#Law & Order UK One Shot

[moody-alcoholic]

Uninvited Guest

Summary: 2.2k words. Ghoap x Reader, throuple. Reader is female (she/her), army nurse, non descript physical features, names used: Ashe

CW: Unconscious person, mentions of drugging someone repetitively.

Previous parts - masterlist - next part

It's a little shorter but enjoy <3

19:25

Price was still talking over the plan when they made it to the house. Ghost knew they were only here for one thing; the documents Soap found. It’s the evidence they need but Ghost knows it’s a long shot. He looks over at Soap, he’s smiling, of course he is, Ghost almost wants to roll his eyes.

The van pulls up to the front doors. He can see Chloe’s mother and father as well as extended family talking with officers. There’s a man with a suit tapping things on a tablet, Price said they’d called their lawyers. Everyone gets out the van as Price walks over to who Ghost assumes is the man in-charge of the whole raid.

“Found anything?” Price asks. 

“Seized some electronics as per the order. Nothing unusual though. They have sports rifles and shotguns, licences check out.” The officer says.

“Soap take Ghost to the room you saw strip the place.” Price says turning to them to give orders. 

“Gaz stick with me, we’ll search the ground floor.” Ghost doesn’t wait turning towards to house with Soap on his heals. It’s just how he likes it, as long as Soap is nearby it’s one less thing to worry about. Ghost watches as the eyes of the family follow him and Soap into the house. There are people missing, most notably Jack, Ghost knows from the briefing he’s not deployed. He could be anywhere, they haven’t exactly been keeping an eye on him.

After the incident in Syria he was sent back to the UK, his father-in-law covered for him which was to be expected. Then he went quiet, the theory was he was being told to lay low. A shiver ran up Ghost’s spine, there was something wrong with this picture. Ghost tried to ignore it letting Soap pass him to lead him into the house.

“Excuse me!” Someone calls forcing Ghost and Soap to stop in their tracks and turn around. The man Ghost assumed was the lawyer is walking towards them. 

“Excuse me but you don’t look like police.” He says. 

“Well spotted.” Soap says coming to stand next to Ghost. 

“Well I don’t see anywere on this warrant that you’re allowed access here.” He says showing a piece of paper to Ghost who is mostly ignoring it, not that he would understand the legal jargon anyway. 

“Problem boys?” Price says stepping up behind Ghost. 

“He says we’re not to be here.” Soap says.

“Here.” Price says handing him a piece of paper. 

“MI5? Hold on a second. Don’t enter the property until I have verified this.” The man says taking his phone out and turning to walk away. Ghost turns to Price. 

“Hurry up then, I want to get out of here as quick as possible.” Price says turning to walk back over to the officers and Gaz. Ghost watches the lawyer with his back now turned  on the phone, then walks into the building.   

“Up this way LT.” Soap calls heading for the stairs. Ghost follows him making it up to the first floor. Soap leads Ghost into an office. The place is a mess, shredded paper and books flung everywhere. 

“Shite.” Soap says. 

“Someone's had fun.” Ghost says. Soap walks over to the desk, he’s trying to open the drawers but they’re locked. He looks up at Ghost. 

“Price, we’ve made it but the place has been ransacked.” Ghost says into his radio as Soap starts looking through the pieces of paper that never made it through the shredder. 

“There’s nothing useful here.” He says shoving some papers off the desk. Ghost can hear the annoyance in his voice. 

“What about the drawers can you get them open?” Ghost asks looking round the room. All the walls are covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves. What parts of the room missing shelves are covered in expensive art. 

“Na, they’re locked.” Soap says trying to rattle them to see if they’re just stuck. Ghost comes around to see the papers, he can’t make out what the shredded ones are but there have been pictures, and folders, all sorts of things have been through the shredder not just papers. 

“Got anything we can open it with?” Ghost asks. 

“Yeah but shouldn’t we ask them if they have a key first?” Soap asks. 

“Price we’ve got locked drawers up here, any chance we can get a key? Maybe some officers to secure evidence?” Ghost wait’s for Price’s response as he walks over looking at the books pulled off the shelves. He notices the wood looks different and presses down on it. 

“Soap come look at this.” Ghost says as the wall gives way under his hand and it opens a secret compartment. It’s empty but that explains the books on the floor. 

“Shite there could be loads of them.” Soap says looking round the room. There is commotion in the hallways as Ghost hears the lawyer and other people making their way up to the room. 

“I told you to wait downstairs until we’d verified your paperwork!” The lawyer snaps. Ghost looks over at him, he can see the mother behind talking to a police officer. Gaz pushes his way through into the room. 

“They don’t have a key.” Gaz says handing Soap a crowbar. Ghost watches as the officers try to keep them out the room.

“You better not be destroying that desk it’s an antique!” The mother calls in horror as she watches Soap go over. 

“Give us a key then.” Soap says. Ghost looks at him, he looks serious eyeing them down as he waits for a response. 

“They can’t do this you can’t destroy property!” The lawyer shouts. Soap looks up at Ghost as he moves round to the desk stopping as he pushes the crowbar into place. Ghost nods. Fuck the bureaucracy this could be their only chance.     

  ——————————  

21:00

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Mark asks Jack from the back of the car. Jack doesn’t say anything right away looking at the address written on the paper for the millionth time. This is not a good idea it’s a terrible idea, it could get them thrown in prison or worse killed. He has to do this though prove to his father he can fix the fuck up he’s caused.

“You scared?” Jack asks turning to look at Mark in the back seat. 

“No, just.” Mark looks away shaking his head.

“Spit it out!” Jack snaps. 

“We’re going up against trained SAS soldiers.” Marks says. 

“You are a trained SAS soldier, and besides we’re getting her not them.” Jack says turning back to look out the front window. 

“Why is she so important anyway? She’s just fucking them.” Brian says scoffing. 

“She’s not just fucking them Brian! You should have seen how hard they fought to get her out of Syria. They went to people even my father couldn’t stop.” Jack says looking back at Brian driving the car. 

“What so we’re holding her for ransom? What if they don’t care?” Harry, Marks brother asks.

“They’ll care.” Jake says confidently. 

“Four SAS soldiers versus the 4 of us. I don’t like our odds.” Mark says under his breath. 

“Pull the car over.” Jack says.

“Sorry?” Brian asks looking at him.

“Pull the fucking car over!” Jack shouts. Brian turns on the hazard lights pulling into the hard-sholder of the main road. Jack gets out the car as soon as it’s stopped going round to Marks door.

“Out now!” He snaps. Mark looks annoyed but he undoes his seat-belt slipping out. As soon as his feet touch the ground Jack pushes him round the back of the car slamming the door. 

“If you don’t want to be involved then fuck off. Go back home to dad with your tail tucked between your legs and explain how you plan on fixing this fuck up.” Jack shouts.

“It’s not my job to fix your fuck ups!” Mark shouts back. 

“No but you and Harry are the ones who let her go at the funeral! They managed to snoop around enough to find out about the sales in Syria and Urzikstan! Do you understand how big of a leak that is?!” Jack shouts.

“She would have never even been in the house if you hadn’t killed Chloe!” Mark shouts back.

“You told me she was going to tell, I didn’t have a choice.” Jack says defensively. 

“She was still my sister.” Mark said taking a step up to Jack.

“She was a liability.” Jack responds. “I wasn’t even here I was stuck in Syria preoccupied with trying to get valuable intel.” 

“Yeah right sorry busy torturing innocent army medics.” Mark says pushing Jacks chest so there is distance between them. 

“Do you know how many fucking strings dad had to pull to make sure you didn’t get dishonourably discharged for that? 141 wanted your neck bad, and you still insist on going after them like they’re the only fucking counter intelligence unit on the face of the earth.” Mike says. 

“They’re the only one we need to be worried about and now they have proof, they’re at the house right now confirming that proof. The only option we have is to get a bargaining chip. She is the best bargaining chip!” Jack says jamming his finger in Marks face. Mark shakes his head.

“And if it doesn’t work?” 

“Then we kill her either way we hurt them, she’s gone and we come up with another plan.” Jack says. 

“I thought the whole point of this was to get back the intel they’ve stolen?” Mark says.

“As soon as my father finds out which CIA agent is helping them we won’t need to worry about that. Besides we destroyed anything useful it will take the MET months to piece it together.” Jack says. 

“Now are you fucking done with your little spat? Because we need to get her before they’re done at the house.” Mark sighs, shaking his head.

“Fine fuck it, walk home.” Jack says throwing his arms up and turning back to the car.

“Wait Jack.” Mark says striding up to him and putting his hand on Jacks shoulder. “We’re family we fix our own fuck ups.” 

“Yeah, unus pro omnibus.” Jack says looking into his brothers eyes.

“omnes pro uno.” Mark replies smiling.

  ——————————  

22:00

Ghost was stood at the door with Price watching the officers finish bagging up the last of the scraps of paper for evidence. 

“They knew we were coming.” Ghost says, his arms crossed as he watches Soap tap on the walls. 

“Yeah, we knew it would be like that though.” Price said. 

“Think they’ll be enough evidence here to convict them?” 

“Don’t know, we won’t know for a while biased on how well they tried to destroy everything.” Price says sighing. Ghost watches as Soap pulls another panel out from the book cases looking inside. Nothing again, this was a waste of time, they’d done a good job scrubbing everything.

Gaz and Soap had been meticulously searching the book cases for hours. All the evidence had been taken. The mother had passed out from stress and the lawyer insisted an ambulance be called, recording everything. It had been a long night. Ghost just wanted to get back to the safehouse. Before his mind could wander Price patted him on the shoulder. 

