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ganymedesclock · 4 years

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Dead Cells and the weight of small lives pt.1 (about Prisoner)

NGL this is at least partially me saltposting about “I don’t really understand how people read the Prisoner’s dialogue and look at his thoughts and see someone who’s a total unrepentant asshole or the same person as the King” but it’s also commentating on an interesting pattern I observe in the game and its worldbuilding.

The setting of Dead Cells is, no two ways about it, a very unpleasant world. It is awash in death. The apocalyptic zombie plague of the Malaise is just the final nail in its coffin, leaving a handful of uninfected survivors on top of the literal heaps of corpses of the kingdom’s inquisition. A fountain of blood flows in the highest castle in the land. It’s grim. It’s horrible. We can hear someone get murdered through an unbreakable door.

The interesting thing is... what the game tells you to do with it, through the perspective of the main character.

For clarity: Prisoner is not here to save anyone. He is not a hero on a quest. He is- well- a prisoner. On discovering he has a kind of immortality, he begins using it to make his way through the island, learning painful lesson after painful lesson, returning, returning, and returning again trying to achieve some kind of change on this degrading looping time. But the fact that you’re not specifically out to save people is that... well... basically nobody’s in a position to be saved. As mentioned, there’s not a lot of survivors, and most of the ones there don’t need you- they’re doing on their own, and if that happens to not be enough, it tends to be enough very suddenly, where you can’t reach them or weren’t there at the time and are left a little shaken, because they were fine the last time you checked.

Also, half of said survivors are trying really hard to kill Prisoner.

Thus, if you’re used to games where objective 1 is to Save Everyone, Rid The Land Of Evil, Prisoner might seem shockingly callous, I suppose. The thing is, I consider myself the emotional equivalent of a glass frog- I’m very thin-skinned with bleak hopeless narratives.

And yet. There is something about Dead Cells’ universe that doesn’t seem like an attack on me. And I think that it’s what the game has to say about “small lives”. The lives that are considered unimportant in a crisis.

The Island in Dead Cells is ruled by a major hierarchy. This is obvious from jump- one of the first bits of lore text you are likely to ever get starting the game up is this one, for the Prisoners’ Quarters, the first area you start in:

In the social hierarchy of the island, there are the dogs, the rats, and just below them, the prisoners.

Prisoner is sometimes called “The Beheaded” by official detail, but he is called “Prisoner” specifically by one of the service NPCs you meet in the corridors- so one of the most consistent entities you talk to that’s not trying to kill you, who is always happy to see you with a sunny, “Well, hello, Mr. Prisoner, sir!”

He also starts the game in a prison cell, his headless state is made clear to us that it was the result of an execution rather than a war wound (there’s a chopping block and an obviously used axe in his cell with him) and his default equipment is a collar that was clearly once used to restrain him. So when the game pronounces this to you about the island’s hierarchy, Prisoner is not speaking abstractly about ‘those other poor sods’-

He’s talking about himself.

The hierarchy of the island is a specter that stalks you through almost every level of the game- through the massive prison complex which is littered with evidence and recounting of the guards toying with prisoners’ lives, of numbered corpses, a revolting sewer containing a shackled, corrupted monster that seems to have lived her entire life in this very same prison; to the astonishingly humble fishing hamlet that lies directly at the foot of the soaring grandeur of the Clock Tower and the even greater heights of High Peak Castle.

To the discrepancy between the teeming, crowded tombstones of the Graveyard, to the sprawling labyrinthine nature of the Forgotten Sepulchre- where a handful of tombs are presided over by entire walls of skulls that we’re helpfully told belonged to the heads of the delegations of high-ranking dignitaries- said delegations were butchered to attend their masters’ burials evermore.

Right away, this is thrown to us not as something we are outside of or transcend, but a slap in the face. The world tells us that our avatar in this game does not matter- that his face and voice do not matter and these things were taken from him by violence.

The thing is... Prisoner does not shut up. The game is full to bursting with his thoughts. He has so much to say that it’s jarring when we’re used to being alone with all his thoughts to meet another person and suddenly be reminded they hear nothing of what he’s saying, like a dramatic version of Garfield Minus Garfield.

Through revival, through cycles, the expectation of the gameplay is we are living the experience of Prisoner and what Prisoner’s experience is, is a one-man raging against a situation that’s telling him to shrivel up and die because he’s not important. It doesn’t want to be fair to him. It doesn’t want to be nice to him. It doesn’t care how much he’s hurting or if he doesn’t own a decent pair of shoes to his name, or if he doesn’t even have a name to speak of.

But Prisoner does not give up. He in fact does the opposite of giving up. After playing this game for a good while, I fired up some Hollow Knight and it really hit me like a truck that Prisoner spends most of the game tearing around near top speed, cartwheeling and sprinting and hauling up ledges and slamming down ledges. The pace of the game is fast, fast, fast, all intense, all in, and you’re encouraged to take risky gambles with an already precarious system like temporarily taking on one-hit-you’re-dead curses in exchange for more damage output or better loot.

The animated trailers make this even clearer. Prisoner gets his shit wrecked.

A lot.

At best, he can have some moments of feeling like an unstoppable god, but just about the time you start to get really worried for that cute little mushroom baby and their caretaker you are reassured that Prisoner’s reign of hubristic wrath comes to a hard stop thanks to inertia, and spikes.

And I will say more than many cinematic trailers, Motion Twin really did a remarkable job of matching this 1-to-1 with the actual experience of playing the game. I have even literally swaggered into a fight with the Giant much the same way Prisoner breaks out that cool spear flourish Moment Of Challenge only to immediately eat shit directly into his laser beam eyes, that I was not prepared for because he hadn’t used them last fight.

Prisoner is not valiant, triumphant, or wildly successful. His final bastion is skill and ingenuity.

This puts a really interesting spin on what I said before- that Prisoner is not here to save anybody, even himself.

Prisoner frankly does not have that kind of power.

There’s nobody in a vulnerable state you even have the option to choose to abandon. People live or die, and it’s really not up to you. There are a few deaths Prisoner takes into his own hands- the King and the Collector notably- but even those people, like... the King appears comatose by the time you reach him, and the Collector not only tries to kill you but is revived thanks to time strangeness- and another death that can happen, and is erased by the time looping- the unnamed sewer prisoner who wants you to go fetch the teleportation rune for him (ahem. he wants you to retrieve his rune, that definitely rightfully belongs to him) ostensibly to get out of jail but when you find his body, not only is he dead of a fate the rune wouldn’t have saved him from, but his objective, revealed, was that he was trying to get to a treasure chest he’d hidden earlier.

The one time it can really be said, outside of the boss fights or executing the King, that Prisoner really decides if someone lives or dies, is...

Mushroom Boi.

For the uninitiated, Mushroom Boi is a little summonable mushroom child that is equipped as a skill. Triggering the skill once will summon him. Triggering the skill while he’s already summoned will cause him to self-destruct, taking out enemies in the area and, by the game description, “violate your very soul”.

After this, you can without any consequence whatsoever summon him again, and blow this poor child up as much as you want. It does not really seem to slow him down any- but the game still, distinctly, frowns on it. You have a reward in the form of an achievement for keeping him with you without sacrifice, aforementioned crack about sacrificing him “violating your soul”, and, just, how can you be mad at this cute little guy? he has a tiny bow! He’s an extremely useful companion! Mechanically, you do not really hurt for want of the sacrifice ability if you summon him and then never touch that button again.

Given that Prisoner spends so much of the game alone with his thoughts, and the person who gives him access to Mushroom Boi, the Collector, has, to put it mildly, a long history of using and discarding people including implicitly children, there has to be some kind of implicit in-universe-source for the idea that you’d feel crushing guilt for detonating your son and boy like that, and the angle that makes the most sense is Prisoner.

So, Prisoner is someone who feels really guilty for painfully inconveniencing a summonable construct mushroom in a way that it does not seem to hold against him at all. At the same time, there’s really a shortage of ways that you can personally hurt anybody who’s not trying to kill you or being particularly exploitative (aforementioned teleportation rune sewer guy, who Prisoner goes as far as to flip off after he lunges and tries to either claw prisoner or grab the rune from him by force)

The most disrespectful Prisoner tends to be are to one of three categories of people:

Dead bodies that cannot feel or particularly care if he kicks them, that he usually kicks either specifically to loot or, as what seems to be some kind of weird bad idea where he plants his naked foot on a waterlogged corpse and then declares “ew” like what did you expect to happen actually

People who have one way or another tried to exploit him for their personal gain directly at his expense so he nearly gets murdered- or in FACT gets murdered- while they sit back and wait for him to succeed and bring them the reward.

Aforementioned people who are trying openly to kill him and even then he only flips off the Giant basically because the Giant flips him off first. This is kinder than I feel about the Giant. I like the Giant but I feel like someone with laser beam eyes that uses them like that deserves more than just one retaliatory middle finger.

And this meshes with other factors, but the post is long enough I’ll break off here.

#Dead Cells #The weight of small lives #readmore

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newstfionline · 4 years

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Headlines

Historic blast of polar vortex sets scores of records, scatters rare May snow in Eastern U.S. (Washington Post) A blast of Arctic air marched south across the eastern Lower 48 to start the weekend, bringing winterlike temperatures to millions of people and even a confetti of snowflakes. Records fell like dominoes as the icy air mass spilled south, first lapping at the Midwest before surging all the way east to the Atlantic. It’s one of the most prolific late-season cold outbreaks on record, thanks to a piece of the low-altitude polar vortex breaking off and meandering uncharacteristically far south. From Texas to Maine, record lows for May 9 fell in every state in the eastern half of the Lower 48 north of Florida. Several locations also registered their lowest May temperatures ever recorded and coldest weather this late in the season. Lows dipped into the 20s in 20 states.

A distinct possibility: ‘Temporary’ layoffs may be permanent (AP) In late March, Britney Ruby Miller, co-owner of a small chain of steakhouse restaurants, confidently proclaimed that once the viral outbreak had subsided, her company planned to recall all its laid-off workers. Now? Miller would be thrilled to eventually restore three-quarters of the roughly 600 workers her company had to let go. “I’m being realistic,” she said. “Bringing back 75% of our staff would be incredible.” Call it realism or pessimism, but more employers are coming to a reluctant conclusion: Many of the employees they’ve had to lay off in the face of the pandemic might not be returning to their old jobs anytime soon. Some large companies won’t have enough customers to justify it. And some small businesses won’t likely survive at all despite aid provided by the federal government.

One-Third of All U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Are Nursing Home Residents or Workers (NYT) At least 27,600 residents and workers have died from the coronavirus at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for older adults in the United States, according to a New York Times database. The virus so far has infected more than 150,000 at some 7,700 facilities. Nursing home populations are at a high risk of being infected by—and dying from—the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is known to be particularly lethal to older adults with underlying health conditions, and can spread more easily through congregate facilities, where many people live in a confined environment and workers move from room to room. While just 11 percent of the country’s cases have occurred in long-term care facilities, deaths related to Covid-19 in these facilities account for more than a third of the country’s pandemic fatalities.

Coronavirus shuts the Mexican beer industry down, and the country is running dry (Washington Post) During the bone-dry days of Prohibition, Americans slipped over the border to guzzle beer in Mexico. A century later, Mexican towns are the ones going dry. The government has largely shut down beer production, saying that it is not essential during the country’s coronavirus outbreak. The last bottles of Tecate, Corona, Modelo Especial and Dos Equis for Mexican consumption rolled off the lines in early April. “Many people are desperately searching for beer,” said Raúl Funes, the head of a craft-brew association in Tijuana, just south of San Diego. “It’s like toilet paper.”

The red flags of Colombia (Washington Post) When the food supply at the community shelter had dwindled to a single package of Swiss chard, Robinson Álvarez Monroy stepped outside and hung a red scarf. Across Colombia, the red flag—or scarf, or towel, or T-shirt—has come to symbolize an urgent need for assistance. It’s a cry for help. In some places, the scarf, towel, or T-shirt has been waving for more than a month. Colombia had reported more than 10,000 cases of the coronavirus and 420 deaths as of Friday night, far fewer than South American neighbors Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. But lockdowns have devastated the region’s fragile economy, and the informal laborers who must work to eat. People in the slums say help comes from those who see the flags and stop to give them food.

Pandemic shows contrasts between US, European safety nets (AP) The coronavirus pandemic is straining social safety nets across the globe—and underlining sharp differences in approach between wealthy societies such as the United States and Europe. In Europe, the collapse in business activity is triggering wage support programs that are keeping millions on the job, for now. In contrast, in the United States more than 33.5 million people have applied for jobless benefits and the unemployment rate has soared to 14.7%. Congress has passed $2 trillion in emergency support, boosting jobless benefits and writing stimulus checks of up to $1,200 per taxpayer. That is a pattern seen in earlier economic downturns, particularly the global financial crisis and the Great Recession. Europe depends on existing programs kicking in that pump money into people’s pockets. The U.S., on the other hand, relies on Congress taking action by passing emergency stimulus programs. Economist Andre Sapir, a senior fellow at the Bruegel research institute in Brussels, said budget policy in the U.S. plays partly the role that Europe’s welfare system plays because the American welfare system is less generous and a recession can be much harsher on workers.

French parents anguish over sending children back to school (AP) As France prepares to start letting public life resume after eight weeks under a coronavirus lockdown, many parents are deeply torn over a question without a clear or correct answer: Should I send my child back to school? Due to the slow startup, as well as ongoing fears about COVID-19 in hard-hit France, school attendance will not be compulsory right away. Parents and guardians may keep children at home and teachers will provide lessons like they have during the nationwide lockdown. Returning students will find their classrooms running differently. Teachers will wear masks and remind children to social distance from each other and to wash their hands several times a day.

Italy has long been Europe’s wild card. The coronavirus has upped the risk. (Washington Post) After two months of ambulance sirens, mourning and isolation, this is the damage report from Italy: The novel coronavirus death toll has surpassed 30,000. The country is hurtling into its steepest recession in modern times. Tourism has gone bust. Many restaurants and shops lack the cash to ever reopen. The government’s brittle finances are becoming ever more stretched. All the while, many Italians feel embittered and alienated. They are disappointed in the continent’s early response to the pandemic and its fallout. Anti-European sentiment has spiked. So has the uncertainty about what might happen next in Italy’s topsy-turvy politics. Even before it was hit by one of the world’s deadliest outbreaks, Italy was seen as the wild card of Western Europe—flirting on-and-off with populism, sometimes seeming to be only one mismanaged crisis away from becoming the continent’s next Brexit or Greek-style debt disaster. Now that crisis has arrived, and what hangs in the balance is not just Italy’s stability but that of Europe, as well.

In Japan, pandemic brings outbreaks of bullying, ostracism (AP) The coronavirus in Japan has brought not just an epidemic of infections, but also an onslaught of bullying and discrimination against the sick, their families and health workers. A government campaign to raise awareness seems to be helping, at least for medical workers. But it’s made only limited headway in countering the harassment and shunning that may be discouraging people from seeking testing and care and hindering the battle against the pandemic. Apart from fear of infection, experts say the prejudice against those even indirectly associated with the illness also stems from deeply rooted ideas about purity and cleanliness in a culture that rejects anything deemed to be alien, unclean or troublesome. Medical workers risking their lives to care for patients are a main target, but people working at grocery stores, delivering parcels and carrying out other essential jobs also are facing harassment. So are their family members.

Infections rise in Asia (AP) China and South Korea reported new spikes Sunday in coronavirus cases, setting off fresh concerns in countries where outbreaks had been in dramatic decline, and new protests against pandemic restrictions erupted in Germany despite the easing of many lockdowns in Europe. Worldwide, health officials are anxiously watching to see just how much infection rates rise in a second wave as nations and states emerge from varying degrees of lockdown. Later Sunday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to take a different tack, keeping most restrictions in place as he reveals a ‘road map’ for the future of the country that has the most official virus deaths in Europe at over 31,600.

Virus Forces Persian Gulf States to Reckon With Migrant Labor (NYT) The Kuwaiti talk show panelists were holding forth on an issue that the coronavirus has pushed to the forefront of national debate: whether their tiny, oil-rich monarchy should rely as heavily as it does on foreign laborers, who have suffered most of the country’s infections and borne much of the cost of its lockdown. “Go to malls in Kuwait—would you ever see a Kuwaiti working there?” said one guest, Ahmad Baqer. “No. They’re all different nationalities.” Not long after, a South Asian man slipped into the camera frame, serving tea to each panelist from a tray. He appeared three times during the program, his presence unacknowledged except by one panelist who waved away a fresh cup. In the Middle East’s wealthiest societies, the machinery of daily life depends on migrant laborers from Asia, Africa and poorer Arab countries—millions of “tea boys,” housemaids, doctors, construction workers, deliverymen, chefs, garbagemen, guards, hairdressers, hoteliers and more, who often outnumber the native population. They support families back home by doing the jobs citizens cannot or will not take. But as oil revenues plummet, migrant labor camps become coronavirus hot spots and citizens demand that their governments protect them first, the pandemic has prompted a reckoning with the status quo. “The two things that Gulf countries depend on the most, oil prices and foreign workers, these two have been hard hit with the coronavirus,” said Eman Alhussein, a fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. “The coronavirus has unleashed all these issues that have been put on the back burner for a long time.”

