#secret art trade of august 2022

[bryan360]

Here’s my note before I’ll get started….

(DON’T YOU EVER COPY FROM MINE OR MY FRIEND’S WORK, CHARACTERS, AND STUFF IF ONE OF YOU ARE IMPOSTERS WHO HAD HABITS OF PLAGIARISM! I WILL BLOCK YOU FROM MY BLOG IF I SEE YOUR POST WITH MINE OR MY FRIEND’S ORIGINAL WORK BEING EDITED ALL OVER! I’LL EVEN SHARE IT ONTO MY BLOG SO IF EVERYONE WILL SEE THAT YOU TRYING TO COPY MINE OR MY FRIEND’S THINGS FOR NO GOOD REASON WHATSOEVER! That will be all….I mean it.)

🇵🇷Me: Hey there! Today that I got a special art trade order for my P-Pal, but also his OCs of Spot, Riya, Cude, and Murukir to enjoy. This month of August before Summer comes to an end, here's something I've been working so hard of what I feel like it. So much so, I'm completely fresh out of big sheet of paper from my Simply A+ Sketch Pad. The 20 sheets kind that I originally brought it from the store back in 🍀March 2020; though before staying in houses during the pandemic.

Link Here #1

🇵🇷Me: Since now I'm run out of big sheets, I needed to take time with one huge sheet of paper when making room in doodle art form. This is exactly I'm going for as my P-Pal 's request, but forgive me that there's some marks and coloring mistakes I've tried to covered up. Nevertheless, here's my latest secret art trade request for him; by having my squirrel character Brown while wearing his clothes in bagged size!

🥜Brown: Yeah! It wasn't the first time I'm doing this since I had with EStar99 Jason's clothes, but it'll be an honor to have this for your P-Pal and our friends. We had a good time having our sleepover at my house last month with all snuggled up of my clothes of theirs; including mine. So here I am again wearing my bagged sized clothes, but this time while doing some normal activities....well almost everything is normal. Anyways, here's what I'm talking about in this 10 part doodle art that our creator friend made.

1st through 3rd Part

Doing yoga exercises, reading CN's comic book, and eating peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. References from my April 2020 artwork I've posted on DeviantArt. Link Here #2

4th Part

Putting his chef's hat on and doing some stirring. He's making a cake with his mother like any parent and children do together.

5th Part

Hugging with Pibby and Bun Bun; especially last time where he made them during my P-Pal's previous art trade I've requested him. Link Here #3

6th Part

Accidentally got a Happy Horn on his head; causing him to change his personality and color of happiness. That’s goes for another reference from my previous artwork I’ve posted back in August 2020. Link Here #4

7th Part

Vacuuming the floors with his electronic vacuum cleaner. Do hope it’ll never caught his bagged sized clothes while he cleaning around here, though. 😅

8th Part

Putting his wireless headphones and dances to the rhythm of his favorite songs. Though I wanted to draw his dance pose a bit similar to the Cow and Chicken intro that I seen from my childhood. Just wanted to boost up his interests of CN stuff, ya know. Link Here #5

9th Part

Just a random part of holding a huge pencil. Don’t know why, but something to do with interests of drawing animation? At least that’s what I’m going for.

10 Part/Final Part

And finally here’s him having a relaxation time, but no surprise to included this for last. My P-Pal asked to draw Brown while he’s in resting his pillow bed; especially both wearing in bagged sized clothes. He does enjoying this like the same way he’s had a sleepover with his friends. Link Here #6

🥜Brown: That really takes me back about a month ago, but worth to remember how we getting along just right. As for snuggling our clothes in bagged sized? It’s perfect when snuggled up together. 😉👍

🇵🇷Me: Indeed as always, Brown. Hope that you enjoy this doodle art post I’ve made for my P-Pal. Though again forgive myself that it had some coloring mistakes when doing on one big sheet of paper I had left.

🥜Brown: That’s okay. At least it does looks good that you worked hard for. Anyways, here’s to your P-Pal and friends where I do some activities; while wearing my bagged sized clothes to remember for. Hope you’ll enjoy this as well.

Brown created by me; BryanVelasquez87 (Bryan360)

Pibby and Bun Bun - Pibby (also known as Come and Learn with Pibby! and Learning with Pibby: Apocalypse (TBA) © Adult Swim

A Happy Horn item - Unikitty! (2017-2020) © Ed Skudder and Lynn Wang, The Lego Group, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros Television Distribution. Cartoon Network

@murumokirby360 @carmenramcat @alexander1301

[simpingforthisonedeer]

I posted 811 times in 2022

291 posts created (36%)

520 posts reblogged (64%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@simpingforthisonedeer

@thoughtfullyrainynightmare

@loosesodamarble

@toomanythought

@theautisticfroglord

I tagged 778 of my posts in 2022

Only 4% of my posts had no tags

#black clover - 491 posts

#reblog - 444 posts

#julius novachrono - 230 posts

#bc manga spoilers - 128 posts

#amazing art by op💕💕💕 - 116 posts

#thx for whispering🥰 - 108 posts

#black clover fanart - 96 posts

#lucius zogratis - 95 posts

#my beloved friends - 81 posts

#anshi talks bc - 78 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#aika is a necromancer so she would love to stare into noé’s eyes for a brief glimpse because she loves teetering on the edge of death 💀

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

When you wake up next to William, your morning is heralded by songs. His little bird friends perch on his trees outside the window, singing “good morning” to you two detangle yourself from each other’s arms. He yawns before he notices you staring at him with a content smile. You brush your fingers along his cheek, thumbing at the dark skin of his scar. He draws you close and presses a small kiss against your ear, making you blush. And in return, you pepper his face with light kisses, whispering about how beautiful he was. If William was being honest, he could bear to walk around without a mask these days only because of your daily affirmations every morning. How loved and safe you make him feel…He wouldn’t trade it for the world. You shampoo his hair in the shower, laughing as you make hairstyles with his hair. He returns the favor and combs your hair carefully as he hums your favorite song. The Golden Dawn stalks you two as you take a short walk in the courtyard gardens, talking about your day to come. They loved seeing their captain smile again after all he has been through. With you, he seemed to glow. He blushes as you kiss his cheek. His heart felt like it was going to explode. He cradles your face in his hands, whispers an “I love you,” and presses a chaste kiss. Somewhere in the bushes you could hear a “squee” as Mimosa exclaims at the sight. You two giggle and hug each other one last time before you part for your duties.

