#even my childhood memories are screwed by climate change

[thedisablednaturalist]

It was 70 F degrees yesterday

Today it is 50 F

In a couple of days its supposed to snow.

This weather would make sense for March, maybe.

But mid-February? No. It's not supposed to be like this. Not so quickly.

I have to keep both my winter and summer clothes out during the winter now.

And yet climate change isn't real right?

[originalwinnercheesecake]

My thoughts on the 4 new sequels Disney Sequels coming out.

Well for one thing I am glad that they are at least all CGI.  3 of those 4 franchises I do not ever want to see live action versions of, and a live action frozen only has the potential to possibly be a little bit cool. ( rule one: do not let M Knight Shamaulon direct it).

But here are my thoughts on them in defending order.

Zootopia 2: Yes please, make a Zootopia 2 and a 3 after that! Judy and Nick are two cutely designed characters, with fun personalities, who at the end of the first one both become investigative cops, who live in a huge metropolises with all different types of animal and multiple different climates and terrains. There so much sequel potential in that set up, and hundreds of years worth of crime history that can be adapted into it.

Here's a thought, since Judy was the POV character in the last one, can Zootopia two be primarily told from Nick's point of view. Maybe a string of crimes starts happening in his old neighborhood and Nick and Judy go to investigate it, and being there stirs up a bunch of old memories for him. Or the the original concept for Zootopia was going to be about Nick opening up a special theme park for predators where they would be able to safely let loose some (originally predators were going to have to wear "taming collars" around prey animals, that shocked them when they got to excited). Maybe the theme park still gets opened by an old friend of Nick's and he and Judy are charged with keeping it safe from Merryweather supporters. Like I said the possibilities are endless.

Inside Out 2. This one has the potentially to be really good, but could also blow. Inside is a really colorful, cute, and thoughtful look at what it's like to be a preteen child struggling with changes. In it Riley moves from her childhood home to a new apartment in a city far away. Riley has a really hard adjustment to her knew area in the beginning. The movers screw up and lose track of her stuff so she cannot make her new room look like home. Her Dad’s forced to start his new job early and mom is swamped trying to sort out the move, so they do no have as much time to spend with her as hey did before. Last she very quickly becomes homesick for her old friends and favorite places. Mom tells Riley that everything will be better once they get things sorted out, so Riley tries to do her parents a favor by burying her feelings and just smiling until everything gets better but that just makes things worse for her and everyone. The movies climax is when she finally admits how hard a time she is having to her parents and asks for comfort.

The imagery in the movie is cool to. with the core memory islands, the shelf of memories that look like brain matter, train of thought, Riley’s imagination, How Joy and Sadness are consistently thwarted for getting back to HQ until the end, because Riley is still suppressing those emotions. Even right down to that annoying gum jingle that keeps getting sent up to HQ, a.k.a stuck in Riley’s head...Basically a lot of time and care; research into stress, depression, and preteen psychology; as well as different animation techniques and metaphors went into showing you as apposed to telling you what Riley was feeling on the inside and the out... This movie went on to be used as an reference for teaching a lot of kids and some older people how to put their feelings into words: ‘Which emotion do you think is at the center of your control panel right now jimmy? Okay what is that emotion concerned with now?”. I also swear remember a college professor/counselor telling me and a group of people once that the reasons Riley’s core emotions were Disgust, Anger, Fear, Sadness, and Joy was that the first four are all the stages you go through before you feel happy again.

Riley was 11 during Inside out and turned 12 at the end... A sequel will probably take place when she is in High school, so like 14-17 years old. So that means she will be dealing with tests, acne, definitely boys, school dances, maybe learning to drive if she is old enough, possibly health class, Unfortunately maybe people making fun of her for liking a traditionally male sport (Hockey). I do not think the movie would age her as far a 18 and going off to college, not in a second movie at least. It probably will not be as cute as 1 because Teenagers are not as cute as kids. Riley aging into a high school student concerns me for another reason. High school is one of the most cliche settings yo can put a movie/show/media piece in. There is very little an audience hasn’t seen 100 times before. Inside Out 2 will work only if Riley and her emotions are able to maintain and expand the level of character they all had in Inside out 1. It will work only if the writers and story board artists can once again show the audience something new and fun, while also being serious when it needs to, heartfelt, and clever. IF it fails at all of that the movie will bomb. If it only does a passably job it will probably still get low ratings and reviews because people are of course going to compare it against the success of the first one. That’s really what makes sequels controversial. Sequels are good when their aim is to raise the bar from the first movie, not just cost on the first’s popularity. We will see which one Inside Out 2 does.

Frozen 3. Speaking of Movie franchises with a really good first movie, then a sequel that just rode the popularity of the first. Frozen one was a really good movie. It was. Ignoring the over saturation of the market afterwards, ignoring how overplayed “Let It Go” and other songs were, Frozen is actually a great movie. The actors are great, the characters funny and likable. The scenery is beautiful, the story is a classic with what was at the time a modern twist (that got repeated in many movies after), and the plot suspenseful. I remember my one critic of it when I saw it in theaters with friends was that I wished they had spaced the songs out a little bit more, because I had noticed that there were a bunch of them in the first half then none in the second half. Then there was Frozen 2. Frozen two’s plot was confusing. It tried to make the audience not want Arendelle to be saved, when the goal of the group setting out was to protect their Kingdom. It could not managed its cast size and just dropped characters midway through the movie until the very end (Hey where did Kristoff go?). Lastly at its core Frozen was about a pair of sisters growing up together and trying to help each other out. The second movie had both girls as adults and ended with them separating. Elsa can control her powers now and for some poorly explained reason decided she would rather live by herself in the woods. Anna and Kristoff got married and were crowned the King and Queen, which means their story is effectively finished and they probably will not be going on adventures anymore. They do have a Kingdom to run. What’s left to do during a third movie?

I know a lot of people would like Elsa to meet a nice women and enter into a queer relationship. While that would be wonderful a.) Pixar’s censors may not be there yet by the time the movie comes out. b.) Writing a women would have chemistry with Elsa, be patient enough to allow her to open up on her own time (she is so shy and introverted), tough enough to handle life in the woods and the occasional flash blizzard, and has the social skills to win over Anna (most defiantly a requirement for dating Elsa) is a really tall order for a character who comes in so late in the franchise. c.) lets say the censors allow it and the writers put in the work to create this absolutely amazing women. That’s still not really enough to fill the 2 hour time slot for the movie, and what would the other characters be doing at this time?    

