#Librarian's Assembly

[sw5w]

I Hate to Say It, But It Looks Like the System You're Searching for Doesn't Exist

STAR WARS EPISODE II: Attack of the Clones 00:34:22

[strandedtoodeep]

oh yeah and i finally saw the Assembled about dp&w i'm so so happy!!! time to watch the movie for the ten (i think??) time!

(but not tonight bc tomorrow i'm ✨back to work ✨) (i'm this close to losing my shit but it's okay hhhhhhh)

[silentauthor96]

Truly our world would be a better place if more channels just played Cyberchase reruns 24/7

[Cyberchase (For Real) S1 E15]

[foldingfittedsheets]

My paternal grandmother was a librarian. I only got to see that set of grandparents once a year as they lived out of state. I fondly remember summers spent at their house watching That Darn Cat and The King and I on loop, hunting for water skippers in the back creek, and reading the entirety of the Peanuts comics.

Because my grandma was a librarian she was delighted to foster my love of reading. We made trips to the library every week. One summer when I was seven or so I got really into this kids series about princesses all named after gemstones, each had a unique magic power.

At the end of each book was a puzzle or some extra bit of lore to decode. All of them were easily copied down in some way. Until I got to Sapphire’s book. At the end of the story Princess Sapphire was in peril! She needed a hero to come save her from a terrible fate. And there, on the last page, was a decoder device. It needed to be cut out and assembled.

I had to help save the Princess!!! In the iron grip of a fever of imagination I immediately found scissors and started carefully cutting the page. The page warned only to use scissors with an adult present and I scoffed to think I needed supervision just for scissors! I was a hero!Her plight called to me from the pages, imaginings of how I would daringly rescue the beautiful sweet Princess Sapphire ran through my little brain-

And about halfway up the page toward my goal I froze. This was a library book. I couldn’t cut a library book! What was I doing?! Even now in my memory it stands as a glaring example of the first time I mastered impulse control. Tragically, too late.

I was distraught. My grandma had a sacred duty to books and I, villain that I was, had defiled a precious tome! I wallowed for some time in abject misery, experiencing the greatest amount of guilt my tiny body had ever previously held. I’d probably go to jail. For a crime as monumental as wielding scissors against a book I wouldn’t even get dessert in jail.

Gradually, I processed my way through the grief of my vile deeds. I couldn’t have the decoder, I slowly accepted. That might be punishment enough. And I had only cut the page halfway. So it was only half a crime... It wasn’t illegal to lie when you’d aborted an evil act, right?

I didn’t know but I didn’t want to face my grandma’s potential wrath. I have no memory of my grandma ever yelling at me. I waited until the next day to approach her.

“Grandma? I finished my book and when I got to the end I saw someone had cut the page! They probably wanted the decoder because I also want that but it was very bad to cut a book, wasn’t it?”

My grandma regarded me benignly. She carefully took the book to observe it and nodded. “It’s good to see that they stopped before they cut it all the way out. Let’s go tape this together, and then I can photocopy the page and we can make you a decoder.”

I was ecstatic. Rewarded for my honesty! I created and cracked codes for the rest of summer with the flimsy paper creation we’d made. I genuinely doubt my grandma believed that I wasn’t the perpetrator, but I loved that she acknowledged that the person responsible stopped.

[robertreich]

Trump Is Project 2025

Trump claims he has “no idea who is behind” Project 2025.

Hogwash!

Project 2025’s nearly thousand-page plan for a total MAGA takeover of America was assembled by more than 25 of Trump’s own administration officials.

Trump’s Make America Great Again PAC is running ads calling it “Trump’s Project 2025.”

CNN found that at least 140 people who worked for Trump are involved in the project, including six of his cabinet secretaries.

Trump’s campaign press secretary and his adviser Stephen Miller star in Project 2025’s recruitment video.

If Trump has “no idea” who they are, that’s some serious cognitive decline!

I can see why Trump wants to distance himself from such a toxic plan. Page 5 calls for jailing teachers and librarians over banned books.

Page 455 calls for “abortion surveillance” and stripping Americans of reproductive freedom.

Pages 587 and 592 have plans to gut overtime pay rules.

Page 489 demands the government prioritize “married men and women” over any other type of family.

Page 371 proposes privatizing nuclear waste disposal. What could go wrong?

Trump has promised to be a “dictator” on Day One. The Supreme Court has given their blessing. Project 2025 is the how-to manual for Trump’s dictatorship.

Trump is Project 2025. He cannot escape it.

[hardrockshrimp]

I hope the jermites enjoy this

[whoopsyeahokay]

October Sun

summary: when Maddie had mentioned to Wally her plan to follow Simon when he confronted you, Wally had supported her one hundred and ten percent. after all, he'd always been sure there was more to you than met the eye.

pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader

warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.

bon reading, frens

___________________________💀

OCTOBER SUN pt.3

Wally had had his suspicions about you since your sophomore year.

Not that he'd admitted it to anyone, not after forty years of disappointment when looks that had seemed deliberate had just been coincidence.

He'd been entering the assembly hall, alone, no one ahead of or behind him, as you were leaving. The presence of the freshman and sophomore gym instructors suggested some kind of group activity had just taken place, corroborated by the ruddiness of your cheeks and the damp ends of your hair.

You'd been fingering through the pile of loose papers you'd held, a look of deep concentration on your face, and had just been about to walk into through Wally when—

"S'cuse me."

You'd sidestepped him on your way out without looking up. It'd taken him so off-guard that he'd failed to react. By the time he'd thought to go after you, it'd been too late. You'd caught up to your friends and had turned the corner just as Mr. Martin had called out to him, gesturing Wally over to join the others for that afternoon's session.

The following day, he'd tracked you down; hovered over you during first period, slid into the unoccupied space at your lunch table, and even sat with you when you'd stayed behind after school to work in the library. He'd done everything he could think of to garner a reaction from you, from monologuing through your Math quiz—he'd felt guilty about your C- for a week afterward—to jumping out from the shadows when you weren't looking and yelling in your ear.

Nothing. No missteps or wide eyes or held breaths, n o t h i n g. Not even a twitch.

He would've let the whole thing go and never thought about you again had it not been for the rare—albeit could be serendipitous—responses you sometimes let slip.

Like the time he'd scooted his chair right into your space, knee pressed against yours under the table in the library. Wally had draped an arm along the back of your seat, his fingers tapping a rhythm on the plastic (Frida's I Know There's Something Going On, sped up to match the tempo of Wally's restlessness). You'd been hunched over Slaughterhouse-Five, Wally reading over your shoulder, when he'd noticed your hand.

Specifically, an angry-looking scar that crawled along the bone beneath your pinky, from knuckle to wrist. Too pale to be recent, but too visible to have happened in the distant past. He'd acted without thinking, traced the fingers of his free hand down the length of the scar, and muttered, "What happened to you, pretty girl?"

When he'd glanced at your face, you'd been staring at your hand, expression tight as if reliving the moment you'd incurred the wound.

