Fan Fiction

Arborescence by Rhett Davis is a near-future Australian eco-fiction novel about a phenomenon where people mysteriously transform into trees, exploring themes of environmentalism, human connection, and what it means to be human. The story follows a couple, Bren and Caelyn, as Caelyn becomes fascinated by the movement of people choosing to stand still and root themselves, while Bren remains skeptical, creating tension as the world shifts towards a new, greener reality. The book is praised for its blend of absurdity and realism. This book was published in the UK and Australia. You can find a digital copy online or order the hardback from Waterstones in the UK..

**NEW UPDATE:** Additional members of the cubing community have reached out to me and we all agree, the more cubing the better! I have removed the 12 person limit and we are adding an overflow cube for those also interested in non vintage type cubes! These guest cubes may consist of the following: \- Alex's Enchantment Cube: [Enchanted to Meet You](https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/enchantedCube)! \- Matthew's Avatar cube: [Avatar: The Last Airbender Power(ful) Cube](https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/avatarTLA) Priority will still fall to firing the vintage cube but what this means is if we reach 12 members we can offer the option to fire both cubes at 6 and 6 or just the vintage cube at 2 pods each. If we reach over 12 we will divide up the players between the two cubes with earlier RSVPs getting priority on their choice. If you have a cube that you are interested in having as a spill over cube please reach out to me and we can coordinate. Thank you! Come join and casually draft a vintage cube that is open to everyone. No cost to enter! The store provides promo booster packs and I usually throw in a pack of the most recent standard set to award to the people with the best records at the end of the night. [What is Cube?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNDBTRG6keM) What: Vintage Cube Draft When: 6:00pm Where: Your Hobby Place in Old Town Alexandria (Your Hobby Place, 700 N Washington St, Alexandria, VA 22314) We aim to start drafting shortly after 6:00pm as the store's register closes at 9:00pm. The store owner is kind enough to keep the space open for us to finish rounds. In previous events we've usually wrapped up around 9:45. All skill levels are welcome and all cards, lands, tokens needed are provided so you only need to bring yourself and potentially some dice and playmat if you prefer. The list can be seen here: [https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/proxybacon](https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/proxybacon) Join Your Hobby Place's Discord and grab the Cube Role in the mtg-chat channel for the most up to date information on cube at their location: [https://discord.gg/9je3G8vzXh](https://discord.gg/9je3G8vzXh) **Important Notice:** I have seen an increased number of signups and no shows amongst brand new accounts. In an effort to make sure we have room for everyone if this is your first time joining and you have just created a meetup account please reach out to me via Meetup or discord. **Late Policy:** RSVPing will hold your spot for up to 10 minutes after 6. If you expect you may be running late please reach out to me via the store's discord. My username is iluvbacon610.

Organization of women and men (associate members) dedicated to community service, education and supporting families in our community.

This month's selection is, "Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West," by Tom Holland! If you're new, welcome! Don't worry if you can't finish or don't like the book, we're here for good casual conversation...

Let's go deeper! More than just a fun aerobic exercise, immerse yourself in the cultural roots of Brazilian movements and stir in the contemporary expression of dance Flavia Nascimento is top trained Brazilian dancer helping others explore the Afro Diaspora of Brazil through movement and music. Join the class to lift your heart rate and elevate your spirit. $20

Join us for a writing workshop! Please submit your pieces to our Google Drive folder here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rCfaZslndSfQs91P4ue9eIMa9_5-LjJk?usp=drive_link When entering submissions, please consider the following guidelines: 1\. Keep submissions to approximately 2\,000 words\, maximum 2\. Consider adding a brief Author's Note to introduce your work and let us know what kind of feedback you are looking for 3\. Please ensure that your submission is appropriate for a general audience and include trigger warnings as necessary 4\. Try to post your submission by Saturday or Sunday at the latest so that people have time to read it before the event\. If you are coming to participate in Workshop, please read the submissions in the folder by Monday evening and prepare your feedback! We will aim to discuss each piece in the submission folder, although some pieces may be pushed to the following workshop if time runs short. Feel free to add your notes as comments on the document itself, write them up in a separate file, or jot them down so that you can provide them to the writer.

Open play up to 18 people, all skill levels. Bring your friends or potential new members, bring a BBQ, (we have a lot of BBQ’s over the summer) your dog and cat, your good times and your laughter too.

Let's watch our home team take on the new flashy Tempos! Game starts at 7:30pm, we can be at Green Turtle at 7pm and get settled. Should be a fun watch, both teams playing for the Commissioner's Cup!