Toy Story 5. Why? WHY??? It’s finished! That Movie Line is Finished! It’s been finished twice now? There is room for little kitty books and more 2-8 minute shorts on Disney+. IF done right then maybe a season or two long cartoon of Woody an Bo’s gang touring the parks of he world to be played with by kids and helping carnival toys that want to go home with needy children. Buzz and Jessie could show up from time to time when Bonnie’s family vacation in specials. But the movie Franchise is absolutely finished!

From what I saw Toy story 5 is hinted to be about Buzz. Okay Buzz’s arc was finished after Toy story 2. Movies 3 and 4 were super hard-pressed to find ways to include him. While 3′s focus on his crush on Jessie was sweet and his “Spanish mode switch” was really funny; 4′s subplot of him being confused as to what Woody meant by “your inner voice”  only served to anger his fans, who all pointed out how he was never THAT stupid. Is he supposed to be a lead toy now that Woody is gone? Lead toys are a child’s favorite toys right? Bonnie’s favorite toys are Forky, Dolly, and Buttercup (her unicorn). She loves toys that are simple, whimsical, and she gets to decide what roles they take on in her games. While Buzz held her interest longer than Woody (she doesn’t have a female Space Ranger to play with instead) he has never been one of her favorite toys.

The only thing I still want for Buzz is one more 8 minute short similar to Bo’s Lamp life. Show a montase of him with Andy, Bonnie, and a coupleother owners before he becomes an “old, toy” that no longer holds the lasting intrest of small children, so he joins Woody’s band of “lost” or retired toys.

[a-master-procrastinator]

Some OC questions - 1, 2, 19 and 43 👀

Thank you :)

1. Your first OC ever?

No idea - even when I was a kid I was sort of imagining characters in fictional universes, way before I became a Star Wars fan, and my memory of childhood is terrible, so I couldn't tell you.

But I think I can remember my first Star Wars character (more like a concept, but it's the closest I had to an actual character). Surprise surprise, it was a Jedi who survived order 66 (I think everyone had such character at some point). I don't remember a lot of details (even her name), but I do remember her appearance (bc it's relevant) and the general gist of her story.

She is a young Jedi, just recently passed the trials, sent to a planet with cold climate to fight the separatist forces. This happens as the order 66 is given, so the clones open fire on her location. She fell from a pretty big height and, since the body wasn't found, was assumed dead. But she survived, thanks to mixture of cold weather and Force trance, and only got off with some mild injuries.

A couple of days later, she was found by a couple of the locals, who helped her recover and brought her up to speed. She decided to stay on this planet, and to do so without getting caught she changed some parts of her appearance - changed hair and eyebrows color (from blonde to dark, almost black), hairstyle (from braided to loose and curly), started wearing colored contact lenses (so her blue eyes appear greenish), and attempts to speak different accent. These actions helped her live a normal life (well, close to it) for quite some time, but it couldn't go on forever - the Empire slowly but surely strengthened its grip on this planet. At first she didn't do much more than help around sometimes, but when everyone realized it wasn't enough to simply adapt to the Imperial regime, she helped organize evacuation of most locals (planet wasn't very populated, so it wasn't impossible to evacuate them) and ended up sacrificing her life so others could escape and live on. Perhaps a little typical post order 66 Jedi story, but hey, I was young and dreamy.

You know, now I'm invested in maybe reworking this idea a little and expanding it, maybe I'll even get to it someday.

2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs?

Why would you make me choose? If I pick favourite characters it'll feel like I’m betraying the rest of them.

19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why)

Again, not easy to choose because there are quite a few characters that mean a lot to me, but I'll go with two of them.

Shailla is very important to me because of her kindness, compassion, patience, willingness to admit mistakes and learn from them, her selflessness, love for knowledge (love nerd characters). Most importantly, she doesn't give up on people and trying to do the right thing, no matter how impossible it seems at times. When people around say or do questionable things, Shailla attempts to understand reasons behind such actions before jumping to conclusions, and more often than not she's willing to give people another chance and even guide them. This is something I need to be reminded of, especially now, when I get angry at people for not thinking the same way I do about certain important things. Human behavior is complicated af, and we can screw up badly, and I just want to be a nonjudgmental presence for people (you can see that I wanted to be a therapist, but my brain said 'girl you need therapy' and so far it's not going well).

Then there's Raen, who's lazy and a bit messy, who doesn't eat healthy often, who screws up the little things, who got kicked out of school for bad grades and reckless behavior, who says dumb jokes and bad puns, and she owns all of this. She's comfortable with her little weird self, and I'm so jealous because I want to be myself without feeling embarrassed. I certainly own my weirdness here (and that's why tumblr is my favourite social media), but nowhere else. Is it a bit of self-insert? I guess so, and that's why she means a lot to me.

Also, they have a good sibling relationship, and it's just important to me by itself.

43. Do you have any certain type when you create your OCs? Do you tend to favour some certain traits or looks? It’s time to confess

I’m not sure. I don’t think I can point any common traits in my characters without a second opinion, but let’s see.

Looks: apparently a lot of my characters have dark hair, but very few have brown eyes (which is a shame).

A LOT of them are higher than 170 cm (probably has to do something with my own height of 181 cm)

Most of them don't wear bright or funky clothes, partially bc it's not practical, partially bc bright and colorful dyes in the game make clothes look weird.

Character lore: I immediately thought about tragic backstory, so I went and checked - yep, about half of them has one (plus a couple of characters with semi-tragic backstory).

Most of my characters don't have siblings, or have siblings that don't influence their life at all (which is surprising because I have a sister, and we're on good terms). And again, about half of these siblings relationships are problematic or straight up bad.

Not every character of mine knows their gender or sexuality (they're probably still questioning it, just like me lol), but most of them that do know are queer.

Traits: sass and sarcasm - it's rare for me to make a character not sassy or sarcastic (or both).

I also noticed that most of my OCs aren't good at playing by the rules, following orders, or are causing trouble often. Let me picture it like this:

So like 85% of my idiots are in blue zone. Idk if it makes sense, my brain can't explain it properly.

And to prove this, I'll just mention that all of my Outlanders fit these - Jett checks all the parameters, Airistan and Imely check all but one (Airistan has a cousin, and their relationship is good; Imely is straight and cis), and Vintu checks all but two (no dark hair since he doesn't have hair, plus I'm not sure about his backstory).