It didn't have to mean anything, Wally could've chalked it up to right question, right time, except that you'd suddenly shoved your chair back, the angry scrape of metal against linoleum drawing the librarian's attention, and had gathered your things in a hurry.

You'd been upset. And though Wally couldn't be sure, he'd felt that it'd been his fault. You'd pivoted toward him, stopped, changed your mind halfway through the motion, and repositioned yourself to slip around your chair the other way. An action Wally had been too apologetic to count as a victory.

He'd stumbled after you, watched you seek out your friend—Xavier, Wally recalled—in the music room and ask for a lift home.

"No questions asked." You'd told Xavier, like some sort of code that, given how the other people around him reacted, only Xavier could decipher.

"Wait, I'm sorry, I won't bring it up again!" Wally had been so close to...to something. Maybe not a full admission or a conversation or a just-for-him smile, but something. Something real. He'd just wanted to experience someone who hadn't been encouraged to write their own obituary, fuck, had he really screwed up that bad?

You'd climbed into Xavier's truck and leaned your head against the window. Eyes, watery and filled with sorrow, fixed purposefully above Wally's head in what Wally had interpreted as a final plea to be left alone.

So, wrought with guilt and confusion and a splintered sense of loss, that had been the last time Wally had sought you out in pursuit of uncovering whatever magic you might've possessed...

...Until yesterday. He'd intercepted Maddie when she'd been marching toward the cafeteria, clearly on a mission as she'd bobbed and weaved through the lunch rush of students to keep up with her guy friend.

"What's going on?" Wally had asked, following Maddie's gaze as she'd surveyed guy-friend leaning over to talk to someone. When guy-friend had moved aside to let that someone stand, Wally had been pleasantly surprised to see it'd been you.

"Simon's going to talk to her." Maddie had explained, "I...overheard him telling Nicole."

Wally hadn't known who Nicole was. Regardless, "Cool. You think it's about how you died?"

"Yeah.    Sure." Maddie had moved to trail you and Simon, spun around at the last second to face Wally, and said, "I don't know yet. It could be nothing." She'd started to walk backward, waved stiffly, "I'll. See you later."

It'd been a clear dismissal, a silent request for privacy, which Wally had been happy to oblige. Mostly. He'd stepped outside after counting to ten Mississippi and found a spot near the bike racks, curious about what you'd do when Maddie appeared in the bus shelter Simon had hustled you into.

Truthfully, Wally had expected that it wouldn't be much, given how you'd failed to react to him in the past, and he'd been right. You'd listened to Simon, appeared suitably confused, and then—

No way.

You'd looked directly at him. Had paused in skimming the area to look at him. There hadn't been anyone close enough to Wally for it to have been another fluke.

"She can see me." He'd gasped, shoving his hands in his pockets, and, fuck it, Maddie hadn't outright asked Wally not to get too close; a loophole Wally had been willing to exploit in favor of finally getting the truth out of you. He'd strode to the bus shelter, witnessed your demeanor visibly stiffen when he'd peered through the glass.

You could see him.

In his excitement, Wally had missed how Maddie had curled into herself on the bench like a wilted flower, and how Simon hadn't pressed any buttons on his phone to accept a call; Wally had been too preoccupied, practically floating after you as you'd returned to the school.

"Do what you want," He'd said, "but I'm not going anywhere until you admit it." It'd been a promise to himself that he'd voiced out loud. Belatedly, the words had hit his ears and he'd almost stuttered an apology at how threatening it'd sounded.

Almost. Because you'd been struggling with your lock, cheeks pinking, pillowy lower lip caught between your teeth; flustered and frustrated and oh so pretty. He hadn't been able to help himself, hand moving of its own volition, metal to a magnet, and he'd skimmed his fingers up the gentle curve of your spine, from your lower back to between your shoulder blades.

Your breath had hitched, perfect and sweet, and when had he leaned in? Your mouth closening as you'd slowly turned your head toward him. Wally had lifted his other hand to rest against your throat, thumb smoothing the soft underside of your jaw, heart pounding, warmth coiling low in his belly, twisting, needing—

💥BANG💥

Wally had jolted out of whatever trance he'd fallen into and stepped back, regarding your interaction with your curvy goth friend in a daze. That'd been weird. Well, the weirdest thing in a sea of weird things that Wally had encountered since his debut in the metaphysical world. It'd been hypnotic, his actions guided by invisible strings, brain taking a backseat while instinct took the wheel.

He'd never felt that kind of pull toward anyone, alive or dead.

What the hell?

Answers had had to wait, Wally unable to think up a good enough excuse to skip Group. Until he knew exactly what was going on, he didn't want to shine a stage light on you. So, he'd attended, participated as much as he'd thought would keep Mr. Martin and the others from suspecting anything, and had had to refrain from bolting like a bat out of hell as soon as Mr. Martin had released them.

He'd had to find you, figure this out, touch you, kiss you, taste you—but you'd been smart and, according to your curvy goth friend, you'd bailed on your last class, "To pick up shit for her mom. Seriously, she needs to reinforce her boundaries before I do it for her."

If that's how you wanted to play this, Alright, baby, we'll do this your way, Wally thought the next morning, stretching the sleep from his limbs. Whatever had happened when he'd touched you yesterday had affected you both, of that Wally was sure.

And if you'd felt even a third of what he had, he knew it wouldn't be long before you two were drawn together once again.

💀___________________________

PART TWO - PART FOUR

also available on AO3!

MATERLIST

[stickandthorn]

Beau’s character traits according to Bells Hells: Abs, Librarian, Even more abs oh my god oh wow

Caleb’s character traits according to Bells Hells: dirty (not actually not that dirty we change our mind), assembly?, not the one who turned into a lens (orb[he died |very sad| ])

[princess-glassred]

Imagine if Mike got asked to go give an assembly on reading at Derry middle school because he's a librarian, and while he's there he sees these kids who look disturbingly familiar. They're a friend group of seven, ones fat, ones jewish, ones black, ones a girl, ect. And they're even being harassed by some dumb ass bully with an ugly hair cut. It really trips Mike out but he finds it oddly heart warming, so during the assembly Mike kind of indirectly calls out that bully kid and humiliates him a little, and the kids are all shocked an adult actually stood up for them for once and Mike just winks at the kids like it's a secret.

Later on the kid who kinda looks like a younger version of him talks with him after the assembly to thank him and Mike gives him a book he likes. He also gives him so advice on taking care of your friends since not every adult in Derry will be so kind to help them. When the kid asks how you should deal with a bully Mike just goes "I don't know. Me and my friends threw rocks at ours. Maybe do that.".

[nicklloydnow]

“About a decade ago, I ventured my opinion that the adult multitudes queueing for superhero movies were potentially an indicator of emotional arrest, which could have worrying political and social implications. Since at that time Brexit, Donald Trump and fascist populism hadn’t happened yet, my evidently crazy diatribe was largely met with outrage from the fan community, some of whom angrily demanded I be extradited to the US and made to stand trial for my crimes against superhumanity – which I felt didn’t necessarily disprove my allegations.

