#i love every scene with andrea terry

[sixthieves]

put olivia colman in any series/episode and she will make it a thousand times better

[folklorian28]

just finished season 3 of the bear and here are my long-awaited (not really) thoughts from watching the last two episodes and the season as a hole (spoilers ahead for the end of the season)......

i sincerely from the bottom of my heart apologize for every good thing I've said about carmy over the duration of my time on tumblr. he is not a good person. and i know that he comes from shit circumstances and is dealing with the grief and fallout of his brothers death, but that does not excuse his behavior. he is a toxic asshole who needs lots and lots of therapy.

with that being said, i sincerely hope one of two things happen. (1), sydney leaves the bear and starts that new place with that guy whose name i cant remember, which would suck because she has fostered a lot of close relationships at the bear and it would be really sad if she left them, or (2), carmy leaves the bear, or takes a lot of time off to get his head right and focus on healing

either way, sydney and the other staff deserve better than what carmy is giving them and it is really hard to sit by and watch him hurt these people who care about him.

i will say the cameos in this episode were off the charts amazing: (1) gillian jacobs reprising her role as tiffany was so great i love her as an actress and she and richie have a really good dynamic which i would love to see more of, (2) will poulter reprising his role as luca got me blushingggg ill be talking about him more in a min but wow he really stole the show and he is so hot like wow, (3) john mchale reprising his role as carmy's asshole bossand look i know we are supposed hate him but... he such a great actor its hard to hate him actually, like he is performance is insane, and (4) olivia colman repirsing her role as chef andrea terry, loved it. everything she does is amazing and i just love love love her so much.

okay I've seen a lot of fak slander these past couple of days and let me ask you (if you're one of them) do you hate fun? happiness? joy? that is the only thing the faks bring to the show and i don't understand the hate. i think they're hilarious and i love every scene they have, so stop the fak slander immediately !!!

and i think claire and carmy need to be done officially. originally i said this because i shipped carmy and sydney, but that person is dead now. they were an imposter. the only person i ship carmy with is fucking therapy!!!!! claire and sydney are too good for carmy and he needs to get the fuck out of their lives so they can live and be happy.

nat deserved more screen time!!! i get that episode 8 was like her episode (well, her and donnas), but i wanted to see more of her and her baby!!! she deserves every single happiness, i love her so much

the forks crew reuion was so cute and... am i picking up vibes between richie and jessica?? like... flirty vibes??? idk. maybe that's just me. let me know.

the conversation between the chefs and luca, syd, and carmy was so pleasant to watch and i actually recognized some of them as chefs (i think??) from cooking/baking shows I've watched which was really cool, i like the way the bear showcases real chefs in the show and the dialogue was so fun to listen to between all of them it was really cool to listen to as a non-chef lol.

the scene between carmy and john mchale's character was insane, but i appreciated it. carmy i think finally realized that he's sort of becoming him in a way, and i think that conversation fucked him up and hopefully for the best.

okay the ending was crazy, i need to read the full review ASAP and holy shit syd having a breakdown in the closet?? crying for her i wish i could hug her.

switching gears, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON BETWEEN LUCA AND SYDNEY???? THE LOOKS? THE CONVERSATION?? THE DACNING AT HER AFTER PARTY???? whatever is going on there, i am living for it. good bye sydcarmy, hello sydluca because WHAAAT. i was not expecting that AT ALL lmao, and i appreciate it because syd deserves way better than carmy and luca seems a lot more emotionally available, but that's just me. :)

overall, amazing season. yeah, carmy was an asshole, but i think he can work on himself more (hopefully) and get himself back on track. living for sydluca now, sorry carm. and i cant wait to see what the next season has in store!!! if you're still reading this, why? but also thank you. love you. let me know and ill give u a follow bc u deserve one for sticking through with me. and yeah. :D

[redheadgleek]

January 2024 books!

I had some vacation this month. I also had an entire week when I was stuck at home without internet due to the ice storm. So I read a lot, mostly very light, fluffy comfort read books.

What I read:

Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher. A novella about war as experienced by goblins. As usual from a TK book, a little gory, a lot witty, with some fun characters.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I've read so little of Neil Gaiman's books and I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was quite inventive and I liked how the passing of time was framed.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. It's an odd experience reading a book written by a person who has died. He had a lot of mental health problems, and I'm so sad that the medical world failed him so much.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (audiobook). I read the novella last year and have been wanting to read the whole series, but I had already forgotten details, hence the audiobook. It was a great way of seeing things through Murderbot's eyes. I just got the next book from the library, so that will be my next listen, I think.

Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson. A very charming book about a woman who scandalized her hometown by writing a book about them. Reminded me a lot of L.M. Montgomery's short stories.

Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson. A book of poetry exploring love and family and gender. So much emotion packed into every poem. Truly lovely.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. I've also not read much of Sir Terry's and everybody has recommended the Tiffany Aching series. It was a lot of fun and had some very unique characters.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. This is not high fantasy, but when the frozen world was coming down around me, this was exactly the kind of escape fiction I needed.

Weyward by Emilia Hart. Three stories woven into one about generations of women who are witches. There wasn't anything that really unique about the book, but it had great atmosphere.

An Unexpected Twist by Andy Borowitz. Not sure I should really count an 18 page essay as a book, but I enjoyed this perspective of the medical system from somebody experiencing complications.

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan. Okay, it mostly stretched credibility, but I enjoyed the banter between the love interests. And I especially liked the way the MC was dealing with her grandmother's dementia.

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn. I enjoyed this one. I appreciated that while it was a "going home to the small town" trope, it also didn't paint that as solving all of the problems.

Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver. I started reading this last year and it took me to finish. Some of the essays were gorgeous, some felt unfinished, and others felt like book reports.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Huang. I nearly DNF at 90% because I was so mad at the "chivalrous" macho possessive behavior of the male character. There was a lot of gender roles and conformity and casual (and not so casual) sexism throughout. Oh the other hand, the sex was plenty and pretty well described.

What I'm currently reading:

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. My sister recommended this. I'm about half way through and it's a tale interweaving people from the past and the future. It's at a point where it feels like bad things are going to start happening, so I'm a touch anxious, but it's been excellent so far.

Poverty. by America by Matthew Desmond (audiobook). I'm an hour in and it's utterly horrifying and gutting.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. It's a 20 year old book at this time and needs an update, but it certainly makes science understandable.

The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush.

The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Key. I remember reading this in high school and really liking it (while also feeling dirty because there was some swearing and a sex scene in it). This time though? It's obvious he's channeling Tolkien, the writing is painfully stilted and the premise is weak and I've found out that it's a sort of King Arthur retelling, so I'm just not sure about it.

What I plan on reading next:

Emily Wilde's Map of the Underworld, Tom Lake (audiobook), and The Starless Sea are next on my list, I think.

[twinnedpeaks]

i’ve read almost 270 books this year, so i wanted to share my favourites! here are the absolute best books i read in 2022.

animal by lisa taddeo: fun, real, and overall a wild ride. lisa taddeo knows how to describe things we all think, and manages to show us our worst thoughts in beautiful ways.

detransition baby by torrey peters: LOVED this little family. amazing gender politics and explorations. thrilling, sad, funny, all of it.

yolk by mary h. k. choi: a must read for those familiar with sibling rivalries. relatable and heartwrenching.

woman eating by claire kohda: a fresh and smart take on vampirism. it’s rare to find such a cleverly crafted rewrite of creatures that have already been featured for centuries.

beartown series by fredrik backman: not a new author for me but a hard hitting gutpunch either way. so intricate and subtle, so beautiful and real. also the only time i will ever care about hockey.

a certain hunger by chelsea g summers: from the description alone i knew i was gonna love it, so i looked for it for a year, then devoured it in a day. a food critic who eats men in the fanciest ways like a bon appetit hannibal lecter? i have only good things to say.

out by natsuo kirino: the graphic imagery and unsettling atmosphere in this book is INSANE!! it was such an intense read that i could almost feel it in my bones. gorey and violent, yet tender and real.

paul takes the form of a mortal girl by andrea lawlor: i’ve literally been raving about this book since i read it. it touched me very deeply and might be my favourite book of the year. an incredibly funny look at gender expression and sexuality, set in the 90’s club scene. worth a read for every lgbt person who likes fun.

her majesty’s royal coven by juno dawson: wild and thrilling and cozy and heartbreaking, this is a story featuring witches, imperialism, royal fanaticism, gender, grief, and friendship. i want more.

exquisite corpse by poppy z brite: i hadn’t been able to find this book anywhere until my london trip in september and i’m so happy that i did. the inspiration behind this book is obvious and adds several layers to this grotesquely gorgeous novel.

the book eaters by sunyi dean: i’m very picky with my fantasy reads but im so glad i gave this a chance. incredible world building and relationships. plus the overall concept of book eating is genius.

the left handed booksellers of london by garth nix: i can’t even explain what it was about this book i loved so much but GOD did i like it !!!! terry pratchett-esque, yet unique and beautiful. i loved every character and wanted more.

thistlefoot by gennarose nethercott: this beautiful and creative baba yaga retelling kept me company during a long train ride and stuck with me. such vivid imagery and an overall great book.

hell followed with us by andrew joseph white: i wanted to scream during this entire book, honestly. this biblical horror feels like the worlds best fever dream and i loved it SO MUCH!!!! gender and prejudice is explored in a new and beautiful way, while spotted with gore. on a personal note, this book featured one of the only autistic characters i’ve encountered in literature that i, as an autistic person, related to and found compelling.

horrorstor by grady hendrix: y’all know i’ll read anything by this author but this was just so fucking fun. i read it in one night and really felt as though i myself was trapped in a haunted knockoff ikea.

boy parts by eliza clark: very much up my alley in terms of genre. amazing writing and such a good story.

almond by sohn won-pyung: this was surprisingly relatable and ironically emotional. simply stunning. must read.

the seep by chana porter: i went into this blind and i’m so glad i did, because trying to explain why you should read this book is pointless. it’s simply, indescribably great.

[castle-dominion]

c6x10 audio commentary liveblog

les mis

lol typecasting drinking

XD gave me a heart attack

THEY GOT QUADRUPLETS

"she might have had more screen time than nathan"

with all the shootouts & fire THIS took the most planning?

"when nathan handed the baby to seamus it would start crying as if it read the script"

Julian my beloved "julian come on now don't look at them"

"skill set" crying, smiling, sleeping, stop crying when you pick it up...

Terlesky chose to film this on the lift, good for him

This group of people

NF: Seamus, I notice this every episode: your eyes POP

"howling at a moon" & I never wanted to correct him

"I made the database"

& the cobra's CRYING!

Ah two boys two girls

For a guy who's not a dad irl he's really a good dad on screen

they LEGIT HAD THE BABY CRY WHEN THEY HANDED THEM TO DEVER

NF: Ooh quads! Babies: we are not off-road vehicles

SD: Jon Huertas needs 20 minutes then he takes a nap NF: then he needs to get changed

baby POV XD

Good toss & coat dodge

TAMALA JONES

JT: it would be hilarious to say this technical jargon in a baby voice

Usually he can CATCH the perps when he's chasing them

They run by & seamus is in there oblivious

Despondent, good word

the high five was the baby's idea apparently

Apparently a lot of the stuff with fillion in the obs room is ad libbed.

He couldn't put in a good word BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT YOU ROPED BACK INTO THE LIFE EITHER

I love it when they get caught watching

Kristen Ariza, friend of Dever, did a play together which katic saw

straight laced gates cooing over the baby

A different side of everybody <3 thank you terri miller

Richmond & Andrea, the tech ones. Thank you for your service.

Three men & mustang

Boxes within boxes

In a situation where I don't have to go home hungry

Mum: I love Dever's laugh

Ah yes the relationship <3 I love these two. all the writers went "aww"

XD the us post service stole the prop mailbox XD XD XD

I NOTICED IT TOO, THEY WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT NOTHING IN THE BACKGROUND

JT: we'll put a pingpong table there one day I'd love to have a pingpong table there just for a time

still day one! SD: I don't change clothes nearly as much!

"that's the crying one"

there WAS a doll, $1 500 fake baby that you keep dropping, Nathan

Wanna have a baby?

Two grumpy babies, two happy babies, one was grumpier than them all

"bpice of ice cream's going up, by the time you're old enough to eat it you won't be able to afford it"

Ooh that ball is in the writer room huh

JT & his fun bits, glad this guy is here JT: & I'm glad all those years of WB cartoon watching paid off

AC: How long have I been gone? Love SS & MQ

This is the face of your future

I love watching this with my mom

WHEN THEY HIT PING PONG BALLS TOO HARD THEY LIGHT ON FIRE?

OH. RELIEVING YOURSELF. I SEE.

acme wine preservation kit

diaper connoisseur

oh no i hate the lottery riff

baby needs an education & this was edver & huertas

Lol the lottery ball machines didn't even work

Yeah how do they come in that order?

triple six fix

The guests are always so great

Come in, cry your eyes out, thanks you were great

Commercial!

Five down a hallway, sounding like a herd of elephants.

Yeah the background is so hard, where were you from this exact moment? nf: seamus write a song sd: ~background artists~ nf: not now

"We took the baby up in the helicopter that night" "but only for 20 minutes"

I started by touching... I touched everyone in this scene

lmao the newsie store "we turned him into a little white boy!"

scripted parenthetical

Jim, that's the one who got slammed by dever a billion times

[lia-jones]

Growing Stronger - Chapter Thirty-Six - Preview of What's to Come

It was the day before the big day! Saturday, March 21st. In twenty-four hours my last name would no longer be Jones, and I would officially belong to a new family, one Victor and I were creating for ourselves. A dream come true. I had butterflies in my stomach since I woke up that morning, I could only imagine how I would be on my wedding day.

Victor and I spent most of the day packing and making the last arrangements for our honeymoon. Our conjugal expedition would last a total of two weeks, which I thought was very ambitious, given LFG would be minus a CEO, but Victor was adamant that we took the time to ourselves, since we had been so busy the last few months.

“We need to learn to take time to ourselves.” Victor pointed out once again later that evening, while we drove to Aunt Terry’s ranch for the wedding rehearsal. “I don’t mean just you, me too. I have been solely focused on work for way too long. Our lives are changing, so should we.”

“You are not wrong, but I still think your no phone policy won’t last long. Eventually, Goldman will need something from you. Two weeks is a long time.” I frowned at him.

“At least just for the first three days. I want those to be just for us.” He turned down the familiar dirt road that led to his aunt’s property, stopping the car right at the entrance. “Ready?” He smiled tenderly. I took a deep breath, my heart starting to beat faster.

“Yes.” I nodded with conviction.

