#jobs in traditional Canadian restaurants

[sandboxworld]

Best Canadian Restaurants With Authentic Food

Source: Pexels Every region has a signature cuisine, and Canada is no different! Canadian cuisine is so diverse that sometimes it can be confusing to distinguish contemporary Canadian dishes from traditional dishes. The unique culinary scene of Canadian dishes is a reflection of its cultural diversity. Defining Canadian cuisine is quite difficult without experiencing it. As such, if you aspire…

[jointhearumanati]

🌏 HETALIA JOB HEADCANNONS 🌎

Pov: After WW2 In modern peace times most countries are able to focus on hobbies and passions including Education

🇭🇰 Hong Kong owns a YouTube Channel and merch store where he films and sells his clothing designs and jewelry he likes mixing both European modern and oriental design his siblings model for him he's also a DJ

🇫🇷 France has a cosmetology degree Hair, makeup, nails styles from all along the world he works in fashion, modeling, etc he often works with Hong Kong he can do any design from any country, from any era

🇯🇵 Japan has a Degree in Photography and works with Both France and Hong Kong though his work is mainly in travel and landscape photography

🇬🇷 Greece has a veterinarian degree for specifically cats as a specialty most of the money he earns goes into ruins restoration and into helping the economic crisis he also has a degree in Ruins Restoration

🇨🇦 Canada has a Zoology degree and specializes in native Canadian wildlife species and conservation efforts

🇬🇧 Britain has a YouTube channel where he posts songs he sings and plays electric guitar he often teams up with drummers, bassists, etc he's quite popular but he'll never go pro, too much drama

🇩🇪 Germany runs a local bakery and sells cookies, cakes, bread etc he loves it he's always accepting any Birthday cake or wedding cake requests

🇮🇹 Italy and Romano run a traditional Italian restaurant from classic food to ancient food from Rome's era it's a local hotspot even nations go there to eat

🇪🇸 Spain is a dance instructor he teaches all traditional Latino dancing from Spain to Argentina to Mexico he's the best instructor around in Spain sometimes Romano helps

To be continued maybe 🤔?

[work-and-life-in-shizuoka]

INTERVIEW_17

JONATHAN BARNABE

Countries & Regions / Canada

1. JOB DESCRIPTION

I work for a company called Mizutori that has been making Geta in Shizuoka. I am a managing director and mostly in charge of a main sales person. I also own a little local store on a wonderful street called Sengen street.

The way I found my job was lucky for me.  The reason I came to Japan is because I got married with a Japanese lady, and my wife is now the owner/president of the Mizutori geta company.

2. LIVING ENVIRONMENT IN SHIZUOKA：HOUSING

With regard to finding a home, my situation was easy. But after I arrived and lived at the family house for a while, we decided to get our own apartment. I think Shizuoka has plenty of beautiful apartments from traditional to modern. Even my Canadian friends was able to find a fully furnished apartment at very reasonable price. The most difficult thing is the language; everything is in Japanese. Because you need to understand the rental agreement and rental system in Japan, the best advice would be to find a real estate company with English speaking staff or get some help with a local person a friend that speaks Japanese.

3. LIVING ENVIRONMENT IN SHIZUOKA ：NO INCONVENIENCE?

Well, of course, moving into a new country with differences in culture, languages etc., will bring some excitements and also sometimes inconveniences. As far as shopping goes, Shizuoka is quite a small friendly city. You will not find as much English speakers as in Tokyo or Osaka but in Shizuoka, I found people are most friendly and they are usually excited to see a foreigner and will try their best to communicate with you. Of course, during a busy rush hour at the restaurant, it’s not the time to try to start a conversation. :)

At the clinic, most hospital nurses and doctors have some English basics and even print out in English. The gesture game is always fun too! If you are not too much in pain, you can point with your finger where it hurts. In case you get really sick, please try to go with someone that can translate for you.

For school as a teacher, you will notice a big difference in work ethic and culture. The Japanese (teachers and students) work and study very hard during long hours that might not be easy at first for a foreigner. My son was born in Japan, so he has features of mixed culture. He is now in first year of elementary school and so far, so good. He has many friends and he is quite popular. Luckily, Shizuoka has an international kindergarten where my son was able to learn English for 3 years before joining the normal Japanese elementary school. At the elementary school I am always well welcomed and I even help with school task sometimes.

In my 8 years in Japan, most of the inconveniences were not “serious”.  It usually always a language barrier. My wife always helps me! And a big advice is no matter what your age is, you must try to learn Japanese. It will really make thing easier.

4. CHARMS OF SHIZUOKA

For me, the best thing of living in Shizuoka is Fuji -san! In all my life, I dreamed about seeing mount Fuji at least one time. I didn’t even know that Fuji was in Shizuoka so I was very happy when I realized. Even after 8 years, if it’s not cloudy I want to see Fuji and I am always so happy to see it. Mount Fuji is so special and it has great power, I think. In Shizuoka we are very well situated, on one side we have the Pacific and the other side beautiful mountains. Shizuoka is well known for the strawberries, green tea, wasabi, shirasu(whitebait), maguro(tuna), craft beer and sake and many other delicious foods, especially, beef is surprisingly tasty.

So, Shizuoka is big! Big in nature and history too. I live near Sengen shrine. My store is between the blessed tori on Sengen street (shopping street) and the shrine. This is such a beautiful and charming area. Shizuoka has plenty of little shopping street like this and I recommend all to visit them, just take a day to walk around, enter the stores and say hello! Everyone has such a nice story to say! Sengen shrine is just so beautiful and you can hike and see from the top the beauty of Shizuoka.

I could go for hours saying how beautiful is Shizuoka but I will leave it up to you and come and see! Hey! If you come to Shizuoka, I’ll show you around!

[immigrantnetworks]

The Journey of Indian Immigration in Canada: A Historical and Contemporary Perspective

Indian immigration in Canada has a rich and diverse history, spanning over a century. This journey reflects not only the economic and political dynamics of both countries but also the enduring spirit of the Indian diaspora seeking new opportunities on foreign shores. This article delves into the historical and contemporary aspects of Indian immigration in Canada, shedding light on the challenges, contributions, and evolution of this vibrant community.

Historical Waves of Immigration

The roots of Indian immigration in Canada can be traced back to the late 19th century when a small number of Punjabi Sikh men arrived seeking economic prospects, often finding work in industries like lumber and agriculture. This marked the beginning of a relationship that would eventually lead to a significant Indian presence in the country. The early 20th century saw an influx of Indian immigrants, many of whom faced harsh working conditions and discriminatory laws.

Challenges and Discrimination

The history of Indian immigration in Canada is also marked by challenges and discrimination. The infamous "Continuous Journey Regulation" of 1908, enacted to restrict Indian immigration, required individuals to arrive in Canada by a continuous journey from their country of origin, a condition not applicable to European immigrants. This discriminatory policy led to the infamous Komagata Maru incident in 1914, where a ship carrying Indian passengers was denied entry, highlighting the racial bias of the time.

Contributions and Cultural Enrichment

Despite the hardships, the Indian immigrant community in Canada persevered and made significant contributions to various sectors. One notable area is agriculture, where Punjabi immigrants played a crucial role in transforming the agricultural landscape of British Columbia. Over time, Indian Canadians also excelled in academia, business, politics, and the arts, enriching the multicultural fabric of the nation.

Contemporary Landscape

In recent decades, Indian immigration in Canada has taken on a new complexion. While the historical ties between the two countries remain strong, the focus has shifted towards skilled migration. Canada's welcoming immigration policies and the growing demand for skilled professionals have attracted a diverse range of Indian talent, including IT professionals, healthcare workers, engineers, and entrepreneurs.

Economic Impact

The Indian diaspora has played a pivotal role in Canada's economy. Many Indian immigrants are highly educated and bring with them a wealth of skills and knowledge. This has contributed to Canada's competitiveness on the global stage. Additionally, the entrepreneurial spirit within the Indian community has led to the establishment of numerous businesses, creating jobs and driving innovation.

Cultural Integration

Cultural integration is another noteworthy aspect of Indian immigration in Canada. Over the years, Indian festivals, cuisine, and traditions have become an integral part of Canada's multicultural mosaic. Diwali, Holi, and Eid are celebrated with enthusiasm across the country. Indian restaurants and grocery stores are commonplace, offering a taste of home to the community and introducing Canadian residents to the rich diversity of Indian culture.

Challenges Today

Despite the progress, challenges persist. Some members of the Indian diaspora still face instances of racism and discrimination. Issues related to the recognition of foreign credentials and the struggle to maintain cultural identity within a rapidly changing environment also persist. Community organisations and advocacy groups continue to work towards addressing these challenges and fostering greater inclusivity.

The Bottom Line

The journey of Indian immigration in Canada is a testament to the resilience, perseverance, and contributions of a vibrant community. From the early struggles against discriminatory policies to the contemporary successes in various fields, Indian Canadians have left an indelible mark on the nation. As Canada continues to embrace diversity and multiculturalism, the Indian diaspora remains an integral part of the country's social, economic, and cultural fabric. The historical roots and modern aspirations of this community continue to shape the narrative of Indian immigration in Canada, creating a story of strength and triumph in the face of adversity.

[ai-artificial-intelligence-ia]

@Tasteatlas.fr asked Midjourney ​​to create three things for each given cuisine. Its idea of ​​a visual that would be representative of a given cuisine, a typical scene from a typical traditional restaurant, and a popular national dish of our choice. The results are, to put it mildly, mixed. While some dishes are presented beautifully and seem real and authentic, his "intelligence" and creativity sometimes comes up with kitsch stereotypes. These are the results. ALGERIA Real Algerian cuisine: Discover 28 authentic Algerian dishes and food products AUSTRALIA Real Australian cuisine: Discover 118 authentic Australian dishes and food products AUSTRIA Real Austrian cuisine: Discover 142 authentic Austrian dishes and food products BRAZIL Real Brazilian cuisine: Discover 120 authentic Brazilian dishes and food products CANADA For the term "Canadian cuisine", AI kept showing us some kitschy nonsense with the Canadian flag, so we gave up on that one and changed the prompt to "Canadian cuisine showcase on a table". The flag didn't go away, though. Real Canadian cuisine: Discover 137 authentic Canadian dishes and food products CHINA Real Chinese cuisine: Discover 375 authentic Chinese dishes and food products FRANCE Real French cuisine: Discover 1171 authentic French dishes and food products GERMANY We didn't have much luck with the German dish Schweinshaxe (crispy German pork knuckle), so after that horror, we looked for our favorite sausage. Another horror followed in the form of some hideous animal on a can of AI's favorite "Whiesinsiiisece" beer, but the good news is that there is no danger AI will be taking the jobs of the people who are setting up the dining tables just yet. Real German cuisine: Discover 398 authentic German dishes and food products INDIA Real Indian cuisine: Discover 466 authentic Indian dishes and food products INDONESIA Real Indonesian cuisine: Discover 224 authentic Indonesian dishes and food products ITALY Real Italian cuisine: Discover 2444 authentic Italian dishes and food products JAMAICA & THE CARIBBEAN AI presented Caribbean cuisine and Caribbean restaurants as a comic, so we changed the prompt to Jamaica. Real Caribbean cuisine: Discover 342 authentic Caribbean dishes and food products Real Jamaican cuisine: Discover 57 authentic Jamaican dishes and food products JAPAN Real Japanese cuisine: Discover 541 authentic Japanese dishes and food products KOREA Real Korean cuisine: Discover 234 authentic Korean dishes and food products MEXICO Real Mexican cuisine: Discover 337 authentic Mexican dishes and food products MOROCCO Real Moroccan cuisine: Discover 56 authentic Moroccan dishes and food products NORWAY When you throw in lesser-known dishes, Midjourney gets really creative. So creative that it has nothing to do with reality. See for yourself. Real Norwegian cuisine: Discover 112 authentic Norwegian dishes and food products PHILIPPINES Real Filipino cuisine: Discover 169 authentic Filipino dishes and food products POLAND Real Polish cuisine: Discover 194 authentic Polish dishes and food products RUSSIA Real Russian cuisine: Discover 85 authentic Russian dishes and food products SAUDI ARABIA When you ask Midjourney to draw some Saudi dishes like Matazeez or Maamoul, it creates complete nonsense, so we’ll skip that. Real Saudi cuisine: Discover 25 authentic Saudi dishes and food products SINGAPORE Real Singaporean cuisine: Discover 49 authentic Singaporean dishes and food products SPAIN Real Spanish cuisine: Discover 805 authentic Spanish dishes and food products TANZANIA Real Tanzanian cuisine: Discover 17 authentic Tanzanian dishes and food products THAILAND Real Thai cuisine: Discover 152 authentic Thai dishes and food products UNITED KINGDOM Real UK cuisine: Discover 648 authentic UK dishes and food products UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Real American cuisine: Discover 1439 authentic American dishes and food products VIETNAM Real Vietnamese cuisine: Discover 237 authentic Vietnamese dishes and food products #artificialintelligence #ai #midjourney  #cuisine  #cooking  #cook  #world  #algeria  #australia  #austria  #brazil  #canada  #china  #france  #germany  #india  #indonesia  #italy  #jamaica  #thecaribbean  #japan  #korea  #mexico  #morocco  #norway  #philippines  #poland  #russia  #saudiarabia  #singapore  #spain  #tanzania  #thailand  #unitedstatesofamerica  #vietnam