155 notes - Posted January 15, 2022

#4

168 notes - Posted November 4, 2022

#3

Panel redraw from chapter 333💕

197 notes - Posted August 13, 2022

#2

Eyes of Heaven

263 notes - Posted April 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Nacht definitely slut shames Yami on his secret acc

573 notes - Posted March 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[interludepress]

Now Available: FELIX SILVER, TEASPOONS & WITCHES by Harry Cook

“FELIX, SILVER, TEASPOONS AND WITCHES is a delightful brew of a book, and a beautiful reminder that there’s magic to be found in friendship, family, love and mystery.“ – Abdi Nazemian, author of Stonewall Honor Book Like a Love Story and The Chandler Legacies

FELIX SILVER, TEASPOONS & WITCHES

After his parents announce that his bizarre, emerging abilities are getting in the way of their divorce, Felix Silver relocates to Dorset Harbor and becomes the charge of his Grandma Aggie. As Felix adjusts to life in a new school, Aggie decides that it's time he learn The Silver Way, and teaches him all she knows about sorcery and magical arts. When Felix and his new friends decide to solve the mystery of local teenagers who have gone missing, Felix learns that his crush, Aero, has a big secret. Is dark magic creeping into the town, and can Felix learn enough from Aggie and the witches of Dorset Harbor to combat it? From actor and author Harry Cook, Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches is a charming and funny Golden Girls-meets-teen wizard YA fantasy adventure.

Price: $12.99 print / $6.99 eBook 

Details: Trade paperback, 5.25"x 8”

Pages:  300

ISBN: 978-1-951954-14-7 print // 78-1-951954-15-4 eBook

Cover art by C.B. Messer.

About the Author

Harry Cook is an award-winning actor, writer, and LGBTQI+ activist. He has appeared opposite actors including Geena Davis, Sam Neill, and Bryan Brown in films and television shows, and won the Best Supporting Actor award at FilmOut San Diego Film Festival for his role in the feature film Drown. 

His debut memoir, Pink Ink, was published in September 2018 to rave reviews. Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches is Harry’s second young adult novel. His first YA, Fin & Rye & Fireflies, was released in August 2020 and received the Scottish Teenage Book Prize in 2022. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Add FELIX SILVER, TEASPOONS & WITCHES to your Goodreads TBR here.

Available from the IP Web Store, Chicago Review Press, Bookshop, Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Book Depository, and an indie bookstore near you.

[sandyzakk]

What are the hot topic Metaverse and NFT? Introducing the relationship and how to use it!

“Metaverse” is used in the sense of “Meta (higher dimension) + universe (galaxy) = Metaverse (higher dimension different world)” and is a 3DCG virtual space built on the Internet.

In the world of the Metaverse, there are games that can be played with a sense of reality that utilizes VR/AR.

It should be noted that in recent years, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have been legally recognized, and in-game items and land can now be bought and sold with real money.

In addition to the game industry, an increasing number of major companies are turning their attention to the economic activities of the Metaverse, and in recent years, the Metaverse Development solution and NFTs have been attracting attention in various industries.

Therefore, in this article, we will focus on the “relationship between the Metaverse and NFT” and explain the following points in detail.

What is the Metaverse?

“Metaverse” is used in the sense of “Meta (higher dimension) + universe (galaxy) = Metaverse (higher dimension different world)” and is a 3DCG virtual space built on the Internet.

Users can operate their own avatar (self in virtual space) in the Metaverse, interact with other users, shop, and enjoy life in another world.

With the development and spread of this Metaverse technology, it is expected to bring about global economic development in the modern business and entertainment industries.

What is NFT?

NFT is an abbreviation of “Non-Fungible Token”, a digital token that can prove the authenticity of assets such as art and in-game items with owner information and is embodied in a blockchain. It’s an asset. For example, NFTs are used in various genres such as in-game items, SNS icons, art, and music.

NFTs are already being bought and sold all over the world, and OpenSea , the largest NFT marketplace, will have a total circulation of over 365 billion yen in August 2021.

In recent years, there are cases where simple illustrations are traded for tens of millions to hundreds of millions of yen.

NFT, which can give digital data unique assets, has been used in the Metaverse in recent years.

Note that NFTs are digital assets that can prove authenticity, but do not recognize copyright

Case study of NFT utilization in Metaverse

Here, we will explain three examples of NFT utilization in the Metaverse.

Art

The issue of originality and authenticity of digital art has long been an issue. In the past, it was easy to copy or plagiarize ideas, making it difficult for artists to generate revenue. However, with the advent of NFTs, it is now possible to secure ownership of digital art. As a result, many creators are beginning to enter the digital art industry. There are many scenes where digital art plays an active role, such as movies, TV, promotional videos, paintings, and designs. The time may soon come when digital art will be exposed to the light of day. Another advantage of NFT is that digital art can be sold directly without going through an intermediary.

As an example, an NFT event called “CRYPTO ART FES 2022 (commonly known as CAF)” is being held in Japan.

This is an event held by BeyondConcept Co., Ltd., which produces and produces NFT projects and Web3 metaverses. It is a digital art festival where hundreds of NFT creations from Japan and abroad will be exhibited in real space and Metaverse Intergration Services space. “Crypto Art Fes 2022”, which will be held for the first time in April 2021 and the second time, will be even more powerful than the previous time, such as challenging the fusion of the metaverse and the physical.

Virtual land

On the Metaverse, it is possible to buy and sell virtual land by using NFTs instead of deeds of transfer.

For example, one user created “ The Secrets of Satoshi’s Tea Garden “, a combination of 64 plots, and sold it for 1.3 million MANA (equivalent to $80,000).

Now, by combining Metaverse and NFT, we are in an era where real money moves with the same values ​​as the real world.

Game items and rewards

P2E models such as Aavegotchi have a new type of virtual economy underway that rewards users with in-game crypto assets and NFTs that can be traded, sold or borrowed.

