#milano pride 2023

[queefmagazine]

instsagram.com/will_i.com.ez

[timelyslapintheface]

[mmakeitmakesense]

Pride month 2023

[rainbowsky]

GG and the Duomo di Milano

Duomo 2019 (left), 2023 (right) and 2024 (top).

He has posted a photo of it whenever he goes to Milan, since his first trip there in 2019. Here's my CPN on that.

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

Of course, as an artist and a photographer it makes sense that GG is interested in this beautiful building. Gorgeous intricate architecture that is covered in lifelike statues, no doubt it is very satisfying to photograph. It's truly one of the most stunning cathedrals in the world. But we're turtles, so we're always going to look at things from a slightly different angle.

This CPN first came up back in 2019, the first time he went to Milan. GG said in an interview that he was excited to see the cathedral, and he posted a picture of it on his Weibo account. Turtles at the time speculated that GG was inspired by the photos that were all over the news in 2016, when same sex marriage was legalized there.

It was the location of massive LGBTQ rallies when same sex marriage was being debated and put to a vote, and was the site of equally massive celebrations when that vote won.

Some people are skeptical of this connection because they feel that the time gap of a couple years is too large for it to be relevant, but to me those people can't possibly understand how significant the same sex marriage fight is to queer people who wish to marry (and who wish to have their human rights recognized in general).

Especially around that time in history, when the fight was at its most active globally. There was a period of a few years where the issue was constantly in the news, as more and more countries were gradually recognizing legal rights for same sex couples. Images of those protests and celebrations were inspiring and exciting for queer people all over the world, and those who cared a lot about the issue followed that news pretty closely.

This is an issue of significance to queer people everywhere, even those who don't want to marry. It represents a shift toward acceptance and toward broader legal recognition of equal human rights for queer people.

Same sex marriage is a huge hurdle toward equality for anyone whose rights are at stake, because most of the opposition to human rights for queer people tends to come from religious groups and conservatives with narrow notions of 'family values'. When societies acknowledge - even on paper - that queer families are legitimate, the biggest barrier has been crossed.

Based on a lot of things I've seen from GG over the years I believe he's very deeply invested in Pride and gay rights. He's not at liberty to be as open about it as he'd like to be, but I believe he shows what he can. I have talked about that in more detail in this post.

I also believe that marriage is something that both GG and DD care a lot about. They are each others anchors in life, and even when they don't get to spend a lot of time together, they are home to each other. DD has also talked about wanting a son, and GG has also shown interest in children and family and often talks about a simple life.

They just ooze domesticity on many levels, and I think that even if it doesn't fit within their lives right now, they probably talk about and think about building a family together one day. And given the culture in China their parents likely want that for them as well.

I talked about the possibility they might already be married in this post. I talked about the possibility of them wanting kids in this post about DD saying he wanted a son, and later in this one from an OOL interview where GG mentioned envying Gu Wei's life.

Both GG and DD strike me as being connected to queer culture, just given some of their jokes, attitudes, etc. and some of the people they're associated with. Even their experience with filming CQL (which I talked about in this post). They're also both from the younger generation in China, which is much more progressive and informed on these issues.

All of this leads me to believe that it's not an accident that this landmark has captured GG's imagination.

The Duomo is also a very popular wedding/romantic photo destination, and where couples often propose.

I think that it's romantic that GG posted the moon over the cathedral this time. There are a lot of fake rumors and CPN around GG and DD and the moon, and turtles believe that they often send pictures of the moon to each other. They've both posted photos of the moon on social media in the past.

There have been a lot of posts about their connection with the moon over the years. A few of my favorites are Pie's post from Mid-Autumn Festival, Pie's post about Midsummer Moon (among other things) and of course the LRLG rumor that talks about DD taking pictures of the moon for GG.

Given what this landmark might mean to GG, it makes this photo even more special.

Or he could just enjoy photographing a pretty building. We'll likely never know for sure.

[a-tarassia]

11 giungo 2011

I nomi degli artisti che si sono esibiti al gay pride di Milano non me li ricordo. È una grossa differenza con l’ultimo gay pride a cui sono stata nel lontano 2011, anno in cui io stavo per compierne 30 e decisi di andare da sola a percorrermi l’ultimo tratto perché volevo, anche, sentire Lady Gaga al circo massimo. Sì perché nel 2011 vivevo a Roma e adesso, 2023, vivo a Milano, o quasi.

L’11 giugno del 2011 abbiamo festeggiato i 30 anni del mio migliore amico in campagna dai suoi, a Rieti. Bellissimo posto, bellissima cascina, bellissima compagnia. Eravamo già abbastanza grandi da essere ognuno in un posto diverso del mondo, infatti Nando era tornato da Grenoble, Manu dalla Svizzera, Tommaso da Berlino, Riccardo da Cambridge e io stavo per andare via, dopo 13 anni di vita, dalla città che mi aveva cresciuto. Il 2011, io ero già alla terza o quarta vita, avevo già vecchi amici che non avrei più rivisto, avevo cambiato già 15 case, due continenti, diversi paesi e stavo per compiere 30 anni, non ero felice. L’11 giugno del 2011 non avevo una casa in cui tornare a dormire, ero una vagabonda, tre anni di convivenza finiti, lavoro precario, sottopagato e frustrante, una vita sessuale randagia, poligamica e insoddisfacente. Finita la festa me ne sono andata al pride, volevo sentire Lady Gaga, presentava il suo secondo album e mi sa che cantò The edge of Glory? Possibile, ho questo ricordo, il circo massimo era stracolmo e i carri del sound erano quelli dei centri sociali e delle organizzazioni non profit sul territorio, qualche partito esponente dei diritti umani. Io ero da sola e fu un momento catartico. Quella sera, me ne andai dal circo massimo e mi chiamò Nando che era in giro, ci trovammo a Monti a bere birra, ad un certo punto ci raggiunsero anche Riccardo e Tommaso e Daria e ce ne siamo andati in giro a bere birra dei bangla e sederci sui gradini per il rione, una calda sera quasi estiva a Roma ho deciso di mollare tutto a andarmene da quella città soffocante e decadente, lontana e diversa da quella che mi aveva accolto. Quella notte restammo con Nando ad aspettare il bus con cui tornava a casa e poi a Grenoble, non l’ho più rivisto, se non in video call. Adesso vive negli USA. Riccardo era andato via poco prima. L’ho rivisto al concerto di Manuchao, qui a Monza, qualche anno fa. È tornato a Roma adesso. Tommaso, Daria ed io passammo la notte insieme, a casa di Daria, in tre nello stesso letto. La mattina prestissimo (poche ore dopo esser tornati) prima di partire per Berlino, lui ci diede un bacio sulla guancia ad entrambe, con delicatezza per non svegliarci e se ne andò in silenzio. Lo ricordo ancora adesso. Lui non è più a Berlino, fino prima della guerra credo fosse in Russia, adeso non saprei. Non l‘ho più rivisto. Io avrei lasciato Roma da lì a poco.

