#december of the calendar council

[thedeafprophet]

So like, what's the deal with December from C.C? What are they? What they do? Why they ahte the mountain? Do we have any information on that?

That remains a pretty grand mystery as far as I'm aware... December isn't human, or mortal by any means for that fact. Something else, with some connection to the boatman, and certainly higher on the chain, but otherwise we don't really know What exactly December is. They are very old, and far vaster then the player.

We know December is set heading the liberation, and opperates on a much higher level then just caring about the neath and the masters. why or how this came to be, we don't know. But they aim for Liberation for all, supposedly

From what i've been told of skies, its the one to recruit to the council, and picks those who have suffered. In fallen london directly, we can meet them only briefly with very specific side text in the grand clearing out. They seem to be very familiar with the rest of the council

"They greet you warmly, as a comrade, and discuss the matter of London. They ask how you have found the other months. Has February softened? Not much. Has September gotten into any trouble? Some. Is August too crestfallen that there will not be another Election? Hard to say."  "They discuss things you know - the Chain, the Liberation of Night, London's place in it, your own role in preserving the city for that appointed hour. And they discuss things you don't: the Unrest of Hours, the vendettas of the Judgements, December's own origins."

The PC struggles to retain this information....

I believe December's aim with the mountain is to share immortality, or to destory, and all that probably connects to its aim with the liberation and freeing from The Laws Imposed, but again, very vague area. The stuff with the destinies is also very old text at this point, from a time the revs were not written with the same motive, so not sure how much info can truly be taken from there these days. TLDR: It's A Mystery

[fallenlondonnpcfight]

Nothing to Lose But Your Chains

December art by @anomalouscorvid

[wantedbythemasters]

Do you ever just latch onto a character with only a few appearances? Me with December rn lol. The words are from something I’m writing. It’s supposed to be referencing them either descending or removing themself from the Chain. And also Buddhism a little bit since the situation with the Chain and LoN reminds me of Buddhism a lot tbh (I’m not quite Buddhist but I’ve read a decent amount about it and been to some Buddhist temple services).

[freefromlightandlaw]

My (belated) work for @fl-revs-appreciation!

For Dream and Reflection, who better than October, our nightmarish councilor?

Doubles and Ice made me think of January, with her two-faced mask and her study of the Discordance. I hc her as Mexican, so I took a little inspiration from calavera designs when drawing her mask. And that isn't a Discordance sigil on her forehead. >;)

Fear made me think of our dear Merry Gentleman and how most people would react to his habit of lurking behind their mirrors.

For Time, I chose December's pocket-watches. Important things tend to come in twelves, don't they? Twelve hours on a clock face, twelve months in the Calendar, twelve Masters of the Bazaar...

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Advent Devotionals, 2023

I wanted to share some devotionals for this coming Advent (it starts December 3!) that are queer affirming & center marginalized perspectives. If you know of others, please add on!

What Are You Waiting For? An LGBTQIA+ Affirming Advent Devotional

Format: A short written devotional or poem for every day of Advent, shared as one PDF document linked above

Creators: The Collective of Queer Christian Leaders, including Rev. Nicole Garcia of the National LGBTQ Task Force and members of the Transmission Ministry Network

Another Starry Black Night: A Womanist Advent Devotional

Format: Short written devotionals, one for each Sunday & Wednesday of Advent, as well as Christmas day

Creators: Black women, most of whom are ordained Presbyterian ministers, some of whom are queer

Posted on Unbound: An Interactive Journal of Christian Social Justice

Abolition Advent Calendar: "Freedom for All Bodies"

Format: daily written devotionals that you can sign up to receive as emails. Each week expands the theme of abolition & racial justice to include 1) reproductive justice; 2) trans/nonbinary justice; 3) disability justice; and 4) body positivity

Shared by Join the Movement, a UCC organization

"Todos! Todos! Todos! Advent Reflections and Meditations on the Scriptures

Format: Zoom calls with a reflection followed by discussion groups every Wednesday of Advent, 8pm-9pm EST

Creators: DignityUSA, a Catholic LGBT-advocacy organization

An Advent Guide with Reflections on Palestine/Israel

Format: a devotional for each Sunday of Advent, shared as one PDF linked above

Creators: "Each week during Advent read firsthand accounts from recently returned Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) of their experiences during their deployment with the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (WCC-EAPPI). Along with their stories and photos are bible readings, further resources and prayers to offer."

[jane-d-ankh-veos]

Re-reading Evolution, and it's even better as a whole with some things from the final chapter in hindsight.

