#I love how amazing and diverse and beautiful the United States can be and my only hope is that it’s not naïveté to believe in a future here

[psycho-slytherin]

Sorry to all my beautiful friends who followed me for BTS fanfiction only to get posts about American politics on their dash. I promise I’ll go back to normal when anything starts to feel like it won’t fall apart the minute we collectively blink. To my fellow stateside eligible voters — please remember this is a democracy as long as we continue to demand that it be. Voting is a right, and it’s a responsibility. So show up, and turn out. If Harris wins this November I’ll write Jungkook smut I promise just goddamn vote

[jjr1971]

Very rough regional divisions in the United States. I've been doing a lot of Domestic Travel since the COVID-19 pandemic has largely abated....it's still out there, to be sure, but I'm fully vaccinated & boosted and wear a mask in large gatherings. I didn't used to care about Domestic Travel and always pined for European travel like I did in my 20s but the airfare was just so godawful expensive. Vienna, Austria remains a pipe dream. But Domestic Airfare, I found, was a lot more reasonable. When Biden first took office, it felt like Happy Days Were Here Again and I celebrated by attending Otakon 2021 in Washington DC, then later Anime NYC in November of 2021. Washington DC is one of my favorite vacation destinations and I've been multiple times now. But I'd NEVER been to New York City in my life and finally decided to just freaking GO already. People in the South complain that New Yorkers (NYC residents they mean, mostly) are "rude"; I did not find that to be the case. New Yorkers are stressed and busy and get annoyed if you waste their time, but they're generally alright people and can be quite funny. I fell in love with the 20-something girl who ran the pizza joint I stopped at for lunch a few blocks north of the Ferry Terminal on Staten Island. I loved her genuine New York accent & sass. She was a brunette with piercings, probably a college student. I had my first New York pizza at her establishment and it was incredible. I learned the secret to New York pizza is in the expertise put into making the crust. It was SO flavorful and made you take notice of it! No pizza I've had since has ever measured up. In 2022 I went to Seattle, Washington for the first time, for SakuraCon. I loved the PNW! Got to visit with some old friends from Houston who moved to Seattle and the con was great too. I enjoyed exploring Pike Place Market and riding the Monorail to the Seattle Space Needle park. A few months later in 2022 I went to Anime Boston...my first ever trip to Boston, MA ever. The convention was a blast but I also took in a lot of sight seeing in and around Boston. The highlight of my trip was visiting the USS Constitution, the oldest ship still in active service with the US Navy. It felt so amazing riding the water shuttle back across Massachusetts Bay...cooling breeze, beautiful sunny Spring Day...SO relaxing...Glad to finally see this great American city, having already visited New York (2021) and Chicago back in 2006. At the tail end of 2022, I ventured out to Portland, Oregon for Kumoricon for the first time. I loved it so much I came back in 2023, the very next year. And like in 2022, I had lunch at PDX before hopping on the Red Line MAX train downtown....at the same place with the same bartender. I told her there's no way she would remember me, but that she had been my bartender exactly one year ago for this same convention. She was amused by this and said "welcome back!". I loved Portland at this time of year in late fall....the leaves are so beautiful. The weather is cool but not cold. And Kumoricon is like the Platonic Ideal of an anime convention for me....not too small but not too big either.....just right in terms of size. In 2023 I got really adventurous and decided it had been far too long since I last visited Canada (for my honeymoon in 2003--in Montreal, Quebec). So I flew myself up to Calgary, Canada for Otafest. I had known Calgary as the site of the Winter Olympics in my youth. I really enjoyed Calgary very much and was delighted how diverse it actually is, much more than I was expecting. It's a beautiful city and I would love to go back someday. Or live there, if I could ever get used to Canadian winters, hehe.

[profiterole-reads]

2021 Favourites

In no particular order. This is content I've read and watched in 2021, not necessarily content released in 2021.

Books

1. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley: m/m 19th-century fantasy. I love the intricate plot of this series. Book 2 takes place in Japan, which makes it even more interesting.

2. The Velocity of Revolution by Marshall Ryan Maresca: queer and poly urban fantasy set in a secondary world. This amazing stand-alone novel has telepathy where the characters can end up in somebody else's body. Think Sense8.

3. [Spanish] Cada Seis Meses by Clara Duarte: f/f magical realism. This is my favourite Spanish novel. The love interest only exists six months a year. The plot plays with the butterfly effect.

4. Cute Mutants by SJ Whitby: sapphic and trans/enby superhero fiction (YA). This is a novel series, despite the comics-sounding titles. I read a lot of original superhero books and this is my fave.

5. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao: m/m/f science fiction. I also read some original giant robot novels and this is definitely my fave. I love how it's inspired by Chinese culture and mythology.

6. The Unraveling by Benjamin Rosenbaum: science fiction with two invented genders. In this far-future stand-alone novel, people have several bodies with only one mind. Perfect for fans of Ann Leckie.

7. The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer: m/m science fiction (YA). Try to go into this book knowing as little as possible. It has horror vibes of the quiet "we're two people alone in the middle of space" variety.

8. The Papercutter by Cindy Rizzo: f/f dystopia (YA). The United States have split into two nations: the United Progressive Regions and the God Fearing States. Jewish pen pals use a secret code via traditional papercuts.

9. Jinx Ballou, Bounty Hunter by Dharma Kelleher: thriller with a trans woman protagonist. This action-packed series deals with serious themes, but also has fun scenes where the protagonist cosplays and goes to conventions.

10. [French] Tant qu'il le faudra by Cordélia: LGBT contemporary fiction. This is my favourite French series. A group of diverse people write an LGBT magazine. It's a brilliant mix of activism and romance.

TV shows

1. Word of Honor: BL wuxia. This c-drama is mind-blowing, nobody knows how it went past censorship. It has an excellent plot and beautiful visuals.

2. Heaven Official's Blessing: BL xianxia. This donghua is full of sweet flirting. I love the plot and the gorgeous art. There's also going to be a c-drama.

3. The Wheel of Time: heroic fantasy with some f/f + polyamory in the background. This is very pleasant to watch thanks to its focus on women and on characters of colour.

4. Legend of Yunqian: GL time travel (part wuxia, part contemporary). This c-drama is a quick watch, with 15 episodes of 4 minutes, but it packs a lot.

5. Motherland: Fort Salem: urban fantasy with some f/f. This is another excellent series with a focus on women and on characters of colour.

6. Color Rush: BL magical realism (YA). This k-drama is based on the concept of Soulmate AUs: you only see colour when you're with your soulmate. It's movie-length, with 8 episodes of 15 minutes.

7. MCU TV shows: Loki is bisexual and genderfluid. I also like the deaf representation in Hawkeye and the Black representation in Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

8. Y: The Last Man: science fiction with a trans man major character. The plot could have been better, but the trans representation is very well done.

9. Light On Me: BL romance (YA). This k-drama's protagonist is on the autism spectrum. It has an all-male love triangle.

10. Young Royals: m/m romance (YA). This amazing Swedish show is about a gay prince finding love at his boarding school.

Movies

1. The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity: BL wuxia (not to be mixed up with The Yin Yang Master, though it's pretty good too). Both of these movies are Chinese adaptations from the Japanese novel Onmyoji.

2. MCU movies: some m/m in Eternals. I love that we're finally getting more diversity in the MCU, not only with Eternals, but also with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

3. The Matrix 4: science fiction by a trans woman. Objectively, there isn't much LGBT content, but subjectively, the movie has a lot of queer/trans energy.

4. Snake Eyes: action movie with BL vibes. I know it isn't exactly popular, but I thought it was as good with Japanese culture as Shang-Chi was with Chinese culture.

5. You Make Me Dance: BL romance. This Korean movie is a lovely story about a professional dancer and a debt collector.

[tcm]

Reframing Films of the Past: An Interview with TCM Writers

All month long in March, TCM will be taking a look at a number of beloved classic films that have stood the test of time, but when viewed by contemporary standards, certain aspects of these films are troubling and problematic. During TCM’s Reframed: Classics in the Rearview Mirror programming, all five TCM hosts will appear on the network to discuss these issues, their historical and cultural context and how we can keep the legacy of great films alive for future generations.

Also joining in on this conversation are four TCM writers who were open enough to share their thoughts on their love of classic movies and watching troubling images of the past. Special thanks to Theresa Brown, Constance Cherise, Susan King and Kim Luperi for taking part in this conversation. Continue the conversation over on TCM’s Twitter.

What do you say to people who don’t like classics because they’re racist and sexist? 

KL: There are positive representations in classic Hollywood that I think would blow some peoples’ minds. I always love introducing people to new titles that challenge expectations. 

That said, anyone who broadly slaps a sexist or racist label on a large part of the medium’s history does a disservice to cinema and themselves. That mindset keeps them ignorant not only of some excellent movies and groundbreaking innovation but history itself. 

I think people need to remember that movies are a product of their time and they can reflect the society they were made into a variety of degrees - good, bad, politically, culturally, socially. That’s not to excuse racism or sexism; it needs to be recognized and called out as such for us to contend with it today. But it’s important for people who say they don’t like classics for those reasons to understand the historical context. In particular, we need to acknowledge that society has evolved - and what was deemed socially acceptable at times has, too, even if sexism and racism are always wrong - and we are applying a modern lens to these films that come with the benefit of decades worth of activism, growth and education.

SK: I totally agree K.L. For years I have been encouraging people to watch vintage movies who keep proclaiming they don’t like black-and-white films or silent films. For every Birth of a Nation (1915) there are beautiful dramas, wonderful comedies and delicious mysteries and film noirs. 

 These films that have racist and sexist elements shouldn’t be collectively swept under the rug, because as K.L. stated they shine a light on what society was like – both good and bad. 

CC: First off, fellow writers may I say, I think your work is amazing. I'm continually learning from the talent that is here, and I am humbled to be a part of this particular company. Similar to the prior answers, for every racist/sexist film the opposite exists. Personally, classic musicals attracted me due to their visual assault, creativity and their unmistakable triple-threat performances. While we cannot ignore racist stereotypes and sexism, there are films that simply are "fantasies of art." There is also a review of evolution. In 20 years, what we now deem as acceptable behavior/conversation will be thought of as outdated and will also require being put into "historical context."  What we collectively said/thought/did 20 years ago, we are currently either re-adjusting or reckoning with now, and that is a truth of life that will never change. We will always evolve.

TB: I would say to them they should consider the times the movie was made in. It was a whole different mindset back then. 

Are there movies that you love but are hesitant to recommend to others because of problematic elements in them? If so, which movies? 

TB: Yes, there are movies I’m hesitant to recommend. The big one, off the top of my head, would be Gone With the Wind (1939). The whole slavery thing is a bit of a sticky wicket for people, especially Black folks. Me, I love the movie. It is truly a monumental feat of filmmaking for 1939. I’m not saying I’m happy with the depiction of African Americans in that film. I recognize the issues. But when I look at a classic film, I suppose I find I have to compartmentalize things. I tend to gravitate on the humanity of a character I can relate to. 

KL: Synthetic Sin (1929), a long thought lost film, was found in the 2010s, and I saw it at Cinecon a few years ago. As a Colleen Moore fan, I thoroughly enjoyed most of it, but it contains a scene of her performing in blackface that doesn’t add anything to the plot. That decision brings the movie down in my memory, which is why I have trouble recommending it.

Also Smarty (1934), starring Warren William and Joan Blondell, is another movie I don’t recommend because it’s basically about spousal abuse played for comedy, and it did not age well for that reason.

SK: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961): Audrey Hepburn is my favorite actress and I love her Oscar-nominated performance as Holly. I adore Orangy as Cat, as well as George Peppard and Buddy Ebsen, who is wonderfully endearing. And of course, “Moon River” makes me cry whenever I hear it. But then I cringe and am practically nauseous every time Mickey Rooney pops up on screen with his disgusting stereotypical performance as Holly’s Japanese landlord Mr. Yunioshi. What was director Blake Edwards thinking casting him in this part? Perhaps because he’s such a caricature no Japanese actor wanted to play him, so he cast Rooney with whom he had worked within the 1950s. 

CC: I cannot necessarily state that I am in "love," but, a film that comes to mind would be Anna and the King of Siam (1946). It is an absolutely beautiful visual film. However, Rex Harrison as King Mongkut requires some explanation. 

Holiday Inn (1942), and the Abraham number...why??? Might I also add, there were many jaw-dropping, racist cartoons.

How did you learn to deal with the negative images of the past? 

