#being Puerto Rican is so important to me because it was so important to him

[thisperfectmonsoon]

si te quieres divertir // con encanto y con primor // solo tienes que vivir // un verano en Nueva York 🇵🇷

[thenaughtynorth]

Marital Bliss, part I

Damian Priest x fem!reader, smutty, fluffy

“I can’t believe my own eyes” Damian mumbled happily as he wiped away a small tear that had crept down his cheek. “You look fucking incredible, baby,” he continued, “I can’t believe I get to marry you.”

This man just knew how to make me feel so insanely loved, appreciated, and seen. It was a no-brainer from the moment we first met; of course I was going to marry him.

The large, toothy smile he flashed contrasted his dark demeanor and tall self in his black, velvet suit. He was the one who looked fucking incredible. I had never thought I’d end up with someone as passionate, caring and amazing as Damian - but here we were, standing face to face at the end of the aisle. Surrounded by all of our loved ones, ready to say our “I dos”.

Time stood still as we said our vows, and what felt like hours, were only the first minutes of our forever together. I had tried my very hardest to not cry and ruin my makeup, but I hadn’t made it through Damian’s vows without tears running down my face.

“You may kiss the bride” and he sure did. He took his sweet time, slowly caressing my cheek with his giant hand. A hand that had, ever since I first met him, always been decorated with multiple rings of all shapes and sizes, but now only held the most important of all. A ring that symbolized our commitment, our love, everything we’d been through and everything we would be going through. It was silver and cool as it lingered on my cheek. He leaned in and connected our lips in the most tender kiss we’d ever shared. My heart was beating a thousand miles an hour and I was almost afraid that it was going to pop out of my chest and out of my wedding dress. It was clear he never wanted the kiss to end, as he held me tightly, almost as if he were afraid I was going to blow into the ocean with the soft Puerto Rican winds.

The party was an absolute love fest and I loved being Damian’s bride. We had been dancing all night, enjoyed the amazing Puerto Rican cuisine, and we were the happiest we’d ever been. My friends and I were having the time of our lives, sipping on tequila and enjoying some more dessert. My eyes searched the area for my husband. And there he was, in a group with his friends. He was already looking at me, seemingly not listening to a word his friends were saying. He had a dark expression in his eyes, paired with a smug “I know something you don’t”-smile. He held up his glass of rum in a gesture to me and he took a large sip. I mimicked his gesture, held up my own glass and took a sip. The liquor had my cheeks burning up. Or maybe that was Damian’s doing? The way he was looking at me intently, not breaking eye contact. Or maybe the way he was sitting, no suit jacket, sleeves rolled up with his legs spread so far, I could’ve fittingly been sitting on my knees in between. He rested his other hand on his thigh, near his knee, and I noticed that he was tapping it rhythmically with his index finger. That little tease. He knows I love his muscular thighs. His shirt was unbuttoned quite far down his chest, revealing some of his delicious chest, tanned, tattooed skin and the large, silver cross he had on a slim chain. The cross glimmered in my eye, ironically, because there was absolutely nothing holy or sacred about the filthy thoughts that entered my mind, upon seeing my husband like that.

The air between us was so thick and filled with anticipation, on our way to our suite. We were both slightly buzzed on our respective brown liquors, but still very well aware of what was going to happen when we got through the door. He turned to me before he breached the doorway, lifted me in his arms and kissed me. It was as tender as the one we’d shared after we officially became Mr and Mrs. “What was that for?” I asked lovingly. “I just wanted to kiss you gently one last time before I go disrespect you completely in bed” he coldly stated.

His lips were on mine again immediately after we’d closed and locked the door. His body was pressed against mine and I felt his neediness in both his kiss and the hardness of his dick against my dress clad stomach. I kissed back ferociously as I backed him towards a chair in the room. I pushed him down to sit, him a little shocked at the tiny display of dominance. “You sir,” I started as I swiftly placed my long, bare, stiletto-wearing leg on the chair in between his legs, “you’ve been upgraded to the premium “wife-package”. This means you can do whatever the fuck you want to me, whenever the fuck you want.” He was gawking at me, very intensely. Speechless, curious and with his mouth slightly opened. I moved my foot dangerously close to his crotch and leaned in to speak again: “Do you want Mrs. Priest to put your big cock in her mouth?” Damien groaned and nodded enthusiastically, “Yes mamacita, please do. Mrs. Priest has a filthy mouth, huh?” He bit his lip as I sank to my knees in front of him. I almost had to duck, as I freed him from his pants and boxers. His dick looked extraordinarily large and plump and somehow intimidating to me as I was only inches away. I gently started to pump him in my hand as I made eye contact with him. He was smirking down at me. His giant hand caressed my cheek and he determinedly grabbed my hair in the back of my neck and gave it a tight pull. I took the tip in my mouth and sucked, causing Damian to groan and buck his hips. I took him even deeper in my throat - and gagged. “Fuckkk baby”, he intuitively bucked his hips even more, but it was a lost cause. I couldn’t fit anymore of him in my mouth and throat, even if I desperately wanted to. His shaft was too long and don’t even get me started on his width.

The sight of Damian’s bride choking on his dick was enough to get him near the edge of his release. He thought I looked amazing and angelic in white. The fact that we were now married was fucking electric. We had truly found our soulmates in one another. He had tapped out, not wanting to come already, as he pulled my mouth to his and gave me a longing and starving kiss. Whilst our lips were interlocked, he rose to his feet and all of a sudden he was towering over me again. He gently pushed me back on the bed, lifted my leg and placed the sharp heel of my stiletto on the part of his chest that was bursting out of the opening of his tight shirt. He pushed up against it, my heel sinking ever so slightly into his skin. He licked his bottom lip and smirked, whilst rubbing my bare calf. “So.. this “wife-package”.. what more does it include?” He asks. “Well what do you think?” I cockily asked. “I think it means I get to touch you here.” He inched smoothly down my leg. I nodded. He continued. “And here.. especially here.” His hand met the lacy white border of my panties before he pushed a long finger inside of me. I gasped eagerly. This man was going to be the death of me. “Dios mio mami, you’re soaking wet,” he breathily stated, “you’ve been thinking about this all day, haven’t you?” He knew exactly how to use his words and make me into a complete fucking mess. He added another finger, starting to stretch me out. Lord knows I needed it if I were going to take all of Damian. Never had I ever needed this much preparation before being with anyone, but he was a welcome exception. You’d think years and years of dirty, rough and mind blowing sex would’ve made it much easier to take his impressive size, but it sure as hell hadn’t. “I’ve been thinking about this ever since I walked down that aisle. You look fucking unreal in that suit.” I admitted. He released my leg, leaving an impressive indentation on his chest, from where my stiletto had slightly impaled him. He quickened the pace of his fingers, ironically impaling me instead. “Keep talking baby and I’ll add a third.”

hehe, part 2 incoming

[rwrbmovie]

BTS of #RWRBMovie: 'z' in your last name

TZP via HOLA:

Clifton Collins Jr., who plays my father in the film, was amazing. I knew of him. I’d seen his projects, but we’d never crossed paths before. And then we met and we just got along, thick as thieves. And he’s like an OG Mexican from Los Angeles which was so colorful. He made it feel like there was family on set. Same with Matthew being Puerto Rican. Their influences help you get into that vibe, and then you do the scene and it’s wonderful. You really bring that accuracy to it.

There’s a line in the film when Alex and Henry are in Paris, and Henry asks him a question about his mom’s campaign, and Alex starts telling him about his father and his abuela coming to the States. The line is something like “If you’re an immigrant in America and you have a ‘Z’ in your last name, there’s a lot of people in positions of power that don’t look and sound like you. I’ve been given the opportunity to be someone in the world that my father didn’t see when he was growing up.” As someone with two ‘Zs’ in his last name (laughs), that was a tough scene for me because I had to be there as Alex and not as Taylor. It was very emotional to think of my family and what they went through to come to the United States. Even though they came here a long time ago, you still think about all of the people that are coming to America today and about all of their stories. Alex realizes that his father didn’t have any role models growing up and now he’s a congressman. That fuels his fire to be the change. That was so exciting for me.

From NYT:

For both Zakhar Perez and the director, the character Alex’s biracial identity was particularly meaningful. López grew up in Panama City, Fla., with his Puerto Rican father and Polish Russian mother, while Zakhar Perez is of Mexican, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean descent and was raised in northwest Indiana, where he said there was only one other Mexican family. “Matthew and I talked a lot about the mestizo journey,” Zakhar Perez said in a video call before SAG-AFTRA, the actor’s union, went on strike. “Being part Mexican, part lots of other things, I don’t want to say you’re forgotten, but in today’s world, it’s like, you’re either this or you’re that. There’s nothing in between. I’m kind of a cultural chameleon.” “As a young Latiné queer man, I never read something that centered someone like Alex,” López said, echoing his star. “If I had been presented with this character when I was in my late teens, early 20s, it may have changed how I thought about myself.”

From Windy City Times:

Was the part about having a Z in your last name personal or the book? ML: It was personal. That was about me and Taylor. It came from a conversation that Taylor and I had when making the film.

From Metro Weekly:

Alex has a line about grow ing up in Texas as a kid with a last name that ends with Z, which is I guess something else you can relate to, Florida style. ML: And Taylor Zakhar Perez also. Taylor and I talked about that scene a lot as being something that we both understood. My aunt Priscilla Lopez is a beloved, beloved stage actor. She was in the original cast of A Chorus Line. And there's a story that she tells about Mandy Gonzalez, who was in In the Heights with her, and Mandy once told Priscilla that Priscilla made it okay for her to be someone with a Z in her last name. And that was a thing that Taylor and I spent a lot of time discussing as well. It was important to me that that scene be in the movie. There was never a chance in hell that that scene was ever getting cut.

From Teen Vogue:

TV: One of my favorite parts is when they’re in Paris, and Alex talks about being a young person of color coming up from Texas and not seeing anybody who looked like himself or his dad in politics, and Henry’s response to that simply being: “I’m learning.” I don’t know if you were in the theater for that one, but half the crowd was like, awwwww. ML: Yeah, I was for that. TV: I’m married to a white man, and I was like, that is the perfect thing a white man can say in that situation. ML: I’m married to a white man, too. Speaking as someone who is a person of color married to a white man: that’s like the ultimate thing you ever want your white boyfriend or husband or partner to say. That’s it. “I’m learning.”

ML via THR:

There’s a scene in the movie that is very much me, which I gave Taylor after they’ve had sex for the first time. They’re there in pillow talk mode, and he tells Henry about what it’s like to be the son of an immigrant with a Z in your last name. It was really important to me to talk about growing up with a Z in your last name and even just how our names are pronounced, the spellings of our names sometimes if you have Latin ancestry. To have to answer for your name has always been something for me that I struggled with until I stopped struggling with it. So, I needed to put that into Alex’s story and when it came time to shoot that scene again, it was something I didn’t have to explain to Taylor Zakhar Perez. He got it instantly. The only thing that I did screw him up with is like, “We’re going to do this [scene] as a oner, and we’re going to do it as a top shot that starts in a wide shot and comes all the way down to your face, and we’re not going to leave this scene until you get it right in one.”

[ruggiezz]

soy yo de nuevo 😎😎 digamos que yo soy una persona muy apegada a su cultura y me encanta el baile y la comida tradicional de mi país: la bomba puertorriqueña y los pasteles puertorriqueños. now, it doesn't have to be puerto rican culture (puede ser de cualquier cultura de latam), that's just an example. but, how would the housewardens react to the reader's culture? maybe they see how much the latino! reader loves their culture and they ask to know more about it ((p.d. i know you don't write for some of the housewardens, so exclude those lol))

— LATINO READER THAT LOVES THEIR CULTURE : twisted wonderland

[synopsis] dormleaders with a latino! reader that loves their culture

[characters] dormleaders (except for vil)

[extra] GRACIAS TUVISTE LA MEJOR IDEA EXISTENTE, also, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina and Peru celebrate their independence this month, so this is perfect for the occasion

★ RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS

You two had private study sessions in his room every week, where he would help you with some lessons you couldn't understand, and in return, you would buy him a slice of a strawberry dessert you found at Sam's. (He didn't really need anything in return, but he wasn't going to say no to a dessert, even if he wasn't meant to eat sweets.)

During one of the study sessions, he noticed you were in a gloomy mood and asked what was the matter.

"Today is my country's independence day, and I haven't done anything to celebrate it."

And with that, it somehow went from a study session where he was teaching you about ancient magic to a study session where you were teaching him about your country's history and how it became independent. It was very 'educational', Riddle would say. You also spoke about how they would celebrate in your country, about the festivals and parties they would hold, and most importantly, about the food. Good, now Riddle was hungry.

