BBHG: Japanese Curry (Ch. 1)

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

Words: 1,658

Summary: A chance encounter in the Shibuya Train Station leaves you with a sore shoulder and a mysterious bento box. You’re willing to write the incident off and move on, otherwise preoccupied with navigating a new city and a new job, but a bombastic blond, meddling friend, and fate itself seem to have other plans.

Genre: Pro Hero AU, fluff, strangers to lovers, medical setting

Links: Next Chapter | Masterlist | Cross-posted on Ao3!

Japanese Curry - a thick curry with a stew-like consistency, commonly including a protein, sweet onions, carrots, and potatoes. With many variations ranging from regions to households, it has become a staple comfort food in Japan. 

Tokyo was a living, breathing city. Its body was an ever-changing collection of homes, pop-up stands, and skyscrapers, stretching out as far as the eye could see and held together by the sinuous wires of telephone poles and railway tracks. Beautiful, messy, and thriving, it was all thanks to the heart which lay beneath. The pulse, strong and steady despite the city’s nature towards change, thrummed with citizens’ going about their day, carrying life which echoed throughout train stations and ricocheted off neon signs.

Overall, Tokyo was a beast, wild and untamable, especially when compared to your small rural hometown where people moved slowly and time moved even slower.

Descending into the underground railway station too early on a Monday morning, Tokyo definitely felt untamable, but not in a sense of freedom or adventure. Bento clutched in your hands and cross-body bag acting as a shield, you felt more like you were training for battle as you made your way down to the train station platform.

‘A straight ride through Shinagawa and then-’ the train doors opened two minutes early, causing a physical wave of panic to ripple through the crowd of hurried passengers as they pushed onto and off of the platform.

Time slowed, reduced to excruciating seconds as you watched the open doors get farther and farther away. You took a step forward, desperate to make up the difference and scuffed the toe of a stern looking businessman in the process. He retaliated in response, briefcase bumping you just enough to be forceful.

You threw out your arms to stop yourself, but there was nothing to brace against. Already dreading the embarrassment that was sure to follow your complete wipe-out, you gasped as you instead careened into an incredibly hard chest covered by a very soft army green hoodie. The scent of warm caramel and expensive smelling cologne invaded your senses, and for a second, you thought disaster had been avoided. That is, until your bento box, along with his, fell to the ground with a soft thud in the chaos.

“Watch it,” the stranger growled. He bent over, grabbing both bentos and shoving yours into your arms. You began to offer your thanks, but the stranger didn’t care to wait, immediately muscling his way through the crowd until he was lost from your sight.

“What an asshole,” you grumbled. A mother nearby gasped and covered her daughter’s ears. You opened your mouth to apologize, but she had already disappeared as well. Once again, you were left alone with only your bag, bento, and the rush of the train station.

You would like to say that the day got better, but it, in fact, did not.

Arriving at the Tokyo Central Hospital, you began your shift, checking on your assigned patients and tidying up the rooms. Things were normal, easy even, which should have been your first indicator that something was bound to go wrong. People called the ICU: Quirk-Related Injury unit many things, but “normal” and “easy” certainly weren’t among the commonly used phrases. Descriptors such as “crazy” or “a living nightmare” were much more accurate and commonly whispered over the water cooler in the breakroom.

It was right after your mid-morning break that things began to spiral. The springtime air made the general public get out and get active, but this also seemed to be the case for villains as well. One with a particularly destructive quirk had targeted a heavily populated food court, and you suddenly had an influx of patients to care for who got caught up in the crossfire.

In situations like this, time was a blur. You weren’t sure how long you had been working for, but you did know that you had just collected the charts for the last new admittee when Hina, a fellow nurse, dragged you by the arm into the breakroom for a very late lunch.

Walking to the far corner of the room, Hina flopped down into an unyielding plastic chair by the window, digging around in her satchel until she produced a crinkly bag of Tanko octopus chips. She opened the bag facing away from her, shoveling a handful into her mouth and swallowing so quickly you were glad that you knew how to perform the Heimlich.

“I can’t believe you’re still eating those,” you said, taking the seat across from her.

She shrugged her shoulders, giving you a sheepish grin. “They’ve really grown on me!”

You raised an eyebrow and eyed the package, looking at the small image of a hero nervously smiling at the camera. “Before the Suneater commercial, you used to say that you were allergic to octopus whenever we went out so you’d never have to eat it.”

“Well, these are octopus flavored chips, not octopus chips. There’s a difference,” Hina replied, smoothing out the empty package so she could lovingly stare into Suneater’s eyes. You were pretty sure Hina would spontaneously combust if she came within ten feet of the man in question, and you only hoped that you were there with popcorn and a camera if the day ever occurred.

“Yeah,” you snorted, “the difference is that you’re a simp.”

Unwrapping the pastel orange cloth from your own bento, you nearly missed the box as you went to grab your first bite, otherwise preoccupied with watching yet another hero interview that Hina was showing you: Suneater and Lemillion Answer Google’s Most Popular Searched Questions. You had been experimenting with your family’s curry recipe last night, and it was the best one yet: undeniably spicy, but with a soothing sweetness that came from adding in a dash of local honey. As expected, your tastebuds were immediately assaulted by the sting of spice. However, instead of dying out, the burn grew and grew, until your tongue began to go numb with the heat.

“Hey!” you spluttered, immediately looking for any type of liquid that would offer relief. “This isn’t my lunch!”

Reaching across the table, you grabbed Hina’s grape Ramune, downing half of it in two gulps. Unfortunately, the added combination of the carbonation and spice made everything worse, your face beginning to turn red from your uncontrollable coughing. A hand holding a small paper cup of water appeared in your periphery, and you gratefully looked up at Hina, your savior. Grabbing the cup, you let out a breath of relief as you drank, the water feeling like heaven as it slid down your throat. Eventually, the spice dissipated and you were left with residual tears in your eyes and embarrassment causing you to sink low in your chair. Although collapsing in a room full of doctors wouldn’t have been the worst-case scenario, you knew that you’d never hear the end of it. 

“What was that all about? I thought you said that you had almost perfected your recipe?” Hina asked.

You grabbed a bit of curry covered vegetable, glaring as you inspected it closely. “My curry recipe is almost perfect. But this isn’t my curry at all.”

“Look,” you said, waving around the vegetable in question, “I don’t even like squash.”

You continued to pick at the curry, separating the vegetables into somewhat identifiable piles while Hina looked deep in thought.

“Did someone here try to prank you?” she asked. “I know there was that prank war that happened in PT and Recovery, but targeting your lunch seems like a harsh way to start things off.”

“I don’t know.” Of course this would happen to you. First with the influx of patients, and then this morning with the train station– “It was that guy!” you yelled, slamming your chopsticks on the table. Hina jumped, clutching her drink to her chest and looking at you with wide eyes.

“I almost wiped out in the train station this morning, but some good-smelling asshole caught me and handed me back my bento after I had dropped it. I guess he accidentally gave me his, though.”  

