#daily life of raymond and kevin

[sivarcher-sivvie]

Small snippets of Valentine's Day fic that I'm working on! Which when I finished it will be late but oh well 🤣

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Despite how the people from the 99th precinct see them, they do celebrate Valentine's Day.

That is the first thought when Raymond heard Jake is exclaiming so loud at the bullpen for: "I bet Captain Holt and Kevin doesn't even know today is Valentine's Day because it was just another capitalism ruse. "

"They will probably read some historic stuff about the St Valentine instead." Amy chimed in.

That was what keeps Raymond from doing his job this morning.

They do celebrate Valentine's Day, or perhaps the word celebrate is a little exaggerated. On the 14th of February, what he will do is make sure to go home early, enjoy a meal that can be compared to fine dining in a fine restaurant that is prepared carefully by Kevin - he will cook both of their favourites. And after that, they sit in the study room in an armchair each and enjoy the reading materials.

Sounds not much different than their usual evening if he or Kevin is not busy. Yet something is different, he can feel it in the air. Maybe it is the way he looks at Kevin, maybe it is the way Kevin looks at him. There is something mingling in the air.

On that day, everything is normal yet it seems abnormal at the same time. He could not quite tell what it was, perhaps it really is the Holiday Spirit.

When there's something to celebrate, or something to commemorate, even the smallest things seem special.

And that peculiar feeling surrounded him, making him want to listen to Kevin's voice, all of a sudden for no reason.

And so he did, make a phone call to Kevin, after he checks his schedule and makes sure he is available at the time.

"Good Afternoon, Kevin. " After merely three rings, the phone got picked up. That was faster than usual, is Kevin having the same feeling as him?

That sounds stupid to even think about.

"Good Afternoon, Raymond. What is it that makes you call at this time?" Kevin sounds uplifting from his slightly higher voice.

"Nothing special, I am just checking in. Peralta has been bugging me with his so-called Valentine's Day plan for the whole morning." He could not help but sound a little whining.

"Ah, I understand. Is there anything you would like me to help?" This is what he loves most about Kevin. Blunt and Direct. If you want anything from him, just tell. He will not join and is also bad at guessing games.

"No, but I appreciate your support." He knows there is no reason for him to call Kevin, and he knows Kevin knows too.

But they do not say it out loud, not everything needs to be upfront. Subtle is key.

"If that is the case, I trust that I will continue our evening as usual on this day? I will have your favourite ready when you come home." Kevin had purchased enough ingredients for him to prepare the meal and he sounded very excited for it, based on the fact that he paused and put emphasis on almost every word.

He should have said yes, of course. And ends the call with I love you as usual. But some part of him caught himself up, in his brain there's just a 'ding' to mimic an idea, and it is an idea that he would like to propose.

"Kevin, what do you say we..."

Back then when they were young and restless, they never had a chance to do this. Now they had the opportunity, but they are no longer the passion couple they used to be, they are mellow, comfortable life partners right now.

Still, being the immature one between them, Raymond believes that they should do it. They should...

"Head out for a date tonight?"

---

I'll probably finish this piece this weekend, and put it in the Daily Life collection.

And I gotta say... Between playing Disco Elysium and Hogwarts Legacy, it spins up a lot, and I meant A LOT of AU ideas... Which a lot of them will probably just stay as ideas lol

[incorrect-koh-posts]

Other than leper king and his heirs which book would you recommend for research on Baldwin iv of Jerusalem?

All right then, buckle up for some nerdery! 😁

I will preface this by saying that I am not a total expert on Baldwin and haven't done a colossal amount of research specifically on him. I could chew your ear off prattling on about the general world of the crusader kingdoms, their politics, and about Raymond III of Tripoli and Sibylla of Jerusalem in particular, but Baldwin isn't my main interest here. Also, as far as I know, Hamilton's study is the only longer academic work centred solely around Baldwin. Hence, in order to learn more about your fav and the world he lived in, I'd recommend reading a little more broadly. Being a king, he is featured (at least in some capacity) in most publications that deal with the Latin kingdoms in the latter half of the 12th century.

That said, have a list:

Piers D. Mitchell: "Leprosy and the Case of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem: Microbacterial Disease in the Crusader States of the 12th and 13th Centuries", International Journal of Leprosy, vol. 61, no. 2, 1993, pp. 283-91. Pretty self-explanatory. You can find this article on the internet; Mitchell also has a few other publications that deal with medicine in the crusader states, so you might find some additional Baldwin stuff there as well.

Elma Brenner: "Recent Perspectives on Leprosy in Medieval Western Europe", History Compass, vol. 8, no. 5, 2010, pp. 388-406. Has a little bit on Baldwin, might be useful if you want to find out more about how the disease was regarded by his contemporaries.

Helen J. Nicholson: Sybil, Queen of Jerusalem, 1186-1190. Routledge, 2022. This is a really good and really recent one that I was lucky enough to find in my uni library. Of course Sibylla-centred, but gives a good overview of the politics in Outremer and of course has passages about Baldwin in it. Also look into some of Nicholson's other publications if you're interested in the role of women in the context of crusading.

Kevin James Lewis: The Counts of Tripoli and Lebanon in the Twelfth Century: Sons of Saint Gilles. Routledge, 2017. Obviously mostly a Raymond-centric source, but it is also relatively recent and has a good chunk on Baldwin in the chapter where Lewis talks about Raymond's time as Baldwin's regent.

Joshua Prawer: Crusader Institutions. Oxford University Press, 1980. More politics to be found here, but very well put together. Prawer was an extremely prolific scholar where the history of the Latin East and the crusades was concerned, so - once again: if you're interested, look up his other works.

Jonathan Riley-Smith: The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades, Oxford University Press, 1997. Good overview that goes into detail about the mentality among crusaders and aspects of daily life. Again, Riley-Smith is one of the authorities in the field, so looking into his bibliography might be worth a shot.

If you're into military history, the works of Benjamin Z. Kedar, John France - or, if you want something more dated, R.C. Smail - might be of interest to you. They mostly cover general points of Frankish and Muslim warfare or the Battle of Hattin in particular (other than in Hamilton or in some of the primary sources from the crusader period, I've never come across an article on the Battle of Montgisard), but might be helpful if you want to get a feel for what life was like at the time.

Hans-Eberhard Mayer is also definitely worth a look as a scholar, even though his works are a bit older now. However, I'm not sure how much of his stuff you can find in translation - I've only read him in German.

For the physical setting of crusader-period Jerusalem and the material culture, I very heartily recommend two works written or edited by Adrian J. Boas: Jerusalem in the Time of the Crusades: Society, Landscape and Art in the Holy City under Frankish Rule (Routledge, 2001) and The Crusader World (Routledge, 2016). I consult both of these frequently for world-building in my fic writing.

If you want something on the general concept of the knight / chivalry, Maurice Keen's Chivalry (Yale University Press, 2005) might be a good start. For a detailed analysis of medieval courtly culture, I recommend Joachim Bumke's Courtly Culture: Literature and Society in the High Middle Ages (2000, English translation by Thomas Dunlap). That thing was invaluable when I was writing my BA thesis. And if you'd like to know more about the literary life of the crusaders, there is a recent publication called Literature of the Crusades (Cambridge University Press, 2019) edited by Simon Parsons and Linda M. Paterson that I also found rather good.

For fashion: The various Osprey Military History books are a good choice if you want visual representations of knightly dress. There's also a collection of essays called Encountering Medieval Textiles and Dress: Objects, Texts, Images (Palgrave Macmillan, 2002) edited by Désirée Koslin and Janet Snyder, which is one of the better ones I've found, as most books about medieval fashion focus mostly on later centuries. This one might be a bit hard to get through, though, if you don't have some kind of background knowledge about medieval texts or architecture.

If you want something less strictly academic and more in the vein of popular history, you might want to try James Reston's Warriors of God (2002) or the much more dated but rather fanboy-ish The Crusades: A History (also sometimes titled The Dream and The Tomb) by Robert Payne, which is very pro-Baldwin.

Other than that, I'll link you an older post about fictional depictions of Baldwin and other assorted good bois and girls from KoH. I hope this will scratch the Baldwin itch for you!

And: If anyone has more suggestions, of course do feel free to add them!

[traumacatholic]

Literature: Introduction To Catholicism

Liturgical Days and Advent:

A Coming Christ in Advent by Raymond E. Brown SS (1988)

A Crucified Christ in Holy Week: Essays on the Four Gospel Passion Narratives by Raymond E. Brown SS (1986)

Advent to Pentecost: Comparing the Seasons in the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Roman Rite by Patrick Regan OSB (2012)

A Once-and-Coming Spirit at Pentecost: Essays on the Liturgical Readings Between Easter and Pentecost by Raymond E. Brown SS (1994)

A Risen Christ in Easter time: Essays on the Gospel Narratives of the Resurrection by Raymond E. Brown SS (1991)

Celebrating a Holy Catholic Easter: A Guide to the Customs and Devotions of Lent and the

Season of Christ’s Resurrection by Rev. William P. Saunders Ph.D. (2020)

Celebrating the Easter Vigil by Rupert Berger (1983)

Celebrating a Merry Catholic Christmas: A Guide to the Customs and Feast Days of Advent and Christmas by Rev. William P. Saunders Ph.D.

Lent and Easter Reflections (Catholic Daily Reflections Series) by John Paul Thomas (2016)

Living the Mysteries: A Guide for Unfinished Christians by Scott Hahn PhD and Mike Aquilia (2003)

Our Father In Gethsemane: Thoughts for the Holy Hour by Francis P Donnelly SJ (2010)

Pentecost: This Story is Our Story by Robert Menzies (2013)

The Handy Little Guide to Lent by Michelle Schroeder (2020)

The Promise of Lent Devotional: A 40-day Journey toward the Miracle of Easter by Chris Tiegreen (2018)

The Wonder of Advent Devotional: Experiencing the Love and Glory of the Christmas Season by Chris Tiegreen (2017)

Mass and Introduction to the First Church:

A Beginner’s Guide to the Traditional Latin Mass by Derya Little and Chris Lewis (2019)

A Biblical Walk Through the Mass (Book): Understanding What We Say and Do In The Liturgy by Edward Sri (2011)

A Short History of the Roman Mass by Michael Davies (1997)

Latin Mass Companion (2020)

Letter and Spirit: From Written Text to Living Word in the Liturgy by Scott Hahn PhD (2005)

Mass Matters: Reflections of a Parish Priest by William J. Bausch (2019)

Memorize the Mass! by Kevin Vost (2016)

The Beauty Of The Mass: Exploring The Central Act Of Catholic Worship by Charles S. Johnston (2018)

The Holy Mass. The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ by St Alphonsus de Liguori (2020)

The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You by Micheal Dubruiel (2007)

The Incredible Catholic Mass: An Explanation of the Catholic Mass by Martin Von Cochem (1997)

Questions and Answers: Why? What? Who?

A Christian’s Guide to Evidence for the Bible: 101 Proofs from History and Archaeology by J. Daniel Hays (2020)

A Lutheran’s Case for Roman Catholicism: Finding a Lost Path Home by Robert C. Koons (2020)

Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic by David Currie (1996)

Catholic Traditions and Treasures: An Illustrated Encyclopedia by Helen Hoffner (2018)

Consuming the Word: The New Testament and The Eucharist in the Early Church by Scott Hahn (2013)

Deathbed Conversions: Finding Faith at the Finish Line by Karen Edmisten (2013)

Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell (2017)

Faith of Our Fathers: Why the Early Christians Still Matter and Always Will by Mike Aquilina (2012)

Forty Anti-Catholic Lies: A Mythbusting Apologist Sets the Record Straight by Gerard Verschuuren (2018)

God’s World and Our Place in It by Fulton J. Sheen (2003)

How Can You Still Be Catholic?: 50 Answers to a Good Question by Christopher Sparks (2017)

Journeys Home by Marcus Grodi (1997)

Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life by Henri J.M. Nouwen (2009)

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (2015)

My Life on the Rock: A Rebel Returns to the Catholic Faith by Jeff Cavins (2000)

No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy by Fr. Donald Calloway (2019)

Now What?: A Guide for New (and Not-So-New) Catholics by Patrick Madrid (2015)

Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism by Scott Hahn Ph.D. and Kimberly Hahn (1993)

Something Greater is Here by Kenneth Howell (2015)

Surprised By Truth: 11 Converts Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic by Patrick Madrid (2016)

Surprised by Truth 2: 15 Men and Women Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons For Becoming Catholic. (v. 2) by Patrick Madrid (2000)

Surprised by Truth 3: 10 More Converts Explain the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic (v. 3) by Patrick Madrid (2002)

The Big Hustle: A Boston Street Kid’s Story of Addiction and Redemption by Jim Wahlberg (2020)

The Case for Catholicism: Answers to Classic and Contemporary Protestant Objections by Trent Horn (2017)

The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel (2016)

The Case for Christmas: A Journalist Investigates the Identity of the Child in the Manger by Lee Strobel (2014)

The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God by Lee Strobel (2014)

The Case for Easter: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Resurrection by Lee Strobel (2018)

The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity by Lee Strobel (2014)

The Case for Grace: A Journalist Explores the Evidence of Transformed Lives by Lee Strobel (2016)

The Case for Hope: Looking Ahead With Confidence and Courage by Lee Strobel (2015)

The Case for Miracles: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Supernatural by Lee Strobel (2018)

The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ by Lee Strobel (2009)

The Fathers of the Church by Mike Aquilina (2013)

The Miracles Answer Book (Answer Book Series) by Lee Strobel (2016)

The Protestant’s Dilemma: How the Reformation’s Shocking Consequences Point to the Truth of Catholicism by Devin Rose (2014)

The Shortest Leap: The Rational Underpinnings of Faith in Jesus by A.L. Van Den Herik (2020)

Waking Up Catholic: A Guide to Catholic Beliefs for Converts, Reverts, and Anyone Becoming Catholic by Chad R. Torgerson (2013)

What Catholics Really Believe–setting the Record Straight: 52 Answers to Common Misconceptions about the Catholic Faith by Karl Keating (1992)

What It Means to Be Catholic by Joseph M. Champlin (1986)

Why Be Catholic by Ken Geraci (2021)

Why I am a Catholic: An Exploration of Western Christianity by Edmond Ko (Kindle Edition) (2019)

Why We’re Catholic: Our Reasons for Faith, Hope, and Love by Trent Horn (2017)

Without God: Science, Belief, Morality, and the Meaning of Life by Zachary Bloom (2019)

The History of Catholicism and the First Church:

Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History by Rodney Stark (2017)

Christus Vincit: Christ’s Triumph Over the Darkness of the Age by Bishop Athanasius Schneider and Diana Montagna (2019)

