#+ the following scene of them operating on the three soldiers in the military hospital that he shoots all sweeping and dreamlike while tom

[romanken]

I do find oliver stone to be a bit of a hack HOWEVER. When he has that beautiful operatic score over the gratuitous shot of the american copter getting absolutely blown to smithereens. BIG fan

#+ the following scene of them operating on the three soldiers in the military hospital that he shoots all sweeping and dreamlike while tom #cruise is like hacking up gallons of neon red blood... just great stuff

[otmaaromanovas]

Vera Ignatievna Gedroits - the openly lesbian, first woman professor of surgery in Russia, who worked alongside the Romanovs

Princess Vera Ignatievna Gedroits was a doctor, surgeon, poet, and pioneer of medicine. Vera worked alongside Tsarina Alexandra and Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana Nikolaevna, working with the Red Cross to treat injured soldiers during the First World War. 

** content warning for mention of suicide **

Born as a Princess of royal Lithuanian descent in 1870 in Kyiv, Vera is thought to have developed an interest in medicine following the passing of her little brother Sergei during childhood. Vera later wrote under the pen name ‘Sergei Gedroits’ in honour of him. 

In 1892, Vera was arrested for participating in the Populist movement. Freed and undeterred, Vera was adamant to continue her medical studies. An open lesbian, Vera entered into a marriage of convenience with friend Nikolai Belozerov, permitting the obtaining of a new passport to travel, allowing her to pursue her dream of a medical career without the restriction of borders and her previous name being on police records. Despite their marriage being one of convenience, rather that romantic love, Vera and Nikolai were close friends, and stayed in contact through letters.

In 1903, Vera obtained the title of ‘female doctor’, but later that year attempted suicide. Vera’s mental health had declined due to an overwhelming personal family life, the death of her sister, exhausting workload, and breakup of a relationship with a lady in Switzerland. The following year, Vera had recovered, and the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese war led to her working in horse-drawn mobile hospitals. 

Working with wounded patients, Vera took detailed notes which allowed the making of the connection between injuries and the weapon used to inflict them. Interestingly, Vera did not shy away from abdominal operations, which was irregular due to previous thoughts that such injuries were ‘inoperable’. Often, patients with such injuries were refused surgery and were sadly left to pass away.

Following the War, Vera worked provincially, attending to 125,363 patients. This pioneering work was recognised by Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna in 1909, who invited Vera to take the position of Senior Court Physician. Vera was the first woman to serve as a physician in the Imperial Palace. Vera wrote ‘Conversations on Surgery for Sisters and Doctors’ to help the Palace understand the profession. Vera would eventually write 58 scientific papers. Vera earned a Doctorate of Surgery on May 11 1912, the first woman in the history of the University of Moscow to do so. 

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Vera helped to install physiotherapy equipment and X-ray machines in hospitals to aid recovery. Vera taught Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna and her daughters, Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana, medical work, and they assisted with operations. Vera worked alongside Imperial Physician Dr. Evgeny Botkin to help connect infirmaries to railways and supplies. Vera occasionally travelled to the front lines to help provide surgery directly at the scene, and in one case performed over 30 operations over a three day period. 

Vera is recorded as having little patience for the infamous Grigori Rasputin, with one source recording the shoving of Rasputin ‘into a corridor when he refused to get out’ of the way.

There are no records that suggest that the patients or the Romanovs objected to Vera's sexuality, though there was disapproval of her continuing to remain in Tsarskoe Selo to continue military surgery after the Revolution. If anything, she was renowned as one of the most capable and intelligent women of the era. Vera wore a surgeon's cap rather than the head coverings that nurses and Sisters of Mercy wore.

During the First World War, Vera met fellow nurse Countess Maria Dmitrievna Nirod-Mukhanova, a widowed maid-of-honour at the palace. The pair fell in love and started a relationship, which would last for the rest of Vera’s life. Maria had three children: Dmitri Feodorovich, Marina Feodorovna, and Feodor Feodorovich. The children knew about their mother's relationship with Vera, as they lived as a married couple whilst caring for and raising them. Some sources suggest that Vera and Maria had a marriage ceremony.

By the late 1920s, Vera was living with Maria, who worked as a surgeon, in Kyiv after the couple and Maria’s children escaped Revolution, taking refuge with monks. They spent eighteen years together. The pair lived as a married couple. In 1932, Vera passed away aged 61 after a diagnosis of uterine cancer. Maria continued Vera’s work by operating a pharmacy that provided free medicine to the poor. Maria passed away in 1965 aged 86. The above image is the only photo that has been attributed to her.

Vera defied all the social norms, becoming a pioneer of medicine and challenging traditions within the profession, saving thousands of lives in the process. Vera’s legacy lives on today.

SOURCES:

Hands that bring back to life. Vera Ignatievna Gedroits - surgeon and poet by V.G. Khokhlov

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Wartime albums of Olga Nikolaevna and Tatiana Nikolaevna, Last Romanovs on Flickr

The Princess who Transformed War Medicine - BBC

Princess Vera Gedroits: military surgeon, poet, and author by J.D.C. Bennet

The Diary of Olga Romanov : Royal Witness to the Russian Revolution by Helen Azar

Tatiana Romanov, Daughter of the Last Tsar : Diaries and Letters, 1913-1918 by Helen Azar and Nicholas B.A. Nicholson

#Vera Gedroitz #Vera Gedroits #lgbt history #lesbian history #Alexandra Feodorovna #Olga Nikolaevna #Tatiana Nikolaevna #Maria Nirod Mukhanova #medical history #Russian history #pride month #tw sui #image described #queer history

[girlactionfigure]

[Breaking News]

7:27pm 2 Critically Wounded in Jordan Valley Terror Attack

Another multi-location terror attack just before in the Jordan Valley/Dead Sea region.

2 Israelis have been critically wounded in attacks in 3 separate locations on Monday afternoon.

At least one 25-year-old Israeli man was critically wounded Monday afternoon in a drive-by shooting attack by Palestinian Authority terrorists north of the Beit Ha’Arava junction.

“Together with additional first responders we performed CPR on a man in his 20s who suffered from gunshot wounds,” United Hatzalah medic Eilon Lubiner reported.

The victim was evacuated in critical condition by the Magen David Adom emergency medical response service to Hadassah Mount Scopus hospital while undergoing continued resuscitation efforts.

“When we arrived the victim was unconscious outside his car with gunshot wounds to his upper body,” said MDA Paramedic Eden Cohen, who treated the victim. “MDA teams were performing CPR. We immediately moved him to the MICU, provided advanced life-saving treatment and fought to save his life, performing CPR all the way to the hospital.”

The attack took place on Highway 90 in the Jordan Valley. IDF soldiers shut down the roads in the area in an effort to capture the gunman, who fled the scene in a car which he subsequently set on fire. He then continued on foot to Jericho, according to Israel’s KAN 11 Newspublic broadcaster.

The roads were subsequently reopened.

In addition, two other terror attacks were carried out nearly simultaneously, in three separate locations, all of them drive-by shootings, possibly by the same terrorists, and all of them in the Jordan Valley.

A second Israeli was likewise reported to be critically wounded in a follow-on attack that took place near Mount Nebo. 

At a third location, Palestinian Authority terrorists opened fire on Highway 90 near St. George’s Monastery, also in the Jordan Valley, near the Almog Junction. The terrorists sprayed an Israeli vehicle with bullets, but miraculously, no one was injured.

It is believed the same terrorist/s were responsible for all three shootings.

Within the hour, Palestinian Authority Arabs were handing out sweets in celebration of the murderous attacks.

The Beit Ha’Arava junction is located near the Jordan Valley city of Jericho, which is under the control of the Palestinian Authority. 

Last month, a new terrorist cell called the “Aqabat Jabr Battalion” — affiliated with the al-Qassam Brigades military wing of Hamas — announced its formation in the village of Aqabat Jabr. The nascent terrorist cell allegedly clashed with Israeli forces operating in the Jericho area, according to The Jerusalem Post.

IDF Special Forces have blocked the entrances to Jericho, where they are hunting for the terrorist/s. The IDF is also searching the village of Aqabat Jabr for the shooters.

The Muqata

#Israel #palestinian terrorism

[wamuzimedia]

Four Israelis killed by Palestinian gunmen near West Bank settlement.

Four others were wounded, one of them seriously, when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a restaurant and petrol station outside Eli on Tuesday. The Palestinian militant group Hamas said the gunmen were its members. One was shot dead at the scene by an armed civilian, while the second fled in a stolen car and was later killed by Israeli forces in the town of Tubas. Israel's prime minister said "all options are open" in response to what he called the "shocking and abhorrent terrorist attack", which followed heightened violence across the West Bank in recent days.A spokesman for Hamas said the shooting was a response to an Israeli military raid in Jenin on Monday in which seven Palestinians were killed. Tuesday's shooting took place just to the south of Eli on Highway 60, the main road between the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Nablus. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement that the two gunmen arrived in a car from the village of Urif, about 10km (6 miles) to the north. They opened fire at a roadside hummus restaurant first, killing three civilians, then shot dead another civilian in the forecourt of the petrol station, he added. One of the gunmen was shot and killed by an armed civilian, but the other was able to flee the scene in a stolen car. Adm Hagari said IDF soldiers and officers from the Shin Bet security service later found the vehicle near Tubas, 29km to the north-east, and shot and killed the second gunman. A paramedic with the Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance service, Motty Dahan, said that he and his colleagues saw a "complex site" when they arrived at the scene of the attack. He added that there were seven victims suffering from gunshot wounds. "We performed medical checks and began providing medical treatment, three of the victims were evacuated in MDA MICUs to hospital, and unfortunately four of the victims were pronounced dead." Those killed were identified by Israeli media as 18-year-old Elisha Antman and 63-year-old Ofer Fairman from Eli; 17-year-old Nachman Mordoff from the Ahiya settler outpost east of Eli; and 21-year-old Harel Masoud from Yad Binyamin, a town in central Israel. The number of Israelis killed was the highest since an attack by a Palestinian outside a synagogue in occupied East Jerusalem in January, when seven died. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: "From the depths of my heart, I send condolences to the families of those who were murdered, may God avenge them, and on behalf of the entire people, I send my best wishes for a swift recovery to the wounded." "I would like to remind all those who seek to harm us: All options are open. We will continue to fight terrorism with full force and we will defeat it," he added. A spokesman for Hamas, Hazem Qassem, described the shooting as a "response to the crimes of the occupation in Jenin refugee camp yesterday". Seven Palestinians were killed - including a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl named Sadil Ghassan Turkman, who died of her wounds on Wednesday morning - and more than 90 wounded during a raid into the camp by Israeli forces. Several Israeli soldiers were also wounded during the incursion. Hours after the shooting in Eli, groups of Israeli settlers attacked several nearby Palestinian towns and villages, throwing rocks and setting fire to vehicles, properties and olive groves. A Palestinian official in the Nablus region, Ghassan Daghlas, told Wafa news agency that a total of 140 cars were damaged or torched, and that 34 Palestinian civilians were injured by rubber bullets and tear-gas canisters fired by Israeli troops as they tried to defend themselves from the settlers. Meanwhile, far-right parties in Israel's coalition government put pressure on Mr Netanyahu to launch a major military operation in the northern West Bank to counter the wave of Palestinian attacks. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told reporters in Eli that it was time to "return to targeted assassinations from the air, to bring down buildings, to erect roadblocks, to expel terrorists, and to finish passing the death penalty for terrorists law". Since the start of the year, more than 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The figures include militants as well as civilians. In addition, 27 people on the Israeli side have been killed - including two foreigners and a Palestinian worker - in attacks or apparent attacks by Palestinians. All were civilians except one off-duty serving soldier and a member of the Israeli security forces. Read the full article

#worldnews

[brucesterling]

Ransomware guys got their servers hacked by the feds

*They’re super upset about it.

vx-underground.org

CONTI Team (Conti ransomware group) statement on REvil:

Title: Announcement. ReviLives.

Subject: Own opinion.

As a team, we always look at the work of our colleagues in the art of pen-testing, corporate data security, information systems, and network security. We rejoice at their successes and support them in their hardships.

Therefore, we would like to comment on yesterday's important announcement by the US law enforcement about the attack on the REvil group.

We want to remark the following:

First, an attack against some servers, which the US security attributes to REvil, is another reminder of what we all know: the unilateral, extraterritorial, and bandit-mugging behavior of the United States in world affairs.

However, the fact that it became a norm does not presume that it should be treated like one. Unlike our dearest journalist friends from the Twitter brothel, who will sell their own mother for a bone from bankers or politicians, we have the guts to name things as they are. We have a conscience, as well as anonymity, while our skills allow us to say something that many "allied" governments are afraid of saying:

With all the endless talks in your media about "ransomware-is-bad," we would like to point out the biggest ransomware group of all time: your Federal Government. There is no glory in this REvil attack. First, because REvil has been dead in any case, but secondly, because the United States government acted as a simple street mugger while kicking a dead body.

Let's break it down point by point. There was an extraterritorial attack against some infrastructure in some countries.

1. Is there a law, even an American one, even a local one in any county of any of the 50 states, that legitimize such indiscriminate offensive action? Is server hacking suddenly legal in the United States or in any of the US jurisdictions? If yes, please provide us with a link.

2. Suppose there is such an outrageous law that allows you to hack servers in a foreign country. How legal is this from the point of view of the country whose servers were attacked? Infrastructure is not flying there in space or floating in neutral waters. It is a part of someone's sovereignty.

3. The statement mentions a multinational operation but does not name specific countries that participated in the cyber strike. We seem to know why; see next point.

4. Most countries, the US included, perceive critical cyber strikes against their territory as a casus belli. You think anybody will be fine if Taliban conducts a misfile strike against a place in Texas to "disrupt an operation" of what Afghanistan considered a "criminal" group?

5. When the special forces arrive at a hostage scene, they at least make sure that there are hostages there (at least, this is how it used to be). How did you know who you were attacking? It could just be a reverse proxy on an unsuspecting host. How did you know who ELSE these servers are serving? How was the safety of other people's businesses, possibly people's lives, ensured?

Just to be clear: these are all rhetorical questions. Of course.

What happened with this attack is way more than REvil or information security. This attack is just an another drop in the ocean of blood, which started because of NSA, CIA, FBI, and another two hundred three-letter security institutions (because, you know, true democracy and liberty requires millions of people in uniform) never had to answer these questions.

WMD in Iraq, which was "certainly there."

Drone strikes on weddings because "these were terrorists."

Airstrikes on hospitals and Red Cross convoys because "we thought these are hostile."

Military raids within the foreign borders ended up with massacring allied soldiers.

The list is endless because those who are now enjoying the media fame from the REvil attack are vampires drunken and intoxicated by impunity and blood.

And this is not the story about REvil, Afghanistan, or any other subject in the world because impunity does not know borders.

No wonder, each day, we read in the news that the American police once again shot some unarmed African American, or a housewife, or a disabled person, or somebody brave enough to dared to protect their home and their family. This is your state, and it will treat you the way it drones unfortunate child-shepherd in the sands of the Maghreb or Arabia to ensure "the national security of America," so far from its shores.

And we will be reminding you of this constantly. And yes, despites the popular opinion of the social media hobos, we can and WILL talk ethically as any other people. (Somebody, please put an Obama meme here).

We wish the people of America to resume control over your country as soon as possible and expel these fat, degraded bankers and become again the great FREE nation that we remember and love. We wish our retired colleagues from REvil have a lot of fun with their honestly earned money.

Sincerely yours,

Conti team

[yamaoni]

The Second Great War of Remnant has begun. Once more, Vale and Mantle are embroiled in a massive conflict, only this time, they are on the same side against Atlas.

I don't think it was a coincidence that so many people drew parallels with the last episode and WWI. We've never seen people fight that way in RWBY. Grimm don't use projectile weapons the way humans do, so the benefits of the trench are diminished; especially if you compare it to the drawbacks.

Now, I understand not everyone in the Atlas military has their aura unlocked and the squishy soldiers need some cover, but if The Long Memory didn't nuke every grimm on Atlas, the lines would have been overrun and then there would have been nowhere for them to retreat to.

You think the very real hand to hand struggles in the trenches of WWI were bad, imagine being trapped in a narrow trench with a bear. Or having this thing explode out of the ground under you.

I refuse to believe no-one in Atlas ever thought, "if we put the dirt from the trench in a box, no only can we give our soldiers cover, we can also give them an elevated position to fire from."

The top of a wall has been the primary defensive position for the people of Remnant for a long time. You can see them in the establishing shots of most settled places the team has visited. So why are we seeing a trench now?

Simple.

Show, don't tell.

RWBY has done a pretty great job, especially in the last few seasons, of showing the audience what it is trying to convey without explicitly telling them. They especially like drawing from well known folk lore to give insight into the future of the show.

Only difference here, instead of drawing the parallel between characters, they're drawing parallels between worlds.

Remnant's first Great War started with Mantle suppressing freedom of expression, the destruction of Art and Color. Ironwood always has little in the way of color, but in his first broadcast since everything started hitting the fan, he has none.

That broadcast also included evacuation ships being blown up by fighter-bombers, Dunkirk. It threatend to level a city if they didn't surrender, Battle of Brittan. All delivered by a dictator trying to scare his opponents into submission through careful use of film.

Theories

If the rest of the season is WWII, I have several theories on plot direction. Considering how well they did keeping up with both ends of the battlefield it wouldn't surprise me if they followed all of them at the same time.

Operation Dunkirk

Or, the evacuation of Mantle.

Players: Penny, Nora, Ren, Happy Huntresses

The Happy Huntresses involvement is a given. Not only has saving Mantle been their goal the whole time, they're also stuck in the middle of it right now.

Penny is the Protector of Mantle. It would be a shining moment for her character to fully throw off the virus Watts implanted and overcome Ironwood's threats to do so. Just crossing my fingers that it doesn't end like the Iron Giant.

Nora is currently Penny's tether to sanity, so she has to go with, and I doubt they would separate Ren from her for the next arc so he's going too.

Surprise twist for this plot I'm betting will be the Starwars "they aren't warships, just people" scene everyone loves to rag on. After all, the broadcast went out that they needed help and, at least at Dunkirk, it was fishing boats and pleasure crafts that retrieved the 338,000 surrounded on all sides.

Why We Fight

Or, countering Ironwoods propaganda.

Players: Robyn and Qrow

For one, these two are unaccounted for and in the heart of Atlas' military machine. If anyone has means to do so, it's them.

The film, Why We Fight, also countered the dramatic cinematography of Goebbels propaganda by painting it as ridiculous and making a folksy call to action much like Robyn has done in the past.

Operation Fortitude

Or, the deception of Ironwood.

Players: Emerald, Jaune, Oscar

This is the mission to make Ironwood think the team is going after the relic. This theory is why I actually thought of and wrote out this whole thing. Thanks @maxiemumdamage, I had things I was supposed to do tonight.

https://maxiemumdamage.tumblr.com/post/644291955872890880/willing-to-bet-my-own-soul-that-emerald-uses-her

Only difference in my theory and their's, is Jaune is going to be playing the part of Penny.

I say this for two reasons. One, Joan of Arc pretended to be a man. While we've gotten both Jaune pretending to be something he's not and him in a dress, this would pose the first time in the story he could do both. Two, it would put him on a direct collision path with Cinder. It needs to happen at some point to bring his arc to a conclusion, but man I hope we're not about to watch him burn.

With Ozpin active again, Oscar has to go along to direct them to the vault. He's also one of two backing the idea of Emerald joining the team and Jaune wouldn't be willing to work with her without him.

Operation Overlord

Or, busting down the doors of Atlas Acadamy.

Players: Ruby, Blake, Weiss, Yang

Where Operation Fortitude was the faint, Operation Overlord was the real deal. For those that aren't history buffs, this is D-Day.

I think this is the reason we've only seen the main team fighting together once since their split from Beacon. And even then, that fight was at most pairs of fighters and not all four of them supporting one another.

RWBY tricked us into thinking season 4 was the post-timeskip level up we come to expect from anime when really we ended up watching the training flashbacks as they happened instead.

We've seen hints of it with the various team ups and combinations, but are we really ready for how much ass kicking they are about to do?

I'm hoping for a One Piece level of badass entrance that can give me shivers whenever I go to watch it again like the walk to Arlong Park still does to this day.

(Aside: if you try telling me RWBY isn't anime, I'm just going to ignore you. Anime is an art movement. If you don't understand what that means, watch this video. https://youtu.be/uFtfDK39ZhI)

Now last and certainly not least

Operation Valkyrie

Or, the death of Ironwood.

Players: Winter and Marrow

The long awaited defection. Plenty of speculation has already floated around about if and when these two where going to cave to their morals and jump ship. I don't know how many of us were expecting the straw to break the camel's back to be a nuke held over Mantle, but I certainly wasn't.

What worries me, is Operation Valkyrie failed and all its conspirators were executed. As if there weren't enough death flags for Winter before.

Even if it's not Winter that kills him. I don't see Ironwood surviving this season. Even if it means he goes out like another hated dictator. It's not like it would be the first time RT had a fallen hero chose to use his own sword.

Wildcards

Or, Murphy will have his due.

Players: Cinder, Watts, Neo, Tyrian, Mercury, Clover

These players can go any which way. Three we know for sure are going to be active in the coming episodes and I wouldn't be surprised if the other three play a part as well.

Oscar made a hell of a light show for Tyrian and Mercury to see behind them. Not to mention, Salem will still need a ride home when she pulls herself back together.

Clover keeps getting mentioned even though he's hospitalized. If he was truly out of commission for the rest of the season, they would have made us think he's dead before bringing him back like they did with Penny.

Up to now, what we've seen is a three way conflict. But one of the hallmarks of Remnant's First Great War, was making temporary alliances to fight off grimm.

The grimm might be gone, but the wild cards can't complete their own objectives if they are dead. The question is who's goals better align with their own.

Two surprise twists I can see here. One, Mercury stabbing Tyrian on his way to defection. He was raised by an assassin and has not going to get a better chance than that. Two, Clover joining Operation Valkyrie. He might have accepted that sacrifice is a necessary evil to ensure Atlas' survival, but might go Schindler's List on us and find horror in what Ironwood plans to do.

TLDR

I spent way too long writing this out. All the WWI imagery means we're getting a WWII movie with RWBY characters. Major death flags for Penny, Jaune, and Winter.

Also I finally figured out how to do a readmore. Apparently it's just been a long time since I updated.

Note: kept seeing things talking about clovers death and I kind of went ???? Isn't he barely alive in medical? Went back and watched that scene and though I am 90% sure he is dead still kind of weird that they have him in his own room instead of a morgue and the initial framing made my mind instantly think he was propped up on a hospital bed. I mean, I guess we needed to have all the ACEOPs there for their reaction to Ironwood... but it definitely made me think he was alive. That and they have a bandage on his chest wound... when he's supposedly dead. Also have a phantom memory of Harriet saying something about him being in critical but I think that's my memory playing tricks on me.

