#lyle is an artist outside of work too

[lemonyinks]

I yearn for an au where Lyle and Querl are in their late twenties-early thirties and they are both university professors (Chemistry and Physics respectively). They went to college together and are now married, but no one, either staff or students, realize they are married because they act like enemies.

[reasoningdaily]

Jean-Michel Basquiat is too often under-curated. Consider the bland, context-less survey on view earlier this year at the Brant Foundation’s New York space, a private museum project of President Trump’s childhood friend Peter Brant, or the Brooklyn Museum’s 2018 “One Basquiat,” an ��exhibition” consisting of a single $110.5-million-dollar painting. An easy reliance on the aura of this famous black artist with a high market value and a fatal heroin addiction often takes the place of any insightful narration. His name is enough to draw in hordes.

“Basquiat’s ‘Defacement’: The Untold Story,” an exhibition on view at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York through November 6, centers on the artist’s 1983 painting Defacement (The Death of Michael Stewart), which depicts an instance of police violence that occurred in September of that year. After allegedly tagging a wall in the East Village’s First Avenue subway station, Michael Stewart, a twenty-five-year-old black artist from Brooklyn, was beaten by the New York City Transit Police, put into a chokehold, and handcuffed to his bed while comatose at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan. He died thirteen days later from cardiac arrest. The specifics of the attack are contested—Did Stewart attempt to flee? Did he become violent?—but to me, they don’t matter. Stewart is still dead. Stewart will always be dead. That matters.

And such mattering matters to the occasion of the exhibition itself. Chaédria LaBouvier, the show’s guest curator, is the first black person to single-handedly organize an exhibition at the Guggenheim, which was founded in 1939. There is no way the show would have been possible without Black Lives Matter, and the discussions around state violence and blackness that the movement mainstreamed. “Basquiat’s ‘Defacement’” could be seen as an attempt on the part of the Guggenheim to reach outside its spiral shell and address issues of racial injustice, or it could suggest opportunism and politicking.

In addition to the title painting, the impeccably researched exhibition features works by other artists, including David Hammons, Keith Haring, Lyle Ashton Harris, and Andy Warhol, that deal with Stewart’s death; archival materials like buttons, a protest flyer made by David Wojnarowicz, and posters for benefit performances and parties raising money for Stewart’s family to pursue legal action following his death and the officers’ acquittal; and paintings that Basquiat created in the years prior to the 1983 incident, including Irony of a Negro Policeman (1981), La Hara (1981), Untitled (Sheriff), 1981, and CPRKR (1982), that share themes concerning oppression and the violence engendered by racism and capitalism. The assortment of works on view makes the exhibition seem larger than its two rooms, but the focus and political angle feel so tight that the effect is almost suffocating.

There are two main reasons to step into this claustrophobic space, each compelling in its own right: The Death of Michael Stewart and the art of Michael Stewart. Soon after Stewart’s death, Basquiat, using acrylic paint and marker, made The Death of Michael Stewart on a wall of Haring’s studio. After Basquiat died, of an overdose at the age of twenty-seven, Haring cut the painting out of the wall, had it placed in an ornate frame, and hung it over his bed, where it remained until he died from AIDS complications in 1990. Depicting two baton-wielding pink-faced cops flanking a limbless black figure, the work is devoid of the signature Basquiat symbols that have been used for tattoos a million times over: the crowns, the African masks. Instead, we get the scrawled term ¿DEFACIMENTO©?—a questioning of the police account of Stewart’s death—and a deluge of white space, which make the painting feel all the more urgent. A small collection of Stewart’s own line-obsessed abstract sketches, of which no photographs are allowed, is encased in a glass vitrine. Would the art of Michael Stewart come to us without the death of Michael Stewart? Would his work be exhibited if it weren’t for the spectacle of his suffering and for his memorialization by Basquiat?

The Death of Michael Stewart was not originally meant to be viewed by the public. But Basquiat arguably always kept some sense of an audience in mind, even when he was working in relative anonymity at the start of his career, spray-painting buildings in downtown Manhattan with poetic lines using the tag SAMO©. By the time he created The Death of Michael Stewart, he must have known that, given his success, most of his work would eventually circulate. Perhaps he also knew that everyone loves a dead black man.

Jean-Michel Basquiat is too often under-curated. Consider the bland, context-less survey on view earlier this year at the Brant Foundation’s New York space, a private museum project of President Trump’s childhood friend Peter Brant, or the Brooklyn Museum’s 2018 “One Basquiat,” an “exhibition” consisting of a single $110.5-million-dollar painting. An easy reliance on the aura of this famous black artist with a high market value and a fatal heroin addiction often takes the place of any insightful narration. His name is enough to draw in hordes.

“Basquiat’s ‘Defacement’: The Untold Story,” an exhibition on view at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York through November 6, centers on the artist’s 1983 painting Defacement (The Death of Michael Stewart), which depicts an instance of police violence that occurred in September of that year. After allegedly tagging a wall in the East Village’s First Avenue subway station, Michael Stewart, a twenty-five-year-old black artist from Brooklyn, was beaten by the New York City Transit Police, put into a chokehold, and handcuffed to his bed while comatose at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan. He died thirteen days later from cardiac arrest. The specifics of the attack are contested—Did Stewart attempt to flee? Did he become violent?—but to me, they don’t matter. Stewart is still dead. Stewart will always be dead. That matters.

And such mattering matters to the occasion of the exhibition itself. Chaédria LaBouvier, the show’s guest curator, is the first black person to single-handedly organize an exhibition at the Guggenheim, which was founded in 1939. There is no way the show would have been possible without Black Lives Matter, and the discussions around state violence and blackness that the movement mainstreamed. “Basquiat’s ‘Defacement’” could be seen as an attempt on the part of the Guggenheim to reach outside its spiral shell and address issues of racial injustice, or it could suggest opportunism and politicking.

In addition to the title painting, the impeccably researched exhibition features works by other artists, including David Hammons, Keith Haring, Lyle Ashton Harris, and Andy Warhol, that deal with Stewart’s death; archival materials like buttons, a protest flyer made by David Wojnarowicz, and posters for benefit performances and parties raising money for Stewart’s family to pursue legal action following his death and the officers’ acquittal; and paintings that Basquiat created in the years prior to the 1983 incident, including Irony of a Negro Policeman (1981), La Hara (1981), Untitled (Sheriff), 1981, and CPRKR (1982), that share themes concerning oppression and the violence engendered by racism and capitalism. The assortment of works on view makes the exhibition seem larger than its two rooms, but the focus and political angle feel so tight that the effect is almost suffocating.

There are two main reasons to step into this claustrophobic space, each compelling in its own right: The Death of Michael Stewart and the art of Michael Stewart. Soon after Stewart’s death, Basquiat, using acrylic paint and marker, made The Death of Michael Stewart on a wall of Haring’s studio. After Basquiat died, of an overdose at the age of twenty-seven, Haring cut the painting out of the wall, had it placed in an ornate frame, and hung it over his bed, where it remained until he died from AIDS complications in 1990. Depicting two baton-wielding pink-faced cops flanking a limbless black figure, the work is devoid of the signature Basquiat symbols that have been used for tattoos a million times over: the crowns, the African masks. Instead, we get the scrawled term ¿DEFACIMENTO©?—a questioning of the police account of Stewart’s death—and a deluge of white space, which make the painting feel all the more urgent. A small collection of Stewart’s own line-obsessed abstract sketches, of which no photographs are allowed, is encased in a glass vitrine. Would the art of Michael Stewart come to us without the death of Michael Stewart? Would his work be exhibited if it weren’t for the spectacle of his suffering and for his memorialization by Basquiat?

The Death of Michael Stewart was not originally meant to be viewed by the public. But Basquiat arguably always kept some sense of an audience in mind, even when he was working in relative anonymity at the start of his career, spray-painting buildings in downtown Manhattan with poetic lines using the tag SAMO©. By the time he created The Death of Michael Stewart, he must have known that, given his success, most of his work would eventually circulate. Perhaps he also knew that everyone loves a dead black man.

[xx-autmnlvr-xx]

Tom Nook’s birthday (Tom Nook x Reader)

I am so very proud of this story! I worked on it for two-three weeks! It’s around a 20 minute read so I would get some snacks or a drink before reading.

I love Tom Nook and when I saw his birthday was coming up I was determined to write something for him! So here it is!!! It’s a genderless Y/N so anyone of any gender can read and enjoy this story!!!

Tags and warnings: cursing, violence, alcohol. So if it was a movie it would be rated PG-13

I am uploading this right now because my summer college classes started and there is just too much homework. LOL

   I woke up to the sunlight hitting my bed and some villagers talking outside. I groaned, flipping over to go back to sleep. I opened my eyes slightly to see my painting of Tom Nook. I smiled and sat up.

   "Wake up, (y/n)! You can't sleep in today!" I told myself, stretching.    I left my home and looked out at the town where I am mayor. It really is a beautiful location. I walked and got a coffee to-go before heading to city hall.The lobby smelled of apples and sea. Isabelle was at the front desk, as sweet and well-combed as ever.

    "Good morning, Mayor! How was your night?"

   "It was wonderful," I replied, going up to her, "how about yours?"

   "Oh! It was splendid! I kind of fell asleep doing some embroidery on the couch." She blushed, rubbing the back of her head.

   I chuckled, "I bet you can embroider perfectly! I'll have to pay you for one of your designs!” She smiled and waved her hand playfully, then she looked like she remembered something.

  "Oh yeah! The morning report! Well one of the villagers caught a birdwing butterfly and donated it to the museum, so I gave them a Lily seed and--" she continued speaking. I took a big sip of my coffee.

  "Oh! And there's a guy selling art at the plaza! I thought about buying something but I am saving my bells for a nice dress." After she said that I spit out my coffee. She gasped.

    I looked at her."Are you telling me Redd is here TODAY??"

    She had some paper towels in her paw, "um, yes? I believe that's his name. Why?" I received the towels and leaned down and cleaned the coffee up.

   "Do you know what today is?"

   "May 30th!" She answered.I stood up and threw away the soaked paper towels.

   "exactly! It's Tom Nook's birthday. Redd can't be here!"

   "Oh!" She said, blushing, embarrassed, "I forgot about his birthday! What should we do?"

   I sighed, "I'll have Redd leave. Can you see if Dr. Shrunk will let us have the party at his club? K.K Slider is Mr. Nook's favorite artist. Today has to go perfectly!"

   She smiled, "of course! Leave it to me!"

   I made my way to the plaza and when my eyes landed on the tent with Redd's logo on it I felt fire in my lungs. Why today? Why did he decide to come to (your town) on Tom's birthday? I had to get rid of him before Tom took wind of it. I entered and the kitsune smiled.

   "Cousin! How's it been? Are you here to buy more of my wares? I have a fantastic selection!"

    I raised my hand for him to be quiet, "Redd I'm not here to buy anything today. I'm here to ask you to leave town for this week."

   He looked offended, "what? Why? I didn't do nothing to warrant the removal!"

   "I know. But today is not a good day for you to be here."

   "Why, cousin? Was my last art pieces wrong?"

   "No no... Nothing like that. Look, if I told you you will never leave so just pack up your frauds and take the next train out. I'll even pay you the price you paid coming here." He looked me up and down and thought for a moment before smirking.

   "Ooooh I know what this is about. That raccoon in the apron that rules this town."

   "First of all he doesn't own this town. Second, he has a name!"

   "Yes I know. Tom Nook," he snarled, his face contorting, "why is he the reason your forcing me out?"

   "Like I would tell you. He just doesn't need you to be hanging around today."

   Redd looked like he was thinking, "what is today? ...the 30th? Ah! Of course. His birthday!"

   I rolled my eyes, "wow. Love how you had to think about it. You have until 3 o'clock to leave. The next train out is at 2." 

   I turned to leave when he stopped me, "hold up, cousin. I ain't leaving 'til you buy something. Policy y'know?" I rolled my eyes, pointing at something random.

   He smirked, "no no no. You got to look."

   I sighed and examined the pieces. He was behind me and started talking.

   "You know, I remember when me and the raccoon was friends. He was cooler then. Could sell anything. He was fun to hang with. Then he tried to tell me that he loved me! Can you believe that? Left town that night I did. Couldn't be seen with someone like that." I chose a painting and started to leave.

   "He's a crook, (y/n). Always will be. Don't get too chummy with him." I ignored him and left the tent.

   I talked to my villagers and gave them invitations to Tom's party. Dug up some fossils and headed downtown. I went into (your nookling store) and was greeted by the twins.

    "HEY, (Y/N)! HOW ARE YOU?" Timmy greeted cheerfully.

    "..YOU!" Tommy followed.

   I chuckled, "I'm doing great! I just came to see you both! Do you know what day it is?"

   They nodded, "Mr. Nook's birthday!!" I kneeled.

   "what did you both get him?" Timmy raised his hand eagerly.

   "I built him a nightstand with a mug holder for his coffee!"

   Tommy rocked on his heels shamefully, "i made him a small vase. Not as awesome as Timmy's gift but I tried."

   I smiled, "hey, not everything has to be big. I think Tom is going to love your vase. In fact I bet he will put it right beside the nightstand so he can look at both of your gifts at the same time!" They grinned and high-fived.

   "Now tonight is his party! But it's a surprise, remember? You didn't tell him did you two?"

   "No, (y/n)! We didn't!"

   "Good. He's going to love it! Now. I need some groceries!" I informed before grabbing a cart and going down to the snacks for the party. I paid for the items and left, heading to the able sisters.

   I invited sable, Mable, and LaBelle, then I went and invited blathers and Celeste. I was happy at how well everything was going. I walked down to check on the club LOL gig when I saw a shadow scurry down the stairs to town. I was confused until the door to Nook Homes opened. Tom opened the door with a piece of paper in his paw. He looked around like he was looking for someone. I walked up.

   "Hey, Mr. Nook! Is everything alright?"

    He looked at me, "oh yes yes! Everything is fine! Someone just slipped a letter in and left! It was weird!"

   I cocked my head to the side, "a letter? Can I see?"He put it in his pocket, "no no! It's all alright. Just a weird junk mail. No need to see it."

   "Oh.. okay?"

   He smiled softly, "everything's fine! Yes yes! I'm on my break so I'm going to go over to the bench and sit down with my lunch!" 

   He left. Curious, you entered Nook Homes. Lyle was at his place at the HHA table.

   "(y/n)! How are you feeling this day? I hope you feel fantastic! Wanna talk about your home? Because the score is here and it is a doozy of a report!"

   "No not today, thank you. I'm just wanting to ask if you know anything about the letter Mr. Nook got."

   Lyle shook his head, "sadly no, but when Mr. Tom Nook looked at the letter his face dropped sure did! Boom! Like a bell to the floor drop! He immediately left the building, talking about his break. But... He's never taken a break before. Strange! As strange as a whisper in the night! Now that I think of it I should have checked on him! Yes I should've! Hindsight? 20/20 as they always say! And I think that's all!"

   I��sighed, "thank you, Lyle. Oh! I forgot. Do you and the other HHA members want to come to his birthday party? It's at 8 PM but it's a surprise! So do NOT tell him! Okay?"

   "Yes! I won't tell him! He won't hear a peep about it from me! Zziip! That's the sound of my lips being shut. We'll be there! Thank you, (y/n)!" He smiled, receiving my invitations.

   I said my farewells and left nook homes. The sun was already on the other side of the sky. I glanced over to the town clock to find that it was 4 pm. Yellow birds flew through town and landed on top of the post office, chirping at each other in conversation. The blue sky turned a baby blue. Knowing that time was passing I decided to check on the reservations. I turned toward the club, my eyes landing on the bench to find it empty. Tom has left the town square.

   "What was in that letter? Tom never acted like this before."  'At least... Not since I met him.' I thought. I walked over to the bench and noticed a ham and lettuce sandwich and peach slices left on the seat, some yellow birds pecking at it. It must have been Tom's. My worry grew and a shiver ran down my spine. As if a light bulb went off, I remembered that Katrina worked in town. I turned on my heel and ran to her door, knocking before entering.    Katrina had an incense of Amber and lavender burning and the lights were dimmed more than usual. She was sitting at her pillow, in front of the low table.

   "I've been expecting you, (y/n). I believe I know why you're here, yes?" She said calmly, taking a drag of her cigarette from her opera length cig holder.I took a few steps and sat on the customer pillow.

   "yes. I need help. Can you tell me what is up with Tom nook? Something's wrong and I don't know what. Today's his birthday and I want it to be brilliant!" She looked at me passively and took another smoke, smiling softly.

   "I cannot tell the thoughts or future of another. You know that. It's against moral code. I can, however, tell you how your day will go and therefore, you will know how the party will end."

   I nodded, "okay, that sounds good."    I held out my hands and she placed her cigarette on the edge of the table, taking my hands in her paws. They were soft and kind of cold. We closed our eyes.

