Happy Easter Day from International Journal of Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources

Wishing you an egg-ceptionally wonderful Easter. Celebrate this day with peace, love, and gratitude. Have a blessed Easter. Hope your day is blooming with love and laughter.

Emulating Natural Morphology in Anterior Crown Fractures: Two Years Follow-up Report - Juniper

Emulating Natural Morphology in Anterior Crown Fractures: Two Years Follow-up Report - Juniper

Authored by Bora korkut

Abstract

Patients may suffer from undesirable aesthetic problems due to color, shape and structural or position abnormalities of anterior teeth. Crown fractures are one the most common reasons of these aesthetic complaints especially in young patients. Creating a conservative as well as powerful restoration against destructive occlusal forces while emulating similar outlook to natural dental tissues is the main objective of treatment of such cases. Direct composite resin restorations are one of the best possible treatment options for the anterior crown fractures. As the dental materials and techniques develop, the clinicians start to learn the physical and optical properties of these materials and use them with proper techniques to create more natural alike as well as long lasting restorations. These restorations are no longer named as 'day savior fillings' today but are called minimally invasive, functional and long lasting 'direct aesthetic restorations' that perfectly emulate natural dental tissues even in anterior area. This article illustrates how to perform a minimally invasive, long lasting, functional and natural alike direct aesthetic restorations in a single visit..

Keywords:   Crown fracture; Direct aesthetic restorations; Emulating natural tissues   

Objective

Performing a minimally invasive, long lasting, functional and natural alike direct composite resin restorations in a single visit.

    Introduction

Aesthetic restoration of lost dental tissues of anterior teeth is a crucial challenge in restorative dentistry. Patients may suffer from undesirable esthetic problems due to color, shape, structural and position abnormalities of anterior teeth. Creating more conservative as well as more powerful restorations against occlusal, lateral and protrusive forces and emulating similar outlook to natural dental tissues is the main objective of up-to- date, contemporary dentistry [1]. An increasing number of dentists prefer minimal invasive and less time-consuming treatment options; as direct resin restorations compared to indirect ceramic restorations for the anterior dental aesthetics [2]. In order to create more natural-looking restorations, clinicians must learn and understand the physical properties of the dental tissues and restorative materials that they use and also interactions of these tissues and materials with light [3]. Various dental materials and techniques have been coming on the scene to improve both functional and aesthetic quality of the restorations. However a few of the esthetic resin materials on the market meet the expectant. The ones having such properties such as simplicity, structural stability, surface polish ability, masking discolorations, surface texturing and simulating natural dental color parameters such as hue, value and chrome are one step ahead [4,5].

Clinical considerations

In this report complex crown fractures due to dental trauma on maxillary right central and lateral incisors were corrected with minimally invasive direct composite resin restorations by using layering technique in a single appointment. The composite resin material used in this case study is a recently developed resin based restorative material, Estelite Asteria (Tokuyama, Japan) designed for emulating natural dental tissues.

Case Report

17 years old female patient applied to the clinic with aesthetic complaints due to dental trauma. He had direct trauma to the maxillary incisors a year ago and had no pain or any other symptoms. According to the intraoral examination complex crown fractures on maxillary right central and lateral incisors were determined (Figure 1,2).

According to the radiographic and vital metric analysis the injured teeth were considered as vital. The periodontal tissues were healthy and oral hygiene was in good condition. The patient' s age and the examinations were both taken into consideration and a conservative approach, minimal invasive direct aesthetic resin restorations were considered as the treatment plan.

Shades selected by using macro dental photography and composite shade samples which are also known as the 'Button Technique. Most appropriate body and translucent shade samples of Estelite Asteria (Tokuyama, Japan) were selected and located on the crown of left central incisor. The body shades were located on the mid-third and the translucent shades were located on the incisal-third of the crown. Then a macro photograph was taken from the labial view by using a professional camera set designed especially for dental photography. The set consist of a body (D700), a macro lens (Macro 100mml), a macro twin flash (MT- 24EX Macro Twin Late Flash), two-sided reflectors and a dual flash bracket mount (Novo Flex Unset). The picture taken was processed in a computer software program called Adobe Photoshop CC (Photoshop CC, Adobe Systems Software). A processed black and white form of the photograph was used to decide the translucent shade. Another processed copy on which contrast was increased and brightness was decreased, was used to decide the body shade (Figure 3). A1B and NE shades (Estelite Asteria, Tokuyama, Japan) were selected. Temporary restorations were prepared for the cracked teeth on a cast model and silicone impression was taken to create a palatal silicone index (Figure 4). Rubber dam was applied on maxillary incisors and canines for maximum isolation (Figure 5). 45 degree deep beveling were done on both incisors to cover the crack lines as minimally invasive preparations (Figure 6. One bottle universal adhesive agent (Bond Force II, Tokuyama, Japan) was used with selective etching. The translucent shade composite resin, NE shade, was used to create the palatal enamel wall. The resin was placed on incisallt on the silicone index and refined by using a composite brushed wetting resin. Then the resin and the silicone index were placed intraoral on the palatal surface of the teeth and polymerized. The index removed and palatal enamel wall was created (Figure 7).

The same resin was used to create marginal enamel walls of the restorations by using kidney-shaped metal matrix bandstand wedges (Figure 8). Body shade composite resin, A1B shade, was used to emulate dentin tissue (Figure 9). Labial surface was restored by using the translucent shade resin (NE) to create the surface enamel layer (Figure 10). In order to avoid overcontouring, composite brush was used with the wetting resin for layering. The surface structure was also created in final surface layering step. The resin used for emulating the enamel surface layer was applied in 3 steps; medial third, distal third and middle third, so that creating the surface grooves, ridges and also incisal notches while layering. The irregular scratches on the surface were emulated by using the composite brush gently without wetting resin (Figure 11).

After polymerization of the last layer, glycerin (Air Barrier, GC, Japan) was applied to whole the restoration surfaces and polymerized for 40 seconds to eliminate the oxygen inhibition layer. The surface cleaned with water spray and dried with air spray. Marginal adaptations and removal of excessive resins were done by a #12 lancet, a fine-grained composite polishing disk (Soflex, 3M, Japan) and interface sandpapers (Epitex, GC, Japan). The labial surface was polished by using only a fine-grained spiral rubber disc (Twist-Dia, light blue) in low speed and in dry condition (Figure 12,13).

The patient was informed about the oral hygiene and informed for recalls for every 6 months (Figure 14).

At 2years recall no sensitivities, fractures, secondary caries lesions were detected on both the teeth and the restorations. Also no discolorations or demarcation lines were detected (Figure 15,16).

On the other hand the micro surface morphology on the central incisor, created with brush touches while layering, was barely may observed. The patient reported that the restorations were fully functional during the time and he was also very satisfied with the aesthetic result. Oral hygiene and periodontal health were also in good condition (Figure 17).

Considering all, in 2 years follow-up the structural integrity, the color stability as well as the aesthetic outlook of the restorations was considered as satisfactory. The patient was called for further follow-ups.   

Discussion

Ever increasing aesthetic demands of the patients require better dental materials and application techniques and also more clinical experience and knowledge. Natural-looking as well as functional and stable dental restorations may only be created only with the combination of these headlines. Natural dental tissues demonstrate translucency, opalescence, and fluorescence that must be imitated by the chosen restorative material in order to emulate the natural [6,7]. Especially translucency is recently accepted to have a key role in shade match of the restorative materials with natural dental tissues. Translucency is defined as the amount of light that passes through the dental tissues and may vary according to one of the parameters of color, value [8]. If the value of a tooth or dental material is high, lighter reflect from the surface, resulting in low translucency [9]. Taken this into consideration, some dental manufacturers have developed some new generation of aesthetic composite resins to emulate the natural dental tissues better than ever.

In the case presented a recently produced Estelite Asteria (Tokuyama, Japan) was used as the composite resin material which has supra-nano inorganic spherical fillers. Although this resin has an advantage for using as two-step layering, in this case conventional three-step layering was used to mimic the natural dental tissue layers. The composite brush manipulation was very easy and effective while layering as the consistency of the resin was soft enough. It is a fact that the composite layering procedures under reflector light takes much longer time that might be a problem. But the working time of the shades of this resin was also long enough. The polymerizing time for the shades used in this study was 10 seconds that is an advantage for the clinician. The natural surface morphology was emulated with gentle brush touches while surface layering. As the method used for layering depends on not creating over-contouring, the polishing procedures for restoration surfaces only done by a fine grained spiral polishing disc (Twist Dia, light blue). The surface texture created by composite brush hits could only be protected by using this polishing procedure [10]. This polishing material also creates a very shiny surface that is also very resistant to discolorations. Smooth adaptation between resin and dental tissues and having no micro-leakage due to the enhanced physical properties of the resin such as low polymerization shrinkage may describe having no sensitivities or secondary caries at 2 years recall [11]. As the correct indication of the case is an indispensable condition for direct anterior resin restorations, the stability of the restorations depends on having no devastating occlusal forces. The restorations were fully functional during the 2 years time and had no fractures as a result of that [12]. The enhanced fracture resistance of the composite resin might also positively affect the strength of the restorations. Also the glycerin (Air Barrier, GC, Japan) used for enhancing the physical properties of the surface layer made a positive effect on creating a more resistant surface layer to potential fractures and discolorations [13]. The loss in micro surface morphology on the central incisor that was created with brush touches may be related to the erosive or abrasive pattern of patient's diet and brushing style. It may be due to the surface roughness of the restoration which is related to the physical properties of the resin used. However that loss was insignificant for the aesthetic outlook in speaking distance. The patient was very satisfied with the durability, aesthetic outlook and especially the color harmony and gloss of the restorations. The specific spherical fillers and enhanced optical properties of the resin [14], the button technique used for selection of the shades [15], overcontour less layering technique [8,16] and detailed polishing procedures [17] are possibly played the key roles in this aesthetic outcome.

For years the anterior direct resin restorations compared to the indirect veneers and accepted as a loser in general. They were blamed as weak especially about durability and color resistance. However before criticizing, everyone must self-criticize him/ herself and ask the question: if these direct restorations were done correctly or not? Like all dental procedures, direct composite resin restorations have some indications and contra-indications. These can be aliened as; proper occlusal relations [18], correct shade selection [19], good isolation [20], good adhesion [21], detailed polishing [22], frequent recalls [18,21] quality materials [18] and also clinical experience. These are like rings of a circle and if one of them breaks, then the whole restoration fails. If the direct composite resin restorations were performed by taking these into consideration, the success rate of these restorations would definitely increase.   

Conclusion

As a conclusion although 2 years times still a short term to evaluate, with correct indication, quality material and proper technique the direct resin restorations were seemed to be highly long lasting, color resistant and aesthetic under the conditions of this follow-up case study If direct restorations with composite resins are done by the rules, they are obviously one of the best treatment options for today's dentistry.

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‎ ‎ ⋆⠀⠀&.⠀⠀٬⠀⠀(⠀⠀ARSENIC.⠀⠀)⠀...⠀is the first full album (lp) by south korean girl group, letalis. the album was released in both digital and physical form by south korean entertainment company, apricus culture on october 29, 2014.

the album was supported by performances of the title track, "POISON" and two additional promotional singles, "FOR THE THRILL" and "CHECK IT". as the group's first full-length album, ARSENIC received mixed reviews despite its overwhelming commercial success. the group promoted the album for a total of five weeks through music show performances, two seoul concerts, five fanmeetings, and several variety show appearances. the album's title track, "POISON" received a total of 8 music show wins while "CHECK IT" amassed 2 towards the later end of promotions.

despite the album's popularity, critics published mostly lukewarm reviews of the album. most prominently, a common critique was the "repetitive" sentiment shared by critics in both korea and abroad. despite critical favorites "REBOUND", "CHECK IT", "LOVE/OR", and "BAD GIRL" receiving praise for the involvement of contributing members naryun, jiseo, and melanie, other songs were heavily criticized for their recurring themes, genres, and structure. regardless, the group's fanbase would propel the album and its promotional singles onto the gaon and billboard global charts, solidifying the "bread and butter" of letalis' musical character.

