#strangest 303

[aercnaut]

tag dump; canon relationships

[aercnaut-deader-than-lee]

tag dump: general canon relationship tags

[artemiseamoon]

Animal Desires

Ezra (Prospect x F reader)

From my drafts, it’s been there a while. ☺️ | spicy content not Smut 🔥

GIF credits to owners, not mine.

The first time you saw Ezra, his handsomeness was hidden under a loose fitting suit and a round helmet. Still, you took him in, liking what you saw.

Though he was rough around the edges, you knew he likely cleaned up well. Another thing you liked about him? Ezra looked like a man who knew what he was doing. One who wasn’t afraid to indulge in your kinkiest fanatasies.

Then there was his voice, that southern accent and the way he used the strangest rarest words just did something to you.

After plenty of steamy eye contact and sexual subtext in your conversations, you made your decision on day 4 to sleep with Ezra, much to the disappoint of the other men in your team.

It was night fall when you snuck into Ezras tent. You’ll always remember the look on his face as you wasted no time undressing. You were direct. And from that moment on Ezra was hooked.

Sex with Ezra was hot. Rough, deep, at times relentless. Ezra was down for whatever, and that included having sex anywhere and everywhere.

Once the job was over, you made it a point to meet inbetween jobs, when you could. The days were often filled with sex so good your body ached for days after and the marks he left on you gave you a perverse joy.

Ever vocal, Ezra told you many times how he loves seeing the scratch marks and bites you left behind: he liked the way you claimed him, comparing them to “lust filled tattoos etched into his skin.”

...

This was the longest you’ve gone without Ezra. 7 months and counting, you were damn near feral at this point.

No one fucked you like Ezra, and when you got desperate and chose a partner for now, they never lived up to Ezra. Though your thirst was sedated, you were only left more hungry for Ezra after each encounter.

…

Your heart is in your throat as you reach the hotel. 7 months and 13 days. You’re damn near vibrating with anticipation as you walk up the stairs.

One. Two. Three.

You count each one, trying to calm yourself. You don’t want to seem too excited when the door opens; you wanted to keep your cool.

You already feel your arousal increase as you think about his eyes, his voice, his hands. The way Ezra very eloquently says the nastiest things. Ezra was unlike anyone you knew and you were addicted.

When you reach the third floor, you bite down on your lower lip as you pass the rooms.

301. 302. 303.

You stop. 304.

Before you can knock, the door slowly opens. Your pulse speeds up even more as the tingling in your body intensifies.

You nearly stop breathing once Ezra reveals himself. Fuck, you think, he looks so fucking good!

His facial hair was cleaned up, curls slick back and the look in his brown eyes was pure sex. Your gaze falls to his lips, that mouth, his neck, fuck you love his neck, and the way the top three buttons of his shirt are left open, revealing his chest.

The attraction between you was always animal, primal, instinct. And if the suit he was wearing was anything to go by, Ezra was as wound up as you.

“Kevva above,” he pulls you into the room, hands on your hips. As the door slams closed, Ezra plants greedy kisses all over your neck, chin, and lips, “ if I don’t have you right this instant, I may explode -“

“I’m yours to have Ezra,” you purr, brushing your lips against his as your feel each others bodies, “do with me what you will.”

Ezra growls, sweeping you off the ground and carrying you to the bedroom.

…

More Ezra content

[undecidedpersonality]

My Favorite Quotes From The Darkest Minds

By Alexandra Bracken

**spoiler free but read at your own risk**

“‘You shouldn’t––you should never forget. But part of surviving is being able to move on. There’s this word... Nothing like it exists in the English language. It’s Portuguese. Saudade... there’s no perfect definition. It’s more of an expression of feeling––of terrible sadness. It’s the feeling you get when you realize something you once lost is lost forever, and you can never get it back again.’” page 72

***

“I had the strangest feeling––like I had lost something without ever really having it in the first place––that I wasn’t what I once was, and wasn’t at all what I was meant to be.” page 203

***

“‘Both Canada and Mexico have built walls to keep us out and them in.’