   "Kah hee mee... YEEEEEEEE" The atmosphere changed. I no longer felt like I was in her building. I kept my eyes closed.

   "Yes... The stars are at their best position... The future is as clear as a glass orb... Rain.... But the rain clears... Lights and music.... Yes... Yes it's all clear now. You will have a blissful evening full of laughter but keep your wits about you. There will be tears. Not from you, but from another. That is all I can see." The atmosphere returned to normal and she released my hands. I opened my eyes.

   "Thank you for seeing me today. That will be 500 bells." She explained, picking up her cigarette and taking a drag.I handed her the bells and stood up.

   "Hey, Katrina. Do you want to come to the party? It would be fun!" I offered.

   She smiled, "thank you, but it's not in my fortune. Furthermore, the music will cloud my third eye. So I will have to decline."

   "Alright. Thanks for the fortune!" I began to head out.

   "And... (Y/n)?"

   "Yes?" I asked, looking at her.

   "Today will be the most important day of the year. So don't act hastily. And remember that bad times... Are just times that are bad." She calmly stated before looking off in the distance. I nodded and left.

   Leaving the building, I looked up at the sky."Well that just left me with more questions." I huffed. My eyes dropped from the sky toward the stairs and landed on Isabelle walking down them.

   "HEY, ISABELLE!" I called out, running towards her.

   She looked at me with a bright smile, "Hello, mayor! I just got done convincing Dr. Shrunk in letting us use the club!"

   "How did it go?" I asked, my hands nervously fumbling with my shirt.

   "It went well! He was willing to do it for a 7,000 bell rental fee and a durian!"  

   "Alright. When does he need the bells?"

   "Oh don't worry yourself about it! I took care of it." She giggled, waving her hand.

   "No, let me pay you back!" I handed 7,000 bells to her.

   "No no, I won't accept your money! I was happy to do it!"

   "I insist!" I assured, we went down the last step.

   "I'm honestly okay! Thank y--" she wasn't able to finish her sentence when there was screaming coming from the train station. We looked at each other before I put away the bells and we ran into the station.    

    The train station was tense. Porter was cowering behind the lockers and Katie was against a wall, recording the middle of the room with Rosie beside her.In the middle of the room stood Redd, a gigantic smirk plastered on his face. In front of him was Tom nook, his face contorted in a scowl and his eyes held the worst anger I have ever seen. Isabelle and I looked at each other. Her face was filled with worry and fright, you could tell he wasn't used to physical confrontation. I looked at the two fighting.     "Why do you even come here, Redd? What do you have to gain?" Tom said frustratingly, his voice straining a little.

   Redd smiled in false innocence, "I got art to sell, Nookie! You should be able to understand that!"

   "Don't call me that! You know I live here and you know what you did. Yet you still want to come to this town out of the hundreds of others!"

   The kitsune shrugged, "maybe I just like watching you squirm. You are just so pathetic that it's entertaining to see you like this." Tom's fur started to stand in end.

   "You better leave, Redd." The tanuki said sternly.

   Redd lifted his paws, "fine! Fine! I'll leave, Nookie!" He walked over to the monkey and tapped the podium.

   "I would like to go to the city." Porter nodded nervously and typed something on the podium.

   "I-it will just be 30 minutes." He said nervously.

   "Perfect," Redd smirked, "oh, and nook?" 

   Tom glared, "what?"The kitsune turned around, walking close to him.

   "How does it feel to never feel the love of another? You never hooked up on your birthday, have you? Do you feel lonely at night? I hope you do, stupid cunt-- UGH!"

   Next thing I knew, Redd was on the floor and Tom was hunched over with his paw out, curled in a fist.

   "If I ever see you or hear from you again I will kill you." He growled, his fur ruffled. He turned around and his ears twitched at the sight of me and Isabelle.Not a word was said, me and Isabelle moved out of the doorway.

   "Thank you." Tom mumbled, leaving. I tried to follow him but Isabelle touched my shoulder.

   "Give him a minute alone, (y/n). Anyway, we need to file an incident report for our records."

   I shook my head, "can't we look the other way? Redd isn't even a villager in this town!"

   She smiled softly, "we have to file or we'll get in trouble for withholding information." I sighed, leaving with Isabelle.

   The clock hand ticked ever so slowly, every click of the second hand started to tug on my hair. I needed to get this over with so I could go. The sun has all but disappeared from the windows and the light from the bulb above me seemed to grow stronger.    Isabelle tapped her pen to her chin, "what time was the fight?"

  "Hhmmn... About 6:12?"

  The shih tzu nodded and wrote it down, "I'm sorry, (y/n). I hated that all that happened."

   "I know. Tom wasn't supposed to see Redd, let alone fight with him." I rubbed my hands on my face in frustration. 

   She looked at me silently for a while before speaking, "mayor, if it isn't an overstep, may I ask why today has to go so perfectly? I'm sure he has had good birthdays before."

   I leaned back against my chair, "well I don't know about his other birthdays. He's never really talked to me about them. But I heard he used to sleep on a stump so it obviously couldn't have been a good childhood. I don't know if he would appreciate me talking about his old life when he was in the city so I'm not going to say anymore."

   She nodded, "I understand... But shouldn't it be Timmy and Tommy organizing the party? Why are you putting it on your shoulders?"

   I blushed softly, "well..." I sighed, scratching a spot on the desk."I know this is probably selfish, but... I am planning to confess to him tonight. Show him how much I love him, you know? And I thought that giving him a perfect birthday and a relationship on the same night would be a good idea."    There was a looming silence. I slowly raised my head and Isabelle was smiling at me.

    "That sounds so romantic! I'm sure Mr. Nook will love the hard work you're putting in this party."

   I smiled, "thank you, Isabelle." 

   She looked at the time, "oh! It's 7 O'clock! Shouldn't you be setting up?"

   "Oh, right! What are we missing on the incident report?"

   "Nothing. I just finished it!" She walked over to the filing cabinet and slipped the paper in.

   We made our way from town hall and stopped by my house.

   "You go on and see if things are alright. I'm gonna head inside and grab the decorations and cake." I said.

   She nodded, "okay! See you soon!" 

   I entered my home and went to my dresser, taking out the decorations and noise makers and stuffing them in my bag. I walked over to where I had the cake and smiled at it. The cake was a white honey cake with hazelnut frosting. It was three tiers high with cherries around the edges and on top. I gently picked it up and made my way out the door. The cake was a little heavy but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I moved a few steps at a time toward town square. After about 15 minutes I made it up the stairs to town square. Nook Homes still had lights on so I turned around so that only my back could be seen. I silently hoped Lyle was distracting Tom. I made it down the stairs and in front of club LOL. Exhausted, I kicked the door and called out to Dr. Shrunk. When the door knob started moving I backed up so the door could get opened.    Dr. Shrunk's head popped out, "Hey, (y/n)! Come in!"

   I made my way inside and finally put down the cake at the bar, I made a noise of relief. Isabelle was at the stage hanging the town's birthday banner we use for villagers birthdays. I smiled and went over to her.

   "Thank you so much for everything, Isabelle."

   She smiled, "it's really no problem! You never ask for anything and work so hard for this town it's the least I could do." 

   We went around the building and decorated it with pink roses for happiness and Sakura for kindness.Then I dug the other decorations from my bag. As we placed and hung them up K.K. Slider entered the club. Isabelle gasped and started bouncing in place.

   "Woah! What's all this for?" He said lazily, putting his guitar case on a chair.

   "Mr. Slider!" Dr. Shrunk smiled, "today is a special day! It's a villagers birthday! And you're his favorite artist! So (y/n) and their secretary has asked for you to play at his party!" K.K. Slider looked over at me and smiled softly, doing finger guns.

    "I can dig that." Isabelle fainted.

   Villagers started to file in around 7:50 and everyone was settled by 8:30.

   "Okay everyone!" I called out, clapping.

   "It's time for me to get the birthday tanuki! When we come back I'll knock. That's your sign to be quiet!" Everyone nodded and muttered agreements.I left the building and went up the steps. Crickets chirped in harmony. The lights in nook homes was off, which I was expecting it to be.    I knocked rhythmically. I heard rustling inside and then nothing. I knocked again.

   "We're closed!" Tom called out from inside. I took that as my cue. I opened the door and closed it behind me. The lobby was empty. At least, it seemed that way at the door.

   He made a frustrated groan from behind the halfwall, "I said we're closed!"

   I took a step, "I know, but I came to see you."

   "...(y/n)?" He asked softly. It sounded like he was crying.

   "Tom? Are you okay?" I walked forward a little.

   "NO! I-I mean... Yes I'm okay. Please.. thank you for checking on me but I'm fine." I felt myself tense as I walked over to him.    

    My (e/c) eyes found his blue ones. They were shimmering and sad, his tears falling just to land on his fur. His nose was twitching with every sniff. His mouth slightly open as his teeth bit his lip to try to stop crying. Tom's whole persona he always tried to keep up like a mask has disappeared. Back against the halfwall, his knees were drawn up against his belly, a small bottle of whiskey in his paw. I felt as if I got stabbed. How long has he been like this? Since the train station? I fell to my knees beside him, my hands reaching out and touching his cheek.

   "(Y/n)... Please.." he moved his head from my hand.

   "Tom, I'm so sorry. I tried to prevent what happened. I guess it gave him ideas..."

    He shook his head, "it wasn't just Redd. I just hate my birthday. Remember how I told you I had a pretty rough childhood?"

   I nodded, "yeah?" He hugged his knees, leaving the whiskey on the ground.

   "My mother left me on my fourth birthday with my father. My father was distant and would not come home some nights." He sighed before continuing, "then the house got repossessed and the bastard went to live with his coworker who hated children. I guess you can guess what happened."    Tom looked at the wall on the other side of the room, more tears flowing down his cheeks. I stayed quiet, moving to sit with my legs crossed.

    His lip quivered, "I was homeless and the only time I saw that deadbeat was on my birthday. It never went well. In fact, one time when I was eleven, Sable threw me a party at a park. My dad showed up and tried to do unspeakable things to her. I told him I never wanted to see him again and a park ranger called the police."

   He took a deep breath and reached for the whiskey, "I was alone on my birthday up until Redd. It was the first time I was in love; then I had to open my mouth and tell him I loved him. Left the next day with all the bells and the day after that was my 25 birthday. Alone, penniless, and homeless every birthday. I'm lucky I have the twins, they bake me a cake. It doesn't help the trauma and being romantically alone, you know?"    I put a hand on his knee, "I could never know how much it hurts, but I understand that you must feel so helpless. I am here for you, Tom. I will be here for as long as you want me to."

   His face contorted into a grimace as he began sobbing uncontrollably. He let his legs give out as he turned toward me and throw his arms around my neck. His form shaking with every gush of tears. He sobbed into my shoulder, letting go of his mask. I hugged him tightly, comforting him as best as I could.    We sat there on the floor for a few minutes as he let out all his sadness and fear onto me. His sobbing decreasing and his breathing calming softly. I petted his fur comfortingly.

   "Thank you, (y/n). Thank you much." He said, slowly letting go and sitting up while wiping his tears. I smiled softly.

   "Of course. I care about you." I blushed, "Tom?"

   He looked at me, "yes, (y/n)?" He was drying his wet fur on his sleeve.

   I looked at him, "I want you to know that I care about you so much. I never want you to feel alone again. I want to be the soul you can trust with everything. I want to be your partner in life. What I'm saying is..." I rubbed the back of my neck, getting scared. His cheeks started to flush through the fur. I looked down at the floor.

   "What I'm saying is that I love you, Tom Nook. I want to be with you always. You don't have to say yes. If... If you don't feel the same way that is alright, no hard feelings. We could go back to being friends with no awkwardness. I-I... "

   He lifted my chin and kissed me softly. His fur gently tickling around my lips and nose. The kiss was warm and soft and so full of love. I sighed in happiness, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and closing my eyes. He placed his paws on my hips and deepened the kiss. It was so wonderful that I never wanted to leave it. He stopped and looked in my eyes.

   "I love you too, (y/n). It means so much that you would love someone like me. This is the best birthday ever."

   My eyes lit up, "OH RIGHT! I forgot! You're birthday isn't over just yet!" I smiled and stood up, pulling him up by the paws."Where are you taking me?" He chuckled.

   "I heard there was a birthday sale at club LOL. Let's see what Dr. Shrunk has at his bar!"    I led him from nook homes to the club and knocked on the door three times.

   "Why are you knocking? Isn't it open by now?" Tom asked, curious.

   "Yes but I'm just making sure everything's decent in there."

   "What?" He laughed.I opened the door and the club was pitch black. We entered and Tom made a comment about the darkness. I turned on the lights.

   "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" Everyone screamed, pulling confetti wands and blowing noise makers. Tom screamed and backed up at the sudden surprise. After he saw what was going on he laughed heartily. Then the laughter turned to tears.

   "Y-you guys! This is so awesome! Yes yes!" He said through sobs. Timmy and Tommy ran up to Tom with a drawing. It was a childish painting of Tom and the twins on top of a mountain of bells.

   "Mr. Nook! We drew you a picture of you and us for your birthday!" Tommy said cheerfully.

   "I drew the bells!" Timmy added. Tom smiled and hugged the twins tightly, tears flowing.

   "Thank you much, boys. Did you two plan this?"

   They shook their heads, "nuh-uh! (Y/n) did! They invited everyone and had this club rented and even made you a cake! ...yes yes!"

   Tom turned to look at you and smiled, "thank you so much, (y/n)."

   Timmy spoke up, "ooh ooh! That's not all! K.K Slider is here!"    Tom's eyes went wide, he looked at Timmy and then the stage. Everyone moved out of the way and Slider was sitting on a stool on the stage. K.K. smiled and held out his paw to motion toward Tom.

   "Let's all give a groovy howl to the birthday boy!" He said. Collectively, everyone gave a howl and clapped for Tom. His whole face turned red and I was afraid he was going to faint with the excitement.    Tom nook requested a song and everyone talked and laughed and congratulated him on his birthday. Blathers got Tom a surgeonfish plushie, sable sewn him a sweater vest that had his leaf logo on it, Brewster gave him a coffee mug, Isabelle gave a porcelain cherry decoration. I gave him (gift you would give Tom).The night ended with multiple drunk villagers stumbling out the door and Dr. Shrunk asking me to come in tomorrow to clean.

Not to mention the multiple kisses Tom nook and I shared in the corner of the club.

AFTER THOUGHT:

I just realized I forgot to explain the letter Tom got. Oh well! If you want to know what it said comment a question. 

[anxiously-unsatisfied-world]

Sanders Sides Masterpost

This is a list of all of my Sanders Sides stories I’ve ever written sorted by platonic/romantic. The format is title-pairing-summary. Hope you enjoy!

Platonic:

Loneliness - Logicality - Logan’s feeling a bit lonely. Patton helps.

Moments - LAMP - A few moments cause the sides to realize just how much they care for each other.

Burned Out - LAMP - Roman is experiencing a creative burnout. The others help cheer him up.

Soft Comfort - Moxiety - Virgil’s parents are fighting (again) and he needs an escape. Patton willingly provides one.

Autumnal Decorations - LAMP - The sides decorate the mindscape for autumn/Halloween.

What Was That? - No real pairing - Virgil hears a spooky noise. Turns out he’s not the only one.

Where’s the Crofters?? - Platonic Anxceit/Platonic Analogical - Virgil takes the Crofters to get revenge on Logan. Logan tries to solve the mystery.

Trick-Or-Treating - It’s technically Pre-Logince but Platonic Prinxiety & Platonic Logicality - Patton and Virgil go trick-or-treating with their dads.

Christmas Season Debate - LAMP (w/ focus on Logicality & Logince) - Patton and Logan discuss when exactly the Christmas season starts.

Friendsmas Party - No real pairing - Roman throws a Friendsmas party (with bonus karaoke)

Exchanging Presents - No real pairing - The six of them (w/ Remy & Deceit) exchange their Secret Santa presents.

Cuddle Pile Heaven - Platonic DLAMP (kinda pre-romantic) - Deceit’s having trouble sleeping so he goes to cuddle the other sides.

Overwhelmed - Platonic Logicality - Sequel to Loneliness - Patton is feeling overwhelmed. Logan helps.

Frustration - Platonic Logince - Same Series as Loneliness & Overwhelmed - Roman’s having a creative block & Logan helps 

Romantic:

Pet Names - Logince - Roman flusters Logan with cute pet names.

Playing the Villain - Prinxiety - Roman and Virgil play heroes vs. villains. Roman has some doubts.

Llorona - Royality - Roman sings La Llorona to Patton and explains the lyrics to him.

