#but no saying no to anne in this story. i love one rebel angel to death🥰🥰 even if she's the reason why plans don't work for 'quiv

[author-anna-faundez]

THE GEMMA DOYLE TRILOGY: REBEL ANGELS (Book 2) Review

By Libba Bray

Book two!!

I was a little hesitant with how the book started; Kartik’s point of view wasn’t bad, but I immediately missed Gemma and hoped the book wouldn’t continue to swap between the two characters. Thankfully, it didn’t! We get Kartik’s motives right out the gate, and then we hop straight back to Gemma, Felicity, and Ann for good.

Rebel Angels focuses on a lot of the same themes that A Great and Terrible Beauty did: fate, change, and control. However, since the main plot is ongoing at this point, I was appreciative of that, because those themes are necessary for ongoing character growth. This book begins in December of 1895, so it takes place very soon after the end of the first book. One thing I was a little disappointed with was the lack of the realms in Rebel Angels. A lot of the book takes place in London with drama between Gemma and a new love interest. There’s some extra drama involving Ann and a lie, but honestly, the plot felt it dragged somewhat. Gemma runs around thinking she’s got everything figured out, which she obviously does not, and then seems surprised when things don’t go her way.

Kartik’s obvious jealousy of Gemma’s beau is a little funny. Gemma is sardonic as ever. Felicity has seen very little change at this point. And Ann seems to finally be coming into her own. At the very least, Ann’s confidence rises throughout Rebel Angels even if her situation is a pretense. The confidence is genuine all the same.

But there were two things that made question marks appear above my head for Rebel Angels.

One was Ann and how her self-harm was handled. Rather, not handled. At first, it’s implied that once she felt she had friends, Ann’s tendency to self-harm went away. When Gemma notices it again, she basically tells her, “Hey, promise me you’ll stop that,” and it’s literally never brought up again. “Ever!?” you say. Ever. Yes, this is Victorian England, but if Gemma was “brave enough” to mention it to Ann at all, she’d be much more likely to check in on someone she seems to think of as a friend. At least sometimes, right? Nope.

The other issue I had with Rebel Angels was the assault Gemma suffered. The book breezes right by it, like since Gemma wasn’t technically raped, it shouldn’t matter. Wrong. It matters and would absolutely be a source of trauma! Magic vision in the middle, coerced to drink, and alone with someone she thought she could trust aside, this would be a hugely traumatic event in Gemma’s life. While I agree it’s highly unlikely she’d ever bring this up to her family or friends for fear of being “ruined,” Gemma doesn’t even think about it. For a character that has, up to this point, been very internally driven and unable to suppress her emotions, it’s weird.

Overall, I didn’t hate Rebel Angels. I liked the pacing and story more for book one, but the second book was interesting enough that I finished it within a couple days. I think, at this moment, one of the girls’ teachers is my favorite character, and I’m very, very interested to find out more of what’s happening to Pippa in the realms. There are just a few mysteries left to be solved, but Rebel Angels actually wraps up the main story that A Great and Terrible Beauty began. But there’s one book left! What else could possibly happen? Let’s see how it all ends.

~ Anna

#book review #Gemma Doyle Trilogy #Rebel Angels #victorian #books #gothic #magic

[longaccessories]

Finn little storm boy

#FINN LITTLE STORM BOY MOVIE#

#FINN LITTLE STORM BOY TV#

Next up for the director is Hungry Ghosts, Matchbox Pictures’ 4-part drama commissioned by SBS, which sees a vengeful spirit wreak havoc across the Vietnamese Australian community in Melbourne.The world’s population was 6,623,847,913 and there were an estimated year babies born throughout the world in 2006, George W.

#FINN LITTLE STORM BOY TV#

He’d have liked to have directed more films but has ridden the TV drama wave with credits including Reckoning, Deep Water, The Code, Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door and Love Child. It is Seet’s second feature following Two Fists, One Heart in 2008. Kathy Morgan International pre-sold the film to a bunch of territories/regions including France, South East Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Good Deed Entertainment has acquired the North American rights to the film funded by Screen Australia, the South Australian Film Corporation, Piccadilly Pictures, Aurora Global Media Capital and Salt Media and Entertainment. He wears his heart on his sleeve and you feel his inner grief and sadness.” He’s vitally robust and energetic, but has a very sensitive, almost fragile demeanour. He’s one of the most sensitive, open actors that I’ve ever worked with, young or old, completely in touch with his emotions. Seet hails Little, who has since appeared in Kim Farrant’s Angel of Mine, Hoodlum/Netflix’s Tidelands and Playmaker Media’s Reckoning, as an “absolute discovery,” explaining: “I can’t imagine how we would have made the film without him. Little sent in a self-test which was so good the director and producers flew to Brisbane to meet with him to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. I think audiences will have a good cry, but there is a layer of optimism.”Ĭasting directors Ann Robinson and Hannah Charlton searched far and wide for an actor to play Storm Boy. We’ve passed the baton of the story onto another generation. Seet says: “Justin’s script, which gives the two time frames, is brilliant, underlining the timeliness of the story. Little is the young Michael, aka Storm Boy, who befriends Fingerbone Bill (Jamieson), an Aboriginal man, and rescues three pelican chicks whose mother was killed by hunters. When his grand-daughter Maddy (Davies), who worries about the environmental impact of the deal, rebels against her father, he tells her the story of his youth when he lived with his father Hideaway Tom (Courtney) in a small shack between Ninety Mile Beach and the Coorong. Scripted by Justin Monjo, the plot follows Rush as Michael Kingley, a successful retired businessman who goes to Adelaide as the company he founded decides whether or not to lease vast farming lands in the Pilbara to a mining company. Storm Boy, which stars Geoffrey Rush, Finn Little, Jai Courtney, Trevor Jamieson and Morgana Davies, launches on more than 300 screens this Thursday. “I asked them, ‘Do you know my history?’ Safran’s film was wonderful, a classic, and as I left the meeting I wondered if I had what it takes to pull it off.”Įnthusiastic responses to previews staged by Sony Pictures and screenings at the St George OpenAir Cinema suggest he’s nailed it. So when producers, Ambience Entertainment’s Michael Boughen and Matthew Street asked him to direct a contemporary re-imagining of the movie, he did not hesitate.

#FINN LITTLE STORM BOY MOVIE#

His uncle took him to the movie which made such an impression he kept the film’s poster, which still adorns his bedroom. The director was born in Australia but lived in Malaysia until he was 12. Shawn Seet was 12 when he saw Henri Safran’s Storm Boy, the 1976 family drama based on Colin Thiele’s acclaimed novel. (L-R) Jai Courtney, Finn Little and Shawn Seet.

#Finn little storm boy

[drippingmoon]

Excerpt

There was a chapel in Heaven. Wrought in stone and wicker wood, and it was a chapel of Loh.

   Or, since those time had long passed and the names had changed, it was Anne’s chapel. Smooth as nighttime, and presently the doors hung open. His pupils reflected the black of the insides, and his heart raced.

   Distantly, he realized her plan. But when he did, it was already too late.

   He whipped to her, alarm growing into fear. “Anne?” he asked in a small voice.

   With solemn eyes, she merely tilted her head, and his heart dropped.

   With a howl from its throat, the chapel sang for Anne. The red carped flicked out like a tongue, and winds curled around Malchior, like a wing enveloping him.

   Then, he was dragged within, and the doors clanged shut. Inside, along the lengthy corridor, something flickered alive. Stained glass on the floor to the sides of the carpet, and now they flamed with a dim, ghostly light.

   Once, they’d been intimate, as angels had bowed their heads, speaking in hushed voices, knowing themselves to be protected. Now, they were as foreboding as a prison.

   Outside, Anne slowly closed her eyes. Turned away, against the chapel turned black in the light pooled in Heaven. While the windows flamed with iridescent colors, like a furnace turned on.

   She’d never said she’d let him make the first move, after all. And when she’d thought about descending, only to find the Promised Lands reaped of everything, something had turned in her chest.

   Something like frustration, and times come to a standstill. She remembered the wolves, and wanted to laugh hoarsely.

   No need to suffer, had she said?

   It hadn’t been her intention then, but even those words had turned into a lie.

   And, ruthless in her movements, she turned on the chapel. Snapped her wings upwards, the dance to its song thrumming from glass stained with her light. She tapped her foot to the ground, drawing its attention.

   When her wings descended, the chapel sunk. Clouds and nebulae yawned open, then brought their fangs together, and the ground closed once more.

   Smooth fields of plume colors, and the chapel was no more.

It was her chapel; as such, it would answer to her. Even if it was to swallow one it used to hold so dear.

*Loh isn't Anne's name. It's a title she was given out of pity by the angels, and became more widespread on earth than her original one. It means Lord of Heaven and to her, humans prayed for the angels and their well-being. It was a position she absolutely loved, to hear the concern in their voices as they told her whenever an angel was faltering.

*No, the wolves bit isn't supposed to make sense for now lol. It's one of those times when you keep things bottled up and then they surface all at once

#aquiver-aglow #draft 2 #excerpts #my writing #original writing #this would've been a very different story played from the angels' pov #or even malchior's. but for now he's out of commission🤣 #and at his point in time i was very well wondering how i was going to pass that plot point #and never fear anne says directly: i shall bury my problems. #me: you're kidding #anne: watch me #me: ...don't blame me for what happens when he gets out of the chapel wtf #i can def make this tighter #and can't wait for its next draft version^^ #anne solving my plot beats in 0 secs flat #and leaving both me and malchior with trust issues🤣😔 #but no saying no to anne in this story. i love one rebel angel to death🥰🥰 even if she's the reason why plans don't work for 'quiv

[iamthenightcolormeblack]

My Experience with Jane Austen Part 2: Reading the Books

In part one I laid out which books I read, which ones were my favorites and least favorites, and the adaptations I've seen. Now I'd like to talk about my reading experience.

Disclaimer: I’m not an expert, just a casual reader sharing some observations, feel free to correct me if I get some details wrong. Out of the books I’ve read I’m most familiar with Pride and Prejudice.

Let's face it. Reading Austen can be challenging and I understand why some people dislike Austen.

It's easy to perceive her novels as "boring" because on a surface level, not much happens. The characters are well-off people (in the upper half of society) who spend their time at home or traveling between social calls and it's easy to dismiss their conflicts as "first world issues." Settings are often indoors, reflecting how "confined and unvarying" the lives of the rich (especially women) were. The plots often move forward through dialogue or conversations rather than big dramatic events. The focus on marriage can also make the stories feel like antiquated relics of the past and can be hard to relate to.

The writing style is also different. There isn't much dialogue at times because Austen slips in lots of very subtle commentary or prefers to describe a character's external appearance or characteristics. Often big events like proposals are described briefly after they happen rather than during, which can make the story feel rather "dry." The books are narrated in third person and sometimes there is unreliable narration (Pride and Prejudice) where we get characters' multiple points of view, but all narrated in the third person as to give each one credibility and prove that it's hard to trust others. Austen's writing style means that readers have to fill in the blanks with their imagination. For example, she doesn't give exact physical descriptions of her characters, often relying on general characteristics like "tall," "handsome," or "amiable." In my previous reviews of Pride and Prejudice adaptations, I explored that intentional ambiguity as a big reason why the character of Mr. Darcy is alluring--because the reader forms a personal connection with the character by sketching his portrait alongside Elizabeth. The characters (their physical appearance and some of their motivations) are purposely mysterious and while it gives the reader lots of opportunities for engaging with the text, without historical/literary context for "filling in the blanks" it's easy to see the characters as stiff mannequins in strange clothing rather than human beings.

Austen as a romance writer: Her romances don't always match up with our perception of what a romance should be. Some people start Austen expecting intense emotions and outbursts of passion but become disappointed when presented with formal courting and stately dances instead. Emotions are often veiled behind dialogue and for a first-time reader it can be challenging to see a romance developing. Most of the time readers have to rely on the clues given by Austen (descriptions of characters "blushing," looking "pale," or losing their composure) to detect the stirrings of love, but on a first reading it's difficult to do so when one's trying to figure out the plot and the characters. Finally, the dialogue can't always be taken literally; lots of people, including me, were disturbed when Mr. Knightley said he loved Emma since she was 13, but it was actually a joke made in response to something she said.

Her books are products of their time, and I sure am not an expert in Regency era economics or social norms. Sometimes the implications of certain actions can be lost on a reader if they don't know about the social norms of the time (I had no idea that Darcy following Elizabeth around, alone, on her favorite walk at Rosings was a sign of his love for her). Differences in social class are also very subtle and while one can generalize the characters as all "well-off" people, they are separated by many levels of hierarchy and their ideas about social position and status affect how they interact with others outside of their station. Darcy looks down upon those whom he perceives to be below him, and while Emma wants to make an advantageous match for Harriet, Harriet's lower social position means that Emma's schemes are not likely to work.

Because of the unique quirks within the novels, the reader is required to go beyond the surface level of plot and appearance and read between the lines to understand character motivations and actions. Without historical context (Regency era society having little social mobility, women having few legal rights and needing to make good marriages to secure material comfort) or literary context (the Enlightenment, 18th century Gothic novels referred to in Northanger Abbey, the birth of the novel, early Romantic writers just to name a bit) reading between the lines is nearly impossible.

So why do we read Austen? Below are my personal reasons.

The novels feature female heroines that have dignity and self-respect. It's significant that the stories focus on women who are trying to live according to their own values and speaking their own minds rather than acquiescing to societal dictates. Elizabeth Bennet is revolutionary in part because she wants a marriage based on mutual admiration and respect between two partners who know each other well, rather than an economic arrangement for a home. One could go on forever about how Austen is a feminist, but, the characters don't act like modern day feminists--they are still people of their time. However, it's easy to assume "feminist" heroines have to have "aggressive" characteristics (rebelling, fighting, defiance) in order to be labeled as "feminist." Importantly, Austen's women are allowed to be vulnerable (they cry or struggle with their emotions) without that being a shameful thing. We also see different types of personalities celebrated: Jane Bennet, who is kind to everyone, is seen in a positive light rather than shamed for seeing good in everyone. Anne Elliot, who is regarded as "old," becomes more beautiful as she gets older and has a second chance of love. Emma Woodhouse is spoiled yet confident and assertive and "not likely to be well-loved" (paraphrase of Austen's commentary on Emma). Fanny Price is a shy person but still achieves her happy ending. Her heroines are real people who have flaws and get opportunities to learn and grow so that they can make their aspirations reality.

A unique take on the universal conflict of humans versus society: Austen's characters are bound by social norms of etiquette as well as a value system that idolizes wealth and connections above all else. Persuasion is a great story in part because it focuses on how Anne Elliot learns to follow her heart and avoid being "persuaded" by others (and by society) to follow a path that will not make her happy. She's had to live with the regret of following the well-intentioned but harmful advice of others (Austen notes that Lady Russell values social connections too highly) over her own feelings and judgment, nearly losing her chance to be with Wentworth. The romances are significant in that they reinforce the dignity and self-respect of the female heroines. To a certain extent, Austen's stories are realistic in that marriage is necessary for material well-being in a patriarchal society that provides few ways for women to provide for themselves. But most importantly, she also sees marriage as a means of affirming self-respect and dignity of the women. It's one of the few parts of their lives over which they have any control because they get to choose whom they marry (for the most part, unless the marriage is arranged). Their wish to marry for love is revolutionary because they dare to aspire for something more than wealth. They want their future partners to be their equals, someone who they can love and respect (or be totally honest with them) and who will provide the same in return. This line from Emma (the 2020 movie adaptation) sums it up: "I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry. Fame I do not want. Fortune I do not want. Consequence I do not want."

The difference between outward appearances and inner character is a fascinating theme that appears in several Austen novels, most notably Pride and Prejudice, where Wickham and Darcy are foils of each other ("one has got all the goodness, the other all the appearance of it"). A lot of the villains in Austen's novels are those who deceive others about their motivations or lie for their own advantage. A common trait these villains all have is that they have a charming outward appearance that masks their true natures; they don't look ugly nor are they unpleasant (ex. Wickham having great social skills, Willoughby following the trope of the knight rescuing Marianne as the damsel in distress but leaving behind many broken hearts, Mr. Elliott being charming and knowing exactly what to say and how to act but actually a swindler). In contrast, the "good" characters are honest, even at the cost of social displeasure, use manners/etiquette to show respect rather than deceive people, and act selflessly to prove their worth (actions speak louder than words). It can be summed up this way: "don't judge a book by its cover."

Psychology: Austen very effectively described hindsight bias when sarcastically commenting on how the village of Meryton turned on Wickham after the elopement with Lydia, when previously they regarded him as an "angel of light." She also understands how easy it is to manipulate peoples' minds through confirmation bias (Wickham telling Elizabeth all the dirt about Darcy, which she eagerly takes because she hates Darcy so much). She also knows that emotions can override people's judgment: "angry people are not always wise." It's fun seeing how her people are social animals who make flawed judgments based on first impressions/emotions.

The secondary characters: Mr. Collins the clergyman is the most famous and he's so funny because of his arrogance in spite of his low social position (he keeps worshiping Lady Catherine instead of respecting God). Another great one is Sir Walter Elliott, a nobleman who is vain and constantly checks himself in the mirror (the most obvious social criticism). Also Austen understood how women insult each other: through passive aggression (ex. Caroline Bingley and Louisa Hurst talking negatively about Elizabeth behind her back). Austen's female bullies use their talent and "good breeding" to intimidate or shame others.

The romance (no explanation needed): "You pierce my soul. I am half-agony, half-hope. I have loved none but you." I love how the couples learn about each other through many spirited conversations and become slowly fascinated with each other until they realize they are in love and then have a conflict between formality and their growing passion...or they fall back in love with each other...or they are friends who slowly realize that they are more than friends...okay I'll stop talking nonsense I've been trying so hard to be semi-scholarly

Tags: @talkaustentome @austengivesmeserotonin @austengeek @princesssarisa @appleinducedsleep @colonelfitzwilliams

#jane austen #pride and prejudice #sense and sensibility #northanger abbey #emma #mansfield park #persuasion #lady susan #elizabeth bennet #fitzwilliam darcy #mr darcy #mr bingley #colonel brandon #edward ferrars #elinor dashwood #marianne dashwood #fanny price #edmund bertram #emma woodhouse #mr knightley #catherine morland #henry tilney #anne elliot #captain wentworth #classic literature #in this essay i will #worth reading

[xmanicpanicx]

Mammoth List of Feminist/Girl Power Books (200 + Books)

Lists of Real, Amazing Women Throughout History

Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World by Ann Shen

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 2 by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu, Montana Kane (Translator)

Rejected Princesses: Tales of History's Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics by Jason Porath

Tough Mothers: Amazing Stories of History’s Mightiest Matriarchs by Jason Porath

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky

Bygone Badass Broads: 52 Forgotten Women Who Changed the World by Mackenzi Lee

Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History by Sam Maggs

The Little Book of Feminist Saints by Julia Pierpont

Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History by Kate Schatz

Warrior Women: 3000 Years of Courage and Heroism by Robin Cross & Rosalind Miles

Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels by Linda Skeers & Livi Gosling 

100 Nasty Women of History by Hannah Jewell

The Warrior Queens by Antonia Fraser

Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World by Jane Yolen

The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience by Hillary Rodham Clinton & Chelsea Clinton 

Fight Like a Girl: 50 Feminists Who Changed the World by Laura Barcella

Samurai Women 1184–1877 by Stephen Turnbull

A Black Woman Did That by Malaika Adero

Tales from Behind the Window by Edanur Kuntman

Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights by Mikki Kendall

Witches and Pagans: Women in European Folk Religion, 700-1100 by Max Dashu

Mad and Bad: Real Heroines of the Regency by Bea Koch

Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History by Blair Imani

Individual and Group Portraits of Real, Amazing Women Throughout History

Alice Paul and the Fight for Women's Rights: From the Vote to the Equal Rights Amendment by Deborah Kops

Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All by Martha S. Jones

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron De Hart

The Firebrand and the First Lady: Portrait of a Friendship: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice by Patricia Bell-Scott

I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb

Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA by Amaryllis Fox

Native Country of the Heart: A Memoir by Cherríe L. Moraga

The Soul of a Woman by Isabel Allende

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Alice Diamond and the Forty Elephants: The Female Gang That Terrorised London by Brian McDonald

Women Against the Raj: The Rani of Jhansi Regiment by Joyce Chapman Lebra

Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution by Sara Marcus

The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor

Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars by Nathalia Holt

The Women of WWII (Non-Fiction)

Women Heroes of World War II: 26 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Resistance, and Rescue by Kathryn J. Atwood

Skyward: The Story of Female Pilots in WWII by Sally Deng

The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II by Katherine Sharp Landdeck

The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Alexievich, Richard Pevear (Translation), Larissa Volokhonsky (Translation)

Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Died Under Nazi Occupation by Anne Sebba

To Serve My Country, to Serve My Race: The Story of the Only African-American Wacs Stationed Overseas During World War II by Brenda L. Moore

Standing Up Against Hate: How Black Women in the Army Helped Change the Course of WWII by Mary Cronk Farrell

Sisters and Spies: The True Story of WWII Special Agents Eileen and Jacqueline Nearne by Susan Ottaway

A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell

The White Mouse by Nancy Wake

Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II by Liza Mundy

Tomorrow to be Brave: A Memoir of the Only Woman Ever to Serve in the French Foreign Legion by Susan Travers & Wendy Holden

Pure Grit: How WWII Nurses in the Pacific Survived Combat and Prison Camp by Mary Cronk Farrell

Sisterhood of Spies by Elizabeth P. McIntosh

Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan by Shrabani Basu

Women in the Holocaust by Dalia Ofer

The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos by Judy Batalion

Night Witches: The Untold Story of Soviet Women in Combat by Bruce Myles

The Soviet Night Witches: Brave Women Bomber Pilots of World War II by Pamela Jain Dell

A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II by Elizabeth Wein

A Dance with Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II by Anne Noggle

Avenging Angels: The Young Women of the Soviet Union's WWII Sniper Corps by Lyuba Vinogradova

The Women of WWII (Fiction)

Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz

Night Witches by Kathryn Lasky

Night Witches by Mirren Hogan

Night Witch by S.J. McCormack

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

Daughters of the Night Sky by Aimie K. Runyan

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

Code Name Verity series by Elizabeth Wein

Front Lines trilogy by Michael Grant

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

All-Girl Teams (Fiction)

The Seafire trilogy by Natalie C. Parker

Elysium Girls by Kate Pentecost

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

The Effigies trilogy by Sarah Raughley

Guardians of the Dawn series by S. Jae-Jones

Wolf-Light by Yaba Badoe

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

Burned and Buried by Nino Cipri

This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow

The Wild Ones: A Broken Anthem for a Girl Nation by Nafiza Azad

We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett

Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Bad Girls Never Say Die by Jennifer Mathieu

The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti

Kamikaze Girls by Novala Takemoto, Akemi Wegmüller (Translator)

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry

The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke

Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl

Hell's Belles series by Sarah MacLean

Jackdaws by Ken Follett

The Farmerettes by Gisela Tobien Sherman

A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions by Sheena Boekweg

Feminist Retellings

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh

Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins by Emma Donoghue

Doomed by Laura Pohl

The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke

Seven Endless Forests by April Genevieve Tucholke

The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

Kate Crackernuts by Katharine M. Briggs

Legendborn series by Tracy Deonn

One for All by Lillie Lainoff

Feminist Dystopian and Horror Fiction

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Godshot by Chelsea Bieker

Women and Girls in Comedy 

Crying Laughing by Lance Rubin

Stand Up, Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim

This Will Be Funny Someday by Katie Henry

Unscripted by Nicole Kronzer

Pretty Funny for a Girl by Rebecca Elliot

Bossypants by Tina Fey

We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy by Yael Kohen

The Girl in the Show: Three Generations of Comedy, Culture, and Feminism by Anna Fields

Trans Women

Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock

Nemesis series by April Daniels

American Transgirl by Faith DaBrooke

Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout by Laura Jane Grace

A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars by Kai Cheng Thom

Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt

George by Alex Gino

The Witch Boy series by Molly Ostertag

Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman by Laura Kate Dale

She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan

An Anthology of Fiction by Trans Women of Color by Ellyn Peña

Wandering Son by Takako Shimura

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

Feminist Poetry

Women Are Some Kind of Magic trilogy by Amanda Lovelace

Wild Embers: Poems of Rebellion, Fire and Beauty by Nikita Gill

Fierce Fairytales: Poems and Stories to Stir Your Soul by Nikita Gill

Great Goddesses: Life Lessons from Myths and Monsters by Nikita Gill

The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill

A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing: The Incarceration of African American Women from Harriet Tubman to Sandra Bland by DaMaris B. Hill

Feminist Philosophy and Facts

The Creation of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner

The Creation of Feminist Consciousness: From the Middle Ages to Eighteen-Seventy by Gerda Lerner

Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice by Jack Holland

White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism by Bushra Rehman

Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks

Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World by Kelly Jensen

The Equality Illusion by Kat Banyard

White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind by Koa Beck

Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates

I Have the Right To by Chessy Prout & Jenn Abelson

Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World by Kumari Jayawardena

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

How to Suppress Women's Writing by Joanna Russ

Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color by Andrea Ritchie

Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks

Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment by Patricia Hill Collins

But Some of Us Are Brave: All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men: Black Women's Studies by Akasha Gloria Hull, Patricia Bell-Scott, Barbara Smith Women, Race, and Class by Angela Y. Davis This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color by Cherríe L. Moraga, Gloria E. Anzaldúa

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof & Sheryl WuDinn

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxane Gay

This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color by by Cherríe Moraga & Gloria Anzaldúa

Power Shift: The Longest Revolution by Sally Armstrong

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

Had It Coming: What's Fair in the Age of #MeToo? by Robyn Doolittle

She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement by Jody Kantor & Megan Twohey

#Notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women by Lisa Charleyboy

Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time by Tanya Lee Stone

Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers: Monstrosity, Patriarchy, and the Fear of Female Power by Sady Doyle

Sisterhood is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings from the Women's Liberation Movement by Robin Morgan (Editor)

Girls Make Media by Mary Celeste Kearney

Rock She Wrote: Women Write about Rock, Pop, and Rap by Evelyn McDonnell (Editor)

You Play the Girl: And Other Vexing Stories That Tell Women Who They Are by Carina Chocano

Things We Didn't Talk About When I Was a Girl: A Memoir by Jeannie Vanasco

The Portable Nineteenth-Century African American Women Writers by Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor), Hollis Robbins (Editor)

Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World by Jessica Valenti and Jaclyn Friedman Bread Out of Stone: Recollections, Sex, Recognitions, Race, Dreaming, Politics by Dionne Brand

Other General Girl Power/Feminist Awesomeness

The Edge of Anything by Nora Shalaway Carpenter

Kat and Meg Conquer the World by Anna Priemaza

Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg

The Female of the Species by Mandy McGinnis

Pulp by Robin Talley

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

That Summer by Sarah Dessen

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

American Girls by Alison Umminger

Don't Think Twice by Ruth Pennebaker

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

In Love & Trouble: Stories of Black Women by Alice Walker

You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down: Stories by Alice Walker

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

Sula by Toni Morrison

Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell & Katie Cotugno

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

Everything Must Go by Jenny Fran Davis

The House on Olive Street by Robyn Carr

Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

Lady Luck's Map of Vegas by Barbara Samuel 

Fan the Fame by Anna Priemaza

Puddin' by Julie Murphy

A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti

Gravity Brings Me Down by Natale Ghent

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

The Summer of Impossibilities by Rachael Allen

The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender

Don't Tell a Soul by Kirsten Miller

After the Ink Dries by Cassie Gustafson Girl, Unframed by Deb Caletti

We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire by Joy McCullough 

Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee

Things a Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

The Prettiest by Brigit Young

Don't Judge Me by Lisa Schroeder

The Roommate by Rosie Danan

Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince

Surpassing the Love of Men: Romantic Friendship and Love Between Women from the Renaissance to the Present by Lillian Faderman

All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister

Paper Girls comic series by Brian K. Vaughan

Heavy Vinyl comic series by Carly Usdin

Please feel free to reblog with more!

#book list #feminism #girl power

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 56: Rise Up

Ren was running a bit late getting to the hideout. She asked everyone there to begin investigating now that they have a name. Upon arrival, Ren was surprised to find Makoto among them, and she looked PISSED. “Ummmmmm…”

“She didn’t tell us why she was here either,” Ann explained. “She wanted to wait until we were all there.”

Ren was still stunned, but tried to proceed. “Well, the good news is we got a name…”

“And HOW did you get that name?” Makoto asked

Ren was confused. “I talked to a reporter…? Are you mad because I entered a bar? Because the lovely bartender was super adamant about not giving me anything alcoholic.”

Makoto was taken aback. “You entered a bat?”

“...No…” Ren lied.

Makoto sighed. “Well, if you’re telling the truth, then how do you explain this?” She showed Ren and everyone else a news article on her phone. The article was about the three gang members that got beaten up.

Ryuji panicked. “That wasn’t us!” He exclaimed.

Makoto was more confused now. “So if it’s not you who did it, then can you prove it?”

“...Maybe” Ren said. “We might have witnesses, depending on the time.”

“Well, as it just so happens, one of the gangster’s was wearing a watch that got broken,” Makoto explained. “Can you explain what you were doing at about 10:30?”

“Ah, what were we doing?” Ryuji wondered. “I think that was after we left.” Ren and Ryuji realized what they were doing. While Ren had a mile-wide grin on her face, Ryuji’s face contorted in horror. “We beat them up!”

Everyone but Ren looked at him, confused. “Oh, come on Ryuji. It won’t hurt to tell them.”

“What do you mean, we beat them up,” Ryuji insisted, his face turning red.

Makoto was not having it. “What’s going on?”

Ren snickered. “Lucky for us, not only do we have two witnesses, but also photographic evidence that places us somewhere else.”

Everyone looked at Ryuji. Ryuji couldn’t hold out any longer. “I want my 5000 yen back.”

“Done” Ren said, handing it to him.

Makoto turned to Ren. “So, where were you?”

“Well, after we had gotten the information…” Ren began.

It flashes back to last night. Ren and Ryuji were making their way through Shinjuku. “Alright, so, you wanna test it out? See if we got the right dirtbag?” Ryuji asked.

“Hmmmm” Ren thought. “I dunno. I kind of want to wait for the team to be there.”

Ryuji looked at her. “I mean, I guess I get it, but what if we have the wrong guy?”

