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fangirleaconmigo · 2 years

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I like hearing the thoughts up people who watched this season 2 of twn so I'm very excited to see your thoughts!

Thank you, nonny! Sorry for the delay. I had so many feelings after I watched it that I've just been silently processing and stewing.

I think TWN season 2 is a very different experience depending on whether you've read the books and are attached to the characters as written or not. It also depends on your expectations of fantasy action shows.

I used to waitress, and a restaurant owner I worked for once told me that the most important element of how someone evaluates service is their expectations going in, and I still think about that a lot.

Spoilers, and extremely critical thoughts under the cut. (Some positives too.)

Before you hit 'keep reading' I also want to make clear that this is all personal. Other people are allowed to feel differently and are no less valid. We are all unique mixes of culture and experiences and identities and will by nature see this all differently. That is fine and good. In fact, that's what makes art, and our interactions with it, so fascinating and dynamic. Now, here goes.

If your expectations are...a fun fantasy action ride, I think it fit the bill. The Witcher S2 was better than the average fantasy show.

The cast is phenomenal this season. I think the acting leveled up all around. (Myanna Buring just slayed me, so did Anya, Joey, Mimi, Henry, Freya, Anna, they were all amazing)

The locations are stunning.

The monster fights are fun.

There's more magic, more sign usage, and lots of intrigue.

There were some characters that were magical onscreen together. (Yen and Jaskier, Yen and Tissaia, Fringilla and Francesca, Geralt and Istredd were fucking delightful, and I did love a lot of the Geralt and Ciri scenes. )

Yasen Atour was a delight the little we heard from him

The bruxa was fantastic, Ep1 was great.

I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that we got the Rience torturing Jaskier and Yen saving him scene.

Ciri training!! Wooo!!

Nenneke! Wooo!

Also, I loved a lot of the new (non book) plot points even some others didn't.

For example, I thought Yen losing her magic was a great opportunity to show how resourceful, gutsy, brave, and brilliant she was without magic. She was a force of nature and I loved watching her go.

I also loved everything they added about her mixed heritage.

I loved the Sandpiper concept.

I love that they gave Istredd his own plot points apart from Yen. I think when you make 'exes' (and in the context of the show, one of the few men of color) into cardboard cutouts its unsatisfying. So, I appreciated that they gave him a real role.

I appreciated that, unlike the games, they actually kept Triss's scars, and didn't try to force the love triangle that a lot of fans seem to want. So, on one hand, there was a lot to like.

However, on the other hand, if you you want consistently good writing when it comes to character work and relationship development, we didn't get that, whether you've read the books or not.

TWN pretty obviously comes up with the plot, then stuffs 90% of the relationships and character development into the cracks. Then they step back and go...Ehhhhh it’s fine.

In response to critiques that the show lacks organic character and relationship development, the showrunner essentially said on social media that the books are too slow and you can't just have people hanging out and getting to know each other in a tv show. (In fact, according to the showrunner herself, several conversations that do happen in S2, only happened at the insistence of Henry Cavill)

I think that's dismissive of a vast middle where you can have conversations AND action. There are shows and movies that do so just fine. It's tricky, and it'll never be as deep as the source material, but it can still be great and satisfying. But you do have to put a bit of trust in your audience.

Also, it's not just time spent. It's cohesion and consistency. So whether the character/relationships ships work for you (with all the jerks forward and backwards and jarring missing bits) is whether, through your personal experience, you can fill in the blanks with your own imagination. If you can, you may not even notice. If you can't, you're left scratching your head.

(For just a few examples, why didn't Yen and Geralt talk about the wish???? She was devastated and dumped him for it and now they're kissing? It's resolved?? When?? Why aren't we taking her feelings of betrayal about that seriously? I want that conversation!

What happened to Tissaia's dimeritium poisoning from the prior season? Jaskier's burns from the prior scene? Why in season two, does this supposedly epic male friendship still feel so one sided and thin?

Fil is Francesca's husband???? Why did I not know that until the moment the baby emerged?

Why did Lamb blame Eskel's death on Ciri BEFORE we knew she was attracting monsters? Etc etc etc).

Further, relationships go through hamfisted conflicts, since the only bumps and barriers they seem to be able to conceive of are assault, consent violations, and betrayals, which they glide past as soon as they need to move the plot along.

(That's why when people were like..."Geralt and Ciri didn't have a bonding arc. It was flat." I just feel like...shhhh don't let them hear you. They'll have one of them horrifically betray the other and call it an arc. Let's just leave it, I'm begging you.)

Also, they have the showing and telling working at odds with the story. They tend to TELL the foundational stuff, ie, who people are, how they feel about themselves and each other. Then they SHOW the “exceptions”. And yet, showing is so much more powerful!! Therefore, the exceptions become the rule in the eye of the viewer.

(Geralt SAYS that Kaer Morhen is protected and secret because of pogroms against witchers and threats of genocide, but then you SEE it as party central, like everyone in the continent goes through there to be drugged or killed or just to pick up a vial and be off.)

The actors valiantly elevate their scenes emotionally to imbue them with nuance and contradictions and emotion. (Myanna and Joey were both fucking heroic in imbuing lines with meaning that wouldn't have been there without them.) But they can't do it all.

The show also continues to raise interesting social themes it doesn’t quite know how to land and lay out amazing characters it doesn’t quite know how to truly value. TWN and race or TWN and sexuality could fill up several other posts.

So, if you want a fun action fantasy show that you don’t want to think too hard about, you’re golden. It was 10/10. I have shows like that. I watch and I refuse to read the source material or think about things like plot holes or inconsistencies. If you're watching The Witcher like that, you are blessed.

If you want a GOOD show with quality character and relationship work, it was a 7/10, and it was only that high because Henry Cavill is powerful enough to push for script changes on set.

