#too long text blue!

[kbluebirdart]

The latest director interview revealed Zelda's contemplating whether she should restore the kingdom Hyrule is interesting.

I agree that her hesitation to restore should have shown. but imagine why she didn't put her thoughts about this on dairy, maybe because she has had many conflicting feelings of being afraid to admit to herself that she doesn't want to go back to that place(Hyrule castle)that haunting from the past.

Afraid that people will disappoint her for being a princess of Hyrule who wants to run away from living up to their expectations. Anguish that she allows herself to be fragile and selfish not wanting to restore.

being biased that people doing fine and have their own lives/systems without her ruling them. but still, she also doesn't want to disappoint herself...

Going back to the past opens her eyes to see what is like to have a heartwarming family that understands, and supports her. But the past does not feel like a home, a place where she belonged since her own era has the people she loved/emotionally attached to.

Rauru and Sonia taught Zelda a lot of things. that she feels inspired by them, becomes more confident, is no longer scared for a future that has not yet come, and wants to make her home a safer place for everyone.

Then she learned time power in the hope of going home, only to find out that she has to sacrifice herself but she'll do it even if she's so scared. even if she has a choice to continue living in the past. she'll do it bc she knows now that people from her era, Her people need her help and her Link is waiting for her, that she wants to be there when needed, even if she's no longer herself...

[kuroashims]

i finished both the one piece manga and anime, but after watching opla, started the anime all over again. 1084 episodes x 22 min = 23848 min = ...

WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME

[gillionmeowstrider]

certified pirate D.I.L.F. on the albatross ‼️‼️

[aalesu]

I finished Nami's part from To Kiss a King!!!

Check out the previous part (Zoro's)

Happy valentines day!! (though in my time zone It's 12:23 as I'm writing this lol, so I didn't really finished in time but shush)

Before she could even control herself, Nami felt her fist impact with Luffy's head and watched him implant into the marble floor. 

"What the hell kinda question is that?!" She screeched, ignoring the way her face flared up with heat. 

Luffy groaned, sitting up and pulling his face off the ground with a pop! 

"...Izz tha' a no?" 

"O-Of course! Why would you just ask me to kiss you? Don't you have any self-awareness?!"

Please go read the fic on ao3! I love it so much (east blue polycule + Luffy being Luffy + platonically kissing all of the strawhats, who, for some reason agree to it)

[fakehusbandgarbagedump]

THE PATRIOT (2000) Jason Isaacs as Colonel William Tavington requested by @lyledebeast

[restingbuchface]

meet me in st. louis.

[oksurethisismyname]

Hiiiii as a queer person living in the Bible Belt of the USA, I’m envisioning a “Christian trauma AU / general theology AU” because you know my main focus is always Sanji. This assumed that we’re in the USA, modern era, and I guess maybe a college or post grad AU for how they meet each other? This is a lonnnnnnnng text post so scroll at your own risk. To keep it from being toooo long I’m also sticking to east blue crew.

Hear me out:

There are a million different sects of Christianity so we’ve got a ton of angles to use.

Garp is catholic (but think FRENCH laïcité instead of American Amy Coney Barret Supreme Court justice weird catholic cult), Dragon straight up rebels against the strict structure and goes about his atheist ways. Neither of them really raise Luffy anyway so 💁🏻

Luffy ends up being agnostic. It’s not that he doesn’t believe in a higher power but he knows he needs to take action and that he can’t rely on a higher power to fix the problems of the world. Very Albert Camus, revolting against the absurd and holding himself to a higher responsibility in life

Zoro comes from a Shinto or Buddhist background. He’s not judging anyone’s religious beliefs unless they’re harming others.

Nami has religious trauma from the Baptist church that set up in her town and made it impossible to be herself. Belle Mere is so clearly queer and she’s harassed and dies at the hands of some zealous bigots who were emboldened by the words of the local Baptist church pastor (Arlong)

Ussop comes from a chill Protestant background (maybe Presbyterian?) But he’s more of a CEO (Christmas Easter Only) in terms of actually attending any sort of church. Honestly, with his dad out of the picture and his mom dying, he just had bigger things on his mind like living every day.

Finally, Sanji. Oh boy, Sanji has major “Quiverfull movement Christian” trauma from Judge. For those who don’t know, quiverfull is a Christian extremist movement where the idea is to have as many kids as possible and adhere to very strict purity rules and gender roles. Contraception isn’t allowed. Women wear long skirts and non fitted shirts to hide their womanly form (ew), and most of the time these parents homeschool there kids to avoid the “temptation” or “impurity” of modern society.