He offers to celebrate with you in Ramshackle; he and Trey can help you cook some national desserts if you want, and you can tell them and your friends more about your culture and how they do things where you come from. Just don't make him dance; he'll get embarrassed because he doesn't know the steps (and because Ace will make fun of him), and he is good with just watching you dance. But maybe someday you can both dance alone, together.

★ LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

"Herbivore, what pride flag is that?" He said, pointing at a pin you had of your country's flag that you had attached to your backpack.

This probably went two ways: either you almost died of laughter at his question while he looked extremely confused, or you looked at him dead in the eye with the most serious face ever. Whichever option you chose, you both ended up lying on the bed while you told him stories of your country. You told him about how people back in your world celebrated their independence every year, about the dances, the festivals, and how colorful everything was.

If you didn't know Leona well, you would have thought he was uninterested and was falling asleep, but he was listening. Everything you said was important to him; it didn't matter if it was a small thing, like the fact you found a nickel while walking to the store, or if it was a big thing, like an important achievement, he would remember it. And you talking about your culture wasn't the exception. He hummed in agreement while you talked about this one thing you did back in your country to celebrate your country's independence.

Tell him more—about the food, the celebrations, the music—it doesn't matter; he will listen. Tell him about this really popular artist who's also Latino; tell him more about this 'Chayanne' and his achievements. Even if he doesn't completely understand, he can understand the feeling of being proud of where he comes from.

★ AZUL ASHENGROTTO

Azul invited you to Mostro Lounge with the intention of getting innovative material for a new event that will attract more customers out of the kindness of his heart. He sat you down on a couch in his office and offered you a cup of tea.

"Say, prefect, could you tell me more about your country? Is there any food you particularly like? Something we can make here?"

You see, Azul was expecting this meeting to go like this: He asked. You told him about the food. He wrote it down. Everyone was happy.

What he didn't expect was sitting there two hours later and hearing you ramble about your country's food and the history of it. And he was ACTUALLY INVESTED. This wasn't part of the plan at all.

He wrote down a lot on his notepad; every detail you told him was important for him to "use in Mostro Lounge's new event", but he was just really impressed by how rich your country's culture was.

Weeks later, Azul summoned you to Mostro Lounge, surprising you with dishes you told him about. Jade brought a lot of plates with some desserts, and Floyd brought some mocktails. You were so happy, you even felt like hugging Azul, but ended up being squeezed by Floyd (affectionately), who was also happy to be able to taste new food.

The event was a success, with students praising the new dishes, and Azul decided to keep some of the popular dishes on the menu. But if your favorite one didn't make the cut, he will remember the recipe, and will make it for you from time to time, just don't tell anyone about your 'special treatment'.

"This will be our little secret, okay, prefect?"

★ KALIM AL-ASIM

Not surprisingly, Kalim got sick after taking you on a carpet ride with wet hair. Nights at Scarabia are particularly cold, and even when Jamil warned him not to forget to dry his hair when he showered at night, he ignored it that day out of excitement to see you. He just didn't have enough time to dry it, okay?

His throat ached, and he was sneezing a lot. Jamil was in a bad mood that day, and he had a lot to get done, so he left Kalim in your care on the condition that you both didn't do anything stupid.

You brought a small container to Scarabia that had ointment inside. You had it in the backpack you brought from your world; it was small enough to fit in your palm. Kalim looked in curiosity while you approached his bed and opened it to apply it to him.

"What ointment are you applying to me? It smells like mint." Kalim asked while you rubbed some of the ointment on his chest and neck.

"It's 'Vick Vaporub'; it will make you feel better; this thing can even heal a broken leg."

"FOR REAL??"

You had to explain to him what it was and how your family used it on you when you got sick. Sadly, it couldn't cure a broken leg, but it could alleviate colds. And it did work; Kalim felt better the next day, to Jamil's surprise (and relief).

Kalim ran to Ramshackle after you nursed him back to health with the help of 'Vick', asking more about how people did things back in your country. He was fascinated by your stories, and the way you described the food made him want to taste it so badly. Maybe you two could try and make the food in Scarabia's kitchen? Please teach him! If the food from your country makes you happy, then he wants to try and learn how to make it for you!

★ IDIA SHROUD

You and Idia had this routine where you both always spent the afternoon in his room, either playing videogames, doing homework, or just doing whatever in silence. But on this particular day, Idia was playing this one single-player game while you lay on his bed scrolling through your phone.

Suddenly, an idea popped into your mind. A few months ago, Idia repaired your old phone as a birthday gift, and you had a few episodes of this particular show saved on your phone. You started watching, but you had forgotten your earphones back in Ramshackle, so Idia could hear it too.

"What are you watching? It's so loud..."

"I'm watching 'Caso Cerrado'/'Caso Encerrado'. It's the English dub."

"Why is everyone yelling..? What even is that?"

You explained to Idia how it was this show where a lawyer called Ana María Polo sat in a court and heard cases, where she ended up dictating whether they were guilty or not. Idia disregarded it as a 'normie show' and continued what he was doing, but he ended up hearing the whole episode while playing. It was actually very entertaining to hear while playing.

"Wait, SHE'S PREGNANT with her boyfriend's father? WTF???"

He ended up binge-listening to the whole season while playing. Did your world always make such interesting shows? Tell him more.

Even if history was never his favorite subject, you talking about it was just like listening to a podcast—a very interesting one at least. Your routine now is to go to his room and play some video games while you talk about your country, and Idia occasionally makes a comment. And then repeat it daily.

If you couldn't come to Ignihyde, then you both could have a call, and you could talk while Idia played. Wasn't that a good relationship dynamic? You talked while Idia listened. And you were always so excited to talk to him about you where you and where you came from that he just couldn't help himself but smile (just a little) while hearing you.

★ MALLEUS DRACONIA

"This is for you, Malleus." You said as you pulled one of those blankets you used in the winter. You had found one extremely similar to the ones in your world, and you had bought two. Lately, the weather in Twisted Wonderland has been extremely cold, and Diasomnia wasn't any different.

"Thank you, Child of Man; I will treasure it."

The blanket in question:

AND HE DID TREASURE IT, using it as a blanket on his bed for a week and washing it afterwards to continue using it. It was a gift from his partner after all, much to Sebek's dismay. Silver said it looked really comfy, and he wanted one now too, while Lilia just found it amusing how attached Malleus was to a blanket.

The next day after, you gifted it to him, he appeared on your doorstep with the blanket on his hands, asking to sleep over in Ramshackle with both of your blankets. You told him more about your country and the customs over a cup of hot tea, and he listened attentively to every single thing you said. There was a dessert you liked from your country that you couldn't recreate yourself? Don't worry; he will make sure his private chef back in Briar Valley makes it for you. There's this traditional clothing from your country you want? His tailor will get it done; you don't even have to move a finger, just say the word, and he will have it done.

Hearing you talk about how proud you were of your heritage made him giddy inside over the fact that he had such a passionate partner. Tell him more; he's so invested, especially in the history. The history is the best part.

"I only have one question, child of man. Who is this 'Shakira' you talk so highly about?"

[paleio]

okay you've tagged bpd!percy and Puerto Rican/Filipino!percy on my different posts now and they have made my day twice so I have to ask you to elaborate on one or both pls and thx po naman 🤲🤲

(-helyeahmangocheese)

okay honestly i suck SOOO bad at headcanons because the characters i tend to develop them for are also the characters that are so deeply attached to my own brain that we end up kinda bleeding into each other. there are two different percy jacksons to me—the one i play with in his natural environment and view as a really compelling and interesting individual, and the one that has been inside my head so long he's molded into the shape of my skull. sometimes the line is blurry which is why a lot of my headcanons aren't actually backed up by anything in the canon. i do really like PR/Filipino!percy as is, but bpd!percy doesn't actually make sense (in my opinion) for the way he narrates in the first series. you could argue for it in heroes of olympus but i honestly like your bipolar!percy better and think it makes way more sense.

THAT BEING SAID. i refuse to believe that annabeth chase doesn't have bpd. the attachment issues, the constant fear of abandonment, the sudden mood shifts. it makes her bitterness toward rachel make more sense—percy is clearly her fp (favorite person) so of course she's scared of being ignored or replaced. she was probably panicking constantly throughout the last two books, thinking percy would completely cut contact with her if he got with rachel. it would also better explain her struggles with luke, and with morality as a whole. she seems to have trouble seeing situations and people as anything other as completely evil or completely good (in the first few books at least, she does get to work through this to some extent). her mother? perfect, a genius, always right about everything. her father? horrible, irredeemable, worst parent in the world. of course, this is a struggle for a lot of kids and teens (morality is hard and complicated!), but combined with everything else—and from personal experience—i think bpd works extremely well for annabeth.

as for PR/Filipino!percy, i just think it's neat :3 it could be either or both, but the idea of sally jackson being an immigrant or a child of immigrants makes for some really interesting ideas and goes well with the themes already present in the books. her being a first gen college student would be so cool and so sally, and her financial/familial success would feel even more vindicating. plus it's so tough for neurodivergent kids who are also poc. it would add another layer of bitterness to percy, and possibly another parallel to luke. i personally don't think the luke/percy dynamic is as good or interesting if luke is white and percy is poc, especially because to an extent, luke is RIGHT, and it's kind of uncomfortable to have the only white guy be the most revolutionary character (even if he goes about that revolution in the worst way possible). i was really excited when pjotv cast charlie bushnell as luke and i desperately hope they actually acknowledge that he isn't white (i'm not super optimistic but there's still plenty of time). because that's fucking important. he grew up in a place where he already felt unloved and betrayed by his father and ashamed of his mother, but it would make such a huge impact on his psyche and perspective if his community also alienated him. for context, the town luke canonically grew up in is like 97% white in real life. luke probably felt like he had to be better than everyone around him just to get the same amount of understanding and recognition and love as them. imagine how much harder his anger at the gods—at the world!—would hit. and then imagine if he had that in common with percy. imagine if they bonded over that anger when percy first got to camp (TLT musical, anyone?). and imagine, after luke has gone to kronos's side, percy looking at him and seeing the exhaustion and fear and resentment in his eyes and recognizing it. because that's what percy sees when he looks in the mirror.

AUGHHH. anyway.

those are some of the feelings i have about these headcanons. not sure if any of it makes sense but i'm not going to edit this massive block of text because just looking at it makes my head hurt 👍

also i love your blog. you are so right about everything all the time

[rex101111]

OKAY, a think i kinda want to happen in Beyond The Spiderverse:

* Alright, so we know Miles is in Verse-42 and not his actual home universe...but Miguel, Jessica are. That means, that they’re probably going to reach the Morales home in time to see Spot wrecking shop.

* Miguel sees Spot, think of just leaving Jefferson to his fate, but Jessica stops him.

* Jessica, who is starting to doubt Miguel’s methods, argues that the canon event is for Miles to see Jefferson get killed, and Miles ain’t here, is he? Cue Rio and Jefferson suddenly getting plucked from their home and imminent death at the hands of this weird blotchy guy, and finding out that hey that Gwanda girl Miles has been hanging around with is A spider-ma-WOMAN...and so are the rest of these people. WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!?

* Miguel can’t just grab the two and put them in the Spider Society cells to chill because Spot will absolutely just follow them there and kill anyone in his way. So he just takes them with him and Jessica while they look for Miles so they can just plop them all back into their proper dimension so Canon can happen the way it should.

* Of course, this means that Jefferson and Rio learn about the side their son has been hiding from them all this time, they learn the truth about Gwanda/Gwen, about him being Spider-Man (ha! I knew he was Puerto Rican!) and why he was so scared to talk to them. And this also means they get to talk to the rest of the Spider People Entourage. 

* And now for what I really want to happen, however it happens; Rio and Miguel interactions. Rio not being intimidated at all by Miguel, Miguel being taken aback that this normal civilian is talking back to him this vehemently, Rio defending her little boy and recognizing where Miguel is coming from, Rio realizing that her and Jefferson haven’t exactly been on Miles’ side as much as they should have. I just want the two to awkwardly bond a little, y’know?

* A scene near the end, Miles gets tackled out of the way of a very dangerous looking attack, when he looks up to thank whoever did it...he sees Miguel, towering over him, breathing heavily and growling, but just before Miles can start fighting, Miguel growls, “You got a B?”

Miles blinks, “...what?”

“You got a B in Spanish? With a mother like that? Estas loco?”  

“Wait. When did you-?”

“Are you kidding me? If I got a B in Spanish, my mother would have hung me with the wet laundry!”

“Are you seriously mad at me about THIS now!? What about the whole, dimensional collapse thing!?”