Ten years on, let me make my position clear: I believe that fandom is a wonderful and vital organ of contemporary culture, without which that culture ultimately stagnates, atrophies and dies. At the same time, I’m sure that fandom is sometimes a grotesque blight that poisons the society surrounding it with its mean-spirited obsessions and ridiculous, unearned sense of entitlement. Perhaps this statement still requires some breaking down.

(…)

Quite liking comics, aged 14 I thus became a comics fan with my discovery of British fandom, which was then still gummy-eyed and fresh out of the egg. The first convention I attended in London, in the basement rooms of a Southampton Row hotel in 1969, was tiny and inspiring. The attenders barely totalled a three-digit number, almost all of them some few years short of legal drinking age. The comics companies, having no monetary interest in a handful of penniless teenagers, went blissfully unrepresented, and the only industry celebrity that I recall was the sublime and sweetly unassuming genius Frank Bellamy, passing Dan Dare or Garth originals around, appearing wonderstruck that anyone had heard of him. The only thing uniting the assembly was its passion for an undervalued storytelling medium and, for the record, the consensus verdict of the gathered 15-year-old cognoscenti was that costumed musclemen were the main obstacle preventing adult audiences from taking comics seriously.

Of that hardly-a-hundred schoolkids, office boys and junior librarians, the great majority were actively involved in their pursuit, publishing or contributing to a variety of – for the most part – poorly duplicated fanzines, or else going on to work professionally in the field, such as Kevin O’Neill, Steve Moore, Steve Parkhouse or Jim Baikie, all of whom were downstairs at the Waverley hotel that weekend, keen to elevate the medium that they loved, rather than passively complain about whichever title or creator had particularly let them down that month. Of course, this was the 1960s and the same amateur energy seemed to be everywhere, spawning an underground press, Arts Lab publications and a messy, marvellous array of poetry or music fanzines that were the material fabric of that era’s counterculture; flimsy pamphlets as important and innovative today as they were then, although considerably more expensive, trust me.

Soon thereafter, caught up in the rush of adolescent life, I drifted out of touch with comic books and their attendant fandom, only returning eight years later when I was commencing work as a professional in that fondly remembered field, to find it greatly altered. Bigger, more commercial, and although there were still interesting fanzines and some fine, committed people, I detected the beginnings of a tendency to fetishise a work’s creator rather than simply appreciate the work itself, as if artists and writers were themselves part of the costumed entertainment. Never having sought a pop celebrity relationship with readers, I withdrew by stages from the social side of comics, acquiring my standing as a furious, unfathomable hermit in the process. And when I looked back, after an internet and some few decades, fandom was a very different animal.

An older animal for one thing, with a median age in its late 40s, fed, presumably, by a nostalgia that its energetic predecessor was too young to suffer from. And while the vulgar comic story was originally proffered solely to the working classes, soaring retail prices had precluded any audience save the more affluent; had gentrified a previously bustling and lively cultural slum neighbourhood. This boost in fandom’s age and status possibly explains its current sense of privilege, its tendency to carp and cavil rather than contribute or create. I speak only of comics fandom here, but have gained the impression that this reflexive belligerence – most usually from middle-aged white male conservatives – is now a part of many fan communities. My 14-year-old grandson tells me older Pokémon aficionados can display the same febrile disgruntlement. Is this a case of those unwilling to outgrow childhood enthusiasms, possibly because these anchor them to happier and less complex times, who now feel they should be sole arbiters of their pursuit?

There are, of course, entirely benign fandoms, networks of cooperative individuals who quite like the same thing, can chat with others sharing the same pastime and, importantly, provide support for one another in difficult times. These healthy subcultures, however, are less likely to impact on society in the same way that the more strident and presumptuous fandoms have managed. Unnervingly rapidly, our culture has become a fan-based landscape that the rest of us are merely living in. Our entertainments may be cancelled prematurely through an adverse fan reaction, and we may endure largely misogynist crusades such as Gamergate or Comicsgate from those who think “gate” means “conspiracy”, and that Nixon’s disgrace was predicated on a plot involving water, but this is hardly the full extent to which fan attitudes have toxified the world surrounding us, most obviously in our politics.

Elections that decide the fate of millions are conducted in an atmosphere more suited to evictions on I’m a Celebrity …, in which contestants who are insufficiently amusing are removed from office. Saleability, not substance, is the issue. Those who vote for Donald Trump or Boris Johnson seem less moved by policy or prior accomplishment than by how much they’ve enjoyed the performances on The Apprentice or Have I Got News for You. And throughout the UK, we’re now familiar with what a Stephen Yaxley-Lennon fan convention looks like.

An enthusiasm that is fertile and productive can enrich life and society, just as displacing personal frustrations into venomous tirades about your boyhood hobby can devalue them. Quite liking something is OK. You don’t need the machete or the megaphone.

Candidly, for my part, readers would have always been more than sufficient.”

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Re: the UofT anon, I think it's worth sharing the full email we got. This is the same university whose land acknowledgement talks about how grateful they are to have the "opportunity to live and work" on the stolen land their "private property" occupies. Also note that campus police have arrested members of OccupyUofT while they were holding a peaceful sit-in on campus.

"Dear students,

At this time of heightened tensions, when protests are taking place on many university campuses, I am writing to remind you of the University of Toronto’s commitment to free expression and lawful and peaceful protest, as well as the necessary limits that accompany those freedoms.

Freedom of expression is central to the University of Toronto’s mission of learning and discovery. The University’s Statement on Freedom of Speech notes that “all members of the University must have as a prerequisite freedom of speech and expression, which means the right to examine, question, investigate, speculate, and comment on any issue without reference to prescribed doctrine, as well as the right to criticize the University and society at large.” The statement also makes clear that all members of our community have the freedom “to engage in peaceful assemblies and demonstrations.”

The University respects our members’ rights to assemble and protest within the limits of U of T policies and the law. The University also has a duty of care to our students. Actions that create a health and safety risk, that interfere with the ability of students, faculty, librarians and staff to learn, teach, research and work on our campuses, or that disrupt or impede other University activities are not permitted. 

U of T’s lands and buildings are private property, though the University allows wide public access to them for authorized activities. Unauthorized activities such as encampments or the occupation of University buildings are considered trespassing. Specifically, our Code of Student Conduct prohibits intentional damage to University property, unauthorized entry and use of University property contrary to instructions, disruptions of University activities, and other offenses to property and persons.

Any student involved in unauthorized activities or conduct that contravenes University policies or the law may be subject to consequences. We ask that you engage productively with one another to fulfill our mutual obligation to provide a welcoming and safe community in which all members can express themselves.

