#please get the latest vaccine & use masks

[levymcgarden55]

[ID: a 1950s style ad, redheaded woman clutches package of KN95 masks. Text reads "it's never too late - to start masking again" in large red letters then in pink smaller letters "you can restart covid safe practices at any time! no matter when or why you stopped!”]

Source

CDC Wastewater Viral Activity Monitoring

BreatheTeq

[pandemic-info]

I'm seeing information about the Novavax being formulated for the previous variant and the Moderna and Pfizer being for a more recent one. Is this true and if so, why are so many people trying to get the Novavax?

Hi, glad you asked! Here's a few posts on this:

Graphic (albeit from Novavax, no 3rd-party trials) showing broad neutralization:

Another, thread explaining the above. Particularly:

"Ultimately as the antigenic distance is very close for all major circulating variants, all vaccine options should be very good, and provide good protection against infection and severe disease (even when compared with infection-acquired/natural immunity)."

One more, from NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/08/22/nx-s1-5082372/updated-covid-vaccines-fda-approved

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna ... now target the KP.2 variant ... The Novavax vaccine, which is based on an older technology, targets an earlier strain of the virus called JN.1. As many of us know by now, the virus continues evolving to better evade our immune defense, which means regularly updating the vaccines to keep up with the latest strain. It turns out the KP.2 and JN.1 variants have already been overtaken by newer variants. Because those are also descendants of omicron, the hope is that the new vaccines are close enough matches that they can still boost immunity and protect people in the coming months – ideally reducing the chances of a big winter wave. “The vaccine is not intended to be perfect. It’s not going to absolutely prevent COVID-19," Dr. Peter Marks from the FDA told NPR in an interview. "But if we can prevent people from getting serious cases that end up in emergency rooms, hospitals or worse — dead — that’s what we’re trying to do with these vaccines.”

There's a couple of other points I do not have sources for right now; if anyone would like to reblog and add some or correct this, please do!:

I've read that in the past, for example, flu vaccine efficacy was not necessarily dampened when the vax targeted a "parent". They are in the same lineage, so efficacy should be good.

Analogy (albeit imperfect): using a net vs a spear.

Of course, without more data, we don't know. I would wager that people who choose Novavax nowadays may also be informed on #Layered Protection and prioritize physical barriers (N95 masking) as the first line of defense, with vaccine as secondary bonus, since any of them have a non-negligible % of breakthroughs at this point.

It was different in 2021 when they were first released and showed high efficacy; ~3% breakthrough, if that. Now, I would not in any case rely on Pfizer or Moderna alone, so there's not much of a reason to suffer their ill effects for days.

But bodies are all different. Some people tolerate them well. Some have no other choice. As always, get the one you can, that works for you!

[charmedhypno]

Charmed! 2025 Covid Policy Update

Charmed! 2025 Covid-19 Policy

Charmed! is committed to hosting the safest event we possibly can as the world continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of this, the Convention Committee (“ConCom”) will continue to require up to date Covid vaccinations as well as masking for our attendees, staff, and volunteers at Charmed! 2025.

In addition, hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout Convention Space (“Con Space”) and our Dungeon Monitors (“DMs”) will be extremely proactive in reminding people to clean their equipment - if you need help please ask and it will be provided!

Please read the following policies carefully! They contain several important dates and deadlines – ignorance of these policies will not result in any exemptions.

Vaccination Policy

The newest Covid-19 vaccine update has been evaluated and released for use in the United States to people aged 6 months and older for Fall 2024. People can get the vaccination if it has been at least 2 months since their last vaccination for Covid-19. People who have not previously been vaccinated for Covid-19 are considered “up to date” with their vaccinations after receiving this single dose.

This vaccine update is free under most insurance plans in the United States (including Medicaid and Medicare), but is no longer offered for free by the United States government.

Free vaccinations may be available on a state-by-state basis; so check whether or not your state has a free adult vaccination program if you require a free option. People based in the United States can search for their local Health Department here: https://www.naccho.org/membership/lhd-directory

People who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 may wait 3 months before getting the updated vaccine.

In order to attend Charmed! 2025 in-person you must be up to date with your Covid vaccination: a person who is “up to date” with their vaccinations beginning September, 2024 is a person who has received the latest updated vaccine, released in September, 2024.

Vaccinations typically take around two weeks to reach full efficacy; therefore for the purposes of Charmed! 2025 vaccinations will be considered valid if they are received by or before Monday, January 6th, 2025.

In-person attendees of Charmed! 2025 will be required to show proof of “up to date” vaccination received in good time – that is, they must show proof that they have received the Fall 2024 vaccine update by or before January 6th, 2025. Proof may be in the form of one of the following: official paper vaccine card, electronic vaccine card, photocopy or digital representation of official vaccine card, website listing your name/vaccination date, dated email for an applicable vaccination appointment, a photograph of some part of the vaccination process (eg. the vial of serum), or other applicable media. If you are unsure that your form of proof will be valid, please contact us before arriving at the event. Proof of vaccination will be verified at badge pick-up.

You can contact us using one of the following ways: Email us at: Covid@Charmedhypno.org Contact us through Charmed! social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharmedHypno Fetlife: https://fetlife.com/groups/121240?sp=1 Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/charmedhypno Bluesky: https://charmedhypnocon.bsky.social/ Discord: DM @Noelle - I have answers!

People who are unable to get the updated Covid-19 vaccine for a three month period ending with the final day of Charmed! 2025 (January 26th, 2025) due to a previous Covid-19 infection will be considered “up to date” for the purposes of in-person attendance. Please contact ConCom if you become Covid-positive within this window.

IMPORTANT: if you have a Covid-19 infection that results in you being able to get the updated vaccine within the two week time period before Charmed! 2025 begins – that is, January 8th through January 22nd – you will not be considered “up to date” with your vaccination and will be ineligible to attend Charmed! 2025 in person.

PLEASE NOTE: the three month waiting period is a CDC recommendation and it may be possible for people to get the updated vaccine within that time period.

In-person attendees at Charmed! 2025 will be required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 48 hours of badge pick-up, (over-the-counter test is okay), in picture form in order to pick up their badge. Please do not bring a physical test with you to badge pick up - a picture on your phone is sufficient.

Mask Policy

In-person attendees at Charmed! 2025 will be required to wear well-fitting, high quality masks, such as N95s, KN95s, and FFP2s (or equivalent) at all times while in official convention space. This includes both the private convention area and Con Suite, as well as semi-public areas such as registration and the hallway outside of the upstairs classrooms.

If you are unable to acquire an N95 or similar mask, then pleated surgical masks are acceptable as a last resort.

Examples of unacceptable masks include: bandanas, gaiters, and scarfs.

Presenters and demo-bottoms may choose to remain unmasked only while actively presenting.

There are no mask exceptions for evening social events and dungeon play.

Masks may be raised, but not removed, in order to sip water and/or eat small snacks in Convention Space as needed.

A small number of masks may be available via Convention Operations for people who need them; however, we cannot guarantee this so please do your best to procure your own.

Testing Policy

In 2024, we did not require that attendees test daily but did highly recommend that they do so. For 2025, we are again highly recommending that people test daily before entering convention space. Over the counter tests are excellent at detecting a viral load in someone who is contagious, and are currently the best way for people to determine if they need to isolate themselves.

Convention Operations may have a small number of tests available for people who need them; please do not count on this and do your best to procure your own.

Policy Exemptions

Residents of countries that do not offer updated Covid-19 vaccines to the general population may be considered exempt from the requirement to be up-to-date by United States standards as long as they have received and can show confirmation that they received the primary course of vaccinations; that is, the original shot plus the two follow up shots.

We ask that people in non-U.S. countries who are eligible to receive updated vaccines continue to do so.

Attendees who are offered exemptions to the 2025 Covid-19 policy will be required to test daily while in attendance in person at Charmed! 2025 and to send verification of their negative test result to a member of ConCom before they are allowed entrance into official con space.

Failure to follow this policy may result in that person’s badge being pulled and them no longer being able to attend Charmed! 2025 in person.

We will continue to assess the status of attendees with possible medical exemptions on a case by case basis. If you are affected by this policy, please contact us as soon as you can via email at Covid@charmedhypno.org or dm Noelle_8033 on Discord.

There are no exemptions to the masking policy.

Covid Infections & Isolation Policy

Attendees, including all staff members, volunteers, presenters, etc, will be required to report and self-isolate if they test positive for Covid-19 while attending Charmed! 2025.

For the purposes of Charmed! 2025, an attendee who is “self-isolating” will remain in their private room as much as possible and will not enter any shared hotel spaces with convention members, including but not limited to: official Convention Spaces (areas past our security check points), shared convention spaces (eg. the badge pick up area, the hallway outside of upstairs classrooms), and the Charmed! 2025 Consuite (the enclosed room outside of regular Con space that is across from the public fireplace seating area.)

ConCom reserves the right to expand this list during the Convention in order to accommodate the number of in-person attendees present at Charmed! 2025.

Out of an abundance of caution, an initial positive test result will be taken as confirmation of infection, regardless of subsequent testing.

**The identity of anyone that contracts Covid-19 while at Charmed! 2025 will be kept anonymous unless otherwise unavoidable, unless that person wishes to share their identity.

Failure to report and self-isolate will result in the infected attendee’s badge being pulled and potentially a ban from Charmed! in the future.**

Reporting & Contact Tracing Policy

Anyone becoming positive for Covid-19 while attending Charmed! 2025 will be required to report and self-isolate. They will need to identify to ConCom classes/areas where they have been, including private spaces, and ConCom will inform the attendee population that they may have been exposed to Covid-19.

**The identity of anyone that contracts Covid-19 while at Charmed! 2025 will be kept anonymous unless otherwise unavoidable, unless that person wishes to share their identity.

Failure to report and self-isolate will result in the infected attendee’s badge being pulled and potentially a ban from Charmed! in the future.**

Charmed! 2025 is committed to providing as safe an environment as possible for our attendees. This may mean that our vaccination/mask requirements are stronger/stricter than those of other events or organizations. We understand that this can be frustrating, and we appreciate your adherence to these policies that are for the benefit of every attendee at Charmed! 2025.

[covidsafecosplay]

The People’s CDC COVID-19 Weather Report: October 28, 2014

The People's CDC has released another updated report on COVID-19 data and action items for the United States of America.

Highlights:

Wastewater and emergency room data indicate covid transmission continues to be under-reported. Get vaccinated and use layers of precaution such as masking and air filtration to defend yourself from infection.

KP.3.1.1 remains the dominant variant.

The CDC has updated guidelines permitting access to twice-annual covid vaccines for adults aged 65 and older, as well as the immunocompromised.