“That’s part of the reason I wanna wait,” Ren said. Ryuji was confused. “I’m a little scared.”

Ryuji chuckled. “I get it. I was always scared before a big meet. But the trick is to not let it get to you.”

Ren smiled. “Maybe you and Sumire should talk.” Ryuji laughed rather loudly.

“Oh my, what an adorable laugh” a voice said. The two teens looked over to see two men. The two men walked over. “I know he already LOOKS perfect, but I think he has the energy for it too.”

“Oh, without a doubt,” the other man said.

“Um, what?” Ryuji said.

“Oh, pardon me, where are my manners?” the first man said. “My name is Julian.”

“And I’m Angel,” the other one said.

“Um, OK?” Ryuji said, still confused.

“And don’t think we don’t know what you’re doing here” Julian said. Ryuji looked at him blankly. “Why, you’re here to let yourself go.”

“What?” Ryuji said.

“Oh, don’t be so modest,” Angel said. “Or do. It’s very becoming of you.”

“I’m not sure what’s going on,” Ryuji said.

“Aww, we’re all friends here,” Julien said. “You want to let out your inner drag queen.”

“WHAT?!” Ryuji yelped.

“We saw you hanging around Crossroads,” Angel explained. “Too nervous to go in.”

“B-Bullshit!” Ryuji snapped back. “I was waiting for her!” Pointing to Ren.

“It’s true,” Ren admitted. Ryuji was relieved. “He wanted me to scout the place to make sure it had what he needed.”

Ryuji panicked again. He pulled Ren aside. “What are you doing?” he whispered.

“We can’t tell a perfect stranger that we’re out hunting for information about a gangster” Ren whispered. Ryuji looked shocked, then sheepish. “What did you do?”

“Well, uh, this guy, I was kicking rocks, you know?” Ryuji began explaining. “One hit him, I apologized, and we got to talking.” Ren glared at him. “I didn’t say anything about the Phantom Thieves, I didn’t even mention gangs. I just said we were helping the student council.” Ren was still glaring at him. “OK, fine, I’ll go along with this as an apology. We humor them for a bit, tell them we have to get home, and leave before the last train departs.”

“...’We’?” Ren said, still glaring. Ryuji was sweating bullets. “Ha!” Ren said, smiling. “Just kidding. You know I wouldn’t want to miss this.” Ryuji grumbled, but accepted it.

They broke away from their huddle. Ryuji got slightly embarrassed. “Ha ha, you got me.”

“Well don’t worry your pretty little head,” Angel said. “We’ve got the BEST stuff to make you SHINE!”

“Just like I always wanted,” Ryuji said. “But uh, could we take her along too?” Julian and Angel looked at Ren. “It’s just...she’s the only person I’ve told about this. I’d feel more confident with her there, you know?”

“Oh, of course,” Julian said. “Well now, come come.” The two kids followed the two men to a place close to Crossroads that was more specialized to the art of drag. The group spent some time picking out the right clothes for Ryuji. Ren explained that one of Ryuji’s hang ups was that he still wanted to feel tough, but it was no problem to find a tough look that was more feminine.

Ren also applied Ryuji’s make-up. Once she finished, she backed up. “There.”

Julian and Angel looked on. “Wow, I’m impressed” Angel said

“If you ever feel like making some extra cash, I’m sure some of our regulars would LOVE to have you on make-up” Julian said.

“Thanks,” Ren said, “but for now, I only work with him.”

“Aw, that's a shame,” Julian said. “Well, if you ever change your mind, the offer stands.”

“Thank you,” Ren said.

“So, what now?” Ryuji said.

“Well now we gotta get you in some of those CUTE outfits” Angel said. “And then PHOTOSHOOT!”

“Ph-Photoshoot?!” Ryuji said, surprised.

“Realx, it’ll be just for us” Angel said.

“Yeah, come on,” Ren said. “It’ll be fun.”

Ryuji looked at Ren. He relented. “PHOTOSHOOT!” he said with as much gusto as he could muster.

“Splendid!” Angel said. They capped the night off with Ryuji modeling various outfits, while everyone else took photos.

“You look gorgeous!” Ren complimented, taking another shot.

“Oh, you’re just saying that…” Ryuji answered, trying to play into the bit

“No, I mean it,” Ren said. “I’m honestly a little jealous.”

“Well, I’m sure that you’ll have your time to shine too” Julian said. “Your make-up game is SO on point!”

“Thank you,” Ren said. They took more pictures.

After the photoshoot, Ryuji and Ren left. “Take care you two!” Angel yelled out.

“Thank you!” Ren said.

“Yeah! Thanks!” Ryuji, smiling. Once he was far enough away, he let go of his smile. “Ugh.”

“Alright. 5000 yen, or this is going to Ann” Ren said. There was no reaction from Ryuji. “5000 yen or this DOESN’T go to Ann?”

Ryuji became more alert. “What? No! The first one! Ann cannot see these!” He took out some money and handed it over. “Ugh.”

Ren giggled. “Still, you gotta admit, tonight was fun.”

“Maybe” Ryuji admitted. “But I’m not keen on doing it again.” Ren giggled some more.

In the present, Ren was showing off the photos she had taken of Ryuji. “So, that’s what we were doing.”

“Huh,” Makoto said.

“UGH!” Ryuji groaned.

“I must say, you have a nice aesthetic presence,” Yusuke admitted.

“You really do look good here,” Jose said.

Ann looked at the pictures. “Ryuji? Have you ever thought about being a model?”

“Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope!” Ryuji said in a frenzy.

Sumire giggled. “But I will say, those guys are right.” Everyone looked at her. “Ren-senpai is REALLY good at make-up. I wouldn’t mind you applying make-up to me sometime.”

A light blush covered Ren’s face. “Th-Thanks.”

Makoto sighed, relieved. “Well, at least you aren’t going around assaulting people.”

Ryuji hung his head down. “I almost wonder if that’d be better.”

“BUT” Makoto said. “There is the matter of that person Sakamoto told stuff to.”

Everyone looked at Ryuji, while he recoiled. “Hold on. I didn’t say anything that would give anything away.”

“Are you sure?” Makoto asked. “Remember whose voice I have on recording?”

“Ugh,” Ryuji said.

“Well, I believe him,” Ren said. “I doubt Ryuji has much of a capacity to lie like this.”

“Hm, I guess that’s true,” Makoto agreed. “But it’s still something to consider.”

“Yeah,” Ren said. “It might be hard to find them, but if there’s no commotion, we might be safe.”

Makoto nodded. “So, what now?” The thieves looked at each other confused. “I’m assuming you’re going to begin your ‘work’ now that you have a name.”

“Well, yeah…” Ann said. “But that’s members only.”

“There’s a bit more finesse to it than just knowing their name,” Ren explained. “And besides, we might not have the right name to begin with.”

“I suppose that’s true…” Makoto admitted. “But I would like to see your process. You know, to make sure everything is above board and all.”

The thieves exchanged a look. Ren sighed. “It’s not that we don’t trust you, or want to keep you out exactly,” she said, deciding to be direct, “it’s just it’s a lot, and it might seem unbelievable. So, unless you’re ready to take the dive with us, it might be better to leave us be.”

Makoto stared at her. “Fine. I’ll let it go for now. But I WILL figure this out.” She walked off. With that determination, came something else: The app. Not that anyone noticed right away.

Once she was far enough away, the thieves were relieved. “Man, she’s determined!” Ryuji noted.

Morgana popped out. “Are you sure that was the right thing to do?” he asked.

“Well, I don’t know if there was any other way,” Ren answered. “You were there when I tried to dodge her inquiries about the Phantom Thieves.”

“I guess that’s true…” Morgana admitted. “Still, you’re better at letting others know just enough than Ryuji.”

“Shut up!” Ryuji shouted back. “You don’t even need to worry about shooting your mouth off, because most people just hear you meowing!”

“Are cats allowed at your school?” Yusuke asked.

“Well...he does have you there…” Ann said.

“You know what I mean…” Ryuji said, still a bit frustrated.

“I don’t think we should belabor the point any longer,” Ren said. She got out her phone and loaded up the app. “Junya Kaneshiro.”

“Match found” the phone responded.

“It IS him,” Ryuji said, amazed.

Ren looked at her phone. Just as before, Kaneshiro’s name is in black, and following that is one more line in black, then a line in white. “Yeah, and we know it’s the right guy because someone’s taking over already.”

“WHAT?!” the thieves yelled in unison.

“But didn’t Eris tell you no one was taking over yet?” Sumire asked.

“Well, something must have happened,” Ren said, giving some serious side-eye to Ryuji.

“Hold on. We can’t be SURE it’s my fault” Ryuji said.

“That’s true,” Jose said, defending Ryuji. “He did say he didn’t go into specifics.”

“Besides,” Ann interjected, “if this Kaneshiro person is doing business in all of Shibuya, that gives him a LOT of people who could be his enemy here.”

“Match found” Ren’s phone sounded off.

“What was that?” Ann asked.

Ren looked. “Well, it seems we’ve stumbled into the second thing needed to get into his palace. Apparently, it covers ‘All of Shibuya’.”

“You’re kidding,” Ann said.

“That’s massive,” Yusuke added.

“But we’re still missing the take over word,” Morgana said. “And unlike with Madarame, I doubt Kaneshiro is having a big public event.”

The thieves all thought. Something clicked in Sumire. “You don’t think that the person who beat up those guys could be it, do you?”

“Hmmmm” Yusuke said. “I cannot deny the possibility.”

“Yeah, but how are we supposed to figure this out?” Ann asked

“Well, it’s better than nothing,” Ren said. She thought some more. “Maybe we can get Makoto’s help on this?”

“Really?” Sumire wondered.

“Well, I don’t have any better ideas,” Ren admitted.

“I’ll go see if I can’t find her still” Ryuji said. “She couldn’t have gotten too far.” Ren nodded at him. He rushed off.

Meanwhile, Makoto was walking around. “I don’t think they’d do anything illegal,” she rationalized. “But why won’t they tell me what it is they do? They said it’d be unbelievable, but how much of that is just bluster on their part?” She bumped into someone. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s alright Makoto” they said.

Makoto looked up to see Naoko. “Naoko?”

Naoko smiled. “How are ya doing, champ?”

“Oh…” Makoto said, taken by surprise. “Well, I’ve been better, but I think I'm doing alright.”

Naoke lowered to her level. “Well, if there’s anything you need, you know you can always come to me, right?”

“Of course,” Makoto said. Naoko kept looking at her. Makoto was confused. “Ummmmm.”

“Anything,” Naoko repeated.

“Right…” Makoto said. Naoko kept looking at her.

He stood up. “Ah, I’m sure you’re fine,” he laughed.

“...OK?” Makoto said. At that moment, Ryuji came up and saw those two conversing. He immediately hid, but kept watch.

Naoko laughed a little more. “Sorry. I’m just working on a case, so my mind is more focused on that at the moment.”

“Oh, you got a case?” Makoto said. “Well, with you on the job, I’m sure it’ll get solved.”

“Thanks kiddo” Naoko. “You doing well in school?”

“Yeah,” Makoto answered.

“Good” Naoko nodded. “Keep it up, and take care now.”

Naoko started walking off. “Wait!” Makoto called out. “I can ask Sae for a date if you’d like to have dinner sometime. Or maybe we could plan a picnic for...well…”

Naoko smiled. “Sorry, but I’m going to be rather busy. Plus, I think your sister has a lot on her plate as is. Still, thanks for the offer.” He finished walking off.

Makoto smiled, feeling a little more refreshed. Just then, Ryuji walked up to her. “Oh, Sakamoto-kun.”

“Um, you know that guy?” Ryuji asked.

“Yeah. He worked with my father on the police force” Makoto explained. “They were partners.”

“But he’s not an officer now?” Ryuji inquired further.

Makoto shook her head. “He’s a private investigator now. But more importantly, why are you here?”

“Oh, um, well,” Ryuji began explaining, “we might need a little more information, so we were hoping to ask for your help.”

“Well, I’m here to help. What do you need?” Makoto asked.

Ryuji was concerned about what to say, and more importantly what not to say. “We might need to investigate who beat those people up, but we might not now.”

“What do you mean?” Makoto asked.

“That guy you were talking to,” Ryuji answered, “that was the guy I talked to last night.”

Makoto was a little stunned, but she refined her composure quickly and chuckled. “OK then, so nothing to worry about.”

“What?” Ryuji responded.

“I mean, he’s not going around beating people up, if that’s what you’re thinking” Makoto kept going.

“But he COULD be,” Ryuji responded. “He MIGHT know.”

“Even if he did, I trust him not to do it,” Makoto said.

“But…” Ryuji blurted out. He was struggling to find the words without saying everything.

“But what?” Makoto asked.

Ryuji remained focused on what to say. He managed to muster “Ugh. It’s complicated.”

“Well, it sounds like you have some more talking to do with everyone else” Makoto. “Still, once you get your bearings straight, I’ll gladly help in whatever capacity is needed.” She walked off. Ryuji, frustrated, walked back to the group.

“Did you find Miss Niijima?” Yusuke asked.

“Yeah…” Ryuji answered.

“What’s wrong?” Jose asked, sensing something off about Ryuji.

“Well…” Ryuji said. “Things are a bit mixed.”

“How?” Ann asked.

“So, when I found her, she was talking to someone,” Ryuji said. “Specifically, the person I met in Shinjuku.”

“Did you go and reintroduce yourself?” Morgana asked.

“NO! I ain’t THAT stupid!” Ryuji countered. “I hid until he left and then I talked with Niijima.”

“What did she say?” Sumire asked.

“She’s very confident it’s not him, but I think it could be,” Ryuji explained. “But I couldn’t think of a way to tell her without saying everything.”

“Hmm” Ren pondered. “That IS tricky.”

“What do we do?” Ryuji asked.

They all thought about the question. Ren finally answered. “I guess we just need to be completely honest with her.”

“Are you sure?” Morgana asked.

“I don’t think we’ll get anywhere otherwise” Ren answered.

After letting the information settle for a bit, Ann spoke up and said “I think Ren’s right.” Everyone looked at her. “It’s just, she’s been fighting tooth and nail for the students of the school. I think it’s only fair that she should have all the knowledge to continue the fight, you know?”

“I do know” Yusuke chimed in. “However, I think the reveal should be a united front. A one-on-one meeting would be lacking.”

“Plus, if all of us were here, it might seem more believable,” Jose added.

“OK” Ren nodded. “I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

“Why not now?” Sumire asked.

“I think it’d be a bit awkward at this point,” Ren admitted. “So, do you want to do it here again?”

“I dunno,” Ryuji interjected. “I think it’d be a bit suspicious.”

“I think we should do it in Shibuya,” Yusuke suggested. “That way, if the person Niijima was talking to IS the person taking over, and she IS willing to believe us, we might get the third thing we need.”

“What an excellent idea Yusuke-senpai!” Sumire said. Yusuke went deep into thought. “Was that too much?”

“Oh. No. Sorry” Yusuke answered. “I just started thinking. ‘The person taking over’ is a bit of a mouthful. I think we need a better term for these people.”

Everyone got to thinking. “...Rebels?” Ryuji suggested.

“But we’re the rebels,” Morgana explained. “We’re the ones standing against corruption.”

“Yeah, but so are they in a way,” Ryuji said, defending his answer. “It’s just different from us.”

“Still, I don’t think we should put them in the same category as us, at least entirely,” Ann added. “If we were the same, we’d be no better than that Akechi kid thinks we are.”

“Well, you officially sunk my idea,” Ryuji said.

“What about ‘Conquerors’?” Sumire suggested.

“That’s not bad,” Jose said. “But I think we don’t want them to conquer. Otherwise the palace rulers would be dead.”

“Oh, right,” Sumire said.

They thought some more. “Well, this might be something we come back to later” Ren said. Everyone nodded. “In the meantime, we have a plan: we meet Makoto in Shibuya, and explain the truth.” Everyone nodded again. “Alright, then, meeting adjourned.”

Before everyone could leave, Ann shouted “WAIT!” Everyone looked at her. “Do you think you can send us those pictures of Ryuji?”

Ren smiled. “Of course.”

“Wait, don’t I get a say in this?” Ryuji asked. It was too late though, as Ren had already posted the album in the group chat. “Ugh.”

That evening, Makoto was having dinner when Sae walked in. “Sis!” Makoto stood up. “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.” Sae wasn’t answering. “Your food is in the fridge.” Sae still said nothing. Makoto noticed she was holding something. “What’s that?”

Sae finally answered. “Huh? Oh, sorry. I found this in the mail slot.”

“What is it?” Makoto inquired further.

Sae got a bit frustrated. “I haven’t read all of it, but it appears to be a manifesto. The person writing it claims to have beaten up some gangsters last night.” Makoto was alerted. “So, you said my food was in the fridge?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah” Makoto answered. Sae set the manifest down on the table and walked into the kitchen. Makoto quickly walked over and took a picture of it with her phone. Once she did, she noticed the app. She stared at it for a bit, until the microwave dinged. Makoto returned to her seat and continued eating.

Sae came back out with her plate. She ate slowly, but aggressively, as she continued reading the letter. “Ugh. This guy.”

“What’s wrong?” Makoto asked.

“He’s just insulting us like we’re not even trying,” Sae said. She took another bite. She sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to be pleasant company tonight. This on top of everything else is driving me up a wall.”

“Oh. Well, I could finish in my room if you want” Makoto said. “I still have some homework left to do.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Sae said. Makoto took her food and headed for her room. Once there, she pulled up the picture of the manifesto and began reading it herself. After she finished, she had a stunned look of horror on her face.

The next day, during lunch, Ren got out her phone and messaged Makoto.

Ren: Hey.

Ren: We need to talk.

Makoto: Funny. I was about to say the same thing.

Ren: Oh.

Ren: I guess that works then.

Ren: Can you meet us in Shibuya?

Makoto: Sure, but why?

Ren: That’s one of the things that needs explaining.

Makoto: I see.

Makoto: Well, It might be easier if I just come with you.

Ren: Yeah.

Makoto: Well, see you after school then.

Ren: Seeya.

Ren put her phone away.

After school, Ren met up with Ann, Ryuji, and Sumire. Once gathered, they waited for Makoto. She showed up a few minutes later. “Sorry, just had to take care of some business. Well, shall we get going?” The other thieves were uneasy, but Ren nodded. She and Makoto started walking off. The other thieves followed behind them.

It took a bit, but they met up with Yusuke and Jose around Shibuya Crossing. The thieves all banded together, looked at Makoto, who was looking at them, feeling unsure of what was going to come next. “What’s on your mind?” Makoto asked, nervously.

Ren sighed. “You want the truth?” she asked. Makoto nodded. “Alright. But please note, what I am going to say is the truth, no matter how ludicrous it seems.” She took a deep breath. “So, here’s just a basic overview. There’s a parallel world that’s shaped by people’s congitions. We can tap into it using an app that was given to us by a powerful entity to save the world.

People with really distorted desires form these things called ‘Palaces’ and at the center is their desire, which is their treasure. We sneak in to steal that to make them confess. But there’s another bit of complication.

This figure, Eris, corrupts people in order to take over the palace and kill the palace ruler. We not only go in to stop the palace ruler, but this person as well. BUT in order to get into the palace, we need three keyword: the name of the ruler, where the distortion is centered, and what the distortion is. When someone takes over, that last one becomes their’s, and not the palace ruler’s.

So, we need help figuring out who the person taking over might be. We have almost everything we need, but we can’t go until we figure this out. If you’re willing to help us, we’d like that.”

Makoto watched as Ren explained this, unblinking. The thieves were worried that Makoto would laugh this off, or get angry with them. Instead, she said “Huh. I guess that explains a few things.”

The thieves were confused. “Like what?” Ren asked.

“Why you’re never seen, first of all,” Makoto explained. “But I’m guessing it would also explain this.” She held up her phone to them. They were all stunned to see the Metaverse app. “I found it on my phone last night. I tried deleting it a few times, but it always came back.”

“Oh. I see” Ren said, awkwardly.

Makoto grew a little more serious. “And you need something from the person taking over? Well, I think I can provide that too.”

“What do you mean?” Ren asked, confused again.

“Last night, someone left a note in our mailbox claiming to be the person who beat up those gangsters,” Makoto said.

“Um, why?” Ryuji asked.

“My sister works for the prosecutor’s office,” Makoto said.

“Ooooooooohhhhhhhh” Ryuji said, remembering that the man he talked to mentioned a Niijima working at the prosecutor’s office.

“I heard from her this morning that it was sent to some of her coworkers, an assortment of police stations, and some news outlets as well,” Makoto continued. She glared at Ryuji. “And after reading it, I think you’re right.”

“Oh, about that guy?” Ryuji asked, his heart beating a mile a minute.

Makoto nodded. “I think he, Naoko, is the one who is taking over.”

“But, Ryuji told us that you denied that accusation,” Ann explained.

“And I did,” Makoto said. “But reading this, I knew. And with you explaining that this Eris person manipulates people into doing things, I understand now.”

“So what does it say?” Jose asked. “Is there anything that could be helpful to figuring out how to get into the palace?”

“Yeah, so far, we only have the guy’s name, Junya Kaneshiro, and we accidentally figured out the place, which is all of Shibuya,” Ann explained.

Makoto nodded. “His name appears in the note” she said. “I did a little research, and it appears he’s a big time gangster who you don’t want to mess around with. Ugh. Well, he knows I’m involved, but at least he doesn’t know about Kisa.”

“Wait, he knows Hagiwara too?” Ryuji said.

Makoto looked at him, glaring daggers. “Yeah. She’s his niece. Did you tell him she was involved too?” Ryuji looked pale as a ghost, and as much as he wanted to say something, he felt like anything he would say would not be well received. Makoto sighed. “Well, at least this whole thing makes more sense now.”

“So, the letter?” Ren said, awkwardly shifting the subject back.

“Oh right,” Makoto said. “I think it could be useful.” She pulled up the photo she took. “It goes as follows: ‘Greetings Tokyo, It has been a long time since I’ve graced your presence.’”

“It has?” Ryuji said. “How?”

“I’m getting to that,” Makoto said. “‘In case you were wondering, I am the one who beat up those criminals recently. That was only the beginning. I have decided to fight for Tokyo once again. However, it appears that things have gotten too out of control for The Night Raider to handle.’”

“The...Night Raider?” Ryuji asked.

“Ah, I remember,” Yusuke said. “Night Raider is a superhero from a comic from a long time ago. Madarame had the full collection.”

Makoto nodded. “It was my father’s favorite when he was a kid. Naoko’s too. They bonded over that when they first became partners.”

“If I remember correctly, The Night Raider would also put out messages for Tokyo to assure them they were safe” Yusuke said. Makoto nodded.

“Oh, so it that when you figured it out?” Ryuji asked.

“No” Makoto responded bluntly. She continued. “‘A prosecutor’s office that goes after the innocent while the police do nothing to get the truly heinous. Hence, I am making my return as The Dark Raider. The Night Raider vowed never to kill, but with things so terrible, there is no other choice but to kill. And I’m going to start with a man rotten to the core: Junya Kaneshiro. His tyrannical rule over Shibuya will come to an end upon his execution July 11th. In the meantime Tokyo, stay safe. From, The Dark Raider.’”

Ryuji seemed a little confused. “So, when did you figure it out?”

Before Makoto could answer, Sumire interjected. “It was the date, wasn’t it?”

Makoto nodded. “That was the day my father died. I knew then it HAD to be Naoko.”

“WHAT?!” Ryuji screeched. “So, let me get this straight: this Naoko guy is pretending to be a superhero to kill criminals, and he’s going to start by killing Kaneshiro on the anniversary of your father’s death? That’s one messed up personal crusade.”

“That’s it!” Yusuke exclaimed. They all looked at him. “The name for the people taking over: Crusaders!”

“Um, I guess?” Ryuji said. “But I don’t know if now’s the time for this.”

“Well I like it, Yusuke-senpai,” Sumire said.

“Thank you,” Yusuke said. “Although it was Ryuji who inspired me.” Ryuji didn’t say anything, but this time he was too dumbfounded to do so.

“OK, now with that out of the way, let’s see if we can’t figure out something from this,” Ren said.

“Um, I think it’s kind of clear,” Ryuji said. “He’s imitating his favorite comic book.”

“Navigating,” the phone said.

“What the?!” Ryuji said before the world warped around them.

The thieves and Makoto found themselves in a Shibuya with a green skyline, and everything around them looked like it was hand-drawn from a comic. “Woah!” Makoto said, freaking out. “This...This is insane.”

“Please,” said Morgana. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Makoto looked down. “Is that a talking cat?”

“I am NOT a cat,” Morgana explained.

“I don’t think this is a good time to explain that,” Ren said.

Makoto looked up to see everyone in their thief outfits. “Who are you?”

“Um, it’s us,” Ann explained. “This is just what we look like in the other world.”

Makoto was still shocked. “Oh. Wait, when did we get over here?”

Ren checked her phone. “Probably when Skull here said the words ‘comic book’.” Everyone else checked their phone. They saw Junya Kaneshiro, All of Shibuya,” and in white, Comic Book.

“Ugh. I need to learn to shut my mouth” Ryuji said.

“Wait, Skull?” Makoto said.

“Oh yeah,” Ryuji said. “Over here, we use codenames.”

“I’m Joker, this one’s Mona, she’s Panther, he’s Sunshine, she’s Violet, and he’s Fox.”

“I see,” Makoto replied, intrigued. She peered over them. “Is that normal too?”

The thieves looked at what Makoto was pointing at. They looked like walking, talking ATMs. “Well, it’s not entirely unusual,” Ren explained, “but this is odd. Let’s investigate.” The thieves walked up to the ATM while Makoto followed behind cautiously. “Excuse me.”

“GAH!” The ATM said. “I’m making the payments! I just need more time.”

“Wha?” Ren said.

“Oh, Mr. Kaneshiro won’t give me the time though” the ATM said. “Please, help!”

Ren was still bemused by this, but said. “We will.”

“Thank you,” the ATM said. “I don’t want to end up like them.” They pointed to another ATM, this one broken and on its side. The ATM hurried off to try and save itself.

“Um, what’s going on?” Makoto asked.

“Well, this is just a guess,” Ren said, “but I think these ATMs represent people in the real world.”

“So Kaneshiro thinks of these people as nothing but ATMs?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “That’s effed up!”

“Well, if he’s extorting money from people, it makes sense,” Sumire lamented.

“Well, yeah, but we gotta put a stop to this!” Ryuji said. Suddenly, a beam went off. Everyone looked to see a giant lime green beam blasting through the sky. They followed it and saw that a floating bank was being pulled by it.

“FOLLOW THAT BANK!” Ren shouted. They all chased the falling bank to its new destination. They arrived just as the bank was setting into the space around it. Once it stopped moving completely, two shadow guards walked out, and in the middle of them was a very angry purple man in a white suit. Ren halted everyone. “I think that might be Kaneshiro” she whispered.

The man furiously looked around. He saw the thieves and Makoto. “You!’ he said, walking up closer to them. “Are YOU the ones who took my bank out of the sky?” Ren shook her head.

“Um, pardon me?” Makoto said, stepping forward. “Are you by chance, Junya Kaneshiro?”

“That’s right,” he said, cautious.

“Why was your bank in the sky?” Makoto continued.

Kaneshiro’s shadow laughed. “Because that made me untouchable. That allowed me to act with impunity. I can control all of Shibuya without lifting a finger, because when I do, everyone but me gets PUNISHED.

But now I’m brought down to your level. And so, I need to punish whoever’s responsible.” He took a better look at Makoto. “Say, your uniform looks like the one of the girl who tried to get evidence on me.”

Makoto was afraid, but stood her ground. “That’s right. She’s a student at my school. And I’m the student council president. And you’ve made a grave mistake crossing me.”

“Oh ho” Kaneshiro said. “Feisty, aren’t we? But I think it’s the other way around. I have those photos of her, and I have the police under my thumb.So tell me, what are you going to do?”

Makoto took a step forward. “I’ll stop you!”

Kaneshiro laughed. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard a joke THAT good. Guards, take care of her. And her little friends too.” The shadows started to inch forward, but before they could touch Makoto, one of them got kicked out of the way.

The person responsible for the kick was a superhero with a black suit, black cape and cowl that was torn and tattered, white gloves, white boots, and white trunks. Across his chest was a stylized “DR” to symbolize that this person was the Dark Raider. This person was Naoko.

The other shadow turned their attention to him, but he pulled out some boomerangs and threw them at the shadow. He then walked up to Kaneshiro. “I’m the one you’re after,” he said. “I dragged you down here so we can fight like men. Leave them out of this.”

“Heh,” Kaneshiro chortled. “You think someone playing dress-up scares me?” Naoko grabbed Kaneshiro’s arm and twisted it. “GAH!”

“I’m not playing,” Naoko explained. “You saw what I did to some of your goons, right? Well that’s only a sample of what I’m going to do to you. You will pay for your sins with your LIFE!”

He twisted Kaneshiro’s arm harder. “AH!” Kaneshiro yelped in pain.

“NAOKO!” Makoto called out. Naoko looked at her. “STOP!”

Naoko let go, while Kaneshiro fell to the ground. “This isn’t your fight Makoto. Run while you still have the chance.”

“No,” Makoto said.

“What?” Naoko replied.

“This IS my fight” Makoto said, filled with determination “This man has been harassing my fellow students.”

“This man is DANGEROUS!” Naoko argued.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Makoto retorted. “But I have to try. Otherwise, what am I?”

Naoko walked over. “You’re a student. Your job is to get good grades, get into a good college, and have a good life. Not take on some mobster with a known body count of 22!”

“STOP!” Makoto shouted, surprising everyone. “Quit telling me what to do! If I’m supposed to be in charge of what I do, why is everyone else telling me what it should be, or what I am?! I’m the student council president, and I’m supposed to protect my own! But no one trusts me because of what other people have placed upon me, and I’m SICK of it! I want to earn that trust back by doing whatever it takes! So you either help me, or GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

Kaneshiro stood up in this moment where everyone else was distracted. “GUARDS!” He called out. More shadows appeared as Kaneshiro retreated into the bank. The thieves rushed to protect Makoto, while Naoko had already begun.

Meanwhile, a voice was ringing out inside Makoto’s head. “Have you decided to tread the path of strife?”

Makoto was struggling. She fell to her knees. “Yes,” she answered.

