#tacs 2022 books

[tacanderson]

For my 50th birthday this last summer I didn't want my kids to feel the need to do anything crazy for my birthday so I asked them to buy me books. Specifically I asked them to buy me old used paperback versions of one of their favorite books and then to write a message in the front cover of why it was one of their favorite books.

Good Omens was the book my daughter gave me. An excerpt of her note on why this is one of her favorites is as follows:

"I like that the demon isn't 100% bad, and the angel isn't 100% good. Like Crowley and Aziraphale, I've learned that asking questions is all part of the great plan."

I completely agree. I haven't read this book in decades, so it was great fun getting to read it again especially after watching the series. The series is so close to the book that when you're reading the book the differences really jump out. It was interesting to see what Neil Gaiman added or edited to make the series work as a series and a few things that were updated just because times have changed.

But above everything else I was just amazed at how well written this book was. Even the most seemingly mundane sentence was written so well. The flow, the word choices were all just perfect. I've read interviews where Neil Gaiman says that he and Terry Pratchett were mostly just having fun and trying to impress each other. It's very obvious that was the case. They weren't trying to write a hit, they were just having fun. There's something to learn from that.

[whumpapedia]

The following have been added to the Whumpapedia

Music Videos: Stray Kids

Books: Danger on the Air Game Plan for Disaster Mystery of the Samurai Sword The Blackwing Puzzle The Infinity Clue The Melted Coins The Pentagon Spy The Petrified Flesh (Mirrorworld #1)  The Phantom Freighter The Prime-Time Crime The Secret of the Lost Tunnel The Short-Wave Mystery The Sky Blue Frame The Viking Symbol Mystery The Yellow Feather Mystery Tic-Tac-Terror

Anime: Gintama

Movies: Geostorm I Am Number Four zStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Poor Agnes

TV Shows: Andor Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Chicago Fire Chicago Med Chicago PD Cleaning Lady, The Colditz Criminal Minds CSI: Vegas Dead zone  Devil's Hour, The (2022) East New York ER FBI: International FBI: Most Wanted Fire Country Hart to Hart Killjoys La Brea Law & Order Legend of Vox Machina, The Midsomer Murders NCIS NCIS: Hawai'i NCIS: Los Angeles Rig, The Rookie, The Star Wars: The Bad Batch Rookie, The: Feds Alert American Horror Stories Lucifer M.I.High The Walking Dead

Thanks to everyone who submitted!

[olivieblake]

OLIVIE OH MY GOD I LOVE THE ANSWER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS YES SO MUCH LIKE SO SO SO MUCH. I loved each individual story and this book is tabbed an insane amount and sometimes there are 4 tabs per page- hold on I’ll include a picture at the end so you can see-lol I feel like normally I don’t show you because honestly no one should see evidence of my brain’s insanity but idk I feel like sharing this time? (Also please note I am Aries so just depending on my chaotic energy that day I will tab anything that I want. Sometimes it’s stuff that makes me laugh, things that I’m like oh maybe this is important, quotes I’m obsessed with, things that make me think, etc, I really just tab anything I want plus it helps me focus. I also just have some good old OCD that makes my brain decide that if I skip over tabbing something I even thought for one second should have a tab then the world is going to punish me somehow so then I must go back and tab it so that the obsession stops and the world (or at least the world in my brain) is at peace (love brains woo). This collection had me swooning at times, screaming at times (in both a OH MY GOD kind of way and an angsty my heart hurts kind of way), sad at times (I did tear up), laughing at times, and it just made me so happy. Anway, this book was truly the perfect way to end what I’m calling my Olivie year aka 2022 in general (I finished it on NYE it was perfect). I have not stopped thinking about this book since I read it. Writing this is going to be so hard because I have to leave out so many things that I loved just for the sake of space and time and everything, but hopefully one day I’ll get to see you on one of your tours again and talk your head off about it. (P.S please come to Pittsburgh for your TAC tour and celebrate in Libby’s hometown please-I know,I know you go where your publishers send you but still please)

I will say I will always have a special connection to this book (and the audiobook of LPM which I also listened to in December which was amazing the narrator was so good with all the accents and everything-refueled my love of Elisabeth and I still want one of the romance books on her and Jack hahah) just because December was an awful month on the top of an awful year and this book was really here when I needed it most. 2022 for me was a year of grief (it’s true what they say it always comes in 3s), failure, and just Murphy's law. Not one of my favorite years (I survived though as always so we are good now haha),but reading your books/watching your success this year were some of my happiest parts. I know I haven’t been here since the beginning or anywhere close to it but still seeing all your success made me so proud and so happy for you, you deserve it <3. I think fate let me find your books in 2021 because it knew I would need them in 2022. Enough with the mush for now, also you told me not to apologize about my rambling and I am holding my tongue not to, but I think I might make this one two parts-well three because Saints and Liars is going to get its own so if you have only time to day to read one part I suggest that one-to make it not so overwhelming (because I am incapable of just liking something to a normal degree)-but I should have said it towards one of the first ones please never feel like you have to actually reply to these they have always just been to hopefully bring you some happiness and appreciation that I hope you can feel through the screen more than anything. Also spoilers of course for any other people in the universe that may read this.

Oh wait I didn’t share but one of my best friends and I have a tradition of sending each other one of our favorite books of the last year and this was actually the one I sent her! I needed someone to obsess over it with me. She loved it too btw she texted me how obsessed she is with margoalec and cecilyporter she loves them so much.

Stone’s Throw: I was automatically intrigued just based on “trips and falls into another realm”. This felt very atlas vibes with all the dimensions/portals/ley lines. I just loved Salim and Jenny together, their relationship felt very soulmates/invisible string/the universe just drawing them together and you know I love those. The theme of them being mirrors of each other in some ways and two threads through the eye of one needle ugh I just love stuff like that I ate it up. From the moment she got the fax from the other dimension I was trying to figure out who it was from. My first thought was “oh wouldn’t it be cool if it was from his brother” and then slowly in the story I convinced myself that was not  going to be it, so I was very proud of myself when it was finally revealed. This story just felt so unique and I love jumping portals and alternate universes and stuff so it was so fun! 

-Some moments I loved: Jenny putting an exclamation point in her email to prevent herself from sounding as irritated as she felt because I do that very frequently too haha. The way you wrote how it looked and felt going through the portal was so cool I could really see it in my head and was like “woah this is trippy”. HOW HE WAS HER ONLY TRACE OF FAMILIAR AND THAT SHE BELIEVED HIM WHEN NO ONE EVER DOES. And of course it was your signature horny characters hahah. The title of the book and the story appearing THE BEST. 

-Some quotes I enjoyed/reactions to them:

“Whatever it was, it was destructive and cruel even while it was handsome. It treated flattery like a noose and wielded poison like a blade.” I just really like that line. I don’t really know why but idk it resonated somehow with me. 

