#postal service super slow

[luminberry]

From a Unknown Friend?

tl,dr Jeri gets stuffed with slimes! Got the idea while chatting with stuffums and a few other folks and here we are.

there might be one with zeke later on if i get the time..cause yes.

It had been a rather slow and uneventful day at work for Jeri and Atty, the twins did appreciate the slower days since it let them catch up with the mounting paperwork their jobs tended to rack up.

Jericho sighed and pushed himself away from his desk for a moment to get up and stretch, sitting for so long had begun to make him drowsy..not to mention hungry.

"Should be bout time for lunch ta start if my clocks still on time..Maybe I can pop down before tha lunch rush hits and snag me n poor Atty a bite or two."

Leaving his coat on the hanger it hung from he moved to head out when someone at the door knocked abruptly, startling him just a tad.

"Ey, I thought mail delivery already swung by, who is it?"

"Special delivery for a uhhhh...Geriko??"

Jericho pulled the door open to see a rather scruffy person holding a large package out for him to grab..And it appears it was addressed to him? He was curious since not many packages got sent to his work address, must be important then.

"Yo, Gerkin you gonna accept the package? It's kinda heavy as hell and we're on a time limit."

"Hey now don't get snippy with me, but fine fine. Do I gotta sign anything?"

"H'yup! Just gotta sign this form saying you got the delivery big guy and we good!"

The surprisingly heavy package was shoved into his arms alongside a very beat up clipboard on top. Grunting a bit in surprise he shifted to put the package on his desk and fish out a pen to scribble his signature on before handing it back to the..delivery person. A mess of brown locks fell into a very very cocky looking grin, they didn't look any bit like a postal worker.

"...What mailin service are y'all workin with?"

"Rickies Super Fast Drop Offs. Or RSFDO!"

"...Never heard of em.."

"Brand spankin new actually, I'll take that cause I got other places to be!"

Without another word the lanky man snatched the clipboard out of his hands and took off down the hallway, yelling thanks for his service.

"...Gotta have a word with tha front desk bout doin better screenins on weird folks.

Shaking his head some he moved back into his office to see what got sent to him..He didn't really recall ordering anything specific and there didn't seem to be a general return address that he could see. Grabbing a knife he made short work of opening the box and peering inside.

Inside were four solid looking containers..they looked like tupperware but more resilient and dark, a faint smell of something that made his stomach groan loudly wafted up.

"Huh..maybe someone send me a lil care package? Now ain't that jus a cute idea..Wonder who could be behind it? Well let's take a gander at what they packed me for lunch then."

One by one the containers were pulled free from the box and sat on his desk before the cardboard box was set back down near the door for tossing out later. Moving to take his seat once more, curiosity was growing stronger as the first containers contents he chose gently shifted and swayed inside.

Cracking open the lid, Jericho was met with a overpoweringly savory smell, the source was a dark almost coffee colored substance. The scent was making his mouth water, must be some sort of soup? He leaned in to get a better smell as a clawed finger gently reached out to dip in to see if he could get a taste.

He let out a quiet hum of surprise when the surface jiggled under his touch before yielding and letting him scoop a tiny sample out to pop into his mouth. Strangely it didn't melt like he expected but slid around over his tongue and slamming down a almost decadently rich meaty stew flavor before he gulped it down.

"Huh..well now ain't that somethin...Some sorta jello? Nah..never had jello be savory before. Wonder what tha others are then.."

Jericho shifted to grab and pop the lids off of the remaining three containers to sample their contents. Each held a different flavor that made him hum in delight. The second had a strong taste of pumpkin pie, the third like almost freshly baked bread, and the last was a silky tasting chocolate.

"Whoever sent all this has a strange method of cookin..not that I mind somethin this delicious..Wonder if Atty would want some. mh?"

As he moved to get back up and call his twin brother Atticus over, the first container rattled, making Jericho pause and stare.

"...Did, nah..must be seein things.."

Letting out a sigh he missed the savory contents slowly rising up and launching itself at him, earning a surprised muffled yelp from the man.

"mMphg?? GHk"

Somehow his hands only slid through the attacking substance uselessly as it wriggled and worked itself past his lips and further beyond. Struggling to free himself and failing greatly, the animated foodstuffs took its time filling his mouth before easing itself down his throat and sliding home into his empty stomach. The taste while delicious left him alarmed at what just happened, hands flying up to his now slightly filled midsection as a odd shifting sensation made itself known.

It felt as if he ate something living and it was busying itself with getting comfortable inside him.

"Wh-what in tha fuc-..wait. Oh no."

No sooner had the first container emptied itself into his gut did Jeri notice the other three were starting to shake and wriggle as their contents stretched themselves out towards him almost eagerly.

"Hold on, I don't think I can eat all this, lemme jus-uRK"

The bread flavored one didn't seem to want to wait or listen as much like the first strange food stuffs, it launched itself at his face and his open mouth. Wasting no time at all it filled Jerichos mouth with the overwhelmingly delectable tastes of bakery fresh breads smothered in warm sweet butter before sliding down his throat to join the first in his grumbling stomach.

Jericho was overwhelmingly filled by now with the oddly shifting contents making his stomach feel strangely warm. Surprisingly other than the overpoweringly full feeling he was experiencing there wasn't any pain.

The poor man sagged in his chair, catching his breath for a moment as his poor stomach whined and protested loudly as he heaved to try and relieve any sort of pressure he could. Hands flew up to undo his vest before the buttons could rip themselves free from their strained bindings on his midsection. And after a quick thought he undid the button to his pants as well to let his swollen gut sag and slosh freely at last.

"Hoooughh...Good lord..please I don't think I can get another bite down. If ya slimy lil things can even understand me jus wait a minute..hey-hey! I said-mhnp!!"

The last two had waited paitently for their host to catch its breath before combining and sliding forwards over that heavy gut and towards his mouth much like the others moments ago. Jericho tried to fight al he could but there didn't seem to be much he could do to stop the pair from prying his jaws wide open and filling his mouth with a almost sickeningly sweet but overpoweringly delectable taste of pumpkin and chocolate.

Jericho whined softly as little by little the last two eased themselves down his throat, filling him up at last as the final few morsels vanished into his swollen gut minutes later.

He felt severely full, hands coming up to gently rub and press at his alarmingly big stomach. Feeling gentle shifts from within as the contents situated themselves and left Jericho feeling drowsy and warm.

"..uugh..Surprised I -hic- could even keep that all down..Gonna have ta do somethin bout this..Maybe later.."

Filled to the brim like he was, it was next to impossible to resist the food induced coma overtaking him after that strange experience. He could figure out what just happened later after he slept some of this meal off. Leaning back carefully in his chair he got comfortable as best he could before letting sleep take him.

[diaryoftheunidropout]

DAY 81

I feel so sick. My period came over 10 days late and it's making me nauseated and my stomach hurts... I don't know if it came late because of my poor mental health of if that's unrelated.

I just spent a week at my grandma's and got home after a five hour train ride (the train was super slow + there were several incidents along the way... pure hell). After that, a motorcycle almost ran me over although the pedestrian light was green. Then, I wanted to buy something to eat at the supermarket and forgot that, because it's Sunday, it wasn't closing as late as it usually does. And I also went and picked up a package I'd been expecting only to realize I got partly scammed. So that's one more thing I'm gonna have to worry about.

This evening I randomly realized that if I hadn't dropped out of university I would have still been able to carelessly stay out til late on a Sunday because right now I would have already been on summer break. It made me feel a little weird.

During my long train ride I listened to music, talked to my high school best friend about them wanting to change career paths, planned out a possible novel (which was exciting because a lot of things finally came together and made sense and I was surprised to see how much content I had!!) and then I read a bit (Loveless, by Alice Oseman; I love this book but relate to it far too much and it scares me about what this means about myself).

I feel really wrong. I think it's the fact I'm thinking about possibly writing this novel. It might be because I'm trying to get into my narrator's skin so much that it confuses me about who I am and who they are, and, I don't know. I think I also feel wrong for other reasons, including:

1) I feel like anything I do is absolutele worthless shit, that my writing is shit, my drawings are just as shit, and I will never do anything good or worthy and that I should stop trying to pursue an artistic career because I have no skills whatsoever.

2) I feel extremely lonely and I almost cried when I had to leave my grandma and mom because being surrounded by the two of them for a little over an hour today when my mom came to pick me up to bring me to the train station felt so comforting and I felt protected and loved just for a while. And just being with my grandma the whole week was nice, because she loves me and I love her too and it's nice not being alone.

3) I'm seeing my "university best friend" this week and I really don't want to at all because they hurt me and I never got to tell them because I thought I'd move on but I never did and I cannot forgive them but I also don't know how to tell them without being brutal.

4) Annoying ass postal services want to deliver something to me tomorrow "between 8AM and 5PM" which means it will possibly wake me up early OR stop me from going out. Possibly both if I find the strength to set my alarm at 8 just in case, which I probably should but am too lazy to do.

My heart is aching and I just feel so much pain and this sort of grief about everything.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

All the books I reviewed in 2021

This is more-or-less my last blogging day of 2021 (I may sneak a post or two in before the New Year, but I might not), so it's time for my annual roundup of my book reviews from the year gone by. I've sorted this year's books by genre (sf/f, other novels, graphic novels, YA, nonfic) and summarized the reviews with links to the full review. Here's last year's installment:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/08/required-reading/#recommended-reading

As ever, casting my eye over the year's reading fills me with delight (at how much I enjoyed these books) and shame (at all the excellent books I was sent or recommended that I did not get a chance to read). 2021 was a hard year for all of us and I'm no exception. I ended up whiffing on so many astonishingly great and highly desirable books this year and I feel awful about it, to be honest.

I know what it's like to launch a book in a pandemic (I had four books out in 2020, ugh), and I so want to get those writers' and publishers' books into your hands. I might actually start an aspirational "books I wish I was reading" monthly or quarterly list for 2022.

On the subject of book publishing a pandemic: last year saw the publication of the paperback of my novel Attack Surface, the third Little Brother book:

https://craphound.com/homeland/2021/10/05/the-attack-surface-paperback-is-out-and-a-once-in-a-lifetime-deal-on-the-little-brother-audiobooks/

There's still signed stock at Dark Delicacies, and depending on the postal service, it's possible that if you order one (or the other signed books of mine they have on hand) that you'll get it in time for the Christmas break.

https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1840/Cory_Doctorow_-__Attack_Surface_HB_%26_TPB.html#/

And speaking of 2022, I'll be publishing the first of seven planned books for 2022/3/4 in September: "Culture Heist: The Rise of Chokepoint Capitalism and How Workers Can Defeat It," comes out from Beacon Press in September. It's a book on monopoly and creative labor exploitation that I co-wrote with Rebecca Giblin and it's excellent.

Now, onto the reviews!