⠀*⠀SECTION ONE⠀:⠀the tracklist.

ʬ.ʬ.⠀001:⠀ ⠀٬⠀⠀ REBOUND

ʬ.ʬ.⠀002:⠀⠀٬⠀⠀ FOR THE THRILL⠀

ʬ.ʬ.⠀003:⠀⠀٬⠀⠀ POISON* (title)⠀

ʬ.ʬ.⠀004:⠀⠀٬⠀⠀ GINGER TRUFFLE

ʬ.ʬ.⠀005:⠀⠀٬⠀⠀ DRIP⠀

ʬ.ʬ.⠀006:⠀⠀٬⠀⠀ LIGHT ME UP⠀

ʬ.ʬ.⠀007:⠀⠀٬⠀⠀ CHECK IT

ʬ.ʬ.⠀008:⠀⠀٬⠀⠀ LOVE/OR

ʬ.ʬ.⠀009:⠀⠀٬⠀⠀ MISS.ME

ʬ.ʬ.⠀010:⠀ ⠀٬⠀⠀ GUN

ʬ.ʬ.⠀011: ⠀ ⠀٬⠀⠀ BAD GIRL⠀

ʬ.ʬ.⠀012:⠀ ⠀٬⠀⠀ MINDURZ

ʬ.ʬ.⠀013:⠀ ⠀٬⠀⠀ GLASSSY

⠀*⠀SECTION TWO⠀:⠀the physical album.

‎ ‎ ⋆⠀⠀&.⠀⠀٬⠀⠀two versions of arsenic were available for purchase upon initial release. the group would go on to record the entire album in japanese for a limited edition special release in 2015 as part of their debut anniversary celebration.

ʬ.ʬ.⠀STANDARD VERSION: contains one disc, one photobook (featuring 100 photos), one of four unit posters, one of seven member-written letters, one of seven random photocards, one group poster, and one of three random stickers.

ʬ.ʬ.⠀TONEDEAF VERSION: contains one disc, one photobook (featuring 111 photos), one of four unit posters, one of seven member-written letters, two of seven random photocards, one of seven individual mini-poster, one of two random group posters, three stickers, and one fandom charm.

ㅤ*ㅤSECTION THREEㅤ:ㅤthe styling.

sticking to the general idea of their previous era, the members each had a personal hand in their own looks. each stage built off the individual tastes of each member while holding on to their cohesiveness. easily one of their most identifiable eras solely off the styling.

ㅤ*ㅤSECTION FOURㅤ:ㅤthe notes.

a fan favorite era

one of their more iconic albums, def a top three vitalis staple album

people either loved or hated this era (including the girls themselves). there were a lot of mixed reviews among critics and it wasn't secret to the girls.

weird animosity between emmy and juniper starts here. no one really knows why but they were regularly exchanging not-so nice words about each other to anyone who cared enough to listen.

one of their encore stages went viral after they used voice changing microphones with shuffled effects (entirely emmy's idea). still one of the highest viewed encores of all time, a letalis fandom staple video as well. several members were in tears from laughter (emmy, jiseo, naryun) while others were completely stoic (naira, juniper). ironically, this video pretty much sums up their public dymanic pretty well.

lots of controversy surrounding the tracks on the album. towards the end of the promotional period, the girls were visibly tired of performing "for the thrill" which was unanimously voted in a fan poll posted to melanie's fancafe as being the fans' least favorite b-side off the album.

despite how well the title track, "poison" did, some of the girls voiced their varying opinions on what they would chosen instead. snowballed into a weird scandal where they were accused of suffering from "celebrity disease". never ended up being addressed but apricus did tighten the reigns on what the girls were allowed to say/bring up during the rest of the promotions.

the true beginning of the core writers and producers that usually appear on letalis albums. also the beginning of the naryun and trenton rumors (that would eventually be entirely true). it wasn't lost on the public that letalis was gonna stick to what works so these same writers and producers in different arrangement are a staple to their discography.

miss. me randomly went viral in 2020 around the time challenges became a regular occurrence. so in between the challenges for the album they were promoting at the time, they were suffering through doing cute little hand choreo for the song.

naryun, melanie, and emmy gained their first credits on this album!

announced their first asian tour after the end of promotions. cute little 15-show tour, mostly in large theaters and arenas, nothing crazy but a precious memory for all the girls.

Creepy Winter Recs ❄️🔪💀

note: not all necessarily take place in winter but just give a general cold feeling

Books

What Moves the Dead: retelling of poe’s the fall of the house of usher with a nb narrator. The whole book feels cold and dreamlike.

Juniper & Thorn: folklore inspired gothic horror with beautiful imagery, good commentary on trauma. Amazing characters.

Stolen Tongues: modern paranormal horror about a couple in a snowy cabin. Quick and captivating read, but it did start as a reddit nosleep, which is still noticeable in the published book.

Hex: small town horror/paranormal horror about a small town haunted by a witch the town tortured in the 1600s. The way they go about keeping their town’s curse a secret is interesting.

The Only Good Indians: modern horror, four native men haunted by a shared event of their past. Visceral and emotional.

Films

House of the Devil: a 2009 film made to feel like a classic 80s horror. A college student answers a flyer to watch after an elderly woman for a night.

Antlers: modern folk horror set in the PNW involving native folklore and generational trauma.

Incident in a Ghostland: psychological horror about two sisters and what happened to them when they were teens.

Autopsy of Jane Doe: a father and son experience weird phenomena while working on the body of an unknown woman. Lots of cold lighting.

The Ritual: european modern folk horror, a group of friends go hiking in sweden.

The Cursed: folk horror in 1800s france about a village plagued by nightmares.

Last Voyage of the Demeter: an imagining of Dracula’s voyage to America. Lots of cold lighting, takes place at sea.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin : found footage horror set in a small amish community in winter.

And more well known ones:

The Thing

30 Days of Night

Ju-on / The Grudge

The Company of Wolves

Gremlins

Let the Right One In

Book review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

This book touches some topics that are a lot bigger than most of the books I read. With that, I want to give a few disclaimers before my review:

1) I listened to the audiobook version, so I don’t have a physical copy to reference back to when typing out my review

2) I watched WithCindy’s review of this book prior to reading the book, and may be slightly influenced in my review based on hers

3) I am white, and while I can empathize with Asian issues, I can’t say I understand them fully or can relate to them.

That being said, I think this book does a PHENOMENAL job of making me understand the issues of minorities in the publishing industry further, and the passive nature of white people when it comes to this topic, and I’m incredibly happy I read this book.

This book follows Juniper, a white author who did not have the best luck with her first go at a debut in the book publishing industry, and her rise and downfall after stealing a book idea from her dead friend, Athena, a Chinese author writing mostly on topics of what her ancestors have dealt with in the past (more on that later.)  The book that Juniper steals is about the Chinese laborers involved in World War I, and then goes on to change her name to appear more racially ambiguous to attempt to avoid backlash for being a white author telling the tragic story of these Chinese laborers, but ultimately not only gets called out on it, but eventually gets caught for stealing the book from Athena.

There were SO many things I loved about this book.  First of all, every single microaggression Juniper commits made me physically cringe. Between making remarks about minorities being favored in the publishing industry and therefore she was the victim as a white girl, to taking a story about Chinese laborers and choosing to dehumanize them and empathize with the Christian missionaries attempting to convert them, to making comments to Asian americans about “censorship” when asked if she was really the right person to be telling the story; the book does an amazing job of making you realize all these microaggressions that many people, but especially white people, may choose to ignore because they’re not “violent” enough to truly be racism.  While this book was meant to be “dark humor” it did not make me laugh a single time, but because I was too busy cringing at the very realistic comments and actions of its main character that I have seen so many people do, so I do think the point did still come across.  And I did love that at the end, Juniper did not actually learn a lesson, and instead will continue to get revenge on the person who outed her for stealing the book, because that feels completely realistic to happen.

The book also touches some really interesting debate topics that either I have thought of in passing or never thought of at all.  The first being- if someone does all the research, and is accurate to the history (Juniper is not completely,) should someone of a different race be the one to tell a story of the traumas of a different racial group? For myself, and I feel for the author as well, I think stories based on traumatic events for racial groups should be told by members of that group.  The author even brings up the point that while Athena was Chinese, she certainly did not experience these traumas- but her family went through several of them and she can recount and tell those stories. But does that mean you can’t write characters that aren’t the racial group you belong in? Several parts of the book talk about reviews that Juniper’s stolen book saying that specific parts of the book are racially insensitive, but those were parts that Athena wrote, and leads Juniper and the reader to wonder if this book were written and published BY Athena, if those same critiques would still come up.

The book also does try to explain why Juniper might feel morally okay with stealing from Athena- in college, Athena took Juniper’s sexual assault story and wrote it as a short story without asking Juniper’s permission OR giving any sort of credit for it. She also interviews Korean war vets and published their stories.  Is taking the stories of other people’s traumas and publishing them morally objectionable, or is it fine if you’re publishing it in the name of bringing awareness to the topic?

My ONE critique of this book is something outside of the book itself.  Juniper is lower/middle class and feels a big part of Athena’s success is due to being upper class and getting a lot of opportunities that were only available because her or her family could afford the price tag.  These things are being said by an unreliable narrator, as if to sweep those issues under the rug as Juniper just being jealous of Athena.  However, I learned from WithCindy’s review that I linked earlier that these are very real critiques that the author R.F. Kuang has received and is using Juniper as a mouthpiece to show just how “minor” those critiques are without ever really addressing how money really does provide people with opportunities that others could not have.  This is not to put down the author’s talent: This was my first book by her and I was blown away and look forward to reading some of her other work. But I’m sure there are tons of other authors, especially non-white ones, who are equally or even moreso talented whose books will never be read by the majority of the public because they might not have been able to go to college for writing, or they were not afforded the luxury to focus on writing as opposed to paying the bills. It just feels strange for the author to not really refute these claims but instead use the unreliable mouthpiece to downplay them.

Overall however, I felt like this book was incredible and I look forward to reading more of R.F. Kuang’s work (especially Babel!)

Final rating: 4.5/5

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb: Author-artist Fern Haught weaves an enchanting, gentle fantasy tale of friendship, determination, and respecting nature in their debut graphic novel, The Baker and the Bard. Perfect for fans of The Tea Dragon Society, Legends & Lattes, and Animal Crossing. Juniper and Hadley have a good thing going in Larkspur, spending their respective days apprenticing at a little bakery and performing at the local inn. But when a stranger makes an unusual order at the bakery, the two friends (and Hadley’s pet snake, Fern) set out on a journey to forage the magical mushrooms needed to make the requested galette pastries.

Along the way, Juniper and Hadley stumble across a mystery too compelling to ignore: Something has been coming out of the woods at night and eating the local farmers' crops, leaving only a trail of glowy goo behind. Intent on finally going on an adventure that could fuel their bardic craft, Hadley tows Juniper into the woods to investigate.

