#we need a union in every department of the hospital

[renee-mariposa]

I think I would fucking love my job if the corporation I work for wasn’t flagrantly exploiting us employees for shareholder profit

[organizeworkers]

What is a March on the Boss, and How Do We Do It?

By Iraj Eshghi

A “march on the boss” is a direct action tactic in which workers collectively and publicly confront their boss to make one or more demands. Whether you are using it in the context of a direct action plan aimed at winning a specific demand or set of demands or to apply pressure in the lead up to an election or during contract negotiations, knowing how to effectively deploy a march on the boss should be in every organizer’s toolkit. 

Any sort of disruptive action in the workplace, like a march on the boss, carries the risk of discipline and retaliation. Its primary goal of the march should be to advance the workers’ plan to win on the issues they care about the most. A march on the boss is usually one step in a sequence of escalation tactics, preceded by other smaller tactics and followed by others, increasing the pressure each time. 

When should we march on the boss?

Using the march on the boss tactic is best right after an important galvanizing event: a boss fires or disciplines a co-worker, or negotiations reach a deadlock, for example. At times like these, it’s particularly useful to increase pressure in a public show of force. 

Marching on the boss simultaneously shows off the depth and commitment of your union’s organization, while also serving to test your organizing capacity. Union organizing involves a lot of uncertainty on both the side of the boss and the workers. It also shows that you can plan a march and rally your co-workers in solidarity, which can help get the boss to budge on the target you’ve chosen ahead of time. 

Properly timing the march in the context of the overall campaign is important too. The campaign will be a lot more effective during later stages of organizing once most of the employees connect and commit to the organizing effort.

What does the march actually look like?

A march on the boss depends on a lot of factors, but your primary consideration should be the number of workers in question. Remember, this is an intimidation tactic, so the collective of employees must be imposing enough to have an effect on the boss and cause them to rethink their position. You must remain aware of the power balance at play and ideally think through it yourselves: 

How many people do you need to mobilize for the demand in question? 

Does some specific department of our workplace have a stronger PR effect than the others? 

Consider, for example, maternity ward workers in a hospital organizing a march on the boss: Materially, they might represent a smaller fraction of the hospital’s profits than the surgery department, but they hold a lot of sway in the public eye and are typically paid worse and thus easier to organize.

How do we win?

There are several ways you can maximize your chances of success, but the necessary components are commitment, inoculation, and a constructive debrief.

Securing commitments

You must secure commitments from your co-workers through one-on-one conversations. Talk with them, ask what motivates them, and tie it into the campaign. If they feel that joining in on the march can meet their demands, you’ll have the numbers that matter. Once they commit, ask them to join you in planning the action and talking with more co-workers. The more involved they are, the more they will feel empowered by the action’s success, and they will be more likely to work with you on future escalations in the union campaign.

Inoculation

You must also prepare your co-workers for all possible outcomes. The workers involved must be aware of the potential retaliation and narrative that will come from the boss and choose to remain committed despite it. Before the action itself, you and your co-workers should role-play through the events and make sure everyone involved knows their tasks and where things may go wrong. 

Constructive debrief

Once the march is over, it will be crucial to take a step back. Review the following: 

Did you win what you wanted going into the action?

What worked? What didn’t? 

By going through this together, did you learn anything about the employer and their strengths or weaknesses?

This last question can help inform further action down the line.

You’ll also want to make sure everyone knows what the next steps are and how you’re preparing to respond to whatever the boss comes back with. Remember, this is a mere step in a larger campaign, so everyone involved must be ready to continue cranking up the pressure as the campaign moves forward.

[fauyen]

I'd rather stick to word of mouth, consumer reports, and with apps like yelp (which would need to have their reviews regulated). I think we could publicly fund the internet like we do with other things. Advertising and sponsors are already breaking the validity of search engines, and websites look like malware invested zombies nowadays. The money spent on advertising is passed on to the consumer as an added cost of the product or the service. That money could instead be used for reinvestment into the business, money for the cost of running the business, or for paying employees. Smaller businesses have even less money to go around for something like advertising. Also, people all around the world should get to experience public spaces free of capitalistic influence as much as possible. We're so used to seeing/hearing ads everywhere that it's become almost impossible to imagine a world without them. Businesses should be restricted to their own private spheres and leave the public alone. To encroach on the lives of people who want nothing to do with their products is frankly infuriating. If someone needs something or they want something, they're fully capable of seeking that product out. Advertising is manipulation to get people to desire something they may never have purchased without the influence. I'm also a staunch supporter of degrowth. We should produce fewer products and only what we need. Resources are dwindling. The environment is heading toward an uninhabitable state for humans and other living things. And people spend money they don't have on things they don't need in part because of advertising. The amount of resources and energy it takes to make advertisements is also a travesty. Stopping it would slow down the capitalistic juggernaut that's ruining all our lives.

Now I'm veering off on a tangent.

And if a business dies without advertising, then it wasn't necessary, or its products weren't worth purchasing. By that token, I'm also against giant corporations, chains, and monopolies. We need to bring back 90% taxation for big businesses, trust busting, enact heavy regulations and quality controls, hold these entities responsible for the toll they take on the environment, strengthen unions all around the world for all people so they have nowhere to go for exploition, de-privatize prisons and change the 13th amendment to end modern slavery in prisons (I realize this is USA specific, but we're not the only ones that use prisoners for labor and free workers shouldn't have to compete with slave labor), prevent stock bybacks, stop bailing out failing businesses, institute universal Healthcare and UBI so businesses can't use danger to health or wealth to keep workers in shit jobs, repeal corporations rights to be considered people, and prevent lobbying campaigns that basically buy politicians. And the minimum wage in the USA should be $25 an hour to keep up with the current inflation, women should make equal compensation for equal work to men, and children under the age of 16 shouldn't be allowed to work. There should be a four day work week and intiatives to get people into housing in the same town they work in so they don't have to commute long distances every day and they can actually build a community. Houses should also not be an investment opportunity, but instead as primary homes for real people. Public transportation, public schools k-college, fire departments, public libraries, hospital or clinics, clean public water and safe electric utility, parks and recreation, mental health and addiction services, homes for every person, public local history museums, and public works should be fiercely protected and invested in in every village/town/city regardless of the demographics or place in the world. Businesses that force their employees to rely on food stamps, housing vouchers, Medicare, and other poverty related government programs because they refuse to pay them a living wage either need to drastically reduce the size of their operations or cease operating. I understand that everything I proposed would cause drastic changes in how things are running, but it's a necessity if we want to live in a world that prioritizes people over profit.

at this point I wish advertising in general was just literally illegal. Word of mouth only. Maybe exceptions beneath a certain net value like if you’re a startup or a family run business but if you’re already making a billion dollars then making even one single commercial or banner campaign should be a crime and I mean a crime like the CEO gets investigated on national television and goes to prison forever and everyone agrees they’re a sick fucked up maniac

[serafiel-jacobs]

Dire Machinations (Fanfic)

New chapter from my main series 🩷

“Hey, Pulcinella can you do me a favor?”

He was at the Workshop Union attending to his work issues when one of the secretaries asked for his help.

“Of course” He replied, “What do you wish me to do miss?”

The girl chuckled, “You are always so polite”

She pointed at a garbage bag that was next to her, “Anyway I’m tasked with throwing away the trash but I just did my nails and a girl like me shouldn’t have to do them for something like this”

The girl had a big smile, technically he is the one who throws the trash every day because they all ask this favor.

“Can you help me out please?”

“As usual, I am happy to provide my services” Pulcinella doesn’t mind, it’s what makes their bond stronger with them. It’s good to have strong work relationships.

Meanwhile, Venigni was in a meeting, thankfully the last he would need to for his show-off transportation modes at the Grand Exhibition.

“How odd, where is Geppetto?” One of the workers asked, the meeting was about to start.

Geppetto is the president of the union, he should be in all meetings tending to this matter, once each project is given the final go, he personally has to handle the arrangements for its show-off at the exhibitions alongside the marketing department.

“He had family matters to attend to” Venigni replied.

Pinocchio is in a therapy session, and so is Geppetto.

“Can we finally admit he is overcompensating?” Another man in the room said, “Carlo died and he wasn't the best father but a puppet doesn’t need that much attention”

“Don’t say things like that” Another coworker said, “Yeah it’s just a puppet but if Geppetto thinks it's his family we have to respect that”

Venigni rolled his eyes, even when they weren’t rude to Pinocchio they still only saw him as an object.

“Can we go back to the topic at hand?” Venigni wasn’t in the mood for work drama, “Geppetto trusts that we can plan this by ourselves, shouldn’t we be flattered?”

Everyone took their seats, the meeting went on without issue, and everything seemed to go well, Venigni was leaving the union early to manage the hospital, and then he had to show up to an event, in his mind running the list of things he needed to do today when he overheard something that made him gasp.

“You know I heard that Geppetto is skipping work in the morning some days because he goes to see a psychiatrist”

Venigni stopped in his tracks, overhearing the conversation while pretending he was more focused on looking for some papers before leaving.

“Are you serious? Sure it’s weird that he treats that puppet at his son, but to think he is actually crazy…”

Venigni needs to inform Geppetto of this before it gets out of hand, for now, he can’t keep neglecting his responsibilities, Pulcinella can handle the rest while he is here.

—-

Pinocchio was playing the violin at Antonia’s home, Geppetto was leaving him with her in the meantime so they could spend some time together.

“Nothing has happened to you, right? Nothing suspicious?” Geppetto was concerned that she could be targeted.

“It seems this King of Riddles isn’t interested in me in the slightest” Antonia chuckled, “Perhaps if he wasn’t a ruthless killer, I would be offended”

How do you not pay attention to THE Lady Antonia? She steals the show in every room she is in, she is a prima donna without having to sing.

“Good” Geppetto let out a sigh of relief, “He wanted to see you today, with how stressed he has been, I’m sure you can do a better job than me to cheer him up”

Antonia laughed, “You know there is talk going on that we are seeing each other?”

He hadn’t heard about it, although it makes sense considering how he spends more time with her than before due to Pinocchio, considering how many know she sees the boy as a son is not too far-fetched to believe that, unlike other rumors.

“That’s great, more cover for you and Polendina” Geppetto joked, “I am amazed that one has suspended a thing”

“I am good at hiding my secrets” Antonia smiled, “As usual, I’ll take good care of the boy as he takes good care of me”

Pinocchio practiced music with her, it’s always special when he can be at her home and not at Hotel Krat. The hotel will always be a treasured place for him, but considering how it’s filled with people now that are back in business it doesn’t seem as personal anymore.

They were having small talk, when Pinocchio became quiet, looking away from her.

“What’s wrong dear?”

It’s probably naive of him to ask this, still, “Why doesn’t he feel bad about killing people?”