“Tell them to finish up I’ll go chat with the chief then we’ll get out of here. Not much more we can do till the paperwork as gone through.” Price said. Ghost nodded, walking over to Soap.

“Don’t think we’re going to find anything.” Soap says as he reaches him. 

“No, Price said let’s pack it up, head back.” Ghost says, he sees Soap smile. That makes him happy, he always loves seeing his smile. Ghost tells Gaz the same thing as he finishes checking behind the last bookshelf. It’s empty, the police wrap up too checking the room one more time before taking their leave.

Ghost follows Soap and Gaz out closing the door to the office as he leaves. It’s a shame they couldn’t find anything, but in a few weeks they would know. The MET was going to literally have to put this case together to get the proof but it would happen. And with Laswell’s help they’ll be able to track their movements even better. 

“What do you think that means?” Soap asks shoving his phone in Ghost’s face. They’ve barely even made it out the house. Ghost stops, squinting at the text. It’s a jumbled mess of auto corrected words. A second text just saying 4-5 armed. 

“Price!” Ghost shouts interrupting, him talking to the police chief.

“Call the house!” He says walking over to him dragging Soap along. Price looks confused for a second excusing himself and taking out his phone. 

“What?” He asks when Ghost reaches them, he shows him the phone. 

“Could mean anything,” he says his eyes digging into Ghost. Ghost can see the doubt in his face. This is bad. Price hangs up the phone calling again. Ghost holds his breath squeezing Soaps wrist. He watches Price as the line continues to ring. It keeps ringing, Price brings the phone down then looks up at Ghost.

“We need to move now!” Ghost calls dragging Soap to the car. 

“Try calling her.” Ghost orders Soap as Gaz and Price follow. He just nods trying to hide the fear in his face. This is really bad. 

  ——————————  

22:20

“Found her phone.” Mark says handing it to Jack. He rushes over to you using your bound thumb to unlock it. 

“Shit, she’s warned them we need to leave!” He shouts moving back into the kitchen looking at the gear. They’ve already kitted up and have helped themselves to more weapons for the potential fight ahead.  

“Is she still out?” Mark asks looking back to you being tied to a chair. 

“We’ve got chloroform to keep her out till we need her.” Jack explains, looking back over at Harry and Brian still trying to tie you to a chair.

“Did you not hear me she’s told them we’re here we need to move! Get her in the car.” Jack orders them, they nod pulling at the restraints.

“Where do you want to go?” Mark asks.

“How about the house in Harrow it’s still empty right?” Jack asks.

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a drive though.” Marks says.

“That’s fine the longer we have the better. Plus we can fall back to Kensington if we need to.” Jack says watching Mark nod. 

“Bring her phone, turn it off till we need it but keep it close. We’ll use it to contact them.” Jack says. The house phone ringing makes them jump. Jack walks over to it deciding whether or not to pick it up. He could play all his card right now and tell them they’re holding you for ransom. Or he could wait until they’re in a better situation to make demands. 

“Don’t, we need as much time as we can get.” Mark says. Jack nods his fingers hovering over the phone.

“Okay lets move now! I want wheels up in 10!” Jack says heading for the back door.

“Mark help us get her in the boot.” Harry says as him Brian drag you by your arms out the door. Jack drives, with Mark next to him. They look at each other. They’re in too deep now. Mark nods at him, he’s doing this to prove he can do this. He’s better then what his dad thinks. He has a kid and a wife, he has people he needs to provide for. He can’t lose this job, he can’t fuck his family over like this. He remembers the plan grounding himself, and drives off. 

  ——————————  

Next

Latin translates to 'all for one and one for all'

[eretzyisrael]

‘There was no security, by design, for the Jews’

In the wake of the Amsterdam ‘pogrom’ against fans of the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv when the police were absent or ineffectual, John Podhoretz in Commentary claims that the classic characteristic of a pogrom is police inaction or complicity. This is what happened in the Hebron pogrom of 1929. He could also have been describing the Constantine pogrom of 1934 (the forces of law and order did not arrive until hours later), the Farhud of 1941 (policemen were complicit and the British army stood by), or the Aden riots of 1947 (British-armed Arabs shot 87 Jews).

A Jewish home in Hebron plundered by the rioters

What must be stressed is the fact that the Jewish people had never been safe from official complicity in pogroms until the state of Israel’s founding. This is what pogroms looked like in the Land of Israel too, until the establishment of Jewish sovereignty and a Jewish army.

Although it’s trendy to believe (or pretend to believe) that the Jews were a colonial power in Palestine, the exact opposite is true. When the British Mandate for Palestine was established, UK authorities had simply inherited the existing structure of the Ottoman police force, which was mostly Arab. In the mid-1920s, the police force was reformed and split between a British section and a much larger Palestinian section. Arabs made up 75 percent of the officer corps of the Palestinian section and 80 percent of all other ranks. This imbalance was even more pronounced in some cities.

As the 1929 Palestine pogrom spread to Hebron, the chief rabbi’s son, Eliezer Slonim was told by the town’s police chief and district governor that the Jews would be safe so long as they stayed inside. Journalist Yardena Schwartz describes the scene: “Eliezer went from house to Jewish house, joined by the city’s lone Jewish policeman, Chanoch Brozinsky, and Feivel Epstein, son of the head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Epstein. None of them were armed. Brozinsky’s rifle had been confiscated that day, presumably because [police chief] Cafferata feared he might shoot the rioters. The 32 other policemen on Cafferata’s force were Arabs. Their guns had not been taken. Slonim, the only other Jew with a gun in Hebron, had never used it before.”

Thirty-three police officers: 32 Arabs and one Jew. The Jew was disarmed because there was a pogrom about to happen. Arab policemen watched the slaughter, with some joining in. Over in Jerusalem, Jewish self-defense units were kept out or arrested by the British authorities while the rioters and police let loose.

The institutional colonial regime was Arab and British, and so—as in Amsterdam yesterday—there was no security, by design, for the Jews.

Read article in full

More about  the Hebron massacre

[unamazing-sheep21]

My own silly little interpretation of Edward Rochester if he were my OC instead of Charlotte Brontë’s ( Jane Eyre Chainsaw Man AU, takes place in the 2000’s)

Edward Fairfax Rochester

Born: 10/11/1976, 26 years old

Gender: male, he/him

Family: Frederick and Rowland Rochester ( father and brother), Ahed Al-Wadood ( mother, deceased), Mary-Anne Fairfax Rochester ( stepmother/half mother , deceased)

Occupation: Devil Hunter, current captain of division 6. Later landlord to Thornfield Hall.

Devil contracts: Tragedy, Terror, and The Electricity Fiend

Edward was raised for most of his life by his mother, an independent journalist who often worked for large media companies in a series of contracts back in Britain. Most of the time she would have to work in her home country, whatever the news decided to call it, she called it Palestine. Edward would spend half a year with his mother and half a year with his father and his wife. In order to keep up the charade that he was his father’s legitimate son.

So he grew up knowing what war and violence looked like. Sometimes following his mother to visit family in Gaza or Jerusalem. He knew what it was like to have threats issued that your house was going to be demolished, or to be randomly searched at checkpoints when you wanted to go one place to another. He knew what stark contrast it was to the luxurious life he lived in Britain with his father. But one incident would change his boy mind forever.

His mother was shot during crossfire between the two sides. And though the killer was obvious and clearly on the side of the occupation, no one bothered to bring him to justice. Edward was never the same after the death of his mother. He would spend his whole year in the UK from there on out. But the images of violence and bloodshed caused by human hands would not escape his mind. Soon he would learn that it was not only humans that could cause that sort of destruction.

Being the sheltered son of a billionaire he was in the UK, he did not know much about Devils or Fiends and what they could do to humans if you ever got near. After all, public safety and the Devil Hunters could take care of them, right?

It was not until he witnessed a Devil maul a civilian before his very eyes as a teenager that they felt real. As real as soldiers in uniforms. And for the first time since his mothers death, he felt like he could do something about it. These devils weren’t humans, you could bring them to justice no questions asked. Hungry to take out his revenge on targets that deserved it, he started training and soon enough joined the Public Safety Devil Hunters in London.

And there he met the Devil Killer herself, Antoinette Bertha Mason.

They say the best devil hunters are those that have the most screws loose. And if it was true, then Antoinette was the best of the best. The two of them became work buddies, and the worked together most of the time. Bertha always remaining at arms length from Edward due to her insanity. But saving his life more than a few times during their escapades. A strange sort of one sided friendship grew between them.

Then Antoinette nearly died, and was possessed by a devil.

The electricity Devil, effectively making whatever Antoinette was a fiend. By law, meant to be killed as mercilessly as any devil. But Edward, not bearing to kill his friend and colleague, or what was his friend and colleague, hid her in the attic of Thornfield hall and took it upon himself to take care of her.

And that’s his backstory lmao ahaha

[miawashere]

gun safety

since the 2010’s, there has been a massive rise in mass shootings in the U.S., in both the public and in schools. this is incredibly alarming, and in my opinion shows the lack of gun safety in the U.S., and i’m afraid the violence and deaths will only continue if something is not done and fast. i am a firm believer that guns should be not be easily accessible, for them to be only in the hands of those who will not use them for harm. but obviously this is easier said than done.

i think there should be a course in order to access guns, same as a drivers license. you have to take a course to see the dangers and take mental health tests (if that even exists) to see if a licensed professional believes you are mentally well enough to own a gun. i also believe there should be stricter laws on guns, to keep everyone safe. we should look more are other countries and how they handle guns, because countries like japan and the UK, and see what is done there and take inspiration.

no one should have to live with the fear that they could be shot, especially children in schools. let’s make the U.S. a safer place.

