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blightarts · 5 years

Text

PROLOGUE

Next Chapter: Coming Soon

Disclaimer: All Endless Summer and Choices rights belong to Pixelberry. Also, jokes here are not meant to offend anyone.

MC x LI Pairings: Quinn x M!MC, Jake x F!MC

Word Count: 4799

Tags: @princessstellaris, @mechaspirit, @xo-endlessmayhem-xo, @skyila, @choicesyouplayandmore, @i-miss-trr, @mysteli, @brightpinkpeppercorn, @aquamarvel, @marmolady, @sceptilemasterr, @endlessly-searching-for-you, @ohmyeightpastlives, @choiceslife

Blue eyes open to a new day. A young man in his early 20′s wakes up on his bed, with ruffled black hair and drool near his lips. One thing keeps repeating in his mind as he blankly stares at the ceiling.

“Everything in its own time.”

The man sighs and sits up straight.

Casey: That’s the only thing I believe in… for about a week. But as of now, there is little progress in restoring my friends’ memories and helping them back up to who they used to be during our adventures in that isla—

Suddenly, there was a loud bang on his door which scared him. The door opens and in comes a young blonde woman, also in her early 20′s and with blue eyes. It’s Casey’s older twin sister, Emily Summers.

Emily: Hey, Casey! Breakfast is ready! We got a big day today!

She grabs the collar of his shirt and drags him out of bed, towards the dining room.

Casey: Forget what I said. My overly-ecstatic sister is always dragging me, literally and figuratively, back to optimism. But who can blame her? She wants to be with everyone again, especially Jake.

Emily: Stop talking like Deadpool.

Casey: What? The writer likes jokes that break the 4th Wall.

(Note: You guys will read a bunch of jokes that break the 4th Wall. 😆)

The young woman rolls her eyes and chuckles as she puts her little brother on his chair, next to their roommate, Zahra Namazi, who chuckles at their antics.

Zahra: You two should audition for a sitcom, cuz your everyday shenanigans is making even me laugh.

Casey: Thanks for the compliment? I guess?

Emily just sips her coffee and stares blankly, internally giggling. Casey notices the red tint in his sister’s eyes, realizing that she cried herself to sleep, thinking about Jake, then he sighs. Soon, after the three finish breakfast, the twins go to prepare for the first day of the Hartfeld Science and Technology Week. As they get dressed, they head for the door, but not before turning to Zahra.

Emily: Zahra, you not coming?

Zahra: Why would I go to a stupid event with stupid people attending?

Emily looks at her, unamused. She turns to Casey for help who gives his sister an “I got this” look.

Casey: You know… there could be some tech in there you could hack into and use it to mess with those stupid people.

Zahra looks at Casey with a raised eyebrow.

Zahra: You present a very compelling argument, Summers. Alright, I’ll go, but I will be sitting at a discreet location so people won’t easily know it was me messing their stuff.

Casey: Great!

Emily gives Casey a double thumbs up before the three leave their dorm. They arrive at the central campus, where the event is being held. The twins see some of their friends at different places, all except one. Emily sighs as Casey pats her shoulder.

Casey: Don’t worry. Wherever he is right now, he and Mike are alright.

Emily nods and gives her brother a weak smile.

Emily: You’re right…

She shakes her head and turns to a nearby smoothie stand.

Emily: Gimme a sec.

Emily runs to the stand to order a smoothie, trying to hide her obvious pain. Casey sighs at this and just stands there, waiting for his sister to come back while looking for their best friend, Diego Soto. Soon after, Emily returns and spots Diego already with Casey. She grins.

Emily: Heyyo, Diego!

Diego: Heyyo, Emily….yo…

Casey: Close enough.

The three share laughs before being interrupted by a tapping sound from the stage’s microphone. The school dean is onstage, ready to give the opening speech for the event.

Dean: Greetings, students. Welcome to the first day of the Hartfeld Science and Technology Week.

As the dean is greeting the students and giving his speech, the twins start to feel a slight pain in their heads. Diego notices this and whispers to them.

Diego: You guys okay?

Casey: Yeah, it’s just… we haven’t felt this kind of headache since…

Diego: Since…?

Emily: …La Huerta…

Diego: “La Hoopla”?

The pain continues to hurt the twins as they look around, searching for the source. It wasn’t a success but they do spot their friends. Casey’s beloved, Quinn Kelly, is by the fountain, having a heated conversation on the phone, possibly with one of her parents. Estela Montoya is backstage, talking to someone the twins cannot see from their point of view. Sean Gayle is with Michelle Nguyen, arguing about something, while Craig Hsiao is in between them, trying to stop the fight. Raj Bhandarkar is at his food stand, selling snacks to fellow students. Zahra is on a bench, trying to hack into some of the tech present in the event. Grace Hall is at the back of the audience, twiddling her fingers and paranoid ever since her arrest. And Aleister Rourke is also at the back of the audience, arms crossed and annoyed at everything around him.

Casey: Everyone… is… here…

Emily: Almost…

The twins then feel their hearts suddenly sink, as if they’re sensing something ominous coming. Even with this pain, they can still hear the dean’s last lines for his speech.

Dean: And now, may I introduce to you, our sponsor for this event, our great Emperor. His Eminence, Mister Everett Rourke!

Most of the audience clap with joy. Some just clap normally or don’t clap at all. And very few glare at the man, including Casey, Emily and Aleister.

Emily: Great, as if we couldn’t get any more headaches…

Casey: Sshh…He’s looking right at us…

Everett spots the twins and gives them an evil smirk before starting his opening speech for the event.

Everett: Hello, students of Hartfeld University. You know? Knowledge is power, but only a few can wield this power, and even more so, only very few could utilize this power to its highest potential. With this power, you could become Gods… like who I am right now…

During the speech, Everett is being broadcasted by a news crew, showing the footage live around the world. Somewhere in Costa Rica, two familiar grown men, laying on their hammocks and sharing bottles of beer, watch the broadcast.

Jake: This news is boring. Change it.

Mike: Nah, too lazy too.

Jake: Jackass.

Mike: Nitwit.

As Everett continues his speech, the pain the twins are experiencing gets more intense as they start to hear a screeching sound. Emily drops her smoothie because of this as it spills all over the ground. Diego, confused with what to do, tries to ask for help but before he could do so, a loud bang is heard from afar. A sonic wave travels from the source of the bang and reaches the Hartfeld central campus, knocking down everyone and interrupting Everett’s speech. Quinn drops her phone on the fountain. Sean falls on Michelle. Estela falls along with the person she was talking to, revealed to be her mother, Olivia Montoya. Raj’s food stand falls apart and his snacks drop to the ground. Zahra drops her laptop and it gets broken. The rest of the gang falls over normally.

Michelle: Get off!

Sean: Wha… What was that?!

Craig: Well, whatever it is, it sure knows how to literally drop the bass.

Estela: Mom! You okay?

Quinn: My phone!

Raj: My snacks!

Zahra: My laptop!

Random Student: My leg!

The news-broadcasting camera falls on the ground. Jake and Mike notices this while watching their TV.

Mike: Woah. What do you think is going on out there?

Jake: I don’t know. But I’m having an unusual sensation right now… it’s like… this is all familiar to me…

Mike soon notices Jake glowing.

Mike: Jake!

Jake: Wha—

Jake takes notices of his situation and sees Mike glowing as well.

Jake: What the fuck is happening?!

Mike: This ain’t like any hangover I’ve experienced befo—

The two are then transported to the Hartfeld central campus, next to Casey, Emily and Diego, who immediately notices them.

Emily: J… Jake?!

Diego: Woah! Those are the wanted fugitives, Jake McKenzie and Mike Darwin!

Casey: What are they doing here…?

Jake quickly sees the American flag near the campus, realizing that he and Mike are in USA, a place they shouldn't be in.

Jake: Fuck, we shouldn't be here.

Mike: How did we even get here in the first place?

Jake: I dunno, kid. But we gotta get outta here fast.

Mike: We're not Sonic the Hedgehog!

Jake quickly keeps Mike quiet and they try to sneak away from the public. No one seems to notice this as Diego is more occupied looking after Casey and Emily while everyone else tries to get back up on their feet. But suddenly, a large crack in the sky appears, catching everyone’s attention.

Sean: Great, now what’s that?!

Aleister: That’s…

Aleister sort of realizes what is going on and goes onstage to confront his father. But before he could do so, the crack becomes larger and a large spirit entity comes out of it. It is Vaanu, or at least, what remains of it. Its presence releases a second sonic wave, which blasted Aleister away from Everett. Vaanu reaches and grabs Rourke in anger.

Vaanu: Everett Rourke! Do you not care for the consequences that come with your unforgivable sin?! You are not a god. You have tampered with the decision that decides the fate of this world. And now this world is falling apart because of you.

The masses panic and run away, pushing each other and only caring for their own safety. Casey stands up, despite his pain. He runs around, looking for Quinn.

Diego: Casey! Where are you going?!

Emily: He’s going for her…

Diego: “Her”?

Emily: Quinn Kelly…

Emily stands up and asks Diego for help.

Emily: Diego…

Diego: Yes?

Emily: I want you… to help me… reach him…

Emily points to Jake, also running away with Mike from danger, which shocks Diego.

Diego: You want me to help you get close to a wanted man?!

Emily: He’s… an innocent… and kind… man…

Diego looks into Emily’s eyes, as if she’s telepathically saying “Please” to him, and eventually, nods.

Diego: Alright, I trust you in this.

Diego helps Emily up and guides her to Jake and Mike. Meanwhile, Sean, along with Craig, tries to calm the panicking masses.

Sean: Everyone, please. Stay calm. Don’t push each other. In a single file line, please!

Craig: Listen to the man! Come on.

Michelle takes a more aggressive approach as she smacks people with her purse.

Michelle: Hey! The guys said no pushing, you idiots! In a single file line, now!

Some people nod and follow her orders, scared of her more than Vaanu’s presence.

Sean: Uhh… thanks?

Michelle: This doesn’t make us even. Now get your ass to safety while helping everyone.

Sean nods and continues helping people while Craig follows him. Michelle went a different direction to help other people. Meanwhile, Raj runs away, holding his snacks in his arms, but clumsily dropping some of them.

Raj: This is totally not the mushrooms I had this morning! This is all too real, dude!!

Grace runs along with him, scared for her life.