Science fiction/fantasy novels

I. Situation Normal, by Leonard Richardson

Technically, I reviewed this in 2020, but it came out *after* last year's roundup. Richardson's second novel is a droll, weird, fast-moving space-opera with a gigantic cast, myriad subplots, and fascinating premises – a novel so brilliantly conceived that it runs like precision clockwork.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/14/situation-normal/#more-constellation-games

II. Rabbits, by Terry Miles

Miles' debut novel is a taut, conspiratorial thriller with overtones of PK Dick by way of Qanon and Dark City, a supernatural tale that illuminates the thrill and terror of ARG-like groups.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/08/leona-helmsley-was-a-pioneer/#rabbits

III. The City We Became, by NK Jemisin

A magic realist novel of New York City that is both a fantastic contemporary fantasy novel and a scorching commentary on the infantile nature of the racist dogma of HP Lovecraft and his ilk.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/09/the-old-crow-is-getting-slow/#i-love-ny

IV. When the Sparrow Falls, by Neil Sharpson

A tense dystopian thriller about the unraveling of a paranoid hermit kingdom established as a final redoubt against humanity's ascent to the cloud. Sharpson's debut is a claustrophobic nightmare of transhuman refusal and authoritarianism.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/01/basilisk-tamers/#rage-against-the-machine

V. King Bullet, by Richard Kadrey

The final Sandman Slim novel was more than a decade in the making, and it is a triumphant capstone to a supernatural noir series that transcended the tropes of both noir and the supernatural with a tale of personal transformation, redemption, revenge and sacrifice.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/17/king-bullet/#sticking-the-dismount

VI. Hench, by Natalie Zina Walschots

This debut novel is fantastic, funny, furious and fucking amazing. It is a profound and moving story about justice wrapped up in a gag about superheroes, sneaky and sharp.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/19/failure-cascades/#natalie-zina-walschots

VII. The Every, by Dave Eggers

The sequel to Eggers' 2013 techno-dystopian satire "The Circle," and it's a deeply discomfiting, darkly hilarious, keen-edged tale of paternalism and its discontents.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/05/masha-rides-again/#everywhere

Novels (not sf/f)

I. Scholars of the Night, by John M Ford

The first in a long-awaited, storied and fraught reissues of the works of the brilliant and versatile Mike Ford - a cold war thriller without peer.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/09/26/mike-ford-rides-again/#cold-war-zeitgeist

II. This Thing Between Us, by Gus Moreno

Gus Moreno's debut novel, "This Thing Between Us," is a genuinely creepy supernatural horror novel, a book that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and prompted me to turn on the nightlight at bedtime.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/12/no-criminals-no-crimes/#cuycuy

III. LaserWriter II, by Tamara Shopson

"LaserWriter II" is Tamara Shopsin's fictionalized history of Tekserve, NYC's legendary Apple computer repair store. It's a vivid, loving, heartfelt portrait of an heroic moment in the history of personal computing: a moment when computers transformed lives and captured the hearts of people in every field of endeavor.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/29/norwegian-potato-flour-enchiladas/#r2r

Graphic Novels

I. Streamliner, by Fane

STREAMLINER is the story of a secret outlaw jalopy hotrod race that plays out with so much fucking noir it's practically vantablack, in a way that makes it clear why STREAMLINER and its creator Fane are great heroes of the French comics scene.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/03/15/free-markets/#streamliner

II. Cyclopedia Exotica, by Aminder Dhaliwal

An alternate world in which another race of hominids – cylcopes with one eye and one breast – have existed alongside us "two-eyes." Their relations are presented as a series of lighthearted gags, many of which made my literally cry with laughter. It's an incredibly, admirably sneaky way to tell a profound story about race and gender and class.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/11/uniboob/#one-eye-and-three-dot-dot-dot

III. Bubble, by Jordan Morris et al

Bubble is a comedy/sf story about a distant outpost on a hostile planet where human colonists live under armored domes that keep out the hostile, overpowered critters that live on the surface. It's a wildly improbable artifact – a graphic novel adaptation of that turns podcasting into a visual medium.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/21/podcasting-as-a-visual-medium/#huntr

Books for young adults

I. Permanent Record, the Young Readers Adaptation, by Edward Snowden

Snowden's sprightly prose, his deep technical knowledge, his superb knack for explaining complex matters, his ability to articulate principled action all come together in a book that is, if anything, better than the adult version. Books for teens cast a long shadow. They can alter the course of a person's life. I was permanently affected by the books I read as an adolescent.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/09/permanent-record/#ya-snowden

II. The Halloween Moon, by Joseph Fink

In "The Halloween Moon," Welcome to Nightvale co-creator Joseph Fink brings his superb, unmatchable gift for balancing the weird and the real to a spooky middle-grades novel that echoes such classics as Neil Gaimans Coraline.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/09/23/remedies-beyond-antitrust/#creepypasta

III. Victories Greater Than Death, by Charlie Jane Anders

Anders' debut YA novel is superb – an exciting, engrossing book that captures everything great about young adult tropes while deftly subverting the problems those tropes present, without ever losing sight of the reason we love YA and space-opera: majesty and sweep, good and evil, bravery and sacrifice, treachery and danger.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/11/08/tina-v-tapas/#the-chosen-ones

Nonfiction

I. The Data Detective, by Tim Harford

This should really have been entitled HOW TO TRUTH WITH STATISTICS - it goes beyond debunking bad stats and instead shows how stats can be part of how we discover truth. It presents a 10-part method for avoiding statistical pitfalls *and* doing *good* statistical analysis.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/04/how-to-truth/#harford

II. Food and Climate Change Without the Hot Air, by Sarah Bridle

Bridle's clear, nonthreatening, technical language, brilliant data visualizations, and examples grounded in our daily experience make this a powerful read. It comes to a devastating conclusion: our species' survival depends on eating more plants, with more centrally (and efficiently) prepared meals.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/06/methane-diet/#3kg-per-day

III. Competition is Killing Us, by Michelle Meagher

Both an account of how Meagher rebuilt her understanding of markets, law and economics, and a smartly argued, fast-moving history of the neutering of monopoly law, a plot hatched and executed by the Chicago School of neoliberal economists. The Chicago School put competition enforcement in chains. Meagher's book shatters them. It's proof that this world is neither inevitable nor immutable, but rather, something that we can and must transform.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/08/competition-is-killing-us/#borked

IV. Monopolized, by David Dayen

Dayen weaves explainers and personal stories together, unpicking snarled knots of bullshit and laying them straight to reveal them for the turds they are; then showing how we're personally drowning in crap. From pharma to aviation, airlines to newspapers, Big Tech to Big Funeral, Dayen connects the scams that picks our pockets, robs us of dignity and life chances, and laugh in our faces.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/29/fractal-bullshit/#dayenu

V. Broad Band, by Claire L Evans

More than a celebration of the hidden woman heroes of the computing revolution – also an epitaph for all the people whose talent, aptitude, dreams and contributions were squandered by a system based on mass exclusion. It's proof that the differences between fields are socially – not biologically -determined.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/13/data-protection-without-monopoly/#broad-band

VI. Prisoners' Inventions, by Angelo

A for-real version of those neo-neolithic Youtubers who show how to bootstrap advanced tooling from raw materials; a physical version of the beloved first-person accounts of daring feats recounted in the pages of 2600. This is true adversarial interoperability – treating the environment as a puzzle and a challenge, to be deconstructed and reconfigured, overcoming user-hostile designs and armed enforcers.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/09/king-rat/#mother-of-invention

VII. Jackpot, by Michael Mechanic

A pitiless – but empathic – look at the lives of the (mostly) American super-rich: the transactional relationships, the paranoia and fear, the greed, the lavish goods, the rootless pingponging from one home to another, the feuding, ruined offspring, the constant preoccuptation with accumulation… It's ghastly. Legitimately horrible.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/13/public-interest-pharma/#affluenza

VIII. Mutual Aid, by Peter Kropotkin, David Graeber, and others

Painstaking researched and beautifully argued, MUTUAL AID reveals the scientific fraud of "social Darwinism," and its claims that hierarchy and exploitation are evolutionary inevitabilities baked into our very nature. This is a gorgeous illustrated edition with a new introduction by David Graeber.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/09/22/kropotkin-graeber/#against-just-so

IX. Savage Love A-Z, by Dan Savage

Come for graphic sexual content, stay for thoughtful and well-thought-through philosophy. Savage's latest is an illustrated, alphabetical tour through the concepts and tropes of his decades-long corpus of sexual wisdom, humor and learning.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/04/avoidance-is-evasion/#ggg

[itgirlgasly]

some posts on this website about pay drivers sound like this *clears throat* this super rich man is EVIL for being super rich and using his money to get what he wants. I ONLY support medium rich ppl who make less than 1 million a year. way more relatable and less evil. I can excuse earning more than that if the driver looks cute, is British, or is on twitch (sub only chat tho, I dont want my poor little meow meow [authors note: this term is used unironically by the people this impersonation is based on] to get spammed with comments by people who don’t even pay him). anyways im really mad at the postal service bcs the $80 t-shirt from the latest merch drop hasn't arrived yet, fuck these ppl for being so goddamn slow!!! >:((( also why is *small team with little resources* so slow and *big team with many ressources* so fast. why cant they just make the car faster. cringe ! 

[the-mighty-jellybean]

Crown of Thorns

“What will I be when I grow up, Lady Mother?” Y/N asked, the bed sheets wrapped high under her chin, arms clutching her knees.          

“You will be Queen, my darling,” she cupped her face, and she leaned into her touch, “and a warrior.”

Series Summary: After the need for their alliance during the Battle of Titan, King Stephen asked in return for his services, that King Anthony of the Iron Islands’, first born daughter would be given in marriage, to his sons, Prince Steven and Prince James of the Kingdom of Kamar-Taj. Despite King Anthony’s other offers, King Stephen would only agree to one, or there would be war between their two Kingdoms. Leaving King Anthony with no choice, he sacrificed his first born daughter, in hopes of sparing his people of anymore suffering. Anthony prayed that the men would care for his daughter, and love her as he did, but a sparkly crown can hide a thousand secrets.  

Pairing: Prince!Steve x Princess!Reader x Prince!Bucky

Series Warnings: Strong Language, Violence, Angst, Fluff (There will be some fluffy stuff I promise, I can't resist), Smut: This series will include some aspects of Dub-con/Non-con: Steve and Bucky aren't going to be Prince Charmings. More Warnings will be posted on Chapters.

Masterlist

Part Three: One Night More 

Chapter Warnings: None? 

Word Count: 4.3k

“What’s going on in here?” Steve demanded, watching the way Y/N kept her hands on top of Peter’s. Steve observed the way Peter’s eyes narrowed at the two Princes.

“Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?” The princess spat, standing up and placing herself between Peter and the Princes.

“We don’t need to knock, when we own you.” James stepped forward.

“You don’t own her, nobody owns her.” Peter stood up, trying to come in line with Y/N, but the young girl nervous for her friend, keeps him behind her, but she gives him a smile, showing her appreciation for his words.

“You guys are really sweet, super cute.” James teases, dragging up a chair from the side of the room, flipping it backwards so he’s sitting on it back to front.

“Are you going to answer my first question, or do I need to drag it out of you?” Steve piped up again, his sights were still set on the young boy, who stood next to Y/N.