“Is he yours?” AHHH

“Sleep was not an option. Jenny let her restless feet carry her elsewhere, to the only place she felt even remotely recognizable as herself” AND IT'S TO HIS ROOM AWWW

“His kiss, when it met hers, was fragrant with gratitude, lush with it. He opened for her as she had for him, and suddenly she thought she understood it. Portals and passage. She pulled him closer the way she would have sprinted towards something unmissable, a train leaving the station. She pried open the doors of his reservations and in response he was alight, whisking her off the platform. She felt the edges of herself blur with his, his sadness becoming hers, his loneliness cloaking her shoulders. She bled her hope into his mouth, her art, her practiced hand at beauty. She poured the meditation of her entire being into his soul.” THEM THIS AHHH LOVE

“Jenny looked up, catching his eye as Salim drank what remained of his wine, and the corners of her lips flicked upwards, helpless to a smile. He could feel himself smiling broadly at her in return, everything suddenly dulling to singular, undeniable clarity. I understand, he wanted to say, I understand now what it means to search, and he reached out, taking her hand and observing the way surprise registered on her face.” he understands what it means to search and it’s to her I’m emo 

“Jenny felt Salim's chest hitch at her touch, his sharp inhale errantly mislaid. "I didn't expect it," he said hoarsely, apologetically, and she knew he meant I didn't think we would be like this, two threads through the eye of one needle. She knew he meant: I would have liked to have offered you less, to have asked for nothing in return.” SCREAMING I LOVE THIS

“It was hard to explain what happened when she met Salim. She took one look at his face, far younger than she'd expected, and felt something she could only call a sensation; another sign. Some intangible sense of purpose, of destiny and satisfaction, absolution and relief. She looked at Salim Amrani and knew, somehow, that the answer to her question was yes. “ DESTINY AND HE WAS THE ANSWER UGH OBSESSED

"We are always only a stone's throw from collapsing into another form of ourselves, in versions of lives we cannot relinquish. Luckily, the world has a way of showing us where we belong." LOVE THIS LINE SO MUCH

The Immortality Project:

One of my insta friends that I actually made through our love of your books, Katie (gingko.reads), put in one of her posts about this story that “Vigilante Shit” is the perfect song for this story and I AGREE. Actually, I think Taylor wrote the song after reading this story tbh. We love reading about two women finally getting revenge on a world/on men that took advantage of them. This story was also so funny I laughed out loud several times. The legal document format was so fun and unique. I feel like you always throw in some unique formats in your anthologies and it always makes it so fun! Loved Saffron and Nikita’s friendship in this too, felt like it showed the power of female friendship very well. 

-Some moments I loved: LOL she is such a ranter but so funny (she’s me ❤️). I just have “YES GIRL GET YOUR REVENGE” in my notes 100 times hahaha. Her name on false papers to get out of the country is Cinnamon (omg just realized two spices Saffron and Cinnamon I love it!). The whole VIP thing with Dick being the VIP and the “naughty boy” things from Saffron LOL LOVE HER. And the employee telling Saffron her friend might have murdered someone and her just saying I’m not worried I’ve seen death and it’s not as cute as her haha so good. “We are advised not to die” hahaha. She thinks saffron drugged her but Saffron insists she didn’t hahahah. “Aggressively writing things down” LOL. HER WISH AWWW I LOVE IT SO MUCH WHAT A GOOD ONE, THIS IS WHAT I WANT TOO. Saffron coming to visit her at the rehabilitation center awww. Tbh I can’t tell if the story was really just a mental break for her or if the wish she did with the witch came true because Saffron has money now and is successful while the dick and all his friends are either dead or going to jail. I like to think it is the latter. The ending being that quote reemphasized ugh perfection. 

-Some quotes I enjoyed/reactions to them:

“Am once again sober although not for long, ha ha. Have rung Idiot 1’s private security (once lent her a tampon & now we are of course Best Friends) asking where he’ll be and she has informed me he will be in a meeting, which means he will be in a disgusting “ ”gentlemen” “ (double quotes for Extreme Skepticism)’s club.” “It has occurred to me since awakening to a vicious sight (i.e. my face) that perhaps seduction is a method better outsourced. Will find accomplice and report back soon.”  SHE IS LITERALLY SO FUNNY I LOVE HER SO MUCH

“Thus fair it is unclear where the project is based, though I assume it is a tax-sheltered island because billionaire fuckbois unimaginatively love island and boats.” LOL they do  

“Things don’t always get better, she says, sometimes they just stay the same and sometimes they get worse, and she didn’t really expect to do anything or see anything and now she has.” sad but so true 

“Therefore I will travel to what is inevitably an island and infiltrate it to discover the source of The Immortality Project. Once there, I will destroy it. I will destroy it with my bare hands, and then I will return to give Dick the following message: You are a small man and worse than that you are a mortal one. You will die someday though no fault of mine-I will of course outlive you because I am a woman and this is what we do-but when you do, I want you to know that I could have saved you. Instead I sat in the sun with a beer in my hand and I laughed.” YES

“It has occurred to me since awakening to a vicious sight (i.e. my face) that perhaps seduction is a method better outsourced. Will find accomplice and report back soon.” HAHAHA I love her

“I am taking a moment to myself to reflect on the fact that Dick has stolen my life from me. Worse is that I let him do it. Why have I always cared for other people over myself? Why have I nurtured a bunch of meaningless stocks instead of my own desires? It occurs to me that at least if Dick lives forever he will do something with his life, even if that something is just being egregiously bad in bed with women who don't deserve him. If I could live forever, what would I do with the rest of my life? I've lived more in the last three days than in the entirety of my prior lifetime. If I died tomorrow nobody would even remember me. The most important thing in my life is to destroy Dick for what he stole from me, which for the record wasn't my job. Dick stole my whole life right out from under me. And I didn't even notice until after he'd already fit the whole thing into a cardboard box for me to find outside my office.” ugh relatable 

“It infuriates me that Dick has wealth enough to ensure that a hundred million Saffrons never see another bad day and yet he clings to it like he deserves it more than anyone.” THIS!!!

“So I say the first thing that comes to my tongue, which is: I wish that things were different. As in, I wish this were a different world, one less dominated by dicks and idiots and shitbags and more rewarding of Saffrons instead. I wish girls who didn’t quite know their own power yet would not get swept away by boys who did. I wish a man could not claim all my success for his own, just as I wish he could not simply point at me and diminish me to nothing. I wish I had allowed myself to be a little more difficult a little bit sooner in my life, because it seems like only once I got angry did my life actually start to begin.” SUCH A GREAT WISH I LOVE THIS VERY MUCH

Here is the picture of my insanity as promised:

-Amanda ❤️

well obviously I love the insanity (I always love seeing tabs, it’s such a wonderful compliment, like people who close their eyes when they eat your cooking, so validating) and I love that tradition with your friend. and I also know it was a hard year for you, and I’m so honored I was able to give you something that brought you joy. it’s nice to feel together in the ether etc etc

and thank you so much for your love for the immortality project! people don’t usually mention that one to me but I really love it. I mean, it was obviously super fun for me to write, I’m sure you can tell just by the style, but it’s really nice to see it called out in any way. I appreciate how attentive you are to every line of all my stories. thank you so much for the way you love my work!

[bookclub4m]

Episode 169 - What is a Book? (Part 2)

This episode we’re continuing our conversation from last year and talking about What is a Book? We talk about hypertext, instruction manuals, visual novels, campfire stories, and more!

You can download the podcast  directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Media We Mentioned

DC Pride 2022 #1

Tic Tac Tome: The Autonomous Tic Tac Toe Playing Book by Willy Yonkers

Homestuck (Wikipedia)

Doki Doki Literature Club! (Wikipedia)

Everything Everywhere All at Once (Wikipedia)

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Wikipedia)

Lasers & Feelings

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

Links, Articles, and Things

Episode 144 - What is a Book?