Grace: I don’t wanna die… I don’t wanna die… I don’t wanna die…

On the other hand, Zahra, all alone and away from the majority of the people, runs to away from Vaanu and everyone.

Zahra: These punks can take care of themselves. I don’t give one single fu—

Suddenly, she spots a disabled student, struggling to get up with her crutches. Zahra groans in anger and runs towards the student.

Zahra: Damn you, whoever’s deciding my destiny!

She gives the disabled student a piggyback ride as she runs away from the danger.

Zahra: I blame you for not being near those goody-two-shoes football players, so they could help you instead.

Student: Umm… thanks?

Back near the stage, Aleister gets up after being blown back by Vaanu. He spots his father being grabbed by the entity and grits his teeth. He turns to see Estela and Olivia being helped by I.R.I.S. and Lila.

Aleister: Sister, everyone!

The four women spot Aleister.

Estela: Aleister? What are you doing here?

Aleister: Confronting our father about what he did.

Olivia: What he did?

Aleister: He must have done something. Knowing him and his ego, it must be meddling with time, space or reality itself.

Lila: Nonsense! His Eminence would never do that!

I.R.I.S. places a hand on her son’s shoulder.

I.R.I.S.: Aleister, come on. Let us get to safety.

Aleister nods and points to the running crowd.

Aleister: Let’s go with them.

The women nod and follow Aleister to the crowd. Meanwhile, Casey eventually finds Quinn. She is struggling to run away with lots of people running faster around her. Her breathing is slow and she is getting slower. Suddenly, a random student accidentally bumps into her and she falls to the ground.

Casey: Quinn!

Casey tries to help her but his headache gets worse, causing him to scream in pain and fall over, next to her. Even with this severe pain, he crawls towards his beloved, muttering her name. Quinn looks up, spotting Casey reaching to help her. She recognizes him during their first encounter after Casey and Emily wakes to Rourke’s world.

Quinn: You… I remember you…

Casey caresses Quinn’s cheeks with tears in his eyes. He gives her a hopeful smile.

Casey: Quinn, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay. I’m here…

Quinn smiles back before falling unconscious. Casey holds Quinn’s hand before also falling unconscious. On the other hand, Emily and Diego reach Jake and Mike.

Emily: Wait!

Jake and Mike turn to Emily. Jake makes heavy eye contact with her, slowly familiarizing her. He stops in his tracks. Mike stops as well, right in front of him.

Mike: Jake, what’s wrong?

Jake: This lady… I feel like I’ve seen her before.

Emily collapses from Diego’s arms.

Diego: Em!

Emily: I’m fine… Get to safety…

Diego: Not without you!

Jake and Mike rush to Emily’s aid.

Jake: Here, let me carry her for you.

Mike: Get to safety, buddy.

Diego pushes Jake and Mike away.

Diego: Why would I listen to criminals like you?!

There was a long silence between the three.

Diego: I don’t know why Emily has a fixation on you, but I’m not giving her to dangerous men like you!

Mike: Listen, we don’t have ti—

Jake stops Mike and steps forward.

Jake: Listen. We maybe criminals in the eyes of the public, but right now, your friend is in need and I don’t think you can carry her on your own and away from that thing. So, let me help, Short Stuff.

Diego glares at Jake’s eyes and exhales deeply.

Diego: Fine. But I’m only letting you save her. I’m not letting you near my best friend again after this.

Mike: That’s fine by us.

Jake carries Emily in his arms and runs away, with Diego and Mike right behind him. Emily, struggling not to fall unconscious, reaches to caress Jake’s cheek and smiles.

Emily: Nice to see you again… Top Gun…

Emily falls unconscious while Jake feels both relief and confusion after hearing what Emily said. As everyone runs further from Vaanu, it opens its other hand and shows Rourke what it has. Everett’s eyes widen to see the Crystal Heart of Vaanu on its palm.

Everett: It can’t be!

Vaanu: This time, you will not get in the way of this world’s destiny.

Vaanu crushes the Crystal Heart and shatters it into three shards. It then opens three portals to three different timelines, before hurling each shard to each timeline. Rourke protests.

Everett: What did you do?!

Vaanu: I have sent my Heart’s shards into different timelines in order to keep this world intact long enough for the Catalysts to restore it into the way it’s supposed to be.

Everett: You insolent...!

Rourke grits his teeth in anger and activates something on his watch. Soon, the Omega Mech appears. Vaanu, prepared for the machine’s arrival, drops Rourke on the ground and grabs the robot, crushing it. This surprises Rourke, who starts to back away in fear. But before he could run away, Vaanu hurls the Omega Mech behind him and fires a celestial beam to it, causing an explosion. Broken shrapnel pierces Rourke’s back, heavily but not fatally wounding him. The explosion then blows him towards a pole and his body collides with it, knocking him unconscious. Vaanu looks onto the running crowd, spotting Casey, Emily and the rest of the Catalysts.

Vaanu: Everything else falls into your hands now… Catalysts…

Vaanu raises its arm and snaps its fingers. It then fades away as the crack in the sky and the portals disappear. The panicked masses notice this and have stopped running.

College Professor: Is… is it gone…?

Dean: I think it is…

Student: We… we’re safe now, right…?

Aleister’s group, noticing the disappearance of Vaanu, run back to look for Rourke and they eventually spot him on the ground, wounded and unconscious.

Olivia: Everett!

Lila: Your Eminence!

Aleister: Father!

Estela: No!

I.R.I.S.: Scanning vitals.

The group crouch around him.

Olivia: I.R.I.S., status!

I.R.I.S.: Vitals are stable but he’s still bleeding. We need to give him quick medical attention.

Lila: Alright, let me carry him to the—

Estela: Mom…?

The group turns to Estela, who is glowing and slowly fading away.

Estela: I don’t feel so good…

Olivia: What the... No, no, no…!

Olivia holds Estela close, as the latter clutches her mother, not wanting to let go.

Estela: I don’t wanna go, Mom… I don’t wanna go…

Olivia turns to the group for help.

Olivia: What is happening to my daughter?!

I.R.I.S.: It is as if she is being transported a different place… or a different time…

Lila: Like… she is being sent to either the past or the future.

Aleister: That is the case...

Olivia: Then help her!

I.R.I.S.: I am truly sorry, Olivia… but there’s nothing we can do here…

Olivia turns to Estela with tears in their eyes.

Olivia: It’s going to be alright, Dear. Look at me.

Estela nods, speechless as she completely fades away. Meanwhile, the people look to the sky, questioning if whatever just showed up is truly gone.

Sean: Where did it go…? What did it want…?

Craig: Uhh… Sean…?

Sean turns to Craig, who fades away like Estela. Sean is left speechless and sees himself fading away as well. His face shows both confusion and fear before he is completely gone.

Michelle: Sean! No!

Michelle tries to reach for the fading Sean but she fades away as well. Raj and Grace watch in horror but then soon realize that they are fading away too.

Grace: No, no, no—

Raj: This has to be some sort of tri—

The two are then silenced by their disappearances. Meanwhile, Zahra sees her hand fading then her entire self. She sighs and shakes her head in annoyance.

Zahra: Motherfu—

On the other hand, Casey and Quinn remain unconscious to each other. No words. Just Quinn fading away, leaving Casey alone. Meanwhile, Emily is laid on the bench with Diego comforting her. Jake and Mike discuss what just happened.

Mike: What do you think is going on here?

Jake: I don’t really know but I don’t wanna stick around to find out. We gotta find a way back to Costa Rica someho—

Diego: Woah!

Jake and Mike turn to Diego who starts to fade away.

Diego: This is crazy! Like Infinity War cra—

Jake goes to help Diego but the latter disappears completely.

Jake: He's... gone...

Mike: Jake…?

Jake turns to Mike, who is looking at his own fading hand. They look at each other before Mike fades away entirely. Jake, in silence, also notices himself fading away. He turns to Emily, still unconscious, and crouches near her.

Jake: I don’t know who you are yet… but I promise… I will find you…

Jake smiles and pats Emily’s forehead gently before disappearing. After Mike and most of the Catalysts disappeared, a portal opens above Casey and Emily’s unconscious bodies and Vaanu’s hands carefully scoop them up and pull them in the other side of the portal. The people in the central campus of Hartfeld are left bewildered and traumatized by what they have just witnessed.

“Everything in its own time.”

Two pairs of blue eyes open upon hearing these words. Casey and Emily wake up, no longer in pain. They look around and see nothing but a white void.

Casey: Whe… where are we?

Emily: I don’t know. I don’t even remember how we got here.

Casey: Last thing I remembered is seeing Quinn.

Emily: Mine was Jake.

The twins stand up and walk a few meters in the white void until it starts to take form into a familiar purplish dimension, with prismatic crystals laying around and a purple moon in the sky.

Casey: Looks like the dimension where we met Vaanu.

Emily: And before we made the choice of fucking up everyone’s lives.

The twins sigh, realizing their mistake of siding with Rourke and thinking that they might make their friends’ lives better.

Vaanu: That is not entirely true.

Vaanu appears in front of Casey and Emily.

Vaanu: You did choose to side with Rourke, but that is not the whole story.

Emily: What do you mean?

Vaanu: That truth is not mine to tell.

Casey: Well, what is the kind of truth that Em and I should know right now?

Vaanu taps the twins’ foreheads and shows them a vision of what it did to Rourke and the Crystal Heart.

Vaanu: Rourke did something that goes against what we all agreed upon. He messed with things that he should not have control over. And thus, with my remaining strength, I had to punish him and scatter my Crystal Heart into different timelines in order to keep this world from self-destruction. However, time is limited. I am tasking the two of you and your friends to collect the shards and make it whole again.

Casey: After that, we’re going to decide again, like last time?

Emily: Well, this time, we’re gonna choose the one where everyone is happy, except Rourke.

Vaanu: That is not entirely the case.

Emily: Huh?

Vaanu: When you chose to side with Rourke and had the Omega Mech utilized my power, stored within the Crystal Heart and you two, the both of you became completely human.

Casey: Like, Emily and I are no longer a part of you?

Vaanu nods in agreement. Casey and Emily look at each other for a moment, realizing that if they did manage to repair the Heart of Vaanu and restore things to how they are supposed to be, they can stay and be with the people they care about the most.

Vaanu: I suppose you two already know what I am implying.

Casey: Yeah. The three shards of your Crystal Heart each have a third of your full power.

