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bonny-kookoo · 4 years

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Bunny Boy (JJK x Reader)☁️⚠️🔪(💜)🔞 Part 1

Pairing: Jeon Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Angst, Yandere!AU, Stalker!AU, questionable romance, smut, Oneshot

Warnings: (oh boy) Stalking, Obsession, Yandere themes, cute Koo but aggressive, he ready to fight, graphic description of violence, blood, very twisted JK, oblivious! Reader, kinda Stockholm-syndrome Reader?, soft romantic lovemaking, body worship, Dom! Jungkook, Sub! Reader, Handjob (fem. receiving), oral (fem. receiving), protected sex because even with your mind scrambled up in a frying pan we still wrap it before tapping it y’all hear me STDs ain’t cute Susan

Summary: It all started with a hello kitty charm.

A/N:(IMPORTANT) I’d like to note here that I do not condone nor romanticize any of the things depicted in this. This is purely fictional, and only to be seen as a work of art, not as a depiction of real life relationships. For short: if he a creep, kick his balls, don’t kiss. Thank you.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part?

Whenever you slept, he had to think of an angel portrayed in an old painting displayed in a museum he'd seen when he had been a kid, years ago. He remembers its features, flawless and so carefully drawn that it edged on perfection. It couldn't have been however, he knew that much. Because the painting wasn't of you.

The sheets had fallen all over the place during the night- you sometimes moved during your period of unconsciousness he'd noticed, which wasn't unusual for you. It had been more often and severe these days however; probably because of the stress you experienced at work nowadays. It was okay though, he though to himself. He'd taken care of that for you, just so you could finally rest in peace again. Just like he'd decided almost a year ago.

"You lost this, I think.." A voice spoke behind you, as you turned around, eyes looking straight at some american writing on a black t-shirt, then a jean-jacket thrown over, until your eyes raised, spotting a silver chain necklace- not one of those large ones guys wore to impress, but a rather delicate looking one. Your eyes found soft looking lips, the upper one smaller than the lower, slightly parted like a doll frozen in time, before you saw a prominent nose, a slight scar on his cheek, and eyes wide open; a dark chocolate brown, reflecting the artificial lights of the grocery store, shining all around you as they tried to advertise several products to the people browsing the isles. His hair was a bit curly, dark and only mildly styled you assumed. He stood way taller than you did, the main reason you had first made eye contact with his chest rather than his face-

He was handsome.

You stuttered a bit as you looked at the hello kitty charm, a simple one you'd hung on your phonecase, for the aesthetic and sole reason that you liked the cat character a lot. "T-Thanks.." You said, and your voice made his eyes widen even further, before he flashed you a bright smile, bunny like teeth giving him a charm that completely contradicted his entire punk-like attire he wore, combat boots stepping back a bit to give you a bit more space, sensing how his close presence made you feel pressured.

What a nice gesture.

"Jungkook." He said, and you nodded, giving him your name as an exchange.

Unknowing where this would lead.

His phone chimed with the familiar tune of his alarm, making him simply tap away at the screen without breaking eye contact with you. This was his favorite moment of the start of his day.

You moved around a bit more, the screen of your phone bright and annoying, just how you intended it to be. He knew that you were quite the sleepyhead, cherishing your dreams and cozy blankets like no other around him he knew. That's why your phone had an extra obnoxious tune to it to wake you up, screen as bright as possible to drown the entire room in its glow, so you had to move around. Your eyes opened slightly, pout ever so endearingly present on your lips as you sat up, raising your arms to stretch them above, making him swallow his saliva as he saw how your shirt raised up, revealing the soft skin of your belly, and the slight peak of your cotton underwear. He loved how you always put comfort over visual appearance- you didn't need fancy clothing to look absolutely divine in his eyes, after all.

He had to remember his task at hand however, grabbing his phone with a bit of hectic, before he dialed a number, waiting until your screen lit up. You instantly took on the call, not looking at who's calling.

Did you know it was him? Or is were you so careless all the time?

"Goo'mornin' Kookie.." You drawled into your phone, and his entire previous thoughts flew out his window, his eyes closing at the sound of your slightly raspy voice, his nerves instantly soothed at the fact that for another day he'd managed to become the first person you would talk to.

"Good morning angel." He said, voice low and smooth, just how you always told him you liked it. He watched as the corners of your lips turned upwards, a smile only dedicated to him, even if he technically wasn't supposed to see it. It made it the more special to see. "Did you sleep well?" He asked, and you nodded. Silly girl he thought. You noticed your mistake before sleepily giggling to yourself, yawning before answering him verbally. He cooed at you internally. You were so cute.

"Hmhm. Had a bad dream though." You said, and his heart clenched at the way your lips lowered a bit with the remembrance of whatever had happened during your slumber. He wished he could invade your very thoughts, keep even your own demons tormenting your precious time of rest at bay, kill them off with a shot straight to their cores, just to have you safe. "but you were there 'n fought the monsters." You said with a smile, and his eyes widened. Maybe he really was invading your thoughts just like you did with his. Was your connection really already that strong? He watched the clock on the very corner of his laptop, keeping an eye on the time. He didn't want you to be late, after all.

"That's right, I'm always keeping you safe." He hummed, and you sleepily replied with a confirmation of his statement. "Now get ready, or you're gonna be late baby." He said, the nicknames still foreign yet oh so sweet on his tongue whenever he said them. He could finally speak them out loud, finally give them to you regularly, and it had been a firework of emotions ever since. He could never get tired of the way it made you squirm, giving him a teaser of what you could look like underneath him, bare and ready for his taking. Just the thought alone made his pants tighten around him, making him force composure down his throat- at least for the moment. "I know you're still in bed. Go and get dressed, don't make your coworkers wait. Love you angel." He said, and waited for you to say the same words to him again, as a form of farewell and confirmation alike.

"Hmhm, love you too, Kook." You said, and disconnected the call, giving him finally freedom to groan out loud, hands scrambling with his pants, fingers working on the button and fly with desperation as he pulled his half hard length out of his underwear, moving his fingers around as his eyes never left your form on his screen, bare legs softly walking up to your dresser. As you discarded your shirt, leaving you bare, his grasp tightened a bit, air coming out in gasps as you stretched yourself so deliciously like a feline did- your back arching enticingly, breasts on full display for him, before you started to bend down, looking for something to cover them, probably.

His mind started to come up with visions of you, arching your back underneath him like that, speared on his cock, mewling alluringly, delicate hands frantically searching for something to hold onto as he would push himself inside you again and again, your name falling from your lips in a manner he couldn't even imagine yet.

Would your voice raise in pitch? Would you only huff, gasping without a tune? Or were you a screamer?

He didn't know yet, but he knew he was close to making these mere dreams a reality with you. He'd finally managed to show you his love for you after all, finally making you see how you belonged to him and him only- you had finally accepted him and your destiny at his side. When he'd first met you, you were so sweet yet so.. dumb. You didn't notice, didn't feel the connection- but he was patient. He was able to wait, to hint you at it the best he could, to softly lead you into his awaiting arms, to serve you and worship you like the goddess you were. You had started to finally connect the obvious strings of fate to him, kissing his lips in such a shy manner that he still felt his veins buzz from the euphoria he'd felt that day.

The day he got kissed by an angel, by his soulmate, his other missing part.

He spied on you as you worked away, busy like a bee, ever so hardworking he thought. You didn't deserve to work at all in his opinion, your hands too delicate to be endangered by maybe scolding yourself on hot water or coffee that you made every day for absolute strangers or regular costumers; yet you were so happy at your job that he had to be gentle at slowly showing you that this wasn't where you were supposed to be. The amount of people looking at you every day made bile rise in his throat, making him feel like vomiting every time he saw the way you smiled at another man.

It was even with woman, he'd noticed recently. He didn't care much about the elderly, but he could sometimes spot girls your age eyeing you down like you were a rare diamond behind glass, admiring you like they shouldn't be allowed to. He understood them to an extend, he'd admit that much; your visuals were magical, absolutely breathtaking, making him almost sympathize with the people being drawn towards you. Your soul was so soft and gentle that people naturally felt comfortable around you- too comfortable, if anyone would ask Jungkook himself for his opinion on that matter.

Just like right now; the guy you once went to school with as he'd found out after photographing his face and running a google search on him, finding his facebook and other social media accounts on his hunt. He hadn't really tried to stay in contact with you after you both graduated, dating girls left and right like he was a 12-year old collecting pokemon cards, posting disgusting things such as post workout pictures, bathing in attention of strangers who'd never really met him. It was disgusting, really; Jungkook himself had given himself away to others before as well, but his counter was standing at a number easily displayed on one hand. With this guy however, that was way more difficult to portray. He'd collected information on his past affairs as well, after all. He wondered what you would say if you knew he even slept with men in his freetime, selling himself like a whore just for animalistic pleasures and his own satisfaction. He almost felt himself gag at the thought of you possibly falling into this man's trap.

Thank the heavens he'd found you first.

He saw how uncomfortable you felt around that guy however, even your naive self sensing something malicious behind his attention seeking behavior towards you. He'd overheard you telling him multiple times how happy you were with Jungkook, yet the guy simple did not take the hint, speaking over your words as if they didn't hold any significance at all, uncaring of how you hated not being taken seriously by others.

How nauseating.

Jungkook looked at the passenger seat next to him, cold eyes gazing at the silvery tape and plastic bag, his glove clothed hands gripping the steering wheel in determination as he turned his face again, patiently waiting as that demon payed for his coffee, finally leaving the cafe after sending you another look. Jungkook cracked his neck. He had to do it.

He was doing it for you.

You'd understand.

Seoul's nights were mostly starless, due to the amounts of artificial lights blending out the galaxies above everyone's head's. It was quite tragic to him, really, because as he watched the colourfully lit up Bridge blend into the distance behind him as he drove further and further away from the city, the nightsky above him got clearer and clearer, as if the earth was revealing itself with every kilometer he brought between himself and the buzzing citylife.

He'd bring you out to a trip far away one day. Maybe camping, you always told him how you found these things quite romantic- roasting marshmallows over a small fire, stargazing, and sleeping in each others arms to converse heat in stuffy sleeping bags. Oh, he loved this already. He'd work a little overtime at his job to get enough money together so he could maybe even rent a small van. Or would his small car suffice for you? Maybe it was better to use the smaller space of his own vehicle- the less space meaning being closer to you, after all.

As he opened his window a bit, he breathed in the almost icy air from the outside, not much sound heard apart from his car's engine and wheels on the road, monotonous sound making him feel less concentrated than he should be. But he knew these roads, thankfully. Luckily for him the air inside his car was waking him up a little bit, as he turned around a corner, Jungkook clicked his tongue in annoyance as he felt something on the backseat of his car tumble down behind the seats. Hopefully the bag didn't rip. He had a spare one with him though.

He was organized, after all.

It was something that you always praised about him, making his chest feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He loved whenever you told him how handsome he was, how you always felt so appreciated whenever he held the door for you or helped you with simply mundane things. He didn't care about anyone else's comments about him; when you were happy with him, he was happy with himself as well. Your opinion of him mattered most- everyone else's only served as a safety cushion if you will.

He knew you would probably feel a bit upset with the tragedy that befell your former classmate- but he was insignificant. He had no good intentions, he knew that much, and now, he'd ridden the world of such a nuisance, cleansing it from another rotting soul. In a way he felt like he'd done a great job, as if he'd done something important. If ghosts existed, Jungkook hoped that this young man's was thankful for finally being freed of it's miserable existence. Even though he have had all the rights to make him suffer, he'd made it quick and simple, keeping things clean and sharply cut.

Pulling on the parking break in his car, he shut down the engine, before he opened his car door, stepping outside and stretching his arms. He'd definitely pulled a muscle carrying this dudes body into his car- the weight much more heavy than he'd initially thought. But that would pass. Maybe it was his punishment for not acting sooner, not getting things done immediately. His dad had always slapped that part of his neck too whenever he messed things up. He still remembered that to this day.

The memory made him shudder.

Sighing, he opened the door to the backseats, part of the plastic-wrapped body falling a bit out, making Jungkook huff a bit in frustration. He pulled on it, assuming it was his head, letting the weight fall down onto the ground, a low thud and a bit of dust covering his black sweatpants and combat boots.

He'd clean them up at home.

Heaving the body onto his back as to not rip the well made covering, he began to collect rocks nearby, stuffing them into the bag carefully, adding weight as much as he could, while still making it possible for him to shove the body over the banisters placed on the edge of the cliffs before finally securing more tape around the bag to make sure the rocks couldn't simply tumble out and leave their destined place inside. Jungkooks gaze was still cold, icy, as he finished his work with an almost bored expression, finally hefting the heavy weight over the metal bars, before he let it fall with a groan on his side, Neck still hurting. He watched as the body hit the water's surface, white splatters shooting in circle formations around the bullet-like hole in the waves before the darkness swallowed it whole, leaving nothing behind but a few air bubbles.

Jungkook took a deep breath, watching for a moment before turning his gaze to the stars above, clouds slowly shielding the nightsky from his vision as if the heavens above closed their eyes- not looking at his actions.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, making him remove his black glove, unlocking it with his fingerprint skillfully, smile already on his lips. 'I'm gonna be done in half an hour. Do you wanna get some late night Ramen with me and eat it at my place?' you wrote, silly emojis making him imagine the pink hue on your cheeks as you wrote these lines to him.

Now that he thought about it, he was quite hungry.

"Jungkookie, here!" You said, waving at him as he spotted you, bunny grin sent your war as he walked over, immediately pulling you into his open arms, his nose nuzzling your neck as if he needed to claim you like an animal. It tickled you a bit and you giggled, making him chuckle as well as he kissed your cheek, before he took your hand into his, walking you to his car as he looked at the plastic bags in your hand.