These enigmatic metaphors go too well with the Calendar Council's inspiration from "The Man Who Was Thursday" and what its author said: "You ask me who Sunday is? Well, you may call him Nature, if you like. But you will note that I hold that when the mask of Nature is lifted you find God behind."

My mind is passionately gnawing on an AU (NOT meant to be a theory, just a purely self-indulgent fantasy): what if "Death's twin" is literally Life – which makes December the Creator – and the Judgements are merely usurpers (very befitting their usual role of a flawed and cruel Gnostic demiurge who only pretends to be the highest authority) who deposed December just like they banished the Black King of the Adulterine Castle?

Or, if December isn't a deity, simply a rebellious servant (because the Boatman says "we both served the same table once"), what if it was a forced reduction from the former to the latter as a first-warning punishment?

What if this original god of life-and-death truly cared about all creatures equally, but then the likes of the Sapphir'd King decided to devour souls for more power instead of guiding them through rebirth (which Devils reclaimed + which somehow-December-connected frost moths represent) and devised the Great Chain to justify the right of "greater" beings to prey on "lesser" ones?

What if the Liberation of Night isn't an overthrow of natural order but is a return to what it should always have been (before "then the light came") and it's no coincidence that the Anchoress managed to behold god's love and true design only in the darkness? (High-fiving this @gant-eyed-warden’s post.)

What if the Bishop of St Fiacre’s knows it all – and that’s where his hopeful religious devotion comes from despite being a Neathy creature that would never be forgiven and accepted by the Judgements?

...I definitely want to write something about it, but I already have two WIPs, ooooh...

[house-of-mirrors]

I posted the fic about the Bazaar as a modern publishing company. Now I need to write about modern AU calendar council. Specifically thinking about cyberpunk dystopia (not necessarily the neon future!)

January maintains a free online library full of texts and articles, fighting against the paywall culture of academia and censorship. Also a skilled hacker targeting energy systems to draw attention to infrastructure vulnerabilities caused by the failings of neoliberalism.

February leaks information to the worldwide media at the most opportune times to incite unrest. On the side, she's quite good at online gaming tournaments and has an intense rivalry with user knifeandcandle.

March is an online persona maintained by several individuals to reduce the risk of compromise in the great game which has been taken to the next level by technology. Behind the development of several "leaky" apps, spyware, and wiretaps.

April has no online presence, off the grid for her safety after her role in a costly attack to physically destroy servers at powerful companies. In a world of increased surveillance, she lurks somewhere outside the city with no cameras. You can, however, contact her on clear nights over radio waves, with encoded transmissions.

May is rumored to be one of the very first shareholders for Bazaar Publishing. This aside, has a telehealth webpage that's the height of the spiral with redirecting links, popups, eyestrain colors, and recommendations that seem too personal. Ads pop up during your regular browsing, similar to seeing the merry gentleman about. It's nearly impossible to get an actual appointment unless they email you first, confirming a stay you never reserved. The hotel has bowling alley carpeting and neon lights. I feel like it should have an arcade.

June is the founder of a secretive engineering and technology startup, rumored to be taking funding from shady sources in the private sector. Little is known about her wherabouts or activities, except her last known IP address was at a testing site on a remote island.

July is a whistleblower, leaking confidential documents and warning the public about transactions and political schemes that can lead to their destruction. Fighting a constant war against misinformation, in which she works closely with September.

August is active on twitter and reddit. I don't need to say more. He also promotes accessibility in technology and the web.

September has a podcast and is constantly finding new ways to bypass censors and promote truthful news sources. He runs a blog dedicated to history and culture, where he also shares his poetry. This man is so anti-advertisements.

October is a merciless hacker. Rumors persist she's so skilled and uncatchable because she found a way to project her consciousness into the computer. Several of the most costly ransomware and DDOS attacks bear her signature.

November operates on the black market, overseeing illegal commerce. She works not only in arms dealing and contraband, but in getting restricted supplies to places that need help.

December is an enigmatic figure of the dark web that no one has ever seen or heard, someone you can't contact but rather contacts you through heavily encrypted txt files, identifiable only through a borzoi icon. Some say they're just a myth or a virus. Some say they're an alien, tapping into satellites.

[sunless-smash-or-pass]

Edit made by me

[thedinanshiral]

Time is an illusion

After trying to calculate an estimate for Emmrich's age, i thought "hey, why not calculate what Dragon Age year would be my birth year?" and next thing i knew i was falling down a black hole.