At this news, Hina looked at both you and your bento with a curiosity that you knew all too well. It was the glint in her eye that she got when she discovered a new TV show or Suneater interview - an omen of mischief and oncoming obsession - and it was now directed at you.

“Oh?” she asked, trying her best to give you an innocent smile. You knew better, waving off her batting eyelashes. “A meet-cute in the train station?” 

You groaned but made no attempt to dissuade her. Any denial was proof at this point. “More like a meet-fight. That guy was rude as hell.”

“I don’t know, this could be the beginning of your enemies-to-lovers arc,” Hina teased, giving you an exaggerated wink that sent the both of you into a fit of giggles.

“You read too many romance books.” You tried to sound annoyed, but the facade crumbled when she stuck her tongue out at you.

Jumping at the chance, Hina began to regale you about her latest purchase at the bookstore down the street. You continued to pick at the bento before you, figuring that spicy food was better than no food and now stubbornly determined to finish despite the heat. There was no way you were losing to some stranger’s Japanese curry.

One intercom announcement later, and you and Hina were pulled back into work, idle fantasies and what-ifs lost to the very real needs of your job. By the end of the day, the only memories of the morning were rinsed down the drain and stacked neatly on the drying rack. After all, Tokyo was one of the biggest cities in the world. The only way you would meet the good-smelling asshole again would be through an act of fate itself. 

A/N: Thanks so much for joining me on this journey of posting my first multi-chapter story! Technically, Violet Petrichor has two chapters, but since it is only an epilogue, I don't count it like I do this one. Also, I would like to caveat this whole fic by saying that I am not in the medical field at all, so if something is terribly inaccurate, I'm sorry.

I currently have a plan to post once a week every Friday!

As always, reblogs and likes are greatly appreciated, but please do not repost here or on other platforms. However, fan arts, edits, or anything like that are beyond amazing and totally welcome! If you have a question about it, just ask me.

Tag List: @lavender99, @gold24fish, @bqkuho3, @satorulicious

If you would like to be added to the tag list, let me know in the comments! Also, if the tag list DIDN'T work, please let me know as well. I've never done one before, so I'm not sure I did it right.

Postal starts October 17, 1997 which was a Friday, and covers the levels Home, Truckstop, and Outskirts.

October 18th, Saturday, covers Parade of Disasters, Bridge, and Mine.

October 19th, Sunday, covers Junkyard, Trailer Park, and Train Station.

October 20th, Monday, covers Ostrich Farm, Construction Site, and The Ghetto.

October 21st, Tuesday, covers the City, Central Park, and Industrial Complex.

October 22nd, Wednesday, covers the Air Force Base.

October 23rd, Thursday, covers the Elementary School/The End.

Mr. Badass P1 lasted almost a full week gunning everything down.

Also just for random comparison, Redux's story starts on a Tuesday instead of Friday and ends on Monday; still just short of a full week despite going through an extra level (Carnival).

Finished rewatching season 4. Figured I'd make this little retrospective because this season is kind of special to me.

It has a special vibe. Not the one I mentioned when I was talking about s1-3. It's something entirely else. And now I can properly articulate what exactly makes season 4 stand out so much even though it's arguably not the best season of Winx.

For one, season 4 brings some of the very noticeable changes to the animation and the artstyle. Somehow it's gotten even brighter and more colorful compared to the previous seasons. And the animation also begins to shift towards the puppet animation (none of these changes so far as my favorite, I really liked the way the first seasons kept the balance between colorful character design and sometimes bleak and dark environment). Aside from that the entire sound design is revamped for this season. Which I assume is due to licensing issues as even the Enchantix song had to be taken from the movie. But I honestly have no idea. In addition to that we also get fuck ton of pop rock songs which are still absolute bangers even now. "Superheroes" (ending credits song) is my all time favorite. I fell in love with it the moment I heard it.

The narrative also takes an interesting turn. Winx, no longer just regular students, have to face the hardships of adulthood. New responsibilities, new place, new people, new powers and new enemies. This is the first and only season of Winx Club that breaks the status quo by forcing them out of Alfea to Earth where the girls have to learn to navigate a completely new environment (except Bloom of course). It's a bumpy ride for everyone including the Specialists. And they fail a lot at first. Their first failure against the Wizards brings down their confidence but it's their belief in themselves what eventually helps them overcome their problems.

Their goals on Earth are to make people believe in magic again and find the last Earth fairy. That fairy is of course a girl named Roxy who quickly became my favorite character. People love to say she's just like Bloom and that's why she's not interesting but while the show does draw a lot of parallels between Bloom and Roxy I think that statement is misunderstanding Roxy's character. Roxy's conflict of being the last fairy of Earth and coming to terms with it is heavily connected to the central theme of the season which is about believing, to no one's surprise. Roxy has to learn to believe in herself if she is to save the Earth fairies from imprisonment. In turn for all the support she received from the Winx she helps them with their task of tapping into the hearts of the people. She explains that you can't force people to believe in something. The nuance of the situation the Winx found themselves in is also what sets this season apart from other seasons and what makes it special.

The Winx spent a great amount of time trying to get people to believe in fairies. Even with Believix' new powers, it proves to be a strenuous task. People of Earth are quite egocentric and at times they can be cruel. But most of them just want to live their lives. And with how busy life can get there really is little to no time or energy to appreciate life and the good things that it brings. Learning to believe in magic is very low on the list of everyone's priorities. And that's why the Winx have only been effective when in time of peril. The burning building, the robbery, the disaster at the train station. You really begin to believe in miracles after surviving a dangerous event. And for some it's what drives them to not take anything for granted. Each of the Winx have their own form of Believix power that help them inspire others. Aisha can give people courage to overcome their fears, Tecna can help people see the reason and reconsider their actions, Musa can help others to listen to their deepest feelings, Stella can calm someone down and make them feel safe, Flora can make you see the beauty all around you and to respect it, while Bloom can help you appreciate life.

I know all of this may sound cheesy but it's all very wholesome to me even as an adult. I still remember how I used to believe in magic and fairies because of cartoons. And how much I wanted to become one myself. Now, rewatching the season in my twenties the theme of believing in magic took a whole new meaning for me. It's not about magical powers and cute outfits anymore. Now, it's about learning to believe, learning to trust people again, to appreciate life for all the good and bad things, to be open to new adventures that await, and finally to believe in myself. It's a healing process that may take years but one day I'll get there. I do want to believe again and bring the magic back in my life.

Thank you, Winx Club, for being an important part of my life.

Deutsche Bahn? More like Desaster Bahn.

Sypnosis: Kaiser wanted to visit his family on the other side of Germany. But Deutsche Bahn can't be trusted. And even out of the train, everything goes wrong.

(A/N: this is all my own experience with tiny bits changed or censored. But this is supposed to be taken in a funny way so!! Feel free to laugh about it just as I do whenever I tell the story because it's fucking ridiculous. Let's just have fun about Kaiser suffering)

"This can't be fucking true." Kaiser mumbled under his breath as he left the train, looking around the central station he just arrived at.