"Why did you buy them yourself angel? You could've waited and I could've payed." He whined, and you scoffed a bit, blushing at the way he seemed to be pouty over the fact that he couldn't be all gentlemanly like he always said he wanted to. Having told him how it made you feel so special inside whenever he did these things, he made sure to do them for you as much as possible. He shuddered at the fact that you'd once told him that your ex boyfriend never did these things such as holding the door for you or help you grocery shopping. The same night however you thankfully told him that you were still pure; having never been touched intimately before, a piece of information that had made his pants tighten embarrassingly fast, the simple revelation that you were still untainted and his for the taking making him feel starved. Yet he had controlled himself, not wanting to rush things. You were a bit skittish, easily overwhelmed with things, so he knew not to push anything too fast too far.

Loosing you could be fatal for the both of you, after all.

"Ah, but its fine Kookie." You said, thanking him after he'd opened the car door for you, closing it after you had gotten inside the passenger seat after you with a smile. Jungkook really was a special guy; he seemed to cherish the old ways of courting a girl- something that had made him be seen as a 'softie' in your group of friends, the girls constantly making fun of the way he acted around you. It made you feel more and more upset the more time went by; after all you really loved Jungkook and the way he made you feel. You both were happy- why did they need to make fun of that?

"Angel?" He asked, and you snapped your head towards him, humming an answer and proving to him that you weren't paying any attention. His eyebrows furrowed a bit, and for a split second you thought he was mad, but his voice didn't hold any bad feelings at all- only slight concern. "Is everything okay? If you're tired I can drive you home-" He said, stopping at a red light and using that moment to look at you. You didn't look physically sick to him, yet your face told him how something was bothering you inside. He'd studied your features for longer than he'd like to admit, making it impossible for you to hide anything from him at all. "Or is something troubling you?" He said lowly, his eyes suddenly fogging over with a look you could not quite describe.

It made your spine tingle and your skin shudder, however.

"I just.." You said, trying to figure out what to say concerning this topic. Jungkook was emotionally very easily affected, you knew that; something that made it even more difficult to bring that topic up. You didn't want to hurt his pride or his ego concerning his manliness. "The girls at work they uhm.. they were making fun of you a little bit for being so, you know, soft and sweet to me-" you said, making him raise his brows and open his eyes more, his innocent doe-look returning into his face as he looked forwards to continue driving. You immediately raised your voice a bit, hand instinctively touching the one not on the steering wheel as a form of confirmation for your next words. "But I don't think that at all, I think you're really nice, and strong, and you know, manly and all that.." you said, ears slowly turning red as you noticed how that sounded. Jungkook simply smiled, his eyes reflecting the traffic lights like mirrors.

It made him seem almost ethereal to you.

"So you think I'm hot?" He asked, and you sunk down in your seat, fiddling with your fingers as you nodded, making him giggle a bit, and ruffle your hair playfully, before interlacing his fingers with yours, holding them towards his lips to kiss the back of your hand. "Thank you Angel. So that's what you were worried about? That I'd feel hurt by the words of your friends?" He asked, glancing your way for a split second before looking forward again. He wished he could look both ways at the same time; the short image he'd gotten of your form so shy and adorable sitting right next to him looking like a scene out of a movie he'd never stop watching. You nodded again, and he parked in front of your apartment complex, grinning your way as he turned off the engine. "You're so sweet, angel." He said, while you whined, opening the door to escape his laughter-

While failing to wipe your own smile off of your lips, uncaring on how his car had smelled a bit weird.

You were still so oblivious to everything around you.

When he'd left after your last dinner together, you'd again refused to let him drive you to work. You had a split shift during the week, working in the mornings for a few hours before continuing your shift later that evening. It made him feel uneasy knowing that you had to get out of the house so early, and coming home so late at night- yet you still trusted your own driving skills enough to not let him help you with these things. He knew this was okay, but it didn't make the fact less frustrating for him.

He needed to keep your trust. He needed you to be scared of things. He needed to keep you needing him.

The only way to do that would be to show you what could happen when you didn't trust his judgement enough. He knew that you were just so fast at giving away important things such as trust to others; even to yourself. Yet Jungkook knew that he knew better- he knew best what was the best for you.

Even better than yourself.

He knew it would hurt, but you would understand. In the end, he was only showing you what would happen if you didn’t listen, if you didn’t trust him, didn’t do what he said- he needed you to feel your mistake, needed you to get scarred so you would always remember to stay at his side loyal like a dog, never to leave his sight ever again. He thought about this dream like vision, your hand in his, desperately seeking his attention, as his oil stained hands cut through the proper cables underneath your admittedly old car.

He never liked you driving by yourself anyways.

You were still so innocent, so stupidly oblivious to the dirt underneath everyone’s fingernails around you that it made his blood boil. But that was okay. Angels were naive creatures, he knew that. He would teach you how disgusting the world was to untainted beings like you, and afterwards he would keep you safe, keep your hand in his at all times, so no one could ever touch you again and blemish your skin. No one but him was allowed to corrupt you, to feel you, to have you lay in his arms as he filled you up and became one with your physical form at night.

And also;

Who said that you would ever find out that he was at fault?

"The breaks aren't working Jungkook, what am I supposed to do?!" You sobbed through the speaker of his phone, the one which he held calmly in his hand, his own vehicle parked at the sidelines of a road a bit further down your typical route, waiting. "I can't slow down- I'm so scared Jungkook what should I do-!" You whimpered again, and he closed his eyes for a moment, praying to the heavens above that they would forgive him for hurting one of their most precious fallen doves. But it was for the greater good- they'd understand, he was sure of it.

"Don't worry angel, you're gonna be okay-!" He said acting as if he was hurrying as well, even though he was still sitting peacefully inside his car, watching as the sun slowly turned the skies into twilight shades. Quite beautiful, really. "Can you slow down, somehow?!" He said, his voice cracking a bit as he got into his role, your voice telling him that you couldn't- the only way would be to drive into the woods and maybe try and crash the car. "Angel no, there's gotta be another way-" He sobbed, as he suddenly heard the line go silent.

He sniffled a bit, drying his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater, before he turned on his car, his phone showing the location of yours just a few meters away from him.

And there you were.

You car was a wreck, yet it seemed like it took most of the blow- you had actually taken the wood-option, using the bushes, foliage and brushwood as a form of emergency break before hitting a tree, which had split a bit from the impact, mushing your car against it like a piece of gum onto the underside of a shoe.

He carefully got out of his car, walking up to the drivers side, opening the door with a bit of difficulty- but he'd always loved working out, so in the end, his strength succeeded in opening the bent metal. He immediately caught your falling body, his heart breaking at the small cut over your eye, marks on your bare shoulder from where the seatbelt had pulled on your skin too roughly. Your arm looked like it was swollen, your leg bent in a direction it naturally wasn't supposed to as he pulled you out of the wreck, laying you down onto his lap as he sat down on the grassy ground, softly brushing the hairs away that had formed groups of single hairs stuck together by the blood that was already clogging and turning a bit darker. Oh how his soul hurt seeing you like this.

But this had needed to happen.

And as he called the ambulance with his phone, careful to sound as desperate as possible over the line, he failed to notice how your eyes weren't fully closed.

You were still conscious.

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wellhalesbells · 3 years

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✨✨ TOP FIVES FOR 2020 ✨✨

2020 was, i think we can all agree, a massively chaotic year but i have never consumed as much media before in my life, so i thought others might benefit from my slothery uh, connoisseur.... ship? yes, that. below are the books, comics, shows, and movies that got me through!

B O O K S .

the starless sea, by erin morgenstern - i loooove this book because it loves me back. it says: ‘oh, you’re a reader, well i have just the thing for you.’ it luxuriates in language and story and riddles and fairy tales and it feels like an entire library in a single tome.

they never learn, by layne fargo - oh fuuuuuck, this was satisfying. i thought it might feel a little exploitative as it is very aware of the zeitgeist and likely would not exist without the #metoo movement but it never ever did. this was a fucking ROMP, period. reading about a woman getting away with murdering skeezy guy after rapey guy after shitty human just made me happier and happier.

moonflower murders, by anthony horowitz - this is the second in the susan ryeland series (and the first was hardcore good fun too) and really feels very classic mystery with the artful twist of catering to the literary community. mainly because: susan isn’t a detective, she’s an editor and she gets drafted in this time because the clue to what happened to a missing woman is in a book she edited, if she can find it. both of the books in this series have such an excellent coming together moment that is rare af to find.

the invisible life of addie larue, by v.e. schwab - the writing in this is just so good. it has that feel to me where i just want to drop the book and open up my own page and let my fingers fly. it’s that inspiring kind of writing that reminds you of all the things language can do.

crown of feathers/heart of flames, by nicki pau preto - aaahhh, this series is SO FREAKING GOOD! why is there not more of a fandom for it, why???? it is so many of my favorite tropes all resting perfectly together to the point where you almost forget they’re tropes because they just so naturally evolved there. ugh, it’s just.... it’s so heart-bursty good.

.... number 5, part 2? raybearer, by jordan ifueko - this was just so original and i was invested af. like, what a brilliant idea though and an even better execution?? i loved every character and am so looking forward to the next in the series so i can get to know them even better!!

honorable mentions (sh*t i still liked a whole heckuva lot): you/hidden bodies, by caroline kepnes // writers & lovers, by lily king // i’ll be gone in the dark, by michelle mcnamara // the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home, by joseph fink & jeffrey cranor // girl, serpent, thorn, by melissa bashardoust // a little life, by hanya yanagihara // the guinevere deception, by kiersten white // obsidio (and the entire illuminae series), by amie kaufman & jay kristoff // the bone houses, by emily lloyd-jones // house of salt and sorrows, by erin a. craig // we hunt the flame, by hafsah faizal // savage legion, by matt wallace // blacktop wasteland, by s.a. cosby // crier’s war, by nina varela // the empress of salt and fortune/when the tiger came down the mountain, by nghi vo // upright women wanted, by sarah gailey // the monster of elendhaven, by jennifer giesbrecht // a deadly education, by naomi novik // you let me in, by camilla bruce // when you ask me where i’m going, by jasmin kaur // the lights go out in lychford/last stand in lychford (and the entire lychford series), by paul cornell // the devil and the dark water, by stuart turton // serpent & dove, by shelby mahurin // one by one, by ruth ware // ruthless gods (this was SUCH an upshot from the first book - it’s worth sticking with if you’re on the fence), by emily a. duncan // cemetery boys, by aiden thomas // the inheritance games, by jennifer lynn barnes // the fortunate ones (2021 release), by ed tarkington

C O M I C S .

cosmoknights, by hannah templer - the art was gorgeous, the gayness was glorious, and just.... hot HOOOOOOOOT lady knights in space?! a princess winning her own hand? find something not to love in there, i dare you.

don’t go without me, by rosemary valero-o’connell - wow. wow wow wow wow wow. the writing was stunning, so lyrical and atmospheric and deep, and rosemary has to be one of my favorite artists but even that managed to come as a beautiful surprise because it was just so freaking bold.

through the woods, by emily carroll - i loooove emily carroll, the convergence of spine-tingling horror and art that feeds into it, that is both visually and aesthetically pleasing, is hard to beat! p.s. i also read beneath the dead oak tree from her this year and it was also a BANGER.

the impending blindness of billie scott, by zoe thorogood - zoe is someone that i just want to follow. she’s just starting and i want to be there for every single step. i love her art style and her ability to tell a story with it.

above the clouds, by melissa pagluica - this was so unique, and such a baller concept, as nearly half the entire book is conveyed only through the art and yet you’re never once lost, never once confused as to what any character is thinking or feeling. it’s a story within a story and only one of those gets words though they both are chock full of emotion!

um.... number 5, part 2? crowded, by christopher sebela - everything about this series is fun af. crowd-funded assassination and a hirable bodyguard who’s rated like an uber driver??? and the chemistry between the two mains is so great and gay!!

honorable mentions: monster and the beast, by renji // long exposure, by kam ‘mars’ heyward // fence, by c.s. pacat // invisible kingdom, by g. willow wilson // ms. marvel, by g. willow wilson // heathen, by natasha alterici // not drunk enough, by tess stone // giant days, by john allison // die, by kieron gillen // be prepared, by vera brosgol // ascender (sequel to descender, which is also great), by jeff lemire // the unbeatable squirrel girl, by ryan north // bang! bang! boom!, by melanie schoen // gideon falls, by jeff lemire // life of melody, by mari costa // cry wolf girl, by ariel slamet ries // the tea dragon society, by katie o’neill // ptsd, by guillaume singelin // heartstopper, by alice oseman // solutions and other problems, by allie brosh // finding home, by hari conner // the magic fish, by trung le nguyen // something is killing the children, by james tynion iv // the weight of them, by noelle stevenson // spill zone, by scott westerfeld // skyward, by joe henderson // miles morales, by saladin ahmed

F I L M S.

parasite, dir. bong joon ho - oh it was satisfying, oh it was suspenseful, oh i had to watch some of it through my fingers but i loooooooved it. such a good story and so well made.

knives out, dir. rian johnson - okay, everything about this movie was amazing. every single character was fun as hell and i could’ve watched an entire movie about each of them. what a great fucking mystery!

blindspotting, dir. carlos lopez estrada - this made my heart hurt so damn much. what glorious writing, acting, and story!

portrait of a lady on fire, dir. celine sciamma - gooooorgeous cinematography, amazing chemistry, and such a soft, atmospheric film.

the farewell, dir. lulu wang - i cried and my heart felt so full and i love it so so much.