The dusky sky was getting darker, the fiery hues being replaced with dark ones, as we drove down the dirt road. It was like I was entering a fairytale. Every tree lining the road was covered in beautiful colored ribbons, and from them hung jars with flickering candles, lighting our way to the mansion. By the gates, two huge golden letters, V and A, signed the place of what would be called by the media the most important event of the year: our wedding. The gates and the walls by them were adorned with beautiful white roses and peonies, and huge lit candles were strategically placed by them, giving the whole area a whimsical atmosphere. The child in me was expecting to see fairies floating about,  like I was watching one of those Tinkerbell movies.

“I think it’s safe to assume you like it.” Victor gave me a smug smile. “You’re yet to say a word.”

I had helped plan some of the wedding, but the big plans were in Victor’s and the wedding planner’s hands, and Victor insisted on keeping some of it a surprise for me. When I looked at the man I loved, my eyes were brimming with tears of joy.

“It’s perfect.” I couldn’t help my wide grin. I was so happy. And seeing him grin back just as wide made things even more perfect.

As we entered the gates and I observed the garden, perfectly illuminated in the now darkening night, I felt my heart fill with joy and love. I was so distracted with my professional life, only awakening slightly to my personal one, that I completely forgot how romantic and magical Victor could be. This was clearly an ode to our love. It had the care and the tenderness I felt from him every day times a million. It was dazzling.

“This weekend, I want you to be surrounded by nothing but joy, beauty, and love.” He spoke with tender eyes looking at me, containing a million emotions, most of which I couldn’t decipher, but one was very clear.

Bernard met us at the door and we strolled around in the garden for a while, admiring in detail what we were sure we wouldn’t be able to the following day, while he showed us every aspect of the decorations. After spending some time with him, his English was starting to sound more normal to me, although peonies were still a serious trigger for my laughter. Noticing that it was getting late, we headed for the wedding venue. The officiant was already expecting us at the gazebo, along with my family and some of Victor’s family, which included his father, some of his aunts and uncles, aunt Terry and her partner, Susan. Gregory didn’t look happy.

The rehearsal was pretty simple, as we assume our positions, my father walking me down the aisle and taking me to Victor, and the usual exchange of vows that we chose to memorize instead of repeat. It was pretty uneventful, but of course, no wedding is a true wedding without a story to tell. And although this was a Lee wedding, held to the highest of standards, ours wouldn’t be an exception.

After we said our vows and pretended to exchange our rings, the officiant made the dreaded declaration that is always so popular in movies: If anyone has reason to be against this wedding, speak now, or forever hold your peace.

This part was so useless nobody was actually paying much attention. That is, until we heard a loud NOOOOOOOOOO coming from the end of the aisle. It turns out, it was Mia’s assistant, Minor, who was playing something on his cellphone and apparently was not having a great game. But that wasn’t actually the funniest part. Gavin, who was sitting by his side, got up ready to fall on him like a boulder, but not before Mia, red as a tomato, got up from Gavin’s side, smacked Minor hard in the stomach, making him double over and let out a loud ooofff.

Victor witnessed it with an expression that screamed What are these idiots doing now? To me, it was the funniest thing I had ever seen since blue penises. I stifled a laugh, noticing Greg watching us closely with judgemental eyes. But, truth be told, I knew what was coming, and I wouldn’t be able to hold it in. Pretending to show affection to my beloved future husband, I leaned my face against his chest, letting myself laugh a little. Noticing it, Victor rubbed my back.

“Quit it, Andrea.” He whispered between clenched teeth. I was lost. Victor’s reprimand only made me laugh more.

“Is she crying?” I heard Terry ask. “Oh, honey, there’s no reason to cry.”

“No.” I heard Victor’s voice, flat as a board. “She’s laughing.” He turned to me. “Ok, enough already. It wasn’t that funny.”

But it was. I replayed the entire scene again in my mind, picturing Minor’s face getting slightly purple with embarrassment and surprise, and tears started to come.

“The little woman…” I heard the officiant’s voice, strained as he tried not to laugh. “For someone so little she sure does pack a punch!” He let out a hearty laugh.

“Just like the bride!” My brother chimed in, laughing, and soon I could hear my parents laugh too.

They say there is nothing as contagious as laughter. One by one, all the guests present started laughing in unison. Even Victor, who was trying to keep it together, threw composure to the wind and was laughing too, his chest rumbling against my cheeks.

When, after some very long minutes, the laughter stopped and I was able to lift my face from Victor’s shirt, Gavin, Mia and Minor were nowhere to be seen, and Gregory was shooting daggers in my direction, a look of disgust on his face. The officiant was still wiping tears from his cheeks, trying to catch a breath.

“I have to say, in 10 years of practice, I have never heard a single objection, let alone such a heartfelt one!” He chuckled. “Well, let’s finish this practice. Does anyone else object to this wedding? If that’s the case, I think we can summon the little woman again!”.

I laughed loudly and the room followed me again. Victor gave the officiant a stern look.

“Skip that part tomorrow.” Victor instructed the officiant.

There is definitely no cleansing power like laughter. We left the rehearsal in good spirits, Victor particularly excited for the next activity.

It is customary for the groom to plan a dinner with all his favorite things before the wedding, usually during rehearsal dinner. My father and Victor were planning this for weeks, constantly talking on the phone or via Skype, constructing the perfect wine tasting dinner. Victor hired three renowned chefs to cook for us that night, one of them being his teacher Guy Sauvant, and some sommeliers to explain the wines and the pairings to the guests.

The decoration of the tent was truly Victor’s taste, and it somehow reminded me of old cellars and antique parlor rooms, intricate iron candle holders and dark velvet sofas and chairs, images of paintings everywhere, decorating the menus, hanging on the walls or in the background of the bars.

We sat and ate, and I noticed how relaxed Victor seemed to be around my family. Although we were trying to give both families the same attention, we would naturally gravitate towards mine, and Victor seemed to enjoy himself more in their presence, either engaging in light conversations with my parents, or laughing at some joke Joshua had made, or simply holding Ana on his lap when she demanded attention. He had clearly been adopted by the Jones, but it seemed he had adopted them too.

Gregory walked up to us while we were laughing about a story my father was telling from one of his trips.

“Greetings to the happy couple. It seems like my son has such a busy life nowadays that he doesn’t  have time to greet his own father.” Gregory shook our hands, his expression as dry as the desert.

“I was waiting for you to finish your meal.” I noticed Victor’s shoulder’s tense as he shook his father’s hand. “I hope everything was to your liking.”

“I can’t say I’m terribly impressed so far.” Gregory gave me a weird look and turned to Victor. “Make sure your fiancée shows a little more restraint tomorrow. We don’t want that ridiculous scene in front of our guests.”

“You mean your guests.” Victor kept his poker face but his ears became red, revealing his anger. “The people I know nothing about and yet you insisted I’d invite.” He gave Gregory a defiant look. “Moreso, please remind yourself that this is Andrea’s wedding too, and she is allowed to laugh as much as she wants, even if that is disagreeable to your guests.”

Gregory took a step further, ready to charge with some venomous words. I held Victor’s hand tight, anticipating a confrontation.

“Gregory!” My mother touched Gregory’s arm amicably. He looked at his arm and then at her, as if he was considering if he had been infected by something. “Have you tried the cherry wine my husband brought? Come, I’ll serve you some while we chat, I would love to know the father that raised this remarkable young man.”

Wise as always, my mother knew that a stroke of Gregory’s ego would be enough to divert his attention. The flattery made him quickly conclude she was worthy of his attention, and both walked away to get the cherry wine. Sitting by my side, Victor was fuming.

“It’s ok, let it go.” I rubbed his upper arm lovingly.

“That’s exactly why I didn’t want him here.” He mumbled, turning at me after. “How are you not angry? He basically implied you were some idiot I should control.”

“I don’t care what he says.” I shrugged. “Besides, he’s the real idiot if he thinks he’s going to ruin my night. You shouldn’t let him ruin yours either.”

Victor nodded, coming closer for a short sweet kiss. We heard a soft clink from afar. It was my brother, in the center of the room, gathering everyone’s attention.

“Good evening, everyone. For those who don’t know me, my name is Joshua, and I’m Andrea’s twin brother. If you are wondering if that is actually true, because I’m taller and better looking, yes we are twins, no, I didn’t steal all the food in the womb, and yes, despite being the second born, I am the best twin.”

Everybody, especially my family laughed, while I playfully stuck out my tongue to my brother, Victor chuckling with the both of us.

“Hmmm… So what can I say about the bride and the groom? I’ll start with the bride, since I know her since we were two fertilized eggs inside my mother's womb.” Josh continued. ”Growing up, Andrea was a tomboy, refusing to live up to her gender role, always defying the rules and sticking true to what she believed in. I remember at a relative’s wedding, we were eight at the time, she tore her dress trying to show some ‘snotty boy,’” he used air quotes, “that girls could climb trees just as well as boys. The dress caught up in one of the branches and ripped apart, as Andrea dangled happily in one of the branches, her underwear showing.” There was another wave of laughter in the room. “My mother was livid but didn’t ground her, because she did climb the tree faster than the boy, even with her dress tearing apart. And even though she now is a respectable lady of the elite, and such dress ripping habits are frowned upon, I am sure she will still be the Andrea I’ve always known, a small yet concentrated force of nature, defying everyone that tries to put her down and showing us all there can be incredible strength in adversity.” Joshua’s throat caught up with emotion. “I’m so incredibly proud of you, sis.” He turned to Victor. “Now what can we say about our CEO.”

“This should be good.” Victor spoke to me, his flat voice not matching the smile he had in his eyes.

“Perhaps our groom doesn’t know this, but we had heard of him way before the two started dating. The truth was, Andy originally didn’t like Victor very much. Well, that’s an understatement. Every time she referred to him, she used some very original terms. My two favorite still are “Lord Victor, King of Highhorseland” and “Victor Lee, the Slayer of Souls and Destroyer of Joy”.

Again, everybody laughed, including Victor, but he still gave me a dirty look. I could feel myself seriously blush.

“That was before I knew the real you, you know that.” I defended myself. He simply smiled and softly rubbed his nose against mine.

“But the mighty King of Highhorseland must’ve done something right and somehow convince damsel Andrea to ride with him because, to our surprise, he flew across the ocean for about twelve hours just to see Andy defend her thesis and… they seemed pretty intimate, if you know what I mean. And that’s when I found out three undeniable truths about my future brother in law: one, he is persistent, because I bet it was no picnic trying to woo this one.”

Victor shook his head and everybody laughed. Thank you, dear brother.

“Two, he is caring and extremely giving. He flew from a distant country, ready to face our family and Dr. Mariana’s thorough interrogation, just to make my sister happy. And by the way they held each other, the way she looked at him, she was. It’s obvious you make my sister very happy Victor, and I have to thank you for that. Thank you for taking such good care of her.” Joshua was misty-eyed again. “And three!” Joshua cleared his throat. “Victor is a very strong man. Not only did he date hurricane Andrea, he’s marrying her. Now seriously, I wish the best to both of you! Victor, welcome to the family!”

Everybody clapped and we nodded, thanking them for the applause and the best wishes, although it was more of a roast than a best wish speech. Either way, it was the way my brother would say I love you , through comedy and sarcasm, a mask not very different from the one Victor wore with his poker face. Goldman stood up, and took the mic from Joshua.

“Victor, Andrea, it is with great joy that I come here to witness your commitment, and what I believe is the beginning of a lifetime of happiness. I still remember the first day Andy came to LFG and thinking she wouldn’t last a day there. But she was a pleasant surprise, manning the desk in no time and impressing us all. Apart from some minor mishaps with a fountain pen.”

I looked at Victor with wide eyes, feeling like a burglar caught red-handed. Way back when, when I started my internship at LFG and was moved to Victor’s office, I accidentally broke his favorite fountain pen. It was a stupid accident, I unwittingly threw it to the ground while getting some documents from his desk and stepped on it. As I saw the ink spread on what seemed to be a brand new rug, my heart nearly stopped. Fortunately, Goldman entered the room, and, seeing the panic in my eyes, he swiftly exchanged the broken pen with a new one from his front pocket, and spilled coffee on the ink stain to hide my crime. And soon we were partners in crime, joined in a secret that, if revealed, would make Victor have my head.

It looked like it was time for my punishment. I just hoped the wedding would reduce my sentence.

“Stop acting so nervous.” He smiled at me. “I knew it was  you all along.”

“YOU DID?!” I was appalled. “How? Why didn’t you say anything?” He kept quiet this whole time, letting me live with the guilt?

“Unless Goldman was trying to poison me, coffee isn’t blue. And I could tell the pen I was using was brand new. After that, it was a matter of finding out who truly did it. The guilty look on your face the next morning was the final clue.” He came closer, pecking the tip of my nose. “I knew that if I mentioned you would feel bad, and most likely want to leave LFG again. I couldn’t allow that.”

I smiled at him, my heart warm for knowing he wanted me close to him since the very start. We turned to Goldman, who was still giving his speech.

“... a good man, with a heart made of gold. Yes, he may sometimes be demanding, but he is that way for the good of the company and to allow us to keep our jobs. And Andy has changed him deeply in that department as well, he’s very different from what he used to be. I mean, when I started seeing him so happy I started tasting all his drinks, fearing she was putting something in them.”

“WHAT?” I heard Victor shout by my side, making me laugh hard when I saw his disgusted expression.

“And I should probably finish my speech, if I still want to keep my job. Let’s hear it for the happy couple! A happy life for you two!” Goldman rushed to finish. Needless to say, everybody laughed.

After a few more shorts speeches, with guests wishing us a happy life, gushing about how Victor and I looked cute together, some more lively music started playing. Victor and I sat in one of the sofa’s bantering with my parents, his hand on my waist, holding me lovingly, while I occasionally nudged his chest with my head. Eventually, Terry and Susan came to sit with us.

“Are you enjoying yourselves?” Victor asked.

“Actually, I would like to thank you both for inviting me to the wedding.” Susan spoke. “It means a lot to us.”

“No need.” Victor answered with a frank smile. “My pleasure.”

“I’m just sorry I was so oblivious before.” I chimed in, slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t even invite Susan to my bachelor party.”

“It’s alright.” Terry took my hand, turning it. “I can predict a double date in the near future, after you are done honeymooning.”

“That will take a while.” Victor joked.

“What is this I’m hearing now? Terry’s assistant is invited? Is it the theme of this wedding to display the stains of this family for the whole world to see?” We heard Victor’s father say, behind us.

“I have invited them.” I stood up, facing him. “If she’s with your sister, she’s part of the family.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Gregory spat. “You are definitely unfit to be a Lee. You lack the decorum, the finesse-”

“Ok, enough.” My mother approached us, trying to lighten the mood. “We don’t want to start a fight here, Gregory, our kids are getting married tomorrow.” She paused, holding her hands up, urging us all to calm down. “Let’s all get some sleep, tomorrow we’ll all have a big day. Agreed?”