[jaeellec]

Wandering Star Snippet

From Episode 5: Sad Eyes, Bad Guys - A lovely little lunch at the beach camp.

I've had this written for a couple of months now, and the whole thing is one of my favorite scenes from the fest arc. Been excited to share it for quite some time! Read below the cut:

Early afternoon in the camp was peaceful with gentle waves and the scent of a hearty, gourmet meal on the sea breeze. The legionnaires talked and teased each other as they waited in the long line that trailed from a comically-large cooking pot, all smiles and ready bowls in hand.

The chef was just as pleased, eager to give the girl’s men the best dish they had ever had along with their leisurely afternoon they all earned, “There you are! Enjoy!” Sanji beamed after he filled yet another bowl and the line moved. “Who’s next?”

An empty bowl was presented to the Straw Hat chef by a smiling soldier who offered kind words, “We cant thank you enough for this. The food smells amazing.”

“Happy to help! Let me know how you like it!” With the tip of his ladle, the proud chef saw another ally served.

The rest of the Straw Hats as well as the Heart Pirates were already taking nicely to Carmen’s men, comingling as they ate. At one of the picnic tables scattered about the beach camp, Nami and Tracey excitedly talked over a map as Robin contently sipped her tea across from them.  At another, Elliott, Law, Zoro, and Diero all sampled their soup in silence.

Some were too excited to eat. Rowan and a blushing, beaming Chopper sat around a small campfire, soup set aside as the two looked through Rowan’s plant journal. He unintelligibly explained medicinal properties of plants of interest with a smile while the three Heart Pirates observed over his shoulder in awe, all holding bowls and full spoons but frozen in fascination.

The same could be said for Connor, Usopp, Brook, and Luffy who were all sparkly-eyed over whatever mods Franky was showing off to Connor and a few other surrounding legionaries. Despite the fact the fellow Straw Hats had seen their friendly cyborg’s features time and time again, the magic never really faded. Of course, the Straw Hat captain would shovel spoon-fulls of soup into his mouth when it wasn’t exclaiming unintelligible praise or giggling.

In the midst of Nami and Tracey kindly carrying on, the man gave a gasp as wide eyes shot to the perimeter of the camp. Both Straw Hat women took to his alarm with caution and turned just in time to see the full force of the Kid Pirates breaking through the shimmering barrier. They stampeded forth with weapons drawn and parading their power through the camp.

The name of the game was intimidation.

The chef and his long hungry line were among the first to snap their heads to the trespassers, followed by Elliott and company, Franky and his playmates, and those cozied up with the plant journal around the little campfire. All in the camp got that little warning before the notorious pirates to began what they do best.

No order need be given.

Gig was the first. He took it upon himself to terrorize the nearest picnic table of the legionnaires, “Looks delicious!” he declared as he snatched a bowl from the table before kicking it over along with the seated soldiers and began gulping down Sanji’s hard work.

Reck, Bubblegum, and UK were more than happy to join in on flipping tables, whooping and howling with laughter at the tumbling soldiers and the wasted food.

“Those assholes!” the chef slammed down his ladle and rolled up his sleeves.

Jaguar and Oscar led the rest of the men save for the top four straight to the tents, tearing down any in their path as they aggressively made their way down the line.

“Some army she’s got!” UK heartily jested as he shoved a steadfast soldier – strong stance and arms behind him, “They won’t even fight back!”

Elliott shot up from his seat while the surrounding men glared, “We’re under strict orders you ill-bred bastards!”

“You actually follow her orders?!” Captain Kid couldn’t believe it – what a dumb little delight to kick off the spread of that menacing grin as his top three stood proudly and patiently behind him. “I’ll spare the man who points out the bitch’s tent."

[debtsunpaid]

i'm still going apeshit over my new guy while i write their backstory but i'm being a perfectionist about it, so in the meantime here's a few lil things about klavier:

formerly an astrophysicist working for the ESA (and one-time astronaut, but that wasn't always the plan). their colleagues remember him best for their mental math prowess, his ferocity in advocating for their team & their project, the six separate times he almost knocked himself out on the wing of their own spaceplane, and the very, very formal weekly dinners they hosted that no one ever expected to be that formal bc he brought them up like inviting friends over to watch the game on sunday.

re: the dinners: they love to cook for people. love it. very picky about the process and doesn't often like other people helping them (he takes hosting and courtesy towards houseguests very seriously), but doesn't mind people watching or taste-testing. he doesn't do it as much these days, because all the joy was really in the social aspect & he considers themself too dangerous to get close enough to people to invite them over, but they'll still pull out absolutely flawless cutting technique when applicable.

met their fiancée (magdalena) in university bc he was arguing with a professor in the law library where she worked. she came over to tell them to shut the fuck up, and he jumped so badly that she felt guilty later & went back over to apologize, to which he Also apologized & suggested that hitting him with one of the heavier books would have been equally effective. they started talking about each other's work & majors, were going to part ways when the library closed, then awkwardly ended up walking the same way home. to the same apartment complex. for a while after that, whenever klavier went to the library while magdalena was working, she'd catch his eye and pretend to line up a shot with the heaviest book she had on hand, which always made them laugh.

currently a drifting adjunct professor & substitute teacher, as well as an occasional german, spanish, & math tutor. he tends to focus more on teaching/talking about mathematics these days rather than astrophysics, though they've done a few physics lectures here and there; if asked why, they'd say it's because he's still hiding from the german government + MI-6 and it's smarter to avoid being found within his field of expertise. but really it's because the last time they knew what was real & what wasn't was in 1990, the world's ideas about the cosmos have changed drastically since then, and he no longer feels like an expert in anything, or like he even knows the world they're standing on, let alone any worlds elsewhere.

CLIFF NOTES ON THE GOD PROBLEM: klavier was psychically bonded with jallakuntilliokan during his first (and only) spaceflight on the spaceplane hermes because their orbit put them Directly over the geotroniks facility where the magi caecus were firing the fear machine, at the exact moment when john constantine, zed, and marj were completing their ritual to summon its anima (other godly half) and negate its intended damaging influence on the world. but while the beings themselves balanced out, the summoning rituals did not (pagan nation involved 3 people, geotroniks involved 2), and they could not co-exist unevenly in the world, so jallakuntilliokan had to draw on more psychic energy in order to even things out.

luckily for jalla, there was a spaceplane with 3 powerful potential psychics perfectly aligned with the ley lines that it drew its power from, courtesy of string-pulling and secret testing led by the UK magi caecus and klavier's own mother for over a year prior. it was a flimsy backup plan based on the (so they thought) astronomically slim chance the summoning would fail, with the intention that the spaceplane would be intentionally crashed into the facility and some poor suckers would be sacrificed for enough psychic potential + public shock & alarm to rev the fear engine all the way up to its purpose. they just didn't count on jallakuntilliokan sniffing out the supply first.

the other two astronauts were fried, but klavi survived; the burst severely damaged the hermes and it crashed back to earth, veering off course and hitting the baltic sea. all klavier remembers is the burst, seeing his colleagues burn out, the agonizing sensation of something segmenting their brain like an orange, and then being dragged out of the ocean later. he was then secretly held by the german government for three years in the hopes of determining what the fuck had happened & what was now wrong with him, until jallakuntilliokan shoved their consciousness into the Dreaming long enough to take hold of the body and bust out. he's been on the run ever since, all but convinced there's an alien living in his skull, unaware that he's playing host to a god.

[bowlingforgerbils]

Book Recommendations

Hello! Happy New Year if you are a few timezones ahead of me, and Happy New Year's Eve to the rest of us. This post is inspired by @gretchensinister who made a book recommendation list at the very beginning of this year. It was my 2023 resolution to read more books, and I definitely accomplished that! I also joined two different book clubs and participated in my library's summer reading challenge. Hooray for books and hooray for the library!

Anyway, here are some books I liked, in no particular order:

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candace Hillard. This true account of Roosevelt exploring an Amazon tributary is absolutely riveting. It made me realize that I love the survival genre, but specifically if it is about men who let their hubris outweigh their common sense. The author does an excellent job putting everything into historical context, too.

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. Hari is a journalist who makes a compelling argument that modern society is actively working to destroy our attention spans, and it's not simply a matter of willpower or mindfulness. It was a real eye-opener for me. If you don't have time to read this book, he gave a good interview on NPR (that's how I heard about this book in the first place) that's worth a listen.

The Professor and the Parson by Adam Sisman. This was an interesting non-fiction book about Robert Parkin Peters, a weird British criminal in the latter half of the 20th century whose crimes included bigamy, plagiarism, lying about being a parson/priest, and other things. He was basically a UK George Santos. It's honestly a fascinating look at that sort of a person.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Full disclosure, I cannot handle horror movies, mostly because of the gore, although I'm terrible with tension and jumpscares, too. I am marginally better with horror novels, and I had heard about this one on NPR so I gave it a shot. I really liked it! I probably will not read another horror novel for a while, but it was a real page-turner.

The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy by Arik Kershenbaum. The author uses what we know about the laws of physics and life on Earth to come up with some educated guesses about what aliens might be like. Great reading for anyone interested in aliens or who wants to write about plausible aliens.

Honorable mentions: Being Heumann by Judy Heumann, They Called us Enemy by George Takai, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann.

Honorable mentions, animal division: Many Things Under a Rock: The Mysteries of Octopuses by David Scheel, Kraken by Wendy Williams, and Pests by Bethany Brookshire.

That's it for now! My goal for 2024 is to read more books, and maybe also try to get back into reading more sci-fi/fantasy, although my first love will always be non-fiction books about animals. ;)

[paisleighb]

IS MIZZY JUST MIZ-UNDERSTOOD?

