#here is a thousand words on the film “M*A*S*H”

[wellntruly]

M*A*S*H (not that one)

I went to Manderley again--rewatched the Altman M*A*S*H. Completely worrying pattern, being nearly exactly one year after the first time I saw it. If I end up watching M*A*S*H (1970) in the last weeks of August every year that’s going to wind me up on some sort of list. By women. And they’ll be right.

I hadn’t known at first, but the eventual realization was as inevitable as anything in the movie, a sort of regrettable slide of “no, I’m gonna.” Why does anyone do the things they do in M*A*S*H. Why does anyone do M*A*S*H. Both of these questions don’t have question marks because it’s just already happening.

There are some attenuating circumstances, sure. War, weather, Robert Altman, a friend, a kind of numb seeking for the sword of time that will pierce your skin. Elliott Gould, probably, also. 

If you embark on a Hot ‘70s Summer, you don’t actually leave it. Winter just falls, and you go into that mode of the ‘70s, bundling up in inadequate materials against the cold, and still somehow, feel cozy. But before that turn, those still, hot weeks hanging hazy at the top of the year, the most Hot ‘70s Summer, 1970, the most ‘70 movie to ever exist: Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H. 

I was an hour and thirty minutes into it before I remembered with a little twitch that at some point, in the beginning, this was set in the 1950s. Hilarious to recall. Maybe it’s the 1950s in Richard Hooker’s book about his time in a Korean War field hospital, also titled M*A*S*H; I do not know. I simply know it is not the 1950s here, it is well 1969 precisely, at filming, and America has just achieved its dismal high water mark for the number of troops currently deployed in Vietnam. This is Vietnam. It’s not Korea, it’s not Japan, it’s the crest of the Vietnam War in a mountain park in California, and a nation knew that immediately, knew that with everything they had, which was mostly nihilism. 

M*A*S*H (1970) dir. Robert Altman is probably the most historically specific film object I have ever seen. You cannot navigate, valuably, anything this movie is doing outwith its historical and cultural context. Some works of art are timeless, and on the other end there is M*A*S*H, made OF time, yanked out of the fabric of it with film cameras rolling and a sound mix that says: all of it, and that act winds up changing what will happen--historically, culturally--as time continues on.

M*A*S*H is its time. It meets America head-on, and leers. It’s not that it breaks something in the culture, it just reflects back something that was already broken, the people already scarring over. M*A*S*H only works if you’re watching it knowing that. Not to be didactic. Something the movie resolutely refuses to be, at any moment, which causes audiences today, removed from the milieu, to question, alarmed, do they know? Do they know that they're awful? Oh yes. Do they also take delight in their being awful? Oho yes. We are all broken. :).

The tagline of this movie, still on a lot of the posters you’ll see, was “M*A*S*H gives a D*A*M*N.” This is so curious to me. It is either a straight up lie, or a key. This would appear a movie predominately peopled with characters who seem, in kind of post-modern incongruity with their surroundings, almost implacably non-committal. Removed, irreverent, careless. Sure it turns callous, sure in trying to deflect the stupid brutality of war they often just end up turning brutal stupidity onto others. A catalog of non-definite acts, something to mask the desperation.

I think a lot about this one Chris Fleming video where he said something like, “ever since my parents grasped that a movie can still be good even if it doesn’t make you feel good, they’ve been going absolutely ham at the independent theater.” Realizing this really does open up your world, and also gets you on lists (I deserve to be there!!). This is how lightly sweating in a slowly turning fan at the end of summer you think, mm, gonna watch M*A*S*H… 

Why? Vibes. But the vibes are bad. Yeah I know. But they’re also….I think the phrase I used in a message to the friend I first watched this movie with, as soon as those opening credits started playing over me again, was “badly enchanting.” There’s something about the way it looks, the way it sounds. Khaki-colored sunlight and dirt and those Japanese covers of old standards playing through a PA system. That Altman calling card layered up dialogue where they somehow arrange it just-so so that you still hear the parts you’re supposed to, god.

This is how you end up saying, oh this movie is not like, a nice time, I occasionally quite dislike the sensation of watching it, and yet also, sometimes it's just what I want to watch. I don’t know, it’s AltM*A*S*H. One minute I’m thinking, incredible that you thought this was funny, and then the next I’m like, you are the only people who understand this particular thing I think is funny. Primarily in that though it’s three things: 1. unhinged heavily metatextual opening and closing pacing & especially this narrating voice at the end just being like “welp, that was that” and rapidly rehashing clips of the cast at ever increasing speed, 2. two Bud Cort moments, 3. GaryBurghoffRadarO’Reilly.

This is the juncture where I get off actually, because if I keep going in this mode about the completely insane thing that somehow happened next, to M*A*S*H and to me, M*A*S*H (1972-1983), we'd be here 10 years and I would die, whichever comes first.

But I will tell you one thing! Just one thing!!! If I’m in what, 1972, much like I was 2022, and they’re like, there’s gonna be a M*A*S*H TV show, and the one person who will be the same is that kid Radar, I’m like oh, of course, the most character who can travel between worlds performance of all time.

[annathesillyfriend]

Anna's August Fic Recs

Welcome to my August fic recommendations masterpost!! This has been quite a busy month for me but I'm holding onto last weeks of freedom. I am trying to read as much before uni starts and I had a pleasure of reading some brilliant fics this month. I am so excited to share them with you all! I hope your summer is going amazing and to those, who have just started classes - good luck!

To all the writers - I love you and I appreciate you so much!

To all the readers - please, share the fics you read and love. The reblog really makes the change! It’s the least we can do to show our gratitude.

HOLLAND & Co.

✨ Tom Holland

revenges is sweet by @t-lostinworlds

series, social media au, college!au, football player!tom, fake dating, idiots to lovers, all of our fave tropes, i am invested in this series more than i am in my own life, it's just that good

sunkissed by @duskholland

one-shot, 18+, surfer!tom x lifeguard!tom, exes to lovers, h's great mind at its finest 👏

souvenirs of the heart by @veryholland

one-shot, brought me to tears no joke, such a beutiful story, mila did such an amazing job!!

heartbreak girl by @lauras-collection

one-shot, 18+, lead singer!tom, based on 5SOS song, this is so goooood 😫😫 this story lives in my heart rent free right nextdoor to laura!!

act 1: scene 5 and 6 by @youandtom

one-shot, best friends to lovers, helping tom with learning lines, i loved this very much!

happier than ever by @vendettaparker

one-shot, tom being the great lad he is comes to save an awful date and we stan

the trial of the eldest holland by @reawritesthings

one-shot, ex!tom, welcome to the angst town! this is so deeply heartbreaking but so beautifully written!

lucky to be in love by @hollandsvogue

one-shot, rose is going staright for my silly little heart :')

slide in by @uglypastels

one-shot, frat!tom, i fall in love with this story time and time again

white winged dove by @muhollands

one-shot, 18+, conuntry!tom, insert country boy i love you vine here (also, i'd like to take this moment to kindly invite you all to go through d's whole masterlist cause it's brilliant. this mj blurb has sent me straight to hell but it's so worth it)

abide by @hazofmyheart

one-shot, 18+, mob!au, tom x reader x harrison, this made me feel some type of way 👁👄👁

getting ahead of ourselves by @/hazofmyheart

one-shot, 18+, college! lacrosse player!tom holland x tutor!reader, this is soft, this is cute, this is hot, this is everything! 12/10 would recommend

✨ Harrison Osterfield

little lune by @dovenymph

one-shot, celebrating your birthday with haz, made me want a refund for my birthday cause it's so lovely 🥺🥺

it will come back by @greenorangevioletgrass

one-shot, part of the rich kid!au series, 18+, richkid!haz x richkid!reader x actor!tom, there are no words in any language that would let me express how much i love ava and this au

✨ Harry Holland

wild side by @softholand

one-shot, 18+, best friends to lovers, that trope was made to be written about mister harry holland, i swear

lost in your light by @spider-barnes

one-shot, 18+, best friends to lovers, bloody lovely 💛

falling in love at a coffee shop by @/spider-barnes

one-shot, college!au, oh to fall in love with harry holland at a coffee shop 😫

hope is frightening thing by @peterplanet

one-shot, writer!reader x first da!harry, her book gets a film adaptation and harry is being is wonderful self 🥰

my forever by @unsaidholland

blurb, talking about your future with him, it's just 🥰🥰

circles by @farfromharry

one-shot, rich kid!au, enemies to lovers, so wonderful!

MARVEL

🎂 Suz's birthday fics

this total babe @samwilsons-pillowpecs gave us four beautiful gift on her birthday! we adore you, lovely 🥰 these stories are all wonderful anddeserve their own category 💛

you're the glitter in the dark

one-shot, 18+, mob!bucky

if i could touch you...

one-shot, 18+, boxer!steve

love you in a thousand ways

one-shot, 18+, ceo!sam

miss your kiss

one-shot, 18+, biker!thor

🎂@rodrikstark ’s 1.5k follower celebration!

collecion of headcanons with our favourite marvel boys as well as some other characters, i bloody love them all but my numer one has got to be joaquin teaching you spanish 😌

✨ Sam Wilson

book smart by @indyluckycharlie

one-shot, librarian!sam x PhD student!reader, such a warm and comfy little story by my dearest cate who i love very much 😌

he we go again by @/xbuchananbarnes

one-shot, idiots in love 🥰🥰

adventures in babysitting captain america and winter solider by @princessmisery666

one-shot, reader takes the boys to disneyland and it's just so amazing!

stay awhile by @lacapucharoja

one-shot, black!reader, a saturday morning with sam 😌😌

slow motion by @ambrosiase

one-shot, 18+, sam in baggy grey sweatpants and no underwear, need i say more?

✨ Steve Rogers

bullies, bullied by @anika-ann

one-shot, my main babe is blessing us with protective steve and i love her 🥰

there's a peace in dreaming by @babycap

one-shot, i don't have the words to tell you how stunning this story is, please go read it

✨ Bucky Barnes

timer by @xbuchananbarnes

series, soulmate!au based on the movie TiMER (2009). i could go on and on about how incredible that series is but with dani it's a given, sooo 🤷‍♀️

the kids will be alright by @imaginationintowords

series, social media au, lawyer!bucky x interior designer!reader, single dad!bucky, single mom!reader raising their kid together as friends, also reader x clark kent. honestly this is one of my fave social media aus of all time. and it's got a sequel is coming!!

quick fix by @ocean-bucky

one-shot, tfatws!bucky x ofc, vidra is the queen of ofc's, you simply can't not love her characters!

grant (part 2) by @coffeecatsandsarcasm

two-shot, bucky's in a relationship with a single mom with a little boy, it's so soft, i love this little family!

before sunset, i fell by @buckysbiota

one-shot, modern!au, when i get drunk i get myself cake, when reader got drunk, she got herself a husband. a very fine husband 😏

alcohol you later by @/xbuchananbarnes

one-shot, is it the 4th of dani's fics on this list? yes, she's just that powerful

three flags up by @starbuckie

one-shot, 18+, campcounselor!bucky x campcounselor!reader, best friends to lovers, buck being a cute little puppy in love and i adore him very much

and he kissed me right there by @sunmoonandbucky

one-shot, veteran!bucky, age gap, this is so full of feelings and it's gonna steal your heart!

lost and found by @sunshinebuckybarnes

two-shot, neighbour!bucky, alpine being the matchmaker of the year and we love that for her

hazy dreams and good mornings by @angrythingstarlight

one-shot, 18+, firefighter!bucky, i think that's enough encouragement to read this gem 😏

✨ Joaquin Torres

red by @remmysbounty

one-shot, a truly exceptional story!!

hold my words, keep us together by @/xbuchananbarnes

one-shot, soulmate!au, just simply stunning!

✨Peter Parker

love lies by @rosyparkers

series, social media au, y/n is silk but peter doesn't know it, peter is spiderman but y/n doesn't know it, sarah is the brightest star in the universe and everyone knows it

sunset lovers by @duskholland

one-shot, college! au, soulmate!au where what your soulmate writes on their skin, appears on yours. i don't think i have to tell you that eveything written by h, my beloved is pure gold. the softest thing!

always waiting (for you to come home) by @peterbenjiparker

one-shot, reader comes to peter cause she needs him to patch her up after patrol, it's so funny and sweet and i just love it so much, m is the bestest!!

perfectly a little late by @/t-lostinworlds

one-shot, college!au, reader forgets about peter's birthday. or does she 👀 please, give a round of applause for this wonderful writer who's been feeding us so well this month 👏👏

this fic by @peeterparkr

one-shot, last kiss with peter :') nancy knows all the most beautiful ways to break someone's heart

the plan by @spideyyeet

series, aveneger!reader, reader likes peter, peter likes mj, mysterio shows up, lots of angsty things happen. it's so bloody good, my mates, go read it!!

burning red by @spideyspeaches

one-shot, avenger!reader who who describes people's personalities as colors, it's just a stunning story with wonderful writing and i love it!!

this fic by @mcumendes

blurb, peter brings y/n flowers and is very very adorable!!

kiss me more by @celestialholland

one-shot, first make out with peter and i'm just 😫😫 in love

the reveal by @cloudybarnes

one-shot, best friends!reader where she finds out about him being spiderman, so lovely!!

always by @ptersmj

one-shot, an absolutely adorable best friends to lovers moment

red-handed by @/vendettaparker

one-shot, stark!reader, morgan interrupts y/n and peter's alone time 😏😂

OTHERS

✨ Spencer Reid

as told by flowers by @reidingmelodies

one-shot, story about the progress of the relationship with spencer told by flowers (duh 😂), it's just wonderful!!

✨ Frank Adler

thnks fr th mmrs by @wiypt-writes

one-shot, 18+, reader goes to frank the night before his wedding, i love this with everything i have

will you hold on my love by @writerwrites

one-shot, don't come anywhere near this piece without tissues!!

✨ Ransom Drysdale

undercover boss by @chase-your-dreams-away

series, reader's working at drysdales' company and hooks up with ransom not knowing who he is. this series is so bloody good! i love the reader in here so much!!

a/n: if you catch some kind of mistake or if you see that i miscredited someone - please let me know so i can change that!

[pop-pop-pop-popculture]

What decade do you wish to go back to (or relive) and why

2000s! Why? I really can’t explain it, but it was just a great time to be alive. I really can’t explain the feeling, I’m sorry! I was super cringe in elementary school, but I got my shit together once I started 6th grade.

Even though I was young, the 2000s were a great time to be alive. In regards to pop culture, here are some celebrities, toys, songs, etc. that I grew up with:

Hugh Jackman (it was X-Men Origins: Wolverine for me)

The television show House

Ryan Reynolds in The Proposal

Razor A Kick Scooter

The Hangover

Lindsay Lohan

Avril Lavigne

I can't remember now for the life of me which ones, but there were quite a lot of teen magazines that I read

'Seventeen' Magazine

The Pussycat Dolls

Pogo Stick

Dakota Fanning

Britney Spears

The Office, but I never got into the show

2000s Disney Channel

Heath Ledger

Robin Williams

Kid Cuisine (the blue box with the penguin)

Natasha Bedingfield

Jesse McCartney

Michelle Branch

"Cupid Shuffle"

Sean Kingston

Arrested Development (too young for the show, but I still watched it anyway!)

iPod Nano

Jason Bateman

Teletubbies

Backstreet Boys

'Teen Vogue' Magazine

"Wicked" with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth

'dELiA*s' Magazine

Abigail Breslin

Kanye West (honestly... "Heartless" and "Love Lockdown" still slap)

Steve Carell

Nintendo GameBoy Advance

Nintendo GameBoy Advance SP

Josh Hutcherson

AnnaSophia Robb

Nintendo GameBoy DS Lite

Nintendogs (I was OBSSESSED with this game!)

Neopets (I was OBSESSSED with this website!)

"A Thousand Miles"

Wii

The Blindside

Grey's Anatomy (I started watching it in 2008, and then stopped after the plane crash episode)

Patrick Dempsey

Green Day

Will Ferrell

Enchanted (2007 Disney movie, and it so great and underrated!)

Radio Disney (I stopped listening once I started 6th grade)

Jim Carrey

Floam

2000s Saturday Night Live

Justin Timberlake

Emma Watson (I was never a fan of her and *the seven films*)

Blockbuster

“Magic Tree House” book series

Heinz EZ Squirt, which was colored ketchup

Danimals

Go-Gurt

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Polly Pocket (I never owned one 😊)

LimeWire

Bratz (I never owned one 😊)

Gripz

Element shoe brand

Fruit Gushers

Capri Sun

Fruit by the Foot

NOW That's What I Call Music

Carrie Underwood's album 'Some Hearts' (the only songs I liked are "Before He Cheats" and "We're Young and Beautiful")

Carrie Underwood

Destiny's Child

“Junie B. Jones” books

Beyoncé

M•A•S•H•

Tom & Jerry

Rihanna

"Pon De Replay"

Rihanna's album 'Good Girl Gone Bad'

Akon

Steve Irwin, a.k.a. The Crocodile Hunter

Kool-Aid Bursts

Usher

Gwen Stefani

"1, 2" Step

The three ‘X-Men’ films (I didn't watch them in my youth, though)

All three Spider-Man movies with Tobey Maguire

The book "Soul Surfer"

2000s Disney movies

2000s Pixar movies

“Chicken Soup for the [XYZ] Soul” books

JoJo

Livestrong silicone wristbands (there were other colors, prints and patterns that either had a word or phrase)

Super Mario Sunshine (I was OBSESSED with this game! 🤣)

The 'Star Wars' prequel films

'LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga' XBOX game

Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle, and Aéropostale (my go-to spots in middle school)

Tank top or cami with a plaid flannel shirt

Etnies

Fall Out Boy

Linkin Park

Straight bangs with curly hair, which I wore almost every single day

UGG Boots

Juicy Couture velvet tracksuits

There are tons of more songs, celebrities, etc. that I would love to list, but I will end the list here. Thank you for sending this, I had fun reminiscing on the good days when Instagram and TikTok were nonexistent!

(gif)

[papipopsicle]

AFTERTASTE PART FIVE

Pairing: Archie Andrews X Reader

Genre: fluff and some angst

Summary: In which two best friends since childhood test whether sex and friendship can co-exist without causing conflict. Including OC's Flick and Cherry, a bisexual and lesbian in a sapphic relationship who are best friends of Y/N.

Song: Candy by Doja Cat

Warnings: swearing, minors consuming alcohol

Words: 3.6K

MASTERLIST

feedback is always appreciated

     Y/N lasted two weeks before thoughts of even throwing the bet came to mind. She had been strong so far; making sure to wear her tightest outfits and highest heels, being extra touchy-feely with Archie and not reacting to his moves in the slightest. Her personal favourite moment was sitting on his lap at the Twilight Drive-In and giving him a hard-on whilst Kevin and Betty sat next to them non the wiser.

But now, on day eighteen, she needed reinforcements. The redhead realised his attempts were failing miserably and he couldn't help his reactions to Y/N’s provocative movements. He turned it up a notch, becoming rather possessive of the five foot blonde knowing she enjoyed that side of him. He carefully walked the line of teasing and taunting like a tightrope, always whispering in her ear and letting his hand rest on her inner thigh under the table. And now, Y/N found herself wanting to pounce him whenever he caught her eye. It was getting out of hand, so she called for the only two people who could possibly help.

"Have you tried doing the bend and snap?" Cherry asked out of the blue, her head rested on her girlfriends lap as the three watched Clueless from the comfort of Felicity's bed.

"Babe," the blue haired girl said with a sigh and took a handful of M&Ms, "I love you but I don't think our answer lies in a two-thousand's rom-com."

"Hey, it worked on you, didn't it?" The brunette grinned smugly and leaned up to kiss the girl above her, earning a handful of chocolate to be launched in their direction and a disgruntled groan from the blonde sitting beside them.

Y/N pouted, "Please stop reminding me how single I am."

At this, the two girls pulled away and sent her the same bewildered look, "You wouldn't be if you told that hunky ginger you're in love with him!" Flick barked, a hand playing with the hem of her partner's shirt whilst the other flew up in desperation.

The y/h/c girl sent her friends an incredulous glare, it only growing when their shared 'you know I'm right' smile made an appearance. She took a handful of sweets and irritably shoved them in her mouth, "I am not in love with Archie Andrews... I just want his body on my body... in a variety of ways, and locations... multiple times."

"Right, so let me just get this straight," Cherry sat upright and gathered her hair over one shoulder, she paused the film and sent the petite girl a serious look, "you really think a no-strings-attached relationship can actually work? Have you even seen Friends With Benefits? It doesn't work! Sure it's all fun and games now but it's only a matter of time before one of you catches feelings and shit gets real. Then we'll have to pick sides, obviously you automatically get us, but I really liked Archie, he was promising..."

"What my gorgeous girlfriend means, is that we won't have this relationship ruined because you two can't keep it in your pants. We've put a lot of work and effort into this ship and it isn't going to waste, this isn't some TV teen drama shit, there's no need to wait until season 6 to actually be happy. Don't be Lydia and Stiles." Flick rounded up, taking the remote and pressing play.

Y/N simply sighed and slouched against the pillows, her attention turning back to the TV as she sulked, "I came here for your advice, and honestly now it feels like my moms are telling me I can't have sex with my hot best friend because they ship us too hard romantically. How can sex ruin a friendship? That's like saying extra sprinkles ruin ice cream! Anyways, none of that matters unless I win this stupid bet."

