#chloe: alex x celeste

[knightofleo]

Favourite Songs of 2022

Aldous Harding, Alela Diane, Alex G, altrice, Alvvays, Amber Mark, Andrew Bird, Angel Olsen, Aoife Nessa Frances, Arc Iris, Aubrey Haddard, Avalon Emerson, Basia Bulat, Beach House, Beth Orton, Beyoncé, Big Thief, Björk, Black Country, New Road, Braxe + Falcon, Brecon, Brimheim, Carmen Villain, Caroline Loveglow, Caroline Polachek, Cate le Bon, Caterina Barbieri, COBRAH, The Comet Is Coming, Cornelia Jakobs, COUCOU CHLOE, Daniela Lalita, Daniel Avery, Daphni, deathcrash, Deepchord, DJ Lag, DJ Python, Duval Timothy, Ethel Cain, fanclubwallet, Fennec, Fever Ray, Floating Points, Flock of Dimes, Florence + the Machine, Florist, For Tracy Hyde, George FitzGerald. Glüme, Godford, Gold Panda, Gotts Street Park, Grace Ives, Haley Blais, Hania Rani, Hatis Noit, Highasakite, Hollie Cook, Hikaru Utada, Hinako Omori, Honey Dijon, Huerco S., Hurray For The Riff Raff, iamamiwhoami, I.JORDAN, India Shawn, Jemima Coulter, Jenny Berkel, Jenny Hval, JFDR, Jockstrap, Jon Hopkins, Joshua Burnside, Julius Eastman, Junk Drawer, Keeley Forsyth, Kelela, Kep1er, K. Freund, Kim Wan-Sun, Knifeplay, The Knocks, Kuedo, KWON EUN BI, Leikeli47, Limelight, The Linda Lindas, Lydia Ainsworth, Mabe Fratti, Madi Diaz, Magi Merlin, Mamalarky, Maria BC, Maria Chiara Argirò, Medici Daughter, Melt Yourself Down, Meth Math, Mitski, MØ, Mr Little Jeans, My Idea, MYSS KETA, Nilüfer Yanya, Nathan Micay, NNAMDÏ, Normani, NoSo, Orlando Weeks, Owlle, Patrick Wolff, Porij, Rachel Chinouriri, Ravyn Lenae, Red Velvet, Rocket Punch, Rokia Koné, ROSALÍA, Salamanda, SASAMI, Sea Change, Sevdaliza, Shanti Celeste, Shearwater, Soccer96, Svaneborg Kardyb, SZA, Tangerine Dream, Tess Roby, ‘T Geruis, Tiana Major, Two Shell, U.S. Girls, Vitesse X, Vladislav Delay, Weyes Blood, Whee In, Wordcolour, Yair Elazar Glotman, Yerin Baek, yuné pinku, Zola Blood, Zola Jesus

[lovefromnoah-archive]

❝ let’s go get a pumpkin frappucino! ❞ celeste & alexander

Alexander was a fan of all caffeinated drinks. He enjoyed them quite a lot, when they were made correctly, and they always managed to taste amazing when he drank them with Celeste. Actually, everything was better with Celeste. Even the worst that this town had to offer managed to not feel as awful to withstand with her around.

While he wasn’t sure if it was wise to fall in love with her, because he would eventually leave town, he had already fallen hard for her and loved her more than he could have ever thought to love anyone in his life. Truthfully, the guy didn’t even love his ex-wife as much as he loved Celeste. It was strange, but a wonderful type of strange, this love he felt for her.

Reaching out to grab her hand, Alexander smiled at her, and then said, “I’d love to. Though I doubt they come nearly as close to tasting as good as your diner’s coffee.” He winked at her playfully and then grinned at her, his heart squeezing lightly in his chest.

@blackburnannie

[agent-dalecooper-archive]

“You’re such a genuine soul.” celeste x alexander

Compliments were special to Alexander. He was the type of guy who received them quite rarely, surprisingly. He was given more backhanded replies from others, a majority of the time, about how he was a strange man who did things in odd ways. Essentially, he tried to be and act like everyone else, but that got exhausting. So whenever he received a compliment when he was being himself, he always stuffed that compliment in his pocket and saved it for when he was feeling particularly bad about himself. A compliment from a beautiful woman like Celeste was more special than normal though, so he’d bury that specific compliment in his heart.

As cheesy as it sounded, he’d grown to like her. To the point that her mere name made him feel a little dizzy and forgetful. He knew that was rather middle school of him, but he couldn’t stop the way he felt. And though he’d tried to act as casually as possible about it whenever he went to the diner for food, he always felt like he made a fool of himself. Which meant, this compliment meant he wasn’t making as big of a fool out of himself as he thought he was.

“I have the hypothesis that not being yourself makes you miserable, so there’s no other way but to be genuine, you know?” he replied, a huge doofus grin on his face. “I feel like if people like me, they like me. And if they don’t, that’s their problem.” He smiled and then laughed. “I know you didn’t ask all of that, but that’s how I feel about genuinity.”