Or is he just a c*nt? 💁🏽‍♀️😂

For those who haven’t seen, there’s a teen (18) who’s gone viral for absolutely ridiculous pranks that have involved taking someone’s dog as well as walking into strangers homes.

He was arrested, fined and given a TV interview with Piers Morgan in the UK;

https://youtu.be/mdij3Eq0TqQ

And while Piers is probably one of the worst people to “host” as he never lets anyone speaks and says some more than questionable things, my focus here is this young man.

HOW? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? AND WHY?!!!

Where are these boys parents/guardians? Family? Are they ever going to address or discipline him?? Because their son is growing up to be an absolute menace. He’s a whole 18 and just knows better than these “pranks” and to just act like it’s just not a thing too? HE’S WHOLE ASS WALKING UP IN HOUSES LIKE RALPH YARL WASN’T SHOT FOR *KNOCKING* ON THE WRONG DOOR?!!!

It’s so disappointing that the youth of these days don’t recognise the laws, the real dangers they’re putting themselves in in-order to go viral, DAILY.

WAKE THE F*CK UP!!!

And there’s people truly making comment on the fact that he “may” have this and that, but truly, what if he’s just trouble?

My point, and my advice is this - and it’s simple. When making content, involving the public or not, ask yourself this ——

Is it really worth the risk of someone locking off your jaw or unaliving you? Are you really willing to do time or go sleep forever over a piece of content?

Cos the answer is no. If you’re struggling, it’s really no. This generation need to realise being viral for all of 5 minutes isn’t the be all and end all, anything you do in life you are going to have to work at it - there’s really no easy way to be successful.

This guy’s continuously upping the anti on his pranks and challenges, SO many kids are. We need to be a bit more aware, ourselves, of what the next generation are doing in order to get likes and follows - if we don’t step in and give some direction, it ends up with more kids like Mizzy.

If I was his Mum, he wouldn’t have a phone and he wouldn’t see the light of day nor his friends for the foreseeable future. If I was his Dad, I would rock his jaw until he thought I was sending him back to God 😂

He’s made his family look a mess, himself, his entire lineage. 18, and what university or business is willingly offering a place to someone like this? Cancel culture is very much here and real. The fact that he STILL can’t even seem remorseful is so deafeningly stupid to me.

Hoping someone can get through to this boy, honestly. There are so many other ways to become a successful content creator beyond being a foolish, self centred, unaware, out of control young adult that chases clout for views and likes this.

18 is old enough to know better. Period.

[sally5674]

How to Pay Your Self Assessment Tax Online: A Step-by-Step Guide

Thus, the payment of Self Assessment tax online is easy and convenient and enables the person to meet the tax obligations as required by the law. Here then is a checklist that can help you avoid hitches when making payment so that you are always timely; 

 Step 1: collection of one’s particulars 

 Before you begin, make sure you have the following information ready:Before you begin, make sure you have the following information ready: 

 Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR): A reference number that is issued to an individual by HMRC when he or she registers for Self Assessment and it is a 10 digit number. 

 National Insurance Number 

 Amount of Tax Due: You will be able to find this on your ‘Self Assessment tax return’ or in your ‘HMRC account. 

 Bank Details: For customers who are using online banking or debit/credit card in making the payment for the products. 

 Step 2: Log in to Your HMRC Account 

 Visit the HMRC Website: Enter the website, gov. uk then you will have to choose that you want to log in. 

 Enter Your Government Gateway ID: Login into your account with your Government Gateway ID and the password. If you aren’t on the list yet, being so can take anything from a few days if you register on the site. 

 Step 3: Self Assessment Section 

 Once logged in: 

 Access Your Tax Return Information: Log into your account and find the option that says “Self Assessment” simply click on it. 

 Select the “Make a Payment” Option: As will show amount of tax due and enable you to go further in the payment process. 

 Step 4: Choosing the Method of Payment 

 There are several ways to pay your tax online, and the method you choose will depend on how quickly you need the payment to be processed:There are several ways to pay your tax online, and the method you choose will depend on how quickly you need the payment to be processed: 

 Direct Debit: One can use it to authorise an initial or a standing order payment. This takes about 5 working days to process. 

 Debit or Credit Card: Regarding the payment you have the option to pay through credit card directly on HMRC’s website. Remember that he have to pay some additional amount as processing fee, if you are opting for credit card transactions. 

 Online Banking: You can transfer the funds from you bank account. Faster Payments generally take a day to be processed while Bacs takes at most 3 working days and CHAPS processes within the same day. 

 Bank Transfer: They also accept payment from your bank directly by using HMRC’s details which are usually given when the payment is being made. 

 Note: Always use your 10 digit Unique Tax Reference (UTR) as the payment reference to enable HMRC post your payment properly. 

 Step 5: Formalise the Payment Process 

 Confirm the Payment Amount: Ensure that you confirm the amount you are paying to match the amount that you require to pay. 

 Enter Payment Details: (if making a payment using a card or online banking), enter your particulars as provided in the instructions. 

 Submit Your Payment: After entering your information pay specific attention to this to confirm your payment as follows. 

 Step 6: Save your payment confirmation

 Once you’ve completed the payment:Once you’ve completed the payment: 

 Save a Record: Save a copy of this payment receipt either by print or through the screen shot in your file. This will be of great help in situation where you will be required to prove that you made a payment. 

 Check Your HMRC Account: Usually, it may take 2-3 days for the payment to reflect in your account however you can log into the portal to check whether the payment has been processed or not. 

 Important Deadlines 

 31st January: The last date to file your Income Tax return online and to pay the tax which you have computed for the previous financial year. 

 31st July: For those of you who have payments on account, the second payment is due by this date. 

 Conclusion 

 It is quite easier and time effective to pay Self Assessment tax online. Actually, following this step by step guide will help you to meet the due date so that you do not have to incur the cost of paying a penalty. It is important that you confirm every detail in the payment before you execute it and it is advisable to keep a copy. 

[zimbabwesituationg]

Who is Angel, the Zimbabwe ambassador involved in gold smuggling?

He also claimed that his laundering operations had the approval of Mnangagwa, who has been in power since November 2017.

But exactly who is Angel, the controversial character at the centre of the documentary?

The 44-year-old is the founder of Spirit Embassy, a church with branches in several countries including the United Kingdom, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

It became known as Spirit Embassy in 2007. The church rebranded as the “Good News Church” in October 2015, while “Spirit Embassy” became a term for his overall ministry.

He is known for preaching that God wants his followers to be wealthy and for promoting doctrines referred to as prosperity gospel, which assert that financial and material gain are the divine will of God for all pious Christians.

In 2012, Angel shot to fame for performing a series of controversial miracles, including creating what he dubbed “miracle money”.

He claimed he had prophetic powers to produce valuable commodities such as gold, diamonds and money that could mysteriously find its way into people’s pockets and bank accounts as well as a bank vault.

The sermon was so popular that he ended up travelling across Africa performing for believers and promising them miracle money.

During his tour, he claimed to have performed a controversial weight loss miracle in South Africa, where a woman looked on utterly amazed and agreed with him that her husband had suddenly lost weight.

His antics attracted the attention of former Zimbabwean central bank chief Gideon Gono who summoned him and ordered him to stop creating the so-called “miracle money”.

But Gono later sided with Angel, saying he had not violated any of the country’s monetary laws.

In 2018, Angel made headlines yet again for sensationally claiming to have successfully walked on water, one of the miracles performed by Jesus Christ in Biblical times.

He later reversed this claim and explained the incident was a metaphorical “demonstration of faith” and not a literal walk on water.

The man who sells everything

Angel, who claims to have two university degrees in finance, is also an author and has written several books on faith and prosperity.

He also runs satellite-broadcasting channels, Miracle TV, GoodNews TV and Wow TV, which broadcast his crusades and sermons.

He runs his church as a business. Under the Millionaire Academy, Angel teaches the fundamental aspects of becoming a millionaire and targets business owners who want to develop their companies “into something greater than themselves in his church and beyond”.

His Osborne Institute of Theology charges £499 for a theological certificate and £799 for a diploma. The ministry sells merchandise, hosts conventions, takes offerings online via Visa and PayPal and provides what he calls “prophetic retreats”.

In 2014, he was accused of fraud and money laundering by a former member of his church in the UK. He has also been criticised for his lavish lifestyle, which includes luxury cars, private jets and expensive homes.

In one of several documented cases of sexual misconduct, Angel was accused of asking a female congregant to send him nude pictures of herself on Twitter and WhatsApp. The digital communication records were authenticated by Twitter for IP addresses.

Angel attempted to destroy the records, but they were retrieved and compiled into a documentary. He has faced other allegations of infidelity and has been unrepentant when confronted with evidence of his wrongdoing.

[brn1029]

On this date in music history, at least most of the music that we are familiar with….

July 18th

2008 - The Rolling Stones

Rolling Stone guitarist Ronnie Wood was ‘seeking help’ with his battle with alcohol in a rehabilitation centre. The move followed tabloid speculation over the state of his 23-year marriage to former model Jo Wood. ‘Following Ronnie's continued battle with alcohol he has entered a period of rehab,’ his spokeswoman said.

2001 - Kiss

Kiss added another product to their ever-growing merchandising universe: the "Kiss Kasket." The coffin featured the faces of the four founding members of the band, the Kiss logo and the words "Kiss Forever." Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was buried in one after he was shot and killed on-stage in Dec 2004.

1980 - Billy Joel

Billy Joel held the top position of both the US albums and singles charts. His album Glass Houses contained his first and biggest No.1 hit, 'It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me.'

