#and that em and brian are so similar and in another life they could have been a thing

[sophsun1]

Queer as Folk – 3.14: The Election

[griffelkinn]

Letter to a Man

I wish all men would read this letter. I am a woman who is attracted to men. But it seems impossible to find romance and friendship with a man, as much as I wish I could.

This is a letter I wrote to a man I met on Okcupid, and started a friendship with, and then ended the friendship shortly after.

The reason that I ended the friendship was because while we were on a hike, he began talking at length about his feelings that men suffer from oppression and women are privileged. He also emotionally defended incels and misogynists, and said women needed to be kinder to them. He also expressed sympathy toward rapists.

After our hike, we texted, and he continued expressing supportive feelings toward misogynists. And so over text, I said that I felt we should part ways, and shouldn’t hang out anymore. After that, he sent me a letter in the mail, and I wrote him this letter in return.

I wish all men could read this letter...

“Brian,

I didn't want to cause you pain or sadness, the other day. I knew that I probably did, and that made me feel pain myself.

Your letter was very thoughtful, and I was glad to read it. I appreciated the time you took to write it, and your sincerity. I do hope you'll read this letter, and know that it is a very serious and honest outpouring of my feelings. I want you to understand. I know it might seem like a wall of text, but every word of it feels important to tell you.

When I first moved to San Francisco, my very first friend in the whole state was a guy named Roger. We got along really well, and immediately became very close, and had fun together constantly. We cooked, and lay in the park, and got drunk, and joked around, and tried new snacks, and got ice cream on hot days, and even got some acid on the street and tripped together on Halloween to Nightmare Before Christmas. We were super close for months. Then he randomly started passionately ranting about how rape is a very mild crime, and people shouldn't get too bothered if it happens to them, or punished for doing it either. He went on about how rapists were usually molested at some point, and they deserved sympathy. Not to have their lives negatively impacted by getting in trouble for raping someone. Also, that they can't help doing it, like it's a nervous tic. We talked and argued about it for hours. All of those points. Finally I left, because I was shaking with anger and emotion, and he was very passionately defending everything he'd said with no moving at all.

I was especially shaken by his tirade because it was an exact echo of the many tirades the violent psycho I was trapped living with years ago used to go on. All of those points were favorites of his to passionately rant about. That guy had also been my best friend, before I got a place with him (accessible only by his truck), and also before he dropped his carefully-constructed façade of a great person. He also used to rant about how 15-year-old girls are the most appropriate breeding partners for men, and how women's sports are a joke, and how girls are biologically inclined to bear children and take care of them. Also that men are currently generously "allowing their women to become educated". He had been jailed for rape. He was sadistic, in ways I could never describe.

I didn't see my friend Roger anymore after that. All of his weird rapist-support arguments were so similar to the psycho's, and also extremely suggestive of his own tendencies. He did later tell me in a text that he was one of the rapists he was defending.

Later when I was working at Whole Foods, I became really good friends with this guy named Greg, who also worked there. We became instantly great buddies, and did all kinds of stuff together. We went on road trips, went out for pizza regularly, and learned how to make silicone molds and castings together. We were both really into art and painting. We swapped comics, and discovered Stranger Things together. I actually started getting a crush on him, which was a big thing for me. Then one night we were parked in front of my apartment, cause he was dropping me off after we'd spent a whole day having fun around the city and then making molds at his apartment. We didn't even want to say good night, because we wanted to keep hanging out and talking. We started talking about how we were both really happy that we'd become friends. And then he told me that his last best friend and him had parted badly, and he was disappointed. So then, I told him I'd had something similar happen, and I told him about Roger. I told him about the argument me and Roger had had about rape and rapists, and how that had ended the friendship, and how sad it was. And then Greg said "Well, it does make you think..." And I asked what about. And he then launched into a passionate rant feeling sorry for rapists. I think my jaw hung down 3 feet. I was just stunned. He started talking about Brock Turner, the rapist from a few years ago who was all over the news. The one who got barely any jail time, because the judge felt sorry for him and didn't want his life negatively impacted by his raping that girl.

Greg went on and on about how it was terrible that Brock Turner was going to be known as a rapist now, and how sad that was for him. He'd made one tiny little mistake anyone could make, and now he's gonna be thought of badly. He didn't seem aware of the other person involved whose life actually was negatively impacted. I argued all of his ideas about his "tiny mistake", and also how sad it was for him now. I wanted to understand why Greg was saying this stuff. I must be misunderstanding. We talked about it until 4 in the morning in the car, until finally I had to go inside, because clearly there was no misunderstanding.

As soon as I got into my apartment, I cried on my couch. I was so sad, because I liked Greg so much, and this was how he was. I knew our friendship was over. We decided to get together the next night and see if there was really a misunderstanding that maybe we could figure out had happened. At a bar, he told me it's his nature, when he sees a viewpoint that's hard to agree with at first, to try to figure out a way it could be agreed with. He's just really intelligent and quick and enjoys doing that. That was obviously not what was happening.

Before meeting you on Okcupid, I'd met one other guy this year. He told me he'd forced himself sexually on a girl once, and he was sorry for it now.

A friend I met while living in Maine for a while years ago (between CA and FL) was a guy named Doug, I met on Okcupid. He assaulted me.

Another friend I met on Okcupid in that same stay was a guy named Nate. He assaulted me.

I wanted to tell you about Roger and Greg, because they are really what led to my action after our text conversation. When you and me were walking that day, I didn't react much at the time, but I was very unsettled when you mentioned how rapists were usually molested themselves. I've been just confused and frustrated that I very rarely meet a man who doesn't sympathize with rapists or misogynists. It's like 1 in a million. When you said that, I was internally thinking, you probably feel like Roger and Greg. When you said that you like to try to see the side of people who have an extreme viewpoint, and that's why you tried to see the side of misogynists, it sounded exactly like Greg later explaining his rape-sympathizing.

I know I had lots of fun kayaking with you, and playing 7 Days to Die, and talking about tripping, and watching Chappie. The letter you wrote me was really thoughtful, and made me feel how much you care and how much you were focused on self-awareness, which is really awesome.

I told you about Doug and Nate, because I want you to understand why I have so much hesitancy about hanging out. Sadly, since we haven't known each other long, I am strongly affected by the percentage of times I've made a male friend and had them assault me or reveal that they support rapists.

Those examples are not the only times I've been assaulted.

In my opinion, the number-one cause of the extreme amount of rapists, is how much support rapists get. And misogynists. 99.9% men seem to support them. Male rappers and sportsmen remain heroes after assaulting women. Male judges give rapists such light sentencing that it seems less serious than drug crimes or theft. Movies and tv show heroes and "cool" characters are often raping and joking about it. Everywhere, whenever I turn on the tv it seems like.

I remember when I was a kid, and I used to run around town playing with this big group of all the town kids, and we were all friends. I had some really great friends who were boys, who lived around me, and we used to hang out and mess around and we didn't see each other as a different species. We hadn't been brainwashed yet. It makes me deeply sad that that kind of camaraderie between men and women seems like a fantasy now. I hope it's still around.

It's so upsetting to think about that stuff, and I am filled with so much unease when I'm around people who I think might see me as a "woman-creature" that can never be understood or related to. I walk around thinking in the back of my mind that I might have a violent encounter at any given time, and I'm prepared for it mentally. I'm positive there will be more in the future.

I really want you to understand me, because I don't want you to feel bad or upset or hurt or offended. I know that I offended you and hurt you when I said I thought you were a man like those others. All I knew was that you were saying things that they all say, and that it has hurt me deeply to hear those things from friends in the past. It hurt so much that it makes me not want to risk becoming very close when there's any indication that those feelings about rapists and misogynists are part of someone. From your letter it sounds like you also empathize with those who are hurt by misogyny. You feel bad for your misogynist and racist uncle, and for all others. And empathy is a wonderful quality. Empathy is one of the most important things to have. And the most respectable. But I do think the cause of so much misogyny and rape is this overabundance of sympathy for them (and far too little for the people who are actually seriously hurt by them).

I don't want bad feelings between us. I want good feelings. I have good feelings toward you. I am just sad and tired and just... confused and frustrated that I've never met a man who just completely was angry and disgusted with rapists and misogynists, and spoke as passionately about that as they so often speak passionately about sympathizing with them. I don't know what that means for the state of people right now. I don't say this to single you out or to try and make you feel bad. It's just something I've been thinking a lot about, that's got me down. And hearing certain arguments and opinions about that stuff so often makes me feel down. Also, there were other things you said during our hike that made it seem like you were very emotionally into the idea that men have it harder than women. It really seemed like something you think about a lot and feel strongly about. I was walking in a constant state of "What-the?". Maybe that's not true. It just seemed like a continuous vibe.

I hope you understand that I didn't end things with us out of anything personal with you. I really enjoyed most of our times together, and I will remember them with happiness. I hope you make many more beautiful potteries, and have fun and happiness. Empathy is a great thing to have, it's just that those specific sympathies make me very unhappy to be around, in a really big way, now.

-C”

[dailyaudiobible]

12/19/2020 DAB Transcript

Zephaniah 1:1-3:20, Revelation 10:1-11, Psalms 138:1-8, Proverbs 30:11-14

Today is the 19th day of December welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it's great to be here with you as we close another week down together and take the next step forward. And as has been the custom lately, like we’re reading a book a day and we’ll be doing that today. We’ll read an entire book in the Old Testament.

Introduction to the book of Zephaniah:

This is the ninth of the minor prophets and its name is Zephaniah. And it's similar to some of the other minor prophets in that we don't know much about who Zephaniah was. The only clues within the text is that the message from Zephaniah came when Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. And then there's a little bit of lineage. Zephaniah was the son of Cushi the son of Gedaliah the son of Amaria the son of Hezekiah. And that little lineage may actually be a major clue because a lot of times in the Scriptures, a lot of times in antiquity, it's…it's not like an entire multiple generational description. A lot of times when you're talking about somebody or just saying, “this person who is the son of this man.” For example, my son's name is Ezekiel and if he were introducing himself, he’s a little guy so he wouldn’t be doing that, but if he were…he’d be…in antiquity he’d be saying, “I'm Ezekiel bar Brian”, right? The son of Brian. He wouldn't necessarily continue that lineage back to his great-great-grandfather unless his great-great-grandfather were significant. And in this case, it's possible that Zephaniah was a descendent of the reforming king Hezekiah, which would explain how Zephaniah was aware of his surroundings and literate and also why, perhaps is prophetic utterances would be preserved. Obviously, credibility comes if you're an ancestor of a king. The name Zephaniah means “God has hidden.” And the text states that the message was given during the reign of Josiah. So, that would put him somewhere in the middle of the 600s B.C., or thereabouts, which would make him contemporary with other prophets that are famous and biblical like Jeremiah. A lot of textual scholars believe that Zephaniah had to be familiar with at least the writings of the prophet Isaiah because there's a similarity in the language and the tone. And we have read a number…like we’ve been reading prophecies for months now. And, so, we understand that a lot of times and most of the time prophecies are targeted very specific to a very specific people for very specific reasons. Zephaniah’s a little different there, because he's…he's essentially prophesying judgment on the whole known world, including Judah, including the Hebrew people. And, so, we come across a term that we have seen elsewhere, “the day of the Lord.” and that is the theme in Zephaniah. And, of course, we’re reading the book of Revelation as well. So, this “day of the Lord” this kind of final judgment sort of idea is ever present in front of us as we continue forward. But we should understand what God wants…wanted and wants to get rid of because it's not people that He wants to destroy. It’s evil that He wants to destroy. And when people want to hold on to their evil…well…then they get what they want. They get to hold onto their evil, but God gets what He wants, and the evil gets eradicated. And, so, the people doom themselves. But as we have learned from biblical prophecy, there is a foretelling of things that…that are to come or that may come if change doesn't occur, if repentance doesn't happen. But then there's the other side of that. What if…what if you do humble yourself? What if you do return to God? And then we hear words of abundant restoration. And Zephaniah is no different. And, so, there are three chapters in Zephaniah. We’re reading from the Good News Translation this week. Zephaniah one through three.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for another week. We are so grateful to You for giving us the gift of Your word, and giving us the gift of each other to move through a year of life together in Your word and community. We are grateful. And, so, as we close down this week we look to the proverb and we identify the kind of people that we don't want to be. There may be people who curse their Fathers and do not show appreciation for their mothers, may that not be said of us, Lord. There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be. May that not be said of us Lord. There are people who think they are so good. How good they think they are. Lord our only goodness, and we declare this and confess it, the only good thing about us is You. You make us good. If we are good, it is because of You. Left to our own devices we know…we know where things go. And, so, may the pride and arrogance spoken of here never be said of us. And there are people who take cruel advantage of the poor and needy, even making a living by taking advantage of the poor and needy. Father the Scriptures over…You have said over and over and over that this has no place in Your kingdom. So, may this never be said of us. And as we close this week down and prepare to move into the next week, Christmas week, we invite Your Holy Spirit to hover and permeate everything that we do and say and think, all of our thoughts, words and deeds. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, and yup, it’s the website, and yup, it’s where you find what's going on around here.

And it's Christmas time around here. And we’re about to go through this weekend and enter Christmas week. Super excited about that.

Next week will be our Christmas party, our annual Christmas...well…it is our virtual Christmas party when we get to hear from each other. Looking forward to that early next week.

Reminding you of the Family Christmas album that is really the soundtrack here around the Global Campfire for the holiday season. You can stream it. Just look for my name, Brian Hardin or Family Christmas and my name and you’ll find it. You can stream it on Spotify, or Apple music or wherever. You can…you can buy it from those places as well. If you want a physical copy, like a physical CD of it, you can get that from the Daily Audio Bible Shop. But adding that into the mix of the Christmas season is…well…I mean it was intended to be kind…just to create the kind of atmosphere that we try to create here every day - serenity, peace, hope, and a relaxing exhale. And, so, check out Family Christmas.

Also, we released last week a Christmas single from Jill my wife, “O Holy Night”, one of the classic Christmas carols of all time. And I mentioned this, I don’t know, the day before yesterday or whatever, when you listen to the words to that song it brings so much context and hope into the holiday season. So, you can stream that at Spotify or Apple music or YouTube music or Google play or wherever. You can also buy it from those places. So, check those out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well and I think you profoundly. There is a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi DAB family this is Dorothy out in California with a small prayer request. I got 39 shot…Botox shots for migraines. And, you know how when you sign a waiver and you never think it’s going to happen? It happens. Aside from all the things that almost…I mean…a lot of the things on the list, the hardest one is that I lost muscle control around my eyes. I have a forehead of a 20-year-old, but I can’t use my eyes. It…it’s…I…it’s actually really hard. I can’t drive. I can only see 1 foot in front of me. Actually, a couple days ago I ate strawberries and anyway I ate slugs in my strawberries. I didn’t see em’. I washed them. I did a good job washing em’ but I didn’t see them. So it’s been…it’s been hard. God assured me before I, you know, before I lost control of both…but God assured me when this started it’s temporary. And I know Botox lasts one or two months but it’s gonna be one or two months of this. And the counter medicine isn’t working. Anyway, I have an appointment with a neurologist on Wednesday. But anyway… so if you could just please pray for me. It’s small, I know, but I love you guys so very very very very much and I love you all. Okay. Thank you. Bye. I appreciate…

Hey, it’s Val in Vegas today’s December 15th. I’m so happy to come to you guys today in the last 15th of the year. We made it guys. Through God’s grace we made it. How this year started for me is absolutely unbelievable, but the real joy and power’s in God’s love and grace for me…for all of us and how I’m finishing it. To say the 2020s has been an unusual and challenging year would be an understatement. I just want you guys to know that I am doing good. I know one thing that’s happened this year for me is I have developed a deeper closer relationship with the Lord, and it has been wonderful. I needed to be closer to him in this quarantine as it’s just me and my little dog that live together and the Lord has really shown up and showed out in my life this year. I just want to say thank you guys for all the prayers and well wishes and thoughts and just love. And please know that I am putting that right back into this DAB world. I absolutely love you guys and if you don’t mind, I’m gonna continue calling in on the 15th of every month. I’ve enjoyed being committed to that and sharing my life with you guys. I love you all so much. You have no idea. So, thank you for holding me up and for loving me and caring for me. Val in Vegas out until January 15, 2021.

Hi Daily Audio Bible family this is All the Treasures in Wyoming with an update. If you all remember months ago, I asked you guys to pray for sweet Emily who had almost lost her life and was in the ICU. She had thrown some blood clots, her kidneys had failed. I mean it was a really urgent prayer request and you guys came through and you prayed. And even more than that God came through and answered those prayers with a yes. And I got to see Emily yesterday and I got to give her a hug. And she said that she is…she sent me this text…she said that she is walking without a cane and that her brain injury is coming along slowly. She’s off dialysis for now because her kidneys are waking up. And then she said, this is all God’s plan. Maybe not mine, but I pray to him morning noon and night. And if you guys also remember we weren’t sure whether or not Emily knew Him, right? So, I just want to encourage you. When I went to see her and I gave her a hug I asked her, I said, Emily did you get the letter that was dropped off to you while you were in the ICU. And she said yes, I did. And she said I kept that letter with me. It was up where I could read it every single day in my ICU room. And when I went to the long term acute care rehab that letter went with me and it was also up in my room where I could read it every day. And it’s one of those things that reminded me that I wasn’t alone and that I could get through it. And in that letter, I reminded her…well…I share the gospel with her and told her who Jesus was but I also told her who you guys all were. I said there are people all over the world praying for you right now. And she said that that helped her get through. But I do know today that she knows the Lord and I just wanted to thank you guys again for praying. God bless you guys. And to God be all the glory

Eyes of the Dove in Sekomane Washington lifting up prayers this morning 5 AM heading to work for Harold in St. Louis and your son. And I heard another father call in and broken for your son. And my goodness it was like a chain reaction. It made me feel broken too. I instantly thought of Brayden and Rylan my children remembering when they were born and their perfect body’s and their perfect little toes, counting their totes. And as you get the report about his foot, every piece, every part of your precious son is so important. Father, I just lift up Harold and his son. Father, I ask that blood would flow. Father that his body would be…would line up in the name of Jesus that that boy’s foot Father would be healed by Your blood. We call him healed Father. I ask for Your peace, Your peace that surpasses our understanding would be upon this family. And we just put on the full armor of God on Harold God as he goes through this…this hardship. There’s so many things going on this year that he’s having to process and now this. And this is no little thing. And we ask for protection of our children Lord Jesus in every way, their minds and their bodies, that nothing would be touched, nothing would be touched in Jesus’ name. Care about you Harold. Coming around you. You’re not alone.

[trashcanmarvelfan]

(Stand-Up) Routines and (Engagement) Rings

Summary: 2 years after the events of IT: Chapter Two, Richie brings Eddie out during one of his stand-up performances in order to ask a Very Important Question.

