The Disco Issue

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COMMENT

The buzzstaff has spent several months deep in a boogie wonderland. It has been a haze of bell bottoms, glitter and groovy gyrating. What began as a funky experiment to get closer to ABBA has led to us falling down a rabbit hole of psychedelics, counter-culture politics, fast fashion and the impacts of aesthetic movements. So pull on your go-go boots, brush up your Saturday Night Fever knowledge, and be prepared to dive into disco.

Managing Editor News & Views Upfront Ministry of Cool

STAFF LIST

Julia Batista Rachael Prowles Mikayla Tolliver Brennan Carney Emily Imanishi Greta Unetich Gaudi Fanelli Sarah Borsari Ananya Gambhiraopet Quinn Karlok Adam Dee Julia Young Julia Batista M. Minton Joe Minissale Kevin Gyasi-Frempah Carlos Figueroa Bryan Chambala Sam Costello Thorn Denick Cole Louison

Prose & Cons Sawdust Layout Art Website Editor Social Media Editor Photography & Section Dividers Copyediting Advisor Founders

Write Us!

This magazine exists to inspire thoughtful debate and open up channels through which information is shared. Your comments and feedback are all a part of the process. Reach the editors by email at: buzzsawmag@gmail.com 2

NEWS & VIEWS Current Events, Local News, and Quasi-Educated Questions.

4 UPFRONT

Selected dis-education of the month.

10 Ministry of Cool Arts, Entertainment, and other things cooler than us.

11 Prose & Cons

Short Fiction, Personal Essay, and other assorted lies.

23 Sawdust

Threatening the magazine’s credibility since 1856.

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Selected Articles: Spotify v. Neil Young

By Jess Williams, Contributing Writer

Basic Principles, or Simply Outdated?

By Alyssa Spady, Staff Writer

(Page 17)

A Comprehensive List of Disco Songs That did Not Age Well

By Molly Fitzsimons, Contributing Writer

(Page 6) (Page 63)

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Once In A Century?

Risk of flooding rapidly increasing in Ithaca // George Christopher, Staff Writer

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ou can’t think of Ithaca without thinking of water. Whether it’s the water that fills Cayuga Lake, runs along Cascadilla Creek or falls into the city’s trademark gorges. The environment not only feeds the local economy, but also offers a cultural identity. But of course, water isn’t sentimental. It's a force of nature. Plenty of Ithacans know all too well the damage that can happen when those waters rise too high. Just last year, Ithaca residents had to dry out their basements after water heights rose to levels not seen in years.

This experience with water reminded me of my home in Central New Jersey. I grew up in an area known semi-colloquially as Bayshore (the shore of Raritan Bay). Towns like Hazlet, Middletown, Keyport, Keansburg and Union Beach were once small farming communities, with a vibrant shore economy that was later settled in the post-war era. It was the go-to destination for city dwellers looking for a fun day at the beach or on the boardwalk.

Now, things aren’t too different. Many of the same families reside in the area as did in the 1950s, the beaches are still there, if a little less pristine, and the boardwalks are still crammed every summer. But what’s also clear is that this community has been scarred. Ten years ago, Superstorm Sandy barreled through New Jersey and New York. No part of Bayshore was spared from this storm, but Union Beach got hit the worst. Homes were left desolate with people’s whole lives carried away by the rising tide. Not to mention the impact on the local economy with whole businesses destroyed. The only solution was to rise above it, literally.

Driving around Union Beach, and other shore communities, you’ll find homes sitting several feet above the ground, raised after the waters receded.

Ithaca is very different, with a different history, different economy and different people. But I fear the people of Ithaca could soon face scarring much like what Union Beach and Bayshore faced.

In February, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released a draft of an updated flood map for the city of Ithaca that showed a large swath of the city at risk of serious flooding. Not only would the city risk flooding from Cayuga Lake, but also the various creeks that flow throughout the community.

The risk of catastrophic flooding is one percent every year, or a “once in a century flood.” That’s not to say the city doesn’t face challenges from non-catastrophic floods. Note that this map is still preliminary, but could be an early warning sign for the Ithaca community.

This is not only concerning because of its direct effect on the homes and livelihoods of Ithaca’s residents, but it will also have a substantial impact on Ithaca’s already problematic housing market. The city has had consistent problems with a shortage of affordable housing. With the additional costs of mandated flood insurance, the cost of housing will continue to rise for both homeowners and renters.

But Ithaca isn’t without recourse. In early 2020, a “Local Flood Hazard Analysis” was prepared for the city. This report offered numerous recommendations for the city to mitigate both the economic and human risks of severe flooding. The recommendations include several infrastructural improvements such as “dredging” the Cascadilla Creek and the Cayuga Inlet. Dredging is a process where sediment is removed from rivers and creeks, creating more capacity for water, and less risk of flooding. The report goes on to recommend the erection of floodwalls along with a number

of other infrastructural improvements. The report also suggests various institutional measures including an investigation of the “Community Rating System participation.” This is a program by FEMA that allows communities which enforce flood mitigation systems to benefit from discounted Flood Insurance plans. This could assist the Ithaca community in mitigating the effect on housing prices. The report also encourages the City of Ithaca to review local laws and regulations to optimize water management and maintenance of the flood control systems.

According to the report, all of this will require cooperation between the City of Ithaca and the Tompkins County Government, the State of New York, the Army Corps of Engineers and Cornell University.

You may think this concern is unfounded especially considering the risk of one percent every year. But let's look back to Union Beach. You see, a number of years ago, a group of Union Beach residents encouraged their mayor and Borough Council to pursue a project called the Bayshore Erosion Project. The goal was to mitigate the flooding the community had seen years earlier during a hurricane. It involved multiple local governments in the Bayshore area. The Union Beach government decided not to pursue the project for a number of reasons including the project’s cost, and the belief the money could be better spent elsewhere.

This didn’t happen two years ago, or three years ago: it happened in 1966. The hurricane they were responding to wasn’t Sandy, it was Hurricane Donna that slammed Bayshore in 1960.

The project was ultimately completed in 1973 providing protection to Keansburg, Hazlet and Middletown. Not Union Beach.

In a February 11th edition of the local Daily Register newspaper, local residents explained why they were so upset that their town government wasn’t pursuing this project. “We are convinced floodwaters will be twice as high when the proposed bulkheads and levees are completed. Most people here, except the mayor and council, it seems, feel that a future Hurricane ‘Donna’ will wipe out large portions of Union Beach and involve human lives.”

It took nearly 50 years, but they were right.

That once in a century flood will happen. Hopefully, not for a very long time. Long enough for the community to prepare and survive. Ithaca’s elected officials must learn from the mistakes of Union Beach’s elected officials. The city must pursue these measures with haste to protect the Ithaca community so many have come to love. The last thing Ithacans must do is allow the “once in a century” moniker to be an excuse for inaction.

George Christopher is a third-year journalism major currently lifting Garden Apartments up on stilts. They can be reached at gchristopher@ithaca.edu

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Basic Principles, or Simply Outdated?

One student’s thoughts on their Journalism education at Ithaca College // Alyssa Spady, Staff Writer

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he journalism program here at Ithaca College is, I think, one of the best in the nation. The expectations of you to pursue your craft on day one rival other prestigious programs around the country. However, as much as this program has benefited many of us, it still has flaws that need to be addressed to ensure that this program can continue to be one of the best in the nation.

When I came into the major, I started off with the Introduction to Journalism course, which serves to give the fundamentals of the major and teach students the guiding principles which will be built upon in subsequent classes. My introduction class was taught with one class being a larger session in Park Auditorium, and another separate class in a smaller group setting. On the surface, this works well: you can teach the broader topics in the larger session and then do deep dives into them in the smaller sessions.

However, this only works well when you have the same professor for the breakout session as you do for the larger session.

In my case, I had different professors, which meant different teaching styles and opinions on what good journalism is. While I understand going through your undergraduate degree and having different professors is important, for that first semester where everything is entirely new and unfamiliar, it can be overwhelming.

What you learn in Introduction to Journalism is mostly centered around the history, ethics and principles of journalism. One of the points drilled into our heads early on is that objectivity is the key to good journalism and journalism is only good when we are completely objective. This teaching of objectivity as the cornerstone of journalism isn’t unique to just this program. It is something that has been drilled into the heads of all journalists no matter where they are trained.

Objectivity is something that is incredibly hard to achieve; no one can ever be completely objective. Our life experiences and backgrounds dictate how we all approach and look at the world around us. There are instances where reporting the “other side” doesn’t help the story or the people within the story; in fact, it can actually harm them. Human rights issues, racism, homophobia, sexism and ableism are all topics in which the other side of the story doesn’t matter because it only gives a platform for hate.

In my opinion, objectivity creates a space that is not safe for journalists of color, female journalists, queer journalists and disabled journalists. There are two great pieces that actually provide more context to what I’m saying. In an opinion piece by Wes Lowery and a Poynter piece from two years ago, the two explain how objectivity is centered around what society has deemed as “normal.” What “normal” can boil down to are cishet, non-disabled, white males. But the truth is, experience is our biggest ally; it opens up avenues in reporting that would otherwise slip through the cracks.

Journalists are not stenographers. Our goal should not be to just quote people, but to give context to what those we cover

Art by Adam Dee

say. So long as we are transparent about where our personal biases are, we have the opportunity to create journalistic work that is incredibly powerful, nuanced and accurate, preventing us from perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

Since coming out of that intro class, there have been classes thatseek to break down what it means to be objective and teach us a better way to make sure that we aren't slanting our reporting to favor a specific person, issue or group. But these conversations, while good to have then and now, should have been made when we first entered the program. That way we could not only create a safe space for those in marginalized communities, but we could also help to prevent the industry from continuing to perpetuate the negative old-style journalism.

One of the required sections of the journalism major is the selected topics courses. Each journalism major is required to take two and they are supposed to be hyper-focused areas within the industry. I was able to take Latinx and the Media and Journalism Innovation, two courses taught by amazing professors who pushed us to talk about the way that we could do better in journalism. These courses are valuable because they allow us to tap into areas of our beats or industry that we are interested in learning more about.

However, I wish we would expand on these classes and implement more focused teachings on how to properly cover the marginalized communities that we talk about in those introduction or journalism ethics courses. Making sure that we use correct language and phrasing is vital to ensuring that we are not perpetuating harmful stereotypes surrounding these communities. Just like we are taught AP style in that introduction class, we should also be taught the stylebooks from other minority-focused journalism groups such as the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Center on Disability and Journalism and countless others.

The critiques that I can provide as a journalism major are completely different from those which I can give to journalism minors. Journalism majors have a degree program that includes

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tons more industry-focused, hands-on coursework. For journalism minors, however, these luxuries are nonexistent and students are instead pushed to just the principles-based classes. The journalism minor includes introduction to journalism, investigative journalism, visual journalism, issues and the news and the choice between journalism ethics or history. Nowhere in this curriculum is there room for them to have a chance to have more hyper-focused courses link the special topics courses. The journalism minor should have the same goals as the journalism major, training the next generation of journalists that have hands-on experience from day one.

Aside from making sure that we are taking all the precautions to not perpetuate stereotypes and hate of others in our reporting, there needs to be mention in the introduction or later course about the hardships of the industry. Many journalists have been sounding the alarm recently of the massive burnout and mental health problems that can come with working in journalism. Our jobs are under constant deadlines and we often cover incredibly heavy topics. Teaching ways to mitigate these as much as possible and making us aware of not only the mental stressors, but the financial ones as well, is extremely important.

We are in an age where there is so much technological change.

The journalism industry has been forced to constantly adapt and overcome those challenges. There has been an awakening from within the industry, including from many of the students that I am studying with, who are seeing that journalism can do so much more if we just change our demographics and our approach to reporting on specific topics. As a student-journalist over these past four years, we’ve seen almost everything. From a president that sought to target us to mass social justice movements to a global pandemic to an insurrection at the Capitol. Seeing all of this has in many ways heightened the importance of the courses we take in this major and minor, as well as the topics discussed in them.

While it is easy to just fire critiques at the program, there is also context to why this is all happening. It’s no secret that the college as a whole has gone through changes that may have prevented the journalism department from implementing my observations.

To start, the journalism department only has a handful of faculty to teach all of these wide-ranging topics. So it becomes harder to teach these more specific topics in individual classes. Instead, what the program could do is bake these ideas into lessons within the introduction class. But there is also another catch to this: professors may not be comfortable or well-equipped to speak about reporting on these communities if they do not have a connection to or prior reporting experience with them. There are ways to avoid this, like contacting alumni to speak about their experiences reporting on these communities or opening it up for a broader

discussion with students.

It has also been four years since I took that Introduction to Journalism class, and there have been changes made to the program. Instead of the larger session with the different breakout class, journalism students thankfully now have one professor to guide them through that first semester. This gives them not only the stability they need to learn these concepts, but also creates a rapport with that professor and perhaps asks those harder-hitting questions about the industry they are striving towards. Being a journalism major is something that I take immense pride in. I want to see this program be one of the leading ones in producing the next generation of journalists that will work to make the industry better for everyone.

Alyssa Spady is a fourth-year journalism major who believes in the true power of storytelling.

They can be reached at aspady@ithaca.edu.

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SPINNING INTO OBLIVION Ways to Combat Stress and Remain Mindful // By Patrick Kuehl, Contributing Writer

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nce again the cold has set in seemingly later than it should yet sooner than expected. I would be lying if I told you I was excited to return to the campus spring semester, yet for some reason, the challenge of classes and the complete lack of social interaction that winter semester had offered me fueled my excitement to return to campus this spring. Returning to campus brought three things for all of us, covid, cold and constant stress. I am neither a meteorologist nor an epidemiologist but I do know a thing or two about constant stress. One strategy that is often cited to ease the pains of stress is increasing mindfulness in everyday life. I spoke with Diana Dimitrova, a leader in the Mindful IC community about her thoughts on the relationship between mindfulness and stress management.

Diana and I met after I walked in on a private mindfulness class of hers while doing research for this story.

While the class was not public, she invited me to one of the drop-in sessions at noon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (these classes are open to all students).

I walked to the International studies office on one of these cold winter days to talk with Diana, the door was locked. I returned a smile as I was let into the room.

International flags adorn the upper walls of the space.

We walked through a hallway at the back of the room to Diana’s office. I was offered tea, I accepted. We sat in her office and had a conversation not only about some strategies to mitigate stress but also about some of the possible causes.

After quitting social media a couple months ago, Diana and I both agreed that apps such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are huge time sinks. I felt that they occupied my time when I could be spending 15 minutes doing something more productive like reading or writing.

Diana proposed that social media caused us to be less mindful even when we are doing things that are productive. For example, while writing a paper its easy to check your phone for various reasons, but every time that happens your ind has to “reset” to get back in the academic zone.

the music is good but at the end of the day, you’ll be able to buy 7 dollar beer your whole life and really diving into something isn't going to get any easier. I have found great success in changing my mindset from one that emphasizes getting things done to pass the class to doing things for the express purpose of learning the material. Honestly, most of the professors at Ithaca College are pretty fucking sick and are very interested in what they teach.

A case for doing things OTHER than zoning out: It seems so easy to take time for yourself when it is written in a self help book or magazine, but when it comes down to it, taking time for yourself isn’t so easy. From personal experience, it's damn hard to zone out when I’m stressed about the Spanish test I have on Monday (especially considering that I don’t speak Spanish). If my brain isnt occupied, it cant relax (as counter intuitive as that may seem). An active approach to taking time for yourself is finding something that interests you that doesn't let you zone out. Activities such as climbing, game playing, club joining, weight lifting, snowman making, and many others. Find something that doesn’t let your imagination run back to the stresses of school like watching tv or scrolling through social media. Ithaca college offers lots of extracurricular activities and clubs that are open to all students.

A good place to start is to talk to people you know about what they are involved in. In addition the college publishes a weekly events newsletter that are open to all students.

Also, books area great way to occupy time in a productive way, find a genre that’s interesting and go crazy.

A Case for a Complete Life change: I’m not just talking about dying your hair. If you don’t find joy in what you are studying or doing, you should change that. Ithaca College specifically has HUNDREDS of programs and you absolutely (especially if you're a sophomore or a freshman) can change your major to graduate on time.

