#vermont art guide

[mmwm]

LINK FEST: 26 MARCH 2024

Links that may or may not be related to gardens, food, travel, nature, or heterotopias and liminal spaces but probably are. Sources in parentheses. illustrated essay: Backyard Bird Diary (Amy Tan/Paris Review). A prosaic series of essays about different birds in her yard (or on her palm), as Tan learns the ways of birds (and bird feeding). video tour: AsiaBarong Gallery, Great Barrington, MA –…

[insidemyrottenbrain]

Years later - TSH

Henry Marchbanks Winter x GN!Reader

Word count: 1666

TW: religious imagery

Out of guilt and dread you end up leaving Vermont and building a new life. Just as you thought you escaped your past, you once again find yourself in its grasp.

The past haunts me. It has been years—so many I cannot begin to count, and if I’m being completely honest, I was not counting to begin with. Everything I have done was to escape that wretched part of my life in which my naivety and perhaps self-consuming passion, managed to control me. I wanted—want—to forget it all. 

The first time I stepped foot into what would soon come to be one of the few select places in my nightmares was very awe-inducing. The university was large, larger than I’d imagined. The stone walls had arched indents that made it look as if it belonged in one of the novels I read as a teenager and that my family wholeheartedly despised. The hallways were a contorted maze of watchful ancient statues following every movement with their eyes, priceless antiques donated by rich parents and students with more money in their pockets than I could ever dream of having. A multitude of departments found their home in that twisted place, such as theater, arts, modern literature, architecture, history, music, philosophy, and more. I believe you can imagine my excitement when faced with the exact kind of university I dreamed of studying at, especially when I had little to no hope of ever getting anywhere close to it, much less belonging.

One thing, as you know, led to another, and I ended up as one of the infamous Greek pupils. I’m quite sure everyone thought we were some kind of cult, which, if you think about it, isn’t entirely wrong.

The first few years were everything I had ever hoped for. I felt that I had found my place and, most certainly, my kind. We used to do everything together. Being with them was the only time I truly felt alive. It doesn’t matter whether we went to the comforting country house engulfed in trees safely from the outside world, had delicious dinners debating the most obscure topics, or simply studied in the library, sleep-deprived and on immense amounts of caffeine, I always felt as if I was doing something more than just existing.

Where did it all go wrong? I wouldn’t be able to tell you. I do not want to categorize Richard’s arrival as the initiator factor, for it was not his fault. Nor is it correct to say that the Bacchanal was the beginning of it all. It wouldn’t be Henry’s doing either, at least not the start of it. I have speculated on this over the years, and I have come to only one conclusion that seems right. My theory as to what the answer is and my attempt to pinpoint the exact place on the timeline are not as precise as I hoped they would be. It was not a single event that gave birth to our ruin, but rather multiple little moments, that are rather large in the big scheme. I also like to believe that Julian had as much of a role in all of this as the rest of us. Perhaps, even a considerably more sizeable one.

Everything that happened—I wish to leave behind. However, I recently came to realise, that, to my misery, it incorporated and formed my very being. My views, my ideas, my tastes, and my activities are all, to a certain extent, if not fully influenced and ruled over by it. I am my past.

My great, futile attempts to escape the life I once had, led me to London, a perfect setting for someone who wished to hide. A bustling place, where I had the chance to not be me, but a mere shadow lurking throughout the crowded streets, observing every passerby, while trying to guess their life stories, deepest desires, and strongest fears. I was no one, and I adored it. However, my presence became known among museum guides and librarians for its consistency. I have also earned a reputation among university students for being one of the few odd professors. This is probably due to the fact that I am very selective with my pupils, and I teach a couple that are quite brilliant in my office. I often have open discussions with them, for I consider it helps them engage with the topic better and understand the meaning and philosophy behind it in such a way that encourages them to analyze, observe, and critique. One such day, we were talking about the loss of self, Plato’s four divine madnesses:

‘Death is the mother of beauty,’ said Felix, one of my students.

I nodded in approval as I propped myself up on the desk.

‘And what is beauty?’ 

‘Terror,’ a voice answered from my office’s door.

My life up until this moment, along with all my darkest memories and the series of events that led me to where I am today, flash before my eyes, and it feels as if the universe has stopped specifically to play along with his sadistic trick. My jaw clenches involuntarily, my eyes threaten to betray my emotions, and I have to remind myself I’m not the same brainless kid chasing empty promises and impossible dreams, fully convinced that every existing land, no matter how vast it may be, is my playground and that fate will bend according to my petulant will. I have to get out of my head, the silence is stretching. My students, probably confused, are expecting some kind of sign from my disordered self. He is waiting for a reaction. The past has finally caught up to me. After all my futile attempts, it still managed to intrude on my present’s doorway. 

I take a deep breath. I look at my students, curiosity mixed with confusion clear in their expressions. I don’t need to look at him to know who he is.

‘I apologize,’ I start hoping that they cannot hear the tremble in my voice as accentuated as I seem to do, ‘class is dismissed.’

I need not say more before my students start gathering their belongings in complete silence so as to not further disturb the room completely filled with palpable animosity and perhaps something more vivid, cursed to lurk in the depths of our minds. I reach blindly toward my pack of cigarettes, lying somewhere on my desk between books and coffee-stained papers. Lucky Strikes, yet another sign of his hold on me. I light my cigarette, breathing in the curls of smoke spiraling down my throat. The sound of his leather shoes clicking against the wooden floorboards reverberates through my beating heart. I am well aware that even now, after years of attempting to escape from the rosary He entangled around my neck, I am still His most loyal devotee, respecting vigilantly every silent command. Deep and numbing smoke inside my lungs, like a relaxant, washes me with warm Indian summer waves of calmness.

He is fixating me with his cold blue eyes, watching for any sign of defiance. Over the years I’ve spent in his presence, I’ve learned to recognize his transitive facial expressions, his secretive ways, and his small habits, whether it is the way he holds a page between his fingers before turning it or his tendency to dive into long monologues about whatever interests him at that moment. It is a distinct ability that has grown its roots along my blood vessels, twisted and intertwined beyond differentiation. Understanding each other used to be our way of showing our affection. It is something so sacred that I cannot bring myself to weaponize against him and betray the bond we once had. You’d think that after so much time I’d be able to break free from the shackles His divinity holds me in and convert to a different faith. But He is nestled so deeply in me, that I cannot help but like the burns and the imprints upon my skin.

Henry Marchbanks Winter looks the same. But he now has a new pair of glasses and slight crow’s feet, along with faint smile lines framing his lips. He’s wearing one of his dark English suits, which have always fit him incredibly well. And if the wrinkles weren’t enough, the few grey hairs peeking from underneath the familiar dark colour of his hair are a brutal reminder of how much of him I missed. A cruel admonitum of the years that have passed and of all the times I wasn’t next to him, not by chance but by choice. It takes all I have in me to not fall to my knees, confess my sin, and beg for forgiveness. As if all the years I’ve been away from him turned into mere days I find myself falling back to my old habits and once again bowing down to his silent command.

Amor dominus terribilis est.

The cigarette burns, forgotten between my fingers, as I get wasted on his scent, for once, unbothered by the consequences.

‘I’ve finally found you, dilectus.’ Beloved.

‘I suppose you have.’ I cannot help but stare at him, hypnotized by the storm in his eyes.

‘I have been searching for you since the day you left.’ He reaches a gentle, steady hand to brush my cheek ‘London of all places-’

As much as I wish to let him hold me again I find myself interrupting him. ‘You have no business here.’ I walk to the open window and take my second drag from the almost fully burned cigarette.

He sighs, frustration slipping through the cracks of his perfection.

‘Like it or not,’ he emanates divine turmoil as he emphasizes every word  ‘you are my business.’

‘After so long we can’t be anything but strangers.’

‘You are wrong.’ He states immediately as I finish the sentence. ‘You cannot act as if you have forgotten everything we’ve been through.’ His hand once again finds its way to my face and caresses it with smooth, slow motions. This time I let him. ‘One more chance is all I ask for.’ He whispered.

‘One more chance.’ I agree, defeated.

[astrojulia]

Pluto transits in the Natal Chart

The transit of Pluto is widely considered to be one of the most intense and feared events in astrology. This is because Pluto, known as the lord of the underworld, exerts a powerful and transformative force on both global events and our innermost lives. When Pluto is at least 5° away from a natal planet or significant point in a birth chart, it begins to activate the planet's location on the chart and the houses it rules. For instance, if Pluto forms a trine aspect with the Neptune, and Pisces is on the sixth cusp, the transit will first activate the Neptune and then the natal 6th house matters. Typically, about three years before the exact aspect, one can start to sense the transformative work that Pluto is going to initiate. The conjunction aspect, which has a 5 degree orb, lasts for approximately 4 to 5 years. In summary, the Pluto transit is a potent and transformative astrological event that can bring deep changes to our lives. By understanding how Pluto interacts with our natal chart, we can better prepare ourselves for the changes that are coming and learn to navigate them with grace and insight. You can learn how to interpret the transits for you here

⌦ .｡.:*♡ Transiting the native houses...

