![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
(![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png)
atlas_obscura_places_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 04:00 pm)
atlas_obscura_places_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 04:00 pm)
Among the trees and trails of Wellesley Woodland in Aldershot, a town whose history deeply is tied to the British Army, stand the remnants of a World War I machine gun range.
Aldershot had, by the dawn of the 20th century, transformed from a small village into the undisputed “Home of the British Army.” This transformation saw Aldershot become, by 1914, the largest army camp in the country, housing 20 percent of the entire British Army.
These two brick walls, now surrounded by tranquil trees and public trails, recall the area’s former life as a Ministry of Defense site and provide a hint at the training completed by soldiers preparing for one of history’s deadliest wars. The precise origins of these walls remain shrouded in the mists of time and military confidentiality. However, the bricks themselves offer a clue, since they were produced by a company that closed in 1930, placing the wall’s construction before then, likely within the tumultuous years of World War I.
While the western wall is a peppered face of bare brick, the eastern wall is reinforced with a 12.5mm thick iron plate, an indication of the escalating firepower and intensity of training exercises. Both the metal and the bricks bear the indelible scars of countless bullet holes, all that remains of the countless rounds that once echoed through this now peaceful woodland.
Today I am thankful for...
- Thomann and Sweetwater. Minor grumps at Thomann for having a US site that looks tempting until you find out that shipping and tariffs are added at checkout. Major grumps at my old standby, Musician's Friend, whose site is totally broken when seen from Europe. Major grumps at ME for not having installed a VPN yet.
- Online filk circles. NO thanks to the weird audio problems I was having tonight during Eurofilk. But I got one song (The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of) out. (I wrote it for my father, who died 26 years ago. And Father's Day is this Sunday.)
Not feeling terribly thankful today. Sorry.
Tags:
(atlas_obscura_places_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 03:00 pm)
atlas_obscura_places_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 03:00 pm)
Enscherange is a small village located two kilometers north of the village of Lellingen, which is famous for its Via Botanica. As hikers leave Enscherange in an eastern direction, they will notice a curious structure along a country road: a metal post in the middle of a paved circle accompanied by a sundial and an explanatory plaque.
This post marks Kiischpelt Sun Circle, the intersection of the 50th parallel of northern latitude with the 6th meridian of eastern longitude. It is the only place in Luxembourg where a parallel of a full degree of latitude intersects a meridian of a full degree of longitude. Apart from the intersections of the Greenwich meridian and those at the equator, it seems that there are only about 10 such intersections marked by monuments in the world.
The pole is surrounded by other wooden posts which mark the four cardinal points and the angles of sunrise and sunset at the solstices. Next to the pole, an explanatory panel in Lëtzebuergesch and French provides all the necessary information. There is a bench where visitors can enjoy the view over the valley of the Clerve.
There are two things I was expecting to go badly this year but have surprised me:
1. Every spring, the plot of land next to our front porch erupts in weeds. I spend *hooours* pulling them up. I managed to uproot the weeds in the back the first spring, so it no longer happens there, but it took me so many weeks and left the place such a mess while I was in progress, that I decided not to attempt it in the front. The front is more than twice as big, and it's also more visible, so that the pile of dirt will stick out like a sore thumb, and we'd probably get reamed again by the Board of Aesthetics at This Condo. So I just resigned myself to breaking them off at the stems every year.
So of course, when my wife announced on April 8 that she was moving, and spring was starting, I was like, "Oh, nooo, I'm going to have to find a place to live *and* help her with her move *and* declutter *and* weed!"
For some reason, for the first time ever, we didn't get any weeds! We started to get a handful, and I aggressively pulled them up the moment I saw one (it helped that it happened when I was going for daily runs, so I would actually see them every day), and they never took over. Not sure if it was a function of me being so aggressive, the landscapers using more mulch this year, growing conditions, or what. But I'll take it.
I am unbelievably grateful for this small blessing, you have no idea. The last couple years at least I was listening to History of the Germans, which entertained me while I reclaimed our plot of land, but this year I have waaay too much stuff to be doing.
2. Then there was this development 2 days ago, copy-pasted from WhatsApp to my wife:
I just got my 6-month performance review, and I got the highest score!
I wasn't sure, since I haven't had the best 6 months (January I had a difficult time getting back into the swing of things, and then the very igneous stuff happened to us), and my boss said he was on the fence, but my good work in the last few weeks pushed me over into the highest category.
There are 4 categories, and most people most of the time get a 2 out of 4. I think I've consistently gotten a 4/4 since this rating system started, however many years ago.
Awesome: me
I wouldn't have protested a 3/4, and was steeling myself to expect it, but this was nice!
1. Every spring, the plot of land next to our front porch erupts in weeds. I spend *hooours* pulling them up. I managed to uproot the weeds in the back the first spring, so it no longer happens there, but it took me so many weeks and left the place such a mess while I was in progress, that I decided not to attempt it in the front. The front is more than twice as big, and it's also more visible, so that the pile of dirt will stick out like a sore thumb, and we'd probably get reamed again by the Board of Aesthetics at This Condo. So I just resigned myself to breaking them off at the stems every year.
So of course, when my wife announced on April 8 that she was moving, and spring was starting, I was like, "Oh, nooo, I'm going to have to find a place to live *and* help her with her move *and* declutter *and* weed!"
For some reason, for the first time ever, we didn't get any weeds! We started to get a handful, and I aggressively pulled them up the moment I saw one (it helped that it happened when I was going for daily runs, so I would actually see them every day), and they never took over. Not sure if it was a function of me being so aggressive, the landscapers using more mulch this year, growing conditions, or what. But I'll take it.
I am unbelievably grateful for this small blessing, you have no idea. The last couple years at least I was listening to History of the Germans, which entertained me while I reclaimed our plot of land, but this year I have waaay too much stuff to be doing.
2. Then there was this development 2 days ago, copy-pasted from WhatsApp to my wife:
I just got my 6-month performance review, and I got the highest score!
I wasn't sure, since I haven't had the best 6 months (January I had a difficult time getting back into the swing of things, and then the very igneous stuff happened to us), and my boss said he was on the fence, but my good work in the last few weeks pushed me over into the highest category.
There are 4 categories, and most people most of the time get a 2 out of 4. I think I've consistently gotten a 4/4 since this rating system started, however many years ago.
Awesome: me
I wouldn't have protested a 3/4, and was steeling myself to expect it, but this was nice!
A Rainbow of Queer Books for 2025: Orange
HAPPY PRIDE 2025! For Pride this year, we’re changing up our usual rec lists. Instead of doing books with specific identities or themes, we’re focused this time on cover color! Throughout the month of June, we’ll be doing 8 rec lists, each with covers inspired by one of the colors of the original Gilbert Baker Pride Flag. We drew a little additional inspiration from the meaning behind the color and why it was included in the original LGBTQIA+ flag (in this case, orange = healing), but we prioritized color over meaning. The contributors to this list are: Sanne, Tris Lawrence, Nina Waters, polls, Shannon, Linnea Peterson and Owl Outerbridge.
HAPPY PRIDE 2025! For Pride this year, we’re changing up our usual rec lists. Instead of doing books with specific identities or themes, we’re focused this time on cover color! Throughout the month of June, we’ll be doing 8 rec lists, each with covers inspired by one of the colors of the original Gilbert Baker Pride Flag. We drew a little additional inspiration from the meaning behind the color and why it was included in the original LGBTQIA+ flag (in this case, orange = healing), but we prioritized color over meaning. The contributors to this list are: Sanne, Tris Lawrence, Nina Waters, polls, Shannon, Linnea Peterson and Owl Outerbridge.
Tags:
(reactor_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 07:00 pm)
reactor_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 07:00 pm)Read an Excerpt From Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner
Buried secrets only spread.
Published on June 12, 2025
0
Share
[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<a [...] w-[18px]>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]
<p class="syndicationauthor">Posted by Stefan Raets</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/excerpts-girl-in-the-creek-by-wendy-n-wagner/">https://reactormag.com/excerpts-girl-in-the-creek-by-wendy-n-wagner/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=816131">https://reactormag.com/?p=816131</a></p><post-hero class="wp-block-post-hero js-post-hero post-hero post-hero-vertical">
<div class="container container-desktop">
<div class="flex flex-col mx-auto post-hero-container">
<div class="post-hero-content">
<div class="post-hero-tags font-aktiv text-xs tracking-[0.5px] font-medium uppercase">
<span class="mr-3">
<i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i>
<a href="https://reactormag.com/fictions/excerpts/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Excerpts 0">
Excerpts
</a>
</span>
<span class="mr-3">
<i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i>
<a href="https://reactormag.com/tag/horror/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Horror 1">
Horror
</a>
</span>
</div>
<h2 class="post-hero-title text-h1">Read an Excerpt From <i>Girl in the Creek</i> by Wendy N. Wagner</h2>
<div class="prose post-hero-description prose--post-hero">Buried secrets only spread.</div>
<div class="post-hero-wrapper">
<div class="post-hero-inner">
<p class="post-hero-author text-xs font-aktiv uppercase font-medium [&_a]:link-hover">By <a href="https://reactormag.com/author/wendy-n-wagner/" title="Posts by Wendy N. Wagner" class="author url fn" rel="author">Wendy N. Wagner</a></p>
<span class="post-hero-symbol relative top-[-2px] hidden tablet:block">|</span>
<p class="text-xs uppercase post-hero-publish font-aktiv">
Published on June 12, 2025
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="quick-access post-hero-quick-access mt-[17px] tablet:hidden">
<div class="flex gap-[30px] tablet:gap-6">
<a href="https://reactormag.com/excerpts-girl-in-the-creek-by-wendy-n-wagner/#comments" class="flex items-center text-sm font-aktiv tracking-[0.6px] font-semibold uppercase translate-x-[1px] translate-y-[1px]">
<svg class="w-[22px] h-[22px] mr-[7px] icon-hover" viewbox="0 0 18 18" aria-label="comment" role="img" aria-hidden="true" aria-labelledby="icon-comment-quick-access-">
<title id="icon-comment-quick-access-">Comment</title>
<g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd">
<path fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero" d="M6.3 18a.9.9 0 0 1-.9-.9v-2.7H1.8A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 0 12.6V1.8A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 1.8 0h14.4A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 18 1.8v10.8a1.8 1.8 0 0 1-1.8 1.8h-5.49l-3.33 3.339a.917.917 0 0 1-.63.261H6.3Z" />
<path stroke="#000" d="M5.9 14.4v-.5H1.8a1.3 1.3 0 0 1-1.3-1.3V1.8A1.3 1.3 0 0 1 1.8.5h14.4a1.3 1.3 0 0 1 1.3 1.3v10.8a1.3 1.3 0 0 1-1.3 1.3h-5.698l-.146.147-3.324 3.333a.417.417 0 0 1-.282.12H6.3a.4.4 0 0 1-.4-.4v-2.7Z" />
</g>
</svg>
0
</a>
<details class="relative quick-access-details">
<summary class="quick-access-share flex items-center text-sm font-aktiv tracking-[0.6px] font-semibold uppercase">
<svg class="w-[22px] h-[22px] mr-[7px] icon-hover" viewbox="0 0 22 22" aria-label="share" role="img" aria-hidden="true" aria-labelledby="icon-share-new-quick-access-">
<title id="icon-share-new-quick-access-">Share New</title>
<g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd">
<circle cx="11" cy="11" r="11" fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero" />
<circle cx="11" cy="11" r="10.5" stroke="#000" />
<path fill="#FFF" d="M5.993 13.464c.675 0 1.323-.266 1.806-.743l4.11 2.396a2.639 2.639 0 0 0 .368 2.451 2.583 2.583 0 0 0 2.227 1.043 2.59 2.59 0 0 0 2.09-1.3 2.64 2.64 0 0 0 .08-2.477 2.58 2.58 0 0 0-4.292-.54L8.344 11.94c.28-.616.31-1.319.086-1.958l3.952-2.303a2.564 2.564 0 0 0 4.263-.537 2.623 2.623 0 0 0-.078-2.46 2.573 2.573 0 0 0-2.075-1.293 2.566 2.566 0 0 0-2.213 1.033 2.622 2.622 0 0 0-.37 2.433L7.96 9.158a2.573 2.573 0 0 0-4.316.603 2.632 2.632 0 0 0 .172 2.501 2.58 2.58 0 0 0 2.178 1.202Z" />
<path fill="#000" d="M6.936 9.577c.322 0 .631.137.859.383.228.245.355.577.355.924 0 .347-.127.68-.355.925a1.172 1.172 0 0 1-.859.383c-.322 0-.63-.138-.858-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.356-.925c0-.347.129-.679.356-.924.228-.245.536-.383.858-.383Zm6.17-3.837c.323 0 .631.138.86.383.227.245.355.578.355.924 0 .347-.128.68-.356.925a1.172 1.172 0 0 1-.858.383c-.322 0-.631-.138-.859-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.355-.925c0-.346.128-.678.356-.924.227-.245.536-.383.858-.383Zm0 7.883c.323 0 .631.138.86.383.227.245.355.578.355.925 0 .346-.128.679-.356.924a1.171 1.171 0 0 1-.858.383c-.322 0-.631-.138-.859-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.355-.925c0-.346.128-.678.356-.923.227-.245.536-.383.858-.384Zm-6.17-.681c.499 0 .978-.21 1.334-.586l3.036 1.888a2.194 2.194 0 0 0 .272 1.93c.385.555 1.003.863 1.645.822.641-.04 1.221-.425 1.544-1.024a2.203 2.203 0 0 0 .059-1.952c-.286-.62-.841-1.044-1.48-1.13-.637-.085-1.272.18-1.69.705l-2.984-1.854c.207-.486.23-1.04.064-1.543l2.92-1.815c.415.522 1.046.784 1.68.7.633-.086 1.184-.507 1.468-1.123a2.188 2.188 0 0 0-.058-1.938c-.32-.595-.895-.977-1.532-1.018-.638-.041-1.251.264-1.635.813a2.179 2.179 0 0 0-.273 1.917L8.389 9.55c-.423-.534-1.07-.798-1.715-.702-.645.096-1.2.54-1.472 1.177a2.194 2.194 0 0 0 .126 1.97c.352.59.958.948 1.61.947Z" />