Warnings: Lots of F-bombs (like seriously there’s 1 for less than every 100 words or something but let’s face it, our gay little balls of sunshine can’t say anything without swearing)

Word Count: 2300-ish.

Author’s Note: The Reddie Fix-it Future Fic no one asked for. :) Enjoy!

CROSS-POSTED ON AO3

Richie Tozier paced back and forth backstage in the theatre at the Venetian  Resort as his manager watched him. “I don’t know if I can do this,” Richie muttered.

“Don’t worry, everything is gonna go smoothly,” Brian replied. “You’ll do great. Here.” He handed Richie a glass of what looked like vodka on the rocks.

Richie took a sip and grimaced. “What the fuck is this?”

“Black cherry Vitamin Water,” Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie’s childhood best friend and boyfriend of two years, replied from behind him. “You need to stay hydrated and get your vitamins in. This is the last stop of your tour, I’m not going to let you get sick right when you get a break to come home.”

Richie grumbled but took another sip as Eddie moved in front of him. The things I do for love, he thought.

He could tell Eddie was scrutinizing his outfit. Richie had chosen dark-washed jeans, a black T-shirt, and an olive green suit jacket for his performance this evening. 

Eddie brushed some imaginary lint off of Richie’s jacket before giving him a quick kiss. “You look great, babe.”

“Thanks,” Richie replied. His pocket buzzed and he pulled his phone out. He had a text from his & Eddie’s friend Ben. We’re here and in our seats.

Thank fuck, Richie thought, sending a quick k in response. He was glad that the rest of the Losers Club had made it to Las Vegas. Tonight was an extra-special performance – Not only was this the final show in Richie’s “Off the Rails” tour, tonight was the night that he would… Well. Richie would think about that when the time came so he wouldn’t make himself even more nervous.

The lights dimmed. “Showtime,” Eddie said, taking Richie’s glass from him and giving him one more brief kiss. “Knock ‘em dead, Rich.”

Richie took one more deep breath as he was announced.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, Richie ‘Trashmouth’ Tozier!

Richie stepped out on stage, waved at the audience, and grabbed the microphone. “What’s up, Las Vegas?” he greeted with a smile. “You guys feeling good?”

He grinned at the audience’s reply of cheers and hoots.

“It’s so fucking great to be here with all of you. At least now I’m not the only drunk one in the room.”

He grinned at the audience’s laughter. Interacting with his audience and making them laugh always helped calm him down, so he hoped tonight would be the same.

He continued through his act until he got to the final bit, where he usually talked about his & Eddie’s relationship.

“Alright, so I’m gonna get serious for a moment. As a lot of you probably know, I came out as gay a few years ago. Turns out all the dick jokes I made over the years were not only because I am a dick, but also because I like dick.”

He paused as the audience laughed. Here comes the surprise. “So yeah, anyway, I’ve been out for a few years now and it’s been nice not having to hide my relationship with my boyfriend. He’s here tonight, actually, you guys want to meet him?”

He turned to the wings. Eddie was staring at him like he’d grown an extra head. What the fuck are you doing, he mouthed.  

Richie grinned and gestured for Eddie to join him onstage. Come on, Eduardo, get your cute ass out here. “Aww, he’s being shy. Come on, babe, it’s ok.” He turned back to the audience. “He might need a little encouragement. Ladies and gentlemen, my boyfriend Eddie.”

The audience burst into applause and cheers. Richie could hear the rest of the Losers in the front row cheering, “WOO, YEAH EDDIE!”

After what seemed like an eternity Eddie finally stumbled onstage, where a stagehand ran out and handed him a mic. Richie suspected that Eddie had actually been pushed onstage, but the important thing was that he was actually out there.

Eddie gave Richie a look that said, you are in so much fucking trouble when we get back to the hotel tonight. “What’s up, fuckwad?” he said instead. 

Richie laughed along with the audience. 

“So yeah, everyone, this charming fellow here is my boyfriend, Eddie,” he explained. “We’ve been together for 2 years now but were best friends growing up, so we’ve known each other most of our lives. Although we did forget each other for 27 years – long-ass story, involves rampant homophobia and an evil demonic clown. And that was just Eddie’s mother.��� 

Richie saw Eddie shoot him an exaggerated glare as the audience laughed. "I kid, I kid,” he continued. “Actually, that title goes to his ex-wife.” He could see Eddie shaking his head at him, but at least there was no heat to it. Thank God Eddie knows most of my act. Richie needed to get through that part without accidentally pissing Eddie off before he got to the reason he brought him out on stage.

“So anyway, yeah, we were best friends growing up, then when we were 13 something changed – for me, anyway.” He chuckled. “I used to joke a lot when we were teenagers about fucking Eddie’s mom, but surprise, the whole time I actually wanted to fuck Eddie. Imagine his relief when he found out that saggy old boobs actually don’t turn me on.

We – along with our four other closest friends – have literally been through hell and back together. Twice, actually.” Richie paused again as the audience laughed some more. “But honestly there’s no one I’d rather have by my side in this insane thing called life than this motherfucker. So –” He broke off and turned towards Eddie, digging in his pocket and pulling out the small square box he had been hiding for the past month. He opened it and got down on one knee as a collective gasp rang throughout the theatre. “Eddie, my love, will you make me the happiest man alive by becoming my husband?”

Eddie, who had gasped and taken a step back when Richie had knelt, started nodding tearfully. “Fuck yes,” he said into his mic, then dropped it as he pulled Richie to his feet and into a kiss, burying his fingers into Richie’s shaggy hair.

(Richie had thought when he and Eddie first officially got together that Eddie would nag him to cut it, but it actually turned out that Eddie really liked both Richie’s hair and the noises Richie would make when Eddie would tug on it. Who knew that his Eddie Spaghetti had a hair-pulling kink?)

The audience went nuts, but Richie didn’t hear any of the noise. All he was focused on was his fiance. Fiance, sweetheart, betrothed, HUSBAND, Richie’s brain supplied helpfully. 

He pulled the ring, which was a simple platinum band, out of the box and slid it onto Eddie’s finger, pulling Eddie into an embrace. “I fucking love you,” he mumbled against Eddie’s neck.

“I fucking love you too,” Eddie replied. “So fucking much.”

Richie gave Eddie another kiss before turning back to the audience. “In case you guys didn’t catch that, he just agreed to put up with my bullshit for the rest of our lives.”

He wrapped an arm around Eddie’s waist. “Now if you guys will excuse us, we’ve got some celebrating to do. Thank you all for being a part of this with me, you’ve been a fucking fantastic audience. Good night!”

He and Eddie walked backstage to thunderous applause, where Bill, Mike, Ben, and Beverly were waiting for them.

“Oh my God, what the fuck are you guys doing here?” Eddie exclaimed. “I thought we weren’t seeing you until Friendsgiving next month.”

“We couldn’t miss our best friends getting engaged, could we?” Mike replied.

Beverly wrapped them both in a hug. “Congratulations, you two!”

“Thanks, Bev,” Richie replied. “Great to see you guys. Thanks for coming.”

Eddie turned to Bill and slugged him on the arm. “You fucker! I just talked to you on Wednesday and you said you were going to Atlanta for a film shoot this weekend.”

Bill just shrugged and patted both of them on the back. “Congrats, guys.”

“Yeah, congrats,” Ben echoed.

“It’s about time one of you put a ring on it,” Mike added.

“Shit, that’s right, your ring.” Richie picked up Eddie’s hand and gently twisted the ring off his finger. “I wanted you to see – I had it engraved on the inside.” He handed the ring to Eddie, who held it up to the light.

R + E

Eddie looked back up at Richie with a smile. “30 years later and you’re still carving our initials into things.” He pulled out his phone. “Hang on just a second.” He sent out a quick text message, then tucked his phone back into his pocket.

Richie grinned before taking the ring and sliding it back onto Eddie’s finger. “You know, this might be personal bias talking but I think platinum looks a lot better on you than gold,” he said, referencing Eddie’s wedding ring from his first marriage. 

Eddie smiled back at him softly. “Yeah you know, I think so too.”

They were interrupted by a stagehand. “Excuse me, Mr. Kaspbrak, here’s your coat that you asked for.”

Richie raised an eyebrow. “Jeez, Eds, are you in that big of a hurry to get back to the hotel to celebrate our engagement? Because you know, the limo is pretty roomy, we could start early.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, digging in the inside pocket of his coat. He pulled something out but kept whatever it was concealed in his hand. He handed Bill his coat. “Here, Bill, would you hold this for a minute? Thanks.”

Eddie took Richie’s hand. “I have something to tell you.”

“Oh my God, are you pregnant?” Richie asked jokingly.

“Jesus, Richie. Just shut the fuck up for a second.” Eddie shook his head fondly. “Anyway, I wanted to show you something as well, something… something I’ve been carrying since the day after my divorce from Myra was finalized.”

He opened his hand to reveal a platinum band very similar to the one currently resting on his finger.

 He handed it to Richie. “Check the inside.”

Richie examined the inside of the ring and caught a glimpse of an engraving. He tilted it to inspect it further.

E + R

His jaw dropped and his eyes flicked back over to Eddie, who was watching him with pure love in his eyes.

Eddie took the ring back. “I was planning on asking you to marry me at Friendsgiving.”

“Yes,” Richie blurted. His brain seemed to had gone offline again.

Eddie laughed. “Well considering you beat me to proposing and we’re now engaged I’d assume that would’ve been your answer, dumbass.”

Suddenly an idea struck Richie. “Hey Eds, since we are in Las Vegas, elopement capital of the world, what do you think about getting hitched tonight?” He gestured at their rings then at the rest of the Losers Club. “I mean we both have rings and the most important people in our lives are already here.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Eddie replied.

Fuck, I guess not. “Well, yeah, but you know what actually, nevermind, it was a stupid fucking idea anyway–”

Eddie was nodding his head. “–Shit, Rich, yes. Fucking YES, I’d marry you right this fucking second if we could make it happen,” Eddie replied.

Richie’s heart swelled with relief. “Well okay then, let’s fucking do this.”

Mike had pulled out his phone and was scrolling through it. “The marriage license bureau is open until midnight,” he read off, “so if you guys want to you can go ahead and apply online for a marriage license on the way there.”

“Ben and I rented an SUV while we’re in town, so we can all ride together if you guys want,” Bev offered.

Richie was already texting Brian so he could get a press release together. “Yeah that sounds great, just give us a minute to grab the rest of our stuff from the green room and cancel the limo that Brian had lined up to take us back to the hotel. Eddie hated it anyway, said it was pretentious.”

“That’s because it is fucking pretentious,” Eddie muttered.

“Ok, Beverly and I will go get the car and meet you guys out back?” Ben asked, taking Bev’s hand and giving it a squeeze. 

“I’ll come with,” Bill said.

“Me too,” Mike added.

Richie nodded. “Ok, we’ll see you guys in a few then.”

He and Eddie headed back to the green room and gathered the rest of their things. 

“That’s everything, right?” Eddie asked him.

Richie looked around. “Uh, yeah, I think so.”

“Ok, good.” Eddie turned towards the door.

“Eds, wait a second,” Richie said quickly.

Eddie turned back towards him. “What is it, Rich?”

Richie bit his lip. “Are you sure you want to go ahead and get married tonight? I don’t want you to feel rushed into anything just because everyone’s here.”

Eddie shook his head. “Yeah, I’m sure. We wasted so much time dancing around our feelings as kids, I spent the next 27 years feeling like half of myself was missing and not knowing why, then when we reconnected I was almost impaled by a fucking monster clown-spider, so yeah. I’m not putting anything else with our relationship off in case some other crazy shit goes down.” He smirked. “Besides, I want to spend the rest of my life annoying the shit out of my husband and the sooner I can do that the better.”

Richie grinned. “And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life annoying the shit out of my husband.”

Eddie tugged him towards the door with a wink. “Then we better get going.”

[jawnjendes]

shawn meets... | sapphire

SUMMARY: in the life of a rockstar, shawn mendes comes across some unique people. sometimes, things stray from the norm. (AU, shawn x every one of my oc’s)(continuation/spin off of goth gf)

AN: it REALLY feels like shawnblr is fuckign dead but yknow what its spooky szn so death is acceptable! speaking of spooky, this is another for @fourtristattoos spooky writing fest! i swear im building up to actual spooky stuff pls bear with me oh and theres more smut in this

***let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist

previous chapter

sapphire’s blog | sapphire’s playlist | masterlist

Shawn was quite open to wearing anything these days. He was also open to wearing nothing, but that photoshoot opportunity hasn't come yet, though. But this pastel pink and white suit was a bit much. Actually, the sparkly silver boots were the tackiest part of this getup. Sure, the entire outfit was worth more than all three of his guitars he'd be using during the performance, but he wasn't exactly looking forward to resembling the Had To Do It To 'Em guy when he took off the pink blazer. According to Tiffany, the birthday girl wanted all party entertainers to be in her signature color.

He still hadn't met Sapphire Venus Lilith. This performance was for her, and she hadn't even attended the meetings for it. She was apparently busy with an old friend… catching up in her bedroom. For two straight days.

The yard was full of partygoers already. Tables with hot pink clothes were displayed with all sorts of snacks and drinks. Servers were going around tending to guests, all in pink bowties of course. There was also a raised, pink metallic throne in the middle of the yard, surrounded by 2 burly security guards. The throne was right in front of the stage that Shawn was going to perform on, so he wouldn't miss Sapphire in the crowd. Music was already booming through the large speakers, a Little Mix song that reminded him of a different time. The bass was shaking the window Shawn was looking out of.

“Fan of myself, I’m stanning myself I love me so much I put my hands on myself”

Tiffany was fixing the cuffs on Shawn’s blazer. Anna was doing last minute touch ups to his hair, which was slicked back. It was similar to the 2019 Met Gala, but instead of bronze streaks, it was silver glitter that was definitely going to be a bitch to wash out.

“You nervous?” Tiffany asked.

“Excited,” Shawn corrected. “I missed playing shows.”

“We need to get you on tour again.” She smiled.

“Gotta make a record first.”

There was a sudden knock on the door, making all three of them jump. Shawn made eye contact with Tiffany, and they both chuckled at the ridiculous response.

Anna went to answer, since the door was locked. “It’s probably Andrew, wondering if you’re ready.” She opened the door, and let out a surprised, “Hello! Hi, come on in!”

Just by the change in her tone, it was safe to say it wasn't Andrew who had knocked. Shawn turned to see who had come in, and was first met with a powerful flowery scent, followed by a tall, petite woman.

“Make way for the G-O-double D-E-S-S I spare no enemies in this dress Uh huh, uh huh”

This woman was blonde, curled princess locks cascading down her shoulders. On top of her head was the largest and most extra looking sparkling tiara Shawn had ever seen in his life, but it suited her. Her face was soft with pretty pink lips and piercing blue eyes. Her petite body was clad in a tiny top made of soft pink bedazzles and equally tiny shorts of the same color. There was no other way to describe her as anything but beautiful. Knock-the-wind-out-of-me, step-on-me-in-your-white-Louboutins beautiful.

She was followed by Kat, who was the polar opposite, color wise. Tight black dress, long dark hair in a high ponytail. Unlike her employer, she was not smiling, nor giving Shawn any attention. She merely typed on her phone in a professional manner, the same look Andrew would have when he was texting important people.

Shawn couldn’t even think about the potential awkward tension he would have with Kat because he was too busy gaping at the blonde. How was one person so powerful already?

“Hello, I’m Sapphire,” she greeted, holding out her hand.

Something possessed Shawn the moment he touched her soft skin, and he bent down to kiss her hand.

That seemed to please her, because she grinned, showing the tiniest dimple in her cheek. “You’re my little singer tonight, aren’t you?”

“That’s me,” he replied, almost losing his voice by how much it softened. He really couldn’t stop looking into those eyes. “Happy birthday!”

“Oh thanks, love. I can’t wait to see what you’re gonna do for me.” She was still holding his hand, squeezing ever so slightly.

Shawn’s cheeks heated up so goddamn fast. There was something in those worse, something sickly sweet and intoxicating. “I, uh, I think you’ll like it. I hope you do.”

Sapphire was still smiling as she turned to look at Kat. Wordlessly, the assistant went to Tiffany and Anna, chatting them in on the evening’s events. Then, Sapphire took Shawn by the collar of his blazer and stepped closer to him, her glossy lips at his ear.

“If I really love your gig,” she whispered, “I may give you something extra.”

And yeah, his pants got tighter. Good thing he was going to be holding a guitar all night.

Sapphire leaned back, smoothing the area she had been clinging to. “If it’s okay with you, of course.”

He cleared his throat, trying to calm his body. “Uh, no yeah. Yeah. Yes. Very okay.”

“Wonderful, darling! I’ll see you out there. Come along, KitKat!”

With that, she turned on her heel and left the room, Kat in tow.

Shawn immediately plopped down in the nearest chair, starstruck. He’s never seen nor heard of this girl ever in his life, and somehow she managed to turn him into putty within the first few minutes of meeting him.

“You need anything?” Tiffany asked, trying to mask her amusement. “A glass of water? A cold shower perhaps?”

He blushed even more. He’s never been so flustered so fast, let alone from someone he just met.

“Did I say happy birthday to her?” he asked, dazed.

“Yes,” Anna and Tiffany said at the same time.

Then, Brian entered the room, a dopey grin on his face. “Guess who just met the birthday girl!”

“Shawn did,” Tiffany answered.

Brian’s grin vanished. “What? Man, I thought I was the first one! She’s so…”

“Yeah,” Shawn agreed. Then he got up and took his friend to the side. “Dude, she wants to meet up after my set.”

“No way.”

“I swear.”

“Didn’t you just hook up with her assistant?” Brian asked. “You’d think she caught wind of that.”

Shawn didn’t know, nor did he really care. “That’s why I need you to hit up the assistant. I don’t know if she’s hung up on me or anything and I don’t wanna take that chance.”

Brian made a noise between a scoff and a laugh. “Full of ourselves, are we?”

“Please?” Shawn asked, bringing his hands together.

“Well, what if I want Sapphire and not her stuck up assistant?”

This wouldn’t be the first time Shawn asked Brian to distract a former one night stand. But it was the one time Brian wasn’t agreeing to do it. Shawn put his hands down, surprised and mildly annoyed.

“Kat’s not stuck up, trust me,” he said. “And… Sapphire said she wants me. It’s her choice.”

“I’m not taking your leftovers again, man,” Brian said as he folded his arms. “You always get the girl! Let me have something for once!”

Now Shawn was even more annoyed. “Maybe you’d get something too if-”

“If I was a famous popstar? If I was as good as you?”

“Why are you being such a dick?”