“I don’t need to answer to you. And might I remind you of my earlier statement, until my eighteenth birthday, you don’t own me, you can’t hurt me, and as much as you may try…” Y/N walked so that her small frame was stood toe to toe with Steve, “you don’t frighten me.”

There was a small stand-off between the two, before Y/N turned, seizing Peter by the hand, and walking straight passed the angered and glaring Princes.

“Not yet you’re not.”

~~~~~

7 Years and 358 Days later…..

The years seemed to roll by quickly, Y/N’s relationship with Peter, didn’t become awkward like most would after an unexpected declaration of love, instead it was quite the opposite, it only increased their bond, they had never been closer.

Y/N had grown in beauty, intelligence and grace, she was strong like her father wished her to be, Anthony would remind her daily that she would make her mother proud every single day. Y/N wouldn’t deny, that Peter had also grown handsome, but no matter how her feelings grew or shifted for Peter, the two dark clouds still loomed over her head, like a storm that waited to break.

The Princes’ presence was always known, on her birthdays they would send her lavish gifts, such as jewellery, or gowns. Every other day she would receive love letters that would make her gag, their words laced with forced love and romance. As Y/N edged closer to her eighteenth birthday, the letters began to be a lot more lude, the words would make her cheeks burn, often James would be the crudest in his speech.

Those letters were often quickly burned in her fire pit, burning the words out of existence in both life and mind.

One week.

One week was all Y/N had until her eighteenth birthday. Seven years seemed to fly by, she spent most of her days; in sword training with Valkyrie or tutoring with the Vision. However, now she was perched in front of her mirror, combing through her hair, as she watched in the reflection, Lady Wanda and Lady Maria, pack her things into different boxes, as she prepared to travel to the Kingdom of Kamar-Taj.

“Would you like to take the satine necklace, that Prince James gifted you, your highness?” Y/N turned away from the mirror, to see the dazzling necklace that Lady Wanda was holding up.

The style really wasn’t her, it was big and flamboyant, the sight of it made her squint.

“I suppose I should, I’m sure he will want to see me wearing it.” Y/N sighed, looking at the pile of boxes and trunks that held her belongings, her room of seventeen years was beginning to look rather bare and empty.

“Why the long face, your highness?” Lady Maria lightly touched her shoulder.

“I don’t wish to leave, Lady Maria.” Y/N had to bite her bottom lip, so that Lady Maria could not see it trembling.

“You knew this day would come, Princess. One day you would have to leave the nest, so to speak.” Lady Maria’s words, were not the comfort she had hoped for, not trusting her voice, Y/N just nodded, flashing a small and very fake smile.

“I’m going to find my father, am I okay to leave you?” Y/N stood looking between her two handmaidens.

“Of course, your Highness, we will be finished soon.” Lady Wanda nodded her head, both of the servants bobbed, as Y/N left the room in search of her father.

Y/N trapsed through the long hallways, gazing out the large glass panes, that showed the endless greenery that surrounded the castle. Not paying attention, Y/N was almost knocked to the ground when a force hit her hard in her legs.

“Woah, slow down.” Y/N lightly scolded, squatting down to place her warm palm on the soft skin of her young sister’s face, “Why the rush, Princess?”

“I’ve been looking for you,” Morgan squeaked, her smile seemed to almost split her face in half.

“Well, now you’ve found me,” Y/N chuckled, tickling her sister’s neck lightly, “what’s got you hunting me?”

“I want to play.” Morgan replied quietly.

“Play, what?” Y/N stood, taking Morgan’s small hand, in her medium sized one, leading her through the hallways.

“Hide and seek.” Morgan squealed, jumping up and down, tugging on Y/N’s arms.

“I’m looking for father, Morgs, I will play after…ah Peter!” Y/N quickly called to the young ward, who happened to be walking from the opposite direction, he smiled upon hearing his name.

“How may I help the Princesses of the Iron Islands, on this fine day?” Peter bowed, making Y/N and Morgan giggle at his theatrics, he rose with a cheeky smile, flashing a grin.

“Could you play hide and seek, with the Princess Morgan? There is something I need to speak to my father about.” Y/N smiled, Peter could never say no, and held his hand out to the little Princess.

“Come young Princess, we’ll shall play, and Lady Y/N will join us when she is finished with your father.” Morgan happily took Peter’s hand, waving goodbye to her older sister.

Y/N walked to her father’s study, spying her fathers hunched up figure as he scribbled onto pieces of parchment.

“Father.” Y/N announced herself, softly knocking on the open door.

King Anthony looked up at the sound of her sweet voice, giving her a warm, yet sad looking smile.

“My dearest daughter.” Anthony rose, meeting his daughter halfway across the room, he wrapped her tightly in his arms, pressing his lips to her forehead.

“Can we speak?” Y/N asked softly.

“Yes, yes absolutely. Shall we go for a ride, it’s a lovely day?” Anthony gestured to the rays of sunshine that poured in through the window.

“That sounds delightful.”

The two rode side by side, Y/N enjoyed the feeling of the summer breeze warming her face, the rocking motion of the horse, allowing Y/N to escape her mind for a short while.

“What did you wish to speak about, my young Princess?” Anthony disrupted the peaceful silence that had fallen upon the two.

“I just wanted your company, father.” Y/N responded, smiling at her father’s unconvinced face.

“I will miss these times.” Anthony sighed sadly, making Y/N’s heart sink at his troubled tones.

“Me too,” Y/N agreed, “but I won’t be far away, and if you ever want me to come back, all you need to do is send a hawk, and I will be straight home.”

“Y/N you must learn, my darling. Your place will be at the Kamar-Taj, you will be a wonderful Queen when the day comes, and you will be the greatest warrior that they will have ever seen, but you will not be needed here.” Anthony explained, making Y/N frown, but she took in her father’s words.  “Your sister is now my heir, you must be her ally when the time comes.”

“Don’t speak that way father. There are still many years left in you. And yes, I may be of the House of Strange, but you will always be my father, and my heart will always be with the Iron Islands.” Y/N confessed.

“Would that be, because of your love for me, or a certain boy ward?” Anthony quirked his brow at his young daughter, watching the way her lips twitched and she bowed her head.

“Don’t be silly father, my love for you is unconditional, and Peter is only my closest friend, that is all.” Y/N shook her head, kicking her heals into her horse’s sides, spurring it into action.

Anthony sat and watched his daughter for a moment, the realisation hitting him, that she was no longer his little girl, now; now she was a woman.

~~~~~

“Are you sure that everything has been collected, you haven’t left anything behind. You don’t want to have to wait three weeks for anything to be shipped to you, you know what the postal service can be like this time of year, and it’s just a huge incon-“

“Lady Mother, please.” Y/N held her hand up, silencing her step-mother, as she laughed lightly at her fretting, “There is no need to worry, Lady Wanda and Lady Maria, have checked my room three times at your request, there is nothing that is left behind.”

“If you are sure?” Pepper looked upon her step-daughter, admiring the woman she had become, taking her by the sides of the face, “I can’t believe this day has finally come.”

“I know, Lady Mother. I know we’ve all been…anticipating it, but now that it is here, it does not seem real.” Y/N sighed, “Take care of my father, I fear he will struggle to adapt to my absence.”

“Of course, I will. Your father will be well seen to.” Pepper promised, hugging Y/N tightly.

“I love you, Lady Mother. You have always been there for me, in ways that I could have only wished that mother could have been. You have been a loyal friend and confidant in my times of need and worry.” Y/N’s eyes began to cloud, but she swallowed the tears back, not wanting to break so out in the open.

“I love you more than you could realise, my little flower. I will always be a friend to you, if you need an ear, I’m only a hawk away.” Pepper smiled, kissing Y/N’s cheek softly.

Y/N turned to the small child, who had hidden her face in her mother’s dress, Y/N gently placed her hand in the girl’s hair, stroking it delicately.

“My little Morgan, will you write to me?” Y/N coaxed, the little girl revealed her slightly tear soaked face, nodding silently, “Please give me one more hug, sweet girl?”

Without a second ask, Morgan’s arms were thrown around her neck, squeezing her tightly, so tightly Y/N feared she would pass out, but the girl was removed gently, and she settled back to hiding her face.

Y/N rose to her feet, the crowd of her people stood, some blew their noses and wiped their eyes, as they waved their crowned Princess off on her journey across the Marvel Continent.

She began to climb the wooden plank, towards the helm of the ship, Lady Maria and Lady Wanda followed behind her, Sir Philip Coulson led the way, along with Peter.

Every few steps the Princess would wave goodbye to her no longer subjects, her eyes were bulging with tears that threatened to spill, but Y/N managed to bite her lip, keeping the pools at bay, until safely hidden away in her quarters on the ship.

“Are you okay, your Highness?” Y/N smiled, as the familiar voice of her father’s ward, appeared behind her, as she took her large over coat, “Here allow me.”

Peter took the large fur from around her shoulders, laying it delicately over one of the chairs, before he looked up at his friend, who had hidden her face in her hands.

“Y/N…are you alright?” Peter stepped towards her, but she braced her hands, stopping him from coming closer.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s just happening a bit fast. I shall be okay in a moment.” Y/N excused, furiously wiping at her eyes.

“If you are sure?” Peter seemed unconvinced but decided that focusing on the subject would not be wise. “Where was your father, your highness?”

“Peter, we’re alone, you can call me Y/N, your Highness is to snobby.” Y/N grimaced at the way the word rolled off her tongue, “And we said our goodbyes.”

Y/N perched on the bed, Peter followed her, sitting next to her, but left a small gap, which made Y/N roll her eyes, so she shuffled up closer to him.

“Are you afraid?” Peter asked, after a while.

“Me? Afraid? Never.” Y/N shrugged, “Terrified? Very.”

The two laughed, before a quiet descended upon the two again.

“You don’t have to be.” Peter spoke up, “I won’t let anything happen to you, I promised your father.”

“That’s alright then, as long as I know you’ve got my back, what’s the worry?” Y/N giggled, looking into Peter’s deep brown eyes, in that moment the two connected, just lost in each other’s gaze, as if there was nothing in the world but them.

If Y/N wasn’t mistaken, for a second it appeared that Peter may have been leaning in closer to her face, but suddenly the ship hit a rough patch of water, causing them both to land on one another, as they used each other’s frames for support.

Peter recovered quickly, as did Y/N, who pulled away abruptly, giving her head a shake, as many unwanted thoughts began circling her mind, Peter sharply stood from the bed.

“I’ll see you later, I must go now…to my room…to do…things.” And that was that, Peter hastily left the room, leaving Y/N dazed and confused.

