#herons and lilies

[alula-arts]

Been thinking a lot about stained glass and weirdly colored birds lately. And I entirely decimated my sleep schedule over this!

[expectopatronum18]

Teenage Snape and Lily be lyk-

[bookaddict24-7]

(New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (October 1st, 2024)

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Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Releases:

The Champions by Kara Thomas

The Dark Becomes Her by Judy I. Lin

Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick

Killer House Party by Lily Anderson

No Rules Tonight by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada (illustrator)

Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicholl

Heir by Sabaa Tahir

Inheritance of Scars by Crystal Seitz

Ros Demir is Not the One by Leyla Brittan

The Kiss of the Nightingale by Adi Denner

Class Act by Kelsey Rodkey

Three Things About Emmy Crawford by Allison L. Bitz

Gentlest of Wild Things by Sarah Underwood

There is No Map for This by Tom Birdseye

This Dark Paradise by Erin Luken

The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Remember Me Tomorrow by Farah Heron

New Sequels:

The Magic You Make (The Spells We Cast #2) by Jason June

Prince of Glass & Midnight (Princes #3) by Linsey Miller

The Brightness Between Us (The Darkness Outside Us #2) by Eliot Schrefer

Nothing Like the Movies (Better than the Movies #2) by Lynn Painter

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Happy reading!

[dweemeister]

Instant reactions to the 96th Academy Awards

A rough night for me. But there have been rougher ones before. I imagine most of my comments put me in a very lonely minority, as has been apparent the last few months.

But here goes:

For all intents and purposes, yours truly was on the Killers of the Flower Moon train. An extraordinary crime epic from Scorsese, with astounding craftsmanship and fantastic performance from Lily Gladstone. More than what I previously believed possible, a major studio production went out of its way to make sure that its Indigenous American representation on-screen was as genuine as it could possibly be (still imperfect, as the film acknowledges, but what an effort). And yet, KOTFM goes 0/10. I've never had a favored Best Picture nominee be shut out in such a way before. And I'm not surprised at all by it. It was clear that non-American and non-Canadian audiences didn't get the context to the film (a criticism I understand, given the screenplay) and, in other quarters, folks thought it was too long (I admittedly have a higher tolerance for longer movies) and others have said something akin to the fact that they are getting tired over "racial guilt" movies from America. I'm not in the mood to respond to the last one. I think it deserved better tonight. I particularly think Lily Gladstone deserved better tonight.

Stat upheld: two non-white actresses have never won on the same night in Oscar history. History, in and of itself, was always against Gladstone.

Oppenheimer winning? Fine, I guess. It was my #4 choice of the ten Best Picture nominees. I guess Christopher Nolan was overdue, but I have always been a Nolan skeptic. The film certainly is his most humanistic, and I appreciate that. As for the narrative organization and editing trickery? It mostly serves to take me out of the movie. And I don't think Nolan truly understands what thematic film music can accomplish for his movies. I think RDJ should have had much more competition all season long, but he did not. Most people are gonna say this is the return of the Academy's favorite subgenre... the Great Man Biopic. But in composition and structure, Oppenheimer (and even Maestro) resembles very little of the past Great Man Biopics. It'll be interesting to see how history treats this movie.

I disliked Poor Things. I didn't care for its sense of humor, didn't agree with many folks' opinions that it was a magnum opus of female empowerment. I thought it was incredibly male gaze-y and troublingly sanitized its scenes of sex work. Jerskin Fendrix's score was unlistenable outside the context of the film and distracting within it. But it has four Academy Awards and people love this movie, so my opinion can go to heck?

Well done Da'Vine Joy Randolph for her win as Supporting Actress for The Holdovers. I truly hope this opens up a lot more new opportunities for her going for! Wonderful speech.

And speaking of wonderful speeches, both documentary winners got me very emotional. The Last Repair Shop is on YouTube for American and Canadian viewers, and it's simply wonderful. Perhaps the happiest I was all night long! And then came Mstyslav Chernov's speech after winning for 20 Days in Mariupol. Chernov had, arguably, the speech of the night. And I agree with him. I, too, wish he never had to make his film and that he never won this Oscar. But he did his job to document what happened in Mariupol. And for that he (and the Ukrainians suffering and dying in their war versus Russia) deserves our plaudits and support.

Once more, Hayao Miyazaki cannot be bothered to show up to an awards ceremony. It's hilarious! I would have voted Robot Dreams, but The Boy and the Heron is not a winner to sniff at. Spider-Verse will have one more shot.... whenever the third movie comes out?

Good lord, they selected the worst possible winner in Animated Short with War Is Over!. There's an unwritten rule that the Academy, among the fifteen nominated shorts, must select one which will piss me the hell off. And for the second straight year in Animated Short, they have done exactly that, choosing something akin to a soft drink commercial.

Billie Eilish and Finneas are now the youngest and second-youngest ever to win two Oscars, after Luise Rainer (Best Actress for 1936's The Great Ziegfeld and 1937's The Good Earth). That feels very, very weird. In both cases of this record.