He feels bad for killing, Cecile also feels bad, why doesn’t Arlecchino feel bad? Why didn’t Simon feel bad? Frederick is probably killing people too why doesn’t he feel bad?

“I know it’s because they are evil” Pinocchio continued, “Is that the only reason? Why are people evil?”

Antonia noticed that no one had properly explained it to him, they all assumed he would know.

“Pinocchio, everyone is supposed to have a conscience” Antonia knew this subject would be tough to explain, “A conscience is like your guide”

“Like Sophia or Gemini?”

“Mmm sort of like that” Antonia smiled, “Something that sets you on the right path, that teaches you right from wrong, since no one is born knowing that from the start”

Pinocchio nodded, he was understanding.

“Everyone has their ideals of what’s right and what’s wrong, most are not black and white, everyone has their own thoughts and experiences that shape them” Antonia pauses for a moment, thinking about what to say next, “For example do you think someone is a bad person for stealing?”

“Well yes, stealing is bad”

“But what if they stole food to feed their family?”

Pinocchio had never thought about something like that, “I don’t think they are, they only wanted to help, they probably had no choice”

“I agree with you,” Antonia said, “There are people that will disagree, we could be here all day debating what circumstances could as good or bad, my point is…”

Pinocchio had her full attention by this point.

“That most will shape their conscience over time, however, some people or puppets in the case of Arlecchino don’t have one”

“Why not?” Pinocchio asked innocently.

“I don’t know” Antonia touched his hand to make him feel reassured, “Some say that there are those who aren’t born with one, some say others lose them while growing up”

“Whatever the reason is, those who don’t have a conscience, don’t feel bad about the bad things they do, despite knowing that what they do is wrong”

She tells him how it’s different if someone does something wrong yet believes they were justified, that person believed they did the right thing. But some do bad things, knowing they will hurt others on purpose.

“In fact, many of them also feel good about the things they do, The King of Riddles likes to torment Venigni, because he has nothing that makes him feel bad for what he is doing”

Pinocchio had questions, “Can someone like that grow a conscience?”

“Well, if you ask me… I don’t” She doubted that someone who has committed such atrocities could suddenly feel bad, “But don’t take my word for it, I could be wrong”

Pinocchio does think that his mother has to be wrong, Cecile is a good person, despite everything she did.

Can Arlecchino become a good person? Or rather, a good puppet in his case.

Pinocchio doesn’t feel he can, but doesn’t that mean he is being a hypocrite for giving a pass to Cecile and not him? But Cecile does everything she can to somehow mend her mistakes, she is a caring person, and Arlecchino doesn’t care.

Antonia laughed, that’s when Pinocchio realized his springs were sounding loud due to all the overthinking.

“It’s good you are thinking about it” Antonia gently played with his hair, “It’s always good to have different perspectives when it comes to these sorts of situations”

“Can I ask something?” Pinocchio looked uncomfortable, “Even if they feel bad, that doesn’t take away what they did right?”

Antonia knew where this was going.

“So does that mean that I’m…” That he is a killer, he hurt all those people, he is a bad boy because of what he did.

“Dear that’s completely different, killing because you enjoy it and killing to defend yourself or save others is not the same thing” Antonia went on, “A killer is someone who hurts others on purpose, without justification, you were never a killer”

Pinocchio for the first time since this is talked about, doesn’t feel like crying. He doesn’t blame himself, he doesn’t think is evil. He of course still has remorse, yet now he can truly understand he wasn’t being malicious as he always thought.

“I really should have a talk with your father and everyone else about the things we should have taught you from the start”

What else is he still missing about life that they never taught him?

Antonia hugged her son, “While you are here, how about we catch up on topics like that? It’s my duty as your mother”

Pinocchio hugged her back, giving her a warm smile.

“Polendina darling” Antonia let go and called for him, “Can you please fetch us some sweets that I can give to my dear boy?”

Pinocchio smiled even wider, yes he loves sweets!

—-

Hours passed, and it was almost time for the workers at the factory to leave when Venigni suddenly came back to the union, Geppetto greeted him at the break room.

“I finished my tasks earlier” Venigni was pleased with himself, “Now where is Pulcinella? I must speak with him”

“I haven’t seen him all day, I’ve been so busy supervising” Geppetto did find it unusual, however so much was on his mind.

Something was wrong when everyone started saying how they hadn’t seen him either.

“Mmm I saw him this morning” The same secretary chimed in, “He helped me take out the trash, I haven’t seen him since”

It was outside near the garbage disposal that they found the note, Arlecchino had taken him captive, leaving a location behind.

Venigni almost fainted, Geppetto had to hold him so that he wouldn’t lose balance, he was living his worst nightmare, it didn’t take long for Pinocchio to arrive, they needed to go to the set place, at the set time, they ended up arriving just in time, it was an abandoned testing facility, going inside, only the room they were in was illuminated, there was a door to the left that was shut with an electrified lock and one to the right that could be opened, the front of the room had a big reinforced window panel, but due to the darkness seeing what was on the other side was impossible.

The instructions were clear.

The three of them had to be present no one else, Venigni and Geppetto had to stay at the entrance, they couldn’t leave once they were inside. The first strange rule was they weren’t allowed to say a word.

For Pinocchio he needed to enter the room to the right, without Gemini, so he handed his friend to his father. His strange rule was that he had to tell the truth.

There would be consequences if the rules weren’t followed, and they weren’t going to question them, Pulcinella’s life was on the line.

Pinocchio firmly grasped his weapon, he knew that inside was a trap and he needed to be prepared.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he faced once he opened the door.

All the rest of the lights turned on, Arlecchino was in the room behind the window, he was holding a taser in his hand, that’s how he ended up overpowering Pulcinella. He was standing next to a control panel on one side of the room.

The room was divided into two different sides, a large metal door divided the two parts.

On the other side was Pulcinella, who was tied up in a chair, the other side was bare, and the walls looked dull and worn out,

That’s when Venigni and Geppetto realized what this place was in the past, why it was so close to the factory, this was where they tested the disposal methods in the past, Pulcinella was in a trash compactor.

Venigni was about to scream at him when Arlecchino put his hand up. Pressing a button so his voice could be heard all across the now abandoned building.

“Remember, no talking” Despite not being able to smile, they could have sworn he had a twisted grin on his face, “Or this happens faster”

Pinocchio had no time to waste, he needed to get to that room, moving across an entire building filled with traps.

Floors were electrified, two more of those strange creatures like the one he faced before jumped him; quickly getting rid of them he opened door after door trying to find his way, this was set up as a labyrinth until he got to one door that was locked when he tried to open it.

“You know I love riddles but let me play with you a new game, Have you heard of Never Have I Ever? Arlecchino instructed Pinocchio to shout his answer as he could only hear and not see him.

“Tell me the damn question now!” This had to be the worst “game” Pinocchio had been forced to play.

“Let’s see mmm…” Arlecchino faked being in deep thought,

“You are such a dutiful son, Such a job well done, However, someone in this room has been an awful liar To continue sincerity is required, I wonder who here present, Will find this truth unpleasant”

Pinocchio could feel his heart racing, this doesn’t seem like a normal riddle. Arlecchino for his part, held up a picture from his side of the room, a picture that showed Pinocchio next to The Black Cat and The Red Fox inside Krat City Hall, a picture taken by the many photographers that day, one that he stole.

“Never have I ever lied to my father about who I hang out with” Arlecchinos's voice was snarky, delighted about getting to pleasure of mocking Pinocchio.

“I have” Pinocchio was furious, so this is why this monster decided to make his father come to the place.

“Correct!” Arlecchino pressed a button, opening the door.

Once in the next area, parts of the floor were missing, holes that would lead to a deep basement area, this part was dimly lit unlike the last one, Pinocchio couldn’t allow himself to fall, he might survive that fall but he would have no way to get back up.

Jumping from one place to the other was easy, the hard part was trying to avoid those knives he hung in the ceiling that would fall with the slightest bit of movement. He had to be more careful opening the doors this time, one of them could make him fall if he wasn’t careful.

Every second was agonizing for Venigni, he felt as if they were going to have a heart attack, he was biting his lip so hard he didn’t realize he was bleeding, Geppetto had to stop him. Unfortunately, he is unable to give him words of comfort this time, even if he could, what can he say in this situation?

Pinocchio made it to the next sealed door, Arlecchino wasn’t happy, Pinocchio was acting faster than he anticipated, and Pulcinella was still too safe for his liking.

Arlecchino proceeded to kneel down and grab something, showing a corpse, the corpse that was in the morgue that had the crude appearance of Carlo. Geppetto covered his mouth so as to not make a sound.

Arlecchino gave a dramatic agonizing pause, “Never have I ever lied to my father about what makes me feel upset”

“I have!” Pinocchio shouted, why is he doing this to his father?! Was tormenting his uncle not enough?!

The next area opened. This was so easy for Arlecchino, just as Cecile told Pinocchio, he was never following him, but he knew that Pinocchio was a liar, that Geppetto's precious son is incapable of telling the truth, so he would give him a lesson about why it's bad to lie to others, specially lying to your father.

Pinocchio was almost sown in half by a saw blade as soon as he entered, he managed to dodge in time, but the place was filled with blades, heavy machinery, and other hazards you would find while working inside a factory.

“You wanna know why it took me so long to finally start toying with you?” Arlecchino casually chimed in, “It’s because my playroom took me so long to build”

Pinocchio opened a door, he jumped backward to avoid another hazard. He used the shield in his legion arm to block the second trap that came after, blocking the blade almost directly hitting him.

“It was all so worth it, I’m having so much fun, wouldn’t the rest of you agree that we are having such a swell time together?”

Pinocchio got the third locked door, by this point, the walls of the trash compactor were getting closer and closer to Pulcinella.

Arlecchino was enraged, so he took an even longer pause, Pinocchio shouting at him to say something before he pulled an alchemist report he stole. Geppetto reads how the alchemists were after his son for ruining his experiment at the cathedral.

“Never have I ever, lied to my father about why I came home late”

“I have!!” Pinocchio was even more enraged than before, he won’t stand for any of this.

The final area, the room was filled with trash, literal piles and piles of trash that blocked the way, he had a hard time finding the doors, and Pinocchio felt something sharp piercing him from time to time. Arlecchino had scattered needles around to make it more painful.

“You are cheating, right? You have to be cheating, someone must have given you a heads-up, and your pathetic father must have realized what this place was before coming, I am right aren’t I?” Arlecchino rambled in fury, “The next one will be different, the next one will be a fun riddle”

Pinocchio ignored his delusional ramblings and found the last locked door, Pulcinella was flinching because the walls were so close to him trying not to think about it. Venigni desperately tried to break the looked left door with no avail, electrocuting himself in the process.