A Case for Doing Readings: One of the worst parts about learning in college is the negativity that comes along with it. Overhead conversations include sentiments about how long readings are and how what they say is just gone over in class anyway. It is hard to stay mindful about your work when However, I would like to propose that doing the readings helps mitigate stress and promote (insert that word that means doing things twice for assurance).

Also, we’re here to learn, sure the parties are great and

Patrick Kuehl is a third-year environmental studies major who knows the value of finding ways to combat stress. They can be reached at pkuehl@ithaca.edu.

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Dancing Our Way Through Reality How We Cope During a Time of Tension and Change //

By Nora Marcus-Hecht, Contributing Writer

by Art Dee m Ada

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s the semester goes by and we get closer to the half-way point, it would be remiss of us to ignore the fact that it has almost been two years since campuses across the country shut down and students were forced to continue their education online. The conversation about coping mechanisms started long before the pandemic, but since the discussion of mental health has increased, so has the conversation of healthy and not-sohealthy coping mechanisms.

We all remember the trends at the beginning of the pandemic that we used to distract us from the rising death tolls. Images of sourdough bread, dalgona coffee, “Tiger King,” and Animal Crossing flooded everyone’s Tiktok and Twitter feeds. I myself went through a long Abba phase which was incredibly obnoxious to my fellow coworkers who would make the mistake of letting me choose the music during our shifts.

Coping is a psychological response to stress which usually occurs when big changes happen. When asked what she does to cope with difficult times, local Ithacan and downtown employee Gabby Powell said, “I play Pokémon to avoid all of my responsibilities. And then I get more stressed ‘cause I’m avoiding all my responsibilities with Pokémon. And then the circle continues.”

The discussion around coping mechanisms has increased through a variety of platforms like news articles, Instagram posts, and even memes and Tweets, but what does a professional have to say on this matter since the start of the pandemic? Denise Wittlin-Horvath is a psychiatric nurse practitioner and licensed clinical social worker here in Ithaca and since March of 2020, she has noticed an increase in both positive and negative coping methods.

“I’ve seen both positive and not so helpful things. I’ve seen people drink more and binge eat more and not groom themselves more. It’s kind of fascinating to me how people have reacted. For some people it feels like the end of the world and for other people it’s given them motivation to get their life going.”

She went on to mention that a lot of people with social anxiety were even relieved at the start of the pandemic.

For some people, isolation has put their lives into perspective and has given them a better understanding of how they can live a healthier and more productive life. The pandemic has given them

an excuse to stop drinking and to start exercising more–to call up friends and family they have not spoken to in a while and to try new things in general.

For many people, however, social isolation has created an increase in behaviors that have a negative effect which can in turn further deplete someone’s mental health. When asked if she has noticed an increase in dangerous and unhealthy coping mechanisms, Denise said, “Yeah. I mean, I think people who have a tendency to do things that are not good for them are definitely acting up in dangerous ways. Especially when there are so many joking memes on the internet about using and abusing substances.”

It is true that joking about poor mental health is often used as a coping mechanism–especially among millennial and gen z students–but are making these jokes actually desensitizing us to the actual issues at hand?

While Denise says that she has seen an increase in unhealthy coping mechanisms, the trials and tribulations of living through a pandemic has made more people willing to talk to a counselor about their mental health. “People in my line of work don’t have to worry about career longevity because many more people are willing to go to therapy and start taking medication.”

Therapy, however, is not always something that is easily accessible to everyone. Because more people are willing to start counseling, fewer therapists have open spots to take on new clients. I asked Denise what healthy coping techniques she recommends.

She said, “Go outside and breathe outside. 20 minutes a day in nature and only being mindful that you are in nature is really helpful.” She admits that a lot of her recommendations are seen as common sense but during hard times, they can be easy to forget.

One of the hardest things she says is to get a solid eight hours of sleep and to not fall asleep with your phone in your hand. “[It’s] hard because people want to feel more connected when they’re so far away.” Other recommendations are to keep eating healthy, turn off the TV, and go on a walk with a friend. She also mentioned that the people who have been doing the best are generally staying away from the news. It can be hard to take care of yourself and to regain motivation when the pandemic has distilled so much sadness and loss of hope in so many people. Many students have noticed a lack of motivation to complete their degrees and that their stress levels have increased since coming back to campus. “If you’re a student, try to keep your stress levels low. If you fail a class, you can take it again. It’s only life.”

As we’ve spent the last two years struggling to come back to the reality we once knew, we have forgotten how to get back on our feet and reclaim our lives. Some people may look back fondly at the beginning of the pandemic when we were all given an extra week of spring break and our professors were more relaxed with their work loads because we were all struggling and unsure of what was to come. One thing’s for sure and that is that we have all drastically changed over the course of the pandemic, and through this change as a society we have learned that asking for help whether that be from a friend or a therapist is a positive thing.

Nora Marcus-Hecht is a third-year writing major who is acutely aware of society’s responses to our changing world. She can be reached at nmarcushecht@ithaca.edu.

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The Top 5 Movies That Would Benefit From A Disco Version

FYI: There are only mild spoilers ahead! I don’t give away any major plot points! // By Zac Sulzter, Contributing Author

Art by Julia Young

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isco was an era of funky music, afros, silk clothes, and roller skates. It was an era of counter-cultural freedom. But it was a short-lived era that only lasted for several years in the 70’s before dying off in 1980. Should disco stay dead? Or should it rise from the ashes and conquer that which is without disco balls and lightup dance floors? That’s what we’ll find out in exploring these five movies that would be greatly improved if they were recut as disco movies.

Just so we’re clear, recutting the movie would mean going back into the original footage of a film and forming it into a new version. I don’t want remakes of these movies, I want the originals to be enhanced as a disco version! Now, join me, and ponder the question, what if...

5. Knives Out Starting off our list is this stylish, all-star murder mystery. And that’s style with a capital “S.” The cast could fill an Olympic pool with all that drip! One of the revolutionary aspects of the disco movement was obviously the fashion that went with it, so Knives Out fits right in. The only thing missing from the costumes in this film are bell-bottoms. Because the cast and set are already dressed so colorfully, we’re already halfway to full disco-fication.

We just need those funky pants, the crown jewel of the disco wardrobe, on every character to complete the look. Now that we’ve settled on the vibe, we need to enhance the story to really fit the disco movement. And what better to elevate the film’s ending than a disco dance-off? Picture this: Daniel Craig’s detective character has solved the mystery. He corners the culprit.

The lights dim. A disco ball descends from the ceiling. Daniel Craig channels John Travolta as he describes the intricacies of the mystery. Chris Evans and Ana De Armas join in, and pretty soon you’ve got a perfect recreation of the end celebration from Despicable Me! Would that be a boring scene? No! Has disco improved this movie? Absolutely!

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl This movie IS a disco movie, it just hasn’t realized it yet. It has everything you need to revive disco!

Baggy linen clothes? Check.

Crazy hair? Check.

A cast of characters that are frequently intoxicated? Double Check.

Extensive choreography? Triple Check.

There’s only a few minor improvements needed to unleash this movie’s disco spirit that is begging for freedom. First, the fight choreography needs to be synced to a disco soundtrack, or more precisely, a disco remix of the existing one. This should be easy since the sword clangs can keep the beat and fill in the iconic disco drum beat. Second, the characters need to be intoxicated on much more experimental substances than alcohol. Finally, the poster font needs to be chrome. But other than that, you’ve got yourself a ‘70s cinematic hit! And some dancing skeletons to boot! What’s more perfect than a Halloween disco movie?

3. Jurassic Park Alright, this one is a little different because we would have to play with the plot a bit, butit will still work, I promise. Here’s the new

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scientific setup for the film. The scientists have finally recreated dozens of dinosaur eggs. But, it gets lonely in the Jurassic Park lab working long hours to resurrect the extinct. A radio is necessary to help the scientists stay sane during their extensive shift in the eggs’ incubation chamber. The scientists seal the chamber door on a job they think is well done, but in their haste, the radio remains on. Gloria Gayner’s “I Will Survive”blasts into the chamber (get that subtle symbolism!?), vibrating the eggs. The dinosaurs finally hatch, and soon Alan Grant and the gang show up.

But the dinosaurs have one unnatural trait - because they were incubated with disco music, they don’t want to be in cages. They want to dance! When they finally break free of captivity, the dinosaurs don roller skates and go on a roller disco rampage. They need energy from all that physical activity, and humans are on the menu. Isn’t that so much scarier and more intense!? Every action sequence can be a disco number! Imagine the iconic kitchen scene, the kids frozen behind the tables, dinosaurs whizzing by, twirling and shaking their hips. The T-Rex bursts through the huge security fence and boogies with that one guy that rushed to the bathroom (when you gotta go, you gotta go) in its mouth. Absolutely terrifying! And so much more effective than the original!

converted into disco.Take the iconic Death Star for example. It’s literally a giant disco ball. And the whole Star Wars universe is filled with fluorescent lasers, just like disco clubs! And finally, this is another movie where the majority of the cast is stylin in baggy, fabric clothes. Darth Vader’s bionic uniform beats a frilled, sparkling suit anyday. And, with the help of the Force, it’d be hard for Abba to compete with boogying Jedi and Sith. Combine the moon-sized disco ball with the funky starship light show and the hip garb, and you’ve got yourself the full disco experience!

2. Parasite Now, I know what you’re thinking: “That movie is a masterpiece! How can it be any better!?” I’ve got the answer for you: disco. This one is really about the sets. That big flat living room that’s so central to so many scenes begs for a floor of rainbow tiles and a glittering disco ball. It’s basically a dance floor already.

I understand that the scene where the family hides under the table from the home owners is already extremely suspenseful.

But wouldn’t it be elevated so much if the whole family was disco dancing while they were hiding? That would add so much to the dread-soaked atmosphere in the way that only disco can.

Secondly, everyone talks about that bloodthirsty finale. But let's say we choreographed that climactic scene to the Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing.” Nothing makes a scene more intense than the Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing.” Again, remember that Despicable Me ending celebration? Absolutely white-knuckle. All in all, I think I’ve made a pretty strong case that Parasite + Disco = A banger. Moving on.

In all seriousness, I hope you enjoyed looking at these movies in a new way, and I hope you find the disco in your life! Always remember the 21st night of September!

However, there’s one indisputable, definitive fact that proves that Star Wars should be a disco opera. THERE IS A STAR WARS DISCO ALBUM! IT EXISTS! “Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk”

by Meco. It’s on Spotify. Check it out.

So there you have it. I hope this list shows you the unrealized potential in these iconic films – films that could have been so much more. After examining all the missed potential in these classics, it’s no question that every single movie should embrace the wonder of disco. Or at least close with a celebration exactly like the beautiful disco dance party at the end of Despicable Me!

Zac Sulzter is a first-year cinema and photography major who insists on always wearing bell-bottoms to every formal function. They can be reached at zsultzer@ ithaca.edu.

FINALLY! THE ALL TIME #1 MOVIE THAT DEMANDS DISCOFICATION! DRUM ROLL! BRRRRRRRRRRT! CRASH! 1. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Star Wars is considered a “space opera,” but it should really be a “disco opera.” It truly was made for the disco era. In fact, it’s from 1977, the catalytic year of the peak of the disco movement.

There are infinite possibilities for the Star Wars universe to be

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Album Review: “LP3”

By Emily Imanishi, Staff Writer

Art by Emily Imanishi

“With these ten songs, I hit the comfortability point that I’ve always felt in the past, but this time I chose to just run with it.”

That’s how Hippo Campus frontman Jake Luppen described the band’s new album LP3, which was released February 4th. The album strays from the typical sound of the band and channels a new, more vulnerable side of the group. Like all bands, Hippo Campus faced many challenges due to Covid-19. However, in October of last year, they proved that they were far from done with music, dropping the first single from the LP3 called “Boys.”

This song, which is my favorite on the album, sounds the most like previous Hippo Campus albums, but nearly all the songs on LP3 have a vastly different sound than their hits “Buttercup” and “Way it Goes.” This change in sound came naturally to the band, and they’ve discussed in numerous interviews how this was the first time they allowed themselves to create what they wanted to without the fear of not conforming to an indie sound. “Boys” also marks a large step in Luppen’s personal life; in a July 2021 interview with Billboard, he publicly announced that he was queer.

“Kissing boys, Missing work, Got hungover from your words,” he sings in the catchy chorus of the single. “Boys'' is not the only song on the album to stand out. The long-awaited track “Ashtray” also made its presence known, having previously only been played in virtual concerts. Unlike “Boys,” “Ashtray” has a stronger, more alternative sound to it, something new to the band.

The release of the EP Good Dog, Bad Dream in summer of 2021 was the first glimpse fans were given of the new direction the band was taking. Songs off of LP3 such as “Blew Its” and “Listerine” fit quite well with this experimental, indie-pop sound the group is trying to head towards. Other songs on the album,

such as “Bang Bang” and “Ride or Die,” feel like a good blend of their 2018 album Bambi and the Good Dog, Bad Dream EP. Having followed the band since 2017, this new direction caught me off guard, but it also left me wanting to hear more. The songs on LP3 are different from anything we’ve heard from the group before, and while I wasn’t sure how I felt upon first listen, the songs have certainly grown on me. The vulnerable and genuine lyrics flowing with the new sound create a feeling of growth and change, something the band has definitely done since their 2017 debut album Landmark. I will admit that I’m a little saddened by the band’s intentional change in tone, I think it comes through naturally on LP3, and leaves me excited to see what the future holds for the group.

Emily Imanishi is a second-year writing for film, TV and emerging media major who has memorized the lyrics of all 77 of Hippo Campus’ songs, and will force you to listen to all of them. They can be reached at eimanishi@ithaca.edu.

Album Review: “11:11”

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By Ryan Vincent, Contributing Writer

he wind carried the snow in swirls as I walked to the edge of the parking lot. The lights in the hills poking out beyond the stripped branches became clearer as the treeline faded. I came to the edge of the parking lot and sucked in the early morning air. The snapping came in softly from the opener of Pinegrove’s 11:11, “Habitat” as I sat on the sidewalk of the parking lot and watched Ithaca’s cascade of lights rooted in the horizon flicker in the darkness. The patting percussion built upon the quiet instrumental layers, accented snares replacing the snaps naturally within the context of the flowy, subtle synths and infectious, mournful guitar. It was pure audio mediation.

11:11 is an excellent album—let me get that out of the way now. Pinegrove has yet to release a disappointing record, and this newest endeavor feels like a true culmination of their emo-ish roots, lyrical vulnerability, Americana twang, and indie rock hooks.

The production is lush and natural, courtesy of a full-blown studio effort instead of their normal homegrown method of production and a mix from Chris Walla, most known for his work with Death Cab For Cutie. This work is most evident in tracks like the opener, “Habitat,” or my personal favorite from the album, “Iodine.”

I think that track is an embodiment of everything Pinegrove wants to be, and now, with 11:11, is. The lyrics are comforting and challenging, all while being personal to Evan Stephens Hall’s distinct lyrical voice. The instrumentation is vast and smartly implemented, and man, when those drums come in—let’s just say there’s a reason why Zach Levine is one of my favorite drummers. The rhythmic patterns here feel like they’re lurch-

ing forward while still in the cool groove. The harmonies that pour forth during the choruses are gorgeous and contemplative.

The natural feel of Pinegrove’s songs extend to the content of their lyrics too. Tracks like the sweeping “Orange” seek to explore the climate crisis in a passionate and relatable dialogue: “I tried to down the bluest pill / The author of the fucking bill / Bragging on Youtube, the criminals he’d kill.”

“Respirate” was a track that took a minute to settle in my mind. It’s slower, more wandering than the tighter and catchier tracks on the album.

However, like with most Pinegrove songs, if you don’t like it right off the bat, it’ll connect after a few listens.

The only track I struggle remembering the sound of is the album’s closer, “11th Hour.” In the context of the album as a listening experience, the track works as a satisfying conclusion. But, compared to the likes of “Swimming,” “So What,” “Cyclone,” “Let,” or the barnyard-banger, “Flora,” I don’t find myself returning to it very often.

11:11 might just be the most cohesive, satisfying Pinegrove album yet, which is saying a lot since their other records are incredible and have left a real and lasting impact on my life. I recommend 11:11 wholeheartedly to just about anyone. Even with the already steep—and I mean steep— competition for albums of the year in 2022, I see this falling solidly as one of the best.