Unfortunately i don't have the exact source as this was said earily on during the glorious week of reveals and news and we were all so very excited i forgot to take notes then but i remember it was first said the time skip to The Veilguard was of 9 years since Trespasser. Then it was said to be 10 years since Trespasser. And yesterday someone asked Weekes on his socials and he replied he thought they'd said the year was 9:52 but we'll have to wait until someone releases an "official answer".

Well, here is my non-official answer: the year is Harvestmere 9:53 Dragon. But most of the game should occur during 9:54. How did i reach that conclusion? A mix of in-game and IRL time estimates.

First a disclaimer: I believe Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be released in November 2024. I only have my gut feeling and DAI's 10th anniversary, and DAO's 15th anniversary to go by to claim that; this whole thing hangs on a November release.

Ok so I went back to my first point of reference which is The Flame Eternal short story from 2021 which states said story happened "thirty years ago" in 9:22 Dragon. This sets the present of Thedas at that time as 9:52 Dragon.

In Inquisition if you ally with mages, during In Hushed Whispers when asking what year is it in that demon infested future the Inquisitor is told it's "Harvestmere 9:42" and Dorian comments you've missed a whole year. This would mean Inquisition -the game- starts in Harvestmere 9:41 Dragon. Let's say the events of the game take a whole year so it ends in 9:42 Dragon. Then Trespasser makes a jump two years ahead of that, to 9:44 Dragon. This is the year we should center these calculations on. Everything up to that point, DAO, DA2, and even DAI occur asynchronously, meaning they don't happen at the same time we're playing them. That's how a 10 year difference between the Fifth Blight in DAO and Inquisition only took 5 years of ours, and how in the span of a few months of ours 2 whole years passed between DAI the Exalted Council in Trespasser. While we as players experience these events in our present time, they do not correspond to our present time, this is specially clear in DA2 when not even the events of the game happen in the present of Thedas as it's Varric telling Cassandra the story of Hawke. The game begins already letting us know this already happened, more or less as Varric narrates it.

But why should the calendar of a fictional fantasy game match with ours? Well it shouldn't necessarily, but they've set the game roughly 10 years after the previous one, and 10 years have passed IRL as well, and thats enough for me. The short story saying 9:22 was thirty years ago published in late 2021 also matches this. So after establishing that our present and Thedas' seems to be marching at the same rate now, sort of, i took a look at their calendar. Without going into much detail they have 12 months as well and the calendar in use originated in the early Tevinter Imperium, so the months have an original Tevene name used for official records and academia, and a common name used by the people; i'll be using the latter. DAI begins in Harvestmere 9:41, Harvestmere is the 10th month of the thedosian calendar but just because our times kinda match now that doesn't mean Harvestmere is equivalent to our October. It seems it's equivalent to November. The following month, Firstfall, is when thedosians celebrate Satinalia, which obviously sounds awfully much like Saturnalia, a roman festivity that took place during December. Tevinter Empirium is based on Rome, so i think taking this into consideration is enough to say Firstfall is equivalent to December but since we're here the other detail that adds to this is Harvestmere seems to be November also because DAI begins in Harvestmere, and it was released in November 2014.

Following this train of thought i looked at Trespasser's release date, September 2015. If Firstfall is our December, that'd make our September their Matrinalis, so we could estimate then that the Exalted Council takes place around Matrinalis 9:44 Dragon. The All Soul's day is celebrated at the beginning of Matrinalis, so the lack of mention of it during the Exalted Council tells me the day had already passed.

But 10 years after Trespasser IRL would be September 2025, so how do i make it make sense?

If September 2015 coincides with Matrinalis 9:44 Dragon, then September 2025 would do so with Matrinalis 9:54 Dragon, there's a 10 month difference between Sept. '25 and Nov.'24, so that'd make Nov'24 match with Harvestmere 9:53, merely 2 months away from 9:54 Dragon. Nobody's saying the time skip is exactly 10 years down to a precise date so i think just the year being 9:54 should suffice.

This little difference made me look back at the trailers and realize hey, that's not where the game begins, right? Can't be. What do you mean we immediatelt get hired by Varric and go after Solas at Level 1??? Where's the tutorials??? Is Rook always Tevinter or that's just in the case of choosing Shadow Dragons as a faction? What if Rook's faction is the Mourn Watch, what's a Watcher of Nevarra doing in a Minrathous bar fighting Venatori? What's a Veil Jumper from Arlathan Forest doing in a Minrathous bar fighting Venatori? What's a Grey Warden doing in a Minrathous bar fighting Venatori?? Who says "yeah sure let's go" when a couple of dwarves approach them at a Minrathous bar after fighting Venatori like "hey we gotta stop an elven god from taking down the Veil and destroying the world, wanna come?"?????? The cinematic trailer was just that, ilustrative, but the gameplay trailer was more intentional in everything it showed, and what it didn't show at all. We are introduced to a Rook who happens to be of the Shadow Dragons so them being in Minrathous needs no explanation, and they start at lv.1 and immediately thrown into combat with nothing resembling a tutorial ( except for some commentary edited in to present different aspects of the new system, as it's a gameplay reveal trailer).