[trash11037]

Sims fandom Save/world

This is the list i have so far, the format goes

show name

TOWN

-family

-family

*any extra information

the list will be under the keep reading as its quite long, around 233 sims when i last count it but that may be a little off

as always feel free to comment more characters that you believe deserve better from any shows/games, or if you think a different town would suit the characters better (i dont own the wedding or highschool pack though so any towns except for those ones are fine

ALSO SPOILER WARNING BELOW FOR THE FOLLOWING

AI the somnium files, danganronpa kindergarden, possibly mystic messenger?

this is because this list names a few characters introduced or revealed later 

Camp Camp

GRANITE FALLS

-Max, David, Gwen, Nikki, Neil, Space kid, Harrison

*David is the parent of Max and Harrison, Gwen is the parent of Nikki and SK, Neil is just here to not separate the group

-Preston, Ered, Dolf, Nurf, Preston, Nerris, Nerris Parents

*theres no plot to that one I just love nerris parents

Rwby

BRITECHESTER

-Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Zwei

-Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Oscar,Ozpin, Emerald, Mercury

Voltron

 -Keith, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Shiro, Adam, Kosmo

-Allura, Coran, animal to be all the lions

-Matt, Adam,

AI the somnium files

-Date, Mizuki, aiba, Tama, Ryuki

-Iris, Hitomi, Manaka

-Pewter, Renju,

-Amame, Kizzy, Shoma

-Boss, Bibi

Deltarune

-Suzie, Kris,  Ralsei , lancer noelle

Undertale

-Frisk, Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys, Napstablook, Toriel, Mettaton

Sims 2

STRANGERVILLE

-Pascal, Nervous and Tycho

-Ripp, Ophelia join the Smith family

WILLOW CREEK

-Remake the Goth family

-Remake the Lothario/caliente

-Pleasant family

Mystic messenger

WINDENBURG

-Jaehee, MC Married and owns a coffee shop with a cat

-Saeyoung, Saeran

-Rika, Yoosung

-V, a guide dog

-Jumin, Liz

-Zen

Danganronpa

BRITECHESTER

-Makoto, Sayaka, kyoko, Aoi, Sakura, Taka, Mondo, Chihiro

-Hifumi, Leon, Hairguy, Celeste, Byakuya, Mukuro, Junko

-Nagito, Hajime, Chiaki, Gundham Tanaka, Sonia, Kazuichi, Imposter

-Fuyuhiko, Peko, Mahiru, Teruteru, Ibuki, Hiyoko, Akane, Nekomaru

-Shuichi, Kaede, Kiibo, Maki, Kaito, Rantaro, Gonta, Kokichi,

-Korekiyo, Tenko, Angie, Himiko, Ryoma, Kirumi, Miu, Gonta

-Kokichi, Usami, Tsumugi, Monotaro, Monodam, Monosuke, Monokid, Monophanie

 Omori

Willow Creek

-Omori, sunny, Mari, Mewno

-Hero, Kel, Hector

-Basil, Aubrey

(build the hotel in Oasis spring)

LIS 1,2 , 3

1 Britechester, 2 willow creek, 3 Bridleton Bay

-Nathan, Victoria, Taylor, Courtney, Dana, Juliet

-Rachel, Max, Chloe, Kate

-Sean, Daniel, Estaban, Chris, Mushroom, lyla

-Alex, Gabe, Ryan, Steph, Valkyrie

Kindergarden

Newcrest

-Nugget, Jerome, Monty, Cindy, Buggs, Lily, Billy

-Ted, Felix, Penny, Carla, Ozzy, Alice

Persona 5

Mt. Komorebi

-Akira, Futaba, Sojiro (owns a café in Windenburg)

- Ann, Haru, Ryuji, Makoto, Yusuke, Morgana

-Akechi, Sumire, Maruki (therapy house)

Portal 1 and 2

EVERGREEN HARBOR

-Glados, Chell, Wheatley,

Homestuck

-John, Dave, Rose, Jade

-Arcadia, Tavros, Sollux, Karkat, Nepeta, Kanaya, Terezi

-Vriska, Equius, Gamzee, Eridan, Fereri

Spy X family

Brindleton Bay

-Anya, Loid, Yor, Dog

TOH

Strange town

-Luz, Eda, King, Amity, Willow, Hunter, Gus, Lilith

Gravity falls

Strange town

-Soos, gruncle stan, ford, Mabel, Dipper, Wendy. Possibly bill.

Zero escape

Newcrest

-Ace, Snake, Santa, Clover, Junpei, June, seven, Lotus (no 9th man sorry 8 sim max)

-Sigma, Quark, Old man junpei, Dio, Phi, Alice, Luna, K, old lady Akane

-Emopei, Carlos, Akane

-Simpma, Diana , Phi

-Eric, Mira , sean, Gab

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Alex Recommends: May and June Books

I must apologise for the late arrival of this post. It should have been up days ago but I’ve been struggling to read much for the last month or so. My head has been very foggy and dark with all of the confusion, anxiety and hate that has been filling my news feeds and I’ve been filled with a desire to combat it. Before this month, I’d have run in the opposite direction from any kind of confrontation but recent events have given me the kick up the butt to actively do better. I’ve been calling out bigotry when I come across it and I’ve noticed that some people, notably my older relatives, haven’t necessarily reacted favorably to the changed, more outspoken Alex. It has been pretty daunting and I’ve worked myself up into fits of rage and tears several times over the last couple of months.

A lot of things have changed for me since my last Alex Recommends post. I’m currently temporarily living in Staffordshire with my boyfriend because my depression got too bad for me to stay at home for much longer. I missed him unbelievably much and I knew that spending some prolonged time with him would help -and it has. Both him and I have spent 12 weeks religiously following all of the rules, so we’re both extremely low-risk for catching and spreading COVID-19 and being together was something that we simply really needed to do. Please don’t hate me for it! In other news, I have also started writing again, which feels amazing. I’m now a few thousand words into a queer Rapunzel retelling that I have lots of ideas for. Maybe I’ll even post an extract or two, when I feel it’s ready to show you.

In the centre of the renewed energy of Black Lives Matter and the undeniable exposure of the horrors that is police brutality, the book blogging and BookTube worlds vowed to uplift Black voices. I wrote a very long, in-depth blog post full of Black-written books and Black book influencers. Please check it out to diversify your TBR and educate yourself on Black issues, which is what every white person should be doing now and always.