Church Fathers: From Clement of Rome to Augustine by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (2017)

Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers by Andrew Louth (1987)

Great Orders of the Catholic Church From the Benedictines to the Carmelites by Henry Schnitker (2020)

Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God by Scott Hahn (2001)

Holy Men and Women from The Middle Ages and Beyond: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of The Hours by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (2012)

I Will Build My Church: An Introduction to Ecclesiology (Formed in Christ) by Andrew Willard Jones (2019)

In the Beginning…’: A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall (Ressourcement: Retrieval and Renewal in Catholic Thought (RRRCT) by Pope Benedict XVI (1995)

Jesus, Peter & the Keys: A Scriptural Handbook on the Papacy by David R. Hess, Norman Dahlgren, and Scott Butler (1996)

Jesus, the Apostles, and the Early Church by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (2015)

Scripture & the Mystery of the Mother of God (Catholic for a Reason) by Scott Hahn, Curtis A. Martin, Curtis J. Mitch, Tim Gray, Edward P. Sri, Leon J. Suprenant, Kimberly Hahn, Sean Innerst Jeff Cavins

The Apostolic Fathers: A New Translation (Lexham Classics) by Rick Brannan (2018)

The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty: Art, Sanctity, and the Truth of Catholicism by John Saward (1605)

The Catholic Faith: An Introduction to the Creeds Stephen Ray en Deacon Dennis Walters (2020)

The Complete Works of the Church Fathers: A total of 64 authors, and over 2,500 works of the Early Christian Church by The Church Fathers (2016)

The Confessions (The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century) by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustin (2002)

The Crucified Rabbi: Judaism and the Origins of Catholic Christianity (The Origins of Catholicism Book 1) by Taylor Marshall (2009)

The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholic Christianity by Taylor Marshall (2012)

The Glories Of Mary by St Alphonsus de Liguori (2000)

The History of the Church: From Christ to Constantine (Penguin Classics) by Eusebius and Andrew Louth (1990)

The Spirit of the Liturgy: Commemorative Edition by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (2018)

The Story of the Church Textbook: From Pentecost to Modern Times by Philip Campbell (2020)

Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages: A Layman’s Quick Guide to Thomism by Taylor Marshall (2014)

An Introduction to Prayer:

A Layman’s Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours: How the Prayers of the Church Can Change Your Life by Fr. Timothy Gallagher (2019)

A Praying Life Discussion Guide: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Courtney Miller Sneed and Cyndi Anderson and Bob Allums (2017)

A School of Prayer: The Saints Show Us How to Pray by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (2016)

A Short Treatise On Prayer: The Great Means Of Obtaining From God Eternal Salvation And All The Graces Of Which We Stand In Need by St Alphonsus de Liguori (2010)

Beginning a Praying Life by Paul E. Miller (2017)

Catholic Prayers: Compiled from Traditional Sources by Thomas A. Nelson (2009)

54 Day Rosary Novena Prayer Journal: Includes the Rosary Mystery Tracker and the Novena Countdown by Novena Journals (2020)

How to Pray: A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Life by David Torkington (2021)

Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone by James Martin (2021)

Mysteries of the Rosary: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries by Catherine Anne Emmerich (2019)

Prayer For Beginners by Peter Kreeft (2000)

Prayer Primer: Igniting a Fire Within by Thomas DuBay (2002)

Station to Station: An Ignatian Journey through the Stations of the Cross by Gary Jansen (2017)

The Everyday Catholic’s Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours by Daria Sockey (2013)

The God Of Jesus Christ: Meditations on the Triune God by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (2018)

The Miraculous 54 Day Rosary Novena To Our Lady: 54 Day Rosary Novena Prayer Guide by Christopher Hellenbeck (2019)

The Rosary in 50 Pages: The Layman’s Quick Guide to Mary’s Psalter by Taylor Marshall (2020)

Why we pray to God with Mary by William-Mariae Fonjun (C.M.A.)

Catechism: Biblical Study and Understanding

A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament by Brant James Pitre (2018)

Always Have an Answer Ready: A Question-and-Answer Catechism to Help You Live Your Faith by Fr. Jeffrey Kirby STD (2019)

Annulment: A Guide for RCIA Candidates, Ministers, and Others by Kevin E. McKenna (2015)

Any Friend of God’s Is a Friend of Mine: A Biblical and Historical Explanation of the Catholic Doctrine of the Communion of Saints by Patrick Madrid (1996)

Catechism of the Catholic Church: Trent Edition by The Roman Catholic Church (2003)

Catholic Bible Study Journal for Men by Drawn to Faith by Catholic Art Publishers (2018)

Catholic Christianity: A Complete Catechism of Catholic Church Beliefs Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Peter Kreeft (2001)

Catholic Notetaking Bible by Our Sunday Visitor (2019)

Catholic Reader’s Bible: The Epistles and Revelation by Sophia Institute Press (2020)

Catholic Reader’s Bible: The Four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles by Sophia Institute Press (2020)

Catholic Faith Overview by Frank Figliomeni (2016)

Believe Celebrate Live Pray: A Weekly Walk with the Catechism by Ph. D. Jem Sullivan (2020)

Bible Basics for Catholics: A New Picture of Salvation History by John Bergsma and Scott Hahn (2015)

General Principles of Sacramental Theology by Roger W. Nutt (2017)

In the Beginning…’: A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall (Ressourcement: Retrieval and Renewal in Catholic Thought (RRRCT) by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and Boniface Ramsey (1995)

Introduction to the Bible: A Catholic Guide to Studying Scripture by Stephen J. Binz (2007)

Introduction to the Holy Bible for Traditional Catholics: A Beginner’s Guide to Reading the Scriptures for Spiritual Profit by Timothy S. Flanders (2019)

Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations (4 Volumes) by Anne Catherine Emmerich (2001)

My Personal Catholic Handbook by Frank Figliomeni (2021)

New Testament Basics for Catholics by John Bergsma (2015)

Psalm Basics for Catholics: Seeing Salvation History in a New Way (Bible Basics) by John Bergsma (2018)

That You Might Have Life: An Introduction to the Paschal Mystery of Christ (Formed in Christ) by Louis St. Hilaire (2019)

The Aquinas Catechism: A Simple Explanation of the Catholic Faith by the Church’s Greatest Theologian by Thomas Aquinas (2000)

The Augustine Catechism: The Enchiridion on Faith Hope and Charity (The Augustine Series) by Saint Augustine (2008)

The Bible Compass: A Catholic’s Guide to Navigating the Scriptures by Edward Sri (2009)

The Catholic Study Bible by Donald Senior (2016)

The Catholic Journaling Bible by Our Sunday Visitor (2020)

The Holy Bible RSV Catholic Edition – Burgundy by RSV-CE (2005)

The New City Catechism Devotional: God’s Truth for Our Hearts and Minds (The Gospel Coalition) by Collin Hansen (2017)

The New City Catechism: 52 Questions and Answers for Our Hearts and Minds (The Gospel Coalition) by Kathy Heller (2017)

The Seven Sacraments (Treasures of the Church) by Bob Lord and Penny Lord (2011)

The Trinity: An Introduction to Catholic Doctrine on the Triune God (Thomistic Ressourcement) by Giles Emery (2011)

This Is the Faith: A Complete Explanation of the Catholic Faith by Canon Francis Ripley (1999)

Understanding Catholicism: Explanations of the Catholic Church for Non-Catholic Christians and Fallen Away Catholics by Hugh Murray (2018)

[Source: https://globalcatholicresourcecenter.com/literature-introduction-to-catholicism/]

[soul-music-is-life]

When They See Us

When They See Us is absolutely something everyone needs to see. I hadn’t gotten less than five minutes in before I was already crying for those boys, for their loved ones.

Kevin was just a sweet little smol bean who wanted to play trumpet.

Tron just wanted to live his life and play ball.

Raymond had dreams and hopes and aspirations.

Yusef was a sweet shy kid who just wanted to make a difference.

And Korey was just trying to look out for his best friend.

They were scared children. And the system failed them. The adults who were supposed to uphold the law in a legal manner failed them. In fact they did more than fail them. They turned innocent boys into scapegoats for their racist agenda. Law enforcement took it upon themselves to make themselves judge, jury, and executioner. And that happens every day.

“When they See Us” is difficult as hell to watch. It should be hard to watch. It should make people uncomfortable. It should invoke anger. Because it’s real.

It’s important that people recognize the glaring flaws in our justice system. It’s important that everyone understands what POC go through on the daily. It’s important because we can’t implement change unless people see the problem.

But the sad thing is, some people do see it...and they don’t care. And that’s the real story behind these injustices. That’s the Linda Fairsteins and the Elizabeth Lederers. That’s every cop who not only crosses the line, but the people who willingly turn a blind eye to it. That’s the media who spins five ordinary boys into monsters for their own agenda. It’s the Trumps of the world, who call for killing people, innocent people, because bigots with that mindset have already made up their minds.

The system is broken. The system is corrupt. The system causes unimaginable suffering not only to its victims, but to the families of those victims.

It needs to be fixed. And the only way we can do that is by acknowledging that it’s broken and fighting back.

Watch this fucking series. Get angry. Do something about it.

[kheta]

More things I won’t finish

Wherein Kevin Leaves Raymond

Kevin’s departure is eerily similar to the man himself. Quiet, but with enough sting to assert his presence. It’s a purposeful action. He leaves divorce papers on their tidily made bed, ring above it and the smallest note, a simple brisk apology. A straight forward, characteristic thing.

Raymond glances at the bed. Takes a step back in shock, surprised and confused beyond measure. With steady hands he lifts the note, a disbelieving chuckle leaving his mouth. The sound is hollow, defeated. Broken, it fizzles out of life choking him as a rush of hurt overwhelms him. He is not a man who allows his emotions to overwhelm him. They factor into his actions, undoubtedly, but his self-control is usually enough to force them back. To justify the simmering emotional bouts. There is no control as he flings the wedding band to the ground, no control when he tears their made bed apart; sheets flung askew, pillows littering the ground.

What was going to happen:

Holt tells no one Kevin has divorced him, but he does get more actively involved in cases. Pretty much assigning, then taking them over, despite not really being allowed to.

The Nine-nine notice, especially Jake, but starry-eyed at his awesome Captain’s detective abilities, he doesn’t feel the need to say anything.

Terry saying something to mirror when Holt talked to him way back when his step brother was staying with them.

Kevin taking Cheddar bc he’s an asshole whose going thru it.

Raymond getting addicted to horse-racing again, but like, finds no reason to stop bc he’s just a man with a job, like nothing else.

Jake and Boyle (mistakenly) ask (a recently married) Wuntch to sort Raymond out, she realises he’s lost Kevin due to him glancing at her ring and his lack of one, she tells him abruptly to get over himself before she finally has a reason to get him fired.

That annoys tf out of Holt, so he tells his team he can worry about himself, tyvm before privately telling Terry that he’s getting a divorced and he doesn’t need the team to worry about him, just worry about their own lives.

By the next episode chapter Jake’s found out, Boyle tries to give Holt break up advice in between work shenanigans, Amy takes Holt to the gun range to release his frustration, Terry spends the whole time trying to convince Holt that he didn’t tell people. Rosa just buys him a drink, they say nothing and Holt feels himself begin to move on. Gina’s suspiciously absent, but we’ll get back to that.

Jake attempts to get Holt dating guys very similar to him or Kevin, eventually though Holt tires of the hijinks and assures Jake that he doesn’t need anyone. Cue him meeting a cute, younger Barista.

Through snooping they bust a murder-case (Lady killed by Ex-Husband, who they found frequented the very cafe Holt visits daily. Also they see the husband leave the store and the table he sat at having no napkin dispenser and find a witness there. Witness knows nothing of the cute Barista who Holt spends five minutes talking to every day for the last two weeks, but can testify to Suspect matching the description of the weirdo who stole their napkin dispenser.) They also have this big talk where they’re like “is captain really ready to date and they come to the conclusion that no, he shouldn’t” they then attempt to sneak in and ask Holt if he know what he’s doing to this poor boy. But catch sight of a suave, flirtatious Holt asking the kid out to lunch and just can’t. bc like captain actually likes someone. and yeah hes this young, expressionful kid but. holt digs it and they dig holt’s decision.

its weird. this kid is like 28 and hes 47. hes old, they clash, but he makes Holt happy. And noticed. And his PDA is weird but Holt likes him. He’s always been lucky in the relationship department. (Jake just thinks he’s fly)

Cue more murder cases and arguments of Cute Barista w/ Holt bc Holt doesn’t want kids but Barista Boy has always wanted a family. They patch things up and adopt a dog

Okay so then Gina comes up and Jake can sense her guilt. Cue her being awkward around Holt bc Kevin actually stayed with her for the week before and after leaving Raymond. She’s like super close to Kevin cause she worked hard on that friendship. But also, Holt’s still her captain and she doesn’t know if she can pick a side. Holt finds out and ices her out. Gets into another fight with Barista Boy and then finally, has a drink with Gina asking her simply, “Why’d he leave?” Bc he’s loved Kevin for most of his adult life. Gina replies with a vague, he didn’t say sorta way.

Things were supposed to happen, Holt finally happy dating the kid and having him in his life before Dun Dun, Kevin reappears. He’s all apologetic and I don’t know, something about how nearly dying showed him that he wanted more from life so he travelled. Did the whole Eat, Pray, Love sitch and realised that the only place he wanted to be in the past Nine-ish months was at home, listening to Raymond make jokes while reading the newspaper.

Conflicted Feelings TM. And cue fighting and Raymond going to choose the young kid who helped him, bc even tho he still loves Kevin a little, Kevin broke him and he can’t face that again. And the whole Squad is in chaos bc they (feel like their feelings are in anyway relevant to Holts personal decision making) can’t agree on who Holt should end up with. Cue a scene wherein Holt catches his cute bf going through his laptop when picking him up. SUSPICION.

eventually there was gonna be a reveal and the kid was a gang/mob/underground criminal who needed the connects with Rays shit. And he did genuine like Holt but like, loved himself more and gets sentenced and stuff and Kevin and Holt slowly reunite but like...Snail pace and then the rest of the story was just Kevin getting Raymond to trust him again and them having their vows renewed and in love and happily ever after

[theclaravoyant]

AN ~ This fic is called “Catharsis” not just on the characters’ behalves, but on mine. I am planning another more nuanced, narrative-integrated exploration of some of these themes but in the moment when I started writing this I kinda Went Off at biphobia. Kevin was the vessel for my protectiveness... and Julia Diaz unfortunately copped the unflattering role of Every I’m-Not-Homophobic-But person I’ve ever met. This is for you grandma :)))))

NOW ON AO3 (~2400wd)

Warnings: This fic has a happy/uplifting ending (*jake peralta voice* I CATHARTED) but it does deal with themes of homophobia and biphobia, including a reference to AIDS. If you would like to know more detail about the fic’s contents before diving in, message me and I’m happy to chat.