So my guess is, yeah the game starts in Harvestmere 9:53 Dragon, and in the two months left until 9:54 Dragon maybe we're shown Rook at their home, or where their faction is, maybe establishing some relationships within said faction ( friends, family, rivals, etc) and thats' when we get a quick tutorial and some context because remember, technically one doesn't need play the previous games first to play The Veilguard. New players must have some introduction to the world of Thedas, what's what, who's who, where's where and what's at stake. So i think the two months difference is when all that -plus a trip to Minrathous if they're not already there- can be crammed into so the action truly starts in 9:54, more or less 10 years after the events of Trespasser.

Not saying i'm correct in my estimations here, and as i mentioned at the beginning all this hangs on a November release, and the time skip being of more o less 10 years. If in the end any of that turns out to be different everything i presented in this post falls like a house of cards. But hey, it was fun putting it up.

If you've read this far, thank you and congratulations, you're a very patient person.

[scotianostra]

Did you know that up until 1599 that Scotland celebrated Christmas day on December 17th.

So Happy Christmas Day folks, Old style!!

King James VI, via an act of his Privy Council, decided that Scotland should come into line with other “well governit commonwealths.” but generally well governed France, the date for New Year's Day was changed from the 25th of March and imposed as the 1st of January.

So the day after the 31st of December, 1599, became the 1st of January, 1600. Insular England didn't make the 1st of January the official start of the year until 1752. For more facts about New Year check this link out here.

Most folks, if asked, will say that New Year's Day falls on the 1st of January each year. It was not always so, either in the United Kingdom in general or in Scotland, in particular. Come to think of it, it still isn't so in many parts of the world. New Year's Day is generally accepted as being the day that marks the beginning of a new calendar year and also the day on which the year count is incremented, but neither was that always so and still isn't so in the Jewish calendar. The 1st of January is certainly the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar and it was also the first day of the year on the ancient Julian calendar as used in Rome. Despite that apparent synchronisation, January the 1st on the Julian calendar currently corresponds to January the 14th on the Gregorian calendar.

In terms of other cultures, the Hijri or Islamic New Year begins on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. In 2011, it fell on the Gregorian 26th of November. However, the Islamic year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the Gregorian year, so there's also a perennially shifting differential between the two calendars. The Hindu New Year falls according to the time and date the Sun enters Aries on the Hindu calendar, which normally means the 13th of 14th of April, depending on the Leap year. The Jewish New Year is celebrated on Rosh Hashanah, which takes place between sunset on the evening before the first day of Tishrei and nightfall on the second day of Tishrei. Strange to say, Tishrei is the seventh, rather than the first, month of the Hebrew calendar. In terms of the Gregorian calendar, Rosh Hashanah will fall between September the 5th and October the 5th. The Chinese, on the other hand, celebrate New Year's Day as the first day of the lunar calendar, corrected every three years, for solar deviations. The date normally falls between the 20th of January and the 20th of February.

Until 1599 in Scotland, the New Year began on the 25th of March, which was in line with England. However, on the 17th of December, 1599, King James VI, via an act of his Privy Council, decided that Scotland should come into line with other “well governit commonwealths.” As a result of Jamie Saxt looking over his shoulder at the likes of 'well governed' France, the date for New Year's Day was changed from the 25th of March and imposed as the 1st of January. So the day after the 31st of December, 1599, became the 1st of January, 1600. Insular England didn't make the 1st of January the official start of the year until 1752, the year it adopted the Gregorian calendar and way after James VI became James I of England.

According to the 'Register of the Privy Council', “The Kingis majestie and Lordis of his Secreit Counsall undirstanding that in all utheris weill governit commouns welthis and cuntreyis the first day of the yeir begynis yeirlie upoun the first day of Januare, commounlie callit new yeiris day, and that this realme onlie is different fra all utheris in the compt and reckning of the yeiris ...his Majestie with the advise of the Lordis of his Secreit Counsall statutis and ordanis that in all tyme cuming the first day of the yeir sal begin yeirlie upoun the first day of Januare...”