KL: I often look at it as a learning experience. Negative images can provoke much-needed conversation (internally or with others) and for me, they often prompt my education in an area that I wasn’t well versed in. For instance, blackface is featured in some classic films, and its history is something I never knew much about. That said, seeing its use in movies prompted me to do some research, which led me first to TCM’s short documentary about blackface and Hollywood. I love how TCM strives to provide context and seeks to educate viewers on uncomfortable, contentious subjects so we can appreciate classic films while still acknowledging and understanding the history and the harmful stereotypes some perpetuated.

SK: It’s also been a learning experience for me. Though I started watching movies as a little girl in the late 1950s, thanks to TCM and Warner Archive I realized that a lot of films were taken out of circulation because of racist elements. TCM has not only screened a lot of these films but they have accompanied the movies with conversations exploring the stereotypes in the films.  

CC: As a Black woman, negative images of the past continue to be a lesson on how Blacks, as well as other minorities, were seen (and in some cases still are seen) through an accepted mainstream American lens. On one hand, it's true, during the depiction of these films the majority of Black Americans were truly relegated to servant roles, so it stands to reason that depictions of Black America would be within the same vein. What is triggering to me, are demeaning roles, and the constant exaggeration of the slow-minded stereotype, blackface. When you look at the glass ceiling that minority performers faced from those in power, the need for suppression and domination is transparent because art can be a powerful agent of change. I dealt with the negative images of the past by knowing and understanding that the depiction being given to me was someone else's narrative, of who they thought I was, not who I actually am.

TB: I’m not sure HOW I learned to deal with negative images. Again, I think it might go back to me compartmentalizing.

I don’t know if this is right or wrong…but I’ve always found myself identifying with the leads and their struggles. As a human being, I can certainly identify with losing a romantic partner, money troubles, losing a job…no matter the ethnicity.

In what ways have we evolved from the movies of the classic era?

KL: I think we are more socially and culturally conscious now when it comes to stories, diversity and representation on screen and behind the scenes, which is a step forward. That said, while there's been growth, there's still much work to be done.

SK: I think this year’s crop of awards contenders show how things have evolved with Da 5 Bloods, Soul, One Night in Miami, Minari, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The United States Vs. Billie Holiday, Judas and the Black Messiah and MLK/FBI. 

But we still have a long way to go. I’d love to see more Native American representation in feature films; more Asian-American and Latino stories. 

CC: There are minority artists, writers, producers, directors, actors with the increasing capacity to create through their own authentic voice, thereby affecting the world, and a measurable amount of them are women! Generally speaking, filmmakers (usually male) have held the voice of the minority narrative as well as the female narrative. I agree with both writers above in the thought that it is progress, and I also agree, more stories of diversified races are needed. 

TB: One important way we've evolved from the movies made in the classic era by being more inclusive in casting. 

Are there any deal-breakers for you when watching a movie, regardless of the era, that make it hard to watch? 

KL: Physical violence in romantic relationships that's played as comedy is pretty much a dealbreaker for me. I mentioned above that I don't recommend Smarty (1934) to people, because when I finally watched it recently, it. was. tough. The way their abuse was painted as part of their relationship just didn’t sit well with me.

SK: Extreme racist elements and just as KL states physical violence. 

Regarding extreme racist elements, D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation (1915) is just too horrific to watch. I was sickened when I saw it when I was in grad school at USC 44 years ago and it’s only gotten worse. And then there’s also Wonder Bar (1934), the pre-code Al Jolson movie that features the Busby Berkeley black minstrel number “Goin’ to Heaven on a Mule.” Disgusting.

I also agree with KL about physical violence in comedies and even dramas. I recently revisited Private Lives (1931) with Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery based on Noel Coward’s hit play. I have fond memories of seeing Maggie Smith in person in the play when I was 20 in the play and less than fond memories of watching Joan Collins destroying Coward’s bon mots.  

But watching the movie again, you realized just how physically violent Amanda and Elyot’s relationship is-they are always talking about committing physical violence-”we were like two violent acids bubbling about in a nasty little matrimonial battle”; “certain women should be struck regularly, like gongs”-or constantly screaming and throwing things.  

There is nothing funny or romantic about this.

KL: I try to put Birth of a Nation out of my mind, but S.K. did remind me of it again, and movies featuring extreme racism at their core like that are also dealbreakers; I totally agree with her assessment. I understand the technological achievements, but I think in the long run, especially in how it helped revive the KKK, the social harm that film brought about outdoes its cinematic innovations.

CC: Like S.K., Wonder Bar immediately came to mind. Excessive acts of violence, such as in the film Natural Born Killers (1994). I walked out of the theatre while the film was still playing. I expected violence, but the gratuitousness was just too much for me. I also have an issue with physical abuse, towards women and children. This is not to say I would not feel the same way about a man. However, when males are involved, it tends to be a fight, an exchange of physical energy, generally speaking, when we see physical abuse it is perpetuated towards women and children.

TB: I have a couple of moments that pinch my heart when I watch a movie. It doesn’t mean I won’t watch the movie. It just means I roll my eyes…verrrrry hard.

-Blackface…that’s a little rough; especially when the time period OF the movie is the ‘30s or ‘40s film.

-Not giving the Black actors a real name to be called by in the film (Snowflake…Belvedere…Lightnin’). I mean, can’t they have a regular name like Debbie or Bob?

-When the actor can’t do the simplest of tasks, i.e. Butterfly McQueen answering the phone in Mildred Pierce (1945) and not knowing which end to speak into. What up with that?

Are there elements they got right that we still haven’t caught up to? 

KL: I don't know if the pre-Code era got sex right (and sensationalism was definitely something studios were going for) but in some ways, I feel that subject was treated as somewhat more accepted and natural back then. Of course, what was shown onscreen in the classic era was nowhere near the extent it is today, but the way the Production Code put a lid on sex (in addition to many other factors) once again made it into more of a taboo topic than it is or should be.

One thing I particularly hate in modern movies is gratuitous violence, and it perplexes and angers me how America weighs violence vs. sex in general through the modern ratings system: films are more likely to get a pass with violence, mostly landing in PG-13 territory and thus making them more socially acceptable, while sex, something natural, is shunned with strictly R ratings. Obviously, there are limits for both, but I think the general thinking there is backwards today.

CC: The elegance, the sophistication, the precision, the dialogue, the intelligence, the wit. The fashion! The layering of craftsmanship. We aren't fans of these films for fleeting reasons, we are fans because of their timeless qualities.

I'm going to sound like a sentimental sap here, ladies get ready. I think they got the institution of family right. Yes, I do lean towards MGM films, so I am coloring my opinion from that perspective. Even if a person hasn't experienced what would have been considered a "traditional family" there is something to be said about witnessing that example. Perhaps not so much of a father and a mother, but to witness a balanced, functioning, loving relationship. What it "looks like" when a father/mother/brother/sister etc. genuinely loves another family member.

I was part of the latch-key generation, and although my parents remained together, many of my friends' parents were divorced. Most won't admit it, but by the reaction to the documentary [Won't You Be My Neighbor?, 2018], the bulk of them went home, sat in front of the TV and watched Mr. Rogers tell them how special they were because their parents certainly were not. We don't know what can "be" unless we see it.

[olicrosse]

Rare personal post.

Photos I took years ago.

I live in the United States, more specifically North Carolina. I love the Carolinas, my family has very rich history in both North and South Carolina, so I’m connected to both. But North Carolina is my home! No one really knows me personally here, I’m still very new to this tumblr thing, but I’m an avid nature enjoyer, I love it.

North Carolina never ceases to amaze me with her beauty. Surely God knew how much I would love His creation, so He put me in the state with some of the most diverse and beautiful nature on earth.

How great it is to be able to not have to look at paintings or photos to see such beauty, when I can go outside and experience what artists dream of, when I can see the very thing that inspires them, when I can see the ultimate painting made by the ultimate Artist.

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, please consider taking time to sit by a shady tree or a cool creek in silence and listen carefully. There, you will find God breaking through the unbearable chaos that we endure in our concrete and steel cells during our day to day lives.

[houseofhurricane]

ACOTAR Fancasting - The Archeron Sisters as Latinas

As we’re all fancasting the ACOTAR show and crossing our fingers for more diverse representation, I had a wild dream:

What if the Archeron sisters were played by Latine actors?

Obviously, all three are portrayed as White in the books. And, as a Latina myself, there’s definitely wish fulfillment involved.

However, I do have a case that’s based in the text. Hybern is meant to parallel Trump and the rise of Trumpism, which is pretty clear at this point in ACOWAR:

Meanwhile, the human lands at the south of Prythian are bordered by a giant wall, and they are tortured by the High Fae if they ever cross that wall. That’s a pretty accurate summary of what happened to Latine immigrants crossing the border during the Trump administration. Humans also live in poverty for which the High Fae are, historically speaking, responsible. This is an extremely simplified version of the history between the United States and Latin America.

So that’s my initial rationale for casting Latina actresses as Feyre, Nesta, and Elain, not to mention their father, and the rest of the 

But it’s not just for the text parallels. It’s all the fun possibilities that this specific casting choice would open up. Imagine Nesta, the talented dancer, whipping out a tango or a danzón, setting the High Fae world on fire with the way she dances salsa or bachata. Or picture Elain, the gardener, attending her orchids and birds of paradise, or trying to grow a poinciana tree outside that cottage. (I know these plants need tropical climates and ACOTAR starts in the middle of winter, but let’s dream a little bit.) What if Feyre turned that deer into tacos instead of a stew? What if Feyre’s devotion to her father was based in a culture that so highly values families and their elders? Bringing this closer to home. I’m Cuban-American, with a lot of friends who came from Cuba in recent years, and I’ve heard stories of how desperate they were for food growing up, to the point where we’ve played games of the animals they’ve eaten, which included alligators and, in one memorable story, a manatee. What if we saw Feyre and her sisters at this point? And this is one country out of many, each with its own specific history, its own culture. I bring this story up because I know it, because it causes a real pain inside me when I hear it, that people I know and love could be so hungry and desperate. Imagine if the ACOTAR show tapped into these real, known stories.

Plus, on a lighter note, can you imagine how cute it would be to watch Feyre introduce the Inner Circle to her culture? 

But before I start really squealing about the possibilities, I’m going back to history for a second. Latine culture is beautiful in part because it’s a braid of cultures that were forced together by a strange alchemy of resilience in the face of horror (the main example being the human trafficking commonly known as slavery) and hope (as with the US, many people immigrated to countries all over Latin America in hopes of a brighter future). In the same way, we see places where the human culture in ACOTAR is inflected by the horrible history where humans were slaves to the High Fae, but also their resiliency and hope.

It’s really difficult to get Latine representation in high fantasy, in large part because it’s based on European history. The reality of Latin America reveals the dark side of that history, the imperialism and genocide and war that nations across Europe, and particularly Spain and Portugal, were willing to commit for gold and spices and territory. When we do see Latines in high fantasy, they’re often sporting an Inigo Montoya accent or are highly sexualized... sometimes both at the same time! (Not that I didn’t love Pedro Pascal in Game of Thrones, but I think we can all admit that he wasn’t exactly the most shining example of what Latine representation could be.)

Casting Latine actors to play the Archerons and the residents of the human lands of Prythian would not only provide the kind of representation Latine actors never get in high fantasy, but this casting choice would make the real-world parallels in ACOTAR come alive. Imagine formerly-unknown Latina actors as Feyre and Nesta and Elain, taking the screen by storm.

And seriously, now that you’ve thought about it for a second, doesn’t it sound amazing?

[maryanntorreson]

10 incredible women in history you should know

Shutterstock

A few years ago, I began to notice that the people I taught about in my World History classes were, more often than not, European men.

When women were included in the state curriculum, they felt like token inclusions who were often related to men and discussed in proximity to them; not as independent actors. They were often queens or empresses, and only a few women of “normal” status made our lessons. I began the work of analyzing my World History lessons to make them more inclusive and diverse. I found that by including women with different backgrounds, fields, and from different parts of the world, I could provide students with role models they could identify with, and remind male students that women are capable of greatness too.

Here’s some additional good news: we don’t need to carve out a single month, special lesson, or unit, to incorporate women into our lessons. First, when planning, I ensure that I include women next to their male colleagues in all my materials. Then, when executing the lessons, I tell these women’s stories in as well-rounded a way as possible because it’s not just who we teach about— it’s how we approach their story that can give it power.

