Fan Fiction

Join us for another lowkey writing session! Bring your laptop, iPad, or notebook so that you can get some words down! We will start around 6:00 as people filter in. Writing, chatting, and casual introductions will go on until 6:30 as people arrive and grab food and drinks, when we will do a round-table to introduce ourselves, our genres and writing styles, and what we are looking for from the group. After that, we can buckle down to do some writing and make ourselves be productive! I will try to snag the big community table to the right of the registers at Tatte, or sit against the back wall with a couple of tables pulled together, so you can look for me there. I'll post in the comments when I arrive, so feel free to check there or message me if you are feeling lost or having difficulty finding the group. I'll look forward to meeting you all! Our next workshop will take place on the Monday following this one, so look forward to that, as well!

The Russian Novelist's semiautobiographical novel set in a Soviet cancer ward shortly after Stalin's death One of the great allegorical masterpieces of world literature, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Cancer Ward is both a deeply compassionate study of people facing terminal illness and a brilliant dissection of the cancerous Soviet police state. Cancer Ward, which has been compared to the masterpiece of another Nobel Prize winner, The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, examines the relationship of a group of people in the cancer ward of a provincial Soviet hospital in 1955, two years after Stalin's death. While the experiences of the central character, Oleg Kostoglotov, closely reflect the author's own―Solzhenitsyn became a patient in a cancer ward in the mid-1950s, on his release from a labor camp, and later recovered―the patients, as a group, represent a remarkable cross section of contemporary Russian characters and attitudes, both under normal circumstances and then reexamined at the eleventh hour of illness. A seminal work from one of the most powerful voices in twentieth century literature, Cancer Ward offers an extraordinary portrait of life in the Soviet Union.

This CREATIVE HAPPY HOUR -and- EDUCATIONAL DISCUSSION is for creative people and folks who appreciate creativity. Whether you attend, produce, appreciate, or promote, you are welcome to join us on Monday, February 23, 2026 from 5pm-7pm for CREATIVE HAPPY HOUR -and- EDUCATIONAL DISCUSSION at Silver Branch Brewing Co in Silver Spring, MD. Register on Eventbrite at [https://HappyHour2-23-26.eventbrite.com](https://HappyHour2-23-26.eventbrite.com). Come meet, network, and enjoy. Only those ages 21 and up can attend. Happy Hour specials are from 5pm-6pm: $5.95 beer and select drinks. Entrance is free. This is a casual event. Join us as Paul Marengo, the Festival Director of ReelAbilities Film Festival: Greater Washington, will lead a 30-minute educational discussion on grant writing designed for filmmakers and arts organizers. In this session he will break down key elements of successful grant proposals, offer practical advice on identifying suitable funding opportunities, and share insights into how to communicate project goals and community impact effectively to potential funders. Register on Eventbrite at [https://HappyHour2-23-26.eventbrite.com](https://HappyHour2-23-26.eventbrite.com). Check out our DC Filmmakers T-shirts on Amazon at[ https://a.co/d/gXACa1Y](https://a.co/d/gXACa1Y) to help support the group. This event is produced by[ DC Filmmakers Group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/dcfilmmakers) in partnership with[ TIVA](https://www.tivadc.org/) (Television, Internet, and Video Association of DC),[ WIFV](https://www.wifv.org/) (Women in Film & Video),[ Wheaton Film Festival](https://www.wheatonfilmfestival.com/),[ Docs in Progress](https://www.docsinprogress.org/), DC Media Makers Group, etc. Sponsored by[ Brian Frankel Law Firm PLLC](https://brianfrankel.com/),[ Creative Colony Spaces](https://www.creativecolonyspaces.com/membership/overview), [ ](https://reelabilities.org/greaterwash/)[ReelAbilities Film Festival: Greater Washington](https://reelabilities.org/greaterwash), and Adobe Software. Enjoy delicious craft beers, tasty snacks, and great company in a relaxed atmosphere. Whether you're a beer enthusiast or just looking to unwind after a long day, this event is perfect for you. Don't miss out on the opportunity to kick back and relax with us at Silver Branch Brewing Co. Use the QR codes at the table to order food and drinks, and be prepared to mingle. Check out the[ Silver Branch Brewing Company's Menu](https://www.silverbranchbrewing.com/lagerhaus-biergarten/). PARKING: Paid parking available one block away at the county's Cameron Street Garage on 8530 Cameron Street (Better pricing than street or private parking.) See you there on 2/23/26! Register on Eventbrite at [https://HappyHour2-23-26.eventbrite.com](https://HappyHour2-23-26.eventbrite.com).

**We have a special delight for February. I recently met one of the authors of this book. Shauna Parker ---- will be joining us for a Q&A session for this book club. (We are asking everyone to send questions in advance for this)** Zoom link will be sent closer in to avoid spammers. Book description: https://www.amazon.com/Destroying-Their-God-audiobook/dp/B07CX5499Y/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0 In 1991, Wallace Jeffs was coerced to become an FLDS polygamist. In 2011, Wallace rebelled against the sect, and the FBI helped him reclaim his kidnapped children. Then an "accident" put Wallace into a 45-day coma. Growing up as half-brother to future Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saint prophet Warren Jeffs, Wallace tried to follow FLDS teachings. After he built a successful business, the church required him to marry a second wife. Wallace fathered 20 children, but he never felt comfortable with polygamy or many other FLDS beliefs. As his prophet-brother increasingly manipulated him, Wallace started hearing about FLDS atrocities. On the day the FBI arrested Warren Jeffs for child rape, the prophet was en route to reclaim Wallace's second wife for himself. Wallace defied the prophet and soon ended up in a coma. Though Wallace feared FLDS sabotage caused his car crash, he kept fighting the sect. With today's movement against male abusers, Wallace's story reminds us that power and position don't corrupt all men. In 2018, Wallace found resolution by marrying an LDS woman in the Salt Lake Temple. At the same time, he renews our concern for the thousands who still live under FLDS control, including some of Wallace's own children.