I read all 337 books in Skyrim so you don't have to 

Episode 108 - Visual Novels

Choose Your Own Adventure (Wikipedia)

Demian's Gamebook Web Page

KineticNovel (Wikipedia)

Hypertext fiction (Wikipedia)

HyperCard (Wikipedia)

Flip Book (Wikipedia)

Desert Bus for Hope

Microform (Wikipedia)

Rice writing (Wikipedia)

Matthew was just wrong about this

Changes to new editions of Roald Dahl books have readers up in arms

Jaffa Cakes: Legal Status (Wikipedia)

That time the X-Men’s humanity was put on trial in a real court of law

Fountain (Duchamp) (Wikipedia)

20 Books Adapted into Film/TV by BIPOC Authors (and 7 Being Adapted Soon)

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker | The Color Purple (1985)

The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor | The Women of Brewster Place (1989 mini-series)

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, translated by Carol & Thomas Christensen | Like Water for Chocolate (1992)

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan | The Joy Luck Club (1993)

Beloved by Toni Morrison | Beloved (1998)

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie | Smoke Signals (1998)

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi | Persepolis (2007)

Q&A by Vikras Swarup | Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Push by Sapphire | Precious (2009)

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup | 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly | Hidden Figures (2016)

Silence by Shūsaku Endō, translated by William Johnston | Silence (2016)

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese | Indian Horse (2017)

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan | Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas | The Hate U Give (2018)

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin | If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han | To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Chararipotra | Tiny Pretty Things (2020 TV series)

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga | The White Tiger (2021)

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee | Pachinko (2022 TV series)

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang | American Born Chinese (2023 TV series)

The Color Purple by Alice Walker | The Color Purple (2023)

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid | Exit West (2023)

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam | Leave the World Behind (2023)

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu | The Three-Body Problem (2023 TV series)

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon | Blackout (forthcoming film & TV series)

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris | The Other Black Girl (forthcoming TV series)

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, March 7th we’ll be discussing the genre of Gender Theory/Studies! 

Then on Tuesday, March 21st we’ll be talking about Moving and Management of Books!

[agapi-kalyptei]

day 348, 2022

(wednesday i think)

Didn't take prescription meth today but still was more alert than most of the past 2 weeks. or, uh. most of the past 50 weeks.

D. either got up as late as I did, or was just chilling very quietly in the morning. I jumped into a meeting 7 minutes after getting up, then we hung out a bit more before waving her goodbye. Lunch was bread with some frozen grilled vegetables, after I spent 10 minutes removing onion.

Still haven't emailed my perearst. Still haven't booked psych/psych/physio. Still didn't get a haircut. My tDCS device arrived, promptly tested it out. The tDCS mode worked as expected. The tACS, which I never used before, made my vision flash even on the low 1mA current. If anything, I found it amusing. 10 years ago I'd probably freak out and start googling if I'm gonna die.

Still, it's notable. It's just 1mA. One milliampere! At only 10Hz! With 220V sockets, assuming dry skin and luck, you can hope to have 200kΩ between fingers on different hands. (Legally, however, you must calculate human bodies to have 2000 Ohm.) It's been a while since I've done basic math, but that's still 1 whole Ampere! At 50Hz! I'm really glad more and more devices run on 12V, which is considered safe.