Having his face exposed instead of covered by the sheet and seeing him in the same frame as Winter being treated also didn't help my gut reaction of "Oh Shit! He's alive? How?!" If I'd followed up more on the "how" might not have made the blunder of writing his return as the final twist in my theory. Oops

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby speculation #rwby spoiler tag #ruby rose #blake bellodona #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #jaune arc #nora valkyrie #oscar pine #lie ren #qrow branwen #robyn hill #penny polendina #emerald sustrai #arthur watts #cinder fall #neo politan #winter schnee #marrow amin #cl*ver ebi #i did purposely mess up that last one so that my final idea could be a twist

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Portland protests see clashes between far-right, far-left groups (Reuters) Protests by rival far-right and left-wing groups in Portland descended into violence on Sunday, as the opposing sides engaged in clashes and at least one man was arrested for firing a gun at demonstrators. Nobody was hurt in an exchange of gunfire—and by Sunday evening there was no word on any injuries in numerous other skirmishes that saw opposing sides brawling, dousing each other in what appeared to be bear spray and breaking car windows of rivals. Police Chief Chuck Lovell said during a briefing on Friday that officers would not necessarily intervene to break up fights between the groups. But he added that “just because arrests are not made at the scene when tensions are high, does not mean that people won’t be charged with crimes.”

Henri hurls rain as system settles atop swamped Northeast (AP) The slow-rolling system named Henri is taking its time drenching the Northeast with rain, lingering early Monday atop a region made swampy by the storm’s relentless downpour. Henri, which made landfall as a tropical storm Sunday afternoon in Rhode Island, has moved northwest through Connecticut. It hurled rain westward far before its arrival, flooding areas as far southwest as New Jersey before pelting northeast Pennsylvania, even as it took on tropical depression status. Over 140,000 homes lost power, and deluges of rain closed bridges, swamped roads and left some people stranded in their vehicles.

Classes starting, but international students failing to get U.S. visas (Reuters) Kofi Owusu occasionally waits outside the U.S. embassy in Accra to ask fellow students what they have done to secure a timely visa appointment. Classes for his master’s program at Villanova University in Pennsylvania are scheduled to start Monday, but his in-person interview appointment for a first-time U.S. student visa is still nine months away. It’s the second time the political science student from Ghana won’t make it to the United States in time for school. Visa processing is delayed as U.S. embassies and consulates operate at reduced capacity around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving some students abroad unable to make it for the start of the academic year. The wait and the hassle threaten both the country’s standing as a preferred choice for international students and their economic contribution of around $40 billion annually to many universities and local economies. New international student enrollment in the United States dropped 43% in fall 2020 from the year prior, months after COVID sent the world into lockdown. The number of new students who actually made it onto campus in person declined by 72%, according to an enrollment survey by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

FDA approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine (Bloomberg) The pioneering coronavirus vaccine made by pharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Pfizer was granted full approval by U.S. regulators. The government imprimatur is expected to trigger a flood of mandates by municipalities, agencies and private employers that had been waiting for the Food and Drug Administration sign-off. Following the announcement, the Pentagon said it would make vaccinations mandatory for military personnel worldwide and President Joe Biden called for mandates by companies.

Hospitals and Insurers Didn’t Want You to See Their Prices (NYT) This year, the federal government ordered hospitals to begin publishing a prized secret: a complete list of the prices they negotiate with private insurers. The insurers’ trade association had called the rule unconstitutional and said it would “undermine competitive negotiations.” Four hospital associations jointly sued the government to block it, and appealed when they lost. They lost again, and seven months later, many hospitals are simply ignoring the requirement and posting nothing. But data from the hospitals that have complied hints at why the powerful industries wanted this information to remain hidden. It shows hospitals are charging patients wildly different amounts for the same basic services: procedures as simple as an X-ray or a pregnancy test. And in many cases, insured patients are getting prices that are higher than they would if they pretended to have no coverage at all. This secrecy has allowed hospitals to tell patients that they are getting “steep” discounts, while still charging them many times what a public program like Medicare is willing to pay.

‘A Beautiful Feeling’: Refugee Women In Germany Learn The Joy Of Riding Bikes (NPR) Like most Americans, I learned to ride a bike as a kid. I still remember the glee after learning how to ride a bike on a subdivision road where I grew up in Florida. But girls around the world don’t always get to experience the joy of a first bike ride. In some countries, conservative societies frown upon women and girls who ride bikes—it’s not considered dignified or appropriate—and gives a girl too much independence. Joumana Seif, a Syrian lawyer and activist, recalls riding a bike as an 11-year-old in the capital city of Damascus. “For the people [watching on the street], and even for the children, it was shocking to them that I was riding a bike. They started to say, ‘Oh, shame on you, you are a girl riding a bike,’” Seif says. “It just wasn’t in our culture.” But it’s never too late to learn. In Germany, a nonprofit group called Bikeygees is teaching refugee women from countries such as Iran, Iraq and Syria how to ride. Since the group first started, it has taught 1,100 women how to ride a bike, says founder Annette Krüger. “It is possible to change the life of a woman in two hours. It is really magical,” says Krüger, an avid cyclist. “It’s a beautiful feeling when a person is riding a bike,” one refugee says with a broad grin.

Gunfire at Kabul airport kills 1 amid chaotic evacuations (AP/Foreign Policy) A firefight at one of the gates of Kabul’s international airport killed at least one Afghan soldier early Monday, German officials said, the latest chaos to engulf Western efforts to evacuate those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country. The shooting at the airport came as the Taliban sent fighters north of the capital to eliminate pockets of armed resistance to their lightning takeover earlier this month. The Taliban said they retook three districts seized by opponents the day before and had surrounded Panjshir, the last province that remains out of their control. The tragic scenes around the airport have transfixed the world. Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, in addition to the seven killed Sunday. Tens of thousands of people—Americans, other foreigners and Afghans who assisted in the war effort—are still waiting to join the airlift, which has been slowed by security issues and U.S. bureaucracy hurdles. Meanwhile, Afghanistan faces a quickly deepening economic crisis, with financial hardships increasingly affecting those in Kabul and other cities. Banks remain closed, food prices are rising, and the value of the local currency has plummeted. The suspension of commercial flights to Kabul’s international airport has in some ways exacerbated the crisis, halting the flow of some medical supplies and aid.

US special operations forces race to save former Afghan comrades in jeopardy (ABC News) Current and former U.S. military special operations and intelligence community operatives are using their own networks of contacts to get elite Afghan soldiers, intelligence assets and interpreters to safety as they’ve become increasingly disillusioned and fed up with the U.S. government-led evacuation effort in Kabul, ABC News has learned. One informal group, dubbed “Task Force Pineapple,” began as a frantic effort last weekend to get one former Afghan commando into Hamid Karzai International Airport as he was being hunted by Taliban who were texting him death threats. They knew he had worked with U.S. Special Forces and the elite SEAL Team Six for a dozen years, targeting Taliban leadership, and was therefore at high risk of reprisal. The former elite commando was finally pulled into the U.S. security perimeter at the airport, where he shouted the password “pineapple” to American troops at the checkpoint. Two days later, the group of his American friends and comrades also helped get his family inside the airport to join him. Other former members of the military and CIA have consolidated their own efforts with a separate group calling itself “Task Force Dunkirk,” a reference to the massive evacuation of British and other Allied forces from France in 1940 under threat of the Nazi juggernaut. Task Force Dunkirk and the groups it has banded together with have helped get at least 83 at-risk Afghans out of the country.

Lebanese hospitals at breaking point as everything runs out (AP) Drenched in sweat, doctors check patients lying on stretchers in the reception area of Lebanon’s largest public hospital. Air conditioners are turned off, except in operating rooms and storage units, to save on fuel. Medics scramble to find alternatives to saline solutions after the hospital ran out. The shortages are overwhelming, the medical staff exhausted. And with a new surge in coronavirus cases, Lebanon’s hospitals are at a breaking point. The country’s health sector is a casualty of the multiple crises that have plunged Lebanon into a downward spiral—a financial and economic meltdown, compounded by a complete failure of the government, runaway corruption and a pandemic that isn’t going away. The collapse is all the more dramatic since only a few years ago, Lebanon was a leader in medical care in the Arab world. The region’s rich and famous came to this small Mideast nation of 6 million for everything, from major hospital procedures to plastic surgeries.

China changes law to allow married couples to have three kids (NY Post) China will now allow married couples to legally have a third kid amid concerns that its shrinking number of working-age people will threaten the country’s future prosperity and global influence. China has tried for decades to control the population, beginning with a policy imposed in 1979 that strictly limited couples to one child. Couples who didn’t follow the rule faced fines or loss of jobs—and in some cases, mothers were forced to undergo abortions. A preference for sons also led parents to kill baby girls, causing a massive imbalance in the sex ratio. The number of working-age people, meanwhile, has fallen over the past decade and the population has barely grown, adding more strain to an aging society. With growing fears that the country would grow old before it became wealthy, the family planning rules were changed for the first time in 2015 to allow two children.

Cases up down under (CNN) Australia, like China, New Zealand, and some other countries, has attempted to completely eradicate Covid-19 inside its borders. The strategy had largely worked until recently; Australia has just 44,026 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 981 deaths. But several major cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, and the capital Canberra, are again under lockdown as authorities struggle to contain an outbreak of the Delta variant. On Saturday, thousands took to the streets of Melbourne and Sydney to protest the long lockdowns; hundreds were arrested, and at least seven police officers were injured during violent clashes. In an opinion piece published Sunday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison hinted at an end to the country’s zero Covid-19 infections strategy, but warned Australians to expect a rise in infections as restrictions relax.

#headlines #news

[inkjam-moon]

Colors  Chapter One - Red

Summary: You’ve jumped through time all your life, but this jump seems to have put you in an entirely different reality as a nurse in the midst of World War II.

Pairing: Jeongguk x Reader

Genre: Fluff, angst, smut

Word Count: 13.2k

TW: Talk of war and violence associated with such and event, talk of racism, fist fight, medical/hospital talk, blood mentions, wound mentions, virgin sex

A/N: Click here to see what I based the dancing scene off of.

You always thought it was a glitch, a dream; anything that wasn’t reality. But then it happened again, and it kept happening, more and more, for longer periods of time, only changing for the drastic. You can’t control it. You don’t even really know what ‘it’ is. All you know is that when the haze arrives, there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

The first time it happened you were seven years old. You were in the car with your mom, driving to the mall. When the light at the intersection turns green, your mom pulls out, and is t-boned by an oncoming truck. As soon as the truck hits your car, suddenly, you’re surrounded by some sort of fog, and then, as if by magic, you’re sitting at the red light again; same cars around you, same song on the radio, everything is exactly the same. Did you imagine the crash? You look up to see the light turn green, but as your mom lifts her foot off the break you scream.

“Wait!”

Your mom slams her foot back down on the break just as the truck runs the red light and plows through the intersection in front of you, mere inches from the front of your car.

You mom looks at you in amazement. “H-how did you know the truck was coming?” She asks as she pulls forward and crosses the intersection, pulling into the lot in front of the mall and parking.

“I saw it.” You state. “I think it was a dream.”

Your mom simply shakes her head at you as you both get out of the car.

You never really understood what’s wrong with you; why you spastically jump through time, but you do, and you have absolutely no control over it. You manage to maintain your memories through every jump, and nothing you do seems to have any impact on the future.

But this time is different. You’re twenty two now, and your latest jump has put you so far out of your comfort zone, you swear it’s a dream.

The first thing you hear is soft swing music playing on the radio. That’s odd. You didn’t think you turned the radio on before you went to bed, although your radio is pretty old and sometimes comes on by itself, but swing music?

You open your eyes and the first thing you see is red; the paint on the walls that surround you. This isn’t your room? You sit up and look around, realizing that you have no idea where you are. Your bed is the only one in the room, so it must be yours, right? You stand, letting the silken floor length nightgown that adorns you fall around your legs. You look around for a purse, a bag, anything that might help you place where you are, but you can’t find anything.

You grab the robe that hangs on the back of one of the doors in the room and slip it on before opening the door. Nope. Bathroom. You try the other door and it leads you out into a long hallway with three other doors and a staircase. Staircase seems like a good place to start.

You tiptoe down the stairs as quietly as you can and sneak across the hallway at the bottom into the kitchen. The radio is on down there too and a few girls sit around a table sipping coffee and eating breakfast as they chat and listen.

“Today President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with joint congress and officially declared war on the country of Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in the state of Hawaii yesterday. Today the true extent of the carnage is still unknown to officials who say it could take some time until they discover exactly how much damage was done.”

Pearl Harbor was yesterday? What the fuck. Does that mean it’s… it’s 1941?? What the-

“Is Y/N still asleep? It’s not like her to sleep in this late.” One of the girls, a blonde with perfectly pincurled hair and bright blue eyes mumbles.

“I don’t blame ‘er.” Another girl, the redhead with a thick country accent says. “She was up all night tendin’ to those poor soldiers.”

Soldiers?

“I’m glad she did. Better her than me. I don’t want to heal those assholes.”

“They’re still people.” A third girl chimes in. She has straight, stark black hair, almond eyes and tan skin.

“Yeah, people that bombed us.” The first girl states before turning to see you’ve arrived in the kitchen. “Y/N! Finally. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“G-good morning.”

“Are you alright honey?” The second girl asks.

“You don’t look the best.” The first girl adds.

“Clara!” The third girl scolds.

“Well, it’s true!” Clara, the blonde, defends.

“I’m not really feeling like myself this morning.” You explain.

“Don’t listen to her Y/N.” The third girl rolls her eyes. “She’s still shaken up from yesterday.”

“Aren’t you the one that just got her hometown blown up Kono?” The second girl asks.

“Shut up Bits.” The black haired girl, Kono snaps. “Anyway, Y/N, you should go get dressed, we have to leave soon.”

“Leave?”

“For work?” Bits, the redhead reminds you, as if you should know what they’re talking about, but technically, maybe you should.

“Your uniforms out on the line.” Kono says sweetly. “I’ll get your coffee.”

“Right. Okay.” You nod before heading out the door in the kitchen that leads to the backyard where Kono pointed.

You look at the clothes line to see a nurses uniform is the only garment left hanging. Shit. You’re a nurse? God, you hope you know what you’re doing. You grab your uniform off the line and head back inside. Just as you leave the kitchen you hear Bits whisper to the others.

“What’s her problem?”

“You have to remember, Y/N’s parents are from Korea.” Kono responds. “And Japan basically took over the country. It’s probably scaring her that they’re seen as enemies; she might be-”

You head up the stairs, not wanting to listen to the rest of that conversation. You go back to your room and get dressed, looking yourself over in the mirror as you pin your cap into place. You don’t really look like yourself, while there was make up in the bathroom, it’s all old fashioned and you have no idea how to use it. You’ll just have to go barefaced until you get the hang of things. Maybe you can ask Kono? She seems nice. When you deem yourself presentable, you head back down the stairs and start your day in this new life.

You all take a cab to the hospital, although, you’re not sure you can really call it a hospital, it’s more of a tent really. When you arrive, you follow Kono into the tent and are immediately overwhelmed by the view you’re greeted with. Men, dressed in military uniforms, are laying in cots. They all have various stages of injuries, some missing limbs, some wrapped head to toe in bandages, some even look as though they’re barely clinging to their lives.

Everyone around you is rushing to get their work done, tending to each and every soldier, although, you notice the soldiers in tan uniforms aren’t getting as much care as the ones in green.

“Y/N,” Kono turns to you. “Can you get some of the Japanese soldiers they just brought in over there?” She points to the far back of the tent. “You’re the only one that doesn’t seem to mind helping them.”

“O-of course!” You grab the stethoscope she hands you and head over to where the majority of men are wearing tan uniforms, the ones the other nurses seem to be avoiding.

You walk up to the first one you see. He looks panicked, but otherwise, relatively okay, no obvious wounds except for a small laceration on his temple. Using the bit of Japanese you know, you try to calm him down; he’s obviously terrified of being treated by the enemy, but you explain that you’re just trying to help him. Once he calms down a bit, you take his vitals, they seem normal, though you have no idea how you know that.

You write them down on his chart and then move onto the next man who seems to be in a lot of pain. You check him over to see he has a large wound on his abdomen. You clean it and then pack it tightly with gauze before calling over a doctor who takes the man away into a seperate tent for what you assume is going to be surgery. The next few men all seem relatively okay, and you explain to them the best you can that they’re alright, take their vitals to make sure, and then move on.

The day moves quickly; you work right through lunch and before you know it, it’s time for dinner. Clara is the one who comes over and pulls you away from your patient, leading you out of the tent and into another one across the way where the food is served. You grab some soup and bread before going over to sit with Clara and Bits. The three of you chat while you eat, you find out ‘Bits’ is short for Bitsy; and honestly you’ve never met someone who fits their name more. You’re just about to ask where Kono is when she comes bursting into the tent, looking around frantically until she spots you.

“Y/N!” She exclaims. “Come quickly, I need your help!” She tugs you up out of your  chair. You drop your spoon and follow behind her as she tugs you back into the hospital tent.

“What’s going on?”

“A soldier just came in from the harbor, he’s been trapped under rubble this whole time and he’s in shock. He’s got a bad laceration on his left leg. I’m pretty sure he’s Korean, I need your help translating.”

She leads you through the back of the tent and into where the doctor took your patient earlier. Your ears are immediately assaulted by the screams of a man as Kono hands you a gown, mask, and gloves which you put on before walking through a doorway and into a makeshift operating room. The sight before you is heart wrenching; there’s a man on the operating table, screaming in pain. The nurse is trying her best to hold him down while she screams at him in english to stay still.

You can hear him swearing and sure enough, it’s a language familiar to your ears. You rush to his side, pushing the other nurse out of the way before grabbing his flailing hands.

“Sir, sir I need you to calm down please.” You coo in your sweetest voice. He stills when he realizes he understands the words coming out of your mouth.

“Y-you speak Korean?” He stutters.

You smile at him. “I was born in Gongju.”

“Busan.” You watch relief spread across his face before pain overtakes it again. You move to soothe him and then try to distract him.

“What’s your name?”

“J-Jeongguk. Jeon Jeongg- Ah!” He cringes as the doctor prods at his leg, his eyes closed in agony.

“Okay, My name is Y/N, I’m going to be your nurse. Mr. Jeon, Do you have any allergies?”

“N-no.” He grits.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty o-one, and please, c-call me Jeongguk.”

God he’s so young. Only a year younger than you. “Alright, I’m going to figure out what’s going on and then I’ll let you know, okay?” He nods and you turn to the doctor. “What’s going on Dr. Evans?”

“He’s got a twelve centimeter gash on his calf. It’s pretty deep.”

“What did you find out?” Kono asks you.

“His name is Jeongguk, he’s twenty one years old, he doesn’t have any allergies. What’s the plan?”

“It’s pretty bad.” Dr. Evans states. “We might have to amputate.”

“Amputate?” You gasp. “Really?”

“I don’t see any other options. We’re going to sedate him now. Can you tell him?”

“S-sure…” You turn back to Jeongguk who thankfully is too focused on the pain to notice the worry on your face. “Jeongguk, listen to me. We might have to amputate your leg-”

“What?” He sits up straight. “No! No, I need my legs! I can’t-” he grimaces in pain before continuing. “No! You can’t take my leg, don’t let them take my leg Y/N, please! I need it for work, to support my parents!”

“I-I’m going to sedate you now, okay?” You grab the syringe of phenobarbital and prep it, making sure there’s no air in it before pressing it into his arm, injecting his vein with the drug. It’ll only be a few seconds before he falls asleep.

“Y/N don’t let them… My leg… Please…” Those are the last words he says before he drifts off into induced sleep.

You feel terrible. Absolutely awful. You can’t let them take his leg. You can’t. You have to do something. “Dr. Evans. Do we have to amputate? This man needs his leg.”

“There isn’t enough tissue left here to close the wound. Without the tissue, it won’t heal properly.”

“Can’t we take the tissue from somewhere else?”

“Somewhere… else?” He looks at you confused.

“Yeah, can’t we get the extra tissue from his arm or his other leg? Or even his… his behind?” You think you saw that on Grey’s Anatomy once.

“Oh my god.” Dr. Evans looks at you, stunned. “That… That might actually work. Alright, Kono, Emily, you both stay to assist, everyone else, you’re free to leave.” He shoos everyone else out and Kono thanks you as you walk out back into the main part of the hospital. You discard your gown, mask, and gloves before heading to the bathroom outside.

As soon as you close the door behind you, you rush to the sink and splash water on your face, before heading into one of the stalls and locking the door. You sit on the toilet, trying to calm yourself down the best you can. That poor soldier, if you weren’t here, he would’ve lost his leg for sure. You can’t even imagine… You just hope Dr. Evans can save it.

It’s about an hour later before someone else comes to use the bathroom When you hear the door open, you try to make yourself presentable again before opening the stall door to see to see Bitsy standing there, touching up her makeup in the mirror.

“Y/N! Where have you been? We been lookin’ everywhere for you!”

“Oh, I-I’ve been… In here.” You confess.

“Aw honey, have you been cryin’?” She drawls, taking in the sight of your puffy red eyes.

“W-what? No, of course not, I-”

“Oh darlin’, what’s got you in such a fuss?”

You sniffle as you wash your hands. “It’s nothing Bits, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

Bitsy eyes you curiously, her lips pursed. “Are you ready to go home then?”

“What?”

“It’s quittin’ time.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m- one of my patients is in surgery.” You explain, gripping the sides of the sink.

She laughs at this. “So what? The next shift will take over for ya.”

“He’s Korean. They’ll need me to translate when he wakes up.”

“Oh, Is it that poor boy Kono’s workin’ on?” She asks. You nod. “Oh bless your heart sweetie, he won’t be out for another few hours at least. Dr. Evans is frankensteining him up.” Bitsy pauses to think for a minute. “Alright, if you won’t come home, how ‘bout I take you to the oncall room they set up? That way you can at least get some rest. Sound good?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Okay, let’s go girly.” Bitsy leads you out of the bathroom, past the cafeteria to a small building that looks like one of the portable classrooms your high school had. She leads you into the brick building and you’re surprised to find it’s empty except for the cots that line the walls. She takes you to the one in the far back corner. “This one is the least noisy.” She states, gesturing for you to sit.

You take a seat on the cot and she looks at you for a minute before nodding. “I’ll make sure someone comes to getcha when he’s outta surgery, alright?”

“Yeah, thanks Bits.”

“Of course darlin’, now get some rest.” She turns on her heels and heads back out of the building, giving you one last sympathetic smile before shutting the door behind her.

You sit on the bed for a moment, wondering why this boy is affecting you so much. You sigh as you make yourself comfortable on the bed, pulling the sheet up over you as you try your best to relax. Thankfully, it doesn’t take you long to fall asleep, you didn’t realize how tired you were.

It’s dark out when you feel someone shaking you awake. “Y/N, Y/N wake up.” It’s Kono.

“Kono? What’s going on?”

“It’s John-kook.”

You snort, your tiredness making her mispronunciation funnier than it should be. “His name is Jeongguk.”

“Sorry. He’s out of surgery.”