The Sun to My Moon - Logince w/ background Moxiety - a product of watching too many Disney proposal videos

Soothing Strings - Prinxiety - Virgil can play the violin. This is how Roman finds out.

Loving Looks - Prinxiety - “Why are you looking at me like that?”

The Pampered Prince - Royality - Patton wants to treat Roman like the prince he is.

A French-Filled Date Night - LAMP - Logan plans a date for them. He speaks a lot of French.

Anxiety Performs - Analogical - Logan comforts Virgil before his first performance.

Playing in the Leaves - LAMP - They play in the leaves (tickle warning)

Halloween Hayride - Logince & Moxiety - The four go on a hayride full of festive decorations.

Costume Uncertainty - LAMP - Virgil gets a little insecure about his costume right before they’re about to leave for a costume party.

Pumpkins and Sunsets - Analogical & Royality - They carve pumpkins outside and then watch the sunset, all wrapped up in warm sweaters.

Afternoon of Apple-Picking - LAMP - The boys go apple picking and Virgil worries as usual.

Afternoon of Baking - LAMP - They take the apples they picked and bake several kinds of treats with them.

Fall Extravaganza - Logicality & Prinxiety - At a local fall festival Patton and Virgil make some crafts while Logan and Roman play some games for prizes.

Halloween Candy - LAMP - They go shopping for Halloween candy for the trick-or-treaters. You can probably guess what happens next.

Hocus Pocus Maze - Logince & Moxiety - They go to a corn maze themed to the movie Hocus Pocus.

Pumpkin Spice Promises - LAMP - Roman and Logan go to Starbucks to get coffee.

Friday the 13th? - LAMP - Roman’s had a bad day. Is it because of Friday the 13th or just bad luck?

Fall Pranks - Prinxiety - Roman wakes Virgil with a prank. Virgil gets him back.

Disney Couples Costumes - Analogical & Royality - They’re wearing couples costumes for a costume party.

Not-So-Spooky Movie Night - LAMP - They have a movie night to watch Horror Movies, but plans change.

Monster Boyfriends - LAMP - Roman gets home and they start working on dinner.

The Haunted House - Logince & Moxiety - They go to a haunted house.

Spooky Carnival - LAMP - They go to a Halloween carnival.

Rainy Sleepiness - Prinxiety - Rain is very relaxing.

Graveyard Photoshoot - LAMP - A graveyard isn’t the most orthodox location for a photoshoot. But it works.

Walk in the Dark - Logicality - Patton walks back home late at night after watching horror movies.

Telling Ghost Stories - Analogical & Royality - Patton gets the idea that they should spend an evening telling ghost stories.

A Ghost Hunt - LAMP - They go hunting for ghosts. Logan is skeptical.

Comforting a Snake - DLAMP - Deceit (Lyle) has a nightmare. His boyfriends comfort him. 

Horror Movie Night - Logince & Moxiety - Roman and Virgil play horror games. Their boyfriends comfort them.

A Picnic Gone Awry - Prinxiety - Roman sets up a picnic for his boyfriend. However, a certain Dragon Witch gets in the way.

Disney Villain Surprise - LAMP - They go to Disney for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. But something’s not quite right.

Angelic Vision - Moxiety w/ Background Logince - Virgil’s a regular at the cafe Patton works at and Patton happens to be crushing on him.

A Snow Day to Remember - Analogical & Royality - The four get a day off school due to the snow - much fun is had.

Holiday Movie Night - Logince, Sleepxiety, Moceit - The family has their first movie night of the holiday season.

Decorating Day - LAMP - It’s their first time decorating the mindscape for Christmas since they started dating.

Abundance of Mistletoe - Logicality & Prinxiety - The mindscape is covered in mistletoe, which can actually be pretty helpful.

Christmas Baking - LAMP - The title - they bake treats for Christmas

Snow-Caused Sickness - Analogical & Royality - Virgil & Roman end up sick after the snow day - Logan & Patton care for them.

Requited Love - Analogical - fake relationship for the holidays prompt

Snowed In With Good Friends - Logince & Moxiety - Logan and Roman get snowed in at Patton and Virgil’s house.

Give it a Chance - LAMP - Logan’s never seen snow before. Patton convinces him to give it a chance.

Time to Recharge - LAMP - Logan’s been stressed out recently. His boyfriends help.

A Perfect Day - Moxiety - Patton wants to pamper Virgil on Valentine’s Day but it doesn’t quite go to plan.

Patton’s Plans for Valentine’s - Royality & background qpp Analogical -- Usually, Roman goes all out for Valentine’s but he’s busy. Therefore, it’s Patton’s turn.

Untitled Kiss Prompt - Prinxiety - Roman gets insecure and Virgil helps out.

Untitled Kiss Prompt - Logince - Roman takes Logan stargazing.

A Disney Adventure - LAMP - The others find out a secret Roman’s been keeping, leading to a bunch of Disney marathons.

White Carnations - Logicality - Soulmate AU

Take a Break, Lo - Logicality - Short prompt fill

Not Quite Okay - Royality - Patton is sick and still trying to do his usual chores. Roman reminds him to relax. 

Missing Hoodie - Anxceit - Virgil’s hoodie goes missing, but he knows who has it.

Incredibly Lucky - Losleep - Logan and Remy are stargazing and Remy thinks about how lucky he is.

A Coffee For Here (So I Don’t Have to Leave Yet) - Sleepxiety w/ Background Roloceit - Coffee Shop / Tattoo Shop AU - Virgil’s the barista, Remy’s the tattoo artist.

Please Hug Me - Prinxiety - Roman goes to Virgil for comfort after Putting Others First

Wooing a Snake (Who Thinks We Love Someone Else) - Anaroyaliceit - Janus overhears Roman, Virgil, and Patton talking about their mutual crush and assumes they’re talking about Logan. 

Multi-chaptered:

The Heart’s Home: Main Four Sides / Other Characters; Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5,  Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8 - Patton gets adopted by Logan and Roman

It Takes Two to Tango: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Epilogue - Prinxiety dance/time travel au

Headcanons/Imagines:

Logince cuddling

Logan knowing French + Latin

Royality affection ficlet thing

Analogical ficlet

[west-rangers]

To celebrate the end of another great term, Nathaniel (history), Scott (art history), and Yoosung (biology) have a wild party that ended with entirely too many drinks being consumed, Yoosung being cheated on by Seven and then passing out, and Nathaniel and Scott flirting with the same girls yet ending the night alone.

In the end Nathaniel and Yoosung ended up graduating slightly later than usual but still with adequate marks.  Yoosung moved out and another but lesser roommate moved in while Scott needed just one more credit before graduation.

---

It surprised me how few screenshots I actually ended up since I had a blast playing the Darkwing Ducks but maybe there are so few because I was having so much fun?  

I was worried that it would just be Nathaniel and Scott together since they were brothers and then just Yoosung and Lucifer having their own separate lives and just living in the same house, but the four of them developed great chemistry together and ended up being very close friends even when Lucifer ended up leaving after graduating early (and entering the school administration career even though he worked through college and ended up at the same career level when he graduated...but I digress).  They even became friends with each others’ friends and siblings who would come over.

They also aggravated me beyond belief which ended up me having a spontaneous Go The Fuck To Class rant at my actual IRL housemate about how my sims just wouldn’t go the fuck to class.  Yoosung was a particularly bad offender because instead of just not going like Scott would, Yoosung would be running late and then just...get off his bicycle and walk so that he was even later!  Yoosung was also the worst offender in just LEAVING his bicycle in inopportune places.  I can’t tell you how many times I had to buy a new bicycle for that boy.  Scott was another offender for that but it didn’t seem as annoying because he just wouldn’t go to class entirely.  There were times where I would kidnap bicycles after tiring of constantly purchasing them, and then discover that they had been, terms ago, Yoosung’s.

Darkwing House had a good mix of personalities!  It’s something that I didn’t realize would be so important until I attempted a similar thing at Foxbury’s Maritime Manor with Seven (computer science), Satan (history), Gordon (physics), and Lyle Lye (villainy) but they didn’t mesh as well unfortunately and I ended up cheating their degrees to be done with it because Satan and Lyle were too hostile to others and Gordon and Seven mostly kept to themselves.  

But with the Darkwing Ducks you had:

the ambitious academic with Lucifer who worked hard in not just school work but his job, got along with everyone, was constantly having his siblings over, and was just an excellent all-rounder who I enjoyed playing OUTSIDE HIS HOUSEHOLD WHICH IS THE WORST EVER BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL IDIOTS

the reserved academic with Nathaniel who was passionate about his studies and the garden he created at Darkwing House but also wasn’t afraid to eventually exit his comfort zone and develop relationships outside his brother and then eventually even outside the Darkwing Ducks

the sociable and well-meaning but entirely too busy student with Yoosung, who was incredibly active with his e-sports and teammates but then also tried to do all the homework he could, tried to be active with other clubs, also tried to socialize with pretty much everyone he met, and in the end could do all those things but only with mediocrity

the laid-back artist with Scott who would spend entirely too much time on his paintings and not enough time on his school work, but he would also be somewhere around the house talking to his housemates or their family/friends, or he would just be off fucking around somewhere doing something random because he was absolutely the wildcard of the group

OVERALL, I am sorry that I didn’t have enough screenshots that adequately conveyed my love for this rag-tag group on their school journey.  Hopefully my written love will suffice.

[brokenforecast]

The Magician

The Magician : a muggle guide to tarot

     - Through the dark of futures past, the magician longs to see. One chants out between two worlds … Fire Walk with Me.                David Lynch’s Twin Peaks

I realize it’s hard to convince you of my view that tarot doesn’t have anything to do with magic per se, when the title of the card we are discussing is ‘the magician’. But it is perhaps the most worldly, practical, unmagical card in the entire deck, so bear with me. Today we’ll be talking philosophy and raw action. The magician caries the numbered one. So take out your magician card, or your favorite magician card if you have more than one. The magician is a card for which I feel a profound affection; I identify deeply with it (along with two others: the chariot and the king of swords). You could almost say that in this early stage of the tarot’s journey I have halted and stopped at the first step and there is some truth in that. 

Symbolism

We see a figure with one arm pointing upwards, sometimes holding a staff or a wand and one pointing downwards. This represents the ancient phrase “as above, so below”. The idea of a macrocosm and a corresponding microcosm is an old one. We know the ancient Greeks philosophized a lot about this and the idea has spread across big parts of the world ever since. Plato believed in the existence of a perfect world of ideas, next to our world of imperfection. Christianity believes in a temporary existence here on earth and an eternal existence close to god. 

On a more mundane scale we can see the outer world of everyday life and our inner world of hopes, dreams, ideas and fantasies. And in each one there is something that bridges these two. I have always found it intriguing that moons revolve around planets and planets around suns in a colossal void, very much like electrons revolve around the nucleus of an atom, also mostly in void. In short, it symbolizes that the stuff that makes up the universe can be found inside ourselves.  Between the above and the below is the magician, us, at the center of all this. It is a profoundly anthropocentric card; we are, each one of us, the god of our own universe. 

Did I just call you a god? Yes, I did. 

In front of the magician is an altar with four objects: a sword, a wand, a cup and a pentacle (or coin). These four objects represent the four elements, the stuff the universe is made of, in a symbolic way. The altar and the four objects represent everything, the world (the macrocosm) but right in front of us, small and tangible, symbolized (the microcosm). They are there for the taking. In certain decks the magician is called the juggler, the capable artist that keeps all four elements in the air at the same time. The altar is a miniature world under the control of the magician. 

Another crucial symbol is the infinity symbol above the head of the magician, symbolizing the unity of male and female principles. In my post-gender worldview, I don’t like male and female stereotyping, but the tarot is rife with it, luckily in a very nuanced manner. Tarot isn’t inherently patriarchal if that’s what you are wondering. The magician, like the fool, is an androgynous figure, uniting male and female principles. To be an able person, one does indeed need a mix of both, lest we are hollow, ridiculous clichés. The infinity symbol lives on in the character “&” often used on marriage invitations when a couple puts an ampersand between their names, indeed a union of two.

Is there no end to this symbolism? Jesus. We’re almost there; I know it’s a lot; it’s not an easy card concerning its symbolism but I’ll make it up to you later, because its meaning is real simple, I promise. In the Renaissance Tarot we recognize the symbols we talked about (the up and down arms, the altar with the four elements is a plinth here, and we see the infinity symbol). The figure is very androgynous, one leg is straight and muscular, one is almost that of an elegant ballerina. There is a hint of breasts and that hair is long and yet short. 

Some extra symbols are added like the two caduceui (still used by pharmacists as their symbol) but also by the alchemists of old. The two intertwined snakes represent – can you guess it? – the intertwined male and female energies. Between the snake heads is the symbol of the planet Mercury, a blend of (surprise) the male and female symbol. The wings on the arm and feet (like the ancient god Mercury) refer to his ability to ascend and descend in the world above and below.  I’ll shut up about the magician’s belt which represents the ouroboros, you can google that one if you’re really into the ouroboros. I am seriously done with its fucking endless symbolism. 

In the wild unknown card we recognize a few things: the four elements and the infinity symbol but the magician has been replaced by a wildcat. Which brings us seamlessly to its meaning (finally). A lot of cards in tarot are about contemplation but this one is all about action. A wildcat runs and runs fast, it runs gracefully, it is made for running. This card says only one thing: go! 

Upright meaning 

     - Knowing is not enough; We must apply. Willing is not enough; We must do.                Goethe

Just as the magician manipulates the four objects on the altar in front of him (remember, representing the microcosm), so can we manipulate the world around us. The magician is able, he knows his shit, he doesn’t sit idly by, he acts and transforms A into B, he makes changes as he sees fit, he shapes the world around him to his liking. He is whole, male and female combined, confident in his abilities. 

If this card represents a situation it tells us to believe in ourselves and act. Do it! Go for it! Stop doubting, stop thinking and just fucking do it already. 

If it refers to a person, it is someone confident, someone with abilities that bring about change in the real world in any possible way. Someone who knows his trade always seems like a wizard to an uneducated outsider. The things my IT-guy does to my computer look like magic to me; how my pharmacist prepares medicine that heals me looks like magic, how poets juggle and play with words, is magical to me. 

The magician is always someone who believes in themselves and has real skill and influence, not some cog in a machine but maybe an independent employee or anyone with a specific skill set. Or simply someone who works a little practical magic for you. See what I did there?  If you know yourself well, it helps to know the world; if you can change, so can the world. In contrast with the fool, the magician knows really well what he wants, he has a plan and he’s already working on it. The magician is deeply androgynous, he knows when to use his male and when her female side to best reach the goal. 

> The Magician by Stephanie Davidson

Reversed meaning

When reversed it can mean one of three things:

1. Exactly the opposite: inactivity. Someone is sitting on their lazy ass. Maybe thinking, dreaming, fantasizing or calculating risks, weighing options, whatever it is, now is not the time! Just get up and start working. Yes work, you will get tired. Stop talking, stop complaining. Work.

2. Something blocks you: you lack the confidence of the magician, you don’t believe in your own abilities. Maybe you compare yourself to people who do it better. But honestly with seven billion people out there, someone is bound to be better at no matter what you do. Maybe you believe you are worth jack shit. In any case: you are wrong. You are able. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

3. Taken too far: the magician holds the meaning of the charlatan, the imposter, the foul smell that drips from the word manipulating. This is someone who abuses his abilities in a way too selfish and harmful to others. He is a deceiver and quite good at it as well. 

The path of the magician

When you meditate on the magician, or if the magician represents you in a spread, it asks us to act. It is Yoda telling us to do or do not because there really is no try. It is Galadriel telling Frodo that this task was appointed to him and that if he does not find a way, no one will. 

It is Obama yelling at us ‘yes we can’ or Karl Marx telling us that the point is not to think about society, the point is to change it. Few cards are so straightforward. Just like last time, a little meditation exercise to let you grow, to step by step define who you are. Note down three skills that you possess that influence the outside world, grand or modest, doesn’t matter. They don’t have to be unique or super-snowflake-special. Skill is skill. Three things you are good at.

Next jot down three things you want to learn in the future. Like, before you die, preferably. 

Again, I’ll be open and honest; not out of some misguided exhibitionism but because as your guide I want to give the example. 

1. I am a decent enough librarian. I help my readers find the information they need, I teach them a skill set so they can find It themselves and analyze it’s worth in a critical way. I run a smooth library. 

2. I am verbally strong if I want to. I can communicate, inspire, analyze and I have a certain way with words. I write and guide roleplaying games as storyteller, which brings joy and excitement to people. I also use this for evil purposes. I have been known to bend truths.

3. Strategy, long-term planning, making plan B, C and D (and in secret E, F and G). Destroying resistance, guiding the process, improving along the way, optimizing, motivating and cheering at the end. 

Three things I want to learn before I die: to dance, speak German fluently, and sew clothes. 