“I need to get off this boat.”

~~~~~~

The voyage across the sea, was not one of comfort. The sunny weather Y/N left behind her in the Iron Islands, was replaced with a horrendous storm, that left Y/N huddled in her room, as she watched the waves, rise above her small portal windows. She tried to venture outside at one point to see if she could help, but was quickly sent away by Sir Coulson and Peter, as they insisted, they could handle everything.

Four days passed, and soon the grey lands of Kamar-Taj, appeared through the cloud line. It didn’t look anymore inviting then the thunder and lightning storm, that the ship had just sailed through. And the prospect of the company that was waiting on the land, was not at all comforting to Y/N.

On the fifth evening of the journey, the ship docked at the Kamar-Taj port; the plank was lowered and despite the area, Y/N was happy to have her feet on dry land.

Stepping off the wood and onto the pier, Y/N was met by an entourage of guards, but her future husbands were nowhere to be seen.

“That’s nice of them.” Y/N whispered to Lady Wanda, but she was just rewarded with an unamused glare.

The Kamar-Taj castle was a huge fortress, the walls were high, and the windows were narrow, only seen in the blackness of the night, by the small orange glow of candles. The castle itself was surrounded by a thick forest, the dark wood of the trees, looked sinister and menacing, in the way the bark and the branches twisted.

Carriages with pure black horses waited at the end of the harbour. Unlike the gold-plated carriage that had taken Y/N to her betrothal ceremony, these ones were much less royal, and instead looked much like a funeral cart.

Much like the trees, the carriages were covered in dark mahogany, decorated with arching designs that twisted like the forest. They did look royal, with the burst of garnet red, that disrupted the largely dark exterior.

Y/N climbed into one, escorted by Lady Maria and Lady Wanda; Peter and Sir Coulson were taken in one behind.

“This is nice.” Y/N sassed, which just earned her a second look of scold from her handmaids, “What? Now that we’re in Kamar-Taj, you two have lost your sense of humour?”

“Just be careful with your words, your Highness, you don’t know, who could be listening.” Lady Maria looked around, her words making Y/N stop and thinking, sinking back into her seat, and looking out of her window into the thick rows of trees and shrubbery.

The carriage stopped moving, as it arrived at the doors of the castle, where Lady Maria and Lady Wanda were the first to step down, before they turned and waited for the Princess, who was helped down the stair by one of the footmen.

“Thank you.” Y/N smiled, the footman just looked confused, giving a quick smile, before returning to his position, next to the door of the carriage.

A red carpet had been laid out for the Princess, the side lined with soldiers and guards, before Y/N could really take in her surroundings her view was obscured by a man, who appeared to come from nowhere, who stood before Y/N.

“Welcome, your Highness, to the Kingdom of Kamar-Taj. I am Wong.” The man bowed to Y/N, who gave him a sweet smile, but again the man neither looked bemused, or uncertain, but did not return the smile, turning his back, and making a beckoning motion with his hand.

“Come follow me, I shall take you to see King Stephen and Queen Christine.” Wong began to walk and Y/N nearly stumbled at the sudden start, quickly finding her feet, and following the man into the walls of the castle.

“Where are all of your people?” Y/N looked around before she entered the castle, realising that there was no awaiting crowd, just more thick forest.

“Er…King Stephen felt that your journey was long, and that the crowds would have only increased your weariness. A hawk sent by your companions told us of the storm that you had suffered during your voyage. King Stephen felt that it would have been less…taxing.” Wong explained, Y/N’s furrowed her brow, but shook it off, once the warmth from the castle hit her slightly sea breezed body.

“Will the Princes be in attendance, at my audience with King Stephen?” Y/N secretly prayed that the answer would be a no, but it appears the Gods were not on her side today.

“Of course, your Highness. The Princes have been longing to see you.” Wong spoke with a little more animation in his voice.

Finally, the group of outsiders reached a tall door, with large black rings, that Wong gripped tightly.

“Are you ready, your highness?” Wong turned to Y/N.

“How do I look?” Y/N turned to her small party, who all nodded in approval, Y/N’s eyes briefly catching Peter’s, who gave her an encouraging smile, “I think so, when your ready Wong.”

Y/N waved her hand, and Wong took that as his signal, heaving the doors open, the noise level on the other side, obviously dimmed to a deathly silence. The Lords and Nobles, who lined the long tables, all placed their cutlery and mead down, all their eyes and attention focused on the Princess.

Y/N worked hard to control the heat in her face, taking in shaky breaths, as she followed behind Wong, as he led her to the main table, where the Strange family sat waiting.

Wong stood to the side, allowing Y/N to move forwards, and curtsey to the awaiting royalty.

“Ah, Princess Y/N, it is wonderful that you can finally join us in our humble castle, you have grown into a beautiful young woman, the portraits your father sent us, truly do not give you justice.” King Stephen spoke fondly, making Y/N clench her fists at her side, biting her tongue.

“I thank you, your Grace. Your home is…beautiful and if I be so bold, is far from humble in it’s splendour.” Y/N had to watch herself, as she realised halfway through her compliment, she was speaking through gritted teeth, but she cleared her throat allowing her mouth to be more relaxed.

“You are too kind, my dear. Please would you like to stay for some food, or as I can imagine you are tired from your journey, would you like Wong to escort you to your chambers?” King Stephen gestured to his table, before the man servant, who waited patiently just at the side.

Y/N’s eyes quickly scanned the table, eyes settling on some unfamiliar faces, before landing on two that made her hold back a shudder.

The Princes had obviously grown older, they were still rather handsome, but the cold expression that matched their soulless eyes, was still plain as day.

“I think I shall retire, if that is okay, your Grace. As you say my journey has been long, and I am indeed tired.” Y/N nodded, giving her best pretend smile.

“Of course, your highness. You should be well rested for the festivities tomorrow, we wouldn’t want you to not enjoy the entertainment and ball that we have organised in honour of your eighteenth birthday.” King Stephen accepted, gesturing for Wong to lead you away.

“Thank you, your Grace. I look forward to it.” Y/N curtsied one final time, before following Wong out of the hall, and towards her bedchambers.

“These are your bedchambers, your Highness.” Wong smiled, as he showed Y/N a closed door.

Y/N noticed that it was in between two other doors, both identical to hers, at first she remained quiet, but when she entered the room, she noticed there was two doors, either side of the spacious room.

“Are these doors for my handmaids?” Y/N questioned, looking around the room for any other interpretation.

“Um…no, your Highness.” Wong stated, flatly, Y/N tilted her head at the man.

“Well, where do they go?” Y/N asked.

“Um…those doors…they um…they lead to the Princes rooms.” Wong eventually struggled out.

“I beg your pardon.” Lady Wanda spoke on Y/N’s behalf.

“This room is connected to the Princes’ rooms, my Lady. But do not fret the doors are locked.” Wong grinned, but it did nothing to curb Y/N’s sickening feeling that was growing in her stomach.

“That may be the case, but who has the keys?” Lady Maria piped up, hands on her hips as she glared at the poor man.

“Just the maids…and…”

“And….” Peter pressed; Y/N sensed the air of intensity in his voice.

“And I do believe that, quite possibly, I mean I could be wrong, I’m not completely sure, maybe…”

“For Gods sakes man, spit it out.” Sir Coulson demanded, his tone frightening most of the room, including Wong.

“The Princes.” Y/N looked at her handmaids, and the rest of her entourage, they all shared the same or similar looks of disgust, anger and shock.

“The King is aware that the Princess’ eighteenth birthday is not till tomorrow, and even then, they are not married, therefore their distance from the Princess should be greater than some lousy wooden door.” Sir Coulson demanded; his hands clenched in fists by his side, one resting on the handle of his sword, that was tethered to his side.

“Yes, my Lord, I do understand that, but the King has requested that the Princess be placed in this room, as the Princess has spent many years apart from her betrotheds, and hence they should be closer to one another.” Wong tried to explain, but by the looks of thunder on the crowd surrounding Wong, it was not going very well.

“The Princess is too young to be left so close to young males, alone.” Lady Maria complained.

“The Princess is not yet married.” Lady Wanda chimed in.

“And the Princess is stood right here.” Y/N folded her arms, realising that this back and forth was fruitless, as she sat on top of the chest at the end of her fourposter bed.

“Look I’m not happy with these arrangements, but they appear to be the ones set in place by King Stephen, therefore; because this is his Kingdom, I am excepting of his reasoning, and his living arrangements.” Y/N finished, feeling slightly out of breath.

“But your Highness-“

“It doesn’t matter. It’s just a room. Now please go with Wong, and find your own sleeping arrangements, then Lady Wanda and Lady Maria, return to me, when you have settled, and help me prepare for bed, I will be fine waiting.” Y/N shooed her people away, Wong taking his chance and leaving first, Sir Coulson and Lady Maria hot on his heals, with looks of rage. Lady Wanda lingered for a moment, but soon left with a shy wave goodbye.

Of course, Peter remained, his face was displeased as his eyes flicked from both the doors.

“You must go with them Peter, you will get lost.” Y/N sighed, fiddling with the cords of her cloak, as she watched Peter slowly come from his trance.

“Would you like me to stay with you tonight?” Peter wondered, but Y/N shook her head with a sad smile.

“I don’t think that, that is a wise decision Peter. If the Princes catch you in my chambers, you will be hung, no doubt for treason.” Y/N spoke sadly, removing her jewellery.

“If I caught the Princes in here, then they would be the ones swinging.” Peter spat, cracking his knuckles.

“Peter, watch your mouth. We are not safe in these walls, who knows who might be listening.” Y/N hushed, stepping towards the boy, and placing her hands on his knuckles.

“Go and find Wong, I shall see you tomorrow.” Y/N kissed Peter’s cheek, her lips perhaps lingering longer, than she should, but she pulled away, an excited smile across her face, “I can’t wait for you to see my dress for the ball tomorrow.”

Y/N clapped her hands, as she bounced on the balls of her feet, pushing away from Peter, who grinned at her childishness.

“I can’t wait.” Peter breathed a laugh, before turning for the door, “Good night, Princess.”

“Good night, Peter.”

Taglist

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[answers-of-a-pokemon-researcher]

Professor, what pokemon did you originally go on your first journey with?

Oh, those are some fond memories. When I was growing up my birth region of Johto was recovering some substantial wildfire damage, so I was sent to Kanto for my own journey when I was ten. All the Pokémon who were with me are all still alive and well, though most of them have dropped out of the battling circuit. Not that I battle much at all anymore!

My first Pokémon was Bulbasaur, on the entire boat ride to Kanto I made sure to stay wide awake so sleep wouldn’t hold me back from picking first, just to make sure I got a Bulbasaur. Turns out it probably wouldn’t have mattered as that species wasn’t as popular back then, but I wanted one bad. That Bulbasaur was old Maxwell, my first Pokémon. I thankfully have a small country home in Johto out by the Ilex Forest, but with a rather large yard so I don’t have to worry about space, and most of my Pokémon who aren’t active teammates anymore have that as a base to linger around and roam, including him. Maxwell’s a big lug and he’s really slowed down with his age now, but he’s fiercely loyal. We’ve had good fights together. The window in my study faces my yard, and old Max comes by periodically to rest his face on the windowsill and watch me write reports. He’s near the end of his life, near 70 years, but that old Venusaur has lived a good one and I’m making sure his golden years are comfortable. And that some of the... younger upstart Pokémon I took in give the old man some peace once in a while.

While camping in the Viridian Forest on my first night on the road, a Weedle crawled into my sleeping bag! I was honestly lucky to not get stung by accident thanks to the close quarters, but I figured it was a sign and took him with me. That was Hubert, my now-Beedrill, and though bug types are generally not long lived, Hubert is going on 20 now. Beedrill at their oldest tend to reach mid-thirties, so I have plenty of time with him. Hubert is my ambassador for the greatness of the bug type! Quick evolving bugs like him are often disregarded as beginner species, but he remained on my team as I collected all eight gym badges and contributed a lot. He’s pretty friendly for a Beedrill, but I’ve always made sure he was well socialized. He’s made his nest on the top of my wardrobe and always freaks out visitors because he’s so possessive of me.

