#lgbtqia characters in myths and legends

[walkingwiththegods1]

Gods, Goddesses; Demigods, Demigoddesses and Humans, than belongs to The LGBTQIA+'s Community. (My post, celebrating The LGBTQIA+ Pride's Month!)

Hello, Lovely Souls!... This is a post I was thinking in make, since I readed somewhere online; than there is LGBTQIA+'s characters in Myths and Legends, but somehow... Those Myths and Legends are ignored, or intentionally shunned... Well, this post was made; for two reasons:

Than all than didn't knew this stories, become at least inform than they exists, and/or do their own research; (If you feel inclined to do so) and tell them to any person interested and tolerant, so we could ended the disinformation about LGBTQIA+'s in Mythology and Legend. Also, so any person of The LGBTQIA+'s Community; felt happy to being seen visible and represented, by powerful beings of ''The Myth and Legend's Era'', which... Some of them, are followed today. AND...

Because I notice than some of my followers, are of the LGBTQIA+'s Community... This post is my ''Thank You So Much, Card!'', for all of you: I hope you like this gift, than I send to all of you from the distance, gives you warm and light; makes you smile... And you kept it as a gift, in your heart! ♥

I hope than any person than find this post, enjoy to read it; as much I enjoyed to write it: Have a nice reading day, Everybody!

LGBTQIA+'s African Characters

The Akan people of Ghana, have personifications of Celestial Bodies; where Abrao (Jupiter), Aku (Mercury) and Awo (The Moon); manifest as Androgynus, or Transgender.

LGBTQIA+'s Aztec/Mayan Characters

Tezcatlipoca: He turned into a woman, and slept with the last king of The Toltecs; Huemac.

LGBTQIA+'s Chinese Characters

Lan Caihe: Is one of The Eight Immortals., whose gender... Is unknown.

Tu'er Shen: A man than, after being ordered to be killed; is turned into a God of Homosexuality and Protector of Homosexual Affections, as a way to repair his unfair death.

LGBTQIA+'s Diasporic African Diasporic Characters

Inle and Abbata: As result of being isolated and lonely, after been banished for their mother; they eventually become lovers, and being able to communicate by empathy. (Inle was mute, and Abbata; deaf... That's the reason they have to communicate between them, in this unique way.)

LGBTQIA+'s Greek Characters

Admetus: King of Pherae, was one of Apollo's lovers.

Adonis: One version stated than, the beautiful young man was beloved by both; Aphrodite and Apollo.

Amazons: They capture men once or twice in an year, only for reproduction; and the rest of the year... These admirable warrior women daughters of Ares, have deep and romantic relations within them.

Ameinias: A young man than fell in love of Narcissus, but... That didn't ended well, for the poor Ameinias!

Aphrodite: I readed in an extint online Encyclopedia, about a legend of the Goddess using a beard; and seducing maidens of a greek island, which results in pregnancy. (Plus: Their is an aspect of Aphrodite, called Aphroditus; where she have female and masculine physical traits.)

Apollo: He had lovers of both sexes, being the most famous: Hyacinth, The Muses (Yes... THE NINE OF THEM!); Cyniras, Cyrene, Hymenaios, Coronis; Phorbas of Thesaly, Hecuba, Admetus, and many others.

Achilles: His reaction to Patroclus's Death, during The Trojan War... Is of someone than losed to the Love of his Life.

Ares: It was said than Alectryon, was a lover of The God of War.

Artemis: She vowed to remain an virgin, and have nymphs as her companions in her hunting trips. Also, she defended fiercesly her chastity; so we can assume she is asexual. (Or... An Asexual Lesbian, maybe?)

Athena: She loved to Myrmex, an Athenian young woman known for her purity and intelligence... Until she said than she invented The Plough, (One of Athena's inventions) and Athena; turned to the insolent girl into an ant, ending forever her only romance. (And closing her divine heart to Love, forever.)

Caeneus: A woman than, according the first versions of the myth; after being with Poseidon, asked to be turn into a man.

Callisto: Zeus, transformed in Artemis; and Callisto slept with him, believing than he was Artemis. (Obviously... She was a lesbian, because she had sex with somebody than looked like the Goddess; thinking than Artemis herself, returned to the same feelings/atraction/desire!)

Dionysus: It is said than Dionysus, was The God of Intersex and Trans People, (Probably for his custome of sometimes dressing in woman's clothes, when drunk) and; he had romances with various men, including the Satyr Ampelus, and the handsome Adonis.

Helen of Troy: When Aphrodite went to talked to her, to convince her to continue to be with Paris... Her heart raced in her chest, by only seeing to The Goddess of Love; in front of her!

Helenus of Troy: The Trojan Prince, was a son of Priam and Hecuba... And Apollo's Lover.

Heracles: The symbol of Masculinity in The Ancient World, had adventures with women, BUT... Had closer relations with men, too: 11 of them in total, been Iolaus; Hylas, Admetus, Sostratus, Abderus and Nestor, as the most famous of Hercules's Male Lovers. (I don't know why, but... The idea of Hercules having boyfriends, sounds charming to me!)

Hermaphroditus: Was turn forever in a being of both sexes, after the nymph Salamcis; hugged to the young and prayed to The Gods, they will never being apart.

Hermes: He is accounted in mythology, to have relations with both; women are men. And... That he had some liaison, with the mythic hero... Perseus!

Hypnos: There is a tale, where Endymion; instead of being Selene's Love, was loved by... Hypnos: The God of Sleep and Dreams.

Iphis: A child being borne female, than was transformed into a man; so he could married with the woman he loved.

Kalamos and Karpo: Two young men, whose tragic end; is the origin of the water reed and the fruit of the fields than dies and revives every year.

Leucippus: A girl that was turn into a boy, to avoid his father's anger.

Poseidon: He loved to men too, including to the prince of Pisa, Pelops; and Nerites.

Orestes: It was said than, he had a romance with a young man; called Pylades.

Orpheus: An account said than he loved to a man, (Calais, a young Argonaut) before to fall in love to his wife, Eurydice.

Siproetes: A man than saw Artemis bathing, and Artemis turned him in a woman.

Thamyris: According to Mythology, is the first man to have loved; to another man.

Tiresias: The Seer, spended 7 years as a woman; for killing a female serpent while it was mating. (So... Now all you know: Killing mating snakes, turns you into a person of the opposite sex!)

Zephirus: He fell in love with Hyacinthus, (But... Hyacinthus choosed to Apollo, in the end.)

Zeus: The prince Ganymedes, so beautiful and charming; than Zeus tricked him and taked him to Olympus, where the prince became the Cup Bearer of The Mighty Ones; and Lover of Zeus, and; as far as I know... The only lover of Zeus, to be made IMMORTAL. (...End of The Story!)

LGBTQIA+'s Japanese Characters

Inari: Kami of Agriculture, than is draw as of various genders.

Kitsune: Trickster-Fox Spirit, than disguise as women; hiding their true identity (and gender); so they could trick men into sleep with them.

LGBTQIA+'s Native American Characters

Xochipilli: Mexica Deity, than has been interpreted, as The Patron God of Homosexuality.

LGBTQIA+'s Nordic Characters

Freyr: May have been followed, by Homosexual and/or Effeminate Priests.

Loki: Just in case you don't know, why he is in this list... I'll made a little resume: Crossdresing many times, being capable to change of sex many times; he had relations with both sexes, and... Let's not forget than he gave birth to some of his children. (Conclusion: Loki is not ashamed of his sexuality, and...Why he should be?! He is marvelous and perfect, and we love him just like that!)

LGBTQIA+'s Oceanic Characters

Ungud: An Creator Snake-God of Australia and associated with rainbows, than is sometimes male; sometimes female, AND... Sometimes, androgynous.

LGBTQIA+'s Sumerian Characters

Gilgamesh: His relation with Enkidu, was so intimate and close... Than is strange than is depicted today, as only Friendship in The Media.

LGBTQIA+'s Taino Characters

Sexless Creatures from the Trees: Is a VERY WEIRD MYTH, but... As the Americans said, 'To make a long story, short...'' One day, one of the man named Guahayona; took all the women and their kids to other lands, promising to the men than he will returned for them... Which never happened: The kids were abandoned near a river crying, till they were turned in tiny frogs; and the women were left in an island where it was said than even today, only women lived there. After a while, the men needed of female company... Found to beings with long hair, but with slippery skin and than wasn't men; or women. The Cacique, (Chieftain) called for men with thick skin than grabbed four of the beings; and after thinking, ''How the heck can we turned this weird beings, into women?!...'' they used a Inriri (A Caribbean's Woodpecker), and... Let's said, than it was ''The first operation of change of sex, in Myths'' (...As far as I know!...)

Now all you know: LGBTQIA+' People, has many representatios in Ancient Myths and Legends; which shows than our Ancestors were more tolerant and acepting in general, of all the people than we kindly calls Humanity.

That's all in this post: To all my followers, and to all the people than belongs to the LGBTQIA+'s; Community: Happy Pride's Month, Everybody! (Never give up... And fight for your happiness, 'cause only the ones than fight for their rights; will receive what their hearts desires the most!)

Than The Deities protects you always in each step you make, and helps you to arrived soon to that beautiful and peaceful future life in Earth; where you are loved and accepted, as a whole and wonderful human being... So Be It!

[that-irishman-fan]

night at the museum jedtavius as dads to a daughter headcanons!

[ Full credit to the owners of the GIF and Night At The Museum, none of these characters are mine in any way! ]

FANDOM: Night At The Museum, 2006

GENRE: Headcanons, parenting au, LGBTQIA+, and fluff!

SYNOPSIS: What's its like being the daughter of Jedidiah and Octavius!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Female coded reader, angst at some parts, and minor swearing, this is meant to be fluffy!

Notes: I started these headcanons with a daughter/female reader in mind, since that's how the idea popped into my head—but I am already planning out two other parts for a son/male coded reader and for a gender neutral set in the future. I realize it would be unfair to not follow up with similar ones, since I understand my audience is absolutely not exclusively women. So, keep a watch for parts two and three to come soon!

I also want to note quickly that there will be some worldbuilding sections I've included—just adding in some extra exhibits we don't see in the first movie as a sort of behind the scenes slash for plot thing. With that said, let's dive right in!