Emily: And if we managed to put them back together, then you can be whole again, the world is saved and the two of us can stay here, with our friends and family.

Vaanu: Exactly. An ending befitting everyone’s needs.

Emily glares and points upwards.

Emily: Calling you out, Pixelberry!

Casey chuckles at what Emily is doing.

(Jk, love you, PB. Keep doing great on your books. 😆)

Vaanu then opens three portals, each leading to a timeline where it sent its Crystal Heart shards.

Vaanu: Behind these gateways are the timelines where I sent the shards. I have also separated your friends and sent them here to help you two in your quest.

Casey: Alright, simple enough.

Vaanu: However, once you enter either one of these gateways, you will be sent to a time one month after I have already sent the shard and your friends.

Emily: So, our friends get there on Day 1 and the two of us get there after a month?

Vaanu: The two of you are quite adaptable compared to your friends. Besides, it will be easier for you to find them once they have gotten familiar with the world they are currently living.

Casey: Makes sense.

Emily: Can you at least tell us which of our friends are in which timeline?

Vaanu: That is for me to know and for you two to find out on your own.

Emily: ….Cool!

Emily puffs her cheeks and cross her arms. Casey pats her back and gives her a motivational smile. Vaanu then guides the twins to each of the portals, giving them a background on the timelines they lead to.

Vaanu: This gateway leads to the Arcane Era; a time where technology is rare and magic is everywhere. Humans are able to use magic and wield spellbooks to better utilize this magic. The world is also split between the Natural Realm and Spirit Realm.

Casey: Sounds like something from an isekai-genre (Other world) anime.

The three then approach the second portal.

Vaanu: This gateway leads to the Dragonic Era; a time where dragons, wyverns and large beasts roam the land, along with humans. They were once allies, however an unforgivable sin done by the humans sparked a war between them. That was their history. In the present, the descendants of the humans are studying these creatures and uncovering their past while the creatures are behaving like animals in your world.

Emily: Sounds like something out of a video game.

The three then approach the final portal.

Vaanu: This gateway leads to the Dystopia Era; a time where I did not confront Rourke and sent away my Crystal Heart shards to the different timelines. In this timeline, an old enemy takes over and kills Rourke. This enemy then terrorizes the land and is planning to expand his control to the entire world. But a rebellion is standing in this enemy’s way.

Casey: Sounds like something from the Terminator film series.

Vaanu then gives each of the twins a special bracelet that contains the Hadean Zodiac signs of their friends.

Vaanu: This will help you find your friends. When one of the signs glows temporarily, it means they are nearby. The signs will permanently glow once your friends have their memories restored.

Emily: Thank you.

Emily smiles and admires her bracelet. Casey does the same.

Vaanu: Have you two decided on where to go first?

The twins nod.

Casey: I’m going to the Arcane Era.

Emily: I’m going to the Dragonic Era.

Vaanu nods back.

Vaanu: Excellent. Now once you two have reunited with your friends and reclaimed the two Crystal Heart shards in their respective Eras, you can tap your bracelets and you will be sent back here. You and your friends must go to the Dystopia Era together and reclaim the final shard before Rourke wakes from his slumber. He won’t be in a coma for too long, and his allies are making sure that you will not accomplish your goal.

Casey: Understood.

Emily: We won’t lose this time.

Vaanu then extends each of its hands towards the twins and gives them each an outfit, matching the Era they have chosen.

Vaanu: Now, it is time for you two to be equipped with the proper attire.

Casey receives a pair of matching silver and crimson gauntlets and boots, an Eastern waistcoat, arm-gloves to go with his gauntlets and a sleeveless crimson shirt with a cape-like bottom. Casey also gets his hair tied to a rising ponytail and his bangs dyed crimson. The young man grins at his new look.

Casey: Dang! I look smokin’!

Meanwhile, Emily receives a set of leather armor, including a black long-sleeve leather jacket, a brown leather vest, a pair of brown leather bracers, a pair of leather greaves, and black short leather trousers. She also receives a pair of goggles and a slingshot-like attachment to her left bracer. She delights on her new outfit.

Emily: Sweet! I look like a hunter!

Vaanu nods and slowly starts to fade away.

Vaanu: You two are ready. And now it is time for me leave the rest to you.

The twins notice Vaanu disappearing.

Emily: Vaanu!

Casey: Wait. We still have no idea what to do.

Vaanu points up, to the stars in the sky.

Vaanu: Worry not, Casey and Emily. The stars will guide you.

Soon after, Vaanu is completely gone, leaving the twins to their task. The two look at each other with determination in their faces.

Casey: Last one to get back here with our friends and the shard owes the winner a meal.

Emily: Oh, you are so on!

Casey and Emily bump their fists then go in for a handshake.

Emily: Take care out there.

Casey: You too.

They then face their respective portals with determined grins before letting go of each other’s hands and running towards their goal.

--- END OF PROLOGUE ---

28 notes · View notes

thisiswhymomworries · 5 years

Text

Bisexual / Pansexual Book Reccs

links to Asexual / Aromantic, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender / Non-Binary sheets

TCCL stands for Tulsa City-County Library, in Oklahoma. These reference sheets list the books physically available (not including ebooks only) at the 24 library locations in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For folks outside of this range, I suggest double-checking your local libraries, as well as the apps OverDrive, Hoopla, and YourCloudLibrary!

An online version of this list can be found at https://bit.ly/2kqkA0E. This goodreads shelf includes ebooks, new releases, and books not available at the library! It also features a notes section that specifies which character is bisexual or pansexual, their exact identity if stated in the text, and whether they are a main or side character.

In the shelf list along the left side of the page, you can also find shelves for other LGBT+ identities, as well as books featuring characters that are disabled, fat, mentally ill, neurodivergent, and people of color. All the books are cross-tagged, so a book featuring a black disabled trans woman would appear in the shelves named disabled, POC, and transgender.

transcription below the cut!

Books with Bisexual / Pansexual Characters Available at TCCL

(format: Title Author Genre)

Temper Fargo, Layne Mystery

Indigo Springs Dellamonica, A. M. Fantasy

Wilder Girls Power, Rory YA Horror

Sorcery of Thorns Rogerson, Margaret YA Fantasy

Final Draft Redgate, Riley YA Fiction

If It Makes You Happy Kann, Claire YA Romance

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter Hall, Alexis Fantasy

The Girl in Red Henry, Christina Fantasy / Horror

Technically, You Started It Johnson, Lana Wood YA Romance

Broken Things Oliver, Lauren YA Mystery

Mask of Shadows Miller, Linsey YA Fantasy

Ruin of Stars Miller, Linsey YA Fantasy

Six of Crows Bardugo, Leigh YA Fantasy

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue Mackenzi, Lee YA Historical Fiction

A Darker Shade of Magic Schwab, V. E. YA Fantasy

A Gathering of Shadows Schwab, V. E. YA Fantasy

A Conjuring of Light Schwab, V. E. YA Fantasy

Seven Ways We Lie Redgate, Riley YA Fiction

Missing, Presumed Dead Berquist, Emma YA Fantasy / Mystery

The Lost Coast Capetta, Amy Rose YA Fantasy

Don’t Date Rosa Santos Moreno, Nina YA Romance

These Witches Don’t Burn Sterling, Isabel YA Fantasy

Red, White, & Royal Blue McQuiston, Casey YA Romance

Furyborn Legrand, Claire YA Fantasy

Kingsbane Legarand, Claire YA Fantasy

False Hearts Lam, Laura Science Fiction

Not Your Sidekick Lee, C. B. Teen Fantasy

Seven Blades in Black Sykes, Sam Fantasy

Failure to Communicate Sønderby, Kaia Science Fiction

On the Edge of Gone Duyvis, Corinne YA Science Fiction

A Duke in Disguise Sebastian, Cat Romance

All the Wrong Places Gallagher, Ann Romance

Radio Silence Oseman, Alice YA Fiction

Our Own Private Universe Talley, Robin YA Romance

Not Otherwise Specified Moskowitz, Hanna YA Fiction

Spellbook of the Lost and Found Fowley-Doyle, Moïra YA Fantasy

Leah on the Offbeat Albertalli, Becky YA Romance

Bingo Love Franklin, Tee Graphic Novel

Autoboyography Lauren, Christina YA Romance

Carry On Rowell, Rainbow YA Fantasy / Romance

Sawkill Girls Legrand, Claire YA Horror / Fantasy

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy Mackenzi, Lee YA Historical Fiction

Noteworthy Redgate, Riley YA Fiction

Naamah Blake, Sarah Historical Fiction

Belly Up Darrows, Eva YA Fiction

How Not to Ask a Boy to Prom Goslee, S. J. YA Romance

Ace of Shades Foody, Amanda YA Fantasy

King of Fools Foody, Amanda YA Fantasy

The Devouring Gray Herman, Christine Lynn YA Fantasy

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet Chambers, Becky Science Fiction

The Light Brigade Hurley, Kameron Science Fiction

After the Eclipse Dorricott, Fran Mystery

Shallow Graves Wallace, Kali YA Horror / Fantasy

A Memory Called Empire Martine, Arkady Science Fiction

Ship of Smoke and Steel Wexler, Django YA Fantasy

Wake of Vultures Bowen, Lila Western / Fantasy

The Song of Achilles Miller, Madeline Historical Fiction / Romance

Queens of Geek Wilde, Jen YA Romance

#bisexual #pansexual #book reccs #lgbtqia #lgbt+ books #bi and pan got grouped together bc character often didn't have a stated ID #it was just stated that they like(d) more than one gender #without specifying if they were bisexual or pansexual #the notes section in the goodreads list linked here DOES specify though #I did my best to comb through reviews and note if a specific ID was stated or not

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stony-ao3-feed · 5 years

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Feathers from the Heart

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Qk5fLX

by DepressingGreenie

Tony wakes up one morning to sharp, throbbing back pain. He was used to back pain having spent long nights working away in the lab, that and he wasn’t getting any younger.

So he ignored it... until he didn't.

Words: 700, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 10 of MHEA Harlequin Hoopla 2020

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark

Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Additional Tags: Wingfic, Alternate Universe - Wings, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, A Cross Between a Soulmate AU and a Wing!Fic

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Qk5fLX

#stony #fanfiction #ao3feed #superhusbands #stevetony

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jo-heart · 5 years

Note

What makes you happy bro? Like top five things that instantly put a smile on your face that isn’t a person?

hmmmmm, i wont rank em but i gotchu on the top 5!