“For this time I shall ask something I asked in the past, Because it remains true no matter how much time has passed, Is Geppetto’s creation a killer? Confess!”

Pinocchio applied all the force he could and used his Legion Arm to punch the door wide open.

“I’M NOT!”

He is not a killer, he is not like him, and he will never be like him or allow him to make him feel that way.

Arlecchino had no time to react, Pinocchio grabbed his weapon and stabbed him right in his chest.

“Press the red button!!!” Venigni and Geppetto shouted frantically at the same time.

The trash compactor was put to a complete halt, all of them couldn’t even feel relief, still running high on adrenaline. Pinocchio got Pulcinella out of there and unlocked the door, his father and uncle rushing to get inside.

Venigni hugged Pulcinella while crying, if Pulcinella could cry he would be crying as well.

“Your hand!” Venigni pointed it out in between sobs.

One of his hands had been slightly damaged, almost crushed by the machine.

“It’s alright,” Pulcinella’s said, “You can fix this, you’ve fixed me from worse”

He was referring to how Fuoco had almost destroyed him.

“You are Lorenzini Venigni the genius inventor, there is nothing you can’t do” Pulicenella used his good hand to wipe away a few of Venigni’s tears.

“Son, are you hurt?” Geppetto got closer to examine Pinocchio, aside from a few slight needle marks, he was intact.

“Father” Pinocchio didn’t want to look at him, “I’m sorry”

“It’s okay son”

“No rather, really, I shouldn’t have-“

“I already knew”

“Huh?”

“Son, I’m your father, I could tell you were lying to me” Specially when he lied about not seeing those two stalkers, “I was just pretending I didn’t realize it”

Sure it took him a little to figure out the real reason why he came home late that day, and he didn’t know why Pinocchio was upset after coming out of the morgue but his son clearly saw something that disturbed him.

It doesn’t matter, his son was lying because he didn’t want to hurt his feelings, he wasn't being malicious, that’s why he never said anything.

Pinocchio hugged his father tightly.

“You know I was going to hug you until we got home but I guess it couldn’t be helped”

Oh yeah, he is still filthy because of the trash, now his father is dirty as well.

“Sorry” Pinocchio mumbled, it’s then that he noticed his father was acting calm, too calm.

“Don’t worry” Geppetto gently patted Pinocchio’s head, “I think after today, I can trust you enough with dangerous situations”

Geppetto was terrified of anything happening to Pinocchio, yet seeing him like that, so bold, so determined. As a father the worry of his son being in danger will never go away, nevertheless, he has come to accept that if danger ever comes Pinocchio’s way, his son is more than prepared to handle it.

“Now when we get home, I’m showering first,” Said Geppetto.

Pulcinella and Venigni still didn’t let go of each other, they were letting them have their moment to themselves so they didn’t interrupt.

In the meantime, Pinocchio examined the room, there was a black locker, like the ones that were inside Trinity Doors, he found four quartzs, some cryptic vessels, and even notes and journals.

“Why is he leaving us so much?” In the end, Pinocchio will never understand Arlecchino’s methods.

“Probably because of this” Gemini had gotten out of the cage and was scrolling the pages, apparently the alchemists were looking for quartz for something related to their plans.

If he was going down then he was going to take the alchemists with him, it seems that he knew that he wouldn’t come out alive out of this situation. Although he did not expect that Pulcinella wouldn’t perish alongside him.

Pinocchio put all the information inside his bag, so he could read it carefully later at home, Sophia’s aid would be helpful too if possible, and his father and his uncle could analyze those cryptic vessels later.

Venigni and Pulcinella had calmed down, now there was only one elephant in the room to address.

“What do we do with his body now?” Venigni was at a loss.

They can’t tell the police about this, they are working with the alchemists, and they would cover it up. Not to mention the fact that if a puppet was revealed to be the murderer so close before opening the Grand Exhibition it would cause panic in the streets.

Technically justice has already been done, sadly the families of the victims will never find out the murderer is gone.

“There is the possibility of them bringing him back yet again” Gemini chirped.

It was unlikely, the killings might stop but soon after people will move on to talk about the next topic, that topic will no doubt be the Grand Exhibition, although at least that’s something positive. Plus if they wanted to do another distraction they could plan something else rather than bringing him back once more.

“I want to make sure this will never happen again, that he will never torment anyone else” Venigni knew what he had to do, although he couldn’t deny that it was also personal.

So Pinocchio put Arlecchino’s body inside, the trash compactor.

Venigni activated the machine then pressed the speed-up button, the puppet’s corpse was crushed beyond repair, and the small amount of his Ergo that was used so he could be brought back was crushed alongside him. Finally, nothing remained out of The King of Riddles.

“What do we do know?” Gemini feels as if this should be a big victory, although it doesn’t feel that way.

“I need to fix Pulcinella right away” Venigni was still frantic.

“Master Venigni, this is a scratch, you need to get proper rest, all this stress isn’t good for you”

At least father and son could agree that they needed to take a bath.

Venigni and Pulcinella kept on bantering on their way back about who needed the most help, Pulcinella eventually relented to have his hand fixed up first.

Pinocchio was ready to go to bed, but he left his room and decided to sleep next to his father, who welcomed him with a hug. Even though he trusts him that doesn't take away how scared he was, and despite how Pinocchio succeeded that also doesn't take away how he was terrified of witnessing him go through all that. Both of them can sleep in peace togther and Gemini sleeps happily in Pinocchio's huge bed all to himself.

One less threat on their way, they need to find out more about the alchemists. Not immediately, they deserve to have their victory, not to mention how rushing into action without thinking could cost them more.

For today, the only certain thing is that The King of Riddles will never make Venigni or anyone else suffer ever again.

[currentmediasstuff]

TN minister Senthil Balaji hospitalised; breaks down after ED arrest under PMLA

It is learnt that while he was being taken into custody at 2 am, the minister complained of chest pain and was taken to the multi-speciality hospital in Omandurar Estate.

CHENNAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after a long session of questioning.

However, the Tamil Nadu minister has been hospitalised in the ICU of a government hospital here early on Wednesday after he complained of uneasiness during ED raids at his premises on June 13.

Initially, Senthil Balaji was taken into custody by the ED after 18 hours of questioning by the Central agency. It is learnt that while he was being taken into custody at 2 am, the minister complained of chest pain and was taken to the multi-speciality hospital in Omandurar Estate. TV visuals showed Balaji being uneasy while being brought to the hospital in the wee hours of this morning.

The arrest sparked concern in the DMK camp as ministers, PK Sekar Babu, and Udayanidi Stalin rushed to the hospital to meet the minister. Sekar Babu claimed there were 'symptoms' Balaji has been 'tortured.'

After visiting Senthil Balaji at the hospital, HR and CE minister Sekar Babu said that the electricity minister was unconscious. "He didn't respond despite calling his name several times. There is swelling on his leg. The state he was brought to the hospital shows there are human rights violations," Sekar Babu said.

He also alleged that the enforcement directorate, CBI and the income tax department are acting at the behest of the central government against those opposing the bad politics of the central government.

"Several leaders, including chief ministers of other states and the parliamentary opposition leader, condemning the union government shows there is opposition centrally. DMK government, led by MK Stalin, will face the problem legally. More than a minister, Senthil Balaji is a DMK worker. The CM will fight for every DMK worker to save him and all actions will be taken based on his guidance," the DMK minister told media persons.

Law minister S Reghupathy, who visited the hospital, also said there was no clarity if Balaji has been arrested. He questioned the need for the ED raids at Balaji's house running non-stop for hours.

DMK advocates, who visited the hospital, demanded the ED officially make it clear immediately whether Balaji has been arrested or not.

Meanwhile, V Ananda Kumar, the nodal officer at the Omandurar hospital, said that Senthil Balaji is being treated for blood pressure and variations in the ECG and added that there were no external injuries to the Electricity Minister. "After Covid-19, several patients come with the complaint and there is a standard operating procedure for such cases. While we are investigating if he has been tortured, there are no external injuries," he added.

The arrest comes after Supreme Court had last month allowed police and ED to probe into an alleged cash-for-jobs scam against Balaji, who also holds the Prohibition and Excise portfolio.

Senthil Balaji was the transport minister in the AIADMK government, led by the late J Jayalalithaa, during the period 2011-15.

There were complaints against him, in which it was alleged he had received huge amounts as bribes from various persons for appointing them as drivers and conductors in the transport corporation.

The ED conducted the searches under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Last month, the Income Tax department too had searched Balaji's close aides in the state.

The searches are also happening in the wake of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit on Sunday. The visit was marred by controversy when street lights went off outside Chennai airport. Balaji has termed it accidental.

[factoringcompany456]

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[the-firebird69]

There's a four-door Dodge car that goes up and down the road to late model maybe 2000s or even early 90s or late 90s and very fast 60 70 mph in the back road and we want him down and out and several others that we're ordering to go out and you guys are not doing it, we need to meet to see why whatever the reason we need to meet to see why. And today I'm putting it up

Several things happening today and they are different

-they're going for more police Chiefs and I said in phase one they fight like 10%, this is phase two they're fighting 10 more percent and sheriff's sheriff and they are firing 10 more percent on top of the 10% original workers we're being released earlier they would start my releasing races opposite of the sheriff and or chief. And now they're still doing that but when the sheriff or chief is released they will release the race and the other race will be played and of warlock we're moving out and they're doing that today to bring the total up to about 30% of the sheriff's and 30% of the chief of police in Florida.

There are more friends occurred and these people are losers and don't get it I think it's the mass of their infighting and that they run everything and they're going to take care of the new sheriffs and so on when by the time the sheriff is fired or laid off the rest of the department is already replaced and it's a lot more than just them it's going on like that on purpose and they don't seem to care

-along with the sheriff and the chief of police they're laying off select them in councilman again but that department went through about 40% including today of each and it is a nightmare these people are all like Trump and Dan and say very poor things and do extremely bold stuff and say they're way above everyone whether or not. And it's a side note our trucking is a tax tracking attention and buying a suggestion to unionize and that would keep riff Raff out it's kind of necessary there's a few reasons that just about anybody comes down to the docks and every day I might be new truckers and being in the union is one way to tell who it is and the second is if it's in the Union it starts to your night everybody their kids and their friends and neighbors since they're not they don't it's just I'm a trucker so it looks at it and it's also a thing about wages and things we could carry on and there's nothing wrong with Union there's a lot of union labor still in the northern part of the whole world and we are thinking about doing it and it will lead to open the matrix facilities. This is happening today though to another 10% of selecting and counseling and women. And I got to get the bozos off the TV to driving everybody nuts and so damn dumb.