Sabato scorso sono stata al gay pride di Milano, dodici anni dopo.

Sono andata con i mio compagno, una coppia di amici e il loro bambino. Non avevo un goccio di alcol in corpo e nemmeno della droga leggera. Pulita. Ero comunque vestita da zoccola.

I carri col sound non erano più quelli dei centri sociali e delle organizzazioni, ma c’erano quelli degli sponsor, senza i quali oggi la parata sarebbe impossibile, c’era quello della CocaCola, che ai miei tempi si boicottava perché ammazza(va) i sindacalisti in Colombia, c’erano le banche e le corporation.

È anche perché, a scopo di marketing, queste realtà si espongono che la comunità LGBTQI+ ha una voce con una cassa di risonanza, come dice un mio amico.

È anche perché il mercato si è accorto di “loro” che le cose sono cambiate e stanno cambiando in meglio per “loro”, anche, non solo.

Mi da fastidio vedere il carro della CocaCola? All’inizio ero perplessa, ma poi ho pensato che ognuno ha le proprie lotte da vincere, avremo sempre delle lotte da vincere, perderemo dei pezzi, non sapremo a volte quando un saluto è stato effettivamente l’ultimo saluto, cambieremo pelle e chissà se la vita dei sindacalisti ammazzati non sia valsa un passo in più nella lotta, io non posso sapere tutto, non voglio sapere tutto.

Ogni processo tende a complicarsi, se il flusso porta miglioramento allora credere nel flusso.

Devo per forza credere nel flusso.

[angelovasa]

Milano Pride 2023

Here we are again, one year later, beautiful as always

[anchesetuttinoino]

Definendo «irrisorio il numero delle iscritte che hanno manifestato contrarietà alla partecipazione dell’Ordine alla parata Milano Pride» e le loro motivazioni «dovute una interpretazione distorta da pregiudizi personali», il Consiglio direttivo dell’Ordine delle ostetriche interprovinciale di Bergamo, Cremona, Lodi, Milano, Monza e Brianza ha deciso di non pubblicare il logo sul manifesto portato in parata con la scritta «ostetric* inclusive a difesa dei diritti umani fondamentali».

Ma se l’è legata al dito. Tant’è che la risposta alla lettera condivisa da 64 ostetriche per prendere le distanze dall’adesione dell’Ordine al Pride di Milano è arrivata. Una risposta che non risponde affatto alle professioniste ma che anzi, apre altre domande.

La lettera delle ostetriche “no Pride”

Ricordate le ostetriche “no Pride”? Tempi aveva ricevuto e volentieri pubblicato una lettera (la trovate qui) condivisa da 64 di loro per manifestare dissenso e chiedere spiegazioni alla presidente su una posizione pubblica che non le vedeva rappresentate.

Il succo era chiaro: perché un Ordine autonomo, indipendente, che non ha un ruolo sociale e rappresentativo dal punto di vista etico, culturale, morale (se non strettamente su temi professionali e deontologici della figura dell’ostetrica), e che deve garantire una condotta apartitica e apolitica alle sue aderenti doveva accodarsi a una iniziativa per “certificare” la missione dell’ostetrica nel rispetto dei diritti umani fondamentali?

L’Ordine risponde: se non sei col Pride sei contro i diritti umani

La lunga non-risposta della presidente dell’Ordine Nadia Rovelli è eloquente: il Consiglio direttivo rispetta ma “non comprende” «il non sentirsi sostenitrici dei diritti umani fondamentali e di salute riferiti alle persone LGBTIQA+ sotteso nella comunicazione sottostante di non sostegno all’iniziativa».

Pertanto, sottendendo a sua volta che non aderire al Pride implichi evidentemente un alto tasso di transfobia, omofobia e discriminazione, invita le dissenzienti «all’aggiornamento professionale attraverso la frequentazione di corsi per professionisti socio sanitari come quelli svolti dall’Istituto Superiore di Sanità nel 2023 “La popolazione transgender: dalla salute al diritto” e “Le persone intersex: tra salute e diritto” avente l’obiettivo formativo di “contribuire a combattere l’esclusione sociale e la discriminazione nei confronti delle persone transgender attraverso la formazione dei professionisti che operano in ambito socio-sanitario in termini di comunicazione, informazioni sanitarie e giuridiche al fine di raggiungere un miglioramento della qualità di vita della popolazione transgender”». Punto.

La “rieducazione Lgbt” per le ostetriche dissenzienti

Si tratta di corsi promossi dall’Iss e mirati a estirpare stigma e discriminazione nei confronti delle persone transgender, tra gli esperti che hanno preparato i contenuti del primo corso “suggerito” ci sono tanti medici del Careggi di Firenze e ma anche “addetti ai lavori” come Cathy La Torre.