⌦ .｡.:*♡ Transiting Pluto conjunct your natal...

⌦ .｡.:*♡ Transiting Pluto trines your natal...

⌦ .｡.:*♡ Transiting Pluto sextile your natal...

⌦ .｡.:*♡ Transiting Pluto opposite your natal...

⌦ .｡.:*♡ Transiting Pluto square your natal...

(CC) AstroJulia Some Rights Reserved

Sources:

[1] TOMPKINS, Sue. Aspects in Astrology: A guide to understanding planetary relationships in the horoscope. One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont 057067: Destiny Books, 2002.

[2] RIBEIRO, Anna Maria da Costa. Sinastria: Estudo dos Relacionamentos Teoria e Prática. Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Hipocampo Editora e Distribuidora Ltda., 1989.

[3] ABDUL-KHALIQ, Ajani. Hayden’s Book of Synastry: A Complete Guide to Two-Chart Astrology, Composite Charts, and How to Interpret Them. 13 junho 2017.

[16] LINHA ASTRAL - ASTROLOGIA: Seu site de Pesquisa Astrológica. Disponível em: https://linha-astral.com.br/. Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[17] Astromatrix. Disponível em: https://astromatrix.org/. Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[18] Astrolibrary.  Disponível em: https://astrolibrary.org/  Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[19] Cafe Astrology.  Disponível em: https://cafeastrology.com/.  Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[2] Iapetite on deviantart

[3] wildfireresources on deviantart

Art by soudwrong // Render by shiro-2002

[athreehundredthirtythree]

A Story About Veilguard & Me

I normally pop on here, at infrequent intervals, to mindlessly reblog DA memes and art from mutuals. I very, very rarely post at all, and almost never in my own words. This time, though, I have to. And you'll have to forgive me--what I'm going to say might sound unkind or like I'm not giving the game a fair shake. Also, there will be MAJOR spoilers, and I'm going to get very personal. It will be long.

All this to say, I don't expect anybody to actually read it. Or care, for that matter.

But sharing is a part of grief. And I need to tell you a story.

My parents divorced when I was a kid, and my father moved 1800 miles away (approx. 2900 km for people who live in sensible countries), so my uncle was a formative figure in my life. He was snarky, sarcastic, brilliant, and kind. He was the sort of person who all the neighborhood kids considered a father figure. He was my first DM in my first tabletop RPG, and my first video game was Baldur's Gate, played as I sat on his lap. I made the decisions and he moved the characters and clicked things to make them happen. He was my first Valentine, sending me a Vermont Teddy Bear on Valentine's Day when I was a little girl. I'm in my 30s. I still have that bear. His son, my cousin, had prom the same night as mine since we went to the same school. But my uncle made sure to come over to my house to see when I was ready and tell me I looked beautiful. He was my father in all but name. When I was little, he brushed my hair and tucked me into bed at night, telling me story after story, improvised on the spot just for me.

When I was in college, he got sick. I was the last to know. My entire family knew before I did. My uncle apologized, said he hadn't meant to tell me last. He'd assumed my mom told me. She hadn't because she "hadn't wanted to upset me during the semester." I was upset, but, hey, at least I knew now. And my uncle was doing well and responding to treatment.

Some years passed. I had a kid. Then the worst loss of my life, followed a few months later by another kid. All the while, my uncle's health was in decline. I had to watch him go from being a bright, vibrant presence in my life, a sun I could guide myself around, to a husk of the person he was. But I would talk to him a lot. I tried to get him into Critical Role when he got too sick to play D&D anymore, so he could still keep it in his life. But my aunt couldn't figure out how to make the podcast work, despite my written instructions, sadly. Instead, I told him about anything I was doing--now I was telling him the stories, for a change: about my life, about my kids, about how we were all doing fine.

Everyone told me he was doing okay, he was in a status quo. He'd never get better, but at least he wasn't getting worse. Cold comfort is still comfort.

I came home after the holiday party at my job a few years later when my mom pulled me aside for a chat. My uncle's health was failing, she said, and my entire extended family had kept that from me because they didn't want me to be upset at work. I had a job to do, Mom said, and she wanted me to be able to focus.

It was as she was telling me this that she got the phone call. My uncle was dead.

Her lies made it so I never got to say goodbye in a way he could hear.

I will never forgive her that.

And she knows it. I've told her. And all she can say is she's sorry, but she made the best decision she could at the time. For the sake of a job I don't even have anymore.

All this to say: I hate Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

In this game, the writers at Bioware have just made me relive one of the worst things that ever happened to me. For the sake of a fun little plot twist.

It's not a fun little plot twist. It's not an extra twist of the fictional knife for pathos points. It is a real thing that happened to me--a light in my life went out and I lost a chance to say goodbye when it would have mattered because of someone else's lies.

Dragon Age was, bar none, my favorite video game series, and I have an encyclopedic knowledge of its lines and lore. I have loved it since the moment I booted up Origins. And now I don't know if I'll be able to play any of the games again, knowing how it ends for a character who, by every metric but height and hair color, is a dead ringer for the uncle I lost. Who was a comfort when my uncle died--I don't have my uncle anymore, but Varric was always there, a click away, endlessly supportive, with a one-liner and a story, so reminiscent of the presence I will forever miss.

Is that stupid? Sure. But who said grief has to be smart? I make no apologies.

The fact that Solas can be forgiven for this, can ride off into the sunset with a romanced Lavellan, and Varric's narration sounds approving of it... feels like a judgment. Varric's lines about it being "[his] decision, [his] sacrifice. And you [Rook/player] don't get to take that from me" feels like a very personal "fuck you." It feels like Varric, as an unromanceable character, despite fandom clamoring to smooch the dwarf since DA2, is more disposable than Solas. Fuck it, it's not like anyone loved him, right? It's not like he was integral to anyone's story.

I am aware that Bioware doesn't know I exist. I'm a random schlub on Tumblr, and people who've been callously lied to about a death in reality are a vanishingly small group of people, not an important bloc to consider. But if the entire company had set out to make a game to hurt me personally, if they'd had a vendetta against me and wanted to break my heart--and not in a fun, engaging fictional way like they usually manage, but in a way that reminds me of a very real grief and hurts in a very, very real way... this is the exact decision they would have made. To not just kill him, but to lie about it for the whole game. I could have been okay with a Varric death in this game. Hell, I intentionally bring him with me to do "In Hushed Whispers" in DAI so I can see the terror demon toss his corpse into the room for the extra pathos. Death in stories happens, particularly ones with stakes as high as this one.

But writing that affects you, that makes you feel, makes you think, makes you cry--it's only good as long as it's in good fun. And there's a vast gulf between "a story that made me cry" and "a story that made me fucking despair because I just realized I can't remember what my uncle's voice sounds like anymore and I'll never hear it again." Between "a story that gave my favorite character a send-off in a way I disliked" and "my uncle will never meet my son, and I just got a big, fuck-off reminder of that fact." And Veilguard is the latter.

I wish I could say I loved the game. I wish I could say the ending brought me the closure I never got. But closure is a lie; the wound doesn't close. You just learn to compensate. The story cracked my heart along fissures that will never heal. And it hurts as badly now as it did the day I lost him, when I found out how much my family, my own mother, lied to me and I lost out on the chance to say goodbye in any way that mattered.

A gentle reminder to any writers out there who've made it this far: remember your readers, your players, your audience all bring their own context to your story. A fun twist to you because you watched The Sixth Sense over the weekend can be deeply, heartbreakingly painful to a player, because they bring their own life to whatever tale you tell. Take care with how you treat your characters; they're fictional, sure, but that doesn't mean they're disposable--because what happens to them can matter more than you think to an audience member in grief.

Next month, it will have been five years since he died. A milestone and a tragedy. The son my uncle will never meet is sitting on my lap as I write this and try desperately to remember what his voice sounded like. And this time, there's no one, real or fictional, to offer that missing presence. Because knowing how the story ends changes how the beginning feels.

Thank you for reading.

[ateven]

vermont 200+ year old grave art

Another grave stone, a face surrounded by flowers. The 1700 and early 1800's era stones are mostly slate. The writing has visible lines etched as letter guides, even a dotted one for lowercase letters like my paper in kindergarten had. Southern Vermont

[foethefirstexperiment]

The First Experiment is set in the Fallout Equestria universe, during the height of The Great War. It follows ponies from 5 ministries linked together in a group chat as part of a "morale building social experiment."

But something feels off, not everypony is telling the truth, and the true intentions of this experiment have yet to be revealed.

Don't be paranoid. Report suspicious ponies.

Fallout Equestria: The First Experiment is an EAST Corp Production. EAST Corp began as an audio drama production channel, splintering off from the failed Stable Tec Studios. Over the past five years we have produced Confessions of a Wasteland Pony, Terminal Secrets, The Wasteland Survival Guide, the documentary The Great Experiment, and the music of The Balefire Symphony.