Then, Tiffany stepped in, literally. She stood between Shawn and Brian. “Guys, don’t do this. It’s just one girl.”

Brian ignored her. “I’m being a dick because I’m tired of being an extension of you! I’m being a dick because you’ve taken dates from me! You don’t even give a shit about any of them because you can’t get over-”

“Don’t!” Shawn warned, raising his voice.

Brian narrowed his eyes. “You’re not over Annalise Flores!”

“Who?” Tiffany asked, bewildered.

Paralyzed with anger, Shawn glared at the other man. The man who was supposed to be his friend. Why couldn’t he just do him this solid?

“Get out,” he said venomously.

“You know I’m right,” Brian sneered.

“Get the fuck out!” Shawn yelled.

He scoffed as he stormed out. Shawn huffed out a sigh, wanting to punch something.

“What the hell was that?” Anna asked, utterly confused. “Who’s Annalise Flores?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he grumbled. “Can you bring me Jocelyne?”

One quick shoulder rub and a redress later, Shawn’s disgruntled state eased a little bit. It was enough for him to fully focus on the beautiful lady he had to impress.

~

The set went well. It went great, because not long after leaving the stage, Charles the butler found Shawn and led him up to Sapphire’s bedroom. Shawn didn’t get to see much of the party, but that was very, one hundred percent okay.

Most of the mansion's interior was baby pink, but this was an overload. Shawn wandered around the large, pink bedroom as he waited. The walls were made of soft pink felt, and there was a large, sparkling chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The desk against the wall was the same color, along with the laptop and picture frames sat on the surface. The photos in the frames were only of the girl he was waiting for. There was no room for modesty apparently. Shawn was never not going to think of the birthday girl whenever he saw this color.

He went over to the king size bed, draped with the softest velvet covers he's ever felt. The headboard was a metallic pink… with bars. Shawn couldn't deny how exciting that felt. He really couldn't believe someone as breathtakingly attractive as Sapphire could possibly want him.

"Didn't know it was my birthday," he mumbled with a smirk.

"What was that?" a soft, female voice said from behind him.

Shawn jumped as he turned around. There stood the birthday girl, Sapphire, blue eyes wide and expectant.

"Uh, I, I didn't hear you come in," he stammered. Way to keep your cool.

She smiled warmly, fixing the silk robe she was wearing. She was quick to get out of her tight little party outfit, but she still had that sparkly tiara resting on her head. Shawn couldn’t help but notice the perky little nipples poking through the thing material, only adding to the burn in his pants.

Wordlessly, Sapphire moved past Shawn and crawled onto the bed, letting him get a view of her ass. He was about to follow, but her high heel clad foot landed gently on his chest, stopping him.

"Take off your clothes," she ordered, her voice still soft.

Shawn had a feeling he shouldn't challenge her, even though that was something he grew to love and get off on. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he felt his face and chest grow warm; Sapphire's gaze was intimidating, she didn't even blink. She looked at his face, trailing down his body as he removed more of his performance clothes. Her tongue peeked out of the corner of her mouth as she watched him drop his briefs and step out of them. Shawn felt mildly embarrassed that he was already hard, but just looking at Sapphire's pretty features made him this way. She already possessed him without even doing a single thing.

And somehow, he couldn't tell if she wanted to fuck him or eat him.

"Don't be shy," Sapphire told him as she curled her finger to get him to join her.

She moved to the side and patted the center of the mattress. Shawn crawled onto the surface and lied down against the pillows. The velvet sheets felt incredibly soft against his skin, heightening his senses.

Sapphire traced the butterfly tattoo on his bicep. The tip of her manicured fingernail left a tiny trail of fire on Shawn's skin.

"I'm so glad you were able to sing at my party," she told him. "And I'm glad you stayed."

"Me too," Shawn replied, trying to keep his voice steady. "Really, really glad."

"I can tell." She glanced down his body, making him blush.

Shawn really wanted to touch her, feel her, learn what makes her tick. He couldn't wait any longer, and it made him feel incredibly juvenile. He hasn't been so easily wound up since his university days.

"Saph-" he tried to say but a finger went over his lips.

"Shh, I know, baby boy." She leaned in close, her nose touching his ear. "I know what you want." Then she gently cupped his chin and turned his head towards hers. "I just need to know how far you're willing to go."

Shawn could barely hear himself. "As far as you want."

Sapphire's glossy pink lips curved up as she leaned in closer. Shawn closed his eyes, taking in her intoxicating flowery scent, craning his neck in the slightest, and then he felt her lips press the quickest kiss on his cheek.

He didn't even have time to breathe before she was straddling his thighs. Smooth hands went up his torso and rested on his broad shoulders, and she was hovering over him. Shawn lifted his hands to cup her pretty face, but she was much faster than him. Sapphire grabbed his wrists and pinned them down.

"No touching," she told him, her voice still soft and borderline innocent. "Understand?"

Shawn nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.

She cupped his chin once again, her blue eyes piercing his brown ones. "Use your words."

"I understand."

"Good boy." She patted his cheek. Then, she moved down his body, to his hard cock.

Breathing out, Shawn braced himself for what was about to happen. His eyes fluttered shut as a soft, warm tongue ran up the length, and then his whole cock was engulfed by her soft mouth. His immediate instinct was to place his hands in Sapphire's hair, but he had to follow her single rule. But she also had a lot of pretty blonde hair, and it was covering her face. Shawn couldn't see her mouth move on him, and he really wanted to.

Just as he lifted his hand, Sapphire sat up again, taking in a breath. She looked Shawn in the eyes as she wiped the corner of her mouth.

"I know you wanna touch me," she muttered. "But you'll have to prove that you're gonna listen to me."

He nodded rapidly, and then she was going down on him again. Shawn breathed out a soft moan at the feeling, his fingers curling around the silk sheets. It felt amazing, way too good to be real. His toes curled as he felt her mouth suction lightly, tingles spreading all throughout his body. Tiny little whimpers came out of him as the tingles persisted, causing Sapphire's blue eyes to flicker up to him as she pulled off once again.

"You are so cute," she said, reaching up to cup his chin. "Most guys don't like to make little noises like that. Keep it up."

He couldn't stop the sounds even if he tried.

Sapphire sat up and turned her body, straddling Shawn's thighs. She pushed her robe back from the bottom, letting the smooth material spread over her partner's torso. Shawn felt his cock on her ass, and resisted the urge to move his hips up. He had to be good, had to do exactly what she said.

"So, what do you prefer, little one?" she asked, moving her ass back and rubbing against his cock. "I'm on the pill, but I have condoms here if you want that."

"Mm, no condom," he answered a little too quickly, feeling the need for relief.

Her head turned, so he could see her perfectly sculpted eyebrow quirk a little bit. Then, she sat up on her knees, taking hold of the base and swiftly sinking down on it. She let out a little hiss, and remained still in that position.

"You oka-" Shawn almost got out before choking on his words.

Sapphire very quickly recovered and started bouncing on him. For a moment, the only sound was their skin slapping together, until she pinched his thigh.

“Where are my little sounds, little one?” she asked between pants.

Shawn found himself blushing yet again. What was with that nickname? What did that say about what she thought of him? He was about to ask, but he saw the back of Sapphire’s robe fall, exposing her skin. She was naked under that little robe, and she wasn’t letting him see anything. It was a tease, and only drove him further, causing a little moan to bubble past his mouth.

“That’s it,” she praised, leaning forward on her hands so as to get better leverage. She was practically twerking on his cock, making him want to grab the plump cheeks.

Obscene noises of their skin slapping and Shawn's moaning filled up the room. Sapphire was incredibly talented with her hips, keeping the rhythm steady, and she didn't stop or slow down. The coil in Shawn's abdomen was tightening more and more every minute, making his heart race and his breath hitch.

He rested his hands behind his head, eyes squeezed shut from the feeling. Fuel to the fire were Sapphire's first sounds of the evening. Shawn picked his head up and noticed her arm moving rhythmically in front of her, and he immediately knew what she was doing. God, he wanted see that, and she probably knew that too. She probably picked this position on purpose.

Even after a shaky orgasm, Shawn was still thinking about the ways he wanted to take her. All the things he wanted to do with her. His body was weak and sweaty, and he was catching his breath while Sapphire fixed her robe and plopped down next to him.

Like Kat, she still looked well put together, like all she did was go for a casual stroll. Not even sweating or panting. Sapphire did all the work and all she did was dab at her leftover lip gloss with her finger afterwards.

Shawn was a little confused at this. Why was he the only fucked out mess here? He lifted a hand, his fingers gently touching Sapphire's blonde locks to get her attention.

"Was that good for you?" he asked.

She nodded with a smile. "You did everything right, babe." Then, she took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, and she lied her head on his chest. "Hell, I might even keep you here a bit longer than planned."

Whatever the fuck that meant, Shawn didn't really give a shit. Looking down at the beautiful socialite in his arms, he realized he wasn't prepared to leave either. And he certainly wasn't thinking of Brian, or his ex-girlfriend.

next chapter

_______

taglist: @normalcyisoverrated-beyou @justordinaryjen @chillingbythesea @iloveshawnieboi @shawnsunflower @someoneunimportantxx

[joyful-soul-collector]

33/11/11 Tag

Rules: Answer the 11 questions of the person who tagged you, make up 11 questions, then tag 11 people to answer them. 

Thanks for tagging me @azawrites, @tracle0, and @ren-c-leyn! I decided instead of making three separate posts, it’s be easier to just put ‘em all in one spot.

Questions from @azawrites:

1. What makes you get up and write?

Whenever I have time really. If I have free time, you’ll catch me in front of my laptop, tryin’ to figure out a scene

2. Where and how did you get the idea for your wip (or past project)?

For AR, I was inspired by a webcomic called Patrik the Vampire, as well as a lot of tumblr posts about aliens reaction to random human stuff. 

3. What was the first thing you wrote?

I wrote a story about a girl who could make her imaginary friends come to life! She had two, Poofles, a giant grasshopper lookin’ thing, and Robo, a robot with a big feathery plume coming out of his head. Both are actually imaginary friends I had when I was younger. She fought crime with them!

4. Are any of your ocs based on someone you know?

I dunno about based on, but a lot of my OCs have similar traits to me. Jace is definitely the one who is most like me.

5. How long do you plan a project before you start writing it?

I'm not sure. I find that if I plan for too long, I lose interest. I tend to write and then peice a plot together as I go, and then I go back and edit it to the plot that I’ve thought up by the end. I’m not sure that’s the best way to go about it, but that’s what happens lol.  

6. Which books shaped your writing style?

Definitely Ready Player One and Harry Potter. I’d also say a few comics like Saga, Sweet Tooth, and Ultimate Spider-Man also helped. Both helped me develop how I do my characters and worldbuilding, but novels helped me more with the actual style.  

7. What’s your favorite oc quote?

Something Jace says: “Everyone has their own version of everything. Their version of fine, of giving up, of happy, and sad, of angry, and calm, of life in general. It’s just that mine is a little more… specific.”

8. Would you like to work as a writer, or have another career? 

Writing would be fantastic. If I could just write novels for the rest of my life and make good, sustainable money off of that, it would be a dream come true. I’m just not sure how possible that is honestly. 

9. Describe your writing space

We have one of those L shaped couches, and I sit right in the corner. Feels like a nice hug.

10. What are you reading now?

I’m reading the comic Saga, by Brian K Vaughan. Fun Fact: Jace was named after him, though his last name is spelled Vaughn.  

11. What do you do when you’re not writing?

I go to school, take care of my little sisters, and scroll on tumblr endlessly. 

Questions from @tracle0:

1) What’s the first book you remember reading? 

There’s this picture book called There’s A Hole in My Pocket, and that’s a first one I remember. It had little elephants, it was so cute.

2) What’s the first book/story you remember writing? 

I wrote a story about a little girl who could make her imaginary friends come to life!

3) What’s a piece of media (book, series, film, whatever) that you go back to when you’re sad? 

Avatar: The Last Airbender and Ready Player One.

4) Can you draw parallels between your OCs and characters in published fiction? If so, list a few (or all of them I’m not your boss)

I can’t think of any at the moment, though I know I’ve taken inspiration from my favorite books and shows.

5) Think of an OC. Any OC. Now express their general mood in their story in one (1) emoji.

Hazik: 😇

6) What’s a plot point that makes you cackle when you think about it because omg it’s such good writing?

There’s a chapter that’s got lil Jace in it. There’s also one for Hazik, but I like the Jace one better. I call them my Back To The Future chapters. 

7) Have you ever done an Accidental Smart in your writing? If so, what?

I apparently wrote a bunch of stuff while I was hella tired at like five am. I barely remember doing this because I’d stayed up real late the other night too, so I was even more tired that normal. I opened the doc a day later and there was the entire backstory of why Hazik was on Earth.

8) What songs do you associate with your stories? 

AR goes with: Mimir from the God of War 2018 soundtrack (at the more serious moments), To All of You from the Life Is Strange soundtrack, and Anyone Else But You from the Juno soundtrack.

9) Are you better at dialogue or description? 

Dialogue definitely. 

10) Have you ever gotten better at doing something because you put it in a story and had to research? If so, what? 

Better at reciting facts about scar types, and 

11) Have you had a drink of water recently? Go on, drink some water. It’s good for you.

Nope! Thank you for the reminder!

Questions from @ren-c-leyn:

1. Favorite literary device?

Motif. There are quite a few in AR, so ya know, might wanna look out for that ;)

2. What is the hardest thing for you to write? (setting, details, dialogue, ect.)

I cannot do setting. Sometimes I accidentally write everything except where the characters ARE, and they’re just talking heads in a place only my brain can see.

3. What is the best advice you have ever gotten?

If you look at your old writing, and see that it sucks, that just means you’ve gotten better.

4. Is there a detail or particular bit of description that seems to come up in your writing a lot?

Colors. Red in particular. Also, the phrase “Amazing, actually.” These are totally not motifs at all. Pay absolutely zero attention to them.

5. Name a trope you love and will read/watch to death.

Angsty person with a sad backstory gets a nice happy ending

6. Is there any writing advice that kind of stole your motivation and made you feel bad instead of helping?

My friend can be blunt, and I asked her to read on of my things once and she got on one of the lines that I really liked and just tore into it. I didn’t end up deleting it though, her reasoning wasn’t good.

7. Do you do anything creative outside of writing?

Not really. 

8. Favorite fairytale?

Jack and the Beanstalk!

9. Do you like playing visual novel games?

Yeah! I play Choices and The Arcana all the time! I’ve also played Life Is Strange and Oxenfree, which aren’t technically novel games but they are story oriented.

10. Where do you tend to get your best ideas from?

Watching movies and TV shows 

11. Scariest part of writing for you?

The part where other people edit it. I’m always scared they’re gonna hate it. I want people to edit it, and I want them to give their honest opinion, but some people can be more mean than helpful. 

My questions and people I’m tagging are under the cut!

I’m Tagging: @tracle0, @quirky-squid, @masksandmadness, @alexis-writes-sometimes, @albatris, @gabbysmadness, @txintedsxint, @timetravelingpigeon, @thel3tterm, @necromancymajor, @kai-writesstuff

My Questions for you all are:

1. What is your favorite OC quote?

2. What’s your favorite font?

3. Which OC has the saddest backstory? (or the least happy?)

4. Which OC has the happiest? (or the least sad?)

5. What’s a vague spoiler for one of your WIPs?

6. Do any of your WIPs carry the same themes? What themes?

7. What are your favorite character/situation tropes?

8. What do you like most about yourself?

9. Which on of your ocs is your favorite character to write?

10. What is the longest you’ve ever written for?

11. Favorite food?

[iwillgiveyoumyhappiness]

Who are your biases from each group , what made you like them and who’s the closest to your ideal type ?

You ask the hard questions, Anon! Now, I have a rule with myself not to have any true biases because I love everyone equally, but in an alternate universe where I did have biases... This is who they’d be. (´・ω・`)

WARNING NOTE: This does not include all the groups that I’m a fan of, because then the list would be very, very long. I included the ones I could list directly off the top of my head without thinking too hard about it, so don’t be offended if your favorite group isn’t on here. Also, I won’t be counting NCT U, because their line-up changes every comeback. With that being said, enjoy!

BTS

Bias: Min Yoongi (Suga)

Reason for biasing:

I see a lot of myself in Yoongi, so I find it easy to connect with him. We have similar ways of thinking and reacting to situations, and I feel like I understand him well. That gives me hope that he’d understand me, too.

Member closet to ideal type:

Hobi. I like someone that knows how to be gentleman but will also make me laugh endlessly. If our hope/sunshine won’t do that, who will?! Seriously, when I look at him, I smile so incredibly bright- it’s insane. I think it’s important to share similar senses of humor and even though Jungkook and Jin share my overall sense of humor, I think Hobi would give me opportunities to find out new ways to make jokes that fit his style. And/or, he might adopt my style! 

ONEUS

Bias: Lee Keonhee 

Reason for biasing:

This is gonna sound weird, but I’m seriously such a sucker for lisps... As I said! It sounds weird! But, yeah... There ya go. I’m also someone who’s really sensitive to tone in other people, so when I hear someone with a particular type of voice, I’m drawn to it. Keonhee has that type of voice for me. It’s very smooth, higher-pitched and honey-like, so it draws me in. It carries over into his singing voice, and I think that makes him ten times more “bias material” for me. No matter what he’s doing, I can feel at ease hearing his voice.  

Member closet to ideal type:

Son Dongju (Xion). We have really similar personality traits and I think we’d get on well. We both have cold appearances and fist impressions, but once you get to know us, we’ve got fluffy hearts and fun-loving natures! I think we’d get each other in a spiritual way that was just like, “Oh, hello there”, you know? Like instant wonder and curiosity. Plus! I’ve got long eyelashes too, boi. You know that we’d be having contests to see who could stack the most toothpicks on them.  

ONEWE

Bias: Son Dongmyeong

Reason for biasing:

He’s my child, okay? I watched him on The Unit and Produce 101 and I appreciated his hardworking attitude, chirpy voice and steadfast talent. I look at him and I don’t want to date him, I just want to protect him. I want to give him a kiss on the forehead when he’s feeling down, I want to feed him plate-fulls of confidence and pride, I want to tell him he’s doing well and I want to be a friend to him. I want to share my smile with him, like he’s shared his. It’s funny, though. He’s my bias in ONEWE, and his twin’s my ideal type in ONEUS.  

Member closest to ideal type:

Lee Giwook (Cya). I appreciate a man who can sing AND rap, okay? I think it’s really attractive to have that contrast. I feel like he has that vibe of someone that sings really loudly in the car and let’s just say... I can get behind that. I can get behind that BIG TIME. I need someone who will belt in the car with me, whether it sounds terrible or beautiful, and I think Giwook would fit the bill. 