Prompt: 4. “I know you didn’t ask for this.”

Fandom: Brooklyn 99 - featuring Rosa Diaz, Kevin Cozner, Julia Diaz, Jake Peralta, with background Holt x Kevin and Rosa x Jocelyn. 

Rated: T

Tags: Platonic Relationships, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Homophobia, Biphobia, AIDS reference.

-

Catharsis

“Rosa?”

She knew that voice. She ignored it.

“Rosa, mi niña…”

She glared at her report. Corrected a typo with an aggressive stab at the keyboard.

“Uh, excuse me, Detective Diaz?”

She gritted her teeth, and forced her lips into a wide twist on a hospitable smile. In an overly sweet tone that bristled for all to hear, she invited –

“Detective Peralta, can you assist Mrs Diaz please?”

“Uhh. Sure.”

Jake looked uncertainly between Rosa and her mother, but stepped forward. Rosa knew when she needed protecting and if this was one of those times then he would offer what he could. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through, after she and her mother had tried to talk about it again and had come to another explosive loggerhead. Still, he was not too sure of his place in all this. He wanted to give Julia a good scolding, but given that she was Rosa’s mother it probably wouldn’t be intimidating in the slightest by comparison. Plus, he had to remind himself, it was probably not his place. Rosa could scold her own mother. And now he was getting side-tracked.

“How can I help you, Mrs Diaz?”

Fortunately, the fact that Julia was still very keen on watching her daughter and apparently cared very little about Jake’s question, or presence at all, became side-tracked all on its own when the elevator doors opened and the newly-demoted Officer Holt arrived back from lunch with Kevin. It was not exactly a daily occurrence, but not irregular around these parts; still, the squad usually would have clamoured all over them for the day’s instalment of juicy wedding-planning gossip were it not for the never-before-seen Diaz family throwdown emanating a distracting amount of tension in the middle of the room.

At first the newcomers were unfazed, and Kevin opened the gate to the bull pen and gestured – with an arm full of flowers and a tiny but glowing smile - for Raymond to proceed him through. They would have happily continued in this distracted bliss, letting the team resolve whatever drama was going down, were it not for the fact that the lilies in Kevin’s arms and the slightest brush of his hand against Raymond’s arm as he passed made the two of them suddenly relevant to said drama.

It started small, just a little – Jake would have had to call it a wince, from Julia. She kind of, curled up her nose a bit, and Jake was reminded of the time he’d punched his former literary hero in the face.

Do not. Punch. Rosa’s. Mother, he commanded of himself, and of course he wasn’t going to, but after dinner and games night and the fight about Jocelyn and knowing the reason for no cop talk at parties and seeing how things like that sneer infected the lives of his friends, he couldn’t just stand there, and so it slipped out – his place or not -

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Julia baulked. “I just don’t think it’s appropriate for a workplace, that’s all.”

“What?” Jake frowned. Why did this keep surprising him?

“What?”

Rosa’s version was not so much confused, as cold. It was sharp – near ruthless. All the fear and pain and seething she had felt etched into her these past few months she spat into her words as she got up from her desk and stalked around it, closer to her mother.

“They’re coming back from a date,” she growled. “Kevin is Holt’s husband. They’ve been together for thirty years.”

Julia at least had the sense to look impressed by this, which quelled the biting fury and the stinging sense of rejection inside Rosa, if only a little. She shouldn’t need to shove wholesome couple after wholesome couple down her mother’s throat for her to get it, but at least it was something. At least it was something. She swallowed, and prayed that this would be over quickly. Of course, it wouldn’t. Not least because the next thing her mother said made her want to start digging a pit to the centre of the earth and never return.

“Well, that makes sense, dear. They were probably the only two left.”

“Ex-cuse me?” Holt interjected.

“Mom, oh my god,” Rosa protested, her stomach churning.

“IIIII don’t understand enough about what’s going on here to be standing where I’m standing,” Jake babbled, because he’d somehow ended up in an uncomfortably prominent position in a very tense, angry circle of Strong Feelings. He scurried out of the way, back behind some desks, and half expected Holt and Rosa to leap into the space he’d left and go after Julia like it was some kind of cage match.

But no.

It was Kevin.

Cool, calm, collected Kevin who was just starting to bristle around the edges and who had a sharpness to his glare, and to his tongue, that anyone in the room besides perhaps Holt would be hard pressed to say they’d ever seen in him before. Jake had. When they were being hunted by Sean Murphy, and Kevin had been trying and failing to protect his husband.

“Excuse me,” he said. “Mrs – Diaz, is it?”

She knew she was in for something, but nodded.

“I’m sure you understand that I don’t appreciate your making light of my relationship,” he continued. “Nor of a very serious disease that took several of Raymond’s and my friends away from us a very young age. Many younger, if I may point out, than Detective Diaz there.”

“I’m so sorry,” Julia apologised, and it could not be said that any part of that was faked. She just hadn’t thought of it quite like that. But the thought of her little girl succumbing to such a horrible disease only made her throat close up and her fears feel more prickly and urgent and intense. “I didn’t mean any offence. You can’t choose who you are.”

“Perhaps not,” Kevin rebutted, “but if I could, I like to believe that I would choose Raymond every time, and he me.”

Julia blinked. “You wouldn’t want to have a family?”

“Raymond is my family.”

“But… wouldn’t it be easier… I mean, if you liked both, wouldn’t being with a woman be easier?”

“Not always. For example, not all women would feel comfortable with the fact that I also enjoyed the company of men.”

There was a beat of eye contact between them, and Julia cleared her throat.

“…Well,” she said, somewhat quieter this time. “You wouldn’t have to tell anyone.”

Rosa wrapped her arms around herself, under the guise of crossed arms. The mask of irritation she had put up began to crack as she replayed the argument with her mother in her mind. It was Jocelyn that her mother couldn’t take seriously; it was always she’s a nice girl, but, like Rosa failed to grasped the concept of settling down. It was always nice, always compliments, so it was hard to explain how much it hurt. Few people in the room knew how that felt. Jake, at least, took note of the tears that were starting to burn her eyes, and shuffled a little closer to her. He was still a whole desk away but somehow she breathed a little easier at that.

Then Kevin met her eyes.

He had been about to turn back; to retreat from a conversation that was deeply uncomfortable and that might not be his place. He wanted nothing more in this moment than to shut himself in Raymond’s office – or even better, their home – and forget he’d ever poked this particular bear.

Then, across the circle, he’d seen her.

He’d seen Rosa, and her arms across her chest, the sheen of tears in her eyes as she tried to look neither away from, nor directly at the scene in front of her.

In her, he saw himself, in church, as a boy. He saw himself, in class, as a student, learning about Achilles and Patroclus and knowing he couldn’t say what he was thinking. He saw himself at his brother’s wedding, looking out at the crowd of people that had gathered to celebrate and wondering – knowing, at the time, or so it had felt – that such a crowd would never turn out for him.

And perhaps it was the fact that he and Raymond had just come back from booking the florist for a ceremony he’d once thought impossible, that sent a pain careering through Kevin’s chest like an arrow. It certainly did not help matters that they’d just started putting together the guest list and seating chart for the wedding, and his father was not on it. And worst of all, was the acute sense of bitterness that he remembered all too well, that had tainted his father’s last breath, when he had told Kevin that he loved him for the first, the last, and the only time since the day he’d come out.

He had tears in his eyes by the time he turned his attention back to Julia. She glanced between him, and over her shoulder at Rosa. There was something between these two, that much she understood. Could the gay thing really run that deep?

“Mrs Diaz,” Kevin said, and it was clearly taking a lot to keep his voice steady. Julia turned back to him, solemn and intrigued as he took a deep breath and spoke – not only on his own behalf, but on her daughter’s as well.

“I know you didn’t ask for this,” he said. “But your daughter is trying to share something with you that is very important to her. She is trying the best she can to share her life with you. It might be difficult to understand but please, please believe that the love you feel for your husband – that is the same love she is capable of feeling. Maybe for a woman. Maybe even for Jocelyn. That’s all she’s trying to tell you. And you should listen. And you should treasure her with all your heart. Because I know for a fact how it feels when that revelation comes too late.”

He let it land, and all of a sudden his knees felt weak beneath him. He marched past Raymond and out of the bull pen into the lift before the shock of what he’d just done could wear off enough to collapse him.

The others watched him go: most were baffled by his unusually vivid emotiveness, but Rosa for one was grateful. Jake hugged himself a little tighter; protectiveness over his friends warring with crappy-dad sympathy to make one super uncomfortable feelings-cocktail. Julia was a little hurt, a little stunned, a little intrigued. Holt, as per usual, took the unusual turn of events in his stride. He held up a wrist and explained:

“Kevin’s father gave me this watch the day he died. After twenty-two years of not tolerating my presence in his home, he apologised, and he wished us luck.” Luck. He snorted. “My father died when I was younger, before I met Kevin, but my mother has always loved and supported me - every part of me, and of the two of us – and believe me when I say I would not be where I am without that love and support. Do not underestimate your power.”

Julia nodded. Maybe, just maybe, it was starting to sink in.

“I know you love your daughter very much, Mrs Diaz,” Holt continued, a little more gently now – but only a little - “and she loves you. It would be a shame to let that go to waste. But I’m sure you know that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m needed elsewhere.”

He gave Julia a pointed stare before exiting the bull pen to track down and comfort Kevin.

Julia took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. If nothing else, it was comforting to know that her daughter had a very protective group of friends and colleagues. And the passion with which they all spoke about each other. And the watch…

When Rosa had walked out on her, Julia had feared for just a second, that her daughter might never speak to her again. It had been one of the most frightening moments of her life, and though it had passed blissfully quickly at the time, she couldn’t help but reflect on it now. And on Holt’s words. And on the gaping wounds their arguments seemed to leave in her. She was only trying to love her daughter, to want what was best for her. But if she stayed on this path, this dark future of bitterness and grief, how could that possibly be better? Wouldn’t she prefer to see her daughter carry herself with pride, smile at the one she loved, open the door for them and carry the bouquet they’d presented her and brush arms with subtle love on their return from a lunch date?

Julia turned to face her daughter, to find her midway through wiping tears from her face.

“I love you, mi niña,” she whispered. “And if Jocelyn makes you happy – then I am happy for you. And I’m going to try harder to understand.”

“Okay,” Rosa said, her voice wobbling dangerously. She cleared her throat. “And yeah. Jocelyn does make me happy. I dunno about marrying her yet but. You know. We’ll see I guess.”

Short sentences. Still not quite crying. Nailing it.

Fortunately, that was part of her daughter that her mother did understand, or at least was used to. She did not push Rosa for more, simply picked up her handbag.

“I got a new extension to Trivial Pursuit,” she said. “Your father and I would love to play it this Friday if you’re available. Bring your friends, of course - or perhaps… Jocelyn?”

Sick and dizzy as she felt at the barrage of emotion, Rosa’s stomach flipped. She was lucky she was not a naturally smiley person, or she might just have given herself away because all of a sudden her heart was screaming IT’S ALL I EVER WANTED, which was of course, an exaggeration, but after months and months of the most awful tension of her life it was like falling away like a mudslide. Is this what relief felt like?

“I’ll think about it,” she said.

Julia nodded, and took her leave.

[writtenbymoon]

I have not posted in a very long time, but I had to post this.

About a week ago I watched a netflix documentary/drama called When They See Us, directed by Ava DuVernay. Most of you have probably heard of it by now, but if you haven’t I urge you to watch it.

The docu series is four episodes long, all about ninety minutes each. It tells the story of the “Central Park Five” (or the “Exhonarated Five” as they should be called) in a heart wrenching and soul crushing light. Each episode focuses on the four main points of the story. Episode one focuses on the boys being harrassed and coerced by police to confess to a crime they did not commit, episode two shows the trial where everyone ignored what was right in front of them, episode three focuses on the four boys who went to juvi and their life after, and the fourth episode (the most soul crushing one) tells the story of the boy who went straight to adult prison and the horrors he faced.

I could type up every single emotion I felt while watching this docu series, but it is really something you have to experience for yourself. As a white woman, I will NEVER face the type of discrimination, fear, and injustice these boys faced. It is easy as the privileged to ignore things like this, write it off as “too sad” or “too infuriating”. It is easy as non-POC (or just non-black) to turn away from this and pretend it never happened, but I URGE you, watch this docu.

It took me over two weeks to get through each episode, it pulled out emotions in me that I didn’t know I had. The type of rage and heartbreak that I have never felt before. I will even admit, my mind went to dark places I never thought it would go. I wanted the justice system to pay for what they had done. I wanted everyone who had ever hurt these boys to pay.

On multiple occasions I had to turn off the show just to cry, just to hit things, just to let my heart break. I cannot explain how it felt to just watch, nevermind how much pain it must have been to experience. I cannot fathom how each of those men continue to exist on a daily basis with the pain they endure, pain that goes far beyond what was even conveyed in the docu series.

But, despite how many times I had to turn off the show, I had to come back. Something in me knew it was not fair for me to just turn my back on their pain and continue on with my day. I had to watch it, I had to feel it.

In my opinion, everyone should watch this series. EVERYONE. No matter your race, gender, religion, social stature, political affiliation, class, etc. This is something that everyone needs to see, regardless of how they feel.

When They See Us is not fiction, it is real life. It is pulled from what ACTUALLY happened to real men, real PEOPLE. Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, and Raymond Santana Jr are real people who will continue to suffer from the injustice they were subjected to as children.

Say their names, and say them loud. They are not the “Central Park Five”. They are the “Exonerated Five” and they deserve to have their story heard by everyone.

-ky.

[cactigratitudelove]

Empire State of Mind

Sometimes darkness comes in the form of exhaustion, insomnia and small spaces with low lighting. It comes with being surrounded by thousands daily on your commute and feeling the most alone you've felt in such a long time. 

And by you, I mean, me. 

Small amounts of darkness that trickle through mostly well lit areas. Causing the fear that past depression experiences will take over the transition I am currently in. 

Patience.

I wait. I am strong. I have family, friends, and support. I am loved, missed and wanted. I am appreciated. I am grateful. I am humbled. 

Anxiety, depression, and darkness does not care for gratitude. It thrives on those little chemical thoughts of fear and the lowest part of the struggle. It is the back and forth of guilt and shame. It’s the back and forth of figuring out the difference between the two and thinking I ‘should’ know. 

It’s the knowing that I ‘shouldn't’ use the word ‘should.’