Additionally, Battle Racer releases car parts as separate NFTs for added utility.

Users can purchase car parts and build their own vehicles, or buy and sell them on marketplaces such as OpenSea.

Metaverse recommended NFT games

Here, we will explain two recommended NFT games in the Metaverse series.

The Sandbox

TheSandBox is an art game that combines cubes to create a world.

The virtual currency “SAND” can be used as a common currency, and can be used for event participation fees and land purchases. Also, if you own a LAND (the land within the game space), you can build your own facilities and mini-games on that LAND and let other users play with it.

In addition, creators can create NFT voxel art and sell it on TheSandBox marketplace.

Axie Infinity

Axie Infinity is a Metaverse game released in 2018 built on a blockchain where you can earn virtual currency (tokens). The main game content is an NFT pet called Axie, which is played, bred, nurtured, and traded. Axies usually have to be purchased, but can be borrowed for free.

Therefore, it is easy to start even for beginners.

The initial cost varies depending on the time of year, but it is better to think that it usually costs from tens of thousands of yen to hundreds of thousands of yen.

How to start the Metaverse

Open an account on a cryptocurrency exchange

As a preparation before starting the Metaverse, you need a crypto asset (virtual currency) exchange account. The reason is that crypto assets (virtual currency) such as Bitcoin are required to play the Metaverse Application Development Services. There are multiple exchanges, but we recommend “Coincheck” first.

The reason is as follows.

[Recommended points of Coincheck]

・Because we provide our own NFT marketplace “Coincheck NFT (β version)”, you can purchase crypto assets directly from Japanese yen.

・Free account opening

・Simple UI design makes it easy to use even for beginners

・There are many types of crypto assets handled

・There is a crypto asset lending service with a maximum annual rate of 5%

2. Select a metaverse game

Next, choose the Metaverse game you want to play.

If you are a beginner, please choose one from the “Recommended Metaverse NFT games” explained earlier.

・The Sandbox

・Axie Infinity

・Decentraland

・Blankos Block Party

・Ember Sword

3 Exchange virtual currency to currency on the Metaverse

Finally, exchange the purchased virtual currency for the currency that can be used within the Metaverse game of your choice and you are ready to go.

By the way, Coincheck NFT (β version) sells in-game items in an auction format, so let’s procure the virtual currency decided by the seller.

[Procedure to purchase game currency]

・Step 1: Purchase Bitcoin with Coin Check

・Step 2: Open an account with Binance

・Step 3: Coin check → transfer currency to Binance

・Step 4: Purchase game currency with Binance

The reason for using Binance is that domestic exchanges do not handle game currency.

Binance offers over 300 instruments, so you can buy most game currencies.

Summary

In this article, I explained the relationship between Metaverse Development Company and NFT for beginners who are interested in Metaverse and NFT.

Metaverse, which is based on blockchain, is mainly used in the game and entertainment industries, and has begun to be introduced in business.

With various companies starting to focus on the introduction of the Metaverse, it is very likely that the market will thrive in the future.

Please pay attention to how Metaverse and NFT will develop in the future.

[mediagrouplong]

Jeffrey toobin zoom video cnn

JEFFREY TOOBIN ZOOM VIDEO CNN TRIAL

On October 19, 2020, Toobin was suspended from The New Yorker after he masturbated on camera during a Zoom video call between New Yorker and WNYC radio staffers. On August 12, 2022, Toobin announced via Twitter that he would leave the network after 20 years. In 2021, Toobin's book, A Vast Conspiracy, was adapted into the FX true-crime anthology, Impeachment: American Crime Story. In 2020, he authored True Crimes and Misdemeanors, the Investigation of Donald Trump, which is described as a condensation of evidence against the character and presidency of Donald Trump as if he were on trial.

JEFFREY TOOBIN ZOOM VIDEO CNN TRIAL

American Heiress: The Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst came out in 2016. His next book, The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court, was published in 2012. His book The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court (2007) received awards from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. Toobin speaking about the Supreme Court at the John J. In 2003, he secured the first interview with Martha Stewart about the insider trading charges against her. Toobin joined CNN in 2002, as a legal analyst. He received a 2000 Emmy Award for his coverage of the Elián González custody saga. Simpson civil case, and prosecutor Kenneth Starr's investigation of President Bill Clinton. Toobin provided analysis of Michael Jackson's 2005 child molestation trial, the O. Simpson's criminal trial planned to accuse Mark Fuhrman of planting evidence. In 1994, Toobin broke the story in The New Yorker that the legal team in O. Toobin has provided broadcast legal analysis on many high-profile cases. Attorney's office in Brooklyn, where he had gone to work after working for Walsh and abandoned "the practice of law." He started working in 1993 at The New Yorker and became a television legal analyst for ABC in 1996. Accordingly, the Circuit Court vacated the lower court's decision and ordered the dismissal of the case. The book was published before Walsh's appeal could be decided, mooting the case. Keenan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York wrote an opinion that Toobin and his publisher had the right to release this book. Toobin went to court to affirm his right to publish. Oliver North, about his work in the Office of Independent Counsel, to which Walsh objected. Toobin wrote a book, Opening Arguments: A Young Lawyer's First Case: United States v. He next served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. After passing the bar, he worked as a law clerk to a federal judge and then as an associate counsel for Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh during the Iran–Contra affair and Oliver North's criminal trial. Toobin began freelancing for The New Republic while a law student. Toobin promoting his book The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court at the 2007 Texas Book Festival While there, he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He then attended Harvard Law School, where he was classmates with Elena Kagan and graduated magna cum laude with a J.D. Toobin graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American history and literature and was awarded a Harry S. He covered sports for The Harvard Crimson, where his column was titled "Inner Toobin". He attended Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, and then Harvard College for undergraduate studies. His younger brother, Mark, born in 1967 with Down syndrome, lived apart from the family. Toobin was born to a Jewish-American family in New York City in 1960, a son of Marlene Sanders, former ABC News and CBS News correspondent, and Jerome Toobin, a news broadcasting producer.