• Let's start by establishing your role in this situation. You'd be one of the full sized models on display, much like Teddy Roosevelt and Sacagawea ( take your choice as to what historical period, it doesn't really make a difference ). You arrived a while ago as a part of a brand new exhibit meant to reignite interest in the museum. Discombobulated, frightened, and frankly lonely, you searched for friends in this strange new place. It ended up being Jedidiah, the cowboy, and Octavius, the Roman general. Both were already lovers when you came around.

• Jedidiah and Octavius wanted to try their hand at raising kids together. But because of their plight of being tiny models, they'd given up on it. Your arrival was a dream come true. You three quickly had a found family dynamic, and sure enough they took you in as their daughter. You are perfect in their eyes in every way, an answer to all their prayers.

• They'd be your gay dads, with Teddy as a grandfather, Ahkmenrah an older brother, Sacagawea a mother figure, Attila the cool uncle, and all the others your friends. Soon, you found your place amongst the others.

• Both have their own pet names for you. Jedidiah calls you little lady, missy, and pumpkin. Octavius calls you mea columba ( my dove in Latin, since I have two years of it under my belt ), darling, and my princess. You call them by their actual names, or 'daddy' for Jed and 'father' for Octavius.

• I like to think they'd put emphasis on immersing you in their respective cultures. Giving you the best of both worlds, the Wild West and the Roman Empire.

• Jedidiah would show you all the classic cowboy staples— gunfights, rodeo, catching robbers, and playing songs by the campfire. You love it when he dazzles you with stories of outlaws, broncos, and especially cowgirls.

• Octavius would let you watch his army train, teaching you military strategy; not only that, but also attending senate meetings, participating in banquets, and telling you Roman myths and legends. If you gave your best shot at any of it, they'd be so proud of you. Just having your interest is reward enough, but if you actually did it yourself? They might just die of happiness right on the spot.

• Your dads love to hear about anything and everything that you're passionate about too! Please talk to them about whatever makes you excited, and they'll be as enthusiastic as you. They make a point to be interested since you try so hard for them.

• I get the vibe that Jedtavius are more free range parents in the sense that you're allowed to go anywhere in the museum you like. Outside is off limits, of course, which you understand. However, they are old fashioned. Not to the point of chaperoning, but cautious regardless. Jedidiah and Octavius are believers in women being treated with the utmost respect, they're very chivalrous. As such, they'll be on top of things to make sure you don't get hurt. With that said, they trust you to be responsible in your own right. They're just protective, you're their sweet baby girl after all. And God forbid anyone dare to lay a finger on you the wrong way.

• When morning comes, its hard for you to return to your place. You feel empty, almost lost, knowing you'll be gawked at come daylight. By yourself without them there. Sometimes, this can bubble up into small episodes. You'll feel resentful, crying bitter tears at times or just angry on others. Jedidiah and Octavius wouldn't leave your side until you were calm, both comforting you without a hint of judgment.

• " Aw, pumpkin, don't cry. S'alright, yer Daddy ain't goin' nowhere. We'll be right back where ya found us, ya hear? " Jedidiah would coo to you.

• " No more tears, fear not. It will pass once again as it always does. Our brave girl, my little princess. " Octavius would add on, gentle as his husband.

• Every night, the minute you'd come to life, you'd run as fast as you could to the Diorama Room to be reunited with them. They're your haven, your home, your safety net. After long days of noisy crowds and superficial cares, you're revitalized in their presence. And Jedidiah and Octavius are delighted to see you again, the hole in their hearts filled when your face appears.

• On to happier things now. Jedtavius are always ready to shower you in affection. I feel Jedidiah is the gruff type, his love language being praise, affirmations, and encouragement over physical gestures. Octavius is the opposite, being very tactile. For him, it's offering you hugs, soft touches, and gentle kisses. It's really ironic considering these guys are warriors in their own ways. Two macho men who are such softies for you.

• If you don't like physical contact, though, they respect that boundary completely. They're both so loving and supportive that you never have to worry about feeling neglected.

• The size difference poses an issue. You three have learned to work around it through trial and error. They may be small, but they have big hearts and an endless amount of love to give. You're definitely their soft spots, one could say weaknesses, but they have no shame over it. Not when it's you.

• I can imagine them being saddened by your insecurities, not able to understand why you don't see how special you are. It's not disappointment at you, rather pity for you. And they're quick to reassure you, genuine in every possible sense of the word.

• " Why's our precious lil' Y/N so down in the dumps? Ya know I hate seein' a frown on that dad gum pretty face of yers. Talk to us, why're ya beatin' up on yerself so hard? " Jedidiah would say, sitting you down in front of his diorama. At your shoulder level, he'd stand next to you, putting a tiny hand on your cheek.

• And you'd tell them everything on your mind. All the things bothering you. Neither of them would interrupt you once, letting you speak. Nor would they try to discount any of your feelings. But it does pain them to see you so sad.

• " We would not lie to you, daughter. When I say you are fairer than Venus, cleverer than Minerva, and braver than Diana, I mean it. For you are beautiful, you are intelligent, and you are strong. Most of all, you are you, as you are meant to be. " Octavius would tell you, his dark eyes adoring. His lips would touch your hand as if to further make his point.

• " And yer our girl no matter what. Yer daddy and yer father love ya, missy, even when ya go gettin' yerself into trouble. We wouldn't want nobody else as our daughter, yer all we could ever ask for. " Jedidiah would grin, patting you on your shoulder.

• Okay, now onto the stuff relatively separate from Jedtavius. In your free time when you're not hanging out with your dads, you get into plenty of mischief on your own with your fellow museum residents.

• Playing with Dexter and Rex in the Hall of African Mammals, surrounded by the jungle setting. The lions, elephant, gazelles, ostrich, and zebras don't mind you for some reason, and they're quite tame around you. You like to climb the display trees, cuddling with the snakes or swinging around with the monkeys. And playing fetch with Rex in the front lobby is always fun too.

• Teddy would take you on hunts, throwing you on the back of his horse. If you really wanted to, he'd even teach you to ride. Jedidiah was enormously proud when you showed up in the Diorama Room like an equestrian show rider.

• Sacagawea and you communicate through sign language. She likes to tell you many stories of her travels with Lewis and Clark, as well as legends from her own culture. You intently listen to each one, always raptured by the brilliant way she breathes life into the old tales.

• One time you tried to help the Neanderthals light their fire. It wasn't successful, but they welcomed you as a member of their family. You don't understand most of what they say, though you're always kind to them.

• Attila would teach you swordfighting, passing down all his wisdom as a master warrior. You two love to spar, often quite viciously to the point that Larry Daley has to tell you two to knock it off before you lop off each other's heads. Both you and Attila would be fascinated by magic tricks too, eager for Larry to show you a new one every shift he takes.

• Before he released Ahkmenrah from his sarcophagus prison, you made an effort to visit the pharaoh so he wasn't lonely. You two chatted well into the night about whatever came to mind; but you had a penchant for stories of his past in Ancient Egypt. You two have a platonic relationship characterized by him being wiser, more experienced, and far more worldly than you, your big brother who you've got wrapped around your finger.

• You also like to hang out in the other exhibits too. Watching the blue whale float idly in the Marine Room, singing its beautiful songs and you doing the same for it. You've danced to many a sea shanty with the model pirates, the favorite of Captain Blackbeard. The Kushite kings, Babylonian priests, Celtic bards, noble samurai, and Viking chieftains also enjoy your company, fascinated by your wits and amicable nature.

• I headcanon that the models can hear and see their surroundings during the day, they just can't interact with them in their frozen states. You've seen thousands of faces before in all your years in the museum, but the one you always like to see is that of Dr. McPhee, the curator. He's fussy, arrogant, and pompous from what you've heard, but you couldn't help your crush on him. You wished to get to know him more. For him to see you.

• Overall, life is fantastic for you in the museum. You've got Jedidiah and Octavius, all your friends, and a great big world in one small place to call your own.

Well, that's all I've got for right now! I hope I've done this justice. It was such a cool idea, and I couldn't resist dropping everything to jot down my thoughts on it. Once again, I am planning two other parts so as to be more inclusive to my fellow menfolk and out of the binary peeps! If you want to be included in a tag list for anything Night At The Museum or my other content, please drop a comment, and I'll add you from now on! Please have a fantastic rest of your week, and thank you SO much for all your likes, reblogs, comments, and interactions. It means the world to me!

[mikhailhellenicjournal]

This blog!

🍇 I'm a secret hellenist, polytheist and witch so i can't practice what i believe in a very extravagant way, so i decided to create a blog dedicated to my religion and practice but also about my journey and interests, so the account is a mix of everything. My main blog is @harleyquinnirl1!

About me!

🍇 Mikhail Alexandre, +18, autistic adhd, brazilian latino, non-binary bisexual, i use he/him, they/them and it/its pronouns.

My interests!

🍇 Animations: Steven Universe, Pokemon, Slugterra, Monster High (G3), The Owl House, Amphibia, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, Nimona and Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.

🍇 Games: Ensemble Stars, League Of Legends, Overwatch, Honkai Star Rail, Doki Doki Literature Club, The Arcana, Your Turn To Die, Danganronpa, Pokemon, Beast Of Bermuda, The Isle, Path Of Titans, Baldur's Gate 3, games from the Life Is Strange franchise, between others. I like simulation games, animal games, games with choices that affect the course of the story and interactive visual novels or visual novels in general.

🍇 Others: Cartoons, Animations, Rose Quartz, Harley Quinn, DC, Percy Jackson, Felps (Youtuber), Cellbit (Youtuber), Studio Ghibli, Games, RPG, Myths, Religions, Human Behavior, Autism, ADHD, Disorders And Disabilities, Dinosaurs, Animals, Alternative Fashion, Countercultures, Arts, The Color Pink, Sexuality And Gender, LGBTQIA+ Novels and Music.

BYF!

🍇 I do not support “mspec lesbians", “lesboys” and things like that, I swear a lot sometimes, i use tone indicators sometimes and i prefer that people use them with me too if they are making a joke or something like that because i’m bad with tone, i'm otherhearted and furry.