“This is more important, mocoso estúpido!”

“...I am not calling you Tio Miguel, I don’t care what kinda character development you got when I wasn’t looking.”

[phantomram-b00]

I know I’ve been on a good omens brainrot. But I want to stop and talking about something, some movie as it been exactly this day (edit: yesterday, I meant to post this yesterday but it got hectic and I couldn’t finished until 12. So my bad, I tried. That and the wifi is shit, so forgive me) (at least released on Netflix). But it just not some movie, you might know it, you might not that’s okay because I would like to talk about…..*drum rolls*

Now for those who don’t know and without spoiling too much as I recommend this movie, it follows Kat Elliot a black teenage girl who’ve gone through a traumatic event of her parent’s death and have two demons, Wendell and Wild, who have their own agenda of opening a theme park for the souls. Can’t stress this enough that this movie is worth the watch. Please go watch before going to see this post as I will be discussing the movie, spoiler warning ahead 🤭 unless if you wanna get spoil then, that’s on you, who am I to tell you what to do am I right? With that being said let get into this

(Disclaimer: Now, I am planning a drawing for it so stay tone for that. But I couldn’t finish in time due to being on vacation but it will be done! ^v^ now onto the post.)

Honestly, this is my second stop motion picture movie since coraline, who funfact Henry Selick directed. He also directed Wendell and Wild and was produced by Jordan Peele who also stars as Wild himself with his friend Keegan-Michael Key who plays Wendell; honestly to see these two play the demon bring be back to Key and Peele show they did, always happy to see them together and be chaotic duos. But I do wanna give honor to Jordan Peele as imo, his movies have been phenomenal between Get out, Nope, Us, and now Wendell and Wild (granted produced but he did have control), I can’t wait to see what else he got in plan. I think what make me appreciate his directing/producing is how he can say and I quote in this news article,

“I feel fortunate to be in this position where I can say to Universal, ‘I want to make a 20$ million horror movie with a black family’ and they say yes” - Jordan Peele (2019)

And frankly, I’m happy representation is happening, (I’m not black, I’m only Puerto Rican, but to have poc representation make me happy! but also that, imma say this, representation do matter. You (and I’m talking to the non-poc/white) might not think it not a big deal, but trust me, it is matter and it is important. And it should. And I’m happy Jordan Peele for example here is able to diverse the cast, and like he said, “not that I don’t like white dudes but I’ve seen that movie.” I’ll dive deep soon so remember this.) and I hope they keep going with representation.

Henry Selick, he’s responsible for Coraline, Nightmare before Christmas and more! And to see another Henry Selick movie, I had a feeling with a help of Jordan Peele that I was going to love it. And I did! I’m excited to see whatever he come up with next, though if it another stop motion, which I love stop motion animation as much as a next person, however, do you know how long these shit takes? Like I gotta give them prop for the dedication! But I don’t know how you get patience for stop motion- but back to Henry, he responsible for my love for Coraline and nightmare before Christmas, and I gotta give him and Jordan Peele props and credit, and also to thank them for making this movie!

Now the casting, honestly the casting imo was fantastic, Lyric Ross was excellent as Kat Elliot, both when Kat is a no nonsense headstrong character to when she is actively grieving of the death of her parents as she grows from her trauma. Very much Phenomenal work and her chemistry with Wendell and Wild is what make it much cool as well as her chemistry with Raul (Sam Zelaya), Siobhan (Tamara Smart) and even Sister Helley (Angels Bassett herself!). I feel the casting was phenomenal and was well-casted I don’t think I had a moment where I think “oh this person could’ve been better” or “wow they bad”, nope I don’t think I have a complaint. Oh and Father level bests (James Hong) was just the right amount of a comedic antagonist next to Siobhan’s parent, his delivery was comedic and also a right amount of asshole. They all ate, and it was worth it for the cast!

The story! While I do think the pacing could’ve been better to flow better and also other qualms, but I won’t say that what toke me away, as I really like the story, I like how while yes the title and that it is about two demons, but I do like how we get to see Kat’s story and how she grows. As Jordan Peele mentions in again this article, the demon represent her personal demons with both her guilt and anger, and how she can overcome and wear your fears in a sense as well as dealing with her being a hell maiden. This was done well, and I like how it was done, sure was it a messy landing but it landed and it did well. Learning to overcome your demons is a challenge, hell I’m still trying to overcome them as I go and I’m twenty one, but as Kat shown, we can overcome our demons, and learn to carry on. And now as we saw at the end, she while she still grieve her parents, she learns that she not or never will be alone as she now surrounded by people who care and who won’t hurt her like the people in her past. Even accepting her two person demons, and being a hell maiden (which I will say, I think the demons can also represent how you handle them, like helley bottling up her demon can be a commentary on bottling up your problems rather than facing them. And seeing the amount that was there she had the bottle it up alot, which I can relate and I feel it was done well as well.) if they ever do a sequel, I would be here for it, i doubt their might because 1) stop motion takes such a long time. 2) the advertisement for this movie was done dirty. But if they did, I will be here for it and can’t wait to see what they do.

And finally the representation, honestly the presentation and the diversity of this movie was amazing. My eyes widen seeing just how diverse it, something I wish I had growing up as stated by Peele, I’ve already seen movies where predominantly of the cast was white, and (and this isn’t me saying “I hate white people” let me put this out there) I’m tired of seeing an all or almost all white or cast, I think it been done so many time and also it feel tiring and disheartening not to be represented in a way or even if there was it done stereotypical. So seeing representation was wonderful between black/Asian/Latine/Latinx/indigenous representation to there being Trans and disability representation. I hope more representation keep happening and there is, very much so! And as I said and I will say again, representation matters! And this movie’s rep was done very well! Im sure I’m missing some (forgive me it been a while and I don’t have access to Netflix as of now. Please forgive me, if I miss any please let me know!)

Before I close this blog, I gotta say, the advertisement for this movie was done very dirty! Like i don’t know what it is, but I felt we hardly saw any promotional work for this movie, it the same thing that happen with Disney’s Strange world. If there was, I probably missed a lot because I felt there wasn’t much ads for this movie, and because of it, I felt it didn’t get the recognition it deserved. So if you made it this far whether you seen this movie or you haven’t to please go watch Wendell and Wild, I promise you will have a good time and a wonderful experience watching this movie. I can’t wait to show the drawing. And I just needed to talk about this, as it one of my favorite stop motion films, I can’t wait to see where Wendell and wild go, and hope we get more of it. Even if we do get a sequel, I hope we see more of hell maidens and of Kat’s journey with her demons and her friends. hope you enjoyed. Phantom. Out.

[americanrecord]

what religious inspiration did you use for each character? and are they currently religious in the series?

(i notice you reblog a lot of imagery)

<333

hiii <3 omg there must be a religious zealot on the loose, just saw an ask like this!! but i love the question as religion, in a way, is like the centerpiece of this work. at least for half the characters.

side-note, one of the biggest things to me about these characters was fitting them into the pre-existing historical context, so it’s why i’ll make a lot of historical references here and in the text. it’s important to me that these characters feel like they existed in the time period i designed them to, and not like i was just dropping them there and saying: stick! i’m also really interested in religion for an atheist, so…i was carefully to put my energy and extensive research into fleshing these out!! this got so long…

so i’ll start easiest — kit knows no god and owes no god, he’s atheist & religion doesn’t play a role in his personal philosophy in the slightest. he is, however, a gay man in the 1980s/90s, meaning other people will project their religion onto him.

but it’s not something he pays mind to. (or any extra mind to, as—for example—lex would). he faces the world with two middle fingers, but it’s ignorant to think he wouldn’t be affected by half of society opposing how he loves. he was kicked out of his parents house at 18 for his sexuality, and it definitely was based on religion, but they were also reaganites, so that says enough. he was also already on his way out; kid with a calling for punk wasn’t gonna last in a “just say no!” household. [also, as an italian-irish man, his family was catholic, and regan did win half the catholic vote (majority of those being white, thus…)]. anyway, no religion.

inez’s parents are both puerto rican immigrants, where 75-85% percent of the population is roman catholic. thus, she was raised catholic, and her family still is catholic — she, however, does not adhere and never really has. she has no sort of catholic trauma or anything [no more than the average catholic]. (though, i think she does tend toward the moral black-and-whiteness of somebody raised devoutly religious.)

it was something she lost interest in early on and not necessarily something her parents forced on her. one thing about inez — you aren’t going to tell her how to think. her parents knew that, her parents love her to death but openly acknowledge her as an odd one out, so they didn’t put their energy into that anymore than they did anything else. it led to a fair bit of distance, but so did inez pursuing art, and that definitely caused a larger rift than inez no longer attending mass after the age of like 15-16. i do know she’s confirmed, but it was more of a going through the motions thing versus some big coming-of-age, world-ending moment that it was for valerie. thus, no religion materializes in her imagery/vibe because she doesn’t revere a god.

she is still spiritual, however. honestly, if anybody were to get into things like astrology, crystals, tarot — anything like that — it would be her. she doesn’t, but some might assume so because she has very 90s whimsigoth feel. she’s not even extremely spiritual though, she just thinks there is an afterlife and a higher power (somebody watching over), but she doesn’t know what. agnosticism therefore might be an interesting concept for her. she does treasure things like meditation, and nature, and kindness, but not even because she’ll “go somewhere bad if she doesn’t” but because she finds it personally beneficial to her life and her own happiness.

steven: jewish! he’s jewish and he’s proud of it. this being more from an ethnic standpoint — he’s an ethiopian jew — because he’s not super strict otherwise/religiously. i think he definitely kept kosher growing up (his family still does), and he tries his best to in his adult life, but he’s not 100% perfect all the time. this is solely because of his life’s context — being a starving artist and then a traveling artist for most of his young-adult life, he would sometimes take what he could get. he still, however, avoids pig meat and stuff from the hindquarters of an animal (not that he’s getting many expensive steaks early in his career), and he washes his fruits and veggies throughly (inez shoved these down his throat) — not only for the kosher aspect of it, but because not washing your fruits/veggies is gross.

he also wears a silver star of david always and celebrates hanukah and observes other jewish holidays, if only casually. he might spend time with his family during these times. inez made sure to set up a menorah on the window sill beside the christmas tree. i really like to think post-series, into domesticity, it’s a lot easier for him to abide by the rules and customs of his religion, but i do think he struggles with a bit of the faith-based aspect of it as a gay man. still, he’s proud of his heritage and religion.

again, atheist. like kit, he really has no interest in religion, but he does take up more of a philosophical approach to life than kit does. when he’s miserable, we see a little bit of nihilism and misanthropy peek into the way he views the world. but he acknowledges no spirits or gods or really any presence of a higher power (or an afterlife beyond the ones that most people just casually reference in conversation — i.e. saying/thinking your dead mother is watching over you even if you don’t actually believe in heaven, just because it’s a comforting thought.

his father is white, basic protestant (but died in vietnam when dean was like two so nobody cares), but his mother is syrian. she speaks arabic and did bring this cultural influence into dean’s life—but she was also not muslim (was raised so) so much as she was spiritual. by the time she got to america (one of the things lex and dean bond over were their immigrant mothers), she was much more interested in the wide-open topic of “religious freedom” and just experimenting and learning about all of the faiths the country had to offer. evangelism, islam, judaism, hinduism, buddhism, catholicism, pentecostalism, all the isms, you name it — every branch. dean cites that his mother would “change her religion every week” because she liked to sit in on different services and hear the messages, visit booths at craft fairs, talk to strangers, etc, because she was just fascinated by humankind and their tendency toward higher power more so than she was finding one for herself.

the day dean and lex met, she was sitting in on a service of lex’s father’s. lex came out of the church afterward, saw dean sitting in the lawn (because he never really tagged along), and recognized him from school so he approached him, and…history from that point onward. it was this respect for religion without the ownership of religion’s oppressive tendencies that lex sooo loved about dean’s mother. she was a very comforting mother figure to him. dean’s mother also had him when she was 16, and right about the counterculture/summer of love time, so she just very much had a open mind to everything + faced everything with love. she was very supportive of dean when she learned he was in love with lex.

but, anyway! dean shucked all of that the moment she died. very much said to himself that none of her religions could save her so he therefore had no interest in pursuing them himself.

born and bred in the backwoods of indiana before moving to detroit, lex was raised in an iron-fist evangelist household. the fourth great awakening had a grip on the foster family and took up every aspect of his life. still does, in a way. his father was a reverend at a local matchbox chapel in indiana before they moved for…reasons, and then became involved in something a little more consolidated/concrete in the city, but he’s a preacher’s son through and through. and it’s funny that his father married a russian woman, because he is the stock character for what you think of when you think red scare/mccarthyism/nixon-era silent majority/bible-banging archie bunker/jesus freak, but that’s another topic of conversation (his father’s tendency toward pursuing what he opposes so he can subjugate it).