“Either she goes, or I go. You choose.” Gregory warned Victor. Victor was about to retort when my mother intervened again.

“Please, no need to choose.” She looked at Gregory warmly. “This isn’t about any of us, it’s about Victor and Andrea. Let’s get some sleep, come on. Off you go, guys.”

“Do you still think it was a good idea to invite him?” Victor sighed, frustrated, as we walked towards the house.

“Hey, stop worrying about it.” I held his bicep, squeezing it tight. “Tomorrow we will have the wedding and we will be too busy to even know he’s there, and he won’t dare misbehave with all the media around him. And after that, we will only deal with him if we want to. It’ll be over soon.”

“You are right. He will forget all about us the moment all of this ends.” He smiled at me as we walked in, heading to my bedroom. “Go get your things and come sleep with me.”

“No, we should spend this night apart.” I smiled, stroking his chest lovingly. “To make it more special the night after the wedding.”

“We’ll spend the night after the wedding on a plane to Paris.” He grabbed my waist, pulling me closer, luring me in. “Come sleep with me, I can’t sleep without you.” He kissed my neck softly, teasing me.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lee, but my answer is no.” I pushed him away playfully, only to get a sigh in response. “I’m saving myself for marriage.”

“You can’t even say that with a straight face.” He gave me a flat expression, which only made me laugh.

“I bid you goodnight.” I pecked him on the cheek. “Sleep well.”

Obviously, I wouldn’t get away with it. He pulled me against him once more, kissing me so passionately I had no choice but to melt in his arms.

“Fine.” He broke the kiss and let me go, chuckling when I slightly whimpered. “No, no, don't complain. My fiancée wants to sleep away from me and her wishes are my command. She shall sleep alone tonight.”

Later that night, alone in my bed, I was tossing and turning. Not only did I miss my bed, but mostly I missed Victor, his touch, his smell, his warmth. This was going to be a lot harder than I thought. With a heavy sigh of resignation, I opened my bedroom door and left, taking my pillow with me. Time to get some sleep.

[sociopath-analysis]

Sociopath Profile: DCAU Joker

Pre-acid dip appearance pictured on right Real name: Unkown Alias: Jack Napier Appearances: Batman: the Animated Series (1992-1995), Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), The New Batman Adventures (1996-1997), Superman: the Animated Series (1996-2000),  Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000), Justice League (2001-2004), Static Shock (2000-2004), Justice League Unlimited (2004-2007) Voiced by Mark Hamill

One of the most iconic and defining portrayals of the Joker in the modern age. Even on a show geared towards children, he was still the same murderous sociopath he has always been known as. No punches being held back. (Literally sometimes.) And where exactly do we begin?

[SPOILERS BELOW; SPOILER-FREE VERSION HERE]

Let’s start with the fact that he has a complete lack of empathy for others. He obviously disregards the feelings of others by murdering them wantonly for shits and giggles. Many times, after killing someone, he moves on pretty quickly. After sending Sid Debris in a coffin plunging into a vat of acid, he immediately asks Harley and his henchmen if they want Chinese food.

There are many points where he sees people as nothing more than tools to be used and discarded. One example of this is what he does with Charlie Collins. He keeps tabs on him even through him moving and changing his name and forces him to do a favor for him while threatening his family. Why? Charlie cussed him out in traffic for cutting him off! It shouldn’t be that surprising that he’d torment the man for two years over something so simple. And he still planned to kill him after doing the favor (which was holding open a door for one of his plans).

This is one of the more disturbing aspects about the Joker. He can be so obsessively petty that he doesn’t differentiate between grand scale villainy and small petty villainy. Anything is worthy of either response. It’s the reason why Harley only got thrown out in “Harley and Ivy” for inadvertently disrespecting him and Charlie had been stalked and tracked down for two years as a way to torment him in “Joker’s Favor” all because he cussed him out in traffic. He takes any chance to make a darkly comedic joke at the expense of other people’s lives. Just look at his answering machine:

The Joker: (laughs) Boy, did you get a wrong number. Leave your message at the sound of the shriek. Man’s voice: No! Please! Don’t! (shrieks)

Even before he fell in the acid as shown in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, he has shown signs of sociopathy. He kills Carl Beaumont and walks away with a smile on his face as Andrea mourns her recently dead father. Also in that movie, he shows no remorse as Andrea is about to murder him. The way he sees it, he is either going to be killed by Batman or his lover, a joke so good that he can’t help but laugh.

However, he still makes every bit of the showman that he is in the comics. The man can be very polite and affable on the surface even while threatening other people. He’s got a lot of charisma despite his insanity and he uses it both for his grandiose performances and to manipulate other people.

Harley is also one of the more prominent examples of him being manipulative. He could sense that Harleen was drawn to him for his extreme personality and knew she was a bit of a glory-seeker. So he decided to use that and her naivety to pull her closer and then give a sob-story about an abusive alcoholic dad. And she ate it up. And as Batman notes to Harley, he’s got a million of those stories. He’ll use them to drum up sympathy for an escape or just to mess with people.

And he still remains as sadistic as ever. One very big show of this is Joker-gas. While the network wouldn’t let him actually kill people, the showrunners retained his Joker-gas with the removal of its lethal intent. Effectively, this manages to be worse than if it killed them since people will laugh uncontrollably until they get an antidote or they literally laugh themselves to death which will take much longer.

One of his most famous crimes is torturing Tim Drake into becoming a mini-Joker for his and Harley’s “family.” And even worse, he implanted a microchip into Tim’s head so that he would be able to come back posthumously. He effectively wiped Tim’s personality to put his own in his place. That really shows how little he cares about other people. Tim was nothing more than a new body to hijack and use for his own benefit.

Later on in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, he plans to hijack a military satellite armed with defense guns in order to carve a smiley face into Gotham City! Even after being resurrected with a computer chip, he doesn’t even slow down with his old personality.

And if you think you can control him, you have to be crazier than he is. Honestly, whenever he goes out working for other people on jobs, the Joker always goes off the leash or causes some problems that his employer didn’t expect. Lex Luthor and Sal Valestra learned this the hard way. In “World’s Fines,” Lex tried to hire him to kill Superman, but when he didn’t produce results, he tried to have the Joker killed instead. This proved to be a terrible mistake. And Sal Valestra ended up getting murdered.

And his rage issues are also one thing that makes him a very dangerous individual. You never really know what could set him off. Sometimes, the biggest mistakes will only earn you a stern talking to. And minor things can often result in killing his employees at best and full-scale mass murder at worst. He really doesn’t take it well when Mayor Hill on TV called Batman a villain as bad as him. His response was to go to his son Jordan’s birthday party, dress up as the birthday clown, and rig the place to blow!

He also has a very grandiose sense of self-worth that is evidenced by a few things. One thing is that he’s very narcissistic in general. When Harley calls him in “Harley and Ivy,” he picks up a hand mirror to admire his own reflection. And the reason he kicked her out in the first place is that she inadvertently undermined his contributions to the gang by agreeing with his facetious comment about her running the gang better. The worst of it is when she almost kills Batman in Mad Love. He knocks her out of a three-story window for getting closer to killing Batman. In fact, Bats used his ego to save his life. Something that makes him fly into a rage.

“I knew your massive ego would never allow anyone else the ‘honor’ of killing me. Though I have to admit she came closer than you ever did… Puddin’.” - Batman

The Joker also has many actions that are driven by his intense need for attention. He makes so many plans and makes so many actions just because they took attention from him or they took advantage of his image. “The Laughing Fish” is the most egregious example of this. He tries to trademark his fish when that literally is not how trademarks work! He basically threatens people’s lives just to profit off of his stupid laughing fish. (It was a stupid idea! We all know it was!) “Joker’s Wild” shows him being very angry with Kameron Kaiser making a casino using his image, something Kaiser was banking on so that the Joker could blow up the place and he could take the insurance money. When the Joker finds out, he just decides to kill Kaiser instead.

His ego and desire for a grand defeat of the Batman is one thing that Charlie Collins uses to scare the everloving crap out of the Joker. Charlie uses a fake bomb to make him believe that he’ll take the one dream the Joker ever had: a grand showdown with the Dark Knight. Instead, he was going to die there in some dirty alleyway at the hands of some worthless nobody. It scares him so much that he ends up calling out to Batman for help. (And the scene has to be seen to be believed.) But it shows that when something he wants is on the line, he’ll be calling for help at a moments notice. But he will still not spare the same sympathy for the lives he ruins and ends.

And it’s used against him once again by Terry McGinnis. He goes after him specifically where it hurts: his comedic prowess. Or rather, his supposed lack thereof. Terry becomes the natural enemy of the comedian, the heckler, and goes after the fact that he’s never made Batman laugh or never really told a good joke in his criminal career. This absolutely infuriates him.

It’s really no surprise that he manages to be one of the most monstrous villains in the whole of the DCAU (if not the most).

More Joker

[bunchofbooks]

It’s Time for Kyrsten’s Opinion: Books Finished in September Edition

Hello all! As September is finishing and October is right around the corner (!!!) I thought it’s time to make a post for the books I finished in September. As you can see above I read 6 books in the month of September (4 five star books, 1 four star book, and 1 2 star book), and one book that is not pictured I did not finish. Below the cut are my reviews of the books read including the one I did not finish in the order of most enjoyed reads to least enjoyed. Please note if any of the books have content warnings! 

Have you read any of these books, what was on your TBR for September and what did you get through, what is on your October TBR? 

1. My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix; 5/5 stars (CW: animal abuse, violence) - It’s 1988, Abby and Gretchen are best friends and when they and two other friends go skinny dipping and take acid one night, the timid and kind Gretchen completely changes. Everyone thinks that Gretchen is going through some normal teenage emotions, but Abby thinks something much more sinister is going on with her friend. This book was actually the last one I finished in September but one of my favorites. It was such a good way to kick off the fall season with a spooky book. There were definitely parts of it that made me uncomfortable and the ways that Gretchen changed at points was so subtle that I could see why no one would notice them right away and the ending was so good and corny (much like other 80′s books/shows/movies). I would not recommend this book to younger readers, mostly because of the language and some of the scenes were a lot to read, but for someone who was trying to get into the mood for the spooky season I would say go for it. 

2. Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills; 5/5 stars - Claudia over hears the most popular couple in her school break up at a party and is a new victim for Iris, who is “brutally honest” (but really means rude), when the two have to work on a year long project together, a production of a Midsummer Night’s Dream, they begin to bond and form a relationship that some might even consider a friendship. I went into this book with such low expectations, I honestly thought I was going to hate it so imagine my surprise when I laughed out loud at some parts, almost cried, and did not want the story to end! I thought Claudia was hilarious and as much as I did not like Iris at the beginning, by the end she was great. I even loved the love interest, Gideon and his friend, Noah. Gideon and Noah are seniors in high school and best friends and are not afraid to show their platonic love for each other, which is awesome to see because men, especially boys at this age re not usually ones to show that they appreciate their friends. I thought the way the teenage characters spoke to each other was so realistic and their reactions to certain situations were spot on. I saw a lot of myself and my group of friends when we were in high school in this group of friends. 

3. How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake; 5/5 stars - Since she was two years old and her father died, it has always been Grace and her mother, Maggie. Unfortunately for Grace, since she was two years old and her father died it has always been her and her mother, Maggie. Maggie is not a stable person, she has put her child in many difficult positions time and time again, she has taken her to bars, moved her into homes with men she has started dating only to have them kicked out months later, she has driven while intoxicated with her child in the car. Grace knows this is wrong, but this is just the way that her mother is - has always been. Grace is more of a mother figure to her own mother than Maggie has ever been. When a new girl, Eva, moves to town into Grace’s best friend, Luca’s house after her mother suddenly passes away, Grace and Eva quickly bond over the absence of a mother in their lives and develop a relationship that exceeds friendship. So many times when we have abusive parents in books, they are physically, emotionally, verbally, or sexually abusive but I found Maggie to be a beast in YA fiction we have yet to really encounter - a mother who is generally a good person to her daughter. Grace knows her mother is not always stable, but believes she is a good person deep down. Maggie does not put her hands on her child, does not call her names, but she is without a doubt an abusive parent. She puts her daughter in harm’s way and does not think anything of it, which is what I thought was great about this book. 

4. Hawkeye Vs. Deadpool by Gerry Dugan; 5/5 stars - It’s Halloween and Hawkeye and Deadpool need to team up to fight a group of vigilante’s who are dressing as superheros and causing chaos throughout the city. This was my first time reading a Hawkeye comic and I loved it, I had read other Deadpool books before but this one was especially hilarious. I love Deadpool so much and have enjoyed the comic of his I’ve read so far. 

5. Kids of Appetite by David Arnold; 4/5 stars- Kids of Appetite starts with the murder of Mad’s uncle and the death of Vic’s father. VIc’s dad dies and his mother is with her new boyfriend and his two awful children and when she gets proposed to, Vic runs and meets right with a group of kids who ran from their own homes and together form a group, The Kids of Appetite. While I loved the idea of family being not what you come from but what you create, I was not as into this book as I have been with Mosquitoland. I thought how Vic saw Mad was very manic pixie dream girl-ish and could not be less enthused. I feel like a large portion of her part in the book was to further Vic’s plot and I wished I knew more about Mad. She just screamed manic pixie dream girl in Vic’s POV and while it was her own POV I loved her. I just wish she was perceived better, especially by Vic. 

6. Catalyst  by Laurie Halse Anderson; 2/5 stars (CW: abuse and incest)  - Kate Malone is an honor roll student, star track runner, preacher’s daughter, and on a one way track to MIT (just as soon as she gets her acceptance letter). Until her life has a pretty big wrench in her plans, her neighbor’s home burns down, and the girl who lives in it - the bully of the school - Terri Litch needs to move in. I picked this book only because it was a Laurie Halse Anderson book and hated it. Speak is one of my all time favorite books, so when I read Catalyst and was less than thrilled I was super surprised. I thought the character, Kate was unlikable, her friends were terrible, and the only person who I felt bad for was Terri and every character did the most to make it seem like she was the villain. I will say I absolutely lost it when I was reading this book and sobbed on the couch, but that does not necessarily mean that it was good by any means. I would not recommend this book at all to anyone who was a Laurie Halse Anderson fan. 