“Really?” You sit up at this, grabbing your cap off the floor and pinning it back to your hair. “Is he okay?”

“He’s great. Everything went really well.” She explains as you stand up and follow her out of the building. “We managed to keep his leg using some skin from his other thigh, but he’s going to be sore when he wakes up. We need you to explain what we did and how he should take care of it.”

“Of course.” You nod and she explains exactly what he should do as she leads you into the second post surgery room. Jeongguk is the only one in there right now, tucked in a cot in the far back corner as he sleeps. She leads you over to him and then pulls up a chair for you.

“He should wake up soon.” Kono states. “Take his vitals every hour and record them on his chart. If he’s in pain, you can give him some morphine, but only one at a time, okay?”

“Got it.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you to it.” Kono nods before heading back out into the main triage room, leaving you alone with Jeongguk.

He looks so peaceful right now, so much more comfortable than he was when you first saw him. You grab your stethoscope from around your neck and check his pulse before taking his blood pressure. Everything seems good. As you place your scope back around your neck, Jeongguk begins to stir, his face grimacing in pain as his nerves wake up.

“Jeongguk?” You whisper as he comes too. He grunts. “Jeongguk are you in pain?” He nods, so you grab some morphine and inject him with it, watching his face relax almost instantly. “Is that better?”

He nods again as his eyes finally open and he looks around until his eyes land on you. “Noona?” He mumbles. You giggle at the term, letting it slide because he’s still drowsy, until you see his eyes go wide in panic and he tries to sit up.

“Woah, hey, what’s wrong?” You ask.

“My leg! Is it gone? I can’t feel it!”

“Jeongguk, calm down, it’s alright.” You try to soothe him. “You still have both legs.”

“Really?” He sits up on his elbows and looks down. You lift the sheet to show him that both of his legs are indeed there.

“See? Now, I just have to check your nerves, if that’s okay?” He nods, so you walk down to the end of the bed, take the pen from his chart and run it up the bottom of both of his feet. As they should, both feet twitch from the ticklish sensation. “Okay great. Can you wiggle your toes for me?” Jeongguk’s brow furrows in concentration, but it only take a few seconds before all of his toes start moving. “Perfect, that’s good Jeongguk, really good.”

Jeongguk falls back against the bed in relief and you realize that his face is filthy. You go over to the wash station and grab a bowl, filling it with warm soapy water and taking a washcloth back over to Jeongguk. “Do you mind if I wash your face?”

“No, please, go ahead.” He states. “I hate having all this stuff on my face.” You dip the cloth in the water as he continues. “So, what… what did they do?”

You begin dabbing at his dirty face, trying your best to clean him as you explain. “They took some skin from the back of your right thigh and used it to close the wound on your left leg. Everything went very smoothly and your wounds will heal nicely, we just have to make sure they’re cleaned and bandaged correctly, and I’ll explain how to do that when I have to change your dressing.”

“How long will I be here?”

“A week or so, maybe two, depending on how fast you heal.”

“And are you… will you be my nurse the whole time?” He asks hopefully.

You giggle lightly. “I can be, if you want me to.”

“Good.” He huffs. “That other nurse was mean. All she did was yell, as if that would help me understand english.’

“She was just trying to do her job.”

“Yeah I guess so.”

Jeongguk goes quiet while you continue cleaning him. As you scrub the mud and dirt and war paint off his face, revealing his tanned skin underneath, you realize for the first time how pretty he is. His eyes are a deep chocolate brown, wide and doe-eyed with curiosity; his nose is a little big, but it fits the proportions of his face; his bottom lip is fuller than the top, but they both look plush; as he breathes out, you can see his two front teeth, making him seem almost rabbit-like; and his jawline is chiseled, perfectly sculpted as you run the cloth down his neck. He’s truly beautiful, and you wonder how this poor boy from Busan got mixed up in the war and ended up fighting for the Japanese.

When you’ve scrubbed his face clean, you walk back over to the wash station, dump out the water, rinse the bowl, and ring out the towel before tossing it in the trash. When you’re finished, you dry your hands and then take one last look at him before starting to walk back towards main triage, but you don’t get very far before he stops you.

“W-wait, where are you going?”

“I should go see if they need me for anything else.”

“Can’t you-” Jeongguk bites his lip as you watch him struggle for the right words. “C-can’t you stay with me? What if someone else comes and tries to ask me questions? What if I start to hurt again? What if-”

“Okay, okay.” You laugh lightly as you walk back over to him. “I can stay for a bit longer I suppose.” You take a seat back in your chair and this seems good enough for Jeongguk as he relaxes back against the pillows. It’s silent for a few minutes before Jeongguk gets the courage to ask you a question.

“So… Gongju, huh? How’d you end up here?”

“Me?” Honestly you don’t remember. You must have immigrated at some point, but god only knows when. You settle for a vague excuse. “It’s… It’s kind of a long story.”

“I’ve got time.” He smiles at you, and you can’t deny that his smile makes the butterflies in your stomach do backflips, but how can you explain your situation to him? Jeongguk seems to sense your perplexed state and speaks. “You don’t have to tell me, it’s okay.”

“I immigrated with my parents when I was little.” You state. That seems like it could be true. “They wanted to raise me where the ‘American Dream’ was possible.”

“That doesn’t seem very long.” He smirks.

“I left out the details for another time.” You inform him. “For now, you should try and get some rest.” You order, standing up and pulling out your stethoscope to take his vitals again. He sits still as you listen to his breathing and take his blood pressure and you can feel him watching you as you scribble the information down on his chart. “How’s your pain right now?”

“Um… Maybe a five?”

“Okay, that’s about right.” You nod, marking one last note before putting his chart down and walking up to his side. “Now get some rest. I don’t want to come back and find that you’ve been causing trouble.”

“Me?” He feigns a gasp. “Never.” He gives you one last smile before settling back against the cot and closing his eyes.

You spend the next several days tending to Jeongguk, and for lack of an excuse to leave, you ignore your other duties. You stay by his side, keeping him company. You really only leave to go home and shower, you even bring your meals to his bedside, enjoying the rather bland food with him, and sneaking him something sweet whenever you can.

His progress steadily gets better; it’s only a few days before the pain in his right thigh is gone completely. It’s on day four that he decides he wants to try walking again and as you wrap your arm around his waist to support him, your heart rate picks up at the close proximity, it’s the first time he’s actually touched you, aside from the fleeting brushes of his fingers against your hand as you pass him things or check his vitals.

He’s determined to say the least; you actually have to stop him from pushing himself too far the first time when his knees nearly give out under him and you catch him around his waist, supporting his weight until he finds his footing again.

When you bring him back to his bed, he nearly collapses against the cot, his chest heaving with the effort of walking after being bedridden for three days. The pain he must be feeling, you can’t even imagine, but he puts on a brave face and swings his legs back up onto the bed, relaxing against the stack of pillows you’ve piled up for him.

It’s a week later, when the two of you are eating the dinners Kono brought you, that your curiosity gets the best of you and you finally ask him about himself.

“So, you’re from Busan, right?” You ask when you hear a hint of Satoori slip through his words.

He nods. “Yep, born and raised.”

“I’ve always wanted to go to the beaches there. I heard they’re beautiful.”

“They are. You should go sometime. You’d love it.” He says in between mouthfuls of soup.

“Ha, I don’t think I can swing that right now with everything that’s going on.”

Jeongguk looks a bit confused before realization dawns on his face. “There’s a war. Right.”

“Speaking of, I was wondering… How did you get mixed up in all of this?”

He sighs deeply before sitting his bowl of soup in his lap. “The same way everyone else from Korea did. We were drafted, every man over the age of sixteen. We were ripped away from our lives and forced to fight with threats of them killing our families and burning down our hometowns if we didn’t. I got drafted with my brother, but we were separated when missions were assigned. I got sent here and he’s fighting in Germany I think, if he’s still even alive… I’m fighting for a side I don’t believe in because I have to.”

The room becomes silent as your heart breaks for Jeongguk. This poor boy was wrenched from his family and forced to fight for the wrong side.

“Jeongguk, I’m so sorry…” You whisper.

“At least one good thing came out of it.” He mumbles.

“And what’s that?”

“I got to meet you.” He states, his cheeks flushing pink as he meets your gaze.

“O-oh…” Your face flushes the same shade as his as you fumble for words. “I-I, wow I… Um… That’s- You’re too sweet.” You finally mutter, averting your gaze, but he leans over and cups your cheek with his hand, turning you back to face him. He runs his thumb across your cheek lightly, barely ghosting across your skin.

“Y/N, I hope it’s okay for me to say this, and it isn’t too forward, but I think- I think I like you. And after I get better, I was wondering if I could maybe take you out?”

“R-really?” He smiles at your stuttered reply before nodding. “I… Yes.” You whisper in return. As if to solidify your answer, Jeongguk swings his legs over the side of the bed and leans down before pressing his lips to yours in a sweet, but short kiss. When his lips leave, you can’t help but chase after them for more, making Jeongguk giggle when you open your eyes to find he’s sitting upright again.

“I have to say, I’ve never felt like this about anyone before, but there’s something about you noona, from the first moment I saw you.” He offers you a beautiful smile that makes his eyes scrunch up, embarrassed at his own words and you can’t help but smile back.

It’s a week later when Jeongguk’s dressings are officially removed and he’s discharged from the hospital, but having nowhere to go, you offer to let him stay with you until he can make his way back home, with the permission of the girls of course. The two of you have been inseparable since your first kiss, and there have been many more sweet exchanges since then, you even taught him a little bit of english. Jeongguk even went so far as to call you his girlfriend during his lesson yesterday, and the word sent sparks up your nerve endings.

When the taxi pulls up to the home you share with the other girls, it’s pretty early in the morning, they should just be waking up for work. You help Jeongguk out of the car, handing him his cane as he grabs his bag that includes his dirtied and nearly shredded uniform. He’s currently wearing some scrubs you found at the hospital, they’re a bit snug, but they’ll work until you can find him some decent clothes to wear.

Jeongguk follows you up the front walk and you open the door before leading him in. You walk down the hallway, trying your best to be quiet, only to hear the word ‘surprise!’ being shouted at you as you enter the kitchen. You stumble back against Jeongguk in shock before a warm smile spreads across your face. Kono, Clara, and Bitsy stand in the kitchen, holding a cake with Jeongguk’s name written on it in Hangul.

“What’s all this?” You ask.

“We knew Jeongguk was finally coming home with you today, so we made him a cake!” Clara explains.

“We wanted to surprise you both!” Bitsy exclaims, bouncing up and down as she claps her hands together.

You turn to Jeongguk and explain the situation and a beautifully wide bunny smile spreads across his face as he drops his bag and grabs his chest where his heart lies. “Thank you.” He states in perfect english.

“Oh, you’re welcome honey.” Bitsy states.

“Now, we’ve got to head off to work, but we’ll see you whenever we get back.” Kono reminds you.

“Don’t worry,” You giggle. “I won’t wait up.”

“Oh, one more thing.” Kono turns back to you as the others head out the door. “I had my brother bring by some of his old clothes for Jeongguk since he doesn’t have any. I put them in your room.”

“Oh god, thanks Kono.”

“Of course.” She looks up at Jeongguk and then back at you before tossing you a wink. “Have fun kids.”

You roll your eyes as she saunters out the front door before turning to Jeongguk who’s already exploring the kitchen, you can tell by the icing on his finger that he’s about to pop into his mouth.

“Um, excuse me?” You laugh, halting him in his tracks. He stares at you with his innocent doe eyes as you walk over.

“I was fixing it.” He states, pointing down to where his name is spelled out in icing. You realize quickly that it’s spelled incorrectly; it says ‘jeongnun’.

“They tried their best.”

“I know, but eating it will make it better.”

You stare up at him incredulously. “Cake for breakfast?”

He simply shrugs. “Why not?”

Well, you can’t argue with that. You grab two plates and two forks and a knife, cutting you both a piece of cake before heading over to sit at the kitchen table to eat. Jeongguk joins you, but instead of sitting on a chair like a normal person, he sits directly on your available lap.

“Jeongguk!” You squeal with laughter, beating on his back to get him to stand up.

“What?” He feigns innocence as he looks down at you over his shoulder.

“Get off, your giant butt is crushing me!” You tease.

He giggles as he gets off, a forkful of cake already in his mouth as he takes a seat in the chair next to you instead. “So what did Kono tell you? I heard her say my name.”

“Oh, she had her older brother bring by some clothes for you.”

“Really?” His eyes light up when you nod. “Thank god, these doctor pajamas aren’t as comfortable as they look.”

You snort at the phrase ‘doctor pajamas’ before going back to your cake. Jeongguk finishes first, and with how fast he does, you would think the hospital starved him. “Did you even chew? Or did you just inhale?” You chide.

“What? It was good.” He states, smacking his lips for effect before giving you a goofy smile. “So, what do you want to do today?” He asks as he sits up, basically bouncing in his seat from excitement.

“Well, I figured you might want to take a shower first?”

“Are you saying I stink?” He pouts playfully.

“Sponge baths aren’t exactly the most refreshing.” You point out.

He wiggles his eyebrows mischievously. “Are you going to shower with me?”

“Jeongguk!” You squeal, flicking some icing off your fork and onto his face, making him flinch back in surprise. “What kind of girl do you take me for?” You tease, clutching your imaginary pearls.

“A beautiful and smart one.” He whispers, putting his elbow on the table and resting his head in his hand as he gazes at you.

You scoff. “Cheeseball.”

He giggles at this before continuing. “Okay so what do you want to do when I smell like a normal human again?”

“I figured we could just relax? Maybe watch- er, listen to the radio.” You keep forgetting that you don’t have a tv and they won’t really even be popular until 1946.

“But I want to do something.” Jeongguk whines.

“Jeonggukie, you need to rest. Doctors orders.”

“I’m tired of resting.” He pouts, crossing his arms.

“Jeongguk…” You sigh as you grab his plate and yours before standing and walking over to rinse them in the sink. He follows behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder. “Do you want your leg to get better?”

“It is better.” He protests.

“Really?” You ask sarcastically. “Can you put all of your weight on it?”

“Yes.” He states.

“Okay.” You nod as you dry your hands. You swipe his cane out of his grip and then walk across the kitchen to the stairs. “Walk to me.”

“Is this necessary?” He whines.

“Walk. To. Me.” You repeat more sternly. “If you can put weight on your foot without any pain, we can go out tonight.”

“Fine.”

Ever the stubborn one, Jeongguk takes a deep breath before stepping forward with his injured foot. A grimace immediately appears on his face, but he muscles through it, putting all his weight on his bad leg as he takes his next step. He continues in this fashion the whole way across the kitchen until he reaches you and nearly collapses against you, whimpering in pain.

“There. Can we go out?”

“Absolutely not.” You scold, exasperated. “Goddamnit, did you really have to do that? You could’ve just injured yourself further for all I know.”

“Can I have my cane back now?” He mumbles, defeated. You hand him the metal stick and wrap an arm around his waist to help hold him up.

“Come on, we just need to get you upstairs and then you can rest.”

He nods, bracing himself as he straightens up before heading up the stairs with you, taking it slow, one at a time to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself again. When you get to the top, you lead him across the hall to your room, opening the door to lead him in. You see a bag of clothing on your bed and lead Jeongguk over to it so he can dig through its contents.

“Pick something to wear while I get the shower started for you.”

“Okay.”

WIth his affirmation, you head off to your bathroom and start the shower. “What temperature do you like?” You call to him.

“Hot.” He calls back. This boy’s going to use up all your hot water, you just know it. You turn the temperature up until steam starts billowing out the top and then you head back out to your room to see Jeongguk seems to have made a selection; a pair of pressed khaki slacks and a soft blue sweater.

“Find something?” He nods, holding the items up to you. “Looks good.” You smile before waving him over, watching him limp towards you and follow you into the bathroom. When he enters he looks around in astonishment.

“You have your own bathroom?”

“Well, not anymore.” You tease, raising an eyebrow at him. “Come here.” You grab the front of his scrubs and pull him closer to you before lifting the shirt off over his head. You toss the shirt to the floor and without even paying attention, you start undoing the drawstring that’s holding his pants up until he grabs your wrists.

“Woah, woah, Y/N. What’re you doing?”

“Helping you get undressed?” You look up at him, confused by his question.

“I can d-do that myself.” He stutters, swallowing hard.

It’s then that you realize your mistake. “Oh gosh, I’m sorry.” You start to giggle as you cover your mouth with your hand. “I went right into nurse mode.” You confess.

“It’s okay.” He smiles, placing his change of clothes on the counter.

As he leans over, you get the chance to admire his shirtlessness for the first time, and you can’t help yourself as you reach out to touch his abdomen, fascinated by how well-toned and muscular he is. You move closer as your hands glide over his chest, taking in every inch with awe.

“Enjoying the view?” He chuckles, snapping you out of your trance.

“S-sorry.” You mumble. “You’re just… you’re really pretty.” You admit, blush filling your cheeks.

“Ah, thanks.” He smiles, rubbing the back of his neck. “Can I shower now?”

“Right! Go ahead!” You scramble to exit the bathroom. “You remember how to wash your leg?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Okay, I’ll be right out here so yell if you need anything.” And with that you shut the door.

You busy yourself sorting through the clothes Kono left, folding them and putting them in a drawer you emptied yesterday so Jeongguk could use it. When you hear the shower turn off, you’re laying on your bed, reading a book you found lying around the house. It takes a few more minutes, but soon enough, the bathroom door opens and Jeongguk limps out, slacks hung low around his waist, sweater in his hand as he ruffles his hair with a towel.

The droplets of water you see dripping down Jeongguk’s torso make you drool inwardly, licking your lips at just how delicious he looks. He tosses the towel back into the bathroom before he makes his way over to your bed. He lays his cane against your nightstand before taking a seat on the mattress next to you, slipping on the cerulean sweater and then laying himself back against the pillows that sit at the headboard.

“I like your room.” He states, holding his arm out for you to snuggle up to him. You accept his request, reaching over him first to turn on the radio before sitting back and curling up at his side, your arm draped over his waist.

“Thank you.” In the time you’ve been here, you’ve grown accustomed to the dark red walls, not that you’ve seen them much over the last week, having spent the nights after your first kiss asleep in a chair next to Jeongguk’s hospital bed.

The two of you lay in content silence for a bit until a familiar song comes on the radio, one that even Jeongguk recognizes.

“He was a famous trumpet man from out Chicago way…”

“I know this song.” He whispers.

“You do?” You tilt your head to look at him.

He nods. “Sometimes at base our radio signals would interfere with American radio stations and it was almost always this song that came on. It was always a nice break. The tuners wouldn’t change the channel until the song ended because it always put us in a good mood.” A wide smile stretches across his face. “I would always get up and dance, and some of the other guys would even get up and join me.”

“I didn’t know you liked to dance.”

“I’ve always loved to dance. It just makes me so happy.” He explains. “My mom and I used to dance around the kitchen when I was little and after that, I just kind of never stopped I guess.”

“Are you any good?”

“I won a swing dancing competition at a club near my house once a few years back.”

“Well, color me impressed.” You state, rolling onto your stomach and laying your arms on his chest, resting your head on your hands as you gaze up at him.

“That’s why I didn’t want to lose my leg. It brought in a lot of money for my parents, so I figured I could win some real competitions here in America and bring the money back home, but then…” He trails off, the smile fading from his face.

“But then you were drafted.” You finish for him.

“Yeah…”

“I mean, once your leg heals, you could still compete.”

“Yeah, but…” He hesitates, running his fingers through your hair. “Then I’d have to leave you.”

“Jeongguk,” You sit up to scold him. “Don’t let me stand in the way of your dream. You never know when you’ll lose the opportunity.” You look down at your lap, remembering all the opportunities you’ve lost because of your ‘problem’. You would hate to get in his way when you don’t even know how long you’ll be here. Your eyes start to grow misty at the thought of ever having to leave him; your first real boyfriend, maybe even your first love.

Suddenly Jeongguk cups your cheek as he sits up, forcing you to look up at him. “You are my dream.”

You break into a smile, your bottom lip trembling as you try to hold back the sad and happy tears at the same time. Before you can say anything, Jeongguk leans forward and presses his lips to yours ever so sweetly. You’re not sure what to do in this era, if it’s normal for you to want to move forward and sleep with Jeongguk so soon, or if you should wait, but then Jeongguk tilts his head to the side and parts his lips, deepening the kiss, and you find yourself unable to resist.

The radio plays in the background as you attempt to pull Jeongguk closer, letting him flick his tongue against your lips ever so lightly before you break the kiss and sit up, climbing on Jeongguk’s lap and straddling his muscular thighs, surprising him a bit before you pull his lips back to yours. Not knowing where to put his hands, Jeongguk lets them lay at his side, but you can feel him fidgeting, so you grab his wrists and guide his hands to your hips. He pulls back to make sure it’s okay and you nod, scooting closer so that your chest is pressed to his, gripping his shirt and pulling him back to you.

The two of you make out lazily for a while, enjoying each other, until you start to feel a heat building in your stomach and you accidentally grind down on Jeongguk’s lap and he gasps, breaking the kiss.

“Y-Y/N I-”

“I’m sorry.” You interrupt. “I-I don’t know what came over me.”

“No, I mean… This is great, like… really great, but… wouldn’t you rather wait? Until marriage?” He asks.

You have to physically restrain yourself from bursting out laughing. “O-of course!” You roll your eyes. “That’s what we’re supposed to do, right? Wait until we’re married.”

“U-until we’re m-married?” Jeongguk stutters.

“I just meant ‘we’ in general as people, not ‘we’ us.”

“Right.” Jeongguk nods, though seeming a bit disappointed.

“Is it hot in here? Do you want some air?” You ask, trying to change the subject as you climb off of Jeongguk’s lap and walk over to your balcony, opening the door.

“Air sounds great.” Jeongguk agrees, grabbing his cane and standing up to join you.

You usher him outside and then excuse yourself to the bathroom, shutting the door and then flopping yourself down onto your bed. What the hell was that conversation? Does Jeongguk want to marry you? You know that was the thing to do back then, or… back now, but getting married so young, with someone you hardly know… That can’t be right, can it?

A week later, you have to return to work. You took a week off to help Jeongguk adjust to how things worked around your house, and thankfully, he only accidentally walked in on someone once; even more thankfully, it was Kono and she just laughed it off. The week was quiet, with the other girls at work most of the time, you and Jeongguk just spent the time getting to know each other; playing games, reading books, and listening to the radio, teaching him english, which he picks up surprisingly quickly; but you found the most fun was cooking with each other.

Jeongguk was surprisingly good at cooking, and after eating military and hospital food for so long, he was thrilled to be able to have a home cooked meal. The two of you made food from your childhoods, recreating what you could with american staples you would pick up from the local market, happy to be out in the warm spring weather with each other.

Jeongguk was using his cane less and less, in fact, when he was in the kitchen, he put it to the side and didn’t use it at all, choosing to use you for support instead; his arms frequently found resting on your shoulders, or wrapped around your waist. He’s a goofball, and you have to admit, you think you’re falling in love with him.