thus, not only was lex raised in a household that breathed the fear of god into everything (including all forms of media (even the comics lex loved as a child) and therefore lived a very oppressive, very unhappy, very dreary (some might say totalitarian like the conditions his mother escaped after fleeing russia post missile crisis) childhood, he was also raised in an abusive household. so there was the mental hell of borderline fundamentalist christianity and also the physical abuse of his father (and the neglect of his mother when it mattered). it was a miserable childhood until he made a friend in dean at age 14.

thus, realistically, one can imagine the effect this has a on a person, and lex found himself unable to let it go. he is still religious and will always, but in his own way. in his very specific, very cherry-picked, very very personal way. he rejects common christian principles of homophobia, bible-based racism (just racism in general, but you know what i mean), anti-choice politics, strict creationism in schools, and the subjugation of women. he’s very violently left-leaning politically, is very out-spoken about it, and it’s quite obvious in the way he carries himself that he has a very progressive state of mind despite what he was instilled with. he also could not care less about other people and their religion, meaning — he’s not one to impose. valerie, naturally—while catholicism falls under christianity—arrives into his life with common religious trauma but a few different beliefs because protestantism =/= catholicism. there are differences far beyond the imagery and far beyond what they’ll ever see eye to eye on, solely because they were force-fed different things.

still, he struggles. he acknowledges there is a god, but he feels betrayed, he feels at times abandoned, and he feels always watched regardless. he has a very strict moral code as seen in somebody religious (albeit one skewed) and he struggles with things like honesty, right/wrong, and just a sense of balance in general. if he’s not holy and justified, he’s immoral and evil. this is just the consequnece—plain and simple—of being hated not only by your father for seventeen years of your life before being ultimately kicked out for failing to fulfill the standards of a golden son he never will be, but being told — in conjunction — that god hates you too. there’s a constant war between: yes, i know god hates me and well, i hate god too, and the subsequent desire to please god that comes from the first and the subsequent guilt of blasphemy in the second.

he won’t ever let go of this, but he will find god on his own terms by the series’ end and will settle his soul in a way that doesn’t tear him to shreds to do it. it’s all he wants/it’s all he prays for — to have god in peace. because of that, religion absolutely permeates his vibe. he’s tattooed up and down the stretch with reminders, he wears his cross, it’s major fodder for his art, because there is nothing that makes him hurt like religion, but there’s also nothing (besides LOVE!) that makes him feel to such a degree, and he’d rather put it on track than he would keep it in his head.

and it’s very special to me for him to be able to do this, likely coming from a family with crazy evangelicals, and it’s really rewarding and fitting for his character to come to a healing place within his religion and to be accept that he doesn’t need to live like his father did because all he needs to do, really, is love his neighbor and accept the presence of jesus as his savior. (sounds so religious, but it’s simple). his religion is his problem and he never makes it anything else.

okay, i’ve arguably put the most thought into her. just because her story has been carefully tailored by me for like three and a half years now. i walked on to the scene with the desire to make a catholic character because i watched supernatural just like any other middle school girl, but it was never just about vibes and rosaries, i had a genuine interest and i have no real attachment to catholicism—so it was just a passion project to learn enough to write about a character who deals with it so in-depth.

so, yes, she’s catholic, but she fluctuates more so than any other character on whether or not she adheres to it. she wasn’t strictly raised this way either. not at first. it was a loose presence in her home until she was 13. after which her father left her, and her mother went off the deep end. she took the catholicism they already had and had her own sort of “reawakening.” valerie tells lex that her mom went crazy after her dad left, and when he asks what she means by that, she simply answers that she found god. (however, in truth, she rediscovered god). so valerie went from a very carefree, happy childhood, to an oppressive and incredibly impoverished religious household after losing her father’s mild intervention and financial assistance.

everybody knows at this point that she lived in a trailer, but she’s also the victim of a hoarding mother who notoriously quit jobs that paid in pursuit of “church service jobs” where most of her money went back to the church and the community. valerie resents her for this, saying it was lovely that they children at the drive had new coats, but that she was going without dinner at home because her mother did not routinely buy food. valerie’s aversion toward contamination comes not only from the filthy environment she was raised in, but also the fact that most of her food was not fresh (and, if it was, would spoil quickly) and was boxed/canned food and at risk of bugs/mice/or botulism. she would skip meals frequently because of this and owes her survival to free handouts at her high school — a difficult feat when she was always on display while dating danny, her quarterback football star boyfriend, who was notably wealth(ier.)

anywayyyy, so beyond the financial aspect that caused valerie to resent the solace her mother found in god and prayer, there was also the principles of the religion itself that were hard for her. her mother basically engrained in her that she was going to need a husband if she ever wanted to escape the life she’d been given (the life her mother was always making worse). she had the “sit still, look pretty” upbringing, and it made an abusive romantic relationship very difficult to leave because she was essentially told her entire teenagehood that it was the only way she was getting out of financial hell. it made being a woman difficult, essentially. she’s objectified and victimized throughout her formative years and she’s essentially told men will have their way with her and that they’re allowed to. it takes a lot of unlearning and it causes her a lot of fear, but it’s what makes her relationship with lex very important to her, because he preserves her autonomy and never encroaches on it (even when he hypocritically, strongly insists against using hard drugs lol).

but she makes it to seattle and is in state where she hasn’t really fought her religious trauma yet. lex’s is a constant battle; valerie, on the other hand, has mastered the art of repression. the last time she attended mass was the sunday before she left and she never looks back, she keeps her rosary in a drawer, she doesn’t pray (at least not until i give her reason to), and…yeah. that cross necklace is really the only mark of a “religious” girl, but she labels wearing it irony. and then the series persists, her life and her experiences muddle, and she’s forced to confront what she hasn’t and/or what she’s written off. she hasn’t actually answered any of the questions on whether or not she believes in god, and if the problem was god or the way god was thrust upon her (aka: would she be open to a higher power if it wasn’t diluted by backwards modern christian thought?). she gets to combat her catholic guilt and the sort of shame and guilt that follow her in her pursuit of hedonistic pleasure, which is aplenty in the life she lives, and she gets to cope with the ramifications she imposes on herself when hardship falls upon her — who she blames for issues out of control (herself, her mother, her father, god?).

needless to say, then, she will struggle much more than lex in terms of closing out those big open-ended questions in the sense that she doesn’t. it’s an ambitious task to untangle somebody’s religious crisis, and an unrealistic pursuit to believe she can do it in 4-5 years to perfectly fit the series after a decade and a half of hell. she might always be wondering whether there actually is a god, but she won’t fear the unknown. it may comfort her enough for lex to say that there’s no way he’s getting into heaven if she won’t, therefore at least they’ll be in hell together, which—if they’re together, then it isn’t hell. but she’ll make great strides in terms unlearning the principles of shame, guilt, male objectification, male entitlement, and the forced repression/servitude of women in religious spheres, which is more than enough of a start. she leads a lot freer of a life by time she reaches seattle and she’s practically unburdened (despite her wondering) by the series’ end.

thus — lots of imagery for her, because her religious crisis & it’s ups and down are a major part of her character’s personal journey & always have been. always will be.

thanks for asking!

[beardedmrbean]

So Yasuke discourse back, and I just realize why

Black Americans are taught to HATE the core of the USA because the treatment of us. I mean my feelings towards my country is complex…but where this idea we were never taught this?

I’m sorry were you asleep in history class after the 5th grade?

I mean have you seen Emmett Till Corpse? My community was terrified for generations for black boys like me.

But anyways black supremacists latch onto other cultures like Japan and such for validation. Rather than our own people who survived and found success even in hard times America

Also this post https://www.tumblr.com/someoneintheshadow456/728775975508344832/i-think-one-of-the-biggest-differences-between

It two fictional historical stories, but remind when I saw a actress on the view being shocked she have slave owners ancestors

Despite being half Puerto Rican

And in her 30’s-40’s

I’m sorry does that chick think real life a Disney film?

Also about the samurai thing, yes people glamorize them like FX Shogun

But the Japanese (especially in counterculture as most mangakas are the descendants of the people the samurai oppressed. Oops, someone didn’t get the memo) acknowledged their samurai ancestors caused them significant issues especially with the isolation and stagnation the Tokugawa caused

Also I suspected but check wiki, the imperial Japanese army was heavily based off samurai culture 😬

And given the horrors they committed…

But anyways like I hinted at, the Japanese acknowledged their ancestors were complex people. But also acknowledged the flaws, because we can see it. Like people complain about how the late dbz creator draw black people

The thing is I heard some Japanese people don’t even a black person irl until their 30’s fuck I’m going too long

But at least get Japanese don’t have socialists in positions of influence and power that treat a book made by a antisemitic freeloader that rape his maid and let that offspring died poor less like the Bible.

Also another thing I notice in my abuse healing. If you don’t make some form of piece with what your abuser did to you.

Your shit out of luck at understanding history. Random but stuff I been noticing with Japanese culture and handling of others maybe another anon because an important figure in the pokemon community said something that shocked him while visiting nyc in the 2000’s.

Black Americans are taught to HATE the core of the USA because the treatment of us. I mean my feelings towards my country is complex…but where this idea we were never taught this? I’m sorry were you asleep in history class after the 5th grade?

The scripted 'how come they never taught us this in school' followed by 'you know' is one of the most infuriating things to show up and signal the beginning of discourse.

Texas isn't going to teach about slavery, Florida is going to teach that it wasn't so bad, are both statements I've seen allegedly educated people say, Texas most certainly will teach about it and the comment from Florida is that some slaves learned trades that helped them when they were free, like blacksmithing and coopering still not a statement in praise of anything, just a statement of fact.

They absolutely taught that stuff in school,

True you likely didn't learn about Bass Reeves which would be why people are so willing to believe The Lone Ranger was based off of him now, that would be also because they don't know about The Lone Ranger either, (there is some crossover and they likely pulled some from Bass)

There's only so much instruction time, you want to learn more there's a library or the internet.

But anyways black supremacists latch onto other cultures like Japan and such for validation. Rather than our own people who survived and found success even in hard times America

I have found that weird, then again they latch on to any successful black person as well and act like they own them, right up till the Williams Sisters marry white dudes, which for some reason was worse than Tiger marrying a white woman if memory serves.

The thing is I heard some Japanese people don’t even a black person irl until their 30’s fuck I’m going too long

I love Psych.

In person they may go their whole lives without seeing anyone but other Japanese people, common in not western nations. For all the talk about ethnostates people sure get them wrong a lot.

But at least get Japanese don’t have socialists in positions of influence and power that treat a book made by a antisemitic freeloader that rape his maid and let that offspring died poor less like the Bible.

That would be why no socialism in Japan, they killed the commies. My commitment to free speech says that was the wrong thing to do, but it also says people that want to cheer can.

The GOT/Downtown Abbey thing those were set in two totally different periods of time and one not even on earth so making comparisons to anything is difficult.

Edwardian Vs when Henry VIII was king totally different and not good to compare to each other to, not from a judgmental standpoint at least.

Also another thing I notice in my abuse healing. If you don’t make some form of piece with what your abuser did to you. Your shit out of luck at understanding history. Random but stuff I been noticing with Japanese culture and handling of others maybe another anon because an important figure in the pokemon community said something that shocked him while visiting nyc in the 2000’s.

Makes healing a bit more difficult too.

Forgive and forget is bunk, you don't have to forget, don't have to forgive either but I think that it's important to do that. Doesn't mean you need to speak a single word to the person or spare them a passing glance ever again though. Don't need to give them a chance to do it again, but forgiveness is as much for you as it is for the forgivee.

[wosoimagines]

The Wicked Unseen

Book 1/25

Started January 1st, 2025

Finished January 1st, 2025

261 pages. I included the historical endnote because I believe it's important to read.

Paperback.

Favorite quote: "This is what Mom meant when she said that's real horror. People in this town are so obsessed with demons and Satanic rituals: the wicked unseen, an invisible danger. The terrible things in their own lives don't even register. Hot sauce held in your mouth for saying oh my god. Left in the middle of nowhere—vulnerable to everything from drunk drivers in the twilight to crimes of opportunity—to walk home bloody-footed. The horror of it is invisible to Ryan, the very person it happened to."