(The showrunner said she had written a joke for after Roach died and he pushed for something heartfelt instead. Also, Henry said that the script called for a sex scene for when Geralt and Yen reunite, and he and Anya pushed for that sweet family scene with the three of them actually bonding. Also, Geralt's lines to Ciri from the books were added at his insistence. I think the writing would've been a 6/10 at best without him.)

NOW how was the show for me?

Well I'll let you guess.

I read the books between S1 and S2 and fell in love with them. I watched the showrunner tweet that she'd read Blood of Elves twenty times and was taking it seriously as an adaptation. That she wasn't going to have to make up much because there was so much there. She said she heard all of the constructive critique about how the relationships were treated S1.

So, I am a book fan, and I had hope. Expectations. Not that they would be duplicated exactly, but that the spirit of the themes and the characters would be treated respectfully.

I also happen to be a person who has written several hundred thousand words of fic about Eskel, (and read more) because I connect with him and love him in particular. One of my most popular witcher posts is the character analysis I did of him.

I also happen to be a person who loves Yen and Ciri's relationship so much it almost hurts. I could probably write a Phd thesis on what that relationship means to me.

I also happen to be a person who loves Kaer Morhen more than is reasonable, and was so excited to see it onscreen. (It was aesthetically pretty! Beautiful gowns sets. But I was more excited for the wolf witchers inside of it.)

Those were my most anticipated pieces of the story going in.

Now, I know I said that I'd let you guess how I like it, but when have I ever shut up about anything? Well, I loved ep 1. I recapped and reviewed it and gave it an A. Then, the rest of the season happened.

And for my favorite, most anticipated characters and relationships, other than some good Geralt and Ciri moments, it was character assassinations and missed opportunities.

I'm sure there are those who would disagree with me. I'm sure they could make cases for why it made sense for Yen, the woman who never let down Ciri a day in her fucking life, would turn her in to the deathless mother (changing her mind when it was too late, and only because Ciri's power made her 'special'). How it made sense that a woman who, even though she struggled being vulnerable and committed romantically, always always worked in Geralt's best interests behind the scenes, would betray him in matters of his own daughter.

I'm sure they could make a case why Vesemir, a man who passed through a long hard journey and rocky moral past, to become the moral center of the world of witchers, (I could bring book quotes to back this up if anyone is interested in my Vesemir thoughts) would betray Geralt and accept 'consent' from a traumatized, grieving, child.

I'm sure they could claim that one gauzy flashback of Eskel being nice to Geralt once in a hallway made up for what they did to that character. I'm sure they could explain why the misogyny of how the sex workers were treated, and why they were in Kaer Morhen in the first place didn't take the entire concept of the witchers out back and shoot it execution style.

But I'd disagree with all of them. Very strenuously. Very emphatically. I may still write some specific critical posts about TWN and Yen and Ciri, or Eskel, or the witchers in general, just to get these things off my chest.

It's actually turned the show into something a lot more difficult for me to interact with. I have to work a lot harder now to separate out the good and still enjoy it. I still adore the cast, and love parts of the show. But dear anon, that shit felt fucking brutal. I stared into space for an uncomfortable amount of time after finishing the season. I considered deleting all my witcher social media and abandoning my wips. I texted my friends. When my son asked how it was I said very slowly....well...it gave and it took away. I didn't know what else to say.

I calmed down. I'll keep watching the show. I'll keep loving and hyping the cast. But now I have a fundamentally conflictual relationship with the show. And now my expectations are on the floor. They are subterranean. Maybe having zero expectations, no matter what is promised to book fans on twitter, will help. It's all about expectations, after all.

I hope my feedback isn't too much of a downer. I'm sorry if it is and you regret sending your ask. D: I try really hard to see the positives of things and to be fair and to consider other perspectives. But there's no way around how fucked over I feel as a book fan of witchers and of Yen and Ciri's relationship specifically.

But thank you for asking and feel free to ask for clarification on anything or for any sources cited. XD

#the witcher #the witcher season 2 #the witcher spoilers #twn critical #eskel

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lornahansonforbes · 3 years

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Prologue

If you’re reading this today, then you know I’m dead, dead to you as you are to me, and that should make you so very happy.

I gave it all up sitting at a red light.

This last piece is the final chapter of “The Emesis Tray of Feelings,” it’s a trilogy.

The trilogy contains one play, “Hot Neon Lights” and “Patina on the Edge,” which is a series of monologues and now this, “It Didn’t Happen,” a one act play.

The first installment, “Hot Neon Lights,” tells the story of two events. Act One is a very messy breakdown followed by the fourth and final attempt of my taking my own life. I failed four times. Act Two is about six to weeks later and the family meeting with the psychiatrist where they decide if I should be locked up in hospital or go cold Turkey. There was no option, no Grey area, only black and white.

“Patina on the Edge,” is a series of monologues that highlights moments of grand and glorious to being a homeless junkie who was sucking dick, meanwhile being a thief and a shitkicker was a great way to being truly infamous. Lofty goals. It parallels the story that’s laid out in “Hot Neon Lights.”

“It Didn’t Happen.” is a one act play with four scenes. Scene one, the night of the breakup and a month after the breakup. Scene two, a phone call about the breakup. Scene three, a group of friends who just saw the two aforementioned plays and are in a bar talking about what The New York Times will say about “Hot Neon Lights” and “Patina on the Edge.”

As you read this, do know that this is like Ivory Soap, ninety-nine and forty-four one hundredth percent (99 44/100%) true.

Several people have been merged into one character and not vice versa.

You should know that I died alone and bitter that I was never truly loved by anyone except by my dogs, Zoey, Chase, Auggie, The Brother Levi, CoCo and Harry; and my three cats, Rasselas, Othello and Belle Kitty.

I sadly cannot think of one person, past or present, who ever truly loved me.

I suffered with Bipolar Depression and Anxiety for a large portion of my life. The three guys who I stupidly referred to as my boyfriend, I see now that they barely tolerated me as did my family.