Ryan Vincent is a first-year writing major.

They can be reached at rvincent@ithaca.edu.

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By TJ Bogart, Contributing Writer

pider-Man: No Way Home took the world by storm as soon as the first trailer was released. The ending of the previous film left us jaw dropped with the uncertainty of what would happen to Tom Holland’s version of Peter Parker. With Dr. Strange being a main component to the story, the ending of the Loki series on Disney+, and fan theories, we knew we were in for a ride. Just as a side note, this review may contain some major spoilers for some non-Marvel fans that have not seen - or know nothing - about this film.

Having Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in the film made me excited to see how they could tie in the histories of both Spider-Men, along with finishing Garfield’s Peter Parker story since he never got a third film. Personally, Charlie Cox’s cameo was more surprising, as his appearance was less speculated than Garfield and Maguire.

Because of Tick, Tick…Boom! being released prior to this film, I was more satisfied with seeing Garfield’s Peter and appreciated his character more, especially when the final battle took place.

Reimagining memes such as the multiple Spider-Men pointing at each other and “I’m something of a scientist myself” was great to see without it feeling forced into the story. While this movie was very enjoyable, there were moments I wish were a bit different. I wish we had gotten more time with Matt Murdock. Why tease Venom to that extent if he had no significant role (besides setting up future movies)? Why ignore the other events going on at the time?

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Movie Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home Of course, this film was great nonetheless because it brought Holland’s Peter some closure. But, for these movies being over two and a half hours, I want more than just these details being there without purpose or offscreen lore, giving the films more to branch out on.

This film changed the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We thought Loki or Avengers: Endgame did that for us, but without knowing who Peter Parker is anymore, every movie from now on is going to have that little pinch of melancholy that this film ended with. Overall, this film is definitely worth spending your time on. The emotional damage it has brought us is so sad, yet so worth it. And seeing a mentor and the two other spiderlings get the endings they deserved, gave a nice sense of closure to their stories.

TJ Bogart is a second-year film, photography and visual arts major who has made it their life's mission to collect every piece of Spider-Man merchandise ever made. They can be reached at tbogart@ithaca.edu

Movie Review: Encanto

By Imani Turner-Wells, Staff Writer

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ncanto follows the Madrigal family, whose members have been blessed with magical gifts. All of them have special gifts…that is, except Mirabel. Her family consists of Lusia, Isabella, Camillo, Dorles, Antonio, Julieta, Austin, Pepa, Felix, Bruno and Alma, her Abuela. Mirabel always tries to impress the villagers and her family to the best of her ability. It seems to never be enough because the villagers always feel bad for her.

Her family doesn’t listen to her, and they often tell her to move out of the way when they are doing something. Mirabel then soon realizes that the family’s magic is disappearing and she is the only one that can save it. This plot was everything because it’s very simple and very straightforward, but it was more underneath that needed to be picked apart. This movie is a lot deeper than it seems on the surface. It discusses family trauma, and the expectations placed on families, siblings, and ourselves.

Art by Julia Young

that everyone goes to for help. The song “Surface Pressure” explores how her family expects her to do their heavy lifting. Her character and the song are loved by the audience because any older sibling can relate. Older siblings are often burdened to do everything and be strong for everyone else.

This leads to them not showing any crack or emotions so they won't be viewed as weak by anyone else. Since her gift is super strength, Luisa feels that she needs to do everything. If she can’t do this, then she’ll be letting everyone down.

Another important theme is perfection, shown through Mirabel’s other sister, Isabella. She is considered the golden child, and everyone wants to look and be like her. In the song, “What Else Can I Do,” Isabella talks about the pressure of being perfect and how she has very high expectations from the family and everyone in town. She expected to be that one that everyone comes to as a role model. Surrounded by her family's magical gifts, Mirabel is disappointed in herself and you can see that through her actions. Even though she doesn’t have a gift, she tries everything in her power to impress her family, especially her Abuela. It's nice to see that this movie had a lot of

Speaking of deeper meaning, there are many overarching themes throughout the movie. One of Mirabel’s sisters, Lusia, holds the weight of her family on her shoulders and she is the one

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themes that families can relate to.

The cast is diverse, which is good, because Disney always has trouble showing a broad representation of anything, but they nail it with this one. The film is set in Columbia, and Columbia comes with all different body types and skin tones. Often, Disney sticks to the same white cast, especially when it comes to cultural representation. It often comes out as racist or not accurate to the culture. Encanto steps out of the typical Disney standard and produces a masterpiece of Columbian representation.

Since Encanto has been released, it has been shown great praise by several audiences. The live-action version of Mulan was not well-received. It was a lack of representation of their culture, with some of it being highly inaccurate. Encanto was all about culture and representation and I wish that Mulan had more of what Encanto has. Another culture that needs more representation is Black culture. I understand that there are movies with black

characters as the main focus, such as The Princess and the Frog and Soul, but the main characters are not human. They are both wonderful movies and tell a great story, but why are the characters not human for most of the movie? It makes them feel less important than the other movies that they have produced. When you see something like Encanto, it makes you want more about the people and culture of whatever community.

With a great movie, comes with a great soundtrack and Encanto was full of great bangers. The most popular song to come out of this is, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” It's been so successful, that it reached number 1 on the billboard top 100. This is the first Disney song to be in the Top Ten since “Let it Go” from Frozen.

Imani Turner-Wells is a third-year cinema and photography major who is always waiting for the chance to talk about Bruno. They can be reached at iturnerwells@ithaca.edu.

Movie Review: Licorice Pizza Spoiler alert: the term “licorice pizza” is never mentioned in this film // By Sofia Nolfo, Contributing Writer

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Licorice Pizza, although critically acclaimed, has not been without its controversy. Most notably is the age gap between the two protagonists and the romantic implications and scenes throughout the film. The plot starts out with Gary pursuing Alana, who laughs off his advances, he is persistent and continues to bother her. However, Alana does begin to entertain his advances and there are several montages of them being flirty with one another– their legs touching under the table as they giggle with one another, or holding prolonged eye contact. Many of these scenes made me uncomfortable, especially some of the scenes that involved Alana entertaining him or giving into his advances.

Another controversy of the film is two scenes that involve a character being racist towards two seperate Japanese women.

Jerry, a local businessman, first meets with Gary’s mother about the new Japanese restaurant he and his wife, Mioko, want to open. His wife does not speak English, so he begins to speak down to her in a mocking Japanese accent. She then responds to him in Japanese, however there are no English subtitles explaining what she is saying. This then happens again later, but with a different wife named Kimoko. I understood that Anderson was trying to get us to laugh at Jerry and portray him as being stupid and racist, but the scenes were done in an unclear way. These scenes have garnered decent amounts of backlash. Several Asian activist groups have condemned the film, claiming that it normalizes scenes of anti-Asian racism during a time where hate crimes

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icorice Pizza is director Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest project and was released on November 26, 2021. It stars Alana Haim as Alana and Cooper Hoffman as Gary. The film is set in the 1970’s in California’s San Fernando Valley, and has been described as a sort of “coming of age” film. Alana is 25 years old working for a school photography company and she meets 15 year old Gary at his high school picture day. Gary immediately falls in love with her and asks her out, but Alana refuses to go on a date with him considering their age gap. They begin to hang out as friends, although Gary still has feelings for her, which he is not shy about. Alana begins to get sucked into Gary’s various business projects and adventures. Many of the scenes feel like events of a 1970s sitcom woven together into one movie. We see Alana exposing her deep immaturity, contrasted with Gary’s moments of attempting maturity. For much of the film, it is as if she is trying to hold onto adolescence while he is trying to escape it.

against Asians have skyrocketed. Anderson has defended these scenes by saying he was trying to paint an accurate portrayal of the 1970s, and included the common casual racism that was seen during that time. However, if Anderson was trying to make commentary on casual racism, it did not come across to the audience easily enough. Overall, these scenes felt awkward and unnecessary.

Anderson does deserve credit for Licorice Pizza being visually fantastic. The vibrant aesthetic of 1970s Los Angeles was exciting to watch. The costumes were excellent, especially all of Alana’s.

Anderson puts together a fun and meaningful movie with Licorice Pizza, but my main issue is how much trust he put in his audience to understand what he was trying to say. In terms of the controversies like Alana and Gary’s relationship, the scenes with the Japanese wives, and the way Alana is portrayed as a female protagonist, he hopes too much that the audience will understand any larger social points he is trying to make.

Sofia Nolfo is a second-year communication and design management major who was deeply saddened that the film did not in fact have any licorice or pizza. They can be reached at snolfo@ithaca.edu.

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Spotify v. Neil Young

No Longer “Rockin’ In A Free World” // By Jess Williams, Contributing Writer

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n Monday, January 26th, famed singer/songwriter Neil Young posted a scathing ultimatum on his website against Spotify.

This ultimatum was issued after a series of misleading comments about the Covid-19 vaccine made by Spotify-signed podcast star Joe Rogan. “Spotify has recently become a very damaging force via its public misinformation and lies about COVID”, Young explains. In a letter he sent to his record label, Young made it very clear: “They [Spotify] could have Rogan, or Young. Not both.”

Spotify removed Neil Young’s massive and influential discography, choosing to stand with their $100 million purchase for the rights of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Following Neil Young’s lead, many artists have hopped on the “ditch Spotify” bandwagon, including another singer/songwriter legend, Joni Mitchell.

As a music streaming service, Spotify has one job: to stream music. Yet, the company chose Joe Rogan over Neil Young. This prioritization of misinformation over music based on profit places a worrying reflection upon Spotify’s attitudes towards the artists they host. Since then, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has assured users that they are developing “measures to help combat misinformation and provide greater transparency.” As music journalist Ben Beaumont-Thomas aptly points out in an article for The Guardian, “In a 1,100-word opening statement announcing Spotify’s successes, he used the word ‘music’ only once.” Regardless of how this situation eventually resolves, Spotify’s choice is only the most recent in a long series of harmful and exploitative actions.

“The only goals stated by Ek are about numbers – not art, not creativity.” -Neil Young Spotify has run into a lot of trouble ever since the service launched in 2008, yet it still holds the biggest market share out of every streaming service - more than doubling that of its biggest competitor: Apple Music. Spotify rules over the music industry with an iron first since streaming is by far the primary way people listen to music. This power has led to many questionable business practices and a troublingly low pay rate to for artists.

Reports on how much streaming services pay artists is very inconsistent. The prevailing understanding is that Spotify pays artists less than $0.005 per stream, with Apple music paying closer to $0.01, and Tidal is estimated to pay about the same. Often this money doesn’t even go directly to the artists, instead being split amongst rights-holders and record labels before going to the artist. These are abysmal numbers, especially for smaller artists, or middle-sized artists. Even some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Taylor Swift and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, have complained about how unfair streaming payouts are.

While the dismal payouts are an issue that can be seen across

the board with streaming services, Spotify seems to be the worst of the worst. Spotify is more than twice as big as Apple Music, yet it still gets away with paying less than half as much. Spotify has also reportedly indulged in “pay for play” schemes where music labels pay the platform to obtain placements on popular playlists. Just last November, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek directed more than $100 100 million euros (funds amassed from the consistent exploitation of artists) towards an independent artificial intelligence company that focuses on the development of AI weaponry - because we all know how much artists love war.

With all of its recent controversy, could this finally be the end of the line for the music industry’s largest streaming giant? Uhhh, no.

Probably not. Spotify is the dominant platform, and boycotting can only go so far, especially with a lack of solid alternatives. It also doesn’t help that Spotify is integrated into how we socialize with music; when I send music to my friends, I send them Spotify links when I make playlists for people, I create them on Spotify - when I am playing music on desktop, I use Spotify. I pay for Spotify, even though I mainly use Apple Music and hate Spotify with every fiber of my being. The only force that can change the predatory nature of Spotify lies with the same record labels that are benefiting most from the streaming model. Neil Young and Joni Mitchell leaving is a small step forward, but the absence of an artist - even a huge one - has not seemed to push consumers to cancel subscriptions in the past. Most likely, this bold move by Neil Young and Joni Mitchell will not have an impact on Spotify as a whole, but there is hope still.

Emerging music services are attempting to fix the issues with the current streaming model. The “stream-to-own” model is a promising one, it employs a system where streaming a song costs a very small amount of money that increases upon subsequent streams.

Once you stream the song enough, you then own the song. This keeps the opportunity cost of streaming new music low, while also paying artists well. Bandcamp is a service that has become a bit of a favorite among independent artists. It uses a pay-what-you-want model, facilitating a hybrid between a music streaming platform and an online music store. Bandcamp is also praised for its “Bandcamp Fridays” where all purchases made on the site go directly to the artists. Even though Bandcamp is loved by artists and fans alike, most agree it is not a sustainable solution.

Jess Williams is a first-year exploratory major.

They can be reached at jwilliams16@ithaca.edu.

TV Review: The Get Down

Have you heard the good word of The Get Down? // By, Gus Dunn-Hindle, Contributing Writer

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llow me to be your introduction. The “get down” is the part of the song where the vocals blend with the music, when the beat comes to the fore, when the hook drops and the people dance. The “get down” part is when you groove, when the funk seizes the soul. It’s what makes the b-boys and b-girls of the Bronx dance. It’s the best part of disco, soul, jazz and brass, and it's the part every disc jockey must isolate and master. In the crumbling fire-trap that is the Bronx, against a skyline of derelict buildings and exquisitely graffitied train cars, hip hop is being born. It’s a brand new musical form rooted in re-purposing the sickest sounds from disco into the ultimate counter-cultural dance music. At the cutting edge are legends like Shaolin Fantastic,

aka “Lady-Killing Romantic”: the red Puma-wearing tagger who roams the rooftops, mysterious and elusive in his quest to become a DJ under the tutelage of Grandmaster Flash. The city is a mythical place, full of mystery, adventure and romance; where battle is done by dance, by rhyme, and sometimes, by bullet, sword and tire iron. The Bronx is ruled by three secret kings: DJ Kool Herc, Bambado and the Zulus and Grandmaster Flash. They rule a realm of grit, hope and resourcefulness, a world apart from the shiny, aspirational disco mainstream in Manhattan.

Now you should know, this is no dry music documentary full of interviews and historical footage. The Get Down follows Books, a teenage poet and reluctant candidate for escape from the ghet-

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to. He is in love with Mylene, his childhood friend and singer, but establishes a new passion when he meets the legendary Shaolin Fantastic face-to-face. Brought together first by competition, then by music, Books becomes Shaolin’s wordsmith, and they seek the secret knowledge of the get down together. They navigate the constant tension between the various factions of the Bronx.

Mylene’s glitzy future as a disco star clashes with Book’s stubborn commitment to underground hip hop; bringing to life the conflict between disco and hip hop. Every character balances the drive to make music, and the need to survive amidst upheaval and deprivation.

The Get Down masterfully weaves the political, the historical, the musical, and the personal together to create a rich and varied composition that portrays life at the birth of hip hop better than anything else out there. My only complaint is that Netflix can-

celed the show after season two, because that’s what corporate America does to art. All said, you should watch The Get Down if you have any interest in hip hop, disco, music, history, good television, seeing Jaden Smith play a bisexual graffiti artist/rapper or watching Grandmaster Flash lock six guys in an apartment for 24 hours with a purple crayon to teach them how to DJ.

Gus Dunn-Hindle is a third-year environmental studies major who is a firm believer in the “get down.” They can be reached at odunnhindle@ithaca.edu.

Movie Review: West Side Story

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Rachael Powles, Staff Writer

est Side Story, a 1950s musical exploration of Romeo and Juliet through the lens of racial conflict in New York City, has remained a cultural milestone 65 years since its Broadway premiere. Director Steven Spielberg set out to bring this story into the 21st century with an adaptation that both challenges stereotypes and remains loyal to a show that is a landmark in the musical theatre canon. With a new screenplay by renowned playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner, this reimagining acknowledges the flaws of its source material while communicating its themes in a more complete way.

The original Broadway production of West Side Story opened in 1957 to critical acclaim, and was first adapted for the screen in 1961. The musical attempts to elevate the story of two New York City gangs, the white Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks, to Shakespearean levels. But it is impossible to ignore the flaws and oversimplifications in this story. Remaining very loyal to source material, our Romeo and Juliet are Tony, a former Jet member, and Maria, the sister of the Sharks’ leader. Their three-day love story has always felt rushed, with both characters expressing little regard for the people around them.