For example, when I teach about Cleopatra, I don’t just talk about her in relation to Julius Caesar or Marc Antony— I spend time discussing how she was a linguist, and the first Greek of the Ptolemaic line ruling Egypt who learned to speak Egyptian; she was a scholar and a woman who understood her people. When I teach about women like the Empress Josephine or Marie Antoinette, I discuss their emotions, letters, relationships, and struggles in unhappy marriages.

In all narratives that we share, male and female alike, we have the opportunity to humanize history, to make people on pages relatable by talking about their emotions, their mental health, and their experiences. When we bring them to life for students, we draw students into history.

I polled my students, past and present, to ask them which figures they remember most, and I have included some of their favorites as well my own. Here are 10 amazing women you should know and share, from the 300s CE to the 1900s CE:

1. Hypatia (c. 370 CE – March 415 CE) – Ancient Rome

Hypatia of Alexandria was a philosopher, mathematician, and teacher, born in Alexandria, Egypt around 370 CE, just before Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. She was the daughter of a mathematician who taught her math and astronomy, and trained her in Neo-Platonic philosophy. She joined her father as a teacher at the University of Alexandria, and was a beloved teacher who fostered an open environment, teaching pagans, Jews, and Christians.

Both her presence as a female teacher and her insistence on an accepting classroom in an increasingly hostile religious atmosphere of early Christian Rome made her courses unusual and that much more coveted. She was widely known for her love of learning and expertise, but in 415 CE, due to her high profile and power as a non-Christian woman, she was targeted by a mob of Christian monks who killed her in the streets. They then also burned the University of Alexandria, forcing the artists, philosophers, and intellectuals to flee the city. Hypatia’s life models open-mindedness, generosity, and a love of learning, and her death is often discussed as a watershed turning point in the Classical world.

Topics you can connect her to in history include the connections between Roman and Greek philosophy, and the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Students have loved learning about a woman who taught in such an open-minded way, and learning she is one of my role models too.

 2. Empress Theodora (c. 497 – c. 548) – The Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empress Theodora was born into a circus family in Constantinople, just after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Her father likely worked as a bear trainer in the Hippodrome, and a young Theodora, it was said, took work as an actress and dancer. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian encountered her one day and, taken by her beauty, determined to marry her. However, because she was a commoner and had a bit of a reputation, special laws had to be passed in order for them to marry.

Though she never technically co-ruled the empire with Justinian, she had significant influence and power, and was a trusted advisor who promoted religious and social policies, many of which benefited women. Some of which included altering divorce laws and prohibiting the traffic of young women. Her name was listed in nearly all laws passed, she had regular communication with other foreign rulers, and received foreign envoys. Empress Theodora is credited with helping stabilize Justinian’s power after she urged him to stand his ground during the Nika revolt of 532 CE.

Topics you can connect her to in history include the Byzantine Empire, naturally, and students have told me they love her backstory and how she fought for women’s rights. They also enjoy how she pushed Justinian to make him a better ruler.

3. Sappho of Lesbos (c. 620 – c. 570 BCE) – Ancient Greece

Sappho of Lesbos was a lyric poet of Ancient Greece who was so famous during her life that statues were created in her honor. She was praised by Plato and other Greek writers, and her peers referred to her as the “Tenth Muse” and “The Poetess.” Very few fragments of her work survived because she wrote in a very specific dialect, Aeolic Greek, which was difficult for later Latin writers to translate.

Her poetry was lyric poetry – to be accompanied by the lyre – and was sung frequently at the parties of high-ranking Greeks. She wrote about passion, loss, and deep human emotions. Some of her surviving poems imply she may have had romantic relationships with women, and thus from her name we get the etymology of “lesbians” and “sapphic.”

Topics you can connect her to in history include the ancient Greeks and Greek philosophy and art. Every year, I have female students who have told me that they valued her inclusion because it was the first time they had heard about an LGBTQ+ person in their history class, and the representation meant so much to them.

4. Margery Kempe (c. 1373 – c. 1440 CE) – Middle Ages Europe

Margery Kempe was an English mystic and traveler, and is also the author of the first autobiography in the English language. She was the mother to 14 children. After her first child was born, Margery had a traumatic postpartum experience of a form of psychosis; for months she was catatonic, experiencing visions, and was tied to her bed for her own safety. For the rest of her life she would experience these visions, and later on she would leave her family and travel on pilgrimages to Spain, Jerusalem, Rome, and Germany.

Margery was known to weep loudly at various shrines and this behavior did not endear her to leaders in the church. She also insisted on wearing white like a nun, seeking specific permission to do so. She narrated her life and travels upon her return to two clerks who wrote it down on her behalf, so it is a unique book in that it shares her very specific life experiences in her own voice. Margery is a conflicting person to teach about because of her mysticism: do we discuss her experiences and travels through the lens of religion, or mental health? Historians often opt for both, as we seek to understand her contributions and life.

Topics you can connect her to in history include Christianity, the Middle Ages in Europe, and travel narratives like those of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta. My students remember Margery fondly, and she makes their list of favorites consistently. They like how we talk about her through the lens of mental health and that she pursued what she believed despite naysayers.

5. Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba (c. 1581 – c. 1663 CE) – Post-Classical Africa

Njinga Mbandi was a warrior queen of modern Angola. She was born to a concubine of the king of Ndongo and as a daughter, it was unlikely she would take the throne, so her father allowed her to attend many of his important meetings and negotiations, and also allowed her to be trained as a warrior and educated fully. When her half-brother took the throne after their father’s death, he had her infant son killed and Njinga fled to nearby Matamba, but returned when her brother begged her to negotiate on behalf of her people with the rapidly encroaching Portuguese. Njinga did so successfully, due to her notably diplomatic skills and her insistence on respect from the Portuguese, going so far as to refuse to sit lower than them during the negotiations. She won significant concessions from the Portuguese.

When her brother died, Njinga took the throne; at various points during her reign, Njinga was deposed, regained power, lost territory, and gained it. She struggled against the Portuguese to maintain her peoples’ independence. Ultimately, when Njinga died at the age of 81, she left behind a stable kingdom that would be led by women for the majority of the next 100 years. While Ndongo was eventually taken by the Portuguese, Matamba maintained its independence through the 1900s.

Topics you can connect her to in history include Africa and the age of European exploration, as well as African resistance to Europeans. I think it’s important that we show examples of successful resistance and a powerful legacy.

6. Artemisia Gentileschi (c. 1593 – c. 1654) – Renaissance Europe

Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome to a gifted painter. Her father trained her to paint and even hired a tutor for her; ultimately this ended in tragedy, as the tutor raped Artemisia. There was a horrific trial and Artemisia was tortured with thumbscrews for “the truth.” Artemisia left for Florence, had a family, and was the first woman to gain membership to the Academy of the Arts of Drawing. She went back to paint in Rome for a time, as well as London where she painted in the court of Charles I, and then settled in Naples.

While in Florence, she painted for Michelangelo the Younger in the Casa Buonoratti, and was paid more than her male peers for her time and efforts. Artemisia’s work is profound, passionate, unabashed, and reclaims the space of women in the stories told about them. She makes women her focal points, her heroines, and paints them in positions of strength, and often revenge.

A topic you can connect her to in history is of course the Renaissance. Artemisia has stuck for many of my female students who have experienced sexual assault or harassment. They have expressed to me that they are inspired by her strength and find solace in her paintings. One of my students even went on to do her senior capstone all about Artemisia, two years after taking my class.

7. Malintzin/Malinche/Doña Marina (c. 1500 – c. 1550) – Colonial Americas

Born to a local chieftain in Central America and a mother whose family ruled a nearby village, Malintzin (or Malinali, or Malinche) was of high rank on both sides of her family. When her father died and her mother remarried, she was secretly sold into slavery so her brother would inherit the land that was her birthright. Malintzin was sold to several tribes, and over the course of her life would learn to speak Maya, Nahuatl, and later Spanish.

She was eventually given to Hernán Cortés and his men in 1519, and upon realizing her skill as a translator, Cortes came to rely on her. Malinztin was baptised as Doña Marina, and traveled with the Spanish for the next few years as they battled or negotiated with various Indigenous groups in the Aztec Empire. She provided cultural context and insight as well as communication skills. Without her, Spanish success in the region would have been difficult to achieve. By 1521, Cortes had conquered the Aztecs and needed her to help him govern. She was given several pieces of land around Mexico City as a reward.

Topics you can connect her to in history include Spanish conquest of the Americas and Indigenous peoples of the Americas. We talk about her complicated legacy as she is viewed by some as a traitor to her people, and to others as a woman who was enslaved and did the best she could to survive in difficult circumstances. My students typically find her a fascinating and sympathetic figure, a woman who did all she could to survive and thrive in adversity.

8. Olympe de Gouges (May 7, 1748 – November 3, 1793) – Enlightenment Europe

Olympe de Gouges, born Marie Gouze, was a political activist and writer during the French Revolution. Married off against her will at the young age of 16, she renamed herself Olympe de Gouges after her husband’s death and moved to Paris. She pursued her education there and rose to a high status in Parisian society. She would host salons for thinkers of the time and would write poetry, plays, and political pamphlets. De Gouges was a pacifist, an abolitionist, and wanted an end to the death penalty. She wanted a tax plan that allowed wealth to be spread more evenly, with welfare for the less fortunate and protections for women and children.

De Gouges was in favor of the French Revolution, but when the Revolution failed to provide the equality it claimed it would, she grew critical. The Revolution was in many ways built on the backs of women: women were some of the first to march against the king and take up arms and they served on the front lines of France’s battles against other European powers. Yet women were not being provided the true “egalite” promised in terms of rights as citizens.

De Gouges wrote her most famous work in response to this, “The Declaration of the Rights of Women” (1791). It was a direct play on The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen that was part of the first French Constitution. She became increasingly vocal, and in 1793 she was arrested by the revolutionary government and guillotined.

Topics you can connect with Olympe de Gouges, as well as Mary Wollstonecraft, include Enlightenment writers and the Age of Revolutions; it is unfair for Voltaire and Montesquieu to get all the limelight! Her ideas resonate for my students as being very modern, and they appreciate that she never backed down from her convictions and is a model of courage.

9. Manuela Sáenz (December 27, 1797–November 23, 1856) – Revolutionary Americas

Manuela Sáenz is the illegitimate daughter of a Spanish military officer and an Ecuadorian noblewoman. Her childhood included a traditional education in a convent, as well as learning how to ride and shoot. When she was 17,  her father arranged her marriage to an English doctor who was nearly twice her age, James Thorne. She moved with him to Lima, Peru, where she was connected with revolutionaries who were interested in overthrowing the Spanish in Latin America.

She returned to Quito, Ecuador in 1822, and met the revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar. They fell in love and would occasionally live together and go on campaign together. Manuela would go into battle with Bolívar in the cavalry, and was promoted from captain to colonel; she even saved Bolívar from assassination at least twice. She was also given the Order of the Sun, the highest military honor in the revolutionary government. Upon Bolívar’s exile and death in 1830, Manuela had no resources and lived the rest of her life in a small coastal village in Peru, making money by writing letters for sailors, including Herman Melville. She died in a diphtheria outbreak and was buried in a mass grave. Her role in Latin America’s independence has only recently been recognized, and she was granted an Honorary General title in Ecuador in 2007.

Topics you can connect her to in history include Latin American revolutions and the Enlightenment. My students find her time as a soldier and spy endlessly interesting! I enjoy including women, particularly in this period, who went into battle, such as the women of France who fought in the revolutionary wars. I have female JROTC students who like knowing they are part of a long tradition.

10. Lyudmila Pavlichenko (July 12, 1916 – October 27, 1974) – World War II

Lyudmila Pavlichenko was born in Ukraine and was one of the best snipers in history. She pursued sharp shooting when in school and  fought for the Red Army of the Soviet Union during World War II as a trained sniper. She soon began to rack up an impressive tally of kills, reaching 309 in just a few months on the frontline.

The German soldiers knew her by name, and she would engage in some of the most dangerous fighting, sniper seeking sniper. She was wounded four times in battle, and in 1942 she took shrapnel in her face.

She was sent to the United States to tour and drum up American support for the war effort, as the USSR and USA were allies at the time and the USSR depended on continued American engagement. She was often frustrated when asked by American journalists about issues around makeup, clothing, or hair. Finally, she spoke during a tour and said “Gentlemen. I am 25-years-old and I have killed 309 fascist occupants by now. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you have been hiding behind my back for too long?” This was greeted by a roar of applause.