And yet I want to repeat - 1mA of 10Hz alternating current, from a battery-powered device half the size of a mobile phone made my vision flash completely in an out. Electricity *is* terrifying. Made me think of the fake USB sticks hackers leave around the company parking lots that have a few condensers in them that brutally fry any computer unlucky enough to get plugged in.

~~~

I received my first free ERSO tickets today, directly from KT. How do I even describe it? Elated, validated, flattered, terrified? Something about it feels fundamentally wrong, like if somebody is hitting on you for 5 years straight, you're not going to just start dating them out of resignation, right? Like if I buy bread from one bakery for 5 years, they're not gonna go "you're a regular, here's free bread forever".

Let's say I bought in the ballpark of 200 ERSO tickets. Let's say piletilevi has zero commission and tax doesn't exist. That covers at best half a day of salaries! For a concert that they rehearsed a week for! Without any rent! Without paying the conductor or a soloist!

Like even if I pretend I'm doing ERSO some huge favor for recording them and editing their videos, even if I was paid by hour, with a wage much higher than musicians have, I still haven't done enough to cover salaries for one concert.

PACKAGE VI – 10 000 €

In addition to the previously mentioned • an exclusive chamber concert

I always thought about this highest tier of ERSO Friends club. Something about it terrifies me, and not just because I can imagine having a manic episode and spending my life savings on something, but because having paid private concerts feels wrong. Private concerts should by done by friends for friends. If I had to spend 10k on music, I'd just hand-pick a few of them and compose music for them, and carefully mic everyone. Pay them in cash. Make them feel appreciated and satisfied that maybe not everything is hopeless bs.

IDK I know that tier is meant for someone who has a business, two houses, 3 cars, and half a mill left on different bank accounts, and not for a part-time employed person with low impulse control.

What I'm saying, it's weird to get free tickets when the whole industry is one bad world event away from getting gutted in some budget meeting.

[ailtrahq]

The “Uber of Southeast Asia” Grab has announced the integration of Web3 services, allowing users to win blockchain rewards, pay using NFTs, and set up their own Web3 wallet, along with a host of other features. Let’s find out more.  bitcoin Mined bitcoin to the tune of £165 million found its way into a council tip. A decade later, the owner’s legal team has asked for legal access to the site in order to start searching for the lost bitcoin hard drive. Former chairman of the SEC, Jay Clayton, has said that he cannot see any further rejections of the current bitcoin Spot ETF submissions. Ethereum Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest and asset manager 21Shares made a significant move in the ETF space after applying for the first spot Ethereum ETF in the US.  DeFi Crypto lending firm Compound has announced that its borrowing and lending protocol is now live on Base, the Layer 2 solution developed by Coinbase. A consortium of industry-leading DeFi companies has announced the formation of the Tokenized Asset Coalition (TAC) with the initiative of driving and bringing asset Tokenization to a better standard. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has sold all his MakerDAO (MKR) tokens for 353 ETH ($581,000), generating speculation among the crypto community on the motivation to do so.  Altcoins Layer One blockchain Solana is continuing to lose momentum, with the daily active addresses declining to around 204,000 on the 31st of August.  Elon Musk had considered possibly developing a social media platform based on Blockchain Technology and was heavily involved with the Cryptocurrency Dogecoin.  Technology A recent research paper co-authored by Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin delves into the challenges of ensuring Privacy in blockchain transactions while meeting regulatory compliance. Story Protocol has successfully raised over $54 million in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm, a16z crypto. As per an article in the British-based Telegraph, a group of Pennsylvanian forward-thinkers is eyeing a tire incineration plant to leverage energy for Bitcoin mining.  DEX platform dYdX has announced plans to migrate its entire ecosystem from the Ethereum network to Cosmos while simultaneously introducing a decentralized order book strategy. Business Grab, a hugely popular ride-hailing super app in Southeast Asia, has announced the integration of Web3 services to its platform. In an escalating internal conflict, co-founders of blockchain gaming platform Gala Games, Eric Schiermeyer and Wright Thurston, have filed dueling lawsuits against each other.  JPMorgan Chase & Co., the largest bank in the US, is developing a new type of Digital Currency that can accelerate settlements and international payments.  Genesis Global Capital has taken legal action against its parent company, Digital Currency Group, and DCG International Investments, demanding the repayment of overdue loans totaling over $620 million. The blockchain analytical firm Arkham Intelligence has Grayscale’s bitcoin Trust as the second largest holder of bitcoin, distributed among over 1700 addresses.  FTX’s Solana wallet has seen considerable activity, transferring $10 million worth of Crypto Tokens to Ethereum through the Wormhole bridge since the 31st of August.  Regulation Leaders of the world's 20 major economies, known as the G20, are advocating for the rapid implementation of an international framework for Crypto Assets. South Korea is looking to significantly strengthen sanctions against North Korea by introducing a revised bill first announced in November 2022.  FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is currently evaluating his discovery materials in prison. However, his lawyers have claimed that prison protocols hamper productivity in the discovery process.  In a recent letter, Grayscale’s law firm, Davis Polk, is firmly urging the SEC to green-light a bitcoin Spot ETF. Alex Mashinsky, the former CEO of Celsius, has had his Assets frozen by a United States court, including bank accounts and property. 

blockchain-based file-sharing and payment network LBRY has decided to fight back against the SEC after a previous decision to wind down after a federal judge ruling that favored the regulator.  Faruk Fatih Ozer, the founder of Thodex, a defunct crypto exchange based in Turkey, was sentenced to 11,196 years in prison by a court in Istanbul. France has introduced a new training program specifically tailored for crypto and finance influencers to instill better understanding and compliance regarding advertisement disclosures. Web3 ConsenSys is preparing to introduce a decentralized version of Infura by the close of this year, a move that could significantly reshape the way Web3 Applications access blockchain data. ConsenSys is also preparing to release MetaMask Snaps, a feature that aims to transform the popular crypto wallet into a cross-chain decentralized application (DApp) store. Security According to Blockchain Security experts, the highly popular crypto betting platform Stake has fallen victim to a major exploit, losing over $40 million in funds.  FloorDAO, an NFT-Fi liquidity layer, has fallen victim to a major exploit, losing around 40 WETH, valued at around $65,000, to hackers. 

[that-fema-corps-blog]

Day 14

August 16, 2022

Woke up at 7:00, made breakfast but barely ate any, then met at the main building at 8:00 for COVID testing. The first day on campus was the only day we had to test ourselves. Since then, some members of the staff have administered the tests; it’s a little awkward having to sit still while someone shoves a cotton swab up your nose, but it’s not too bad.

We met in the other side of the main building at 8:30 and set up the chairs. The member development associate gave a presentation on independent learning projects, specialty roles, and the like. We first did a tic-tac-toe activity where we put our home state, age, favorite hobby, and some goals on a 3×3 grid and tried matching them with those of other corps members. Then we created some goals in the SMART format: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. We signed up for Accenture and did a pre-test on career preparation and were instructed to do the first lesson on career planning later this week.

We then learned about all the specialty roles: community relations representative, health and wellness councilor, life after AmeriCorps representative, service-learning initiator, and the vehicle safety tools. The community relations representative documents what the team does and helps with social media. The health and wellness councilor runs physical training and helps with other team bonding activities. The life after AmeriCorps representative helps teammates meet career and personal goals they have for once they leave the program. The service-learning initiator coordinates days of service – especially those on federal holidays. At least two vehicle safety tools are required per team, and they are in charge of van/equipment inspections and safety talks.

We got a few minutes off, and I ate a little more and took a bathroom break. I didn’t want to run all the way back to my dorm, so I opted for one of the the portable toilets. I’m impressed at how clean everything was, though maybe that’s only because it was a Monday morning. They also had several foot-pump sinks with soap and paper towel dispensers right outside. I’d say it was an efficient setup.