1978 - Def Leppard

Def Leppard made their live debut at Westfield School, Sheffield, England in front of 150 students.

1974 - John Lennon

The US Justice Department ordered John Lennon out of the country by September 10th. The Immigration and Naturalization Service denied him an extension of his non-immigrant visa because of his guilty plea in England to a 1968 marijuana possession charge. The US Court of Appeal would overturn the deportation order in 1975 and Lennon was granted permanent resident status the following year.

1970 - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd, Roy Harper, Kevin Ayers, and the Edgar Broughton Band, all appeared at a free concert held in Hyde Park, London, England.

1969 - The Beatles

During sessions at Abbey Road studios, London, Ringo Starr recorded his vocal to 'Octopus's Garden', for the Abbey Road album. Starr had written the song when he 'quit' The Beatles the previous year and was staying on actorPeter Seller’s yacht in the Mediterranean.

1966 - Bobby Fuller

Bobby Fuller leader of The Bobby Fuller Four was found dead in his car in Los Angeles aged 23. Fuller died mysteriously from gasoline asphyxiation, while parked outside his apartment. Police labelled it a suicide, but the possibility of foul play has always been mentioned. Had the 1966 US No.9 single 'I Fought The Law' written by Sonny Curtis of Buddy Holly's Crickets and covered by The Clash.

1964 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones appeared on the US chart for the first time when their cover of Buddy Holly's 'Not Fade Away' peaked at No.48.

1964 - The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Rag Doll', the group's fourth No.1 and a No.2 hit on the UK chart. Co-writer Bob Gaudio said that he got the inspiration for the song from a young girl in tattered clothes that cleaned his car windows at a stop light.

1960 - Brenda Lee

Brenda Lee went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I'm Sorry' it made No.12 in the UK. Seeking publicity the 4' 11 tall singer was once billed as a 32-year- old midget and had the nickname Little Miss Dynamite.

[fmpjaydenhall2023]

Gun Control In Games And Laws:

What are the laws of guns in the UK and the U.S?

UK: members of the public may own sporting rifles and shotguns that they are subject to licensing. However, handguns have been banned in Great Britain since the Dunblane school massacre in 1996, therefore, anyone with a handgun will be arrested and charged. Firearms are used to just hunt wildlife but weapons that are fully automatic such as assault rifles and submachine guns are not available for the general public but the general government guards do in fact have these fire arms accessible. 

Revolver rifles and carbines are permitted, with certificate, in any calibre. Self-loading, also known as semi-automatic or pump-action rifles are only permitted in .22 rim fire calibre, pistols are banned, some shotguns are permitted with a license and air guns are accessible but a license is required. 

U.S: citizens and legal residents must be at least 18 years of age to purchase shotguns or rifles and ammunition. All other firearms such as handguns, for example can only be sold to people 21 and older. Fire arms are used as self defence and can be used when the residents home is being invaded/ broken into. The person that would want to purchase a fire arm has to be 18 and has to have a fire arm license in order to purchase. 

Fire arms are a huge problem in U.S right now because of the lack of law around purchasing a fire arm and how easy it can be to buy one. Recently a lot of people have been killed due to people under the age of 15 purchasing weapons and killing people with them, this is because of the lack of law around gun control and how easily it is to just buy a fire arm in a local store in the U.S. 66% of home owners own a fire arm, but only used to protect themselves and their home in case of an intruder but apparently over 500 people die within a short amount of time due to fire arms being shot by others and most of them dont have a fire arms license. 

Games such as call of duty and Grand theft auto influence people to buy guns and mess around with them, thinking that they are some sort of toy to be playing around with but fire arms can actually harm another if shot. Games have a fun side to guns where people want to purchase them but owning a fire arm could lead to arrests and consequences and games such as call of duty and GTA, guns are their main thing that makes that game what it is as it is their main identity to use guns and violence. 

GTA promotes this as the only way to purchase guns in the game is to go to a in game gun shop where different fire arms are being sold, this promotes this even further as this is more realistic and Call Of Duty allowed players to run around with realistic weapons and where they can level them up and make them better by getting attachments makes it a whole lot realistic. This has a massive impact on others as gun crime and how it is promoted within games to audiences where it is massive in most areas where fire arms are permitted and can be purchased because they can lead to serious harm, that is why in my game, even though it will have a weapon that the player will be able to shoot, it is a fictional weapon and is not real as i created it and is unrealistic, even though it is cool to use in game, it is not a real thing and this will prevent any thoughts of purchasing a fire arm. 

[seatextiles]

3. Our Project

Throughout our idea sharing sessions, my group and I have decided to base our project around raising awareness of the protests in Iran and the negative effects that it has had on many people there. We also plan on raising money for a human rights charity through exhibiting work and selling upcycled clothing with our logo on it.

Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old woman, died while in the custody of Iran’s Morality Police. She was arrested for not complying with the strict dress codes. Since then, Men and Women across Iran have protested for their freedom, with women at Mahsa Amini’s funeral even taking off their headscarves to protest the forced Hibjab laws. (BBC News, 2022) Our group’s aim is to create artwork to raise awareness of these protests and how the protesters have been treated by police upon arrest. Some people that have not been killed have been left with lasting injuries; Ghazal Ranjkesh is one woman who lost her eye after being shot in the face but is still staying strong and fighting for the day that women will be given their freedom. (Women NCRI Committee, 2023)

The Woman Life Freedom movement showcases artwork from many people affected by the protests in Iran to raise awareness of what is happening there. The Mozaik Virtual Exhibition has work by several artists; it includes photography, graphic design, painting, animation. The animation ‘Baraye’ (Anonymous, 2022) gives an inside view of how peoples lives have been affected throughout the protests, by zooming further an further into the drawing, suggesting that the more we look into what is actually happening, the worse it gets; but we shouldn’t look away. With one of our group members being an Animation student, we hope to develop an animation as part of our final exhibition. We have decided that we also want to have screens with videos playing where the story of individual protestors is being told to try to help our audience to connect more with the people being affected.

Videos created for this will be showcases alongside artwork that we have made inspired by the protests in Iran. We want this exhibition to be seen by lots of people, to help spread the discussion and help raise awareness of the protests and how people are being affected by them. To do this we will display the work in an area with a high amount of foot traffic and promote it on social media and through posters.

I want to create a logo for our group. Using the ideas of Woman Life Freedom, I aim to create a logo that will appeal to Women in the UK no matter their current knowledge on the Iranian protests. The logo will be put onto clothing and patches, which we will then sell to raise money for a Human Rights Charity that are working with Iran. My hope is that by the logo being on clothing and patches that people will wear, people will start talking more about the protests and raise awareness in order to find a solution.

References:

Anonymous. (2022) Baraye [Video]. Mozaik. https://mozaikphilanthropy.org/woman-life-freedom/

BBC News. (2022, September 17). Mahsa Amini: Women take headscarves off in protest at funeral. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-62940907

Women NCRI Committee. (2023). Brave Iranian women lose their eyes, but their hearts still beat for Iran. Women NCRI Committee. https://women.ncr-iran.org/2023/01/17/brave-iranian-women-lose-eyes/

[newstfionline]

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Trudeau: US fighter shot down object over northern Canada (AP) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” that was flying high over the Yukon, acting a day after the U.S. took similar action over Alaska. North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined U.S.-Canada organization that provides shared defense of airspace over the two nations, detected the object flying at a high altitude Friday evening over Alaska, U.S. officials said. It crossed into Canadian airspace on Saturday. Trudeau spoke with President Joe Biden, who also ordered the object to be shot down. Canadian and U.S. jets operating as part of NORAD were scrambled and it was a U.S. jet that shot down the object. F-22 fighter jets have now taken out three objects in the airspace above the U.S. and Canada over seven days, a stunning development that is raising questions on just what, exactly, is hovering overhead and who has sent them. At least one of the objects downed was believed to be a spy balloon from China, but the other two had not yet been publicly identified.

Joyous parades and parties kick off New Orleans’ Mardi Gras (AP) A venerable fine-dining fixture on Bourbon Street helped kick off the final frantic days of New Orleans Mardi Gras season Friday—relaxing its jackets-required dress code and briefly ditching its no-pets policy for a pair of crown- and cape-wearing rescue dogs. Outside, music was already blaring from some Bourbon Street bars as the city prepared for three major parades Friday evening on historic St. Charles Avenue. Other Friday night parades were scheduled in neighboring Metairie, and there will be more than two dozen other such processions almost nightly until Mardi Gras, which this year falls on Feb. 21. Mardi Gras is the culmination of Carnival season—which officially begins each year on Jan. 6, the 12th day after Christmas, known as King’s Day, in New Orleans and closes with the arrival of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

How Lethal Is “Less Lethal”? (Wired) The U.S. is often called the “world’s policeman” due to its history of intervening in the affairs of other states, supposedly for the greater good. Now, the world’s policeman is also becoming the world’s arms dealer to police departments across the globe, as the leader of the multi-billion-dollar, global, unregulated “less lethal” weapon industry. As protests spring up across the world—Hong Kong in 2019, Minneapolis in 2020, Tehran in 2022, and Peru this year—law enforcement agencies have deployed riot police armed with rubber bullets, tear gas canisters, Tasers, and flashbang grenades. Those weapons all sound relatively harmless compared to a bullet—until you get hit with one of them. Tasers can cause cardiac arrest, and everything else on the list can break skulls, permanently affect sight and hearing, and cause concussions. Besides the actual lethality of “less-lethal” weapons, another issue is the industry’s loose regulation. The U.S. has no federal legislation regulating the production of less-lethals, and while the Geneva Protocol bans the use of tear gas in war, governments are perfectly welcome to gas their own populations. The industry is expected to grow by $3 billion over the 10 years, allowing governments to employ brutal technologies against protestors without the most basic forms of oversight.