The Rose

Bias: Kim Woosung (Sammy)

Reason for biasing:

Once again, it’s mainly a tone thing. He sounds like he’s shattering, and I want to protect and encourage that. I feel the urge to show him that his voice isn’t just a voice; it’s an emotional time-capsule. He has a really upbeat but down-to-earth attitude and I feel like he cherishes the right things in life. I also think it’s really sweet how much he loves cats, even though he’s allergic. He also knows how to take a joke, which is very important, ‘cause I tease a lot. If you’re wondering why I phrased it like this...

Member closest to ideal type:

Kim Woosung (Sammy)....now you know. My bias and ideal type are the same.

DAY6

Bias: Jae Park (Jae)

Reason for biasing: 

We have a really similar sense of humor, you feel me? Very memey and sarcastic. I think he drew my attention because he has so many layers. On the surface, he seems a little rude, in a way, but as you get to know him more, he says things. Certain things that make you realize, “He feels more than he’s letting on. He has fears and reservations, and he’s not 100% okay all the time”. I think that Jae has a lot of hidden insecurities that he hides behind a wall of humor (which sometimes goes too far, and can be hurtful), but I understand why he does it, and I see it in myself, so I can’t hate him for it. If I did, I’d hate a part of myself. That’s how I see Jae. A part of my own soul. 

Member closest to ideal type:

I don’t really think I would be compatible with anyone from DAY6. I’d butt heads with Brian (Young K) and Jae, because all three of us are very opinionated. I’d intimidate Dowoon and Wonpil (because they’re soft boys and deserve gentle affection) and Sungjin and I would kind of just be mutual bros. Like- that kind of relationship where you keep meeting someone on accident and you’re like, “Eyyy! I know you! Wanna get some bubble tea?”; that kind of feeling. So, I don’t think I’d mesh romantically with any of them, really, but closest bet is either Jae or Dowoon. Not because I would crush on them, particularly, but because they would crush on me. Jae because my physical appearance is similar to his ideal type, and Dowoon because I’m closer to his age and mama-bear-protective, so I think he’d appreciate someone having his back when he gets teased or pranked.  

AB6IX

Bias: Lee Daehwi

Reason for biasing:

I have mad respect for this dude, okay? He’s basically revolutionized one of the most basic rules for k-pop groups—just after recently debuting! He tossed aside the stigma that idols shouldn’t date by outright telling his fans, “I will dedicate 5 years to my craft, but then I would appreciate it if you gave me your blessing to date.” So, not only did he phrase it in an eloquent and respectful way (I did paraphrase, by the way), but he was also firm in his plans and intentions. He wants to get married. He has to, because he’s an only child and he has to keep his family line going. He also told people (in a respectful way) not to call him Wanna One’s Daehwi anymore. He’s AB6IX’s Daehwi now, and he’d like people to support that. That takes bravery and kindness.  

Member closest to my ideal type:

..is this a surprise to anyone? It’s Daehwi. I think we have similar views (especially as far as the dating stigma goes) and opinions, so we’d be able to agree on a lot. And even if we didn’t, I think we’d be able to have debates in a fun, understanding and safe way. It wouldn’t lead to consternation, is what I mean. I also think we have similar humor and we’d be able to play off of each other well. Like, he’s a fashion king. I’m not a fashion queen. Maybe he’d tease me about that, but I could tease him right back. Maybe he gets scared of something and I’m perfectly chill. I can laugh my ass off at him and I don’t think he’d be upset with me. I think we’d have a very easy relationship that didn’t involve a lot of angst.  

ASTRO

Bias: Park Jinwoo (JinJin)

Reason for biasing:

He steals my heart every time I look at him. He has a really sweet smile that just melts me (and he reminds me of a mouse) and his unique tone and rapping style really gets me into a groove. Also, he’s an amazing dancer, but I feel like he doesn’t look like someone who’d be good at dancing! Take a look at Rocky, for example. He kind of has this elegant vibe about him, but Jinwoo’s almost a little clumsy. Yet, when he dances, he exudes this level of grace and power that’s almost overwhelming. Plus! SHORT BROS UNITE! 

Member closest to ideal type:

Once again, uniting with a short bro, Kim Myungjun (MJ)! He’s a Smile Engine/Happy Virus, so I know he’d be able to hype me up when I wasn’t feeling very excited. I tend to do that a lot. If I’m not completely confident or sure about something, I power down. I distance myself in a way that seems like I don’t care about things, and I think he’d give me a type of energy that would make me into a better person. Another reason; he talks a lot, I listen a lot. BUT! When it’s my turn to get a word in? Oh-ho-ho, you better grab the popcorn, ‘cause you’re gonna be there a long time! I think we’d be able to be very talkative together and we wouldn’t be annoyed by each other. Plus, he’s really dorky and mischievous, and I find that attractive. ALSO- WE HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY, SO IT’S FATE. 

Stray Kids

Bias: Lee Felix

Reason for biasing:

I catch myself feeling like a proud parent whenever I look at him. I want to hype him up for all of his skills, ESPECIALLY his singing! Like, believe me, I love his deep-ass rapping, but when he hits me with that slightly wavering tone and honey vocals? I melt entirely. I’m reduced to mush in a second flat. I want to give him a lot of confidence in the things he’s not so confident in and I just want to be a shoulder to lean on. Also, I think he’s the biggest idiot, but in the cutest way. (No, Felix. Batman’s sidekick is not “Robin Hood”.) Not to mention, freckle buddies!! Yeah, that’s right, your girl’s covered in ‘em. Also, I’m a sucker for Aussie accents, so oops there.  

Member closest to ideal type:

Han Jisung (Han). There’s not a particularly huge reason for this, I just think we’d compliment each other well. He has a style that I like very much, and he gives me a whirlwind of different emotions every time I look at him. I think I understand his humor better than others, so when he makes a joke and no one laughs, I’m over in the corner having an aneurysm. I like to think that means he’d get my humor, too. I think he knows when to be soft and when to be... *tiny text* hot, so that keeps things interesting; I enjoy a spontaneous man. In summary, I think we’d balance each other out well. I’m chill, he’s a little nuts (squirrel pun not intended) and I think we’d just... Meld. 

NCT DREAM

Bias: Huang Renjun

Reason for biasing:

Renjun is basically my twin, but slightly more superstitious. He’s like my brother from another mother and I enjoy that because it makes me feel like, “Wow! If he’s like me and he’s that cool, maybe I can be that cool, too!” I like Renjun for very childish reasons. 

Member closest to ideal type:

Park Jisung. I feel like I’d genuinely intimidate and terrify him when we first met, but I’m pretty sure we’d make a quick bond after that. I have a lot of guy-friends with similar personalities as him, and it started out the same way. Them = terrified. Me = confused. A few weeks past, us = buddies. So! I think it would be similar with Jisung, but also amplified to the point of dating. Not because we’ve very similar, but because we’re very opposite. I think we’d influence each other in positive ways. Also, hand-holding is my favorite skin-ship, and he has beautiful hands. Admit it.  

NCT 127

Bias: Mark Lee

Reason for biasing:

It doesn’t take a genius to know how incredibly soft I am for this boy. From everything to his awkward laughs, his inability to make conversation with the opposite gender, his “um”s and “like”s, his sudden bursts of loudness and his caring attitude, he makes me so soft on the inside. He reminds me of the kids I babysit, in a way. In fact, when he does something whoa (you know what I mean), I’m almost scandalized and I feel like he’s growing up too fast. I love how he is passionate in a gentle way and how he chooses to push through the things that scare him in order to secure a better future for himself and his teammates. It’s very admirable. 

Member closest to ideal type:

Johnny Suh. At first, Johnny may seem like he’d be a little annoying, but once you really look at him, you can easily tell that he’s loud and mischief-maker, but he also knows when to turn that part of himself off. He’s very prudent in that way. He feels like the type of guy that would smile at me from across the rooms and give me random piggyback rides, and I just... I want that, you know? I want that, and I feel like he could provide well. Plus! We have similar ways of showing affection (insert: headlocks) and similar sense of humor (insert: “What the flute!”).

WayV

Bias: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul (I will never not laugh at that name, so please, let’s call him Ten)

Reason for biasing:

We have similar senses of humor, so I find him really funny, and his dancing never ceases to amaze and bewitch me. The fact that he knows so many languages makes me jealous in a good way. I know two languages (English and Korean), and the fact that he knows so many gives me a lot of drive and determination to try harder, learn more and do better. Overall, he’s a really good motivator for me. He makes me want to dance better, sing better, speak better, etc. That’s a good thing to have in a bias, I think.  

Member closest to ideal type:

Liu YangYang. Anyone who’s favorite word is “mellifluous” is a big, fat YES in my book! We actually have pretty similar personalities, too. Quiet when you first meet; loud, playful and talkative when you’ve known us for a while. Also, massive connection with his German-ness ‘cause... Ya girl is from German heritage. Makes me want to re-learn German, just because I feel like (on the off-chance I meet him one day) I’d really want to impress him. I learned it years ago, but I forgot it all, except how to say “it’s nice to meet you” and “it’s nice to meet you, too”. Can’t even introduce myself! Pathetic really, but oh well. Also, he says his eyesight’s really good... I need that. I’m practically blind without my glasses, so YangYang! Be my seeing-eye-dog! And the fact that he likes to be called “Xiao Yang” (little sheep) is also pretty coincidental, because that’s what my name means.

Seventeen

Bias: Xu Minghao (The8) 

Reason for biasing:

He’s the modern gentleman. He takes care of himself, he takes care of others, he’s hardworking. Tell me, what’s not to love? He has a great sense of balance in his livelihood, and I feel like he’s someone you learn something new from every time you see him. It’s never the same thing; like he’s forever evolving and... infinite. He’s infinite. Plus! That cute giggle, though... You cannot tell me you don’t smile every time you hear it. And if you do tell me that, you’re soulless. 

Member closest to ideal type: 

A part of me wants to say Lee Chan (Dino) because I think our personalities are overall the most compatible, but even if I was really into that, I don’t think I’m what he needs. We’re more bro material. I think—in the end—Boo Seungkwan and I are the most compatible. I think we would always be singing loudly together (which I adore), I would be able to calm him down and let him know it’s okay to be insecure, he would hype me up and help me get over my insecurities. I think we both need a “low-effort” (for lack of a better term) relationship. One that feels like you’re truly friends with each other and being yourself is enough. You don’t have to go out of your way to impress, and I think that’s really important. With Chan, I would feel myself being pushed to be... More, I suppose. But with Seungkwan, I feel like we’d both have the sense of equality. Like, “Neither of us is better than the other, but we both have different skills we can use to help and better each other”; that kind of feeling.  

ATEEZ

Bias: Kim Hongjoong

Reason for biasing:

He has this energy about him that just makes me beam every time I see or hear him. It’s like, I know he’s imperfect, as all people are, but because he handles his imperfects so well, so freely, it’s like they don’t exist at all. He’s made himself perfect with all his imperfections, because he knows how to work through and around them. His energy is addictive and I will never not feel warmth in my chest when I look at him. He’s like a first love. Faultless in my eyes, no matter how flawed. 

Member closest to ideal type: Choi San

We mesh, okay? We just do. I don’t know what it is, but it’s like we share one brain-cell. I’ll do or say something before he does and then he does it and I’m like, “wAIT A SECOND- HOLD UP”. Seriously, we’ve got some soulmate-like crap goin’ on here. Also, I feel like he’s someone who appreciates the stars. I appreciate them a lot. Plus! I collect plushies, too... I share that with you very hesitantly.  

Shinee

Bias: Lee Taemin

Reason for biasing:

As a person who’s not very big into the whole sexy/sensual vibe, I bet you would think his music wouldn’t really be my style, right? Wrong. His music is very, very much my style. He takes something (sexuality), which can be pretty gross and off-putting to some people, and he turns it into something elegant and beautiful. He doesn’t make it seem like tongue and sweat and need; he makes it seem like passion, love and care. Mutual respect, even. He doesn’t make you feel preyed upon, he makes you feel desired, which is an amazing feeling. Plus, I’ll never get over the stark contrast between his one-stage image and his true personality. To be honest, he’s a bit of an air-headed dork, and that’s what I love about him. 

Member closest to ideal type: 

Much like DAY6, no one really fits the bill for me, I don’t think. Like, sign me up to be bros with all of them, please! But also... Don’t expect us to date. But closest is probably Kibum (Key). 

EXO

Bias: Kim Minseok (Xiumin)

Reason for biasing:

I appreciate the fact that he’s the eldest, but he hasn’t lost his childish spark. He’s good at making the others feel appreciated and he’s very mature in his own way without sacrificing his ability to have a good time. I think I admire that a lot. I think when I first got into EXO, everyone stood out to me in different ways (as it should be with a group), but Minseok just stood out in a way that made me feel calm and hyped up all at the same time, so I think that’s my reason. Plus! Those eyes, dude. Those eyes. Fire and passion lives inside of them.

Member closest to my ideal type:

Once again, I don’t think I’d really romantically vibe with anyone in EXO. It would range from me butting heads with them because of being too opinionated to having to be like a parent to them instead of a lover. And it’s like... I’m a babysitter. If you act like a child, I’ll fall right into mama-mode. Especially with Baekhyun or Chanyeol, I see myself treating them more like younger brothers and being treated more like an older sister or a mom than a girlfriend, and I’m not down with that. Like, I want to take care of you, but I need you to care for me too, yeah? It can’t all be on me. 

Monsta X

Bias: Im Changkyun (I.M.)

Reason for biasing:

He’s very humble, chill and down-to-earth. He doesn’t seem like someone who makes a big fuss about much, and I like that a lot. He seems like someone with a kind of “you do you” attitude. He has his opinions, you have yours. Why should it matter what we think? Let’s just look into personalities. Plus, I love his tonality.  

Member closest to ideal type:

...it’s Im Changkyun himself. We fit well together as far as personality goes, and he’s someone who makes me feel at ease very easily, so I would appreciate that a lot. I would also enjoy the stay-at-home dates, because I feel like he’s that type of person. 

The Boyz

Bias: Kevin Moon

Reason for biasing:

It’s the humor, my dude. It’s always the humor. When I meet someone I meld with humorously—I know we’re gonna be comedy gold and it’s gonna be awesome. Also, he’s extremely talented. Every time he plays an instrument or sings, I feel like it’s more than that. It’s a story, and I admire that so much. I can look at him and know, “Hm. Yup. I’m gonna feel something. Prepare the emotional chamber!”  

Member closest to ideal type:

I feel like this is another group I don’t romantically mesh with. If you think otherwise, lemme know, but as far as I see it, we’re all just really supportive, loving friends. Family! 

Tomorrow X Together

Bias: Choi Beomgyu

Reason for biasing:

I find myself hyping him up every time I see him—how can it not be him? And again, the lisp... I told you I have a thing for it. It makes me mushy inside and I can’t stop it. He’s a really sweet guy, he has a lot of power while dancing and he has a very delicate tone while singing, and I appreciate him so, so much. I think his positive energy is a real joy. 

Member closest to ideal type:

I’m really not sure. I feel like I have another family-like relationship with TXT. Though, even though he’s childish, maybe Kai? I feel like I might draw out the maturity in him and he would help me loosen up a little when I get too uptight. I don’t know, though. 

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Well! That happened. That was looooong. Dunno why you wanted to know that, but it was a very interesting case study! 

Also, thank you for 100(+) followers! It’s such a huge milestone for me and I can’t thank you enough. 

Hope you enjoyed!  

[rjfaqs]

Brian Michael Bendis is the Eminem of Comics

”I created a monster, cuz nobody wants to see Peter no more, they want Miles, I’m chopped liver.”

Hey, Guys, it’s R.J. “Smooth” and I don’t have a slogan but let’s get into it.

It’s Black History Month and today I wanted to talk about one of comic’s most beloved characters, Miles Morales. Since the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales’ popularity skyrocketed and, after seeing it, could you blame it? 

Everything about that film just oozed with love for the character. Everything from the setting, the animation to the very soundtrack, an insurmountable amount of credit goes to every single member of the crew that worked on that film. Just recently, the film even wound up earning a Golden Globe for “BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM” and went home to snag seven Annie Awards. The Annie Awards, for those of you who don’t know, [like I didn’t until recently] is a prestigious ceremony celebrating the works of animated films. Films like Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Kung Fu Panda and even Shrek won Annie Awards for BEST ANIMATED FEATURE.

For better reference, Frozen, one of Disney’s best films both critically and commercially, took home five of these awards. Spider-Man went on to take seven. SEVEN ANNIE AWARDS! That’s almost unheard of and even I, someone who has a love-hate relationship with Miles Morales, gotta say it deserved every one.

In spite of it not doing so well financially, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is easily one of Spider-Man’s best films and possibly even best superhero movies of all time. However, none of this would’ve been possible without the help of one man, his creator:

Brian Michael Bendis.

Brian Michael Bendis is one of the best in the comics industry, having written for practically every major  publisher: Marvel, DC, Image, Oni and Caliber. With titles such as: “House of M”, “Ultimate Spider-Man”, “Daredevil” and, currently, “Superman”, it’s no safe to say that Bendis knows has a genuine love for comics and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Bendis has a legacy spanning over a decade and has face some contraversy in his career, as well. Nevertheless, he still manages to pull himself together and continue to make great content and is loved by many. Not to discredit other comic writers, but you just know, whether it be good, bad, or somewhere in between, you know you’re in for some shit when Bendis is the one behind the pen.

Wait… Why does this sound familiar…?

Eminem had a similar career path, as well. Ranging from okay, to garbage to untouchably good, Eminem is very much the same. So, the question is:

Is Brian Michael Bendis the Eminem of Comics?

While not nearly as dramatic, it could be right in front of our faces this whole time. What makes this more interesting is that Eminem is no stranger to comics himself, often reciting lyrics, or “bars”, in his raps that directly relate to them.

“They call me Superman, leap tall hoes in a single bound

I’m single now - I’ll never let another chick bring me down”

-Superman

“Knife in hand, says their relationship’s hanging by a strand

So she’s been on the web lately

Says maybe she’ll be my Gwen Stacy

To Spite her man (Spider-Man)”

-River

“Parasite, and I probably ruined your parents' life

And your childhood too

'Cause if I'm the music that y'all grew up on

I'm responsible for you retarded fools

I'm the supervillain dad and mom was losin' their marbles to

You marvel that? Eddie Brock is you

And I'm the suit, so call me

Venom”

-Venom

Hell, probably the most overt callout to comics was when he was featured in a one-shot with Marvel titled: “Eminem/Punisher”.

Okay, okay, it’s one thing to callout comics in raps as something you may like but what makes Bendis the Eminem of his craft? Well, it’s a bit easier than one may think.