[laresearchette]

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES? STAGED (BritBox)

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT RENOVATION 911 (Premiering on March 29 on HGTV Canada at 9:00pm)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

NETFLIX CANADA INUYASHA (Seasons 4 - 5) MAE MARTIN: SAP

NHL HOCKEY   (SNOntario/SNEast/SN1) 7:00pm: Predators vs. Bruins (TSN2) 7:00pm: Habs vs. Flyers (SNPacific) 8:00pm: Canucks vs. Blues (SNWest) 9:00pm: Kings vs. Flames (SN1/SNEast/SNOntario) 10:00pm: Oilers vs. Knights (TSN3) 10:30pm: Jets vs. Sharks

NBA BASKETBALL (SN Now) 7:00pm: Celtics vs. Wizards (TSN/TSN4) 7:30pm: Heat vs. Raptors (TSN/TSN4) 10:00pm: Pelicans vs. Warriors

BIG BROTHER CANADA (Global) 7:00pm

CANADIAN FILM FEST (Super Channel Fuse) 7:00pm: BABYSITTER:  After a sexist joke goes viral, Cedric loses his job and embarks on a therapeutic journey to free himself from sexism and misogyny. He and his girlfriend hire a mysterious and liberated babysitter to help shake things up.

9:00pm: STREAMS FLOW FROM A RIVER: A freak snowstorm traps a dysfunctional Chinese Canadian family together in their rural Albertan hometown, forcing them to confront the events a decade prior that tore them all apart.

CHUCK AND THE FIRST PEOPLES' KITCHEN (APTN) 7:30pm: Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation , SK: Chuck travels to the prairies to hunt one of the region's most emblematic animals, the elk; he joins the Yuzicapi family, who have been hunting elk for decades and have turned it into a tradition.

22 MINUTES (CBC) 8:00pm (SEASON FINALE): Another year in the can! 22 Minutes wraps its historic 30th season with lots of laughs and a special appearance by David Suzuki.

CANADA'S GOT TALENT (City TV) 8:00pm: The magic - and auditions - continue, as judges Howie Mandel, Lilly Singh, Trish Stratus and Kardinal Offishall, together with host Lindsay Ell welcome a new group of performers.

MARY MAKES IT EASY (CTV Life) 8:00pm: Back to the BBQ

KARENA AND KASEY'S FOREIGN FLAVOURS (APTN) 8:00pm: Thailand

OUTBACK OPAL HUNTERS (Discovery Canada) 8:00pm: The Bishop has his faith tested by a new partner, a freak storm threatens a truckload of paydirt for the Cheals, and new team the Geran Gang race a late season start.

WILD ROSE VET (Cottage Life) 8:00pm/8:30pm: A defenestrated kitty needs a new home, a cat named Bella has mouth issues which may or may not be cancer, and Dr. Savannah takes a trip to the Siksika first nation to run a spay/neuter clinic to help control the pet population. In Episode Two, a cat named Louis requires major leg surgery, a Kunekune pig named Crumbfoot needs emergency X-rays, and Savannah heads out to conduct a wild horse study, looking at how horses treat their own parasites through a process known as Zoopharmacognosy.

SON OF A CRITCH (CBC) 8:30pm (SEASON FINALE): Mark is excited for Halley’s Comet but the magic is lost when he learns Fox is moving. Meanwhile, a new restaurant being built near the Critch house threatens to change the family forever.

WORKIN' MOMS (CBC) 9:00pm (SERIES FINALE):  In the series finale, Kate searches for the magic, Anne learns to let go, Sloane honours her priorities, Jenny course corrects, and Val makes amends.

HUDSON & REX (City TV) 9:00pm: Rex seeks help from Detective Sidney Scott to save his stranded and injured friends.

SWEET REVENGE: A HANNAH SWENSEN MYSTERY (CTV Life) 9:00pm:  As Hannah and Mike balance their personal lives and busy careers, a murder at a 24-hour gym complicates their wedding plans.

CASUAL (CBC) 9:30pm: Alex and Emmy have a foursome. Laura discovers Valerie as been seeing Michael and moves out.

LUXE FOR LESS (HGTV Canada) 10:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): The team looks to update the first floor of a couple's yellow-painted nightmare using design hacks to find the perfect balance of saving versus splurging.

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES: ULTIMATE GIRLS TRIP (Slice) 10:00pm/11:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): The Housewives land in Thailand for the trip of a lifetime, but sunny skies give way to bad weather when Heather confronts her issues with Whitney; Heather's insensitive comment about Leah's drinking turns the women against her.  In Episode Two, the  second day in Thailand starts with a visit to an elephant sanctuary that leaves the women feeling bonded and relaxed; Candiace's shady dinner and an off-the-cuff remark threaten to throw the whole trip into chaos.

[lilaccatholic]

What is the most delicious thing you've had to eat in recent memory?

So there's this little restaurant in Windsor, Ontario, right? It's a hole-in-the-wall kinda place that's been there for decades solely because it's one of the few places Italian people trust to taste about as good as what they themselves cook. My mom and I were only in the area by happenstance. My sister was going to a concert in Detroit, and rather than drive all the way home only to come back a few hours later, we decided to take the tunnel across the border and grab something to eat.

As we drive there she's pointing out all the places she used to go, telling me the stories that that make up who she was in her teens and twenties and I'm just soaking it in, y'know? I love these kinds of conversations. They sit heavy in your gut like guilt and ache your bones like the cold sea breeze. It's like the memory of your grandma's cookies--full of warmth but so overshadowed by loss it's almost not worth thinking about--because it was great while it lasted but now it's gone.

Because, see, the area my mom grew up in isn't what it used to be. When the casino came in it brought all kinds of crime with it. The nice shops downtown are mostly gone; either they died during covid or the owners couldn't pay the rent when the casino's presence jacked up rent prices. But this one little restaurant is still around.

And look, this isn't just any restaurant. My parents got engaged here, we ate here after visiting my grandparents as a kid, it's who catered my grandfather's funeral (my grandfather, a poor kid from Nova Scotia who only learned to appreciate his Italian heritage when he was in his 60s and 70s, who loved his family but wasn't always good at showing it). This place is important to us.

So we get there and we settle down to eat. The waiter puts on that fake charm that Italian people use when they think you aren't Italian to get you to buy more in the name of hospitality. No judgement, I've done it myself.

(And I have another identity crisis. Because I'm not in the club again. Because other Italian people never see that I'm Italian. Because as the generations go on, we get less Italian and become more American and Canadian and because we don't know the language anymore--because that was the language the adults used to talk in secret, because they wanted to "fit in" with the Americans, because there was a time where just having a vowel at the end of your last name was enough of a reason to not give you a job and now I have a made up anglicized last name and no traditions and nothing cultural that isn't food).

And we talk more about all the things that are different. How the area that was Little Italy around here is becoming more and more other things, and how that's not BAD and how it's just a sign of changing immigration patterns but how the places and spaces that were familiar and comfortable are still GONE and there's still a loss there.

So when the bread comes and it's warm and there's these bits of roasted garlic on top that I spread all over mine it's miraculous and precious but I still feel like I'm choking a little while I eat it.

And look, I ordered the veal scallopini with fresh pasta and mushrooms, okay? I never order veal. I like meat but veal has always been one of those things that made me a little squeamish. But...it's different here. It's not a regular restaurant. It smells like my great-aunt's old house, which means it smells like visits and Christmas and being so little and uncomplicated and warm and loved still. And it's like this: for a moment, I can pretend I'm still that way. Unblemished and precious. No one is gone, nothing is gone, I'm not defining life by loss. So I order the veal. And it's delicious.

I mean, we're talking melt-in-your-mouth think about it for weeks delicious. Something's been sauted in butter, someone made this pasta by hand, someone cussed someone out to get the best, freshest mushrooms and all of it has contributed to this dish that is so delicious but so foreign all the same.

Because for me veal is a memory. We ate it more when I was a kid before it got too expensive and my grandmother switched to cooking with more chicken because it's better for you, anyway.

(She was a force of nature before the dementia. When a priest told her how bad the superstition of the evil eye was she stood up to all the men in the family and had them hand over their cornicelli, crushed them up, set them on fire, and buried the ashes in a coffee can somewhere to never be found. I hate superstition but sometimes it feels like all the last bits of Italian in us died with those little horns.)

We didn't linger after dinner like we used to over coffee and dessert. The restaurant was getting closer to closing and we didn't want to be those insufferable customers that delayed closing. Instead we walk around a little. She shows me the store her grandparents used to live above, the dress store where she bought her wedding dress, the bakery where her parents bought bread. It's nice.

But.

It still feels like it's all coming apart in my hands. Like I was supposed to hold the line and tow it for the next generation but it's all dirty and greasy and frayed and we need to repair it if we're going to continue to hold on but no one wants to slow down long enough to mend anything and at this point I'm wondering if it's worth it to try to find anything. Can we even hold on anymore? How far back did the tear start?

Later, when we've crossed the border again, it feels like leaving something behind. Like so long as we toured old haunts the ghosts of the past got to live again and by leaving we've condemned them back to the shadows. I feel like a murderer.

Because that's the thing, right? It's dead. It's all dead. The thriving immigrant cultures my parents and their parents would wax nostalgic for don't exist anymore. Sometimes, like when my cousin sends us pictures of him making and curing his own sausages and salami or canning sauce it seems like it could come back, but the thing about community is it can never be just one person. Once he gives up that last flickering lantern will be snuffed out and we'll be as American and Canadian as they wanted us to be when we first started coming over here. Or maybe not.

Maybe, the fact that people remember what's gone is a sign that things aren't too far gone.

See, I grew up near Detroit. I know what it looks like when something beautiful decays. I also know that what sticks around after massive decay are the most stubborn creatures around. Not that anyone cares, but Detroit is working really hard to come back, actually, and the organic beauty that's poked up through the rock like seedlings after a volcano will snatch your breath from you.

You'll say it's a coincidence--and cynically I'd say you're right--but not long after I got my updated 23andme results. Things mostly stayed the same. Well, except this time my mom couldn't tear her eyes away from it. Since then she's spent every spare minute researching for and adding to the family tree I have on Ancestry. There's talk of making foods from the old country for Thanksgiving and Christmas long ago abandoned as too complicated. And me, I've started learning Italian. Io sono Lilac.

That meal didn't so much touch something in us as it grabbed us by the guts and led us around with them like a leash until we faced up to the fact that we didn't know who we were anymore. But darn it all if we aren't trying to get back. Maybe it'll start something, maybe it won't. But maybe it will. That's enough for now, I think.

If nothing else I ate well.

I hope you do, too.

[chaoticpuff17]

A Dangerous Game

epilogue

masterlist

Here it is my darlings! The epilogue! I fully expect you all to come for my head, but enjoy! It’s been a pleasure to write it!!-- chaotic puff

Y/N enjoyed the August sunshine as she wandered the market. Her life had been peaceful since coming to the Italian countryside taking on a new name, a new life. She had taken a job at a local restaurant and found them a small house bordering one of the olive orchards that littered the countryside where Mark was able to find a job. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was freedom, blessed freedom.

Italy had been good for her. There was no JB, no Namjoon, no mafia to worry about. No one knew her here. It was the fresh start she needed after her time in Korea. Here she was a Canadian woman from Quebec by the name of Alice Morin living with her husband of a year Matthew, also from Quebec. It was quiet. The only unexpected thing had been the baby.