TLDR: Upright meaning: confidence, action, skill Reversed meaning: passivity, lack of confidence, manipulation

Hollander, P. Scott, Tarot voor beginners, ‘s-Gravenhage, 2004. P30-33. Lyle, Jane, The Secret Tarot, New York, 1998. P16-19. Krans, Kim, The Wild Unknown Tarot Guidebook, New York, 2016. P159-160.

[terribleco]

Garry Jones Interview

When I was younger, Garry Jones was one of the kids down my local park who was always out and about, always down for a skate, and always interested in more than just skateboarding. He contributed towards this very blog on many occasions donating footage, photos and even old cameras! His interest in photography proved to be something he had a great talent for, and now he is one of the UK's most prominent skate photographers: having snapped official shots of the Team GB skaters, and photographing some of the world's best skateboarders at Street League London and the European X-Games. I asked him some questions where he talks about photographing Tony Hawk, Jamie Foy, and of course, everyone's favourite northerner Joxa.

Those behind the camera sometimes don't get much recognition, so for anyone who doesn't know you - tell me a bit about yourself.

For sure, I'm Garry Jones - photographer from Coventry. Moved away for a few years to study my undergraduate but eventually came back to Coventry. Without sounding too much like a profile on a dating app: I'm 28 years old, and recently just completed my Masters Degree. I shoot photos of everything from beer brands to shoes but my main focus these days is working in the music industry, portraits and making album art. Saying that occasionally I get to shoot skateboarding also. 

How did you first get into photography?

Not sure exactly when I decided I wanted to be a photographer, it was just always a notion I had from being a kid. Skateboarding influenced me pretty heavily: I had this Blueprint poster, can't remember the skater, but he was silhouetted doing a FS Krooked down a handrail and flashes going off behind him. I used to always stare at the poster figuring out how it was taken. My first steps into the photography world was in secondary school, using a darkroom where I learnt quite a lot to prepare me going forward.

What was your first "proper" camera?

My first DSLR was an Olympus e-410. I got it around the time I started college at the age of 16. That camera served me well: I shot my first events on it, and skate photos I was happy with. I think things got a bit more professional a couple of years later, when I jumped over to Nikon, and everything started to look a bit cleaner.

Tez Aldersley Varial Heelflip’s a yellow hazard in a Coventry back alley

Who were your influences growing up (skaters and photographers)?

Still to this day, there's not many "photographers" that really have influenced my work. If there is, it's more likely photographers that are my close friends that I work with, and they affect my work flow and style. It's skate culture, and the artists/documentarians within skateboarding, that have truly inspired me. 

Ed Templeton is the first, and probably biggest influence: everything he has done with Toy Machine, to his photo books that come out on Um Yeah Art (which is Thomas Campbell's publishing company). Greg Hunt: as a film-maker, always really inspired me with his work with DC and Alien Workshop. I always thought it was really amazing and always used to try and find interviews of him speaking about his work. 

French Fred and his documentation of my favourite brand Cliche really showed me what you can simply do with a black and white 35mm roll of film. Cliche really had such a cool visual aesthetic from their board graphics to the tour videos they put together, such a rad team also. 

Mike Blabac too: his photography of Danny Way, and his first photo book were insane, and to this day those photos are incredible. What I liked about Blabac was the fact he could shoot a really good portrait in a studio also, and had this really nice high contrast imagery which really has influenced my work even more recently as I did a transition into more portraiture work.

Who were the first pro/sponsored skaters you ever shot? 

Sponsored skater has to be Joxa, thinking back: me, you and Joxa used to head out a lot all over the place. Joxa was on Witchcraft back then, so it was always fun shooting with him, plus he's the coolest, most friendly dude. As for pro skaters: I was at NASS 2015 when the Birdhouse team came through on tour, and I had woken up a little bit worse for wear from the night before. I walked through the back entrance of the park and bumped into Jaws, shot a portrait of him with a fisheye and a flash, because I panicked and didn't have time to swap my lens. Later that day, I got to shoot Tony Hawk, which was insane, plus got to see Lizzie Armanto skate in person and she rips!

Tony Hawk with a FS Stalefish at Nass 2015

Who are your favourite photographers?

Hands down, my favourite photographer of all time is Ed Templeton. I love the way he documents the world around him. To go more outside of skating, Don McCullin is a British photojournalist who has work that needs to be seen either in a gallery or in the paper layout it was intended for. He documented the rise of the Berlin Wall, Vietnam and many other conflicts but his imagery is always so strong and tells the story like no other. 

I was always a fan of Lewis Baltz's work too: He explored the notion of how humans use space, the 'urban', focusing on the shape and form. It was a very matter of fact style of shooting. I have a complete obsession with anything to do with the documentation of the Beastie Boys, so Spike Jonze has to be in there. His latest book is amazing, and the Girl collab boards are so sick. Also a lot of my favourite photographers are my friends I work with, as they are inspiring people: Mike Massaro shot a photo of artist Caribou that I just love.

What format is your favourite to shoot? 

Ever since getting a medium format film camera, it's been my favourite. I really love shooting 6x6 medium format, so the frame is a square. Really tried to champion and shoot more film this year: in New York I shot a load of bands with my Bronica SQ 6x6 camera and fell in love with it all over again.

I saw you on BBC Sport taking pics in the background at the UK National Champs: Was it weird to see UK skateboarding being given such a huge spotlight? 

I was really fortunate to come on board with Skateboard England early on, and shoot the announcement photos of the skaters for Team GB. At that point, or maybe even before that, Neil from Skateboard England had really kept me in the loop and tried to get me on board. Saying that, Neil has been a big supporter of me shooting skateboarding, and is the nicest dude, giving me loads of opportunities over the past 18 months. 

To get back to your question, I wouldn't say it was weird, I would say it was about time. There's some really amazingly talented skaters in the UK, and the spotlight was being put on them deservingly. Hopefully we get to see the rest of this journey towards the Olympics soon. Add any of the guys and girls that were in that comp: if you go on their Instagrams, you can see how much they throw down, so everyone getting that moment of coverage is credit to them and their love of skating.

Alex Hallford at the UK National Championships last year

How did you end up taking shots for the European X-Games? 

There's really no crazy story behind this: basically I emailed and asked. Shortly after, I got a reply saying they would love for me to come over. Just goes to show, putting yourself out there and having a conversation with someone goes a long way! 

Which pros did you meet there? 

I met Felipe Gustavo the first year I went along, with a few others, but to be fair to everyone, even in practice people were really focused that year. Second year I went, it was way more mellow for some reason. On the first day, I showed up after getting off of the flight and got to chill at the park and hang with Jamie Foy, who was the nicest dude. We spoke about his New Balance shoe, and his thoughts behind it while Gustavo Ribeiro was just tearing it up in the background. Kelly Hart was there judging last year's comp, which was cool as we had met before at Street League London a couple of times, so I got to catch up with Kelly again.

What was it like shooting someone as gnarly as Jamie Foy skating? Did he land everything practically first go? 

At these big comps, the practice sessions are basically the guys putting their runs together: they are trying the same thing over and over again. Watching Jamie Foy just Krooked everything in sight super pinched was super gnarly, it was crazy to see that level of skating in person. On the other hand, there's Ishod Wair, who just flowed around the course adding bits on and improvised as he went: he's probably the best skateboarder in the world.

Leticia Bufoni with a BS Disaster at the European X Games in Norway

What was the difference in vibe between the European X-Games and the UK National Champs? 

At the X-Games, you can really tell it's a big TV style presentation, with music and competitions and loads of other stuff going on, plus there's all the other sports there. At the UK National Champs, everyone knew each other, and if you didn't know anyone, by the end of the three days you did and it was rad. Churchill was on the mic, so what else do you need? 

X-Games is that finished, high-end product that's been going for years, but I got to go to Simple Sessions' 20th event this year. Simple Sessions is this great comp run by people who do it for the love of skateboarding, and it comes across. Everyone has a really good time with loads of stories coming out of it. You see amazing skating at all of these events and I guess the difference in vibe is maybe down to what's on the line for these skaters who enter. 

With so many high profile photography jobs on the books, do you get any time to skate?

Once a year, me and the Ghost Town Social Gang (Andy, Lyle, Ryan, Paul and Chris), go to a far away land like Paris or Barcelona and have a week or so of skating, hanging out and beers. On the run up to that I attempt to skate, but it doesn't normally happen if I'm truly honest. Think I'm more of a documentarian these days, and see skating as more social than ever, hanging out with some of my closest mates and having a push about. 

Cov’s own Andrew Scott popping over a unique gap opportunity

Did you get to skate the X-Games course? 

Never got to skate it - saying that, I never have my board at those events, as I have to carry loads of camera gear and clothes for a few days. I wouldn't be able to skate it anyway: they have a schedule of who's allowed on the course to practice, and they break down the days so everyone gets time without it being hectic as the courses are only small. If you had all the men and women involved skating at once it would be chaos. I think you have to have the correct wristband to skate as there are stewards everywhere checking. I'm lucky I get pretty good access, just no athlete access! 

What has been your favourite park/spot to photograph? 

Favourite park to shoot was the first year Street League was in London, at the Copper Box Arena. Apparently, the course was awful to skate but it had the Union Jack done in concrete so up high the photos looked great. Also I have had some good times over the years shooting the vert at Epic/Creation: normally Jim The Skin is skating, so always get rad photos. The big Herbert 3 set in Coventry with the old cathedral in the background looks epic. I shot a photo of Tez Aldersley that I still love to this day of him kick flipping it.

Tez Aldersley floating a kickflip down at the Herbert spot in Coventry

Which skater (that you haven't photographed) would you love to get pics of? 

Arto Saari would be sick! I love his skating. Spanky would be pretty high up: been really enjoying watching his footage recently. The skater that takes top of the list would have to be the fastest man in skateboarding: Dennis Busenitz. Just a photo of him pushing or bombing a hill would be a dream shoot!

What advice would you give to any aspiring photographers out there? 

Just enjoy your photography. Put as much time as you can into it, and most importantly talk to people and make connections. 

One last note on this: educate yourself! Take time to learn about photographers before you. Look at different areas, visit galleries, study photo books, listen to lectures - it all helps and gives you a better standing when moving into the professional world.

Anyone you would like to thank? 

Firstly, I’d thank you Ade: all the lifts to parks years ago, and people I met through you, and the videos you made. 

In skateboarding: big thanks to my friends over at Skateboard England, and always a big shout out to Jim The Skin and Ride. Everyone at X-Games & Simple Sessions: you rule. 

Thanks to Andy Scott also, as he kept me in skating for years, he's the hype man. Vic Frankowski: always a supporter of my photography from Content (@hello_content). There are so many to thank, as I can’t do what I do without people giving me opportunities and their time. Love to everyone.

[lea-kamburi-blog]

The exhibition I saw was Implicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Now by Robert Mapplethorpe at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. There were approximately ten pieces of work on view. The sizes ranged from 24x18 inches to 10x10 inches. Mapplethorpe's work in this exhibition was made in the 1970s and 1980s, which included mixed-media constructions, figure studies of male and female nudes, floral still lifes, explicit depictions of New York's underground S&M scene and genuine self-portraits. This body of work represents different identities and captures the feeling of this era, which continues to fascinate people to this day.

In this exhibition, two of the photographs that grabbed my attention were the Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter, 1979 and Grace Jones, 1984. Mapplethorpe is known as a controversial photographer due to his photographs depicting sexual, homoerotic themes. Contrary to that, he also photographs flowers and portraits but is mostly known for his images showing nudity and queer themes. Mapplethorpe is revolutionary. I see how he can be controversial, especially knowing the years he was active. I can imagine how shocking it was for people back then, but even now, to look at these kinds of images. His subjects were generally framed against plain backdrops and are black and white. A lot of them showed muscular men engaging in a sexual way or like the photograph that I chose holding sexual objects like leather or chains. The first photographs that I chose were one taken of the singer Grace Jone's for her seventh studio album. Mapplethroen collaborated with the artist Keith Haring, this made possible by Warhol to produce a set of photographs for Interview Magazine. Haring painted the vigorous patters on Jones body. Her costume was completed with metal coils over her breasts and pelvis. In this photograph, we see her fiercely gazing into the camera with her arms spread and her leg up. The position of her body and her gaze gives us the impression of power and strength. Like all of his other photographs, Mapplethorpe is bringing light to people and things that are not usually represented or seen in photography, in this case, black femininity but also power. The other photograph that I thought was fascinating was this portrait of the two men. If I did not know that themes or Mapplethorne's background, I would be confused by looking at this photo, but being introduced to the other photographs in the exhibition, I knew this had this showed an S&M scene. This photograph was part of Mapplethorpe's X Portfolio, which features homoerotic sexual scenes of the New York underground s&m scene. I love how clean and symmetric his photographs are. They are so easy to look at, but I think that is because of his provocative themes. He wants people to look at them; he wants them to be comfortable. That is why I think he doesn't want to put too much in the frame because that could be a distraction from something important he wants people to be introduced to.

In my opinion, I think that Mapplethorpe's work is so important in history but also really relevant today. I think what makes it so unique is the uncomfortable feeling that comes with them. There is a way of understanding and feeling his art in a way that makes you uncomfortable at first, but you end up feeling free because of how Mapplethorpe broke down boundaries. Although now things have changed, he changed the definition and purpose of art. Art is not always beautiful and comfortable, and Mapplethorpe was definitely a provocateur and an outside of the box thinker.

[azazelsexile]

@fade-steppin I can't believe you caught me Unusual Asks Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora? Spotify. Premium bitches is your room messy or clean? Messy. If it's clean, something is very wrong. what color are your eyes? Blue!! They're the best part about me do you like your name? why? I hate my birth name, but I adore my chosen name, Maison what is your relationship status? I'm dating a beautiful genderfluid person and I'm in love describe your personality in 3 words or less: hyperfixiating on fandom what color hair do you have? Right now it's kinda blonde with a green tint because of blue hair dye that wasn't ready to leave what kind of car do you drive? color? I actually just sold my car because it wasn't running, but it was a blue Ford Tarus where do you shop? Walmart, Target, Forever 21, Hot Topic. & anywhere my mom drags me how would you describe your style? flower child hobo favorite social media account: twitter, I have to say what size bed do you have? Uhhhh I'm not sure? It's not huge but it's bigger than a twin size any siblings? unfortunately,,,, i have two younger brothers if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? Somewhere rural, with lots of space and lots of cats favorite snapchat filter? I love the dog filter. I don't care if it's the ho filter favorite makeup brand(s): none applicable how many times a week do you shower? 4 or 5, more if I'm sad favorite tv show? right now probably losh shoe size? 7 mens I think? USA sizing? how tall are you? 5'4" sandals or sneakers? Sneakers!!! I have to wear socks do you go to the gym? hahaha I don't even go to the Pokemon gyms anymore describe your dream date: We go out to dinner, probably Steak and Shake. After dinner, we go to the park. It's a bit chilly, but not too cold. We sit on the grass in the dark and spend hours talking. After that, we go home and fall asleep together, cuddling and still talking about life. how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? $6 and a ton of pennies what color socks are you wearing? Light blue with little snowmen how many pillows do you sleep with? One, but it's very flat and I need a new one do you have a job? what do you do? Yes! I work after school care at a grade school how many friends do you have? Lots, but only about 8-10 are people I hang out with on the regular whats the worst thing you have ever done? I made Nessa answer all 100 questions and she got me back whats your favorite candle scent? Mountain Lodge Yankee Candle 3 favorite boy names: Archer, Grayson, Lyle 3 favorite girl names: Nora, Zoe, Grace favorite actor? Can I say @wilwheaton and not have it be weird? Good. favorite actress? Can I say Auli'i Cravalho? Because she's rad who is your celebrity crush? @markiplier I'm sorry I'm a ho favorite movie? 101 Dalmatians do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? I used to read lots!!! Currently it's The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater money or brains? Money, probably do you have a nickname? what is it? Abbles, Mais/Mace, Mai. Or Rose how many times have you been to the hospital? Like 3 top 10 favorite songs; Rock n Roll Thugs- Icon for Hire American Boy- Estelle (feat Kanye West) What You Own- RENT Kids Again- Artist vs Poet Halo- Starset This Too Shall Pass- Danny Schmidt Pretty Little Head- Eliza Rickman Thunder- Boys Like Girls Vanilla Twilight- Owl City I Really Like You- Carly Rae Jepsen I also have a public Spotify playlist if any of y'all are actually interested in my music tbh do you take any medications daily? Yeah, but just my bc what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc): I'll go with oily what is your biggest fear? Being forgotten how many kids do you want? The dream is four, but there's some stuff going on that might mean less whats your go to hair style? Chop It Off what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc): it's average sized who is your role model? I don't really have just one, I look up to Finknor from wtnv tho what was the last compliment you received? Something about how great I am, from a coworker what was the last text you sent? "I love you" to my partner how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? Like 13 or 14 lol what is your dream car? A white VW bug with black Dalmatian spots opinion on smoking? No to tobacco, u do u on weed do you go to college? I dropped out after last semester but might go back what is your dream job? Professional Hermit. Also, bigwig book series author would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs? Rural do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? Duh. Not more than they give me do you have freckles? When I actually go outside, the answer is apparently yes do you smile for pictures? Yes. I cheese it hard. how many pictures do you have on your phone? 155 have you ever peed in the woods? Yes do you still watch cartoons? Yes!! do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? I haven't tried them from Wendy's yet Favorite dipping sauce? Ranch and bbq what do you wear to bed? Sweats/yoga pants and a t-shirt have you ever won a spelling bee? Nope what are your hobbies? Singing, reading, writing, disassociating can you draw? Yes do you play an instrument? Slight piano what was the last concert you saw? WinterJam lol tea or coffee? No Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? Starbucks, for their cake pops do you want to get married? I do, I have wedding fever right now what is your crush’s first and last initial? E.R. and M.F. are you going to change your last name when you get married? Probably. what color looks best on you? Red. do you miss anyone right now? Yes, my partner!!! do you sleep with your door open or closed? Cloooooosed do you believe in ghosts? I do what is your biggest pet peeve? When people don't use their turn signal last person you called: my mom, to tell her my brother is a dumbass favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate chip cookie dough, or just chocolate regular oreos or golden oreos? Regular chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? Rainbow! what shirt are you wearing? A Madrigals concert shirt what is your phone background? A TAZ art are you outgoing or shy? Shy with extrovert tendencies do you like it when people play with your hair? YES I DO do you like your neighbors? Yes I do do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? Nope lol have you ever been high? No have you ever been drunk? No last thing you ate? Pizza roll bosco sticks favorite lyrics right now: We're all so fake happy, and I know fake happy summer or winter? Winter day or night? Night dark, milk, or white chocolate? Dark! favorite month? October what is your zodiac sign: Gemini who was the last person you cried in front of? Jupiter