[linuxgamenews]

Project Haven showcased in Yogscast Tiny Teams Festival

Project Haven story driven co-op tactics game for Linux and Windows PC heads to Tiny Teams Festival. Thanks to the ongoing effortsof developer Code Three Fifty One. Due to make its way onto Steam in 2022. Indie developer Code Three Fifty One, developers of Project Haven invite you to join them at the Yogscast Tiny Teams Festival. Since the event is running from the 7th to 14th of August. They’ll be joining a cadre of other small independent developers. All due to showcase their upcoming games and have them put through their paces. All by the ever talented Yogscast streaming crew. Tune into the Yogscast Twitch channel between 5pm and 8pm BST (Noon to 3pm Eastern, 9am to Noon Pacific). While you check out a plethora of promising projects from micro scale independent developers. All being showcased in the opening ceremony, including Project Haven. Will the Yogscast crew thrive or fall on the mean streets of Haven city? Will they master the skills of the urban mercenary trade. Or they will certainly end up with a set of new structurally superfluous orifices? You know, should the mission go very wrong. Project Haven is also due to receive a day-one Linux release. Hence the confirmation via the Discussions post.

Project Haven | Summer 2021 Trailer (Linux, Windows PC)

Already the recipient of multiple awards and a featured strategy pick at the Summer Steam Next Fest. Project Haven takes story driven co-op tactics back to its unforgiving roots. While the game will have you accurately position your squad of mismatched mercs. Then scout for enemies and keep your head down like you would in a real gunfight. Using an advanced cover system and manual targeting. Since every bullet can ruin someone’s day. Shoot weapons out of enemy's hands to leave them helpless in Project Haven. Also, master stealth and misdirection to sneak up on and take out your foes. Likewise, you could just skip subtlety and punch straight through cover with armor piercing ammo. Customize load outs, develop your squad’s stats and gear. All due to carving out a place for the Steel Dragons mercenaries. All on the mean streets of Haven City.

Features:

Modern art married to classic squad tactics gameplay. Project Haven features action point based movement and deep ballistic simulation

A free aiming system that allows you to take control of your mercs. Doing so either directly or to manually shoot from an over the shoulder view. Then pop behind cover to protect yourself from counter attacks.

Locational damage, letting you wing your enemies with a shot to the arm. All to reduce accuracy, slow their movement with a hit to the legs. Maybe also boost damage with a precise headshot.

An advanced cover system lets you adjust the stance of each merc with just two clicks. Peeking over cover or leaning round a wall exposes yourself. This can certainly provide vital lines of sight.

Mature storytelling. Learn the harsh realities of a seething megacity full of fear and dark secrets. Witness the gritty lives of mercs and NPCs. Experience the Project Haven story driven campaign. Offering fully voiced and motion captured characters and cinematics.

RPG character progression Command a group of mercenaries. Each with their own unique personality and attitude towards other characters. Improve their abilities and also unlock new skills. So they can gain experience and level up.

Advanced weapon mechanics. Magazine management, chambered bullets, and different types of ammo for different situations. Calibers and ammo types affect how far and how well bullets penetrate and damage their target.

Skirmish, co-op & PvP. Play through the campaign mode with 1-4 players, or skirmish in randomly generated maps, fighting against friends or AI, alone or in co-op.

Due for release in 2022, the full version of Project Haven will feature a massive 45 mission story driven campaign. There will also be plenty of uniquely voiced mercenaries to command. A colossal and deadly arsenal of weaponry to master. Which you can certainly customize with sights, grips, and alternate ammo. Players can keep up with development of the story driven co-op tactics game. Doing so via the official Discord channel, or via Code Three Fifty One’s development blog on Steam. Wishlist now on Steam for updates as they happen. Along with day one Linux support with Windows PC in 2022.

[beautythroughthebeast-blog]

NJ MONTHLY: THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD TO IMMUNOTHERAPY

By Debbie Galant | February 1, 2017 | Appears in the February 2017 issue

Immunotherapy holds out new hope for many cancer patients. But for those with the disease, navigating the maze of experimental treatment can be daunting.

In September 2015, just days after I’d begun chemotherapy, I was at an art exhibit in Atlantic Highlands when I started talking to a gentleman standing quietly in the gallery. When I discovered he was a doctor, I lingered.

He listened to me ramble on about my recent diagnosis, and then said, in almost a whisper: “If your cancer recurs, there’s something new they’re working on.” Then he told me about a barely known, seemingly magical cancer treatment called immunotherapy. He talked about it like it was the Manhattan Project—a secret being held closely by the cancer-research community—and although I was alarmed that someone was talking about recurrence when I’d barely begun treatment, I filed it away.

Almost a year later, and eight months out of therapy myself, I was sitting with a friend at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey in New Brunswick, where immunotherapy—far from being a faint dream—was front and center on the agenda.

My friend Chiara D’Agostino, 45, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in fall of 2014. She had the same aggressive form I was diagnosed with—triple negative breast cancer—but until this past August, after two mastectomies and eight rounds of chemotherapy, it looked like she had it beat. That’s when a CAT scan revealed new nodules in her lungs. An aspiring model with a bouncy mop of gray post-chemo curls, D’Agostino is also a social media junkie (she blogs about cancer at beautythroughthebeast.com) who’s comfortable sporting a pink tutu for the cause or posting pictures of her surgical drains on Instagram. But her buoyancy had all but disappeared when it was confirmed that those nodules were indeed metastatic stage IV breast cancer. Thus began a dizzying new round of medical consultations.

So, here we were, talking about exactly what the doctor in Atlantic Highlands had mentioned so cryptically a year before. By this point, immunotherapy—a treatment that enlists a patient’s own immune system to kill cancer—was no secret, having exploded into public consciousness in December 2015, when former President Jimmy Carter announced that his brain tumor had completely disappeared. He had been treated with a Merck immunotherapy drug called pembrolizumab, marketed under the trade name Keytruda.

But the Food and Drug Administration has only approved Keytruda and drugs like it for melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer and a few other conditions. For a breast-cancer patient like D’Agostino, the only option is to enroll in a clinical trial. That’s what brought us to the Rutgers Cancer Institute—to find out more about the institute’s phase II clinical trial, a test of Keytruda on patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer.