Judge had these 5 kids who he’s raised in this faith but Sanji never liked how Judge treated his mom. Why was Sora supposed to be “seen and not heard?” Why was it ok for his brothers to use scripture to bully and hurt and spread hate? Why would a loving god create women just to subjugate them? Judge wouldn’t like this, and once Sora passes away (probably because Judge wouldn’t let her seek medical care post birth of the quadruplets, so her health deteriorated for years), Judge locks him up and makes him do all sorts of horrible “prayer” and “repentance” practices, which are really just abuse.

Sanji would maybe escape when they go into town to get something mundane like a printer or a new wifi router (which only judge is allowed to use the internet). He’d probably bolt first chance he gets and when he meets Zeff, Zeff can recognize the signals of abuse. He takes Sanji in and even though Sanji never believed women were less than men, he still has years of trauma and gender roles beaten into him that he has to unpack.

His choice to cook? That’s a huge rebellion. Wearing tight fitting suits that look sinful? That’s a middle finger to his dad. He always treats women like goddesses because he feels so much guilt for the sins of his father. When he finally joins the Strawhats, he’s so overwhelmed with how free and nonjudgmental they are (of important stuff, obviously they’ll still poke fun at small stuff) that he feels comfortable dropping little comments here and there, opening up.

Ussop will be comforting Nami about something and sanji will tell him is so refreshing to see a man be so nurturing. He goes to Ussop often, asking how he’s so confident sharing his emotions.

Nami will be ordering them around and he’ll do everything she says with a smile, just happy to see her free to do what she wants (which is be a bossy bitch)

Zoro will talk about Kuina one night and Sanji will sob, overwhelmed with joy that she got to have all that strength and a friend like zoro even when faced with hurtful gender expectations.

Luffy above all is the most jarring for him. He grew up hearing about sin and sinners and temptation and evil but when he sees Luffy doing his thing, taking down bad people, fighting for the underdog, he knows that if there is a God (he she it they? Who cares), Luffy is doing their work.

——————

Bonus Gay Cherry on top is that Sanji meets Iva and gets into drag, starts performing, does some events, and through that gender liberation is able to find some peace in who he is, tucking away all the hate he was born into. And he ends up with zoro the end bye

[blue-tearss]

Okay... Professor, I'm going to be upfront and honest with you. I don't like you. Something about you rubs me the wrong way and I find you extremely difficult to speak to because of it. However, in that same breath, I don't know you, so I'm going to try and handle this odd situation we're in with as much decorum as possible and treat you with the same respect I would show any other person.

I realize that you don't care about Blue, at least, not in the way a grandfather should care about his grandson or his own children, but I can understand that given your... unique situation. But even though I feel as though you would not care about whether what I'm about to ask you is possible or not, I have nobody else to look to for answers.

Is there any possible way for us to help Blue heal in this situation, or at least make him happy? I know it's stupid but I have to ask, even if your answer isn't the one I'm hoping for.

(I know I could be asking literally anything right now, but I don't know what else to ask-)

( The screen goes black, text box and all dissapesring. )

( The screen of a PC fills the little Gameboy screen. )

( . . . )

( ... You're abruptly returned to the present after the small glimpse into the past, judging by the change in tone. )

( ???????? )

( The GAMEBOY is violently and abruptly shaken. )

( It shuts off for a moment before turning back on to a black screen, and one irritated textbox containing 3 simple dots. )

[sl33py-g4m3r]

ramble about me constantly restarting games ~~~ why tho~~~? y i do this? -_-;;

I wish I wasn't such a serial game restarter~~ idk why I do this to begin with~~

I hope I don't do it with Pokemon violet cause I've almost got all of the pokedexes complete~~~ just need some version exclusives from scarlet, as well as all the legendary treats~~ but you got to multiplayer for the other version's ones and neither me nor my sibling are in a pokemon playing mood I think~~ sadly~~

a note to myself to not restart pokemon violet~~ we're almost done baby~~

but nope~~ this post was concerning specifically animal crossing new horizons~~~

I was using a cataloging app on my phone to track donations to the museum, diys, items I had, everything really~~

I stopped playing that particular island for like a year and then restarted cause I got bored I guess?

so now my island and cataloging efforts are back at square one again.

and I was almost done with the museum and had helf of the DIY recipes~~ and was ALMOST at blue roses again~~

got to blue roses on one of my islands, restarts immediately afterwards.