The baby had been a rather rude surprise. She’d only just escaped Namjoon when she’d begun to show early signs. It had been a doctor in Prague, one that she was not entirely sure was practicing medicine legally, that had given them the news. She was several weeks along in a pregnancy that she had never wanted to begin with, but she was determined to make the best of it, even if the child was Namjoon’s. 

She could remember turning to Mark with panicked eyes once the doctor had given them the news. They were on the run. They were trying to start a new life. They were both still grieving the death of a dear friend, more than one on Mark’s part. But Mark had taken her hands in his and smiled at her and told her that it would all be alright, that they could do this. It would be her tiny miracle, not Namjoon’s. He would make sure of that.

Eventually they’d made their way to Italy, establishing themselves in the northern countryside. It was a good life, more peaceful than she had ever known. The village was out of the way, vineyards and olive trees and above all sunshine. She loved it there, and for the first time every she was able to enjoy a pregnancy. 

She’d been almost too scared to acknowledge the baby at first. Mark had been more invested than she had worrying over the constant movement and stress it would cause to her and the little buddy as Mark called him. They didn’t actually know the sex of the baby. Because of the restraints on both funds and access to proper medical care, Mark had chosen the remote Italian countryside, and had settled on using the local midwife to deliver the baby when the time came which left them with no clue of the baby’s gender. 

Little by little, she had been able to become more excited about the baby. The nonnas of the village were more than happy to help with the pregnancy teaching her how to knit and sow, helping her put together the nursery, teaching her how to make proper Italian food. She couldn’t say how many times, she’d heard her boss being scolded by the local nonnas about letting a pregnant woman work so much. Mark also got his fair share of scoldings from the nonnas. 

They’d melded into the village quite well after being there for so long now, they had their own routines and rituals, a peaceful life. Part of which included her weekly visit to the local church to light a candle for Jackson.

The church was one of her favorite parts of the village. It was small but beautiful, like so many other things in Italy. The local priest was always kind enough to say a few words to her before he left her in peace to grieve and contemplate in silence. She’d never been particularly religious before, but this brought her comfort. After her trip to the church, she’d go to the market before she walked home.

“Buongiorno, bella donna!” An old man she bought flowers from every week called out as she came into view of his stall.

“Buongiorno, signore!” Her smile was bright, happy as she walked over “Come stanno i fiori oggi?” She asked looking over the flowers he had laid out.

“Oggi abbiamo bellisime dalie. Il tuo italiano sta diventando motto buono.” He complimented with a wrinkled smile already preparing the dahlias he had just mentioned. It was their tradition. Every week she would ask about the flowers, and he would tell her what he thought was the most beautiful that week and prepare a bunch for her.

“Grazie.”

“Come sta il bambino?” He asked motioning to the rather large swell of her belly.

“Calcia come un giacatore di futbol.” She replied with a tired but happy smile looking down at her belly with playful exasperation. She swore that the little one was trying to kill her from the inside out sometimes or at least enjoyed using her organs as a punching bag. “Sono pronto per la sua nascita.”

“Quanto tempo fino alla nascita, Alicia?” He asked handing her the bunch of dahlias.

“Sei settimane.”

“Cosí presto!” He cheered as she paid for the flowers. “Non veds l’ora di incontrare il piccolo. Io e mia moglie ci piacerebbe averti a cena quando nasce il piccolo.”

“Grazie. Mi piacerebbe molto. Ciao, signore!”

“Ciao, bella donna!”

She continued through the market stopping at stalls and bopping into the bakery to pick up some fresh bread all the while oblivious to the dark gaze that followed her movements. He watched as she laughed with vendors and smiled at the Italian boys that paid her compliments. His blood boiling. That was his wife, and she was pregnant with his child, and yet she was here with Mark. He was getting to play the father to Namjoon’s child. 

He’d been searching for her for months. Her disappearance had wreaked havoc on the manor, had wreaked havoc on him, but here she was perfectly alive and well and happy, and with another man no less. The entire organization had gone through an in depth cleansing, and GOT7 had been dealt with for good, all in preparation to bring her home. There was only one more pest to take care of.

 Namjoon had never once doubted that he would find her. There was nowhere in the world she could hide from him, though he was impressed by how long she had managed to hide from him. It had been eight months since he had last seen her, eight torturous months, but that would all be over soon.

It took every ounce of his self-control not to take her right then and there, but there were too many people there now for her to take her now. She would be in his arms soon enough though, and then she would never leave him again. To say he was shocked when he’d received news of her with a picture of her swollen belly would have been an understatement. He hadn’t even known she was pregnant at the time of her escape, but both she and their child would be home soon. From the look of her, it wouldn’t be long until they welcomed their little one into the world. Namjoon had immediately started preparations for both her and the baby as soon as he’d found her. Everything would be perfect for her and their child. All that was left to do was to bring her home. Her pest was already on his way back to Korea to suffer a slow and torturous death by Namjoon’s own hand. 

Namjoon followed her home carefully following her in watching from the shadows as she clipped the stems of the flowers and arranged them in a vase in her kitchen humming softly as she did.

“Hey, Tono.” She cooed as a cat jumped up on the counter next to her. She smiled down at the creature gently rubbing it behind the ears. “How did you get in here? You don’t live here, silly kitty.” 

She didn’t seem bothered though by the cat’s presence even if it wasn’t hers. She continued about her business arranging the flowers in their vase occasionally cooing at the creature in a mixture of Italian and English. Eventually moving into singing silly Italian children’s songs to the cat as it basked in the sunshine on her kitchen counter. 

The cat knew something she didn’t though his hair standing on end and hissing before jumping out of the open kitchen window much to her confusion. 

“Tono?” She asked moving over to the window to see where the cat went. 

“Hello, jagi.” He cooed coming up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist so that his hands rested against her belly as he breathed her scent in. “Did you miss me?”

She gasped dropped the vase to the floor as she spun around to face the man who still haunted her nightmares. “Namjoon.” She whimpered backing up until she was pressed back against the counter. “Don’t come any closer!” She yelped grabbing a knife and brandishing it in his direction. “Where’s Mark?” 

“Put the knife down, jagi.” He sighed approaching her slowly. “You’re already in enough trouble don’t you think?”

“Get away from me.” She whimpered keeping the knife pointed in his direction her eyes flashing wildly as she looked for an escape. “What did you do to Mark?”

“It’s time to go home, jagi.” He cooed growing increasingly annoyed by her asking after the other man.

“I’m not going back there.” She hissed inching her way towards the door.

“You don’t have much choice, jagiya.” He chuckled darting forward and grabbing her wrist, He pulled her closing putting pressure on her wrist to an almost painful amount until she released the knife with a clatter. He wrapped her in his arms again pulling her into his chest tightly though keeping her belly in mind, not wanting to hurt her or the baby. 

“Stop fighting me.” He hissed holding her still even as she struggled against him. “It isn’t good for the baby.”

“You son of a bitch.” She hissed continuing her struggles.

“That’s no way to talk to your husband, jagi, especially not after the trouble you’ve caused.”  He growled tamping down his annoyance at her continued defiance. Didn’t she know that there was no escape for her now? “Think of the baby, jagi.”

It was those words that ceased her struggles as she hung in his arms. She couldn’t risk hurting the baby even if it meant she had to go with Namjoon.

“That’s my good girl.” He cooed moving his hands to rest against her belly again. “It wasn’t very nice of you to hide our baby from me, but it will all better once we’re home.” He assured her 

She shuddered but didn’t fight anymore as the baby stirred uncomfortably responding to her distress. “Wait!” She yelped pulling against his hold again as he began to drag her out of the house. “Please wait!”

His gaze was annoyed as he looked back at her. “I have waited. Seven months is a long time, jagi.” He spat tugging her forward again.

“Please, I just need to grab something. Please, it’s for the baby.” He quirked a brow at her curiously as she looked up at him with desperate, frightened eyes. “Please.” She begged again eyes watering as she pulled against his hold.

“If you’re lying to me, jagi…” He warned but released her wrist and following her closely as she moved through the little house to the bedroom where a crib was situated by the window. The village had made that for them when she’d first started to show. Placed carefully over the edge of the crib was a blanket hand knitted with love for the baby.

She picked up the blanket folding it against her chest tightly almost like a shield. “I made it for the baby.” She breathed out with a shuddering under his harsh gaze.

He nodded lips set in a grim line before placing a firm hand against her back and leading her out of the house, shuffling her into the car that was waiting outside her home. They drove through the village to what she assumed was an airport waiting to take her back to her gilded cage, back to their game, and it was time to decide what to do, now that the chips were down. 

to be continued...

Italian translation: May not be entirely accurate. My Spanish is much better than my French (which is dismal), and my Italian is practically non-existent much to the shame of my godfather. 

good morning, beautiful lady.

good morning sir. How are the flowers today?

we have beautiful dahlias today. Your Italian is becoming very good.

thank you. 

how is the baby?

he kicks like a futbol player. I’m ready for him to be born. 

how long till the birth?

six weeks

so soon! My wife and I would love to have you for dinner after the birth. I can’t wait to meet the little one.

thank you. I would love to. goodbye sir. 

goodbye, beautiful lady.

[gaemkyuu]

The Meeting

Warnings: implied intercourse, but not described A/N: First story that I am posting! I have four more parts, so if you like it, leave me a comment and I will post the others :) Disclaimer: This is a FICITONAL writing piece on Charlie Gillespie. In no way do I claim or declare that Charlie’s portrayal is accurate to real life. I do however, own Teagan Valencia :)

Masterlist

The Teagan Valencia Series: The Meeting  / The Fight / The Proposal / The Present / The Recovery / The Future 

The Meeting

“Quiet on set...! And...Action!”

Teagan watched in silent adoration as Charlie delivered his lines. She didn’t always have the opportunity to sneak away from work to watch him work, but today was an exception. The second season was well underway in the filming process and their popularity was increasing. Kenny noticed Teagan out of the corner of his eye and motioned her over so that she could watch the scene from the monitor. She was amazed at how Charlie looked playing Luke. She had met him three years ago when he was filming Season 1, but yet the boy on camera looked exactly like he did that same day three years ago.

***

Teagan had been visiting Vancouver that weekend to visit family and help her sister get settled. Her little sister had been accepted into the University of British Columbia in the Business program studying Accounting and Finance. She was the pride and joy of filipino immigrant parents as she was attending an esteemed university and getting a degree. All the while their oldest, Teagan, had opted for a non traditional method of getting into the marketing industry by working for a popular canadian clothing brand. Her sister was going to be a university graduate while Teagan worked her way up the ladder in a retail store. Teagan always knew that going to school wasn’t where her path was taking her, but she always knew that hard work, determination and experience were valuable assets in the job market. Something her parents would never understand.

“Charlie watch out!”

They were walking around Gastown in their cute summer dresses killing time before their dinner reservation, when Teagan was knocked over by another person. As she got her bearings, she felt cold liquid on her chest and the weight of another body. The other person quickly scrambled to their feet and profusely apologized, helping her stand as her cousins stood there in shock. She heard a couple more footsteps rush over to where she were standing, dusting off her butt and looking her tackler in the face. In an instant, Teagan had forgotten what had happened as she got lost in the deep green pools of the man in front of her. It wasn’t the eye colour that stole her focus, but rather the intensity of emotions that he conveyed through them. Teagan could see and feel the embarrassment, regret and sincerity of the man.

“Teags?”

Her cousin’s voice broke her trance and she blushed when she realized she had been staring. She noticed that two other people stood behind him, in which she assumed was her friend. One was fairly tall and blonde and the female with long auburn hair and a beanie. Teagan forced herself to focus on what the man was saying rather than the beautiful eyes in front of her.

“I am so so so sorry. I completely didn’t see you and didn’t mean to ruin your dress or tackle you to the floor” Teagan looked down at her once cute summer dress covered in iced coffee from Starbucks. “Is there any way I can make it up to you?” Teagan stood there speechless.

“Uh-uhm- D-Don’t worry about it! It’s totally fine” Teagan felt slightly flustered and out of breath, her blush deepening as she heard her cousin scoff on the side. “I can quickly just go and buy something else to wear”

“Please let us pay for it! We feel horrible!” the man’s female friend offered coming closer to Teagan motioning the other two males as well.