DNI!

🍇 Basic criteria (homophobic, racist, xenophobic, etc.), proshipper, hater/anti of my interests and characters that i like, anti-furry, anti-therian, radfem/radgay, transmed, anti-xenogender, anti-neopronouns, ableist, pro-israel, anti rarepair and people who doesn't know how to accept other people's opinions about things that don't hurt anyone (headcanons, ships etc that are not problematic).

Tags!

🕊 For my posts about Aphrodite i use #mikhail's aphrodite worship

☀️ For my posts about Apollon i use #mikhail's apollon worship

🍷 For my posts about Dionysus i use #mikhail's dionysus worship

[tsomwebcomic]

Welcome to the official blog for the webcomic 'Two Souls, One Mind' an Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy series.

This is where I (@palegalestudios) will be updating my webcomic, posting here as well as three(?) other platforms. I'll also be posting on Instagram, which is under the @/tsomwebcomic username, and (possibly) TikTok (still deciding).

This is for my comic ONLY! If you wanna see other tsom related stuff, like the ask blog, you can find it on my main blog (which I have tagged above).

A synopsis:

"We're told that legends and creatures of myth are just stories... Stories you tell to your children, or your friends.

But... what if they were real. What if there were two other races, creatures that we know from myth and... magical celestial beings, that lived with humans and were sealed away before the beginning of Ancient Greece.

Follow best friends Matt and Danny, and their new mythical friends, as they uncover this world in the modern day and try to stop it from disappearing forever, while also handling their own magical potential"

I have a lot planned for this story, and have been working on it for the past 3(ish) years now. I can't wait for you guys to watch all these characters get up to shit, while trying to save magic.

Quickly, just some basic boundaries:

I'm absolutely ok with fanart and fanfiction. In fact, tag me! I love to see the stuff!

With that being said, I'm also ok with headcannons and theories, as LONG as it doesn't ignore actual character and story cannon too much

The only acceptation to the rules above is anything NSFW. For my own peace of mind, keep it to the characters that are OF AGE!! (looking at you, you fucking pedo and proshipping creeps), but please don't tag me or show me... at all. In fact, don't show anyone else. I can't stop y'all, but PLEASE keep that to yourself, and in private. If I find out that y'all are using this to be weird with others I STFG, I WILL END YOU! /NEG

I don't wanna see ANYTHING weird or creepy towards me, my story, or anyone who interacts with this blog. I will fucking block you, don't test me, and I encourage others to do the same.

This is a safe space! I don't wanna see any bullying, racism, or any phobia towards the lgbtqia+ community, at ALL! Again, you will be Blocked!

If you do feel unsafe and I haven't done anything, possibly because I didn't see it (my notif feed is fucked so I miss a lot of stuff), pls reach out and I will sort it out :]

Please be patient. I'll try to update this comic at least once a fortnight (starting FEB 2024), but I can't guarantee that. So don't fill my inbox with "where's the next part?!" or "are you alive?!" I am alive, and unlike most people, I HAVE a life where I'm not at the screen 24/7 so... (I mean that in a light hearted way, but seriously don't @ me for the next part. It will come when it comes)

(Will update if needed)

Ty for reading, and enjoy your time here!

[sarahlizziewrites]

WIP INTRO: The Adventures of Sitora Lux - Book One: Honesty

“I want you all to think about your answer to what should be a very simple question: ‘Why do you want to become a Paladin?’”

In a harsh, cruel world, Brightfield is a haven. A golden city nestled in a region of plenty and peace, and home to people of all races from every corner of the known realms.

Brightfield is all Sitora has ever known. A daughter of a baker in the poorest quarter of the city, Sitora gets the opportunity to attend the prestigious Paladin Academy, an institution to which the city can attribute the bulk of its balance and peace. As she trains to become a peacekeeper of the realm, making friends and enemies, she soon learns about the dark things that lurk in the shadowed corners of the Golden Garrison, and the secrets that its occupants keep…

Themes/genres:

fantasy adventure, swords and sorcery, magic school, coming-of-age, lgbtqia+, friendship saves the day, naïve protagonist learns about the world

Things I get excited about in this WIP:

Every interaction between Sitora and Raelynn keeps me up at night, I love them. What both of them think is a profound friendship is actually a burgeoning romance. 

Worldbuilding: generating myths and legends about historical Paladins has been so much fun. Just call me the Master of Songs!

Sitora herself. She is such a joy to be with: she is relentless and stubborn and kind and tough and I love her. Here, have a character intro!

[thevisibilityarchives]

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017), Taylor Jenkins Reid

LGBTQIA+

Summary: One of Hollywood’s greatest legends summons a struggling writer for a final tell-all to set the record straight about who amongst her many lovers was her one true love. 

Review Link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4981011136

Full review: Roughly 2,408 years ago, Plato wrote of a Symposium (a drinking party for artists and philosophers in Ancient Greece). This particular Symposium produced a series of texts that are studied across different courses in schools and universities worldwide today. 

A poignant text from that evening is the Myth of Aristophanes, a farcical creation myth detailing the origins of man. According to the playwright Aristophanes, humans began as an intersex species with multiple sets of limbs. They aggrieved the gods in a display of great pride by attempting to climb Mt. Olympus. As punishment, Zeus cast them down and cleaved them in two, birthing our current anatomical state (fewer arms, legs, and eyes) and the two sexes. In addition to this, humanity became cursed, doomed eternally to forever search for their other half, their “soulmate”. This union the soul could only be found through Eros, in love or lust.  

Aristophanes meant this tale as a drunken joke, yet today we cling fervently to the notion of the soulmate. In cultures where we have the freedom to choose relationships, the majority of people believe in the existence of romantic soulmates. 

There are the other forms soulmates can take, especially for those who de-prioritize romantic love as a driving force in their lives, or who may practice non-hierarchical forms of nonmonogamy, like relationship anarchy. As the Washington Post states: “Biologically speaking, close friendships are a type of soul mate too…This ability we have to make someone special — our brains can do it again and again. That’s why we can have more than one soul mate in our lives. (Lervine, 2022).

In offices above us all, companies from dating apps to food companies capitalize heavily on this same notion to sell products. “What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons,” says Donald Draper in the very first episode of Mad Men.

No matter our personal stances on the soulmate, it is the latter that has the biggest influence, all stemming from that drunken farcical speech Aristophanes made. The billion dollar industry of love powers media, social mores, and consumer markets. Its mark on literature is poignant, and for authors like Taylor Jenkins Reid is how they have found success. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo epitomizes this obsession with love, in an Americana-laced tale about an Old Hollywood star who reveals the secret she’s been hiding most of her life: her true love hasn’t been any of her seven spouses, but a woman. 

The titular character is an amalgamation of our world’s legendary screen sirens - Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, and Rita Hayworth. She’s beautiful, unscrupulous, and has a rags to riches story that takes her to Hollywood where she skyrockets to success.

At the beginning of book we’re introduced to Evelyn post-career, as an elderly woman who reaches out to a little known reporter named Monique and offers her an interview. Her words suggest a tone of finality that indicate terminal illness, and a desire to get some things off her chest. From there, she begins to recount her life, experiences, her seven husbands, and the woman she hid beneath it all: Celia St. James. 

Two connections are made clear in Evelyn’s contacting Monique, who is a talented but unknown quantity. The first, is that the two share similarities as women of color, with Evelyn being Cuban and white passing and having hidden her identity during her career to attain stardom. Monique on the other hand is Caucasian and Black, and proud of her biracial heritage. This pride in the seeming duality of her race is something Evelyn assumes wille make Monique an inherently open-minded person when she reveals the truth about her relationship with Celia.

Monique does not inherently understand. She instinctively assumes Evelyn is a lesbian, much to Evelyn’s chagrin despite her own numerous passages stating that she is “biracial, not black”. 

As Evelyn recounts the history of her career and husbands, readers are interestingly treated to descriptions of men she loved, and men she abhorred alike. She meets men who use her, abuse her, love her, and idolize her all alike. Out of the seven, the general point of the book is that Celia is her one true love. 

Celia is a fellow actress and co-star of Evelyn’s and a lesbian. While far from unscrupulus as Evelyn, she does not possess a careless attitude about social norms of the time. That said, Celia possesses a seemingly naive attitude about what will happen if they are exposed and their lives subject to ruin. 

The result is a tumultuous relationship that is depicted as romantic. Both maintain beard relationships at various points, and Celia explodes into emotionally abusive tirades. Neither defines solid boundaries about what they’re willing to do or not do for their relationship, nor do they simply walk away when they feel disrespected. As with many Classic Hollywood movies, Celia is portrayed as the passionate lover who just cannot stand to see her femme fatale behaving badly. Her cruelty is justified as romantic, while Evelyn’s actions can be justified as simply doing what she has to for their relationship, or reviled for doing Celia wrong.

While poorly studied, data shows intimate partner violence among LGBTQ partnerships is staggering. “Life-time prevalence of IPV in LGB couples appeared to be similar to or higher than in heterosexual ones: 61.1% of bisexual women, 43.8% of lesbian women, 37.3% of bisexual men, and 26.0% of homosexual men experienced IPV during their life, while 35.0% of heterosexual women and 29.0% of heterosexual men experienced IPV. (Rollè, Giardina, Caldarera et al.) 

For the majority of readers of the book this relationship is viewed as simply passionate. Celia’s insults, degradation, name-calling, and devaluement is something that can be forgiven in the name of love, or simply doesn’t count because Celia and Evelyn are both women. 

On the Multiamory podcast, guest speaker and OkCupid Dating Coach Damona Hoffman joined the shows hosts to promote her upcoming book F the Fairy Tale: Rewrite the Dating Myths and Live Your Own Love Story. Among those myths she detailed the soulmate narrative, which she believes prevents people from pursuing relationships as they do not expect meeting people to mirror the feelings Don Draper and advertising executives have described in movies, advertising campaigns, and books. Show host Jase Lindgren also echoed the concerns growing numbers of relationships therapists and psychologists have stated with this idea today, which is that many people adhering to this idea are inclined to stay in relationships that are emotionally or physically abusive because they believe they have found their soulmate and won’t find another. As Jenkins Reid writes shows us, that’s all that matters. 