um.... number 5, part 2? someone great, dir. jennifer kaytin robinson - no part of me expected to love a netflix movie this much but it’s a love story that doesn’t get told that often?? the end of a relationship and the true love of friendship and i love these girls and i love jenny and nate’s broken relationship.

honorable mentions: eighth grade, dir. bo burnham // booksmart, dir. olivia wilde // midsommar, dir. ari aster // the curse of la llorona, dir. michael chaves // the secret life of pets 2, dirs. chris renaud & jonathan del val // jojo rabbit, dir. taika waititi // the invisible man, dir. leigh whannell // the favourite, dir. yorgos lanthimos // can you ever forgive me?, dir. marielle heller // troop zero, dirs. bert & bertie // ready or not, dirs. matt bettinelli-olpin & tyler gillett // brave, dirs. mark andrews & brenda chapman & steve purcell // the half of it, dir. alice wu // palm springs, dir. max barbakow // doctor sleep, dir. mike flanaghan // uncut gems, dirs. benny sadfie & josh sadfie // birds of prey, dir. cathy van // bloodshot, dir. dave wilson // the old guard, dir. gina prince-bythewood // enola holmes, dir. harry bradbeer // hocus pocus, dir. kenny ortega // always be my maybe, dir. nahnatchka khan // finding dory, dirs. andrew stanton & angus maclane // die hard, dir. john mctiernan

S H O W S .

black sails (2014) - this show, this shooooooooow. i cannot, it just makes me want to cry with how good it is. the characters, the EMOTIONS, the story, the plaaaaaan. like, the creators clearly had a plan for every single step of this show and it was a gOOD, GOOD PLAN.

the untamed (2019) - truly, cheesy good fun with one of the best gay romances ever. i love these characters and their relationships to each other and the way it glories in its own ridiculousness.

the righteous gemstones (2019) - one of the things that bothered me about my next choice (the ratio of female to male nudity) was so much more realistic in this one (i mean, we’ve all gotten five thousand dick pics and i know like three people? so the fact that there is so rarely male nudity in shows when there are tits everywhere..... no, how does that even make a tiny bit of sense?). this show was such great, wonderful, awful fun. they’re not great people and the show is under no delusion about that and it’s GLORIOUS!

the witcher (2019) - this was just hella fun, i loved the characters and the fantasy elements. i’m excited for the next season, it’s just entertaining swashbuckling through and through!

fargo (2014) - all of this was really very enjoyable with the through line being somebody fucks shit up and gets involved in something they really shouldn’t be involved in that’s going to swallow them whole. season one and season three were my stand-out favorites but they were all so violent, clever, and vicious!

um.... number 5, part 2? central park (2020) - um..... so many of the hamilton actors in a muscial cartoon drawn and written by the bob’s burgers team? WHAT ABOUT THAT DOESN’T SOUND AMAZING?! it was such a joy to hear daveed diggs and leslie odom jr.’s voices again!!

honorable mentions: schitt’s creek // the mandalorian // mr. robot // broadchurch // mindhunter // jack ryan // the good place // the end of the f***ing world // big little lies // elite // kidding // servant // letterkenny // curb your enthusiasm // i am not okay with this // ozark // buzzfeed unsolved: true crime/supernatural // you // runaways // dear white people // dickinson // brooklyn nine-nine // will & grace // 9-1-1 // dead to me // solar opposites // never have i ever // killing eve // what we do in the shadows // grace and frankie // avenue 5 // roswell, new mexico // the bold type // evil // tuca & bertie // impulse // the umbrella academy // watchmen // infinity train // corporate // search party // on becoming a god in central florida // a.p. bio // criminal: uk // the morning show // mythic quest // last week tonight // prodigal son // the great

#the starless sea #the invisible life of addie larue #the untamed #knives out #2020 favorites list!!#i tried to stick to shows i both started and finished in 2020 otherwise like schitt's creek and the good place would be in top five #same for comics #uh oh i've found the keyboard again

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playitbyear-laz · 3 years

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this one’s for the lovers. Happy (early) Valentine’s Day.

much love, laz

PLAY IT BY EAR 026

curated by laz

Link to all platforms HERE.

Something About You - CARRTOONS, Will Heard

WHERE: Another CARRTOONS track this week, which again, I found through Mac Ayres’s most recent project.

WHY: This track screams ‘passion’ to me. Love the way the chords escalate then de-escalate at moments throughout the record, and Will’s vocal performance/lyrics are clearly full of soul.

Dangerous - Jus Lovehall, Foolie $urfin

WHERE: Pretty sure I found this one through a Kronika mix.

WHY: Super fun and easy going track about admiring the beauty of a woman. Jus Lovehall & Foolie $urfin have such interesting & effortless flows that have this bounce-y element to it (similar to what you’d get from artists like Masego, Amine, and Smino). Definitely would love to hear that sound eventually become more recognized within mainstream hip hop.

Let Me Prove My Love To You - Susan Cadogan

WHERE: IG Story - Mark Negado (@_mark.n)

WHY: This song is actually a remake released in 2008 (the original version being from 1974 by The Main Ingredient). Really love this lane of reggae love songs -- the only other track that comes to mind is ‘Made to Fall In Love’ by Daniel Caesar, so if anyone has some good recs def send them through.

Another You - The WRLDFMS Tony Williams, Kanye West

WHERE: Remember hearing this track in my peak Kanye stan days, but it came on my feed a few months back (I forget by who).

WHY: I spoke about this a little bit on the last episode of ‘Something Real,’ but thinking about the music from this 2008-2013 era (specifically within the scope of hip hop) has been pretty interesting to me lately, mainly because it was the music of my teenage years (14-18). For most people, this is a pretty definitive period of time when it comes to developing your tastes in adulthood and beyond. I’m still very much so into hip hop, but the genre at this time (sonically) feels so much different than what exists now (mostly trap and drill beats).

Work of Art - Naj

WHERE: the good good homie Hec

WHY: If it wasn’t obvious already -- I’m a simp. Whenever I find a song like this (usually on album interludes), I tend to play them in my room on repeat for days at a time. My love for music with just vocalists and a guitar definitely stems from my Asian YouTube cover days, and this feels like the more mature and natural evolution from that era. NAJ is an incredibly talented artist, and the depth of his appreciation for his significant other is captured perfectly on this intimate track in every way. I usually try to find records that act like interludes for tracks 4-5 on these playlists, and this one worked PERFECT.

Tell me how I mean more than someone else Things I would do to get closer to you You're beautiful art

Baby - Donnie & Joe Emerson

WHERE: Drake (@drakegreen) sent me this one 2 months ago

WHY: Love it when you listen to a track and can immediately visualize a perfect setting for it -- this one giving me a slow dance under the moonlight (or in the living room) vibe.

I CHOOSE YOU - Adam Melchor

WHERE: IG Story - Chelsea Pham (@chelpham)

WHY: Again, I immediately envision this record working perfectly as the background track for a montage in a TV or film (maybe I should look into music supervision). This track feels like it could’ve been from the late 80s and yet still ‘timeless’ with the emotion from these lyrics being universal.

Yours - SG Lewis

WHERE: Opening track from my brother Jon Antonio’s (@jonnntonnio) 'Love in Slow Motion Vol.1′ mix.

WHY: Not often can I say that a track PERFECTLY captures an emotional state, but this one always leaves me with an understanding of what real love is. I know that’s a pretty huge statement, but to me, the feelings I get from listening to a track like this accomplishes everything that music is supposed to do. I had never heard this song before listening to Jon’s mix and since it was the opener (you guys know how much I value opening/closing tracks), I was CERTAIN the rest of the mix was going to be perfect (don’t think I’ve ever told you, Jon, but its def my favorite of all your mixes).

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terramythos · 4 years

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TerraMythos' 2020 Reading Challenge - Book 1 of 26

Title: The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea (2018)

Author: Various (edited by Ellen Datlow)

Genre/Tags: Short Story Anthology, Horror (Various), Female Protagonist(s), LGBT Protagonist(s).

Rating: 7/10 (note: this is an average of all the stories)

Date Began: 1/1/2020

Date Finished: 1/6/2020

I don’t usually read short story collections. But since I kicked off 2020 with a trip outside the US, I wanted something that could easily be picked up and read in short bursts. So I dove into a short story anthology @mistressofmuses gave me for Christmas. Since I was staying on the coast, this seemed like an appropriate choice.

This anthology is a collection of 15 original horror stories by different authors, each somehow associated with the sea. Like any anthology, they were pretty hit or miss, but there were some I really enjoyed. Honorable mentions (scoring 8/10 or higher):

Fodder’s Jig by Lee Thomas (9/10)

The Whalers Song by Ray Cluley (9/10)

A Ship of the South Wind by Bradley Denton (8/10)

Broken Record by Stephen Graham Jones (8/10)

A Moment Before Breaking by A. C. Wise (9/10)

Sister, Dearest Sister, Let Me Show To You The Sea by Seanan McGuire (10/10)

He Sings of Salt and Wormwood by Brian Hodge (10/10)

For a brief summary of all the stories and impression of each, see below the cut. These are in the order they appear and contain minor/implied spoilers.

1. Deadwater by Simon Bestwick - 4/10

Summary: A man living in a coastal tourist town is found dead by the shore. When her cop boyfriend rules it a suicide, the man's best friend Emily investigates the death on her own.

Thoughts: This one was very predictable. I'd figured out the "twist" and exactly how it would end by the half way point. It wasn’t super exciting and the writing just wasn't engaging for me. I did appreciate the occasional thematic callback and the whole thing about broken people needing to stick together, but there wasn’t enough of that in the actual story to sell me on it.

2. Fodder’s Jig by Lee Thomas - 9/10

Summary: Two men in their 60s fall in love with each other and try to form a life together. However, amid one’s rough divorce, a bizarre disease emerges that causes people to dance wildly and speak in tongues after exposure to the ocean. When one of the two men begins to exhibit symptoms of the disease, everything changes. Thoughts: Well done, creepy cosmic horror, and the ending was phenomenal. I loved that it was about two old gay dudes trying to find happiness late in life, struggling with manipulative family issues, and how all of it seamlessly blended with the horror. The prose was great too, and the zinger when you fully understand the title is... an experience. I thought it was interesting that the flashback scenes were in present tense and the current scenes were in past tense, but it sort of makes sense with the themes of the story.

3. The Curious Allure of the Sea by Christopher Golden - 7/10

Summary: A woman's father is lost at sea. To honor his memory, she tattoos herself with a strange symbol found in his abandoned boat. However, afterward, sea creatures and people alike find themselves drawn to her. Thoughts: It was moderately creepy. The part where Jenny burns off the tattoo (spoilers) was viscerally horrifying. Beyond that, it didn't stick out a whole lot. Sort of like a “wouldn’t that be fucked up?” Twilight Zone episode.

4. The Tryal Attract by Terry Dowling - 5/10

Summary: After a conversation with his neighbor, a man agrees to spend several nights in the neighbor's house to commune with a talking human skull which he has recurring dreams about.

Thoughts: The prose was good enough, but the actual horror element was sort of like one of those creepypastas that’s just unintentionally funny. It felt very Scooby Doo and I don’t think that was the intent.

5. The Whalers Song by Ray Cluley - 9/10

Summary: When a Norwegian whaling ship sinks after a catch, the small crew manages to escape. On shore, however, the eerie artifacts they find of old whaling ships are more than they bargained for.

Thoughts: Way way way eerie, and the prose was great; very stilted yet beautiful. There was an underlying theme of the past and present, which Cluley explores in multiple ways. It has a slow start but it pays off. One of the more haunting ones in the collection.

6. A Ship of the South Wind by Bradley Denton - 8/10

Summary: Three years after the Civil War, two Native Americans -- a boy named Charley and his uncle JoJim -- are accosted by a group of travelers in the plains of Kansas. They find that help comes from an unexpected source-- an eccentric, quasi-supernatural figure named Captain Thomas, whom JoJim met decades ago.

Thoughts: Honestly, setting a sea-themed horror story entirely in Kansas was a power move, but I think it worked. Did a great job building and maintaining tension. I loved the small details, like keeping the villains as "Red-beard" and "Black-beard" even after we learn their real names to keep things nautical. It's kind of like if No Country for Old Men crossed over with a pretty good episode of Goosebumps with some pseudo steampunk elements.

7. What My Mother Left Me by Alyssa Wong - 6/10

Summary: Following the death of her mother and breakup with her abusive boyfriend, Emma and her new girlfriend visit her mom's old beach house to collect her things. However, things get weird when they discover partially decomposed, yet still living fish along the shore.

Thoughts: I’m torn on this one. The writing was really good, but it felt like the story couldn’t decide between being a straight-up slasher flick or a deep, heartfelt exploration of family and surviving domestic abuse. I really felt like it needed to be longer, as both elements felt underdeveloped.

8. Broken Record by Stephen Graham Jones - 8/10

Summary: A man is trapped on a deserted island.

Thoughts: I do not want to spoil the "twist" of this one but it's good and a fun scenario to imagine. Toed the line between humor and horror well.

9. Saudade by Steve Rasnic Tem - 5/10

Summary: A man agrees to go on a senior singles cruise at the behest of his daughters, but feels awkward and out of place. He is drawn to a bizarre woman who occasionally appears and causes something strange and unsettling to happen.

Thoughts: The writing is good, but Tem spends the bulk of the story focusing on protagonist Lee wandering a cruise ship and being sad about it. I loved the ending and its callback to an earlier, seemingly unrelated scene, but beyond that I feel there’s way more you can do with the inherent horror of a cruise ship.

10. A Moment Before Breaking by A. C. Wise - 9/10

Summary: While a little girl and her mother are immigrating to the United States, the ship they are on suddenly sinks. The girl is captured by cultists who perform a strange ritual, binding her to a creature called the prince of the sea.