"You know Y/N/N, asking a lesbian and a bisexual whose only ever been with a girl on how to seduce a boy isn't exactly your best move." Cherry commented, snuggling under her blanket with a near-empty bowl of mini-pretzels at her side.

"My advice? Just be yourself, dumbass. Clearly for some weird reason he's into that, so it's only a matter of time until he gives in and this insanity will end. Boys think with their dicks and have a lot less will-power than us. For fucks sake, he's sprung when your name's mentioned in passing conversation, clearly he wants to bone your brains out. Wait it out, you're one stubborn chick when you want to be, you got this."

Two days later, on one rather fateful Friday night, Y/N found herself in the midst of a party thrown by none other than the Blossom twins. It had been a while since she'd spoken to either of them, but since their entire year was currently making out on the couches, the invitation wasn't all that strange. She and Betty had spent the evening getting ready whilst rocking out to the cheesiest music known to their generation. The smaller blonde wore a little red number with lace cutouts, and only managed to convince her taller friend to ditch the mom-jeans for a conservative royal blue knee-length dress. Baby steps, she told herself whilst trying her best not to cut a deeper neckline in the mass of material.

Betty Cooper had absolutely no idea what was going on between two of her three best friends; and although she'd always been silently jealous of their closeness, she was used to it and didn't think twice to question it. Y/N spritzed her neck and wrists with her favourite perfume, Daisy Dream, and gave herself a final once over in the large mirror beside her wardrobe.

With perfect timing, like some magical intuition, Y/N’s phone buzzed, notifying her their ride was outside. She grinned at the taller girl and slipped her black Louis Vuitton's on, "Ready, m'lady?"

"I-I don't know, Y/N/N." Betty panicked, wringing her hands together as a worrisome look etched onto her face, "What if my mom sees us leave? She'll kill me if she finds out we're going to a Blossom party."

"She won't. And even if she does, she'll only see us getting into a car with Cherry and Flick, just tell her they invited us over for a girl's night or something... Stop worrying about the future, and start living in the now! You look smokin', I look hot, we are not wasting my precious work on Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore again, capisce?" Y/N didn't allow even a millisecond to pass before dragging the taller girl downstairs with her where they met Polly and Ren.

The four took a few quick photos together and hightailed it out to the red convertible sitting on the edge of the drive. Polly switched places with Flick and the happy couple sat in the back on each other's lap, leaving Y/N and Betty sat beside them like two spare wheels.

When the group of girls arrived, Cheryl graciously directed them down to the basement. Thoughts of being led down to a torture chamber came to mind as the redhead opened a large squeaky door, but those died down when the smell of liquor and sound of house music hit them like a brick wall.

So now, an hour into the night, it was just Betty and Y/N standing at the side of the room with a red solo cup in hand. Polly ran off to find her beloved boyfriend as soon as she arrived and Y/S/N just so happened to find herself hitting on a nearby houseplant. 'Flicky' were playing beer pong, well cider for them, against Reggie and Moose, and were winning with only one cup standing.

The petite girl, who still stood below her friend even in four inch heels, was about to save her sister from some terrible mugshots, but a strong arm stopped her in her tracks and pulled her back into a muscly chest.

"Where'd you think you're going, gorgeous?" A deep voice breathed in her ear, and a second later she ripped herself away from the boy, instantly recognising him and wishing to be the other side of the building right now. Though her actions were quick, the brunette pinned her to the nearest wall and stared hazily into her wide chartreuse-coloured eyes. Y/N actually laughed at the irony of the location, finding it funny that the last time she was in this position it was rather enjoyable.

"Fuck off, Chuck." The girl took another sip of her drink, not bothering to pay the boy any attention because that's exactly what he wanted. Though, when his arms moved from the wall to around her waist and neck, forcing Y/N to look up at him, she felt like punching the stupid smile off his smug face. But with one hand stuck at her side and the other holding her drink, she simply settled for chucking her remaining vodka-lemonade at the boy.

He chuckled cynically and wiped his face down, eyes darkening as he pushed himself against her with even more force, "Now, now. That's no way to treat the best fuck you've ever had. Why don't we go find somewhere quiet, for old times sake." He commanded, his tone leaving no room for questioning or any form of verbal consent.

But Y/N scoffed and chucked her now empty cup at his face, "Do you really want to be known for rape, as well as leaking a fifteen year old's sex tape, that you were a part of let's not forget?"

He sighed and brought a hand up to cup her face, coarse fingers gripping her jaw achingly tight, "Y/N/N, aren't we past that? I was mad and you embarrassed me in front of the entire football team, what did you expect me to do? Can't we just forget about that?" His other arm aggressively tugged her closer, "C'mon, you know you want me, slut."

Y/N had her eyebrows raised intolerably the entire time he spoke, and when she realised this had no affect on him, she cocked her head ever so slightly. That word felt so good coming from Archie's lips weeks ago. But with Chuck's intoxicated breath panting down on her made up face, she felt completely and utterly violated, physically and mentally.

She hid the look of disgust as best as possible and simply let her best fake alluring smile grace her features; Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck and looked ever so sweetly into his darkened eyes, "Clayton, we were together for what, eight months? And somehow, in that entire time, you never made me orgasm, not even close. I feel sorry for any girl, or whoever else who has to put up with your shitty oral. Don't you ever, ever use that word against me or any other girl. Don't touch me, you do not and shall never have consent to touch my body, remember that." She smoothly spoke, her voice laced with sugar-coated venom.

Using his drunken and shocked state to her advantage, Y/N unhooked his arms and rushed off to find one particular individual. She fought through the endless crowd of teenagers and after ten minutes of searching, Archie was nowhere to be found. A light tapping on one shoulder caused the y/h/c girl to spin on her heels, ready to slap a bitch if it were another jock.

But thankfully it wasn't, and Y/N let out a sigh of relief when her eyes found Betty's figure. She took her taller friend by the arms and asked, "Have you seen Archie at all? There's three fucking gingers at this party and I can only spot two."

"Last time I saw him he was in line for the bathroom, and that was around five minutes ago." The taller blonde said, peering down at her friend in concern as a hand smoothed down her signature ponytail instinctively, "Is there anything I can help with?"

Betty's question almost flew right past her as she searched for the toilet queue, but thankfully she managed to make out a few words, and quickly put two and two together. Y/N shook her head and finally looked at her friend, "It's alright, but one of us is about to lose a bet, I'll tell you who once I find out."

Betty's expression contorted at that, and she began to feel an uneasiness settling in the pit of her stomach. The Cooper girl did her best to hide her jealousy along with her crush on Archie. She'd always viewed Y/N as the unwanted cog in the machine, but as the months went on she couldn't help but feel like a spare part.

With that, the petite girl marched off and soon found herself pushing through throngs of her drunken classmates until a head of fiery-red hair poked up above the crowd. He was joking and laughing with Reggie, both wearing giddy smiles whilst sipping from from their cups every so often.

Y/N was used to being easily knocked, because she was so tiny in relation to the 6 foot something masses of muscle she called her friends, so it came as no surprise when someone practically rammed her right into the middle of the boys' conversation. Luckily, being the gentleman he was, Archie's arm instinctively wrapped around her waist to steady her toppling body. Their chatting ceased and it took Reggie no less than a second to start talking to someone else, leaving the red-haired boy looking down in confusion at his best friend.

"You okay there, Tiger?" He asked, gingerly hooking a few strands of her y/h/c hair behind her ear, making Y/N crane her neck up to watch him intently for a moment. She bit down on her lower lip and let out an intoxicated little giggle, "My knight in shining armour, however will I repay you?"

Archie breathed out a deep chuckle and smirked, "I can think of a few ways..." he all but muttered. Y/N’s thoughts flickered back to just moments ago in the lull of silence, and that was all the boy needed to lead her out of the packed basement. He saw the look confliction in her eyes, not quite understanding it, "has something else happened, Y/N/N?"

"Do you remember last spring, when I finally broke it off with Chuck... and then he, you know?" She tried to clarify, but her words wavered and fell short.

"Released a video of you two without your consent and only got suspended for a week?" Archie almost growled his voice felt so heavy. He hated remembering their relationship. Not only because he wanted Y/N to be only his, but because he was forced to see his best friend humiliated and heartbroken all at the same time and couldn't stop it.

"That's the one." The girl looked down, unable to meet his eyes as her mind raced back to one of the darkest weeks of her life. But she pulled herself away from the horrible memories, "Look, it happened and I can't change that, but I really don't want to be around him right now."

"We'll go back to mine right now, Tiger." Archie affirmed with his hand now cupping her made up face, bringing her gaze back to his own.

"Woah, didn't realise you two were a thing." A slurring Reggie turned back around and winked at the pair with his usual cheeky smile, "Don't worry, I won't tell."

Y/N giggled and hiccuped at the same time, "Fuck off, Reg."

"Hey, if you hurt her, Andrews, I'll knock you into next year." The Asian boy only partly joked with his best friend.

The Robins girl pulled herself away from the wall and wrapped her arms around Reggie, "My hero!"

"Yeah, yeah." He hugged her back, not too hard though as in his drunken state he was scared he might snap her in half with all his muscular might. "I love you too, Y/N/N."

She gave him a sweet peck on the cheek before returning to Archie's side, clasping his hand in her own and leading the both of them away from the raucous party. Nobody seemed to notice in their happy little haze, even if they did, most people assumed the two were sleeping together anyway.

"Does it bother you at all?" Y/N small voice called as they walked down the narrow roads back home. She didn't know whether the answer would be something she wanted to hear, but it had been bothering her for the past minute or so.

Archie's brows furrowed, slightly more sober and completely not understanding his companion's train of thought, "Does what bother me?"

"That people assume so much about us? That we're sleeping together? That we're a couple?" She pondered.

"Not unless it's something that puts you in a negative light, otherwise I really couldn't care less about other people's opinions. Everyone has them, but the only ones that matter to me are my friends and my family's." Archie reassured her.

Y/N giggled at her own joke, "I thought you were going to say they're like assholes?"

The boy looked at her incredulously.

"Everybody has one." She grinned and wrapped her arm around his waist as his own found its way to her shoulders, pulling her into his warmth. The rest of the walk was silent after that, cool summers air bringing an ease to Y/N's tipsy frame. Twenty minutes must have gone by before they saw the Andrews' household finally in view, it was anything but awkward though. Their hands clasped swinging between them, the girl's feet beginning to ache from the regrettable choice of five inch heels.

They shared giggles and passing comments that wouldn't make sense the next morning, gleeful smiles hanging from cheek to cheek. Before Archie had the chance to hunt for his key, the front door opened with Fred sending the two teenagers a short look of annoyance.

"Get in already." He rolled his tired eyes, not wanting to question why his son's best friend was currently looking up at him with hidden adoration as she slipped off her shoes.

Y/N hiccuped and sent the adult an apologetic smile, "Sorry if we woke you, Freddie."

"I couldn't sleep anyway, kid, don't worry about it." Fred gave her a kind smile and felt her small frame hug his own. He returned it as always and after a few moments, let the teenagers carry on upstairs. The girl immediately went into the bathroom and found her small bottle of cleanser under the sink, removing her heavy make up before returning to her best friends room.

Y/N couldn't help but gawk at the sight her eyes were greeted with, the redheads body clad with tight boxers with his warm bedside lamp lighting the room, and his muscular build, perfectly. Her hands lightly traced his back, making Archie jump before leaning into her touch.

"I'm still going to win this bet," She whispered, shutting the bedroom door and pulling the boy down to his bed with her, "but Arch, can I ask you something?"

Y/N's head nearly reached the wall as the redhead towered over her, hot breath tickling her skin while he rest himself against her without putting any weight down. "Of course." The words floated from his lips so easily, knowing his whole life he'd do anything or answer whatever she wanted.

"Do you think we're meant to be more than friends? I think I've finally realised it's not that we were never and will never be romantic in each other's minds, it's always been that way but we've just never really known." The Robins girl seemed so sure of her words, staring up into his amber eyes with so much honest admiration.

He watched her for what felt like forever, not knowing whether it was the alcohol in them both or just that the little game they were playing didn't matter anymore, and decided to throw that away. A short gasp fell from Y/N's lips as Archie caught them, rolling over and pulling her on top of his chest.

"You're right, I've always wanted us to be more than friends Y/N/N, ever since Leonardo went missing when we were in sixth grade and you kissed my cheek when I found him." Archie propped himself up and returned that same gesture. She stole a kiss but he didn't let it end, running his fingers through her curled blonde hair.

"Arch?" Her small voice called out, sitting atop of his torso still in her revealing red dress. He nodded back with the biggest smile, unable to control the pure joy as her next words tumbled into the world, "Will you be my boyfriend?"

"I don't have a choice, since I lost the bet, do I?" He mocked, smile not falling as she hit his chest and rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course, yes, I'll be your boyfriend."

PART SIX

[aion-rsa]

HBO Max New Releases: October 2021

https://ift.tt/39ZMSFm

The fall is usually the domain of television. September and October are the months in which networks (and increasingly some streamers) debut all their new series. With its list of new releases for October 2021, however, HBO Max has decided that fall works just fine for new movies as well.

HBO Max’s new offerings this month are highlighted by two enormous Warner Bros. film releases. The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark opens things up on Oct. 1. The movie is getting a theatrical release as well but you can certainly just watch it via streaming to make Sopranos creator and film purist David Chase mad. Next up is the sprawling sci-fi epic Dune on Oct. 22. It’s long been thought that a faithful and suitably enormous Dune adaptation was impossible. Now it’s almost time to see if director Denis Villenueve pulled it off.

Read more

Movies

How The Many Saints of Newark Almost Brought Carmela Soprano Back

By Alec Bojalad and 1 other

Sponsored

With Lady of Caladan, Dune Finally Gives Lady Jessica the Epic She Deserves

By Ryan Britt

Even if the movies are the big blockbusters here, HBO Max isn’t letting its TV offerings go to waste. Arguably HBO’s biggest running drama, Succession, returns for a long-awaited third season on Oct. 17. Also mixed in to the streamer’s TV offerings are docuseries like 15 Minutes of Shame (Oct. 7) and What Happened, Brittany Murphy? (Oct. 15).

October will also be a good month for movie fans looking to check out some recent heavy hitters without buying a ticket. It: Chapter Two (Oct. 10), The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (Oct. 21), and In the Heights (Oct. 28) all arrive this month.

HBO Max New Releases – October 2021

October 1 Admission, 2013 (HBO) A Royal Affair, 2012 (HBO) After the Thin Man, 1936 All The President’s Men, 1976 (HBO) American Gigolo, 1980 (HBO) American Graffiti, 1973 (HBO) Argo, 2012 (Alternate Version) (HBO)  Bad Boys II, 2003 Bad Boys, 1995 Bad Words, 2013 (HBO) Ballet 422, 2014 (HBO) Being Flynn, 2012 (HBO) Best Man Down, 2013 (HBO) Beverly Hills Cop, 1984 (HBO) Beverly Hills Cop II, 1987 (HBO) Beverly Hills Cop III, 1994 (HBO) Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure, 1989 (HBO) Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey, 1991 (HBO) Billy Elliot, 2000 (HBO) Black Christmas, 2019 (HBO) Black Hawk Down, 2001 (HBO) Blades Of Glory, 2007 (HBO) Blazing Saddles, 1974 Blood Father, 2016 (HBO) Bloodsport, 1988 (HBO) Blue Crush, 2002 (HBO) Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason, 2004 (HBO) Bridget Jones’s Diary, 2001 Broken City, 2013 (HBO) Caddyshack II, 1988 Cake, 2005 (HBO) Cats, 2019 (HBO) Child 44, 2015 (HBO) City of God, 2002 (HBO) Clash of Titans , 1981 Client 9: The Rise And Fall Of Eliot Spitzer, 2010 (HBO) Culpa, 2021 (HBO) Danny Collins, 2015 (HBO) David Lynch: The Art Life, 2016 Desperately Seeking Susan, 1985 (HBO) Dinner For Schmucks, 2010 (HBO) Doubt, 2008 (HBO) Down A Dark Hall, 2018 (HBO) Downhill, 2020 (HBO) Drop Zone, 1994 (HBO) Dying Young, 1991 (HBO) El Cantante, 2007 (HBO) El Profugo, 2020 (HBO) Emma., 2020 (HBO) Endless Love, 2014 (HBO) Entre Nos: The Winners 2, 2021 (HBO) Entre Nos: What She Said, 2021 (HBO) Family Matters Fifty Shades Of Black, 2016 (HBO) For A Good Time, Call…, 2012 (Alternate Version) (HBO)  Full House Gangs Of New York, 2002 (HBO) Gangster Squad, 2013 (HBO) Goodbye, Mr. Chips, 1969 Hacksaw Ridge, 2016 (HBO) Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, 2008 He Said She Said, 1991 (HBO) Hearts In Atlantis, 2001 (HBO) Hitch, 2005 Hitman, 2007 (Alternate Version) (HBO)  Hooper, 1978 Hostage, 2005 (HBO) House of Wax , 2005 House, 2008 (HBO) Imagine That, 2009 (HBO) Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words, 2015 J. Edgar, 2011 (HBO) Johnny English Strikes Again, 2018 (HBO) Journey to the Center of the Earth, 2008 Just Mercy, 2019 (HBO) Kill Bill: Vol. 1, 2003 (HBO) Kill Bill: Vol. 2, 2004 (HBO) Kin, 2018 (HBO) Leap Year, 2010 (HBO) LEGO DC Shazam: Magic and Monsters!, 2020 Less Than Zero, 1987 (HBO) Like Water for Chocolate, 1992 (HBO) Little Man, 2006 (HBO) Lincoln, 2012 (HBO) Lottery Ticket, 2010 (HBO) M*A*S*H, 1970 (HBO) Mama, 2013 (HBO) Marathon Man, 1976 (HBO) Misery, 1990 (HBO) Monster’s Ball, 2001 (Alternate Version) (HBO)  Moonrise Kingdom, 2012 (HBO) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, 1989 National Lampoon’s Vacation, 1983 Natural Born Killers, 1994 Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always, 2020 (HBO) Night Catches Us, 2010 (HBO) Orphan, 2009 Parental Guidance, 2012 (HBO) Pariah, 2011 (HBO) Police Academy, 1984 Poltergeist II: The Other Side, 1986 (HBO) Poltergeist III, 1988 (HBO) Private Parts, 1997 (HBO) Proof Of Life, 2000 (HBO) Racing Stripes, 2005 (HBO) Reservation Road, 2007 (HBO) Say Anything…, 1989 (HBO) Sergeant York, 1941 Shaft, 1971 Shall We Dance?, 2004 (HBO) She’s All That, 1999 (HBO) Sherlock Holmes And The Great Escape, 2019 (HBO) Sherlock Holmes, 2009 Shrek The Third, 2007 (HBO) Six Degrees Of Separation, 1993 (HBO) Sliver, 1993 (Alternate Version) (HBO)  Snitch, 2013 (HBO) Speedway, 1968 Step by Step,  Stigmata, 1999 (HBO) Strange But True, 2019 (HBO) Superstar, 1999 (HBO) Super 8, 2011 (HBO) Talk To Me, 2007 (HBO) Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans, 2019 The Banger Sisters, 2002 (HBO) The Blind Side, 2009 (HBO) The Bonfire of the Vanities, 1990 The Book Of Eli, 2010 (HBO) The Campaign, 2012 (Alternate Version) (HBO)  The Cider House Rules, 1999 (HBO) The Cincinnati Kid, 1965 The East, 2013 (HBO) The Eichmann Show, 2015 (HBO) The Internship, 2013 (HBO) The Invisible Man, 2020 (HBO) The Harvey Girls, 1946 The High Note, 2020 (HBO) The Hours, 2002 (HBO) The Legend Of Hercules, 2014 (HBO) The Many Saints of Newark, Warner Bros. Film Premiere, 2021  The Outsiders, 1983 The Perfect Storm, 2000 The Poseidon Adventure, 1972 (HBO) The Quarry, 2020 (HBO) The Rite, 2011 (HBO) The Running Man, 1987 (HBO) The Way Way Back, 2013 (HBO) The 15:17 To Paris, 2018 (HBO) Things We Lost In The Fire, 2007 (HBO) Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, 2005 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, 2011 (HBO) Trance, 2013 (HBO) Tully, 2018 (HBO) Twelve Monkeys, 1995 (HBO) Underwater, 2020 (HBO) Up In The Air, 2009 (HBO) Wall Street, 1987 (HBO) Warm Bodies, 2013 (HBO) Wendy, 2020 (HBO) XXX, 2002

October 3 Simmer, 2020

October 4  Laetitia, Limited Drama Series Finale (HBO) Niña Furia Sublet, 2020

October 5 American Masters: Mike Nichols, 2016 American Masters: Nichols and May: Take Two, 1996 El Verano Que Vivimos, 2020 Level Playing Field, Documentary Series Finale (HBO)

October 6 Muy Gay Too Mexicano (Short), 2020 The Republic of Sarah, Season 1 Rosa (short), 2020

October 7 15 Minutes of Shame, Max Original Series Premiere Craftopia, Max Original Season 2A Premiere The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo: Amber Ruffin / Bebe Rexha

October 8 Voyagers, 2021 (HBO)

October 9 Birdgirl , Season 16 To Your Eternity , Season 1 (Subtitled) (Crunchyroll Collection)

October 10  It: Chapter 2, 2019 Nuclear Family, Documentary Series Finale (HBO) Scenes From A Marriage, Limited Series Finale (HBO)