For the rest of the tale the two continue to part and come back to the each other, with Evelyn flying between men. She does find love in a way that is troublesome. Evelyn marries one of her best friends, gives birth to a child, and has perhaps one of the most stable relationships in the book–but its completely discounted as meaningless because he’s not Celia. He is a bisexual man who has been with her from the beginning, has been the only one who did not judge her, and has been the only character to treat her with respect throughout the entire book. Their love is one that is real, whole, and for those of us that believe in multiple soulmates, fulfills the criteria. 

While the book has been well received, it doesn’t always sit well in its representation of queer or BIPOC individuals. Evelyn’s character is the walking embodiment of harmful stereotypes about bisexual women. She is portrayed as hypersexual, narcissistic, manipulative, persistently unhappy, and unable to maintain a monogamous relationship. She is consistently questioned about whether she is really bisexual, attached to mostly men, and seemingly only finds the resolution to some of these things through Celia. Add to this her description of being Cuban contains frequent reference to her body type, which is at odds with beauty standards of Latino culture (or even white beauty standards of the 50s) and the characterization becomes a fetishization of these aspects of her character. 

These instances are seen again whenever characters who are not white or straight are present. Monique has cringeworthy passages alluding to her status as biracial. These reflections are indicative of an author who does not spend significant time engaging with the culture or communities they are writing about, and is producing work that is not intended to be consumed by them. 

You can find The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo here via its publisher Simon & Schuster, likely at your local library, or perhaps your local bookstore. 

Citations: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/09/16/soul-mates-real-science-research/

[thorn-the-robot]

⊰──The Obscure Realms──⊱

[RP] [PBP] [Discord] [Dark Fantasy] [LGBTQIA+ Friendly] [16+]

The supernatural world (The Obscure Realms), exists on a plane parallel that has been connected to the human world (Earth) since the very beginnings of human civilization. While supernatural creatures previously lived amongst humans as gods, goddesses, myths, legends, and monsters, they have since been forced underground. The RP takes place in the modern day and age where supernatural beings have been largely forced to hide in the shadows of human society, or be hunted down and experimented on like animals.

The general premise is that all of our known mythology has truth in it somewhere, generally in species long forgotten by humanity.

A couple of other things:

❧16+

❧No Smut

❧This RP is run through a discord server.

❧This is a no-drama server. - If you start drama the admins reserve the right to boot you at any time.

❧Please be respectful of the admins and don't be afraid to approach any of them with questions.

❧We often use D&D magic and mechanics to roughly define character abilities.

❧It’s an entirely Homebrew world with many\* creatures from various mythology being allowed as character races.

❧This is a Cooperative game that doesn't use dice or generators. It is up to you and your RP partners to determine the outcome. You may not harm or influence another character without permission from the player first.

Current active characters include: Tieflings, sirens and other merfolk, grim reapers, aasimar, celestials and angels, demons/devils, fae, vampires, constructs, ETC.

*there are certain creatures that we do NOT allow

This is all just brief information there is a lot more information explaining and depth what we expect and what the server and world is generally like in our discord server.

If interested please respond or message me with:

❧ A brief character concept if you have one

❧ Your Age

❧ Any questions you might have

and I will get back to you as soon as I’m able.

[lucidconsumespods]

Podcasts I’ve listened to:

A Voice from Darkness

Alice Isn’t Dead*

Archive 81 💕

Ars Paradoxica*

Believer*

Camlann

Camp Here and There*

Caravan*

Cascadia

Celeritas 💕

City of Ghosts

Deadly Manners

Death by Dying

Distractible 💕

Do You Copy?

Down

Duggan Hill 💕

Dungeons and Daddies 💕

Eos 10

Geist

Grotto

Haunted House Flippers 💕

Hello from the Hallowoods 💕

How I Died

I Am in Eskew

Jar of Rebuke

Kakos Industries

Kane and Feels: Day Trippers

Kings Fall AM 💕 💀

Limetown

Lost Terminal

Malevolent 💕

Marsfall*

Middle:Below

Midnight Burger

Monstica

Moonbase Theta, Out*

Null/Void

Old Gods of Appalachia 💕

Out of Place 💕

Paired*

Parkdale Haunt

Patient 33*

RABBITS

Radio Outcast

Red Valley 💕

Redwood Bureau*

Sayer*

SCP Archives

SCP: Find Us Alive

SPINES Podcast

Spirit Box Radio*

Station Blue

The Adventure Zone*

The Amelia Project

The Antique Shop

The Cellar Tapes

The Callisto Protocol: Helix Station*

The Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio 💕

The Department of Variance of Somewhere, Ohio

The Grotto

The Hidden People*

The Left Right Game*

The Magnus Archives* 💕

The Milkman of St. Gaff’s

The Mistholme Museum

The NoSleep Podcast 💕

The Patron Saint of Suicides*

The Penumbra Podcast 💕

The Petrol Station

The Occurrence in River Oaks

The Sheridan Tapes 💕

The Town Whispers*

The White Vault 💕

Tides

Tower 4

Unwell

VAST Horizon*

Victoria’s Lift*

Weeping Cedars*

Welcome To Nightvale*

WOE.BEGONE*

Wolf 359 💕

Wooden Overcoats*

*- pods i have stopped listening to for one reason or other, not necessarily for good

💕- pods I Love

💀- shows that have been cancelled

Pods on my To Listen to list:

Among the Stars and Bones

Attention HellMart Shoppers

Bastard Fur

Blake Skye: Private Eye

Brimstone Valley Mall

Care and Feeding of Werewolves

Crystal Blue

D&D is for Nerds

Dark tome

Darkest Night

Dead Waves

Delivery

Derelict

Dining in the Void

Don’t Mind Cruxmont

Dos: After You

Edict Zero: FIS

Elixir

Entropy

Escaping Denver

Fate and the Fablemaidens

Finding Atlas (To Have & To Hold)

Ghostpuncher Corps

Greater Boston

Harbor

Haunted Places

Hell Gate City Companion

Hello From the Magic Tavern

In Strange Woods

Interference

Janus Descending

Jarnsaxa Rising

Jim Robbie and the Wanderers

Lake Clarity

Less is Morgue

Liars & Leeches

Margaret’s Garden

Mirrors

Monstrous Agonies

Mordeo

Murray Mysteries

My Town

Myths and Legends

Not Another D&D Podcast

Nowhere, On Air

Olive Hill

Paralyzed

Project Nova

Rapture 518

Red Riding Hoods

Residents of Proserpina Park

Rude Tales of Magic

Solar Postal

Stellar Firma

The Beacon

The Black Tapes

The Blood Crow Stories

The Children of Room 56

The Dark Tome

The Deep Vault

The Demonic Tapes

The Glass Appeal

The Heart of Ether

The Line

The London Necropolis Railway

The Magnus Protocol

The Night Post

The Orphans

The Secret of St. Kilda

The Shadow Files of Morgan Knox

The Silt Verses

The Six Disappearances of Ella McCray

The Storage Papers

The Strange Case of Starship Iris

The Strata

The Triangle

The Vanishing Act

The Wicked Library

Thirteen

TRUTHcast

Under Pressure

Unseen

Wake of Corrosion

We Fix Space Junk

Within the Wires

Wormwood

I’m open to pod recs! I enjoy horror/myster/sci fi pods especially those with a prominent LGBTQIA+ characters :3

[hellogoodbye741]

Finally tracking my book challenges for the first time this year can ignore

I was supposed to be doing this on the reg, but I was being lazy. Whooooppss

BAD BOYS OF ROMANCE CHALLENGE:

15 romance novels  about bad boys, MC, mobsters, etc:

Royally Bad

Filthy English

Bad Stepbrother

SEAL Stepbrother

Bad teacher

Kenzie and the guy next door

Savage

Engaging the Billionaire

My Wicked Prince

Bad Guy

Alpha’s Danger

The Geek and his Bad Boys

His Miracle Baby

DIVERSIFY YOUR READING:

A new genre every month

January - Memoir, and Autobiography: Reading Lolita in Tehran

February - Romance: The Prince’s Omega Nanny

March - Science, and Technology: Post Mordem

April - Graphic Novels, and Comics: Calamity Jack

May - History, and Biography: 1776

June - Middle Grade, and Children’s: Winnie the Pooh

July - Humor: Noir

August - Science Fiction: Errant Prince

September - Nonfiction: Diary of Anne Frank

October - YA:

November - Poetry:

December - Fantasy:

A - Z:

Read a book that’s title starts with every letter of the alphabet

A: Al Capone Throws Me a Curve

B: Black Leopard, Red Wolf

C: Crazy Rich Asians

D: Da Vinci Code

E: Eragon

F: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

G: Grumpy Monkey

H: Hidden Figures

I: In Another Time

J: Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes

K: Knights vs Monsters

L: Library of Ever

M: Mr. Popper’s Penguins

N: Noir

O: Other Words from Home

P: Post Mordem

Q:

R: Reading Lolita in Tehran

S: Seizure

T: Terminal

U: Uni the Unicorn

V: Virals

W: Winnie the Pooh

X:

Y: Yertle the Turtle

Z: Zombie

Ragdoll:

A Funny Book: Noir

A Family Member’s Favorite Book: Da Vinci Code

A Book with a real city in the title: Reading Lolita in Tehran

A Book with No Romance: Whipping Romance

A Book you wouldn’t normally read: Fire and Fury

A ‘free’ book: Bride in Disguise

A Book you’ve been meaning to read: Hidden Figures

A ‘classic book’:

A book or author with an alliterative name: Crazy Rich Asians

A translated book: The Little Prince

A Book with a terrible cover: The Geek and his bad boys

A ‘random number’ book: 77 Shadow Street

A book whose author shares your initials:

A book over 500 pages: 1776

A book with a strong female lead: Civil War pt 2

A book that takes place at sea:

A book set in the past:

A book everyone seems to love: Crazy Rich Asians

A spooky book: 77 Shadow Street

A book by a POC or LGBTQIA+ author: Number One Chinese Restaurant 

A book you’ve never heard of: the house that Lou built 

A ‘Top of 2019’ book: Black Leopard, Red Wolf 

A book set in another country/culture: Crazy Rich Asians 

A memorable book: Whipping Boy 

Read Les Miserables

Another book by a P.O.C or LGBTQIA+ author: Crazy Rich Asians

Color-Coded/Read it Again Sam:

Books with color on the cover or in the title/re-reading books (17) you’ve read in the past

A book with ‘blue; or any shade of blue in title/on the cover: True Blue

A book with red/any shade in title or color: Black Leopard, Red Wolf

Yellow: Yellow Wallpaper

Green: Prodigal Summer 

Black: Black Leopard, Red Wolf 

White:

Any other color: Color Purple

A book with a word that implies color in title or on color (polka dot, rainbow, plaid, etc): rainbow fish

Re-read: Da Vinci Code

Re-read: Rainbow Fish

Re-read: House on Mango Street

Re-read: Whipping Boy

Re-read: Red Scarf Girl

Re-read: Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

Re-read: Eragon

Re-read: Winnie the Pooh

Re-read: 

Re-read: 

Re-read: 

Re-read: 

Re-read: 

Re-read: 

Re-read: 

Re-read: 

Re-read:

Women Reading:

Books written by women/about women

Mystery/thriller by a WOC:

Woman with a mental illness: Yellow Wallpaper 

Author from Nigeria or New Zealand 

About or set in Appalachia: Prodigal Summer 

Children’s book: the house that lou built 

Multi-gen family saga 

Featuring women in science: Hidden Figures 

A play: Raisin in the Sun 

A novella: House on Mango Street

About a woman athlete: Who are Venus and Serena williams 

A book featuring a religion other than your own: Reading Lolita in Tehran 

Lambda literary award winner: 

A myth retelling: Song of Achilles 

A translated book published before 1945: Little Prince 

Written by a South Asian Author: The Lowlands 

By an Indigenous woman:

From 2018 Reading Women Award Shortlist:A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza 

Romance or love story: Second chance thing - lennox 

About nature: How to be a good creature 

Historical fiction book: In another Time 

Book bought/borrowed 2019: Second Chance Thing - Elizabeth Lennox

Book you got because of the cover: the house that lou built

YA book by a W.O.C.: Children of Blood and Bone 

Book by Jesmyn Ward: Sing, unburied, sing 

Book by Jhumpa Lahiri: The Lowlands 

Modern Ms. Darcy:

A book you’ve been meaning to read:Hidden Figures

A book in the backlist of your favorite author: Noir

A book recommended by someone with great taste: Sweet Surrender

Three books by the same author: Virals

Three books by same author: Seizure

Three books by same author: Chaos 

A book you chose for the cover: Hunting Prince Dracula 

A book by an author who is new to you: Number One Chinese Restaurant 

A book in translation: Little Prince 

A book outside your (genre) comfort zone: Fire and Fury

A book published before you were born: Little Prince

Pop Sugar Challenge:

A book becoming a movie in 2019: Sun is not a Star

A book that makes you nostalgic: Whipping Boy 

A book written by a musician: Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl 

A book that you think should be made into a movie: Virals 

A book at least with 1 million ratings on Goodreads: 

A book with a plant in the title or cover: How to be a good Creature

A reread of a favorite book: Da Vinci Code

A book about a hobby: the house that lou built 

A book you meant to read in 2018: Crazy Rich Asians 

A book with “pop” “sugar” or “challenge” in the title: Hop on Pop A book with “pop” “sugar” or “challenge” in the title: Hop on Pop 

A book with a item of clothing or accessory in title or cover: Red Scarf Girl

A book inspired by mythology, legend, or folklore: Song of Achilles 

A book published posthumously: The girl who played with fire 

A book set in space: Little Prince

A book by two female authors: 

A book that contains “salty” “sweet” “bitter” or “spicy”: Sweet Surrender 

A book set in Scandinavia: Girl who played with fire 

A book that takes place in a single day: Sun is also a star

A debut novel: The Help 

A book published in 2019:  elizabeth lennox 

Book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature: Claimed by a Dragon 

A book recommended by a celebrity that you admire: A place for us (jennifer garner) 

A book with “love” in the title: 

A book featuring an amateur detective: Hope Never Dies 

A book about a family: 

A book by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America: House on Mango Street 

A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title: The Birth of Venus 

A book you see someone reading on tv or in a movie: Wuthering Heights 

A retelling of a classic: 

A book with a question in the title:

A book set on a college or university campus: Royal Academy

A book about someone with a superpower: Civil War 

A book with multiple POV: Crazy Rich Asians

A book that includes a wedding: Crazy Rich Asians 

A book from an author with alliteration: Crazy Rich Asians 

A ghost story:

A book with a two-word title: Hidden Figures 

A novel based on a true story: Hidden Figures 

A book revolving around a puzzle or game: Code 

Your favorite prompt from a past popsugar challenge: The Color Purple 

A ‘climate fiction’ book: 

A “choose your own adventure” book: 

An “own voices” book: Children of Blood and Bone 

Read a book during the season it is set in: 

A LitRPG book: 

A book with no chapters, unusual chapter headings, or unconventionally numbered chapters: The Errant Prince 

Two books that share the same title: From Here to Eternity - Caitlin DOughty 

Two books that share the same title: 

A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom: 

A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent: Da Vinci Code 

Read Harder Challenge:

A Epistolary Novel: Color Purple

An Alternate History Novel: Stalking Jack the Ripper 

A Book by a woman/AOC that won a literary award in 2018: Hunger: A Memoir of (my) body 

A Humor Book: Noir 

A book by a journalist or about journalism: The Girl who played with fire 

A book by an AOC set in or about space: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor 

An #ownvoices book set in Mexico or Central America:Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel 

An #ownvoices book set in Oceania: 

A book published before Jan. 1st, 2019 that has less than 100 reviews on Goodreads: 

A translated book written/a book translated by a woman: 

A book on Manga: 

A book in which an animal or inanimate object is a POV character: Fox 8 by George Saunders 

A book by or about someone that ID’s a neurodiverse: 

A cozy mystery: 

A book of mythology or lore: Song of Achilles 

A historical romance written by a AOC: 

A business book: Chocolate Wars: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World’s Greatest Chocolate Makers by Deborah Cadbury

A novel by a trans or nonbinary author: 

A book of nonviolent true crime: The Spy Who Couldn’t Spell: 

A book written in prison: 

A children’s or middle grade book (not YA) that has won a diversity award since 2009: 

A comic by an LGBTQIA creator: Through the Woods by Emily Carroll 

A self-published book: 

A collection of poetry published since 2014:

Current number of books read: 631/900

[jhdanes]

UPDATE! NEW SERIES!

We all know the ancient story of Medusa and Perseus,

Medusa punished for a crime she didn’t do, and Perseus a hero sent to kill her, but what if he didn’t what if the story ended differently, what if.... they fell in love.

The world is set in ancient times of Greece and Rome, both the myths and legends are true, and the world is a dangerous place.

The story is 18+ with heavy adult themes, characters are lgbtqia+

Heavy bloody scenes and sexual themes will be censored and uncensored one will be on patreon.

The romance will defy the gods will, and obstacles will be thrown their way to stop them, but with Perseus’s determination and Medusas kind heart they will change the course of history.

A love that will destroy all expectations, that even wars won’t stop, a love that is unexpected but very much welcomed, lovers who will be forever marked as one.

Those who love reading about Greek mythology and how it can be turned on its head and fans of monster human romance you are at the right place.

Sweet Medusa how much suffering did you go thru just to end up at this point and time, tell me dear are you scared?

When will it upload on media: 2x a month on Sunday on Webtoon and Tapas

[kinziethings]

REVIEW: Monster of the Week! The Rules Book 2 by F.T. Lukens

REVIEW: Monster of the Week! The Rules Book 2 by F.T. Lukens is hilarious, sweet and AWESOME! #MonsterOfTheWeek #NetGalley #queerlit #youngadult

The Official Description: Spring semester of Bridger Whitt’s senior year of high school is looking great. He has the perfect boyfriend, a stellar best friend, and an acceptance letter to college. He also has this incredible job as an assistant to Pavel Chudinov, an intermediary tasked with helping cryptids navigate the modern world. His days are filled with kisses, laughs, pixies, and the…

[cover2covermom]

*Books included in this batch of mini book reviews: Cold Day in the Sun by Sara Biren, The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising #1) by Kiersten White, The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger’s Apprentice #1) by John Flanagan, and Compass South (Four Points #1) by Hope Larson

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» Cold Day in the Sun by Sara Biren

*4.5 Stars*

  YA contemporary/romance is NOT a genre I reach for often… or ever.  I’ve been trying to read more YA since I am now a Teen Librarian, and this one came in at our branch, so I decided to pick it up.

»  I love books that revolve around female athletes.  I am just such a sucker for a character that is passionate about a sport and we get to see the hard work and dedication that it takes to excel in a sport.  I also appreciated that the author tackled some tough issues of female athletes: double standards, sexism, sexual harassment, etc.

» Holland was an excellent female main character.  She’s hard working, confident in her abilities, strong, and not afraid to stand up for herself.

»  This was such a sweet romance story!  I think this relationship felt very realistic of a high school romance, which is not always true of many YA contemporaries that I’ve read before.

› Recommended to ⇒  fans of female athlete stories

› Trigger/content warnings ⇒ sexual harassment, sexism, etc.

› If you liked this book, try ⇒ Beartown by Fredrik Backman

» The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising #1) by Kiersten White

*3.5 Stars*

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2019!  Did it live up to my expectations, not exactly, but I still think it is a worth while read.»  I’ve mentioned this before, but I love Kiersten White’s retellings.   I think she does such a wonderful job keeping elements from the original fairtytale/legend/myth, while creating a new & unique story.  When I found out that this was a retelling of King Arthur & Guinevere retelling, I was stoked.  I’m not surprised, but I really loved how White retold this Medieval legend.  I think the concept for this story was brilliant!

» I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation and am very intrigued on how things are going to pan out in the next installments.  I can’t really elaborate because of #spoilers.

» I felt like I was just dropped into this world & story without proper development, which caused me to feel disoriented for much of the first half of the book.