Both the musical and the film premiered just as conversations in Hollywood and Broadway were interrogating the portrayals of different races on screen and stage. Most of the original Sharks darkened their skin for their roles; even Rita Moreno, one of the only Puerto Rican actresses in the film, was asked to use makeup.

The portrayal of the Sharks often falls into stereotypes, from the sporadic use of Spanish exclamations to the oversexualization of the female characters. In the years since its premiere, this has been the standard method of performing West Side Story, with more recent attempts to update the musical’s themes widely scorned.

But Spielburg and Kushner’s West Side Story takes a very different tone. From the first moments of the film, a thin layer

of dust covers every character and object. We see construction crews moving in, foreshadowing the coming gentrification of the West Side with the building of Lincoln Center. The vandalization of a Puerto Rican mural by the Jets shows a deep-seeded racial tension that will fuel every decision moving forward. Kushner’s screenplay also fleshes out the characters in a way that builds up the world. We see Tony and Maria courting and discussing the racial prejudices and limitations that govern their lives. A powerful friendship between Maria’s brother Bernardo and her intended lover Chino justifies Chino’s later desire for revenge. The text also acknowledges the character Anybodys’ gender nonconformity with much more complexity than its predecessor, leading to a tear-jerking moment near the film’s conclusion where the Jets finally accept them as they are.

Several lyrics are changed to better reflect the complexities of identity, notably in the song “America.” The order of the songs has also been changed in a way that allows the narrative to flow more seamlessly. The high energy songs “Cool” and “Officer Krupke” are placed in the first act in this version, when the tone is more playful and youthful, while the love ballads and lamentations are largely clustered in the second act, as energy shifts to a darker, more violent place.

One of the most interesting cinematic decisions West Side Story makes is not having English subtitles during the long sections spoken in Spanish. Spielberg’s adaptation uses much more Spanish throughout than the film, notably when the Puerto Rican characters are in more private spaces in their own community.

However, this doesn’t take away from the audience’s understanding of the characters’ motivations, lending to the remarkable performances of the actors. The characters are able to tell their story in their own words, giving them much more emotional nuance than they had in the original film– a chance to express a sense of autonomy in a world where they are constantly being misunderstood. As a viewer, while the experience was disorienting at first, it kept me actively engaged. As a white, English-speaking woman, the choice also made me question my own expectations of a typical cinematic experience, and how my experiences are limited because of the language I’ve inherited.

What makes this movie shine, ultimately, are the performances.

Mike Faist and David Alverez play gang leaders Riff and Bernardo, respectively, with a heartbreaking sincerity. Newcomer Rachel Zegler, just 16 when she sent in her audition tape, makes Maria a three-dimensional woman with agency and drive. Ariana DeBose delivers a fiery performance of Anita, Bernardo’s girlfriend and Maria’s surrogate older sister, filled with a passion and determination to make a better life for herself in spite of the systemic oppression that surrounds her. Ansel Elgort’s Tony is a senti-

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mental and relatable romantic lead who is not immune from the prejudice of his community, however his singing pales in comparison to the Broadway legends that surround him. The Jets and Sharks are filled with Broadway regulars (diehard theatre fans will no doubt recognize several former Newsies among the ensemble), who bring the world of the film to life through Justin Peck’s explosive choreography. This cast grabs our attention from the film’s first moments, refusing to let go until the final bloodstained moments.

An epic like West Side Story often feels untouchable, but the 2021 adaptation is the breath of fresh air this story needed. As a musical theatre kid at heart, this movie reminded me of the power theatre can have to open our eyes to new perspectives. I

left the movie theater feeling both devastated and empowered.

And with seven Oscar nominations and an upcoming release on Disney+ and HBO Max, I dearly hope the next generation of theatre-goers will find themselves feeling similarly.

Rachael Poweles is a fourth-year theatre studies and culture and communications double major who longs for the chance to spontaneously break out in song and dance. They can be reached at rpowles@ithaca.edu.

Still Screaming

A ranking of the films from the Scream franchise // By Sarah Borsari, Staff Writer

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had given up on life. Hung up my ghostface mask, cloak, and shiny, stabby knife. I was ready to retire to a life of calm and peace, to watch only Jennifer Lopez rom coms while eating cherry twizzlers and doing a face mask.

But then Scream 5 came out.

Now here I sit, covered in blood and fresh out of a week-long Scream binge. So, it’s time to talk about all things Wes Craven, and give my conclusive rankings for the best and worst Scream films.

1. Scream (1996) When it comes to the Scream franchise, nothing compares to the Art by Adam Dee original. The first film follows Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as her hometown is terrorized by a masked killer, dead set on killing her, and as many townspeople as possible. Only a year after her mother’s murder, Sydney must fight off nosy reporter Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and suspicions of her boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich), all while bodies drop around her.

Often credited with revitalizing the dying slasher genre, the witty, self-reflexive nature of the film won over audiences and created an instant hit. The highest-grossing slasher film (adjusted for inflation) until 2019, Scream is easily the most rewatchable film of its kind, and still feels as eerie and shocking as it did on the first watch. Since it did not have to battle with the established conventions of a franchise, each turn the story takes is entirely original and establishes its ‘anything can happen’ attitude by killing off its biggest star—Drew Barrymore—before the opening credits. Despite this, the remaining cast brings with them star performances that make you hope they will survive right until the killing blow. This film embodies all the best parts of a horror movie without taking itself too seriously, which allows the audience to let their guards down and appreciate what an exciting, gory romp it is. The original Scream is dangerous and funny, and is a movie audiences can watch just to remind themselves what is great about horror movies.

2. Scream (2022) While I know it is bold to place a (let’s be honest) cash–grab remake so close to the original film, Scream 5 pulled out all the stops. Taking place 25 years after the murders of the first film, it

follows Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrerra) who has to return to her hometown of Woodsboro after her sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega), is attacked by the Ghostface killer. Accompanied by her boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid), she is thrust into a mystery—and everyone is a suspect.

While this iteration of Scream is obviously not as inventive as the original, it has almost as much fun as that one does. While some modern takes on Scream (specifically Scream 4) feel as though they are trying to lean more into a classic horror, this film plays with those troupes in a campy way. It addresses the recent uptick of auteur horror films in the past few years-and plays back into the classic style. It plays with the ‘everyone’s a suspect’ nature of the Scream films by having characters confront each other in nearly every scene, and swells its music at inopportune times to make the audience believe tragedy is about to strike.

While I do not entirely love the ‘reboot character is a child of the original’ troupe, in a Scream movie it feels very intentional. More than anything, the reveal of the killer felt as close to an original as possible. It is someone you know with a good reasoning and connection, and the film does enough flip-flops that you will be hard-pressed to guess accurately. Additionally, this film goes as far as to kill long-time cast member David Arquette, which causes legitimate fear for returning characters Sydney Prescott and Gale Weathers. This film also saves a few members of it’s new cast-, implying they may have more to say in the new era of Scream.

3. Scream 2 (1997) Full of self-fulfilling prophecies about the quality of sequels, Scream 2 delivers a solid balance of scares, nostalgia, and humor.

It follows Sydney Prescott as she attempts to live a normal life in college despite her dark past. She is joined by her new boyfriend Mickey (Timothy Olpihant) and fellow survivors Randy (Jamie Kennedy), Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox).

Released only a short year after the original Scream movie, this iteration of the franchise still feels fresh and exciting, and utilizes its new location to throw off the viewer and question all of their surroundings. It has several exciting sequences, like when Sydney envisions Ghostface during her stage performances, and when Randy is on call with the killer in the middle of the quad. I will say the reveal of the killer feels a bit out of left-field, as the film dedicates much of it’s runtime to exploring other characters and doesn’t give many hints to the reveal. Despite this, the college party setting is the perfect playground for Ghostface, and features many gruesome killings. This film also dedicates much of it’s runtime to the relationship between Dewey and Gale Weathers, which introduces a sincere element that is often absent from

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the Scream movies.

Scream 3 (2000) The last of the original Scream trilogy tries it’s best to amp up the energy. While on set for the fictional ‘Stab’ franchise based off the original Woodsboro murders, cast members began facing attacks from a Ghostface killer. Gale, Dewey and Sydney have no choice but to return and try to save this new generation—putting themselves in harm’s way in the process.

This Scream film borders on the point of being almost too self-aware. It’s full of long-winded monologues about the ‘rules of trilogies,’ and the self-insertion of a Wes Craven character makes it feel vapid and a bit obnoxious. While the re-creation of Hollywood sets and actors is a fun premise to play with, the new characters are petty and difficult to root for, which almost makes you wish ghostface would take them out sooner. The final battle takes place in an old Hollywood mansion, which makes its sequence thrilling and unpredictable. But, the reveal of Ghostface is very anticlimactic, as the killer reveals he was actually Sydney’s long-lost brother seeking revenge on her for something her mother did. Since we only learn this information after the killer is revealed, there is very little satisfaction in the unveiling. Additionally, due to the abilities of ghostface to appear and disappear, it feels unlikely that one killer would be capable of all that ghostface accomplishes in the movie.

Scream 4 (2011) More than anything, this film is a product of its time. 15 years after the original Ghostface killings, Sydney returns to Woodsboro to promote her recently published self-help book. Upon

her return, two high schoolers are killed, and Sydney must stay in town until the murders are solved.

The last film of the Scream franchise to be filmed before Wes Craven’s death in 2015, you would hope that it would be one of the better films in the franchise. However, it lacks the campy tone that makes the Scream films so enjoyable, and feels too much like a by-the-books horror movie. The deaths in this film are extremely gruesome, and the tension is rarely cut or played upon in the story. Additionally, the location feels tired and drawn-out, and doesn’t play with the suburban setting as much as they could. Credit should be given to the Ghostface reveal, as it has the perfect balance of surprise and suspense. However, the end of the film is also very drawn out—several attempts on the characters' lives follow the reveal of the killer, tacking an extra 20 minutes onto the runtime. Still, the progression of the lives of the original characters feels very natural, and they fit into the new era relatively seamlessly, a feat that is difficult to achieve for many remakes.

It has already been announced that Scream 6 is entering production, with no word yet on which cast members will be returning. It is likely that Scream is entering another trilogy, following the success of the newly-released Scream 5. I wish the franchise all the best because in 20 years, when they announce the release of Scream 20, I will still be in the front row of the theater, laughing and screaming my head off.

Sarah Borsari is a third-year cinema and photography major who is probably not giving up on Scream any time soon. They can be reached at sborsari@ithaca.edu.

Film Review: After Yang

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By M. Minton, Staff Writer

fter video essayist Kogonada’s extraordinarily beautiful and touching feature-length debut Columbus released five years ago, film fans took note of his undeniable talent. The film’s cinematic brilliance is rooted in real-life conversations, experiences and questions about life’s journey. Now Kogonada is back with his sophomore film effort. Despite the film’s more sci-fi, abstract and contemplative ideas, After Yang hits just as hard as Columbus did. In some ways, it’s even a step forward for him as a director and a writer.

After Yang follows a family whose young daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja) faces the loss of her artificially programmed companion Yang (Justin H. Min). The father of the family, Jake (Colin Farrell), goes on a journey to try and repair Yang and in doing so, discovers the life passing by in front of him with Mika and his wife, Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith). The film beautifully and effortlessly explores the humanity that the family finds in Yang despite being artificially designed to help teach Mika about her Asian heritage and culture. Yang’s malfunction is not just a plot device—by the end of the film, it hits the audience just as hard as it does the characters.

Like Columbus, one of the strongest aspects of After Yang is the dialogue. Every conversation in the film feels ripped straight out of conversations the audience can imagine happening between the characters. The futuristic world that Kogonada has created here is never given a specific year or time period, which makes it feel extremely timeless. The viewer gets to absorb every detail of the world here and see how it may not be so different from our current times. Despite the abstract visuals seen when Jake views Yang’s memories, or the advanced technology incorporated into the plot, the story itself is rooted in real-life experi-

ences and emotions.

The performances are also a huge standout in the film, giving life to Kogonada’s story and script. Jake’s journey in the film to reconnecting with his family is largely internal, but Farrell’s portrayal of his character allows the audience to understand his emotions, even without dialogue. As he faces the challenge of trying to fix Yang while also realizing the distance he feels from his family, the viewer is taken with him every step of the way. The standout of the film is easily Min, who plays Yang. Min portrays Yang in a perfect way; even though it is clear he is artificially created, his fascination with experiencing life makes him just as human as the rest of the characters.

The best moments in the film are easily the sequences where the audience gets to watch Yang’s past memories. The sequences are beautiful, heart-wrenching and stunning to see unfold with some incredible point-of-view shots. The musical score by Aska Matsumiya also adds so much to the film (and these scenes in particular), often employing quiet and gentle sounds from string and percussion instruments to externalize the feelings of the characters.

Kogonada’s efforts here are a testament to the rare cinematic power of capturing humanity. Many films try to do so and end up falling flat, but After Yang does so in a way that earns tears from the audience. With its exploration of what it means to be human, Kogonada has further put his name out there as a director to watch out for.

M Minton is a first-year writing for film, TV and emerging media and writing double major. They can be reached at mminton@ithaca.edu.

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Movie Review: Drive My Car For people who love it, driving can be about control // By M. Minton, Staff Writer

Art by Julia Young

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ffortlessly zooming down vast tunnels, driving through highways and passing by cities at night. Feeling like, in that moment, you have a sense of authority over what happens in your life. Nothing can stop you. But sometimes, we can quite literally crash. Life often takes what is most treasured of ours when we least expect it, stealing the wheel away from us. We realize our hands no longer control the steering wheel.

In Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s film Drive My Car, aging, widowed actor Yūsuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) has a difficult time coping with the loss of his wife, Oto, who was a screenwriter.

For Yūsuke’s, who has dealt with so much loss and grief, driving is something that gives him a sense of control. It’s a thing in his life that he can take complete ownership of, which makes it all the more compelling when he has to let go of that feeling in other areas of life. Two years after the passing of his wife, driver Misaki (Toko Miura) is ordered under contract to drive him from rehearsals during a theatrical production. At this point in his life, Yūsuke has accepted to direct a play adaptation of Uncle Vanya, a process that takes him on an emotional journey through his own grief.

As director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s excellent, emotionally introspective story goes on, the idea of control in the wake of loss becomes so much more complex. The deeply beautiful and poetically rich screenplay (adapted from Haruki Murakami’s short story) pulls the viewer into the story, despite its three hour runtime and slow burn approach. Many lines of dialogue in the film, like the opening sequence with Oto conceiving her story ideas during sex, reveal the different ways people use art to cope in life. Like

Yūsuke’s unlikely connection that forms with Misaki as they both discover what brings them together, Drive My Car doesn’t leave anybody behind when it comes to character development.

Drive My Car is not a film about reassurance so much as it is about being understood and the way that tragic pain in life gets mirrored through the human connections that grow out of our most desperate situations. Through the theater production that the main character Yûsuke directs, the film brilliantly explores the relationship between the art we create and our own selves.

The audience largely watches the actors that Yûsuke has cast participate in table reads, and the progression of watching the play come together parallels Yûsuke’s re-discovery of life. The audience ends up learning so much about the characters through subtext and the way they approach their roles in the play, which really drives home the film’s themes about grief being portrayed in art.

Some of the film’s most memorable and engaging scenes are just watching conversations happening in cars - the dialogue drives so much of the story here. In one particular scene, Yūsuke and Misaki both open up to each other with anecdotes about personal trauma. The script knows when to sparingly allow characters to tell their own stories in order to make them hit home more effectively when they do. But visually, the film also creates a very vivid and realistic world through the cinematography and editing that doesn’t allow cheap tricks to get in the way of fantastic storytelling.

From its exhilarating and necessary forty-minute opening prologue to its emotionally resonant finale, I cannot recommend Drive My Car enough, both for its understanding of the way life can hurt us and leave us behind, and for its exploration of how long grief can take over everything we do. And in some instances, grief never stops keeping up with us, only a step behind our every next move.

M Minton is a first-year writing for film, TV and emerging media and writing double major. They can be reached at mminton@ithaca.edu.