I'm never going to 100% the game like this~~ which was why I was cataloging everything to begin with~~

how do I not get bored of animal crossing (or any game really) so I can actually either just beat the game, or actually 100% without restarting??

this behavior isn't helpful~~ why am I like this?

also is connecting your island to the Nintendo online app worth it to do? I've done that with many of my others previously and now don't know how to delete them off the nook link app cause I don't have those islands anymore....

I think there are items you can only get from that~~ so I'd assume it's worth it to keep paying for NSO just to use nook link and get those items~~~

which is kind of dumb~~~

what else is nook link good for tho? I don't get it~~~

TLDR: I serially restart games I intend on hopefully eventually 100% dropping me back at square one again~~ idk why I do this unless I either don't like the setup, or get bored~~~ or don't play for a while~~ I need to knock it off and chill out~~

games like these are supposed to be a chill experience~~ not a "get everything done as fast as possible" grind fest like I play them~~ I'm not a speedrunner~~

but yeah this behaviour isn't helpful to 100% how do I stop this? especially in regards to Animal Crossing New Horizons?? cause restarting my island was what got me to make this long text wall to begin with~~

help~~

[jaevy]

your room was square

i once noticed from there

in your bed, as you slept

and i held my breath

everything had its own place

and i wondered what space would i take

in the order you kept

[kbluebirdart]

Hi! It's been a while. hope you're all doing well.

Firstly, I see that there seem to be some drawing requests in my inbox, I'm not taking requests at the moment. thanks for giving me some good ideas for drawing though. actually, I may draw them for later!

BTW, this is late but ever since I found out that there will be no DLC for totk, I was bummed to learn that the Zelda team really wants to move to the next new Zelda world already. I respect their choice nonetheless.

I hope that we the fans will continue to make Zelda content, and keep the fandom alive and fun as always. I'm sure the Zelda team/Nintendo would notice that. Please continue to support that and we all will be alright!

[truly-quirkless]

@familylightfox asked:

It wasn’t often that a certain feline tagged along on adventures but Harmony wasn’t too bothered by Fafo’s curiosity. Although she could have done with if him darting after a bird on a construction site. So far all she had seen when they arrived was humans. How were they going to react to her.

“Fafo!” It was a hushed yell. “Get back here!”

[Unprompted. || Accepting!]

Admittedly,...the reception would not be as strange as Harmony would think. After all, it was a world of Quirks- which could result in anything from super-strength to being some animal-human hybrid, from looking like a normal human to one or two Harmony passed that had something akin to stars growing out of their head- or looking as though they were made fully out of solid rock. One of them even looked like an anthropomorphic orange cat- who yelped as Harmony raced by.

"Boss! We've got a kid on-site!" The call was sent through the radio- as Fafo continued to run and Harmony gave chase.

"I got 'em!" Fin dashed towards where they last recalled Filo having been- only to yelp and have to jump to avoid tripping over the fluffy Maine Coon. They spun, watching as the cat raced- and gave chase themself. "Okay, maybe not, but-!" Maybe they could corral the cat into a dead-end street on the site before it got hurt. If there was one thing Fin didn't want, it was a kid's pet to suddenly get injured while here- though the kid herself looked like some heteromorph-Quirk user. Something to sort out later.

"Everyone in Section C! Pause!" The closest sounds of construction came to a halt, several 'what's' echoing over Fin's radio. Now all that was left was keeping the cat from accidentally stepping in fresh concrete, or something. "---Y'got any treats??" They turned their attention towards the strange teen, at least audially- though they were more concerned with trying to corner the racing c---! "Idea-!"

Though whether it worked or not was anyone's guess. Fin grabbed a wire from the side of the incomplete road- pulling a soft bar from their pocket to puncture on the end, before waving it back and forth rapidly. A silly attempt at a cat toy, but one nonetheless- and hopefully one that would get the feline's attention, if only long enough to make it stop running.

