Philippe

I’m referring to the 8 bits/dollar US. In the US, the bit is equal to 12+1/2¢. In the U.S., the "bit" as a designation for money dates from the colonial period, when the most common unit of currency used was the Spanish dollar, also known as "piece of eight", which was worth 8 Spanish silver reales. $1/8 or 1 silver real was 1 "bit". The expression also survives in the sports cheer "Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar … all for (player's name), stand up and holler!" Interesting trivia: The New York Stock Exchange continued to list stock prices in $1/8 (1-bit) until June 24, 1997, at which time it started listing in $1/16. It did not fully implement decimal listing until January 29, 2001. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_dollar I actually collected several of these first American Dollars minted in Mexico City; several have testing strikes in Chinese Kanji when traders tested the silver content.

Well there’s those evil fingers at it again….. No, ahhh 😱, who has the mostest, evilest, fingers when allowed free Reign of Keydom? Keep knitting that darned seven-level sock, we need the full credit for visiting the Wizard of Oz! What? Was it something I said? Around my circles people tend to appreciate what I DON’T SAY!! 😂

Wizard of Oz socks of the …Lollipop Kids!

Well, with seven bits minted thus far….we could ascend Vinsy to a godly level of 8 bits; excuse me God of Eight, why then do you only have seven rings on your ankle? 😝 Would he then be allowed to walk among mere mortals? Or would the place setting at the end of the table be forever masked in the fog of shadow smoke?

Damn autocorrect…needs to be neutered not nurtured! Neuter that pick and kick his ass to the curb; conniving with love and emotions is unforgivable in my book!

Oh let’s have a light conversation with the gods…let’s say maybe the conundrum of destinies; 🤔 say emotional and attached, or one with major impact to thousands…which do you choose young Vincent? Gulp, what a way to earn a godly stripe. While this god will not interfere directly in this veiled destiny of Vinsy, the clairvoyance of his choices says the timeline has little allowance for waiting. Hidden within the fog may be many consequences, but of those surely Stefan will have several targets amongst his family and friends. Mace is already on emotional edge for Vincent’s safety, as Dirk’s fate brings the consequences to the forefront of their lives; life without Vinsy would be his own triggering towards feral rage 😡. One of the many orbs the goddess holds I’m sure. A choice born of fear perhaps is determination, from vengeance perhaps fortitude, born of the bonds of love for mate, family any friends is a fusion of all the powers one may call to spirit from these bonds.

Yes, Wyn does have much unknown and unexplored powers of life, but ironically, he shares a kindred spirit with a young man child of which little is known beyond the monster people know and see of recent history. The attraction Wren has towards the young life wizard is not beyond his yearning to felt and have life as he lost himself to the taint of darkness. This whole process doesn’t separate the misfits but calls to them as they all share a little element of understanding towards much lost, much divided, and much yet to be reborn through shear determination as the finesse of manipulation will not deter this bunch! Ironically, the unlocking of Kalian’s powers may coincide with the enlightenment of Wyn as he too comes to understand his powers in the more pure environment within the power of “Sunshine.” The god of life, protected life until their end, then gifted that power to someone worthy of protecting it…Kalian. So as weird as destiny is, life itself ties Kalian and the misfits together; but perhaps a special bond was always there with Wyn also, before they could possibly understand or consider… LIFE IS DESTINY, DESTINY IS LIFE. Sunshine is pure, sunshine purifies, Kalian is pained as he doesn’t understand the power of purification will eat at his soul until he finds himself. @Demiurge, see what you do to me! 😆 So many possibilities, and so much to love along the way, Thank you!