What started as a simple errand to pick mushrooms soon turns into a thrilling quest to save some furry new friends—and their caretaker, a softspoken little fey named Thistle—who are in danger of losing their home.

Review:

A magical and very sweet adventure as two friends and bakery apprentices journey to find an important ingredient and along the way make new friends, discover new creatures, and discover new experiences as well. Juniper and Hadley usually spend their days apprenticing at a little bakery but when they get a big order they have to journey to find magical mushrooms. Along the way they stumble across a mystery and meet an unlikely fairy with some mysterious new creatures, and so begins their adventure. This was a really cute and sweet read and I would definitely recommend it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Rules: Tag 9 people you'd like to get to know better

Tagged by: @redteekal (Thank you SO SO MUCH for the tag. Mwah, mwah, mwah!!!) 💙💙💙

Favorite time of year: Christmas. I remember last year it was just me and Merlin (my dog) one evening. I had all the lights off except for those on the Christmas tree and the other various decorative ones we put up. One of my favorite instrumental Christmas music compilations was playing sofly in the background. I was curled up in one of the big chairs in the living room, a cup of hot cocoa in my hand, and Merlin on my lap. It was truly one of those moments of utter and complete happiness. I tend to have lots of moments like that during the holidays, and it's something I hold onto and cherish.

Comfort food: There's this cold seafood salad sandwich from a local restaurant, and it's called The Crabby Shrimp. I've been eating it since I was a little girl, and it's probably my favorite sandwich in the world. It's simple and unbelievably delicious. I usually order the smoked fish spread to go with it. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. My mouth is watering as I type all this. I'm hungry now lmao.

Do you collect something?: Oh yes! Comic books, Loungefly backpacks, different copies of the first Dune book (I hope to obtain a copy published in the 70s someday. I'm obsessed with the cover art from that decade), Disney trading pins, chopsticks, mini resin owl figurines, Ina Garten cookbooks, trading cards + candles + pins + menu cards from a bakery I'm obsessed with called Gideon's (they're based in Orlando and have the best cookies I've ever eaten and I LOOOOOVE their nitro cold brew iced coffees too), stuffed animals/plushies (I have a unique collection and will always add to it), figures/statues of my favorite fictional characters, fanart prints, vinyl records, Alex & Ani bracelets, and "The Art Of" books.

Favorite drink: A large McDonald's Coke. Truly the drink of the gods. Bad day? This will fix me. Inject it into my veins.

Favorite song: Truly one of the hardest questions anyone could ask me, tbh. I think I said a Def Leppard (my favorite band of all time) song last time, so I'll pick a different musical group this time. I don't know how many of you listen to the Bee Gees outside of their disco songs, but their stuff from the 90s and early 00s is AMAZING. I grew up listening to their albums from those years most above all their other music. Anyway, the song Embrace is on an album (This is Where I Came In) that came out in 2001, I believe. Hoo boy that is a really really good song. Probably my all time favorite from them.

Current favorite song: The Sound of Silence by Disturbed. My current go to when I'm not listening to my podcasts and can't figure out what music I'm the mood for.

Favorite book: The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding. My mom bought it for me for Christmas my freshman year of high school. It's the first book I can actively remember being absolutely frantic to finish reading. I reread it several times a year. The day that book gets made into an animated series or a live action show is the day I ascend.

Favorite fic: OOF WHAT A QUESTION. I truly can't pick, because I have too many favorites, but I'll name one from each of the ships I currently read fic for:

Jaime x Brienne: the battlefield between us (isn't here tonight) by @robotsdance

MSR: Out of Rain by suilven

Royai: Juniper by sixpences

Neo x Trinity: Collateral Damage by nanda (nandamai)

JonMartin: A Measure Outside the Lines by Rend_Herring

Tagging: @kittsunegari @houseoftrinity @exquisitecashmere @genderqueer-klinger @absolutebearings @karrashi @viksworth @kriscynical @ussfaramir @hamster-on-fire and anyone else who wants to play! 💙💙💙

A letter is presented to Estranha, and once it's open, it has a familiar handwriting, that of one Nelia Zarin.

Hey, Es. It's been a while, I know, usually we have time to talk or we meet up a lot more often, but ever since the start of this journey, things have been going so fast it makes my head spin. From the moment I set out, I've been drugged, knocked out, got the boat i was traveling on smashed by a dragon...Caught in explosions, it's been a mess. Feels like I can't take a minute to catch my breath.

That's just the external stuff. I had a dream about an old friend and his little brother. I couldn't save the kid, he had a knife that cut holes into the elemental planes...At the end of the day, he was a scared kid with a shitty father. I should've been able to do more, should've saved him. Now he's scattered across the planes. Doesn't mean I'm gonna stop, I'll bring him back, no matter what it takes. You know me, I got a hard head that I'll keep banging against the wall until it breaks.

There's another dream I had. You were in it, and it was just us talking and hanging out while I worked out. And I...Gods, I'm so sorry I've been pulling you around for so long. I'm so afraid of losing you that I don't even know how to begin talking about how I feel about you. I've always been so damn uncertain, but now? After all of this? Nearly dying a few times, visions where you wind up dead...Or hell, even experiencing the feeling of seeing into other worlds and feeling my arm getting flayed to the point of uselessness...I know now.

Oh, and don't even get me started on meeting an ice dragon, or getting eaten by a Gibbering Maw, it's so fucking horrible on the inside of those things and I punched my way out with the help of my master, Ramona Hammerfist. I've seen things that people would only see in nightmares, and the cult...Let me tell you, I don't think I can take enough baths or showers to ever get the smell of rotting meat outta my clothes. I swear I can even smell the shit in my dreams.

I want to be with you. Every second of every day for the rest of my life. I'm supposed to be a wanderer, but I don't want to travel around for the rest of my life, and not have a home. Or at the very least, if I gotta travel for the rest of my life, I want it to be with you.

I want you to meet my friends, to meet Cassius when we get him back, he's such a good kid, and he just needs someone to encourage him. I want you to meet Junie, she's been the closest thing I've had to a mom, and Aika, she's a little serious sometimes, but she's got a curiosity about things that's pretty adorable. I don't know if you'd get to meet them, but the Crownswatch has been nice to know too, Dejin's kind of the serious type, but he knows good food and drink, Khiye, a little spooky, but she's good in a fight, I mean, she bashed a mound of flesh so hard the damn thing was knocked stupid. Garur, I think you'd look at them and then you'd understand why we get along so well. Nowhere...well, I might have to work to be her friend, I kinda can't translate her way of speech yet. I don't know when we'll meet again, but when we do...I'm gonna be a woman worthy of being your girlfriend. With love, Nelly

unprompted asks! | always accepting | @offrozenmemoirs

A/N's note: Any mentions of "Juniper" are replaced with "Ghost Whisker." Only Creed knows her private name and refers to her by that name one-on-one; everyone else knows her as Ghost Whisker and addresses her as such (Creed included when in public/group conversation).

Sheltered by the canopy of a weather-worn canvas tent, Estranha peruses speculative fiction of the to-be future during the 4000s from a tome published circa 3200 PC. Their roosting spot is on a sturdy wooden crate adorned with crimson-painted words. As alien as the language on the box is, its definition is meaningless. 

With weighty volume, they perch upon a sturdy wooden crate with painted crimson words on one side. Alien is the language to them, but its definition is meaningless. In this instance, this serves as a "seat" and nothing more. 

As their gaze skims across the printed character, a slender finger idly twirls a plum-purple stray lock. A sudden snort, reminiscent of crackling flames, disrupts the silence. Aimless exploration constitutes a significant portion of Estranha's scholarly pursuits. Uncovering peculiarities and pockets of amusements are commonplace amidst their research. Of course, these are abrupt conclusions in their currently fruitless endeavors. But not every dead end heralds a soured conclusion. Rather, they often encounter unexpected delights along the winding search of inquiry, each revelation saccharine in an otherwise dried pool. 

Upon the page from Grand Magister Salazar Silverwinds's The Revolution of Magicracy, Estranha's soft green irises race over the words, over and over, "Under the harmonious collection of the magically inclined and gifted, the natural world and humanity unite. The future order may see that those bestowed with gifts of casting would be better attuned to granting and guiding individuals into an enlightened society that bolsters and salvages the new world." They place their thumb on the tome's pages and ponder the publication details. Interestingly, it was not produced by any Graneyean territory or ally of the era. 

Besides the thinly veiled hierarchal oppression in the text, exciting sections recount the prestige of the fabled ancient era. Without a doubt, there are continuous odes to the times before from this book published over a thousand years ago. Still, the modern-day sees toward the future and ignores the possible reaches of civilization before the "Dark Days." Advancing past the point of where society was once at? That query died on the tongues of philosophers hundreds of years ago. 

As Estranha reads further into Grand Magister Salazar Silverwinds's work, an unforeseen event suddenly interrupts their scholarly pursuit.

A russet-haired man with lengthy curls tied into a neat ponytail peers into the tent. His hazel eyes twinkle in quite an ensemble of clothes—a uniform fitting any Four Seasons United Postal Service worker. The heat on the Nihiranian deserts must have had his sleeves rolling and hat slightly disheveled as if he were fanning himself with it before.

"Telegram for a Miss Extraña?" He calls out, looking around the barren tent before his eyes finally land on Estranha. 

The recipient closed the book and cast it aside when the man poked his head in. They approached, giving a dull nod before plucking the missive from his hands. They turned the envelope over. "I never realized you reached this far."

"Well," he speaks as his chest swells with pride, "it is a recognized global service." He removes his hat, placing it over his heart. "From the head of Rivera to the feet of Nihiran, we can be found anywhere across the world, through sleet, storm, sand--"

Estranha turns on their heel, squinting at the crimson seal. Two bare arms cross over the other; it is definitely Nelia's seal. "Mhm," they nod as their hand reaches out, grabs one fold of the tent's canvas, and closes it back up. 

Unfolding the letter, a several-month estrangement between "friends," as colloquially as Estranha can define, meets its end. All they recall was the tiefling mentioning a journey overseas on a boat to another continent like Tahrea. Creed never considered setting a hoof outside of Nihiran; her thirty and more years were spent in the red dunes. Though, anyone can change. Il'Surrish is the Wanderer; paths treaded, and new is how her worshippers go. 

Estranha's thumb guides their reading and marking of the paragraph. Returning to their perch on the crate top, they criss-crossed their legs. The twinkling mischief in their eyes fades further down as they read the letter. Hesitation draws the corners of their ever-smiling expression lower and lower. Two years after that conversation, Estranha still could not ascertain its intention.

A letter was drafted and sent within a few days of the initial telegram's receipt. It would only take some weeks before Nelia received a letter back. 

Hi Nel,

It is wonderful to know you are in one piece despite the destroyed ship, the hungry, hungry Gibbering Maw, and a suspicious number of assumedly extinct dragons on your latest travels. For someone who always enjoyed a surprise and a show, that was a lot, even for you. 

Tahrea brought on much more than I anticipated in a letter; I expected much more debauchery and other rendezvous with other women at the encampments along the dirt roads. As I reread each line before getting to the climax of my thoughts, everything is happening or has happened in a compressed and narrow time frame. Now, you are at the apex of it. From what I hope, you just survived another scrap on the long road and plan on continuing. 

On my side of this expansive pond, what remains true of the sands is that it brings me excitement and new ideas, but nothing that progresses my ongoing research. The tracks behind me will soon meet their end. The civilizations beneath the dunes and what came before the city that was a black speckle in the sun serve nothing to me. But are they fascinating tales? Of course. But the sea salt gales shall take me elsewhere after three years. Where they may take me, I have mapped out some alternatives and continents, but I cannot return to the university without any proper advancement in my thesis.  