The train ride was supposed to last for 4 more hours, but due to snow, the ICE train he was in until a few minutes ago couldn't continue anymore.

Actually, an hour earlier the train already was stuck for almost an hour at another central station, but continued with an announcement that said Kaiser's destination would be the last station his train could get to. It was a relief for the time being, but that got crushed a few minutes ago.

And now, Kaiser was stuck in the middle of Germany, at a central station he's never been to, in a city he's never been in. Not knowing what to do, he called Ness.

"Oh, hi Michael." Ness said when he picked up. "How is the traveling going?"

"Horrible." Kaiser's voice was filled with a mix of anger and frustration. "I'm stuck in fucking [city] because the ICE can't continue. I'm too far away from home to go back. But no idea how to get farther."

"Give me a minute." Ness said, he was already typing the Deutsche Bahn website into his browser. "There is a way for you to get to [destination], but instead of by ICE you'd have to go by the RE and S-trains."

Kaiser was walking around the station, not knowing where he was even going to. He just walked around so he wouldn't stand still in the same place.

"RE and S-trains? That's gonna take forever." Kaiser let out a frustrated sigh. "Whatever. I've travelled too far to go home now. Can you text me where I need to go?"

"Sure." Ness responded and sent the details to Kaiser.

"No fucking way. I'll be at [destination] at 11pm? That's five hours later than originally."

Oh, if Kaiser would have known this will only get worse, he would have travelled back home.

"Good luck." Ness said into his phone. "Get there safely."

"Thanks." Kaiser responded coldly and ended the phone call.

As he walked to the correct platform, he called one of the family members he was going to visit to tell them the entire disaster happening. And luckily, they told him he wouldn't have to get to [destination], they could pick him up in another city Kaiser would pass with his current route anyways. This meant he would have to travel less by RE and S-trains and didn't risk anything going wrong there.

Well, he didn't get to risk it anyways. His last train didn't come. And it was the last train of the night.

His first two did come. He only had to get the last one. But even after waiting and waiting, nothing. To make it even worse, the prior train had so much delay, it was now after 11pm.

To make worse things even worse, because of the cold temperatures, his phone's battery stopped working and he had no way of contacting his family or Ness.

"I'd rather die than continue this goddamned journey." Kaiser said to himself as he walked into the station's building. He was ready to complain at the information desk, but the long line of people standing there prevented him from it.

By this point, Kaiser had met two more people who needed to get to the same station as him, and after some discussion about what to do next, they decided to get a taxi. Because of the long distance, it would be expensive, but because they were three people they could split the payment.

But this also meant, he would be stuck in a car with two strangers and the taxi driver for at least another hour. Well, that's how long the ride should have taken if they wouldn't have been stuck on the highway for hours.

At least Kaiser's phone warmed up a bit and he was able to text his family and Ness what was going on. After that, the exhaustion made him fall asleep.

When Kaiser woke up, the car was stuck in the very same place as when he fell asleep. It made him think he slept for only a few minutes, but a look at the time told him it was 3 am.

3 am.

3 fucking am. And the traffic still hasn't moved a single bit.

The taxi driver ended up calling the police multiple times. And it turned out, a lot of truck drivers fell asleep during the bad traffic when they were waiting to continue driving, which made the traffic get stuck for so many hours.

And at the ungodly hour of 4.30 am, traffic finally started moving again and at 6 am, Kaiser arrived in [city], where his family members waited all night for him.

The moment Kaiser got into their car, he started complaining about the entire disaster. He was tired, exhausted, and done with everything.

Headcanon:

Despite Zim’s trial showing so much evidence of Zim being defective and the damage he’s done to the Empire, Zim was never criminally charged for any of it. And not just because the Control Brains went crazy.

Going in chronological order, Horrible Painful Overload Day. Zim was never charged for causing the blackout, both in the present day and when he was a smeet, because Horrible Painful Overload Day was sort of inevitable. It was declared to be the fault of the engineers who built the smeetery tubes not accounting for the possibility of something getting stuck in the tubes.

It’s generally accepted among Irkens that experienced the blackout that if Zim hadn’t tried to climb back up the tube, someone else would have, which would have resulted in the same blackout because no one ever accounted for what would happen if a smeet tried to climb back up the tube or what would happen if a smeet got stuck in the tube on their initial way down.

It’s a similar thing with Horrible Painful Overload Day 2. Zim may have been the direct cause of the blackout, but it was declared the fault of the engineers who worked on Irk’s power grid for leaving such a glaring weakness in the planet’s entire power grid.

One basic security droid with basic weapons was able to wipe out a central part of Irk’s power grid in just a few shots, and even though it was Zim and Skoodge that pissed it off, the engineers were the ones that built that central part of the grid, made it weak and defenceless, put it in an obvious and unprotected place on Irk’s surface and didn’t build any backup systems in case of an emergency. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

Even though Horrible Painful Overload Day 2 left Irk relying on its backup generators for four years as Irk’s power grid was not only repaired, but completely restructured, most irken architects and engineers consider themselves extremely lucky that Zim caused the blackout when he did. Because without Zim causing the blackout, no one would have ever found out about that weak point in the power grid and it would never have been fixed. Imagine how bad it would be if Irk was ever attacked and they still had that weak point. Someone could cut off 90% of Irk’s power supply with barely any effort.

Then, the Blob Incident. Should be obvious, Zim literally caused the death of a Tallest, but it’s obvious in the footage from his trial that it wasn’t intentional. Zim didn’t mean to unleash the blob, he didn’t mean for it to mix with the perpetual energy machine, and he didn’t mean for it to eat Tallest Miyuki. It was an accident, and no proof can be found that says otherwise. Zim was not criminally charged.

Zim’s military training didn’t have much that could count as criminal offences. Just a large amount of times where he was too destructive.

Spork’s death was completely out of Zim’s control. There was nothing he could do to stop it. Plus it’s still unknown if the Blob actually came back of its collar or if it was a coincidence that it showed up. After all, that graduation ceremony did have a LOT of different energy sources that the Blob could absorb and it was definitely starving and searching for something it could eat after it digested the perpetual energy machine it initially ate to the point of it no longer working. 

Either way, Zim couldn’t be criminally charged. Zim never knew that the Blob would come back for its collar and didn’t even know that the Blob was smart enough to do that. And if the Blob wasn’t seeking out it’s collar but was instead just searching for food, that makes Zim even more innocent, as the Blob would have attacked the station and eaten Spork regardless of if Zim was there. And either way, Zim had no way of knowing that the Blob was coming.

Zim actually WAS criminally charged for Operation Impending Doom 1, but he already served his sentence. Or actually IS CURRENTLY serving his sentence. Foodcourtia was his sentence, and after he was exiled to Earth, Earth became his sentence. The Control Brains can’t criminally charge someone for a crime they’re currently serving time for.