“Very well,” the voice continued. “Let us proceed with our contract at once. I am thou, thou art I... You have finally found your own justice. Please..Never lose sight of it again.” A mask appeared on Makoto’s face. “This memorable day marks your graduation from your false self.”

Makoto ripped it off, shouting “JOHANNA!” Blood sprayed out of her face. A blinding light surrounded her. Once the dust settled, Makoto was dressed as a biker, and her Persona had manifested as a motorcycle she was riding.

“Woah!” Ryuji said.

“I’m impressed!” Morgana exclaimed.

“Hm” Ren smiled.

Makoto revved up Johanna. “JAH!” she belted out, as she began attacking the shadows. Between her, the other thieves, and Naoko, the shadows were dealt with. Afterwards, Makoto was out of breath. “Woah…”

Naoko looked at them. “Tell me: Are these the rumored Phantom Thieves?”

Makoto looked up. “Yeah... I asked them to help me... And now... I’m joining them...”

“I see,” Naoko said. He reached his hand out. “We can work together, you know. Taking down criminals left and right.”

Makoto was still out of breath. “Sorry” Ren said, stepping in. “But so long as your plans involve murder, we can’t accept.”

Naoko retracted his hand. “Very well. I will allow you to try your way. But make no mistake, I don’t intend to lose. Kaneshiro will stop at nothing to get his way. You have to be willing to do the same in order to take him on.”

“I’ll stop where I want!” Makoto yelled. Naoko stared, nodded, and then leapt away.

The thieves looked around. “Let’s call it here for today” Yusuke suggested. Everyone nodded and they all went back to the real world.

Once they were back, Makoto was again stunned. “Woah. That just happened.”

“Yeah,” Jose said. “But it was pretty cool.”

“Boy, I’ll say,” Morgana said. “I’ve never seen a motorcycle persona before!”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “Wait, the cat talks here too?”

“I am NOT a cat!” Morgana said, holding his position.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Makoto said. “Then what are you?”

“Well…” Morgana said.

“This is Morgana. He’s a creature from the same person who gave us the app,” Ren explained. “He just has the form of a cat.”

“OK” Makoto said, taking this alright. “Why is he here?”

“He was always here,” Ren explained. “I usually carry him around in my bag. But you couldn’t hear him speak unless you go to that other world.”

“Oh” Makoto said. “How peculiar.”

“Yeah, that’s one way to describe him,” Ryuji remarked.

“Can it!” Morgana said. “At least I’m not a loud mouth.”

“Those two argue from time to time,” Ren said. “Don’t worry about it.” She reached her hand out. “For now, welcome to the team.” Makoto smiled. She gathered what strength she had left to accept Ren’s handshake, and accept the title of Phantom Thief.

#persona fanfiction #persona 5 #persona 5 royal #p5 femc #p5 rework #p5r rework #p5r #p5 #FeMC #female ren #ren amamiya #makoto niijima #Ryuji Sakamoto #ann takamaki #Sumire #morgana #jose #yusuke kitagawa #sae #kaneshiro #Julian and Angel

[beyond-the-yellowbrickroad]

Movies Watched in 2019 - Filmes assistidos em 2019 (part two / segunda parte)

111. About a Boy (2002) Directed by Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz

I liked it a lot! The Kid is amazing and just imagine my face when I found out he was Nicholas Hoult…

112. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Directed by Anthony Maras

It’s a very heavy movie to watch, even more because is based in a real life history… the amazing cast helps to make it even more realistic.

113. Toy Story 4 (2019) Directed by Josh Cooley

I’m angry and very disappointed. It may sound childish of me because “people change” and “leave our lives” but was that really necessary? I think NOT!

114. Widows (2018) Directed by Steve McQueen

I didn’t like it that much but it was probably my fault… I was expecting something more like Ocean’s 8, but it’s completely different from that. Anyway, the cast is great.

115. Final Destination (2000) Directed by James Wong

116. The Final Destination (2009) Directed by David R. Ellis

117. Final Destination 5 (2011) Directed by Steven Quale

So I re-watched all of the “Final Destination” Series at once, and I had the most fun!

I had already seen de second and the third one when I was little (I was about 6 or 7, grown ups were crazy in the early 2000′s) but I had never seen the others and, for my surprise, I loved almost all of them! (I really don’t like the fourth one and I rather pretend it doesn’t exist)

The second one is still my favorite, but the others are as crazy and fun! I LOVED IT!

AND THE ENDING OF THE FIFTH MOVIE, OMG, I WAS NOT READY!!!

118. Liar Liar (1997) Directed by Tom Shadyac

Jim Carrey making funny faces for no reason for 86 minutes straight

119. John Wick (2014) Directed by Chad Stahelski

120. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) Directed by Chad Stahelski

121. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) Directed by Chad Stahelski

So I also watched all the “John Wick” movies all at once and all I can say is: it’s really great to see treined assassings kill people to revenge their dogs and to see Keanu Reeves being amazing, sexy AND kicking other people’s asses.

122. The Perfection (2018) Directed by Richard Shepard

I saw this weeks ago and I still am absolutely shocked with everything that happened in this movie

123. Us (2019) Directed by Jordan Peele

Literally, a masterpiece of horror and comedy. The cast it’s incredible!

124. The Lion King (2019) Directed by Jon Favreau

Nice, but… it’s the same as the original, but more… dull. Impossible not to have fun though, because it’s the same movie as the original.

125. Long Shot (2019) Directed by Jonathan Levine

Now I really want to go to a club with Charlize!!

126. The Angel (2018) ‘El Ángel’ Directed by Luis Ortega

Beautiful photography, and the cast is really great! The music is also incredible.

127. Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015) Directed by Michael Showalter

It’s a nice reminder that everyone has it’s own time for doing things… sometimes you star things eary and sometimes, other things happen in life before others, and that OK! I loved it!

128. The Lake House (2006) Directed by Alejandro Agresti

It’s romantic, well done and super interesting! Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock looked so good together! I really loved this sci-fi love story.

129. Pride & Prejudice (2005) Directed by Joe Wright

Honestly, everything is absolutely pefect in this movie… like when Mr. Darcy always look’s like he’s about to throw up everytime Lizzie is around, how Mr. Bingley is an absolutely sunshine, how Jane it’s his perfect match, how Lizzie is perfecly sassy and smart… I, obviously, and I can not stress this enough: THE HAND FLEX!!! (and when Mr. Darcy cofesses his eternal love to Lizzie in the rain and them they fight and them they almost kiss… AMAZING CINEMA!)

I loved the movie and I can’t wait to finally find time to read the book too…

130. Creep (2014) Directed by Patrick Brice

131.  Creep 2 (2017) Directed by Patrick Brice

Both weird movies, but the first one is more amazing because you spend more than a half of it not knowing what it’s happening.

132. Vox Lux (2018) Directed by Brady Corbet

Natalie Portman is amazing and this movie is also weird.

133. Austenland (2013) Directed by Jerusha Hess

A thriling saga to my Pride and Prejudice / Jane Austen obcession…

So, the fake Mr. Darcy (Mr. Noble) looks like young Tom Hiddleston so now I have a huge crush on him.

Also, I think it’s a very fun movie and I had a good time.  

134. Good Sam (2019) Directed by Kate Miles Melville

Fun, I guess… honestly, the romance was unecessary.

135. Almost Famous (2000) Directed by Cameron Crowe

The bus scene when they all are down and then suddenly starts singing to “Tiny Dancer”… The most beautiful thing I saw in my life.

136. The Losers (2010) Directed by Sylvain White

It’s a very fun movie!

But I have an observation: It just don’t sound truthful that people would make fun of a hot, nerdy, super uncle, not being that good with girls Chris Evans… really, he is absolutely hot and cute in this movie, it just not make sense!

137. Sing (2016) Directed by Garth Jennings

I watched this because of Taron Egerton singing “I’m Still Standing”, but I loved it for so much more!!!

138. Candy Jar (2018) Directed by Ben Shelton

Fun for spending the time.

139. The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019) Directed by Gideon Raff

Nice movie and great cast!

(also, I know thi isn’t the point but Chris Evans is beautiful in this movie to)

140. The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) Directed by Robin Swicord

I loved this so much, but I also feel kind of sad because I don’t have friends to make a Jane Austen book club with me and also I will never get married with nerdy and cute Hugh Dancy.

141. The Hustle (2019) Directed by Chris Addison

Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson deserved better!

142. The Sun Is Also a Star (2019) Directed by Ry Russo-Young

I don’t want to be mean but, this was horrible!

143. Descendants 3 (2019) Directed by Kenny Ortega

This movie was already going to be very emotional because is the last one of the trilogy, but the recent evens with the super talented actor Cameron Boyce, it was twice as emotional... I cryed a lot.

Also, the movie is increadible in every way: the songs, the dancing, the characters, the cast... I loved it!

144. Brightburn (2019) Directed by David Yarovesky

Well, that was a disaster...

145. Parasite (2019) ‘기생충’ Directed by Bong Joon Ho

Okay, so this movie... there’s so much to talk about this movie...but I don’t want to spoil it... BUT,  everything is absolutely PERFECT! OMG! I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH!

146. Otherhood (2019) Directed by Cindy Chupack

Great cast, fun to watch!

147. The Craft (1996) Directed by Andrew Fleming

ICONIC!

148. Wild Child (2008) Directed by Nick Moore

EMMA ROBERTS: I’m sorry for every time that I sayd that you were not a great actress. You are, and this movie is a masterpiece.

149. Mandy (2018) Directed by Panos Cosmatos

That was a crazy ride and I LOVED IT! Nick Cage it’s amazing in this and I really love this scrypt.

150. Falling Inn Love (2019) Directed by Roger Kumble

This couple is so beautiful and I really wish they could date me as well.

151. Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) Directed by Marc Lawrence

I did not like the movie that much but the cast is nice, so is not that bad to wach.

152. Bacurau (2019) Directed by Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho

This was, honestly, the best thing I saw the entire year. It made so happy and proud of my own culture, and was so increadible to watch, with a great cast and characters that are truly amazing... and as if all of this wasn’t enough, the movie (as a coincidence) talks direcly with Brazil’s currently politic scene. 

When the movie was over, I felt like crying of happines... I so proud o f brazilian cinema and how it gets better and bigger each year!!  

PURE PERFECTION. 

153. Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019) Directed by Scott Aukerman

There was scenes that I really found funny and there were times that I was just confused... but I liked it.

154. Last Holiday (2006) Directed by Wayne Wang

QUEEN LATIFAH I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, PLEASE BE MY FRIEND!!

Honestly, this movie is everything a romcom should be... PERFECT! 

155. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) Directed by Lasse Hallström, Joe Johnston

I’m absolutely angry with the fact that Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen in the same movie and they even looked at each other! CRAZY THING RIGHT?

156. Rumor Has It… (2005) Directed by Rob Reiner

Just imagine a world were Jenifer Aniston and Mark Ruffalo are a couple... 

The movie was SO WEIRD!!! (but good) 

157. It Chapter Two (2019) Directed by Andy Muschietti

The first one still is my favorite, BUT this is so great... I’m not even going to begin to write about the cast, ‘cause everyone knows it’s absolutely PERFECT, but really, BILL HADER GUYS! JUST, AMAZING.

Anyway, I did not got even a little scared, but who cares, it’s a great movie.

Also, the scene were Bill Skarsgård  show up without the Pennywise makeup... his acting was SO GREAT!

 158. Midsommar (2019) Directed by Ari Aster

Today I saw someone describe this movie as “a bunch of white people killing other people and dancing in circles” and honestly, this is the perfect description for this.

159. Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019) Directed by Beyoncé Knowles

i CAN’T BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THE FEELINGS I FELT SEEING THIS! This woman is beautiful, super talented and a genius! 

YOU JUST MIGHT BE A BEYONCÉ IN THE MAKING!! 

160. Frozen (2010) Directed by Adam Green

HORRIBLE! OH MY GOD! I FELT SO BAD WATCHING THIS, IT WAS TERRIFYING! OMG!

161. Hush (2016) Directed by Mike Flanagan

I NEVER FELT SO UNCONFORTABLE IN MY LIFE! Truly a good idea for a scary movie and a very well executed one to! Loved it!

162. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) Directed by Vince Gilligan

The perfect ending for one of the best suporting characters on a TV Series.

163. Little Monsters (2019) Directed by Abe Forsythe

Lupita Nyong'o deserves way more recognition from the Movies Industry because she is so great and even with a fucking OSCAR on her shelf, she barely has any leading characters on her career and is SO UNFAIR!

This movies is funny, scary, the cast is great and there’s Shake it Off by Taylor Swift was sang by a bunch of kids and Lupita dressed on a beautiful yellow dress all dirty of zombie blood, sooo... you should go and watch it!

164. The Blair Witch Project (1999) Directed by Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez

The movie it’s okay until it gets on it’s last 15 to 10 minutes... then so much starts to happen and you just want to stop seeing it, but can’t because you want to know the ending of it, and it’s so scary and crazy... Really I totally get why lots of people are crazy about this one... SO SCARY!

Also, look out for the website they made for the three filmakers that “disapeared” ( AKA were killed by the Blair Witch), it’s so good and there’s a lot of more information that makes the movie even more scary.

165. Yesterday (2019) Directed by Danny Boyle

It could be SO GOOD! But it was SO BAD! Lili was this movie, the guy that played Richie in Skins was in this movie and I still did not like it... The sountrack was made by BEATLES SONGS and I still did not like it... SAD.

166. The Witches (1990) Directed by Nicolas Roeg

NOT A KIDS MOVIE! Really, it’s so scary! OMG!

167. Shaun of the Dead (2004) Directed by Edgar Wright

It’s a very diferent zombie movie, but I really liked it! 

168. Maid in Manhattan (2002) Directed by Wayne Wang

IT WAS JUST LIKE CAMP ROCK!!

Very cheesy, not the best romcom I ever watched, but also not the worse... If you want a good JLopez movie, go see Monster In Law!

169. Monster House (2006) Directed by Gil Kenan

ALSO NOT A KIDS MOVIE! This was actually very little apropriate to kids and so fucking sacry, OMG, how this was made up to be a kids movie? 

170. mother! (2017) Directed by Darren Aronofsky

I will never get over this movie, I feel marked for the rest of my life, thanks very much Aronofsky! (no, really, THANKS!)

171. The Meddler (2015) Directed by Lorene Scafaria

Honestly, the “I was visiting my daughter, she just shot a pilot!” joke was THE BEST THING I EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE! Also, “I have to go home, my hands are loud!”.

172. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) Directed by Stephen Chiodo

I don’t even know what to write about this one... It was weird and not scary at all, but was kind of... diffent? I mean, you don’t get literally scared but you feel unconfotable, like, a lot! Go check it out and you will hopefully understand what kind of feeling I’m trying to describe, it’s just... weird.

173. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) Directed by André Ovredal

WHAT ON EARTH PEOPLE KEEP MAKING THOSE SUPER SCARY MOVIES ANT SAYING THEY ARE FOR KINDS? This was so scary Jesus, and It was great. But not for kids.

If you read the books I don’t know how you going to feel about it, but in my experience from movie adapttions from books, you probably going to feel like shit. But I did’t read the books and loved it, so, you might to :)

174. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) Directed by Joe Berlinger

Not ever close to be as great as the first one, it’s crazier, more things happen and you still feel crazy with the characters, but, it’s not as great. But it would be a great stanalone, if the first one did not existed. 

175. Vacation (2015) Directed by John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein

This is a comedic MASTERPIECE and I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! 

I love comedy movies, but I always expect to much of them... but this served me EVERYTHING that a good comedy should have to make me laugh until my breath runs out. LOVED IT!

176. Walk the Line (2005) Directed by James Mangold

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are absolutely babes and so increadibly talented! 

The movie is a bit slow (maybe only if you not a particularly big Cash fan), but is great! 

177. Love Happens (2009) Directed by Brandon Camp

Jennifer Aniston is amazing and goergeous as always but I didn’t conect with the characters so... it didn’t work to much for me, but it’s not bad eigther.

178. John Tucker Must Die (2006) Directed by Betty Thomas

Talking about perfect comedies, this is ONE OF THEM! FOR SURE! 

179. You’ve Got Mail (1998) Directed by Nora Ephron

I’ve got three things to say:

One: TOM HANKS

Two: I could never date someone that led me to bankruptcy, I could however punch this person multiple times.

Three: MEG RYAN!!!

180. The Prince & Me (2004) Directed by Martha Coolidge

Okay, so I was not expecting anything big from this movie and I only watched it because of Julia Stiles, BUT OMG I’m so thakfull that I gave it a chance, because it’s an amazingly done cliché and the Prince it’s totally hot!

 181. Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) Directed by James Bobin

I WAS SO SURPRISED THAT IT WAS SO GOOD! I really wasn’t expecting that! SO GOOD! 

182. Me Before You (2016) Directed by Thea Sharrock 

méh.

But Emilia, I want to be your best friend!

183. Late Night (2019) Directed by Nisha Ganatra

To Queens that almost coused my death because of how much a I laughed in this... it’s ligh, fun and dramtic and real... AMAZING!

184. Let It Snow (2019) Directed by Luke Snellin 

Kiernan Shipka and  Mitchell Hope singing The Whole of the Moon awakend my bissexuality.

Shameik Moore and Isabela Merced to!

185. When Harry Met Sally… (1989) Directed by Rob Reiner

MEG RYAN!!! 

So... this is the movie that every fanfic is based on? I really loved it!

186. Bringing Down the House (2003) Directed by Adam Shankman

Queen Latifah always brings a smile to my face... she’s perfect!

187. Joker (2019) Directed by Todd Phillips

Huum... Joaquin Phoenix it’s a very great actor, OMG! 

188. Penelope (2006) Directed by Mark Palansky 

It was very hard for me to watch this movie and not get distracted by James MacAvoy’s perfect face and body and not so perfect hair in this one, but does anybody really care? It’s beautiful James McAvoy! 

Also, the movie is so great! I didn’t knew about the plot and I was so surprised! It’s very, very good! 

I love the final scene when Penelope just let’s the children run wild while she swings with her hot boyfriend...

“Take of your mask!” ~proceds to kiss Christina Ricci very dramaticly~

189. Mad Money (2008) Directed by Callie Khouri

Everything about this movie was PERFECT

190. Baywatch (2017) Directed by Seth Gordon

Great opening scene, the rest was kind of a mess.

191. Noelle (2019) Directed by Marc Lawrence

CUTE! CUTE! CUTE! 

But I will complain about the lack of Bill Hader content.

192. Every Day (2018) Directed by Michael Sucsy

Another surprise this year, a very good one! 

It’s cute and dramatic, also, this actress kissed every teeneger and young adult in Hollywood!

193. Over Her Dead Body (2008) Directed by Jeff Lowell

A good and weird movie! Gave a few laughs. 

Paul Rudd is in it, so, totally worth it!

194. The Skeleton Twins (2014) Directed by Craig Johnson

A dramatic, surprising and “few good” comedy! 

I really wish I could hang out on Halloween with Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig...

195. Eat Pray Love (2010) Directed by Ryan Murphy

I didn’t quite understood her journey but I quite liked it. 

Veeeery long movie.

196. Death at a Funeral (2007) Directed by Frank Oz

197. Death at a Funeral (2010) Directed by Neil LaBute

I know I should have loved the original version more but the american version... I don’t know what it is (probably the many actors that I absolutely LOVE), but I coul not stop laughing! 

James Marsden was an absolute STAR! 

198. The Other Woman (2014) Directed by Nick Cassavetes

I wish I could personally thank Cameron Diaz for every great movie I watched because of her.

Thank you, Mrs. Diaz! 

That last scene was peak COMEDY!!!

199. The Back-Up Plan 2010 Directed by Alan Poul

JLo! PERFECT!

Honestly, I was thinking this movie was going to be very problematic, but it wasn’t that much... it was actually pretty cute! The birth scene was sacry and funny at the same time!! 

200. Muriel's Wedding 1994 Directed by P.J. Hogan

Don’t judge me, I didn’t liked it, it fact, It made me feel pretty shitty, so I just wnat to forget that it existis. 

#filmes assistidos em 2019 #movies watched in 2019 #segunda parte #part two

[ralfstrashcan]

3x08 Reaction / Commentary

Clary is so rebel putting her hands up first and then dropping her stele lol.

“So you can salt-ify her, too, when she inevitably attacks.” Great thinking, Luke! Also, how did they know it's salt? Did they lick it?

Ohhhhhhh I like where this is going!!

Ominous Elevator Rattling Powers Activate!

FunFact: I thought the shadow moving on the wall behind them was some demon Lilith summoned but it was just Simon's shadow. Oh dear.

Instant Sunroom Powers Activate!

Also, Lilith is a dirty liar. They totally didn't 'stay exactly where we are.’ (Also, now I'm having Reichenbach Fall Flashbacks.)

But what's with the other disciples? Do they get texts with the new address of the moved hang out spot? Man, that sunroom's gonna be so crowded.

........you mean New York, right, because the Lightwoods were banished from Idris for being in the Circle, which is why the Lightwood kids grew up in the NY Institute? *sigh*

.........because any orphaned Shadowhunter immediately gets tossed out into the streets instead of being raised by other Shadowhunters, you know, to be a soldier and serve the heavenly duty of killing demons. Makes sense. Okay, sorry, I get it. Jace is trying to get into Alec's head and it's clearly working and that scene was totally dramatic, but... it also didn't make sense.

How the hell does Possessed!Jace know about that? Alec had two opportunities to talk to him about his drama with Magnus (in 3x05 and in 3x06) and he chose to evade the topic altogether both times. In case he didn't change his mind off-screen and talked to him in the short time between Jace allegedly returning from the City of Bones and them discovering his possession (time that was spend with Maryse at the Hunter's Moon btw) then Jace can't know it from Alec. So, where did this knowledge magically appear from? @kaysgreenery suggested that Lilith did some research on Magnus's dating history and taught Jace all the details but why the hell would she do that. I'd like to think that this Possessed!Jace has the ability to somehow warp into the thoughts and minds of the people around him and snatch information on how to hurt them the best, but.... I don't think that's the case or that it will even be addressed how he learned that.

Again, arguing with possessed people. I still don't get it. Then again, from Simon I don't really expect more. (Sorry, Simon.)

.....yeah, Disgraced-Ex-Circle-Member-turned-Downworlder-who's-not-even-allowed-to-enter-Alicante, do tell how you plan to get that intel.

................................dude you're so sounding like Clary right now it's not even funny anymore. So yeah, thank you Izzy for being the voice of reason.

For a second there I got my hopes up that they were going to address Possessed!Jace's mindreading-powers. </3

Alec doesn't approve, lol. But I'm super into it. Lightwood siblings gooooo!! Also, love that face.

This sounds like they're gonna dive into Jace's subconsciousness or dreamscape or whatever and this would be so cool!!!!

1) Pretty skylight 2) I acknowledge that that Equilibrium Rune does make sense on the wall

Yo but why was he standing there holding the sword? He could have put it in its fancy stand as soon as he arrived. And why wasn't it on the fancy stand from the get-go? Where do they store it when there's no trial?

Sassy. I like it.

Yeah, way to misunderstand your assignment, dude. Did you even go back to that building or did you go straight to Maia to whine a little? *sigh*

“Right now, bigger fish to fry.”

Wow, finally someone who can prioritize sensibly. I'm impressed.

Yeah, a decision that should have been Simon's. Because he's the one who the case is about. And if he's constantly hating on Kyle that's helping no one. Just sayin'.

“I'll still take my not-magically-invincible girlfriend with me, you know, just in the unlikely case I get the upper hand and Lilith needs some leverage.”

Seriously, this whole Mark Business started because he was up against someone more powerful (the Seelie Queen) that held Maia hostage and blackmailed him into obeying. Didn't he learn from that?? Apparently not.

Especially because the Vampire nose at their disposal seems to be malfunctioning, falling out of commission whenever the Plot calls for it.

That smile tho.

“Especially when the Clave kicked you to the curb for breaching the Accords, slaughtering Downworlders.” Yeah, those werewolves really look like they're seconds from throwing Maryse a welcoming party.

“Well, then a deruned ex-Circle member is the last person you should be talking to.” Lightwood Women being extra reasonable this Episode, I dig it!

Also, how exactly does Luke want to “negotiate Clary's release”? I mean, call me old-fashioned, but I thought you needed leverage for a negotiation. What exactly does Luke have to offer the Clave in exchange? A few Selfies? (They might actually go for that lol.)

I'm sooo calling bullshit on this because of Maryse's behavior during the entirety of Season 1, but whatever. Also, “was having an affair with”? Does that mean Robert's relationship with this Anne-Marie person fell through? Why? In the two weeks tops that passed since 2x16? I need answers!

Luke/Maryse-Shippers crying in the distance. What is that pairing even called? Luryse? Marke? Lightluke? lol. Lightway?? (Tho that's probably a li'l ambiguous cuz there are several Lightwoods. And now I imagined Luke with Robert. Ew.)

YEAH I LIKE THAT

Imagine, if you could harness the luminous power of Parabatai Runes you'd never need electricity again.

NO WAY ALEC I THOUGHT HE WAS  A C C I D E N T A L L Y  THWARTING YOUR ATTEMPT AT RESCUING JACE

Dramatic Stare is Dramatic

What the hell dude lol are you trying to get yourself kicked out of the van (possibly while it's still in motion)?? Seriously. This I-know-you-so-much-better-than-your-current-boyfriend-talk is waayyyy out of character for how Kyle behaved towards Maia and Simon so far so what the hell.

On a different note, I find it very intriguing that Simon doesn't feel temperature (and is maybe even immune to very low or very high temperatures?) and I'd love to see this explored in the show.

Okay but what are the chains chained to? Magnus's furniture?? (There's not one shot where you can see where they end. Very frustrating. They're probably chained to Plot Convenience.)

That is a fine comeback.

What was Magnus even doing? He couldn't have been prepairing because he was prepared already when they tried earlier. So, what was he doing? Reapplying his make-up maybe?

Okay, but Alec's eyes were already rolling back in his head earlier

did he specifically un-roll them again

to have the last roll??

Drama Queen. Magnus chose wisely.

THAT HAIR FLICK I CAN'T

This confirms like every head canon I have on how incredibly badass Izzy is and always was, so thank you. I always had the feeling that she's probably a better fighter than Jace but didn't show it because she knew he needs the limelight and she doesn't. Also, they have super limited time and the first thing they do is watching sweet childhood memories. Priorities.

Well, I would hold hands in that case, just to be sure.

.........could have prevented this from happening. *sigh*

Lilith killed all those Seelies, does that mean she has to stay in the Seelie Realm now and that the Seelie Queen owns her life? lol

So that exchange between them was kinda enlightening but also not at all because whaaaat. Can't Lilith just track Jace, the person she herself possessed? That's a little inconvenient and dumb because she's ass powerful but can't do this easy thing? If the Mark of Cain can only be borne by a Daylighter and is also the only thing that can banish Lilith, does that mean there was a Daylighter before who bore that Mark and banished Lilith? Or was she never on earth before and banished, in which case, how does she know that's the only thing that can banish her? How do her visits to the Seelie Realm work? I thought you need to be summoned to leave your home dimension as a demon so if she was in the Seelie Realm before could she have easily walked over into the Real World as well? Was the Seelie Queen alive when Lilith last visited the Seelie Realm (which would have been at least during the time of her predecessor) or do they have pictures of her somewhere so that's why she knows what Lilith looks like? Also, that line with the complexion

is rich, coming from the Seelie Queen, like seriously, glass houses, bricks.

Same, Jia. Because what the hell, Clary.

One, I don't get why Clary told her the truth about the wish when she didn't have to, like, wasn't it her main goal to keep that truth from ever coming out?? Why would she just spill? Just because it was a dramatic gesture? Then again I also don't understand why those guards tried to restrain her immediately after she let go of the sword, like, did they want to put her back in her cell right away? And why does she need to be unrestrained to talk? Why not just put the sword back on its fancy stand and make her touch it again to tell the rest of the story? So many questions.

Two, the wish from the angel wasn't a one-time-voucher to kill everything with demon blood. Clearly, because Clary used it to bring back Jace. It was simply a wish that could be shaped by the person making the wish. So just because that wish was powerful enough that it could be used for mass murder doesn't mean the wish itself is inherently evil?! What the hell, Clary. It's like she's trying to argue why using the wish was like a public service to Shadowhunter Society?! Who's going to believe that?? At least she didn't say something pathetic like “To you, an insurmountable evil is a world overrun by demons, to me it's a world without Jace in it” because, honestly, I was half expecting her to, lol.

Sidenote: Until the end of Season 2 the Shadowhunters hadn't even figured out that the Mortal Mirror was in fact Lake Lyn, so without Clary figuring out what the Mortal Mirror was, still having that wish wouldn't have done them any good. Of course the middle of the apocalypse is always the best time to try and start figuring out where the long-lost third Mortal Instrument is, so I totally see your point, Jia.

..........why would Shadowhunters allow a feral wolf pack in the forest around their capital when Downworlders aren't even allowed to set foot into Idris? That makes no sense.

...................did Luke forget to mention the weird bloody altar? What was even the point in sticking his fingers in then? *sigh*

If Jonathan's in there I will flip my shit. Lilith definitely took him with her in that fancy display vitrine.

Okay, no Jonathan, I'm relieved.... but Jonathan was clearly stored in there in 3x03, so, Show, explain yourself. Why did Lilith decide to repot him? To better stare at him longingly? (Also, why aren’t the ley lines getting corrupted again? I’ve been wondering for a few episodes about that already....)

Just don't let your phone fall in there. That would be awkward as hell. Pun intended.

........................................................Simon. Si-mon. Are you for real. I don't even have words for this level of stupidity and recklessness. But sure. Leave those two alone to fight whoever decides to come in, without your fancy forehead mark to protect them. I mean, it's not like this is the exact reason you told them to stick close to you less than five minutes ago.

Yeah well, would have been weird if he had been studying ancient demonic languages when he was still a mundane. Also, why is no one taking advantage of the great change-werewolf-pun-opportunity??

Are you shitting me why doesn't she just say she's Izzy? She has the same Runes as Young Izzy in the same spots and everything. Then again, they cast Young Izzy looking nothing like Emeraude Toubia, so I couldn't even blame Young Jace on calling bullshit and not believing her. But this line of reasoning only makes sense if Izzy is aware that her younger self looks nothing like her which she can't possibly be because they're supposed to look alike, being the same person and everything.