Thoughts: I really dug this one-- it's just so weird. I loved how the narrative treated the shared body between Ana and the prince, and that we get to see Ana in various stages of her life. The prose was gorgeous. Definitely one of my favorites in the collection.

11. Sister, Dearest Sister, Let Me Show To You The Sea by Seanan McGuire - 10/10

Summary: When her little sister drowns her in the tide pools by their Washington home, a teenage girl makes a deal with an eel-like entity of the sea to get her revenge. Thoughts: "Holy fucking shit" was pretty much all I could say when I finished this one. Visceral body horror at its finest, and I'm always a sucker for revenge. The prose was beautiful and horrid in the best way. I'm a big fan of the author already but this exceeded my expectations.

12. The Deep Sea Swell by John Langan - 3/10

Summary: A couple is traveling by ship. One of the two, Susan, recalls a few supernatural stories their mutual friend Giorgio told them before she has her own supernatural encounter.

Thoughts: I found myself begging the author to press the enter key on his keyboard a few times. Beyond that, this was the first story that actually challenged my suspension of disbelief with what happens and how it relates to the main character. I didn't find the horror element very scary at all. There were some cool visuals but that's about all I got out of it.

13. He Sings of Salt and Wormwood by Brian Hodge - 10/10

Summary: During a deep sea diving exercise, a competitive surfer comes across an old, sunken yacht. He is horrified by the strange worm-like creatures devouring the wood. However, when he returns home to his wife, they begin to find strange, humanoid carvings every day on the Oregon coast. Thoughts: GOD was this good. Superb voice and writing, very creepy, and everything comes together so well in the ending. I felt an emotional connection to the love and longing between Danny and Gail, which is always hard to accomplish in a short story. Just a stellar read.

14. Shit Happens by Michael Marshall Smith - 3/10

Summary: A higher-up from a tech conglomerate attends a company conference aboard a converted boat-hotel, but things go south when guests start to experience acute gastrointestinal distress. Thoughts: This gets like 3 points for making me genuinely laugh a few times and -7 points for everything else.

15. Haunt by Siobhan Carroll - 6/10

Summary: In 1799, a cargo ship is troubled by a ghost ship on their trail. When the passengers and crew are stranded in the middle of the ocean, the dark pasts of the crew slowly come to light. Thoughts: The writing was good, the author clearly knows her shit, and I can admire what she is going for. However, the whole thing was just a bit too brutal and graphic for me, especially knowing that some of the things described were based on real events. I guess that was probably the point based on her author’s note, but I can’t recommend this as an entertaining read.

#taylor reads #2020 reading challenge #7/10

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johnnymundano · 5 years

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The Shout (1978)

Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski

Screenplay by Jerzy Skolimowski and Michael Austin

Based on the Short Story by Robert Graves

Music by Tony Banks and Michael Rutherford

Country: United Kingdom

Running time: 86 minutes

CAST

Alan Bates as Crossley

Susannah York as Rachel Fielding

John Hurt as Anthony Fielding

Robert Stephens as Chief Medical Officer

Tim Curry as Robert Graves

Julian Hough as Vicar

Carol Drinkwater as Cobbler’s Wife

Jim Broadbent as Fielder in cowpat

Susan Wooldridge as Harriet

The Shout is a valiantly bonkers ‘70s movie curiosity as star-studded as it is puzzling and as puzzling as it is entertaining. So starry is the cast that Brit thesp mainstay Jim Broadbent is reduced to being billed as “fielder in cowpat”. So bizarre is The Shout that he actually, literally plays a cricket fielder who actually, literally falls into a cowpat. This may be the only instance during The Shout’s duration that things are exactly as they seem. But basics first: What’s The Shout about? Um, I wouldn’t like to say. Which is apt because The Shout adores uncertainty. However, I can in all certainty say that The Shout is the finest movie ever directed by one of the cast of Avengers Assemble (2012). Because when Jerzy Skolimowski isn’t playing a KGB goon getting his ass whipped by Scarlett Johannsen’s stunt double in overlong multiplex pablum he is a Polish movie director of no small artistic renown. Admittedly, this is the only movie of his I’ve ever seen, despite his decades long career, but if you’re only going to watch one Jerzy Skolimowski movie The Shout isn’t a bad choice.

Before it spirals off into the utterly bizarre The Shout establishes that it’s the 1970s and Robert Graves (Tim Curry) (Yes, Robert Graves is the author of the short story on which it is based; why, hello, meta!) finds himself scoring a cricket match held in the grounds of an asylum. Stuck in a wooden scoring shed with patient Crossley (Alan Bates), he soon finds himself being told a story about a young couple, Anthony (John Hurt) and Rachel (Susannah York) who live the Little Englander dream of small town life amongst the dunes and scratty grass of Devon. Anthony makes terrible music by recording stuff like, well, not like, but actually in fact…marbles rolling around on a tin tray. It must sell well though since the pair seem secure and free from fret. Whether or not the fact that The Shout has music by two members of Genesis, a band which produces awful but popular music, is a wry joke I leave for you to decide. In fairness the soundtrack they provide to The Shout is pretty great and totally simpatico with The Shout’s peculiar derangements. Anyway, when not recording a bee in a jam jar Anthony plays the organ in a church where the vicar is so enervated he can’t even be bothered to finish his sermon, while Rachel seems to do nothing but is apparently, according to the identical scenes which bookend the movie, a nurse. Actually, there’s a lot of things seeming to be one thing but turning out to be something else in The Shout. Discombobulation is definitely on the agenda here.

Even Anthony and Rachel’s blissful marriage isn’t what it seems; it’s undermined by Anthony taking the cobbler’s wife for a ride on his bike (which both is and isn’t a saucy euphemism; this is very The Shout indeed). Into this flawed Eden strides surly flâneur Crossley, who (for reasons never explained; which is very The Shout indeed also) engineers a meeting with Anthony and, thanks largely to Anthony’s terribly English fear of causing offence, ends up invading the couple’s home and, ultimately, upending their lives. But The Shout is no ordinary movie and so Crossley is no ordinary hobo; he claims to have lived amongst the aborigines, killed several of his own kids, seen a man die via the “pointing bone” and mastered the “terror shout”; he’s a fellow with a bellow with the power to kill. Anthony’s scorn for the interloper’s apparently preposterous claim is undermined by his own penchant for aural oddities and he soon craves a demonstration; partly to prove Crossley is a deluded loon and partly because…maybe he isn’t? Meanwhile Crossley’s got some somewhat earthier magic hidden up his sleeve and Rachel soon yearns for Crossley to point his thrilling bone at her. It’s just a matter of time before the politeness stalls, the façade falls and madness and murder are unleashed.

The Shout’s basic story is a familiar one; it’s the one about the creepy weirdo who invades a flawed but stable status quo and then proceeds to inveigle their way into a position of power via subterfuge and mind games; the emphasis is on inversion and psychological subtlety and the male terror of being cuckolded. See also, The Servant (1963). It’s a good story which is why people keep telling it, but The Shout gives it added power and injects an alluring freshness through its decidedly off kilter, atypical approach. The subtle undercurrent of karmic comeuppance is also deftly done. The whole movie has a slightly woozy feeling like you’ve just woken up from a nap in the hot sun, or you’ve been hitting the cough syrup again. Scenes languorously slip into one another with an imprecision and lack of haste that’s quite jarring given the usual tradition of sharp, clear-cut scene demarcations.

The Shout’s gently threatening and implacably mounting sense of the uncanny infects everything on screen. As indeed you might expect of a movie studded with visual shout outs to Francis Bacon’s less than placid paintings. People in The Shout wildly surmise the most ridiculous things which turn out to be true, while blithely ignoring the wildly obvious much to their detriment. Everything in The Shout looks normal but slightly off; Anthony and Rachel’s house is, on first appearance, trendily “rustic” but over the course of The Shout it looks weirder and weirder. All the walls are flaking, a window gets broken and no one cares, and unless I’ve led a sheltered life most people don’t have string and wooden pegs stretched from bedroom wall to bedroom wall. Similarly, everyone looks normal but acts in a fashion most generously described as eccentric. The vicar’s sermon is both fiery and lacklustre, the cobbler happily shares bizarre intimacies with Anthony, who himself, lest we forget, plays sardine tins like violins, and Rachel, the most normal of the main players, is soon cavorting nudely about in thrall to Crossley, like a posh version of Britt Eckland in The Wicker Man (1973). Obviously this being the 1970s there’s not quite as much of the male characters on show as there is of Susannah York; until 1987 it was widely believed in the UK that the sight of a penis on a cinema screen would cause audiences to go blind en masse. In some areas of Somerset this belief persists to this day.

The Shout is not a movie for people who seek certainty or seek the embrace of answers; there’s no shortage of mystery in The Shout, possibly even a surfeit since you’ll still have plenty of questions once the credits roll. But The Shout is obviously the kind of movie that wants to leave its audience baffled but undoubtedly entertained. Raising questions in the audience’s mind is what The Shout is all about, because The Shout is all about the inexplicable and the irrational; to expect it to drape the comfy jumper of closure over your shoulders would be a mistake. Also, The Shout features a finale to a cricket match so abruptly violent and crazed that cricket, which is Rollerball for accountants, momentarily appears interesting. And that’s only one of The Shout’s many destabilising delights.

#The Shout #Movies #Horror #Weird on Top #The 1970s #1978 #United Kingdom #Alan Bates #John Hurt #Susannah York #Jerzy Skolimowski #Tony Banks #Michael rutherford #Jim Broadbent

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amydancepants-peralta · 5 years

Text

we won’t run (ch 3)

and I’m bleeding right before the lord

(ao3)

From her position above her prey, Rosa snarls - baring her teeth in a perfect white line before bearing down with her fist, rendering the man below unconscious with one swift punch. Smiling in triumph as his body falls limp, she raises herself up, reaching for her favourite weapon and swinging high. The sharp blade catches onto its target, slicing easily through the rope that anchored a tapestry to the palace wall and she watches as the drapery falls, covering several of the fighters in a heavy blanket of dust and fabric.

The peaceful melody of string music quickly disappears, musicians running for cover as the sound of clashing metal begins filling the great hall. Dresses spin as women push through the crowd - the once calm evening of restraint now diverting into a swirl of chaos as war begins to rage. The people of Brooklyne were here to reclaim what was rightfully theirs, and they weren’t going to back down without a fight.

One hour earlier ...

“Sir Charles.”

A long held habit kicks in and Charles drops his head towards the stone floor, bending at the waist before returning his sights back to the man in front of him. “King Holt.”

“I apologise for my over the top reaction. It’s safe to say that I am surprised to see you here. Stunned even. Absolutely flummoxed.”

Charles nods politely, fighting back a smile. The total lack of visual reaction (save for a brief smile) from his king was exactly how he remembered things being. He raises his dagger, pointing it towards the chain holding Holt down, and raises his eyebrows in silent offering. Seeing the curt nod in response, he quickly drops to his knees.

“I need you to tell me everything. Start from the beginning, and leave no detail unturned.”

His head pulls back slightly at the unexpected request. Shrugging, he begins. “Well, I was born out in a field that my great-aunt Susan had been growing herbs in -” Holt raises his hand, breaking the conversation.

“No. Not since your beginning. Pembroke. Tell me everything that has happened since my departure.”

He can feel his skin heating up as the embarrassment rushes through him, and Charles nods again, hands busy with working on unlocking the padlock that kept his ruler captive. Swiftly, he ran through the story as he knew it - the duplicity of Pembroke’s rule; the story about Holt’s death that he had so easily crafted; the reports of his greed coming in from various provinces …. Resting for a moment, he tells Holt of Jake’s disagreement with Pembroke, and how it had resulted in his best friend walking away from the only thing in his life he had worked hard for. After that, Charles explained, all he had known was the inside of his own cell.

Holt is quiet for a moment as Charles goes back to work on the chain, his eyes taking on a faraway look. “I’m not surprised that Peralta did that,” he said quietly. “There were many times that his cavalier attitude towards situations left me in a great state of frustration. But there is a sense of honour to Jacob, a belief in a life where all is fair and equal, that led me to believe that despite his weaknesses he would turn into a truly admirable member of the Royal Guard. If Pembroke had made him follow a law that he didn’t believe in, I can absolutely see him walking away from it all.”

Charles nods eagerly, letting out a sigh of relief as the padlock on Holt’s chain releases, hitting the stone floor with a heavy thunk. “Jakey is the best, he really is.”

Rubbing the skin that had finally been freed from rusty metal, Holt turns to Charles with a serious nod. “Good work, Sir Charles. Now, tell me about this passageway you came through.”

“Honestly, Sir, I’m not sure where it’s going to lead us. Just before I’d gotten to you, I had reached a juncture. And there was a small torch lit about halfway along the walkway that brought me to your cell. I began searching the stones, just like I had before, and then … there you were.”

He nods slowly, pursing his lips as his eyes roam over the cell that had been his home for far too long. “I believe, Sir Charles, that the benefits of exploring these mysterious caverns outweigh the costs of staying stagnant. I say we continue on. Do you concur?”

“I do, your majesty.”

“I am not your King anymore, Sir Charles.”

“With all due respect sir, I disagree.” Boyle’s heart quickens a little in fear as Holt stares back at him. “As far as I’m concerned, you never stopped being my King. And now that we can prove that Pembroke stole the throne, I am certain that the people of Brooklyne will agree.”

The older man nods, the faint whisper of a smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “One can only hope.”

It had been several months since Jake had stepped foot within the castle’s walls, and as they move through the forecourt and into the keep his eyes scour the room, taking in all the changes King Pembroke had made.