In Mt Moon I got lost a lot, like, a LOT thanks to all the twists and turns, but I found a Paras on one dead end I hit. I’d always loved bugs and was in love with those big, cute eyes, so he came with. That was France, the now Parasect still wandering around my house. He’s pretty docile and usually stays inside, but as I warned before, it’s important to watch out for spores with a Parasect in the house. He was a pretty formidable battler for his calm nature, but I think he was happy to leave the battling scene. A lot of trainers who see him get concerned if he’s even alive thanks to all the misinformation about Parasect, but make no mistake, he is alive and fully alert! Lethargy is just part of the symbiotic relationship Parasect share with the mushrooms they carry thanks to a mixture of energy sharing, but most importantly, consistent exposure to sleep-inducing fungal spores.

I remember trading with a boy who was desperate for an Abra because he hated the psychic type he was given and thought it was scary. A Mr Mime! That was Marcel, and he was only 10 when I got him, not to mention most psychic types are super long-lived, so Marcel will be around for a very long time. He might not have liked Marcel, heck, most other trainers my age didn’t like him either when we were around, but Mr Mime has always been my type of Pokémon. I did contests and most prominently theater for a long time, and still do, and have been trained in clowning a lot, so I appreciate such a silly clown Pokémon! Mr Mime are great friends, they’re radically intelligent, you just have to be ready to manage such a smart and often mischievous Pokémon. Marcel has toned down the pranks now since I’ve established countless times I don’t have an appreciation for being tripped over invisible walls, but that doesn’t stop him from pestering other Pokémon sometimes. For all his troublesome behavior and a bit of a rough start with an unappreciative trainer, Marcel was a hard worker during my first journey and he never fails to make me laugh at least once a day.

Then there was Jane, an Elekid I found who washed up on the river by Rock Tunnel, probably from the nearby Power Plant. She was and still is quite the spitfire! Jane isn’t really used on the occasions I do battle, but she hasn’t been dropped from the battling circuit quite yet. I can’t bring myself to evolve her into an Electivire, though. She’s very content as an Electabuzz and I don’t see much of a reason to. Her and Marcel are a bit of a troublemaking duo but I love them both dearly. I do occasionally loan Jane out to people in need of a temporary Pokémon companion for things like trips through treacherous terrain with unfriendly wildlife. It’s good enrichment for her, which she constantly needs. I don’t think I would ever want to raise another Electabuzz, they’re far too high energy for my liking, but Jane is my special exception.

The last of my first Pokémon is actually the only one who’s still in the team I now regularly use for battling on the rare occasions I do it, but mostly for the sake of outings. Post is my Dragonite, which is probably the only Dragon type species I consider myself capable of handling. He‘s a retired mailworker, if you couldn’t guess by the name, haha! That was back when Dragonite were used much more commonly as postal service Pokemon, before breeders from Hoenn helped make the much more efficient Pokemon Pelipper more widely available outside its native region. He’s a kind and gentle soul, as most Dragonite are. There really aren’t many other dragons (besides the lovely Drampa or perhaps some Altaria) that can match Dragonite for its inherent friendly and loving nature. I use him for travel, as he does miss his delivery days, so we both win in that situation. I get a way to travel quickly for my research, and Post gets his exercise!

[quakerjoe]

The shake-up came as congressional Democrats called for an investigation of DeJoy and the cost-cutting measures that have slowed mail delivery and ensnared ballots in recent primary elections.

Twenty-three postal executives were reassigned or displaced, the new organizational chart shows. Analysts say the structure centralizes power around DeJoy, a former logistics executive and major ally of President Trump, and de-emphasizes decades of institutional postal knowledge. All told, 33 staffers included in the old postal hierarchy either kept their jobs or were reassigned in the restructuring, with five more staffers joining the leadership from other roles.

Already under fire for recent policy changes at the USPS that mail carriers from within and outside critics have denounced as a sabotage effort to undermine the Postal Service broadly as well as disrupt efforts to carry out mail-in voting for November’s election amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the moves unveiled late Friday were viewed as an overt assault on democracy and a calculated opportunity to boost Republican’s long-held dream of undercutting or privatizing the government-run mail service while also boosting their election prospects in the process.

“Another Friday night massacre by this administration—and this time dealing another devastating blow to our postal service,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) “The American people deserve answers and we’re going to keep fighting for them.”

Scanlon was among more than 80 congressional lawmakers who sent a letter to DeJoy earlier in the day expressing “deep concerns” about operational changes he has made for mail carriers that have delayed deliveries and lowered standards.

“It is vital that the U.S. Postal Service not reduce mail delivery times, which could harm rural communities, seniors, small businesses, and millions of Americans who rely on the mail for critical letters and packages,” the letter stated. “Eliminating overtime and directing postal workers to leave mail on the floor of postal facilities will erode confidence in the Postal Service and drive customers away, resulting in even worse financial conditions in the future.”

As Common Dreams reported earlier Friday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren was among those who signed the letter and also called for DeJoy’s efforts to be investigated by the Inspector General of the USPS. Since 2016 alone, DeJoy has donated more than $2.5 million to the Republican Party and candidates. In 2020, prior to his appointment as Postmaster General by the GOP-controlled board of governors, DeJoy had already given approximately $360,000 to a Super PAC supporting Trump’s reelection.

As the Post notes in its reporting, the reshuffling of top managers and executives—as well as a hiring freeze and push for early retirements—”worried postal analysts, who say the tone of DeJoy’s first eight weeks and his restructuring have recast the nation’s mail service as a for-profit arm of the government, rather than an essential service.”

In a video posted to Twitter, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oreg.) characterized DeJoy as a “political crony” of the president’s and also denounced the brazen efforts now on display as a “Friday Night Massacre” scenario:

Appearing Friday afternoon on Capitol Hill, DeJoy brushed off accusations that he is acting as a political bag man for Trump. “While I certainly have a good relationship with the president of the United States, the notion that I would ever make decisions concerning the Postal Service at the direction of the president or anyone else in the administration is wholly off-base,” DeJoy said.

But outside critics like Walter Shaub, former head of the Office of Government Ethics and a fierce critic of Trump’s behavior as president, said the latest move should be seen as nothing less than a direct effort by DeJoy to exploit his authority at the Postal Service to further the president’s political interests and reelection prospects.

According to Brian Tyler Cohen, a liberal commentator and podcast host, “Congressional Democrats need to do something about this” immediately.

“If we wait until October/November, it’ll be too late,” said Cohen. “Trump is actively sabotaging the election under our noses—this isn’t theoretical, it’s happening RIGHT NOW.” Cohen said this situation should be treated like a “fucking five-alarm fire” and said action must be taken by both lawmakers and the U.S. public without delay.

Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), chair of the House subcommittee which has oversight for the USPS, said what DeJoy is trying to pass off as simple organizational restructuring is actually “a Trojan Horse” designed to destroy one of the nation’s most trusted and valued institutions from within.

Connolly on Friday night called it, “Deliberate sabotage to disrupt mail service on the eve of the election—an election that hinges on mail-in ballots.”

[mayakern]

Soooo I dont wanna flood you with asks if anyone else is asking but is there any word on the shipping status of masks ordered? I put my order in on the 24th and havent gotten any shipping confirmation emails :

yes oh gosh i forgot to post that here! here’s a tweet about masks orders via @threadless

right now, everyone’s supply chains are pretty much collapsed. it’s not just about factories shutting down and then reopening at less than full capacity -- it’s that the factories that those factories source are having to make up for a deficit of product already ordered and basically every postal service is SUPER backed up right now. that means it’s slower to get components to factories that use them, again slowing down production time, and this goes all the way up to shipping bulk products overseas and then shipping individually to customers. it’s very complicated.

what you need to know as a consumer is that 1. things are just slow right now. people are steadily receiving their orders, but it is going slower than anticipated. 2. if you are unhappy with that, threadless is offering complete refunds as needed. so if you have any problems at all, please contact them at the email in the tweet!

apart from things like this where there are overarching problems that multiple customers face that i can contact my threadless reps about, if you ordered a product of mine through threadless, there is not much i can do other than to tell you to contact threadless.

that being said, i really appreciate everyone who has been ordering masks and who has boosted that and everyone who has been so patient with regards to my personal store.  everything has really ground to a halt in unexpected ways that have lasted much longer than anticipated and there is not much we can do about it. during this time when our main store is pretty much not operational, the threadless sales are what are keeping us from having to dip into savings that were set aside for retirement.

[bodybymegatech]

Oh yeah, that’s more like it…

It looks like Saturday’s forecast will be ideal for a run and I’m looking forward to accomplishing a 15K! My target destination will be Navy Pier before I head back home. I’ll send you all some postcards when I get there. 😉

Tomorrow is upper body day and progress is good. I should also note that I’m not going to concern myself with net carbs anymore. As long as I’m not eating the starchy stuff like potato or corn, I should be okay. Ketogenic diets - and NSNG in particular - aren’t complicated. The only things I need to avoid are grain-based foods and all things sugar (hence, No Sugar No Grains). This includes the Stevias of the world. If I’m going to eat sugar, it’s going to be the real thing and always in moderation!

This is hard for me to keep low. The bulk of my sugar intake is from the CoffeeMate French Vanilla half & half. I use 4 of those little tubs per 20oz. of coffee. If I use anything less, I end up hating my coffee. Maybe I should cut the coffee down by half…?

UPDATE: I’m an idiot.

While the half & half I enjoy does have real sugar, it also has a bunch of stuff that works against me such as Vegetable Oil (which doesn’t come from vegetables. It comes from corn) and a bunch of other things. So once I finish the box I have, it’s good riddance once and for all. I’m going back to the plain Kitu Super Creamer with MCT Oil. The problem is that it’s impossible to find. My local grocery store is always sold out (or no longer stocks it) and they only sell the flavored ones, which are hot garbage. I don’t want to have to order it online because the postal service has been very slow lately.

[multifandompostcardexchange]

this is SUCH an incredibly cute idea!! I will say i don't think the postal service will get much better any time soon, I think as long as people understand just how slow it'll be to receive or send anything, but things do eventually get to where they need to be. ((this is coming from someone who lives in aus and I've had people have to wait up to two months for stuff I've sent overseas and vice versa 😭))

Thank you!

I think you’re right; the post is going to be super slow.  I am active in the Postcrossing community, which is where I got the idea for this fandom community, and I know that my postcards have taken an average of 11 days to get to their DOMESTIC destinations, let alone international ones!  On Postcrossing, they allow for up to 60 days for delivery, even pre-pandemic and pre-US-postal-service-crisis.  I think/hope as long as people are patient, they’ll have fun with it.

[corona-journal]

Sunday 19 July 2020.

Light drizzle, some overcast.

A 'low and slow' day planned.

I've been working in the office most of the week, due to previously mentioned tech issues with the phone system.