L’idea di proporre quella che la Verità ha ben chiamato ieri “rieducazione Lgbt” a chi manifesta dissenso farebbe già a cazzotti con le prerogative di un Ordine, soprattutto quando è la stessa Rovelli nella sua lettera a puntualizzare che «ci si aspetta che le Ostetriche/ci siano prive di pregiudizi ed abbiano la piena comprensione del significato e delle parole dell’art.2.2 del Codice Deontologico dell’Ostetrica/o: “Il comportamento dell’Ostetrica/o si fonda sul rispetto dei diritti umani universali, dei principi di etica clinica e dei principi deontologici della professione”». Che necessità c’è – scrive ancora la Verità – di aderire al Pride se i valori fondamentali che si rivendicano sono già iscritti nel codice deontologico?

L’Ordine sovrappone piano professionale e culturale

La presidente dell’Ordine sembra sinceramente sbigottita dalla posizione delle 64 ostetriche, un numero «irrisorio» a fronte di «sostegno, partecipazione ed encomi da parte di un numero più sostenuto di nostre iscritte» (anche se nelle foto delle donne che sfilavano dietro al cartello “Ostetriche/ci inclusive per la tutela dei diritti umani fondamentali” non ne abbiamo viste tante), lamenta l’assenza del loro logo «diversamente da quanto fatto dagli altri Ordini partecipanti». Soprattutto giustifica la partecipazione al Pride con motivazioni esclusivamente culturali e di ben poca attinenza con la professione dell’ostetrica che da sempre è già formata per affrontare pazienti con dismorfismo o correzioni chirurgiche e prendersi cura, come ben scrivono le ostetriche “dissenzienti” di qualsiasi paziente «senza discriminazione alcuna né di razza, sesso, religione, classe sociale, ceto e di qualunque altra natura, privilegiando la cura alle persone più deboli e indifese». A prescindere dall’identità di genere del momento.

Di cosa ha paura l’Ordine, che senza timbro del #PrideSalute le ostetriche non aiutino le donne lesbiche a partorire? Che si scompongano davanti a una donna con la barba che partorisce? Che non assistano i loro bambini? Che non si siano mai trovate, prima del Pride, a fare tutte queste cose? Perché di questo si parla quando si parla di ostetriche e della «variabilità umana» (cit. la presidente Rovello) che si rivolge a loro «per raggiungere il migliore obiettivo di salute sessuale e riproduttivo»: di madri, parti, bambini.

Ostetriche inclusive con cosa? Con l’utero in affitto?

Resta una domanda, anzi più di una: se l’identità di genere è una questione culturale, non professionale (la stessa Rovello richiama il compito dell’Ordine di «orientare la condotta delle proprie iscritte» e «valorizzarne la funzione sociale che la professione svolge»), se i piani si sovrappongono, fin dove si deve spingere l’inclusività richiesta alla professione?

All’adesione alle istanze del Pride, tra le quali la maternità surrogata? Ai bloccanti della pubertà per i minori? All’approccio affirming? Alle tecniche di fecondazione in vitro come quelle che hanno portato una donna di 63 anni a partorire il suo primo figlio dopo l’impianto di un embrione comprato in Ucraina?

[lamilanomagazine]

Milano. Torna dal 21 Giugno "Estate al Castello": sul palco concerti e spettacoli fino all'8 Settembre

Milano. Torna dal 21 Giugno "Estate al Castello": sul palco concerti e spettacoli fino all'8 Settembre. Milano, 15 aprile 2024 – Partirà il 21 giugno la nuova stagione di "Estate al Castello", la rassegna di spettacoli live promossa e coordinata dal Comune di Milano nell'ambito del palinsesto "Milano è Viva", anche quest'anno sul palco del Cortile delle Armi del Castello Sforzesco con 71 spettacoli live, dal 21 giugno all'8 settembre. Con diversi appuntamenti gratuiti e molti a prezzo calmierato (con ingresso inferiore o uguale a 15 euro), la rassegna anche quest'anno può contare su una platea di 2300 posti, che ha permesso di inserire in programma nomi di grande prestigio e richiamo dal mondo musicale italiano e internazionale come Ariete, Venerus, Margherita Vicario, Calexico, The Cinematic Orchestra, Tullio De Piscopo, Yves Tumor, Marlene Kuntz, Dente, Daniele Silvestri e Cristina Donà ma anche dal mondo della divulgazione scientifica, narrativa e comica come Mario Calabresi, Massimo Recalcati, Alessandro Bergonzoni, Arianna Porcelli Sofanov. Anche in questa edizione, "Estate al Castello" unisce in un unico calendario diverse arti performative: la musica, il teatro, la narrazione, la club culture, la danza. La rassegna, programmata quest'anno sotto la direzione artistica di Giulia Cavaliere, si aprirà il prossimo 21 giugno in occasione della Festa Internazionale della Musica con il concerto di Ariete, classe 2002 e straordinaria rivelazione sanremese del 2023 con un passato nella discografia indipendente, voce innovatrice nel panorama della musica d'autore italiana. A chiudere, in una due giorni firmata ARCI, ci saranno invece Cristina Donà e Margherita Vicario, due cantautrici di alto profilo, la prima con alle spalle una lunga storia artistica e la seconda vera e propria rivelazione degli ultimi anni, proprio in queste settimane nelle sale italiane come regista e autrice del film "Gloria!". Oltre alla musica, che ritrova anche realtà nate in città come il CPM di Franco Mussida, anche il teatro avrà grande spazio in rassegna: dai grandi teatri cittadini - come il Piccolo Teatro d'Europa, il Teatro Franco Parenti e il Teatro Carcano - fino alle tante realtà teatrali più piccole e militanti che rendono vivo quotidianamente il tessuto culturale milanese, tra cui: Manifatture Teatrali Milanesi, Compagnia Corrado D'Elia, PACTA arsenale dei teatri, Spazio Tertulliano e Atir. Accanto a queste, alcune proposte ibride, tra teatro e performance, come DRAMA, il queer cabaret più grande d'Italia, che prenderà vita al Castello Sforzesco nel weekend del Pride, il 30 giugno; oltre a numerosi talk e spazi di divulgazione con protagonisti d'eccellenza, da Mario Calabresi a Massimo Recalcati. Una precisa volontà dell'Amministrazione nella creazione del palinsesto è stata sin dal principio quella di dare spazio a realtà sociali e culturali diverse: sul palco del Castello Sforzesco ci saranno anche due spettacoli organizzati dagli operatori Opera Liquida e Le Crisalidi, che vedranno come protagonisti in scena detenuti ed ex detenuti; e poi spettacoli di danza e quelli pensati per i più piccoli, fino alle serate organizzate da un'importante realtà cittadina come Santeria - che la notte di Ferragosto darà vita al Gran Ballo di Mezza Estate in pieno stile Balera dell'Ortica al centro del Castello. Non mancheranno dj set con protagonisti di rilievo tra cui Mike Joyce degli Smiths, Venerus e Max Cooper. All'interno della rassegna troveranno inoltre spazio due veri e proprio micro-festival: due serate, il 26 e il 27 giugno, organizzate dal Festival della Bellezza e le due serate finali organizzate da ARCI.... #notizie #news #breakingnews #cronaca #politica #eventi #sport #moda Read the full article