Best Regards,

Professor Sandy Welsh

Vice-Provost, Students"

~~~~

[lightsaber-dorphin]

Jedi Order Bureaucratic Structure

I’ve been working for a while on worldbuilding the inner workings of the Jedi Order. Below is a flowchart of the administrative bodies, their duties, and any other admin bodies they oversee. More details on each below the cut.

These are different groups involved in running the Jedi Order. For different roles within the Jedi, see my Jedi Order Corps and Subdivisions.

High Council: (Finance, bylaws, PR, major trials)

Determines the budget(s)

Relations with the Senate

Only body that can expel members

Librarian's Assembly: (Ensures knowledge is available to Jedi)

Fund academic researchers (many Jedi researchers work directly for the assembly)

Archives: (Run the Archives & research)

Host academic conferences

Protect important artifacts

Run basically directly by the Librarian's Assembly

Department of Classes: (Adult education)

Organize all classes that aren't geneds

Set criteria for certifications/ degrees

Help members get degrees from external organizations

Council of Reassignment: (Oversees transfers & is Jedi CPS)

New Initiate paperwork

Transfers between corps and/or branches

Helps members leave the Order

Checks the CoFK when necessary

Padawanship paperwork filed here (crèchemasters sign off, padawan signs off, check master for red flags/ not allowed to take apprentice, sometimes mind healer signs off)

Council of Justice: (Attourneys & internal justice system)

Try & punish cases committed by Jedi & internal to the Jedi Order

Mediate interpersonal disputes

Lawyers for the Order

Cannot expel members

Council of Outreach: (Manages outposts & patrols)

Assigns Jedi to satellite locations or watchfolk posts

Hires other outpost staff

Ships supplies to & from outposts

Tracks the locations of missions & sends Vanguards to areas that haven't been visited recently

Council of Temple Maintenance: (Oversees internal services and temple upkeep)

In charge of the cleaning droids

Coordinates trash & recycling with Coruscant government

Has the occasional member who can do specialized maintenance (ex. plumber, electrician)

Volunteers sign up to fix things

Hires outside contractors when there isn't a Jedi with the necessary skills

Assigns Jedi to living quarters

Interior decor

Delegates chores such as taking out the trash, mopping, dusting, etc.

Padawans and initiates are often assigned these chores as punishments

Kitchenmasters: (Mess halls)

Make & serve food in the mess halls

Label the food with which species can eat it

Order food supplies

Supervise initiate clans helping in the kitchens

Quartermasters: (Distribute supplies & manage finances)

Bulk-order supplies for the Order

Provide mission allotments

Desk operators help members pick up supplies

Accounting

Transport Office: (Run the hangar bay & speeder pool)

Responsible for the Order's vehicles

Mechanics

Vehicles are checked in & out like a library for cars & ships

Hire external staff when there aren't enough Jedi

Temple Guard: (Security & emergency response)

Guard against exterior threats to the temple

Security during criminal situations

Really good at sensing danger to temple inhabitants

First responders (fire & police-- MedCorp handles EMS)

Change lightbulbs and smoke detector batteries

Odd jobs on behalf of the CoTM

Uses the lore by Adsecula in "Nameless"

Council of Reconciliation: (Central hub of Jedi outreach & diplomacy)

All aid requests go through them

Sets mission objectives

Approve or deny aid/ mission requests

Reviews behavior of Jedi on missions when there are issues

Mission Consignment: (Assign Jedi to approved missions)

Desk jockeys

Not officially divided by type of mission/ Jedi role needed, but missions will be passed to people who are more familiar with the experts required

Organizes specifics for missions such as transportation and housing

Council of First Knowledge: (Runs Initiate & Padawan dorms, clans, & childhood education)

Initiate clans members live together with their crèchemasters rotating out night shifts

Padawans & Senior Initiates live in individual rooms in designated halls with some crèchemasters living in each hall

Department of Seekers: (Regulates conduct of Seekers)

Create regulates for what Seekers can & cannot do & how they should act

Investigate reported misconduct by Seekers

Crèche: (Organizes care for Initiates)

Sort Initiates into clans

Run events/ field trips/ etc.

Set educational standards

see my post about Living Quarters in the Jedi Temple

Department of Primary Classes: (Classroom education for younglings)

Standard elementary school operation stuff

Provides the general education classes all Jedi take as younglings

Circle of Healers: (Sets certification requirements)

Certified to train medical professionals for a variety of degrees

Determines when Jedi have fulfilled requirements for medical certifications

Sets the qualifications for Force-specific medical degrees

Halls of Healing: (Healthcare within the Order & internal outreach)

Like a local hospital but also has general practitioners

IRB: (Reviews research for ethical concerns)

Institutional Review Board

"Under FDA regulations, an Institutional Review Board is group that has been formally designated to review and monitor biomedical research involving human subjects. In accordance with FDA regulations, an IRB has the authority to approve, require modifications in (to secure approval), or disapprove research. This group review serves an important role in the protection of the rights and welfare of human research subjects."

IRB for the entire Order, not just the MedCorps

[nightscalestudio]

We've posted all the Carcharodon Librarian tutorials on Patreon. Now you can find both tutorials on individual elements of miniature for a subscription, and buy a fully assembled tutorial in PDF format. Join for creative success. We are waiting for your feedback and suggestions. painting tutorials: https://www.patreon.com/Nightscalestudio

[superbpudding]

Hello again, sorry for today's images being crap i just felt like it. Anyway since there aren't any super mysterious strange yiik youtubers with weird videos that im aware of today's topic of discussion is the legend herself Semy Pak.Also my right arm hurts rn so i will be a little more insane today ok, also since this is just pure YIIK talking and speculation be prepared for just my raw consciousness and what i think about things in YIIK. So uh first of all for anyone who haven't realised it yet ALEX EGGLESTON DIDN'T MEAT SEMI PAK HE GASLIGHTS YOU INTO BELIEVING HE DID HE ACTUALLY SPENT THE WHOLE DAY EAGLING HIS STON TO HIS REFLECTION ON THE MONITOR !!! Sources cited: when Alex comes home he keeps yapping about some other random bullshit that isn't anyhow connected to Sammy and also on the next day he mentions not being able to get "the video" out of the head, not the events. He also seems surprised when Vella mentions her name on the phone in Chapter 2. So now with that cleared up let's start with the very first appearance of Sammy and what comes before that. First of before we get to Sammy we meet another woman, a Blue one, she mentions that Alex is "not supposed to be back here" and disappears.

I want to instantly point out how her outfit, skin color and hair color are exactly the same as one of Spectre Sammy's, personally i think that counting YIIK's cyclical narrative the Blue Woman is the previous missing woman that Alex was obsessing over(possibly even Jae-Hwa Wen herself), with the graves you see in Factory Hotel being graves of previous Sammys and Dalis, the one in park looking area could also be referencing the "The Death of Semi Pak" post.

I also want to point out the tree that Sammy sits on, it has a mirrored Borjgali symbol, that being the symbol of tree of life, the sun and the eternity. With it being placed on a literal tree i think it's safe to assume that the tree in question is the tree of life, with other 2 meanings being the eternal cycle of yiik's narrative and this tree being the symbolical beginning and the end of all Sammys. This same tree also appears in KNN ending.