She got to know Eleanor Roosevelt during this tour and they became good friends. Upon her return to the USSR, Pavlichenko was promoted to major, awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, and received the Order of Lenin twice. She continued training other Soviet snipers, and then when the war ended, finished her education at Kiev University and became a historian and research assistant for the Soviet Navy.

Topics you can connect her to in history include World War II and the Cold War. Students adore her story: they find her sass, grit, and action movie skills endlessly fascinating.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Caitlin Tripp is a teacher and curriculum writer for Atlanta Public Schools. Born and raised in West Africa and Latin America, she loves to travel and learn more about the places she visits. She is passionate about women’s history, and in her free time enjoys snuggling up to a history documentary with her husband and their two cats.

Caitlin Tripp originally shared how to incorporate women into history lessons in her Educator Talk submitted through the TED Masterclass for Education program. To learn more about how TED Masterclass for Education inspires educators to develop their ideas into TED-style Talks, visit https://masterclass.ted.com/educator

10 incredible women in history you should know published first on https://premiumedusite.tumblr.com/rss

[austennerdita2533]

ooh can you do those same top three questions but for suits and tvd :)

Sure can, nonnie! xx

*Just as a general disclaimer for anyone else who happens to read this: my ship preferences are what they are. I’m simply stating my opinion/preference and am in no way encouraging hate or fights. Discussion is always welcome, of course, but happy vibes here only!

*2020 sucks enough as it is without bringing ship drama into it, you know?

TVD

Top 3 seasons:

-1, 2, and 3 without an ounce of hesitation. This was when the show was at its peak in storytelling, characterization, ship development, magic/mythology etc.

Top 3 romantic ships:

-Klaroline. One of my highest echelon ships for reasons I do not need to enumerate; however, I will say what I love about them most is they challenge as well as complement each other in beautifully rich, convoluted ways. Their back and forth is ridiculously entertaining, too!

-Kalijah. They have spice, and angst, and forbidden love, and 500+ years of cat-and-mouse chasing and I will be over here bitter about them for eternity! 

-Forwood. *excuse me while I cry over “until we find a way” for a few hours* These two went through so much to be together! Their progressive arc in s2-s3 is still one of my favorites.

*I’m Swiss neutral when it comes to Stelena and Delena, I vacillate between both ships at different times so they’re not included in my top 3. I’m an anomalous TVD shipper, a true outlier, what can I say?

Top 3 platonic ships:

-Klelijah. Klaus and Elijah have an incredibly dense, fraught brotherly dynamic. Something about their ancient ties and 1,000-year bond is gripping. There’s so much spoken and unspoken subtext between them. So many unresolved “somethings.” Plus, it’s no secret that I adore the Originals and all they add to the TVD-verse.

-Klebekah. Klaus and Rebekah sparkle, they sizzle, any time they’re on-screen together. Just the sheer depth of feeling and betrayal and angst they emanate is so entertaining to watch. Don’t get me started on the whole “I loved you more than anyone and you didn’t even care” scene because I get emotional.

-Defan. Stefan and Damon are another complex sibling relationship on the show. Throw into the mix that they find themselves in love with same woman, not once, but twice, and whew! I love the flashbacks we get of them throughout history as well.

*Gotta give shoutouts to my other favorite, though moderately less well-developed, brotps here: Carenzo, Katholine, Rebekoline, and Baroline. *chef’s kiss*

Top 3 characters:

-Caroline Forbes

-Klaus Mikaelson

-Katherine Pierce

Top 3 plotlines you’d change/erase if you could:

-THE BABY PLOTS ! ! ! BOTH OF THEM!!!!!!!!! (I’m talking Klaus/Haley and their tribrid baby and Caroline’s surrogacy/pregnancy with the Gemini twins.) I apologize for my overemphasized caps + exclamation points here, but I loathe these storylines with every fiber of my being. I can’t help it. More often than not, I like to pretend they don’t exist lololol.

-How they handled the beginning of Stefan and Caroline’s romantic relationship was...icky. Like, while Liz was dying? Really? Then she turns off her humanity because he “rejects” her. Again, REALLY? I have major issues with the overall portrayal of them as a couple - particularly with the relationship imbalances as well as the insecurities they heightened instead of tamped out in each other - but the inception of it all is what kills me. Especially because I am a huge proponent of friends-to-lovers ships...and the writers really dropped the ball with them, imo. I’m a multishipper at heart so the disappointment I harbor is PALATABLE. 

-The Cure storyline and the Travelers storyline. Didn’t like either of them. They have equal “could’ve been loads better” billing.

Top 3 episodes you’d take to a deserted island:

-3x14, Dangerous Liaisons. LISTEN. This is my favorite episode of the entire series. There’s a ball, there’s blood-tinged champagne, there’s duplicity and romance and drama. All the Mikaelsons are under the same roof, for crying out loud! It’s gold!

-2x07, Masquerade. This one because of my girl, Katherine Pierce, the biggest, baddest bitch of all. She’s a saucy little minx the entire masquerade only to end up locked in the tomb. I just...love it.

-The Klaroliner in me is screaming 4x23, Graduation because being on a deserted island without having access to Klaus’s iconic “however long it takes” declaration would be insupportable. However, a case could be made for either 3x20, Do Not Go Gentle because I am trash for the decade dances, and that one’s my favorite, OR 3x22, The Departed because that is one hell of a season finale!

Suits

Top 3 seasons:

-Season 2. Mike’s secret out of the bag? Them all working together to fight against the merger? Donna shredding evidence to protect Harvey? Daniel fucking Hardman? *thumbs up*

-Season 5. FIREWORKS. Donna’s working for Louis, Harvey’s in therapy, Mike gets arrested/goes on trial, Zane family drama. Exquisite stuff

-Season 3 or Season 1. Don’t make me choose between them, please. 🙏🏻

Top 3 romantic ships:

-Darvey. I mean, OBVIOUSLY. These two idiots had me from the pilot. I knew the moment Donna said “I also took care of that. we’ve been married for the last 7 years” that I was on the precipice of falling into another long, beautiful, up-to-their-chins-in-pining, slow sloooooow burn ships. Granted, I didn’t think it’d take 8 seasons for them to get together lololol but I don’t regret a damn thing!

-Mike and Rachel. They’re adorable together, they truly love each other. Also, can we talk about how they’re a steady couple for most-ish of the show?  They have drama, sure, but they work through most of it together. As a unit. THAT’S A BIG DEAL. It’s like going through the canon drive thru and actually getting (most) of what you ordered.

-Louis and Sheila. This is a couple who makes me laugh uproariously AND feel all the emotions. I mean, will I ever forget Louis dropping to one knee in the hospital with his ass cheeks hanging out? NO. Will I ever get over Shelia’s pregnant feet being too fat to fit into her Cinderella glass slippers? NOT ON YOUR LIFE. Will I blubber like an emo sap whenever they finally reconcile/get their happy ending? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT.

Top 3 platonic ships:

-Mike and Harvey. They have a connection from the beginning but I love seeing how much they rub off on one another, how much deeper their bond grows over the course of the show. Their movie references are always a delight, too. *cries: it’s so beautiful*

-Donna and Louis. Their relationship is so important to me. Like?!?!?!? They have so many fantastic one-on-one moments together - some that make your sides ache with laughter, others that prick your eyes with emotion and tears. Even though it kills me when Donna leaves Harvey to work for Louis, I can’t help but love it too because he fanboys all over her. GIVE DONNA ALL THE LOVE AND APPRECIATION SHE DESERVES. 

-Harvey and Louis because they have a formative and/or impactful dynamic. They mostly respect each other but there’s a lot of animosity between them. Makes for such good TV!

Top 3 characters:

-Donna Paulsen aka Fashion Goddess of NYC (can I have all of her outfits? for real) and the Reigning Queen of Sass (who also happens to be the reigning queen of my heart as well). The entire firm would have fallen into collapse without her, FULL STOP.

-Harvey Specter. I have a penchant for stoic, inscrutable, emotionally constipated, on-the-borderline-of-asshole characters and boy did I hit the jackpot with this one! 

-This one was hard, but I’m going to go with Louis Litt because his character evolution is amazing! He’s so unlikable at times, what with his competitive streak and anger/jealousy issues, but then there’s this whole other side to him that’s sensitive and vulnerable and sweet. You can’t help but root for him, you know? (Even when you want to punch him right in the nose lol.)

Top 3 plotlines you’d change/erase if you could:

-Harvey giving Paula the credit for why he reconciled with his mother, when it was actually because of Donna. They retcon/fix this in the narrative in s9 but it still bugs me in the moment. I can’t let it go. So sue me.

-Pearson Hardman’s “Harvard Only” hiring law. Not only is it ridiculous and discriminatory but no way in hell would you even be able to implement such a thing in today’s world. Nor should you be able to do so. Diversity is important!

-I wasn’t crazy about the Mike prison storyline but, at the same time, he had to serve out penance for the whole fraud business??? So yeah.

Top 3 episodes you’d take to a deserted island:

-2x07, Sucker Punch. THE MOCK TRIAL, AHHHHHHH. Louis grills Donna about Harvey within an inch of her life. I can hear his inflection during his stream of “do you love Harvey Specter, do you love Harvey Specter” in my head. It is so effing tense in that conference room, I DIE. 

3x06, The Other Time. I am all about this flashback episode, okay? It opens Pandora’s box on all things past!Darvey and also shows us how Mike gets thrown out of school.

-8x16, Harvey. If you think I’d willingly retreat to a deserted island without having access to that Darvey love epiphany/love actualization scene then you are kidding yourself! I still blast “Love is Mystical” on full volume just to daydream about that swooping-through-the-apartment-door smooch sometimes. *fans self*

[skincarebeautymakeuptips]

Pride 2020 & Beyond: The Journey of a Female Transgender Software Engineer

2020 has been quite the year so far. From the recent black lives matter protests to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, which has put quite a damper on the yearly pride parades in city streets around the world. We wanted to look inside of the up-and-coming beauty tech startup, Mira, the world’s largest catalogue of skincare & cosmetics products, ratings & reviews covering thousands of beauty brands, and gather some feedback from their team about their take on Pride in 2020 and the future of it.

Below is an enlightening, must-read Q&A with Jess, Mira’s first senior female engineer.

Tell us more about yourself?

My name is Jess and I’m a software engineer here at Mira. I was one of the first developers to join the team, and their first senior female engineer. I am a transgender woman, who has been transitioning for just under 3 years. I am passionate about both data and beauty and feel lucky I have found a place where I can live up these two passions at the same time. I believe in the transformative and empowering power of makeup, because it’s brought me the confidence boost that I needed.

Do you think virtual Pride parades are here to stay post COVID-19?

I hope so. A large part of Pride is to be visible, be seen, to get out there, and let people know that we members of the LGBTIQ+ community exist, matter, and are here to stay. Some of us still can’t get out of our towns to go celebrate in person, and with COVID19, virtual events are an opportunity to provide greater access to educational and allyship resources to all. I am confident virtual pride events will find their purpose, separate from physical parades and celebrations which are as important to the community.

How much do you think Pride events will grow to 2021 worldwide?

It will grow every year, especially as more and more allies become aware of the importance of LGBTIQ+ rights. Until we are all recognized as equals under the eyes of the law, we can expect more people to come out in support of the community. While acceptance grows for some, we are still facing major challenges in the United States. The overall homicide and suicide rates of transgender Americans is higher than that of cisgender individuals. Three in ten young trans people attempt suicide in the country, and the average lifespan of a Black transwoman in America is about 40 years old. Violence against trans individuals is increasing, and it’s not helping that trans rights are under perpetual attack by the Trump administration. This is what the world needs an LGBTIQ+ Pride Month for, more than ever.

Tips for beauty brands to engage customers during Pride?

As a transwoman, one of the biggest hurdles I encountered was having little experience or education in applying makeup and beauty products; I had never been taught at an early age, unlike most women. More education, acknowledgment and accessibility would massively improve the experience of trans and gender non-conforming people in navigating various beauty products. A good example is beauty classes and tutorial sessions with makeup artists. There is no need for custom trans makeup – I am a woman, like any other woman. The only difference is that I didn’t have access to beauty education until I became my true self in and out. So, I have a heck of a lot to learn! We here at Mira are achieving this by improving access to information on all things beauty, regardless of how you self-identify. And we offer the most supportive and inclusive community.

Tips for business to engage and encourage employees to support Pride?