[photographerguide-blog]

The Monumental Role Of Photography In The Fight For Racial Equality

New Post has been published on https://photographyguideto.com/must-see/the-monumental-role-of-photography-in-the-fight-for-racial-equality/

The Monumental Role Of Photography In The Fight For Racial Equality

Complexity, interiority, subjectivity: these are qualities that every human being possesses by virtue of living in a tumultuous world full of obstacles and contradictions that keep its inhabitants constantly evolving just to stay afloat.

Dignity, power, respect: these are virtues we bestow upon our fellow citizens, recognizing the intricacy and distinction of their being. It’s easy to feel degrees of compassion for those in our immediate circles. We observe our family, friends and colleagues’ struggles and triumphs firsthand.

For centuries, though, art and literature and film have allowed us to see and begin to understand people outside of these circles. Through this secondhand contact, we empathize with people from times, places and circumstances worlds apart from our own. 

Jamel Shabazz, Cultured and Refined, New York, 2005

For centuries, however, people of color were not visualized with veracity and careful attention in photographs or books or movies, but reduced to one-dimensional black bodies. Their images existed only as objectified stereotypes that failed to accurately represent the realities of black lives, rendering them virtually invisible. 

That time, thankfully, is no longer. Contemporary photographers and filmmakers are capturing the black experience in its full nuance and complexity, and the world is watching. Aperture magazine’s most recent 152-page edition, titled “Vision & Justice,” celebrates the artists responsible for this current cultural moment, in which black lives are immortalized through images that contain multitudes — just like their subjects. 

Jamel Shabazz, Grand Master, Harlem, New York, 2010

“The endeavor to affirm the dignity of human life cannot be waged without pictures, without representational justice,” Sarah Lewis, assistant professor of history and African and African American studies at Harvard University, as well as Aperture’s guest editor, writes in an introduction to the magazine’s new edition. “American citizenship has long been a project of vision and justice … The centuries-long effort to craft an image to pay honor to the full complexity of black life is a corrective ask for which photography and cinema have been central, even indispensable.”

Lewis describes the influence of abolitionist Frederick Douglass on the magazine. Douglass, the most photographed man of the 19th century, knew that pictures, not just logical arguments, alter perceptions. Photographs spark images in the imagination that otherwise would not exist, images that change minds and hearts. For Douglass, the fight for civil rights didn’t end with abolition. He wanted to disassemble and rebuild the symbolic image of blackness, endowing it with the dignity black lives had so long been denied.

Leslie Hewitt, Riffs on Real Time (10 of 10), 2013, courtesy of artist and Sikkema Jenkins

Today, images of black stories, both extraordinary and harrowing, are all around us. An image of Barack Obama hugging Michelle after being reelected as president of the United States soon racked up millions of likes on Facebook, becoming the social media site’s most liked photo of all time.

The devastating image of high-school senior Michael Brown in his cap and gown circulated the web after the unarmed teenage boy was shot and killed by officer Darren Wilson in 2014. Social media movements including Black Lives Matter and Black Girl Magic spread like wildfire across the internet and communities such as Black Twitter, giving voices to those who had once been voiceless and faces to those who had once been invisible.

Jamel Shabazz, The Ranks, Chicago, Illinois, 1997

The stunning Aperture magazine edition celebrates a variety of current photographers who are reframing blackness and radically restructuring the contemporary perception of it. Khalil Gibran Muhammad reflects on the work of street photographer Jamel Shabazz, whose theatrical images depict black citizens adorned in various forms of contemporary regalia: a Freemason grand master in a top hat and tuxedo, a single line of soldiers in blue suits and white gloves, a group of young women in matching white hijabs.

Many of Shabazz’s subjects are caught in the midst of economic depression, having inherited a history of systemic oppression. And yet, as Muhammad writes, “Their proud belonging to each other — communal, disciplined, active — depicts a people refusing to be defined by deprivation or deficit.”

Deb Willis, Untitled, 2010

Photographer and historian Deborah Willis grew up around beauty parlors; her mother worked in one. So it’s no surprise that Willis’ photographs often revolve around the idea of black beauty, fractured and layered like the overlapping mirrors and echoing chatter in a busy salon.

Her “Framing Beauty” series explores beauty in relation to history, memory and power, simultaneously exposing the infinite, delicate strata that make up every image and truth we encounter. As Cheryl Finley notes in Aperture, “Willis’ images remind us of the spectral quality of beauty and its multiple frames of reference.”

Devin Allen, Young boy standing in front of police officers at a blockade, North Avenue, West Baltimore, April 28, 2015.

When the city of Baltimore, Maryland, joined in peaceful protest after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody in April 2015, Devin Allen brought his camera. The 26-year-old self-taught photographer only had two years of experience when he posted his black-and-white photos on Instagram, and yet before long his image of a man running from an army of policemen in riot gear was on the cover of Time. 

Allen has since continued to capture what curator Aaron Bryant calls “the zeitgeist of a social movement,” representing Black Lives Matter in all its cohesion and exasperation. “Allen’s visual documentation,” Bryan writes, “demonstrates how protests that may operate below the surface, or above the surface at flashpoint moments such as Freddie Gray’s death, form communities of engagement, solidarity, and revolution.”

Lyle Ashton Harris, Untitled (Face #160 Kara), 2006

Lyle Ashton Harris, on the other hand, takes portraits — close-up portraits of faces and the backs of heads, which strangely are just as evocative as the front. Using a large format, 20-by-24-inch Polaroid camera, Harris snaps confrontational portraits of individuals from Al Sharpton to Yoko Ono, with the camera rigged to take only brown-toned images.

Too often the phrase “color blind” is used in an attempt to look beyond race, while denying the weight and residue of black history and erasing the wounds of racism. In “The Chocolate Portraits,” Harris doesn’t erase race, in fact, quite the opposite. All of his subjects don a chocolate-colored skin tone, illuminating the fallacy of whiteness, revealing that all skin is, really, a shade of brown. The images toy with racial differences without confirming the status quo or effacing it completely.

Radcliffe Roye, Colours, 2014

Also featured is Jamaica-born, New-York-based street photographer Radcliffe “Ruddy” Roye, who prefers to travel for work by foot. As Darnette Cadogan writes in his Aperture description: “He roams around tirelessly, alert to the ways in which people move past each other. Whom they ignore, what they admire, how they interact: These are abiding concerns.”

Walking voraciously through the city streets, Roye photographs humans so close up it’s nearly impossible to look away; it feels as inhumane as ignoring someone you encounter on the street. The charged connection between subject and viewer puts the spectator in close proximity to the disenfranchised and dispossessed, able to witness contradictory states of rage and pride, sorrow and dignity. 

Deb Willis, Self-Portrait in Mirror, Harlem Restaurant, 2015

These are a small fraction of the photographers chronicled on Aperture’s pages. From Awol Erizku‘s stylish remixes of classical paintings to Lorna Simpson‘s delicate paper collages cut from old issues of Jet and Ebony, each series communicates a different picture of blackness, simultaneously personal and universal in the way true stories often are.

The photographs, immensely valuable in their own right, also serve as flares in a larger cultural consciousness, images that turn witnesses into activists. “How many movements began when an aesthetic encounter indelibly changed our past perceptions of the world?” Lewis asks in her introduction. “The imagination inspired by aesthetic encounters can get us to the point of benevolent surrender, making way for a new version of our collective selves.” 

Purchase a copy of Aperture magazine #223 Vision & Justice here.

Deb Willis, 125th Street, Harlem Poster, 2014

Deb Willis, View from Italian Restaurant, Zurich, 2015

Deb Willis, Villa La Pietra, Florence, 2014

Radcliffe Roye, Shadow, 2014-2016

Radcliffe Roye, RIP Scooter, 2014-2016

Radcliffe Roye, Black Today, 2014-2016

Radcliffe Roye, Ryan, 2014-2016

Radcliffe Roye, Storm, 2014-2016

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Lyle Ashton Harris, Untitled (Back #167 John), 2000

Lyle Ashton Harris, Untitled (Back #159 Anna), 2006

Lyle Ashton Harris, Untitled (Back #160 Kara) 2006

Lyle Ashton Harris, Untitled (Face #167 John), 2000

Lyle Ashton Harris, Untitled (Face #159 Anna), 2006

EthaLyle Ashton Harris, Untitled (Face #192 Kwame),2007n Miller via Getty Images

Devin Allen, Young men in West Baltimore cleaning up their neighborhood, April 28, 2015

Devin Allen, Daughter of Michael A. Wood, Jr., retired Baltimore police officer who spoke out against corruption and excessive force in the Baltimore Police Department, Million Man March, Washington, D.C., October 10, 2015

Devin Allen, Two boys at a peaceful protest and cookout on the day following a community uprising, West Baltimore, April 28, 2015

Devin Allen, Community cleanup, prayer circles, and protests the day after a 10 p.m. curfew was imposed, North Avenue and Mount Street, West Baltimore, April 28, 2015

Devin Allen, Two men praying, North Avenue, West Baltimore, April 28, 2015.

Jamel Shabazz, We Must First Be Brothers, Harlem, New York, 1997

Jamel Shabazz, In the Zone, East Rutherford, New Jersey, 2009

Jamel Shabazz, Remembering Malcolm, Harlem, New York, 2008

Jamel Shabazz, Sisters, Brooklyn, New York, 2003

Leslie Hewitt, Riffs on Real Time (9 of 10), 2013, courtesy of artist and Sikkema Jenkins

Leslie Hewitt, Riffs on Real Time (7 of 10), 2013, courtesy of artist and Sikkema Jenkins

Leslie Hewitt, Riffs on Real Time (2 of 10), 2013, courtesy of artist and Sikkema Jenkins

Leslie Hewitt, Riffs on Real Time (3 of 10), 2013, courtesy of artist and Sikkema Jenkins

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

[caveartfair]

8 Leading Artists on How to Build Confidence

We talk a lot about what it takes to be an artist. We focus on the failure and rejection that artists need to overcome, the hustle they must maintain, and the financial duress that the vast majority of them endure. To stand by your practice, become a target of criticism, and continue to pursue a career as an artist—even when the prospect of selling and exhibiting your art appears bleak—requires confidence.

Artists encounter unique challenges. They are required to continually make new work that feels original and significant, but not too close to that of their peers and predecessors. They encounter public audiences that are quick to deem contemporary art esoteric or absurd. Unsurprisingly, the high stakes drive some to feel the debilitating anxiety of “impostor syndrome,” the psychological phenomenon whereby a person underestimates their accomplishments and fears they may be a talentless fraud. Even the most successful artists can, at times, feel this way.

The internationally renowned artist Shirin Neshat admits to questioning herself often—but, she asserts, having doubts is only human. She remembers a particularly resonant piece of advice she received early on in her career from the late legend, artist Vito Acconci: “He told me rejections and disappointments hurt no matter what stage of your career, and so as a serious artist, you have to understand you will remain vulnerable,” she said. We recently reached out to Neshat and seven other leading contemporary artists to learn about their own experiences with doubt and impostor syndrome, and their strategies for building confidence.

Ursula von Rydingsvard

Follow your intuition

Portrait of Ursula von Rydingsvard by Alan Rokach. Courtesy of the artist.

“It’s okay to not know where you’re going as an artist. There will be possibilities for liberating things you thought you could never let go of. And for failure. I’ve experienced failure so deep that I ended up burning my sculpture; they burn for two days. You will rarely know what the right thing to do is as there are so few absolutely right things in life…instead, follow the quiet nudges of your intuition.”

Spencer Finch

Let doubt into your work

Portrait of Spencer Finch, 1988. Courtesy of the artist.

“Of all my many syndromes, the impostor syndrome is my favorite. I still feel like a total faker, even after all these years. I guess by now it’s pathological. However, I don’t think doubt is necessarily a bad thing, unless it totally paralyzes you. I used to be wracked by doubt on a pretty continuous basis, but now it just comes around about once a year, like an old friend, whom I welcome for a brief visit and then send on their way.

“My predominant doubt is not about how good my art is per se, but rather about the whole enterprise of artmaking—i.e., what’s the fucking point? The artists I admire most embed a sense of doubt—a questioning of what art is—within the work they make, and that is a method that I have adapted to my own practice. I think of it as a sort of psychological ‘box with sound of its own making,’ where the sound is a very resigned ‘hmmmmmm.’”

William Wegman

Find an audience outside of your circle

Portrait of William Wegman. Courtesy of the artist.

“I have always been confident which I think is built in... but this state became stronger when people I didn’t know—not my mother and aunt—teachers and fellow students, reacted positively to my work, especially in the video of the early ’70s. So I would say try to find an audience outside your circle. I really loved having my work reproduced in art magazines in that period. My photo pieces held up nicely in this situation. It may also have been video technicians I worked with while editing or strangers passing by an installation.

“Now I’m overconfident and that is an excellent quality for an artist. If someone doesn’t like my work I think they are stupid. Of course, this situation is fragile and if confronted with adverse criticism, you have to wrap yourself up in a nice wool blanket.”

Charles Gaines

Don’t try to control the expectations of others

Portrait of Charles Gaines in Rome, 1985. Courtesy of the artist.

“I have not had a problem with confidence. It’s not that I think I am ‘all that,’ it’s only that I never really thought that I had any other option than to be an artist. The issue of confidence is one that is related to what others think about you, whether you perform at a level that would meet the expectation of others. I believe that an artist has no control over the expectations of others. This comes from a deeper notion that the relationship of the individual to society is fundamentally an arbitrary one. Consistency can only be achieved through one’s personal commitment to the work.

“To feel that one might be an impostor comes from a belief that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between you and a social space that judges you, where both are playing by the same rules. I believe, however, that the idea of feeling unworthy is a sentiment produced in you to control you. You are given to believe in a universal authority like a father figure, a person to whom you are biologically linked and who, no matter what you do, represents an authority beyond you on such matters. This authority then has the right to judge you. In the case of the impostor, you feel that you are not legitimately linked to this ‘father,’ and in getting ‘his’ attention, you are carrying out a deception. Any rewards you might receive are undeserved. With respect to this sentiment I am more Lacanian than Freudian, in that it is not a matter of being unworthy, but feeling unworthy. Knowing the difference between the two helps me negotiate the sentiment.”

Carolee Schneemann

When someone tells you you can’t do something, prove them wrong

Carolee Schneemann in her studio on 29th Street, 1963. © Carolee Schneemann. Courtesy of the artist.

Partial Installation of Video Rocks, 1987–88. © Carolee Schneemann. Courtesy of the artist.