‘... because they’ve hated us all along and were only looking for the right excuse to keep our fat asses and fanny packs out of their countries forever.’” page 215

***

pages 246-249

***

“When a girl cries, few things are most worthless than a boy. Having two of them just meant that they stared at each other helplessly instead of at me.” page 303

***

“Rabbits need dignity and, above all, the will to accept their fate.

In the book, the rabbits had come across this warren––this community––that accepted food handouts from humans in exchange for accepting that some of them would be killed by the same humans in return. Those rabbits stopped fighting the system, because it was easier to take the loss of freedom, to forget what it was like. before the fence kept them in, than to be. out there in the world struggling to find shelter and food. They had. decided that the loss of. some. was worth the temporary comfort of many.” page 307

***

“The darkest minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces.” page 456

[trekfm]

303: A Pair of Legs in Sickbay

String Theory: Cohesion. During its seven-year journey through the Delta Quadrant, the U.S.S. Voyager has encountered many strange phenomena and spatial anomalies. Among the strangest turns out to be an impossible binary star system, home to a people who should not be able to survive there. When the crew comes to the aid of the Monorhans, they discover that their desire to help may be outweighed by the terrible risks presented by this strange region of space.

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson discuss String Theory: Cohesion by Jeffrey Lang. We talk about the unique setting of the novel, the strange star system, the Monorhans, the effects of the strange radiation in the system, Seven and B'Elanna Torres's contentious relationship, the Key to Gramadia, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

In the news segment, we talk about the upcoming Voyager: To Lose the Earth by Kirsten Beyer. We also respond to feedback from The Babel Conference for Literary Treks 302: What If A.I. Becomes Mommy? News VGR: 'To Lose the Earth' Cover (00:04:42) Listener Feedback (00:10:47)

Feature: String Theory: Cohesion The Setting (00:15:52) An Odd System... (00:21:55) A Refugee Ship (00:25:02) The Monorhans (00:33:30) Radiation Craziness (00:38:13) Sem's Motivation (00:42:12) The Seven-B’Elanna Collective (00:47:40) The Key to Gremadia (00:59:26) Next Time on Voyager… (01:04:55) Ratings (01:07:55) Final Thoughts (01:10:47)

Hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson

Production Bruce Gibson (Editor and Producer) Dan Gunther (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Jeffery Harlan (Associate Producer) Casey Pettitt (Associate Producer)

New podcast episode!

[littletonfootandankleclinic]

Littleton Foot and Ankle Clinic : Os Trigonum Syndrome

Sometimes we see patients at Littleton Foot and Ankle Clinic that are surprised when they hear strange words and terminology.  One of the strangest to most is Os Trigonum.  While it sounds terrible, it simply means an extra bone that usually develops behind the ankle bone.  So, what is Os Trigonum in totality?

The os trigonum is an extra (accessory) bone that sometimes develops behind the ankle bone (talus). It is connected to the talus by a fibrous band. The presence of an os trigonum in one or both feet is congenital (present at birth). It becomes evident during adolescence when one area of the talus does not fuse with the rest of the bone, creating a small extra bone. Only a small number of people have this extra bone.

What Is Os Trigonum Syndrome?

Often, people do not know they have an os trigonum if it has not caused any problems. However, some people with this extra bone develop a painful condition known as os trigonum syndrome.

Os trigonum syndrome is usually triggered by an injury, such as an ankle sprain. The syndrome is also frequently caused by repeated downward pointing of the toes, which is common among ballet dancers, soccer players and other athletes.

For the person who has an os trigonum, pointing the toes downward can result in a “nutcracker injury.” Like an almond in a nutcracker, the os trigonum is crunched between the ankle and heel bones. As the os trigonum pulls loose, the tissue connecting it to the talus is stretched or torn and the area becomes inflamed.

Signs & Symptoms of Os Trigonum Syndrome The signs and symptoms of os trigonum syndrome may include:

* Deep, aching pain in the back of the ankle, occurring mostly when pushing off on the big toe (as in walking) or when pointing the toes downward * Tenderness in the area when touched * Swelling in the back of the ankle

Diagnosis Os trigonum syndrome can mimic other conditions, such as an Achilles tendon injury, ankle sprain or talus fracture. Diagnosis of os trigonum syndrome begins with questions from the doctor about the development of symptoms. After the foot and ankle are examined, x-rays or other imaging tests are often ordered to assist in making the diagnosis.