</g>
</svg>
Share
</summary>
<div class="quick-access-bubble">
<ul class="flex gap-6 text-black list-none">
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Read an Excerpt From <i>Girl in the Creek</i> by Wendy N. Wagner&url=https://reactormag.com/excerpts-girl-in-the-creek-by-wendy-n-wagner/” target=”_blank” title=”Twitter”>
<svg class=" w-[18px]="w-[18px]" h-[15px]"="h-[15px]"" width="18" height="15" viewbox="0 0 18 15" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="twitter" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M17.7143 2.56767C17.2122 3.28347 16.6053 3.89336 15.8934 4.39734C15.9009 4.4996 15.9046 4.65298 15.9046 4.8575C15.9046 5.80703 15.7623 6.75472 15.4775 7.7006C15.1928 8.64649 14.76 9.55401 14.1793 10.4232C13.5986 11.2924 12.9073 12.0611 12.1055 12.7295C11.3037 13.3978 10.3371 13.931 9.20558 14.329C8.07408 14.7271 6.86392 14.9262 5.57505 14.9262C3.54435 14.9262 1.68601 14.3966 0 13.3375C0.262269 13.3667 0.554506 13.3813 0.876722 13.3813C2.56274 13.3813 4.06514 12.8774 5.38397 11.8694C4.59717 11.8548 3.8928 11.6192 3.27085 11.1627C2.6489 10.7062 2.22178 10.1237 1.98949 9.41523C2.23677 9.45175 2.46531 9.47001 2.67513 9.47001C2.99734 9.47001 3.31581 9.42984 3.63053 9.3495C2.79127 9.1815 2.09627 8.77431 1.5455 8.12789C0.99474 7.48148 0.719362 6.73099 0.719362 5.87641V5.83259C1.22891 6.11015 1.77592 6.25988 2.36041 6.28179C1.86584 5.96041 1.47245 5.54043 1.1802 5.02184C0.887961 4.50325 0.741842 3.94084 0.741842 3.3346C0.741842 2.69184 0.906694 2.09656 1.2364 1.54875C2.1431 2.63707 3.24649 3.50807 4.54659 4.16178C5.84669 4.8155 7.23857 5.17887 8.72226 5.25192C8.66232 4.97436 8.63234 4.70411 8.63234 4.44116C8.63234 3.46241 8.9864 2.62793 9.69452 1.9377C10.4027 1.24746 11.2588 0.902344 12.2629 0.902344C13.3119 0.902344 14.1962 1.27485 14.9155 2.01987C15.7323 1.86648 16.5004 1.58162 17.2197 1.16529C16.9425 2.00526 16.4104 2.65532 15.6236 3.11548C16.3205 3.04244 17.0174 2.85984 17.7143 2.56767Z" fill="currentColor" />
<path d="M17.7143 2.56767C17.2122 3.28347 16.6053 3.89336 15.8934 4.39734C15.9009 4.4996 15.9046 4.65298 15.9046 4.8575C15.9046 5.80703 15.7623 6.75472 15.4775 7.7006C15.1928 8.64649 14.76 9.55401 14.1793 10.4232C13.5986 11.2924 12.9073 12.0611 12.1055 12.7295C11.3037 13.3978 10.3371 13.931 9.20558 14.329C8.07408 14.7271 6.86392 14.9262 5.57505 14.9262C3.54435 14.9262 1.68601 14.3966 0 13.3375C0.262269 13.3667 0.554506 13.3813 0.876722 13.3813C2.56274 13.3813 4.06514 12.8774 5.38397 11.8694C4.59717 11.8548 3.8928 11.6192 3.27085 11.1627C2.6489 10.7062 2.22178 10.1237 1.98949 9.41523C2.23677 9.45175 2.46531 9.47001 2.67513 9.47001C2.99734 9.47001 3.31581 9.42984 3.63053 9.3495C2.79127 9.1815 2.09627 8.77431 1.5455 8.12789C0.99474 7.48148 0.719362 6.73099 0.719362 5.87641V5.83259C1.22891 6.11015 1.77592 6.25988 2.36041 6.28179C1.86584 5.96041 1.47245 5.54043 1.1802 5.02184C0.887961 4.50325 0.741842 3.94084 0.741842 3.3346C0.741842 2.69184 0.906694 2.09656 1.2364 1.54875C2.1431 2.63707 3.24649 3.50807 4.54659 4.16178C5.84669 4.8155 7.23857 5.17887 8.72226 5.25192C8.66232 4.97436 8.63234 4.70411 8.63234 4.44116C8.63234 3.46241 8.9864 2.62793 9.69452 1.9377C10.4027 1.24746 11.2588 0.902344 12.2629 0.902344C13.3119 0.902344 14.1962 1.27485 14.9155 2.01987C15.7323 1.86648 16.5004 1.58162 17.2197 1.16529C16.9425 2.00526 16.4104 2.65532 15.6236 3.11548C16.3205 3.04244 17.0174 2.85984 17.7143 2.56767Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" />
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://reactormag.com/excerpts-girl-in-the-creek-by-wendy-n-wagner/" target="_blank" title="Facebook">
<svg class="w-[9px] h-[18px]" fill="currentColor" viewbox="0 0 12 22" width="100%" height="100%" display="block" transitionduration="normal" transitionproperty="none" transitiontimingfunction="ease-out" class="w-[9px] h-[18px]" aria-label="facebook" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M11.558.004L8.677 0C5.44 0 3.349 2.125 3.349 5.416v2.496H.452A.45.45 0 000 8.36v3.618a.45.45 0 00.452.447h2.897v9.127A.45.45 0 003.8 22h3.778c.25 0 .451-.2.451-.448v-9.127h3.387c.25 0 .451-.2.451-.447l.003-3.618a.452.452 0 00-.456-.448h-3.39V5.795c0-1.017.245-1.534 1.582-1.534h1.941c.25 0 .452-.2.452-.447V.457a.45.45 0 00-.452-.448l.01-.005z" fill-rule="nonzero">
</path>
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://reactormag.com/excerpts-girl-in-the-creek-by-wendy-n-wagner/&media=&description=Read an Excerpt From <i>Girl in the Creek</i> by Wendy N. Wagner” target=”_blank” title=”Pinterest”>
<svg class=" w-[18px]="w-[18px]" h-[18px]"="h-[18px]"" width="18" height="18" viewbox="0 0 18 18" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="pinterest" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M16.4962 4.49458C17.2844 5.84153 17.6786 7.31473 17.6786 8.91423C17.6786 10.5137 17.2844 11.9888 16.4962 13.3396C15.7079 14.6904 14.6384 15.7599 13.2876 16.5482C11.9368 17.3364 10.4617 17.7306 8.86223 17.7306C8.01273 17.7306 7.17856 17.6081 6.35967 17.3632C6.81121 16.6515 7.10967 16.0239 7.25508 15.4806C7.32396 15.2203 7.53059 14.413 7.87498 13.0584C8.02804 13.3568 8.30738 13.6151 8.71299 13.8332C9.1186 14.0513 9.55483 14.1604 10.0217 14.1604C10.9477 14.1604 11.7742 13.8983 12.5013 13.374C13.2283 12.8498 13.7908 12.1285 14.1888 11.2101C14.5867 10.2918 14.7857 9.25862 14.7857 8.11066C14.7857 7.2382 14.558 6.41933 14.1027 5.65402C13.6473 4.88871 12.9872 4.26499 12.1224 3.78285C11.2576 3.3007 10.2819 3.05964 9.19513 3.05964C8.39156 3.05964 7.64157 3.1706 6.94513 3.39254C6.2487 3.61448 5.65751 3.90912 5.17154 4.27647C4.68556 4.64382 4.26848 5.06665 3.92026 5.54497C3.57205 6.02329 3.31567 6.51882 3.15113 7.03157C2.98659 7.54433 2.90432 8.05708 2.90432 8.56984C2.90432 9.36576 3.05738 10.066 3.3635 10.6706C3.66962 11.2752 4.11732 11.6999 4.70661 11.9448C4.93621 12.0367 5.08161 11.9601 5.14284 11.7152C5.15814 11.6617 5.18876 11.5431 5.23467 11.3594C5.28059 11.1757 5.3112 11.0609 5.32651 11.015C5.37243 10.839 5.33034 10.6744 5.20024 10.5214C4.80993 10.0545 4.61478 9.47673 4.61478 8.78795C4.61478 7.63233 5.01464 6.63936 5.81439 5.809C6.61414 4.97864 7.66069 4.56346 8.95406 4.56346C10.1097 4.56346 11.0108 4.87723 11.6575 5.50479C12.3042 6.13234 12.6275 6.94739 12.6275 7.94994C12.6275 9.25097 12.3654 10.3568 11.8412 11.2675C11.3169 12.1783 10.6454 12.6336 9.82651 12.6336C9.35967 12.6336 8.98468 12.4672 8.70151 12.1343C8.41835 11.8013 8.33034 11.4015 8.43748 10.9346C8.49871 10.6668 8.60011 10.309 8.74169 9.86129C8.88327 9.41359 8.99807 9.01946 9.08608 8.67889C9.17409 8.33833 9.21809 8.04943 9.21809 7.81219C9.21809 7.42953 9.11478 7.11193 8.90814 6.85938C8.70151 6.60683 8.40687 6.48055 8.02422 6.48055C7.54972 6.48055 7.14794 6.69866 6.81886 7.13489C6.48977 7.57112 6.32524 8.11448 6.32524 8.76499C6.32524 9.32367 6.4209 9.7905 6.61223 10.1655L5.47575 14.964C5.34564 15.4997 5.2959 16.177 5.32651 16.9959C3.74997 16.2994 2.47575 15.2242 1.50381 13.7701C0.531863 12.316 0.0458984 10.6974 0.0458984 8.91423C0.0458984 7.31473 0.440027 5.83962 1.2283 4.48884C2.01657 3.13807 3.08607 2.06857 4.43684 1.2803C5.78761 0.492029 7.26273 0.0979004 8.86223 0.0979004C10.4617 0.0979004 11.9368 0.492029 13.2876 1.2803C14.6384 2.06857 15.7079 3.13999 16.4962 4.49458Z" fill="currentColor" />
<path d="M16.4962 4.49458C17.2844 5.84153 17.6786 7.31473 17.6786 8.91423C17.6786 10.5137 17.2844 11.9888 16.4962 13.3396C15.7079 14.6904 14.6384 15.7599 13.2876 16.5482C11.9368 17.3364 10.4617 17.7306 8.86223 17.7306C8.01273 17.7306 7.17856 17.6081 6.35967 17.3632C6.81121 16.6515 7.10967 16.0239 7.25508 15.4806C7.32396 15.2203 7.53059 14.413 7.87498 13.0584C8.02804 13.3568 8.30738 13.6151 8.71299 13.8332C9.1186 14.0513 9.55483 14.1604 10.0217 14.1604C10.9477 14.1604 11.7742 13.8983 12.5013 13.374C13.2283 12.8498 13.7908 12.1285 14.1888 11.2101C14.5867 10.2918 14.7857 9.25862 14.7857 8.11066C14.7857 7.2382 14.558 6.41933 14.1027 5.65402C13.6473 4.88871 12.9872 4.26499 12.1224 3.78285C11.2576 3.3007 10.2819 3.05964 9.19513 3.05964C8.39156 3.05964 7.64157 3.1706 6.94513 3.39254C6.2487 3.61448 5.65751 3.90912 5.17154 4.27647C4.68556 4.64382 4.26848 5.06665 3.92026 5.54497C3.57205 6.02329 3.31567 6.51882 3.15113 7.03157C2.98659 7.54433 2.90432 8.05708 2.90432 8.56984C2.90432 9.36576 3.05738 10.066 3.3635 10.6706C3.66962 11.2752 4.11732 11.6999 4.70661 11.9448C4.93621 12.0367 5.08161 11.9601 5.14284 11.7152C5.15814 11.6617 5.18876 11.5431 5.23467 11.3594C5.28059 11.1757 5.3112 11.0609 5.32651 11.015C5.37243 10.839 5.33034 10.6744 5.20024 10.5214C4.80993 10.0545 4.61478 9.47673 4.61478 8.78795C4.61478 7.63233 5.01464 6.63936 5.81439 5.809C6.61414 4.97864 7.66069 4.56346 8.95406 4.56346C10.1097 4.56346 11.0108 4.87723 11.6575 5.50479C12.3042 6.13234 12.6275 6.94739 12.6275 7.94994C12.6275 9.25097 12.3654 10.3568 11.8412 11.2675C11.3169 12.1783 10.6454 12.6336 9.82651 12.6336C9.35967 12.6336 8.98468 12.4672 8.70151 12.1343C8.41835 11.8013 8.33034 11.4015 8.43748 10.9346C8.49871 10.6668 8.60011 10.309 8.74169 9.86129C8.88327 9.41359 8.99807 9.01946 9.08608 8.67889C9.17409 8.33833 9.21809 8.04943 9.21809 7.81219C9.21809 7.42953 9.11478 7.11193 8.90814 6.85938C8.70151 6.60683 8.40687 6.48055 8.02422 6.48055C7.54972 6.48055 7.14794 6.69866 6.81886 7.13489C6.48977 7.57112 6.32524 8.11448 6.32524 8.76499C6.32524 9.32367 6.4209 9.7905 6.61223 10.1655L5.47575 14.964C5.34564 15.4997 5.2959 16.177 5.32651 16.9959C3.74997 16.2994 2.47575 15.2242 1.50381 13.7701C0.531863 12.316 0.0458984 10.6974 0.0458984 8.91423C0.0458984 7.31473 0.440027 5.83962 1.2283 4.48884C2.01657 3.13807 3.08607 2.06857 4.43684 1.2803C5.78761 0.492029 7.26273 0.0979004 8.86223 0.0979004C10.4617 0.0979004 11.9368 0.492029 13.2876 1.2803C14.6384 2.06857 15.7079 3.13999 16.4962 4.49458Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" />
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://reactormag.com/feed/" target="_blank" title="RSS Feed">
<svg class="w-[17px] h-[17px]" width="18" height="18" viewbox="0 0 18 18" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="rss feed" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<g clip-path="url(#clip0_1051_121783)">
<path d="M2.67871 17.4143C2.12871 17.4143 1.65771 17.2183 1.26571 16.8263C0.873713 16.4343 0.678046 15.9636 0.678713 15.4143C0.678713 14.8643 0.874713 14.3933 1.26671 14.0013C1.65871 13.6093 2.12938 13.4136 2.67871 13.4143C3.22871 13.4143 3.69971 13.6103 4.09171 14.0023C4.48371 14.3943 4.67938 14.865 4.67871 15.4143C4.67871 15.9643 4.48271 16.4353 4.09071 16.8273C3.69871 17.2193 3.22805 17.415 2.67871 17.4143ZM14.6787 17.4143C14.6787 15.481 14.312 13.6683 13.5787 11.9763C12.8454 10.2843 11.841 8.80097 10.5657 7.52631C9.29171 6.25164 7.80871 5.24764 6.11671 4.51431C4.42471 3.78097 2.61205 3.41431 0.678713 3.41431V0.414307C3.02871 0.414307 5.23705 0.860306 7.30371 1.75231C9.37038 2.64431 11.1704 3.85664 12.7037 5.38931C14.237 6.92264 15.4497 8.72264 16.3417 10.7893C17.2337 12.856 17.6794 15.0643 17.6787 17.4143H14.6787ZM8.67871 17.4143C8.67871 15.1976 7.89971 13.31 6.34171 11.7513C4.78371 10.1926 2.89605 9.41364 0.678713 9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 6.41431 3.64538 6.70197 4.97871 7.27731C6.31205 7.85264 7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor" />
<path d="M2.67871 17.4143C2.12871 17.4143 1.65771 17.2183 1.26571 16.8263C0.873713 16.4343 0.678046 15.9636 0.678713 15.4143C0.678713 14.8643 0.874713 14.3933 1.26671 14.0013C1.65871 13.6093 2.12938 13.4136 2.67871 13.4143C3.22871 13.4143 3.69971 13.6103 4.09171 14.0023C4.48371 14.3943 4.67938 14.865 4.67871 15.4143C4.67871 15.9643 4.48271 16.4353 4.09071 16.8273C3.69871 17.2193 3.22805 17.415 2.67871 17.4143ZM14.6787 17.4143C14.6787 15.481 14.312 13.6683 13.5787 11.9763C12.8454 10.2843 11.841 8.80097 10.5657 7.52631C9.29171 6.25164 7.80871 5.24764 6.11671 4.51431C4.42471 3.78097 2.61205 3.41431 0.678713 3.41431V0.414307C3.02871 0.414307 5.23705 0.860306 7.30371 1.75231C9.37038 2.64431 11.1704 3.85664 12.7037 5.38931C14.237 6.92264 15.4497 8.72264 16.3417 10.7893C17.2337 12.856 17.6794 15.0643 17.6787 17.4143H14.6787ZM8.67871 17.4143C8.67871 15.1976 7.89971 13.31 6.34171 11.7513C4.78371 10.1926 2.89605 9.41364 0.678713 9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 6.41431 3.64538 6.70197 4.97871 7.27731C6.31205 7.85264 7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" />
</g>
<defs>
<clippath id="clip0_1051_121783">
<rect width="17" height="17" fill="white" transform="translate(0.678711 0.414307)" />
</clippath>
</defs>
</svg>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</details>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-hero-media ">
<figure class="w-full h-auto post-hero-image">
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="407" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Girl-in-the-Creek-header-740x407.png" class="w-full object-cover" alt="Cover of Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner." srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Girl-in-the-Creek-header-740x407.png 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Girl-in-the-Creek-header-1100x605.png 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Girl-in-the-Creek-header-768x422.png 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Girl-in-the-Creek-header.png 1400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /> </figure>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</post-hero>
<div class="wp-block-more-from-category">
<div>
</div>
</div>
<p>We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from <em><a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250908643/girlinthecreek/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Girl in the Creek</strong></a></em> by Wendy N. Wagner, a pulse-pounding story about the horrors growing all around us, publishing with Nightfire on July 15<sup>th</sup>.</p>
<div style="height:5px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>Erin’s brother Bryan has been missing for five years.<br><br>It was as if he simply walked into the forests of the Pacific Northwest and vanished. Determined to uncover the truth, Erin heads to the foothills of Mt. Hood where Bryan was last seen alive. He isn’t the first hiker to go missing in this area, and their cases go unsolved.<br><br>When she discovers the corpse of a local woman in a creek, Erin unknowingly puts herself in the crosshairs of very powerful forces—from this world and beyond—hell-bent on keeping their secrets buried.</p></blockquote></figure>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />
<div style="height:20px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
<p>The body lay at the very limit of daylight, the last clear place on the stones before the wood framing in the ancient adit began to peel away from the walls and pile up in moldy heaps.</p>
<p>The coyote studied the cold, pale thing even though the air here was very bad, the rusty water in the bottom of the tunnel giving off sour vapors that burned her nose and would have irritated her lungs if her lungs were still a normal coyote’s. The coyote had not been normal in a very long time, though. She stood in ankle-deep water and took in the details of the trouble someone had brought into the Strangeness’s territory.</p>
<p>The body’s head—it was a human head, the coyote knew— rested sideways in the iron-sick water, the chin pointing beyond the limit of its shoulder as the figure lay on its belly. Eyelids still curved over the full spheres of eyes. Whoever this was, they had not been lying here long. Even deep within the earth, eyeballs quickly caught the attention of anything hungry.</p>
<p>Compelled by the threads of the Strangeness twitching beneath her skin, the coyote trotted closer to the body. Risked a sniff at the backside, the traces of blood here and down the legs. More blood at the head, as well, hidden within the long dark hair. The human’s fingers brushed against the plume of the coyote’s tail like the points of some kind of mushroom springing up from the forest floor. Something secured the hands behind the corpse’s back, a strong artificial scent on the stuff. The coyote had smelled it on many human things in the woods, a bitter substance both flat and flexible. Once, long ago, the coyote had curiously bitten into some and found its gray surface tough but its underside tacky. The stickiness had clung to the coyote’s lips for most of a day, no matter how she had licked at it.</p>
<p>Now she sniffed at the body’s mouth, which still smelled faintly of food and, yes, breath. Barely a breath. The body would give up soon. The coyote felt sure of it, and her own mouth moistened at the thought.</p>
<section class="wp-block-shop-the-book shop-the-book">
<h2 class="shop-the-book-headline">Buy the Book</h2>
<div class="shop-the-book-content">
<figure class="shop-the-book-image-desktop image-cover">
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="450" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Girl-in-the-Creek.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Girl in the Creek" /> </figure>
<div class="grow shrink basis-0">
<div class="flex items-center">
<figure class="shop-the-book-image-mobile image-cover">
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="450" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Girl-in-the-Creek.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Girl in the Creek" /> </figure>
<div class="grow shrink basis-0">
<h3 class="shop-the-book-title text-h3">Girl in the Creek</h3>
<p class="shop-the-book-author">Wendy N. Wagner</p>
</div>
</div>
<button type="button" class="inline-block px-8 py-4 text-center btn tablet:py-3 text-h6 bg-red text-white shop-the-book-button" id="buy_book" data-trigger="modal" data-target="#modal-1749755828" aria-open="false" aria-label="Buy Book">
<span class="inline-flex items-center button-label btn-label">
Buy Book
</span>
</button>
</div>
</div>
<div id="modal-1749755828" class="shop-the-book-modal">
<div class="shop-the-book-modal-inner">
<button class="js-modal-close absolute top-5 right-5 z-10" type="button" aria-label="close modal">
<svg class="w-[19px] h-[19px]" width="18" height="19" viewbox="0 0 18 19" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="close" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M1 17L17 1" stroke="black" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" />
<path d="M1 17L17 1" stroke="black" stroke-opacity="0.2" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" />
<path d="M17 17.0809L1 1.08093" stroke="black" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" />
<path d="M17 17.0809L1 1.08093" stroke="black" stroke-opacity="0.2" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" />
</svg>
</button>
<div class="shop-the-book-modal-content">
<figure class="shop-the-book-modal-image-desktop image-cover">
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="450" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Girl-in-the-Creek.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Girl in the Creek" /> </figure>
<div class="grow shrink basis-0">
<div class="flex items-center">
<figure class="shop-the-book-modal-image-mobile image-cover">
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="450" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Girl-in-the-Creek.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Girl in the Creek" /> </figure>
<div class="grow shrink basis-0">
<h3 class="shop-the-book-modal-title">Girl in the Creek</h3>
<p class="shop-the-book-modal-author">Wendy N. Wagner</p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="shop-the-book-modal-label">Buy this book from:</p>
<ul class="not-prose ebook-links ebook-links-shortcode"><li><a class="btn" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0D1P86LWZ?tag=tordotcomgeneral-20" data-book-title="Girl in the Creek" data-book-store="Amazon"><span class="inline-flex items-center button-label text-h6 text-white font-aktiv">Amazon</span></a></li><li><a class="btn" target="_blank" href="https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7992675/type/dlg/sid/tordotcomgeneral/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781250908643" data-book-title="Girl in the Creek" data-book-store="Barnes and Noble"><span class="inline-flex items-center button-label text-h6 text-white font-aktiv">Barnes and Noble</span></a></li><li><a class="btn" target="_blank" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781250908650" data-book-title="Girl in the Creek" data-book-store="iBooks"><span class="inline-flex items-center button-label text-h6 text-white font-aktiv">iBooks</span></a></li><li><a class="btn" target="_blank" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250908643" data-book-title="Girl in the Creek" data-book-store="IndieBound"><span class="inline-flex items-center button-label text-h6 text-white font-aktiv">IndieBound</span></a></li><li><a class="btn" target="_blank" href="https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=9781250908643" data-book-title="Girl in the Creek" data-book-store="Target"><span class="inline-flex items-center button-label text-h6 text-white font-aktiv">Target</span></a></li></ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<p>The Strangeness sent a surge of discouragement, a mother snapping at her pup’s nose when it nuzzled for milk at an unwanted time. The coyote felt her limbs tighten, the corners of her mouth pull backward. Colors flitted behind her eyes, colors she knew without seeing, shades skewing outside the canine blue-yellow scale and into a sunset spectrum. A ribbon of saliva dripped from the coyote’s lips.</p>
<p>Outside, the Strangeness urged, goading the coyote with a sense of light and clean air. A burst of energy in her limbs. The coyote took hold of the body’s filthy ankle and pulled hard. Her jaws were strong, but the Strangeness lent her more strength, toughening her neck, bracing her legs. This had happened a few times in the past, and she knew she would sleep for many hours after this, afterward awakening very hungry and sore in every muscle.</p>
<p>Rocks shifted and splashed beneath the body and the coyote’s paws. The bad smell of the water grew stronger, but the coyote kept pulling. The Strangeness tickled inside her mouth, keeping her grip on the leg even as the flesh shredded beneath her teeth. She could already smell the Strangeness entering the human body through the abrasions in the ankle. The smell comforted her. Better Strange than human, after all.</p>
<p>Outside the adit, the land plunged into a narrow creek funneling water down the steep flanks of the mountain. A recent, unusually warm rain had raised the water level, and dampness continued to settle out of the trees and bushes. Any minute the rain would begin again, harder this time.</p>
<p>Another mind tugged at the Strangeness’s awareness, directing it away from the coyote, and for a moment the coyote was very nearly herself again, almost ordinary. Almost. She was still changed enough that her goal remained in the forefront of her mind even when the breath stopped coming from the dying human’s body. The coyote whined to herself, knowing the Strangeness could not bond with a dead animal.</p>
<p>But further thoughts on the matter lay far beyond the coyote’s understanding of the world. Her mind circled back to the prompt the Strangeness had given her and fixed on that duty.</p>
<p>The coyote gave one last fierce tug and the now-dead body slid over a hummock of sword ferns, gravity urging it toward the creek. It hung up for a second on a thorny salmonberry, and the coyote had to nudge it along.</p>
<p>When the body splashed into the creek, the coyote broke into a steady run, eager to leave the bad smells of the adit and find a place to shelter out of the rain. But even a mile away and resting inside a hollow log, part of her watched the body in the creek, slowly floating higher and higher in the rising water. Any unease she retained melted at the sense of the Strange emanating from the dead thing.</p>
<p>The coyote put her tail over her nose and let the Strangeness comfort her with its gentle thrum beneath her skin. Deep within the log, the ancient rotting wood hummed along, a sound that carried through the soil and into the trees, one soft hum stretching for miles in every direction. The coyote listened to her fellow <span style="font-size: 1.125rem;">Strange throughout the forest, frogs and trees and all kinds of beings, even the male who had fathered the pups growing in her belly. His mind ran in soft blue circuits much like her own, flickering at the edge of their territory.</span></p>
<p>Suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through his blue humming. An image of two humans floated across the network of plants and creatures, the humans barking with laughter as the biggest of the pair picked up the coyote by his neck. Something sharp pierced the male’s side again and again as he shrieked in pain.</p>
<p>Within her log, the female coyote whimpered, and the pain spread from her to the fern growing nearby. To the pair of vine maples sheltering her den. Onward and outward, the unpleasant sensation rippled throughout the Strangeness, and then the male coyote’s voice went quiet completely.</p>
<p>The human body began to float away from the creek’s bank and drift downstream.</p>
<div style="height:5px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
<p class="has-sm-font-size">Excerpted from <em>Girl in the Creek</em>, copyright © 2025 by Wendy N. Wagner.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://reactormag.com/excerpts-girl-in-the-creek-by-wendy-n-wagner/">Read an Excerpt From <i>Girl in the Creek</i> by Wendy N. Wagner</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reactormag.com">Reactor</a>.</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/excerpts-girl-in-the-creek-by-wendy-n-wagner/">https://reactormag.com/excerpts-girl-in-the-creek-by-wendy-n-wagner/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=816131">https://reactormag.com/?p=816131</a></p>
Today is cloudy and quite warm.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a mourning dove.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I checked the firepit. It has burned down mostly to ashes. I started trimming weeds around the outside edge.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I picked half a bag of mulberries in the savanna.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I sowed Bee Lawn Mix on a bare patch beside the garden shed.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I did a bit more work around the patio.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I picked a bag of mulberries in the savanna.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I finished trimming around the firepit.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed more grass along the edge of the strip garden.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed grass along the south edge of the patio.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed brush along the edge of the strip garden.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed weeds along the edge of the south sidewalk.
.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a mourning dove.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I checked the firepit. It has burned down mostly to ashes. I started trimming weeds around the outside edge.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I picked half a bag of mulberries in the savanna.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I sowed Bee Lawn Mix on a bare patch beside the garden shed.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I did a bit more work around the patio.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I picked a bag of mulberries in the savanna.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I finished trimming around the firepit.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed more grass along the edge of the strip garden.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed grass along the south edge of the patio.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed brush along the edge of the strip garden.
EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed weeds along the edge of the south sidewalk.
.
Some icons of The Rani which have been languishing on my hard drive since there was only one of her. I guess I need to make some more...
Snaggin is free. Credit is appreciated. Comments are loved.
Snaggin is free. Credit is appreciated. Comments are loved.
FIrst and foremost, we disagree on political positions. That’s true for every administration. You disagree with the positions and policies when Democrats are in charge, and I disagree with the positions and policies when Republicans are in charge. The party out of power has disagreed with the party in power going back to before this nation was a nation. So let’s set that disagreement aside, for now.