Audre, her parents, and her younger sister, Volga, move to rural Pennsylvania when Audre's mom inherits a funeral home. She will never fit in. Her father studies the occult and has a Ouija board collection. Her mother is a mortician who values the rituals of putting the dead to rest. Volga is obsessed with bats. And Audre? Her nose ring and obsession with horror movies are enough to make her stick out. Add her crush on the preacher's daughter, Elle, and it was cleared she wouldn't fit in this new town. When Elle goes missing after seeing Audre last, signs point to the rumored Satanic cult in the woods. But the police start harassing Audre's family leading Audre to dig into Elle's disappearance herself. Things get weird. Was Elle really the victim of a Satanic ritual, or is the town's obsession with the church covering something else?

Rating: 5/5

Up next: Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

SPOILERS BELOW

I seriously enjoyed this book so much. I really did have a hard time putting this book down. I've never been one for horror, but it was honestly amazing. I think a great perk of it was that it moved pretty fast to me. Chapters weren't super long, which I always appreciate.

I felt like how short and focused the story was and with the time period, it was kind of diverse. Obviously, your main character is a lesbian. But also, her new best friend, David is gay. David is also Puerto Rican. Audre's best friend from her childhood is Hispanic, although we never get to meet her. Also, Audre's mom is queer, we don't get a label, but we are told that she believes in falling in love with a soul not a gender.

I found Audre and her family very loveable. I think it's because I see myself in her now at where I am in my life because I used to be Elle. My biggest irk about Audre is that she couldn't wrap her head around how people could devote themselves to the church the way many people in their town did, but I can understand how hard that is when you aren't the one who grew up in that. The flip side is that I see myself in her because she is constantly questioning everything to do with the church and how no one in the church is even trying to help find Elle.

I feel so sorry for Elle. I understand the religious trauma and how she can be blinded by her upbringing to not realize that it's insane to live the way her father wants her to. I also could never imagine my father abusing me though if I didn't blindly follow his teachings though. I also completely understand what it's like to be so confused when you've been raised in the church and to realize you are not straight.

On that note, fuck Ryan and Elle's dad. I understand that Ryan doesn't realize until the end how fucked up everything is, but, God, do I hate him. He's a sad tragedy thanks to Elle's dad. Elle's dad is absolutely the worse. He's abusive and a good representation of what's wrong with Christianity in the opinion of someone who grew up with the religion and still considers themselves a Christian today (although I'd argue I'm more spiritual than religious). Both Ryan and Elle's dad are really captured as how a religion can be a cult.

I will say, the plot twist of Elle never being kidnapped or harmed really did surprise me, but I'm also gullible. I was so sure that either Ryan or Elle's dad had kidnapped or even killed her that to find out Elle's mother had helped hide her at the battered women's shelter was a shock. The length that Elle's mom went to make it look like a Satanic ritual and that she had died was crazy and kind of fucked up when you realize that she was just going to let Audre's dad take the fall for it, but it's also understandable when you realize just how much abuse she had also been through. For Elle's dad to have lured bears to attack Elle and her mom, to cutting the breaks on the car when Elle's mom wanted a divorce causing her to drive off a cliff (not confirmed but heavily implied), to starting a fire that not only destroyed his own house but also Ryan's and killing Ryan's mom and brother, orchestrating a cross nearly falling on top of him during a sermon (also not confirmed but heavily implied) all so that he could claim that God was saving him and his family while the devil was out to harm him.

Even creepier is when Elle's dad realizes that she's alive and just breaks into Audre's home. Like I was genuinely terrified for Audre because I am pretty sure that Elle's dad could have killed her and would have gotten away with it. Also, he survived a shotgun point blank. When he got back up, I would have been pissing myself. But at least Ryan did end up killing him.

I did enjoy the epilogue too. I would honestly love to see a second book built off the epilogue even. I know it's very unlikely to ever happen, but I'd love to see Elle dealing with her thoughts and feelings after this ordeal while seeing a Chrisitan therapist. I'd also love to see Ryan's POV with him being on trial for Elle's dad's murder (I would obviously assume that he gets off considering it was self-defense and any jury with at least one semi sane person would have sympathy for him when it would be revealed that Elle's dad had started the fire that killed his mother and brother). I think it'd be interesting to see one leave the church and one to not be able to get away from it. But that's wishful thinking on my part.

[afam24]

There's probably some kernels of truth to Latino contribution with the demographics of Bronx. You had Carlos Mendez, (Charlie Chase), DJ Wiz…however FBA (Foundationaly Black American) in origins. Facts that can't be obfuscated in FBA founding on all components of hip hop (except graffiti art). This stuff is timestamped and recorded

1 Herc never said he transplanted hip hop from his homeland of Jamaica to NYC. In fact, we hear, the opposite on a 1989 recorded interview. He notes that people weren't feeling his native music at the time, so funk and soul was played…and James Brown was the main one.

2 Puerto Rican pioneers like Ken Swift, Crazy Legs, Mr Wiggles , Jo Jo, Willie Will, and Alien Ness, a PR ZuluKing, 1970s -all allude to the African American origins of the dance (more details in pt 2 replies). Legs says in like the latter 70s, they would call it Morano style whenever the moves that came from early 70s Zulu Kings was noticed (exemplified by FrostyFreeze). Morano denotes black and original in this context. He says this is the original style, tho played out by the latter 70s - very very early 80s. Puerto Rican youth added much to that.

The earliest b-boy crew people can recall by name and memory has consistantly been the Zulu Kings in interviews over time (circa 1973, probably still Black Spades or Baby Spades till 75, but they were Bronx Burning or Uprocking to minor floor moves as Spades before 1975). The b-boys back then were African American youth like Sasa, Trixie, PeeWee Dance, CharlieRock, N….Twins, Dancing Doug, Beaver, Lil Boy Keith and more. After 1976-77 the original African American youth began moving away from the dance. It was becoming "old hat", and more and more Puerto Rican youth picked up on, added to, and expanded on it. Crazy Legs said the brothas would say THAT'S PLAYED OUT when he would break in like 78-79 There's early 90s footage of Lil-Boy Keith (his 70s street name), demonstrating early ZuluKings style. He's also in the 1984 documentary Beat This, A Hip Hop History. Footage of him reminds me of KenSwift's description of old style breaking being more sporadic and lots of freezes. Also PeeWee Dance hanging with RockSteady in the early 90s..going off, Spade dancing, Bronx Burning ,uprocking…

In a 1984 episode of The Scene ( Detroit), Bronx native Kurtis Blow, famous 70s rapper and "breakdancer", was asked what came first, breaking or rap. Kurtis tells the host that back in 1972, the dance was called Burning. This is well before the modern Ytb debates. Important to mention, because only people in ZuluKings neighborhood remembers the term.

3 In a interview circa 1984, Melle Mel was asked where do you guys get names like Grand Master Flash. Long before Ytb and Internet and debates on hiphop's origins, Mel tells us…we were influenced by people like Grand Master Flowers (African American) of 60s Brooklyn. Keep in mind that Flowers opened up for James Brown in 1968 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY…..perhaps the initial point it was transplanted from Brooklyn to Bronx. Melle Mel, as well as Mr Ness (Scorpio of Furious Five) was in a b-boy crew called D Squad. Fellow member Fuji of the long forgotten group said this was 1974 in middle school. There is a picture of Mel and Fuji in more recent times and Fuji in the 70s.

In a documentary about a Bronx, NY neighborhood called Simpson Street, filmed 1977 and released in 79, we hear perhaps the first publicly broadcast hip hop sound. After the narrator finishes speaking near the beginning, the next scene opens up to a roof top party with a 70s rap sound. Some people, claiming they were there that night, say that's Mr Ness and Grand Master Flash you hear in the background(?)…Melle Mel is mentioned in the list of shout-outs, so it likely was. Sounds like Coke La Rock's description of his original 1972-73 style… A list of shout-outs to people in the room and a little rhyming in between.

In the 77 doc, young blacks and Puerto Ricans hanging out together seem to get along very well like street family.

4 Coke la Rock (African American) was the first Emcee/rapper (in hiphop) and best friend of Kool Herc, going back to middle school in the 1960s . He says that it wasn't a music genre back then, but it's just the way he talked on the Mic when giving announcements…and the people loved it. This is a very important detail because specifically African American announcers and performers have always rhyme talked to beats in this manner, going back to the 30s and 40s. Back then ya might hear … "WELL AH REET, ALL ROOT, ALL RIGHT…BE AT THE JITTER BUG CONTEST TONIGHT. You have the Co Real Artist out of Los Angeles (total opposite side of country) with the 1974 song "What ya Gonna Do In The World Today". They sound like The Funky Four Plus One's 1979-81 style. Gary Byrd in the early 70s - absolutely rapping with that early 70s hip jazz/soul style. Jacko Henderson in the 50s, The Jubilees 1940s, Pig Meat Markam in the 60s.. Mind PowerJames Brown 1973, Last Poets 1971, Frankie Jaxson 1929 Jive Man Blues (absolutely rapping), Beale St Sheiks, It's a Good Thing 1927, Memphis Jug Band, with Whitewash Station Blues 1920s

I would even say songs like Don't Burn Your Candles at Both Ends by Loius Jordan , 1940s…in the movie Look Out Sister 1946, but more like rapp on the record version. Or his 40s song Beware. Even more so like rapp than singing was his song Look Out (also in the 1940s independent AA movie).

The Last Poets (latter 60s - very early 70s) with songs like Run, MEAN MACHINE - 1971 (MUST LISTEN TO THAT ONE IF YOU NEVER HEARD), True Blues, On the Subway (1970), New York New York, and others, were rapping back then with poetry and African sounding drum. Keep in mind that rapp means to talk, not neccesarily rhyming, (they often did).

Coke does make the connection to The Last Poets, as influence and others like that (in the video "Coke la Rock a DJ, With Herc".. by The Culture, Started in 71, at 35:28 in vid). Same with, DJ Hollywood (1971-)

Herc credits Coke for rapp in the vid "Kool Herc on the Role Coke (MC) Played".

In the 1930s soundie (musical short/music video) called Caravan, The Mills Brothers are rapping in the scene where he's talking to the young lady. Not long after that, the young man starts basically uprocking into breakdance swipes.

Jacko Henderson is in the 1981 20/20 ABC news special, covering this new thing called…HIPHOP. Jacko is very familiar with this sound as he snaps his fingers remembering a few 1950s verses.

In 1983, Gary Byrd appeared on the British show Black on Black by LWT Studios (London tv). He was asked when did he start rapping. Byrd tells the host that in 1965 he came across some tapes of Jacko Henderson from the 1950s, doing this style of announcements on radio (also done by other African American DJs across America). Byrd's songs from 1970 - 73 include Soul Traveling (very much like rapping) , If the People Only Knew, Are You Ready for Black Power…

In the latter 60s into the 70s Frankie Crocker of NYC radio was known to rhyme talk in a manor that sounds like a predecessor to hiphop music. He might say HEY BABY, IT'S GUARANTEE TO PUT A CUT IN YOUR STRUT, A GLIDE IN YOUR STRIDE, A DIP IN YOUR HIP…IF YOU AIN'T DIGGING THIS, YOU MUST HAVE A WHOLE IN YO SOUL. He also appeared in 70s movies like Five on the Black Hand Side and Darktown Strutters.

In a 1973 movie called Five on the Black Hand Side, the Kool guy who walks into the barbershop immediately puts a coin in the jukebox, and starts doing what they once called jive talking. Sounds so much like rap, the Sugar Hill Gang used one of the verses. Both Ali and H. Rapp Brown (coincidently) spoke in this manner in the 60s and very early 70s (warning if looking up Brown's 60s speeches…they may contain a few epithets. Sensitive political and social times).

Also in Five on the Black Hand Side, the Black Panther like character that walks into the barbershop asking permission to put up a flyer for the freedom of one of his brethren, then reminds them that the police are becoming more fascist. After that, he sort of raps when he says…WOE TO THOSE WHO CAN'T SWIM JIM. Then he walks out in a

rhythmic like manner. Frankie Crocker does a little poetry as he remembers everyone street number (street lottery) in one of the barbershop scenes

KRS-1 references Coke in a 80s rap. His partner was Scott LA Rock, and they followed the trend from early 70s Coke La Rock. We also have ShaLa Rock…female rapper from the latter 70s - early 80s, and others… Rapper and 70s breakdancer T La Rock (African American…Known for the 1984 rap song It's Yours) Even a 1978 Puerto Rican based breakdance crew named Starchild La Rock.