“Seriously, it’s fine! I’m totally fine! Don’t worry about it!” Teagan couldn’t quite understand why she felt embarrassed when they were the ones who were at fault. “What happened anyway?”

“Our friend thought it would be funny to run away with my iced coffee and wasn’t looking where he was running. It’s my fault too because I was chasing after him” the blonde one shyly confessed, rubbing his neck apologetically. “I hope we didn’t ruin your night”

“We were just killing time waiting for our reservation. It isn’t for another half an hour, so we have ample time to grab Teagan a new dress” Teagan silently thanked her cousin as her brain was malfunctioning at the handsome man in front of her. 

“We seriously feel so bad, can we please make it up to you somehow?” the female tried to offer some sort of compensation again.

“It’s totally fine, no hard feelings. It wasn’t like it was on purpose right?” Teagan’s brain started to slowly function as she declined the offer of the female.

“Seriously, we need to make this up to you two. I won’t take no for an answer and if you do say no, I’ll just follow you around until you say yes” The handsome man took a step closer to Teagan, causing her breath to catch and swallow deeply.

“Uhm, okay! I mean, if you won’t take No, I’d much rather just make new friends instead of gaining a stalker!” Teagan could feel her words tumble clumsily out of her mouth. Thus began the start of a new friendship. Teagan, her cousin and their new friends ventured to the nearest H&M to find something else for her to wear. Turns out that the other female, Savannah, had excellent taste in clothing. They all came to learn that they were all in the same age range, with Tegan being born in 1997 and Owen, the blonde being born in 2000. Teagan also came to learn that her handsome tackler’s name was Charlie and that all three of them were actors for a new Netflix project that was scheduled to air in the New Year. The three ladies got along incredibly and their shopping trip turned into all five of them going to dinner. They had lucked out when a table of 5 before them no-showed the restaurant. They spent the evening getting to know one another and a deep friendship was easily formed. Throughout the night, Charlie and Teagan connected on several levels and at times forgot there were three other people at the table. Occasionally the two would banter or tease each other, even though they had met that day. As their dinner came to an end and bills were paid by none other than Charlie, the girls exchanged contact information, planning to hangout on their next day off. But before Teagan could walk away for the night, Charlie slipped a piece of paper in Teagan’s hand apologizing one more time for running into her.

‘Coffee? This time I won’t spill it on you’ was messily written on the one side, with his phone number on the other. Teagan’s cousin didn’t notice the smile that lit up her face, but she quickly snapped a picture of it and tucked it in her purse for safe keeping.

That coffee date with Charlie ended up becoming a regular occurrence, though the only one who would be drinking coffee would be Teagan as Charlie always settled for tea or whatever dessert or smoothie he wanted to explore that day. She appreciated his adventurous side as she was creature of habit at times. She learned a lot about the industry and the many quirks of Charlie Gillespie.  Soon, coffee dates turned into dinner dates and dinner dates turned into weekend cuddles and relaxation, but filming would eventually wrap and the holidays approached, leaving Teagan and Charlie to make a definitive decision in their relationship. Teagan didn’t expect to extend her Vancouver visit from a week to about a month and a half. Reality was coming fast ans soon Charlie would be back to LA and Teagan working in Edmonton.

“Charlie, what are we?” she asked him as both sat on the couch of his apartment. Mama Mia played softly in the background on the TV as she turned to face him.

“Well what do you want to be?” he cheekily asked her, flashing one of his killer smiles.

“Je suis sérieuse. Tu retournes à LA toute suite et moi à Edmonton. C’est quoi ça?" Charlie knew that when Teagan spoke to her in french she was serious. It was one of the things he learned early on about Teagan. He was pleased to know that she was fluent in french, having taken an IB course in high school, but they often bantered about their accents. She understood how french was a huge part of who he was and she didn’t speak to him in french unless it was important. She knew it got his attention right away since he was so used to being around people who only spoke english.

He paused the TV, complete silence filling the room, both of them facing one another. Charlie was off to Vietnam for the holidays and Teagan planned to spend hers with her family in Edmonton, seeing as she had made an impromptu extension to her trip in Vancouver. He knew that the next time they would be seeing one another they would be crossing borders to visit one another and to be honest the distance felt a bit overwhelming. But Charlie couldn’t shake the fact that there was something about Teagan that he didn’t want to let go. 

“What’s going to happen when we both go back to living the way we were before one another?” Charlie chuckled softly to himself, knowing his decision. Teagan cocked an eyebrow at his response.

“Well nothing’s going to go back to the way it was before Teags” she loved hearing Charlie use her nickname. He said it in a way that sounded so comforting to her ears. “You’re mine right?”

“Define: mine” Teagan smiled coyly at Charlie, already understanding what he meant. “I need help understanding you. I don’t speak Charlie Gillespie Language” Charlie rolled his eyes and got down in front of Teagan, settling in between her legs.

“Teagan Jillian Valencia, will you be my girlfriend?” He jutted his lips forward ever so slightly to create the perfect pouty lips and then he comboed them with his best puppy eyes. Teagan shook her head at the dramatics of the man in front of her and kissed him on the lips, pulling him up and forward. “So, that’s a yes?”

She nodded and kissed him again, this time a little more aggressively. Charlie took the hint and started getting all handsy, but Teagan broke their kiss. “As much as I would love to do this right now, Owen comes home in 30 minutes and I would much rather him not walking in on us, again”

“Well let’s make this quick and move to the bedroom!”

[switchbrainedholylime]

O, Canada

A small gift of Renga fic to @emmettspeakz

Reki laid on the floor awoken by the sun’s rays. He and Langa had just ended up having an impounti sleepover at his workshop since he stayed up until 3 in the morning fixing up their boards. The redhead looked over at Langa who muttered to himself in his sleep. 

“Oui, j'aimerais le pain au chocolat (Yes, I’d like the chocolate croissant). Oui, l'école va bien (Yes, school’s fine)...Papa, quand nous reverrons-nous? (Father, when will we meet again?)...Adieu,” Langa opened his eyes only to see a very confused Reki. “What’s wrong?” 

“You were just sayin’ some weird stuff in yer sleep.” Reki answered.  

“Oh, was I talking in French again? Sorry, I grew up in a resort town between Quebec City and Montreal, where there’s a lot of French-speakers. I speak French, English, and Japanese.” Langa yawned, “Sometimes I speak another language in my sleep.” 

“Really? That’s so cool.” Reki’s eyes glistened.   

“My adopted dad Oliver-”

“Wait, wait, hold on. You’re adopted? Since when?” Reki’s glistening eyes turned to confusion.  

“Yeah, haven’t you ever wondered why I don’t look like my parents?” Langa pointed to himself. “My biological dad gave me up to his two friends Oliver and my mom when I was...4? Yeah, that sounds right. He was really busy with work; he’s a UN representative for Canada and he felt it’d look bad on his part to have a bastard kid so he swept it under the rug. Though it might come out if I go through with Miya on competing in the Olympics in a few years.” 

“That sucks, I had no idea...,” Reki sighed, “Who am I kiddin’? I’m practically in the same boat. My dad works at a black company. The old man gets maybe four hours of sleep a week if he’s lucky. I never want to end up like him, just tied to an office chair.”

“What do you want to do?” Langa asked. 

“I don’t know. Skate, I guess.” Reki yawned.  

“Yeah, but even skilled skaters like Cherry and Joe have day jobs. Hell, even Adam does and he runs the circuit.” Langa brought up. 

“Man, don’t bring up that bastard’s name this early in the morning.” Reki groaned. “Besides, I got that job at the shop.”  

“We both know that’s not gonna pay the bills,” Langa pointed out. 

“True.” Reki sat up, “Our English teacher said the career survey’s due on Monday. Ugh, I still haven’t got a clue.”

“You’re pretty good with your hands and handling tools. You don’t want an office job, and I can’t blame you. Maybe technical school?” Langa suggested. 

“Joe mentioned that last week. He said he’d be glad to write a letter of recommendation for the trade school he went to, but I don’t know if I’d like to work in a kitchen.” Reki looked over at his tools. “Maybe a handyman? I’d probably like fixin’ things up a whole lot more than I would be at my dad’s place. Just thinking about being a boring salaryman makes me wanna puke. Dad always looks so miserable, like someone just yanked his soul out of his chest.” 

“So sort of what you looked like after skating with Adam?” Langa asked. “Except all of the time?”  

“Please don’t say that bastard’s name. It’s too early in the morning.” Reki moaned and rubbed his eyes. “Or ever say it,” 

Langa laughed lightly as Reki pouted. “Hey, I wasn’t joking!”

“I know.” Langa smiled and then planted a small kiss on Reki’s cheek. “My biological father and I meet up to have dinner once every six months. I only recently mentioned that I was dating you in a text and he told me he wants to meet you.” 

“I’ll need to brush up on my English then.” Reki sighed. 

“I’m sure Boyer-sensei will help.” 

-------------    

Their English teacher was a brunette American woman they called “Boyer-sensei”. She had a larger frame and was pale. She walked around collecting the career survey forms from her students. As usual, Reki was looking at his phone, texting with Langa about a new skate trick they saw on Instagram. 

“Reki Kyan. Langa Hasegawa.” Boyer-sensei looked down at the redhead and blue-haired skaters. “Do you have the forms I passed out last week? The student council wants them to be collected by tomorrow afternoon.” 

“Yeah,” The couple handed them to their English teacher. 

Boyer-sensei was genuinely shocked. “You never have your homework done.” 

“Are your standards really that low for us?” Langa appeared distraught. 

“Yes, they are.” Boyer stated firmly as she read Reki’s list. “A repairman...construction worker...hold on, are you really Reki Kyan? You’re not an Auton, are you?”

“What’s an Auton?” Reki asked. 

“It’s a monster from Dr. Who.” Langa explained. “They create replicas of humans. Do you not have Dr. Who available in Japan?”  

Reki was quiet for an awkward moment. He wasn’t sure. “Well, I figured it was a weird nerd reference.” 

“Anyway, Boyer-sensei, most skaters have day jobs. I’m NOT giving up skating anytime soon.” Reki grinned and winked over at Langa who smiled back. 

“I guess that makes sense. I-I just never thought the day would come where you have a single brain cell or atom of responsibility in your veins.” Boyer-sensei was floored. “The world really is ending.” 

------

A few weeks later, the day finally arrived where Reki would have to get into a decent pair of dress clothing for the first time since...ever. Cherry and Joe helped Reki pick out a traditional red yukata that didn’t feel trashy as his regular look but not so stuffy it made him visibly uncomfortable.

[SNOW (LANGA): Just got in his rental from the airport. I gave his coiffeur your address. We’re on our way.] 

[REKI: Cool. Waiting outside.]  

Reki stood at the edge of his driveway tapping his skateboard nervously. He tried to imagine what a fancy-ass version of Langa would look like in a suit with the UN logo.  

A vintage red BMW pulled up. He instantly recognized Langa who was in a iron pressed dress shirt and khakis. The coiffeur was a local man he recognized as a regular at S and the shop, but he was silent the entire time. 

Next to him was a man with Langa’s exact same hair, face, and height. The only difference the eye and hair color along with the fact that he wore glasses. He had blond hair and purple eyes. His dad didn’t look that old. He looked like he was in his early twenties. He was even more well-dressed than Langa and Reki combined. A satin beige suit, Italians handmade shoes, slightly wavy hair that smelled like fresh-brewed coffee.  

Shadow looks older than this guy. Reki blinked, his face full of confusion. Did he say father or brother? Reki was almost positive Langa said father, but how young was he when he had him? Two? 

Reki shook his head. Just don’t blow it, don’t sound like the moron you are in front of this fancy-dancy foreign guy. 

“Hey, Langa! Got a fancier ride than usual?” Reki greeted them with a smile. 

Langa blinked at his and the other man. “Yeah, you wanna get in.” 

The moment Reki got in there was an awkward silence. Reki sat in the middle of the two Canadians. The redhead had a million questions but the air in the backseat was so thick. 

 “So you smell like coffee.” Renga stated as Langa shake his head. “That’s a good thing. I usually smell like sweat and Mountain Dew. I actually took a shower today and brushed my teeth.” Reki smiled brightly. 

“Good, glad to know.” The diplomat smiled nervously. “My name’s Matthew Williams, PhD, Canadian UN diplomat.” 