Events 2.20 (after 1940)

1942 – World War II: Lieutenant Edward O'Hare becomes America's first World War II flying ace. 1943 – World War II: American movie studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor movies. 1943 – The Saturday Evening Post publishes the first of Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms in support of United States President Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address theme of Four Freedoms. 1944 – World War II: The "Big Week" began with American bomber raids on German aircraft manufacturing centers. 1944 – World War II: The United States takes Eniwetok Atoll. 1952 – Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League. 1956 – The United States Merchant Marine Academy becomes a permanent Service Academy. 1959 – The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate. 1962 – Mercury program: While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth, making three orbits in four hours, 55 minutes. 1965 – Ranger 8 crashes into the Moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts. 1968 – The China Academy of Space Technology, China's main arm for the research, development, and creation of space satellites, is established in Beijing. 1971 – The United States Emergency Broadcast System is accidentally activated in an erroneous national alert. 1979 – An earthquake cracks open the Sinila volcanic crater on the Dieng Plateau, releasing poisonous H2S gas and killing 149 villagers in the Indonesian province of Central Java. 1986 – The Soviet Union launches its Mir spacecraft. Remaining in orbit for 15 years, it is occupied for ten of those years. 1988 – The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast votes to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia, triggering the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. 1991 – In the Albanian capital Tirana, a gigantic statue of Albania's long-time leader, Enver Hoxha, is brought down by mobs of angry protesters. 1998 – American figure skater Tara Lipinski, at the age of 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating gold-medalist at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. 2003 – During a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a pyrotechnics display sets the Station nightclub ablaze, killing 100 and injuring over 200 others. 2005 – Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout. 2009 – Two Tamil Tigers aircraft packed with C4 explosives en route to the national airforce headquarters are shot down by the Sri Lankan military before reaching their target, in a kamikaze style attack. 2010 – In Madeira Island, Portugal, heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, resulting in at least 43 deaths, in the worst disaster in the history of the archipelago. 2014 – Dozens of Euromaidan anti-government protesters died in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, many reportedly killed by snipers. 2015 – Two trains collide in the Swiss town of Rafz resulting in as many as 49 people injured and Swiss Federal Railways cancelling some services. 2016 – Six people are killed and two injured in multiple shooting incidents in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

Yelansky is a small, closed military settlement in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region where mobilized soldiers from throughout the Urals are sent before being shipped out to Ukraine. According to residents, the draftees’ sudden “freedom” from family obligations, their newfound “riches” in the form of military salaries, and their sense that their lives are likely to end soon have combined into a violent, alcohol-fueled disaster. And while officials have repeatedly claimed that the problem is under control, locals say the authorities’ efforts to address the chaos have had little to no effect. Journalists from the independent Russian outlet Novaya Vkladka traveled to Yelansky to find out how the draftees’ drinking reached such extreme levels. In English, Meduza is publishing an abridged version of their report.

‘Imagine if your wives and children were here’

The central Russian village of Yelansky serves as the first stop for soldiers called up from all over the Urals and Siberia. It currently has about 7,000 inhabitants, most of whom are soldiers and their families. In addition to several dilapidated five-story apartment buildings, the village has a massive military training center; explosions can occasionally be heard coming from the firing grounds in the forest and steppe outside of town.

Entering Yelansky by car requires a permit. Luckily, when Novaya Vkladka’s correspondents arrive at the train station outside the village, the woman at the ticket counter gives them phone number of a local woman named Sonya, who agrees to come pick them up. When they reach the checkpoint at the entrance to the village, Sonya shows her entry pass, but the man on duty just nods and lets them in, not bothering to examine it.

“There’s Bunker, the bar; there’s Monetka, the store; and there’s the church,” Sonya says, tapping the steering wheel to the music on the radio as she points out Yelansky’s top destinations.

The Yelansky sunrise is bright and clear. On the ground, though, there are puddles of urine every few meters, as well as patches of vomit with bits of congealed porridge and half-digested soup. An empty vodka bottle lies behind the soldiers’ bathhouse, and crumpled beer cans stick out from snowdrifts. The streets are empty, but men wearing military uniforms occasionally walk by. Most of them sport tricolor patches with the letter Z.

Some of the men out and about are conscripts — young men who have been called up not to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine but to serve out their mandatory year of military service. Young, beardless, and often scared-looking, they’re easy to spot.

The social center of the village is the Bunker shopping center. It has a cafe, a grocery store, and a clothing shop, which also sells everything from hookahs and gun-shaped flasks to medals that read “Participant of the military operation in Syria.” A beauty salon in the mall advertises a la carte shampooing services.

Outside of the cafe, a group of soldiers is standing around, drinking and talking. The asphalt beneath them is speckled with frozen blood and shards of glass. One brawny guy in uniform casts his head back and takes a long swig of beer. The men smell of booze and stale underwear.

Yelansky residents first noticed the draftees’ alarming drinking habits soon after Russia’s mobilization campaign began. Some of them took to Telegram to discuss the issue.

“When I first came to Yelansky, my husband wouldn’t let me go to the store by myself. He said, ‘Be careful — you wouldn’t believe how some of those draftees behave.’ Though he’s a draftee himself,” wrote one woman. Another said, “I’m going to my parents’ place [in Yelansky] this weekend, and I want to be able to walk around safely, not be afraid of draftees. I understand that you’re living like it’s your last day on earth, but imagine if your wives and children were in our place. Would you like that?”

According to official data, since the start of Russia’s draft, six draftees who were stationed in Yelansky have died without ever seeing the war. Two of those deaths directly involved alcohol: one man choked on his own vomit, while the other had a seizure. A third draftee died by suicide. A fourth, Denis Kozlov, died after going back home; the cause of his death was later reported to be cirrhosis and alcohol-induced heart failure. Kozlov told his brother before his death, however, that he was brutally beaten while in Yelansky. Another draftee died of a heart attack, while a sixth died at a COVID-19 hospital in Chelyabinsk.

In October 2022, local authorities imposed restrictions on the amount of alcohol customers could buy in local stores. State Duma Deputy Maxim Ivanov reported that the problem had been “straightened out.”

Nonetheless, in December, an officer stationed in the village told journalists that mobilized soldiers were arriving drunk to Yelansky, and that some had even brought entire backpacks full of vodka bottles with them.

‘It’s not safe here’

Despite the reports of an alcohol sales ban, Yelansky’s liquor store turns out to be operating as normal. The shelves are full of spirits, beer, and wine, while unopened boxes of more booze sit in piles on the floor.

A customer squeezes by. He’s wearing a dirty military uniform, his stiff hat standing straight up on his head, and he smells strongly of body odor and alcohol. With trembling hands, he picks up a bottle of vodka. Then another. Then a third. He staggers towards the cash register, pays for his liquor, and carefully sets the bottles in his backpack.

“And Camel cigarettes,” he slurs.