South Africa’s alcohol ban during lockdown reveals its deadly drinking habits (Washington Post) South Africa has taken some of the most drastic measures in the world to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus, but one has generated fierce debate like no other: a ban on the sale, and even transport, of alcohol. On one side: drinkers who say their rights are being impinged on and bottle shop owners and liquor companies that are going broke. On the other: a public health system that is unburdened by thousands of monthly hospitalizations resulting from accidents and violence attributed to drunkenness. More than 5,000 fewer admissions to trauma units per week can be attributed to the alcohol ban, according to Charles Parry, director of alcohol research at the South African Medical Research Council. The council’s data also shows a decrease in excess deaths in South Africa, suggesting that the lockdown, with its alcohol ban and decrease in vehicle use, may have saved the lives of more South Africans than the 186 that the coronavirus is confirmed to have killed so far. “Instead of patching people up with stabbing wounds, nurses can focus on training how to handle covid cases,” Parry said, referencing covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. “Based on our model, at least 15 people who would have otherwise died from alcohol-related traumas are being saved every single day.”

#headlines #news

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joiedecombat · 5 years

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Maia/pyrrhic? :D

SO THIS ONE KIND OF EXPLODED, THANKS

It is suitably angsty.

pyrrhic - won at too great a cost

“Commander?”

Blinking her way out of the downward spiral of her thoughts felt like stepping out of a dark tunnel. Odessen’s daylight fell softly over the wooded mountainside and the familiar outlines of the Alliance base, with none of the uneasy quality of the artificial light of Iokath, but just now to Maia even this much seemed too bright.

Pushing back the impulse to rub her eyes, she turned to find Lana standing expectantly at her elbow. Behind her, the landing had gone quiet; a handful of people moved outside the base, techs going about their work, a pair of troopers speaking to one another in voices muted by distance, but the noise and bustle of personnel offloading supplies and equipment from the Gravestone had at some point ceased.

With sudden chagrin, Maia realized just how long she’d been standing there lost in thought.

If Lana was at all perturbed by her inattention, she had the grace not to let on. Lana, Maia thought ruefully, could give more than a few Jedi lessons on patience - present company included.

The Sith-gold eyes regarding her held only polite concern. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Maia offered the other woman an apologetic look. “Sorry. I was just a little preoccupied.”

“I’d imagine so. The events on Iokath have given all of us a lot to process.”

Maia smiled wanly at the understatement.

“I’ve made inquiries,” Lana went on, “and so far it seems like nothing out of the ordinary occurred while we were away. I took the liberty of beginning an in-depth sweep of the base for surveillance devices - we were nearly due for a routine check in any case, but given our information leak, a more in-depth search is clearly needed.”

She paused for a moment, seeming to wait for Maia to reply, but when no reply came she added, “All of your command staff will also be thoroughly investigated, as we discussed.”

“…Right.” The word left Maia in a sigh. “So much for giving trust to receive trust, I guess.”

Lana’s voice softened. “It’s unfortunate,” she said. “But we can’t afford to sit idle.”

“No, you’re right. I hate to think of anyone in the Alliance turning traitor, but…”

(“BLINDED BY DUTY. DISTRACTED BY TRUST. YOU DID NOT SEE THE BLADE TO YOUR NECK. THE RAGE IN YOUR SHADOW.”)

The metallic voice reverberated unbidden in her memory. Maia flexed her fingers, opening and closing her hand at her side as she remembered the painful jolt of energy coursing through muscle and nerve, the moments before consciousness had fled.

The evidence of Iokath spoke for itself.

(“YOU ARE BETRAYED.”)

Meeting Lana’s eyes squarely, she said, “I need to know how this happened.”

“We’ll find the one responsible,” Lana promised. “The moment I know anything, you’ll know.”

“Thanks, Lana.” Subsiding into quiet for a moment, Maia looked away across the canyon, watching the haze of mist curl amidst the distant trees. “Has there been any news out of the Republic?”

She felt rather than saw Lana start beside her at the abrupt change of topic, could picture without having to see the faint surprise flash over her face before shifting into a look of understanding. “Not yet. I expect the chain of command in disarray at the moment.”

That happens when you kill the Supreme Commander of the entire armed forces. She exhaled, a fruitless effort to expel the bleak thought from her mind.

“Theron would have more direct sources of information on the current state of affairs,” Lana said, ”but…”

Maia shook her head, forestalling the rest of what Lana was going to say. “No, it’s all right. The boot’s bound to drop soon enough anyway.”

And for all that Theron was doing his best to bury himself in work, asking him to investigate the response to his father’s death seemed like nothing but adding insult to injury. She’d done enough damage as it was. There was no sense in piling needless cruelty on top of it.

“We have our own house to get in order before that happens. Commander–”

She closed her aching eyes against the Odessen sunlight, brought up both hands to press her fingertips against her eyelids.

“Maia.” At the gentle press of a touch settling on her shoulder, she let her hands drop from her face and looked up to find Lana regarding her with concern. “If you need to talk…”

“What’s your evaluation of how things went on Iokath?”

This time she saw Lana’s eyes widen, her expression faltering into uncertainty.

“Your honest evaluation,” Maia pressed. “Please, Lana.”

Lana let out a slow breath, seeming to gather her thoughts. “We were at a disadvantage before we landed,” she began at last. “If we - if I had been more vigilant, we might have recognized the trap sooner, perhaps even avoided it altogether.”

“…you know I’m not blaming you.” It came out in a murmur, almost carried away by the breeze.

“I know.” No hesitation. The burnished gold of Lana’s eyes held her gaze, direct and unwavering. “Regardless, once the Empire and the Republic had both established a military presence, escalation was unavoidable. You succeeded in neutralizing the Tyth superweapon before either side could claim it, almost certainly preventing incalculable loss of life. In that sense, I believe we can consider Iokath a win. Not an unqualified victory,” she allowed, “but a win nonetheless.”

Maia stood very still, digesting what Lana had said. There was no denying any of the facts as they’d been stated, and yet…

She looked away over the canyon again, trying to ignore the searing echo of lightsaber against lightsaber that buzzed in her ears. “I think the cost might have been too high.”

“Jace Malcom’s death was his own doing. Not yours.”

The air hitched out of her, almost a laugh. “It’s not that simple.”

“You can’t hold yourself responsible for his choices.”

“Choices he made because of the decision I made, when I chose the Empire over the Republic.” Maia shook her head in a short, vehement jerk. “I might not have pulled the trigger myself, but how can I possibly pretend I’m not responsible for his death? To say nothing of the lives I did take - Republic soldiers, Jedi–!”

“You were in an impossible position,” Lana interrupted her, quiet but firm. “Whatever you chose meant breaking faith with someone. If the ultimate fault lies anywhere, it’s with the one who created the situation in the first place by luring all of us into confrontation.”

Maia could find no response to that, caught between the sense that Lana’s reasoning wasn’t entirely wrong, and the conviction that she was, at the same time, very much not right.

“It may not be any consolation, but…” That ‘but’ hung in the air, gently prompting, until Maia lifted her head to meet Lana’s eyes again. “I, for one, appreciate that you don’t allow old grudges to guide your decisions. I always have.”

She swallowed, managed a halfhearted smile. “I try, anyway.”

“You do more than most.”

There should’ve been some comfort in it, however cold. The more Maia tried to reassure herself, though, the more the cynical voice in the back of her thoughts began to sound like Theron’s: So, how’s the view from the high ground?

Lana must have read something of it on her face, because she grasped Maia’s upper arms as though to hold her steady. “I know all of this has been difficult,” she said. “I wish I could tell you that you made the right call, but I’m afraid only time can truly judge any of our actions. The full scope of the consequences may never be clear in our lifetimes.”

“…Remind me in the future not to ask for your honest evaluation unless I’m sure I’m ready to hear it.”

“However,” Lana continued sternly. “What I do know for certain is this: your decision on Iokath wasn’t reached lightly. Like every other decision you’ve made as commander of the Alliance, you chose thinking of what would do the most good. It’s why I’ve followed you all this time. And it’s why there’s no one I’d have trusted more to make that call.”

She meant it only as reassurance, Maia knew, but even so the pressure of Lana’s faith in her came down on her shoulders like a physical weight. It took all her effort not to shudder.

“Thanks, Lana,” she managed to say.

The grip on her upper arms squeezed gently before Lana released her and took a step back. “For now,” she said, “you should try to get some rest.”

Before the next crisis hits. She didn’t say it; she didn’t have to. “Probably,” Maia agreed, and drew in a slow breath. “If there are any new developments in the next few hours…”

“I’ll let you know at once.”

Maia nodded. There didn’t seem to be much else to say. With Lana’s somber gaze upon her, she cast one more look off across the canyon, searching the distant wilderness for answers she knew it couldn’t possibly hold.

Then she turned and made her way inside.

She’d meant to make for her quarters, but as the lift descended slowly farther into the base, the idea of closing herself in alone with her thoughts filled Maia with growing dread. Halfway across the War Room she changed her course, turning for the corridor that would lead her to the Force-users’ enclave instead. Maybe in that sanctuary, she’d be able to find some clarity in meditation - and if she couldn’t, at least she could find distraction.

With this thought occupying her mind, she rounded the corner and nearly plowed headlong into someone coming the other way.

He bit off a curse, fumbling the datapad he’d been reading. Entirely on reflex, Maia caught it just as it slipped from his hands entirely.

“I’m so sorry–”

Halfway through blurting out the apology, she finally looked up. The rest of the words died unspoken in her throat, conscious thought abandoning her completely as she found herself eye to eye with the one person she wanted most and least to see.

Theron made a quiet noise, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “…hey.”

He looked awful. It was the first thought that surfaced in her mind as she stood there struggling to recover some kind of equilibrium - even in the diffuse light of the underground hallway, she could see far too clearly the fatigue that lined his face. His fascinating eyes, normally so keen, had gone dim and full of shadows, and he couldn’t seem to meet her gaze.

(“Your dreams are almost as bad as mine.”)

Belatedly, Maia realized she was still holding his datapad. “Ah,” she said lamely, offering it back to him. “This–”

“–Yeah.” Just as awkwardly, he gripped the datapad between both hands. “Thanks.”

Then silence. The air between them felt thick enough to suffocate on.

How had things ended up like this?, she wondered helplessly. She’d never found talking to Theron difficult before. If anything, in those early days on Rishi and Yavin 4 it had been almost too easy, so much that she’d found it a little unsettling at times how natural it felt to work with him, to just talk to him about anything or about nothing at all.

Yet now the silence stretched like a gulf between them. Iokath, the Republic, the Empire, Jace Malcom’s death… all of it combined into a gaping wound Maia had no idea how to mend. She had to make it right somehow, but try as she might the words wouldn’t come.

Anything she could think to say just seemed hollow. A bandage for her own feelings, not his.

Even so, she had to do something before the distance grew too wide to bridge. “Theron,” she began, only for the shrilling of a holocom to split the air and send both of them grabbing reflexively for their personal comm units.

“Sorry.” Theron mumbled it, his eyes turned downward to the blinking holocom in his hand. “I’ve been waiting for this contact.”

Maia let out a breath, accepted that the moment was lost. “Of course,” she said. “Don’t let me keep you.”

He nodded and turned away. For the space between one breath and the next, he seemed to hesitate - but then the comm shrilled again and Theron lengthened his stride, hurrying off down the hall until he was lost to sight.

I have to fix this, Maia thought as she stared after him, alone in the empty corridor.

The problem was, she wasn’t at all sure that she could.

#swtor #the old republic #lana beniko #theron shan #theron shan x jedi knight #oc: maia sunder #fanfic #we don't talk about iokath

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fallforcs · 6 years

Text

Wilderness of Your Heart

Art by @eastwesthomeisbest

Author: @ohmakemeahercules

Summary: 6x14 Canon Divergence: What if Emma had some help in deciphering between Captain Hook being revealed as Robert’s murderer and the Killian Jones she loves?

Rating and reason for the rating: T for strong language

Trigger warnings: Passing reference to murder, drinking references

Authors Note: I hated how no one batted an eye at Killian’s absence between 6x14 to 6x17. No one thought to fight for him and gave him the benefit of the doubt. This story attempts to fix that a year and a half later. David and Henry know Killian pretty well by now. I think they’d have some insight into the man he has become. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this as much I did in the writing process.

@girl-in-the-band-tshirt: I COULD NOT have asked for a better beta while writing this story. It would not be half of what it is without you. I am so happy to have worked with you. I tend to focus more on ideas and thoughts. You took care of the technical side. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Don’t be a stranger after this is over.

@eastwesthomeisbest Thank you so much for the gorgeous edit. I’d not seen your work before this; it is stunning :) I wish I could thank you in your inbox but you’ll know my identity soon enough.

Word Count: 3,187

**********

David,

I’m concerned about Killian. He was out by the docks this evening with a bag over his shoulder. I don't know what his plans are. When we were talking, his mind seemed millions of miles away. He avoided eye contact and went stiff when I hugged him. Something isn’t right. You should check in with him; you’re closer to him than I am.

Love, Snow

David growled. Dammit, Hook. You promised you would never leave my daughter. You’re no better than all the other bastards who abandoned her. Wait. If Hook left, that means Emma is alone. And probably not taking this well. I should check on her. Well, it’s my turn at the station for night shift at the station anyway. I’ll stop by on my way over. Technically Emma and Hook's house was out of the way from the loft, but he had to see if his daughter was okay.

He glanced at his phone. 11 o’clock. His shift technically started at midnight, but he wanted to allow time to visit Emma. He glanced over at baby Neal’s crib. Ruby agreed to babysit during night shift since Snow would be unable to attend to the baby should he wake up. He sent her a quick text letting her know he was about to leave. She quickly replied she would be over shortly.

*********

Emma banged her head against her bedroom window. Where are you, Hook? You should be back by now. You’ve always come back. Why haven’t you this time?

Ever since Hook had walked out their front door several hours earlier, Emma had attempted to keep herself busy. She’d gone to the station for a few hours, updating records and filing away papers. It was surprisingly quiet. And quite lonely without Hook’s warm and husky timbre and innuendo-laden remarks. She’d considered looking for him, but decided against it. If he came back, it should be his decision. She’d taken that away from him once; she refused to do that again.

No use torturing myself waiting all night. She turned around and saw Hook’s pirate chest next to the TV stand. The sight had become such commonplace in the past few weeks, she hadn’t paid much attention.Tonight she notices his rum flask sitting on top of a few papers. She trudges across the room to look.

Emma recognizes it immediately: old typeset on weathered parchment with jagged edges on the left side. These must be the pages August gave Hook. She remembered seeing Hook talking to August out the window the previous night. He left them out, so it’s not technically snooping, right? She sets the flask aside and picks up the pages. The story breaks her heart all over again: a struggling man forced to choose between his children or losing his home. He’d tried to correct his mistake yet still lost his life.

I’m sorry you didn’t get your second chance, Robert. This one’s for you . She picks up Hook’s flask and takes a sip. The liquid goes down sweet at first, then quickly bursts into flames. A metaphor of my last 24 hours. Her thumb rubbed down the smooth metal, similar to holding Killian’s hook like a hand. Her last memory of this flask was placing it on his grave prior to Robin’s funeral. Killian had picked it up after his resurrection, perplexed. Emma told him she thought he would like that better than roses. He agreed, before kissing her for the thousandth time in ten minutes. Maybe he’s not coming back.

Before she could entertain that thought, the front door shut with a distinct thud . Henry’s home. Good. Henry had gone over to his girlfriend Violet’s parents house for a supervised movie night. He was appalled his girlfriend had never seen the Star Wars movies. Tonight they were starting with A New Hope, because Henry preferred the classics over the prequels. Hook had also enjoyed the films when they’d watched them almost a week ago. Why does my mind keep creeping back to Hook?

“Mom! Killian! I’m home!” He called out.

“Up here, kid.” Her voice was barely audible, so she doubted he heard her. She set the pages and flask back down.

Henry’s footsteps raced up the stairs a few moments later. “Hello? Anyone home?”

“Yeah.” Emma croaked.

She’d left the bedroom door slightly ajar, allowing Henry to peek his head through. “Mom. Everything okay?”

“Not really. How was your night?”

“Good. Where’s Killian?”

I can’t lie to my son. He’d see right through me if I tried anyway. “I don’t know, kid.”

“Why not? You two are joined at the hip 24/7.”

“We had a falling out this afternoon. I haven’t seen him since.”

Henry gasped. “You’re not together anymore?”