We will be reading "There is No AntiMemetics Division" by QNTM (2025) We will be meeting at GameOn Bar. So, please come join us for some discussion and a drink and/or food. [There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm | Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54870256-there-is-no-antimemetics-division) Most of us will be reading the 2025 version of the book. However, if you've read the earlier self-published version, please feel free to join us. It'll be interesting to compare the two versions As per usual we are crowd-sourcing book ideas and voting on the top books. We encourage you to add votes to the books [DC Science Fiction Book Club Suggestions - Google Sheets](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mprXaa6bcEW5EL_uprN16-RBcetO6pbqA4vHDTjtowI/edit?gid=0#gid=0)

DC Anime Club Will Host a Lolita Picnic We will meet up in front of the Smithsonian Metro station at the top of the entrance escalators at Mall Exit and then proceed to the picnic area. For those who are unfamiliar, Lolita is a fashion subculture in Japan that is primarily influenced by Victorian children clothing, as well as costumes from the Rococo period. Lolita has made this into a unique fashion by adding gothic and original design elements to the look. From this, Lolita fashion has evolved into several different sub ...styles and has created a devoted subculture in Japan. The Lolita look consists primarily of a knee- length skirt or dress, headdress, blouse, petticoat, knee-high socks or stockings, and rocking horse or high heel/platform shoes. Attendees are encouraged to bring food, since there will be a potluck with the photo shoot. We hope to see you there. For more information please contact president@dcanimeclub.org. (240) 507-7855 (phone)

**NOTE: Meetup is SATURDAY this month!** A special Meetup this month. Some sad news recently reached us that our dear friend and Meetup stalwart, Simon, passed away in April. Simon's mother reached out to us to let us know and to share that our little get-togethers were among Simon's favorite activities, and she talked about how he used to call her and they would discuss how he was going to vote for our next episode. She told us that Simon was very devoted to environmental activism and suggested The Nature Conservancy (nature.org), if anyone wanted to give something in his name. In honor of Simon, let's choose this month from four environmentally themed episodes. *Galaxy 4* \- The Doctor\, Steven\, and Vicki encounter a planet where two alien races are so busy fighting with each other that they can't get it together to cooperate to escape the planet's impending doom\. Pretty far\-fetched\! \(3 animated episodes and 1 live\-action\.\) *The Green Death -* The 3rd Doctor, Jo, and UNIT meet Global Chemicals and the mysterious BOSS, who promises unlimited cheap, clean energy so long as you don't mind the giant carnivorous maggots. *The Android Invasion -* The 4th Doctor and Sarah battle the Kraals, a race of people who have so devastated their own planet with radiation and pollution that even Earth looks attractive. *Arachnids in the UK/Praxeus* \- The 13th Doctor and the Fam encounter first hand the monstrous consequences of a whole lot of pollution\. When you RSVP, please rank the four options above in the comments in the order of preference (1 being "Yes! I desperately want to see it!" and 4 being "Meh."), and we will abide by the choice of the attendees. For the Meetup itself, we ask everyone to bring something to drink and something to eat (snacks/munchies - you don't need to bring a whole ham or something!) to share with the group. We'll have food and drink as well and maybe a themed cocktail if the inspiration strikes... We are a couple blocks from the Columbia Heights Metro (15th and Harvard NW). We'll provide the full address ahead of the event. Note also that we are a walk-up - two flights of stairs. Looking forward to seeing everyone!

A bi-weekly creative writing gathering for people who want dedicated time to write, sharpen their craft, and move their work forward in community. Writers of all levels and genres are welcome—non fiction, poetry, prose, fiction, and hybrid work. Cost : $10 Other ways to join the community FB group “You Are Write Here” https://facebook.com/groups/8545060658889104/ Our online book club https://bookclubs.com/you-are-write-here/join/ Old Parish House location is near college park, Md (umd) campus area, You are Write here: host bi-weekly community writing class Fri 630pm

Breaking the ice. Grab a drink, have some food and have fun. I may reserve tables but I recommend ordering from the bar.

[MOVIE DESCRIPTION BELOW] *A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.* \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ **PLEASE SEE GROUP BIO FOR FULL FAQ. Meetup only allows a certain amount of characters when posting events from a mobile device and out FAQ is longer than that limit. A condensed version is posted below here** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ First-time attendees: below are some Frequently Asked Questions about events for your consideration: * **What is involved in this type of event? (_Group Watch & Socialize Event)** * We typically arrive before the movie, maybe chat and catch up with folks a bit, watch the movie in the theater, then afterwards have a more extended chat with everyone who saw the movie. * **Do I have to chat before the movie?** * Nope! Totally understandable if you'd rather just watch first so you can have something in common to discuss afterwards. * **Will people approach me/talk to me?** * Not a guarantee as it depends on who is hosting, but a good host or other group members will try to at least say hi to members after the movie and may make an effort to include newer faces in the conversation in some way. Please feel free to jump into the conversation as you feel comfortable and understand this is done with good intent :) We are happy to have you! * **How will I know who is the host or where people are gathering to talk about the movie?** * This depends on each host, but good practice is for the host to indicate a notable item of clothing they are wearing for other members to look out for. But generally we gather in a loose circle in the theater lobby or outside the theater to talk, so if you recognize the host or other group members - that's the spot we've decided on! Just kind of depends on the feel of the group where we gather. * **What is with posting the seat numbers?** * A good practice we've found is to post our seat numbers when we have ordered tickets for a movie. This is just another way for members of our group to find each other as it might not be immediately obvious who is here as part of the group event: some events are at public movie theaters, after all. You are not by any means obligated to post your seat number if you do not feel comfortable doing so, just something we've found that works nicely for encouraging some socialization. * **Will there be food?** * General guideline: if the movie starts at 7ish pm or later, you might wanna have dinner first or plan on buying movie snacks. Restaurant kitchens tend to close around 9-10pm. We sometimes do go to restaurants after movies as a group, but moreso bars whose kitchens may or may not be open. Plus, kind of bad manners for a group to descend upon a bar when the kitchen is closing is 10 minutes lol. Bars are just convenient social places, there is zero pressure to drink but there just aren't many places open late when we may leave movies. There is potential to order or provide food for group events, but it should not be expected unless stated in the event description. * **How do I stay in contact with the group after the movie?** * We have another app we use for discussion because Meetup is somewhat cumbersome to use for casual conversation. The app we use is called Discord. The link is posted below: * Link: https://discord.gg/4r7QxzmSvH * [Place link here] \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ * **Can I create events as a member?** * Initially, no but this group is open to members suggesting events or becoming part of the Event Organizers over time. We don't want to open the opportunity for everybody initially to create events because that kind of role has some responsibility towards it. There are certain permissions granted to that role that not every member should have. However, if a member has a proven track record of treating every group member with due respect, and a willingness to plan events: they can become and Event Organizer and create their own events. Please reach out to leadership if this sounds like something that would interest you. * **Can I donate to the group?** * Absolutely! See group bio