October 11 We’re Here, Season 2 Premiere (HBO)

October 14 Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Chapter One: Dead Sea, Max Original Series Premiere Little Ellen, Max Original Season 1B Premiere Love Spells (aka Amarres), Max Original Series Premiere Teen Titans Go!, Seasons 1-6 The Missing, (aka Os Ausentes), Max Original Series Premiere The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo: Jenna Bush Hager / Sophie Fatu Phoebe Robinson: Sorry, Harriet Tubman, Max Original Special Premiere Welcome to Utmark (aka Utmark) , Max Original Series Premiere What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, Max Original Series Premiere

October 15 In the Line of Fire, 1993 Point Break, 1991 (HBO) Tu Me Manques, 2019 (HBO)

October 17 Succession, Season 3 Premiere (HBO)

October 18 El Huésped Americano (aka The American Guest), Limited Drama Series Finale (HBO) Women is Losers, 2021

October 19 Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)

October 20 Entre Hombres (aka Amongst Men), Limited Series Finale (HBO)

October 21 Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Chapter Two: Primordius Reign of Superwomen, Max Original Documentary Premiere The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, 2021 (HBO) (Available in 4K UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision and  Dolby Atmos in English Only on supported devices) The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo: Ames McNamara / Leslie Odom Jr. Tuff Money (aka Bani Negri), Max Original Series Premiere

October 22 Dune, Warner Bros. Film Premiere, 2021

October 24 Insecure, Season 5 Premiere (HBO)

October 26 Maricon Perdido, Max Original Series Premiere The Mopes, Max Original Series Premiere The Truth of Dolores Vazquez (aka The Caso Wanninkhof), Max Original Series Premiere

October 28 Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Chapter Three: Tidal Shift In The Heights, 2021 (HBO) Love Life, Max Original Season 2 Premiere A Thousand Fangs (aka Mil Colmillos), Max Original Series Premiere The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo: Dani & Dannah Lane / AJR

October 29 Victor and Valentino , Season 2

October 31 The Bachelorette, Season 16

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Leaving HBO Max – October 2021  

October 10 Malignant, 2021

October 11 Meatballs, 1979

October 17 Cry Macho, 2021

October 18 Sabrina: Magic of the Red Rose, 2015

October 20 HBO First Look: The Eyes of Tammy Faye, 2021 (HBO)

October 25 The Artist, 2011

October 27 The Hangover Part III, 2013

October 28 Tracey Ullman’s Show,  (HBO)

October 31 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, 2012 (HBO) A Little Princess, 1995 (HBO) All Is Lost, 2013 (HBO) All-Star Superman, 2011 Alpha And Omega: Journey To Bear Kingdom, 2017 (HBO) Alpha And Omega: The Big Fureeze, 2016 (HBO) Antwone Fisher, 2002 (HBO) A Star Is Born, 1976 A Time To Kill, 1996 Backdraft, 1991 (HBO) Bad Education, 2004 Bandits, 2001 (HBO) Barefoot, 2014 (HBO) *Batteries Not Included, 1987 (HBO) Battleship, 2012 (HBO) Black Dynamite, 2009 Blood And Wine, 1997 (HBO) Broken Embraces, 2009 Cats & Dogs, 2001 Cesar Chavez, 2014 (HBO) Chasing Amy, 1997 (HBO) Christmas In Compton, 2012 Clerks, 1994 (HBO) Conspiracy Theory, 1997 Cool Hand Luke, 1967 Critters 4, 1992 Darkest Hour, 2017 (HBO) Dirt, 2017 Dirty Harry, 1971 Dreamcatcher, 2003 El Pacto (aka The Pact), 2018 (HBO) Empire Of The Sun, 1987 Eulogy, 2004 (HBO) Final Destination, 2000 Final Destination 2, 2003 Final Destination 3, 2006 Final Destination 5, 2011 Firewall, 2006 Flight Of The Intruder, 1991 (HBO) Flying Leathernecks, 1951 Frantic, 1988 Freaks, 1932 Ghoulies, 1985 (HBO) Ghoulies II, 1987 (HBO) Gone Baby Gone, 2007 Good Morning, Vietnam, 1987 (HBO) Gothika, 2003 Gun Crazy, 1950 High Fidelity, 2000 (HBO) House Of Wax, 2005 How To Be A Latin Lover, 2017 How To Be Single, 2016 (HBO) How To Make An American Quilt, 1995 (HBO) I’m So Excited!, 2013 Ice Age: Continental Drift, 2012 (HBO) Immigration Tango, 2011 (HBO) Irresistible, 2020 (HBO) It, 2017 (HBO) Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, 2001 (HBO) Just Before I Go, 2015 (HBO) King Kong, 1976 (HBO) Lars And The Real Girl, 2007 (HBO) Lego Dc Batman: Family Matters, 2019 Lego Dc Shazam: Magic And Monsters!, 2020 Long Gone By, 2019 (HBO) Magnum Force, 1973 Man Up, 2015 (HBO) Mccabe And Mrs. Miller, 1971 Message Erased, 2019 (HBO) Monkey Shines, 1988 (HBO) Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D, 2012 (HBO) Norbit, 2007 (HBO) One More Time, 2016 (HBO) Pajaros De Verano (aka Birds Of Passage)2019 (HBO) Pale Rider, 1985 Pepi, Luci, Bom Y Otras Chicas Del Monton, 1980 Professor Marston & The Wonder Women, 2017 Red Dawn, 1984 (HBO) Risky Business, 1983 (HBO) Santa Buddies, 2009 (HBO) Save The Last Dance, 2001 (HBO) Save The Last Dance 2, 2006 (HBO) School Dance, 2014 (HBO) Serpico, 1974 (HBO) Snow Buddies, 2008 (HBO) Something To Talk About, 1995 Space Buddies, 2009 (HBO) Spawn, 1997 Stand Up Guys, 2013 (HBO) Sudden Impact, 1983 Summer Rental, 1985 (HBO) The Bucket List, 2007 The Color Purple, 1985 The Conjuring 2, 2016 The Dead Pool, 1988 The Debt, 2011 (HBO) The Family Man, 2000 (HBO) The Final Destination, 2009 The Five-Year Engagement, 2012 (Alternate Version) (HBO)  The Fugitive, 1993 The Great Caruso, 1951 The Human Voice, 2020 The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, 2009 The Kingdom, 2007 (HBO) The Last Mimzy, 2007 The Lego Batman Movie, 2017 The Sand Pebbles, 1966 (HBO) The Shack, 2017 (HBO) The Shadow, 1994 (HBO) The Skin I Live In, 2011 The Switch, 2010 The Tuxedo, 2002 (HBO) The Voices, 2015 (HBO) The Quiet Ones, 2014 (HBO) The Witches, 1990 Thirteen Ghosts, 2001 Troy, 2004 Trust Me, 2014 (HBO) Volver, 2006 Wait Until Dark, 1967 Westworld (Movie), 1973 When Harry Met Sally, 1989 Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown, 1988 XXX: State Of The Union, 2005

The post HBO Max New Releases: October 2021 appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3ur3tLW

[kmalexander]

The 2020 Cosmic Horror Holiday Gift Guide

The phrase “Black Friday” has a more menacing tone in 2020—especially here in the United States. Hopefully, you’re following the advice of the experts, staying home, laying low, wearing masks, and washing your hands. But a pandemic shouldn’t stop gift giving! So, once again, I took some time and assembled my List of Lists for 2020. In it, you’ll find a plethora of paraphernalia for the weird-fiction fanatic, cosmic-horror connoisseur, or mythos maniac in your life. As with previous years, I’ve worked to assemble a list of exceptional items for all ages and budgets.

There’s a few changes this year. First, I’m now linking to IndieBound for all books. Please do what you can to support your local bookshops and small businesses. Odds are they can get you anything Amazon can, and it’ll help out your community. Secondly, where possible, I’m also linking to the author’s personal webpages. Check them out. Follow them. It’s a nice way to stay current with what’s happening in the world of weird fiction. Please remember, while I’ve ordered these by price, the prices and availability are subject to change. I don’t have any control over that. Happy shopping!

 QUICK LINKS 

• Books • Music • Apparel • Games • • Housewares • Miskatonic •

Books

Mother Hydra’s Mythos Rhymes by Jarred W. Wallace $9.95 + Shipping (Paperback)

This mock children’s book features twenty-one sinister nursery rhymes twisted with a Cthulhu Mythos bent and illustrated by the incredible Heather Hudson. Also included is a complete Edward Gorey-style alphabet. Every budding cultist should learn their ABCs after all.

The Worm And His Kings by Hailey Piper $13.00 + Shipping (Paperback) $6.99 (eBook)

This arrived only a few weeks ago, and I can’t wait to dive in. Set in New York City in 1990, the story follows Monique as she hunts for her missing girlfriend. But the trail goes much deeper than she realizes, sending Monique into a subterranean world of enigmatic cultists and shadowy creatures.

The Stars Were Right by K. M. Alexander $14.00 + Shipping (Paperback) $2.99 (eBook)

I’m nearly finished with Book Four’s edits. So, if you haven’t, now is the perfect time to start reading my Bell Forging Cycle. Follow Waldo Bell as he is sent careening through the multi-level megalopolis of Lovat, fighting to clear his name as a bloodthirsty killer stalks him. It’s mystery and monsters, chases and cults, and an ancient evil in a world that is similar but not quite like our own.

RADIO by J. Rushing $15.99 + Shipping (Paperback) $3.99 (eBook)

A jazz-infused, opium-soaked, historical fantasy with a transgressive edge that explodes from the opening chapter and never relents until its final pages—a welcome addition to modern fantasy literature and weird enough that it earned a place on this list.

Murder Ballads And Other Horrific Tales by John Hornor Jacobs $16.95 + Shipping (Paperback) $7.95 (eBook)

Seems like it’s becoming a tradition to see a new book from John Hornor Jacobs on this list every year, and it’s no surprise. He’s arguably one of the best mythos writers working today. This collection of recent horror and crime short stories takes you through tales involving old gods to malevolent artificial intelligences, plus it includes the sequel to his 2011 novel, Southern Gods.

The Cipher by Kathe Koja $17.95 + Shipping (Paperback) $3.99 (eBook)

Part haunted house story, part body horror, part descent-into-madness tale all told in the style of Transgressive Literature. The Cipher is one of those stories I was shocked I hadn’t read until this year. Koja writes stunningly physical characters and knotted complex relationships that feel eerily familiar to anyone who’s spent time in artist circles. Enjoy the Fun Hole. (One of my 2020 Three Great Horror Reads for Halloween.)

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones $26.99 + Shipping (Hardcover) $9.99 (eBook)

At its heart, this is a horror novel about growing up poor and native in western Montana. But The Only Good Indians also a novel about revenge, mistakes, and their extended consequences. I blew through it. I grew up not too far from where this novel is set, and I have yet to find a recent author that captures the behavior and actions of the people in that area quite as well as Jones. You’ll never look at elk the same way again. (One of my 2020 Three Great Horror Reads for Halloween.)

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin $28.00 + Shipping (Hardcover) $14.99 (eBook)

The first of the Great Cities series focuses on a roiling, ancient evil that stirs beneath the streets of New York City and threatens to destroy the city. New York must go on, and it will take five protectors scattered across the boroughs coming together to stop it. An allegorical response to Lovecraft’s work and a love letter to the city.

The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces by H.P. Lovecraft $650.00 + Shipping (One Copy Available—Sold via AbeBooks)

This rare late-60s first edition copy from Arkham House is in fine condition with a fine dustwrapper. It also comes with an inscription by the publisher and editor of this work: “for Herb Arnold from the compiler – August Derleth.” An extremely unique find and a unique piece of weird fiction history.

No book catches your interest? Check out the books featured in one of the previous guides. • 2014 Books • 2015 Books • 2016 Books • 2017 Books • 2018 Books • 2019 Books •

Music & Audio

Tribute To H.P. Lovecraft by Epsilon Eridani Free (Digital Download)

This atmospheric and somber dark ambient album is the third project from Mexican electronic artist Juan Pablo Valle. Blending instrumental tracks, spoken words performances, and recitations of parts of Lovecraft’s stories, this tribute serves as an excellent horror soundtrack.

The Yellow Sign $6.99 (Digital Download)

While Lovecraftian music often skews towards dark ambient or metal performances, The Yellow Sign goes takes a more orchestral approach. Composer Graham Plowman has created a fantastic classical soundtrack putting this album on par with any feature film—brooding, menacing, and wonderfully enjoyable.

Beyond Madness by Aklo $9.00 (Digital Download)

Erich Zann would be jealous. Aklo, like its madness-inducing namesake, is hard to pin down. But this album captures “the beyond” in ways not often heard in modern music. Part noise, part experimental, Beyond Madness is an excellent addition to any Lovecraft fan’s collection.

Live from Stockholm by Ogham Waite $12.00 (Digital Download)

Ogham Waite, one of Innsmouth’s Deep One inhabitants, and the Amphibian Jazz Band are the mythos’ answer to the lounge stylings of early Tom Waits. Bluesy and moody, this seductively smokey album drips with saltwater. Waite’s performance and delivery are melodious as they are melodic, a great addition to mythos music.

Ambrose Bierce’s The Boarded Window $20.00 + Shipping (Vinyl)

This limited vinyl pressing of Bierce’s unsettling perspective-shifting tale is read by Anthony D. P. Mann and scored by Chris Bozzone. Cadabra Records always goes the extra mile with their products, and it’s clear from the hand-poured red and white splattered vinyl to the incredible art by Jeremy Hush.

Deities by Tortuga €22.50 ($26.68) + Shipping (Vinyl) €5.00 ($5.93) (Digital Download)

This one showed up randomly on a playlist, and I found myself intrigued. Once I listened to it, I became a fan. Tortuga is a Polish doom metal band whose work is loaded down with intricate and heavy driving riffs inspired by Lovecraft’s writings. It’s good stuff.

Not finding any music or audio that interests you? Check out one of the previous guides. • 2014 Music • 2015 Music • 2016 Music • 2017 Music • 2018 Music • 2019 Music •

Apparel

Tiki Cthulhu Embroidered Patch $9.00 + Shipping

I see many patches as I search for new cosmic horror gear throughout the year, and occasionally I find one that rises to the top. This sew-on tiki-styled Ctuhulu is 3″ x 2.5″ and was created for the 2018 H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival. If you want a mythos inspired adornment for your bag or jacket that’s a bit outside the norm, look no further.

Cthulhu Socks $18.00 + Shipping

It’s winter in the northern hemisphere, that means you need to keep your appendages warm. Also, socks-for-Christmas is a right of passage. Why not consider getting these Cthulhu Socks from PutYourSocksOn featuring tentacles up the side and an illustration of the dead and dreaming Cthulhu on the ankle.

Sourpuss Tropicthulhu Rosie Dress $29.00 + Shipping

When you are associated with the ocean, you generally get associated with the tropics regardless of where your sunken city dwells. This 40’s style Rosie Dress allows you to show your appreciation of R’lyeh’s favorite son in a subtle but delightful manner.

Amulet of Azathoth £23.95 ($34.42) + Shipping

It’s the grandpappy of the mythos deities in amulet form! Well, kinda. A representation of the nuclear chaos beyond angled space himself. This antique amulet is a little over an inch and a half long and is cold cast in a mixture of resin and brass—a stunning little pendant.

Mother & Father Statuary Set $85.00 + Free Shipping

These handmade and hand-painted resin figures of Dagon and Hydra would work perfectly as bookends or garden statues. Aged in a way to evoke feelings of lost treasure salvaged from the seafloor or perhaps a dank and forgotten chamber somewhere beneath Innsmouth. Kinda cute to boot.

Cara Mater Silvae Shub-Niggurath Woodcut Print $187.50 + Free Shipping (Limited Edition)

Liv Rainey-Smith’s fantastic woodcut work has long been a fixture in the weird lit community. This limited-edition print is done in the style of a sacred icon and features a great rendition of Shub-Niggurath, The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, or as my readers will know her, “Cybill.”

Keeper of the Nightmare Mask $331.53 + Free Shipping (Made to Order)

Plague doctors always cut a fearsome figure in humanity’s historical memory, but what lies beneath that leather mask and shielded eyes? This custom made-to-order mask twists tentacles to form that familiar (and terrifying) plague-doctor shape adding an extra level of menace to an already menacing form.

Not finding apparel you like? Check out the apparel on one of the previous guides. • 2014 Apparel • 2015 Apparel • 2016 Apparel • 2017 Apparel • 2018 Apparel • 2019 Apparel •

Games

No Players Online Name Your Own Price (Windows/Linux)

What starts as a simple old demo of a capture-the-flag 3D shooter found on a discarded tape eventually twists and turns becoming something else entirely. I’m a sucker for the 80s glitch aesthetic, and it’s used here in masterfully unsettling ways—multiple endings, interesting game world, very much worth your time.

Kadath $5.99 (Digital Download, Early Access)

This first chapter of a first-person cosmic-horror adventure has you following the case of a World War II Nazi train that vanished only to reappear in a cave in the Himalayas 75 years later. Dripping with atmosphere and filled with brilliant puzzles, this first chapter left me excited for Kadath and wanting more.

Fate of Cthulhu $20.00 (Downloadable PDF) $35.00 + Shipping (Book + PDF)

In this tabletop roleplaying game from Fred Hicks and Evil Hat Productions, you and your friends will find yourself sent into the past on a mission to prevent the future. It’s a race against time as you try to stop the stars from being right and prevent Cthulhu’s foretold return, all before you and yours are transformed into something monstrous.

Elder Sign Dice – Blue Aether $24.99 + Shipping

Infinite Black has been making some wonderful cosmic-horror-themed gaming products for a few years. They’ve finally gotten easy enough to nab for holiday gifts. These Blue Aether Elder Sign Dice stood out to me, but they have a robust catalog making it easy to find the right gift for the dicing Lovecraft fan in your life. (Or yourself.)

Fate of the Elder Gods $63.99 + Shipping

Cults battle cults in this race to summon your ancient order’s elder god of choice! But it’s not just the other conniving worshippers and cult leaders you need to worry about, crafty investigators are on the prowl, and they’re working to subvert everyone’s goals as well. Hasten the earth’s doom in this competitive area-control game for two to four players.

Hastur $274.99 + Shipping (Two Shipments)

I’m a big fan of the Mysterious Package Company, the quality of their products always impresses. This latest journey into the realm of Hastur is no exception. Taking place over several mailings, Hastur invites the recipient into the world of the King in Yellow, the play with the same name, and the utter madness that dwells within those words.

Not finding a game you’d enjoy? Check out the games on one of the previous guides. • 2014 Games • 2015 Games • 2016 Games • 2017 Games • 2018 Games • 2019 Games •

Housewares & Collectables

Cedric’s Eatery 11oz. Mug $16.00 + Shipping

It’s cold out, and you need a new mug. Why not pick one up from Lovat’s own Cedric’s Eatery located in the entresol between Levels Three and Four. An in-between place for in-between folks. Waldo Bell’s latest hangout. Fill your mug with 11 oz. of bad coffee, your favorite tea, or something stronger. [From the pages of the Bell Forging Cycle.]

Cthulhu Clay Idol & Letter $29.80 + Free Shipping

Alternative takes on the Cthulhu idol are rare. More often than not, we see the same shape repeated over and over. Because of that, this rawer, more original piece stood out to me. It feels more realistic in many ways, reminding me of the sort of thing one would find on an archeological dig. Plus, with the attached letter, you get a little mini-experience here.

Sea Monster Shower Curtain $32.00 + Shipping

There be dragons. And there. And there. And… well, all over the place! If you love weird old sea monsters and old maps, then this curtain will be perfect for you. Decorate your shower with this fantastic curtain featuring beasts that look lifted from early Renaissance maps. 70″ x 72″. Liner recommended.

Cthulhu Lovecraft Blanket $59.99 + Shipping

As cooler air moves into the northern hemisphere, we can all celebrate the arrival of the cozy season. To stay warm, why not cuddle up beneath this cotton and acrylic Jacquard Knit blanket featuring the squatting visage of The Great Dreamer himself? He might be cold but you don’t have to be.

Anxious Blob Original Sculpture $325.00 + Shipping (Supplies are limited.)

This weird little one-off sculpture of a nervous little entity is made with polymer clay and hand-painted. The eye sits beneath a glass dome giving this piece a unique character. Who among us hasn’t wanted an anxious blob with hundreds of teeth and a single staring eye decorating our walls?

Not finding a houseware item you like? Check out the housewares from one of the previous guides. • 2016 Housewares • 2017 Housewares • 2018 Housewares • 2019 Housewares •

Miskatonic University

Miskatonic University Pennant $15.99 + Shipping

I love seeing all the different takes for Miskatonic University collegiate gear. Here you can show your support for “Ole Misk” with a felt pennant from H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society and cheer on the “mighty Miskatonic Myrmidons” to another victory. Wave that banner proudly!

Miskatonic University Real Leather Notebook $41.40 + Shipping

Journaler? Artist? Writer? Mathematician? Norwegian sea captain? Random idea generator? If you’re one of these, odds are you need a notebook. This 8″x6″ Miskatonic-themed journal features 100 sheets of thick handmade Khadda paper and is durable enough for the dig site while still being elegant enough for the classroom.

Miskatonic University Wax Seal $48.07 + Shipping

Secure your correspondence with old friends from bygones eras who seek answers using this classic and exquisite seal. It might not stop prying eyes, but at least your old colleagues will know if someone’s been tampering with their mail. (Wax sold separately.)