June was Pride Month and I tried my best to compile a series of recommendation posts in honour of it. These included gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, ace, pansexual and intersex lists. I’ve had some great feedback on this, so I hope you find some fantastic new reads. It felt especially poignant to put them together the same year that one of my childhood heroes came out as an ignorant trans-exclusive feminist. As a lifelong Harry Potter superfan and someone who has repeatedly publicly supported Rowling in the past, I feel the need to clarify where I now stand. I do not support or agree with a single thing that she has said in recent times with regard to transgender people. I’ve never felt my own status as a cisgender female threatened by trans people wanting more rights or believed that children or women were at risk due to their existence. 

I read her words more than once and struggled to find any semblance of the woman who wrote the books that have most defined my life. I’m hesitant to say that we can always successfully separate the art from the artist but I will say that it makes sense to me that the Rowling of 2020 is not the same Rowling that wrote Harry Potter. She was a destitute single mother when Philosopher’s Stone was published in 1997 and of course, she is now a million worlds away from that lifestyle. It breaks my heart but it makes sense to me that she has changed beyond belief because her life has changed beyond belief. I’m not and never would make any excuses for her recent behaviour and I have stopped supporting her personally but I will not be getting rid of my Harry Potter books and I will undoubtedly re-read them several more times. However, I am now hugely reluctant to buy any more merchandise or special editions of the books, which saddens me but at the moment, it feels right. There is no coming back for her from this and I will make a conscious effort to keep Harry Potter and Rowling away from my future content. It can be really tough to admit that the people you once really admired aren’t great humans but it’s something that we all have to acknowledge in this case, in order to move forward with our own quests to become our best selves.

It didn’t feel right to post my May recommendations last month as I didn’t feel comfortable promoting my own content in the midst of boosting Black voices. So today I’m bringing you a bumper edition of Alex Recommends. Here are 10 books that I’ve enjoyed since the start of May that I’d love to share with you. Enjoy! -Love, Alex x

FICTION: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Set in the affluent neighbourhood of Shaker Heights, Ohio in the 1990s, two families are brought together and pulled apart by the most intense, devastating circumstances. Dealing with issues of race, class, coming-of-age, motherhood and the dangers of perfection, Little Fires Everywhere is highly addictive and effecting. With characters who are so heartbreakingly real and a story that weaves its way to your very core, I couldn’t put it down and I’m still thinking about it over a month after finishing it. 

FICTION: Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

When coding nerd Chloe Brown almost dies, she makes a list of goals and vows to finally Get A Life. So she enlists tattooed redhead handyman and biker Red to teach her how. Cute, funny and ultimately life-affirming, this enemies-to-lovers rom-com was exactly the brand of light relief that I needed this month. The follow-up Take A Hint, Dani Brown focuses on a fake-dating situation with Chloe’s over-achieving academic sister and I can’t wait to get my hands on that.

FICTION: The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart by Margarita Montimore

Just before her 19th birthday at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1983, Oona Lockhart finds herself inexplicably in 2015 inside her 51-year-old body. She soon learns that every year on New Year’s Day, she will now find herself inside a random year of her life and she has no control over it. Seeing her through relationships, friendships and extreme wealth, this strange novel has echoes of Back To The Future and 13 Going On 30 with a final revelation that I certainly never saw coming.

NON-FICTION: The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

Atmospheric and engaging, The Five details the previously untold stories of Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Kate and Mary-Jane -the women who lost their lives at the hands of Jack the Ripper. Full of fascinating research and heartbreaking accounts of what these women’s lives may have been like, Rubenhold paints a dark immersive portrait of Victorian London and gives voice to these tragic silenced lives. Although we can’t know for certain if these accounts are entirely accurate, they feel very plausible and in some ways, The Five exposes how little time has moved on, when it comes to the public portrayal of single, troubled women.

NON-FICTION: Unicorn by Amrou Al-Kadhi

From a childhood crush on Macaulay Culkin to how a teenage obsession with marine biology helped them realise their non-binary identity, Unicorn tells the story of how the obsessive perfectionist son of a strict Muslim Iraqi family became the gorgeous drag queen Glamrou. Packed full of humour, honesty and heart, this book will give you the strength and inspiration to harness what you were born with and be who you were always meant to be.

MIDDLE-GRADE: The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson

When fact-obsessed Freddie’s grandmother dies, he discovers that the father he has never met may actually be alive and living in Wales. So he has no choice but to grab his best friends Ben and Charlie, leave his home in Andover and go to find his dad! I laughed so many times during this madcap adventure and I know the slapstick crazy humour will hit the middle-grade target audience just right. It’s also a wonderful depiction of small town Britain with a focus on the true meaning of family.

MIDDLE-GRADE: A Kind Of Spark by Elle McNicoll

When Addie learns about her hometown’s history of witch trials, she campaigns tirelessly to get a memorial for the women who lost their lives through it. This wonderfully beautiful novel gives a unique insight into the mind of an 11-year-old autistic girl with a huge heart. Busting myths about neurodiversity while tackling typical pre-teen drama, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry but most of all, you’ll close the book with a huge smile on your face. 

HISTORICAL FICTION: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

In 16th century Warwickshire, Agnes is a woman with a unique gift whose relationship with a young Latin tutor produces three children and a legacy that lasts for centuries. This enchanting, all-consuming account of the tragic story of Shakespeare’s lost son, the effects that rippled through the family and the play that was born from their pain will send a bullet straight through your heart. Wonderfully researched and beautifully written, Hamnet is worth all of the hype.

HISTORICAL FICTION: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

When a vicious storm kills most of the men of Vardø, Norway, it’s up to the women to keep things going but a man with a murderous past is about to come down with an iron fist. At the heart of this dark tale of witch trials, grief and feminism, two women find something they’ve each been searching for within each other. Gorgeously written with a fantastically slow-burning queer romance, Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s first adult novel is an addictive, atmospheric read with a poignant, tearjerker of an ending.