[angel-milano]

November 26 – The Final Labor TW: Zombies, death, gore, suicide, guns, violence, body horror

The Last of Us AU, starring

ANGEL, the Disaster Scavenger who is Reduced to Ratburgers with her Post-Apocalyptic Dog

DARIUS, the Sole Surviving Scientist who Watches the World Die while recording his Apocalypse Log

LUISA, the Heroic Sacrifice who Failed A Spot Check after a Fallout Shelter Fail

The year is 2023, twenty years after the initial Cordyceps outbreak brought the world to ruin. With civilization on the verge of collapse, the US government fortified cities around the nation with military occupation under the FEDRA organization, leaving the rest of the world to fend against the fungi infected. Angel Milano has recently left the quarantine zone in Austin, Texas, where a war of FEDRA vs rebels threatens to destroy the city. She is heading North, following rumors of a peaceful settlement called Jackson in Wyoming. She and her wolf-like dog, Lupe, are making a stop in Swynlake, Texas to re-up on supplies.

By the time the sun crested down its arc, Angel had already picked over most of downtown Swynlake. A lot of these small towns had already been cleared out for years, with their residents gone to the nearest quarantine zone or long since died out.

Infected were less of a problem. If they even made it out this far, the lack of a steady nutrition would slow them down. Eventually they would grow into the walls, conserving their energy while they waited for a suitable victim to disturb their mycelium.

Never touch the fungi. The first lesson they taught you in FEDRA military school. One of the few things worth retaining, outside of how to shoot and scavenge.

She still kept her weapons handy, just in case. Her trusty crowbar was her first line of defense, able to pierce the fungal armored skulls of clickers to dismantle the brain. Then, there was her gun, to be used in emergencies only. Even if it was the second amendment South, bullets were still a very rare find. She always knew how many she had on her at all times. Four, at the moment.

Angel whistled over Lupe, the sound sharp in the dead silence. The large, wolf-like dog raised her yellow-beige head and trotted over, past the Pride University sign to follow her master along the campus path.

Maybe "master" was too strong of a word. The two had found each other in the wastelands of the desert and it was like two halves becoming a whole. She had no idea how she'd managed to survive before her companion and couldn't imagine a time after. Lupe kept her sane in the infinite loneliness that settled while traversing the country alone. At the very least, it meant she wasn't talking to herself--not entirely.

"Pretty snazzy, huh?" Angel commented as she looked around. Despite the wear and tear of two decades without maintenance, the buildings were still in pretty good shape. Broken windows told her that looters and bandits had been here before, but there was always something they left behind. She just had to find it.

She had her work cut out for her, though. Despite hours of searching, she hadn't come up on more than some scraps of metal and rags she could use for bandages.

Neither of which she could eat.

And bandages wouldn't do her any good if her wounds got infected. So, she made her way over to the science building, hoping she could find some medical supplies. Abandoned and shredded tents told her they'd used this area as a medical or perhaps research facility in the early days of the outbreak. The scattered remains of boxes told her pretty much everything was already looted.

But, she nevertheless made her way inside, just in case.

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

This is how most of her days went. Long hours of either traveling or scavenging with little to show for it. It had been weeks since she left and she still wasn't even out of fucking Texas, let alone get all the way up to Wyoming. If she were properly supplied, the trip would be much faster, but she kept having to make stops at these rinky-dink towns to waste time scrounging for what little she could.

These were the thoughts she was lost in when she went to pull open one of the doors, only to find it locked.

"Oh fuck," she muttered. Locked doors were either super good or super bad. Either there was valuable loot or a hoard of Infected. Sometimes both. She didn't make the rules.

But it was always worth finding out.

How to get in, was the question. She and Lupe looked around until further down the hall, she found a wall with a huge window, looking into some kind of laboratory.

A brick and some shattered glass later--she was in.

Maneuvering through the ancient lab, she barely took notice of the dusty, untouched equipment. Beakers and test tubes weren't going to be helpful to her. It's not like they were much helpful before, given the state of the world now.

She eventually found the connecting door to the original office she'd been seeking. Crowbar in hand, she carefully opened the door and...

Nothing. No infected.

With a sigh of relief, she immediately moved to open the front door to let Lupe in. It was a simple turn lock, so the place hadn't been barricaded. That was a good sign. She was met with a bright, fluffy tail wagging as her companion entered, ready to help with the search.

They began tearing the place apart. In the end, a cruddy old office didn't have much that she would need, but she did manage to get her hands on a fully stocked first aid kit. Score!

She was just about to celebrate when a crash behind her caused her to jolt, starting to reach for her gun.

But when she turned, there was no one there.

Or at least, the remains of no one.

Her dog was standing next to a chair, which housed what was left of a dry, decayed corpse. The crash came from a disconnected hand, which Lupe was now sniffing on the ground. Gross.