Novaya Vkladka’s correspondent walks up to the cashier and asks about the purported ban on alcohol sales.

“Alcohol wasn’t sold here before the New Year’s holidays. The [military] command called our managers; they even blocked our cash registers for three months. But then they opened sales again, and so far, they haven’t shut it back down,” he explains. “By law, we’re obligated to sell it to them. The draftees drink until they turn into pigs. They can’t walk, they’re constantly rowdy, and they break everything. I would say it’s unsafe here.”

“Why do they drink so much?”

“I can’t say. They’re probably losing their minds at the money — they’re paid 200,000 rubles (about $2,700) each,” he says.

“How can you tell the draftees from the [yearly] conscripts?”

“They’re easy to recognize,” he says. “They look unkempt: they’re only taken to the bathhouse to bathe once a week. When they first arrived, it was a total pigsty; they were lying all around, covered in vomit. That’s the unfortunate reality. Guys will come in here and tell me that somebody has stabbed himself, or that someone’s choked on his own vomit. I imagine that there have been a lot more deaths than the three (Editor’s note: As of January 2023, six draftees have been reported to have died in Yelansky) that have been officially reported.”

‘They drank all the cologne’

A street cleaner is shoveling snow in front of a building. Nearby, children are riding on snow tubes down a set of ice-covered stairs, nearly knocking over already-unsteady passersby. The snow around them is covered in cigarette butts and streaks of spit.

“Look, there they go,” says the street cleaner. “Drunk draftees, roaming around. They’re visible; they stand out. There used to be a whole lot of them here, seven and a half thousand. [From] Perm, Chelyabinsk, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, local villages. Now there are fewer.”

The Yelansky military base was designed for 3,500 people, but at the start of mobilization, the Russian authorities sent approximately twice that amount. Some draftees had to sleep on bare floors, and the military was ultimately forced to build a tent camp to house everybody.

Acting Sverdlovsk Military Commissar Sergey Chirkov has assured journalists that “all regulations are being observed” and that the base is not overcrowded, but local residents told Novaya Vkladka that a majority of draftees in the village are currently living in tents. They said that the military has firewood brought in for the men, but that the draftees themselves are responsible for chopping it and operating the stoves that keep the tents warm.

The street cleaner says that during the three months when alcohol sales were restricted in Yelansky, draftees began traveling to the nearby town of Kamyshlov, “where they sold the cheap stuff for crazy amounts of money.” Meanwhile, in Yelansky, according to local media, the black market price for a bottle of vodka reached 1,000 rubles, or about $13.50.

He also says it’s not uncommon for drunk draftees to break into the homes of local residents and sleep in apartment building stairwells (though Novaya Vkladka was unable to confirm this claim).

“When alcohol wasn’t being sold, they would buy up energy drinks by the pack, drink it all, and lose their minds; they would go into withdrawal. They drank all of the fucking Triple [brand] cologne,” he says, nodding towards the perfume shop behind him.

‘How did I get here?’

Maria is a Yelansky resident who rents out a room in her apartment to draftees; a single night costs two thousand rubles (about $27). The room has a bed and a sofa, and childhood photos of her daughter and grandson sit on a high shelf. She asks Novaya Vkladka’s correspondents not to turn the doorknobs; in the last few months, they’ve all been broken by her tenants.

According to Maria, during the first weeks of mobilization, life in the village was a “nightmare.” “If [a draftee] ate like a pig at home, he’ll continue to eat like one here. If he had to hide things from his wife back at home, now he has total freedom. Some of them drank out of fear. They all have different reasons for it,” she says.

One of Novaya Vkladka’s correspondents asks why the draftees aren’t busy with training.

“Who’s training them here?” Maria responds, waving her arms in frustration. “It goes until lunch, maximum. If he was taken from a farm, where the pay is 10,000–15,000 rubles ($135–$200), and now he’s getting 200,000 on his card ($2,700), he can barely fathom it. Naturally, he’s going to go eat his heart out and forget that he has a family and debt back at home. Some of the guys have been different, of course — they started coming to shower at my place in October. One of them would always say, ‘Why me? What grandmother did I fail to walk across the street? How did I get here?’”

In November, one of the draftees who was stationed in Yelansky told a local news outlet that the soldiers had a lice problem. “Everyone is walking around and scratching themselves constantly. There aren’t enough places to bathe,” he said.

Maria has seen all manner of behavior from her renters. Some of them have “torn the place apart,” and she and her husband have had to kick them out. One time, a draftee’s wife came to visit, and the couple rented Maria’s room. All night, she heard the soldier beating the woman “black and blue,” and in the morning, Maria says, the woman’s face was “terrible to look at.”

‘They treat you like cattle’

It’s late evening, and the cafe in the Bunker shopping center is starting to empty out. One of the only people left is Misha, a former contract fighter whose young age makes him stand out. He’s skinny, with big eyes and a forlorn expression on his face. He previously spent three months in Ukraine, and now he’s been drafted to go back.

“Nobody needs to go there,” he says in a resigned voice. “I went. Look, now I’m sitting here. There’s nothing to be done there. It’s hard there. It’s just hard. I went, and now they won’t even discharge me, do you understand? My short-term contract ended, and now they won’t discharge me, because of mobilization.”

The first time, Misha says, it was his own convictions that made him want to go to war. But the experience left him disillusioned with the Russian army.

“They treat you like cattle,” he says. “There are very few decent commanders; everybody’s afraid, nobody wants to die. There’s not enough grub. Casualties every day. On the news, everything is so rosy. But in reality, there are problems with communications, problems with supplies. It’s not like it seems.”

According to Misha, the soldiers who served alongside him in Ukraine drank just as much as the draftees in Yelansky.

“A lot of them die from drunkenness. […] Everyone drinks in our country; we really have a lot of drunks. Even more so since they started mobilizing people. People don’t know where they’re being sent, so they drink out of fear. But it doesn’t help.”

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a major buildup of his country’s military forces Thursday in an apparent effort to replenish troops that have suffered heavy losses in six months of bloody warfare and prepare for a long, grinding fight ahead in Ukraine.

The move to increase the number of troops by 137,000, or 13%, to 1.15 million by the end of the year came amid chilling developments on the ground in Ukraine:

— Fueling fears of a nuclear catastrophe, the Zaporizhzhia power plant in the middle of the fighting in southern Ukraine was cut off from the electrical grid for the first time in its history after fires damaged the last working transmission line, according to Ukrainian authorities. The plant was later reconnected to the grid, a local Russian-installed official said.

— The death toll from a Russian rocket attack on a train station and the surrounding area on Ukraine’s Independence Day climbed to 25, Ukrainian authorities said. Russia said it targeted a military train and claimed to have killed more than 200 Ukrainian reservists in the attack Wednesday.

Putin’s decree did not specify whether the expansion would be accomplished by widening the draft, recruiting more volunteers, or both. But some Russian military analysts predicted heavier reliance on volunteers because of the Kremlin’s concerns about a potential domestic backlash from an expanded draft.