7 (kind of). How to Hang a Witch by Andrea Mather; DNF - Sam is moving to Salem, home of the infamous witch trials, with her step mother. Sam does not believe in ghosts or monsters or haunting, but the town certainly does. When it is found that Sam’s (insert like a hundred greats here) grand father was the person responsible for hanging the most witches in the town, another group of kids who are (you guessed it) the (insert so many greats here) grandchildren of the witches who were accused and killed in Salem, tensions are high and Sam very well may have to become a believer in order to break a curse placed on the town that puts the people she loves in the cross-hairs. I did not like what I read of this book. I read less than 150 pages and even that felt like too much tbh. Sam was unlikable, her step mother was unlikable and essentially it was an instant love story and Sam and the kid that lived next door knew each other for like fifteen minutes and broke up and got back together three times in those fifteen minutes. The ~descendants~of the witches were. . . terrible. They were so obnoxious and if I wanted to watch a cheesy movie about witches I would watch Hocus Pocus or Halloweentown. 

[mindfilledwithmyriadofthoug-blog]

SHATTERED DREAMS

Short Story by Anthony Haberia, Andrea Beatrice Lacson and Angela Rhose Lumague

As soon as my parents found out I could walk and understand what they were saying, they would take all of their time teaching me. It wasn’t the color of the sun, nor the color of the leaves from trees, not the sound what the dogs make, or how many planets there are in the universe. I was memorizing the names of a substance,the name of every pills they had,names of important people,and people I should stay away from. It will protect me and protect them too. I wouldn’t want my parents taken away from me or the way around. Probably the only important thing they thought me was about those numbers and that I should always be kind to everyone no matter what.

I peer down on the street from my window, it was already seven in the morning. At this hour, I would always look from my window and down to the children dressed in white polo and dark pants. A backpack sling to their back while walking hand in hand with either their mommy or daddy. Daddy said I wasn’t like them, and they weren’t like me. They go and walk to school, while I stay inside the house because a child like me is special. That’s what Daddy said. Mommy would teach me a little something when she isn’t busy from work.

It was always fun when we go out and play, I would play Doctor and give those men their pills or those white powder they need. It was for them, they are sick. Our family loves lending a hand at those people.

“Dexter, darling. Let’s go eat.” I looked up at my mommy, she was smiling down at me. Everyday, I could still see the sadness in her eyes.

I took her waiting hand and went downstairs with her. Daddy was already at the table, reading something from his phone while holding a cup on his left hand.

“Vote buying is really out there again, the election is coming up. No wonder” he shake his head and sipped from his cup. I sat next to him and greeted him a good morning “Good morning, my boy. I need you to deliver a few medicine for me after we eat breakfast”

I nodded at him. I’ll do better this time. Whenever I fail, daddy would get mad at me. Not even mommy can stop him, he would beat me with his black leather belt. I couldn’t cry, if I would. He will do worst. After that, he would apologize and say it was his way of telling me he loves me. And he would be sad when something bad happened to me.

“Eat up, my boy.” he nudged me and nodded his head towards my plate.

 I smiled when I remembered that tomorrow is a special day, my 8th birthday. “What are we going to do for my birthday, mommy?”I asked

She looked surprised. She wouldn’t forget, she gave birth to me. “Well, anything. Do you want a new set of crayons?”

“Can we go visit a park instead?” hopefully, I could meet some kids too. Maybe some of them were like me. I don’t have a friend, they won’t let me. They said they might make fun of me. I would love to go out and play with them too. I don’t know what harm can be done, I could also give them those medicine my mommy and daddy give.

“We’ll talk about that later, for now we should go. Your patients are waiting, Dr. Dexter” we laughed, I told them about my dream of being a doctor and save more people. They laughed, I think that means they support it. That’s why they call me a doctor sometimes when we are doing our work.

It has always been the three of us. Sometimes I do wonder if there was other people that are part of the family, like those old people. I don’t know what they are called but they were old and mostly with a partner who is also the same age as them. Mommy and Daddy doesn’t like bringing other people inside our house, its not that I’m complaining. I just wished I could play with other people, may it’d be my age or older.

We arrived in front of an old building, it look like it could collapse anytime soon. Mommy tuned her body to look at me from the back seat.

“Here we are, Dr. Dexter” she smiled at me and handed me the medicine. “You know what to do when there is trouble, sweetheart.” she lean towards me and gave me a kiss on the forehead

“I love you, my baby” Mommy whispered in my ear, she caressed my cheek and nodded at me.

They would always tell me that I’m a brave boy. That I am. I held the medicine tightly around my fingers. The weather is cold today, I should have brought my jacket. The heavy looking doors was already opened when I came in closer to the abandoned building. There was a tall man standing in the middle of the room, the place looked trashed and eerie. My footsteps was light as I walked towards the man. He smiled down at me when he noticed it was only me.

“How are you, lil’ D?” he asked, it was Alvin. I’ve given him medicines before, he said it was for his sick friend.

“I’m good, Alvin” I smiled, handing him the pack. Before I could take the money from him. My heart sped up when I heard three gun shot coming from behind from the other side of the building.

“Put your hands up and drop whatever you are holding! Turn around slowly, punk.” I freeze from my spot, it was the bad guys. Daddy said that I shouldn’t trust them and say nothing when I’m asked.

“We got the person. You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future.” a police officer was taking away Alvin and a policewoman was startled when she saw me.

“Let’s get you out of here, young man” she took my arm and escorted me out of the building. I saw Alvin getting inside the police mobile. Across from us is my parents, being held by the police. The policewoman told me to get inside the police car.

“No! I need to go with my mommy and daddy!”I pulled myself away, her grip was too loose around my arm. It made my escape easy. Mommy shook her head no at me, I’m coming with you mommy.

I heard the heavy footsteps of the police behind me, stopping me to go to them. Daddy twisted his body around, I didn’t saw what he did but I soon found out. A gun was aiming at me, it all happened too fast. My ear rang, I think it rang so loud. I saw the horror in mommy’s face. Did I fail daddy? Did I disappoint him again? Before I found out the question to my answers, I felt the world circling around me.

My ear still ringing and my heart was still pounding as I lost myself in the dark. It was cold. Very cold. I should have brought my jacket.

Dorothea watched in shock as his husband’s aimed the gun on Dexter. Her eyes were wide open as she saw her son’s body on the ground as the blood soaked his plain white shirt. His blood was pooling underneath her son’s body.

“NO! How could you do that to my son?!” the police all went to Dexter’s lifeless body. Creating a perfect escape for the both of them. Terry grabbed his wife’s arm and pulled her away from the crime scene.

“Let me go! Let me be with Dexter! How could you?!” she was screaming and hitting him. Terry doesn’t look bothered at all. He needs to save himself and his wife, they just couldn’t lose everything just because of the mistake Dexter did. They ran all the way back home, his grip didn’t loose around Dorothea’s arm.

They locked all the doors when they were back home, Dorothea slid on the floor. Face in her hand, crying in agony. The death of her son has fallen in her hands, she knew this was coming. But didn’t expect that her own husband will cause his son’s life.

“Why did you kill him?” she whispered, Terry was already planing to move away and start again. He couldn’t bare the thought of losing his money, hard earn money.

“I had to, we just couldn’t lose our money. Dexter did this to himself” he rummage through the kitchen to find all the hidden drugs in the pantry. A packet of pink pills fell beside Dorothea, while Terry packed everything he can bring. “Grab your things, we’re leaving”

Dorothea was lost in thought as she swallowed three of the pills she saw. She felt empty, the house suddenly felt bigger without his son’s heartfelt laughter. She mindlessly grabbed a knife in the kitchen, went back to their room where Terry is. His back was facing her, she dug the knife on his back multiple times.

“This is for my son. This are for all the dreams you ruined!” her husband’s blood sprayed on her face as she continuously stab him. Only stopping when he fell on the bed, the knife in her hands. Her eyes felt empty, she couldn’t cry anymore. She needs to be with his son. She felt her phone inside her pocket, taking it with a shaking hands.

“Hello, my name is Dorothea Matthews. I’m Dexter’s mother, the child who died near the abandoned building. My husband and I are here at our house” Dorothea mumbled on the phone with the police on the other side of the line. Her phone slipped out of her hand and went to the floor, the floor covered with her husband’s blood.

“I’m coming with you, Dexter.” the knife went through her chest. It was painless, seeing her son died was the worst pain she felt. She heard his son’s laughter, his faint voice calling out to his mommy.

“Mommy is coming” her eyes closed as she fell on the floor with a smile on her lips.

[lefilmdujour]

Another 500th movie celebration

My Tumblr just reached the 1000 movies mark, so I figured it’s time I write something about my last 2 and a half years of movie viewings and recommend 50 more movies out of the ones I’ve seen since the last 500th movie celebration.

Times have been strange in the last couple of years, and my movie habits have reflected it. There have been times when watching films was all I would do, but there have also been moments of complete disconnection from the medium. I went from watching several movies every day to spending months avoiding anything to do with sitting through a movie. 

Part of it had to do with the space I share with my demons, but mostly there has been a change of pace. My laptop died, it took me months to get another one only to also die on me. On the other hand, an enormous chunk of my viewings have been in cinemas or squats, which is a very positive change but led me to watch more recent films in detriment of classics or ancient underappreciated gems. I also got my first TV in over a decade this month, and my very first Netflix account last week, so I may be exploring streaming a bit more, although so far I am not finding the experience  at all satisfying. All pointless excuses since I went through 500+ movies in a little over two years, which is not bad at all.

It was hard to pick only 50 movies this time, and the list would have probably looked a little different if I did it tomorrow. Regardless, here are 50 movies I recommend, and why. Random order, all deserving of love and attention.

Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff) - This movie is unfairly  ignored in the best comic book adaptation lists out there on the internet. The opening scene is memorable, the soundtrack is a lesson in early Blues, and the characters are quirky and well written.

Hate (Mathieu Kassovitz) - An absolute classic about the class system in France and its tendency to end up in riots. Beautiful shot and highly quotable. Saw it a few times, the last of them with a live score from Asian Dub Foundation. One of the greats.

Audition (Takashi Miike) - Whenever I’m asked about my favorite horror movie, I tend to fall back on this one. Audition is very slow, starting out soft but with an underlying tension that builds until the absolutely gut-wrenching finale that makes us question our own sanity. Brilliant subversion of the “hear, don’t see” rule, just the though of some of the sounds used in the most graphic scenes still send shivers down my spine.

Kedi (Ceyda Torun) - A Turkish documentary about street cats, what’s there not to like?

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (Park Chan-wook) - The third in the loosely-connected Vengeance trilogy by Park Chan-wook, and my favorite of the bunch, especially the Fade to Black and White edition, in which the movie very gradually loses color as the violence grows. A visual masterpiece.

Paterson (Jim Jarmusch) - The poetry of routine. Adam Driver is one hell of an actor.

Love Me If You Dare (Yann Samuell) - Two people that obviously love each other but are not mature enough to follow it through. Frustrating. Beautiful. Made me sob.

The Exterminating Angel (Luis Buñuel) - I am realizing that a good part of this list deals with frustration. A group of people finds themselves unable to leave a party for no apparent reason. Buñuel is a genious in surrealism, I have yet to watch most of his Mexican period.

The Mutants (Teresa Villaverde) - Kids on the run from themselves. Strong visuals, very moving interactions at times. A hard but very rewarding watch. Teresa Villaverde’s entire filmography also gets a seal of approval.

Bad Education (Pedro Almodóvar) - A movie about sexuality and problematic relationships, taken to unbelievable extremes.

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu) - The adventures of Mr. Lazarescu as he struggles to find help for the sudden pain he feels and ends up being passed on from hospital to hospital. Felt very real. Sold as a comedy, but I found it terrifying. 

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Yorgos Lanthimos) - A classic greek tragedy brought to the modern age. My favorite Lanthimos film, ranking slightly below Dogtooth. The deadpan acting and the unnerving sound serves as wonderful misdirection.

It’s Such a Beautiful Day (Don Hertzfeldt) - Three shorts stitched together to create a confusing, philosophical, absurd, funny and deep masterpiece. The animation skills of Don Hertzfeldt needs more recognition.

Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu) - A movie so good it didn’t even had an English name. Three tales of love, violence and loss, all linked by a dog.

Endless Poetry (Alejandro Jodorowsky) - Jodorowsky’s romanticized auto-biography, played by his own sons.Bohemian and poetic.

The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer) - Show this movie to someone who refuses to watch silent movies. The acting is so impactful and emotional, and the use of close ups was highly unusual for the time. A 90-plus years old masterpiece.

Everything is Illuminated (Liev Schreiber) - Sunflowers.

Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan) - I have a soft spot for war movies, as to remind myself how brutal people can be to their fellow man and how meaningless the concept of nations truly is. This movie in particular achieves greatness due to its usage of sound, the best I’ve heard in recent memory.

Vagabond (Agnès Varda) - Be careful of what you wish for yourself, you may end up frozen and miserable in a ditch (spoilers for literally the first few seconds of the film).

Stroszek (Werner Herzog) - I know Herzog mostly through his documentaries. His voice brings me the feeling of a deranged grandpa sharing stories of a reality tainted by dementia. I have yet to explore his fiction work in-depth, and this has been my starting point. Stroszek is bleak and desperate but humor still shines through it at times. Ian Curtis allegedly hung himself after watching it. Not sure if this story is real, but it once more feeds into the Herzog myth.

HyperNormalization (Adam Curtis) - Put together through found footage and newscasts, HyperNormalization is an unforgiving study on how we got to where we currently are. Fake becomes real. Trust is an abandoned concept. “They've undermined our confidence in the news that we are reading/And they make us fight each other with our faces buried deep inside our phones”, as AJJ sings in Normalization Blues. Which you should also check out.

Chicken with Plums (Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud) - A man decides to die, so he goes to bed and waits. An apparent simple plot that uncovers a world of beauty and poetry, as life passes slowly through the man’s eyes.

The Florida Project (Sam Baker) - William Dafoe was born to play the role of a motel manager. He is so natural in his role that I think he would actually be great in that job. The rest of the movie is great too, but his performance is the highlight for me.

Lucky (John Carroll Lynch) - Speaking of great performances, Lucky is Harry Dean Stanton’s final movie and a great send off. IMDB describes it best: “The spiritual journey of a ninety-year-old atheist.“

Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders) - More Harry Dean Stanton. The desert plays a more than decorative role in this wonderful movie, representing the emptiness that comes from estrangement. A story about reunion and all that can come from it.

On Chesil Beach (Dominic Cooke) - I sometimes cry in movies, but this one shook me to the core. A play on expectations and reactions and their devastating impact on relationships. We all fuck up sometimes. Try not to fuck up like these characters did, not on that level, you will never be able to make up for it.

The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson) - An absolute classic. A movie about the concept of family.

No Country for Old Men (Coen Brothers) - Murder mysteries and bad haircuts.

Dawson City: Frozen Time (Bill Morrison) - I highly recommend this documentary for anyone who professes their love for cinema. The story of how hundreds of lost silent movies were preserved though sheer luck and human stupidity. Seeing these damaged frames coming back to life is truly magical.