After that she gets taken by the Mysterious Star Creatures during the elevator ride and while the original is interesting too i want to talk about the I.V version of this cutscene. It ends with this scene of Sammy getting killed in an Iron Maiden which is a really similar to one of Asuka Furutani getting turned into a Digital Soul Vessel in Deviation Perspective 1, while ost "Digital Soul Vessel assembly line" plays on the background, so i think it's fair to assume that in this scene she gets turned into a Digital Soul Vessel, while the literal God takes her body.

Now let's talk about the lore implications of this scene. Personally i think that the Digital Soul Vessel for Sammy is the ONISM1999, the one that Alex specifically downloads on his computer and that is presented to us as a website, with details of who she is manifesting as different posts, tho i can't be sure what are the full implications of it since i think there will be something new going on about Sammy in I.V that the Digital Soul Vessel creation hints to. Anyway let's move on to the next appearance of Sammy.The Librarian, with talking about this character i want to point out something probably obvious but important to understanding Sammy, Sammy is parallel to Alex. The story of her life that she tells is Alex's, the traits that Sammy shows are Alex's, "oh no i've become my mother", her story of wanting to go far away but ending up in the mind dungeon is what's happening to Alex. The fact that she appears in the Mind Dungeon is important too, the Alex's Mind Dungeon is not just a manifestation of his mind, Vella gave Alex a phone number for it, the same Vella who tells Alex about how in her universe you can call the dead, the Krow is the connection between the alive and the dead in Alex's mind she is connecting Alex with shattered pieces of time and matter floating in the Soul Space and Alex sees a parallel of himself as a dead because he Wishes He Could Just Disappear because these ONISM posts are his and by posts i also mean the "Fuck it. I'm done." because Rory is parallel to Sammy and both Rory and Sammy are parallel to Alex because he is internally a deeply traumatized character and i can't not speak about it.

So uh let's i should probably explain in levels what i just said rn so uhhh. First of all, why Sammy is parallel to Alex. If we don't count stuff like Sammy literally telling us about who Alex is from his head as if she's talking about herself there's still plenty of other hints and signs through the game starting literally from the Title Screen:

When you get to the ending 1 of the game you see that the King and Queen are both Alex, they are parallel to each other despite being the opposites, the concept characters of The Digital and The Spiritual in game are parallel and so are characters who fit into them and it just so happens that literally every love interest that Alex has is the Digital to his Spiritual and is parallel to him, including Sammy. Then i want to mention the phone calls at the end of Chapter 5. They may seem very random and don't have any obvious meaning at first but their role in the narrative is to draw parallels between characters.Michael is paralleld to Chondra Alex's mom is paralleled to Alex's dad and then there's Sammy who seemingly makes pretty random statements however they are swapping Sammy and Alex in their roles with Sammy asking Alex to pick up her cat from the dry cleaners, like if it isn't a real cat but a stuffed toy, like a stuffed Panda. She mentions Alex leaving Sammy in the elevator while leaving her alone which is the opposite of what was shown to us in Chapter 1.

And then finally, Spectre Sammy, she appears in both main endings and in both she ends up hugging the Alex model, however while in Ending 1 her monologue more just sets up what's comming but Ending 2 is way more focused on her. So, the thing is, there are 2 Sammys. There is the Semi Pak and there is what i call the Semy Pak(Spectre), Alex himself mentions there being 2 different Sammys multiple times actually, with talking about how Sammy he met and on ONISM video "didn't look exactly the same" or how "his Sammy and Sammy in the newspapers were different", so, why would there be 2 Sammys? This is where "You" come in, "The Player", or actually The Ultimate Alex, the one who wields the sword in Ending 1 and the one who you give your name to at the start of the game, they can exist as their separate concept outside of the player however through you taking role of The Ultimate Alex the concept of it is told, The Ultimate Alex is the impossible goal of Alex to be the Ultimate self in form of a main hero from a video game and his desire to become this goal instead of anything realistic has started to control his life and it created The Dungeon Master who is The Ultimate Alex and the Proto of this concept is deeply hidden in Better Endings but just like Twisted Beings i doubt it's possible to truly defeat them since the fact that we're playing the game still means that The Ultimate Alex exists. Anyway, since "You" the Ultimate Alex is better version of Alex from another reality and he wants to make you as close to himself as possible he gives you a copy of his own friends...and his obsession, another Sammy. Since "You" are just like Alex that means you also parallel to a Sammy, that's why in Ending 2 you work at KNN, "You" are being paralleled to Sammy Pak with all the characters refering not to Alex but to the name you gave to the Ultimate Alex. This is why Alex stands with Spectre Semy and Ultimate Alex stands with Semi.

And now, about how Sammy is paralleled to Rory. First of all i want to talk about the "Do you ever wish you could just disappear?" post, the theme of wanting to escape to "soul space" because of unwell mental health state is very similar to Rory's arc in chapter 2, we can also see bearsnessecity reply to this post which is interesting because bearsnessecity is also the one posting the "Fuck it. I'm done.", which appears at the exact same moment as "The Death of Semi Pak". The only other bearsnessecity appearance is in "GHOST SITING in WIND TOWN - NJ", in which the users S/superbpudding appear and tell Rory that she's a ghost. There's also a water tower with Sammy jumpscare in Windtown and also there's Rory's grave in KNN, right near the Sammy Pak grave.

The Golden Alpaca in KNN's version of Sammy's room quotes Alex's responce to Rory. The date of Sammy disappearing, 4/04, is the date of Rory's birthdy. The gate from Rory's house also allows you to go back to Sammy's room. Now for the last section of this post i want to talk about something even i don't fully understand the implications of. So uh, you know how in Chapter 5 there's a sideguest where an ONISM user makes you place Sammy posters around the state. These posters have a very interesting description:"Last Seen 04/01/1999".You get these posters in the mall and right down from the mall on the overworld map you can see trees that form text saying

4 0 1. April 1th. Personally i see the possible implications of this being that either Sammy really went missing not on April 4th but instead on April 1th and Alex adjusted it for his narrative and to make it fit with Rory's birthday or it comes back again to 2 Sammys, one of wich went missing on April 4th and other on April 1th. Also the obvious implication that it being April 1th could mean that the video was a prank. The posters themselves are interesting too, first of all they are very obviously different from what is described in item's description since they still say 4/04. The e-mail adress is the same one that sent Alex the "link" to onism post, also want to note how she wears different clothing than one on video. I aslo want to say that in post "Elevator Girl" a similar poster is described(tho there is no image attached, despite users acting like there is) and it also seems like the name Semi Pak was found out through this poster(btw the post appears way earlier than when Vella calls Alex and informs him of Sammy's name being found).