UK economy avoids decline but cost of living pains many (AP) The small notice pinned to a wall at Union Chapel in north London is a sign of despair for charity workers dealing with the fallout from Britain’s cost-of-living crisis. The showers, it says, are reserved for the homeless. In other words, those who still have a roof over their heads but can’t afford to heat water for bathing are in essence asked to refrain. Amanuel Woldesus, who runs the Margins Project charity based at the church for people in crisis, is frustrated that he’s being forced to ration a service this way. The pressures are likely to get worse as Britain faces a prolonged economic slowdown triggered by soaring food and energy prices and compounded by tax increases and higher interest rates that authorities have unleashed as they battle the crisis. Middle-class families will see their disposable incomes fall by as much as 13%, or 4,000 pounds ($4,840), over the next financial year, according to analysis by the National Institute for Economic and Social Research. About 25% of households won’t be able to pay their food and energy bills out of their take-home income, up from 20% last year, the independent think tank estimates.

Russia Fires Major Missile Barrage at Ukraine as Combat Intensifies (NYT) Russia targeted Ukraine’s already battered infrastructure with more than 100 drones, rockets and missiles on Friday, raining explosives on cities around the country as President Volodymyr Zelensky returned from a three-day trip across Europe to ask Ukraine’s allies to send more weapons, and faster. The strikes, the first heavy aerial barrage in weeks, came as fighting on the ground intensified, in what Ukrainian officials were calling a new winter offensive. The Ukrainian air force described Friday’s aerial assault as a “massive attack” and said that it had involved 71 cruise missiles, seven Iranian-made drones and about 35 S-300 missiles, antiaircraft missiles that Russia has taken to using against targets on the ground. Ukraine said in a statement that it had shot down 61 of the cruise missiles and five of the drones.

‘They’re Hunting Me.’ Life as a Ukrainian Mayor on the Front Line (NYT) The little green van sped down the road, the Russian forces just across the river. Inside, Halyna Luhova, the mayor of Kherson, cradled a helmet in her lap and gazed out the bulletproof window. When the first shell ripped open, directly in the path of the van, maybe 200 yards ahead, her driver locked his elbows and tightened his grip on the wheel and drove straight through the cloud of fresh black smoke. “Oh my god,” Ms. Luhova said, as we raced with her through the city. “They’re hunting me.” The second shell landed even closer. She’s been almost killed six times. She sleeps on a cot in a hallway. She makes $375 a month, and her city in southern Ukraine has become one of the war’s most pummeled places, fired on by Russian artillery nearly every hour. But Ms. Luhova, the only female mayor of a major city in Ukraine, remains determined to project a sense of normality even though Kherson is anything but normal. Kherson, a port city on the Dnipro River, was captured by Russian forces in March; liberated by Ukrainian forces in November; and now, three months later, lies nearly deserted. Packs of out-of-school children roam the empty boulevards lined with leafless trees and centuries-old buildings cracked in half.

Volunteers Piece Together a Makeshift Medical System in Earthquake Zone (NYT) An ambulance pulled up to the cluster of red tents that now serves as the main hospital in the ruined city of Antakya, on Friday morning. It was bringing in a woman pulled from the wreck of her home after nearly 100 hours under the rubble. For the doctors in the field hospital, hastily constructed in a parking lot, miracles had grown nearly routine, but there were never enough of them. Given the extent of the destruction, the fact that Antakya has established a semi-functioning medical system is remarkable. Monday’s earthquake took out hospitals as well as homes, leaving emergency responders across 10 provinces unable to care properly at first for people crushed by collapsing buildings. Since then, however, a new, makeshift health care system has been constructed amid the devastation by volunteers from around Turkey and the world. While the most severely wounded were sent to undamaged hospitals in other provinces for treatment, field hospitals in the heart of the earthquake zone sprung up to stabilize the newly rescued, treat more minor injuries and manage the diseases that are flaring in the disaster’s wake. Even pets rescued from the rubble were receiving volunteer medical care at a pop-up animal hospital in Antakya.

Quake Death Toll Surpasses 23,000 Amid Struggle to Get Aid to Quake’s Victims (NYT) The death toll in Turkey and Syria from this week’s catastrophic earthquake surpassed 23,600 on Friday as relief organizations struggled to overcome an array of obstacles to deliver aid to survivors in both countries. The second aid convoy in two days, loaded with medicine, food and clothes, reached an opposition enclave in northwestern in Syria. The earthquake zone in Syria includes areas controlled by the Syrian government and others held by opposition forces backed by Turkey. Those territorial divisions, and an array of political obstacles stemming from the ongoing civil war, have created fatal delays in delivering help to Syrians. The flow of aid has also been hampered because the border crossing used by humanitarian convoys, known as Bab al-Hawa, is the only route approved by the United Nations to reach the opposition-held region in northwestern Syria. As many as 5.3 million people in Syria may have lost their homes because of the earthquake, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency. “For Syria, this is a crisis within a crisis,” said Sivanka Dhanapala, the agency’s representative in Syria, citing economic turmoil, the pandemic and now the earthquake and blizzards.

Japan’s earthquake recovery offers hard lessons for Turkey (AP) Mountains of rubble and twisted metal. Death on an unimaginable scale. Grief. Rage. Relief at having survived. What’s left behind after a natural disaster so powerful that it rends the foundations of a society? What lingers over a decade later, even as the rest of the world moves on? Similarities between the calamity unfolding this week in Turkey and Syria and the triple disaster that hit northern Japan in 2011 may offer a glimpse of what the region could face in the years ahead. A big lesson from Japan is that a disaster of this size doesn’t ever really have a conclusion. Despite speeches about rebuilding, the Tohoku quake has left a deep gash in the national consciousness and the landscapes of people’s lives. Take the death toll. Deaths directly attributable to the quake in Turkey will level off in coming weeks, but it’s unlikely to be the end. And despite hundreds of billions of dollars spent in Japan on reconstruction, some things won’t ever come back. Today, while the wreckage of the quake and tsunami has largely been removed and many roads and buildings rebuilt, there are still large areas of empty space, places where buildings haven’t been erected, farms haven’t been replanted. The long haul of rebuilding has been uneven and, at times, painfully slow, hampered by government incompetence, petty squabbling and bureaucratic wrangling. Nearly half a million people were displaced in Japan. Tens of thousands still haven’t returned home.

[alittlepronetopanic]

Safety Bubble

A/N: My writing inspiration just isn’t really here at all, but I did manage to write this yesterday.

(gif is mine)

Prompt(s): None

Pairing: Matt x Reader

Warning(s): Strong domestic abuse theme, mentions of violence and mention of rape.

Word Count: 1560

Hope you enjoy it! And as always, feedback is appreciated. :)

You always made a promise you would leave your personal life out of work but you had nowhere else to go. Stumbling into M.I.U, you came to look for Matt, Ronnie or even the DCI but before you made it past the vending machines, you collapsed by the wall. Blood poured from your head, but it was already like that before grasping the wall.

Nobody heard you but you had no energy or fight to shout so you waited. Eventually Matt came out of the team room and immediately saw you, “Oh my, God. Ronnie!” he said allowed before rushing to you, crouching in front and holding your head.

There wasn't just a large cut to your head, red marks and bruises covered your face and body. “I'm not safe.” you mumbled out, “He can't know I'm here, he'll kill me.”

Ronnie frowned, but Matt always had an instinct about your boyfriend, Tom. “He did this to you?” Matt fumed, but his voice was as calm as he could manage. He always had a good judge of character; he met him once at the pub and you weren't allowed to speak to anyone that night. Matt picked you up and took you to one of the rooms they use for less formal interviews and set you down on one of the soft chairs. Following closely behind was Ronnie with a first aid kit and passed it to his partner.

Like you always did, you had a reflex to hide the evidence of Tom's beatings but you knew it was no use now. Matt stood over you and carefully moved the strands of your hair, checking the deep wound in your head.

He got a large piece of dressing and pressed it to it, “I think that might need stitches. What did he do to you?” he asked and you took a deep, shaking breath before looking up to him and bursting into tears at his kind face. Putting the medical things in his hand down, he crouched slightly and hugged you carefully, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. Tell me when you're ready, okay?”

You nodded as he broke away and took the wipe from it's packaging and moved the other chair next to you. After a little silence, you had to fill it with something, and you ha to tell someone what has been happening, and you trusted Matt and Ronnie more than anyone. “Tom was always controlling, but when I started working here, he got violent. He used to say that because I was a Police Officer, I wouldn't tell anyone about what was happening. He would manipulate me, telling me I'd lose my job.”

Matt briefly stopped with a little frown but allowed you to speak, “Turn your head, sweetheart.” he requested first.

You turned it with a little wince and he placed his hand to your jaw to steady his own up and your face, “I was late getting back from here and he seems convinced that I have someone else. But why would he when he won't let me leave.” your voice broke as you looked at Matt who had finished cleaning the blood from your face.

He was reluctant to move his hand from your jawline as his eyes searched your face. He was angry, you knew that; but he would've been for anyone, even if it wasn't you, so you didn't read anything into it. “Listen to me, you are safe, he won't hurt you any more. Right, Ron, we're gonna get him, aren't we?”

Ronnie nodded, leaving his head lowered to the ground as he walked a few steps forward, “Of course, but you need to give us a statement, tell us everything.”

After Matt had to take evidence pictures of all the bruises you had but had to bring a female doctor in to take a look at some of your bruises that were in a more private place. Then you were taken to a proper interview room, which Matt had tried to argue against, worried it was too much and too formal for you.