Foregoing the timeline of when this chapter will come to a close is something I cannot bring myself to do. For as long as I have been at this, there is nothing else I can do until I accomplish this entirely. One may compliment my tenacity for conclusions rather than jeering it as aimless stubbornness or pride. 

It is at least a concrete resolve, no matter which direction I may go. 

Sifting between what I share and what you've shared, you now have a new conclusion, a revelation, about us coming together and going somewhere. But a question continuously spurs me as much as it has you. Your answer leaves only further queries on my end and our relationship. What else springs from this drive to be together besides the glaring external variables that are beyond stressing you out? 

Nelia, you remain seeking yet are convinced in this letter that you have something in mind. I entrust your goals to be well-meaning, and I ask what is there in the long run beyond doing things on account of other relationships? 

How much will you risk for the boy you dream of saving? Is guilt rooting you down to attempt to reverse a mistake you feel can be undone? As far as I understand from this letter, that is your current goal. That has been the clearest I have understood of what you have wanted to do. This is past starting a career in labor law and your past training in the Mduara Kuona. 

Become the woman you want to be, which will steady your future's compass. The arrow keeps turning and turning, unnecessarily working like a poor-functioning clock and needs calibration. You will soon find the direction you need to take. 

There, you can see who you want to become. There, you can figure out what you want and why. 

Time will only make us lose opportunities, but it will not lose us. I will still be here, as you will, accomplishing what we want to do. As you discover what you wish to do, I still have my fair share of goals. That remains something I still have to accomplish, but I at least know my calling. 

The duress you are under, with these new obligations and the people you are around, complicates many things. Do not abandon it, but remember that under such stress, one cannot ascertain what one wants. The mind focuses on the present and current fixes to a problem; the life of another, or your own, is not considered when solving things. 

When we meet again, it may not be at the right time and place, but we will be in another person's company again. When we meet after that, some things may even be wrong, but there are still us. So on and so forth, our paths will cross repeatedly because we desire it. 

Maybe then, we will both have the answers we want. 

Give yourself a break, Nel, and don't get in over your head. 

Until we meet again, Estranha Extrana 

Comics read this past week:

Marvel Comics:

Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes (1963) #1-5

These issues were published across March 1963 to November 1963, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Stan Lee and penciled by Jack Kirby. Issues #1-3 were inked by Dick Ayers and issues #4-5 were inked by George Roussos.

This book takes place during WWII and the premise behind the group is that the Howling Commandoes is a uniquely tough team that specializes in what are seemingly suicide missions. Nick Fury is a very abrasive man, which is partially an act that he lets up a bit when he’s not with his men. And when speaking to his own commanding officer, Captain “Happy Sam” Sawyer, the roles are reversed and Nick is respectful and sometimes almost meek. For example, issue #2, when he’s told that the Commandoes have been assigned a new mission right after they’ve just gotten back from one, Nick says, “The boys are pretty bushed, Cap’n! How much of a rest can they have first?” After being told none, he goes back to his men and wakes them up aggressively, acts like them needing a rest is silly and unnecessary, and insults them as he’s getting them going on their mission. In issue #5 Nick is temporarily stripped of his rank and made a private, and he expects his men to want to get back at him for how he’s been so rough on them, but instead they’re all really nice, making concessions for him and offering to trade loads. This makes him yell at them in anger and they respond with relief that he’s acting like himself and not all dejected.

The various members are not all super distinct to me. Gabriel Jones stands out, not because he’s the one Black man on the team, which is not consistently and always noticeably portrayed, but because he’s always carrying a bugle with him. This is sometimes used strategically in missions where he’ll play to pull the enemy’s attention towards him. In issue #3, as the Commandos are charging at opposing forces, he’s playing and one of the others says to him, “Hey, Gabe! Enough with that bugle, huh? They know we’re here!” Gabe’s personal thing is that he’s into jazz. When the Commandoes are taking a stop at a base in issue #3 he says, “Man, wouldn’t I like to be wailin’ with Jonah Jones back at the Embers right now!” And then, “Man, I’ve been waiting a long time for this visit to town! Hope they have a good jazz combo somewhere!”

Corporal “Dum Dum” Dugan also stands out because he has a unique hat. His personal thing is that he joined the army to get away from his wife. In issue #2, as the Commandoes are grumbling about their mission being yet another suicide mission, he says, “Well, you don’t catch me complainin’! Any kind of mission is more peaceful than going back to my wife!” Nick tells him, “Dum-Dum, I don’t think you got a wife! Who’d marry an old walrus like you??” In issue #3 Dum Dum says, referring to Nick, “Of all the crummy luck! I joined the army to get away from my battle-ax wife, and now I’m stuck with a cigar-smoking human gorilla!” In issue #5 he says, “Look alive, you deadheads! Even my ball and chain, bless her pointy little head, is a better soldier than you slobs!” And one of the others tells him, “How would you know, Dum Dum? You ain’t been home to see her in twenty years!!!” Dum Dum also has issues with his mother-in-law. In issue #3, as the Commandoes are being fired at, one of the others says, “Hey, Dum Dum! Isn’t that a field piece barkin’ at us?” And Dum Dum responds, “Either that or my mother-in-law! Naw, it’s not loud enough for her!”

In issue #4 one of the Commandoes is killed, Jonathan “Junior” Juniper, who’s character description in the first issue reads: “Fresh out of an ivy-league college, Junior is the cheerful, eager-beaver of the group! But don’t let his youthful smile fool you! He’s fast as a panther, and just as dangerous!” The scene he dies in isn’t noticeably more dangerous than the types of situations the Commandoes are in regularly. In issue #5 Nick is noticeably very upset about his death and one of the others thinks, “Never saw anything like it! Fury acts just like Junior was his own son! He’ll never forgive himself for what happened!”

Black Widow: Deadly Origin (2010) #1-4

These issues were published across November 2009 to February 2010, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Paul Cornell. The present day parts of the book were penciled by Tom Raney and inked by Scott Hanna and the flashbacks that are throughout the book were drawn by John Paul Leon.

Both writing and art-wise the flashback parts of the story were much stronger than the modern day parts. The flashbacks retold her origin and revisited various parts of her publication history in a way that impressively strung together various surprise reveals and retcons that had been made over the years to actually make them make sense together. The modern day part of the story is set into motion with the murder of Ivan Petrovitch, which leads into a plot where Natasha discovers that she was made “filthy” and infected with “microscopic biomachines” that she infected anyone she was close to with, which when activated make the loved ones of her loved ones brutally attack them, and which is revealed at the end to be the work of Ivan Petrovitch, who faked his death and turned himself into a cyborg.

Black Widow (2004) revealed/retconned that Natasha’s backstory of growing up as a ballerina and then wanting to become a spy when her husband was killed was actually false implanted memories and that she’d been raised in the Red Room and trained to be a spy since she was young. I’ve been confused since then about how Ivan would fit into that, because his role in her backstory was that he saved her life when she was an infant, and he continued to be a positive part of her life when she was an adult. According to issue #1 of this book, Ivan had to leave Natasha in someone else’s care when he was called for military service and, not wanting his “little girl” to go to an orphanage, he brings her to a comrade high in the military, who unbeknownst to Ivan takes Natasha to the Red Room. Later, when Natasha is an adult, Ivan is injured and Natasha accepts a deal, though Ivan tries to resist, for them both to take a super-soldier serum-like thing to save his life. This explains how they can both be from the time period they were originally based in and still be alive and young in modern comics. Significantly, to me, Ivan’s intended final words were: “Just you from now on… Proud of you, my little girl.”

In issue #2 Natasha is confused between her cover as a ballerina in the Bolshoi and as a Black Widow of the Red Room, which is also attributed to the serum she’d been given being unstable. This explains how she didn’t know about her real backstory until the time of Black Widow (2004). Natasha tells Ivan, “I can’t tell what’s true anymore.” After the “death” of Natasha’s husband, Alexei, she volunteers to become a spy against the west, which is what her original backstory is. She says, even though she believes herself to be an “ordinary Soviet housewife,” “For some reason I feel I have skills I can offer- women I can be!” The person she’s making the request to was not involved in the Red Room and doesn’t approve of it and says, “She’s still trying to work it all out, trying to explain all the things she is… Casting off the peaceful retirement I tried to give her, not willing to vanish into being a normal person.” Ultimately, the decision is made to “follow her wishes.” The rest of Natasha’s history largely plays out as it did, but with the timeline changed so that she spent decades as a spy for Russia. This is so that her defection can happen as it did in the 60s comics, after she’s met Tony Stark and Clint Barton, but so those events can take place more recently and not age all of those other characters considerably. In Black Widow (2004) it was also revealed/retconned that Natasha’s defection was because Nick Fury was manipulating her with pheromones and not actually because of her own principles, which seems to have been dropped here as the focus is on Natasha trying to be a “whole” person and working towards that. I appreciate that because that reveal was a horrific removal of her agency throughout her whole history. Similarly, I appreciate that Natasha, despite brainwashing, is made to be the driving force behind her work against the west.

I have more mixed feelings about the changes to Ivan Petrovitch. The explanation for his plotting against Natasha in the modern day parts of the book is that he’s obsessively in love with her and hurt by her rejection, which she attributes to the unstable serum. I had enjoyed their positive father-daughter relationship in the previous stories I read with him and Natasha. And I do think that that he was fully aware of her Red Room backstory for decades while she wasn’t is a little unideal. But ultimately the story doesn’t not work and has compelling moments. In a flashback in issue #3 to a few years ago, before this book but long after Natasha defected from Russia, Ivan tells her, “You never understood… I didn’t want to be your father. Or your guardian. Or your uncle. Or your friend. I wanted more than that.” Natasha tells him, “If I didn’t understand… It’s because I wanted the father, the guardian, the uncle and the friend.” In another flashback in issue #4 he tries to convince her to work with him again on what ends up being his big evil plot in this book. He tells her, “You’ve had your chance to be Natalia for the world. Maybe it’s time to go back to being my little Natasha.” Then he forcible kisses her and she pushes him off and says, “You must know, after all these years… I don’t think of you like that. I can’t. I can’t think of you as a-” He tells her, “You have no idea how you’ve hurt me all these years. Watching you pick favorites as the old certainties fell apart.” Later, in the modern day part of the book when he’s an evil cyborg, he tells her, “This body is fully functional, you know. Ha ha ha!” And then, “Come and sit on Uncle Ivan’s lap.”

There was also a flashback in issue #4 dated “four years ago” in which Natasha tells Yelena Belova, “Yelena, I accept you’re the latest brilliant graduate of the Red Room… But you have to see you’re being manipulated. You have to do the right thing.”

Black Widow (2010) #1-5

These issues were published across April 2010 to August 2010, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Marjorie Liu and drawn by Daniel Acuña.

In this book Natasha is being plotted against by someone who keeps leaving roses and ribbons for her to find, which are revealed to be a reference to a deeply personal and secret experience from Natasha’s youth. During WWII, when Natasha was 16, she fell in love with a fellow soldier named Nikolai. They had no way to officially get married, but he gave her a ribbon to wear as a wedding ring. Natasha got pregnant, Nikolai died, and the baby, which she named Rose, was stillborn. Natasha learns that she’s infertile because of the Red Room in Black Widow (2004), which is referenced again in Black Widow: Deadly Origin and therefore is still canon, so it was shocking to learn that Natasha had gotten pregnant before that. But it’s unfortunate timing for this to come right after a whole book about Natasha’s past, my reaction was largely that it’s just unnecessary.

