#sir I am CONGESTED not RICH

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Godzilla vs. Kong

From the first rumble in the seats in the Dolby theater, I was so glad I chose to see this movie on the big screen. At times it felt like I was on one of those “4-D” roller coasters where the seats rumble and they spray water on your or pipe smells into the audience. That’s how close I was to the action! As at least a casual fan of the previous entries in the Monsterverse, I was looking forward to Godzilla vs Kong and my goodness, those medium expectations sure were met. How medium was it? Well...

I would like the science in this movie to win Best Comedy or Musical in next year’s Golden Globes. This is probably the hardest I’ve laughed in a theater in over a year (obviously there are other reasons for that, but the sentiment still stands). This movie was nonsensical, loud, shiny, dumb fun and I had a great fucking time watching it. Oh, you probably want a plot summary - I’m just gonna refer you to the title of the film. That about covers all you need to know.

Some thoughts:

“Somewhere on Skull Island” - whaaaaat is with this title card? It’s a tiny island. How many possible locations could there possibly be for a giant fuck-off ape to be taking his nap?

I know we’re not here for any semblance of plot but boy, they really sprained something trying to lift these clunky paragraphs of exposition into anything resembling what actual humans would say.

These opening credits are one of the funniest sequences I’ve seen in ages.

My main man Brian Tyree Henry! I had no idea he was in this (frankly I knew virtually nothing about this movie because what do you even need to know about a movie with the title Godzilla vs. Kong). He’s playing a completely different vibe than I’ve ever seen him play - the comedic relief and a mile-a-minute vaguely conspiracy theorist podcast host who is obsessed with Sir Zilla and the other Titans. I really enjoyed seeing this other side of him!

Absolutely terrible waste of Kyle Chandler, who was probably paid more than my yearly salary for 60 seconds of Protective and Frazzled Dad perfection.

One of the highlights of the film is the performance of young actress Kaylee Hottle as Jia. Jia is Deaf, and so is Kaylee in real life, and I’m always here for more Deaf representation onscreen! And her friendship with Kong is one of the few things in the movie that elicits any genuine emotion of any kind. When he booped her I literally said “Aw!” out loud.

The visuals of the hollow Earth are very cool and remind me of those space age desktop backgrounds that most of the guys I know who built their own PCs and spent a lot of time on Tor.com would have had.

Even the most ridiculous films like this one will sometimes include little bits of worldbuilding that are thoughtful and have fascinating implications. For example, the “Titan Shelters” in Hong Kong - who pays for those? The government? Do rich people have reinforced private Titan Shelters while poor folks have to rely on the public ones, which are likely overcrowded and possibly don’t have enough resources? (I think we all know the answer to that).

I am very much enjoying all the neon in the Hong Kong fight, and how much more visually interesting it makes two giant blobs slamming their blob bodies against each other while causing a staggering amount of property damage.

Finally a realistic “I can crack the password!” scene!

Did I Cry? Ok, a teeny tiny bit, about Kong and Jia’s friendship.

Times I laughed LOUDLY in the theater: when Mr. Zilla, who can literally shoot lightning out of his damn mouth just straight up punches Kong in the face. When Kong gets attacked by all those lizard things in the hollow Earth and just uses one motherfucker to slap another motherfucker. When they use an anti-gravity machine (whatever that actually means) as a defibrillator for an ape that is sometimes as big as a skyscraper and other times as big as a mountain.

And now a series of questions:

Why is this high school class just watching the news in the middle of the day? The G-Z has attacked cities at least 3 other times in this universe that we know of. Like, this isn’t their 9/11, this is a thing that just regularly happens.

You decided it was a good idea to transport Kong over the ocean...where Big Daddy G hangs out all the time? Like...that’s where he lives, you guys. You’re basically trying to sneak Kong over the roof of Godzilla’s house and hoping he doesn’t notice.

OH and you had a Kong-sized net and a team of Kong transport helicopters ready the WHOLE TIME? But you still chose “sneaking over Godzilla’s house” as your first plan of action????

How long can Kong hold his breath? He goes underwater for some long ass periods.

In fact, what are the details of Kong’s physiology in general? How tall is he? Because at one point in his fight with The GZA, he’s standing on the floor of the Tasman Sea, no big deal - except the Tasman Sea has a depth of roughly 18,000 feet. And Kong’s just chilling out in the water at waist level? But he’s also shorter than the skyscrapers in Hong Kong? I choose to believe he can grow and shrink at will because that makes more sense than the sloppy joe approach to his biology the screenwriters are using.

I like Millie Bobby Brown as much as the next guy, but does it bother anyone else that she always sounds congested? Is that a consequence of her doing her American accent? It’s incredibly distracting.

Oh, this entire scene is set in Antarctica but no one is wearing hats or gloves? Sure sure sure.

And no one is having any problems breathing the air in the middle of the fucking earth? No one thought to check that the atmosphere was breathable before everyone takes off their helmets? No noxious fumes to worry about in the center of a planet that produces magma and shit?

You’re taking your child to the literal center of the earth? Is this not the ONE TIME you think you might need a babysitter?

The ship that can *checks notes* withstand the forces present during an entire reversal of gravity is crushed by Kong’s fist like it’s a tube of toothpaste?

Even though the Earth is hollow, I’m assuming the distance to reach the core is still about the same, so Godzilla’s lighting can 1) act as a drill to - I cannot reiterate this strongly enough - the CENTER OF THE FUCKING EARTH and 2) Godzilla and Kong can yell at each other for 3,958 miles (give or take) and still hear each other? Do they have superhearing? Is this something we’re studying or are we content to just have them Hulk smash all of that incredibly important evolutionary biology to bits while everyone stands around?