The move will boost Russia’s armed forces overall to 2.04 million, including the 1.15 million troops.

Western estimates of Russian dead in the Ukraine war have ranged from more than 15,000 to over 20,000 — more than the Soviet Union lost during its 10-year war in Afghanistan. The Pentagon said last week that as many as 80,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded, eroding Moscow’s ability to conduct big offensives.

The Kremlin has said that only volunteer contract soldiers take part in the Ukraine war. But it may be difficult to find more willing soldiers, and military analysts said the planned troop levels may still be insufficient to sustain operations.

Retired Russian Col. Retired Viktor Murakhovsky said in comments carried by the Moscow-based RBC online news outlet that the Kremlin will probably try to keep relying on volunteers, and he predicted that will account for the bulk of the increase.

Another Russian military expert, Alexei Leonkov, noted that training on complex modern weapons normally takes three years. And draftees serve only one year.

“A draft won’t help that, so there will be no increase in the number of draftees,” Leonkov was quoted as saying by the state RIA Novosti news agency.

Fears of a Chernobyl-like disaster have been mounting in Ukraine because of fighting around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant. Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of shelling the site.

The damaged line in Thursday’s incident apparently carried outgoing electricity, not affecting a separate line used to power vital cooling systems for the plant’s reactors. But the cutoff underscored concerns about the plant.

Elsewhere on the battlefront, the deadly strike on the train station in Chaplyne, a town of about 3,500 in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, came as Ukraine was bracing for attacks tied to the national holiday and the war’s six-month mark, both of which fell on Wednesday.

The deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, did not say whether all of the 25 people killed were civilians. If they were, it would amount to one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in weeks. Thirty-one people were reported wounded.

The dead included an 11-year-old boy found under the rubble of a house and a 6-year-old killed in a car fire near the train station, authorities said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces used an Iskander missile to strike a military train carrying Ukrainian troops and equipment to the front line in eastern Ukraine. The ministry claimed more than 200 reservists “were destroyed on their way to the combat zone.”

The attack served as a painful reminder of Russia’s continued ability to inflict large-scale suffering six months into the war. Wednesday’s national holiday celebrated Ukraine’s 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.

Tetyana Kvitnytska, deputy head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional health department, said those hurt in the train station attack suffered head injuries, broken limbs, burns and shrapnel wounds.

Following attacks in which civilians have died, the Russian government has repeatedly claimed that its forces aim only at legitimate military targets. Hours before the bloodshed at the train station, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu insisted the military was doing its best to spare civilians, even at the cost of slowing down its offensive in Ukraine.

In April, a Russian missile attack on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk killed more than 50 people as crowds of mostly women and children sought to flee the fighting. The attack was denounced as a war crime.

In Moscow on Thursday, Dmitry Medvedev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said Western hopes for a Ukrainian victory are futile and emphasized that the Kremlin will press home what it calls the “special military operation,” leaving just two possible outcomes.

“One is reaching all goals of the special military operation and Kyiv’s recognition of this outcome,” Medvedev said on his messaging app channel. “The second is a military coup in Ukraine followed by the recognition of results of the special operation.”

ROTG Newspaper Issue 2!

Local News:

BEN OF THE SOUTH!

One of our town residents has completed some IT and Astrology test after which he will be a technician on an Antarctic research facility.He is known for completing the statewide championship in the Chess and being a beloved neighbor.We wish you luck Ben!In that freezing wasteland of Antarctica!

As Ben says:"It was my childhood dream to go see the pole and see those large penguin colonies".

Page 1-3

MISSING LINK IS MISSING AGAIN!!!

Yes folks it's true!The link has gone missing again!He was gone when scientist went through there collections.There were some reports of a mysterious creature being spotted by the beach and it was thought that it was the link and that he had somehow freed himself!HOWEVER!It was clarified by Capt.Warren R. from a special branch of the military that the link did not unfreeze and escape and go on rampage, it was just a some jokers and some swamp gas.Even so the creatures current whereabouts are unknown but Capt.Warren says he couldn't have unfrozen so he's most likely still in ice somewhere....or is he???

Page:4-6

Special to New York Central Railroad staff for transferring information.

TROUBLE IN NEW YORK!

Last night several animals broke out of the Central Park Zoo and went loose on the city...somehow however they all got together in one place,The Grand Central Terminal Station where they were sedated.The Animals in question were one Lion,one Zebra,one Hippo,two chimpanzees and four penguins

The Zoo under pressure from Anti-Captivity Activists has decided to ship the animals in question to a wild-life preserve in Kenya via ship.

Page:7-9

LOCAL DOG CHASES LOCAL CAT OVER LOCAL FENCE

Page:10-20 Extended Edition!

Genetically engineered tomato with chemically altered ranch salad dressing experiment damadges 6 city blocks!

Page:21-24

Weather Forecast:

It will be sunny with a clear blue sky.

Advertorial

Lionel Trains

"They make Boys feel like Men and Men as Boys"

Check out Joey's Small World for the brand new models of the Alco Fa's!

Now playing in our Cinema

"A story about our feathered friends, the birds"!

As Hitchock describes his film:The Birds!

Its coming at 7:30 PM!

Tv:

6:00-8:00 PM

Fireball XL5

A Day in the Life of a Space General

Lieutenant Ninety has a nightmare in which he is promoted to the rank of Space General, but his inexperience gets the better of him and his command ends in disaster and an inferno.

The Day the Earth Froze

Icemen from the planet Zavia deflect the Sun's rays, plunging Earth into a deep freeze.

Space Magnet

An alien race called the Solars steal the Earth's moon.

8:00 PM

Star Trek:The Trouble with the Tribbles

Also remeber that a comment will make the author much happier,and make the world a slightly better place. And Commenting,Following and favoriting me and my works will inspire me to do more!And i will always listen to your questions and suggestion

MARCH 27TH!!!ALERT!!!THE GUARDIANS COME TOGETHER TO FIGHT THERE BIGGEST THREAT!!!(MORE DANGEROUS AND POWERFULL THAN PITCH!!!!)

AND THEY WONT BE ALONE!!!!

ON MARCH 27TH!!!!(PROLOGUE 26TH)

EARTHS GREATEST SECRETS WILL BE REVEALED!

Dream from 23.2.24.

Dream 1: I'm with a bunch of people and we are at the cinema watching a big blockbuster film. It's all going as normal but then toward the end, the movie abruptly stops playing and suddenly I am receiving a visual of an urgent disaster situation that is happening outside. It's not just me, everyone else knows it too. There are massive fire engines driving past, the sirens bleating. I see fire and destruction in the streets as if there is a huge emergency happening. The energy is not one of fear and panic necessarily but the air is pregnant with urgency and foreboding.