These are probably not all traits I tend to give my characters, so maybe I'll take some time to analyze them later.

[thisbiasedlife]

A New Livelihood (Werewolf! Jimin x Werewolf! Reader) Chapter 4

Note: Hello everyone! Surprise! I’m back after what honestly feels like forever. I do not deserve readers as good as all of you. You are so very patient and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. As usual, no editing was done, so please don't hate me for any errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or the awful thing known as autocorrect. I hope you enjoy the long awaited Chapter 4!

Pairing: Reader x Jimin

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Rating: PG - PG13 (for this chapter)

Characters: Aera (Reader), BTS, and Jung (Reader’s brother)

Word Count: 5,177

Summary: Aera (or really Y/N) belongs to a pack of more traditional werewolf values led by her brother, Jung (or really Y/B/N). The very brother that murdered their parents in cold blood solely for the purpose of ascending to the position of Alpha. With her tyrant brother in control, Aera (or Y/N) is forced into a mating ritual with a rival pack in order to cement their alliance with her own pack. Things take a turn for confusing when this forced ceremony turns out to be far from forced. Aera (Y/N) must learn to adapt to an entirely different lifestyle, one that stands in drastic contrast from her own, while simultaneously navigating the confusing and passionate nature that is the mating bond.

I woke up beside Jimin the next morning, sore but content. I was in an oversized shirt that I was sure must have belonged to him. He'd probably covered me up in it sometime last night, not wanting anyone else to glimpse my body in a state that he desired only he see.

I looked beside me to find him sleeping soundly, a smile spread wide across his face. I smiled to myself before boldly pressing a gentle kiss to the side of his face and carefully wriggling my way out of his grasp.

I pulled my hair off of the back of my neck to examine the mark that had seared its way into my skin the night before. Now far less painful, I could take in all of its beautiful uniqueness. I'd never seen a mark like it in all my life. It looked like it belonged on my skin, like it had been a mark always intended to be there. Another smile crossed my face. This life may have been completely and utterly new yesterday, but I was beginning to see the way my piece clicked into Bangtan'd puzzle. That put me at ease.

"Like what you see, kitten? I certainly do," Jimin said walking up behind me and embracing me from behind. "It's just interesting how it looks like it was always meant to go there," I answered without processing the words I was allowing to leak from my mouth.

Realizing my slip, I bit down on my lip and averted my eyes from the gaze we were sharing in the mirror. He grabbed ahold of my shoulders and turned me to face him. "Why did you get all shy? It was cute. Namjoon's always told us that it should feel with certainty that we've been intended for each other even though just meeting," Jimin said reassuringly pulling me into his chest and placing a kiss on my forehead.

After holding me in silence for a few moments, Jimin spoke. "Breakfast? Jin makes some mean pancakes," Jimin stated excitedly. I nodded my head and he grabbed me by the hand, leading me quickly, though carefully, down the stairs. I was continually surprised with how tough yet gentle he could be. How dominate yet soft he was by nature.

"There are the lovebirds. Honestly, could you two have been any louder last night? Jungkook came into my room complaining about how he couldn't sleep for all the noise," Taehyung joked. A blush dusted my cheeks. I hadn't realized we'd been that loud.

"So then I made my point? She's mine," Jimin responded becoming protective, jealous, and possessive for just a moment before reverting back to his softer side, a smile taking his face. My face dusted even redder. Sure, I hadn't know, but Jimin had done it entirely on purpose. On some small level, I felt just a tad used. I wished he'd have told me that was his intent. Sure, I had been shy around the boys throughout my short acquaintance with them, but I wanted to please Jimin. Something primal in me desired that. If he'd told me he was putting on a show for his roommates, I really would have upped the theatrics. Not that I would have been faking anything because I'd honestly been suppressing a large deal of the noises I had wanted to make last night.

"We get it. We get it. Hey Aera! Sit down with Kookie and I and eat some of Jin's pancakes. Jimin can be a bit overbearing I know. I exist in the form of a fun break," Taehyung said with a boxy smile. Sure, maybe I hadn't gotten off on the best footing with the youngest members of the pack and maybe that made me slightly fearful of them, but something about Taehyung's smile temporarily washed my fears enough that I sat beside him without much hesitation. Jimin stood where I had left him a bit speechless.

"Looks like she's already developing that independent nature. She'll do well here," Yoongi spoke up entering the room. "Yoongi-hyung slept like a rock through everything last night. He's like the king of sleeping", Jungkook observed.

"You honestly should have seen the purity of Jungkook that was tainted last night. He looked honestly terrified by all the noise," Yoongi countered Jungkook's jest. "That's surprising. He looks like sex on legs," I spoke up before I could catch myself. My slip of the tongue betrayed my processing of the pack members. Everyone was shocked into silence at my breaking of my own silence in such a fashion.

The silence was broken by a loud chorus of laughs. The loudest of which came from Taehyung. "She's got spunk. I like her. Watch yourself Jimin. She gets any more comfortable and there's no way you're submitting her at all," Taehyung said giving me a pat on the back. "Sex on legs, huh?," Jimin, the only one not laughing, directed at me shooting me a glare. "Relax hyung, she only meant that I don't look innocent at all. Right, Aera?," Jungkook defended me. I nodded my head.

"You certainly are a noisy bunch," Namjoon said joining the fray. "I trust everything went well. Aera, lets see that mark," Namjoon directed. I nodded my head and picked my hair up off of the back on my neck. "Oh, its beautiful. Who would have thought that beast Jimin would be capable of something like that," J-Hope spoke up from beside Taehyung.

"We are very happy to officially have you as a member of our pack. If you have trouble with any of these difficult children, please don't hesitate to come to myself, Jin, or Yoongi. They listen to me as the leader, heed Jin's advice as the eldest, and completely fear Yoongi because he's a total savage. It'll be my pleasure to look out for you," Namjoon said lightly squeezing my shoulder.

I was touched, but entirely uncertain of what his words meant. He'd look out for me? I'd never had anyone do that for me. I'd been on my own since a relatively young age. My mom died protecting a younger and stupider me and my dad had never been one for comfort. My brother blamed me for my mom's death so he would sooner abandon me than anything else. I had been largely alone for most of my childhood, with my dad only around to shield me from the savagery of my brother. I was not his favorite child. My brother had been. My father had never particularly wanted a girl and after the loss of my mother, I had been looked upon as little more than a burden. Sure, my father and my brother had never gotten along very well, but at least my brother got some kind of attention from my father. That was of course until my brother had killed my father in cold blood.