Because this is a “vs” movie, of course there is no clear-cut “winner” at the end. Instead the two parties leave each other with a grudging respect formed, an uneasy truce in place. But I’m obsessed with the way this final scene plays out, as though Godzilla is a bitter ex walking away from Kong after their doomed relationship has run its course. The lighting, the soft music, the absolute melodrama of this giant lizard slinking slowly back into the sea. Godzilla is giving the gays everything they want in 2k21 and I am here for it. Here’s hoping the next entry in the franchise has Kong hooking up with Rodan to make G jealous and they all have a messy public fight over brunch, Real Housewives style.

If you liked this review, please consider reblogging or subscribing to my Patreon! For as low as $1, you can access bonus content and movie reviews, or even request that I review any movie of your choice.

[everythingieverloved]

14 December 1861 & 1878 - The Deaths of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his daughter, Princess Alice of the United Kingdom

Suffering from all his usual symptoms, made much worse by a heavy cold, he [Albert] nonetheless refused to cancel engagements...on 22 November, in what he described as ‘dreadful rain.’ Though this day’s work turned his cold into something like influenza, Albert felt it to be his duty to go to Cambridge and to speak to his son man to man... Somehow, in spite of the appalling weather, it was too awkward to face one another indoors, so they paced through the downpour... The talking was so painful, and so all-absorbing, that Bertie...lost his path and they arrived back at Madingley Hall soaked to the skin. Prince Albert spent the night there, sleepless and shivering, with ‘rheumatic’ pain in his back and legs. The Queen blamed these pains on ‘Bertie’s mistaking the road during their walk.’ When the Prince Consort returned to Windsor on 26 November, he was a seriously sick man...

On Monday, 2 December, the Queen recorded, ‘...Dr Jenner assured me there was no reason to be alarmed.’ On 4 December, Albert could take no nourishment, thought he could ‘sup a little raspberry vinegar in seltzer water...’ But on Friday 6th, Sir James Clark came and announced that the prince’s ‘condition improved.’ Jenner agreed.

The next day, the doctors told the Queen that the prince had a fever. They had previously told her that if his fever rose, he would not survive it; but now they said that he would have to let the fever run its course, and that it would last a month...

By Tuesday 10th, the prince as wandering in his mind ‘this this Sir James said was to be expected... The Doctors were much pleased with his state.’ On the 11th he took a little broth. By now a whole team of medics were assembled... By the 12th, Albert’s hands were shaking. Dr Jenner and Sir Clark ‘thought all was going well.’ They gave him ammonia to check his rapid respiration. On the following day. Dr Jenner was expressing the fear that this very quick breathing could lead to congestion of the lungs. Brandy was now being administered every half hour. Dr Watson cheerily told the Queen that he had ‘seen many infinitely worse cases’ and that ‘I never despair with fever.’

That is the last entry for 1861 in Queen Victoria’s journal. The next day, 14 December, would be a date of dread, of solemn horror and misery for the rest of her life.

They had moved Albert into the Blue Room, the room where William IV and George IV had both died. At 6 am, Dr Brown called her, and said he had no hesitation that ‘I think there is ground to hope the crisis is over.’ When she went in to see him early that morning, the Queen saw a radiant Albert. The weight having dropped off his face, he looked as he had done in youth, when she had first fallen in love with him. She walked out on to the terrace in the cold air with Princess Alice. In the distance, a military band was playing, and Victoria wept copiously.

In the afternoon... The Queen noted that his face now had ‘a dusky hue.’

The doctors asked the Queen if the children could come to see their father... One by one they were led through the room to kiss their father’s hand. Everyone noted the Queen’s extraordinary calmness. By early evening, he was able to get out of the bed, while they changed the sheets. He could not get back into the bed without assistance. The Queen went to lie next door, but then she heard a change in his breathing, and rushed back in.

‘Es ist das kleine Frauchen,’ she whispered desperately to him. She asked for ‘ein Kuss’ and he notionally moved his trembling lips. She ran from the room and threw herself on the ground in anguish.

Princess Alice followed her and begged her to return, for, young as she was, she could see that the end was now very near.

‘Oh, this is death,’ cried the Queen, taking his left hand and kneeling beside the bed. ‘I know it. I have seen this before.’

Princess Alice knelt on the other side of the bed, the Prince of Wales and Princess Helena knelt at the foot of the bed...

‘Two of three long, but perfectly gentle breaths were drawn, the hand clasping mine, & (oh! It turns me sick to write it) all, all was over... I stood up, kissing his dear heavenly forehead & called out in a bitter agonizing cry: “Oh, my dear darling!” & then dropped on my knees in mute, distracted despair, unable to utter a word or shed a tear...’

----

In November 1878, diphtheria struck the Grand Ducal palace at Hesse-Darmstadt... What happened next was so like a scene in the most painful Victorian novel, that it is perhaps best to leave the description of it to the novelist - Prime Minister. Two weeks later, Beaconsfield told the House of Lords:

“The Princess Alice - for I will venture to call her by that name, though she wore a Crown - afforded one of the most striking instances that I can remember of richness of culture and rare intelligence combined with the most pure and refined domestic sentiments… My Lords, there is something wonderfully piteous in the immediate cause of her death. The physicians who permitted her to watch over her family enjoined her under no circumstances whatever to be tempted into an embrace. Her admirable self-restraint guarded her through the crises of this terrible complaint in safety. She remembered and observed the injunctions of her physicians. But it became her lot to break to her son, quite a youth, the death of his youngest sister, to whom he was devotedly attached. The boy was so overcome with misery that the agitated mother to console him clasped him in her arms - and thus received the kiss of death. My Lords, I hardly know an incident more pathetic. It is one by which poets might be inspired and in which the artist in every class, whether in picture, in statue or in gem, might find a fitting subject of commemoration.”