Read the rest of the report here:

Please note that the CovidSafeCosplay blog and its admin are unaffiliated with the People's CDC or its management, and are simply sharing the resource.

Via the People's CDC About page:

The People’s CDC is a coalition of public health practitioners, scientists, healthcare workers, educators, advocates and people from all walks of life working to reduce the harmful impacts of COVID-19.  We provide guidance and policy recommendations to governments and the public on COVID-19, disseminating evidence-based updates that are grounded in equity, public health principles, and the latest scientific literature. Working alongside community organizations, we are building collective power and centering equity as we work together to end the pandemic. The People’s CDC is volunteer-run and independent of partisan political and corporate interests and includes anonymous local health department and other government employees. The People’s CDC is completely volunteer run with infrastructure support being provided by the People’s Science Network

[firespirited]

Vague indefinable under the weather thing became a very defined half way down the head divide sinusitis mid morning.

It wasn't as easy to spot because there's just been ongoing 'ouch' of the head and face due to the neck issues but yeah you can actually see the swollen sinuses and that clear divide down the head is unmistakable. I really should have worn my mask on walks even though I don't approach anyone (except bully cops I guess) to avoid the pollen.

Then again, funny thing I went out with Sis this morning, it was cold so we were wearing masks for cold and the woodfires which give you a good lungful of nasty and we got lectured by a rando about how unnecessary it all is and how much money 'they' have made off this

and how his latest booster made him feel sick even though by his own admission he got covid the last time he went unmasked in public earlier this year.

I just cheerfully pointed out that the vaccine hurts less than the infection, masks are useful for more than just covid and thanked him profusely for doing his civic duty of masking in public transport and shops as an immunocompromised person. But like, dude, we have two really cute dogs and the weather's been interesting, half the country's protesting now that the government have shown they'd rather throw away democracy and our freedom of expression than tax a few corporations a little better (it is literally so little money that we could make buying back your own company stock from excessive profits illegal and collect double what's needed for pensions from just this year. The insistance that pensions must be funded by workers with no corporate or government help is stupid, the math indicated we won't be in the red til 2030 so tax some billionaires already, they can protest live in Monaco or Luxembourg (and get super bored and crawl back) if they insist on not leaving france's luxuries to far behind...

Oh look there so much to talk about that I got derailed (not that it takes much LOL) but mr man had to scold us for being silly gooses for wearing masks and tell us his incoherent but important thoughts on the matter. I know I'm probably contagious with a bad cold right now, didn't get to work that into the conversation though. Sis talked about how much more she's able to enjoy nature as an asthmatic since masks though so that was nice. We shot eachother a lot of subtle side eyes especially when he casually dropped that half the party he went to unmasked got horribly sick from that party.

If you feel like that dude, please do try different mask types and mask comfort aids. Everybody has to find what they can wear for long periods without pain. For me it's a China made K95, straps in the back, changed every hour so the sweat doesn't chafe my skin but I have to be really careful to not end up with an inperceptible flow of hot wet air straight into my right eye. Sis likes the fish shaped k94. Doc uses a duck shape for minimal face chafing.

I've put a few things on hold til my health gets slightly better. I really want to rework the neck on the lovely 1/6 bjd Maleficent sent and then paint her not with human blushing but like she's part of a crockery set. The one great auntie Francis left us a few years ago is a gold trimmed fruit motif and blue china is pretty but already done so I was thinking more along the lines of something with strawberries because I love her porcelain paleness and a strawberry motif would allow me to keep the face simple and stylized. (writing this down because ideas do sometimes spark during the SADS but I often completely forget them).

Jewel Richie had an 'incident' in the post and has been undeliverable since Thursday but amazon doesn't open the refund/rebuy options til tomorrow. I'll have to decide then. The vagueness of 'incident' made me think OK, maybe the roads/trains were blocked but the 'cannot be delivered' kind of implies the package got smashed up or in the same truck as idk a bottle of ink or something.

I think it's maybe why I had a doll dream, I imagined a rainbow high rolling into a roadside somewhere after someone forgot to properly shut the van doors or something.

Then again, I spent most of last night talking over (with my own brain) how the Shoah probably 'killed' Gd (mine the xian god who is supposed to have a personal relationship with people, not necessarily anyone else's - i can explain in detail if anyone is interested, the law of free will wasn't broken other xian specific things were) for me to an imaginary rabbi questioner (he was very nice, if pushing further than I dared to talk, in the daydream and had experience with christianity in the form of evangelicalism so I didn't have to explain certain concepts that are absolutely not in the Talmud and not really the new testament either.) and really felt my shame that a genocide unrelated to me shook a faith (xianity) that's a disrespectful sect of their faith. Nevertheless I was 10, and the idea that the gospels weren't the symmetrical conclusion to the Talmud was never in question and even considered blasphemy if I ever brought it up. I was such a different person by 14 then 16 facing it again. To think I thought jewish people were as brainwashed as I was into the belief that martydom is a noble death. Yeah I mentioned the nice fever dream about the dolls because many times sick musings end up in 'the roads not taken' , existential crises and lists of people who probably took years off my life. Fun stuff.

Lily is picking up this march, she is happy and well. I think she may have had a tough winter but for 14 she is very fit and still very much a mischief, she's started doing her upside-down dances, asking for fuss and thieving from my recycling bin again. I love her to bits.

Have a lovely day everyone. Stay safe and relatively sane ❤️❤️❤️

[halfd3af]

“According to the latest CDC COVID-19 wastewater data [December 28th 2023], we are currently in the second-biggest surge of the pandemic. It will peak in the next week, with ~2 million infections per day. During this surge, ~100 million people total (~1 in 3 people in the US) will likely get COVID.”

Please get vaccinated to boost your immunity, and wear an N95 mask when applicable. Long COVID is extremely disabling, and everyone should avoid getting infected as little as possible.

at urgent care and the sheer number of people with covid in here is absurd. if you haven't gotten the most recent vaccination, NOW is the time to get it. if you arent wearing a mask, NOW is the time to start. protect yourself and others as much as you can! you will regret it if you don't.

[ntriani]

OQM Playlist: Life during quarantine #27

With this new Life during quarantine playlist, Nick Triani ponders Randy Newman's standard 'I Think It's Going to Rain Today' and the emotions it evokes.

Lockdown Don’t open the borders we said. Keep wearing the masks we said. Avoid crowds we said. Stay home if feeling ill we said. Lockdown is here again. It’s tiring to discuss but our inherent greed and wish to keep the wheels of capitalism churning might do for us yet. The welcome news that a vaccine is now a reality and just around the corner is a chink of light in this most rotten of years…

Human kindness overflowing The songwriters that have benefited from the patronage of Judy Collins are too numerous (for the sake of brevity) to mention here. But let’s at least recognise Collins’ role in the careers of Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Donovan (in the US), Jimmy Webb and Randy Newman. Why Collins doesn’t have some kind of monument in her honor for music discovery is baffling, she also never had the title A&R woman attached to her name although that’s clearly what she did. The fact that in this era of rediscovery and music nostalgia Collins is not more readily identified amongst the greats of popular music is quite simply a conspiracy against women. Today I focus on a song by Randy Newman first introduced by Collins, ‘I Think It’s Going to Rain Today’ (or in some cases ‘I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today’).

Collins recorded a version of the song for her In My Life album from 1966, though Julius LaRosa is credited as having released a version a few months earlier. It’s Collins interpretation that became the template for the song’s subsequent ubiquity. To confirm this, LaRosa’s version doesn’t appear anywhere.

30 different versions Over the years all kinds of bands and artists of varying degrees of fame and fortune have tried to interpret ‘I Think It’s Going to Rain Today.’ I’ve cherry picked 3o different takes for this playlist. You may think, how crazy is that, listening to the same song so many times in a row, but please have a try because this may surprise you. Many of these interpretations are achingly similar in style, but I do think these vary enough so that you can sit through an hour and 40 minutes of the same song. The middle eight is the big variance in a lot of these versions (something about “Tin can at my feet, Think I’ll kick it down the street.”) Generally, most versions lead with piano and have string arrangements. Yet, the story changes with each voice. The latest version on this playlist is from 2020, which gives you some kind of idea of the longevity of the song.

I personally have a soft spot for the Françoise Hardy take from 1972. Her fractured English and the baroque string arrangement brings an intimate melancholy to the song. Leonard Nimoy does a great pass that pleases by not quite being right. Still, it might just be that Randy Newman’s own version from his debut album in 1968, impeccably produced by Van Dyke Parks, is the best. Newman is not the greatest singer, but has oodles of character and personality, which means the song retains its weary edge and infinite sadness (which is a bit lost on many of these takes.)

A younger generation may recognise Newman as the Toy Story soundtrack guy. That’s ok and cool. But Newman also lays a belated claim to be the pre-eminent songwriter of his generation. Recently this song has taken on a life of its own for me, reflecting collective grief and my hopes for a better day. The song also tells something about empathy and giving, even indulging our obsession of connecting our emotions to the weather. ‘I Think It’s Going to Rain Today’ touches a raw nerve, the weary sadness at the heart of the song can also comfort and help in getting through the ache. I believe that’s what Newman initially wanted when he wrote the song.

[dereksmcgrath]

On today’s stream: How do you think I can get more consistent revenue from my writing and livestreaming? Plus, a live-reaction to Chapter 90 of Witch Watch!

And read along as well: an initial script for today’s stream is below. 

Video Description

On today’s stream: How do you think I can get more consistent revenue from my writing and livestreaming? Plus, a live-reaction to Chapter 90 of Witch Watch! 

Read “Witch Watch”: https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/witch-watch 

Read “Magu-chan: God of Destruction” Chapter 27: https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/magu-chan-god-of-destruction-chapter-27/chapter/21842 

A transcript and links to content discussed are available at http://www.dereksmcgrath.wordpress.com.

Support this livestream at http://ko-fi.com/dereksmcgrath (and get access to my Discord, too!)

Continue donations to the University of California Academic Workers Strike Support and Hardship Fund: https://givebutter.com/uc-uaw 

Donate to the Southern Poverty Law Center: https://www.splcenter.org/support-us 

Links: 

NJCU ending 37% of academic programs: https://www.nj.com/hudson/2022/12/this-is-new-jersey-university-is-laying-off-30-professors-eliminating-37-of-academic-programs.html  

Promotions: 

Commission GoldenSunDeer for artwork: https://twitter.com/GoldenSunDeer 

Support Jeff Harris: http://paypal.me/nemalki https://bio.link/nemalki https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2XVBY1VHOBSKA 

Professional Left Podcast: https://professionalleft.blogspot.com/ 

Black Comics Chat: https://www.twitch.tv/blackcomicschat 

Check out “Sudden Death, Sudden Life”: https://www.patreon.com/painapplestudio 

Irregulars Productions “Soul Eater” content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbepqcHtthJnp2uTriH8wIw 

Join more ethical social media platforms

Music: 

“Los Angeles” by Muzaproduction: https://pixabay.com/music/motown-old-school-rnb-los-angeles-20922/ 

“Sunshine” by lemonmusicstudio: https://pixabay.com/users/lemonmusicstudio-14942887 https://open.spotify.com/artist/4XWZhZ32YrVV5lvpF7cr1E?si=tnbSklR7SJyPNKiHP4MbHA 

Intro

Let’s get started. Today is December 18, 2022. This is Sunday Morning Manga. I am Derek S. McGrath, my pronouns are he/him/his. I’m here every Sunday, 11 AM Eastern on Twitch and YouTube. You can read my writing on Tumblr, Medium, WordPress, @dereksmcgrath, and email me at derek.s.mcgrath@gmail.com. 