Mandy (Panos Cosmatos) - Some films turn into cult experiences through the years, some selected few are already born that way. Mandy is a psychedelic freak-out and Nicholas Cage fits like a glove in its weirdness. If you didn’t catch it while in cinemas, you’re already missing out on the full experience. Mandy is filled with film grain, which adds to the hallucinogenic experience with its continuous movement, a feature that does not translate when transferred to a digital medium. 

City of God (Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund) - A masterpiece of Brazilian cinema, very meaningful and relatable if you grew up in a similar environment. One of the most quotable films in my memory, something that gets lost in translation if you don’t speak Portuguese. My Tumblr is mostly pictures because I “só sei lê só as figura”.

Loro (Paolo Sorrentino) - On the topic of languages, I watched this Italian movie with Dutch subtitles, by mistake. It is actually an interesting exercise, watching something without fully grasping every word and letting your mind patch the pieces together to make a coherent narrative. Impressive cinematography, amazing script. I learned a lot about corruption, not everyone has a price. I also learned I can speak Italian now.

Roma (Alfonso Cuarón) - Beautiful shot, every frame of it can be turned into a picture. Roma is about the meaning of family, seen from the eyes of someone who will never be part of it. A lot of people considered this movie boring and pointless. These people probably have maids at home.

Bad Times at the El Royale (Drew Goddard) - Engaging heist movie, well developed characters, amazing soundtrack.

Melancholia (Lars von Trier) - The World is coming to an end and the date and time has been announced. How would you react to these news? Would it matter?

Climax (Gaspar Noé) - A very scary experience, equal parts trippy and evil like all Gaspar Noé’s movies. A dark ballet that that shocks and confuses the senses. Dante’s Inferno.

Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold) - A strong story about ambitions, neglect and survival. Katie Jarvis is very realistic in her performance, a little too much judging by her history after the movie.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour) - An Iranian feminist movie about vampirism and records. Watched it with live score from The Black Heart Rebellion for extra cool points.

Another Day of Life (Raul de la Fuente & Damian Nenow) - Based on Ryszard Kapuściński‘s autobiography, Another Day of Life consists of rotoscopic animation sprinkled with interviews. A look at the Cold War in the African continent, and an important watch for everyone, especially Portuguese and Angolan nationals.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino) - Rich in dialogues and paced very slowly until the insane climax, this is probably the best Tarantino film after Pulp Fiction. Filled to the brim with cinematic references, it’s a delight to all film nerds. Looking forward for an Bud Spencer/Terrence Hill film adaption with Leonardo Dicaprio and Brad Pitt after this.

The Beach Bum (Harmony Korine) - Google’s top voted tags: Boring. Mindless. Cringe-Worthy. Forgettable. Slow. Illogical. Looks like this movie didn’t resonate well with the audiences, but then again Harmony Korine’s stuff is not for the masses. I personally think this is one of his best movies, a true exercise on nihilism. The main character is lovable and detestable in equal parts, and every action is pointless. Such is life, the only meaning it has is attributed by yourself.

The Mirror (Andrei Tarkovsky) - A man reflects on his life. Memories tend to get fuzzy, conflicting and confusing. More like a poem than a narrative. A dreamy masterpiece.

The Spirit of the Beehive (Víctor Erice) - The most charming child of this list, she couldn’t memorize the names of the characters she interacted with so they were changed to the names of the actual actors. The innocence of childhood in dark times.

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Roy Andersson) - A series of absurd vignettes connected by a pair of novelty items salesmen and their struggle to bring a smile to a grey World. Slow, but humorous and delightful. An unconventional and memorable ride.

Man Bites Dog (Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel & Benoît Poelvoorde) - Fake documentary about a serial killer. Heavy, gruesome and hard to watch, despite the false sense of humor in some scenes.A glimpse at the darkness of human nature.

Tangerine (Sean Baker) - Shot with cell phones. A story about love, gender and friendship. Funny, sad, touching.

The Guilty (Gustav Möller) - Focused on a shift of an emergency dispatcher, the camera focuses only on his face and phone interactions with the callers.A very effective thriller, its setting leads us to create our own narratives just to subvert them at the most unexpected times.

Cold War (Paweł Pawlikowski) - Loosely inspired in Pawlikowski’s parents, Cold War is a beautiful love story set against impossible odds. Powerful and heartbreaking. 

Parasite (Bong Joon-ho) - Poor family scams rich family. Rich family takes advantage of poor family. Everybody feeds off of everyone. Drama/Comedy/Thriller/Horror/Romance about control, delivered in a masterclass on cinematic rhythm. Best film of its year for me.

The Straight Story (David Lynch) - More than the fact that this movie is radically different than the remaining Lynch work, The Straight Story is a wonderful exercise in pacing and storytelling. Mr. Straight’s stories allow us to fill in the blanks with our imagination, and their impact in him is also felt in us. An underappreciated gem in its apparent simplicity.

Thank you very much for reading.

[businessguide12-blog]

20 Inspiring Writing Podcasts to Subscribe to Right Now

New Post has been published on https://businessqia.com/awesome/20-inspiring-writing-podcasts-to-subscribe-to-right-now/

20 Inspiring Writing Podcasts to Subscribe to Right Now

In the last decade, podcasts have exploded in worldwide popularity.

From celebrities like Dax Shepard to your 15 -year-old nephew, everyone seems to have a podcast.

Still, there’s a reason podcasts are so popular. Their versatility, accessibility and ability to transport, educate and empower is hard to beat.

For writers looking to bust writer’s block, sharpen their craft or spice up a boring commute, there’s no dearth of podcasts from amateurs and experts alike. Here, we’ve compiled 20 writing-related podcasts worth subscribing to.

But writer beware: You might find yourself binge-listening for hours.

1. Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Every writer looking to improve their knowledge of the English language should bookmark this podcast. With helpful and insightful tips on grammar and storytelling, Mignon Fogarty’s widely popular podcast is sure to assist you in improve your writing skills.

A great place to start: A popular episode from this podcast is “I.e. Versus E.g.” Take a just listened to an intriguing recent podcast titled “Fascinating Words for Colorings( and the Battle of Magenta”

2. The Writer Files

Hosted by Kelton Reid, The Writer Files is a long-running podcast that delves deep into habits and habitats of famed novelists. Reid interviews writers from a broad spectrum, devoting each listener a chance to see into the mind of an accomplished wordsmith within their genre or interest.

A great place to start: One of Reid’s biggest interviews was with best-selling author Douglas Coupland, titled “How Bestselling Author Douglas Coupland Writes.” Take a listen to Reid’s recent and helpful podcast episodes titled “The Writer’s Brain on Productivity Part 1 and Part 2”

3. A Way With Words

This National Public Radio( NPR) program discusses language examined through the lens of history, culture and family. The podcast is rich with detail and exciting storytelling, and typically operates for about an hour.

A great place to start: A fun episode from October 2013, “Writerly Insults” looks at some poorly written query letters, and much more. In a more recent episode “Howling Fantods” examines our understanding of vocabulary and its relation to class.

4. Writing Excuses

Writing Excuses is hosted by four writers who offer quick tips-off for writing techniques. This fast-paced podcast operates about 15 minutes per episode, with the fun tagline “Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart”.

A great place to start: A relevant episode for all novelists, “Breaking In” talks about the concept of breaking into the industry, how to do it and what happens if you have a hard time. In a recent and relevant episode titled “Writing The Other- Bisexual Characters”, novelist TJ Berry is interviewed on the topic of writing characters that are unlike you.

5. I Should Be Writing

This award-winning podcast is hosted by the always honest Mur Lafferty. Length differs, but episodes typically feature an interview with an writer who has a new book. The episodes often offer encouragement to “would-be” writers to believe in themselves and get writing.

A great place to start: An honest and vulnerable episode titled “Crippling Fear” is one all writers should take a listen to: Lafferty opens up about her own fears and failures. In “NaNoWriMo Primer” Mur talks about National Novel Writing Month.

6. Dead Robots’ Society

Dead Robots’ Society is a fun podcast by aspiring novelists, for aspiring writers. Inspired by Mur Lafferty’s podcast, the hosts share writing insights typically related to write novels.

A great place to start: The hosts talk about writing excellent short fiction in the episode, “Write Short Fiction Like a Boss.” In a more recent episode titled “Setting The Stage” Terry and Paul talk about setting a stage that pops and creating characters that come alive.

7. Portfolio Life by Jeff Goins

Well-known author Jeff Goins hosts this podcast about life, collective work and artistry. Goins is known for his inspirational messages, and his podcast is no different. This podcast is all about finding what you were born to do, and getting started creating a portfolio of your dreams.

A great place to start: In an inspirational episode, Goins talks about “Getting Paid to Pursue Your Passion in 48 Hours or Less.” Goins discusses his own passion-focused experiment and how it worked out for him. In a more recent episode, Goins offers insight on creating a daily writing habit in “Three Steps to Start a Daily Writing Habit.”

8. The Creative Penn Podcast

Author Joanna Penn encompass many topics related to writing, including publishing, developing your craft and where to find inspiration. Penn also interviews many professionals in the field.

A great place to start: Steal publishing secrets from Penn’s interview with successful indie writer Dean Crawford, “Pros and Cons of Indie and Traditional Publishing.” A recent episode titled “Author Email List and Newsletter Tips with Tammi Labrecque” offers practical tips-off on a fundamental topic in volume and writer marketing.

9. The Story Grid Podcast

This podcast is hosted by two novelists, veteran writer Shawn Coyne and self-proclaimed struggling writer Tim Grahl. Their goal? Help writers create great stories. The spin? These hosts set their own work up for critique. Coyne also offers many practical tools to help novelists craft a tale that works.

A great place to start: “Shawn Rips it Apart, ” where Coyne critiques the first scene in Grahl’s novel. They also discuss some literary greats, including Ernest Hemingway and Agatha Christie. In “How to Refine a Manuscript” Shawn walks Tim through the process of refining a final manuscript.

10. Beautiful Writers Podcast

Beautiful Writers Podcast features a discussion with some of the most well-recognized novelists in the world. Host and novelist Linda Sivertsen interviews best-selling writers Elizabeth Gilbert, Rob Bell, Glennon Doyle Melton, and Brene Brown. Episodes are typically in-depth and include personal anecdotes from creatives in the business.

A great place to start: The interview with Gretchen Rubin, where she chats about habits that trigger imagination. In a more recent interview titled “Ann Patchett: Unplugged”, talks straight about her incredible penning career.

11. StoryCorps

In this NPR podcast, hosts gather stories from Americans in all regions of the country. Although not a traditional podcast for writers, this podcast offers inspiration for excellent storytelling.

A great place to start: Two people share their experiences with two separate hostage situations that had very different terminates, in the episode “Hostage.” In “Second Chances” listeners hear two stories about bumpy starts and second chances.

12. The Literary Salon

In host Damian Barr’s The Literary Salon, authors read an extract from their volumes — all in front of a live audience in glamorous locations.

A great place to start: In a popular episode, JoJo Moyes reads from her bestselling book, Me After You. In “Rose McGowan” famous actress McGowan reads from her memoir Brave, and offers an honest and exposing interview..

13. Helping Writers Become Authors

Award-winning author K.M. Weiland hosts this podcast that offers mentorship and advice to aspiring novelists hoping to publish their own novel someday. Weiland offers practical advice on many topics related to storytelling and narrative structure.

A great place to start: “How to Calculate Your Book’s Length Before Writing” is a practical podcast chock-full of helpful advice. Weiland shares how to identify your brain’s natural penning process in “How To Create The Perfect Writing Process for You”. ”

14. Writing Class Radio

This podcast offers an invitation into a penning class. Hosts Allison and Andrea love tell tales, and through their write class listeners get the chance to learn and grow in their own storytelling.

A great place to start: In “Get Out of Your Way and Write” Allison and Andrea talk about the power of truth-telling in finding your voice. In a more recent episode titled “The Mean Letter You Always Wanted to Write, ” Andrea pens a letter, a powerful route for writers to get their point across.

15. Happier by Gretchen Rubin

Bestselling author Gretchen Rubin hosts a podcast on ways to practice happiness and how to find a more fulfilling everyday life. Although this podcast isn’t specifically for novelists, it features many well-known bestsellers who share helpful habits that have built them successful. It also includes co-host Elizabeth Craft, Gretchen’s sister, a TV writer living in Los Angeles.

A great place to start: A fun and light-hearted episode with bestseller A.J. Jacobs is offbeat and amusing. In “There’s Such Joy in Giving Delight, ” Gretchen shares a mini-podcast on the joy of introducing someone to a delightful experience.

16. Ditch Diggers

In this Hugo Award Finalist, veteran podcaster Mur Lafferty and co-host Matt Wallace offer advice to writers with deadlines. The purpose of Ditch Diggers isn’t to offer information on honing the writer’s craft, but on pressing through tough deadlines and helping writers pay their bills through writing. This is an explicit show, you’ve been warned.

A great place to start: Spend an afternoon with “Hot Button Topics.” In this movie-length podcast, Mur and Matt discuss many hot button topics related to writing and earning an income from your craft, and major “no-nos” in the writing industry. In a fun interview with award-winning writer Brooke Bolander titled “Always a Bridesmaid with Brooke Bolander” the hosts and Brooke cover many topics, including un-taught skills writers often require.

17. Mythcreants Podcast

A weekly podcast for writers to geek out over science fiction and fantasy penning. Podcast hosts are Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, and Wes Matlock.

A great place to start: In a podcast episode titled “Adverbs, Why All The Hate? ” hosts discuss why adverbs don’t get the necessary positive attention they deserve. In “Political Theory in Star Trek”, hosts invite professor Kathy Ferguson to discuss a topic she teachers a class on.

18. The Copywriter Club Podcast

In this vibrant community for copywriters and would-be copywriters, experts in the field offer inspiration, encouragement, and concrete advice on advancing in this ever-growing writing niche. Copywriters Kira Hug and Rob Marsh host the depict and offer many resources on their site.

A great place to start: In the episode titled “Copywriting Mastery” an expert copywriter offers insight in mastering your abilities. In recent episode “Achieving a Big Dream, ” best-selling author Bryna Haynes offers insight on setting objectives and reaching those big dreamings.

19. The Drunken Odyssey with John King

A podcast about creative writing and literature, hosted by writer and literary reviewer John King. The purpose of this podcast is to discuss the write life and foster a sense of community amongst writers.

A great place to start: ” Take a listen to the episode “We Drink, ” where John sits down with some literary friends to drink and discuss writing and literature. Recent episode “Elliot Ackerman” features an interview with war veteran, journalist, and novelist Elliot Ackerman. Topics covered include composition, revision strategies, and more.

20. Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach

Hosted by penning coach Ann Kroeker, this podcast is designed to help writers hone their talent through practical tips-off and inspiring insight. Episodes are typically under fifteen minutes, and are meant to offer quick solutions to many different topics.

A great place to start: In “Write to Discover Your Reason for Writing” Ann shares why she writes, and encourages writers to put pen to paper to discover their own identity as a novelist. In a practical episode titled “How to Use Lists to Transform Your Writing( and your life ), ” Ann talks about the power of list-making.

Your turn: What are your favorite podcasts for inspiration or writing tips-off?

This post was updated in February 2019 so it’s more useful and relevant for our readers!

The post 20 Inspiring Writing Podcasts to Subscribe to Right Now appeared first on The Write Life.

Read more: thewritelife.com

[language576-blog]

20 Inspiring Writing Podcasts to Subscribe to Right Now

New Post has been published on https://languageguideto.com/awesome/20-inspiring-writing-podcasts-to-subscribe-to-right-now/

20 Inspiring Writing Podcasts to Subscribe to Right Now

In the last decade, podcasts have exploded in worldwide popularity.

From celebrities like Dax Shepard to your 15 -year-old nephew, everyone seems to have a podcast.

Still, there’s a reason podcasts are so popular. Their versatility, accessibility and ability to transport, educate and empower is hard to beat.

For writers looking to bust writer’s block, sharpen their craft or spice up a boring commute, there’s no deficit of podcasts from amateurs and experts alike. Here, we’ve compiled 20 writing-related podcasts worth subscribing to.

But writer beware: You might find yourself binge-listening for hours.

1. Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Every writer looking to improve their knowledge of the English language should bookmark this podcast. With helpful and insightful tips on grammar and storytelling, Mignon Fogarty’s widely popular podcast is sure to assist you in improve your penning skills.

A great place to start: A popular episode from this podcast is “I.e. Versus E.g.” Take a listen to an intriguing recent podcast titled “Fascinating Words for Colorings( and the Battle of Magenta”

2. The Writer Files

Hosted by Kelton Reid, The Writer Files is a long-running podcast that delves deep into habits and habitats of famed writers. Reid interviews novelists from a broad spectrum, devoting each listener a chance to see into the mind of an accomplished wordsmith within their genre or interest.

A great place to start: One of Reid’s biggest interviews was with best-selling author Douglas Coupland, titled “How Bestselling Author Douglas Coupland Writes.” Take a listen to Reid’s recent and helpful podcast episodes titled “The Writer’s Brain on Productivity Part 1 and Part 2”

3. A Way With Words

This National Public Radio( NPR) program discusses language examined through the lens of history, culture and family. The podcast is rich with detail and exciting storytelling, and typically operates for about an hour.

A great place to start: A fun episode from October 2013, “Writerly Insults” looks at some poorly written query letters, and much more. In a more recent episode “Howling Fantods” examines our understanding of vocabulary and its relation to class.

4. Writing Excuses

Writing Excuses is hosted by four novelists who offer quick tips-off for writing techniques. This fast-paced podcast runs about 15 minutes per episode, with the fun tagline “Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart”.

A great place to start: A relevant episode for all novelists, “Breaking In” talks about the concept of breaking into the industry, how to do it and what happens if you have a hard time. In a recent and relevant episode titled “Writing The Other- Bisexual Characters”, novelist TJ Berry is interviewed on the topic of writing characters that are unlike you.

5. I Should Be Writing

This award-winning podcast is hosted by the always honest Mur Lafferty. Length varies, but episodes typically feature an interview with an writer who has a new book. The episodes often offer encouragement to “would-be” novelists to believe in themselves and get writing.

A great place to start: An honest and vulnerable episode titled “Crippling Fear” is one all novelists should take a listen to: Lafferty opens up about her own dreads and failures. In “NaNoWriMo Primer” Mur talks about National Novel Writing Month.

6. Dead Robots’ Society

Dead Robots’ Society is a fun podcast by aspire novelists, for aspire novelists. Inspired by Mur Lafferty’s podcast, the hosts share writing insights typically related to writing novels.

A great place to start: The hosts talk about writing excellent short fiction in the episode, “Write Short Fiction Like a Boss.” In a more recent episode titled “Setting The Stage” Terry and Paul talk about setting a stage that pops and creating characters that come alive.

7. Portfolio Life by Jeff Goins

Well-known author Jeff Goins hosts this podcast about life, collective work and artistry. Goins is known for his inspirational messages, and his podcast is no different. This podcast is all about finding what you were born to do, and getting started creating a portfolio of your dreams.

A great place to start: In an inspirational episode, Goins talks about “Getting Paid to Pursue Your Passion in 48 Hours or Less.” Goins discusses his own passion-focused experiment and how it worked out for him. In a more recent episode, Goins offers insight on creating a daily writing habit in “Three Steps to Start a Daily Writing Habit.”

8. The Creative Penn Podcast

Author Joanna Penn cover-ups many topics related to writing, including publishing, developing your craft and where to find inspiration. Penn also interviews many professionals in the field.

A great place to start: Steal publishing secrets from Penn’s interview with successful indie author Dean Crawford, “Pros and Cons of Indie and Traditional Publishing.” A recent episode titled “Author Email List and Newsletter Tips with Tammi Labrecque” offers practical tips on a fundamental topic in book and author marketing.

9. The Story Grid Podcast

This podcast is hosted by two novelists, veteran writer Shawn Coyne and self-proclaimed struggling writer Tim Grahl. Their goal? Help novelists generate great tales. The twisting? These hosts put their own work up for criticism. Coyne also offers many practical tools to help writers craft a narrative that works.

A great place to start: “Shawn Rips it Apart, ” where Coyne critiques the first scene in Grahl’s novel. They also discuss some literary greats, including Ernest Hemingway and Agatha Christie. In “How to Refine a Manuscript” Shawn walks Tim through the process of refining a final manuscript.

10. Beautiful Writers Podcast

Beautiful Writers Podcast features a discussion with some of the most well-recognized writers in the world. Host and novelist Linda Sivertsen interviews best-selling writers Elizabeth Gilbert, Rob Bell, Glennon Doyle Melton, and Brene Brown. Episodes are typically in-depth and include personal anecdotes from creatives in the business.

A great place to start: The interview with Gretchen Rubin, where she chats about habits that spark creativity. In a more recent interview titled “Ann Patchett: Unplugged”, talks straight about her incredible writing career.

11. StoryCorps

In this NPR podcast, hosts gather stories from Americans across the country. Even if they are not a traditional podcast for novelists, this podcast offers inspiration for excellent storytelling.

A great place to start: Two people share their experiences with two separate hostage situations that had very different terminates, in the episode “Hostage.” In “Second Chances” listeners hear two narratives about bumpy starts and second chances.

12. The Literary Salon

In host Damian Barr’s The Literary Salon, writers read an extract from their books — all in front of a live audience in glamorous locations.

A great place to start: In a popular episode, JoJo Moyes reads from her bestselling book, Me After You. In “Rose McGowan” famous actress McGowan reads from her memoir Brave, and offers an honest and revealing interview..

13. Helping Writers Become Authors

Award-winning author K.M. Weiland hosts this podcast that offers mentorship and advice to aspire novelists hoping to publish their own novel someday. Weiland offers practical advice on many topics related to storytelling and narrative structure.

A great place to start: “How to Calculate Your Book’s Length Before Writing” is a practical podcast chock-full of helpful advice. Weiland shares how to identify your brain’s natural write process in “How To Create The Perfect Writing Process for You”. ”

14. Writing Class Radio

This podcast offers an invitation into a writing class. Hosts Allison and Andrea love say stories, and through their write class listeners get the chance to learn and grow in their own storytelling.

A great place to start: In “Get Out of Your Way and Write” Allison and Andrea talk about the power of truth-telling in finding your voice. In a more recent episode titled “The Mean Letter You Always Wanted to Write, ” Andrea pens a letter, a powerful way for writers to get their point across.

15. Happier by Gretchen Rubin

Bestselling author Gretchen Rubin hosts a podcast on ways to practice happiness and how to find a more fulfilling everyday life. Although this podcast isn’t specifically for writers, it features many well-known bestsellers who share helpful habits that have stimulated them successful. It also includes co-host Elizabeth Craft, Gretchen’s sister, a Tv novelist living in Los Angeles.

A great place to start: A fun and light-hearted episode with bestseller A.J. Jacobs is offbeat and amusing. In “There’s Such Joy in Giving Delight, ” Gretchen shares a mini-podcast on the exhilaration of introducing someone to a delightful experience.

16. Ditch Diggers

In this Hugo Award Finalist, veteran podcaster Mur Lafferty and co-host Matt Wallace offer advice to writers with deadlines. The purpose of Ditch Diggers isn’t to offer information on honing the writer’s craft, but on pressing through tough deadlines and helping novelists pay their bills through writing. This is an explicit show, you’ve been warned.

A great place to start: Spend an afternoon with “Hot Button Topics.” In this movie-length podcast, Mur and Matt discuss many hot button topics related to writing and earning an income from your craft, and major “no-nos” in the writing industry. In a fun interview with award-winning writer Brooke Bolander titled “Always a Bridesmaid with Brooke Bolander” the hosts and Brooke cover many topics, including un-taught abilities writers often require.

17. Mythcreants Podcast

A weekly podcast for writers to geek out over science fiction and fantasy penning. Podcast hosts are Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, and Wes Matlock.

A great place to start: In a podcast episode titled “Adverbs, Why All The Hate? ” hosts discuss why adverbs don’t get the necessary positive attention they deserve. In “Political Theory in Star Trek”, hosts invite professor Kathy Ferguson to discuss a topic she educators a class on.

18. The Copywriter Club Podcast

In this vibrant community for copywriters and would-be copywriters, experts in the field offer inspiration, encouragement, and concrete advice on advancing in this ever-growing writing niche. Copywriters Kira Hug and Rob Marsh host the show and offer many resources on their site.

A great place to start: In the episode titled “Copywriting Mastery” an expert copywriter offers insight in mastering your skills. In recent episode “Achieving a Big Dream, ” best-selling author Bryna Haynes offers insight on setting objectives and reaching those big dreams.

19. The Drunken Odyssey with John King

A podcast about creative writing and literature, hosted by novelist and literary reviewer John King. The purpose of this podcast is to discuss the penning life and foster a sense of community amongst writers.

A great place to start: ” Take a listen to the episode “We Drink, ” where John sits down with some literary friends to drink and discuss writing and literature. Recent episode “Elliot Ackerman” features an interview with war veteran, journalist, and novelist Elliot Ackerman. Topics covered include composition, revise strategies, and more.

20. Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach

Hosted by penning coach-and-four Ann Kroeker, this podcast is designed to help writers hone their talent through practical tips-off and inspiring insight. Episodes are typically under fifteen minutes, and are meant to offer quick solutions to many different topics.

A great place to start: In “Write to Discover Your Reason for Writing” Ann shares why she writes, and promotes writers to put pen to paper to discover their own identity as a writer. In a practical episode titled “How to Use Listing to Transform Your Writing( and your life ), ” Ann talks about the power of list-making.

Your turn: What are your favorite podcasts for inspiration or writing tips-off?

This post was updated in February 2019 so it’s more useful and relevant for our readers!

The post 20 Inspiring Writing Podcasts to Subscribe to Right Now appeared first on The Write Life.

Read more: thewritelife.com

[craftsguide]

20 Inspiring Writing Podcasts to Subscribe to Right Now

New Post has been published on https://craftsguideto.com/awesome/20-inspiring-writing-podcasts-to-subscribe-to-right-now/

20 Inspiring Writing Podcasts to Subscribe to Right Now

In the last decade, podcasts have exploded in worldwide popularity.

From celebrities like Dax Shepard to your 15 -year-old nephew, everyone seems to have a podcast.

Still, there’s a reason podcasts are so popular. Their versatility, accessibility and ability to transport, educate and empower is hard to beat.

For writers looking to bust writer’s block, hone their craft or spice up a boring commute, there’s no famine of podcasts from amateurs and experts alike. Here, we’ve compiled 20 writing-related podcasts worth subscribing to.

But writer beware: You might find yourself binge-listening for hours.

1. Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Every writer looking to improve their knowledge of the English language should bookmark this podcast. With helpful and insightful tips on grammar and storytelling, Mignon Fogarty’s widely popular podcast is sure to help you improve your writing skills.

A great place to start: A popular episode from this podcast is “I.e. Versus E.g.” Take a listen to an intriguing recent podcast titled “Fascinating Words for Colours( and the Battle of Magenta”

2. The Writer Files

Hosted by Kelton Reid, The Writer Files is a long-running podcast that delves deep into habits and habitats of famed novelists. Reid interviews writers from a broad spectrum, devoting each listener a chance to see into the mind of an accomplished wordsmith within their genre or interest.

A great place to start: One of Reid’s biggest interviews was with best-selling author Douglas Coupland, titled “How Bestselling Author Douglas Coupland Writes.” Take a listen to Reid’s recent and helpful podcast episodes titled “The Writer’s Brain on Productivity Part 1 and Part 2”

3. A Way With Words

This National Public Radio( NPR) program discusses language examined through the lens of history, culture and family. The podcast is rich with detail and arousing storytelling, and typically runs for about an hour.

A great place to start: A fun episode from October 2013, “Writerly Insults” looks at some poorly written query letters, and much more. In a more recent episode “Howling Fantods” examines our understanding of vocabulary and its relation to class.

4. Writing Excuses

Writing Excuses is hosted by four writers who provide quick tips-off for writing techniques. This fast-paced podcast runs about 15 minutes per episode, with the fun tagline “Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart”.

A great place to start: A relevant episode for all novelists, “Breaking In” talks about the concept of breaking into the industry, how to do it and what happens if you have a hard time. In a recent and relevant episode titled “Writing The Other- Bisexual Characters”, writer TJ Berry is interviewed on the topic of writing characters that are unlike you.

5. I Should Be Writing

This award-winning podcast is hosted by the always honest Mur Lafferty. Length differs, but episodes typically feature an interview with an author who has a new book. The episodes often offer encouragement to “would-be” writers to believe in themselves and get writing.

A great place to start: An honest and vulnerable episode titled “Crippling Fear” is one all writers should take a listen to: Lafferty opens up about her own anxieties and failings. In “NaNoWriMo Primer” Mur talks about National Novel Writing Month.

6. Dead Robots’ Society

Dead Robots’ Society is a fun podcast by aspire writers, for aspiring novelists. Inspired by Mur Lafferty’s podcast, the hosts share writing insights typically related to write novels.

A great place to start: The hosts talk about writing excellent short fiction in the episode, “Write Short Fiction Like a Boss.” In a more recent episode titled “Setting The Stage” Terry and Paul talk about setting a stage that pops and creating characters that come alive.