I do hope we can agree with one thing: The Constitution should be the supreme law of the land. We got rid of kings and monarchs when we established this nation, and no matter how much we love a particular politician, we don’t want that politician to be an all powerful king (or dictator). We want the Constitution to be supreme, and we agree that we must follow that Constitution, messy as it is. That also means we have to deal with things we don’t like. You may not like freedom of speech or religion, and I may not like the right to own guns, but they are in the Constitution, so we somehow make it work.
Thus, with respect to an administration implementing their policies — whether or not we agree with those policies — that implementation must be constitutional. It must be in accordance with the words of the Constitution. It must follow the laws established by Congress, for the Executive Branch does not create laws — it ensures that congressionally-created laws are faithfully executed. If it doesn’t like a law, it works with Congress to change the law. Oh, and regulations? Those need to be the executive branch filling in the details regarding a law that Congress has passed. They should not be, essentially, new law.
We have three parts of government to explicitly prevent Kings. Congress makes the laws. The Executive ensures those laws are executed (and takes care of foreign policy, subject to congressional approval). The Judiciary determines whether actions taken by Congress or the Executive are Constitutional and in accordance with the laws passed by Congress (if those were Constitutional).
Alas, this is where we are running into a problem with the 45/47 administration. They are ignoring the constitution, which requires due process for anyone in the country (not just citizens). They are trying to suppress freedom of speech, and trying to impose particular religious views on everyone. They are thumbing their nose at judicial decisions. They are trying to govern by Executive Order. Out of a hatred for particular groups, they are declaring things as foreign invasions that are not invasions; and they are using the media they control to create a false narrative of fear. These are problems.
There is no problem with removing undocumented immigrants. HOWEVER, they must be accorded due process. They must be given the chance to show they are truly undocumented, for America is a nation of its word: If we have given legal permission for someone to be here, we should honor that. Right now, the administration’s ICE enforcement is deporting people without due process, and in doing so, they are expatriating US citizens and legal residents — hard-working Americans, not criminals — with the undocumented. They are not giving them the right to challenge their deportation, or to challenge their imprisonment. That, my friends, is unconstitutional.
The administration is also, intentionally, treating these people with hate and violence. They are grabbed, with no time to inform their family, no way to communicate. Small children are taken to holding prisons, and not given any support or help to navigate the system. Treating people with respect has been a hallmark of America. Are we abandoning those ideals to behave like a tin-pot dictatorship?
The administration is violating law by sending the military to our cities, creating violence where there was only peaceful protest. They aren’t asking the state governments. They are just ordering troops. This, also, is unconstitutional. States control their national guard unless there is a demonstrable invasion.
They are also creating a culture of fear, and disrespecting Congress. They are handcuffing and throwing to the ground members of the US Senate, simply for asking questions (which is their congressional duty). They are disregarding elected leaders of the community, with members of the Executive Branch saying “We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into this city.”. No, folks, it was the people that elected this leadership, and government MUST be responsive to the people. This is not a dictatorship; it is a representative democracy whose authority is the Constitution.
So, to the 45/47 supporters out there: While I strongly disagree with your leadership’s policies, as the elected leaders, they do have the authority to work to implement them (just as the other side should have the ability to peacefully protest them). HOWEVER, that implementation MUST be Constitutional. It must come from Congress, and it must accord due process, follow the laws and funding enacted by Congress, and must be humane. It must respect leaders elected by the people.
The mention of funding was there for a reason. Constitutionally, it is the Congress that has the power of the purse. They are the ones that allocate funds, and the Executive Branch is charged with executing the funding priorities established by Congress. This administration is ignoring that. They are ignoring congressional mandates on how funds are to be spent. In doing so, they are destroying American’s leadership position in science, health, and research. Administrations can change directions — that’s their prerogative. However, they must do it in accordance with the Constitution: They must convince Congress to rescind funding and change the laws regarding how those funds are spent. The Executive Branch cannot govern by fiat and executive order, acting as if it was led by a King or Dictator.
America is a constitutional republic with three EQUAL branches. We’ve been lazy, and have allowed the executive branch to grab too much power. That’s bad when the party you don’t like is in power, and, truthfully, it is bad when the party you like is in power. We’ve also allowed the two-party system to usurp the voice of the people: Our leaders in Congress should be more responsive to what their constituents are saying than what party leadership is saying. Party leadership’s goal is to stay in power, not to do what is right for the nation.
We need Congress to represent the people, and to work together for what their constituents want. Right now, we have members of Congress that are scared to listen to their constituents. They pledge allegiance to what the President says and what the Party says, for that’s what keeps them in power. They don’t listen or care about the impact of those positions on the people they represent. That’s wrong — whichever party is doing it.
In summary, I hope we can all agree that recent administrations have drifted away from Constitutional norms. Congress must listen to and represent the people, and work in their interest (and not be rubber-stamps for a political party or specific leader). The Executive Branch must not make laws by fiat, but must faithfully execute the laws Congress establishes, within the Constitutional boundaries. The Judiciary must be respected and non-partisan, interpreting the law and ensuring it is followed.
This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as A Note to the 45/47 Supporters by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.
Tags:
(![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solarbird Jun. 12th, 2025 12:04 pm)
solarbird Jun. 12th, 2025 12:04 pm)Find your local No Kings protest and show up. More different protests are better, not worse; one huge protest is easy to crack down upon; a dozen across the same area is impossible.
If you’re new at protests, show up at the Event Attendee Pre-Mobilization Mass Call today, 5pm Cascadian/Pacific, 8pm Eastern.
If you’re military or ex-military or military family, here’s extra information for you – 4pm Cascadian/Pacific, 7pm Eastern.
Turn out. Show up. Be there.
Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.
Tags:
(reactor_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 06:00 pm)
reactor_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 06:00 pm)Sayaka Murata’s Vanishing World Might Give You Nightmares
Vanishing world is set in a version of Japan where sex between married couples has vanished and all children are born by artificial insemination.
Published on June 12, 2025
0
Share
[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<a [...] h-[15px]">') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]
<p class="syndicationauthor">Posted by Christina Orlando</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/book-review-vanishing-world-by-sayaka-murata/">https://reactormag.com/book-review-vanishing-world-by-sayaka-murata/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=816175">https://reactormag.com/?p=816175</a></p><post-hero class="wp-block-post-hero js-post-hero post-hero post-hero-vertical">
<div class="container container-desktop">
<div class="flex flex-col mx-auto post-hero-container">
<div class="post-hero-content">
<div class="post-hero-tags font-aktiv text-xs tracking-[0.5px] font-medium uppercase">
<span class="mr-3">
<i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i>
<a href="https://reactormag.com/articles/books/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Books 0">
Books
</a>
</span>
<span class="mr-3">
<i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i>
<a href="https://reactormag.com/tag/book-reviews/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag book reviews 1">
book reviews
</a>
</span>
</div>
<h2 class="post-hero-title text-h1">Sayaka Murata’s <i>Vanishing World</i> Might Give You Nightmares</h2>
<div class="prose post-hero-description prose--post-hero">Vanishing world is set in a version of Japan where sex between married couples has vanished and all children are born by artificial insemination.</div>
<div class="post-hero-wrapper">
<div class="post-hero-inner">
<p class="post-hero-author text-xs font-aktiv uppercase font-medium [&_a]:link-hover">By <a href="https://reactormag.com/author/alexis-ong/" title="Posts by Alexis Ong" class="author url fn" rel="author">Alexis Ong</a></p>
<span class="post-hero-symbol relative top-[-2px] hidden tablet:block">|</span>
<p class="text-xs uppercase post-hero-publish font-aktiv">
Published on June 12, 2025
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="quick-access post-hero-quick-access mt-[17px] tablet:hidden">
<div class="flex gap-[30px] tablet:gap-6">
<a href="https://reactormag.com/book-review-vanishing-world-by-sayaka-murata/#comments" class="flex items-center text-sm font-aktiv tracking-[0.6px] font-semibold uppercase translate-x-[1px] translate-y-[1px]">
<svg class="w-[22px] h-[22px] mr-[7px] icon-hover" viewbox="0 0 18 18" aria-label="comment" role="img" aria-hidden="true" aria-labelledby="icon-comment-quick-access-">
<title id="icon-comment-quick-access-">Comment</title>
<g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd">
<path fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero" d="M6.3 18a.9.9 0 0 1-.9-.9v-2.7H1.8A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 0 12.6V1.8A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 1.8 0h14.4A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 18 1.8v10.8a1.8 1.8 0 0 1-1.8 1.8h-5.49l-3.33 3.339a.917.917 0 0 1-.63.261H6.3Z" />
<path stroke="#000" d="M5.9 14.4v-.5H1.8a1.3 1.3 0 0 1-1.3-1.3V1.8A1.3 1.3 0 0 1 1.8.5h14.4a1.3 1.3 0 0 1 1.3 1.3v10.8a1.3 1.3 0 0 1-1.3 1.3h-5.698l-.146.147-3.324 3.333a.417.417 0 0 1-.282.12H6.3a.4.4 0 0 1-.4-.4v-2.7Z" />
</g>
</svg>
0
</a>
<details class="relative quick-access-details">
<summary class="quick-access-share flex items-center text-sm font-aktiv tracking-[0.6px] font-semibold uppercase">
<svg class="w-[22px] h-[22px] mr-[7px] icon-hover" viewbox="0 0 22 22" aria-label="share" role="img" aria-hidden="true" aria-labelledby="icon-share-new-quick-access-">
<title id="icon-share-new-quick-access-">Share New</title>
<g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd">
<circle cx="11" cy="11" r="11" fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero" />
<circle cx="11" cy="11" r="10.5" stroke="#000" />
<path fill="#FFF" d="M5.993 13.464c.675 0 1.323-.266 1.806-.743l4.11 2.396a2.639 2.639 0 0 0 .368 2.451 2.583 2.583 0 0 0 2.227 1.043 2.59 2.59 0 0 0 2.09-1.3 2.64 2.64 0 0 0 .08-2.477 2.58 2.58 0 0 0-4.292-.54L8.344 11.94c.28-.616.31-1.319.086-1.958l3.952-2.303a2.564 2.564 0 0 0 4.263-.537 2.623 2.623 0 0 0-.078-2.46 2.573 2.573 0 0 0-2.075-1.293 2.566 2.566 0 0 0-2.213 1.033 2.622 2.622 0 0 0-.37 2.433L7.96 9.158a2.573 2.573 0 0 0-4.316.603 2.632 2.632 0 0 0 .172 2.501 2.58 2.58 0 0 0 2.178 1.202Z" />
<path fill="#000" d="M6.936 9.577c.322 0 .631.137.859.383.228.245.355.577.355.924 0 .347-.127.68-.355.925a1.172 1.172 0 0 1-.859.383c-.322 0-.63-.138-.858-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.356-.925c0-.347.129-.679.356-.924.228-.245.536-.383.858-.383Zm6.17-3.837c.323 0 .631.138.86.383.227.245.355.578.355.924 0 .347-.128.68-.356.925a1.172 1.172 0 0 1-.858.383c-.322 0-.631-.138-.859-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.355-.925c0-.346.128-.678.356-.924.227-.245.536-.383.858-.383Zm0 7.883c.323 0 .631.138.86.383.227.245.355.578.355.925 0 .346-.128.679-.356.924a1.171 1.171 0 0 1-.858.383c-.322 0-.631-.138-.859-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.355-.925c0-.346.128-.678.356-.923.227-.245.536-.383.858-.384Zm-6.17-.681c.499 0 .978-.21 1.334-.586l3.036 1.888a2.194 2.194 0 0 0 .272 1.93c.385.555 1.003.863 1.645.822.641-.04 1.221-.425 1.544-1.024a2.203 2.203 0 0 0 .059-1.952c-.286-.62-.841-1.044-1.48-1.13-.637-.085-1.272.18-1.69.705l-2.984-1.854c.207-.486.23-1.04.064-1.543l2.92-1.815c.415.522 1.046.784 1.68.7.633-.086 1.184-.507 1.468-1.123a2.188 2.188 0 0 0-.058-1.938c-.32-.595-.895-.977-1.532-1.018-.638-.041-1.251.264-1.635.813a2.179 2.179 0 0 0-.273 1.917L8.389 9.55c-.423-.534-1.07-.798-1.715-.702-.645.096-1.2.54-1.472 1.177a2.194 2.194 0 0 0 .126 1.97c.352.59.958.948 1.61.947Z" />
</g>
</svg>
Share
</summary>