I’ll talk about this more later, but if you like what you’re hearing, please consider a monetary contribution. Putting together this stream takes a bit of work, and your tips help pay down costs for setup and subscriptions. You can tip me at ko-fi.com/dereksmcgrath. Thank you for your consideration.

The views and opinions expressed on this livestream are those of the speaker–me–and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent or any other person mentioned. 

Today’s Live Reaction: Witch Watch 

As with every Sunday, there is a live-reaction to a new manga chapter. This time we’re looking at Chapter 90 of Witch Watch!

The series is written and illustrated by Kenta Shinohara, with English translation by Adrienne Beck and lettering by Annaliese “Ace” Christman. Witch Watch is distributed in English in the United States by Viz, available to read at viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/witch-watch.  

Accessibility and Links (and Mask Up!)

Links to this chapter and other content from today’s stream are available on my web site, dereksmcgrath.wordpress.com. There’s also a script for today’s stream and all images for greater accessibility. 

And as annoyed as you are hearing it, I’m just as annoyed seeing it: we’re not out of this pandemic, people, please mask up when going out or indoors. 

And please get vaccinated! I had to take off last weekend from the livestream to recuperate after getting my latest COVID booster–I apologize for my absence. But I’m so glad I protected myself, and others, by doing what is the bare minimum. Please, take time to schedule your vaccination and recuperation (because if you’re like me, getting the vaccine is still going to take a lot out of you while you recover). The holidays are going to be rough for everyone traveling and being in large gatherings–so, mask up, vaccinate, and be smart and responsible to protect your health and those of others. Thank you. 

Donations

Speaking of the holiday season, please consider donations to political and social causes, as well as to people contributing so much to education and critical thinking. 

It is thanks to the volunteers, staff, and financial contributions to Raphael Warnock that he was re-elected to the Senate in Georgia–thank you, Georgia! And there is more work to do ahead of the 2024 elections in order to increase the number of Democrats in Congress. Please look into Democrats to run in primaries–starting in Arizona. Please look at candidates there to get the Democratic Party nomination for Senator of Arizona so that a fink like Sinema gets replaced with a decent Democrat. 

And don’t forget, this holiday season, please donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds at abortionfunds.org, as well as to the Southern Poverty Law Center at splcenter.org (and support the Center’s lawsuit against the potentially unconstitutional Florida’s flights of asylum seekers to Massachusetts).

The University of California Academic Workers Strike Fund is also still continuing to raise funds at givebutter.com/uc-uaw. 

Emergency Funding Request 

And speaking of contributing money at the end of the year: I wish I had better financial news, personally.

The last year and a half has been rough. Thanks to this ongoing COVID pandemic, I am limited to remote work options. But one job contract ended, and with it a remote work opportunity that I was depending on. Then you have unexpected costs, such as my computer giving out months ago and requiring that I pay for a replacement. (And soon I will have to pay for new eyeglasses to replace the ones I have on.) Finally, moving into 2023, my health insurance cost is going up, along with the price for my Viz subscription that I use for this weekly Sunday livestream. 

Each week on this livestream, I mention my resume, qualifications, and work interests. I don’t do these livestreams only to entertain myself–I do consider this work as part of my job. And while I appreciate all the contributions I receive from viewers and listeners, I am looking for more predictable and consistent payment options. I am applying for more jobs and trying to line up more interviews–but I also need some predictability in income. 

This is where you come in–to offer me some feedback. What would you recommend as options for increasing payments and making them more consistent? 

I already have my Ko-fi account–but would you all also be interested if I added Cash App? 

I do livestreams on YouTube and Twitch for Sunday Morning Manga, and I will be bringing back my online American Literature I lessons–but would you prefer additional content, or different ways to package it? For example, I could do the American Literature I lectures as recordings rather than livestreams–and share them as early access to Patreon contributors. 

And I could do video game playthroughs on Twitch. Would you be interested? 

I write and post on Tumblr, WordPress, and Medium–but would you be interested in subscribing to a Substack? And perhaps sharing these livestreams as podcasts on Substack and elsewhere? 

I welcome your feedback, as this is really important for me to find opportunities to support myself, when reliable and safe remote work opportunities have been limited. Please let me know in the comments which options I should explore to increase earnings from my livestream, podcasting, and writing. And please consider contributions at ko-fi.com/dereksmcgrath to help pay down costs setting up this livestream–and making sure I can afford health care the next year. Thank you in advance. 

Labor Update 

Before we get into this week’s live reaction, let’s do a check in on labor and unions. There is a lot I haven’t gotten into–including my conflicting feelings regarding the federal government imposing the contract onto both the labor union and the railroad industry, but the failure of enough Republicans to support the sick days asked by those railroad unions. While many railroad unions opposed the deals, there were railroad unions that also supported those deals. This is not an issue that is going away–and we need a Democratic Party that will have the votes to support union, which is not possible unless we vote for Democrats, kick out Republicans with our votes, and do all we can to defend unions and strikes. 

Which leads to something I can speak to more easily, from my experience in higher education, whereas I’m not a railroad worker and can’t speak as well to those topics. 

New Jersey City University is ending 37 percent of its academic programs, which will result in the firing of 30 professors. Programs ending include ones in early childhood education, journalism, and environmental science. You can read a full list in the news article by Joshua Rosario at The Jersey Journal–web link is in the video description. 

You’ll forgive my sour grapes if I point out that this should be major news from certain academic organizations–but isn’t. Don’t say you stand against the evils of neoliberalism (or, you know, you could just call it the evils of capitalism, or the evils of greed, or something that more people can understand) if you’re not going to actually stand up for something. It is easy to say you stand against something awful–but do nothing meaningful about it–because it is harder to actually stand up for someone and offer meaningful action. 

NJCU is a public university–I recommend, if you are a voter in New Jersey, that you call your state legislature and tell them to find funding to make sure these professors are hired and that these students’ programs are returned. We can’t keep rolling back funding for education and then wonder why we have an electorate that votes against its best interests, and people who can’t support themselves without education or work opportunities. 

Please, if you are in New Jersey, look up the phone number for your legislator’s office, ask where they stand on funding NJCU–and if they can’t commit to funding higher education, let them know that you are considering voting for someone else to take their seat, whether in the Democratic primary or for a Democrat over a Republican. 

Live-Reaction: Witch Watch

But enough about labor–let’s get on with today’s live-reaction! 

As with every Sunday, there is a live-reaction to a new manga chapter released this morning, this time looking at Chapter 90 of Witch Watch! 

The series is written and illustrated by Kenta Shinohara, with English translation by Adrienne Beck and lettering by Annaliese “Ace” Christman. Witch Watch is distributed in English in the United States by Viz, available to read at viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/witch-watch.  

Previously in Witch Watch

The last time I talked about Witch Watch at length was a live reaction to Chapter 79, way back on October 2, 2022. 

I wish I could say I was following the major arc that has dominated the manga…but my attention waned pretty quickly, not helped by one off-putting gag chapter. Although, as I’ll talk about in a bit, there was one really funny chapter that was evocative of Shinohara’s previous work on Gintama, so, that was a plus. 

It’s bothersome to me, because I remember really liking a lot of Chapter 79, with gags built around Kan’s awkward footwear and fighting a soda-theme Kamen Rider knockoff–it was too goofy to not appreciate. 

And the next arc was an admittedly amusing two-chapter arc about independent manga publishing, which had some decent in-jokes about the marketplace, comics conventions, print problems, and marketing strategies. 

But then Witch Watch entered into a serious arc, and I felt lost as well as underwhelmed. 

In this arc, Morihito meets up with his old teacher Ran. It leads to an annoying gag around Nico assuming Morihito is meeting up with an old girlfriend, then that gag is thrown away once the misunderstanding is cleared up–because the go-to gag for Shinohara is that she has to be worried about her relationship with Morihito at all times, which does feel stifling for character progression.”Stifling,” but not the only thing she is about, given her progression with her magic and, as Morihito has to struggle with, too, her own family’s drama. 

And that family drama catches up to Morihito, as his teacher Ran is an old family friend–who proceeds to try to kill Morihito in combat. 

Spoilers for this arc, so bear with me. The secret of this arc is built around who Ran really is. We’re introduced to him as being an ogre, like Morihito. But then we learn Ran’s shocking secret: he’s actually a warlock, on his mother’s side–and his mother died in childbirth…because heaven forbid we have a man as a major character without having a dead woman be the motivation for this story. 

(Granted, the story writes in a reason: his mother wanted to die, she is immortal, she can’t die unless it’s by giving birth. It’s some real Steven Universe energy–but, again, without really having the feminist and queer cred to pull this off.) 

So, because Ran’s life exists just so his mother could die, he has a chip on his shoulder against the world. And then when his dad died, and Ran’s lifespan was elongated by slower aging thanks to his mother, he just gets more bitter, claiming his dad never loved him, that he had to live so long. And then he saw how well Morihito got along with his own dad, so he got bitter and jealous and took off running in a huff–

And I don’t care. I know I sound callous, and maybe this all will be revealed later. But right now, we’re told that Ran’s dad never loved him–and that’s it. We’re told he is judged by others for being a warlock and the son of an ogre–and we only have his side of the story. I feel like this will be when we learn Bowler Hat Man in Meet the Robinsons was actually rather well liked by everyone, and his toxic personality is what led him to think the worst of others, not that he was mistreated. I want to know that Ran here is mistreated, and what he says about discrimination should prove that–but I want to see it, not only hear it. 

We don’t get more than this: we just get whatever Ran says, not seeing that animosity towards him. Why should I believe Ran’s word? We’re supposed to get that vibe, that Ran is correct, that people do fear him for his origins–as we see when he confronts a crime boss. But that’s only after the human gang members approach Ran and think he’s human before fighting him. We don’t have the gang members knowing he is already of ogre origins–they just goad him into a fight, and he responds in kind because this was all according to his plan. It’s out of order. Make it so that the gang members already see he’s an ogre–and hate him for that. Show us that discrimination. Otherwise, Ran is just making crap up that people don’t like him for being an ogre rather than for being a jerk–which, maybe that was the point, that he is really a jerk and just finding motivation out of presumed prejudice, which…yeah, that has its own unfortunate implications, so I am going to step away from that detail for a bit until I can process this idea more. 