I’m high so just know.. its gonna be alot. My bad ily

Something that I’ve realized pretty recently is that art makes me happy.

I love the idea of writing my own series of stories that share the same universe, to the point that i spend most of my days in my head world building, story boarding, editing, and rewriting the ideas i have. Thing is, I take forever to write them down and make an actual attempt to fill pages with my ideas because i think they’re not ready yet. It’s weird, i blame anxiety. I’ll overcome it though, slowly but surely I have been.

Photography, on the other hand is my main baby. My ride or die. Walking around the city every now and again whenever i have the energy to and taking pictures of whatever catches my eye along the way has been a really good thing for me. I think of it as a coping method, and I’m working every day to make it into somethin i can live a good life off of. Fingers crossed lmao

Another one is Love. Showings of empathy for people, and attempts to understand those around them, actually caring for people. Shit like that is something that has been a huge part of my journey, things that I look for in people because I believe love will be our salvation. Ik this world is too far gone for all that hoopla, but i do believe in it.

Food, i cant lie. All of em, dont matter. I’m fat for a reason lmao

Exploring is another one. Whether I’m purposely getting lost in a huge fucking park so I can find my way out, or delaying the main quest in a game to make sure I do everything there is to do, I’m always trying to find new things, discover shit. Ik it’s really vague but it makes up a lot of what I like to do.

+Bonus: Weed

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omfgtrump · 5 years

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What Are You Going To Tell Your Children?

Before I get in to the ways the surround sound of sycophant Republicans have tried to defend the Don, I would like to quote from a recent rally.

“By the way, you’re going to lose your Second Amendment if you vote with Democrats,” the president told that Lexington rally. “You think I’m kidding? … You will lose your Second Amendment as soon — I’m telling you. As sure as you’re standing here. Is anybody sitting? Nobody ever sits. You can sit if you want. No, just stand. You know what they say in the fake news? Look, you’ve been standing. Nobody sat? I don’t know, isn’t that exciting?”

I don’t know about you, but if I didn’t know this man was president of the U.S., I might think he was someone who had just been discharged from a psych emergency room and was treating random people to a bizarre game of Simon Says.

Simon says “sit”, Simon says “stand, sit, stand, sit stand”. Anyone left in the game? The Republicans that’s who! Would you let him play hide-and-seek with your children?

Republicans, what will you tell your children when they ask you why you defended this man?

And with all the Impeachment hoopla, the fact that the president of the U.S. has just admitted he scammed people (at a fundraiser where he claimed to be raising money for the military and used it for personal reasons!) through his “faux charity” and had to pay $2 million fine barely gets any attention. Add this to the fact that he had to pay $25 million to people who were scammed by Trump University. Shouldn’t this be enough for Republicans to say: maybe he isn’t the kind of guy we want our children to admire?

Oh yeah, didn’t they say that when the Access Hollywood tape came out. Something like: “How could I look my daughter in the eye if I supported a man like this? Guess your daughters weren’t so important compared to your political career. Frankly, I hope they never forgive you for forsaking your morality.

So now that we are about to hear public testimony regarding The Don and his cronies involvement in a shakedown of the Ukrainian government, the Republicans are mounting their defense of the defenseless.

Once again, these politicians will have to look their children in the eye and explain to them why they defended a man who has used his power to extort favors. They will have to explain to them why they defended him after he shook down the Ukrainian government, withholding crucial military aid in their conflict with Russia, compromising the Ukrainian and the U.S’s national security. Extortion is a crime in this country but according to Republicans, not for The Don.

Let’s take a look at the evolution of the defense of the criminal in White House.

The whistle-blower complaint against Trump is invalid because it’s based on hearsay. The Republicans are obsessed with the identity of the whistle blower; after all, he started this Ukrainian mess. Once outed, they can undermine his credibility, even though every witness who has testified has verified their account.

There was no quid-pro-quo. Maybe a quid, but not a quo. Maybe there was just a pro. Even if there was a quid-pro-quo, that’s a normal part of diplomacy

This is a hoax perpetrated by Democrats and Never-Trump Republicans. Wah, wah, wah! The whiny Republicans. Every time anyone says anything negative about The Don, the deep-state is to blame.

The impeachment inquiry is a sham. After all, it is just so out of control to impeach a president for shaking down a foreign government to get dirt on an opponent while creating a national security risk?

How about Lindsey Graham’s “stupid” defense: “The president and his people have no idea what they are doing, and thus are too stupid to pull off a quid pro quo.

“It was incoherent,” Graham says of Trump’s Ukraine policy. “They seem to be incapable of forming a quid pro quo.”

And then there is the toddler. A parent tries to tell the toddler something they don’t want to hear and they put their hands over their ears and yell: “I don’t hear you. I don’t hear you!”.

“I’ve written the whole process off,” Graham said. “I think this is a bunch of B.S.”

And then there is The Don asking William ‘Lower the Barr’, to hold a press conference clearing him of any wrong doing. And lo and behold, The Don’s Roy Cohn does have a bar he won’t cross as he has surprisingly refused to do so.

Mike Mulvaney and Rudy G. were responsible and the president was too busy playing golf to have the time to plot this.

Gordon Sondland, who received an ambassadorship after donating a million dollars to The Don’s campaign (quid pro quo?), who was once a“Great American,” is now someone “I hardly know.” He did some bad stuff and is the real culprit.

Alexander Vindman, a decorated war hero, is a double agent working for?

The Ukraine hacked our election. The Russians would never do that.

And “Russia, if you are listening, everything is going to be fine- and will you do me a favor? Will you investigate Joe Biden, please? After all, if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be president.

So I say to you Republicans: When your children look you in the eye, what are you going to tell them when they ask you why you defended this man?

from WordPress https://ift.tt/32M0cqW via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress #trump #politics #potus #capital hill #washington dc #white house #america #usa

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elenajohansenreads · 3 years

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Books I Read in 2021

#121 – Stay, by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Rating: 2/5 stars

Yikes. I rode the coattails of a Hoopla romance binge straight into this from Good Boy and the entire Him series by the same authors, and this disappoints by comparison.

Part of it could be, of course, that we’re moving farther and farther away from the center of this story universe–Jamie and Wes. But even setting that aside, this setup had me uncomfortable right from the beginning. It’s a business/client relationship, and by its nature, one where there’s already some privacy boundaries crossed, and apparently they’ve been kind of friendly-flirty in their chats for a while, but it’s all still business….

Ugh. I really didn’t like it when Hailey started breaking rules for Matt, even though they were minor ones, even though her co-owner never caught her at it.

And I never felt their chemistry was worth all that hush-hush rule-breaking. Hailey was honestly over-the-top irritating in her babbling phases (she doesn’t have Blake’s silly motor-mouth charm, I guess) and Matt was just…a dude? Who likes his kids but has a bitchy ex-wife? He didn’t actually have much personality, and came across as very needy, because the entire basis of his relationship with Hailey is founded on her seeing to his every need/whim/request via her Fetch business.

I’d say this has turned me off the series, only there isn’t any more planned, so that’s a moot point. We’ll just call it a misstep then, from an author pair I otherwise enjoy very much.

#booklr #book review #romance novels #sarina bowen #elle kennedy

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maskedinstructor · 3 years

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BLACK EDUCATION in AMERICA- DREAM SCHOOL IS COOL...

IF I AM TO BE LOCKED DOWN IN A BUILDING FOR MY OWN EDUCATION, WHY IS THAT EDIFICE NOT A DREAM SCHOOL???

THE FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES...Greetings! Welcome to Dream School!

At the end of period 1, there is a ten minute pause for music, meditation and massage. Students are encouraged to master a musical instrument . It is during the end of period 1 break that we demonstrate our progress. We can perform with the instrument or discuss a prominent musician whom we have studied and want express his or her accomplishments. During these moments of enlightenment, everyone is in deep meditation using techniques learned during club period. All are massaged by a licensed masseuse.

At the end of period 2, there is a 30minute pause for ‘Master Class’. All students will have to sit a minimum of TEN Master Classes from PBS or National Geographic. The selections are totally motivated by students’ interests. There are no grades or tests for these subjects. Only evidence of attendance is required. The goal of these extra- curricular excursions into disciplines is to encourage all to’ think outside the box’.

The Comedy Hour...Dream School requires laughter, joy. amusement, jokes and entertainment. Where is it written that school has to be hard, boring, dull, unhappy, gloomy and sad? Where there is no merriment, there is no learning. There will be hoopla and hilarity which the students will invent create it. Thus, Comedy Hour grew its uproarious and humorous wings and soul.

The goals and objectives of the Dream School are to create magic. Children must believe rather must see magic. The teaching should make their eyes sparkle, glow and shine. A smile of excitement and wonderment should cross their face. Their minds should vibrate. Students see the ordinary every day. Their relationships are ordinary. Home life is common and uninspiring. Cars have changed. Technology has advanced. Phones are doing the incredible. Yet, school remain the same. Where is that educational flame or that ignition to light their fire. At Dream School, it is every where. It is called ‘I U M”, PLANETARIUM, AQUARIUM, ATRIUM, ARBITOREUM, TERRARIUM, VIVARIUM, everywhere...Things will be moving , growing, walking or swimming. It will be the responsibility of all ‘DREAMERS to protect and care for them, these things. The highlight of the educational MAGIC show is our botanical gardens. The flora will demonstrate diversity. Purple flowers live with red ones. White Daisies cohabitate with Blue Forget-Me Nots. Yellow and Red Marigolds share a tight space White and Purple Sweet Williams. This will be the glory of the DreamSchool...UNITY...BROTHERHOOD...KINSHIP...FRATERNITY...COMPANIONSHIP...PARTNERSHIP...ALLIANCE...COMMUNITY Upon these foundational themes , we will build DREAM SCHOOL

MAGIC...Students will be required to sit a course in MAGIC each term in their school life. In this way all will understand that their life depends upon their ability to produce something out of nothing as they are about to do with their learnings, scholarship, interests and abilities...Magic must be their first monumental contact with their world, their universe even

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moonb-eam · 5 years

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petitepeach’s fic masterlist

alternatively titled: is it really possible i’ve written over twenty stories about these clowns

hello sweethearts 💛 this may be entirely superfluous, as everything i write gets posted to my ao3 account, but i figured i’d make a tumblr list as well, for the sake of organization ✨

one-shots

i told you something safe (something i never said before) (4,780 words)

eliott was the one to say it first, is the thing.

or, five times eliott says i love you and one time lucas does

la lune et le soleil (6,081 words)

Don’t worry about the sun and the moon. They always find each other eventually. But only for very, very special moments.

or, a story about a moon, a sun, and a twilight sky

come with me, my love (to the sea of love) (4,816 words)

there’s a small touch of wonder to everything that lives in the ocean

for the 75 dates prompt, aquarium

multi-chapter au’s

sk8ter boi (19,251 words)

began as a prompt - "have i entered an alternate universe or did you really just crack a smile at me?"

a measure of stars (84,456 words)

Lucas glances up, even knowing the stars won’t be there. He squints into the pale blue, picturing the endless constellations of light. He frowns, says, “I don’t know,” when really, he thinks, I wish I was born a star. I wish I could dip my hand into the empty sea. I wish I could fall in love with another star and make a new constellation every night. “Marriage isn’t meant for me, anyway.”