Raise your voice. Or seize opportunities to have one. Some formal diversity and inclusion training is absolutely necessary, and NOT just because it’s Pride Month. We are all different, we all respond to things differently, and it’s important to acknowledge that. Pride isn’t just the time to show off your rainbow logo, it’s not just a time to show your values externally. It’s a time to show your values internally, including normalising name tags / pronoun pins for everyone, not just those who request them, and protecting LGBTIQA+ people from being “outed” or exposed. Coming out is a personal experience and process, and to each their own time.

Any Pride makeup tips for virtual event participants?

Be creative, be fearless, be you. Wear your colors proudly. I personally love seeing pride flags and colors around the eyes, particularly on the eyelid, crease, and brow. I would do this, but unfortunately me trying to do any makeup around the eyes scares me because I’m so terrible at it! Need more practice, practice, practice!

How can a novice support Pride online this year and next?

Pride is for everyone: every marginalized group – and there are quite a lot! Join in, positively support and talk about it within and outside their social group and donate to affiliated charities. I have seen first-hand the kind of work these charities (namely the San Francisco LGBT Center) do for the community, and it is nothing short of incredible. Donations can impact so many lives.

Thoughts on the Pride movement the past few years?

I hope 2020 Pride will be remembered for the Black trans community. And I hope it will stay that way: Pride is about giving visibility to those who need it most, which hasn’t always been the case in recent years. I think much of Pride has become too corporate and too much about partying and sponsorships, rather than being seen and heard. While it is a step forward that companies are willing to advertise to us and with us in the LGBTIQA+ community, where even a decade ago this would be seen as financial suicide, it’s still little more than tokenism in many cases and does not really give anything back to the community. Much of the advertising ignores smaller parts of the community, in favor of more “accepted” segments. This needs to change.

What do you think Pride parades will look like in 5 years from now?

More inclusivity. Much larger crowds and more allies I would hope too. As misinformation about the transgender and non-binary community continues to clear up, I would expect to see a greater proportion of those groups represented within Pride. It’s actually what the LGBTQIA+ community is expecting from brands: Be part of leading the charge on true inclusivity, just not the politically correct one.

Cheers to Jess for providing such a great take on the pride movement and helpful feedback for other transgender professionals too. Although Pride is very different this year, it will be celebrated with much love virtually around the world. So, if you’re looking for some ideas for your virtual pride parade with friends, family, and supporters everywhere, Mira has provided an amazing list of pride makeup looks for 2020 to consider using for your upcoming virtual Pride Parade this year.

Source: https://thriveglobal.com/stories/pride-2020-beyond-the-journey-of-a-female-transgender-software-engineer/ 

[youtuberswithalex]

hold on i found all of my old Christian music and im emotional, the nostalgia, so im just gonna do a react post--

first song was Hope is Coming by Nate Deezy and oh boy. oh boy. i met the dude and knowing how he talks and listening to his music. oh boy, he was kind of mimicking AAVE and it’s. not great to listen to now. the song is a bop music wise but. yikes

Overcomer by Mandisa. I used to BOP to this song and you know what? I still do. I saw her in concert and she was AMAZING

The The Earth Is Yours came on, which already was one of my favorites, and it was the cover by Gungor (or their original? I can’t remember) and I almost started crying because. Gungor’s music always made me feel really close to God, like He was my best friend. and now I kind of feel like I’ve lost a friend in stopping being Christian, and though I know I can still pray and stuff while still not being Like That, it just... hurts too much because it was so weaponized against me. I miss relying on Him for everything though.

Pause to get lunch

Good Morning by Mandisa and TobyMac. Hearing “top of the morning to ya” set off a visceral reaction to high five the air. also hearing them interact at the end is adorable

COME ALIVE BY CROWDER OHHH IT’S A BOP!!! 

YOUR LOVE!!! 

IS A LEMONADE

call me out by gungor?!?! how could i have forgotten this one!!!!! OH MY GOD AND I JUST REALIZED??? HOW RELEVANT THIS IS????? IF YOU TAKE OUT THE CHRISTIAN STUFF THIS IS STILL HOW I FEEL?????? CALL ME OUT WHEN I DO THINGS WRONG PLEASE

could i......... do a sanders sides animatic to this

WHITE MAN BY THE MICHAEL GUNGOR BAND. THE SAME BAND BUT A DIFFERENT NAME. THIS SONG NEEDS TO BE PLAYED TO EVERY CHRISTIAN WHITE SUPREMECIST. GOD IS NOT A MAN. GOD IS NOT A WHITE MAN. GOD IS NOT A WHITE MAN SITTING ON A CLOUD. GOD IS LOVE AND HE LOVES EVERYONE.

i just copied and pasted a link to the song on facebook jfkdlsjf pray for me (no pun intented)

Beautiful Day by Jamie Grace... I’m pretty sure I first heard this song on Veggietales? or maybe i freaked out when I saw it on Veggietales bc I already loved this song lmao. But it is still... you guessed it... a bop

i also just realized how much more diverse my music was back then versus now... out of the four artists I’ve listened to, half (if not 3 of them? i don’t remember what Gungor looks like) are POC. bruh current alex, I know all you listen to now is the RWBY soundtrack, but like. Diversify my dude

OHH HEAVEN BY GUNGOR??? THE CHILLEST CHRISTIAN SONG I ADORED

YOU ARE!!!!!!!!! CROWDER AGAIN

oh my god. oh my god jesus freak by newsboys. this song is fucking WILD to see in concert. the drummer goes up on a platform that goes sideways and starts SPINNING. while he’s going H A R D. also this song totally matches up with what i listen to now, style wise??

oh my god im getting dizzy from jamming to this one

R E S T A R T WE’RE GETTING ALL THE NEWSBOYS JAMS SUDDENLY

if anyone’s wondering what im doing as i listen to these, i’m currently checking out these artists’ twitters to see if they’re like... White Supremacist christians. Michael Gungor has made me happiest by blatantly retweeting and talking about the BLM protests, along with a tweet stating firmly that he accepts LGBTQ+ people. I knew I could trust this guy. I followed him. Crowder didn’t have anything blatantly for or against but he did make one post about not hating people using that one Dr Suess book, so like. he can slide for now but im not following him

DO LIFE BIIIIG!!!! JAMIE GRACE!!!!! THIS WAS THE ONE ON VEGGIETALES... WAS IT??? IT WAS AT THE END OF THE STAR TREK KNOCK OFF, I THINK???

OH BABY, FISHERS OF MEN BY NEWSBOYS

GO-O-O-O, GO-O-O-O-O

please be my strength by Gugnor? I don’t remember thohhhhh my heart i remember now

i used to harmonize to this all the time. it was one of the first ones i did that with :(

Steal My Show!! it’s pretty alright still. TobyMac didn’t really Get Me Worshipping like he did with a lot of other people, but I respect him at least-- wait let me check his twitter

alright i can respect him, he’s alright

Ah. Oceans by Hillsong United, AKA the song that every church-goer in 2015 hated because everyone played it every week. good reason to-- it’s really good still. are people still sick of it?? I remember holding my hands up to this a few times. and harmonizing many more

.......but oh man is it long. i do remember that now. eight minutes.......... why....... i definitely cried my eyes out and calmed down at conference one time during the length of this song

just realized that Jesus is a Friend of Mine isn’t on this playlist. Wow, Alex. Wow. What a waste of a Christian playlist.

THAT’S HOW YOU CHANGE THE WORLD

it’s so unfair that so many Christian artist put out That Kind of christian music, while Newsboys just. stole all of the talent. like come on guys spread it a bit. not EVERY song has to be a bop, you know /j

Speak Life by tobyMac. i... think im gonna skip this one jfkdlsj im just so not in the mood for this. He is definitely that That Kind of Christian Music style

LORD YOU ARE GOOD AND YOUR MERCY ENDURES FOREVERRR OH HOW WE JAMMED TO THIS AT CONFERENCEoh god it’s a live version and you can hear the Presbyterian Clap in the crowd

OH MY GOD MUSCLE MEMORY JUST BROUGHT BACK THE DANCE THAT WE HAD AT CONFERENCE OH MY GOD I COMPLETELY FOR GOT ABOUT THIS

i wish it brought back more than just the bridge before the chorus lmfao

alright skipping the rest of this because oh boy is it repetitive

STRONGER BY MANDISAAAA i forgot about this one omg. i loved this one, it used to be my Uplifting Song

Got another tobyMac and just skipped it jfkdsl

OH GOD’S NOT DEAD BY NEWSBOYS the movie was a lot of christians-are-oppressed propaganda but the song is pretty good still, i catch myself singing it sometimes still tbh

TRADING MY SORROWS?!?!?!?!? TRADING MY SHAME???!!!!! LAYING THEM DOWN FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? A BOOOOP

this was another one we had a dance for!!!! i remember this one more bc it was so much easier lmfao

HAPPY DAY!!!!!! THIS WAS MY FAVORITE ONE TO SING AT THE BIG MORNING AND EVENING MEETINGS AT CONFERENCE!!!!!! but this version is so slooooow but i couldn’t find any other version

....You Have Me. The song I always said that, when I die and go to Heaven, I’m going to find God and dance with Them to this song. Maybe, if They’re up there, we still will. This song gave me so much comfort in a time when I felt so alone.

I hope They aren’t mad at me for abandoning them. I hope They understand why I stopped going to church and listening to my parents about Them. That I remember who They truly are supposed to be, and that it’s not Them I left, but the church, and I struggled to disconnect the two. If They’re real... I hope they know that. And I hope They aren’t upset with me. I hope They know I’m sorry.

Fuck. I’m crying.

They DO still me. They DO still have my heart. But it’s the people that pretend to know Them that ruined me. I need to find a way to sever the connection. I want my best friend back. I miss Them. I miss being able to talk to Them about things and trust that They’ll take care of things and take care of *me* because They love me, no matter what my parents say, and They know who I am and They don’t love me despite that, but because of it.

THAT’S what I was taught. THAT’S the God I worshipped. Not the fake one the White Supremacists have taken hold of and ruined. The God that gave up Their only son to prove to us that They love us.

I don’t understand a lot about religion anymore. But I miss Them. I miss that comfort and love.

Fuck. Maybe that’s a good place to end this. If you made it this far, congrats! Thanks for coming on this journey with me. It was a long one. You’ve seen a piece of my heart that I’ll probably stamp back into the closet within a couple of hours lol

[amarabliss]

Oaths and Hearts - 12 (Ignis Scientia/REader)

So this is a crossover between FFXV and Dragon Age Inquisition.

You fell through a rift into the fade fighting the demons you swore to protect your world from. When you popped out you were no longer in the lands of Ferelden instead trapped in Insomnia. The gracious king allowed you to say recognizing power when he saw it. One thing led to another and now you were part of the procession of the prince to his wedding years later. Before the final battle, after years of fighting, losses, and love…your friend…your king…Noctis has asked you to change it all…

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

Gladio looked across the fire as his friend pushing his food around. Food that he made and was amazing despite being under so much pressure, “Iggy…”

“Yes?” He didn’t even look up at him.

“We’re gonna go home…” Gladio watched him look up finally, “and you’re going to marry that girl.”

Ignis swallowed looking at him for a long time, “I know that.”

“We’re so close, don’t worry.” Noct sat down next to him with his second helping, “Our plan is solid.”

Ignis looked back into the fire, “I know that too.”

“Then what is it?” Prompto spoke after a minute.

“I can’t help but feel that Y/N is distressed…” He told them as he looked back at the plate in his hands.

“So call her.” Gladio told him knowing exactly why he hadn’t yet, “One five-minute call will not hurt anyone…”

“I can’t risk it. We’ve worked too hard these past months to get everything for Noct. We’ve done so much to prepare…” Ignis sighed shaking his head, “We’re too close to finishing this. I trust her…she’ll be fine.”

Gladio stood up throwing his scraps into the fire, “Then we’ll just have hurry it up to get you and Noct home. You both can’t be leaving pretty women like that to fend for themselves.”

“Insomnia seems like a dream…” Noct said quietly before taking a bite.

“Yes it does…it’s good dream though.” Ignis looked at him with a smile, “One we’ll see again and rebuild.”

“Here, here.” Noct smiled at him clinking his cup against Ignis’.

Ignis gave Noct one final smile before pulling out his phone. He stared at the image of you and him that Prompto had kindly taken of the pair. 

They had stopped in Lestallum for the first time. It was close to evening, so everyone had decided sleep was the best option. You wanted to see the view from their room, since yours faced the power plant.