Six weeks later, D’Agostino would join that trial. Her new tumor had tested positive for a molecule called PD-L1, which meant she was a fit for the trial. But first, she had to navigate a complicated medical maze that included 14 more doctor appointments, two brain MRIs, five CAT scans, two bone scans, a PET scan, two chest x-rays and two biopsies—the second of which was requiredbecause the lab had lost tissue collected the first time.

Chemotherapy, the standard-bearer of cancer treatment for the past 50 years, was a medical accident that grew out of the use of chemical warfare. Two pharmacologists hired by the U.S. government at the beginning of World War II to find an antidote to mustard gas had begun to suspect that it might have properties that could slow the growth of certain cancers. A year into their research, when German bombs struck a U.S. battleship secretly carrying mustard gas, their hunch was validated. Autopsies of victims of the attack showed that the mustard gas had profoundly suppressed their lymphatic systems. By 1946, it was reported that nitrogen mustard injected into lymphoma patients had indeed shrunk their tumors.

But immunotherapy—the newest weapon in the war on cancer—was no accident. It was a direct result of the sequencing of the human genome, which allowed scientists to begin discovering the genetic mutations that cause cancer. “All of a sudden, we could start to design drugs that could be targeted against a specific defect,” says Dr. Andre Goy (pronounced gwah), director of the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center.

The first breakthrough drug in this category was Gleevec, developed by scientists at Ciba-Geigy in the late 1990s. Gleevec turned chronic myeloid leukemia from a death sentence into a chronic disease.

Oncologists and pharmaceutical companies are hoping that immunotherapy drugs called PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors—like the one Carter received—will perform this miracle for other cancers.

Dr. Kim Hirshfield, director of the precision medicine translational laboratory at the Rutgers Cancer Institute, and D’Agostino’s primary oncologist, was able to simplify the complex science during our first visit. She pulled out a pen and a piece of paper and started drawing some squiggles. PD-1 interacts with PD-L1 or PD-L2, she explained, tapping one of her squiggles. “That puts an invisibility cloak over a tumor.” Behind this cloak, a cancer can slip past the patient’s immune system undetected. A PD-1 inhibitor—or immune checkpoint inhibitor, it is commonly called—removes the cloak and allows the patient’s immune system to recognize the tumor and destroy it.

An added bonus: while immunotherapy drugs are administered the same way as most chemotherapy—by intravenous infusion—they generally don’t cause the dreaded hair loss and nausea. What’s more, when they do bring a patient into remission, it can last for years.

Early successes have led to something of a pharmaceutical arms race. According to The Cancer Letter, a publication that covers cancer research, there are more than 800 ongoing clinical trials involving checkpoint inhibitors.

As it turns out, the two companies that have the strongest positions in this market—Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb—happen to be in New Jersey. Merck is headquartered in Kenilworth. Squibb, though based in New York, has 6,600 employees in the Princeton area, including many of its R&D employees.

“Squibb and Merck are kind of duking it out,” says Ed Silverman, Pharmalot columnist and senior writer at Stat. “Cancer is the big kahuna—a big, mysterious, evil disease that has been vexing everyone so long that anything that might make a dent is a big deal.”

And immunotherapy is a big deal. “We see patients who were in hospice go into remission,” says Goy.

How big? In a recent 10-K filing with the SEC, Squibb says Opdivo is the only drug that comprised more than 10 percent of its annual R&D budget in the last three years. Opdivo, responsible for $942 million in revenues in 2015, is so important to the bottom line that Squibb warns investors any bad news from its trials could cause a sharp decline in the company’s stock price. Keytruda, which racked up $566 million in revenue in 2015 and is the subject of 400 clinical trials, gets prominent mention in Merck’s annual 10-K report. Meanwhile, GBI Research, a provider of business intelligence, predicts that global sales of cancer immunotherapies will quadruple to $75.8 billion by 2022.

Muddying the waters are recent revelations that checkpoint inhibitors have caused serious—and in some cases fatal—side effects by over-stimulating the body’s immune system.

“Every drug has the potential for causing side effects,” says Hirshfield. “We know from early studies of the treatment of patients with checkpoint inhibitors that autoimmune phenomena may occur due to release of the brakes on the immune system. These include endocrinopathies in which the immune system attacks and causes dysfunction of endocrine organs such as the thyroid and pancreas, among others.” What’s more, says Hirshfield, “we do not yet know which patients are at the highest risk of these specific side effects, and if affected, the severity of the side effect they may experience.”

The consent form for the trials that D’Agostino signed include references to the risk of diabetes and the possibility of a fatal inflammation of the lungs, as well as dozens of less serious potential reactions, such as watery bowel movements, yellowin of the skin and weight loss.

Complicating the picture further is a suit that Squibb brought against Merck in 2014, claiming that Merck’s development of Keytruda infringed on its Opdivo patent. The case is pending.

Whatever happens in the courts, it seems the story of cancer treatment is being largely written in New Jersey. Although London-based AstraZeneca is a third major player in this field, two-thirds of the clinical trials in checkpoint inhibitors are reporting back to scientists here. If early success holds and side effects of these medicines can be mitigated, the brutality of chemo could give way to a gentler era of precision medicine.

“My prediction,” says Dr. Eric Rubin, vice president of early-stage oncology clinical research at Merck, “is that within a few years, most cancer we’ll treat with immunotherapy.”

For now, except for patients with a few specific cancers, getting access to these potential miracle drugs means one thing: getting accepted into a clinical trial.

If you live in New Jersey and you’re diagnosed with cancer, chances are someone will ask if you’re going to get treatment in New York, typically referring to Memorial Sloan Kettering. Why would you go anywhere else if the top doctors in the country are that close? On the other hand, if you’re looking at 12 weekly chemo infusions, you just might choose the convenience of a local hospital that provides such treatment.

That’s what I did. D’Agostino, a Montcliar resident,  also sought treatment close to home during round one, when her cancer was first diagnosed. But this time, with stakes higher, she considered the New York option. At the same time, recommendations from friends online and support groups led her to the Rutgers Cancer Institute and the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack.