I don’t give a shit. You and whomever can say what you want about me and pepper it generously with Drama Qween. You do know that but I can only tell you what my perception was and how I saw things, but as usual, you’re right and I’m wrong. Fuck you, your opinion is paying for my funeral and you had the option not to read this.

Lastly, all the things I’ve written starting in the 1980’s and in between has been thrown out and erased etc. Yeppers. All gone. I kept it all but as of this entry, I threw it all out.

Since I’ve submitted to various outlets and people yet only to learn I’ve been ignored.

But you can find me on Tumblr and not on Tinder. Good luck with that.

Post Script:

I’ve told stories about how I lived and how I overcame. “You should write a book.” Motherfucker, don’t play with me. You ain’t gonna fucking read it. Why even bother existing? I’m done. If you really want to know, actually pick up the phone and call me. Bye, Felicia.

I forgot to tell you that someone asked me not to give up writing. Sorry but I’m not gonna change my mind about cutting off my nose to spite myself.

Scene One

The late summer sun was slowly going down as we approached the corner of Melrose and North Robertson.

Granted it was nearly 8:00 PM, the sun was still blazing away. I turned to look from the passenger seat to see people milling about waiting to go inside but also the paparazzi was there gawking and snapping pictures.

She slowed the car down for just a millisecond and then took a sharp left turn. Then Sister Mary of the Perpetual Parking Spot smiled down upon us and she pulled in and parked the car.

The restaurant sign read Ty’s Thai Tie Dye, an Indochina Conglomerate. We went inside and were seated way in the back. It was a jungle, flowers, potted trees and Passion Flower vines everywhere. The sun broke through like mosaic tiles.

Dinner was delicious and uneventful. She was now pulling up in front of my modest flat.

“Darling, I’m sure we’ve had a wonderful evening but I feel that my husband is all over us these past few weeks. I’m just so sick and tired of seeing his Gold Audi here and there every time we go out. Why can’t we agree to disagree with the fact that I’m who I am and you are you we aren’t able to carry on like this anymore. I know that I should break it to you gently, but let’s rip the fucking Band-Aid off, it’s over. Don’t speak. Let’s go our separate ways with our splendiferous memories and as the cliché states, when you do speak of me, be kind,” she blurted out without looking at me.

It took me a moment and then I watched her Black Jaguar Vandam Plas glide away and disappear. Nearly comatose, I fumbled for my keys and took those first tentative steps towards the front door. I saw my cat in the window and her deep gold eyes. We looked directly at each other. I got in my car only to pound the steering wheel with tears in my eyes.

“You ungrateful bitch,” I screamed so loud that my ears were ringing worse than being a rock concert.

I drove into the night with flashes of our tongues lashing about like in some porn as we tore our clothes off each other. She was moist. My turgidity.

I landed at Pfeiffer Beach and I saw a Sandpiper. Fuck my life. The sound of the crashing waves and the sun rising. Stumbling back to my car I spied that CHP had paid a visit with a bright orange parking ticket tucked neatly underneath the wiper blades. God damn it to hell.

When I turned the car over, the radio was blaring, some static but nonetheless it jangled my nerves.

“Now, I am strong enough. Now, I’m strong enough to accept change. Yes, my darling, if you want to live in another place, I can understand it. It’ gonna hurt for a little while, but I can understand it, but before you walk out that door, touch me in the morning,” this woman’s anger and hurt were front and center. We were simpatico at that moment. We were both in a world of hurt and she like me, we were not feeling it.

I tapped a button on my car radio and my playlist replaced her voice as I pulled into traffic on Route 1 South heading home leaving Pfeiffer Beach in my rear view mirror.

Whoever that female voice was previously on my radio, I felt like Kathy Bates and I was swinging that sledgehammer and I left her there to suffer.

Normally I’m not that guy who “gets in touch with their feelings.” It’s just not in my DNA and when I do “get in touch,” it’ll be like a Gatling gun. Crumpled up like a wad of paper, riddled with bullets and left to die gasping for breath in a pool of blood.

This morning I got up and was meandering around my neighborhood. I have absolutely no idea how it happened but I stopped into a local coffee shop and got a Chai Latte. I usually get a green juice with pomegranate and Acai.

I was in a deep, deep funk since I had dinner with my friend and she dumped me. Who was she to me? My girlfriend; friend with benefits: fuck buddy; mistress or just another conquest? Whatever it was, it was good and it lasted but it wasn’t like this hadn’t happened before and so this came to pass and now in my mind I heard Louis Prima singing, “…everywhere I go.” If I really wanted to hear that song, I’d rather find the David Lee Roth remake.

Apparently I got my steps in this morning without some contraption attached to me or some app on my phone. I plunked my narrow behind down on a concrete Jersey barrier and I looking at the waves crashing onto Dockweller Beach. I know it’s not Malibu Beach just a short drive North and it certainly wasn’t Malibu Beach in Boston. From that vantage point, you’ll see the highway and Sister Corita Kent’s artwork in the distance.

Seriously what the fuck, yo? Processing, tabulating, analyzing, and parsing the events of being dumped. I know I saw the data, but what did it reveal? Was it actually that simple or was I looking at the galley’s for the unabridged Cyrillic version of Tolstoy’s tome with copious notes in the margins. Could I decipher The Daily Jumble? Was I looking at some foreign language? Was I experiencing some sort of dyslexia? Sigh! Could I really clean this mess with a piece of used snotty paper?

I’m solving Pi!! Yeah, yeah!! That’s the ticket!!

I clenched my hand around my paper cup and almost spilled my Chai latte. I was fucking pissed.

“Ungrateful BITCH,” that right I said it and I said it with such furious anger venom was dripping of my fangs.

What a difference a day makes. Bull-fucking-shit. Something felt dissimilar yet had I seen the same thing from a different vantage point?