It’s the comparison that kills the creative sparks and joy in being a creative. It’s the realization that I am a cliché. It’s the realization that my lovely little cacti city and home did not prepare me for the culture shock of areas in my own country. It’s trying not to be #yesallmen over #metoo.  I love you B. 

“Woke” on the West Coast is certainly different from “woke” on the East Coast. Race. Religion. Gender. Sex. Diversity. I have so much more to learn. 

Mindful.

Thoughts upon thoughts. Written down on morning pages. The guilt for not doing my morning pages everyday. Satisfaction for when they do get done. The shame over not using the tools I know that I know how to utilize. Gratefulness for when I do use them.

Not good enough. Not authentic enough. Not talented enough. Not woke enough. Not Eco-Friendly enough. Not Mexican enough. Not white enough. Not Political enough. Not active enough. 

Enough. 

Morningside in West Harlem is a gorgeous place to live. Lower East Side is a fun ass place to work. Trains ‘D’ & ‘A’ are the quickest. The ‘1′ train is safer after 2am but takes longer. Did you know pepper spray can only be bought in the city with a license? You can not ship mace to NYC.  

I’m currently on that New York Diet: A third floor walk up, walking commutes, bagel & Lox... oh and coffee. Lots of coffee. No one said it was a healthy diet. 

Pizza rat. It’s a thing. Summer in the subway is truly hell but City Mappers is a god send. Reading on the train helps avoid eye contact with unwanted interactions while also giving time to finally finishing a book for once. “Fuck Politeness!”-MFM. 

Sharing a Lyft with a stranger saves you money and can be the most quiet commute of your life. Brooklyn is the hip and artsy place to be. Gentrification. It’s a thing-Harlem is “Up and Coming.” Astoria is the safest. Chelsea for the galleries. High Art vs. Low Art. Avoid Time Square in every way possible.  A jog in central park. Thoughts of Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Raymond Santana. Thoughts of Trisha Meili. Thoughts of those who've jogged these paths before me and the history I have yet to know. 

New York based sitcoms and shows are relatable AF but will never truly capture the heart and soul of the city. AND, one hundred percent, won't tell you the truth about New York apartments and boroughs... Hannah Horvath lied to us all millennial non-New Yorkers. Hashtag white privilege. 

I think Abbi and Ilana speak the closest truth. Maybe. Yass Kweeeen! 

I’d be down for a more diverse New Yorker show... Just sayin.’ 

I’d be down for more diverse shows in general... Also, just sayin’

Beauty. Essex. Delancey. F,M, and J Trains. Champagne brunch. Live saxophones. Go-go dancers. “Any Allergies or any dietary restrictions?” Darwinism? L.E.S. (That's short for Lower East Side-New Yorkers love their acronyms.) “Put a pep in your fucking step!” Being in the weeds at a top restaurant in NYC is no where near being in the weeds at a mom and pop. Family meal is questionable today. And tomorrow. 

“Ryan, are you like my ‘Simone?’” The book Sweet Bitter is relatable in more ways than one. I love my day job. Grateful for sobriety. Grateful for Sobriety in L.E.S. My younger self in NYC would have been a shit show. I was a shit show. There are other people in NYC that are sober! Who’d-a thought! P.S. Sobriety doesn't mean greens are off the table. Why isn't it legal here yet? Progressive much, New York? I love sleep.

Dog walkers are honestly, truly the best sight to see. My heart. It grows. Every time.

“You work hard for the American dream?”

Far Rockaway Beach isn’t really that far. Take the ‘A’ for a quick getaway. "You’re from Jersey City?” Googles: “Where is Jersey City?” Amtrak gets you to New Hampshire in five hours. A five hour work day on the train is sometimes better than two hours in some coffee shops in Manhattan. NH is beautiful in the summer. Cooler. In-person friendship is beautiful for the soul.  Ponds are the size of lakes. I’m from the desert, how am I suppose to know the difference? New England is patriotic As Fuck. Can’t wait to see the fall foliage. Apparently it is definitely a thing.

Rejuvenation.

Note to self: A quick trip out of the city is required for mental hygiene. A dose of nature, occasional hugs, and laughter is highly recommended for future survival in the concrete jungle. 

Hopeful.

My ducks are in a row. My planner is filling up with hope. My hustle is real. Society of Illustrators hasn't changed since my visit in 2015. My personal projects are visualizing, slowly but surely. Asana and Ink & Volt keep me organized. Being vulnerable has helped me start connecting. Connections help motivate. Motivation keeps me creating. But, like, also... Sometimes you just gotta fucking do it. 

Belonging.

Naive at thirty-three. The city has made me see how young I must seem to others. My reactions and the way I think. The experiences I thought gave me a proper age have proven that I still have more to explore. I feel nerdy. I feel out of place. I feel like an outsider. I feel young. I feel like I don’t belong. Sometimes. And then I do. Then I feel at home. 

“Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.” -Brené Brown

In the moment of loss, I found the way to find self-acceptance, again. It’s a journey. Didn’t they tell you? Transitions are funny that way. They question who you are and why this change was so important even when you thought you already knew all the answers.

Cacti, Love and Gratitude.

Therapy. “Scheduling before shit hits the fan?” Woah, that sounds way too healthy. “But, you’re right. Wednesday session, three weeks from now?” 

I have a day job. I have a roof over my head. I have reactivated the reason I travelled across country to be in a city that tells it like it is and has a lot of rats to race. It’s gonna be almost three months. Apparently, I am right on schedule.

I am the cliché. 

The little light I do have that seeps through the one window in my closet sized room that faces another wall, surprisingly, now gives me hope. This first New Yorker’s apartment with four other roommates has finally shown it’s charm. Or maybe I have lightened up to see what charm it had all along. 

-A

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.” -Brené Brown

[bountyofbeads]

https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2019/6/18/18684217/trump-central-park-5-netflix?__twitter_impression=true

“You have people on both sides of that" -- Trump's comments about the Central Park 5 illustrate how he thinks merely having an argument makes any position defensible

Trump still refuses to admit he was wrong about the Central Park 5

“You have people on both sides of that.”

By Aaron Rupar | Published June 18, 2019 5:40 pm | Vox | Posted June 18, 2019 |

More than a decade after the exoneration of five black and Latino teens accused of raping a woman in Central Park, President Donald Trump indicated on Tuesday that he still doesn’t accept their innocence. Nor does he think he owes them an apology for publicly calling for their executions.

The teenagers, known as the Central Park 5, were exonerated by DNA evidence and a confession from the true perpetrator in 2002, 13 years after they were vilified by prosecutors and in the press after being charged and convicted of the rape of a white woman jogging in the park. The story is back in the news because of a recently released Netflix series about the case titled When They See Us.

Before leaving for his reelection campaign launch rally in Florida, Trump took a number of questions from reporters outside the White House. April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks asked if he’ll “apologize to the Central Park 5” for taking out a full page newspaper ad calling for their executions. Trump indicated he will not.

“Why do you bring that question up now? It’s an interesting time to bring it up,” Trump said, apparently not aware about the Netflix series. “You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt. If you look at Linda Fairstein [the discredited prosecutor who oversaw the case] and if you look at some of the prosecutors, they think the city should have never settled that case. So, we’ll leave it at that.”

Watch: See Videos on Vox Website or @atruper on Twitter

The Central Park 5 — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise — were five young teens (four black, one Latino) in 1989, when they were accused of beating and raping a woman who was jogging through Central Park.

After their arrests, the five were violently interrogated and deprived of food and sleep, and they ultimately offered a coerced confession. Trump then took out a full-page ad in a number of newspapers calling for their execution. My colleague Alissa Wilkinson detailed the backstory in a recent piece about the Netflix show:

On May 1, 1989, as the case was headed to trial, then-real estate developer Trump spent about $85,000 placing a full-page ad in four newspapers, calling (in so many words) for the young men accused of the crime to be executed.

“BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!” the ad proclaimed in enormous capital letters. Below, in smaller text, Trump ranted, “I want to hate these murderers and I always will. I am not looking to psychoanalyze or understand them, I am looking to punish them … I no longer want to understand their anger. I want them to understand our anger. I want them to be afraid.”

Trump echoed that sentiment in a number of television interviews conducted around the same time. But 13 years later, DNA evidence exonerated the Central Park 5, and a serial rapist named Matias Reyes who was already serving a life sentence in prison on other charges confessed. The five ultimately agreed to a $41 million settlement with the city of New York in 2014.

But when Trump’s 1989 comments about the Central Park 5 became an issue in subsequent years, not only did he refuse to apologize, but he even refused to admit he was wrong.

“My opinion on the settlement of the Central Park Jogger case is that it’s a disgrace,” Trump wrote in a June 2014 New York Daily News op-ed. “What about the other people who were brutalized that night, in addition to the jogger?”

In a tweet posted in 2013, Trump alluded to the wave of crime Central Park was experiencing back in 1989 to suggest that even if the teens weren’t guilty of rape, they were still guilty of something — just for being there.

When CNN did a special about the case weeks before the 2016 election, Trump didn’t back away from his previous comments, but instead provided a statement to CNN citing the false confession the teens made — the same move he made on Tuesday.

“The police doing the original investigation say they were guilty. The fact that that case was settled with so much evidence against them is outrageous. And the woman, so badly injured, will never be the same,” Trump said in 2016.

Nearly three years later, Trump still refuses to simply admit he was wrong, let alone apologize. Racism is a stubborn thing.

[sunnysynthsunshine]

The Stage Manager: Chapter 1

Y/N watched the comic strip since the early days so they decided to be a stage manager being a stage manager already involved hard work like fixing cables and props but can they fix the problems of a cast member as well?

1989:

The First gig, the comic strip and the lord of misrule you met because of it

It was night time on the cold, colourful London streets

The bright buildings made the sights look like something from a 1960s painting

You had been wandering for a while and felt bored

Yes you did buy that one shirt just because it had ziggy stardust on the front

Television was dull anything that wasn’t a music-related or to do to with game shows you’d skip over

looking around the city of Soho when you came across the Raymond Revue bar

It looked dull at first when to the corner of your eye you could see people chuckling as they walked downstairs.

Overhearing the sound of an audience and strange sound effects you went upstairs and realised what the commotion was.

There were some comedians performing, Young comedians with new innovative material drawing inspiration from slapstick legends like laurel and hardy to “alternative comedy” jabs of political satire they were called The Comic Strip Presents.

You could hear two blokes who had a blues brothers type performance called the outer limits, a duo called French and Saunders and many others including Pamela Stevenson, Keith Allen and a communist satirist influenced by the Monty Python days called Alexei Sayle.

The night sounded enjoyable the last time you had ever heard good comedy was through the old porridge and Fawlty towers tapes.

Then another performer walked onstage he had pigtails, a red communist berret and a black jacket decorated with political badges.

“I don’t know if any of you are into poetry at all” he addressed the audience, scrunching up his nose smirking.

He then performed a monologue about theatre “Theatre! What are you? Theatre”

When I’m nearta the theatre “I ask myself this question I don’t know perhaps I should ask Vanessa Redgrave”

He shouted “But I don’t know Vanessa Redgrave” before he smirked again at the audience “And neither do you theatre”

When his monologue finished you were jaw dropped this bloke had so much charisma and energy in his performance his snarky attitude was funny and it looked like he was self-aware just having good fun with his audience.

Arriving home you couldn’t get his words and face out of your head even when looking at your old records of The Damned and Madness you’d just see his face in your mind.

With your knowledge of Performing Arts after a few years you decided to volunteer you asked Alexei Sayle if you could do some “behind the scenes work” he agreed.

The first day was something you rattled your teeth about on the way there but once you arrived the atmosphere was easy to adjust to, being an assistant stage manager was like being a bartender sometimes you’d just be fixing cables and preparing props other times you’d overhear the daily gossip but usually you’d only keep it to yourself or you’d joke with Keith Allen about it over a few drinks.

You once observed Pamela Stevenson being mocked about by the catty duo from before

Saying nothing because you left the drama in your secondary school years and you wanted to keep it that way.

However, when you’d see her in the staff room you’d try to chat.

She’d enjoy the conversations but you learned that she felt more left out when they did tours

She felt like the boys could impress the audience in ways she couldn’t and even on the female performer's side she felt like they were just competitive sometimes you’d also run into the duo that made fun of her but you’d just laugh along about it.

Sometimes while fixing cables or props you’d talk to a bloke called Ade he was another performer you’d talk about life with, you’d talk about punk music, your school years and he’d mention the one time there was a technical fault on a Dangerous Brothers skit where he was on fire and the producers didn’t notice.

Peter was one of those outer limits sometimes it would just be him other times Nigel would join usually you’d discuss a film with them or you’d help out with the technical side of their performances.

These were all interesting people who you would talk about many topics with….then there was him.

You’d see him on stage, you’d arrange technical effects for him and other times when everybody else was busy you’d talk to him

It was that day after a performance the others were having drinks and while he would sometimes be the person to be the social butterfly this time he was just there drinking while he frowned

You looked at him, he stared back soon a conversation was started once you agreed you’d talk with him in his dressing room.

He sat there frowning looking in the mirror and then glancing at photos he had of his heroes Little Richard, Ronnie Barker and Tommy Cooper.

“Hey!, (Y/N) as a performer you’ve  probably seen me when I played that poet character or Kevin Turvey those years ago Alexi had said you had seen us before.”

You nodded

“Well I’m happy that we were able to amaze you so much that it made you want to be a part of *The Experience* he said, excitedly making mime-like gestures with his hands”

You noticed he had that same aura about him that David Bowie had when he’d talk in interviews about Ziggy Stardust and how there was a big difference between chill laid back bowie and the loud flamboyant Ziggy you could see in his tired eyes that he was stressed

You asked “I might be happy but I’m not sure you are, is there anything going on that is stressing you? being a star carries a lot of hard to fulfil expectations if you don’t want to say that’s ok but I can see you're still trying to project your stage self instead of your real self.”

He blinked a bit surprised of how perspective you were “What nonsense, I’m happy I’m Rik Mayall I make people happy and when I perform I am happy” his smile became a frown, “Well I try to be”

You stared folding your hands as he then started to explain,

“I admit times have been crap recently, the new show I did for Ben Elton wasn’t successful enough so we’ll have to cancel it, while I love my new wife years ago I did make the mistake of being with her at the same time of being with my girlfriend Lise who co-wrote The Young Ones with me and it just feels empty on stage I have something I have my characters I have my jokes but to be honest I feel boring there are some good days and other times where I rip myself apart if I mess up my lines.”

You nodded as you processed his rant

“I feel like all the people and critics will think of me now because of that show is “oh look there’s that bloke who isn’t funny anymore” I’ll be nothing, I don’t work with Ben much anymore..I-I’ve been thinking of being a drama teacher”

You blinked you couldn’t believe that he would think of such a suggestion

putting your hand on his shoulder.