Now i want to compare it to different poster, the one that appears in I.V/Nameless Psychosis intro in Claudio's shop.It is very similar to the previous one however there are quite a few important differences, first of all the date on poster being 2016 and nto 1999, the photo is a screenshot of Sammy's 3D model which is the same as in the ONISM video, building behind her looking nothing like any buildings in New Jersey and instead looks like buildings in the intro. However the 2 most important details for this discussion is the lack of name "Semi Pak" on poster and also the height being 5'1 instead of 5'2 as on the mall poster, yet again suggesting multiple Sammys.

I also want to talk about Sammy's age on these posters, on both of the posters and also in ONISM1999 posts it's stated that Sammy is 21, however on her gravestone near Alex's house and as said by Alex himself her age is 23. Which is interesting considering that 23 is Rory's age.

That was pretty muc it, it's still not everything there is to be said about Sammy but i think that's enough for this post. Thanks for reading and all that.

[stalkerofthegods]

Athena Pallas/Minerva Deep dive

To the wisest of the wise, to the goddess that tells us the wisdom, may we all cheer for her, like how men and women and all equal in war would cheer after victory.

Herbs • Olive tree, Tiger lilies, geranium, oak, cypress, Hellebore (Christmas and Lenten rose), and citrus tree, walnuts, pears

Animals• owl, snake, rooster, griffins, horses (she taught men how to tame horses), female lambs, doves (as a symbol of victory), rams, eagles, tigers, leopards, and other cats (could not find why but many were in agreement.)

Zodiac • She was mostly celebrated in June/July so I would say, Gemini, Cancer, and Leo.

Colors • gold, orange, yellow, emerald green, and royal blue

Crystal• bronze, metal, gold, silver, Azurite, Iolite, ruby, star sapphire, turquoise, lapis lazuli, ivory, Amazonite, Iolite, Bloodstone, Clear Quarterrtz, onyx.

Symbols• owls, olive trees, snakes, the Gorgoneion, golden shield, and helmet, serpents 

Jewelry you can wear in their honor• you can veil in their honor

Diety of • knowledge, knowledge in war, crafting, inspiration, strategy 

Patron of• Military, justice, skills, close combat, good counsel, prudent restrain and practical insight, weaving, and spinning, crocheting, the defense of towns, heroic endeavor, and protection agriculture, she is known in the arts as well with Hephaestus, protectress of the phratries and houses, authority of the law, the order in the courts and the assembly of the people, mathematics, strength, asexuality, librarians, peace, judges, protests, metalwork, birds (called the goddess of the birds), teachers

Offerings• She was sacrificed bulls, rams cows, all female except a lamb, it must be a male lamb, Locrian maidens or children are said to have been sacrificed to her every year as an atonement for the crime committed by the Locrian Ajax upon Cassandra (do not do, just here for historic offerings.), Olives, Bread, Grains, Olive oil, Cakes, Olive tree branches, Owl figurines or imagery, Silver jewelry, Honey, Milk, Books, Strategy games, Quality chess boards, Snake figurines or imagery, Fountain pens, Handmade objects, Clay items ( ex- plates, bowls, vases), Yellow and/or white candles, Yoghurt, Daggers, Swords (including small decorative versions), Devotional poems, Studying, Learning something new, Using what you learn as a way of growing and developing as a person, Standing up for yourself, Improving yourself, Owl pellets, Owl decoys for gardens,Work out clothes/gear, Fidget toys for when you’re working, Brain imagery, Spider imagery, Crafts you have made, Certificates/degrees/awards for achievements, Favorite books/books on mythos or Greece, Knitting/crocheting/crafting materials, Needles, Your glasses, Coffee/tea, Nice pens/pencils, Journals/notebooks, Voting stickers/cards, Spears/swords/daggers/helmets, Protest signs, pears, walnuts, Garlic bread, Start a small side business.

Devotional• Read a book, become a librarian as a summer job, or simply check out or return a book, join a book club, host a book club, learn Battle strategies, learn Wars and how they were won, learn What led to wars being lost, read The Art of War by Sun Tzu, learn about Politics,  Democracy in Ancient Greece, learn about Armor and weapons, Catch and release spiders in your home, do Pottery, learn about Cross stitching and knitting, Tutor someone/get tutoring for areas you need help in, Watch TED talks/listen to educational podcasts, Plan out your day/keep a planner, Thinking before taking action, controlling our anger,  Learn new vocab words, Make your notes pretty, Learn study techniques, Take appropriate study breaks, Do projects for Her, Challenge yourself, Learn grounding techniques, Do your homework, Give up things that are unhealthy for your brain (ex-  smoking cannabis, drinking.), work out, Learn basic first aid, take CPR classes, Take care of your body, Go to protests/advocate

Ephithets• will post later, postponed due to motivational issues, will come soon. 

Equivalents (alike but not the same)• neith (Egyptian), thrud (Norse), Minerva (roman), Athena (Greek) 

Alter• I would not put her alter near Heaphestus, be tried to violate her in a myth, I would not put her alter near Aphrodite because they are known to not get along in myths, but things could have changed. She does work well with heroes, so if you worship Hercules or Perseus I would put her alter near them, I would not put her near Arachne and keep her alter away from spider areas, etc. Keep her altar clean and orderly. She does not like the giant Pallas, he tried to ruin her chastity.

Signs they are reaching out• Encounters with owls, olive trees, or feelings of wisdom and inspiration, seeing owls in the day, going to the library more often, staying after school. 

Vows/omans• to stay a virgin forever, and to change her name 

Number• 6 or 7 and 5 (I couldn't find a website that could agree.)

Morals• Morally lawful

Personality• Strong, endearing, respected, smart, confident, practical, clever, a master of disguises, and a great warrior. Brings Harvard teachers to shame. 

Home• Mount Olympus 

Mortal or immortal • Immortal 

Fact• Some say she invented the flute, she invented the plow, and the rake, borrows tools from Zeus to do war saves people when fate counts on it, she repels Ares, some say Athena’s full name is Pallas Athena, but they say she added the name Pallas to hers after she accidentally mortally injured her friend Pallas during a practice session in her youth.  Athena was seen naked bathing, she felt bad for the man, she covered his eyes and made him blind, making him an oracle.

Curses• blindness, more spiders, spilling tea, dyslexia getting harder, losing ur glasses, no one knowing who you're dressed as during Halloween, getting into fights, unjust detentions, no one showing up to class, getting fired as a teacher or librarian (unjustly), dropping books and learning stuff all of the sudden, forgetting materials that you learned on your test, your quizzes and tests get lost.

Blessings• remembering test materials, witty replies in arguments, detentions all of the sudden going away, getting into your dream college, getting into a book club, finding ur books, getting a librarian or teacher or tutor job.

Roots• Greek, near the river Triton born after or in the Titanomachy era.

Friends• Pallas (her friend growing up)

Parentage• Some say Poseidon then she went to Zeus after a dispute and became his daughter, and some say metis and Zeus, some say Hepeastus.

Siblings• Artemis, Aphrodite, the Muses, the Graces, Ares, Apollo, Dionysus, Hebe, Hermes, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Minos, Perseus, and Porus.

