding of detector canines to their development as puppies to how early environment affects their lifelong potential.”

Problems with procurement and breeding during the pandemic mean that the population of bomb dogs working in the US right now may be aging and stretched even more than usual. And the bottom line, for now, is that the US is still heavily reliant on procuring detection dogs from other countries. As the University of Pennsylvania's Otto puts it, “It's a combination of factors, but there is definitely still a very unmet need.”

उद्धव के इस्तीफे के बाद शिवसेना के बागी नेता गुवाहाटी से पहुंचे गोवा

उद्धव के इस्तीफे के बाद शिवसेना के बागी नेता गुवाहाटी से पहुंचे गोवा

Image Source : ANI Maharashtra Crisis Highlights बागी विधायक एक चार्टर्ड फ्लाइट से गोवा पहुंचे 10 इंडिपेंडेंट MLA भी गुवाहाटी से गोवा आ चुके हैं सभी विधायक रात में यहीं रुकेंगे, सुबह जाएंगे मुंबई Maharashtra Crisis: महाराष्ट्र की राजनीति ने नई करवट ले ली है। महाराष्ट्र के मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव ठाकरे ने अपने पद से इस्तीफा दे दिया है। वहीं, महाराष्ट्र विधान भवन में कल गुरुवार को होने वाले फ्लोर…

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I know I've talked about him a lot on Discord but here's an intro to my boy Luca with an image of him!

[Id: an ink drawing of a young boy with short and curly black hair. He is eyeing something at his left suspiciously, one eyebrow raised. He looks displeased. He is wearing an unbuttoned dress shirt that is too big for him, and underneath he has an unspecified top. Next to him, words "Luca 15yo". End id.]

So, my darling boy Luca. He's the youngest of 3 siblings: Tiago, Susana, and Luca. His family is an old line of shipmakers from the eastern shores of Verduena but neither Luca nor his older siblings have a particular skill for building ships. Tiago, Luca's older brother, is fifteen years older than Luca while Susana, the sister, is 10 years older. Before having Luca, his parents had tried for a child a few times but lost the baby not too far into the pregnancy. Luca was a happy surprise to the whole family, although Susana was very confused about the baby.

Luca had a happy childhood. He was often doted on and there were no expectations on him the same way that his siblings had. Sometimes Luca found himself hearing fights between Tiago and their father about how Tiago was supposed to continue the tradition of shipbuilding in the family. Usually, after those fights, Luca asked Tiago to tell him stories - that's how Luca learnt all the stories of different gods and spirits that helped the world go round.

Every winter, Luca's family boards sea nomads. The ship Goa returns like clockwork and her eldest, Mielzik, stays in the house with some of the nomads while the others stay with other villagers of Reurachna. Having lived decades, Mielzik knows a lot about the world and she would often tell stories of different countries, of their religions, of their cultures, of their languages. That was how Luca and his siblings found their passions; Tiago with religions, Susana with politics, and Luca with languages.

On the spring of Luca's tenth birthday, Tiago ran away as Goa left the shores of Reurachna. Come winter, Mielzik returned with the news of Tiago's passing on the sea. The news broke something in Luca - he had always looked up to the rebellious and kind-hearted older brother that Tiago was. This was the only time that Luca took part in building a ship of any kind. With his father, Luca built a traditional funeral boat that was filled with mementos of Tiago and sent to the sea. Unlike the funerals of north, coastal Verduena tends to let the boats to simply drift past the horizon along with the memory of the deceased.

Five years later, Luca ran away too. His sister had become a politician in the capital of Verduena and he'd made an excuse of visiting her while in reality, he joined a caravan of travelling merchants headed for Olyad, the city where the gods of creation were worshipped. There, he planned to buy a map of the world so he could begin his journey of studying languages and learning how the world around him was shaped. The world, however, turned out to be quite the fickle place, and Luca found himself in an adventure before he even got the map.

Later, Luca made his way north to study the Northern Creole and other languages from the Reyd area. There he, much to his shock, finds out that Tiago was not dead - he had been saved by another nomadic ship and taken to the archipelago of Fallen Stars. While on another adventure, the brothers reconnect, but a small seed of fear remains in Luca's chest. This causes Luca to act rashly and nearly lose his life in the process. It is only then that Tiago understands what his disappearance did to Luca. Luckily, a soul bird is sent from the heavens to make sure that Luca remains alive. Thus begins Luca's journey of healing, once the brothers return home.

Luca is a curious soul, but sometimes he finds himself terribly sad out of nowhere. It takes him some time to learn to trust new people, especially those who are as bright-eyed as Luca's brother once was. Having travelled the world often on foot, Luca is a good hiker, but not very agile. He has a decent grasp on geography and orienting himself in a pinch, but he prefers travelling by the road.

Once, during a rather surprising meeting with a dwarven family, Luca admits that he is self-conscious over the lack of beard he's experiencing (he is 25 at the time) and the dwarven father gifts him some small gemstones that should hasten the growth of Luca's beard. A month or so in, it turns out that the stones really do work :---D

Hello, love ♥ We keep coming up with all sort of fun brarg "Dinner with the in-laws" takes, but I'd like to know if you have any hcs about Port and his relationship with Arthur's former colonies

Hi Oxi!

Hmm, I think Port tried to keep a distance between himself and Arthur's former colonies in the beginning. Arthur already had a lot on his plate with Francis and Antonio, so he kept himself out of their drama and preserved his marriage.

After that, I think Afonso gets along well with Matthew, he understands what's like to be the underappreciated twin and would tell Arthur to show him more love and appreciation. He thinks Matt is cute and sweet, saw a bit of himself in him.

His relationship with Alfred is a bit more complicated. Out of all of Arthur's former colonies, Afonso is closest to Alfred, but they're not particulary close (if that makes sense).

In general, Afonso likes Alfred. He thinks he's a good kid who means well and they can work together quite well. They've worked together in WW2 and later with his military base in the Azores, but, like most people, he does not like when he messes in Afonso's affairs. Nor does he think he's a good boyfriend for Luciano, their relationship was too one sided in his opinion.

He's a bit jealous of how close Alfred is to Arthur though, to be honest. Alfred might seem self-centered and obnoxious, but he loves Arthur and shows it by coming to his place to annoy him, shows interest about Arthur's news and politics, still reads English classics and as taken Arthur's side on basically all conflicts. If someone hurts Arthur, Alfred would destroy them, that's a given. Makes Port wish he had a bond like that with Brazil.

India is even more complicated because he used to be his colony too. They very recently began to make amends and are now business partners, so I hc that they talk a lot in meetings and Port frequently asks about Goa. Do not tell Brazil this, but Port gave India back his gold artifacts.

The other former British colonies, Afonso knows but isn't close, so he's cordial. He's polite obviously to New Zealand and Australia, and he's grateful Australia helped Timor-Leste. Hong Kong makes him feel guilty that he failed to make Macau more important in the Asian trade, but he has no problems with him.