#I know the art is often intended as romantic first and foremost but the form is just *chef's kiss*

[roz-ani]

What am I doing in the jayvik ship tag I DON'T EVEN SHIP THEM-

It's the art

It's always the goddamn art

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Friendly Nieghborhood Spider-Man vol 2 #1 Thoughts

I LOVED this!

SPOILERS below

 I like Peter David and I’m less harsh on his Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man run than many others. First and foremost I view it as a book hampered by crossovers that rarely allowed it’s talented creative team(s) to fully flex their muscles.

 This being said, Tim Taylor in one issue might’ve just earned the title’s name in a way PAD didn’t in his entire FN run; pun intended.

 It sounds so simple and so basic and yet it works.

 Spider-Man is often referred to (often mockingly by himself) as ‘your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man’. Why not have a ongoing series using that title...and why not have it actually be about Spider-Man’s nieghborhood!...and being friendly  whilst he’s at it!

 I must admit the solicits for the first issue worried me because they labelled Spidey as the worst neighbour ever so I was concerned we were going to see yet more 2010s ‘lol Spidey is a trash loser’ take upon the character.

 Within a few pages though Taylor dispelled this.

 Demonstrating a strong grasp of how the Parker Luck ACTUALLY works he presents Spider-Man with son wins and some losses in the form of minor inconveniences, wrapped up with one big problem tapping into his superhero life and another big problem very particular to his human life.

 Mostly this is a down to Earth story. It’s Spider-Man in essence between the more colourful and interesting adventures featuring larger than life super villains.

 Spider-Man barely interacts with any normal crime even, mostly he’s just helping people from natural/man-made disasters or really just being a normal guy on the street.

 In both senses he is just a friendly neighbour.

 Taylor’s grasp of Spider-Man’s core decency is reminiscent (albeit obviously lower key) of the Kid Who Collected Spider-Man.

 My heart melted a little both when the little girl tried to squish the spider on his chest and when he refused money from her father (in spite of his own financial situation) and instead asked him to donate it to some other people down on their luck. People whom we discover Peter regularly offers some modicum of charity whenever he can because he’s just that nice.

 Similarly we see the responsible side to Peter when he makes an appointment purely to help carry an old woman’s groceries.

 This doesn’t make for the most exciting of drama admittedly but damn it I just like seeing Spider-Man in or out of the suit be a normal guy, and a fundamentally decent one at that.

 Then we get to that back up. Holy Hannah!

 It’s wonderful to see the Peter/MJ romance isn’t going to be purely an ASM thing, with this being one of the more romantic scenes between the pair since their reconciliation, reminiscent in fact of Sensational Annual 2007, which Spencer homaged in the opening pages of his debut issue.

 But then you get to the Aunt May thing.

 On the one hand mixed feelings.

 Aunt May is sick. AGAIN!!!!!...Yawn.

 We’ve been here too many times for anyone to give a shit now, especially when one of those times had her actually die!

 On the other hand is this is played as an ongoing illness for May to battle it could be a more substantial, grounded and realistic depiction of an illness and how families cope with it, which seems to be in line with the book’s tone.

 However perhaps of more interest to long term fans is the hints that this might have something to do with OMD.

 Not only do we have hints in the ASM book, hints predating Spencer’s run but we also have in this story an Aunt May who is potentially dying (of some form of cancer), a very direct sign posting of Peter and MJ’s renewed relationship and Aunt May confronting the Kingpin, the man who put her on her deathbed in set up for Peter and MJ selling their marriage to Mephisto.

 So...who knows. I’ll be following this closely nevertheless.

 As for the art, it was I am afraid much weake in the back up than in the main story. Cabal’s art though is beautiful.

 It sits somewhere comfortably between Frank Cho and the Dodson’s for me and that is high praise. His Spidey in particular looks wonderful and his two page spread homaging Spider-Man’s history is begging to be a poster...in spite of the Superior reference.

 Speaking of which, the only bad thing about the story was the reference to Peter being a national disgrace following the plagerism scandal in issue #1.

 This is more a problem with Slott and Spencer cleaning up the mess than Spencer himself but it’s still so broken that Peter be that famous.

 Other than that though, brilliant issue.

 I think we’ve finally hit the jackpot by having a strong ASM and a strong satellite book with two different but vital tones and directions!

 As Peter will probably be saying in issues to come, pick this baby up!

[chocolate-brownies]

Rashia Bell is just one luminary you can learn from at a Wanderlust event this year. Catch her at the 2-day city Festival in Boston or the 4-day destination Festival in Stratton, Vermont. For tickets and more information, click here. 