Children• She does not have any romantic lovers, but she has adopted children, who are, Erikhthonios/Erichthonius.

Pet• one white and three dark horse and an owl, (she shares a chariot with Artemis) 

Appearance in astral or gen•  a stately woman armed with a shield and spear, and wearing a long robe, crested helm, and the famed aigis with the the Gorgon Medusa on a shield

Festivals • The cleansing Festival/Plynteria and Kallynteria Festival, the threshing festival/Skira Festival, the festival of Minerva/Minor Quinquatrus, The panatheanaea/Athena Festival, The Vintage festivalOschophoria Festival, the artisans Festival/Chalkeia Festival.

Day • she does not have any day of the week, the 23 of each month, and the first day. 

Sacred places• The Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens is dedicated to her, and Athens.

Status• Wisdom goddess, One of the major theoi and goddesses in Greek mythology 

What angers her • If you stop worshiping her, I would clean up and part respectfully and know she understands, she does not like the sudden removal of an alter and the trashing of one.

The music she likes• classical and lo-fi study music.

Planet• Pallas Athene (minor planet) and the Asteroids 93 Minerva and 2 Pallas

Her Tarot cards• queen of swords, queen of wands, justice card, balance card

Remind me of• the saying “hitting the books” and someone actually throwing books, twilight from My Little Pony, Dead Trees (books)

Scents/Inscene • Patchouli, dragon’s blood, musk, indigo, orange blossom, cinnamon, and cedarwood

My opinion • She's cool.

Prayers• 

Prayer To Athena by Liz “Morning Dove” La Posta

Oh, wise Athena with your spear and shield, protect me and my family from injustice and harm. Council me with your wisdom so that I may make the best decisions. Grant me success in my endeavors, but keep me humble so that I might not become condescending to others. I thank you for the many times you have guided me on my Path. Share with me your mysteries and I will do my best to follow. Athena my Goddess, I pray this in your sacred name, and I vow to always be your faithful dedicant.

Prayer to Athena for Wisdom

Clear-eyed Athena, unrivaled in wisdom, daughter of Zeus and Metis whose craft and wit excelled among the mighty Titans: Athena, I pray to you. Wise in all things you are, goddess; your cunning and guile are well known. In time of war you have no equal in tactics or in strategy; many armies have you guided to victory. In time of peace your blessings fall on those whose work is of the mind–friend of the philosopher, the scientist, the student. Advisor of kings, patron of clever heroes and bold-hearted adventurers, defender of the thinker, mistress of reason and understanding, goddess to whom a strong arm and a sharp sword are nothing without the sense to wield them well and the insight to know when words are worth more than weapons. Athena, grant me a sound mind and steady temper, bless me with good judgment, show me the long view.

Links/websites/sources •seleniangnosis https://www.theoi.com/Cult/AthenaTitles.htmlhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Athena-Greek-mythology https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenahttps://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/athena.html https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Athena.html

https://www.worldhistory.org/athena/#google_vignettehttps://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/athena/https://olympioi.com/greek-gods/athenahttps://ilfiorello.com/athena-the-importance-of-the-name/https://www.theoi.com/Cult/AthenaTitles.htmlhttp://www.goddess-athena.org/Encyclopedia/Rituals/Festivals/index.htm ATHENA'S BIRTH ON THE NIGHT OF THE DARK MOON - JSTOR 881 Athene - Wikipedia Athena | Olympian Goddess of Wisdom | Born from Zeus SkullGoddess Gift https://www.crystalvaults.com/goddess-athena/#:~:text=Crystals%20such%20as%20Azurite%2C%20Iolite,Athena%20can%20bring%20to%20you.Athena: Greek Goddess Of Wisdom And Craftsmanshiphttps://www.museandmoonstone.com/blogs/blog/crystals-goddess-athenaThoughtCohttps://www.thoughtco.com › what...What Are the Symbols of the Greek Goddess Athena?numeralgame.64g.ruhttp://www.numeralgame.64g.ru › ...Numerology and ancient Greek myths. Pythagorean numerological number 5. Goddess Gifthttps://goddessgift.com › goddessesAthena: Greek Goddess Of Wisdom And Craftsmanship Number Seven Facts, Symbolism & Meaning - Study.com Holy And Unholy Numbers - Street Directory Athena: Greek Goddess Of Wisdom And Craftsmanshipseleniangnosis travelingthief Titanomachy Definition, Myth & Impact - Study.com Athena Siblings - 1379 Words | Internet Public Library - IPL.org Athena Justice, Mythology Tarot Enamel Pin - LitJoy Crate Inner Goddess Tarothttps://innergoddesstarot.com › go...Goddesses in Tarot: Athenahttps://www.hellenion.org/athena/prayer-to-athena/https://www.tumblr.com/tarotbee

I use resources, I do not own the info, and most deep dives have UPG (that I use in my work.) And I only take some information from sources. I am 14, this is my hobby, I am learning but I spent many hours and days on this, and I am always open to criticism. I have been doing worship for 5 years. Please know you can use the info, I do not sue, but I will take action if this work is used without permission and not put as a resource if used in any work. without permisson and not put as a resource if used in any work, for the public.

[cookiesupplier]

Hell Ain't So Bad - Part One

pairing: Noah Sebastian x ofc (Ellie) 

warnings/tropes: slow burn, smut (eventually), angst, fluff, mentions of death, mentions of torture, thoughts of religious ideology, and swearing. – potential more to be added at stories progression

summary: Ellie is lost in the world, homeless and has been out of the world for so long in her mind she has no idea what to do and nowhere to go.. When the perfect opportunity falls into her lap, she doesn’t want to pass it up.. Turns out though, it might be a little bit stranger than she ever expected. Who would have thought that one day, she’d end up working in hell itself.. And what does this even mean?

author’s note: This first part was originally written as Reader/first person, but re-edited as Ellie/third person as its what's I'm used do if I missed anything please, feel free to let me know. Unbetaed, readers beware..

Warning, this is a slow burn... I scream at my computer with slow burns... so how well I will handle my own slow burn I have absolutely no idea... lol but as per my notes... I can't even promise Ellie will even meet Noah for um. a. few. parts. Don't lynch me.

ALL COMMENTS ARE WELCOME. (my replies are broken I will reply via reblog to yours)

tags: Tags are open if anyone is interested.

The day Ellie sold her guitar was the beginning of the end. It had been all going down hill for a long time. Ellie knew, of course, she knew. The whole world knew it to be honest, it isn’t just her that was struggling but she had dropped out of college and had been picking up work wherever she could find it just to get by and pay rent. Ellie had even tried Only Fans, but not even taking off her clothes and videoing herself for strangers on the internet had gotten her the money she needed to keep her from the predicament that she was in now. Not being able to even pay her monthly phone bill had put a stop to uploading the videos and images to continuing getting money from Only Fans for the bill, she had tried to get around it, but trying to access the free wifi at the library had been nixed the moment the librarian saw exactly what she was doing.

Boy had Ellie been banned there so fast anyone would think steam was about to come out of the librarian’s ears.

She didn’t blame her for that, but a girl had to eat, and eventually, when she stopped uploading the little content she had managed to get to her account, the money that she had had coming in from her subscribers, had dried up very quickly, and then she had nothing to even scrounge for the slightest morsel of food. Ellie hadn’t eaten a decent meal in what felt like…