But back to Ran and his parents. How do I know this plot won’t unfold that his dad really did love him, and Ran’s actions are inspired by misconceptions? This feels like when Shadow the Hedgehog can’t determine his motivations until he remembers Maria’s last words, then suddenly his motivations change. I know I’m overthinking storytelling tropes, but, yeah, if I’m not entertained, I nitpick more than I enjoy the work. 

And I’m not sure this twist works, the twist that we all thought Ran was an ogre but he’s actually a warlock. It depends on building up a mystery that can be solved by Ran by accidentally revealing he isn’t really an ogre. Who would he let that slip to by accident? Maybe Morihito? I don’t know–it just feels off to have Ran be yet another dull antagonist who anticipates everything and never slips up once. Seeing as Morihito has been trying to win all his childhood to be stronger than Ran, only to learn now that would never happen because Ran is a warlock, and that’s how he beat Ran, not with physical strength but just magic. 

Granted, Witch Watch does anticipate a bit of this: thanks to a warning sent to Nico, she shows up and reveals Ran is actually a warlock. So, this is both me complaining about how long Ran could really pass as an ogre–and using one of your established characters, Nico, to believability out Ran as a warlock when no one else could. I want to acknowledge the good, that the mangaka Shinohara does set up a problem, then lets Nico solve the problem. That is good writing–just not the most interesting way to handle a dull antagonist. 

It’s not as if this choice with Ran–that he hides his warlock nature for so long–doesn’t show that he is a calculating, shrewd antagonist. But it is odd that he can deceive people for, what, at least five years, that he is indeed an ogre? This is handwaved by having Ran be a pivotal part of Morihito’s childhood–for just two weeks, though, before he walked off. So, we get an in-story reason. 

But, thematically, this is also an unfortunate storytelling choice. This depends on ideas about passing–which, honestly, Witch Watch has been odd about, where so much of the story is told in terms of supernatural characters who can easily pass as human, which builds the theme of the story as being that we are all really the same despite our differences…while still building that theme on the notion of just having everyone look human, which robs variety in character design potential and suggests that passing as human is the most acceptable visual option. Not all people can just change their appearances that drastically–but this is a thorny topic that I am not approaching as well as I want to without putting in more time to think it through and write it out. 

I could go into more detail about this plot, including how we learn Ran is part of some conspiracy to use Nico to resurrect a powerful warlock–but I don’t care, this is a long-term plot, and this comparatively shorter arc is just a stepping stone, so until I see how the story wraps up, I don’t feel invested enough to enjoy how well this arc sets up that ending. 

If there is any regret I have from my first reading, I did not appreciate the action in this serious arc. I have held back on criticizing certain action manga–My Hero Academia, chief of them–where the action is not easy to follow, in paneling or representation. But the fight between Ran and Morihito in Chapter 83 is actually easy to follow, and I love the line art when Morihito is knocked back, with the parallel lines to show the impact of Morihito being thrown aside. That is a simple action, but one that Shinohara does well illustrating, better than the admittedly more ambitious work Horikoshi is trying to accomplish in My Hero Academia. 

Let’s wrap this up and talk about the next three chapters–and what does and doesn’t work in them. We get a chapter that is about vlogging and genderbending–with a weird TM Revolution pun and a pretty crass joke about flashing the camera…which, yeah, I’m not the age group for this manga, but at my age, with characters this old, creepy. Then we get a chapter about being invisible…which leads to a corny Terminator gag (as if I need to hear more people sucking up to James Cameron this week), and a “no homo” homophobic gag, which…no. All of that, no. 

The best of these filler stories was the previous chapter, Chapter 89, in which the crew’s friend tries to make a picture story for her young cousin–but the illustrations are all creepy drawings that don’t match the story, leading to humor in terms of the disconnect between the two. It’s a simple story but a funny one. So, yay, we wrapped up this string of chapters with a better gag comic compared to the overly serious narrative arc and some clunker filler chapters. 

Live-Reaction: Witch Watch Chapter 90

And now that we have caught up, let’s get started with Page 1 of Chapter 90 of Witch Watch! Read along at viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/witch-watch–link is in the video description and on screen. 

[Transcript of the live-reaction to be included later]

Contact Info and Credits

I’ll wrap up there. Thanks for listening to this week’s stream of Sunday Morning Manga! What did you think of the new chapter of Witch Watch? Please share your remarks in the comments section or send me an email: derek.s.mcgrath@gmail.com.  

Music today included the tracks titled “Los Angeles” by Muzaproduction and “Sunshine” by lemonmusicstudio. These songs are royalty free and available at Pixabay–links are in the video description. 

And if you did like what you heard, let me know! Contributions at ko-fi.com/dereksmcgrath are appreciated: please include a note to let me know what you liked in the livestream and what you would like to hear more of. 

And if you thought anything in today’s livestream would suit your web site needs–such as news, commentary, or analysis of comics, anime, or larger pop culture, please reach out to me via email, derek.s.mcgrath@gmail.com, and I can adapt remarks from today’s livestream into an article for your site! Additional job leads in writing, commentary, and online broadcasting are welcome: please email them to derek.s.mcgrath@gmail.com. 

If you have a request of something for me to talk about in the Sunday livestream, drop me a contribution in the Ko-fi tip jar–$1 minimum–and if it’s something I’m comfortable covering here and is pretty much the same kind of content warnings as anything else I cover here, I’ll consider it or talk with you until we find something I’m up for talking about. 

Emergency Funding Request 

And as I said at the beginning of this livestream, I would appreciate your feedback how you would like to see revenue generated from my work. Cash App? Early access to my course lectures? Patreon? Substack? Live video gameplay? Let me know in the comments–thanks for your consideration. 

Other People’s Awesome Stuff

And if you like what you heard–or didn’t like what you heard–check out other people’s awesome stuff! There’s the Pro Left Podcast, Black Comics Chat on Twitch, there is the writing of Jeff Harris at post.news/nemalki (and please support his work in media criticism on Paypal and his Amazon wishlist). 

GoldenSunDeer

And there are illustrations by the talented GoldenSunDeer (please commission them: their rates are listed on their social media). And appropriate for the winter season, here is some of their latest artwork, featuring the cast of Soul Eater engaging in a snowball fight! Looks like Crona isn’t into it as much as Black Star and Patty are–which, yeah, that fits. Thank you for sharing this art, GoldenSunDeer! If you like this art by GoldenSunDeer, please commission them at https://twitter.com/GoldenSunDeer. 

Irregulars Productions

And speaking of Soul Eater, please check out the YouTube channel Irregulars Productions for more Soul Eater fan content.

Sudden Death, Sudden Life

And while they are not accepting December Patreon contributions, check out Sudden Death, Sudden Life, a DND-style isekai illustrated audio drama by voice actors, directors, and illustrators Micah Solusod and Ayu. Episode 1 of Sudden Death, Sudden Life is available for $5 patrons at https://www.patreon.com/painapplestudio. 

Next Time

Next Sunday is Christmas, so unless plans change, I am not going to have a livestream–if I do, I promise, it won’t be a live-reaction, so, we’ll keep that a surprise, either I surprise you with no livestream, or I surprise you with a different reaction video. 

And I don’t know the release schedule for Viz manga coming up in two weeks. So, how about we celebrate the new year with our favorite chibi eldritch abomination getting into the holiday season? Next time, we go back to Magu-chan: God of Destruction and see how Magu celebrates the new year in Chapter 27.

Until next Sunday, I’ve been Derek S. McGrath. You have a good afternoon. Bye. 

Links from Today’s Stream

My Links

Twitch

YouTube

Tumblr

WordPress

Medium

Ko-fi

Email

Donations

Donate to Democrats at Act Blue

Donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds

Donate to the University of California Academic Workers Strike Support and Hardship Fund

Labor Update

NJCU ending 37% of academic programs

Series and Films Discussed

Witch Watch

Magu-chan: God of Destruction Chapter 27

Music

“Los Angeles” by Muzaproduction 

“Sunshine” by lemonmusicstudio 

Other People’s Awesome Stuff

Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass and Blue Gal

Black Comics Chat

Support Jeff Harris (Paypal / Amazon / Post.news) 

Commission artwork from GoldenSunDeer

Irregulars Productions Soul Eater fan content

Painapple Studio (Patreon / Tumblr / Twitch)

[atlanticcanada]

Dr. Strang shares tips with families as cold, flu, RSV cases rise

Nova Scotia’s top doctor is reaching out to families with advice as viruses continue to circulate in the province.

In a letter shared with school boards across the province, Dr. Robert Strang asked Nova Scotians to do their part to ensure fewer people get sick.

He said while the province is seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases, influenza, RSV and colds are on the rise.

Nova Scotia’s latest Respiratory Watch data shows that in the last three weeks of November, lab-confirmed cases more than doubled each week. From Nov. 20 to 26, there were 524 new cases of influenza A and no new cases of influenza B.

Strang said that while the viruses are typically mild for most children, they can be “very serious” for infants and toddlers and they could end up in the emergency department or admitted to hospital.

Dr. Andrew Lynk, the head of pediatrics at the IWK Health Centre, joined Strang during a Nov. 17 press conference to discuss high patient numbers.

Lynk said that acute care services for children have been “stretched” across the province.

Monday’s letter from Strang provided five tips people can use to protect themselves and others:

If your child is over six months of age, please make sure they get their influenza vaccine as soon as possible. Make sure everyone in the family also receives their flu vaccine as well. This will help protect other family members and friends.

Ensure you and your child are up to date on all vaccines, including tetanus, pertussis, measles and COVID-19.

If your child is sick, please have them stay home until they are feeling better. Once your child is able to return to school and activities, they should choose to wear a mask when around others for two to three days.

If you or a family member is feeling unwell, but have to visit a public indoor space, please wear a mask.

If at all possible, please don’t let friends and relatives who are sick be around infants, young children and those with other health challenges. 