“Okay, you remember where everything is?” You ask as you grab your purse off the table.

“Yes.” He rolls his eyes, tired of you asking.

“And you’ll be okay going to the market by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“And you promise to rest? You won’t overwork your leg? I don’t want you to-”

“Noona.” He interrupts. “I’ll be fine I promise.”

“But-”

“I’ll be okay. Go to work.” He says in english, emphasizing his point.

You bite your lip with nervousness, not wanting to leave him on his own, you know how people in this area get with unfamiliar faces. “Okay.” You finally nod, opening the front door. “I’ll see you when I get back.”

“I’ll be waiting.” Jeongguk smiles before sweeping you into a sweet kiss, leaving you dazed for a moment before you walk out to the cab you called and climb in.

“Honolulu Military hospital please.” You tell the driver before looking back, watching Jeongguk wave goodbye as you drive away.

Work is awful. The amount of injured soldiers has slowed significantly since the attack, so you don’t have much left to do expect check the vitals of the few patients you do have; those that had more serious injuries and require a longer recovery time. You suppose it’s a good thing, you can hardly focus as it is, worried about Jeongguk being left at home by himself. What if something happens to him? You spend the better part of your lunch hour thinking of ways Jeongguk could get hurt, and it isn’t until Kono taps you on the shoulder that you even realize she sat next to you.

“Uh, Y/N?”

“Hm? Sorry.” You turn to her.

“I asked if you knew what Jeongguk was going to do when you went back home?”

“Back home?” You repeat, confused.

“You didn’t hear? They’re sending everyone back to the mainland since things have slowed so much here. Almost everyone that was called over gets to go home, except for a few who are choosing to stay.”

“Stay?”

“I was telling Bits earlier that I don’t know what I’ll do, the house will be so empty. So is he going with you? Or is he going back home too?”

“I… I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it.”

“You should think about staying.” Kono urges. “You’re doing really well here.” You nod as the lunch bell dings, signaling that your lunch is over.

The rest of the day goes by surprisingly quickly as you try to figure out what you want to do. You don’t remember much about living back in the continental states, you lived in California somewhere, but that’s as good as you’ve got really. You like Hawaii, you really do, plus Jeongguk is here, and as long as you’re here, he can stay with you.

As the cab pulls into your driveway, you still aren’t sure what to do, or what to tell Jeongguk as you and Kono get out of the car and walk up to the house. As you step over the threshold into the house, a delightful smell tickles your nose; someone’s been cooking. You and Kono both follow your noses into the kitchen to see Jeongguk sitting at the dinner table with Bitsy and Clara.

“You’re home!” Clara says, more out of surprise than happiness. “John-kook made dinner!”

“Really?” You ask, but when Jeongguk doesn’t immediately turn to greet you with that goofy smile, you know something’s wrong. “Kook?” You walk over and put your hand on his shoulder, but he still doesn’t look at you. Clara and Bitsy both have nervous looks on their faces.

“Kook…” You pull the chair out next to him and sit down before tilting his chin so that he looks at you. You gasp, dropping your purse in shock when you see the dark black bruise surrounding his eye. “Oh my god! Jeongguk what happened to you?” You ask, cupping his face and pulling it closer so you can inspect his eye, but he remains tight lipped so you turn to the two girls sitting at the table.

“We didn’t see the whole thing.” Clara states.

“We just caught the end of it.” Bitsy agrees. “Ya see, we were down at the market an’ we ‘eard this commotion.”

“It sounded like a fight and there was a big group of people standing in a circle, so we went to see what was happening and…” Clara continues.

“It was Paul. Him an’ his group a rougheins.” Bitsy growls. “Once we realized it was Kook, Clara ran into the middle of it to stop them.”

“It wasn’t fair, it was five against one!” Clara pounds her fist on the table. “Those racist bastards.”

“She got Paul to back off, but not before they gave ‘em a nice shiner.” Bitsy finishes with a sigh. “We helped him home though and made him rest before dinner.”

“The butcher felt bad and gave Kook a nice steak to put on his eye for the swelling.” Clara adds. “And then he made dinner with it.”

The girls keep talking, but they fade out as your focus is drawn to Jeongguk in front of you. He won’t meet your gaze, seemingly ashamed, that is until he picks up his fork and stabs a bit of meat before holding it up to you.

“I made your favorite.” He whispers. “Please don’t be mad.”

“Mad…?” You ask. “I’m furious, but not at you baby.” You lean forward and wrap your arms tightly around Jeongguk, knocking the fork out of his hands. “I’m just glad you’re safe.” You can feel Jeongguk smile as he returns your hug. You pull back and place a kiss on his forehead before sitting back in your chair. “Let’s eat, I’m starving.”

Jeongguk made bibimbap, your favorite, with perfectly seasoned meat, and you happily eat. After dinner, Bitsy and Clara leave for the night shift, and Kono disappears into her room, leaving you and Jeongguk alone to talk about what happened as you finish cleaning up the kitchen.

“I was just walking down the street at the market when these guys came up and started asking me a bunch of questions I couldn’t understand. When they heard my accent as I tried to explain that I didn’t speak english well, they started pushing me around while they yelled at me.”

“Did they say anything you recognized?”

“Jap.” Jeongguk mumbles as he puts the last bowl on the drying rack. “That’s all I knew. And then the big one punched me so hard I fell over, that’s when your friends found me.”

“Jeongguk,” You cry as you wrap him in your arms again. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault jagiya.” He sighs. “Although, I did lose what I went to town for; they stole it, said I didn’t deserve it.”

“We can go back tomorrow and get another one? What was it?”

“A ring…” Jeongguk whispers, looking up at you, his cheeks a bit flushed.

“A… A what?” You mumble, not sure you heard him right.

“It was a ring, for you.”

“For me?”

Jeongguk chuckles. “I feel a bit stupid telling you this without it, but I was going to propose to you noona. Tonight.”

“W-what?”

“Kono told me yesterday that you might be moving back home, and I want you to know that wherever you go, I’ll go with you, because I’ve fallen in love with you. I know it’s crazy and we’ve only known each other for a month, but I’ve never felt this way before, about anyone.”

“Jeongguk-”

“Noona, will you marry me? I’d get down on my knee, but I don’t know if I’d get back up.”

You’re speechless, you’re definitely rushing into things here, right? But maybe that’s how it should be… You don’t know how long you’ll be here, or maybe, is this where you’re meant to be? “Y-yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I will.” You nod as Jeongguk sweeps you up off your feet and spins you around the best he can.

“I love you Y/N.” He states as he puts you back down, pulling you close.

“I love you too Jeongguk.” You smile brightly as he pulls you in for a kiss.

The girls of course are thrilled when you tell them, each of them squealing happily. Bitsy being the sneaky minx that she is, actually manages to get herself invited to Paul’s house two days later and steals the ring back for you. When she returns it to Jeongguk, he happily opens it and slides the ring on your finger; it’s a simple, but beautiful ruby and the weight of it on your finger makes you feel warm inside.

You and Jeongguk decide a few days later to stay in Hawaii, at least for the time being. Jeongguk writes his parents letters daily and has since he arrived at the hospital, about a week after Jeongguk proposes, you receive a letter back from them. They’re thrilled about your engagement, and after weeks of Jeongguk asking, they’ve finally gotten enough money together to move to Hawaii, and should be on a ship within the week and should arrive in another week or two. You and Jeongguk quickly find them a nice house by the bay and eagerly await their arrival from across the pacific.

A few days after his parents letter arrives, you and Jeongguk are relaxing at home, both of you on the couch while the other girls are out, your legs across his lap as you listen to the radio and read to Jeongguk.

“Isn’t this Doris Day?” Jeongguk suddenly asks, turning the radio up.

“Hm?” You listen for a moment. “Yeah, I think so. The song is called ‘Again’ I think, I’m surprised you know that.” Suddenly Jeongguk pushes your legs off his lap and stands up before grabbing your arm and tugging you to your feet with him. “Kook,” You giggle as he pulls you flush against him. “What are you doing?”

“Dancing.” He states, grabbing your waist and beginning to sway you both back and forth.

“So I finally get to see the magical feet of Jeon Jeongguk?” You tease.

“Shhh, just dance with me noona.”

“Again, this couldn't happen again

This is that once in a lifetime

This is the thrill divine…”

It’s nice, a peaceful and sweet moment, with you pressed so close to him as he rests his head on yours while you sway, hand clasped in his, content in just being with him. It makes you sad to think that one day, at some point, life may choose to take him away from you, or more likely, to take you away from him.

“Mine to hold as I'm holding you now and yet never so near

Mine to have when the now and the here disappear…”

“Jeongguk…” You whisper, thinking maybe you should tell him, but you don’t know what happens to the people you leave behind; is some part of you still here, or do you and all traces of you vanish completely, even the parts of you in his memory?

“We'll have this moment forever

But never, never, again…”

“Mm?” You don’t hear him as much as you feel the rumble in his chest.

“I love you…” You say as the song plays its last chord and your dance comes to a stop.

“I love you too.” Jeongguk smiles and leans down, capturing your lips in the sweetest of kisses, making your knees weak. You grip his button up shirt tightly as you pull back, breathing a bit heavier, and you wonder what it’ll be like to have him. All of him. Before you can overthink it, you push Jeongguk backwards so that he falls back down onto the couch.

“Woah,” He exclaims as he hits the cushions. “What’s this about?”

“Jeongguk,” You whisper as you climb into his lap. “Let me show you how much I love you.”

“Are you sure?” He visibly gulps.

“I’m sure.”

Jeongguk hesitates for a second before nodding, his bottom lip caught between his teeth; a sight you can’t resist. You lean forward and press your lips to his, letting his hands fall to your hips as he pulls you closer, his tongue slipping between your lips, and this time when you grind down against him, he doesn’t pull away, instead he groans, deep in his chest, a rumbling that sets your body on fire, but then he pulls away again.

“Um, wouldn’t you rather do this in a bed maybe?” He suggests shyly, cupping your cheek.

“You won’t change your mind?” You ask, suddenly nervous that he’s rejecting you again.

He stares deep into your eyes, smiling a heart wrenchingly beautiful smile. “Never.”

Your chest and stomach flutter at the same time as Jeongguk helps you off his lap and leads you upstairs to your room where he shuts the door before spinning you to face away from him. He grabs the zipper on the back of your shorts and yanks it down, dragging them down your legs before pushing you down on the bed and crawling on top of you; gone is the innocent boy you love so much, in his place is a strong man with a fire building in his sweet brown eyes.

Jeongguk reconnects his lips to yours as he starts working at the buttons on the front of your shirt, carefully undoing them until he gets to the last one and sits back to look. He stares down at your half naked body; your bra and underwear all that’s left covering you.

“You’re so beautiful noona.” He whispers.

He skips unbuttoning his own shirt, choosing to just slip it off over his head and toss it to the floor, leaving him in just his white undershirt and khaki slacks. You pull his undershirt off and reach up, running your fingers over his chest and watching his muscles flex beneath your touch, but not for long. Jeongguk slips your shirt the rest of the way off and leans down to pepper your neck with kisses while he fumbles with your bra. It takes him a few moments, but eventually he gets the hooks undone and manages to slip the fabric off your shoulders, taking his time to caress and marvel at your breasts.

“T-they’re so soft.” He observes, leaning down and burying his face between them as he massages them gently, feeling your smooth skin against his face.

“K-kook…” You gasp when he brushes against a nipple. His head shoots up to look at you, ready to apologize for doing something wrong until he sees the look on your face and the blush adorning your cheeks. He leans up and kisses you sweetly once more before grabbing the waistband of your underwear. He looks at you for approval, which you give, before slowly pulling the fabric down your legs and tossing it to the floor. He sits on his knees, a now obvious tenting in his pants as his hands caress your thighs, seemingly mesmerized by your naked figure, before spreading your legs with a small groan of want.

Jeongguk quickly moves to unbuckle his belt, but once he gets it open, he falters and begins to ramble. “Oh god Y/N I-I’ve never… I never done this before and I don’t know if I’ll be any good. What if I do something wrong? O-or if I hurt you? What if-”

“Jeongguk,” You coo softly. “There’s nothing you can do that will make me love you any less.”

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” You whisper, sitting up to pull him into a kiss before you pull back and help him undo his pants the rest of the way, your hands brushing the scars on his thighs after he deposits his khakis on the floor.

“Noona,” Jeongguk calls your attention back up to his face as he pushes you back down against the mattress. “A-are you ready?” You realize he’s now leaning over you, one hand on the waistband of his underwear.

“Yes…” You mumble, suddenly realizing that in all the lives you’ve had, you’ve never had sex before either. “I’m just nervous I guess. I haven’t um… I haven’t done this either.”

“I’ll go slow, I promise.” He assures you, leaning down to give you a kiss before pulling the covers over you both. He shifts on top of you as he removes his underwear and then his knees are nudging at your thighs to open wider for him, and then you feel it. Something warm and hard is pressing against your most intimate of parts, trying to find its way inside your own warmth.

“A little l-lower I think…” You state, trying your best to guide Jeongguk to his destination. He follows your direction, pushing with intent until he finally slips the tip of his cock into you, a little faster than intended, catching you both by surprise as you let out a small cry.

“Are you okay?” He asks, panicking as he stills himself.

You nod, biting back the stinging feeling between your legs. “It just h-hurts a little bit. Y-you’re bigger than I e-expected.”

Jeongguk’s face flushes bright red as he looks down at you, obviously flustered by your comments on his size. “I’m s-sorry. Do… Do you want to stop?”

“No!” You whine, a little too loudly, making Jeongguk smirk just a bit. “J-just… Just go slow.” You mutter.

Jeongguk nods, leaning down to press his lips to yours as he starts moving again. He goes slow, swallowing each little gasp that leaves your mouth until he’s fully seated inside you and a moan escapes both of your lips as Jeongguk’s head falls on your shoulder.

“It’s s-so tight…” He whimpers. “Is it supposed to feel this good?”

“Jeongguk please move.” You plead, needing some sort of friction before you feel like you might burst.

Jeongguk simply groans against your neck as he complies, pulling his hips back before sliding into you again and again, making you feel dizzy and hot and oh so full. He feels so good inside you, brushing against your walls in all the right ways; you’ve never felt this kind of pleasure in your life.

You wrap your arms tightly around his neck and spread your legs wider, allowing him to go deeper as you both moan. The longer you go, the rougher Jeongguk’s thrusts become until you feel like you’re bouncing across the bed with every push of his hips. All of your thoughts are gone, the only thing you can focus on is the blissful feeling of Jeongguk, pleasuring you from the inside out. Suddenly a swirling heat starts building in the pit of your stomach, your senses heightened as you feel like your whole body is tightening.

You need to tell him something’s happening, but you don’t know how. “J-Jeongguk, I-”

“God it feels so good. I feel- hah~ I’m so- Oh god, w-what is- Oh~ Oh~!” Jeongguk thrusts into you one last time with all his might, spiraling you into the most amazing feeling you’ve ever felt in your life, crying out his name as bliss floods your brain and something warm and wet floods your core.

You’re both still as you ride out the feeling and then Jeongguk collapses on top of you, his body spent. He peppers your face with kiss after kiss, mumbling how much he loves before finally sitting up and carefully pulling out of you, both of you wincing. You feel a rush of fluids spilling out of you and you sit up to look, thinking you must be bleeding or something, but instead of red, you see Jeongguk’s white sticky release coating your folds.

“S-sorry.” Jeongguk mutters as he stands up. “Don’t move, let me get you something.” He limps his way to the bathroom and you hear the sink running before he comes back, one hand covering himself, a washcloth in the other. He sits back on the bed and gently swipes up your folds, collecting the mixture of your releases and then tossing the washcloth in your hamper, cheering when he sees it went in before grabbing his underwear and sliding them back on and handing you yours.  As you pull your underwear up your legs, Jeongguk climbs over you and lays on his side of the bed, grabbing your waist and pulling you flush against him, his arms wrapped tightly around you as you both sit in silence, suddenly tired. You start to drift off, and just as you’re about to fall asleep, Jeongguk whispers in your ear.

“I can’t wait to marry you noona. I love you so much.”

“I love you too Jeongguk.”

It’s a few days later, and few more sexual encounters later; you’re both sitting at home when Bitsy and Clara come home from work and Bitsy declares she wants to go out and have a good time before her and Clara head back to the states next week.

Clara rolls her eyes. “Bits, when don’t you want to go out?”

“Just because you’re a big ‘ol buzzkill.” Bitsy retorts, sticking her tongue out. “Y/N will come with me, wontcha Y/N?”

“Me?” You ask, surprised, usually she drags Kono out with her.

“Yeah, you haven’t been out in ages, don’t ya wanna have fun?” She taunts, shaking your arm. “Kook can come too! It’ll be great.”

You look up at Jeongguk as he comes back into the room with some water. He must have heard the conversation because he’s looking at you like a puppy you promised to take for a walk. “Where would we go?”

“Anywhere ya want! Kook, where do you wanna go?” She turns to him.

“Can we go dancing?” He asks hopefully.

“Of course! I’mma get changed, let’s leave in ten minutes, okay?” She squeals excitedly before flouncing up the stairs.

“I guess I should get changed too.” You state, putting your book down and standing up. “Kono, are you coming with us?”

“Yeah, why not.” Kono shrugs. “I think we all deserve a night out.”

“Fine!” Clara bursts. “Let’s go.”

They both stand up and you all head upstairs to get ready. You pick out your favorite red and white swing dress with a white petticoat and some red shoes, finishing your look with a red lip before heading out of the bathroom to see Jeongguk in a pair of khaki swing trousers, a red polo with suspenders, his favorite black and white oxfords and a black fedora.

He smiles when he sees you. “Noona, you look so pretty.”

“So do you.” You giggle, walking over to him. “But I think we can leave this at home.” You reach up and take off his hat, leaving it on the bed.

“Too much?”

“Just a bit.”

You reach up and cup his cheek. “Are you sure you’re okay to go out?”

“Noona I’m fine.” He rolls his eyes. “You promised when I got better we could go out.”

“I know, but-“

Just then you hear Bitsy calling your names from downstairs, telling you to hurry up in a less than polite way, so you grab Jeongguk’s hand and tug him out of your room and down the stairs to where the others are waiting.

“Let’s go!” Bitsy cheers when you’re all gathered. She grabs her car keys and you all follow her out the door and pile into her car; Clara in the front, and you in the back squished between Kono and Jeongguk.

It takes about ten minutes to get to Bitsy’s favorite place in the world; a bar called the Suds, and when you pull up, you can already hear the loud music and laughter coming from inside. Bitsy parks and you all get out, Jeongguk helps you out of the car and then grips your hand tightly as you walk up to the entrance, seemingly nervous. You squeeze his hand in return to let him know it’ll be okay and he seems to relax as you walk inside.

Bitsy vanishes as soon as you get inside, making a beeline for the dance floor, Clara and Kono find an empty table and take a seat while you and Jeongguk go to the bar and get everyone a drink, heading to the table when you’re done. You take a seat and take a sip of your beer, scanning the room. Jeongguk seems unable to sit still next to you, bouncing with excitement as he watches the dancers.

“Jeongguk, go.” You whisper, nodding at the dance floor.

He immediately stands but then turns back to you and holds out his hand. “Dance with  me?” He asks in a perfect english accent.

You accept his outstretched hand with a smile. “Of course.”

Jeongguk immediately tugs you out onto the dancefloor, making Bitsy cheer when she sees the two of you. “It’s about time!” She yells before the man she’s dancing with spins her around. “Show me what you can do Kook!”

Jeongguk doesn’t hesitate at all, grabbing your hand and your waist and pulling you close. The two of you rock step as Jeongguk intermittently swings you out, moving your feet to the beat of the quickstep song the band plays. He spins you around, leading you all over the dancefloor, impressing you with just how good he is, moving you to the rhythm. It isn’t until most people have moved out of the way that he moves onto the big stuff.

When he decides he has enough room, Jeongguk swings you down, lifting his leg up over you and the pulling you up from between his legs before spinning you so your back is against his and then flipping you up onto his back and over, making the crowd around you cheer. He slows down and lets you catch your breath before you jump up on his hip and then he pushes you off, sending you flying in a spin until he catches your hand and stops you, pulling you back to him.

You go back to a rock step until Jeongguk puts his arm around your waist and lifts you, sending you into a jump over and around his back before picking you up and flipping you over his arm where you thankfully land back on your feet.  He spins you once more before grabbing you under your arms and spinning you around, your feet flying out as he steps over them until you land again and fly back into Bitsy who catches you and sends you back into Jeongguk. You jump into his arms, your legs spread and he rocks you back up into the air, you feel like your feet touch the ceiling before you come back down. You come to one side of his waist and Jeongguk quickly swings you to the other, grabbing your legs tight before flinging the top half of you around him, catching you and spinning you before he lets your feet find the floor again. He grabs your arm and spins you one last time before the song ends and he stills you; everyone cheering and clapping as you come to a halt.

Bitsy runs up you, bouncing as she claps. “That was amazing! Y/N, I didn’t know you could dance like that!”

“I didn’t do anything, it was all him.” You state as the three of you walk back over to the table.

“I’m glad we saved your leg, Kook.” Kono smiles as you take a seat next to her and take a swig of your beer. “That was incredible.”

“Thank you.” Jeongguk mumbles, his face flushing from the praise. “I like dancing.”

“He’s won competitions back home.” You brag for him.

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Kono nods. “You could win some serious money doing that.”

“They have competitions here every friday.” Bitsy states. “You should enter one.”

Jeongguk looks at you confused and you translate for him, watching as he breaks into a wide smile and nods. “I’d like to.” He agrees.

“Then you should start practicin’!” Bitsy cheers, pulling Jeongguk to his feet. Jeongguk nods happily before turning back to you and grabbing your hand, tugging you back out onto the dancefloor.

The two of you dance to several more songs, having a great time with each other, but after the next slow song, you have to sit down and you allow Bitsy to take your place. You make your way back to your table and have a seat, watching Jeongguk twirl Bitsy around the floor to the music, until you notice Jeongguk start to limp again. The next time you catch Bitsy’s eye, you point at Jeongguk and then at your leg, and she quickly gets the message, dragging Jeongguk over to the table for you before grabbing Kono and Clara and hauling them onto the dancefloor with her.

“How’s your leg?” You ask Jeongguk as he sits down.

“Honestly I didn’t even feel it until you said something, but it is starting to hurt a bit.”

“Maybe you’ve had enough practice for tonight?”

“Yeah, I have.” He agrees, offering you a smile.

“So, you never told me you could dance like that.” You tease.

He shrugs. “Did you have fun?”

“Fun? You flipped me around so much I didn’t know which way was up! It was great!”

“I can teach you some steps if you want.” Jeongguk offers, his smile growing wider.

“That would be-”

“Well!” You’re interrupted by a loud male voice. “What do we have here? The local Jap couple.” You look up to see Paul, the asshole who beat up Jeongguk the other day.

“What do you want Paul.” You hiss.

“Well I heard you two were getting hitched. Is that true?”

“What’s it to you?” Jeongguk suddenly asks, standing up in front of you protectively.