At 11:00, we listened to a presentation about food and budget planning. We get $6.10/person/day for food on normal days and $15 for when we do not have kitchen access (mainly for travel). People with certain medical dietary restrictions can get a $1.50 raise to their daily food allowance, and the food budget may also be raised to $15/person/day for any team that did not have time to cook due to having to work 12 hours a day during certain disasters. Everyone’s food allowances are supplied to the team leader on one card, and the money does not roll over from one disbursement to another. We are also not allowed to spend more than $15/person/meal, even if we have the leftover funds to do so; therefore, we have to keep restaurant orders to a maximum of $12/person to be able to afford tax and tip. The team leader then has to send in the itemized receipts so the government knows that the money was spent according to policy.

Travel expenses work in a similar way. The team will receive a chunk of hotel money for the duration of the drive to the new location based on the number of team members. The money doesn’t have to be spent evenly; one night’s lodging might work out to $20/person/night, and the next one might cost $50 (though you’re not allowed to book a luxury hotel just because you have enough leftover money). The policy seems to be that each person must have a bed or a cot, and that men and women must room separately.

We broke off into teams and discussed our food budget, meal plans, and how things would work once we were in hotels. We hadn’t gotten our project locations yet, so the unit leader asked us where we wanted to be deployed. We probably won’t get a choice as to where we’ll go, but it’s worth asking.

We got off at about 12:00 for lunch. The next presentation was Behavioral Health at 13:30. It was very similar to information the Litmos virtual learning I had done before arrival. We each received a worksheet and broke into teams to discuss our stress symptoms, how we will ask for help, what others can do to help us, etc.

Then we had a Life in the AmeriBubble lecture at 15:30. My teammates took turns discussing what we were looking forward to this year, what we were anxious about, and related topics with each other. The team leader and support team leader had a talk with us about alcohol use at around 17:00, and then we were free to go.

I vacuumed my floor and did some laundry, and then it was time for dinner at 20:00. A few of us ate in the dorm game room and filled out and emailed off a couple forms while we watched TV. I added a FEMA Corps email signature from the template our team leader wanted us to use, then swapped the government computer for my personal one. I talked to some of the other corps members and messed with the computer for a while before leaving for bed at around 22:30.

[90secondnewbery]

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi

2003 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Cassie, Charlie, Emilie, and Layla of Lloyd Harbor School (2022)

From Huntington, NY

Judges' Remarks: It was an inspired twist to retell the story of Crispin in the form of a series of therapy sessions in which Crispin is trying to tell his story, interspersed with actual scenes from the book—whether in the actual forest, or the green-screen forest! There were so many funny touches, like when it's revealed that the therapist is just doing tic-tac-toe while seemingly listening to Cripin, or when the therapist kicks Crispin out. But of course the funniest part is when the next patient for the exasperated therapist is just another character from the book ("I have something to tell about me and my best friend Crispin!") Clever, well-made, and zipped through many of the significant plot points of the book quickly and competently.

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

445 of 2022

Created by joybucket

Do you regularly....

paint?

draw?

drink coffee?

drink tea?

curl your hair?

straighten your hair?

pray?

read the Bible?

worship?

play online games?

watch movies?

watch television?

read books?

daydream?

Would you ever....

dye your hair a wild color?

get a tattoo?

get a piercing?

bungee jump?

skydive?

dance in public?

sing a solo?

travel to Africa?

ride an elephant?

travel to Europe? (lol)

travel to Asia?

travel solo?

travel to New York City?

ask out your crush? (too shy for that, sadly)

Can you....

sing?

dance?

play an instrument?

touch your nose to your tongue?

lick the tip of your nose?

do the splits?

do a cartwheel?

draw?

write neatly?

write in cursive?

speak another language?

whistle?

pop your fingers out of joint?

read minds?

Are you....

lovely?

beautiful?

double jointed?

artistic?

bold?

boring?

encouraging?

loving?

nice?

positive?

passive?

passionate?

ambitious?

sensitive?

honest?

romantic?

intelligent?

unique?

creative?

generous?

miserable?

optimistic?

pessimistic?

mentally ill?

sane?

weird?

different?

special?

anointed?

Do you like....

math?

tea?

coffee?

English?

writing in cursive?

creative writing?

to dance?

to sing?

to pray?

chocolate?

smoothies?

sushi?

pie?

playing Truth or Dare?

Have you ever....

tried to redo your room to make it look like a room you saw on Pinterest?

tried to give yourself a hairstyle you found online?

set up a prayer corner in your room?

had an imaginary friend?

written on the side of a bathroom stall?

fallen asleep with your clothes on?

fallen in a pool fully clothed?

gotten sick from inhaling nail polish remover?

realized that life is amazing?

thought about ending your life?

cried in public?

sat on a rooftop with a friend?

written a letter to a celebrity? (when I was 10 or so)

wished on a shooting star?

Do you remember....

Gigapets?

Pikachu?

Pokemon cards?

Furby?

pogs?

the show Taina?

the show Caitlin's Way?

when the Spice Girls performed on All That?

when the very first episode of Spongebob aired?

what you were doing on Sept. 11, 2001?

Aaron Carter?

N Sync?

choker necklaces?

"LiveStrong" wristbands?

Did you ever....

play with Barbies?

own an American Girl doll?

watch Nickelodeon?

obsess over a celebrity?

crush on a celebrity?

have imaginary friends?

play tag?

take swimming lessons?

take ballet?

take piano lessons?

have the flu?

have to go to the hospital?

dream of running away as a teenager?

get picked first in gym class?

Do you/have you listened to...

Avril Lavigne?

Carrie Underwood?

Taylor Swift?

Paramore?

Black Eyed Peas?

A-Teens?

Play?

Aaron Carter?

The Backstreet Boys?

The Spice Girls?

S Club 7?

Hillsong?

Casting Crowns?

The Jonas Brothers?

Have you ever played...

Monopoly?

Truth or Dare?

Heads Up 7 Up?

Red Rover?

Tic Tac Toe?

Four Square?

Apples to Apples?

Chutes and Ladders?

Bingo?

Uno?

Go Fish?

Never Have I Ever?

Two Truths and a Lie?

If You Really Knew Me?

Roller Coaster Tycoon?

American Girls Premiere?

Operation?

Candy Crush Saga?

Mahjong Titans?

Yahtzee?

YoVille/YoWorld?

Mario Party?

Mario Kart?

Zelda?

The Sims?

Pac Man?

Ski ball?

poker?

beer pong?

Do you like these names (for a girl)?...

Skye

Skylar

Eliana

Claire

Sierra

Madison

Peyton

Aurora

Bianca

Joanna

Siona

Felicity

Ellery

Epiphany

Do you like these names (for a boy)?....

Deklan

Dylan

Denver

Dallas

David

Adam

John

Spencer

Ryan

Storm

Scott

Justin

Meverick

Brennan

Would you ever dye your hair...

dark brown?

light brown?

blonde?

gray?

white?

purple?

pink?

green?

teal/turquoise/aqua?

burgundy?

red (the natural hair color red)?

red (as in, bright red)?

magenta?

periwinkle?

Would you ever get a tattoo of...

a cross?

a peace sign?

a quote?

someone's name?

a heart?

something insignificant?

a skull?

a flower?

a Japanese symbol?

a continent?

an elephant?

an awareness ribbon?

a fish?

stars?

What are you allergic to?

dust

pollen

mold

pet dander

mosquitoes

bees (if so, how do you react to them?) // just swelling

peanuts

tree nuts

another food

a medication

latex

grass

a type of glue or paint?

something else (if so, what?)

Have you ever been...

bullied?

excluded?

persecuted?

harassed?

molested?

abused?

raped?

assaulted?

yelled at?

shoved?

hurt?

heartbroken?

sick?

shy?

embarrassed?

loved?

complimented?

insulted?

discriminated against? (yeah xenophobia)

hugged?

attacked?

fired?

homeless?

close to being homeless?

manipulated?

lonely?

isolated for a long and unhealthy period of time? (yeah 2020 lol)

neglected?

ignored?

Do you believe in...

the supernatural?

angels?

demons?

God?

Jesus?

The Holy Spirit?

Heaven?

Hell?

yourself?

aliens?

genies?

fairies?

mermaids?

werewolves?

Do you consider yourself...

beautiful?

spiritual?

religious?

gifted?

talented?

unique?

free-spirited?

gentle?

free?

alone?

carefree?

alive?

blessed?

spoiled?

[tacanderson]

Of all the books I read this year, I would be remiss if I didn't include my own book. Because not only did I read it, I wrote the damn thing! And I'm pretty proud of it. You can read the whole thing for free here. If you buy it, I'll donate all proceeds to UNICEF USA.

The Man Who Killed The Man Who Killed Putin is a novelette I wrote in a Cold War, PTSD fueled state of Gen X anxiety. It takes place in the same world as my first book, Super-Borg Dies, but can be read independently as there are references to the first book, but nothing important to the plot. It's told as a story that's been passed down from generation to generation in an oral tradition, so it reads very conversationally. It was a lot of fun to write and I've received a lot of good feedback on it. I hope you'll check it out.

[eruden-writes]

The Unexpected Human Problem - Part 16 (Yautja x Human)

Part 1 | Part 2| Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5| Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 (coming soon)

CHAPTER CW: Awkward tension. Discussion of forced surgery.

Tag list: @ajarofpickledtears, @boogeysmoth

If you like what I create, please consider my patreon or my ko-fi!

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ Comments, tags, and reblogs are real motivators for me, too!

---

The remainder of the cycle was the absolute worst. Tai'dqei busied himself with maintenance. Mostly he sought out the old safety belt buckles he had stored somewhere in the larger cargo hold, then he replaced his pilot belt with the old one. That gave Rayelle a spot, equipped with the newer safer belt, not in his lap if they encountered enemies again.