<div class="quick-access-bubble">
<ul class="flex gap-6 text-black list-none">
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Sayaka Murata’s <i>Vanishing World</i> Might Give You Nightmares&url=https://reactormag.com/book-review-vanishing-world-by-sayaka-murata/” target=”_blank” title=”Twitter”>
<svg class=" w-[18px]="w-[18px]" h-[15px]"="h-[15px]"" width="18" height="15" viewbox="0 0 18 15" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="twitter" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M17.7143 2.56767C17.2122 3.28347 16.6053 3.89336 15.8934 4.39734C15.9009 4.4996 15.9046 4.65298 15.9046 4.8575C15.9046 5.80703 15.7623 6.75472 15.4775 7.7006C15.1928 8.64649 14.76 9.55401 14.1793 10.4232C13.5986 11.2924 12.9073 12.0611 12.1055 12.7295C11.3037 13.3978 10.3371 13.931 9.20558 14.329C8.07408 14.7271 6.86392 14.9262 5.57505 14.9262C3.54435 14.9262 1.68601 14.3966 0 13.3375C0.262269 13.3667 0.554506 13.3813 0.876722 13.3813C2.56274 13.3813 4.06514 12.8774 5.38397 11.8694C4.59717 11.8548 3.8928 11.6192 3.27085 11.1627C2.6489 10.7062 2.22178 10.1237 1.98949 9.41523C2.23677 9.45175 2.46531 9.47001 2.67513 9.47001C2.99734 9.47001 3.31581 9.42984 3.63053 9.3495C2.79127 9.1815 2.09627 8.77431 1.5455 8.12789C0.99474 7.48148 0.719362 6.73099 0.719362 5.87641V5.83259C1.22891 6.11015 1.77592 6.25988 2.36041 6.28179C1.86584 5.96041 1.47245 5.54043 1.1802 5.02184C0.887961 4.50325 0.741842 3.94084 0.741842 3.3346C0.741842 2.69184 0.906694 2.09656 1.2364 1.54875C2.1431 2.63707 3.24649 3.50807 4.54659 4.16178C5.84669 4.8155 7.23857 5.17887 8.72226 5.25192C8.66232 4.97436 8.63234 4.70411 8.63234 4.44116C8.63234 3.46241 8.9864 2.62793 9.69452 1.9377C10.4027 1.24746 11.2588 0.902344 12.2629 0.902344C13.3119 0.902344 14.1962 1.27485 14.9155 2.01987C15.7323 1.86648 16.5004 1.58162 17.2197 1.16529C16.9425 2.00526 16.4104 2.65532 15.6236 3.11548C16.3205 3.04244 17.0174 2.85984 17.7143 2.56767Z" fill="currentColor" />
<path d="M17.7143 2.56767C17.2122 3.28347 16.6053 3.89336 15.8934 4.39734C15.9009 4.4996 15.9046 4.65298 15.9046 4.8575C15.9046 5.80703 15.7623 6.75472 15.4775 7.7006C15.1928 8.64649 14.76 9.55401 14.1793 10.4232C13.5986 11.2924 12.9073 12.0611 12.1055 12.7295C11.3037 13.3978 10.3371 13.931 9.20558 14.329C8.07408 14.7271 6.86392 14.9262 5.57505 14.9262C3.54435 14.9262 1.68601 14.3966 0 13.3375C0.262269 13.3667 0.554506 13.3813 0.876722 13.3813C2.56274 13.3813 4.06514 12.8774 5.38397 11.8694C4.59717 11.8548 3.8928 11.6192 3.27085 11.1627C2.6489 10.7062 2.22178 10.1237 1.98949 9.41523C2.23677 9.45175 2.46531 9.47001 2.67513 9.47001C2.99734 9.47001 3.31581 9.42984 3.63053 9.3495C2.79127 9.1815 2.09627 8.77431 1.5455 8.12789C0.99474 7.48148 0.719362 6.73099 0.719362 5.87641V5.83259C1.22891 6.11015 1.77592 6.25988 2.36041 6.28179C1.86584 5.96041 1.47245 5.54043 1.1802 5.02184C0.887961 4.50325 0.741842 3.94084 0.741842 3.3346C0.741842 2.69184 0.906694 2.09656 1.2364 1.54875C2.1431 2.63707 3.24649 3.50807 4.54659 4.16178C5.84669 4.8155 7.23857 5.17887 8.72226 5.25192C8.66232 4.97436 8.63234 4.70411 8.63234 4.44116C8.63234 3.46241 8.9864 2.62793 9.69452 1.9377C10.4027 1.24746 11.2588 0.902344 12.2629 0.902344C13.3119 0.902344 14.1962 1.27485 14.9155 2.01987C15.7323 1.86648 16.5004 1.58162 17.2197 1.16529C16.9425 2.00526 16.4104 2.65532 15.6236 3.11548C16.3205 3.04244 17.0174 2.85984 17.7143 2.56767Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" />
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://reactormag.com/book-review-vanishing-world-by-sayaka-murata/" target="_blank" title="Facebook">
<svg class="w-[9px] h-[18px]" fill="currentColor" viewbox="0 0 12 22" width="100%" height="100%" display="block" transitionduration="normal" transitionproperty="none" transitiontimingfunction="ease-out" class="w-[9px] h-[18px]" aria-label="facebook" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M11.558.004L8.677 0C5.44 0 3.349 2.125 3.349 5.416v2.496H.452A.45.45 0 000 8.36v3.618a.45.45 0 00.452.447h2.897v9.127A.45.45 0 003.8 22h3.778c.25 0 .451-.2.451-.448v-9.127h3.387c.25 0 .451-.2.451-.447l.003-3.618a.452.452 0 00-.456-.448h-3.39V5.795c0-1.017.245-1.534 1.582-1.534h1.941c.25 0 .452-.2.452-.447V.457a.45.45 0 00-.452-.448l.01-.005z" fill-rule="nonzero">
</path>
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://reactormag.com/book-review-vanishing-world-by-sayaka-murata/&media=&description=Sayaka Murata’s <i>Vanishing World</i> Might Give You Nightmares” target=”_blank” title=”Pinterest”>
<svg class=" w-[18px]="w-[18px]" h-[18px]"="h-[18px]"" width="18" height="18" viewbox="0 0 18 18" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="pinterest" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M16.4962 4.49458C17.2844 5.84153 17.6786 7.31473 17.6786 8.91423C17.6786 10.5137 17.2844 11.9888 16.4962 13.3396C15.7079 14.6904 14.6384 15.7599 13.2876 16.5482C11.9368 17.3364 10.4617 17.7306 8.86223 17.7306C8.01273 17.7306 7.17856 17.6081 6.35967 17.3632C6.81121 16.6515 7.10967 16.0239 7.25508 15.4806C7.32396 15.2203 7.53059 14.413 7.87498 13.0584C8.02804 13.3568 8.30738 13.6151 8.71299 13.8332C9.1186 14.0513 9.55483 14.1604 10.0217 14.1604C10.9477 14.1604 11.7742 13.8983 12.5013 13.374C13.2283 12.8498 13.7908 12.1285 14.1888 11.2101C14.5867 10.2918 14.7857 9.25862 14.7857 8.11066C14.7857 7.2382 14.558 6.41933 14.1027 5.65402C13.6473 4.88871 12.9872 4.26499 12.1224 3.78285C11.2576 3.3007 10.2819 3.05964 9.19513 3.05964C8.39156 3.05964 7.64157 3.1706 6.94513 3.39254C6.2487 3.61448 5.65751 3.90912 5.17154 4.27647C4.68556 4.64382 4.26848 5.06665 3.92026 5.54497C3.57205 6.02329 3.31567 6.51882 3.15113 7.03157C2.98659 7.54433 2.90432 8.05708 2.90432 8.56984C2.90432 9.36576 3.05738 10.066 3.3635 10.6706C3.66962 11.2752 4.11732 11.6999 4.70661 11.9448C4.93621 12.0367 5.08161 11.9601 5.14284 11.7152C5.15814 11.6617 5.18876 11.5431 5.23467 11.3594C5.28059 11.1757 5.3112 11.0609 5.32651 11.015C5.37243 10.839 5.33034 10.6744 5.20024 10.5214C4.80993 10.0545 4.61478 9.47673 4.61478 8.78795C4.61478 7.63233 5.01464 6.63936 5.81439 5.809C6.61414 4.97864 7.66069 4.56346 8.95406 4.56346C10.1097 4.56346 11.0108 4.87723 11.6575 5.50479C12.3042 6.13234 12.6275 6.94739 12.6275 7.94994C12.6275 9.25097 12.3654 10.3568 11.8412 11.2675C11.3169 12.1783 10.6454 12.6336 9.82651 12.6336C9.35967 12.6336 8.98468 12.4672 8.70151 12.1343C8.41835 11.8013 8.33034 11.4015 8.43748 10.9346C8.49871 10.6668 8.60011 10.309 8.74169 9.86129C8.88327 9.41359 8.99807 9.01946 9.08608 8.67889C9.17409 8.33833 9.21809 8.04943 9.21809 7.81219C9.21809 7.42953 9.11478 7.11193 8.90814 6.85938C8.70151 6.60683 8.40687 6.48055 8.02422 6.48055C7.54972 6.48055 7.14794 6.69866 6.81886 7.13489C6.48977 7.57112 6.32524 8.11448 6.32524 8.76499C6.32524 9.32367 6.4209 9.7905 6.61223 10.1655L5.47575 14.964C5.34564 15.4997 5.2959 16.177 5.32651 16.9959C3.74997 16.2994 2.47575 15.2242 1.50381 13.7701C0.531863 12.316 0.0458984 10.6974 0.0458984 8.91423C0.0458984 7.31473 0.440027 5.83962 1.2283 4.48884C2.01657 3.13807 3.08607 2.06857 4.43684 1.2803C5.78761 0.492029 7.26273 0.0979004 8.86223 0.0979004C10.4617 0.0979004 11.9368 0.492029 13.2876 1.2803C14.6384 2.06857 15.7079 3.13999 16.4962 4.49458Z" fill="currentColor" />
<path d="M16.4962 4.49458C17.2844 5.84153 17.6786 7.31473 17.6786 8.91423C17.6786 10.5137 17.2844 11.9888 16.4962 13.3396C15.7079 14.6904 14.6384 15.7599 13.2876 16.5482C11.9368 17.3364 10.4617 17.7306 8.86223 17.7306C8.01273 17.7306 7.17856 17.6081 6.35967 17.3632C6.81121 16.6515 7.10967 16.0239 7.25508 15.4806C7.32396 15.2203 7.53059 14.413 7.87498 13.0584C8.02804 13.3568 8.30738 13.6151 8.71299 13.8332C9.1186 14.0513 9.55483 14.1604 10.0217 14.1604C10.9477 14.1604 11.7742 13.8983 12.5013 13.374C13.2283 12.8498 13.7908 12.1285 14.1888 11.2101C14.5867 10.2918 14.7857 9.25862 14.7857 8.11066C14.7857 7.2382 14.558 6.41933 14.1027 5.65402C13.6473 4.88871 12.9872 4.26499 12.1224 3.78285C11.2576 3.3007 10.2819 3.05964 9.19513 3.05964C8.39156 3.05964 7.64157 3.1706 6.94513 3.39254C6.2487 3.61448 5.65751 3.90912 5.17154 4.27647C4.68556 4.64382 4.26848 5.06665 3.92026 5.54497C3.57205 6.02329 3.31567 6.51882 3.15113 7.03157C2.98659 7.54433 2.90432 8.05708 2.90432 8.56984C2.90432 9.36576 3.05738 10.066 3.3635 10.6706C3.66962 11.2752 4.11732 11.6999 4.70661 11.9448C4.93621 12.0367 5.08161 11.9601 5.14284 11.7152C5.15814 11.6617 5.18876 11.5431 5.23467 11.3594C5.28059 11.1757 5.3112 11.0609 5.32651 11.015C5.37243 10.839 5.33034 10.6744 5.20024 10.5214C4.80993 10.0545 4.61478 9.47673 4.61478 8.78795C4.61478 7.63233 5.01464 6.63936 5.81439 5.809C6.61414 4.97864 7.66069 4.56346 8.95406 4.56346C10.1097 4.56346 11.0108 4.87723 11.6575 5.50479C12.3042 6.13234 12.6275 6.94739 12.6275 7.94994C12.6275 9.25097 12.3654 10.3568 11.8412 11.2675C11.3169 12.1783 10.6454 12.6336 9.82651 12.6336C9.35967 12.6336 8.98468 12.4672 8.70151 12.1343C8.41835 11.8013 8.33034 11.4015 8.43748 10.9346C8.49871 10.6668 8.60011 10.309 8.74169 9.86129C8.88327 9.41359 8.99807 9.01946 9.08608 8.67889C9.17409 8.33833 9.21809 8.04943 9.21809 7.81219C9.21809 7.42953 9.11478 7.11193 8.90814 6.85938C8.70151 6.60683 8.40687 6.48055 8.02422 6.48055C7.54972 6.48055 7.14794 6.69866 6.81886 7.13489C6.48977 7.57112 6.32524 8.11448 6.32524 8.76499C6.32524 9.32367 6.4209 9.7905 6.61223 10.1655L5.47575 14.964C5.34564 15.4997 5.2959 16.177 5.32651 16.9959C3.74997 16.2994 2.47575 15.2242 1.50381 13.7701C0.531863 12.316 0.0458984 10.6974 0.0458984 8.91423C0.0458984 7.31473 0.440027 5.83962 1.2283 4.48884C2.01657 3.13807 3.08607 2.06857 4.43684 1.2803C5.78761 0.492029 7.26273 0.0979004 8.86223 0.0979004C10.4617 0.0979004 11.9368 0.492029 13.2876 1.2803C14.6384 2.06857 15.7079 3.13999 16.4962 4.49458Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" />
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://reactormag.com/feed/" target="_blank" title="RSS Feed">
<svg class="w-[17px] h-[17px]" width="18" height="18" viewbox="0 0 18 18" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="rss feed" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<g clip-path="url(#clip0_1051_121783)">
<path d="M2.67871 17.4143C2.12871 17.4143 1.65771 17.2183 1.26571 16.8263C0.873713 16.4343 0.678046 15.9636 0.678713 15.4143C0.678713 14.8643 0.874713 14.3933 1.26671 14.0013C1.65871 13.6093 2.12938 13.4136 2.67871 13.4143C3.22871 13.4143 3.69971 13.6103 4.09171 14.0023C4.48371 14.3943 4.67938 14.865 4.67871 15.4143C4.67871 15.9643 4.48271 16.4353 4.09071 16.8273C3.69871 17.2193 3.22805 17.415 2.67871 17.4143ZM14.6787 17.4143C14.6787 15.481 14.312 13.6683 13.5787 11.9763C12.8454 10.2843 11.841 8.80097 10.5657 7.52631C9.29171 6.25164 7.80871 5.24764 6.11671 4.51431C4.42471 3.78097 2.61205 3.41431 0.678713 3.41431V0.414307C3.02871 0.414307 5.23705 0.860306 7.30371 1.75231C9.37038 2.64431 11.1704 3.85664 12.7037 5.38931C14.237 6.92264 15.4497 8.72264 16.3417 10.7893C17.2337 12.856 17.6794 15.0643 17.6787 17.4143H14.6787ZM8.67871 17.4143C8.67871 15.1976 7.89971 13.31 6.34171 11.7513C4.78371 10.1926 2.89605 9.41364 0.678713 9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 6.41431 3.64538 6.70197 4.97871 7.27731C6.31205 7.85264 7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor" />
<path d="M2.67871 17.4143C2.12871 17.4143 1.65771 17.2183 1.26571 16.8263C0.873713 16.4343 0.678046 15.9636 0.678713 15.4143C0.678713 14.8643 0.874713 14.3933 1.26671 14.0013C1.65871 13.6093 2.12938 13.4136 2.67871 13.4143C3.22871 13.4143 3.69971 13.6103 4.09171 14.0023C4.48371 14.3943 4.67938 14.865 4.67871 15.4143C4.67871 15.9643 4.48271 16.4353 4.09071 16.8273C3.69871 17.2193 3.22805 17.415 2.67871 17.4143ZM14.6787 17.4143C14.6787 15.481 14.312 13.6683 13.5787 11.9763C12.8454 10.2843 11.841 8.80097 10.5657 7.52631C9.29171 6.25164 7.80871 5.24764 6.11671 4.51431C4.42471 3.78097 2.61205 3.41431 0.678713 3.41431V0.414307C3.02871 0.414307 5.23705 0.860306 7.30371 1.75231C9.37038 2.64431 11.1704 3.85664 12.7037 5.38931C14.237 6.92264 15.4497 8.72264 16.3417 10.7893C17.2337 12.856 17.6794 15.0643 17.6787 17.4143H14.6787ZM8.67871 17.4143C8.67871 15.1976 7.89971 13.31 6.34171 11.7513C4.78371 10.1926 2.89605 9.41364 0.678713 9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 6.41431 3.64538 6.70197 4.97871 7.27731C6.31205 7.85264 7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" />
</g>
<defs>
<clippath id="clip0_1051_121783">
<rect width="17" height="17" fill="white" transform="translate(0.678711 0.414307)" />
</clippath>
</defs>
</svg>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</details>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-hero-media ">
<figure class="w-full h-auto post-hero-image">
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="407" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/review-Vanishing-World-740x407.png" class="w-full object-cover" alt="Cover of Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata." srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/review-Vanishing-World-740x407.png 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/review-Vanishing-World-1100x605.png 1100w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/review-Vanishing-World-768x422.png 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/review-Vanishing-World.png 1400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /> </figure>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</post-hero>
<p>The other day I finished <em>Vanishing World</em>, and proceeded to have one of the most screwed-up, sociopathically personal nightmares I’ve ever had. Sayaka Murata is an all-time undefeated champ at exploring taboo, and her latest novel does not disappoint. My favorite Japanese author is back in English, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori, and even though I can’t cleanse the images that seared themselves into my brain last night, I’m hype as hell. </p>