Part of the villain’s plot against her is revealing that Natasha had been secretly spying on everyone with super-powers and framing that she tried to sell that information for profit. While this causes problems for her with the government, the reaction of her friends in the superhero community is largely just that that’s unsurprising and they don’t care because they trust Natasha. When Natasha is defending herself to Elektra she says, “You and I both know that any of us can be turned. How many times has it already happened? One of us, going bad? Against our will? By choice? How many friends have betrayed us, Elektra? How many times does it take, before we start arming ourselves with knowledge?” Though I believe it wasn’t just for that reason. In an earlier scene she said, “Good times don’t last forever,” and then referred to the data chip as her “plan B.”

Also, I enjoyed the depiction of Natasha and Bucky’s relationship in this book.

Black Widow (2010) #6-8 and Widowmaker (2011) #1-4

These issues were published across September 2010 to February 2011, according to the Marvel Wiki. The Black Widow issues were written by Duane Swierczynski, penciled by Manuel Garcia, and inked by Lorenzo Ruggiero. Of Widowmaker, issues #1 and #3 were written by Jim McCann, while issues #2 and #4 were written by Duane Swierczynski. And issues #1 and #3 were penciled by David Lopez and inked by Alvaro Lopez, while issues #2 and #4 were penciled by Manuel Garcia, with issue #2 being inked by Lorenzo Ruggiero and Javier Bergantiño and issue #4 being inked by just Lorenzo Ruggiero.

The Black Widow (2010) issues had Natasha working to figure out the identity of someone plotting against her which did not get resolved in those issues and instead lead into Widowmaker, but that book only referenced the specific events of the Black Widow (2010) issues once when Natasha gets hit in a fight in the same place that was injured in the Black Widow (2010) issues. Honestly, I didn’t think that they were necessary, I could have just been told that Natasha was in the middle of uncovering this conspiracy against her, which I was told at the beginning of Widowmaker #1, and that alone would have been sufficient.

Widowmaker starred Natasha, Clint Barton, Bobbi Morse, and Dominic Fortune, who are all being conspired against for various reasons. In the end the person behind everything is revealed to be Alexei Shostakov, Natasha’s husband from before she defected from Russia to the United States, who’s motivation is that he’s still very dedicated to Russia but feels that his Russia no longer exists, so he’s going to take over the country to remake it. And also he hates Natasha. I was very surprised that Alexei was alive because he died in the 60s and in my readings I missed the modern story that revealed him to actually still be alive. I was also surprised that he hates Natasha as all the stories I had read that referenced him up to that point depicted her sincerely mourning him.

Note: That Alexei is alive is actually briefly portrayed for 1 page in Black Widow: Deadly Origin #4, which I missed until I was working on this round-up amidst everything else that happened in that issue. Their dynamic there is actually portrayed positively, which makes more sense to me.

In Widowmaker #4 Natasha makes a plea to Alexei that was actually intended for a young woman working for him, which works. Natasha explains this plan as: “She was like me, once. Young. Impressionable. Eager to please. But not beyond redemption. […] I know the things Alexei promises impressionable young girls. I know how it stings to hear he’s promised others the same things.” I haven’t read Alexei’s original appearances in the 60s yet, but this doesn’t really match up with how their relationship has been portrayed in the various flashbacks I’ve seen.

Also, in Widowmaker #1 Dominic Forture makes a reference to working with Yelena Belova in the team Vanguard in Marvel Comics Presents (2007) by telling Natasha, “Ran with a Black Widow once, not long ago. She was a blonde.” Natasha responds, “She was lucky. She got out of here years ago,” referring to the Red Room.

Daredevil (1998) #61-64 and #77-81

The first batch of Daredevil issues was published across June 2004 to September 2004 and then the second batch was published across September 2005 to January 2006, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Alex Maleev.

I read the first batch of issues because it was the storyline where Alexei Shostakov was revealed to still be alive and then the second batch of issues because Natasha also appeared in them. The inciting incident of the first storyline is a deal being made where the U.S. will trade Natasha to another country in exchange for one of their prisoners. Natasha is tipped off by Nick Fury and goes to hide in plain sight with Matt Murdock, her ex-boyfriend who’s having a lot of personal problems and is in the media a lot because his secret identity as Daredevil is barely a secret and is constantly publicly speculated to be Matt. When Matt asks why she’s there she tells him, “I was in London, on a crap assignment. And it was getting to me, okay? I was getting the jitters. I’ve been on the road for over a year without a break and I’m not doing well in my head.” And then, “I just wanted to crash for a day or two. Maybe get the old juices flowing again, you know. Nothing- no hidden agenda. I just needed a friend.” The plan to hide in plain sight goes awry because Natasha didn’t realize that the people who want her would accept her dead or alive and they try to have her assassinated in a way that’s disguised as a part of Matt’s ongoing problems. Then Natasha finally tells Matt the truth and says, “I am glad I’m here, Matthew- I do miss you. And I do love you. You know that. I miss us. I do. But I’m sorry, that’s not why I came.” In the very end it’s revealed that the person who made the request for Natasha is Alexei Shostakov without any explanation as to how he’s alive. It’s a little wild for me that this reveal was just dropped and then nobody did anything with Alexei until 2010. When Natasha asks him why he wanted her he says, “I don’t like you.” And then, “I don’t like to lose.”

When Natasha is explaining the true story to Matt she says, about Nick Fury, “He told me to run. Even though it might have cost him his job to do so. That is loyalty. That is why I put my life in that man’s hands.” Nick is working to resolve the situation while Natasha is with Matt, and at the end of the story he tells the American side of the deal, “My agents aren’t for sale or trade,” and then threatens him if anything like this ever happens again. The second storyline is the chaos as Matt’s secret identity is finally revealed and he’s arrested. In the beginning Natasha tries to intervene on Matt’s behalf by going to Maria Hill, the new commander of S.H.I.E.L.D., in an awkward scene where she requests that S.H.I.E.L.D. gets the case against Matt dropped and she’s told that, “Nick Fury owes you a favor or two,” and, “Nick Fury’s business was Nick Fury’s business. What you had with him was all well and good… But he’s not here now. There is procedure and inter-departmental protocol and I’m not going to make one of my first moves as acting director of this world-wide peacekeeping task force a muscle job on the feds over something that frankly is none of our business.”

Captain America (1968) #615.1-619

These issues were published across March 2011 to June 2011, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Ed Brubaker, except for issue #616 which was a special 94-page anniversary issue with stories written him as well as Howard Chaykin, Cullen Bunn, Mike Benson, Frank Tieri, Kyle Higgins, and Alec Siegel. Issue #615.1 was drawn by Mitchel Breitweiser. Issue #616 contained stories drawn by Mike Deodato, Ed McGuinness (with inking assistance from Dexter Vines), Howard Chaykin, Jason Latour, Paul Grist, Paul Azaceta, and Pepe Larraz. Seventeen pages of issue #617 were penciled by Butch Guice and inked by Stefano Gaudiano, 6 were drawn by Mike Deodato, and 7 were drawn by Chris Samnee. Eighteen pages of issue #618 were penciled by Butch Guice and inked by Stefano Gaudiano and 12 were drawn by Chris Samnee. And 6 pages of issue #619 were penciled by Butch Guice and inked by Stefano Gaudiano, 17 were drawn by Mitchell Breitweiser, and 7 were drawn by Chris Samnee. I was particularly impressed with the art of these final 3 issues.

Issue #615.1 was a special issue that focused on Steve Rogers when Bucky Barnes was still the focus of the main book. In it a well-meaning person tries to fill the void of the Captain America mantle, then gets captured by A.I.M. and has to be rescued by Steve on his first day. Steve tells him to stop trying to be Captain America and the guy agrees, but he also tells Steve, “But someone’s gonna have to wear it eventually… You know that, right?” Then Sharon discovers that Nick Fury was the one behind giving the well-meaning guy enhanced strength, as well as orchestrated him getting captured by A.I.M. She recognizes that Nick is trying to manipulate Steve into becoming Captain America again, and she’s not happy about it, but she agrees to not tell Steve what Nick did because she ultimately agrees with him when he says, “Somebody’s gotta carry that shield… That’s a fact. Only question is, how long it’s gonna take Steve to realize who it has to be.” I liked Sharon being willing to lie to Steve. I had found her to be a really interesting character in Captain America (2005) and so far largely haven’t been compelled by her portrayal in the comics I’ve read since then, but this felt like a return to the differences between Steve and Sharon before Dr. Faustus messed with her head.

The first story in issue #616 and the rest of these issues make up the “Gulag” storyline, which has Bucky in a Siberian prison. In the first story in issue #616, Steve says, “Listen to me, Bucky… I don’t care what I have to do. I will fix this.” This does not end up happening. Steve’s in a difficult position, considering his job, where if he does anything illegal to help Bucky he’ll cause an international incident, and trying to get Bucky released legally doesn’t work out. In the end, Natasha ends up breaking him out because he’s going to get killed there. I honestly would have liked to have seen Steve be a bit more reckless and willing to be self-destructive in order to help Bucky, thinking back to how intensely he mourned Bucky in the early issues of The Avengers (1963). It’s a disappointment to me that we didn’t end up getting a bit of that energy again. And it’s also disappointing to me that the characters have been largely living separate lives in separate books since Steve has come back, when a big part of the tragedy of Steve’s death to me was that Bucky had been avoiding him and had only briefly interacted with him once since regaining his memories.

These issues felt like bad thing after bad thing happening to Bucky. In a bit of characterization that I liked, in the story in issue #616 he thinks, “This is the trajectory of my life… Every time things are finally stable… finally good… something sudden happens… to wreck it all… and then I learn to live with that… And after a while… worse-off becomes the new normal… and then it starts all over again. I didn’t try to explain that to Steve the last time I saw him… He wouldn’t have understood.”

In issue #619, after Steve tries to defend Bucky for escaping, the president tells him, “No matter what happens, James Barnes can’t be Captain America anymore.” And then Nick Fury tells him, “Barnes is way too tarnished now to carry the shield. But he never wanted it, anyhow. He just wouldn’t let anyone else have it. And after that… He was only tryin’ to impress you.” Even though it’s true that Bucky had wanted to give up being Captain America when Steve came back and had to be pressured into continuing by Steve, this still made me feel really bad for Bucky.

Captain America (2011) #1-19

These issues were published across July 2011 to October 2012, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Ed Brubaker. Issues #1-4 were penciled by Steve McNiven and issue #5 was penciled by Steve McNiven with Giuseppe Camuncoli. Issue #1 was inked by Mark Morales, issue #2 by Jay Leisten and Dexter Vines, issues #3-4 by Jay Leisten, and issue #4 was inked by Jay Leisten and Matteo Buffagni. Issues #6-10 were penciled by Alan Davis and inked by Mark Farmer. Issues #11-14 were drawn by Patrick Zircher. Issue #15-18 were penciled by Scot Eaton and inked Rick Magyar, except for issue #16 which Rick Ketcham and Mark Pennington also worked on the inking of. And issue #19 was drawn by Steve Epting.

There was not a lot in these issues that was of interest to me. In issue #4 we see a depiction of Steve’s idealized dream-world. In it the American dream has been achieved, which looks like a fairly generic futuristic sunny utopia. Steve is long retired from being Captain America because, as he explains it, the world doesn’t need Captain America anymore. And he’s glad for that, but, though he’s modest about it, he’s also still revered and thought of as Captain America by people he meets. And in this dream-world Steve and Sharon are astronauts. As he sees it, they’ve “got a front row seat to the future.” Sharon tells him, “Our children will be born on the moons of Jupiter and populate the stars.”