The picture was intimate. Shoulder to shoulder with him, your profiled face was cast beautifully in the setting sun you smiled up at him as he stared down into your eyes. He couldn’t remember what you had said, but it had made him grin. He missed you…

He could only pray to the Six that you were being careful and taking care of yourself and his child. He let out another sigh as he put his phone away going back to his food. He didn’t want you to do everything alone…but what else was he supposed to do? He had a duty to Noct to retrieve the crystal and keep him safe.

But at what cost…

“This is it.” You stared at makeshift camp as Cor pointed to specific areas to be aware of, “It isn’t a whole lot, but it’s as close as we can get without drawing too much attention to ourselves.”

“I see Hunters…do they know what is about to happen?” You frowned hoping Cor hadn’t led anyone here under false pretenses.

“Yes, everyone here wants to see Noct back in Insomnia and on the throne.” Cor nodded helping you down the ramp, “We’ve got Glaives, Crownsguard, Hunters, and volunteers.”

“Volunteers? Really?” You took a deep breath as you felt a wave of kicking.

“People aren’t satisfied with Neif rulers.” Cor watched you carefully, “I would suggest talking to our camp’s doctor, he came from Altissia.”

“I intend to, first I’d like to see what our plan is.” You stepped with him entering the camp. Many people began to stare, something you had gotten use to when you became Inquisitor, but this was different, “I’m not as fragile as everyone thinks.”

“I didn’t say you were fragile, you are simply carrying a potential member of the royal family.” Cor turned to you when you stopped.

Your tone was hushed as you stepped up to him, “How many people know that here?”

“…No one…just me.” He took a step back under your intense gaze, “That may need to change, but it will only include those you consider trustworthy.”

“Fine…” You crossed your arms nodding for him to continue, “But we have to make one thing clear…no one needs to know ever…unless it’s completely necessary, and I mean completely necessary.”

“Understood.” Cor walked over to a tent holding open the flap for you. You stepped inside and had the strangest feeling of déjà vu. A group of individuals stood behind a table looking over a map, “These are our…generals…I suppose.”

They all looked up to you. You recognized the uniforms in front of you, a firm looking man stood as the Glaive, a young woman sported her  City Guard symbol, and as always there was Dave representing the Hunters, “Pleasure to meet you all.”

“This is the one who thinks we can get past an entire legion of soldiers.” The man in the Glaive uniform crossed his arms staring you down.

“Mm…” You stepped forward looking at the map, “More like half a legion…I’m Y/N…you are?”

“Oooooo she’s got you pegged already, Tor…” The young woman smiled at him as he glared. She turned to you with bright eyes, “That’s Artorius, I’m Kori, and from how relaxed Dave here got when you walked in seems like you know him.”

You smiled at her a little, “Yeah I’ve ran a few different things for Dave. Good to see you.”

Dave smiled at you before stepping over giving you a big hug. You tensed a little, “You look beautiful.”

“Oh…uh…thank you.” You patted him on the back a little, “Uh…”

“Sorry…” He pulled away looking you up and down, “Last time I saw you, you were sportin’ hiking boots and a raincoat holding out a dog tag to me…You wear your new state well.”

You could feel yourself tearing up a little, so you quickly stepped to the map, “So what’s our first draft looking like?”

“Are you sure you-”

“Artorius, was it?” You interrupted him setting your jaw as he stood square across from you, “If you were going to say anything that has to do with my pregnancy, I advise you to reconsider…now I’m hoping what you were going ask ‘are you sure you’re qualified?’”

Kori snickered a little as Dave moved back next to her. Cor stepped next to you looking at the map, “Maybe you should tell us a little bit about your experience, I’m sure it would put everyone at ease. One thing is for sure, Tor…Nyx trusted her.”

You watched Tor’s face flicker with a pain you were familiar with. The pain you felt when you knew someone who was never coming back, “…you knew Nyx?”

“Yeah, he took care of me…he was like a brother.” You hand went over your stomach protectively, “He gave up a lot to protect Insomnia…none of this would matter without him.”

Tor looked away wiping a hand over his face before he leaned over the table staring at the map, “We can enter here…by boat…the problem is getting past patrols of Magitek units of all kinds. They will wipe the floor with us before we even get close to the citadel.”

“Well why not create a diversion on the bridge?” You pointed at two points on the map, “Then enter here and here, using smaller forces to hide better and pick off what we can.”

“Because it’s still suicide.” You looked at Cor who crossed his arms, “We have to move as a solid force. The Glaive don’t have their powers.”

“Too bad we can’t just phone the king and get a new contract.” Tor took in deep breath looking at Kori, “We have enough Glaive that we could stand a fighting chance if we had the juice.”

“Why are we here?” You leaned over to Nyx as you both stood in the balconies of the throne room. Most of the Glaive was present with their hoods up, “Not that it’s bad to see you all in your uniforms. You all look very serious.”

“Shh.” Nyx smiled a little getting you fall silent. Finally, he leaned over whispering, “We all bare witness to a new Glaive making his contract with the king.”

“Contract?” You looked at him, “You mean…swearing fealty?”

“No…well yes, but there’s more to it.” He watched three young Galahdians step into the throne room, “We have an arrangement with King Regis, rather the ruling Lucian. We swear to serve him and Insomnia, and in return our people get safe-haven and the powers we use to protect the citizens.”

You stared at him for a long time. Enough that it made him give you a strange look, “What?”

“That doesn’t seem like a fair arrangement. You all are the front line, right? And you’ve taken me to the refugee quarter…” You looked away as the Glaives kneeled in front of the king, “You claim to have so many advancements, but your people are crammed into a small barely habitable location.”

“I didn’t say it was fair.” You looked back to Nyx. His face was solemn as each Glaive pulled out their blade from their belts, “We did what was necessary to save our people. Galahd…wasn’t safe…for hearth and home.”

“Nyx…” You reached over to take his hand. He looked at you as your fingers laced with his. You both stared at one another as Regis read off what was required to accept the power he was bestowing.

Nyx looked away finally unable to keeping his emotions in check, “It…it’s not all that bad. I mean…Like you said…Look pretty hot in my uniform.”

“Oh, right…all looks no brains…” You smirked a little making you both start laughing getting a few glares from the rest of the assembly.

“Shh…we’re being serious.” Nyx whispered at you as he tried not laugh. He looked at you as you squeezed his hand again, “Thank you.”

“For what?” You watched as each Glaive stood up reciting an oath to the king, holding the dagger out in front of themselves.

“For recognizing that this all bullshit…but necessary.” You looked at him as he kept a smile but you could see how much he hated all this, “I mean there’s some killer perks, but…it’s demanded obedience, a leash…and we wear the collar proudly to make sure the rest of our people have a chance to one day go home.”

You stared at him as the next Glaive stepped forward to swear his oath, “We should ditch…”

“What?” He looked at you as you began looking around, “No…we can’t…”

“Blame me…” You smirked backing up slowly pulling him a long, “You have to protect me…and I’m fleeing the ceremony.”

He laughed a little following you out, “I thought I was a bad influence.”

“Everything looks good, this Wedge, has been taking care of you expertly.” You snapped out of it looking at the doctor as he put the ultrasound equipment way, “You have a healthy baby boy on the way.”

“Perfect.” You wiped off your belly before pulling down your shirt, “I’ll be back if I need anything…”

“Ah…wait.” He stood up looking at you with concern, “Just because you’re healthy doesn’t mean you’re not on restrictions.”

“Restrictions?” Your eyebrows raised slightly, “You do know we’re about to retake a city, Dr. Reed?”

“I am fully aware of the reasons we have all gathered here and I’m prepared to treat them when they need help.” He smiled at you as he adjusted his glasses, “But you’re a woman in a very special state that only you can experience. You have been in an extremely stressful situation the past few months and that isn’t helpful to you or your child.”

“My whole life has been frontlines…I’m not stressed. Not doing anything, that stresses me.” You stood up looking at him as you grabbed your jacket, “I know what I can handle…I won’t be marching into the line of fire, but I’m not going to stop helping.”

“I just want you to consider taking a step back.” He stood up tapping the medical chart against his hand, “I can’t make you do anything, but you should rest more then not, and drink plenty of fluids.”

“I’ll take your advisements to heart.” You told him as he walked you out of the one structure located in the center of camp, “I just want to reunite my family…and taking back the city will help with that.”

“I understand.” He nodded a little letting the door shut behind him, “Insomnia is not my home, but it was my mother’s. I have a small connection, but she always said Insomnia was a city of hope. Helping everyone here is my way of keeping her alive.”

You smiled at him as he begged you one more time to take care of yourself before letting you leave. Everyone was here for the same reason. Insomnia was their home, and it was a city of hope like he said. But it wasn’t the city, it was its people that made the hope real. You’d figured that out right away with the help of Ignis and Nyx.

They were the very definition of the people of Insomnia. A high born who was tactical and maneuvered the world of politics to try and assist everyone no matter of station. Then a refugee from another world who never wanted anything but to live out his life in peace, took the leashed power in order to never let someone lose what he lost under his watch.

“Whoa there…” You tensed up feeling someone catch you as you ran into them. You looked at them seeing Artorius giving you a small smile as the busy camp moved around you both, “You alright?”

“Yes…sorry…I was…somewhere else.” You swallowed as he let go and the sound of the chattering camp came back to volume.

“Not a problem. Just be careful walking around here. Not everyone is trained and there are a lot of pointy objects.” He smirked as you laughed a little, “I joke, but seriously…take care. If Nyx was your like your brother, he’d figure out how to come back and kick my ass.”

You watched him turn away from you as the question began bubbling up, “Artorius…”

“Tor…” He turned to you again, “Artorius is just too much…and don’t start on how there’s already a Cor…believe me been down that road too many times already.”

“Right…Um…” You stepped close to him glancing around a little, “How much do you know about Glaive contracts?”

His eyes narrowed on you, “Uh…a little…why?”

You cleared your throat as you crossed your arms over your chest, “I…have a theory…but I need to know what is required in order for the contract to work.”

He seemed hesitant, but finally looked around a little before holding up three fingers counting down, “Okay…three things…a person who can wield magic, be on Insomnia soil, and a member of the Lucian line to contract with.”

“Right…so any member could really lend their abilities, as long as the contract is worded correctly?” You glanced up at him, “Even a child?”

“I…suppose…as long as they have a direct tie to the crystal.” He looked at you concerned as he shifted on his feet, “What is this about?”

You looked around for a moment seeing too many people around, “Find Cor…meet me in my tent when you do.”

“Y/N…Y/N!” You didn’t look back as he called after you as you strode off. You had to take a few moments to really think about what you were about to suggest.

You paced back and forth when you reached your tent. Would it be possible? Would it be worth it? How could you present this without letting everyone know about Ignis’ lineage…Would it hurt your son?

What about Ignis?

“Y/N…” You turned looking at a worried Cor entering your tent. He looked you over from head to toe, “What’s wrong? Tor came to me…” “Nothing is wrong.” You shook your head raising your hands to try and calm him down, “I’m fine…everything is fine.”

Cor looked back to Tor, “Then what is going on?”

“Don’t look at me…she’s the one who told me to come get you.” Tor shook his head pointing at you.

They both looked at you expectantly. You took in a shuttered breath before you spoke, “I think…I think I know how to get the Glaive their powers.”

Tor stood up straight as Cor took a step close to you realizing what you were implying as he whispered, “…Y/N…you cross this line there is no going back…”

“That’s why he’s here.” You stared into his eyes for a moment, “We need them…it may be the only way to win…”

“What is going on?” Tor stared at you both as you stepped from behind Cor.

“I can’t tell you how it all works…truth is I hope it doesn’t work because it would be a lot more of burden if everything is true.” You stepped toward him putting a hand on your stomach when you felt a kick, “But my son has Lucian blood…”

Tor stared at you before looking down to your belly, “…that’s…if…who?”

“Wrong question…is it a chance?” You stood in front of him as his eyes met yours again as it all clicked into place what you were suggesting, “Do you think it’s possible that it could work?”

Tor stood there for a long heavy pause before taking a deep breath, “There’s only one way to find out.”

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Talking about climate change, energy and conservation is tough. The science can seem complex. So people need to communicate information clearly. Even when they do that, their audience does not always listen. Biases, attitudes and experiences can color their perceptions. Even when people do listen, they may not believe what they hear or want to make changes in their own lives.