The "I'm Just Ken" performance? Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Like Ken)??? Busby Berkeley choreography? What do the kids say? Inject that straight into my veins? It was wonderful.

And speaking of nods to cinema history, I'm so glad they led off the stunt performers tribute with Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd. :,)

And congratulations to Godzilla Minus One and its Best Visual Effects win! After seventy years, Godzilla is now an Oscar-winning franchise, and its win percentage is 100%! Simply wonderful!

I think the moral of the story is that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has been gradually internationalizing over the last decade. And the results of that were very clear tonight. Does that mean I'm too provincial in my tastes? I don't know. But wins such as Emma Stone's, Anatomy of a Fall, The Boy and the Heron, and Godzilla are demonstrative of that.

I'm glad this season is over. I certainly hope that Killers of the Flower Moon will be looked upon more kindly by history and time, without the bells and whistles of awards campaigning and a fuller understanding of why it was made the way it was.

This month has been fun! But now it's time to see movies again without the lens of awards for a long, long while.

[thistransient]

hiding heron

[twentifyve]

A little pond kayak September 16th, 2024 Canon Powershot SX740 HS

[kinsleygenesis]

🌱 Two herons in a water pond, surrounded by waterlilies...

2024/06/08, art by Ƙịŋ§łĕƴĞẹṅë§ıṣ.

(My first time drawing herons. I'm quite satisfied.)

[nopizzaaftermidnight]

[littleinksheepsocs]

Continuing my fancase lineup with the Albacore family

Adrian Albacore is the owner of Albacore Cannery, and a former friend of Harold Heron, after a falling down several years ago. He is melancholic and stubborn man that cares deeply for his only family, Anna. He is here as a guest for the hotel’s anniversary party. He doesn’t talk about his past, especially around his daughter, but the many scars on his body are very telling.

Anna Albacore is a shy and unassuming college student studying marine biology, and heiress to the Albacore Cannery business. She has also inherited her father’s stubbornness, as she wants to know more of his past, and her mother. Her favorite sea creature is the isopod.

Lily Lagoon was a talented and kind singer for the Heron Hotel. How she began working there or where she even came from is a mystery. Guest would travel far and wide just to hear her singing, until she left town to elope with Adrian. Lily is long since gone when the mystery takes place, but it seems that she is more connected to the Harold’s murder than it appears.

[julianlytle]

I wrote out my picks for tomorrow's Oscars ceremony.

[elenichr]

Year of Lists

January Films

must-watches in bold

The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) *6

Saltburn (2023) *7 - Highlight: Barry Keoghan

Marry My Dead Body (2022) *6ish

First Man (2018) *6 - Highlight: real life audio recordings; in-spacecraft scenes

The Killer (2023) *6ish - don't bother, except for maybe the Tilda Swinton dining scene

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) *7 - Highlight: Lily Gladstone and her character's capacity for compassion and understanding

The Boy and the Heron (2023) *7 - Highlight: the Ghibli magic and absurdity

How to Have Sex (2023) *7 - Highlight: the unbelievable emotional accuracy of the British young adult experience. It will stay with you: had a visceral negative reaction to someone offering to pour a shot in my mouth in Lisbon's Bairro Alto

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) *6 - Highlight: hotness and the soundtrack; FUN

Anatomy of a Fall (2023) - *9 - Movie of the Year. The craft is incredible, from plotting to tension, to dialogue; almost flawless.

May December (2023) *5 - Highlight: the performances

Poor Things (2023) *9 - Lanthimos' best movie to date. The actor range and sheer fun is incredible; will hit harder than you expect. So close to perfection bar a dip halfway through. Longer than it should have been

[gegshshsbsbbsba]

sirius and james would definitely be obsessed with mean girls (the movie) bc i said so

(i’m rewatching it for like the bajillionth time and the 2nd time in as many days)

like they would legitimately be saying the lines along with the movie and be acting it out too

remus would be so done with them (he was also extremely amused but would never let them know that)

lily would find it so funny and would be behind them reciting the lines too but silently so that they could have their lil moment

ALSO… they would def start wearing pink on wednesdays for a while

AND… would raise harry on it. like they would just make him watch it at least once a week since before he could even talk or sit up on his own

[balconybirds]

Sunday Birding 7/16/23

The weather has been stormy here, and today was no different.  I cut my birding a little bit short when the clouds started to look scary, but I was still able to get some good shots of birds!  My broken toe is also better, so I was able to walk back into the trails at the arboretum and see some more birds there :D

First off, a grackle!  I just love their shiny blue heads:

Some barn swallows!  I was surprised to no see them flying around!  And I think those are some chipping sparrows (or house sparrows?  Both were out this morning) next to to them: 

I thought this picture was so funny!  It’s one of the juvenile green herons, but I got their picture at a weird angle, heehee!

Here are some better pictures of the little guy.  They’re just going through their awkward teen years:

I love their hairdo! 