“I’m Reki Kyan...I like to skate. I work part-time at this skate shop with Langa. We’ve been dating for...I think four months.” The redhead explained. 

“I’ve heard from Langa’s mother. Thanks for teaching Langa and being with him. So is there skate hotels you like to frequent?” Matthew asked. 

“Does the hospital count?” Reki asked. 

“I wouldn’t exactly give it five stars. Langa, has Japan been treating you well so far?” Matthew asked.  

“Yeah, most people are pretty nice. There’s no Tim Hortons, but I’ve gotten addicted to Ramen. Still would love a donut every now and then.” 

“That’s the place where they sell donuts instead of fries, right?” Reki looked over at his boyfriend. 

“Yeah,” Langa replied.

“Man that sounds delicious!” Reki smiled.

“So Langa, your mother told me that you and Reki had a falling out a month ago because of this shady person called Adam.” 

“Yeah, it was pretty bad.” 

“You know I’ve made people...disappear before for ignoring me, causing me trouble, just being an obnoxious brat of a twin brother who tormented me since 1867 until I couldn’t take it anymore.” Matthew stated with a mixture of innocence and sinstery. “I could make this ‘Adam’ person disappear, too. I’ve made good friends with Russia since we used to share a border back when Alaska was part of the Soviet Union.” 

“What do you mean ‘disappear’?” Reki’s eyes widened. “Wait, how old are you? You were around during the Cold War...that’s um, Langa?”

“Alaska was annexed by the US in the 1950s.” Langa stated. 

“Right, I knew that.” Reki nodded. “Uh, so wouldn’t that make you seventy or something? Like my grandpa’s seventy-three and he’s got really bad teeth.”

“Reki, why don’t you tell him about your career survey?” Langa smiled. 

“Oh, I’m planning on going to technical school.” 

“That’s nice.” 

There was an awkward silence between the trio. 

“So...are you going to charge me anything for making Adam ‘disappear’? You’re not going to get in trouble for that, are you?” Reki asked. 

“I have diplomatic immunity.” Matthew replied, “Laws don’t apply to me.” 

“Well, I won’t lie it is tempting.” Reki bit his lip. 

----------

1 week later 

Reki, Langa, Miya, Shadow, and Cherry relaxed at Joe’s Italian restaurant as the TV played the noontime news. 

“Politician Ainosuke Shindo has been found in his mansion dead since yesterday morning. It’s suspected that the killer used radioactive poison to taint his food. If you have any information, please contact the police.” The newswoman stood outside of Adam’s mansion that was taped off.

Everyone looked over at Reki and Langa. 

“What?” They stared around at their fellow skaters. 

[mythvoiced]

ALLOW ME TO PLACE THESE Q'S HERE FOR OUR FAVE GOBLIN: Besides meat, what other foods does he find delight in? What's something that gives him utter peace as soon as it's there? How was his life during the Joseon era? Are there certain things in the past that he wishes could be available in the modern world, or is he fully comfortable with what's at hand? How would he feel if a particular gumiho suddenly hugged him from behind? ���� LOVE YOU

-. @jeoseungsaja | Alex I would literally kill for you, if anybody ever comes at you, let them know I’ll be the last thing they see, BECAUSE I LOVE Y O U

---

This got so loNG I’MS O sorr y- Also look at this gif taken from the pack you sent me the link of <W<

-. Besides meat, what other foods does he find delight in? Would saying ‘fish’ be a bit too close to meat? Okay, that aside I do think Shin has a rather varied palate, mostly because he's had plenty of time to visit any place he’d wanted to visit and explore dishes and specialities to the point where it would be extremely shameful if he chose to not keep an open mind about new dishes. I also think he’s particularly fond of Korean dishes (in a similar fashion to Hyun) simply because it feels like home, especially if it’s traditional enough that it can bring him back to the beginning of it all, perhaps without reminding of the contexts that had made the beginning difficult. And I also think he might be a little bit of a gourmet: he’ll absolutely eat what he can get, considering how fond he seems to be of beer he can’t say he doesn’t like junk food or anything you could get and/or make easily. But for some reason I have a feeling that Shin thinks of food in a ‘the eye wants its part too’ fashion, meaning that he also enjoys when something looks good, when it’s presented well, and when it looks like it’s trying to make an impression - which is something we’ve seen him do before. Kim Shin is characterised by an interesting combination of ancient and modern, old and young, where he is both wise and petulant, reliable and petty, and these many contrasts living within his personality, can present themselves in something as simple as cuisine, too. So, yeah, he’ll eat ramyeon. But also that Canadian steak. And he loves homemade... and sitting in fancy restaurants.

-. What’s something that gives him utter peace as soon as it’s there? The people he loves. The Goblin has lived so long, has seen so many things, has owned a great deal of trinkets, properties, treasures. But nothing material can bring him the peace that the people he holds dear to his heart can. Because even objects with value only have said value because they remind him of those he’s had to move on from, loved ones he no longer gets to see. So, he might show anger at losing a plate Louis XIV used to eat on, but did that plate bring him peace? No. Does knowing Ji Eun-tak is safe, sleeping in a room in his house, hopefully soundly, bring him peace? Yes. Does the pitter patter of Saja’s houseslippers headed towards his bedroom bring him peace? Yes. Does purposefully ignoring Deok-hwa’s faux innocent smile in his peripheral asking him for money bring him peace? Yes. Simply getting to sit there and witness the people he loves be themselves, alive, hopefully well, going about their existence by pursuing their hobbies, engaging in their quirks and habits, is the most Shin doesn’t dare to ask for. That’s when he’s tranquil: when he gets to see those he loves be, free of plight, or imminent danger. When he’s sitting on their couch and watching Eun-tak spread her homework across their coffee table and occasionally shoot him that special smile, while Saja slurps on his milk and gets too invested in a drama playing on TV, and Deok-hwa is walking into the room babbling about some girl-related nonsense, well... What more can he possibly want?

-. How was his life during the Joseon era? I remember one shot of Shin in Joseon era, I think he’s sitting at a table and having a good time, possibly even gossiping about something, I don’t remember the episode this scene was in, nor can I find it anywhere else, but unless I’m having brain fry, I vaguely remember his appearance as well: according to his outfit, he must have been a yangban. Yangban is sort of what you could have considered nobility at the time, the ruling class of the Joseon dynasty, made up of military officials and/or scholars. Why am I mentioning this? Well, because obviously Kim Shin would have found a way to become a yangban. The title/class of Yangban is, this all according to my research so if I’m wrong shoot me and pls correct me, something a man had to earn by passing certain exams/attending a school, that would basically qualify them for the social status that would then turn the entire family into a yangban family (also because women couldn’t take these exams and studies, nor become officials or scholars, but could still inherit the title of yangban female from their fathers, for example). So, how was his life during the Joseon era? Well, high class I would say. I don’t remember what was being discussed in that scene, so I can’t say for sure, but I can’t see Shin choosing to become a military official yet again. Considering his experiences with the empire while serving it as a general, I can see Shin simply defying from the crown by minding his own and no longer offering his self and his services in any direct way to the palace. I can see him as a scholar, perhaps simply living his life as a yangban male and every now and then attending a few things just to maintain his status, all while he simply continued to explore the country and play pranks on other officials. And I can’t tell you why, but I can absolutely see him play pranks on other officials, or sneak some reading material to a daughter, or monopolise the attention of court ladies just because he can, going as far, of course, as he can get away with flirting with anyone at the time. He most definitely grew fond of a few faces here and there, since Shin is literally incapable of not growing fond of someone, once you enter his heart, you simply do, it’s far too big for a man like him, and far too willing, far too desiring, desiring to give and receive love, to give and receive attention, to give and receive the warmth and familiarity of connections. So, he led a good life, definitely financially speaking and simply in terms of quality, he was probably annoying for some, and probably avoided the very centre of palace life, because I can see him not wanting to have as much to do with royalty anymore.

-. Are there certain things in the past that he wishes could be available in the modern world, or is he fully comfortable with what's at hand? Shin is the sentimental type. I’m not even headcanoning it, and even if he attempts to hide it, he usually does an awful job at hiding just how much he cares and how much things affect him. He’s very loud and almost obnoxious at times in his reactions, he explains himself the same way a child might at times, he’s excitable, and he doesn’t feel shame to show Saja how much it matters to him, what impression he’d make in front of Eun-tak. He cares, and while vocal admittances are usually reserved for those very serious moments, he’s always proving just how sentimental he is. So, I would say, it’s a yes to both those alternatives. First the latter: yes, he’s fully comfortable with what’s at hand, because the modern world simply has so much to offer that he enjoys. Even if he doesn’t understand it or make regular use of it, you can see him move about the modern world rather comfortably, learn about any new customs, institutions, or ways of living. He keeps himself up to date (the business card thing, I swear-), he likes to tap into new passions and likes. And at the same time, he loves the world he came from. I always feel like, compared to perhaps Hyun, who I’m mentioning here because you know him which makes comparison easier (;3), who doesn’t feel himself to belong in any particular era but rather to existence as a whole, whenever I watch Shin, he’s extremely self-aware of the fact that his time on Earth has long ‘expired’. Other than the fact that he literally should have died back in Goryeo, one of the things that kind of fortifies this idea for me is what Shin looks like when he does actually die (and then returns): he’s dressed in the same clothes he wore when he ‘died’ in Goryeo. Shin’s soul seems to belong to Goryeo still, and as such, the life he’d led at the time (now, personal interpretation) somehow feels like The life, his life, while all the centuries that followed had been the extension. The culture, the habits, the food, the garments, anything, honestly, that belongs to Goryeo feels as if it’s something Shin knows, things he grew up with, things that shaped him, that was his time, and the modern world, Joseon, they’re times he’s visiting, even if it’s against his will. That’s the vibes I get. And I realise this answer is perhaps a little too much in contrast to the question :’3

-. How would he feel if a particular gumiho suddenly hugged him from behind? 👀 Oh YEAH- Now, I could answer this question by dipping into what we’ve seen Shin do in the canon in romantic scenarios/romantic-coded scenes, but I don’t want to. Because I don’t want to recycle reactions and demeanour he portrayed for/relating to Eun-tak, I want to explore what he does, and who he is, in the particular world that is verse 4 (because, this is a particular verse for Shin as well, since Yeo’s the bride <w<). SO, the reaction obviously always depends on what stage of their relationship they’re in <w< In the canon, he usually startles when Saja does anything remotely romantic(-coded?) (well, safe for some scenes where he looks a little surprised but not displeased-), but in my boat- Circumstances are different, Yeo/the person is different, and they’ve been interacting differently. I think at a point in time in which nothing has been said but a lot has perhaps been done and/or hinted at, insinuated, he’d probably startle and not really know what to do with himself. The worry that this is just a fox-antic meant to tease him or poke fun at him might be small, but very much present, so he’d just try to play it off with some lame line, half-jokingly insinuating Yeo’s being sweet because he wants something, or even straight up interpret it as Yeo holding onto him because he stumbled and Shin was just... there, to hold onto to so he doesn’t have to fall flat on his face. Have things been... discussed though, honestly, we know sometimes Shin acts like a shy virgin, which is honestly adorable, and he might even act that way a little bit in this scenario where he just has that goofy smile on his face and is doing that flustered shifty eyes thing, but I also like to think that the moment Yeo’s arms are around him, Shin just.. laughs. Like, a warm, heartful chuckle, as he leans back into Yeo’s chest and just kind of leans his head back and turns it enough to be able to look at Yeo, give him a silly flirty one-liner, maybe try to get a kiss out of hi- Or he’ll end up turning around in his arms still to grab his face and SMOOCH HIM- Might be vary slightly depending on what Shin’s doing, but this is the gist of it, yet, no matter what, sMOOCH FINALE-

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Trudeau’s Liberals win Canada election, but miss majority (AP) Canadians gave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party a victory in Monday’s parliamentary elections, but his gamble to win a majority of seats failed and nearly mirrored the result of two years ago. Trudeau’s Liberals were leading or elected in 156 seats—one less than they won 2019, and 14 short of the 170 needed for a majority in the House of Commons. The Conservatives were leading or elected in 121 seats, the same number they won in 2019. The leftist New Democrats were leading or elected in 27, a gain of three seats, while the Quebec-based Bloc Québécois remained unchanged with 32 seats and the Greens were down to two. “Trudeau lost his gamble to get a majority so I would say this is a bittersweet victory for him,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. “Basically we are back to square one, as the new minority parliament will look like the previous one. Trudeau and the Liberals saved their skin and will stay in power, but many Canadians who didn’t want this late summer, pandemic election are probably not amused about the whole situation,” he said.