Okay, so their little sing along was a little touching (tho a lot ridiculous, too, sorry) but I'd be seriously creeped out if some stranger wanted to prove their legit-ness by singing my kiddie lullaby to me like what the hell man.

Those are a lot of Claries, but why are they all wearing the same thing?

Absolutely loved the whole scene with Alec and Jace.

Okay but how did Young Jace know that he needed to bring her here? Did Young and Regular Jace ever meet? I need answers!!

Thank you for this precise and not at all vague information, Luke, as always.

I can't really make sense of that Maia Kyle Whatever Scene so I'll just leave it uncommented.

Edit: Since I was delayed in posting this for several days (because my lappy decided it would be a great time to die on me) I've had some time to think about it. I didn't like the scene when I first saw it, but I couldn't really put my finger on why. Now I know it's because of the way Maia acts, I feel like this is ooc for her. Maia is unapologetic, she takes no shit from anyone. Remember how she told Kyle off in that flashback when he wanted to decide if she got to go to college or not, or how she put Russell in his place when he thought he could comment on her relationship with Simon, or even how she pre-emptively refused to apologize for hooking up with Jace when she thought Simon expected an apology? The case I'm trying to build here is that Maia is very aware of what she wants, what she will accept in regards to behavior of another person towards her, and where she draws the line, where she will put her foot down and not accept something. So seeing her basically begging Kyle to not act like he's in any way likable so she can cling to her resentment for him is strange for two reasons:

1) It makes it seem as if she's not in control of her emotions, as if her resentment is something she needs to actively fuel to maintain it. This is the stellar opposite of how she acted towards him in the last episode, where she was confidently hostile.

2) It makes it seem as if what Kyle did isn't something where it's entirely reasonable and justifiable to be angry and hurt and unforgiving about even after a long time has passed. When someone betrays and abandons you like that (like Maia undoubtedly experienced his actions) you don't really need to exert yourself to not-forgive that person. That's natural, isn't it? Of course one could argue that it's not as black-and-white here because she was in love with him and it's not like he was some stranger betraying her.... but to be honest, the way she acted towards him up until this very scene, including the flashbacks, didn't really make it seem as if their past loving relationship was influencing Maia. So I really don't get why it's suddenly the case.

I mean, I do. If Sizzy is endgame (yikes), then Simon and Maia will have to split up at some point and Maia and Kyle will probably be a thing somewhere along the way. But I feel like this current behavior isn't really ic for Maia and that's why it annoys me, even though I have nothing against the pairing Maia/Kyle per se.

Where they seriously trying to make it seem as if Izzy would kill Jace lol I didn't believe that for a second. I was also totally distracted by the fact that she licked her lips and her lip stick stayed on fleek like how do you do that Izzy let me in on your secret powers please.

Leaving all that aside this scene was perfectly acted and very intense..... but. I don't know if that makes me really insensitive or something, but they were under immense time pressure. If all it took to get them back was grabbing hold of each other's hands I really don't get why Alec and Izzy didn't do just that. There would have been enough time to placate Jace when they were back in their own bodies without the very real threat of getting lost in Jace's mind forever hanging over their heads. Of course it would have been a shock for Jace to be ripped out of his environment and be thrown back into his body, but honestly, he must be so heavily traumatized by all that Lilith did to him that this little thing wouldn't even register in comparison. So yeah, call me heartless, but it would have been more efficient to grab Jace and talk him down once they were safe.

I'm asking again. How did the Seelie Queen know where Jace was? And, seriously, why didn't Lilith think to check Magnus's appartment, I mean she must know Alec is Jace's parabatai and that Magnus is Alec's boyfriend and a powerful warlock. When Jace didn't come back to her it would have been reasonable to assume that the other Shadowhunters had gotten to him and would try to save him, seeking out capable help.

Soooooo Magnus is officially Asmodeus's favorite. Dubious honor.

I don't know if it's the camera angle or that cute eyebrow crunch, but to me Magnus looks so much like a cat while Lilith is choking him, so I was inappropriately cooing during this scene. Shame on me.

If those are the chains immediately after Lilith takes Jace... does that mean he was chained to himself the whole time??? Like, ankles to wrists?????

Edit: Found a BTS pic that explains it:

So apparently there are these neat anchorages that anchor the chains to..... the fluffy rug!! Extremely durable and a hundred percent tearproof!!! Hell yeah.

I get that Alec feels super guilty but honestly, think about it. If he'd killed Jace he wouldn't have killed his body. He would have killed his consciousness, his soul maybe. Meaning the possession would have been given free reign over his body. Killing Jace while they where inside his mind would have killed the last part that was fighting against the possession. It would have made everything way worse.

Funny you say that like it's a cute quirk when really it's pretty invasive and selfish.

Oh man, those subtitles totally ruined the suspense. (Also, how is Clary supposed to learn and understand when she's dead, lol.)

I'm so thrilled to find out how they're gonna get rid of that death sentence. Or will Clary be a fugitive from the law for 3B? I'd totally be up for that, too.

(Gif Source, BTS Pic Source)

#shadowhunters #3x08 #alec lightwood #magnus bane #jace wayland #isabelle lightwood #clary fray #maia roberts #simon lewis #kyle #luke garroway #maryse lightwood #jia penhallow #lilith #the seelie queen #ollie #reaction

[aion-rsa]

How Lucifer Season 6 Borrows from Harley Quinn

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains light spoilers for Lucifer season 6. Avoid only if you want a completely unsullied experience.

Lucifer has been to Hell and back. Quite literally. Based on the DC character introduced in the Sandman comic books, the TV series follows the devilish Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), who abandons his own fiery realm to open a nightclub in Los Angeles. But, as he began to consult for the LAPD, Lucifer slowly developed feelings towards Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German) and along the way, inadvertently discovered he was far more human than he ever expected. 

The show originally aired on Fox before being canceled after the third season. Netflix swooped in and renewed it, before also giving it the axe after two more seasons. But, thanks to a dedicated and vocal fanbase, the streaming network greenlit a sixth – and final – season of Lucifer, which is available to stream now.

In the meantime, the titular character experienced his own little odyssey. The former fallen angel learned about friends, love and selflessness. In addition, Lucifer most recently assumed the mantle of his heavenly father, God. But a mysterious new angel that will be introduced this year will throw Lucifer’s life into total chaos… in both the best and possible ways.

Lucifer showrunners Ildy Modrovich and Joe Henderson spoke to Den of Geek about Lucifer’s godly responsibilities, the new angel in town, going animated, and closing the series on a high note. 

Den of Geek: What kind of story did you want to tell this time, and how did it change from the last series finale crafted for season five?

Ildy Modrovich: When we were first graciously offered a season six, we said “No.” We felt we had a great ending, and we were so worried about staying at the party too long. We had already looked at season five as the end of Lucifer’s journey in terms of his father. He was this angry, rebellious kid who was mad at his father. He had resolved a lot of the issues that he had with God in season five. We thought, “Now what?” 

We didn’t want to tread water, but when we started talking to the writers’ room, to Tom, to each other, we realized there really was one more chapter, which was, “What would Lucifer feel like if he was in God’s shoes?” Let’s do that. It’s one thing to experience something yourself, but what is it like to have the child angry at you? How does that feel for Lucifer? That became the nugget we dug into.

Lucifer is poised to take over as God. How ready is he to assume that position and those responsibilities?

Joe Henderson: So much of season six is what happens when the dog catches the car. What happens when Lucifer, who always wanted to have a throne right next to dad, finally gets THE throne itself and why does he seem to be hesitating? What does that mean for him and what does that mean to the world, when there isn’t a God on the throne for an extended period of time? But it’s really about the emotionality of what happens when you have to become your father, or just facing what that future could be.

A new angel arrives on Earth, played by Brianna Hildebrand. How does that presence push Lucifer and Chloe out of their comfort zone?  

Henderson: We have this new angel who comes onto the show, who represents everything Lucifer used to be, like this rebellious woman who looks at Lucifer and is like, “Who is this guy? This isn’t the guy I’ve known before.” So much of it is Lucifer having to face someone who reflects a lot of who he used to be… rebellious and cool, in very different ways. So, it’s like what happens when someone comes around, who is the new rebel, and how does Lucifer deal with that?

How did you land on doing a cartoon segment in the third episode, “Yabba Dabba Do Me”?

Henderson: Honestly, it was a mixture of two things. The limitations of Covid, which, so much of our season was the limitations of Covid being to our benefit. From this episode to much more intimate scenes focusing even more on our own main cast because we didn’t want to bring in more people than we actually needed, we realized the less days we were shooting the better off we were. So, why don’t we do an animated sequence? 

The fun is to take that problem and to turn it into an opportunity because I have always wanted to write animation. I have always wanted to do something like this. So, the minute we had an excuse, we hit the ground running. We got really lucky because the Harley Quinn animators were available. Jennifer Coyle and her team over there are the ones who did it, which is why it’s so darn awesome. 

What a blast that sequence is…

By the way, I was like, “Wacky Races.” That’s the cartoon on in the background. They were like, “Well, it can be anything.” I was like, “It can be anything, but it should be Wacky Races.” I don’t even know how many episodes of that show actually exist, but I watched 200 of them. Whether or not it was the same four over and over again, I could not tell you. 

In what way does the theme of secrets manifest and fester this season?

Henderson: In the first half, Lucifer and Chloe are together, but they are both keeping things from each other. Chloe is keeping her addiction from Lucifer and Lucifer is keeping his own secrets on his end. It’s interesting because I don’t know how conscious we were of that as opposed to just finding those moments. One of the things that Ildy has said before is this idea that Lucifer and Chloe are together, but when people are together, that’s when they are the most interesting.

The “will-they-won’t-they,” bringing them together is actually kind of challenging. Just because you are in a relationship, doesn’t mean that everything is hunky-dory and fine. Finding those little secrets, that could balloon into something bigger, was a very important part to us in the first half.

How much fun was it giving Chloe a more physical role this season? She kicks serious ass…

Modrovich: So much fun. Lauren loved it. She loved the scene with Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt). We were a little worried because we’ve never had her fight. We were like, “Are you cool with it?” Lauren’s like, “Bring it!” She was really into it. She liked not only fighting Lucifer, which you see in the trailer, but others. 

Henderson: Part of the fun of any series is discovering something new in the end. Talk about the lowest hanging fruit of an idea, which is Lucifer versus Chloe, and to find a way to earn that and to be able to have them stand toe-to-toe in a fight was really fun.

Somehow, you always manage to incorporate singing and dancing into the show. What was your favorite musical number this year?

Modrovich: “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” That was a surprise. We had asked Brianna at the beginning of the season if she was comfortable singing. She said, “I can carry a tune.” Talk about underplaying it. We were blown away. I remember I was walking to the studio, through the hallways of the music studio where they were recording, and I heard this voice. I thought, “Oh, that must be the temporary track, the vocal coach laid down a track for Brianna to follow.” I walked in and it was her. “That’s the voice of an angel. It’s so clear and clean and unaffected.” It was beautiful.

What discussions did you have about where you wanted all the characters to end up?

Henderson: We wanted everyone to have endings that were beginnings, where the fans feel like these stories are going on. We might not be able to see them, but these characters are living lives and they are excited for them. We wanted happy endings, but happy endings with a dose of reality, a dose of bittersweet, especially with Lucifer and Chloe. That’s the most bittersweet relationship of all.

Lucifer’s redemption has been a hot topic since day one. How important was it to get to that point, for Lucifer to not only achieve redemption, but also for him to find his calling and his humanity?

Henderson: They are all sort of mixed in together. What I love about how you phrased that is you separated three different concepts that, to me, are all sides of this three-sided coin. So much of it is, “What is our purpose in life? What am I supposed to do?” Callings and fate are two different things. A purpose, a sense of what I can do, what I can bring to the world… was a very important differentiation. Lucifer is saying, “I am embracing fate and what I can do to make me happy and better the world.” 

Modrovich: What we also found in this final season is, “What is everybody’s unique gift? What is their unique perspective?” You might think you want that cushy office. Maybe that’s not in the clouds, but maybe that’s not what you have to bring to the table. What is your unique perspective? That was what we found with Lucifer and what he could offer to the world.  

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

All 10 episodes of Lucifer season 6 are available to stream on Netflix now.

The post How Lucifer Season 6 Borrows from Harley Quinn appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/38YUpUE

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, November 2

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Jealous O.J. Simpson killed Nicole Brown over sizzling photos 

Page 2: Melanie Griffith was caught in lockdown meltdown mode outside her Los Angeles home yelling at an unsuspecting laborer and giving him a good working over after he somehow crossed her bath and pushed her buttons but it doesn’t take much to get Mel to blow these days because she’s upset about two things which are getting old and not having a man in her life 

Page 3: Lisa Marie Presley’s son Ben Keough’s tragic last moments were caught on tape as he argued with his girlfriend according to the coroner’s report on his suicide and security camera footage also captured the eerie sound of an apparent gunshot said the officer who viewed the tape -- Ben had hosted a party for his girlfriend Diana Pinto then about 4 a.m. the 27-year-old musician went to his bedroom; two hours later Diana went to check on him and had to jimmy the bedroom door lock with a bobby pin and she discovered his body and called 911 but Ben was pronounced dead at the scene -- since his death a devastated Lisa Marie has blamed herself for not intervening sooner; Ben had been to rehab several months before and Lisa Marie could see he was struggling with drugs and depression and she has kept a close eye on Ben’s gravesite with Graceland’s surveillance system 

Page 4: Anne Heche’s shocking public pronouncement that she wants to reunite with former galpal Ellen DeGeneres was met with fury from Ellen wife Portia de Rossi -- Ellen and Anne were Hollywood’s highest-profile lesbian couple when they dated for three years before their bitter split in 2000 and they haven’t spoken since but Anne announced after her elimination on Dancing with the Stars that she would love to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show but Portia has made it clear she wants Anne nowhere near her wife and she believes Anne is using Ellen to drum up publicity for herself, lonely Ryan Seacrest is longing for a reunion with former flame Shayna Taylor but she wants no part of him -- workaholic Ryan announced the combustible couple’s third split in June after eight on-and-off years together -- Ryan’s obsession with being the next Dick Clark tests the patience of everybody around him and it’s made him a nightmare to be in a relationship with as Shayna found out firsthand -- Ryan seemed so cocky and sure that breaking up was the right thing to do but not having Shayna there to lean on has really gotten to him however Shayna is refusing to be played for a fool 

Page 5: Kelly Clarkson made a massive mistake dumping husband Brandon Blackstock according to famed numerologist Glynis McCants 

Page 6: Doting dad Kanye West is spoiling oldest daughter North rotten and it’s causing even more problems between him and wife Kim Kardashian because Kim feels North is getting too spoiled but Kanye won’t hear any of it because North is his firstborn and his princess and he treats her like it -- North is regularly served breakfast in bed on a silver tray and gets whatever she wants even if it’s waffles with strawberries and ice cream and she also has a team of beauticians and a stylist to cater to her every need as though she was a full-grown woman and her wardrobe is extensive and expensive and she never wears the same designer outfit twice plus North also loves to shop online for jewelry and Kanye gives her his credit card and she can spend $100,000 in a single sitting and Kanye just thinks it’s cute 

Page 7: Daring Jill Duggar and husband Derick Dillard are rebelling against her conservative parents and causing a full-scale family war as the couple has publicly defied Baptist patriarch Jim Bob Duggar several times since their 2014 marriage and now they’ve been banned from the 19 Kids and Counting reality clan; Jim Bob’s even demanded that their neighbors have nothing to do with them -- Jill and Derick drew Jim Bob’s fury after criticizing her parents’ conservative views and shutting down their own family factory after having two sons and said they’re stopping there for now unlike Jill’s folks who had 19 kids, dog lover Jennifer Aniston adores her new rescue puppy but potty-training the pooch has been the pits so desperate Jen had to sign up her new pup Lord Chesterfield for private lessons with a dog trainer -- she has two other dogs Clyde and Sophie but they’re well-behaved and know to do their business outdoors and Jen loves them all but she forgot how much work it is to train a puppy 

Page 8: Prince Harry’s wife Meghan Markle revealed her private battle with depression as her struggles with first-time motherhood and fitting in with the rigid royal family pushed her over the edge but Queen Elizabeth thinks her conniving confession is simply a ploy to sully the monarchy -- Meghan described the emotional pain caused by criticism as a death by a thousand cuts and said if people are saying things about you that aren’t true what that does to your mental and emotional health is so damaging -- Queen Elizabeth believes Meghan’s confession is a calculated attack on the monarchy and Meghan is acting like the royals waged a war against her but Meghan and Harry’s actions since they quit have infuriated Her Majesty because Meghan keeps orchestrating situations where she takes center stage appearing to support and put the spotlight on those in need but she turns them all into opportunities to talk about herself and how hard her struggle is

Page 9: Rattled Tyra Banks’ rocky start on Dancing with the Stars has her looking for a way to waltz off the show and she is already trying to back out of hosting because she hates the criticism she’s been getting from virtually everyone plus she’s unpopular with the contestants and is bickering behind the scenes with producers who now regret replacing longtime hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews -- ratings have also plummeted since Tyra took the helm with the show losing more than a million viewers in early October from the same week in 2019

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Gwen Stefani during a photo session in Calabasas, Tiffany Haddish used a leaf blower during a skit on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Justin Bieber on a scooter in Beverly Hills, Zosia Mamet donned a unicorn horn as she wrapped the final scenes of The Flight Attendant, Robert Pattinson and Colin Farrell on the Liverpool set of The Batman 

Page 11: John Oliver’s jokey jabs have earned him a crappy honor from the town of Danbury in Connecticut -- after he ragged on tony Danbury on his show Mayor Mark Boughton vowed to rename its sewage plant after him and now it’s official that the Danbury Sewage Plant is now the John Oliver Memorial Sewage Plant and as promised John is donating $55,000 to local charities which has spurred fundraising efforts for local food banks and Boughton is offering tours of the plant for $500 donations to local food pantries, ailing Phil Collins was rocked by ex-wife Orianne’s betrayal and pals fear he won’t make it to Christmas -- the singer was shocked when it emerged that Orianne who he’d divorced in 2006 and reunited with a decade later married another man in Las Vegas and the stunning news prompted him to serve an eviction notice to get her out of his Miami home and his life for good but Orianne refused to leave

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Nev Schulman on roller blades in an L.A. parking lot (picture), Eboni K. Williams only landed the gig on The Real Housewives of New York City because she co-hosts State of the Culture on Sean Diddy Combs’ Revolt TV cable network and Bravo is desperate to get famous New Yorkers on the show so cameras will be following Eboni around at work hoping to catch Diddy, with Keeping Up with the Kardashians ending E! is looking for the next big reality family and it may be Sylvester Stallone’s daughters Sophia and Sistine and Scarlet Stallone who are all models and not one has a sex tape, with Bravo boss Andy Cohen and axed Housewife NeNe Leakes at war their mutual friends are being forced to pick sides -- Andy gave NeNe access to his famous non-reality show friends and now he’s regretting it -- Kelly Ripa and Anderson Cooper are all Team Andy

Page 13: Kris Kristofferson is battling Alzheimer’s disease and has been forced to retire from singing and acting but the songwriter is in the best place he can be at his home in Maui with family and friends who are surrounding him with love and support, frantic Kate Gosselin is feeling a financial pinch and ready to take a bath on her house by putting her $1.2 million mansion on the market for a measly $815,000 because she’s been struggling with money because she hasn’t worked in a while and living off the money she made in past 

Page 14: Crime 

Page 15: Marie Osmond was blue over being booted from The Talk but husband Steve Craig gave her something to get over it which was a stunning pair of opal and tanzanite earrings worth nearly $3000, Megan Thee Stallion cheated death when she was shot twice in July and is now using the terrifying incident as a platform to empower Black women and she wrote an op-ed saying the attack proved she and other Black women are not protected as human beings -- fellow rapper Tory Lanez was charged with the shooting that left two flesh-shredding wounds in Megan’s feet and allegedly took place after they argued in an SUV in Hollywood Hills 

Page 16: Cover Story -- Rampaging O.J. Simpson was driven into a kill-crazy rage after seeing photos of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson dating hunky young boytoys and flaunting her body in modeling shots -- 25 years after the disgraced football star’s 1995 acquittal intimate images from Nicole’s secret photo album including a picture of the blond beauty posing topless with lover Brett Shaves is believed to have given the jealous ex-jock a motive for murder 

Page 18: American Life -- I found a $1M diamond in the rough 

Page 19: John Travolta paid tribute to wife Kelly Preston on what would have been her 58th birthday three months after tragic death following a secret two-year battle with breast cancer -- John addressed his late love in a touching Instagram post featuring an image from their 1991 wedding day alongside a picture of his own parents as newlyweds, sci-fi legend George Takei has fired yet another shot at former Star Trek castmate William Shatner as the aging actors’ war of words continues to rage on well into their 80s -- George who played Sulu claimed Shatner was jealous of the amount of fan mail received by their late co-star Leonard Nimoy who played Spock but Captain Kirk shot off a testy response and claimed George was making things up and the only person with jealousy is George -- when told Shatner’s comments George calmly remarked that you can tell by those words that he is upset to put it mildly 

Page 20: In a rerun of their long-running rivalry Madonna and Mariah Carey are prepping dueling biopics -- their cold war dates back to the ‘90s but Mariah ramped up their feud when she revealed the very exciting prospect of her biopic but that followed Madonna’s announcement that she was collaborating on her own script -- they’re each obsessed with getting their film out first and getting the right It Girl to play her so the other one doesn’t grab her first

Page 21: Elton John and ex-wife Renate Blauel agreed to zip their lips about their four-year marriage and privately settled her $3.8 million lawsuit over claims he blabbed about their relationship in his memoir Me and the movie Rocketman, Stevie Nicks admitted her insomnia has gotten so bad that she needs therapy or needs someone to hit her on the head with a hammer -- she’s long been nocturnal and it used to be she could sleep from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. but now says she doesn’t nod off until 8 a.m., singer Amy Winehouse died in 2011 but her dad claimed he still can’t get her out of his house -- former taxi driver Mitch Winehouse who is working on a movie and stage show about the late singer insisted he’s regularly visited by his daughter’s ghost who comes and sits at the end of his bed -- Mitch also said Amy helps around the house in his dreams 

Page 26: Niecy Nash’s new bride Jessica Betts has a nightmarish criminal past according to police reports -- Jessica was arrested twice in Chicago once for domestic battery and then for selling a gun to a minor

Page 28: Stars Who Refuse to Zip It -- cringeworthy confessions and nasty habits and more -- Jennifer Love Hewitt, Megan Fox, Al Roker, Olivia Wilde 

Page 29: Kristen Stewart on Robert Pattinson, John Mayer, Lady Gaga, Suzanne Somers 

Page 32: Demi Lovato’s relentless ex Max Ehrich refuses to let her go and her friends are worried he’s turning into a stalker -- since their breakup he’s been particularly creepy, Tatum O’Neal’s confession that she was ready to jump off the balcony of a Los Angeles home was actually a desperate cry for help -- Tatum was reportedly put on a psychiatric hold at a local hospital after the alleged incident and the event signaled she was in unbearable emotional and physical pain and she feels lost and rejected because she was the youngest Oscar winner ever and now she has trouble finding a job and lost all confidence in herself 

Page 34: India Oxenberg has confessed she was afraid of former NXIVM cult master Allison Mack of TV’s Smallville -- India found herself Allison’s slave and realized she was being groomed as a sexual partner for NXIVM leader Keith Raniere and she was branded with Raniere’s initials in her pelvic regions, a disturbing TV interview in England has sparked new fears for the well-being on boxer Mike Tyson -- Mike looked like the train wreck he was when he was plowing through drugs and was sent to prison in the early ‘90s; he looked barely conscious as he slurred his speech and offered incoherent responses -- Tyson blamed his interview on lack of sleep and insisted his contact with drugs is now limited to growing and smoking pot on his California ranch 

Page 36: Health Watch

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Zendaya 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Debbie Matenopoulos on Home and Family 

#tabloid #grain of salt #tabloid toc #tabloidtoc #o.j. simpson #nicole brown #nicole brown simpson #melanie griffith #benjamin keough #lisa marie presley #portia de rossi #ellen degeneres #anne heche #ryan seacrest #shayna taylor #kelly clarkson #brandon blackstock #glynis mccants #kim kardashian #kanye west #north west #jill duggar dillard #jim bob duggar #jennifer aniston #meghan markle #prince harry #queen elizabeth #tyra banks #dancing with the stars #dwts

[limejuicer1862]

Acknowledgements

Thankyou to Jane Cornwell for designing the front cover.

May 1

..looks like you are drowning..

part one

looks like you are drowning & hope i am wrong. i can see the struggle the turn about in water.

i have done that too pat says that i have paid the price but i wonder

i hope you survive come clean bare your feathers.

fly high

if not i will lay a petal and think of you

as i think of the others that drowned before you that had no feathers

part two,

it looks like you are drowning again shall I jump in to save you and maybe sink myself or shall I wait to see to lay a flower at our feet

part three

maybe you are not drowning really that I made it up and you are dancing like the others

while people die and we lay flowers in memoriam corona

part four

you are floating maybe; I did that for hours went spongy, now face reality and I still think that you are drowning like the others.

-sonja benskin mesher

concrete reasoning

gray day: i am out for a walk when a sidewalk camellia begs myriad questions:

runaway bride?

garden club mishap? rejected proposal? hothouse runaway? centerpiece rebel?

confronted by the unexplained, the human drive to make order from chaos is relentless.

whatever the story, the end is the same: beauty appears and we can only wonder …

with a schedule to keep and no answers at hand i press onward, feeling the inner bloom of nascent gratitude.

-Rich Follett

MF 1

*

Every time I find clay in the garden, beneath a rosebush, say, I find slate too. This is just something I have noticed over the course of a year. It is not necessary to mention these things, especially now, I suppose. I am not happy unless I’m pouring something – tomato feed. I am Philip Levine’s Burial Rights, I recall Bei Dao. These days, I feel the trick to a good carpark, to feel anything, is my proximity to this flower arrangement.

JK 1

*

A story of three fish might be fish bones in a field for birds. Koi feeding, koi feed in a garden centre, at the next junction. Fish bent back over backwards, in blue paint. Scattered to the water’s edge a handful of dirt, to a handful of colour, blue scales at the centre of the field, a water mark, a stone left unturned.

-Alex Mazey

The Life of Petals

We use flowers to mark occasions– Weddings and funerals. The petals linger only briefly, But the sentiment still hangs Heavy in the air, years after Like pollen That settled over and over again On our patio table and chairs, All those long Midwestern summers When heat robbed our lungs of breath. And Wildflowers, not cut-storebought ones, marked a different time, Of an everyday type. Now, cut flowers feel gluttonous to me. And petals bless us with The gentleness of how life ought to be.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/petals.m4a

-st

Utopia Burning

Warnings ignored from many a social self appointed warlord Echoes of dissident discord striking a high-pitched off key note As hungry flames lick and lash causing an apocalyptic molten urban and suburban foretold mess Whispered by familiar oracles their verbal miracles documenting their fiery cautionary chronicles Of systems slowly imploding temperaments exploding fake veneers and smiles exfoliating as ignorant masses squawk for a helping hand from those witnessing their demise and burning squirming shedding acid tears for Utopia burning…

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/utopia-burning-mp3.mp3

© Don Beukes

Still Silent

No sound, water jelly flat, so still it hurts my ears. Even sun slides silently into autumn’s metal light.

All jamboree, clang and din now far away in time. Even breath is offensive here, in case of ripple and slapping rocks.

I cannot read or turn a page lest a mumble or paper scrape, escape and shatter the loch. Like a breaking glass to a rousing cheer, as all that knowledge gets out.

So I stare at reflections in late day waters reliable quiet, but maybe their heat is not that hot.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/still-silent.m4a

©️ Dai Fry 30th April 2020.

The sweet flower’s heart Wilting on the cold, hard slab My love’s final gift

-Carrie Ann Golden

Camellia

You lay beautiful and gasping alone on Tithonian stone. A sudden fall from grace, petal broken angel: forage for sweeper winds.

Transient as summer days. Temperate these forevers soon fade to winter grey. Dog-day memories cannot abide short-day cold.

What are you, I wonder? A love certified in Bacchus’s dance or a loved one certified and boxed in tears and brown ale.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/camellia.m4a

©️ Dai Fry 30th March 2020.

The giant fish takes back the myth

The morning before she was to become a story the sea was baited quiet, the kind that silks

all desire down to swish. To decide to leap from one cool world to another just for breakfast

is to bare your colours to the scaling knife of the wind, and she did – her fireback beacon launched

for the brief protein of flying legs. How often we fail to see that dark hull waiting, we beasts so full up

with the rush of living for our risks. And the shape of the poised hero held no meaning, to a fish

but oh the shimmerhook, like all the moons her eye’s nightcoin had ever purchased

from deep beneath the water, and there is the lust, the swish- -and want. The glowworm crescent to silver her belly.

We all want to shine in fullness. Only heroes are given names in these stories.

For her need she was translated into an island, and I am running the delicate gasp of her jaws

in the shape of this coast, forever straining for the hook and still called only fish

even with all we have made of her. Every time I desire to transcend my quiet water, I forget the heroes

and leap from her skin, and hope that landing empty

but with one eye fixed on the moon every night after this will be enough.

-Ankh Spice

Beheaded Camelia’s

delicate red petals last longer on the less travelled path. Flash of disappearing red lace, paper thin survival. Unbroken in bright sunlight, bright on grey stone. Destruction stays at home to avoid destruction.

The red wing is allowed space to revolve reflect in water. “Temporary” like the word “soon”, a duration undecided.

-Paul Brookes

  May 2

..scratching..

quiet now

we can hear the birds no problem one lorry on the road essential travel

then

we hear the scratching

when dark comes comes the scuttlings

flutterings outside

bats fly round our houses

inside others live and die

the fly

&

the moth comes lovely soft and tasteful

nothing distasteful

we saves them lifts them out the bath a dry flannel as assistance

remember that fly in the room you wanted to swat for annoying. left alone it went quietly away

night came full of sounds

mice scratching enough to leave

marks

enough to leave marks

the fly does

buzz when it flies buzz as it dies

zzzzzt

-sonia benskin mesher

*

Inclined to mention the halo of a mountain, somewhere I am fourteen years old. This is a mountain behind a house where I still remain, in this thought-process, every child chews spearmint gum. It is definitely spearmint gum, and the mountain is only a halo, now, this time, elsewhere. Like, I don’t know, like Mark Fisher says, this stasis has been buried – ‘the inventor of the term, a frustrating thinker’.