“I have resisted making public any of the most sensitive, thoughtful, elusive processes by which my work emerges. I have disparaged strategies, mantras, activities that ‘build confidence as an artist.’ I learned to build confidence whenever I was told ‘Oh, you can’t do that,’ ‘You paint like a boy,’ ‘We need these brushes more than you do,’ ‘Your films are not really films.’…

“I have, at times, had a vision of an installation which I couldn’t be sure I hadn’t seen as the work of another artist. This confluence of confusion has occurred several times, and in each instance, I was finally reassured.…[My installation of] handmade, cow-plop-like rocks was entirely original! The piece was titled Video Rocks (1987–88); incorporating 5–10 monitors and 50–100 handmade rocks, it was originally situated on the edge of Lake Winnipeg.”

Shirin Neshat

Accept that you won’t make masterpieces all the time

Portrait of Shirin Neshat by Lyle Ashton Harris. Courtesy of Shirin Neshat and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels.

“Whether the works that I’ve done are successful or not is not only up to other people, but myself as well, so I am always dealing with doubts and lack of confidence. But I’ve learned to deal with these moments of insecurity. For example, if I’m among a crowd as they look at my work and I can just tell that they didn’t like it, I talk myself into seeing through it. I remind myself that sometimes, people’s views are not completely correct, and that it’s okay not to please everyone and to have critical feedback.

“I get rejected, I get disappointed, and I feel like I fail constantly. I think that’s partially because of the multiple different types of work that I do—from film to performance to photography—and it’s really not possible to do everything very well. It’s natural that there are going to be works that are weaker. So, I am always reminding myself that it’s only human to fail, and to not make masterpieces all the time.

“I was surprised at a public screening of my film recently where it seemed like it was going well, but then this one person got up (it wasn’t the first time this has happened) and he started to attack me—for the film, for what I’ve done, for what I represent. At first, I was shocked and devastated, but then I found myself really rise to the occasion; I defended myself very well. His attack was really good in a way; he challenged me and made me re-examine myself and where I stand as an artist.

“Sometimes when you reach really low, in terms of your self-esteem and confidence, it’s a good excuse to re-examine your work, to start again. I always say to myself, when you fall down, help yourself up, because there’s nothing good about just remaining on the ground. You have to experience low moments in order to really appreciate the higher ones.”

Xu Bing

Take a look at your past work to see how you’ve grown

Portrait of Xu Bing. Courtesy of Xu Bing Studio.

“Everyone is unique. You have your own ‘gene,’ which could be composed of your sensibility, intelligence, education, and family background. But, in fact, neither your IQ nor your educational or family background can decide whether you will be an artist. They key is to bring the exceptional part of your ‘gene’ to the art world through your work and your art. When you add something new to the art world or try to adjust some blind spots and defects of the existing system, no matter how small your contribution might seem like, your work is important.

“I also occasionally question my ideas. But I later realized that the reason why I have doubts is because of the innovative part in the work I do. No one before has proved that your innovation works, so naturally, you will have questions about it. On the contrary, if there’s nothing inventive in your work and you only use forms that have been proven successful in the past, you won’t have doubts, but at the same time, this type of work is worthless.

“When you feel confused about your work or helpless facing the heavy history of art, take a look at your work from different stages of your career. You might realize that as an artist, you have grown so much from the immature or ignorant person in the beginning. More importantly, the changes are not clueless; they are magical. The arch of your change reflects who you are and can possibly reach to somewhere no one had reached before.”

Paola Pivi

Jump into the unknown

Portrait of Paola Pivi by © Luce Balzarini. Courtesy of the artist.

“When I joined the historical Brera Academy in Milan, I was 24. I considered myself a newcomer to the arts; I had just spent a summer learning about cartoonists, Egon Schiele, and Dada. A well-respected teacher with white hair, a beard, and a big reputation brought my class upstairs to the museum, Pinacoteca di Brera, to see the paintings of the great masters like Mantegna and Raphael. I was in awe at that moment, thinking I was about to receive some special teaching. I immediately realized that I had a truer connection to those paintings than he did; his words sounded empty.

“Most of the time, my artworks almost kill me with the amount of work I put into them, so I never really feel like an impostor. The closest thing that I’ve felt is a deep sense of doubt; I wonder, ‘Is it good?’ Usually, seeing the way people interact with my work, its independence and strength, cancels out any doubt I may have. I can doubt pieces before making them, but I have to jump into the unknown to get somewhere. I have to dare to make them.”

from Artsy News

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

Inside the Complex, Evolving World of ‘Sneaky Pete’ Season 2 (Exclusive)

On the surface, the scene being filmed on a Brooklyn soundstage last September was straightforward: A guy named Pete and his mother introduces his friend Marius and girlfriend Gina to his grandparents, Audrey and Otto. The only thing that may have looked amiss is that Marius hugged Otto a little too tightly.

But for a fan of Sneaky Pete, the Amazon original series, whose second season premieres on March 9, the scene generates a ton of questions. Wait, so Pete's mother, Maggie Murphy (Jane Adams) has come back to the Bernhardt Connecticut farm for the first time in 20 years? Why is the real Marius Josipovic (Giovanni Ribisi) still posing as his old cellmate, Peter Murphy? Why is the real Pete (Ethan Embry) out of prison and impersonating Marius? And how did Marius reconnect with his season one protégé Gina (Jasmine Carmichael)?

Of course, the journey to get to that point is what has attracted viewers to Sneaky Pete. "There are a lot of stories to follow and a lot of lies to be dealt with," Margo Martindale, who plays family matriarch Audrey Bernhardt, tells ET from the set. "Following a line is difficult, but fun."

Despite flying under the radar in the buzz department, season one of Sneaky Pete -- a series that started life as a procedural pilot for CBS before transforming into its current form on Amazon -- was a hit for the streaming service. The first season, which debuted with a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, became the second most streamed original scripted series on Amazon Prime when it debuted last year.

Showrunner Graham Yost isn't surprised that the show is popular. "We're very proud of the show and we felt that in this modern world, so much depends on word of mouth," he says. He feels more people recognize this series over his last one, FX's Justified, joking that "maybe it's just because I only associate and socialize with Amazon subscribers, which is a very great demographic, by the way, because we're all attracted to free two-day shipping."

It didn't hurt that the first season's "big bad," a nasty gangster named Vince, was played by Emmy perennial (and Sneaky Pete co-creator) Bryan Cranston, in his first regular TV role since Breaking Bad ended in 2013. During the show’s first 10 episodes, Marius executed a long con to get his brother out of Vince's clutches, sending Vince to prison for shooting a FBI agent. Because of that, there was no plan to bring Cranston back in season two in any acting capacity. "I think Bryan wanted to come on and help set up the show, but I think this season stands on its own, having experienced it and having seen snippets here and there," says Ribisi, who also directs an episode this season.

There was an even bigger challenge for Yost and his writers to overcome: How do they keep Marius connected to the Bernhardt family? The answer: Money. "Instead of going for the model being the long con, let's go for the model being the heist, because all heist movies have a con aspect to them," says Yost. "How can we do that in a Sneaky Pete way, and start to build out from there?"

At the end of season one, two thugs named Frank (Joseph Lyle Taylor) and Joe (Desmond Harrington) kidnapped Marius, thinking he was Pete; they were looking for a haul stolen by Maggie that turned out to be $11 million. This keeps Marius in the game. With the help of fellow con Marjorie (Alison Wright), he springs the real Pete from prison and convinces him to spill Maggie's whereabouts. The ensuing caper involves the Mohegan Sun casino, a stuffed buffalo and lots of misdirection, including pretending that Marius is the real Pete.

"Maggie is accepting the notion, at least temporarily, that who we know as Marius is False Pete," says Peter Gerety, who plays Otto Bernhardt, head of the family and a Vietnam vet who is in the bail bonds business. "It's just really interesting. It's like reading an epic novel where they lay in so many characters and you have to get into the middle of the book before it all starts making real sense. And it means the emotional things become much more impactful."

As the outsider of the group, Carmichael says Gina is a good representative for the audience. "She only knows as much as Marius-slash-Pete tells her," she says. “This season I have been doing a lot more whiplash, in terms of who's conning who, who is this person's identity, what is going on here, what did I step into?"

Adams, a veteran character actor who has had memorable roles on shows like Frasier and Hung, has fit right into the cast of consummate pros.During the scene where Real Pete sees his grandfather Otto for the first time in 20 years, she showed that professionalism by improvising a throwaway line before starting each new take with Ribisi, allowing her to take a slightly different approach each time the director said "action."

"She is so alive and just a nuclear bomb in anything, in the best way. I mean that as the highest praise," says Ribisi about his new co-star.

Margo Martindale as Audrey Bernhardt and Peter Gerety as Otto Bernhardt in a scene from 'Sneaky Pete' season two.

Myles Aronowitz/Amazon Prime Video

Of course, just because there's a lot going on with Marius, Pete and Maggie, doesn't mean that the Bernhardts themselves are in the background. All of them are trying to clean up the messes they’ve created: Audrey tries to cover up her involvement in the death of the NYPD detective who was hunting down Marius on Vince's behalf; and her son Taylor (Shane McRae), a Bridgeport cop, is aiding in the cover-up while helping another NYPD detective wrap up the investigation.

"I think what Audrey is is a very smart, intuitive woman who is semi-normal," says Martindale, "She has dealt with a lot of lowlife in what she does [for work]. But this is something that just happened to her normal life that snowballed into a catastrophe. She will go to any length to save her family."

Meanwhile, Audrey's granddaughter Julia (Marin Ireland) is trying to launder the money she recovered from her ex, who connned Audrey into getting involved in a bad real estate deal using money from local crime lord Chayton Dockery (Chaske Spencer). Otto is being tailed by an associate of the hitman he hired to kill him; the hitman himself was killed by Dockery's henchman in a bad case of botched timing. And Carly (Libe Barer), the youngest Bernhardt sibling, is trying to make sense of all of it while making a connection with her Aunt Maggie.

"I had to go back and re-look at Season one," says Gerety while sitting on the Bridgeport PD set, "and just the other day finished making a ... I guess you would call it a log, where I went back and I read all of the scripts through season two, because I just needed to try to follow the various storylines. But I think that complication is of great value."

With such a huge cast, Yost admits that servicing all of them, then bringing the storylines together by season's end, is a difficult task. However, he has experience managing a show with a big cast -- Justified had no shortage of characters in its six-season run -- so he feels that he and his writing staff have laid the groundwork for at least another season. "I think that that shows that hopefully the future of the series would be that the stories coalesce into more of a singular story from here on in. We felt we had to deal with this fracturing that happened in season one, and we had to play that out in order to bring that out for the final run of this season and then hopefully into the future."

And what becomes of Marius by the end of the next 10 episodes and beyond? Yost turns to his Emmy-winning producing partner for a clue. "As Cranston said, this series is Breaking Good. It's about a bad guy becomes a good guy basically, and finding his humanity. That's one of the really fun things working on this show: playing with a con artist who's totally in it for himself, except maybe he's not."

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[athenaltena]

Well I think my first time DMing seemed to have gone really well even though my one shot has become a two-shot. I also decided to type up a summary since once player couldn’t be there but she should be able to come next week, which I’ve put below the cut:

Our heroes were informed by their guild leader that a Wizard named Sylvia Markoff had requested their services and needed to meet with them right away. Upon arriving at their house, the cunning Drow Rogue Severus whispered to his Tabaxi companion Veles that he had actually been tasked with assassinating Benedict, a gnome known to work for Sylvia. As Gobble the Mountain Dwarf Wizard and Ulfgar the Human Fighter went through the front gate the two of them skulked around and scoped out the house, discovering that the house contained a woman in an upstairs bedroom talking into a mirror and an elderly gnomish man downstairs in a kitchen. After the two Rogues rejoined their companions they knocked on the door and were greeted by the gnomish man, who introduced himself as Benedict and led them inside.

He showed them into a richly furnished sitting room brimming with books and containing a glass case filled with magical artifacts and asked if they needed any refreshments, and then after taking their requests excused himself to go to the kitchen. Veles, hoping to scope him out, followed him inside, helped himself to some of the smoked salmon and attempted to distract him by knocking a wine glass off the counter, but the old gnome proved to be quicker than he looked and caught it before it shattered. He was not, however, quick enough to notice the sneaky cat pocketing a fruit. Returning to the sitting room, Veles found the shinies within the glass case too tempting to resist and attempted to pick the lock, only to find himself stunned by the magic warding it. As he lay there helplessly Sylvia Markoff came downstairs and knelt by him, saying sweetly that she hoped he wasn’t in the habit of stealing from his employers before undoing the stun.

Turning to the rest of the party, Sylvia explained that they were not the first ones she had hired for this particular job. Their target was the Library of Ma’rifah, and within in a family register that served as the cipher to the last known journal kept by an explorer named Maryam Khadar over three hundred years ago, before she had vanished without a trace. She had entrusted the register to her friend Nasir al Ma’rifah, but he two had vanished only a few years later along with his entire Library and all 65 souls within it. The Library was known to appear at random only to disappear again, and it had re-appeared on the edge of the Sand Sea two weeks ago. Hoping to retrieve the cipher and decode Maryam’s last journal, she hired a group from their guild to retrieve it and all had been going well until she had lost contact with them two days ago, receiving no reply from the group’s Cleric through the Sending Stone she had given to her. Fearing the worst, she was now asking their group to not only retrieve the cipher but also determine the fate of their fellow adventurers and either rescue them or bring back proof of their demise.

With money being no obstacle she offered 3000 gold each for successful completion of the mission, and after some persuading agreed to an additional 500 gold for each adventurer whose fate they could determine. She also added with a sigh that there had been a last minute addition to the group in Jolene, an Elven Bard, and that she was particularly interested in the fate of this member. Severus picked up that Sylvia was especially worried and angry at this particular party member and that the two had an intimate relationship.

Excusing herself, Sylvia and Benedict went upstairs to finish preparations for teleporting the party to the town of Tarek. As the party waited downstairs for her there was a knock at the door, and Gobble went to answer, finding a group of four heavily armed and intimidating individuals asking for the whereabouts of Sylvia. Deciding to let them in, Gobble led them into the sitting room, whereupon the gang’s mage attempted to cast a spell at them but proved to be too slow as the party saw the attack coming and were able to engage first. Thinking quickly, Veles ran upstairs and yelled to Sylvia and Benedict that they had company. Down below, Severus disengaged to regain the element of surprise as Gobble cast Slow, managing to inflict the curse on the Captain and one of the thugs, and Gobble and Ulfgar were able to knock two of the thugs out. Coming back into the fray, Severus dropped down from the ceiling and inflicted massive damage on the Captain, nearly cleaving him head to toe and killing him but also slipping on the blood and landing on his face. As Benedict made his way downstairs Veles attempted to trip him, but the old gnome was wily enough to notice the this and dodged, shooting a glare at the Tabaxi before throwing a dagger into the back of the mage, killing her instantly.

Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, Sylvia stalked over to one of the unconscious thugs, her face full of utter fury, and slapped him awake and stared directly into his eyes as he began to twitch and froth at the mouth. Letting him drop to the ground, Sylvia regained her composure and explained that things had become more complicated. The thugs had been hired by a man named Lyle Silvertongue, a con artist and thief, who had somehow found out that she was in possession of Maryam’s journal and had sent them to retrieve it. Lyle was either at the Library already or on his way, and he was likely why the first group had not been in contact. She apologized for rushing them out the door but asked them to leave as soon as possible, and led them upstairs to the bedroom where she had set up a teleportation circle. Spotting a very expensive looking lute on a stand, Severus inquired about it and Sylvia merely shook her head and sighed.

As they stepped into the teleportation circle she handed Veles a Sending Stone and asked them to keep her informed of developments, and with a pop and a whoosh the party found themselves standing in a small study. They were greeted by a Dragonborn Wizard who introduced himself as Rajiv Copperscale and explained that he and Sylvia were colleagues and she had asked him to set up a teleportation circle to get them there as quickly as possible. Turning away, Rajiv caught his foot on the edge of a rug and fell flat on his face with a thud, and through a beaded curtain a young woman with curly red-hair and green eyes stuck her head into the room and asked if he was alright. Rising to his feet and dusting himself off, Rajiv thanked Ireena, and she went back into the other room. Curious, Severus followed her and found her intently reading an ancient looking book, a huge axe resting against the wall beside her. He then rejoined his party and followed Rajiv outside to where their guide, a young Elven man Rajiv introduced as Arash ibn Farud al Tareki, was waiting for them with his back against a wall and an odd looking red-furred wolf beside him. With a sigh Arash asked to be addressed by just his first name, and Rajiv muttered to them that despite not being great with people Arash was the best tracker in Tarek, which Arash’s keen ears picked up as he corrected that he was the second best, the best was currently missing. Arash gave them time to buy any supplies they thought they would need and Severus was able to buy several vials of poison, while Gobble and Ulfgar were disappointed to learn they were fresh out of flying carpets.