Miskatonic University Hockey Sweater $109.00 + Shipping (Supplies are limited.)

Every sports fan needs a jersey. Miskatonic students are no different. It’s why when I came across this Hockey Sweater from Geeky Jerseys I knew it’d be perfect for the cosmic horror student in your life. (While this one is great, I’m hoping the superior Miskatonic 2.0 sweater becomes available once again.)

Not finding any Miskatonic University gear you like? Check out the Miskatonic University items from one of the previous guides. • 2014 Miskatonic • 2015 Miskatonic • 2016 Miskatonic • 2017 Miskatonic • • 2018 Miskatonic • 2019 Miskatonic •

  Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

So that wraps up the seventh annual List of Lists. Let’s all keep wearing our masks, socially distancing, and washing our hands so we can all do this again next year. Big thank you to everyone who has suggested items in the past to help me pad out this list. Y’all rule. If I didn’t get to your submission, fret not. There are many more holidays ahead. I appreciate the help.

Do you have a book, game, album, or other weird fiction-related items I should feature in 2021’s Cosmic Horror Holiday Gift Guide? Leave a comment below with links to your favorite goodies for others to see, or send me an email as a potential submission for next year!

Want to stay in touch with me? Sign up for Dead Drop, my rare and elusive newsletter. Subscribers get news, previews, and notices on my books before anyone else delivered directly to their inbox. I work hard to make sure it’s not spammy and full of interesting and relevant information. Sign Up Today→

from WordPress https://ift.tt/3mfcWB8 via IFTTT

[yeoldontknow]

Totem

Author’s Note: this story is entirely an act of fiction. it contains strong, mature themes and features subjects which may be triggering or uncomfortable to read. these themes include, but not limited to: themes of abduction, references to ptsd, extreme trauma, and paranormal activity. please take these warnings seriously and do not read if any make you uncomfortable. | this story is written as a script, rather than a traditional prose fanfiction. even though its unusual, i still hope you enjoy it <3 happy spooptober! Pairing: Hoseok x Reader (oc; female) Genre: horror; suspense; thriller; haunted house au; light romance; au Summary: What follows is an account of YouTube vloggers Euripet3s1 and theJungProject. This is a report of the last known whereabouts of Jung Hoseok. Rating: M Warning: themes of abduction/ghostly possession; references to ptsd; extreme trauma; paranormal activity; explicit language; non-explicit nudity; graphic situations Word Count: 5.5K

Towards the end of my research for my Ph.D, I became fascinated by what has recently been cited as the "second wave" of realism films in production, thanks, in part, to the advent of creative social websites like YouTube and Vimeo. The introduction of reality and scripted reality television, alongside its relatively unilateral conjunction with the internet, sparked a new direction in filmmaking that prided itself on low budgets and the autonomy of immediate authorship. 

Where Vimeo encouraged, and favoured, well produced filmmaking and art house developments from a range of semi-professionals to professionals, YouTube saw a strong dynamic shift in what eventually was defined as vlogging. Video series like Marble Hornets, Fewdio, and curiously chilling uploads by users such as EverymanHYBRID became cult canon amongst internet users. Instead of humour posts, video game plays, and make-up tutorials, users sought creative expression in 'noise aesthetics' and the horror genre. 

On April 30, 2010, YouTube user Euripet3s1 (full name: Y/F/N Y/L/N) uploaded a video entitled #184-190 to her channel of 12,413 subscribers. It would be the final upload she would make before deactivating the account three weeks later, eventually removing herself from social media altogether. The video itself is an account of her trip to England to visit fellow YouTube vlogger and boyfriend theJungProject (full name: Jung Hoseok), who was residing in the country while finishing his degree, depicted through seven pieces of footage taken from video cameras and mobile phones. 

Euripet3s1's channel was a comedy and lifestyle channel, in which she would present everyday information in a humorous way. Therefore, the unsettling events in the final video left both fans and casual viewers stunned. Avid fans of the Marble Hornets series were the first to draw attention to the video, before it went viral on hundreds of forums, including Reddit and BuzzFeed. When the users’ account was deactivated, the video was removed from the website only to resurface two months later by user TwerK (full name: Kim Taehyung). There are only two videos on TwerK's channel: #184-190 and Help Explain This. 

Help Explain This was filmed in August 2011 and is the last surviving footage of Jung Hoseok.

Numerous attempts at paranormal investigations have occurred in the last two years with no results. Psychics have been brought to every location depicted, though their efforts have been futile. The pocket watch in the film has been defined, by paranormal researcher David Kelwayne, as a totem. To quote David:

 "A totem is an item left behind by the dead which they had ascribed deep personal meaning or symbolism during their life. To come into contact with a totem is to contact the spirit attached to it, even if said contact is relatively erroneous; to become connected to the totem is to become connected with the spirit, often permanently" (Seeking Answers: Beginner's Guide To The Paranormal, 54)

This report exists only to present the video as it was found, in its untouched manner, for archival and historical purposes. The research to be found on the events, people, and locations involved has lead many in vast circles and down endless rabbit holes. It is my hope that the academic world will provide its resources for the many seeking answers about what truly happened to Jung Hoseok during that week in April. 

 ~~

Editor’s note: Heretofore, the speakers will be quoted using their first initials rather than their usernames.

#184

Duration: 1:46

[Exterior. Night-vision mid-close up of dirt path. Leaves cover the ground and crunch audibly. Feet remain in view as two persons walk the path in brisk, even steps. A low male voice is heard, his accent distinctly Korean. ]

H: Are you filming, Y/N?

[A second voice speaks, female. She is American]

Y/N: I have no idea. Your camera is weird.

H: It's no different from any American camera. It's a SONY. Has the green dot gone on?

Y/N: Well, it's different in the dark. Yeah, it has.

H: Then it's filming. Point it at your face, dummy.

[Camera is lifted and spun towards the holder's face, the night vision on the camera giving her a blue glow. She is young, no more than 24. The fringe of her hair gets caught in her eyes, trapped there by the hood of her sweater. She smiles brightly, waving at the camera momentarily.]

Y/N: And so we meet again! Today I am joined by theJungProject -

[camera pans left. A young man, also no more than 24, is walking briskly with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. He squints at the light of the camera and pulls a face by sticking out his tongue]

- say hi, Hobi.

H: [nods once] Hello, Tiddy Harem.

Y/N [sighing]: Must you call them that?

H: [shaking black hair out of his eyes; he sniffs, not looking at the camera] You have thirteen thousand subscribers and 12,950 of them are men. Yeah, I'd say it's a harem.

Y/N: [snorting] I do not have thirteen thousand. And that's an insult to my fifty female subscribers.

H: You know I’m playing. [sniffs] You have fantastic tits, though.

Y/N: You’re literally disgusting. [turns camera back to her face] So, as you all remember I landed last night in Heathrow, after which I got embarrassingly drunk on incredible beer. We spent most of the day being hungover before getting on a train from - what station was it?

H: [in background] Liverpool Street.

Y/N: Right, yeah. We got a train from there to here, [pulls camera back to wave hand, denoting surrounding location] which is apparently Suffolk…specifically Sudbury. We had a grand idea to go to the Borley Rectory because I'm in England and apparently that means it's okay for Hobi to go on a midnight ghost hunt.

H: I'm not ghost hunting, I'm just…exploring.

Y/N: [faces camera; raises one eyebrow]

[Camera turns off] 

~~~

#185

Duration: 7:08

[Interior; night. Camera pans from left to right as Y/N breathes heavily. The windows of the rectory are shattered. Leaves scatter the concrete floor. What little furniture existing within the house has been tattered and worn over time, the sheen of its once extraordinary grandeur decayed with dust and time. Y/N walks to her right, into a small dining area. The camera pans over a wooden table that is badly scratched, three long distinct marks marring the mahogany. A hand comes into view, Y/N’s, as she runs her fingers over the marks. The camera pans up and to the left, showing cabinets that are missing their drawers. She leaves the room, slowly walking towards the foyer. A mirror hangs on the wall, the light reflecting off the glass into the lens. She waves.]

H: [distantly; calling] Baby, come up here.

[Y/N head turns right, facing the direction of Hoseok’s voice. The camera turns right as she walks straight back toward a carpeted staircase. Slowly, she ascends it, her footsteps quiet and muffled by both the camera and the foliage. She sniffles. As she approaches the landing, a painting of a pasture comes into view. It is crooked. When she reaches the landing, the camera moves from right to left. There are three bedrooms]

Y/N: [loud whisper] Where are you?

H: [voice from left] In here.

[Camera passes through a doorway. Long shot of Hoseok at chest of drawers to the left. There is an empty bed on the right side of the room, the mattress bare and torn. The video pixelates for approximately two seconds, correcting itself. The windows of the bedroom are in tact, though the carpet has been ripped up from the floor in a seemingly random pattern. Y/N walks to where Hoseok is standing. Atop the chest are several items: a broken hairbrush, a small empty picture frame, an empty ring box and a pocket watch. Y/N zooms in on the pocket watch. Hoseok picks it up, his grip indelicate. Y/N turns the camera, and zooms out to a medium close up of Hoseok’s face as he inspects it]

H: [whispers] This rectory had hundreds of residents before it was condemned. I wonder whose this was.

Y/N: [also in a whisper] Hobi, this place was destroyed by a fire in 1939. Isn't it weird to you that there's still…..things, objects…belongings in here? Nothing seems terribly ruined.

[Pause. Hoseok does not reply. Y/N returns the subject to the pocket watch, appeasing him by maintaining focus on the object though her discomfort is evident.] It looks really old. Can't be from any time after 1920, look at the design. Early surrealist or something.

H: [humming in interest] How do you know that?

Y/N: I’m taking art history for my electives. I’m just saying it looks like something I’ve seen.

[The camera zooms back on to the pocket watch in Hoseok’s hand. There is a patch of dirt along the rim of the cover, but an intricate design of intertwined clock hands and numbers is distinct.]

H: This is mental. You know the more you look at it, the more it resembles a kind of face. Like from a masquerade. 

[Long pause]

Y/N: I don't see it. Where are you looking? 

[Hoseok’s thumb comes into view. It presses the button on the side to open the watch. The cover pops open with a soft click, revealing an elegant Victorian clock face.]

H: Too much to ask for it to be working, isn't it. [laughs]

Y/N: Probably needs to be wound. 

[Hoseok closes the pocket watch.]

[Cut. Interior. Y/N thuds down the stairs after Hoseok, hands clasped and both laughing They come to a stop in the parlor. Hoseok inspects bookshelves, looking for something or nothing, running his fingers over the dusted wood. Y/N turns the camera away and zooms in on a picture frame. It is badly singed. The image of a woman, who looks almost sad, is barely discernible.]

Y/N: [muttering] Something about this……isn't……

[The sound of piano notes echo loudly through the room. Y/N screams loudly, swears, and is visibly shaken as she turns toward the noise. Hoseok sits at a piano by the back of the room, playing Erik Satie's "Gnossienne No. 1." He is chuckling. Y/N approaches him.]

Y/N: There's a fucking piano?

H: [plays uninterrupted] Scare you, did I? 

Y/N: Hobi, is there anything about this that's ok? You said this place was destroyed by a fire and has been abandoned. Logic this out for me: why would there be a piano in a burned down house? Wouldn't the city have this cleared out?

[Hoseok shrugs]

Y/N: I think we should go. 

H: Don't want to spend the night here? We haven't seen anything yet.

Y/N: I paid £35 for a train ticket to this hell. I'll cut my losses and say we’ve seen plenty enough, okay? 

H: [expression softening, he stops playing. The silence is deafening.] Okay, baby, we can go.

[Cut. Exterior. Y/N and Hoseok walking along a residential sidewalk. Hoseok is holding the camera this time, pointed at Y/N in a long shot. Night vision is switched off, faces now illuminated by street lamps they pass. He whistles seductively.]

H: [whispering] Don’t tell anyone until she watches this guys...but I think I’m in love with her. [He turns the camera to face him. The camera zooms out to fit his face.] I mean it. [He looks over the camera to her.] I love her.

Y/N: [distant, off camera] What are you whining about back there?

H: [laughing, he catches up with Y/N and aims the camera at her profile] Say what you said again. 

Y/N: [biting her cheek, but smiling nonetheless] I said you're a twunt.

H: Look at that! Y/N has spent 30 hours in this country and is already adopting its language. 

Y/N: Yeah, well you are. Tell the audience what you did.

H: [turns the camera to his face and holds it out. His leather jacket is unzipped, revealing A Horrors band-tee shirt] I've been a naughty boy. [His other hand reaches into his pocket. He pulls out the pocket watch] Y/N’s upset with me because I wanted a souvenir. 

Y/N: It's not yours, Hoseok.

H: [turns his face to Y/N, camera still aimed at himself. He puts the watch back in his pocket] It's technically not anyone's. Besides, this is one thing we could at least fix. 

[Camera turns off]

~~

#186

Duration: 2:01

[Interior. Hotel bedroom. Y/N sits at the desk provided, laptop open as she uploads footage from the video camera onto her computer. Her back is to the camera. The pocket watch twirls in front of the screen. Hoseok hums. The camera flips, revealing his face. It is clear he is filming on his iPhone. He starts to mouth lyrics to "Don't Stop Me Now," which is playing in the background. He flips the camera back to the watch.]

Y/N: [turns her head quickly over shoulder] Holy shit, come look at this.

[Hoseok drops the pocket watch and hoists himself off the sofa. He is wearing plaid flannel pants. He approaches the desk, leaning against the back of Y/N’s chair and extending his arm as he films.]

H: [kissing Y/N’s head off camera, voice muffled] What is it?

Y/N: You tell me. [looks back at Hoseok, anxious]

[Y/N has Final Cut open. She presses play on footage taken earlier in the evening. She has selected footage from when he ascended the stairs and entered the master bedroom. It plays without sound.]

H: What am I looking for….I don't…

Y/N: [quietly] Just wait. 

[The footage shows the camera panning through the room. As it comes to the bed, the footage warps, revealing a figure wearing black sitting on the mattress. It turns to look at the camera. It is wearing a white mask. The footage warps again. The figure is gone]

H: [reels back] What the fuck is that?! Did you put that in there?

Y/N: [turns to look at Hoseok] No. How would I do that? 

H: [words unsteady] I don't know, you're the film wizard. I still use iMovie. Maybe you have clever special effects or something. 

Y/N: I can assure you that I have no idea how to superimpose an image that clear onto digital footage. I took one semester of New Media, I'm hardly advanced.

H: How did you not see it when you were filming?

Y/N: I don't know, the camera went all pixelated when I was filming but I just thought the battery was running low or something. 

H: You better not be having me off.

Y/N: [brow furrowed, disbelieving] What does that sentence even mean? 

H: Is this punishment for taking the pocket watch?

Y/N: [pursing her lips briefly before she speaks] I'm really not that upset about the pocket watch. Why would I do that?

H: Whatever. Let's just go to bed and forget about it. I don’t want this to turn into a fight.

Y/N: Fine by me.

[Video ends] 

~~~

#187

Duration: 0:53

[Interior. Mid-Day. Close up of Y/N’s face. She stares at something out of view. Behind her, the scenery has changed. Band posters line the green wall, gig tickets and setlists framed next to them. This is what many assume is Hoseok’s bedroom.]

Y/N: [whispers] He's been like this all morning. I have no idea what the hell is going on. He was fine yesterday when we got back from Borley. Fine when we went to lunch, fine when we went to The Borderline for the Lescop gig. Now, he won't stop staring at that goddamn pocket watch. Look.

[The camera is flipped, again the film is from an iPhone. Hoseok sits shirtless on the bed, hickeys dotting his neck and collarbone, the pocket watch in his left hand. He stares almost impassively at it.]

Y/N: [loudly] Hobi.

[Hoseok does not respond]

Y/N: [louder] Hoseok, what the fuck are you doing?

[Hoseok does not respond]

Y/N: [mutters quietly] Jesus Christ.

[The camera tilts and wobbles, tipping down for a moment as Y/N bends to pick something up. A shoe is thrown in frame and lands on the bed right next to Hoseok. Hoseok lifts his head, dropping the watch. He smiles]

H: Want breakfast, baby?

Y/N: [long pause; quiet breathing] Uh huh.

[video ends]

~~~~

#188

Duration: 3:21

[Exterior. Mid-Day. Extreme long shot of Hoseok as he stands in front of a wooden sign that says Boxer's Lake. From the pockets of his leather jacket he pulls the pocket watch]

H: [looking over his shoulder; calls] You sure this is a good idea.

Y/N: [loudly; voice garbled by wind into microphone] You should have seen yourself, Hobi. It's gotta be the watch and I don’t want to go back there to return it.

[Hoseok reels back and throws the watch into the lake. He stares after it, shoulders drooped and jaw tense]

[Cut. Interior of a car. Hoseok is driving. Y/N points the camera at his face.]

Y/N: How do you feel?

H: Like my soul has been ripped from my chest.

[Pauses. Looks at Y/N]

H: [bursts into laughter] Chill out, baby. I feel fine. 

Y/N: [laughs weakly]

[Cut. Interior. Hoseok’s kitchen. Y/N films as Hoseok brews tea.]

H: You want any, love?

Y/N: Nah, water is fine.

H: [looks up at camera] Are you going to film everything? 

Y/N: We have an interested audience. Need to keep them satisfied. And besides, I’m only here for a week. I want to remember everything with you.

H: [begins to pull off shirt, suggestively wiggling his eyebrows.]

Y/N: [laughter] Don’t start with that!

H: [straightens and flattens shirt] You said satisfied! Y/N: [still laughing] Yeah, well, that’s just for me and I’d like to keep it that way.

[Hoseok bites his lip, happy, and walks to a cabinet to the left. He makes to open it, but his attention is brought to something on the counter beneath it. He pauses. His hand slowly drops from the knob of the cabinet. The colour drains from his face]

Y/N: What?

[Hoseok brings his eyes to the camera, lips parted. He is visibly disturbed. He lifts his right hand. He holds up the pocket watch. Y/N’s breath becomes heavy and labored]

H: [voice small] What the fuck.

[Camera shuts off]

~~~

#189

Duration: 8:32

[Interior. Mid-Day. Hoseok’s car, again. Y/N holds the camera as Hoseok drives, lens pointed out the windshield] 

Y/N: Slow down, Hobi.

H: [voice hollow] No. The fucking watch is ticking…and existing. How is any of what just happened possible?

Y/N: I don't know, I don't know.

H: This is fucking twisted.

Y/N: What are you going to do?

H: Leave it in a field? Pawn it off? Whatever, as long as it's far away from me.

Y/N: Why not burn it?

H: Any fire I make wouldn't get the metal hot enough.

Y/N: Just don't get reckless. [Pleading] Please, baby?

[Cut. Interior. A Pawnshop. The camera pans along a shelf. Various objects come into focus. A door opens and an older man comes into view from the back of the store. To the left of the frame, Hoseok walks over and introduces himself]

H: Hi. Uhm, I'm Hoseok. I need to sell a pocket watch?

[The store clerk looks from Hoseok to Y/N]

Clerk: Get your mate to turn the camera off and then we can do business. 

[Cut. Interior. Hoseok’s car. Y/N has rested the camera on the dashboard, pointed at the passing scenery]

H: WOOOO! £650 for a shitty old watch!!

Y/N: I think the fact that it was still working was what sold him.

H: Who knows how long it will work for. We practically robbed him.

Y/N: You practically robbed him. I almost got thrown out for having a camera.

H: Eh. He was probably drunk from boredom. I would be, too, if I had to sit in silence eight hours a day. 

[Cut. Interior. Night. Hoseok’s kitchen. Hoseok presses play on his answering machine as he takes off his coat. Y/N sits at a chair at the kitchen table and zooms in on a Sainsbury's frozen dinner.]

Y/N: Mmmmmm.

[In the background, a voice is heard on the answering machine.]

Recorded Voice: Mr. Jung. It's Geoff. You sold me a watch not two hours ago. I’d like to make it clear I don't appreciate being fucked with. [Y/N brings the camera around, landing on Hoseok who is paused at his refrigerator staring at the machine, frowning.] I get enough shit in my town, and I certainly don't need non-locals breezing through and pulling pranks. I'm giving you twenty-four hours to return the watch or my money to the store. If you don't, I'm calling the cops and we can settle this with legal action. [Machine beeps]

[Hoseok remains paused at the refrigerator - frozen. He begins to visibly tense and Y/N gets up from the kitchen table. She approaches him slowly, before Hoseok slams the refrigerator door shut and rushes into the living room]

Y/N: [shouts] Hoseok!

H: [yells] Where the fuck is it? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT WITH ME?

[Y/N enters the living room and turns right. Hoseok is standing in front of his mantle, hitting his chest with the flat of his palms. He stares at the ceiling and screams]

H: [still yelling] YOU CAN HAVE YOUR FUCKING WATCH BACK, I DON'T WANT IT.

Y/N: [yelling over Hoseok] HOSEOK, THERE IS NO ONE ELSE HERE.

H: [looks at Y/N] Of course there is! How else would any of this be happening? [Turns abruptly and heads down the hallway. He disappears into his room.

Y/N: Fuck’s sake. 

[Y/N follows and enters Hoseok’s room. Hoseok is pulling books out of shelves. He abandons that project and quickly goes to his bed, where he up-turns his mattress]

H: [yelling again] WHERE IS IT, HUH?