Angel approached, looking the figure over. Most biomatter was gone, and the clothes had decayed over time, but it was clear that it had once been a labcoat. No nametag. No fungi, so they hadn't been infected.

Actually, from the huge hole in the side of the skull, she had a pretty good idea exactly how they'd had gone out. Sure enough, looking down the arm of the chair, she could see his skeletal hand holding a gun. Perhaps somewhat morbidly, she reached down to wrest it away from him to check if there were any bullets left.

There were. Looks like this had been a "valuable loot" door.

She took the bullets and transferred them to her own gun, counting the new total. With two new bullets, she was up to six. Two extra chances to live.

"Thanks, Doc," she muttered, going to return the empty gun back to his desk. That's when she noticed a small, rectangular device lying there, a thick coat of dust on top. A tape recorder.

"Oh boy, here we go," Angel sighed as she went to grab the recorder, pressing down on the rewind button to take it back to the beginning. Considering she was desecrating the corpse and stealing their stuff, she might as well listen to their last words. Once it clicked, she pressed play, and the room filled with the voice of a man.

"Log date 112613. This is Doctor Darius Deamonne checking in. It's been seven weeks since the initial Cordyceps outbreak--"

"Oh hell no," she murmured, going to hit the fast forward button. Perhaps it was callous. She should want to hear about the history of the world and how we got to this point. But honestly, she didn't care. The world had gone to shit, and listening to some dead guy realize over twenty years that the world was going to stay shit didn't sound like a pleasant afternoon.

Then again, the decay on this corpse told her he had not lived very far into the twenty years.

She hit play.

"--The government has given up on this facility, wants everyone to relocate to the Austin quarantine zone. This morning, most everyone who had made shelter here left to the FEDRA pick up location at the next town over. Anyone who decided to stay in Swynlake has moved to Casita at the southwest edge of town, where they've fortified into a fallout shelter. We were invited to join them, but my team and I have decided to stay behind. While Austin's facilities have exceptional equipment, attempting to move our specimen will be too damaging, and we're on the verge of a breakthrough--"

"Yeah? How did that go for you?" Angel shook her head as she hit fast forward again. "Hey, no," she commanded to Lupe, who was beginning to take up the decaying hand in her mouth. "Drop it." The canine obeyed, but gave a very annoyed side eye as she did.

She hit play again.

"--the generators have run out. We thought even without power, our storage safety protocol would hold up, but it didn't. Dr. Eberwolf disappeared this morning and was found at approximately 4:15 in the stairwell to the second floor. The infection had already taken them. There wasn't even any time to theorize how it might have happened in the chaos. First, they attacked Mason, and then Snapdragon. One by one, they were all taken down."

There was a shaky sigh, and for the first time, his professional recording voice began to break.

"I could have ran. Made it to Casita. But then I realized--what was the point? What was I even fighting for anymore? Everyone is gone. Not just my team, but Hunter, Willow..." His voice trailed off and for a few moments, all that could be heard was his breathing. Then, he spoke up again. "So I locked myself in here and began recording what I suppose is going to be my final entry. I don't even know why--posterity? So I leave some mark on this wretched world?" He gave a rueful laugh.

"So, how do you sum up the life of Darius Deamonne? He was the man who thought he was going to save humanity, but couldn't save his loved ones, or himself. He couldn't even tell the man he loved how he felt. He was a pitiful creature who died with nothing to show but a mountain of regrets. That's Darius." Another long stretch of breathing.

"I'm sorry, Caleb. Please forgive me."

And then the tape ended. Angel stood there for what felt like an eternity before exhaling a deep breath. "Yeesh, Doc..." She muttered, returning the recorder in the exact location and position that she found it. That he'd put it in. She even returned his hand to his lap, ignoring the hungry look that Lupe gave her.

"Welp, that sucks," she shrugged. It was about as much compassion as she could muster. If she let the tragedies of this world get to her, it would have broken her years ago. All she could do was acknowledge it and move on.

Still, listening to the tape hadn't been a total waste. She'd gotten some valuable information--there was a fallout shelter nearby. Perhaps this town hadn't been picked clean by looters, but rather by its own residents. Which meant there was a centralized location where all of the supplies were.

Again, the tape was super old, so it might not be totally reliable. More than likely any survivors had already vacated and took all their stuff with them.

But it was still worth a look. After all, she still hadn't found any food.

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

Angel thought it might be hard to figure out which house was Casita, but it wasn't. The bright yellow house with the huge, makeshift fortified fence around it? Seemed about right.

The fact that there was a huge hole in said fence did not spell good news for any "survivors" who'd been there. She approached the property carefully, but there were no signs of any infected around. Actually, there were no signs of anyone, anywhere. The entire area was eerily silent outside of her and Lupe's footsteps. She slowly and cautiously crept towards the front door.

It was locked.

She'd lucked out with a good loot door at the university--she wasn't so sure that luck would continue here. Honestly, it might be best to cut her losses and move onto the next town.

But that would take another day of travel at least, and Lupe was hungry enough to be eating corpse hands. The longer either of them went without sustenance, the harder it would be to defend if something were to go wrong. No, she couldn't leave here without trying.

So, she began to check the perimeter. As she suspected, all the doors were locked, and the windows were boarded. The latter, she could handle. Crowbar in hand, she began to pry off the rotted wood. It came off pretty easily, telling her this place had probably been abandoned for years. It didn't bode well for her scavenging chances, but maybe in their haste to leave, they'd left something behind.

Finally the window was freed, which she was able to slide open with a high pitched creak. She stopped, listening--for movement, clicks, screeches, anything--but was met with silence.

"Alright, Lupe. Stay. I'll be right back," she said as she began to climb through the window.

As her feet landed, the first thing she noticed was the thick, musty air, and how much the surrounding wood of the walls and columns had rotted.

Then she noticed the bodies.

Dozens of them, littered across the floor. It was almost impossible to tell how rotted they truly were because they were absolutely covered in fungus. It stretched out in all directions, acting as the giant quilt that smothered these bodies on the ground, as if trying to envelop them back into the earth itself.