Treatment: Nonsurgical Approaches Relief of the symptoms is often achieved through treatments that can include a combination of the following:

* Rest. It is important to stay off the injured foot to let the inflammation subside. * Immobilization. A walking boot is often used to restrict ankle motion and to allow the injured tissue to heal. * Ice. Swelling is decreased by applying a bag of ice covered with a thin towel to the affected area. Do not put ice directly against the skin. * Oral medication. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, may be helpful in reducing the pain and inflammation. * Injections. Sometimes cortisone is injected into the area to reduce the inflammation and pain.

When Is Surgery Needed? Most patients’ symptoms improve with nonsurgical treatment. However, in some patients, surgery may be required to relieve the symptoms. Surgery typically involves removal of the os trigonum, as this extra bone is not necessary for normal foot function. https://www.foothealthfacts.org/conditions/os-trigonum-syndrome

If you think you might have Os Trigonum Syndrome or if you have bunions, hammertoes, ingrown toenails, or any foot and ankle pain, give us a call at (303) 933-5048 or visit us at https://www.littletonfootandankleclinic.com

[allineednow]

<p>Our music tech predictions for 2018: SoundCloud's survival, the Bitcoin boom and more modular madness</p>

What technological trends can listeners and artists anticipate in 2018?   Scott Wilson stares into his crystal ball to discover how tech may change the way we have and make music in 2017, wondering what changes are coming into Spotify, whether SoundCloud will live and whether Eurorack equipment will continue to inspire  musicians.

From the insidious rise of "fake news" to the rising prevalence of AI in our everyday lives, 2017 was actually a fairly terrifying year concerning technology's impact on society. In the music business, streaming continued to dominate the headlines, as SoundCloud fought to stay afloat and artists pushed back against the allegedly meagre royalties doled out to smaller artists and labels by firms like Spotify.

Technology's effect on music in 2017 wasn't all bad. For music-makers at least, the year brought a slew of innovative new programs and gadgets for production, while blockchain technology began to be taken seriously as a way of making sure musicians and everybody involved in the music production and distribution process get paid correctly and fairly.

So what technological developments and trends might 2018 hold for artists and listeners? We have made some predictions about what the next 12 months might bring into the music industry -- the good things and the bad.

SoundCloud will survive 2018, but its influence and usability will wane

2017 was a disastrous season for SoundCloud. The streaming company was forced to lay off 40 percent of its workforce and shut down offices in London and San Francisco to stay afloat after haemorrhaging millions of dollars in cash over the past few years. Hopes for a sale to a larger company such as Google or Spotify appear to have been dashed as well, leaving the business's long-term potential quite uncertain. And no, Chance the Rapper isn't going to be the one to save it.

Where does this leave the service, which is still a vital tool for established and emerging musicians? Well, it appears improbable that it will fold this season: the company secured   $169.5 million in private investment in 2017, which ought to keep it afloat in the short term. However, with so much upheaval in the business, it is likely this money will be going towards keeping the lights on -- not developing the platform or innovating in any meaningful manner.

It is not clear what the successor to SoundCloud will be, or even if any platform that allows the same kind of simple music hosting will take its place. With artists earning less money than ever, especially from streaming services, anticipate artists and labels to make their own spaces not reliant on corporations, as LuckyMe did last year. In the short term though, services such as Bandcamp and YouTube will likely cement themselves as alternative destinations to SoundCloud for unsigned artists to upload and monetize their music.

Big changes at Spotify and beyond will affect its users

Spotify's year has got off to an uneven start. Yes, news emerged this week that the streaming giant will eventually list itself on the New York Stock Exchange at a public offering sometime before the end of March, but it also got hit by a $1.6 billion copyright suit by Wixen Music Publishing Inc, a company that collects royalties for songwriters including Tom Petty, Neil Young and the Doors.