*

In the summer’s taped shut windows, without seeing flies in years.

Hit mosquitos against the wall, once observing blood left behind.

-Alex Mazey

Geyser

Soul rumbles as grumble dark bellows push their boiling fist. Hot drops, boiled rain.

Angry fats splatter into faint signs, streaks of early mournful light.

Fire waters bubble and churn chained by conventions, damned by convection. In breaking songs of earth’s heat, brash displays of prorogued grief.

Water crouches, fluid evasive. As pain it cannot be broken. Desire free to flow, hurt a haunt of generations.

So strictures die and violence will be a multiple of passing times.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/geyser.m4a

-©️ Dai Fry 1st May 2020.

In memory of those left behind : 9 December 2019

Sun’s first sleep-breath sweets the dropped shoulder of te puia whakaari, her bones

in early mistlight, are all grace and delicate pickings, gulled clavicles of a hard dancer, stilled. Coiled tension, resting.

It is hard to recognise a haunting, in the rose-gilt of sunrise. Do you know her name? When you recognised it, did you forget to exhale? Release your living now to cloud

the pane we do not see – watch deep scratches creep across this vision. The guardians are always here, and the light oh the light may change any moment.

-Ankh Spice

The Yellow Forest

Awakening – Dry mouth burning eyes skin burn, breathe. Pin point vision echoing mission failed fission, inhale. Heavy feet slow reaction no connection – A siren a siren! Wake up stand up react retract, breathe.

Forest Walk – Dislodge move seek react engage stop! Burning embers leaves glowing eagles falling feathers floating, breathe. Listen observe – A lark hark the warning A flash a flash, breathe. Eyes open sight broken, breathe.

Chokehold – Black river dead fish foul odour slow down, Breathe. Soil on fire charcoal roots sprouting rotten fruit – Stop smell retreat, breathe. Dead of night presence sucking remaining air laboured breathing heartbeat slowing – Find the opening, breathe. Look beware – Run!

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/the-yellow-forest-mp3.mp3

The Gamdroela

Far beyond the Hottentotshuisie Mountains, a mythical creature awaits to reward the chosen one – Elected by the Bokmakierie Korrelkop, a strange elusive soothsayer, traditionally enshrined to make a wise choice – A new ruler for the remote Belhar nation to once again wear the sacred crown of Sekueb Nodmai, she whose voice still echo from deep within the Bolemakiesie marshlands – A treacherous journey awaits the young Tandpyn, Prince of the Bloekomboom tree nation, whose Lands have nearly been scorched bare by the Fiery blizzards of Macassar – Now charged with the ultimate sacrifice, crossing the Moddergat fynbos wetlands to eventually reach the steep trail leading up to Fluweeltjie – Lair of the ancient Gamdroela , a kleurvolle Colourful but powerful oracle who will Decide on the worthiness of the young Tandpyn…

-Don Beukes

The Dream

I had a dream last night Of walking thru a forest-like place Filled with earthy illuminances

I could barely make out the sharp Round edges of branches and limbs Bathed in a heavenly glow

These trees, so strange yet so familiar These giants, so murky yet so real Their aromatic odors filled my essence

And for the briefest of moments I believed to be back home among these ancient pines Until my eyes opened to the sterile white walls

-Carrie Ann Golden

Fly Away, Dream

When television broadcasting Ended after late night news And comedy shows, yellow, blue, magenta hues

On test patterns Would send humanity To bed, to fly away wistfully,

As on insect wings, To a place of dreams And endless possibilities.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/fly-away-dream.m4a

-st

flaiku

what to us is dross is a rainbow to the fly perspective is key

-Rich Follett

Her Splash Of Veins

flutters, is still, proboscis twitch. Flutters, is still, twitch.

Splash of wheat in fields, Flutters as flywings.

Strands of wheat flywalk skin as she passes she swats the touch away.

Till as she treads down more stalks into the unmade bread of the field bunches of wheat stroke her thighs and she smiles at the bright sun of it all.

Snatches a stalk, lets it hang from her mouth a proboscis tremble in the gust of her dreams of flight above the ready to be harvested grain rises toward sun blaze newly risen

warm bread a splash of veins in full colour, breathes in her baked youth like goodness.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/her-splash-of-veins.m4a

-Paul Brookes

May 3.

.severn bridge.

it was a long journey

well you do don’t you. you travel .

you do what you has to do with love

even if things are difficult.

I feel it was just before the bridge

later they changed the name of it

there was this tree in a garden and I guess still there

through april we saw it bud as we passed going down

bloomed as we returned

later petals fell

then the reason for the journey failed and

left

yet

when I see a magnolia tree I remember

I remember sultry days in the long grass dried over

by cuckoo woods over there

catching them, dry creatures singing

looking them over and gently placing them back

the woman on the corner watched, looking over

the back

one arm missing

I remember a lot of things

-sonja benskin mesher

*

To be as impressed with flowers, as other people, is to achieve something worthwhile. Here, Pentti Linkola – deep ecology, disappointment, hands, prying open a bird box. Dead mammals, the small bones of a petal, inside, the entire remit of clichés involving death. Yes, another listy death poem, another regression. Another impressive notion of right and wrong. Cats underwater, drowning, observing these flowers in my hands, the branches, etc.

*

To be as impressed with bugs, as other people, is to achieve something worthwhile.

-Alex Mazey

Tears For Lichen

On the flat stone she wept her thousand regrets. Wax petals, a mother’s confetti of pink tears.

This was a song a descant to winter-tide. Of lighter months, not to the stone of dark grey lands carrying lichen kisses.

And as the lichen looks, death’s breath rattles and waxed tears wash abandoned to stoney seas.

A flower’s shower a softer form of rain. As the tree reaches out, tentative fingers touch her children’s clothes.

Ancient fruits that grew before first flight arced, beetles climbed these trees: ancient crawling bees.

Mitochondrial Eve, as magnolia flowers breathed, oxygen rich and rot from the seas.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/tears-for-lichen.m4a

©️ Dai Fry 2nd May 2020.

Lullaby of the Cicadas

The Flood – Stuck in mourning darkness every twilight sadness for loved ones lost, I weakly attempt to bravely to bravely attempt my inner flood walls but then despair breaks through, Threatening my brittle fading halo, so I let it seep a little- Just to taste the pain once more but as always like before, I allow a faint chorus to penetrate through the dark cavities of my soul as I listen to a lullaby of cicadas calming me healing me comforting me shielding me – Saving me.

Chorus of the Nymphs – We come from dormant Slumber to share our essence with you. Allow us to numb the melancholic hum in your soul. Let us gather notes of eons ago echoing from ancient forest trees to deliver a new symphony – Hoping to set your mind free from recurring soul-eating melodies.

Emergence – The mornings seem to radiate brighter into these faded streets of my mind, where dagger smiles are replaced with hopeful eyes, willing me to turn back into a brightening awakening aura, beckoning my new tomorrow, so I willingly follow the faint strange welcoming sounds of a new song – Joining the throng of lost souls eager to emerge Renewed, healed. Fading sadness penetrated by a lullaby of cicadas…

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/lullaby-of-the-cicadasmp3.mp3

© Don Beukes

We Are the Wildflowers

Wildflowers and weeds Bear a striking resemblance To one another, Differentiated mostly By the kindness of time and Human trials. What one calls A weed, another calls a perennial. And, garden walls meant to Contain them are Only masquerading as effective barriers. Aren’t we all held back by Human hands that pull and grab, or Allowed to thrive, By the grace of the benevolent?

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/we-are-the-wildflowers.m4a

-st

Tanka for the last of the magnolias

Long smooth clouds bloom high sugar-pink tower turrets domes open to wind fall reborn – coracles sail lichen archipelago

-Ankh Spice

southern descent

sweet magnolia summer storm wind-strewn petals on lichen and stone

feather-soft gentility belies a core of tempered steel

southern by grace— survivor by design survivor by

-Rich Follett

A Locust

In our oral tales others see us as plague. Let us starve to feed their children.

I don’t swarm.

I contemplate sat on the viscous membrane of this water.

Oppose my senses:

To avoid mirrors. Fly around them not into them as death will be your final image.

I only see an image of myself.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/a-locust.m4a

-Paul Brookes

  May 4

.shrink.

the child psychiatrist and oh how we can spell that lodged up the stone steps at the clinic the air was nice that day and she was shown blobs said they were butterflies watched the dolls act and said that was junk really

that father had just run off with another woman that was how they talked then he probably walked maybe hurried to get away

declared sane at eleven left at half past with the gift of a bible kept for the ages

thought that was rubbish too

she was small in that place

shrink

-sonja benskin mesher

*

So many people give birth to nothing. This line is extremely unimpressive, but knot ties, in some small way, to something tangible, outside of the self, like this painting, like this person, not waving nor drowning; Linkola’s cats, Murakami’s cats, the cats in a Studio Ghibli animation, like the girl-witch from Kiki’s Delivery Service, like the fading behind Mark Fisher, a fisher man, a fisher man like Pentti Linkola, dying in 2020.

*

I am not all that impressed with the technological ability to view, with intricate detail, the delicate impressions of a wing. It seems eyes can form, into the deoxyribonucleic acid, into many things. Enthusiasm is not located in a scientific word. It is not so fascinating – really.

-Alex Mazey

Quiet Please

I take my bow, it is really yours. Proud bends the back of the master. Semaphored arms embrace acoustic gold.

The tenants appraise, heads in silenced rows. Bodies rustle, anticipation is subsumed into soft cough and quiet creak.

All is submission as a pin of fallen angels sprawls across the floor. Equations their silent recitals while music sits patient as an obedient hound.

So now… To elevate a multitude of trailing notes. Spinning of helicopter leaves in a brass breeze. A syncing of vibration and desire pitches each point perfect, till buttercup soft lit hard and sharp, under home’s dull light. Sour as summer lemon trees. Then boom-dark crash, as water calling dead souls to the combe.

And all this while in a discomfort of seats, ears make ready to meet the brightling core that sits within.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/quite-please.m4a

-©. Dai Fry 3rd May 2020.

The Speech

Shadow Nation – We exist in cold shadows where our fading echoes are drowned by your bulldozers in the name of progress – Yet in the dead of night you stalk us hunt us to delete us silence us mock us bury us until we float away as ash a hush – Outcasts

We, the Mothers – We gave you life but your journey crossed unknown paths, bowing down to greedy gods sucking your soul dry but you welcomed promised riches licked bitter molasses with gravy train false preachers, Forgetting your inherent good essence resulting in your Foretold death sentence. Our grief is no relief our warnings Faded into nothing as you left us broken, eternally hurting…

Vision X – Your world is no more. You are here but in another sphere another existence an alternative reality because of your foolish insistence to enact nuclear annihilation, depleting all nations. You stare at me but your voice is muted as you attempt to explain your existential burning pain still searing through your perforated punctured soul – How you willingly participated in a man-made selfish senseless final war to claim the ultimate earthly prize – Ruling the global village, oh how wrong you were! Thinking you would last your nuclear winter but you melted each other deleted each other destroyed your earthly legacy by your insatiable hunger for power.

Well, here you are – Stuck on Planet X, destined to find no eternal rest whilst dead stars of eons ago further darken this existence and the light of exploded suns now blind your new vision…

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/the-speech-mp3.mp3

© Don Beukes

In This Place

Wings do not fly. Mirrors do not reflect. Arms raised ask for folk to lie face down on the floor.

Decay is praised. Illness is needed. Death is requested.

Life is despised. Nurses are criminals. information is disinformation.

Paranoia is wanted. Conspiracies are welcomed. Demands are never met.

Government advice must be ignored. All advice has a use by date. Use by dates are decided by us all.

Control is freedom. Take back control.

-Paul Brookes

inside my name

dream state, Monday, 2 AM mothwing Navajo vagina; Georgia O’Keeffe portal to an alternate universe; Rohrschach montage of feminine puissance with Bette Davis eyelashes and cheerleader breasts

transfixed, i plunge into its pulsing core emerging in grade school where I wrote my name in conté on clean white paper folded and then opened— wrote so carefully, never crossing the midline— then just as carefully colored in the loops and angles, folded the paper back again (folded it like a prayer) and rubbed it with a block of wood

we were told to expect other worlds when we opened that fold again— told that secrets would be revealed

i did not see other worlds i saw only what seemed to be sidewalk chalk art marred by sudden summer rain

i have waited five decades for this morphologic grace— this mothwing Navajo vagina; Georgia O’Keeffe portal to an alternate universe; Rohrschach montage of feminine puissance with Bette Davis eyelashes and cheerleader breasts

dream state, Monday, 3 AM i wake with grateful tears, having seen at last inside my name …

-Rich Follett

Lockdown scored for one instrument

After noticing you have gritted your teeth (these days contain all we cannot bite gone) choose a tuning shape. Knot yourself closed, or petal out your limbs towards the constant poke of the world. Either way you annotate a rest. Either way you are not how you began, and you may hear the breath drawn at the beginning of the stave. Music is always quivering somewhere in the darkness of a body; in a chamber of polished wood in the auditorium of bone (that same clench heavying shoulders). Tune your knot. Turn your wood. Poise the humming star of your frame and play, unbowed or wound, just play until your last string breaks.

-Ankh Spice

Entrapment

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” –Matt. 6:19

Trapped between Window and pane, Moth wings open and shut Like pages of a book. Dust

Flutters forth From the cover Between which words, too, Are trapped, unable to do

Their work, live and breathe, Seek and find, call forth action, Convey the power to believe. I am a moth. Set me free.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/entrapment.m4a

-st

The Artist, for Day Four, Part One

An artist’s mind Unlike the rest of the masses Is a visionary kind Reality to him May be pretend to others He bends on a whim

-Carrie Ann Golden

  *

My goal in life is the destruction of 5G masts. I cut my sandwich into triangles as a lower-middle class pretension. Back outside, my window, one time, a cream room, a view of the street’s antenna. The problem with David Lynch is how he makes too much sense. Back in the simulacrum, a boy, my age, rangers in North America, first as tragedy, then as… ironing out our balaclavas, filling out our milk bottles; backpacks unattended on park benches, on the bus.

*

A page of Baudrillard, hides the truth to view witnesses fraying little by little into ruins, discernible ruined empire, rotting carcass of the soil double ends simulation, this fabled second-order no longer that of a territory, no longer saturated, a hyperreal map one must

return without origin, shreds unusable a questionable sovereign difference – the charm abstraction, the coextensivity of poetry, the representation produced no imaginary. Operational, in fact, no longer memory radiating synthesis, no space without atmosphere, no worse

curvature. Imitation, nor duplication; leaving room for simulated liquidation.

-Alex Mazey

.the title changes.

there is too much interference things could be left alone things were alright anyway

the battery is low yet plugged in the radio buzzes.

things are distorted

so i did what he says, whilst running up and down the stairs.

source to av, only there aint no av, not on that one anyhow.

press my scart lead, that is probably it.

press the sky button, the sky does not respond.

we still has television snow.

mine are bifocal and can distort gently if i concentrate poorly on the centre i have had help a while grateful at least that i can see unlike some of my family

yesterday I watched a documentary about monkeys

-sonja benskin mesher

The new starboard

Our larvae split their skin in the signal-fry, warmed over by the wire-witched currents of one filigree moon in a hundredweight sky

and if we no longer see the stars how do they counsel a chart for a new grub, or pull a blood’s spirit-iron toward the dissolving north

and if we no longer feel these waves how may we know our own water, what deeps us for the giddy bubble of this sailing. And I know

there are rocks here still, they make chimneys of it to vent everything we can’t burn railing sparks against the sky- silver that meshes none of our tides true

and it will rain hot tonight, the sizzle pelting the new hatchlings

-Ankh Spice

Of Forest And Stick

Foe forest, faux forest fee-fi-fo forest. Where giants hurl their broken stories from broadcast heaven to stone cast ground. Real, this least of things.

Inarticulate metal arms pluck down your dreams, to place within the flakes of soul slow dying desiccation.

Sick insects wave. These metal poles sway clamped to roof and breast.

All point as one, their martyr fingers show. As minds walk psychotic in their circular days.

To stars and planets that orbit our night sleep late night drunk deep on their celestial milky ways.

Antennae wave hello. Behind smudged glass walls as we sit and stare into this aquarium hell of our own making.

As we spread across our furniture of forked cartons, plastic and messy despair We start to take on our corrupt story.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/of-forest-and-stick.m4a

© Dai Fry 4th May 2020.

Reception

Quiet the cluttered airways. Listen. Too many voices reaching skyward, Clamoring for reception, Propelling selfhood upward,

Destroys collaborative Synergy. And interference causes failure. After all, Man-made towers were only Ever meant to fall.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/reception.m4a

-st

Every Stem Is

an aerial, antennae whose signal carries an image and a sound of growth and bloom.

Leaves are directors, flagellum, reach out, test the air and vibrations.

Listen can your hear the messages, or is it distorted,

image overlaid on image, sound overlaid on sound?

It processes fake news, phishing and cyber attacks. discerns real from false. scents and trails.

A filter bubble, an information sceptic decides what diminishes it, what makes it grow.

what makes it turn towards warmth, towards brightness.

More than a conduit.

-Paul Brookes

effluorescence

concrete flowerbed: aluminium amaranths dream of fecund earth

-Rich Follett

These gray structures loom Like a dead alloy forest A mill’s epitaph

-Carrie Ann Golden

The Arrival (EEN)

Blue eclipse sudden shudder silver vibrations strange sensations mauve hues silent screams shattered dreams rainbow screams black void bleak skies pink cries identity hides no way out seek beware who goes there wait stop where no here why there marble hush turquoise crush hide smile cry illusion confusion static wailing connections failing conscience melting blood moon a light alight powder dawn seek destroy rebuild regenerate no rescue failed sight emerald night pyramid flight incoming yellow tongue purple feast horrible sightings a drone atone leave us alone lavender glass chards charge cut chaos comet rush – Reverse

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/the-arrival-een-mp3.mp3

The Arrival (TWEE)

Falling earth new birth cosmic boom blast break away descend evacuate take position brace brave pathetic beast eject object reject investigate attack no way back hold blinding strobe light up get up move no room fire storm go swerve dive testing resting make haste chase erase record a face strange days delete reboot reverse rethink incoming homecoming survive surrender sharp solar bursts the thirst implosion ration succession orchestration new nation sinking earth toxic rebirth black hole tar soul screeching silence severed signals strange sour suns

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/the-arrival-twee-mp3.mp3

-Don Beukes

.

MF6

I run my hand over my past,

Where did the time go?

How trite to ask. How human.

I want to feel where a picture

Made by a child must’ve been

Until adolescence tore it up.

I want to see where a head

Chipped the paint.

Where did the time go?

#6

how I remember mama:

recumbent with cucumber slices

hot stuff on a blazing beach

between her lover,

her life, and others;

that would be her children,

playing ball discreetly

In the lathering surf

with a Portuguese Man of War

-Elizabeth Moura

Abstractions

Making sense of abstract pale green The mind reads as moss Which proliferates into vegetation. Hen and chicks begin again In repurposed terrariums From some old Mother’s Day, Signifying children and growth; Elders and death; Soil and air Until abstract greys and greens Are life force made concrete.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/abstractions.m4a

-st

Yellow Mars

Stretched beyond any story, outside of organic memory. Time lives without passing. It’s life: a slow definition of measure in stain.

When I was young I saw a bright yellow lichen near the sea. I wanted to lick it to sense and to taste it. This bright, lives there still.

Yellow as gorse flower orange as rust. Lichen covers our world.

On the ISS they breathed the vacuum and survived. One day they will turn Mars yellow.

Then: On a clear night you may see a lichen star.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/yellow-mars.m4a

©️ Dai Fry 5th May 2020.

Shift

When what was left of the mountain heaved the men were stroking the ground with their tillers and to the worried horses, whose ancestors had been told for three hundred years that men knew what they were doing it seemed the infant was soothed, that the tired-out dirt had simply sighed and turned over. And so they nodded the great brushbrooms of their blinkered heads and stepped forward onto the grey scree, between the lines of unmade earth, and the unmountain wept as she received them into her hot belly. And swirling with their blades the motes of dust that were only sadness, floating the men said to each other ‘but why were the horses so stupid?’ and the trees, the only wild green left in miles and miles and miles of neatly turned fields shuffled close on the ridge, hiding completely the great wave roaring in, that water briefly the same shape as the mountain’s memory of herself

-Ankh Spice

..faceless ..

faceless

from nowhere, no name nor eyes yet we saw the bloodied halo

angel power and dominion

swept through silent almost biblical if you #readthat note how the layout is columns, numbered stanzas unlike other books tied away in cupboards

here was black and smudges then carefully we drew her out all tidy with reason, wearing us down

wearing the kimono corona wearing the coat corona whatever you wear corona

faced away

only stone set before set like fire in empty barns

#readthat

the social worker was a bitch back then

#didyoureadthat?

gongbi guise

painted silk or weathered stone? where vision ends imagination begins

artist’s paean to nature or nature’s paean to art? perfection neither asks nor answers

-Rich Follett

Tenalp Htrae

Earth Whispers – Light years have passed since leaving our blue planet, only white noise echoes remain of a world imploded by human negligence of a fragile natural existence meant to sustain maintain billions of our former human species but our ancient predecessors plundered misused abused neglected and rejected what Earth had to offer – Yet they were destined to suffer for ignoring existential warnings of natural resources depleted excavated extracted annihilated – To the point of meltdown. Now all we see are the historical images shown to new generations born in a new world a new existence a new consciousness.

Bleeding Earth – Any hope of ever returning to our ancestral home is slowly burning as eons of efforts to detect new life has come to an abrupt end – New footage reveal a dismal reality of a tired planet bleeding it’s waters evaporated by swirling fire tornados rocks melting fauna and flora now long gone fossils – The life-giving atmosphere now a toxic choking layer, So we still mourn our forced lonely new daily dismal Dawn on planet Tenalp Htrae, light years away…

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/tenalp-htrae-mp3.mp3

-Don Beukes

The Many

clocks of her face tick as the world decays and rusts.

Some say to her your clocks have no hands. Some say to her you’ve no idea of time.

Your timing is all over the place, clock arms, clock lungs, clock legs, clock heart but no clock face.

Knows her blood and breath tell the time, beat precision and control her faces watch the world’s decline.

Knows within her time is a rhythm without clocks, a body that tells time every month, her hidden scars and bruises show time passes.

-Paul Brookes

*

The clause in a tenancy agreement states that party B must wipe down the walls – otherwise they begin to resemble shoeboxes. Faded, yellowing entropy. Decay reminds us of those things liberated from the passage of time. Melancholic disposition reminds us to be fun at parties. Back home, alone, right now, wipe the walls, watch a Studio Ghibli animation, at least you had Kiki in the other one. I have photoshopped her in – there.

*

If Baudrillard referred to a liquidation of all referentials – then this must be a liquidation. I should rewrite all history with my profound, transcendental sense of right and wrong.

=Alex Mazey

  psychic caterwaul

one dimension away Hieronymus Bosch’s housecats frolic beneath a papier-mâché moon howling and miaowing in a demonic felid mardis gras

here on earth, a fair trade toyshop window— nothing to fear and yet …

-Rich Follett

Act like you were never for sale

Those were the days in which we felt our flutter hard and bright as a burning, painted thing, and those were the days when we painted our feelings on each others’ faces with pure sugar and unguent-of-anthers, and those were the days when faces would touch cheeks intimately, brief and baked electric with proper unsaids, and those were the days when the electric that moved us moved us in that little pond of footlights like a swirl of young eels, so slender, such good teeth, and those were the days when company meant we played together well and no-one forgot their lines or missed a step, or when they did the painted faces laughed kindly, and not like they had smelled blood in the water or finally seen the glass, the tags, and some of that last part is a lie. But a pretty lie, sticky with fertile anthers, and we bite into it again and again, this cake so sweet we know it only makes us sick

-Ankh Spice

.mouse.

are you dancing there you tiny creatures and are you happy with this music

should I cut it straight and hard in layers or leave it to grow?

are you dancing there together to your own tunes and remarkable tangents

or will you advise on the steps to take while moving ahead

most people’s hair looks gentle natural

there is no need for masquerade or pantomimes we cannot have the gatherings these days

you know he cut my hair for years and we became good friends . visited charleston together the farm house not the jig though the style would have suited the era so the mouse

keeps dancing jim

-sonja benskin mesher

*

A shop window like Hunter S. Thompson, at eleven o’clock, on a week day. A medium to large dose of LSD that I have never tried. In Mark Fisher’s Ghosts, Burial never went to a rave in the 90s, which informs, the apparition, the residue of what’s left. People have a perverse interest in windows, shop windows, specifically, glass operating as both a means of access and exclusion. This is the Baudrillardian analysis.

*

Impressed with the circulation of the body

my entire outlook becomes the deconstruction of the human being

into a clockwork machine.

-Alex Mazey

Little Gods

Artists and scientists are Little gods who make the World make sense, make Things fit together, or do not– At their discretion. Chaos and order, Macro and micro, Beauty and disgust, Must meet, hold hands Like humans used to Before we were all Forced off the canvass, Becoming scattered pieces instead.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/little-gods.m4a -st

Pussy Cat Pussy Cat

Patient quiet shadowed, still. Not blink, but glide wet eyes. My whiskers sing electric song and muscles ripple, as claws give flex, in deep forever breath.

A present, payment for my board. Fresh meat for the clumsy, They that cannot hunt. While I eat flies and wasps that sting.

Pain is fine its just a thing. So busy grooming, hunting and holding my lands. I sleep where I want and how I please. I have no master.

Under sun, on soil paper or wool, its all the one to me.

And to those too big to hunt and kill, I spread my scent. This meat is mine.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/pussy-cat-pussy-cat.m4a

©️ Dai Fry May 6th 2020.

The Gamdroela

I roam this galaxy alone searching aimlessly for signs of my origins with only infinity as my reality but I yearn to touch a dead star maybe even lick the frozen remains of an ancient comet long gone – I sometimes hear the echoes of far flung cosmic explosions and I can feel the empty of nothing expanding yet I am not swallowed up into black holes transporting me to other dimensions –

I once felt the touch of a solar flare kindling my whole being as I absorbed its embracing aura, so I kept it hugged it caressed it, if just to confirm I am not really alone – You might look at me most curiously even curse me with pursed ignorant lips but allow me to gently kiss you and share my multi- colored nature with you then maybe you can realise who I really am but that is not meant to be as I am not destined to be relevant in this reality – Not even in your fantasy, so I roam this galaxy alone,

I came from nothing – Forever waiting…

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/the-gamdroela-mp3.mp3

Chorus of the Haters

Playground Show – Quick look have you seen what she is wearing oh my – Wait, what? Never, no! Surely not? Aw, hey look at that – You’re kidding me! Is he really wearing trainers? Oh yeah, I heard his mom had to sell his shoes so he could have something to eat this morning, jeeze really now! Sorry what? Who gave you permission to squeak? Let me go! He asked for it. Let go of me!

Stranger Danger – Hey, you! Let go of his arm! Uh who the hell are you? You what? Check this out guys, I – What the… Ooh look at ow! I told you so! Let’s get out of here. We’ll get her later, ok? You gonna have your chance later. Why so gloomy? I guess I’m okay but what do I say to my mom? Just tell her the truth. Don’t worry, now hurry! I cannot always save you. You can let go of my hand now. Will I see you later? Got something to say to you…

Backstreets of mind – I wish we could move again but I felt something today. I hate it here though. Those bastards never accept me. I need to be free, To be me…This is not healthy for me. I am slipping but I have finally connected to someone. A warrior a friend – A saviour.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/chorus-of-the-haters-mp3.mp3

-Don Beukes

Petite

abandoned, lives in discarded boxes and bags, bigger, savage males she seduces so they don’t injure, don’t bite wounds, break her delicate bones,

washes and cleans herself, anoints herself brings them live prey, breathing for play. Lives on cold pizza, crisps, rainwater.

Never lost her lioness head, knows ancestors bred for mummification, how worship becomes mass slaughter. Small does not mean less wick.

Chooses who lives with her, whom she dances, who wraps her fur around, curls up in a lawnmower grass box, brings live gifts into her house as presents.

=Paul Brookes

.

fajar

silver yew bows to war-torn stone and brick patchwork— alhaya renews

-Rich Follett

*

Ash-coloured trees, a forest, a liquidated referential, perhaps against the valley wall. There’s a thousand-year-old olive tree, somewhere, in a mountain town, where a child serves coffee, and burgers. Outside, grandmother’s goat stew – blow it first, child, with a cold spoon, intricate handle, intricately handled. There are some parts to this world we will never understand. Ash-coloured trees in the night are like, I don’t want to say it.

*

A page of Baudrillard is a fatal strategy avoid meaning indefinitely, bore them with a senseless finality – reverse evil. Poetry as ecstatic object, secret qualities, sworn to extremes and quiet synthesis, the visible to the hidden, more hidden metamorphosis, (Kafka as a lonely man

laughing at the still living, the digitalised still life – still born). Illusion plays speech instantaneously – the nature of seduction, nostalgic slowness as a merry-go-round. Silenced once; the silent dialogue of signs. Fashioned vapid character, aesthetic form, immoral form, fragile, sentimental desire

shapes superlative power, the objective; an achieved attraction, our only passion.

-Alex Mazey

..albert & Victoria..

how to tell a picture in words? egfrasic & I cannot spell it only in placid moments.

do we describe what we see or maybe tell the tale inside

albert and victoria a safe place now yet round the corner on the wall are the bullet holes while in dublin the same on a statue

blood shed they killed horses too when they fired their guns, dropped the bombs what then oh butterflies wing?

I can spell ekphrastic here but not up there

today there is no image nor a recording of the voice just look at the holes in walls.

-sbm.

Life after all

This is where it happened.

You weren’t there, not that you were ever there

whenever I needed you there.

I’ve often dipped my fingers in the hollows grief makes.

Here is where it happened.

We climb, but our feet slip, we don’t fall, but we dangle.

How I needed you there, to save me from being myself being there.

Whose life was it, after all?

-Elizabeth Moura

Walls Are

Bed bent wall bound, less human now as broken into this square.

Run five fingers feather light, to feel walls behind these closed eyes.

A stony glance holds a soul eternal captive, hate an emotional geometry.