Immediately, her eyes dropped to her shoes, terrified she might've touched the mycelium and alerted anything that might still be alive in here.

Thankfully, it was just out of reach, as if not having grown near the light that trickled in through the cracks of the boarded windows.

Okay, so this place was probably a death trap, but it wasn't impossible to navigate. She just had to be careful.

Choosing all of her movements carefully, she began to make her way through what seemed to be a foyer-esque area. It wasn't like any usual building she'd seen. The entire thing was open, with a second floor surrounded by banisters. All of the doors had designs carved into them and a name, though it was hard to make out any of them. More than likely the archways past the stairs were what led to the kitchen, so that's the direction she went.

As she circled around, hugging the walls where the fungi had not reached, she passed by an end table with an open notebook, scrawled with writing. Her curiosity got the better of her as she slowed to glance it over.

If you are reading this, that means you were able to take back Casita. Thank you so much for protecting my home. It's my fault all of this happened. I was out gathering supplies and I heard a commotion at the university. Thought the scientists staying there might be in trouble. We thought the university had been cleared out of infected, but one popped out of nowhere. I killed it, but was bit. I panicked and ran home. I didn't realize that they would follow. Tio says that they can sense each other, like a hive mind. If I had known, I never would have come back here. I'm so sorry. I'm going to make it right. I'm going to give my family and the others time to escape, and stay back to hold them off. If all goes according to plan, I'll manage to trap and kill all the infected in here. If not, then no one will ever read this. But if you are, DO NOT OPEN THE LUISA DOOR! That is my final resting place. I don't want to hurt anyone else, so please, leave it. If this is my family reading, please know that I'm so sorry and I love you all so much. La familia es donde la vida comienza y por quienes podemos acabarla. - Luisa Madrigal

Angel turned to try and see which one was "the Luisa door". She stopped, however, as her foot made a sickening crunch against the floor.

Some mycelium curled around her shoe.

Frozen, she held her breath, waiting for the army of corpses to rise up and bring about her demise. But everything around her remained still. She held this position for what seemed like ages before she finally began to relax. This person--Luisa--had been successful. She'd killed them all after trapping them.

In here.

With her.

The tense silence was broken with a stir of movement, coming from upstairs. Barely a creak at first, but soon following by a low, gutteral groan. Then, a chorus of screeches and wails.

By the time Angel realized she needed to move, it was already too late. One of the doors on the upper floor, one that had likely said "Luisa", exploded outwards with the might of the creature Angel had only ever seen in FEDRA training manuals.

A bloater.

While it was clear that the person had been large even before their infection, the years of fungal growth had inflated them to something completely inhuman. It was as if the flesh itself had been sloughed away, replaced by the hard, rigid edges of fungal armor. There was nothing recognizable of a face left, only the blossoming mushroom growths that had cracked through the bone like tissue. It had no eyes to see and not even a lower jaw to bite. At this stage, the infected host had no need to spread itself anymore. Only to destroy any potential competition.

If it managed to get a hold of her, she'd be dead within seconds.

She'd pulled her foot away at this point and held her breath, mind racing. She could try and make her way to the door but it was barricaded from the inside. Her other option was the window, but she'd already circled around and would have to traverse the mycelium quilt, immediately giving away her position.

In the end, it didn't matter. It let out another bellowing wail, the horrid sound underlying with vague reminiscent of clicking. The echolocation bounced off the walls and by the time it returned, the bloater knew exactly where she was.

They both moved at the same time. Angel burst for the window while the bloater started forward. The rotted wood of the columns began to crack and some even splintered. Before the entire thing could come down, the creature merely burst through the railing and smashed down to the first floor. While that height might have killed a lesser man, or even a lesser infected, the bloater was unaffected as it slowly clambered back to its feet.

Angel had nearly made it to freedom when a huge chunk of wood from one of the columns came flying towards her, causing her to scramble back and nearly lose her footing. Whatever momentum she had was gone and by the time she righted her balance, the bloater was already charging her.

She managed to dive out of the way, pulling out her gun in the process. While bloaters were notoriously tough to kill, they weren't invulnerable. Like all infected, it still needed its brain to function. And although it certainly didn't look like it, there was still a brain in there somewhere.

She fired two shots, but her target wasn't still. One lodged into its chest and the other missed entirely, cracking into another column.

Two bullets gone. Four left.

The beast lunged at her again and soon they were playing a wicked game of cat and mouse, with Angel trying to keep her distance while still finding a vantage point to shoot from. She considered attempting to move upstairs, but the bloater had no inkling of structural integrity and merely burst through columns, taking down huge portions of the upper floor with it. A large section of flooring crashed into the bloater's shoulder, dropping it to one knee as it struggled to free itself.

Angel barely had a moment to take that in before there was a flash of yellow-beige fur. Lupe leaped through the window and sprung off the ground, flying at the creature with fangs bared. She clenched her muzzle around its arm, attempting to pull it to the ground.

In between the flooring and Lupe, for a split second, Angel had a still target. She fired two more shots, directly at the bloater's head. One pierced through, breaking off one of the fungal growths, while the other disappeared into its gaping maw.

But still, it continued.

Freeing itself from the debris, it stumbled backwards towards the side of the house it originally emerged. Grabbing Lupe's leg, it easily pulled her off and flung her across the room. The sickening sound of her yelp as her body hit the wall nearly broke something inside of Angel.

She pointed her gun at the creature. Only two more bullets left. There was no guarantee she could kill it, even with two more head shots.

So she lifted the gun up and slightly to the left, shooting at the remains of one of the columns earlier half destroyed by the creature. The wood exploded and the entire side of the upper floor came tumbling down on top of the bloater, burying it. Its guttural howl echoed through the remains of the house, until there was silence.

All but for Angel's breathing. A sign she was alive. That she'd made it.

Soon, it was followed by small, pained whimpers.