“Woah there tough guy.” Paul throws up his hands defensively. “I see someone finally learned to speak english.”

“What do you want?” Jeongguk spits.

“I just want to make sure you didn’t put a baby in this here girl of yours,” Paul points to you and suddenly two men lift you to your feet and hold your arms behind your back. You struggle in their grasp, but their grip it too tight. “Cause if you did, I’mma have to knock it back out.” He rolls up his sleeves. “Can’t have you two breedin any babies to fight for the wrong side.”

“Don’t touch her.” Jeongguk growls, grabbing Paul’s arm and pulling it away from you.

“I can do whatever I want.” Paul states, grabbing the front of Jeongguk’s shirt. “I ain’t gotta listen to you, Jap.” And then Paul pulls his fist back, but Jeongguk’s quicker this time, punching Paul right in the side of his jaw, making the man stumble back a few steps from the unexpected hit. “You son of a bitch!” Paul yells, causing the music to stop as he lunges at Jeongguk.

“Jeongguk!” You cry, only able to watch as the man you love is knocked to the floor. Paul kneels down and continues hitting Jeongguk, punch after punch. Tears stream down your cheeks as you watch Jeongguk’s blood drip from his face. It’s then that you feel it; the haze. It surrounds you. No, you can’t leave now, Jeongguk needs you. “Jeongguk! Jeongguk, I’m sorry!” You whimper, slipping from the men’s grasps as you slowly disappear. You see the girls appear a the front of the circle of people surrounding the fight and suddenly see Clara and Bitsy jump into the fray, trying to pull Paul off Jeongguk. The last thing you see is Jeongguk reaching for you, blood dripping down onto his red shirt.

“Jeongguk!” You cry, bolting upright, gripping the blanket in your lap tightly. You begin sobbing uncontrollably as you realize; it doesn’t matter anymore, wherever you are now, whenever you are, Jeongguk is not here with you.

Copyright © Inkjam-Moon 2019

#inkjam-moon #btssmutclub #bts scenarios #jeongguk x reader #jungkook x reader #bts fluff #bts angst #bts smut #jeongguk fluff #jungkook fluff #jeongguk angst #jungkook angst #jeongguk smut #jungkook smut #bts fanfiction #bts fics #jeongguk #jeon jeongguk #jeon jungkook #bts jeongguk #bts jungkook #colors series #chapter one #red #colors chapter one

[alexsmitposts]

Fakes of the Belarusian Maidan

The "potato" revolution in Minsk, which some publications have already hastened to call "the first Telegram revolution", did not happen. "Chronicles of the coup attempt" could be seen in social networks, and this despite the Internet being disabled in places. The images and messages were full of tragedy. In Telegram channels and Twitter, colorful photos "from the scene of events" and even more colorful messages about almost "shootings arranged by riot Police", the crowd "rammed by car bombs", injured protesters and even the first victim from among the protest activists began to appear. We carefully looked at both the video and photos "from the scene". And what can you see on them? Youngster against the armed forces The first photos closely resembled staged shots taken during the Moscow protests: a proud young protester stands alone against a line of Riot police "cosmonauts" bristling with shields. First, it is beautiful, and second, incredibly touching – an unarmed youngster against the armed forces. This theme is constantly exploited. Of course, such photos were taken in Minsk.

This is a good picture for the Western media – almost children against the "chain dogs of the regime". Do you think the photo was taken "purely by accident"? It is clear that the production. Photo: EPA/Yauhen Yerchak/TASS. Another picture: a young couple on a moped passing by the same line of riot police. It is also a touching shot, especially the white long dress on the girl should be touching. Well, a little provocation, test the nerves of the security forces. But also in the trend: almost peaceful protest, which is about to be crushed by the police in armor and with shields. This is a good picture for the Western media – almost children against the "chain dogs of the regime". Do you think the photo was taken "purely by accident"? It is clear that the production. As well as the bloodied heads of the protesters in another photo, which immediately flew around all the European media with comments-they say, this is how dictator Lukashenko suppresses the peaceful protest of Belarusians, who wholeheartedly strive for European integration and freedom. It turned out to be alive Somewhere we have seen all this before, but then "accidentally" it turned out that the blood is actually ketchup. It was very awkward. The awkwardness was quickly forgotten. In Minsk, everyone will also quickly forget – about as quickly as they "forgot" about the "first sacred victim" of the protest, when the police allegedly began to crush the crowd of protesters with a car. As it turned out, the victim is quite alive and did not even want to stay in the hospital. We are talking about a certain Eugene Zaichkin, who last night jumped on the bumper of a MAZ-paddy wagon, drove it for a while, holding the handles over the hood of the truck, and then, unsuccessfully jumping off, was under the wheels of the car. Interestingly, Zaichkin not so long ago moved to live in Poland, but at the" right moment " was back in Minsk. The first aid to the activist was called by the riot police themselves, and in the hospital it turned out that the guy does not even have fractures and can go home. It didn't work out. Just as there was no crowd "rammed by a truck" - this can be well understood if you carefully watch the videos. As there is no evidence that the riot police beat women and children, and "dictator Lukashenko" hastily "escaped on his plane to Bodrum". Fakes, fakes, and more fakes. However, this is nothing new-it's all within the technology of color revolutions and the art of propaganda: "the more terrible the lie, the more willing to believe it" - we did not say. There will be no bouquets of violets The exact number of protesters in Minsk is not specified, and Telegram channels write about hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of protesters. In the capital of Belarus, they gathered at three main points: at the stele "Minsk-hero city", on Victory square and on Nemiga street. It was difficult to estimate the number of people gathered in the dark, and they were constantly moving.

The protesters were managed and coordinated by the authors of several Telegram channels. The NEXTA channel, which operated from Poland, was particularly successful in this. Photo: Victor Lisitsyn/Globallookpress. Of course, the security forces used tear gas, water cannons, and stun grenades – the effect of the latter is clearly visible in the video footage, which also got into the Network. But let me ask you, in the same France free from dictators, the police met the "yellow vests" with bunches of violets? Of course not. An attempt to build a barricade on Masherov Avenue for the protesters was unsuccessful – fifteen minutes later, the security forces destroyed it. It turned out that waving flags and shouting is one thing, but getting into a fight with the riot Police is quite another, few people were ready for this, and there were no leaders among the participants of the action. Telegram-revolution on the March However, it is impossible to say that all these protests were spontaneous: before the problems with communication began, the protesters were managed and coordinated by the authors of several Telegram channels (which is why they called the events in Belarus the "Telegram revolution"). The NEXTA channel, which operated from Poland, was particularly successful in this. According to political strategist Marat Bashirov, NEXTA is registered to 22-year-old Stepan Putilo: The channel contains instructions on organizing riots and video streamers working in Belarus. Do you believe, Yes, that a 22-year-old guy organizes everything himself? Study. Many technologies will then be used in Russia in a year's time. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who managed to call herself "the winner of the last elections", appealed to both the police and the protesters to stop the violence and prevent provocation, and then quietly left, without risking becoming a "banner and icon of protest". Of course, it's safer this way, but the people – well, they will be beaten up, well, they will take some number of protesters to the police stations. But this is all without her-the" technical function " of the candidate-housewife has fulfilled. Detention of Russian journalists – what was it? What is not a production is the detention of Russian reporters, at least five people. This was reported by the Union of journalists of Russia. We are talking about Semyon Pegov, Maxim Solopov, Yevgeny Oleinik, Anton Starkov and Dmitry Lysenko. The Russian foreign Ministry intervened, and Sergey Lavrov took the issue under his personal control. Russian journalists were soon released. They were in the Minsk center for the isolation of offenders. Semyon Pegov shared his story on Vladimir Solovyov's program: It was visible provocateurs in the crowd who run up to the riot Police and say something. And I have a feeling that after such a provocation, I "flew". Because of these people who jump out and try to provoke the security forces, as a result, they grab everyone who comes to hand. There are a lot of random people who are detained, and it's not a secret. But slowly now everyone is being released. "Take helmets and gas masks with you" Meanwhile, the protests in Belarus are not going down. Today they continue, as previously reported by the same telegram channel NEXTA, the publication of which States the following: Friends, after yesterday's events, Lukashenko cannot remain in power. He lost the election, he threw his punishers with weapons against unarmed and peaceful people, he shed a lot of blood and now hopes that people will tolerate dozens of victims and even killed. It is not known what" killed " the provocateur was talking about. According to official data, there are no victims either from the protesters or from the security forces. And there are sweat victims: 39 Riot police officers and 50 protesters were injured. In total, about 3,000 people were detained in 33 cities where clashes with security forces took place.

The protesters chanted slogans, burned flares and waved national flags. Photo: Victor Lisitsyn/Globallookpress. If in Kiev six years ago, initially called to go to the Maidan, taking with them "umbrellas, thermos of tea and a good mood," then in the scenario for Minsk, this stage was skipped. Participants are offered to take gas masks, protective helmets, or better, helmets, protective shields for the knees and elbows, and instead of a "thermos of tea" - a first-aid kit. Umbrellas, however, also remembered, but in order to "protect themselves from checkers". Spikes and nails, apparently brought by someone on purpose – they could not "completely accidentally" be in the places where protesters gathered, activists yesterday scattered on the roadway. Stones, rods, rebar, as it was in the city of Pinsk, were also used. Molotov cocktails were used" What's next? The second day of protests was marked by more violent skirmishes between protesters and police, with activists in the center of Minsk throwing "Molotov cocktails" at riot police, repeating the "Ukrainian scenario" of the Maidan. And again there were fakes: some Belarusian Telegram channels launched a message that "Russian special forces soldiers have been identified on the streets of Minsk". The same throw-in appeared on the NEXTA channel. The author even accompanied the message with a "creepy video" in which a special forces officer orders the girl to get out of the car. The statement about the "presence of the Russian military" is based on the words of two "witnesses". But the fake has already been dispersed through other channels. A General strike is scheduled for today. And then… Who knows what will happen next, where else will the NEXTA coordinator send the crowd?

[thattarotgirl]

Explaining The Death: Jonathan Tucker's Major Craddock in Westworld

I had had many reasons to intensely dislike TV series Westworld – which I still absolutely do – and only one reason to watch its second season. And so, I started the show again – for Jonathan Tucker. At this point, I’m fairly sure the only thing starring this wonderful man I wouldn’t watch would be a snuff film.

Somewhat morbid humor? Appropriate, given the fact that this post isn’t about how I got my imaginary degree in Tuckerology.

It’s about HOW TUCKER’S WESTWORLD CHARACTER, MAJOR CRADDOCK, REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MAJOR ARCANA ARCHETYPES – THE DEATH.

Interestingly, it’s the second time Tucker plays the Death. The first one was not too long ago, it was on Justified, and the name of the masterfully played (do I really have to add this bit, though?) character was Boon. Check it out, check the whole series, thank me later.

First of all, I have to warn you that I’m going to take my own, admittedly narrow perspective on the archetype. But I highly encourage you to familiarize yourself with other interpretations of this and other archetypes of the Major Arcana. Ultimate raison d’être of this blog is to inspire discussion about the archetypes we are influenced by, because by understanding them we can better understand our own inner mechanics.

So, what is the Death?

Let me start this by stating that the mainstream is full of examples of the Death. Here is just a handful off the top of my head: The Joker, Ramsay Bolton and Joffrey Baratheon from Game of Thrones, the Comedian from Watchmen, Alex from A Clockwork Orange, Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs, Mason Verger from Hannibal, Simon Adebisi from Oz, Moriarty from Sherlock, Negan from the Walking Dead comics, Pavi Largo from Repo! The Genetic Opera, as well as Bart Curlish from Dirk Gently, Gazelle from Kingsmen, Mindy from Kick Ass, Elle Bishop from Heroes, and many others.

Can you already tell what do all these characters have in common?

“Murderers”? “Psychopaths”? True and true.

The Death is the embodiment of aggression, a creature that almost entirely consists of spontaneously directed destructive force. These power and aggression replace almost all the movement of the Death’s soul, all its values and feelings, just as acts of aggression become the Death’s responses to all possible life situations.

The very term ultraviolence was introduced to us by one of the Deaths.

And don’t get me wrong: The Devil, for example, can scuffle-torture-murder left and right, too, but it does it for self-assertion or self-expression, for fame, for money, in a fit of rage; killing without thinking about any gain is a prerogative of the Death. It tortures and murders not only to protect itself, to avenge or to earn reputation – the Death primarily does it to alleviate the boredom of being, so to speak. This is why the Death usually makes violence the basis of its professional activities, meaning that most of the Deaths are criminals, soldiers, assassins and so on.  

And, as any sadist, the Death always attaches great importance to the process of torturing/raping or killing. Snapping somebody’s neck, for instance, the Death would enjoy every part of it – the grabbing, the snapping, the crack, the limpness of the dead body in its hands etc. – all the different stages, the materiality of taking a life.

The Mage in low development, on the other hand, would appreciate the fact of its victim’s suffering as a result, but not the process of inflicting this suffering. The Deaths are fundamentally different from all other archetypes in that respect and others.

And where do these vicious creatures come from?

Usually, the Deaths do not choose to be the way they are – and this is one of the traits that help to distinguish them from, for instance, the Chariots – in most cases, the Death is a result of transformation of the Devil, the Justice, the Moon or the Star after being thoroughly frayed by fate. The damage and abuse it suffers frequently takes physical form – it’s not uncommon for the Deaths to even be symbolically or not so symbolically murdered (the Joker and his fall into the vat of chemicals is a classic example) and resurrected (and I’ll have to get to that again later).

Sometimes the Deaths are simply born under a bad sign, but then it’s usually due to some kind of medical/genetic experimentation or something in the same vein.

And it is true for our Major Craddock, too. He was created and programmed into being who he is.

And who is Major Craddock again?..

An android, or a host, as they call it in the universe of Westworld – essentially, an artificial creation designed to mimic a human being. They are used in the Westworld park as part of storylines, or narratives. They are there for the guests’ entertainment. So, Craddock plays the part of a military officer working for the Confederados. He is a first-generation host created in the Argos Initiative by Arnold Weber and Dr. Robert Ford, making him one of the eldest hosts in Westworld, maybe even outdating the park itself.

The first time you see him actually doing something is when the gang of Dolores Abernathy approaches him and his men because they want to join forces with their troupe against an unclear human force.

From the scene of their interaction you can probably remember some of the following details:

— Major Craddock’s stare of a mad dog, which you probably were as unprepared to see in  Tucker’s eyes as I was.

— How unmoved, almost entirely unimpressed Major Craddock is by the death and the rebirth of buried Lieutenant Dunleavy, as he coldly describes “three ounces of Mexican lead in his belly” and accepts the idea that his Lieutenant has been brought back to life with a simple “indeed”, which you can interpret not only as a lack of curiosity but perhaps also as weak emotional attachment to his soldiers, who absolutely deserve it for the lack of any individuality. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

— Something you could probably call hostile hospitality on Major’s part – I mean his eerie, almost theatrical politeness, which wouldn’t fool anyone into thinking that the man isn’t disrespectful and provocative.

— Maybe a couple of other things, such as Craddock’s sharp tongue, macabre humour, fluid movements, or how appetizingly he ate.

— Finally, the fact that Craddock refuses to accept the deal and states the only partnership that would happen would be the rape Dolores and Angela by him and his unit:

Craddock: “My final decision is which of you to keep for myself and which of you to throw out there for my men.”

In other words, demonstration of the dominant position by means of threats of violence.

Here you have it, ladies and gentlemen: the Death bingo.

Oh, and then Teddy shoots Craddock after his statement, but Craddock is brought back to life by a captured Technician. Spoiler alert, I guess?

I’m going to broach everything mentioned, but for now, I want to concentrate on the “eerie politeness”, because the Deaths in high development are almost always characterized by this insincere courtesy, and that for a reason I can explain to you.

In short: the elements Jung calls shadow and persona aspects of the psyche are swapped over in the Death.

Every other character than the Death, including very aggressive specimen, even the Devils, have socially acceptable Dr Jekyll (the Persona) and a repressed, socially unacceptable Mr Hyde (the Shadow) in them. For the Death, the Shadow is its normal, default state, because the archetype doesn’t have the same social needs as other archetypes. It simply doesn’t need to hide its feelings and desires in order to look “normal” – it doesn’t tolerate social conventions.

So, typically, the Death is a 24/7 Mr Hyde. It does have a thin coating of the Persona, but it only uses it on very special occasions, to deceive or to – paradoxically – appear even more intimidating than it already is. This is why Craddock’s attempts to be silver-tongued may cause you discomfort – in these moments, he is a crocodile smiling at you.

Importantly, all of this doesn’t mean that the Death is always a cutthroat that only thinks about torturing animals, burning buildings down, raping women and murdering men. Not at all.

Almost all of the Deaths are able to control themselves to some extent, but this control is carried out by the Animus, not by the Persona. How is this different? The Animus isn’t a social suit, meaning that it isn’t used to appear to others, it’s a personal moral fiber, something close to a codex that prevents the Death, who sees itself as a warrior, from turning into a butcher raping and killing everyone around.

Does this mean that the Devil’s transformation into the Death happens after its acceptance of the Shadow as the terminal state of its personality and almost full rejection of its Persona? Yes, it absolutely does.

By the way, the Persona of the Empress is the Anima, and that’s why the Death inevitably gets into conflict with the Empress as soon as they get in contact. Would you like to guess who Dolores is (confess, she reminds you of Cersei Lannister)?

So, yes, the fact that Craddock joins Dolores’s group as they arrive at Fort Forlorn Hope, where Craddock’s commanding officer agrees to help Dolores in the morning to defeat the incoming security force, shows us another aspect of the Death.

Even though, the archetype is mostly independent, it usually is guided or influenced – sometimes directly, by the Emperors and the Empresses, the Mages and the Hierophants, but more often by the mediators, like the Hanged, the Justices, the Devils or the Towers. (Left to itself, the Death either indulges in debauchery or spends whole days planning ideal crimes/operations and perfecting its murder skills, waiting for someone who will suggest a proper victim to appear.)

And in that respect, the Deaths, generally speaking, fall into two categories – those who end up aligned with the forces of order and those who are, as the Joker puts it, “agents of chaos”, respectively.

How are they different?

The Deaths on the side of order are ideal warriors and guardians of law, because they channel their destructive energy into annihilation of all those who they are told to kill. And the Deaths execute these orders for a two-fold reason:

First, their leaders symbolically embody their parents, since they take responsibility for their actions, which the Deaths greatly appreciate (I’ll get to it in a moment).

And second, the system they serve provides them with the concept of an enemy/victim, thereby relieving them of the need to choose their victims on their own. The Deaths are generally infantile, and many of them can’t or don’t want to – sometimes without realising it – make their own decisions. This makes them ideal objects of manipulation – they are loyal and sufficiently stupid.

The Deaths that are taking the side of the chaos usually become leaders/subleaders themselves, because it is much easier to destroy the world together with your henchmen than to try doing it in splendid solitude. Very interestingly, the henchmen of the Deaths are often marked by them (uniforms, masks, obligatory scarifications etc.), like zombies are marked by signs of decomposition, and thereby represent the extension of the Death’s physical influence.

(And the Deaths from the second category are usually smarter, there are even geniuses among them e.g. Moriarty from Sherlock or the Joker. These Deaths also tend to be more popular due to the disturbing combination of sadism, intelligence and cheerful attitude (we’ll get to that, too) – Negan from the Walking Dead would also be an example of the Death that is a loved strategist).

Is this true for Major Craddock? It is.

His troupe is shown as a splinter group, a gang with him as its leader. They do not appear to be motivated by any ideology, murdering, raping, marauding – in short, embracing outrage as normality. They’re just having what they hold for fun, like a pack of hungry wolves or perhaps rather mad dogs.

Dolores sums up this important characteristic of the Death in the following quote:

Teddy: “These men are animals.” Dolores: “These men are just children. They don't know any better. They need to be led. We don't stand a chance against the men coming for us if we're fighting alone.”

She uses a key-word I’d like you to remember. “Children.”

Mental age of the Death is always approximately ten-twelve years, which explains not just their easy relationship to violence but also a number of other of their typical characteristics – above all their inability - and usually unwillingness - to build a family or sustain a partnership (which is perfectly fine when you are talking about a reflective individual, but here we certainly aren’t).

Moreover, the Deaths are sexual deviants – paedophilia, bestiality, incest, you name it – everything that can certify perversity and lack of understanding of the concept of intimacy can be found here.

Roughly speaking, the Death is a preceding evolutionary stage of the Devil and the Mage – whereas the Mage is an adult with adult emotions, adult social standing and overall adult psychology, and the Devil is a typical teenager, the Death is a cruel and merry child.

And this easily explains why two possible negative transformations of the Devils are the Emperor and the Death – both of these archetypes are violent, but whereas the Emperor is a superhuman, the Death is an animal. To become one of them, the Devil has to get rid of everything humane in it and learn to see in people either ants below its feet or food. This evolution is a direct consequence of the resolved conflict of “the awkward age”: either you become an adult, or you regress into a child stage; either you reflect on your power and use it consciously or turn it into the defining element of your behavior. And like a naïve child it is, the Death hates to be tricked by heartless adults. At Fort Forlorn Hope, the Confederados are soon revealed to be mere pawns, as Dolores only needed them to distract the security force: once they are no longer useful, she has Wyatt’s followers brutally murder them. Craddock angrily vows revenge, so Dolores orders Teddy to execute him and his men: however, after Craddock taunts Teddy for simply following Dolores’s orders, Teddy lets them escape.

Just look at what he says:  

Craddock: “I been watchin' you. We ain't so different. You and I are both triggermen to tyrants. Except me, I know what I want. But you ain't even sure about that termagant you take your orders from. I look at you, and what I see is pathetic.”

Isn’t it the kind of devaluation a child would use? You may be pointing this gun at me, but you’re still a chicken! Na-na, na-na, boo-boo, we get it, Major. Alas, Teddy doesn’t. Most likely, he doesn’t understand whom he is dealing with here.

And right now you might be wondering whether you can identify the Death by looking at it.

There is no such thing as "prototypical appearance" when it comes to the Deaths, but many of them look racy, wear extravagant or simply expensive clothes (“Westwood!”), have prosthetics, bear scars etc., or can be vaguely attractive.

There are many characters of very specific appearance among the Deaths: they can have physical abnormalities (both innate and acquired) and various types of biomodifications or simply eccentrically approach their image. As a rule, this specificity is connected to their becoming of the Death – it can be both the reason of the transformation into the Death (e.g. a catastrophe leads to irreversible physical and psychological changes of the character) and the direct consequence of it (i.e. the Death changes its appearances as it enters the new phase of its life). I would say that it could be partially true for Major with his uniform, too, if we assume that it was the war which had made him what he is.

And right now you might be wondering whether this bit was an excuse to insert here a gif with Craddock shaking down his coat… I shall let you be the judge.

Next time we see Craddock, he takes the Man in Black and Lawrence hostage when they come to Las Mudas. He brings them to the church where the townspeople are being kept, and the Man in Black tells him where the town weapons are stored. But not before Major kills the town representative, because he – Craddock – isn’t doing any deals.