COVID has killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu (AP) COVID-19 has now killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic did—approximately 675,000. And like the worldwide scourge of a century ago, the coronavirus may never entirely disappear from our midst. Instead, scientists hope the virus that causes COVID-19 becomes a mild seasonal bug as human immunity strengthens through vaccination and repeated infection. That would take time. “We hope it will be like getting a cold, but there’s no guarantee,” said Emory University biologist Rustom Antia, who suggests an optimistic scenario in which this could happen over a few years. For now, the pandemic still has the United States and other parts of the world firmly in its jaws.

Why Louisiana’s Electric Grid Failed in Hurricane Ida (NYT) Just weeks before Hurricane Ida knocked out power to much of Louisiana, leaving its residents exposed to extreme heat and humidity, the chief executive of Entergy, the state’s biggest utility company, told Wall Street that it had been upgrading power lines and equipment to withstand big storms. That statement would soon be tested. On the last Sunday in August, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana and dealt a catastrophic blow to Entergy’s power lines, towers and poles, many of which were built decades ago to withstand much weaker hurricanes. The storm damaged eight high-voltage transmission lines that supply power to New Orleans along with scores of the company’s towers throughout the state. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses were without power for days. Ida damaged or destroyed 31,000 poles that carry lower-voltage distribution lines in neighborhoods, nearly twice as many as Hurricane Katrina, according to Entergy. Lawmakers and regulators require utilities to ensure safe, reliable service at an affordable cost. The grid failure after Ida is the latest display of how power companies are struggling to fulfill those obligations as climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather. In California, electricity providers have been forced to shut off power to tens of thousands of customers in recent years to prevent their equipment from setting off wildfires and to reduce energy demand during heat waves. In February, the grid in most of Texas failed during a winter storm, leaving millions of people without power and heat for days.

White House faces bipartisan backlash on Haitian migrants (AP) The White House is facing sharp condemnation from Democrats for its handling of the influx of Haitian migrants at the U.S. southern border, after images of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback using aggressive tactics went viral this week. Striking video of agents maneuvering their horses to forcibly block and move migrants attempting to cross the border has sparked resounding criticism from Democrats on Capitol Hill, who are calling on the Biden administration to end its use of a pandemic-era authority to deport migrants without giving them an opportunity to seek asylum in the United States. At the same time, the administration continues to face attacks from Republicans, who say Biden isn’t doing enough to deal with what they call a “crisis” at the border. Immigration is a complex issue, one no administration has been able to fix in decades. And Biden is trapped between conflicting interests of broadcasting compassion while dealing with throngs of migrants coming to the country—illegally—seeking a better life.

Haitian journey to Texas border starts in South America (AP) Robins Exile downed a traditional meal of plantains and chicken at a restaurant run by Haitian immigrants, just a short walk from the walled border with the United States. He arrived the night before and went there seeking advice: Should he try to get to the U.S., or was it better to settle in Mexico? Discussion Monday at the Tijuana restaurant offered a snapshot of Haitians’ diaspora in the Western Hemisphere that picked up steam in 2016 and has shown little sign of easing, demonstrated most recently by the more than 14,000 mostly Haitian migrants assembled around a bridge in Del Rio, a town of only 35,000 people. Of the roughly 1.8 million Haitians living outside their homeland, the United States is home to the largest Haitian immigrant population in the world, numbering 705,000 people from the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. Significant numbers also live in Latin American countries like Chile, which is home to an estimated 69,000 Haitians. Nearly all Haitians reach the U.S. border on a well-worn route: Fly to Brazil, Chile or elsewhere in South America. If jobs dry up, slowly move through Central America and Mexico by bus and on foot to wait—perhaps years—in northern border cities like Tijuana for the right time to enter the United States and claim asylum.

‘We were them:’ Vietnamese Americans help Afghan refugees (AP) In the faces of Afghans desperate to leave their country after U.S. forces withdrew, Thuy Do sees her own family, decades earlier and thousands of miles away. A 39-year-old doctor in Seattle, Washington, Do remembers hearing how her parents sought to leave Saigon after Vietnam fell to communist rule in 1975 and the American military airlifted out allies in the final hours. It took years for her family to finally get out of the country, after several failed attempts, and make their way to the United States, carrying two sets of clothes a piece and a combined $300. When they finally arrived, she was 9 years old. These stories and early memories drove Do and her husband Jesse Robbins to reach out to assist Afghans fleeing their country now. The couple has a vacant rental home and decided to offer it up to refugee resettlement groups, which furnished it for newly arriving Afghans in need of a place to stay. “We were them 40 years ago,” Do said. “With the fall of Saigon in 1975, this was us.” The crisis in Afghanistan has spurred many Vietnamese Americans to donate money to refugee resettlement groups and raise their hands to help by providing housing, furniture and legal assistance to newly arriving Afghans.

‘Crisis of trust’: France bristles at US submarine deal (AP) France’s top diplomat declared Monday that there is a “crisis of trust” in the United States after a Pacific defense deal stung France and left Europe wondering about its longtime ally across the Atlantic. France canceled meetings with British and Australian officials and worked to rally EU allies behind its push for more European sovereignty after being humiliated by a major Pacific defense pact orchestrated by the U.S. Speaking to reporters in New York, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said European countries won’t let Washington leave them behind when shaping its foreign policy. Le Drian reiterated complaints that his country was sandbagged by the submarine deal between the U.S., Britain and Australia, which led to France losing a contract to sell subs to Australia. Washington, London and Canberra say the deal bolsters their commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, and it has widely been seen as an effort to counter an increasingly assertive China. But Le Drian, who is in New York to represent France at the U.N. General Assembly, said it was a “brutal, unexpected and unexplained breach” of a contract—and a relationship.

Pedestrians take to the streets of Paris to celebrate the city’s seventh annual ‘day without cars’ (Business Insider) On Sunday, Paris turned over its streets to pedestrians so that citizens and visitors could enjoy its seventh annual “day without cars.” Announced by socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo in 2015, the city received enthusiastic support from both ordinary Parisians and unlikely parties including the head of a French drivers’ association, USA Today reported. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., cars, motorcycles, and scooters are banned throughout Paris, and any offenders face a fine of 135 euros, according to the Paris Without A Car website. Certain vehicles like buses, emergency vehicles, taxis, and private drivers are allowed to circulate, although their speed is limited to 20-30 kilometers per hour (12-19 miles per hour) in certain areas. Events at this year’s “day without cars” included a techno parade, picnic, bicycle fair, rollerblading marathon, and street art exhibitions, according to the event website.

More evacuations as lava gushes from Canaries volcano (Reuters) Lava gushing from the Canary Islands’ first volcanic eruption on land in 50 years has forced authorities to evacuate another part of El Paso municipality on the island of La Palma and to urge sightseers attracted by the phenomenon to stay away. About 6,000 of the 80,000 people living on the island have been forced to leave their homes to escape the eruption so far, TVE said. The volcano started erupting on Sunday after La Palma, the most northwestern island in the Canaries archipelago, had been rocked by thousands of quakes in the prior days. It has shot lava hundreds of metres into the air, engulfed forests and sent molten rock towards the ocean over a sparsely populated area of La Palma. Experts say that if and when the lava reaches the sea, it could trigger more explosions and clouds of toxic gases.

Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes near Melbourne (Reuters) An earthquake with a 6.0 magnitude struck near Melbourne in Australia on Wednesday, Geoscience Australia said, causing damage to buildings in the country’s second largest city and sending tremors throughout neighbouring states. The quake’s epicentre was near the rural town of Mansfield in the state of Victoria, about 200 km (124 miles) northeast of Melbourne, and was at a depth of 10 km (six miles). The quake was felt as far away as city of Adelaide, 800 km (500 miles) to the west in the state of South Australia, and Sydney, 900 km (600 miles) to the north in New South Wales state, although there were no reports of damage outside Melbourne and no reports of injuries.

‘An iron curtain’: Australia’s covid rules are stranding people at state borders (Washington Post) The four figures huddled in the shade on the side of the highway, eight miles from a border they had hardly noticed until it slammed shut behind them. As flies buzzed and crows circled and their supplies ran low, they waited for emails that would allow them to leave New South Wales and return to their home state of South Australia. Teresa Young and her husband had been stuck at the rest stop—little more than a toilet in the middle of the Outback—for 10 days. “All of a sudden, Australia has been cut up like pieces of a cake,” the 75-year-old said on a recent day. Welcome to covid-era Australia, where state border closures designed to keep the coronavirus from spreading have turned retired office workers into roadside nomads. When the pandemic began, many Australians found that the leaders of the country’s six states and two territories, rather than the federal government, suddenly controlled the most vital things in people’s lives, including who could go to work and where they could travel. The closures have upended domestic travel and stranded scores of Australians internally, even as a vaccination ramp-up means some states—and international airports—will soon open up. People in Sydney could find it easier to fly to Singapore or Los Angeles than to Adelaide.

Sudan’s coup attempt (Foreign Policy) Sudanese state media reported a “failed coup attempt” early Tuesday morning. The coup reportedly involved an attempt to take control of the state radio services. If confirmed, the attempted power grab would be the fourth putsch attempt the African continent has seen this year, following military takeovers in Guinea and Chad and an unsuccessful coup in Niger.

[bubblingoverwithcharm-us]

9 ‘Starter Steps’ to Save America From Socialism

1. Face Reality

Millions of Americans are still in complete denial. Many think the military is secretly in control—that it’s only a matter of time until justice is done and President Donald Trump is restored. There’s a “secret plan”—just “have faith.” The truth is that Trump was outmaneuvered by an alliance of communists, globalists, and even traitors in his own party. The “deep state” is now almost fully in control.

Trump isn’t coming back into office any time before 2024—if we still have meaningful elections by then.

To make sure they can never be voted out of office, the Democrats plan to enfranchise 22 million illegal immigrants, abolish the Electoral College, gain at least four more far-left senators through Puerto Rico and D.C. statehood, and flood the country with tens of millions more refugees and illegal immigrants. They also plan to nationally introduce voting “reforms,” i.e., mass mail-in balloting, abolition of ID requirements, etc., that will guarantee eternal Democratic Party control.

If the Democrats can abolish the Senate filibuster and place at least four more leftist “justices” on the Supreme Court, there’ll be virtually no way to stop any of this if we rely on traditional political methods.

We’re undergoing a Marxist-Leninist revolution driven by China—right now, in real time.

The military can’t save us, nor can Trump. On the contrary, it’s up to patriots to protect Trump and the Armed Services from unrelenting Democrat/communist attacks.

When enough Americans face the unpleasant truth, then, and only then, can we talk about hope.

2. Stop All Violent Rhetoric

Violence will not save America. The harsh reality is that President Barack Obama had eight years to replace patriotic generals with left-leaning political appointees. He did a great job. If violence breaks out (God forbid), the military will stand with the government, not the insurgents.

Does anyone think Russia and China and Cuba and North Korea and Iran would stand idly by while their Democratic friends are being defeated by a patriotic uprising? They would undoubtedly use the opportunity to finish off their “main enemy” once and for all.

Beware of anyone inciting violence online, at a public gathering, or in a private meeting. Distance yourself fast. They will be at best hopelessly naive, at worst government provocateurs.

The left is praying for “right-wing” violence. It will give them an excuse for a massive crackdown on patriotic Americans. This country will be saved peacefully or not at all. If significant violence breaks out, it’s over.

Having said that, the Second Amendment must be preserved at all costs. An armed populace is at least some check on tyranny, even if useless in the face of biological warfare or nuclear attack. Americans should keep their guns and work every day to ensure they never have to use them against their own people.

3. Restore Election Integrity in All Red States

If voter trust isn’t restored within months, the Republican Party is doomed. Democrats will continue to vote. Large numbers of Republican voters will stay home. They won’t trust the elections and will refuse to participate. We’ve already seen this play out in the Georgia Senate elections.