7. Portfolio Life by Jeff Goins

Well-known author Jeff Goins hosts this podcast about life, collective work and artistry. Goins is known for his inspirational messages, and his podcast is no different. This podcast is all about finding what you were born to do, and getting started creating a portfolio of your dreams.

A great place to start: In an inspirational episode, Goins talks about “Getting Paid to Pursue Your Passion in 48 Hours or Less.” Goins discusses his own passion-focused experiment and how it worked out for him. In a more recent episode, Goins offers insight on creating a daily writing habit in “Three Steps to Start a Daily Writing Habit.”

8. The Creative Penn Podcast

Author Joanna Penn coverings many topics related to writing, including publishing, developing your craft and where to find inspiration. Penn also interviews many professionals in the field.

A great place to start: Steal publishing secrets from Penn’s interview with successful indie writer Dean Crawford, “Pros and Cons of Indie and Traditional Publishing.” A recent episode titled “Author Email List and Newsletter Tips with Tammi Labrecque” offers practical tips-off on a fundamental topic in book and writer marketing.

9. The Story Grid Podcast

This podcast is hosted by two novelists, veteran writer Shawn Coyne and self-proclaimed struggling writer Tim Grahl. Their goal? Help novelists create great tales. The twisting? These hosts set their own work up for criticism. Coyne also offers many practical tools to help writers craft a narrative that works.

A great place to start: “Shawn Rips it Apart, ” where Coyne critiques the first scene in Grahl’s novel. They also discuss some literary greats, including Ernest Hemingway and Agatha Christie. In “How to Refine a Manuscript” Shawn strolls Tim through the process of refining a final manuscript.

10. Beautiful Writers Podcast

Beautiful Writers Podcast features conversations with some of the most well-recognized writers in the world. Host and writer Linda Sivertsen interviews best-selling writers Elizabeth Gilbert, Rob Bell, Glennon Doyle Melton, and Brene Brown. Episodes are typically in-depth and include personal anecdotes from creatives in the business.

A great place to start: The interview with Gretchen Rubin, where she chats about habits that spark ingenuity. In a more recent interview titled “Ann Patchett: Unplugged”, talks straight about her unbelievable penning career.

11. StoryCorps

In this NPR podcast, hosts gather stories from Americans in all regions of the country. Although not a traditional podcast for novelists, this podcast offers inspiration for excellent storytelling.

A great place to start: Two people share their experiences with two separate hostage situations that had very different ends, in the episode “Hostage.” In “Second Chances” listeners hear two stories about rocky starts and second chances.

12. The Literary Salon

In host Damian Barr’s The Literary Salon, writers read an extract from their books — all in front of a live audience in glamorous locations.

A great place to start: In a popular episode, JoJo Moyes reads from her bestselling volume, Me After You. In “Rose McGowan” famous actress McGowan reads from her memoir Brave, and offers an honest and disclosing interview..

13. Helping Writers Become Authors

Award-winning author K.M. Weiland hosts this podcast that offers mentorship and advice to aspiring novelists hoping to publish their own novel someday. Weiland offers practical advice on many topics related to storytelling and tale structure.

A great place to start: “How to Calculate Your Book’s Length Before Writing” is a practical podcast chock-full of helpful advice. Weiland shares how to identify your brain’s natural penning process in “How To Create The Perfect Writing Process for You”. ”

14. Writing Class Radio

This podcast offers an invitation into a penning class. Hosts Allison and Andrea love tell narratives, and through their penning class listeners get the chance to learn and grow in their own storytelling.

A great place to start: In “Get Out of Your Way and Write” Allison and Andrea talk about the power of truth-telling in finding your voice. In a more recent episode titled “The Mean Letter You Always Wanted to Write, ” Andrea pens a letter, a powerful way for novelists to get their point across.

15. Happier by Gretchen Rubin

Bestselling author Gretchen Rubin hosts a podcast on ways to practice happiness and how to find a more fulfilling everyday life. Although this podcast isn’t specifically for novelists, it features many well-known bestsellers who share helpful habits that have made them successful. It also includes co-host Elizabeth Craft, Gretchen’s sister, a TV writer living in Los Angeles.

A great place to start: A fun and light-hearted episode with bestseller A.J. Jacobs is offbeat and amusing. In “There’s Such Joy in Giving Delight, ” Gretchen shares a mini-podcast on the pleasure of introducing someone to a delightful experience.

16. Ditch Diggers

In this Hugo Award Finalist, veteran podcaster Mur Lafferty and co-host Matt Wallace offer advice to writers with deadlines. The purpose of Ditch Diggers isn’t to offer information on honing the writer’s craft, but on pressing through tough deadlines and helping writers pay their bills through writing. This is an explicit show, you’ve been warned.

A great place to start: Spend an afternoon with “Hot Button Topics.” In this movie-length podcast, Mur and Matt discuss many hot button topics related to writing and earning an income from your craft, and major “no-nos” in the writing industry. In a fun interview with award-winning writer Brooke Bolander titled “Always a Bridesmaid with Brooke Bolander” the hosts and Brooke cover many topics, including un-taught abilities writers often require.

17. Mythcreants Podcast

A weekly podcast for novelists to geek out over science fiction and fantasy writing. Podcast hosts are Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, and Wes Matlock.

A great place to start: In a podcast episode titled “Adverbs, Why All The Hate? ” hosts discuss why adverbs don’t get the necessary positive attention they deserve. In “Political Theory in Star Trek”, hosts invite prof Kathy Ferguson to discuss a topic she educators a class on.

18. The Copywriter Club Podcast

In this vibrant community for copywriters and would-be copywriters, experts in the field offer inspiration, encouragement, and concrete advice on advancing in this ever-growing writing niche. Copywriters Kira Hug and Rob Marsh host the show and offer many resources on their site.

A great place to start: In the episode titled “Copywriting Mastery” an expert copywriter offers insight in mastering your abilities. In recent episode “Achieving a Big Dream, ” best-selling author Bryna Haynes offers insight on setting aims and reaching those big dreams.

19. The Drunken Odyssey with John King

A podcast about creative writing and literature, hosted by novelist and literary reviewer John King. The purpose of this podcast is to discuss the writing life and foster a sense of community amongst writers.

A great place to start: ” Take a listen to the episode “We Drink, ” where John sits down with some literary friends to drink and discuss writing and literature. Recent episode “Elliot Ackerman” features an interview with war veteran, journalist, and novelist Elliot Ackerman. Topics covered include composition, revision strategies, and more.

20. Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach

Hosted by penning coach-and-four Ann Kroeker, this podcast is designed to help writers hone their talent through practical tips-off and inspiring insight. Episodes are typically under fifteen minutes, and are meant to offer quick solutions to many different topics.

A great place to start: In “Write to Discover Your Reason for Writing” Ann shares why she writes, and fosters writers to put pen to paper to discover their own identity as a novelist. In a practical episode titled “How to Use Lists to Transform Your Writing( and your life ), ” Ann talks about the power of list-making.

Your turn: What are your favorite podcasts for inspiration or writing tips?

This post was updated in February 2019 so it’s more useful and relevant for our readers!

The post 20 Inspiring Writing Podcasts to Subscribe to Right Now appeared first on The Write Life.

Read more: thewritelife.com

[theworstbob]

the thing journal, 4.30.2017-5.6.2017

capsule reviews of the seven pop culture things i took in last week. in this post: american honey, falsettoland, fin, a good night in the ghetto, guppy, don’t think twice, and brooklyn nine-nine (s1)

1) American Honey, dir. Andrea Arnold: did you guys know women make films I've been so stoked to see this since Battleship Pretension recommended it on the strength of Sasha Lane's perormance, and I was so psyched when it was made available. I thought this was really admirable. The media about the suburbs that I've typically endured paint the suburbs as this empty, hollow place where dreams are suffocated, so this film did something really cool by showing the suburban Midwest through the eyes of these kids who live in abject poverty, in a position where living in sketchy motels and selling magazines is the best living they've had and may ever have. I can't for the life of me tell you the plot or if there was any sort of conflict -- I guess the woman in the Confederate flag bikini didn't like the Sasha Lane character? But? Nothing really happened? This movie didn't need to be two and a half hours? But it's fucking beautiful and I can't believe this was Sasha Lane's first performance and Shia LeBouef is cast to type as a dude with a rattail who fucks teenagers, and I adored it.

2) Falsettoland, wr. William Finn: Boy this was Jewish! I wrote this note three songs in, and this is my main opinion. I added this musical to my library because it had a fun name, and while I cannot say that this has rid me of my habit of finding things with fun names to listen to, it will definitely make me more hesitant, simply because sometimes you listen to a 90-minute musical soundtrack about marital strife in suburban New York.

3) Fin, by Syd: i listened to this twice last week, but i didn't write anything down and i've forgotten anything i might've had to say about this thing. my bad. i clearly thought it was cool, if not quite cool enough to keep it in the memory bank i guess?, but man, i'm disappointed in myself. i barely hit seven things this week, and one of them was a tv season which i'd already seen 33% of, and now it's sunday morning and i procrastinated on this post and i've gotta get this shit back on track. next week will be better.

4) A Good Night in the Ghetto, by Kamaiyah: gosh but there was so much good hip-hop released in 2016. this is one of the stronger debuts i've heard in a while, kamaiyah already has a strong sense of who she is, and i'm so stoked for the thing she's going to release next because any sort of backslide from this album would be a hell of a thing. it's been a while since we've had a woman with a legitimate claim to Best Rapper Alive -- nicki's fine but way too inconsistent to have any right -- and like it's shitty to lay that expectation on her, i'm just psyched to see where she goes, but if it's 5-7 years in the future and she or syd or noname aren't in the Best Rapper Alive conversation, we will have failed as a species.

5) Guppy, by Charly Bliss: This is a solid rock album that all the people I trust were right about. It took me a little bit to get used to the vocals -- that first song was one of those, "Oh, that's what you decided to sound like! What an odd choice to have made!" But about halfway through, I realized that this was what the lead singer of Metric would sound like in a conventional rock band, and I was into it from that moment on. Some dope tracks, doesn't overstay its welcome (could have maybe even stayed a little longer!), and will make for some enjoyable bus rides for the foreseeable future. I hope this band doesn't suck in the future! That'd be a downer.

6) Don't Think Twice, dir. Mike Birbiglia: This is not the movie to watch on a Friday night when you've been pretty sleep-deprived. I'm into a movie about people realizing the dream isn't going to happen, of course, and I love Mike Birbiglia, and the parts of the film I was awake for were nice -- the scene near the end, where Gillian Jacobs is carrying out the saddest improv show ever, is so beautiful, but the rest of it, enh, it's a lot of white people sad they can't do improv as a job forever. I feel guilty evaluating a movie I didn't completely take in, that take might be a reductive one, but I'll stand by it. If it were engaging, I'da stayed up, ya know?

7) Brooklyn Nine-Nine, s1, cr. Dan Goor & Michael Schur: This was a nice show! I so far love every single time Andy Samberg comes up with a new fake identity for himself (and I love that his propensity for creating fake personas is an arc with a satisfying conclusion), the Rosa character is a really fascinating and dark twist on the Carla-from-Cheers character who sort of walks in and insults people and leaves (this is an opinion I have because I'm also rewatching Cheers), and the writers and Andre Braugher are so very up to the task of creating a comic character out of a humorless man. Two things I didn't like? The show probably should have realized how badly the "cop panics and wildly shoots into the night" jokes would be at the time, but they're even worse now that police panicking and shooting at innocent civilians is a thing we're aware of, and I really wish Michael Schur would have shelved the romantic arcs for this one. Peralta and Santiago work better as professional partners than as a will-they-won't-they, and Boyle/Rosa is just shitty. Joe Lo Truglio is like so very clearly older than Rose Beatriz, and that makes it really creepy when he tells her things like, "When you go out with me -- and you will." I'm glad they put him together with someone his own age for a little bit, and I guess Peralta/Santiago is somewhat compelling, but I hope the show recognized the romantic arcs were duds and put the kibosh on them in s2. (Please tell me they did, even after I watch s2 and they didn’t, tell me they did.) Compliment sandwich! Terry Crews is perfect and I am so glad they let him exist in their universe.

[lia-jones]

Growing Stronger - Chapter Twenty One - Items One and Two

Victor didn’t take decisions lightly. He was a firm believer that no side was truly right or wrong, so all aspects should be considered to make an educated decision. For him, navigating life was a whole new flavor of risk assessment. Creating a mental spreadsheet, he would include in it any piece of information he deemed useful to the matter, rating it as an advantage or disadvantage and raking them from top to bottom, from most important to practically irrelevant.

He noticed, however, that when it came to make the spreadsheet for Andrea, he could find no disadvantages at all, which was in itself a disadvantage, since the feelings he had for her were clearly clouding his judgment. But he also learned that all the flaws were ranked as irrelevant. Always reluctant to get in touch with his feelings, Victor came across an undeniable truth: he was in love deep, and building a life with Andrea was the only option that he considered acceptable.

Victor was well aware that despite finding no disadvantages in their relationship (besides him being a lovestruck idiot), they still had things to work on. They had broken up before, so there were surely some edges that needed sharpening. He moved on to a to-do list. All the things that needed fixing before he proposed, so they could lead a loving and fulfilling life together. Victor was no fool, he knew very well nothing was ever perfect nor it would be, and he was expecting a few bumps in the road. But even if not possible, he wanted to be very close to perfection. He never accepted anything less than excellence in his work, his personal life wouldn’t be an exception.

The first item in that to-do list was to make sure Andrea felt welcome in his life. Although he himself had no doubt about his feelings for Andrea, she had, more than once, showed insecurity about their relationship. Victor knew he could attribute some of that insecurity to her dating a violent piece of scum, but he was not oblivious about his flaws either. Communication, when it came to feelings, at least, was hard for Victor, and he more often than not would steer away from heartfelt conversations. Andrea, being an extrovert, was direct and open about how she felt, and sometimes mistook his silence for indifference. Victor had to show her, without the shadow of a doubt, how he felt.

The second item was to make sure Andrea felt comfortable sharing a life with him. Although Andrea never reacted badly to his lifestyle, he also knew she didn’t quite relate to it either, and occasionally even disapproved of it. Apart from the infrequent trip overseas, she was still reticent to accept any gifts from him. Victor understood that, although her parents clearly had money, she was raised in a very humble manner, relying more on resourcefulness and imagination than tutors or servants, and couldn’t stand living in any other way. She was used to doing her own laundry and cleaning up after herself, to the point that she felt guilty by letting Victor’s housekeeper do all the chores. Victor had to threaten the fire the housekeeper, stating that since Andrea was doing all the work, he didn’t need the help anymore, for her to actually relax a little and let someone else do some of the work around the house.