"Lupe?" Angel cried out, her voice cracking. Sure enough, across the way, just out of the way of the debris was her dog, shakily getting to her feet. Tears began to form in her eyes as she began to run in her direction.

As they met in the middle, the wreckage began to stir. And a fungal head broke through.

Angel didn't think, merely acted. She turned and fired her last bullet point blank into it. It was close, entirely too close--within an arm's reach of her. But that proximity would be its downfall, as the bullet tore through, exiting out of the back of the head.

With a final low grumble, it slumped, dead.

She stood there, unmoving, still pointing the gun. She didn't have any more bullets left. Those last two had been the deciding factor.

The two that she'd gotten just earlier today. As the thought sank in, her muscles finally began to relax as she lowered the gun. "Thanks, Doc," she whispered in between panting. While she never allowed herself to question what happens after you die, she did hope that Darius was out there somewhere, knowing he'd saved at least one person, in the end.

Then, she looked down at the bloater. Luisa. For a brief moment, Angel wondered what had actually happened to her family, if they were still out there somewhere. Maybe if they were, she could let them know that their loved one was finally at peace. Probably while leaving out the details of the horrors she'd become. Despite nearly killing her, in a way Luisa had saved her too. If she hadn't dispatched all the other infected before locking herself away to turn, then Angel would've stumbled upon a hoard, which undoubtedly would have been her end.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a wetness on her skin. She looked down to see that Lupe had hobbled over her, and was now licking her hand. Emotions swept over her in a flood as she dropped to her knees, hugging the canine close.

For now, they would live another day.

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

So, as it turned out, Casita did have food.

Kind of.

While the Madrigal family had clearly taken their supplies with them when they fled, a large colony of rats had made a nest in the remains of their abandoned kitchen. Lupe was able to make quick work of them.

So here she was, on the outskirts of Swynlake, sitting around a fire while the rat bodies cooked. It wasn't pretty, but it would give them both the energy they needed to get to the next town. And then the next town. And then the next.

All the way to Wyoming. Angel wasn't really sure if it was a pipe dream, going across the entire country for a rumored settlement free of FEDRA strife. But at this point, it didn't matter. Traversing the wilds with Lupe, as harrowing and dragging as it was, was still the best she'd ever felt in her life. She knew they were meant to be out here together. Maybe they wouldn't make it. More than likely, they'd meet a grisly end along the way.

But maybe she could leave something behind to help the next survivor live.

[personal-reporter]

Book Pride 2023 a Genova

A Genova Capitale italiana del Libro 2023 tutto è pronto per la quinta edizione di Book Pride, la fiera nazionale dell'editoria indipendente italiana, in programma da venerdì 6 a domenica 8 ottobre negli spazi di Palazzo Ducale. L'evento ha registrato il sold-out da parte degli editori: cento marchi editoriali per 500 metri quadrati di libri sulle bancarelle, circa 180 incontri, dentro e fuori Palazzo Ducale, più di 1.000 studenti preiscritti a Book Young. Ma sono tante le novità di questa edizione di Book Pride a Genova dove, accanto a Laura Pezzino e Marco Amerighi, già curatori di Book Pride Milano 2023, fanno parte della squadra Ilaria Crotti e Valentina Mancinelli, curatrici dell'edizione genovese e Book Young: il meglio dell'editoria indipendente per bambini e ragazzi si rinnova e si amplia coinvolgendo le scuole nella giornata di venerdì 6 ottobre. Grazie alle storiche collaborazioni con la rivista Andersen e l'Econegozio La Formica, è costruito, oltre al consueto programma per le famiglie nello spazio Kids and the City, un ricco calendario di appuntamenti dedicato alle scuole, dalla primaria alla secondaria di secondo grado, invaderà tutte le sale nella mattinata di venerdì. Il programma, infine, dà un grande attenzione alla contaminazione tra letteratura e altre arti, con tanti ospiti, in fase di definizione, stranieri e italiani. Come ogni anno, il tema scelto per l'edizione 2023, cioè Nessun luogo è lontano, è stato declinato in una maniera speciale pensata apposta per la città di Genova, dove  montagna, città e mare  dialogano senza soluzione di continuità, confondendo i margini e sconfinando costantemente l'uno nell'altro quasi a dimostrare la vicinanza con tutto ciò circonda. per questo si è pensato di attraversarli usando tre sentieri diversi e complementari che corrispondono alla conformazione della città: Cime, Incroci e Boe. L'immagine simbolo di Book Pride 2023 è firmata da Sara Garagnani ed è la rappresentazione di una mappa, dove nel disegno le strade (vuoti) connettono parti ordinate diverse (pieni), abitate da scene e simboli. Book Pride è promossa da Adel Associazione degli editori indipendenti, e dalla Associazione Book Pride ed è organizzata da Book Services, in collaborazione con Palazzo Ducale e con Genova Capitale italiana del Libro 2023, rappresenta l’editoria indipendente italiana, un patrimonio culturale unico al mondo con quasi il 50% del valore del mercato nazionale del libro. Read the full article

[alessandro54-plus]

Milano Pride 2023

articolo & Video: https://video.repubblica.it/edizione/milano/milano-pride-il-corteo-in-diretta-riconoscimi-parita-e-diritti/447927/448895 Milano Pride, il corteo in diretta Milano Pride 2023 Lo slogan del Milano Pride di quest’anno parla chiaro: “Riconoscimi. Parità e diritti“. Perché, come è scritto nell’articolo 3 della Costituzione, “Tutti i cittadini hanno pari dignità sociale e sono…

[alessandro54-plus]

Milano Pride 2023: parata, orario, percorso. Gli ospiti al concerto finale

articolo: https://www.ilgiorno.it/milano/cronaca/pride-parata-2023-bhdkytxr Una manifestazione per i diritti Lgbt Sabato 24 giugno il corteo arcobaleno colorerà la città: una festa di libertà che parla di inclusività, diritti, democrazia e autodeterminazione Milano, 23 giugno 2023 Milano è pronta a tingersi dei colori dell’arcobaleno. Domani, sabato 24 giugno, andrà in scena la parata del…