Stone four squared. Secrets whispered ear to ear. Shed tears, wet straw. Awake, a greeting of dawn light under the door.

Dream in winds and creaking trees, a soul free to run and run, until breath is not sufficient.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/walls-are.m4a

©️ Dai Fry 7th May 2020.

The Institute

White noise cracking in my headspace

Phantoms in their nightly forced circus

A horse dancing on a rainbow beckoning

Me to follow – I just want to lie my head

down and crawl through my safety tunnel

where I can hear myself think maybe whistle

my favourite tune – Where I choose the paths

in the backstreets of my mind, master of my

own symphony unlike the invasive unwelcome

poking into my private psyche room where

my mental defences are muted by unstable

needy self-elected pharaohs enacting random

healing punishments – I am so done with this!

Dear Self

I am slowly drowning in this mental haze choking

me repeatedly – I need to hear your voice

again even just a faint whisper to remind me

I am still here. Here comes that choking red

Mist again, darkening my vision – My existential

Failed mission no escape… Are you there?

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/the-institute-mp3.mp3

The Trees are Dead

Sour earth neglected responsibilities

toxic oxygen the result of inaction by

Clueless wise men waving their untested

theories yet ignoring increasing revelatory

fatalities from untested remedies meant to

heal nations – Our mortality affected by

inept irrational policy makers hoping to

gain one more vote but we are all in the

same boat – Frantically trying to stay afloat

but worrying cracks are deepening our

livelihoods darkening, so we gather en masse

to finally protest along a charred boulevard

hoping in vain but it is of no use when the

guilty refuse to attempt to reverse recalculate

regenerate for future generations all nations

so we keep the faith even though the trees are dead.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/the-trees-are-dead-mp3.mp3

-Don Beukes

Take Me Around Again

Carousel horses, Are all your circles meant to comfort, or to mock? And, where will you take me today? To that bustling park In West Endicott, Near the house we almost bought?

Or maybe, all the way back to my childhood dinner time, When everyone else had moved from home, And you were three sad napkin rings, Trotting repetitively around the lonely table. You know Your steady pace marks time perfectly, while I’m distracted by the bright colors and scenery, Until I’m caught between once, and today.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/take-me-around-again.m4a

-st

For #1 of Day Eight:

The Shaft

Within the mine’s walls I hear the dead’s calls As my feet pound these halls Blinded by charging fireballs

#2 of Day Eight:

I remember as a child an elder spoke of a ghost town deep in the mountains where a single wall’s all that remained Its crumbling façade brimmed with untold stories Of former residents trapped within the wailing barrier

-Carrie Ann Golden

My Olive

tree is a horse whose mane of leaves shakes in a gust, whose bark whinnies when she moves. When I press myself into her flanks she is the oil that brightens my meals.

I am calm under her canopy of mane. Her favourite place is beside the pitted wall. A Roman wall with close knit red bricks and stone. The stone is sculpted by round ammunition holes, but has not fallen. They did not break through here.

I look down at my horse, the olive tree beside the wall from my balcony. History is always here.

-Paul Brookes

  *

There’s an office, twelfth floor, in Shenzhen, I have stared, many times, I think, looked as far as the South China Sea. These are not the branches of a cathaya forest, three conifers, from this window. I cannot order a happy lemon in the mall, cannot recite Matthew 4:9 in the people’s square in Chengdu. Some days, I read Leo Tolstoy at the back of the public library, III times translated, first to English, then to Russian, and so on.

*

Two eyes appear from a bug detecting misanthropy

forming the same colours as the Khmer Rouge.

-Alex Macey

Mobius musing

those who inhabit cubicles and those who dwell among trees have little in common but there can be no doubt each is necessary to reflect upon the other

-Rich Follett

Pantoum for an isolated princess

In her glass coffin, what had flowed in the bone set sail alone Beyond the bright vault the tree-crowds nodded And meshed their long toes around the bubble That carried the fallen log on down the stream

Beyond the bright vault the tree-crowds nodded The wind stirring branches and passing the message That carried the fallen log on down the stream From synapse to synapse until every leaf knew her

The wind stirring branches and passing the message Threw leaves on the glass to crew up the ship And synapse to synapse, every leaf knew her So the sky caught her name, turned her glass to a star

And the leaves on the glass who had crewed up the ship Of her glass coffin, where what flowed in the bone had set sail alone Saw the sky catch her name, saw her glass as a star And fell to the earth to drift deep in the wound

-Ankh Spice

Gamma-Alpha-Light

Under glass I stretch, out life, not to smell tree sap or leaf. Or breezing wind. Catch rain that drops on tipped toe tongues.

No horizons lead crystal walls. And beyond, tangled imaginations, a hunger of beasts.

I see my knees and look in vain, for the grazing of a life not lived.

Under glass, dry tears, await night’s shadow to take the trees away. Now danger only song in this apocalyptic dark.

Hunters eyes dwell beyond the confines, of my glass walls. I read and watch, food bottled and tinned.

I gather up fear, a glowing landscape into which I can never venture.

Soft song, sang a requiem. Last of my line.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/gamma-alpha-light.m4a

-© Dai Fry 8th May 2020.

Objects of Reflection

Reflections in windows in our hearts Bring us closer to the pain of Mirror images in those panes Until, noses pushed against glass,

Seeking so hard to see, With the steam and the strain, We lose the imagery Altogether, viewing

Only what’s inside. Of course, it’s not what we were looking for. We’re forced To turn around, and find

The truth Was always In the object, Not its likeness.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/objects-of-reflection.m4a

-st

Hum of the Drones

Society now an alternative reality

long adapted to forced acceptance of

a new dimension a stoic domination

of a higher order with murderous

intentions controlling a lockdown human

nation – An evolved consciousness

advanced through carefully engineered

experiments so with the arrival of these

deadly drones spying listening all-seeing

recalculating scheming deleting controlling

a fading tired humanity.

It happened gradually, unseen unheard

Their walls came down surrounding

Major cities concealing a doomsday

Countdown with the intoxicating deadly

Hum of the Drones…

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/hum-of-the-drones-mp3.mp3

-Don Beukes

parakeets in the park, wild now holds up his hands and they fly to take seed

clearly reflected while we stop while we take coffee while we breathe

deeply thinking

of the things we have seen whitworth

it came with fire with ferocity depth that left me floating isolating isolation from the other scheme of things. it was red very very red

he said it was his favourite colour I have never seen him wear it

-sonja benskin mesher

I peered through the glass And saw all these evergreens Guardians of souls

-Carrie Ann Golden

Windows

are single eyed. We move the back projection, make clear the eyes corners. What lies ahead, what lies in wait?

Enter house with hollow eyes Inside its eyes fragrant as bad breath, a dead leaf delicate structure crinkly soft, and wet wallpaper peals like unheard bells.

Doors are mouths, mothers polish, lovers hump over, by which decisions enter or leave, from which dead leaves are brushed aside.

-Paul Brookes

  orange it came flaring while I was minding my business as always looking at to sea hoping for a boat

on the horizon I got this thing whizzing round my face warm emulsifying, wreaking havoc with the serenity buzzed my ears and stayed there until defeated I moved to the wall and sat there a while

undeniably tracing honesty in air with one finger pointing

it came clear later

-sbm.

*

Most people have a penchant for rocks – dry stone walls with spiders inside. I once shook the leaves by a wall to see what fell out, and every night, when I came home, picked handfuls on my way, breadcrumb leaves to tear, carefully, like prayer beads once blessed by spit, by piss, by rain fall. Nobody knows why they do these things, least of all, tear leaves, and tear, and scatter leaves away.

*

I have always imagined / galaxies shaped like / the inside of a pomegranate fruit. / Authenticity interspersed with a tragic sense of irony. / Why do we write / like this?

-Alex Mazey

The Dream

I plunge into the depths of

nowhere, of empty uninhabited

space glowing like s beacon almost

beckoning like an empty womb ready

to cocoon new life – Expectant

nourishing, life-giving.

I fall further reaching unexplored cavities

of my questioning mind, witnessing

memories not even born yet, of

revelations still to come – I hear

faint whispers of familiar voices guiding

me teaching me protecting me.

My vision now clearer as I enter the domain of forever – My former melancholy turning into a joyous cacophony of encompassing love. I breathe again. I laugh again. I live again…

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/the-drea-audio-day-10-1.mp3

Memories of Us

I still sometimes hear the echoes of our laugher as we reminisce of our shared happiness – Our joy of creating new planting borders Of days languishing in the sun until the moonrise beckoned daily reflections of love in various sessions, of togetherness of silliness of happiness.

I feel such a fool not having shared more thoughts with you, or not having told you I forgive you for misinterpreted heated arguments, of hating my foolish pride but I cannot linger on anything bitter as I still feel you with me in poignant memories of us…

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/memories-of-us.mp3

-Don Beukes

Wild Imagination

Yesterday I walked down a path in the woods And spied a crumbling cornerstone of a building Lost to past floods Hidden in its base was a hole Nearly encased in the shadows of hardwoods Unsure if it was created by some mole I moved near the edge and spotted a thick coiled string Most of it vanished in the dried mud Vivid images of mystical places down below Filled my mind to the point that was maddening With a headache I reluctantly returned to my neighborhood

-Carrie Ann Golden

Shiva’s Dance

All stones, a conglomeration of illusion and desire. All dawns, pre-set to rise and fall breathe and grow and yet… all are followed by a drowning sun.

Not a stone story or tellers myth. For souls so bound in greed and gold. My house is as opium dreams… in these whispers of life.

No movement, in still darkling corners where life and dust move so slowly that luxing shadows, low and subdued, can hold a spirit in sleeping deeps.

So dance the ring of fire without question, for being must flow in these meriel seas and shaded rivers. Apocalypse and creation my coin. You my currency.

Your hair is made of flowers and death, your breath mud baked yet star sparkle sweet. Your compassion always greater than your parts.

So dance your dance on life’s highest mountain, in low dead seas. No choice no chance All else illusion’s flattery.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/shivae28099s-dance.m4a

©️ Dai Fry 9th May 2020.

colloquy

chestnut and stone wall speaking of patience and time passersby know naught

-Rich Follett

Interstellar Connections

You are a small planet, Unique in every way. I reach out the solid branch Of my being, as far as I can To see if I can touch your greatness, Learn more about the mysterious

Known and unknown parts And the pre-existing orbit Of my earthbound heart, Causing me to overcome all fears, To cross the void of space and find What happens when we collide.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/interstellar-connections.m4a

-st

Ishigaki music (the ballad of Rat and Cat)

Each day of that hot summer the stonemason let the river sing to him as he ate his noon meal, the moonsweet rice the pink auras of salmon and ginger and from his front hedge of rushes crept sleek black Rat with his shinobue tail and from the temple’s gap-toothed wall ambled marmalade Cat with her koto miaow and for a few grains of lunar rice Rat conjured a rill of silver notes from his flute and for a sliver of translucent spirit-fish Cat would wail her strange ghost’s vibrato and the inkbrush river shushed its rhythm onto the clean white page of each day. For a whole season the stonemason laid every rock with songs in his head and his hands and his heart and should you visit the temple you will see the black Rat and the ginger Cat who live forever in his tendered wall and should you put your ear to the sweet stones all placed just so, the music there in the neat grains of them will build and build inside you a thousand years of comfort.

-Ankh Spice

Stars

Stars, are they the lost group of family? Mists as memories, I long to see their faces The navy sky lit by a sparkle of joy ancestors in their glowing blessings looking down, as the perfumed night air wafts gently. A rare manuscript, an album of belonging Generations bound by dna blood sweat and tears A remembrance this darkest day of November I turn the pages of love and belonging a feeling of euphoria before the melancholy sets in clinging like the frost on a rose bud remembering ancestors, the stars in my eyes.

-Leela Soma

My Night

is a bag of nerve dripped stars under lit lamposts.

Silence is a window strummed by shadows.

Stone is a cloud announced as married to dizzy soil.

Walls are rainbowed unicorn skin and bone petrified by virgins.

Sugar is a grumble made by galaxies seen by cardboard homeless.

Darkness is the locked door of a whisper you cannot fully hear.

-Paul Brookes

  Leela Soma

was born in Madras, India and now lives in Glasgow. Her poems and short stories have been published in a number of anthologies and publications, including the National newspaper The Scotsman, The Grind, Visual Verses, New Voices, Gutter, Bangalore Review in India and Steel Bellows in the USA. ‘From Madras to Milngavie’ was her first poetry pamphlet. She has served on the committee for the Milngavie Books and Arts Festivals and on the Scottish Writer’s Centre Committee. Her work reflects her dual heritage of India and Scotland. Author of ‘Twice Born’, ‘Bombay Baby’ and ‘Boxed In’ Available on Amazon and Kindle. Her website is http://www.leelasoma.wordpress.com

Here is a link to my interview of her: https://thewombwellrainbow.com/2019/04/20/wombwell-rainbow-interviews-leela-soma/

.

eleven is ten continued..

I sat on the wall a while further up a guy was painting a cat I watched him clever I heard a small noise to the left turned found the bloody orange thing was back fussing around colouring up the air smelling slightly warm and damp

mid sucking noises the face appeared black and white

from the bloody orange thingy.

-sbm

Murakami is my favourite Japanese writer, I remember vaguely, a time when he did not show his face in public. Showed his face as a series of cats. Some days, it is like cats are the loneliest animals on the planet. I think, again, of a book, by an author I cannot remember. I think, again, of a time beyond myself, of these dead things, side roads, memorialised, beyond face value; it’s more than we know.

-Alex Mazey

Journey to Fluweeltjie

The secret Map – It has been passed on by generations of Meesters, protectors of their families and heirs to the kingdom of Tiervlei. An existential secret map showing the way to the land of Fluweeltjie, where essence of an eternal life force would only be accessible to a worthy young warrior, who would survive the treacherous Kaapse Vlaktes – an underworld marshland filled with exploding vrekwarm flames from below the sunken city of Fluweeltjie – There to collect essence of the revered Bitterbessie, ensuring longevity for all who deserve it –

The honour of collecting the precious bitterbessie was bestowed on Sekueb Nodmai, heir to the kingdom of Tiervlei. He followed the ancient path shown on the map, and made his way to the secret entrance only he knew – In the distance he spotted a lonely figure hovering just above the ground, guarding the entrance. Sekueb noticed that he hovered just above the ground, waiting.

Battle of the Kaapse Vlaktes – As soon as he crossed over he was confronted by a sonskyn soldaat, ordered to prevent any attempt at entering the dreaded Kaapse Vlaktes. As donderwolke clouds exploded in the skies above, the soldaat suddenly hurled a tokkelos at Sekueb, a fierce creature which could instantly melt him, however Sekueb only had to throw dust of poeier into its eyes to avoid certain death. That opened the path to the gateway to to the borrelende land of Fluweeltjie – What he did not know was that he had to swim through the lake of souls, they who have suffered the curse of failed missions – Looking to welcome one more, as the water started to boil and stir…

(to be continued)

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/journey-to-fluweeltjie-mp3.mp3

-Don Beukes

Hunters

I savor the rainbows on wet streets, and the pigeons without sense who peck at nothing. The streets are empty, dehumanized. As it should be, as it is. I feel the rumbling not of wheels or thunder; it is the precious honey bee, another hunter as effortless as myself. It’s hunting in unkept lots the modest dandelions. My feet dance over faded chalk; I fear nothing.

Elizabeth Moura

Koi feeding

You save the stale crusts from the good brown loaf. On your early walk through the city gardens, there is a round mirror

to crumble them into, and in it an unfamiliar creature, folded and loose in his aspect. He watches you from the water.

You have never met his eyes, although you sense they are kind. This morning autumn has nodded at the trees

and the ember of the squalling sun catches a plume at his throat, and he blushes bright ¬— young

with newborn flame. The wind arrives to spread the blaze outwards in ripples

from the man standing with his hands full of burning bread, and when the fish surface

their mouths make round holes in his body. In one tiny circle after another

the fire goes out. Cool water ¬— O O O ¬— welling dark and smooth. It was always the truth.

What feeds on us that steals our fire. What we feed to remember what we are.

-Ankh Spice

Identity Crisis

Colorful patterns Etched into Our lives, Reveal truths We often try to hide.

Denying reality Doesn’t cease to Make it so. Call a cat a turtle. It won’t hurt his ego.

But it does cause confusion. Then, while we’re all mixed up Arguing over semantics, Inscriptions become clear – Our identity betrays us.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/identity-crisis.m4a -st

Stripe’s the given name Latched on anything ‘till me Now Clingon’s your name.

-Carrie Ann Golden

Practical Cats for Gen-Z

Sandburg’s cat did not have neon feet— time passes; things change.

Kodachrome bas-relief kitty’s impress:

JPS – just pussy-footing silently … but

is neon ever silent?

as it is with humans, so with felines: we always wish against our nature.

Eliot’s three-name theory would not seem to apply here unless loud, louder, loudest are on the list …

so, is kitty a success or a failure?

impossible to say until we know his aim— his ineffable, effable (f***in’ ineffable) deep and inscrutable singular

aim …

-Rich Follett

Of Cats And Gods

It is told in the oldest book that all cats must have two dreams. The second a tale of the fertile crescent, land of Nebuchadnezzar. A place of long ago.

Only to leave, for reasons of their own. On a great adventure. Maybe they first travelled on Abraham’s road to Canaan.

Before they became gods, and tellers of riddles, on the banks of that north flowing river.

“Where one gives birth to the other, who in turn gives birth to the first”

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/of-cats-and-dogs.m4a

©️ Dai Fry 10th May 2020.

Cat Called Nothing

JPS calls me Nothing.

Catness carries being at its heart. I am condemned to be free. If I tremble at the slightest noise, if each creak announces me a look

This is because I am already in the state of being-looked-at.

Catness haunts being. Hell is other people. Catness lies coiled at the heart of being like a worm.

Consciousness is a being, the nature of which is to be conscious of the catness of its being.

-Paul Brookes

.

Visions

A cataract blackens my right eye, the one I used to look at the sun; no one is left to ask why, because you are lost in dust, and our friends are lost with you at that final beach-mob outpost. Looking into the sun, then at you spread out, lovely and moist, all I could see were black dots on your face as it smooched air, and on your knees, now way too hot raised up, like dream castles, there were lines and arrows instead of your smooth knobs, smoothly red.

-Elizabeth Moura

equanimity

on the cosmic timeline humankind appeared minutes ago— aeons later (by our reckoning), like one primeval furrowed brow or the disappointed jowls of a disgruntled mage with a bumbling apprentice, earth sighed …

-Rich Follett

#2:

My heart

Is like a vast desert

Since you left this world

No amount of water

Can revive

My soul

Wanders an endless wasteland

Hopeless and lost

I don’t want to be found

I don’t need rescuing

I just want to sink in this endless abyss

Of your sweet embrace

-Carrie Ann Golden

13. some folk are superstitious some are not some thought that tomorrow would come different

did not look to see

so some may be disappointed that the orange terror remains

like the alien in some 1950s film or tv show talking pictures

some listened to journey into space on the radio, imagined such things scared themselves silly from behind cushions

this thing can suck the life even from those hiding in soft furnishings

so they may go live underground war of the worlds

I saw it live

-sbm

*

Out of this grey-peak mountainside, I did not always realise, that animals, like dogs, might comprehend another language. There are only so many times. Only, so many times, a boy can talk in different languages, hoping to find the right one – would you like a sandwich? St. Bernard, only here for the tuna. So, what? – an owner appeared, as beautiful as I imagined any person could be. Hallo, guten tag, blonde lady… gut, danke.

-Alex Mazey

A Desire

I walk your edgeland desire lines. Your fingers daylight a xenotopia in me. A riverwalk into your heart’s sussurus.

-Paul Brookes

Weeds

A plant’s wrong ways, take shape on chancing breeze. Anarchy rises to sap at butchered lands.

Outsiders, friendless purpose unknown. Immigrants from the without.

We are frightened, held rigid by the different beauty of their strange song.

These alien ways like a wild yeast that comes to a baker’s call. Fresh, different much raised in our estimations.

Re-wilding gods, stand to let the ground grow as it will. A flower meadow not a lawn. Bees see it, twice as sweet.

Flown, travelling seeds on wind blown songs. Till the loam of a stranger’s town. Taking the balance of a natural palette.

And soon we will have a place of rare delight. Watered with joy and tears, cooled by butterflies.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/weeds.m4a

©️ Dai Fry 12th May 2020.

Hold the river

You told me you haven’t been outside in 57 days and tonight the river is a dropped ribbon, limp and lost and the sharp stones of the trail as I begin to run become the sound of something chewing. The faster we go, the faster we’re eaten. You are moving, in the lines of your confinement, so slowly now you have become a painting in my head – static – existing not to be touched. And in the guilty, lucky air down here we’re starting up the engines and on my knees in the soft mud I can hear the first plane for months, idling beyond the water. I’d wish you were here, but the wind is whipping up cold, and the coming dark is frantic with sudden birds, woken startled from their neat new nests along the runway.

-Ankh Spice

Searching the Depths

” Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” -Matt. 4:19

Seven worms Squiggle out from the depths After rain Seeking sunshine, Not too much. Unwittingly, They crawl into Small hands Making ready To make a meal Not of them, but Creatures from different depths. “Get to the truck, Daddy’s got the poles!”

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/searching-the-depths.m4a -st

The Institute (Part Two)

Dear Self – I am drowning in this blinding haze of red, Locked in this current state, ‘ shut up! Leave my headspace or I will end you! Are you still there? I cannot go on like this. Last night another one made herself known to me taunting me, mockingly. I can hear her in the walls of my deepest most private secret space – ‘A voice, a voice! No, I refuse to submit to you! Stop this ridiculous lie you knit every chance you get!’

Flashback – I am back in my childhood room, thirteen again. I hear my parents bang the door down. I struggle to breathe. I feel my dad forcing my fingers open as I clamp them Tighter around my throat… ‘Good morning Mr and Mrs Sullivan. No need to look so sullen. Rachel will be treated with the utmost respect and care here at Clarence House. My name is Ms Marsh. You have nothing to worry about. Are you ready Rachel?

The Confrontation – ‘Ow, You’re hurting me! Where are you Taking me? Shut up you spoiled brat! You will soon find out how we heal misfits like you. Let me go you old hag! Now you listen to me you pathetic little creature. You better get used to me. After all, you have been placed into my care, so don’t you dare! You will soon realise you’re not that special at all. The others will reveal themselves to you soon. You better get some rest my dear. No need to fear, I promise.

Dear Self – I feel so lost. I heard it again last night – A faint tapping deep inside my head. Someone also tried to reach me but it was a faint whisper. What is wrong with me? What is this place? I’ve got to get out of here. This spiral prison is making my head burst. Please show me a way out! ‘Hello?’

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/part-two-the-institute-.mp3

-Don Beukes

  Right before the fall

A heartbeat before the slide you know you’re going down A monkey brain knows when the branch is about to crack And a kid feels the birth of the tiny split in the ice spreading from his last footstep We learn to fall before we know the promise we make by beginning to walk which is to keep on doing it, even knowing the ground will fail beneath us some day And they say you time-travel just a little before the cold takes you, the years all that good footwork stamped into you go for a wander under your lids, maybe just trying to escape the inevitable. Did you know what takes us under is not spared? This pass through the mountains where your car went over once lingered her beat, slicking sediment-ghosts just before the blast split her. And that glacier down south, undermined by a warming sea shimmered with Pleistocene spring just as her heart went to holes. Oh but wait, that one went alone. The bones she holds too deep to see the sudden blossoms spiriting the ice.

-Ankh Spice

yūjō

cherry trees blooming in unexpected places cheer world-weary hearts

-Rich Follett

*

I recall vending machines in a small side street, someplace I’ve not yet been, maybe in a dreamscape, anyway. Someone will take me to Mt. Fuji, one day. Someone will take my hand through Aokigahara, the Sea of Trees, and we will buy iced tea in a carpark vending machine. Have I told you the trick to a good car park? They will say – yes – it’s in the flower arrangements, the peeling memory of bright sakura trees. I will remember this.

-Alex Mazey

..fourteen..

it starts at thirteen, moves forward

teenage years spinning

some,

a few stimming later we watch the trees spinning going about in a muddle going down in trouble

those years

asked if there was a maypole it was suggested to have a roundabout

it is all a gift

-sbm

Blossoms

In my memory a late snow had dried, -leaving no trace- though it still flaked eggshell brittle from the damp cellar walls.

I recall the deer park. Richmond in early April, probably a lifetime ago.

The pink and white a growing bloom, was joy within.

Did I dance the blossom under ruck sacked back and in leather shoes?

Dappled tree shadow, as petalled canopies filled the obscured skies.

A morning, those trudging ways. And everything was white and pink. I loved the pastel rain. It made me cry.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/blossoms.m4a

©️ Dai Fry 13th May 2020.

The Institute (Part Three)

The Revelation – Dear Self, I finally woke up to my reality, As that wretched red mist cleared, my surroundings were finally revealed. At first, I became aware of an annoying hovering buzz – Invisible but audible. As my eyes adjusted to where I was, I could swear I saw a cluster of microscopic drones leave my body! ‘Oh, you are awake!’ I heard a familiar voice say. I instinctively realised where the voices in my head originated from and why I thought I was going crazy. Next to me in similar pods wherein identical bodies like mine were attached to, one of them spoke directly to me! ‘I tried to warn you but you were too stubborn to listen. We’ve got to get out of here before dear Marsh returns to command more drones to replicate me’ – But who are you? I don’t understand. ‘What do mean?’

‘It’s me, my name is Rachel.’

What? Impossible! I am Rachel!

‘Calm down dear – We are all Rachel…’

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/part-three-the-institute.mp3

The Pink Forest

Cream screams ruby dreams Strange happenings White skies blood cries Yellow wailing soul Destroying – Hark the pink Lark spreading false truths Growing strange fruits Falling on sour earth burning Barren soil to reveal new growth Where strange sounds can be Heard – A fluttering of falling birds A spluttering of green rain fauna and flora in pain – Get out go back retreat attack leave retrieve collect reflect. You are not needed here – This is our new sphere. No, go! A broken nation shattered moral Compass – You could have prevented this…

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/the-pink-forest-mp3.mp3

-Don Beukes

Go

Heated chambers roil with entrancing little bugs, creeping out the little ladies who refuse to look because their mascara will collapse like tar. Whipping off my myopia, I alone am delighted. If I could crawl through to dance with the motley harbingers of the abnormal, I would squeeze myself onto the slide, no regrets, and wave to my companions, who aren’t looking at me; me, happy at last, fitting in, dancing on a glass yacht.

-Elizabeth Moura

Finding Your Place

Paint peeling From ancient walls Reveals nothing of note. But the preserved picture, Of three parallel trees, once bespoke

By some Now unknown admirer Of the arts, Leaves behind enough, perhaps, To inspire a new start.

Finally, The patron, artist and Onlooker may know The unparalleled merit of Their respective roles.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/findingyourplace.m4a

-st

Frailty

is the strength to put one foot in front of another against the gust.

is endurance of pain you inhale and exhale as you catch your breath.

is a tree growing on ground known to dissolve beneath the roots as a short life is lived.

is the sharp, severe loss of mam and dad as your bones ask for a hug from the disappeared.

-Paul Brookes

  Tanks

Lilies, petal wrapped, their colour smiles in water’s drift.

A summer’s dreamer, her flowers are purple rain catchers.

Tanks: ancient reservoirs, lilies far as sight permits.

Under chlorophyll isles drift tangled fronds where swimmers weave their cool green, hydraulic dreams.

Elephants drink here and stick legged avians break journeys. To stand pensive, in these time worn water fields.

Marvel at floating leaves, whose island dreams and water songs, play rippling gently.

In the distance where lilies meet sky: A white chalk bright Stupa topped with Buddha head spike, pierces the unbroken blue.

Once neolithic mounds to hold our dead, now giants of brick and stone… who bow their heads to passing flowers and greenway archipelagos.

To drink a deep fill, a quench of lake water.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/tanks.m4a

©️ Dai Fry 14th May 2020.

Da doo Ra Ra ran

cowardly sun god sperm cell suffers performance anxiety; flees from opportunity — future world goes dark

-Rich Follett

*

I will remember lily pads. Each floating universe resting on time, itself, water like time, like the streams of an eternal reoccurrence. Every poem is permitted one act of being unnecessarily outlandish, every life is permitted one or two acts of being unnecessarily outlandish. Outlandish is not the word I am looking for, here. There are other words, of course, words like lily pad, to describe what I am seeing. ( , .)

-Alex Mazey

Established

As children, weren’t we all beguiled by water lilies? I was sure the little rafts were stepping stones for traipsing Across, Sufficient to Support my weight.

Although they are well-established, Rooted deep Beneath water bodies, on the surface They are delicate creatures, It seems.

You once asked if We wanted to keep trying To put the tent pegs in, Only to have them continue to Slip out again.

I’m grateful I learned the difference between Solid and superficial, and that we, too, can be fastened Tight to the ground, More securely established Than I might’ve imagined.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/established.m4a

-st

the lily pond.

go down along the coast through the village and up the hill

find the lily pond miles from anyone

you will find creatures among the plants and reverie

some are tadpoles come recently

while others spawn later

this is the magic that some have forgotten with all their money and sexual innuendos

the small plane still flies over most days

-sbm

The first escape

We were lucky, when the fire came for us. A murmur of orange, mumming grey dust – in the night-ashes from the grate, their bucket on the porch. The bloom must have been beautiful, I thought, a thing come to life when our eyes were all closed. In the morning, one wall of the house was croaking with blisters, toadskin paint still slick with the rain. With persuasion from a disobedient finger, they popped, and the stink of the fire was alive inside each one. Even at five, I set free a lot of near-death. Tiny craters left behind, none yet satisfied with a sacrifice.

-Ankh Spice

The Institute (Part Four)

The Prequel – ‘ Welcome back Mr and Mrs Sullivan, I finally have the news you’ve been waiting for. One of our cloned samples has survived the delicate procedure. However, it will have to grow here until its fifth birthday, Just to ensure total success. After all, we owe it to you to return a perfect specimen. Have you decided on a name yet?’ Ah yes, her name will be Rachel. We trust that you will do your best, doctor…

Dear Self – It’s me, Rachel. You don’t know me yet but I somehow know who you are. I saw you in a memory not even born yet but quite significant to my survival. I finally left that strange place, after getting rid of my overly attentive nurse – A bit too keen for my liking! The more I insisted for her to leave me alone, the more she repeated, ‘There, there my dear child, Nurse Marsh will take very good care of you, after all we will be together for five years!