Though going public will generate plenty of cash for the company, it will also imply its business practices come under more scrutiny from its investors and regulators. Spotify is growing, but so are its losses, and the platform should have a strategy to stop it losing money. Among the easiest ways it can do that would be to lose its free tier to convert its free listeners to paid subscribers -- or, at the very least, dramatically restrict what content could be listened on it. It actually offered some labels the opportunity to keep new albums off the free grade for two weeks last year, so it is reasonable to assume more restrictions are coming.

There's also the problem of the potential passing of net neutrality in the usa. Even though it is not yet a done deal with a legal battle being mounted, it is looking likely that services that use a good deal of bandwidth will be subject to higher usage fees from companies such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon. Giants like Google, Apple and Amazon have deep enough pockets to absorb this cost, but Spotify? Unless it's prepared to take on more debt or can strike a favorable deal, the customer may end up paying more for a monthly subscription.

Cryptocurrency hype will hit the music industry, and likely not in a good manner

If, like us, you were regretting not jumping on Bitcoin early enough to make any money out of it, you might be looking for the next cryptocurrency to invest in. For shady operators, that also means plenty of uninformed people to fleece out of their cash: current reports suggest cryptocurrency ponzi schemes and scams are rife, and that's not including those that will sink without a trace. Remember Coinye, the Kanye West-themed cryptocurrency?

There are signs that startups are trying to use cryptocurrency to 'disrupt' the music industry in questionable ways. Take Viberate by way of example, a "crowdsourced live music ecosystem and a blockchain-based marketplace" that uses its own cryptocurrency to let promoters book artists, artists sell product and fans purchase tickets. The issue is, you can only use the Viberate tokens to get services from the Viberate ecosystem rather than, y’know food, shelter or some of the things you need to live in an already struggling industry.

Artists such as  Björk are using cryptocurrency in more conventional ways, allowing you to buy albums using Bitcoin. There is also Audiocoin, a token that can be used to purchase music directly from artists. In both cases though, this payment is only worth whatever the current real-world value of the currency is at the time. Bitcoin bubbles have burst before, and if you've sold all your music for highly volatile cryptocurrency you might well end up with nothing.

The blockchain technology that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are built on definitely has scope to help musicians get paid. But if you're looking for new ways to generate income from your music it is important not to confuse blockchains with cryptocurrencies. Is Ghostface Killah's CREAM token going to be useful for anything once we're bartering for the last bottle of irradiated water in the days following the impending nuclear apocalypse? Probably not.

The synth clone wars are just getting started

Among 2017's biggest (and strangest) stories was budget equipment company Behringer's continuing mission to clone pretty much every classic synth of the past 50 years. It began with a $299 Eurorack edition of Moog's beloved Model D before wider plans were revealed to earn affordable replicas of the ARP2600 and OSC OSCar. In December it 'unintentionally' leaked a whole range that covered obscure devices such as the EDP Wasp -- although Behringer later backtracked to claim these may never see the light of day.

Irrespective of the shady ethics of making cut-price clones of synths that are, in some cases, still on the shelves, Behringer is well within the law to recreate the insides of instruments that are long out of copyright. And while a great deal of people (including the widow of analog chip designer Doug Curtis) have been vocal in their criticism of Behringer's plans, there's many more who appear eager to get their hands on these instruments. However, its promised Behringer D, which went up for pre-order last June, is yet to be released. Its analog DeepMind 12 synth was in development for at least three years, so when the D will arrive is anyone's guess.

A working version of this Behringer D does exist though, and recent images from Behringer HQ suggests that it is hard at work on more equipment based on vintage instruments, so we'd expect more announcements before 2018 is out. It is not just Behringer though: last year we had Deckard's Dream, a clone of the Yamaha CS80 synth used by Vangelis on the Blade Runner soundtrack and an unofficial TR-808 module for Eurorack. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, so expect a lot more of this from many boutique businesses in 2018.