SCI-FI: Q by Christina Dalcher

When one of Elena’s daughters manages to drop below the country’s desired Q number, she is sent away to one of the new state schools and Elena is about to find out something she’d really rather not know about the new system. Packed full of real social commentary and critique of life as we know it while painting a picture of how things could be even worse (yes, really!), this pulse-racing, horrifying sci-fi dystopian gripped me from the first page and refused to let me go. 

[whatisthiswitchcraft]

books I read in 2018! (not including rereads, favorites are bolded!)

Shortcomings - Adrian Tomine

Skim - Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary - Keshni Kashyap

Turning Japanese: A Graphic Memoir - Marinaomi

Killing and Dying - Adrian Tomine

Take What You Can Carry - Kevin C. Pyle

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee

Riotous Flesh: Women, Physiology, and the Solitary Vice in Nineteenth-Century America - April R. Haynes

Finder: Voice - Carla Speed McNeil

Witches Abroad - Terry Pratchett

Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

We Are Never Meeting In Real Life - Samantha Irby

Priestdaddy - Patricia Lockwood

What We Lose - Zinzi Clemmons

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours - Helen Oyeyemi

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Ship of the Dead - Rick Riordan

Strange Practice - Vivian Shaw

The Best We Could Do - Thi Bui

Kindred: A Graphic Novel - Octavia Butler, Damian Duffy, John Jennings

Will Do Magic for Small Change - Andrea Hairston

Pachinko - Min Jin Lee

Her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt

Salt Houses - Hala Alyan

March: Book One - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

March: Book Two - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

March: Book Three - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

Sing, Unburied, Sing - Jesmyn Ward

The Power - Naomi Alderman

Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White - Lila Quintero Weaver

Blood Justice: The Lynching of Mack Charles Parker - Howard Smead

Warriors Don’t Cry - Melba Pattillo Beals

Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection - ed. Hope Nicholson

Monstress: Awakening - Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Boundless - Jillian Tamaki

The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South - Michael W. Twitty

Speak: The Graphic Novel - Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll

A Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry

Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me - Janet Mock

Bingo Love - Tee Franklin, Jenn St-Onge, Joy San

Vietnamerica - G.B. Tran

Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery - Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece

Arab in America - Toufic El Rassi

Diary of a Reluctant Dreamer: Undocumented Vignettes from a Pre-American Life - Alberto Ledesma

Tell the Wolves I’m Home - Carol Rifka Brunt

The Immortalists - Chloe Benjamin

The Argonauts - Maggie Nelson

Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng

The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley - Malcolm X and Alex Haley

All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes - Maya Angelou

The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin

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

Deer Woman: An Anthology - ed. Elizabeth LaPensée and Weshoyot Alvitre

Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War - Wallace Terry

The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror - [Daniel] Mallory Ortberg

It’s All Absolutely Fine: Life Is Complicated So I’ve Drawn It Instead - Ruby Elliot

The Book of Unknown Americans - Cristina Henríquez

Through the Woods - Emily Carroll

The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America - Isaac Butler and Dan Kois

Tributaries - Laura Da’

On the Bus With Rosa Parks - Rita Dove

Full-Metal Indigiqueer - Joshua Whitehead

Whereas: Poems - Layli Long Soldier

Not Your Villain - C.B. Lee

My Body is a Book of Rules - Elissa Washuta

Mis(h)adra - Iasmin Omar Ata

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages - ed. Saundra Mitchell

This is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare - Gabourey Sidibe

Crazy Brave - Joy Harjo

Harriet the Spy - Louise Fitzhugh

The Lesser Blessed - Richard Van Camp

A Burst of Light: and Other Essays - Audre Lorde

The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart

My Brother’s Husband, Vol. I - Gengoroh Tagame

When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead

The Wicked and the Divine: Imperial Phase (Part 1)  - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

Honor Girl - Maggie Thrash

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang

Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli

The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) - Amy Spalding

How to be Black - Baratunde Thurston

Bury What We Cannot Take - Kirstin Chen

No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach - Anthony Bourdain

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook - Anthony Bourdain

Our Dead Behind Us - Audre Lorde

The Wicked and the Divine: Imperial Phase (Part 2)  - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6'4, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian - W. Kamau Bell

There There - Tommy Orange

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl - Andrea Lawlor

Jonny Appleseed - Joshua Whitehead

Just the Funny Parts: ... And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boys’ Club - Nell Scovell

Perma Red - Debra Magpie Earling

Toil and Trouble - Mairghread Scott

Kissing God Goodbye - June Jordan

Wade in the Water - Tracy K. Smith

Reincarnation Blues - Michael Poore

Nepantla: An Anthology [Queer Poets of Color] - ed. Christopher Soto

Not Here: Poems - Hieu Minh Nguyen

Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession - Alice Bolin

Trail of Lightning - Rebecca Roanhorse

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir - Kai Cheng Thom

Taproot: A Story about a Gardener and a Ghost - Keezy Young

The Witch Boy - Molly Knox Ostertag

The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

Don’t Call Us Dead - Danez Smith

Bright Dead Things - Ada Limon

The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo

Citizen Illegal - Jose Olivarez

American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin - Terrance Hayes

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf - Ntozake Shange

The Carrying - Ada Limon

Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury - Lesley-Ann Jones

Unclaimed Baggage - Jen Doll

A River of Stars - Vanessa Hua

We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson

Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik

Barbie Chang - Victoria Chang

Corazon - Yesika Salgado

Chemistry - Weike Wang

Number One Chinese Restaurant - Lillian Li

Lucy and Linh - Alice Pung

My Favorite Thing is Monsters - Emil Ferris

The Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the World's Rarest Species - Carlos Magdalena