Another thing that annoyed Victor immensely was that Andrea always said “your apartment” or “your place”, instead of just “home”. It was true that Victor never actually asked her to move in after their break up, mostly because he feared another fight, but they were practically living together since he got home from the hospital. It shocked Victor that she would clean his house top to bottom, do his laundry, but still wasn’t able to feel like she lived there. She took all the obligations, but none of the perks. Victor feared that he would start another argument, but he had to address the matter.

The third item on the list tied in closely to the first one, but was separate enough to be an item on its own. Victor had never shared the events of his past with Andrea, mostly because they were heavy with emotion, and, as indicated before, Victor did not enjoy talking about feelings. And even though Victor would never forfeit anything he set his mind to, even he had to admit this was a very difficult one to solve. Andrea knew nothing about Evols and superpowers, how was he supposed to explain the two almost three years he had spent in captivity. And even if he didn’t mention Evols, how would he talk about his torture? Victor didn’t even have a clue how to start such a loaded topic.

He understood, however, the importance of full disclosure. Even with the information he had about Andrea’s abuse right from the beginning, his heart only rested when he knew from her lips exactly what she went through. He wouldn’t stand to know Andrea held such a secret like he did. And still, proving she was a remarkable person, even after learning from Mia he had been through such a trauma, she gave him space to deal with things himself, disregarding her fear and ego just to make him comfortable. It was obvious to Victor that Andrea had gracefully earned the right to know. And he would tell her. The moment he knew how.

He would figure it out, sooner or later. That Saturday was about items one and two.

After visiting the horses and showing off his prized and beloved stallion, Onyx, Victor led Andrea to a secluded area in the ranch, where they could have lunch under the shade of a magnificent willow tree, the blue lake as their view, the chirping of birds and the ripple of water their soundtrack.

They unfolded the blanket over the grass and sat there, Victor taking from the basket an array of plastic boxes, two glasses, and a bottle of wine. Inside the boxes, he found every single item he carefully asked Mina to prepare, Andrea’s favorite foods: grapes, cherries, melon with prosciutto, egg salad and BLT sandwiches and mango arugula salad seasoned with balsamic vinegar. There was an extra box that made Victor smile widely: Mina had also included a box full of her delicious taffy. It would be amazing to share that iconic piece of his childhood with his beloved one. Mina had the best ideas.

Feeling completely concealed from the world, Victor and Andrea ate and engaged in playful banter, feeding, touching, and kissing each other, sharing the intimacy they had built all over time. Andrea was happy and relaxed, throwing witty remarks at him and laughing hard every time he retaliated, either with a tickle on her bare feet, or by taking her in his arms to enjoy a stolen kiss.

Blissfully untroubled, she fell asleep in his arms. Victor felt like the strongest happiest man in the world. He was able to take care of his woman, taking her away from all the troubles that worried her daily, returning the care she had given him while he was recuperating. He caressed her curls lovingly, enjoying the soft sounds she made as she slept, his heart filled with the euphoria of a job well done. He had made her happy. He was worthy of her bright warming love. Victor let his eyes close, basking in the feeling, and without noticing, fell asleep too.

Victor was startled by the vibration of his phone in his pocket, cursing under his breath when he noticed the sudden motion had made Andrea stir too. It was his aunt Terry telling them to come back for an early dinner. He planted a soft kiss on Andrea’s forehead, giving her time to fully awake. After gathering all of their belongings, they walked towards Terry’s mansion, the sunset already starting to make an appearance.

The first person he saw when they entered the large living room was the one he least expected to see. Sitting on his usual chair, nursing a whiskey, was his father. Victor’s mood shifted immediately from happiness to anger, his hand holding Andrea’s a little bit harder than he intended to. She touched his upper arm gently, a silent plead for him to remain calm.

“What are you doing here?” He couldn’t avoid the sour tone.

“This is my sister’s house. Since when do I need an excuse to come here?” It was clear that his father did not appreciate his question, although he answered in a softer tone.

Victor said nothing and moved to the kitchen, his father stopping him dead on his tracks with an unexpected question.

“How are you, Andrea?” There was no irony in his father’s question. He held Andrea’s hand tighter. He didn’t know what was happening, but he didn’t like it.

“I’m fine, thank you.” She answered politely. “How are you, Sir?”

“Please, it’s Gregory. Terry tells me that you’ll be joining us for dinner.” Victor’s father got up from his chair, shaking Andrea’s hand.

“Come, we need to take this basket to Mina.” Victor pulled Andrea towards the kitchen, uncomfortable with his father’s demeanor. However, Gregory never really let go of Andrea’s hand, as he spoke again.

“I owe you an apology.” He looked her in the eyes with a regretful expression. “I know I wasn’t exactly a gentleman last time we spoke. Truth is, I am happy that Victor has such loyal… friends in his life.”

“I apologize too. I was rude, and out of line.” Andrea shook his hand one more time.

Victor watched the whole scene, trying to hide his surprise and his terror. Something was off. He needed to figure out what. Without another word, he led Andrea to the kitchen.

“Mina, I have your basket.” He called out in the kitchen, which was seemingly empty.

“Did you two enjoy your picnic?” Mina spoke as she came in from the garden. “Andrea, did you have fun?”

“I did, Mina, thank you. The taffy was delicious.” Andrea smiled.

“Your father is here. Did you see him?” Mina asked him with worried eyes.

“Andrea, do you want to see the herb garden? I want to make something similar, but I want your opinion.” Victor turned to Andrea, his poker face in place, hiding the rage he was feeling. Andrea was no fool though.

“You know I disapprove of most of his actions, but he’s trying. Give him a chance.” Andrea looked at him with earnest eyes, and the poker face instantly dissolved.

“You don’t know him like I do.” He retorted.

“Come, Andrea, let me show you our herbs. We have new kinds this year.” Mina offered, taking Andrea by the hand.

Alone, Victor walked back to the living room to meet his father.

“What do you want?” Victor asked bluntly, not wanting to waste any time.

“To make amends. I’m trying to make up for my mistakes.” Gregory tried to appease Victor.

“What caused the sudden and drastic change of heart?” Victor didn’t believe a single word his father said.

“I could lie and say I had an epiphany, but none of that happened. Truthfully, it was Andrea. She told me some things at the hospital that I refused but needed to hear.” Gregory hung his head, apparently ashamed.

“Not a filthy immigrant anymore? Now, in your eyes, she’s wise?” Victor could feel the anger rising, but clenched his fists to keep it down. Andrea told him about her encounter with his father. How he forcefully dragged her out of the room. How he wanted to throw her out like a dog. “Now, out of blue, you like her?”

“Regardless of the past, you are still my son. There will be a time in your life when you will have a family of your own, with a wife and kids. I want to be able to witness it. I’m willing to let go of my pride and admit to my mistakes to see it happen. You may not believe it, but I am proud of you.”

The bad blood was rising fast, Victor could feel it. After years of ignoring him, pushing him away to some faraway school, and to the help, or to his sister, like he was some sort of pesky nuisance, he was suddenly useful because his father was getting old? The thought brought Victor a bad taste to his mouth. He walked towards the kitchen, calling Andrea.

“Get your things. We’re leaving.” He told her, anxious to get away from there as soon as possible.

“Victor…” His father pleaded.

“No!” Victor could no longer contain his rage, his voice like a thunder, echoing all over the house. “All you did was keep me out of your life! Like I was a burden! Like I was somehow responsible for what happened to me! I did not ask for it!”

Gregory tried to talk, but Victor would not let him. For the first time in his life, Victor would face his father, instead of being the recipient of his venom.

“You blamed me! I was a child, I was your child, and still you blamed me! Like I could somehow give her cancer! She was the one I loved the most, and you blamed me! What kind of parent does that to a child?” Victor felt his eyes prickle as he roared. He could sense people talking to him, a soft hand on his chest, but his vision was laser-focused on his father, all he could hear was his bitter words, from a long time ago.

“Go to your room. Try not to upset your mother.”

“You didn’t even let me say goodbye! She was dying and you hid it from me! All I had left of her was a vase with ashes, that you threw into the Seine! You took everything from me, like I didn’t deserve it! Like I was to blame!” Victor heard his voice betraying him, breaking with anguish.

“Victor!” He heard his aunt’s cry, making him suddenly mind his surroundings. His father staring at him, painful tears in his eyes. Andrea by his side, her hand on his chest, trying to contain him. Terry and Mina, by the kitchen door, crying.

Victor felt more than rage. He felt the raw pain of his childhood all over again. And he felt ashamed.

“Let’s go.” He ordered Andrea, who promptly grabbed her purse. “We are done here. Thanks for everything, Aunt Terry.”

He didn’t complain when Andrea offered to drive, claiming he was too worked up to do it. He felt exhausted. He had no fight left in him.

Victor spent the whole ride in silence, a worried Andrea glancing at him every 5 seconds, trying to make him talk. He just wanted to be left alone, to numb the feelings that had accidentally surfaced, to calm the hurricane in his chest.

The good thing was, she was there: taking his hand from time to time, her presence a soothing agent. And although she was desperate to help him, to pull him from his silence, she already did more than she could imagine.

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Best of 2016 Wedding Photographers West Midlands | Contemporary, Creative and Candid Wedding Photography for Walsall, Rugeley, Cannock, Stafford, Staffordshire + West Midlands Weddings | Barry James Wedding Photography

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Best of 2016 Wedding Photographers West Midlands

Highlights from 2016 | Weddings Photographers West Midlands

The start of 2016 was absolutely fantastic for us, with the year continuing in wonderful style from August onwards. Working at venues we've been to many times, and others that we hadn't had the pleasure of for some time, the year really did flow wonderfully!   It's always quite bizarre seeing patterns from over the years, and one that always makes us smile is how you can wait years to return to a venue...only to be there almost immediately afterwards...admittedly, it's not normally the very next day! That was how things were for us however with Hannah + Nathan and Shelley + Alan's weddings at Moor Hall.

All weddings are special to us but sometimes they come with a little bit of personal pleasure, as was today’s wedding of Hannah & Nathan.  The reason? They were to be married by a great personal friend of both themselves and me – Father Carl Ramsay of St. Michaels Pelsall.  The reception at Moor Hall saw us all party together.

Following on from Hannah + Nathan's wedding, it was back to Moor Hall for the wedding of Shelley and Alan who had completely transformed the ceremony room into their own fairytale dream – absolutely beautiful. Our day started with their preparations, Stephen joining Shelley and her MUA Katy Bird, whilst I joined Alan & the guys as they donned their outfits from Dapper Dan.  The ceremony room had been transformed into a fairytale dream by Divine Décor and Marguerites Florist, the strings of Enigma completed the scene.

The Wedding Industry is massive but also has many small close knit circles where our colleagues in various trades from florists to cars to dresses are also our friends.  This friendship becomes very special when one of them asks you to provide your services for their own family wedding.  It was my immense pleasure to photograph the wedding of Gemma and Will in August at Lichfield Register Office. Lynne of Fine Flowers is Gemma’s Mom.

The next weekend saw a double-header for us at Barry James, with myself and Stephen both independently covering weddings!

My wedding took us to one of my favourite combinations St Chads Church in Lichfield and Hawkesyard Estate for Helen + Robert's wedding, so many opportunities for fine photography.  My biggest memory of the day will be how cool, calm and collected the bride Helen and her five bridesmaids were during the mornings preparations…well done girls!

Meanwhile, Stephen was at the stunning Calderfields in Walsall for the wedding of Lucy + Ant...and I think it's safe to say they had a fabulous time!

From the double-header three days before, my next weeking The Moat House in Acton Trussell for the wedding of Mary + Terry...a stunning intimate wedding in the beautiful Colin Lewis Suite.

For the second time in a week for me on a midweek wedding at the fabulous Moat House, and what a glorious day for the marriage of Amy & Craig.  All of the couples plan came to fruition on this Thursday afternoon.

From two weddings at The Moat House, it was back closer to home for us for Connie & Chris' wedding. Heavy rain showers were forecast for the whole of the day, and they arrived, timings however worked in our favour for the wedding of Connie & Chris at St Marks Shelfield and Fairlawns.  Every planned outdoor shot was completed – needed to say a few thank yous in our prayers that night!

Always seems unfair when we have been enjoying glorious weather and then a front moves in to try to attempt to spoil a couples big day as it did today for the wedding of Jemma and Derren at St Lukes Cannock and The Moat House.  Happy to say the rain didn’t dampen their spirits and they were thoroughly determined to enjoy their special day.

To conclude the crazy month of August, and after a really horrible day weather wise on Saturday, I was relieved to see that today’s wedding of Natalie & Andrew at Oak Farm was not going to suffer.  As it was the threatened light showers did not arrive allowing everyone to enjoy the private grounds at this lovely venue in warm sunshine.

Every wedding is special to us but when we have known either the bride or groom since they were at school it just becomes that little bit more special.  That’s how it was for our first wedding of August at the beautiful Alrewas Hayes, for the wedding of Felicity & Rich……..and what a wonderful wedding it was too. A wedding that was one of those surreal moments when some of the people in front of the camera I have known for a long time, in fact my own son Stephen and his wife Emma who have been friends with the bride Felicity since school days were guests at the wedding with Emma being Matron of Honour – so no pressure on me then!

Lorraine & Jonny live in London but their wedding was to be at the beautiful Shropshire venue, Albright Hussey Manor Hotel.  They found us via a google search and fell in love with our images taken at this lovely venue.  Having photographed the couple here a few months ago for their pre wedding shoot I was really looking forward to being part of their special day.

Looking back through the year, it's clear Calderfields, Oak Farm and of course The Moat House were very popular venues for us yet again, with our next two weddings taking us to two of those venues...

Carol & Trevor's wedding was held at St Margarets Chapel Lane before the reception at Calderfields.

September concluded for us at Oak Farm, with Katie + Joe holding their ceremony at Christ Church Gentleshaw. A truly gorgeous day, with the late afternoon timings giving gorgeous golden light to their photographs...

October continued as a fabulously busy month for us, taking us from The Priory at Dudley, to Calderfields, to Walton-0n-the-Hill, back to The Moat House and to West Park in Wolverhampton. Here's a little look at what we got upto...

And so the year came to a close back where it started...The Moat House.

Andrea & James' Twixmas wedding at St James' Church and The Moat House was the perfect conclusion to a fabulous 28th year in this wonderful industry!

So that was 2016! What a year!

All I can say now is "thank you" to all of the couples who invited myself, Stephen and Stuart in to capture your memories...we certainly had a fabulous time with you all.

Let's see what 2017 has in store!

Contact Wedding Photographers West Midlands Barry James to discuss your wedding photography : les@barryjamesphoto.com : 01922 691528 : 07803 503526

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