<p>There is nothing I love more than cracking open a new Murata book in a state of total cluelessness—a pure, open receptacle for whatever it is that she has to tell me. This was very much the case with <em>Vanishing World</em>, a compact tale that dissects sex, romance, marriage, and family, flays its specimens, and reassembles their mangled flesh back into the shape of something new and unholy. The last third of a Murata book is when the acid really hits, when I feel my pupils dilating as I press my greedy little face up against the window of her mind like the sickos meme guy. </p>
<p><em>Vanishing World</em>, like her previous novels, centers on a woman out of sync with conventional Japanese society. Amane lives in a not-so-distant future where the act of sex is becoming extinct, replaced by ubiquitous state-run artificial insemination and highly compartmentalized relationships. Marriage is more or less a platonic life-companionship arrangement where spouses bond as family, and having sex with each other is decried as incest. Sexual thoughts and sexual activity are outsourced to girlfriends, boyfriends, non-real people like celebrities and anime characters, and your own two hands. Amane, whose parents actually did the deed to have her, comes to realize that she, too, is interested in making the classic beast with two backs, although she mostly tends to find love in fiction.</p>
<p>Physical romance, in this world, is a sort of vestigial feeling left over from the ancient times where sex was a visceral, messy commingling of minds and bodies. But even the sex that Amane has is, in Murata’s signature matter-of-fact prose, wildly detached and divorced from romantic emotions. It is a connection of organs and a controlled, perfunctory release of fluids—thanks in part to the mandatory high-tech contraceptive implants that everyone has—to reach a clear and concrete conclusion. Murata seems purposefully coy in her language here, only making the vaguest hints at the (what I can only hope would be) pleasure and passion that Amane experiences when she has sex with her partners; I gradually resign myself to the fact that this slowly maddening sense of mystery is by design, from Amane’s utilitarian perspective. </p>
<section class="wp-block-shop-the-book shop-the-book">
<h2 class="shop-the-book-headline">Buy the Book</h2>
<div class="shop-the-book-content">
<figure class="shop-the-book-image-desktop image-cover">
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="450" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Vanishing-World.png" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Vanishing World" /> </figure>
<div class="grow shrink basis-0">
<div class="flex items-center">
<figure class="shop-the-book-image-mobile image-cover">
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="450" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Vanishing-World.png" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Vanishing World" /> </figure>
<div class="grow shrink basis-0">
<h3 class="shop-the-book-title text-h3">Vanishing World</h3>
<p class="shop-the-book-author">Sayaka Murata</p>
</div>
</div>
<button type="button" class="inline-block px-8 py-4 text-center btn tablet:py-3 text-h6 bg-red text-white shop-the-book-button" id="buy_book" data-trigger="modal" data-target="#modal-1749755828" aria-open="false" aria-label="Buy Book">
<span class="inline-flex items-center button-label btn-label">
Buy Book
</span>
</button>
</div>
</div>
<div id="modal-1749755828" class="shop-the-book-modal">
<div class="shop-the-book-modal-inner">
<button class="js-modal-close absolute top-5 right-5 z-10" type="button" aria-label="close modal">
<svg class="w-[19px] h-[19px]" width="18" height="19" viewbox="0 0 18 19" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="close" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M1 17L17 1" stroke="black" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" />
<path d="M1 17L17 1" stroke="black" stroke-opacity="0.2" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" />
<path d="M17 17.0809L1 1.08093" stroke="black" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" />
<path d="M17 17.0809L1 1.08093" stroke="black" stroke-opacity="0.2" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" />
</svg>
</button>
<div class="shop-the-book-modal-content">
<figure class="shop-the-book-modal-image-desktop image-cover">
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="450" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Vanishing-World.png" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Vanishing World" /> </figure>
<div class="grow shrink basis-0">
<div class="flex items-center">
<figure class="shop-the-book-modal-image-mobile image-cover">
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="450" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Vanishing-World.png" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Vanishing World" /> </figure>
<div class="grow shrink basis-0">
<h3 class="shop-the-book-modal-title">Vanishing World</h3>
<p class="shop-the-book-modal-author">Sayaka Murata</p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="shop-the-book-modal-label">Buy this book from:</p>
<ul class="not-prose ebook-links ebook-links-shortcode"><li><a class="btn" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0DHV6TR1K?tag=tordotcomgeneral-20" data-book-title="Vanishing World" data-book-store="Amazon"><span class="inline-flex items-center button-label text-h6 text-white font-aktiv">Amazon</span></a></li><li><a class="btn" target="_blank" href="https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7992675/type/dlg/sid/tordotcomgeneral/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9780802164667" data-book-title="Vanishing World" data-book-store="Barnes and Noble"><span class="inline-flex items-center button-label text-h6 text-white font-aktiv">Barnes and Noble</span></a></li><li><a class="btn" target="_blank" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9780802164674" data-book-title="Vanishing World" data-book-store="iBooks"><span class="inline-flex items-center button-label text-h6 text-white font-aktiv">iBooks</span></a></li><li><a class="btn" target="_blank" href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780802164667" data-book-title="Vanishing World" data-book-store="IndieBound"><span class="inline-flex items-center button-label text-h6 text-white font-aktiv">IndieBound</span></a></li><li><a class="btn" target="_blank" href="https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=9780802164667" data-book-title="Vanishing World" data-book-store="Target"><span class="inline-flex items-center button-label text-h6 text-white font-aktiv">Target</span></a></li></ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<p>Love is another story though. Young Amane defends herself vigorously against shame, and understands the importance of love to her own self-development on a level far deeper than I did even as a young adult; the prose in these pockets of emotion is noticeably more forceful and evocative, conjuring the same kind of fierce earnestness and pure intensity I felt about high school crushes and unrequited love in my early twenties. But nothing stays static in Murata’s beautifully freakish little petri dishes; everyone changes and grows or regresses in chimaeric ways that baffle and inspire and disgust. As Amane grows up and marries, her evolving relationship with sex and romance becomes an inevitable train wreck headed toward Experiment City, which was built on the site of her old home, Chiba.</p>
<p>One thing I will always admire about Murata’s novel structure is the way she effortlessly hooks a fresh reader into floating down a river of discomfort—a hypnotic river with a steady narrative current, fed by well-placed tributaries—before, in the last few pages of the book, gleefully, maniacally dumping them out into an unhinged open-ocean superstorm. There is an exquisite sense of slow, creeping understanding as one hurtles toward the end of a Murata novel that everything you have absorbed—the inverted/subverted taboos, the upended social values and morals, the push-and-pull peristalsis of conformity and agency within the characters—has all been leading toward the most demented outcome possible.</p>
<p>It almost seems inevitable that Amane ends up in Experiment City. After all, if you present us with a dystopian world that has a secretive, state-run weirdo bubble in the middle of it, it is universally expected that the story will take us inside said bubble. But what she does and learns with her time in there is both painful and delicious. My sicko eyes get wider and wider as I turn the pages toward a climax that I know, in the depths of my heart, is going to go harder than anything else I’ve read in the last year.</p>
<p>It goes without saying that I probably wouldn’t have had that heinous nightmare if I hadn’t read <em>Vanishing World</em>; honestly, I’ve had some horrid dreams in my life, but usually managed to forget them by sheer force of will during the course of the day. Having to sit down and consciously think and write about the trigger for my nightmare means I haven’t yet been able to cleanse the evil. I’ve had to sit with it simmering in the back of my mind as I marvel at what wrenched it out of me in the first place. All roads lead back to Murata’s bread and butter: taboo. It’s disgusting and visceral and entirely in line with the sort of internal confrontation that drives her deceptively straightforward writing. <em>Vanishing World</em>, like her previous books, isn’t for everyone. But even when my eyes are as wide as hubcaps and I’m choking down my own revulsion in the name of personal revelation, it’s definitely for me. [end-mark]</p>
<div style="height:5px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
<div class="wp-block-more-from-category">
<div>
</div>
</div>
<p class="has-sm-font-size"><em><a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/vanishing-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vanishing World</a></em> is published by Grove Press.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://reactormag.com/book-review-vanishing-world-by-sayaka-murata/">Sayaka Murata’s <i>Vanishing World</i> Might Give You Nightmares</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reactormag.com">Reactor</a>.</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/book-review-vanishing-world-by-sayaka-murata/">https://reactormag.com/book-review-vanishing-world-by-sayaka-murata/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=816175">https://reactormag.com/?p=816175</a></p>
(reactor_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 05:50 pm)
reactor_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 05:50 pm)Spaceballs 2 Will Bring Back Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis, With Keke Palmer Joining the Cast
Mel Brooks will also be back as Yogurt.
Published on June 12, 2025
Credit: MGM
0
Share
[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<a [...] h-[15px]">') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]
<p class="syndicationauthor">Posted by Vanessa Armstrong</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/spaceballs-2-will-bring-back-bill-pullman-rick-moranis-with-keke-palmer-joining-the-cast/">https://reactormag.com/spaceballs-2-will-bring-back-bill-pullman-rick-moranis-with-keke-palmer-joining-the-cast/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=816266">https://reactormag.com/?p=816266</a></p><post-hero class="wp-block-post-hero js-post-hero post-hero post-hero-horizontal">
<div class="container container-desktop">
<div class="flex flex-col mx-auto post-hero-container">
<div class="post-hero-content">
<div class="post-hero-tags font-aktiv text-xs tracking-[0.5px] font-medium uppercase">
<span class="mr-3">
<i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i>
<a href="https://reactormag.com/articles/news/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag News 0">
News
</a>
</span>
<span class="mr-3">
<i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i>
<a href="https://reactormag.com/tag/spaceballs-2/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Spaceballs 2 1">
Spaceballs 2
</a>
</span>
</div>
<h2 class="post-hero-title text-h1"><i>Spaceballs 2</i> Will Bring Back Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis, With Keke Palmer Joining the Cast</h2>
<div class="prose post-hero-description prose--post-hero">Mel Brooks will also be back as Yogurt.</div>
<div class="post-hero-wrapper">
<div class="post-hero-inner">
<p class="post-hero-author text-xs font-aktiv uppercase font-medium [&_a]:link-hover">By <a href="https://reactormag.com/author/vanessa-armstrong/" title="Posts by Vanessa Armstrong" class="author url fn" rel="author">Vanessa Armstrong</a></p>
<span class="post-hero-symbol relative top-[-2px] hidden tablet:block">|</span>
<p class="text-xs uppercase post-hero-publish font-aktiv">
Published on June 12, 2025
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-hero-caption post-hero-caption-vertical [&_a]:link"><p>Credit: MGM</p>
</div>
<div class="quick-access post-hero-quick-access mt-[17px] tablet:hidden">
<div class="flex gap-[30px] tablet:gap-6">
<a href="https://reactormag.com/spaceballs-2-will-bring-back-bill-pullman-rick-moranis-with-keke-palmer-joining-the-cast/#comments" class="flex items-center text-sm font-aktiv tracking-[0.6px] font-semibold uppercase translate-x-[1px] translate-y-[1px]">
<svg class="w-[22px] h-[22px] mr-[7px] icon-hover" viewbox="0 0 18 18" aria-label="comment" role="img" aria-hidden="true" aria-labelledby="icon-comment-quick-access-">
<title id="icon-comment-quick-access-">Comment</title>
<g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd">