[hezuart]

Hi Hezu! It’s been a while, Hope you’re doing Well 😊 since the Blaech TYBW Arc is getting Animated👀(more excited to see the Animation), There are Questions I Got to Ask! What would happen if Ichigo Took Rukia instead of Orihime to Face Yhwach? Would it have changed The story that we Currently have or Remain The Same? (To Me, I Think The Main Characters Ichigo and Rukia should Ended The Final Arc As They Are “🖤The Death and Stawberry🍓” Plus They Started The journey and shouldn’t They have finished the Journey Together as Well? I don’t know The Ending in The Manga was Messed up for Me😖) and Also How Would You have Rewritten TYBW Arc? Sorry That There are to many Questions😅😔

Ah! I almost forgot to Mention, Have you Heard about “Vanitas no Carte”?🤔 it’s Anime About Vampires and More🦋

So the whole thing with Ichigo and Yhwach was already a bit of a mess, what with him stealing Ichigo's powers, the Fullbringers kinda just showing up as a Deus Ex Machina... and the overall rush of the storyline just didn't fit as a finale. I would have completely rewritten BLEACH's final arc so it wouldn't have come down to Ichigo chasing Yhwach through a portal. Anyway, Rukia, despite being more powerful than Orihime, probably wouldn't have made a whole lot of difference in the fight. Her bankai is too dangerous to use on an unpredictable enemy. Her ice powers might have proved more useful than Orihime's powers, but overall I don't think she would have won them the war. She could have very well become an injured damsel in distress too. It is very weird that Renji of all people comes along to the final battle, and not like... ALL of them. Out of everyone, Renji is the one who doesn't belong in the main cast, but they always act like he does. He wronged pretty much every member of Karakura in some way, and he's never made up for it. Rukia spent time in the world of the living and time with the Karakura team  when Renji hasn't. (Even when he did, he spent it with Urahara, who is also a shinigami) So he can't relate to any of them. He may be one of Ichigo's rivals but its just very random for him to come in to assist Ichigo, especially when in the end he barely puts up a fight before Aizen has to interfere. Well for one, to fix the arc, I would have honestly had Yhwach kidnap Ichigo, brainwash him, and train him as a proper Quincy, because Uryu is really useless here. I feel like Uryu, once he realizes Ichigo has been captured and Ichigo is a QUINCY, Uryu would finally have a purpose and kick it into high gear to try and help not only himself but also Ichigo. He's gotta drop his secret agent nonsense with Yhwach to try and get Ichigo out unscathed, which involves needing the help of the other members of Karakura. I’d fix Bazz B and Jugram’s friendship. Maybe have Jugram turn against Yhwach for the sake of Bazz B in the end. (I’d fix a lot of other Quincy characters too, to make them more likable and relatable because honestly I don’t care about any of them) There wouldn't be zombies in the way they were introduced. X-axis guy would never turn into giant mitosis birds because what the fucking hell was that I'd also have more flashbacks explaining the soul king, on top of Yhwach's actual overall plans. Aizen escapes. He never gets back in that chair. At some point maybe ichigos powers go haywire because yhwach is controlling his Quincy side and that clashes with his hollow. Any excuse to see more zangetsu. Maybe Quincy Zangetsu gives up because he knows its inevitable that Yhwach will win, but Ichigo and Hollow Zangetsu manage to convince him. Ichigo gets a badass complete bankai, a perfect fusion of ALL his powers that Yhwach never foresaw, and destroys the man. (See the Bleach Brave Souls all powerful version of Ichigo for reference) Ichigo becomes Soul King, or maybe even Aizen becomes the Soul King. Whoever becomes the next Soul King is placed in Stasis, unable to move or speak……. Or maybe that whole thing is tossed out and they can freely walk around the Zero Squad Barracks. If Ichigo doesn’t become Soul King, then he at the very least would no longer be allowed to return to the human world and he’d probably become a captain, resparking the Shiba family Noble line.

Side note but I’d explain what on Earth was going on with Komamura’s family history, I’d probably kill Toushiro or make him ill (his life was cut in half and he becomes an adult for some really weird reason when he goes bankai… like I know hes the most popular BLEACH character in Japan but he’s been through way too much to come out unscathed like that) Nemu and Mayuri would have never had that creepy Stockholm syndrome chapter sequence. Absolutely kill off Mayuri. Maybe Nemu could take over as the new squad captain in his place. Ichigo’s friends’ tickets would actually be usable and have meaning despite the horrible timing they received them. Orihime and/or Hachigen fix Captain Kyouraku’s eye (because wtf why is that not fixed yet. Like yeah , eye patches are cool but sir there’s people who can fix that for you. Right there. Even Nemu could probably make one for you. Fix it.) Neliel and Grimmjow would have gotten a fight scene against some powerful Quincy, maybe see some Segunda Etapa forms from them. Def a lot more bankais from other characters, especially Hisagi, whose bankai was hinted at, but never received until the novel. 