HOLLIDAY VERMONT - Showrunner, Co-writer, art | https://www.tumblr.com/holliday-is-holligay

CINDER SCRIPT - Co-writer

LAPA - Art | https://www.tumblr.com/larasilvestris

ULYRITIRI - Art | https://www.furaffinity.net/journals/ulyritirri/

KRELLAK - Art | https://solaris-stane.tumblr.com/

There are a few ways you can support us! You can support any of the individual team members -- like the artists -- by commissioning them! They were commissioned for this project and were wonderful to work with! BIG RECOMMEND!

You can support me, Holliday Vermont, as showrunner, directly by donating at this link! I'm in-between jobs whilst I finish my publishing degree so any money would be greatly appreciated!

Or you can support EAST Corp Productions on Patreon, where the money primarily goes into our next projects, intead!

And if you've made it this far! Thank you so much!

[decervantes]

Parenting is Design Leadership

I was struck this week by how much our readings resonated with me as a parent. I take my responsibility as a leader to my children quite seriously. I try to be proactive, as a design leader should, rather than reactive to problems that arise. The mindsets laid out in the IDEO field guide could also be found in a parenting book (especially learning from failure, empathy, embracing ambiguity, and optimism).

I learn from my kids every day about how to be a better person and a better parent. I also think my art and photography practice has changed for the better since becoming a mother. Here are some photos I made back at the beginning of August in Vermont. I really appreciate when images toe the line between snapshot and artwork.

[christas-museum]

Christa Winsloe: 80 years ago

(10th of June, 1944–2024)

Full name: Christa Kate Winsloe (own preferred short form of first name since 40's is Chris (or full masculine version, Christian) which was found by people who read Chris' letters to Dorothy Thompson.)

WHO? A high-class pencil artist, a high-class sculptor (second reason of fame), a French resistance member (~ "completed all assignments"), leftist communist, into women, animal lover, wonderful amateur actress (lead Christarole in a play at the boarding school Kaiserin-Augusta Seminary), writer (including humorous mini stories i.e. feuilletones) & playwright: famous for (main reason of fame) Mädchen in Uniform (the book Das Mädchen Manuela (literally The Girl Manuela, known in print as The Child Manuela) . . .

A fact: the film Loving Annabelle is based on Mädchen in Uniform.

A knowledgeable fan can share a lot about this wonderful woman who was a real Manuela but with light skin, father's 9 of 12 siblings were born in Scotland instead of they had "Spanish grandmother"), and who predicted so called 10th of June (not the date, of course) as Manuela's number at school in the book was 55 and 23.12.1888–10.06.1944 is 55. 

Every post, an article (any site), anything related (eBay, (stock) photo sites etc.) means deine legacy and memory about dich lives on and on. Fanfictions and fan art related to anything du wrote are very important too to keep figurative fire burning bright. (One user on Tumblr commented on a poll ~ "as long as I'm in, the fandom exists" (about self as the only one member.) Sad almost complete Chris-related truth if say about text form (but random fans write something once in a blue moon, though.)

Personally, all our many similarities are like an incredible chance to be close to such smart (Art, German, languages (De, Fr, En, It, Hu), Natural History (Science?)), witty & talented woman. And to have Chris as a guide in some of decision making (but using logic mostly) is to be strong when needed. Meine HERO Chris.

The most suitable photo for such day (from Auto-Biographie und andere Feuilletones edited by Doris Hermanns.) My comment: as understandable, the photograph was taken some time after Dorothy Thompson's jealous husband sent Chris to his farm in Vermont? to live with his ex-wife.

Liebling Chris, wir (deine Fans) lieben dich. Ich liebe dich für immer.

[maverick-mchale]

⚡️ maverick smith mchale

⚡️ basics

birthday: January 11, 1999

hometown: Atlanta, GA

currently: Los Angeles, CA

⚡️ background

Greenwood had seemed more like a curse than a blessing as a boy, but it hadn’t been long until Maverick found his people there. Always social, he’d become fast friends with the two people he’d eventually call partners. Frankie, Fiona, and Maverick guided each other as friends, learned as lovers, and grew as people. Over the years, the trio became inseparable, graduating then moving from Vermont to Los Angeles to start a real life together. They strived to express themselves fully, which pushed Maverick to embrace the art of drag; nurse by day and a queen by night. Though the three of them moved as one unit, they were all open and honest with each other, able to pursue connections and relationships outside of their pod. It hadn’t taken long for him to find them, and it’d taken even less time for him to decide that he never wanted to be without them. 

⚡️ personality

+ pros: sensual, open-minded, intelligent 

- cons: stubborn, cocky, restless

[popculturelib]

Haunted States of America: Vermont

The Vermont Ghost Guide (2000) by Joseph A. Citro; art by Stephen R. Bissette

"Why Not a Ghost Guide?" the preface asks.

We have guides to Vermont Birds, guides to Vermont Trees, guides to Wildflowers, even a guide to Vermont Cows--so why not a Vermont Ghost Guide? ... This Guide is a first-ever effort. As far as I know, no one has ever tried to catalogue all of Vermont's haunts. However, as a true census of Vermont ghosts, The Vermont Ghost Guide can be little more than a beginning. After all, ghosts are elusive critters; I am convinced we missed a fair number.

The Vermont Ghost Guide includes a map on the back locating all of the towns Citro and Bissette chronicle in the book:

The Browne Popular Culture Library (BPCL), founded in 1969, is the most comprehensive archive of its kind in the United States.  Our focus and mission is to acquire and preserve research materials on American Popular Culture (post 1876) for curricular and research use. Visit our website at https://www.bgsu.edu/library/pcl.html.

[richincolor]

January 2023 New Releases

Happy new year! We're well into 2023 now, so we've got plenty of catching up to do. Quite a few books launched over the last few weeks. Haven't been keeping up? No worries, we've got your back. Here are the books that have come out so far in 2023. What's at the top of your to-read list? Do you have any fun reading resolutions this year?

NOTE: The HarperCollins Union has been striking since 10 November 2022. Please consider supporting the strike by purchasing books through the union's Bookshop account or by donating to the strike fund.

Week of January 3rd:

Breakup From Hell by Ann Dávila Cardinal HarperCollins US

Miguela Angeles is tired. Tired of her abuela keeping secrets, especially about her heritage. Tired of her small Vermont town and hanging out at the same places with the same friends she’s known forever. So when another boring Sunday trip to church turns into a run-in with Sam, a mysterious hottie in town on vacation, Mica seizes the opportunity to get closer to him.

It’s not long before she is under Sam’s spell and doing things she’s never done before, like winning all her martial arts sparring matches—and lying to her favorite people. The more time Mica spends with Sam, the more weird things start to happen, too. Like terrifying-visions-of-the-world-ending weird. Mica’s gut instincts keep telling her something is off, yet Sam is the most exciting guy she’s ever met. But when Mica discovers his family’s roots, she realizes that instead of being in the typical high school relationship, she’s living in a horror novel. She has to leave Sam, but will ending their relationship also bring an end to everything she knows and everyone she loves?

Clever, hilarious, and steeped in supernatural suspense, Breakup From Hell will keep you hooked until the last page.

The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim Salaam Reads / Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Zahra Khan is basically Bangladeshi royalty, but being a princess doesn’t pay the bills in Paterson, New Jersey. While Zahra’s plans for financial security this summer involve working long hours at Chai Ho and saving up for college writing courses, Amma is convinced that all Zahra needs is a “good match,” Jane Austen style.

Enter Harun Emon, who’s wealthy, devastatingly handsome, and…aloof. As soon as Zahra meets him, she knows it’s a bad match. It’s nothing like the connection she has with Nayim Aktar, the new dishwasher at the tea shop, who just gets Zahra in a way no one has before. So, when Zahra finds out that Harun is just as uninterested in this match as she is, they decide to slowly sabotage their parents’ plans. And for once in Zahra’s life, she can have her rossomalai and eat it too: “dating” Harun and keeping Amma happy while catching real feelings for Nayim.

But life—and boys—can be more complicated than Zahra realizes. With her feelings all mixed up, Zahra discovers that sometimes being a good Bengali kid can be a royal pain.

All That It Ever Meant by Blessing Musariri Norton Young Readers

Family, grief, ghosts, and a mystery: this clever and compelling young adult novel heralds a masterful new voice from Zimbabwe.

Mati’s family is reeling from the death of Mati’s mother. Her Baba has drawn into himself, her sister Chichi is rebelling, and her young brother Tana is desperate for love and normalcy. When Chichi pulls her worst stunt yet, Baba uproots the family from their home in England for an extended camping holiday in their native Zimbabwe. Along for the trip is Meticais, a fabulously attired gender-neutral spirit—or ghost? or imaginary friend?—who only Mati can see and converse with. Guided by Meticais’s enigmatic advice and wisdom, Mati must come to terms with her grief and with the difficulty of living between two cultures, while the family must learn to forge their way in a world without their monumental mother.

Full of captivating characters and stunning plot twists, All That It Ever Meant delivers a nuanced and unforgettable story of grief, love, and family.