Starting out, Eminem was relatively unknown. He was known for being the white guy who battle raps and was often shunned because of it. The culture of Rap is black music and Em, in spite of his skills, wasn’t welcomed at the time. Even after the release of his first album “Infinite”, he still found no fame or no home to truly say he belonged in hip-hop. That was until his fateful loss at the Rap Olympics in ’97 got the attention of his future manager Jimmy Iovine and producer/mentor Dr. Dre.

Bendis, turns out, kind of had a similar path. Like most artists in the media/entertainment business, he’d seen little success as an artist for caricatures, but soon found his footing in writing, doing small bits in the 90’s for both IMAGE and ONI Comics. It wasn’t until he was hired by MARVEL Comics to write a new line of comics with the titular one being “ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN” in 2000. Coincidentally, it was just a bit after Eminem released “The Slim Shady LP” in 1999.

From there, both Bendis and Shady seemed to be on an unstoppable course for success. Eminem went on to release both “The Marshall Mathers LP” and “The Eminem Show” while Bendis continued to write for Marvel and continued “Ultimate Spider-Man” and other titles like “Ultimate Fantastic Four”, & “Ultimate X-Men”. The two were truly at the top of their games and nothing seemed to slow them down.

That is, until they kept going.

Eminem had his own torment in his life with the passing of his best friend and rapper, Proof, and nearly overdosed on sleep medication. It was a struggle to get back, but it seemed his drive for music got him back on his feet. Releasing works such as “Encore” and “Relapse”, the latter being after his near-death experience, but audiences weren’t nearly as enthused with his work. Eminem even mentioned it on his single “Not Afraid”, going so far to refer to his last CD [Relapse] as “ehhhhh”.

However, yet again, around the same time, the two hit another surge. Bendis released “Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man” (2011) and debuted to the world Miles Morales, only a year after Eminem released his newest, at-the-time, album “Recovery”. Again, the two were back to making solid content. Bendis, admittedly, wasn’t exactly on a slow streak like Shady was, but with such a new character and a drastic change to the status quo, he was met with a fair amount of controversy. (Something Eminem is no stranger to.)

However, he persevered and Miles Morales quickly became a household name.

Now, I could go on, and trust me there are plenty more parallels to go off of, but I feel the point is made. Both men are massive legends in their respective lanes and hard to be competed with in their craft. And, with Bendis now working over at DC Comics spearheading “Superman”, “Action Comics” & “Young Justice” and Eminem recently releasing “Kamikaze”, it seems that neither artist with stay down for long and will deal with an issues that come their way.

But I don’t know tho…

[seeksstaronmewni]

It’s the little details that they really appreciate: An In-Depth Study of Spongebob’s Current Sound Design

"Sponge Bob is firing on all cylinders right now. Tony award nominations for the musical. Post sound has a great home with Atlas Oceanic Picture & Sound. The shows are exciting and are funny. SB continues to reach new heights.” - Jeffrey Hutchins

Spongebob Squarepants sound effects designer & editor Jeff Hutchins is exactly right. This guy is as important to Spongebob as Ben Burtt is to Star Wars, which’re some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises.

This is the team that makes up the sound of current Spongebob episodes. Just 4 creatives are listed: sound effects designer & editor Jeff Hutchins, foley artist Vincent Guisetti, foley mixer Aran Tanchum, and re-recording mixer D.J. Lynch. The sound service has been Atlas Oceanic, Inc. since 2012; originally it began at Horta Editorial & Sound, Inc., which folded into Hacienda Post.

All episodes of Spongebob since 2015 have been very rich in exaggerated, humorous, unpredictable character design, animation and, of course, respectively, sound design. Starting in the late Hacienda Post years, Jeff began to create a very predictable style of sound design for his work, among the many unique sounds he formerly created for Spongebob. The style was very predictable during the Oracle Post years, continuing through early Atlas Oceanic episodes, until 2015, when Jeff’s array of sounds would include sounds not often used (if at all) from later 2007-2015, plus a few new sounds. Additionally, Jeff was only the sound fx editor on the pilot, Help Wanted; according to Roy Braverman, Tom Syslo served as the sound fx designer. The sound design isn’t too different, though, from Jeff’s style--in point of fact, most cartoon sound design by Hacienda Post creatives share similar styles to Jeff’s; you could say the same for most creatives of Advantage Audio and Skywalker Sound--many of the creatives of each studio share similar styles.

A number of sound effects in Spongebob have been used to accent character footsteps. Some H-B squeaks accent Spongebob’s shoes, Squidward’s feet are accented by oil splurts (used in Rocky & Bullwinkle), and Mr. Krabs’ feet are accented by “Hollywoodedge, Wooden Blck Hits Raz CRT019402″. For the pilot, though, Tom Syslo approached their footsteps differently.

One of my favorite episode’s sound design in Spongebob includes Krusty Towers, a Hacienda Post episode. It was during Season 4, of course, that the sound design became far more cartoony, like the character design and animation. Another is the scene between Mr. Krabs, Squidward and the exchange chef in Le Big Switch, an Oracle Post episode, as is Walking the Plankton (with some very funny moments of sound design). Also, one of the funniest moments in pre-2015 episodes, Skill Crane, is appropriately accented with the right sound effects as Spongebob does a wild take with his eyes... and then RUNS on ‘em!

One of the most common and funniest parts of Jeff’s sound design is accenting not-so-wild takes with funny sounds, like one of Disney’s “CLANK!”, a Warner Bros. “EHH!” (horn squawk), or my personal favorite: “QUACK!” This quack, “Hollywoodedge, Bird Duck Quacks Clos PE020501″, can be used for many things like impacts or duck-related stuff, but the use of a duck quack for a take was first employed in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II as the episodic title characters react in shock to Spongebob attacking the Atomic Flounder.

I’ll describe of a few episodes: Bunny Hunt, Old Man Patrick, Grandmum’s the Word, Ink Lemonade, My Leg!, and Bottle Burglars. (listing in progress).

BUNNY HUNT

In the beginning, Squidward finds that a sea bunny is eating up his garden and attempts to stop him.

This scenario could remind one of Bugs Bunny, of course, and that Warner Bros. ricochet that sounds like “CHOW!” (called “Sound Ideas, CARTOON, WHIZZ - FAST WHIZZ BY”) is used often in the episode, like in the above as the sea bunny falls back into his hole...

and also in this shot, to accent Patrick streaking out of the shot. Not common in past episodes of Spongebob, but very typical for cartoon sound design.

Here, the sea bunny shoved a burnt roast into Squidward’s mouth, and proceeds to swallow it... until soon he has to puke it. Unlike many cartoon sound designers these days, Jeff Hutchins is one of the few to use Disney’s trademark gulps from The Hollywood Edge library’s Cartoon Trax Volume 1. The 4th gulp in “Hollywoodedge, Big Single Gulps For CRT026802″ is the most common, as is heard in the shot above. I wouldn’t object to working with the voice actor on gulps, but I’d like to not avoid the use of the goofy vocal sounds Disney created, too.

Knowing Jeff’s style, one would probably expect “FISHFACE” (created by Roy Braverman), but these more recent Spongebob episodes make good use of the infamous Warner Bros. sound called “TROMBONE GOBBLE”.

I don’t know what horn toot is used here (not “Hollywoodedge, Old Car Horns Single CRT021302″, which Jeff tends to use), but it sure stands out. I never heard this particular “ahooga” before, though it kind of sounds like the Hanna-Barbera one. Also, while Jeff tends not to use heartbeats to accent love like other cartoon sound designers (such as Glenn Oyabe, Robert Hargreaves, Michael Warner, Randy Thom), “Hollywoodedge, Sub Woofer Heartbea SDT021301″ (a synthiszed-sounding, heartbeat-like pulse thump), also common to Jeff’s style, is (I think) subtly audible.

The only use of “QUACK!” in Bunny Hunt seems to accent the oven mitt sock puppet opening its mouth. It’s a bit subtle, but perhaps the gag is that the mitt is making the quack. Regardless, not an episode of Spongebob goes by these days without at least one “QUACK!”

In this moment, I picked up on a subtle, funny sound of foley--some sort of stretch sound, admist the typical red-tailed hawk screech--as Spongebob ceases speaking and slumps to a different position. Foley is the art of performing specific sounds, like walking, touching, that help give life in the aural medium and make the scene sound believable. The mixer of Vincent Guisetti’s foley, Aran Tanchum, did the same with J. Lampinen’s on Star vs. the Forces of Evil, which’s probably driven more by foley (among dialogue and Brian H, Kim’s sound effects) than sound effects.

With crazy visuals such as this, the question often comes to mind: What choices might the sound designer make to accent such exaggerated animation? What’s the right sound--or, often, what are the right sounds to accent and/or help tell the story? Bird chirps and saw warbles are some that help accent the insane stage of Squidward at the end of the episode, whacking himself with a mallet, thus causing his brain to fly away.

Most recent Spongebob episodes tend to close out with the classic “iris out”, but Jeff finds different approaches to accenting the transistion without Robert Clampett’s classic guitar string sounds (like one would expect with Looney Tunes and the works of sound master Michael M. Geisler and Glen Oyabe). In Bunny Hunt, “Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - TUBE ARRIVE 01″ (”ShhhOWP!”) is the accent; in Old Man Patrick “Sound Ideas, ZIP, CARTOON - FAST ZIP IN 01″ helps accent.

OLD MAN PATRICK

The detail of sound design can include even the small pieces of animation by accenting the slightest touch, movement, etc. When Patrick tells Spongebob that he’s “all wrinkle-y now”, small raspberries/farts spice up the movements of his skin when he touches it, and his old organs are clearly at work as his stomach growls loudly, perfectly in sound timing as he says “old stuff”.

INK LEMONADE

Essentially the Ren & Stimpy of Spongebob episodes, including character design by Bob Camp; Ink Lemonade has Patrick scare the ink out of Squidward... literally, to sell it in place of lemonade.

Another use of “QUACK!” is used for comedic effect here in addition to a “BIG HEAVY FACE SLAP” to accent Squidward’s face snapping back into place after Patrick blows Squidward’s face out of place with a megaphone.

Patrick goes to extremes for scare tactics... like talking with his intestines. Along with a “gooey splat” for the intestines’ “tongue”, most of the sound here is Vincent Guisetti’s foley to convey the sound of his intestines talking.

As with most of the 2015- Spongebob episodes, the H-B “TEMPLE BLOCK GALLOP” is used for many run accents (in the pic above it accents Squidward rapidly swishing his arms and legs); Jeff also used this for shaking/trembling movements in The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack shorts. Also, in Ink Lemonade, Jeff played this sound twice in reverse.

Worthy of note is that accenting Squidward’s fall is a whistle of air that’s different from the usual “Sky Rocket Loud High”, that high-pitched whistle you’d in hear in Cartoon Network’s “Powerhouse” bumpers and most cartoons these days, except for most of Advantage Audio’s projects. Jeff uses “Sky Rocket Loud High” for most falls; in earlier episodes he’d play it in reverse if a character/prop ascends a great distance, and in some Hacienda Post episodes this whistle would accent flying objects (e.g. Squidward’s windows and other parts launched toward his house in Squidville). However, Jeff uses some other whistles on a few occasions too, including “SHELL SCREAMING WHINE DOWN” (the classic H-B/MGM whistle) in The Secret Box and The Good Krabby Name; Jeff also uses sounds of artillery “roaring”.

As I said before, one of the most common uses of “Hollywoodedge, Bird Duck Quacks Clos PE020501″ is for a simple “take” of a character. The pic above highlights the extremes of that take where Jeff tends to put a funny sound to help spice up this little jump of his emotion.

A more poignant take, here, is accented by the H-B “KAZOO PARTY HORN”. Advantage Audio tends to use that sound a lot, particularly Heather Olsen (she even used it in Star vs The Forces of Evil episode “Booth Buddies” for accent when confetti is thrown), but it seems to be an occasional accent in current Spongebob episodes.

Quickly following it, as Squidward streaks under a rug, is a very high-pitched version of the classic WB siren whistle, “FAST ZING WHISTLE, ZIP”, which is rarely heard in non-Hacienda Post episodes.

Like most cartoon sound designers these days, even a simple movement of a small body part can be accented with a funny sound. Squidward’s eye looking up here is accented by a Warner Bros. double violin string sloop, similar to Joel Valentine’s use of such sounds in The Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack.

Relative and notable is that many classic cartoon sound effects come from musical instruments, like violins, slide whistles, xylophones, and even harps [a Jew’s harp, in particular].

[more to be discussed; post in progress]

To solidify knowledge of sound design, I’ll introduce a little about myself in this area: I’ve always been very conscious of sound effects, and my realization of sound design in cartoons has always been a part of my life. In 2010, I began to become the huge fan of Skywalker Sound I am, and I’d read up online about their 500+ staff over the years. In 2013 I joined IMDb to update credits regarding knowledge of credits and articles about the roles of certain creatives involved; soon I looked up the credits of non-Skywalker projects, like Spongebob (Hacienda Post, Atlas Ocenaic/Oracle Post), The Fairly OddParents (Advantage Audio), Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring (DigiPost.TV), etc.

Eventually, I began to know of an unsung sound designer, Joel Valentine, a mentor to Jeff Hutchins and “a pillar of sound design”, but often uncredited--except as the name of his “sound editing” company “Twenty First-Century Entertianment, Inc.” Though I knew not Joel’s name (or pretty much anyone in post-production sound), yet certainly I was conscious of Joel’s work from an early age, watching The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. His sound design for Cartoon Network projects has always been familiar to me, namely that castanet sound he uses to accent trembling, shaking in anger, etc. Joel Valentine & Jeff Hutchins met in 1986 and were roommates at Saban Productions, where Jeff often worked for Saban sound designer Johnny Valentino. Jeff edited sound effects with Supervising Sound Editor Joel on Dead in the Water, and Jeff worked for Joel also on Pirates of Darkwater Season 3. After Sym-Bionic Titan, Joel didn’t work on anything until Season 2 of Wander Over Yonder at Craig McCracken’s request, eventually returning for Season 5 of Samurai Jack, with which Joel and his very small team opened up an amazingly realistic sonic world of sound, but not without some of his signature sounds and some really cool new sounds.

I’m always conscious of sound effects. On January 31st, 2010, I did this camcorder recording shaking and stuff in sync with SFX from “Sandy, Spongebob and the Worm” (tweet here).

Jeff Hutchins also did sound on Bill Kopp’s Tom and Jerry movies, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, and many Hacienda Post projects. Jeff works usually at Hacienda Post/Sabre Media Studios and Warner Bros. Sound (particularly division Audio Circus); he also worked at West Productions, Inc. and even his own place, Jeff Hutchins Sound Design in Oxford, California.

I feel that some of my favorite shows deserve contribution from certain sound services/creatives, like Disney’s franchise of Star vs. the Forces of Evil (at least for the future) due to its cartoony animation & design but imbalanced sound design.

@rwinger24 and I are people who appreciate the art of sound design and the work/style of Jeff Hutchins, who will always be one of my favorite influences in creative media. Thanks for all of the laughs your aural art creates for us!

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior 9/11/20 – I AM WOMAN, BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY, RENT-A-PAL, UNPREGNANT AND MORE!

Thankfully, we’re getting a slower week this week after the past few weeks of absolute insanity with so many new releases. This week, we also get a nice string of movies about women that are mostly made by women directors, so hopefully these won’t get lost in the shuffle of theaters reopening.

To be perfectly honest, I went into Unjoo Moon’s I AM WOMAN (Quiver Distribution) – this week’s “Featured Flick” -- thinking it was a doc about ‘70s pop sensation Helen Reddy. Imagine my surprise to discover that it actually was a narrative film with Tilda Cobham-Hervey playing the Australian singer who moved to New York in 1966 after winning a contest, expecting a record deal but only winding up with disappointment.  Once there, she’d meet journalist Lilian Roxon (Danielle Macdonald, being able to use her real Australian accent for once) and Jeff Weld (Evan Peters), the man who would become her manager and then husband. Once the couple move to L.A. with Helen’s daughter Traci (from her previous marriage), things began to pick up at the same time as Reddy starts dealing with issues in her marriage and friendship with Roxon.

Listen, I get it. To some (or maybe all) younger people, including film critics, Helen Reddy represents the cheesier side of ‘70s music. I only know her music, since I was a young kid who listened to AM Top 40 radio for much of the ‘70s, but by the end of the decade, I had already switched to metal, punk and noisier rock. As you can tell from watching I Am Woman, Reddy is a particularly interesting music personality, particularly once you realize how hard she struggled to get into the business with a husband who only feigned to support her after dragging her to L.A. for “her career.”

There were many takeaways from watching Moon’s film, but one of the bigger ones is how amazing Cobham-Hervey is at portraying a woman that few of us may have actually seen perform even on television. I’m not sure if Cobham-Hervey did any of her own singing or is lip-syncing the whole time, but it doesn’t matter because she instills so much joy into the performances, especially the two times she sings the highly-inspirational title song live.

Although there isn’t a ton of major drama in Reddy’s life, most that does exist revolves around her relationship with Wald, who is depicted by Peters as an out-of-control coke-sniffing monster. Those in Hollywood may have dealt with Wald as a movie producer or during his stint as Sylvester Stallone’s manager, and only they will know how exaggerated this performance is. Far more interesting is Helen’s friendship with Macdonald’s Roxon which would inspire her to perform the song “You and Me Against the World.”  (Seriously, if you want a good cry, throw that song on after watching I Am Woman.)

Moon does a great job with the material, whether it’s recreating New York in the ‘60s – often using music to set the tone of the period -- or by framing Reddy’s story with Phyllis Schlaffly’s fight against the ERA, as depicted in FX’s mini-series Mrs. America.  Still, it never loses track of Reddy’s journey and her role as a mother to Traci and slightly less to Wald’s son, Jordan. The movie ends with a wonderful and tearful epilogue, and I will not lie that I was tearing up more than once while watching this movie.

I Am Woman may be relatively uncomplicated, but it’s still a compelling relaying of Reddy's amazing story bolstered by an incredible knock-em-dead performance by Tilda Cobham-Hervey. It’s also one of the most female-empowering film I’ve seen since the Ruth Bader Ginsburg movie On the Basis of Sex, starring Felicity Jones.

This week’s primary theatrical release is Natalie Krinsky’s THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY (Stage 6/Sony), starring Geraldine Viswanathan as Lucy, a young woman who works at a gallery who is still obsessed with her ex-coworker/boyfriend Max. On the night of her  disastrous break-up, Lucy meets-cute Nick (Dacre Montgomery from Stranger Things), who later inspires her to rid of her hoarding issues by creating the “Broken Hearts Gallery.” This is a place where people who have broken up can bring the remnants of said relationship by donating the mementos they’ve maintained from their partners as sentimental value.