Holt’s palace had held banners of all five precincts on proud display in every hall. It had been a home for art of various creators within the villages, regardless of whether the piece had been widely lauded or quietly discussed. Representation had been important to him, and the people had loved him for it. Pembroke’s palace had mirrors at every corner, dotted by painted murals of great battles he claimed to be a part of. His crest, which looked remarkably similar to that of an earlier King’s, was emblazoned onto thick hand sewn banners, manipulating every room with its ostentatious colour scheme.

He shifts uncomfortably, tugging on the lapel of his jacket to bring it slightly closer to his chest. It should be warmer, now that the brick walls sheltered them from the nighttime chill. But it was bitterly cold. There was a distinct lack of joy in the air, similar smiles of ignorance and obligation stretching across each guest’s face as they made their way through. In the corner, a quartet of musicians strummed their lutes and citterns to an uplifting melody, forced merriment falling on deaf ears, fading forgotten into the night.

As he shuffles along Jake shifts his gaze towards Amy, having recently been pulled away from him by Gina. They were huddled together, whispering about something, and as he stood watching Amy raised her head, eyes locking immediately on his with an unreadable expression crossing her face.

The memory of yesterday’s confession was still clear in his mind. Truth be told, when the day had started out there hadn’t been any intention for him to let his heart bleed out like he had. But standing in the field with her, discussing their plans for the night, his mind had begun to consider all the things that could go wrong, and how there was the very real possibility that it could end without him ever being able to tell Amy how he really felt. And the pain of that was greater than anything else he could imagine, and so he’d put it all on the line.

To see the shake of her head at his words had hurt more than he was willing to describe, but oddly he found that he still didn’t regret saying them. She was, after all, the greatest thing to come into his life in the longest time, and if the only way to ensure that he could still be around her was to be her friend, then so be it.

The fact that his heart had become fully invested in her was something that he would just have to learn to live with.

An obnoxious voice roars over the quartet from a room to their left, demanding their presence within The Great Hall - a room within the keep that he’d only seen once before. Jake clenches his jaw as he runs through a mental checklist of the night’s plan, reaching instinctively for Amy as the role of Johnny and Dora come into play.

He glances at her briefly as she grips onto his offered arm, turning away before he finds himself getting lost in her gaze again (while he may not be able to help how he felt, he certainly wasn’t going to make Amy feel bad about it). His mouth feels dry, and he takes a heavy swallow to try and encourage the chance to speak once more.

If there was anything that was certain about tonight, it was that The Great Hall was definitely living up to it’s name. A rich red tapestry covered the floor, gold damask smothering the fibres. Tall brass urns burned a healthy fire from their holders high above the guest’s heads, and the ceiling held home to numerous chandeliers, all lit with robust candles.

A larger orchestra stands in the corner, their thin and ill-rehearsed repertoire fighting with the acoustics of the hall. Their faces turn nervously towards the King’s throne with every pluck of the strings, obviously fearful of the ramifications of displeasing their master.

To the right of them sat a banquet, covered in an array of food far more extravagant than necessary. Brass goblets, encrusted with gemstones and other delusions of grandeur were scattered around the surface, accompanied by bottles of wine both white and red. In the middle of it all sat a mural of the King himself, depicted through the contrasting colours of seasonal fruits. From the safety of his mask, Jake rolls his eyes at the display. It was ridiculous, the lengths that Pembroke’s narcissism went to.

At the front of the room, four steps higher than the crowd, stood an ornate throne emblazoned with The Vulture’s name. A cushion, covered in red velvet and embroidered with his initials, sat waiting for the royal caboose. A step below, and on either side of the throne, sat a long line of bench seats that began filling with his stolen women, each face looking sadder than the last as they enter and take their place. Hidden in the shadows underneath the bench ran a long and heavy looking chain - shackles open and waiting for their victims.

Jake feels Amy stiffen beside him as a woman in a green dress covered in peacock feathers makes her way to the edge of the seats, and he turns his head just enough to whisper - “Kylie?” She nods, chewing on her bottom lip, and he finds himself resting his spare hand against hers. Seeing her safe and sound was probably no consolation to knowing that her friend was still under Pembroke’s control, and it is all Jake can do to not throw caution to the wind, pull out a dagger and declare war right there and then. His mind represses the mental image of Charles, hidden somewhere under lock and key, and runs through the plan once again.

A quiet rumble runs through the room as more guests appear, various aristocrats reaching out gloved hands in well-practiced greetings that held no real warmth. Threads of silver and gold, red, violet and all the shades in-between fill the floor as everyone’s costumes fight for dominance amongst the sea of egos. He turns back to Amy, noting the wonder in her gaze as she takes in the palace’s opulence for the first time. Not for the first time, he grows wistful that they’d hadn’t met before the recent few month’s activities. He was certain that King Holt would have been very fond of her.

A blush grows across her cheeks as she catches him staring, and she glances around her before leaning in closely. “I knew that the inside of the palace would be amazing, I mean … it’s a palace. I guess I was just expecting …”

“Less arrogance, more elegance?”

She nods, mouth twisting into a wry grin. The gold filigree that surrounded her mask glinted against the candlelight, but still held no competition against the sparkle in her eye. “This place has changed a lot since Holt,” he explained, shrugging one shoulder up in defeat.

“You know, I never thought I would say this, but there is such a thing as too much.” Gina whispered as her and Rosa sidled up next to them.

Amy nodded in agreement, throwing a well-rehearsed smile at another couple as the four of them walked through the crowd. Her dress flowed out gracefully behind her as they progressed, and she moved with an elegance that some who had been born to privilege would never be able to match. Even under the circumstances, Jake was endlessly proud to have her on his arm.

The loud screech of a score of horns at the front of the Great Hall pulls Jake from his thoughts, and quickly the crowd swivel toward the sound, knowing that such uproar undoubtedly signalled the impending arrival of The King.

Pembroke’s smirk reeks of arrogance as he shuffles along the velvet carpet that led to his throne, head remaining high as he ignores those that kneel before him. He winks at a few of the women that were now chained to their positions, passive to their smiles turning into sneers as he passes. The room remains quiet as he ascends, and he turns to face the crowd from the top, scouring the room disinterestedly before dropping into his ‘rightful’ place.

He raises one hand high, gesturing for the music to begin. Like scenes from a well-rehearsed play, each of the guests turn and reach for their partners, falling into line on the dance floor as the drawn-out notes of the vielle begin to ring out. Reaching out to Gina without hesitation, Rosa pulls her into the fray, the two of them quickly becoming indistinguishable (save for the plumage surrounding Gina’s mask) amongst the crowd.

An awkward silence stretches over the remaining two, the lingering memory of “I’m falling in love with you, day by day … and I don’t want to stop” ringing in both of their ears. Jake can feel her gaze from the corner of her mask, and instinct kicks in.

“Okay look, there’s something that I need to ask you.” Jake begins, turning to Amy with a serious look falling over his face.

She gazes back at him, mouth falling open slightly as she visibly struggles to find the right words. Before she can try, he raises his hand, pointing towards a tall woman dressed in white, standing out from the crowd by her oversized headpiece. “I gotta know,” he continued – “Is that supposed to be a swan? Because honestly, all I see is a stork.”

Amy’s shoulders drop as the tension leaves her body, drawing her hand to her mouth to conceal the giggles that threaten to escape. It really did look like a stork, munching on the feathered ‘grass’ that surrounded the woman’s voluminous creation. Money truly didn’t buy taste.

He can feel himself relax in turn as her laughter escapes, despite her best efforts at suppression. These kind of moments, where they turned silence into laughter, were his favourite. And only served to remind him of what they were fighting for – a greater future for Brooklyne, yes; but also, a future where they can stay together, even as friends.

There’s a brief pause, and then the melody of the music changes, a slower tempo falling over the room. Clearing his throat nervously, Jake offers a hand to Amy. “Shall we?”

Her hands shake a little, he notices, and he gives her fingers a gentle squeeze as they join his. He pulls her closer as they move towards the centre of the dance floor, giving her an encouraging smile as his free hand rests gently against her waist. Tentatively, they begin moving to the beat, both doing their best to ignore the awkward space that was building between them.

Jake glances towards the front of the room and notices The Vulture sitting on his throne, one knee bent up with his foot against an armrest. In his right hand he holds a chalice, and he stares at the vessel, already distracted by his reflection as the crowd move below him. Turning back to Amy with a tiny shake of his head in the ruler’s direction, she looks over and huffs at his lack of interest. “All of this work, and everything that had been stolen for this night, and he doesn’t even care enough to pretend that he’s enjoying it.”

He nods in agreement, squeezing her hand quickly again as they turn across the floor. “There’s nothing in this hall that could ever surpass his interest in his own reflection. That is Pembroke, right down to his soul.”

She laughs softly at that, blushing slightly when he smiles back at her, and for a moment they dance together in silence.

Finally, she speaks. “Jake, there’s something that I have to tell you.”

He winces as the pointed tip of her shoe hits the edge of his toes for the fourth time. “Is it that you’re a terrible dancer? I mean, no offence Ames, but this is not your strongest skill.”

Her face turns a bright red and she shakes her head, gold chain shifting slightly against her chest as she lets out a huff. “We didn’t do a lot of dancing in Fumera, and it’s all really confusing.”

Slowing down the pace, Jake throws her an apologetic smile and tightens his grip on her waist, locking his frame so their outstretched hands act as a support. “Here. Follow my lead.” He takes slower, more deliberate steps, increasing the pace in small increments as confidence begins to creep onto her face. Together, they move carefully around the floor, smiling at the other guests as they let the music was over them. He could definitely get used to this.

Just as friends, Peralta.

Too long for Tumblr .... find the rest on AO3!

#mine #myfic #chapter three #we won't run #b99 summer 2019 fic exchange #monster of a chapter #but I hope you all enjoy it #b99 fanfic #peraltiago fanfiction #peraltiago au #feel free to share the love

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reviewmedia · 5 years

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I, Robot

Disclaimer this review contains spoilers for I, Robot (2004).

“What does this action signify ;)”

Bio

I, Robot is a sci-fi thriller, released in 2004. Set in 2035 the story follows Del Spooner, a detective with a chip on his shoulder as he investigates the death of scientist and founder of USR, Alfred Lanning.

Acting

Will Smith (who plays Del Spooner) clearly gave this his all and it’s one of his better performances. It doesn’t matter if he’s delivering one liners (which there are plenty) or giving an emotional performance because Smith hits the right notes. Similar can be said for his co-star Alan Tudyk (who played Sonny). Unfortunately, Bridget Moynaha (who played Susan Calvin) performance fell a bit flat but does improve through the course of the film. While I didn’t have an issue with any of the other actors’ performances, I was disappointed with the lack of time spent with these characters. This became frustrating as I was curious to get to know these characters but the film never got further than outlining their relationship with the protagonist and demonstrating how Spooner was alone in his distrust of robots.

Writing

For the most part I didn’t have an issue with the writing. The characters all had clear opinions and felt unique. Smith is given a lot of jokes to work with and I found these to be genuinely funny. That being said the writing wasn’t perfect. As mentioned above the side characters were severely underdeveloped and to a lesser extent so were the lead roles. An example is that Lanning (portrayed by James Cromwell) hints that his relationship with Spooner isn’t normal, yet we never find out why. We know he worked on Spooner’s prosthetic arm but it felt as if there was more history between them that wasn’t explored. There were also some inconsistencies such as Spooner being afraid of heights near the end of the movie, but leaning over the edge where Lanning had been killed at the beginning of the movie. The later scene would have been more consistent and tense if Spooner had displayed how uncomfortable he was in the beginning of the film when he was in Lanning’s office.

Story

At its heart I, Robot is a crime story in a futuristic setting and for the most part it’s done well. I liked that Sonny was originally portrayed as an antagonist. I thought it was convincing due to his introduction and the chase that followed. I also really enjoyed how the story was told, seeing Spooner investigate Lanning’s death never felt like a chore. This was of course due to how fast pace it was, which was at times to its detriment. Certain elements could have been explored more. But the positive was that the film never stagnated and remained engaging. The villain’s motive was nothing new or ground breaking. I personally liked that V.I.K.I’s goal wasn’t to end mankind, but was a misguided attempting to protect humanity as a collective. My biggest complaint in regards to the story was the lack of themes explored and the lost potential. For example, V.I.K.I (portrayed by Fiona Hogan) claimed that humanity was destructive and was set on its own extinction. Yet we see no evidence of this in the film, in fact the lack of world building is such a shame because the movie would have really benefited from it. We see many examples of how society trusts robots and I really do like how they’re implemented into the world. But we never go beyond that, leaving the world feeling two dimensional. The other issue I had was Lanning’s overall plan relying too much on chance. He essentially kills himself with the assistance of Sonny and expects Spooner to figure everything out. I also didn’t understand why he had to die as at the time of death the NS-5’s weren’t connected to V.I.K.I. Meaning there wasn’t much threat of being attacked. The film tries to suggest no one would believe him, but even if that was the case (which I don’t know why they wouldn’t as he’s a well-respected expert in that field) he could have just gone rogue and killed V.I.K.I himself, sure he’d be sued and lost lots of money but he’d be alive. The final issue I had with the story was the lack of consequence, by the end of the movie the only characters to have died (excluding Lanning) were the villain (V.I.K.I) and the antagonist who we had been lead to root against until the climax of the film.

Cinematography

In regards to cinematography I, Robot takes inspiration from The Matrix. This is defiantly one of the films strengths. Seeing Smith wield a giant futuristic machine gun, tearing apart robots. While the camera moves around the interior of a sky scrapper, showing not just how outnumbered the hero is but also how easy it would be to fall was disorientating in the best kind of way. Fortunately, there are many moments like this that do a really good job at creating tension and setting the right mood. There are some truly epic action sequences that kept me on the edge of my seat. The director (Alex Proyas) proves he’s capable at pulling off more than action scenes. With flashbacks, tense chases and even a montage, all of which I’m happy to say still hold up.