Dark Testament: Blackout Poems by Crystal Simone Smith Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

With poems found within the text of George Saunders’s Lincoln in the Bardo, Crystal Simone Smith embarks on an uncompromising exploration of collective mourning and crafts a masterwork that resonates far beyond the page. These poems are visually stark, a gathering of gripping verses that unmasks a dialogue of tragic truths—the stories of lives taken unjustly and too soon.

Bold and deeply affecting, Dark Testament is a remarkable reckoning with our present moment, a call to action, and a plea for a more just future. Along with the poems, Dark Testament includes a stirring introduction by the author that speaks to the content of the poetry, a Q&A with George Saunders, and a full-color photo-insert that commemorates victims of unlawful killings with photographs of memorials that have been created in their honor.

The Wrong Kind of Weird by James Ramos Inkyard Press

Cameron Carson has a secret. A secret with the power to break apart his friend group. Cameron Carson, member of the Geeks and Nerds United (GANU) club, has been secretly hooking up with student council president, cheerleader, theater enthusiast, and all-around queen bee Karla Ortega since the summer. The one problem—what was meant to be a summer fling between coffee shop coworkers has now evolved into a clandestine senior-year entanglement, where Karla isn’t intending on blending their friend groups anytime soon, or at all.

Enter Mackenzie Briggs, who isn’t afraid to be herself or wear her heart on her sleeve. When Cameron finds himself unexpectedly bonding with Mackenzie and repeatedly snubbed in public by Karla, he starts to wonder who he can truly consider a friend and who might have the potential to become more…

Song of Silver Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao Delacorte Press

In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her nation’s past—and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart. An epic fantasy series inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.

Once, Lan had a different name. Now she goes by the one the Elantian colonizers gave her when they invaded her kingdom, killed her mother, and outlawed her people’s magic. She spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak’gong, a city transformed by the conquerors, and her days scavenging for what she can find of the past. Anything to understand the strange mark burned into her arm by her mother in her last act before she died. The mark is mysterious—an untranslatable Hin character—and no one but Lan can see it. Until the night a boy appears at her teahouse and saves her life.

Zen is a practitioner—one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom. Their magic was rumored to have been drawn from the demons they communed with. Magic believed to be long lost. Now it must be hidden from the Elantians at all costs. When Zen comes across Lan, he recognizes what she is: a practitioner with a powerful ability hidden in the mark on her arm. He’s never seen anything like it—but he knows that if there are answers, they lie deep in the pine forests and misty mountains of the Last Kingdom, with an order of practitioning masters planning to overthrow the Elantian regime. Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep within—secrets they must hide from others, and secrets that they themselves have yet to discover. Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world. Now the battle for the Last Kingdom begins.

Rebel of Fire and Flight by Aneesa Marufu Scholastic

For Khadija, the only escape from her father’s arranged betrothal is the sky. When she spots a rogue hot air balloon fighting against its ropes, she leaps at the chance for adventure. Khadija soon finds an unlikely ally in a poor glassmaker’s apprentice, Jacob. But Jacob is a hāri, and Khadija a Ghadaean.

The hāri are oppressed and restless―their infamous terrorist group, the Hāreef, have a new fearsome leader. And the ruling Ghadaeans are brutal in their repression. Soon, a deadly revolution threatens their friendship and their world. The Hāreef use forbidden magic, summoning jinn―wicked spirits made of fire―to enact their revenge, forcing Jacob and Khadija to choose what kind of a world they want to save…

16 & Pregnant by LaLa Thomas MTV Books

Erykah was looking forward to junior year at East Prep High. She has a cute boyfriend, gets good grades, and has the best bestie. Money is tight, though that’s nothing new in her world. But everything changes when she gets pregnant. Having a baby at sixteen was definitely not part of the plan. Kelly’s plan was to dominate junior year—grade-wise and on the basketball court—and eventually get an athletic scholarship. It did not include helping her best friend through a pregnancy. But that’s what best friends do, right? Besides, Kelly has every intention of being a good auntie. As the two girls navigate the pregnancy, they’ll learn some harsh realities about the world and be forced to make some huge decisions. They’ll also discover a deep reserve of strength and compassion…for each other and themselves.

16 & Pregnant: A Novel honestly and openly explores pregnancy through the eyes of two young Black teens in modern-day Nevada. Debut author LaLa Thomas combines personal insights, heartfelt dialogue, and authentic emotions in this powerful portrait of American teen life.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert Joy Revolution

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption–yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.) These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?

Week of January 10th:

Friday I’m in Love by Camryn Garrett Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Mahalia Harris wants. She wants a big Sweet Sixteen like her best friend Naomi. She wants the super cute new girl Siobhan to like her back. She wants a break from worrying–about money, snide remarks from white classmates, pitying looks from church ladies . . . all of it.

Then inspiration strikes: It’s too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if she had a Coming Out Party? A singing, dancing, rainbow-cake-eating celebration of queerness on her own terms. The idea lights a fire in her, and soon Mahalia is scrimping and saving, taking on extra hours at her afterschool job, trying on dresses, and awkwardly flirting with Siobhan, all in preparation for the Coming Out of her dreams. But it’s not long before she’s buried in a mountain of bills, unfinished schoolwork, and enough drama to make her English Lit teacher blush. With all the responsibility on her shoulders, will Mahalia’s party be over before it’s even begun? A novel about finding yourself, falling in love, and celebrating what makes you you.

We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride Feiwel Friends

Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.

They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane. The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.

Cool. Awkward. Black. edited by Karen Strong Philomel Books

A girl who believes in UFOs; a boy who might have finally found his Prince Charming; a hopeful performer who dreams of being cast in her school’s production of The Sound of Music; a misunderstood magician of sorts with a power she doesn’t quite understand.

These plotlines and many more compose the eclectic stories found within the pages of this dynamic, exciting, and expansive collection featuring exclusively Black characters. From contemporary to historical, fantasy to sci-fi, magical to realistic, and with contributions from a powerhouse list of self-proclaimed geeks and bestselling, award-winning authors, this life-affirming anthology celebrates and redefines the many facets of Blackness and geekiness–both in the real world and those imagined.

A multi-genre YA anthology of bestselling, critically acclaimed Black authors challenging the concept of the geek, featuring contributions from Amerie, Kalynn Bayron, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Roseanne A. Brown, Elise Bryant, Tracy Deonn, Desiree S. Evans, Isaac Fitzsimons, Lamar Giles, Jordan Ifueko, Leah Johnson, Amanda Joy, Kwame Mbalia, Tochi Onyebuchi, Shari B. Pennant, K. Arsenault Rivera, Julian Winters, and Ibi Zoboi.

The Everlasting Road by Wab Kinew Tundra Books

The boundaries between the virtual and the real world become dangerously blurred for a young Indigenous girl in the follow-up to the YA fantasy debut Walking in Two Worlds from bestselling Indigenous author Wab Kinew. Perfect for fans of Ready Player One and the Otherworld series.

Devastated by the loss of her beloved older brother to cancer, Bugz returns to the place where she can always find solace and strength: the Floraverse. Over the past year, she has gained back all that she had lost in that virtual world, and while the remaining ClanLess members still plot against her, she is easily able to overcome their attacks. Even better, she’s been secretly working on a bot that will be both an incredible weapon and a source of comfort: Waawaate.

With the Waawaate bot looking exactly like the brother she misses so much — even acting so much like him — Bugz feels ready to show him off to Feng, who has become a constant companion in the Verse, and she cannot wait to team up with both friend and bot to secure her dominance once and for all. But Feng has his own issues to deal with, especially when news that his parents are alive and want to contact him threatens to send his new life on the Rez into upheaval. As they work through their complicated feelings of grief and loss, Feng and Bugz find themselves becoming ever closer. But disturbances in the Floraverse cannot be ignored, especially when Bugz realizes that her Waawaate bot is growing in powers beyond her control . . .

Brighter Than the Moon by David Valdes Bloomsbury YA

Shy foster kid Jonas and self-assured vlogger Shani met online, and so far, that’s where their relationship has stayed, sharing memes and baring their souls from behind their screens. Shani is eager to finally meet up, but Jonas isn’t so sure–he’s not confident Shani will like the real him . . . if he’s even sure who that is. Jonas knows he’s trapped himself in a lie with Shani–and wants to dig himself out. But Shani, who’s been burned before, may not give him a chance: she talks her best friend Ash into playing spy and finding out the truth. When Ash falls for Jonas, too, he keeps that news from Shani, and soon they’re all keeping secrets. Will it matter that their hearts are in the right place? Coming clean will require them to figure out who they really are, which is no easy task when all the pieces of your identity go beyond easy boxes and labels.

Lauded writer David Valdes offers a heartfelt, clever, and thought-provoking story about how we figure out who we want to be–online and IRL–for fans of David Levithan and Adam Silvera.