At that exact moment I heard one of those thumper cars approaching blaring something I didn’t understand anything but I did hear, “Baile, baile con El General” and just like that the car was gone. Was Joy Division only for headphones? This is Los Angeles not Colby College.

Perched on the Jersey barrier, I wasn’t contemplating why lint gets in my navel. I couldn’t dodge raindrops. Had I tabled my ego? Were my expectations quickly quieted? Was it like that thumper car; was I blaring or amplifying some sort of acceptance of defeat? The hounds had been released at the same time as I gave up my control? I can be that Type-A personality, driven and getting in touch with my feeling resided in an abyss somewhere, but the fuck if I know.

I felt dampness. Where am I now? Am I on the Maid of the Mist or standing underneath Niagara Falls? God damn it to hell!! I was crying. I normally don’t do that. I clenched my jaw so tightly I had TMJ.

“Mission Accomplished,” I think was actually the last time I did cry, but that was for my furry friends, Mickey & Minnie and then it was Stanley & Blanche. Do I get ahold of the anger in me? What the fuck? Maybe a word, a smile, an hour of happiness? NETX??!! I picked up my phone. I scrolled through my contacts. In a parallel universe, I called you a thousand times when I know I did not and I never will call you.

A boisterous and vociferous colony of seagulls appeared just a few yards away from me. Fuck. Hitchcock.

My paper cup is empty. I knew I had to dispose of it. Recycle, reuse, repurpose or like this affair, would it end up in a landfill? Just another thing to be unceremoniously and recklessly tossed away. It’s just a thing.

With a great exasperated sigh, eight months, two weeks and a day. That’s how long it lasted without me actually keeping track of it. Don’t go there. Don’t judge me. Men and women silently judge me and you but I can only assume they leave something on me so I don’t catch cold. Oh, shit. We had seen other naked. She fucking hurt me. Okay, I’m not that person, who’d scrawl, No Sale, on a mirror if I found a check and a note that read, “Last night was dope.”

My phone beeped, a text message letting me know I had to drive to Pacoima.

Gotta bounce. Later. Onto embrace the new challenges ahead and channel them into existence.

Scene Two

Part Three.

A Hello, bleep.

B How did you know it was me?

A I’ve known for a long time and plus it’s out there.

B Why did you say that?

A What did I say exactly?

B Don’t give me that bullshit. I saw it.

A I told you about how I felt but then I felt around in the dark and I didn’t know how that single cell actually started to feel like encouragement.

B What I said was to do it for yourself and not me.

A I did it for you first and then afterwards I got to me.

B You took more than you should have and you took it to another place. Also that’s not how it went down.

A It’s how some people work. As I told before, give me a thing to work with and I can easily create from there.

B I only told you about a sixteenth of what happened.

A But that was enough for me and those three sentences told me everything I needed to know. Fuck bleep, I told you recently about my Bipolar Depression and how I grapple with it hour by hour and mostly by myself with no assistance or guidance from anyone.

B I appreciate that and your candor but it makes me crazy. But fuck bleep, I know how mentally exhausted some people feel being in your orbit.

A Bleep, dude, we’re trying to get to that place in the day where we can say, I’m still here. First we get out of bed unassisted and the rest is gravy.

B Why such labels? I mean I know most of the names but you know I’m a tee shirt and jeans.

A Without inferring or intimating the slightest thing, I had a good feeling that who she is and most likely she has her own money but she doesn’t dismiss her husband’s money.

B I have my own money too but I’m not going to be seen eating on North Robertson.

A Possibly I’d see you at one place on Melrose or on Alameda and they’re not that far from where I put you. Then again, there’s a place around the way and you can walk there. I pay attention to things like that ever since I saw Russell Simmons ex wife Creamora eating at raw restaurant in LA a few years ago.

B Wow. How did find that out?

A She had a reality show and they showed her eating there and as a woman of color, she nearly lost her mind. One of things they served was a pizza but it wasn’t a New York pepperoni pizza all hot and gooey with cheese. I yelled at the TV, Gurl, I’ll take a slice. I’m in.

B Wait a minute, bleep. You told me you have issues with food.

A I do but sometimes I’ve got to throw caution to the wind and suffer with each delicious bite.

B So that’s why you fabricated that restaurant.

A Well, kinda sorta. When I was in LA, I found a great little Thai place a few blocks away from The Dolby and if I remembered the name I would’ve told you about it. They’ve got some amazing vegan options.

B This is one of the things I find about you, you know some of the most trivial things and it’s fucking scary.

A Bleep, I just hope I don’t actually lose my mind. I’d hope that you or someone else would put me down if dementia or Alzheimer’s effected me.

B Don’t say that. I sometimes like it when you remember what happened way back when.

A I’m not sure what’s going to happen but I’m still here regardless.

B I’ve got to ask why you said I cried.

A Bleep, you are but one of many Taurus men I know and if they do actually cry, it’ll be in the shower and they’d never admit to knowing how to cry. They might well up with tears but never cry in front of anyone ever.

B That’s fucked up.

A Taurus men do write but never about their feelings nor do they own a diary or journal. If that April born man exists who shares their feelings, they are a very rare breed of man.

B Well writing isn’t my thing.

A You sound exhausted.

B I had to compose myself and all the while I cursed your name.

A Oh it’s because I hit a nerve?

B You’re the last person I’d ever, of course, I think of to wax philosophic and then admit it to someone else let alone admit it to myself.

A Bleep, motherfucker, I’m completely aware and yet I’m not living under the delusion by pining away waiting for you to ask.

B No, it’s not that but does fall in the same zip code and then I used one word, empath. You dug as deep as you could and I’m like, fuck, man, I’m on the phone with you.

A Bleep. Bleep. I’ve known ever since your old EarthLink email and I never and I wouldn’t unless you asked. I told you before I see things that I don’t necessarily understand and with each message, I just end up seeing something.