TV Review: Abbott Elementary

By August Van Der Werf, Contributing Author

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When you believe in them, you put in the work… You have to give these kids a chance if they want to make it out of neighborhoods. The only way is for them to be educated.” So says Joyce Abbott, a veteran Philadelphia elementary school teacher, and the namesake for Abbott Elementary, the ABC sitcom created by her former student Quinta Brunson. Abbott Elementary follows Brunson’s Janine Teagues, who works at the eponymous Philly school, which suffers from a lack of funds. She and her colleagues attempt to navigate the demands of their job, which, as Abbott reminds us, is “more than a job.”

This is what makes Abbott Elementary shine so bright: it spotlights a group of dedicated, passionate teachers who never stop believing in their students, and celebrates that like the act of heroism it is. Connecting with children, helping them understand things and overcome obstacles—that’s everything to a teacher, because that’s everything to a kid… and this show has that down to a tee.

The supporting players are just as engaging as the lead, with

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When you believe in them, you put in the work… You have to give these kids a chance if they want to make it out of neighborhoods. The only way is for them to be educated.” So says Joyce Abbott, a veteran Philadelphia elementary school teacher, and the namesake for Abbott Elementary, the ABC sitcom created by her former student Quinta Brunson. Abbott Elementary follows Brunson’s Janine Teagues, who works at the eponymous Philly school, which suffers from a lack of funds. She and her colleagues attempt to navigate the demands of their job, which, as Abbott reminds us, is “more than a job.”

This is what makes Abbott Elementary shine so bright: it spotlights a group of dedicated, passionate teachers who never

stop believing in their students, and celebrates that like the act of heroism it is. Connecting with children, helping them understand things and overcome obstacles—that’s everything to a teacher, because that’s everything to a kid… and this show has that down to a tee.

The supporting players are just as engaging as the lead, with each one bringing something new to the table. Chris Perfetti August Van Der Werf is a first-year cinema and photography major who is a firm believer in the Dewey decimal system. They can be reached at avanderwerf@ithaca.edu.

My Ranking of the 2022 Oscars Best Picture Nominees

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By M Minton, Staff Writer

he Academy’s decision to guarantee that all ten possible best picture slots are filled this year has given the chance for more movies to call themselves “Best Picture Nominees.” In recent years, wonderful films, like If Beale Street Could Talk and Carol, have been left out potentially due to the sliding voting system that usually favors eight or nine films being nominated rather than a full ten. So naturally, as a self-proclaimed Oscars expert, I had to rank all ten recognized films in the category this year. #10: Don’t Look Up Adam McKay’s latest satire after the dreadful Vice is another obvious and annoying film with a messy tone. It has an extremely effective and powerful ending that drives home its themes of the inevitable dangers of climate change—along with an excellent Nicholas Britell score—but it ends up falling a bit flat with its weak humor. If nothing else, the film’s popularity will at least bring more attention to the issue of climate change. #9: Belfast The most oscar-baity film in the lineup, Kenneth Branagh’s black-andwhite quirky family drama is extremely forgettable. While not a bad film by any means, and with some strong performances from Jamie Dornan and Caitriona Balfe, it leaves a lot to be desired and feels more like a scattershot family portrait rather than a complete story. #8: Nightmare Alley Another solid film from Guillemero del Toro with beautiful production design and cinematography that brings a haunting human story to life.

The film does drag at times and would have benefitted from re-writes in the first and second acts to keep the audience more engaged, but the excellent performances and Del Toro’s visual style make it worth seeing. #7: CODA Last year’s charming Sundance hit has broken into the Oscars race, showcasing many beautiful sequences that allow the audience to live in the space of these deaf characters. They’re also played by deaf actors, which is so rare! It’s a cheesy and predictable script, but it works nonetheless and has a lot of well-earned sincerness and amazing performances. #6: King Richard Aunjanue Ellis and King Richard absolutely carry this solid sports drama that is compelling and entertaining to watch all the way through, even if it runs a bit too long in duration. The tennis scenes are surprisingly exhilarating to watch and the writing keeps the audience’s attention. The story of how Serena and Venus Williams were raised

into becoming two of the best tennis players in the world is nothing short of inspiring. #5: Licorice Pizza While not without some head-scratching choices, like an uncomfortable scene with a racist character mocking a woman’s Japanese accent, Paul Thomas Anderson’s stunning vision envelops the audience in the world of 1970s San Fernando Valley with a very strong script.

Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman are clear stars in this vibe-filled roller coaster of a movie. In watching the two characters form a connection, the audience gets transported into a time capsule they won’t want to escape. #4: West Side Story Steven Spielberg should’ve been directing musicals all along, as evident with this excellent re-telling of the iconic musical that absolutely justifies its existence (aside from the casting of Ansel Elgort). Ariana Debose gives the iconic role of Anita a new light on screen and the musical sequences are just as brilliant as in the original film. #3: Dune It’s a sci-fi epic directed by master Denis Villeneuve adapted from Frank Herbert’s sprawling, iconic novel. This was never not going to be an absolute banger. Jaw-dropping visuals, sound design, music and world-building all bring this vision to life. It feels a bit incomplete, but Part Two should hopefully fix that. #2: The Power of the Dog Deeply layered with subtext and brilliantly directed and written by Jane Campion, this best picture frontrunner is an excellent feat of film-making, storytelling and acting that I haven’t been able to get out of my head since watching. It’s an extremely effective portrayal of suppressed homosexuality and the effects of toxic masculinity in society. With a brilliant and terrifying performance from Benedict Cumberbatch, along with strong turns from Kirsten Dunst and Kodi Smit-McPhee (who totally sneaks up on the audience), this film is quite powerful. #1: Drive My Car I won’t say much here (see my full review), but if the Academy did one thing right this year, it was honoring this incredible film from Japan with Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay and International Feature Film nominations. Hopefully, this is a sign of progress for even more worthy international films to break into the Oscars for years to come.

M Minton is a first-year writing for film, TV and emerging media and writing double major who already knows what their plans are for the evening of March 27th, 2022. They can be reached at mminton@ithaca.edu.

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A Haiku: Last Words I’d tell you that I Feel small without you, that my Throat hurts without you.

Greta Unetich, Staff Writer

Greta Unetich A Haiku Outskirts of Ithaca, New York If you find the small Gold heart in the grass once more, Keep it for yourself.

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Letters to a Recluse Playwright

By Will Cherico July 16th, 1923 Dear Mr. Redford, I hope this letter finds you well. I am the owner of The Gilded Greek Theater in Mourningport, Massachusetts and a longtime producer of many of its shows. I am writing to you today to ask you for the great honor of putting on your most recent play. I understand you’ve historically been against selling the scripts you’ve written, but if your stories are as powerful and hypnotic as the plays you directed in your prime, I have no doubt they could be a fantastic entrepreneurial and artistic opportunity. After all, what is a show for if it isn’t performed for all to see? The Greek is a small theater, but we could surely work out a deal that would satisfy you monetarily. Please inform me as soon as you’ve come to a decision.

Regards, Edwin Peck -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 7th, 1924 Dear Mr. Redford, What a pleasant surprise to hear from you after all this time. I suppose when a man becomes as respected and independent as Crawley Redford himself, correspondence becomes one of the many trivialities of life in modern society. My theater and I are saddened to learn of your reluctance to sell us your script. I understand your concern, as actors are a very superstitious lot, but I can assure you the Gilded Greek Theater is one of the safest of its size. I would know - I oversaw the construction myself. Just this last year, Roger Ives directed an acclaimed production of Macbeth, in which the fabled curse of the Scottish play took no effect. In truth, this last year was somewhat difficult for us, and by giving us an opportunity to advertise a show with your name attached, you may be saving a small business and several jobs. Please give your writing assistant (or muse, whichever they may prefer) my contact information and I will attempt to make a case to them as well.

Regards, Edwin Peck -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 8th, 1924 Dear Mr. Redford, I hope you didn’t take my comments on the time it took you to respond as an insult. Whether you did or not, I must admire the uncanny speed with which you’ve answered my most recent letter. You tell me you are hesitant to sell the Gilded Greek your most recent show because of the “potential for risk of life or wellbeing through enhanced emotions and the ever-blurring lines of reality” created by the stories of your so-called muse. I understand the fear of not knowing how an audience may react to a show, or even the tragedy of actors becoming lost in their roles, but I can once again remind you of the close eye with which I keep watch over any production put on at my venue, and assure you all major events or oddities of the day will be recorded and reported back to you in a letter handwritten by yours truly. Roger Ives just finished directing his vision of Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein and is looking for a good follow-up. I think one of your works could be the gothic, emotional tour de force that he is looking for.

Regards, Edwin Peck -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 9th, 1924 Dear Mr. Redford, I cannot express to you how delighted I, Mr. Ives, or the rest of the cast and crew of the Gilded Greek Theater were to see the envelope containing your script for The Eye of Somnirius. While more than one copy of the script would’ve been preferable, I've explained to everyone that you rented it to us on the condition that we would not read through more than one scene a week, putting us on track for a show between September and November.

A strange superstition to be sure, but I’m willing to entertain the notion that this is to prevent the actors from “emotional overexertion.” Cast and crew alike were willing to accept this without question except for Nick Andros, a boy who works our light riggings, who agreed after some convincing. We are going to get started as soon as we can, and I will be sure to keep you updated on our progress.

Regards, Edwin Peck -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 11th, 1924 Dear Mr. Redford, As per your request, we read only one scene of your show and - what a tease! What suspense! If I were not so inclined to treat your skill with the utmost respect, I would say your one-scene limit is almost cruel. Needless to say, the rest of the workers at the Gilded Greek were equally enraptured, to the point where Nick Andros was ready to lead a crew mutiny to read to the end of the act! Now naturally I joke, all of my employees hold nothing but loyalty, and tomorrow we will be rehearsing the next scene of the show. Be sure to thank your mystery muse again on our behalf. If all is well with you, I will be stepping away from the letter-writing desk to focus on overseeing the production, but I am sure I will be in touch with you soon.

Regards, Edwin Peck -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 15th, 1924 Dear Mr. Redford, I write to you with uneasy news. Nick Andros, the light boy whose name has graced our discussions more than once, seems to have been possessed with the unexplainable fervor of a regular fanatic. The boy has never had the soul of a creative, opting instead for the more physical art that is stage work. On this day, however, he went on a rather off-putting tangent about the beauty of your work and the stage. Nick was using words to describe your show of a far greater education than I believe he ever received, and to an extent that made rehearsal difficult. We asked the boy to wait outside the theater, and on leaving we saw through the glass door that he had been simply standing and facing the box office without moving or speaking.

When I asked what the boy was doing, he simply muttered: “The eye was so beautiful.”

What could this mean?

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Please respond soon, Edwin Peck -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 16th, 1924 Dear Mr. Redford, I’m writing this in response to your questions about Nick Andros’ further behavior. After taking him aside to try and find out more, he admitted to me that he had broken into the Gilded Greek to steal the copy of The Eye of Somnirius so he could finish the play. He had stayed there all night, and upon realizing that people were entering for the next day’s work fled out the window. I have never seen this kind of behavior from the boy before the play began production. I’ll be discussing with Roger Ives over what action we will be taking against Nick in the future. He’s a fine young man and one of our longest working crewmates, but to break the rules that were laid out by you so explicitly, presents itself as a problem that we don’t want to be furthered later.

I will follow up after further discussion.

Edwin Peck -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 16th, 1924 Dear Mr. Redford, I don’t know how you received that letter or sent your response so quickly, but your tone was alarming. What did you mean by referring to the play as an eldritch threat to the boy’s life? It’s simply paper and ink, isn’t it? I’ve understood your work has garnered controversy among the church for its references to the occult, but I never took that to be anything more than the average stage rumor, being much less superstitious than my creative counterpart Roger Ives. Your letter’s warning tone felt more like a threat than anything, and if you have any sinister confessions to make, I strongly suggest you do it soon.

Respond with haste, Edwin Peck -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 18th, 1924 Mr. Redford, I don’t know if you received my last letter, but it is crucial for you to respond as quickly as possible if you did. Nick Andros’ condition has only gotten worse. He wrote a copy of your entire play from memory and convinced other members of the cast and crew to read it. They have begun to act hysterical and obsessive similar to Nick - weeping, rambling, the like - and are slowly talking the others into reading the script as well. I confiscated his first copy in the morning, but he had a new one by the lunch break. Roger and I aren’t sure what to do. The people who have read the full script are still doing fine at their jobs, but their incessant fervor is distracting the stable actors. Roger, who is currently in a superstitious panic, wants to fire everyone who had read the script, but I don’t know if we can afford to do that on such short notice. A theater firing half of its cast and crew is not an attractive look to prospective audiences or workers, and I would like a second opinion from you or your so-called “muse,” who, without suggesting blame, has been awfully quiet since this debacle has started. Maybe you should ask them for instructions on where to go from here. I need you to respond as soon as you can. I fear what may be about to happen if I let this get out of control any further than I’ve already allowed.

Edwin Peck -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 26th, 1924 Mr. Redford, I write with awful news. Roger talked me into waiting one week for your response before taking the Andros matter into our own hands. I took the boy into my office and told him he would no longer be able to work with us until he had received help and returned to normal. The boy seemed okay with the news until I asked him for his copy of The Eye of Somnirius. The fact that he would no longer be able to spread the word of your black Bible seemed to affect him all at once. With tears beginning to stream from his eyes, he lunged up and grabbed my fountain pen from across the desk.

Before I could react, the boy took the pointed tip and jammed it into his neck, carving a wide slit into his throat with an insidiously savage flourish.

Immediately I called for help, and Andros was taken to the hospital (although I fear we were too late). Mr. Redford, I don’t know what mystic aberrations you have distilled across your plays, but if this is why you are so hesitant to share your scripts with the world, then I regret ever attempting to convince you to break tradition. Despite my insistence, your responsibility is impossible to write off. What evil muse forces you to write such evil in a medium meant to be distilled to the masses? I gasp as I write this, realizing the other workers, if anything like the boy, are in the process of creating their own copies of your cursed play. Roger is a nervous wreck now, and I have invited him to stay with me at my apartment until this all gets sorted out. I have seen you respond to my letters within a quarter hour which leads me to think your unresponsiveness is a choice. To what end, I do not know. I implore you to help us as soon as you can.

Edwin Peck -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 31st, 1924 Mr Redford, This will likely be the last time that you hear from me. On resuming production of your play, which I dare not mention the name of after the death of the poor Andros boy, Roger Ives and I were dismayed to find the members of the cast and crew he had read the rest of the script had been plotting to release their copies to the public in order to “spread the word of the Eye.” An argument ensued between those possessed by the script’s power and Ives and I, as well as a handful of concerned actors. A physical altercation ensued between Ives and Maria DeWitt, the female lead of the show.

She tried to attack him, accusing him of “attempting to stifle the beauty of the Eye.” Ives, in panicked self-defense, pushed her back and grabbed at her script. Tugging at the woman’s tight grip, he tore the pages in two and like several clocks striking the witching hour at once, all of those gripped by the Eye cried out in shock in what almost sounded like pain. On seeing her papers destroyed, Maria screamed and, with no warning, ceased to function. Doctors who would later inspect her declared they had no idea what had happened to her; she simply stopped living. In this time, one of our stagehands had the wise thought to telephone the police while Ives and two players engaged the other four in your creation’s clutches. When the police arrived, they were able to subdue three of them, but the fourth escaped. Roger and I are currently investigating the Gilded Greek to see if we can find his dropped script. Whether we do or do not, we have agreed the only way to contain this awful curse is to burn the building to the ground and catch a bus for Connecticut. I urge you, for no sum of money, to ever lend one of your muse’s awful conjurings of the mind to another reader again.

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I don’t know what keeps you safe from its ramblings, but it is far too strong for the average man. I also encourage you to maintain safety precautions from the fourth possessed, who is still out there and knows who you are. His experience in stage work has made him strong, and I fear what may happen to you if he decides he needs to get his hands on more of your work.

Good luck, goodbye, and I am sorry for the trouble caused by this.