The Incendiaries - R.O. Kwon

Dirty River: A Queer Femme of Color Dreaming Her Way Home - Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Dumplin’ - Julie Murphy

How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? - N.K. Jemisin

My Sister, the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite

Unapologetic: a Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements - Charlene Carruthers

[jaeyloaded]

Burna Boy, Rema, Drake, Others Bag ‘BET Awards’ Nominations

BET has just announced the nominees for The BET Awards 2020 with Canadian rapper Drake leading the pack with six nominations. This year’s nominees reflect an abundance of creative expression and black excellence across music, television, film, sports, and philanthropy. The awards will simulcast LIVE at 01:00 WAT on June 29th making its international broadcast premiere on BET Africa (DStv Channel 129) with a repeat broadcast at 18:00 WAT on the same day. Representing Nigeria on the nominees list this year are superstars Burna Boy and Rema who were nominated for the Best International Act and Viewers’ Choice Best New International Act respectively. Other African nominees include South African superstar Sho Madjozi and Congolese singer-songwriter Innoss’B in the “Best International Act” category, and Zimbabwean songstress Sha Sha who is nominated in the Viewers Choice Best New International Act category. Monde Twala, Senior Vice President and General Manager of ViacomCBS Networks Africa commented, “We are excited to celebrate 20 years of black excellence at the BET Awards during these unprecedented times. The International Act categories over the years have honoured some of the most talented musicians in Africa. This continues at this year’s awards with multiple artists nominated from across the continent which is a testament to our commitment to shine a light on our own. We wish all our international  nominees the best in this recognition on a global stage.” Drake returns to the top spot securing six nods, including ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ and two nods for both ‘Best Collaboration’ and ‘Viewer’s Choice’ for his features alongside Chris Brown ( No Guidance) and Future (Life Is Good). Newcomers Megan Thee Stallion and Roddy Ricch garnered the second most nods with five nominations each. Megan Thee Stallion’s nominations include ‘Best Female Hip Hop,’ ‘Best Collaboration,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ ‘Album of the Year,’ and ‘Viewer’s Choice Award.’ Roddy Ricch’s nods include ‘Best Male Hip Hop,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ ‘Best New Artist,’ ‘Album of the Year,’ and ‘Viewer’s Choice Award.’ Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Lizzo, and DaBaby are third place with four nominations each. In its twentieth year, the “BET AWARDS” continues its reign as the ultimate platform to showcase the best and most beautiful aspects of the Black experience – celebrating Black music’s present and future, and elevating the culture and being a driving force for social change. BET recognizes artists, entertainers, and athletes across 21 categories with The “BET Awards” 2020 nominations. The nominations are selected by BET’s Voting Academy, which is composed of fans and an esteemed group of entertainment professionals in the fields of television, film, music, social media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, and creative arts. Below is the full list of nominees for The “BET AWARDS” 2020: BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT BURNA BOY (NIGERIA) INNOSS’B (DRC) SHO MADJOZI (S. AFRICA) DAVE (U.K.) STORMZY (U.K.) NINHO (FRANCE) S.PRI NOIR (FRANCE) VIEWERS’ CHOICE: BEST NEW INTERNATIONAL ACT REMA (NIGERIA) SHA SHA (ZIMBABWE) CELESTE (U.K.) YOUNG T & BUGSEY (U.K.) HATIK (FRANCE) STACY (FRANCE) BEST FEMALE R&B/POP ARTIST BEYONCÉ H.E.R. JHENE AIKO KEHLANI LIZZO SUMMER WALKER BEST MALE R&B/POP ARTIST ANDERSON .PAAK CHRIS BROWN JACQUEES KHALID THE WEEKND USHER BEST GROUP CHLOE X HALLE CITY GIRLS EARTHGANG GRISELDA JACKBOYS MIGOS BEST COLLABORATION CHRIS BROWN FT. DRAKE – NO GUIDANCE DJ KHALED FT. NIPSEY HUSSLE & JOHN LEGEND – HIGHER FUTURE FT. DRAKE – LIFE IS GOOD H.E.R. FT. YG – SLIDE MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. NICKI MINAJ & TY DOLLA $IGN – HOT GIRL SUMMER WALE FT. JEREMIH – ON CHILL BEST MALE HIP HOP ARTIST DABABY DRAKE FUTURE LIL BABY RODDY RICCH TRAVIS SCOTT BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST CARDI B DOJA CAT LIZZO MEGAN THEE STALLION NICKI MINAJ SAWEETIE VIDEO OF THE YEAR CHRIS BROWN FT. DRAKE – NO GUIDANCE DABABY – BOP DJ KHALED FT. NIPSEY HUSSLE & JOHN LEGEND – HIGHER DOJA CAT – SAY SO MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. NICKI MINAJ & TY DOLLA $IGN – HOT GIRL SUMMER RODDY RICCH – THE BOX VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR BENNY BOOM COLE BENNETT DAVE MEYERS DIRECTOR X EIF RIVERA TEYANA “SPIKE TEE” TAYLOR BEST NEW ARTIST DANILEIGH LIL NAS X POP SMOKE RODDY RICCH SUMMER WALKER YBN CORDAE ALBUM OF THE YEAR CUZ I LOVE YOU – LIZZO FEVER – MEGAN THEE STALLION HOMECOMING: THE LIVE ALBUM – BEYONCÉ I USED TO KNOW HER – H.E.R. KIRK – DABABY PLEASE EXCUSE ME FOR BEING ANTISOCIAL – RODDY RICCH DR. BOBBY JONES BEST GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL AWARD FRED HAMMOND – ALRIGHT JOHN P. KEE FT. ZACARDI CORTEZ – I MADE IT OUT KANYE WEST – FOLLOW GOD KIRK FRANKLIN – JUST FOR ME PJ MORTON FT. LE’ANDRIA JOHNSON & MARY MARY – ALL IN HIS PLAN THE CLARK SISTERS – VICTORY BEST ACTRESS ANGELA BASSETT CYNTHIA ERIVO ISSA RAE REGINA KING TRACEE ELLIS ROSS ZENDAYA BEST ACTOR BILLY PORTER EDDIE MURPHY FOREST WHITAKER JAMIE FOXX MICHAEL B. JORDAN OMARI HARDWICK YOUNGSTARS AWARD ALEX HIBBERT ASANTE BLACKK JAHI DI’ALLO WINSTON MARSAI MARTIN MILES BROWN STORM REID BEST MOVIE BAD BOYS FOR LIFE DOLEMITE IS MY NAME HARRIET HOMECOMING: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ JUST MERCY QUEEN & SLIM SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AJEÉ WILSON CLARESSA SHIELDS COCO GAUFF NAOMI OSAKA SERENA WILLIAMS SIMONE BILES SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO KAWHI LEONARD LEBRON JAMES ODELL BECKHAM JR. PATRICK MAHOMES II STEPHEN CURRY BET HER AWARD ALICIA KEYS – UNDERDOG BEYONCÉ FT. BLUE IVY CARTER, WIZKID & SAINT JHN – BROWN SKIN GIRL CIARA FT. LUPITA NYONG’O, ESTER DEAN, CITY GIRLS & LA LA – MELANIN LAYTON GREENE – CHOOSE LIZZO FT. MISSY ELLIOT – TEMPO RAPSODY FT. PJ MORTON – AFENI VIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD CHRIS BROWN FT. DRAKE – NO GUIDANCE DABABY – BOP FUTURE FT. DRAKE – LIFE IS GOOD MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. NICKI MINAJ & TY DOLLA $IGN – HOT GIRL SUMMER RODDY RICCH – THE BOX THE WEEKND – HEARTLESS   Read the full article