B I gathered as much. There’s my Nou-Nou. Come up. It’s okay. Come on, Nou-Nou. Move your lard ass, Janx. There you go. All better. Rumple, not a word. You stay right there and let Nou-Nou get some.

A The kittehs!!

B Don’t distract. I’m not sure if you have a malignant will or you gave me something to think about.

A I can’t apologize more. I’m truly very sorry. I riffed on an idea and here we are.

B Life isn’t over as you think of it just because you’re alive. There’s more.

A That’s why I told you that I wouldn’t write again. Stirred the pot.

B You’re a dick.

A And your point is? A cunt? I’m The Dowager Empress and that’s all there is to that.

B You’re so full of shit.

A We’re not going to snap at each other like two terriers.

B Is this what we’ve been reduced to? Bickering just for arguments sake?

A You’re the one with the brown eyes, so you could possibly be full of shit. I’ve got green eyes, pea green with jealousy.

B You said some shit and it hit me. What’s that thing you usually say? Oh yeah, it’s a punch in the face you can’t take back.

A Bleep, dude. Most people want that moment in life where someone grabs ahold of you and pleads with you not to leave. It’s been played out in the movies, but not in our lives, right? I don’t know the life you led but I’ve had three boyfriends and each one of them dumped me. I’ve cried and played all the sad songs. You could have possibly done the same thing but let’s face it fucking Cher said it best, we all sleep alone.

B Whitney clapped back and said I’d rather be alone than be unhappy.

A True. But I had the near perfect relationship with The Beast. More than 40 years together. We both had separate lives and we were celibate lovers. We had each other’s back we did everything for love but we never did that. I knew that he wasn’t some Sir Galahad to love from afar, motherfucker was two legged boa constrictor. I’m okay with dying alone and unloved.

B That’s really a fucking bleak future. Well insert a happy go-lucky cliché here followed by Shady Pines. I can’t with you, bleep.

A I know that we’re estranged but don’t divorce me or fire me just yet.

B Okay.

-The curtain comes down and the audience breaks out in an uproar of applause and cheers-

Scene Three

E What was that we just watched?

CI wish I knew.

E 90 minutes of a conversation that never happened?

D Clearly you’ve missed the point of it. Two guys who knew each other since high school and they meet up years later. One guy had a bad break up and the other guy was now, as he said, a widower.

C Excuse me?

E Yeah excuse me. I don’t see it. Okay high school is one thing but forty years later, they’re talking like that?

D Okay let’s go for a quick pop at The Stone and we’ll go home afterwards.

E Which stone?

C I think that the closest one is Rosetta.

D No. That’s by Park Avenue. I think this one is Killarney but is it Kilkerry? Fuck. It’s right here at 8th Avenue.

C Don’t make thing of it but look over getting of that cab, Miles Silverberg.

E I know that name.

D Murphy Brown.

C It is him. Not bad looking but not my type.

D Bitch, your type is anyone who can make the letter O.

C You should talk. You’re still paying off that asbestos abatement from the last one.

D The two of you are practically virgins again, but then again Father Frank doesn’t give confessionals.

C/E Fuck you.

D Oh look, we’re here.

E I’ve always wondered exactly how many bars in Manhattan are actually Irish bars.

C Probably a few but I’m not sure. There’s only one Blarney Stone and I think it’s in Lower Manhattan not here in Midtown. I’m thinking that anything above 23rd Street is either owned by The Vara or Lyons’ Brothers.

E Damn.

D Hello, Merrick. We like a bottle of your best Shiraz and three glasses. We’ll be over here. Thank you. Yes, Merrick, yes you’re all that but put a ring on it.

E Why won’t you just fuck him and get it over with?

D We like this game. We just love to flirt with each other. No harm, no foul.

C She’s been playing with Merrick for years and he loves the attention.

E I wonder what The Times says tomorrow.

D This is the the last chapter of the trilogy. Uh…

C First was Hot Neon Lights, second was Patina on the Edge and now, It Didn’t Happen.

D I can’t get it out of my head that one scene with the mother fighting with the dad. She was so mad at him, she put out a cigarette in her hand.

C Oh fuck yeah, that was fucking brutal.

E Can someone get that mad?

D She’s his mother and momma bear wasn’t having it.

C True but I’m not sure about the pretentious names. Trenton Burroughs English and Daniel Charles Snyder. But you know what? They’re actual people. I found out that Trenton is some how many times removed from the Queen of Norway and Daniel is a surgeon with Doctors Without Borders. AND the most fucked up thing is that they don’t know each and have never met.

D You know what’s even more fucked up than? There’s an actual family here on the social register here in New York with the last name, Frankenstein. Google that.

E Thank you, Merrick. Ladies, a toast?

C Yes please and don’t be stingy.

D Miss Thing, leave some for the rest of us.

ALL 3 Cheers! Give my regards to Broadway!!

E Hot Neon Lights was excellent, though I thought the two fantasy moments were beyond me.

D Why?

E Is that what you’d expect from dropping a hit of acid?

C Not all the time. It’s different from person to person. I did it once and I had goosebumps most of the time and I saw these white penny tiles dance like waves and I was surfing.

D I went to see a midnight showing of Eraserhead in college and I hate that fucking movie. Sigh. I cringe whenever I hear, Eraserhead is dead. I wanna punch someone in the face.

E Damn and I said I was traumatized by seeing Gina Gershon’s pubic hair in Killer Joe. I’m sorry but on the silver screen in a crowded theater. I shudder to think.

C A straight guy cringing at the mound of Venus? What happened? Did you see your mother in the shower?

E It’s not that deep. My face is one thing but on a forty-foot screen? Shit was scary.

D Yeah that is unforgettable. Besides that, was the movie any good?

E I don’t know. I mean William Friedkin directed The Exorcist. Both are going to fuck with your head, period.

D Oh yeah he did but what was really fucked up was in Patina on the Edge when he told us how his father and stepmother thought that they were watching his life story on the silver screen.