We obviously don't watch the rest of the movie. I am just sitting there not really feeling any type of way. Then without any motion on my part, the cinema seat turns into a seat on a carriage of a moving train. And so now I'm suddenly on a train. This happens simultaneously to the whole audience in the theatre, an instantaneous gliding from one form to the other. Everyone is on the train. It seems that this is a unique feature of the cinema that gets automatically activated during emergency situations such as the one we're currently in. I marvel at how amazingly well the emergency evacuation plan has been executed. The technology is so advanced and absolutely impeccable.

The train travels through a section of the rail-line which is a dark tunnel. The energy of it reminds of the train trip that I used to travel on frequently ('the city loop') which runs underground through several busy stations in our central business district. We've barely even travelled a few stops before it's already time to disembark the train. I am telling the group I am with that there's no way we're supposed to get off already. It feels like we've barely travelled any distance at all. But then I realise we actually have arrived at the destination, which is the train station in front of my old house. For some reason, I kept thinking that there's another 3 stops left to go. The energy of this reminds me of when I was a teen and had to take the train home everyday from school. I always had to get off at the interchange station, at which point it's another 3 stops until I reach home. I say to no one in particular, Damn... I didn't even realise we're here.

Not far from the station is a park which is where the group of us are now. I'm standing by myself on the grass at the top of a hill. I look at my phone. Seemingly out of absolutely nowhere, on my screen is the TG group chat. More specifically, what I am seeing are messages that were sent by CA to the group chat. She has written a few short paragraphs basically defending me after I left (in this dream the chat wasn't deleted, I simply left). She is being very understanding and basically telling people in the nicest way possible not to judge. It is her characteristic very calm and impartial sort of energy. I am very curious to know why she felt the need to do this at all so I scroll up. Right after the notification that says I left, there are people posting comments of surprise, just basic shock or whatever. I recognise the energy signatures of those who had sent these mild messages, though I can't name any of them. However, there is this one lady who I do not recognise. She wrote a long essay basically shit-talking me, saying things like, how could she have done this, she's so disrespectful blah blah. This lady seems so irrationally angry for no reason. I saw you say something snarky and sarcastic in reply to her (lol). The energy was that basically most people besides you and CA thought I'd gone off the rails. Even Mort was saying something to the effect of, I always knew she was crazy.

Anyway, I was reading these messages from on top of the hill or wherever I was, and I was smirking. I thought it was funny. It was a knowing kind of vibe, idk how to explain it. But the thing I was most impressed by was how this all came to be without my even lifting a finger. The app just somehow re-installed itself back onto my phone, it magically registered me with a new account, and conveniently scrolled me back to exactly where I had last left off. I thought it was pretty amazing that this happened 'by itself'. In the end, although I was glad to be back, I didn't particularly feel like saying anything in that moment so I put my phone in my pocket. I would deal with it later.

Then in the next scene I am in a moving van, sitting in the backseat with my sister. My mum is driving and this exact lady who was complaining about me in the chat, is sitting in the front passenger seat. I don't know how my mum knows this person since she isn't the sort of person that my mum would typically associate with (it's a white lady). When the lady looks in the back and realises I'm there, she starts shit talking about me right away. I don't think my mum is really listening. The lady is looking at me and I stare right back at her while giving her two middle fingers. She shows no reaction, but continues to complain to my mum about me.

Dream 2: We're in some weird outdoor bar and MN is there. But he turns into my old manager (AM) at some point and then maybe back again. There is some water filtration contraption/system which has our current focus. It is an intricate set-up of laboratory glassware designed to filter water and is probably a few metres high. It looks really complicated. MN is using it to preparing water for his own personal use. For the journey ahead. I feel dread because it’s mine and AL's turn next to use this contraption and I have no idea what to do. I don't know if we'll be able to figure it out and it doesn't seem like MN/AM is very open to helping us out. Perhaps he's in a hurry. I'm not overly concerned though, I kind of assume we'll just figure it out as we go along. It always works out for us in the end, anyway.

What is an "Ideal" city?

It’s hard to imagine an ideal city without drifting into pure fiction. Imagining a perfect city is often counterintuitive, since cities, since the dawn of civilization, have been formed as a result of human action, not human design. Still, it doesn’t mean that “imagined” urban progress should not be applied in urban environments. This idea is the basis of urban planning. The Future Planners of America have proposed three key concepts that are central to an ideal city: effective public transportation, limited environmental impact, and resistance to natural disasters through strong infrastructure. 

Good public transportation is necessary to help achieve a human scale to the city as a whole. When bus lanes, subway systems, and bikeshares are emphasized and effectively implemented in urban areas, it makes these areas seem much less overwhelming. Human scale is best implemented through effective public transportation because it eliminates the need for travel on foot, one of the most helpful measurements of human scale. Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City does an impressive job at managing this scale problem. With a series of radial rail lines that connect a complex of cities. In the world, the best example of effective public transportation is Madrid, Spain. Madrid has 300 train stations, over 200 bus lines, both of which stop incredibly frequently (trains: three to four minutes, bus: five to 15 minutes); Bus and train tickets are interchangeable, allowing for flawless transition between the two; the Madrid Metro has a website that shows people the quickest connections between two places. 

Madrid Metro subway car: via Sharon Hahn Darlin and Devour Tours

Low environmental impact in cities is not only important for the cities themselves, but for the rest of the world. Green cities work to secure the future for the cities’ current inhabitants and future generations. Additionally, a city free from air and water pollution is important to the physical and mental well being of its inhabitants. One of the main motivations for Le Corbusier’s “Tower’s in the Park” was to free people from the “noise, dust, congestion, noxious gasses, and disease” that plagued Industrial cities. In the real world, the most prominent example of a “green city” is Reykjavik, Iceland. Almost 100% of Reykjavik’s energy comes from renewable sources, and the high volcanic activity in the region allows 90% of households to use geothermal heating. To lower the amount of pollution from cars, neighborhoods are built with higher density to encourage cycling and walking, in addition to many bus routes and a light rail system. Reykjavik has also committed to carbon neutrality by the year 2040. 

Hellisheiði Geothermal Plant. via Arni Saeberg and Reykjavik Energy

As the world changes, so do the environments which cities inhabit. A lot of times for the worse. The solution to this problem for many of a city’s inhabitants is relocation, but this is simply not a reality for most people. Instead, a strong infrastructure to fight against these environmental changes is ideal for a city. One excellent example is the city of Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. Amsterdam is the political and economic capital of the Netherlands, a place over 17 million people call home. However, Amsterdam lies seven feet below sea level and is surrounded by flat land, a perfect recipe for a devastating flood. As a result, the Netherlands have spent billions of dollars on massive sea walls and wind-powered pumps to keep the water at bay. The project has been so successful that over twenty percent of The land in the Netherlands has been reclaimed from the sea. 

Oosterscheldekering Sea Wall: Rens Jacobs via Beeldbank

Debate question: All of the cities mentioned in this blog exist in the Western World, and have maintained incredible levels of wealth for centuries. Do Third World and Post-colonial nations have the means to invest into ideal cities? Why or why not?