For Lamb by Lesa Cline-Ransome Holiday House

For Lamb follows a family striving to better their lives in the late 1930s Jackson, Mississippi. Lamb’s mother is a hard-working, creative seamstress who cannot reveal she is a lesbian. Lamb’s brother has a brilliant mind and has even earned a college scholarship for a black college up north– if only he could curb his impulsiveness and rebellious nature. Lamb herself is a quiet and studious girl. She is also naive. As she tentatively accepts the friendly overtures of a white girl who loans her a book she loves, she sets a off a calamitous series of events that pulls in her mother, charming hustler uncle, estranged father, and brother, and ends in a lynching.

Told with nuance and subtlety, avoiding sensationalism and unnecessary brutality, this young adult novel from celebrated author Lesa Cline-Ransome pays homage to the female victims of white supremacy.

The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption by Shannon Gibney Dutton Books for Young Readers

Dream Country author Shannon Gibney returns with The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be, a book woven from her true story of growing up as a mixed-Black transracial adoptee and fictional story of Erin Powers, the name Shannon was given at birth, a child raised by a white, closeted lesbian. At its core, the novel is a tale of two girls on two different timelines occasionally bridged by a mysterious portal and their shared search for a complete picture of their origins. Gibney surrounds that story with reproductions of her own adoption documents, letters, family photographs, interviews, medical records, and brief essays on the surreal absurdities of the adoptee experience.

The end result is a remarkable portrait of an American experience rarely depicted in any form.

Week of January 17th:

As You Walk on By Julian Winters Viking Books for Young Readers

Seventeen-year-old Theo Wright has it all figured out. His plan (well, more like his dad’s plan) is a foolproof strategy that involves exceling at his magnet school, getting scouted by college recruiters, and going to Duke on athletic scholarship. But for now, all Theo wants is a perfect prom night. After his best friend Jay dares Theo to prompose to his crush at Chloe Campbell’s party, Theo’s ready to throw caution to the wind and take his chances.

But when the promposal goes epically wrong, Theo seeks refuge in an empty bedroom while the party rages on downstairs. Having an existential crisis about who he really is with and without his so-called best friend wasn’t on tonight’s agenda. Though, as the night goes on, Theo finds he’s not as alone as he thinks when, one by one, new classmates join him to avoid who they’re supposed be outside the bedroom door. Among them, a familiar acquaintance, a quiet outsider, an old friend, and a new flame . . .

This Is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua Quill Tree Books

An incisive, relatable tale of acceptance, self-discovery, and the infinite possibilities that await when we embrace our imperfections.

As the youngest graduating senior at her hypercompetitive high school, Perla Perez is certain all the late nights, social isolation, and crushing stress will be worth it when she gets into the college of her (and her parents’) dreams: Delmont University.

Then Perla doesn’t get in, and her meticulously planned future shatters. In a panic, she forges her own acceptance letter, and next thing she knows, she’s heading to Delmont for real, acceptance or not. Perla’s plan? Gather on-the-ground intel to beef up her application and reapply spring semester before she’s caught. But as her guilty conscience grows and campus security looms large, Perla starts to wonder if her plan will really succeed, and if this dream she’s worked for her entire life is something she even wants.

Coming out tomorrow, week of January 24th:

The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan Roaring Brook Press

As the only hedgewitch in Blackthorn, Massachusetts—an uncommonly magical place—Aziza El-Amin has bargained with wood nymphs, rescued palm-sized fairies from house cats, banished flesh-eating shadows from the local park. But when a dark entity awakens in the forest outside of town, eroding the invisible boundary between the human world and fairyland, run-of-the-mill fae mischief turns into outright aggression, and the danger—to herself and others—becomes too great for her to handle alone.

Leo Merritt is no stranger to magical catastrophes. On his sixteenth birthday, a dormant curse kicked in and ripped away all his memories of his true love. A miserable year has passed since then. He’s road-tripped up and down the East Coast looking for a way to get his memories back and hit one dead end after another. He doesn’t even know his true love’s name, but he feels the absence in his life, and it’s haunting. Desperate for answers, he makes a pact with Aziza: he’ll provide much-needed backup on her nightly patrols, and in exchange, she’ll help him break the curse.

When the creature in the woods sets its sights on them, their survival depends on the aid of a mysterious young necromancer they’re not certain they can trust. But they’ll have to work together to eradicate the new threat and take back their hometown… even if it forces them to uncover deeply buried secrets and make devastating sacrifices.

Sun Keep Rising by Kristen R. Lee Crown Books for Young Readers

B’onca always knew how to get by. And then her daughter is born. She wouldn’t trade Mia for anything, but there is never enough cash to go around. When their gentrifying Memphis neighborhood results in higher prices and then an eviction notice, B’onca’s already fragile world spirals. Desperate to make things right, B’onca forges a risky plan to help pay the bills. But one wrong move could cost B’onca–and her family–everything.

From the celebrated author of Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman comes a compelling story about a teen mom navigating income disparity and racial inequality, and defying challenges to protect those she loves.

The Minus-One Club by Kekla Magoon Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Fifteen-year-old Kermit Sanders knows grief and its all-encompassing shadows. After losing his beloved older sister in a tragic car accident, nothing quite punctures through the feelings of loss. Everywhere Kermit goes, he is reminded of her.

But then Kermit finds a mysterious invitation in his locker, signed anonymously with “-1.” He has no idea what he’s in for, but he shows up to find out. Dubbed the “Minus-One Club,” a group of his schoolmates has banded together as a form of moral support. The members have just one thing in common—they have all suffered the tragic loss of someone they loved. The usual dividing lines between high school classes and cliques don’t apply inside the Minus-One Club, and Kermit’s secret crush, the handsome and happy-go-lucky Matt (and only out gay student at school), is also a part of the group. Slowly, Matt’s positive headstrong approach to life helps relieve Kermit of his constant despair.

But as Kermit grows closer to Matt, the light of his new life begins to show the cracks beneath the surface. When Matt puts himself in danger by avoiding his feelings, Kermit must find the strength to not only lift himself back up but to help the rest of the group from falling apart.

Spice Road (The Spice Road Trilogy #1) by Maiya Ibrahim Delacorte Press

In the hidden desert city of Qalia, there is secret spice magic that awakens the affinities of those who drink the misra tea. Sixteen-year-old Imani has the affinity for iron and is able to wield a dagger like no other warrior. She has garnered the reputation as being the next great Shield for battling djinn, ghouls, and other monsters spreading across the sands.

Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother, who tarnished the family name after it was revealed that he was stealing his nation’s coveted spice–a telltale sign of magical obsession. Soon after that, he disappeared, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes. Despite her brother’s betrayal, there isn’t a day that goes by when Imani doesn’t grieve him. But when Imani discovers signs that her brother may be alive and spreading the nation’s magic to outsiders, she makes a deal with the Council that she will find him and bring him back to Qalia, where he will face punishment. Accompanied by other Shields, including Taha, a powerful beastseer who can control the minds of falcons, she sets out on her mission. Imani will soon find that many secrets lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes–and in her own heart–but will she find her brother?

The first book in an epic fantasy series set in an Arabian-inspired land with secret spice magic. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, sixteen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother, whose betrayal is now the country’s greatest threat.

[finishinglinepress]

NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: Walk Like the Bird Flies by Susan Ayres

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/walk-like-the-bird-flies-by-susan-ayres/

The prose poems and lyric verses in Walk Like the Bird Flies invite you to explore identity, #history, #nature, #myth, and #art. From Judge Roy Bean to Medea, from Étienne Trouvelot to Princess Di, these poems walk like the bird flies, traveling an emotive journey through love and loss, in imagined and actual landscapes.

Susan Ayres is a poet, lawyer, and translator. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and has appeared in a wide variety of literary and scholarly journals including Yale Journal of Law and Feminism, Sycamore Review, Cimarron Review, The South Carlina Review, and Valparaiso Review. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and teaches at Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth, Texas. Visit www.psusanayres.com.

PRAISE FOR Walk Like the Bird Flies by Susan Ayres

These poems transport us from Texas desert landscapes to New England mountains to Adriatic tavernas, festivals, and landmarks, and at the same time they offer vivid confrontations with the elements of the natural world—mud, fire, water, forests, the wind that possibly “[carries] messages from beyond”—treating both foreign cities and nature’s manifestations as phenomena to observe and honor through the eyes of an estranged but receptive traveler. Susan Ayres fuses images from inner and outer landscapes, raising questions that can’t be answered and perspectives that can’t be contained but nevertheless offer sparks of revelation in poem after poem.

–Leslie Ullman, (The You That All Along Has Housed You and Library of Small Happiness)

“Listen to me as one listens to the rain,” Susan Ayres begins this incredible journey, because only when she listens to the rain can her imagination wander and guide us through a history and geography that is at once personal and cosmic in its reach. Indeed, she ends with a long poem that itself carries us from “from silkworms to / Skies.” But what is even more exciting, and so skillfully done, is the kind counterpointing that moves us from a medieval bridge in Slovenia to the American west to a contemporary beach to Led Zeppelin, a combination that requires great skill and vision. And skill and vision are what we have here, giving us a new sense and appreciation of our world, for Ayres has given us poetry’s version of Galileo’s Starry Messenger.