Edwin Peck

Unnamed Rabid Aggressor Transformation Tape

By Will Cherico To the Desk of Senator Adrian Vasquez of New Mexico, I am a supporter of your work and understand that you are working with Chief Medical Advisor Rob Vandermeer to put together a portfolio to present to Congress regarding the recent outbreak of what the government is calling Chronic Wasting Rabies (CWR). I’ve been following the news and know that many others on the floor don’t believe those infected (I know the Speaker of the House has proposed an official title to refer to those suffering from CWR, but I hope you don’t mind if I refer to them by what we both know they are — zombies) are a risk to the general populace of America, and a cousin of mine was one of those people. He had a YouTube account called LetsGoBrendan863 where he’d post political videos and frankly spread a lot of misinformation about the disease. He lived in Fulci when the initial outbreak began, and once the first few recorded resurrections happened, he began working on a video attempting to disprove the existence of CWR. His girlfriend found his camera afterward and sent it to us. I’ve attached the video to this email and taken the liberty of transcribing it for easy access. I hope it’s helpful to your portfolio and the overall creation of the Rabies Affliction Containment Team.

Thank you for your efforts, Phyllis Peters The following is a transcript from the file PetersYouTube.mp4, taken from Jamie Peters’ Sony Hxr-nx100 Full HD Nxcam Camcorder. Segments have been cut out by request of the Senate for the sake of brevity.

[10:00 A.M.] Jamie Peters walks into frame from the right. He’s standing in a backyard, surrounded by nothing but a doghouse and fence.

Jamie: [Mumbling] Hey all, I’m here in my yard. Just wanted to prove a point. [Louder] Hey everyone, welcome back. Uh, sure most of you know I live here in Fulci, New Mexico. There’s been a lot of reports of the so-called “rabid aggressors,” that’s what the feds are calling ‘em, overrunning the city, but as you can see…

He gestures around. …We’re doing fine. I’ve heard a lot of different arguments about what we should do to avoid these people, I’m calling them zombies because that’s what they are, even if it offends you but that’s the truth, and the most common thing we all keep hearing is that it spreads through a bite. It spreads through a bite, don’t get bitten, you’ll become one of them if you get bit. But you know, you watch some of these guys on TV and what they’re saying makes a lot of sense. How can they have a… a disease if the disease kills you? If dead people could get sick, we wouldn’t be allowed in graveyards. It just doesn’t add up. One of the folks I saw, he was saying it comes from that lettuce they’re always recalling… says the government likes to put shit in it to see what it does to people. That’s why I don’t eat any of that, I’ve always heard since I was a kid you should never trust that vegan shit. I only put things in my body when I know what’s in ‘em.

He pauses and reaches offscreen to sip from a can of Monster Energy, then puts it back offscreen.

Jamie: I’ve always used this channel as a way to debunk some of the bullshit the media will tell you, and I figured this is another good case of that.

So… Jamie holds up his arm. On his wrist is a bite mark. Appears to be that of a human’s teeth.

Jamie: I went out and let one of those things bite me. CDC says you’re done within twelve hours, so I’m gonna wait this out, take care of it the old-fashioned way, see how I’m looking by nighttime. Deleted everything else off the camera so I’ll have enough storage here.

[12:00 P.M.] The footage cuts to Jamie holding the camera. The lens zooms in on his bite wound. The small wound has now grown to a ring around the hand.

The blood is a shade of black and seems to have taken on the consistency of honey, and white-yellow cracks line the edges of the break in skin like a spider web.

Jamie: Alright, looks like around two hours in, the bite’s gotten a little worse. Hasn’t really closed yet, which is weird, but it doesn’t hurt anymore.

Hand still works just fine, there’s that. I spent a few years in the Scouts and I could tell you that what that Vandermeer guy’s saying is some of the dumbest stuff I’ve ever heard. This is going the same way as any other cut or scrape I’ve had has gone. It always gets a little worse before it gets better. You know I heard on David Walker’s podcast that Vandermeer used to have a gambling addiction back in college, and I agree that you’d have to be stupid to trust someone that much of a sucker. Anyways, I’m gonna go inside and get a beer, bandage this up a little, then report back here.

[1:30 P.M.] Jamie shuffles on screen slowly.

Jamie: Shit, this hurts like a bitch. Tried to wrap it up but that pus stuff on either side ate right through it. I don’t know what this stuff is, but my hand’s sore. Guess the CDC was right about one thing, they did say it would feel like this. I don’t want to be dramatic, never my thing, but it reminds

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me a lot of when my brother backed over my hand with the car when I was young. I had a bite to eat along with the beer, but I’m still feeling pretty hungry. In case you haven’t noticed though, still very much alive, which tells me the idea that this zombie thing goes through bites is ridiculous. I’m thinking…

Jamie stops, then swallows heavily.

Jamie: I thinkHe suddenly hunches forward, offscreen, and begins retching and belching. After a few moments of this and what sounds like something hitting the ground, his head and upper torso re-enter frame. His mouth is coated in black sludge, and some of it is dripping as if it had the texture of hand soap.

He wipes his mouth with the infected hand, then hisses and clutches his wrist as his tainted vomit rubs into the wound.

Jamie: N-not sure what that was… Knew I shouldn’t huh…have eaten that banana, there was all sorts of crap all over it. I’m gonna order something on Postmates, I’m starving.

He pulls out a phone.

Jamie: Not sure if any of you caught Kurt Hadley Tonight yesterday but he was talking about how the symptoms the CDC’s saying the zombie bite will give you is a lot like this disease the Mexicans brought over that the government wants to keep secret, it comes from some kind of yucca. I did a quick Google and it said something like… point oh oh six percent transmission rate or something, so I’m thinking that’s probably what I might have, especially since I just find it hard to believe a disease so serious could’ve really started in a country like America… if this even turns out to be something, probably won’t. We’ll see what happens.

[2:30 P.M.] There is a knock on the fence gate behind Jamie. His head snaps to it, and he walks over and opens the fence. A delivery person steps in.

Delivery Person: Hey, Jamie?

Jamie stares at him, his mouth open a little bit.

Delivery Person: …Are you Jamie?

A thick stream of black drool dribbles down Jamie’s chin and slowly drips off his face. Suddenly, he clears his throat and shakes his head.

Jamie: Uh yeah, thank you.

He takes the food and the delivery person backs out of the yard. Jamie tears the bag open and pulls out a burger, which he takes a bite from without removing the wax paper. He chews quickly, swallows, reaches into his mouth, and pulls the paper [now coated in black ooze] out of his mouth and tosses it aside. He drops a chunk of burger and a German shepherd runs out of the doghouse and snaps it up.

Jamie: Punisher, get BACK! THAT’S MINE! The dog, panting, jumps up with his front paws on Jamie’s chest. Jamie shoves the dog off and jams the second half of the burger into his mouth as the dog runs back to the doghouse, whimpering.

Jamie: [muffled] Stupid dog, learn what’s yours. We can’t all share everything like they want us to.

Suddenly he spits out the burger he has in his mouth.

Jamie: Christ, what the hell did they put in this? Sand? Tastes like that garbage they pass off as Chinese ffff… foo…

He hunches over and vomits again, this time with an increased intensity and length. He falls over and bumps the tripod of the camera, causing it all to tumble down.

[4:00 P.M.] After ninety minutes of lying unconscious, Jamie stirs and looks around. He’s lying in a pool of black vomit, and it coats and sticks to the half of his face lying on the ground. He picks up the camera and points it at his face.

Jamie: Shhhit… I feel terrible.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and looks at it.

Jamie: Oh… oh my god. Oh my god.

He looks back up at the camera.

Jamie: My… My aunt just died. She was bitten by one of those things last night. Apparently, she just attacked her five-year-old, her husband had to take them both out. Oh my god, Andrew…

He puts a hand to his mouth.

Jamie: This… this means I’m… Oh my god. Oh no.

[4:15 P.M.] Jamie is on the phone. This was confirmed and proven to be with Vanessa Myers, Jamie’s girlfriend who provided the footage.

Jamie: Vanessa… you can’t come over tonight. I did it. I’m shooting the video.

Vanessa says something. Most of her audio is too muffled throughout the call for the camera to pick up.

Jamie: Yes, the zombie one. Listen, I… I know, I… I know you said not to do it. I know. Vanessa… I know. Please listen… Yeah. That is what it means. I’m going to… I am… Yeah.

A wail is heard over the phone.

Jamie: Just don’t come over. Please… Ok. Thank you. I’m sorry. I love you. Goodbye.

He hangs up and looks back at the camera.

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Jamie: I don’t understand… They all lied? Kurt Hadley, David Walker… I thought I could trust them, I thought it was just that yucca disease. I don’t even know what a yucca is. I just… I was wrong. They were wrong. All the donations I’ve given them, the rallies they’ve put together I’ve been to… was all that real?

His stomach audibly growls. Jamie lets out what sounds like a sob.

Jamie: And I’m still so goddamn hungry…

[5:30 P.M.] Jamie stands at the entrance of the doghouse, crying.

Jamie: Punisher? C’mon out boy. Please. Come on, boy. Out. I… I love you.

He puts his head down and sobs again.

[5:50 P.M.] Jamie sits with his knees drawn to his chest, motionless. He’s sitting next to the doghouse, the blue paint now smeared with what looks like blood.

Fur and gore coats Jamie’s face, mixing with the now dried black vomit. One of his eyes, the one on the side of his face covered in the sludge, is milky white. Jamie is mouthing something over and over again. On close inspection and a consultation from a lip-reading expert, it appears he’s saying: Jamie: Ate dog. So hungry. Ate dog. So hungry.

A single tear rolls down his eye. I’m aware I am supposed to be as objective as possible typing this transcript, but if I may break for a moment, this is the last human action in this video performed by Jamie Peters. What follows is what appears to be his death and reanimation as a Rabid Aggressor.

I cannot and would not try to describe it.

To Be Alone at a Party

By Sofia Nolfo Drink in hand, night wide open All these people I think I love.

The intoxication begins, first a tingling in the forehead A rush to the brain is imminent Sitting on a stranger’s bed I know who’s room I’m in.

Forced conversations and disgustingly flirtatious glances My hand screams for yours.

My head cries to be buried in your shirt.

Drunken tears escape with no one’s hair to absorb them I could run into the hallway without a soul to follow me.

Something tells me I could swim to you.

Right now! Across the Atlantic, salt stinging my eyes, Trudge across green, green hills, A few more strokes, and there you are!

I take you home and we brave another party together Knowing that later I can close my eyes on your chest.

Forgive me—these are simply the things I long to say Six feet under thoughts that emerge at a party When my teeth hit the glass I miss you all at once.

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“Sugar Violets”

by Mikayla Tolliver Definition of Enchantment: When one finds themself in a state similar to being under a spell. Or in other words, magic.

“What do you ever do for fun?” the sharp voice of Gina Sanchez demanded with an evil giggle.

Cora Wright looked up to meet Gina’s dark eyes.

“Are you asking what I do for fun or are you really asking if I know how to have fun because I seem boring to you?”

Cora asked in a dry voice.

The football boys let out “ooooos!” causing Gina’s cheeks to burn.

“You’re a real bitch, Cora, and while they laugh, they all know it,” Gina hissed into Cora’s ear before slinking off towards the back of the classroom.

Cora sighed before reaching for her pen and continuing her assignment. She could hear Gina whisper-shouting to her three friends: a volume used to make sure a certain person can hear you, but low enough where they could deny it if you called them on it.

“Hey, Gina,” Cora said, standing and turning slowly, her eyes cold, “Did you know I can hear you?”

Gina blinked a couple of times before tucking a braid behind her ear.

“Maybe you should mind your business, then,” Gina retorted.

“It’s hard when you make sure the world can hear you.”

Gina blinked her heavy eyelashes a few times, her words surely stuck in her throat. No one ever spoke to her like that, and the heavy silence was evidence of that. Cora walked to the back of the classroom in slow steps before sitting directly on the desk in front of Gina.

“Eww, don’t come near us. Everyone knows you’re strange, Cora.” Of course it was true, at least to the eyes of Westfield High Schoolers. Somehow this only encouraged Cora to linger around longer, even slip into the uneven chair. “Go back to your desk,” Gina scoffed.

Maybe it was the breaking point of months’ worth of taunting, but Cora knew it would destroy her if she ever let Gina’s sharp words lacerate her.

“Oh, joy! Cora’s making friends,” the teacher, Mr. Bush, gushed, lacing his fingers together and holding his hands beside his face like a cartoon. “What a wonderful thing.” Cora stared at him from her new desk without a word. “O-kay. No words from Miss Cora today. Shall we move forward in discussing our favorite subject: advanced statistics?”

The class groaned.

“Hey, Gina,” Cora whispered, turning in her desk, her face emotionless as ever.

Gina scrunched her face up, just the sound of Cora’s voice an excuse to show her disgust.

“Literally stop talking to me.”

“I just have a quick question,” Cora told her.

“No, I’m not gonna let you see my homework,” Gina snapped.

“No, I was wondering if you would show me your idea of fun.”

“What? Why would I do that? So I can be seen hanging out with you?”

“Well, I figured out of everyone here, you must have the most well-rounded idea of what’s fun and what’s not.”

“Like I said, literally stop talking to—” “Ladies! Oh dear! Did I not make it clear at the beginning of the year? No talking during my class.” Mr. Bush shook his head. “Ladies, I’m going to have to ask you to both go wait for me out in the hallway,” Mr. Bush said with sad eyes.

“Now.” “This is bullshit,” Gina argued. “She started talking to me!”

“Please. Go into the hallway. This is already hard enough for me, sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart?!” Gina demanded.

“So sassy!” Mr. Bush half giggled.

“OOO,” the football boys called again.

Gina stormed out of the room, fuming as she stomped out and joined Cora.

“What the hell?” Gina spat, standing directly in front of Cora now.

Cora didn’t say anything at first.

“I still want you to show me what you find fun.”

“You just did that to get me in trouble. It might not affect your record, but I have an image to upkeep.”

“Contrary to what you think—”

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“Fun!” Gina howled again. “Well, I’ll tell you what’s not fun! That. Was that your idea of fun?!” Gina seethed.

“No.” “Then what was the point?”

Cora shrugged.

“We didn’t do anything.”

“Yes, you did! You talked your way into a referral for both of us!”

“Yes, but who was in charge of all that?”

“What? The teacher? Why are you–” “Exactly.”

Gina stared at Cora for the longest time.

“And it seems that you’re not going to explain?” Gina said, her eyes wide with anger.

“What’s your idea of fun?” Cora repeated.

Gina placed her forehead against the wall and gritted her teeth together for a moment.

“Parties. There’s always one Friday night at Sunny’s,” Gina grumbled.

“Will you take me with you?”

“Tonight? To a party?”

“If tonight is Friday, yeah.”

Gina turned to stare at her. Cora’s eyes were shimmering blue, catching the beam of light sneaking through a hallway window. Gina burst into laughter.

“What’s funny?” Cora asked.

Gina chuckled to herself, looking down at her periwinkle nail polish “I like your nails,” Cora told her before retreating down the hallway.

“Where are you going?” Gina asked.

Cora shrugged.

“I’m out of here. Meet you at yours at nine?”

“Um?” But Cora was already down the hallway, swinging her arms from side to side. *** “How about this one?” Cora’s mom asked, holding up two dresses.

“I like the pink.”

“Really? Not the gold?”

“Nope, I like the pink one.”

“Alright, fine. It’s probably the better one even if the gold is a better shade.”

Cora smiled.

“Thank you for your approval.”

Cora’s mom smiled before reaching for the door handle. “Actually, Mom, wait. How come you aren’t making me stay home after that whole situation today?”

Her mom’s eyes widened for a second before she pressed her eyebrows together.

“What situation?”

“That thing in class. They said I was going to get a referral for it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you get a call from the school?”

“No?” “Oh. Okay.”

“Should I be concerned?”

“Huh? No, no, don’t worry about it.”

Cora and her mother held prolonged eye contact until Cora looked away to fix her dress.

“Cora.”

“What?” she asked, an edge in her voice.

“Are you doing it again?”

Cora turned back around.

“Doing what?” Cora asked. This time her mother looked away. “I’m only asking because I have to.”

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“You don’t. I’m fine.”

Cora’s mother looked at her quickly when Cora faced the mirror, readjusting her silver chain necklace.

“Can you hand me that?” Cora asked, gesturing to the red lipstick laying on her vanity.

Her mother handed it to her before slipping out of the room.

“I think your friend is here.”

“Perfect,” Cora breathed before grabbing her coat. “I’ll be back by 12.”