Steve being an astronaut has come up in other Ed Brubaker-written comics before. In Captain America (2005) #1 he explains to Sharon that he feels bad that he was frozen in ice during the space race, saying, “I feel guilty when I think of all those men who died trying to reach the stars… That it should’ve been me taking those risks. That’s what I was built for, after all.” And Captain America (2005) #10 was a tie-in to the House of M event and explored an alternate universe in which, among other things, Steve was never frozen in ice and did actually participate in the space race and was the astronaut who took the first steps on the moon, instead of Neil Armstrong.

The emphasis on Sharon and Steve’s (presumably super-serum enhanced) children being the future read strangely to me. I don’t personally have a valorization of bloodlines and certain genetics or really just family more simply. But the idea in Captain America comics of Steve’s physical and moral superiority and how they are tied together stands out beyond that. Like the idea that he is of a different, special breed partially because he comes from the past, a better, simplier time, or because he is an American. I don’t mean that in a negative way necessarily, it’s part of what interests me about these comics. But I do think that these things generally have an innocuous intention.

In #6 Clint refers “losing Bucky” as something that Steve has gone through recently and Steve thinks, “I feel bad lying to Hawkeye… But Bucky wants the world thinking he’s dead. So it’s not my decision.” This is the only comic I read this past week that said that Bucky was believed to be dead. Where we left things off in Captain America (1968) #619, he was correctly believed to have escaped from his Siberian prison. Clint also refers to Natasha being on leave, which is presumably with the cover that she’s mourning Bucky. Where we left things off in Captain America (1968) #619, it seemed that she was going to be a wanted fugitive alongside Bucky for helping to break him out of prison.

Issue #19 was a decent conclusion to Ed Brubaker’s run writing Captain America. It went over Cap’s history and therefore Ed Brubaker’s vision of it in the format of Steve talking about himself to William Burnside. I was a little bit confused by that premise because Bucky shot him and was very confident he killed him in Captain America (1968) #605. And if Steve was aware that William Burnside was alive, I would think he would tell Bucky considering that he and Sam have an intervention for Bucky in Captain America (1968) #606 about his reckless behavior that they correctly attribute to the trauma of killing someone who looks and sounds exactly like Steve. And even if Steve only met with William after that, Captain America (1968) #605 made a point to show that Bucky intended to wait at the site until William’s body was found out (he fell into a lake after taking several bullets to the chest) of respect for him. The opening of this issue is William acting as Captain America, being confronted by Steve, and then getting hit by a car while running away, so I thought at first maybe this whole issue took place in the past before Bucky killed him, but the ending makes more sense for it to be in the modern day and his Marvel Wiki page lists him as alive. This is actually a little unfortunate to me, because when he was thought to have died I thought that at least he and Jack Monroe were both dead now, because it seemed unfair that he would get to live while Jack was tragically dead.

Captain America and Bucky (2011) #620-624

These issues were published across July 2011 to November 2011, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Ed Brubaker and Marc Andreyko and drawn by Chris Samnee. The artwork of these issues was also notably really great.

Issue #620 depicts Bucky’s upbringing and training and ends with him becoming Captain America’s partner, issues #621-623 depict him as Captain America’s partner, and then issue #624 is about Bucky’s time as the Winter Soldier.

In Captain America (2005) #31 it’s referred to as that, “How you talked them into letting you stay on the base while your little sister was sent away to boarding school is a mystery even to you.” But in Captain America and Bucky #620 it’s depicted that Bucky was told after his father’s funeral that that was what was going to happen, that “I would stay on the base with my dad’s old pals looking out for me,” with the reasoning given that, “That’s how Jimmy would have wanted it, kiddo.” And Bucky just accepted it, saying, “Sure, Major Samson… Whatever you say.” That phrasing of it in Captain America (2005) #31 makes sense to me as how Bucky would have misremembered that event as him having more agency in it. I still found it very striking how there were tears in Bucky’s eyes as he waved his sister goodbye, which was paired with the narration, “I used the mask Dad taught me to wear even more, then… to hide how scared and alone I really felt.” Also, Major Samson is the one who recommended Bucky for the job of Captain America’s partner and these issues made me wonder when exactly that idea was first had as it’s something that was just sprung on Bucky; he doesn’t know.

In Captain America and Bucky #621 Steve expresses some concerns about Bucky’s eagerness to get involved in the war and tells him, “Taking a life can be simple… but living with what you’ve done… that’s not so simple.” The events of this issue end up having Bucky have to kill someone for the first time and while he says, “It had to be done… so I did it… Simple as that,” he’s clearly really affected by it. This made me think of how Bucky’s role as Captain America’s partner was both to be a symbol and to do some dirty work that Captain America couldn’t, which was explained to Steve right before he first meets Bucky in Captain America (2005) #12 as, “And if he gets his hands a little dirtier than most soldiers when no one’s looking… Well, that’ll be our secret, right?” And Bucky feeling guilty about the things he did during the war was brought up when he was being manipulated in Captain America (2005) #33 and he’s told, “You were barely human. A killer of men.” Steve seems to me to feel a bit guilty after Bucky first kills someone. I’m also struck by Bucky did not have any idea that that was the role he was being prepared for throughout his whole training. He does, while reminiscing on it in retrospect, make a joke about it that I found charming in Captain America and Bucky #620: “If I’d known how valuable I was to the U.S. government, I’d have pawned myself for a profit.”

Captain America and the Secret Avengers (2011) #1

The Captain America and the Secret Avengers issue was published in March 2011, according to the Marvel Wiki. It was written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and drawn by Greg Tocchini. I’m not interested in reading Secret Avengers (2010) right now, but I read this one-shot because it was focused on Natasha and Sharon Carter. But, unfortunately, the story and the portrayal of their relationship wasn’t really interesting.

Captain America & the Incredible Hulk (1981) #1 and Spider-Man & the Incredible Hulk (1981) #1-2 and Marvel Team-Up (1972) #104-105 and Captain America (1968) #257

The Captain America & the Incredible Hulk issue was a 7-11 promotional giveaway one-shot from 1981. The story, which was 11 pages, had them fighting Magneto. There was also 10 pages of Captain America or Hulk-themed games and 2 pages of advertising for Super Slurpee Superheroes t-shirts. I couldn’t find any information on who the creators of the comic were.

The Spider-Man & the Incredible Hulk issues were given out with the Dallas Times Herald in 1981 as advertising supplements for the department store chain Sanger-Harris. I could only find scans of two of them; it looks like there are 3 others that I’m missing. I couldn’t find any information on who the creators of these were, either. The stories were 15 pages, which were interspersed with a generous amount of advertisements for Sanger-Harris. The stories also both had multiple scenes, which were not very closely related to the supervillain plots, of various characters having a wonderful time shopping at Sanger-Harris. In the first issue the Sandman is framing the Hulk for his crimes by covering himself in green dye before them. Even before he discovers this, Peter knows that the Hulk is innocent. When he does discover it, he thinks, “Well, I always told Sandy he should pick on someone his own size!” Peter attacks the Sandman with his webs while he’s fleeing from the Hulk, causing the Sandman to change course and attack Peter, and the Hulk sees this and says, “Ugly man who becomes dust is chasing Web Man! Web Man tried to help Hulk! So Hulk will help Web Man!” He does this by picking up the tower that Peter is on so that he can hit the Sandman with it. As Peter floats down with a web-parachute, he says, “Thanks, Hulk- I think!” Also, in the second story Peter is searching the desert for a missing friend and thinks, when he finds the Hulk, “I forgot! The southwest is where the Hulk comes- to get away from people!”

Marvel Team-Up #104 was published in January 1981, according to the Marvel Wiki, and was written by Roger McKenzie, penciled by Jerry Bingham, and inked by Mike Esposito. It was a team-up between the Hulk and Ka-Zar, Master of the Savage Land. The Hulk’s part of the issue starts in media res with him on top of the Golden Gate Bridge with a young girl. One police officer goes up alone try to convince the Hulk to give him the child, but the Hulk says that the girl is his friend and accuses, “Banner sent you, didn’t he? Banner always torments Hulk!” But the girl protests, “Hulk, no! If you’re my friend don’t hurt him! Please… I want to go with him!” The Hulk acquiesces, then he becomes concerned that the police officer is going to slip and fall while trying to climb down with the girl, so he tries to take the girl back so that he can get her down himself. The Hulk explains his intentions, but the police officers down below can’t hear him, and so in a classic Hulk comic misunderstanding, they fire at the Hulk thinking that he’s attacking. Later, when the Hulk is alone and away from the chaos, the narration describes him in a roundabout way, saying, “Their lives are filled with darkness and pain and little else. No wonder they clutch with child-like desperation- to whatever shred of comfort they can fine.” And the Hulk thinks, “It is quiet here. Hulk likes quiet. Hulk would bring friend here… if Hulk had friend.”

Marvel Team-Up #105 was published in February 1981, according to the Marvel Wiki, and was written by Mike W. Barr, penciled by Carmine Infantino, and penciled by Mike Esposito. It was a team-up between the Hulk and the Heroes for Hire, Power Man and Iron Fist. At one point the Hulk sees a man slap his young daughter and goes to smash him, so to save the man’s life Luke runs over and punches him and says, “I hit ‘im for you, Hulk- He can’t hurt nobody now!”

Captain America #257 was published in February 1981, according to the Marvel Wiki, and was written by Mike W. Barr, penciled by Lee Elias, and inked by “Many Hands.” In this issue Steve and Bruce are both kidnapped by a villain group that is made up of Baron Zemo’s old henchmen. Specifically, Steve is kidnapped because they know that he visits the same cliff side spot overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in England on the same day every year, which turns out to be the anniversary of Bucky’s “death.” The villains used their study of Bruce’s body to perfect a weapon which they want to then use on Steve in order to avenge Zemo’s death. Bruce gets excited and turns into the Hulk during the escape attempt and Steve then tricks the Hulk into helping him by telling him that the villains are working for Bruce. When the Hulk gets stuck in Zemo’s Adhesive X, Steve tries to help get him loose, which the Hulk reacts to with fairly calm confusion, saying, “Huh? Why does Star-Man hit Hulk with plate? Hulk doesn’t like it!” I thought that this was cute. Later, when Steve has set the villains’ base to explode, he works hard and persistently to get the Hulk out with him even though the Hulk is making it difficult, which I also enjoyed.

Timely Publications:

the Jimmy Jupiter stories in Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) #28-35

In this batch of 8 Jimmy Jupiter stories I went from February 1942 to September 1942, according to the issue cover dates. The first 3 stories were 6 pages and then the rest were 7 pages. All were signed as by Eddie Robbins. His Who’s Who page says that he was just the penciler, and not the writer.

I started reading through Jimmy’s Golden Age stories because I was so emotionally effected by his role in the first arc of Captain America (2011). In issue #2 of that book his powers were explained as having the (possibly mutant) ability to enter what he called the Land of Nowhere, which was a surreal place he could shape with his imagination and take things out of, which is depicted as happening through portals. And he could also connect to other people’s dreams, so he was recruited to take a group of soldiers into the Land of Nowhere, connect to the dream of a Hydra agent, and then let the soldiers out so that they could raid a Hydra base that the Allies didn’t know the location of. Unfortunately for Jimmy, a Hydra spy hits him over the head with a heavy object to mess up the plan, which leaves him in a coma for 65 years (and also traps the soldiers in his dream-world for that length of time). He has limited brain function when he does wake up, and then he gets shot and killed having missed out on so much of his life.