<path fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero" d="M6.3 18a.9.9 0 0 1-.9-.9v-2.7H1.8A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 0 12.6V1.8A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 1.8 0h14.4A1.8 1.8 0 0 1 18 1.8v10.8a1.8 1.8 0 0 1-1.8 1.8h-5.49l-3.33 3.339a.917.917 0 0 1-.63.261H6.3Z" />
<path stroke="#000" d="M5.9 14.4v-.5H1.8a1.3 1.3 0 0 1-1.3-1.3V1.8A1.3 1.3 0 0 1 1.8.5h14.4a1.3 1.3 0 0 1 1.3 1.3v10.8a1.3 1.3 0 0 1-1.3 1.3h-5.698l-.146.147-3.324 3.333a.417.417 0 0 1-.282.12H6.3a.4.4 0 0 1-.4-.4v-2.7Z" />
</g>
</svg>
0
</a>
<details class="relative quick-access-details">
<summary class="quick-access-share flex items-center text-sm font-aktiv tracking-[0.6px] font-semibold uppercase">
<svg class="w-[22px] h-[22px] mr-[7px] icon-hover" viewbox="0 0 22 22" aria-label="share" role="img" aria-hidden="true" aria-labelledby="icon-share-new-quick-access-">
<title id="icon-share-new-quick-access-">Share New</title>
<g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd">
<circle cx="11" cy="11" r="11" fill="#FFF" fill-rule="nonzero" />
<circle cx="11" cy="11" r="10.5" stroke="#000" />
<path fill="#FFF" d="M5.993 13.464c.675 0 1.323-.266 1.806-.743l4.11 2.396a2.639 2.639 0 0 0 .368 2.451 2.583 2.583 0 0 0 2.227 1.043 2.59 2.59 0 0 0 2.09-1.3 2.64 2.64 0 0 0 .08-2.477 2.58 2.58 0 0 0-4.292-.54L8.344 11.94c.28-.616.31-1.319.086-1.958l3.952-2.303a2.564 2.564 0 0 0 4.263-.537 2.623 2.623 0 0 0-.078-2.46 2.573 2.573 0 0 0-2.075-1.293 2.566 2.566 0 0 0-2.213 1.033 2.622 2.622 0 0 0-.37 2.433L7.96 9.158a2.573 2.573 0 0 0-4.316.603 2.632 2.632 0 0 0 .172 2.501 2.58 2.58 0 0 0 2.178 1.202Z" />
<path fill="#000" d="M6.936 9.577c.322 0 .631.137.859.383.228.245.355.577.355.924 0 .347-.127.68-.355.925a1.172 1.172 0 0 1-.859.383c-.322 0-.63-.138-.858-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.356-.925c0-.347.129-.679.356-.924.228-.245.536-.383.858-.383Zm6.17-3.837c.323 0 .631.138.86.383.227.245.355.578.355.924 0 .347-.128.68-.356.925a1.172 1.172 0 0 1-.858.383c-.322 0-.631-.138-.859-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.355-.925c0-.346.128-.678.356-.924.227-.245.536-.383.858-.383Zm0 7.883c.323 0 .631.138.86.383.227.245.355.578.355.925 0 .346-.128.679-.356.924a1.171 1.171 0 0 1-.858.383c-.322 0-.631-.138-.859-.383a1.36 1.36 0 0 1-.355-.925c0-.346.128-.678.356-.923.227-.245.536-.383.858-.384Zm-6.17-.681c.499 0 .978-.21 1.334-.586l3.036 1.888a2.194 2.194 0 0 0 .272 1.93c.385.555 1.003.863 1.645.822.641-.04 1.221-.425 1.544-1.024a2.203 2.203 0 0 0 .059-1.952c-.286-.62-.841-1.044-1.48-1.13-.637-.085-1.272.18-1.69.705l-2.984-1.854c.207-.486.23-1.04.064-1.543l2.92-1.815c.415.522 1.046.784 1.68.7.633-.086 1.184-.507 1.468-1.123a2.188 2.188 0 0 0-.058-1.938c-.32-.595-.895-.977-1.532-1.018-.638-.041-1.251.264-1.635.813a2.179 2.179 0 0 0-.273 1.917L8.389 9.55c-.423-.534-1.07-.798-1.715-.702-.645.096-1.2.54-1.472 1.177a2.194 2.194 0 0 0 .126 1.97c.352.59.958.948 1.61.947Z" />
</g>
</svg>
Share
</summary>
<div class="quick-access-bubble">
<ul class="flex gap-6 text-black list-none">
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=<i>Spaceballs 2</i> Will Bring Back Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis, With Keke Palmer Joining the Cast&url=https://reactormag.com/spaceballs-2-will-bring-back-bill-pullman-rick-moranis-with-keke-palmer-joining-the-cast/” target=”_blank” title=”Twitter”>
<svg class=" w-[18px]="w-[18px]" h-[15px]"="h-[15px]"" width="18" height="15" viewbox="0 0 18 15" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="twitter" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M17.7143 2.56767C17.2122 3.28347 16.6053 3.89336 15.8934 4.39734C15.9009 4.4996 15.9046 4.65298 15.9046 4.8575C15.9046 5.80703 15.7623 6.75472 15.4775 7.7006C15.1928 8.64649 14.76 9.55401 14.1793 10.4232C13.5986 11.2924 12.9073 12.0611 12.1055 12.7295C11.3037 13.3978 10.3371 13.931 9.20558 14.329C8.07408 14.7271 6.86392 14.9262 5.57505 14.9262C3.54435 14.9262 1.68601 14.3966 0 13.3375C0.262269 13.3667 0.554506 13.3813 0.876722 13.3813C2.56274 13.3813 4.06514 12.8774 5.38397 11.8694C4.59717 11.8548 3.8928 11.6192 3.27085 11.1627C2.6489 10.7062 2.22178 10.1237 1.98949 9.41523C2.23677 9.45175 2.46531 9.47001 2.67513 9.47001C2.99734 9.47001 3.31581 9.42984 3.63053 9.3495C2.79127 9.1815 2.09627 8.77431 1.5455 8.12789C0.99474 7.48148 0.719362 6.73099 0.719362 5.87641V5.83259C1.22891 6.11015 1.77592 6.25988 2.36041 6.28179C1.86584 5.96041 1.47245 5.54043 1.1802 5.02184C0.887961 4.50325 0.741842 3.94084 0.741842 3.3346C0.741842 2.69184 0.906694 2.09656 1.2364 1.54875C2.1431 2.63707 3.24649 3.50807 4.54659 4.16178C5.84669 4.8155 7.23857 5.17887 8.72226 5.25192C8.66232 4.97436 8.63234 4.70411 8.63234 4.44116C8.63234 3.46241 8.9864 2.62793 9.69452 1.9377C10.4027 1.24746 11.2588 0.902344 12.2629 0.902344C13.3119 0.902344 14.1962 1.27485 14.9155 2.01987C15.7323 1.86648 16.5004 1.58162 17.2197 1.16529C16.9425 2.00526 16.4104 2.65532 15.6236 3.11548C16.3205 3.04244 17.0174 2.85984 17.7143 2.56767Z" fill="currentColor" />
<path d="M17.7143 2.56767C17.2122 3.28347 16.6053 3.89336 15.8934 4.39734C15.9009 4.4996 15.9046 4.65298 15.9046 4.8575C15.9046 5.80703 15.7623 6.75472 15.4775 7.7006C15.1928 8.64649 14.76 9.55401 14.1793 10.4232C13.5986 11.2924 12.9073 12.0611 12.1055 12.7295C11.3037 13.3978 10.3371 13.931 9.20558 14.329C8.07408 14.7271 6.86392 14.9262 5.57505 14.9262C3.54435 14.9262 1.68601 14.3966 0 13.3375C0.262269 13.3667 0.554506 13.3813 0.876722 13.3813C2.56274 13.3813 4.06514 12.8774 5.38397 11.8694C4.59717 11.8548 3.8928 11.6192 3.27085 11.1627C2.6489 10.7062 2.22178 10.1237 1.98949 9.41523C2.23677 9.45175 2.46531 9.47001 2.67513 9.47001C2.99734 9.47001 3.31581 9.42984 3.63053 9.3495C2.79127 9.1815 2.09627 8.77431 1.5455 8.12789C0.99474 7.48148 0.719362 6.73099 0.719362 5.87641V5.83259C1.22891 6.11015 1.77592 6.25988 2.36041 6.28179C1.86584 5.96041 1.47245 5.54043 1.1802 5.02184C0.887961 4.50325 0.741842 3.94084 0.741842 3.3346C0.741842 2.69184 0.906694 2.09656 1.2364 1.54875C2.1431 2.63707 3.24649 3.50807 4.54659 4.16178C5.84669 4.8155 7.23857 5.17887 8.72226 5.25192C8.66232 4.97436 8.63234 4.70411 8.63234 4.44116C8.63234 3.46241 8.9864 2.62793 9.69452 1.9377C10.4027 1.24746 11.2588 0.902344 12.2629 0.902344C13.3119 0.902344 14.1962 1.27485 14.9155 2.01987C15.7323 1.86648 16.5004 1.58162 17.2197 1.16529C16.9425 2.00526 16.4104 2.65532 15.6236 3.11548C16.3205 3.04244 17.0174 2.85984 17.7143 2.56767Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" />
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://reactormag.com/spaceballs-2-will-bring-back-bill-pullman-rick-moranis-with-keke-palmer-joining-the-cast/" target="_blank" title="Facebook">
<svg class="w-[9px] h-[18px]" fill="currentColor" viewbox="0 0 12 22" width="100%" height="100%" display="block" transitionduration="normal" transitionproperty="none" transitiontimingfunction="ease-out" class="w-[9px] h-[18px]" aria-label="facebook" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M11.558.004L8.677 0C5.44 0 3.349 2.125 3.349 5.416v2.496H.452A.45.45 0 000 8.36v3.618a.45.45 0 00.452.447h2.897v9.127A.45.45 0 003.8 22h3.778c.25 0 .451-.2.451-.448v-9.127h3.387c.25 0 .451-.2.451-.447l.003-3.618a.452.452 0 00-.456-.448h-3.39V5.795c0-1.017.245-1.534 1.582-1.534h1.941c.25 0 .452-.2.452-.447V.457a.45.45 0 00-.452-.448l.01-.005z" fill-rule="nonzero">
</path>
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://reactormag.com/spaceballs-2-will-bring-back-bill-pullman-rick-moranis-with-keke-palmer-joining-the-cast/&media=&description=<i>Spaceballs 2</i> Will Bring Back Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis, With Keke Palmer Joining the Cast” target=”_blank” title=”Pinterest”>
<svg class=" w-[18px]="w-[18px]" h-[18px]"="h-[18px]"" width="18" height="18" viewbox="0 0 18 18" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="pinterest" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<path d="M16.4962 4.49458C17.2844 5.84153 17.6786 7.31473 17.6786 8.91423C17.6786 10.5137 17.2844 11.9888 16.4962 13.3396C15.7079 14.6904 14.6384 15.7599 13.2876 16.5482C11.9368 17.3364 10.4617 17.7306 8.86223 17.7306C8.01273 17.7306 7.17856 17.6081 6.35967 17.3632C6.81121 16.6515 7.10967 16.0239 7.25508 15.4806C7.32396 15.2203 7.53059 14.413 7.87498 13.0584C8.02804 13.3568 8.30738 13.6151 8.71299 13.8332C9.1186 14.0513 9.55483 14.1604 10.0217 14.1604C10.9477 14.1604 11.7742 13.8983 12.5013 13.374C13.2283 12.8498 13.7908 12.1285 14.1888 11.2101C14.5867 10.2918 14.7857 9.25862 14.7857 8.11066C14.7857 7.2382 14.558 6.41933 14.1027 5.65402C13.6473 4.88871 12.9872 4.26499 12.1224 3.78285C11.2576 3.3007 10.2819 3.05964 9.19513 3.05964C8.39156 3.05964 7.64157 3.1706 6.94513 3.39254C6.2487 3.61448 5.65751 3.90912 5.17154 4.27647C4.68556 4.64382 4.26848 5.06665 3.92026 5.54497C3.57205 6.02329 3.31567 6.51882 3.15113 7.03157C2.98659 7.54433 2.90432 8.05708 2.90432 8.56984C2.90432 9.36576 3.05738 10.066 3.3635 10.6706C3.66962 11.2752 4.11732 11.6999 4.70661 11.9448C4.93621 12.0367 5.08161 11.9601 5.14284 11.7152C5.15814 11.6617 5.18876 11.5431 5.23467 11.3594C5.28059 11.1757 5.3112 11.0609 5.32651 11.015C5.37243 10.839 5.33034 10.6744 5.20024 10.5214C4.80993 10.0545 4.61478 9.47673 4.61478 8.78795C4.61478 7.63233 5.01464 6.63936 5.81439 5.809C6.61414 4.97864 7.66069 4.56346 8.95406 4.56346C10.1097 4.56346 11.0108 4.87723 11.6575 5.50479C12.3042 6.13234 12.6275 6.94739 12.6275 7.94994C12.6275 9.25097 12.3654 10.3568 11.8412 11.2675C11.3169 12.1783 10.6454 12.6336 9.82651 12.6336C9.35967 12.6336 8.98468 12.4672 8.70151 12.1343C8.41835 11.8013 8.33034 11.4015 8.43748 10.9346C8.49871 10.6668 8.60011 10.309 8.74169 9.86129C8.88327 9.41359 8.99807 9.01946 9.08608 8.67889C9.17409 8.33833 9.21809 8.04943 9.21809 7.81219C9.21809 7.42953 9.11478 7.11193 8.90814 6.85938C8.70151 6.60683 8.40687 6.48055 8.02422 6.48055C7.54972 6.48055 7.14794 6.69866 6.81886 7.13489C6.48977 7.57112 6.32524 8.11448 6.32524 8.76499C6.32524 9.32367 6.4209 9.7905 6.61223 10.1655L5.47575 14.964C5.34564 15.4997 5.2959 16.177 5.32651 16.9959C3.74997 16.2994 2.47575 15.2242 1.50381 13.7701C0.531863 12.316 0.0458984 10.6974 0.0458984 8.91423C0.0458984 7.31473 0.440027 5.83962 1.2283 4.48884C2.01657 3.13807 3.08607 2.06857 4.43684 1.2803C5.78761 0.492029 7.26273 0.0979004 8.86223 0.0979004C10.4617 0.0979004 11.9368 0.492029 13.2876 1.2803C14.6384 2.06857 15.7079 3.13999 16.4962 4.49458Z" fill="currentColor" />
<path d="M16.4962 4.49458C17.2844 5.84153 17.6786 7.31473 17.6786 8.91423C17.6786 10.5137 17.2844 11.9888 16.4962 13.3396C15.7079 14.6904 14.6384 15.7599 13.2876 16.5482C11.9368 17.3364 10.4617 17.7306 8.86223 17.7306C8.01273 17.7306 7.17856 17.6081 6.35967 17.3632C6.81121 16.6515 7.10967 16.0239 7.25508 15.4806C7.32396 15.2203 7.53059 14.413 7.87498 13.0584C8.02804 13.3568 8.30738 13.6151 8.71299 13.8332C9.1186 14.0513 9.55483 14.1604 10.0217 14.1604C10.9477 14.1604 11.7742 13.8983 12.5013 13.374C13.2283 12.8498 13.7908 12.1285 14.1888 11.2101C14.5867 10.2918 14.7857 9.25862 14.7857 8.11066C14.7857 7.2382 14.558 6.41933 14.1027 5.65402C13.6473 4.88871 12.9872 4.26499 12.1224 3.78285C11.2576 3.3007 10.2819 3.05964 9.19513 3.05964C8.39156 3.05964 7.64157 3.1706 6.94513 3.39254C6.2487 3.61448 5.65751 3.90912 5.17154 4.27647C4.68556 4.64382 4.26848 5.06665 3.92026 5.54497C3.57205 6.02329 3.31567 6.51882 3.15113 7.03157C2.98659 7.54433 2.90432 8.05708 2.90432 8.56984C2.90432 9.36576 3.05738 10.066 3.3635 10.6706C3.66962 11.2752 4.11732 11.6999 4.70661 11.9448C4.93621 12.0367 5.08161 11.9601 5.14284 11.7152C5.15814 11.6617 5.18876 11.5431 5.23467 11.3594C5.28059 11.1757 5.3112 11.0609 5.32651 11.015C5.37243 10.839 5.33034 10.6744 5.20024 10.5214C4.80993 10.0545 4.61478 9.47673 4.61478 8.78795C4.61478 7.63233 5.01464 6.63936 5.81439 5.809C6.61414 4.97864 7.66069 4.56346 8.95406 4.56346C10.1097 4.56346 11.0108 4.87723 11.6575 5.50479C12.3042 6.13234 12.6275 6.94739 12.6275 7.94994C12.6275 9.25097 12.3654 10.3568 11.8412 11.2675C11.3169 12.1783 10.6454 12.6336 9.82651 12.6336C9.35967 12.6336 8.98468 12.4672 8.70151 12.1343C8.41835 11.8013 8.33034 11.4015 8.43748 10.9346C8.49871 10.6668 8.60011 10.309 8.74169 9.86129C8.88327 9.41359 8.99807 9.01946 9.08608 8.67889C9.17409 8.33833 9.21809 8.04943 9.21809 7.81219C9.21809 7.42953 9.11478 7.11193 8.90814 6.85938C8.70151 6.60683 8.40687 6.48055 8.02422 6.48055C7.54972 6.48055 7.14794 6.69866 6.81886 7.13489C6.48977 7.57112 6.32524 8.11448 6.32524 8.76499C6.32524 9.32367 6.4209 9.7905 6.61223 10.1655L5.47575 14.964C5.34564 15.4997 5.2959 16.177 5.32651 16.9959C3.74997 16.2994 2.47575 15.2242 1.50381 13.7701C0.531863 12.316 0.0458984 10.6974 0.0458984 8.91423C0.0458984 7.31473 0.440027 5.83962 1.2283 4.48884C2.01657 3.13807 3.08607 2.06857 4.43684 1.2803C5.78761 0.492029 7.26273 0.0979004 8.86223 0.0979004C10.4617 0.0979004 11.9368 0.492029 13.2876 1.2803C14.6384 2.06857 15.7079 3.13999 16.4962 4.49458Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" />
</svg>
</a>
</li>
<li class="flex">
<a class="flex items-center hover:text-red" href="https://reactormag.com/feed/" target="_blank" title="RSS Feed">
<svg class="w-[17px] h-[17px]" width="18" height="18" viewbox="0 0 18 18" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="rss feed" role="img" aria-hidden="true">
<g clip-path="url(#clip0_1051_121783)">