C What fucked with my head with my head was when he told us that he actually went to M Street and those stairs. I saw the picture and it was daytime and the caption read, Here laid Father Merrin’s body. Regan MacNeil astro-projected his priestly self right out the window. Rest in Power, Mercedes McCambridge.

E What?

C Yeah. Gimme a second.

D You’re obsessed much?

C I couldn’t believe it myself and I took a screenshot. Look.

E Damn. That’s really fucked up. Here.

D Oh my God! That is fucked up.

C I know reality stranger than fiction.

E It wasn’t science fiction or was it tonight?

D Whatever it was, it was some great writing. He can tell a story.

C What did you get out of it?

E I’m thinking that after seeing Hot Neon Lights, Patina on the Edge and tonight’s It Didn’t Happen, I think they should have a face to face and make a decision if they’re going to be actual friends and figure out if they want to be celibate lovers and in a platonic marriage.

D Fuck that bullshit. It’s obvious that they are actually going to have a contentious relationship and they’re not going to find each other sitting together chatting it up in Shady Pines. The only thing that they can have is a hidden mutual respect for each other and the rest of us can only imagine that since neither one of them will admit to anything. He’s a whore and he’s a prude. They don’t know what they want, but can they be friends in any iteration of the meaning. We’ll never know.

C Well…unrequited love can keep you going. Okay I’ve got unrequited love too but I see mine as that song, All American Boy by Steve Grand. I just love that song and I’m obsessed with the media calling it Brokeback Breakout and he’s like the Gay Cowboy. That’s really a bad cliché but it’s even worse to know that not every fag wants to suck the quarterback’s dick. Yeah let that big man on campus get a pot belly and go bald, and at the 40th high school reunion you’re still in a size seven like me and what��s even worse is that all the girls want to kill me.

D Do let me know when old and bitter arrives.

E Oh c’mon. It can’t be all that bad. You’re supposed to live off a compliment for two weeks, but I always hope for the best. I mean I like my family and we all get along.

C Well how nice for you but I doubt it. It’s like Homer isn’t going to strangle Bart for the umpteenth time.

E Back to the other moment in Hot Neon Lights, what was up with that Diana Ross scene?

D That was explained in Patina.

C Yeah. He went to the Diana Ross Live at Caesar’s Palace show on two hits of mescaline but I think the point was like she said, I am and I’m going to be.

D Powerful.

E Didn’t he also explain how he could actually touch the guy on the flying trapeze at the circus. Apparently he likes dropping acid.

C Patina had that whole conversation about “Gee whiz. Boy I was drunk last night.”

D Yeah it was consensual but I’m not sure if they were that drunk or that high.

E I know right but he did fuck that girl after an eight ball.

C Oh yes! He was up to THANGS!!

D Indeed he was but that failed threesome was even funnier.

E Give the guy a break. I’m not sure if he wanted to fuck the husband in front of his wife or fuck the wife as the husband was going to fuck him.

C YES!! The bamboo chair hanging from the ceiling. If I was in that same situation I have no idea how to proceed.

E True, true, but I’m glad he told us from the jump, we’d never believe it actually happened. My mind hurts.

D Look gentlemen, the bottle is empty and we all have to go to work in a few hours. Let’s table this for the next time. Until then.

E Okay but it’s Romeo & Juliet with social media at The Public.

C That’s got to be something else. We’ll text after we read the review in The Times.

ALL 3 Good night, Merrick!!

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vacationsoup · 5 years

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New Post has been published on https://vacationsoup.com/early-bird-gets-a-treat-in-destin/

Early Bird Gets a Treat in Destin

Being an early bird has its advantages, especially if you wake up to an ocean view. Sunrises on the beach are amazing and wildlife abounds.

In the summer, the sun comes up pretty early here in Destin. That means before 6:00. For most, vacation is synonymous with rest and relaxation which equals sleeping late. However, rest and relaxation translates differently for me.

Last week’s adventures reminded me why I love being an early bird. Mornings at Sandnsol are pure bliss. When I’m here, pre-dawn light nudges me awake, and I hop out of bed expectantly. After hot chocolate on the balcony Wednesday morning, I decide to head out to the jetty. Dolphins, rays, pelicans, or turtles, neat sea shells or sand dollars, you never know what awaits. Some of the best sights are things you don't see; traffic, crowds, trash etc.

Parking at O’Steen Beach is a breeze when you arrive at 6:15 a.m. Only one other car is on the street. After a short walk, I reach the dunes and pass the deserted lifeguard stand.

Signs of Life

As the sun peaks above the sea oats, Sandhill cranes search the empty beach for their breakfast. It’s so peaceful this time of day, it’s hard to believe in a few short hours there will be hundreds of people here.

Further down the jetty, fishermen cast their lines. High on a perch, pelicans survey East Pass. Dozens of fishing boats head through the East Pass and out to open water.

Shortly after I reach the shores of the gulf, I see a family snorkeling in the rocks at the base of the jetty. After hunting for shells at the waters edge, I continue east along the shore.

Surprising Encounter

A couple hours into the morning, something catches my eye. Just a few feet from shore, I see it gliding through the water. After videoing it for a few minutes, I decide I need to head back. Just then a wave carries the large majestic ray onto shore. It is struggling in the sand just feet in front of me. I grab my Nikon to get a few shots.

Crazy thoughts run through my mind. What if it can’t get back out on its own? I have to help, but what can I do? I doubt I can even get my arms around it, and how will I avoid a sting? No one is around, so it’s up to me!

Luckily, another wave washed up high enough for this amazing Spotted Eagle Ray to works its way back out into the water.

My walk back to the car is far less eventful, but still beautiful. Sandpipers and seagulls play and more cranes are strut their stuff. A father helps bait the hook for his son, and snorkel tours file into the east pass.

Excited to share my early bird adventures, I burst through the door at Sandnsol. My enthusiasm dies quickly when I realize everyone else is still fast asleep! Back to the balcony to listen to crashing waves until the sleepy-heads emerge.