-they're seeking out people who are pretending they're another race they're finding out where they're getting the blood and or other and they're quite horrified and they are taking over hospitals globally and we're there too and taking them down it was another huge lesson and it was given by John remillard it's here in punta Gorda and Port Charlotte is where it started yesterday early and people went in and investigated and they were not turned away. They were allowed in because they came in in force and the military came in mainly to retrieve it but they went after a whole bunch of people who were saying s*** and trying to order stuff to stop them and they said more in and more and they grab the specimens and the blood and there was a ton of this down below a ton okay and a lot of bodies and it's gross so they took all of them out and drove off of them all night long and brought in trucks and these people kept showing up and they would get the s*** kicked out of them firstly what do you think you can walk right up to us for and they're beating to death okay and the others would stand and watch and grin.

-there's a huge gap between us no, you just try dumb things all the time and we have to ignore you or Wade through it and get motivated by it and we do our job a lot because of it we take care of you for what you're saying and right now so you're going to take you out you're not going to like it but that leaves me to the next topic if you're in public can you start telling people stupid things you're going to be arrested and there's a law against what you're saying you're trying to incite riot it is very illegal you'll find out it's a felony. we had people yesterday coming up to us and saying dumb things and the rest of them and we told Mac looks everywhere and it won't stop so it got really big and really fast and we're commended.

-the force assembled last night in the sea and on land at the five points with swas obliterated in about 10 minutes my Max us and some forgieners but mostly Max. The central War but it won't really occur until people get fired and went off and they're going up in ranked a little bit some more numbers might come and he can't believe the numbers will get so big but if you want me to the millions in the last about 10 or 20 days and that'll be it at 1 million and he agrees. huge numbers of clones plan to come this time because the clothing here was wiped out.

-there are other developments here and things happening what is they're talking about our son being a spaz no being under a massive amounts of duress from every single one is jackasses and they're saying it too no way cuz I survive it with what they're saying and doing their bunch of fags did you say why am I supposed to be on your side you're such a f****** loser or f**** you're saying the stupid s*** to me. Now they started to get it this morning they get up and then start pestering you you start telling them to f*** off and then that girl is the same she's nasty does that routine doesn't and you don't care so she goes berserk they just said oh you look like pink we liked it so it was great grandma and and it's continuing but for real they said that they're coming up with a plan because it's ridiculous act like this massive massive juvenile delinquency assholes to him so much so that they can't stand them and they started to say that this guy next door did it and they can see why because it's Tommy f but it's way too much and they agreed he's Way Way beyond inability then he should be because you have to fend them all off it went way up so they're trying to modify that we're going to publish so we don't lose it

Thor Freya

This is gross it keeps going to the bathroom while we were talking it's kind of ignoring him because he has to but now they're being a little bit more cordial which is good

Hera

He means us we want to see it across the board and he's straighten us out about it he said okay I'm just going to go to the bathroom

Olympus

[atlanticcanada]

Bedford high school needs support, 'time to heal' following stabbing: NSTU president

The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) is weighing in after two staff members and a student, who is also the suspect, were injured in a stabbing at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) said all three injured individuals, whose identities have not been released, were taken to hospital.

Police say a youth who is a student at the school was taken into custody.

NSTU President Ryan Lutes couldn't provide an update on the two staff members who were injured during an interview with CTV Morning Live Atlantic Tuesday, telling anchor Amanda Debison he only knows what’s been reported in the media.

“We’re certainly working to try to confirm those details,” he said. “And our heart goes out to the victims and to the school community, the students, the staff, they’re going to really need a lot of support in the coming days.”

Following Monday’s incident, Charles P. Allen High School was placed under a hold-and-secure order while police responded to the scene.

Students were then dismissed early and the school was closed for the day.

An email sent to families by the high school's principal Monday evening said classes will resume Tuesday at 12:45 p.m. for a "mini day."

"School psychologists, school social workers and school counsellors will be available at the school over the coming days to provide individual and small group supports to students who would like to connect with them," said Stephanie Bird.

Lutes says it’s his understanding that it is to give both adults and students support.

“Because oftentimes, especially as teachers, our immediate thoughts go to our students and how we’re going to support them, but the adults in that building, the teachers, the school support staff, the admin team, they’re going to need a lot of support and a lot of counselling through this as well.”

He added that there’s a kind of “sacred bond” when parents send their kids to school – an understanding that they’re going to come home safely and that their schools are free of violence.

“And, obviously, that didn’t happen yesterday, and so the community needs time to heal,” he said. “That’s where our immediate concern is.”

Lutes says the incident hits close to home for himself and other NSTU members.

“I mean, I’m a dad, I’m a high school teacher. We have a lot of members who go to work every day really trying to take everything to the nth degree to support their kids and it hits close to home when something like this happens.

He hopes that in the coming days there will be an investigation into the incident.

“I think it’s incumbent upon all of us, and that’s the NSTU included, to do everything that we can to make sure our schools are as safe as possible for our kids and our staff and we certainly look forward to doing that work with government.”

Monday evening, Nova Scotia's minister of education and early childhood development, Becky Druhan, released a statement calling the incident "very troubling."

In the statement, Druhan said the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development will work with HRCE “to ensure the safety protocols in place worked as intended and determine any next steps.”

It also said the department will work with its partners, including the Nova Scotia Teachers Union.

Lutes says there is open dialogue with the province, with initial conversations taking place Monday with both HRCE and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

“I think our immediate concern is making sure that community is as safe as it can be, as supported as it can be, and then we’ll look to kind of how we can make our schools as safe as we can, because, again, that’s near and dear to teachers’ hearts.”

He added that there has been a rise in violence in schools coming out of the pandemic.

“We’re certainly looking to be a big part of that conversation and have teachers’ perspectives heard and make sure our kids and our school staff and our teachers are as safe as they can be at school.”

He also commended the Charles P. Allen staff for their handling of the incident.

“Obviously, we had an incident and the right procedures were put in place after that to make sure that there was no spillover of the incident and that the rest of the students and staff were kept safe.”

“It was a hard day yesterday,” he added. “And there’s going to be hard days in the coming weeks and months and certainly the NSTU will work and do whatever we can to support both the students and the adults in that building.” 

Anyone who requires mental health supports can also contact

the provincial Mental Health and Addictions Crisis Line at 1-888-429-8167 or visit their website

for children and youth, the Kids Help Phone can be reached at 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868

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

[theoptimisticpatriot]

Starmer’s Lords plan is bad news for England

A "senate" would subjugate the UK's largest member nation

First posted on Unherd, 22.11.22. 

No democrat can defend a House of Lords bloated by the accretion of patronage, donors, cronies, sycophants, and the relics of the Anglo-Norman ascendency. But Keir Starmer’s plan to replace it with an elected UK Senate will weaken democracy for England, the UK’s largest nation.

There’s a clue in Labour calling it a “Senate of the Nations and the Regions”. For the Labour party there are three nations: Wales, Scotland and (if it counts) Northern Ireland. England is denied, reduced to a jumble of regions largely unrecognised by the people who live in them. With the new Senate, every law that applies only to England will have to be approved by not one but two elected UK-wide bodies. Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland will make their own equivalent laws for themselves.

For 20 years since UK devolution, English domestic policy and legislation — schools, hospitals, universities, transport, agriculture, water and much else — has been distinct. While everyone knows there is no English Parliament, far fewer stop to consider that England has no government.

It is run by the UK’s union state, a mishmash of uncoordinated departments. Some have UK-wide responsibilities, some across Great Britain, some in England and Wales and others solely in England. All are under the thumb of the UK Treasury. There is no English budget, no machinery of government, no political leadership, no semblance of national democracy or accountability. Nowhere in Whitehall coordinates England’s policy and its implementation. No ministerial committee asks how well England is governed, nor are any ministers accountable for it. No part of Parliament debates England’s wellbeing and future. National policy fails at a local level because health, care, school, employment and family policy are rarely joined up.

This union state and Westminster’s political culture cling to an Anglocentric British unionism forged when England could dictate to both union and empire. Today, the ideology that England needs no institutions of its own leaves the nation without the functioning structures of good government. Starmer’s advisors insist the suppression of England keeps the union together, but it’s the conflation of the UK with England that so alienates the nation’s other constituent parts.

A radical Labour would reform the union state, let Westminster’s English MPs make England’s laws and create a powerful lead Minister for England. England would take its place among the nations of the UK and would be better governed. The UK would then flourish as a coming together of nations.

The new UK Senate would reinforce England’s subjugation. Inevitable conflicts between two UK chambers with respective but different claims to legitimacy make it more likely that England will be subjected to laws it doesn’t want and be denied those it does. Labour promises radical devolution within England as so often before. But there will never be devolution until there is a coherent centre from which to devolve power.

A UK Senate that brought together representatives of four national government and their local governments to consult and shape UK-wide policy would be a good replacement for the Lords. But that is not what we have been promised.

[anablin]

What's the Distance Between Austin and Houston?

How far is Austin from Houston? How much time will it take to drive from Austin to Houston and what’s the best budget-friendly way to get there? If you need more details on how to travel between these cities, then you’re in the right place! Read on for everything you need to know about distance, time and budget!

How far is Austin from Houston by car?

The distance from Houston to Austin by car is roughly 240 miles, which will take about 3.5 hours if there is no traffic. Keep in mind that this is a one-way drive, so you would actually have to make the trip twice! Of course, you could also fly between these two cities if your schedule permits it - roundtrip flights are typically cheaper than driving. But if you need to get somewhere fast, then flying may not be for you. And we haven't even talked about gas prices yet.

There's another option: rent a car with National Car Rental! Renting a vehicle doesn't cost much more than flying (depending on your choice of vehicle), and it gives you more freedom to explore at your own pace. Plus, when you rent with National Car Rental you can choose any rental location in America!

How long does it take to drive from Austin to Houston?

The driving distance from Austin to Houston is approximately 5 hours and 15 minutes. The driving time can be shortened by avoiding traffic, but it will depend on a number of factors including weather, construction, accidents, etc. Once you've arrived in Houston, there are a number of attractions to see such as NASA space center or various world-class museums. However, most travelers spend their time visiting the city because of its diversity and hospitality. Lastly, another attraction worth visiting is George Ranch Historical Park which has been named one of the 10 Must Visit Attractions by Texas Monthly Magazine!

How much would it cost to drive from Austin to Houston?

How much does it cost to drive from Austin to Houston? It takes about 4 hours and costs around $80 in gas. The best way to find out how much a trip will cost is by using an online calculator or finding an app on your phone that can estimate gas prices. The travel time depends on which route you take, but if you're looking for one of the quickest routes, Texas State Highway 35 is always a good bet. There are two ways to do this: use the shortest distance between the two cities and plan ahead so you know what roads have traffic problems. However, there are some places where you should avoid going during certain times of day!