Craddock: Now, me and my men here have a long journey ahead of us. We need food, whiskey, and ammunition. You people have some village elder who can speak for you? Make some kind of a deal? (GUNSHOT) (ALL MURMURING) I ain't interested in makin' fuckin' deals. You understand?

Probably inefficient?.. Not for the Death, who operates on intimidation. I bet, Major Craddock could threaten and kill these poor townspeople all day. Because, you see:

Craddock: We know you motherfuckers are rebels. So you’re gonna tell me where the fuck you hid your weapons, or you’re gonna die. Lawrence: The second we tell him he's gonna kill us all anyway. But you know what? It is very likely that Lawrence is right, but it isn’t necessarily so. Despite what you might be thinking now, the Deaths aren’t complete strangers to nobleness. Don’t raise your eyebrows, let me explain: they like to challenge and to accept challenges, to find worthy opponents – a victory over an equal or even a superior opponent results in ecstasy of the usually unemotional Death. And this is why sometimes the Death is able to respect an interesting opponent suggesting a one-on-one combat, which, however, probably wouldn’t prevent it from hurting the relatives of the said opponent... Because the Death has its own way of assessing such things. For instance, it can find the murder of a waiter for a spilled tea understandable and condemn a genocide. I’m going to talk about the reasoning behind it later.

Now I’d like to turn to the two defining attributes of the Death apart from sadism – in every sense of the word, including sexual sadism.

First one is its amorality. Even if the Death develops its own moral system, the core at the center of that system becomes the mirror image of the public morals. Many of the Deaths do, indeed, understand the concept of “forbidden”, but this knowledge in the end only tempts them to violate the prohibitions. Most of them, though, aren’t interested in comprehending the concept of moral at all. Take, for instance, Bart from Dirk Gently: she is a holistic murderer, who kills because the universe compels her to. It’s not a part of her job to question why she has to do what she has to do.

Importantly, this factor defines not only the Death’s behavior but its whole way of life – the choices the Deaths make and what these lead them to.

The second defining attribute is gaiety of the Death. That gaiety shouldn’t be mistaken for optimism – the Deaths are rather pessimistic, but at the same time they find evil funny; not to mention the fact that, in many cases, typical manifestations of gaiety, such as smiles and laughter, can express almost any emotion when it comes to the Death. That perverse gaiety also often becomes an important attribute of the Death’s exterior – the Comedian and the Joker probably are the most striking examples for that, – and in combination with vigor and vitality (children are usually very energetic), which are also quite characteristic for the most Deaths, it gives us the archetype that by murdering, raping, torturing, and committing acts of terrorism for its own amusement brings about irreversible changes in the cosmographic picture of its world.

In other words, even though the Death per se is a weak occult figure, it compensates for it with its physical influence on the environment, often becoming one of the most important figures of its fictional universe in the process.

Also, many of the Death are approaching the position of a trickster in their worlds, but due to their primitivism they rarely realize the potential of this possible cosmographic role.

In many ways, it resembles the modus operandi of The Wheel of Fortune – another very physically influential archetype.

And another archetype once played by Tucker, hm. Matthew Brown was the most memorable cameo of the second season of Hannibal, I guarantee you. And it makes sense to give these physical characters to a very physical actor (and person), when you think about it: the way the man moves on camera, almost aggressively at home in his own body, all the tiny nuances of his intimate interactions with the props that are basically creating an additional layer of dialog and of the characters themselves… Isn’t it the best way to breathe life into physical archetypes and simply a wonderful approach to acting? I know, I know, you aren’t here because of my degree in Tuckerology. It’s just hard to talk about the man without professing love.

The next thing Major Craddock does is shooting a bartender balancing a glass of nitroglycerine on the back of his hand after the man successfully does for him what he has been told to. Irony or sadism? It’s the same for the Death. You are recalling Ramsay Bolton torturing Theon Greyjoy, aren’t you?

It is worth noting that since the act of murder is perceived by the Deaths as the act of domination over the world, and basically is their biggest source of pleasure, many authors like to stage the battles between the Deaths and the Hermits, who endure great moral suffering even when committing violence in self-defense.

The fact that the Death doesn’t find it shameful to find pleasure in evil and laugh at the absurd and unbearable lightness of being (yes, it sort of is this existential, we’re getting there) may make you think that there isn’t anything holy to the Death at all, but – and the Death has this in common with the Mage – usually something is. It’s just insanely difficult to find, since even the Death doesn’t actually realize it sometimes. Again, think about a very cruel child, who despite everything still is a child and loves, for instance, some TV character or other figure.

And since we are talking about what the Death might like or love, the Deaths usually have a narrow circle of interests, which predictably includes drugs, weapons (Remember the impressed look on Craddock's face after that demonstration of a blaster? Even if you don't, here I have it for you:

), explosives, violence, sex (rape), terrorism, but also – and this is where it gets interesting – quite often it likes dancing and music, which seems to appease their inner predator; it frequently likes childish activities or things associated with childhood (Simon Adebisi blowing soap bubbles!), animals, with which the Deaths subconsciously feel a certain kinship, games, competitions, fights, sports, food, and clothes.

Also, it usually is quite indifferent to money - again, like a child, who doesn’t understand the value of it; this is one of the traits that help you distinguish the Death from the Wheel of Fortune, who is an avid fan of making profit in all sorts of manners.

But of course there isn’t a thing that the Death generally enjoys more than tormenting people and putting them into uncomfortable situations, which Major Craddock demonstrates by forcefully dancing with Lawrence’s wife in front of him.

Yes, you'll have to believe me that in this particular instance dancing with Jonathan Tucker is actually intended as torture.

Maybe an interesting connection to a deeper meaning of the card of the archetype is that the Death doesn’t discern between age, race or sex, just as actual terrible misfortunes can potentially happen to everyone. However, being an expert sadist, the Death can and usually will make use of those characteristics of its victim that make them especially vulnerable, be it physical or psychological vulnerability.

For all the reasons discussed above, the Deaths are usually lonesome. The primitiveness of their life philosophy, together with aggressiveness that gives them a dangerous reputation, eventually isolate the Death from the normal people almost completely. Sometimes leaders or quasi-leaders, such as the Mages and the Devils in high stages of their development, the Hanged and the Justices, seek their assistance, but even then they tend to distance themselves from the Deaths in personal interactions.

The young Deaths – usually in their lower stages of development – do not pay attention to this zone of estrangement around them or even like it, seeing it as a confirmation of their value and uniqueness as a source of danger for everyone, including potential allies.

But the older Deaths often suffer from loneliness and try to build a circle of friends but fail almost always.

This loneliness, which is usually a symptom of entering the phase of high development (in which the Death realizes its emotional and social inferiority), can change the Death very much. This is, for example, what the Comedian was going through when he found out about the plan of Ozymandias and realized that he can’t understand a mass murder of those who aren’t his enemies or prey (“We know you motherfuckers are rebels!”). This is when murder becomes barbarity in his eyes, and instead of perceiving it as a joke, he asks: “I mean, what’s funny? What’s so goddamn funny? I don't get it. Somebody explain... somebody explain it to me.”

The Comedian’s isolation indicates the same thing Jake Gallo’s search for life reference points, the tragic nihilism of Ares or Grievous’ perfectionism do – the Death only suffers from its inadequacy.

In other words, golem wants to become a human, but it can’t, because it isn’t designed to play that role. Even if the Death is capable of loving or feeling anything at all, it still looks at the world from a perspective of a blunt metal object: here is me (or mine) and there are them, the enemies, who I/we have to kill. Not to kill to save a world or get something, simply because they are the enemies.

And speaking about what else can hurt the Death: Physical world is very important to it, it craves for contact with it, so, blindness, paralysis or amputation would be enough to destroy the Death’s personality.

But what leads to the actual downfall of the Death? One could assume that it is stupidity or excessive cruelty that leaves the Death without any companion-in-arms in a difficult situation. But no, actually.

What exactly killed Major Craddock?

Remember the “I know what I what” bit? It was this assumption. Because it’s the incipient ambition that usually kills the Death.

We cannot force ourselves to be kin to what is unlike us, and since the Death is a blind branch of the archetypical personal evolution, it is confined to itself. (The Deaths usually do not evolve, but can acquire some resemblance to the Mages with age and certain intellectual growth.) The Death can’t be anything better than an assassin (serving order) or a bandit (serving chaos). The Joker understands it: “You know what I am? I’m a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it! I just do things.”

Major Craddock, on the other hand, doesn’t (didn’t...) seem to realize that the aspirations he connected with an unknown place called Glory, which he was hellbent on making his way to, resulted from the desire to become more than he is – a thug on the side of the losers (the Confederados), an artificial being, a mad dog, lost without someone holding its leash. Someone who never had the free will to decide what he wants to be but was forcefully put into being. I told you it’ll get existential!

Instead, Major thinks that he is the active subject that chooses his fate and was chosen by death, becoming its herald and champion:

Craddock: “Death is an old amigo of mine. I died just recently, in fact. But death can't bear to lay claim on me. So it sent me back here to do its bidding. Because I do it with such goddamn style. I've served death well. And in turn, it'll be watching over us as we cross these lands.” Right after that The Man in Black explains to him: The Man in Black: “You think you know death but you don't.”

Given the fact that Craddock is the Death and decided to identify with death after years and years of inflicting violence, you could argue that The Man in Black is basically saying here: “You don’t know yourself, boy”.

And what about what happens then? Well.

The Death has the tendency to escape death for quite some time. Yet when it does die, it’s usually a very horrible way to go: being eaten alive by your own dogs, falling from a great height. And now we can add a nitroglycerin cocktail to this list as well.

And honestly, thank goddess. As much as I love Jonathan Tucker and his characters, the series was painful to watch for me personally. And now I can't wait for City on a Hill, wondering who Tucker’s next archetype is going to be, because the man certainly has an intuitive grasp of these things.

So, this is it. Thank you for you attention and let me know what other Tarot archetype you'd like to learn more about!

#the major arcana #tarot #tarot cards #tarot archetypes #major craddock #westworld #jonathan tucker #the death #character overview #fandom meta

[multiverseforger]

Dennis Dunphy was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. Dennis becomes an aspiring athlete who receives the strength augmentation treatments offered by Power Broker, Inc. Finding himself too strong now for normal sports, he becomes a professional wrestler and member of the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation (UCWF) along with other superheroes and supervillains such as the Beyonder, the Thing, and Screaming Mimi. He refuses to throw a fight with the Thing, and is defeated.[3] The Puppet Master later mentally compels him to attack the Thing.[4] Dunphy refuses the Power Broker's order to help kill Ms. Marvel. He reveals his addiction to the Power Broker's drug to the Thing, and goes through a painful withdrawal when the Power Broker cuts off his drug supply.[5]

After the fall of the UCWF, Dunphy becomes the Demolition Man and teams up with Captain America to investigate Power Broker, Inc. His costume is intentionally designed so the body of it is a duplicate of Daredevil's first costume, and the hood is a knock-off of Wolverine's. He successfully rescues Captain America from Karl Malus and helps Captain America catch him.[6] Dunphy is captured by the Power Broker and is subjected to further treatments which augment his strength further but damage his heart. While under the influence of the stimulant, he goes mad and attacks Captain America. Dunphy suffers a heart attack, his second augmentation is reversed and he is hospitalized.[7] Dunphy then takes a step back from superhero activity to take over Captain America's hotline.[volume & issue needed]

Soon after this, Steve Rogers is stripped of his Captain America costume by the Commission on Superhuman Activities (CSA) and goes missing. Demolition Man joins Falcon, Nomad, and Vagabond to search for Rogers. They discover Rogers, who had renamed himself simply "The Captain", and they all become a short-lived informal team. They defeat the Serpent Squad in their first outing.[8] D-Man aids the Captain, Falcon, and Nomad against Famine.[9] D-Man is nearly killed in battle by Titania.[10] He begins teaching Vagabond hand-to-hand combat, but is attacked by a jealous Nomad. He fights Anaconda and Slither of the Serpent Society.[11] He is attacked and poisoned by Viper, and mistakenly fights Battle Star. Dunphy is arrested by the CSA and held for questioning about The Captain's activities.[12]

When Dennis is finally released by the CSA, he seeks out the Captain, discovering that not only had his team disbanded, but that the East Coast Avengers team had also just disbanded and that the Captain is seeking new members. The Captain asks Demolition Man to join the Avengers and they immediately leave on a mission at the request of Battlestar. Battlestar's partner is John Walker, Captain America's replacement, who was captured by Flag-Smasher and his group ULTIMATUM. While Battlestar and the Captain investigated ULTIMATUM's Arctic base, Demolition Man is left with their plane. During the fight, the Captain discovers that Flag-Smasher's base contains a doomsday weapon (an electromagnetic pulse generator), and he orders Dunphy to set the plane on course to crash into the base and then bail out. Dennis sets the course, but then sees an enemy agent land on the plane. Dunphy elects to stay on the plane to ensure that it crashes. The plane explodes, apparently with Dunphy in it, and Captain America is unable to find any trace of him.[13]



In a later adventure with Jack Frost, Captain America sees what he believes to be Dunphy's body frozen in suspended animation in ice near the North Magnetic Pole in the Arctic. However, he is unable to free him.[14] Demolition Man survived the explosion, but suffered wounds that rendered him mute and in a stupor, and is discovered living among the Inuit. During a backup story to "Operation: Galactic Storm", he is rescued by U.S. Agent and the Falcon and recovers under Avengers' care.[15] In time he becomes a hero of a subterranean group of homeless people called the Zero People. Dennis assists the Avengers who are under attack by Morgan LeFay's forces.[16]

It was later established that Dunphy had become delusional and mentally unstable.[17] His intentions remain pure, but he had begun to believe that a "Cosmic Gamemaster" had asked him to retrieve the seven Infinity Gems, which D-Man carried out by stealing common jewelry. At Ben Urich's request, D-Man's hero Daredevil descends into the sewers and persuades Dennis to get some help.[18]

In Civil War: War Crimes, an unnamed newspaper carries the headline "D-Parted: D-Man On The Run After Whereabouts Revealed By Anonymous Tip".

Dennis was being considered as a "potential recruit" for the Initiative program, according to Civil War: Battle Damage Report.[19]

During the Dark Reign storyline, D-Man is shown to be serving in the U.S. military in his civilian identity and covertly in his Demolition Man costume. For a while, he inspires several of his fellow soldiers to operate covertly in costumes as well, but he puts a stop to it out of concern for their military careers. He continues operating by himself. How he recovered from the brain damage/mental instability he had been suffering from is unknown at this point.[20]

In a one-page strip in I Am An Avenger #2, D-man attends a picnic at Avengers Mansion and competes in a pie-eating contest, besting The Thing, Protector, and Valkyrie.[21]

D-Man made an appearance in New Avengers #7, while various heroes are being interviewed to be a nanny for Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. He appears to be spontaneously weeping and his only lines are "I am so lonely...", "I think I came off desperate before--" and "Does Captain America ever talk about me?". When Jessica Jones says her mind is made up on a nanny (Squirrel Girl), Cage quips "D-Man it is." to which she responds "Cute".[22]

Wonder Man recruits Demolition Man to join his Revengers.[23] All three Avengers team defeat Demolition Man and the rest of the Revengers and they are remanded to the Raft. Demolition Man claims the Grandmaster called him to reclaim the Infinity Gems from the Avengers and that the Avengers haven't been returning his calls leading him to be recruited into the Revengers.[24]

A brainwashed Henry Peter Gyrich chooses him to become the new Scourge of the Underworld.[25] Captain America tracks down the new Scourge and the two engage in an intense fight. During the altercation, Captain America recognizes his strength and voice and pleads with him to stop fighting. Demolition Man accuses Captain America of making deals with villains and providing them with new lives instead of punishment, and he takes control of the brawl and Captain America's shield. As Demolition Man is about to strike the killing blow, Sharon Carter arrives on the scene and fatally shoots him.[26]

Someone in Demolition Man's costume is seen as one of the heroes being mentored by Roderick Kingsley during AXIS. It is unclear if this is Dennis or someone else.[27]

During the Secret Wars storyline, Dennis is accidentally resurrected by a young sorcerer who mistakes the name "D-Man" for "demon". After visiting the Avengers Mansion and meeting with Edwin Jarvis and Rage, he has the best day of his life, just before being killed by the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610.[28]

After the eight month ellipsis following Secret Wars, Demolition Man is seen as one of the partners of Sam Wilson (now the new Captain America). It is not explained how he recovered from his seemingly fatal injuries, but Sam simply remarks "He's a survivor". As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel event, Dennis started working for Captain America as a pilot, mechanic, technician, and field backup. Dennis also bought himself battle armor to "finally look cool".[29] He later returns to the UCWF for a special charity match against Battlestar, and the two men end up foiling an attempt to steal the money raised by the event. It is also revealed that he has a boyfriend.[30][31]

Lockjaw, the Inhuman's teleporting dog, recruits D-Man in an attempt to rescue Lockjaw's siblings. D-Man travels with Lockjaw across his home Earth and beyond. Eventually all the canine siblings gain a place of safety. One with the woman he loves, D-Man's elderly neighbor.[32]

D-Man is later seen as a security officer at the rebuilt Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Schools Are Open, but Many Families Remain Hesitant to Return (NYT) Pauline Rojas’s high school in San Antonio is open. But like many of her classmates, she has not returned, and has little interest in doing so. During the coronavirus pandemic, she started working 20 to 40 hours per week at Raising Cane’s, a fast-food restaurant, and has used the money to help pay her family’s internet bill, buy clothes and save for a car. Ms. Rojas, 18, has no doubt that a year of online school, squeezed between work shifts that end at midnight, has affected her learning. Still, she has embraced her new role as a breadwinner, sharing responsibilities with her mother who works at a hardware store. Only a small slice of American schools remain fully closed: 12 percent of elementary and middle schools, according to a federal survey, as well as a minority of high schools. But the percentage of students learning fully remotely is much greater: more than a third of fourth and eighth graders, and an even larger group of high school students. A majority of Black, Hispanic and Asian-American students remain out of school. For every child and parent who has leaped at the opportunity to return to the classroom, others changed their lives over the past year in ways that make going back to school difficult. The consequences are likely to reverberate through the education system for years, especially if states and districts continue to give students the choice to attend school remotely.

Job report anxiety (1440) The US economy added 266,000 new jobs in April, according to government estimates released Friday, far below analysts’ estimates of 1 million. Unemployment also ticked up slightly, from 6.0% to 6.1%. The country has roughly 8.2 million fewer jobs than it had before the pandemic. The figures caught many off guard, with analysts banking on rising vaccine rates and the reopening of many state economies around the country to boost hiring. Some argue a stimulus-provided boost in unemployment benefits, roughly equal to a $15-per-hour wage, has kept workers from returning. Others have argued many low-wage jobs are undesirable amid the pandemic, while highlighting separate issues making it difficult to return to work, such as lack of child care.

Cyberattack on US pipeline is linked to criminal gang (AP) The cyberextortion attempt that has forced the shutdown of a vital U.S. pipeline was carried out by a criminal gang known as DarkSide that cultivates a Robin Hood image of stealing from corporations and giving a cut to charity, two people close to the investigation said Sunday. The shutdown, meanwhile, stretched into its third day, with the Biden administration loosening regulations for the transport of petroleum products on highways as part of an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to avoid disruptions in the fuel supply. Experts said that gasoline prices are unlikely to be affected if the pipeline is back to normal in the next few days but that the incident—the worst cyberattack to date on critical U.S. infrastructure—should serve as a wake-up call to companies about the vulnerabilities they face. The pipeline, operated by Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline, carries gasoline and other fuel from Texas to the Northeast. It delivers roughly 45% of fuel consumed on the East Coast, according to the company.

U.S. and Iran Want to Restore the Nuclear Deal. They Disagree Deeply on What That Means. (NYT) President Biden and Iran’s leaders say they share a common goal: They both want to re-enter the nuclear deal that President Donald J. Trump scrapped three years ago, restoring the bargain that Iran would keep sharp limits on its production of nuclear fuel in return for a lifting of sanctions that have choked its economy. But after five weeks of shadow boxing in Vienna hotel rooms—where the two sides pass notes through European intermediaries—it has become clear that the old deal, strictly defined, does not work for either of them anymore, at least in the long run. The Iranians are demanding that they be allowed to keep the advanced nuclear-fuel production equipment they installed after Mr. Trump abandoned the pact, and integration with the world financial system beyond what they achieved under the 2015 agreement. The Biden administration, for its part, says that restoring the old deal is just a steppingstone. It must be followed immediately by an agreement on limiting missiles and support of terrorism—and making it impossible for Iran to produce enough fuel for a bomb for decades. The Iranians say no way. Iran and the United States “are really negotiating different deals,” said Vali R. Nasr, a former American official who is now at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. “It’s why the talks are so slow.” The Americans see the restoration of the old deal as a first step to something far bigger. The Iranians refuse to even discuss a larger agreement.

‘Cautious hugging’ and pints: UK PM Johnson to ease England’s lockdown (Reuters) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out on Monday the next phase of lockdown easing in England, giving the green light to “cautious hugging” and allowing pubs to serve customers pints inside after months of strict measures. The country is in the process of gradually lifting its latest lockdown over a period of months, in line with a four-step plan unveiled in February, after a rapid vaccine rollout helped drive down COVID-19 cases and deaths. Under Step 3, from May 17 people will be allowed to meet up indoors for the first time in months, in groups of up to six people or two full households together. Pubs, cafes and restaurants will be able to host customers indoors, also for the first time in months and subject to certain rules. Other indoor entertainment like cinemas and sports venues will also be able to resume activity.

Village Caught in Czech-Russia Spy Case Just Wants Things to Stop Blowing Up (NYT) VLACHOVICE-VRBETICE, Czech Republic—For nearly a century, local residents have wondered at the strange comings and goings at a sealed-off camp ringed by barbed wire and dotted with keep out signs on the edge of their village. The armies of Czechoslovakia, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and the Czech Republic all made use over the decades of the 840-acre property, deterring trespassers with guard dogs and armed patrols. When the professional soldiers pulled out in 2006, the secretive activities became even more shadowy. Dozens of weapons depots hidden among the trees were taken over by arms dealers, a company reprocessing missile fuel and other private businesses. Then, in October 2014, came the biggest mystery of all. An enormous explosion ripped through depot No. 16, knocking farmers in nearby fields to the ground and sending dangerous debris raining down on the surrounding area. Initially, the blast—and a second round of explosions two months later—were blamed on the mishandling of weapons stored on the site. But last month the Czech government said that what had happened was a military-style sabotage operation by Russian intelligence operatives. The villagers, more focused on local property values than geopolitics, just want things to stop blowing up.