A female red-winged black bird in the long grass:

A chipping sparrow!  I love their red cap:

A turtle also peeked through the water before I left too:

When I got to the arboretum, I had to get some pictures of the flowers and water lilies before I started my birding:

Another turtle spotted!

A tufted titmouse, showing off their hairdo:

I think this is the best picture I’ve gotten of an eastern bluebird, I’m so happy :D

An indigo bunting, he was singing his little heart out this morning:

A white-tailed deer eating her breakfast:

Another chipping sparrow, also singing their heart out:

More flowers and some BEEEEEEEEES:

A white-breasted nuthatch!

A cute little black-capped chickadee:

Come on guys, give the nuthatch some room to grab a snack (house finches and a nuthatch):

A chickadee decided to join the fun:

I just think they’re cute:

A downy woodpecker decided to join in on the fun:

And some flowers again:

[sleeperagentclone]

Hen's outfit rn fucks so hard and I can't even take a screenshot cause I'm watching on my xbox

[storagespyturtle]

[thecupidwitch]

Elements And Their Correspondences

Earth

Direction: North

Time: Midnight

Season: Winter

Color: Green, brown

Zodiac: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Ruling planets: Venus and Saturn

Tarot Cards: Pentacles, Coins

Tools: Pentacle, salt, stones, dirt, crystals, wood, flowers

Cystals: Emerald, Jet, tourmaline, quartz, onyx, azurite, amethyst, jasper, peridot, granite.

Animals: gopher, bear, wolf, ant, horse, stag, deer, dog, cow, bull, bison, snake, worms, moles, voles, grubs

Herbs: Oak, cedar, cypress, honeysuckle, ivy, primrose, sage, grains, patchouli, nuts, magnolia, comfrey, vetivert, moss, lilac, lichen, roots, barley, alfalfa, corn, rice.

Rules: Grounding, strength, healing, success, stability, sturdiness, steadfastness, foundations, empathy, fertility, death, rebirth, wisdom, nature, animals, plants, money, prosperity.

Water

Direction: West

Time: Dusk

Season: Fall

Color: Blue, Indigo, Sliver

Zodiac: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Ruling planets: Moon, Neptune, Pluto

Tarot Cards: Cups

Tools: Ocean, sea glass, cup, bowl, seaweed, hag stones, cauldron

Cystals: Moonstone, pearl, silver, aquamarine, amethyst, blue tourmaline, lapis lazuli, fluorite, coral, blue topaz, beryl, opal, coral

Animals: fish, snake, frog, crab, lobster, eel, shark, dragonfly, seahorse, dolphin, sea otter, seal, whale, alligator, crocodile, beaver, octopus, penguin, salamander, turtle, starfish, koi, coral, barnacle, manta ray, manatee, jellyfish, nautilus, heron, duck, geese, crane, swan, water birds, ammonite, dragons, serpents

Herbs: seaweed, aloe, fern, water lily, lotus, moss, willow, gardenia, apple, catnip, chamomile, cattail, lettuce, kelp, birch, cabbage, coconut, cucumber, comfrey, eucalyptus, gourd, geranium, grape, licorice, lilac, pear, strawberry, tomato

Rules: emotion, intuition, psychic abilities, love, unconscious mind, fertility, self-healing, reflection, lunar energy, deep feelings, curses, death

Fire

Direction: South

Time: Noon

Season: Summer

Color: Red, Orange

Zodiac: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Ruling planets: Sun, Mars

Tarot Cards: Wands or Swords (depends on belief system)

Tools: Athame, candles, swords, wands, dagger, lamp, flame

Cystals: Carnelian, red jasper, bloodstone, garnet, ruby, agate, rhodochrosite, gold, pyrite, brass, fire opal, lavastone, tiger's eye

Animals: Lion, snake, coyote, fox, ladybug, bee, shark, scorpion, horse, mantis, tiger

Herbs: Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, basil, cacti, marigold, chilis, garlic, mustard, nettle, onion, heliotrope, hibiscus, juniper, lime, orange, red pepper, poppies, thistle, coffee, jalapenos, lemon, cumin, saffron, coriander

Rules: Energy, will, destruction, strength, courage, power, passion, lust, sexuality, anger, war, new beginnings, protection, loyalty, transformation, action, movement, achievement, creativity, desire, willpower

Air

Direction: East

Time: Down

Season: Spring

Color: Yellow, gold, white, light blue, pastels

Zodiac: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Ruling planets: Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus

Tarot Cards: Wands

Tools: Feather, wand, staff, incense, broom, bell, sword, pen

Cystals: Amber, topaz, citrine, jasper, agate, pumice, alexandrite, amethyst, fluorite, mica, clear quartz

Animals: Birds, flying insects, spiders, bats

Herbs: Bergamot, lavender, marjoram, peppermint, sage, dandelion, bluebell, clover, frankincense, primrose, lemongrass, pine, aspen, yarrow, violets, vervain, myrrh, dill, anise, aspen

Rules: Intelligence, wisdom, knowledge, logic, thought, communication, truth, inspiration, intuition, memory, creativity

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