My family dynamic had been so screwed up. All I'd ever known was isolation, violence, self-preservation, manipulation, and bloodshed. I did not have a positive outlook on life as the negative was so ingrained in my being. I was a female werewolf. The lowest of the low in my original pack. From birth, I was to be condemned to abuse, loneliness, and subjugation. So, to have someone say they'd looks out for me was truly an abnormality. An object that made little sense and that I had even less faith in.

"Earth to Aera, come in Aera," Taehyung joked from beside me. "We lost you their for a second. How's the climate on Planet Aera?," J-Hope joked. A fake smile spread across my lips as the memory of my past had not quite faded. The room was jovial, I was not. The room was rejoicing in the prospect of new things to come, I remained shackled and bogged down by the brand of my past. On every face in the room there was a smiling face. Mine held one with no genuineness. The only one that noticed the change in my disposition? That was Jimin.

The room subsided into quiet as everyone devoured Jin's pancakes. I picked at mine a little to give the impression of consumption on my part. I had not noticed Jimin's careful eyes taking in my attempted fake or the lack of smile on my face. I had been careful not to emit pheromones portraying my sadness, but I hadn't noticed Jimin carefully in tune to my nature. He knew what I was feeling, no matter how I tried to fake it. I wasn't confronted with the knowledge he'd collected until he and I headed back upstairs so that I could put on some of my own clothing. At least, that's how J-Hope had jokingly put it, stating I should stop stealing Jimin's clothing to wear around the house. I couldn't help myself. It smelt so much of Jimin.

"What's wrong?", Jimin asked without hesitation when we were out of view and the range of the human form of the pack's hearing. If they transformed, they could hear every syllable of our conversation without difficultly. "Nothing. What gave you the impression that anything was wrong?", I lied still trying to flush myself of my bad flashbacks of the past. "You really shouldn't lie to me. It's entirely obvious every time you do," Jimin responded narrowing his eyes a bit in mounting frustration.

"Look. It's not important. I just need to grow up," I replied still attempting to push the subject to the side. "Do you think the guys would want to do anything today? I know we aren't super aquainted with each other yet, but I really hate being couped up," I added attempting to divert the conversation. "I'll humor you by answering that they probably want to go practice at the studio today. You're welcome to come, if you can learn to tell the truth," Jimin answered returning full circle to the problem creating a palpable tension in the room.

"I told you it's nothing important. I didn't lie. I just didn't reveal all the details. It's really nothing to worry yourself over. It's in the past," I replied hoping that the little information I'd given on the subject would be enough to sate his curiosity. "It's important if it's altered your mood in such a fashion. You're forgetting that I still want to learn everything about you. It's not like it's a burden. I want to. I promise you I'm not letting you leave this room until you tell me everything that has got you in such a down mood," Jimin pressed further, refusing to let the subject lie.

"I don't want to talk about it Jimin!," I snapped as my voice rose a few octaves. "You honestly think that you lashing out at me is going to scare me away? Well, it's not. The guys do far worse and I'm pretty much the king of comfort around here. Seriously, if you want it to go away, you're going to tell me," Jimin replied raising his voice to meet the volume of my own. He crossed his arms and his body language expressed anything but flexibility. In the face of his immovable disposition, my resolve shattered and my shoulders slumped.

"You really want to know, huh?," I started averting his gaze. He made no answer indicating that I should continue. "When Namjoon said that he'd look out for me, I just realized that I've never had something like that in my life. I'm not even sure that I understand the meaning of that phrase. I've pretty much been left to my own devices for most of my childhood. I'm not sure how the close knit pack thing works. This entire thing is alien to me! I don't understand everyone hanging out together and laughing and having a good time. I only understand the pack constantly being in a  power struggle with friends and families at each other's throats trying to climb even the slightest bit higher up the hierarchy. I don't get the concept of friends or family as being a positive. I've never been valued. I don't understand anything that your pack is built off of. None of it! Sure, it seems what my idealized pack would consist of, but that doesn't mean I know how to operate in it. I feel awful because I'm so quiet when your pack gathers, even if I have started to talk a little more. I have no idea what to say, where I fit, if I'm still supposed to be trash or not. I don't know who is my friend and who is my foe. I feel like I've been completely thrown into the fire and expected to hold my own, granted this in a kinder fire than the one I left. The whole reason I had to leave the original fire I was in was because my brother only viewed me as a pawn," I exploded all at once. I finished breathing heavily trying to catch my breath. I'd just unloaded nearly everything and I was sure it was a lot to process. I averted my eyes from his and bowed my head in shame at my weakness.

"I know that I haven't exactly addressed it because I've been so happy to have you here, but I know you need time to adjust. I know this all seems foreign and scary. You really are in a better place than the one you left though. Here, you have value. Here, you are part of a family. A family I hope you come to know the meaning of in a short time. You have people to lean on here. You aren't alone or constantly in danger or whatever it is you're fearing from your past. No one here is your foe. We all want to see you fit in here well and prosper. Sure, this was intended for the formation of an alliance with your old pack, but this was also intended to contribute to the happiness of my pack. Trust that you are not here as your brother's pawn, but a treasure of happiness. As cheesy as it sounds, none of us have known you very long, but we've already grown pretty fond of you. Myself especially. What I feel for you is growing rapidly. Scary rapidly. Please don't question the pack's intentions for your being here. Namjoon as well as every other member have been straightforward.  Maybe Tae and Kookie said something the first night that you were here that made you think they hate you. They don't. I assure you they just wanted to give you the impression that they were tough. They aren't. Just yell at them slightly louder than one would talk and they'll cower in apology. That is if you're  a member of the pack. Our pack protects its own. Just please know that you are safe here. I wouldn't let anything happen to you and if anything happens to me, the guys wouldn't let anything happen to you," Jimin finished addressing all the issues I'd mentioned.

Even though I was freaking out internally, Jimin's words put me at ease. I couldn't explain the calming affect his words had on me with all the adjectives that existed in the English language. He had a hold on me. A hold I'd be scared for any one else in this world other than Jimin to possess.

"Please take my words to heart," Jimin said pulling me into his chest and placing a kiss upon my forehead. I nodded as a tear rolled down my cheek. I wasn't sure whether the tear had sprung from residual sadness or if it had been pulled out of me at Jimin's sweet words full of compassion. I didn't have time to dig into the deepest parts of me to find out as Jimin began to talk again.