Book your next stay at Sandnsol https://sandnsol.com/availability-and-rates/

Written by Stacy Loux of Sandnsol Destin vacation rental #spottedeagleray #cranes #earlybird #seagulls #sandnsol #destinjetty #oceanfrontvacationrental #tododestin #sunrise #Nikon #lifeguardstand #whitesandbeach #destinfishing #seaoats #beachedray

#beaches #crane #Destin #EmeraldCoast #Florida #Nikon #oceanfrontcondo #pelicans #sandnsol #Spottedeagleray #VacationInDestin #whattosee

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celtfather · 4 years

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Celtic Music for Halloween #433

Happy Halloween and Samhain from the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

FinTan, Poisoned Dwarf, Dylan Walshe, A Campo Traviesa, Alexander James Adams, Ciunas, Hot Griselda, Brendan Monaghan, Moch Pryderi, Flook, The Rogues, Dervish, Cady Finlayson, Heather Dale, Haggis Rampant, Runa

I hope you enjoyed this week's show. If you did, please share the show with ONE friend.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is dedicated to growing our community and helping the incredible artists who so generously share their music. If you find music you love, buy their albums, shirts, and songbooks, follow them on Spotify, see their shows, and drop them an email to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast.

Remember also to Subscribe to the Celtic Music Magazine. Every week, I'll send you a few cool bits of Celtic music news. It's a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Plus, you'll get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free, just for signing up today. Thank you again for being a Celt of Kindness.

VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 With the new year comes a new votes in the Celtic Top 20. This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. Just list the show number, and the name of as many bands in the episode as you like. Your vote helps me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2019 episode. Vote Now!

THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

0:04 - "A'Soulin'" by FinTan from Excursion

3:50 - WELCOME

4:43 - "The Dark Side of the Mooncoin" by Poisoned Dwarf from Bolt the Door

9:20 - "Death Dance" by Dylan Walshe from All Manner of Ways

12:20 - "A Bruxa (Galicia)" by A Campo Traviesa from The Kid on the Mountain

16:47 - "Samhain" by Alexander James Adams from UnSeelie Self

20:14 - CELTIC FEEDBACK

24:09 - "Uncle Rat" by Ciunas from High Time

26:24 - "The Broken Doll / Sandpipers" by Hot Griselda from Sunbox

30:44 - "The Devil Must Have Sent You" by Brendan Monaghan from Unbroken

32:55 - "Llwyn Onn (Ashgrove)" by Moch Pryderi from Moch IV

36:31 - "Sharig / The Pipers of Roguery / The Huntsman" by Flook from Ancora

41:03 - CELTIC PODCAST NEWS

44:21 - "Hellbound Sleigh" by The Rogues from 25...and Live!

48:54 - "Molly Malone" by Dervish from The Great Irish Songbook

52:29 - "Five Horned Jig" by Cady Finlayson from Celtic Purple

53:47 - "The Morrigan" by Heather Dale from Fairytale

57:04 - "The Pumpkin's Fancy / Andy Renwick's Favourite Ferret" by Haggis Rampant from Burly! Haggis Rampant Plugged In

59:42 - CLOSING

1:01:01 - "Dance in the Graveyard" by Runa from Ten: The Errant Night

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather. To subscribe, go to Apple Podcasts or to our website where you can become a Patron of the Podcast for as little as $1 per episode. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

CELTIC PODCAST NEWS

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. My name is Marc Gunn. I am a Celtic musician and podcaster. This show is dedicated to the indie Celtic musicians. I want to ask you to support these artists. Share the show with your friends. And find more episodes at celticmusicpodcast.com. You can also support this podcast on Patreon.

Subscribe to the Celtic Christmas Podcast.

TRAVEL WITH CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know the region through its culture, history, and legends. You can join us with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts and videos. Join the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/

Listen to more about the itinerary on the Pub Songs Podcast. The Celts Invade Venice… Again!

THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST!

Because of Your kind and generous support, this show comes out every week and has done so since 2014. You can pledge a dollar or more per episode and cap how much you want to spend each month over on Patreon.

Your generosity funds the creation, promotion and production of the show. It allows us to attract new listeners and to help our community grow. Plus, you get to hear episodes before regular listeners. When we hit a milestone, you get an extra-long episode. We are super close to getting a two-hour instrumental special.

I want to thank our Patrons of the Podcast:

You can become a generous Patron of the Podcast at http://patreon.com/celticpodcast.

I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? You can send a written comment along with a picture of what you're doing while listening. Email a voicemail message to [email protected]

Morgan Presley emailed a photo: "Hi Mark! I first discovered your podcast a few months ago, and I immediately fell in love! I’ve discovered so many new songs and artists, and I look forward to each new episode. Your podcast has now become the soundtrack to my sewing. It’s a lovely addition to my hobby, and makes my weekend afternoons drafting patterns, pinning fabrics, and sewing seams even more enjoyable. I also listen to your instrumental episodes while doing my physics homework. Thanks so much for creating this podcast!"

MORGAN PRESLEY 1 & 2

Debra VanTuyll emailed: "Hi Mark --I was just listening to your podcast while I work on a research grant. Pictures would be way too dull to share. However, I heard you mention not knowing of any Irish bands in Atlanta. I'm sure you know John Maschinot. He has a group that plays some. Then, there's the Atlanta Junior Irish Ceili Band that Katherine Irwin Thomas runs.

Over in Augusta, you've got de Ceádaoin, which is also more of a ceili band. We do sessions twice a month, once at each of the two breweries here (come join us if you're in this area. We're at Riverwatch Brewery the last Friday of the month and Savannah River the middle Wednesday of the month) and occasional gigs. We're presently working on a Christmas CD that will feature some little-known Christmas jigs and reels as well as some better known carols. We'll send you a copy when it's out. Also, Lillie Morris has a number of children violin students, and they play occasionally in Harlem.