How to Travel from Houston to Austin via Bus

Although there are no direct flights from Houston to Austin, there are a few different ways to make this trip by land. The first is by taking an Amtrak train that leaves from Union Station in downtown Houston. To get there, take the light rail or bus system to the station. However, if you're looking for something a little cheaper, you can take a bus from Downtown Bus Depots in Houston. Buses leave for Austin about every three hours on weekdays, with departures at 7:30 am, 10 am, 12 pm, 3 pm and 6 pm. Buses return to Houston about once per hour on weekdays, departing at 8:00 am, 11:00 am (from 1st & Congress), 1:00 pm (from 7th & Missouri), 4:00 pm (from Northside Transit Center)

How Far is Austin from Houston by Car

The distance between Houston, Texas, and Austin, Texas is around 281 miles. There are a few ways to get from one city to the other. If you're driving along I-45 or US-290, it will take you about 3 hours without traffic. If you're on Route 290, it will take about 4 hours without traffic. The only problem with these two options is that they don't factor in any rest stops or gas stations for refueling your car!

How Far is Austin from Houston via Train?

The distance between Austin and Houston by train is about 380 miles. The train route from one city to the other goes through a variety of landscapes, from rolling hills to big cities. If you're looking for a scenic way to travel, this might be it! You'll see everything from small towns like Bryan-College Station or New Waverly all the way up to huge metropolises such as Dallas and San Antonio. And best of all, in just 3 hours on the train, you'll have made your trip!

Traveling to Austin from Houston by Flight

If you are traveling to Austin from Houston by flight, it would take about two hours on average. To go by car, it will take about 8 hours total including stops for food and gas. The shortest route is to drive from Galveston up I-45 North to Dallas. The distance between these cities is approximately 240 miles. It takes 3 hours and 37 minutes in a car with no traffic. However, during rush hour or construction, this travel time may increase.

Conclusion

Distance between Austin and Houston is a little less than 300 miles. To calculate how long it will take to drive from one city to another, it is necessary to know what kind of car you're driving and your speed. If you're driving a car with an average speed of 60 mph, expect the trip to take about 3 hours. It would be wise to allot some time for traffic, rest stops and emergencies on the road too!

For someone driving at 30mph, it could take as long as 4-5 hours.

And if you need to stop for gas or food every hour or so, add an additional hour or two onto that.

FAQs

How far is Austin from Houston?

It would take around two hours by car. How far is Austin Texas from Houston, Texas? It would be a 4.5-hour drive. How long is it from houston to austin texas? The trip would take around 2 hours. What is the distance between houston and austin texas in miles? The distance between these two locations is roughly 213 miles. That makes it an eight-hour drive at an average speed of 65 mph or about five hours with heavy traffic.

The cost for gas for this drive can range anywhere from $150-$300 depending on gas prices, though you could get lucky and find lower prices if you plan ahead and wait for a sale!

How much does it cost to go from houston to austin texas?

If you are driving, it will cost around $150-$300 depending on gas prices and how many stops are involved. If you want to fly, the cost ranges from $219-800+, but there may be cheaper flights available for more spontaneous trips.

[eowyntheavenger]

Refugees arriving in Poland from Ukraine on Monday wait to board buses and trains to take them to Warsaw and Przemysl.

2 million refugees have left Ukraine in 12 days

March 8 (NPR) - More than 2 million Ukrainians have fled their country in the 12 days since Russia began its invasion, according to a tracker from the U.N. refugee agency.

It took a single week for the number of refugees to reach 1 million, on Thursday. That number has increased exponentially, as Russian forces have amped up their shelling of critical and civilian infrastructure.

The 2 million refugees, who are mostly women and children, represent about 4% of Ukraine's population. At least half of them are children, according to UNICEF. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that some 4 million Ukrainians could flee their homeland as the crisis unfolds.

It says it's working with nonprofits and neighboring countries to "ensure safe access to territory for refugees and third-country nationals fleeing from Ukraine, in line with international standards."

The vast majority of refugees — more than 1 million — have been welcomed by Poland, which borders Ukraine to the west. NPR's Joanna Kakissis reports from Rzeszow that Poland is receiving 100,000 refugees every day, with dozens of reception centers offering hot meals and a place to rest.

Tens of thousands have made their way to Russia, as well as other Eastern European countries like Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and Romania.

As NPR has reported, not all refugees are getting the same treatment, with students of color from Africa and South Asia saying they faced discrimination at the Polish border. And the warm welcome extended to most Ukrainians lies in stark contrast to the way many of these same countries have treated previous waves of refugees from places like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Plus, some parts of the world appear more hospitable to Ukrainian refugees than others.

The United States is granting temporary protection from deportation to tens of thousands of Ukrainians already within its borders, while the European Union just introduced similar protections for Ukrainian refugees.

The United Kingdom, however, is facing criticism for granting visas to only 300 Ukrainian refugees so far. That number is up from about 50 on Sunday, the BBC reports.

Refugees seeking a U.K. visa must either have family in the country or a British sponsor for their application. The U.K.'s Home Office says there are some 17,700 family applications in progress.

Some 600 Ukrainians are stuck in the French port of Calais — across the English Channel from Dover — in their efforts to reach the U.K., with the BBC reporting that many say they were turned away for lack of paperwork. British officials said Tuesday that they are opening another French visa application center in Lille, in addition to its primary location in Paris.

Refugee organizations have urged the government to enact fast-track refugee arrangements for Ukrainians fleeing the war.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected calls this week to relax visa requirements for Ukrainians, saying Britain's system is "generous" but requires oversight.

"We are a very, very generous country. What we want though is control and we want to be able to check," he said, according to Euronews. "I think it's sensible given what's going on in Ukraine to make sure that we have some basic ability to check who is coming in."

But Ben Wallace, the defense secretary, told the BBC on Tuesday that the U.K. needs to accelerate the process of verifying refugees' identities and arranging their visas, noting it was able to do so quickly in the past for Afghan refugees. He said his department would help the Home Office in that effort.

"Can I do more, can the government do more, to speed up the processing of visas? Yes they can. Will we be doing it? Absolutely," he said.

Source.

Here are some charities recommended by NPR that you can donate to to help Ukrainian refugees.

[mearcatsreturns]

/whispers/ So maybe I now have to ask for Ivan and the No Good Terrible Very Bad Day Attempting to Babysit a Grisha Child Who Can Summon Light and Shadow. How could this possibly go wrong.

Once again, this got long, so here's the first chapter of A Day in the Life of Ivan, Or: Ivan’s Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day.

The worst day of Ivan’s life begins years before the fateful day itself, if that’s possible. He’s grateful not to know the precise day, but he knows who—or what, rather—is to blame.

It’s the damn heterosexuals. They just won’t stop fucking, and they’ve made it everyone else’s problem now.

The heterosexuals in question are, of course, Kirigan and Alina, or as they’re known now, the Tsar and Tsarina.

&&&

About three years before the Worst Day™, Ivan is minding his own business, just trying to find some decent food after returning from a mission to the northern border. It wasn’t a bad trip; Fedyor had been with him and they’d enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time together outside the political games of Os Alta.

Nevertheless, Ivan is eager to eat some food that isn’t dried and to sleep in his own comfortable bed. He’s already debriefed with the Tsar and bathed, so he’s delighted to find it’s time for dinner. It’s to be a small group tonight, just the king and queen, Nikolai, Zoya, Tamar, Nadia, Fedyor and him. He can tolerate them all (except Fedyor, who of course is the light of his life), though Alina remains permanently on thin ice. She makes the Darkling light and happy, and it’s just unnatural.

They settle around the table and fall into comfortable conversation. Tolya is on an assignment and intends to travel to Kerch after this. Tamar and Nadia are beginning to formalize their union and are looking for a house. If their bickering and the obscene looks Zoya and Nikolai are giving each other are any indication, Ivan expects some kind of announcement from them any day. The Tsar intends to invite some dignitaries from Novyi Zem to the palace in a few weeks.

And Tsaritsa Alina is pale and...unwell. She looks queasy, and Ivan feels a moment of alarm. Grisha can’t get sick, not unless they don’t use their powers. Given that Alina is the Sol Koroleva, the renowned Sun Summoner, that seems unlikely. Few things lead to such ill appearances. Maybe some kind of poison? If she or her food are being poisoned, they need to know as soon as possible.

Ivan does his usual first step; he counts the heartbeats, checking their speeds. One, two, three, four, everyone is normal, five, six, seven, eight, nine...ah, the ninth is faint and fast.

Wait. Nine? There are only eight of them here at dinner, and the attendants have long since departed.

It hits Ivan like a lightning bolt, and he gasps aloud in shock and horror. The most reasonable explanation for the extra heartbeat and Alina’s ill looks is—oh, saints protect them all—a baby.

Everyone turns to look at him, as though he is the one who’s done something strange and dangerous.

Ivan gapes at Alina and points a finger accusingly, “You’re pregnant! With a baby!”

Beside him, Fedyor closes his eyes and shakes his head, letting out a sigh. Tamar and Nadia exchange a knowing, amused look, though they manage not to laugh. Zoya raises one shapely eyebrow.

Nikolai grins. “One generally is pregnant with babies, as opposed to anything else. Except perhaps with genius ideas, in my case and David’s. Alina, moi tsar, congratulations to you both.”

Alina glares at Ivan. What? He’s not the unholy saint about to unleash terror onto the earth from their womb.

Once he glances at Kirigan, though, Ivan stills. The Tsar is ashen and looks as though someone has dropped an iron on his head, or told him that his beloved horse is Grisha too.

“Aleksander, I wasn’t sure. I was waiting until I was to tell you,” Alina says, one hand on her husband’s forearm. “Are...are you all right?”

The Tsar opens his mouth, but no sounds come out.

Tamar and Nadia stand, hand-in-hand. “We, ah, think we’ll take our leave now. Thank you for a lovely dinner, Sol Koroleva, my King,” Tamar says, and she and her fiancée flee.

Zoya clears her throat and gives Nikolai a look that is very different from the hungry one Ivan so despises on faces that aren’t Fedyor’s.

With a nod at her, Nikolai stands and helps her to her feet. “Indeed. Your hospitality is, as always, boundless, though I can’t help but feel we’re trespassing on it every second we linger here. Erm, do let me know when I can get you a gift.”

“Congratulations,” Zoya says, and to Ivan’s disgust, she actually sounds sincere. He watches as she and Nikolia leave, one of the Lantsov pup’s hands at the small of her waist. One would think the heterosexuals would have learned from this evening that touching each other is dangerous, but apparently some of them are just utter fools.

Fedyor elbows him, and Ivan turns to scowl at his beloved. “Wha—”

A point of his head in the direction of the Tsar and Tsaritsa quiets Ivan.