I hope we still are, Emma groaned internally. “Not quite. Another incident from his past revealed itself. You know how hard Hook is on himself. He tried to burn the memory instead of tell me.”

“This has happened before. What’s the big deal?”

“Because it involves Charming’s father.”

“Captain Hook killed Grandpa’s father?”

Damn my kid is perceptive. “Yes, he did.”

Henry curled his lip in thought, much like his stepfather. “Our Killian wouldn’t do that.”

“No, but he’s also Captain Hook. A legendary villain.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “This isn’t brand new information, Mom. You’ve known this for how long? It hasn’t bothered you before.”

I’m not in the mood for teenage attitude. “He killed my grandfather! Robert could’ve gotten his life together, given Grandpa happy life. Maybe even made it to Storybrooke with us.”

“We don’t know that for a fact. His ship could’ve wrecked or he could have run into a wild animal. I’m not saying what Captain Hook did wasn’t wrong. It’s terrible. But the Killian Jones I know would take it all back if he could. He’s righted as many wrongs as humanly possible.”

Emma didn’t know how to respond. Logically she knew Henry’s words are true. Hook had proven himself many times over. But the battle between facts and a wounded heart clouded her mind.

“You know it’s true. You’re just too hurt to admit it right now.”

Her lips twitched. “I guess I’m an open book to you, too, huh?”

“Pretty much. You’re not giving up on your True Love that easily, are you?”

“Look, Henry…”

Another knock at the front door interrupts her train of thought. What the hell? It’s a quarter to midnight! Oh shit, it better not be another crisis. I can’t handle another one with Hook gone. She barely registers Henry saying he would answer it.

“Emma! Are you okay?”

The unexpected voice jars her out of her mental fog. “Dad? What are you doing here?”

“Snow left me a note that she’d seen Killian and he didn’t look well. Did something happen?”

Emma’s eyes narrowed. “He hasn’t been back since we fought earlier.”

David flinched. “What did you fight about?”

She sighed, the dreamcatcher’s web dancing in the firelight of her mind. “Killian’s past came back to haunt him, as it so often does. It wasn’t what he did, but how he went about it.”

“What did he do?”

Shit, how am I supposed to handle this? “ It’s complicated. It has to do with the circumstances of your father’s death. He should tell you himself, but he’s not here. I don’t want you to find out second hand.”

The prince frowned. “I’m going to find out either way, Emma. You can tell me.”

That your current best friend’s villain alter ego murdered your father centuries ago? If you insist. “King George ordered Robert’s death after he attempted to save James and failed. As punishment, Robert was tied to a cart in the Enchanted Forest and left to die. The cart was raided by a band of pirates, led by Captain Hook. Hook’s sword…”

The anguish on David’s face indicated he had connected the dots. He sat back and took a deep breath.

Seeing her father’s conflicting features reminded Emma of the pain Captain Hook caused. She’d previously been able to compartmentalize his past because it never directly dealt with anyone in her family. He had committed numerous atrocities and caused immeasurable heartbreak. I shouldn’t have gotten involved .

“Damn,” David muttered. “I always he knew he was a villain. It was much easier to deal with in an abstract sense.”

I know what you mean. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Dad.”

He shook head. “No need to be sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong. I just didn’t expect to get my heart to get ripped out again tonight.”

“Me either. What kills me is he still thinks so low of himself and his past that he would rather burn his memories than talk to me.”

“That’s how you found out?”

She nodded. “He had the memory in my dream catcher and was about throw it in the fireplace. I confronted him, which lead to the argument.”

“Why was he so afraid to tell you?”

I don’t know. I just thought with all we've been through, he’d have more trust in us as a unit.”

“Sometimes people do things that have nothing to do with the other person. They project what they want to see versus what’s actually there.”

Emma’s throat tightened . Fuck, Dad you can read me just as well as Hook. “What do you mean?”

“Recently, I asked him to help me find my father’s killer. He wasn’t keen on the idea, but agreed. My anger told me I needed a right hand man to help me avenge Dad’s death. What I got was completely different. Was he playing along to appease me?”

“He didn’t know.” Emma grabbed the storybook pages from the TV stand. “August removed these before you got there. Then he gave them to Killian later.”

David took the documents from Emma. He and Henry studied the content for a moment. At first, Emma couldn’t read her father’s expression. Suddenly, tears filled his eyes. “I almost killed King George in the jail dungeon. Killian intervened by locking him back in the cell. I threw him against the wall with a knife to his throat.”

Emma cringed internally. How many people have held a knife to my pirate’s neck now? Why are angry people obsessed with it?

“He told me Dad resisted temptation at the final moment. I screamed that it wasn’t enough. What if I can’t protect you from Gideon? What if the sleeping curse with Snow is permanent? He stepped away from the door and said, Go ahead. Kill this man if it made me feel stronger. But if I ever saw my father again one day, would I be able to look him in the eye? I couldn’t have lived with murdering someone, no matter how much they deserved it.”

He didn’t tell me that. A twinge of disappointment emerged in her stomach. I wish he would have. But I haven’t been the most perceptive soon-to-be fiancé in the world. I missed how devastated he was about finding out HE was Robert’s murderer. “What happened next?”

The prince blushed, a rare sight. “I cried hysterically. I didn’t give myself time to process everything, which resulted in my demise.”

Emma nodded in recognition. She’d been doing the exact same thing since her encounter with the Oracle. “I wouldn’t call it a demise. Even leaders need a shoulder to lean on.”

“Killian was mine. He crouched in front of me, threw my knife to the side and put his hand on my shoulder.”

He’s the first one by your side if you need him. Yet I wasn’t there when he needed me most. He needed me to save him from himself. The guilt escalated in her system. “I’m glad he was there.”

“I am, too. He really has changed, Emma. When I was hellbent on bloodlust, he kept trying to steer me in the right direction. Even after I handcuffed him to the bike rack by Town Hall.”

Emma huffed. “He’s probably used to it. I did the same thing in at the Beanstalk. Chained him up next to a magically knocked out giant that could wake up at any moment.”

“Ha, what I did was a cake walk, then.”

He probably hates my guts. Normally, Emma would have laughed her father’s joke. Anxious to deflect the subject, she asked: “What did Mom tell you in her letter? Why was she worried?”

“She saw him by the docks with a backpack. She said he was distracted, stiff and not mentally present.”

Her heart dropped. He left. Just like everyone else. I pushed him too far. She pictured the heartbreak on Killian’s face as she placed the ring in his hand. I shouldn’t have made him ask. I was too engrossed with my own happiness.

“Emma, what is it?”

“It’s my fault he’s gone. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at him in the first place.”

“This isn’t a blame game, Mom.” Henry said. “Arguments happen.”

David nodded. “He’s right. Your mother was livid when she found out I couldn’t leave Neverland. I didn’t want distract from our main goal: saving Henry.” He put his hand on his grandson’s shoulder. “But lying by omission is still lying, no matter how pure one’s intentions may be.”

Visions of Killian bleeding in the middlemist field entered her mind. “That was the hardest lesson to learn as a Dark One. I thought I was doing the right thing by saving his life, but I betrayed him in the worst way instead. And I hurt both of you. You were afraid to come near me.”

David frowned. “You weren’t the easiest to find, Emma. If you’d said you’d needed help, we would’ve come in a heartbeat.”

“I know. My walls were as high as when I got to Storybrooke.”

“Don't be so hard on yourself. You were controlled by the evilest magic in the universe.” Henry urged her.

“I wish it were that simple, kid. Emotions get more complicated as an adult.”

David rubbed his chin. “Speaking of complicated emotions, I suspect foul play might be involved in Killian’s absence.”

Emma squinted. “What are you talking about?”

Henry’s eyes lit up. “Mom. Think of who of the current villain is. The son of Killian’s worst enemy. Who wants to kill you.”

“Don’t remind me.” Emma groaned.

“Hear us out, please.” David sighed. “Gideon is a Stiltskin. Rumple knows how much Killian loves you. He also loves his son and will twist any reality to give him what he wants.”

“Killian would go to the end of the world to protect you,” Henry added.

The prince smirked. “He told me as much in the Enchanted Forest.”

Emma furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about?”

“We set up camp on the way to rescue you from the Evil Queen’s dungeon. He told me he would go to the end of the world or time for his princess. I asked if she would do the same. He had the saddest look on his face when he said he didn’t know.”

Emma’s heart sank, thinking back to that adventure. She’d spent every minute shooting him down, yet he followed her through a magic portal with no guarantee of returning to Storybrooke. “I pushed him away and took for granted that he always came back. I kept waiting for him to get sick of my rejections and leave, just like everyone else.”

David cleared his throat.

“It’s not your fault, Dad.”

“I know, but I hate that you had to endure so much pain.”

“Pain brought us together, though. We understood each other: look out for yourself and you’ll never get hurt. He waited patiently despite my sometimes hostile reactions.”

“This is a man who died to protect you, to protect all of us. Do you honestly think he would leave over a lover’s quarrel?”

Emma’s knew she had no right to be angry at Killian. She had guarded an earth shattering secret just days before in the name of protecting him. He’s tried to gently coax the truth out of her. How did she repay him? By rebuilding her walls he’d worked so diligently to destroy. And she’s done it again tonight. Along with breaking a long time promise. A tear slid down her cheek as a light bulb switched in her mind. “No. He wouldn’t.”

“What is it, honey?”

“I once promised him I would see the best in him. Yet again I completely wrote him off while you and Henry believed. Even after I told you he killed your father!”

Her dad scooted his chair closer and grasped her hand. “Emma, you were alone for the longest time, regardless of the circumstance. You aren’t going to forget those insecurities overnight.”

“I know, but.” She sniffled. “I should have known better.”

“Hey, blaming ourselves won’t get us anywhere, kiddo. At least not anywhere productive.”

Emma chuckled. “That’s true. When you've been let down like I have, its an automatic reaction.”

“I won’t let you down, Emma.”

“Killian said the same thing. Which, we were about to have a movie moment before you and Mom so RUDELY interrupted us.”

“Yeah, not our smoothest entrance in the world. This family has a history of inopportune interruptions during private moments, though. Consider it Killian’s induction into the the Charming family.”

This time, Emma laughed. Even though her parents looked as young as she was, she didn’t need to know about their intimate activities. Tacos and sex would always be linked together since she walked in the loft that day. “Hey. Since when did you join the Killian Jones fan club?”

Charming snorted a laugh. “He grew on me. Both as my daughter’s partner and a friend. Look, all I’ve wanted is your safety and happiness. He provides you with both. Who am I to stand in the way of that?”

“I love him, Dad. And he loves me.”

David smiled. “I know. It just took time for your old man to accept it.” He paused. “However, that does not mean we won’t have a chat about this issue upon his return.”

Emma arched her brows. What are you talking about? I have no idea where he went!”

“But you’re not alone anymore, Mom.” Henry chimed in. “You’re a part of a family now, as is Killian. People will help you.”

“Whose motto is ‘I will always find you.” David said. “No matter where we are, we always find our way back to each other.”

She snorted. Of course! The obnoxiously sappy family motto. She thought it sounded like a stalker mantra when she first heard it. Now, she realized it didn’t just refer to a person’s physical location. It meant searching through the wilderness of one’s heart. Killian had been drowning in a sea of self loathing for the villain of yesteryear while she was lost in a forest of abandonment as a child without a stable home. They found each other in Hell and lived to tell the tale, didn’t they? Surely, another realm hopping adventure couldn’t separate them!

Emma summoned her courage and smiled at her companions. “You’re right. Let’s go get our pirate back.”

#ffcs 2018 #fallforcs #fall for captain swan #blinddate with a fanfic #cs ff #cs canon divergence #aquietcalmoflove

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dcehvi-blog · 6 years

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using this gif because jung hae-in is a MEAL because he cute okay? but yes HELLO this is su, back with her second character, song daehwi, 29 year old ex-mayor’s son and a politician himself!!! he also owns and runs a (not very elite) luxury club. i’ll be developing him for a while as i take a short break from all the darkness that seojoon brings (i love him tho). you can reach me on im or on discord!!! or alternatively, feel free to like this and i'll reach out to you! I’ll be a lil slow in replying but I promise I”ll definitely get back to you <3

so here’s a lil rundown:

so he was born literally with a silver spoon!!! he’s the oldest of three siblings and always had immense pressure put on him since birth. that’s not to say his life is DIFFICULT because boi is literally rolling in money BUT he’s always had to be perfect and polished and pristine (we are pristin ANNYEONG)

his siblings have it a little ~easier~ because daehwi was the only one to really grow up in the spotlight - his father became the seoul mayor just as he turned sixteen, so he’s grown up quite fast rly

so he’s a great smoothtalker and can probably charm the pants off you - except he isn’t into that so he’ll probably just take your vote

right so he’s a politician!!! he’s working for the seoul mayor’s office and helped in the campaigning efforts of the current mayor. he’s currently in charge of gangnam-gu, naturally.

it’s only when he turned 25 that he realised he doesn’t have a personality. well, at least not a personality HE created. he’s been stuck with a PR personality for so long that he’s not really sure who he is

call it a quarter life crisis

the luxury club is his idea of rebelling but it’s also his way to get more power. he knows he can’t win over people with empty promises and cheshire grins, so he’s created a fucking luxurious club which welcomes almost everyone

the place is called chasms

he basically hand picked everyone to be hired in that place!!! he’s a “good” owner in the sense that he seems to be v involved and caring but he just knows how to keep eveyrone’s mouth shuts

so that’s why his label is j a n u s -> he’s actually v manipulative when he wants to be and switches so easily between personalities that those who don’t know him well often get a whiplash

personality }}

he is EXTREMELY two-sided but he often doesn’t show both sides to the same person

he’s mostly good natured (in front of people) but a little insincere because most of the time he seems so put together? but he’s not above threats if he has to get his way to make sure nothing’s afoot in gangnam. it’s his job after all.

trigger warning: violence // he’s been known to get his way, even if it’s through spilling blood of threatening someone with good old life or death threats. he’s never carried the latter option out but you know, if he needs to, he would.

trigger warning: mild drug addiction // he has a case of adderall addiction which is... I would say quite severe? it doesn’t harm him (yet) but he just needs it to keep him going. he justifies it to himself by saying that o well at least it’s not hard drugs

which explains why he tends to be REALLY fidgety when he hasn’t had his dose

extremely efficient and generally hates anyone who slacks off? coming from quite an elitist background, he wrongfully believes that hard work should be able to solve ANYTHING.

enjoys dancing if coaxed onto the dancefloor!!!! he hardly ever a) lets his guard down and b) gets drunk, so good luck with that

his asexuality is both a huge and minor part of him - he’s comfortable with kissing (sometimes) and he doesn’t quite mind giving hickeys really (but not receiving them) but nothing below the belt thank you very much. It’s just been a part of him which he’s been quite open about

that does NOT mean he is not romantic. even he’s panromantic - he genuinely isn’t concerned with the gender of the person he’s romantically invested in. in his line of work, romance is a little hard to come by.

stickler for cleanliness!!!!! pls don’t put him in direct line of sight of huge messes, it makes him uncomfortable!!!!!!!!!!!!

plots }}

yo we could go 7000 ways w this boy tbh

all right first off his family/friends -> he’s rich as hell, so he’d probably go around quite a bit in the elite circles? he also has two younger siblings!!! who I don’t have specified story lines for except for what was stated above

partner/best friend-> he’s a bit of a workaholic so his (platonic) partner/best friend is someone who works with him or someone who works for him

staff -> in any form! he probably has the regular secretary, driver etc or even someone who manages his meetings for him?

and then the other staff -> anyone who works at chasms! escort, management, bartender, security, dancers, hell even the one or two peddlers!!!! anything is possible!!!!!

then there’s the third form of staff -> the ones who do the dirty work for him, the ones who are all muscle and brawn and perpetually by his side 24/7. bodyguards/possible hitmen??? options are ENDLESS weeooo

he’s in office on tuesdays, thursdays and fridays! come talk to him, if you have an issue. he’s usually the poster boy of good decorum in daylight hours!

a mandatory ex who we can talk through the story line with! daehwi would have met them when he was 18-20? but things didn’t work out (maybe) because of his huge personality shifts

honestly i love plotting!!!! i love hearing about your characters and all the cool things yall are doing with them so please! don’t hesitate to hmu! <3

#gangnamintro #ooc #pls feel free to ask more if anything is unclear #<3 #the formatting is weird because i got tired #naturally

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petfrog · 3 years

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3/12/21

The feeling of being alone has kicked in again... Another event has triggered this feeling. Yet this shouldn't be the case when I'm still in touch. Games come and go and so do people. It may be finally time for a break. I want to continue but with less people on, memories push me away. Why am I still sad holding on when I should be frustrated. When you love someone so much and doubt any of this is true. When I was finally able to envision a future life and it was washed away in an instant. It all kills me inside. There is still one thing I really hope you stay true to, nothing related to me, so I hope that last bit of what I thought was you is still alive. Think I would lose my full sanity if I were to hear that part was a lie too.