"Now, why don't you get dressed enough to leave the house? You can come to the studio with us and try to keep up with our dance moves," Jimin teased winking and proceeding to roll his body a few times. I smiled and pushed on his shoulder lightly. Something about him just made me more comfortable with little effort.

I walked over to my suitcase and pulled out a loose fitting pair of black track shorts and a pink sports tank top. I grabbed my favorite sports bra, a comfortable pair of underwear, and my black tennis shoes that had a pink stripe running along the sides. I gestured for Jimin to close the door as I shed his shirt and my underwear. I stood before him completely naked for the third time in our acquaintance. It was different from the other two occurrences by my comfort level which was exponentially soaring with every hour I spent with Jimin.

"Really?! I was all focused to go and practice and now I have other, more entertaining things in mind," Jimin said approaching my naked frame. "No! You promised I'd get to go with you to the studio," I said holding out a hand to stop him, I'd been secretly excited to get out of the house and do something active and fun. This wolf had been caged up in this house for too long. I had energy I needed to run off or dance off or something. My excess energy was creating an uncomfortable, fidgeting anxiety within me that I was sure was adding to my fear of this new life. It needed to dissipate or disappear entirely or something. The only way to do that was to engage in some kind of physical activity.

"Yes, and I had one in mind," Jimin spoke up, sending me a wink. "Quit reading my thoughts! That's not fair! I need personal space too," I pouted. He held both of his hands up in surrender. "Fine. Just get dressed. The longer you stand there naked like that, the more I'm losing every shred of my resolve," Jimin said turning away from me.

I nodded and pulled on my underwear before sliding my sports bra over my arms. I couldn't get the clasp on the back of the sports bra. In frustration and a little bit of a desire to tease, I called out to Jimin. "Hey, could you help me with this?," I directed towards him. He turned to face me again. "Jesus Christ, Aera! First, you tell me I have to resist the urge to have sex with you. Now, you tell me I have to put your clothes on you rather than take them off you. You are asking me to go against every grain of my nature," Jimin huffed as he clasped the bra in one swift motion.

"Was it honestly really that hard? It took you like three seconds," I complained back. "Hey! No sass! It's too early for that. You have to stay submissive for at least a little longer before you become a pain in the neck," Jimin joked. "You freaking wish. I just told you that's all I've ever known and I'm so ready to get out from under it," I replied possessing a comfortability and confidence that I hadn't possessed in a long time. It felt nice. If Jimin had already changed me in this fashion, I was eager to see how much more he'd change me for the better in the future.

"Just hurry up and finish getting ready," Jimin said still turned away from me. Even though I couldn't see his face, I could hear the smile he held in his voice. I quickly pulled my track shorts on. Splashed on a fair deal of the special deodorant made for werewolves. It was very faintly scented like flowers, but also held up to a lot of perspiration. More than the average human. I pulled my tank top over my head, pulled socks on my feet, and tied my shoes.

Looking in the mirror, I decided to tie my hair up. This left my mark on full display. This had been my intention. I was symbolically ready to commit all of me to this pack, to Jimin. I was going to try not to be scared anymore and officially embrace the person I felt that I truly was within the freedom of this pack.

"Alright. All done," I directed toward Jimin and he turned around. "Okay, good. They're all probably downstairs waiting on us by--," he stopped taking in my appearance. "You are just honestly so breathtaking whenever I look at you. I love that you're displaying my tattoo. Keep it up and I may have to leave a few more marks," Jimin said with a wink. "You know that hickeys don't really last more than one night with werewolves right? That whole healing thing kinda takes care to that. The only thing that stays constant is the mating mark. Even like straight up biting my flesh would heal before morning," I replied gesturing to my neck. Though it had been marked up the night before, it was now clean and unmarked.

"Way to be a total buzz-kill. Come on. They're downstairs," he said grabbing me by the hand and leading me downstairs. I followed without complaint. Just as Jimin had guessed, they all sat gathered downstairs in various forms of comfortable clothing containing Puma logos here and there. "Took you long enough. Honestly, I would have never believed the stereotype that it takes girls forever to get ready unless I'd just witnessed it myself," Taehyung joked draping an arm around my shoulder. "You look totally prepared to watch our awesome dance skills though," he added with a smile.

"You mean Hobi, Jimin, and me right? I swear the rest of you can't dance to save your lives," Jungkook joked. "Totally not true. Yoongi and myself can dance fairly average," Taehying replied mocking hurt. I suppressed a laugh. "What's so funny?," Taehyung asked sending me a confused look. "Well, if you have to describe your dancing as fairly average then it's not exactly awesome or above average," I replied comfortably with a smile.

"I swear I love her," Jimin said before he busted out laughing and swept me off my feet spinning me around. He had the single cutest laugh in the universe. Taehyung mocked hurt as Namjoon called everyone's attention to him.

"Everyone ready for a run?", he questioned. I felt naive for what I was about to ask, but the braver side of me opted to ask anyway. "But it's the middle of the day? I can guarantee people are going to notice a pack of wolves just frolicking through the woods," I spoke up. Namjoon smiled and chuckled. A blush dusted my cheeks as I was consumed by embarrassment.

"Okay, so first of all, we don't frolic. Secondly, you're absolutely right about people being suspicious of that. That's why we run in our human forms, granted much faster than any human would ever be possible of. People tend not to take a second look at other people. So we kind of have the freedom then to run however fast we want. We still stick to more wooded areas though. Just to prevent an overly observant eye from noticing too much, Namjoon answered as if it was the most logical thing in the entire universe. The way he spoke sometimes, he could make anything sound like the most basic of logic.

"Last one there is a rotten egg!," Jungkook teased childishly as he shot out of the door. This triggered a primal drive within me to just take off and run. I guess one could easily consider me quite competitive and hell if I was going to beat by a younger wolf. I sprung from Jimin's arms and took after Jungkook as fast as I could.

After tearing through the doors of the house, I felt free at getting to run outside. I was alone for only a few seconds when Jimin caught up. "You aren't going to catch him. Not only is he absolutely perfect at everything he tries, he's also the fastest runner our pack has. I'm the next fastest and I struggle to even touch him sometimes. Tae and J-Hope are fairly even in terms of speed and generally run somewhere behind me. Then there's Namjoon, then Jin, and finally, Yoongi who honestly cant be bothered with such a childish thing as running. His words," Jimin finished giving me a breakdown of the pack's loose running formation. Every pack had at least five running patterns that dealt with almost any occurrence that could befall a pack. Some had more than five, but the five most basic pattern types were defensive, offensive, scattered, clustered, and free. I was assuming we were in a free running pattern right now as this current formation likely wouldn't aid us if any form of a complicated situation arose.