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/ygE8AF2

[littlejowo]

Just survived Covid for the third time. Allow me to list off the long-term effects I have. Keep in mind, this includes only what I'm aware of and can remember off the top of my head, and there are definitely more:

Multiple heart attacks (3 confirmed, 1 unconfirmed but likely)

A stroke

Brain damage that affected my speech, writing, memory, focus, and emotional threshold/reactivity

Arrhythmia

Growths in my left lung that resulted in permanent damage that makes it difficult to breathe

Occasional inability to take a breath at all (lasts a few seconds)

A persistent, occasional cough, even when otherwise not ill

A weakened immune system, as well as a new autoimmune disorder (a cold is as deadly as the flu to me now, and on top of this, instead of attacking the illness, my body will attack itself. Usually my kidneys and digestive system)

Weakened bones (after this latest time, I am at a high risk of developing osteonecrosis, which I will have to be on the lookout for)

Severe lack of coordination, often results in clumsiness and injury

Intermittent paralysis in both legs. Can last anywhere from a couple minutes to several hours

Fainting spells, frequent loss of consciousness (usually lasts only a few seconds)

Brain fog severe enough to impact my daily life, including my job

Slower function in nearly all areas of ny brain. Takes roughly triple the time to process any stimuli aside from tactile

Rare seizures (never had a single one before covid)

Occasional bouts of incontinence (usually paired with the intermittent paralysis, but sometimes happens on its own). If this worsens, I will need to start wearing adult diapers in the very near future

Constant state of mild to severe nausea, frequent vomiting

Fatigue that makes it difficult to move most days

Mild tic disorder became much more severe, now very similar to touretz syndrome (more tics, plus FAR more frequent, and extremely difficult and often impossible to prevent)

Frequent heart burn (almost never happened pre-covid)

Total inability to wake up at a reasonable time without assistance (always had issues with sleep, but now even setting alarms won't wake me before 5pm most days, and I need people to physically move me). Takes more than an hour to be able to move after waking

Frequent blood clots that result in edema, numbness, and pain

Entirely unable to take a deep breath without struggle, or risk of injury to certain internal organs (namely my lungs and spleen)

Change in vision and hearing

Occasional loss of balance, which results in falling if I don't have my mobility aid (I use a cane 100% of the time now. Until 2022, I only needed it for one day every few weeks)

Inability to grip things, even lightly, for long. Unable to grip tightly at all

Constant cramping and aches in all parts of my body, occasional buckling of knees/elbows

Keep in mind, this is only what I'm aware of, and only off the top of my head. There's more than this.

Again, this is after surviving covid THREE TIMES. Once in late 2019 or early 2020, once in late 2021, and once on the first day of 2023. Most of these effects came after the first infection and have persisted since then, and some gave started only in the past few days after the latest infection. I only survived the third infection because of Paxlovid, and being monitored at all times.

Covid has left me chronically ill and permanently disabled, to the point where any minor illness can now kill me without medical intervention. My condition is worsening to the point where I may be unable to walk before the decade ends, and I may be unable to move at all before I even turn 40 (I am 24 as of writing this post). I will forever have to be careful of every little thing about my body (with the biggest threats being to my heart, immune system, digestive system, and my bones). This is with me ALWAYS wearing a mask outside my home, being vaccinated, and frequently washing and sanitizing.

Please, do your part. Wash your hands, get your vaccines, and wear your masks. It takes ALL OF US, or else you get people like me who are nesrly killed by the actions of others. Many people DO die. Don't kill the people around you. This pandemic is still deadly, even to the healthiest of us

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220224/Study-reports-persistent-SARS-CoV-2-lingering-within-tissues-of-patients-with-long-COVID.aspx

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/long-covid-even-mild-covid-linked-damage-brain-months-infection-rcna18959

[bethanyactually]

This is the first year in as long as I can remember that I feel almost completely indifferent to the changing of the seasons from summer to fall. It’s extremely weird. I have to assume that it’s related to the fact that in some ways it feels like it should be August 2020 at the latest. :\

To be clear, I’m doing okay. My family is healthy and financially secure, and we all like each other and get along, and we’re all on the same page re: Science Is Real and all of that. We’re very fortunate compared to many, and we’re thankful.

That said, most people in our area seem to have given up on masking since it’s no longer mandated, even though there are big signs up at most businesses asking people to please wear masks, and offering free masks. And there are currently 2,000 covid deaths per day in the US, as many as there were in April 2020, despite the fact that now there are vaccines widely available at no cost.

I can only assume that we’re all more traumatized than we realize, and will be processing this pandemic and all the truths it’s revealed for a long time to come.

[misterewrites]

Deductive Wizardry: The Salt-Irons Case

Hey E here with a new chapter! woo! I hope you are all doing okay in these.....interesting times. You know I never understood why "may you live in interesting times" was a threat. I get it now. I want off the fucking ride guys. Please keep Ukraine in your hearts though step away if you need to. It's tough and really heartbreaking. Research good, reputable charities, watch out for misinformation from Russian Psyops and it's okay to take some time for yourself or maybe not want to hear about the war. It is a lot. For us state side we gotta watch out for Florida and Texas and hold a certain mouse accountable. 

Okay be safe, keep your loved ones safe. Wear your mask, wash your hands, get vaccinated if you can, be extra careful if you can't. Push global vaccinated cuz fuck this noise! :D Thank you so much all my readers. You make me so happy and it's nice to know there's some people who like my original work. As a writer I know how hard it is to get some traction for your own work and reading is already not everyone's thing so thank you so much. Feel free to share this with your friends, likes, reblogs and feedback are always welcomed because I love hearing that kind of stuff. E is out, have a great week! Bye!

Hey a more reader friendly site with the latest chapter up? No way! https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/94225096

And the last chapter in case you need a refresher? whaaaaat? https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/93202417

And the story from the beginning if you’re like “What is this? I’m bored and I got time to kill.”  https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/75486005

And if you like Arcane, Soul Eater, Genshin Impact, Legend of Zelda, Owl House or whatever else I happened to write you can find a list of all my works right here

https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrE42/pseuds/MrE42

And here at the end of our tour is the keep reading sign. for those of you leaving us have a good day, thanks for putting with this because promoting is kinda necessary for arts and fics. Bye bye!

Summary:  Finnrick survived his deadly alleyway encounter but the answer to this case eludes him still. It's time to do what he does best and put the clues together. Of course for that he's going to need a safe location and a good conspiracy board. Luckily he knows a place that has both.

-----

“So it’s that kind of day huh?”

“Mhm.” Finnrick responded, his gaze fixated upon the sight before him.

The M.R.R.D office was mostly empty save for one or two of the more dedicated officers given the lateness of the day: Tucked within a pocket dimension hidden in the backroom of Newton Haven City Hall and protected by powerful defensive magic put in place by a certain private investigator, the Magical Rapid Response Department was among one of the most secure places in the city.

The space itself had been magically expanded to be bigger on the inside: The main area where the various officers worked was roughly the equivalent of a warehouse though with marble tiling. The various colored doors led to much needed amenities: Kitchens, file storage, break rooms, nap rooms (for those Oh my god why won’t this day just stop moments.) security offices, gear and set up. There was even a two way portal that led directly to the Grimoire library for research purposes. The office was well equipped to handle any possible problem the magical world could throw at the city.

Too bad the walls couldn’t be changed. The paint was dull faded brown and no one, not even Finn, could figure how to get it to change colors.

Oh well.

“Well” Garrus the elf continued with his line of question, his sliver eyes peering curiously at Finnrick’s conspiracy board “This escalated huh son?”

“What makes you say that da?”

Garrus gestured to the black trench coat that hung off the seat “You took off your coat.”

Finnrick sighed as he stretched the back of his neck.

“And rolled up sleeves.” Garrus noticed with a hint of amusement “As your fake father should I be concerned?”

“Nah. Either I got it or I don’t. I need to review this.”

Officially Finnrick was not an employee of the M.R.R.D. He was considered an “Outside Asset.” which came with certain benefits and drawbacks. Finn was free to operate how he saw fit and without the limitations the M.R.R.D would normally have to deal with. He was given permission to use his magic at will and generally left alone to his own devices. This, however, also meant the M.R.R.D was not expected to assist him in any capacity beyond arresting the perpetrator if sufficient evidence was presented. Finnrick could not have any help from any officers not assigned to his case (if any had been), access to any of the department resources and not allowed to be near any open cases that he had not been hired to solve. He actually wasn’t supposed to be in the building to be honest.

Of course those rules were set in place in case The Council had decided to pay an unexpected visit. Those geezers were too traditional for Finnrick’s taste. Better for the department to cover their asses than deal with a Council hissy fit. Luckily Finnrick and M.R.R.D were close allies and no one actually minded having him around given how hard he worked to keep the city safe. Also he always repaired the wards for free whenever he came for a visit.

So “officially” Finnrick had no desk to work out his case on but the department used a board in the back that was considered free for anyone to use.

Garrus took a sip of his coffee as he took in all of Finn’s notes.

The plain board was covered with various index cards pinned to its surface. Different colored strings tied various names and locations together in a very crazed pattern. Some of the cards were circled to signify their importance while those that were crossed out indicted Finnrick either did not have enough to make them work or he found them irrelevant to the case at hand.

“Let’s start at the beginning. The Salt-Irons Apartments. Crossed out?” Garrus tilted his head curiously.

“It doesn’t matter. Whatever we’re dealing with was invited in. The protection wouldn’t have stopped it.”

Garrus nodded before moving onto the next clue “The victims? You don’t usually circle them.”

“True.” Finnrick agreed “But there’s dark magic afoot and either or both are behind it. So our victims are more than likely our bad guys as well. Until we can find them and get answers I can’t rule them out.”

“Sentinel?” Garrus cocked an eyebrow “Is that some kind of spell or something?”

“Person. Works out of the Northside. Means well but unconnected to the case. She’s a follow up for later.”

“I bet the Gatekeepers fucking loved that.”

Garrus and Finn turned around, their train of thought derailed by the new voice.

Eden Azreal was the other previously mentioned dedicated officer here tonight. A twenty something year old cleric of justice she took a her job very seriously. A little too much if Finnrick was going to be honest but only because she didn’t get the concept of rest.

Not that Finn was one to throw stones.

She was average height with long brown hair currently tied in a high ponytail. Despite her runner’s frame, Finn knew she routinely lifted a scary amount of terrifying weaponry on the daily with little effort. Based on the shine off her palish skin and the fact she was currently wearing a tank top/ yoga pants combo she’d probably just came back from exercising. Her fierce golden eyes twinkled with eagerness as she glanced back and forth between them.

“Well?” Eden asked impatiently.

Finnrick pursed his lips for a moment “Ma you’re not allowed to…”

“Fuck that.” She scoffed before pushing the boys to the side to make room for herself “Give me the details.”

Eden studied the board for a moment before blurting out “Okay what the hell am I looking at?”

“It’s our son’s conspiracy board.” Garrus answered with an impish grin.

The elf winced as Eden nudged his ribs playfully “Obviously but this is way more than we got. What are we thinking?”

“The victims probably were the cause of the dark magic.” Garrus filled in “I take it that’s where the mysterious ash and werewolf smugglers come into play.”