The circle of life is much tighter for some than others but it’s always sad to say farewell to those once full of love and life. Belle was very fortunate to have friends able to help in her. Her own care and comfort made much easier knowing the care and continuity was also there for her kids; she lived and died in confidence as she witnessed their needs being met in a loving and supporting environment of family; with much the same priorities as her own. Yes, much peace comes from knowing you haven’t failed them, as life slowly fails you. It’s a bitter sweet moment in life; but heartwarming in knowing Belle and the kids know love throughout this unyielding part. RIP Belle

I must say that for someone so interested in his long lost love, he is broadcasting total availability. He’s either very dense to have not learned from his first time with Xavier, or he has absolutely no willpower. Unfortunately, this doesn’t bode very well for Jasper as this chance at recapturing his love interest, just like the original pursuits of dating in high school, it’s just not the time to be playboy with others and then expect to say “oh hey, are you interested….now?” Alexander needs to be nurtured for his betrayal of trust and for spoiling the natural course of love; that’s most unforgivable as he is playing intentionally with others’ hearts and emotions. Such betrayal and lack of trust/respect tells me he gets the big ole boot out the door! 😡

“I knew I had to break the hiatus with a decent amount of content, so here's another chapter! I still have a couple being ironed out, and then it's a march to the end of this story. As always, thanks for reading” And break the hiatus you have indeed. You moved us forward but still have us locked in mystery; is Talon’s brother involved in the excavation of this an ancient menace? God that would be devastating news to the family but especially Talon, as his hero brother has been sorely missed and shouldn’t suffer a death by killing those worthy memories as a hero turned historical villain. Wow, Ronnie gets accepted and rewarded by both dads in the same day; if he can just avoid the sun now he’ll perhaps still the hearts of both father, son and hopefully a rescued mom! Most interesting that Talon’s dad still has the injuries of Ronnie’s shield energy…just what is it that gifts Ronnie such raw power and talent; what remains to possibly be unlocked or harnessed by the Green Shield of Fortress? @BKWildenberg, I’m so glad I’ve returned to this worthy effort in creativity, it’s a wonderful tale of magic, mystery, suspense, and romance. I hope time allows for much more to come; welcome back!

Oh wow, unearthed and unhinged, this is a bad mofo already but it’s using and draining the superheroes like batteries. it seems the non-standard thinking and training of Taran’s team may be the perfect counter to the raw power wielding of this monster from the past…but exact how to spring the perfect trap?

How can you expect a fair and honest assessment as HIS fingers invoke… No…ah…ah…ahhh No….ahhh despite the sound of…, disagreeable pleasure?? Yes, yes! Fingers can be delightfully evil 👿

Well….Stefan wants to destroy Vincent and expose the supernatural world; and Sarah was apparently tied to his operation in some fashion. Was she canvassing the entire pack for all members? She was a powerful weapon to have free (telepathic) exposure to the leadership echelons of multiple packs. Let alone the training knowledge and allegiances to include Vincent’s. Fortunately, most telepathic skills tend to be present thought mind reading; as opposed to full mind scans. Therefore the victim has to have guided conversations or Locale inspired thoughts or memories. @astone2292, have have some wickedly possessed fingers you must get under control. These evil villains that keep popping up to hurt our special pack members and even ripping the heart of a destined mate…you are evil to let those phalanges loose upon your keyboard!

Omg, too true! I just got that call this morning as my card was used in traveling but then I arrived and was restless and driven to online shop at 0300; fraud alert, your card purchases have been suspended until verification from our fraud department….. Too funny, but oh so true. I’m getting paranoid as @astone2292always seems to drop a new chapter when I’m starting my 8-10 hour driving shuffles between Alabama and central/south Florida…oh the pain of update teasing 😈.

My thoughts also. That last text may also have been an indication of Milo’s improving condition but the converse would be more personal time for Finn to start think of himself, his life, and where to go from there. Hopefully Finn was able to reclaim some scholarship opportunities based on the family hardship delays. But whether a graduate of college of choice or the college of life, Finn should be accepted as competitive and competent if he chose to improve himself with the same outgoing personally once embraced as himself. Alec, too stressed to stay, Finn too stressed if he doesn’t. Finn too hurt to yearn after being told there’s no chance; yet, one year gives him one last grasp at hope….only to be shunned, ignored, truly no hope as he’d been told before. But if he recollected himself enough to set his goals, perhaps that focus displaced his pain enough to allow himself to be drive by long term goals…maybe the timing is perfect for new goals with broader considerations and freedoms. Alec still living the fear of a child, yet wanting so badly to have his relationship with Finn, but not enough to risk loosing his will power to avoid the parental dominance; that call means pain of domination and then the pain of having to flee without his love once again. Whether reconnecting with Finn or not, Alec will still feel the loss. In his mind, Alec’s pain will be from either being shunned or from having to flee and leave his love once again…but will he find new confidence and determination as he says his final piece (peace…hmmm) with mom?

