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Democracy's Torch (Sky plays Darkest Hour)

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10 November 1933
[x] Expanding Welfare
--

The day was still young when Elizabeth took to the streets, her heels clicking on the pavement as she walked down the street. Shops were coming to life, wares were being hawked and buyers were combing the streets and stalls in the search for groceries, and the din of buyers and sellers discussing and, yes, even arguing prices, drifted over to the sleepy brunette.

She let out a soft yawn. She was up earlier than usual. Strange dreams haunted her throughout the night. Something about a massive ship at sea... a battle? Flashes of light, then a gigantic explosion...

She shook her head and took in a deep breath of the crisp morning air.

She had fond memories of this place. As the daughter of two merchants, her mother and father sometimes came here to buy and sell their wares. Back then, Erdhart had a thick blonde mane, one that seemed to accentuate his booming voice. 'Like a lion,' her mother used to say as she looked on fondly at her husband prove himself to be the expert salesman she always believed him to be. Now, Erdhart was frailer, his frame dented with age and with illness. But he was still lively as ever. And with the reunion just a month ago still fresh in her mind, her father's booming laughter and her mother's gentle giggles doing much to assuage her fears of her father's health, she entered the marketplace with a smile on her face.

Yes, things were going well.

That sunny optimism evaporated on the way out of the market. Her arms were laden with bags of groceries, and she was humming a tune to herself when a quiet voice reached her ears.

"Do you have some change, miss?"

She turned her head, blue eyes following the sound of that voice until they found its owner. And Elizabeth's heart sank into her stomach.

"Miss...?"

Dark grey eyes, messy black hair, and glasses that seemed to be woefully out of shape. And fractured too, as she walked closer and saw how the light unnaturally glinted off of the young boy's spectacles.

"My god," Elizabeth quietly gasped. "Are-Are you alright?"

The boy seemed hesitant to give her a straight answer, and his grey eyes darted left and right quickly before giving her a small, almost imperceptible nod. "Mother and Father are sick," he explained. "And we haven't any money."

She looked down at her arms full of groceries, and she bit her lip.

"How much do you need?" she asked.

If the boy seemed startled by Elizabeth's sudden question, he didn't show it. "I..." he shook his head. "I don't know. Mother just said she does not know how she is going to pay for all of this. And dad is sick too, and I..."

He let out a quiet sniffle. "I don't want to lose dad!" he said. A little too loudly, perhaps, as some of the passersby turned their heads towards her and the boy.

"H-Hey, don't cry," Elizabeth said, kneeling down and pulling out her handkerchief from her breast pocket. She offered it to him, and he gratefully took it, hands shaking as he wiped away tears. "I'm sorry," he said, voice wavering through the emotions rolling through him. "I'm so sorry, I-I--"

"It's okay," Elizabeth said, gently placing the groceries beside her on the cobblestone. "Hey," she said, gently cupping his cheek and wiping away a stray tear from his face. "How about I give you this bag, and I'll come back tomorrow with some cash for your parents? Just bring them for me, okay?"

The young boy looked at the bag she picked up and offered to him. "Miss, I... I... I don't know if I should..."

"Take it. And bring your parents tomorrow. I'll go ask them how much they'll need." She offered him a smile, which he shakily returned. "T-Thank you miss...!" he said softly, taking it into his arms.

"Wait," Elizabeth said as she stood up. "How about I walk with you there and save you the trouble of bringing them tomorrow?" she asked. She cursed herself for forgetting how seriously ill the child's parents may be.

"Miss, you don't need--okay I guess you're coming," he said as she stood up.

"What's your name?" she asked as he started walking outside of the gates.

"Kristopher. And you?" he asked.

"Elizabeth." She smiled. "Nice to meet you, Kristopher."

He blushed softly. "N-Nice to meet you too, Elizabeth."

*​

One thing lead to another when Elizabeth arrived at Kristopher's house, and by the time she had left them, they were in considerably better spirits than when they were when she entered the household. The arrival was, to say the least, a bit hostile. They assumed that she was yet another creditor out to offer them a loan, and the initial meeting with Kristopher's parents was more daunting than the time she had to explain to papa why she arrived home with a bloody nose and scuffed clothes.

She couldn't very well tell them that she ended up in yet another fight. Though she suspected that dad already knew.

Still, things went over smoothly. As it turned out, Kristopher's dad - Joseph - was suffering from a minor ankle sprain and his mother - Emilie - was beset by a mild cold. Still, the family was quite thankful for her gift of food, but waved off her offer to pay their bills. "You've already done so much for us," Emilie said as she gave her a small respectful bow. "We don't know how to repay you."

Elizabeth's heart ached. "N-No, it's fine!" she said, holding her hands up. "You don't have to pay anything! It's a gift," she smiled.

Emilie laughed at her frantic expression. "Thank you," she said softly. "For everything."

"Not a problem, miss," Elizabeth said in return. "I'll visit once in a while!" she promised them, and they waved her off as she left their house.