I was struck by the thought while reading these stories that Jimmy is such a kid, he never really stood a chance. It’s hard to imagine him growing up. He’s very much well-suited for the adventures he goes on in the Land of Nowhere. He’s a sweet kid and doesn’t get into unnecessary trouble by being rude to the magical beings he meets, he can realistically get scared at times, but he’s also able to handle himself there and is really just having a lot of fun. I liked seeing in his second story how, when he was trapped with a rabbit companion in a magical circle by witches and needed a lucky charm to get out of it, he picked up his rabbit friend and rubbed his left foot three times to escape. Then, when lost in the witches’ complex castle with many doors, he just closed his eyes and spun around really fast and dizzily chose whatever door was in front of him. And then, when fighting a witch, he popped her by stabbing her with a pin he stole from one of her Sunday hats.

Throughout his stories there are times where it seems as though Jimmy is in real danger, but he largely doesn’t need anyone to tell him what to do. An exception to this is in the story in issue #34 when Jimmy is tempted by man named Temptation and another character, Werjil, tries to get Jimmy away from him. He accepts candy from Temptation despite Werjil’s protests, he refuses cigarettes on his own, then he goes on a merry-go-ride with Temptation which Werjil says he can only go on once or he’ll be trapped there forever. As Temptation is trying to get Jimmy to stand on the ride longer, a big muscular man named Will Power suddenly appears and beats up Temptation. So it seems that whatever happens, Jimmy can’t really be harmed in his dream-world.

The first time Jimmy visits the Land of Nowhere, in his first story, he falls out of a plane because he was too excited to buckle his seat belt and then seemingly lands in a cloud. And then end of the story a dragon is crying on Jimmy, getting him all wet, and then he wakes up to find that he apparently fainted while falling, but his parachute opened and saved him, and then the pilot poured a bucket of water over his head to wake him up. This kind of pattern continues to play out over the course of Jimmy’s stories in this batch, though in more mundane circumstances, where he often is somewhere where he could conceivably fall asleep, seemingly doesn’t and instead is whisked away on an adventure, and then wakes up at the end back in that mundane setting, with his fantasy adventure turning a little weird right before that. But the way that Jimmy falls asleep so often outside of his bed may be a part of his powers: the story across issues #31-32 seemingly takes place while he’s asleep on a roller coaster.

Jimmy has yet to take anything out of his dreams. He collects a handful of moonbeam in the story in issue #30 but then has to use it later when fighting gnomes that ride on bats. And he picks golden rods for his mother in the story in issue #35 but has to get rid of them because his dragon friend is allergic to them. I’m not expecting Jimmy to actually connect to anyone else’s dreams or to take anyone else into his own dreams in these Golden Age stories; I’m assume that that that’s something that Ed Brubaker made up. But Jimmy does believe that the adventure that he goes on are real, though nobody else does. In the story in issue #30 his mother tells him, “Jimmy, if you don’t stop telling these impossible stories, you will be punished!” And the opening narration of the story in issue #31 reads, “Hoping that the Land of Nowhere will be erased from Jimmy’s mind, his mother sends him to an amusement park.”

Alex Recommends: May Books

May has certainly been a crazy, exciting month and I am really looking forward to the summer getting under way. I don't say that very often, as I'm certainly a colder weather lover but my future is really looking bright at the moment.

I have managed to secure a full time job! The even better news than that is that it's in a university library, which hopefully means I'll get to use my MA. Speaking of which, I have now entered the dissertation period and really don't know how I will manage to fit that in around a full time job but it will have to be done.

I don't have a start date yet but they will almost certainly want me to start before September, so that I know what I'm doing when the students return. They have hired me and another person (who I will have met because we had a group interview with about 12 of us) as new full time library assistants and it seems to be a really lovely, supportive team. So, I really can't wait to get my librarian career started!

I have nailed down a dissertation topic and have begun the preliminary research for it. I'm still not completely sure of the format or how I'll get the data but there is still time to explore my options there.

Mark is also ready to start applying for teaching jobs and I know it won't be long before he gets something secured too. We are trying to move further south to make it easier to see both of our friends and families but it still needs to be within commuting distance of Birmingham, where my job is. So we'll see where we end up!

I have managed to read some fantastic books this month that I know you'll enjoy too. The rest of 2023 appears to be full of amazing sounding book releases and I can't wait to get to the ones that interest me the most! What have you recently read? Let me know! In the meantime, here are five recommendations for you to devour over the summer.

Until next time,

-Love, Alex x

FICTION: Yellowface by R. F. Kuang.

Athena Liu and June Hayward were close friends throughout their Yale days and their debut novels released at the same time. While Athena went on to literary stardom, June's book floundered and her writing faded into obscurity. So when Athena dies, June decides to rewrite and publish the recently finished manuscript about the Chinese labourers' role in World War One that Athena was working on. Why would it matter that the idea wasn't hers when she was the one who edited it and her publisher and agent are the ones who have rebranded her as the ethnically ambiguous Juniper Song? Athena would have wanted this story told and all she's doing is honouring her wishes, right? Everyone is reading and talking about Yellowface right now and I can certainly say that it is a very intense and frustrating read. At its core, it is an exposé on diversity or lack of it in publishing and a reflection on our society through a unique, thoroughly unhinged narrative voice. It is highly gripping and very thought-provoking, so you'll want to set some time aside to get stuck in and absorb its lessons.

NON-FICTION: Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby.

Samantha Irby's writing career has taken her to new heights, as she now takes calls from Hollywood and writes for a string of successful TV shows. But behind all the glamour, she is actually still trying to just survive. These funny, open essays detail the parts of Samantha's life that might not make it into her new life full of fame and fortune. The essays talk about bodily functions, getting older, family issues, Sex and the City and sex in an honest, refreshing manner. They can be quite graphic at times, so Irby's style is perhaps not for everyone but she is certainly a witty, snarky voice that is not afraid to shy away from the truth.

MIDDLE-GRADE: The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them) by Nadine Aisha Jassat.

Nyla's dad died years ago but her grandma thinks she saw him recently in the supermarket. Nyla knows that this is probably just her grandma 'time-travelling' again, which is what happens when Grandma forgets things. However, Grandma is determined for Nyla to find her dad and bring him home and Nyla becomes determined to do exactly that, uncovering secrets along the way. The Stories Grandma Forgot is an emotional tale about dementia and the tragedy it can bring to a whole family. There is a really heartwarming ending that celebrates found families and the unearthing of forgotten love. It also highlights the role that libraries and the stories within them can play in a young child's life and the importance of keeping them alive. It also touches on the evil of racism and digs into how it affects victims of racial prejudice. There is so much in this powerful, poetic little story that I think everyone will get something a little different out of it.

YA: Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli.

Imogen is straight but she is a fantastic ally to the LGBTQ+ community of which her sister and both of her best friends belong to. Imogen goes along to the Pride Alliance meetings and keeps up with issues affecting queer people, so that she can be the support that her friends need her to be. So, when she visits Lili at college and meets Lili's new queer friends, Imogen fits right in. However, Lili's new friends think that Imogen is bisexual because Lili pretended that she and Imogen used to date. So no one knows that Imogen is definitely straight. She knows she is, so why does the beautiful, fascinating Tessa seem so intriguing? Imogen, Obviously a really cute story about discovering your sexuality may not be what you thought it was and the struggles that come with that. The romance is adorable and it felt so authentic and pure. It also explores toxic friendships and attitudes within the LGBTQ+ community, which is something that I'm not sure many YA queer books do. So, it definitely felt like an important, multi-layered, real story.

THRILLER: The Last Word by Taylor Adams.

Emma has escaped to a remote house on the Washington coast with her golden retriever, Laika. She is house-sitting for a woman named Jules and the only neighbour appears to be an old guy called Deek. Emma fills her days by devouring Kindle Unlimited novels and reviewing them online. When she gives a one star review to a particularly bad horror novel by an author named H. G. Kane, she never expected to receive a heated reply from the author himself. Or to be the target for a relentless stalker with blood on his mind. This fast-paced and thoroughly gripping thriller had me hooked almost instantly. There are plenty of twists, an unexpected ending and loads of action with genuine fear for Laika's safety. Laika was definitely the only character I cared about but unlikeable characters are certainly best placed in high-stakes thrillers like this with their comeuppance just around the corner.

Impact of Wetland Surface Area on Seasonal Daily Extreme Flow Characteristics during the Summer-Fall Season in Southern Quebec (Canada)

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to determine the impact of wetlands on the characteristics (magnitude, frequency, duration, timing and variability flow) of daily maximum and minimum extreme flows in summer-fall season (July to November) over the 1945-2019 period in Petite Nation watershed. Three relatively close watersheds [Matawin River (1,390km²), Petite Nation River (1,330km²) and L’Assomption River (1,340km²)], which are differentiated mainly by the types of land use (wetland and agricultural areas), were studied. In the Petite Nation River watershed, which has the largest wetland surface area (15%), the frequency of flood occurrence significantly decreased, resulting in a decrease in the magnitude and duration of seasonally daily maximum flows and their early occurrence during the season. In contrast, the interannual rate change flow in the timing and duration of these flows is greater than that observed in the other two watersheds. The “sponge effect” of wetlands on daily maximum flows was not observed on daily minimum flows, whose magnitude is not significantly different from those of the Matawin River (reference watershed). In contrast, in the Petite Nation watershed, minimum flows last longer and occur on average later in the season than in the other two watersheds.

Read More about this Article: https://juniperpublishers.com/ijesnr/IJESNR.MS.ID.556278.php

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Global Ethernet Card Market Is Estimated To Witness High Growth Owing To Increasing Demand for High-Speed Data Transfer

The global Ethernet Card Market is estimated to be valued at US$ 6.25 billion in 2023 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 9% over the forecast period 2023-2030, as highlighted in a new report published by Coherent Market Insights. Market Overview: Ethernet cards are network interface cards that enable the connection of devices to a local area network (LAN). They facilitate high-speed data transfer and are widely used in various industries such as IT & telecommunications, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing. The advantages of using Ethernet cards include improved network performance, scalability, and cost efficiency. With the increasing demand for high-speed data transfer and the growing adoption of cloud computing and IoT technologies, the market for Ethernet cards is expected to witness significant growth. Market Key Trends: One key trend driving the growth of the Ethernet Card Market is the increasing demand for high-speed connectivity. As organizations rely more on digital infrastructure and require faster data transfer rates, the need for high-performance Ethernet cards has risen. For example, with the introduction of 5G technology and the increasing popularity of video streaming services, there is a growing demand for Ethernet cards that can support higher bandwidths to provide seamless connectivity. This trend is expected to drive the market growth of Ethernet cards in the coming years. PEST Analysis: - Political: Government policies and regulations on data security and privacy can impact the adoption of Ethernet cards, especially in industries such as healthcare and finance. - Economic: The growing digital economy and increasing investments in IT infrastructure are driving the demand for Ethernet cards. - Social: The proliferation of smartphones and other connected devices has led to an increase in data consumption, necessitating faster network speeds. - Technological: Advancements in Ethernet card technology, such as the development of higher bandwidth standards like 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 25 GbE, are driving market growth. Key Takeaways: - The Global Ethernet Card Market Demand is expected to witness high growth, exhibiting a CAGR of 9% over the forecast period, due to increasing demand for high-speed data transfer. For example, the adoption of Ethernet cards in data centers and cloud computing environments is increasing to support the growing demand for storage and processing capabilities. - North America is expected to be the fastest-growing and dominating region in the Ethernet Card Market, driven by the presence of major players and the rapid adoption of advanced technologies in the region. - Key players operating in the global Ethernet Card Market include Intel Corporation, Broadcom Inc., Mellanox Technologies (now part of NVIDIA), Cisco Systems Inc., Juniper Networks Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Dell Technologies Inc., Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Arista Networks Inc., Extreme Networks Inc., Juniper Networks Inc., Marvell Technology Group Ltd., Fujitsu Limited, NEC Corporation, and Microchip Technology Inc. These players are focusing on product innovation and strategic partnerships to gain a competitive edge in the market. In conclusion, the global Ethernet Card Market is poised for significant growth due to the increasing demand for high-speed data transfer and the adoption of advanced technologies. With technological advancements and the expansion of digital infrastructure, Ethernet cards are expected to play a crucial role in ensuring seamless connectivity and network performance across various industries.

