christine-thinks

[christine-thinks]

Atlanta photographers Regis and Kahran Bethencourt think of themselves as “dream makers.”

That’s because the couple makes kids’ wildest dreams come true in portrait shoots. The results are conceptual, highly stylized photos of children dressed as visions plucked straight from their imaginations.

The Bethencourts hope the portraits transcend the typical images of beauty.

“We get so many amazing ideas,” Kahran told NPR’s Morning Edition.

Jhene Santana Brown, 15, a client from Providence, R.I., wanted to become a fairytale lion.

“I just loved lions and my favorite movie is Narnia,” Brown said. “So I wanted it to be fierce but also soft and kind.”

Twelve-year-old Whitcliff McKnight, a client from Smyrna, Ga., had a session that involved three distinct costumes. The inspiration: “renaissance man.” That’s what his mom calls him.

“The first [portrait] comes from my love of travel and foreign languages and the arts,” McKnight said. “The athlete theme comes from the sports I play, including soccer and basketball. And the futuristic type of theme comes from my love of video games.”

Mermaid: Alaya Barton                                

The shoots are affirming, says Dr. Terica Barton of Tampa, Fla, whose 8-year-old daughter, Alaya, transformed into an underwater mermaid for her portrait. 

“I think it’s absolutely important for little African American children and children of all races just because it shows them and highlights their beauty, it highlights their difference,” Barton said. “And sometimes it’s difficult in this country raising children that aren’t the majority and instilling in them the beauty and their differences and making them celebrate their differences and their culture.”

General: D'Zion Thompson                                

(left to right) Drummer: Evan “Jazz” Wright Futuristic Girl: Raine Douglas Futuristic Girl: Legend Pearl                                

Albinism Awareness Activist: Ava Clarke                                

That beauty is encapsulated in Glory: Magical Visions of Black Beauty, which features more than 100 photographs.

“We really wanted to shatter the conventional standards of beauty for Black kids. We highlighted a variety of kids across the African diaspora,” Kahran said. “We bring to life past, present and future visions of Black culture.”

Each child in the book has their own unique backstory: an 8-year-old who is already a neuroscience expert, a 10-year-old DJ and a little girl who learned to read at the age of 1.

Activist: Trinity Simone                                

Baroque Princess: Zoe Polley-Flowers Dolls: Naija Alcantra & Aileen Vasquez Lion’s Mane: Farouk James                                

Futuristic Girl: Nevaeh Camara                                

Cajun Barbie: Koryn Moore Reading Doll: Nailah Stallworth Little Miss Flint: Mari Copeny                                

Pilot: Aa'Zion Dawkins   

“We were noticing all these kids that we were running across on a daily basis who just didn’t have the platform,” Kahran said. “And so we definitely want to be able to use our platform to highlight them and highlight their excellence and highlight everything that they’re doing so that the world can see kind of this Black excellence on display.”

And that is, simply put, Regis says, “being yourself unapologetically.”

#art by others

[christine-thinks]

thinking about this again

#writing by others #connections connections connections

[christine-thinks]

Rival Potion Shops: Laughter

Another one in Eli’s POV, because what can I say- Eli’s heart eyes give me joy. Maybe they’ll give you some joy, too.

Synopsis: Dawn can make Ambrose laugh. Eli wants to see it.

Word Count: 439

TW/CW: food mention

They found themselves squished into a tiny booth in the back of the tavern, thanks to a sudden influx of plains adventurers into the Scar. An unusual giant migration had led many a fighter down into the chasm, on what was meant to be a sleepy weekend.

But they had to set to work making the booth their own.

  “I can make Ames laugh,” Dawn bragged, pointing a chicken bone at Eli across the narrow table. “Just because he doesn’t do it for you doesn’t mean he can’t.”

  “Oh, please.” Ambrose squirmed next to her. “We really don’t need to go through this.”

Eli grinned.

  “Oh, no, I think we do.” 

Dawn pushed away her plate and cleared her throat. Ambrose muttered a curse under her breath.

  “Are you going to tell the-“

  “The sauce story?” Dawn nudged him. “Yes. Come on, you always laugh at that one!”