It was only the right thing to do, she mused, that when the proposal to expand the welfare system was called into motion, she was the first to raise her hand in favour of the plan.
 
[X] Expanding welfare

"Of course I support the idea that our infirm and elderly citizens should receive a small stipend to support themselves in times of misfortune."
- Wolfgang Hochstetter, in a speech to his constituents.

"Fecking leeches, I swear by the Nails of the True Cross, if I ever have to make such a obvious speech like that again, I will shoot myself."
- Wolfgang Hochstetter, five minutes later, in his study, while nursing a glass of Gose.
 
From a purely gameplay perspective, there's little real reason not to take the welfare. But then, I basically said that in the update :V

This is a vote that is more 'would your character vote for dirty socialist plans welfare or not' than 'does this help the gameplay'. A lot of the votes relating to the original events will be like that, votes about who takes the Reichstag and (when Hindenburg croaks) presidency aside.

My events, at least, are more balanced in what the choices will be. I try to not make a choice obvious if I can avoid it.

(in usual gameplay, I'd take it even if the bonus were less of a bonus. But then, if I were German, I'd likely be a member of the SPD anyway)
 
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Skywalker_T-65 said:
From a purely gameplay perspective, there's little real reason not to take the welfare. But then, I basically said that in the update :V

This is a vote that is more 'would your character vote for dirty socialist plans welfare or not' than 'does this help the gameplay'. A lot of the votes relating to the original events will be like that, votes about who takes the Reichstag and (when Hindenburg croaks) presidency aside.

My events, at least, are more balanced in what the choices will be. I try to not make a choice obvious if I can avoid it.

(in usual gameplay, I'd take it even if the bonus were less of a bonus. But then, if I were German, I'd likely be a member of the SPD anyway)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I barely remember my character but I imagine his desire to crush the French would make him willing to compromise on domestic matters.
 
[X] Expanding welfare

Something about seeing fellow veterans begging on the streets with no government support just doesn't sit right with Theo for obvious reasons.
 
I already voted, but I wanted to write something, inspired by Comrade Jeff, in part.

'But why? What has made these people deserve such help?'

When she wasn't complaining about politics, Sigrid was a wonderful secretary.

'Let me show you something. This photo, I took with my brother the day before he went to the Eastern Front. I don't just keep this photo around because he's my brother. Would you like to know the reason? It's because he was one of the first to leave to fight.'

'The war was weeks old, and he cared ever so much for his homeland. He sent letters home as often as he could, and we sent packages as much as we could. I was still working in a factory at the time, so I was exempt. He sent me a Russian rifle, which hangs over my mantle, and I used it in the Volksgruppen during the Uprising.'

'He, in the letters from him and his companions, was the soul of his squad.'

'Two days after he sent me the rifle, the Russians launched an offensive. His position was hit heavily with bombs and gas. He was found almost two days afterwards, missing his legs and one hand; blind forevermore. As soon as he returned from hospital, my mother nursed him with all of her might. Her ration cards and salary from working as a seamstress all went to aiding him, as did my wages, as well as those of her neighbors. He had hope awaiting him when he returned. But, what about those who were injured even worse? Those who had no family or friends to provide hospice? They went to the streets, and into the gutters to beg like beaten dogs.'

'But, that's still not the full reason I keep this photo on my desk. Thinking of my brother makes me think on those already begging. Men, women, children. All starving with not a promise of a meal to them. I once saw a photo, from the newspapers. A hausfrau using Deutschmarks to light her stove, since there was nothing else to use them for. Ten thousand marks for bread. Twenty for milk. You remember how hard it was until just recently. And you and I were employed. What of the returning soldiers, with no work to be found anywhere, the families who couldn't afford to rent rooms, and still eat? Are they simply to starve? To die?'

'Now please, leave. You may go home for the day.'
Sorry for stealing your name, Frau Greve. You were a very good German teacher.
 
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A conservative and monarchist I may be, but I can easily see the benefit of what Klemens von Metternich called "conservative socialism." To expand welfare now seems as sensible to me as Bismarck's decision to create our welfare system.

[X] Expanding welfare
 
[X] Expanding Welfare

"As much as I want more ships so we can actually stand some sort of a chance against the Royal Navy, we can only do jack shit about it if our people are suffering!"
 
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[X]: Expanding Welfare

Von Langern thought long and hard and, predictably, through the lens of the military and its needs. And so he made his (increasingly unnecessary) case in front of the Reichstag.
"My friends, while you all know I would dearly like to spend this money on more ships for the Reichsmarine, I must cast my vote in favor of this welfare bill. I would be criminally remiss in my obligations to my constituents if I were to vote this down, and a healthy, well-fed and affluent German citizen makes for a better sailor, or soldier or airman or what have you. Support this bill, I ask of you."

OOC: Hooray, it's back! I feared it was dead but like Christ it rises after three days months!
 
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