D’Agostino spent most of September ping-ponging between New Brunswick, Hackensack and two Manhattan hospitals offering clinical trials.

The National Cancer Institute recognizes the Rutgers Cancer Institute, which has 69 oncologists, as a Comprehensive Cancer Center—one of only 47 in the country, and the only one in the state. Theurer, which has 45 oncologists and is known for its specialty in liquid tumors like leukemia and lymphoma, is applying for the status. (A third home-based powerhouse emerged from the 2013 partnership between MD Anderson Cancer Center—a Texas-based cancer-care giant—and Cooper University in Camden.)

And, as it turns out, while oncologists routinely refer cancer patients to Memorial Sloan Kettering when they have obscure or difficult-to-treat cancers, Sloan Kettering—which has three outposts in New Jersey and recently signed a cancer-care partnership with New Jersey hospital group Hackensack Meridian Health—also refers patients to the Rutgers Cancer Institute. Dr. Joseph Aisner, interim associate director for clinical science at Rutgers, says it’s typical for designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers to refer patients to one another “because of clinical trial availability, unique resources or dealing with issues of insurance.” Aisner adds that Rutgers takes most insurance plans. Regardless he says, “We have a commitment to the community. If they don’t have insurance, we’ll do it.”

That makes a big difference to D’Agostino, a former Italian teacher, who is currently unemployed, single and relies on Medicaid.

But D’Agostino was also drawn to Theurer, which similarly accepts patients regardless of their ability to pay. For starters, Theurer looks more like a five-star European hotel than a New Jersey hospital. Goy, the hospital director, conscripted Santiago Calatrava—designer of the World Trade Center’s Oculus transportation hub—to help with the plans for the building, which opened in 2011. The first thing you notice when you enter is the soaring, four-story lobby and its gleaming grand piano.  Goy is particularly proud of the rooftop herb gardens and cooking studio. “This is the best way to tell a patient that you believe in their future,” he says.

D’Agostino’s greeting at Theurer was impressive. She was handed a notebook, pen and a magnet “with every number you could need,” and was escorted wherever she needed to go. “It’s like a well-oiled machine,” she says.

It wasn’t the accoutrements, however, that made it hard to decide where she would have treatment. It was the science. Both offered clinical trials for metastatic triple negative breast cancer.

“My head was spinning,” D’Agostino says. “It was very daunting at first. I’m not a science person.”

Elly Cohen, program director of BreastCancerTrials.org, says that the complexity of medicine at this level is extremely hard for patients to navigate. “As we get more and more into personalized medicine—the biology of your tumor, what medications are available to you—it’s going to be very confusing,” she says. Compounding the problem, says Aisner at the Rutgers Cancer Institute, is the fact that patients rarely recall more than 15 percent of what they’re told in the consulting room. “If there’s another person in the room, we can double that,” he says, referring to data from the past 30 years. “The real answer is to have a navigator.”

D’Agostino wound up getting help from Vicky Carr, a patient advocate and clinical trial consultant based in Virginia, whom I’d met at a focus group for triple negative cancer patients. Carr helped D’Agostino tease out the differences between the trials she knew about and also sent her to check out trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Weill Cornell in Manhattan. D’Agostino couldn’t enter Cornell’s trial because they didn’t take Medicaid. Memorial’s trial involved androgen receptors, and D’Agostino’s tumor, it turned out, didn’t express androgen.

Both the Rutgers Cancer Institute and Theurer offered clinical trials involving checkpoint inhibitors, but in the end, D’Agostino’s decision came down to trial phase. Theurer was enrolling patients in phase III trials, but since these trials are randomized, D’Agostino knew she might get a placebo. Rutgers was offering her a phase II trial in which all the participants were getting Keytruda.

There was also the human factor. Hirshfield, at Rutgers, had a bedside manner so kindly that, if she weren’t wearing a lab coat and stethoscope, you might have mistaken her for a nursery school teacher. She occasionally giggled during a consult, and at the end of their first meeting gave D’Agostino a hug. At a later visit, D’Agostino says, “I was starting to cry and she came up and held my hand. When you get people who are loving and intelligent…oh my God.”

There is no question that, while the science of cancer seems to be advancing at almost startling speed, the path for the cancer patient remains a labyrinth, blocked at every turn by a patient’s ability to cut through scientific complexity, insurance and monetary concerns, and considerations of geography. Does it help, I wondered, to live in the state where most of these drug trials were being initiated?

No, says Dr. Cliff Hudis, CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “I personally don’t think there’s any particular geographic relationship.” After all, Merck and Squibb are global companies, and their drugs are used in clinical trials everywhere. “We will seek out top investigators, regardless of geography,” says Rubin of Merck.

Yet being in New Jersey does have an upside, in part because of the talent the state attracts.  Many alumni from the Rutgers Cancer Institute have gone to nearby pharmaceutical companies. Rubin, before joining Merck, oversaw clinical trials at the Institute. Cynthia Wojtaszek, director of U.S. regulatory strategy for oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb, also hails from the Institute. Mary Todd, now global medical affairs leader for prostate cancer for Johnson & Johnson, was deputy director at the Institute in the 1990s.

Further, New Jerseyans have a distinct advantage in getting access to new treatments because of a pioneering agreement Todd forged with health insurers in the mid-1990s, when she was at the Institute. With the help of some powerful friends in Trenton, she convinced insurers to voluntarily cover standard of care for all patients undergoing clinical trials in New Jersey. This includes all tests, scans and exams a patient would have even if they weren’t in an experimental protocol.

Fouad Namouni, development head for oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb, says there is indeed an advantage to locating clinical trials in the Garden State. “It’s just easier to drive down to a site in New Jersey than having a meeting in San Francisco and flying six hours,” he says. “We’re going to have faster discussions and hopefully productive discussions.”

For D’Agostino, doggedness, connectedness, luck and perhaps geography—along with our nation’s medical safety net—conspired to get her into a clinical trial. And although it surely didn’t feel that way to her, it happened—in medical-bureaucracy terms—at breakneck speed. But the real story of D’Agostino’s cancer is being written at a cellular level. It’s happening at the checkpoint between her cancer cells and her T-cells—the white blood cells that are key to the body’s immune response. In December, blood tests showed a significant decline in tumor markers and a scan indicated that all the nodules in Chiara’s lungs had disappeared. Although some new nodules had shown up on her lumbar spine, doctors were optimistic that the Keytruda was working. Only time will tell.