Spent about 30 minutes in total, over 3 phone calls to the IT help line in getting things reset.

Now for observations with context.

Friday after work, caught up with 2 work mates for a beer in the pool hall and bar in the basement area of the building. Lots of young people* playing pool, doing the social activities before either evading or joining a night of intimacy. Being winter, numbers were down, the clothing was a smart sexy set. Recognising the ritual.

*20s to 30s demographic.

Because of the work from home, numbers reduced in the city, even the older type going to the opera on Friday night were absent.

Saturday afternoon, finished getting the tech issues sorted out, had run a errand, walked the dog, as was about a minute away from microwaving a packet of popcorn as a lunch meal. K rings, 'Honey, have you had lunch?'

Them I'm driving into town to a little, back street micro brewery called 'Little Bang Brewery' for a lunch with K, her friend TU, his partner AF. Beer was OK, something called Beard Fiction, and we all had burgers, again, quite ok.

That demographic was mid 20s to mid 30s or early 40s. Hipster crowd. Someone was having a 30th Birthday.

Oddly, felt a bit uneasy at this lunch. I suppose because partly because its a secondary social circle, partly because it was a second social activity that was suddenly dropped on to me.

Bigger picture stuff, Victoria having a outbreak, customers there worrying about stage 4 lock downs, people using the back roads to cross over the borders. Which is a "for fucks sake" moment for me.

Sydney, not quite as bad. (I did wonder if I should put a "yet" on the end of that sentence)

America is going through so much turmoil.

[Deep breath, exhale].

This is a global pandemic unseen since the Spanish Flu. Political leaders have been calling for unity, calmness, and for each person of their country to come together.

Theres no real manual for this, however we have so much history and lessons to draw from, that a approach can be formulated pretty fast.

Except America.

Trump and his politically appointed co-billionaires are essentially accountants, only looking at the bottom line and the profit margin.

A simple study of economics will reveal that a lot of services won't generate a profit. Garbage disposal, street maintenance, sewerage, ambulance services.

Investment in the above examples does prevent a lot of other expensive social problems from showing up.

I think we are moving into a time where the USA, so trained in sound bytes and flash media, elected Donald Trump. Who finally had a lot of unlimited power, very few restrictions and restraints. The results have been a near war in the middle east because he okayed a airstrike, then has undermined good health practices of wearing a mask, mismanaged the medical supplies of ventilators, one billionaire has cut overtime and deliveries of postal services, the other billionaire is sending kids back to school with no plans for children health and safety.

The police are looking like a unaccountable force. No badges or marked cars.

The USA has become a horrible dystopia.

It has lost its mantle of a world leader, and the damage will resonate for the next few decades, at least.

I'm old enough to remember the cold war nuclear war fears. The oil power trade wars. The Rodney King race riots in Los Angeles. The AIDS epidemic that was a slow burning pandemic.

We're entering a new history era, its tag will be the Trump era, or C-19, as the headline tag.

Its going to be a recession/depression for the next few years. With China and Russia to emerge as the stable super powers.

America will re-emerge, deep social divisions will remain.

Trump is a equivalent to the medieval Dark Ages for America.

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Three Hours Longer, the Pandemic Workday Has Obliterated Work-Life Balance (Bloomberg) Six weeks into a nationwide work-from-home experiment with no end in sight, whatever boundaries remained between work and life have almost entirely disappeared. With many living a few steps from their offices, America’s always-on work culture has reached new heights. The 9-to-5 workday, or any semblance of it, seems like a relic of a bygone era. Long gone are the regretful formalities for calling or emailing at inappropriate times. Burnt-out employees feel like they have even less free time than when they wasted hours commuting. People are overworked, stressed, and eager to get back to the office. In the U.S., homebound employees are logging three hours more per day on the job than before city and state-wide lockdowns, according to data from NordVPN, which tracks when users connect and disconnect from its service. Out of all countries that NordVPN tracks, U.S. workers had tacked on the most hours. In France, Spain, and the U.K. the day has stretched an additional two hours, NordVPN’s data found. Italy saw no change at all.

Coronavirus relief pushing US deficits to staggering heights (AP) Spend what it takes, Washington said as it confronted the coronavirus. Well over $2 trillion later, it’s unclear where that spending will end. One of the lasting legacies of the coronavirus pandemic will be staggering debts and deficits on the U.S. balance sheet, with shortfalls hitting levels that would have been unthinkable just a few decades ago. It’s a fiscal clamp that is likely to persist for a generation, or even into perpetuity, with debt levels having passed the point of easy return in a capital where lawmakers are increasingly incapable, or unwilling, to constrain them. The latest, and dire, projection from the Congressional Budget Office, released Friday, states the U.S. deficits will mushroom to $3.7 trillion in 2020, fueled by the four coronavirus relief bills signed into law by President Donald Trump. A fifth bill is already in the works, and will be “expensive,” according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Trump says he will block coronavirus aid for U.S. Postal Service if it doesn’t hike prices immediately (Washington Post) President Trump on Friday threatened to block an emergency loan to shore up the U.S. Postal Service unless it dramatically raised shipping prices on online retailers, an unprecedented move to seize control of the agency that analysts said could plunge its finances into a deeper hole. “The Postal Service is a joke,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. To obtain a $10 billion line of credit Congress approved this month, “The post office should raise the price of a package by approximately four times,” he said. Trump for years has alleged the Postal Service has charged too little for packages and personally pushed the head of the agency to charge far more to ship goods for big online retailers. Several administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said Trump’s criticism of Postal Service rates is rooted in a desire to hurt Amazon in particular. They have said that he fumes publicly and privately at Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, for news coverage that Trump believes is unfair.

Turmoil in Brazil: Bolsonaro Fires Police Chief and Justice Minister Quits (NYT) Brazil’s justice minister, Sergio Moro, a former federal judge who became the face of a powerful anti-corruption crackdown that swept Latin America, resigned Friday after accusing President Jair Bolsonaro of seeking to assert improper control of the federal police for political gain. Mr. Moro’s acrimonious departure was a volatile and unexpected development in Brazil, where the rapid spread of the coronavirus has overwhelmed hospitals and roiled the political establishment. Mr. Bolsonaro, who has downplayed the gravity of the virus, last week fired his health minister after the two clashed over strict quarantine measures to slow the contagion. Mr. Moro was the eighth minister to leave Mr. Bolsonaro’s cabinet during the 15 months he has been in office.

Spain’s kids prepare for taste of freedom after six-week lockdown (Reuters) Spain released guidelines on Saturday allowing children to go outside after six weeks living under one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns, as figures confirmed a daily coronavirus death toll running well below the peak seen early this month. Children were trying out their masks in anticipation of their first taste of fresh air since Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared a state of emergency on March 14. The government said under 14s will from Sunday be allowed up to one hour of supervised outdoor activity per day between 9am and 9pm, staying within one kilometre of their home.

Pakistani prime minister sidelined on coronavirus (Financial Times)​​ Imran Khan has been sidelined by Pakistan’s powerful military after failing to act decisively on the coronavirus crisis or impose a lockdown in an attempt to curb the spread of cases. On March 22, the prime minister told the nation that his government would not institute a sweeping lockdown, arguing it would put millions out of work and leave families struggling to find enough food to eat. But less than 24 hours later, military spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar announced that the army would oversee a shutdown to halt the spread of infections in the world’s fifth most populous country of more than 200​ million ​people.​

India reopens stores, speeding easing of virus lockdowns (AP) A tentative easing around the world of coronavirus lockdowns gathered pace Saturday with the reopening in India of neighborhood stores that many of the country’s 1.3 billion people rely on for everything from cold drinks to mobile phone data cards. The relaxation of the super-strict Indian lockdown came with major caveats. It did not apply to hundreds of quarantined towns and other hotspots that have been hit hardest by the outbreak that has killed at least 775 people in India. Last week, India also allowed manufacturing and farming activities to resume in rural areas to ease the economic plight of millions of daily wage-earners left without work by the country’s lockdown imposed March 24. India’s stay-home restrictions have allowed people out of their homes only to buy food, medicine or other essentials.

In Japan, children of nurses face discrimination, exclusion over virus fears (AP) Children of Japanese medical professions face discrimination or even exclusion from day-care centers over fears they might have the novel coronavirus, increasing the stresses on front-line workers as the country’s health-care system nears collapse, according to media reports. Although most schools and day-care centers around the country are closed, some remain open. Bloomberg reported that children of medical workers were being excluded or asked to prove they didn’t have the virus. Kyodo News reported that some medical professionals had been forced to quit their jobs because of the discrimination against their family members, deepening the crisis in a profession where staff are already under massive pressure and working round-the-clock. “There’s growing prejudice and discrimination against people in the medical field,” said Shigeru Omi, the deputy head of the government’s advisory panel on the virus, according to Bloomberg. “It’s even extending to their families.”

Gaza factories roar back to life to make protective wear (AP) For the first time in years, sewing factories in the Gaza Strip are back to working at full capacity—producing masks, gloves and protective gowns, some of which are bound for Israel. It’s a rare economic lifeline in the coastal territory, which has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since the Hamas militant group seized power from rival Palestinian forces in the strip in 2007. The blockade, and three wars between Hamas and Israel, have devastated the local economy, with unemployment hovering around 50%. Rizq al-Madhoun, owner of the Bahaa garment company, said he has produced more than 1 million masks in the past three weeks, “all for the Israeli market.” Gaza may not have the advanced machinery seen in other places, but he said residents’ sewing skills are unmatched. “Gaza workers are distinguished in handiwork and they are better than workers in China or Turkey,” he said.

Ghana’s dancing pallbearers (Washington Post) You may have seen them on the Internet: six men in black suits, sunglasses and patent leather shoes grooving to a techno beat while carrying a coffin. They are Ghana’s dancing pallbearers, a crew of funeral performers who have long sought to make mourners grin through grief. But as the coronavirus pandemic rages, they’ve become the accidental faces of a stay-at-home movement—comedic grim reapers edited into footage of risky behavior as a warning. Reopening a mall when cases are mounting? Cue the dancing pallbearers. Protesting a lockdown in a covid-19 hot spot? Cue the dancing pallbearers. Forget to wash your hands before eating? Cue the dancing pallbearers. People in China, Brazil and the United States have shared video after video since the outbreak began, garnering millions of clicks and an international fan base for the group. Benjamin Aidoo, who leads the group, isn’t sure how it happened. He woke up one March morning and saw his signature moves everywhere. “It’s a bit scary, but it’s funny, too,” said Aidoo, 32, who lives in Accra, the capital of Ghana. “People are saying, ‘I’d rather stay home than have these guys bury me.’ ”

[pilgrimguyanne]

Day 1: A Neda day, a neda post

So since the showers are occupied, I decided I would write today's entry.

My first leg of the CAMINO Ingles brought me to Neda where I'm spending the night in an albergue- a pilgrim hostel. These are super cheap and although I don't want to share a room with 16 people, I do want to be among people. Besides, the location along the river is tops.