Imane tilts her head back as well, sighing. “Nor I.”

Lucas scoffs. “You say that, but I just know, one day a man is going to fall madly in love with you, and you’ll find him exceedingly tolerable, and then you’ll be in trouble.”

or, a pride and prejudice au

series

maybe it starts now

so let’s take on the night (8,507 words)

“Basile and Arthur are trying to pick out guys for me.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Trying being the main word. Lulu is too picky.”

or, the one where Lucas goes to a party and meets Eliott.

build a new world for us two (6,334 words)

"When Lucas wakes, it's to sunlight in his eyes and warm sheets tangled around his legs."

or, the morning after the night before

interlude - the gallery (1,638 words)

it's devastating, to look at someone and realize, you could ruin me

show me some stars beneath this ceiling (8,513 words)

They are something. Something serious, maybe, but they are only something. The relationship equivalent of a liminal space. And Lucas is fine with that.

or, Eliott takes Lucas on a date, things are realized, and terms are set

no one ever tried like you (24,594 words)

But that’s what it’s like with Eliott. Lucas doesn’t think he can become any happier, and then he does. Just like that.

It’s his final thought before he drifts off, how he never thought it could be like this, so good that it aches.

He never wants to lose it.

or, there's heartache in these galaxies

interlude - idriss (8,821 words)

Idriss watches them and he thinks, fire, meet gunpowder.

a dream of you and me (43,840 words)

They kiss, and it's a kiss borne out of excitement, of the giddy rush of youth mixed with endless time and possibility, but it’s also a kiss of reassurance, a small I’m here with you and a beautifully comforting, I think we’ll be okay, the two of us.

or, there is love, and everything else will follow

tumblr prompts

no. 28 (1,424 words)

for the prompt - "marry me?"

nos. 35 & 1 (1,861 words)

for the prompts - "come over here and make me" & "you heard me. take. it. off."

no. 18 (1,614 words)

for the prompt - "this is without a doubt the stupidest plan you've ever had. of course i'm in."

no. 25 (2,485 words)

for the prompt - "i can't believe you talked me into this."

nos. 17 & 48 (2,047 words)

for the prompts - "looks like we'll be trapped her for a while." & "boo!"

no. 7 (2,496 words)

for the prompt - "i almost lost you."

tarot card prompts

not to me (not if it’s you) (4,109 words)

the star: renewal, hope, rest “i feel at peace” possible AUs/settings/ideas: star-gazing, lazy days, cuddling, spirit au

no sweeter innocence (than our gentle sin) (7,764 words)

the devil: failure, lust, temptation "you want it too" possible AUs/settings/ideas: desire, nsfw, unrequited love, demon au

ce destin est une marée (et nous sommes emportés) (24,201 words)

the high priestess: magic, dreams, knowledge “I had this dream, and now…” possible AUs/settings/ideas: visions, sold fortune, magic au

in a peculiar universe (also known as cross-universe hoopla)

and my love life waits (1,062 words)

in which there is far more romance at the skatepark than anyone would guess

i’ve learned to lose you (can’t afford to) (3,700 words)

While Sander’s first instinct would normally be to make a lame joke or change the subject completely, instead he sits back on his heels, takes a deep breath and asks, “Did you ever…hurt anyone?”

Eliott tilts his head. “Because you tried too hard not to?”

“No. Because you meant to.”

in which an empty art studio is as good a place as any to bare your soul to a stranger

#whew #i'll update this as i write #as another prompt will probably become a multi-chapter au and new one-shots will be posted etc.#not sure if anyone will care about this at all asdfjkdjds #because in all honesty i think there's a loss of interest in what i write #which is what it is!#and skam france is in hibernation and whatnot #but anyway #i wanted to have everything in an easily referenced place #nice and orgnaized #feels good feels organic #fic tag #elu fic #skam fr fanfic

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thisiswhymomworries · 5 years

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Lesbian Book Reccs

links to Asexual / Aromantic, Bisexual / Pansexual, Gay (mlm), Transgender / Non-Binary sheets

An online version of this list can be found at https://bit.ly/2ktoGFt. This goodreads shelf includes ebooks, new releases, and books not available at the library! It also features a notes section that specifies which character is a lesbian, their exact identity if stated in the text, and whether they are a main or side character.

transcription below the cut!

Books with Lesbian Characters Available at TCCL

(format: Title Author Genre)

A Study in Honor O’Dell, Claire Mystery / Science Fiction

The Hound of Justice O’Dell, Claire Mystery / Science Fiction

Stay and Fight Ffitch, Madeline Fiction

Heart of Iron Poston, Ashley YA Science Fiction

The Storm Crow Josephson, Kalyn YA Fantasy

Wilder Girls Power, Rory YA Horror

Passing Strange Klages, Ellen Fantasy / Historical Fiction

Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love Chapman, Elsie YA Fiction

Final Draft Redgate, Riley YA Fiction

The Summer of Jordi Pérez Spalding, Amy YA Romance

The Grief Keeper Villasante, Alex YA Fiction

Tell Me How You Really Feel Safi, Aminah Mae YA Romance

Empress of Forever Gladstone, Max Science Fiction

Moonstruck, Vol 1: Magic to Brew Ellis, Grace Graphic Novel

Moonstruck, Vol 2: Some Enchanted Evening Ellis, Grace Graphic Novel

That’s Not What Happened Keplinger, Kody YA Fiction

Broken Things Oliver, Lauren YA Mystery

With the Fire on High Acevedo, Elizabeth YA Fiction

Down Among the Sticks and Bones McGuire, Seanan YA Fantasy

Going Off Script Wilde, Jen YA Romance

The Lost Coast Capetta, Amy Rose YA Fantasy

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me Tamaki, Mariko Graphic Novel

These Witches Don’t Burn Sterling, Isabel YA Fantasy

Hoshi and the Red City Circuit Raymaker, Dora Science Fiction

So Lucky Griffith, Nicola Fiction

Juliet Takes a Breath Rivera, Gabby YA Fiction

The Traitor Baru Cormorant Dickinson, Seth Fantasy

Santa Olivia Carey, Jaqueline Fantasy

Ash Lo, Malinda YA Fantasy

We Awaken Lynne, Calista YA Fantasy

Our Own Private Universe Talley, Robin YA Romance

Not Otherwise Specified Moskowitz, Hanna YA Fiction

Spellbook of the Lost and Found Fowley-Doyle, Moïra YA Fantasy

Bingo Love Franklin, Tee Graphic Novel

Full Fathom Five Gladstone, Max Fantasy

Lumberjanes, Vol 1: Beware the Kitten Holy Stevenson, Noelle Graphic Novel

Girl Mans Up Girard, M-E YA Fiction

That Inevitable Victorian Thing Johnston, E. K. YA Science Fiction / Historical Fiction

Sawkill Girls Legrand, Claire YA Horror / Fantasy

Ask the Passengers King, A. S. YA Romance

The Miseducation of Cameron Post Danforth, Emily M. YA Fiction

Silhouette of a Sparrow Griffin, Molly Beth YA Historical Fiction

Roller Girl North, Vanessa Romance

Alien: Echo Grant, Mira YA Science Fiction/Horror

King of Fools Foody, Amanda YA Fantasy

Starworld Coulthurst, Audrey YA Fiction

The Luminous Dead Starling, Caitlin Horror / Science Fiction

The Wise and the Wicked Podos, Rebecca YA Fantasy

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet Chambers, Becky Science Fiction

Want Pon, Cindy YA Science Fiction

After the Eclipse Dorricott, Fran Mystery

The Abyss Surrounds Us Skrutskie, Emily YA Science Fiction

The Weight of the Stars Ancrum, K. YA Science Fiction

The Truth About Keeping Secrets Brown, Savannah YA Mystery

The Dime Kent, Kathleen Mystery

Blood Binds the Pack Wells, Alex Science Fiction

The Armored Saint Cole, Myke Fantasy

One Last Kiss Wilbon, Mary Mystery

Chameleon Moon Sylver, RoAnna Fantasy

Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time Nicholson, Hope Graphic Novel

Queens of Geek Wilde, Jen YA Romance

The Priory of the Orange Tree Shannon, Samantha Fantasy

#lesbian #wlw #book reccs #lgbtqia #lgbt+ books #I separated lesbian and gay bc the list would have been MASSIVE otherwise #lesbian was already so big I had to go down a font size to fit on two pages

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angryhausfrau-writes · 4 years

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You Can’t Cross the Same River Twice - Chapter 18

“Hey Trapper, BJ's going to be on the East Coast for some talk at Johns Hopkins in a couple weeks. He wants to come up for a visit the first weekend in May – that ok with you?”

Trapper shrugs. “Fine by me. I work that Saturday, but he ain't here to see me.”

“Still, I'd like the two of you to meet. And Charles will want to see BJ – even if he won't admit it.”

“Wanna hold a poker game? That's what we usually do for 4077 reunions.” Trapper is pretty sure BJ plays – he could hardly have made it over a year in the Swamp without learning.

Hawkeye's grin turns sharp. “I'll book the back room – you just make sure Charles brings his checkbook.”

“Why? You got another clinic needs funding?”

“A little extra endowment never hurt anybody.” Hawkeye leers at Trapper's crotch.

“God, Hawkeye, you're such a fucking size queen,” Trapper teases.

“And it's all your fault, Big John.” Hawkeye strokes Trapper through his pants and the discussion of BJ's impending visit gets tabled for a while.