Thirty states are currently led by Republican legislatures. Some are already holding inquiries into fixing deficient electoral procedures. Most will be whitewashes unless the public gets heavily involved. If the resulting recommendations don’t include the elimination of electronic voting machines and heavy penalties for organized voter fraud, it’s likely to be a window-dressing exercise. Be alert.

Patriots must work to restore voting integrity first in the red states, then the red counties of the blue states—then after 2022, the whole nation.

Get involved in this process. It’s a top priority.

4. Close the Republican Primaries Immediately

This should be a no-brainer, but no one is talking about it. Only five U.S. states have truly closed Republican primaries. This means that in most states Democrats and independents (even communists) can vote in Republican primaries—and they do. All over the country, the GOP’s enemies vote in Republican primaries to pick the weakest, most wimpy candidate they can.

That’s why the Republican base is super patriotic but most of their elected representatives in most states vote like “progressive” Democrats.

Close the primaries, Republican patriots. It will transform your party.

5. Organize a Compact of Free States

MAGA folk need to build a “nation within a nation.” This doesn’t mean secession—Russia and China would be quick to exploit such division. What’s needed is a reaffirmation of 10th Amendment rights as already outlined in the U.S. Constitution. The already out-of-control federal government is about to go on a rampage against every form of independence left in the country. Every red state with the courage to do so must immediately begin working toward a formal compact to collectively oppose all forms of federal overreach.

Such a formal alliance should start with Florida and Texas, then grow by inviting Oklahoma, the Plains states, most of the Southern states, New Hampshire, the free Midwestern states, and the Republican-led Northern and Western states.

Such an alliance, stretching from the Florida Keys and the Gulf of Mexico all the way to the Great Lakes and the Canadian border and even Alaska, would bisect the entire country.

Adding the red counties of the blue states such as Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and California, would create a voting and economic bloc that Washington would find exceedingly difficult to challenge.

When the Biden administration recently suggested that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis close all restaurants in his state to slow the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, the governor politely refused—citing the ineffectiveness and horrendous economic consequences of mass lockdowns.

Biden then reportedly hinted at an unconstitutional ban on air and road travel to and from Florida. This threat might work against Florida alone. It wouldn’t work against Florida plus Texas and Oklahoma and 10 to 25 other states.

The United States is technically a federation of free and independent states. It’s time to fully realize that ideal.

Southern states will soon be reeling under a massive new wave of illegal immigration. The federal government will do nothing to prevent it. Texas, Florida, Arizona, and the free counties of New Mexico and California need to be preparing to defend their borders now. This isn’t an immigration issue that is the constitutional preserve of the federal government—this is a state public welfare issue.

Of course, the Biden-Harris administration plans to pack the Supreme Court with more left-wing justices to make virtually anything they want “constitutional.” But this shouldn’t even need to go to the courts. State governments already have the power under the 10th Amendment to nullify federal overreach; they simply have to band together to put Washington back into its constitutionally tiny box.

The Republic will be saved through the courageous application of the First Amendment (free speech) and the 10th Amendment (state sovereignty).

6. Republic Review

Every free state should immediately embark on the adoption of the “Republic Review” process. There’s a small but growing movement in some Western and Northern states to review their engagement with the federal government to eliminate or nullify all unconstitutional relationships.

Under the Constitution, the states are technically superior to the federal government. They’re sovereign under the “equal footing” doctrine and have the legal power to refuse to engage in unconstitutional programs.

For instance, most states only get about 10 percent of their education budget from the feds—but are almost completely subservient to Department of Education dictates. Why not forgo the measly 10 percent in exchange for a return to local control over all public education? America is losing its youths in public schools. Every patriotic parent knows that.

This would give parents more control over their children’s education and restore citizens’ control over their own government. Is this worth 10 percent of your state’s education budget?

If the free states are willing to stand against federal overreach, they must also be prepared to forgo unconstitutional federal money.

A thorough Republic Review audit would soon return power to the state legislatures—where it belongs.

7. Form a Multi-State ‘America First’ Popular Alliance

The left has “Our Revolution,” a nationwide alliance of 600 groups operating both inside and outside of the Democratic Party. Operated by Democratic Socialists of America and the Communist Party USA, Our Revolution works in the Democratic primaries to elect far-left candidates such as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) into office. Our Revolution isn’t subject to Democratic Party discipline, but it does get to choose Democratic candidates.

We need an “America First” umbrella group to operate both outside and inside the Republican Party—even possibly within the Democratic Party in some areas.

This organization should be all about pushing the MAGA/America First agenda at every level of government, in every state of the union.

Such a movement could harness the energy of 70 million to 80 million Trump voters without being under Republican Party control.

America First could unite the Tea Party and MAGA movements, grassroots Republicans, patriotic Democrats, and independents to mobilize tens of millions of voters to transform the GOP into the truly populist, patriotic MAGA party it should always have been.

Take that, Mitch McConnell!

Trump is already vetting candidates to stand against Republican House members and senators who betrayed their own base after the 2020 election.

America Firsters should register Republicans by the millions to primary out dozens of Republican sell-outs in 2022. The America First/MAGA movement could “own” every level of the GOP by 2024. The GOP needs the MAGA movement way more than the MAGA movement needs the Republican brand.

Meanwhile, there are almost 70 far-left Democratic members of Congress in red states. Just restoring voter integrity alone could defeat several of them in 2022.

Running MAGA candidates backed by Trump in every one of those races could flip many more. It would be more than feasible to take back the House in 2022 to make Biden a “lame duck” president.

8. Boycott/Buycott Bigtime

Patriots should be abandoning Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. for more honest platforms. They should also enthusiastically support efforts by DeSantis to heavily fine Big Tech operators who “cancel” patriots. If 25 or 30 free states did the same, Big Tech would soon be little tech.

Patriots need to organize nationwide boycotts of unpatriotic companies and buycotts for loyal American companies like My Pillow and Goya Foods.

Already, local groups are drawing up lists of “unfriendly” local companies and friendly alternatives so patriots can stop supporting their opponents and spend more with their fellow MAGA supporters.

It would also be smart to sequentially target vulnerable unpatriotic companies.

Imagine if 80 million MAGA patriots resolved to begin a nationwide boycott of one such company, starting now. The boycott would go on indefinitely until the target company was broke, or it apologized for “canceling” patriots. If applicable, every MAGA family could simultaneously commit to buying at least one of the canceled person’s products this year.

On April 1, another disloyal company could be targeted, then another on May 1, another on June 1, etc.

After two or three companies had collapsed or apologized, we would soon see large companies start to back away from the “Cancel Culture.”

Patriots have spending power in this country, people. We need to starve our enemies and feed our friends.

Again, patriots need to build a nation within a nation.

It should be also a given that every U.S. patriot boycotts all communist Chinese goods wherever possible. Check those labels! Buying Chinese communist products in 2021 is like buying Nazi products in 1939. It’s immoral and it’s suicidal.

The Chinese Communist Party just crippled the U.S. economy with the CCP virus. Then, pro-China communists instigated mass Black Lives Matter rioting. Then, the same people worked to influence the 2020 election.

It’s about time Americans stop funding their No. 1 enemy—the CCP.

9. Remove Malign Foreign Influence at State Level

DeSantis has announced legislation to massively curtail communist Chinese activity in Florida. The legislation also targets several other enemy states, including Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela—all of which interfere in this country’s internal affairs.

In December 2020, Trump’s Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe revealed that the Chinese Communist Party was conducting a “massive influence campaign” focused on dozens of members of Congress and their aides, including through attempted blackmail and bribery.

Currently, thousands of foreign companies from hostile regimes are buying up land, food production facilities, technical companies, educational facilities, and infrastructure. Tens of thousands of foreign agents are co-opting unpatriotic businessmen, unethical politicians, and sympathetic journalists in the interests of China and other malevolent states.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, nothing will be done to stop these activities at a federal level—but much can still be done by the free states. If every free state cracked down on foreign bribery, corruption, espionage, and subversion, this country would be transformed.

If hundreds of corrupt academics, journalists, businessmen, and politicians (from both parties) were exposed and punished, this country would soon be well on the way to moral, economic, and political recovery.

What Do You Think?

These steps alone won’t save America—but I believe they would be a huge step in the right direction. I will be following up with further suggestions and plans. But for now, I’d love to see your comments, suggestions, and criticisms in the comments section.

Thank you for reading. From a grateful Kiwi, God bless America.

Thanks,

Mike Capeloto

623-826-7108

...

[thegreatsharkleve]

Elijah Post LFRP - Crystal data center

The Basics ––– –

Name: Elijah Post

Age: 28

Race: Midlander/Highlander

Gender: Cis Male

Sexuality: Gay (but flirts with pretty much everyone)

Relationship Status: Sort of involved? (He will neither confirm nor deny there being a presence of embarrassingly soft feelings...)

Languages: Common, a rudimentary grasp of Doman

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Physical Appearance ––– –

Hair: Honey Blond and could definitely use a cut or a style… or a brush most days, to be perfectly honest.

Eyes: Amber – more a reddish-orange hue than yellow

Height: 5’6”

Appearance: He is an attractive enough guy: excellent jaw line, straight nose, striking eyes, long limbs, trim figure, and a charming smile. Unfortunately (for anyone who has to look at him) his fashion sense is … questionable at best. Most of his outfits consist of brightly colored, egregiously wrinkled shirts and pants that rarely make it past his ankles. He wears a lot of tacky jewelry, sunglasses inside buildings and most certainly at night, and there is a very real possibility that the only footwear he owns, besides a pair of fluffy pink slippers, are sandals – which he has, in fact, been known to wear with socks. Still, he carries himself with a lazy confidence that somehow makes his perpetual “I have just woke up in the middle of the afternoon” look seem more of an artful affectation rather than a cry for help.

One of the more notable things about him are his plethora of scars, with the most prominent being the one that runs diagonal across his face and the two sets of whorling burns along both shoulders – one creeping down over his right pectoral and the other running over the upper part of his left arm. His ring finger on his left hand is missing after the first knuckle (don’t ask about this one if you’re eating), and a long surgical scar runs vertically along his outer right forearm. Underneath his clothes are a smattering of healed bullet wounds and a few others of less identifiable origin, but you’re gonna have to buy him a couple drinks if you want to take a closer look.

Personal ––– –

Profession: Journalist – specifically a freelance field correspondent who specializes in conflict journalism and investigative reporting. When he’s between field work, he often picks up puff pieces with local papers, writing about the arts, sports, culture, etc.

Residence: No permanent listed address – currently renting a room at the Hidden Pearl in the Mists. He can usually be found sitting at the bar after he’s just rolled out of bed, having bacon twists and sake for breakfast (at 2pm).

Birthplace: Ul’Dah

Religion: Meh

Likes: Day drinking, people watching, writing, sleeping, animals, (tall men)

Dislikes: Bureaucracy, wealth disparity, national pride, bullies, snobs, being cold

Fears: Commitment, being emotionally vulnerable, people in mascot costumes

Personality: Elijah seems like a pretty easy going, even tempered guy for the most part. He has a languorous, lackadaisical disposition – meandering through life as though he never really has a place to be, and if he did, he isn’t in any particular rush to get there. With friends or with strangers he’s quick to smile or laugh or tell a joke, affable enough that people tend to trust him with pieces of themselves without noticing he offers very little of himself in return. He can come across as flippant or indifferent in conversation, and while he is rarely intentionally cruel, he has a habit of jamming his thumbs into people’s buttons. It’s very possible he is just incidentally annoying rather than consciously so. He likes to maintain plausible deniability on that front.

When working in the field Elijah becomes much more focused – he stands taller, moves with purpose, exchanging his usual countenance of a rumpled layabout for that of a seasoned professional. He has on more than one occasion put his own body on the line (and in the hospital) in combat situations, or when pursuing a lead. He will recount each scar, and his half missing finger, with a joviality that some folks find off putting given some of the more grisly details. This disregard for his own safety is likely one of the (many) reasons he has never gotten a full time reporting gig with any of Eorza’s major newspapers – that, and he has a habit of leaving journalistic impartiality at the door. It’s clear from his writing that he has a deep well of empathy for other people and admires underdogs who fight uphill battles for high minded idealism, even if he ultimately believes their sentimentality to be a little bit naive..

Relationships ––– -

Parents: His Mother has passed, but his Father is still kicking and perpetually disappointed in his son! Their relationship is… strained by not estranged?