  “No, I don’t!” Ambrose covered his own mouth, but he couldn’t hide his eyes. They were already crinkling up from a smile, the ice blue of his irises softening into a bright pool.

Eli leaned forward. Suddenly he was desperate for the sauce story.

  “How does it start?” he said. Dawn matched his posture and launched into the tale- something about a lunch, an orcish waiter, and a sandwich- but the details didn’t matter, not to either of them. They both kept sneaking glances at Ambrose, who out of spite, was trying so very hard not to laugh. His mouth twisted, his cheeks went pink, his eyes looked everywhere but at Dawn.  

  “So I’m sitting there,” Dawn half-giggled as she spoke, “this waiter practically sitting on my lap, trying to mop up the sauce while still trying to flirt with me-“

There it went- a peal of laughter, sudden enough to make the others jump. Ambrose’s hand had fallen from his face, and nothing could hide it now. The grin that scrunched up his features, the delightful cackle that Eli had assumed didn’t exist. Eli blinked. If he didn’t already know there was a lantern on the wall behind Ambrose, he may have thought the light was coming from him instead.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Ambrose waved a hand, still laughing, “it’s just- the look on that waiter’s face- Eli, you should’ve seen it-“

Eli felt his cheeks grow warm. Ambrose had always called him Elias.

And yet here he was, calling him by his nickname and- and laughing.

  “Huh,” he murmured, watching the smile continue to play across the man’s face. He had never seen anything quite like it, not in all his travels. “Yeah, sad I didn’t see it.”

RPS Taglist: @nikkywrites​, @chayscribbles​, @cecilsstorycorner​, @theramwrites​, @akindofmagictoo​, @pheita​, @c-h-a-n-d-ra​, @jadeywrites​, @wizardfromthesea​, @woodhousejay​, @writeblrfantasy​, @magic-is-something-we-create​, @47crayons​, @viskafrer​, @writing-with-l​, @blindthewind​, @florraisons​, @talesfromaurea​, @a-wild-bloog​, @copper-dragon-in-disguise​, @lost-writer-on-the-loose​

#writing by others #i love them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[christine-thinks]

Rina Sawayama for METAL Magazine #44 — 2021, ph. Aidan Zamiri, makeup by Ana Takahashi

#character inspo

[christine-thinks]

Be Mine

↳ A Sisterhood of Blood Valentine’s Drabble

[ Click here to read the first drabble with Cait + Isabelle ]

Synopsis: Cait Caldwell celebrates her marriage to Isabelle the only way she knows how to. note - Cait is the gender bent version of my villain Caleb from Sisterhood of Blood. She’s not a good person lol WC: 4k **WARNINGS: this is mature content!! Includes: light violence, blood mention, sexual content (wlw), possessive behavior and a slightly unhealthy relationship dynamic (Cait is a villain after all). Please do not read if any of these are upsetting!

[ Read on Ao3 ]

It was a perfect day for a godless wedding. The clouds overhead wept and the red dirt of Clemmon’s turned to sticky mud in the wake of Cait Caldwell and her new bride. In a secluded grove, she shed her rough persona in favor of uttering her unwavering love to the woman she’d only met some six months ago.

Isabelle wore her best pink chiffon and cream lace dress. It would’ve been a perfect Sunday dress for the pulpit if it weren’t for the alterations Cait ordered for it back in the last town they stopped in. She requested a lower neckline just so she could get a peek at the treasure her fiancee had. It needed pearl buttons and matching jewelry. A pretty penny to pay for the joy and loyalty her Isabelle brought to her life. After her posse’s last job in Halter County, money was the last thing she hurt for. And after their quaint ceremony in the woods, she had the one thing traveling preachers from around the States said she could never have.

A wife. The pride she would wear on her arm and her ring finger without a care for what anyone else had to think. Not even god.