5 Batch, a Puerto Rican guy who created TBB (The Bronx Boys) as a youth in circa 1975-76. They were a breaking crew. He tells Colon on a Livestream (no time to edit out😂)….YOU CAN SEE ON MY SCREEN IM PROUD OF MY RICAN HERITAGE WITH THE FLAG ON THE WALL, BUT THIS HIPHOP COMES FROM THE BROTHAs… Deer in the headlights look

From a firsthand perspective, Batch says on another modern Ytb vid that he was inspired by the ZuluKings or Spades, before TBB. Also Willie Will of Rockwell A., said he seen ZuluKing go to floor 1st 6 Everyone that came up in the Bronxdale projects during that time of the 60s and early 70s seem to remember DJ King Mario (Afn Am).. concurrent with Herc. In fact, a few said they knew each other, but Mario like to do outdoor block party/festival style, while Herc was more indoor venues.

7 One of the first Hispanic hip hop DJs said he seen all black people back then and sometimes wondered if he would be rejected based on his ethnic background. He found a warm welcome, because it was based on how good you were and not race. HE WAS GOOD. (in other words, even a African American youth would be booed off the stage and told to go back to his borough in a NYC accent, if they weren't good).

continued in replies …

cont… You always had R&B music artist incorporate a little Latin sound like Reasons by Earth Wind & Fire 1975…with a Cuban style, or Running on the 1977 All N All album. Also Herman Kelly with the 1978 song dance to the drummer beat.

Tito Puente of Puerto Rican background was a musician who played on certain SugarHill rap records.

Carlos Mendez not only cofounded the Cold Crush Brothers circa 1977, but also established the first know hiphop gathering or convention, circa 1979-80. At least 2 members of the Fearless 4 were of Puerto Rican background in the latter 70s- early 80s. Also a lesser known Mean Machine 1980. DJ Hollywood, African American, was known as early as 71 with his call and response style (rap). He says influencers were Frankie Crocker, Oscar Brown, Rudy Moore Pig Meat Markum, Last Poets (same as Coke La Rock)…(interview on KEXP). People that remember him first-hand are Coke La Rock, Kurtis Blow, Cholly Rock and others. More in next reply on hiphop's predecessor and the known pioneers including Herc, that remember names like John Brown, DJ Pete Jones, Grand Master Flowers ( Brooklyn 1960s - 70s)…

Better known by his stage name Pumpkin, 70s-80s HipHop drummer Errol Eduardo Bedward played on many songs of the genre. His overall appearance was of a typical African American, but was of Costa Rican and Panamanian background. He spoke fluent Spanish. Artist he played for include…(1979 to 1984), Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five Spoonie Gee, Treacherous Three, Funky Four, Grandmaster Caz, the Fearless Four, and Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde…. His 1983 single "King of the Beat", Pumpkin and the Profile All-Stars' "Here Comes the Beat" (Profile, 1984).

Jimmy Castor was African American. He was very familiar with the Latin and Caribbean sound…though rooted in soul and funk. His family was from Bermuda, as he tells us in a 2006 interview on a old website called Turntable Treat, by Sean from NJ (?…now obsolete but interview saved). Also was part of Tito Puente's band in NYC clubs. Speaking of hiphop, we know him for the 1972 song "It's Just Begun", form the Flashdance breaking scene, and used by many b-boys…

Puerto Ricans bros like Ken Swift, Crazy Legs, Mr Wiggles, Jo Jo, and even Trac 2 (when he was younger and humble😄), said they saw mostly African American youth breaking before like 75-77. Trac is in a 1978 photo with Spy (black or Afro Puerto Rican). Also Rene and Boss same year. They just won a breaking competition. Crazy legs said Spy was the first person he ever seen do this dance as a 9 year old in 76. Spy was in his early teens. In rare photos from an original RSC (Rock Steady Crew) website, Legs is in 1979-81 photos with forgotten African American members like Ski, Kippy D, Lil Craze, and their 1977 cofounder Jimmy Dee (with PuertoRican friend Lee). I say this so you can see the dance was both African American and Puerto Rican at the same time. You kind of sense that in the old photos (many youth added moves to it that became popular). Jo Jo stated that before the mid 70s it was mostly African Americans breaking and rare to see Puerto Rican youth. He mentioned from a first hand perspective, the ZuluKings in the vid…." JoJo: (Crazy Commanders/RSC) - "Rican bboys were so rare, Blacks looked at us like little…." Jo Jo (PR) and Kevski (AA) are in a modern livestream. They were in the same mid 70s Bronx b-boy crew. On a modern Livestream, Fast Breaks, African American of original Magnificent Force, says he started breaking in 1975 after seeing his cousin do "drops" at a party. He says his cousin would hang around ZuluKing members. There's a excellent performance on Livewire 1983. Magnificent Force from Bronx, NY, predate the 83 national youth craze.

Spy claims he started doing floor moves as his own creation, but does mention he came up around Black Spades (ZuluKings) in South Bronx before moving to other part of NYC as a 70s youth. Actually stating Bronx River Projects is where he started (come on, you know where he got it from). This is a problem in the testimonials of how the dance started. The tribal mentality (on both sides of the "debate") . Most center themselves in the overall story - further distorting the history. When trying to credit Puerto Ricans for the breaking, people will mention the dances of Roberto Roena 1974 (black or Afro Puerto Rican)…Tito Rodriguez at the Palladium 1950s, or the Latin dancers on Ed Sullivan, 1957. In the 74 Roberto Roena footage with Celia Cruz and All-Stars, he's doing the exact moves of Little Buck (Conrad Buckner), an African American) from two decades prior. Also in the same sequence….EVEN THE HELICOPTER LEG AND KNEE WALK. The walk around on one hand is S. Davis Jr (BoogieWoogie) and others 1940. When mentioned, it's still downplayed to make it seem absolutely Puerto Rican in origin, and the African American predecessor isn't taken serious. The moves stem from African American Jazz dances of the 1920s - 50s. A decade prior to even Little Buck, we have the Berry Brothers (spinning with acrobatics 1940s) Mills Brothers 1930s Caravan soundie (both rapping and strait up rocking into swipes), or Little Step Brothers 60s See "Ancestral roots of the Bboy Pt 1 (1920s-1940s clips)"…A MUST SEE. If we were to accept Spy's claim of being the first, what do we do about the dilemma in all the other claims and even a modern gathering of original 1st generation "B-boys" like Sasa, Trixie Dancing Doug…. Did they gather under false pretenses with fake memory of being the first (video - Original Bboy Reunion)

In a 2013 gathering celebrating hiphop, Crazy Legs introduced their 1977 African American cofounder, Jimmy Dee, to the crowd. Many never seen him because being a couple of years older (upper teens), he went off to college by time the 80s came around. In a modern Ytb livesteam interview, he says in like 78 this 12 year old, exuberant about the dance dormant in Bronx and Harlem at the time, asked him if they can start a new chapter of RSC before moving to Manhattan. We know this enthusiastic dancer as Crazy Legs

In the 1974 movie "Education of Sonny Carson", coincidently about a African American gang in New York City, the one teen that likes to dance is up-rocking into James Brown like splits (Staten Island boat scene and parade scene). It reminds me when Ken Swift describes old style breaking (before 1976/77) as looking more like FrostyFreeze style ( African American teen in Flashdance who jumps on his back. Movie was filmed in 1981 and released in 83)

In the outtakes of StyleWars, filmed in 81 and released in 83, Kippy D of old Rock Steady Crew informs us that they just incorporated Poplocking from the West coast. This componant lumped into breakin was absolutely African American. A derivative of 1969 locking, created by Don Campbell (AfricanAmerican), POPPIN was introrduced to L.A. youth by Boogaloo Sam and his brother Poppin Pete (African American) of Fresno, CA, circa 1976. So it's like it came full circle back to L.A - stemming from lockin, Popping from the roboting element..with a little pantomiming). Debuted on SoulTrain in 1978 by Jeff Danials and his crew, it soon became a popular. On 1977 Gong Show, you can see the morph from rorbiting to popping with Robitoid INC. Also, Black Resurgence, 1976. The 1978 movie Young Blood, set in L.A. California, we see the helicopter leg in the teen club scene. There was already a minute element in locking that look like breaking with leg kicks and turning around on floor. Often done by the eccentric regular of mid 70s SoulTrain…the young guy with the giant toothbrush and sometimes boxing gloves. Think his moniker was Mr X. Episodes with X absolutely breakdancing included… 1 The Undiputable Truth -You and Me, 1976 2 I Don't Want to Loose Your Love by Emotions (ST line dance), 3 The Sylvers - Hotline (SoulTrain dancers 1976), 4 Get Up and Boogie by Silver Connection (dancing episode, not in the line or band in person).

Another interesting detail in StyleWars (filmed in 81…important to emphasize that here), Frosty Freeze tells the interviewer that the dance started in Bronx as well as parts of Harlem.

Brooklyn Rock dance is not the base of up rock commonly used in breaking. You have a Puerto Rican Rock dancer of 70s saying he seen breaking in the Bronx circa 1975 and it looked nothing like what they did. It appears that rocking was feet shuffling while uprocking was more jumping and arm swinging movements. Even Brooklyn Rock Dance, with it's mysterious origin, shows more affinity to African American style than Latino (See last comment for interview with Frank papo" Rojas…latter 60 -70s PuertoRican Brooklyn Rock Dancer)

In the 1950s African American teens created their own form of Mambo. (Look up Brooklyn Mambo, 1950s). It's very close to RockDance. Even in some of the footage Spirit Moves between the 1920s -50s, similarities show up here and there. So far we can't find videos of Latin dance in this manner concurrent to that 50s era. Uprockin for breakin comes from Spade Dance (Black Spades, 60s - early 70s Bronx gang). Just like C-walking (Crip Walk 1970s), people just forgot over time the African American street culture these styles are based on. In the history of Melbourne Shuffle, no one seems to mention or allude to the fact they're C-Walking with a little 80s New Jack Swing…sped up. This is the same scenario in not recognizing Uprock being originally Spade Dance. In a 1990, hiphop doc, PeeWee Dance, an original ZuluKing member, hangs with RSC as he demonstrates the raw essence of what they did in the early 70s. He is SpadeDancing/Uprockin/BronxBurning/Going Off (video is on Ytb…YOU GET THE SENCE OF WHY THEY CALLED IT GOING OFF)

Graffiti art was born in 60s NYC and included many races of people. Black, Hispanic, Italian, and even firsthand accounts of Asian. There's no definitive evidence that it came from Philly of the 60s

God bless (see Biblical Salvation

for good old pictures and video on the history,

Look up exactly GRAND MASTER FLASH WILDSTTLE, FILMED 1981, RELEASED 1983, by AfricanAmerican . Go to his channel and tap COMMUNITY to see history of the dance and hiphop music

Also, a great ole school rap playlist on his channel. You get the idea why young folk gravitated this 70s and 80s pre gangsta form of the art (the modern form has to change theme wise…peace, love , humanity, education, community, social issues, fun, expression…)

For the predecessor to hiphop in Brooklyn, scroll to the bottom of the " Rap Before Rap" playlist on that same channel

Important videos to see

From 0:40 to 2:15, in the video CHOLLY ROCK ON THE FIRST BBOYS- by Gearheadz breakcast, Cholly informs is that even in the Burning era (Uprock), they were going to the floor. This is before the ZuluKings of 1975. He names Legendary Twins and Clark Kent as the ones who inspired him to change from just burning to floor move in 1974.

In this video, Willie Will ( Puerto Rican) of Rockwell Association tells us clearly the ZuluKings were the first to do foundational floor moves. He mentions Lil Boy Keith, Beaver and …as the ones he remembers. Rockwell Association' formed almost concurrent to TBB in 75/76. Strangely, Colon took the Livestream off of the channel, but clips were saved. The video is First cats to hit the floor with footwork/moves with names, were Zulu Kings. This is Moreno style", by HipHopHistorian

This video is important. It's a rare clip from 1981-82 of Jimmy Dee, the African American co-founder of Rock Steady Crew (1977-79). The footage could be 81 because in a modern Livestream he says that's the year he left NYC and went off to college and Navy in latter teens. When the reporter ask him where did breaking come from he responds Bronx but others say different. Even though he was a member of mid 1970s TBB, ZuluKings are mentioned as the first group. The video is called "1977 Cofounder of Rock Steady Crew, Jimmy Dee, 1981-82 (?)", by African American

From 2:43 to 3:54 in the video "BBOYS "A history of breaking" - EP03 ROCK STEADY CREW:" by RESISTANCE FILMS, Mr Freeze reveals his direct influence for the front and backwards moonwalk with the umbrella. He says it came from Lockatron John from a group called The Lockatrons. There's a modern YTb vid of Lockatrons John, a "black" man ( perhaps African American) revealing that he was dancing like that since the 70s. Also a drummer, Military, and Corporate guy (from Internet article). You can see him in the video "Exclusive Interview with Lockatron NYC Booghie , Locker and Drummer" by Tiny1Love

All the clips you need on the African American predecessor or founding of hip-hop (including quotes by Herc) is in the video "PROOF That Dj Cool Herc & Big Pun Says That FBA Started Hip-Hop", by WATERGOD TV

Other full interviews are in the playlist of African American channel mentioned above

Up Rock did not come from Brooklyn Rock Dance. It was Spade dance ( black spades), Bronx Burning - as Kurtis Blow tells us in 1984 on Detroit's The Scene show… long before this modern debate..