[caelestis1989]

Review: The Flash 4x08 “Crisis on Earth-X” Crossover Parte 3

Continuando depois das partes 1 e 2. 

Na Terra-X todos os heróis estão usando um colar que impossibilita eles de usarem seus poderes. E as coisas só pioram porque os colares emitem choque quando acionado por algum controle remoto,controle esse dos nazistas.

Alex está com medo que eles matem sua irmã na Terra 1. Sara diz que isso não vai acontecer. Oliver completa dizendo que eles vão arrumar um plano para sair dali e voltar para as pessoas que eles amam. Só que eles não esperavam que os nazistas não pretendiam que eles vivessem mais do que uma noite. 

Lance-X aparece e ordena que todos façam uma fila. Sabemos porque isso,é um fuzilamento. Antes disso ele olha para Sara e diz que tinha uma filha igual ela. Ele pergunta o que Sara está fazendo ali. Ela diz que é porque ela ama homens e mulheres. Não entendi essa parte,pensei que ela estivesse ali porque faz parte da equipe de heróis que estavam tentando parar a realeza nazista. Lance-X diz que sua filha também era bissexual,então ele expurgou ela de sua linhagem. 

Quando eles estão caminhando para o fuzilamento,Oliver diz que eles precisam agir logo se querem escapar dali. Ele está preparado para deslocar o dedo e se livrar das algemas das mãos. Quando eles tentam reagir,são eletrocutados pelos colares. Lance-X ordena que eles levantem e andem,até o final de uma vala. Quando chegam no limite Lance pede para eles virarem,então ele dá as ordens para os soldados nazistas atirarem neles. Só que na hora Snart aparece e salva todos. Esse Snart é engraçado. Ele brincou com trocadilhos e ainda elogiou o traje do Flash. Todos olharam pra ele achando o comportamento totalmente fora do Snart que eles conhecem. Isso porque esse Snart não é o mesmo da Terra 1,que já morreu.

The Ray leva-os para a base da resistência,que é igual ao bunker do team arrow. Eles estão em Star City na Terra-X. 

Enquanto isso,na Terra 1 Felicity e Iris se perguntam o que elas podem fazer para ajudar Kara. Felicity diz que adora a coisa de Girl Power mas no caso tem muita gente com superpoderes. Além de um arqueiro tão habilidoso quanto o nosso Oliver. Iris sugere que elas tirem Cisco da prisão para poder cortar a energia da Star Labs. 

Chegando na entrada da prisão,as duas começam a disputar quem está numa situação pior. Eu achei isso engraçado. Iris diz que o casamento dela foi invadido por nazistas. Felicity diz que a última coisa que falou para Oliver foi que não queria casar com ele. Ela tem medo de nunca mais voltar a vê-lo.

O medo de perder o Oliver é muito maior que o medo de casar. O que é muito lógico. Acho que ela se dá conta que toda aquela conversa sobre não querer estar casada porque eles têm uma vida boa do jeito que está não se aplica mais,não quando eles estão correndo um enorme perigo de morte.  Não foi um hipotético noivado que causou isso. É comum que coisas assim aconteçam com eles ocasionalmente. Bem,uma vez por ano eles vão precisar salvar o mundo de um ataque de pessoas de outros planetas. 

Como Oliver falou antes para Barry e Iris,eles precisam aproveitar e apreciar os momentos de normalidade em suas vidas. Não estou dizendo que não é isso que Oliver e Felicity fazem,é só que esses dois foram feitos para ficarem juntos e como disse tantas vezes antes,eles já se comportam como casados. Então não tem porquê não realizar o casamento. Nesse relacionamento o que não falta é amor e auto-sacrifício para o bem do outro. É amor verdadeiro. E é um desperdício eles não terem tudo o que tem direito. Eles já sacrificam muito de si mesmos para fazer diferença na cidade em que vivem. Isso sem muita gratidão. Eu não sei,acho que já estou divagando aqui. É a privação de sono. Seja objetiva,Celeste.