"I can hear your thoughts. I'm sure we all can right now. You know the pack connects on a different level when it runs together. This is our free form. The only form not really altered by your arrival. The rest of the patterns will change as Namjoon sees fit," Jimin answered my thoughts. I nodded in response. His statement that no one could catch Jungkook had been eating at me though. He was completely underestimating me. I'd slowed my speed considerably after I'd cleared the doors of the Bangtan residence. I was the fastest runner in my old pack, among other positions I was not too eager to divulge to my new pack. I'd done unmentionable things. Things that I felt would break the faith I'd established with the members of this pack already.

I knew more than I let on. Sure, I didn't know all the intricate items of mating rituals or things like that. I was well versed in survival though. How to hunt, running formations, interrogation, torture, creating fear, blocking mind reading, severing pack bonds. They were all ingrained in my being. Blocking thoughts had become so necessary to survival in my old pack that it was matter of the flip of a switch in my brain now. I was the best hunter my old pack had. I had to be if I actually wanted to eat. I was the best runner my old pack had. I had to be if I wanted to survive their attacks.

"How are you doing that? It took years for Namjoon to even begin to teach us how to do it," Jimin questioned noticing I'd blocked my stream of consciousness. "Lucky break," I lied with a shrug of my shoulders. I could mask pheromones in a superior way as well. Even so, I had already realized Jimin was able to pick up on them better than anyone I'd ever known. I'd work on masking for most of my life and yet, he could still read them with what seemed like little effort. I had to attribute it to the mating bond. There was nothing else that it could have been.

"Catch me if you can," I teased as I released the hold I'd been putting on my desire to run. I felt my eyes flash blue as I took off at lightning speed. I heard Jimin shout a string of protests behind me as he underwent the same release. Despite the equal release process, I outpaced him easily, running by myself for a few moments before catching up to Jungkook. He looked entirely startled to see me run up beside him.

"Well, this is interesting," he commented as I ran beside him. He was incredibly fast. I wasn't holding back at all and his speed was giving mine a run for the money. Sure, I wasn't pushing it, but the kid was impressive for someone who hadn't really grown up in the same environment I had.

"How'd you get so fast?," I asked making conversation. "I just am?," he asked looking kind of confused but also looking like he had something to hide. That was strange and raised a little red flag in my understanding of Jungkook. "I heard you're their lead runner. How does one become such?," I continued with a bit of playful banter. "I have this feeling that you already know," he responded with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah! That's right! I do. Where are we going again?," I asked trying to pry the question I wanted the answer to out of his mind. I wasn't sure if he felt me fishing as I was trying to do it delicately. The only reason I'd been running beside him this long was so that I knew in what the hell direction I was supposed to outpace him. Even if I made it to my destination before him, it wouldn't matter if it wasn't the correct one.

A visual image along with a map of landmarks successfully came to me in my fishing attempt. Leave it to a lead runner to know all the important destination information. The other pack members always just followed the scent of the lead runner if they got lost. "Well, it's been really nice talking to you, but I have somewhere I need to be," I said with a smile as I kicked my speed into its fastest gear. I easily outpaced Jungkook; several complaints springing forth from his lips.

The only catch with the current speed I was running at was that I couldn't run at it for forever. This speed was almost equivalent to a cheetahs stamina. I could maintain my top speed for only a specific amount of terrain, a specific amount of time. After that, I would slow considerably running likely within the Taehyung and J-Hope bracket that Jimin had described.

Having earned a lot of practice with such a concept as a lead runner, I knew for exactly how long I could last and what my energy cost would be. I had a little over the time I needed to get there, but my energy cost would be considerable. Normally, to maintain the ability I possessed, I fed on game via hunting. Game generally possessed a lot more protein than pancakes or what my brother used to call the "regular food of the masses". It fueled my running style and, without it at play, I'd be spent. Yet, the primal and stupid side of me, the same side that had got my mother killed, decided that beating Jungkook was worth more than the large amount of energy reserve I'd lose. I justified it through the thought that my reserve had been building exponentially cooped up in that house. I was safe. I wouldn't need it to protect myself. My reserves built incredibly fast too. I was sure I'd have plenty of time for them to build back up as I stayed locked up in that house for the next few days after our return from dance practice. If only I had known how wrong I was going to be...

[2soliddudes]

Canada Reads 2017

Hey nerds! We're going to do a fun, exciting, sexy (?) new thing today...we're going to review the books for CBC's Canada Reads! As some/all/none of you may know, every year the CBC hosts an event called Canada Reads, which is basically just a book battle (the French version, which is unfortunately no longer, was literally called Le Combat des Livres), with 5 different Canadian celebrities each defending a book of their choice. The winner is then titled THE BEST CANADIAN BOOK EVER OTHER THAN ALL THE OTHER ONES THAT ALSO WON THE PRIZE OF BEST CANADIAN BOOK EVER.

Please note! We wrote this before the debates so we’re not sure what’s been kicked out yet and it has not affected our reviews below.

This year's theme “what is the one book Canadians need now?” and the shortlist includes:

The Right to Be Cold – Sheila Watt-Cloutier

Fifteen Dogs – André Alexis

Company Town – Madeline Ashby

The Break – Katherena Vermette

Nostalgia – M.G. Vassanji

It is worth noting that a very large number of the books on the 30/30 list are books that have been nominated for or won Canada Reads in previous years.

Anyway, here we go!

Kathleen: I am SO excited about Canada Reads this year! I almost wanted to read the entire long-list, but I held back.

Róisín: I am not that fussed.

Kathleen: Full disclosure: I have only read 4 of these books.

Róisín: I will be representing the one book Katy didn’t read.

Kathleen: I still feel like we are 100% qualified to make this Very Important Decision on behalf of all Canadians.

Kathleen: So the first book on the list is The Right to Be Cold by Sheila Watt-Cloutier. It explores the drastic changes that have been seen in Northern Canada as a result of climate change over the past 50 years or so. Sheila begins the book by discussing her childhood, and the world she grew up in, which was fascinating, and tragic.