“12? That’s a little late.”

“Is that not okay?”

They stared at each other.

“No, no. That’s fine. Just… be safe. Make good decisions.”

“Of course,” Cora smiled before sauntering towards the gleaming headlights.

From inside the car, sets of eyes stared down Cora’s approaching figure.

“Her?” Gina’s friend, Brooklyn, sneered.

“She wants to know what fun it is,” Gina retorted with a snarky smile.

A couple of other people, including the driver, filled the car. They were all part of Gina’s posse, all people Cora had seen around school at some point or another.

“Hi,” Cora said, slipping into the back seat.

Gina’s friends moved over grudgingly while Gina just looked at her from the front passenger seat.

“What are you wearing?” Gina asked. “Are you going to Sunday brunch or something?”

Gina’s friends snickered as if on cue, but Cora only buckled on her seat belt and asked, “Where’s the party?”

“Top secret location,” the driver mumbled sarcastically.

“Okay.”

The other two girls in the backseat were hugging the other side of the car, which was fine with Cora: it didn’t offend her.

“You sure you don’t want to go home before it’s too late?” Gina asked.

Cora remained quiet.

“She’s talking to you,” the closest friend, Brooklyn hissed, elbowing Cora.

“Oh. No, maybe next time.”

“She’s funny,” the driver uttered, nudging Gina. “You should try to actually be funny and lighten it up,” he added.

Gina said nothing in response, just stared forward at the dark road as the car pulled off.

They heard the party before they saw it. The upbeat music drifted all the way down the block as well as colorful flashes of light. As soon as Gina walked in, it was like the entire premises were welcoming a celebrity.

“Hey Gina!” “Gina, you look so good!” “Gina, we still need to hang out sometime.”

Gina stopped to talk to a girl called Kitten all the while Cora trailed behind her.

“Gina! It’s been so long!” Kitten exclaimed, hugging her.

“I know. I hate that we never get to hang out anymore.”

“School is so boring this year without you,” Kitten cried.

“You know it wouldn’t be like that if my mom didn’t make me transfer to that other school.”

Cora watched quietly, afraid that Gina had forgotten she was standing there, and she’d overheard a personal moment she wasn’t supposed to hear. At that moment Gina seemed to remember Cora was at the party.

“Who’s this?” Kitten asked when it appeared that Gina was never going to introduce her.

“Her? Oh, this is just someone from my newer school.”

“Someone? Is she your friend?”

Gina glared at Cora before saying in a definitive grunt, “No.” “Then why—” “She wants to see what a real party is like.”

Cora gave a little wave, careful not to look at Kitten for too long. Kitten had this suspicious look in her eye as she scanned Cora for potential issues. It didn’t last too long because the same guy from the car, the driver, who also turned out to be Gina’s boyfriend, stomped in and grabbed Gina by the arm.

“Come on,” he grumbled, dragging her behind him.

Gina said something that resembled a protest, but Cora didn’t catch it. Cora looked at Kitten to see what the general vibe was, but Kitten sort of shrugged and walked into the kitchen. Cora narrowed her eyes trying to see where Gina and her boyfriend were going.

Cora, following Kitten’s lead, wandered into the kitchen as well, seeing a terrible sight. Some of the members of the football team (from class earlier) were surrounding a group of girls jeering and laughing in their faces. Something about

32

“why would you wear that” and “you don’t even know how to party if you’re gonna get mad” followed by more evil laughter. This sent a chill through Cora’s veins as she realized she was relieved that it wasn’t her, but she noticed something in her, an old familiar feeling, of pure rage and hatred. As the boys continued with what they’d later call “their little game” Cora lunged forward, throwing herself in between the boys and their victims while holding out the nearest kitchen utensil she could find. A plastic spoon, not a viable item of protection, yet Cora’s face of fury and her non-shaking arm, pointing the plastic utensil in their face, somehow made it appear the same as a newly sharpened knife.

At first the boys laughed until they saw the open knife drawer right next to her. Cora saw it too, the way her eyes darted from the drawers all around her to the icy blue eyes of a linebacker, Jason.

“Chill out,” Jason mumbled. “No need to act all crazy,” he told her, trying his best to sound cool, nonchalant.

Kitten and Brooklyn watched from the sides, surely shocked that their beloved Gina could bring such a freak to a party.

“Are you sure?” Cora asked, no hint of hesitation or wavering in her crisp voice.

The boys made a face before subconsciously taking a step back when she stepped forward.

“We were just kidding around,” Ian, another football player, croaked while sucking on his teeth.

“I don’t think the girls would agree,” Cora told them.

Cora took a moment to look at the two girls who had their gaze permanently glued to the sticky kitchen floor.

The third football player, and quarterback, Chase, began to chuckle as he took an extended swig of his beer.

“Jesus Christ. It’s a free country. We can say what we want. If they want to dress all slutty, maybe they shouldn’t be surprised when people make comments,” Chase laughed.

Cora turned to him, slowly, taking steps until she was standing right in front of him.

“Oh, God, what are you going to do? Scoop me to death?” Chase guffawed, eyeing the spoon.

Cora dropped it, never leaving his eyes. Every eye in the house was on Cora and Chase. You could hear the plastic meet the floor with a distinct little clink.

“I don’t need anything for what I’ll do to you if you don’t leave these girls alone. Or anyone else for that matter.”

“What do you want me to do, go to the library then?” Chase chuckled.

Cora stared at him for a very long time, until his face contorted, he called her a bitch, and eventually backed out of the kitchen with his buddies. Cora breathed a sigh of relief inwardly as she turned to face her audience. They quickly averted their eyes and continued to go about their business. Everyone except Gina approached Cora without caution.

“No one’s ever spoken to Chase like that,” Gina breathed, clearly enamored but hesitant.

She waited until the excitement around them died down and she could speak to Cora alone. Cora shrugged.

"How did you do that?” Gina asked, her deep brown eyes practically sparkling with curiosity.

“I don’t know. He was being a terrible person and I didn’t like it.”

“Well, none of us do,” Gina said a bit bitterly, “But none of us are ever able to say anything.”

Cora’s gaze was perfectly indifferent. She even seemed quite bored.

“Like I said, I don’t know. All I know is I’m sick of seeing people get away with certain things.”

Gina’s face proved she still had questions, but she laid them aside. Instead, both Gina and Cora found themselves looking up at the old disco ball that was gently spinning, reflecting off bursts of blue, purple, and green light. For that moment, they must’ve forgotten where they were. They temporarily nodded off, only to awake to the glimmering mirror ball. Enchanted. When they woke up, it was due to Gina’s nagging boyfriend.

“Come on, Gina,” he was pleading. “You promised.”

Gina appeared deeply uncomfortable as he grabbed her, and Cora had to pretend she couldn’t hear them even though she was standing right beside them. She was listening intently though.

“Maybe later?” Gina offered, weakly.

The boyfriend grabbed hold of her wrist.

“No. You said that already.”

“I know but—” “Come on,” he demanded, gruffly, dragging her once again.

Cora remained still, watching them disappear in the corner of her eye, never losing sight of their location.

“Yo! That was so funny. You got that football guy from your school all scared for his life in there!” Kitten clamored, skipping up to Cora.

“I know,” Cora replied.

“He’s actually real mad about it! He and his buddies stumbled out of the back door into their pickup, and no one’s seen them since.”

Kitten smiled at her, and Cora realized where Kitten got her nickname from. She looked like a little ginger kitten, just staring up at you, innocent and ignorant of everything happening around her, only wanting to play. Inwardly, Cora might

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have smiled, but she was too focused on what needed to happen next.

Cora left abruptly, hearing her mother’s voice in her ears. She pushed it away. The pink fabric of her dress swished around her legs as she stepped up the staircase. She really was the only one wearing a dress. The others wore ripped jeans and colorful crop tops. It didn’t make Cora feel self-conscious like how you might feel if you showed up at a wedding in a tracksuit. She felt fine.

She stalked the second-floor hallway, taking a wild guess of where Gina and her boyfriend were. Once she walked into the wrong room, finding Brooklyn and some random guy together. She quickly closed the door, choosing more carefully the next time. She swung the all-white bedroom door open standing in the doorway and staring. Inside, Gina and her boyfriend were in a heated argument. He still had his hand curled around her wrist, and he was speaking down to Gina in a threatening tone. Cora marched right in between Gina and the boyfriend before staring into the boyfriend the same way she looked in Ian, Jason, and Chase’s eyes.

Gina couldn’t see much of what happened next. All she knew was that her boyfriend was suddenly very still until his movement ceased and he slumped to the floor. Gina jumped back, her eyes filled with horror, but also with a strong presence of relief. The horror shown first: “Is he dead!” Gina shrieked, a hint of the girl from class earlier shining through.

“No, unfortunately,” Cora answered, coldly.

“Then— then what just happened?” Gina cried.

Cora shrugged.

“I really couldn’t say except we should probably call an ambulance.”

“I thought you said he wasn’t dead.”

“He isn’t. But we should call an ambulance.”

Cora went ahead and did this while Gina stared with wide eyes. She didn’t, however, go over to check his pulse. Just stared at him from a healthy distance. She didn’t call Cora weird, she didn’t accuse her of murder, she didn’t give Cora a deep-seated glare of hate. She just stood there, in the middle of the carpet, no emotion on her face.

She kept the same face when she was standing in the middle of the front lawn watching as the red and blue lights drove him away, the ambulance’s siren piercing the night.

“So strange that that would happen to him,” Cora sighed, watching the ambulance run down the street, away from the party. Gina didn’t say anything. “I wonder if he has an undiagnosed health condition he didn’t know about,” Cora suggested.

Gina turned to look at her with the slow turn of her head.

“You did that.”

Cora tried to ignore this.

“No. Why would I do such a thing?”

“No, don’t try to confuse me. You did that, but...”

Cora turned to look at her, feeling the churn of her heart in her chest.

“I’m not mad,” Gina admitted. “In fact...”

Her voice was pulled away with the light evening breeze.

“You asked me what I do for fun,” Cora started, looking at Gina carefully.

“I didn’t mean any of that. I was just being a terrible person and I never should’ve—” “Well, I don’t have fun. I can’t have fun, not with people like Chase and who I hope will become your ex very soon Everywhere I walk, I can’t ignore it... there’s always people like them lurking around, doing horrible things and yet they always get away with it. Chase will probably make fun of a girl at another party. Your ex will find a new girl to degrade and manipulate... it never ends!” Cora cried out. “I’m sick of them doing what they do. Sick of being a bystander. And a victim... I won’t stand by.”

Gina looked back at Cora, and it was obvious how much Gina agreed.

“Earlier in class... they were laughing at you in that moment, but that doesn’t mean they thought I was funny. It just means it was your turn. They don’t care about us and are going to do whatever they want,” Cora murmured.

Gina hung her head, noticing the little garden near the front patio of the house. Just a small patch of violets, with a slim layer of snow lying on top of them.

“Do you see the flowers?” Gina asked, pointing.

Cora followed Gina’s pointer finger.

“The violets,” Gina started. “They’re beautiful but they’re being drowned by the snow, even if they still look pretty,” she said. They both approached the tiny purple flowers. “My mother calls them sugar violets,” Gina said. “A pretty flower, convincing everyone around them that the thing killing them is just a bit of sugar until it’s too late.”

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Chickadee

By Tyler Dale Sticks and stones may not break my bones But they sure as shit Can't make a nest Without what comes naturally Chickadee, chickadee What needed to be done Is much, much different From what could've been done This bridge goes both ways Can't burn some bridges without having some fun You said you'd be behind me So, I'll spread my wings and fly But when I look back I know that You’re not really there behind me Chickadee, chickadee

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Little Blue Pills

By Tyler Dale [As per a request - TW: Mental health issues] I hate these little blue pills I hate this old self, I hate this current self Confused, ashamed, hurt, angered Filled with regret This naivete Memory days are the worst Hours of what could've been Hours of what may have been Fate seems less and less idealistic When the same shit happens again and again Who am I? Where do I come from?

Why did it always have to change?

Do I chase the cookie cutouts Because it's the only thing I never had?

I hate myself for not telling the truth About who I am, What I hide deep inside, Even though I only know the truth now I know I'm meant to keep secrets But I wonder if I had shared enough Maybe they'd understand Why I am the way I am, Why I don't do it on purpose, Why I don't mean to make them hate Call it a touch of destiny I'm fucking touch-starved The only thing to eat are these little blue pills Childish behavior Yet I never remember being a child Always trapped in maturity How long will I keep lying to

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myself?

Why do I keep lying to myself?

There’s clarity in these little blue pills There’s proactivity in these little blue pills Every day, every hour How long have I been lying to myself?

How long were they lying to me?

The neon green has been replaced by flashing red and blue How long will this continue?

I don’t know Who fucking cares?

Wait, maybe I do I know what I see Eyes of peril looking back Eyes of horror looking back I don’t like the man in the mirror staring back at me Time to end it Do I have the strength to end it?

My doctor’s not talking to me until the Friday after Friday Who’s to protect from the man in the mirror The man staring back at me Stupid bastard Stupid human Stupid me Who’s to protect me except these little blue pills?

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Pound of Flesh

By Tyler Dale The body is a painting In that it can be misleading Misleading to the eye All that matters Is what’s in the eye of the beholder But if we don’t hold ourselves dear How will our eyes ever begin to see the purity?

How will our eyes Ever begin to heal?

How will the image we see in the mirror Ever begin to heal?

Meat and sugar Comfort food Too much comfort Slice it away!

Slice away the fat But too much slicing Could cost me more than I have More than I want to give away More than I choose to cherish From within my own eye I am the beholder

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Four Crows Outside My Window

By Tyler Dale Four crows fly in from nowhere And perch themselves outside my window They call to me from outside They call for me to stick my neck out, Cloaked in shadows, Luring me in with nature’s wisdom And promises of happy conversation Promises of good fortune But when I do They fling insults and obscenities, Cruel and unusual phrases For what, exactly, I do not know They are horrible and dishonest creatures I pull myself back in But crows remember faces and follow me thereafter And I remember them, although I wish I didn’t know, The four crows outside my window

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Rocket Ship to Outer Space

By Tyler Dale Check ignition. Engines on. Here’s hoping.

My diet consists of fantasies Ideas that make up a bigger picture Someone I’m not, mixed with someone I am.

Wining and dining with the best people Fistfights, being a hero Multicolored hair A wolf on Wall Street, the man in Havana Do everything to not be them, give everything to be like them Standing up for myself, smiling faces Go for launch in t-minus ten. Who wants to press the button?

But this picture is a phony Old sins from a new perspective What is there to comfort me?

Karaoke in drag, cocaine in cold bathrooms, tobacco pipes Make-out sessions at parties Bonfires, collapsing from exhaustion Convertible going down Sunset Boulevard, wind in my hair Weed in the tropics Paralyzed We have liftoff! Did you arm the electronics?

Am I the protagonist?

I seem more like the antagonist…

Who else could have sabotaged it all?

Throwing shade, throwing hands Broken teeth, broken bones, blood Breaking that stupid fucking guitar Demigods, lightning storms, looking into people's souls Pressing all the buttons in an elevator out of spite Family that doesn't go against one another, Roman senates How’s the motor? Go, go, go, you beautiful tin can!

When and where does passion turn into obsession?

The ambition, the ambiguity, the ambivert?

Writing for fame, writing for myself, hiding away in the mountains Lakefront properties in Ithaca, high-price homesteads in Florida Television sitcoms, directing films Flying into space, going to sea, Ahab Touching the stars, Lucy in the sky with diamonds Psychedelics and psychotropics Heads up! Something’s wrong! Mayday! Mayday! Where’s it going?