Visuals

The visuals for I, Robot are a real mix, the NS-5’s and other robots have aged surprisingly well. Obviously if the movie was released today, I’d expect them to look better than they did, but fifteen years later I’m defiantly not complaining about their appearance and similar can be said about the vehicles. This being said, there is a very heavy reliance on CGI and it shows. Not only does some of the CGI not hold up (exterior of USR building) but the arguably over reliance meant that places that weren’t CGI looked out of place as these scenes didn’t match some of the other scenes and as a viewer this constant switch between CGI and none CGI became jarring. Costumes like the soldiers and S.W.A.T police also looked really cheap and un-tough, resembling something closer to a laser tag outfit.

Audio

Sound design was really good. Marco Beltrami has added so much emotional depth with his music, it doesn’t overstay its welcome and is one of the highlights of the film as it’s cleverly used to create tension. The guns and cars sound believable, with no real negatives to speak of. The audio was clear and impactful with certain moments being very satisfying to hear, such as Sonny using a wire to ping himself to save Calvin.

Misc

I had an issue with how Calvin was treated. When Spooner is first introduced to her, he laughs at her and doesn’t take her seriously. While you could interpret this as Spooner being arrogant and it being an area that we’ll see him grow away from, I wasn’t convinced. This is because near the end of the movie Farber (portrayed by Shia LaBeouf) openly sexualise Calvin in front of her and the only part that Spooner objects to is the use of the word “shit”. This to me comes off as the leading female role being objectified and really didn’t need to be included, it makes for uncomfortable viewing and took away from the experience.

While I, Robot is the name, product placement is the game. I personally didn’t mind this too much and found it humorous. However, the Audi logo sticking out from Spooner’s headrest just seems kind of uncomfortable, but that’s just my opinion.

Verdict

To conclude I rate this film 4/10. I, Robot is a very enjoyable film that’s funny, action packed and is well paced. I had a blast watching this and there really is a lot of fun to have with this film. However, I was really disappointed in the character development and lack of world building and as enjoyable as this movie is, it doesn’t take full advantage of its setting or explore the themes in a meaningful enough way. The reason I, Robot isn’t spoken about as much as other films from 2004 or earlier isn’t because the visuals don’t 100% hold up, it’s because it doesn’t make you think. Sci-fi is a genre where you can explore the impossible, get lost in complex socio-political structures that as alien as they are reflect our own reality. And go beyond the questions of what a soul is. But unfortunately, I, Robot doesn’t do that, instead the film plays it safe with underdeveloped character in a 2D world. The movie has other issues too like some mild sexism (compared to other movies), plot holes, some pretty awful costume designs and CGI, an in-consequential ending and some minor issues like the occasional bit of inconsistent dialog or some bad acting.

Recommendation

Would I recommend this film? That depends what you’re interested in. If you want a fast pace action movie in a sci-fi setting, then yeah you won’t be disappointed. But if you yearn for a film that makes you question if humanity is going too far creating artificial intelligent and whether or not robots/AI should be entitled to the same rights humans are or other similar question. Then I’m afraid no, I cannot recommend this.

PUNISHMENT: Converse all stars vintage 2004

#film #review #I robot #movie #movie review #sci-fi

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kcvantagepoint · 7 years

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Nan Goldin

Goldin has an apparent appetite for the truth, her images show the word as if it has a bare nakedness to it, this has stemmed from her childhood when her older sister committed suicide, her parents covered this up to nan and told her it happened in a terrible accident, Nan quickly came to the realisation of what truly happened, possibly being the origin of her ferocious need to challenge truths and bare all honesty's. Goldin’s approach is more human, genuinely sad, yet truthful and beautiful, she is a romantic artist, her work has become a representation of the reality of her time, she is known to be the mirror of her generation yet through her images she works beyond the traditional conventions of photography. Nan has a talent of being unconfined of logic or gender binaries, enabling her to explore issues of relationships, love, friendships and cultures, exploring the intimate, the acceptance of the truths and simulation, using poetic and visual language through subject matters. Her approach is unapologetic, sensitive and gradual. Succeeding in creating narratives that face us with the uncomfortable, compromising and tiresome. She engages in a battle of lies and materialism of her era, which she perceives as “the darkness of americas soul, the nightmare that lay behind the dream”. She cuts right across the confining categorisations, resulting in reviling to us the beautiful and the sorrows of her own stories in her personal life, allowing us to ask questions about her, yet furthermore, explore some aspects of what we recognise in ourselves.

she photographs with an emotional need rather than aesthetic choice

‘Empty Beds, Boston, USA, 1979’

Gouldin has obvious recurrent subjects throughout her works, she uses these empty beds, mattresses on floors and hotel rooms as means of a way to remember not only people but places and times. For Goldin a picture of a room displays a form of portraiture. By exploring these spaces, she is suggesting these still life style images as a constant departure and loss, she is showing us her journey, how she is learning about life through life itself in these temporary places and sleeping in these ambiguous rooms. The absence of a presence in the these two beds made into one, is a representation of loneliness after the most intimate act of sex displayed in her most influential series ‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency’

I want to explore this method in photographing my next subject, to be this intimate without photographing a portrait, but by using their environment to capture and reveal a depth, show the soul of the person without their presence. To achieve this i need to get into the skin of my subject photograph with emotion over aesthetic and create environmental portraits without being a dictator, let it be true and natural, i feel this is the best way to get to know them as an artist, and to reviel them to the viewers.

‘Nan and Brian in bed, New York City, USA, 1983.’

this image is taken from a series about Nan and her partner Brian, she photographed them in the bed they had just had sex in, nan says she didn't set up the frame, she didn't know what was going to happen when she had them developed, she used a tripod and a shutter release to capture their natural state in that short, yet surreal time after the release of sex, portraying the essence of their intimate relationship and the obvious alienation between them. This image is an enlightenment of what is yet to come, we see the distance between the two, the longing yet fearful look of her face for Brian whilst lying in the recover like position, displaying to us her avoidance of being vulnerable to him whilst lying down. The elements of this image is what attracts me the most, the compositions of the lighting and the distance between the two within the frame. Even the shadows and the lighting suggest to us the space and distance between the couple, the haze of the the smoke creating an uncertain thought in Brians mind along side the portrait of Brian stuck to the wall, displaying to us the once confident and sure past in contrast to the unsure and fearful present.

I felt this is a relevant image for my idea, its not the context of sex that pulled me to this image but the use of the elements within the frame, suggesting to us the distance between the two, how the shadow between them is a negative presents, the composition of the couple on the bed, telling us how they are on two different levels within the relationship and the smoke and sun have created a hazy and confused scene. This image has layers of content just waiting to be unraveled, creating an image that can be looked at for hours, beautifully relevant for my need to create environmental portraiture within my series.

‘Susan crying, New York City, USA 1985.’

Susan is one of Nans oldest friends, she has photographed her on many occasions and we have seen her go through the same social circles with Nan, this image was taken on the death of their friend Cookie. For over ten years Susan is mostly photographed happy, yet quietly in love with Cookie, despite cookie leaving Susan to marry a man, and to then become positively tested for AIDS and eventually die, it is clear to us that Susan is in love until the end. Throughout Nan’s work she had shown us the depth of the circle of friends, often revealing the unspoken, yet in subtle manners. This image is however out in the open, telling us exactly how she feels with raw emotion, captured at the most intimate moment of despair. Gouldin’s work is driven by empathy and thrives within not only her own life experiences but of others as well. Her technique is consummate with a mixture of truths and an amazing capability of avoiding dramatization or decoration, tears like laughter are an inescapable part of life and this has inspired me to capture as many emotions as I can from my subjects, Im not guaranteed to get such a heart felt reaction from my subjects, and to be realistic my images will appear more intrusive than empathetic if i were to be so up close and personal, i believe that an image like this can only truly be captured by a loved one, such a personal space and has a fine line of personal boundaries, however when I photograph my subject i intend to get close and personal, and when photographing people with dementia I will be aiming to capture these types of emotions.

I do not particularly want to photograph the same images an nan as my project is not about my own experiences of life or the people in it, these type of images are personal to nan so to ask for these type of images from my subject would be out of context. but on researching her and how she works has the most beautiful impact on her photography, she photographs her subjects over years, becoming obsessed with her chosen family, living with them, experiencing life with them, she says in an interview that throughout the 15 years photographing the queens she hadn’t been out in the daylight. She had become consumed by this subculture and lived for it, photographing only life as she knew it.

I take away from looking at nan her passion, her self pleasing way of shooting, how it is important to be true to yourself and photograph with feeling and emotion. How it is important to be in connection with your subject, to fall in love with them, i intend to photograph as nan did, as often as i could, in all situations, times and places, as she has reviled we dont always need to have a planned out map of what the series should look like exactly, a majority of the time we just need to point and shoot, if it feels right, take the picture. The importance for me is to be consistent, look at the layers of contents within a frame, and true to myself as a photographer.

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everettwilkinson · 7 years

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NEWS: HILL LEADERS to the W.H. next WED. — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The plan for debt limit, gov’t funding and Harvey relief — ANNIE KARNI on the thinning West Wing – B’DAY: Warren Buffett

Good Wednesday morning. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP is going to the White House next Wednesday at 11 a.m. for a meeting with President Donald Trump. We hear this will be the Big Four: Paul Ryan, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer.

REPUBLICANS say this will be a critical touch-the-gloves moment as they enter a brutal month. DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP AIDE: “The Republicans are in charge, from the White House to the Hill so the onus of governing is squarely on them. We expect to hear their proposal for getting done all that we have to get done in September.” IN OTHER WORDS: Ball is in your court, guys.

Story Continued Below

NEW — THE THROW-IT-ALL-TOGETHER STRATEGY: One of the new leading theories among Senate and House Republicans in Washington is that Congress will combine a three-month stopgap spending bill to keep the government open, the first installment of hurricane relief for Texas and Louisiana and an increase of the federal debt limit. The idea is this package would create an undefeatable constituency across the Capitol. Here are a few things to understand:

— FEMA HAS ENOUGH MONEY right now for its immediate response to Harvey. We were told by multiple sources involved in the talks the agency has roughly $1.3 billion in its coffers. But Congress will need to act on disaster funding in September to give them more.

— THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THE WHITE HOUSE have to work quickly to estimate how much more money they’ll need. This will impact the contours of the debate. The damage in Texas is so extensive and unknown that no one knows how much money the government will have to shell out. THE LIKELIHOOD: Congress will need to insert disaster relief money into a stopgap bill in September — the CR, or continuing resolution — and then appropriate more money as part of an omnibus spending bill in December. That omni would keep government open until Oct. 2018.

— SMART MONEY IS ON — NO SHUTDOWN IN SEPT., BUT POSSIBLE IN DECEMBER. The thinking is this will put off the shutdown debate until the last month of the year. Capitol Hill will be far more interested in figuring out how to get America’s fourth-largest city out from underwater than in building a border wall, multiple sources told us. It’s unclear whether President Donald Trump will force the issue.

— ON THE DEBT LIMIT … BULLET COULD BE DODGED. This package, if crafted carefully, could be just the mix of good and bad that it would get widespread bipartisan support in both chambers. Who could vote against helping the second-largest state in America rebound from a disaster? Key Republicans involved with planning told us they would be willing to lift the debt limit past the 2018 elections.

**SUBSCRIBE to Playbook: http://politi.co/2lQswbh

REMEMBER: THE FAA’s authority needs to also be renewed in September.

A WORD OF CAUTION — It makes sense that GOP leaders want to find a way to take care of all of the “must-pass” legislation in one package and tie it up neatly in a bow. Lawmakers haven’t come back yet. Expect at least one or two hiccups along the way. Typically whatever leadership starts with isn’t the package that ends up passing, particularly in the House.

BULLETIN at 4:59 a.m.: “CAMERON, La. (AP) – National Hurricane Center: Tropical Storm Harvey makes 2nd landfall just west of Cameron, Louisiana.”