What was even more like fiction was the baleful fact: Princess Alice, who had been so devoted a daughter to Prince Albert, died on 14 December, the very day on which her father had died seventeen years earlier.

“Victoria: A Life,” A. N. Wilson

[thefanficmistress]

♔ Guy and The Lady Elena ♔ 30 Day Writing Challenge :Day 1

@deepestfirefun 30 Day Writing Challenge, Day 1.( Late, work and life balance)

 I have the gorgeous Guy of Gisborne from the BBC TV show Robin Hood, as played by the beautiful Richard Armitage. This would be an AU where Robin Hood is a bandit, Marian is still alive, and her feelings for Guy is difficult. The Sheriff was spared and given another chance by King Richard, and Guy has been given a new role.

 Enter Elena, a childhood friend of Guy’s who returns to Nottingham. She is of mixed races (black and white) and comes from a simple family.

 Thank you @deepestfirefun for doing this challenge, and I look forward to reading everyone’s, and I hope you enjoy mine as well.

Writing Prompts : 

 I thought for a minute I was losing my sanity but then I realized its just you. 

 Is it supposed to look like this? ***

GUY

The gates of Nottingham opened, and the streets ran wild with citizens. The jubilant sound of laughing children, the songs of traveling bards, and the ever-lasting smell of people and horses. Ever since King Richard returned to the Throne, the city grew, and population increased. His return to also brought new followers, and foreign faces to the city.

On this day, the center of Nottingham turned into a large shopping district with old and newly constructed merchant stalls.

Guy of Gisborne despised this day. Market Day. Hordes of citizens bustling around him, both rich and poor, their scents mingling in the air. He stalked through the crowds, squeezing through bodies. There were so many bodies. He hated it. For the most part, people lowered their heads when they passed him, out of respect, but he would like to believe, it was out of fear. Contrary to popular belief, Guy wasn’t a bad man at all, but his job as the right hand to the Sheriff had coined him as judge, jury and executioner.

On the return of King Richard, Guy was permanently given the Locksley estate, from which he changed to the Gisborne estate; with its servants and now land. Sir Guy was now Lord Guy of Gisborne, and Nottingham’s most eligible bachelor.

Women still feared him, but desired him now that he had property, proper title, and held the favor of the King. He was still the Sheriffs second in command, but now had the ability to deny his services if it went against his better interest. But still, the women in Nottingham had noticed, especially Marian. A beautiful, but stubborn woman, wo was too invested in the fates of the poor and was found out to be the Night Watchmen.

She had been a big part of his life the past few years, and his feelings for her had grown and hit a point to where he wanted to marry her to protect her. But she denied him, humiliated him and then confessed her love for Robin Hood. So, he walked away from her.

After returning to Nottingham she seemed to have a change of heart and her actions towards him changed. She was more attentive, around, and flashed him her beautiful smile, overall not so distant as she was. This was a reason to give Guy pause, and unsure of what to do with her. So, for now he did nothing, but continued to enjoy the perfumed letters he received from the other maidens.

Walking into the less congested center of the Market District Guy approached a large luxurious circular fountain. In the center, sat a smaller circular bowl that had water spilling over the sides into the larger pool beneath it. It was a gift from another King to King Richard who lived in a beautiful kingdom surrounded by sand. It was designed to be the heart of the Market District and allowed for a smooth flow of traffic from one side of the city to the other. It was Guy’s favorite spot, and he often visited it to clear his mind.

He looked down into the clear, simmering water, and in the main pool floated pink blooming flowers, green lily pads, and in the water, he saw the face of a girl he hadn’t seen in years. Someone he often thought of, but never thought he deserved. She would have been a maiden now, old enough to be married, which she most likely was, and he was sure that he was far from her mind.  

The reflection started to smile, and then the sound of her laughter rang in his ears. He blinked and shook his head as if trying to gather his thoughts or break the vision he was seeing before him. The sound of her laughter was so sweet, and it reminded him of when he would make her giggle when they were children. Seeing her happy always gave him joy, and when she left Nottingham it broke him. Her face haunted him for months. No sleep, he couldn’t eat, and now it was happening again. Now here he was, stressed, and seeing visions of her again. He couldn’t do it again. Not again. “She isn’t here. She’s gone” He said to himself softly. “Don’t do this to yourself again.”

He closed his eyes and lowered his head to focus on his breathing. Mayhap the act of him blocking out the sounds around him to clear his mind would help. Mayhap the very visions that haunted him as a child would go away. Mayhap this…girl would go away.

“Guy?” a lyrically beautiful voice said behind him.  A soft touch of a hand touched his right shoulder.

He opened his eyes, and slowly turned his attention to who called and touched him. The girl in the reflection of the water. The girl that haunted him was speaking to him. Touching him. What was happening to him? Was the hear of the sun too much for him to bare today? Was is it just this day that got to him? She couldn’t be here for real.

“Elena?” he questioned, his body slowly turning to face her more, his eyes narrowing on her face.

“You remember me I see. “She beamed. She was beautiful. Mocha colored skin, honey colored eyes, and thick, wavy hair that cascaded around her frame. She wore a lovely blue and gold dress. Blue Silk taffeta with metallic gold accents, and golden embroidery stars along the skirt.