Y/N: Hoseok, calm the hell down!

[Hoseok turns and rushes past Y/N. Y/N follows]

Y/N: Hoseok, ripping up the house isn't going to solve anything!

H: It's not in my room, it's not in the kitchen. It makes itself known, right? It wants to fucking be seen. The goddamn ATTENTION WHORE.

Y/N: It's an inanimate object, Hoseok, stop!

[Hoseok stomps into the kitchen and picks up his jacket. He pauses for a moment, softening, and reaches into a pocket. He pulls out the watch]

H: [staring at the watch] Something…someone…whatever…wants me to have this. I don't. Fucking. Want it.

[**In the recorded footage, a voice is heard. It clearly says “But you took it.” Neither Y/N nor Hoseok reacts to it and neither has spoken. This voice was pointed out by YouTube user Sarkozam12**]

[camera turns off]

~~~

#190

Duration: 8:00

[Interior. Night. The couches and chairs have been removed from Hoseok’s living room. Two pillows are placed on the ground, side by side, beneath the coffee table where a ouija board as been set up. The scene is lit by numerous candles along the floor and mantle. Fingers over the microphone cause muffled noises and garbled sounds. Hoseok enters from frame right. He sits, in jeans a tee shirt, on one of the pillows. He takes a swig of cider before setting it next to him. He looks slightly above the camera.]

Y/N: [off camera] This is a terrible idea, Hobi.

H: [solemn] Is the camera set up?

Y/N: [pauses, sighs] Yeah, it's just about.done tightening the tripod.

H: Good.

[Y/N enters from the bottom of frame left. It's a long shot of the living room. Y/N sits next to Hoseok. They look at each other briefly. Hoseok draws his eyes away and onto the Oujia board. Y/N’s brow furrows, and she reaches to twine her fingers with Hoseok’s. The contact has him return his gaze to hers, smiling before he leans in and kisses her deeply. Pulling back, he kisses her knuckles three times. Hoseok’s expression hardens]

H: [quietly] I love you.

Y/N: [smiling; quietly] I’m still not used to you saying that. [pauses] I love you, too.

H: [inhaling deeply] Let's do this.

[Y/N pauses. Hoseok looks at her, concerned.]

H: Don't tell me you're quitting on this.

Y/N: [looks at the ground] Ouija boards are scary, serious shit, Hoseok. I don't think we should fuck around with this. We’ve already fucked up so much shit.

H: [shaking his head] I fucked up. And I just don’t know what other choice I have.

[Y/N pauses briefly, hesitating before leaning in to kiss him once more. They whisper to one another as they break apart, kissing for a few more seconds before separating fully. Pulling her hand from his, she sighs and places both hands on the planchette. Hoseok follows suit and does the same]

H: [uncomfortable] What do I say?

Y/N: [loudly] Is there anyone here with us?

[They remain quiet and wait. The planchette does not move.]

H: What if we contact Zozo? That's the opposite of what I want.

Y/N: [giggling, though her sense of amusement is unconvicing] Don't be stupid. 

[Both are silenced by the planchette which has started to move in swirls across the board.]

H: Is that you?

Y/N: No, I'm barely touching this.

H: [shaking his head] It's not me.

[The planchette stops on the word 'Bye']

H: [pauses] Well, that's sinister.

[The video warps into pixels and corrects itself. Three candles have been blown out. Y/N is panicked]

Y/N: What the fuck did that?

H: [loudly] What is your name?

[The planchette moves, quickly. Y/N says the letters it stops on.]

Y/N: L…A…I…R…R…E. D…D…D…E…A…T…H.

H: Lairreedddeath? The hell?

Y/N: I'm busy focusing on the part that - [The video warps. the masked figure from #186 appears behind Hoseok, getting closer after each pixel correction. A white hand with sharp nails reaches for his neck. It disappears] in the fire?

[The Marimba ringtone of an iPhone goes off]

H: Shit. That's mine.

Y/N: Leave it.

[The planchette spins out of control and falls from the table onto the floor. All the candles are blown out at the same time, though there is no wind to disrupt the atmosphere. The camera shifts to night vision. Both draw their attention to the bright light from the camera]

Y/N: Does your camera shift modes automatically?

H: No, what -

[A loud thud is heard, the sound of a door slamming open to the left, its metal knob hitting the wall. The door to what is considered a broom closet has flung open, but its interior is black and occasionally blurred by pixelated static. Y/N turns to look at the noise, but Hoseok disappears from view. We hear him scream]

Y/N: Hoseok?!? [Y/N searches frantically for where the sound is coming from. She turns her attention back to the door, eyes wide in alarm.] Hoseok? 

[Y/N gets up and approaches the closet but the door slams shut. The lights of the house come on. Y/N opens the door to the closet. It is just a closet. The tripod falls over. The screen goes blue and flashes NO BATTERY]

~~~

Given the found footage nature of the editing and the allusion by Hoseok that Y/N was proficient in film editing, at least once mentioning the capability of using special effects in post production, many of the initial viewers of #186-190 believed the story of Hoseok’s disappearance was a clever hoax. While this report remains unbiased, it is important to point out several facts. 

Firstly, it is true that Jung Hoseok went missing from his shared home April 25, 2010. The phone call received on his mobile during #190 was from his mother, mentioned in Y/F/N Y/L/N’s police report, who had not seen her son since April 11, 2010. Secondly, the pocket watch, and the clothing in which Hoseok disappeared in, have never been found. Until August 2011, the footage captured during #190 depicted the last known whereabouts of Jung Hoseok. 

When Y/N deactivated her account, #184-190 was removed from YouTube in accordance with YouTube’s privacy policies, however not before user TwerK had downloaded the video to a flash drive. In June of 2010, the video was uploaded to Kim Taehyung’s channel, with reasons citing the urgency for fans and interested parties to continue to study the video - i.e in search of clues or proof of a hoax. It is worth noting that while there is a well documented friendship and romantic relationship between Euripet3s1 and theJungProject (ie: both were subscribers to each other's channels, the earliest comments on each party's videos date back to 2008, Euripet3s1 tagged theJungProject in a video called Top 10 Films of 2009, etc) TwerK did not subscribe to either channel, nor has he confessed to knowing either personally. 

It is because of these reasons that the footage in Help Explain This is, in a word, astounding. The film itself was uploaded with a description consisting of a personal plea from Taehyung to help explain what he had caught. Once the video was live, Taehyung experienced a brief period of notoriety on the internet, while simultaneously going under fire by those close to Hoseok who called his video 'tactless and offensive.' 

It is also worth noting that Y/N has become reclusive since these events and has not been available for comment since late 2010, on advice from her therapist.

~~

Help Explain This

Duration: 4:03

[Interior. Mid-Day. Footsteps thud up the stairs of Borley Rectory. The camera is pointed at the landing, but the painting is gone. The person arrives at the landing and he speaks. He is Korean.]

T: Okay. So. Kim Taehyung here. I’m sorry in advance for any English mistakes, but a few subscribers wanted me to visit the rectory while I am here on vacation. Yes, yes, I know it's weird that my YouTube channel only has one video on it, but some of you on Reddit convinced me to make this.  Here we are [Camera pans right to left, light pours in from holes in the ceiling. The home appears to be empty.]. Exact same spot where Euripet3s1 stood. As you can see there is no painting on the wall. Ehm.

[He turns to his left and enters the bedroom, panning the camera right to left as Y/N had done. A naked figure stands in the back right corner of the bedroom, his back to the camera, facing the wall]

T: Again, the room is completely empty. The walls are badly burned. I know you all want to believe this was a hoax, but there's no way these two had the budget. You can't even get up the stairs easily without worrying about falling through.

[He turns left, zooming to an extreme long shot. The right side of the room out of frame.] 

T: This is where theJungProject found the pocket watch. No chest of drawers here. [Camera pans down, showing his feet] You can see the boards of the floor are burned. I'm too afraid to even put weight there. [He presses his foot to the floor, retracting it immediately.]

[Raising the camera, he turns the camera back to right, slightly, showing the whole of the room. The figure from the corner has turned around and is standing naked in a full body shot. The camera pixelates. The figure is now close to the lens, able to be viewed from the middle of the waist up. His mouth and eyes are wide open, but blackened as though holes. The figure is clearly Jung Hoseok.]

T: That's it, then. Sorry the video was so lame.

[He turns and leaves the room. The camera does one last pan from the landing back to the room. The foyer below is empty. The room he had just exited is empty]

Fin.

Author’s Note #2: The locations in this story - Borley Rectory, Boxer's Lake, Liverpool Street Station, Suffolk, and Sudbury - are all real places. Borley Rectory was known as 'the most haunted house in England' and it did get severely burned in 1939. There is actually a woman who haunted the building named Marie Lairre. 

[bisexualklausmikaelson]

If you don't mind, could you write something for klayley based on/inspired by the song Blue by The Neighbourhood?

B.L.U.E – Beyond Love, we are the Universe, Endless

a/n: post-series au/or what ifeveryone came back to life as humans

―

ek. (read my mind ―)

Elijahbuys a piano. 

It’sa stupid expense - they don’t have the kind of luxuries of being originalvampires anymore, they can’t afford to be so foolish when the four of themlived in this dingy little apartment. But, fuck it.

Hewanted a damn piano. 

And,with only a handful of years ahead of him, Elijah Mikaelson decided that he’drather be a musician than a sad old man.

Sohe did just that.

― 

do. (got me at a stop l i g h t.)

Hopehas simpler desires these days.

Shecan finally think about both her parents without cringing about one not talkingto her or the other one being dead. And in truth, after all she’s been through- being human felt good. Her entire life, she’d wanted to be normal.

Andnormal she got.

(Shewas 18, and she no longer worried about monsters, or witches, or heck, evendragons. Hope looked at University applications, got drunk at bars with herfriends, worked at a coffee shop as a barista.

Shecame home each night and crawled into bed while binging a bunch of shows onNetflix. It was the most mundane and uneventful evening she’s had in years.

Andshe loved every second of it).

― 

teen. (call me up for comfort)

Hayleyadopts a black cat.

Hestarted showing up right after Hope had gotten accepted into University. Atfirst, she just offered the stray little thing some water, sometimes scraps ofleftovers. Then, eventually, the cat started sleeping in front of her door.

Hayleypicks it up and realizes that he’s not completely black - he’s got a small tuffof white hair right under his chin, shaped like a half moon. It’s eerily reminiscentof her birthmark.

It’sat that moment that she decides that she’s going to take him in.

― 

char. (― baby, it’s already been a long n i g h t)

Klausgoes to the movies.

It’sbeen almost ten years since the last time he took the time to actually watch adamn film. You know, getting chased around by the undead, by his insane father,by his reckless mother - it took a toll on his hobbies.

Hegrabs popcorn with extra butter, an over expensive fizzy soft drink thatbubbles inside him and a pack of Maltesers.

(Heeven stays after the credits).

―  

paanch. (you leave me b.l.u.e.)

Thetwo of them lied in bed, silent for a moment.

Theroom is dimly lit - soft jazz plays in the background. Hayley wraps herself incrisp white sheets, inhaling Hope’s lingering perfume that stained them. Shemisses her so dearly, wonders if she does the same with her old leather jacketthat still smelled like the bayou.

Klauslies on the opposite end of the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“It’sweird isn’t it? With just us here,” Hayley suddenly blurts out.

Heturns to meet her gaze. She was finally looking the part of the mother of afully grown adult. Wrinkles at the ends of her eyes because she smiled toomuch, a few strands of silver hair creating a unique stripe down her mane, amature beauty in her, sophistication. Time had caught up with the both of them,with their humanity back, it was clear. 

Theywere in their forties. 

“Well,we all knew Hope would leave,” Klaus finally says. “She’s eighteen, she wantsto be independent,” he explains to her.

“I’maware of that,” Hayley snaps.

Ittakes him too long to realize the obvious.

“You’retalking about ‘Lijah,” he judges, by her snippy tone. Her silence givesaway the rest of it, and Klaus can connect the dots from there. “Mybrother is a very complicated man, love,” he quickly says, attempting torecovering what is lost.

Elijahhas left nothing but one of his old Armani suits hanging in the back of thecloset. The scent of Paco Rabanne 1 Million lingers on it. It had only been afew weeks since his disappearance. Mostly, Elijah had been worried about howlittle time he had left on this planet.

Howhe could no longer bare to just sit there in Mystic Falls and die there, again.

“Ishe ever going to come back?” He doesn’t know what to say to her. All he knowsis this: the girl from his brother’s dreams is lying  here beside him, voice trembling, and eyessearching for any semblance of hope, that someday, her love shall return.

Andso, Klaus can’t help himself.

Hethrows the girl a bone.

“Foryou?” he hums, smiling. “Quite certainly,” he whispers softly.

Shedoesn’t like this side of him. For some reason, he is too vulnerable, too weak,too sensitive and aware of how his words affect her.

Itmakes her want to roll her eyes – makes her wonder where the old Klaus went.

“Don’tlie to me,” she orders him. “Not about this,” Hayley firmly says.

Heleans his head against hers, sighing heavily.

“I’msorry, little wolf,” Klaus releases, just before she bursts out in to tears.

― 

che.(stuck inside your cage)

Shecries for exactly four days, and on three of them, he brings her a warm drink.

Onthe last day, he takes her out.

(Sheleaves behind the steaming hot cup of lavender and licorice infused tea, tugson his sleeve as he guides her towards the closest convenience store).

―  

saath. (s o m e t hi n g  inside me is swimming )

They’reon the swings with bowls of ice cream in hand.

“Foodtastes so much better as a human,” Hayley exhales, smiling for the first timethis week.

“Athousand years, and I never thought I’d say this. But I really did miss thetaste of mundane Ben & Jerry’s,” Klaus scoffs, taking a large spoonful ofchocolate ice cream.

“Mundane?”she repeats, sounding shocked. “Someone’s fancy,” Hayley giggles.

Shedoesn’t say much else after that – she eats her pistachio ice cream, watchesthe other children in the park run around the jungle gym, swings slightly andtaps her feet together.

(One,two, three―

Andshe is home).

“Iwonder,” Klaus interrupts her thoughts. “What does one do with only ahandful of years left?” He asks, half-serious and half-curious.

“Idon’t know,” she stammers, biting on her bottom lip. “But this date is anice start,” Hayley blurts out, thoughtlessly.

Hercomment catches him off-guard. He’s known her for so long, and yet, she remainsunpredictable. “This is…a date?” Klaus questions.

Shewidens her eyes. She hadn’t even realized that she’d said those words.

“Sorry,” Hayleywhispers, almost too quiet for him to hear. “I wasn’t really thinking when Isaid that,” she goes on to tell, sounding flustered. Her cheeks burn bright redand they are warm. Why in the world did she have to call this a damn date?

“Italright sweetheart,” he quickly replies her to calm her down. Instead, Klaussmiles, like nothing ever happened. “No harm done.” he shrugs and, thistime, the cards play in his favour.

Forshe is relieved.

―           

aath. (beyond love― ).

“Klaus,”She quips, as their both on their way home that evening. It’s a bit chilly, soat some point, he had draped his jacket over her shoulders. It doesn’t stop herfrom tugging at his sleeve again, as if she is frail. “I want to ask yousomething,” Hayley says, tugging harder.

“Goon,” he replies.

Shelooks down, with a sad gaze. “Why haven’t you left yet?” Hayley asks.

Hepauses, not too sure what to say next.

“Whatdo you mean?” Klaus questions her instead.

Shebegins her sentence with a sigh, which is never a good thing. “Everyone’s ontheir own path. Hope with her studies, Elijah is god-knows-where. Rebekah withMarcel, Kol and Davina, Freya and her family―”

“And where exactly do you think I would go,sweetheart?” he cuts her off then, mostly because he doesn’t want to know whyshe wants to push him away this time. When right now, she is all that he hasleft.

“I don’t know,” she releases, nervously. “ToCaroline maybe? She is still around, you know?” Her voice shakes as she speaks,almost as if she’s afraid to face the truth.

Everyoneleaves her.

Klaus feels everything rush in like a storm – thesound of the young vampire’s name could make his world shake still, even afterall these years. “Caroline is going to live forever,” he admits to her. “Icouldn’t bare to have her watch me die again,” he’s honest with her, and sheappreciates that. Even if his answer isn’t the most sympathetic thing.

“I see,” Hayley nods. “Is that they only reason whythen?” she pushes for more though, because truthfully, she’s always craving forso much more. Klaus had left her starved from his empathy, so many timesbefore. It was only natural for her to hunger for him. To ache for his words.

She’dalways been a greedy woman.

“Little wolf,” he whispers, like she’s still thatyoung girl in her twenties that he hooked up with – like she’s still naïve. “Youand I have been through everything together,” he reminds her. “No one canreplace that,” Klaus finally announces.

She doesn’t tell him that his words feel likesalvation.

―

nau. (universe, endless)

(Sheunderstands how irreplaceable he truly is the morning she is waking up to thesmell of pancakes, a cup of coffee left by her bedside, soft rock music playingon the radio―

and their old lives are worlds, worlds, worlds away).

― 

[wellntruly]

If you read the novel Catch-22 (1961), about U.S. Army pilots & sundry stationed on a Greek island during World War II, you will encounter this off-hand description during the period where Yossarian is hiding in the field hospital:

At which you will either pause worryingly, or you’re normal.

I am not normal, because I have watched the television show M*A*S*H (1972-1983), about U.S. Army medical staff in a mobile surgical unit during the Korean War, and which features a character called Hawkeye Pierce, who frequently looks like this:

Now this bathrobe, iconic simply, appears red to the observer. However, deep into the run there is a line in which Hawkeye refers to it as "purple"—great consternation. But film cameras and light waves being what they are (capricious, devilish), it could very well be maroon in life. It could very well be maroon. It’s what I assumed after that comment. But what I'd never asked was, what is it made out of? Is that corduroy, could it be corduroy, could this be—

Oh noooooooo!

Why is Hawkeye the only one who is wearing the robe of patients from the last war, I ask you! Is it for the METAPHOR. To make me YELL. Did the costume department make it for him, or did they just already have one on hand in the WWII storage? Wait it wasn't real was it? Where is it, where is this robe!

Well babe, it’s in the Smithsonian:

A) of all, fucking fantastic, could not be a place I more want Alan Alda’s bathrobe as Hawkeye Pierce to be than the National Museum of American History. B) well well well well well, what do we have here:

[sic]

So looking THAT up brings you nothing that makes any sense, even trying to correct for spelling. But not to fear: historical re-enactors are here.

On the website of the “WW2 US Medical Research Centre,” an absolutely delightful combination of words and spelling brought to you by two European history buffs, and that’s Europeans who are obsessed with history, specifically American medical units in the 1940s, there’s a page for pajamas, and why look who’s here:

OH ho oh HO!

“Progressive Coat & Apron Mfg. Co.” is so similarly bizarre that I would be very willing to bet that something like idk, the imperfect process of digitizing thousands of records for a website catalog, could have absolutely resulted in “Agressive Coat and Manufacturing Company.” Which would mean yeah, yeah yeah: vintage World War II, slash Korea, just five years later. It was authentic, what they gave Alda to wear, along with his dog tags.

Just Hawkeye though still, which is what's odd.

BUT HANG ON.

Heeeeey now!

So I was recently reminded that in the pilot episode, but the pilot episode only, Wayne Rogers as Trapper John McIntyre also has the regulation corduroy MD/USA bathrobe! In fact, he actually has what would appear to become Hawkeye’s—observe the location of the embroidery. Pocket, like Hawkeye’s in every robe appearance after this first episode, the robe that ends up in the Smithsonian Museum. Whereas the one with the embroidery on the chest that's hanging above Hawkeye's cot here, a common variant that shows up when you’re searching around on military history websites, after this appearance I believe is seen just once more on a visiting colonel later in the first season, then quietly vanishes. Alda ends up in Trapper's, and stays in it for keeps, while Rogers gets, of all things, a cheery goldenrod terry number.

But like, why. Why just Hawkeye in the WWII surplus robe. Both Doyle and Watson have avenues here that I like to think about. For the Doylist side, I suspect it was a decision of like, this is simply too matchy. It’s 1972, our TV screens are small, we gotta take any chance we can get to distinguish these tall white men constantly wearing the same of two monochrome outfits.

In fact, I actually wonder if there was a world where Trapper might have stayed in the maroon and Hawkeye could have ended up in Henry’s robe.

The light blue & white striped bathrobe McLean Stevenson wore as Henry Blake was sold at auction in 2018, and the item description contains the curious detail of it having a handwritten tag inside reading “Hawkeye.” Well heeeyy again.

And here’s another curious detail:

There was a blue & white striped Army-issue robe as well

Now Henry’s is clearly NOT vintage WWII, lacking the pocket embroidery, being terry cloth, and also of course: pastel. But it’s INTERESTING, isn’t it? They had to have been GOING for that look, with that same unusual collar shape and that multi-stripe patterning.

(Also, for real 'what the hell even IS this color' fun, this militaria collectors purveyor has one of the maroon versions too, with photos you can page though and laugh as it flips between looking clearly purple and clearly red in every other photograph. Cameras!!!)

Anyway now we turn to the Watsonian explanation, which seems to run like this: the men at the 4077 were just casually passing their robes around to each other. It's about the intimacy in the face of war, etc. I can see bathrobes going missing when they bug out, getting stolen from the laundry by Klinger and scrapped for parts, being handed off to a poor cold Korean kid who needs it more, and then they need to get to the showers and one of them is like hey, just take mine, and then it’s his now. And eventually most of them end up in warmer-looking civilian robes than the Army holdovers that were being distributed early on, but Hawkeye, he just hung on to Trapper's.