Pets: His Chocobo Bixley – but really, that’s more of a buddy and stalwart feathered compatriot than a pet.

traits ––– -

bold your character’s answer.

extroverted / in between / introverted

disorganized / in between / organized

close minded / in between / open minded

calm / in between / anxious

disagreeable / in between / agreeable

cautious / in between / reckless

patient / in between /  impatient

outspoken / in between / reserved

leader / in between / follower

empathetic / in between / apathetic

optimistic / in between / pessimistic

traditional / in between / modern

hard-working / in between / lazy

cultured / in between / uncultured

loyal / in between / disloyal

Additional information ––– –

Smoking Habit: Has been known to chain smoke.

Drugs: The spice of life is trying anything and everything twice!

Alcohol: Probably too often on that front too..

Background information/ Potential RP Hooks? ––– – 

UL’DAH BORN AND RAISED: He lived most of his youth in Ul’Dah, haunting the less affluent areas of Eorzea’s grandest pile of rocks in the desert. His mother was an Ala Mhigan immigrant and his father just a simple Ul’Dah native who ran a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. His parents were very “hard work and sacrifice” types when he was growing up, giving away free meals to refugees and anyone who was hungry. They were well liked by those who knew them, veritable pillars of the community, for whatever that was worth in what was hardly a half step above a slum. His mother died a few years ago but his father still works in his run down little restaurant – lots of folks still recognize Elijah as his parent’s kid rather than for his own work. He has mixed feelings about it.

FREELANCE JOURNALIST WITH AN AXE TO GRIND: Elijah’s had work published in The Mythril Eye, The Harbor Herald, and The Raven. Because he has a reasonably good standing at these newspapers (and friendly relationships with some of the editors) he’s able to pick up the odd puff piece, op-ed, or political coverage gig in order to cover his expenses when he’s between larger assignments. In the past he has written some pretty incendiary pieces about Ul’Dah’s treatment of Ala Mhigan refugees, as well as a few pieces lambasting the noble houses of Ishgard and their complacency in the Dragonsong War and their collaboration with the corrupt Holy See, which has earned him a bit of a “reputation”. On the other hand, he is just as willing to throw himself upon the altar of journalistic tripe for a quick gil. If you have any tips or story leads you want investigated, Elijah just might be your man. If your character is involved at any of the major Eorzean papers, they might be acquainted.

CONFLICT REPORTING: Elijah has spent time in the middle of political unrest in Ishgard, covering Garlean incursions and skirmishes across the continent, and until recently he has been covering the ongoing issues in Othard. In fact, he’s only just returned from spending an extended period living with the resistance forces in Gyr Abania; and, he has some very strong opinions regarding the absolutely hacking edits The Mythril Eye made to his work before publication (without his permission). If your character was part of the fighting in Gyr Abania, Elijah might have spoken to them or went out into the field with them on occasion.

TRAVELING FOR WORK: Given the nature of his job, Elijah has visited most major cities while on assignment and has been known to interview common folks, political figures, travelers, military types -- anyone who will talk to him. If you've spoken to him in the past, your words might have ended up in print, for better or for worse (he has been punched in the face on more than one occasion, and he regrets nothing); however, he has never once burned an informant or lead that has come to him for help. He has enough of a reputation that folks (government and law enforcement sorts) might take to actively avoiding him.

OOC/Contact Information  ––– –

The Player: Becks | They/Them | 30+ | Atlantic Timezone | Canadian

Looking for: Long term rp connections, short term adventures, friendship, rivalry, romance, I’m open to pretty much anything!

I’m a 30+ year old player who is a little anxious and shy when it comes to meeting new people on the internet (hence playing an extrovert to drag me out of my shell) but I’m really excited to make new friends and rp connections!! As I said, I am up for anything, including walk ups when I am out and about, and this character is on the surface level a very chill and friendly dude! I am, however, also someone who engages with a lot of mature themes -- not just swearing, drugs and alcohol, but also heavier themes (the realities of class disparity and poverty, the human cost of war, trauma, etc etc)  that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But!! I wouldn’t just throw it out there willy nilly, and I believe firmly in communication between players -- discussing boundaries and limits is very important, as well as trusting each other enough to speak up if either party is uncomfortable!   I am cool with my character being injured, but please check in with me before doing anything drastic that will result in something permanent (like maiming or... y’know, death). Also I am open to rping romance (or lack of romance but the bits that go with it) though this character is currently not up for shipping adventures. Just to be clear, I am not comfortable doing that type of role play with anyone that’s under 25, sorry! I'm in my early thirties, and it would just be weird for me. We can still be pals, I promise! Please only reach out to me if you are 18+ and your character is 18+ -- I am not comfortable interacting with minors.

All art on this tumblr is probably mine unless stated otherwise! <3 Contact: Message me here on tumblr, /tell Elijah Post on Balmung, and if we become friends I am up for discord handle sharing! :D

I am open to cross-world rp and rp outside of the game as well!!

Now that I’ve got this edited how I want it... Boosts appreciated! Always looking for more active blogs to follow/be friends with!! 

[dixieleebancroft]

Dixie Lee Bancroft

Premium Fried Chicken in Bancroft

Dixie Lee has brought households together, both young and old, to appreciate the taste of premium fried chicken in Bancroft

Dixie Lee is the go-to restaurant in Bancroft of all the community locals and visitors that long to taste homemade delicious fried chicken. They match the rural-urban vibe that Bancroft has to offer, by offering food with different kinds of thrills for your taste buds. If you want to experience "foodgasm," stop by the nearest fast food fried chicken restaurant Bancroft standing at the edge of Hastings Road North, and satisfy your growling tummies with excellent food offered by terrific individuals!

Looking for a Local Fast Food in Bancroft?

 There is no other place better than Dixie Lee. They prepare and serve food with love and care, since they treat all their clients not as people spending for a product but as family.

The crispy and delicious fried chicken in Dixie Lee Bancroft is like a tradition passed on from generation to generation. The Dixie Lee chefs just make use of the freshest meat and components from the local market to prepare one of the most scrumptious chicken wings, thighs, and drumsticks.

As the top fast food fried chicken bancroft, Dixie Lee has no plan of disappointing their customers. They continue to offer food that will certainly bring family members together and make the regulars and even first-timers come back for more!

Fried food is not constantly for every person, especially for health-conscious people. However here at Dixie Lee Bancroft, they make sure that everybody, and they suggest everyone, can appreciate their meals without breaking their diet plan, counting their calorie intake, or fretting about cholesterol. All their food is prepared carefully, and their fried chicken is served crispy but not greasy. This suggests you get all the flavor and nutrients in one serving (or possibly two).

Visit the Nearest Fast Food in Bancroft Now

Dixie Lee had put commitment and hard work to refining their fried chicken meals! Today, they have branches in various places, and the smiles on their customers' faces when leaving the restaurant inform them that they have actually done an excellent job.

The fresh chicken cuts are dipped in unique seasonings to offset the genuine chicken taste from skin to bone, and deep-fried until golden crisp. The sweet taste enhances the spiciness of the fried chicken, and every dish is offered with a mouthwatering side dish that will finish the tasty experience.

This advanced proprietary food preparation method of Dixie Lee Bancroft has placed them to where they are now today. They have actually come to be the favorite of both young and old customers since their outstanding food is timeless and delights different tastes.

Amazing Meals

Besides the crisp and fry, Dixie Lee fast food restaurant in Bancroft likewise uses a range of other tasty deals with. You can enjoy the numerous choices you have for salads, sides, and treats.

Salads

For a much healthier dish, you can try a salad of fresh and delish dressing. Choose from their in-house favorite coleslaw, macaroni, or potato.

Signature Sides

Sides are an important element of a meal. They might not be the pièce de résistance, but they absolutely add excitement to the main course. Dixie Lee has a variety of side dishes you can choose from. They have onion rings, mushroom caps, dill pickle spears, queso sticks, jalapeno poppers, and gravy.

Treats

The dish will never be complete without giving your sweet tooth a little treat. Right Here at Dixie Lee Bancroft, you can forget your diet and just immerse in pure sweet taste and happiness. Complete your dish with a blast and select from different desserts. They have Marsian, cookies, butter tart, strawberry delight, and sticky toffee pudding.

Dixie Lee's Famous Poutine

This is french fries with a spin! Poutine is a Canadian meal that contains french fries and cheese curds, covered with a charitable quantity of brown sauce. When going to Dixie Lee, never ever miss out to try out this quintessential special.

Bancroft Restaurant that Will Give You All the Right Feeling

For fried chicken, crunchy and golden brown are insufficient! Right here at Dixie Lee, we offer you the best Bancroft fried chicken that will certainly give you all the good feeling. We promote healthy food and all the poultry meat and ingredients we use are fresh and all-natural, you can now take pleasure and savor the taste of premium fried chicken. 

Visit our website:

https://www.dixieleefriedchicken.com/canada/on/bancroft/

Dixie Lee Bancroft

121 Hastings St N Bancroft, ON, Canada

Connect with us:

Dixie Lee Bancroft - Facebook

Dixie Lee Bancroft - Linkedin

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[laresearchette]

Tuesday, February 21, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA KATHLEEN MADIGAN: HUNTING BIGFOOT

NETFLIX CANADA ALTAR BOY PERFECT MATCH (new episodes)

CURLING (TSN/TSN3) 11:30am: Scotties Tournament of Hearts: Pool Play (TSN/TSN3) 4:30pm: Scotties Tournament of Hearts: Pool Play (TSN/TSN3/TSN5) 9:30pm: Scotties Tournament of Hearts: Pool Play

NHL HOCKEY   (SNOntario/SNEast) 7:00pm: Red Wings vs. Capitals (TSN2) 7:00pm: Habs vs. Devils (TSN4) 7:00pm: Leafs vs. Sabres (SNPacific) 8:00pm: Canucks vs. Predators (SN1) 8:30pm: Knights vs. Chicago (SNWest) 9:00pm: Flyers vs. Oilers

CHUCK AND THE FIRST PEOPLES' KITCHEN (APTN) 7:30pm: Natashquan, QC - Traditional Lobster Fishing:  Chuck visits Nutashkuan, where he learns how to go lobster fishing the traditional Innu way; during his visit, he meets Edouard Kaltush, who proudly shows him how to make an artisanal harpoon and how to cook bannock under the sand.

22 MINUTES (CBC) 8:00pm: 22 Minutes revisits the hits on a special edition full of fan favorites and best viral sketches.

MARY MAKES IT EASY (CTV Life) 8:00pm: Mary teaches you all about some amazing side dishes without worry.

KARENA AND KASEY'S FOREIGN FLAVOURS (APTN) 8:00pm:  The sisters visit Taipei, Taiwan, where they discover a food lover's paradise filled with an abundance of flavors and restaurants; they travel to the Hualian region to learn about the cuisine of the Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan.

OUTBACK OPAL HUNTERS (Discovery Canada) 8:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE):  The Tunnel Rats struggle working on unfamiliar ground; the Boulder Boys try to keep their jobs with a last-ditch hunt to satisfy their mining partners.

SON OF A CRITCH (CBC) 8:30pm:  The kids are allowed to wear jeans at school for Spirit Week. The only problem is that Mark doesn’t own a pair. Meanwhile, Sister Rose picks Mary to join her choir.

WORKIN' MOMS (CBC) 9:00pm:  In the aftermath of Alice’s party, Kate does her due diligence to make things right, Sloane urges Paul to heat things up, and Anne calls in the big guns to scare Alice straight.

WONG & WINCHESTER (City TV) 9:00pm: Marissa and Sarah are hired to find a missing person and end up at a weekend retreat that may or may not be a front for a dangerous fringe religion.

THE BATTLE FOR JUSTINA PELLETIER (Lifetime Canada) 9:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): A 14-year-old girl falls ill with a mysterious set of symptoms and is taken to one of Boston's top hospitals; the events that follow leave her family in disbelief and lead a hacker from the group Anonymous to take matters into his own hands.

CASUAL (CBC) 9:30pm:  Alex spends has a crazy nights with Leon, Valerie’s one night stand. Valerie goes out with a group of girls who coach her on dating young men. Laura gets in trouble at a house party.

MEAN MUMS (APTN) 9:30pm: Jess accidentally loses Ryan's library book; she must find it or else he'll be banned from borrowing any more books from the school library; with the school read-a-thon fundraiser just around the corner, the stakes couldn't be higher.