“ I saw your reflection in the water, and “ He gestured towards the fountain with his left hand.

“And?” She shifted her weight to one leg, her waist moved over to the side, revealing the sensual curve of her body. She was no longer a child. She was a woman. A woman with the curves that demanded attention.

“I thought for a minute I was losing my sanity…” Guys said, his eyes racked her from head to toe. Taking in those very curves. The dress she wore hugged her in the all the right places. All the places he immediately wanted to reach out and touch. The corners of his mouth turned into a small smile. “but then… “His eyes focused on her more, studying the stunning features of her face.

 “Then?” She tilted her head to the side, and the light caught the fly away strands of hair around her head, revealing the brown undertones of the depth of its color. 

 “You spoke, and I realized it’s just you. And not a dream. “he confessed, shaking his head.

Elena said nothing but smiled and closed the small space between their bodies, her arms outstretched. She wrapped them around his neck and embraced him. She was much smaller than him and had to be up on her toes to even get her arms fully around his neck. Guys long hair slipped over har bare arms, and she buried her face in his locks.

 Guys was taken back for a moment, but the instant her small body pressed against his, he took in her sweet aroma, and his arms shot up from his side, and embraced her. Tightly. His heart pounded hard against his chest, and for those short minutes he felt hers through his clothes. His heads traveled through her long, soft hair, as his hands racked up her back. He wanted to pull her tighter into him. As if he wanted their bodies to melt together. To make one person. He missed her more than he could ever express.

 After awhile they continued to journey through the Market, stopping at stalls that held their interest and catching up. He wanted to know where she was all this time and why she never came back. Elena explained how her father moved them to the Kingdom of Veil, and her mother fell ill. How father spend most of her time in the Taverns with other women, as she sat at home taking care of her mother.

 After a few more hours had passed, they had developed a nice dance of cat and mouse followed by intense flirting, and lingering eye contact.

 Guy listened to her all the while noticing the many glances that landed her way by the men that walked by. He immediately tightened and felt incredibly territorial. He hadn’t seen her in so long, and it made no sense how this tiny woman would bring that out in him. But deep down he couldn’t deny that she brought back those childhood feelings. He was protective of her then, and apparently, he was the same now.

 “And I see that you are unwed. “

 “I am.” She looked up at him with a smile. Mayhap searching his face for a reaction. “Is that a problem?”

 “Is that wise?” he countered “I’m sure your father – “

 “My father has had many offers. “She said firmly. She looked away and headed towards a stall that had the most beautiful fabric she had ever seen.

 “And he turned them all away?”

“No. I did. “

 “You?” He raised his brows. He was surprised.

“Yes.” She said as she turned abruptly and stopped with her hands held behind her. Her back was straight, which caused her cleavage to be shown nicely.

 Guy nearly ran into her but caught himself. He started down at her lovely face, and for a moment, he wanted to lean in and kiss her. Kiss her hard. He had never in his life wanted to kiss someone as much as he wanted to kiss her. Not even Marian. Marian had never stirred something inside of him like this before.

 But he didn’t move. He wanted to challenge her. He very much enjoyed the cat and mouse game that started between them. Was she testing him? Was he testing her?

 “And why?” He pressed against her body a little more, it caused her to step out of place, but he braced her by the waist to keep her in place. He smiled down at her. He watched as her eyes widened and her lips parted. “Waiting for someone…in particular? “his baritone voice teased sweetly.

“No” she nervously replied.

Guy opened his mouth to say something else, but she stopped him.

“Mind your own business.” Elena said, slowly pulling out of his grip.

Guy gave her a lazy smile, shrugged, and released his hold on her waist.

 Elena turned and approached a stall that had jewels resting on silken pillows, and brightly colored cloth hung from every each of the wooden shop. A man slipped out from heavy curtains, noticed Elena and made his way towards her. He was very dark, with caramel colored eyes which were heavy outlined in black eye liner, and a face that was fully bearded with a connecting mustache. He wore a long white robe, and a hat sat upon his head that looked like wrapped thick fabric, with a red jewel that rested right above his forehead. Then he spoke in a foreign heavy accented voice to her.

 “A lovely day to be visited by such a beauty.” The man chimed with a charming smile.

 Elena blushed “Your too kind sir. May I ask where you've traveled from?” She questioned as her fingers glided along the smooth silks before her.

 From a land where a beauty like you would be worshiped by all. Where your feet would be washed, and your hair would be decorated with jewels.  He reached over the bright colored fabrics and took her hands in his. His fingers started to caress the back of her hands, as he continued to talk sweet nothings to her.

Guy released a heavy sign of frustration. He didn’t like that the man was touching her, let alone speaking sweetly to her.  All he knew that it was enough to draw her attention away from him.

Without thinking, he caught the man’s wrist. "You tread on dangerous ground," he warned, his voice low and ominous. He tightened his grip, feeling the man shake beneath his hand. “I would advise you to refrain from touching her. I would hate for you to be parted from your hands.” Guy threatened.

The vendor released Elena’s hand and started to move his hands back over to his side. Guys hands followed for a time and then released him with a bit of force which caused him to stumble back. He adjusted his clothes, turban and then crossed his hands in front of his body.

 She blinked, then laughed nervously under her breath. She wasn’t sure what just happened, but it was very surprising to see Guy’s reaction. So, she positioned herself between him and the man, the stall table still between them with the fabric. Feeling Guy behind her made her very nervous, and excited, but she didn’t want to show it.

 “Can I see that..hat?”  Elena pointed at the hat like what the man wore. It was black with a blue jewel.

 “It’s called a turban.” He said, handing it to her.