And as a side effect, still looks like he's been injured in World War II.

[abigailskoda]

Jewellery Stores - A Glance At World's Best

Jewelry – a magical word that exudes vivid smiles, Jewellery Design Competition diamond-like glittering eyes and deep, longing sighs. Ever since the human race advanced into an clever immediately-backed species, there are evidences that jewels within the shape of treasured crude metals and stones had been gathered and considered to be types of beauty. There are numerous archeological findings of hand-made easy and elegant rings in diverse components of the arena. No wonder that in the contemporary age, jewelry has received such an crucial status in the global marketplace and a kingdom’s fortune is decided upon its possession and utilization of gold and diamond mines.

Competition the various pleasant manufacturers is at its top of the line level and nowadays’s jewelers are the busiest in the professional marketplace, trying to meet the never-ending yearning for priceless fashionable designs. With the revolution inside the area of enterprise and conversation, world magnificence jewelry has come to the attain of city guy and is no longer constrained to remain within the prized ownership of royalty and film stars. No count number what the finances, earrings, in these days’s international comes in many distinctive forms to suit your person fashion. Every style of rings has long on account that been the closing fashion statement and has stayed that manner until date. The earlier small scale own family rings stores have became huge corporate giants spewing thousands of fresh designs every year. It is pretty an impossible mission to bring on the superb number of brands floating inside the modern marketplace. However, primarily based on antiquity and their present hold close on the world’s economic system, I am going to enumerate right here some famous jewelry shops and brands.

America’s satisfactory rings brands and stores

Zale Corporation

Zale is one among North America’s largest shops in diamond, pearl and colored stone, and gold (rings, chains, and so forth) jewelry. It has a sequence of 2350 outlets in the course of US, Canada and Puerto Rico. The firm has four flagship bearers aimed toward one of a kind rings markets - Bailey Banks & Biddle Fine Jewelers, Gordon's Jewelers, Zales Jewelers, and Piercing Pagoda. In addition to this, Zale also runs several shops in Canada under the names Peoples Jewellers & Mappins Jewellers. Zales.Com & Baileybanksandbiddle.Com are the 2 authentic online shopping department shops for sale of Zale merchandise.

A brief evaluation of Zale’s chains is given underneath:

Gordon's Jewelers:

This was based in 1924 with the aid of Meyer M. Gordon. With in addition expansion, the business grew into a dominant regional earrings emblem catering to local fashion and style and it has endured the lifestyle over time.

Bailey Banks & Biddle:

This became created by using two American silversmiths with little or no capital in 1832 and the emblem changed into mounted in 1878. This company of fine jewelers became one of the united states of america’s outstanding earrings manufacturers and now has a nationwide recognition. Bailey Banks & Biddle has grown to extra than 70 retail locations in 31 states throughout the u . S . A . And Puerto Rico.

Piercing Pagoda:

As ear-piercing started catching up with the fashion market of the USA, rings store owners Bernard and Bertha Cohen observed it apt to open the first actual Piercing Pagoda™ within the Whitehall Mall in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, in 1969. This challenge became a achievement story while ladies from a ways and extensive came to their stall for ear-piercing. Piercing Pagoda has grown from a unmarried retail vicinity to a sequence of extra than 820 kiosks nowadays enjoyable customers for the duration of america and Puerto Rico with its distinctiveness gold rings.

Signet Group p.C

Signet, a UK based organization, is the most important US uniqueness retail logo capturing a chief bite of the United States jewelry marketplace with its 1,221 stores in 50 states. It reaches to the retail clients thru the department stores under the banner Kay Jewelers and locally under a number of well-hooked up and diagnosed names. The superstores operate under the flagship name Jared – The Galleria of Jewelry. Signet Group's US subsidiary is Sterling Jewelers.

Sterling Jewelers Inc.

Primarily managing sterling silver, Sterling Jewelers additionally showcases gold, silver, diamond, and gemstone earrings, watches, collectibles, and items. It has a selection of some 1,220 stores in 50 states. Sterling jewelers is ranked number one within the US (in advance of Zale). It operates “Kay Jewelers” (as a subsidiary of Signet) as nicely “Jared the Galleria of Jewelry” (additionally as a subsidiary of Signet), and about 330 local earrings stores underneath the names “Belden”, “JB Robinson”, “Marks & Morgan”.

Kay Jewelers:

Since 1916, Kay Jewelers, with it’s headquarter in Ohio, has grown from one keep to extra than 800 from coast to coast. Together with Signet Group percent, its London-based discern organisation, Kay jewelers has been pleasant consumers within the US in addition to other components of the world.

Jared The Galleria Of Jewelry:

Jared is the main chain of jewelry superstores. It is also the main diamond jeweler in the US. More than one hundred Jared stores sell diamond jewelry and free diamonds.

Tiffany

Tiffany, established in 1837 in Broadway, New York, first captured the sector’s attention with its problematic silver designs using sterling silver. Since then Tiffany has its call associated with presidents and royalty. It has captured tremendous chunks of america and UK markets. In 2006, Tiffany has provided the Frank Gehry series of jewelry designs in collaboration with the well-known architect Frank O. Gehry. Dealing with diamond, pearls, watches, Tiffany shops are to be had all over the world like the one on fifth street, New York, Harrods in London, Printemps Boutique in Paris, at Sydney, Australia, Ngee Ann City in Singapore to call some.

Macy’s

Opened in New York by Rowland Hussey Macy in 1858, Macy’s become just a elaborate dry goods keep. From such a starting, it has made an extended and a success journey to come to be America’s first largest retail departmental store. With over 800 shops everywhere in the US, Macy’s showcases the whole thing from gadgets of every day use to first-rate jewelry, collectibles and accessories.

International stores

Boucheron

In 1858, Frédéric Boucheron based his personal jewelry house and opened a boutique within the particularly fashionable Palais Royal district of Paris. The high priced boutique fast attracted a prestigious shoppers. Over 4 generations, the family business grew into one of the global's exceptional-regarded satisfactory jewellery brands. In 1893 Boucheron became the first jewellery store to open a boutique at the Place Vendôme, a neighbourhood acknowledged for its urbanity and beauty. In this century, whilst remaining genuine to its specific way of life and legacy, Boucheron has turn out to be a call synonymous with aggressive and steeply-priced present day jewelry designs.

Dior

Christian Dior, primarily based in France, has been luring the wealthy and well-known from everywhere in the world with purses, shoes, and jewellery together with different accessories. Its unique trademark jewellery designs make it figure within the pinnacle global emblem names. It portrays a completely unique style of producing strong earrings objects with tiny, simple styles etched or woven in gold, platinum and silver.

Bvlgari

Since 1884, Bulgari has been placing the pace for Italian fashion in jewellery. It became based with the aid of a Greek named Sotirio who had a flair for roman tradition. With a high extent of creativity and innovation, Bulgari looks for concept from Greek and Roman arts with out losing recognition on originality. It experiments with gold rings in strings of pearl and coloured stones. This gives a completely unique colorful contact to its products. Via Condotti changed into its first save boasting visits from royalty and movie stars galore.In Rome, Paris, London, New York and Los Angeles, in addition to in Tokyo and Dubai, Bulgari has created a gap of its own.

H Samuel and Ernest Jones

In the UK, Signet is the biggest strong point store of pleasant jewellery with 591 shops nationwide. Primarily situated in high uptown locations or buying department shops, the shops perform under the banners “H.Samuel”, “Ernest Jones” and “Leslie Davis” (a change name related to Ernest Jones). Signet sells gold, silver, diamond, and gemstone rings, watches, collectibles, and presents. Some shops promote china and crystal.

Ernest Jones focuses on diamonds, branded watches and gold jewellery, that are all merchandised and marketed to attraction to the greater prosperous urban purchaser.

H.Samuel gives more than a few jewellery, gold, watches and presents.

Peoples Jewellers & Mappins Jewellers

Zale Corporation has captured the Canadian marketplace through  brands, Peoples® Jewellers and Mappins® Fine Jewellers. Both chains are famous at some point of Canada. They provide conventional jewelry objects thru retailers placed in high department shops and different strategically nicely-located geographic locations. Founded in 1919 as a family business, Peoples Jewellers turned into the first organization in Canada to sell rings on a time price plan. Mappins Jewellers began working in 1935, by a British jeweler named Mappins running in a Canadian company. Mappins become acquired by way of Peoples Jewellers in 1964.

[kher4life-blog]

My Stalker - My best friend - 0137 Part One: Introduction: 37, 73, 137 and Qabalah

SEPTEMBER 29, 2014 BY JAKOB THELEN

ciphers names of godCiphers and Cryptography: A Very Brief Foundation

The use of ciphers and subtle allusions in mysticism, philosophy, literature and religion, though generally ignored or unknown in modernity (by and large), are indeed well-established practices (such as the three literary practices in Qabalah, all of which involve some form of cryptography: transpositioning; substitution; skip-codes; re-arrangements of text into columns, as with the 72 Names of God; interpretation as number; etc).

“Ciphers are hidden in the most subtle manner: they may be concealed in the watermark of the paper upon which a book is printed…bound into the covers of ancient books…hidden under imperfect pagination; they may be extracted from the first letters of words or the first words of sentences; they may be artfully concealed in mathematical equations or in apparently unintelligible characters…they may be word ciphers, letter ciphers…they may be discovered in the elaborately illuminated initial letters of early books or they may be revealed by a process of counting words or letters.” – Manly Palmer Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, p. 491.

Repetitions

Some of the more observant readers may have noticed in various books, films, TV shows and the like, a profound repetition of three distinct numbers: 37, 73 and 137. I offer the following examples:

Literature and Poetry: 1308-1870

Dante Alighieri’s Inferno (c. 1308-1321 AD): The 7th realm contains 3 spheres (this could be an allusion to the harmonic ratio 7:3) Jules Verne’s Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under The Sea (1870): 37 and 73 are referenced no less than 7 times throughout (as is the Golden Section, no less than four times). For example: “Now, had it not been for the exceptional strength of the Moravian’s hull, she would have been shattered by the shock of collision and have gone down with all hands, plus the two hundred and thirty-seven passengers she was bringing home to Canada.” p. 16(It may be worth noting that the name Moravian could be read as the French “Mort a vient,” a grammatically flawed phrase yielding roughly “Death has come.” Jules Verne was French.) “In a smooth sea, with a favorable breeze, on the 13th of April, 1867, the Scotia, of the Cunard Company‘s line, was in 15º 12’ longitude and 45º 37′ latitude.” pp. 16-17 “It came, therefore, to $337,500…” p. 83 “About eleven o’clock in the morning the Tropic of Capricorn was crossed on the 37th meridian, and we sighted Cape Frio standing out to sea.”These are only in one book! Surely these numbers could not have been chosen at random, Jules Verne was a very intelligent, meticulous author that dedicated great effort to his work. Verne was almost undoubtedly initiated – as revealed by his novels, the two most obvious being The Green Ray and Robur the Conqueror (R.C., Rosae-Crucis). The company he kept also establish this connection quite conclusively (refer for example to Hetzel). Aside from these, examine his tombstone closely and you will see a definitively occult sculpture, showing him emerging from the grave with arm extended (not unlike Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam) shrugging off the veil of the material in aspiration. All quotes here given were taken from the Readers Digest edition (in English). Film and Media: 1984-2012

Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop III (1994): In the beginning it reads “Tuesday, 1:37 AM.” The Big Bang Theory: Sheldon asks, “What is the best number? -By the way, there’s only one correct answer…The best number is 73…it is the 21st prime number. It’s mirror 37 is the 12th…” Significantly, this appears in episode 73: The Alien Parasite Hypothesis (S.4 e.10). Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing: Tim’s boss says: “…on page 37 of Tzun Tzu’s The Art of War…” 21 Jump Street (2012): The police officer mistakenly says near the beginning: “37 Jump Street. 22 Jump Street (2014):During the football game a player on the sidelines is wearing jersey #37 (approx. 1hr in, center-background).There are countless other examples, but these few should serve to illustrate the on-going obsession. Though some of these are more subtle than others, all are intentional. What makes these numbers so special? What are all of these directors, producers, actors, writers and poets -spanning over 600 years- pointing to? Creation

2nd

Gematria: Wisdom in Number

Gematria is a Qabalistic practice that involves assigning particular numerical values to certain letters. It is one of the three literary Qabalistic practices, the other two being Notarikon and Temurah. It is most commonly seen in Hebrew or Greek, though there is substantial evidence both Arabic and Sanskrit have been similarly employed. In fact, the Vedic Katapayadi System proves without doubt that our current chronology for the discovery of pi is wrong (more later). Many attempt to apply similar cryptographic techniques – i.e. Qabalistic permutations – to languages of the Latin alphabet such as English, albeit with little success. There are two systems most commonly employed: The Ordinal, which is simply the placement value of each letter (1-22); and The Standard, in which the 11th letter becomes 20 and the 21st becomes 300 (1-400). Typically, in Hebrew, Greek and Arabic gematria the latter system is used, while in Mayalana and Sanskrit katapayadi the former is most commonly seen.

(An easy way to remember the Standard Gematria values is to simply add the two numbers and put a zero on the end. For instance, Mem is the 13th Hebrew letter and it has a standard value of 40 [1+3=4, add a zero=40]. If it is 10s, add one zero; if it is 20s, add two [Tau=22, 2+2=4, add 2 zeros=400]. For

those who may have difficulty, this ‘rule’ works invariably for Hebrew.)

Before we continue, I feel that a comprehensive chart of the Hebrew alephbeit will help (we will only be focusing on Hebrew for now). The esoteric meaning is bracketed, while the literal is written plainly: (Ordinal) (Standard) PALEO-HEBREW CELESTIAL YETZIRATIC

ENGLISH HEBREW VALUE SYMBOL CORRELATE DIVISIONS

A 1. Aleph = 1 = א = An Ox 1. Air 1 (Mother) (Father)

B / V 2. Beit = 2 = ב = House 2. Mercury 1 (Double)

(Mother)

G 3. Gimel = 3 = ג = Camel 3. Luna 2 (Double)

(Nature)

D 4. Dalet = 4 = ד = Door 4. Venus 3 (Double)

(Authority)

H 5. Hé = 5 = ה = Window 5. Aries 1 (Simple)

(Religion)

V 6. Vau = 6 = ו = Nail 6. Taurus 2 (Simple)

(Liberty)

Z 7. Zain = 7 = ז = Weapon 7. Gemini 3 (Simple)

(Ownership)

Kh / Ch 8. Cheit = 8 = ח = Fence 8. Cancer 4 (Simple)

(Distribution)

T 9. Teit = 9 = ט = Serpent 9. Leo 5 (Simple)

(Prudence)

I 10. Yod = 10 = י = Hand 10. Virgo 6 (Simple)

(Order)

K 11. Kaph = 20 = כ = Palm 11. Jupiter 4 (Double)

(Force)

L 12. Lamed = 30 = ל = Ox-Goad 12. Libra 7 (Simple)

(Sacrifice)

M 13. Mem = 40 = מ = Water 13. Water 2 (Mother)

(Death)

N 14. Nun = 50 = נ = Fish 14. Scorpio 8 (Simple)

(Reversibility)

S 15. Samekh = 60 = ס = Support 15. Sagittarius 9 (Simple)

(Universality)

O 16. Ayin = 70 = ע = Eye 16. Capricorn 10 (Simple)

(Balance)

P / F 17. Pé (fé) = 80 = פ = Mouth 17. Mars 5 (Double)

(Immortality)

Tz 18. Tzaddi = 90 = צ = Fish-hook 18. Aquarius 11 (Simple)

(Shadow)

Q 19. Qoph = 100 = ק = Back Head 19. Pisces 12 (Simple)

(Light)

R 20. Resh = 200 = ר = Head 20. Sol 6 (Double)

(Recognition)

Sh 21. Shin = 300 = ש = Tooth 21. Fire 3 (Mother)

(Sacred Fire)

T 22. Tau = 400 = ת = Cross 22. Saturn; 7 (Double)

(Synthesis) Earth Element

*Note: The English letters are meant to convey the pronunciation. The seemingly random arrangement of attributions (i.e. Simple, Double, Mother) is only apparent: when sorted according to the Sepher Yetzirah, or Book of Formation, the Elements emerge in the Three Mothers; the Planets in the Seven Doubles; and the Zodiac in the Twelve Simple or perhaps inappropriately named ‘Elemental’ letters. This arrangement was allegedly designed with the intent of mirroring the occurrence of God in Genesis: “God Made” 3 times, “God Saw” 7 times, and “God -” 12 times; “God said” 10 times, reflected in the 10 Sephiroth or Emanations of the Tree of Life.

(See: Adele Nozedar’s The Illustrated Signs and Symbols Sourcebook, Frater Achad’s Q.B.L., and the Sepher Yetzirah for sources of these symbolic attributions.)

The word Chokmah, meaning Wisdom, has two values – one according to each of the systems mentioned above. It has an ordinal value of 37(ח כ מ ה = Cheit8 + Kaph11 + Mem13 +Hé5 = 37) and a standard value of 73 (8+20+40+5=73). The latter is “the best number” according to Chuck Lorre, while the former is a religious and literary favourite.

Threes and Sevens Everywhere According to the gospel accounts, Jesus Christ performed exactly 37 miracles in his lifetime. The average pregnancy lasts between 37 and 42 weeks (42 being “The answer to life, the universe, and everything in it” to Hitchiker’s fans), and 37º Celsius is the normal human body temperature. The name Elohim (Heb. Lord, Ruler, God, Power[s]) appears for the 37th time in Genesis 3:3:

“But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

To re-appropriate Revelation 13:18, “Here is wisdom.” How elegant that the verse containing the 37th occurrence of Elohim should be one with that which forbids man from eating the Fruit of Death! – This is indeed wise advice, as will be seen in a much later part (Part V).

Mathematically, 3 and 7 are the only two dimensions in which binary problems (i.e. defining vector products) may be solved. This in itself makes them incredibly useful numbers. 37 is the 12th prime number, while 73 is the 21st; 37 is the 3rd star number, while 73 is the 4th.

For those unaware, numbers are inherently capable of representing geometric forms: for example, 3, composed of 3 individual units [called counters] creates a triangle. 3 is technically the second [1+2=3], while 6 is the third [1+2+3=6] and 10 is the fourth [1+2+3+4=10]. The latter forms the Pythagorean Tetractys. There are squares, cubes, stars, indeed all manner of shapes, typically referred to as figurate numbers.)

If we add the star placement values of 37 and 73 (3+4=7), as well as their two prime-number placement values (12+21=33), we obtain the Days of Creation and the traditional lifespan of it’s Redeemer (many Christian traditions claim that this was the age of Christ at death, though Luke 3:23 states that he was “about 30”).

7 and 33

The Days of Creation and the age of Christ -derived from Chokmah- offer much wisdom. For one, 33-7=26, the gematria of Yahweh ( י ה ו ה = Yod10 + Hé5 + Vau6 + Hé5 = 26). Our modern week is exactly 7 days, and it takes exactly 33 years for the sun to rise a second time in the same spot over the Earth (this is the lifecycle of the Solar Man, partial key to 33 and its relevance to the so-called World Mystery – as Manly Hall puts it). There were 7 Classical Planets. The visible-light spectrum consists of precisely 7 colours (of which 3 are primary), the modern musical scale consists of 7 notes (do re mi fa so la ti; the second ‘do’ is the first octave [from Lat. Octavus, eighth], or double the first note), while there are 7 modes used in Western music (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. Interestingly, in Carnatic or South Indian Classical Music, there are 72!). The frequency of 1:1, aka Unison or the C-note = 33 on a Harmonograph, and perhaps most importantly: the human head has 7 orifices and the human spinal cord has 33 discs (24 upper, 5 to the sacrum and 4 to the coccyx). These latter two are reflected in the Macrocosm of the ancients, the 7 Planets and the 33-Year Solar Journey. This surely would have been seen as profoundly significant. Shockingly, the ratio of Moon:Earth = 3:11. The median of these two numbers is 7, and their multiplied sum is 33 (it is quite likely that the ancients were aware of this ratio, as will be demonstrated in a much later segment).

There are 7 Chakras (from Sanskrit, meaning “wheel”), now believed to be the 7 major endocrine glands (there are also the parathyroid, hypothalamus and gastrointestinal tract -yielding a true total of 10-11, that are not considered part of the “major” endocrine glands). Surely a great many Vedic and Tantric sages would scoff at the notion that the whirling vortices of latent energy are material in nature; in many cases the body is used as an analogy to something non-material, as a Sacred Map of the ethereal realm. In any case their knowledge of human anatomy is certainly rather impressive.

(The Egyptians were similarly well-educated, performing incredibly daunting surgeries with tools still in use today. Herodotus and many other Greek historians have claimed that their knowledge was derived from that of Egypt, and there has been much speculation that the knowledge of Pythagoras was in fact Indian in origin. Take for example this quote from a 1775 letter written by Voltaire: “I am convinced that everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganga – Astronomy, Astrology, Spiritualism, etc.. It is very important to note that some 2,500 years ago at the least Pythagoras went from Samos to the Ganga to learn Geometry.” The former half of this statement is at least partially verified by Hadith Al-Halila – also referred to as the Islamic Tradition of the Myrobalan Fruit, or more recently, The Confutation of Atheism. In this text a Muslim preacher discourses with an Indian atheist physician, who describes that his people discovered and continue to practice Astrology – a science that is apparently unknown to the Imam. It is also known that Pythagoras had gone to Alexandria, but it is worth pointing out that the so-called ‘Pythagorean Theorem’ is seen in Baudhayana’s Shulba Sutra, a Vedic mathematical text that predates him by some two centuries.)