Well yeah…otherwise there wouldn’t be any drama ; no drama no story! 😊 😝

You stole my thoughts and words before the fingers could speak them…but agreed totally; Rusty is obsessed and jealous, and now distressed that he wedged Maddox in the wrong direction. More than the noses and cheeks got bruised on this dormitory drama morning.

Wow, this chapter brings George to a poignant realization of self, others, and their many relationships. Visiting present (Rosemary), past (Dr Spencer and Dad), and future ( himself, yet unwritten but yet considered more real and more strongly than ever considered). Yes, this has a certain ring of familiarity much as we might see the same type enlightenment and relationships found in ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ as we see in George’s journey of reflection. Nicely done @LittleCherryBlossom26, this is the most connected with George as we’ve been allowed to be. He’s actually compassionate and searching beyond his selfishness for true purpose and meaning; maybe service to community is rewarding after all!

and that is why we have…WEST Virginia! Hahaha It’s the a rich culture of… Hillbilly Dance Hillbilly Music Hillbilly Hoedowns Hillbilly Physics Hillbilly Pilot Training Hillbilly Climate Change Studies Hillbilly Search and Rescue Hillbilly Sex Education Hillbilly Hospitality Hillbilly Bath Day Hillbilly Small Claims Court, Yup, just west of…normal.

Wow, do those more substantial cards have pop-up displays for the 3-D effect of those large wands?

Oh the pains of youthful ignorance. It’s a huge and often difficult transition from being guided and controlled by parents and society to then become more independent. There’s no toggle switch of enlightenment into adulthood. Foresight and understanding of our bonds of friendship and/or partnership at such young ages are still mired by the lack of self determination from the formative years; therefore, giving proper weights and values to more adult relationships is somewhat foreign and much better understood…in hindsight. I speak from too much experience with respect to improved hindsight enlightenment. Finn has had a more supportive and balanced developmental environment bringing him towards adulthood, then acceptance of who he has become, while Alec hasn’t had good models nor a good environment and definitely lacks acceptance as himself. It’s easy to understand why Alec lacks understanding and value for something he has never experienced…until now; so sad, but all too common in our dynamics as diverse human animals. I too failed to properly value my own relationship when transitioning from college to the workforce. I let society and social norms steer me away from my relationship. That misstep resulted in being out of step with my own life from then until present day; as we can’t go back, yet life doesn’t always present unlimited opportunities. This was an extremely difficult chapter to reflect upon, but the close proximity to real life characters and challenges is a tribute to your ability to bring these characters to life @Demiurge. I look forward to seeing which direction these young men take. Like the clacking balls of Newton Cradles, they will return to an equilibrium, but will these boys remain at rest?

How heartwarming that the young Carlos of 8yo has grown to be a budding young man of 14yo and that he recognized and remembered Armand without any memory joggers at all; that is quite a testament to his memories of Armand. Oh how my emotions are mixed though. That drawing is already special in itself, and to paint that over almost seems destructive of that independent memory of Armand past. I personally hope Armand will draw a new portrait from that sitting to his present satisfaction and then paint that new portrait with the skill and brilliance of his present self; preserving Armand past perhaps with some repackaging (framework), while introducing Arrow to his dear friend(s). That old sketch drawing is probably already worth much if Armand were to sign it; even if personal vs the Arrow , history and knowledge will prevail in the value of his art.

Yes I gave a tear for this chapter, not that it was a totally sad chapter or a sad journey in general, but that it was an emotional journey that deserved a heartwarming tear-jerker thumbs up 👍🏻. This story talked on social issues and reflected deferent views while allowing a logical progression even if somewhat difficult for the characters. nicely done @Jacob Windigo, May your muse motivate you to write once again when that creative itch visits upon you. 😃

How German of them! 😂 Or the American (cult) version perhaps 🤔

Trick question….there is no right or wrong, win or loss…only how you play the game; or Prepare for the game! Ooh la la