Music-making will become easier for beginners than ever

Nostalgia for antique equipment and analog hardware has retained Roland, Korg and a lot of other legacy companies well afloat over the past few years, but just as much money -- if not more -- has been spent on the devices that promise to make music-making easier for novices.   Experts might turn their noses up at things like Ampify's Launchpad program or Roland's GO:KEYS for being oversimplified, but they probably make more money than a TB-303 replica since they have much wider appeal.

This has not been lost on the bigger players in the music tech sphere, that are investing serious money into ways that will get people making music, whatever their skill level. Ableton, by way of example, is an investor in Melodics, an program that promises to teach you finger drumming in just five minutes of practice a day. The business recently moved into teaching keyboard skills, which might be a game-changer for anyone that still mashes their MIDI keyboard when making tunes.

There is also Maschine manufacturer Native Instruments, which last year received a $50 million investment from a private equity company to "democratize music production," and help "achieve its vision of breaking down the barriers to music production for all music fans." Whether this money is going towards expanding into new markets, designing more innovative interfaces or even reducing the friction between hardware and software is uncertain, but  it is apparent that the Berlin company has grand ambitions to place its products in the hands of as many people as possible, regardless of what their skill level.

Apple too seems to be expanding the appeal of its popular GarageBand program. In November 2017, it added a new sound library into the program with packs for future bass and reggaeton styles, confirming that it plans to release more "occasionally". It even includes its own iTunes-inspired 'storefront' in which you can browse them. A good deal of musicians hate the idea of sample packs, but you only need to look at the prevalence of Ampify's Launchpad and Blocs programs to see that there's a market for them. In 2018, there will almost surely be more of these simple entry points to music-making than ever.

Non-traditional MIDI controllers go mainstream

Keyboards continue to be the most common way to perform a synthesizer, but within the past few years they've been joined by a range of unusual interface devices that don't look much like instruments at all. The most notable example is ROLI's Blocks system, a music-making platform based around a squishy interfaces that allows you to both play notes and affect parameters such as pitch or timbre using gestures such as slide and glide.

Underlying many of these devices is a technology called   MPE, or multi-dimensional polyphonic expression. It's   a recent MIDI specification that allows users of devices such as ROLI's Blocks or Roger Linn's Linnstrument to perform compatible synthesizers with a whole lot more nuance than a conventional MIDI keyboard. The technology has not been widely adopted yet but support is growing: GarageBand, Bitwig Studio 2, Sonar and Max are some of the platforms supporting it.

Ableton and Native Instruments haven't yet pledged support for it (with the exception of NI's Reaktor Blocks software) but it definitely appears to be more than a passing fad. This past year, Pharrell Williams invested in ROLI, an endorsement that speaks volumes about how widely he believes the business's unusual but accessible musical devices can attract people who might not have much experience with music-making. ROLI Blocks are also being marketed from the Apple Store today, a company bet that this kind of device has a bright future.

Eurorack equipment will continue to boom

When Aphex Twin played at London's Field Day festival last summer, he brought his modular synth along for the ride. He's not the first artist to use a Eurorack system on point, but he's among the greatest, and the interest in the breakdown of what his rig included was huge, demonstrating that curiosity concerning the format is not limited to hardcore synth nerds.

On YouTube as well, Eurorack went from market content to mainstream concern. Among the platform's most popular music technology vloggers, Andrew Huang, revealed his love for the format at a popular video that's racked up more than half a million views so far. It also continues to be popular with live performers due to its versatility, even if it is not always the most practical thing to carry on a plane. It is so popular, we devoted a whole day to the format here at FACT.

While some people have theorized that Eurorack might be a passing fad, it is not looking that way at the beginning of 2018. If there are any trends we'd place money on, it is Eurorack modules inspired by classic equipment such as Behringer's Model D clone and artist collaborations in the vein of Mumdance and ALM Busy Circuits' MUM M8 and Tiptop Audio's Throbbing Gristle module, the TG ONE.

Scott Wilson is FACT's Make Music editor. Find him on Twitter.

Read next: After a tumultuous 2017, can SoundCloud survive the streaming wars?

The post Our music technology predictions for 2018: SoundCloud's survival, the Bitcoin boom and more modular madness appeared initially on FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. .