Attend a free seminar on how to have successful and lasting relationships. At this seminar you will learn: How to spot and handle negative and toxic relationships. How to get through the "rough patches" in a relationship. How to choose the right people to work with. The three things that make or break any relationship. How to make a good relationship great. All are welcome. Be sure to click on the red "Attend" button below to come to this local event. We look forward to seeing you there. Hosted by the Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Center of Central Ohio.

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/a/9/6/600_348310902.jpeg Instructor - Crow, HPS Class fee is $30 at the door or approved exchange RSVP with Advance pay of $25 (discounted) by PayPal on the web or by contacting Enchanted Elements (614) 437-2642. Reservations made directly to Enchanted Elements will be added to the class list manually not online. Private Instruction ~ Closed to the Public ~ Initiated Members Only Please come prepared for ritual. Blessings ~ Crow

This is a free, in-person meeting on the subject of betrayals, losses and how to get over them so you can build lasting relationships. Burdened by a stressful relationship? Unhealthy relationships can trigger feelings of anger, despair or self-doubt. They can create dwindling spirals of fights and seeking to make-up, or trying to “pin the blame” on someone or something. If you don’t find the RIGHT reasons, or select the correct sources of the problem, the problem can just get worse and worse. Whether in love or personal ties, with friends or at work, our life really IS affected by the quality of our relationships. Good ones can promote pleasure and survival while less optimum ones can lead to annoyance, anger, self-doubt, stress, or even affect our health and ability to survive well. Whether you are suffering from a divorce, or a painful break-up, don’t know who to trust (or who to CHOOSE) as a partner, friend, boss or employee - the anxiety of relationship troubles can really make a mess of things. Maybe you’ve suffered a betrayal, or are dealing with hostility or criticalness or invalidation. Dwindling relationships can involve destructive behavior, where we hurt those we love, or start succumbing to self-destructive thoughts, attitudes or behaviors that spiral out of control and affect much more than our immediate relationship. Past losses in love or life can affect how we act or react to new people and situations and hold us back from even starting to create new, possibly great relationships! How can one get back onto a saner course of action? Come to our Meetup, where we can introduce you to some of the knowledge, tools and techniques of the breakthroughs in the field of the mind that we can apply to this ever important area of life: human relationships! Break free from self imposed limitations Here we will discuss: • How to “erase” the trauma of past hurts and betrayals so that one isn’t always repeating past mistakes. • Why and how do the negative emotions of others affect you? • Why is my partner withdrawing and what can I do about it? • Why do we sometimes feel compelled to hurt the ones we love? • Fights & arguments - what's really behind them? • What underlies “corrosive criticism” or the need to invalidate self or others? • How one can stably change one’s outlook on life so they can affect positive change? • Where do compulsive destructive behaviors come from and what can be done about them? • How to form closer bonds & keep growing the relationships with the people you care about? • How to enhance one’s own ability to survive and create positive healthy relationships whether in love, family & friendships or in work, business or one’s career? Relationships can be hard and life itself IS challenging. Why not arm yourself with the knowledge and breakthroughs that have been made about the mind, mental reactions & interpersonal relationships, so that one has better awareness and control over themselves and life in general. Learn where painful experiences are “stored” and how they can unknowingly affect us. You will also find out how one can “erase” those past painful experiences so that one is free to move forward without being tripped up by the past. Learn too, about what can lead some people to become “toxic” personalities and how to identify those traits in others so you won’t be tripped up trusting the wrong person. Our free Meet-ups occur in a safe environment where one can learn, without fear of judgment or criticism, and without the recommendation of harmful mental techniques or therapies, just how YOU can get yourself onto a happier & more successful path: in love & in life. We look forward to having you join us! This class is sponsored by the Dianetics & Scientology Life Improvement Center of Central Ohio.