“Look you had an unsuccessful show, there are many bad shows out there but filthy,rich and catflap isn’t the worst, and that won’t be the main thing you’ll be associated with your an actor,you're a singer in that BAD NEWS band and your the most talented comedian I’ve ever seen, critics will be critics unfortunately, but your Rik Mayall you’ll find your spark again you’ll find another show or film you be in that will have the same memorable characters,settings and stories that your other successful works have”

he nodded still frowning looking away

“Yeah your right sometimes the spark goes out and other times the energy arrives back, thank you for the advice..still what show can I do that isn’t a flop I have the qualification I’d be a great drama teacher”

You smirked at him “a drama teacher who makes telling knob jokes and ranting about politics part of the lesson”

He cringed a little before he chuckled  “I wouldn’t do that in front of children (Y/N)! politics though is in everything theatre, history, television you can’t escape it, I’d let them make their own decisions knowledge and freedom is what they need but half the time it’s swayed by the opinions of their parents, the fascist pigs or of their teachers”

You were puzzled “Who are they?”

He then got up from his seat and smiled making more hand gestures before he rambled cheerfully

“Children, they are influenced by what they see and what they hear with all the political rubbish there needs to be some sunshine in the storm, children are smart but too many people including people in the television business take advantage of them, bastards! Children  have thoughts and wide imaginations, they should be respected they should be able to see the good in the world and the media should be providing that.”

You clicked your fingers as you got an idea “Hey Children's Programming you should do that! You were excellent at jackanory when you appeared on there you should do that again your great at narrating stories maybe you could create your own storytelling kids to show what stories would you read?”

He liked the idea “Fairy tales it’s the tales they are most familiar with because of Disney, funny because the original Grimm tales were very dark”

You said “Well how about you make this series about the Brothers Grimm fairy tales but it doesn’t have to be the glamorised Disney versions or the gritty originals it could be a sort of modern but original take on the stories and maybe you could add animation in there so each story would be different and it would give a chance for different animation companies to show their skills to a wider audience so not only would you be entertaining them but also teaching them about these timeless tales”

He agreed “The show will be called Grimm tales, I’m working with ITV at the moment so I could ask them about the idea thank you (Y/N) this is brilliant when I was little I loved seeing my heroes like Ronnie Barker read out stories and now I’m doing just that”

You smiled but still felt unsure about his other problem….the relationship problem

“Uh, Rik what about your relationship?”

He had a thought for a while and then said “I’ll try to repair relations between me and Lise if I want to move on from my mistakes I should take responsibility for them”

He grinned as he packed his belongings and headed home

[itsbambrr]

Rules: Answer questions about yourself and tag 20 people.

I was tagged by @talerano​. I don’t like to tag people, but if you’d like to get to know more about me (within reason), feel free to tag me and I’ll probably tell you.

Name: Amber

Age: 23

Gender: Female

Orientation: Gray-asexual (bisexual + gray-ace)

Height: 5’6

Favorite color: Navy and Tiffany Blue

Book recommendations: 

Nursing Against the Odds -- Suzanne Gordon // A slightly dated but very compelling sociology and macro-level commentary and analysis of the institution of nursing in the early to mid 2000s. A lot of the commentary prompted reorganization and the overarching work is used in nursing scholarship today. It also gives the reader a much deeper understanding of what nurses do today. This work went on to expand into a few volumes that evaluate nursing in the contemporary western world, of which has largely influenced my academic career as a medical sociologist, aspiring nurse educator, and future doctor of nursing practice. 

The Complexities of Care -- Edited by Siobhan Nelson and Suzanne Gordon // For those that aren’t interested in the 400+ pages of Nursing Against the Odds, I recommend this entry in the same vein. This was a much faster read and focuses on the complicated role of “caring” in the institutionalization of nursing. While the overall political position of the writers tend to be much less radical than my own, this more contemporary entry allows readers alike to better understand the social challenges nurses navigate on a a daily basis. Fun fact: I analyzed half of its content in an academic essay where I examined the politics of care and macrosocial structures in the institution of health for a midterm essay in a medical sociology course. 

The Iron Druid Chronicles -- Kevin Hearne // For fans of urban fantasy. 21-(century)-year-old druid Atticus O’Sullivan manages an occult book store in Tempe, AZ. After centuries of hiding, Atticus’ past eventually catches up with him and then some. The series includes 9 novels, 3 novelas, and several short stories within the universe. I highly recommend the audiobook, which is read by Luke Daniels. The book reads at a YA level, but with a more mature tone due to graphic violence (and occasionally gore) and sexual content. 

The Subtle art of Not Giving a Fuck -- Mark Manson // I like nonfiction, but I’m not a big fan of self-help. Which is why I appreciate this book. The Subtle art of Not Giving a Fuck reads less like a preachy life coach and more like a good friend you asked to convince you to get your shit together and start living your life. 

If you care for more, just use the ask button.

Movie recommendations: 

Thor: Ragnarok // I don’t need to explain how great it is to see Tessa Thompson kicking ass. Also, Taika Waititi’s humor is great. 

Black Panther, dir. Ryan Coogler // It’s not really a secret that I love Ryan Coogler’s work, so when I heard that directing Black Panther, I knew I was going to see the movie multiple times. I saw it three times -- twice in theaters while interning at Disney, once on a cross-country flight back home. 

Enchanted, dir. Kevin Lima // While it isn’t as widely advertised in this iteration of my tumblr, I’m a HUGE Alan Menken fan. I’m an even bigger Disney nerd. Like... I go ALL OUT on Disney. Enchanted is a comedic meta commentary that satirizes the Princess and Renaissance Disney eras in a more lighthearted tale. Featuring Amy Adams (a favorite of mine), Patrick Dempsey (meh), James Marsden, Idina Menzel, Susan Sarandon, and cameos from your favorite Disney Princess voice actors.

TV recommendations: 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine // I’m not generally a big fan of IRL police, but I do appreciate a funny and well-written comedy featuring a diverse ensemble cast. Shout-out to the Nine-Nine for having TWO queer characters of color: Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) and Detective Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz). Catch all five seasons on Hulu and season six on NBC (whenever that starts). 

Community // I was recommended this by a friend who has the same comedic sense as I do. While I think the first season was a bit slow, I do appreciate the humor. Donald Glover and Danny Puti were the main reasons why I watched all six seasons (#sixseasonsandamovie). I loved their onscreen chemistry and their character development. 

The Clone Wars // (aka #sixseasonsandamovie: Star Wars Edition) While it may take some adjustment coming from the live-action films, this animated series expands on the events of The Clone Wars. I found this series particularly useful in parsing out the canon and Legends universe because Lucasfilm was in the process of aquisition by Disney throughout the later part of its production. As a child, I appreciated the well-timed humor and sci-fi action. As an adult, I appreciate the subtle themes and narratives posed in a war that relied upon cloned labor. 

Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra // UGH JUST LOOK AT THIS MASTERPIECE THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN MORE SERIOUSLY. A:TLA is basically a Chosen One narrative in which our immature hero must rise to the occasion and bring balance to the world by defeating a major imperial power. The Legend of Korra expands on the universe and is set approximately 70 years after the conclusion of A:TLA. While Korra (the heroine) is much farther in her physical journey as the Avatar/Chosen Once, she still has much to learn about the world aroundher and of Republic City. This series focuses more on social and spiritual conflicts in a recently industrialized world. As a viewer, I think Korra is a much needed representation of brown girls in popular media, especially in animation. REALLY I’M JUST HERE FOR THE WORLD BUILDING AND LORE. And honestly, if you’re a writer or even a lover of well-written worlds, check these two series out for great examples of world-building.  Check out creators Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko on tumblr for more of their work!

Music recommendations: 

I have a pretty broad taste in music, so here’s a quick sample of what you’ll find on shuffle when you’re me:

Pay My Rent - DNCE

Trader Sam’s (background music loop for Trader Sam’s Tiki Lounge at both the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort in Orlando, FL)

Shiver Shiver - Walk the Moon

Hard Times - Paramore

Etta James - I’d Rather Be Blind

Christ Stapleton feat. Justin Timberlake - Tennessee Whiskey

Wannabe - Spice Girls

Aquarium, from Camille Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals

Nocturne op. 9 no. 2 by Frederic Chopin (Fun fact: this appears on Bioshock Infinite’s ambient soundtrack and in the following song...)

United States of Eurasia - Muse

We haven’t really gotten into jazz standards or soundtracks either, so /shrug

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: Iced cold brew coffee!

Cats or dogs: Dogs if I am not personally responsible for them for more than 48 hours, cats if I am.

I want to live long enough to witness: The end of this bullshit presidential administration, the elimination of undocumented and prison labor, worldwide denuclearization, public beach access for all, institution of universal or single-payer health insurance in the US, the end of my alma mater’s budget crisis

Weird obsessions: Dr. Sandra Lee’s (DrPimplePopper) YouTube Channel, Filipino fusion cuisine, eating raw fish

Tumblr birthday: September 2010, I think. I’ve had my tumblr since high school. 

How many sideblogs: None anymore, but if you’re interested in my academic and professional work, ask me about my pro-blog on Wordpress. 

Random fact about me: I several redundant professional certifications in water rescue and CPR/AED administration.

[sivarcher-sivvie]

Another slice of life

It's me and another slice of life short story! This idea is based from S05E17 when Raymond learns Yoga from Charles he said: "My doctor tells me to be more active." So I loved to look into small details 🤣

Also Happy Lunar New Year to anyone who celebrates it by the way!

And since there are two SOL one-shot now, I combined them and posted them on AO3 as well XD If anyone want to read there, please proceed to: A day in the life of Raymond Holt & Kevin Cozner - Chapter 1 - SivArcher - Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

---Doctor's Appointment---

Every once a year, at the summertime there is one specific day is their annual body checkup day where they will spend the whole day doing all the health screenings needed or suggested by their doctor.

"Raymond, can you help me bag these supplements that I've taken for the past year? I've forgot to keep the receipt in. " Kevin was calling the doctor to reconfirm their appointment while asking Raymond help for the supplement showcase later. Normally Kevin will be taking Iron and Vitamin D as his daily supplements because A: He had anemia that is caused by iron deficiency, and B: He rarely go outside to be under the sun, thus Vitamin D needed. On some occasions where he was sleep deprived, he will take Vitamin B as well, and every year he will be showing the doctor what kind of supplements he has in his daily life, despite the doctor already know since he's been their doctor for like 10 years.

On the contrary, Raymond does not believe in supplements needed in his daily life, he believed he can get everything he needs from daily food intake and he has been right. After all he is much more active than Kevin and being under the sun is a normal to him ever since his beat cop day.

"Dear, have you been taking these sleep aid supplement again? " Raymond found the melatonin bottle along with the other supplements and so he asked.

Kevin just finished his phone call with the doctor's receptionist and so he looked at him sheepishly: "Yes, I have. But not every day, only when I couldn't sleep. "

"How is it that I do not know this? How long has it been happening? " Raymond puts down the bottle and getting near to Kevin, almost holding him in his arms.

"It was… It was nothing, really. Just a couple of times. " Kevin looked at him in the eyes try to convince him, but he can tell his husband is lying.

"There is nearly half the bottle gone, Kevin. I am worried about you. " Raymond soften his voice so he doesn't appear to be interrogate his husband. Kevin slumps his shoulder to know that he could never deceive his husband, it has proven many times that Raymond is an exceptional detective and furthermore, he can read him like a book.

"Ever since the… Safe House incident, sometimes I will have nightmare and so I… took some of the sleeping aids. I didn't tell you because it was really just happening sometimes and I was able to sleep more normally these days, truly. " Kevin lean into him and pat him in the back to assure Raymond that he is fine, he doesn't have to worry about him.

Raymond knew that incident must have some aftermath for Kevin, it was such a traumatize experience yet he failed to notice his husband changes: "I am sorry, Kevin. You should have never been through all of that. "

Kevin shook his head and kiss him on the lips gently: "Stop apologize to me, it was not your fault. Raymond. And you have done everything you could, I am still here, aren't I? "

He looked him in the eye, the striking blues that fulfilled every moment in his life, and so he said: "Yes, you are. "

The trip to the doctor was smooth and the checkup has been performed swiftly, one week later they have another appointment where the doctor will review their screening report.

It usually went well as he and Kevin remain a pretty healthy lifestyle on their food and exercise, albeit lesser in the recent years but Raymond trust that they will have no big issue.

It was partially correct though.

"Mr Holt, your cholesterol level has been climbing up to the borderline number. " The doctor circled up the shockingly close to the unhealthy checkpoint number and said to him.

Raymond stares at his report, he could not believe it. After all, he's been eating healthily, doing exercises regularly with the fencing and squash, how had he come to this?

"As well as your liver function has been exceeding the normal number a little bit. The others have been perfectly in range and healthy! " Raymond looked at that number where it's higher by 2 points from the normal range.

To be fair, he does drink a lot more compared to before he came to the 99, mostly is they gathered at the bar a lot, and the cheap liquor has such nasty effects.

"Mr Holt, do not need to be too worried about these. At your age, your number is still very good. I wouldn't worry a lot about the cholesterol level or liver function number, but I do suggest you to be more active and less drinking if possible. " The doctor closed his report and gave his insights.

"I understand, thank you, doctor. " Raymond nods and put a mental note in his mind to be more active and he should drink less in those team gatherings at the Shaw's bar.

Or maybe he should just drink water only from now on.

"Your turn, Mr Cozner. " The doctor opens another report while Raymond and Kevin switched places on the chair. Kevin puts his hands on Raymond's shoulder to signal him comfort.

"How was your knees and throat? Are they doing okay? " Though before the doctor review the report, he asked about Kevin's current wellbeing due to Kevin had history of Osteoarthritis and Chorditis.

Kevin nodded along: "Yes, they have been improving a lot. " Raymond knows Kevin's knees has been in suboptimal state, according to doctor this is unavoidable as it was a natural degrade of his knees. That's why he never let Kevin hold any heavy object or doing any movements that require squads. And ever since couple years ago he had that Chorditis, his throat had become easily sore due to overuse them in the class.

These were old problems that Raymond hope that pain can leave Kevin alone, but to no avail and he guess it's just part of the life progress.

"That's good. Keep up with the medicine and you'll be alright. As for your screening report… " The doctor flipped on the pages of the report, from Raymond's eyesight, it seems everything is alright.

"Your result are very good! Nothing was excessive and every single number are within range. " The doctor smiled at his report and gave a clearance to him.

"That is wonderful. Thank you, doctor. " They finished their session soon after Kevin picks up his medicine from the pharmacy.