And probably so much more. I would have rewritten the entire Fullbring arc as well. Given Orihime and Chad proper upgrades. I would have never separated the gang as much as Kubo has the past decade... There’s just so much to fix.  ~~~

I've heard of Vanitas no Carte and I've seen some episodes. It looks really pretty and it seems like something I could get into. The main character sorta reminds me of Lelouch. Unfortunately, the anime has a major tonal dissonance problem. One moment it's very serious or scary, and the next the characters have a complete 180 comedic reaction, and it seems to happen constantly to the point where I'm taken out of the story because of it. And I'm also confused on the direction of it. It seems to tease a romantic subtext with the main characters, Vanitas and Noe, but they both actually have girlfriends??? That they are super romantically involved with? But the girls don't have as much screen time or an overarching plot that truly relates to main characters' overall story? I mean I haven't watched the full thing, so maybe I'm missing something, but we spend a good chunk of time focusing on those relationships instead of the plot at hand and I don’t understand what their purpose in the story is. So I could check it out, but I think it won’t be something I’ll be able to stick to.

[call-me-oracle]

barbara gordon in black canary/oracle: birds of prey pt 2

bonus:

[phenomenologically]

As "Ameriican Requiem" opens with gospel-inspired elegance, the melody will quickly switch into -- what will become -- Cowboy Carter's signature acoustic twang. As the melody turns with synth sparkle, you realize Beyoncé has provided us her new 'pledge of allegiance': "For things to stay the same, they need to change again." Amen!

The gospel -- in terms of scripture, rather than musicality -- captures my attention here. Perhaps I've been listening to too much old-school blues, but Cowboy Carter's biblical references provide through-lines to the heart of Southern Black country and blues music. This isn't to say that this is Beyoncé's first time bringing God into her lyrics; but rather, the spiritual exclamations and jubilations of Cowboy Carter seem more fully realized when married with the sounds of blues' forebearers like Blind Joe Taggart ("God's Gonna Separate the Wheat from the Tares); Sister Rosetta Tharpe ("Precious Lord, Take My Hand"); and Arizona Dranes ("My Soul is a Witness"). These parallels can be drawn through acoustics, through the embellished runs Beyoncé uses to emphasize milestones within her songs' narratives (think of the octave change on "early age" in verse one and the bridge of "16 Carriages").

The prose-like approach to personal narrative throughout the album also serves the connection to late-1800s/early-1900s emerging blues, "negro spirituals," and country songs from Black artists of the era. While Beyoncé has drawn her life experiences plainly into her discography prior to Cowboy Carter, the styling of the album feels particularly attuned to imparting heartfelt, genuine lived experience.

In "Protector," Beyoncé soothes her children (in the song, Rumi's voice is sampled) with promises of protection, projection, and "Liftin' you up, so you will be raised." The content here reminded me, by contrast, of the well-loved blues anthem "(Sometimes I Feel Like A) Motherless Child" covered by icons like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, multi-hyphenate Paul Robeson, and folk-revivalist Odetta. While the singer of "Motherless Child" laments their lonesomeness, their isolation "a long ways from home," Cowboy Carter subverts this relationship and ensures that she will "lead you down that road if you lose your way." This points to another relationship between the album and its possible early blues-inspirations: "For things to stay the same, they need to change again."

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter seeks to establish a new dialogue between Southern Black parent and child; husband and wife; community and individual. "Texas Hold 'Em" clarifies my point. Here, Beyoncé invites her muse to "lay your cards down," a phrase relevant to cardgames, yes, but one that's also used figuratively to indicate succumbing to vulnerability. In the pre-chorus after verse one she says, "I can't read your mind," indicating that while her partner may be connecting with her physically (on "the floor"), he still needs to "lay [his] cards down" so they can "work [their problems] in the middle," rather than side-stepping and dancing around them.

Her continual request to "pour some sugar on me," while immediately recognizable as a possible allegory of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me," the line reminds me more of "the Empress of Blues" Bessie Smith's "Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl." In the song, Bessie pleads for "some good man to tell my troubles to," -- laying her cards on the table. Interestingly, both Bessie Smith's "Need a Little Sugar," and Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar," carry a... frisky, let's say, subtext. I would be remiss to say that "Texas Hold 'Em," is entirely about breaking down emotional barriers between partners, without recognizing there's a lot of physical barriers Beyoncé tangles with as well. However, ultimately "Texas Hold 'Em" helps to elucidate that larger theme of the album: starting hard conversations among partners and families, and reasserting love and forgiveness above all.