Finnrick confirmed with a nod “I sent the ash to get tested. One of Quinn’s cubs was dealing on the side.”

“So something illegal.” Eden finished “Not a lot of stuff on that list. Hoping it’ll give you an idea what the spell was?”

“No it wouldn’t be useful for that at this point. Trying to figure out the spell itself requires way more time and clues than I have.”

Eden frowned uneasily “So what are you expecting it to tell you?”

“Where.” Finnrick answered “Something big is going down tomorrow.”

Garrus raised an eyebrow quizzically “Tomorrow?”

“Full moon.” Finnrick clarified.

“The barriers will be at their weakest.” Eden clicked her tongue thoughtfully.

“Which is perfect for a summoning spell.” Garrus offered.

Finnrick shook his head “Whatever the victims made a deal with is here already. No point to try to summon it.”

“Deal?”

“Warlock. It mentioned being cheated when I fought it earlier.”

Eden whistled, clearly impressed by Finn’s detective work “Explains why you’re tired. So we have a warlock casting a dark magic spell and breaking a deal with something. You sure it’s not from here?”

Finnrick sighed as he ran his hands through his hair “It wasn’t a fan of sliver or bricks.”

Garrus scratched chin, ideas and theories starting form “Okay so let’s see if I got this straight: Warlock casts a dark spell, breaks a deal with their patron and now their patron is here on our plane of reality.”

“Not breaks.” Finnrick took a step closer to the board. He read each card over and over again, his mind trying to connect the dots “It said cheated. That means the victims kept their end of the deal in a way the creature hadn’t expecting. I’m willing to bet it traded their service for a spell of lost forbidden knowledge.”

The trio stood together in silence, their thoughts racing as one.

“Okay.” Finnrick spoke up, clearing his throat. Eden and Garrus leaned against some nearby desks well aware that it was case cracking time.

“Discount what we don’t know: The artists mannequins I found, the ash, illegal werewolf side dealing. Sentinel and the Salt-Irons. Amos.”

“Amos?”

“He’s in town.” Finnrick explained with a wave of his hand “Might be nothing. Might be something. But anyway it’s theory time.”

“Inkwell.”Eden gestured to one of the crossed out cards, her curiosity too great to ignore.

Finnrick rubbed his eyes “That is a problem for another day. Okay I’m Richard Charles.”

“Terribly generic name.” Eden snickered playfully.

“Very unoriginal.” Garrus chimed in with a grin.

Finnrick pressed on, completely ignoring their banter “I want something but I don’t know how to get it. I don’t even know if it’s possible. I have no magical experience.”

Eden raised her hand to interrupt “What about the son?”

“Factor him out. The father would be in a better position to do these things anyway. So I want something. Something bad given the dark nature of the spells I will use. What do I do?”

Garrus snapped his finger as the answer comes to him “You find a way to get the information.”

“Exactly! I can’t use normal means because M.R.R.D…”

“The best!” Eden motions to herself with a smirk. Garrus rolls his eyes though smiles warmly in her direction.

“...is going to keep tabs on everything.” Finnrick continues without missing a beat “So I need to get it from somewhere else. Something else. Somehow I figure a way to contact a powerful creature. I make a deal with it: The power to cast magic in exchange for something.”

Finnrick clicks his tongue “I finally get what I really want. The spell I was looking for. I need to get out of my deal with the patron….or maybe.” Finn suddenly snaps his finger “Maybe the spell is how I get out of the deal. A way to fulfill my part of the bargain I made but keep all my goodies I got.”

Garrus gave him confused stare “How do you figure that?”

“Anyone willing to make a deal with an unknown entity and use dark magic probably doesn’t have the best morals.” Finnrick gave a little shrug “just saying.”

“Fair. Go on.”

Finnrick glances at the board again “When I feel I’m ready I set out to perform the spell to get out of my deal. I start gathering the ingredients. When I get the last one, however, my patron wants to me to pay up, fulfill my side of the bargain. Maybe it notices what I’m doing, maybe it’s just impatient but the bill comes due sooner than I was expecting.”

Eden pursed her lips, trying to find Finn’s reasoning “What makes you say that?”

“Because.” Finnrick taps the broken spell circle card, unable to contain his excitement “My spell is rushed. It isn’t ready. Something messes it up. It backfires horribly and worst still my patron is somehow here. It found me. I have to run for it.”

“But my mishap will lead the M.R.R.D to my apartment.” Garrus fills in the blank.

Eden jumps to her feet, brimming with excitement “I have go into hiding. Hunted by two parties.”

Finnrick stares at the word ash “I still need to complete the spell to get out of the deal. M.R.R.D is bad news for me but at least they won’t kill me. Most of the materials are probably easy enough to get but the most important one only comes from one place.”

Garrus stands and begins pacing back and forth lost in thought “Luckily my werewolf dealer told me where he found it cuz he’s young and eager. High off the full moon enough to get cocky. He lets it slip where he found it. So I’ll just hide where the last ingredient is to be safe. No one else knows where it is anyway.”

“But I don’t realize if my werewolf dealer told me.” realization dawning upon the detective “he’ll tell anyone. Like a creepy old man waiting outside the alleyway.”

“That’s why he jumped you!” Eden slammed her fist on the desk in victory. And promptly winced as she tried to shake off the pain from her hand.

Finnrick shakes his head gently “No. Not him. It. The patron. It….it’s old. And it already knows. The cub probably blabbed or maybe it has a way to listen in even through walls. It jumps me because it knows I’m on the case. I’m asking questions. Worst I’m getting close. So it tries to get rid of me. It won’t be cheated again.”

A thick heavy tension falls over the trio. No one wants to say what they’re all thinking but Eden knows it’s better to deal with it sooner than later “...was the man another victim? A helpless pawn in the game?”

Finnrick remains quiet, unsure what to say.

“So.” Garrus clears his throat “Why the full moon?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Finnrick explains after a moment “It’s just universal randomness. I’m willing to bet he’s exhausted. He’s not used to magic and he didn’t develop the magical muscle you need for higher powered spells. Let me guess you got the call in the morning right? I bet someone heard something around 2 in the morning.

Eden nodded in confirmation.

Finnrick beamed with pride “He’s tired. He needs rest and with the full moon it’ll be easy to know when he can try to again. He just has to wait for it to be at the highest point in the sky and he’ll know it’s midnight. Plus every day his patron is here is a chance our reality ejects it out. Of course he doesn’t know it’s ancient. It probably could stay here for years without worrying about being banished naturally.”

“So we’re missing the where.”

As if waiting for a cue, Finnrick’s cellphone rang loudly, playing a cheery song from his favorite cartoon. Finnrick reaches for his coat pocket only to realize he isn’t wearing it. Sheepishly he reaches for his phone and answers.

“Drift speaking.”

“Heeeey Mister Drift.” It was Theo’s voice that answered though instead of the false swagger he usually presented, his tone was sullen and apologetic “So you know I have a strict no refund policy right?”

“Stop peering around the bush. Give it to me straight Brewmaster.”

Theo let out a heavy sigh “It’s dirt. Plain old dirt Mister Drift. It’s old, over 200 years give or take but just dirt. Mister Drift I’m sorry, I….”

Dirt…

Theo began launching into a spiel about how he tried his best but every test was telling him the same thing over and over but Finnrick had long since tuned out.

Dirt. Old, older than the city itself. Only a few places were left untouched by urban development.

“Theo.”

“And you know I take a real pride in my work and I hate giving out bad news but you know, if think you about it…”

“Theo.”

“…It’s not really my fault. You gave me dirt, it’s dirt! And the way you were telling me it was from a crime scene and…”

“Brewmaster.” Finn added some steel to his passive tone.

Theo fell silent at once.

“Thank you. You earned your pay and yes it was helpful.”

“R-Really?” Theo scoffed, slipping the mask of infallibility back on “Well naturally. You paid for the best so you get the best. So. We are squared right?”

“Naturally Brewmaster. Take care.”

“Cool” Theo awkwardly answered “Cool. Cool. Umm….bye.”

Before Garrus and Eden could ask, the phone rang once more a moment later. Finnrick answered without glancing downwards.

“Quinn.”

“Drif...Finnrick.”

“Whatcha got for me?”

Finnrick could hear the shuffling papers in the background “Cub picked up some graveyard dirt. Some of the others heard him boasting about it the other night. He isn’t telling which one though. Not much of a clue I’m afraid.”

“Actually.” Finnrick’s face broken into a grin “It’s exactly what I need. Thanks Quinn!”

Finnrick could practically hear the lost expression on the old wolf’s face “I...well….alright then. Should I stop interrogating him?”

“Absolutely. You can switch over to teaching him a lesson.”

“I….alright. Take care. Drift.”

“Dai.”

The phone had barely left the detective’s ear before Eden’s question exploded out of her.

“Well!?”

Finnrick let out a sigh of relief “I know where it is.”

Garrus and Eden shared a smirk.

“It’s graveyard dirt.” Finnrick explained as he scrawled a new note and pinned it onto the board.

Garrus frowned unhappily “Wait, graveyard dirt? That shouldn’t be possible. All the graveyards in town are consecrated. Even magic from darker, evil gods is considered divine. It would completely disable any necromantic magic.”

Eden scoffed, unimpressed “Please. Obviously you can just take it out of the graveyard and it would lose its holy...ness.”

“And how would you know?” Garrus leaned in inches away from his partner’s face.“Because I’m a cleric. That’s clearly how it works. Right Finn?”

Finnrick raised his hands when Eden gestured at him to take her side. Her face scrunched up in disappointment.

“Et tu my son?!”

“Well….” Finnrick tried to stifle his laughter “No. That’s not how it works. It still retains some of its divinity even if it’s removed from the source. You would have to basically corrupt it to turn it back to normal dirt. You know you still have to study magic ma even if you have a god handing it out to you.”

“So he could’ve done that.” Eden insisted, ignoring the last bit.

“That doesn’t seem very efficient.” Garrus countered logically.

“You don’t seem efficient!”

“You’re still mad about the sandwich.”

“It was my sandwich! I LABELED IT WITH MY NAME!!”

“Do not touch is not your name.”

“Guys!” Finnrick jumped in between, separating the bickering partners with a wave of his hand “Occam’s Razor.”

Eden raised an eyebrow “Occam’s what?” while Garrus scratched his clean shaven face, muttering under his breath “I don’t even own a razor.”

Finnrick gestured to the board “It means the simplest solution is often the correct one. Unconsecrated graveyard dirt.”

Eden and Garrus turned to the other in hopes they had an answer. They ended up staring blankly at one another for a few seconds.

“You’re right da. Every graveyard in Newton Haven is consecrated by some sort of divinity.”