Homecoming – Dear Self, I am in my new home. The Sullivans are weird but I cannot complain. Five years is long to wait for a new home. I made sure my new mother understood when I jabbed my finger deep into one eye and just giggled about it – It felt good, even though father had to call for help. Are you still there, hello?

-Don Beukes

Of Man Of Dust

Buses are butterflies all blue and gold Blind Mary and I catch one to the black glass wedding

young, dead Lozzy comes walks on water down the canal bright and shiny like a new kitchen surface

the man’s landrover is a poisonous lily packed with dust of death climbs out of the lily dust flying like red flour

politest of men. Pardon me, young Lady to Blind Mary who coughs, overcome by dust

lozzy, my poor dead son a vacuum cleaner with severe asthma inhales the man of dust and knows what it means.

man of dusts’ minder of water floods the vacuum cleaner lozzy coughs splutters.

Blind Mary’s wedding gift, a carved coal elephant inhales.

sprays water over his back, as if having a wash

black dust billows. black mingles with red dust.

lozzy vacuums up the man of dust disposes of him in the Place of No Breath

and if the dust meets breath,

life. dust waits.

-Paul Brookes

Cento

The small plane still flies over

tiny craters left behind rooted deep beneath water bodies.

A summer’s dreamer, her flowers are purple rain catchers.

walks on water down the canal bright and shiny like a new kitchen surface/

heart of stone

all through the millenia all egbert wanted was to play with the other statues

-Rich Follett

.pensive.

a quizzical look grey frowns the brow wrinkles

did it do wrong neutered into submission wandering lost the way

she said she will trap it send it away her aggressive with the lockdown

envious of solitude exploding with anger

red threads could bind us

-sbm

Who Are You

A life of consequences. The whole thing a slight of hand… I cannot see me, doubt anyone can.

Never to know my name, or purpose hidden behind. Mendacity my gift and I my own victim. My light is not the illuminating kind.

A life spent hide and seeking, the deeper I look the darker my lairs.

I nearly met on one or two occasions, not yet being quite there.

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/who-are-you.m4a

©️ Dai Fry 15th May 2020.

*

I recall a dark room at English Heritage, a documentary showing an eight-to-ten-minute introductory guide to big castle, wherever. This is, perhaps, a simulated experience, curated with panoramic cinematography – available in the gift shop for nine-ninety-five. Every time, I find these dark rooms – showing a documentary, I sit there for eight-to-ten-minutes, thoroughly enjoying the space, imagining my life as an informative documentary; a screen wipe.

-Alex Mazey

The Walk

Few find the shrifted forest – a wanderer feels their gait well weighed by trees and rock to find how great the need for succour-paths. If your feet, as heavy as they are, will carry you for another week, a day, an hour through the loosened sharps of the vale some trivial thing will call you to your walking-on. When the wet green hands of sentinels wing a creature through this breach its count of given steps was done and done. And we could do much worse than to stop it here we beasts who have been treading so stilted since first we fell. Far worse than to drop to our knees on this cushion of needles beneath an unsuspected kindness of stones. Sometimes you don’t see how much they love you until their face is watching you leave. The last walk done, and I’ll go laughing, all thin- skin shiver in the warm wet breath of the rock that has turned these bones, has spun us on and on, every day since we arrived. She gave us milk from the dirt of her body. Every day opened the door to the walk. You mourn your pets like family.

-Ankh Spice

The Spectre

You see me as a hideous invasive enemy oddity but I see you as an existential anomaly hoping to remain free but it is not meant to be – Your insatiable sensational lust for self-gratification revealed your selfish nature neglecting your intended function to willingly and selflessly nurture but you have proven time and time again your expected failure to prove your worth as a temporary fleeting organism on a planet only meant to temporarily tolerate your inherited generations –

Your neglect of each other and your dismissal of of obvious signs and revelations in your darkest dreams and ruby screams did not deter you from darkening your absorbent soul as you hunted for monetary riches, damning those who you deemed unnecessary in an existence you craved to have total dominance in unable to foresee you failed legacy.

This is your final hour as your essence will be ended – You do not deserve to be awarded this precious Earthly existence so forget your expected inheritance…

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/the-spectre-mp3.mp3

-Don Beukes

Release

Looking at the red sky All I see is you The ground trembles as I try To hug the earth like glue Closing my eyes struggling not to cry Your angelic face fills my view As I let go, my body wants to fly and search for you in the heavenly blue

-Carrie Ann Golden

#MF 16

The nightmares and dreams of children are carved of the same stone; they are massive. Even the friendliest glower, because of their weight. All through their lives, these stones follow all the children who ever were. As adults, the stones loom, smaller in size, but heavier, pressing down on hearts and minds which don’t believe in dreams or nightmares, but are certain of death.

#16

American bullet, barreling out, like an asteroid racing to a pre-mediated hit. It is red hot. It knows its way. A finger has shot out before it. It points. Like a diseased god, it chooses.

-Elizabeth Moura

Draw me to the eye Center us down together Stillness in your storm

https://thewombwellrainbow.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/day-16-haiku-st.m4a

-st

The heart of a tree is a crack in time.

A glimpse across galaxies linked by wormholes in xylem.

This giant is fallen: a window on eternity exposed,

though the roots still live. Here – delicate in rotten bark – sapling.

Time is the crack in a tree’s heart.

-Yvonne Marjot

The Lion

I am Hunger and look for a prey. No animal, big or small, as far as I can see.

I find a big cave, There must be some animal here. If so, come evening it will return I will hide myself in the cave and when it returns, pounce on it and have a good meal.

Sun begins to set, I hear a voice “Hello cave, I am your friend here.”

I do not reply “Hello cave, don’t you remember the arrangement we made? I have to shout when I arrive and you will ask me to come in. Without your green signal I do not enter the cave. Since you are silent, I will go to some other cave.”

Ah, there seems to be an arrangement between the cave and this animal. Let me get him into my trap. I will shout back a welcome to him and he will walk in happily.”

I roar, “Hi jackal, come in. You are welcome.”

Nothing happens. Nothing happens

My stomach is an empty cave full of echoes.

-Paul Brookes

Cento

You do not deserve to be awarded this precious earthly existence so forget your expected inheritance… Stillness in your storm

Bios and Links

-Alex Mazey

(b.1991) received his MA (distinction) from Keele University in 2017. He later won The Roy Fisher Prize for Poetry with his debut pamphlet, ‘Bread and Salt’ (Flarestack, TBA). He was also the recipient of a Creative Future Writers’ Award in 2019. His poetry has featured regularly in anthologies and literary press magazines, most notably in The London Magazine. His collection of essays, ‘Living in Disneyland’, will be available from Broken Sleep Books in October 2020. Alex spent 2018 as a resident of The People’s Republic of China, where he taught the English Language in a school run by the Ministry of Education. His writing has been described as ‘wry and knowing,’ with ‘an edge that tears rather than cuts or deals blows.’

Twitter: @AlexzanderMazey

Instagram: alexmazey

Here is my interview of Alex:

https://thewombwellrainbow.com/2018/12/18/wombwell-rainbow-interviews-alex-mazey/

-Rich Follett

is a High School English and Creative Writing teacher who has been writing poems and songs for more than forty years. His poems have been featured in numerous online and print journals, including BlazeVox, The Montucky Review, Paraphilia, Leaf Garden Press and the late Felino Soriano’s CounterExample Poetics, for which he was a featured artist. Three volumes of poetry, Responsorials (with Constance Stadler), Silence, Inhabited, and Human &c. are available through NeoPoiesis Press (www.neopoiesispress.com.)

As a singer-songwriter, Rich has released five albums of independent contemporary folk music. His latest. Somewhere in the Stars, is available at http://www.richfollett.com. He lives with his wife Mary Ruth Alred Follett in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where he also pursues his interests as a professional actor, playwright, and director.

-Ankh Spice

is a sea-obsessed poet from Aotearoa (NZ). His poetry has appeared in a wide range of international publications and has twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He truly believes that words have the power to change the place we’re in, and you’ll find him doing his best to prove it on

Twitter: @SeaGoatScreams or on Facebook: @AnkhSpiceSeaGoatScreamsPoetry

-Carrie Ann Golden

is a deafblind writer from the mystical Adirondack Mountains now living on a farmstead in northeastern North Dakota. She writes dark fiction and poetry. Her work has been published in places like Piker Press, Edify Fiction, Doll Hospital Journal, The Hungry Chimera, GFT Press, Asylum Ink, and Visual Verse.

-sonja benskin mesher

born , Bournemouth.

now

lives and works in North Wales as an independent artist

‘i am a multidisciplinary artist, crafting paint, charcoal, words and whatever comes to hand, to explain ideas and issues

words have not come easily. I draw on experience, remember and write. speak of a small life’.

Elected as a member of the Royal Cambrian Academy and the United Artists Society The work has been in solo exhibitions through Wales and England, and in selected and solo worldwide. Much of the work is now in both private, and public collections, and has been featured in several television documentaries, radio programmes and magazines.

Here is my interview of sonja benskin mesher:

https://thewombwellrainbow.com/2018/10/16/wombwell-rainbow-interviews-sonja-benskin-mesher/

-Samantha Terrell

is an American poet whose work emphasizes emotional integrity and social justice. She is the author of several eBooks including, Learning from Pompeii, Coffee for Neanderthals, Disgracing Lady Justice and others, available on smashwords.com and its affiliates.Chapbook: Ebola (West Chester University Poetry Center, 2014)

Website: poetrybysamantha.weebly.com Twitter: @honestypoetry

Here is my 2020 interview of her:

https://thewombwellrainbow.com/2020/04/08/wombwell-rainbow-interviews-samantha-terrell/

-Don Beukes

is a South African and British writer. He is the author of ‘The Salamander Chronicles’ (CTU) and ‘Icarus Rising-Volume 1’ (ABP), an ekphrastic collection. He taught English and Geography in both South Africa and the UK. His poetry has been anthologized in numerous collections and translated into Afrikaans, Persian, French and Albanian. He was nominated by Roxana Nastase, editor of Scarlet Leaf Review for the ‘Best of the Net’ in 2017 as well as the Pushcart Poetry Prize (USA) in 2016. He was published in his first SA Anthology ‘In Pursuit of Poetic Perfection’ in 2018 (Libbo Publishers) and his second ‘Cape Sounds’ in 2019 (Gavin Joachims Publishing). He is also an amateur photographer and his debut Photographic publication appeared in Spirit Fire Review in June 2019. His new book, ‘Sic Transit Gloria Mundi’/Thus Passes the Glory of this World’ is due to be published by Concrete Mist Press.

Here is my interview of Don Beukes:

https://thewombwellrainbow.com/2019/11/02/wombwell-rainbow-interviews-don-beukes/

-Dai Fry

is an old new poet. He worked in social care but now has no day job. A keen photographer and eater of literature and lurid covers. Fascinated by nature, physics, pagans, sea and storm. His poetry seeks to capture image and tell philosophical tales. Published in Black Bough Poetry, Re-Side, The Hellebore Press and the Pangolin Review. He can be seen reading on #InternationalPoetryCircle and regularly appears on #TopTweetTuesday. Twitter. @thnargg Web seekingthedarklight.co.uk

Audio/Visual. @IntPoetryCircle #InternationalPoetryCircle Twitter #TopTweetTuesday

-Elizabeth Moura

lives in a converted factory and works with elders. She has had poetry, flash fiction or photographs published in online and print publications Human/Kind Journal, Rose Quartz Poetry Magazine, Hawk & Whippoorwill, The Cormorant, Radical: A Lit Zine, Chrysanthemum, Occulum, Flash, Paragraph Planet, and Flash Fiction Magazine. On Twitter @mourapoet, Instagram mourathepoet and mourastudio.wordpress.com.

-Yvonne Marjot

is a lost kiwi, now living on a Scottish island. She has been making up stories and poems for as long as she can remember. Her first volume of poetry, The Knitted Curiosity Cabinet, won the Brit Writers Award for poetry in 2012. She has published four novels and a book of short stories. Twitter handle: @alayanabeth

-Paul Brookes

is a shop asst. Lives in a cat house full of teddy bears. His chapbooks include The Fabulous Invention Of Barnsley, (Dearne Community Arts, 1993). The Headpoke and Firewedding (Alien Buddha Press, 2017), A World Where and She Needs That Edge (Nixes Mate Press, 2017, 2018) The Spermbot Blues (OpPRESS, 2017), Port Of Souls (Alien Buddha Press, 2018), Please Take Change (Cyberwit.net, 2018), Stubborn Sod, with Marcel Herms (artist) (Alien Buddha Press, 2019), As Folk Over Yonder ( Afterworld Books, 2019). Forthcoming Khoshhali with Hiva Moazed (artist), Our Ghost’s Holiday (Final book of threesome “A Pagan’s Year”) . He is a contributing writer of Literati Magazine and Editor of Wombwell Rainbow Interviews.

-Mary Frances

is an artist and writer based in the UK. She takes a few photos every day, for inspiration and to use in her work. The images for this project were all taken in the last two years on walks during in the month of May. Her words and images have been published by Penteract Press, Metambesen, Ice Floe Press, Burning House Press, Inside the Outside, Luvina Rivista Literaria, and Lone Women in Flashes of Wilderness. Twitter: @maryfrancesness

-James Knight

is an experimental poet and digital artist. His books include Void Voices (Hesterglock Press) and Self Portrait by Night (Sampson Low). His visual poems have been published in several places, including the Penteract Press anthology Reflections and Temporary Spaces (Pamenar Press). Chimera, a book of visual poems, is due from Penteract Press in July 2020.

Website: thebirdking.com.

Twitter: @badbadpoet

Here is my interview of James Knight:

https://thewombwellrainbow.com/2019/01/06/wombwell-rainbow-interviews-james-knight/

-Sue Harpham

is an admin worker, currently not in work Married, 2 sons. Loves poetry and words. She considers herself a writer of scribble rather than a poet. She has written a novel and is using her spare time to finally get it published (self-publishing) which has been an ambition of her for the last 10 years.

The Collected Special Ekphrastic Challenge for May 2020. The First Sixteen Days. Artworks from Mary Frances, James Knight and Sue Harpham the inspiration for writers: Alex Mazey, Ankh Spice, Samantha Terrell, Dai Fry, Carrie Ann Golden, sonja benskin mesher, Rich Follett, Don Beukes, Yvonne Marjot, and Paul Brookes Acknowledgements Thankyou to Jane Cornwell for designing the front cover. May 1 ..looks like you are drowning..

[cinephiled-com]

New Post has been published on Cinephiled

New Post has been published on http://www.cinephiled.com/circus-books-rachel-mason-chronicles-parents-surprising-business-selling-gay-porn/

In ‘Circus of Books,’ Rachel Mason Chronicles Her Parents’ Surprising Business — Selling Gay Porn

Rachel Mason’s moving documentary tells the story of the iconic bookstore and gay porn shop that served as the epicenter for LGBTQ life in Los Angeles for decades. Unbeknownst to many in the community it served, the store was cultivated and cared for by Mason’s parents, Karen and Barry, a straight conservative Jewish couple. Circus of Books is an intimate portrait of the Masons and their accidental journey to become one of the biggest distributors of hardcore gay porn in the United States, all the while downplaying the family business to their friends, synagogue, and even their own children. While they approached their store primarily as a way to support their family, Circus of Books also provided a much-needed non-judgmental gathering place for L.A.’s LGBTQ community. When the AIDS epidemic hit with a vengeance, Karen and Barry provided aid and comfort to countless people who were suffering, even as the mens’ own families rejected them.

Rachel Mason, director of Circus Of Books

An accomplished artist in her own right, Rachel Mason’s portrait of this lost world (her parents finally retired last year and the bookstore closed for good) is a poignant and entertaining document of an institution that was vital to its community. Mason also wrote and performs the end credit song, “Give You Everything.” The film is now available for screening on Netflix. I so enjoyed talking to Rachel Mason from her shelter-in-place.

Danny Miller: Rachel, it’s great to talk with you, I so enjoyed this beautiful film!

Rachel Mason: Thank you so much, I appreciate that!

I was happy to hear that you had already done the festival circuit with the film and that you got to screen it with appreciative audiences. I so feel for filmmakers who are having their films come out during this miserable pandemic.

Yes, we should have a moment of silence for all the films that are not getting what I got, it’s so sad. We were going to have a theatrical release, but I’m thrilled that people can now see the film on Netflix. I loved our time at all of the festivals, but the gay festivals in particular were such a joy. There was such a communal spirit at those screenings, with everyone getting all the references and laughing and crying at all the right moments!

I imagine this would be such a fun film to see with a big crowd.

For sure. When I saw the film with gay audiences, that’s when felt like I had actually done something for my community. I really feel for all the filmmakers and audiences who aren’t getting that right now, I hope we can figure out new ways to get that community spirit.

The upside, I guess, if you can call it that, is that you’ve got a captive audience yearning for new content.

That’s true. And while I think the film is for everyone, I think one of the best things about it is that it’s bringing people together in the queer community to remind us all of this historical past that is slipping away so quickly — especially the younger generation. I think many young people don’t have a clue about what the older generation went through. I want them and future generations to know what happened and what the role of erotic content was for our community in those years before the Internet.

I had the chance to interview Scotty Bowers when Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood came out. He reminded me how few options there were before the Internet for gay people.  It seems like places like your parents’ store were such a vitally important resource for the community. I’m glad that stories like his and the one you’re telling here are recorded for posterity. 

I completely agree. There’s so much that is disappearing because the older generation is not around. The people who survived the AIDS epidemic are like cherished members of our community. We need to get all these stories down. I hope Circus of Books gives people a sense that they really need to look for these stories before they disappear.

Without this film, the story of your parents and their role in this community would never have been known. Needless to say, I totally fell in love with your parents. In so many ways they reminded me so much of my own Jewish parents. It’s fascinating when you talk in the film about how you and your brothers didn’t quite realize what they were doing and it was only your friends who finally clued you in.

It was really interesting because my parents were so not cool. I had lots of cool friend friends with really cool parents, but my parents were not those people. They were kind of boring. They were straight. My mom was super religious which annoyed the crap out of me and all I wanted to do was rebel against them. And then here come my rebel friends who I find out are going to my family’s store and saying how cool it is. It was such a shock to me. In the end, it was exciting to realize that I had this access to one of the coolest places in the city in terms of how all my friends in the gay underground saw it. I think I appreciated the store so much more from the time I was a teenager on, and it was kind of like God’s will that I made this film because nobody else could have gotten the access. I mean, my mom would certainly not have ever let anyone but me follow her around with a camera, that was the last thing she wanted.

It’s kind of a miracle that the film happened at all considering your mother’s reluctance to be a part of it, and yet I think that tension is also part of why it’s such a compelling film. Would you say that you finally won your mother over in terms of her being happy about being part of the documentary?

Well, I did manage to trot her out at a few of the festival screenings and have her stand there while she got standing ovations. My mom is very much a reluctant hero. First off, she hoped no one would ever see this film and now that people are seeing it, she has had to reckon with the fact that she is looked on as a hero by lots of people and yet she doesn’t feel any sense of heroism because up until the day the store closed, she says she was just doing her job — filing paperwork, sending out invoices, making sure her staff got paid — all the things you do to run a small business and none of it was particularly glamorous or interesting. So, when you finally come up for air after 40 years and people start thanking you for doing this work, there’s a sort of shell shock. Plus, my mother has an innate talent to find fault in almost anything. After she got a five-minute standing ovation at Frameline, she was perplexed that it went on for so long. I was like, “Mom, the one thing you can’t criticize is a standing ovation, there is just nothing bad about that!” (Laughs.)

I’m glad she showed up for those events despite her discomfort. In terms of the heroic element, yes, they were providing this amazing service for an oppressed community without judgment, but as soon as the AIDS crisis hit, that’s when I would start calling your parents real heroes. What they did to help people in that world during that awful time was so touching.

It’s true. That was really important even if they didn’t see it as anything extraordinary. When we look at the history of the Holocaust, there are these people who are called Righteous Gentiles who helped the people who were being persecuted, like the ones who hid Anne Frank and so many others. Those people are often very reluctant to accept any acknowledgement because they simply did what they felt was right. Like, what would you do if your best friend’s daughter was going to get killed? I mean, you would probably think about hiding her in your attic, too, right? It’s a simple thing but it reminds us all that there’s something called humanity here. And the lack of humanity that the gay population saw during the AIDS crisis was just utterly shocking. We look back at that time now, and we’re like, “Wow, really?” Parents didn’t show up for their own dying children and yet they called themselves Christians.

Did you realize what was going on at that time and what your parents were doing to help these people?

I didn’t understand the depth of that pain. My perspective on it as a kid was that I would see these beautiful, funny, amazing gay men who worked at the store who were great people and hilarious. And then, my mom would say, “Oh, well, he’s not here anymore because he died.” This happened again and again but I had this child’s perspective on it that I almost didn’t think twice about until I got older and knew many people who lost so many of their friends. And then when I interviewed my parents for the film and heard these stories, I was just heartbroken. A mother would call my mom and want to know what her son was like. And my mother would think, “Fuck you, lady, he was dying and you refused to fly out here from Idaho  to see him when he needed you so badly.” No amount of anti-gay feelings should override parental love to that extent. I wish I could say those sentiments have disappeared today but we know they’re still out there. We’re all aware that there is a powerful Christian right in this country. I was just reading about that hospital in New York that was set up on in Central Park to help with the pandemic but before anyone could work there or be treated they had to sign something saying they agreed with the group’s anti-gay policies.

Horrible.

I do think that’s where heroism comes in. My mom never ran out onto a battlefield to rescue people while bullets were flying, but she helped people who were being treated so cruelly by their own families and our culture. Sometimes it’s the least likely people who decide to stand up and do something right.

I love that analogy to the Righteous Gentiles during the Holocaust. Have your parents ever been honored by any LGBTQ groups?

Oh, God, no. First of all, they weren’t known. My parents were very, very private people, especially my mother. And very behind the scenes. Also because their work was related to the sex industry —

With its own biases and prejudices, forget about the gay part.

Exactly. So they just had their heads down and hoped no one would ever ask them about what they do. My mom would always try to just get past that question very quickly if anyone asked. “We have a bookstore.” That’s why this film is so shocking to their system.

I admit that when I was watching this film, a lot of my tears came from the scene with your brother when he talks about what it was like for him to come out. That was so moving already, but then seeing your reaction as he’s telling his story was even more so.

Those were very real tears for me. When I heard him talk about the day he came out, and how he had gotten a one-way plane ticket because he didn’t know if he’d be accepted by my parents, I was just so horrified, I never knew he had gone through any of that. I had such a different experience growing up. I love my parents, but I was kind of done with them putting any pressures on me. I was always a rebel, my friends were all gay or from the counterculture — I took a girl to prom and no one even said anything about it. And the truth is I was too caught up in my own selfish teenaged world to notice my little brother and his struggles. And then interviewing him at 37 and hearing him talk about 18-year-old Josh being that closeted and afraid, I just had these extreme feelings of shame. I realized I was out there waving my freak flag while poor little Josh was just trying so hard to be that perfect little kid. I think his is the more common story, most people are not artists and weirdos thumbing their nose at society like I was at a young age. I think that’s what gave me a free pass — I never even bothered to come out to them. Josh carried so much pressure to be the perfect child.

That scene is such a touchstone for the film. Do you think the level of secrecy around your parents’ business had repercussions on your family dynamic?

What’s interesting is that despite her work, my mom had all the classic Jewish family values, like wanting us to marry Jewish, have kids, go to college. My mom had all these hardcore expectations for us to get straight As, and nothing was ever good enough. And later I would think, “Why do we have to do all this?” Was it related to the fact that they ran a gay porn shop? She’s never really let go of those expectations to this day, it’s kind of maddening.

I can relate to those Jewish family values that are often bathed in neuroses.

Yeah, like there’s always this element of fear and survival mixed in — like you could get killed at any moment. You might think that you are part of the culture here but just wait until they start attacking Jews, we’ll be the first to be shoved into the ovens. I think that was also part of their fear of being open about what they were doing with the store.

I love all the interviews in the film. It’s amazing to see people like Larry Flynt and gay porn star Jeff Stryker, but what moved me the most is hearing from the old employees. What amazing characters. It’s so great to get their oral histories down from this lost world.

Totally. My dad talks about how important the employees were to people in the community. Like people would know that Gerald was there from four to six so they would go in then. Gerald had his own customers, and then earlier in the day Ben had his own group of customers, it was almost like fan clubs grew around all the different people who worked there. They knew their customers so well and what kinds of things they liked so they would give them a customized experience, like a niche within the niche.

Your mother gets a lot of attention because she’s such a compelling character, but I was so moved by your father as well.

My dad is a guy who just loves life and he’s thrilled at the attention he’s gotten because of the film, the opposite of my mom who is panic-stricken about it. They’re an interesting pair because he is the most happy-go-lucky person I’ve ever known.

I just wish we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic because I would love to see your parents at the screenings with big crowds.

Oh, on that front my mother couldn’t be happier about the pandemic and that she doesn’t have to do anything related to the film. Before the quarantine started, she joked about heading to Antarctica for a month after the film came out and living in an igloo!

Circus of Books is now available to watch on Netflix.

#Circus of Books #Rachel Mason #Interviews #What's Hot

[rachelannc]

TOKiMONSTA, live at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. 9/15/2018. (Photo: Rachel Ann Cauilan | @rachelcansea)

After dealing with a brain disease that could have cost her career, DJ Jennifer Lee is back and better than ever.

When DJ and electronic music producer Jennifer Lee, better known as TOKiMONSTA, broke news last fall about losing her abilities to speak and hear music due to a rare brain disease, she thought that could’ve been the end of her music career.

In response, Lee put out Lune Rouge last year, an album she says is her most personal piece of work to date: “This album isn’t going to be made to satisfy the needs of an industry or the needs of a trend. I’m just going to make songs that make me happy … It might not be as obvious, but each of these beats — all these songs I put together — tell a story.”

https://open.spotify.com/album/1L879cRp3hbkvCaMRQ7d1l

This past weekend, TOKiMONSTA played two sold-out nights at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles opening for acclaimed house musician and singer ZHU on his Dune Tour 2018 — and her live energy and joy for performing was felt across the room.

As her name projected in lights behind her, Lee’s atmospheric beats, full of pretty orchestra strings, a rock guitar and catchy bass lines, put the room into a daze as she took to the stage with “Rouge.”

“LA, how you feeling?” she said to the crowd with a big smile.

Mentioning LA as her hometown, she went on to play a mesmerizing blend of pop hits, hip-hop beats and electronic tunes. From “We Love” featuring vocals from MNDR to samples of Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On,” TOKiMONSTA’s set was both exciting and upbeat, mixing pop tunes old and new.

TOKiMONSTA, live at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. 9/15/2018. (Photo: Rachel Ann Cauilan | @rachelcansea)

Her album’s heartbreak anthem “Don’t Call Me” featuring Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna — my personal favorite — was a cathartic moment, as the catchy orchestral beats and pop chorus about telling off a love worked well among the crowd settling in. Further into her set, she amped up the heavier hip-hop as she sampled Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” and “Humble,” and even vibed to one of her classic hip-hop singles “Realla” with vocals from Anderson .Paak and her signature TOKi-style electro.

TOKiMONSTA, who is well-known for her signature electronic beats tinged with a hint of glossy melancholy, echoey beats, strings and textured pop, is a strong force in the electronic world. As an Asian-American female DJ, her music has the ability to transcend — oft infusing Asian-inspired elements and the traditional Korean gayageum strings in her music.

Her newest collaboration, “Light It Up” with ZHU, is featured on ZHU’s latest release Ringo’s Desert — in time for the Dune Tour — and perfectly highlights both of the artists’ knack for tight electronics, synth voicing and ZHU’s classic house.

Be sure to catch her on tour opening for ZHU this fall (click here for tickets):

Sept. 7 – Chico, CA – El Rey Theatre Sept. 14 – Los Angeles, CA – The Shrine Sept. 15 – Los Angeles, CA – The Shrine Sept. 16 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren Sept. 18 – Dallas, TX – Bomb Factory Sept. 19 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater Sept. 20 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Sept. 24 – Washington, DC – Echostage Sept. 25 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory Sept. 27 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel Sept. 28 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel Sept. 30 -Boston, MA – House Of Blues Oct. 2 – Montreal, QC – New Gas City Oct. 3 – Toronto, ON – Rebel Oct. 9 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue Oct. 13 – Calgary, AB -The Palace Theatre Oct. 15 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre Oct. 16 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Ballroom Oct. 17- Portland, OR – Roseland Theater Oct. 20 – Las Vegas, NV – The Pearl Oct. 22 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park Oct. 23 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre Oct. 26 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater

TOKiMONSTA, live at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. 9/15/2018. (Photo: Rachel Ann Cauilan | @rachelcansea)

TOKiMONSTA, live at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. 9/15/2018. (Photo: Rachel Ann Cauilan | @rachelcansea)

TOKiMONSTA, live at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. 9/15/2018. (Photo: Rachel Ann Cauilan | @rachelcansea)

TOKiMONSTA, live at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. 9/15/2018. (Photo: Rachel Ann Cauilan | @rachelcansea)

TOKiMONSTA, live at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. 9/15/2018. (Photo: Rachel Ann Cauilan | @rachelcansea)

TOKiMONSTA, live at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. 9/15/2018. (Photo: Rachel Ann Cauilan | @rachelcansea)

TOKiMONSTA, live at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. 9/15/2018. (Photo: Rachel Ann Cauilan | @rachelcansea)

TOKiMONSTA, live at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. 9/15/2018. (Photo: Rachel Ann Cauilan | @rachelcansea)

TOKiMONSTA, live at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. 9/15/2018. (Photo: Rachel Ann Cauilan | @rachelcansea)

Follow TOKiMONSTA on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, SoundCloud and Spotify.

This article is featured on Blurred Culture.

TOKiMONSTA returns with ‘Lune Rouge’ on Dune Tour with ZHU

#DJ #Don&039;t Call Me #Dune Tour #Dune Tour 2018 #EDM #Electronic #Electronic Music #Electronica #House #House Music #Indie Electronic #Jennifer Lee #Lune Rouge #Producer #Record Producer #Rouge #Shrine Auditorium #Shrine Expo Hall #TOKiMONSTA #Yuna #ZHU

[gossipgirl2019-blog]

Teen Choice Awards Winners 2018: See the Full List (Updating Live)

New Post has been published on http://gr8gossip.xyz/teen-choice-awards-winners-2018-see-the-full-list-updating-live/

Teen Choice Awards Winners 2018: See the Full List (Updating Live)

The winners at the 2018 Teen Choice Awards are being revealed Sunday night (Aug. 12).