É isso aí,Felicity. Faça valer o treinamento de auto-defesa que John Diggle fez questão de te ensinar pensando exatamente nesse tipo de ocasião. Ok,talvez não nesse tipo de ocasião. Acho que está mais para conseguir se livrar das garras de um bandido de rua. Mas tá valendo.

Felicity e Iris conseguem lidar com alguns soldados nazistas. Isso foi muito melhor que o episódio de despedida de solteira da Iris. Nesse crossover eu senti a interação delas mais natural e fluída. Tão fofo quando elas se cumprimentam com um soco de armas. Elas realmente estão indo bem. Foi adoravelmente espetacular.

Como elas não conseguem abrir a porta da prisão. Felicity manda um S.O.S para as Lendas. Só que Iris diz que elas não tem muito tempo,elas precisam salvar Kara. Então,Felicity hackea a Star Labs e corta a energia,impedindo que Flash Reverso consiga cortar Kara. Viu,Felicity pode lidar com isso.

Flash Reverso vai até a sala do jornal do futuro,achando que elas ainda estão ali. 

Eu adoro as reações da Felicity.

Iris vai até a maca onde Kara está deitada e diz: “Venha comigo se quer viver”. Isso é com certeza uma referência a franquia O Exterminador do Futuro. 

Elas quase conseguem escapar só que quando abrem a porta,aquele androide que solta uma luz verde aparece novamente. Agora faz muito mais sentido a referência ao filme O Exterminador do Futuro.

Flash Reverso não consegue ligar a energia de volta,porque está encriptado. Oliver-X pergunta quem fez isso. Felicity Smoak,bitch! Oliver-X ordena que ela ligue a energia de volta. Flash Reverso ameça ela.

NÃO TOQUE NUM FIO DE CABELO DELA,SEU MISERÁVEL.

Esse imbecil começa a falar que já leu muitas histórias da Era dos heróis. Existem histórias sobre o Green Arrow,Black Canary e o Flash mas ninguém nunca ouviu falar sobre Felicity Smoak. Eu entendi a referência e isso me fez lembrar de um episódio de Smallville que um homem disse a mesma coisa sobre Chloe Sullivan. E naquela história,a hacker da equipe casou com Oliver Queen. 

E não sei porque esse imbecil de repente começou a falar como se Felicity fosse alguém desconhecida. Deixa eu lembrar o que você falou sobre ela há quase 4 anos atrás.

Não aja como se você não soubesse quem ela é. É a mesma que te deixou tão frustrado por não conseguir desfazer a mágica hacker dela. Tenha mais respeito!

Kara aparece e diz que não quer que ninguém mais morra por ela. 

Felicity diz que se ele der,eles vão matá-la. Kara diz: “Está tudo bem,ninguém morrerá por minha causa”.

Esse fandom presta atenção à todos os detalhes e fizeram a conexão.

O que posso dizer???

Enquanto isso na Terra-X. Todos estão empenhados em voltar pra casa,só que o general da base da resistência quer explodir a única coisa que pode levá-los de volta pra casa. Ele quer destruir o Portal para a Terra 1,porque assim pode manter o líder dos nazistas longe dali,assim seria mais fácil para combatê-los. Oliver é claro que fica revoltado,porque ele quer deixar 3 psicopatas livres na Terra 1 para dominar o mundo lá também. 

Alex tenta convencê-lo dizendo que da onde ela vem,ele é amigo de Kara e a irmã dela faria qualquer coisa para salvá-lo. Só que esse Winn está mais preocupado em salvar seu povo do que desconhecidos de outra Terra. Não que eu ache que ele está errado em pensar assim mas ele foi um grande babaca. Não cumpriu com a palavra dele quando deu 1 hora para eles poderem ir embora para a Terra 1. 

O plano de Oliver para chegar ao Portal é entrar pela porta da frente. Por quê não aproveitar o fato de que tem o mesmo rosto que o líder dos nazistas da Terra-X? Só que acho que o Lance-X já desconfiou que ele era um impostor desde o início. Lance-X diz que tem um presente para dar à ele,por seu retorno. Olha,vamos combinar que realmente foi suspeito o retorno repentino do Oliver-X. E ele voltou sozinho. E Lance-X faz um teste. Ele traz uma prisioneira. 

A princípio pensei que fosse a Thea-X,pela reação do Oliver mas depois quando focalizou no rosto veio logo o choque. Felicity Smoak. Oliver olha para ela como se estivesse em transe. Lance-X dá uma arma na mão do Oliver e diz que ele (Oliver-X) gosta de punir os desobedientes. Ele diz que ela é a pior. Parece que eles encontraram ela dando comida para crianças nos campos de trabalho. Nossa,que coisa horrível!

Felicity-X diz que as crianças estavam famintas. Lance-X bufa como se aquilo não fosse nada. Paul Blackthorne é um ótimo ator. Eu senti tanta raiva dele. Espero que Oliver tenha matado ela enquanto ele estava derrubando os soldados nazistas que estavam lá.

Oliver aponta a arma para Felicity-X tentando ganhar tempo. Lance-X diz: “Sei que é difícil. Soube que seus sósia da Terra 1,ama uma mulher igual a esta”.

Depois de derrubar todos,Oliver verifica Felicity.

Se isso não me lembra de um momento Olicity. Quando vi essa cena lembrei logo do 2x07. 

É claro que Felicity-X está assustada,ele tem o rosto do líder nazista. Achei essa cena tão doce,porque não importa qual Terra seja,Oliver sempre vai se preocupar com Felicity Smoak. Ele até dá uma arma pra ela.

Eu imagino que ela vai sair dali e fará parte da resistência. Será que essa Felicity também é uma hacker ou ela nunca teve a possibilidade de estar perto de um computador?