Garrus beamed with pride.

“But.” Finnrick continued with a theatrical wave of his hand “There is one graveyard that is unconsecrated. Outside of town.”

The detective paused for dramatic effect as the partners slowly realized what he was implying.

“Gallow Hills.” Garrus replied, his silver eyes wide with awe “It’s out in Litwick forest.”

“Exactly!” Finnrick let the tension wash out of him.

“Well.” Eden cracked her knuckles threateningly “Wait are we waiting for?”

Finnrick rose a hand “Whoa, slow your horses ma. You know the rules.”

“Well yeah but the rules won’t know if I break them. I’m not going to tell them and Garbear over here isn’t a snitch.”

"Nope.” Garrus grunted as he reached for his rifle laying across his desk.

“Sorry I can’t let you do that. We’re already pushing it as it is. My case and you two handed it off to me.”

The partners exchanged a concern look.

Finnrick reached for his coat, slipping it on with a dramatic flourish “I’m not going alone. I’ll bring Case and Jai with me.”

The two weren’t satisfied with that response but little could be done about it.

“Be careful” Eden pinched his cheek playfully “I will kill you if something else does.”

“Do you need anything before you go champ?” Garrus clasped his shoulder gently.

Finnrink thought about it for a moment.

“Actually yes. Do you have a file on Richard Jr?”

“I complied everything we had. It isn’t a lot. There wasn’t even a photo.”

Finnrick motioned for the elf to lead on though little did the officer know he had solved the final mystery eluding the wizard detective.

Everything was in motion and tomorrow everything would come to a head. It was going to be a really long fucking day.

Fuuuuuuuuuun.

[awhitehead17]

Batfam Alphabet: F - Fear Toxin

Summary: When Tim gets injected with a new variant of Scarecrow’s fear toxin, all Jason could do is hold the kid in his arms to stop him from getting injured further as he waits for back up to arrive. 

A/N: As a warning violence happens, nothing too graphic but here’s a warning just in case!

Enjoy! :D

Jason pauses when his fingers grasp nothing but empty air. Snapping his gaze down, he frowns when he finds his pocket completely empty. He sighs and curses. This is just what he needs, he’s ran out of antidotes.

He looks up across the street to find Tim administering an antidote into another cowering civilian caught in the crossfire of Gotham’s latest villain scheme. Jason jogs over to his brother and glances at him through his helmet. “You got any more? I’m out.”

Tim shakes his head regretfully. “No. That was my last one. We really underestimated how far Scarecrow’s toxin got this time. We don’t have enough.”

Jason hums in agreement and observes their surroundings. They’re together in a back alley of Gotham’s streets, one that had been hit badly by Scarecrow’s latest fear toxin. They had the task of vaccinating all the civilians around with the new antidote. Back in the cave they calculated an estimate number of many people populated the area and had prepared more than enough between them, or so they thought, unfortunately their numbers were far from right leaving them with not nearly enough antidotes.  

Around them now, many civilians are still under the hallucinations of the toxin, some are screaming, crying or even violently yelling at empty air. Jason swears again, this is not how the night was supposed to go.

He’s brought out of his thoughts when Tim turns to him. “We’re going to need to go back and restock. We’re not much use otherwise.”

“Agreed.”

He wonders if the others are having similar issues with numbers and the lack of antidotes. The team’s spread out around Gotham’s most targeted areas, all of them working in pairs for safety and everyone working their asses off to help people in the city.

Wordlessly the two of them head for their hidden vehicles in a neighbouring alley. As they prepare to climb onto their bikes Tim glances his way to say something but ends up yelling in alarm instead. “Hood watch out!”

It’s thanks to Jason’s reflexes that he’s able to duck underneath the swinging arm in time to avoid being hit. He brings his gun out and turns to face his attacker. His attacker is probably middle aged man, a little on the heavy side and he’s wearing a shitty Halloween mask to hide his face. Jason dodges another swing and returns the favour, he takes him out in three quick and precise strikes with his hands.

A loud grunt gets his attention and Jason spins around to find Tim caught in a head lock with a gun pressed against his temple. Tim’s attacker is too wearing a mask as were the four others who now surround them. Where they came from Jason has no idea. How the hell did they miss these guys who had obviously been waiting and hiding for them to return to their bikes?

As Jason levels his gun at Tim’s attacker the four others surrounding him also raise their guns pointing them in his direction, this concludes them all into a standoff.

Tim’s attacker speaks up first. “Put that gun down or I blow his brains out.”

Behind his mask Jason rolls his eyes. How fucking cliché? He keeps his gun up though, pointing at the man and in a cocky statement he takes the safety off with an audible click. The man holding Tim snorts as he had been expecting Jason’s disobedience.

“Very well. I’ll show you how this is going to go. You get one warning and mate, you’ve just used that warning.”

He kicks Tim’s legs out from underneath him and lets him go, unexpecting the abrupt movement Tim crashes to the floor. Once he’s sprawled out on the ground the attacker stamps on one of Tim’s hands, causing a rather loud and sickening crack to ring out. Jason winces as Tim yells in pain but before anyone could react further the same man manhandles Tim to his knees and resumes their previous position.

He cocks the gun and presses it to Tim’s head. “Now, if either of you act up, you’re gonna get a hurt whole lot worse than a broken hand. Now follow us. No funny business! Get his gun!”

One of the men come and wrench Jason’s gun out of his hand and all Jason could do was let him. He doesn’t want to risk Tim any more than he has to.

He and Tim are marched out of the alley and into another before being directed into an abandoned building. They’re walked into the middle of the room and forced down to their knees, once on the ground a couple of the thugs come over to grab their hands and tie them behind their backs. Jason grits his teeth and refrains from doing something like headbutting the asshole, while next to him Tim lets out a pained grunt as his broken hand is jostled.

When they step away Jason twists his body awkwardly to get a look at his restrained wrists to find them tied with cable ties. Jason huffs in disbelief. His attention is soon brought back to the room when one of the attackers speak up.

“Boss we got’em just like you asked.”

Jason straightens up when a new figure walks into the room only to grit his teeth seconds later when Scarecrow is revealed. The bastard doesn’t stop moving until he’s looming over them. Unable to help himself Jason speaks up, sarcasm heavily laced in his tone. “Same shit different day Crane. Why don’t you go and get yourself a new hobby, go for something like knitting perhaps.”

Crane turns his head towards Jason, his expression hidden by that stupid potato sack over his head. “You would like that wouldn’t you? If I were gone there would be nothing to fear. Perhaps that clown but nothing else.”

“Sorry to break it to you but you ain’t that scary.” Jason quips, glaring through his helmet.

“Maybe not right now but with a little help, I will be, I’ll become your greatest nightmare.” Crane reaches behind him and pulls out a box, he makes a show of opening it up and producing a syringe filled with a clear liquid. “A person can learn to control themselves when feeling great emotion, sadness, happiness, anger, but never in times of fear. Fear is the minds greatest enemy and that’s why it’s so powerful, why even the greatest of men fall.”

Jason watches as Crane drifts over to stand in front of Tim, his brother simply looks up with a hard and determined expression not saying anything. Crane fiddles with the syringe in his hands, studying Tim as he does.

“It won’t work. We’re not stupid Crane.” Jason says feeling dread build up inside of him. He knows what’s about to happen and he has feeling he knows exactly what Crane’s response is going to be.

“I know. That’s why I’m sure you’ve worked out that this is a different toxin I’ve produced to the one I’ve already distributed. One of which you don’t have an antidote for.”

For the first time Tim speaks up, snarling at the man in front of him. “Go to hell Crane.” Scarecrow doesn’t answer Tim, instead he reaches down and grabs a fist full of Tim’s hair and yanks his head back to expose his neck.

From his position Jason lurches at the movement, ready to pounce but it stopped when the thugs immediately zone in on him. Guns point at him and at Tim, simply daring him to make another move. Uselessly he settles back down on the ground.

Crane jabs the syringe into the kid’s neck and injects the liquid into Tim’s body. Once it’s empty he steps away, pushing Tim down to the ground as he does. Jason is torn between worriedly watching Tim’s unmoving form on the ground and Crane’s retreating figure from the room.

One of the thugs speak up. “Uh boss now what? We not killing the big one?”

“No.” Crane says firmly. “He has a choice to make, come after me and leave the other to suffer or help him and let me go.”

“You bastard!” Jason yells as Crane exits the room, disappearing from his sight. “You’ll be sorry you’ve left me alive! I will kill your ass when I next see it.”

Jason snaps his attention to Tim who is now whimpering on the floor. He needs to get help, he needs to get Tim to the cave so they can start working on a new antidote to whatever the hell Crane just injected him with.

With some difficulty, Jason twists and wiggles around so he can move to get his restrained hands in front of him. Using a move Dick once showed him, Jason tucks up tightly loops his arms underneath his body so they go underneath him and end up in front of him. It tests his flexibility for sure but it works.

Once his arms are in front of him he reaches up and presses the comms, getting Barbara’s help.

“O! I need immediate assistance!”

“Hood what’s going on, why did you and Red Robin go radio silent-”

Not having the patience Jason cuts her off. “Now’s not the time! We ran into Scarecrow and he injected Red with a new toxin. We need to get him to the cave asap.”

“Shit. I’m alerting the others now and sending them your location. Do what you can to help Red.”

“Already on it.”

Jason signs off and moves to break the cable ties around his wrists. He tightens them up as much as possible, raises his hands over his head and brings his fists down to his stomach in one fluid movement. Upon impact the ties break and his heads are freed.

Not wasting a second he scrambles over to Tim who is now starting to wither on the floor, whimpering pitiful sounds. Knowing there’s not much he can do, Jason decides to break the ties from Tim's own wrists, he’s aware of Tim’s broken hand but that’ll have to be dealt with later on.

At least that was his plan up until he puts a hand on Tim’s shoulder. As soon as Jason touches him, the kid freaks out. He lets out a scream of terror and suddenly jerks up right and starts to scramble away from him. Jason freezes in shock as he watches Tim try and move away from him, but the kid’s movements were hindered by his hands being tied behind him.

“No no no no. I’m sorry. Please I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. No no no. It won’t happen again I promise.”

The words were quiet and raspy but Jason could hear them clearly in the silence of the room. He needs to stop Tim from moving and also to prevent further damage to his hands. He cautiously approaches Tim again, crouching down low and taking slow steps forward, but at the moment Tim only sees him as a threat. The kid screams and continues to try and scramble backwards away from him.

“No no no! I’m sorry! Please don’t kill me…”

Jason frowns at the words as his heart lurches inside of his chest at the sound of Tim’s pleading voice. When he takes another step forward Tim only screams again, making Jason freeze on the spot. He really ought to get Tim to stop moving, Jason doesn’t particularly want to use force to get him to restrain his movements but he doesn’t think he has any choice.