–Richard Jackson, Author of The World as Framed: New and Select Poems

Please share/repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #read #poems #literature #poetry

[astrojulia]

Always under construction!! The arts used are mentioned in each post. The same goes for references that I'm only using for that post. Template // Art

ASTROLOGY

BOOKS

[1] TOMPKINS, Sue. Aspects in Astrology: A guide to understanding planetary relationships in the horoscope. One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont 057067: Destiny Books, 2002.

[2] RIBEIRO, Anna Maria da Costa. Sinastria: Estudo dos Relacionamentos Teoria e Prática. Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Hipocampo Editora e Distribuidora Ltda., 1989.

[3] ABDUL-KHALIQ, Ajani. Hayden’s Book of Synastry: A Complete Guide to Two-Chart Astrology, Composite Charts, and How to Interpret Them. 13 junho 2017.

[4] LEWIS, James R. The Astrology Book: The Encyclopedia of Heavenly Influences. Canton, MI: Visible Ink Press™, 2003.

[5] WOOLFOLK, Joanna Martine. The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2006.

[6]NICHOLAS, Chani. You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance. New York, NY: HarperOne, 2020.

[7] GARGATHOLIL. Depth Astrology: An Astrological Handbook - Volume 1: Introduction. Smashwords Edition, 2014.

[8] GARGATHOLIL. Depth Astrology: An Astrological Handbook: Volume 2: Planets in Signs. Smashwords Edition, 2014.

[9] GARGATHOLIL. Depth Astrology: An Astrological Handbook: Volume 3: Planets in Houses. Smashwords Edition, 2014.

[10] GARGATHOLIL. Depth Astrology: An Astrological Handbook: Volume 4: Planets in Aspect. Smashwords Edition, 2014.

[11] REED, Theresa. Astrology for Real Life: A Workbook for Beginner. Newburyport, MA: Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, 2019.

[12] LISBOA, Claudia. Os astros sempre nos acompanham (Edição revista e ampliada): Um manual de astrologia contemporânea. Rio de Janeiro: Best Seller, 2021.

[13] ORION, Rae. Astrology For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Hoboken, NJ; Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2007.

[14] DEVORE, Nicholas. Encyclopedia of Astrology. New York: The Philosophical Library, June 1947.

[28 ]MARCH, Marion D.; McEVERS, Joan. Curso Básico de Astrologia: VOLUME I - Princípios Fundamentais. Tradução de CARMEM YOUSSEF. São Paulo: EDITORA PENSAMENTO LTDA., 1999.

WEBSITES/BLOGS

[15] SERVANTOFTHEFATES. Disponível em: https://servantofthefates.tumblr.com/. Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[16] LINHA ASTRAL - ASTROLOGIA: Seu site de Pesquisa Astrológica. Disponível em: https://linha-astral.com.br/. Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[17] Astromatrix. Disponível em: https://astromatrix.org/. Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[18] Astrolibrary.  Disponível em: https://astrolibrary.org/  Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[19] Cafe Astrology.  Disponível em: https://cafeastrology.com/.  Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[20] Astrologia na era de aquário, astrologia e estudos astrológicos. Disponível em: http://astrologiaeradeaquario.blogspot.com/ .  Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[21] Astrology and Numerology Study. Disponível em:https://astrologystudy.blogspot.com/ .  Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[22] Astrologia Luz e Sombra. Disponível em: https://astrologialuzesombra.com.br/ . Acesso em: 29 de mar. de 2023.

[33] Astrolink. Disponível em: https://www.astrolink.com.br/artigo/a-historia-da-astrologia. Acesso em: 25 de maio de 2023.

YOUTUBE CHANNELS

[23] Marcelo Levi. Disponível em:https://www.youtube.com/@oimarcelolevi  . Acesso em: 29 mar. 2023.

[24] Astronalia | Mariane Chagas. Disponível em:https://www.youtube.com/@astronalia  . Acesso em: 29 mar. 2023.

[25] Encontros Astrológicos: Débora Mechica. Disponível em:https://www.youtube.com/@encontrosastrologicos. Acesso em: 29 mar. 2023.

[26] Lais Casttelo Academia Astrologia. Disponível em:https://www.youtube.com/@laiscasttelo . Acesso em: 29 mar. 2023.

[27] Marcia Fervienza Astróloga+. Disponível em:https://www.youtube.com/@MarciaFervienza . Acesso em: 29 mar. 2023.

MY COURSES

Astrologia Autêntica - finished

Astrologia Nível 1 - Iniciação by Astronalia - coursing

Gaia Astrologia

BLOCO FUNDAMENTAL (fase 1) - finished

HISTÓRIA DA ASTROLOGIA - finished

ASTROLOGIA E MITOLOGIA - finished

ASTRONOMIA BÁSICA - finished

BLOCO FUNDAMENTAL (fase 2) - coursing

TEMPLATES/PSDS

[29] minikyuns on deviantart

[30] Iapetite on deviantart

[31] wildfireresources on deviantart

[32] sorberts on tumblr

[34] sparklypalace on deviantart

[35] soudwronf on deviantart

[36] v6que on tumblr

[fantomcomics]

What's Out This Week? 8/23

Postin' ain't easy, but it sure is fun

After We Gazed At Starry Sky GN - Bisco Kida

It all started with a job. When wheelchair-bound Subaru Miyazawa decides to visit the planetarium after finishing its brochure design, he unexpectedly bumps into Togo Awase, the photographer involved in the project. Although he'd admired his work, he never thought he'd see the man himself-or that Togo would go so far as to carry Subaru down the steps to view the starry night sky up close. Subaru could only hope they would meet again...

All The Lovely Bad Ones GN - Mary Downing Hahn, Scott Peterson & Naomi Franquiz

Travis and his sister, Corey, can't resist a good trick. When they learn that their grandmother's quiet Vermont inn, where they're spending the summer, has a history of ghost sightings, they decide to do a little "haunting" of their own. Before long, their supernatural pranks have tourists flocking to the inn, and business booms. But Travis and Corey soon find out that theirs aren't the only ghosts at Fox Hill Inn. Their thoughtless games have awakened something dangerous, something that should have stayed asleep. Can these siblings lay to rest the restless spirits they've disturbed?

All Tomorrow's Parties: The Velvet Underground Story HC - Koren Shadmi

An exploration of the group The New York Times called "arguably the most influential American rock band of our time," The Velvet Underground, and the complicated creative relationship they shared with legendary artist Andy Warhol.

Archie Horror Presents Chilling Adventures Anthology TP - Robert Hack

Welcome to the chilling world of Archie Horror, where demons roam the earth and terrifying tall tales come to life. From robotic rogues and inter-dimensional interlopers to sinister sorcerers and macabre mystics, this anthology collection has everything your horror-hungry heart desires. Riverdale and its surrounding areas are known to be hotbeds of strange happenings and paranormal activity, but sometimes things get downright disturbing, and even the most pure-hearted of people can't be saved.

Join the masters of Archie Horror, Madam Satan and Jinx Holliday (plus everyone's favorite talking cat, Salem), as they act as our tour guides into the realms of the unknown, plunge us into the depths of Hell and send chills up our spines! Featuring a retro, distressed cover by horror comic master Robert Hack. Collects seven killer comics: Madam Satan, Chilling Adventures in Sorcery, Jinx: Grim Fairy Tales, Weirder Mysteries, Chilling Adventures of Salem, The Return of Chilling Adventures in Sorcery, Happy Horror Days.

Art Brut HC Vol 1 - W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo & Mat Lopes

Presenting here the first major work from the creative minds behind ICE CREAM MAN-re-lettered, remastered, and under its original intended name! The world of fine art is falling apart, and only ART BRUT knows how to fix it. Alongside the Bureau of Artistic Integrity, Arthur Brut the Mad Dreampainter (and his trusty sidekick, Manny the Mannequin) must dive back into the very paintings that made him insane...or reality itself might just crumble to pieces.

A colorful, gonzo romp through art and art history, ART BRUT is equal parts police procedural, hyper-fantasy, and psychological thriller-a veritable Pollock-splatter of comics genres tossed onto one giant pulpy canvas! Each chapter features new cover art, new design, and a new Silver Age-style backup story featuring the art hero that no one's ever heard of-until now! Originally published under the title The Electric Sublime, this special hardcover edition presents the NPR-lauded, critically acclaimed material in its intended form.

Associate Professor Akira Takasuki's Conjecture GN Vol 1 - Mikage Sawamura & Toji Aio

Naoya Fukamachi is a university student whose ability to infallibly detect lies has left him friendless and isolated. When a paper of his piques the interest of his folklore studies professor Akira Takatsuki, a handsome and eccentric man, he soon finds himself dragged into Akira's research. Now, as the assistant in charge of common sense, he must help his professor interpret an array of unexplainable phenomena...