Setting off into the desert, the party was able to cross the sands without incident until they reached a large basin and Arash’s wolf Ahamir, trotting out ahead of them, stopped suddenly. Arash motioned for everyone to freeze and knelt down, pressing his ear to the ground and muttering that there was no way this could be true. As Severus and Veles, sensing trouble, attempted to run for a rocky outcropping the sands before them parted as a massive creature rose up before them. The sandworm turned it eyeless face towards them and opened its three-sided mouth, and as it breathed out they could smell cinnamon mixed with acid. Arash cautioned them to not move a muscle, but from behind them they heard a rustling sound as a school of fish like creatures left out of the sand and attempted to knock them over. They were able to stay on their feet but the motion alerted the sandworm to their presence and Arash yelled for them to run for the rocks as he reached over and cast Longstrider on Gobble. Taking his advice, the two Rogues made a beeline for the rocks while Gobble, emboldened by Dwarven stubbornness, decided to challenge the creature and it took repeated attacks from its teeth and tail and bites from the sandtrout as they leapt out of the sand and knocked him to the ground. Arash screamed at them again to run as he cast a Lightning Arrow at the worm, turning it away from his companions and sending it back underground, and Ulfgar took shelter on top of a rock and readied his crossbow for its reappearance. After several attacks Gobble was finally able to kill the sandtrout and batted one over to a grateful Veles.

Over on the ridge, the two roads decided to make the most of their time between hiding and firing their crossbows by holding an impromptu fish fry on the hot rocks.

From his vantage point on his rock Ulfgar was surprised as the worm emerged from the sand behind him and bit him, then attempting to swallow him. But he was able to hold the massive jaws open, straining against the creature’s massive strength, and was able to disengage and run towards the others.

Deciding to take a chance, Arash ran out within a few feet of the worm and held up his hands as he spoke magic words that soothed the massive beast. Warning the others against attacking it, he guided it to the edge of the ridge where there was a break in the rocks and and fired several arrows into the ground in the direction of the Sand Sea. The creature bellowed and then began to move north, and the others were baffled to hear him wish it luck and address it as “brother.“ He explained that they greatly respected the worms and he had never seen one this far from the Sand Sea, and it must have gotten separated from its pod and somehow become trapped in the rocky basin. He also explained that they had merely encounter a juvenile and that the mature ones could grow to several times that size, much to the dismay of the others.

Gathering themselves, the party continued onward through the desert until they reached a ridge on the very edge of the Sand Sea. Far in the distance among swirling sands and clouds from the magical storms above they could see the forms of dozens of sandworms moving along the horizon. Down below, a stone building sat incongruously right on the edge of the sands. They had reached the Library.

[ladybeautyagenda-blog]

Boss Lady Beauty Agenda

The Secret to Natural Beauty Agenda

Ladies struggle to maintain a beautiful picture. Face, hair and body are primped and prepared in an effort.

Beauty goes together with self-image and self-worth. Feeling fat, looking worn and tired or even having a bad hair day may undermine a woman's feeling of assurance. Women go to fight the signs of wrinkles and maintain the appearance of energy and youth as time goes on.

Any girl discover all sorts of cures in a jar and can visit a beauty shop. The reality is, but in case you truly want to feel and look great, you don't have to spend a fortune on wonder creams and magical lotions.

Looking good on the outside means taking care of the inside. Your diet is key to providing the vital nutrients they need to maintain their finest to skin, hair and nails and maintaining your weight.

Start with water. Keep yourself hydrated by drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water every day. Not only will you look better, you will feel better.

A balanced diet is crucial. Snack on fresh fruits and veggies rather than candy treats, to present your skin and hair . You should be looking Review on Lady Beauty Agenda for foods for example fish. Whole grain breads provide your body more era fighting with vitamins and minerals than white breads.

Exercise should be a part of your everyday routine. Take a walk to get your blood flowing and your heart pumping. Detect fifteen minutes of action each and every day to keep your body slim and glowing, although you don't need to work out everyday. Take the stairs rather than the elevator, while you watch tv jog on the spot or dance your own living space around.

Among the biggest mistakes is overdoing the chemicals. You don't require artificial and chemical products to boost your overall look. Milk is a natural moisturizer, so pour some or use it as a rub to hydrate dried out skin. Lemons are a natural lightener. Rub on a lemon on darkened skin, brown spots or freckles to fade them. You can also use lemon juice in your own hair as lightener and a highlighter. It's also great as a pre-rinse to eliminate build of from hairspray and other hair products.

Tattooed Ladies! Though we missed the circus sideshows that hurried the name itself conjures up images of resides, lived on the edge by women that were interesting.

Tattoos on women are not brand new to us, and they were not new to the women of the circus sideshows. Girls and tattooing have a long history, which twists and turns with changing ideals about adornment, modesty, independence, and function.

The earliest known tattooed ladies were Egyptian: several feminine mummies have patterns of dots above their abdomens, thighs and chests. Early explorers assumed that these women - ancient guys didn't have tattoos - were prostitutes. But new interpretations (and understanding of varied tattooing practices) suggest that these tattoos were likely given as talismans to assist women in childbirth and pregnancy.

The ancient Greeks learned tattooing from the Thracians in what is now Turkey, and they used the technique to tattoo the faces of criminals and slaves with such charming inscriptions as "stop me, I am a runaway". You would not want one of these tattoos lives on in the word "stigma"-that the ancient Greek word for tattoo has been "stig", meaning "prick" or "stitch".

In northern Europe, the pre-Celts tattooed themselves together with moons, stars, and animals, for ornamental purposes as favorite themes for women. And despite periodic bans on tattoos from authorities, Medieval Christians returned with tattoos of symbols - memorabilia from and evidence of their adventures from crusades and religious pilgrimages.

When Captain James Cook returned from the Pacific Islands in 1769 with accounts of "tatau-ing", the word "tattoo", which was also utilized to describe military drumming, came into the lexicon. A new craze for tattoos arose in England, starting with sailors, working up to the officers, then to royalty. And women got tattoos as well - even Lady Randolph Churchill, Winston's mother, got a tattoo of a snake. But while women were Flirting with raciness by acquiring tattoos, they were subject to the requirements of Victorian culture, and made certain those tattoos were coverable - to be safe from judgmental eyes. The trend for tattoos spread to the United States also: in 1876, The New York Times reported on it. However, something strange happened women decided that they would become tattooed women.

We do not know if the first tattooed woman was Nora Hildebrandt or Irene Woodward, but both contenders for the honour made a decision to become tattooed women in 1882, letting Martin Hildebrandt, the most prominent tattoo artist of the time, to help them recreate themselves and an industry. And their success was immediate - once tattooed girls started working the circuit, the mixture of stories and showing of skin was too strong a force to be resisted, though there had been plenty of men in circuses for more than 80 years. Nora has been supplied a narrative of catch by the Lakota Sioux and enforced tattooing. The exotic story of Irene told tattooing her to pass the time before he was killed by Native Americans, who is scared by her tattoos - released her unharmed.

Others followed at Nora and Irene's footsteps: employees left a great deal less, and a lady could earn per week at a time when about $ 22 per week was made by clerical workers. And even though we think of women as staying home then, tons of girls needed to work for wages. One of those girls, Anna Mae Burlingston, had been helping support her mother as a domestic servant when she met her husband, a tattooist named "Red" Gibbons. Shortly after they were married, she decided to change her match: she let Red tattoo her (with religious imagery - she was a devout Christian), and from 1919 she had been performing as Miss Artoria, traveling with her husband at sideshows that featured her on stage - and him functioning too. And she worked a long time: even with the rise of television (and the reduction in importance of "freaks" in live entertainment), Artoria worked in carnival sideshows until 1981.

There is no denying that part of a tattooed lady's appeal is her sex appeal. The stories of pain and danger, along with the opportunity to check at skin than ordinary society might let, were irresistible. But female audiences were also drawn to the ladies - who had been, after all, a lot like them. Tales comprised references to morals of these women and the behavior. In the end, tattoos were still regarded as racy - as late as 1955, an editor of a sociology anthology composed that "most tattooed women are prostitutes." Not that they were: many were like the remainder of the girls, taking care of kids and husbands also.

But women had taken control over their bodies, which came with a few chance of isolation. Lady Viola (born Ethel Martin at 1898) obtained herself tattooed(with images of people she admired) when her first marriage ended. She worked - as "The Most Beautiful Tattooed Lady in the World" - until she retired in 1932 to increase nine kids with her second husband. After he died in 1969, she moved back out on the road to raise money and never to be lonely. But later, when she died, there was no mention in her obituary of her profession as a tattooed lady - her fellow churchgoers never understood. Was tattooing still taboo, but working in a circus sideshow would have seemed seedy by then.

Tattoos also carried connotations of class - they were seen as adornments of the class. Even if society women had them (and they did), the stigma(!) Was that they were vulgar. While the tattooed women were given exotic tales that frequently included birth, they had been really working-class girls who chose to have a chance - a significant one - and get paid over their sisters. 1 lady - Betty Broadbent - was quoted as saying she regretted getting her first tattoo. Now I'm convinced she did not repent Everything - she had been among the tattooed ladies that are more powerful - but once they went in, there was.

And it is not completely different now though a lot more girls are receiving tattoos: there is a class divide within the world between who does not and who has job that is good. And while business legend Lyle Tuttle credits women's liberation with the newest renaissance in tattoo art, there's still some split between those women that have a discreet surprise (or much more) and people who've gone full-force into decoration. The chance to be an expert lady may have finished because a lot of girls are receiving designs inked in their skin but today tattooed ladies work in jobs. So if we can't imagine their being abducted to the islands of the South Seas to get everything that ink, we know that they won't be moving directly anytime soon.

Most of us know for the ideal pair of women shoes can be time-consuming looking! If they think that they have big feet and some girls can feel embarrassed. But lots of girls have bigger in the united kingdom and size 8, and with more High Street ladies shoes shops stocking size 9's it proves that it is quite normal! And you can bet since they can do to you, that your feet will likely not look as big to everybody.

So try not to worry about your shoe size, as there are designs and fashions for folks of all shapes and sizes, and remember that lots of famous and beautiful girls have big feet, believe Uma Thurman, Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslet, who all have size 9 and!

If you're tall, your nice big feet will look absolutely in proportion with your body anyhow so you shouldn't have any problems with them, they're there to help you balance; which you will need if you are going to be dancing the night away! If you are not so tall, or you only wish to make your feet look smallerthere are tried and tested suggestions that will help you choose the right shoes to do exactly this.

High Heels or Flats?

Wearing sneakers with a heel will always make your feet look shorter as transferring the foot away from being flat on the ground steels some length. But this doesn't mean that you have to balance like a ballerina on stilettos, you can opt for moderate heels for comfort, and walk down this street with catwalk assurance!

Pointy, Round or Square toes?

If you would like to make your feet look shorter, unfortunately sneakers aren't our best friends, as the piece of shoe in the point may add a lot of extra length. Instead go for a rounded toe , or a timeless square; such as the classic ladies apartments - pumps - which comes all year round, in all colours and designs conceivable. Simply remember to get shoes which are cut higher up the foot; as too much 'toe cleavage" can elongate the Appearance of them

What about colors?

In the way we use colours to define body shape with clothes out, it's true that colored shoes can help our small tootsies look smaller. So ditch those shades and why not try sexy shades of reds, blues, greys and greens as well as the black and brown.

Showing a bit of flesh;)

Thin strappy shoes that reveal lots of your foot will make it appear bigger try T-bars or peep feet. If you try gladiator sandals with straps across the front to create width must have straps afterward the wider the better, and subsequently make the length appear shorter.

Purchase the perfect size shoes!

The main thing you have to do is to get your feet measured and purchase the ideal size footwear - do not go squeezing your feet into shoes that are too small since it makes you feel better about your feet. This will look ten times worse if your feet are spilling out of the sides, and you're currently hobbling about and can not stand up tall and confident because of the pain! Learning is the best way make certain you don't do any harm and end up with painful bunions, and to feel great about yourself.

[nofomoartworld]

Art F City: This Week’s Must-See Art Events: Queens Reigns Supreme

A decade ago, if you said that Manhattanites would be regularly heading to Queens for their culture fix it’s unlikely most people would’ve believed you outside of Long Island City. But now the borough is increasingly our go-to destination for art events. From Marni Kotak’s artist talk at Microscope Gallery tonight (just on the Brooklyn side of the Ridgewood border) to the surrealist pop-up “DEBTBANK” at the Queens Museum on Sunday, everyone should be spending most of the week East of the East River.

Other Queens highlights include Lex Brown’s solo show and performance at Deli Gallery on Friday night and a three-day preview of a Meredith Monk performance at Queenslab in Ridgewood. Arguably the most fun to be had, though, will be the 2017 Flux-a-Thon benefit in Long Island City. That interactive parade will wind from Flux Factory to neighboring Plaxall Gallery for prizes and an hours-long dance party.

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Mon

Microscope Gallery

1329 Willoughby Avenue Brooklyn, NY 7:00 p.m, - 9:00 p.m.Website

Artist Talk with Marni Kotak

How much information is too much information? One might find themselves asking that of Marni Kotak, the performance artist who has documented her child’s life via Go-Pro for the past six years in addition to her own battles with postpartum depression.

Excerpts from the six-hour “Raising Baby X: Five Years” will be screened, and will discuss her current exhibition in the gallery: Treehouse. This latest project focuses on the struggle to recover from a catastrophic fire in the artist’s own home while coping with the stresses o the current political climate. This work might be ultra-personal, but it’s certainly relatable to our era.

Tue

SVA SocDoc Theater

136 West 21st Street New York, NY 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.Website

Ferocious Ink

SVA’s Visual Narrative MFA program and the Goethe-Institut New York are cohosting this talk from authors and illustrators Line Hoven and Nora Krug. The duo will talk about German identity (expect this to be angsty and philosophical!) and “ways of weaving the personal, cultural and historical into new forms of storytelling.” I never understood where the bizarre and totally wrong stereotype that Germans don’t have a sense of humor comes from. The above image, from Line Hoven, should put that misconception to rest once and for all.

Wed

Children's Museum of the Arts

103 Charlton Street New York, NY 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.Website

Maker, Maker

Even grown-ups will want to check out the opening reception for Maker, Maker at the Children’s Museum. Curators Paul Laster and Renée Riccardo are positioning craft as more than a playtime activity. The show looks at the relationship between the fine art world and the DIY explosion—from etsy crafters to hackers.

Artists: Derrick Adams, Sanford Biggers, Caroline Wells Chandler, Adam Frezza/Terri Chiao, Brad Kahlamer, Jon Kessler, LoVid, Jason Middlebrook, Rebecca Morgan, Carlos Rolón/Dzine

Thu

Lyles & King

106 Forsyth Street New York, NY 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Website

Trudy Benson & Yann Gerstberger: TT52

Trudy Benson and Yann Gerstberger’s work makes so much sense together. Benson’s collage-like oil paintings are full of references to modernist art history, but are such a process-based celebration of the medium’s potential. Similarly, Gerstberger’s genre-pushing tapestries convey a love of fiber as much as references—specifically European modernism’s gaze towards the “exotic” tropics and the influences of his recent relocation to Mexico City. Both artists’ work feels as joyful as it is thoughtful, so if you need some cheering-up this week, this is the show for you.

Fri

Deli Gallery

10-16 46th Ave Queens, NY 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.Website

Lex Brown: Immortal Duck

Paddy Johnson raves about a performance piece Lex Brown did as an MFA student at Yale earlier this year, in which Brown was able to transform nearly any object she chose into a metaphor of her chosing. Lex Brown also writes erotic science fiction about social justice and climate change. And now, Lex Brown has a solo show of sculptures, works on paper, and performance inspired in part by Daffy Duck getting shot by Elmer Fudd. This is definitely an opening you don’t want to miss.

Queenslab

1618 Decatur Street Ridgewood, NY 8:00 p.m.Website

Meredith Monk: Cellular Songs Work-in-Progress Preview

Multidisciplinary artist Meredith Monk and her Vocal Ensemble are previewing their work-in-progress Cellular Songs this weekend. The piece technically opens Thursday night with a gala hosted by designer Isaac Mizrahi and artist Jim Hodges (tickets start at $300/head) but will run Friday and Saturday nights with much more affordable $22 tickets ($15 for students).

Monk is one of the most critically acclaimed figures straddling the worlds of art, theater, and music, so this is a great opportunity to get a glimpse at her process. Cellular Songs is about humanity’s “interdependent relationship with nature” and will feature performers drawing inspiration from cells’ biological processes. As nerdy as microbiology sounds, expect this to be a very cool experience—think strange sounds and movements inspired by mitosis.