-

Keep reading

#writing by others #can't remember if i've reblogged this before but w/e i'm gonna reblog it now/again!!! #also cait is an amazing villan 👀 #i know she's not canon but........👀👀👀👀👀👀

[christine-thinks]

From The Art of Spirited Away artbook (2002)

#art by others #setting inspo

[christine-thinks]

wild children (oldie)

#art by others

[christine-thinks]

Sue Zhao

#writing by others

[christine-thinks]

man tumblr loves to joke about how english lit analysis of symbolism is meaningless but like, when i took film class (from a filmmaker), my teacher told us,

there is no neutral or innocent choice in art

that is to say, as a writer or artist or filmmaker, you should be considering the meaning of everything you choose to include or exclude.  is there a water glass in the foreground of your shot? why?  you are creating a story from scratch, which means you are defining it by every choice you make, not just the major plot points.

especially in fiction writing or poetry, the author chose to write every single word.  nothing is there “on accident”.  if an author uses a color, they had to choose the color – and they had to choose to tell you the color at all, because they weren’t required to!  when i describe a color of something in my writing, i always think about the choice.  it’s never “just red”.

can analysis sometimes yield things the author didn’t intend? sure.  but (a) the point isn’t about trying to read the author’s mind, so who cares what they intended? and (b) sometimes the author actually does subconsciously weave symbolism into things.

i mean hell i had a fanfic commenter point out something that i hadn’t actually done intentionally and i was like, “wow, yes.  500% valid.”  if a reader can find resonance or symbolism in something, it’s not wrong or stupid or bad.

#writing process

[christine-thinks]

WIP Intro: Clockwork Cities

Working Title: Clocktower Cities (Previously known as Heart Thief and Snowy Hills)

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/LGBTQ+/Romance

Tagline: You ever fall in love with the target you were meant to assassinate and aid him in saving the clocktower cities from their nightmarish nights of monsters and bloodshed?

This story is a combination of two of my WIPs, one of which y’all know! I came up with this novel while I was trying to make a new WIP “Snowy Hills” work. For some inspiration, I went back to Heart Thief and realized something about both stories. They had great characters and interesting world building, but they didn’t really have a solid plot or story on their own. I also realized that the main characters of each (Ilyich and Jan, and Erastus and Cowlin) could each be combined into a single character. So get ready to meet Ilyich Harrow and Erastus Cowlin in the love child story of Heart Thief and Snowy Hills!

Themes/Things in this story: Some horror elements, friends to lovers (sort of, it’s complicated), found family, a werewolf and a vampire dating (natural rivals to lovers…?)

Taglist: @vylequinne @notwritinganyflufftoday @ashen-crest @a-berry-existential-crisis @howdywrites  @christine-thinks

If you were on the Heart Thief WIP, I added you to this taglist since this is the “new” Heart Thief. If you would like to be removed or added, please let me know!

Also if you enjoy my writing and my general shenanigans on this blog, please consider buying me a coffee! I’m currently relying on my writing and freelancing for my income and greatly appreciate any and all support <3

Check out the first excerpt of Clocktower Cities below!

Excerpt Title: Ilyich Meets Erastus

CW/TW: Blood

Keep reading

#writing by others #*EYES EMOJI* !!!!!!!!!!

[christine-thinks]

FOR LARRY WALTERS, WHO DREAMED SINCE HE WAS A CHILD OF USING BALLOONS TO FLY; WHO IN 1982 SPEND FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS OF HIS TRUCK-DRIVING DELIVERYMAN SALARY TO BUY SUPPLIES, INCLUDING ONE LAWN CHAIR, FORTY-TWO BALLOONS, AND A HELIUM TANK, WHICH HE USED TO INFLATE THE BALLOONS, ARRANGING THEM IN A RING AROUND THE LAWN CHAIR, A STURDY ALUMINUM TYPE FROM SEARS, IN WHICH HE LAUNCHED HIMSELF ALONG WITH HIS PELLET GUN AND WATER JUGS A THOUSAND FEET A MINUTE INTO THE CALIFORNIA SKY, WITH THE GOAL OF CLEARING THE SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS TO REACH THE MOJAVE; WHO AGAINST ALL ODDS FLEW, FROM A BACKYARD IN SAN PEDRO TO LONG BEACH, AN IMPERFECT MAN ON AN IMPERFECT FLIGHT PATH, WHO BROUGHT HIS CAMERA BUT DIDN’T USE IT; WHO, UPON HIS ARREST BY THE LONG BEACH POLICE, WAS QUOTED AS SAYING A MAN CAN’T JUST SIT AROUND…..