On their ride back to the house, Raymond still couldn't believe that he was not the perfect result man that he always secretly prided himself with. Even after they reached the house, he's still thinking about it.

"I could not believe that I had a red number this year. " He still stares at his report, on the sofa while Kevin is making them tea.

"It is okay, Raymond. We are getting old, and the doctor said do not worry. " Kevin puts out his tea and comfort him.

"I'll have to be more active I guess. Sadly, our squash club had been turned into a racquetball club. The audacity of those people. " Raymond picks up Kevin's report and read that it was indeed a flawless healthy report.

"I agreed. " Kevin is taking his Osteoarthritis medicine with the water, he will have his throat protection medicine after the dinner.

"I'm glad your results are good. Congratulations, Kevin. " He sips his tea while watching his husband swallowed the white pills in a weird face. His Kevin is not fond of having pills and always have it hard to swallow.

"Thank you, Raymond. Although I am the one who needs to keep having these medicine even though I have a perfect score on the screening. " Kevin pointed his medicine bag and sigh.

"You know these are two different things. And if you don't take it, your knees might be in great pain again. " Raymond hold his hand to be an emotional support, he has seen Kevin when his knees acting up, he couldn't afford to see that again, it breaks his heart.

"I know. I won't want to experience that pain again. " Kevin lies his head on his shoulder and happily sigh.

"Do you want a massage on them? " Raymond looked at Kevin's legs, it's been sometimes that he gave Kevin a massage. He normally done it to his neck and shoulder but he's very good at legs too.

"Yes I do. Thank you, Raymond. " And so Kevin moves his body to a proper position so that Raymond can massage his legs comfortably.

While Kevin looked at his man, his husband, and feeling the big warm hand from him on his knees, his eyes were soft and so he smiled.

'What a good day. ' He thought while he slowly falls asleep.

---

I normally write these in between of the long fics so I can escape to other ideas sometimes hahaha. These one-shots have not been edited though so 😅😅

[the-master-cylinder]

Blacula (1972) Summary In 1780, Prince Mamuwalde (William Marshall) is sent by the elders of the Abani African nation to seek the help of Count Dracula (Charles Macaulay) in suppressing the slave trade. Dracula, instead, laughs at this request and insults Mamuwalde by making thinly veiled overtures about enslaving his wife, Luva (Vonetta McGee). After a scuffle with Dracula’s minions, Mamuwalde is transformed into a vampire. Dracula curses him with the name “Blacula” and imprisons him in a sealed coffin in a crypt hidden beneath the castle. Luva is also imprisoned in the crypt and left to die.

In 1972, the coffin is purchased as part of an estate by two homosexual interior decorators, Bobby McCoy (Ted Harris) and Billy Schaffer (Rick Metzler) and shipped to Los Angeles. Bobby and Billy open the coffin and become Prince Mamuwalde’s first victims. At the funeral home where Bobby McCoy’s body is laid, Mamuwalde spies on mourning friends Tina Williams (Vonetta McGee), her sister Michelle (Denise Nicholas), and Michelle’s boyfriend, Dr. Gordon Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala), a pathologist for the Los Angeles Police Department. Mamuwalde believes Tina is the reincarnation of his deceased wife, Luva. On close investigation of the corpse at the funeral home, Dr. Thomas notices oddities with Bobby McCoy’s death that he later concludes to be consistent with vampire folklore.

Prince Mamuwalde continues to kill and transform various people he encounters, as Tina begins to fall in love with him. Thomas, his colleague Lt. Peters (Gordon Pinsent), and Michelle follow the trail of murder victims and begin to suspect a vampire is responsible. After Thomas digs up Billy’s coffin, Billy’s corpse rises as a vampire and attacks Thomas, who fends him off and drives a stake through his heart. Thomas also finds a photo negative taken of Mamuwalde and Tina in which Mamuwalde is not visible. After killing one of the undead victims in the city morgue, Thomas and Peters track Mamuwalde to his hideout, the warehouse where Bobby McCoy and Billy Schaffer were first slain. They locate and defeat several vampires, but Mamuwalde manages to escape.

Mamuwalde lures Tina to his new hideout at a nearby chemical plant, while Thomas and a group of police officers pursue him. Mamuwalde dispatches several officers, but one of them accidentally shoots Tina fatally. To save her life, Mamuwalde transforms her into a vampire. One of the remaining policemen locates the coffin and alerts Peters. However, Peters inadvertently kills Tina with a stake, believing that Mamuwalde would be in the coffin instead. Devastated at losing her again, Mamuwalde tells Thomas and Peters there is no need to pursue him further, and willingly climbs the stairs to the roof where the morning sun destroys him.

DEVELOPMENT The movie was put together by Joseph T. Naar, an agent who was looking to set himself up as a producer. Once he read the Blacula script, written by Joan Torres and Raymond Koenig, he gave it to Sam Arkoff, founder of the legendary B-movie company AIP, and it wasn’t a hard sell.

When William Crain was approached to direct Blacula, he had already done some episodic television, including The Mod Squad, and had previously studied filmmaking in Canada. Like a lot of African-American talent, Crain resisted blaxploitation assignments, and for him to take one on, it had to stand a chance of being a good movie. When he was offered Blacula, he leaped at the chance. “I was a youngster at the time,” he recalls. “I’m not sure how they found me, but they said they had this movie, this black vampire, and it turned out it was a legitimate project, so I really jumped on it. At the time, I was really happy to get that film; it just fell into place.”

When it came time to cast the title role, Crain says that he and Naar “went through every actor we thought could carry that role. Joe and I both had the idea that this guy should be regal, and because William Marshall had experience with Shakespeare—he had done Othello-we wanted that kind of presence. We called him, and he sat through the interview with a lot of style and poise. I was impressed. And he said OK, he’d go for it.”

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Marshall recalled to the L.A. Times that he couldn’t believe he was being asked to play the part, but thought the project had possibilities. He also recalled having “damn near as many pages of criticism” for the script as there were pages. “Marshall didn’t like the whole blaxploitation movement that was going on; he made that very clear,” says David Sheldon, a former AIP executive. “He felt his contribution would uplift rather than demean.”

Marshall insisted that if he was to play Blacula, he had to be a dignified man, and he had to have approval over his dialogue; no way would Blacula speak jive. “I agreed with that, I didn’t want that either,” says Crain. “The guy should be a class act, not a buffoon, and that was the only way we could make this thing work. People would be sympathetic toward him because he has been cursed and taken away from his family.”

Blacula was shot in 28 days, and Naar remembers it costing about $500,000. Although the film was made on a tight, low budget schedule, Crain was determined to do the best job he could on his first movie. He recalls that AIP wanted him to get the movie done as quickly as possible, and one day, when they felt he wasn’t moving fast enough, the word came down from the company brass: “Listen, Crain, you’re not makin’ Gone With the Wind, just get the damn thing done!” Crain called his parents for advice, and remembers that his mother told him, “Go do the best you can.” So he stuck to his guns. “They wanted it fast, down and dirty,” he says. “They wanted me to just get through it, and I wouldn’t compromise.”

SOUNDTRACK/SCORE Blacula (1972) Gene Page The movie also includes several musical performances from The Hues Corporation, who several years later had a huge hit with the disco classic “Rock the Boat.” Crain saw them perform in New York, and thought they’d be great for several scenes in a nightclub. “The Hughes Corporation actually stayed on longer than the script called for, because they were so good,” Crain says.

RELEASE/DISTRIBUTION/CONCLUSION Blacula is also very professional-looking for a low-budget project, and Crain recalls that AIP put more support behind the movie as the production progressed. At first, they said no to the extra crewmembers and a dolly he wanted, but once they saw the dailies, more equipment was provided. “First thing, another camera crew showed up,” the director recalls. “Instead of using old Mitchell cameras, Panavisions started arriving!”

In Blacula, Marshall puts in a great performance without compromising his integrity as an actor. Not only was Marshall a huge talent, but at 6-feet-5 he was also a giant of a man. Crain and co. had to make sure some of his co-stars didn’t get too close to Marshall, lest they look like midgets in comparison. When people recall the actor, they often imitate his big, booming voice that could shake a room like a subwoofer. In Esquire’s review of Blacula, novelist Thomas Berger called Marshall “a magnificent figure of a man with a voice like a bass violin.” The

decision to play Blacula straight really paid off; he’s an intelligent, dignified vampire, not some fanged jive turkey in a cape. In its review of Blacula, The Hollywood Reporter stated, “With his stentorian tones and Shakespearean demeanor, Marshall carves a pillar of impeccable dignity and grace, thereby creating a fulcrum of sorts for the film’s relentless mayhem.”

“He was very convincing,” says Blacula cinematographer John M. Stephens. “Extremely convincing! I do remember certain times during the shoot getting a chill down my back.’

Besides his clear acting talents and professionalism, Marshall was a gentleman offstage as well. Most also recall him as being a very private man who didn’t let many into his personal life. “He was all business, all the way,” Crain says. “In terms of personal interaction, I never had a drink with him, I never did any fishing with him, we just never got together.” Despite his private nature, however, Marshall did keep his ranch home in Southern California open to young actors to come over for script readings.

Once it was released in summer 1972, reviews for Blacula were mixed. The New York Times wrote, “Anybody who goes to a vampire movie expecting sense is in for serious trouble, and Blacula offers less sense than most.” L.A. Times critic Kevin Thomas called it “a corny horror picture that’s lots longer on laughter than credibility.” But like many critics who reviewed the film, he gave Marshall’s performance high marks. “Marshall, the noted Othello interpreter, holds on to his dignity and holds the picture together pretty well besides.”

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But critics be damned; the public responded strongly to Blacula. Both Crain and Marshall went to see the movie in theaters with regular paying audiences to witness their reactions. Crain went with a highschool friend (whom he had put in the film as an extra) to the Orpheum Theater in downtown LA. “We paid our admission and sat in the back,” Crain says. “People were rolling in the aisles. They were afraid in the places they should have been afraid, and they just had a really good time.”

The director says the success of Blacula “surprised everyone. It surprised me, too. I was a kid, so it was great just to be working. The only reservation I had was that I wasn’t sure if the African-American community was gonna accept it. Some people laughed when they heard I was going to shoot it, but I think it was pretty well-received.” In the book What It Is, What It Was, a history of the blaxploitation film, Marshall said, “I think the producers were quite surprised at how strong the positive response to the film was… Not for a moment did they think this was something that would become as meaningful to audiences as it did.”

Recollections aren’t totally clear on how much Blacula made at the box office, but Naar says it pulled in about $3 million, a great gross for the time—especially considering the film’s half million-dollar budget and that the average ticket price back then was less than two bucks. AIP took out trade ads celebrating the film’s success: “He’s Black. He’s Beautiful. He’s Boxoffice!”

Looking back on Blacula years later, Marshall told Jankiewicz, “Performing that role was rewarding in a number of ways, and I felt very good about it at the time. I still have to make up my mind whether to compliment it or run away from it! I guess it depends on how it strikes me,” he laughed.

“I believe Blacula was one of the best things that could have happened to William Marshall,” Crain offers. “The Shakespeare stuff comes and goes, there’s new people that come and do those plays, and once you do Othello, you’ve done it and that’s it. He knew he did a good job with Blacula, and it stayed with him for the rest of his life.”

Crain is also amazed that Blacula, currently available on DVD from MGM, is still remembered after all these years. “People ask me about it, and I say, ‘He just won’t die, will he?’ ” Crain is one of the founders of the Ethnic Minority Committee at the Directors Guild of America, and one day a coworker came up to him, shook his hand and told him he saw Blacula when he was a kid. “When we’d go to a screening, he’d always tell his friends, ‘This guy did Blacula, man, and it scared me!’”

Crain is certainly glad he made the film, but looking back, he also wishes he was more diplomatic when he was starting out.

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CAST/CREW Directed William Crain

Produced Samuel Z. Arkoff Joseph T. Naar

Screenplay Joan Torres Raymond Koenig Richard Glouner

William Marshall as Prince Mamuwalde / Blacula Denise Nicholas as Michelle Williams Vonetta McGee as Tina Williams / Luva Gordon Pinsent as Lt. Jack Peters Thalmus Rasulala as Dr. Gordon Thomas Emily Yancy as Nancy Lance Taylor Sr. as Swenson Logan Field as Sergeant Barnes Ted Harris as Bobby McCoy Rick Metzler as Billy Schaffer Ketty Lester as Juanita Jones / Taxi Girl Charles Macaulay as Count Dracula Ji-Tu Cumbuka as Skillet Elisha Cook, Jr. as Sam Eric Brotherson as Real Estate Agent The Hues Corporation as themselves Rick Hochman as The Young Hoch

Scream Blacula Scream (1973) Summary After a dying Voodoo queen, Mama Loa, chooses an adopted apprentice, Lisa Fortier as her successor, her arrogant son and true heir, Willis, is outraged.

Seeking revenge, he buys the bones of Mamuwalde the vampire from the former shaman of the voodoo cult and uses voodoo to resurrect the vampire to do his bidding. However, while it brings Mamuwalde back to life, he bites Willis upon awakening. Willis now finds himself in a curse of his own doing: made into a vampire hungering for blood and a slave to the very creature he sought to control.

Meanwhile, Justin Carter, an ex-police officer with a large collection of acquired African antiquities and an interest in the occult, begins to investigate the murders caused by Mamuwalde and his growing vampire horde. Justin meets Mamuwalde at a party Justin hosts to display the African collection pieces before being moved to the University’s museum. They discuss the artifacts, unbeknown to anyone else, that were from the region of Africa Mamuwalde hails from, including pieces of jewelry once worn by his late wife Luva.

Mamuwalde also meets Justin’s girlfriend, Lisa Fortier, at the party and he discovers that Lisa is naturally adept at voodoo. Lisa discovers Mamuwalde’s true nature after a friend of hers, Gloria, falls victim to his bite and is resurrected as a vampire who nearly feeds on her, if not for Mamuwalde’s intervention. He later asks her for help to cure him of his vampire curse.

Justin, with the help of L.A.P.D. Lieutenant Harley Dunlop, pulls together several other cops to go to the Mamuwalde residence to investigate the recent deaths. While Lisa is performing the ritual to cure Mamuwalde, using a voodoo doll fashioned to look like him, Justin, Harley and their men raid the house, fighting against Blacula’s vampire minions which include several friends of theirs. Willis is killed during this scuffle. Justin manages to find Lisa and Mamuwalde and interrupts the ritual. Lisa refuses to help Mamuwalde after she witnesses him kill the other police officers in the house in a fit of rage.