» Because we were thrown into the story, I never really felt a connection to the main character, Guinevere.  Had White started the story sooner and introduced us to “Guinevere” before she travels to Camelot, this would have helped.

» The story felt very stunted for the majority of the book.  There wasn’t enough forward progress.

» Arthur felt very bland and underdeveloped.  We do not see enough of him, which in turn makes the romance elements feel forced.Despite my various issues, I still enjoyed the story and am looking forward to reading the next installment.  I have high hopes that my issues with this book will be cleared up in the subsequent books.

Recommended to ⇒ retellings; medieval settings

› If you liked this book, try ⇒ And I Darken by Kiersten White

» The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger’s Apprentice #1) by John Flanagan

*4.5 Stars*

My mother-in-law actually recommended this book for my son, a reluctant reader.  » The Ruins of Gorlan is the story of a 15-year-old orphan that is training to become a Ranger.  I flew through this quick paced & action packed story.  There are some wonderful themes in The Ruins in Gorlan such as hard work, courage, good vs. evil, friendship, etc.

» Will was an excellent main character.  I enjoyed watching his growth over the course of the book.   I loved watching Will train & grow confident in his abilities under the watchful gaze of Halt.  I think it was wonderful that the author focused on all the hard work & dedication that Will puts into his training.

» I would also consider The Ruins of Gorlan a wonderful gateway book into fantasy.  If you are newer to fantasy or find fantasy intimidating, this is a good place to start.

» My mother-in-law was right, this book is an excellent read for reluctant readers.

» My only criticism of the book was that I did not like when the book shifted into Horace’s perspective.  This isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy his character, just that the POV switch felt off.  I think the story would have been better focusing only on Will’s story, and only seeing Horace through Will’s eyes.This is a wonderful fantasy story that will appeal to reluctant & avid readers alike.

› Recommended to ⇒ reluctant readers; new to fantasy readers

› Trigger/content warnings ⇒ bullying

› If you liked this book, try ⇒ The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan

» Compass South (Four Points #1) by Hope Larson

» Compass South is a exhilarating historic adventure story set in the 1860s.  Filled with gangs, schemes, pirates, potential treasure, and travels, this graphic novel is a wild ride from start to finish.  It gave me Treasure Island vibes, so if you are a fan of the classic story, you may enjoy this.

» I’d probably say this graphic novel will appeal to the 10 to 12-year-old age range.

› Recommended to ⇒ fans of adventure stories

› If you liked this book, try ⇒ Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Have you read any of these books?  If so, what did you think?

Comment below & let me know 🙂

Mini Book Reviews: February 2020 - Part 4 #BookBlogger #Books #Reading #BookReview #Bookworm #Bibliophile #BookTalk *Books included in this batch of mini book reviews: Cold Day in the Sun by Sara Biren, …

[mrmichaelchadler]

DOC10 2019 Preview: Hail Satan?, One Child Nation and Seven More Highlights

One of the most exciting cinematic events in the Windy City is upon us, the Chicago Media Project’s DOC10 Film Festival, kicking off Thursday, April 11th, and running through Sunday, April 14th, at the Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave. Now in its fourth year, this impeccably curated marathon of nonfiction marvels has introduced me to many of my most cherished films in recent memory, several of which ended up on my Best of the Year lists, including Nanfu Wang’s “Hooligan Sparrow,” Albert Maysles’ “In Transit,” Eugene Jarecki’s “The King,” Theo Anthony’s “Rat Film,” Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami’s “Sonita,” Morgan Neville’s “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and perhaps my personal favorite, Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap.” The latest edition of DOC10 promises to be every bit as strong as its predecessors, featuring such enticing titles as Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s Sundance prize-winner, “American Factory,” about the conflict-laden partnership between Chinese and American factory workers. For my annual preview piece, I had the opportunity to screen nine of this year’s selections in advance, the first of which instantly emerged as a surefire contender for my eventual list ranking the Top 10 Films of 2019.

There is tremendous value in any movie that can teach us something about ourselves, and my major takeaway from Penny Lane’s “Hail Satan?” is the revelation that I may be, in fact, a Satanist at heart. Like many members of The Satanic Temple, the subversive religious/activist group observed by Lane’s droll lens, I was an ardent follower of Christian values until my faith became disillusioned by the limitations of God’s grace. Everyone’s “F—k this!” moment arrives in a different form, and for one member of the unholy congregation interviewed here, it occurred when he was informed that Gandhi, founder of nonviolent activism, would go to hell because he didn’t worship Jesus. Hence, the fallen churchgoer decided to join the aforementioned Temple founded in 2013 as a separate organization from the apolitical Church of Satan, which originated back in 1966. 

What links these disparate groups is their belief in Satan not as a supreme being but as a symbol for those who refuse to conform to the dominant patriarchy. When compared to the Ten Commandments, the seven tenants of The Satanic Temple are infinitely more appealing (act with empathy, believe in science), not to mention more critical as the planet teeters on the brink of environmental catastrophe. Rather than embrace our impending doom by waiting for the Second Coming to arrive, the Temple aims to conjure heaven on earth by championing religious pluralism over fanaticism, utilizing weapons of satire to enlighten a nation backsliding into Christian supremacy. 

Lane brilliantly examines how “one nation under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance around the time that Billy Graham was demonizing communists and Paramount Pictures was shipping Ten Commandments plaques as a promotional stunt for their new Charlton Heston vehicle—the same ones that are currently being placed in front of government institutions, a brazen attempt to demolish the separation between church and state while perpetuating the myth that America is a Christian nation. It’s only fitting that the producers of “God’s Not Dead 2” funded the reinstatement of one such monument after it was mowed down by a disgruntled Christian, no less. Of course, the Temple received the brunt of the blame for insisting that a statue of occult deity Baphomet be erected next to every public plaque espousing one particular religion’s law, not for reasons of evangelism, as noted by Temple spokesman Luciean Greaves, but to teach the United States a civics lesson. 

The editing by Amy Foote and the incredibly prolific Aaron Wickenden has the cathartic jolt of vintage Michael Moore trolling, as Satanists, their tongues placed devoutly in their cheeks, deliberately provoke their godly opposition into revealing their worst selves. As a rebuke to the Westboro Baptist Church’s grotesque anti-LGBTQIA protests at funerals, the Temple has same sex couples make out over the grave of Fred Phelps’ mother, thereby supposedly turning her gay in the afterlife. By removing the stigma of shame from their sexuality, the Satanists’ lifestyle is antithetical to the repression preached by a church whose claims of moral superiority are forever invalidated by their history of abuse. Chris Marker put it best in his 1983 masterwork, “Sans Soleil,” when he said, “Censorship is not the mutilation of the show, it IS the show. The code is the message. It points to the absolute by hiding it. That’s what religions have always done.”

“Hail Satan?” screens Saturday, April 13th, at 9:30pm with director Penny Lane in attendance.

Michael Moore may not be a Satanist himself, but he is most certainly a disciple of Mike Wallace, the notorious “60 Minutes” interviewer profiled in Tel Aviv-born director Avi Belkin’s remarkably even-handed and utterly mesmerizing new movie. Without relying on a narrator, Belkin enables the words of his subjects to speak for themselves in “Mike Wallace Is Here,” causing the titular news icon to emerge as no less complex or towering a figure as Charles Foster Kane. He comes across simultaneously as a heroic journalist determined to bring corrupt individuals and corporations to justice, an attention-seeking ass who must prove he’s more than a commercial shill by asking argumentative questions even when the topic doesn’t call for it, and a dramatist verging on sensationalism, as evidenced by the tight close-ups and hard-hitting questions that made his first hosting gig on “Night Beat” a smash. 

Casting himself as the hero while accentuating the beads of sweat forming on the brow of his unlucky guest, Wallace approached his on-air chats as if they were police interrogations. Rather than massage the ego of his famous interviewees, he forced them to respond to nasty character attacks, at times delivered with a dose of unnecessary rudeness. Yet when Watergate broke in the early years of “60 Minutes,” Wallace single-handedly caused the show’s ratings to skyrocket by drawing on his ties in the Nixon administration to land one-and-one exclusives that ensured the guilt would be viewed up close and personal.

The ticking clock that punctuates each segment on “60 Minutes” with an added sense of urgency operates at the rhythm to which Wallace’s life tirelessly marched. His compulsion to make the most of his days was intensified by the sudden death of his young son, Peter, and in a heartrending chat with his longtime co-anchor, Morley Safer, Wallace opens up for the first time about his suicide attempt, which occurred during the years when General William Westmoreland attempted to sue him over his unflattering inquiries. No footage from Lumet’s “Network” is needed in order for the parallels between Wallace and Howard Beale to be made clear—both desired to cut through the B.S. by illuminating the truth, turning them into overnight ratings draws for moguls more concerned with star power than substance. 

Bill O’Reilly insists that his own on-air bullying was directly inspired by Wallace’s temperament, yet there’s no question the revered media personality, who lived to 93, outclassed the disgraced Fox News pest on every level, as witnessed by his countless prophetic exchanges with history-makers like Donald Trump. Though the future president, in his late 30s, voices no interest in politics, he changes his tune dramatically when Wallace unearths Trump’s statement that he could negotiate an arms control agreement with the Soviets. There are echoes of Gabriel Byrne’s psychiatrist on HBO’s “In Treatment” in how Wallace asks his subjects the very questions he refuses to answer about himself. Hats off to Belkin’s perceptive editor, Billy McMillan, for selecting interview excerpts from legends like Rod Serling or Bette Davis to illuminate certain truths about Wallace, suggesting how the mutual recognition of one’s shared experience is part of what makes this sort of conversation so addictive.

“Mike Wallace Is Here” screens Friday, April 12th, at 7:15pm with director Avi Belkin participating in a Q&A via Skype.

As director, cinematographer and editor of “Midnight Family,” Luke Lorentzen has served up a knockout of a sophomore feature effort. Following the daily routines of the Ochoa family, which typically veers from causal monotony to life-or-death intensity in the matter of a heartbeat, the film had me holding my breath for sizable portions of its running time. When the Ochoas must zoom through traffic in their private ambulance to the scene of an accident, barking at pedestrians through their speakers, Lorentzen places his camera in both directions on the dashboard, and the resulting footage is as gripping as any action sequence you can name. Since Mexico City has less than 45 ambulances to serve its population numbering around nine million, the for-profit business of transporting patients to hospitals is one that the Ochoas are only too eager to embrace. 