Rayelle faintly wondered when yautja slept, how long they slept, as she listened to his footfalls around the ship. That thought brought other considerations to her mind, considering she now knew his bedroom layout. She shook those thoughts away, returning to her book or watching a vid on her arm gauntlet. Staying to her room seemed the kindest course of action.

The two tried to forget the other existed in their small space of the universe. For hours.

Without incident, they arrived at TAC S7B. The S7B, Rayelle learned, meant Sector 7 of the universe. What that meant, she wasn't exactly sure. The B was also a mystery.

TAC S7B was a manufactured planet, teal green in color with silvery wisps of clouds when viewed from space. After consultation at the main office - which was at the uppermost pole of the planet - Tai'dqei had to ferry Rayelle to another part of the planet.

For Rayelle's own understanding, she thought of the world in the same terms of continents, countries, and cities. Each continent had a headquarters that specialized in a particular planet, which was further segmented by eras - centuries, for humans - via massive countries, which were then further divided into city-like areas. For Earth, the cities themselves were parsed into decades.

It wasn't just paperwork or files. It was everything. The layouts, the food, clothes, stylistically. Rayelle assumed, being the authority on time, this meant some of the employees of TAC actually traveled to their assigned periods. Whether to suss out crimes or, as the alien at the HQ explained, to examine the weight her own missing case had on the world.

Essentially, understanding how the day-to-day worked for the ancient Earth time of 2022 made sense. Even if a bitter voice in Rayelle's head kept wondering why they couldn't just send her back. She still couldn't imagine her case having any bearing on anything or anyone. Well, other than her kids.

A dual sense of comfort and wariness etched into Rayelle's very bones as she walked through 2022 Earth City. As accurate as the city was to her own time, it also felt like a farce. A movie set that, while it certainly had working restaurants and clothing stores and who-knew-what-else, had none of the feel of the 2020s.

"Are you doing alright?" Tai'dqei's sudden question drew Rayelle from her thoughts and observations of the city.

The two of them were sitting on a bench inside the city's "town hall." Basically an area where detectives and staff worked to deal with 2022 problems. Their bench sat outside the office of Detective Gorgiel, with enough space between them for another person.

At least, according to what her earworm had translated, it was Detective Gorgiel. She wasn't sure if aliens used a term like 'detective' and she aggravatingly couldn't read the odd alien text on the walls and doors. However, as par for the course of replicas, they did have signs that rotated out different Earth languages on a screen.

"I'm fine," Rayelle answered, without looking up at the yautja. Today, he'd chosen to actually wear his mask and heavier armor. It was useless for her to suss out his feelings through visual cues, though. After the scene she caused at the mall, and the following pursuit through space, she presumed he was just being prepared for anything by wearing it.

Which was true. He considered the possibilities of Zav, or any other contender vying to possess Ryalle, attacking once they got to TAC S7B. Landing on one's destination tended to bring guards down. He didn't know what TAC security measures were like, like if they could be overwhelmed with a contingent of attackers.

He doubted it, but it paid to be careful.

As much as Tai'dqei had been operating on auto-pilot since landing, simply going through the motions while speaking with TAC officers, a part of his faculties kept an eye on Rayelle. Ever since they had agreed to keep their distance, things had been tense. Understandably.

Or maybe that was simply his interpretation. There was always an itch to touch her at his skin. At random, thoughts of their moment in the cockpit would skitter across his thoughts. Actively fighting against his wayward body and mind made him less than enjoyable company. Still, he wanted to make sure Rayelle was doing okay, so he pressed further, "Are you certain?"

"Yes." She inclined her head to him, exasperation evident in her voice. Part of her wished he hadn't worn the mask today. Though she struggled with his facial tells and tics, she found herself wanting to see his face.

That thought made her stomach lurch and she looked away from Tai'dqei, hurriedly. Her eyes returned to the far wall, staring at the bulletin board on the other side. She wondered if it was simply a prop. Something to add to the immersion of this whole place. It was hard to imagine any actual important information still being in a hard format. It had been the same in her time, as well.

Tai'dqei fell silent for a moment, his mandibles writhing under his mask. His leg began to joggle, considering what he should do or say. When he stumbled on something, the question blurted out of him, "Is the city at all like your time?"

This time, Rayelle inhaled deeply at his question, her eyes closing. She had actually been avoiding that thought. When her eyes split open again, her head turning toward Tai'dqei, an angry and brittle smile curved at her lips. "On the surface, yes. Deeper down, it's missing the constant dread of pandemics and mass shootings and government corruption and police brutality that kind of coated my time."

Silently, Tai'dqei stared at her face, feeling he had again made a mistake. He didn't know what to say to anything she had said. In theory, he knew it was all terrible. But he hadn't experienced any of it himself, so what could he say?

"It's fine. It doesn't matter now." The angry tension in Rayelle's shoulders eased with defeat. She sighed, her eyes tilting away from him again. "It's all in the past."

Another quiet fell between them. Tai'dqei felt as if the divide between them had grown even further. Far off, in other offices, he could hear others talking. His mask picked up several heat sources elsewhere in the building. But, all that ambient sound didn't seem to puncture the bubble around himself and Rayelle.

"Maybe we should get some food after this," he heard himself say, needing something to fill the silence. Though added distractedly, "If they don't assign you to a handler."

Rayelle grunted an empty acknowledgement. A handler. She hadn't even thought she'd be trading in one alien for another. The thought just enhanced her desire to see Tai'dqei's face again, just in case they were separated indefinitely soon.

"I don't want someone new," Rayelle was on the verge of saying, before she stopped herself. She and Tai'dqei had been avoiding each other up until this point. Though she told herself it wasn't true, part of her felt certain this whole ordeal was becoming too much for him. He should be able to wash his hands of her, without guilt. It wasn't like he signed up for assisting a lost-in-space-and-time human nor all of her baggage, anyway.

Instead, Rayelle gave a one-shouldered shrug to Tai'dqei's suggestion. "Yeah, maybe we can."

Luckily, it was at that moment that the door to Detective Gorgiel's office fell open. Both Rayelle and Tai'dqei sat straighter on the bench, eyes turned expectantly to the doorway.

"Rayelle Carter?" The non-human that turned to them was bone-white, with blue etchings on their skin. Their eyes - three of them, Rayelle noted - were the color of crystal and their mouth appeared like a jagged crevice in their face. Faintly, she wondered if the rock-like appearance was an evolutionary mimic or if this alien - presumably Detective Gorgiel - was genuinely made of rock. Their button-up shirt and slacks looked so out of place on their body.

"Yes," she responded, getting to her feet.

"I am Detective Gorgiel. Come this way," the rock alien said with a nod, standing to the side and motioning toward their office door. Rayelle was over the threshold when she heard the detective add to Tai'dqei, "You may come, as well. Any information will help."

"Of course," Tai'dqei grunted, getting to his feet and following at a safe distance behind Rayelle.

Inside, it looked like any other office Rayelle could recall being in. Two plush chairs sat across a desk from a single, larger, plusher chair. Papers riddled the desk, along with a familiar-looking computer. Rayelle assumed it was actually far higher tech than what she realized, though.

Delicately, she settled into one of the chairs. Tai'dqei dropped into the other. He crossed his arms, sitting ramrod straight. As Detective Gorgiel rounded the office to take his seat, Rayelle edged her own chair closer to the desk. She idly reached out to fiddle with a pen and, after that, a business card from a holder.

The interview took far longer than Rayelle anticipated. Detective Gorgiel squeezed every last drop of information from her. What year, exactly, did she come from? Who was president? What was her full address? Her full name? Her full maiden name? Children's names, her ex's full name, her parents, any pets she had, any possessions in her name, her friends, her kids' friends, her friends' kids, her hometown, and so on.

Though, the worst was once again going over the events of The Night. When she was kidnapped, then abducted. A blunt pain edged through her retelling and brought on a sudden wave of exhaustion. She actually resorted to pulling out the fidget cube she had brought with her, expelling her nervous energy as she retold her story.

Tai'dqei noticed her distress and stepped in at one point, citing the alien races involved - which he had dispatched - and forwarding Rayelle's medical records to the detective. The diversion gave her a little breather. He also explained to Gorgiel how the Straux earworm was his own doing, so they could communicate. Though, Rayelle noticed he didn't discuss other things that were his doing. Just scant facts of finding her, who was with her, and the records.