Shahzeen Attari studies how people respond to information about climate change. As a scientist at Indiana University Bloomington, she also explores other aspects of how people choose to use energy, water and other resources. Her work is interdisciplinary research. In her case, it involves multiple fields of psychology, engineering and environmental science.

Attari was born in Mumbai, India. She grew up, however, in Dubai. It is part of the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East. She came to the United States as a college student and has lived there since then. In this interview, Attari shares her experiences and advice with Science News for Students. (This interview has been edited for content and readability.)

What inspired you to pursue your career?

Growing up in Dubai, I saw how a desert was quickly transformed into a metropolis, or major city. This happened over a very short time span of about 10 years. So I realized growing up that humans have a very strong and direct impact that can transform nature.

In college, I volunteered for the Nature Conservancy during one spring break. I realized the natural environment is beautiful and magical. I wanted to understand how to protect nature.

I also worked in interdisciplinary science labs in college. They basically combine different fields of research to answer questions that sit in the middle of those fields. That gave me a thirst and love for interdisciplinary research.

All these things changed the way I thought about problems. Since then, I’ve been working systematically, trying to understand how people think about climate change and the actions needed to address the problem. And I want to know how we can effectively communicate with people about those topics.

How did you get where you are today?

I studied physics and math in my college engineering program. That was at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In graduate school I studied engineering and public policy and civil and environmental engineering. I went to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa. For my PhD thesis, I studied how people perceive how much energy and water their appliances use.

There have been challenges. In general, people at universities have preferred research that fits into clean, distinct buckets. My research just does not do that. So, I have had to look for places that nurture interdisciplinary research. And it’s hard to work in multiple fields. You have to learn about and gather all the expertise across those fields. Then you need to use that knowledge to solve a problem. That has been really challenging.

Also, women and people of color at universities can experience sexism and racism, based on who we are. But I’ve been blessed with amazing mentors and institutions that nurture diversity.

At times, I felt I had to be very careful about what I did. Dubai is not a completely free state. (Some people in the United Arab Emirates have been arrested for criticizing the government, for example. And women have fewer legal privileges than men.) And in the United States, I was an immigrant. I didn’t have citizenship rights until I finally became a citizen, last December. By then I had lived in the United States for about 20 years.

Now, there’s this freeing sense of becoming more of a scientist and an activist at the same time. There are some scientists who just want to be scientists. I think that needs to change. More scientists need to play a role in communicating with the public and policy makers. We need this most of all in areas like climate change.

This scientist wants to motivate you to fight climate change

[bridgetlynn]

Goodnight & Goodluck

So I don’t know who reads these anymore - when I actually pop up and post something. Especially since I don’t do the usual tumblr “thing” and just re-blog pictures. But sometimes I just need to write something down and say it “outloud”, as it were. So really, it’s my own thoughts, for my own piece of mind, in an attempt to remind myself what should be.

It’s May 31st 2020. At least, technically, since it’s 3:20am as I start to write this. 

America’s burning. In the year of two-thousand-twenty. Think about that.

Then ask yourself why. 

(Newsflash - not covid)

If you had to either think too long about it - or don’t understand - then you’ll never get it. If you don’t think there’s even an iota of justification to that level of rage and terror and sadness then you’ll really never get it.

And I feel sorry for you. 

If you can answer those questions truthfully and turn a blind eye? Then I’m disgusted with you. 

If you’ve ever screamed all lives matter - especially right now - just don’t ever bother talking to me. ‘Cause you’re an oblivious moron.

Because there’s a simple fact at play - right now and always -

Black. Lives. Matter.

Maybe it’s ‘cause of where I grew up. Maybe it’s ‘cause of how I was raised.  

We see it year after year after year after year...and it doesn’t stop. And I can’t wrap my head around it. 

I grew up on Long Island - which everyone automatically thinks means I was a wealthy, privledged white girl from the suburbs. 

And I agree - I was a privledged white girl from the suburbs...wealthy not so much. I grew up in a mostly white town - but due to the way parts of Long Island are structured and zoned I also simultaneously grew up in a fairly diverse overall community. 

The way my family raised me was simple - a person is a person. That’s it. You treat a human being with respect and dignity and equality until they show you that they (singular to that specific individual) do not deserve it. Doesn’t matter if they’re white, black, asian, hispanic....you get the point. (and yes, that included LGBTQ+ as well) I’m just not built to think any other way.

I genuinely didn’t realize there was any other way of thinking until I got to high school. As far as I was concerned before high school - everyone was different and that was what made us beautiful. That’s what made it amazing to live here in the United States. 

My Irish heritage family. My best friend’s Nigerian heritage family. Various other friends of differing backgrounds who lived in our area. These were just the people we associated with because they were our neighbors and friends and co-workers and school mates. They lived their lives alongside us and they good people. That’s all anyone in my family ever needed to know.

Then high school came - and suddenly I was in a private catholic school (our public school wasn’t great) and I was weird. I was a poor, scholarship kid who “didn’t belong” because I didn’t have a lot of money. That I shrugged off. That I had been exposed to my whole life. Hell, I had expected it.

What I couldn’t understand was....if I didn’t belong because I didn’t have money....then why did the senior boy whose parents were both surgeons, drove a Jaguar to school and had a country club membership get treated like even more of a pariah then I did? Literally, possibly the wealthiest kid in the school at the time.

Maybe it was stupid of me at 14 to NOT have realized it - hell, maybe I was lucky to have not been exposed to it - but my african-american best friend’s mother had to sit me down and explain how genuinely shitty most people are. It wasn’t just on tv. It wasn’t just in history books. It was everywhere. Including what I thought was our nice little neighborhood. 

Apparently, my family, was the outlier. And I never realized that.

Then she told me she loved me like I was her own and sent me to do my homework. 

And I’m glad she was the one who told me - ‘cause my parents didn’t “get it”. 

Not really. They didn’t get it - not ‘cause they didn’t see it. Or know about it. Or hate it. But because they were physically incapable of living that experience. And they understood that. I know it’s the same for me. But I hate it now more then I hated it then. 

Years ago it was a child-like misunderstood hatred fueled by the idea that anyone would think my best friend - or any other person - was bad or wrong for how they looked. That they would dislike someone and use that as a reason. Now it’s an adult hatred that stems from a more fully lived life that brought about the understanding that it’s far more then dislike. Seeing friends looked at side-eyed for being in a store...seeing boyfriends get questioned about what they were doing with me in their car...seeing people murdered by the very people who are supposed to be protecting everyone.

And make no mistake - it’s murder in every sense of the word.

The systemic violence in policing has been getting progressively worse throughout my lifetime. Throughout my parents lifetimes. My grandparents. 

And it has to stop. It has to be stopped.

The ingrained, brainwashed, predjudice that gets drilled into them through a testosterone, rage, fueled culture of “us vs them” has to be crushed into to the dirt and rebuilt into something that can be relied on. 

Now, I haven’t seen my friend’s family in years. Jaycee’s parents moved when we graduated from different colleges. She got married. Kids came. People grow older and lose touch. It happens in life to everyone. Doesn’t mean they ever forget the people who helped to shape them into the adults they would become

Needless to say I’ve been thinking about them a lot lately. Not because “those are my black friends” (as some people like to point to for themselves as examples of how they aren’t racist) but because without them I sometimes wonder how I could have turned out. 

Without them in my life would it have been possible for my happy-go-lucky everyone is awesome childhood to be perverted throughout high school and college into me giving someone the side-eye because they were (allegedly) different then me?

I’d like to think the answer to that is a resounding no. But as I said earlier - our experiences and the people around us shape who we are. And if we avoid people who are (according to some) different then us? 

Then we never realize that they aren’t. Not where it counts.

And, if you were wondering - the answer to my question at the top. Why is America burning in 2020?

Because we got complacent. We stopped helping. We stopped seeing people for who they actually are; rather then our first glance. 

America is burning because white American’s let it get dragged there over years and years of injustice until it didn’t have anywhere else to go but up in flames. 

And I despise Trump - but he’s not the main problem. ‘Cause, he’s definitely a massive problem. But in this case - he’s a symptom of the problem. 

If racism, bigotry and hatred didn’t exist in our overall society then he wouldn’t be our President. Hell, if those things didn’t exist then he wouldn’t have even been allowed near the Republican Nomination - let alone the Oval Office. 

And, so tonight, when I would much rather be in the city - standing shoulder to shoulder with people I don’t know - but still love and support and admire - I’m writing this as my stand because of the damned virus. I’m stuck at home breathing through bronchitis and hoping it doesn’t get worse with a fever of 101.6 (which might have contributed to anything here that got stream of consciousness style) rather then off in Brooklyn or Times Square or the Bronx....or anywhere else I could get myself to so I could take a stand as well. Nothing else short of the fact that I can literally not get out of bed right now could have stopped me.

So, yes, this is as close as I could come. Just writing something. Just breathing it out onto the internet to be read or not read. To be absorbed or ignored. Just to be there in some form of spirit.

Because George Floyd Matters. Because Eric Garner Matters. Because Michael Brown and Freddie Gray and Philando Castile Matter. And all the thousands of others who don’t make the nightly news cycle for whatever reason. They all matter.

So all I can leave with is Edward R. Murrow’s classic sign off - with true heartfelt hope to everyone out there this evening - Goodnight and Goodluck.

I wish I could be with you.

[aurora-daily]

A Beautiful Soul

Interview by Katharina Weiß for myp-magazine (August 19th, 2019).

Norwegian music artist Aurora jumped out of a natural fairytale into our urban world to spread her message of connectedness and love—in a unique and utterly beautiful way.

When Norwegian music artist Aurora Aksnes published her debut album, “All My Demons Greeting Me As Friends,” in 2016, the success was kind of overwhelming. From one day to another, her music has caught the eye of outsiders, light beings, nonbinary people and even mainstream audiences. The result: endless tours and TV appearances.

More noteworthy, however, are the encounters with her fans, who entrust everything to Aurora, bring her gifts wherever she is—from mobile phones to dead insects. In no time, she has been gathering “warriors and weirdos” around her and became a projection screen for so much.

With her third album, “A Different Kind Of Human – Step 2,” Aurora wants to empower every listener for the world we’re living in. Compared to her second record, “Infections Of A Different Kind – Step 1,” the sound became louder, more demanding, and more upright. While the melodies seem more carefree and pleasing, Aurora’s lyrics couldn’t be more pointed: She precisely describes us, our soul life and the way we treat ourselves.

Consuming that album is no less than looking in a mirror while being fully embraced. And meeting Aurora personally is an unusual experience: Her voice is as soft as a mountain spring and her sentences are as light as a natural drug trip. Let’s immerse in the thoughts of this beautiful soul!

"Humans are so diverse, but the world has forgotten that we have to embrace more than one kind.”

Katharina: In the past, you stated that your songs are “more a story of the world’s experiences”—rather than your own. What feelings are attached to that quote?

Aurora: It’s a very emotional world. But it’s not really made for humans like us, for quiet people and weird people. Humans are so diverse, but the world has forgotten that we have to embrace more than one kind. My musical world wants to be a safe place for people where everything is allowed, where you can just exist and be accepted.

“I feel that my followers and I are very equal and full of light.”

Katharina: You have a very strong community of passionate listeners who bring up a lot of personal stories in their comments and posts regarding you. How have you created this followership of “weirdos and warriors?”

Aurora: I did not create anything. It just happened. They did it themselves. I don’t know how we became so many. But now we are this big army of love. I think I try to speak to all of them at the same time and I meet many of them in person. And at my shows, I actually feel them emotionally through their energy. I try to signal them that I want every single one of them to be here with me for experiencing this exact moment, as perfect as it is. I think they know that I appreciate them. It’s magical: We have a very loving relationship. They understand when I am tired, and they respect it. I feel that my followers and I are very equal and full of light.

“It is easier to love yourself when you realize how important you are—and that you have a lot to do in this world.”

Katharina: We always read about people telling us to love ourselves, now it‘s you—but how can we deal with it when we’re failing that task?

Aurora: Failing is good. To embrace that is a very good approach for falling in love with the people around you as well: We are all kind of failures in the process of learning to love ourselves the way we really are. And this unites us. If you just imagine being old and lying on your deathbed, having spent your whole life trying to love yourself—that’s a bit sad, isn’t it? A human life is quite long these days and we have a lot of time to learn about. What can we change and what can we not change? But the most important thing is to learn acceptance. If you are not the way you hoped to be, you are the way you are anyway—don’t waste your valuable energy, spend it on beautiful things! It is easier to love yourself when you realize how important you are—and that you have a lot to do in this world.