Jamie's Privy Council was a powerful legislative and administrative body, which was very useful to him. The King had much more influence over the Privy Council than he ever did over the more independently minded Scottish Parliament. The Privy Council act of the 17th December, 1599, went on to command royal officials, clerks, judges, notaries, &c., “in all tyme heireftir” to date all “thair decreittis infeftmentis charteris seasings letteris and writtis quhatsumeuir according to this p[rese]nt ordinance.” They also seemed to have had a shortage of commas in those days.

Scotland has had a chequered past regarding Christmas, perhaps that is why New Year has always been a wee bit mair special to us than the Yuletide season. Why was this? Well you can trace it back to an act of the Scottish Parliament in 1640 that made the celebration of Yule illegal.

Things had started going sour when those spoilsport Calvinist began to get a foothold, the earliest origins of the church falling out with Santa was actually some years previous, when in 1583, Glasgow Kirk at St Mungo’s Cathedral threatened those those who celebrated Yule with excommunication, this was serious in those god fearing days and would have condemned your eternal soul to hell, a fate worse than the death that would precede this!

Why was this? Well there are no celebrations of Christmas, after the Nativity itself recorded in the Bible. Therefore there should be none in Scotland, even singing a Christmas carol was considered a serious crime. After almost 60 years of build-up they eventually passed it into law. They also looked to the old testament for there religion, more or less ignoring the "papist" new one, as for the Virgin Mary, what was she but a heathen goddess dressed up in Roman garb? So she was dropped, along with all the other saints to whom benighted Papists addressed their prayers.

The law was officially repealed in 1712, but it was still generally frowned upon.

Punishments for celebrating Yule were harsh, and there was no public holiday for the Scottish people on Christmas Day.

This next part might surprise many of you, after centuries of not having, what the Yanks call "The Holiday season" Scotland eventually began to shake off it's bad relationship with Christmas, when in 1958 it became an official holiday!

January 2nd has for years been our additional festive season holiday, it wasn't until 1971 that Boxing Day officially became a holiday

After centuries of social, religious and political change, Christmas in Scotland has become a very unique celebration.

And as in times long past, we treat this time of year as a holiday season, rather than a single day. Christmas flows into Hogmanay in a glow of family, friends, fun and feasts – and that’s about as traditional as you can get, so raise your glass, turn to your loved ones today and wish them a Happy Christmas.

The first pic shows a full extract from the Scottish National Archives, the third is what is thought to be the first officially printed Gregorian Calender the basis for most calendars in the Western World.

[thedeafprophet]

I keep having to catch myself from using it/it's pronouns for December cuz I'm just so used to the Inhuman Entity Outside Of Gender having those cool pronouns and I'm like. Oh wait no this one shares my pronouns

[fallenlondonnpcfight]

Come Closer… We Are Real Humans…

December art by @anomalouscorvid

[irrigos]

obviously still thinking about the 5 remaining members of the Calendar Council in the Bright Future. admittedly, it says there's 5 that you know of, so its very possible the rest are still alive, and just in hiding or have quit the council... anyway the ones i think are still around are:

December (not a human) May (already immortal) February (it says they're hiding out near the cave of the Nadir, and you can sell her the location after you find it, so I think she would be safe) January??? (the destiny you get here is called The Mask, and she's always wearing that Janus mask, so that might be fun) August (can't get rid of him)

[furresquid]

Anyways, Sorrow Spiders are well, Spiders who eat eyeballs, often seen carrying those around and yes they do kill people to obtain it.

Much like most animals in the Neath, they can talk, and often will speak of the Correspondence, the language of The Stars and Judgements, this is because food tastes better for them if it has Correspondence on it.

They are the one of the only few things capable of killing Judgements, enough Spiders gather into a Spider Council, and enough of those gather into a Spider Senate, an abonination as big as planets ans capable of eating Judgements, they operate OUTSIDE the chain, being able to easily walk into Parabola and ignore the Judgement's light... Mostly, Judgements still kill them easily if they arent Senates.

Killing Judgements and ridding the world of light is their goal but also coincides with the goals of The Liberation of Night, a HUMAN movement of revolution led by the Calendar Council, featuring 12 members and leaders who are all themed after a Month, who discovered how to destroy light due to the help of December, a being who broke from thw Chain despite their high spot, these 12 want to erase all Light and kill all Judgements so that the inherent injustice of the universe, that places Judgements and others above anyone else, will ve gone entirely.

I should be writing notes

anyways okie okie I see the liberation of night and spiders

i am scribbling this on a paper… definitely (im away from my computer)

[neathbound]

The Charity Calendar of 1899

For the @fallenlondonficswap! My entry into the secret swap, for @artisanoftheredscience.