I’m a big fan of Viswanathan from her appearance in Blockers and TBS’ “Miracle Workers” series, as she’s clearly very talented as a comic actress, but I couldn’t help but go into this with more than a little cynicism, because it does follow a very well-worn rom-com formula that can be traced right back to When Harry Met Sally. Yup, another one.  Much of this movie comes across like a bigger budget version of a movie that might play Tribeca Film Festival, and I wish I could say that was a compliment because I’ve seen a lot of good movies at Tribeca. But also just as many bad ones.

The problem is that The Broken Hearts Gallery isn’t very original, and its roots are especially obvious when it starts interspersing the recently-heartbroken giving testimonials. It’s also a little pretentious, because rather than the real New York City that would be recognizable to anyone who lives there, it’s more of a Millennial woke fantasy where everyone is a 20-something LGBTQ+ of color.  Even so, the main trio of Lucy, Nick and Nick’s business partner Marcos (Arturo Castro from Broad City) do keep things fun even when things are getting predictable.

To be honest, I’ll be perfectly happy to see Viswanathan become the next Meg Ryan, because part of the reason why I warmed up to the movie is because I thought she was quite great in it. (I hate to say it but she’ll definitely need a simple name to remember to make that happen. I’d like to suggest G-Vis… as in G-Vis, she’s awesome!) There’s no question she’s the best part of the movie, but it also thrives from some of the other women cast around her, including Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo and (surprise, surprise!) Bernadette Peters. (At times, I was worried Lucy’s friends would get particularly annoying, but you’ll warm up to them as well.)

Krinsky’s movie is cute, and while it certainly gets a little overly sentimental at times, there are also moments that are quite heartfelt, so basically, it’s a tolerable addition to the rom-com genre. The fact that the characters are so likeable kept me from outright hating the movie, especially once it gets to its corny and somewhat predictable ending. Another thing I like about Broken Hearts Gallery is that at least it’s making an effort to have some sort of theatrical presence, including drive-in theaters.

Next up is Jon Stevenson’s RENT-A-PAL (IFC Midnight), a rather strange and very dark horror-comedy. It stars Brian Landis Folkins as David, a lonely 40-year-old living with his elderly mother suffering from dementia, who has been using the services of a dating service called Video Rendezvous. This is the ‘80s after all, so it involves getting VHS testimonials from various women. One day, David finds a tape labelled “Rent a Pal” and he decides to check it out. It turns out to be a video of a guy named Andy (Wil Wheaton aka Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation) who David begins having conversations with, but once David gets his chance to have a real relationship with a nice woman named Lisa (Amy Rutledge), he’s been dragged too far down the rabbit hole with Andy’s evil urgings.

This was recommended to me by my own personal rent-a-pal, Erick Weber of Awards Ace, who saw it weeks ago. I totally could understand why he would have liked it, because it’s pretty good in terms of coming up with an original idea using elements that at least us older guys can relate to (especially the living with your Mom part which I had to do a few years ago).  I wasn’t sure but I generally thought I knew where it was going, because David’s trajectory always seemed to be heading towards My Friend Dahmer or Maniac territory. What I liked about Folkins’ performance is that you generally feel for him right up until he gets to that point. I also really liked his innocent relationship with Lisa and was hoping things that wouldn’t get as dark as where they eventually end up. I also have to draw attention to Wheaton’s performance, because as one might expect if you only know him from the “Star Trek” show he did as a kid, this is a very different role for him similar to Seann Michael Scott in last year’s Bloodline.

Either way, Stevenson is a decent writer and director who really pushes the boundaries with where Andy takes his new friend, and it’s especially great for its synth-heavy soundtrack that reminds me of some of John Carpenter’s best scores, as we watch David’s inevitable descent into madness. You’ll frequently wonder where it’s going, but for me, it just got too dark, so I only really could enjoy it up to a point.

A little cheerier is UNPREGNANT (HBO Max), the new film from Rachel Lee Goldberg, who directed the recent Valley Girl remake, although this time she’s adapting a book written by Jenni Hendricks. It stars Haley Lu Richardson (from Split and Support the Girls) as 17-year-old Veronica who discovers that her dopey boyfriend Kevin has gotten her pregnant. Since women under 18 can’t get an abortion in Missouri without a parents’ consent, she goes on a road trip with her estranged childhood friend Bailey (Barbie Ferreira) to New Mexico to get the job done.

It’s more than  little weird seeing this movie come out in the same year as a much more serious version of the same movie in Elyza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometime Always. That aside, Goldberg and her cast do their best to make this something more in the vein of last year’s Book Smart, although that’s also a fairly high watermark for any movie.

Because this is a road trip comedy, it tends to follow a fairly similar path as other movies where they meet a lot of strange characters along the way, as they try to get a ride after being busted cause Bailey stole her mother’s boyfriend’s car for the trip. For instance, they meet a friendly couple who tend to be pro-lifers who want to change Veronica’s mind, and the best side character is Giancarlo Esposito as a conspiracy theorist named Bob.

I guess my biggest problem with the movie is that it just isn’t that funny and feels fairly standard, but at least it has a decent ending to make up for the predictability of the rest of the movie.

Now streaming on Netflix is Maimouna Doucouré’s French coming-of-age film Mignonnes aka CUTIES, a film that premiered at Sundance and then stirred up quite a bit of controversy last month due to its marketing campaign, but is actually not the pervy male gaze movie which it may have been sold as. It’s about an 11-year-old Sengalese girl named Amy Diop (Fathia Youssouf) who wants to join the school’s “cool girl” dance group, known as the “Cuties,” even though it goes against her family’s Muslim beliefs.  Amy learns to dance so she can be part of the dance team and take part in a dance competition, but you know that this decision will led to trouble.s

Cuties got a lot of backlash from for the trailer and Netflix’s decision to release Doucouré’s movie, which is about a young girl discovering her sexuality, although it isn’t really something lurid or gross but actually a very strong coming-of-age film. I haven’t seen the trailer, but I can only imagine what scene it focused on that got people so riled up, since there are dance scenes that felt a little creepy to me. Other than that aspect of the film, Cuties is as innocent as a Judy Blume book. I mean, how else do you expect kids to learn about real life than movies like this? (Unfortunately, the movie is TV-MA so young teens won’t be able to watch it.)

The big problem with the Cuties is that they’re actually kind of bratty and bullies, almost like a younger “Mean Girls” girl gang, so it’s very hard to like any of them. They’re also trying to act way older than they really are, and you can only imagine what dark places that might led, as you worry about Amy getting dragged down with them, just because she wants to have friends and feel popular.

Despite my issues with Cuties, Maimouna Doucouré is a fantastic filmmaker, and this is a pretty amazing debut, especially notable for how she’s able to work with the young cast but also make a movie that looks amazing. That said, Cuties is a decent coming-of-age film, although I feel like I’ve seen better versions of this movie in films like Mustang and The Fits.

Also from France comes Justine Triet’s SYBIL (Music Box Films), starring Virgine Efira (who appeared in Triet’s earlier film, In Bed with Victoria) as the title character, a jaded psychotherapist who decides to return to her passion of writing, getting her inspiration from an actress patient named Margot (Adèle Exarchopoulos), who she becomes obsessed with. I don’t have a lot to say about this movie other than it wasn’t really for me. As far as French films go, a movie really has to stand out from the usual talkie drama filled with exposition, and though I thought the performances by the two women were great, I didn’t really care for the script or the pacing on this one. After playing at last year’s Cannes, Toronto and the New York Film Festival, Sybil will be available via Virtual Cinema through Film at Lincoln Center and the Laemmle in L.A. as well as other cities. You can watch the trailer and find out how to watch it through your local arthouse at the official site.

Now seems like as good a time as any to get into some docs…

 Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés’ doc ALL-IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY (Amazon) follows Stacey Abrams through her run for Atlanta Governor in 2018, but it also deals with the laws that had been put in place to try to keep black voters from taking part in their right as Americans to be able to vote. I’m not sure what’s going on with me right now, but I generally just don’t have much interest in political docs right now, maybe because there’s so much politics on TV and in the news. I also have very little interest in Abrams or even having the racist history of the American South drilled into my head by another movie. I was born in 1965, my family didn’t even live in this country until 1960, and I’ve spent my life trying to treat everyone equally, so watching a movie like this and being preached to about how awful African-Americans have been treated in parts of the South for hundreds of years, I’m just not really sure what I’m supposed to do about it here in New York. I guess my biggest problem with All-In, which is a perfectly fine and well-made doc – as would be expected from Garbus – is that it lacks focus, and it seems to be all over the place in terms of what it’s trying to say… and I’m not even sure what it is trying to say, nor did I have the patience to find out. I thought Slay the Dragon handled the issues with gerrymandering far better, and I think I would have preferred a movie that ONLY focused on Abrams and her life and political career than trying to make a bigger statement. All-In will open at a few drive-ins (tonight!) and then will be on Amazon Prime on September 18.

I was similarly mixed on Jeff Orlwosky’s doc, THE SOCIAL DILEMMA, which debuted on Netflix this week. This one looks at the addiction people have for social media apps like Facebook and Twitter, and how the information of what people watch and click on is collected into a database that’s sold to the highest bidder. Basically, it’s your worst fears about social media come to life, but my issue with this one is that the filmmaker decided to hire actors to dramatize parts of the movie, showing one family dealing with social media and phone addiction, which seemed like an odd but probably necessary decision other than the fact that the topic is so nerdy and so over my head that maybe it was necessary to illustrate what’s being explained by programmers. Again, not a terrible doc, just not something I had very little interest in even if it is an important subject (and I’m probably spending too much on social media and essentially more of the problem than the solution).

I saw S. Leo Chiang and Yang Sun’s doc OUR TIME MACHINE at Tribeca last year, and I quite liked it. It follows influential Chinese artist Ma Liang (Maleonn) who collaborates with his Peking Opera director father Ma Ke, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, on an elaborate and ambitious project called “Papa’s Time Machine” using life-sized mechanical puppets. I don’t have a ton to say about the movie but it’s a nice look into the Chinese culture and traditions and how the country and art itself has changed between two generations.

One doc I missed last week but will be available digitally this week is Michael Paszt’s Nail in the Coffin: The Fall and Rise of Vampiro about semi-retired professional wrestler Ian Hodgkinson aka Vampiro, who is a Lucha Libre legend.

There’s a lot of other stuff on Netflix this week, including THE BABYSITTER: KILLER QUEEN, the sequel to the Samara Weaving-starring horror-thriller, again co-written and directed by McG (Charlies Angels: Full Throttle). This one stars Bella Thorne, Leslie Bibb and Ken Marino, as it follows Judah Lewis’ Cole after surviving the satanic blood cult from the first movie.

I don’t know nearly as much about the British comedy series The Duchess, other than it stars comedian Katherine Ryan as a single mother juggling a bunch of things. Julie and the Phantoms is Netflix’s latest attempt to be the Disney channel with a movie about a young girl named Julie (Madison Reyes) who decides to start a band with a group of ghosts (hence the title). It’s even from Kenny Laguna, who is best known for the Disney Channel’s biggest hits High School Musical and The Descendants.

Other stuff to look out for this week include Kevin Del Principe’s thriller Up on the Glass (Gravitas Ventures), which is now available On Demand, digital and Blu-Ray; the Russian dogs doc Space Dogs (Icarus Films) – available via Alamo on Demand; Phil Wall’s doc The Standard  (Gravitas Ventures), and Andrei Bowden-Schwartz, Gina O’Brien’s tennis comedy All-In (on Amazon Prime and VOD/Digital) and Sam B. Jones’ Red White and Wasted (Dark Star Pictures).

Next week, more movies not in theaters!

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

[vousdouschild]

Let me kick it like it’s 1986, now

I just started watching ‘Dark’ on Netflix and decided to google it:

The supernatural elements in the year 1986 made me think of the song I was listening to two days ago.

I got that familiar feeling that I was listening to this song for a reason, like it was some kind of foreshadowing:

Portugal. The Man. “Feel It Still”

Lyrics

Can't keep my hands to myself

Think I'll dust 'em off, put 'em back up on the shelf

In case my little baby girl is in need

Am I coming out of left field?

Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now

I been feeling it since 1966, now

Might be over now, but I feel it still

Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now

Let me kick it like it's 1986, now

Might be over now, but I feel it still

Got another mouth to feed

Leave her with a baby sitter, mama, call the grave digger

Gone with the fallen leaves

Am I coming out of left field?

Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now

I been feeling it since 1966, now

Might've had your fill, but you feel it still

Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now

Let me kick it like it's 1986, now

Might be over now, but I feel it still

We could fight a war for peace

(Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now)

Give in to that easy living

Goodbye to my hopes and dreams

Stop flipping for my enemies

We could wait until the walls come down

(Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now)

It's time to give a little to the

Kids in the middle, but oh 'til it falls

Won't bother me

Is it coming?

Is it coming?

Is it coming?

Is it coming?

Is it coming?

Is it coming back?

Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, yeah

Your love is an abyss for my heart to eclipse, now

Might be over now, but I feel it still

Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now

I've been feeling it since 1966, now

Might be over now, but I feel it still

Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now

Let me kick it like it's 1986, now

Might be over now, but I feel it still

Might've had your fill, but you feel it still

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Asa Taccone / Brian Holland / Eric Andrew Howk / Freddie Gorman / Georgia Dobbins / Jason Wade Sechrist / John Baldwin Gourley / John Graham Hill / Robert Bateman / William E. Garrett / Zachary Scott Carothers / Kyle O'Quin

Feel It Still lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

What happened in the world in 1986?

I googled what happened in 1986. Here is some of what happened in 1986 across the globe:

Interestingly, the Human Genome Project started then. Funny coincidence since I’ve been thinking and talking about that project lately and have admitted to feeling paranoid about having my DNA analyzed. The reason I’ve felt paranoid is because I feel like there is some kind of trait in my DNA which is being tracked by some agency, and I don’t want any people coming after me to test me (again) ( I feel like I have been experimented upon and/or something in me has been altered).

What happened to ME in 1986?

I was 11 in 1986. I feel like something horrible was done to me, something outside of what my parents did. Wasn’t I watching Jem on television then?

Yes, I was:

I know that I was severely traumatized in 1986, when I was 11.

I was dissociating daily, shaking that towel and very interested in Jem and the Holograms. I wanted to be a hologram like Jem. She was the inspiration and base model for the other world I created for myself.

I couldn’t bear to see and hear and smell and taste what was going on around me. This was a period of time in which my father dragged us all across the United States, from Youngstown, Ohio, to Atlanta, Georgia, and down to various places in Florida, moving from one roach motel to another. All six of us lived in a single room with two beds (if we were lucky) and smelly carpet. I used to lie down on the floor between a bed and a wall to try to get the most privacy as I could, and I used to used my Jem doll as a sort of totem which I would shake to take myself to the world I had created inside my mind. I would focus on her hair dangling past her shoulders and it was like I was teleported out of the hell my bruised, three-dimensional body was in. Unfortunately, I no longer had Jem in 1986.

My father had thrown away all of our things, saying they were “from the past” and therefore “evil.” My Jem doll was included in that group. She was especially bad because she had breasts and dad said that breasts were evil. I needed a way to transport myself to my alternate reality, so I would take a towel and wrap it around my left fist, hold it over my right forearm, and shake it. The towel became hair falling upon shoulders which had seconds earlier been my forearm. When I shook that towel while holding my left foot in my right hand, I was a hologram in a world in which I lived in a beautiful home and the majority of my experiences were shifting gears in a very fast car (the gear shift was on the dashboard) and hearing the acoustic delights of opening the heavy wooden door of my home and the click of my heels upon the various surfaces. I wrote songs and sang and helped underprivileged girls with my sisters.

The number 11 seems important.

I know that that 11 means “illumination” in Tibetan numerology (according to Kryon); however, I recall the number 11 being associated with me in a very detailed numerology reading I’d had done whilst living in Shepperton.

I located my Deluxe Numerology Report in Google Drive.

It seems that my Soul Urge is 11:

Seeing this number makes me think of that book I am just beginning to read, ‘The 49th Mystic’. The protagonist is called number 49 by an interdimensional being in the book. The protagonist has the ability to exist in one dimension while sleeping and the third dimension while awake. The being she communicates with in her sleep begins to interact with her in her waking life. I used to solve everyday problems in my dreams and often had dreams that came true when I was a little girl and teenager (less frequently after the age of 15).

What does it mean to have a number 11 Soul Urge?

According to my Deluxe Numerology Report, 11 is a “master number”:

These are the two pages from my numerology report which describe my 11 Master Number soul urge:

These pages state that the soul is a combination of the physical and the spirit, or what the Greeks called Nous. My Soul Urge is a master number, and that label of “master number” seems to imply that I naturally possess some kind of mastery. Perhaps this makes me similar to the protagonist in that novel I just mentioned.

An interesting coincidence is the mentioning of trauma and dissociation. I had just written about my daily dissociation and Jem, and now I see that my numerology report also mentions trauma and dissociation. The numerology report claims that trauma and dissociation can cause the soul to stop participating in everyday life. Is this why I do not feel like a real person and an empty shell most of the time?

Looking at ‘trauma’ and ‘11’ also makes me think of the character “11” on ‘Stranger Things’. She was a victim of the Montauk Project because she was psychically gifted, and if I recall the series correctly, she was traumatized to activate her gifts. The Montauk Project was real. I have always felt that something similar happened to me. Maybe it was just a dream. Maybe it happened when I was 11. Maybe I was called “11.” Who knows? Stranger things have happened.

[papermoonloveslucy]

THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT

June 2, 1941

Lux Radio Theatre (1935-55) was a radio anthology series that adapted Broadway plays during its first two seasons before it began adapting films (”Lux Presents Hollywood”). These hour-long radio programs were performed live before studio audiences in Los Angeles. The series became the most popular dramatic anthology series on radio, broadcast for more than 20 years and continued on television as the Lux Video Theatre through most of the 1950s. The primary sponsor of the show was Unilever through its Lux Soap brand.

They Drive By Night was a 1940 motion picture produced by Warner Brothers.  It was directed by Raoul Walsh and starred George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, and Humphrey Bogart.  It was released in the UK under the title The Road to Frisco. The film was based on A. I. Bezzerides' 1938 novel Long Haul, which was later reprinted under the title They Drive by Night to capitalize on the success of the film. Part of the film's plot was borrowed from another Warner Bros. film, Bordertown (1935) with Paul Muni and Bette Davis.

Synopsis ~ When one of two truck-driving brothers loses an arm, they both join a transport company where the other is falsely charged as an accessory in the murder of the owner.

CAST

Lucille Ball (Marie Carlsen) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. “My Favorite Husband” eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

The role was played on screen by Ida Lupino.  For radio, the character’s first name was changed from Lana to Marie. 

George Raft (Joe Fabrini) had appeared in the 1933 film The Bowery with Lucille Ball, also directed by Walsh.  