Join us at Pubkey DC for the BitPlebs! DC BitPlebs are [Socratic Seminars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method) that do not require advanced and technical understanding of Bitcoin. The topics we discuss include: \- Freedom tech \- Hashrate and mining economics \- Custody and self\-sovereignty \- On\-chain data \- Scaling solutions \(LN\, Ark\, Cashu\) \- Privacy ​The full agenda will be posted [here](https://bitcoindistrict.org/bitplebs). **IMPORTANT: No photos, videos, or audio recordings. The meeting will be held under the Chatham House rule, meaning it's ok to share information and stories from the session, but not to share who said what.** # **Agenda:** 6:00PM - 7:00PM - Meet & greet 7:00PM - 8:30PM - Discussion of recent bitcoin related news & developments 8:30PM - 10PM - Hangout

Nemesis is a 1-5 player space survival game with incredible miniatures and clever, immersive rules that include cooperation, bluffing, backstabbing, and all other elements of an iconic science-fiction horror adventure. The crew Wakes up from hibernation. The damage report States there is a critical system failure and the ship cannot continue its cruise. The task to find the damage, repair it and safely return to earth. The problem: one crew member is dead. Somebody ripped open his hibernation pod and pulled his body out. To make matters worse, you can hear noises in the vast corridors of the ship. I'm not saying its aliens...

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation as we discuss ***Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It* by Cory Doctorow** Here's the summary: **Explaining the process of the “enshittification” of digital platforms over time and what to do about it.** Cory Doctorow's *Enshittification* takes a witty yet incisive look at the tech landscape, where platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Google start off great—before they inevitably turn terrible. In this contemporary moment of digital decline, Doctorow explores how tech giants lure users in with convenience and then degrade their services over time, squeezing profit at the cost of user experience. With a mix of sharp humor and deep insight, he unveils the slow creep of "enshittification," turning the online world into a worse place, one algorithm at a time. **Let’s meet at Caboose Commons in Fairfax to enjoy some good discussion and meet new friends.**

The Oddball Adventures series continues in a parallel universe where the year 1941 is radically different from the one we know from history books. Emperor Napoleon V rules France, and for the last 70 years scientists have been mysteriously disappearing, depriving mankind of their inventions. Without radio, television, electricity, aviation, and the internal combustion engine, the world is mired in outdated technology powered by coal and steam. April, a gifted young inventor, her grandfather, her talking cat, and Julius, a young ruffian, begin a daunting quest to find April's parents, two of the missing scientists. ■ Title — *April and the Extraordinary World* ■ A.K.A. — *Avril et le monde truqué* ■ Directors — Christian Desmares, Franck Ekinci ■ Cast — Marion Cotillard, Marc-André Grondin, Philippe Katerine ■ Rating — PG ■ ©2015 \| 1h 45m \| Adventure\, Animation\, Comedy\, Fantasy\, Sci\-Fi

Playtesting Agent and Battle-scale of the Zone-17 role-playing and miniatures game.

Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Library 901 G St NW Washington, DC 20001 Room 401 on the 4th floor. Don’t be shy. This is a good way to make friends who are also into anime. We will be discussing anime , manga, video games and all things Jpop Culture. Cosplay (Costume play) is encouraged as long as you don’t bring any prop weapons and keep the cosplay family friendly. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you there. This event is free and open to the public. For more information Email [president@dcanimeclub.org](mailto:president@dcanimeclub.org). Call (202) 262-2083 DC Anime Club Main Site www.dcanimeclub.org Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/DCAnimeClub/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/#!/DCAnimeClub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DCAnimeClub/ Meet up: https://www.meetup.com/DC-Anime-Club/ Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/DCAnimeClub Tumblr: http://dcanime.tumblr.com/ Photobucket:http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f115/DCANIMECLUB_photos/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dcanimeclub/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dcanimeclub

PLEASE READ EVERYTHING! When you enter the meeting you PLEASE print your first and last name clearly on the sign up sheet. DC Anime Club Meeting. 2pm at the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Library 901 G St NW Washington, DC 20001 Room 401 on the 4th floor. In order to become a member of DC Anime Club you MUST do the following: Attend 2 club meetings but it does not have to be in a row. Obey the code of conduct which is treat people the way you want to be treated. Pay club dues which are $5 a month $50 for a year. We take the following payments and if you plan to pay for friends please say so. Paypal: [president@dcanimeclub.org](mailto:president@dcanimeclub.org) Cash App: $DCAC03 Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/DCANIMECLUB Go Fund me: https://gofund.me/a39ed94a Cosplay (Costume play) is encouraged as long as you don’t bring any prop weapons and keep the cosplay family friendly. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you there. Suggestions welcomed. This event is free and open to the public. Age range 13 and up. Kids under the age of 13 MUST be accompanied by a parent/ Legal guardian to participate. For more information Email [president@dcanimeclub.org](mailto:president@dcanimeclub.org). Call (202) 262-2083 DC Anime Club Main Site www.dcanimeclub.org Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/DCAnimeClub/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/#!/DCAnimeClub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DCAnimeClub/ Meet up: https://www.meetup.com/DC-Anime-Club/ Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/DCAnimeClub Tumblr: http://dcanime.tumblr.com/ Photobucket:http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f115/DCANIMECLUB_photos/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dcanimeclub/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dcanimeclub

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.

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.

You can also join the meeting by Conference Call at (518) 263-8851.

This meeting will be an open discussion about the book "an Immense World" by Ed Yong