 It was far too big for head when she tried it on, it covered her eyes, and she titled her head up to look at Guy. She was laughing at herself. Guy rolled his eyes. She was annoying and cute.

 “Is it supposed to look like this?” Guy questioned with an arched brow.

 Her back was to him, and she pulled the turban off her head, and leaned back against Guys chest. She pushed up on her toes and put it on his head. His own hands coming up to guide her hands. Not necessarily wanting the turban on his head, but just to support what she was trying to do. But in the end he allowed her to place the turban on his head.

 He looked down at her. Her eyes were so bright, and full of happiness. So, he decided that it was worth it. Just to see her like this. Guy felt her small body lowering in front on him.He could feel the warmth of her body against his and it drove him crazy. 

Her arms began to lower, as she lowered herself to be flat footed on the ground. Her hands traveled down his face, and as her hands came close to his lips. Guy’s right hand rose and held her right wrist in place. Her palms facing his chin. He turned his head to the right, lowered it, and kissed the inside of her bare wrist.

Elena shuttered.

[lyrical-proses-blog]

Lucid Dream

By Garlic Lardizabal

When the car engine sung on the roads, I enjoyed the rushing winds that whispered in my hair and in my ears. The sun blooms on the horizon, golden petals spreading out into the rich blue. It's the dazzling flower of the sky that warms our days. It’s an invitation to a new day, a sunrise that is so ordinary and extraordinary.

I was driving out to nowhere when I laid my eyes on you. You were walking, I don’t know where. We’ll stop to say hello, are we waiting for the light to stop from switching green? Be forever never late to say hello.

“Beep! Beep!”

“‘O heavens!”

I was startled by the loud sound I heard. My heavy eyes slowly opened and tried to adjust to the blinding light. My brain stutters for a moment and my eyes take lighter than I expected, every part of me goes on pause while my thoughts catch up.

The sunshine is in our bones, the heat radiating out into the bright day. The muggy heat was pressing on me, and even the sweating was not good. It trickled down my neck and back like a hot soup. My hair clenched like thermal blankets on my head, locked in the heat, frying my brain.

A parade of highway headlights, tail lights snaking along the route and across the road, bumper to bump vehicles, diesel fumes roaring, flashing headlines in the rain, traffic at a standstill, congestion on buses, traffic nose to tail right down the highway, the highway turned into a giant car park.

I recalled then that I was traveling with my family in Manila.

I checked my notebook and ballpen in my pocket immediately in order to write down my dream experiences. It seemed like my hand was naturally wandering and it had a mind of itself to say about my dream experiences.

“A poem”

The illusion that I had developed in my dream became my very own poem.

“If the lights turn green, then my skies will be dim, I’ll be driving past the fading colors of the street, that made me go far and stopped me from saying hello. I was walking off to somewhere when I laid my eyes on you, you were driving, I don’t know where, you’ll stop and greet me too. Are we waiting for the light to stop from switching green? Be forever never late to say hello”

I whispered the continuation of my poem softly.

Poems, the creation inspired by imagination, from a dream or emotion that is often absurd. Borne out of inspiration, each literary revelation is the reader’s invitation to become the written word.

“Lucid dream, huh?”

The concept of lucid dream is a dream in which the person knows that she is dreaming. In its 1913 article A Study of Dreams, the word ' lucid dream ' was invented by the Netherlands author and psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden, while accounts of dreamers realizing it dreams predate the phrase in question.

When I was deep in creative writing, in what is known as the' zone' where everything flows in a state of effortless creativity, I found that merely conjuring up a vivid lucid dream in my mind's eye would result in a spontaneous flood of dreamlike imagery. This imagery reacted to thoughts and emotions the same way lucid dreams did: all I saw, as easily as I could and without judgement, was transformed and changed to something different.

Ancient Greek literature provides early references to the phenomenon. The philosopher Aristotle, wrote: "Often when we sleep, something in the consciousness says that what then shows itself is only a dream." In the same time, Pergamon physicist Galen used lucid dreams as a therapeutic tool. Philosopher and physician Sir Thomas Browne (1605–1682) was fascinated by dreams and described his own ability to lucid dream in his Religio Medici, stating: '...yet in one dream I can compose a whole Comedy, behold the action, apprehend the jests and laugh my self-awake at the conceits thereof'. Samuel Pepys in his diary entry for 15 August 1665 records a dream, stating: "I had my Lady Castlemayne in my arms and was admitted to use all the dalliance I desired with her, and then dreams that this could not be awake, but that it was only a dream".

I never wrote such vibrant scenes so quickly and easily. The results were surprising. They seemed to come from this creative balance of consciousness and unconsciousness directly. Of course I had to edit and shape it afterwards, but the simplicity with which they joined the poem was a boon. I learned to hold the threads of the poem gently in my mind as I re-entered a lucid dream, and this culminated in a marriage of dream imagery to a poem.

A new study has discovered that the area of the brain that enables self-reflection is larger in lucid dreamers — those people who can control their dreams. According to researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin and the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, this means lucid dreamers might also be more self-reflecting when awake. Lucid dreamers are aware of dreaming while dreaming, the researchers explain. Sometimes, they can even play an active role in their dreams. Most of them, however, have this experience only a few times a year.

Dreams, a menagerie of fact and the imaginary, often eluding the reality that inspires a thought. Surreal in their imagery on the cusp of insanity where a fanciful normality will emerge, then distort.-RJVHorton

"I am a light sleeper but I am a heavy dreamer.”