She supposed their personal interactions didn't have any bearing on her situation. His mistakes, her mistakes. It was like they existed in their own pocket of reality, totally separate from what was currently happening. Which was another wobbly thought that made her head swim.

"Well, Miss Brooks - you prefer Brooks, correct?" Detective Gorgiel surprised Rayelle with their intuitive assessment. Maybe even compassionate.

She nodded, still feeling a little woozy. "Yes, Brooks is my preferred surname."

"Miss Brooks, I know this wasn't easy for you. Even in less harrowing circumstances, the trauma of time travel and space travel, for those unready, is difficult." Detective Gorgiel reached across their desk, gently patting her hand. She knew it was supposed to be comforting, but the minute way Tai'dqei tensed in his chair was honestly more gratifying. "That said, it will regrettably take some time for us to investigate your case."

Rayelle blinked at that, her eyebrows furrowing. "Can't you just take all the time you need and then come back to this exact moment with the findings?"

A fleeting smile curled at Gorgiel's hard lips as they pulled their hand away. "This planet was specifically designed to halt temporal anomalies. Which means duplicates of ourselves, which would happen if a future me arrived here now, are not allowed."

"What about forwarding the information to someone else and have them do it?" She knew she was pressing a topic she had little knowledge of. It just didn't make sense to her, though. If the Time Authority Council could travel through time, they could pop in and out whenever they wanted to. If staggered correctly, she thought it could be instantaneous.

"Rest assured, there will be many of us working on your case. But it will take time." To his credit, Detective Gorgiel didn't balk at her insistence.

She supposed he had been asked these things many times over. Still, Rayelle couldn't keep the disappointment from her tone as she gave a skeptical, "Hm."

Now, Detective Gorgiel heaved a sigh, their shoulders rising and falling with the breath. "We will need time to investigate and untangle the web of contacts through the years. Direct, secondary, tertiary, and so on. Sometimes, we discover avenues we hadn't thought of before."

A part of Rayelle knew that. She could mentally imagine her connection to her kids, to Evan, to her family, to what few friends she had. But there'd be police officers and detectives and true crime bloggers. Her friend's families and their friends. People who stumbled on her case, completely detached from anything associated to her. Unraveling that web couldn't be easy and it couldn't be quick.

As if further sense was needed, the detective added, as gently as they could, "Please remember, you're not our only case, Miss Brooks."

"Right, right. Sorry." Rayelle hung her head, feeling her cheeks heat with embarrassment. Asking for more than they could give wasn't going to get her home any sooner. Ironically, if she just waited, she might get home sooner.

"It's perfectly fine. You're in a complicated situation and I'm sure you're looking forward to going home," "If that is possible."

Rayelle gave a weak nod and a hum of acknowledgement, but couldn't bring herself to say anything nor look up at the detective. If that is possible. Those words clanged around her head, making her stomach cramp unhappily.

"While you wait for our assessment, there is a resort we have set up on Rerli 3." Thankfully, Detective Gorgiel turned their gaze from her and, she assumed, addressed Tai'dqei. "I can provide coordinates, if you could take her. We will provide compensation, of course."

"I can do that," Tai'dqei answered, meeting the detective's gaze. From the corner of his eye, he kept an eye on Rayelle. She slumped in her chair, hands drawn into her lap. A part of him was shamefully happy her hands weren't in reaching distance of the detective any longer. Another part of him worried she was mentally withdrawing. "What's this resort like?"

At Tai'dqei's question, Rayelle peeked up again. First, to the yautja who'd asked a question she really should have; then to Detective Gorgiel.

"It's relatively new, with a handful of humans there already. All from around Miss Brooks's time period." Whether the detective thought it was strange Tai'dqei asked the question, they made no indication. Instead, they pulled a pamphlet out from their desk, sliding it across to Rayelle. "Entertainment, such as books and movies and art supplies, are provided. Cooking implements from the time period and kitchens. A pool, a gym, a spa. Anything and everything to keep a human busy."

Rayelle hummed an acknowledgement once more as she tentatively grabbed the pamphlet. She didn't want to say she had no clue what was typical for a resort, having never been to one herself. But the front page looked vaguely like what she expected. A large white building with bright adornments in a rainbow of colors, big windows, an abundance of flora - similar to Earth - and a blue ocean.

Once again, Tai'dqei watched Rayelle. He couldn't tell if she was excited for the resort or not. She just heavily scrutinized the front, but leafed no further into the pamphlet. Maybe she was saving it for later, considering how tired she looked.

"But first, the medical side of things." Detective Gorgiel pulled up the files Tai'dqei had sent them. There was a long moment of them eyeballing the alien words, nodding quietly to themself, until they looked up at Rayelle and Tai'dqei. "We see these particular alterations a lot. Our clinic can reverse them, if desired. Miss Brooks can discuss more with one of our physicians."

That made Rayelle's eyebrows shoot up. They'd reverse the changes if she desired. Were there humans that wanted to keep the changes? Things that had been done against their will? She supposed there had to be. Vaguely, she started to wonder if there was more done to her than becoming a 'revitalized' baby machine. As she considered the possibilities, and decided to discuss it more with the physicians, Detective Gorgiel and Tai'dqei hashed out the rest of the details. Coordinates and funding was exchanged. A few side questions answered.

Finally, Detective Gorgiel stood from their desk, skirting around to be on the same side as Tai'dqei and Rayelle.

"Well, if you have any questions, I've also sent my contact information to your gauntlets." As if on cue, Rayelle and Tai'dqei's gauntlets chimed with an incoming message. Not to be distracted themself, Detective Gorgiel opened the door, letting it swing open. They stood beside it, obviously expecting the two to leave. "Until we find out more, take care."

And like that, Tai'dqei and Rayelle found themselves hurried from the office. The walk through the halls was quiet as she mentally gnawed on the new information given to her, the pamphlet to the resort clutched in hand.

Once they breached the threshold, out into the air of TAC S7B, and wandered down the sidewalk a bit, Tai'dqei broke the silence, "So, do you want to get something to eat? Or go to the clinic?"

At his question, Rayelle paused on the walkway. Her gaze flickered around their surroundings. There was an eerie sense of division to it all. The clothes, the vehicles, the signage. It was all familiar. But there were non-humans milling about, with familiar styles of dress tailored to their size or extra limbs.

It was also a lot cleaner and quieter, she realized. There was no litter blowing about the streets and, though dressed like gas guzzling cars, the vehicles didn't make any sound. No far-off trains or the sounds of planes, though spaceships whizzing through the air gave a slight hum all the same. No sirens of police cars or ambulances. No construction.

It was a facsimile of her time. A farce. Much like other things around her. Her eyes returned to Tai'dqei, her lips pressed tight together in thought. His emotionless masked face stared back at her, patiently waiting for her decision. A nauseous feeling swam through her stomach, wondering where Tai'dqei truly fell on the gradient of genuine to false.

"The clinic," Rayelle finally said, heading to the garage where he had landed his ship. She straightened her spine and set her shoulders, the resort pamphlet crinkling in her fisted hand. "I want to get this over with already."

---

If you like what I create, please consider:

 ✨ patreon | ✨ ko-fi

Comments, tags and reblogs are real motivators for me, too!

Next chapter is already live on Patreon, btw! ;)

[flistan]

SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED!! As requested by the Lokean community during 2021 LokiFest, we are piecing together a Loki-themed coloring book. Any artwork featuring Loki, his family, and any/all deities of the Norse pantheon are welcome. Activity pages are also welcome. The cover art for this book will be selected from the submitted artwork.

Please make sure that all artwork conforms to the following requirements:

All artwork must be black and white

All artwork must be of quality 300 dpi or higher

All artwork must fit on a single 8×11 page

All artwork must have a miniature version of the artist’s signature at the top OR bottom of the page

Potential activities that you can create to include in this coloring book:

Mazes

Crossword puzzles

Word searches

Connect-the-Dots

Tic-tac-toe

Spot the difference

Word scrambles

Color-by-Number

Please email all submissions to publications@lokiuniversity.com with the Subject Line: Fractals Coloring Book Submission

Submissions are now open and will close JULY 12th, 2022. The projected publication date for this collection is AUGUST 12th, 2022.

Note: Any submission that does not adhere to the above guidelines will not be considered for publication. Please double-check all your work before you submit it.

____________________________________________

I apologize that this notice is so last-minute. I just wanted to throw it all out there for everyone to be able to participate. ^^

Artwork done by me wonderful mum. <3

(Please excuse the typo. XD )