HOUSTON CHRONICLE A1 — “EPIC FLOODING SHOWS NO MERCY” http://bit.ly/2vryWlN

THE LATEST ON HARVEY — HOUSTON CHRONICLE, story updated at 3:45 a.m. — “Harvey begins to push out of Houston as curfew set and new shelter opens,” by Brooke A. Lewis, Brian Rogers, Margaret Kadifa, Susan Carroll, and Andrew Kragie: “Hordes of new shelters began to open up across the city as more residents were ordered to evacuate from their flooded homes. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett confirmed Tuesday evening that NRG Center [where the Texans play] will provide the next major shelter for area residents affected by Hurricane Harvey. …

“Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a curfew Tuesday in effect from midnight to 5 a.m. During a press conference late Tuesday, the mayor said it was necessary for public safety. He originally said the curfew would begin at 10 p.m., but an hour later he changed it to midnight, tweeting that moving it later would allow volunteers and others to continue doing their work.” http://bit.ly/2wi6QbD

–NYT’s JACK HEALY, RICHARD PEREZ-PENA and ALAN BLINDER: “Local officials in Texas said at least 30 deaths were believed to have been caused by the storm through Tuesday, up from eight a day earlier. … Parts of the Houston area broke the record for rainfall from a single storm anywhere in the continental United States, with a top reading on Tuesday afternoon, since the storm began, of 51.88 inches in Cedar Bayou, east of Houston, the National Weather Service reported. The previous record was 48 inches in Medina, Tex., from Tropical Storm Amelia in 1978, and with the rain still falling along the Gulf Coast, Harvey could top the 52 inches recorded in Kauai, Hawaii in 1950 from Hurricane Hiki.” http://nyti.ms/2x4d13K

–“Photos: Trump visits hurricane-ravaged Texas” — 19 pix http://politi.co/2x38cHM

— “Harvey triggers spike in hazardous chemical releases,” by Ben Lefebvre: “Hobbled oil refineries and damaged fuel facilities along the Gulf Coast of Texas from Tropical storm Harvey have released more than two million pounds of dangerous chemicals into the air this week, adding new health threats to Houston’s already considerable woes. The big spike in releases, which include carcinogenic benzene and nitrogen oxide, will add an environmental and long-term health risk to the region that’s struggling with the massive flooding that Harvey has brought to the country’s energy capital, according to environmental watchdogs. The jump in emissions has been noticed on the ground in Houston, where residents have taken to Twitter to report a stronger-than-normal chemical smell in some areas.” http://politi.co/2xLcd0W

— “Houston’s ‘Wild West’ growth,” by WaPo’s Shawn Boburg and Beth Reinhard: “Houston calls itself ‘the city with no limits’ to convey the promise of boundless opportunity. But it also is the largest U.S. city to have no zoning laws, part of a hands-off approach to urban planning that may have contributed to catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Harvey and left thousands of residents in harm’s way. Growth that is virtually unchecked, including in flood-prone areas, has diminished the land’s already-limited natural ability to absorb water, according to environmentalists and experts in land use and natural disasters. And the city’s drainage system — a network of reservoirs, bayous and, as a last resort, roads that hold and drain water — was not designed to handle the massive storms that are increasingly common.” http://wapo.st/2iHTJvD

NEXT UP: “Western Louisiana in crosshairs as Harvey moves back to land,” by AP’s Jeff Amy and Michael Kunzelman in Lake Charles, Louisiana: “Western Louisiana residents braced for more wind and water Wednesday as Tropical Storm Harvey headed their way after dumping record rainfall on Texas. National Weather Service meteorologists expect the deadly storm to make another landfall early Wednesday in southwestern Louisiana, after it lingered over Texas for days before meandering back into the Gulf of Mexico.

“Forecasters say another 5 to 10 inches of rain could fall in western Louisiana. ‘We are starting to get down to the end of the tunnel of all this rain,’ Meteorologist Roger Erickson said. Erickson warns that some coastal rivers won’t be able to drain effectively because Harvey’s winds are pushing in storm surge, aggravating flooding in areas already drenched by more than 20 inches of rain. Gusts up to 50 mph are predicted for coastal areas and up to 40 mph in Lake Charles and along the Interstate 10 corridor.” http://bit.ly/2vIjayo

GLENN THRUSH in the NYT, “Harvey Gives Trump a Chance to Reclaim Power to Unify”: “Hurricane Harvey was the rarest of disasters to strike during the Trump presidency — a maelstrom not of Mr. Trump’s making, and one that offers him an opportunity to recapture some of the unifying power of his office he has squandered in recent weeks. … [H]urricanes in the post-Katrina era are also political events, benchmarks by which a president’s abilities are measured. Mr. Trump is behaving like a man whose future depends on getting this right. …

“The president, who prefers to skim rather than delve, has seldom been more engaged in the details of any issue as he is with Harvey, according to several people involved in disaster response. Mr. Trump, one aide said, was fascinated by the long-term effect of water damage on structures in the Gulf Coast, peppering FEMA and National Security Council briefers with detailed questions about the flooding in Houston and Galveston. As the extent of the projected devastation became apparent over the weekend during a meeting at Camp David, he shook his head in disbelief and compared the situation to problems he experienced when managing his family’s apartment buildings in New York. ‘Water damage is the worst,’ he told one staff member, ‘tough, tough, tough.’” http://nyti.ms/2x2qHwn

JOSH DAWSEY in Corpus Christi: “It was a presidential trip to a deluged state where the president didn’t meet a single storm victim, see an inch of rain or get near a flooded street. But the daylong visit, during which President Donald Trump spent far more time in the air than on the ground, gave the optics-obsessed president some of the visuals he wanted, as he checked in on the government apparatus working on relief efforts and was buoyed by a roaring crowd of locals.

“And it showed that the president, who often obsesses about crowd size and fame while speaking in hyperbolic superlatives, would not drop those traits even amid hurricane cleanup. He praised his [FEMA] administrator, Brock Long, for becoming ‘famous’ during his frequent TV appearances, talked repeatedly about the historic nature of the storm and marveled at adoring Texas residents who greeted him.” http://politi.co/2vE6n0u

****** A message from the American Bankers Association: America’s small businesses most often turn to banks when looking for financing. Banks have responded by increasing small business loans each of the past six years, reaching $331 billion in credit as of January. Learn more: http://politi.co/2wchpez ******

HEELGATE — “Melania’s stiletto sideshow: As the first lady departed to see storm fallout in Texas, Twitter erupted with critiques of her shoe choice,” by Annie Karni: “The emblematic first image of the first lady heading off to visit a hurricane in heels — a moment that the president has seized on as an opportunity to project strength and show off decisive leadership — instead became another symbol of a White House that can often seem out of touch. … On board Air Force One to Corpus Christi, as the picture of the delicate heels ricocheted across the Internet, Melania Trump changed into a pair of bright, white sneakers, which looked fresh out of the box. She wasn’t the only female member of the Trump delegation wearing questionably appropriate footwear — two other women were spotted on Air Force One wearing pumps and suede heels.” http://politi.co/2goqCN3

— WAPO’S ROBIN GIVHAN: “There was no pretense about Melania Trump’s heels. But sometimes, a little pretense helps”: “Trump’s fashionable ensemble was defined by its contradictions. She was wearing a working man’s jacket but it was juxtaposed with sexy limousine shoes. The trousers and the top were basic black — utilitarian. The oversize aviator sunglasses were Hollywood. It’s an image that would have been at home in any fashion magazine, which is so often the case with the first lady. She knows fashion. She knows her angles. …

“It was also an image that suggested that Trump is the kind of woman who refuses to pretend that her feet will, at any point, ever be immersed in cold, muddy, bacteria-infested Texas water. She is the kind of woman who may listen empathetically to your pain, but she knows that you know that she is not going to experience it. So why pretend?

“Well, sometimes pretense is everything. It’s the reason for the first lady to go to Texas at all: to symbolize care and concern and camaraderie. To remind people that the government isn’t merely doing its job, that the government is engaged with each and every individual. Washington hears its citizens. That’s what the optics are all about. Sitting around a conference table and talking into a speaker phone are not good optics. A politician has to get on the ground in work boots and a windbreaker. Rolled-up sleeves. Galoshes. Baseball caps.” http://wapo.st/2whj3x6

SNEAK PEEK — NICK CONFESSORE’S NEW NYT MAGAZINE COVER STORY – “How to Get Rich in Trump’s Washington: His presidency has changed the rules of influence in the nation’s capital — and spawned a new breed of lobbyist on K Street” (print headline: “I Can Teach YOU How to Influence the President: The Art of Lobbying in Trump’s Washington” with a pic of Corey Lewandowski): “Like virtually every other candidate for president, Trump campaigned against this thicket of money and influence, positioning himself as an outsider who would ‘drain the swamp.’ This pledge would soon prove more rhetorical than real, but it contained a grain of truth. Trump arrived in Washington with a relatively short baggage train of Beltway relationships and obligations. He didn’t read policy briefs; he barely had policies.

“His inner circle was a hodgepodge of Breitbart alumni, nominally Democratic financiers, Trump Organization employees on loan, the odd reality-show star and Republicans who would have been unemployable in almost any other administration. The smart money in Washington — K Street and K Street’s clients, the big corporations and trade associations — didn’t quite know what to expect. But mostly, they didn’t know whom to call.” With cameos by Robert Stryk, Brad Gerstman, Brian Ballard, Bruce Mehlman, Stuart Jolly, and Barry Bennett http://nyti.ms/2gpGQFx … The cover http://politi.co/2xw2Oe3

FOR YOUR RADAR — “NKorea leader urges more missile launches targeting Pacific,”by AP’s Foster Klug and Kim Tong-Hyung in Seoul, South Korea: “North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for more weapons launches targeting the Pacific Ocean to advance his country’s ability to contain Guam, state media said Wednesday, a day after Pyongyang for the first time flew a ballistic missile designed to carry a nuclear payload over Japan. Tuesday’s aggressive missile launch — likely the longest ever from North Korea — over a close U.S. ally sends a clear message of defiance as Washington and Seoul conduct annual military drills. The Korean Central News Agency said the launch was a ‘muscle-flexing’ countermeasure to the Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint exercises that conclude Thursday. Pyongyang views the drills as invasion rehearsals and often conducts weapons tests and escalates its rhetoric when they are held.” http://bit.ly/2wnxZbH

— REUTERS: “The Trump administration plans to name a former White House official, Victor Cha, as the next U.S. ambassador to South Korea, according to an administration official. Cha served as deputy head of the U.S. delegation in multilateral talks with North Korea over its nuclear programme during the administration of President George W. Bush.” http://reut.rs/2wIoLcD

IMPORTANT STORY — ANNIE KARNI — “Trump’s shrinking West Wing”: “When President Donald Trump asked Hope Hicks to step into the role of communications director, his longtime aide hesitated before taking on a management position overseeing more than 40 staffers who work in White House media relations.

“It was Hicks who insisted on ‘interim’ being part of her new job title before accepting the post, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. But since her appointment on Aug. 16 – when Ivanka Trump went on Twitter to congratulate her ‘talented friend & colleague Hope Hicks on being named WH Communications Director,’ leaving out any mention of the ‘interim’ part – no active search has been launched to find a more permanent successor to the short-lived Anthony Scaramucci era. After a summer of distracting staff churn, the communications director job is just one of a number of top-level West Wing positions that has ultimately been filled by an existing staffer – or not filled at all – after an official has quit or been let go.

“Interviews with six White House staffers and people close to the president attribute Trump’s shrinking West Wing to three factors: chief of staff John Kelly’s careful review process, which has led to the paring down of an organization that many inside have complained was top-heavy; the chilling factor of five open-ended Russia investigations hanging over the White House, making it hard to attract new talent; and the president’s own dark mood this summer, which has left him increasingly isolated and in the mood to hunker down, not hire up.” http://politi.co/2vrydB5

NEW POLITICO/MORNING CONSULT POLL — “Poll: Voters split on Afghanistan troop increase, oppose shutdown for border wall,” by Steven Shepard: “Voters are divided on President Donald Trump’s plans to send more American troops to Afghanistan, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. Forty-five percent of voters support increasing U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan, the poll shows — only slightly greater than the 41 percent who oppose the plan. The other 14 percent have no opinion.

“While support for Trump’s plan marginally outpaces opposition, the 20 percent of voters strongly opposed to a troop increase are slightly greater than the 17 percent who strongly support it. Backing for a troop increase is greater among Republicans than Democrats or independents. Sixty-eight percent of self-identified GOP voters support increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan, but only 30 percent of Democratic voters and 35 percent of independents agree.” http://politi.co/2gor7GI

WHAT TRUMP’S POLITICAL TEAM IS READING — “Pittsburgh focus group tanks Trump,” by Isaac Dovere: “‘Outrageous,’ ‘disastrous,’ ‘abject disappointment,’ ‘unique,’ ‘off the scale,’ ‘contemptible,’ ‘crazy’: Donald Trump seems to have lost Pittsburgh, at least based on a focus group, sponsored by Emory University, held in the city Tuesday night. The group, a mix of people who’d voted for Trump and Hillary Clinton (plus one Jill Stein voter), came down hard on the president and Vice President Mike Pence—three people called him a ‘puppet,’ and several used variations of ‘waiting in the wings,’ though he was also called ‘quiet’ and ‘reasonable.’

“To a lesser degree, the voters also complained about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Asked to grade Congress, participants gave a collection of Cs, Ds and Fs, with most complaining that nothing is getting done. Not many knew much about special counsel Robert Mueller, who’s leading the Russia investigation, but several singled out Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, as a problem due to his inexperience.” http://politi.co/2vJ5Zgl

HAPPENING TODAY — “Trump to seize populist mantle for pitching messy tax overhaul,” by Ben White and Tara Palmeri: “President Donald Trump will launch a major push for a sweeping tax overhaul with a speech Wednesday in Missouri aimed at convincing his base — and the rest of the nation — that he has a fresh vision for ‘unrigging’ the American economy and isn’t just repackaging the trickle-down economics of past Republican presidents.

“It could be a tough sell for the president as he fights with saturation coverage of Hurricane Harvey and as Democrats prepare to frame Trump’s approach as a giveaway to corporate fat cats and the nation’s richest taxpayers. Wednesday’s speech in Springfield is being built around the sale of tax reform as a populist policy, according to five senior administration officials. The tax speech is being drafted by senior White House aide Stephen Miller, a leader of the nationalist wing of the administration. In Trumpian style, he’ll try out new phrases for selling the policy like ‘Jump-start America’ and ‘Win again.’” http://politi.co/2wQST5K

— ATTENDING TODAY’S EVENT: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, NEC Director Gary Cohn, SBA Administrator Linda McMahon, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, Gov. Eric Greitens, Lt. Gov. Mike Parson, Republican Reps. Ann Wagner, Blaine Luetkemeyer, Vicky Hartzler, Sam Graves, Billy Long and Jason Smith.

— REPUBLICANS WE SPOKE TO YESTERDAY are happy Trump is going on the road, but worried that one off-topic comment will undermine anything positive he does.