Alina is kneeling beside her husband’s chair, stroking his arm. Aleksander Kirigan, King of Ravka, Shadow Summoner, the Black General, sits still as a statue, eyes wide with shock.

“We’ll head out now too,” Fedyor says.

Ivan nods, grabbing Fedya’s arm and hauling him from the room. Over his shoulder, Ivan yells, “Good luck!”

Fedyor smacks him, whispering furiously as they close the door behind them. “‘Good luck’?! You’re supposed to say ‘congratulations,’ or ‘have a nice evening,’ you utter troll.”

“I’m a troll now? See if I give you a massage when we get back to our rooms,” Ivan grouses. He pulls Fedyor along, pulling him away from where he seemed inclined to linger by the door. Eavesdropping, pah. He can’t believe he’s married to such a busybody.

Who would want to stay to hear whatever nonsense the Darkling and his wife are about to say or do? He’s had enough of that for one lifetime, thank you very much.

Ivan shudders. The two most powerful Grisha on the planet, one a sun summoner and the other a shadow summoner, having a baby? The world is definitely doomed.

&&&

The next day, Ivan receives a summons to go see the Tsar. Dread churns in his stomach, and he rubs his eyes. He hadn’t slept well, especially after he and Fedyor had a tiff about “inappropriate behavior and outbursts.” And now he’s to see his boss, probably about said outburst the previous night.

He accompanies Anton, the young oprichnik to the Tsar’s quarters, and the boy brightens with excitement to be talking to one of the Tsar’s most favored Grisha. “Thank you, Andrei. I’ll make my way from here.” The boy’s face falls, but Ivan dismisses him with a nod. If the oprichniki got any more friendly, they’d start calling him Vanya without his permission. Appalling.

Ivan takes a deep breath, then knocks at the door. He’s long since learned the value of knocking after Alina and the General got together, especially now that they share their quarters. Unfortunately, no healer has yet to find something to wipe certain sights from his brain.

“Come in,” Kirigan’s faint, disembodied voice commands.

Ivan lets himself into the room, waiting while the Tsar steps around the corner from the bedroom he shares with his queen.

“Good morning, Ivan.”

“Good morning, moi soverennyi. I hope you rested well,” Ivan replies, tone funereal. Saints, he prays he’s not about to be sent to Tsibeya permanently. He runs his hand under his collar, annoyed to find he’s actually sweating.

Kirigan’s face gives nothing away. “I did, thank you. The Tsaritsa is with Genya and one of the healers.”

“And she...she is well?” Ivan gulps.

“Yes. She was apparently a bit surprised last night herself, as she’d only just begun to suspect she might be pregnant.”

As much as Ivan hates when the Tsar’s feelings show—it’s usually him making soppy, annoying faces at Alina—he wishes Aleksander would just say what’s on his mind.

“My apologies, sir, I was also surprised. She seemed unwell, and I wanted to make sure she wasn’t, say, being poisoned.”

“You thought someone might be poisoning my wife?” Kirigan is incredulous.

“Things have been very calm with Fjerda lately. I don’t trust it.”

The General mutters under his breath, something about not trusting anything.

Ivan waits. Finally, Kirigan breaks the not-so-silent silence. “Well, thank you for your concern. And, ah, the surprising news.”

“You’re most welcome,” he replies gloomily.

“You don’t seem thrilled.”

“Forgive me, moi tsar, but I don’t see a need for excitement at a natural result of your conjugal activities. Sir.”

Oh, saints, is Kirigan frowning at him? Ivan mentally starts packing his belongings when the frown becomes a smile and then a laugh.

Perhaps Aleksander still isn’t quite recovered from the shock of his impending fatherhood.

He’s not paying attention to Ivan anyway. Kirigan makes his way to the table, shuffling the papers there unseeingly. “I didn’t think it was possible, you know.”

“I did not.” And Ivan would like to keep it that way.

Alas, Aleksander seems inclined to continue talking. “In all my long life, longer than you know, I’ve never fathered a child.”

Ivan grimaces. The world is probably grateful, though now it has much to fear. “It would have been challenging to have had a child during the wars, sir.”

Kirigan waves this aside, and unfortunately continues speaking. “Still, for it to happen with Alina...I’m so thrilled, Ivan.”

“And I am...happy for you, General.” Make it stop. Ivan is queasy.

“Of course, it’s probably for the best that it didn’t happen when Alina and I first got together, especially now that I know how possible that was.”

Ivan wants to cover his ears and sing “la la la la la,” but the implications of what his boss is saying finally sink in, and his horror at this whole situation increases exponentially. “Wait. Do you mean to say you weren’t using, ah, preventative measures?”

Kirigan’s face grows sheepish. “Until my conversation with Alina last night after you all departed, I wasn’t aware there was such a thing. In my day, one simply planned around the time of the month or withdrew from—”

“I beg you to stop talking. Moi soverennyi,” Ivan adds as an afterthought.

The Tsar falls silent, and Ivan sighs with relief.

But something bothers him. “Did you not get any sort of talk about how to prevent pregnancy when you were training? Even I did when I was young, before everyone knew I wouldn’t have to worry about that.”

“Like I said, there weren’t those kinds of options when I was young, as far as I know,” Kirigan says with a shrug.

Ivan begins to realize that his boss is, in fact, much older than he thought. That explains the herring and rye, too. He hesitates before venturing to speak. “Do...was Alina—the queen, that is, did she explain the different kinds of birth control, or…?”

“Well, I can’t get her more pregnant, Ivan.”

It’s too horrible to even contemplate, and Ivan shudders.

Kirigan laughs and slaps his shoulder. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to give me The Talk. Alina was so upset I didn’t know that she told me everything last night.”

Ivan’s lips twist in dismay at Aleksander’s rapturous expression that indicates there was a demonstration of some practical applications. Ugh. “Small mercies.”

“Well, hopefully you’ll consider this next a mercy: I want you and Fedyor to stay close through Alina’s pregnancy, especially once word gets out.”

Staying in Os Alta won’t be so bad, but the idea of dancing attendance on Alina, all while some parasite hijacks and distorts her body...well, hopefully he’ll get a good field assignment once this pregnancy is over. “Of course, moi tsar. And when will it end? I mean, ah, when is the blessed event?”

“In seven and a half months or so, perhaps eight. She’s about five or six weeks along, the healer says. And that, well…” Kirigan smiles at what is clearly the memory of this child’s conception.

Ivan fervently wracks his brain, desperate to keep his boss from offering more information that will give him nightmares about heterosexual intercourse. “And is there any way of knowing whether the babe will be a shadow summoner or sun summoner? Or both?”

A stricken look comes over Kirigan’s face. “Both?” He clearly hasn’t considered this possibility yet. “But that…” He doesn’t continue, instead going to fall into his chair and stare into distance.

It’s going to be a long few months.

&&&

It’s roughly eight months after that when Ivan is rudely pulled from sleep by Genya bursting into his and Fedyor’s room like she has the right.

It’s obscenely early in the morning, Ivan is, as is his usual habit, sleeping on his side facing the window. Fedyor, as is his usual custom, sleeps with his arm slung over Ivan’s waist and his head buried between his shoulder blades. It’s very soothing, normally.

Not today, though. The door opens with a bang, and Genya yells, “It’s time! She’s here!”

Ivan, suddenly wide awake, goes to jump out of bed. Instead, he finds that Genya has slowed their heart rates enough that hurrying is impossible. He glares at her. “What the fuck are you doing in our room? Who is here?”

“The baby is here. The tsarevna.”

“It’s a girl?” Fedyor asks with a smile.

Genya grins back. “Yes. She’s adorable.”

Ivan does not smile. “I’m glad she’s arrived. But why are you here in our bedroom at—” he glances at the clock and continues, “4:52 in the morning?”

“Everyone is going to see here. You’re the Tsar’s right-hand man, Ivan, so they’ll be expecting you.”

“Well, Genya, darling, you’ll have to let our hearts do their normal thing if you want us to do that,” Fedyor adds.

She shakes her head and drops her hand. “Of course. Sorry. See you there in fifteen minutes, and please be wearing pants. And shirts.”

Ivan grumbles, but gets out of bed. It’s difficult to want to leave when Fedyor is looking over him like that, but Kirigan probably will be upset if they don’t come to fawn over his spawn in what he deems a reasonable amount of time.

He and Fedyor make their way down the halls of the palace to Aleksander’s and Alina’s private apartment. The door is open, but Ivan nods at the guards and knocks anyway before stepping inside, Fedyor on his heels. He walks back to the bedroom, where he can hear hushed, happy conversations.

Alina is lying on the bed. She looks sweaty and disgusting, but in a radiant and maternal way that the Tsar seems to find beautiful, since he can’t look away from her. Typical, and exactly what got them into this mess.

The mess in question is wrapped in a blanket in her mother’s arms. Ivan glances at the small bundle, which seems to be sleeping. It is certainly very red.

Kirigan sits in a chair beside the bed, as close to it and his wife and new daughter as he can. He’s resting one hand on Alina’s shoulder, while the other trails along his daughter’s tiny head.

“The tsarevna is lovely,” Fedyor says, smiling down at the family.

Ivan thinks that’s a bit of a stretch, but he nods. “She looks like a baby. A healthy one.”

Fedyor elbows him, but Alina just rolls her eyes. “Thank you, I think.”

“She’s beautiful,” Aleksander says firmly, his face still disturbingly dreamy. “We’ve decided to call her Anastasia.”

Nastia. That seems about right.

Just then, the wee girl stirs and starts to wail. As her cries grow louder and Alina shifts to be able to feed her, shadows creep into the room. Then through the darkness, Ivan sees little flashes of light coming from the baby.

Fuck. This tiny child can summon shadows and light.

Nasty little Nastia indeed.

[sisterspooky1013]

Only One Choice, Part 2, Chapter 16

Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic

May passes into June and they quietly acknowledge that it has been one year since the day Mulder walked into the autopsy bay. They spend their weekends watching movies, making love, and hanging out with the Gunmen, Missy often in attendance as she and Byers become somewhat of an item. Every other Sunday they have lunch with her mother, Mulder meeting Bill by way of an awkward phone call and a promise that they will come out to visit San Diego sometime soon. The moratorium on weekday overnights fades away and the days they spend in each other’s beds begin to outnumber those that they don’t.

One day in early August, Mulder laments how lonely Priscilla gets when he’s gone for the night, crying and following him from room to room when he comes home and plaguing him with guilt. Scully suggests that he bring her over with him, setting up a litter box and food bowl in an unused corner of the living room. Without the daily need to care for a cat, he spends more and more time at her apartment, his suits taking over half her closet and his T-shirts occupying one of her drawers. He still has his fish to feed and so they can tell themselves that they don’t technically live together, though it’s been weeks since anyone slept at his apartment. The excitement of new love gives way to the familiar comfort of domesticity, questions about their lives prior to meeting morphing into what they’re having for dinner and whether someone can pick up toilet paper on the way home from work. They each visit the doctor for a full workup and, everything coming back clear, stop using condoms, relying on the progestin shot Scully goes in for every three months to prevent pregnancy.