Climate change is important as HECK, but I found some parts of the book to be a bit inaccessible to Canadians without prior knowledge of the topic. When she is talking about her lived experience in Northern Canada you really get an idea of how much chemicals in our water and atmosphere have really ruined a way of life for people, but the chapters that were just her talking about conferences was not great. TOO MANY ACRONYMS FOR ONE BRAIN TO KEEP TRACK OF. They were obviously a very important part of her journey, and it’s because of these that she was nominated for a Nobel, but I did find myself kind of tuning out in those moments. Basically, I found them less impactful.

I think this book would have been a great contender if the chapters about international climate change conferences were shorter.

Róisín:  I didn’t read this book. It’s been on my library holds list for months and I should get it next week (classic TPL prank right there).

Kathleen: The next book on the list is Fifteen Dogs, by André Alexis!

Róisín: I read this after it won the Giller and I liked it but Katy? Why is it on a list with this theme?

Kathleen: Also how do we feel about it being on this list at all, regardless of the theme? It’s already won a big Canadian literary prize, we get it. We know it exists. Everyone loves it. It feels a bit easy to me. For anyone who doesn’t know about Fifteen Dogs, a) sorry for insulting you?  b) It’s about fifteen dogs who are gifted with human intelligence and language.

Róisín: I have the same issue, about it being a recent prize winner. But also, it is great and I found it fun, and challenging at the same time.

Kathleen: I also really liked it! For some reason I find dog-on-dog violence way worse than if it was humans killing each other, so I found those parts hard to deal with.

Róisín:  Girl if that is true, never read Jack London.

Kathleen: I think I have a harder time accepting that it’s fiction when it’s about dogs. Oh, this book here? Yes, obviously it is based on a true story about that time all those dogs learned to talk!

Róisín: As far as I know this is not a true story. (But Balto is.)

Kathleen: Side note: The audiobook of this is supposed to be INCREDIBLE. Alexis narrates himself, so you get a really cool sense of what he actually meant the Dogspeak to sound like.

My friend Brett (aka Wayne Bretszsky ) is convinced that this should be the winner.

Róisín: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Brett is wrong.

Kathleen: If I didn’t know this book was written by a Canadian, I would think that it being set in Newfoundland was an afterthought.

Róisín: Disagree. I feel like they start talking about Canada right from the first chapter and Newfoundland is an influence both explicitly and implicitly (what other province has oil rigs in the North Atlantic and significant oil rig culture? And those accents!)

Kathleen: So Company Town is about a city-sized oil rig off the coast of Newfoundland, owned by a large corporation. To me, it was kind like eating popcorn - fast and easy, kind of trash, but satisfying trash.

Róisín: My general review of this book is that it was aggressively okay, the sci-fi wasn’t that challenging and I liked the way both sex work, and disability were explored in the novel. It's a solid work of fiction but not amazing and the ending was such a let down and brought down the whole book for me. So I guess it's good that it's nominated? But it's not my winner.

Kathleen: Girl lets call it: The end was terrible. I can’t honestly decide if Ashby did this intentionally, but there are a lot of problems in Newfoundland today with crime, poverty, and drug abuse that we never hear about. Our idea of the life of all Newfoundlanders in pop culture is just their friendly, relaxed, “come-from-away” life, which isn’t an accurate portrayal of what is actually happening in the province. They are certainly a friendly, caring bunch, but it’s not like Newfoundland doesn’t have it’s issues. I would like to think that this book is trying to draw attention to that, but I honestly don’t think it is. It was a very easy read, so if there is an award for “book Canadians are most likely to finish” I think it might win. But you’ll certainly throw it after you finish the last chapter.

Róisín:  Hi! This is my pick! I was super excited to see this book and the list because it was one of my top two fave books I read last year. (The other was The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall) BUT even though this is my fave I don’t know if is list? The Break came out so recently that it still has lots of time to win awards and attention this year. Which leads me back to not really knowing .

Kathleen: The Best Kind of People was SO GOOD. Why wasn’t that nominated? (This goes against what I was just saying about Fifteen Dogs. Sorry André Alexis!)

Róisín: Girl, stay focused. If we’re talking about urgency of topic, let’s talk about The Break. Like Company Town this book is a novel that centers on extreme violence against women. Unlike Company Town though, The Break explores different points of view (including perpetrators of violence) giving voice to multiple complicated women all who have been hurt - and importantly - all who act as carers for others in the book. It centres the experience of Anishinaabe and Metis families and not only is it timely, it’s gorgeously written (although it deals graphically with violence and other difficult subject matter).

Kathleen: That sounds devastating and wonderful. It’s also set in Winnipeg, right?

Róisín: It is! I especially love stories about sisters and mothers and daughters so this was right up there for me.  Vermette immerses us in these messy family dramas and conversations in a way that is incredibly real and really sympathetic at the same time.

Kathleen: Girl here’s the test - could my mom read it?

Róisín:  You ask me this all the time and it is such a weird metric because I don’t know what books your mom likes or does not like. I have recommended it to my mom, so maybe? The mom test is not equal but we both use it.

Kathleen: I do love messy family drama - and I think this is right on theme for Canada reads! 

Kathleen: This one is my pick! It’s a clear winner in my mind. It’s set in the future, in a world where we have perfected the science of immortality, but only for those who can afford it. Rich members of society are able to undergo a procedure to wipe their memory, completely change their appearance, and create a new history for themselves, allowing them to walk away from their past and press reset whenever they choose. Scientists are able to insert false memories into their heads of their idyllic childhoods, spent with parents and siblings who never existed. Because no one dies, the rich keep getting richer, and Gen0’s, (aka Baby Gens, those that come from organic births), have no money or job opportunities, because no one is dying. Vassanji also delves into trans rights - the main character, Dr. Frank Sina, feels that trans people deserve to have their memories wiped, and lose any memory of their childhoods as the wrong gender. The plot itself is gripping and exciting, following the story of a doctor who helps patients undergo these medical procedures, and cuts out their Nostalgia, or Leaked Memory Syndrome, when parts of their past lives begin to trickle in.

Róisín: Girl that is a great synopsis, but why should it be the winner?

Kathleen: It feels so modern and current. All the issues in the book are the problems we are dealing with right now - the Baby Gen’s journey is the exact same as people of our generation, they’re paying for an education and ending up in crippling debt, only to end up unable to get a job because old, rich people screwed them over, but it takes you a while to see the parallels that he’s drawn. The world is also divided between the rich north and the poor south, and, of course, the south is a popular tourist destination - so all these rich people are coming to visit these resorts, and going on tours to see how terrible everyone else’s life is, while 500m away people are starving to death. Vassanji does a great job pointing out that this thing that we do today is really, really harmful, and it’s all wrapped up in this fascinating story,

Róisín: Oh brb gonna put it on hold at the library.