One extremely satisfactory sexual encounter later, Trapper returns to the topic at hand.

“You still planning to bunk with me during BJ's visit? Or do you and him wanna have a little slumber party?”

Hawkeye laughs. “As much as I might like to play spin the bottle with BJ, it would be a terrible idea. He's married married. And I won't fuck that up, no matter how I feel about him – or his muscles or his stupid mustache.”

“You still love him, though. And for more than just the mustache.” Hawkeye had been pretty open about carrying a torch for the guy, even if nothing ever came of it.

Hawkeye sighs. “Yeah, I do. But BJ's in relationships for the long haul; he wouldn't be interested in a casual fling. I guess that rubbed off on me, even if – tragically – no other part of him did. And I could never move to California – I don't meet the required levels of tanned jockishness – so it looks like you're stuck with me, Trapper.”

“I've never been so grateful for your pasty unathleticism,” Trapper teases. Then he cups Hawkeye's face. “And I'm glad you and BJ have this chance to meet up.”

Hawkeye smiles. “Me too. I've really missed the guy.”

BJ gets to Hawkeye's house late enough that everything seems molasses stretched and slightly unreal – or that could just be the couple drinks he had at the airport bar between flights, or the couple drinks he had on each flight, or... The point is, when Hawkeye opens the door – before BJ even has a chance to ring the bell, so he must have been waiting up for him – BJ can hardly believe this moment is real. But there Hawkeye is, framed in the glow of the doorway, wearing pajamas and a very familiar robe, looking a little tired but relaxed and happy in a way BJ's never seen before, not even on R&R. Looking so beautifully, perfectly real.

Then Hawkeye smiles at him, soft and warm – and before BJ can even register his own actions, he's hugging Hawkeye right there on the doorstep, clutching at him desperately.

Hawkeye hugs him back, laughs softly in BJ's ear, and says, “It's nice to see you too, Beej.” Then he pulls back a little. “C'mon, let's get inside. We've given the neighbors enough of a show.”

BJ follows Hawkeye into the house, barely registering anything beyond the man in front of him. He's missed Hawkeye so much, jumping at the first chance to see him again, no matter that Boston wasn't really close to Baltimore at all. And now that he's here, BJ just enjoys soaking up the sight of Hawkeye – happy and safe and happy – saving up the image for when he gets back home.

But now Hawkeye's saying something, so BJ struggles back to awareness.

“... sure you're tired after such a long trip and we have plenty of time to catch up tomorrow. I'll show you where you're sleeping.”

BJ is led up the stairs and into a bedroom – Hawkeye's judging by the nick-knacks on the dresser – and that makes BJ wonder where exactly Hawkeye is sleeping since he leaves the room after saying goodnight. But that mystery goes unsolved. BJ is tired enough – and buzzed enough – that he's barely under the covers before he falls asleep.

BJ wakes up late the next morning – nearly noon according to the clock on the side table – and he could kick himself for missing out on so much time with Hawkeye. But he's awake now, and can start to make up for it.

BJ rushes downstairs to find Hawkeye – an apology for sleeping in already halfway out – but Hawkeye just smiles.

“Morning, BJ. I can see that liking to sleep in wasn't just a Korea thing. Want some breakfast?” Hawkeye checks his watch. “Or brunch, I suppose.”

“I could eat. And I wouldn't say no to a cup of coffee, either.”

BJ follows Hawkeye into the cheerful, tidy kitchen of his cheerful, tidy house and sits down at the little table while Hawkeye stands at the stove and it's all so weird. Weird seeing Hawkeye in a house that looks like it could have come right from a spread in Better Homes and Gardens. Weird watching as Hawkeye cooks breakfast and sets the table and generally acts like he's some paragon of domesticity.

BJ's attempt to reconcile this strange new version of Hawkeye is interrupted by his sliding a plate and mug BJ's direction before sitting across from him at the table with his own food. Hawkeye's just sitting there, drinking his coffee like all of this is normal. Like he isn't the half-wild prankster of the 4077 who used to leave his dirty socks everywhere.

BJ searches desperately for a topic of conversation that doesn't start with “What the hell happened to you?” but it's Hawkeye who gets the conversation going.

“I see you shaved the mustache,” Hawkeye says, a teasing glint in his eye. “Peg put her foot down about it?”

BJ laughs, relieved they're back on familiar ground. “Pretty much. And there's not much point to sticking it to the army when you're a civilian.”

“Very true.” Hawkeye pauses to eat a bite of eggs - happily without smelling them first. “Although the habit of not saluting has stuck with me.”

“Not much use for it in a medical context – even if some of the doctors I worked for during residency would have probably loved it.” Some of them had been almost as authoritarian as Frank Burns.

Hawkeye smiles. “I don't know, the kids would probably be amused by a salute. I've had at least three come through who want to be pirates when they grow up – though that's a different branch of the service entirely.”

And they spend the next few hours shooting the shit about work and and family. It's nice; familiar. Give BJ a glass of terrible gin and he could be back in the Swamp.

That's another weird thing – the lack of alcohol. If this were Korea, they'd both be three sheets to the wind by now. BJ doesn't even see a liquor cabinet in the house.

But even with all the differences, BJ has a great time catching up with Hawkeye – and catching Hawkeye up on his own life. Not that he hasn't spent every letter telling Hawkeye all about Peg and Erin, but it's different doing it in person. He can see Hawkeye's expressions, hear his laugh, feel him sitting pressed up against his side.

Then Trapper John comes home. And all of Hawkeye's attention is suddenly focused on him.

“You're home late. Tough day at the office, dear?”

“Like you wouldn't believe. Ten minutes before I'm scheduled to leave, a guy comes in with half his guts hanging out. I wasn't gonna leave that to Dobbs – he'd let the guy bleed out while he deliberated over what stitch to use – so I stayed late. And then I went to the gym and Brian wanted to go a few rounds, so I got outta there late too. Sorry for the hold up - I'll get started on dinner in a minute.”

Then Trapper catches sight of BJ. “Hi BJ, nice to finally meet you after all of Hawkeye's stories.”

They shake hands.

“I've heard a lot about you too, Trapper.” Boy has he ever. First from everyone at the 4077 while in Korea and now from Hawkeye, who could hardly go ten minutes without mentioning something Trapper thought or said or did. Not that BJ was counting.

Trapper grins at Hawkeye. “You telling tales out of school, Hawk?”

“I would never!” Hawkeye exclaims. “Now why don't you go make us dinner and we can all tell embarrassing stories about each other and Charles. Mostly Charles.”

So they all troop into the kitchen to chat while Trapper cooks. And BJ is struck again by how weirdly domestic it all is. Trapper John McIntyre – inveterate womanizer and gin guzzler – is putting a roast in the oven while wearing an apron and Hawkeye is treating this like it's a normal occurrence.

BJ feels like he's been transported into some bizarre alternate universe.

But Trapper does offer him a real drink, finally. And they're apparently all going to a poker game with Charles later, so that's familiar ground at least. And dinner is good. The food is great, actually – better than some of the stuff Peg had made when they'd first gotten married.

And BJ's liquored up enough that conversation with Trapper isn't stilted, even though Hawkeye seems to be focusing more on eating than talking – another difference from Korea. It helps that Trapper's asking BJ about his experience building that first ever defibrillator in Korea – the topic of his talk at Johns Hopkins. BJ rehashes his lecture and Trapper asks insightful questions about ways to refine the device – more than some of the doctors at his lecture had been able to manage. It's obvious the man is a skilled surgeon – as much as it burns BJ to admit it.

But Trapper doesn't rub it in BJ's face or anything. Just listens to BJ's answers and then says, “I'm excited to see how it develops from here – anything that keeps us ER docs from having to do open heart massages is worth a whole lotta accolades in my book.”

“And how does Peg feel about your new found notoriety?” Hawkeye finally chimes in. “You told me she liked the quiet life – and now you're published in the AMA and on the lecture circuit. You've really hit the big time.”

BJ laughs. “She's been pretty happy despite all the hoopla. I didn't want to tell you about this until it was settled, Hawk, but I've been asked to take up a research and teaching position at Stanford. I guess all those AMA articles got the dean's attention.” BJ can't help but sound a little proud of that. It's a big accomplishment for a guy just out of residency.

Then BJ breaks out into a wide grin. “It'll mean I'm home nights and weekends. And since Peg's expecting again, she's all for that.”

“BJ! Congratulations! On two counts.” Hawkeye wraps him in a hug.

Trapper offers his own congratulations and then asks after Erin and they spend a while swapping kid pictures, and that's pretty nice. They'll probably never be best friends, but BJ can get along with Trapper if that's what it takes to see Hawkeye. It's pretty obvious they're close friends what with how they're sitting pressed up against one another on the couch as they all have coffee and dessert.

It's not like BJ expected any different – Hawkeye always invaded BJ's personal space. But it's a little strange to look at it from the outside, to see Hawkeye practically sitting in Trapper's lap as he turns to talk to BJ. To see Hawkeye lean back against Trapper's chest and to see Trapper reshape his own body to fit Hawkeye.

Had they – had Hawkeye and BJ looked like that when they sat together? Had BJ smiled at Hawkeye like that – so soft and warm and... BJ doesn't know. He may have had too much to drink.

Fortunately, they head off to the bar soon enough. And Charles joins them for a poker game and it's a good distraction from BJ's thoughts about Hawkeye and Trapper and Hawkeye-and-Trapper.

The game is fun, and it's nice to catch up with his other former Swamp-mate. But Charles is still the same pompous windbag from Korea – even if his infatuation with his new girlfriend seems to have softened him somewhat. So BJ isn't too disgruntled when Hawkeye starts yawning ostentatiously and they head back to the house and bed.

BJ is a lot more disgruntled when they get home and the mystery of where Hawkeye is sleeping gets solved. Because it turns out that he's sleeping in Trapper's room. Trapper's room with one bed. Trapper's room with one bed with Trapper also in it.

And now BJ is back to thinking about how close they were sitting on the couch earlier. How close they probably are now – laying together in bed. BJ can imagine it in excruciating detail – Hawkeye's head resting on Trapper's chest, their legs tangled together, Hawkeye whispering a soft goodnight into Trapper's BJ's Trapper's skin.

“Goddammit,” BJ whispers as he scrubs at his eyes. As if that could make the image go away.