The empassioned declarations of love and support -- to daughters, to husbands, to mothers and fathers -- are peppered throughout the album. "Bodyguard," "My Rose," "Alligator Tears," and "II Hands II Heaven," provide Beyoncé the platform to express these wishes singularly; while duets like "II Most Wanted" with Miley Cyrus more explicitly illustrate how important unhindered commitment in partnership is to Beyoncé. And, once again, these themes between romantic/sexual/lifelong partners mirrors much of the content of early blues, particularly (to me) the work of Sippie Wallace: the inspiration of blues/rock artist Bonnie Rait.

For instance, Sippie's biggest hit, "I'm a Mighty Tight Woman," recounts her wishes for a good man who will make her happy, "and I will make him happy too." She describes herself as a "jack of all trades," able to support her "pretty papa" in any wish or struggle -- mirroring some of the promises Beyoncé extends in "Bodyguard," for example. Much of Sippie's discography presents cynical (but wise, perhaps) views on marriage. Her song "Women Be Wise" advises married women, "don't advertise your man," as desperate women will come looking for him: a similar case as Cowboy Carter's "Jolene." Yet, once again, Beyoncé reaffirms her pledge of change by telling Jolene, "I'ma stand by him, he gon' stand by me." She doesn't relent to the "inevitability" of female competition, of unfaithfulness. She reaffirms wholeheartedly the trust in her partnership, and the value they add to one another. This is an evolution on Sippie's narrative, in which "Women Be Wise," ends with her own admission of guilt: "Lord honey, I just might sneek up and try to make him mine." Rather than committing to a partnership, she too moves on to the next.

I would be remiss to publish this review without addressing "Ya Ya." Here, Beyoncé partners with a soulful chorus to opine on American realities: sex, God, and shady insurance companies. The narrative retelling of these moments intercut with a toe-tapping "ya ya ya" chorus brought to mind lawyer, professional football player, activist, singer and actor (that's what I meant by multi-hyphenate) Paul Robeson. His famous rendition of "Joe Hill," details the 1914 murder of union organizer and communist Joe Hill. Parallel to the repetition of "ya-ya" and "la-la" through Cowboy Carter, Robeson returns again and again to Joe Hill's empowering response to questions of his death: "'I never died,' says he." And similar to Beyoncé's questioning of "workin' time and a half for half the pay," so too is "Joe Hill" questioning the working class: if your leader dies, does your cause die? Does your need for change die? No, "they organized." For this, Beyoncé prays "that he don't crash," but similarly, that her hardworking man "gotta keep the faith." Now -- "Ya Ya" is not a call to union organization and worker's empowerment as "Joe Hill," was. But, it's an important touchstone onto my earlier point: that Cowboy Carter is calling not only for changes within partnership and family, but larger communities and perhaps, American society at-large. To recognize the shared struggle, faith, and love of delicious cheesy grits that has always connected working-class Americans -- rather than superficial categories pre-determined by melanation -- despite a bloody "History that can't be erased."

I could unpack many, many more connections between Cowboy Carter and the blues genre, but I'll end on the poignant necessity of "Amen." Here, Beyoncé returns to the hook of "Ameriican Requiem,": Can you see her point? Can you hear her history? "Looker-there, looker there now," she croons in the opening track. "Have mercy on me," she belts at the close. "Amen," brings us visions of the present South; meticulously upkept plantation homes "built with blood and bone," though the homes of the enslaved Americans who built them have "crumbled." Civil War and Colonial-era monuments standing above struggling neighborhoods, beautifying the "lies of stone."

"For things to stay the same, they need to change again." For freedom to remain intact, to remain the foundation of "country," it must evolve to new heights, new communities, new dialogues. To "purify our Father's sins," requires not only a reckoning with the self, but a reckoning with the greater culture. It means not only shamelessly extending love and support to those closest to you, but recognizing the opportunities to spark love with those farthest from -- or most dissimilar to -- you.

Favorite Tracks:

"16 Carriages"

"Alligator Tears"

"Ya Ya"

[izzy-b-hands]

Didn't think the 1989 version of The Woman In Black would be scarier than the one with Dan Radcliffe in it

I was Wrong flkjdsafkldsja, but I'm delighted to have been wrong. I had missed getting scared with more practical effects/careful timing of things in the background of shots appearing and disappearing, and this one scratches that itch well.