[thetechmedia1]

upGrad appoints former BYJU’s exec Arjun Mohan as India CEO

Upgrad, the online learning platform focusing on short/medium term higher education courses, has appointed Arjun Mohan, former Chief Business Officer at BYJU’S, as the CEO of its India operations. The appointment is particularly a big one given Arjun’s decade-old expertise in the edtech sector and crucial hands-on, ground work in unicorn edtech upstart BYJU’s.

Mohan was one of the longest-serving employees at BYJU’S, starting his career as a teacher. He slowly moved up the ranks and occupied a number of managerial positions, including Head for Sales and Marketing, spearheading the International Business, Vice President- Marketing, and most recently, Chief Business Officer.

Before joining BYJU’S, Mohan had brief stints with Tata Motors, Tata Realty And Infrastructure Ltd. (TRIL) and Sir Dorabji Tata and Allied Trusts. He started his career as a Tata Administrative Services Manager after graduating from IIM Kozhikode, also heading Sales and Operations at Titan Industries.

Mayank Kumar, co-founder and managing director at upGrad, expressed his optimism with the appointment given Arjun’s vast know-how of the online educations sector. “Arjun brings with him a rich understanding of the online education space, the evolving consumer landscape, and keen business acumen. I’m glad to have him on board as upGrad establishes a leadership position in the 50M+ working professional ecosystem in India,” he said in a statement.

“We have only scratched the surface of this large addressable market and with Arjun coming on board, I am certain that we will push towards further cementing our leadership position in the online higher education market.”

In a press statement, Mohan said, “From where I see, there is a huge potential in the online higher education space, and upGrad with its unique proposition is set to win the market. Being part of the core team that drove exponential business growth in my previous organization, I am confident of leveraging my experience to further accelerate upGrad’s growth journey.”

The appointment comes at a strategic time, given the current situation. Students and working professionals alike, all are turning to online learning as COVID-19 has severely disrupted activities throughout the globe. As anticipated, online learning and upskilling platforms have seen massive surge in usage. And Upgrad’s numbers speak for that fact. The company has reported a 50% surge of in user activity. Market-wise, the platform competes with Edureka, Coursera, Unacademy, and Simplilearn, in the estimated $247 Million online higher education market in India. This number is estimated to rise eight-fold to $1.96 Billion by 2021. Given the congested market, what makes upGrad stand out is the unique hand-holding it provides to the learners on the platform.

“We even hear it from our students as well till today, that there is no other brand that has been able to provide this level of direction, guidance, motivation and support the way we do. The moment a learner is assigned a batch to begin the program, a student mentor gets in touch with them. From day one onwards, the learner/mentee and student mentor start communicating regarding program-specific topics. From then on the learner’s experiences, life’s problems and joys become an unforgettable part of the student, mentor’s life too. Such is the bond that we build with the learner. And when that learner receives his certification/ diploma at the end of the program, nothing makes our student mentor happier than to see his mentee succeed”, Mayank says.

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[risingphoenixwriting]

Phoenix Heart Update

I’m nearing the 20k word mark and I am excited, so here’s Chapter 2 for any of my followers who would be interested to read it. If you find any spelling/grammar errors that I or ProWritingAid may have missed, please let me know so I can get to it ASAP. I still appreciate constructive criticism of course as well as any questions about Phoenix Heart. In case there is anyone who has yet to read Chapter 1, the link is right here: https://risingphoenixwriting.tumblr.com/post/182066177549/being-brave

Here is Chapter 2

Element City, California was a coastal metropolis near the Bay Area. It had six distinct areas that Lance knew about. First there was the Downtown area where high-class businesspeople went to and from their corner offices in the impressive skyline. It was also where Element City University stood proudly. It took Lance two busses and a train to get to from the upper middle class neighborhood he lived in. Near to the Downtown area was Alamo Park, a place Lance took careful consideration to avoid entirely. It was the most crime-congested spot in the city and got its name for the frequency of shootouts around the park the mayor had built to “liven up the neighborhood.” In the westernmost part of the city was the Element Pier, which is where the city’s dock workers lived during the day. In the hilly area east of the city was where the richest of the rich lived in the aptly named Colinas de Oro. Between Downtown Element City and Lance’s neighborhood, there was the Shopping District which generated most of the business for Element City’s economy.  Finally, there was the Residential District which was where Lance, Evelyn, and their families lived. It featured the cookie cutter homes in the tidy grid-like neighborhoods and then it featured the older homes for lower middle class in the less organized neighborhoods.

            Lance had already taken the bus from school to the train station and was now waiting for the train. His father’s advice was ringing in his head and he contemplated whether dropping out of school for the semester at least was the wisest thing to do. Lance was afraid that if he took a break; however, he would never go back.

“Get your dirty hands off of me!” a voice shouted from near where Lance was waiting.

            He looked up and saw a businessman clad in his suit and tie shoving an old homeless man to the ground. The beggar was a tall, lanky man who had long white hair streaked with grime. His beard was equally long, white, and grime-streaked. His tired gray eyes looked apologetically to the rage-filled businessman.

“S-Sorry, sir. I was just hoping you had the time,” he told him.

“It’s half-past go-kill-yourself-o’clock!” the businessman snapped, “You damned homeless are ruining this city!”

           The businessman huffed, and departed for another part of the station. Lance shot him an unnoticed look of disgust and then approached the homeless man.

“You okay?” he asked.

            The homeless man looked up at Lance. It was rare for someone to treat him with dignity or concern, so when he saw the outstretched hand of the much younger individual, he hesitated.

“That guy can go choke on his tie,” Lance commented, “It’s three-thirty.”