16-year-old Juan, the most talkative EMT of the family, admits that he enjoys the thrill of his job. Though he doesn’t like to see people get hurt, he stresses that a degree of excitement is crucial for his line of work, considering how strenuous it can become on a busy night. Lorentzen never sugar-coats the personalities of his subjects, nor does he attempt to conceal his presence, as Juan takes pleasure in razzing family members before the lens. A little more context regarding the corruption of the “new administration” and its enabling of a local police force seeking bribes would’ve been welcome, yet also may have taken away from the picture’s intimate perspective.

Most unsettling is the way in which the Ochoas drag race their competition at top speeds, potentially causing a fatality themselves on their way to land another customer. Once they arrive at the unfortunate site, however, any petty squabbles or juvenile fixations instantly evaporate, as the family exhibits a bedside manner that is the very definition of professional. For me, the heart of the film is contained within the moment when the Ochoas tend to 18-year-old Andrea, the victim of a crushing headbutt from her boyfriend who subsequently fled from the scene. She’s worried about the expense of fixing her broken nose, and initially avoids giving the family the number for her parents, until Fer—the father of the clan—satisfies her request for a hug so that she’ll be able to catch her breath. Meanwhile, Juan telephones her mother to calmly explain the situation, displaying the maturity of a man several times his age. 

Lorentzen maintains a respectful distance from the action, keeping his focus fixed on the strength of the Ochoas rather than the vulnerability of their patients. One interaction late in the film is so painful that it doesn’t even end up on camera, as I found myself wincing at the despair in the subjects’ voices. Like many of the protagonists highlighted at DOC10 this year, this brave family is comprised of outsiders filling the void of an inadequate establishment unfit to serve the people. Even with endless road bumps on the imminent horizon, these real-life superheroes keep their collective foot planted on the gas. 

“Midnight Family” screens Friday, April 12th, at 9:30pm with director Luke Lorentzen and producer Kellen Quinn in attendance, as well as producer Elena Fortes via Skype.

Winner of two major accolades in the NEXT section of the Sundance Film Festival, Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera’s “The Infiltrators” is reminiscent of last year’s under-seen gem, “American Animals,” in how it blurs the line between narrative and documentary while incorporating genre tropes into the nonfiction medium. Rather than follow the formula of a heist flick, the film occasionally takes the form of a prison break thriller, as members of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance embark on a mission to penetrate the walls of the Broward Detention Center, where undocumented immigrants are held hostage for years on end. A chilling overhead shot views the inhabitants wandering about their outdoor cage in orange jumpsuits, so close to freedom and yet stamped down into the earth. 

The Dreamers who head the NIYA aim to turn themselves into Broward so that they can work within the system in order to defy it, ultimately leading to the freedom of the wrongfully incarnated. Though “The Infiltrators” isn’t nearly as stylish as “American Animals,” and is somewhat more convoluted, it at least has the benefit of having subjects that are much more sympathetic. Most compelling of all is Viridiana Martinez, the young NIYA member who practices what she’ll say to Border Patrol as if rehearsing for a school play, while her partner-turned-director Mohammad Abdollahi encourages her to maintain a “natural desperation.” It’s in these moments where the story most effectively coalesces with Ibarra and Rivera’s self-aware style. 

Since so much of the action occurs within Broward’s forbidden walls, the filmmakers resort to staging scenes between the inmates and juxtaposing them with real footage of the people working on the outside. When toggling from an actual subject to their fictional counterpart, the actor’s name will flash on the screen, a touch that’s a bit excessive since the recreations are easy to decipher from the other footage. In fact, the film’s nagging problem is that its conflicting styles never fully gel. The actors’ behavior registers as noticeably stilted and bland when contrasted with the actual subjects, whose flubs and triumphs occurring in real time make for much more suspenseful viewing than sequences shot and blocked like a TV movie. 

The juxtaposition of these approaches constantly took me out of the film, yet in terms of visualizing the story, the actors do a solid job of filling the blanks, while detailing how to navigate an inherently corrupt system, such as how to go about obtaining more visitors. The most seamless illusion occurs when Abdollahi converses with one of the inmates—voiced by an actor—on the phone. Less successful is the moment when an actor is made to flap his gums to audio so murky it’s incoherent, though that misstep is thankfully a fleeting one. What makes this DOC10 screening worth attending, above all, is the fact that all proceeds of its ticket sales will go to supporting the family of its subject, Claudio Rojas, whose recent deportation is a distressing end coda to the film’s final, jarring cut to black.  

“The Infiltrators” screens Sunday, April 14th, at 4:30pm with the following in attendance: director Alex Rivera; Aneesha Gandhi, Managing Attorney at National Immigrant Justice; and Aarón Siebert-Llera, Immigrant Rights Attorney at ACLU.

Set to provide a rousing, “RBG”-esque opener for this year’s DOC10 is Rachel Lears’ “Knock Down the House,” a Netflix film purporting to be about four grassroots contenders in the 2018 congressional election, yet it’s not long before the screen time quickly prioritizes the clear rising star among the candidates. There’s no denying the megawatt charisma, bracing intellect and revitalizing optimism of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was elected Representative of New York’s 14th district, and has never ceased in her outspoken support of environmental reform. Put a camera on her and she is an instant star, delivering fiery speeches from the House floor designed to shame the moneyed interests that have turned America into an oligarchy, shredding any trace of democracy while shutting out the voices of the electorate. 

Lears begins the film by showing Ocasio-Cortez at her former, oft-referenced waitressing gig, and concludes with the precise moment when the wildly publicized underdog realized that she won on election night. It’s impossible to watch this scene without getting a lump in your throat, and the same is true of the scene that follows it, as Ocasio-Cortez delivers a tearful monologue about her late father—while seated in front of the Capitol Building—that, in a narrative feature, could’ve easily earned her an Oscar. She is a politician in the true mold of our celebrity culture, with a massive social media following and two PACs—namely Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats, both featured here—in her corner, and though the chief aim of the film is uplift, I couldn’t help being wracked with anxiety.

With charges of campaign finance law violation recently surfacing against her, courtesy of intimidated conservatives, it’s worth pondering whether her criticism of America’s broken political machine is hypocritical. Would she still have won had she and the two PACs been more transparent about their spending? It may not amount to anything significant, and certainly pales in comparison to the importance of the issues Ocasio-Cortez is fighting for on a daily basis, but I can’t help feeling weary of anyone who appears too good to true, perhaps because I, as an American citizen, have been burned too many times before. Lears certainly succeeds in crafting a human portrait of the politician, celebrating her status as a woman of color from the Bronx, as she mops the floor with her opponent, Joe Crowley, who’s resigned to coasting toward an “all-but-certain victory,” as foolishly dubbed in the press. 

There’s a great scene where she compares her own campaign mailing, laying out specific bullet points of her beliefs, with Crowley’s much bigger and vaguer “strategist” ad. She’s unpopular not only with conservatives but establishment democrats, neither of which are above misogynistic putdowns (“Who’s that stupid woman?” exclaims a Crowley supporter). Conspicuously relegated to the sidelines are the three other candidates, most egregiously Amy Vilela of Nevada, whose crusade for better health care is fueled by the death of her 22-year-old daughter. She succumbed to a blood clot that doctors refused to treat after she couldn’t produce proof of her insurance. Consoling Vilela after her election night loss, Ocasio-Cortez says, “Sometimes it takes a hundred people to run in order for one to get through.” Let’s just hope the right one did. 

“Knock Down the House” screens Thursday, April 11th at 7:30pm with director Rachel Lears, producer Sarah Olson and executive producer Stephanie Soechtig in attendance.

“You are not mature enough to tell it like it is,” Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg said to the world leaders in attendance at last December’s UN Climate Change COP24 Conference. “Even that burden you leave to us children.” Hearing words like that being uttered authoritatively by a 15-year-old should shake every adult to the core. Perhaps it had to take the mind of a girl with Asberger’s to envision with piercing clarity what we are all too comfortable in shielding from view. The existential dread that led the young Nobel Peace Prize nominee to found the global #FridaysForFuture movement reverberates through every frame of Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky and Nicholas de Pencier’s “Anthropocene: The Human Epoch,” an alarming and gravely beautiful illustration of our species’ legacy of destruction. 

Many of the shots lensed by de Pencier initially resemble abstract paintings until the camera pulls back far enough to reveal the humans, so small in stature and yet so catastrophic in their footprint. Alicia Vikander, sounding like a mournful angel, informs us that we are currently in the midst of the sixth great extinction, the casualties of which are sampled in a rather artless slo-mo montage similar to those shamelessly manipulative ads for animal shelters. Though Vikander’s on-the-nose narration acknowledges that mankind could escape its own self-inflicted fate by utilizing its “tenacity and skill” to come up with potential solutions—the germs of which we see in armed Kenyan nature preserves or London air raid shelters converted to grow fresh produce—the film is mainly concerned with the immense, seemingly irreversible effect we’ve had on the planet’s ecosystems.

A lot of these horrendous alterations have already been well-documented, and the film simply rubs our noses in it, such as the bleaching of our priceless coral reefs, the rising of our sea levels, and the unprecedented amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere (an equally appropriate title may have been “Something’s Gotta Give”). Indeed, many of the film’s most awe-inspiring shots exemplify mankind’s tenacity in birthing god-like contraptions: the giant bucket wheel excavator gnashing away at a mountainside in Germany; Nigeria’s Redeemed Christian Church of God built to seat a congregation numbering one million; the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland that takes 20 minutes to get through by train (we view the whole trip in one dazzling shot not unlike the astronaut’s cosmic voyage in “2001”); or the astonishingly detailed carvings made from mammoth tusks that have been thawed out due to the permafrost. The Hong Kong carver says this material is preferable to the tusks of an elephant, since it won’t be long until they are no less a distant memory than the mammoths. 