Sat

Flux Factory

39-31 29th Street Queens, NY 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Website

Flux-a-Thon 2017

Flux Factory’s second-annual Flux-a-Thon promises to be one of the season’s most unique fundraisers. Basically, attendees enter a parade in teams that compete before a panel of celebrity judges (the parade kicks off from from Flux Factory at 4 p.m. and ends at Plaxall Gallery at 5). Then it’s one big dance party.

We love any excuse to play dress up. One that benefits free public art programming and an artist residency is even better!

Whitney Museum of American Art

99 Gansevoort Street New York, NY 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.Website

Rafa Esparza and Nao Bustamante: Floating Gardens No. 2

In Floating Gardens No. 2, performance artists Rafa Esparza and Nao Bustamante will lead each other and the viewer on a strange procession through the first floor of the Whitney Biennial. Esparza will be using adobe bricks from his own installation to create a moving platform for the duo, continually laying and reconfiguring a path through the museum. Bustamante brings a great sense of gravity (but also humor) to every performance, so seeing this should be a memorable experience.

Jorge Andrew Gallery

251 Union Ave Brooklyn, NY 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.Website

Luz Angélica Fernández

Luz Angélica Fernández’s name means light. It’s appropriate, then, that her paintings also work with the phenomenon. Sometimes on lightboxes, and sometimes on canvas, Fernández recall neon-soaked city streets, smoggy sunsets, and all the weird lighting we get in the megalopolis. Fernández is a native New Yorker (yes, there are some left in Brooklyn!) and her work makes references to the city’s ebbs and flows, from graffiti and grime to the ever-creeping construction sites.

Sun

Queens Museum

New York City Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park Queens, NY 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.Website

Art as a Tool for Resisitance with Social Practice Queens (SPQ)

The Queens Museum continues its current streak of politically-charged programming with two projects on Sunday. In “DEBTBANK”, artists Alix Camacho Vargas and Jeff Kasper invite the public to discuss their own stories of debt at a pop-up theatrical “info desk” (in English or Spanish). This piece will be in the museum’s West-side library from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30.

Meanwhile in the Unisphere gallery, Julian Phillips, Zaid Islam and Floor Grootenhuis will be hosting two sessions of “Resistance Theater” with the public. This involves signmaking and theatrical exercises inspired by protest and authority. Participants should register by emailing nung-hsin@queensmuseum.org.

  3A Gallery

179 Canal Street New York, NY 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Website

Satoru Eguchi: Daymare Hangout

Satoru Eguchi’s playful installations often recall domestic interiors or workspaces. Here, though, Eguchi will be focusing on fountains—an interest that grew out of the artist’s need to bring some small references to nature to New York after moving away from the seaside mountains of Japan. Eguchi’s work is charmingly weird, and if this drawing (of a human-faced cat inside a fountain?) is any indication, this won’t disappoint in that department.

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[imaginationworldstellacarrier]

Amazon Reviews Posted by Friday April 21, 2017, Song Listing and a Go Banking website link on Cities In Every State Where Your Paycheck Stretches the FurthestGo Banking Website link

Friday, April 21, 2017

Amazon Reviews Posted by Friday April 21, 2017, Song Listing and a Go Banking website link on Cities In Every State Where Your Paycheck Stretches the FurthestGo Banking Website link

CITIES IN EVERY STATE WHERE YOUR PAYCHECK STRETCHES THE FURTHEST

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By Alesandra Dubin April 18, 2017, 7:15 AM EDT

Best of the Coachella Parties: 30 Ideas for Activities, Drinks, Decor, and Branding

images from Amazon.com

Freestyle DJ/potential song ideas for possible stories;Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins for the Top Gun Soundtrack movie, State of My Head by Shinedown, Venus by BanaRama, Heathens by Twenty One Pilots, Animal by Def Lepard, Your Love by Outfield, Magic Man by Heart, Lose Control by Keri Hilson, Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas, Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas feat. Will Ferrell, Take Over Control by Afrojack feat. Eva Simmons,Evacuate the Dancefloor by Cascada,The Way You Move by Outkast feat. sleepy Brown, Timber by Pitbull and Kesha,Still by Matt Nathanson,Head Over Heels by Tears For Fears, Step by Step by New Kids on the Block, Simply Irresistible by Robert Palmer, Waterfall by Stargate feat. Sia and P!nk, Lust For Life by Lana Del Rey feat. the Weeknd, Glad You Came by the Wanted, Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, Feel The Vibe by Bob Sinclair feat. Dawn Tallman

NOW That's What I Call A Workout 2017

Terrific Mix of SongsThis collection of NOW That's What I Call A Workout 2017 contains a dazzling mix of musical tunes from 2016. Among some of the radiant remixed songs on this collection are; My House by Flo Rida, Rise by Katy Perry, On My Mind by Ellie Goulding, Fight Song by Rachel Platten, Worth It by Fifth Harmony feat. Kid Ink, Hymn For the Weekend by Coldplay, Wherever I Go by One Republic, Into You by Arianna Grande, Can’t Feel My Face by the Weeknd etc. The Player film Review starring Tim Robbins, Greta Scachi, Fred Ward listed on Amazon to be directed by Robert Altman

Another film Where I Am Far from the Target Audience Yet            I admit that I have to credit an online article titled 10 Must See Movies For Screenwriters by Dave Trottier for giving me an idea to watch this The Player film (after I entered a google search of movies about screenwriters). The film has a multitude of celebrities in it; Whoopi Goldberg,  Gina Gershon,Anjelica Houston, Julia Roberts, Lyle Lovett, Cher, Fred Ward, Peter Gallagher,Dina Merrill, Andie Macdowell, Jeff Goldblum Bruce Willis, Jeremy Priven, Nick Nolte, Gary Busey, Teri Garr,Lily Tomlin, Burt Reynolds, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, Richard Grant, Robert Dean Stockwell,and many more celebrity appearances. However, significant plot points of the film center around the character of Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins), a hotshot Hollywood Executive whose world is unintentionally turned upside down after he loses his temper with writer/author David Kahane (Vincent D’Onofrio). Griffin Mill is shown being pretty distant with a multiple number of even his professional colleagues. Even his girlfriend from work Bonnie Sherow (Cynthia Stevenson) is not treated much differently from Griffin’s coworkers. However, part of Griffin Mill’s humanity is exposed when he is seen communicating with June Gudmundsdottir (Greta Scachi). That sounds innocent enough until the viewer realizes that she was romantically connected to writer/author David Kahane. 100 Greatest '90s Alternative Songs Price: $0.00 A Worthwhile Collection To Listen To if You Like 90’s Rock Music, April 20, 2017 This review is from: 100 Greatest '90s Alternative Songs (MP3 Music)I unintentionally came across this music collection from Amazon’s playlist of 100 Greatest '90s Alternative Songs and I am very glad to have done so. The following is a sampler of some of the hits available in this playlist; the well-known Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana, Losing My Religion by R.E.M.,Closer by Nine Inch Nails, Wonderwall by Oasis,Song 2 by Blur, Buddy Holly by Weezer, Give It Away by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Everlong by Foo Fighters, Karma Police by Radiohead,Possum Kingdom by the Toadies, I Alone by Live,Popular by Nada Surf etc. Comment | Permalink Body Like A Back Road Price: $1.29 Well-Crafted Contemporary Country Tune, April 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Body Like A Back Road (MP3 Music)This song Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt is a exceptional type of song that appears to be an ode to a curvy woman yet mentioned in a tasteful and polite way. I can easily enjoy this type of song year round. However, for some reason, this song gives me a summer type of vibe when I hear it. Comment | Permalink Flying with the Rich and Famous: True Stories from the Flight Attendant who flew with them Price: $4.99 Author’s Recollections of Flying High (Metaphorically Speaking), April 21, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Flying with the Rich and Famous: True Stories from the Flight Attendant who flew with them (Kindle Edition)This kindlebook of Flying with the Rich and Famous: True Stories from the Flight Attendant who flew with them by Patricia Reid is written by a woman who has multiple positive memories of her job. She is also candid about how competitive it is to get into the line of work. Reid shares the special shopping trips that were required with the type of flight attendant job she features in this kindlebook. Additionally,Reid discusses and her feelings on a multitude of various celebrities that she met and more. Some of the celebrities that Reid admits to have spotted during her time of employment as a flight attendant; Rod Stewart, Sylvester Stallone,Dom Deluise, Elizabeth Taylor, Jack Nicholson,Tom Cruise, the late former President Ronald Reagan,etc. Comment | Permalink Writing with the Muse: A Guidebook to Conscious Creativity (Intuition University) Price: $7.99 Outside The Box Writing Guidance, April 21, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Writing with the Muse: A Guidebook to Conscious Creativity (Intuition University) (Kindle Edition)

This kindlebook of Writing with the Muse: A Guidebook to Conscious Creativity (Intuition University) by Sara Wiseman accidently came to me by lucky chance. I had seen the kindlebook for Demons of Confusion: Rituals To Hide the Truth, Create Confusion, and Conceal Your Actions by Corwin Hargrove. Even with my intuitive and logical awareness that it helps to integrate both knowledge from spiritual white light and darkness to strengthen my spiritual core, I did not yet feel ready to purchase that book. However, as my soul/spirit craves truth from non-biased  and non-judgmental sources, I fortunately came across this kindlebook of Writing With the Muse by Sara Wiseman as a way to help me gain clarity on my creativity as it pertains to my writing goals. Some of the one of a kind tidbits in this kindlebook; the three trances that she writes are the flow states for creative writing,ideally working by hand to keep a journal in relation to ideas for whatever medium of artistic creation that a person is undertaking as she also addresses artists and musicians, asking yourself if you are willing to press forward in your writing passion regardless of publishing outcome (an easy question for me to answer as I do feel called to writing regardless of the outcome even though I understand it may sound arrogant to others, yet I understand that others may only want to write with regards to a guarantee of profitable andor lucrative outcomes). I admit that I liked that Wiseman encouraged a person to give themselves permission to press on with a project deadline date in relation to one of the ideas in her container suggestion. This encouraging guidance was important for me to come across as I work to improve my writing for creative writing therapy as well while also simultaneously working on my employment goals. Wiseman also gives ideas for having containers open for smaller projects such as articles from magazines, doing art for fun, lyrics from songs etc.

Comment | Permalink Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling Guide You'll Ever Need Offered by Penguin Random House Publisher Services Price: $9.99 Candid and Helpful, April 21, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling Guide You'll Ever Need (Kindle Edition)This kindlebook of Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling Guide You'll Ever Need by Margot Leitman captures some of the author’s experiences as it relates to her ideas for storytelling. Leitman also bluntly admits that some people wishing to spice up their writing may want to live a life in a way that is a little riskier without venturing too much in the danger zone. I admit that this advice was a splash of cold water to my face (metaphorically speaking) because I am blessed with an abundance of free time and a loving husband who is supportive of my writing goals. However, I am in the process of learning and implementing in taking risks in various areas of my life in a harm-free manner. Reitman also bluntly shares that some of the best writing comes from writers who have successfully found a way to put imperfections in their writings with just the right amount of happy scenarios/endings. Reitman politely gives examples of working with very religious people who wanted to create stories with very few imperfections in them. She tactfully explains that this in on the similar extreme of gifted writers who may want to only focus on the dark sides/challenging outcomes with benefiting from more positive outcome additions to their stories and more tidbits. I admit that I am still in the process of working on that angle due to my intuitive and logical awareness that the outcome to a person’s imperfections/flaws is sometimes indirectly influenced by how much outside the mainstream a writer/author is. In other words, even I know that two authors can expose similar imperfections in their writings, but the harsh truth is that I have picked up on and seen is that sometimes the person who is most celebrated for being true to themselves fits into the mainstream ideal in some way when it comes to their attractiveness, personality,intelligence, the family background that they came from etc. In contrast, I have seen examples of people who exposed their flaws in a harm-free manner and were not met with the same support from others in their circle (family, friends)and/orevenmisunderstood/demonized. Comment | Permalink Aftersight Price: $4.99 A Moving and Spiritual Story, April 21, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Aftersight (Kindle Edition)I admit that it is too personal for me to share how I came across this Aftersight kindlebook by Brian Mercer. The Aftersight story shares how one young woman’s life was dramatically changed after a life changing car accident. Her sensitivity to the spiritual/afterlife realms are heightened yet her relationship with her parents is not the same after the incident. Her parents still love her, yet for example her dad admits to her that he would like his old daughter back that existed prior to the car accident. Comment | Permalink The Intern DVD Price: $9.99 I’m Far From the Target Audience For This Film Yet, April 21, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: The Intern (Amazon Video)I admit that I remember being intrigued to eventually watch the Intern film after seeing an article online related to some public relations managers being inspired by the Intern film to hire some older women in real-life as interns (women in their 40’s, 50’s etc.). I admit that this film metaphorically jumped out at me to eventually purchase and watch, which was well worth is for some of the multiple reasons; Anne Hathaway as the character Jules Ostin is shown in an empowering light doing her best to juggle her career and personal life with her husband Matt (Anders Holm) and daughter Paige (Jo Jo Kushner). Ostin is in charge of a successful/thriving business that adds on more people such as Ben Whitaker (Robert Deniro), Davis ( Zack Pearlman), Doris (Celia Weston) etc. Ben becomes popular at the workplace and is seen interacting a lot with Jules Ostin, Jason (Adam Devine), Becky (Christina Scherer) etc. Ben meets and is instantly smitten with the in house massage therapist Fiona (Rene Russo). One of Ben’s lady friends Patty (Linda Lavin) figures this out and expresses her reaction when Ben is shown taking Fiona to a funeral for the first date. Some of the multiple pop culture references in the film which I admit I noticed in the film due to my interest in advertising/marketing trends; JayZ and Beyonce referenced in the film, Stella Artois beer, Sammy Davis, Billy Holiday, Clancy, Harry Potter, Ocean’s film series starring Brad Pitt as Rusty Yates, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, snippets of a song featured in the film by KC and the Sunshine Band, snippets of a song being played by Busta Rhymes, Teddy’s Bar & Grill, a brief clip of the Singing in the Rain film etc. Comment | Permalink Buying the View Season 1 Price: $16.99 Fun To Watch, April 21, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Buying the View Season 1 (Amazon Video)I admit that this series of Buying The View Season 1 caught my attention because it seemed similar to another show that I find to be fun to watch from the episodes that I have watched (Lottery Dream Home). The first episode opens with a couple being shown different properties in Miami Florida. The second features a couple being shown different properties around Whistler BC (which appears to be in a similar location featured in Timber Creek Lodge Season 1). Comment | Permalink NOW That's What I Call #1's [Clean] Price: $9.49 Wide-Ranging and Enjoyable, April 21, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: NOW That's What I Call #1's [Clean] (MP3 Music)This music collection of NOW That's What I Call #1's is a diverse and amusing selection of songs. One of the strong features of the collection is that the hits are included from different eras of the 2000’s such as; Viva La Vida by Coldplay (2008), Heaven song featured by Bruno Mars (2012), Born This Way by Lady Gaga (2011), Fancy by Iggy Azalea Charli XCX (2014), Lollipop by Lil Wayne (2008), Low by Flo Rida feat. T. Pain (2007), I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas (2009), Timber by Pitbull feat. Kesha (2013), Roar by Katy Perry (2013), Happy by Pharrell Williams (2013) etc. Comment | Permalink NOW That's What I Call 90s Pop Price: $7.99 A Variety of Quality Songs, April 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: NOW That's What I Call 90s Pop (MP3 Music)This music collection of NOW That's What I Call 90s Pop features a decent selection of tunes from various artists representing the 90’s music genre. I admit that these songs are some tunes that I enjoy a lot from this collection; Genie In A Bottle by Christina Aguilera, The Boy is Mine by Monica & Brandy, Whatta Man by Salt N Pepa feat. Vogue, Step by Step by New Kids On The Block. However, there are multiple songs from different timeframes of the 90’s and music genres that will appeal to many people who listen to various types of music. Comment | Permalink Lust For Life [feat. The Weeknd] Price: $1.29 A One of A Kind Avant-Garde Love Song, April 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Lust For Life [feat. The Weeknd] (MP3 Music)I admit that I was first exposed to this unique Lust For Life song by Lana Del Rey feat. the Weeknd less than 18 hours ago (via youtube). The music collaboration is very well coordinated (when it comes to the lyrics of Lana Del Rey and the Weeknd) and the futuristic lounge/electronic music makes it a very novel type of love song. I also like that the Lust For Life song has both a hopeful and happy-go-lucky vibe. Comment | Permalink That's What I Like Price: $1.29 An Exquisite Dance/R&B type of song, April 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: That's What I Like (MP3 Music)I admit that this entertaining song That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars grew on me after multiple times of listening to it. It is a come hither/romantic type of song yet one of the positive features of the song is that it comes out in a imaginative love story type of tune. That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars is also perfect to listen to if you have liked andor enjoyed his Treasure song-it reminds me in an outstanding way of that song.