Note that the Kundalini Serpent resting in 3&1/2 coils in Muladhara (base), when awakened, traverses the 7 chakras along the 3 nadis: to the right, ida; the left, pingala; in the center lies Sushumna – Path of the Serpent of Awakening. Following a materialist line of thought, both ida and pingala may correspond to the spinal nerves that appear on each side (this would make Sushumna – the Serpent’s Path – the 33-disc spine in between). Here we see a Serpent traveling 33 discs along 3 nadis through 7 chakras.

In verse 2 of the Vedic Asya Vamasya (Riddle of the Sacrifice, Rig Veda 1.164), we read:

“Seven yoke the one-wheeled chariot drawn by one horse with seven names. All these creatures rest on the ageless and unstoppable wheel with three naves.”

The sum of all numbers in this verse equal 19, the number upon which both the Egyptian and the Mayan peoples based their mathematics (both used grids of 18:19; 18+19=37).

Given the omnipresence of 37 in so many religions (Jewish, Christian, Vedic), it should come as no surprise that, in the Buddhist Sambara-Mandala, we see exactly 37 goddesses – each being a personification of a particular characteristic or accessory to Enlightenment.

3rd

Illustration above: The 7 Major Endocrine Glands: 1 Pineal 2 Pituitary 3 Thyroid 4 Thymus 5 Adrenal 6 Pancreas 7 Ovary 8 Testis (from Wikipedia)

4th

Illustration of chakras: The 7 Main Chakras (from top down): 1 Crown: Violet, Sahasrara; Pineal; 2 Third-Eye/Brow: Indigo, Anja; Pituitary; 3 Throat: Blue, Visuddha; Thyroid; 4 Heart: Green, Anahata; Thymus; 5 Solar-Plexus: Yellow, Manipura; Adrenal; 6 Spleen: Orange, Svadisthana; Pancreas; 7 Root/Base: Red [often with yellow root-square], Muladhara; Ovaries or Testes.

http://www.spiritofthescripture.com/id2808-part-one-introdu…

[writinggeisha]

Why is color in writing so important?

Pablo Picasso said that “Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.” Picasso was an artist who evoked emotion with colorful pigments. As a writer, you can do the same with colorful words.

Note the different pictures painted by the following two paragraphs.

Ned gazed at the calypso-orange horizon. A lapis-blue speck sparkled above it in the deepening violet of a new night sky—Planet Vorton, home.

Ned gaped at the corpse-grey horizon. A mold-blue speck festered above it in the deepening black of a smoggy night sky—Planet Vorton, home.

Same number of words, different colors, with complementing adjectives and verbs. One paragraph emanates optimism, the other gloom.

Compound adjectives sometimes require hyphens.

According to The Chicago Manual of Style, if a compound adjective appears before a noun, it should be hyphenated.

Compare the following examples:

Tristan wore an eye-catching purple tie. Tristan’s purple tie was eye catching.

Wendi modeled a melon-pink dress. Wendi’s dress was melon pink.

Accent colors with adjectives.

Here’s a list over one hundred adjectives from thousands you could choose to produce more vivid descriptions of the colors in your writing.

A Accented, achromatic, ashen, ashy, atomic

B Blazing, bleached, bleak, blinding, blotchy, bold, brash, bright, brilliant, burnt

C Chromatic, classic, clean, cold, complementing, contrasting, cool, coordinating, creamy, crisp

D Dark, dayglow, dazzling, deep, delicate, digital, dim, dirty, drab, dreary, dull, dusty

E Earthy, electric, energetic, eye-catching

F Faded, faint, festive, fiery, flashy, flattering, fluorescent, frosty, full-toned

G Gaudy, glistening, glittering, glossy, glowing

H Harsh, hazy, hot

I Icy, illuminated, incandescent, intense, iridescent

K Knockout

L Lambent, light, loud, luminous, lusterless, lustrous

M Majestic, matte, medium, mellow, milky, monochromatic, muddy, murky, muted

N Natural, neon, neutral

O Opalescent, opaque

P Pale, pastel, patchy, pearly, perfect, picturesque, plain, primary, pure

R Radiant, reflective, rich, royal, ruddy, rustic

S Satiny, saturated, shaded, sheer, shining, shiny, shocking, showy, smoky, soft, solid, somber, soothing, sooty, sparkling, stained, streaked, streaky, striking, strong, subdued, subtle, sunny, swirling

T Tacky, tinged, tinted, tonal, toned, traditional, translucent, transparent

U Undiluted, uneven, uniform

V Vibrant, vivid

W Wan, warm, washed-out, waxen, wild

Enhance multicolored objects with adjectives such as these.

B Bicolor, blended, braided

C Cataclysmic-colored, checkered, compound, contrasting, crisscrossed

D Dappled, disparate, dotted, dusted

F Flecked, freckled, fused

I Intermixed, interwoven

J Jumbled

L Lined

K Kaleidoscopic

M Many-hued, marbled, mingled, mixed, motley, mottled, multicolored, multihued

P Particolored, patterned, peppered, piebald, pied, polychromatic, prismatic, psychedelic

S Salted, speckled, splotched, stippled

T Two-tone, tricolor

V Varied, variegated, veined

Nouns provide more opportunities to add color and detail.

A Accent

B Bleach, brightness, brilliance

C Chroma, clarity, CMYK, coating, color wheel, colorant, coloration, cover

D Deposit, depth, diffusion, dimension, dispersion, dye

F Film, finish, flicker, fluorescence

G Glare, glaze, gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glitter, glow, gradation

H Henna, highlight, hint, hue

I Incandescence, intensity, iridescence

L Lacquer, layer, lightness, lowlight, luminosity, luster

M Monotone

N Nuance

O Opacity, opalescence

P Paint, Pantone, patina, peroxide, pigment, pigmentation, polish, prism, purity

R Radiance, rainbow, RGB, residue, rinse

S Sample, saturation, seam, shade, sheen, shimmer, shine, smidgeon, sparkle, spectrum, stain, stratum, streak, stripe, suggestion, surface, swatch

T Tattoo, tester, tier, tincture, tinge, tint, tone, touch, trace, twinkle

U Undertone

V Varnish, vein, veneer

Find more writing tips in

The Writer’s Lexicon and The Writer’s Lexicon Volume II

.

Available in both digital and print editions. –

Perhaps these verbs will provide inspiration.

Colors can blend, clash, or enhance. They might revitalize, fade, or overlap. Choose carefully to provide the nuance you need in your writing.

A Accent, accentuate, appear, attract

B Balance, bathe, bespatter, blanch, blare, blaze, blench, bleach, blend, blotch, brighten, brush, burn

C Captivate, clash, color, combine, complement, conflict, contrast, coordinate, crayon

D Darken, daub, draw, decolorize, decorate, deepen, dot, draw, dye

E Embellish, emit, enhance, enliven

F Fade, flare, flash, flatter, fleck

G Glare, glaze, gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glow

H Harmonize, heighten, highlight

I Illuminate, infuse, intensify

J Jar

L Light, lighten

M Match, meld, merge, mingle, mix

O Outline, overlap

P Paint, permeate, pervade, plaster

R Radiate, revitalize

S Saturate, seal, shade, shine, sketch, smear, sparkle, splash, splatter, spray, spread, stain, suffuse

T Tinge, tint

V Varnish

W Wash

Invent colors.

Your ingenuity is the only limit with invented colors. Consider a few examples.

Yolanda sashayed toward me, hips swiveling in a seduction-red skirt that complemented her bad-baby-black lipstick.

Either Yolanda intends to ravish our narrator, or he hopes she’s a bad girl with seduction on her mind.

Bruise-blue eyes stared out through glasses crisscrossed with cracks. Matching lumps burgeoned from Marco’s chin and cheeks.

Readers will make the connection between bruise-blue and the lumps, imagining someone who has been beaten or injured.

Find color ideas by googling phrases such as “things that are green” or “things that look blue.”

And now, a kaleidoscope of colors.

Some of the following lists contain invented colors. Many are based on objects we encounter in our environment. You can use almost any noun to create an adjective that will resonate with readers.

For the next several years, Trump blond or Hillary blonde will produce instant mental images.

Science fiction might use deep-space black, quasar blue, or starburst yellow.

An environmentalist could choose colors such as oil-slick black, smog grey, or acid-rain yellow.

Choose or invent colors that intensify your writing.

You can use many of these words as is, or precede the color they represent to produce a compound adjective. Rather than anthracite, for example, you might prefer anthracite black.

Black Anger black, anthracite, bat black, boot black, cat black, cave black, cavity black, charcoal, coal black, crow black, deep-space black, ebony, evil black, funeral black, grease black, ink, jade black, jet, leather black, licorice, metal black, midnight, mildew black, mold black, night black, obsidian, oil-slick black, onyx, pitch black, raven, sable, shadow black, shoe-polish black, silhouette black, smoky, sooty, spider black, tar black, tire black, tuxedo black, uber black, velvet black

Blond/Blonde Although blond can be used for either males or females, I and many writers prefer blond to describe males and blonde to describe females. Likewise with gender-identified pets and animals.

Why?

Blond was adopted into English from French, and the French language uses gender-specific descriptors.

Compound adjectives in the following list are spelled with the feminine form.

Almond-crème blonde, amber, apple-cider blonde, apricot, ash blonde, banana-bread blonde, blanched, bleached, bombshell, bottle blonde, brassy, bronze, brown-sugar blonde, butter blonde, butternut, butterscotch, caramel, chamomile blonde, champagne, chardonnay blonde, corn blonde, diamond blonde, dirty blonde, dishwater blonde, electric blonde, flaxen, French-fry blonde, frosted blonde, gilded blonde, ginger, ginger-ale blonde, ginger spice, golden, goldenrod, Hillary blonde, honey blonde, honey-butter blonde, honeysuckle blonde, hot-toffee blonde, macadamia blonde, mushroom blonde, neon blonde, peroxide blonde, platinum, sand blonde, straw blonde, strawberry blonde, sunflower blonde, sun-kissed blonde, sunset blonde, tarnished-gold blonde, Trump blond/e, trumpet blonde, vanilla-malt blonde, vintage gold, wheat blonde

Blue Admiral blue, Aegean blue, agate blue, arctic blue, azure, baby blue, berry blue, blue-jay blue, blue-jeans blue, bluebell blue, blueberry blue, blueberry-juice blue, bluebird blue, blue-jay blue, brook blue, bruise blue, cadet blue, cerulean, china-blue, cobalt, cornflower blue, crystal blue, denim blue, electric blue, forget-me-not blue, galaxy glue, gunmetal blue, ice blue, indigo, ink blue, jellyfish blue, lagoon blue, lake blue, lapis blue, laser blue, lilac blue, lobelia blue, mold blue, moon blue, navy, ocean blue, quasar blue, river blue, robin-egg blue, sapphire blue, sky blue, star blue, steel-blue, swimming-pool blue, teal, toilet-water blue, toothpaste blue, ultramarine

Brown Acorn brown, almond brown, amber, auburn, autumn brown, Bambi brown, beige, brandy brown, brick brown, bronze, brunet, buckeye brown, camel brown, caramel, carob brown, cedar brown, champagne brown, chestnut, chipmunk brown, chocolate brown, cinnamon, cider brown, clay brown, coffee brown, cognac brown, cookie brown, copper, cork brown, desert sand, drab brown, dun brown, ecru, espresso brown, fawn brown, football brown, freckle brown, ginger, gingerbread brown, golden brown, hazel, hickory brown, honey brown, infrabeige, kiwi brown, lion brown, loam brown, mahogany, maroon, merlot brown, mocha, mouse brown, mud brown, muddy brown, nut brown, oak brown, orange brown, peanut brown, pecan brown, pekoe brown, penny brown, pigskin brown, pretzel brown, rosewood, russet, rust, sandstone brown, seal brown, sepia, sienna, spice brown, syrup brown, taffy, tan, taupe, tawny brown, teddy-bear brown, topaz brown, tortilla brown, tourmaline brown, umber, walnut, wheat brown, whiskey brown, wood brown

Green Apple green, army green, artichoke green, asparagus green, avocado green, barf green, basil green, blue green, bottle green, bright green, cabbage green, camouflage green, cat’s-eye green, celery green, chartreuse, clover green, crocodile green, crystal-marble green, cyan, electric green, elf green, emerald, fern green, frog green, grape green, grass green, hypergreen, jade, jasper green, jelly green, juniper, kale green, khaki green, kiwi green, leaf green, LED green, olive, leprechaun green, lettuce green, lime, lizard green, loden, mildew green, mint, moss green, neon green, ocean green, parsley green, pea green, pea-soup green, peacock green, pear green, Perrier-bottle green, pickle green, pine green, puke green, sage, sea green, seafoam green, seasick green, seaweed green, seedling green, shamrock green, snot green, spinach green, spring green, sprout green, spruce green, tea green, teal, toad green, velvet green, viridian, watermelon green, yellow green

Grey/Gray Alien grey, aluminum grey, anchor grey, ash grey, battleship grey, bottle grey, boulder grey, carbon grey, cement grey, charcoal grey, cloud grey, coin grey, corpse grey, crater grey, death grey, dove grey, elephant grey, exhaust grey, fling grey, flint grey, fog grey, fossil grey, fungus grey, ginger grey, granite grey, graphite, gravel grey, gruel grey, gum grey, gunmetal grey, hippo grey, hoary grey, ice grey, iron grey, knife grey, lead grey, mercury grey, meteor grey, mummy grey, nail grey, nickel, otter grey, pebble grey, pepper grey, pewter, pigeon grey, porpoise grey, porridge grey, rat grey, salt-and-pepper, seal grey, shadow grey, shark grey, shovel grey, silver, slate, sleet grey, slug grey, slush grey, smog grey, smoke, steel grey, stone grey, storm grey, stormy grey, stormy-sea grey, sword grey, tabby grey, tank grey, tweed grey, wax grey, wolf grey

Orange Apricot orange, burnt orange, butternut orange, calypso orange, candlelight orange, cantaloupe orange, caramelized orange, carrot orange, cayenne orange, cheddar orange, cheese-cracker orange, Chinese-lantern orange, cider orange, citrus orange, clementine orange, coral orange, crayon orange, curry orange, fire orange, flame orange, goldfish orange, mac-and-cheese orange, mango-tango orange, mandarin orange, marigold orange, marmalade orange, monarch orange, nacho orange, nasturtium orange, naval orange, papaya orange, peach orange, peach-butter orange, peach-sorbet orange, popsicle orange, pumpkin orange, safety-vest orange, salamander orange, salmon orange, sherbet orange, shrimp orange, starfish orange, sunset orange, sweet-potato orange, tangelo orange, tangerine orange, terra cotta, tiger orange, traffic orange, yam orange

Pink Amaranth, azalea pink, baby pink, ballet-slipper pink, blush, bright pink, bubblegum pink, cantaloupe pink, carnation pink, cerise, champagne pink, cherry-rose pink, coral, cotton-candy pink, crepe pink, cupid pink, cyclamen pink, damask, flamingo pink, fuchsia, geranium pink, grapefruit pink, lemonade pink, magenta, mandarin pink, mango pink, melon pink, old-rose pink, oleander pink, parfait pink, pastel pink, peach, peach-blossom pink, peony pink, piggy pink, piglet pink, pomegranate pink, prom pink, punch pink, raspberry-smoothie pink, rose, rosewood pink, rouge pink, salmon pink, seashell pink, sherbet pink, shocking pink, strawberry pink, swine pink, taffy pink, watermelon pink, Zinfandel pink

Purple Amethyst purple, amparo purple, boysenberry purple, burgundy purple, Byzantium purple, clover purple, concord purple, coneflower purple, cyclamen purple, eggplant purple, fig purple, gentian purple, gooseberry purple, grape purple, heather, heliotrope, hyacinth purple, indigo, iris purple, jam purple, kazoo purple, lavender, lilac, lollipop purple, lotus purple, magenta, mauve, mulberry purple, onion purple, opal purple, orchid purple, periwinkle purple, petunia purple, pillow purple, plum, posy purple, primrose purple, raisin purple, regalia purple, rhubarb purple, royal purple, sage-flower purple, sangria purple, sugar-plum purple, tanzanite purple, Tyrian purple, violet, wild-berry purple, wine purple, wisteria purple

Red Apple red, auburn, beet red, berry red, blaze red, blood red, blush red, brick red, burgundy red, candy red, candy-apple red, candy-cane red, carrot red, cherry red, cherry-soda red, Christmas red, cinnamon-candy red, communist red, copper red, coral red, crab-apple red, cranberry red, crimson, currant red, fire red, fire-engine red, fire-hydrant red, flame red, flaming red, garnet red, ginger red, heart red, henna, holly-berry red, jam red, ketchup red, lady-bug red, LED red, licorice red, lipstick red, lobster red, maple-leaf red, merlot red, mulberry red, neon red, pepper red, pomegranate red, poppy red, radish red, raspberry red, roan, rose, rouge, ruby, Russian red, rust, rusty, Santa-suit red, scarlet, sorrel, stoplight red, strawberry red, sunburn red, titian, tomato red, tulip red, Valentine red, wanton red, watermelon red, wine red

White Alabaster, angel white, ash white, blizzard white, bone white, bread-dough white, cake white, cameo white, chalk, chaste white, chiffon white, china white, clamshell white, cloud white, coconut white, cornstarch white, cream, crème, dumpling white, eggshell white, fizz white, foam white, fog white, frost white, gardenia white, ghost white, goose-down white, heron white, hospital white, KKK white, ivory, lace white, lather white, lily white, linen white, lotus white, milk white, mist white, moonstone white, noodle white, paper white, parchment white, pearl white, phantom white, picket white, platinum white, polar white, porcelain white, powder white, rice white, salt white, Samoyed white, sheet white, skeleton white, snowflake white, specter white, starch white, sugar white, talc white, vellum white, virgin white, wedding-veil white, winter white, wonton white

Yellow Acid-rain yellow, autumn yellow, banana yellow, bourbon yellow, bumblebee yellow, butter yellow, buttercup yellow, butterscotch yellow, cadmium, canary yellow, chick yellow, corn yellow, custard yellow, daffodil yellow, daisy yellow, dandelion yellow, Dijon yellow, duckling yellow, egg-yolk yellow, flaxen, ginger yellow, gold, goldenrod, grapefruit yellow, hardhat yellow, honey yellow, jaundice yellow, lemon, macaroni yellow, maize, mustard, omelet yellow, pencil yellow, pineapple yellow, plantain yellow, poppy yellow, rubber-ducky yellow, saffron, sawdust yellow, school-bus yellow, scrambled-egg yellow, starburst yellow, sticky-note yellow, straw yellow, sulfur yellow, sun yellow, sunflower yellow, sweetcorn yellow, tallow yellow, taxi yellow, turmeric yellow, wasp yellow, whisky yellow, yield-sign yellow

[realsamcalloway]

3/27/17 - Interview With Author Elizabeth Cline, “Still ‘Overdressed’ In 2017″ (www.regardingstyle.com)

Originally posted March 27, 2017 and appearing on www.regardingstyle.com.

© 2017 TRSB (Sam Bone)

Still “Overdressed” in 2017: Catching Up with Elizabeth Cline

By Sam Bone

Most standard format written articles (whether in print or digital) begin with the author of the article talking about the interviewed subjects’ past accomplishments and also plugging upcoming projects. A lot of times, there are behind-the-scene motives as to why a person is being interviewed, like say, because there is a product to be pushed or an agenda.

Well, this is not your mother’s format here.

Not when it comes to Elizabeth Cline.

For all of us who are thinking of, or already have begun an ethical fashion journey and also for those who are currently heavy influencers, Elizabeth really needs no introduction. So I won’t give you one. I will rebel against journalistic standards slightly and begin with what Elizabeth has done for me, the previously-found-guilty, and what she can do for you.

Before I go any further, I just need to say that I am thrilled to have Elizabeth Cline for this interview! Thrilled isn’t even a big enough word to describe my feelings about it.

I’ve been hugely impacted by Elizabeth’s speeches and also by her hard-hitting, slap you in the face then pull you in for a hug book, Overdressed. I am impacted and thankful for Elizabeth Cline because, aside from the sickening realities that she speaks of very bluntly in her book, she also has a way of reassuring you that you’re not a terrible person or consumer. Before I dove into the pages of the book, I was somewhat scared because I, like Elizabeth and so many others, fit the profile of that person who shopped at Forever 21 Men’s and H&M. When I think of all of the times in my life I’ve said to someone inquiring about what I’m wearing, “..and it only cost me ten dollars!”… it makes me cringe.

In the Church of Elizabeth Cline, she preaches that it is okay to have been a consumer of fast fashion—What truly matters is understanding the repercussions and changing our buying habits for the better. Amen.