Thousands suspended at Myanmar universities as junta targets education (Reuters) More than 11,000 academics and other university staff opposed to Myanmar’s ruling junta have been suspended after going on strike in protest against military rule, a teachers’ group told Reuters. The suspensions come as the resumption of universities after a year closed due to the coronavirus epidemic prompts a new confrontation between the army and the staff and students who are calling for boycotts over the Feb. 1 coup. A professor on a fellowship in the United States said she was told she would have to declare opposition to the strikes or lose her job. Her university authorities had told her every scholar would be tracked down and forced to choose, she told Reuters. As of Monday, more than 11,100 academic and other staff had been suspended from colleges and universities offering degrees, an official of the Myanmar Teachers’ Federation told Reuters, declining to be identified for fear of reprisals.

US trashes unwanted gear in Afghanistan, sells as scrap (AP) The twisted remains of several all-terrain vehicles leaned precariously inside Baba Mir’s sprawling scrapyard, alongside smashed shards that were once generators, tank tracks that have been dismantled into chunks of metal, and mountains of tents reduced to sliced up fabric. It’s all U.S. military equipment. The Americans are dismantling their portion of nearby Bagram Air Base, their largest remaining outpost in Afghanistan, and anything that they are not taking home or giving to the Afghan military, they destroy as completely as possible. They do so as a security measure, to ensure equipment doesn’t fall into militant hands. But to Mir and the dozens of other scrap sellers around Bagram, it’s an infuriating waste. “What they are doing is a betrayal of Afghans. They should leave,” said Mir. “Like they have destroyed this vehicle, they have destroyed us.” The bitterness of the scrapyard owners is somewhat self-interested: they’re angry in part because they could have profited more selling intact equipment. But it’s been a common theme for the past two traumatic and destructive decades where actions the U.S. touted as necessary or beneficial only disillusioned Afghans who felt the repercussions.

153 Palestinians in hospital after Jerusalem holy site clash (AP/Reuters) Israeli police firing tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets clashed with Palestinian stone-throwers at a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site on Monday, the latest in a series of confrontations that is pushing the contested city to the brink of eruption. More than a dozen tear gas canisters and stun grenades landed in the Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, said an Associated Press photographer at the scene. Monday’s confrontation was the latest in the sacred compound after days of mounting tensions between Palestinians and Israeli troops in the Old City of Jerusalem, the emotional ground zero of the conflict. Hundreds of Palestinians and about two dozen police officers have been hurt over the past few days. The site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is also considered the holiest site in Judaism. The compound has been the trigger for rounds of Israel-Palestinian violence in the past. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel a “terror state” for “mercilessly and unethically attacking Muslims in Jerusalem.”

Gaza militants, children among 24 dead as Israel hits Hamas (AP) Israel unleashed new airstrikes on Gaza early Tuesday, hitting the high-rise home of a Hamas field commander and two border tunnels dug by militants, as Hamas and other armed groups fired dozens of rockets toward Israel. It was an escalation sparked by weeks of tensions in contested Jerusalem. Since sundown Monday when the cross-border fighting erupted, 24 Palestinians—including nine children—were killed in Gaza, most by airstrikes, Gaza health officials said. The Israeli military said 15 of the dead were militants. During the same period, Gaza militants fired more than 200 rockets toward Israel, injuring six Israeli civilians in a direct hit on an apartment building. This was preceded by hours of clashes Monday between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, mainly in Jerusalem but also across the West Bank. More than 700 Palestinians were hurt, including nearly 500 who were treated at hospitals. In a sign of widening unrest, hundreds of residents of Arab communities across Israel staged overnight demonstrations against the situation in Jerusalem, one of the largest protests by Palestinian citizens in Israel in recent years.

Chad’s rebel battle (Reuters) Chad’s military junta has claimed victory over the rebel group it has been fighting in recent months. The military staged a parade through the capital N’Djamena on Sunday to underline their control, but their triumph has been questioned by their enemies. A Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) spokesman said the rebel group was not aware that fighting was at an end and told Reuters it “will comment when it has reliable and credible information.” Chad’s military declared FACT “annihilated” as recently as April 24, only for fighting to flare up again.

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Call of Duty - The TV Series

Strike Back - Chris Ryan - Season 1 - 5 7/10 In a post 9/11 world Section 20 strikes foreign targets in a bid to stop threats to the UK and its allies. It's just a bit sad that it took them three seasons to really hit their stride. Season four was the best, a mix of action and comedy. Great characters and interesting plot. Section 20 are a deniable military force run out of the home office in the UK. This story follows their fight against threats to the UK and the world. This is a really interesting and unexplored idea for me. I feel that we generally see this story told from the point of view of the brass back in Whitehall and rarely get to see the it play out from the soldier's perspective. Great Episodic Narrative The storytelling is generally fantastic on at the meta level. Each season follows an overall plot, generally perpetrated by a main villain. Each episode follows a single part of the story but fits neatly into the meta plot. This allows us to get to know all the characters on a deeper level as less time needs to be spent focusing on the plot in each episode. In turn it doesn't detract from the narrative because it is all part of the seasons meta plot The investment in the characters is also true for the story. They are interesting and thought provoking. Each season poses what if scenarios that are allowed to play out. Playing in this space is very fun for writers and you can tell this as it shines through on the screen. Buddy Series After the first season the show changes quite dramatically. For the first season it has been a one man show. John Porter, Richard Armitage (The Hobbit & Spooks), carries the season on his ample shoulders.

From then onwards it becomes a buddy series. Sgt. Michael Stonebridge, Phillip Winchester (Crusoe & Chicago Justice), plays a straight laced SAS officer who plays by-the-book. Sgt. Damien Scott, Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom & 300: Rise of an Empire), plays a wise-cracking, philandering Yank. They make a great team, each playing off each other's strengths. The tension between the two is also very good. They have their differences but also have each other's back when it matters. Big Names in the Supporting Roles There are some big names throughout this series. Because of the structure of the narrative they are given a lot of opportunity to really sink their teeth into their roles. Conrad Knox, Charles Dance (Game of Thrones & The Imitation Game), is the main villain in season three - Vengeance. He plays the charismatic South African billionaire who is trying to change the face of the political landscape in Africa. Li-Na, Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon & Star Trek: Discovery), is the lead of North Korea's Section 39. She is a ruthless and effective killer. Michelle nails this role. Unfortunately I gave up on the show before the end of her season. Some Bad Parts There were many mistakes and issues with the series so I'll just list some of them here. S2 E1 - There is a gunfight at the start of the episode. It takes place in a street and the kid running away from Section 20 goes down before they fire. S3 E1 - Up until this point Stonebridge has been the stoic reliable part of the combo. He flies completely off the rails and puts a bullet in Jake Hanson's head after Jake himself loses his mind and murders his squad. Then Stonebridge runs to his side to check his vitals. Come on, you know he's dead.

Photo by Lucas Fonseca from Pexels S4 E2 - Rebecca is shot in the head and yet is still able to move and talk. The scene is quite good apart from the particular injury that would have made her continued role in it impossible. Perhaps the issue is a lack of understanding of how debilitating head wounds are. Some Worse Parts S3 E3 - There is a fight in a hotel and three grenades go off. There is a market happening outside and everyone here would have clearly heard the explosions, but they go about their business as if nothing has happened. In season two there is part of the meta plot of a secretive operation called Trojan Horse which is the main villain's motivation. We only start seeing reference to this towards the end of the season. It is buried too deep for us to understand it. Essentially the entire last episode is one big reveal which we couldn't have see coming. Season two ends with the death of the section chief. We are supposed to care and feel for her sacrifice. But this is just not possible. First, she has been utterly unbearable for the leads the entire season. Fine, but you cannot expect us to take a complete one-eighty. Second, the reason that she sacrificed herself was to stop Operation Trojan leaking - an operation that we had no idea about until moments before. Glaring Plot Holes S2 E6 - A doctor working with Doctors Without borders, or another similar group, is treating people at a hospital under guard of the UN. As night approaches they are told they have to leave. This appears to be a daily routine and she must have some understanding of the threat that she puts everyone in by refusing to leave when an injured lady arrives. Her naivety gets everyone killed. It was also key for her to be captured - but that doesn't excuse the terrible writing. S2 E8 - People working as organ harvesters see their boss murdered and continue working. Everyone up to this point has been a captive working at gun point. Why don't they immediately try to escape? Perhaps the perks are just really good as an organ harvester in eastern Europe? We made it to Season 5. We don't have to worry about the Plot now right? In the first episode Section 20 get a tracking device onto their target's car - the idea to follow him to where he is holding a kidnap victim and perhaps whomever is running him. But they don't pull back at this point - they keep following. It proves important for them to be there so why did they need the tracker at all? In the third episode it gets even more ludicrous. After an attack on their new safe house Julia learns the surname of one of the attackers and finds out the city he is from. From this information she determines that he is Yakuza AND that the Yakuza are working with Section 39. Seems a little farfetched to me but it gets better.

Photo by Cristian Benavides from Pexels Stonebridge then walks into the room and says that they think we killed their boss. Presumably he learnt this from the Yakuza he was just fighting. Surely it would have been good to show us this part of the fight rather than cutting away right before it happened. Also isn't this contradictory to what Julia has just discovered? It would be a huge coincidence if the Yakuza were after vengeance as well as being in league with Section 39. And that is exactly what happens, even if the target of their vengeance is misguided in this instance. The End of the Show for Me The problems and plot flaws above were wearing a bit thin for me but there were also some great bits which we will talk about in a moment. The end of the show for me, and literally where I stopped watching, was S5 E4. They have tracked a truck of metal to a Yakuza stronghold. The metal was going to allow North Korea to have a nuclear weapon. They also know that Li-Na, head of Section 39 is here. They begin the assault on the stronghold, as normal outnumbered at least three to one. The head of Section 20 says: "The only thing that matters is the metal." So they fight their way until they are in sight of the truck and it is heavily defended. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Photo by Chandler Cruttenden on Unsplash At this point the section head orders Julia and Kim to take down the truck as he and Stonebridge go after Li-Na. So in a couple of minutes North Korea getting nuclear weapons switches from priority one two somewhere else down the list. He has to pay a heavy price for this decision but it feels completely unbelievable that he made it in the first place. Why did I watch Five seasons? There is some really great stuff in this show. I think if it had just been episodic I would have been done long before season five. The meta plot spanning a season was really engaging. The way subtitles are done in this show are awesome. With a lot of the show taking place in non-English speaking locations it was great to see them try something new and it worked. The subtitles were huge and felt more like speech bubbles from a comic. It's really fun. There is a great scene in S2 E2 where Section 20 storm a hotel that has been rigged with explosives. A bomb has been suspended above the centre of the floor. As it falls and everyone dives for cover. Stonebridge pelts towards it, catching it at the last second. Other things that they did really well The title music, Short Change Hero by The Heavy, is a banger. It sets up every episode perfectly. You cannot be anything but pumped up for them to storm in, guns-a-blazing, after hearing this track. Generally the editing and pacing are both good. A great example of this is S3 E10. Various teams have been separated as they travel back to base from Nigerian HQ. This thoughtful editing is so fantastically handled. S4 E9 has a portion of the episode where Stonebridge and Scott are assaulting a base while wearing night vision. They transition between first and third person. It works extremely well and lets us experience what the characters are experiencing. Good use of Plot Devices Using Hugh as the villain in S1 E1 and then as a red herring was brilliant. This makes us think that he is always the bad guy, even when he isn't. Great misdirection. Season two sees a double cross of Pakistani intelligence. This aspect of the story is well told and its unfolding is handled with nuance and skill. The show is great at toying with our expectations. It shows us time and time again that it has no qualms killing main characters. It then uses this to setup characters to appear to die or look like they are going to die. As an audience we feel that their death is almost certain and then they escape. They also do the reverse when they kill main characters. They meet our expectations in ways we don't expect which is a hallmark of great storytelling.

Photo by Quentin Kemmel on Unsplash A Missed Opportunity to Use Hatred Well In S3 E1 Stonebridge's wife miscarries. She takes her anger out on him saying that he is happy because he never wanted the child. Stonebridge has been struggling with the decision about the child for a while. He left Section 20 to return to a desk job all so that he could be around. Her reaction is important because we have to hate her. We have to hate her otherwise we will hate Stonebridge when he rejoins Section 20. If they had left this there it would have been great and Stonebridge could have tottered off to kill some bad guys and we would have been on his side. But no - they had to have someone kill her as well. This is supposed to make Stonebridge go on a mad rampage now whenever he sees the perpetrator. This makes little sense. Why setup the hatred of the wife and then make us kind of upset about her death. This makes Stonebridge's decisions from here on appear wishy-washy. He kind of just chooses the motivation that fits best for the situation he is in. Which just takes away from his character. Read the full article

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Railroad Accidents

Train accidents aren’t as common as other transportation accidents, which perhaps is why they aren’t viewed as a major threat. Although railroads aren’t used as often as they were in centuries past, they still remain quite active. In fact, trains are still quite common in the US – particularly subways, commuter trains, trams, etc. In the United States alone, there are approximately 600 railroads, hundreds of thousands of miles of tracks, and over 209,000 railroad crossings. Unfortunately, when train accidents happen, they often result in serious injuries and fatalities. When this happens, obtaining compensation from the company or individual responsible can be more challenging than it should be. Nobody wants to be held liable for such a tragic accident, and their insurance company will fight tooth and nail to deny or reduce your benefits. Whether you were injured while working for a railroad company or you’re a train passenger hurt in a wreck, we encourage you to contact the experienced train accident lawyers.

Train Accident Statistics

• According to the Federal Railroad Administration, in 2014 there were 11,896 train accidents at railroad crossings, resulting in 804 fatalities and thousands of injuries over the course of that year. • Trains are estimated to kill 1 person every 100 minutes. Each year nearly 1,000 people are killed in train related accidents. • More than half of all railroad accidents occur at unprotected crossings. • More than 80 percent of crossings lack adequate warning devices such as lights and gates. • Occupants of vehicles that collide with a train are 40 times more likely to die than if they had collided with another vehicle of comparable size. • Every two weeks a train carrying hazardous materials derails in the United States.

Worst Accidents in Utah History

An accident is one of the worst experiences of a person’s life. From regular fender benders to a crash on the Frontrunner, accidents can cause immense trauma. Although, after an accident, you never want to hear someone say, “It could have been worse.” This observation is usually true. The worst accident is probably not going to happen to you. However, this does not discount your pain. A car accident can seriously injure you and those you love. Some accidents are far worse than others. The following is a list of some of the worst disasters we have encountered. These accidents do not necessarily have the most massive numbers of deaths, but instead are those that have had lasting impact or accidents that officials have dubbed, “the worst” they have ever seen.

Bagley Train Wreck, the Great Salt Lake 1944

In 1944, a Pullman car passenger train was passing west of Ogden by the Great Salt Lake full of soldiers returning home after serving in World War II. Around 6 a.m. on December 31, two westbound trains crashed near Promontory point. The Standard-Examiner headline for the day following the crash read, “Pacific Limited Crash claims 48 lives. According to the article, a “[r]exporter [found] tragic horror at wreck scene” and that the wreck reminded one victim of war because “screams, moans rend the air at the wreck scene.” The Deseret News reported that veteran railroad workers were left in tears as they saw the fiery wreck. They later described the incident as “the worst wreck they had seen in all their days on the tracks.” Not only were there 48 deaths, but also a reported 79 were injured. Among those that were killed were 35 military personnel and nine railroad workers. According to the article in the Standard-Examiner, this wreck was the worst railroad disaster in the Intermountain area. As time passed, the total dead rose to 50 from injuries. Reports say that the accident came about as a thick fog obscured the vision of a mail express train.

The mail express did not slow its speed for a caution sign and crashed into the rear of a Pullman car passenger train at 60 miles per hour. The passenger train had slowed down to 18 miles per hour for a freight train ahead of it with mechanical problems. Conflicting accounts say that the engineer of the mail train had a heart attack and died a few moments before the accident. As the trains collided, seven rail cars were thrown from the wooden trestles and landed in the shallow mud of the Great Salt Lake. The article states that the wreck scattered debris stretched a half-mile. Luckily, the Pullman passenger car had two medical cars, so Medical Corps members were able to help those who had been injured by the violent crash. If the medical professionals had not been there, the victims would have had to wait for the arrival of another train from Ogden. To this day, the rusting remains of the wreck can be seen by the Great Salt Lake.

Tragic Train/Bus Collision, 1938

On December 1, 1938, a Jordan High School-bound school bus was driving through a thick winter storm. As the bus approached the railroad crossing at 10200 South and 400 West, the driver pulled to a stop to check the tracks for any approaching trains. Because of a thick fog which clouded the man’s view, he failed to see the 80-plus car train coming fast from Denver. The bus slowly crept over the tracks. The train operator managed to see the bus on the tracks and quickly pulled the emergency brake, however, his action failed to prevent the accident. The resulting accident was devastating. According to an article in the Deseret News, “the collision claimed the lives of 23 children and the bus driver.” Only 15 people survived. Those who survived dealt with a life full of “serious physical injuries and emotional scars.” This accident eventually prompted the railroad crossing laws and mechanical crossing arms along with other national regulations which still are in place today. For example, today, school buses are still required to stop at all train tracks and also open their doors to ensure there are not any trains barreling down the tracks. Later, in 2013, the city of South Jordan erected a memorial at Heritage Park on 10778 S. Redwood Road commemorating the 75th anniversary of the event.

30 Car Pileups, 2018

This accident is far more recent. We chose this accident for the sheer number of vehicles involved, not because of the severity of the injuries, although one individual did pass away. The massive vehicle pileup occurred on March 26. Around 7:20 a.m., snow began to fall near Echo Junction. Somewhere along mile marker 172, sheets of ice had frozen on the road. Drivers were speeding along a little too fast given the circumstances when suddenly, the cars hit the ice, they all began to slide. This chain reaction resulted in a crash involving 30 different vehicles, including 15 tractor trailers. According to an article on KSL’s website, Lt. Harley Watkins told news reporters, “It was a very significant crash. In 18 years, this is one of the worst [he had] seen.” This accident involved significant property damage.

Hole-in-the-Rock Accident, 1963

In 1963, a cattle-truck filled with over 40 Boy Scouts and leaders from the Provo-area was driving along a dusty road in Southern Utah near Escalante. The truck slowly crept up a steep 8 percent grade hill. The truck was in high gear, and as the driver attempted to shift down, however, the clutch never engaged. He tried to punch the brake, but the truck didn’t respond. The truck suddenly began to roll backward for 124 feet, over an embankment and crashed to the bottom of a 35-foot steep ravine. The accident claimed the lives of 12 of the Scouts. A 13th victim passed away the next day in a hospital in Panguitch. Another 35 people were seriously injured. The Deseret News reported that the leaders had packed 40 plus people into a 2.5-ton cattle truck as they were traveling to the Hole-in-the-Rock. Apparently, there would be another 50 boaters that would meet them there for a Colorado River run. The families and friends of those who passed away put together a monument on the accident’s 30th anniversary in 1993.

Worst Bear Lake Boat Accident, 2015

In June of 2015, a group of seven people was boating on Bear Lake roughly six miles north of the marina when a sudden storm arose. Severe winds began to stir up six to ten-foot waves. The boat was designed for water skiing and wakeboarding, so it sat lower in the water. The lower design caused the boat to capsize because of the rough waves. The accident killed four people and injured three others as the group plunged into the 53-degree waters. One of the problems of this wreck is the Utah State Park rangers did not hear about the accident for a while. After hearing about the accident, it took the rangers a few hours to locate the group because of the bad weather. Because of this, the sheriff reported that members in the group were in the water for over five hours. According to an article on Fox 13’s website, Rich County Sheriff Dale Stacey told reporters, “This is the single worst tragedy that I have seen on this lake.” Richard Droesbeke, the park manager said the victims were located and found in groups within the vicinity of the capsized boat. Two of the girls had attempted to swim to shore. Those two were found about a mile close to shore. Once on shore, officials performed CPR on the victims, and they were taken in medical helicopter sot Salt Lake City hospitals.

Train Accident Law

Train accident laws seek to prevent injuries and death. In most cases they have worked pretty well. From 2011-2012, Utah’s Frontrunner only injured 5 people and killed 2. However, Trax has proven more dangerous. From 2007 to 2010, Trax had 94 accidents, 7 of which were fatal. There are also multiple accidents caused by private train companies. While not completely comparable, this is still significantly lower than the 200 fatalities caused by car accidents in just 2012. While the chance of being injured by a train is still small, the devastation is significant and the chances are increasing. It is still possible that you or a loved one could be injured by a train or while in it. You need to know how to move forward despite all the problems caused by the accident.

Responsibilities of Train Companies

Train companies are responsible to ensure that they reasonable avoid accidents. The Utah courts have held them responsible for train crossings that are abnormally dangerous. This includes having crossings in a high traffic area or allowing plants to block the view of their tracks. However, the company is not responsible for setting up and maintaining warning signals. Instead, Utah train accident laws place that job with the Utah Department of Transportation. However, this does not remove all responsibility from the company. They still have a reasonable duty of care toward anyone near their train, especially at crossings.

Train drivers also have very specific responsibilities that they must follow. They cannot block the use of a road for longer than 5 minutes unless under special circumstances. These include following traffic signals, avoiding hitting anything, or when there is no traffic. They only need to keep a lookout for potential dangers where they would expect people to be. This mostly means at railroad crossings. Since it would be nearly impossible to always be able to stop fast enough at other times, they are not responsible in other circumstances. Also, they only have a responsibility to brake when they know that someone is most likely going to get hurt if they don’t.

Responsibilities of Drivers

Utah train accident laws apply to many different types of drivers. If they break these laws, then they might put you or your loved ones in danger.

Though common sense, Utah has made some laws to prevent car drivers from causing an accident with a train. In general, drivers must look and listen to see if a train is coming before crossing. After the train warning gates have closed, it is illegal to cross the train tracks. Similarly, a driver must stop at least 15 feet away from the railroad tracks and can’t go forward if there are any warning signals or a train is “plainly visible.” What if the warning signal goes off, but it appears to be a false alarm? Utah train accident laws say that a driver can go through after stopping if: • There is no gate or barrier, • The driver can see the train tracks for a mile in either direction, • “There is no evidence of an approaching train,” and • The driver can cross safely. However, drivers cannot go around, through, or under a gate or barrier even if the signal is faulty. They also cannot cause another vehicle or person to go onto the tracks or not be able to get off of them. Drivers also cannot go over the tracks unless they can get through without stopping. So when traffic backs up, wait behind where the gate would go until you can pull forward and stop off the tracks. In fact, they cannot even park their vehicle within 50 feet of the tracks unless they are unloading something.

Pedestrians

People walking near a railroad track need to be smart. Utah train accident laws dictate what this means. They cannot cross the tracks anytime the warning signals are going off. They also cannot stand inside the gate even if they are not on the actual tracks.

School Bus Drivers

School bus drivers are usually held to a higher standard than the typical driver because there are children on their bus. For example, Utah train accident laws state that school bus drivers need to follow their district policy when approaching a train track. They are also required to report any faulty warning signals to their supervisor.

Semi-Truck Drivers

Semi-Truck drivers also have a higher standard than the normal driver. Typically, when they approach train tracks without a gate, they have to stop 15 feet beforehand. They cannot cross unless they can do so safely. This includes making sure that they can get all the way through when traffic is backed up. Other laws apply to special vehicles like those in construction.