After realizing that Lisa is no longer willing to help Mamuwalde, he rejects his human nature and decides to convert Justin into a vampire. Shouting he is only “Blacula”, Lisa stabs the prince’s voodoo doll with Justin’s arrows repeatedly. Blacula screams out in pain from Lisa’s voodoo doll attacks, but his final state is left ambiguous.

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BACKSTORY Arkoff was happy with how the movie performed, and of course it did well enough for AIP to make a sequel, Scream, Blacula, Scream!, released a year later. Marshall graciously returned, and the film also featured blaxploitation superstar Pam Grier. Torres and Koenig again wrote the screenplay, but Scream, Blacula, Scream! was helmed by a different director, Bob Kelljan, who had cut his teeth on AIP’s vampiric Count Yorga films.

“I didn’t do the sequel because I believe I pissed them off,” Crain admits. “We didn’t get along during the shoot. I was headstrong, young and brash. There were a lot of things they wanted that I thought were ridiculous, and things I wanted that I forced the issue on. We just didn’t get along, and when I heard they were going to do the sequel and they didn’t call me, I wasn’t upset.”

Most agreed that Scream, Blacula, Scream! didn’t capture the spark of the original. “It was in no sense of the word as interesting as the first one,” Marshall recalled to Fango writer Pat Jankiewicz. “I felt very good about Blacula, but I wasn’t quite as comfortable in the sequel.” He did feel, however, that Grier was “a marvelous addition…I liked her.”

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CAST/CREW Directed Bob Kelljan

Produced Joseph T. Naar

Written Joan Torres Raymond Koenig Maurice Jules

William H. Marshall as Prince Mamuwalde / Blacula Don Mitchell as Justin Carter Pam Grier as Lisa Fortier Michael Conrad as Lieutenant Harley Dunlop Janee Michelle as Gloria Lynn Moody as Denny Barbara Rhoades as Elaine Bernie Hamilton as Ragman Richard Lawson as Willis Daniels

CREDITS/REFERENCES/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Starlog#255 Fangoria#264 Monsters of the Movies#30

DOUBLE FEATURE RETROSPECTIVE – Blacula (1972)/Scream Blacula Scream (1973) Blacula (1972) Summary In 1780, Prince Mamuwalde (William Marshall) is sent by the elders of the Abani African nation to seek the help of Count Dracula (Charles Macaulay) in suppressing the slave trade.

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FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE INDEPENDIENTE/ SEPTIMA EDICION

Un mapa del cine del mundo

Clarín.com 12/04/2005 - 0:00

Africa y Oriente Medio

Una de las mejores películas de Cannes, Mooladé, del octogenario senegalés Ousmane Sembene, es una de las cumbres del cine de ese continente. El iraní Abbas Kiarostami se pone radical con los planos fijos de Five, el israelí Amos Gitai trae el drama Promised Land, y el palestino Hany Abu-Assad, la literalmente explosiva Paradise Now.

Lejano Oriente

Por el lado del cine de acción asiático, el BAFICI ofrece un policial de Johnnie To (Breaking News) y el premiado thriller del coreano Park Chan-wook (el sorprendente Oldboy). Pero el fuerte son autores como el chino Jia Zhangke (The World) el coreano Kim Ki-duk (3-Iron y Samaria), el tailandés Apichatpong Weerasethakul (la asombrosa Tropical Malady), el taiwanés Tsai Ming-liang (The Wayward Cloud, sobre el mundo del porno) y el japonés Hirokazu Kore-eda (la angustiante Nobody Knows). Habrá sorpresas de Malasia (The Beautiful Washing Machine), Tailandia (Beautiful Boxer), Filipinas (Women of Breakwater) y Corea (So Cute), y animación de Hong Kong, con la brillante McDull, prince de la bum.

América latina

Tras su paso por Mar del Plata, llega Machuca, la exitosa película del chileno Andrés Wood. También se verá Contra todos, del brasileño Roberto Moreira, sobre una familia de clase media de San Pablo. Habrá un documental de Eduardo Coutinho (Peoes) centrado en los sindicalistas que combatieron con Lula en los '70; la coproducción chileno-argentina Mi mejor enemigo, de Alex Bowen, sobre el casi conflicto del Beagle, y el filme mexicano Relatos desde el encierro, sobre las prisioneras en la cárcel de Puente Grande. Justicia, de Ramos Agusta (Brasil); El escolaso, de Federico Beltramelli (Uruguay) y Toro negro de Pedro González Rubio (México) completan.

Europa

Francia trae pesos pesados como Alain Resnais (Pas sur la buche), Agnes Varda (cinevardaphoto), Jean-Luc Godard (Notre musique), Chris Marker (Chats perchés), Raymond Depardon (Profiles Farmers: Daily Life), la dupla Straub-Huillet (Une visite au Louvre) y Olivier Assayas (Clean). Los alemanes Harun Farocki y Fred Kelemen traen sus respectivas Nothing Ventured y Fallen, en tanto que de España llegará Cachorro, de Miguel Albadalejo. Regresa el italiano Vincenzo Marra con Vento di terra y Goran Paskaljevic trae su dura Sueño de una noche de invierno. La irlandea Omagh (sobre un atentado del IRA), el drama sueco-danés Day and Night, de Simon Staho, y la película de acción subterránea Kontroll, de Hungría, completan el listado.

Estados Unidos

Algunos de los grandes nombres del cine independiente norteamericano vienen con trabajos que no están a la altura de sus clásicos, como The Girl From Monday, de Hal Hartley; Silver City, de John Sayles; Palindromes, de Todd Solondz, o A Dirty Shame, de John Waters. Mucho más interesante es Undertow, otra exploración por el sur de David Gordon Green o Mondovino, en la que Jonathan Nossiter se mete con el negocio vitivinícola. Kevin Bacon se luce en The Woodsman, de Nicole Kassel, y The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things es un tómelo o déjelo explosivo de Asia Argento. Imperdibles son los documentales Capturing the Friedmans, de Andrew Jarecki y Dig!, sobre la rivalidad entre dos bandas de rock estadounidense.

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Best Movies On HBO Right Now (September 2019) | Screen Rant

What are the best movies to watch on HBO? Subscription streaming services are the fastest growing sector of the entertainment landscape, but before Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu came to dominate that arena, premium cable companies like HBO were offering consumers a way to watch movies and TV shows without commercials for a set monthly fee. Not content to let streaming run away with their market share, HBO also now allows people to subscribe to an entirely online version of their service called HBO Now, after fans begged for such an option for years.

Nowadays, cutting the cable cord is the preferred way to go for many, especially younger pop culture devotees. Cable packages are bloated, full of content very few people want, and contain multiple additional fees. Still, whether one subscribes to HBO through cable or via streaming, the service offers a great selection of movies with which to pass the time, even if the line-up isn't quite as robust as those of the subscription streaming big three.

Related: Ranked: Most Anticipated HBO Shows In 2019

Before the list of the best movies on HBO begins proper, there are some important notes to be made. First, the movies below are available to watch on HBO and stream on HBO Now at the time of this writing. As movies expire, the list will be updated, and new great options will be added. Also, the 15 films below, while numbered for convenience, are not ranked.

Last updated: September 6, 2019

In 1978, director John Carpenter created one of the most iconic horror villains of all time with Halloween's Michael Myers. Unfortunately, the franchise that followed wasn't exactly great, with few of the sequels doing any type of justice to the original. Thankfully, that trend changed with 2018's Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green, and now available on HBO. A direct sequel to only Carpenter's original - and with Carpenter himself onboard as producer and composer - Halloween (2018) does its best to recapture Michael's glory days, even bringing back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. The result isn't as good as the original, but it's pretty easily the best follow-up.

Director Paul Verhoeven has always been known for peppering his films with subversive messages, and making films that were uniquely his. That very much extended to his more commercially successful fare, such as 1987's Robocop, which proved popular enough to spawn a franchise that's still ongoing (and almost entirely available on HBO), but also overflowed with satirical attacks on consumerism and capitalism as a whole. For Omni Consumer Products, nothing comes before profit, and not even murder is too far to go to make another buck. Thankfully, Robocop ends up disagreeing with his makers.

Few monsters even approach the level of movies made about the vampire. It's not hard to see why, as vampires' ageless nature and wide-ranging powers often lead to them being seen as both cool and seductive. One of the best depictions of the sheer potential coolness involved with being a member of the undead is 1987's cult classic The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher. The film's tagline says it all: "Sleep all day. Party all night. It's fun to be a vampire." A cast full of 1980s favorites doesn't hurt things, including Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Jami Gertz, Keifer Sutherland, and Alex Winter. The Lost Boys is definitely worth biting into on HBO.

Related: 20 Crazy Details Behind The Making Of The Lost Boys

One of the most acclaimed films of 2018, BlacKkKlansman earned six Oscar nominations, including the first ever Best Director nomination for Spike Lee. While Lee didn't win, he did share in the film's Best Adapted Screenplay victory. Based on a true story, BlacKkKlansman stars John David Washington as Ron Stallworth, the first black cop in the history of Colorado Springs. Stallworth struggles to fit in at first, but quickly finds his niche investigating infamous hate group the Ku Klux Klan. Stallworth gains their trust by pretending to be white over the phone, with fellow officer Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) posing as Stallworth for in person meetings. For those who missed it in theaters last year, BlacKkKlansman is a must-watch HBO selection.

While not quite the exalted classic its 1962 inspiration is, director Jonathan Demme's 2004 remake of political thriller The Manchurian Candidate is still an enjoyable piece of work. Denzel Washington stars as a war veteran named Ben Marco, who begins to suspect his experiences overseas might not have been what they seemed. Before long, his investigation leads to the revelation that vice presidential candidate Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber) might be an unwitting puppet of a dark conspiracy. Meryl Streep, Vera Farmiga, and Jon Voight also star in this prime HBO pick.

The directorial debut of acclaimed filmmaker Jason Reitman, 2005's Thank You for Smoking is a pitch black satire of just how unethical the world of high-powered corporate lobbying can really be. Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor, a good-looking, fast-talking, alpha male-type lobbyist for the tobacco industry. Cigarettes are of course a product that slowly kills its users, making lobbying it for a job best done without moral hangups. Katie Holmes, Maria Bello, David Koechner, William H. Macy, and more fill out the star-studded cast of this top HBO pick.

Related: Everything We Know About Ghostbusters 2020

Based on a novel by best-selling author John Grisham, 1996's A Time to Kill takes a harsh look at the often racially-biased justice system in the American south, and also asks the question of whether murder can ever be justified. Set in Mississippi, A Time to Kill's plot is put in motion by the brutal rape of a young black girl. Afraid the rapists will go free, the girl's father, powerfully played by Samuel L. Jackson, gets revenge by shooting and killing them on their way to trial. This earns him a murder trial of his own, and it's up to white lawyer Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) and his defense team to try and avoid the death penalty. Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, Kevin Spacey, and Donald and Keifer Sutherland also star in this prime HBO pick.

One of the most beloved documentaries in recent memory, many moviegoers were outraged when director Morgan Neville's Won't You Be My Neighbor? was snubbed in the Oscars best documentary category. Despite that sad turn, the film's exploration of the life and career of Fred Rogers - host of legendary kids show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, and lifelong advocate for children - remains utterly compelling, and enough to pierce just about anyone's cynical exterior. HBO subscribers should get acquainted with it as soon as possible.

Page 2 of 2: More Great Movies On HBO Now

While Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson might be one of the biggest stars in the world today, his early acting career wasn't without its growing pains. One of Johnson's first starring roles following his departure as an active wrestler for WWE was in 2003's The Rundown, a jungle-set action film that tends to get unfairly overlooked as an early sign of just how charismatic an action lead he would become. The Rock plays a bounty hunter named Beck, tasked with retrieving Travis Walker (Seann William Scott) from Brazil. Complicating things is evil mining boss Cornelius Hatcher, played with gusto by Christopher Walken. Arnold Schwarzenegger even pops up in this thrilling action/adventure, now on HBO.

Related: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes

While not quite as overwhelmingly appreciated as its 2016 predecessor, 2018's Deadpool 2 is a very fun sequel in its own right, and features great supporting turns from Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino.  Of course, the true star of the show continues to be Deadpool himself, as played by Ryan Reynolds. While the decision to kill off Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) was definitely questionable, it still led to some great gags, exciting action, and even a Juggernaut appearance. Fans now wait impatiently for news on exactly what Disney plans to do with Wade Wilson, but for the time being, they could do worse than stream Deadpool 2 on HBO.

While 1994's The Ref is far from a feel-good tale, those looking for a Christmas-themed film with a satirical edge would be wise to give it a look, as it's become a bit forgotten over the years. Denis Leary stars as Gus, a jewel thief who ends up taking a suburban couple (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) hostage after being left behind by his getaway driver. Gus makes his captives take him back home, and soon enough, their highly dysfunctional family begins to show up to celebrate the holidays. Also known as Hostile Hostages, The Ref is a great choice to stream on HBO.

Asian actors still really don't get that many leading roles in Hollywood films, but with director Jon M. Chu's 2018 hit Crazy Rich Asians, an entire cast of them got a chance to prove how outdated that practice is. Constance Wu stars as Rachel Chu, a Chinese-American professor who heads to Singapore in order to meet her boyfriend Nick Young's (Henry Golding) family. As the title suggests though, Nick neglected to inform Rachel that said family is shockingly rich and powerful. Unfortunately for Rachel, Nick's controlling mom (Michelle Yeoh) isn't a fan of their union. It's a fairly standard romantic comedy setup, but brought to life by a talented cast, and told from a relatively unseen point of view. A massive financial success, Crazy Rich Asians is a terrific addition to the HBO line-up.

Related: Crazy Rich Asians 2: Everything We Know About The Sequel's Story

A critically acclaimed adaptation of the popular novel by Angie Thomas, 2018's The Hate U Give makes no bones about the fact that it's politically motivated, with a story that could be easily ripped from far too many headlines. Starr (Amandla Stenberg) does her best to balance her daily life at a mostly white private school with her home and weekend existence in a predominantly black neighborhood. Starr does her best not to rock the boat, that is until her close friend Khalil (Algee Smith) is gunned down by a white cop while unarmed. This leaves Starr with the choice to maintain her anonymity, or stand up for her fallen friend. The Hate U Give is an essential HBO watch.

An award season darling, Bradley Cooper's 2018 remake of A Star is Born may have ended up mostly shut out at the Oscars - winning only for Best Original Song - but that doesn't make it any less of a terrific addition to the HBO line-up. Cooper directs and stars as Jackson Maine, a successful singer-songwriter who struggles with alcoholism and the prospect that he's losing his hearing. Lady Gaga plays Ally, an unknown singer that gets discovered by Jackson one night at a club, beginning both a whirlwind romance and Ally's rise to musical stardom. Cooper and Gaga's lead song, "Shallow" deservedly won the Oscar, and the chemistry between the two is electric.