Repeats the role he played in the film version. 

Brian Donlevey (Paul Fabrini) was a 1940 Oscar nominee for Beau Geste.  In 1967, he finally appeared on screen with George Raft in Five Golden Dragons. 

The role was played on screen by Humphrey Bogart. 

“US Highway 99. A concrete ribbon of commerce, winding its way over the hills from San Francisco to Los Angeles. In the dark hours of the morning, a steady stream of trucks roars along this road, huge six wheeled monsters with their headlights burning into the blackness, their mighty tires pounding the concrete, hour after hour and mile after mile.”

Brothers Joe and Paul Fabrini are independent truck drivers who make a meager living transporting goods. Joe convinces Paul to start their own small, one-truck business, staying one step ahead of loan shark Farnsworth, who is trying to repossess their truck.

At a diner, Joe is attracted to waitress Cassie Hartley. Later, on their way to Los Angeles, the brothers pick up a hitchhiker; Joe is pleased when it turns out to be Cassie, who quit after her boss tried to get a bit too friendly with her. They park at a diner for a meal and chat with a trucker acquaintance, McNamara, who is extremely overworked and tired; later, back on the road, the brothers and Cassie find themselves driving behind McNamara and soon become aware that he must be asleep at the wheel. They put themselves in danger trying to awaken him, but McNamara's truck goes off the road and explodes in flames.

At his home just outside of Los Angeles, Paul is reunited with his patient though worried wife, Pearl, who would rather have Paul settle down in a safer, more regular job. Paul is troubled about his future, too, but will not leave his brother "out on a limb as long as he thinks we have a chance in this business". In the city, Joe finds Cassie a place to stay. They talk and begin to establish a relationship.

The next morning, from a window overlooking the market, Joe's good friend Ed Carlsen, watches Joe get into a brief fist fight. Ed is a trucking business owner and former driver; he calls Joe up to his office and offers him a job. Joe insists on remaining independent. Ed's wife, Marie Carlsen, has wanted Joe for years but he has always rebuffed her advances.

MARIE: “You’re crude, you’re uneducated, you never had a pair of pants with a crease in ‘em, and yet - I can’t get you off my mind, Joe.”

Ed gives Joe a tip on a load which results in the brothers earning enough money to finally pay off Farnsworth. 

Part Two

On the return trip, Paul falls asleep at the wheel, causing an accident which costs him his right arm and wrecks the truck.

When Ed hires Joe as a driver, Marie persuades her husband to make him the traffic manager instead; she starts dropping by the office frequently. Joe continues to spurn her advances. One night, when Marie drives a drunk, unconscious Ed home from a party, she murders him on impulse, by leaving him in the garage with the car motor still idling. When the police investigate, it appears to be an accident. 

Part Three

She later gives Joe a half-interest as a partner in the business in a subsequent attempt to attract him.

Paul has been bitter over his inability to land a proper job in order to support his wife and plan a family. He returns to work as a dispatcher for Joe. Joe does a fine job managing the business but, when Marie learns he plans to marry Cassie, she becomes so enraged she reveals to him that she killed Ed so that she could have him. She then goes to the police, accusing Joe of forcing her to help commit murder. During the trial, the weight of circumstantial evidence looks bad for Joe, but a guilt-ridden Marie breaks down on the witness stand, laughing hysterically and claiming the electric garage doors made her do it.

After Marie is determined to be insane, the case is dismissed. Joe considers going back to the road, but Cassie, Paul - who happily announces that Pearl and he are having a baby - and the boys manage to convince him otherwise. He thus returns to the trucking business that he had dreamed of owning, with his brother as traffic manager and Cassie as his bride-to-be.

LUPINO-LESS, BALL PINCH HITS

This recreation of the film was supposed to star two of its original stars. Ida Lupino had signed on to play Mrs. Carlsen, but had conflicts with her film work. 

This newspaper item gets a few things wrong. First, the brothers’ last name is Fabrini, not Sambrini.  Also, Lucille Ball plays Marie Carlsen, not Cassie.  This same information is reprinted in other newspapers.  It looks as though Ball was originally cast as Cassie, until Lupino’s departure. 

It turns out that Lupino left the radio show at the last minute (film commitments) and Ball was moved up to her role. The fact reached a few newspapers in time, but not all. 

In the frenzy to re-cast, several Hollywood names were mentioned - and published.  Rita Hayworth for one...

... and Lana Turner!  It is possible that Lupino’s film name ‘Lana’ (changed to Marie for radio) caused the confusion. 

This article doesn’t mention the role Ball will play, possibly to avoid confusion should she not move into Lupino’s role. 

The film version featured background actors Mike Lally and Bess Flowers, Queen of the Extras.  They both did frequent background work on “I Love Lucy.” 

[vishers]

Friday-ish Links

An old friend figured out that you can make a grammatically correct sentence out of 3 repetitions of Poop. She seems to be absolutely killing it in the quarantine homeschooling unpleasantness. It made me think of one of my favorite examples of English ambiguity: the "buffalo" sentence by Dmitri Borgmann (best known for his work in recreational linguistics! 😂).

Miss Amy suggested that run books are actually just technical debt. While I agree on one hand I disagree on another. It's true that if you can write a sufficiently robust runbook to the point where an unskilled operator can simply follow the steps slavishly to solve the problem then you might as well take it one step further and write a program that does the slavish steps. Even so, I believe that run books are essentially extremely cheap first steps towards possible automation. If you look at a run book I write it does bear some similarity to a program. There are "if this, then that, else that" sections for sure and I do comment on them like I might in a program. But there are many more holes and explicit calls to say to the operator (often myself) "Last time I looked at this it was very ambiguous. Take a second to look around so you're sure you're doing the right thing. Add some notes right here if you see anything new." My intention is not that an unskilled operator can respond to things. My intention is that my learning and your learning can begin to merge until we think it's stable enough to write a program. The process of writing the program then is a heavier weight activity but should have been made as lightweight as it could be by virtue of having a body of discovery underpinning it in the form of the run book it replaces.

My buddy Joshua sent me this t00t because he knows how much I love D&D, Common Core, and Homeschooling. I'm constantly struggling with how to get my kids really into non-fiction texts which is one of my favorite insights from Common Core and it had never occurred to me that they way they devour the D&D Core books and duel with me on every minor detail the rules indicates quite a successful engagement with non-fiction text indeed.

Hidden Brain on NPR rebroadcast (AFAICT) Fake News: An Origin Story on 2020-04-30 on WHYY (my local NPR station) in How Failing Newspapers Cost Us All. It was an incredible listen all around but the quote that really caught me was

TUCHER: Yes. There was a real debate about the term faking in the 1880s and 1890s. But it was a debate in which many people argued, many journalists argued, faking is a good thing. By faking at that time, they didn't mean nefarious manipulation. They meant embellishment, adding some details, filling in gaps that they hadn't been able to see at the time, making an interviewee sound a little more articulate. It wasn't wholesale manipulation, but they argued that people would like that better because it gave them truth that was closer to what they expected, that it gave them stuff that wasn't boring, that - nobody wanted a newspaper said one handbook for journalists…

VEDANTAM: In other words, if the mere recitation of the facts doesn't do justice to the truth, the honest journalist actually goes beyond the facts to try and represent the truth.

TUCHER: Yes, yes. You can do a higher truth that way, and that's a term that we hear a lot, you know, somehow getting at a higher truth by glossing over inconvenient details. But this was a genuine movement. In the early years of the professionalization of the press, there were professional journals in which this argument was made… But in general, yes, there was a real sense that it was a good thing to do.

This of course immediately brought to mind a long standing debate my buddy Redmond and I have over the relationship between Truth and Fact. Elie Wiesel has said: "Some stories are true that never happened." While I agree that Truth reflects something greater than the sum of the facts that make it up, I still staunchly make the claim that Truth is separable from fact and can (sometimes) be gotten at more easily by lying about the facts in play.

Depression has been an enormous part of my life. My Mom suffered from it. My wife suffers from it. I think in some small ways I suffer from it. I had forgotten that Peter Sagal had opened up about his own depression on The Hilarious World of Depression with John Moe but was reminded of that fact on Fresh Air.

There's nothing more exquisitely pleasurable to me than spending a long evening locked in deep conversation with a small group of people. I am a great lover of good questions that flow freely in those times. Naturally I was intrigued by this post on Quartz and even more amazed that I had never even heard of Warren Berger and A More Beautiful Question. Boy do I want to read these books now.

eccentricj posed an interesting question on Clojureverse: "Are we the programming equivalent of “fake” martial arts?". I'm partly thankful just because I had never heard of the world of Fake Martial Arts that they reference and I think that just speaks for itself. But I also think that it's a good introspective attitude to have towards your tools. The idea that your language/ecosystem is the 10x language/ecosystem and everyone using anything else is brain dead and that you'll run circles around them is silly. It immediately called to mind this quote that I ran into recently.

Q: Is there a programming language that is the best choice for all (or nearly all) application development? If yes, which language is it, and what makes it best? If not, what would it take to create such a language?

Ritchie: No, this is silly.

Stroustrup: No. People differ too much for that and their applications differ too much. The notion of a perfect and almost perfect language is the dream of immature programmers and marketeers. Naturally, every language designer tries both to strengthen his language to better serve its core community and to broaden its appeal, but being everything to everybody is not a reasonable ideal. There are genuine design choices and tradeoffs that must be made.

Gosling: I think the one that has the best broad coverage is Java, but I'm a really biased sample. If you're doing things that are heavily into string pattern-matching, Perl can be pretty nice. I guess actually those are the ones I use much at all these days. Most of the older languages are completely subsumed; the reasons for using some of them are more historical than anything else.

---Interview with Dennis Ritchie, Bjarne Stroustrup, James Gosling

The uncomfortable truth is that because there's no silver bullet languages are more like productivity systems than any of us would like to admit.

This also brings to mind Brian Kernighan's talk on successful language design which is really good in its own right. Kernighan definitely seems to fall into the camp of pragmatic DSLs. Once you have a language that is purpose built to solve the problem at hand it should become quite simple to express the solution to your problem in that language.

Had on opportunity to link to BashFAQ/028 which is always fun. The vagaries of script location are quite surprising.

This Guardian article on an actual historical event that closely resembled Lord of the Flies was fascinating.

via Brian Marick

I don't understand Linux logging nearly well enough and I probably never will given that it's all being ditched for Docker anyway.

The issue of compliance testing against terraform is becoming more and more of an issue as we distribute control of our infrastructure around my company. I like the idea of using something like eerkunt/terraform-compliance (blog) to do static analysis rather than standing up actual infrastructure.

This post by Camille Fournier hits very close to home right now. This is my job and it's hard for all the same reasons she outlines.

This pair of posts sings my tune. Choose Boring Technology!

AWS Networking 101 is not particularly well named IMO and it has some very interesting insights regarding what you can and can't control in your AWS VPC. If you're looking for a higher level conceptual overview you should really head to AWS VPC Core Concepts in an Analogy and Guide.

via Corey Quinn

Love discovering new coreutils tools. In this instance it's numfmt because Steve Purcell had the gall to post something publicly positive about awk. xD

I try to take everything I read on the t00ts with a grain of salt but this t00t from a supposed education scholar fits my understanding of the world so it must be right. It's easy to think that because mass education was so recently introduced homeschooling/communityschooling must be easy or natural. Unfortunately most of us have no idea how homeschooling ever looked before and our expectation of education is entirely shaped by modern notions of what the goal of education is. The idea of teaching your modern renaissance style curriculum to your kids while doing full time work is, as the author suggestions, "batshit insane".

Peng Yu once again with a case of "why in the world are you using bash for this?" question.

Re: How to pipe just stderr to stdin in a pipeline?

Premature Optimization

I love Honest Trailers and they did one for Bladerunner 2049!

Whooooooooooooooa original broadway cast Hamilton is coming to Disney+ on July 3!

I've listened to a lot of Tom Lehrer over the years and despite nearly failing out of Chemistry I did love me The Elements set to the tune of The Major-General's Song. Helen Arney kills it with the addition of 4 new elements over a napping child!

via TARDISLittleFreeLibrary

Also Tom Lehrer: New Math (concert live) (1965)

Hello, my name is Mike, I'm a recovering True Believer - Mike Anderson

My wife recently watched through Wild, Wild Country on Netflix. It brought to mind this post by Mike Anderson about a community you may not have heard of that was very influential to me. I think about it often. The fallout is still happening.

I love automation. It's all about this statement from In Praise of AutoHotKey.

There’s something about the difference between “a single hotkey” and “four steps” that makes me more likely to bother.

When something is cheap and abundant why not do it all the time. Also I found out Hillel also has a 'Current Web Page' hot key!

Sci-Hub seems cool if not, as Hillel says, striiiiictly legal.

Will the Supreme Court crown Trump king? /sigh The Christians elected Trump President hoping a lecherous, sexist, broken, egotistical, predatory, narcissistic man could be the champion that would end abortion and take back control of the Supreme Court. He took back control of the Supreme Court alright. With sycophants who would love to repay him the favor if they can of elevating him to monarchy.

I recently finished reading The Art of PostgreSQL. I heartily recommend it. Definitely taught me many things that I had no idea SQL could do. I'm especially a fan now of lateral joins, window functions, and lag. He linked to 3 different sites that I thought were especially good:

Rob Pike: Notes on Programming in C

Basics of the Unix Philosophy

Database Design: Normalization Basics - Techniques

My god. The idea of mocking out entire clouds is… Well it's something… localstack/localstack

News about my favorite parasite? Yes please!

via Brian Marick

QAnon Is More Important Than You Think. File this under things I wish I wasn't aware of. Like I was struck by during the Impeachment Inquiry I just don't know how we're going to survive the sundering of the realities we perceive we live in.

Rich Hickey praises the JVM as it turns 25.

Makes me think of java sucks

Java doesn't have free().

I have to admit right off that, after that, all else is gravy. That one point makes me able to forgive just about anything else, no matter how egregious. Given this one point, everything else in this document fades nearly to insignificance.

[dailyaudiobible]

07/03/2021 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 22:3-23:30, Acts 21:37-22:16, Psalm 1:1-6, Proverbs 18:11-12

Today is the 3rd day of July, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s awesome to be here with you today. As we continue our journey through the next steps forward and right now the territory, we’re in is the month of July and the territory we’re in the Scriptures is 2nd Kings and Acts and so that's where we will find ourselves situated today as we bring to a close another one of our weeks together. Tomorrow we’ll begin the first full week of the month of July. Today we’ll finish this kind of transition week are reading from the New International Version this week, 2nd Kings 22 verse 3 through 23 verse 30.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We love You Lord what a gift, what a gift it, it's binding us together. It's pulling us together in community as we day-by-day step-by-step move through it together and it's not only doing that it's transforming us from within. Transforming things that we, we have no power to change within ourselves and yet Your Holy Spirit keeps leading us on the pathways that lead us deeper so we are grateful. And as we embrace July, we invite Your Holy Spirit to move mightily among us. We asked this expectantly, and with anticipation in the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base. It is the home of the Global Campfire that we sit around every day and enjoy the Scriptures washing into our lives in the little oasis that we create and that's where home is. So be aware of that be aware of the Daily Audio Bible Shop. Be aware of the Community section where the Prayer Wall lives.

Be aware of what's coming up in a couple of days. On the 7th this coming Wednesday, the 7th of July is our own little Daily Audio Bible Global Campfire holiday that we have had for goodness well over a decade, well over a decade now. So, man probably maybe 14, 14 years I'm not sure a long time a lot a Long Walks and that's what we do on the 7th of July we recognize we’re in the center of the year recognize that were probably weary in a lot of areas and a lot of times we do is double down and get more busy to try to create space so that we can maybe feel at peace or get a grasp on where we’re headed or as an alternative we could just plan a day for that not to catch up on chores a day to just breathe and be and heal and restore and go out in nature and be restored and look around and appreciate how much life is happening in nature, the birds, the little critters, all the stuff that's going on around us but we’re pretty much too busy to pay attention to and to go for a Long Walk. That's what you do when you fall in love right you go for Long Walks. Doesn’t matter if it's raining. Doesn't matter if it's cold, doesn't matter, you go for a Long Walk hand-in-hand. Time stands still you’re in love and God is in love with you and would love to go for a Long Walk with you and with me with each of us. And what and how could that be? Because God is Almighty and our Father, who knows all. So, these things that were so confused about and we can't find peace about, maybe we could. Maybe we just need to talk em out with somebody who loves us deeply. That's the purpose of the Long Walk to sort of set ourselves up strong for the second half of the year. So that's coming up this Wednesday, and it's obviously it's a private solitary thing to do to go for a walk with God. Consider life and where it's headed. But it's also something that we will be doing together all over the world and so we’ll put a post on the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page for the Long Walk and then you can post pictures in there from your Long Walk of little videos from you long walk. Share your story and when we come back from our Long Walks, we can go to that place and we get like a double dose, like a mini vacation all the way around the world as we look through the windows into each other's lives and I love them very much. So, that's a Long Walk and that's coming up in a couple of days, mark that on your calendars.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com there is a link on the homepage and I thank you with all of my heart for your partnership. If using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement you it the Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And I was gonna say that's it for today but the other thing about the Long Walk is there's a resource available that really is is perfect, it’s called Heart, a Contemplative Journey and you can get that where ever you get your music so like at the iTunes store or Google play, just search for my name or Heart a Contemplative Journey and that is really a wonderful conversation starter for the Long Walk to just kind of begin with prayer that opens our hearts opens us to the different emotions that we’ve been going through and feeling some of them we've been overwhelmed by, and some of them we've been suppressing but just open our hearts invite God, allow prayer and music to be a part of that story as we go on our Long Walk, so check that out.

And that's it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Prayers and Encouragement:

Hey DABers this is Nick Florida today is Thursday, July 1st. This is my third or fourth time calling in, I’ve been listening to the Daily Audio Bible for over three years now and I just love this community. You guys are awesome. I was calling today to see if everyone could pray for my neighbor. Her name is Beth. She has two young kids ages seven and three and her husband is very supportive of her through the tough time they are going through right now. She has stage IV cancer and doctors say that she doesn't have too much longer with the way things are progressing. And I just call and ask for all of you to pray for her to show that God is the great physician and he can heal her through the name of Jesus. I'm not sure she's saved. I don't think she is but I know with the help of your prayer and through Jesus she can be healed and I'd love to give the honor and glory to God through all of you, praying and show her that God can heal and she should turn to him for salvation as well. Please pray have faith believe it can be done. Thank you everybody have a good day.