Here we are… Celebrating that cherub- and chocolate-box-filled holiday for yet another year. Cherubs and chocolates have spawned card store and restaurant theme night spin-offs such as Galantine’s Day, allegedly the girl power equivalent to that couple’s holiday. Regardless, single or coupled, February is the month of the year when our minds invariably turn to love, and what it means for us. So let’s talk love.

Rose quartz would unwaveringly be the first stone that comes to mind when thinking of stones that resonate with Valentine’s Day. Rose quartz is a gentle stone, exuding compassionate energy with its soothing pale (mostly) pink color. It corresponds to the heart chakra, where it aligns to the energetic pathways within the body. I’m asked all the time as to whether this is the stone that folks should use to attract a significant other, and the answer is both yes and no. It is a stone that is rooted in self-love, first and foremost. I believe that you need to start from that foundation and have that grounding within yourself to attract and welcome in a partner. Period. But there are oftentimes other areas in our lives that have nothing to do with the heart that we need to focus on first so that you can open yourself up to receiving love.

So with that disclaimer, whether you are looking for a date for February 14—or just want to tap into some loving energy and create the ability to both share and receive that energy—here are crystals I’d recommend adding to your Love toolkit. Happy February!

Rose quartz hearts. Photo by Joe Kramm

Rhodochrosite

Rhodochrosite is a beautiful stone not to confused with Rhodonite, which is also a heart-based energy stone. The vibration of this stone is very balancing, as it draws from the energies of both water and fire. In that duality, it has the ability to both cool and soothe emotions, while it is also strength-enhancing as pertains to our will. One stone can contain a marbleized looking swirl of colors, ranging from white and pink to berry and black. As a heart healer, it is great at helping you to clear out any emotional cobwebs and is thought to help increase blood flow to the organs. We can draw upon that same energy when preparing for a romantic evening with our partner. Simply said, it’s a stone that lets cupid draw back its arrow and hit the intended target!

Kunzite

Kunzite is a stone that radiates with divine love. In particular, it harnesses feelings of love to create with them an abundant reality that is rooted in both joy and gratitude. Its pale color between pink and purple allows us to help the heart receive unconditional love. Hiddenite, its sister or sub-category stone, is truly the yin to its yang offering additional balance and harmony and can help one accept change where they may not initially see its value. Hiddenite is great for someone going through a breakup, as it’s heart healing and gentle, and allows for deeper understanding in the journey that their relationship has taken.

Malachite. Photo by Joe Kramm

Malachite

Pink stones don’t have a monopoly on heart-stimulation. Many green stones possess this energy as well. Malachite is one my favorites for the unique patterns that even the tiniest stone can hold. Each continuous line—and its varying shades of green within the stone—are about movement, energy flow and connectivity. Malachite is one of the oldest noted stones in the world, going all the way back to the early Egyptians between 3000–5000 B.C.E.

As an energy-amplifying and protecting stone, the Ancient Egyptians wore Malachite around the neck as a talisman for others to see. It was also crushed into makeup and worn on the eyes—don’t try this at home, we now know that in crushed form the dust can be toxic! For the Egyptians, Malachite was akin to showing off your new Sephora haul and your dating app profile heading all rolled into one. We can use its energy to manifest and make sure that we always fully express our emotions to those around us.

There is no right or wrong way to incorporate crystals into your life. We often forget about the power in the jewelry that we wear, and the stones that they contain. The great thing about all crystals and these stones mentioned above that resonates the most with love, is that we can always welcome in more into our life. We can always make our lives more abundant. There is always room to open up the heart just a little bit more so that we can receive the love and gifts that others are meant to share with us. And should one of those gifts come in a little heart shaped box, we’ve got your energy and your new jewelry covered.

—

Rashia Bell is a co-founder of The Cristalline. A graduate of both the Fashion Institute of Technology and the New York School of Interior Design, she has spent the past 10 years growing her Design and Consulting company, The Gray Box Group. In looking to gain a greater understanding of the energetic and healing powers of stones and other healing modalities to incorporate them into interiors, Rashia has completed two Crystal Healing certifications from The Crystal Academy of Advanced Healing Arts, is a level 2 Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Healer and has completed yoga certifications in English and Spanish. The foundation for The Cristalline’s design process is specializing in personal healing work, and Rashia has lead workshops for all ages, private events, and retreats around the world. (Photo by Matt McConnell Photography.)

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