Every generation latches on to its own favorite teen movies, and for those coming of age in the 2000s, few are as beloved as 2004's Mean Girls, now on HBO. Directed by Mark Waters, Mean Girls takes a look at the clique-heavy high school ecosystem, all while being hilarious and quotable. Lindsay Lohan stars as Cady Heron, freshly placed in a new school after spending over a decade in Africa. Cady has a hard time adjusting, that is until she's taken in by The Plastics, a group of the school's most popular girls. Leading the group is the often cruel Regina George (Rachel McAdams). Before long, Cady and Regina butt heads, and the battle for teenage supremacy is on. Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, and Tina Fey also star, with Fey herself having written the script.

More: The 25 Best Films on Netflix Right Now

source https://screenrant.com/best-hbo-movies/

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Aug. 28, 2019: Obituaries

Lexie Roberts, 89

Mrs. Lexie Juanita Dowdy Roberts better known as "Ma" gained her angel wings on August 24, 2019 at the age of 89.

               Funeral services will be held 2:00 p.m., Saturday August 31, at Reins Sturdivant Chapel with Rev. Victor Church, Pastor Steve Shumate and Brother Brandon Dillard officiating. Burial will be in Bethany Baptist Church Cemetery, North Wilkesboro. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 Friday evening, August 30, 2019 at Reins Sturdivant Funeral Home.

               Ma was born March 30, 1930 in Guilford County to John Arland Dowdy and Lexie Viola Blackburn Dowdy Honeycutt.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband; Leroy Roberts, and her daughter, Renea Taylor.  

               She is survived by her sons, John Roberts of Butner, NC,  Don Roberts of Checotah, Oklahoma and Paul Roberts of Millington, Tennessee, grandchildren; Tay Taylor, Adrian Taylor, Candy Caldwell all of Winston Salem, NC, Carmy Taylor of North Wilkesboro, NC, Fletcher Roberts of Alma, Michigan, Kristi Roberts of Union, SC, as well as several distant grandchildren; great grandchildren; Zane Caldwell and Kala Douglas of Winston Salem, NC, Max Taylor of North Wilkesboro, NC, Devin Heinz of Union, SC, Destiny and Kara Church of Wilkesboro, NC, and several distant great grandchildren.

               Ma worked for many years at Gardner Mirror as well as a CNA at Home Care of Wilkes and Avante.

               She was known for her kind, mischievous, loving nature and was a hard working simple woman who loved everyone. She didn't care about worldly riches because she always said she had a mansion waiting. Ma loved to garden, grow flowers, do sequin embroidery, dip snuff, eat chocolate, go to the beach and read her Bible, but most of all spread the word of God.  

               She was a faithful member of Bethany Baptist Church. Ma always sat in the second pew on the right side of the church. She attended until her health declined. When not able to attend, Ma still praised the Lord daily.

               Even as the Alzheimer's progressed her love for Jesus remained. This terrible disease took so much from her but never her faith. Her favorite quote was "God loves you and so do I."

               The family wishes to thank the entire staff of Westwood Hills who have helped take care and love Ma for the last five years. A very special thanks to the staff on the Spark Unit and Orange Hall where Ma resided. The family also wishes to thank Mountain Valley Hospice for their loving

support the last few months.

               In addition to flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Attn: Molly Goote 31 College Place Ste. D 103, Asheville, NC 28801 c/o Walk for Ma.

 Arlena Creasman, 79

Mrs. Arlena Virginia Barker Creasman, age 79 of North Wilkesboro, wife of LaMar Creasman, died Friday, August 23, 2019 at her home.

               A Celebration of Life Service will be held 2:00 p.m. Thursday, August 29, 2019 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church with Rev. Kedron Nicholson officiating.  The family will receive friends Wednesday evening from 6:00PM until 8:00PM at Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home.

               Mrs. Creasman was born June 17, 1940 in Ashe County to Lee and Ilene Gilley Barker.  She was a social worker at Wilkes County Social Services and retired from New River Mental Health as a counselor.  She also specialized in working with children as a private counselor. She continued working for BROC Head Start as a counselor. Arlena was a friend and caregiver to many. She gave herself to others every day of her life. She loved her family and her many friends.  She especially loved her grandkids and great-grandkids and made each of them always feel like they were the favorite.

               She was preceded in death by her parents; one sister, Kathy Sapp; and her brothers-in-law, Delbert Sapp and Haskell (Frog) Hartsog.

               She is survived by two daughters, Vickie Shupe Shew and husband, Claude Shew, Jr., and Robin Shupe Keller and Dave Keller; one son, David Lee Shupe and wife, Karen Rhoades Shupe; five grandchildren, Chris Ferguson and wife, Jessica, Karrie Shew Combs and husband, Matthew, Maggie Shupe, Sophia Shupe, and Amber Keller; six great-grandchildren, Levi Ferguson, Ty Ferguson, Bryce Ferguson, Tori Ferguson, Owen Combs and Addie Combs; one sister, Janet Hartsog; and three special nephews.

               In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to BROC Head Start, 701 Veterans Drive,  North Wilkesboro, NC 28659; Wilkes ADAP Program, P.O. Box 968,  North Wilkesboro, NC 28659; or NC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Program, Wilkes County Center, Executive Drive, Wilkesboro, NC 28697.

 Vecie Shoemaker, 86

Mrs. Vecie Hall Shoemaker, age 86 of North Wilkesboro, passed away Friday, August 23, 2019 at her home.

               Graveside services were August 25,  at Arbor Grove Baptist

Church Cemetery with Rev. Lane Roark officiating.

               Mrs. Shoemaker was born September 28, 1932 in Wilkes County to Clarence E. Hall and Verna Shumate Hall. She retired from Thom McAn Manufacturing, Inc.

               She was preceded in death by her parents and four sisters; Marie Hall Karriker, Catherine Hall Lovette, Sue Hall Miller and Wanda Hall Adams.

               Mrs. Shoemaker is survived by her husband; Bobby E. Shoemaker of the home, two daughters; Lynn Shoemaker Dyer and husband Danny of Millers Creek, Diane Shoemaker Cannon of Wilkesboro, a son; Bobby F. Shoemaker

and wife Pam of North Wilkesboro, four grandchildren; Robin D. Hamby and husband Matt, Amber C. Shumate and husband Andy, Ashley D. Cannon and fiancé Bobby Sheets and Adam P. Shoemaker, six great grandchildren; Aaron Hamby, Adrienne Hamby, Emeliegh Shumate, Ashlyn Shumate,  Dawson Sheets and Gage Sheets, two sisters; Lucille Hall Johnson of Thurmond and Hazel Hall Brown of Moravian Falls and one brother; Ronnie Stone and wife Bonnie of McGrady.

               Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Wake Forest Baptist Health Care at Home Hospice 126 Executive Drive Suite 110, Wilkesboro, NC 28697.

 Michael Pennington, 60

Michael Andrew Pennington, age 60, of Millers Creek, passed away Thursday, August 22, 2019 at his home. He was born April 16, 1959 in Ashe County to William Watson and Reba Phillips Pennington. Michael was a member of Boiling Springs Baptist Church. He enjoyed fixing up old cars and was employed with Tiny's Alignment as a mechanic. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Surviving are his wife, Sandra Polk Pennington; son, Dustin Pennington of Wilkesboro; sisters, Becky Beach and spouse Johnny of Washington, NC, Nancy Pennington of Wilkesboro; grandchildren, Emmalyne Pennington, Benjamin Pennington, Keegan Pennington; and nephew, Cody Beach.

               Funeral service was August 25,  at Boiling Springs Baptist Church with Pastor Joey Moore and Pastor Victor Church officiating. Burial   followed in the church cemetery.  

               Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Miller Funeral Service to help family with funeral expenses.

               Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

               Pallbearers were Cody Beach, Johnny Beach, Clinton Reins, deacons: Raymond Eller, Jerry Eller, Fred Martin, Jeff Phipps, Pedro Sanchez, Steve Jenkins, and James Parker. Honorary pallbearers will be Benjamin Pennington and Keegan Pennington.

 Aurelia Delp, 78

Mrs. Aurelia Allen Brown Delp, age 78 of Millers Creek, wife of Robert Clayton Delp passed away Thursday, August 22, 2019 at her home.

               Funeral services will be held 2:00 PM  Thursday, August 29, 2019 at Millers Creek United  Methodist Church with Rev. Cokie Bristol officiating. Burial will be in Mountlawn Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 12:30 until 1:30  at the church.

               Mrs. Delp was born October 4, 1940 in Wilkes County to John Quincy Brown and Ona Belle Blackburn Brown. She graduated from Wilkes Central High School in 1960, was a Senior Girl Scout and enjoyed gardening and cooking. She worked in retail at the Sears store before becoming a fulltime Homemaker. Mrs. Delp was a member

of Millers Creek United Methodist Church.

               In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by three sisters; Mary James and husband John, Martha Faw and husband Gurnie and Betty Jennings and three brothers; Quincy Brown and wife Gladys, James Brown and wife Sally Adkins and Clayton Brown and wife Ruby.

               She is survived by her husband; Robert Clayton Delp of the home, a daughter; Tina Delp of Millers Creek, a son; Tony Delp and wife Jennifer of Fuquay-Varina, two grandchildren; Richard "Clayton" Delp and Christine Delp and a brother in law; Ralph Jennings of Gaffney, SC.

               Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Wake Forest Baptist Health Care at Home Hospice 126 Executive Drive Suite 110 Wilkesboro, NC 28697.

Nancy Thompson, 64

Nancy Trudean Thompson, age 64, of Millers Creek, passed away Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at Forsyth

Medical Center. Mrs. Thompson was born February 17, 1955 in Wilkes County to her mother, Faye Dancy Combs. She was a member of Pine View Baptist Church. She loved to play the piano, in which she was the pianist and was faithful to her church as long as she was able. Nancy dearly loved her family. She vol

unteered with Meals on Wheels and Senior Companions. Nancy was preceded in death by her mother.

               Surviving are her daughter, Suzanna Harrold of Hays; son, Ashley Winfield Harrold of Hays; grandchildren, Lydia Harrold, Jaseanna Trudean

Harrold, Landon Ray Harrold, Samuel Winfield Harrold, Alyssia Harrold; great grandchildren, Oakley Aspen Weaver and Kaycen Grey Bartleson; sister, Brenda Miller and spouse Dean of North Wilkesboro; brothers, Michael Combs, Joey

 Combs and spouse Chasity all of Millers Creek; father, Rev. Amos Combs and spouse Iris of Millers Creek; special friends and neighbors, Billy and Jerrie Rash; and her dog, Benny.

               Funeral service was August 24,   at Pine View Baptist Church with Pastor Steve Shumate, Rev. Kevin Souther, Rev. Jason Wiles, Rev. Amos Combs officiating. Burial  followed in Mountlawn Memorial Park.  

               Flowers will be accepted. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

 Bobby Bumgarner,  82

Mr. Bobby Gray Bumgarner, age 82 of Wilkesboro, passed away Tuesday, August 20. 2019 at Wake Forest Baptist-Wilkes Medical Center.

               Funeral services were August 23, 2 at Reins Sturdivant Chapel with Rev. Jamie McGuire officiating. Burial was in Scenic Memorial Gardens.  

               Mr. Bumgarner was born July 31, 1937 in Wilkes County to John Alonzo Bumgarner and Cilla Creola Watts Bumgarner. He retired after 45 years of service from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Mr.

Bumgarner was a member of Pilgrim Baptist Church.

               He was preceded in death by his parents, a son; Michael Graylin Bumgarner, a sister; Gladys Margaret Bumgarner Shumaker, four brothers; Ted Bumgarner, Jim Bumgarner, Rex Bumgarner and Rale Bumgarner and a sister in law; Ruth Bumgarner.

               Mr. Bumgarner is survived by his wife; Betty Jo Lankford Bumgarner of the home and a son; Jeffrey Todd Bumgarner of Millers Creek.

               In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to

Pruitt Hospice 924 Main Street Suite 100 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659 or the Humane Society of Wilkes PO Box 306 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659.

 Dean Stamper, 73

Dean Arnold Stamper, age 73, of McGrady, passed away Monday, August 19, 2019 at Wake Forest Baptist Health-Wilkes Regional. He was born March 8, 1946 in Wilkes County to Connie and Bessie Mae Ellis Stamper. Mr. Stamper loved to fish

and hunt. He also loved being with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Mr. Stamper was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Lynn Annette Stamper; brother , William Donald Stamper, Montie Stamper; sister, Grace Beck and brother-in-law, Jim; and brother-in-law, Eugene James.

               Dean is survived by his wife, Nancy Carol Johnson Stamper; sons, Steven Stamper of Wilkesboro, Roy Thomas Stamper of Raleigh; daughters, Sheila Stamper Brock of McGrady, brother, Ivory Lester Stamper of Wilkes, sisters, Vella James of Winston Salem, Cleo Stamper Rakes of Wilkesboro; sister-in-law, Gladys Stamper of Wilkes; grandchildren, Christina Darnelle Stamper of Kings Mountain, Steven Worth Stamper, William Dean Brock both of McGrady, Adam Joseph Brock and spouse Ashley of Hendersonville; five great grandchildren; two great grandchildren on the way; several nieces and nephews.

               Graveside service was August 21,  at Cane Creek Baptist Church Cemetery with Rev. Kenny Absher officiating.                                           Flowers will be accepted. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

 Steven Meade,  57

Steven Lee Meade, age 57, of North Wilkesboro, passed away Friday, August 16, 2019 at Forsyth Medical Center. Mr. Meade was born June 13, 1962 in Hamlin, West Virginia to James Merle and Ella Victoria Bare Meade. He was preceded in death by his father and a brother, Haskel Cleek.

               Surviving are his wife, Theda Wyatt Meade; daughter, Ashley Meade of Mattoon, Illinois; sons, Stevie Meade and Dustin Meade of Mattoon, Illinois; mother, Ella Victoria Bare of North Wilkesboro; step daughter, Lisa Anderson of Millers Creek; step son, Frankie Reavis of North Wilkesboro; grandchildren, Jason Brown and

Cheyenne Brown; brothers, Mark Meade of Paris, Tennessee, Brian Meade of Roaring River; and sisters, Delta Miller of Millers Creek, Mary Alice Urick of North Wilkesboro.

               Funeral service was August 24,   at Miller Funeral Chapel with Rev. Randy Johnson and Rev. Rev. Wiley Boggs officiating. Burial followed in Scott Blevins Cemetery in Lansing.

               Flowers will be accepted. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

               Pallbearers were Mark Meade, Brian Meade, Stevie Meade, Kevin Phillips, Travis Miller, Cory Miller, Jason Brown and Dustin Meade.