“É o dever dos fortes proteger os fracos”. - Oliver Queen 2017

Stein fala para Jex que ele é parte da família. Bem antes de descobrir que tem uma filha,ele já tinha um filho. Ele. Apesar do mundo sombrio onde eles estão,Stein se sente otimista porque está do lado dele. 

“Você é o melhor filho que eu poderia esperar. E nem o tempo ou distância vão mudar isso”. 

Ao mesmo tempo em que fiquei emocionada com essa cena tão fofa de pai e filho é de partir o coração porque Stein vai morrer. Na verdade ele já morreu mas eu estou respeitando cada etapa desse crossover. Tarde demais,eu já falei sobre isso. Não é nem um spoiler de verdade.

Fiquei quase 20 minutos chorando com a despedida do Stein. Acho que toda a vez que ver aquelas cenas,vou chorar.

Overgirl fala para Kara que ela é superior aos humanos,que eles deveriam se curvar diante dela. Só que Kara não é uma tirana. Ela não vai se aproveitar das pessoas só porque tem super-poderes.Isso se chama força de caráter e princípios. 

Essa Overgirl me irritou bastante. Ela ainda teve coragem de falar pra Kara que ela era incapaz de levar um par para o casamento,que ela era sozinha. Um momento,ela não estava sozinha,ela estava com a irmã dela. Não ter um namorado não quer dizer que ela é uma pessoa solitária. Kara tem uma família que ama. Isso é uma coisa que a Overgirl não pode dizer,já que a irmã dela tentou matá-la. Nem consigo adivinhar o porquê. Já sei,é porque ela é uma...

Overgirl com aquela cara de deboche que te dá vontade de socar a cara dela,pergunta à Kara porque ela quer um coração,já que ela não usa.

A minha indignação é compensada quando Kara diz: “Pelo menos eu tenho um”.

Ninguém mandou você voar tão perto do sol. Ainda bem que não vou ter que esperar tanto tempo pra ver ela morrer de novo.

Olha,eu não sei se é só comigo mas achei aquelas cenas entre Oliver-X e Kara-X tão forçadas. Não vi química nenhuma ali. Esse é o amor sombrio da história (eu sei) mas mesmo assim as interações dos dois eram estranhas. Eu sempre ficava com a impressão que o Oliver-X estava fingindo se importar. Eu não conseguia acreditar que realmente existia amor entre os dois. Talvez seja o fato de que sou totalmente tendenciosa como uma shipper Olicity. Ou talvez seja porque até SA não queira parecer tão convincente que seu personagem ame outra mulher que não seja Felicity Smoak.

[lovefromnoah-archive]

“ kisses are a better fate than wisdom. ” celeste x alex

Celeste is capable of drawing his heart, eyes closed, with an etch-a-sketch if she wanted to. Alex believes this because, even though he’s been in Hysteria Heights only a short amount of time, she seems to know him better than anyone has ever tried to get to know him. Even Laurel, who is like an older sister and best friend to him, doesn’t seem to want to get to know him the way Celeste does. This surprises him because he’s never thought anyone would ever want to know him, or at least, want to take the time to get to know him the way Celeste’s taken the time to know him.

She knows his favorite color is yellow, because it reminds him of sunshine. How he likes to watch old noir movies that are black in white, because they’re fun and everyone’s so damn attractive and everything follows a pattern. She knows about his missing daughter and how his wife cheated on him a little after with his best friend and left him. Celeste even knows about the fact that he has a twin brother, who’s a preacher, who used to steal from him before he cleaned up his act. Alex would even assume she knew more, but he’ll stop dragging on with all she knows, because he feels like the point’s been made.

And because of this, when he kisses her, it’s apparent she knows his mouth too, and body, because when she opens his mouth against him, it’s not messy, it’s just right. “Your kisses, to be precise,” he states with a lazy grin, after they both speak after taking a break for air. “Your kisses make me believe in the afterlife.” He chuckles lightly, and Celeste laughs right back at him, before she rolls her eyes. “You are an angel, miss Celeste.” And then he’s right back to kissing her welcoming lips.

@blackburnannie

[agent-dalecooper-archive]

😟 : a worried voicemail & 😃 : a happy voicemail & 🥱 : a sleepy voicemail - celeste x alexander

😟 : a worried voicemail

A deep breath is taken, then released. “Celeste. Please. I beg you to listen to this message. I know we had an argument prior to this phone call, and that you probably won’t bother to answer or even listen to this message once you hear my voice. The issue is though, I am scared for you. You left in my car and apparently there is a bomb strapped to it. You have twenty minutes to get out of the car before it explodes. So, I’m hoping - no praying - that you’ll forgive me enough that you listened to this message. Or at the very least, that an angel is watching over you and that you get out of the car in an appropriate time frame. God, I do hope you’ll be okay. And again, I do apologize for any pain I’ve caused.” There’s a shakiness in the last sentence, and then he hangs up.

😃 : a happy voicemail

“It’s a lovely day for a picnic. If you’re open to it, I think you should join me for one. I’ll be at the park this afternoon if you decide that you’re interested. And I will be bringing a picnic basket, whether you decide to join me or not. And all the food will be gone whether you join me or not.” A soft hum from him and then a giddy bit of laughter. “Either way, it’s a win for me, seeing as it’s perfect outdoors.”

🥱 : a sleepy voicemail

“You know how I came back home, due to my father’s death. Well, I have to tell you that I feel like I belong here more than anywhere I’ve ever lived.” He paused to think, due to his tired mind playing tricks on him. “Sure, there’s something new and terrible happening everyday, but there’s also something great happening everyday, too. Then, lucky me, I get to see you every other day, as well. Which, I guess, is truly a gift of its own." A pause to yawn. "I do hope I’m not speaking out of turn by saying that.”