He lays awake for a long time, staring blindly at the ceiling.

BJ wakes up to a door closing somewhere in the house. Hawkeye and Trapper are clearly awake, so BJ stumbles out of Hawkeye's room and down the stairs. He pauses at the entrance to the kitchen – just out of sight of Trapper, who's lounging against the counter, grinning at a laughing Hawkeye.

BJ is still haunted by the image of Hawkeye and Trapper sleeping together and it's maybe bleeding into how he sees their interactions now. Surely Trapper's gaze isn't that heated. Surely Hawkeye doesn't mean to angle his body so invitingly. But BJ doesn't know. And he needs to know, needs to understand what's going on here between Hawkeye and Trapper – between Hawkeye and himself – so he watches.

Watches as Hawkeye and Trapper dance around one another in the kitchen as they get breakfast ready. Watches as Trapper directs Hawkeye out of his way with a hand on his hip or the small of his back. Watches as Hawkeye pops a grape into Trapper's mouth.

And BJ is even more confused. Because they're all things that he and Hawkeye have done – or close to, anyway. But seeing things from the outside, it all just looks so intimate. Like husband and wife. And that makes BJ wonder how he and Hawkeye had looked doing those kinds of things.

There's a sharp twist of anxiety in BJ's guts and he can't think about this anymore. So he makes some noise to announce his presence before joining Hawkeye and Trapper in the kitchen. And Hawkeye and Trapper don't change their behavior any when BJ's walks in, so there must not be any deeper meaning behind it.

It's a relief, really it is.

They eat breakfast – the famous Pierce family French toast, according to Hawkeye – and that's normal enough. BJ no longer feels like he's going to hurl, at any rate. Then they spend more time chatting in the living room, a knitting Hawkeye sandwiched between BJ and Trapper.

BJ is almost glad of Trapper's presence today – he's not feeling all that capable of conversation this morning, too caught up in his own thoughts. Too busy counting up the intimate moments between Trapper and Hawkeye – and comparing them to moments he and Hawkeye have shared. Too busy trying to figure out what it all means.

And then it's time to say goodbye. BJ doesn't let himself feel self conscious when he wraps Hawkeye in a clinging hug. He misses him already.

But that's a little sappy, so all BJ says is, “Goodbye, Hawk. Thanks for letting me come visit – and if you're ever on the West Coast, don't be a stranger.”

“Bye, BJ.” Hawkeye smiles warmly at him and it's like standing in the sun. “Thanks for stopping by; it was good to see you.”

It's an easier goodbye than Korea, but not by much. BJ leaves Boston with an awful lot of questions and no answers.

“That visit everything you hoped for?”

Hawkeye's looking a little wistfully at the door. But he smiles as he looks back at Trapper. “Yeah, it was. Don't get me wrong, I would have liked to know what was eating him at the end there, but he seems happy. Like Korea didn't completely fuck him up. And that's a relief.”

“It's good to know at least one of us could go back home and pick his life back up where he left it.” BJ obviously loved the hell out of both his kid and his wife and Trapper's glad they're making it work. “Not that I don't like how things ended up for me. For us.”

“I like how things ended up for us too.” Then Hawkeye's gaze turns heated. “And as nice as it was to see BJ again, I'm a little glad he's gone.”

Trapper comes up to Hawkeye, cupping his face with a hand. “Yeah? You got something you wanna do just the two of us?”

“Oh, Trapper, I have a list.”

#mash #piercintyre #fanfic archive #you can't cross the same river twice #chapter 18

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lexpistachio · 7 years

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Bitty asking "Why can't we" has got to be the straightest thing I have ever read. Well I'm done, I'm just going to assume this is all a dream sequence and leave. Let me know if Kent shows up and if he's given some actual depth till then I wish you all well.

You know what no Bitty crying on the floor and saying “It’s just going to be so hard keeping all that to myself, and I just don’t know how long” is the straightest thing I have ever read. The whole update is just like the straightest thing like good lord I don’t know where to begin, like wow this is straight author 101 gay people in the closet are miserable you should pity them. Just throw me on the ice I am soo salty.

Sciiiience fiction. Dooouble feature ahahaha

~closeted tears while on the floor~ I’m still sitting here laughing. I was zero levels of surprised, and I think I’ve ran out of fucks to give anyway.

“But doesn’t any gay person aspire to be out, anyway?” replied some person on a post I made about this several months ago, which, frankly, speaks to how predictable the trajectory of this comic is). The oversimplification of it all astounded me. Because no, actually, I don’t want the whole world knowing what’s basically my business, I don’t owe the world anything. What the question is really asking is, do you want to be out and thriving or closeted and miserable? That’s the false dichotomy engendered by the comics itself, that to be out = to be happy, and to be in the closet = to be repressed/miserable. It’s so wrong on so many levels, but to say the least, this kind of thinking ignores how our environment have very real consequences for many of us, and coming out is not a black-and-white choice for any given circumstance.

For one, I don’t want to see the world magicked away and pretend that the possible hate and shaming that i will get when i declare my sexuality don’t exist, I want to see people around me learning to be accepting and letting go of their prejudices, and then maybe i’ll choose to come out. It’s a process–not only for the people around you but for letting go of the fears and shame you’ve held close to your chest since forever (Bitty used to reflect that well? lol not anymore). But also I want the love and acceptance of my family and peers, but not at the expense of them being replaced by pod persons lol, if that makes sense? It’s super unsatisfying to see this supposedly Big Coming Out hoopla when everyone in this universe seems to have inhaled gas fumes and acting out of bounds of reality anyway, consequence-free and mindlessly cloying.

But that’s me, But as a friend pointed out, they’ve never met a gay person who thinks of being out the way Bitty does. It’s like having big shiny thing to achieve, something to be crossed off a bucket list or something for their relationship to be Truly Happy. Never mind that this something that he should have considered in the first place before entering into a relationship with a pro athlete? As the culture among hockey players is to blend with the team and to avoid drawing attention to one’s self, as good ol’ Canadian boys are told to do from a young age?

Anyway, fans of this comics buy suspension of disbelief in fudging bulk and wholesale lol. It’s (maybe) a good thing I have extremely low expectations of this comic treating any subject matter decently, but I can’t blame you for going tbh.

The only ~closeted tears~ i’ll be crying is over the potential this comic had but lost lmao

#omgcp #omcp_critical #jack zimmermann #jack bittle #zimbits #Anonymous #rocky horror reference for virgins

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newstfionline · 4 years

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Headlines: Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Trump Leaves Walter Reed Hospital, Returning to the White House (AP) President Donald Trump on Monday evening left Walter Reed hospital in Maryland. Photos showed Trump’s motorcade leaving the facility at around 6:30 p.m. ET. The departure came several hours after Trump announced he would be leaving, while his doctors told a news conference that his condition has improved enough to allow him to return back to the White House. Before his departure, the president wrote he “will be back on the campaign trail soon.” About 30 minutes later, Trump was seen at the White House, taking off his mask. Trump will need to continue treatment as he is still undergoing a five-day course of the intravenous antiviral drug, remdesivir, and will have to isolate himself for a certain period of time.

Poll: Many Americans blame virus crisis on US government (AP) More Americans blame the U.S. government instead of foreign nations for the coronavirus crisis in the United States, a rebuke to the Trump administration’s contention that China or other countries are most at fault, a new poll shows. The poll by The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research was conducted before President Donald Trump tested positive for the virus Friday and was hospitalized. Although many see plenty of blame to go around and there’s a wide bipartisan divide over who is responsible, 56% of Americans say the U.S. government has substantial responsibility for the situation. That compares with 47% who place that much blame on the governments of other countries and only 39% who say the same about the World Health Organization. “It reflects a general lack of confidence in the way the government has handled the situation,” said Austin Wright of the Harris School for Public Policy.

Record-breaking California wildfires surpass 4 million acres (AP) In a year that has already brought apocalyptic skies and smothering smoke to the West Coast, California set a grim new record Sunday when officials announced that the wildfires of 2020 have now scorched a record 4 million acres—in a fire season that is far from over. The unprecedented figure—an area larger than the state of Connecticut—is more than double the previous record for the most land burned in a single year in California. “The 4 million mark is unfathomable. It boggles the mind, and it takes your breath away,” said Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. “And that number will grow.” So far, in this year’s historic fire season, more than 8,200 California wildfires have killed 31 people and scorched “well over 4 million acres in California” or 6,250 square miles, Cal Fire said Sunday in a statement. The blazes have destroyed more than 8,400 buildings.

U.S. Allies Worry the White House Wants to End New START Treaty (Foreign Policy) The United States and Russia are due to meet in Helsinki, Finland, today in their ongoing effort to renegotiate and replace the New START nuclear arms treaty which is set to expire in February 2021. New START is the only remaining agreement limiting nuclear arms between the two countries. Much of the delay in renegotiating the treaty was due to Washington’s insistence that China be included in any new agreement. But the White House has since backed off that condition as Trump has become embroiled in his reelection campaign, and now the hope among many U.S. allies is that Washington will seek a standalone deal with Russia before the deadline and pursue another agreement with China at a later time. The United States has so far only proposed new conditions for Russia, a move that some officials worry is little more than a thinly-veiled attempt by the White House to scuttle the deal entirely. As Foreign Policy’s Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer recently reported, “former officials and arms control experts worry the administration may be seeking to slow-walk the accord to death by making impossible demands of Russia just months before the treaty is slated to end.”

Cinema-going collapse (Reuters) Cineworld brings down the curtain. Cineworld will close all of its UK and U.S. movie theatres this week, leaving as many as 45,000 workers unemployed for the foreseeable future as it strives to survive a coronavirus collapse in film-making and cinema-going. The world’s second-biggest cinema chain said the reluctance of studios to push ahead with major releases such as the new James Bond film had left it no choice but to close all 536 Regal theatres in the U.S. and its 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse theatres in the UK from Oct. 8.

Ebooks (Wired) Checkouts of ebooks from libraries are up 52 percent compared to the same period last year according to OverDrive, the tech partner of 50,000 libraries worldwide for ebook services. Hoopla, a rival service, said another 439 library systems joined their network since March, increasing their customers by 20 percent. Digital offerings are nothing new—libraries pay an average of $40 per ebook compared to the $15 an individual pays for an ebook, and can lend that one ebook out for a certain number of uses or over a certain period. The system is tense: publishers are worried that a switch to library digital books will cause the bottom to fall out of their print business, while libraries don’t like that pricing model, especially because surges (like the one seen in pandemic times) can get very expensive very quickly.