‎ ‎ ⋆⠀⠀&.⠀⠀٬⠀⠀❝ LETALIS INVOLVED IN SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT, THREE MEMBERS & TWO CIVILIANS HOSPITALIZED. ❞  ‎ ‎ ┉    published nov. 10, 2016

ʬ.ʬ.⠀written by ⸻ chitalisred.

Representatives from Apricus Culture have confirmed reports that Letalis was involved in a serious car accident early this morning. According to the statement made by the agency, on November 10 (KST), the members of the girl group had wrapped up rehearsals for the company's annual end of year showcase and were on their way back to their dorm around 2AM. As the driver of the vehicle attempted to make a left turn, they lost control due to icy road conditions and spun into a railing alongside the road.

Currently, it is unclear who was driving the vehicle and which members were directly involved. The representative confirmed that three members were hospitalized along with two civilians who had been rear-ended.

The company concluded stating, "The health, both mental and physical, of the seven members of Letalis is our top priority. As a result, we will be rescheduling the group's upcoming activities in accordance with medical guidance."

UPDATED ARTICLE ⸻ nov. 17, 2016.

On November 10, Letalis was involved in a car accident that left three members and two civilians hospitalized. Seoul Police released additional details about the crash to the public this afternoon in an official press release.

According to the report, three members of the girl group: Melanie, Heri, and Naryun left the rehearsal space at approximately 1:47 AM on November 10. The three entered Melanie's vehicle to return back to their dorm, approximated to be a 10 minute drive. Around 1:52 AM, traffic cameras captured footage of the car, driven by Melanie, spinning out of control out of a left turn, colliding with another vehicle before crashing into a railing.

Police were called to the scene where Melanie passed a breathalyzer test with a blood alcohol level of 0.0% BAC. All five individuals involved received medical attention on the scene before being transported to the hospital.

The two civilians involved in the accident were diagnosed with minor injuries and released to go home hours later. Heri was diagnosed with a broken wrist and Melanie with a minor concussion and shoulder strain before both members were similarly discharged from the hospital.

The most severe of the injuries of the five belonged to Naryun who was kept for overnight observation due to severe bruising, whiplash, a dislocated shoulder, and bruised ribs. In addition to her injuries, Naryun was reported to be in "severe emotional distress" and required psychiatric attention several times over the course of her hospitalization before being released on November 14.

The group's label, Apricus Culture, released their own statement on November 15 announcing that the group had agreed to pull out of the company's end of year showcase as well as pausing any individual activities while their members recovered. Fans have taken to social media to voice their support for the three involved members, trending #GetWellSoon on Twitter over several days.

 ‎ ‎ ┉       *       VIEW COMMENTS

## USERNAME — 10 minutes ago get well soon girls 533 ↑ | ↓ 0

## USERNAME — 21 minutes ago "blood alcohol level of 0.0% BAC" they really want us to believe APRICUS CULTURE isn't above bribing a few officers to cover up a dui??? 1060 ↑ | ↓ 400

## USERNAME — 29 minutes ago so first emmy has a stalker in her apartment, naira has to file a restraining order, they fuck up juniper's hair, and now melanie, naryun, and heri get into a car accident? wtf is going on in letalisland? 571 ↑ | ↓ 103

## USERNAME — 6 minutes ago can we just say get well soon and move on, y'all do way too damn much 256 ↑ | ↓ 17

## USERNAME — 18 minutes ago i cannot be the only one who saw those three names together and thought what the hell are they doing in a moving car alone? 201 ↑ | ↓ 183

## USERNAME — 10 minutes ago not to be rude or anything, but don't those three hate each other's guts? it's kind of a given this would happen lol 318 ↑ | ↓ 206

Network Access Control Market Analysis, Key Manufacturers, Trends, Size and Forecasts Till 2028

Research Nester published a report titled “ Network Access Control Market: Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2028” which delivers a detailed overview of the network access control market in terms of market segmentation by product type, by services, by verticals, by deployment,  and by region.

Further, for the in-depth analysis, the report encompasses the industry growth drivers, restraints, supply and demand risk, market attractiveness, BPS analysis, and Porter’s five force model.

Network Access Control (NAC) is a method of boosting the security of a proprietary network by limiting the availability of network resources to endpoint devices as well as applying anti-threat applications such as firewalls, antivirus software, and spyware-detection programs. Network access control solutions make sure that anyone who gets into the system, both in terms of devices and users, is authorized.

The network access control market is expected to witness high CAGR during the forecast period, i.e., 2020-2028. The market is segmented by product type, services, verticals, deployment, and region. Among product segmentation, the hardware solution segment is expected to hold the leading market share on account of greater end-point visibility and compliance of  NAC solutions. The software segment is expected to growsignificantly during the forecast period owing to increasing cybercrimes and malware attacks.

Regionally, the network access control market is segmented into five major regions including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa region.

Download Sample of This Strategic Report @ https://www.researchnester.com/sample-request-730

The global network access control market is dominated by North America and is further expected to dominate throughout the forecast period owing to technological maturity, a growing rate of cybercrimes, data breaching, and the massive growth of the industrial sector in the region.

In the Asia Pacific region, the high adaption of mobile, social, and cloud technologies are going to contribute towards the growth of the network access control market. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa regions also appear as a hugepotential market in terms of the adoption of network access control solutions.

Advancements in technology

Technological advancements in the digital erasuch as the Internet of Things (IoT), bring your own device (BYOD), machine to machine networks, cloud-based services, and rise in web-based applications have set forth the application of network access control solutions in diverse sectors such as academia, healthcare, BFSI, government institutions, and others. These factors are contributing towardsdriving the demand for network access control systems.

However, a huge initial investment in cloud deployment and establishing appropriate policies for the network access control systems can lead to dip the growth of the network access control market.

Curious about this latest version of report? Obtain Report Details @ https://www.researchnester.com/reports/network-access-control-market/730

This report also provides the existing competitive scenario of some of the key players of the network access control market which includes company profiling of Forescout Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSCT), Aruba Networks, Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ: FTNT), Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE: JNPR), Portnox, Pulse Secure, LLC. , Sophos Group plc, Trustwave Holdings, Inc.

The profiling enfolds key information of the companies which encompasses business overview, products and services, key financials, and recent news and developments. On the whole, the report depicts a detailed overview of the network access control market that will help industry consultants, equipment manufacturers, existing players searching for expansion opportunities, new players searching possibilities and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies according to the ongoing and expected trends in the future.     

What does the Name Change Entail? Differentiation of Strains for Bacterial Names

Abstract

The frequent change of bacterial names and the consequences have been discussed in brief, with recent examples of Bacillus spp, and Lactococcus spp.

Keywords: Bacterial classification, B. paralicheniformis, B. licheniformis, L. plantarum and L. pentosus

Opinion

The bacterial classification change of names “Bacillus licheniformis into B. paralicheniformis, Lactobacillus plantaruam, L. pentosus and L. paraplantarum” and implications. The change of a strain name creates many hurdles in representing, patenting, and in academic events. Even more important, patents filed under the previous name may disappear as the new name appears. The incorporation of a new name locally is easy, but this is a major concern globally. In 2019, we filed a patent on the Bioprocess developed for the purification of (B. licheniformis), bacteriocin as a result, the patent granted. During the submission of the whole genome sequence (WGS) in the NCBI portal, we were informed that this is B. paralicheniformis, but based on 16S rRNA sequence it was B. licheniformis. Identical incident observed involving L. plantarum, after submitting the genome sequence, it was informed as L. pentosus. Current microbial classifications based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, and also a few housekeeping genes [1-4] have several limitations. They begin with low phylogenetic resolution at various taxonomic ranks [5], followed by missing diversity because of primer mismatches [6], finally formation of corrupt tree topologies by drawing together various disparate groups [7]. Subsequently, we discovered the incidents that led to a change in the names of a few bacterial strains. It was a certain type of nucleotide changes to non-standard housekeeping genes such as rec A. Surprisingly, if the 99.9 % similarities found in the 16S rRNA right away it may be sequence blasted at nucleotide level and given a specific name. If not, above 99.0 % sequence similarity may be considered as another but, without considering the 16S rRNA. The dependence more on other than 16S rRNA sequence may be followed/considered/ ignored. These kinds of sudden changes in the name, causes lot of complications. The change in the name sometimes disqualifies the strain for human applications, as it has not listed in the local food safety guidelines. The name changes also created irreparable damage in commercializing the products. At the end, we should understand and accept that nothing changes the nature of the objects under classification the level of variations needs accounted for in any proposal. The classification scheme could be measured based on the number of people subscribe to it. Therefore, we may conclude that classification schemes of changing the names are rarely “right” or “wrong” but considered as simple and formal procedures to relax the complexity. This subsequently, provides a common acceptable nomenclature.

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Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb: From acclaimed, mega-bestselling author Eoin Colfer comes a Christmas classic-in-the-making--a beautifully illustrated novel about an eleven-year-old girl's wild adventure to find her mother, protect a public park, and save Christmas.

Everyone knows Santa doesn't do Christmas anymore, but Juniper Lane only wants one thing this year: to celebrate the Santa Vigil in Cedar Park in honor of her late father. But then her mother goes missing and the park's bureaucratic director declares the vigil is canceled, so Juniper seeks the help of mysterious and grumpy woodsman Niko--who accidentally reveals his expert craftsmanship, flying reindeer, and magic powers. Niko insists he's not Santa and refuses to help, so it just might be up to Juniper to find her own magic and fly the sleigh herself.

From the beloved Eoin Colfer comes a story of hope, magic, and Christmas spirit, told with the author's signature exuberance and warmth. Juniper's Christmas is the perfect holiday read, year after year.

Review:

A Christmas adventure like no other featuring a Santa in hiding who has grown sick of his job and the eleven year old girl who wants to find her mom, protect a public park, and save Christmas! Ever since Santa lost his wife he stopped being Santa, in fact he got tired of people constantly demanding things of him while he was forced to be away from his family... so he stopped. Now the world doesn't do have Christmas anymore. Juniper Lane and her mom still celebrate the holiday with a Santa Vigil in Cedar Park in honor of her late father. Yet when her mom suddenly goes missing and the park's bureaucratic director declares the vigil cancelled, so begins Juniper's journey to see if she can get the park's mysterious grumpy woodsman Niko... who accidentally reveals that he is Santa, to help her find her mom. But helping her means using his magic again and coming out of hiding, and it also means that the elves can track him again. Nik refuses to help... but Juniper isn't going to let that stop her from getting what she wants and that means unlocking her own magic and even finding a way to fly the sleigh herself! This was a really fun and sweet adventure, perfect for middlegrade readers and perfect for the holiday time. It's a unique story filled with magic, hope, friendship and so much more. I would definitely recommend it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*