Several members of the Calendar Council have been indisposed for quite some time now. The remaining months convene to choose a new member.

General, no romance, comedic, the Calendar Council, Rubbery Men

1,893 Words (AO3 Link)

Twelve seats sat around a broad table in a room lit only by a single eye-watering glimmering-lamp. At the table's head - for, while it is true that the table was perfectly round, and therefore did not truly have a head, one could not fail to notice that only one seat had so high a backrest, so cushy a seat, so richly-dyed a fabric, so absent a creak - at the table's head sat a figure in a mask that might have resembled a fox, or perhaps a wolf, or perhaps something entirely unlike either animal.

December's masked face slowly swiveled over the table before them. Seven chairs sat empty: seated around the table were a severe, greying woman, her expression as chilly as her namesake month; a smiling older man, leaned forward on his elbows, seated in a wheeled chair; a tall man who'd only just taken off his broad hat, fingers steepled into a head-aching shape; and a short-haired woman wearing grease-stained coveralls, toying absently with a pen.

Finally, February cleared her throat. "It's just us today, then?"

"No," December said, "I called on - more."

August chuckled.

"Something funny?" February asked archly.

"Yes," August said. "That December thought there were still twelve months on the Calendar."

"Having trouble counting, are we?" May said merrily, drumming his fingers.

"Not since March has anyone been - removed," December said. "There should have been more today."

April slid a sheet of paper across the table. On it, all twelve months were written out, with June, July, October, and November crossed out. June had been crossed out several times.

"True," December allowed.

"Is this how we do things, now?" August asked. "Last one standing gets to lead the Council?"

"We may be past due to add new members," December said. "There are twelve months, after all."

"Why not eight?" August asked.

February narrowed her eyes. "Why not seven?"

August laughed. "Why not twelve?"

April tapped her pen on her notepad. It read: suggestions?

December shook their head. "There is a Firebrand who's been conducting interesting work -"

"A pushover," August declared.

"Problematic," February agreed.

"But I see his merit," August finished.

"He's under my care at the moment," May cut in. "Best not."

"Then," December said slowly, "why don't we find some other... candidates? We'll reconvene one week from today. Each of you, find someone to put forward as a new member. Bring them."

With that, they stood, and disappeared into the shadows at the room's periphery.

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

February stalked the street, lost in thought. She needed an ally, someone who could be ruthless, someone who didn't care too much about London. Holistically, at least. She needed another January, or better yet, another February. An outsider, someone who worked on the fringes of society, someone with the skills to make real change.

She paused. She recalled a report she'd received the other day, a brief from some agent or another, detailing their newest contact. An outsider, certainly. A change-maker, even more certainly. Ruthless? Perhaps.

A smile spread across her face, rather like a blade being slowly unsheathed. She couldn't wait to see May's face when she presented her candidate.

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

May tipped his hat to a Bewildered Pedestrian, giving the man a cheery wink. The Pedestrian's dreams had been filled with vast, hadal eyes and spines the size of steeples, ever since he'd attended the Fruits of the Zee festival the week prior. May had been very patiently waiting for the man to check himself into the Royal Beth, but he'd been rather stubborn. Until now.

The Pedestrian cautiously approached May. "Good morning," he said shakily.

May smiled. "How can I help you?"

The Pedestrian frowned. "I've been - I mean, you've been - I mean, I keep seeing..."

The Pedestrian trailed off, eyes wide, staring just past May's shoulder.

"What do you keep seeing?" May asked, the polite smile never leaving his lips.

"That one," the Pedestrian said, pointing behind May.

May frowned, turning around. Across the street, a Rubbery Loiterer stood with his arms folded, wide eyes - maybe - watching the pair.

"You keep seeing... that rubbery man?"

The Pedestrian nodded. "Ever since - ever since - G_d, I can't do it!"

The Pedestrian ran off, bug-eyed, disappearing into an alleyway. May almost followed him, but thought better of it. Instead, he crossed the street to where the Rubbery Loiterer still stood.

"Good morning," May greeted carefully.

The Loiterer burbled noncommittally.

"Have you been... following that gentleman?"

The Loiterer approximated - quite upsettingly - a raised eyebrow. He burbled something under his breath.

May frowned. "You were following him. You've driven him quite mad, I'd say."

The Loiterer blinked up at him.

"I feel I must ask why," May continued.