It was strange to be the other side of the table but you relaxed when Matty walked in on his own and sat on the other side of the table. He tried to present himself less as a police officer than he usually would and you were grateful for that. Matt liked to write things down, despite it being on tape and video; he just always needed his handwriting - that nobody else could even read - in front of him even referring back to cases. Giving a little gesture with his head, you knew he was ready to listen so you took another big shaky breath.

"Tom has always been controlling. We met 5 years ago on a case; he was a paramedic. Tom was the kind of guy that believed woman shouldn't be bringing in the money, they should be at home, cleaning or cooking; he was a sexist pig." you recalled and then waited for Matt to finish scribbling on the page.

He looked up, the room making the blue irises of his eyes pop and licked his lips sadly. You could tell that he didn't want to be the one doing this, but had no choice, "What happened tonight?" he asked after clearing his throat.

You cleared your own and grabbed the cup of water. Until then, you were unaware of how shaky you actually were as the cup violently wobbled in your hand, "The DCI assigned me an open and shut case, all I had to do was charge them and do the paperwork. I was almost done and didn't see the point in leaving it so I stayed to finish and I got home late. Tom hated it, thought I had stopped off to meet a guy or something so he beat me until he felt like stopping."

Matt didn't want to hear no more, but he had to, he didn't want anyone else to be doing this, "You, er, have bruising in other places. Why?" he questioned, hating himself, but fuming with Tom more than anything.

There was a lump in your throat, sickened by the thoughts, "He would force me to have sex with him to prove I still loved him. He was rough about it because he was angry. It would hurt, Matt and I couldn't stop it because he would think that I was getting it somewhere else if I didn't do it."

"He raped you?"

You shook your head, "He never saw it as rape. He always used to say that you couldn't rape your own girlfriend. I would scream no and he would cover my mouth with his hand, he took pleasure in it because I was his." your voice broke but you quickly tried to compose yourself while Matt wasn't looking.

He had finished writing on the page but hesitated to look back to you. Matt was the kindest person you knew and it was empathetic, feeling the pain others did and you could tell that he was feeling it more than ever right now.

Matt turned off the tape, unable to hear anymore and stood from his chair. Gesturing you to stand with a quick upwards flick of his hand, you did so before he wrapped you up in a warm, safe hug that almost felt like a bubble had been put around you for protection. Matt Devlin was that bubble.

"Guess what?" his voice mumbled. Breaking away, tears began to escape your eyes and Matt pressed his hand to your cheek before wiping your tears away with his finger, "We're gonna charge Tom with GBH, assault and rape."

"Seriously?" you wept, wanting to burst into tears.

Matt nodded with a little smile, "He's being brought in now. Neighbours have heard a lot of what's gone on. Given statements." he confessed and this time you did burst into tears which made Matt hug you again. "You're free. He can't hurt you now."

"What if he can? Send people after me?" you panicked.

His palm returned to your cheek, "I won't let that happen, I will protect you. Always." he said and you wanted his little safety bubble forever but Matt thought it was best to get out of the room. As you did, Tom came through, handcuffed as he was man handled by two officers.

"[Y/N], what have you done?!" he screamed angrily and you suddenly didn't feel safe again and Matt and Ronnie could both tell that so placed a comforting touch to you.

Ronnie looked ahead as Tom was dragged out of shot, "You're safe now." he assures you before walking off to talk to Tom.

Matt tried to lunge forward, seething at seeing Tom trying to blame you. "Matty, no! Just don't." you begged him and he stopped and looked back to you. Your pleaded eyes were enough to make him step back to you and he looked into your eyes. "Take me home?"

"You're not going back to yours. You're coming to mine, Luciano will keep you just as safe as I will." he smiled after a shake of his head. Holding out his hand, he encouraged you to take it so you took the moment in a second and immediately felt safe again.

[kemetic-dreams]

Who was the king of Ethiopia before Haile Selassie?

The title used by Haile Selassie actually translates as 'King of Kings', and thus was usually rendered in English as 'Emperor' rather than 'King'.

The previous monarch before him was a Queen (or Empress) not a King: Zewdita, who ruled from 1917 to 1930. Before her came her nephew Iyasu, who was never actually crowned so is usually not included in the list of emperors. Before him came Emperor Menelik II, who ruled from 1889 until 1913, but his death was not publicly announced until 1916.

In Amharic, the title was Negus Negusti, or in Ge'ez (the traditional language of Ethiopia still used for ritual and sacred purposes) Negusa Negest. 'Negus' is pronounced with the stress on the second syllable, which is long, so something like ne-GOOSE. It is usually translated into English as 'King'. It should also be noted that Ethiopia does not use the Latin alphabet, so Amharic and Ge'ez words are often transliterated into English in different ways (such as negusti, naguste, etc).

For much of its history, Ethiopia was a collection of rival kingdoms such as Shewa, Gojjam, Wollo, and Begemder, whose rulers often used the title Negus or King. Meanwhile the Solomonic dynasty claimed to rule the whole country by the right of their descent from Menelik, the supposed son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Members of the dynasty called themselves Kings of Kings. Sometimes they had real power and the country had a centralised government; at other times there were merely figureheads while the various provincial kings were practically independent.

The period from 1769 to 1855 was one of those times of division with no real central government: it is known as the Zemene Mesafint or 'Age of Princes'. No fewer than 23 different Emperors were crowned during this period, but none of them had much actual power. That changed with the rise to power of Kassa Haile, son of a minor nobleman from the Dembiya province. Disinherited and reduced to outlawry — popular legend speaks of him as a Robin Hood-like figure, stealing from the rich and helping the poor — he formed an army and eventually seized control of Dembiya for himself.

Kassa attracted the attention of the powerful noble Ali of Yejju, whose mother Menen had married the nominal emperor and who himself claimed to be the Imperial Regent. In order to make this up-and-coming young warlord an ally, Ali arranged for him to marry his daughter Tewabech in 1848. While Kassa and Tewabech had a happy marriage, he soon quarrelled with his in-laws, and by 1852 was in armed rebellion against them.

Kassa defeated both his father-in-law and several other rival nobles, and by 1855 was the strongest ruler in Ethiopia. He then forced the nominal Emperor Yohannes III to abdicate, and had himself crowned Negus Negusti on 11 February 1855. He changed his name to Tewodros ('Theodore') which sounded more imperial, and spread the story (which may or may not be true) that his mother was descended from a 17th-century Emperor of Ethiopia and thus he himself had the blood of the Solomonic dynasty in his veins.

For the first time in a century Ethiopia was united by an Emperor who had actual power. Tewodros II (there had been a previous Tewodros in the 15th century) ruled for 13 years and spent much of that time leading an army, forcing the semi-independent rulers of Gojjam, Tigray, Shewa, and Wollo to recognise his authority. As well as constant civil wars he was threatened by the expansionist Egyptian khedivate, the Ottoman Empire, and neighbouring Muslim kingdoms.

In 1862 Tewodros decided to ask the British Empire for help modernising his kingdom. However, the British did not want to get involved in the region, and did not take his request seriously. Outraged by this dismissal, Tewodros ordered all the British citizens in his country to be arrested and thrown in prison. When he heard that a Church of England missionary had written a book describing Emperor Tewodros as 'barbaric, cruel, and unstable' he flew into a rage, personally threatened the missionary with a gun, and then beat two of his servants to death with his own hands.

The British response to the imprisonment of their citizens (including their ambassador) has been described as "one of the most expensive affairs of honour in history." They organised an army 13,000 strong, invaded Ethiopia (in January 1868), defeated its army, conquered it, and set the British prisoners free. Then, mission accomplished, they turned around and went back home again, leaving Ethiopia to its own devices. As for Emperor Tewodros, he shot himself when the British soldiers broke through the gates of his fortress.

The death of the Emperor left a power vacuum in Ethiopia, triggering four years of civil war. His immediate successor as Negus Negusti took the throne-name Tekle Giorgis II and attempted to consolidate power by offering concessions to the Ethiopian Church; but few of his rival nobles recognised his claim to the throne. Tekle Giorgis ruled for only three years before being defeated in battle by the warlord of Tigray province, who had him blinded and thrown in prison to die.

The new ruler was Kassa Mercha, another son of a minor noble who had fought his way to control of a province. When the British invaded in 1868 Kassa had helped them pass through his lands in Tigray rather than fighting them, and in return the British gave him enough modern muskets to equip 800 men, plus a battery of artillery. It was with these modern troops, plus around 11,000 more traditionally-equipped warriors, that Kassa defeated the 60,000-strong army of Emperor Tekle Giorgis at the Battle of the Assem on 11 July 1871.

After mopping up several other rivals, Kassa had himself crowned as King of Zion and King of Kings of Ethiopia (Nagusä Sayon, Nəgusä Naguśt zä Ityopya) on 21 January 1872. He took the regnal name Yohannes IV, and ruled for 17 years. He was a strong ruler who continued the work begun by Tewodros II of attempting to unite the rebellious provinces under central control, and also expanding the borders of Ethiopia outwards by conquest. A major blow to his ambitions was when the Italians seized control of the port of Massawa, previously controlled by Egypt, in 1885 — Yohannes had hoped to acquire the city himself.

Emperor Yohannes IV was killed in battle in 1889 when the Mahdists of Sudan, who believed their leader was the prophesised Messiah, invaded Ethiopia. As he lay dying in his tent he declared that his nephew Mengesha was actually his son, and so should succeed him to the throne. However, few people believed this claim and even fewer were willing to accept Mengesha as their emperor; so he was never crowned. He did, however, continue to rule his father's lands in Tigray.