Venezuela Planning New 100,000-Bolivar Bills Worth Just $0.23 (Bloomberg) Venezuela has begun to import banknote paper and is mulling plans to print bills with larger denominations as hyperinflation causes shortages of cash, according to six people with knowledge of the matter. The central bank is considering new bills starting with 100,000 bolivars, the people said. It would be the highest denomination yet, but still worth only $0.23. The need for larger bills in Venezuela is a direct result of an ever weakening currency and inflation that ran at an estimated 2,400% in the past year, meaning that paying for a cart full of groceries now requires a bag of cash. Venezuela has been suffering from hyperinflation since 2017, decimating the ability of most Venezuelans to purchase even the most essential goods—much less save. The average family requires more than 100 times the official minimum wage to meet its basic needs. Authorities have turned a blind eye to a greater number of transactions being carried out in U.S. dollars, with Ecoanalitica estimating that some 60% of all purchases are now done using greenbacks.

‘Nuclear’ lockdown recommendation for Ireland (Reuters) Ireland’s government faced political and business resistance to a surprise recommendation by health chiefs for Europe’s first major second wave national lockdown to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed as coronavirus cases rise. The National Public Health Emergency Team called for a leap to the highest level of COVID-19 restrictions, Level 5, late on Sunday, just three days after telling government the current Level 2 status for most of the country was appropriate.

Four dead in southern France flooding, up to 18 missing (Reuters) Four people have died and up to 18 more are missing in floods and heavy rain in southern France, a spokeswoman for Alpes Maritimes prefecture said on Monday. Southern France has been lashed by torrential rain over the weekend and swollen rivers have swept away houses, bridges and parts of roads.

Armenia’s Leader Makes Plea to U.S. as Conflict Rages With Azerbaijan (NYT) When Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia’s prime minister, spoke by telephone on Thursday with President Trump’s national security adviser, he raised a delicate issue: Why is nothing being done to stop a longtime United States ally, Turkey, from using American-made F-16 jets against ethnic Armenians in a disputed mountain region? Mr. Pashinyan’s call to the national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, followed an eruption of heavy fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, a remote territory at the center of the most enduring and venomous of the “frozen conflicts” left by the collapse of the Soviet Union. The breakaway enclave, legally part of Azerbaijan but controlled by Armenians for the past three decades, has seen many military flare-ups over the years. But the current fighting, Mr. Pashinyan said in a telephone interview, has taken on a far more dangerous dimension because of Turkey’s direct military intervention in support of Azerbaijan, its ethnic Turkic ally. In a statement Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross denounced “a surge in attacks using heavy explosive weaponry on populated areas,” which it said “is taking a deadly toll on civilians.” It said that hundreds of homes, as well as schools and hospitals, had been destroyed or damaged, forcing families to flee or retreat “underground to unheated basements, sheltering day and night from the violence.” The conflict has set off alarms about the risks of a wider war and put the United States, with its large and politically influential Armenian diaspora, in the uncomfortable position of watching Turkey, a vital NATO ally, deploying F-16 jets in support of Armenia’s enemies.

Remote learning begins in virus-hit Philippines (AP) Grade school and high school students in the Philippines began classes at home Monday after the coronavirus pandemic forced remote-learning onto an educational system already struggling to fund schools. The shift to distance learning has been a logistical nightmare for the poverty-stricken Southeast Asian country that has long lacked enough classrooms, teachers and educational equipment. Nearly 25 million students enrolled this year, mostly in 47,000 public schools nationwide that would have to be replicated in homes and enlist the help of parents and guardians as co-teachers. A majority of families, especially from poor and rural communities, opted to use government-provided digital or printed learning materials or “modules,” which students will read at home with the guidance of their elders before carrying out specified activities. Most lack computers and reliable internet connections. Teachers can answer questions by telephone. Other families preferred for their children to get lessons online or through regional radio and TV educational broadcasts.

Pilgrims return to Mecca as Saudi eases virus restrictions (AP) A very small, limited number of people on Sunday donned the white terrycloth garment symbolic of the Muslim pilgrimage and circled Islam’s holiest site in Mecca, after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months. The kingdom had taken the rare step in early March of suspending the smaller “umrah” pilgrimage, which can be taken at any time of the year and draws millions from across the world, as the coronavirus morphed into a global pandemic and prompted countries to impose lockdowns and curfews to slow down transmission. But as nations begin to ease those restrictions, the Saudi government on Sunday started allowing a maximum of 6,000 pilgrims a day to enter the sprawling Grand Mosque in Mecca. Only Saudi citizens and residents will be permitted to enter the mosque during this first phase of reopening, and each person has up to three hours to complete the pilgrimage.

#headlines #news

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dailynewswebsite · 4 years

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Nobel Prizes have a diversity problem even worse than the scientific fields they honor

In 2007, I served as a guide for the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ deliberations in regards to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Consequently, I used to be invited to attend the Nobel ceremonies. Staying on the Grand Lodge with all of the awardees, I obtained to see how scientists – glorious however largely unknown exterior their fields – abruptly grew to become superstars.

As quickly as they’re introduced yearly in early October, Nobel laureates grow to be function fashions who’re invited to present seminars all all over the world. In Stockholm for the awards, these scientists have been interviewed on radio and tv and hobnobbed with Swedish royalty. Swedish tv aired the occasions of Nobel week reside.

As a chemist who has additionally investigated how science is finished, seeing scientists and their analysis soar to the highest of the general public’s consciousness because of all of the Nobel hoopla is gratifying. However within the 119 years for the reason that Nobel Prizes have been first given out, solely 3% of the science awardees have been girls and 0 of the 617 science laureates have been Black. The overwhelming majority of these now-famous function mannequin scientists are white males.

This can be a drawback a lot bigger than merely bias on the a part of the Nobel choice committees – it’s systemic.

Nobels nonetheless mirror one other time

Alfred Nobel established the prizes to honor those that ‘have conferred the best profit to humankind.’ Gösta Florman/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

5 Nobel Prizes have been established in response to inventor Alfred Nobel’s will. The primary prizes in chemistry, literature, physics and medication have been awarded in 1901. Every prize could be awarded to not more than three individuals, and prizes will not be awarded posthumously.

Simply as with the Oscars for the film trade, there may be pre-Nobel buzz. Scientists attempt to predict who shall be awarded the yr’s chemistry, physics and medication prizes. Within the days and weeks following the announcement of the awards, there’s a thorough evaluation of the winners and their analysis, in addition to sympathizing with those that have been missed.

It doesn’t take a really detailed investigation to see that girls and Black scientists aren’t proportionally represented among the many laureates, that the US is residence to extra winners than most nations and that China has surprisingly few science Nobel laureates.

Nomination to obtain a Nobel Prize in science or medication is by invitation solely, and details about the nomination and choice course of can’t be revealed till 50 years have handed. Regardless of this confidentiality, primarily based on the checklist of laureates it’s clear that nominations are inclined to favor scientists working at elite analysis establishments, well-known scientists who’re good at self-promotion and people well-known to their friends. Predictably, these are usually older, established white males.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Nobel Meeting on the Karolinska Institute are answerable for deciding on the Nobel winners for chemistry and physics, and for medication, respectively. They’re conscious that they’ve a “white male drawback,” and beginning with the 2019 nominations have requested nominators to think about variety in gender, geography and matter. One yr in, it hasn’t but been mirrored on the dais. There have been no Black or feminine award recipients in physics, chemistry or medication on the December 2019 Nobel ceremonies.

So what’s happening? Why does the checklist of Nobel laureates appear to reflect the scientists of Alfred Nobel’s day greater than the world in 2020?

STEM is extra numerous than Nobels, however….

A 2017 Nationwide Middle for Science and Engineering Statistics report reveals that whereas white males make up solely one-third of the U.S. inhabitants, they represent no less than half of all scientists.

There’s no good motive college students from underrepresented teams wouldn’t begin out aspiring to careers in science, expertise, engineering and math fields on the identical charges as their nonminority friends. However minorities, who comprise 30% of the U.S. inhabitants, make up solely 14% of grasp’s college students and simply 6% of all Ph.D. candidates. In 2017, there have been greater than a dozen areas by which not a single Ph.D. was awarded to a Black individual, and these are primarily throughout the STEM fields. Just one.6% of chemistry professors on the high 50 U.S. faculties are Black. This hole hasn’t modified a lot within the final 15 years. There aren’t sufficient Black full professors within the sciences at elite universities the place the networks and reputations crucial for successful a Nobel are made.

Supporting the STEM pursuits of scholars from all demographics will assist plug the ‘leaky pipeline’ from college to science profession. Andy Cross/The Denver Put up by way of Getty Photographs

There are numerous causes for these dismal numbers: poverty, sub-par preparation in largely minority-serving faculties of all ranges and shortage of function fashions and mentors. Stereotype risk, by which detrimental stereotypes result in tutorial underperformance, can kick in, as can impostor syndrome, when an individual feels insufficient regardless of evident success. Blatant discrimination and quite a few microaggressions may stop scientists from minority teams from performing to their potential.

Although girls make up greater than half of the final inhabitants, they too depend as an underrepresented group in lots of STEM disciplines. Simply three girls out of 213 physics Nobel laureates is clearly a disproportionately low quantity. Solely 5 girls have received in chemistry, and 12 in medication. It’s arduous to not assume that many distinguished and immensely certified feminine scientists should have been missed over greater than a century of prizes.

The checklist of STEM Nobel laureates since 1901 sends the flawed message to younger individuals, funding businesses, editorial boards and others about who does noteworthy science. Maybe way more necessary, it’s indicative of many biases and inequities that plague girls and minorities in science. Schools and universities host applications to help underrepresented teams within the sciences, however they’re simply Band-Aids on a lot greater systemic points in society. With out financial fairness and academic parity, it is going to be arduous to attain Nobel variety.

[Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week. Subscribe to The Conversation’s science newsletter.]

Marc Zimmer doesn’t work for, seek the advice of, personal shares in or obtain funding from any firm or group that will profit from this text, and has disclosed no related affiliations past their tutorial appointment.

from Growth News https://growthnews.in/nobel-prizes-have-a-diversity-problem-even-worse-than-the-scientific-fields-they-honor/ via https://growthnews.in

#Growth News

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