The Loiterer made a rude noise, then warbled something indistinct. When May didn't react, the Loiterer repeated the noise, and the warble. Finally, the Loiterer curled his tentacle into something like a fist, and gently tapped it against the side of May's head.

May raised an eyebrow. "He hit you?"

The Loiterer waved his tentacles.

"Or he hit someone?"

The Loiterer warbled triumphantly.

"So you took it upon yourself... ah." May thought to himself for a moment. "Are you busy next Monday?"

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

April sipped her tea, seated at a dimly-lit booth in a smoky pub. In the center of the table sat her notepad, and beside it, a stack of notecards, each with a simple word or phrase on it. In the booth across from her was a figure swathed in scarves and hoods, face lost in shadow.

She jotted something in her notepad, sliding it across the table. I have seen your work.

The Hooded Unionist read it, then sorted through the stack of cards. Yes, they chose.

April jotted further. It is good work, she clarified.

The Unionist made a muffled noise, and chose another card. Thank you.

April sipped her tea, and continued. You've brought better organization to Hinterland factories than Wolfstack might ever see.

The Unionist let out a low whistle, and took almost a minute to choose their next card. Maybe.

I'd like to work with you in the future.

The Unionist shifted in their seat. They sorted through the stack of cards. They set the cards down. Finally, they pushed the notepad back toward April, cowled head tilting down at her own words. I'd like to work with you in the future.

April smiled. Are you busy next Monday?

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

August sat at his desk, staring at a book without really reading it. He was lost in thought, unable to focus.

February, he reasoned, would be more likely than not to bring forward a candidate who was... hard. Cruel. Oh, she'd call it ruthless, and she'd have her own way of reasoning around it, but she'd look for someone who didn't care about the general populace of London. I need someone... kind. Polite.

May was harder to pin down, of course. Of course. He'd find someone alarming, perhaps even dreaded. He'd find someone who could slip through the streets of London like a nightmare. He might even look for someone familiar with dreams, like July, or October, or himself. I need someone strange, bizarre, yet possibly respectable. I need someone alien and entirely unfamiliar.

April... she'd find a real revolutionary. Someone involved in the Work, boots to the earth, in the thick of it. Someone capable of organizing, uniting, communicating. I need someone... difficult to speak with?

August frowned. He snapped his book shut. A smile spread across his face, like the sun rising on a late summer morning. He began to pen a letter. He couldn't wait to see their faces.

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

Twelve seats - seven empty - around a broad table. December cast a glance over the empty seats, once again, and sighed.

"Twelve is still twelve," August said.

"Unless," May began, "that's changed."

"It hasn't," February snapped.

April passed a note to August. You've been at this for twelve minutes exactly.

August frowned up at her. She tapped the watch on her wrist. August shrugged.

"Alright," December said. "All four of you have nominated candidates for our newest member?"

Four nods.

"And you've instructed them to be here?"

Four more nods.

"Then let's bring them in," December said.

On their own, the broad doors on the other side of the room swung open. Flickering gaslamps washed the room in a warm light, silhouetting the singular figure who stood on the other side, swathed in cloth. They walked forward slowly, entering the room, standing before the broad table.

Each of the five seated Council members looked around in confusion.

"You did each pick a candidate?" December asked.

The figure slowly raised their hands, and pulled off their hood. Before the Calendar Council stood a wide-eyed Rubbery Man, tentacles waving in the gentle draft coming through the door behind him. He looked around expectantly.

February, April, May, and August all smiled.

"Glad you could make it," May said. "Let me introduce -"

"Ah," February cut in, "no, no. Perhaps you've mistaken him for someone else. Everyone, this is -"

April crumpled a piece of paper and tossed it at February. It bounced off her head. February frowned indignantly, but opened up the note.

February scoffed. "That's ridiculous," she said. "I don't know why -"

May squinted. "No, I'm not mistaken," he said, standing up to get closer to the newcomer. "See, he knows me, too. Hello, my friend."

The Rubbery Man looked cockeyed at May, but shook his proffered hand.

April began furiously writing another note, but stopped as August began to laugh.

"You all - you all don't get it?" August beamed, then devolved into another fit of laughter. "How - I don't know how this happened! This is too good!"

December leaned forward. "Please," they said, "would someone explain to me what's going on, whose candidate this is, and why the other three candidates aren't here?"

April's eyes went wide with understanding.

"May," August said, "who is standing beside you?"

"A Rubbery Loiterer I met last week," May replied bemusedly.

August nodded. "And February, who is standing with May?"

"That's the Wintry Newcomer," she said briskly. "My own candidate, recently introduced to one of my agents."