Opened up to a second close friend about my life as I know he is going through something similar. It's all fked up but its the decisions people make. I'll never understand how or why it was made...

Another friend that I have become surprisingly really close with over this NY trip is going through rough times now as well. He came over, found comfort in the company to talk, and we grabbed dinner.

I'm glad for both of these friends in my life. Being open and trusting these two as they do back to me about our lives and feelings. Our lives are all messed up, in chaos. I'm definitely going through a quarter life crisis if I had to google about it today to confirm. Drinking? Therapy? I've considered both to cope. I'm still a firm believer that everything happens for a certain reason. My friend happened to be pushed towards pursuing his dream from this chaos. I still wonder where this has pushed me. I thought events from the end of summer 2020 was gravitating me towards her. Guess it was all a false life/dream. After talking to these two friends, there still has to be some light that comes from it all and I know we all have to persevere and fight through our own minds.

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postvibesofficial-blog · 4 years

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This Isn’t Going to Be Your Forever

Tips for Queer Youth Stuck at Home With Trans- and Homophobic Parents The global COVID-19 pandemic has put a huge amount of pressure on a huge number of people. In many households, the strains of closed schools, lost jobs, health issues, and close quarters mean that tensions are high, tempers are short, and privacy has become a luxury. If you’re a young queer person who is now isolated with trans- or homophobic family members, you probably know that better than anyone. Maybe things are normally okay at home, but now it feels like everything you do is under a microscope. Maybe an environment that usually just felt tense, now feels unsafe. Maybe you’ve been holding everything in for so long that you feel like you are about to burst and have nowhere to go let off steam. Whatever your situation looks like, the fact is, you could probably use a little support. So here are a few ideas to help you stay as physically and emotionally safe as possible during these difficult days. Stuck at Home During high school and college, there were plenty of times my parents and I butted heads, or got under each other’s skin, or found ourselves in epic screaming matches. One of the things that helped the most was getting some space. These days, many of the self-care strategies that you probably use to manage everything from dealing with microaggressions to flat-out dangerous situations just aren’t going to be possible. Those might have been things like escaping to a friend’s place, being at school, participating in your GSA, going to a movie or a coffee shop, staying at your grandma’s, or even just taking a walk. So what can you do? For Darid, a high school senior who's a member of GLSEN’s National Student Council, what has helped most has been staying connected to the outside world. They say, “I am fortunate to have my own space and my own room in the house to get away from everything, and just focus on myself. I’ve been keeping in contact with friends. We FaceTime almost every day. We even developed a routine; every Saturday, we get together virtually and have movie nights through Netflix Party. Finding a group of friends and starting a mini routine or picking out an activity to do together virtually has been helping me hold on to some type of normality.” That will resonate for a lot of young people. But for others, connecting virtually is going to be a bigger challenge since it is estimated that almost half of all Americans don’t have reliable Internet. That can be tough under normal circumstances. But as everything from school to socializing has moved online, it can make you feel even more isolated. Depending on where you live, you might be able to borrow a device or get online via your school. WiFi may also be available through a public place, like outside a library or a McDonalds. Some young people have also been given the okay to safely connect in real life by doing things like taking a physically distanced walk or bike ride, or having a distanced picnic with friends. Being Yourself If you are like a lot of people, your home self isn’t identical to the self you share with friends, teachers, or at your job. For some of you, being at home might actually be a relief and a nice break from the stresses of your regular life. I teach middle and high school health and I was surprised to hear from one of my students who said they were actually happier at home than at school because they weren’t dealing with daily drama. But for a lot of young people, especially LGBTQIA+ youth who have trans- or homophobic parents, home is anything but relaxing, especially if you need to constantly think about how you are acting, talking, or presenting yourself in front of your family. That is often called code switching and it is a crucial survival tactic for a lot of queer youth. But it can also be an exhausting and stressful one, especially if you have to do it 24/7. As Darid says, “I am a senior in high school, so I currently live with my parents. At first, it was difficult to adjust. For me, I code-switch a lot. The way I act and express myself with my family is completely different from the way I express myself with my friends. So it was hard, not having supportive and queer spaces that I often occupy.” If you are modifying how you present yourself to avoid triggering hostility from your family, it is also a good idea to try to find ways to express yourself authentically. That can be with friends over a video chat, dressing up alone in your room, writing in a journal, or even watching a movie or listening to music that speaks to you. Coming Out and Being Outed Coming out should always be your own choice, done on your own terms and timeline. But being isolated with your family, especially if you don’t have any privacy, can increase the chance of being outed before you are ready. Your sibling could pick up your phone and see a revealing text. You could get overheard on the phone. Your parents could be watching your every move looking for “signs.” For one college student, being home from school right now meant being pushed to come out by religious parents. As she wrote on Reddit, “A couple of months ago my mom asked me if I was gay and I said I wasn't because I did not want to be forced out of the closet.” However, being at home has changed the dynamic and after being asked and confronted repeatedly about her sexual orientation, she came out. The result? “My parents are not really taking it well,” she wrote. While some of you are probably terrified that your families will find out about your identity, others of you might be desperate to come out to them. That can be the case if you feel overwhelmed by the difficulty of keeping everything inside. Coming out can definitely be an amazing experience. But it can also be a risky one. So if you are leaning in that direction, you really need to think about whether or not now is the best time. Here are a few things to ask yourself: How do I think my family will react? How will coming out impact my situation at home? Is it safe, physically and emotionally, for me to come out to my parents? Do I have resources available (both emotional and financial) if coming out changes my situation at home? Do I have people whom I can talk to before I come out to my parents? What will waiting to come out until after the pandemic ends do to me? What are the upsides of waiting? What are the downsides? If you go through this list and decide that coming out at home it isn’t the best choice right now, you should know you still have options. For example, there might be a friend or family member whom you could call and talk to. If your school or college has a GSA, or something similar, you could also reach out to the person who runs that. Many communities have LGBTQIA+ community centers that have programs for youth. You can find your closest one at Centerlink. If you have privacy online privately, there are also a lot of places you can find support. For example, you can ask for advice on the Scarleteen message boards, live chat or via text. There are also groups like the Trevor Project or the LGBT National Youth Talkline which are geared towards queer and questioning youth in crisis, and sites like Q Chat Space, that can help you connect with LGBTQIA+ peers. If you hadn’t been involved with the queer community before the lockdown, getting involved now could actually be a good way to ease in since there are more virtual spaces around than ever. When Life at Home is Unbearable Sometimes a person’s family of origin is just so toxic or abusive that being at home is unbearable or unsafe. Some young people suffer verbal or physical abuse. Others are forced into conversion therapy. This practice, which falsely claims to be able to change sexual orientation and gender identity, had been banned in almost half the states. However, minors are still being put into these dangerous programs by parents. Getting help from a supportive community, an affirming school guidance counsellor, an understanding family therapist, or an LGBTQIA+ - friendly religious congregation can help families work through many of their issues. But there are plenty of situations where needed help isn’t available, or it just isn’t safe for a young person to live at home. As a result, some choose to leave. Others are removed by the state. Far too many get kicked out by their parents. That generally isn’t legal if a person is under 18. But, sadly, that doesn't stop it from happening. Whatever the reason, if you can’t live at home, the first thing to do is to see if you can stay with a friend or family member. That option is really going to be impacted by the state of the pandemic and by the rules about physical distancing where you live. If finding someone to live with doesn’t pan out and you are facing homelessness, or if you are already unhoused, try to locate LGBTQIA+-friendly services. When dealing with a crisis like losing your home due to trans- and homophobia, the last thing you need is to hit up against the same prejudices in the outside world. These days, you can find LGBTQIA+ focused services for youth in cities around the US and Canada as well as in many countries around the globe. Lambda Legal has a good list of resources for LGBTQ youth by state. In some areas, there are even LGBTQIA+ shelters and residences. One of those is the Ali Forney Center in New York City, which is committed to staying open throughout the pandemic. They also have a list of resources specifically for youth facing homelessness around the country. In extreme cases, teens can seek legal emancipation from parents. This gives minors the legal rights and responsibilities of adults. But with courts closed, jobs hard to come by, and schools shut down, this probably isn’t the best bet for most people. What it All Comes Down to Being a young person queer with trans- and homophobic family can present challenges during the best of times. But right now, living with parents who are hostile to your identity is probably just about one of the hardest things around. So it is crucial that you find ways to stay safe, honor yourself, and get support. Sometimes talking to a friend you know in real life, finding your people online, or reaching out to an organization that supports queer youth is a good option. Other times, just being able to step outside your front door by yourself can give you the headspace you need to get through the day. This isn’t going to end overnight. But try to remember that what you are experiencing right now, and whatever you are doing to survive it, also isn’t going to be your forever. Source link Read the full article

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jobsearchtips02 · 4 years

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E.U. Is Facing Its Worst Recession Ever. Watch Out, World.

New forecasts predict a 7.4 percent economic collapse and risks of even worse decline if the reopening triggers a second virus wave.

The Louvre, in Paris, during lockdown.Credit…Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times

Published May 6, 2020Updated May 7, 2020, 3: 16 a.m. ET

BRUSSELS — The good news for Europe is that the worst of the pandemic is beginning to ease. This week deaths in Italy hit a nearly two-month low. And the German leader Angela Merkel announced that schools, day care centers and restaurants would reopen in the next few days.

But the relief could be short-lived.

The European Commission released projections on Wednesday that Europe’s economy will shrink by 7.4 percent this year. A top official told residents of the European Union, first formed in the aftermath of the Second World War, to expect the “deepest economic recession in its history.”

To put this figure in perspective, the 27-nation bloc’s economy had been predicted to grow by 1.2 percent this year. In 2009, at the back of the global financial crisis, it shrank by 4.5 percent.

It’s a grim reminder that even if the virus dissipates, the economic fallout could pressure the world economy for months, if not years.

In China, where the outbreak has subsided in recent weeks, the factories that power the global supply chain have been fired up. But with few global buyers for its goods, its economy has been slow to recover.

In the United States, where the growth of new cases in the hardest-hit areas shows signs of slowing and there is a push to lift lockdowns, there are also signs that a recovery may be elusive. The government on Friday is set to release the monthly employment report, and some forecasts predict a loss of more than 20 million jobs in April — a number that would wipe out a decade’s worth of job gains.

The European Union, home to 440 million people, is the United States’ No. 1 trading partner, and China’s second-largest. It’s the biggest foreign investor in sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the developing world.

A prolonged European recession, a second wave of the virus or an anemic economic recovery would spell added misery for many Europeans, and hurt companies, banks and people the world over. The crisis is also reigniting political divisions between a wealthier north and a poorer south, threatening to break the brittle balance between divergent nations with inextricably linked economies.

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A nearly deserted piazza in Milan.Credit…Alessandro Grassani for The New York Times

A recovery will probably start unevenly in the second half of the year, Paolo Gentiloni, European commissioner for economy, said at a news conference after the release of the forecast, which comes out four times a year. But by the end of 2021 the countries of the European Union will be in worse shape than they were just two months ago, before the coronavirus started ripping through the continent. U.S. gross domestic product fell at a 4.8 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, and some economists believe it will contract at an annual rate of 30 percent or more in the current quarter.

“The danger of a deeper and more protracted recession is very real,” the head of the commission’s economic unit, Maarten Verwey, said in the forecast’s foreword.

A resurgence of the virus after the end of lockdowns would shave a further 3 percentage points off economic performance this year, he said.

The economies of Italy and Spain, two of the countries hardest hit by the disease, will most likely shrink by over 9 percent each this year, and Italy’s economy will be particularly slow to recover, Mr. Gentiloni said.

Greece, which had started turning a corner after a decade of economic calamity, will be worst-hit in the union, according to the forecasts, losing 9.7 of its economic output this year. Poland would suffer the least, with a 4.5 percent recession.

And unemployment will most likely average 9 percent in the bloc, the European Commission said, from 6.7 percent the year before.

The bloc’s biggest economy, Germany, will also be hammered, suffering its worst recession since World War II, set to shrink by 6.5 percent, but it is expected to recover relatively quickly. France, the second-largest economy, is expected to contract 8.5 percent this year.

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The traditional Plaka district of Athens, during lockdown in April.Credit…Petros Giannakouris/Associated Press

The severe downturn in Europe will have major repercussions for United States growth and jobs because the two economies are intimately connected.

The European Union and the United States are each other’s largest trading partners, exchanging goods and services worth $1.3 trillion last year. European companies like Daimler, BMW or Siemens employ more than four million people in the United States, according to U.S. government figures.

China will also suffer. The European Union is second only to the United States as a customer for Chinese goods.

As grim as the economic outlook appears, the greater danger to the world economy may be the risk that the euro common currency could be undermined by the deepening rifts between its members and their leaders. That almost happened in the early years of the last decade, but was averted when the European Central Bank, the euro’s Federal Reserve, used its monetary firepower to prevent Greece, Italy and Spain from becoming insolvent.

The central bank is again flooding the eurozone with credit and buying the bonds of eurozone governments to keep their borrowing costs from spinning out of control. But the central bank’s ability to rescue the euro again may be constrained after a ruling Tuesday by Germany’s highest court.

The German Constitutional Court issued an ultimatum to the European Central Bank, saying it must show that the side effects of the bond buying do not outweigh the economic benefits. The court threatened to bar Germany’s central bank, the Bundesbank, from taking part in the stimulus program, which would be a serious breach of European unity.

The coronavirus is already producing an economic shock in Europe more severe than the one that followed the financial crisis in 2008.

“It is clearly more massive, and it is going down more steeply,” Clemens Fuest, the president of the Ifo Institute, one of Germany’s leading economic think tanks, said during an online presentation Wednesday.

The pandemic could have ramifications for politics and society that are impossible to predict. The economic dislocation caused by the 2008 financial crisis helped fuel far-right populist movements in Germany, Italy and France.

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The city center in Munich, Germany.Credit…Laetitia Vancon for The New York Times

Europe’s best hope is that economies will bounce back quickly, in what economists optimistically call a V-shaped recession, as lockdowns are eased.

Already, factories have resumed production in much of Italy, and Germany this week allowed hairdressers to begin receiving customers again. France will begin gradually ending its lockdown next week.

But many restrictions remain, including bans on large public gatherings. And no one knows yet whether the virus will reappear with a vengeance as public life resumes.

The fresh set of figures will pile pressure on European leaders to conjure up a brave joint response to the recession to ensure the recovery isn’t lopsided, hurting the joint currency and spawning more political unrest in the weaker economies.

Although the leaders have approved a half-trillion euros’ worth of measures that effectively call on wealthier nations to subsidize the recovery of worse-hit poorer ones, they have been criticized for not going far enough.

The persistent divide “poses a threat to the single market and the euro area — yet it can be mitigated through decisive, joint European action,” Mr. Gentiloni said.

Matina Stevis-Gridneff reported from Brussels, and Jack Ewing from Frankfurt.

Updated April 11, 2020

What should I do if I feel sick?

If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

When will this end?

This is a difficult question, because a lot depends on how well the virus is contained. A better question might be: “How will we know when to reopen the country?” In an American Enterprise Institute report, Scott Gottlieb, Caitlin Rivers, Mark B. McClellan, Lauren Silvis and Crystal Watson staked out four goal posts for recovery: Hospitals in the state must be able to safely treat all patients requiring hospitalization, without resorting to crisis standards of care; the state needs to be able to at least test everyone who has symptoms; the state is able to conduct monitoring of confirmed cases and contacts; and there must be a sustained reduction in cases for at least 14 days.

How can I help?

The Times Neediest Cases Fund has started a special campaign to help those who have been affected, which accepts donations here. Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the American Red Cross, and World Central Kitchen has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities. More than 30,000 coronavirus-related GoFundMe fund-raisers have started in the past few weeks. (The sheer number of fund-raisers means more of them are likely to fail to meet their goal, though.)

Should I wear a mask?

The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

How do I get tested?

If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.

How does coronavirus spread?

It seems to spread very easily from person to person, especially in homes, hospitals and other confined spaces. The pathogen can be carried on tiny respiratory droplets that fall as they are coughed or sneezed out. It may also be transmitted when we touch a contaminated surface and then touch our face.

Is there a vaccine yet?

No. Clinical trials are underway in the United States, China and Europe. But American officials and pharmaceutical executives have said that a vaccine remains at least 12 to 18 months away.

What makes this outbreak so different?

Unlike the flu, there is no known treatment or vaccine, and little is known about this particular virus so far. It seems to be more lethal than the flu, but the numbers are still uncertain. And it hits the elderly and those with underlying conditions — not just those with respiratory diseases — particularly hard.

What if somebody in my family gets sick?