"I am very excited for humankind to make itself proud again."

Katharina: You draw major inspiration from nature, so it is no wonder that you also speak up against environmental cruelty. Would you consider yourself an environmental activist?

Aurora: Absolutely. It is the responsibility of all of us to fix what the people before us have damaged—because they did not know what we know now. We have claimed that we are the most intelligent species on the planet. So it’s about time that we act that way. I am very excited for humankind to make itself proud again.

"If you have love in you, you need to share it.”

Katharina: You sound very passionate now. What else makes you so passionate?

Aurora: I am a very thirsty person. Among the many things that make me passionate, making music is the biggest one. When I am in this process, it feels like making love with something divine. Another important topic: respect. To treat all living things equal. No matter of gender or species. And of course: love. If you have love in you, you need to share it. And you should be allowed and proud to do so. We wasted so many years on establishing that only same-sex love is ok. But this worldview will lose in the end.

“When I was little, I was very inwards. I noticed people’s pain and when they tried to hide stories and vulnerability.”

Katharina: How can we imagine your upbringing? Was your environment always so politically aware?

Aurora: When I was little, I was very inwards. I noticed people’s pain and when they tried to hide stories and vulnerability. And I was always interested in the most intimate and personal emotions, especially my own. But I started looking outwards just after I finished my first album, “All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend.” That was when I realized how big the world is. And that there is so much to support. There are issues beyond self-care that we have to fight for. And we have to hold on to our victories. Because some time a man or woman will gain power again and use it to make love and self-empowerment illegal again.

“Growing up in the forest makes you a philosopher."

Katharina: Very true. But back to the first part of the question: How did your childhood look like?

Aurora: I grew up in a very small town. I lived in a fjord. When you translate it, it is called “the fjord of light.” Sounds like a fairytale place, I know. I grew up there with my two sisters and my mum and dad. And we had many cats, they were all grey. We moved there when I was three and for me, it was a true gift. For my older sisters, it must have been a really difficult experience to change all their surroundings, but for me, it was just beautiful. Your eyes can linger and travel over the sea and the mountains when you look out of the window. And behind the house, there was a big forest. I used to play there every day until a big bell next to the house was rang by my parents to tell me that diner was ready. Growing up in the forest makes you a philosopher.

Katharina: Let’s take the time for a philosophical game then. All my next questions are about “last times” in your life. First question: When was the last time you got surprised?

Aurora: I did get surprised when we landed in Oslo recently. It was about packing your suitcase. I opened it and realized: I just packed things that looked good, colorwise. But when I unpacked it, I recognized that I have nothing useful with me. So I had to buy some new panties.

“One night I wrote a song in my dreams.”

Katharina: When was the last time you remembered a dream very well?

Aurora: This morning. I used to have a dream journal and I remember my dreams very well. One night I wrote a song in my dreams. It was the title track from my album “Infections Of A Different Kind – Step 1.” I woke up in the middle of the night and went down to my piano. I pushed the record button on my phone and played the melody. And then I went to bed again.

Katharina: When was the last time you experienced pleasure?

Aurora: This morning. When I masturbated in the hotel room.

Katharina: When was the last time you had to say goodbye to someone—or something?

Aurora: I am often traveling with my sisters. One of them is in town with me right now, but we had to say goodbye to the other one two days ago. It is always sad, even though we are only separated for a little while.

“My supporters are really attracted to me because they resonate with what I say.”

Katharina: When was the last time a listener of your music—I don’t like the word fan—really touched you?

Aurora: I feel this way too, fan sounds so cocky. I have a big issue with it. It is not a fair word to these amazing people. Maybe we can use supporter instead? My supporters are really attracted to me because they resonate with what I say. We are similar people in some ways. Many of them are extremely artistic. Sometimes when I meet a person, they are too excited to talk to me. They can’t say anything. We all know that struggle. But they give me their letters and their words are so poetic and creative. And often I am taken aback when reading it, just thinking: What a beautiful soul!

[tlatollotl]

Ángel González López reconstructs an empire from fragments of stone sculpture

Ángel González López, a PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of California, Riverside, is a junior fellow in Pre-Columbian Studies. His recent research report, “The Production of New Political Speech: Unpacking the Stone Sculptures Archive from Tenochtitlan,” showed how 2,387 (and counting) stone sculptures he documented reveal political goals of the Aztec-Mexica empire.  

Q&A with Ángel González López

How did you launch this ambitious documentation project, and what are your goals?

As an undergrad, I started working in the storeroom of the Templo Mayor Museum—the main temple of Tenochtitlan, which was the imperial capital of the Aztec-Mexica empire. And I found literally a mountain of stones, all fragmented. It was complete chaos.

So I started to document this collection. But then I realized that I wanted more to form a representative sample of Aztec-Mexica stone monuments than these 152 pieces. The project started as a hobby when I finished work at 3 p.m. in Mexico. Okay, I have the rest of the afternoon, what should I do? Drink a beer or go to the museum? I love museums. So I started photographing and recording information in the Templo Mayor Museum, the National Museum of Anthropology, then the next museum, and at some point I finished all the museums in Mexico City that held sculptures. I started to explore salvage archaeology in storerooms and archives. When I moved to grad school at UC Riverside, I explored Aztec-Mexica collections in California, also in Berlin, in London, in Paris—in total, 80 museums in Mexico, the Unites States, and Europe. So far I’ve documented 2,387 stone sculptures.

The Aztec-Mexica empire had a life of 91 years, but in this period the changes happened so fast and the forms that appear in stone sculpture are so different, there must be associated social changes. The final goal of my project is to establish a chronological sequence of changes in Aztec-Mexica stone sculptures, to understand how these transformations occurred in iconography and also in the imaginary. I use a constellation methodology of organizing these sculptures, with two important components: space and time. I look for the relationship between forms and how forms change over time.

How does the constellation methodology help you better understand Aztec-Mexica political messages and intentions?

For example, in Tenochtitlan, archaeologists have found many violent acts depicted on basalt—human sacrifices, human skulls, decapitation. The most common image in stone sculptures from the city is a skull. Why is this form ubiquitous among the archaeological discoveries at Tenochtitlan? To find the answer, I had to connect these figures to the broader context. Maybe three years ago, an archaeologist from Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) found hundreds and hundreds of decapitated human beings in Tenochtitlan—contemporaneous to the set of stone skulls discovered in Building B. So to me it seems the sculptures were an attempt to reproduce these sacrifices to the public, but on stone.

The intention for Aztec-Mexica sculptures—some of which were massive—was at times public display, to share certain ideas with certain people. In this sense, they are trying to create an identity, a national identity for Mexica people.  

One of the clearest examples is the promotion of agriculture. Among the first movements of the Aztec-Mexica empire was conquering the southern part of the Basin of Mexico and transforming the swamps into gardens (chinampas, small plots of cultivated land). Almost overnight, these newly-fertile lands allowing for agriculture created a considerable amount of wealth that reinforced the formation of states and class. I’m investigating the presence of sculptures of the rain god Tlāloc in the entire Basin as a response to this imperialistic agenda. Why? Because it’s a rain god, the patron of agriculture. And contemporaneously, other supernatural beings appear in sculptures for the first time in this area—for instance, the goddess of corn, Chicomecōātl. I think by analyzing this constellation of symbols, I can understand the correlation between the emergence of the Aztec-Mexica empire and the transformation of swamps into fertile lands.

What resources have you consulted here at Dumbarton Oaks?

Dumbarton Oaks has the best library in the world. You ask, and they have everything. I need this catalogue from 1973, it’s there. If I need a rare codex, it’s there. This is an academic paradise. And the Museum has maybe one of the most beautiful serpents, one of my favorites. The green stone fire serpent, or Xiuhcōatl. That’s pure imperial—it would have required a lot of wealth and a good sculptor to commission this kind of piece. And the mask in the Museum is amazing, one of the finest Aztec-Mexica works ever.

Previous researchers focused on museum objects like these—single pieces of high aesthetic quality. But they are not abiding by what I think is the diversity of the corpus, because only half the archive of known Aztec-Mexica sculpture is published. That’s why I’m putting this project online. I think the most important thing is to share information. In this intellectual tradition, and in other fields too, specific people create knowledge, but for various reasons they share this information only with small groups. To me, that’s nonsense. My goal is to share with people interested in art, in archaeology, in history, in iconography.

Julia Ostmann is Postgraduate Writing and Reporting Fellow at Dumbarton Oaks. Photo by Elizabeth Muñoz Huber, Postgraduate Digital Media Fellow.

[jackpjapics]

Self Portraiture - Who am I? - Research:

1. Richard Avedon

Born on 15th May 1923, Avedon grew up to influence America’s influence on beauty, style and culture. Throughout Avedon’s 81 years of life he worked as a photographer exploring fashion and self portraiture stating that ‘My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph.’

I found this image inspiring due to the insight that it gives on Richard’s life. The image encapsulates into Avedon’s life and daily routine - working in a studio. Additionally, the image above captures his style of photography and his own personality. Personally, I am also drawn to this image becuase of it’s composition, the foreground of the image (Richard) is very clear in creating a focal point in the image with the background being appealing but not distracting from the focal point. Lastly, I love the balance of contrast in colour, it is simple to separate the two subjects in the image due to the greys and whites.

2. Robert Mapplethorpe

One of my personal favourite photographers is Robert Mapplethorpe. An American photographer, Mapplethorpe explored black and white photography exploring male and female nudity, self portraiture and floral still life. His photography grew popular through the 60′s and 70′s due to the controversy of the images he was producing. His erotic work proved too harsh and disrespectful to many.  In his later life, Mapplethrope worked on still life often shooting still life of flowers before passing away due to HIV/Aids complications in the late 80′s.

I love these shots from Mapplethorpe as they really show his diverse, edgy and rebellious character. The images above clearly capture his personality. I selected the first image from Mapplethorpe as I am drawn to how the knife adds to the image to create a sense of danger. It shows that Mapplethrope is not afraid of being rough - a key feature throughout his work. Furthermore, I selected the second image as I really like the posing of Mapplethorpe. Without really seeing his face, we are still able to see that he is clearly frustrated and tired from whatever he is doing. This is due to the exaggerated arched back.  

Finally, I really really like the adaptation of Mapplethorpe’s self portrait that Matt Healy, lead singer of the band ‘The 1975′ created.

3. Jo Spence

The Final Project by Jo Spence was created in 1991 after her diagnosis of leukaemia. The project involved Spence battling with her deteriorating body pysically, mentally and emotionally. She worked up unit her very last days until she tragically passed away in 1992. To help create this project, Spence used props such as doll masks and skulls to create deathly images that reflected her illness taking over her body.

From her series of images, this is the photo that sums up The Final Project perfectly. Above we see the double exposure of Spence and a skull. We can see a simple headshot of a woman who seems saddened, the skull is then placed on top of Spence to emphasise that she is severely ill. To add to this, I chose this image as it provokes sadness, you just can’t help but feel bad for Spence as she is physically seeing her body change and breakdown. The image also shows her bravery in staring death in the face and sharing how documenting her illness can give an insight on what it is like to become terminally ill.

4. Matt Bernstein

Well known as mattxiv on Instgram matt is as a make-up artist and photographer. His work is oriented towards the LGBT+ community and regularly posts about equality in today’s society fighting queer phobia, misogyny and discrimination. 

These 2 images are just a few among some of my favourite work from Matt. One of my favourite aspects of his work that I am really drawn to is how he does not conform to gender binary’ and tackles toxic masculinity throughout his work. The images I selected strike a clear message which the viewer is instantly drawn to. Additionally, I love how Matt does not always share his work through a typical self portrait, much of his work is created on his arms, chest, legs, chine, etc. In my opinion, this is what helps his work stand out more than other photographers.

5. Sorelle Amore

Sorelle Amore is a Australian based travel photographer. Her work consists of self portraits and landscapes. Amore has grown extremely popular on Instagram and youtube with branding herself as the advanced selfie queen.

Personally, Sorelle Amore is one of my favourite photographers. I really like her photography and editing style. The images above are a few of many from a video done on her youtube channel showing how to capture amazing self portraits. I love these images because of how they help tell a story. The moodyness from the black and greens helps develop the warrior like character by creating some mystery (e.g warrior hiding in shadows, hunting...). As well as this, I am drawn to how different the poses are in each shot which provokes a different mood in each image. Finally, I really like these images because of the location. Shooting in the forrest brings out personality in the photographs as we learn more context about the shots.