[lamilanomagazine]

Milano, Equal torna con la VII° Edizione nel 2023

Milano, Equal torna con la VII° Edizione nel 2023.   L’appuntamento a Palazzo Marino il 17 febbraio vuole ripercorrere l’evoluzione di Equal, il Signature Project ADCI nato nel 2017 come premio speciale all’interno degli ADCI Awards volto a premiare e riconoscere l’impegno di clienti e agenzie nella creazione di immaginari capaci di sostenere un concreto superamento delle discriminazioni di ogni forma e natura, oggi divenuto un vero e proprio programma di divulgazione, punto di riferimento per l’industry creativa e per le Istituzioni in termini di comunicazione inclusiva e nuovi standard. Nel corso degli anni il premio è diventato un progetto ad ampio raggio d’azione: 2019 - la creazione del manifesto “Equal - Cast the Inclusion” in collaborazione con le principali associazioni di settore (Air3, Associazione Italiana Registi, CPA - case di produzione associate, UNA - Aziende della comunicazione e Mamme per la Pelle), declinato in 5 principi e pensato per una maggiore consapevolezza delle scelte in sede dei casting per le produzioni creative per rendere veritiera la rappresentazione delle realtà. 2020 - Equal - Il Progetto Editoriale. Nascono una serie di articoli e riflessioni che ruotano attorno al progetto Equal: dal tema della genitorialità oggi, ai migliori progetti realizzati durante il mese del pride. 2022 - Equal va in Europa. Grazie al lavoro del consiglio ADCI con presidente Stefania Siani e la consigliera Valentina Amenta, Equal nel 2022 ha varcato per la prima volta i confini nazionali diventando un premio speciale all’ADC*E (ADC*E - Art Directors Club Europeo, di cui ADCI - Art Directors Club Italiano è Co-Fondatore e membro): nasce Equal Star. Un successo tutto italiano e uno strumento ancora più potente per promuovere l’inclusione in tutta Europa. Equal partecipa al Conscious Advertising Project, un’iniziativa di Channel Factory, azienda specializzata in brand sustainability per pianificazioni di video advertising su YouTube. Quest’anno il premio Equal va alla campagna “Voce alle gamer” firmata da Wunderman Thompson, che grazie a un’attivazione online è riuscita a sottolineare quanto sia grande ancora il gender gap nel mondo degli e-game. Il 17 febbraio ore 18:00 nella Sala Alessi di Palazzo Marino a Milano, si parlerà di questo percorso di Equal fino a oggi, dalla nascita fino alle evoluzioni future. “Equal cresce insieme al nostro Club, ADCI la più importante associazione di categoria che riunisce i creativi italiani. Cresce insieme a noi e alla consapevolezza della responsabilità di comunicare per promuovere nuovi immaginari di equità, diversità e inclusione. Lo abbiamo visto nascere patrocinato dalla Presidenza della Camera dei Deputati e del Comune di Milano e lo abbiamo visto crescere fino a conquistare l’Europa ed essere adottato dall’Art Director’s Club Europeo. Equal è il nostro sogno che non conosce confini. Fortemente voluto da ADCI appartiene a chiunque creda come noi che cambiare il modo di comunicare il mondo, cambia il mondo. Grazie al Comune di Milano per ospitare nella meravigliosa cornice della sala Alessi il nostro convegno annuale volto a condividere con le istituzioni, le agenzie, i clienti e la cittadinanza allargata il miglior lavoro fatto in Italia per la creazione di immaginari di uguaglianza” così dichiara Stefania Siani, CCO & CEO Serviceplan Italia, Presidente ADCI e fondatrice del Premio Equal nel 2017. Oltre a lei, saranno presenti Diana De Marchi Presidente Commissione Pari Opportunità e Diritti Civili Comune di Milano Delega Lavoro e Politiche Sociali Città Metropolitana Milano e Alexa Pantanella, CEO di Diversity&inclusion Speaking ed esperta in linguaggi inclusivi, che presenterà una overview del lavoro in essere con le aziende per renderle più inclusive partendo proprio dal linguaggio. Ospiti della serata saranno anche i progetti premiati a Equal 2022, “Voce alle Gamer” rappresentato da Cristina D’Anna, Creative Supervisor in Wunderman Thompson e Gaia Passerini, Head of Social Media in Wind Tre, e a Equal Star 2022, “DiscovHERy Billboards” creato per Terre des Hommes, rappresentato da Emanuele Viora, ECD di ACNE Italia Milano e Roma e Paolo Ferrara DG Terre des Hommes. Seguono gli interventi di Valeria Bucchetti, Professoressa al Politecnico di Milano, di Mariagrazia Fanchi, Professoressa all’Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) e di Vincenzo Guggino, Segretario Generale IAP - Istituto dell'Autodisciplina Pubblicitaria per parlare di pubblicità sessiste nel quadro nazionale e internazionale. Dal 2017, Equal si è evoluto da premio per le migliori campagne contro le disuguaglianze di genere a momento di confronto, dibattito e strumento virtuoso di valorizzazione dell’impegno verso la cultura dell’uguaglianza. Oggi il programma Equal è un punto di riferimento culturale per la comunicazione, le aziende e le scuole di comunicazione. Ed è anche un contenitore divulgativo in continua espansione.   ADCI | Art Directors Club Italiano L’Art Directors Club Italiano, è l’associazione culturale che dal 1985 riunisce i migliori professionisti nel campo della comunicazione pubblicitaria. Nel corso di più di trent’anni di vita, il Club si è evoluto in sintonia con i cambiamenti del mercato, dei media e della società ed è oggi un’associazione allargata che riunisce professionisti e cultori della materia “Comunicazione”, sempre votata al riconoscimento e al sostegno del valore della creatività come elemento fondante e vantaggio competitivo della comunicazione d’impresa, istituzionale e sociale.... #notizie #news #breakingnews #cronaca #politica #eventi #sport #moda Read the full article