From Frank Rojas, Puerto Rican Brooklyn Rock Dancer from the 60s and 70s. This is the pioneer who said he seen breaking as a young guy in 1975 Bronx, and he and his friends didn't see it as what they did in Brooklyn…or even perceive it as dancing . Note From 3:20 -3:58, we hear him clearly distinguish the dances he did culturally as a Puerto Rican at home, vs what the African Americans were doing down the block. He gravitated the dances of the brothers more as a starting point in Brooklyn Rock Dancing vs his traditional dance innate in him. (the main point are capitalized and allude to the African American origins of even the Brooklyn Rock Dance)

From a transcript of video interview

"…it was it was a uh the beauty of it was that it was a black and puerto rican community

2:31

you know so you had you know on my block I lived in the middle and on my left was you know mostly

2:38

Puerto Rican and on my right on the same block right was the black community

2:44

so I had you know I had the distinct pleasure um and pretty much the honor to be

2:49

brought up you know with both cultures which influenced me as a person right….

2:56

…not just me as a dancer because you know that's where it all started um right on that neighborhood

and even prior to that i come from a family you know who you know the dance Salsa you know Merengue you

3:15

know it was a party in my house every every weekend so i grew up you know 3:20

with with that flavor…

…more Salsa Right Merengue And You KNOW CHA CHA, AND I DUG IT , IT'S IN MY DNA

3:39

I DID IT BUT I LIKED WHAT THE BROTHERS WERE DOING DOWN THE BLOCK A LOT MORE YEAH AND SO LIKE COMING OUT OF YOUR

3:47 (interviewer) House And Just Existing In Your NEIGHBORHOOD WHAT DID YOU SEE FROM THOSE BROTHERS DOWN THE BLOCK

3:52

THAT RIGHT THAT ATTRACTED ME, IT WAS WAS THE GROOVE RIGHT so you know we're talking about

3:58

you know 67 68 69 right so you know you you at that time you you

4:05

there was always a new dance like when a song came out there was a dance that went to the song

4:11

okay so like as far back as i could remember so even even in in my house right though…

4:18

….it was it was it was salsa but the uh the hispanic community came up

4:24

with an english version of salsa which they call the latin boogaloo so that's the first like american way of

4:32

dancing for me right so the latin boogaloo the first dance i learned was called the African

4:38

twist right so and that that was a song by Eddie Palmetti

4:43

all right so then after that you know i mean i was a good dancer i could move so everywhere i went they you know

4:50

come on pop get down right so my nickname is papa that's what they call me on the street

4:55 um so i remember the first dance I learned was the tighten up

5:01

Archie Bell in the Drells right there was the tighten up I remember the mother popcorn all right

5:08

the mother popcorn James Brown there was a dance called the mother popcorn that's where all my groove came

5:14

from and who was making these dances up were they just being created they were fun for me yeah yeah from the community…"

SKIPPING OVER TO THE FOLLOWING. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS PORTION

21:49 had competitions right like once a weekend sometimes twice a weekend because again 21:55 this was so let me just go back a little bit right so [Music] you know when i was doing those dances 22:03 to those songs right the [Music] the it was the black community that to those songs right the [Music] the it was the black community that 22:09 pretty much was the power of dance right but then you had the puerto ricans who 22:15 came in did what the black community did because we loved it you know we did the groove just as good we had the soul we had soul 22:21 right yeah so but we also had that salsa 22:27 all of that so we put that together and we became the power the power shifted and it was 22:34 the puerto rican community and in those clubs the fresh the kontiki the footsteps 22:40 and there was clubs before that right so there was the forbidden fruit right there was the ruby fool there was 22:46 the pegasus …"

With that said, go look up vids like Brooklyn Mambo 1957 (African American form), or Spirit moves 1920s - 50s. Look to see if you can find any Latin dance concurrent to that time in this same manor

[afrcnam]

Continued from previous comment...

You always had R&B music artist incorporate a little Latin sound like Reasons by Earth Wind & Fire 1975...with a Cuban style, or Running on the 1977 All N All album. Also Herman Kelly with the 1978 song dance to the drummer beat. 

Tito Puente of Puerto Rican background was a musician who played on certain SugarHill rap records.

Carlos Mendez not only cofounded the Cold Crush Brothers circa 1977, but also established the first know hiphop gathering or convention, circa 1979-80. At least 2 members of the fearless 4 were of Puerto Rican background in the latter 70s- early 80s. Also a lesser known Mean Machine 1980.

Better known by his stage name Pumpkin, 70s-80s HipHop drummer Errol Eduardo Bedward played on many songs of the genre.

His overall appearance was of a typical African American, but was of Costa Rican and Panamanian background. He spoke fluent Spanish.

Artist he played for include...(1979 to 1984),   Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five Spoonie Gee, Treacherous Three, Funky Four, Grandmaster Caz, the Fearless Four, and Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde, and several more obscure names. His 1983 single "King of the Beat", Pumpkin and the Profile All-Stars' "Here Comes the Beat" (Profile, 1984).

Puerto Ricans bros like Ken Swift, Crazy Legs, Mr Wiggles, and even Trac 2 (when he was younger and humble😄), said they saw mostly African American youth breaking before like 75-77. Trac is in a 1978 photo with Spy (African American and Spanish). Also Rene and Boss same year. They just won a breaking competition. Crazy legs said Spy was the first person he ever seen do this dance as a 9 year old in 76. Spy was in his early teens. In rare photos from an original RSC (Rock Steady Crew) website, Legs is in 1979-81 photos with forgotten African American members like Ski, Kippy D, Lil Craze, and their 1977 cofounder Jimmy Dee (with PuertoRican friend Lee). I say this so you can see the dance was both African American and Puerto Rican at the same time. You kind of sense that in the old photos (many youth added moves to it that became popular).

In a 2013 gathering celebrating hiphop, Crazy Legs introduced their 1977 African American cofounder, Jimmy Dee, to the crowd. Many never seen him because being a couple of years older (upper teens), he went off to college by time the 80s came around. In a modern Ytb livesteam interview, he says in like 78 this 12 year old, exuberant about the dance dormant in Bronx and Harlem at the time, asked him if they can start a new chapter of RSC before moving to Manhattan. We know this enthusiastic dancer as Crazy Legs

In the 1974 movie "Education of Sonny Carson", coincidently about a African American gang in New York City, the one teen that likes to dance is up-rocking into James Brown like splits (Staten Island boat scene and parade scene). It reminds me when Ken Swift describes old style breaking (before 1976/77) as looking more like FrostyFreeze style ( African American teen in Flashdance who jumps on his back. Movie was filmed in 1981 and released in 83)

In the outtakes of StyleWars, filmed in 81 and released in 83, Kippy D of old Rock Steady Crew informs us that they just incorporated Poplocking from the West coast. This componant lumped into breakin was absolutely African American. A derivative of 1969 locking, created by Don Campbell, POPPIN was introrduced to L.A. youth by African American Boogaloo Sam and his brother Poppin Pete (African American) of Fresno, CA, circa 1976. So it's like it came full circle back to L.A - stemming from lockin). Debuted on SoulTrain in 1978 by Jeff Danials and his crew, it became a popular dance of young people and performers at the time (1978 thru 83-ish).

Another interesting detail in StyleWars (filmed in 81...important to emphasize that here), Frosty Freeze tells the interviewer that the dance started in Bronx as well as parts of Harlem.

Rock dance is not the base of up rock commonly used in breaking. You have a Puerto Rican Rock dancer of 70s Brooklyn saying he seen breaking in the Bronx circa 1975 and it looked nothing like what they did. It appears that rocking was feet shuffling while uprocking was more jumping and arm swinging movements. Even Brooklyn Rock Dance, with it's mysterious origin, shows more affinity to African American style than Latino.

In the 1950s African American teens created their own form of Mambo. (Look up Brooklyn Mambo, 1950s). It's very close to RockDance. Even in some of the footage Spirit Moves between the 1920s -50s, similarities show up here and there. So far we can't find videos of Latin dance in this manner concurrent to that 50s era. Uprockin for breakin comes from Spade Dance (Black Spades, 60s - early 70s Bronx gang). Just like C-walking  (Crip Walk 1970s), people just forgot over time the African American street culture these styles are based on. In the history of Melbourne Shuffle, no one seems to mention or allude to the fact they're C-Walking with a little 80s New Jack Swing...sped up. This is the same scenario in not recognizing Uprock being originally Spade Dance. In a 1990, hiphop doc, PeeWee Dance, an original ZuluKing member,  hangs with RSC as he demonstrates the raw essence of what they did in the early 70s. He is SpadeDancing/Uprockin/BronxBurning/Going Off (video should be on Ytb...YOU GET THE SENCE OF WHY THEY CALLED IT GOING OFF)

Graffiti art was born in 60s NYC and included many races of people. Black, Hispanic, Italian, and even firsthand accounts of Asian. There's no definitive evidence that it came from Philly of the 60s

God bless (see Biblical Salvation

[rockofeye]

Hi, just trying to get a heading here. I recently fell ill, strepthroat probably and over late last night it got really bad. Shakes, fever, vomiting, it was bad. Last night in the midst of all this I had a dream about voodoo spirits, which is really strange for me because I haven't practiced voodoo. I am a Witch, and work with my family's witchcraft from Spain.

In my dream I am trying to get spirits to leave my house. They're not evil, just wanted them to leave, felt like a house party that has gone on too long lol.

So what I said was, I will watch you walk out of my house, down the stairs and once I see you turn the corner then I know your gone. One of these spirits stood out in particular, Baron Samedi. He wasnt scary, didn't give off the vibe of harm, just smiled at me. When it was his turn to leave, I watched him walk down my steps,down the street and right before he turned the corner he looked back at me and smiled.

Once I saw that he had turned the corner I closed the door and turned around to see him standing in front of me with a big grin on his face. Like a "aha gotcha"

I have a feeling it's a warning that someone's doing witchcraft against my family, so I will be taking measures.

My question is, is this the "ok" from voodoo spirits to call and work with them?

I know that voodoo is a closed practice, and I don't think I have any ancestors that practiced voodoo. I am Puerto Rican and I know that the island is a mix of the native people, African people, and Spanish.

Hi,

What I usually ask folks who have unprovoked dreams is what in the dream told you it was Baron Samdi or whatever lwa, and what led you to believe it was about witchcraft?

A dream would not be an indicator that a person was being led to serve the lwa without further investigation with a reading with a priest or similar. Sometimes dreams are just dreams, and sometimes they mean something more but that's what divination is for.

Haitian Vodou is not a closed practice in the way the internet likes to say; I personally dislike that descriptor as it is without nuance and cultural context. Background is less important than what the lwa themselves say.

I hope this helps; happy to link up for a reading if that would be helpful.

[rwrbmovie]

RE: Alex Claremont-Diaz

Quotes from interviews on #RWRBMovie about the character of Alex Claremont-Diaz

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Last updated: August 9

From Glamour

“I never imagined I’d read a book with a queer Latine character at the centre—a character who is smart and passionate and flawed and hopeful,” López tells Glamour. “I think having this book in my life when I was younger might have made it a little easier. I knew immediately that I wanted to bring it to the screen.”

“The core of Alex [from the book] is still in the film,” he says. “He's just so ambitious, loyal, charismatic, and smart. That intelligence was one of my fears about playing Alex—he's not playing at it or trying to be smart. That's just how he was raised, how he was educated. I'm not saying I'm not smart, but whew. His brain never stops.” He continues, “With Alex, there's such a growing up process. He's like a man child in a way. He's really impulsive and stubborn, and he's insecure with his parents. His dad's a congressman and his mom's the president. He feels the weight of the high expectations placed on him due to his position, and he struggles with feelings of inadequacy. You see how hard it is for him to balance his personal and professional life. He's had sexual experiences with guys in the past, but he doesn't lead with it. I think it's not even top of mind. He's kissing girls at a New Year's party. And then Henry comes and kind of forces him to grow up and go, 'Oh, I'm really into this.' It turns into love, and his identity and family and relationships become even more important. I love that about Alex. Because who knows? If there's an alternative universe, who knows what would have happened if he didn't meet Henry? What if he didn't find a purpose or a higher path for himself other than just being a powerful politician?”