“Thank you, boy!” the homeless man exclaimed with glee, “It does this old heart justice to see the coming generation is not without kindness.”

            He picked himself up off the ground and marched off proudly to another part of the station. Lance found his actions a tad bit weird, but wrote it off as him being wacky from living on the street. Lance turned back to waiting for his train and it soon appeared before him.

            Another benefit that Lance would lose from dropping out of school this semester would be the loss of his public transportation pass that allowed him to take all busses and trains in Element City for free. Lance knew it would not be an easy decision to make, but he was glad he had the weekend to think it over.

            He boarded his train and sat down in one of the last few remaining seats. Lance noticed a pregnant woman board the train right after him, so he quickly stood back up, and offered his seat to her. Experience told him how other people on the busses and trains would rarely give their seats up to the elderly and/or disabled passengers. Lance refused to allow himself to be anything like them, so he gladly stood for the ride back to his neighborhood.

            He spent the majority of the train ride listening to music, but something compelled him to hit the button so the train would stop at the next station. He did so and waited by the exit doors while the train slowed to a stop at the station. Lance left the train and was now in the Shopping District. He did not want to be home, so he was looking for forms of distraction and thought of no better place for those than the Element City Mall.

            The three-story brick of a building featured four department stores in each corner with a variety of other shops and kiosks along the walls and the first floor walkway between them. His mother took Lance there many times as a child, so there were areas he planned to avoid.

            Lance caught a bus from the train station that would take him to the mall. He immediately entered the moment the bus dropped him off at the nearest stop. The mall was busy with teenagers just getting off from school on that Friday afternoon and Lance weaved through the crowd to the nearest escalator. He wandered blindly past shops and kiosks alike until he found himself at a bench.

            Lance sat down and looked up at the shop before him, Phoenix Heart Collectibles. It was a fan shop that had been in the mall for the past thirty years full of collectibles inspired by Element City’s former super-powered heroine, Phoenix Heart. His mother often took Lance here, and he loved every second. She had seen Phoenix Heart in action and would often tell Lance stories of her heroics before bedtime. Unfortunately, Phoenix Heart has gone unseen in the city for twenty-five years. It amazed Lance that the shop remained open for as long as it had now that its market had dried up. Unfortunately, as evidenced by the ‘Closing Soon’ sign on the storefront, the dried up market had finally taken its toll.

“What?” Lance questioned as soon as he saw the sign, “No!”

            He shot up from the bench and rushed into the shop. Its owner, Kent Clarkson, sat behind a glass display case playing Solitaire on his laptop when he noticed Lance enter. Kent was a pudgy Caucasian man with a brown ponytail and blue eyes. Uneven patches of facial hair adorned his face, and he boasted a septum piercing.

“Yo it’s Lancelot himself! How’ve you been, man?” Kent asked.

“You’re closing?” Lance questioned.

“Yeah, man. I figured I’d get out before my debt becomes unmanageable. I found a job at another comic book store and selling out will cover my debt,” Kent admitted, “The people just aren’t crazy about PH like they used to be. Can’t blame them. She hasn’t been around in forever.”

“But you can’t close!” Lance shouted.

            His outburst took aback Kent, and he cocked an eyebrow. He closed his laptop and shrugged Lance’s shout off.

“I can, man. It ain’t fair for you to expect me to keep losing money,” he responded.

“But my Mom and I would… always come here. You can’t go too,” Lance explained.

            It frustrated him. It felt like another slap in the face by the cruelness of life. How many other places he and his mother frequented would close as well? Would Slice of Life Pizzeria close next? What about One Scoop; Two Scoop? Kent moved from behind the display case and offered a hand on the younger man’s shoulder.

“Oh dude. So sorry to hear about your Mom. My condolences,” he told Lance, “I can give you something, dude. I got an autographed picture from Phoenix Heart with the certificate of authenticity and everything.”

“No,” Lance muttered in response, “You should sell it to help with your debt. Sorry for yelling.”

            Without another word, he left the shop, and Kent watched him disappear out of sight before returning to his game of Solitaire. Lance dragged his feet throughout the Element City Mall, deaf to the chattering groups of shoppers he passed along the way.

            He found a quiet spot to sit down out on the terrace next to the food court. Lance plugged in his headphones and set his head down on the table. He intended to wait here either until the mall closed or until his phone died.

            Evelyn parked her white sedan in the driveway of her home across the street from Lance’s. She sat there in her car, still gripping the steering wheel, and reminisced on her and Lance’s earlier encounters. He was still so distant and refused to even look at her. It hurt her every time they ran into each other, which was often because of them being neighbors and her job as his father’s assistant at school. She moved her hands from her steering wheel and ran them through her hair to shake the stress out of her.

            The “bloop-bloop” of a police car pulling up in the driveway next to Evelyn made her jump in fright. She shot a glare at her mother’s smiling face as the cruiser’s engine switched off. Veronica Sanchez exited the vehicle and approached Evelyn’s car. She was a tall, Latina woman made taller by her imposingly perfect posture. She had black hair she kept tied back in a professional bun and her dark brown eyes fiercely gazed upon her daughter as she tapped on the window.

“License and registration, Miss,” she requested jokingly.

“Hardy-har-har, Mom,” Evelyn responded, grabbing her belongings.

            She opened the door, making Veronica step back, and exited her own vehicle. Evelyn looked at her mother while shouldering her messenger bag. It was odd for her to be home so early and to arrive in a police cruiser.

“Why’re you home?” Evelyn asked.

“I was on lunch and forgot the leftover enchiladas in the fridge, so I borrowed a cruiser so I didn’t have to wait at any traffic lights,” Veronica explained.