I set off from my hotel, having collected my starting point stamp yesterday, and began my walk. As I left, the lady at the reception wished me Buen Camino- a sort of greeting for pilgrims. But she tried to do it in English, which ended up in her saying, "Good way of St Jack". She explained, "when you are on the Camino, when you see a pilgrim, you bless them with this." I knew this before, but I liked her explanation because she called St James St Jack, as though he were a friend of hers. I also liked that she understood the greeting not simply as a wish, but as a blessing, and through the day I thought of myself blessing my fellow pilgrims and them blessing me.

It's really well labelled along the way, so there was no chance of getting lost. But I love a challenge and rose to this one as well. I'd missed one of the arrows, tucked away as it was on a dilapidated building. Luckily, as I was searching, I saw another pilgrim walk in the right direction and followed suit. This led me to two thoughts (about arrows and about God): 1) sometimes the arrows are not in the most obvious place you look, and you have to look a bit harder. But once you do, hey presto! They are everywhere. On old buildings, on dustbins, on schools, on cemetery walls, on naval bases and yes, even on churches. It reminded me of the theme song to the Mary Tyler More show, Love is all around. God is love and he is all around. And obviously I can't stop singing that song.The second thought I had was that sometimes we lose our way, and God sends people to lead us back to God. So that was cool.

The landscape leaving Ferrol is quite varied. It starts of all industrial, and naval, but then naval becomes seaside picturesque, before a few forests take over. Since I am horrible at descriptive writing of landscapes, I will save you reading that and have included some pictures instead.

I planned to take a break in a town called Garadon, where my pilgrim book said there was a cafe and a place to get my second stamp of the day. I got there relatively quickly, after about 1.5 hours and, since I decided I couldn't have been that fast, decided that I must be in the wrong place and had 2km to go. Sadly, I was right, and, while in 2km there was church, there was no bar and no stamp. The church, as all churches along the Camino, was closed (the pilgrims pray outside with their feet), but thankfully I had water and a whole lot of granola bars, so I had something to eat. Given that breakfast was two slices of toast with butter (I loathe bread and butter), hot chocolate, a banana, and a mini sweet croissant, I wasn't famished. As I write this, however, I am looking forward to my next meal. Tomorrow I have to be really careful about getting my stamps, or there will be problems in Santiago.

On I went. Just before today's destination, pilgrims have the option of taking two different routes: a newer shorter one, and an older, longer one. Since the distance wasn't that far and the weather was optimal for walking, I took the longer one. 1.4 km more is only about 25 minutes anyway (for a normal person less but I am slow). Along the way, my left foot started burning; the ankle support was creating friction with the sock and shoe so, although my tendon feels well supported, I soon realised I would probably develop blisters there. This meant going even slower, and now with 1.4km extra! But there I had my third thought about God and the camino. It really annoys me when people say I haven't done the real Camino, because I haven't gone on the Frances. It also annoys me when pilgrims judge other pilgrims for having their bags carried for them by a postal service. Just as there are many ways to Neda, there are many different Caminos, and there are many ways to God. Each of us has to find our own way, the way that is best suited to us based on our charisma, our circumstances, our limitations.

Finally the two ways met and I was nearly in Neda. There were lots of pumps lining the river and while the idea of the drinking river water was tempting, the water looked sketch. But I was so thirsty and wanted some cold. Out of nowhere an old man appeared. "El Camino es my duro" he said. The Camino is hard. Okay he said other stuff but my Spanish is Castilian and not Galician and also hardly in use. He talked for a while, and eventually I managed to ask him about the water. He advised against it and then right behind him a set of drink machines appeared. I bought myself a Kas and went on. He reappeared, and walked with me to the arrow leading to the albergue. "It's near" (I assume, but he said mas lejos and then I was there). Buen viaje, he wished me. Another blessing to go.

[trendyourway45-blog]

20 Inventions of all time.

Introduction

Since the time primordial man first picked up a rock and thwacked a scurrying rodent on its head to fix his dinner, mankind has always been inventing things. Improvising, innovating, crafting tools out of almost nothing to overcome the many difficulties of day-to-day life. Whether it was the rudimentary spear crafted by sharpening the end of a stick or much later a simple chair, inventions have shaped our very evolution.

Before you get worried we’ll assure you we’ve not gone that far back in time.

The inventions we’ve covered span core-science aeronautics, biology, physics, medicine, automobiles, electronics and of course technology. We’ve avoided things like “fire” or “the wheel” because quite frankly no one really knows how the former was discovered (not invented) and who invented the latter.

1.3D Printers

The 3D Printer is one of the greatest inventions of the 21st century allowing you to turn your ideas into real objects.

The latest Bond movie, Skyfall used a 3D printer from a German company called Voxeljet to produce three 1:3 scaled models of 007’s Aston Martin just to blow up during the movie!

What sounds like a really cool toy to have is actually used for some very serious operations. Let’s first understand how it works.

3D printing is achieved using an additive process in which successive layers of materials are laid out in different shapes. Cutting and drilling (also known as subtractive processes) are not involved at all making the process easy, efficient and highly suitable for prototyping.

The biggest consumer of the 3D Printer is the medical industry. So far it has produced prosthetics and bones and the ability to generate human

organs from these machines is currently being tried out. If this is managed, it could revolutionize medicine and completely obliterate the need for organ donation. Using a 3D printer in conjunction with CAT scans, surgeons can print out tumours so that they know exactly what they’re dealing with.

We’re sure you’re familiar with Pirate Bay, the file sharing company. It has launched a new content category called ‘Physibles’ i.e. data objects that can be made into physical products. 3D blueprints are uploaded and shared with those who want to print out the actual objects.

2. Airplane

The Wright brothers are given credit for the invention of the Airplane in 1903. The first flight lasted a little over 12 seconds at Kill Devil Hill, Northern Carolina. Since then, much progress has been made in the world of aviation. The sky wasn’t the limit here. War and sci-fi stories inspired great minds like Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and Werner von Braun to achieve flight beyond the atmosphere, making space travel a possibility.

The invention of the airplane sped up services in every single field starting with the postal service in 1920. World War II in 1939 kick-started developments in the aviation sector. Countries competed with each other to one-up the others’ sophisticated developments, with the British developing the airplanedetecting radar followed by the Germans developing radio wave navigation techniques. Fighter jets, advanced landing systems and high altitude aircrafts followed.

In 1947, US Air Force Pilot Captain Charles Yeager broke the sound barrier in the first supersonic flight becoming the fastest man alive.

Commercial flights started not long after and now, well, an airplane makes a landing somewhere around the world every three seconds!

Air travel is considered to be the safest form of travel in the world. A funny but true fact reveals that donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes. Inspite of these phenomenal odds, 80% of the population of the world has Aerophobia, viz fear of flying. In some (5%) this fear is so intense that they abandon flights and opt for other modes of transport.

We’ve come a long way since 1903. In fact the wingspan of a Boeing 747 is longer than the Wright brothers’ first flight! The world today would be crippled without the discovery of flight. Businesses would crash, economies would slow down, worse still, holidays would be cancelled!

3.Artificial Intelligence

AI could be on either end of two extremes – man’s best invention or worst. In its best light, Artificial Intelligence would showcase robots, drones, machines serving us making daily life easier and more efficient or, as seen in movies, taking over the human race and entirely replacing the work force leading to unemployment, depression and general laziness.

The study of Artificial Intelligence formally began in Dartmouth College in 1956, as an effort by a group of research scientists to evaluate and mechanically replicate human intelligence. That is, they wanted to program machines to think and respond like humans. Their research was based on the assumption that a machine can be made to simulate learning, reasoning, logic and intelligence demonstrated by humans when given proper description and direction.

Every future invention by man will have its base in AI. Every invention will require an intelligently thinking bot to perform tasks faster and more efficiently than their human counterparts.

Essay grading software, weapons that have minds of their own, Siri by Apple, Kinect the 3D gaming interface, Watson by IBM – formerly a trivia expert machine now used to make decisions on lung cancer treatment and smart CCTVs that can identify crime as it happens: these are the varied and most advanced productions of AI.

4.Biometric Scanners

Biometrics – turning yourself into an identity card. No need for passwords, ids, pin numbers, etc. All you need is you. It’s a move from traditional access control systems to feature-based authentication that provides access based on physical presence rather than token (such as passport or drivers license) and knowledge based (password or PIN) methods.

With advancements in e-commerce and e-transactions, individuals have to retain a large number of passwords, PINs and identity cards. This number will only grow in size with passing time. Passwords and PINs are easy to crack by the right hacker, thus compromising your security. Biometrics couldn’t have come at a better time offering the ideal kind of security since no two fingerprints are alike.

The use of Biometric Scanners could unleash an era of super secure gadgets. It is already being used in cars programmed to operate only when a known driver is in the driver’s seat, weapons which fire only on detecting the owner’s fingerprints and smart household security systems that keep intruders out, among other applications. Not only fingerprints, facial scanning biometric devices are also not rare. Take the Samsung Galaxy S III for example. It has a Face Unlock feature which makes sure that only its owner can unlock the phone.

Fingerprint scanners are the cheapest and hence most commonly used biometric devices. Face and voice recognition follow, as iris and retinal scanning are concepts that most people find intrusive and are not too comfortable using.

The invention of Biometric Scanners was a big step into the future. They’ve led to the creation of the ultimate unique identifiers – those that cannot be forgotten, changed or lost.

5.Bluetooth

A wireless technology used to exchange data over short distances using short-wavelength radio transmission, Bluetooth was created by Ericsson in 1994 as an alternative to data cables. The term “Bluetooth” is an anglicized version of Blatand, the epithet of 10th century Danish king Harald who united separated Danish tribes into a single kingdom. The technology was named after him as Bluetooth does what Blatand did but with communications protocols – unites them into one universal standard.

Since its introduction, Bluetooth has increased in popularity over the years – while in 2008, only 5% of mobile devices were Bluetooth-enabled, in 2013, roughly 95% of mobile devices support it. Also, while traditional Bluetooth devices only worked within a range of 10 feet of each other the newest versions now enable transfers to a distance of up to 100 feet. However, what makes Bluetooth stand out as a form of wireless data transfer is that it uses very little power, can be incorporated into a wide variety of devices and can have up to eight devices communicating with each other at once and automatically without a user’s prompt.

Coming soon (15 more)

[new-moon-tea]

The Government

My first thought was indeed that the postal service would have to change, but I realize now that wouldn’t need to be the case. Our postal office is fine on foot, but our government as a whole would be chaos. We might even need a government shut down, or call for Marshall Law as they struggle to try and find some grounding in this new development. There’d be no sense of direction, or so many directions we take we’d get lost. If you recall, I earlier stated that we’d need to put bands of sorts on children so they don’t fly too far off. The first thing I thought of when I began writing was how we’d adapt our laws, but the first thing I sat down to write an entire chapter on was the development of children in schools with wings. I personally believe that should be the first thing discussed, but likely it wouldn’t. Perhaps the demand to study this phenomenon would be the first demand. Perhaps the second would be how to limit danger or threat of winged citizens, to stop them from trying to jump off buildings and to stop normal humans from attacking them on sight.