From People

As for his character, "Alex is driven by ambition and strives for success in everything he does," the actor adds. "He is willing to stand up for what he believes in and is fiercely loyal to his family and friends. He’s also incredibly stubborn, impulsive and impatient."

From Deadline

“One of the reasons I wanted to make this movie is because there was a American-Mexican lead and I wanted — I’m Puerto Rican, and like Alex in the film, I’m biracial. I have a white mother and a Puerto Rican father, and Alex has a white mother and a Mexican father.”

From TV Times

‘When Henry makes a move, it throws Alex into a state of confusion until he realises he really likes this person,’ says Taylor, 31. ‘Alex is on his own journey, but the relationship between the two characters grow until it is a runaway train, and it's too late to stop!'

From BroadwayWorld

I definitely relate a lot to Alex. I think Alex was my way into the story. I have very very little first-hand knowledge of what it means to be a prince. Alex is a person in the world. I am a queer, biracial person from the American South, just like Alex, my mom is white, my dad is Puerto Rican, and Alex's dad is Mexican. So there's a lot of ways in which Alex is sort of placed in the world. I come from working class family just like Alex did. So there was a lot of overlap. And then of course, there's a lot of ways in which we have nothing in common. But those places where we do, I got him and it really sort of, I felt like in some ways I could tell the story through his eyes. Alex was always my way into the story for sure.

From The Queer Review

“When I read this book, even in my 40s, I had never encountered a character like Alex Claremont-Diaz before. It took that long for me to read a book with a character like that, who was biracial, Mexican-American, bisexual, smart, smart-ass, funny, charming and flawed in the best way possible. When I was contemplating making this film, I knew that I was asking for the opportunity to bring that character into the world in a movie. I have never seen Alex Claremont-Diaz before in a movie and it’s really important to me that my first film has a Latin lead at its centre, that the hero of the story, the person who takes us through this journey, is this young, biracial, Mexican-American boy. That’s why I made the film.”

From PinkNews

As he sped through McQuiston's book, it was the character of Alex who immediately struck a chord. Alex is biracial, he's born in Texas, his mother's home state,, but his father Oscar is of Mexican descent. "I'm a queer Puerto Rican, and I think if I had had access to Alex Claremont-Diaz as a younger man, I might have had an easier path in life," López says.

From Windy City Times

It isn't an accident that my first movie has at its center a young Latino lead. It is a character that I have never encountered in fiction or film before. It was important to me to tell the story of this young man and his journey to self-discovery through the love of this prince. Whatever we say in the film about the experience of being Latin in America is very intentional. Conversations with Taylor and Clifton Collins Jr., who plays his dad, were about making sure that we didn't hit people over the head with it. We wanted it to be natural and be evident in the characters within the story. We didn't need to point to it but wanted it to be there and be clear.

[hazbinned]

Important notes for my personal portrayal of Valentino - Background and Headcanons. Because this has been his story forever, and yet I just realized I had never compiled these in a post and that nobody knows any of this unless you read through all his threads in search of crumbs or have discussed it with me in IMs.

TW: Era-typical homophobia + abuse + Valentino topics. If you continue reading, you should know what to expect.

Valentino is of mostly Puerto Rican heritage and was born to immigrant parents in 1940, in the East Coast of the United States (Florida) as the second eldest of four boys (brothers being Pablo, Francisco, and Denzel). He grew up in a rough neighborhood, as his father was involved in some crime and petty gang activity that, for the most part, Valentino and his siblings were excluded from. Valentino spent most of his childhood and teen years left to his own devices, causing trouble with his brothers and friends for the fun of it. He was haughty, leaned toward being a bully, and never faced the consequences of his actions right from the start.

(His parents hardly paid attention to him, so he could do whatever he wanted— he did, however, learn some cooking from his mother, and some very basic firearm skills from his father.)

Valentino was always feminine in many ways, which his family mostly just commented on or tried to ignore, until he started getting older and it went from a 'quirk' to something they saw as a problem. In his early adulthood, he was caught with a man, and fallout ensued. Val ditched his family and then the state, and eventually, in the 1960s, wound up in LA, where he was almost immediately reeled in by a pimp (who was also his dealer/sugar daddy/eventual film director).

They had a genuine friendship for a handful of years, both of them being in it for the money and other benefits— Val wound up living in the guy's mansion and starred in adult films for him, and felt like a real celebrity. During this time, Val adopted his signature heart glasses into his look (though he mostly wore them as an accessory on top of his head), and was gifted two exotic birds by his pimp: a green rose-ringed parakeet and a red parrot, which he named Versace and Ferrari respectively. (He was extremely attached to both of the birds, and both of them outlived him.)

Good things never last forever, though, and Val's pimp started wanting him to film things that he was just not comfortable with— when Val voiced this (and the fact that he'd rather star in dominant roles), the friendly and mutually beneficial side of their relationship withered up and died, giving way to disrespect and physical abuse (often with the strike of a gun). Val was told he could leave anytime he wanted, but that his pimp wasn't going to help him— he'd essentially be broke and homeless. Feeling trapped, he opted to stay, and put up with a couple more years of that... until, finally, he knocked off his pimp and took control of the mansion and the entire operation.

It was during this that he started wearing his sunglasses over his eyes, and truly grew into the version of 'Valentino' that everyone knows. He became a pimp himself, and continued starring in films (of his own volition and creative direction) until he died at age 38 to a shot to the head.

Val, for the most part, landed on his feet in Hell and immediately just started doing what he was best at in life. He performed a lot more in the beginning, and his natural charisma (plus his new addictive pheromone) made it easy for him to start accumulating souls. Minus a few setbacks (such as his pheromone lending to some uncomfortable encounters here and there) he was on the easy road to success.

He and Vox met and the two of them immediately hit it off, and started supporting each other (financially and otherwise-- friends, to business partners, to unstable life partners, to lovers). The rest is history.

ADDITIONAL HEADCANONS.

Val does not perform much anymore. He still can, but he prefers just sitting around and making other people do things now. He hasn't appeared on stage in person for years, and hasn't starred in any published films for even longer. It has been since the early/mid 2000s, at least.

Val's eyes had started failing in the last few years of his life, and this carried over into his Hell-form. He finds it humiliating and refuses to get help.

Val has never faced lasting consequences for any of his actions, which is in part responsible for him being the way he is. He thinks he can get away with everything because he can get away with everything.

Val's communication style is extremely physical. Even when he's not trying to be controlling, he kind of still is if he's manhandling someone.

He's very paranoid about a second, more permanent death (or even a fall from grace), as he loves his life in Hell and does not want to lose it. He's scared that Angel will continue the cycle he started and kill him, or that he will somehow wind up with the tables turned and find himself in Angel's shoes. He will do anything to keep this from happening.

Sometimes, when he gets really worked up or emotional or high, he unintentionally lets out a more vulnerable side of himself-- closer to how he was during life. He hates that, it gives him the ick... especially when Angel is privy. (This is NOT the same playful attitude he sports around Vox and Velvette and other people he likes. It's very similar, but it's different. He doesn't mind as much when Vox or Velvette are witness to it.)

Val was never innocent, kind, or a 'good person,' although he can seem this way to those he is manipulating, as well as to his loved ones (as he is generally fun to be around if he likes you. Bad people typically aren't bad to everyone, and Valentino has his own circle of people he likes and respects-- namely Vox and Velvette.) His arc was not one of a good person becoming a villain. He was always villain-adjacent, he simply went from 'toxic' to 'awful.'

Valentino stood at an extremely tall 6'7" during life.

The last one is suggestive ala the read-more:

Val is a dom. He just really doesn't enjoy not being so, although there are some exceptions where he is genuinely chill with switching it up, like if he's in a certain mood or if it's a special occasion and Vox really wants that, or if his partner is someone he views as more powerful and cooler than him (ala 'celebrity crush' like Asmodeus-- not just anyone with power). He can kinda get into it then, but he has to LOVE you, respect you, trust you, AND find you attractive. Generally, though, he doesn't like relinquishing control ever and his partner would have to be someone who is okay with that. A teeny tiny bit of this is a trauma response but it's primarily just who he is.

[josenoelrobles]

The Critical Impact of Always Being On Time

Introduction If you're consistently late, you're sabotaging your own success. This isn't just about tardiness; it's about respect, reliability, and reputation. Punctuality is the silent language of dependability and professionalism, and failing to master it can cost you dearly in both personal and professional arenas. Personal Experience / Story I love being Hispanic and I am honored to be part of and represent our Hispanic community. But one thing that I dislike about being Hispanic is that people assume that you will always be late for things. And I am not talking about people that are not Hispanic, I am talking about people within our community. A few things can get me from 0 to 100 in a second. One of them is when people are late or when people assume that I will be late just because I am Hispanic. I remember back when I used to live in Puerto Rico, every time that you scheduled something with someone, they asked; is it American time or Puerto Rican time? Meaning, if you said American time that you would be on time, and if you said Puerto Rican time, that you would be late. To this day that drives me crazy. For some reason, I am one of the few that I am always on time for everything. Not to brag but I cannot remember the last time that I showed up late for something. I think that being on time says a lot more about you than what people think and may realize. Especially if you are meeting someone for the first time. Being on time shows that you care and that whatever the occasion is, it is important to you. It shows your character and lets others know that you are reliable and responsible. It shows that you know how to manage your time and your daily tasks and activities. It shows discipline. Right now I leave home half an hour early than what I need to every morning to go to work. Just because I like to be safe in case there is bad weather or maybe an accident. I don't want any traffic patterns change to affect me and cause me to be late for work. That means that I get to work before I am supposed to, and that is ok. Many will say; well I don't get paid for that time so why would I get there earlier? For me is great. Usually, I am the first one in the office so nobody is there to bother me and I can get things done peacefully and quickly because I don't have any distractions. On top of that, it puts me in good standing with my bosses. For example; I usually work on Saturdays but because my daughter is visiting me for a few weeks, I talked to my boss and asked him if I could skip these upcoming three Saturdays so I can spend more time with her and he said yes without hesitation. I went even further and asked him if I could leave a couple of days during the week early too and he said, as long as your work is done and you let the other guys know what they need to do in your absence yes. Of course, this is just a tiny example of the benefits of being on time. But the point that I am trying to get across is that being on time will create a reputation for you. It is your decision whether that reputation will be a good one or a negative one. And you can bargain that reputation with others when you need it and will ask for something. The Importance of Punctuality Respect and Reliability Being on time shows respect for others and their time. It demonstrates that you value their schedule and commitments. In a professional setting, punctuality is a critical component of reliability. Employers and clients need to know they can count on you to meet deadlines and show up prepared. Building Trust and Reputation Punctuality helps build a positive reputation. When you’re consistently on time, people perceive you as organized, responsible, and dependable. This trust can lead to more opportunities and stronger relationships, both personally and professionally. Stress Reduction and Time Management Being late often leads to unnecessary stress. Rushing to catch up can make you less productive and more prone to mistakes. By being punctual, you manage your time better, reduce stress, and increase your overall efficiency. Data and Facts - Economic Impact: According to a study by the Center for American Progress, chronic tardiness and absenteeism cost U.S. businesses up to $84 billion annually. - Productivity: Research from the University of Washington shows that punctual employees are 25% more productive than their late counterparts. - Career Advancement: A survey by CareerBuilder found that 41% of employers consider punctuality one of the most important factors when deciding on promotions. The Problem and The Solution Identifying the Problem - Habitual Tardiness: Some people are habitually late due to poor time management or a lack of respect for others' time. - Underestimating Time: Many people underestimate the time needed to complete tasks or travel from one place to another. - Disorganization: Disorganization can lead to a chaotic schedule, making it hard to be punctual. Offering Solutions - Set Alarms and Reminders: Use technology to your advantage. Set alarms and reminders for meetings and deadlines. - Plan Ahead: Allocate extra time for unexpected delays. Plan your day the night before to avoid last-minute rushes. - Prioritize Tasks: Identify and prioritize your tasks. Focus on completing high-priority tasks first to ensure you’re not scrambling at the last minute. - Keep a Schedule: Maintain a detailed schedule or planner to keep track of appointments and deadlines. Examples - Corporate Scenario: In a corporate setting, being punctual for meetings shows you are professional and prepared, increasing your chances of being considered for leadership roles. - Small Business Owner: For a small business owner, punctuality can mean the difference between a satisfied customer and a lost sale. It builds trust and reliability, key factors for business growth. Conclusion In conclusion, the importance of being on time cannot be overstated. It's a reflection of your respect for others, your reliability, and your professionalism. By mastering punctuality, you can reduce stress, increase productivity, and build a positive reputation that opens doors to new opportunities. Remember, being late is not just an inconvenience; it can be a significant barrier to success. Read the full article