[bryan360]

Here’s my note before I’ll get started….

(DON’T YOU EVER COPY FROM MINE OR MY FRIEND’S WORK, CHARACTERS, AND STUFF IF ONE OF YOU ARE IMPOSTERS WHO HAD HABITS OF PLAGIARISM! I WILL BLOCK YOU FROM MY BLOG IF I SEE YOUR POST WITH MINE OR MY FRIEND’S ORIGINAL WORK BEING EDITED ALL OVER! I’LL EVEN SHARE IT ONTO MY BLOG SO IF EVERYONE WILL SEE THAT YOU TRYING TO COPY MINE OR MY FRIEND’S THINGS FOR NO GOOD REASON WHATSOEVER! That will be all….I mean it.)

My Artworks Throughout 2022

We’re almost at the end of this month and the entire year of 2022. After all the things happening; including the events, news, reveals, etc. It was a lot of ups and downs. My personal take however was me and my family already moved to our new home, playing recent games and content like 👊MultiVersus and ☕️Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, and once again sharing some art trades with my friends. I would hope that someday when growing up is to do earnings via art commission like one of my friends does. At least that my suggestion, but not bad. For now, here’s to look forward of what I’ll do for next year. Something for support or creativity, It’ll be a ride for 2023 straight ahead. Anyways, just wanted to share my artwork picks I’ve gone through this year; even if one of them mostly posted on Tumblr. Forgive me if there’s some that should be in this post, but at least they got it as honorable mentions down below. ⬇️ Hope you’ll enjoy this.

January - Secret Art Trade of January 2022: Three Friends in their Mikey and Choco’s Clothes (Link Here #1)

February - A Very Lovely Picnic of 2022 (Link Here #2)

March - Separate Cartoon Worlds (Link Here #3)

April - Easter Time is Max Time & Chocolate Bunny OCs (Link Here #4)

May - A Cake Car Filled Surprise (Link Here #5)

June - A New Logo of 2022 (Link Here #6) & Maxwell Origins (Link Here #7)

July - A Kingdom Smash Style Art Gift (Link Here #8)

August - Safety before Schooling (Link Here #9)

September - Rabbits Day with Maxwell, May, Sam, and Choco (Link Here #10)

October - Day 30: A̴̢̤͎̅͂̕p̶̳͚͇̐͛͋̄ǒ̷͉̮c̴̼̝̺̑ä̴̡̙̞̭́l̷̻̀̐̐ÿ̵̨̟̰́̈́p̸̹̓̇s̵̤͚͊̈́̏ḛ̸̮̙̀̀ (Link Here #11)

November - An Art Gift for Pandoom and QQ (Link Here #12)

December - Remake CN Battle (Link Here #13)

Honorable Mentions ⬇️

January - 🐶Wilson meets with the Puppy Children (Link Here #14)

February - Secret Art Trade of ❤️February 2022: Friends in their Additional Autumn/Winter Features (Link Here #15)

May - The Rival, but friendlier ❤️🐰 (Link Here #15)

June - Daddy Bongo Time ♂️👨🥁 (Link Here #16)

September - Happy 21st Birthday to Mieko (Link Here #17)

October - AT - Folded Laundry for New Owner(s) (Link Here #18)

November - Random Fanart - 🐶Pups from Pibby (Link Here #19) & Color Challenge - Brown’s CN 30th Anniversary (Link Here #20)

Photos and edits - created by me; BryanVelasquez87 (Bryan360)

Tagged: @murumokirby360 @carmenramcat @alexander1301 @rafacaz4lisam2k4

[bryan360]

Here’s my note before I’ll get started….

(DON’T YOU EVER COPY FROM MINE OR MY FRIEND’S WORK, CHARACTERS, AND STUFF IF ONE OF YOU ARE IMPOSTERS WHO HAD HABITS OF PLAGIARISM! I WILL BLOCK YOU FROM MY BLOG IF I SEE YOUR POST WITH MINE OR MY FRIEND’S ORIGINAL WORK BEING EDITED ALL OVER! I’LL EVEN SHARE IT ONTO MY BLOG SO IF EVERYONE WILL SEE THAT YOU TRYING TO COPY MINE OR MY FRIEND’S THINGS FOR NO GOOD REASON WHATSOEVER! That will be all….I mean it.)

🎃Inktober of 2022 - Day 24: 👨‍🍳 Chef

🇵🇷Me: I’m promise myself I would take some time if needed, but sometimes can’t help it of what I have from yesterday. So doing digital coloring of my latest secret art trade for my P-pal can wait until the right time comes. At least now I’m lesson something. Anyways, here’s another Inktober share today in title “Chef” that you would’ve expected something scarier. However let’s make it light-hearted as Chowder and Panini are helping with the snacks for the party; while dressing in their costumes. Not only that, but also brought back my first Chowder OC 🐱🦝Cinnamon to help with the cupcakes. I haven’t seen him for a long time since his last appearance was in August 2020. Link Here

🐰🖌Maxwell: Or we just think about it, but good to see that he still alive when prepare this food. Something about saving it for the party? Now you talking as long Chowder doesn’t try to drink up all the orange soda again.