“Wow, you’re ridiculous,” Evelyn responded, leading the way to the front door.

“Don’t judge. I could abuse my power in worse ways and you know it, Mija,” Veronica countered.

            Evelyn unlocked the front door, and both women entered their home. Evelyn kicked her sneakers off by the door and neatly lined them up beside other shoes the two women owned. Veronica hurried past her into the kitchen so she could heat the leftover enchiladas to take with her.

“Why’re you stressed out, Mija?” she asked her daughter, “The only time you sit in your car like that is when you’re stressed and you’ve been doing it often.”

“I’m fine,” Evelyn responded.

“Lying to a police officer now?” Veronica asked, “I thought I raised you better than that.”

            Evelyn groaned in annoyance and entered the kitchen. Veronica was giving her knowing looks while rubbing her chin contemplatively. The older Sanchez woman was deducing what stressed her daughter out this time. It wasn’t because of being overloaded with classes and other activities to flourish her resume. It was Friday, which meant she was assisting Aidan Zimmerman the same day he had a class with Lance. There it was.

“Mija, you need to give that boy his space,” Veronica told her daughter.

“I am. We always run into each other, and I feel hurt when he refuses to acknowledge me,” Evelyn admitted, “I’m one of his best friends. He doesn’t give Ty any time either. I’m concerned for his well-being.”

            Veronica smiled a little. She always admired her daughter’s loving personality and forcibly pulled her into a suffocating embrace. Evelyn groaned in response and looked up to the ceiling for divine intervention. The microwave beeped and rescued her from Veronica’s smothering nature. Evelyn took a few steps away from her mother and collected herself.

“Give Lance time. He is hurting, Mija,” Veronica suggested.

            She put a lid over the steaming leftovers and marched out of the kitchen. She stopped by the front door and checked to make sure she had everything she needed for work.

“I’ll be home late,” Veronica informed, “Don’t wait up.”

“I never do, Mom,” Evelyn responded.

            The front door opened and closed. She listened to the sound of the police cruiser leaving the driveway and then sighed in defeat. Maybe her mother was right, and she needed to be patient. Evelyn then went to her room so she could do her homework and study for an upcoming midterm.

            Hours later that night, Lance’s phone finally died, so he ambled on through the emptying mall to catch the next bus home. Luckily, the Shopping District and Residential District were close enough to each other for the train to be unnecessary and a single bus would suffice. He watches stores race by as the bus drove its route through the city. Streetlights replaced the store lights as Lance now arrived to the outskirts of the upper middle class neighborhood he and Evelyn lived in.

            He thought of Evelyn and felt guilty at being so cold toward her recently. She was just so coddling toward him ever since his mother passed away. Lance did not want coddling, so he pushed Evelyn away. He wound up pushing both of his closest friends away so he could buckle down and focus on school. Fat load of good that decision was. He was nearly failing or downright failing all of his classes this semester. He lacked the energy to do any of the work expected of him.

            Lance signaled for the bus to stop at the next stop and disembarked through his neighborhood toward home. He saw the large oak tree with a tire swing hanging from one of its thickest branches. He reminisced on all the afternoons he and Evelyn would spend swinging on the tire. A brief smile appeared on his face, but that smile fell the moment he saw the beat-up Honda in the driveway in front of his home. Cole was there. The pickup truck beside the Honda informed Lance that his father was home. That meant one thing.

            Lance slowly approached his front door and he could already hear the confirmation to his concerns. The three ceramic pots were still sitting beside the porch, but they held wilted and dying roses suffering from months without care. Lance opened the door and entered his home despite having not considered it to be home for several months now.

“You come into my house and eat the food I help buy and you don’t have the common decency to clean up after yourself!?” Aidan’s booming voice thundered from the kitchen.

“Oh, get off your high horse, old man! I’m cleaning the stupid dishes now!” Cole’s bitter and raspy voice responded.

“You need to show respect, Nicholas!” Aidan responded.

            A plate shattered, and a yelp responded, so Lance knew Ashleigh was home. He did not see her car parked on the street because of being so focused on his brother and father’s vehicles.

“Don’t call me Nicholas! The only person I ever allowed to call me that is dead!” Cole shouted.

            Lance sat himself on the large sofa and covered his ears to drown out the argument. This was a common theme in the Zimmerman household ever since the matriarch passed away. It was one reason Cole moved out, but all of his money went to the ridiculous rent he had to pay for a studio apartment, so he often stopped by for food. It was also one reason Lance avoided his home like the plague.

“Cole, please stop shouting,” Aidan begged, his voice growing considerably calmer. 

“No! I’m so sick of you, Dad! Hell, I wish you had died instead of…!” Cole shouted in response before pausing upon realizing what he almost finished saying.

            He had said enough; however, and there was an eerie silence coming from the kitchen. Lance could hear only the sink faucet. He waited for someone to say something.

“H-He didn’t mean it,” Ashleigh’s voice broke the silence.

            Cole did not admit to this even though everyone knew he meant nothing behind the words. He shut off the sink faucet and left the house without even giving Lance any acknowledgment. Lance wondered if Evelyn felt the same way when he did not acknowledge her.

“D-Dad, wait…,” Ashleigh’s voice continued.

            Aidan then appeared, followed by his daughter, and the former disappeared into the master bedroom on the other end of the front room. The door slammed and Ashleigh flinched before realizing Lance was there. She opened her mouth, but found herself rendered silent. Lance said nothing to her either and stood up from the sofa. He left for his bedroom, leaving Ashleigh amidst the remains of their broken family.