Let’s continue on the assumption the government would be issuing out these bands of sorts. They’d need to produce them quickly, repurpose seatbelts perhaps or regular belts to be used for this fashion. Marshall Law would be in effect, and the government starts seeking volunteers for studies but more on that later. I picture military soldiers walking around city streets, shouting orders of “no flying for your safety and the people around you!” but once initial shock and panic dies down things would loosen up. How long do you think it’d take before you stop staring at people with wings? I’m resisting the urge to start up debates on what they’d look like or how this happened, that’s something for another chapter. I can’t imagine how long it’d take for me to stop staring, maybe a year? Two years? I only ask as I picture, let’s say, the Robinson family walking down the street. A mother with wings and her human child as they head to the corner store to pick up weekly groceries. I imagine neighbors gawking for the first few weeks, maybe a couple of months at most, before people begin walking up asking how they felt, what it was like, if they tried flying yet, and such. I imagine some people would be eager, excited, maybe like me they dreamed of getting wings ever since they were little, that they feel amazing and strong, but others would shy away from the attention, both normal and newly winged folk scared about this development.

Once Marshall Law was established, and slowly became more lax, our government would begin scurrying around to create new laws while constantly checking in with scientists about what these winged folk need or if there’s any danger in them. I picture things like doctors doing physicals working alongside veterinarians and wildlife experts and others studying feathers and physical makeup of the wings, trying to find average ratio of wing length to body weight, x-rays to see the way the joints move and how the body had to adapt to these new appendages. I wonder how close artist anatomy sketches of such creatures would align? Oh no, would we need new vaccines against bird diseases? Or would our biological make up leave us fine? We have bird flu to worry about but what about things that only birds get? I’m not a vet or scientist so I genuinely have no idea how that’d be handled, but that’s why we have our best doctors on the case. If someone became wounded from a flight fall or if they broke a wing in an accident, would they go to a vet or doctor? Doctors and nurses would have to study up on their anatomy for sure, and scattered essays and reports would flood the schools for students currently trying to study for a medical degree. I wonder how long it’d take for our government to decide how to rule wings.

What wording would you use to write the amendment to the constitution discussing flying rights? Would we not need one, on the basis we don’t govern our birds? Or on the basis no person should have to register for an extra limb? We don’t register or fight for the right to run, shouldn’t flying be the same? But I know how voting works, and I know someone will be concerned for safety of both normal and winged folk as they argue that wings are a threat to the safety of those below. I wouldn’t agree, but this is a democracy. I picture everyone would have their own concerns, which would make it harder for the government to begin regulation and safety. I have ideas of what laws would be put in place but no idea on how soon each one would be done.

For example, establishing the right to fly. Establishing fly safety zones in cities and laws about landing; Landing on a building you don’t own might be illegal but also sounds unfair considering they might need a spot to rest a minute before flying again, like a bench in a park. How we’d need to construct landing zones for public use, and runways with an appropriate length to take flight, maybe minimal flying heights in cities. I really don’t think you’d need a license to fly but of course it’d be brought up. We’d also need to discuss laws for what you can/can’t be wearing while flying. Things with open, loose pockets might pose a threat with the possibility of things falling out, right? But we wouldn’t need government mandated flying uniforms, of course! And luckily we’d have winged officers to keep things in order, and we’d have to install security cameras higher up. I wonder if we’d need platforms installed for when a winged officer needs to “pull over” someone, but they could easily use sidewalks or building tops. I also wonder if we’d need drones to keep an eye on winged traffic, to be operated by normal humans.

We’d need government mandated physical education tests too, right? We had the fitnessgram pacer test and in my school we had just the dreaded “mile”. Would winged folk need to opt into these courses or would they be required? What kind of tests do you think they’d be? They couldn’t exactly do most P.E. tests either, considering they have wings. Those hurdles would be easier, but of course you can say using wings is cheating but not using them would be harder. What would count as using them? Flapping them? Would you even have enough room? What if you used them to balance yourself, since you’re now lugging these massive things along as you walk, run and jump. But I’m sure we’re fine, we got our best scientists studying them to figure out how to make a fair P.E. class.

And that brings us to a nice wrap around to before when I was discussing scientists researching these new anatomy subjects. I still keep asking this question around, and asked a friend who we’ll call Fey. Fey’s answer was highly anticipated to me, because I hadn’t asked him before and he’s much more sophisticated than the Goose. Fey did surprise me though, saying something along the lines of another wave of discrimination and racism, and pointed out “new super models and new celebrities”. Struck me as odd because he stuck with the realms I normally associated with him but didn’t hesitate to get around the “you can’t say genocide” rule I’ve been opposing. He followed it up by saying he’d never date a man with wings (wondering now if he’d make an exception for a woman with wings), and this made me curious, because I realized I also wouldn’t date a man with wings (controversial coming from a goose, I know). I wonder, maybe realize, this is a small part of why people kept jumping to genocide. Would these minor preferences and details lead to the discrimination and racism I so avidly protested? Would this slow down the developments in government I am so certain of? He argued specifically it would be cumbersome, in regards to a man with wings.

I pictured jobs in some positions becoming easier and harder, and this leads into that more or less. Would officers with wings be more beneficial or a hindrance? Would it cost more tax dollars to create specialized bullet proof vests and uniforms for winged folk? How much would it cost to install government mandated landing platforms, child wing bands, and paving runways? The more I think about it the more I realize maybe a sudden increase in taxes or taking funding away from other sources people find important like education, military, or environmental funding… would this spur the hate towards winged folk? Maybe I over think, considering I’m sure some folks with wings will “spawn” in government positions, what if our President ends up as someone with wings? Would that automatically put winged folk on a more sympathetic stand? Or lead to impeachment? But let’s be honest all of us are too lazy to ever impeach a president, we would have done so already if we could. I don’t mean our current office president, but we’ve had bad men in the past.

So let’s get into these bad scenarios while on the talk of the government. I imagine a further phase of marshall law, or a lot of scary police and military interference. I’ve never lived through a dramatic protest movement, or remember anything clearly from school, so I can only see pictures of what it would look like, and news sources divided on the stances of these people. We once lived in an age where a public lynching would make it onto the face of a postcard, would that approach come back? We haven’t exactly changed for the better completely, I know I have said before there would be a few bad apples who would attack them, but would it be like the active shooter attacks we have now, where we’re actively trying to stop this horrid display? Or would it be like back then, when officers did nothing? That’s the scarier side to think about, but no matter how long it lasted it would never be permanent. Again, I still feel like that sort of active racism wouldn’t be able to blossom as much when this would affect so many people all over the world. And we can always take solace in the fact that even if we start out bad we will get better. No matter how small we can still fight for what we believe in, if I can vote an election I can say something. I can do something. I don’t like lingering on the bad sides of this hypothetical, they defeat the purpose of this discussion. It will always revert back to the fact that it will not stay. We will fight, and protect these citizens. And I’m 100% our government, or at the very least our corporations, will realize the huge advantage of winged folk.

[transloverism]

9, 15, 17, 25 and 27 for the music asks, angel? ✨

Sure, sweetheart!

9-What are some songs you listen to when you need to escape from everything?

Venus, Pluto, and Jupiter by sleeping at last, the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack, Northern Downpour by Panic! At the Disco, Such Great Heights by The Postal Service. There are a lot, but those are the biggest ones?

15-Assign some of your friends songs and lyrics from those songs that remind you of them.

Alright, here we go:

Zach: Stall Me by Panic! At the Disco (honestly all of vices & virtues is super zach)

“I had a rosy dreamYou gave up on youAnd I gave up on meWell, love came along and said, "Leave them be."”

Anya: Sing by My Chemical Romance (ooh edgy I know)

“Girl, you've got to be what tomorrow needsFor every time that they want to count you outUse your voice every single time you open up your mouth”

Kai: Thrill of First Love from Falsettos

“Marvin doesn't shareMy devotion to styleMen from France can cancel a debtMen in cufflinks make me forget my nameI intend to upset this regrettable game”

(kai is basically whizzer tbh)

Jamie: Hug All Ur Friends by Cavetown

“hug all your friends and let them know you're not letting go”

“Tell me about the things that you love The world simply needs more affection”

(those are both from the same song just different parts)

Ash (HA did you think i wasn’t gonna do you? well you thought wrong): There are a lot of songs I could say, but here’s the one I would be blasting outside your bedroom while tossing pebbles at your window to get your attention if you didn’t live so far-Such Great Heights by The Postal Service

“I am thinking it's a signThat the freckles in our eyesAre mirror imagesAnd when we kiss they're perfectly aligned

And I have to speculateThat God Himself did makeUs into corresponding shapesLike puzzle pieces from the clay

And true it may seem like a stretchBut it's thoughts like this that catchMy troubled head when you're awayAnd when I am missing you to death”

(I know that was literally like an entire verse but i had to stop myself from typing out the whole dang song)

17- Are there any songs that you feel are underrated? Overrated? If so, why? 

Honestly there are a ton of underrated or very little-known artists, and so all their songs are super underrated and it’s sad? so here are a few that are awesome and I love:

Joel Plaskett, Cavetown, Stars, OK Go, Erin McKeown and The Regrettes. Listen to them! They’re rad!  

Okay yall are gonna hate me-and please don’t get me wrong, I love this song-but This Is Gospel isn’t my favourite? That album is probably my least favourite out of all the p!atd albums. Mm I also kinda hate Centuries by Fall Out Boy (again please don’t come for me lmao)

25-Do you have a favorite movie soundtrack?

I love Guardians of the Galaxy because I’m That Bitch... but also like? some big favourites are the Baby Driver soundtrack (how can you not love it?? It’s amazing), the Mamma Mia! soundtrack, and the La La Land soundtrack. Also the soundtrack of every disney movie ever made, especially Hercules & The Lion King. 

27-What are some songs you wish you could listen to with the person you care for so to explain your feelings?

Mm I have? Entire playlists? For that very reason? (I think I literally have like. seven. I’m not even joking. but three of them were just taking the softest songs from playlists so that i had “to fall asleep to” playlists, and one was just me combining two playlists, so. I definitely don’t have a problem haha what makes you think that) 

but here are the big ones: Venus by Sleeping at Last, Such Great Heights by The Postal Service, I Was An Island by Allison Weiss, Intertwined by Dodie, Night Go Slow by Catey Shaw, Love Like You from Steven Universe, and Always by Panic! At the Disco.

This was really long and I’m sorry? But yeah! There you go!