🇵🇷Me: Yeah, but hoping one of your Philippine friends are look forward to be invited as well. It’ll be worth their time; including Mayu and Miya if meeting Cinnamon for the first time. 😉👍

🐰🖌Maxwell: Mhm! 😉 👍

Chowder (as Frankenstein’s monster) and Panini (as the witch) - Chowder (2007-2010) © Cartoon Network

Cinnamon (as a vampire while wearing a cape) created by me; BryanVelasquez87 (Bryan360)

Previous Inktober Posts of 2022:

Day 1: ⚫️⚪️Cartoons - Link Here

Day 2: 🎃Pumpkins - Link Here

Day 3: 👨‍⚕️Doctor - Link Here

Day 4: 💀Death - Link Here

Day 5: 🐱Cat - Link Here

Day 6: 🦇Bats - Link Here

Day 7: 😈Devil - Link Here

Day 8: 🌳Forest - Link Here

Day 9: 🧙‍♀️Witch - Link Here

Day 10: 🔪Murder - Link Here

Day 11: 🔴🐻Red - Link Here

Day 12: 🧸🪆Playtime - Link Here

Day 13: 🥚Eggs - Link Here

Day 14: 👻 Ghosts - Link Here

Day 15: 🖼 Painting - Link Here

Day 16: 🛸 Invasion - Link Here

Day 17: 🍁Leaves - Link Here

Day 18: 👨‍💼Father - Link Here

Day 19: ⬛️Dark - Link Here

Day 20: 🧙‍♂️Wizard - Link Here

Day 21: 😵‍💫Possessed - Link Here

Day 22: 🌄Dawn - Link Here

Day 23: 🔍 Mystery - Link Here

Tagged: @murumokirby360 @carmenramcat @alexander1301

[bryan360]

Video Recorded: July. 5th, 2022

🇵🇷Me: Hey guys! After having a good time celebrate my 26th birthday from yesterday, it’s time I would to go back through my plans during this month of September. As of now, I’m working my latest secret art trade that needs to be finished before saving and the other one is this when trying to continue posting my Cuphead DLC gameplay videos. Last time was back in July 28th, but apologize for taking an absent from last month of August or just taking a break while doing other stuff. Nevertheless, here’s what I thankfully record this while challenging the fourh boss encounter. Though it’s been rough going through this battle against ❄️Mortimer Freeze; especially when saving for his last phase that transformed into a giant snowflake. Who said anything about giant snowflakes are threatening if you asked me. Still at least I got him beating after many times of trial and errors; mostly I tried to aim at him instead shooting all over the place for some reason. Sorry. 😅

Surprise Post (July. 22nd, 2022) - Link Here #1

The Moonshine Mob (July. 23rd, 2022) - Link Here #2

Esther Winchester (July. 25th, 2022) - Link Here #3

The Howling Aces (July. 28th, 2022) - Link Here #4

Tagged: @murumokirby360 @carmenramcat @alexander1301

[bryan360]

Here’s my note before I’ll get started….

(DON’T YOU EVER COPY FROM MINE OR MY FRIEND’S WORK, CHARACTERS, AND STUFF IF ONE OF YOU ARE IMPOSTERS WHO HAD HABITS OF PLAGIARISM! I WILL BLOCK YOU FROM MY BLOG IF I SEE YOUR POST WITH MINE OR MY FRIEND’S ORIGINAL WORK BEING EDITED ALL OVER! I’LL EVEN SHARE IT ONTO MY BLOG SO IF EVERYONE WILL SEE THAT YOU TRYING TO COPY MINE OR MY FRIEND’S THINGS FOR NO GOOD REASON WHATSOEVER! That will be all….I mean it.)

My Own Yearend Art Picks of 2021 🖌

Hello to my good followers and to my good closest friends! It's finally here after few days ago during 🎅🎄December 31st, 2021 when posting the celebration artwork for Happy New Year's Eve with my Animal OCs, but then yesterday it's January 1st of 2022 at last! However while I'll get those upcoming plans to share something soon, I do have other things that I'm suppose to cover it up first; included one of my P-Pal's past posts in responds with my characters. (Don't worry about that. ^^*)

Nevertheless, just wanted to bring you guys to my own Yearend picks of 2021 post to share that I thankfully got it from yesterday while getting started at New Year's Day run so far. Even though, I'm still at be online that I would consider doing else like exercise.

Anyways, here's to my picks via art posts I've gotten from last year generation and this time included one of my secret art trade post that I always share with my P-Pal as of friendship moment. Although I wish to include one of my tech/item stuff such as my complete YCCTEAM Controller review and the reveal of my Cystereo Fusion Glare Authentic Hi-Fi Wireless Earbuds. As far I gotten some tech stuff though, I only have few of them. Still I have other stuff that are waiting to be reveal soon; so hoping it will happen during this year and maybe I could add to it during my next picks list.

By the way since last year that I did with the top artworks picks of 2020, I've selected two artworks to collab a bit together for what I did posted them during a single month each.

January - Art Trade 2021 - Maxwell and May’s Spare Clothing from the Speedsters/Maxwell the Rabbit

❤February - Lovely Heart Chatting/Secret Art Trade - Sam’s own Cude’s Clothes

🍀March - The Loud House Raccoon 2021/My Own SixFanarts Pic

🐰April - Easter Time with the Rabbits

🌼May - An Art Gift to celebrate my P-Pal’s 28th Birthday

☀️⛱June - FNF Maxwell

🎆🇺🇸July - Going to the Show!

August - A Visit to Jelly Folks/Secret Art Trade of 2021: Murukir and his spare Autumn/Winter Clothes

🍁📚🍎September - Happy 25th Birthday to our A-Pal!/Happy 8th Rita Day Art Post

🎃October - Inktober of 2021 - Day 15: Scary Bunny

🦃November - The Keyblade Wielder/Happy Thanksgiving 2021

🎅🎄December - A 2021 Christmas Art Gift share to my P-Pal

Now let's go into honorable mentions that I wish to included through my pick list of 2021, but at least hoping it wasn't disappointing when I've tried my best to make this.

January - Happy New Year 2021

❤February - Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production Art Post

🍀March - My Little Pony Maxwell/Secret Art Trade of March 2021

🐰April - Maxwell's Cartoon Style Cover

🌼May - Sam The Fox/Secret Art Trade of May 2021

☀️⛱June - Brown the Squirrel

🎆🇺🇸July - The Son of Heihachi

August - AR - Emme and Jo’s Ballet

🍁📚🍎September - International Rabbits Day 2021/Happy 10th Anniversary to Spot Speedster

🎃October - Secret Art Trade of October 2021: Stripes and Friends’ Sleepover Nighttime

🦃November - My Jellystone! Mains

🎅🎄December - Pibby Before Apocalypse

Hope you guys like to suggest about my picks of 2021 I've gotten, but hope I can expect to do again for this year. See you guys later or less. 👋🙂