Sighing Jason takes off his helmet, something he admittedly probably should have done before now, and approaches Tim again. As expected the kid screams and begs as he tries to shuffle away, his legs kicks out and his body contorts uncomfortably.

Pretty much out of options Jason lunges for Tim. He grabs the kid’s ankle to stop him from getting any further away before diving onto the floor and situating himself behind Tim. He wraps his legs around Tim’s thighs and knees, pinning them in place and he wraps his arms around Tim’s torso and shoulders. He holds on tightly as Tim tries and fails to buck out of his grasp.

While the kid screams in his arms all Jason could do is hold him and wait until backup comes. He counts the never ending minutes as they tick by. His brother is weakly fighting his hold while tears stream down his cheeks as he whimpers out pleas, it breaks Jason’s heart to hear it all.

Thankfully the cavalry soon arrive, they burst into the room and take in the scene before them. Both Dick and Bruce rush towards them and immediately start making plans.

“How long ago was he injected?” Bruce demands as he grasps Tim’s chin. Tim tries to get out of it but Bruce holds firm as he removes the kid’s mask and studies his dilated pupils.

“Twenty maybe thirty minutes. Right before O contacted you. Crane got away.” Jason reports automatically. He’s furious about Crane of course but family comes first, he couldn’t have left Tim alone in this state.

“Hold him still.” Bruce grunts as he digs through his utility belt. After a moment he produces a small blood sample kit. With quick efficiency Bruce takes a vial of Tim’s blood, caps it off and holds it out to Nightwing who had been hovering on the side but not getting in the way. Dick takes it without words. “Get a head start to the cave, Agent A is preparing to start a new antidote trial.”

Dick nods, his gaze lingers on Tim before his head tilts in Jason’s direction. “Keep me updated.” He disappears before Jason could respond. When Dick is out of sight his attention is drawn back to Tim and Bruce.

“We need to get him to the car and then to the cave. You’ll need to keep him restrained so he doesn’t hurt himself.”

If the situation were different Jason would both be peeved and even upset at the detachment in Bruce’s tone of voice. Unfortunately in this situation he can understand why Bruce is like it, not being emotionally invested will allow him to focus on the task at hand, which in this case happened to be getting Tim back to the cave and working on a new antidote. He’ll let himself feel everything once he knows Tim is safe and sound.

Together he and Bruce manage to get Tim into the batmobile. The kid does nothing other than scream, whimper, plead and cry as they move him. Jason makes sure to tell Bruce about his hand and once in the car Bruce relays the injury to Alfred in the cave. Once they’ve worked out the antidote they can work on his hand.

Getting back to the cave seems long and tedious but once they’re there they move Tim from the car and into the medical bay. They settle him down on one of the cots, having to restrain his wrists and ankles to the bed to stop him moving so much and Alfred updates them on the situation with the antidote.

They were fortunate enough to be able to come up with a temporary antidote in that short amount of time. It turns out Scarecrow hadn’t used a new toxin but rather the same one as before, the only difference in this one is that there are hints of Poison Ivy’s hallucinogen concoction. Dick and Alfred quickly worked together to combine the two antidotes making a new one altogether.

Without much hesitation they give Tim the new antidote and watch as the kid quietens down on the bed and falls unconscious. It’s only after Alfred deems everything is okay that they all can breathe somewhat easily again.

While Dick, Bruce, Jason and Barbara (over the comms) discuss the next steps and about what the current situation is looking like, Alfred stays with Tim and patches up his hand, fixing a cast over the skin and bone until they can get it looked at professionally.

As plans are being made Jason watches Alfred work, his worry for Tim still heavily stirring inside of him. He doesn’t think he’ll be forgetting those petrified screams any time soon. Once the kid wakes up Jason is going to have a long chat with Tim, one to rest his own subconscious and secondly because he wants to make sure the kid is mentally okay after the ordeal. He’ll make sure Tim gets some proper r&r after all of this and maybe even for himself too once Crane is dealt with.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

EVANESCENCE Tour 'Hit By COVID'; Band Credits Being Vaccinated For Having Only Mild Symptoms

EVANESCENCE and HALESTORM have postponed their show tonight (Sunday, December 12) at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio after the two bands' joint tour was "hit by COVID."

EVANESCENCE announced the concert postponement in a social media post earlier today. The band wrote: "Our tour has been hit by COVID and we are forced to postpone our show tonight in Cincinnati. We were able to reschedule the show for Monday, Dec. 20th, so hold onto your tickets! Be on the lookout for an email with additional information. Please be safe out there! See you soon."

EVANESCENCE added: "Even when you have every precaution in place, you can still get and transmit this virus. Grateful we are all vaccinated and nobody's symptoms are severe. Please be smart and stay safe this season, get the vax, wear a mask, care for one another. We will get through this together".

EVANESCENCE and HALESTORM's tour kicked off on November 5 at in Portland, Oregon and will run through December 18 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

EVANESCENCE and HALESTORM first toured together in 2012. EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee later guested on the track "Break In" on HALESTORM's 2020 "Reimagined" EP and HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale lent backing vocals to the EVANESCENCE song "Use My Voice" and appeared in the accompanying music video.

EVANESCENCE is on tour supporting this year's "The Bitter Truth" album. HALESTORM is promoting its latest single, "Back From The Dead", which recently became the band's sixth No. 1 at rock radio.

[rebeccalouisaferguson]

TIFF also took the unusual step of announcing a few of the films that will screen in competition. They include Kenneth Branagh’s coming-of-age drama “Belfast”, Edgar Wright’s horror-thriller “Last Night In Soho,” and Alison Klayman’s Alanis Morissette documentary “Jagged.” Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” will get a special Imax screening, but will not be eligible for awards. The festival plans to reveal more selections by the third week of July and should have most of its slate locked down by the middle of August.

Variety spoke with Cameron Bailey, TIFF’s artistic director and co-head, and Joana Vicente, TIFF’s executive director and co-head, about the public health situation in Canada, the safety precautions they are taking to keep audiences healthy, and the 2021 lineup.

One staple of TIFF is the red carpet premieres and parties. Will those happen? Will filmmakers and stars still be on hand to introduce their movies?

Vicente: We are hoping to welcome talent in Toronto. I’m not sure parties are in the cards. But we think talent will be able to be celebrated and will get a chance to interact with audiences while showing their films.

Will you require people to provide proof of vaccination in order to attend in-person events? Will there be social distancing at screenings and other safety measures?

Vicente: We are looking at safety protocols like social distancing, masks, no concessions, no physical tickets. Right now, we are not looking at having people provide proof of vaccination, but as things evolve and things become more normal in Canada that may change. We know that in the U.S. festivals and sports are requiring proof of vaccine. We have to stay nimble and see how things evolve and we might need to adapt and adopt that.

What are you most looking forward to about the 2021 edition of TIFF?

Bailey: Maybe this is the movie geek in me, but I’m very excited to be presenting “Dune” at the very first Imax cinema ever built, the Cinesphere. It’s a big moment for us because Denis Villeneuve is really one of us. We’ve been presenting his films since the beginning. To see his success globally has been magnificent and it’s something we take pride in as part of the Canadian film industry. And he’s presenting his latest film in a Canadian technology — Imax was invented here. That’s a big moment. It touches film history for us in a nice way.

please read the whole article under the link

[babbushka]

I want to open this up for a civil discussion, and your opinion can be different from me or others, but with the CDC saying it’s fine when you’re vaccinated to no longer wear a mask or socially distance two weeks after your last dose is given, do you think vaccinated people should still be being cautious? I saw you repost about this and I didn’t know if that was before or after the CDC came out about it. And once again, I completely respect whatever you say, we’re all mature adults here :)

Hello! Sure I’m more than happy to share my thoughts! 

I think that the CDC lifting the mask mandate is exceedingly irresponsible and reckless. Memorial Day weekend is coming up soon, and considering we are only 36% fully vaccinated, with only 40% of the country having gotten their first shot, I personally foresee an issue. 

It’s important to remember that the vaccine is not 100% effective. It is pretty damn close at 99.8 or whatever the latest numbers are, and yes you are completely protected against death from COVID-19 if you’re fully vaccinated, but you can still get sick (look at the NY Yankees). You can still test positive for the virus. The virus can grow and mutate into different variants that your vaccine may not be able to fight. 

I know America is rife with entitlement (I mean just look at the panic-buying gas situation from a couple days ago that caused gasoline shortages for no reason other than people being selfish, or the toilet paper panic buying from last year), and I know that this lifting of the mandate is meant to encourage people to continue to think about themselves in the manner of “being vaccinated = no more masks”, but all it’s going to do is allow people to be selfish in the different manner of “I’m going to lie and say that I’m fully vaccinated because we’re basing this on an honor system that I can and will exploit.” 

We’re already seeing people make fake vaccination cards. We’ve already seen those fake “I have a disability so I can’t wear a mask” cards. People who want to be contrarian, who want to buy into conspiracy theories, who want to push false narratives and spread misinformation are already exploiting every loophole they can -- and now the CDC has given them essentially the biggest loophole they could. People who are staunch anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers already weren’t following the mandate, but at least when the mandate was in place, violations could be enforced.

Of course whether or not private businesses continue to enforce mask mandates is up to them, but large corporations are already announcing they won’t be requiring them. So, where does this leave us?

It leaves us with a false sense of security. The pandemic is not over. The virus is not gone. We have only just approved the pfizer vaccine for children. And with the removal of social distancing mandates, mask mandates, and rampant anti-vax conspiracies and campaigns, there is almost no way we will be able to achieve herd immunity (which is said to be at ~70% vaccination, as a reminder, we’re only at 36%). 

Those of us who are fully vaccinated may feel like we’re on top of the world, but this thing isn’t over yet. You may be protected, but you can still pass the virus to others. There are almost 600,000 Americans dead from our own entitlement and selfishness as a nation. We have just finally begun the steps necessary to cull that number and work towards eradicating this thing like we did Polio. 

And it’s working! People getting vaccinated is working! Please please if you’re reading this and you have vaccine hesitancy, I promise you it’s alright. People who are vaccinated are helping stop the spread, they’re not getting sick -- but only in conjunction with these other measures like wearing your masks, washing your hands, and keeping a safe distance. When we remove the requirements for these other measures, when we stop being vigilant, the spread moves quicker again. 

TLDR; All of this is to say that I’m not going to stop being cautious. I’m not going to stop wearing my masks (and I say masks plural because I do wear 2) until a greater number of people are vaccinated. I’m not going to stop keeping my distance. Now is not the time to party recklessly. Now is the time to buckle down more than ever before and do what is right for our country, protecting our most vulnerable.