The Calvin & Hobbes Portable Compendium - Bill Watterson

Calvin and Hobbes is unquestionably one of the most popular comic strips of all time. The imaginative world of a boy and his real-only-to-him tiger first appeared in 1985 and could be read in more than 2,400 newspapers when Bill Watterson retired on January 1, 1996. This compact, portable new format is designed to introduce the timeless adventures of Calvin and Hobbes to a new generation of readers, and will fit easily into backpacks as well as on the collector's shelf. Featuring archival slipcase and cover art selected by the author, The Calvin and Hobbes Portable Compendium pays tribute to the strip's origin in newspapers while appealing to both new and existing fans. This set is composed of two 144-page paperback books, including over 500 comics from the strip's debut in Nov. 1985 through March 1987. It is the first of seven sets total to be released between 2023 and 2026.

Cat-Eyed Boy Perfect Edition HC Vol 1 - Kauzo Umezz

From the mind of Kazuo Umezz, undisputed master of Japanese horror manga and creator of The Drifting Classroom and Orochi, comes Cat-Eyed Boy! This deluxe edition contains five classic horror stories featuring a mysterious and dangerous cat-eyed boy who lives among humans, comes from the world of demons, and is despised by both. In four morbid tales, he interacts with humans and monsters to often-devastating ends. Then, in a final story, Cat-Eyed Boy must decide where his true loyalties lie-or if he has any loyalties at all.

Cuckoos Three GN - Cassandra Jean & Mosskat

Murry Summerfield, relentlessly decent son of the farmstead, meets Jacob Durris, charming but troubled new neighbor. When he discovers why Jacob has moved out to the countryside, Murry has his hands full keeping his friend happy and dealing with his own blossoming feelings.

Fantagraphics' Underground X-Amount Of Comics - Don Simpson

The most famous never-completed masterpiece in comics history- Image Comics' 1963 by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and Rick Veitch-is finally given the irreverent, and completely unauthorized 72-page climax no-one ever asked for! Written and drawn in an authentic Old School manner, X-Amount is just enough to satisfy! A comic for the ages that may finish off the Silver Age once and for all! For sophisticated readers.

Furry Planet: A World Gone Wild - Joe Strike

Furries are the creative subculture of people who identify with animals. You can find them at furry conventions, furfests, worldwide-tens of thousands of people donning their most elaborate fursuits. In costume, furries unleash the animal within, letting their inner beasts roar and their inner cats purr, aware of the power-and joy-to be found in connecting with one's animal spirit and encouraging others to do the same. In Furry Planet, long-time furry and a media staple for commentary on the culture, Joe Strike-a certified "greymuzzle," as older furries are known-dives deep into this compelling subculture to share its appeal and rewards.

Giant Days Library Edition Vol 1 - John Allison, Max Sarin, & Lissa Treiman

The school year is just beginning at Sheffield University, jam-packed with new classes, new professors, new places to explore...not to mention new clubs, new cliques, and new shenanigans, too. For first years Daisy, Esther, and Susan, they've got new friends on lock, forming a tight bond from their very first days as next-dorm neighbors. But learning to navigate life as brand new (almost) adults isn't as easy as it looks, between old nemeses popping up, academic struggles, and new crushes on the horizon. It's a good thing these three have each other to help survive Hall Balls, bantering lads, and drama vortexes (vortices?)!

I Don't Know Which Is Love GN Vol 1 - Oku Tamamushi

With high school graduation approaching, Mei Soraike tries to confess her love to her best friend for whom she had long harbored a secret crush...only for her hopes to be crushed. But a little heartbreak is fine-because she'll absolutely, definitely, without a doubt get a girlfriend in college! And no sooner does Mei set her resolve than potential prospects start sidling up to her one by one...?!

I Don't Need A Happy Ending GN - Mikanuji

From office workers to high schoolers to a mistress and her maid, dive into a collection of girls love stories from the author of Assorted Entanglements! Mikanuji delivers a tantalizing mix of sweet and spicy in this anthology-including a brand-new epilogue for her short story "I Don't Need a Happy Ending"!

The Illustrated Guide To Monster Girls GN Vol 1 - Suzu Akeko

In the world of monsters, where scaring and tormenting humans is a way of life, even monster girls need to pass their classes, graduate and get a job! Enter Class Z: a bunch of failures more likely to be frightened and bullied themselves. Can this rag-tag group of underdogs become successful full-fledged monsters?

In Search Of Gil Scott-Heron HC - Thomas Mauceri & Seb Piquet

CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIP HOP! DISCOVER THE GODFATHER OF RAP!

Singer, poet and writer; considered to be the godfather of rap, Gil Scott-Heron is a myth and legend in the Afro-American music scene. Through his personal experiences, Thomas Maucéri discovers the life of this genius, alongside the complex past and present of the America that Scott-Heron lived in.

The Infinity Particle GN - Wendy Xu

This thought-provoking limited palette graphic novel by the co-creator of Mooncakes explores big questions through the eyes of an aspiring inventor and the lifelike AI she finds herself falling for.  

Clementine Chang moves from Earth to Mars to start over. On the first day of her dream job working for Dr. Marcella Lin, an Artificial Intelligence pioneer, Clem meets Dr. Lin's assistant, a gorgeous, yet cold humanoid AI named Kye. Sure, Clem has built her own robot-a cute moth-shaped companion named SENA-but Kye feels almost... human. When Clem and Kye begin to work together, their chemistry sets off sparks. The only downside? Dr. Lin won't allow Kye to become more independent. And their relationship is causing Clem to question everything she knows about her work. After all, if Kye is sentient enough to have feelings, shouldn't he be able to have his own thoughts? Where is the line between AI and human? As her future and her past weigh down on her, Clem becomes determined to help Kye break free-even if it means risking everything she came to Mars for.  

Lost Boy TP Vol 1 - Jay Martin & Frank Cvetkovic

The comics debut of accomplished music video director Jay Martin in a beautiful and heartwarming tale of adversity and survival.

In the aftermath of a deadly car accident in the remote Wyoming wilderness, a young boy escapes as the sole survivor. Stranded, freezing and without anyone around to help him, he struggles to stay alive as he attempts to find his way back to civilization. Along the way, through extreme tests of will, courage, and endurance, he discovers what it truly means to be tested, and learns that the secret to survival isn't always what you think it is.

Magic The Gathering Planeswalker: Notorious #1 - Cullen Bunn, Rich Douek, French Carlomagno, Carlos Pedro & Jahnoy Lindsay

Two of the most popular Planeswalkers in Magic: The Gathering history- fan favorite vampire Sorin Markov and the incomparable necromancer Liliana Vess, come together for a team-up that's not to be missed!

On a mysterious, unnamed plane, the two must work together to prevent a diabolical figure from unleashing hell on not only the residents of their plane of imprisonment... but other planes as well.

Mieruko Chan Anthology GN - Tomoki Izumi

The creepy, the crawly, the grotesque-the daily lives of Miko and friends when ghostly monsters lurk around every corner! The official comic anthology, brought to you by a variety of guest artists!

Bone: More Tall Tales GN - Jeff Smith & Tom Sniegoski

Jeff Smith's bestselling, award-winning Bone saga returns with this hilarious sequel to Tall Tales! Smiley Bone, Fone Bone, and their Rat Creature pal, Bartleby, take a group of young scouts to a legendary landmark that the Bone cousins found when they were kids. They share stories around a campfire, spinning tales of trips to the moon, the delights of quiche, an imagined monster come to life, and an encounter with the two stupid Rat Creatures gone hilariously wrong!

Mother Nature GN - Jamie Lee Curtis, Russell Goodman & Karl Stevens

After witnessing her father die in mysterious circumstances on one of the Cobalt Corporation's experimental oil extraction projects, Nova Terrell has grown up to despise he seemingly benevolent company upon by the town of Catch Creek New Mexico.

The rebellious Nova wages a campaign of sabotage against the oil giant, until one night she accidentally makes a terrifying discover about the true nature of the 'Mother Nature' project and a threat that could destroy the entire town.  

The Never-Ending Party TP - Joe Corallo, Rachel Pollack & Eva Cabrera

Twenty-five years after losing her lover Lulu in a cult ritual for Dionysus gone wrong, Mindy Morrow is trying to live her life and put the past behind her. Unfortunately for Mindy, the past won't let her go. While she's taking care of her friend Flavia, her frenemy Kate is trying to lure Mindy back into the old club scene, and something more ancient and terrifying awaits them all. Collects The Never-Ending Party #1-5 from the ComiXology original digital series, in print for the first time.

Of Thunder & Lightening GN - Kimberly Wang

Debut author Kimberly Wang crafts a thrilling two-tone sci-fi graphic novel, growing the seeds of hope from the gravel of apocalypse. In a world where pop media meets military power, two idol-supersoldiers are locked in a world-ending conflict on behalf of their corporate nations. Battles blast across a dying land, both sides convinced of their own righteousness. Ragnarok looms on the horizon. Yet Magni and Dimo-young icons created for the sole purpose of eliminating the other-find their closest reflection in their opposite. Now, completing their mission means destroying the one who understands them most.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion Complete Omnibus Edition TP - Magica Quartet & Hanokage

With Madoka Kaname's sacrifice, the hopeless cycle that once bound every magical girl to a terrible fate was broken at last. Or was it...? All does not seem right with the world, and as Homura pulls at the loose threads of the girls' new reality, is it possible that an even darker destiny looms ahead? Revisit the complete manga adaptation of Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie -Rebellion- in this deluxe omnibus edition!