If the family member doesn’t need hospitalization and can be cared for at home, you should help him or her with basic needs and monitor the symptoms, while also keeping as much distance as possible, according to guidelines issued by the C.D.C. If there’s space, the sick family member should stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom. If masks are available, both the sick person and the caregiver should wear them when the caregiver enters the room. Make sure not to share any dishes or other household items and to regularly clean surfaces like counters, doorknobs, toilets and tables. Don’t forget to wash your hands frequently.

Should I stock up on groceries?

Plan two weeks of meals if possible. But people should not hoard food or supplies. Despite the empty shelves, the supply chain remains strong. And remember to wipe the handle of the grocery cart with a disinfecting wipe and wash your hands as soon as you get home.

Can I go to the park?

Yes, but make sure you keep six feet of distance between you and people who don’t live in your home. Even if you just hang out in a park, rather than go for a jog or a walk, getting some fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, is a good idea.

Should I pull my money from the markets?

That’s not a good idea. Even if you’re retired, having a balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds so that your money keeps up with inflation, or even grows, makes sense. But retirees may want to think about having enough cash set aside for a year’s worth of living expenses and big payments needed over the next five years.

What should I do with my 401(k)?

Watching your balance go up and down can be scary. You may be wondering if you should decrease your contributions — don’t! If your employer matches any part of your contributions, make sure you’re at least saving as much as you can to get that “free money.”

from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/e-u-is-facing-its-worst-recession-ever-watch-out-world/

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phynxrizng · 6 years

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THIS WEEK IN ASTROLOGY. ...

Cafe Astrology .com Cafe Astrology .com Home Shop Horoscopes Site Map Search This Week in Astrology This Week in Astrology is updated every Saturday and includes the week’s Moon phase, planets in signs and aspects, retrogrades, this week’s astrology calendar, the current void-of-course Moon tables and timing advice, and Daily Trends interpretations. January 26, 2018 / This Week in Astrology This Week in Astrology: January 28 to February 3, 2018 January 28 to February 3, 2018 On this Page: This week’s Moon phase Planets in signs and aspect Retrogrades This week’s astrology calendar Timing with the Moon Romance & Relationship Report Daily Trends Full Moon A FULL MOON/LUNAR ECLIPSE occurs on Wednesday, January 31, 2018, at 8:27 AM EST. On Wednesday morning, a Full Moon occurs, when the Sun in Aquarius forms an opposition to the Moon in Leo. The Full Moon is a time of culmination and the promise of fulfillment of that which was started at the New Moon. It is an emotional time – a time of romance, fertilization, and relationships. This Full Moon is especially potent, as it is a Lunar Eclipse. Lunar eclipses are relationship-oriented. The “crisis” that these eclipses tend to elicit is a crisis of lack – a time when we suddenly recognize a great need or want. The impact of the crisis can act to sever a relationship – it’s possible. But it can also bring two people together with a sudden awareness of a great need for each other. Although Lunar eclipses are more relationship-oriented than Solar eclipses, they are not always about relationships between two people. They can trigger awareness of need in other areas of our lives, such as our relationship to work, to our health and bodies, and so forth. This is a time when matters come to light – things that have been brewing under the surface. This Lunar Eclipse presses us to look more closely at our needs, lacks, and wants in our lives. The Leo-Aquarius polarity deals with the balance between the personal (Leo) and the impersonal (Aquarius). The energy of Leo is creative self-expression and the boost to the individual ego that we receive through pleasure and romance, while Aquarius rules the group, more impersonal friendships, and objectivity. This Full Moon urges us to strike a balance between romance and friendship, and between expressing ourselves in personal and impersonal ways. The Leo Moon is proud and intensely individual –not content with simply being just one of the team. The Aquarius Sun, while individualistic as well, values independence and the “team.” The Full Moon illuminates this conflict. Some sort of crisis (which can be a crisis of consciousness) or sudden awareness of a lack in our lives provides us with a golden opportunity to explore our emotional needs within the context of the house polarity where the eclipse occurs in our natal charts. Relationships may be challenged, broken, or strengthened dramatically at this time. Our discovery is emotionally charged and dramatic. Epiphanies are likely at this time as we become acutely aware of our lack. This understanding can propel us into positive action. Eclipses are tied to changing circumstances. However, we are usually the ones to precipitate or to attract changes because our “inner guides” know that we need it. Human beings are progressive by nature, and although we might stay in situations that are making us miserable for longer than we should, deep down inside we know that change is necessary for growth. With the Moon full and bright in the sky, symbolic “illumination” occurs in our own lives. However, these new feelings and revelations are emotional ones, as emotions burst forth into our consciousness. It’s time to express ourselves and to let things out of our systems. Of course, we might want to exercise some care while doing so, knowing that what is coming out of us is new and not particularly rational as yet. Full Moons are about exposing or illuminating issues that are already there, but that have not yet been dealt with. When a Full Moon occurs, we can suddenly burst forth with proclamations and outpourings that seem fresh and new, simply because they are not yet rationalized. A Lunar eclipse is a more potent Full Moon, and its effects tend to last longer. The effects of a Lunar eclipse last approximately six months. Full Moons and Lunar Eclipses bring issues in our lives to fulfillment. Our emotions are heightened, and there is often some sort of drama involved with the house, sign, and any contacted planets activated by the Full Moon. Look at 11-12 degrees of Leo/Aquarius in your own chart. This Lunar Eclipse gives us a cosmic push to make needed changes in our lives. The areas of life activated by the eclipse may see dramatic turns, after which the path is clear to move forward. Note that whatever happens at this time is nothing truly new. The issues have been brewing inside of us, and emotions have been building. Something comes to light at the time of the Full Moon, and if we get in touch with our emotions, we can get a better idea of what needs to change, or what needs to go. Lunar Eclipse/Full Moon in Leo Chart – January 31, 2018 This phase of the Moon occurs at 11 degrees and 37 minutes of Leo opposite the Sun at 11 degrees and 37 minutes of Aquarius, affecting people born with personal planets and points at approximately 7 to 17 degrees of the Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) most significantly. Moon Phase Cycle: Bigger Picture Jan 16, 2018, 9:17 PM Sun Conjunct Moon (New Moon) Jan 24, 2018, 5:20 PM Sun Square Moon (First Quarter Moon) Jan 31, 2018, 8:27 AM Sun Opposition Moon (Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse) Feb 7, 2018, 10:54 AM Sun Square Moon (Last Quarter Moon) Feb 15, 2018, 4:05 PM Sun Conjunct Moon (New Moon/Solar Eclipse) (Times are Eastern) The Sun is in Aquarius; Mercury is in Capricorn until January 31st, after which Mercury is in Aquarius; Venus is in Aquarius; Mars is in Sagittarius. The Sun is in Aquarius from January 19-February 18, 2018. During this cycle, we are motivated by our hunger for knowledge, experience, and originality. Innovation is more important to us than convention. We become more aware of what is outdated in our lives and strive to find new perspectives and new ways to do things. The class distinctions, structure, and order that Capricorn finds appealing now seem to be too rigid. The freedom of the individual becomes far more significant to us. We strive to free ourselves from some of the restrictions, inhibitions, and limitations that now feel constraining rather than safe. Mercury is in Capricorn from January 11-31. When Mercury is in Capricorn, our thinking is methodical and our focus is sober and practical. It is easier to concentrate on the task at hand under this influence. Our conversations may be quite realistic or focused on business/practical matters. Our thought patterns and communication styles become more logical, orderly, and organized. We are more able to sort out what is relevant and essential. Realism enters the picture, our speech is no-nonsense, and precision becomes important to us. We need to be wary of becoming too rigid in our thinking. We may come across as cold or harsh. For some, there is a fine line between realism and pessimism. Mercury is in Aquarius from January 31-February 17. When Mercury is in Aquarius, we are hungry for knowledge and open to new and original ideas. We begin to think outside of the box, and our thinking becomes more progressive and objective. Our communication and thought patterns are spontaneous, somewhat fragmented, and liberal. This is a time when inventive thinking is at a peak. Venus is in Aquarius from January 17-February 10. We move towards unconventionality, independence, and freedom as themes in our social relationships under this influence. Aquarius can be just as faithful as Capricorn, but it has to be on his own terms! Experimental relationships are more intriguing now. Being friends as well as lovers is important to us during this cycle. Allowing one another freedom of expression, and treating others fairly, unselfishly, and impartially, are themes now. Mars is in Sagittarius from January 26-March 17. With a Sagittarius Mars, our actions are motivated by our ideals. We are bothered by routine, quickly becoming restless if we feel confined. We have a love of adventure, and of conquest–this is the position of wanderlust. We start projects or challenges with gusto, although we may tend to abandon them rather quickly. This may be because we set our sights too high! Saturn transits Capricorn from December 19/20, 2017, to March 21, 2020; and then finishes up its transit from July 1 to December 17, 2020. Read about Saturn’s transit through Capricorn here. Jupiter entered Scorpio on October 10th and will remain in the sign until November 8th, 2018. Read about Jupiter in Scorpio transit here. Uranus entered Aries on March 11th, 2011 and will transit Aries until May 15, 2018, and then from November 6, 2018, to March 6, 2019. The urge to start fresh, to break free from restrictive attitudes or circumstances, to totally redesign an area of our lives (or even our personalities), and to gain freedom through independence is strong with Uranus in Aries. Romance & Relationships Venus is in Aquarius from January 17-February 17. Getting serious about our finances and boosting our relations with business partners and/or co-workers will be easier than usual under this influence. Our talents for creating artistic structure and form are enhanced, and our ability to form connections with people who support our ambitions is increased. We value enduring connections, reliability, and faithfulness. We take expressing our feelings seriously, and we take our time to warm up to others. We generally keep our “cool” in relationships. This week: On Sunday and Monday, we may be questioning whether some relationships (or elements of our relationships) are good for us. We may be a little indulgent with one another now. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we’re especially generous and gracious with one another. We have a stronger desire than usual to find meaning in our relationships. There may be some overstating or overindulgence as well now, however. Venus, the Goddess of Love: Highlights in the Coming Week: Venus in Aquarius A love for the unusual, a distaste for stodgy old rules and conventions, a feeling that you’re above the petty bourgeois stuff and nonsense: that’s what a new cycle brings into your life now. (“I love humanity; it’s people I can’t stand!”) Unconventional romantic and social connections are likely at a time like this. Venus semi-square Chiron January 25-26. Love cannot be forced. This is not a commitment-friendly transit, as we may feel alienated for no apparent reason and unwilling to give of ourselves. Venus opposition North Node (true) January 28-29. This is a time for reviewing our attachments in terms of whether they are contributing to our growth. Venus parallel Jupiter January 30-31. We are charitable with others and have a stronger desire than usual to find meaning in our relationships. There may be some overstating or overindulgence now, however. Venus semi-square Saturn February 2. Feelings of isolation, of not getting what we really want, and of not being loved the way we want to be loved can get in the way of pleasant relations with our partners. Venus square Jupiter February 3-4. We experience a strong desire for more pleasure in our lives, which can be excessive. Take care not to overstate your feelings or to set up unrealistic expectations in your partnerships. As well, take what your partner says with a grain of salt. There is no malicious intent involved, but feelings of elation can cloud our judgment, and we can promise more than we can deliver. Venus sextile Uranus February 6. We lose our fear of taking risks at this time, and we happily embrace all that is new, unusual, and out-of-the-ordinary with regards to romantic involvements. We are ready to experiment, but not necessarily ready to commit. The Moon & Timing The Void of Course Moon is the period of time after the Moon has made its last aspect in one sign until the Moon enters a new sign. During Void of Course Moon periods, it is generally wise to stick to routine rather than to begin new projects. The last aspect the Moon makes before changing signs is indicated here and is indicative of the “outcome” of the matter (whether that is a new project begun before the void period or the answer to a question in Horary Astrology). Void of Course in Horary Astrology: If you were asking a question and making a chart for the answer, as you do in Horary astrology, it is said that since the Moon is not looking forward to any more aspects in this sign, you would have to say that the answer is not forthcoming; any questions asked at this time would not come to pass. The Moon being Void is one of the Strictures against Judgment in Horary Astrology. The following tables incorporate the modern planets, but some astrologers do not count Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in void Moon calculations. The Void-of-Course Moon this Week: Void-of-course Moon on Sunday, January 28th, from 5:40 AM EST, with the Moon’s last aspect before changing signs (a sextile to Uranus), until the Moon enters Cancer at 1:58 PM EST. VOC Moon on Tuesday, January 30th, from 11:41 AM EST, with the Moon’s last aspect before changing signs (an opposition to Mercury), until the Moon enters Leo at 1:53 PM EST. VOC Moon on Thursday, February 1st, from 5:58 AM EST, with the Moon’s last aspect before changing signs (a trine to Uranus), until the Moon enters Virgo at 2:13 PM EST. VOC Moon on Saturday, February 3rd, from 2:07 AM EST, with the Moon’s last aspect before changing signs (a sextile to Jupiter), until the Moon enters Libra at 4:47 PM EST. January 2018: Void of Course Moon Tables: January 2018 (Dates & Times) February 2018: Void of Course Dates – Tables for February 2018 Timing with the Moon – Better Periods this Week for Electing New Initiatives The Moon is waxing this week — a period that is generally considered favorable for new beginnings, with exceptions. (See Best Time to Start a Business for more details). According to principles of timing with the Moon, a window of opportunity occurs this week on Thursday, February 1st, from approximately 1 AM to 5:55 AM EST, while the Moon is in Leo. However, note that this is too close to a Lunar Eclipse to be useful for brand-new beginnings. Another window occurs from Friday, February 2nd, at approximately 12:30 PM EST, to Saturday, February 3rd, at approximately 2:05 AM EST, while the Moon is in Virgo. Planetary Stations & Sign Ingresses: Dec 19, 2017 11:49 PM Saturn enters Capricorn Dec 21, 2017 11:28 AM Sun enters Capricorn Dec 22, 2017 8:51 PM Mercury Direct Dec 25, 2017 12:26 AM Venus enters Capricorn Jan 2, 2018 9:11 AM Uranus Direct Jan 11, 2018 12:09 AM Mercury enters Capricorn Jan 14, 2018 11:42 PM Vesta enters Sagittarius Jan 17, 2018 8:43 PM Venus enters Aquarius Jan 19, 2018 9:29 PM Pallas enters Taurus Jan 19, 2018 10:09 PM Sun enters Aquarius Jan 26, 2018 7:56 AM Mars enters Sagittarius Jan 31, 2018 8:39 AM Mercury enters Aquarius Feb 10, 2018 6:19 PM Venus enters Pisces Feb 17, 2018 11:28 PM Mercury enters Pisces Feb 18, 2018 12:18 PM Sun enters Pisces Mar 6, 2018 2:34 AM Mercury enters Aries Mar 6, 2018 6:45 PM Venus enters Aries Mar 8, 2018 11:46 PM Jupiter Retrograde *** Daylight Saving Time begins *** Mar 17, 2018 12:40 PM Mars enters Capricorn Mar 20, 2018 12:15 PM Sun enters Aries Mar 22, 2018 8:19 PM Mercury Retrograde See also: Astrology of Today – an overview of the day. See also: The Astrology of 2018 – Overview. Note: Times given are Eastern Time (ET). This Week’s Calendar This Week in Astrology Calendar: January 28 to February 3, 2018 This Week’s Aspects Mercury square Uranus. Our senses are stimulated, and we could have sudden flashes of insight or fresh new ideas. However, our ideas are not always received well by others and we can be scatter-brained. It’s a challenge to deal with routine matters or monotonous tasks under this influence. Tasks may be left undone or interrupted. This is not a good time to be understood, so we may want to hold off presenting our ideas for the time being. New information can surface now that upsets the status quo, but can also act to stimulate our minds into new ways of thinking. Mercury sextile Chiron. This is an excellent period for opening up communications with others, as we are more sensitive than usual and more willing to listen. Getting our point across is easier, as it’s not only about which words we choose to communicate, we intuitively express the meaning and intention behind the words. We can effectively use words to heal and comfort just now. We are also more open to new ways of looking at problems or at life in general. Mercury semi-square Neptune. We are not thinking clearly, preferring to daydream. Technical facts can be glossed over at this time. It’s not a good time to make a presentation, to ask for what you want, or to formalize agreements. Sun semi-square Chiron. The desire to learn and grow through experiences and through others is strong, but may be hampered by a lack of confidence or a fear of being different. Venus semi-square Saturn. There may be difficulties relating to others under this influence. People may be cool with their affections and emotionally distant. Avoid new financial undertakings, as they may prove to be “money pits” as time passes. There may be anxiety or troubles with regards to matters concerned with the feelings. Romantic disappointments, unrequited love, separations, and broken engagements are the more negative manifestations. We tend to lack social confidence at this time and adopt a shy, formal, or reserved social manner. This transit is best used for reflection. Mars semi-square Pluto. Our desires are intense and difficult to satisfy under this influence. A tendency to bully and confront may dominate. Efforts to make changes could be thwarted, or power struggles emerge. The trick is to remain flexible and to develop strategies for achieving our goals. Mercury sextile Mars. Mental alertness, enthusiasm, and energetic communications figure now. Quick decisions can be made. We are productive and take “busy-ness” in stride. We are alert and aware, and can easily turn ideas into workable projects. Note: Times given in the table/calendar above are Eastern Time (ET). Daily Trends Calendar See below for day-by-day forecasts and planets in signs. See also Transit to Transit aspects. See also: Astrology of Today – an overview of the day – Astrology Cafe. See also: The Astrology of 2018 – Overview What’s In Store By the Stars – Daily Astrology Trends (as featured on the site’s main page and in our Daily Trends Calendar) See also the new Astrology Trends Calendar that includes these daily trends overviews and other astrological events such as ingresses, stations, and lunations. JANUARY 28 The Moon continues its transit of Gemini until 1:58 PM EST, after which the Moon transits Cancer. The Cancer Moon is protective and self-protective. We pay more attention to our feelings under this influence. Mercury forms a sextile to Chiron, providing an opportunity period for opening up healthy dialogues. We can interpret the intention or meaning behind the words communicated, and we can effectively use words to heal and comfort others. We are approaching problems in a holistic manner, and problem-solving skills are high. This influence brings subtle but enhancing energy for communications. It’s a good time to speak of matters that are important to us. The Moon is void from 5:40 AM EST, with the Moon’s last aspect before changing signs (a sextile to Uranus), until the Moon enters Cancer at 1:58 PM EST. JANUARY 29 We can be a little more self-indulgent than usual today. The Moon spends the day in its own sign, Cancer. This strong and sensitive Moon gets support from Neptune and Jupiter today, boosting our imagination, and also opposes Pluto, reminding us of the need to take a break from pursuing our goals from time to time. Mercury’s semi-square with Neptune points to some cloudy thinking or a tendency to daydream rather than pay attention to the facts. We may not express ourselves clearly, or others are not reading our messages well. As well today, we can see more clearly behaviors, indulgences, or attachments that may be holding us back from expressing ourselves creatively and confidently as Venus in Aquarius aligns with the true South Node of the Moon. JANUARY 30 This morning, the Sun forms a semi-square with Chiron, and we have a strong desire to learn and grow through our relationships and experiences, but this may be hindered by a lack of confidence or a fear of being different. However, as the day advances, we’re stimulated to stand out and express ourselves confidently. The Moon is in Cancer until it enters Leo at 1:53 PM EST. A Full Moon Lunar Eclipse will occur tomorrow morning in the sign, and we’re likely to feel building emotional energy. This is a time of significant epiphanies. The Moon’s trine to Mars this evening encourages us to be bold. The Moon is void from 11:41 AM EST, with the Moon’s last aspect before changing signs (an opposition to Mercury), until the Moon enters Leo at 1:53 PM EST. JANUARY 31 FEBRUARY 1 The Moon is void from 5:58 AM EST, with the Moon’s last aspect before changing signs (a trine to Uranus), until the Moon enters Virgo at 2:13 PM EST. FEBRUARY 2 FEBRUARY 3 The Moon is void from 2:07 AM EST, with the Moon’s last aspect before changing signs (a sextile to Jupiter), until the Moon enters Libra at 4:47 PM EST. If it’s your birthday today, see our feature, If Today is Your Birthday Forecasts, for a free forecast for the upcoming year. Moon Signs This Week: When the Moon is in Gemini Our basic instinct is to communicate, think, and learn under the influence of Moon in Gemini. We are motivated by a desire for variety and by an instinctive curiosity. The Moon in Gemini is light-hearted, breezy, and curious, but it can also be restless and fickle. The Moon in Gemini generally favors the following activities: Mental and communicative actions, and more than one activity at once. Reading, learning, letters and emails, errands, writing, teaching, making connections, short trips. When the Moon is in Cancer The restlessness of the Gemini Moon gives way to an instinctive need for peace and quiet. A feeling of belonging and safety is what motivates us under this influence. The Moon feels right at home in the sign of Cancer, as it rules the sign. This Moon position has much healing potential. Although insular by nature, our feelings run deep, making it an ideal time to get in touch with what motivates us. The Moon in Cancer generally favors the following activities: Domestic activities, those that involve awareness of personal needs. Home decor, family get-togethers. When the Moon is in Leo The Moon in Leo speaks to our "inner child". It's a warm, generous, whole-heartedly loving position. Pride keeps us from pettiness, but it can also prevent us from opening up and revealing how we are truly feeling. We are on stage, our feelings are grand, and we appreciate some drama in our lives. We are easily threatened by anything that seems to be impersonal. This is a time when we seek attention--when we want to stand out for our special qualities. It's a strong time for romance and any creative activity as well. The Moon in Leo generally favors the following activities: Creative activities, activities involving children, generous undertakings, undertakings in which personal recognition is desired, and risk-taking. When the Moon is in Virgo We instinctually gravitate towards practical activities under the influence of a Virgo Moon. In an urge to set things right, we might easily find ourselves re-organizing and rethinking plans. Emotional satisfaction comes from solving problems, making order out of confusion, and helping others. Health matters might come into focus. We notice the smaller parts that make up the whole, and instead of letting nagging details bother us, we might work on ironing them out so that we can feel more confident moving ahead. The Moon in Virgo generally favors the following activities: Mental pursuits, work activities, services, and routines. Activities that would benefit from tending to details. When the Moon is in Libra Creating order is the focus, not necessarily through tidying or organizing as was the case while the Moon was in Virgo, but rather through pleasing interactions with others and aesthetics in our environment. We tend to solve problems through diplomacy, and we are more able to put aside our own emotions in order to achieve the peace we crave. The tendency now is to avoid direct confrontations. Decisions do not come easily. Seeing both sides to any given situation is the main reason for hesitation. Fear of losing others' approval is another. The Moon in Libra generally favors the following activities: Relationship and partnership issues, activities involving teamwork and cooperation, activities that involve self-examination, activities related to beauty. Upcoming Weeks: Calendars This Week in Astrology Calendar: February 4th to 10th, 2018 This Week in Astrology Calendar: February 11 to 17, 2018 This Week in Astrology Calendar: February 18 to 24, 2018 This Week in Astrology Calendar: February 25 to March 3, 2018 This Week in Astrology Calendar: March 4 to 10, 2018 This Week in Astrology Calendar: March 11 to 17, 2018 THIS WEEK’S PLANETARY POSITIONS BY SIGN (General Trends): Sun in Aquarius This is a time when your path of self-development and expression becomes more and more unusual – setting you apart from the crowd and from all that is traditional. The new, the futuristic, the high-tech are the hallmarks of your lifestyle as the cycle gets underway. Ideas and technologies that change the way people live – not just one person, but many – are a major new focus in your life. Involvement with ideals and idealistic groups enhances your sense of purpose and mission. Mercury in Capricorn Figuring out how to organize projects and people is apt to become a topic of special interest – and a challenge – at a time like this. Opinions are not enough for you now: they must be backed by authority or evidence, and above all, they must have practical worth and application. A period of intense study and thought. Mercury in Aquarius The tried and true doesn’t cut it anymore: it’s the new, the unique, and the original that catches and holds your interest now. Idealism, rationality, and critical thinking become more and more a part of your mental patterns and the way you communicate. You are inventive, original, high tech. Venus in Aquarius A love for the unusual, a distaste for stodgy old rules and conventions, a feeling that you’re above the petty bourgeois stuff and nonsense: that’s what a new cycle brings into your life now. (“I love humanity; it’s people I can’t stand!”) Unconventional romantic and social connections are likely at a time like this. Mars in Sagittarius Ideology is a keynote of the new phase you have begun – the power of ideas and the power they wield over people. Religious, cultural, or philosophical controversies and crusades have a way of stirring your blood. Travel and adventure are compelling temptations as you dare to test your mettle and stretch your horizons. Jupiter in Scorpio The phase now beginning for you emphasizes fixing what is broken or unhealthy, thereby giving it a new lease on life. This is more than one person alone can handle, so the cooperation of others is essential. You give up something in order to get or create something, and you may not understand the reasons why at the time. Sex, money, power, and vitality become key issues. Saturn in Capricorn Responsibility, hard work, ambition, and achievement: these are the foundations you need to build on now, as a new cycle dawns in your life. And yet, there is a tendency to be a little too hard, perhaps a bit cold, in your approach to these things. Let ambition take you to the top, but don’t let it lull you into thinking that the end justifies the means. Uranus in Aries A clean break with the past in some respects is signaled by the cycle you have just begun. What YOU need, YOUR freedom and independence, shattering old molds: these are the things that energize you and take priority in your life. Uniqueness and originality set you apart. Neptune in Pisces Things spiritual and psychic take the driver’s seat of your imagination as you begin a new cycle. The fine arts and all manner of fantasies assume a larger-than-life importance. Surrendering to fate, karma, and other powers greater than merely mortal may be seen as the ultimate liberation. If all is Maya (illusion), what is the reality that gives rise to the world of appearances? Pluto in Capricorn As this new phase dawns for you, the pursuit of social/political power and status has a way of seeming necessary and inevitable – and let nothing stand in its way. It starts out small but has bigger consequences than you’d think. Ambition, responsibility, a place for everyone and everyone in their place… The interpretations in this box are from the Day Watch software. What’s In Your Forecast? Take a peek at the year ahead with in-depth Future Forecast Reports from Cafe Astrology. BACK TO THIS WEEK IN ASTROLOGY MAIN/CURRENT See also: The Astrology of 2018 – Overview Monthly Calendar This Month in Astrology This Month’s Ephemeris This Month’s Transits Next Week: (when available in advance) This Week in Astrology: January 28 to February 3, 2018 Previous Weeks: This Week in Astrology: January 21 to 27, 2018 January 19, 2018 / This Week in Astrology This Week in Astrology: January 14 to 20, 2018 January 13, 2018 / This Week in Astrology This Week in Astrology: January 7 to 13, 2018 January 6, 2018 / This Week in Astrology FacebookTwitterGoogle+PinterestTumblrEmailGoogle GmailShare Search Search this website … SEARCH Site Menu: Astrology Reports Birth Chart Interpretations Horoscopes & Forecasts Astrology Articles Astrology of Love & Sex Ask Annie Famous People Signs of the Zodiac Planets & Points Love Sign Compatibility Birthdays & Divining Arts Synastry/Relationships Predictive Astrology Astrology Tools & Tables Astrology Reference Astrology Topics Astrology Book Reviews Resources & Links Free Reports & Calculations Horoscopes & Forecasts – In This Section: Daily Horoscopes Monthly Horoscopes 2018 Horoscopes Preview 2018 Yearly Love Horoscopes 2018 Horoscopes Overview 2017 Yearly Horoscopes LoveScopes Ascendant Sign Horoscopes Good Days Calendars Daily Horoscopes II Daily Horoscope by Birthdate 2018 Planetary Overview 2018 Astrological Aspects 2018 Astrological Events 2018 Best Dates for Love Transiting Conjunctions Sun-Venus Cycle 2018 Eclipse Charts Lunations: Eclipses New Moon in the Houses Full Moon in the Houses This Week in Astrology This Month in Astrology Astrology Trends Mega Calendar Yearly Astrology Trends Calendar Daily Trends Calendar Moon Phases Calendar Monthly Astrology Calendars Mercury Retrograde Venus Retrograde Mars Retrograde When Saturn is Retrograde Saturn Transits Capricorn 2017 to 2020 Jupiter Transits Scorpio 2017-2018 Forecasts/Astrology Trends This Week in Astrology This Month in Astrology 2018 Planetary Overview Eclipses Monthly Astrology Calendar Astrology Trends Calendar Daily Trends Calendar 2018 Astrological Aspects 2018 Astrological Events 2018 Best Dates for Love 2018 Eclipse Charts Moon Phases Calendar Mercury Retrograde Venus Retrograde Mars Retrograde Saturn Retrograde Saturn in Capricorn 2017 to 2020 Jupiter in Scorpio 2017-2018 Transiting Conjunctions Sun-Venus Cycle New Moon in Houses Free Report: 2018 Preview Horoscopes Our Free Astrology Reports Love Sign Compatibility Current Moon Sign Moon in Cancer The Moon is traveling through Cancer today. Beware of mood swings. Cook some soul food. Cuddle up with someone. The restlessness of the Gemini Moon gives way to an instinctive need for peace and quiet. Feelings of belonging and safety are what motivate us under this influence. The Moon feels right at home in the sign of Cancer, as it rules the sign. This Moon position has much healing potential. Although insular by nature, our feelings run deep, making it an ideal time to get in touch with what motivates us. The Moon in Cancer generally favors the following activities: Domestic activities, those that involve awareness of personal needs. Home decor, family get-togethers. 1/29/201812:55:59 PM UPCOMING FILTER EVENTS 29 JAN JANUARY 29, 2018 DAILY OVERVIEW (Overview Of The Day: Monday) EST 30 JAN JANUARY 30, 2018 DAILY OVERVIEW (Overview Of The Day: Tuesday) EST 31 JAN FULL MOON LUNAR ECLIPSE - JANUARY 31, 2018 IN LEO 8:27 am EST 31 JAN MERCURY ENTERS AQUARIUS PLANETARY INGRESS 8:38 am EST 10 FEB VENUS ENTERS PISCES 6:19 pm EST 15 FEB NEW MOON PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE - FEBRUARY 15, 2018 IN AQUARIUS 4:05 pm EST 17 FEB MERCURY ENTERS PISCES PLANETARY INGRESS 11:27 pm EST 18 FEB SUN ENTERS PISCES PLANETARY INGRESS 12:17 pm EST 01 MAR FULL MOON - MARCH 1, 2018 IN VIRGO 7:51 pm EST See full astrological event calendars. 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vieuxnoyesrp · 7 years