Now, aside from all of that, Elizabeth Cline was the poor person who first received my panic. I had spent a few weeks watching YouTube videos; anything and everything that came up as a result of my search of “fast fashion.” I obsessively read and tried to grasp all of the statistics I was hearing and reading about. I, at one point, realized that some of the stuff I had read was maybe a little too outdated (2014 is like 10 years ago!), so I quickly filtered my results. I was in a total tail spin and whirlwind of information. My whole life, I’ve also dove straight into the depths of the unknown, in an attempt to take in as much information as quickly as I can.

I was freaking out. I had a Winona Ryder in “Stranger Things” panic attack. Then suddenly… I hit a wall. I needed to know more, needed someone who would maybe understand me, and the first person I thought of was Elizabeth Cline. To my shock and awe, she replied and we began a dialog.

I know that was a tad long-winded, but in your reading that, Elizabeth, I want you to know that no matter how far I go in my journey, even if nowhere at all, I will forever remember your kindness, accessibility and generosity. Indebted indefinitely.

 What’s up and how are you doing today? Where in the world are you (Los Angeles, Brooklyn, etc.)?

I live in Brooklyn! We had a snowstorm today and everything was mostly shut down. So I did what any normal person would do and bought a bottle of whiskey and turned on Netflix. 

I was listening to a September 2016 radio interview you did with Heritage Radio Network yesterday and learned about your new journey in film making. I am so excited for the documentary! How did this happen for you?

When Overdressed came out, I knew that the story of fast fashion would be best told visually. Even as a print journalist, I could see that it would have so much more impact if it was presented as a movie. After several years, I eventually came back around to the idea of making a documentary and started looking into how I, as someone who's never really worked in documentary film, could pull this off. Right now I'm filming two separate projects, one on fast fashion and one on textile waste. I've got my own gear, shoot with a couple of different camera people and producers, and have an editor I work with. It's a lot of fun. 

The interview I heard is now a few months old… have you come up with a title yet and how is that process going?

Since the podcast, I have been mostly working on a follow-up to Overdressed, which is an ethical style and shopping guide. I do have some ideas for a title but nothing is set in stone. 

As a slight curvature, I discovered that you were in a heavy metal band called Mortals out of Brooklyn! I could tell you were a bit punk rock when I first saw you speak at the April 2016 Chicago Humanities Festival and it was certainly an allure for me, as my background is also musical (music promotions and I’ve been the vocalist of a few bands myself). My question is how did you manage to pull of separating the two “jobs?” I was shocked when I found this out and thought “how did I NOT know this?” I am sure it would surprise quite a few people as well.

That's awesome! I've been in the punk and metal scene since I was 14, and it's a huge part of who I am. I got into activism and social justice through the punk scene. For a while, I kept those two parts of my life very separate -- playing music and working in the sphere of Overdressed and journalism.  You'd think that it would be impossible to hide anything about yourself given the Internet, but somehow most people don't find out if you don't want them to. Ha.

Sadly, I quit my band last year so I could focus on my documentary and writing more books. Sigh. It certainly wasn't an easy decision but it was the right one for my life.

Since 2012’s release of Overdressed, what have you been up to in regards to your delivering a message about sustainable and ethical fashion?

The book was a little ahead of it's time, so I haven't been doing ethical fashion related stuff full-throttle since 2012. I mostly promote the book through public speaking -- it's the best way to bring what's on the pages to life and get people thinking. I have given dozens upon dozens of lectures and talks at universities, high schools and community groups over the years, and I am slated to do at least six talks this spring. There's real momentum behind the ethical fashion movement now, so I feel like this year and last were probably my most active since the book's release. I try to stay engaged on social media with the ethical fashion community as well. In addition to the documentary and the follow-up book, I am also running a secondhand designer clothing business via eBay and a textile and fashion reuse lab in Brooklyn. I have a lot of irons in the fire. Too many, on most days.

In your eyes, how has the fashion industry changed since 2012?

I think perceptions of the fashion industry have changed a lot. There's now a broad popular understanding of fast fashion, and why it's problematic. There's a general sense that the global fashion industry is bad for the environment and often for human rights as well. I was filming recently with some activists in front of a Forever 21 in Los Angeles, and a college student immediately walked up to us and said, "Yeah, fast fashion is bad. I work at Forever 21 because I need a job, but I know it's not a good company." That would have never happened in 2012! Of course, there are also thousands of ethical fashion companies around the world now, many of them small but growing. Everlane and Reformation have made the concepts of transparency and sustainability cool or accessible for Millennials.

Within the fashion industry, I'm most excited about how digital technology is changing and will continue to change the way we consume. You follow me on Twitter, so you know how much of an advocate I am of resale and rental sites / apps. I think the future of fashion is shared, in the sense of circulating items from user to user until their useful life is over. We will have to continue to shift consumer behavior to fully realize the sharing economy's potential within fashion -- Americans tend to think of wearing someone else's clothes as dirty or something poor people do. That's really got to change, and I think it's finally beginning to do so.  

Speaking of change, with the new Trump administration here in the United States; what are your thoughts on his trade executive orders and the overall reception (or lack thereof) of his ideas and rhetoric from the fashion industry?

As someone who's written extensively on global economics and studied and researched trade in the U.S., China and Mexico, I can say with confidence that Trump's view on global economics and trade is dangerously inaccurate. He sees globalization as a zero sum game where the U.S. lost and China and Mexico won. The U.S. is of course still the world's largest economy. Growing inequality and a lagging middle class is a phenomenon that's playing out around the world, not just here, and it has as much to do with technology and automation as it does with the way trade deals are structured. I don't think it's a bad idea to renovate NAFTA, but only if the goal is to build environmental and worker protections into the agreement (the original does not include anything like that) but that's not Trumps's intention. So my guess is he'll change it in a way that's devastating to the U.S. economy and makes us less competitive and less innovative. Trump just wants us to go back to the 1950s or 1980s when manufacturing employment was a significant portion of the population, but the world he's trying to recreate no longer exists.

…and to push boundaries a bit (because I am unafraid), what are your thoughts on his conflicting opinions about resourcing USA companies back to the homeland, while he keeps both his product lines and his daughter Ivanka’s overseas? I, personally, find this baffling and astoundingly hypocritical.

I feel like we've all taken the Made in USA worship thing a bit too far, myself included. Now we have an autocrat running the country because he promised to bring factories back to America. We need to take a long, hard look at what we hope to gain from on-shoring certain industries and evaluate how and if it's even possible and how and if it's going to meet our wider goals of higher employment and a stronger middle class. I think in a lot of instances, on-shoring is not the answer we're looking for, especially if it means making the U.S. uncompetitive by adding trade protectionism to our industries. 

Instead, I think the U.S. should continue to focus on building advanced manufacturing here, which is something Obama put a lot of money into. That's partially why the portion of U.S. GDP going to manufacturing is as high as it was in the 1960s and 1970s. Advanced manufacturing relies on technology, automation and advanced skills. And then we should continue to grow our boutique, artisan, small-batch manufacturers who represent quality and craftsmanship. I really don't want to see stores like Kohl's and Target make all their clothes here again. And if we start clamoring to see something like that here, we need to really ask ourselves what the motivation is.  

People like you and I work tirelessly to spread a message about the repercussions of fast fashion and the waste it causes and also by encouraging consumers to shop more ethically; how will this work when there are companies and world leaders who simply refuse to withdraw because the payoff is so huge? To these people, what would you say?

I don't want to see an end to outsourcing. Trade and globalization are a good thing. But with this global world we live in, we simply have to figure out how to regulate environmental standards and enforce living wages in garment factories that are currently generating huge, unprecedented profits. I also think it's fine to partially subsidize high-end, high-skilled garment factories in the U.S. that still have specialized tailoring skills for example -- we want those skills to survive. It's also important for the Garment Industry in NYC to survive as it's an important tool for design and innovation in the U.S.

When people take the problems with fast fashion into consideration and decide that they want to change their buying habits, a lot of people’s minds go straight into “I can’t afford that” mode. I’ve even heard arguments that go as far as saying that it’ll never work (ethical fashion as a first thought for consumers) because consumers are so engraved with prices offered by retailers like Target and Forever 21. What are your thoughts on this consumer mindset?

I think it's a challenge. American consumers in particular are trained to buy a lot of clothing over the course of a year, which makes them very sensitive to price. How could you spend $200 on a single ethical item if you're then going to turn around buy 68 items per year (the American average)? Who can afford that!

I think there are probably two different potential markets for ethical fashion. Women who are a little further into adulthood; they're making their own money and they're looking to build a wardrobe and buy higher-quality pieces. For them, ethical fashion is not as hard of a sell. For that person, it's about spreading awareness that buying higher-quality pieces that you truly love is really satisfying and such an incredible source of joy and happiness. That's part of the reason I'm writing the ethical style guide, as people aren't really given the skills anymore to shop well. It's a process and a journey going from thinking like a fast fashion consumer to thinking like someone who wants to build the wardrobe of their dreams. Those are two different mindsets and demand two different approaches to spending. 

For teenagers and college students, someone is going to have to come along and basically create a Whole Foods of ethical fashion, something that has enough buying power and economies of scale to keep prices down. Young people are either spending their parents' money or they don't have a lot of disposable income. And they are under a lot of social pressure to keep up with trends and shop a lot. So, yeah, whoever can figure that out will be hugely successful I think!

Thank you so much for your time! What can we all expect next from you?

Ethical style and shopping guide coming soon!

 To stay up-to-date with Elizabeth, you can follow here on Twitter here, bookmark her official website here and while you’re at it, purchase Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost Of Cheap Fashion here!

Certain elements, such as links and photos, may have been removed from the original version of the above article.

[gregoriabenavides01]

Guideline:  Who’s really bullshitting me about Global Climate Changes?

 Who’s really bullshitting me about Global Climate Changes?

Summary

Here is a simple summarizing on how to distinguish climate changes and making sure I nor my love ones will get bullshit by their information.

First thing on determining what is real news on climate change is that you need to always find out about the sources and if its originality... 

What will it take for you to believe it or not on Global Climate Changes?... 

As all information that is being collect, it will be compared to what and how society will confuse truth due to fake news, especially because there is also information such as in children films that are educating our children at a very young age... 

 Literature Review guide to follow Fredal, Pennycock, Bednarek, Gee

In the Article Rhetorical and Bullshit, James Fredal analysis of bullshit in three 3 stages: produced, interpreted, and judged. Nonetheless, defining what bullshit meant. He emphasizes that educating the audience on the meaning of bullshit and how it is produced, interpreted and judged by the public. But it also will break it down into analyzing, qualities, types, to the point, and clarify its rhetorical analysis.... 

In the Journal of On the reception and detection of pseudo-profound bullshit, Gordon Pennycock, James Allen Cheyne, Nathaniel Barr, Derek J. Koehler, and Jonathan A. Fugelsang, which was based on educating the audience on how to detect and how they bullshitter persuaded.... 

In the Article of Why do news values matter? Towards a new methodological framework for analyzing news discourse in Critical Discourse Analysis and beyond, Monika Bednarek and Helen Caple, which it would be directed into a framework of distinguish linguistic reaction towards the media; than it be translated into newsworthiness constructive criticism or critical linguistic analyses... 

 In the Article of Discourse Analysis Matters: Bridging Frameworks, James Paul Gee used philosophy did a research on finding truth in scientifically ethically, which sought out and proven tentative and exploratory on frame working: 9 ideas... 

 Distinguish Reading Bullshit List

How to distinguish bullshit from an article, media, entertainment, or journal, and not become discouraged from it?

a.      Does the article sound bias?

b.     Does it discourage you with negative vocabulary usage, maybe       voguer?

c.      Are their sources reliable?

d.     Does it discredit certain organization or people?

e.      Do they need a second or third source to finish their research?

f.      Does the article consists of different websites?

g.     How does the article make you feel emotionally?

h.     Does the article contradict itself?

i.       Does the article give references?

j.       Are the references reliable sources?

k.     Are the images reliable?

l.       Word count usage?

m.   Does it consist of many different advertisements, which removes your concentration and point of view on the article?

n. is it fit for your children’s education as a learning resource? 

  Annotated Bibliography all information investigated: articles, movies, news, etc.

1.Open Source System, Science, Solutions: Global Climate Monitor. 

Reisman OSS is a program that is involved global changes research, which involves biological biodiversity and political arena... 

2.  Principia Scientific International: With Ice Growing At Both Poles, Global Warming Theories Implode. 

The main argument about this article is about how the Antarctica is being affected more than the Artic and the ones keeping an eye on it is the united Nations, but not in a form that we think that its melting and disappearing. Nonetheless, it speaks about how the ice is growing and spreading out due to ice buildup... 

 3. ABC News. A vast iceberg breaking off Antarctica. News 

The main point to this news article was about the Antarctica iceberg cracking up and the its considered to be the largest recorded within the globe and its twice the size of Wales, which it will rise global sea levels... 

4. Megyn Kelly Interviews John Coleman Weather Channel Co-Founder climate Change is FAKE!!!

Global warming is a myth to push up political message (Megyn). The video covers politicians speaking about climate changes, which John Coleman co-founder of the Weather channel speaks and states that it’s not real and it’s a myth... 

5. Comedy Central: George Carlin on Global Warming

The main arguments that George Carlin brings up during his comedy was all about global warming not being real. How its a hoax for environmentalist trying to protect their personal habitat...  

6. PBS. Its ok to be Smart: Climate Science: what you need to know

This video is about arming ourselves with why climate change is occurring, in twenty-four steps, and it depends on the audience if it wants to believe in their facts. the host in the video is named Joe Hanson, which seems to be in control and not radical when he is trying to inform across his information, which many scientist have proven facts about climate changes occurring and how slow it is occurring since the 1870′s...

7. PBS. Its ok to be Smart: Climate Science: why people don’t believe in climate change

Why we don’t worry about climate change and the five main reasons we don’t economics, morals, human rights, ideology, and technology. The actor expresses his belief on climate change and why we don’t believe and if we believe we don’t do much or anything about it...

 8.  Rio the movie

(Fox)Rio the movie was accepted by millions due to being a world premier film across the world, which was a film to entertain the public, but it had informative information on what is occurring across the world with the divers of the species removal from their ecosystem and deforestation of their habitat...  

9. Top 10 Reasons Climate Change is a Hoax 

The article Top 10 Reasons Climate Change is a Hoax, written by Elmer Beauregard, which was Accept by seventy people and it was the group the left one thousand six hundred and six comments on them trying to make sense about the article...  

10. Harvard scientists in chemical sprinkler versus global warming without damaging ozone layer geoengineering conspiracy theory

The audience only reasons to have accepted the article was due to the reason is should be worthiness, and in it was written by a team of scientists from a credential school, Harvard. Main reason was that they had discovered an aerosol from the chemical trails...  

Presentation of public document PowerPoint

[dayallegal-blog]

Udta Punjab and Censor Board

Providing Relief to producers of Udta Punjab, the Bombay High Court Monday agreed to only one of the 13 cuts suggested by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) – a scene that shows the protagonist urinating in public. The court also asked for a modification in the film’s disclaimer and said that the “film board need not be oversensitive in the matter of art”.

The disclaimer will now state that the film does not promote or encourage use of expletives or drugs by any person, and that the film does not depict any particular state. Further, a mention of another country has been removed from the disclaimer.

           The court said that there was no denying that the film depicted the drug menance. The backdrop chosen is Punjab. It is open for a creative person to choose the backdrop, setting and story line. No one can dictate how and what the content of the film should be “, said the court.

           “The board is not necessarily empowered to censor films. The word censor is not found in the Cinematograph Act. The board can make changes in the film but this power must be exercised in consonance with Constitutional Guarantee and Supreme Court orders, “ Justice S C Dharmadhikari pointed out.

           Justice Dharmadhikar, however, said the court agreed with the CBFC counsel Advait Sethna’s rationale that just because such curse words were allowed in earlier moves does not mean they should be allowed in every film. “Everything must depend on individual circumstances. Every film is viewed on the basis of its theme, story, entertainment value, etc. We are of the view that such cuss words should be allowed here, “ the court said.

           Saying that he would have preferred if such words were not used, Justice Dharmadhikari said”With experience and passage of time, filmmakers should choose better words, and the utility of such words is best left to the audience. Eventually, story and content is important and there is no need to use such words in every dialogue”.

           On the board’s demand the words such as ‘election’, MP, MLA and party” be deleted, the court said the film as a whole did not seem to target Punjab and its representatives. “Seven states will go to elections in 2017, out of which Punjab is one. The film does not seem to have been made keeping this in mind”, observed the court.

            Many Film personalities have reacted  to the decision of the Court in striking down decision of the Censor Board.

Abhishek Chaubey has said that he is relieved, because my producers and I have the chance to release the Udta Punjab on time. The only thing we have conceded is the deletion of the urinating scene. We offered that ourselves today. The certification board has been directed to issue the certificate to us.  It is a vindication of ours stand and, more importantly, it is a vindication of democracy and fundamental rights.

           Hansal Mehta said what is unfortunate is that a filmmaker had to go through such an ordeal to get redressal for the interpretation of guidelines by the CBFC. Moral of the story: Censorship must end. Certify, don’t censor our work. Not every producer can afford legal assistance like the producers of Udta Punjab, nor garner such industry or media support. Let Udta Punjab not be a one-off case of collective outrage resulting in a positive outcome. 

           Neeraj Ghaywan said, one bit that was self-contradictory was the court telling the filmmakers that the urination scene had to be cut. Had there been no cuts it would have been a landmark judgement. We need to take this judgement seriously, and we need to be taken seriously. I love how the entire community came together. This debate should go to the Parliament. One of the bigger victories was the HC telling the CBFC that its job was not to censor, but to certify.

           The law relating to certification of films is governed by the provisions of “The cinematograph i.e. Act 1952. The Act was enacted to make provisions for the certification of cinematograph films for exhibition and for regulating exhibitions by means of cinematograph. Section 4 provides for examination of films, by the Board of film censors, which may sanction the film for unrestricted exhibition with an endorsement to that effect or :

(ii) sanction the film for public exhibition restricted to adults; or

(iia) sanction the film for public exhibition restricted to members of any profession or any class of persons, having regard to the nature, content and theme of the film; or

(iii) direct the applicant to carry out such excisions or modifications in the film as it thinks necessary before sanctioning the film for public exhibition under any of the foregoing clause; or

(iv) refuse to sanction the film for public exhibition. However the decision has to be taken by the Board after giving an opportunity to the applicant for representing the views in the matter.  SSA provides for certification of films for unrestricted public exhibition a certificate a “u” or u/a certificate. However, if the film is not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition but is suitable for exhibition restricted to adults, or restricted to members of any profession or any class of persons, it is empowered to grant an “A certificate or a “S certificate, and the film to be marked as such.

           Section 5B, is the most important provisions prescribing the Principle for guidance in certifying films. The film is not to be certified for public exhibition if the film or any part of it is against the interests of (the sovereignty and integrity of India) the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or involves defamation or contempt of Court or is likely to incite the commission of any offence.” The Central Government is authorized to issue directions for setting out principles which will guide the competent authority to grant certification for public exhibition.

Section 5C, provides for filing of appeals aggrieved by any order of the Board, and section 5D, provides for constitution of Appellate Tribunal Section 5F provides for Review of orders by the Central Government and Section 6 provides for overall Revisionary powers of the Central Government. Section 7 provides for imposition of penalties for contravention of the Act, and provide for punishment with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees, or with both, and in the case of a continuing offence with a further fine which may extend to twenty thousand rupees for each day during which the offence continues.

It may be advisable to refer to some of the court decision relating to applicability of the principle for guidance in certifying films. According to 1989 Ruling of the Supreme Court  The Censor Board should exercise considerable circumspection on movies affecting the morality or decency of our people and cultural heritage of the country.

In 2002, the Punjab High Court held that Screening of film “Gadar” does not offend religious susceptibilities of Sikhs” AIR 2002 P & H 25 (29):

Similarity in 2004, a film depicting the life style of National Hero Sardar Bhagat Singh, the court did not find anything in the said films that may put to shade or even slightly diminish the exemplary role played by Shaheed Bhagat Singh in his endeavour of freedom struggle for which cause he ultimately sacrificed his life, the exhibition of films in question was not prohibited, when the basic character of the National hero was kept intact and as. some glamorization or addition to main events which may not be derogatory or offending as such has been made nothing wrong could be found with the same.

           Reference may be made to 1993 Judgement of the Supreme Court pointing out that a film maker has a fundamental right under Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India to exhibit his film and explaining scope of section 5B of the Act in the following manner:

           “Places reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right of speech and expression. They are in the nature of curbs or limitations on the exercise of the said right, and therefore, a heavy burden lies on the authorities that seek to impose them to show that the restrictions so imposed are reasonable and permissible in law”.

           In 1996 the Supreme Court considered a film dealing with life of a village female child transformed to dreaded dacoit due to social evil and brutalities to which she was subjected. The film was viewed by the Appellate Tribunal compromising of three women members, and even scenes of nudity and rape, and use of explosives were permitted as the same were in aid of the theme. Grant of A certificate by Tribunal subject to certain conditions was held to be in compliance with requirements of the guidelines.

           The decision of the Bombay High Court in granting relief to the producers of Udta Punjab subject to one cut only is legally correct, being fully in line with the decisions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.

  Mr. Keshav Dayal 

Senior Advocate , Supreme Court Of India

Patron :Dayal Legal Associates.

DEEPAK DAYAL (MBA, LLB) | Managing Partner,

Dayal Legal Associates .India.

Advocate, Supreme Court Of India. 

contact@dayallegal.in

http://www.dayallegal.in M : +919560732244 O:   +919069113331