This year’s awards show, hosted by Nick Cannon and Lele Pons and celebrating favorites in music, movies, television and sports, ​takes place at the Forum in Los Angeles. The event is being televised on Fox beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

The list of winners below will be updated as they are announced.

MUSIC

Choice Male Artist Bruno Mars Drake Ed Sheeran Louis Tomlinson — WINNER Niall Horan Shawn Mendes

Choice Female Artist Ariana Grande Camila Cabello Cardi B Demi Lovato Dua Lipa Taylor Swift

Choice Music Group 5 Seconds of Summer Fifth Harmony Florida Georgia Line Maroon 5 Migos Why Don’t We

Choice Country Artist Blake Shelton Carrie Underwood Kane Brown Kelsea Ballerini Maren Morris Thomas Rhett

Choice Electronic/Dance Artist Calvin Harris Marshmello Martin Garrix Steve Aoki The Chainsmokers Zedd

Choice Latin Artist Becky G CNCO — WINNER Daddy Yankee J Balvin Luis Fonsi Maluma

Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Artist Cardi B Childish Gambino Drake Khalid Nicki Minaj Post Malone

Choice Rock Artist Imagine Dragons Panic! At the Disco Paramore Portugal. The Man twenty one pilots X Ambassadors

Choice Song: Female Artist Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left To Cry” Camila Cabello (feat. Young Thug) – “Havana” Demi Lovato – “Sorry Not Sorry” Dua Lipa – “New Rules” Halsey – “Bad at Love” Taylor Swift – “Look What You Made Me Do”

Choice Song: Male Artist Charlie Puth – “Attention” Childish Gambino – “This Is America” Drake – “God’s Plan” Ed Sheeran – “Perfect” Justin Timberlake (feat. Chris Stapleton) – “Say Something” Kendrick Lamar (feat. Zacari) – “Love.”

Choice Song: Group 5 Seconds of Summer – “Youngblood” Imagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes” Maroon 5 – “Wait” Panic! At the Disco – “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still” Why Don’t We – “Trust Fund Baby”

Choice Collaboration Bebe Rexha (feat. Florida Georgia Line) – “Meant to Be” Bruno Mars (feat. Cardi B) – “Finesse (Remix)” Taylor Swift (feat. Ed Sheeran & Future) – “End Game” The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar – “Pray for Me” (“Black Panther” soundtrack) Zac Efron & Zendaya – “Rewrite the Stars” (“The Greatest Showman” soundtrack) — WINNER Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey – “The Middle”

Choice Pop Song “Delicate” – Taylor Swift “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” – The Backstreet Boys “In My Blood” – Shawn Mendes “No Excuses” – Meghan Trainor “No Tears Left to Cry” – Ariana Grande “This Is Me” – Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble

Choice Country Song “Cry Pretty” – Carrie Underwood “Heaven” – Kane Brown  “Life Changes” – Thomas Rhett “Meant to Be” – Bebe Rexha (feat. Florida Georgia Line) — WINNER “Mercy” – Brett Young  “Most People Are Good” – Luke Bryan

Choice Electronic/Dance Song “All Night” – Steve Aoki & Lauren Jauregui — WINNER “Friends” – Marshmello & Anne-Marie “One Kiss” – Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa  “Perfect” – Topic & Ally Brooke  “Solo” – Clean Bandit (feat. Demi Lovato) “The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey 

Choice Latin Song “Boom Boom” – RedOne, Daddy Yankee, French Montana & Dinah Jane “Dinero” – Jennifer Lopez (feat. DJ Khaled, Cardi B)  “Echame La Culpa” – Luis Fonsi, Demi Lovato  “Familiar” – Liam Payne & J Balvin  “Hey DJ” – CNCO, Yandel  “Mi Gente’ – J Balvin, Willy William 

Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Song “All The Stars” – Kendrick Lamar & SZA​ “Finesse (Remix)” – Bruno Mars (feat. Cardi B) “God’s Plan” – Drake “Let You Down” – NF “Love Lies” – Khalidi & Normani — WINNER “This Is America” – Childish Gambino​

Choice Rock/Alternative Song “Alone” – Halsey (feat. Big Sean & Stefflon Don)  “Hard Times” – Paramore  “High Hopes” – Panic! At The Disco  “No Roots” – Alice Merton  “Sit Next To Me” – Foster the People “Whatever It Takes” – Imagine Dragons 

Choice Breakout Artist Bazzi​ Khalid — WINNER Lauy Logic Marshmello SZA

Choice Next Big Thing Black Pink Jackson Wang Jacob Sartorius MattyBRaps NCT Stray 

Choice International Artist Black Pink BTS CNCO EXO Got7​ Super Junior

Choice Summer Song “Back To You” – Selena Gomez “Familiar” – Liam Payne & J Balvin​ “Girls Like You” – Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B “Nice For What” – Drake “One Kiss” – Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa​ “Youngblood” – 5 Seconds of Summer

Choice Summer Male Artist Charlie Puth​ Kane Brown  Liam Payne  Niall Horan  Shawn Mendes Zayn

Choice Summer Female Artist Ariana Grande Camila Cabello Cardi B Halsey Meghan Trainor​ Selena Gomez 

Choice Summer Group 5 Seconds of Summer Dan + Shay  Imagine Dragons Maroon 5  Panic! At The Disco The Chainsmokers​

Choice Summer Tour Charlie Puth – The Voicenotes Tour Harry Styles – Live on Tour Jay-Z and Beyonce – On the Run II Tour Kendrick Lamar, SZA and More – The Championship Tour  Niall Horan – Flicker World Tour Taylor Swift – Reputation Stadium Tour

MOVIES

Choice Action Movie Avengers: Infinity War Justice League Maze Runner: The Death Cure Pacific Rim: Uprising Tomb Raider

Choice Action Movie Actor Chris Evans – Avengers: Infinity War Dylan O’Brien – Maze Runner: The Death Cure Henry Cavill – Justice League John Boyega – Pacific Rim: Uprising Robert Downey Jr. – Avengers: Infinity War — WINNER Tom Holland – Avengers: Infinity War

Choice Action Movie Actress Alicia Vikander – Tomb Raider Amy Adams – Justice League Elizabeth Olsen – Avengers: Infinity War Gal Gadot – Justice League Scarlett Johansson – Avengers: Infinity War Zoe Saldana – Avengers: Infinity War

Choice Sci-Fi Movie Black Panther Blade Runner 2049 Rampage Ready Player One Thor: Ragnarok

Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actor Chadwick Boseman – Black Panther Chris Hemsworth – Thor: Ragnarok — WINNER Dwayne Johnson – Rampage Mark Ruffalo – Thor: Ragnarok Ryan Gosling – Blade Runner 2049 Tye Sheridan – Ready Player One

Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actress Danai Gurira – Black Panther Letitia Wright – Black Panther Lupita Nyong’o – Black Panther Naomie Harris – Rampage Olivia Cooke – Ready Player One Tessa Thompson – Thor: Ragnarok

Choice Fantasy Movie A Wrinkle in Time Coco Peter Rabbit Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Choice Fantasy Movie Actor Anthony Gonzalez – Coco Gael García Bernal – Coco James Corden – Peter Rabbit John Boyega – Star Wars: The Last Jedi Mark Hamill – Star Wars: The Last Jedi Oscar Isaac – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Choice Fantasy Movie Actress Carrie Fisher – Star Wars: The Last Jedi Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Last Jedi Mindy Kaling – A Wrinkle in Time Oprah Winfrey – A Wrinkle in Time Reese Witherspoon – A Wrinkle in Time Storm Reid – A Wrinkle in Time

Choice Drama Movie A Quiet Place Midnight Sun Murder on the Orient Express The Greatest Showman — WINNER Truth or Dare Wonder

Choice Drama Movie Actor  Hugh Jackman – The Greatest Showman Jacob Tremblay – Wonder Leslie Odom Jr. – Murder on the Orient Express Patrick Schwarzenegger – Midnight Sun Timothée Chalamet – Lady Bird Zac Efron – The Greatest Showman — WINNER

Choice Drama Movie Actress Bella Thorne – Midnight Sun Daisy Ridley – Murder on the Orient Express Julia Roberts – Wonder Lucy Hale – Truth or Dare Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird Zendaya – The Greatest Showman

Choice Comedy Movie Daddy’s Home 2 I Feel Pretty Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Love, Simon — WINNER Overboard Pitch Perfect 3

Choice Comedy Movie Actor Dwayne Johnson – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Eugenio Derbez – Overboard Jack Black – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Kevin Hart – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Mark Wahlberg – Daddy’s Home 2 Will Ferrell – Daddy’s Home 2

Choice Comedy Movie Actress Amy Schumer – I Feel Pretty Anna Faris – Overboard Anna Kendrick – Pitch Perfect 3 — WINNER Hailee Steinfeld – Pitch Perfect 3 Karen Gillan – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Rebel Wilson – Pitch Perfect 3

Choice Breakout Movie Star Nick Robinson – Love, Simon — WINNER Keala Settle – The Greatest Showman Kelly Marie Tran – Star Wars: The Last Jedi Letitia Wright – Black Panther Olivia Cooke – Ready Player One Sophia Lillis – It

Choice Movie Ship Zac Efron & Zendaya – The Greatest Showman — WINNER Bella Thorne & Patrick Schwarzenegger – Midnight Sun Chadwick Boseman & Lupita Nyong’o – Black Panther Dylan O’Brien & Kaya Scodelario – Maze Runner: The Death Cure Nick Robinson & Keiynan Lonsdale –  Love, Simon Sophia Lillis & Jeremy Ray Taylor – It

Choice Summer Movie Actor Chris Pratt – Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — WINNER Alden Ehrenreich – Solo: A Star Wars Story Donald Glover – Solo: A Star Wars Story Julian Dennison – Deadpool 2 Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool 2 Sam Claflin – Adrift

Choice Summer Movie Actress Bryce Dallas Howard – Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — WINNER Emilia Clarke – Solo: A Star Wars Story Melissa McCarthy – Life of the Party Sandra Bullock – Ocean’s 8 Shailene Woodley – Adrift Zazie Beetz – Deadpool 2

TELEVISION

Choice Drama TV Show  Empire Famous in Love Riverdale — WINNER Star The Fosters This Is Us

Choice Drama TV Actor Cole Sprouse — Riverdale Freddie Highmore — The Good Doctor Jesse Williams — Grey’s Anatomy Jussie Smollett — Empire K.J. Apa — Riverdale Sterling K. Brown — This Is Us

Choice Drama TV Actress Bella Thorne — Famous in Love Camila Mendes — Riverdale Chrissy Metz — This Is Us Lili Reinhart — Riverdale — WINNER Maia Mitchell — The Fosters Ryan Destiny — Star

Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show iZombie Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments — WINNER Stranger Things Supernatural The 100 The Originals

Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor Bob Morley — The 100 Dominic Sherwood — Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments Finn Wolfhard — Stranger Things Gaten Matarazzo — Stranger Things Joseph Morgan — The Originals Matthew Daddario — Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments — WINNER

Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress Eliza Taylor — The 100 Emeraude Toubia — Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments Katherine McNamara — Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments Lana Parrilla — Once Upon a Time Millie Bobby Brown — Stranger Things — WINNER Rose McIver — iZombie

Choice Action TV Show Arrow Gotham Lethal Weapon Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Supergirl The Flash — WINNER

Choice Action TV Actor Chris Wood — Supergirl Damon Wayans — Lethal Weapon David Mazouz — Gotham Grant Gustin — The Flash — WINNER Lucas Till — MacGyver Stephen Amell — Arrow

Choice Action TV Actress Caity Lotz — DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Candice Patton — The Flash Chloe Bennet — Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Danielle Panabaker — The Flash Emily Bett Rickards — Arrow Melissa Benoist — Supergirl

Choice Comedy TV Show  black-ish Fuller House Jane the Virgin Modern Family The Big Bang Theory The Good Place

Choice Comedy TV Actor Andy Samberg — Brooklyn Nine-Nine Anthony Anderson — black-ish Elias Harger — Fuller House Hudson Yang — Fresh Off the Boat Jaime Camil — Jane the Virgin Rico Rodriguez — Modern Family

Choice Comedy TV Actress America Ferrera — Superstore Candace Cameron Bure — Fuller House Gina Rodriguez — Jane the Virgin Kristen Bell — The Good Place Sarah Hyland — Modern Family Yara Shahidi — blackish, grown-ish

Choice Animated TV Show Bob’s Burgers Family Guy Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir Rick and Morty Steven Universe The Simpsons

Choice Reality TV Show Keeping Up With the Kardashians Lip Sync Battle MasterChef Junior The Four: Battle for Stardom The Voice Total Divas

Choice Throwback TV Show Dawson’s Creek Friends Gossip Girl One Tree Hill That ’70s Show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Choice TV Personality Chrissy Teigen — Lip Sync Battle Derek Hough — World of Dance DJ Khaled — The Four: Battle for Stardom Hailey Baldwin — Drop the Mic Kelly Clarkson — The Voice Meghan Trainor — The Four: Battle for Stardom

Choice Breakout TV Show On My Block — WINNER 9-1-1 Anne With an E Black Lightning Siren The Resident

Choice Breakout TV Star Vanessa Morgan – Riverdale — WINNER Iain Armitage – Young Sheldon Luka Sabbat – Grown-ish​ Lyric Ross – This Is Us Nafessa Williams – Black Lightning Oliver Stark – 9-1-1

Choice TV Ship Cole Sprouse & Lili Reinhart – Riverdale — WINNER Grant Gustin & Candice Patton – The Flash K.J. Apa & Camila Mendes – Riverdale Matthew Daddario & Harry Shum Jr. – Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments Millie Bobby Brown & Finn Wolfhard – Stranger Things Stephen Amell & Emily Bett Rickards – Arrow

Choice TV Villain Anna Hopkins, Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments Cameron Monaghan, Gotham Gabrielle Anwar, Once Upon a Time Mark Consuelos, Riverdale — WINNER Mind Flayer, Stranger Things Odette Annable, Supergirl

​Choice Summer TV Star Olivia Holt – Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger — WINNER Aisha Dee – The Bold Type Aubrey Joseph – Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger Kaatie Stevens – The Bold Type Megann Fahy – The Bold Type Solo Mariduena – Cobra Kai

OTHER

Choice Comedian Ellen DeGeneres James Corden Jimmy Fallon Kevin Hart Lilly Singh The Dolan Twins

Choice Male Athlete Adam Rippon J.J. Watt LeBron James Red Gerard Shaun White Stephen Curry

Choice Female Athlete Chloe Kim Lindsey Vonn Mikaela Shiffrin Mirai Nagasu Serena Williams U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team

Choice Dancer Maddie Ziegler — WINNER Cheryl Burke Derek Hough Jenna Dewan Les Twins tWitch

Choice Model Adwoa Aboah​ Bella Hadid Gigi Hadid Jaden Smith Kaia Gerber Romeo Beckham

Choice Female Hottie Hailey Baldwin Kendall Jenner Lauren Jauregui — WINNER Olivia Holt Selena Gomez Yara Shahidi

Choice Male Hottie Chadwick Boseman Chris Hemsworth Cole Sprouse — WINNER Grant Gustin Shawn Mendes Zac Efron

Choice Liplock Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong’o, Black Panther Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana, Avengers: Infinity War Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart, Riverdale — WINNER Gina Rodriguez and Justin Baldoni, Jane the Virgin Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard, Stranger Things Zac Efron and Zendaya, The Greatest Showman

Choice Hissy Fit Madelaine Petsch – Riverdale — WINNER Adam Driver – Star Wars: The Last Jedi Jack Black – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Joe Keery – Stranger Things Kevin Hart – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Mark Ruffalo – Avengers: Infinity War

Choice Scene Stealer Vanessa Morgan – Riverdale — WINNER Charlie Heaton – Stranger Things Katie McGrath – Supergirl Nick Jonas – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Taika Waititi – Thor: Ragnarok  Tom Hiddleston – Thor: Ragnarok

Choice Female Web Star Bethany Mota Eva Gutowski Lele Pons Lilly Singh Liza Koshy — WINNER The Merrell Twins

Choice Male Web Star Cameron Dallas Collins Key Joey Graceffa Ryan Higa The Dolan Twins — WINNER Tyler Oakley

Choice Fandom #Blinks #BTSArmy — WINNER #CNCOwners #Directioners #Harmonizers #Swifties​

Choice Twit Anna Kendrick — WINNER Chrissy Teigen  Kumail Nanjiani  Mark Hamill Mindy Kaling Ryan Reynolds

​

[dinoalexander]

The Semi Quotable 2017 Part 5

“applebee’s is literally begging to give away their food.” – Christine Teigen

“In the car w/husband, I offered $20 and a blowjob immediately if he could guess the official title. He did not win.” – @SteelyDanRather on the title announcement for Solo: A Star Wars Story

“280 tweets look like serial killer manifestos” – Scott Aukerman

“Dick Versace had two goals in 1989: guide the Pacers to the playoffs and beat Ricky Steamboat as many times as possible.” – Super 70’s Sports

“It’s D-Day and (Robert) Mueller secured the beaches before noon. Run Nazis.” – Mark Frost on the indictment of Michael Flynn

“The Rebellion is reborn today. The war is just beginning. And I will not be the last Jedi.” – Luke Skywalker

"The answer is either ass, boobs, or dick." -Jordan

"For the sake of salvaging whats left of the positions dignity for President of the United States...can someone in his staff please for the love of God delete Trumps twitter account? Its now gone from one of the most prestigious positions to "worlds most cringe worthy Twitter handle" in less than 6 months." -Steve

"Plague!!!!!!" -Block

"Donald Trump deals in bullshit the way a bovine fertilizer salesman deals in...well, bullshit." -C

"Sometimes you're the Galactic Empire, sometimes you're the Rebel Alliance." -Heather

"Leave it to us to make 'The Little Mermaid' SUPER awkward." -Q

"Ted Cruz...trippin'?" -Molly B

""Live your life in such a way that Donald Trump tweets mean things about you" -David K

"I remember reading so many posts immediately after the election from people who were absolutely terrified of what was going to happen once Trump was sworn in and Republicans controlled both houses of Congress. As evidenced by the fiasco that's unfolding with the health care bill, it should be clear that you folks had nothing to worry about. Even if they had some sort of nefarious purpose they were trying to carry out in their agenda, it seems as though these guys couldn't find their ass with both hands and a GPS." -Tim

“Well then get your shit together, get it all together and put it in a back pack, all your shit, so it's together. And if you gotta take it some where, take it somewhere, you know, take it to the shit store and sell it, or put it in the shit museum. I don't care what you do, you just gotta get it together. Get. Your shit. Together.” -Morty Smith (Justin Roiland)

"Alright, I'm now willing to admit there is a downside to everyone wearing yoga pants in public: I can't tell which of the adults milling about at the gym are here for adult gymnastics and which are just waiting to pick up their kids." -Pam

“Byron Allen’s got me all confused.” -me whenever “Happy” plays on the radio.

"A teacher in the school is selling Girl Scout cookies. The teacher got my order. In related news, someone's daughter is going to Camp Sugarbush this summer. Also in related news, after I eat these cookies, my nickname will be Sugarbush." -Klauss

“Like THAT’s safe!” -Michael, on Quisla’s... erm, safe.

"I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that people die of natural causes." -Rammson

"Donald Trump doesn't understand climate change because he lives in perpetual shade." -Laura

"A close friend referred to this before and after as Exponential Degredation. He said it and he's not taking it back." -The Perfesser

"This would be the equivalent of opening up a Cracker Jack box looking for the prize and seeing it in the bottom ox a box filled with sludge. There's some cool things but do you really want to go through the sludge?" -Gordon, on "Hip Hop Squares"

"You're not minimalist. You're broke." -some guy

"Okay, so we have watermelons.... why aren't there earthmelons or airmelons or firemelons? What happened to the rest of the elemelons?" -Emily Ann

“Thanks for making me confused about my sexuality, Adam Driver. You talented douche.” -Laura

"Unicorn Frappuccinos are what happens when you try and make too much of a good thing for profit. Its the answer to a question nobody asked. It's a Bar Rescue gone horribly wrong." -C

"(As Craig Ferguson) Now he used to be a wrestler and now he's going into politics. Now the two are highly different of course. One involves people with larger than life personalities who make grandiose claims and attack their opponents constantly and the other involves spandex tights." -Brian

"Dang it, PWC! Where were you in November? We could have had Emma Stone as President!" -Clint

“Feelings are real, but they are not reality.” -Dan Harmon

"It's like you've inherited a baby alligator. He was cute for awhile and now he's a big alligator who's threatening to destroy everything but still hangs around you and calls you daddy." -Gordon

"If one of those interchangeable Kardashian chicks dressed as a stewardess interrupted Sean Spicer's press conference by handing him a Pepsi, we as a nation could begin the healing process." -Kevin

"Opened Emma's recital costume and IT WAS COVERED IN GLITTER AND NOW I AM COVERED IN GLITTER AND EVERYTHING I OWN IS COVERED IN GLITTER OMG WHYYYYYYYYYYYY" -Molly B

"It's not terrible, but you can see terrible from where we're standing." -Q

"WHERE ARE MY PANTS!!!" -Michael

"Ladies and gentlemen, my sister, the one-woman Greek chorus." -C

"I have designated February 14 as 'Catch Pokémon, Not Feelings Day'." -J-Ho Boy-Type

"Because that's what ABC thought. This party needs more Lucy Hale." -C

"If I were Samsung I would make my keynote address one sentence. "Samsung galaxy S8… This one won't light itself on fire"." -Brian

"We are not going to let another demon monster take hold and grown and run wild. We are going to nip this problem in the bud. WE ARE GOING TO KILL HITLER AS A BABY!" -Q

"To quote the great Panamanian philosopher Roberto Durán, 'No más'." -C

"I broke my banana." -Q, re: an actual banana.

"Los Angeles has two football teams, two baseball teams, two basketball teams, and two hockey teams, but no curling teams?" -Kevin

"I have to wait for the Luther breakdown to finish!" -C

“Ugh. I really wish I had something cool to say.” -Johnny Yong Bosch

"Less Donald Trump! More techno music!" -bus random to a Bop It!

"Someone told me that being verified on Twitter “really doesn’t do anything” but that person is 1) wrong and 2) head of a social media dept." -Cory

"How did you know Carolina was going to beat Duke?" -Q

"Quisla... its U.N. motherfucking C. They handle shit. Consider this shit handled." -C

"my most-recent counseling appointment had me reaching the following conclusion: i fully acknowledge that i am a jackass, and my attempts at keeping myself from being a jackass has stifled what people like in me as a consequence of not wanting others to think badly of me. so what am i to do? just be a jackass and shoulder the consequences no matter when and where it happens? not entirely -- if i am to have my moments of jackassery, i will make better efforts to steer those spells towards being a jackass for the right reasons. sometimes it takes a jackass christian speaking up when someone claims to be a christian but whose words and actions are far from the basic command of 'love one another.' sometimes fighting for the weak and powerless means being a jackass towards the mighty and powerful. sometimes only an absolute jackass would punch a nazi in the face. i'm josh eldridge. i am a jackass. i hope this admission doesn't effect our friendship." -Josh

“Kylo Ren is like a sullen, resentful jungle gym.” -Laura

"I'm going to make a screwdriver because it's cold as shit outside." -Shelly

“I’m Regis Philbin! Welcome to night 24 of Who Wants To Get Impregnated?” -Jordan

"I just can't girl right." -Shannon

"Our long national pasttime is over." -Jessica, on overlong baseball games

"You may have a problem if the Target cashier recognizes you, knows you by name, and asks if everything was good because you didn't come in on your 'normal' day. Yay! I'm a regular!" -Aryn

"I read my bed all the time! It's a Serta!" -Kitty Carrion

"Does Baby Jojo need a binky?" -C

"I sense a great migraine in the Force...as if millions of white people were trying to get woke at the same time." -Laura

"Well the inauguration is over, finally after two years we can all get back to normal and... *boots up facebook* ...and I'm going to stay off Facebook until January of 2021, cheers 🙂" -Brian

"What fruit is the state of Georgia famous for? ... Todd Chrisley." -C, at quiz night

"So, apparently as an instructor, referring to the start of a new semester as "hazing" is frowned upon." -Heather

“2017 in a nutshell: You see “Mario Batalli :(“ as a Facebook status and you say to yourself, “Dead or pervert?”” -Adam

"Fun fact: staying sane is hard." -Jordan

"If I performed my job with the same razor-sharp precision with which meteorologists perform theirs:

Boss: Is this the data you promised me three weeks ago? Because it looks like completely wrong information.

Me: Yeah, but, as you can see, I've color-coded it in lovely hues of blue, purple and pink where I thought it would make it look nice.

Boss: Yep. Looks great! Keep up the good work.

I am clearly in the wrong profession." -Molly B

"😂😂😂 if I was meant to behave, I wouldn't have been born so good at misbehaving 😛" -Emily Ann

"Seen on a group page tonight:

Everything Kirk Cameron touches turns to patriarchy." -Shrub

"In other news, 30 oz of ribeye can be converted to 0 if you just believe in yourself." -Justin S

"Bacteria gets me so hard." -Jordan

"Oh REALLY..." -Q, reaching for Jordan's pants

"Who here loves animals but hates that Sarah Maclachlan commercial?" -Sweet Tea Shakespeare guy

“Hey... I run them miles. I’m slow as fuck, but I run them miles.” -C

"Trying to stay positive in a world full of assholes is like trying to shovel hot jello from a wheel barrow using a pitch fork with only one prong!" -Sheila

"If there's one thing I learned in college, it's: never underestimate the power of an icy, cold shower beer. Thanks guys!" -Dahlia

"No, no, no. I can't have penises all over my car tonight. Tomorrow night, maybe, but no penises tonight." -Nicole W

"Maybe for Lent Trump should just give up." -George Takei

"She wanted someone to take the pickle, so I did." -C

"Too... many... JOKES!" -Brian

"Saw the Barca result. Ah, so that is why folks riot." -Steve P

“I can’t have weird Chico. I live with him.” -Q

"Yay sports! Spoooooooorts!" -Milana Vayntrub

"You're at a bar. Playing bar trivia. Against an IQA ranked quizzer and his sister who would also be IQA ranked if she made the trip to Raleigh with me that morning. We are naturally expressive people within our family. That comes from being the children of Carlos and Olivia Alexander. We laugh together, we love together, we cook, fight, and emote together. And when we win, we emote like hell. If you don't like it when we win, next time bring smarter friends. Until then, get the fuck over it." -the son of Carlos & Olivia Alexander.

"This is my face when I find out some epically old karma has been served." -Shannon

Okay, one more oughta do it.

[merylsaysbye]

Movie: Dear White People

Release: January 18, 2014 Director: Justin Simien Writers/Producers: Justin Simien, Lena Waithe, Effie T. Brown, Julia Lebedeva, Ann Le, Angel Lopez Theater trip or DVD buy?: Netflix, DVD buy Infinite watch or One-timer: Infinite Trailer Link: [ x ]

Review:

There is literally so much about this movie that I want to say that I can’t put into words. From the beginning, all the way up until the very end of it– I was hooked. So utterly hooked that I had to turn on the subtitles to make sure I caught some of the most crucial parts.

** poster is not mine.

This film was ridiculously good, and not just because of the ‘elephant in the room’ topic, but because the way these actors and actresses presented said elephant absolutely demanded my attention. I’m awestruck at just HOW good this movie is. So the movie is basically one big mind fuck of a documentary on the ‘black face’ college parties that took place in 2011 and 2012. It’s blatantly obvious why this topic is such an elephant sized one with what’s going on in the news and floating around the media as of late. This film, Dear White People, it touched every aspect of what a black/mixed/person of color currently and has already been feeling in the current white capitalist country we live in. As a biracial person myself, I felt utterly moved by the story and the writing. Of course, you’d get drawn to the movie by none other than the face of it, Tyler James Williams, the former torn to shreds Walking Dead star and of course his forever 'Everybody hates Chris’ title. I wonder if he’s sick of being called that yet? Anyways, in the movie he plays an afro-sporting article writing weird kid who doesn’t fit in at college, more or less he’s just trying to find his own. I get that. I dig it. He’s also sort of, kind of, maybe gay. He doesn’t like labels, it’s ok Lionel– none of us do. His part in the story is sort of like ours up until the end. The observer, the note taker, he’s watching the story unfold until he can no longer be the silent bystander and basically leads an ethnic group of rebels to shut the [ in my personal opinion ] offensive 'blackface’ party down. It was beyond moving. Tessa Thompson, my god….goddess… I’m putting her on the top of my "actresses to watch" list because I loved every second she was on screen. Her character’s outspoken and relatable storyline…. It hit home on one too many subjects. I’m hella biased, I’ll admit it. One of my coworkers who saw the movie said when she found out that such a strong character who almost seemingly hated white people was messing around with a white man; the movie became dumb. ..but that’s the whole irony of her character. That’s the irony of being biracial. If you choose either side you’re labeled something you don’t want to be. You’re called names. Like I said, with Tessa’s character I’m just hella biased. Then you have Teyonah Parris, yeah you’d know her if you watched the show, Mad Men. Another AMC prime time show. Her character, her portrayal of the black girl that’s black but makes sure everyone knows she doesn’t 'act’ black brought substance to the movie. More or less not a 'white sympathizer’, but someone who knew that stooping low meant getting what you wanted. Alongside Brandon Bell’s trouble in paradise character Troy, Ms.Coco was something else. I wasn’t expecting much from her and cringed once or twice because she was completely uppity and two faced much like a lot of girls in general, black or white. However, it was that that made me realize just how valuable to the movie her character was. Just as real as Sam was about being an angry black girl, Coco was about being above being 'just another angry black girl.’ The character arcs throughout the film are phenomenal on how they play out. Everyone hit their peak and fell at all the right times. I really want to sit here and talk about every single character and every single moment that had me on edge, but that’ll defeat the purpose in you watching it. The only problem I had was with the audio in some parts, and maybe we’ll just chop that up to a lazy & underpaid sound editing crew.

#2014 #drama #comedy #dear white people #review #infinite #netflix