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⚜ ~ T H E I N F E R N O ~ ⚜

Davina’s party is filled to the brim, and the Opera is filled with life—and death. Unbeknownst to the living, they are not the only party-goers in attendance. The ancestors have flocked to Nola’s Théâtre de l'Opéra, intending to give the birthday girl a gift of a lifetime. They’re ready to use any means necessary to take back what’s theirs, the birthday girl herself. In a mission to get Davina's powers, they've made an unlikely ally: Kate Argent, who has begun setting a circle of mountain ash, vervain, and lobelia to lock everyone supernatural inside. But the ancestors have done her one better: they've insured no humans will be able to get in to aid the little witch before they can get to her. But if no humans can get in, that means no humans can get out either.

Beneath the cut, you’ll find an extensive summary of the character-specific plot drops that will occur during our event.

Please note that while we have laid out this guide, it is up to the individual roleplayers to decide when and how to start these threads. In order to do so effectively, please makes sure to read or at least skim each other’s threads on the dash, so as to make sure your character jumps it at the right time (in the case of a three-way para, for example) and doesn’t interrupt the flow/chronological order that is roughly set out in the summary below. Also, please read ALL of the plot under the cut; not just the section that pertains to your character. This will become increasingly significant as the event goes on.

This is the second stage of three parts. Throughout the plots below, gases toxic to supernaturals of all species are slowly being released through the ventilation system of the opera house. Members are encouraged to work that into their replies, but to please keep in mind that the effects wouldn’t be noticeable for quite awhile, and wouldn’t be severe even once they are first noticeable.

Before moving onto the next section, a post will be published on the Main. Open/casual starters are permitted aside from the plot-threads listed below, though please manage your time accordingly so that the plot-threads are completed by the end of the event. Please tag your starters with VNCarreRavage and VNStarter! If you have any questions, ideas, or concerns, please do not hesitate to message the Main!

Most of all, remember to be inclusive to as many people as possible (without biting off more than you can chew), get creative, and enjoy!