The next emperor was instead Sahle Maryam, who took the throne as Menelik II. He was the illegitmate son of the negus of Shewa province, and was taken prisoner when Emperor Tewodros II subdued Shewa and reincorporated it into his empire. However, Tewodros took a liking to Sahle and arranged for him to marry his daughter. In 1865 Sahle seized control of Shewa for himself. He remained neutral during the British invasion of 1868, helping neither his father-in-law the Emperor nor the British. While Yohannes ruled, Sahle remained mostly quiet, though he showed great interest in modernising his province and especially its army with Italian help.

He declared himself as rightful emperor under the new name Menelik as soon as Yohannes died, because unlike the previous few monarchs, he was directly descended in the male line from the House of Solomon. Most nobles accepted his claim and he was crowned on 3 November 1889. He would rule for 24 year

born Sahle Maryam, 1889–1913

Menelik II consolidated power in Ethiopia, establishing a new capital city at Addis Ababa with modern enhancements such as paved roads, plumbing, a bank, and a post office; and in 1894 he invited the French to build a railway to connect the city to the French-controlled port of Djibouti. He also more than doubled the size of Ethiopia, by conquering the tribal lands to the south and east of his empire in a series of brutal wars. However, he is probably most famous for defeating the attempted Italian conquest of Ethiopia in 1895-96.

When he took the throne in 1889 Menelik had signed a treaty with Italy in which he recognised their ownership of Massawa and Eritrea in return for their acknowlegement of his position as Emperor. The treaty also guaranteed the freedom of both countries to trade in each others' territory and enjoy equal rights for their citizens there. However, this agreement, the Treaty of Wuchale, contained a clause that was different in the Italian and Amharic versions. The Amharic text said that the Emperor of Ethiopia could use the services of the Italian government when conducting negotiations with other nations. The Italian text said that the Emperor must use those services.

In other words, the Italian version of the treaty — which the Italian government circulated to other European nations — made Ethiopia their protectorate, conducting its foreign policy only with Italian permission. The Amharic wording suggested that this was merely optional, and that the Ethiopians could simply ask for Italian help and advice when negotiating with Western countries. It is thought that the discrepancy was included, on his own initiative, by the Italian ambassador in Ethiopia, Count Antonelli, who wrote the text of the treaty.

Emperor Menelik did not discover this deception until 1890, when he wrote letters to Queen Victoria of the UK and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, only to have them returned with a note that he was not allowed to do this, and should communicate with them only via Italy in future. (Supposedly Victoria's answer was cool but polite, Wilhelm was rude and dismissive.) Menelik was outraged, but it was not until 1893, when he felt his domestic position was secure, that he denounced the treaty. Italy, in turn, saw this defiance as justification for war.

In December 1894 fighting broke out between Italian forces in Eritrea and the inhabitants of Tigray, ruled by Mengesha, the "son" (or nephew) of Emperor Yohannes whom Menelik had beaten to the throne in 1889. The Italians won a swift victory and captured Adwa, the capital of Tigray. This encouraged them into overconfidence, and they decided to invade and conquer the rest of Ethiopia. This proved a disastrous failure.

On 1 March 1895 an Italian army of 14,519 men attacked an Ethiopian army of about 100,000 men in the Battle of Adwa (or Adowa), and was almost wiped out, losing 7,000 killed, 1,500 wounded and 3,000 captured. News of the defeat caused riots in Italy and the collapse of the government there. The new Italian government quickly signed a treaty under which they recognised Ethiopia's independence after all, and paid an indemnity of 10 million lire, in return for peace (and Ethiopia's recognition of the new border with Eritrea).

Menelik suffered a stroke in 1909, at the age of 65, which left him incapable and paralysed. His (third) wife Taytu, who had a strong personality, effectively ruled the country for a year until she was forced from power and replaced by a Council of Regency which governed from 1910 until Menelik died in 1913.

Menelik had no children from his three marriages, but he did have at least three illegitimate offspring. In 1909 he nominated his 14-year old grandson Kifle Yaqob, son of his eldest illegitimate daughter, as his heir. In 1911, with his grandfather still alive but unable to rule, his teenage grandson took power under the name of Iyasu. His title was Lij, literally meaning 'child [of noble blood]': 'Prince' might be an appropriate English translation in this context. ('Infante' would be even closer if we were speaking Spanish.)

Prince Iyasu, uncrowned ruler of Ethiopia 1911–16

Lij Iyasu faced multiple challenges to his rule, including an attempted coup, a poisoning attempt, and an armed mutiny in his first year in power. He was also accused of neglecting his duties and engaging in scandalous behaviour, including leading his bodyguards in slave-raids against neighbouring states instead of remaining in the capital.

In December 1913 Menelik finally died, though this fact was kept hidden to avoid instability. The nobles and ministers of the court, who regaded Lij Iyasu as an incompetent brat, avoided having him crowned as Emperor. On 27 September 1916 the Minister of War, Habte Giyorgis Dinagde, organised a coup d'état. He produced witnesses claiming that Iyasu had secretly converted to Islam, which would be grounds to forfeit the throne; and under pressure the Church confirmed this claim, excommunicated Iyasu and released the Ethiopian nobles from their oaths of loyalty.

A brief civil war followed, and Iyasu's side lost. He fled into hiding in the desert for five years, being captured in 1921 and kept under house arrest. When Emperor Haile Selassie took the throne in 1930, as described below, Iyasu was treated more harshly. When the Italians invaded again in October 1935 they distributed propaganda urging the Ethiopians to rise up in support of "the true Emperor Iyasu V" to overthrow Haile Selassie. Purely by coincidence, the 40-year old Iyasu was shortly afterwards found dead in his cell; having died entirely of natural causes and certainly not murdered on the Emperor's orders as a potential threat.

Going back to 1916, however, the organisers of the coup decided to make Zewdita the new monarch. She was an illegitimate daughter of Emperor Menelik II, and thus the aunt of Lij Iyasu. She was also the first regnant Empress of Ethiopia, and the first female African monarch in several centuries. Her title, rather than 'King of Kings', was 'Queen of Kings' (Negiste Negest). However, as a woman it was agreed that her relative Tafari Makonnen (who was also her heir since she had no surviving children of her own) would act as her regent and plenipotentiary, the Balemulu 'Inderase. Empress Zewdita was not entirely a figurehead — she had the final decision-making power and a lot of political influence — but her kinsman was the public face of the government.

Empress Zewdita, 1917–30

Empress Zewdita was crowned on 11 February 1917 and ruled for 13 years. She was conservative and a traditionalist, and a patron of the Church in Ethiopia. She left most matters of government in the hands of her relative the Regent Plenipotentiary, Tafari Makonnen.

This regent’s father Ras Makonnen ('ras' is a noble title, roughly equivalent to duke) was the first cousin of Emperor Menelik II on his mother's side, and was appointed as governor of Harar by the Emperor. He was also a notable military commander at the Battle of Adwa. Makonnen's son Tafari, born in 1892, thus had royal blood, and it was agreed in 1917 that he would be the nominated successor to the childless Empress Zewdita. He was also given the title ras at this point.

Ras Tafari thus became the face of the Ethiopian government in the name of the Empress. He arranged for his country to join the League of Nations in 1923, and pursued a cautious strategy of modernisation and westernisation. He also banned slavery in his country, though he was unable to enforce this.

In 1928 there was an attempted revolt against Tafari's power, led by the governor of Sidamo province who was accused of underpaying taxes to the central government. Conservative nobles rallied around the Empress and attempted to have Tafari tried, for treason and consorting with Italians. The attempt failed, and as a concession to secure peace Empress Zewdita was pressured into upgrading Tafari's title from Ras to Negus, or 'king'.

Two years later the Empress's husband Gugsa Welle launched a rebellion of his own against Negus Tafari — without the permission of his wife. He raised an army of around 35,000 men, but other members of the nobility were too cautious to join him. The Empress reluctantly declared her husband a rebel, and Tafari led the official army of Ethiopia to combat him at the Battle of Anchem on 31 March 1930. Three aircraft flew over the rebel army dropping leaflets urging the soldiers to desert, followed by bombs. Gugsa Welle himself was shot and killed while riding a white horse into battle. His army disintegrated. Within three days, Empress Zewdita herself was dead, supposedly of shock and grief at her husband's death (though she was in fact seriously ill anyway).

Eight months later on 2 November 1930 Tafari Makonnen was proclaimed as Emperor himself, taking the name Haile Selassie (which means 'Power of the Trinity'). He remained emperor until the revolution of 1974, though between 1936 and 1941 he was in exile in England after the Italian conquest of his country

A major famine in 1972-74 which killed tens of thousands of people (some sources claim even higher figures) undermined public support for the Emperor, who until then had generally been popular. High inflation also led to riots, strikes, and a mutiny by the army which demanded higher pay. On 12 September 1974 a Committee (Derg in Ge'ez) set up to investigate and rectify the army's grievances, instead deposed the Emperor and placed him and his family under arrest.

Haile Selassie's son, the 58-year old Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen, was in Switzerland at the time receiving medical treatment. The military junta announced that he was now King of Ethiopia (they used the term 'King', not 'Emperor'). However, Asfaw refused to accept the legitimacy of the coup against his father, and therefore refused to use the new title given to him. He also publicly condemned the actions of the Derg when they had about 60 high-ranking members of the government executed by firing squad. In March 1975 the Derg — officially known as the Provisional Military Administrative Council — therefore announced the abolition of the monarchy and declared the creation of a Marxist-Leninist socialist republic.

The last reigning emperor, 83-year old Haile Selassie, died on 27 August 1975, supposedly of complications following surgery but according to some, he was strangled.