How quickly should I seek legal help if I was injured in a train accident? Quickly. Utah has a standard four year window for a lawsuit to be filed for personal injuries. While it is important for you to take time to grieve and deal with the injuries or death, waiting too long may cause you even more suffering. After this window closes, no legal action can be taken. This means that you cannot hold the guilty party responsible for the suffering they have caused or deter them from doing it again. Because of how long it takes to find all the evidence and submit all the documents, don’t delay in getting help. If you or a loved one has been injured in a train accident, call and seek the help of an Attorney.

Train Accident Lawyer Free Consultation

When you need legal help with a train or railroad accident in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation [phone]. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: [phone]

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Railroad Accidents

Train accidents aren’t as common as other transportation accidents, which perhaps is why they aren’t viewed as a major threat. Although railroads aren’t used as often as they were in centuries past, they still remain quite active. In fact, trains are still quite common in the US – particularly subways, commuter trains, trams, etc. In the United States alone, there are approximately 600 railroads, hundreds of thousands of miles of tracks, and over 209,000 railroad crossings. Unfortunately, when train accidents happen, they often result in serious injuries and fatalities. When this happens, obtaining compensation from the company or individual responsible can be more challenging than it should be. Nobody wants to be held liable for such a tragic accident, and their insurance company will fight tooth and nail to deny or reduce your benefits. Whether you were injured while working for a railroad company or you’re a train passenger hurt in a wreck, we encourage you to contact the experienced train accident lawyers.

Train Accident Statistics

• According to the Federal Railroad Administration, in 2014 there were 11,896 train accidents at railroad crossings, resulting in 804 fatalities and thousands of injuries over the course of that year. • Trains are estimated to kill 1 person every 100 minutes. Each year nearly 1,000 people are killed in train related accidents. • More than half of all railroad accidents occur at unprotected crossings. • More than 80 percent of crossings lack adequate warning devices such as lights and gates. • Occupants of vehicles that collide with a train are 40 times more likely to die than if they had collided with another vehicle of comparable size. • Every two weeks a train carrying hazardous materials derails in the United States.

Worst Accidents in Utah History

An accident is one of the worst experiences of a person’s life. From regular fender benders to a crash on the Frontrunner, accidents can cause immense trauma. Although, after an accident, you never want to hear someone say, “It could have been worse.” This observation is usually true. The worst accident is probably not going to happen to you. However, this does not discount your pain. A car accident can seriously injure you and those you love. Some accidents are far worse than others. The following is a list of some of the worst disasters we have encountered. These accidents do not necessarily have the most massive numbers of deaths, but instead are those that have had lasting impact or accidents that officials have dubbed, “the worst” they have ever seen.

Bagley Train Wreck, the Great Salt Lake 1944

In 1944, a Pullman car passenger train was passing west of Ogden by the Great Salt Lake full of soldiers returning home after serving in World War II. Around 6 a.m. on December 31, two westbound trains crashed near Promontory point. The Standard-Examiner headline for the day following the crash read, “Pacific Limited Crash claims 48 lives. According to the article, a “[r]exporter [found] tragic horror at wreck scene” and that the wreck reminded one victim of war because “screams, moans rend the air at the wreck scene.” The Deseret News reported that veteran railroad workers were left in tears as they saw the fiery wreck. They later described the incident as “the worst wreck they had seen in all their days on the tracks.” Not only were there 48 deaths, but also a reported 79 were injured. Among those that were killed were 35 military personnel and nine railroad workers. According to the article in the Standard-Examiner, this wreck was the worst railroad disaster in the Intermountain area. As time passed, the total dead rose to 50 from injuries. Reports say that the accident came about as a thick fog obscured the vision of a mail express train.

The mail express did not slow its speed for a caution sign and crashed into the rear of a Pullman car passenger train at 60 miles per hour. The passenger train had slowed down to 18 miles per hour for a freight train ahead of it with mechanical problems. Conflicting accounts say that the engineer of the mail train had a heart attack and died a few moments before the accident. As the trains collided, seven rail cars were thrown from the wooden trestles and landed in the shallow mud of the Great Salt Lake. The article states that the wreck scattered debris stretched a half-mile. Luckily, the Pullman passenger car had two medical cars, so Medical Corps members were able to help those who had been injured by the violent crash. If the medical professionals had not been there, the victims would have had to wait for the arrival of another train from Ogden. To this day, the rusting remains of the wreck can be seen by the Great Salt Lake.

Tragic Train/Bus Collision, 1938

On December 1, 1938, a Jordan High School-bound school bus was driving through a thick winter storm. As the bus approached the railroad crossing at 10200 South and 400 West, the driver pulled to a stop to check the tracks for any approaching trains. Because of a thick fog which clouded the man’s view, he failed to see the 80-plus car train coming fast from Denver. The bus slowly crept over the tracks. The train operator managed to see the bus on the tracks and quickly pulled the emergency brake, however, his action failed to prevent the accident. The resulting accident was devastating. According to an article in the Deseret News, “the collision claimed the lives of 23 children and the bus driver.” Only 15 people survived. Those who survived dealt with a life full of “serious physical injuries and emotional scars.” This accident eventually prompted the railroad crossing laws and mechanical crossing arms along with other national regulations which still are in place today. For example, today, school buses are still required to stop at all train tracks and also open their doors to ensure there are not any trains barreling down the tracks. Later, in 2013, the city of South Jordan erected a memorial at Heritage Park on 10778 S. Redwood Road commemorating the 75th anniversary of the event.

30 Car Pileups, 2018

This accident is far more recent. We chose this accident for the sheer number of vehicles involved, not because of the severity of the injuries, although one individual did pass away. The massive vehicle pileup occurred on March 26. Around 7:20 a.m., snow began to fall near Echo Junction. Somewhere along mile marker 172, sheets of ice had frozen on the road. Drivers were speeding along a little too fast given the circumstances when suddenly, the cars hit the ice, they all began to slide. This chain reaction resulted in a crash involving 30 different vehicles, including 15 tractor trailers. According to an article on KSL’s website, Lt. Harley Watkins told news reporters, “It was a very significant crash. In 18 years, this is one of the worst [he had] seen.” This accident involved significant property damage.

Hole-in-the-Rock Accident, 1963

In 1963, a cattle-truck filled with over 40 Boy Scouts and leaders from the Provo-area was driving along a dusty road in Southern Utah near Escalante. The truck slowly crept up a steep 8 percent grade hill. The truck was in high gear, and as the driver attempted to shift down, however, the clutch never engaged. He tried to punch the brake, but the truck didn’t respond. The truck suddenly began to roll backward for 124 feet, over an embankment and crashed to the bottom of a 35-foot steep ravine. The accident claimed the lives of 12 of the Scouts. A 13th victim passed away the next day in a hospital in Panguitch. Another 35 people were seriously injured. The Deseret News reported that the leaders had packed 40 plus people into a 2.5-ton cattle truck as they were traveling to the Hole-in-the-Rock. Apparently, there would be another 50 boaters that would meet them there for a Colorado River run. The families and friends of those who passed away put together a monument on the accident’s 30th anniversary in 1993.

Worst Bear Lake Boat Accident, 2015

In June of 2015, a group of seven people was boating on Bear Lake roughly six miles north of the marina when a sudden storm arose. Severe winds began to stir up six to ten-foot waves. The boat was designed for water skiing and wakeboarding, so it sat lower in the water. The lower design caused the boat to capsize because of the rough waves. The accident killed four people and injured three others as the group plunged into the 53-degree waters. One of the problems of this wreck is the Utah State Park rangers did not hear about the accident for a while. After hearing about the accident, it took the rangers a few hours to locate the group because of the bad weather. Because of this, the sheriff reported that members in the group were in the water for over five hours. According to an article on Fox 13’s website, Rich County Sheriff Dale Stacey told reporters, “This is the single worst tragedy that I have seen on this lake.” Richard Droesbeke, the park manager said the victims were located and found in groups within the vicinity of the capsized boat. Two of the girls had attempted to swim to shore. Those two were found about a mile close to shore. Once on shore, officials performed CPR on the victims, and they were taken in medical helicopter sot Salt Lake City hospitals.

Train Accident Law

Train accident laws seek to prevent injuries and death. In most cases they have worked pretty well. From 2011-2012, Utah’s Frontrunner only injured 5 people and killed 2. However, Trax has proven more dangerous. From 2007 to 2010, Trax had 94 accidents, 7 of which were fatal. There are also multiple accidents caused by private train companies. While not completely comparable, this is still significantly lower than the 200 fatalities caused by car accidents in just 2012. While the chance of being injured by a train is still small, the devastation is significant and the chances are increasing. It is still possible that you or a loved one could be injured by a train or while in it. You need to know how to move forward despite all the problems caused by the accident.

Responsibilities of Train Companies

Train companies are responsible to ensure that they reasonable avoid accidents. The Utah courts have held them responsible for train crossings that are abnormally dangerous. This includes having crossings in a high traffic area or allowing plants to block the view of their tracks. However, the company is not responsible for setting up and maintaining warning signals. Instead, Utah train accident laws place that job with the Utah Department of Transportation. However, this does not remove all responsibility from the company. They still have a reasonable duty of care toward anyone near their train, especially at crossings.

Train drivers also have very specific responsibilities that they must follow. They cannot block the use of a road for longer than 5 minutes unless under special circumstances. These include following traffic signals, avoiding hitting anything, or when there is no traffic. They only need to keep a lookout for potential dangers where they would expect people to be. This mostly means at railroad crossings. Since it would be nearly impossible to always be able to stop fast enough at other times, they are not responsible in other circumstances. Also, they only have a responsibility to brake when they know that someone is most likely going to get hurt if they don’t.

Responsibilities of Drivers

Utah train accident laws apply to many different types of drivers. If they break these laws, then they might put you or your loved ones in danger.

Though common sense, Utah has made some laws to prevent car drivers from causing an accident with a train. In general, drivers must look and listen to see if a train is coming before crossing. After the train warning gates have closed, it is illegal to cross the train tracks. Similarly, a driver must stop at least 15 feet away from the railroad tracks and can’t go forward if there are any warning signals or a train is “plainly visible.” What if the warning signal goes off, but it appears to be a false alarm? Utah train accident laws say that a driver can go through after stopping if: • There is no gate or barrier, • The driver can see the train tracks for a mile in either direction, • “There is no evidence of an approaching train,” and • The driver can cross safely. However, drivers cannot go around, through, or under a gate or barrier even if the signal is faulty. They also cannot cause another vehicle or person to go onto the tracks or not be able to get off of them. Drivers also cannot go over the tracks unless they can get through without stopping. So when traffic backs up, wait behind where the gate would go until you can pull forward and stop off the tracks. In fact, they cannot even park their vehicle within 50 feet of the tracks unless they are unloading something.

Pedestrians

People walking near a railroad track need to be smart. Utah train accident laws dictate what this means. They cannot cross the tracks anytime the warning signals are going off. They also cannot stand inside the gate even if they are not on the actual tracks.

School Bus Drivers

School bus drivers are usually held to a higher standard than the typical driver because there are children on their bus. For example, Utah train accident laws state that school bus drivers need to follow their district policy when approaching a train track. They are also required to report any faulty warning signals to their supervisor.

Semi-Truck Drivers

Semi-Truck drivers also have a higher standard than the normal driver. Typically, when they approach train tracks without a gate, they have to stop 15 feet beforehand. They cannot cross unless they can do so safely. This includes making sure that they can get all the way through when traffic is backed up. Other laws apply to special vehicles like those in construction.

How quickly should I seek legal help if I was injured in a train accident? Quickly. Utah has a standard four year window for a lawsuit to be filed for personal injuries. While it is important for you to take time to grieve and deal with the injuries or death, waiting too long may cause you even more suffering. After this window closes, no legal action can be taken. This means that you cannot hold the guilty party responsible for the suffering they have caused or deter them from doing it again. Because of how long it takes to find all the evidence and submit all the documents, don’t delay in getting help. If you or a loved one has been injured in a train accident, call and seek the help of an Attorney.

Train Accident Lawyer Free Consultation

When you need legal help with a train or railroad accident in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation [phone]. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: [phone]

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

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Monday, January 11, 2021

The workers hit hardest during Covid-19’s first wave are getting pummeled again (Yahoo Finance) Since the beginning of the pandemic, one group of workers has been hurt far more than others: those working in the service industries, specifically in leisure and hospitality jobs. And in December after some progress, that industry lost jobs once again. “The most recent surge in coronavirus cases is once again battering the US labor market,” Indeed’s economic research director Nick Bunker wrote in a note. “The economic fallout from this wave of cases is hitting the industries and workers pummeled hardest by the initial damage before they fully bounced back from that first hit.” The latest hit isn’t as bad as the spring, as vaccines are rolling out and certain measures are in place, but restaurants, bars, and other jobs that depend on people interacting still cannot do business in a pandemic environment.

Squelched by Twitter, Trump seeks new online megaphone (AP) One Twitter wag joked about lights flickering on and off at the White House being Donald Trump signaling to his followers in Morse code after Twitter and Facebook squelched the president for inciting rebellion. Though deprived of his big online megaphones, Trump does have alternative options of much smaller reach. The far right-friendly Parler may be the leading candidate, though Google and Apple have both removed it from their app stores and Amazon decided to boot it off its web hosting service. Trump may launch his own platform. But that won’t happen overnight, and free speech experts anticipate growing pressure on all social media platforms to curb incendiary speech as Americans take stock of Wednesday’s violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol. Facebook and Instagram have suspended Trump at least until Inauguration Day. Twitch and Snapchat also have disabled Trump’s accounts, while Shopify took down online stores affiliated with the president and Reddit removed a Trump subgroup. Twitter also banned Trump loyalists including former national security advisor Michael Flynn in a sweeping purge of accounts promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory and the Capitol insurrection. Some had hundreds of thousands of followers.

Navy’s Priciest Carrier Ever Struggles to Get Jets On, Off Deck (Bloomberg) Aircraft takeoff and landing systems on the USS Gerald R. Ford remain unreliable and break down too often more than three years after the $13.2 billion carrier was delivered, according to the Pentagon’s top tester. The latest assessment of the costliest warship ever built “remains consistent” with previous years, director of testing Robert Behler said in his new summary of the program obtained by Bloomberg News before its release in an annual report. The Ford’s new systems—which propel planes off the deck and into the sky and then snag them on landing—are crucial to justifying the expense of what’s now a four-vessel, $57 billion program intended to replace the current Nimitz class of aircraft carriers. The continuing reliability woes with the carrier systems built by General Atomics of San Diego are separate from another continuing challenge: the installation and certification of elevators needed to lift munitions from below deck. As of November, six of 11 “advanced weapons elevators” that should have been installed when the ship was delivered in May 2017 are now operational.

In Central America, tensions rise as soldiers aim to stop migrants (Reuters) Guatemalan and Honduran soldiers will be deployed to prevent new U.S.-bound migrant caravans from advancing, military officials said, amid growing desperation among those seeking to cross and signs that some groups will depart later this month. Two devastating hurricanes late last year along with severe economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic have pushed millions of people in the already-poor region closer to hunger, leading to a steady rise in U.S.-bound migration through Mexico. In online forums, many Honduras have indicated they plan to leave next weekend in a new caravan, which has caught the attention of U.S. officials who have called on the region’s governments to stop them. Many migrants in recent years have chosen to travel by caravan because being part of a large group offers protection from criminals who might prey on them, even though traveling alone is often faster.

Johnson under fire as UK again faces onslaught of COVID-19 (AP) The crisis facing Britain this winter is depressingly familiar: Stay-at-home orders and empty streets. Hospitals overflowing. A daily toll of many hundreds of coronavirus deaths. The U.K. is the epicenter of Europe’s COVID-19 outbreak once more, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government is facing questions, and anger, as people demand to know how the country has ended up here—again. Many countries are enduring new waves of the virus, but Britain’s is among the worst, and it comes after a horrendous 2020. More than 3 million people in the U.K. have tested positive for the coronavirus and 81,000 have died—30,000 in just the last 30 days. The economy has shrunk by 8%, more than 800,000 jobs have been lost and hundreds of thousands more furloughed workers are in limbo. Even with the new lockdown, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Friday that the situation in the capital was “critical,” with one in every 30 people infected. “The stark reality is that we will run out of beds for patients in the next couple of weeks unless the spread of the virus slows down drastically,” he said.

In the Cold and Rain, India’s Farmers Press Their Stand Against Modi (NYT) Under a rain-slick tarpaulin, half a dozen elderly women bake roti on a wood-fired griddle—flattening dough, flipping browned bread from dawn until the sun retreats into Delhi’s evening smoke. Anyone who walks in gets served rice and cooked vegetables and, to wash it down, a cumin-flavored yogurt drink. Across the road, Jagjeet Singh, a burly man with a large fanny pack and a light purple turban, churns a hefty pot of milk coffee from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. The scenes stretching for miles around the Indian capital don’t come from a fair. They make up one of the largest sustained protests the country has seen in decades, persisting through steady rains and dozens of deaths that farmers and the Indian media have attributed to the weather, illness or suicide. For six weeks now, tens of thousands of farmers have choked the city’s four main entry points. They are challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has crushed all other opposition and stands as the country’s dominant political force, over his effort to reshape how farming in India has been done for decades. “They sold everything else. Only the farmers are left,” said 18-year old Ajay Veer Singh, who has been at the protest with his 67-year-old grandfather since it began in November. “Now they want to sell the farmers to their corporate friends too.”

China sees growing outbreak south of Beijing (AP) More than 360 people have tested positive in a growing coronavirus outbreak south of Beijing in neighboring Hebei province. The outbreak has raised particular concern because of Hebei’s proximity to the nation’s capital. Travel between the two has been restricted, with workers from Hebei having to show proof of employment in Beijing to enter the city. Almost all of the cases are in Shijuazhuang, the provincial capital, which is about 260 kilometers (160 miles) southwest of Beijing. A handful have also been found in Xingtai city, 110 kilometers (68 miles) farther south. Both cities have conducted mass testing of millions of residents, suspended public transportation and restricted residents to their communities or villages for one week.

Pompeo voids restrictions on diplomatic contacts with Taiwan (AP) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Saturday that the State Department is voiding longstanding restrictions on how U.S. diplomats and others have contact with their counterparts in Taiwan, another move that is expected to upset China as the Trump administration winds to an end. The Trump administration has sought to strengthen bilateral relations with Taiwan. It announced Thursday that U.N Ambassador Kelly Craft would go to Taiwan, a move that sparked sharp criticism from Beijing and a warning that the U.S. would pay a heavy price. In August, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar became the first Cabinet member to visit Taiwan since 2014. Pompeo said that the State Department has created complex restrictions when it comes to contacts between the two parties. He said those actions were taken to appease the Communist regime in Beijing. “No more,” Pompeo declared in a statement. “Today I am announcing that I am lifting all of these self-imposed restrictions.” The Chinese government maintains that mainland China and Taiwan are parts of “one China.” China has been stepping up its threats to bring the self-governing island under its control by military force with frequent war games and aerial patrols. It has been using its diplomatic clout to stop Taiwan from joining any organizations that require statehood for membership.

Japanese pray for end to pandemic in annual ice bath ritual at Tokyo shrine (Reuters) Men wearing traditional loin clothes and women dressed in white robes clapped and chanted before going into an ice water bath during a Shinto ritual at a Tokyo shrine on Sunday to purify the soul and pray for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only a dozen people took part in the annual event at Teppou-zu Inari Shrine, scaled down this year due to the health crisis, compared to over a hundred in early 2020. After doing warming-up exercises and chanting under a clear sky with outside temperatures at 5.1 degree Celsius (41.18 Fahrenheit), the nine male and three female participants went into a bath filled with cold water and large ice blocks. Fewer participants at the Shinto ritual made the water extra cold, participant Naoaki Yamaguchi told Reuters. “Normally we have more participants and it makes the water temperature a little bit warmer. But this year, there were just twelve people, so it (the cold) was crazy,” the 47-year-old said.

Indonesian divers find parts of plane wreckage in Java Sea (AP) Indonesian divers on Sunday located parts of the wreckage of a Boeing 737-500 at a depth of 23 meters (75 feet) in the Java Sea, a day after the aircraft with 62 people onboard crashed shortly after takeoff from Jakarta. Earlier, rescuers pulled out body parts, pieces of clothing and scraps of metal from the surface. It’s still unclear what caused the crash. There was no sign of survivors. Fishermen in the area between Lancang and Laki islands, part of an archipelago around Thousand Islands north of Jakarta’s coast, reported hearing an explosion around 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

At a Yemen hospital wracked by U.S. funding cuts, children are dying of hunger (Washington Post) Her infant son, weakened by hunger, needed a better-equipped hospital in the capital, Sanaa, roughly 30 miles away. But Hanan Saleh could no longer afford even the $30 taxi fare. Before, she depended on a Western aid organization, Save the Children, for funds, drawn from money donated by the United States, to cover the travel costs, said employees of the organization and hospital officials. But last year, the United States slashed its funding to United Nations groups and others such as Save the Children. So Saleh had to raise money to treat her son, Mohammed, in Sanaa until those funds ran out, too. Her last option was a small hospital in this northern Yemen market town, a 15-minute walk from their home. The staff tried to build up his skeletal, malnourished 9-month-old body. “He died two months ago,” Saleh recalled in November, breaking down in tears. Aid cuts by the Trump administration and other Western countries, intended to prevent Yemen’s Houthi rebels from diverting or blocking funds, are worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis, already considered the most severe in the world. Last year’s pledges totaling $1.61 billion were less than half of 2019’s funding, and hundreds of millions of dollars committed by donors have not yet been paid, according to the U.N.’s humanitarian office for Yemen. At least 15 of the U.N.’s 41 major programs have been scaled back or closed, and additional programs could shutter in the months to come, if more funds are not received, U.N. officials say.

The Tiny Satellites That Will Connect Cows, Cars and Shipping Containers to the Internet (WSJ) Scientists who track the health of Adélie penguins on the ice-covered wastes of Antarctica are managing their cameras from thousands of miles away—via tiny satellites orbiting above our heads. Energy companies are exploring using the same technology for monitoring hard-to-reach wind farms; logistics companies for tracking shipping containers; and agribusiness companies for minding cattle. It even helped National Geographic track a discarded plastic bottle from Bangladesh to the Indian Ocean. In the near future, it isn’t unreasonable to imagine this evolving satellite technology could put a distress beacon in every automobile, allow remote monitoring of wildlife in any environment on earth, and track your Amazon shipment—not just when it’s on a truck, but backward, all the way to the factory that produced it. And it could be done at a fraction of the cost of earlier satellite tracking systems. These novel networks of nanosats—aka cubesats—are a result of a number of factors. First, the satellites themselves are smaller, cheaper and more capable than ever. Just as important, there’s the rollout and adoption of new long-distance, low-power wireless communication standards that can work just as well in outer space as they do on the ground. In the next year, hundreds of satellites from more than a dozen companies are set to launch.

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