See you this Thursday, when we review Hugh Maclennan’s Two Solitudes!

[micaramel]

Artist: Phillip Zach

Venue: Freedman Fitzpatrick, Paris

Exhibition Title: Tremors

Date: August 31 – October 13, 2019

Click here to view slideshow

Phillip Zach, Zero-G, 2019, 2-channel video installation: HD video projection, 304 min loop (no audio), HD video on monitor, 15 min loop (with audio), emergency blankets, dimension variable

Full gallery of images, press release and link available after the jump.

Images:

Videos:

Phillip Zach, Zero-G, 2019, 2-channel video installation: HD video projection, 304 min loop (no audio), HD video on monitor, 15 min loop (with audio), emergency blankets, dimension variable

Phillip Zach, Malibu, 2019, HD video, 16:18 min, (no audio)

Images courtesy of Freedman Fitzpatrick, Paris

Press Release:

My father’s stories often feel self perpetuating. Memories of his youth consist mostly of war, fleeing south from the northernmost part of what was at the time just Korea, before the border divided the two halves forever. I never understood why my father would cry when he would sing “Edelweiss” from the famed American 1950’s musical, The Sound of Music, during our at-least-once-weekly karaoke sessions (on LaserDisc) at home during my childhood. I learned only later it was a song to signify an unfulfilled longing for a lost homeland, the titular family singing it together as they escaped their country for another. Decades later, when he was able to return to North Korea as a US citizen on a heavily guarded American tour, did the actualization of this become clear.

A few days in, he was making to board the bus, then immediately jumped off, running down a side street to duck into a shop and beg a startled shopkeeper to exchange North Korean currency for his crisp $100 US bill, worth probably a year’s wages on the black market. What he held then in his hand, bills and coins he had hoped to recognize and didn’t, made clear that every last remaining memory of his birthplace had been erased and was gone. My mother received an early morning phone call from the American embassy in Seoul that my father had been detained by North Korean authorities. He was released a day later on the grounds that he had had an amnesiac episode and thought he had gotten on the wrong bus.

Beyond all this, (even the time he was punched by an orangutan while on safari), the most shocking was when he flew to Seoul, exhumed his parents to have them cremated, and put their ashes into a black garbage bag, smuggling them onto a plane back to the States; too expensive to do it legally, he said, but out of respect put them in my backpack, not my suitcase. Later when detained at the airport for having ash residue, related bomb-making material, on the right-side handle of his bag, he barraged his interrogators with photos and videos of his recent hike into the Bukhansan mountains. Exhausted by the formalities of having to entertain an elder’s rambling musings, they let him go without ever checking his backpack.

What is this urge to displace the ashes of my ancestors from their land, divided as it is, to a foreign land simply because my father has now lived in it twice as long. What does the land you’re from matter in a time of total dispersal, where the wellness industry loves to tout “groundedness” but encourages a nomadic and freelance lifestyle, grotesquely cheap flights allowing even more mobility, and essentially, more useless travel. As a result, globalization is rampant and everywhere now looks like nowhere. Then, the “right” wants a return to nationalism, in extreme cases a return to “blood and soil”. But what they don’t understand is that immigrant and refugees’ lands will become uninhabitable due to the developed world and so these waves of migration are imminent and will be inevitable. And what does this matter in the face of how the Anthropocene is a Joke where all of recorded humanity is barely an event let alone a self referential epoch. The ego it takes to think that all our trace pieces of plastic (recycle!) won’t eventually be subsumed by nature, slowly creeping and growing over every crappy condo built of drywall and cheap asphalt roads we’ve created, Earth’s geological and psychological layers squeezing out any trace of our over all existence. Though we all fantasize of a future where advanced beings will be curiously wandering and picking through our ruins the same way anthropologists have for the last millennia, as we make our way skyward towards other inhabitable planets, we’d be lucky if even a tiny scrap of these great Pacific Garbage Patches will be left as a reminder we were ever at the top of the food chain.

Last time I was in Los Angeles with Phillip, our lives coincidentally both packed up in boxes, his in my hometown of LA, mine in his of east Germany, we discussed transitions and loss and moving towards new beginnings. It was during this conversation we would experience the second and scariest of three earthquakes in four days, an unprecedented number for even expectant Angelenos; our deep rooted hope for apocalypse, with its inevitable regeneration, rebirth, and actual change, trumping the fear of death.

Growing up in Los Angeles, we were all enamored with the myth of “The Big One”, an earthquake guaranteed to flatten the city and bring about, along the fault lines, an apocalypse of sorts. The only preparations we were taught as children was “duck and cover”, a remnant of protection methods against atomic bomb attacks in the 50’s. If we imagine fault lines as political borders, and humanity’s current collective anxiety for the apocalypse as the “The Big One”, we have learned and taught nothing since then, beyond a self centered duck and cover mentality. While concentration camps for children comfortably exist in our current and crumbling superpower, and Iceland mourns the death of a 700 year old glacier how can we rally for climate change activism in a genuine way. At its core, isn’t it geared towards preservation for future generations; “for the children”, as it were.

The Man in the High Castle, a crappy Amazon produced television show based on Phillip K. Dick’s dystopian novel of the same title, uses the song “Edelweiss” as its intro tune, chopping and screwing it to infuse sinister, Nazi undertones. It’s hard today not to read the lyrics in a White Ribbon2 way, about the supremacy of white children, I suppose. But in this extreme culture of political correctness, I’d rather allow my aging immigrant Korean father to project his lifelong feelings of disruption, displacement, and death onto a musical made for white people. The lyrics can still loom large over the loss of land, the loss of lives had, and the long, sad farewell to what one knows will never exist in the same way again, all this as the film’s seven white siblings illegally cross country borders in hopes of a brighter future, but also even, any future at all.

Edelweiss Edelweiss Every morning you greet me Small and white Clean and bright You look happy to meet me Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow Bloom and grow forever Edelweiss Edelweiss Bless my homeland forever

– Lisa Jo

1. Brannen, Peter “The Anthropocene is a Joke .” The Atlantic, August 13, 2019, Science. 2. Haneke, Michael, The White Ribbon, 2009 3. Rodgers and Hammerstein. “Edelweiss.” The Sound of Music, 1959

Link: Phillip Zach at Freedman Fitzpatrick

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