Screw what felt like. She hasn't had even a scrap of food that hasn’t been begged, stolen, or fished out of the garbage in weeks.

Months since it was anything but dollar packs of noodles. Dry unless Jake let her borrow his camp stove to cook them.. She always shared if he did. He brought the kettle camp stove, and she bought the noodles and they ate huddled under the overpass, pretending they weren’t homeless, down on their luck, beggars.. Bound to get chased away, or worse, the next time a cop patrol came riding by. Jake was a good egg though, he could get into a shelter so much easier than her, but he never went, always saying there was too much noise, too many people. He was a veteran with PTSD, he’d lost the lower half of one of his right leg last time he was on active duty, and she was always willing to listen to the story, even if she heard it every time they shared a pack of noodles.

It had been a few days.

The overpass.

Ellie wished she could say that actually sleeping here was a new development, but it had been where she had been calling home for some weeks now. There used to be a tent city in the park for so many like her, but then the council had decided that was an unlawful assembly and chased them out. Sadly in that chaos, Ellie had lost the, admittedly flimsy, tent covering that had kept her at the very least dry of the night. That had been a few weeks back. Now, the overpass was usually where she spent her nights.

If she was lucky.

That’s right, if she was lucky.

If she wasn’t, she would go out and look to find a park bench. The other option was possibly huddled up somewhere random in a shop stoop and praying to whatever deity out there, if there was any at all, and hoped that it didn’t rain, and she woke up before the shop owners got in and chased her away the next morning.

Not that it really mattered. She could never get properly warm anyway, despite the fact Ellie was wearing literally every layer of clothes that she hadn’t sold. She just couldn’t stay warm, and that cough she’d had for weeks now just didn’t want to go away. If she couldn’t afford a place to live, it wasn’t like she could afford the treatment the doctors said she needed. The free clinic was pointless. No, sorry, that was horrible of her to even think. No it wasn’t, It had a point, but so far the drugs they’d given her only seemed to help much for a short period of time, but at least they did help, for a little bit. Still, the cough was relentless, it always came back despite the fact she always tried to do what they told her. She tried everything she could to stay as dry, and as warm as she could. Unfortunately every time it came back, and it made sleeping extremely difficult when every night she woke up feeling like she was trying to cough up her lungs from her chest, barely able to breath. It felt like something was sitting on her chest.

Today, Ellie seemed to have dozed off mid afternoon, she didn’t remember doing it, but she must have with the way she awoke with a start this afternoon. She hadn’t even realized that she’d drifted off, damn she was so tired, it happened when her coughing got so bad that she couldn’t manage to sleep more than tiny cat naps.. Probably about time to go back to the free clinic and see if they could give her some more meds and get just a little bit of relief, even if it was only for another short time, anything was better than nothing.

Waking up coughing, she raised a gloved hand to her mouth.

It was instinct.

Who didn’t cover their mouth when they coughed?

However, the pressure in her chest, the ache, the pain in her throat, then the drops of blood that she spots on her fingers when she struggles to pull a breath in and drop her hand from her mouth as the coughing eases slightly.. And her stomach drops.

Fuck.

That isn’t good.

Definitely free clinic time.

“Hey, you okay?”

Looking up from her hand, Ellie’s fingers closing in a fist quick as she swallows looking to the frankly clean, neat, man with bright eyes, a kind smile, more than a few tattoos, blonde short hair and is squatting down to her level,

“Ye-”

Ellie’s voice was rough, her throat feeling like a cheese grater from the coughing, but clearing her throat a little bit gently she continued,

“Yea, just really tired, I’m probably just getting a cold.”

Liar. Bold faced liar. She sees the man smile a little more, glad he accepts the white lie. Least she hopes he does anyway.

“Best get you to the clinic then.. Here, have a sandwich until then, fill that belly, and when you go, maybe check this place out too, it’s right across the street, I have a buddy over there, I think he could help you. Ask for Nicholas. He’s one of the nicer ones, I promise.”

That smile was winning as he stood up and walked the way he came. Ellie saw it then, the truck he was walking towards, he came from a homeless shelter.

She didn’t recognize the name though, that was weird. Looking at the card, the writing was fuzzy, like her eyes weren’t working properly for a second, and, and then the words formed. Oh, there it went. Huh. It was an unemployment agency. That’s funny, she thought she’d been to every single one in the city, she didn’t recognize this one either. That was really strange, he wasn’t acting like he was new to the area. New people had this way about them, she'd noticed, very buddy buddy, trying to be everyone's best friend. Now this guy, yes he’d been nice, but then he’d left her with the sandwich, holding the card in her hand, slightly blood smeared from her fingers, and then gone back about his work.. Like he was an old hand at this.

Looking down at the card, Ellie sighed. Nicholas.

Well, she obviously needed to go to the clinic anyway right. Even if she had a strange feeling about it, Ellie tucked the card into her ratty jeans pocket and opened up the sandwich. She’d only eat half now and save the other half for tomorrow, for before she’d go and see if she could get in at the clinic.

Ellie had been waiting hours to get in at the clinic.

Just her luck. There were too many people and she had already this morning been waiting there for so long that she knew she would end up sleeping on the front stoop if she continued on trying to wait to see a doctor. No matter how many times she tried to get the nurses attention, there was always someone who was yelling louder than her, and not even when she had another coughing fit did that get her attention..

It was late afternoon by the time that Ellie was finally taking a time out from the chaos and a short break to get some fresh air by the door, just trying to breathe, that you spotted the friendly man from the day before.. Waving at you from the building across the road.. That was where he’d said the agency was, across the road.

He was waving her over.

Glancing back into the clinic, she’d be waiting here for hours still and she knew it, and she wasn't even sure the nurse had ever put her name on the list of patients despite already being here, for hours already. Signing in this morning had been the strangest thing, she’d set the intake form down, and yet, nothing.

Walking across the street towards the guy, he was still smiling..

“I was wondering when you’d arrive.”

So, he was that sure she’d come, strange. Swallowing, her throat hurt so much from all the coughing, but she didn’t want to complain, not if she could get a job, any job right now would be better than nothing.

“Come on in, I’m Steven by the way, let’s find Nick, he’s the guy for you, I know it.”

Ellie followed him, she felt obliged to this time, not sure why, like she was being tugged along. The building wasn’t anything strange, just an office building.

“Ah, here we go, right though here.. Nicholas Ruffilo. He'll be able to help you.”

Well, here goes nothing. What did she have to lose right?

Dividers by @saradika-graphics