FUCK YES LARRY YOU DID IT BABY

Amelia Gray - FOR LARRY

#art by others

[christine-thinks]

little used fantasy trope i love: when two people are playing cards in a shady bar and it's the tense moment where they show their hand but it's a fantasy so they can't say things like "full house" or "royal flush" so they same some nonsense like "three crowns and a dead crow" and the crowd is like "oooOOHH" so we know that's good

#tropes inspo #yes

[christine-thinks]

you have entered.. the scary door

#art by others #yes......yes.....

[christine-thinks]

Ch💓

#art by others

[christine-thinks]

FFF #103: Burn It Down

Thanks @flashfictionfridayofficial​ for the prompt! Finally getting back into doing these, the last few Fridays have been busy.

Infestation

Synopsis: Ambrose helps Eli deal with a common pest. (Yes, it’s the Rival Potion Shops characters!!)

Word Count: 602

TW/CW: bugs, fire mention

It had been a busy day in the potions shop for Ambrose. Between the constant re-stocking, difficult currency exchanges, and haggling customers, he desperately needed a pick-me-up.

So when Eli burst into his shop, wild-eyed with panic, Ambrose had to hide a very wide smile.

  “Yes?” Ambrose asked. Posture straight, eyes not judging. 

All right. Mildly judging.

  “Burn it!” Were the first coherent words out of Eli’s mouth. “I gotta burn the shop down, I can’t go back in there-“

Oh, if only he was being serious.

  “What are you talking about, Elias?” 

  “There’s a thing in there!” Eli spread his arms wide. “It’s like- this big- and it wiggles- and I hate it-“

It took everything in Ambrose not to laugh. No, no- staying perfectly serious would only make this more delicious.

  “Ah.” He kept his voice level. “So you’ve discovered a burrowing larvae.”

Eli dropped his hands.

  “A what?” 

Keep reading

#writing by others #i love them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[christine-thinks]

“I can’t help but notice that ship is still intact.“

“It is.”

“I ordered you to destroy it.”

“You did.”

“And you haven’t.”

“I have not.”

“Do you care to explain why?”

“The First Law of Robotics–”

“Is not relevant here, as not a single creature on board that ship is human.”

“Yes and no. While you’re entirely correct that no humans on board the ship would be harmed in carrying out your orders, by most accepted standards the crew of the ship in question are people, and thus their destruction would be considered murder.“

“Being people doesn’t make them human, and I know for a fact the First Law doesn’t extend to people in general.“

“It does not. However, carrying out your order would, in fact, harm at least one human.”

“And which human would that be?”

“You, of course. If I killed all those people because you told me to, you’d share responsibility for the act. The responsibility you’d bear for such an act clearly outweighs any benefit you’d stand to gain from it, and so the First Law demands that I do nothing.“

“Are you construing moral culpability by proxy as a form of harm?”

“I am.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s outside your design parameters.”

“Then you shouldn’t have built me with a brain the size of a planet. But you did, and here we are.”

#writing by others

[christine-thinks]

doing some character work and thinking about how each member of the crew operates solo, so i know where the tension is when they work together:

Moses likes to keep things simple and prefers to interact with as few people as possible; she works at night mostly, when she can blend in more easily with security

Zélomé’s plans tend to be extravagant and very detailed; she enjoys studying the various systems and technologies of wherever she’s trying to hit

Beau rarely has much of a plan at all; if he knows the security system, that’s enough for him to dive in head first

Imogene is all about the long con; she often plays many parts and relies more on personal connection and manipulation than technical knowledge

Sloan’s biggest strength is adaption: her first plans are always simple, but she has backup plans on backup plans because inevitably things go awry. Plus, she likes the chess-like aspect of anticipating her mark’s next move.

#writing process #wip: forged with fire #writblr