By the end, the earth appears as ailing as the men of the cloth in Bresson’s “Diary of a Country Priest” and Schrader’s “First Reformed,” bewildered by forces of indifference beyond their control. Has there ever been a wake-up call as profound as Thunberg’s refrain, “Our house is on fire”?

“Anthropocene: The Human Epoch” screens Saturday, April 13th, at 1pm with directors Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier in attendance.

Festivalgoers in need of a pick-me-up after the bleakness of “The Human Epoch” should look no further than this year’s crowd-pleasing closing night selection, “The Biggest Little Farm,” in which filmmaker John Chester chronicles the eight-year odyssey taken by him and his wife, Molly, to build regenerative farmland in Moorpark, California, located an hour north of Los Angeles. Guiding their meticulous approach is the wisdom of biodynamic consultant Alan York, who instructs that the creation of microorganisms is essential in keeping life flowing. As charmed as I was by the Chesters at first sight, their film admittedly appears to have been cobbled together from plot threads that have already proven to work better as Emmy-winning short films, aired as part of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul Sunday. 

The first third especially moves at such a tight clip, it plays like the condensed season of an upcoming TLC series (think “My Big Fat Fabulous Farm”), with narration provided by Kevin Costner’s earnest farmer from “Field of Dreams” (“Everyone told us this was crazy,” he recalls, before revealing that “it all started with a promise we made to a dog”). Animated sequences evocative of Michael Sporn’s 1987 gem, “Lyle, Lyle Crocodile,” foreshadow the series of children’s books that the couple plans to launch next month, while the slo-mo closeups of birds and insects would fit snugly into a BBC special. What’s left on the cutting-room floor is an overarching sense of spontaneity, leaving the sentimental swells of Jeff Beal’s score to inform us how to feel as the director’s narration spells out the significance of things.

Even with all these reservations, the film still won me over in the end, revealing surprising depths as it progresses in part because it doesn’t shy away from showing the difficulties of such a monumental undertaking, however abridged they may be in the final cut. For those viewers aiming to craft their own sustainable ecosystem, which the couple began to do in the middle of a record drought, the film is chockfull of illuminating insights. Kids delighted by the first act should be forewarned that no animal is impervious to the appetites of nature, no matter how much the camera adores them. Chester himself starts to find discomfort in naming livestock that will eventually be eaten, and there’s a poignant moment where he sees the eyes of his beloved dog mirrored in the hollow stare of the ravenous coyote he’s just gunned down. 

Rather than eradicate the pests that seek to fracture the idealistic perfection of his manmade habitat at Apricot Lane Farms, he learns to take advantage of its self-perpetuating cycle, allowing nature to run its course. Unlike Timothy Treadwell, whose tragic romanticization of bears led to his own demise, the Chesters don’t turn a blind eye to the reality of their surroundings, embracing the bittersweet truths of life’s impermanence in a way that is both physically and spiritually fulfilling. With climate change directly causing the climactic wildfires that endanger the couple’s land, the way of life they have forged here stands as a vital beacon for the revitalization of mankind’s uncertain future.

“The Biggest Little Farm” screens Sunday, April 14th, at 7pm with director John Chester participating in a Q&A via Skype along with Paul Gaynor of White Oak Church, Melissa Flynn of Green City Market and Jim Slama of FamilyFarmed in attendance.

A specialty of DOC10’s ace programmer Anthony Kaufman is his curation of films that are less concerned with narrative than they are with fully involving you in the sensory experiences of an unconventional life. Simon Lereng Wilmont’s “The Distant Barking of Dogs” is one of those miracles of nonfiction cinema where the camera seems to be hovering like a ghost in the presence of its subjects, never noticeably intruding on the action or drawing attention to itself, even as danger encroaches on the horizon. Set in the small Ukrainian village of Hnutove, located a mile from the front lines of a seemingly unending battle between government forces and pro-Russian separatists, the film centers on 10-year-old Oleg, an endearing soul with a face that appears to have been lifted from Norman Rockwell’s easel. 

With his parents both gone, he lives with his beloved grandmother, Alexandra, who insists on remaining in their longtime family home even as neighbors flee to safety and missiles threaten to obliterate them at any moment. Though Jarik, Oleg’s cousin and roughhousing companion, has moved out of town with his mother, he quickly returns to his grandmother’s side, feeling infinitely more secure in her arms. He also has no intention of returning to peers who bully him about his Russian accent. As Jarik’s mom chats with Alexandra, she describes the surreal nature of their predicament, replying, “I got lost in my dreams for a second,” a line that proves to have enormous resonance.

If Wilmont’s film consisted of written dialogue, it would contain one of my very favorite scripts of the year, portraying the richness of the fantasy world that the children utilize as a vital mode of escape. “I’ll only fart and it will make you fly into space!” Jarik declares to his cousin before they both dissolve into cathartic giggles. There are shades of Malick in Wilmont’s gorgeous cinematography, though he avoids the temptation to let the landscapes upstage the eloquent faces of his human protagonists. Even a sweet kid like Oleg is prone to exploring his curiosity with violence, since its animalistic rumblings are a commonplace occurrence. After being goaded by an older local kid into firing a gun, Oleg shoots at frogs in a well, creatures as entrapped as Hnutove’s remaining inhabitants. Alexandra is rightly horrified when her grandchild guiltily admits what he did, yet such behavior is only natural when living in unthinkable circumstances. 

The illusion of safety is what all parents and guardians desire to craft like a mental cocoon for their children, and this mighty grandma has gone to great lengths to block out the nightmares for Oleg and Jarik, from wallpapering the house with transporting images of tranquil forests to singing nightly lullabies as nearby explosions cause the walls to shudder. Yet she is also choosing to live in denial, staving off the inevitable, such as when she works all night to hide the fact that she cannot get her hands to stop shaking. In one painterly shot, Wilmont splits the frame in two, as the delighted boys bask in the blue glow of their TV, unaware of the agony endured by Alexandra, who sits on the bed next to their’s while illuminated by the stark light of a nearby room. It’s only a matter of time before the distant, bloodthirsty dogs are perched on their doorstep. 

“The Distant Barking of Dogs” screens Sunday, April 14th, at 2pm with director Simon Lereng Wilmont interviewed via Skype by WBEZ’s Julian Hayda.

Among the definitive images of modern nonfiction cinema is that of Nanfu Wang, camera in hand, aiming her searing lens to capture forbidden truths that are guaranteed to enlighten us all. She was one of the great discoveries I made at the inaugural DOC10 festival, which featured her stunning directorial debut, “Hooligan Sparrow,” about the courageous Chinese activist Ye Haiyan. She followed that a year later with the equally impressive “I Am Another You,” where she turned her attention to the precarious nature of freedom in American society. Now she returns to China for her third triumph, “One Child Nation,” which just earned the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and is already destined to be named among the year’s best films. 

Though I was initially caught off guard by the autobiographical nature of her work, which she narrates in first person while weaving her own story with that of her subject, I now believe this signature approach has not only enhanced each of her features exponentially, but stands as a rebuke to China’s prioritization of the collective over the individual. Wang is adamant in chronicling the personal toll of heartless policies, and in the case of her latest film, she explores the wide-ranging ramifications of her home country’s one-child policy launched in 1979 and enforced until 2015. Yes, the world is inarguably overpopulated, yet this law—like so much of the corruption logged in “Hooligan Sparrow”—is really a matter of insidious control, where family planning officials administer forced abortions while kidnapping “excess” children from their parents before selling them to orphanages for international adoption.

Having just brought new life into the world in the form of her baby son, an experience she explains was like “giving birth to her memories,” Wang allows her early days of motherhood to inform how she goes about studying the policy’s wicked game of manipulation, one that is dependent on its participants keeping their emotions detached. Her mother shares a devastating story of how she helped her brother abandon his daughter in the marketplace where she eventually died—her face covered in mosquito bites—so that he could try for a son, the prized goal for every parent to ensure the future of their family name. We see the aching sadness in the eyes of a teen, Shuangjie Zeng, who was separated from her twin sister currently being raised in America. As Wang asks Zeng whether she’s spoken to her sister about the possibility of visiting China, a sensitive topic that causes the girl to laugh uneasily, considering the resistance of adoptive parents to dig too deep into the past, the camera holds on her face as her smile falls, leaving us with an expression that tells us everything we need to know. 

One midwife wants to atone for the sins she committed by following orders, while another shows no remorse, arguing that she was fighting a “population war” and chuckling in bewilderment at the frenzied behavior of the women whose babies she helped destroy. Artist Peno Wang began photographing discarded fetuses after finding them strewn among piles of garbage, and echoes the filmmaker’s thoughts by noting, “Indoctrination destroys humanity.” Co-directed with Jialing Zhang, who has also earned acclaim for her own muckraking features, Nanfu Wang’s “One Child Nation” is as invaluable a document of truth as it is poetry of the highest order. Perhaps no shot better embodies the essence of Chinese society than that of children blissfully riding on a merry-go-round. As soon as one of them dares to step outside of the circular structure, they land face-first in the mud. 

“One Child Nation” screens Saturday, April 13th, at 3:30pm with director Nanfu Wang participating in a Q&A via Skype.

For the full festival line-up or to purchase tickets, visit the official site of DOC10.

from All Content http://bit.ly/2Gfv23k

[jhdanes]

UPDATE! NEW SERIES!

A missing love forces Hero Wu to action, he fights monsters, and evildoers, just to gain him back, will his persistence gain his love back, who knows with 6 evil demon generals, anything is possible but he won’t give up! not by a long shot! The setting is a fantasy world where myths legends and folklore are real, monsters come at night to eat children, ghost curse you into an early grave and 6 demon generals uphold the law while eating the souls of their subjects.

the story is 18+ and has LGBTQIA+ themes and characters, the while comic is a fantasy bl story so there will be sexiness but all will be censored and the uncensored version can be found on patreon.

this is a story about a man who is a demon saving his lover, fighting monster along the way and saving people, even when the odds are against him.

Readers of bl manga and comic this will truly interest you, as well as people who love myths and folklore this is the comic for you. The real question while you read this will be If love is worth all the scars, bruises and war, read this story and find out.

When will it upload on media: 2x a month on Sunday on Webtoon and Tapas