At any rate, my main reason for writing was to let you know that the Irish music scene may be nano-sized in Georgia, but there are a few of us fighting the good fight out here in the hinterlands! Best wishes from east Georgia!"

Ed Stoffer responded to a Celtic Music Magazine email: "Hey Marc, Yes I did get all the music downloads. Thanks so much, I've listened to most of them and they are great.

I've been listening for a while now, but sure which episode I started on but for at least a couple of years. Thank you for taking the time to produce the podcast.

I'm still relatively new to Irish and celtic music, but for the past 6/7 years my wife and I have been regulars at the Iowa Irish fest here in Waterloo Iowa. Some of our favorite artist are Scythian, The Screaming Orphans, Seo Linn, The Gothard Sisters, Gaelic Storm, The Langers Ball, Realta, and JigJam.

Thanks again for all the work you do to put the program together."

Ravus Caelum emailed a photo: "Mark - Thanks for doing the podcast. You asked for pictures of us while we're listening, so here's me working on chainmaille and unwinding with some excellent music after work."

Sarai Lorenzo emailed: "Hi! I'm listening to your podcast while working designing books on an editorial. I am from Galicia, Spain, a place that is linked closely to Celtic culture. Thank you for your work, the music and sorry for my english! Keep doing this amazing work!"

Check out this episode!

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viralhottopics · 7 years

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13 Iconic Women Who Nevertheless Persisted

On Tuesday night, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cut off Senator Elizabeth Warren from speaking on the Senate Floor as she attempted to read a 1986 letter written by Coretta Scott King about Senator Jeff Sessions, who was nominated by President Trump to serve as Attorney General.

McConnell invoked Rule XIX: No Senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator. The Huffington Post reported that Senator Steve Daines of Montana agreed with McConnell, and found Warren in violation of the rule.

McConnell later said, She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.

In so doing, he inadvertently gave women a whole new rallying cry, and before the night was over, the hashtag #ShePersisted was trending on Twitter.

In honor of womens enduring persistence, weve rounded up a group of women whose refusal to be silenced has made this country a better place. And while this is obviously by no means an exhaustive list of every woman in history who has persevered, its an important reminder that so many influential women were only so influential simply because they persisted.

1 Ilhan Omar

STEPHEN MATUREN via Getty Images

Omar is a Somali-American former refugee who was elected to the House of Representatives from Minnesota in the 2016 election. One month after being elected, a Washington D.C. cab driver threatened to rip off her hijab after calling her “ISIS.” In October, she told The Huffington Post that “Our democracy is great, but it’s fragile. It’s come through a lot of progress, and we need to continue that progress to make it actually ‘justice for all.’”

2 Tammy Duckworth

Tom Williams via Getty Images

Senator Tammy Duckworth is the second Asian-American female senator, and is the first woman senator to have been in combat. She’s a decorated Army Veteran who won a seat in the Illinois Senate in the 2016 election, but not before being on the receiving end of a racist comment about her Thai heritage from her GOP opponent.

3 Michelle Obama

JEWEL SAMAD via Getty Images

Michelle Obama was the first black first lady, whose time in the White House was mired by racism from members of the GOP and public. At the DNC in July 2016, she famously said, “When they go low, we go high.”

4 Cecile Richards

Tom Williams via Getty Images

After the Center for Medical Progress released heavily-edited and misleading videos about Planned Parenthood’s health care practices in 2015, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards was questioned by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where she stood her ground against anti-abortion lawmakers on behalf of the health care organization that millions of Americans rely on every year for treatment.

5 Rosa Parks

Underwood Archives via Getty Images

Rosa Parks became a face of the Civil Rights Movement when she was arrested in 1955 for refusing to move to the back of a Montgomery, Al. public city bus. Her refusal to give her seat up to a white passenger sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement.

6 Winona LaDuke

Stephen Maturen via Getty Images

Native American activist Winona LaDuke actively protested against the Sandpiper pipeline in 2016, as well as the Dakota Access pipeline. She was Ralph Nader’s running mate in his 1996 and 2000 presidential elections, and continues to be an environmental justice activist through her organization, Honor the Earth.

7 Laverne Cox

Rob Kim via Getty Images

Laverne Cox survived both excessive childhood bullying and a suicide attempt when she was in the sixth grade. She has since become an outspoken advocate for the trans community and an award-winning actress.

8 Ruby Bridges

Bettmann via Getty Images

Ruby Bridges was the first black child to attend an all-white school in Louisiana in 1960. She passed a mob of protesting whites to get through the doors of William Frantz Elementary School and has since been active in civil rights.

9 Lilly Ledbetter

Mark Wilson via Getty Images

Lilly Ledbetter championed equal pay rights for women by suing her employer for paying her 40 percent less than what her male colleagues were earning. In his first act as president, Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in January 2009.

10 Malala Yousafzai

ODD ANDERSEN via Getty Images

Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 in her home country of Pakistan for being outspoken about girls’ rights to education. She survived the shooting and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17 — the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner in history.

11 Susan B. Anthony

Historical via Getty Images

Abolitionist and suffragist Susan B. Anthony was arrested in 1872 for casting her vote for president. She refused to pay the $100 fine, and became instrumental in the fight for women’s suffrage. She died in 1906, 14 years before the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, was ratified in 1920.

12 Angela Davis

Bettmann via Getty Images

Activist Angela Davis was arrested in 1970 on murder and kidnapping charges. She was cleared of all charges by an all-white jury in San Jose, Ca. and went on to become one of the most influential activists of our time. She recently gave a speech at the Women’s March on Washington in January.

13 Sylvia Rivera

Sylvia Rivera was instrumental in the inclusion of trans people in the Stonewall Riots in 1969. Then-17-year-old Rivera later became an outspoken voice in the LBTGQ liberation movement.