Fire Alarm Systems 101: Understanding the Basics

In the realm of safety and security, fire alarm systems stand as the frontline defense against potential disasters. Whether in residential homes or commercial buildings, understanding the basics of fire alarm systems is paramount for safeguarding lives and property. In this guide, we'll delve into the fundamental principles that form the backbone of these crucial systems.

**1. What is a Fire Alarm System?

At its core, a fire alarm system is a network of interconnected devices designed to detect and alert occupants of a building in the event of a fire. These systems aim to provide early warning, enabling swift evacuation and reducing the risk of injuries or fatalities.

2. Components of a Fire Alarm System:

Smoke Detectors: These devices sense smoke particles and trigger the alarm when a specified threshold is reached.

Heat Detectors: Activated by a rise in temperature, heat detectors are vital in areas where smoke detectors may produce false alarms, such as kitchens.

Pull Stations: Manual pull stations allow individuals to initiate an alarm manually, indicating a fire emergency.

Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP): The "brain" of the system, the FACP receives signals from sensors and initiates alerts, such as alarms and notifications to emergency services.

3. Types of Fire Alarm Systems:

Conventional Systems: Divide a building into zones, with each zone having its own circuit. When a detector is activated, the control panel identifies the specific zone.

Addressable Systems: Provide precise information about the location of the activated device, facilitating quicker response times.

4. Monitoring and Notification:

Central Monitoring: Some systems are connected to a central monitoring station that can dispatch emergency services when an alarm is triggered.

Notifications: Modern systems can send alerts through various channels, including sirens, strobe lights, and even mobile apps.

5. Maintenance and Testing:

Regular testing and maintenance ensure the system's reliability. This involves checking detectors, control panels, and backup power sources.

6. Importance of Regular Training:

Occupants should be educated on evacuation procedures, the location of pull stations, and the meaning of different alarm signals.

7. Legal and Regulatory Compliance:

Compliance with local building codes and regulations is crucial. Understanding these requirements ensures that your fire alarm system meets necessary standards.

Conclusion:

In essence, a fire alarm system is more than a set of devices; it's a lifeline in emergency situations. By grasping the basics of these systems, individuals can contribute to creating safer environments for themselves and others. From the humble smoke detector to sophisticated control panels, each component plays a vital role in the collective effort to mitigate the devastating impact of fires.

Events 5.27 (after 1960)

1960 – In Turkey, a military coup removes President Celâl Bayar and the rest of the democratic government from office. 1962 – The Centralia mine fire is ignited in the town's landfill above a coal mine. 1965 – Vietnam War: American warships begin the first bombardment of National Liberation Front targets within South Vietnam. 1967 – Australians vote in favor of a constitutional referendum granting the Australian government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians and to count them in the national census. 1967 – The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is launched by Jacqueline Kennedy and her daughter Caroline. 1971 – The Dahlerau train disaster, the worst railway accident in West Germany, kills 46 people and injures 25 near Wuppertal. 1971 – Pakistani forces massacre over 200 civilians, mostly Bengali Hindus, in the Bagbati massacre. 1975 – Dibbles Bridge coach crash near Grassington, in North Yorkshire, England, kills 33 – the highest ever death toll in a road accident in the United Kingdom. 1977 – A plane crash at José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba, kills 67. 1980 – The Gwangju Massacre: Airborne and army troops of South Korea retake the city of Gwangju from civil militias, killing at least 207 and possibly many more. 1984 – The Danube–Black Sea Canal is opened, in a ceremony attended by the Ceaușescus. It had been under construction since the 1950s. 1988 – Somaliland War of Independence: The Somali National Movement launches a major offensive against Somali government forces in Hargeisa and Burao, then the second- and third-largest cities of Somalia. 1996 – First Chechen War: Russian President Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechnyan rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire. 1997 – The 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak occurs, spawning multiple tornadoes in Central Texas, including the F5 that killed 27 in Jarrell. 1998 – Oklahoma City bombing: Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $200,000 for failing to warn authorities about the terrorist plot. 1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-96, the first shuttle mission to dock with the International Space Station. 2001 – Members of Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist separatist group, seize twenty hostages from an affluent island resort on Palawan in the Philippines; the hostage crisis would not be resolved until June 2002. 2006 – The 6.4 Mw  Yogyakarta earthquake shakes central Java with an MSK intensity of VIII (Damaging), leaving more than 5,700 dead and 37,000 injured. 2016 – Barack Obama is the first president of United States to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and meet Hibakusha. 2017 – Andrew Scheer takes over after Rona Ambrose as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. 2018 – Maryland Flood Event: A flood occurs throughout the Patapsco Valley, causing one death, destroying the entire first floors of buildings on Main Street in Ellicott City, and causing cars to overturn.

Residents of the UK are in danger - the country was hit by the storm "Babette". With him he brought destruction, heavy rains and strong winds. The storm poses a "risk to life" in England and Scotland, reported in The Guardian. Severe flooding in areas of the River Derwent has been warned about by the local Environment Agency. In London, King's Cross train station has already closed, in flooded areas local residents are urged not to go outside. A real natural disaster has unfolded in the British Isles. Storm Babbett has come in from the North Sea, and has brought heavy rain, storm and flooding to the UK and Ireland. The coastal areas of Scotland were hit hardest. In Waterside Perth, 164mm of rain fell in 24 hours, in Argyll and Bute - 238 mm of rainfall (with a record 341 mm in the history of Britain). Wind gusts reached 120 km/h. Ahead of the heavy rain and flooding, the UK Met Office issued one of its highest level warnings for parts of Scotland on Saturday. Flooding and hurricane-force wind gusts have killed 2 people in Scotland, with more life-threatening conditions expected over the weekend. The third fatality occurred in central England. According to police, water hit the roadway and carried away a 60-year-old man. As of Friday evening, 12,000 homes in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland had been de-energized. Airports in England and Europe were experiencing significant flight delays and cancelations, according to FlightAware. Angus Region Council warned people that there was a "risk to life" and urged people to leave their homes. For example, residents in 335 homes in Brechin and a further 87 homes in Tannadice and Finavon have been advised to evacuate due to the risk of severe flooding. There have already been casualties in the region - in the Glen Esk valley a woman was swept away by a rushing torrent of water. Thousands of homes were left without power overnight. There are 79 flood warnings in force across England. On Sunday, gusts of more than 110 km/h are possible on the east coast, where large waves will add to the gale force winds and other hazards. Extreme weather conditions have caused disruption to train services across the north of England. Some stations have been flooded. Flooding has blocked all lines passing through Swindon, with serious disruption being seen in central England. Trains are not running between Derby, Sheffield and Nottingham. Deputy Prime Minister Shona Robison said "the worst effects are yet to come".

SUNDAY EXTRA: Trapped On A Burning Train: The Daegu Subway Disaster 2003

On February 18, 2003, an arsonist boarded a Daegu Metro Subway Train and set fire to to himself as it arrived at Jungangno station in central Daegu, South Korea.