Far from boring, they find worthy sparring partners in one another, debating everything from whether the moon landing was a hoax to the merits of String Theory, arguing their points of view passionately before they agree to disagree and then let their clothes fall to the floor. They discover the things they love best about one another; Mulder’s unrelenting curiosity and Scully’s bottomless compassion, as well as those they like the least; his forgetfulness when he’s focused on something and her tendency to shut him out when she’s upset. Whether completing a crossword puzzle together or watching Jeopardy, they embrace the ways that they are different and how they balance one another out; his creativity to her order, her planning to his impulsivity, his acceptance to her skepticism. Yin and yang, tall and small, bold and tempered; there is a completeness in their union that makes them each feel whole.

Even in their intensity and their commitment, Mulder has never again uttered the words ‘I love you’ and Scully has never said them at all. Far from a red flag or a hesitance to be vulnerable, they simply don’t feel the need to express it aloud. She knows he loves her when he drives forty minutes out of his way to pick up her favorite donuts or reads the latest issue of JAMA just so he can discuss the articles with her. He knows she loves him when she indulges him in theoretical discussions on the mating rituals of Sasquatch, not bothering to point out that the creature doesn’t exist, or wastes entire Saturdays watching movies that were bad enough to earn Razzies because he finds poorly made films entertaining.

Scully has never met Mulder’s parents, accepting his explanation that his mother is cold and his father distant, which is why she feels caught off guard when he calls her at work on a Tuesday to tell her that his mother had a stroke, and he is on his way to the hospital. He doesn’t ask her for anything, but she leaves work anyway, approaching the reception desk of the emergency department with a level of calm only a doctor is capable of.

“I’m looking for Teena Mulder, she should have been admitted within the last few hours,” she says to the young woman behind the desk.

“Yes, she’s here,” the woman answers, “but visiting hours don’t start until 4:00 and someone is already with her now. Are you family?” The woman looks at her expectantly.

“Um, no, I’m not,” she replies, not bothering to explain that Tenna Mulder is her boyfriend’s mother, who she’s never met.

“You can take a seat then,” the woman says with a well-practiced smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.

She finds an empty seat and pulls in a deep breath, taking out her cell phone in hopes she can reach Mulder, though cell reception in hospitals is notoriously bad.

“Excuse me, are you Dana?” someone says from a few seats away, and she turns to see an older man, perhaps in his sixties, with receding dark brown hair and tired bags under his eyes.

“Yes,” she replies, eyeing him skeptically as he rises from his seat and takes the one just beside her.

“I’m Bill Mulder, Fox’s father,” he says, offering his hand.

She takes it, scanning him for similarities to Mulder and finding none, other than his complexion and hair color.

“Oh, hello, it’s nice to meet you Mr. Mulder,” she stumbles, a bit confused. As Mulder tells it, his parents are divorced and not on friendly terms.

“Please, you can call me Bill,” he says with a small smile, and she nods. “Fox is with her now, though I don’t think she’s awake,” he offers.

They sit in awkward silence, Scully realizing she has absolutely no information with which to start a conversation. Mulder has told her nothing about his parents, aside from the details relevant to his sister’s abduction. She doesn’t know what Bill Mulder does, or did, for a living, or where he lives. Just when she’s considering going home, Mulder emerges from a set of double doors.

He was clearly looking for his father, but when he sees Scully his eyebrows knit and his chin puckers in relief. She stands and he scoops her up, squeezing her so tight it hurts.

“Thank you for coming,” he whispers hoarsely into her ear.

They part, hands clasped, and he addresses his father.

“Mom just woke up, you can go see her soon, but since Scully is here I’d like to take her back first.”

Scully gives him an incredulous look.

“Mulder, I’m sure your mom doesn’t want to meet me for the first time from a hospital bed,” she pleads.

“I know, but I want you to look at her chart. I just want to make sure that what the doctors are saying is accurate,” he says with desperate eyes, and she nods.

He leads her back through the double doors and into a room where a tall white-haired woman is reclining in the bed, an oxygen cannula tucked under her nose. While she saw little resemblance between Mulder and his father, the likeness to his mother is almost jarring; her stately nose and hooded eyes curating in Scully an immediate fondness for her. She blinks slowly at them, confusion furrowing her brow.

“Mom, this is Dana,” he says, and her expression shifts into one that is slightly pained.

She attempts to speak, one side of her mouth rooting for words that she can’t quite find.

“Hi Mrs. Mulder, I’m sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances,” Scully offers, “I’m a medical doctor, Fox asked me to take a look at your chart, if that’s okay?”

Teena nods and closes her eyes, and Scully goes to retrieve her chart from near the door. After she’s looked it over, they say goodbye and return to the lobby to find Mulder’s father.

“Go ahead, Dad, I’ll see you in there,” Mulder says, and then walks Scully to her car.

“So, what do you think?” he asks as they stand next to her open car door, worry crumpling his features.

“I don’t see anything out of the ordinary, Mulder. Her stroke was significant, you can see that by the degree to which it’s impacting her speech and gross motor function. It shouldn't get any worse, but she’ll need to go through rehab, and likely need some in-home care for a bit until we know the long term impact. It’s very possible that she’ll be able to continue living independently, but not right away.”

Mulder heaves a big sigh and nods. “I’m gonna stay here for a bit, but I think I’ll be home before you go to bed.”

“Of course, whatever you need,” she replies, bringing her palm to his cheek. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. Thank you, again, for coming down here. You didn’t have to.”

“Mulder, of course I did,” she says with concern. “I’ll see you when you get home, okay?”

He kisses her one, two, three times, pulling her close for a beat, clinging to her for dear life.

“I love you,” he chokes out, and she hugs him tighter.

“I love you too,” she replies, her chin tucked tight into the crook of his neck.

When he releases his grip on her, she brings her hands to his jaw, brushing her thumbs over his cheeks.

“We’ll get through this, okay? We’ll figure it out,” she assures him, and he nods tersely.

———

She’s in bed reading, Priscilla curled up on her stomach, when she hears the thunk of the deadbolt.

“Mulder?” she calls out, and he pokes his head through the door.

“I’m gonna take a quick shower, I’ll be in in a minute,” he says, then disappears again.

He returns ten minutes later, shower-fresh and warm. She sets her book aside to envelop him in her arms, his head finding a home on her chest as his arms snake around her ribcage.

“How is she?” she asks as she strokes her fingers through his hair and down his neck soothingly.

“The same,” he says with a defeated tone, “they might release her to rehab tomorrow.”

“And how are you?” she asks, giving his neck a little squeeze.

He groans. “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking a lot.”

“About your mom?”

“No,” he says, propping up on his elbow to look at her, “about life, I guess.”

She lifts her eyebrows expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

“I don’t want to toil away in the BSU for the rest of my life, Scully. If I die tomorrow, what will I have to show for it?”

She frowns at him sympathetically.

“You make a difference in the BSU, Mulder. You help catch murderers, prevent further loss of life. It may not seem like it because you’re so far removed from the people it impacts, but you do.”

He flops back onto the bed, eyes on the ceiling.

“You’re probably right, but it still feels pretty pointless.”

“What would you rather be doing?” she asks gently, rolling on to her side to face him.

“Honestly?” he steals a glance at her before continuing, “investigating The X Files. Making progress in understanding what happened to my sister. Working to expose those who are responsible for the coverup of secret government operations.”

“Maybe you should talk to AD Skinner, try again. Maybe The X files could be reopened,” she says softly, brushing her palm over his arm.

Mulder shakes his head. “Nothing has changed, Scully. They won’t let me operate without a partner and no one wants to work with me.”

“I’d work with you, but that’s against bureau policy,” she says with a small smile, and he looks at her with an affectionate gaze.

“I’m sure you’d have a field day debunking all my work,” he says coyly.

“I would never,” she retorts sarcastically.

He rolls back towards her, pulling her close with her head tucked under his chin.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he says, his voice full of emotion.

“Well you do have me, so there’s no point in thinking about it,” she replies.

He sighs deeply, reaching past her to turn off the bedside lamp, and they sleep.

[e350tb]

The Owl House: A Blight on Gravesfield (Chapter One)

One

An uninvited guest arrives at the Noceda residence.

Right, settle down everyone, time for a history lesson.

No, no, please save the questions for the end of the class.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, English settlers - note the terminology there, English, not British, the Act of Union doesn’t happen for another hundred years. Anyway, English settlers started to cross the Atlantic in earnest to colonise what we now call the eastern seaboard of the United States. While Englishmen liked to claim they weren’t motivated by the same ‘base’ desires as the Spaniards in Central and South America, generally speaking, colonists were motivated by the same three things as the conquistadors.

There’s our key words - glory, God and gold.

Not literally gold - the hopes of gold nuggets on shores of Virginia didn’t bear fruit - but commodities. Beaver pelts and tobacco, things you couldn’t get in Europe at the time. The trade in rare goods and eventually humanity would enrich both colonists and their backers for the next two hundred years. They also served as breeding grounds for religious dissent.

Ah, dissenters. We’ll come back to them, because they’re much more interesting than they sound. 

By the 1630s, the colonies in Virginia and Massachusetts are fairly well established, and people are spreading out in search of more land. If you’re a settler in Massachusetts and you want to find a new patch of land away from everyone else, well, Connecticut’s right there.

There’s a lot of debate over which town is the oldest in Connecticut - traditionally, it’s Wethersfield. But a few academics have argued that that laurel belongs to a different township - the one in which we are gathered today.

Which brings us to 1635, and the establishment of Gravesfield by ten men who had wandered over from the Colony of Massachusetts Bay. Perhaps no town in the state has as much weird colonial lore as us.

And how much of it is true?

Well, that’s for historians to work out…

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It all began on a dark and grey autumn day.

When something happens in a small town like Gravesfield, it gets everyone’s attention. About two weeks ago, for example, the curator of the local historical society had been arrested, fined and fired for trespassing, and it was still the talk of the town. They whispered about it in the cafes, shared articles in the offices, and presented wild, unsubstantiated theories about it on local talk radio.

“So you’re saying that we can’t trust historians?”

A few drops of rain rapped against the window - it was one of those days where it doesn’t rain, but it gusts heavily, and droplets are caught in the wind. The kitchen was dark; light shadows danced on the wall, and the illuminated numbers on the microwave seemed almost brilliant in the gloom. It very much matched the mood.