Hello DABers this is a prayer for Billy in Montgomery who is going to be on a Kairos ministry walk. He is going to be giving a talk to the prisoners there who are attending the Kairos. He commented that he, he wants so, to have a very, very powerful message for them. But Billy, I want you to know that, you already know, it's not, it's not you that has to come up with this God is going to come up with that particular wonderful talk that day that they need to hear and He will use you through your presentation, through the love that you have for God's people and definitely count on, on being in, held up the prayer that day and as I do my walk, my Long Walk will be thinking and praying for you and the prisoners there. God bless you. This is Artie from Arkansas. Amen.

Hello DAB community this is Bubba D and my prayer goes out to Ben from Pennsylvania. Father God I ask that You would encourage Ben’s wife, give her strength to endure this time of small children for several months two and four, all the girls. We ask You to bless them. Bless Ben’s wife Lord with wisdom, how to get her day to a place where she can have breaks and she would have the fellowship with fellow moms and just time away from the daughters and give Ben wisdom too so that he would provide for her those breaks in times of R&R. Thank you Lord, asking your Holy Spirit to infuse Ben's wife’s energy give her everything that she needs right now, mostly that rest that peace, for you are the Prince of Peace, Jesus. Give her all that she needs right now in your name Jesus Christ we pray.

Hello DAB this is Rob from Ohio, I’ve been listening for about a year and 1/2 now. I’ve called him several times and been on the Prayer Wall. I suffer from long COVID, long haulers like calling and the reasoning I'm calling and today is not so much for me and asking prayers for me. But as I go through the Cleveland clinic and I see these doctors and I'm meet in these groups. I see more and more people like me struggling to get back to normal for get over COVID or get over the symptoms. I just asked today that you say a prayer for all the people out there suffering from what is pretty much been you know miserable the last year and 1/2 for me and I know I've talked to a lot of people that have experienced quite similar things for months and months so please, please I ask for the people that aren’t able to return to normal. I ask you to please pray for them. Pray for wisdom for the doctors pray that we find answers why COVID is so much harder on us. They have their theories but nothing, nothing set in stone. Thank you very much and God bless.

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 19 - OTT - Jack It!

4-2 Regulation Win over Sens

The term “Must-Win” is a bit overused in our contemporary sports parlay. That phrase is placed before everything from pretty standard out-of-conference matchup to run-of-the-mill divisional games. Some games are must-win because if you don’t win em then there will be a new level of hell to pay. Last night was a must-win for the Buffalo Sabres. Rightfully. A loss against the Ottawa Senators would not just have been embarrassing from a skill versus skill perspective, it would have been a seventh loss in a row and trigger more than a couple alarm bells. Luckily it was a win, and a reasonably dominating one too. Still there are some storylines in this game that have been festering and will probably be with us for the weeks and months to come. Before that though let’s talk about Greatest Game Against! Brought to you by the 50th Anniversary Season of the Buffalo Sabres the Greatest Game Against attempts to memorialize the best game against each of Buffalo’s divisional rivals. There is history, and plenty of it, between these two clubs! However the greatest game against the Ottawa Senators is such in a walk, it’s not even close. The Greatest Game Against the Sens was May 13th, 2006. The Buffalo Sabres, a team that surprised many being so good so quickly after the lockout finds themselves in the second round of the playoffs against a team they had encountered many times before. The Senators were no laughing matter sporting the good, young versions of Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, not to mention they had won the Northeast division that season. The Lindy Ruff Sabres had Daniel Briere and Chris Drury backed up by almost peak Ryan Miller with the likes of career-year having Maxim Afinogenov, Jochen Hecht, Jay McKee, and Mike Grier shepherding young guns like Jason Pominville and Tomas Vanek. After a killer first four games of the series Buffalo had the divisional winners on the edge of elimination in their own house. It was a back-and-forth affair: Buffalo’s Henrik Tallinder scores in the first minute before the Sens Alfredsson scored at the midway mark of the first. The Sabres took the lead again in the second period via a Chris Drury powerplay goal only to be equalized again by Brian Pothier. The game went to overtime when the most memorable goal of Jason Pominville’s career for most Sabres fans occurred: Pommer gets the puck in the neutral zone and streams in along the boards crossing in front of Ray Emery in the Sens net. He outmaneuvers Emery putting it in behind for the sudden win. That eliminated the divisional champs and sent the Sabres to a fateful Eastern Conference Final against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes. A young Elliotte Friedman interviewed Pominville after the hand-shakes who was sobered by the reminder he started that season on waivers. Ryan Miller also had a gem of a post-game interview but its due time we talk about last night’s win over the Sens.

There’s no getting around the fact that the Sabres dominated the first period last night, they dominated every statistical category and the eye-test for you grumpy old men. However, they did not score and for a team in a must-win situation it was an uneasy first intermission. If you were looking for rays of light in what has been an ugly November so far the domineering start might harken back to…uh… last month when these guys pretty reliably jumped out to hot starts regardless of where it went after that. If you’re looking for rainclouds, like a lot of us seem to be doing these days, Jake McCabe and a very much not optimized defensive group shored up their numbers as one of the league’s top 20 dump-in defenses. I am particularly annoyed with the dump-in-chase style because its always statistically detrimental to your momentum in a games and normally signifies a team that does not know what they’re doing as a whole group. This season started with a quick-passing play-together kind of chemistry and I’m wondering where it went. I pray to God it didn’t freeze off with the first snowfall of the season.

Kyle Okposo took a weird hit coming on off the bench and he would leave the game early in the second period. Last time I checked the jury isn’t out on what’s going on there. We didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. Rasmus Dahlin got the puck to Jack Eichel skating along the boards hounded by Dylan DeMelo. Like so many times in his career we saw Jack quick-release a slapper that zipped past Craig Anderson, 1-0 Sabres. After what would turn out to be one of the Captain’s hottest nights, he would be asked by the Athletic’s Joe Yerdon what got him shooting so much more. The answer was something out of some demented Sabres fan fiction from 2015. Eichel said he got a text recently from an old friend named… wait for it… MATT MOULSON telling him he outta shoot more. Hmm. I’ll just let that one percolate in your head. This game was full of ghosts of Christmases past when Anthony Duclair cashed in on a Sens powerplay to even it up about five minutes later. Ok, that’s more of a personal ghost of my past. Halfway through the period Buffalo struck back. This time it was Victor Olofsson carrying the puck into the offensive zone and dropping it off to a 1, 2, 3… quadruple covered Jack Eichel? No matter what Eichel just took the puck and whacked it on net. It went in and Jack’s brace put the Sabres back in the lead 2-1. As this game got into its second half some peculiar things started to unfold. For one, a frustrated Sabres fanbase continued to wonder where we can find Colin Miller in order to free him because the top defensive minutes were not in the most capable hands last night.

Secondly, Rasmus Dahlin got benched. So this saga has already had a full life cycle in the 18 prior games this season so I am not going to prognosticate about why or how except for two things: Ralph Krueger said after the game quote “[Dahlin] just sometimes wanting too much maybe and finding the balance between his amazing genius and skill and what we need to win. He’ll improve from it.” Chad DeDominicis pointed out that’s not ever really been asked of the guy this organization keeps reminding us is still a teenager. Dahlin has, at every step of his career, including when he switch from forward to defense *checks notes* five years ago, been allowed to be creative. Certainly mistakes will be made but as you keep reminding us Ralph: he’s 19. Maybe benching him is riskier than him messing up on the defensive side every now and again. Players like him are not a dime a dozen. The other part of this worth noting is immortalized in my twitter cover photo: Captain Eichel grabbing Dahlin on the bench and giving him some kind of talk. We’ll probably never know exactly what was said but I chose to imagine Eichel imploring the young franchise defenseman to not lose his confidence and not to think too much. Eichel remembers the Dan Blysma era. What became the grievance with Disco Dan was forcing a complicated programmatic game plan on creative players. Everyone was second guessing themselves in the months leading into that Coach’s firing. That same self-doubt inducing split-second confusion is clearly evident in Dahlin these days. Eichel saw it too and addressed it to Dahlin. I chose this as my reality because the best teams in this league transcend their head coaches: the Pittsburgh Penguins, the San Jose Sharks, the Boston Bruins, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The players on those teams are the mood-setters and the leaders. Could you even name the coach on 2 out 4 of those clubs without using google? I’m sure you could name the decisive players on all four of those clubs. I want that for my team and I like to think Captain Jack is doing it.

Captain Jack scored a hat trick for the second time in his career. The third one came in similar fashion to the first as he skated along the boards and ripped one through traffic past the opposing goaltender. The hat storm goal made it 3-2. The Sens had already evened it up before that with a real blast from the Sabres past Tyler Ennis. It was really a tip-in originating with Ron Hainsey but that will count for Ennis the Menace. Nonetheless Eichel had the game winner but he wasn’t done yet. As the third period ticked away and it became clear this would be the game to break the losing streak the Sens pulled Anderson and Eichel launched an intercontinental missile into the open net to reach the four-goal dick trick. Do I need to explain that? I’ve learned my readers are a hockey-literate bunch. Well for those of you who don’t know Joe Thorton was once asked what he’d do with four goals in a single game. He said in such a scenario he’d pull his dick out and stroke it. Well last night our Captain Jacked it and pulled off the dick trick! I guess I have to mark this postgame explicit now, don’t I? It was over. The Sabres won 4-2 in regulation to collect all two points and finally get a win in November, the month they strung together ten in last year.

As always I’d appreciate a like, share and if you really want to be nice a comment on this blog. I think there is a lot to talk about with this team right now, in spite of the win. Moreover, either tomorrow or Tuesday you’ll be seeing another Sabres post on Southtowntickets.com. In it we’ll be discussing the simply befuddling question: What’s wrong with the Buffalo Sabres? The something wrong here is probably complex then let’s finally trade a defenseman but that will come into it as well. The Reply Guy of the game goes to @CaptPantalones (Brandon Andrerson) whose son got a Jack Eichel stick in the pregame skate. That’s a special kind of memory I suspect he won’t ever forget having seen the Captain tap in three goals the same night. That’s even more heart-warming then the Wedding I went to during this game, but I promised I wouldn’t brag about that here. Tonight, after a must-win Bills game in Miami I might add, the Sabres will take on another team they probably should beat: the Chicago Blackhawks. I’m almost afraid to say that because the Hawks have had our number a few times in the years since their dynasty team fell into the gutter and United Center isn’t a friendly place for any visitor. You got to start stringing those wins together again before the trip down to Florida next week. They’ve got a couple soft targets before the Bruins later in the week to do it so let’s see if we get the fun Sabres back. Last night came with a little treat beyond the Eichel Dick Trick: the Toronto Maple Leafs got rocked 6-1 by the Pens. The Atlantic Division isn’t the straightforward hierarchy we thought it was going to be. Not yet at least. Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. I hope Dahlin comes back from his benching to deke the pants off Alex Nylander tonight!

[patheticphallacy]

Hallo!

So let’s start this post by referencing the major creative crisis I went through this month, stemming from a blogging rut I found myself in beginning in July. I’ve got through it now, and I have basically the next month and a half of content already scheduled in preparation for my return to Uni, but the rut was real, guys.

I spend a lot of time on my posts and I found myself very low regarding the content and the amount of response I get to what I post. I know blogging is a lengthy process, I’m not going to immediately get response considering the blog is only just over two years old, and I genuinely love writing these posts and reviews. It’s a worry I tackle often, but sometimes it just gets to me and makes me feel kind of hopeless of ever getting over my general anxiety regarding interacting with other people. I keep my distance just because I don’t know how to make friends in the community, and I feel like that translates over to my blog sometimes too, but I’m really trying to change that by talking to more people!

Other than that: August was boring. I read, I watched random stuff, and I worked overtime shifts so I have enough money for rent when Uni starts. I’m honestly a pretty boring person during off-time from University just because of how far away I am from people, combined with my lack of money. Maybe next Summer will be more exciting.

I also want to add that my blog is going to be a lot busier now the end of the year is approaching. I always seem to have a calm period in November, but every other month, expect chaos! Good chaos, though. Friendly chaos. October is a great month for me as I love horror and supernatural things, which means I have twice as many post ideas.

READING WRAP UP

    Assassination Classroom Volume 3-4 by Yusei Matsui– I expect to read more Assassination Classroom this month, but I ended up starting another popular manga series (that’ll come up later). I did enjoy these two volumes, and we got some intriguing looks into Korosensei’s backstory. 

Ibitsu by Haruto Ryo– I hated this. Straight up. It felt very targeted towards the humiliation of teenage girls with a lot of unneeded torture and nudity, and I just felt sick after reading it, and not in a way I can enjoy with some stories. 

Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love Volume 1-4 by Yayu Sakuragi– This is an age-gap romance between an 18 year old and his childhood friend who is… six/eight years older than him, one of the two. There were some really weird moments, for sure, and I won’t dispute that the age gap was kinda gross at points, but I feel like by the end the conversations on adulthood and the main character finally having his frustrations recognised meant a lot. 

My Love Story Volume 7-13 by Kazune Kawahara– I’m in a perpetual state of mourning now that I’ve finished this series. It’s one of my all-time favourites. The ending is so heartfelt and they get into heavier issues towards the final volume that I feel helped carry the main relationship from feeling young into adulthood as the characters began college. It addresses jealousy and feelings of incompetence, while never belittling the trust these characters have in one another. It’s handled so maturely and so unlike other stories, and I’m satisfied with the conclusion, even if my heart is broken. 

    My Hero Academia Vigilantes Volume 4 by Hideyuki Furuhashi– Not as good as volume 3, but has some solid character development and we finally have a showdown of sorts. This does end on a cliffhanger, fair warning.

Starlike Words by Junko– Reaaaally didn’t like this. Poor development of character and relationship and the nudity felt gratuitous and gross, especially considering these characters are only 15/16. 

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling– Another one that disappointed me. I have a review for this linked at the end of this post, just know that I had issues with the treatment of toxic relationships and a victim blaming attitude. 

Peter and Alice by John Logan– An OK read that’s very meta, a play that imagines the meeting behind Peter Llewelyn Davies and Alice Liddell in 1932. It’s very tragic and the weaving of the characters they inspired into their own stories was incredible, but I found myself thinking the whole time about how this… probably didn’t happen. I know I should have suspended my disbelief, it just felt impossible. 

    One Piece Volume 1-11 by Eiichiro Oda– EE. This series is great! I literally started the longest running manga series I’ve come across so far and I don’t regret starting it, even if I did at first. The first 100 chapters have flown by with incredible character development and a wonderful world being shaped, and I adore it. 

Their Body and Their Afterthought by Shelby Eileen– Not my favourite poetry collection. I don’t want to be too harsh, but it felt like it reiterates what I’ve read in other collections on similar themes and issues without ever offering anything new with form. 

I Hate Fairyland Volume 1 by Skottie Young– I previously read this volume years ago. After a re-read, I’ve lowered my rating. I’ve just read way too many different comics and manga and whatnot to not be slightly critical. The art is still great, but it felt like I was struggling to get through this at points, especially after starting volume 2 and having to stop from boredom. It feels repetitive. 

Sunshine, Sadness and Other Floridian Effects by Shelby Eileen– This collection was better than Their Body, luckily! It has some stunning imagery, calling up impressions of water and the turning of the tide in tandem with loss coinciding with moments of happiness, and I do recommend it. 

    Faithless #3/#4 by Brian Azzarello– Starting to get bored with this series. There’s only so much shocking stuff and nudity without any kind of explanation for it before you grow tired. I’ll carry on reading for a few issues; I’m just ready to drop it if nothing much keeps happening. 

Pochamani Volume 1-5 by Kaname Hirama– Ohhh this was such a great series! It’s out of print so I had to read it online, and only the first five volumes are actually translated, which was so disappointing but I still recommend this series. It’s got the first fat main character I’ve seen in a manga series, and has so much conversation surrounding body shaming and positivity and the constant grappling with self-hate when you have a fat body. It means a lot to me, and seeing a romance where a fat girl is adored by her boyfriend is so wholesome. 

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell– I literally started this last year and it took me that whole period of time to read 140 pages, and then in the space of a week I read the last 150. There’s definitely a sense of elitism and anti-genre fiction (especially what is typically branded as targeted towards women) which aggravated me, but the general humour was great and there was an interesting insight into the running of independent bookshops. 

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling– I feel like I’ve gone OFF about this book on here in August, but this book deserves it. It’s an intense psychological sci-fi horror where main character, Gyre, goes on a caving mission that ends up being more than it first appears. I love the relationship that develops between Gyre and Em, and I highly recommend the audiobook!

My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul– I have a whole review on my Goodreads that I feel summarises my issues with this book. I enjoyed this, but same with Shaun Bythell’s book, there’s a definite sense of elitism in some ways. I think Pamela Paul was willing to paint herself negatively in some respects and show the harmful thought processes she could have, and I appreciated that. My review is a lot more elaborate! Sorry!

  Pen & Ink by Isaac Fitzgerald and Wendy MacNaughton– This is a fun side-by-side of tattoos with the explanations behind them from the people that have them. The stories are whacky and fun, in some places, but are also sentimental and heartfelt in others, and I like the different thought processes behind getting them and the way everyone still seems to love them. 

My Hero Academia Volume 19 by Kohei Horikoshi– SO. GOOD. The real strength of this series lies in how well developed the characters and their relationships are, and this volume especially reaffirms that. Aoyama is so sweet and if he’s the traitor I’ll riot! 

  TBR JAR PICK FOR SEPTEMBER IS: WILLFUL MACHINES by Tim Floreen! My best friend picked this one out for me, thank you friend!

THINGS I WATCHED

I FINALLY went to the cinema again and watched BTS: Bring the Soul. I loved it.

I re-watched Daddy Day Care (don’t ask, it’s literally the only film I watched on Netflix the whole month and I hate that) and it opens with Ben– Eddie Murphy’s in-movie son– climbing out of bed and putting on the exact same Spongebob slippers my sister and I had when we were younger and it was amazing. I’ve never felt so nostalgic over something so unintentional in a film.

Not a watch, but a listen: the Teenage Scream podcast hosted by Kirsty Logan and Heather Parry, where they read and breakdown classic Point Horror novels from the 90s.

As always, I watched random stuff on deep dives on YouTube. This included: An Aesthetic History of The 1975, fat people don’t belong in magazines (it’s not what it sounds like), Being Lowborn w/ Kerry Hudson (an author interview! yes!), and I guess I’ll recommend the latest paperbackdreams video because I love Kat’s channel!

POSTS

University: Second Year Breakdown

A Bookshelf Tour: Part 1

REVIEW: These Witches Don’t Burn

Shakespeare Plays as Taylor Swift Songs

REVIEW: The Luminous Dead

Top Ten Tuesday: Read Books I Wish I Owned!

A Bookshelf Tour: Part 2

If you liked this post, consider buying me a coffee? Ko-Fi. 

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August Wrap Up Hallo! So let's start this post by referencing the major creative crisis I went through this month, stemming from a blogging rut I found myself in beginning in July.