<path d="M2.67871 17.4143C2.12871 17.4143 1.65771 17.2183 1.26571 16.8263C0.873713 16.4343 0.678046 15.9636 0.678713 15.4143C0.678713 14.8643 0.874713 14.3933 1.26671 14.0013C1.65871 13.6093 2.12938 13.4136 2.67871 13.4143C3.22871 13.4143 3.69971 13.6103 4.09171 14.0023C4.48371 14.3943 4.67938 14.865 4.67871 15.4143C4.67871 15.9643 4.48271 16.4353 4.09071 16.8273C3.69871 17.2193 3.22805 17.415 2.67871 17.4143ZM14.6787 17.4143C14.6787 15.481 14.312 13.6683 13.5787 11.9763C12.8454 10.2843 11.841 8.80097 10.5657 7.52631C9.29171 6.25164 7.80871 5.24764 6.11671 4.51431C4.42471 3.78097 2.61205 3.41431 0.678713 3.41431V0.414307C3.02871 0.414307 5.23705 0.860306 7.30371 1.75231C9.37038 2.64431 11.1704 3.85664 12.7037 5.38931C14.237 6.92264 15.4497 8.72264 16.3417 10.7893C17.2337 12.856 17.6794 15.0643 17.6787 17.4143H14.6787ZM8.67871 17.4143C8.67871 15.1976 7.89971 13.31 6.34171 11.7513C4.78371 10.1926 2.89605 9.41364 0.678713 9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 6.41431 3.64538 6.70197 4.97871 7.27731C6.31205 7.85264 7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor" />
<path d="M2.67871 17.4143C2.12871 17.4143 1.65771 17.2183 1.26571 16.8263C0.873713 16.4343 0.678046 15.9636 0.678713 15.4143C0.678713 14.8643 0.874713 14.3933 1.26671 14.0013C1.65871 13.6093 2.12938 13.4136 2.67871 13.4143C3.22871 13.4143 3.69971 13.6103 4.09171 14.0023C4.48371 14.3943 4.67938 14.865 4.67871 15.4143C4.67871 15.9643 4.48271 16.4353 4.09071 16.8273C3.69871 17.2193 3.22805 17.415 2.67871 17.4143ZM14.6787 17.4143C14.6787 15.481 14.312 13.6683 13.5787 11.9763C12.8454 10.2843 11.841 8.80097 10.5657 7.52631C9.29171 6.25164 7.80871 5.24764 6.11671 4.51431C4.42471 3.78097 2.61205 3.41431 0.678713 3.41431V0.414307C3.02871 0.414307 5.23705 0.860306 7.30371 1.75231C9.37038 2.64431 11.1704 3.85664 12.7037 5.38931C14.237 6.92264 15.4497 8.72264 16.3417 10.7893C17.2337 12.856 17.6794 15.0643 17.6787 17.4143H14.6787ZM8.67871 17.4143C8.67871 15.1976 7.89971 13.31 6.34171 11.7513C4.78371 10.1926 2.89605 9.41364 0.678713 9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 6.41431 3.64538 6.70197 4.97871 7.27731C6.31205 7.85264 7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" />
</g>
<defs>
<clippath id="clip0_1051_121783">
<rect width="17" height="17" fill="white" transform="translate(0.678711 0.414307)" />
</clippath>
</defs>
</svg>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</details>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-hero-media ">
<figure class="w-full h-auto post-hero-image">
<img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="740" height="485" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Spaceballs03-740x485.jpg" class="w-full object-cover" alt="Bill pullman is spaceballs" /> </figure>
<div class="post-hero-caption post-hero-caption-horizontal [&_a]:link"><p>Credit: MGM</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</post-hero>
<div class="wp-block-more-from-category">
<div>
</div>
</div>
<p>The <a href="https://reactormag.com/that-spaceballs-sequel-you-didnt-ask-for-is-in-development/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Spaceballs</em> sequel you didn’t think to ask for </a>is moving forward at Amazon MGM Studios, and it will include some familiar faces. </p>
<p><a href="https://deadline.com/2025/06/spaceballs-2-casts-rick-moranis-bill-pullman-keke-palmer-1236431204/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Deadline</a> broke the news today that Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis will return for the sequel, reprising their roles from the first, the hero Lone Starr and the devious Dark Helmet respectively. Mel Brooks (who turns 99 years old in a little over two weeks!) is also returning as Yogurt—may the Schwartz be with us!</p>
<p>For those who don’t know, <em>Spaceballs</em> is a film from almost 40 years ago that one could describe as a spoof on Star Wars. </p>
<p>We also found out that Keke Palmer (<a href="https://reactormag.com/jordan-peele-nope-trailer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nope</em></a>, <em>One of Them Days</em>) has joined the cast. What character she’ll be taking on remains unknown, but it’s a welcome addition! We’re also in the dark about the plot of the film, though Deadline’s sources describe it as, “A Non-Prequel Non-Reboot Sequel Part Two but with Reboot Elements Franchise Expansion Film,” which sounds about right. </p>
<p>The sequel is directed by Josh Greenbaum, who will also direct <a href="https://reactormag.com/dont-stare-barb-and-star-go-to-vista-del-mar-director-tapped-for-care-bears-movie/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the Care Bears movie you also didn’t know you wanted</a>. The script comes from Benji Samit, Dan Hernandez, and Josh Gad. Gad will also star in the film. </p>
<p><em>Spaceballs 2</em> is currently set to premiere in theaters sometime in 2027, which is also the year of its 40th anniversary.[end-mark]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://reactormag.com/spaceballs-2-will-bring-back-bill-pullman-rick-moranis-with-keke-palmer-joining-the-cast/"><i>Spaceballs 2</i> Will Bring Back Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis, With Keke Palmer Joining the Cast</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reactormag.com">Reactor</a>.</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/spaceballs-2-will-bring-back-bill-pullman-rick-moranis-with-keke-palmer-joining-the-cast/">https://reactormag.com/spaceballs-2-will-bring-back-bill-pullman-rick-moranis-with-keke-palmer-joining-the-cast/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=816266">https://reactormag.com/?p=816266</a></p>
(roadrunnertwice Jun. 12th, 2025 11:50 am)
roadrunnertwice Jun. 12th, 2025 11:50 am)Sure, why not, let's bookpost.
Wren Hyde — Beneath a Burning Sky (zine)
Feb 27
A friend we know from Ruth's shapenote singing community wrote a zine about going on long bike tours. It's good! Wren generally puts a lot of energy into thinking about things like the practical exercise of freedom and the purpose of risking yourself on an adventure, and I always value the sense of being gently shaken out of autopilot that I get from talking to (or reading) them.
I don't know of anywhere a random person could obtain this from, but it's worth picking up if you happen to see it around.
Ken Liu — Laozi’s Dao De Jing: A New Translation for a Transformative Time
Mar. 30
(For now I’m putting Liu as the author here rather than Laozi, but I might reconsider at some point. He has a lot of commentary in his own voice interspersed throughout the book (on the Dao, on other Daoist writers, on the theory and practice of translation), so it’s not attempting to be an invisible translation.)
I picked this up because the ebook was on steep sale. My only real prior familiarity with this text was indirect, through the prints it leaves on the surrounding world, and those prints are ambiguous and elusive. Well... the text is also ambiguous and elusive. Even more so than I was expecting, and that’s saying something! Having carefully read it, I do not feel equipped to tell you what I think Daoism is about. Ask me in some later year, maybe.
I’m glad I read this and I expect to return to it. It’s deliberately aggravating and provocative, but in a gentle way. I really had no idea what to think of it right after finishing, but there are one or two ideas in there that have yielded a bit more as I mull them over in the background. (In particular, some paradoxes about the entire concept of “leading.”)
J.-C. Mézières, P. Christin, E. Tranlé — Valerian and Laureline: The Empire of a Thousand Planets and The Land Without Stars (comics)
Apr. 14
This long-running French sci-fi comic series came up in a conversation about The Fifth Element; I hadn't really heard of it, but it's apparently widely influential. The library had a bunch of it, so I checked out a couple volumes.
The art and the environment design in these is fabulous. But I found the stories a bit tedious and slight, and the cartooning (as distinct from the superb draftsmanship and composition) wasn't to my taste, so I don't expect to read much more of it.
This is that style of comic where the panels are lushly and meticulously detailed, but there aren't enough of them to properly control the narrative flow, and so they compensate by cramming a goddamn paragraph of captions above every other panel. My personal name for this phenomenon is "That Prince Valiant Thing," in honor of a baffling Sunday newspaper strip from my childhood that always seemed to have like one panel of dudes staring into space and a half-page of turgid narration in which absolutely nothing ever happened. I'm sure there's people who like this (or at least are better able to tolerate it), but I personally feel that it misses the point of the medium.
Tamsyn Muir — Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower
Apr. 10
I loved this gory inverted fairy tale about a self-made monster.
This novella has an extremely good Shape, and I wish I could define that better for you. I've had an ongoing background ponder running for years about what exactly the novella as a form is good for, and my current (tentative) thinking is that it's either for episodic stories, or for stories where you're trying to draw a very particular geometric structure with the plot (which requires more elbow room than a short, but which will have less success in a longer novel because it's harder for the reader to hold the whole of the shape in their head at once). The failure states for the novella are, of course, "short story that wasn't cut enough" and "novel with insufficient development."
(scalziwhatever_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 05:19 pm)
scalziwhatever_feed Jun. 12th, 2025 05:19 pm)
If you know me, you know one thing I complain about a lot (and probably more than any sane person should) is the use of licensed music in animated movies. I especially hate the use of licensed music in Illumination studio movies. Though, I can recognize that I am biased because I hate Illumination as a whole and dislike 93.3% of their movies (I did the math).
There is one movie, though, in which I find the licensed music to not only be tolerable, but enjoyable. Megamind is the only movie where licensed music is absolutely essential throughout the film, and integral to the very character of Megamind himself.
Megamind is a flashy, theatrical villain who is in it for the love of the game. He lives for the showmanship and flamboyant performances that are the fights between him and Metro Man. As he says in the final fight of the movie, the difference between a villain and a supervillain is presentation. And you can see this ideal of his throughout the film.
In the first interaction with Roxanne Ritchi, where she has been kidnapped and is in Megamind’s evil lair, he unveils all these supervillain-esque devices to her in hopes to come across as a threatening villain. There’s alligators, spikes, a disc blade sort of thing, a mini gun, even a flamethrower. She is impressed by none of it, of course, and his confidence deflates as she mocks him. She also asks where they get all their blinky dials and Tesla coils, to which Minion responds that they come from an outlet store in Romania.
As we can see from this exchange, Megamind goes out of his way to aesthetically meet the requirements of being a villain. So much so that he even buys fake equipment from overseas to look professional. Essentially, he has props. Because he’s a theater kid!
Megamind is obsessed with the pageantry of heroes and villains. We can see this in the exchanges he has with Metro Man and their “witty” banter about microwave warranties. He loves it so much that when he is training Hal to be a superhero, he specifically tries to teach him how to have that same back-and-forth like Metro Man did with him. Even during their first fight, Megamind says “Now it’s time for some witty back-and-forth banter!”
Right before this fight, Megamind accuses Hal of being “unprofessional” and that Metro Man would’ve never kept him waiting, because he was a pro. Hal isn’t “professional” enough for Megamind, and when Hal catches him after their fight and says he’s going to kill him, Megamind says “that isn’t how you play the game.” Proof that Megamind sees this all as a big stage play. It’s a game to him, and one he loves and takes great care in making sure all of the details and specifics are just right and fit his ideal narrative perfectly.
In this same vein, Megamind is obsessed with perfecting his outfit, the Black Mamba, for his first fight with Hal. He wants his costume to look good for his big battle. For what is a good show without the costuming department? In the beginning of the movie, he intentionally points out that he’s wearing custom baby seal leather boots just to prove to everyone he is the bad guy. Look how evil he is, see how dastardly Megamind is. He’s obsessed with painting this picture of himself that presents himself as heinous and diabolical.
Which is exactly why all of the licensed music in this movie fits Megamind perfectly. More often than not, he is the one actually playing the music out loud. When he takes over Metro City, he tells Minion to “hit it” and plays “Highway to Hell” on a big boom box that Minion carries around. He proceeds to dance to it, and makes his smoke show entrance to city hall while it plays. For his final fight with Hal, he plays “Welcome to the Jungle” out loud and creates a huge smoke and light show with his Brain Bots. This is the part where he proclaims “presentation!” is the key to super villain. At the end of the movie, he plays “Bad” on an even bigger boom box and him and Roxanne dance to it.
The point here is that his music choices are intentional. The songs are tools that serve his purpose of painting himself as an iconic, nefarious villain. The licensed music isn’t just thrown in, it’s part of the world and a part of Megamind himself. It is intentional. And it works.
God, I love Megamind.
Do you like Megamind? Do you hate licensed music as much as I do, or am I just obsessed with something niche? Should I talk about why Despicable Me is the only good Illumination movie? Let me know in the comments, and have a great day!
-AMS
.