“Look, Kerry, I’m not sayin’ all historians are bad, but you gotta listen to some o’ these people; the things they say about Jefferson n’ Washington n’ all them folks. They get their kicks on bein’ right and tearin’ people down, this Hopkins fella probably wanted to prove something, and…”

Over the dim sound of the radio, one could hear the clock; tick, tick, tick, tick. Occasionally it was drowned out as a gust rattled the windows and doors, but the sound always returned, constant and ever present - tick, tick, tick, tick.

Time. Ever ticking, ever moment. Every moment, a moment stolen.

“And that was Marvin from Bridge Street. We’ll come back to that, but first the news on the hour. Brad?”

On the bench, next to the phone, stood a small picture frame, the glass slightly illuminated in the stormy afternoon light. To all the world, it showed a typical family - a man, a woman and a little girl. The man’s face was obscured by the light, but one could see the clear similarities in the faces of the mother and daughter.

Those that were here. Those that were now gone.

“The Los Angeles Police Department has announced an amber alert that was put into place several months ago has been withdrawn. In defiance of all expectations, a teenager, whose family has asked for anonymity, returned home over the weekend; two other missing girls, whose cases were connected to the teenager, remain missing at this-”

Camila Noceda turned off the radio.

She sat at the kitchen table, staring at the clock. It had been a long day. It had been a long few weeks.

Unlike those engaging in baseless speculation about the case of Jacob Hopkins, Camila knew exactly what had happened to the previously respected amateur historian. She could even tell you who the mysterious assailant who had beaten him up and left him for the police was; it was her.

She was quite happy to remain anonymous, too. She didn’t want any laurels, any radio interviews, anything like that. She didn’t want to be reminded of that day.

Not while Luz remained separated from her.

Everything about the situation boggled her mind. The Boiling Isles, the Owl House, Emperor Belos - they sounded like fantasy; even she’d thought they were fantasy to begin with. But the idea that they were real, and that her daughter was in such a dangerous world - willingly, no less - was absolutely terrifying.

The same words ran through her head, day in and day out.

“Staying here was the best decision I ever made…”

Had she really been that bad of a mother?

There was a strange thumping noise outside. For a moment, Camila ignored it, but then it came again, louder this time. 

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

It was like something was trying to break through a door.

Camila shot up - was it Vee? No, she was at school (where everyone still believed she was Luz - Camila swallowed the thought.) Was an animal trapped under the house - or had Hopkins started trapping them again? If he was, she was going to make their last encounter feel positively…

BANG!

Camila jumped. It was definitely coming from the front yard - this time it sounded a bit like a car backfiring, but much louder and much closer. The thumps were getting more frequent too, almost like a heartbeat - thump-thump thump-thump thump-thump!

She looked out the window.

There was… something swirling and morphing on the front lawn, trying and failing to manifest into a single unified shape. She could just about see the frame of a door, and a swirling landscape of… nothing behind. It almost hurt her eyes to look at. Yet she could just about swear she could see a silhouette through the shifting, swirling frame.

Luz!

She raced to the front door and threw it open, just in time for the door frame to settle - only a little, as the edges still twirled and twitched like a heart in cardiac arrest. The figure stepped forward, and Camila realised there was another held in her arms.

She stepped into the light, and Camila’s heart skipped a beat.

The figure was about Luz’ age, she reckoned - her hair was a bright purple, with edges of brown, and she wore what looked almost like a robe with purple sleeves and pants. Her eyes were a hazel brown, and her skin was pale - but more remarkable were her pointed ears.

And yet Camilia’s eyes focused on the limp form in her arms, her brown hair messy, her tan skin covered in cuts and bruises, and her breathing heavy and laboured.

The other girl spoke, her voice shaking.

“Are you Luz’s mom?”

Camila’s hands covered her mouth.

“Luz,” she whispered.

She was running before she knew it, sprinting over to the limp form of her daughter. She barely heard the other girl; she seemed to be babbling.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Emperor Belos, the golden guard, they-they came without warning a-a-and this was the only thing I could think of! Sh-she needs help but I don’t know…”

Camila took her from the girl’s arms, swiftly placing a finger on Luz’s wrist - a pulse, even and regular, if a bit shallow. Good sign, but she needed to get inside. She could go to pieces later; right now Luz needed her.

“It’s okay, mija, mami’s here,” she whispered. “We need to get you inside, come on…”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know how to…”

Camila looked back at the girl as she turned to run inside.

“You can tell me about it later,” she said. “We need to lie her down.”

She raced inside - she thought she heard the girl sprinting after her - and ran into the living room, laying Luz down on the couch. Quickly she checked her temperature - seemed okay, but her skin was a little clammy. More important were the cuts and bruises. She needed bandages, and probably a hospital. She needed to call an ambulance, now, and…

“M-Ms. Noceda?”

The girl had arrived behind her - she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

“Can… can I try something?”

Camila opened her mouth to reply - what could she do? Luz needed a doctor! She needed a hospital, she needed…

Slowly, the girl stepped forward, standing over Luz’s unconscious form.

“Lilith said I wasn’t supposed to use this unless it was an emergency,” she said, “but I think this is an emergency, so…”

She touched her forehead to Luz’.

“With this spell declared… let the pain be shared.”

Camila stepped back, eyes wide, as both Luz and the girl glowed blue. The light intensified, and for a moment, she had to shield her eyes.

When she regained her vision, the girl was slumped next to the couch, sweating and breathing a little heavily; but Luz looked noticeably healthier, and many of the worst cuts and bruises were gone.

“What…”

“I shared the pain,” the girl said woosily.

“I… you could’ve hurt yourself!” exclaimed Camila. “Y-you have hurt yourself! I…”

“Yeah?” The girl chuckled humourlessly. “It’s worth it… as long as Luz is okay.”

CRASH! BANG! THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!

Camila jumped and turned around. Outside the door, she could just about see the magical doorway violently twitch and swirl, thrashing like a trapped, wounded animal. For a moment, it seemed almost to be in a state of rage, as if it would lunge at Camila in a last, desperate effort; for help or to main, she could not say.

Then there was a loud pop, and it was gone. It was as if it had never been there.

“Your… portal?” Camila said, her throat dry. “It’s gone.”

“I…” The girl had hobbled to her feet and was gazing outside to where the door had been. She swayed on her feet.

“Oh,” she said softly. “Oh, Titan.”

Like a puppet with its strings cut, she swayed and dropped to the floor.

Camila looked down at the two unconscious girls; she mopped her brow, forcing herself not to panic or cry. She needed to keep herself together, to make sure Luz and her - friend, maybe? - were okay. Then she could cry all she liked.

There was a knock, and Camila turned back to the door. There was another girl, one eerily similar to Luz, standing there - she looked deeply confused.

“Camila?” she asked. “I-is everything okay?”

Camila swallowed, wondering how she was going to explain any of this.

[saphyrenights]

I really wish more people with big hospital bills knew they could just call their hospital's financial services department and set up payments instead of making donation posts asking other broke people on here for money. They can pay back as little or as much as they want every month. I have a bill set up right now for $25.

You also don't have to WAIT for medical treatment if you can't pay upfront. Just tell them to bill you, see how much insurance covers (if you have insurance; if you don't, you can still do this), and then just set up payments for the rest. Yes, it'll take awhile to pay off, but at least you got the help you needed, and the hospital is getting back their money without turning you over to collections.

The reason I'm making this post is because I saw an obvious medical bill scam going around a couple of days ago, and tons of people were sharing it. It's the one with the person asking for money for their relative's dialysis treatments. They posted a pic of the man, and...he didn't look like any dialysis patient I've ever seen. In fact, dialysis was the LAST thing this man looked like he needed. The average Tumblrite hasn't set foot inside a dialysis treatment center, so they have no idea what it should look like. They'll just give this person their money, and it makes me angry because there are real people in real need who don't resort to scamming good-hearted people.

Y'all, please vet the people whose donation posts you're sharing. Images can be faked or just straight up taken off of Google or social media. If someone hasn't attempted to pay ANYTHING on a bill and is now asking you to pay it for them, that's a big ass red flag.

Yes, people need help, and yes, we should help then if we can. But do not forget that there are some shady mfs on here looking to separate you from your money, and you've got to learn to pick up on the signs. You don't want to end up like your aunt Mabel with her Nigerian prince boyfriend who's totally in love with her but can't afford a plane ticket to come see her no matter how many Amazon gift cards and Western Union bank transfers she keeps sending him.

Be careful.

[blallab]

5 Things Need to Know About Indian Covid-19 Vaccines

When the world was waiting to celebrate the new year with new hopes and resolutions, suddenly something happened and everything changed. When the coronavirus entered the world no one knew how long it would last and how deadly it is. We have faced something that never happened in our entire life.

All the world faced lockdown, honestly, that was horrible like something big was happening. We all were getting the information from news and social media that what is happening in other countries and we all were afraid.

But now slowly things are changing, and we all know that vaccination of covid19 has started in some countries, and India is one of them. The Government of India has approved two vaccines, The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, and Covaxin.

But we all have some questions in our minds: Who will get the vaccine first? How does one register for it? Lets discussed all one by one

Who will get the vaccine first?

1. Healthcare Workers: Public and Private

According to the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC), health workers which are working in both Govt. and private hospitals will get the vaccine first. These health workers are doctors, nurses, medical officers, paramedics, and other staff included with the medical students.

2. Frontline and Municipal Workers

Central and state department workers like the police departments, armed forces, prisoner staff, civil defense, revenue officials, and municipal workers will get vaccines after healthcare workers.

3. Population Above 50 years of age

This category is divided into two categories.

Above 60

50-60 years of age.

4. Areas with High Covid Infection

Areas, where the COVID-19 infection prevalence is high, can get the covid19 vaccines earlier.

5. Rest Population

The remaining population will get the covid19 vaccine after priority lists are done.

How does one register for Covid19 Vaccine?

First, you need to know that for covid19 registration you have to download the CoWIN app. But currently, CoWIN app functionality is not complete yet and it is in the pre-product stage.

Once the CoWIN app functionality is done, you have to register on this app, and once the registration is completed you will get an SMS regarding the date, venue, and time of vaccination. You have to upload some Govt. document at the time of registration on a CoWin app like an Adhar card, Voter ID card.

Can We Get Covid-19 Vaccine Without Registration?

The answer is no, You have to register yourself for the Vaccination, and then you will get the date, venue, and time of vaccination.

Is it free?

The covid-19 vaccine will be free of cost across all the country, said the Union Health Minister of India Harsh Vardhan.

Is It Mandatory To Take The Covid-19 Vaccine?

According to the Union Health Ministry, getting vaccinated for COVID-19 will be voluntary in the country.  

Conclusion

Covid-19 is the major health problem for the world and experts in the medical field and other fields are working everyday to develop vaccines and reduce the effect of covid19.

Now we all understand the value of health so do a health checkup every year to track your health.