~ The Admin Team @ VN

Feeling woozy and a bit dizzy, Evelyn Jones would almost say she's drunk off champagne, if she had had any. What she doesn't know is that the spinning walls and dipping floors are actually the result of a connection the ancestors have forged with her unborn, psychic, child. It's not until Evelyn makes contact with Marin Bennett Morrell, that the ancestors can break past the veil and take control. Marin felt the first circle close–the wolfsbane– and though she wasn't strong enough to determine the nature of the magical disturbance, she's decided to investigate herself, positive that a certain sociopathic witch she once knew is behind it. After learning of Evelyn's connection to Jennifer, she decides to keep the woman close, not convinced that Evelyn is as innocent as she seems. However, Marin is exactly what the ancestors need—an emissary, the connecting point between covens and their source of magic, in this case, the ancestors themselves. But they have a bone to pick with Marin, and have no compunctions about hi-jacking Marin's control, and through her magic, Evelyn herself, to deliver their message to Davina Claire: They will get the sacrifices she has stolen from them. Unfortunately for Marin, Jennifer Blake has also sensed the magical disturbances as the circles begin to close. Unlike Marin, however, she knows exactly what is happening and can feel the supernatural energy in the opera house diminish with each circle. She makes a hasty retreat, happy to watch whatever carnage ensues from the safety of a little distance, despite how much she may enjoy a front and center seat to some arterial spray. But on her way out, she runs into Bonnie Bennett, who seems to be having some kind of episode. She has the illustrious privilege of being the ancestors’ next target. They’ve decided to take a little revenge on Marin and force the next Bennett in line to do her part for the coven of her heritage. Bonnie is visited by Emily Bennett, the main star character of Bonnie's recurring nightmares. Emily informs Bonnie that unless Davina is sacrificed, the French Quarter will face a disaster of catastrophic proportions, an implosion of magical energy that will make the natural disasters of the past year seem like mere child's play. Unaware of his sister's deeds, Chris Argent has started talking security with Matt Donovan, who is positive that the police haven't arranged security for the subterranean levels of the opera house because they were presumed to be an old legend, rather than fact. With the safety of the vulnerable guests in mind, Matt decides to go down and check for himself. It's lucky he did, because the Opera House has indeed been invaded, by vagrants Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski, who find themselves lost in the labyrinthine levels below they had decided to explore after hearing about their haunted legend. But all is not well for the dynamic duo and their security entourage, because in the halls below is also Stefan Salvatore, feeling nostalgic for the Roaring Twenties with the glitz and glam of a jazz night on the town. It's a bittersweet feeling for him, recalling all of the brutal and brilliant terror of the Ripper and he wanted the chance to collect his thoughts in peace. Nostalgia strikes too close to home when Matt stumbles and cuts his palm, wafting the delicious scent of blood right under the nose of an addict. Will this addict stay in remission?

In the mean time, Chris spots a tell-tale powder in one of the Opera house's many powder rooms, and quickly puts two and two together to get Kate. He tries to contact his sister to no avail, and as a last ditch effort, finds Marcel Gerard to warn him, and then finds himself as the unenviable target of Marcel's wrath.

Marcel's flaky informant, Katherine Pierce, has been paying attention, and so when she bumps into a woman in a hurry to make an exit, the faint scent of wolfsbane on her clothing is tip enough. If wolfsbane is in the air, it's not long until the vervain follows, and Katherine wants none of it. It's not until she's in the clear when a rare crisis of consciousness strikes—or perhaps more aptly, she sees an opportunity to get Marcel into her debt. She decides this time—with a little inspiration from Jackson Kenner, who she has commandeered as her muscle—to play the hero, and find a way to get party-goers to safety.

Cami O'Connell has decided to cut her losses and split after seeing Marcel unleash his infamous temper on the hunter, and unwittingly, is the last person to make it across the circle before the ancestors manage to seal the unlucky party-goers inside. Meanwhile, Alaric Saltzman heads to Rousseau's to get in some quality time with his favorite bartender, only to find her much less amusing coworker in her stead. Adding insult to injury, he has the misfortune of touching the very glass Kate Argent drank her celebratory shot of whiskey from right before the party. The resulting vision is hellish indeed, and he get what information he can out of the bartender before heading toward the opera house, only to find he's too late to stop it.

Outside the opera house, Cora Hale is stewing after her argument with her brother, and decides to head down from the roof to the alley behind the opera house; such a beautiful view doesn't suit her mood anyway. In the alley, she runs into none other than Allison Argent. Allison has been trying to find a way into the opera house to meet Scott, but has so far been unsuccessful and is stumped as to why. Cora has a theory though, one that fits her theory about their mutual hallucinations in the hospital. Because while mountain ash can keep out a werewolf, she's not familiar with anything that can keep out a human. Anything except a witch.

While Cora frantically tries to find a way to save her brother, Derek Hale has finally succumbed to the pressure of her texts, and decides to leave before what good luck he's had so far runs out. His change of heart comes too little, too late, and when Derek finds the mountain ash circle trapping him inside, deja vú strikes just a little too close to home, and he begins to panic. Unfortunately for Derek, his panic falls on the unsympathetic ears of Damon Salvatore, who has been enjoying a pleasant evening of flirtation and dancing. Irritated at the untimely murder of his buzz, Damon goads Derek, lets his infamous barbed tongue run loose. But for all his intentions, it's Damon himself who ends up being the butt of his own joke. Derek, lost in a haze of panic, decides to bite before he barks. Hayley Marshall arrives too late to intervene, and, despite Derek's panic, finds herself wondering if a man who has such little control over their emotions—their wolf—even if it's a man she has feelings for, is really fit to be an alpha after all. Confused by the sudden realization, Hayley believes she must be hyperventilating, because she’s starting to have trouble breathing. She’s spotted by Malia Tate, who is facing the same trouble, only Malia has faced this before. Something about the burning in her lungs, the scent of the air triggers a flashback, and memories of the battle in the woods so long ago it was almost a different lifetime. Stuck somewhere between the horrors of the past and the dawning horror of the present, Malia urges her alpha to find safety, only to learn that there is no safety inside the opera house.

Derek's not the only one rapidly losing ground to panic. After Evelyn's eerie message, Davina Claire tries to find a loophole, but instead finds the ancestors’ net rapidly closing in on her. Davina tries to lock herself as far away from the party as she can, hoping to minimize the collateral damage when the ancestors inevitably find her. It also lets her have her meltdown in private. Or so she thinks. Vic Kloeckler-Kuyavar's fascination with historical buildings has prompted him to take a self-guided tour of the opera house. He overhears Davina's crying, and does his best to help her calm down. But with every circle that closes, Davina gets more and more upset, and unstable. The circle of lobelia might cut off her magic, but Davina is more powerful than even the ancestors are expecting, and this time, maybe losing control will work to her benefit. Maybe. Left alone on the rooftop, Kira Yukimura sits in the peace and quiet of the night-time cityscape, unaware of the turmoil below. Perhaps it's her attention to the tiny details, or perhaps its her heightened Kitsune senses she still is unaware of, but she sees a red light coming from the rooftop across the boulevard. A red-light that looks a lot like the laser sights on a sniper in the movies. She's not prepared for the first shot. Startled, and not a little freaked out, she dashes off the roof in double time

Jeremy Gilbert is on the patio of a bar nearby, waiting for Elena to answer his text. Ever since his close-call, he's been staying in close contact with her out of a rare sense of familial guilt to assuage her fears that he'll get in more trouble. When he hears the first shot of sniper fire, however, it's he that fears for Elena. On his sprint toward the opera house, he runs into Kira, and is chilled to learn what she saw.

John Alden couldn't care less about the opera, or the passive aggressive high society politics that happen there. What he does like is the BOGO sales on booze at the bars on the block of the opera every night there's a show. When the shot rings through the street, John is on his feet and out the door before the final echo has even sounded. He sees the boy from the bar, and hustles to him and his friend before he has to play guardian angel again. Unluckily for him, Jeremy is determined to play hero and sets off to find the shooter, with John and Kira following close behind.

#bio rp #literate rp #active rp #lsrp #para rp #VNCarreRavage #vnevent #VN: One Year Anniversary

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cryptodictation · 4 years

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The recovery moves away from the V and approaches the Nike logo | Economy

When economic technicalities sneak into street debates, things go wrong. That is, perhaps, the best thermometer of the crises: just a decade ago, in the midst of a revolt for sovereign debt in southern Europe, it was the risk premium that dived, to the amazement of everyone, in the bars and the terraces of the bars – yes, there are bars and we will visit them again; Today —perhaps less forcefully, let's not fool ourselves, but also to the surprise of both our own and strangers—, little by little, a letter soup that goes from L to W through the U and the known V. Just over a month after the whirlwind of the coronavirus removed all possible foundations, we are already thinking about when and how the recovery will be. When and how the activity will break through again leaving behind the Great Reclusion.

Until the end of March, when Spain had already been in almost a fortnight of confinement, forecasts pointed to a sharp drop in GDP this year followed by an even brighter recovery in 2021. Caixabank, for example, expected a drop of 3.6% this a year that would be more than compensated by an increase of 5.7% next year: a manual V, in the jargon of economists. But with the arrival of April, the globalization of the disease and the awareness that this, far from being an economic storm of months was going to last a little longer, it began to be assumed that the coup would be annual. That, although the end of the confinements will give a breather and allow the foundations of recovery to be laid, it will be much less rapid than initially anticipated: from that canonical V we have passed to an inclined V “similar to the Nike symbol”, as he explains graphically the head of global analysis of AXA's asset manager, Gilles Moëc. “The global rebound will be slow, starting in the third quarter as long as the pandemic does not reactivate and with consumption affected by a greater propensity to save.”

The US government's plan to return to normal in June woke the Stock Exchanges on Friday from their slumber and triggered investor expectations about the possibility that the return would be better than expected a few weeks ago. Germany also plans to reopen stores starting in May. But doubts continue to weigh on the imaginary of economists. “We should start coming out of the tunnel soon, but we are heading for a slow and steady recovery,” says Kaushik Basu, a former chief economist at the World Bank and today president of the International Economic Association. “Recession? Stagnation? We are facing a great whiplash and the hope is that it will not last as long as the previous depressions”. Nor does Michalis Rousakis, from Bank of America, have them all: “The recession will be severe and the recovery will be weak” , sentence in a note for eloquent clients: Still no light at the end of the tunnel.

“Given the uniqueness of this crisis, the recovery will also be different from others in the past: we simply cannot expect a reversion to the average,” says Giuseppe Ricotta, from Lazard. That return to life will vary – and a lot – between countries, with the euro bloc as the big hit and the Mediterranean as the epicenter, according to the latest projections by the IMF. Also between sectors: with tourism paralyzed even after the most severe restrictions are lifted, transportation, catering and hospitality will take the brunt of it and take much longer to recover from the ax. “The exit will be staggered. And in all scenarios and, of course, particularly in the most severe, the world economy will change in fundamental ways, ”writes Robert Kahn, head of global strategy at risk consultancy Eurasia.

Growth projections

of the IMF

GDP. Year-on-year variation in%

(2020, 2021, IMF forecast).

IMF growth projections

GDP. Year-on-year change in% (2020, 2021, forecast

of the International Monetary Fund).

IMF growth projections

GDP. Year-on-year change in% (2020, 2021, forecast by the International Monetary Fund).

The United States has gone, in a few weeks, from full employment to a historical record of unemployment: 32%, well above the level of 25% that touched three years after the Great Depression. In a month, as the chief economist at Deutsche Bank Securities, Torsten Slok, recalls, all the gains in the labor market of the last decade have been disrupted. They are figures more typical of a natural catastrophe – that is, without destruction of physical capital -, than of an economic crisis to the use. It is, by far, the fastest and most severe recession in its early stages for which there are records.

After adhering in the first instance to the thesis of a canonical V-shaped recovery, the Spanish Government now opts for caution. On Tuesday, the Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, described the IMF forecast as “very early” and “preliminary” —which detects a greater fall and a slower exit from the crisis in Spain or Italy than in the rest of the major euro economies— and called for prevention when it comes to “making any kind of estimate”. The general tone of the economic world is, instead, of pessimistic expectation: a hard blow this year and a much longer V than initially anticipated. That Nike logo that Moëc talks about.

There are those who, like the chief economist of Cemex, Manuel Balmaseda, do see the Fund's figures as too negative – “I think the situation is not going to be so serious” – and glimpse a recovery in V “if only because of the base effect ( rebound) after a drop as big “as this year.” But the issue is not so much to look at growth rates but to recover the previous level. “As Antonio García Pascual, professor at Johns Hopkins University, points out, practically no country it will return to the 2019 GDP level in 2021. “This means that, even assuming that the health scenario normalizes in the second half of the year, there would be no rebound in V”, disagrees who was chief economist for Europe at Barclays. “And the longer it lasts, the greater the risk of destruction of physical and human capital, and that the V is no longer a U, but an L or a W, especially if there is a rebound in the fall. There is no need to fall into catastrophism, but there are risks. ” The expert panel of the Swiss bank UBS is even far from that V by Nike and sees a U conditioned that fiscal, monetary and health policies are “aligned” and “effective”.

The economy is, perhaps more than ever before, in the hands of science. There are two variables that can completely change the scenario – for the better, of course -: a drug that allows healing of coronavirus sufferers or, in the best possible scenario, an early vaccine against the disease. It would be, stresses Nomura's Rob Subbaraman, the best of all possible worlds within a pandemic, by definition, dystopian: “They would pave the way for a strong economic recovery” beginning in the third quarter. “We move too easily in the soup of letters, but the double requirement for not doing witchcraft is to be able to measure all the damage and, above all, to be sure that the deterioration in potential GDP has ended. And that can only be when there is a vaccine or a clear treatment and applicable on a large scale, “concludes José Juan Ruiz, former IDB chief economist. “This is not going to be resolved until the last citizen of the world is immunized.”

The unknown of consumption

Part of the complexity of the return to economic normality has to do with the fact that not all consumption will recover when we speak in the past of the Great Confinement, as the IMF has prepared to baptize this crisis. Some expenses (pharmacy, food, drugstore) have rebounded strongly during the closure; others have been postponed (clothing, a bicycle, a car) and will return, at least partially, when stores and dealerships reopen. But a third chapter will be lost directly: no one gets three times gas or cuts their hair three times in a row for all the times they haven't been able to in the past few weeks, recalls Paul Donovan, chief analyst at UBS. According to his calculations, up to a quarter of European consumption is part of the latter group and will not be recoverable.

All, of course, on the basis that household income is maintained. An assumption that, at present, does not seem much less the most plausible scenario: the dismissed are forced into unemployment and those who have suffered ERTE (or their international equivalents), are deprived of 30% of their income. Only workers who have not suffered any of these measures (yet many) and civil servants and pensioners do have the same purchasing power as before everything began. In these cases, Donovan perceives an increase in “forced” savings that may add some vigor to the recovery. There is, however, a huge but at a time when the labor market is going through the biggest storm in almost a decade: for that to happen they have to maintain their job security, something that is far from safe. “This is not going to be to push the switch and that the activity returns immediately”, ditch Antonio García Pascual, from John Hopkins University.

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ibilenews · 4 years

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'Hard for helpers, too': Faced with their own coronavirus fears, crisis hotline counselors answer surge in calls

At first, coronavirus-related calls to the crisis hotlines at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services came in a trickle: In February, just 22 callers mentioned the virus.

By the end of March, that number had skyrocketed to more than 1,800.

With an average of 10,800 calls on any given month, Didi Hirsch’s hotlines are constantly ringing. Based in California, it is one of three crisis centers nationwide that takes calls through the Disaster Distress Helpline, a 24-hour hotline that helps people cope with anything from natural disasters to public health emergencies.

The center is also one of more than 160 centers around the country that takes calls from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

But the coronavirus has felt different than past events that prompted a spike in calls, such as wildfires, mass shootings or celebrity suicides, say those who answer the phones. Unlike the pandemic, which seems to worsen by the day, those tragedies had a clear end to them, and did not necessarily have a direct effect on crisis counselors who take calls or answer online chats.

“We’ve never had some type of societal change or epidemic that has both impacted within our organization and everyone outside of it,” said Carolyn Levitan, Didi Hirsch’s Crisis Line director. “Suddenly our counselors are experiencing some of the same crises that callers and chat visitors are.”

Across the country, as crisis hotlines are inundated with calls from an anxious public, those who pick up the phones are dealing with the same fears and disruptions to their own lives.

Their call centers — many of which are housed in office buildings that do not meet social distancing guidelines — have had to undergo rapid technological transformations so crisis counselors can receive calls on their cellphones at home. Some crisis counselors have even tested positive for the virus themselves.

While the call volume has increased, many hotlines are seeing trained volunteers offer to pick up more shifts — some because they have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus and now have more time to give, others because volunteering feels therapeutic during this time of uncertainty.

At Didi Hirsch, which has 10 locations throughout Los Angeles County and Orange County, the pandemic has hit close to home.

In late March, both a crisis line volunteer and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.

Because the staff works in close quarters — where it is encouraged to check in on one another after tough phone calls with a conversation to debrief or sometimes just to provide a hug — about 35 people who had had potential exposure to the sick individuals had to be quarantined afterward, Levitan said. (No one else has since tested positive.)

“We’re trying to balance the emotional and physical health of our counselors with the needs of our callers and our chat visitors, and it’s a very fine line,” Levitan said. “Counselors may be stressed or triggered by calls because it might remind them of a stressor in their own lives related to COVID, and they also have had to wonder if they are exposed to COVID.”

Didi Hirsch had an emergency preparedness plan to route calls outside of the Los Angeles suicide prevention office that houses its crisis call center, should an earthquake or other disaster hit. But the plan involved sending calls to their other sites — not to crisis counselors’ personal phones. After a frenzied two weeks, the online chat program has been made accessible remotely, and by next week, all calls to crisis lines should be ported outside the call center for counselors to answer remotely.