"And April?" August continued.

April slid him her notepad, already finished writing. The Hooded Unionist. My candidate. Organized in the Tentacled Entrepreneur's factories.

August grinned, looking up at the Rubbery Man. "And I know him as a Reliable Organist. Really, I thought the rest of you wouldn't like him."

The Rubbery Man burbled in confusion, then looked at December.

December tilted their head. "Are you telling me that the Reliable Organist, the Hooded Unionist, the Wintry Newcomer, and the Rubbery Loiterer - your candidates - are all the same person?"

August laughed. "Yes!"

"August, you didn't...?" May began.

"How could I possibly have known?" August asked. "Though if I had..."

December paused. "Well," they said. "I suppose this does mean you can all agree on the worthiness of our... one... candidate."

April shrugged amenably.

"As for you," December said, "would you like to be a member of the Calendar Council? I suppose at least one of these four has explained it to you."

The Rubbery Candidate warbled, waving his tentacles with excitement. After a moment, December nodded.

"In that case," December said, "there's only one more question."

The Rubbery Candidate stared at them expectantly.

"Which month are you to become?"

The room devolved into shouting, warbling, and thrown wads of paper.

[tomorrowusa]

Putin never accepted Ukraine as an independent state. He then deluded himself into thinking that people in Ukraine would welcome a return to Russia and would cheer his invaders as liberators. Now Ukrainians want to have even less to do with Russia.

Rather than spread Russia's influence, Putin's invasion has prompted serious shrinkage of it.

The port city of Odesa has been the target of numerous Russian attacks recently. It has been engaged in a de-Russification campaign. The Russian empress, or rather her bronze likeness, used to stand proudly on a pedestal in the heart of the city that she founded in the late 18th century. Now she is here, locked in a box away from public view. The removal of Catherine (the Great), unthinkable before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, is a reflection of the mood in a city that is rapidly losing all sentimentality about the Russian-linked pages of its past as it comes under sustained fire from Russian missiles. [ ... ] Catherine’s removal is just one part of a programme of “de-Russification” that is going on all over Ukraine. It has a particular hue in Odesa, where it is not only the figure of Catherine that binds the historical and cultural landscape to Moscow. Many of the great Russian-language writers were from Odesa or spent time there, its residents largely speak Russian and its Transfiguration Cathedral was consecrated by Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, in 2010.

But now, President Putin is swiftly accomplishing something that 30 years of Ukrainian independence had previously struggled to do: he is turning Odesa into a proudly Ukrainian city. A barrage of missile attacks over the past two weeks, the first time the centre of the city has been significantly damaged since the start of the war, is likely to only accelerate this process. [ ... ]

One of the more visible elements of the battle against Russian heritage is a Ukraine-wide programme to rename streets, which have, over the years, reflected the frequent political upheaval that has come to this part of Europe. Catherine Square, where the monument to the empress previously stood, has been called Karl Marx Square and Adolf Hitler Square within living memory. Now, many names are to be changed again, with Russian-influenced names replaced by Ukrainian names or simply topographical markers. In Odesa, a local council committee has regular meetings to discuss where changes should be made.

Ukraine is even changing the calendar to stick it to Russia.

Ukraine moves Christmas Day in snub to Russia

Ukraine has moved its official Christmas Day state holiday from 7 January to 25 December, the latest move aimed at distancing itself from Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law a parliamentary bill that aimed to "abandon the Russian heritage of imposing Christmas celebrations". In recent years, Kyiv has been cutting religious, cultural and other ties with Russia, aligning itself with the West. This process escalated following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Mr Zelensky signed the bill on Friday - two weeks after it had been passed by Ukrainian lawmakers. The legislation also moves another two state holidays, Day of Ukrainian Statehood, from 28 July to 15 July, and the Defenders' Day, which commemorates armed forces veterans, from 14 October to 1 October.

BTW: Day of Ukrainian Statehood (День Української Державності) is not the same thing as Ukrainian Independence Day (August 24th). Day of Ukrainian Statehood marks the official conversion of King Volodymyr the Great and Kyiv to Christianity in 988. Poland has a somewhat similar foundation story; Grand Duke Mieszko's conversion in 966 is regarded as the beginning of the Polish state.

Before anybody sheds tears for anything Russian, be aware that Russia has always tried to impose its language and way of life on countries it has occupied. That continues in parts of Ukraine under Putin's temporary control.

The Hardest Soft Power: How Moscow Forces The Russian Language On Occupied Ukraine

The whole point of the invasion has been to wipe out Ukrainian identity. There's a word for that: genocide.