— KEVIN ROBILLARD in Branson, Missouri: “Why Claire McCaskill Is Holding Her Fire: President Trump has already taken shots at the vulnerable Democratic senator but she’s determined not to anger the rural voters who put him in office”: http://politi.co/2wh2xxa

THE JUICE …

NOT BAD — OBAMA LOOKING FOR MVY SPOT — BOSTON GLOBE’S MARK SHANAHAN: “Chicago will always be President Obama’s hometown — that’s where the Obama Presidential Center is being built — but it looks like he may be spending a lot more time on Martha’s Vineyard in the future. Word around the island is that the Obamas, who’ve rented a place on the Vineyard for the past several summers, are looking to buy … The 44th president and his wife, Michelle, are believed to be focused ‘up island,’ looking at homes or buildable lots in the rural communities of Aquinnah, Chilmark, and West Tisbury. …

“No one’s talking, least of all realtors, but we’re told that one property that may be getting a long look is a magnificent waterfront outpost in Aquinnah owned by Caroline Kennedy and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg. A few years ago, the couple, who inherited from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis the 377-acre Red Gate Farm overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, subdivided the property and put two parcels on the market.” http://bit.ly/2wQdaZg

— “Bill and Hillary Clinton’s Hamptons Summer Rental Sells,” by WSJ’s Katy McLaughlin: “A Hamptons mansion that served as a summer vacation rental for Bill and Hillary Clinton has sold for $29 million. The Clintons stayed in the home for part of August in both 2011 and 2012, said Apolonia Baptiste, assistant to seller Elie Hirschfeld; she declined to say what the Clintons paid. Current listing agent Rebekah Baker of Sotheby’s International Realty in the Hamptons said that in recent years the property has rented for between $350,000 and $500,000 for the summer, or for about $150,000 a month. … The roughly 10,000-square-foot shingled house has 8 bedrooms, all of which have en suite bathrooms, a formal dining room and six fireplaces.” http://on.wsj.com/2wHpavC

— “Sean Spicer finally gets to meet Pope Francis,” by America Magazine’s Michael J. O’Loughlin: “A group of legislators and politicians from around the world gathered in Italy this week for a meeting of the International Catholic Legislators Network, where they were received by Pope Francis at the Vatican. Among those gathered was Sean Spicer, the former White House press secretary who was … left off the list of U.S. officials who accompanied the president to the Vatican. … A photo posted to the Vatican Radio Facebook page shows Mr. Spicer using his cell phone to snap a photo of Pope Francis, who in an address to the group urged cooperation and bridge-building. Several other images posted to the Vatican’s photo service page show Mr. Spicer greeting the pope personally.” With a pic of Sean and the Pope http://bit.ly/2vCLWBd

PHOTO DU JOUR: Volunteer Elizabeth Hill, 8, plays with evacuee Skyler Smith, 7, at a shelter at St. Thomas Presbyterian Church in west Houston as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to affect the area on Aug. 29. | Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP

COMING ATTRACTIONS — “Trump at war with himself over ‘Dreamers,’” by Andrew Restucci and Eliana Johnson: “The president has waffled between his campaign pledge to kill the policy known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, and his sympathy for the nearly 800,000 people whose lives could be upended if it’s repealed, aides say.

“As an unofficial Sept. 5 deadline looms, there are growing signs that Trump will decide to phase out the program. But administration officials say he remains conflicted, trying to find a middle ground that balances his instinct to be tough on immigration and his personal feelings. Trump’s final decision could drastically change the lives of the country’s ‘Dreamers.’ Participants in the program — which permits some people who were brought to the United States as children to live and work in the country temporarily — worry they could lose their jobs or be subject to possible deportation if the program is suddenly ended.” http://politi.co/2xxvLGz

— MANY REPUBLICANS WE TALK TO say they believe there’s a border wall/DACA deal to be made in the coming months.

POLITICO SCOOP — “Virginia received DHS warning before Charlottesville rally,”by Josh Meyer: “The Department of Homeland Security issued a confidential warning to law enforcement authorities three days before the deadly Aug. 12 Charlottesville protest rally, saying that an escalating series of clashes had created a powder keg that would likely make the event ‘among the most violent to date’ between white supremacists and anarchists. The ‘law enforcement sensitive’ assessment, obtained by POLITICO and reported for the first time, raises questions about whether Charlottesville city and Virginia state authorities dropped the ball before, and during, a public event that was widely expected to draw huge crowds of armed, emotional and antagonistic participants from around the country.” http://politi.co/2gofe3R

BEYOND THE BELTWAY — “Report: ‘Anti-protester’ bills gain traction in state legislatures,” by USA Today’s Heidi M. Przybyla: “Republican legislators in 20 U.S. statehouses have proposed — and six legislatures approved — new restrictions on the right to assemble and protest so far this year, according to a new report by the Democrat-aligned State Innovation Exchange. … Among the states approving what SiX calls ‘anti-protester’ legislation were Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Georgia and South Dakota. Arkansas, for instance, has passed a new ‘anti-loitering’ bill that makes it an offense if a person ‘lingers, remains or prowls in a public place or the premises of another without apparent reason and under circumstances that warrant alarm or concern for the safety of persons or property in the vicinity.’” https://usat.ly/2gnM5FL

THE RUSSIA PROBE — “Special counsel subpoenas Manafort’s former attorney and spokesman,” by CNN’s Evan Perez: “The subpoenas seeking documents and testimony were sent to Melissa Laurenza, an attorney with the Akin Gump law firm who until recently represented Manafort, and to Jason Maloni, who is Manafort’s spokesman … It’s unclear what specific information the Mueller investigators believe Laurenza and Maloni may have. But issuing subpoenas to a lawyer of someone under investigation is unusual, in part because it raises potential attorney-client privilege issues that prosecutors tend to try to avoid. Maloni, as a public relations representative, doesn’t have the same attorney-client privilege protections.” http://cnn.it/2vHDQGx

— “Donald Trump Jr. set to testify before Senate Judiciary panel,” by Ali Watkins and Josh Dawsey: “The Senate Judiciary Committee has reached an agreement and set a date for Donald Trump Jr. to testify behind closed doors to the panel, the committee confirmed on Tuesday. The committee would not divulge the exact date, but another source familiar with the matter said the testimony would likely occur in the ‘next few weeks’ Trump Jr. is expected to be grilled about his meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer during his father’s presidential campaign in which he was promised compromising information on Hillary Clinton. … Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Ia.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the panel leaders, said in July that they still intend to hold a public hearing with Trump Jr. after speaking with him privately, and would subpoena him to appear in open session if necessary.” http://politi.co/2vpLfiK

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IN THE BATTLEFIELD — “Mattis allows transgender troops to serve as Pentagon studies Trump’s ban,” by Bob Hillman: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday transgender troops will continue serving in the military while the Pentagon studies the issue. Mattis said he’ll establish a ‘panel of experts serving within the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security’ to provide advice and recommendations on the implementation of President Donald Trump’s order to bar transgender individuals from serving in the military.

“In the interim, Mattis said, ‘current policy with respect to currently serving members will remain in place’ with interim guidance from him, including ‘any necessary interim adjustments to procedures to ensure the continued combat readiness of the force until our final policy on this subject is issued.’” http://politi.co/2vqGPIp

VALLEY TALK – “Uber Faces Investigation of Possible Foreign-Bribery Law Violations,” by WSJ’s Douglas MacMillan and Aruna Viswanatha: “The Justice Department has taken preliminary steps to investigate whether managers at Uber Technologies Inc. violated a U.S. law against foreign bribery, according to people familiar with the matter. The agency has begun to review allegations that Uber may have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which bans the use of bribes to foreign officials to get or keep business … Based on what it finds, the Justice Department may or may not decide to open a full-fledged FCPA investigation into Uber. It is unclear whether U.S. authorities are focused on one country or examining activities in multiple countries where the company operates.” http://on.wsj.com/2xLj1LQ

MEDIAWATCH — “In the Trenches of Trump’s Leak War: How the administration has changed the game between investigative reporters and their government sources,” by Vanity Fair’s Joe Pompeo: “On July 6, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs issued a scathing report detailing what the Committee characterized as a seething epidemic of classified information making its way into the press. Titled, ‘State Secrets: How an Avalanche of Media Leaks Is Harming National Security,’ the 23-page document cites ‘at least 125 stories’ between Inauguration day and May 25 ‘with leaked information potentially damaging to national security.’ … Consternation about the report was particularly high in The Washington Post’s newsroom, not only because 33 of its journalists’ stories were in the crosshairs, but also because ‘State Secrets’ was being promoted on Twitter by one of their own.

“Jerry Markon was a longtime Post reporter who covered the Department of Homeland Security until February, when he left the paper to work for the Committee on Homeland Security as senior policy adviser to its chairman, Senator Ron Johnson. When the report landed, along with six retweets from Markon touting its findings, jaws hit the floor. At least one of Markon’s former colleagues, according to people with knowledge of the matter, e-mailed him to ask if he’d written the report himself. Adam Goldman, who worked with Markon at the Post and even shared some bylines with him, was blunt in his assessment. ‘Many former colleagues at the Post were disappointed,’ Goldman told me. ‘It was a betrayal.’ (I reached out to Markon through the Committee’s press office but he was not made available.) A Johnson aide emphasized that Johnson’s ‘concern is about the leakers and the national-security threats their leaks pose, not individual journalists.’” http://bit.ly/2iHDWgi

SPOTTED: Steve Hadley, Pam Stevens, Ben Chang, and Mark Pfeifle (Bush 43 NSC) at Equinox yesterday. Kellyanne Conway was also there, dining at a different table.

WEEKEND WEDDING — ROLL TIDE — Andres Peña, a U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce alum now in government relations for San Antonio firm Kaufman & Killen, and Dorothy Griffith, a Gula Graham and Aflac government relations alum now in communications at Whataburger, got married Saturday in Fernandina Beach, Florida, with festivities at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort. The couple met as undergrads at Alabama. Pic http://politi.co/2xKY0kr SPOTTED: Ian Sams and CadeAnn Smith, John Hammontree, Marc Rodriguez, Carl Holshouser and Andy Smith, Paul Jimenez and Regina Peña.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Tony Lombardo, executive editor for Military Times, and Jessica Coomes, deputy news director for Bloomberg BNA, recently welcomed Leo Thomas Lombardo. Leo came in at 8 pound 4 ounces and join his two sisters. Pic http://politi.co/2w4VKVI

TRANSITIONS — Ben Sparks has started as director of political affairs at Red Rock Strategies. He most recently was director for political and public affairs at digital ad firm Arena. … Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has hired Beth George in the San Francisco office for the firm’s privacy and data protection practice. She previously served as deputy general counsel at the Defense Department in the Obama administration. … Geoffrey Baum has started as director of media relations at the Milken Institute. He is a former C-SPAN Washington Journal executive producer and Sunnylands communications director.

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): WSJ DC bureau chief Paul Beckett. He celebrated his 50thwith champagne with colleagues in the office. (hat tip: Brody Mullins)

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: LA Times’ Christi Parsons, who’s currently writing a “book about de-segregation of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama public schools in the 1980s.” How she’s celebrating: “This is Big Fifty, so I’m celebrating all year! Every day I do something special with someone dear.” Read her Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2goCtL0

BIRTHDAYS: Warren Buffett … CNN’s John King … Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) … Jordan Kauflin … Ginny Hunt, principal for strategy and civic innovation at Google … Kerri Collins … Caitlin Girouard, comms. director for Sen. Klobuchar … Patrick Kerley, managing director at Burson-Marsteller … Corley Kenna, director of global comms and PR at Patagonia (h/ts Ben Chang) … WaPo’s Martine Powers (h/t Lauren Dezenski) … Politico’s analytics and search guru Mitch Schuler … Politico’s Jennifer Dreyer and Catherine Pritchard … Elizabeth Harball, reporter for Alaska’s Energy Desk … Gary Ginsberg, EVP of Time Warner and founding editor of “George” together with JFK, Jr. (h/t Jewish Insider) … Kimmy Railey, reporter at National Journal’s Hotline (h/t Zach Montellaro, filing from Chicago) … Margy Levinson of BerlinRosen Public Affairs … Fox News’ Eldad Yaron … Bradley Silverman … Alex Cathcart of Federal Capital Partners …

… Murray Weiss of CBS News’ “48 Hours” … John Donner of Glendale, CA (h/t son Jason Donner, ace Fox News producer roaming Capitol Hill) … Ariana Berengaut … Eric Pooley, SVP of strategy and comms at the Environmental Defense Fund … Susan Holappa … George Riccardo … Christine Marlowe … Karl Russo … Minna Elias … Bush SBA alum Cheryl Mills … Sara Cooper … Christine Mangi … Heidi Aldrich … Rob Dettbarn … Jody Day … Greg Spring, spending his BIG day dancing the night away in Minneapolis … Ruthie Posekany … Justin Paschal … Jadyn Gilbert (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Charlie Pope … Terry Bish … Sean Finnegan … Andrey Che … Cristine Russell … Pam Gibson … comedian Lewis Black … Cameron Diaz … Lisa Ling … Andy Roddick (h/ts AP)

SUBSCRIBE to the Playbook family: POLITICO Playbook http://politi.co/2lQswbh …New York Playbook http://politi.co/1ON8bqW … Florida Playbook http://politi.co/1OypFe9 … New Jersey Playbook http://politi.co/1HLKltF …Massachusetts Playbook http://politi.co/1Nhtq5v … Illinois Playbook http://politi.co/1N7u5sb … California Playbook http://politi.co/2bLvcPl … Brussels Playbook http://politi.co/1FZeLcw … London Playbook http://politi.co/2xfDPuK … All our political and policy tipsheets http://politi.co/1M75UbX

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