Meanwhile, at the Long Island Crisis Center in Bellmore, New York, a plan was devised several years ago to allow staff to take calls at home — but no one there envisioned it would be implemented under a global pandemic, said Joe Walsh, the center’s director.

“Long Island has been affected by other crisis situations. Hurricane Sandy was one that was part of the motivating factor,” he said. “Crisis centers have to be on the cutting edge of technology to stay 100 percent up during times of extreme need like this.”

In the last two weeks, more than 50 percent of the calls to the crisis hotline have been about the coronavirus, with an uptick in calls about financial problems, alcohol use and thoughts of suicide compared to the preceding two weeks, Walsh said.

Since the staff can no longer gather in-person, they have been doing twice-weekly video chats to talk through challenges, he added.

“It’s hard for everyone,” Walsh said. “It’s hard for helpers, too.”

At Crisis Text Line, a text message-based help network, crisis counselors have always done their shifts from home, said co-founder and CEO Nancy Lublin. But with text volume doubling in the past several weeks, Crisis Text Line has wanted to make sure its all-volunteer team of counselors have felt they have the support they need, offering them free memberships to the meditation app Headspace, among other tools, Lublin said.

Being able to empathize with texters’ concerns since the coronavirus started has been helpful, said Sara Schaller, a Crisis Text Line crisis counselor.

“I’m human and I have those fears, so it’s telling them, ‘You’re not alone. It makes complete sense to be afraid of the unknown,’” Schaller, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, said. “We all feel it — not to diminish theirs, but reassuring them that they’re not alone in these fears.”

“There’s a collective feeling of grief,” she added. “It’s more of a collective trauma.”

But there have been obstacles. A lot of the tips that crisis counselors around the country normally offer — such as leaving the house if you feel suicidal to go to a safer environment or meeting up with friends to combat feelings of loneliness — are not possible while social distancing.

Practicing self-care, even in quarantine

However, psychologists say there are still many forms of self-care that people can practice, whether they are the ones fielding the calls to crisis hotlines or the ones making them.

Staying physically active, through a daily walk if it is safe to do so or an online workout, is crucial for maintaining mental health, said Lynn Bufka, senior director at the American Psychological Association. So is keeping in touch with meaningful people in your life, whether it’s through phone or video calls.

“If you’re able to figure out ways that work for you and don’t require a lot of decision-making, that’s helpful, because your cognitive capability is pretty maxed out dealing with this situation,” she said.

Other people might find comfort in churches and synagogues that are streaming their religious services online, or in yoga or meditation apps, said Dana Garfin, a psychologist and assistant adjunct professor in the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing at the University of California, Irvine.

Garfin, who is doing a study on the psychological effects of the COVID-19 quarantines, also recommended not getting bombarded with news.

“You don’t want to not know what’s going on, but there’s a difference between checking the news once or twice, and having the TV on in the background all day,” she said.

Despite the difficulties counselors are dealing with themselves, all the crisis hotlines encouraged anyone feeling overwhelmed to reach out at any time.

Kita S. Curry, the president and CEO of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, said she feared the emotional toll caused by the coronavirus was just beginning, especially as its effect on the economy grows.

She said despite her staff’s own worries about the coronavirus, they are more dedicated than ever to helping callers to the crisis hotline.

“It’s really stressful,” Curry said, her voice breaking, “but it’s very rewarding to be able to help people in their darkest hour.”

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automaticpostinfluencer · 4 years

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Workday to give employees cash bonuses, Germany seals off its borders

This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. All times below are in Eastern time. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.

Global cases: More than 169,387, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Global deaths: At least 6,513, according to Johns Hopkins University.

US cases: At least 3,774, according to Johns Hopkins University.

US deaths: At least 69, according to Johns Hopkins University.

10:53 am: Supreme Court postpones arguments, citing Spanish flu precedent

Crowds line up outside the Supreme Court as it resumes oral arguments at the start of its new term in Washington, October 7, 2019.

Mary F. Calvert | Reuters

The Supreme Court said Monday that it will postpone arguments scheduled for March and early April because of health concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The top court cited its actions during the Spanish flu epidemic of the early 19th century and the yellow fever outbreaks of the 18th century as precedents.

The postponement will delay arguments in three blockbuster cases over whether President Donald Trump may shield his financial records, including tax returns, from state and congressional investigators, among other matters. Those cases were set to be argued on March 31. —Tucker Higgins

10:30 am: New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut ban eating in restaurants, limit events to less than 50 people

The governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have agreed to a common set of rules to reduce density throughout the region, closing restaurants and bars and limiting public gatherings to less than 50 people.

“We have agreed to a common set of rules that will pertain in all of our states, so don’t even think about going to a neighboring state because there’s going to be a different set of conditions,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday during a press call on the fast-spreading COVID-19 outbreak in the state.

The briefing came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday urged people across the U.S. to cancel or postpone events with 50 or more attendees for the next eight weeks to try to contain the fast-moving coronavirus pandemic.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he will sign an executive order, set to take effect Tuesday, that effectively closes restaurants, bars, and cafes. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Noah Higgins-Dunn, Will Feuer

10:25 am: Treasury Secretary Mnuchin tells Cramer there will be a lot of ‘pent-up demand’ when crisis ends

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks with reporters outside White House in Washington, DC, on March 13, 2020.

Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC on Monday there will be a surge of demand for stocks once the coronavirus threat abates.

“There will be a huge amount of pent-up demand when this is done. And it will be done,” the Treasury secretary told CNBC’s Jim Cramer.

“Look for companies that have a ton of liquidity. An Apple will have customers,” Mnuchin added. “That’s just a given. The goal is not to bail out companies.” —Thomas Franck

10:07 am: Millions could lose their jobs in a coronavirus recession. Many won’t get severance pay

The odds of slipping into a recession are increasingly likely as the global coronavirus outbreak puts acute stress on the U.S. economy. That could be bad news for American workers, who may lose jobs by the millions in a downturn. For those workers who don’t receive severance pay, the financial impact could be especially devastating.

Economic cracks are beginning to emerge. Small-business owners are starting to report supply-chain problems and lost sales. The travel industry is reeling. Big oil and gas companies are slashing spending and cutting dividends amid a plunge in oil prices. Consumer spending has fallen as Americans pull back from their daily routines.

Many workers don’t have an adequate financial backstop in layoff situations, experts said. Half of U.S. adults expected to be living paycheck to paycheck this year and 53% did not have an emergency fund that covers at least three months of expenses, according to a financial planning survey conducted prior to the coronavirus outbreak by First National Bank of Omaha in Nebraska.

Federal law doesn’t require American companies to pay severance in the event of layoffs, leaving it up to the discretion of business owners. —Greg Iacurci

9:58 am: NYSE implements new procedures for floor participants

CNBC’s Bob Pisani reports that while entering the New York Stock Exchange Monday morning a medical team was at the entrance. An attendant took his temperature and he was asked to fill out a one-page questionnaire on whether he was feeling ill or had traveled out of the country. —John Melloy

9:51 am: Workday will give employees a cash bonus worth two weeks of pay amid outbreak

Aneel Bhusri, CEO, Workday

Adam Galica | CNBC

Workday will pay its lower-level employees the equivalent of two-weeks pay as a cash bonus to help support them during the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move, which excludes executives at the vice president level and above in addition to “certain senior individual contributors,” is expected to add about $80 million to Workday’s first quarter and full-year 2021 expenses compared to initial guidance, the company said in a financial filing. Workday, which provides human resources software, reported 12,200 total employees as of the end of January and said it also employs contractors. Workday plans to pay the bonus in its first fiscal quarter ending April 30. —Lauren Feiner

9:39 am: Uber is delivering free meals to health-care workers and first responders

Uber is giving away free meals to health workers and first responders who are helping combat the coronavirus pandemic, Nelson Chai, the company’s chief financial officer, told CNBC on Monday.

“We’re going to deliver over 300,000 meals for health officials and first responders who are on the front line,” Chai said in a “Squawk Box” interview. “We’re doing what we can.”

The company’s Uber Eats segment is also waiving delivery fees for small businesses in some of its markets. —Jessica Bursztynsky

9:36 am: Germany seals off borders as European countries report record jump in coronavirus deaths

Germany is the latest European country to seal off its borders in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak, as the number of deaths in Europe jumped overnight.

As of Monday morning, Germany had shut its borders with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, and Denmark. Only German citizens, those who reside in the country and work in a neighboring nation and vice-versa, and physical goods, can cross the German border. Though Berlin is not the first European capital to impose border restrictions, the move marked a U-turn in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s policy.

“It’s a crisis situation,” Friedrich Heinemann, head of public finance at the German-based think tank ZEW, told CNBC about the German decision. —Silvia Amaro

9:31 am: Stocks crater at the open, circuit-break kicks in almost immediately and halts trading

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange March 12, 2020.

Brendan McDermid | Reuters

Stocks cratered at the open, with the major averages dropping more than 5% and leading to a 15-minute halt in trading after the circuit-breaker threshold was triggered.

According to the New York Stock Exchange, a market trading halt occurs at “three circuit breaker thresholds” on the S&P 500 due to large declines and volatility. The exchange classifies this at three levels based on the preceding session’s close in the S&P 500.

Before trading was halted, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2,250 points, or 9.7%. The S&P 500 fell 8%, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 6%. —Pippa Stevens

9:26 am: Fiat Chrysler ends production at the majority of its European plants

Fiat Chrysler is ending production at the majority of its European plants through March 27 due to the coronavirus, the company said Monday.

The plans come less than a week after the Italian-American automaker announced it would “intensify measures” against the spread of the coronavirus in Italy, including temporarily closing plants there, where the government has implemented a national quarantine amid a rapid spread of COVID-19.

The temporary shutdowns include plants in Italy, Serbia, and Poland. It’s unclear at this time how many of the company’s 23 plants will remain open. A company spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Fiat Chrysler, in a release, said its plans include measures to enable the company to “promptly” restart manufacturing operations once ready. —Michael Wayland

9:24 am: JPMorgan tells employees around the world to work from home if possible

JPMorgan Chase is telling all its employees globally to work from home if possible.

The New York-based bank, which has 256,981 workers and operates in 60 countries, is expanding on a policy it began last week for New York-metro area employees as it copes with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Effective immediately, we are asking all managers globally to allow employees to work from home to the extent feasible,” the bank’s operating committee said Sunday in a staff email. “This will further facilitate social distancing in the communities we call home while continuing to serve our clients and customers.” —Hugh Son

9:12 am: Ex-FDA chief sees US peak late April to early May

9:02 am: Coronavirus forces airlines to consider the once unthinkable: a halt to US flights

An empty check-in area is seen at the United Airlines domestic check-in area at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, on Thursday, March. 5, 2020.

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Airlines around the world are racing to preserve cash as demand for flights craters after political leaders turn to increasingly draconian measures that have disrupted daily life in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Now U.S. airlines are grappling a scenario that unthinkable earlier this year when they reported record revenues: a suspension of U.S. air travel.

On Sunday, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said, “all options remain on the table” when asked at a White House press conference whether the administration is considering a halt of domestic air travel. A day earlier, President Donald Trump said the American public should avoid unnecessary travel. Early Monday, the administration expanded its 30-day ban on most European visitors to Ireland and the U.K., an unprecedented curb on international travel.

While it is not guaranteed that the administration will take that route, which would be the first time the U.S. instituted a blanket air travel ban since the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, or whether it would last two weeks, a month, or longer, several executives told CNBC that they are considering all possibilities. —Leslie Josephs

8:53 am: IMF says it’s ready to ‘mobilize its $1 trillion lending capacity’

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks at a press conference in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 4, 2020.

Liu Jie | Xinhua | Getty Images

The International Monetary Fund on Monday said it “stands ready” to use its $1 trillion lending capacity to help countries around the world that are struggling with the humanitarian and economic impact of the novel coronavirus.

“As a first line of defense, the Fund can deploy its flexible and rapid-disbursing emergency response toolkit to help countries with urgent balance-of-payment needs,” wrote Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

“The Fund already has 40 ongoing arrangements — both disbursing and precautionary — with combined commitments of about $200 billion,” she added. “In many cases, these arrangements can provide another vehicle for the rapid disbursement of crisis financing.” —Will Feuer

8:08 am: Doctor says we ‘really should look a little more like China’

Dr. Corey Hebert, assistant professor at both Louisiana State and Tulane Universities, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the U.S. should commit to social distancing in an effort to “flatten the curve.” “If we do what we’re supposed to do, we really should look a little more like China,” he said in reference to China’s aggressive mitigation efforts that include wide-scale quarantines and travel restrictions. “What we’re trying to do is instead of having 15,000 people sick at one time, which would overburden the medical system, we’d rather have 10 people sick, or 10,000 people sick rather, over a longer amount of time, so 15 days.” —Will Feuer

7:37 am: Roche CEO says it will provide over 400 tests this week

In an effort to boost screening capacity to help contain the growing epidemic, the Food and Drug Administration issued emergency authorization last week for a COVID-19 test made by Swiss diagnostics maker Roche. The company says automated tests can provide results in 3.5 hours as opposed to a few days. The company will begin its rollout with over 400 tests this week, Roche CEO Dr. Severin Schwan told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

“We are of course ramping up supply as much as we can,” he said, adding that the tests go first where they’re most needed. “For that purpose, we are closely working together with the authorities, the CDC, in particular, to allocate tests to those labs and to those regions where we can make the biggest impact during this crisis.” —Will Feuer

7:05 am: Retail store closures in the US could explode

Temporary closed signage is seen at a store in Manhattan borough following the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in New York City, U.S., March 15, 2020.

Jeenah Moon | Reuters

The year 2019 brought with it record store closures in the retail industry in the U.S., and 2020 looks like it is about to be a lot worse. Retail store closures this year are now on pace to be “double what we saw last year,” which was a record year, said Deborah Weinswig, CEO and founder of retail advisory and research firm Coresight Research. “I think that is already in motion. … If [COVID-19] stays longer, it will be greater.” —Lauren Thomas

7:01 am: Iran’s death toll surges to 853

Iran’s death toll has reached 853, with 129 new deaths in the past 24 hours, a health ministry official tweeted on Monday, adding that 14,991 people have been infected across Iran. “In the past 24 hours we had 1,053 confirmed new cases of coronavirus and 129 new deaths,” Alireza Vahabzadeh tweeted. To contain the outbreak in Iran, one of the deadliest outside of China, officials have called on people to stay at home. —Reuters

6:21 pm: UK government asks manufacturers to make ventilators, health equipment

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will ask manufacturers to support the production of essential medical equipment, such as ventilators, for the National Health Service.

“Preparing for the spread of the coronavirus outbreak is a national priority and we’re calling on the manufacturing industry and all those with relevant expertise who might be able to help to come together to help the country tackle this national crisis,” a Downing Street spokesperson said late Sunday.

“We need to step up production of vital equipment such as ventilators so that we can all help the most vulnerable, and we need businesses to come to us and help in this national effort.” —Holly Ellyatt

5:28 am: Impact will last at least until the third quarter, Germany’s economy ministry says

The German economy ministry said the impact of COVID-19 meant it no longer expected an economic upswing in the first quarter, Reuters reported. The ministry added that the economy was unlikely to stabilize before the third quarter at the earliest. “The strength and duration of the impact cannot yet reliably be forecast,” the ministry said. “But given the very rapid pace of developments, we have to anticipate significant economic impacts.” —Holly Ellyatt

4:48 am: ‘Where is Boris?’: The UK government’s cautious strategy provokes a public backlash

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale on March 1, 2020 in London, England.

WPA Pool

4:46 am: European shares slide 8% and airline stocks tank as regional shutdown widens

European markets plunged as much of the continent went into shutdown mode to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. The pan-European Stoxx 600 dropped 8% near the start of trading, travel and leisure stocks plummeting 14.3% to lead losses as all sectors and major bourses slid into the red. —Elliot Smith

3:30 am: Asia-Pacific markets dive, with Australia leading losses

Asia markets plummeted even after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a massive monetary stimulus campaign to curb slower economic growth in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australian markets led losses in the Asia-Pacific region, as it tanked nearly 10%. Mainland Chinese stocks dropped as well, with the Shanghai composite 3.4% lower, while the Shenzhen composite slipped 4.834% and the Shenzhen component plunged 5.34%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 4.38%. Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index declined around 5%.

“Ironically, markets might have perceived the Fed’s response as panic, feeding into its own fears; especially as COVID-19 cases spike globally, prompting harder border controls,” Vishnu Varathan, head of economics and strategy at Mizuho Bank, wrote in a note. —Eustance Huang

Read CNBC’s coverage from CNBC’s Asia-Pacific and Europe teams overnight here: New York City to limit restaurants and bars to take-out and delivery, movie theaters to shut

Reuters and CNBC’s Saheli Roy Choudhury, Weizhen Tan, Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.

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