The Schlub #1 - Kenny Porter, Ryan Stegman & Tyrell Cannon

Failing dentist Roger Dalton blames the world for his problems until he is body-swapped with the world's greatest superhero. Can Roger save Earth and finally prove to his family he's not a loser? Or are we all doomed?

Stolen Sharpie Revolution: A DIY Resource For Zines & Zine Culture SC - Alex Wrekk

The go-to guide for all things zine related, this book contains everything you need to get started creating your own zines and participating in zine culture. Includes thoughtful lists and step-by-step guides on everything from definitions of a zine, where to find zines, and why zines are important. Brand new sixth edition published by Silver Sprocket.

Stuntboy: In Between Time HC - Jason Reynolds & Raul The Third

Portico Reeves is the greatest superhero a lot of people have never heard of. He likes it that way-then no one can get in the way of him from keeping other other people safe. Super safe. He's Stuntboy. He's got the moves. And the saves. Except. There's been one major fail. He couldn't save his parents from becoming Xs. Which is a word that sounds like coughing up a hairball. But don't talk to him about the divorce, because of the hairball thing, and also, it gives Portico the frets. What's also giving him frets is his parents living on two separate floors in their apartment building. He's never fully with one parent or the other. He's in-between, all the time. The in-between time. And the elevator is busted, so to get between floors means getting past the bullies who hang in the stairwells. So when Portico and new friend, Herbert, and best best friend, Zola, discover an empty apartment, unlocked, they are psyched. It's a perfect hideout, and hangout, and it's not half anyone's... it's all theirs. So they decide to make it their own...let's say with stunts of the drawing kind. Problem is, that gives some Grown Up People the frets, which leads to double frets for Portico. And he's not sure his arsenal of stunts can combat that.

The Naked Tree GN - Keum Suk Gendry-Kim

Critically acclaimed and award-winning cartoonist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim returns with a stunning addition to her body of graphic fiction. Adapted from Park Wan-suh's beloved novel, The Naked Tree paints a stark portrait of a single nation's fabric slowly torn to shreds by political upheaval. Fleshing out the characters in fresh, imaginative ways, and incorporating the original author into the story, Gendry-Kim breathes new life into this Korean classic.

Togue Oni: Primal Gods In Ancient Times GN Vol 1 - Kenji Tsurubuchi

In the ancient kingdom of Yamato, between the era of the gods and that of men, there was a time when the two coexisted. Miyo is chosen to serve as a human sacrifice to her village's god, Kippuuson-no-Mikoto, but she's not ready to die! Can Ozuno, a monk with the special ability to speak one-on-one with the gods, save her life?

Whatcha scooping up this week, Fantom Fam?

[lenarivo]

Somewhere in Vermont. 5x7 in. I painted this little sketch to see how gouache would behave on Ampersand clayboard, and also because I wanted to paint something similar to what I had seen in Clarence Gagnon’s and Albert H. Robenson’s paintings - snow, colorful houses and blue mountains. Since the surface of the clayboard is so smooth, gouache spreads nicely on it and I really like the look of the finished painting. The only problem with using these boards with gouache is that their surface is not absorbent at all which means that softening edges can be difficult because when you touch the surface of the painting with a damp brush to blend colors it lifts the color immediately, leaving a white spot. It doesn’t mean that these boards shouldn’t be used with gouache - I think they are almost perfect for it- but blending should be done carefully. Also, because the surface of these clayboards doesn’t absorb paint, dynamic and broad brushstrokes can look partially translucent on it, but I, personally, like this effect because it adds some extra energy to the finished peace. www.lenarivo.com *** If you have questions about my color palette or other materials that I use in painting with gouache please download my free 30-page pdf guide at the link in my profile. You can also download my 40-page e-book about my approach to plein air painting. #gouache #gouachepainting #artwork #artist #art #contemporaryart #illustration #illustrator #artist #watercolor #watermedia #painter #pleinairpainting #painting #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #impressionism #instaart #fineart #artonpaper #dailypainter #watercolour #gouachepaint #gouacheartist #pleinair #allaprima #paintingdemo #landscapepainting https://www.instagram.com/p/CmrEEJaMgxX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ajay0250]

Expert Child Dentist in Vermont

As parents, one of our primary goals is to ensure our children lead healthy lives, and dental health plays a crucial role in that. Finding the right child dentist in Vermont can make a world of difference in your child's oral health and overall experience at the dentist's office. In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits of pediatric dentistry, what to look for in a child dentist, and why Vermont parents trust these specialists for their kids' dental care.

a world of difference in your child's oral health and overall experience at the dentist's office. In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits of pediatric dentistry, what to look for in a child dentist, and why Vermont parents trust these specialists for their kids' dental care.

Why Choose a Pediatric Dentist?

Pediatric dentists specialize in the oral health of children from infancy through adolescence. Their training focuses on:

Child-specific care: Pediatric dentists understand the unique needs of children, including their developing teeth and gums.

Behavioral techniques: They are skilled at creating a comfortable and stress-free environment for young patients.

Preventive focus: Emphasis is placed on preventing dental issues before they arise, fostering lifelong good habits.

By opting for a pediatric dentist, you’re ensuring your child receives expert care tailored specifically to their needs.

What Makes Vermont’s Pediatric Dentists Stand Out?

Vermont is home to many skilled pediatric dentists who are dedicated to providing compassionate care. Here’s why they stand out:

Community-focused care: Vermont’s dentists prioritize building trust and rapport with their young patients and their families.

Advanced technology: Many practices incorporate state-of-the-art tools to make treatments faster and less intimidating.

Holistic approach: Vermont dentists often integrate overall wellness into their care plans, addressing nutrition, habits, and more.

How to Choose the Best Child Dentist in Vermont

When selecting a child dentist, consider the following factors:

1. Experience and Training

Look for a dentist with specialized training in pediatric dentistry. This ensures they are equipped to handle the unique challenges of caring for children’s oral health.

2. Office Environment

A welcoming and child-friendly atmosphere can significantly impact your child’s dental experience. Look for practices with:

Bright, cheerful decor

Kid-sized dental chairs

Engaging toys or activities in the waiting area

3. Communication Skills

Choose a dentist who communicates clearly and patiently with both you and your child. Positive reinforcement and gentle explanations can make visits more enjoyable.

4. Preventive Care Emphasis

Prioritize a dentist who emphasizes prevention through:

Regular cleanings

Fluoride treatments

Education on proper brushing and flossing techniques

5. Accessibility and Convenience

Consider the practice’s location, office hours, and availability of emergency services. Convenience can make maintaining regular visits much easier.

Common Dental Issues in Children

Understanding potential dental concerns can help you take proactive steps to protect your child’s smile. Some common issues include:

1. Tooth Decay

Cavities are one of the most prevalent dental problems in children. Regular checkups and good oral hygiene are essential to prevent decay.

2. Thumb Sucking

Prolonged thumb sucking can affect the alignment of teeth and the development of the jaw. Pediatric dentists can provide guidance on managing this habit.

3. Early Tooth Loss

Losing baby teeth prematurely can lead to misalignment of permanent teeth. A child dentist can recommend space maintainers to prevent future complications.

Tips for Maintaining Your Child’s Dental Health

Here are some practical steps to keep your child’s teeth and gums healthy:

Start Early: Begin cleaning your baby’s gums with a soft cloth even before their first tooth emerges.

Use Fluoride Toothpaste: As soon as the first tooth appears, start using fluoride toothpaste in small amounts.

Regular Brushing and Flossing: Teach your child to brush twice daily and floss once a day.

Healthy Diet: Limit sugary snacks and drinks that can contribute to cavities.

Routine Dental Visits: Schedule visits every six months to monitor your child’s oral health.

Vermont Pediatric Dental Services

Pediatric dental practices in Vermont offer a wide range of services, including:

Comprehensive exams and cleanings

X-rays and diagnostic imaging

Preventive treatments like sealants and fluoride applications

Restorative care for cavities and dental injuries

Guidance on oral habits like thumb sucking

Making Your Child Comfortable at the Dentist

Dental anxiety is common among children, but there are ways to help them feel at ease:

Talk Positively About Visits: Use encouraging language to describe the dentist’s office.

Bring Comfort Items: A favorite toy or blanket can provide reassurance during the visit.

Start Early: Introduce your child to the dentist at a young age to establish familiarity and trust.

Reward Cooperation: Celebrate their bravery with a small treat or praise.

Finding the Right Pediatric Dentist in Vermont

When searching for a child dentist in Vermont, consider:

Online reviews and testimonials from other parents

Recommendations from friends or family

The dentist’s approach to patient care and comfort

Accessibility and affordability of services

Conclusion

Choosing the right child dentist in Vermont is an investment in your child’s long-term oral health and well-being. With a dedicated pediatric dentist, your child can develop a positive attitude toward dental care, ensuring a lifetime of bright and healthy smiles.