[k-s-m-o-blog]

Are the kids alright?

Kennedy has started impulsive behaviors that I displayed at a young age but not quite as soon as she has.

When she doesn't understand something or dislikes something and it effects her she begins to tear up and question why this why that. She grows frustrated quickly and can't calm herself down in a healthy manor. Say i tell her no she cant play a video game but she doesn't have any homework or chores or routine things going on and she wants what she wants right then and there she begins to cry from frustration and instead of calming herself and trying to explain what emotions she feels she begins pinching or scratching her arms or legs. Lately this has gotten more intense. She has even drawn blood on one occasion. For me I began self mutilation at age 11 for reasons still unknown to myself. I just did it. But my self mutilation was more of a routine of doing the mutilation itself and hiding it. Hers comes in bursts with her feelings. We are going to play therapy and she has become more expressive of her feelings. Either they are hard for her to explain or not she still tries to explain it more thoroughly now. She is becoming more involved with Oakleigh now. Asking to play with her, asking to hold her, keeping her ear out for her when I go smoke, and even playing with her with toys or reading books to her. She does homework with me or mark then wants to come in my room and hang out and play jacks or tic tac toe or watch a movie or even read. We have designated Wednesday for 6:30pm movie night. She seems to enjoy being a lot more involved with William and I along with Billie as a family unit. William has started referring to Kennedy as "our daughter" or "our child". She notices his moods and they reflect upon her if he's being grumpy and she thinks its something she has done. We are working with both of them on thia matter. Him to not display his emotions so fragile in front of the girls and her not clinging to others emotions so tightly that they effect hers.

Savannah is still my wild and out there mini me. She makes up the wildest stories and expects me to believe her. Ive stopped going along with her and tell her she doesnt need to exaggerate things to make them seem more interesting or intensify her stories. Its attention seeking and I wont condone it and have her crave that sort of thing then whined up asking myself "how did this happen?" She she becomes pregnant at 15 because she was looking for attention from someone she doesnt even need around or when she gets into a fight for spreading a false rumor in school. She has a bit of trouble when i call her out on things but she takes most things with a grain of salt and carries on with life which makes me really happy. She is very free spirited but still tries to please others so much she forgets about herself in the process. Like mother like daughter. It nearly killed me and I wont have my child looking to make everyone but herself happy. She will know that her happiness and peace is most important than others thoughts of her. Shes also made a best friend with her father's friends daughter. Its cute. But they feed off each other at times and do naughty things like pull pranks on their cousins and scare littler kids. But I guess all kids get in to trouble with their friends. I just wont have it being a regular thing.

Little Billie is growing like a weed. Shes tripled her birth weight plus a few ounces and is babbling away at anything she can follow with her eyes. She rolled over last night for the first time right in front of William and I. The joy it brought to both of us. In that moment life seemed so light beyond all the problems there have been between us lately. Billie girl is tryibg to sit up and gaining more control of her upper body. She face is filling out and she enjoys being read to and my singing a song i made up for her when she was just a tiny ToT in the NICU. She grows smarter and stronger each day and it's so bitter sweet seeing my tiny baby girl get so big not knowing yet if she will be the last Margot baby or not.

On that note William and I just don't know whether we should steal our first childs spotlight and have her share it with a sibling already or if we should put an end to the unexpected blow to the face that happened so suddenly. Depending on the louisiana state laws now we will probably let her be the baby for a few more years if we choose to end it..then when she is 3 we will try again in January and February 2022 so that we will have an October baby. God only knows what will happen. I hate to put myself through this all again but I must do what i have to for my children's best interests as well as my own.

So are the kids alright?

They're just fine ..just fine..

[sscchsl1]

Have You Heard The UP Lekhpal Exam Has Been Rescheduled?

The Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UPSSSC) again postponed the exam of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Lekhpal. Earlier the exam was going to be held on 24th July 2022 but due to unavoidable reasons, the Commission rescheduled the date. Now, the exam is going to be conducted on 31st July 2022. 

Those who want to appear for the exam, now have one more week for preparation. Because we haven’t much time for the preparations. So cramming the whole syllabus or books is not the right way to choose. 

Here I am suggesting some tic tacs which you should use in these last minutes:-

1. Attempt as many UP Lekhpal Mock Tests as possible to diminish your exam fear.

2. Practice UP Lekhpal Previous Year Question Papers to know the difficulty level of the questions

3. Go through the UP Lekhpal Sectional Tests to cover your strong and weak areas in these last days.

You will get Free UP Lekhpal Free Study Material  2022 at Testwale which is designed by subject matter experts and based on the most recent exam pattern. Access their Test series to enhance your knowledge and get good scores. 

[takeoffphilippines]

AirAsia Philippines welcomes return of leisure travel with UNLI Flight Pass extension until 2022!

MANILA, 7 September 2021 – AirAsia Philippines is giving its 12,000 UNLI Flight Pass holders great value for money and great ease especially with the return of leisure travel in the National Capital Region (NCR) starting 8 September!

Beginning September 8-30, 2021, AirAsia will start to fly travelers to Cebu (CEB), Davao (DVO), Zamboanga (ZAM), Panglao (TAG), Tacloban (TAC) and Caticlan (MPH).  

Following IATF Resolution 136-F, interzonal travel will be allowed from GCQ to GCQ or GCQ to MGCQ areas subject to restrictions of the local government unit of destination and strict health and safety protocols such as the presentation of a negative RT-PCR test upon arrival.

UNLI Flight Pass’ extension comes in handy as its original 16 October 2021 redemption period is extended until 17 January 2022.  Consequently, the travel period has been extended from 30 October 2021 to 31 January 2022.

UNLI Flight Pass was tremendously welcomed by travel enthusiasts, mostly young professionals and families during its launch in November 2020.  It has also become the travel partner of essential travelers and Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR) such as medical frontliners and members of the uniformed services like different branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). 

National Triathlete Nikko Huelgas is now excited to use the extended UNLI Flight Pass and travel to his bucket list local destinations Palawan and Bohol.  He plans on flying once Metro Manila reverts to MGCQ or GCQ.

To date, more than 5,400 flights were booked using the UNLI Flight Pass to leisure destinations such as Boracay, Cebu and Bohol.  However, AirAsia reminds the public that the promo is also open to all their domestic destinations including Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga and General Santos City.

AirAsia Philippines Spokesperson Steve Dailisan said, “The extension of the UNLI Flight Pass will give both leisure and essential travelers the opportunity to maximize and save for their trips. It also gives them the chance to regain halted travel plans especially during Ber months where a lot of homecomings and family vacations happen.”

National Triathlete Nikko Bryan Huelgas was among the many travel enthusiasts who purchased the UNLI Flight Pass last year. Huelgas said, “As an athlete ang laking tulong ng Unli Pass for my trainings in the various provinces.”

“Though you really have to manage your travel plans, it was really worth it because I was able to book 2 round trip tickets to Cebu and Tacloban already, which was more than what I paid for.  I plan on visiting Palawan and Bohol but the plan was sidelined because of the travel restrictions.  So extending the promo is like an early Christmas gift.”  

To date, AirAsia Philippines’ flight crew and ground staff have been vaccinated against COVID-19. AirAsia’s efforts by going above and beyond the protection of its passengers against COVID-19 have earned the airline a perfect 7-star rating from Airlineratings.com.

Follow AirAsia on Twitter (@AirAsia) and Facebook (facebook.com/airasiatravels.mm) for the latest updates, or contact our customer support team at support.airasia.com.

–

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[tacanderson]

The Kaiju Preservation Society

I've never read any John Scalzi before. He's been on my radar for a long time and frequently comes up under recommendations based on other books I've read - Red Shirts is probably the one that comes up the most, which makes sense since it won a Hugo - but I just haven't picked one of his books up yet. So when I saw The Kaiju Preservation Society come up for pre-order, I jumped on it. Not only is it about kaiju - a topic I really like and wish there were more books about - this is a cool numbered and signed first edition - something else I geek out over.

The book was written during and about the covid times, but quickly leaves that setting and moves onto kaiju. It's a fun read, I really enjoyed it and will definitely check out other books by Scalzi.