Sex, arguments, shady deals Marriage, sincerity, intimacy, handjobs, motel reach-arounds Cookie-cutter households, Thanksgiving dinners with children of my own Death, chaos, ritual, grandchildren Pure, unadulterated happiness (always out of reach) Being alive, feeling alive

My, God… if only you could see Just how beautiful it really is…

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Sea Song Ryan Vincent they came from the hole in the sea spiral tails break through foamy waves they came to rejuvenate our ways and they came to take me distant spheres of golden light dart silently above the beach while we watch from the swallowed breach and look forth the coming night fireflies at flight the sea is our sky and our sea is of stone each unrelenting pull and shake drags me into deeper lakes far below the sea of stone far away from my home into the hole in the sea

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Anima Ryan Vincent There’s violence in these wanton words of black There’s violence in the little lies and cracks There’s violence in the fire spitting sparks There’s violence where the light shines up the dark There’s violence where my fingers trace your chin There’s violence where our urges seethe within There’s violence in the beauty of the earth There’s violence in a blizzard giving birth There’s violence in a whirlwind-gentle breeze There’s violence as the carpet meets your knees There’s violence in the prayer for love and cushion There’s violence in the way you spell devotion There’s violence in the lantern-light at dawn There’s violence where the rook knocks down the pawn There’s violence as hoodman swings a blade There’s violence in the sharpened ace of spades There’s violence in your weak-willed, coward mind There’s violence in mine There’s violence in the crushing dregs of space Of brutal dark and grace beside our grace There’s violence in the sun-shined, moon-lit void We seek the truth through heads long-brimmed with pyoid No answers here, none left but violent scenes The violence here is stuck inside our genes We fight to live, and we live like machines The anima speaks through begotten, raging pyres Lowly sects of long-forgot desires To fuck and breed, to kill and bleed To attach and relapse and attach and plead Love is a creed, we all are the center The violence ingrained becomes an old mentor Anima, soul inside of our soul I beg you to come, I plead you to go There’s violence there, that we all know

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Abandonment Issue

By Cassandra Raineault The summer of 2008. The year of the huge financial crisis. To Emelie Hutchinson, who had just turned 14 in May, it was a turbulent time.

July 14th -She sat at the table on the balcony, swinging her feet in circular motions above the floor. We’re all swimming in a sea of doubt right now, she thought. Just swimming and swimming in circles, not advancing out of fear of the murky waters in front of us. Just like that time she took swimming classes at the local YMCA when she was...what, 4? She took a cooking class there too, right? She sure was an active toddler. Her parents must have been looking out for her when they signed her up for all those activities. After all, she doubted she’d have become such a bright young lady if it weren’t for all that active engagement in her formative years.

She flipped open her brown, leather notepad; the one she had begged for as a birthday present this year. In the two months since she had received it, she always brought it with her to conduct interviews. She couldn’t feel like a real journalist without it anymore. This leather cover made her a professional.

Now then, it was about time she did something about all these murky waters. She flipped through her recent interviews and research notes, eager to get to work on her next article. This would be a massive project, maybe even her magnum opus? Oh geez, if she reached a magnum opus at 14, what would she even do with the next 66 years or so of her life? Wallow in self-pity that she couldn’t live up to her one big scoop?

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a magnum opus, but it would certainly be her greatest work before high school. No, too small of a scope. That was only a month and a half away. This was still a really big deal. Her greatest work before adulthood, maybe? Yeah, that sounded right.

She had made up her mind. She was going to solve the financial crisis. Well, obviously not, like, solve solve it. Her parents might be kinda rich, enough to pay for her tuition to a nice private school, but they weren’t that rich. She didn’t have nearly enough assets to end the crisis herself. But, with enough market research, she could certainly create an article on par with financial experts, such a sound economic plan that she’d single-handedly save the United States from its crisis, casting her in the spotlight as a national hero and maybe even a world-famous teen reporter.

Wait, ew ew ew, hold on! If she became famous for economic advice, wouldn’t that lock her career path into some sort of government financial advisor? No no no, that was gross! She wanted to be a reporter, bringing the most interesting and bizarre truths to light, entertaining and informing the masses!

Maybe she needed to re-think this project. How about she stopped trying to create solutions for now? Instead, she could create the most in-depth and accurate report on the history of the financial crisis and its current status. Yeah, that was it! Leave all the boring solutions to the government, why do that herself? If even government officials cited her paper in their decision-making, she could become the star reporter she dreamed of!

Okay, how about we rework this outline, then?

August 21st- Emelie’s parents had some big news to share. She sucked on a cherry lollipop and twisted it around in her mouth as she listened. Mmm, cherry candy was so delicious. It tasted nothing like actual cherries, though. Honestly, actual cherries were kind of gross by themselves, she thought. Unless they were candied of course. Those were always the best part of a sundae.

Her thoughts on sweets overtaking her mind, she barely heard a word her parents were saying. It was probably some boring speech about something bad her or her brother did again. Huh, maybe she could write an article about candy flavors? Why did candy flavors taste nothing like the actual fruit? And where the heck did blue raspberry come from? Ah, she loved coming up with article ideas from her own unanswered questions. Other people would see the headline and go all: “Wow, why are candy flavors named that when they don’t taste like the fruit? And how did they come up with blue raspberry?” And she’d have all the answers waiting for them on the next page! The old “answering questions people didn’t know they had” technique! So classic!

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Emilie, enthusiastic about researching this candy article, noticed her parents looked suspiciously serious. Maybe this wasn’t the usual old self-improvement speech, after all. She took the lollipop out of her mouth and tuned in for a little bit.

Ever since that day, she wished she hadn’t. Maybe, if she hadn’t heard it, none of it would have to be real. She could have just kept living happily with her family, working on the Westview Academy Newspaper once she started school with fellow aspiring journalists, begging her brother to drive her places until she turned 16 and could take driver’s ed...

It was too late, though. Once the words left her father’s lips, there was no denying the truth in front of her. Her hands went limp, her delicious half-eaten cherry lollipop sticking to the carpet as it landed. The headline flashed through her mind, mocking her.

BREAKING: HUTCHINSON FAMILY DECLARES BANKRUPTCY, PARENTS SHIP OFF TEEN SON AND DAUGHTER TO ESTRANGED ADULT COUSIN’S RESIDENCE. September 30th- She hated it here. She hated it here. She hated it here.

She just wanted to graduate and move out and go to a nice college and get a degree and become a professional journalist, andTyler put his hand on Emilie’s shoulder, doing his best to comfort her. Of course, they bickered as much as a brother and sister would, back when things were normal. Now, though, he was practically the only emotional support she had in her life. Well, don’t get her wrong. Jeremy was okay, it wasn’t like he was mean or abusive or anything some young adult coming-of-age novel would feature, but he wasn’t anything close to a replacement for her parents.

Not to mention he lived in this (Mom, Dad, Grandma, other affectionate figures of authority in her old life, forgive her for her crass choices of words) shithole of a town. If he didn’t, maybe she wouldn’t be here crouched in the corner of her room crying onto her knees.

Look, she really wasn’t that uptight or anything, she really wasn’t. She didn’t need to go to Westview, even the public school back home would have been nice. But this place was just absolutely horrendous. Their apartment was grungy, the neighbors were loud, obnoxious drunkards, and she swore that if she left the house late one night that she’d be found dead in a ditch the next morning.

Oh god, and don’t get her started on her school. Before now, she had been looking forward to high school so much.

Now she’d give anything to just drop out forever. The boys all wore their pants so far down they might as well fall down to their ankles, they were the sons of the loud obnoxious drunkards, so they too were unbelievably obnoxious, and the teachers barely put in an effort to stop their constant fighting in the bathrooms, showing up to classes 30 minutes late with bloody noses and dark bruises like people didn’t know where they were the whole time. If there was one thing she was grateful for, it was that she was a girl and didn’t have to use those disgusting boys' bathrooms.

Their classes were always interrupted with gross, inappropriate jokes and incessant fake sex noises. She started to wonder if any college would even accept her, at this rate. She clearly wasn’t getting enough of an education to warrant it.

And then there was the most heartbreaking and demoralizing thing of all. No school newspaper. God, even if they had a terrible trashy one with no effort put into it, she could make it her personal project to revamp it and make it into something readable and exciting. She could take all the things she hated about this place and write criticisms of it, put to word just what she hated and wanted changed around here. Maybe she could try doing satire! She’d never been a fan of writing anything tongue in cheek, having always been an optimist who wanted to be upfront, but now that her life had turned hellish, it might just be cathartic.

But no. No newspaper. No one interested in the stories she wanted to report. All she had were a bunch of scribbled

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out headlines she couldn’t find the energy to write.

That night, she wrote a new one.

IS THIS TOWN A NIGHTMARE COME TO LIFE? LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN SAYS YES, SHE WANTS OUT FAST. August 16th, 2009- Emilie Hutchinson felt so distressed that she was on the verge of puking.

Last summer, back when everything was normal, Tyler said he would go to college somewhere nearby. You know, to make travel during breaks easier, not that he wanted to see his parents and sister often or anything. He was the kind of guy to deny it like that, even though it was clear as day he was a big softie underneath. Emilie giggled to herself that night, writing a headline about it.

LOCAL OLDER BROTHER DECIDES TO STAY CLOSE TO FAMILY WHILE IN UNIVERSITY, CITES “EASE OF TRAVEL” AS REASON. TOO EMBARRASSED TO ADMIT HE LOVES HIS FAMILY? THE TRUTH REVEALED! Even after the bankruptcy incident, in fact, especially after the bankruptcy incident, she assumed his intentions would stay the same. To be near his sister. You know, the girl who was absolutely miserable over here?

It turned out she was wrong. He left yesterday. She had no idea how to manage now. She frantically scribbled down headlines.

TRAITOR OLDER BROTHER ABANDONS SISTER IN HER PERSONAL HELL. ASSHOLE OLDER BROTHER BETRAYS SISTER. LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLER CONSIDERS JUMPING OUT HER 4TH FLOOR BEDROOM WINDOW. LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLER WONDERS WHAT SHE DID TO DESERVE THIS. LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLER CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE. She tore up the paper and threw it at the wall.

June 10th, 2012. Emilie took her last steps out of Jeremy’s apartment, her head swimming furiously with headlines.

LOCAL TRAITOR COUSIN KICKS GIRL OUT AS SOON AS SHE GRADUATES HIGH SCHOOL. LOCAL GIRL THRILLED TO NO LONGER BE A LOCAL STARTING TODAY. LOCAL GIRL BEGINS- wait, no, no local. No more goddamn local.

BRAVE GIRL – she’s 18, she’s not a girl anymore.

BRAVE YOUNG WOMAN SETS OUT TO ACHIEVE DREAM – sounding better but lacks oomph.

Sure, she might have gotten rusty not being able to report at school for 4 years, but somewhere along the line, she found a certain format for wannabe journalists, and she had gotten some great tips, especially in the last few months. She knew she could write a better headline than this.

BRAVE YOUNG WOMAN SETS OUT TO ACHIEVE DREAM, DESPITE SOUL-CRUSHING ADOLESCENCE – yes, perfect. This would be a massive project, perhaps even her magnum opus.

Oh god, if she reached a magnum opus at 18, what would she even do with the next 62 years or so of her life? Wallow in self-pity that she couldn’t live up to her one big auto-biographical masterpiece? For now, she’d just call it her greatest work encapsulating life “before adulthood.” That sounded right.

Down the Drain

by Guadalupe Fanelli the two scurried down the street

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Art by Adam Dee

Down the Drain

by Guadalupe Fanelli

the two scurried down the street the dog followed little pebbles fly a shoelace untied the street is grey and so is the sky the only color around was that in their eyes out of breath on the curb of the street the dog barks one looks down the drain way below the grate a small gleam one crouches closer not close enough it seems the other one nears and the dog too by then a hand stretching for it as if it were true the other sees it now, “The gleam, the gleam!” the first, “I’m trying,” he screams the gleam looks back as the tiny hand reaches from its view beams across their dirty faces the dog noses its way through also wanting to see yet deep down below the drain there was no gleam to be seen

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survival song for the strange by chloe johnston fill the space with yourselves. define your experience by your own words. precedent eats [ ] like u / spit out the self like chewing gum / leave the morning unslept / and see matriarchy martyred / temporary tattoos pasted skin-tight and sideways / some form of impermanent rebellion / everything is going faster than belief / god herself trying to stitch emotionality together / instead coming away with stripped trees and red on the ground / crunch leaves beneath ur heel and imagine becoming more than u are / queer and always an omen / leave ur rapunzel locks on the bathroom floor / a friend offers to dye ur hair / sunshine strands stripped of significance / as winter begins to howl / but self-sabotage doesn’t budget for appearances crack gender open like the earth / and swallow the city whole / come back to the homeland / and feel unrecognized / but unchanged / venus emerging from the salt-slick ocean / shaking the renaissance of understanding from their hair / temporal tourist undone by perceptions / the body colonized / this time / this world / not built for u / and so the Great Work of undoing / begins rebellion is in ur very existence / learning to become unfeminized / but always seen as effeminate / shrug off the shackles of greatness / instead inherit strangeness / from women unburned / reject girlhood but become sister / [ ] and still categorical / perceive princess perfect / eldest daughter calling home on wednesdays / like the weak willed [ ] u are / unable to open ur mouth / to talk about difficult things / in over ur head / but still searching for more everyone waiting for u to sing again / a poet at the end of the world / will ur voice sound the same / will change corrode ur vocal chords / will u succumb / to societal ineptitude / and the world spinning ever forward / something dangerous in the rejection / of the self as political warfare / preservation of ur own body / over preservation of the world mother please forgive me / for the forest fire is across the country / state lines digging into shoulder blades / oil spills slick across centuries / and the shadows of sisterhood cling to expectation is it selfish to survive? is it radical to ask for more? oh mother / u are delicate and dying / in the 4 PM sunlight / waiting for the survival of spring / waiting to be reborn / into someone the world can cradle survival / sometimes just involves singing urself to sleep / and waking up to a rosy-fingered dawn / where newness is allowed.

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Can I Sit Here?

By August Van Der Werf “Have a great day, sweetie. I love you.”

Billy held on to her a little longer.

“Mommy has to go to work, buddy.”

Pleading saucer eyes peered up at her through round specs. She smiled her warm smile and crouched down to his level.

“You’re going to have so much fun, little man. And you can tell me all about it when I pick you up. You’ll tell me about your day, won’t you?”

He offered a shy nod. “I can’t wait.” She kissed his forehead. “Love ya, bud.”

Billy watched her leave and knew his security was gone. In its place was a scary new world. He turned around and saw the tall lady in the nice dress.

“Okay, everyone, class has begun. My name is Ms. Katherine, and I can’t wait to meet all of you! The first thing we do every day is attendance, so at the start of class we’re all going to sit on the rug with the circles on it. There are no assigned seats, so you can choose whichever circle you like.”

The class ran over to the rug, a chorus of excited giggles. Billy chose the circle at the farthest corner of the rug because it was orange.

“Alright. When I say your name, you can say ‘here’ or ‘present,’ and then you can tell the class about something you like to do. Does that sound okay with everyone?”

Billy nodded with the rest of the class. Ms. Katherine had a kind voice. He liked her, he decided.

But what would he say when it was his turn? He thought about it. He liked playing with Legos. Those were fun. They could be whatever or whoever he wanted. But the first person Ms. Katherine called on said Legos. So, what could Billy say?

“William Blank?”

Billy looked up from his twiddling thumbs. Ms. Katherine was scanning the class.

“Here.”

“I’m sorry? Did someone say ‘here?’”

“Yes. Me.” Twelve heads turned to look at Billy.

“Oh, there you are. Okay, William, do you like to be called Will? Or is William good?”

“Billy please.”

She wrote it down on the attendance sheet.

“Billy… got it… Alright, Billy, do you want to tell us something you like to do?”

“I, um. I like to…”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t quite get that.”

She was nice. He wanted to please her.

“I like to play with my friends.”

--------------“Can I sit here?”

Billy spun his head around to look behind him. His chubby hands reached up to push his glasses further up his freckled nose.

The voice’s owner had the standard red cafeteria tray and a friendly, hopeful look on his face.

“Okay,” Billy mumbled. He’d never been asked this before.

The friendly boy set his tray down and took a seat beside Billy. Suddenly, the table didn’t feel so empty anymore.

“My name’s Dennis. Nice to meet you!”

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“Hi. I’m Billy.”

Dennis looked away for a second to poke a hole in his juice box with the straw.

“So how’s your first day?” he asked eagerly.

“It’s okay. Ms. Katherine is my teacher. She’s nice.”

“Oh yeah, my older brother had her. He told me she’s great. But I got Ms. Freeman.”

“Oh well.”

“Yeah. Oh well.”

Billy didn’t know what else to say, and awkwardly took a bite of his mac and cheese.

“That looks good. Mac and cheese is my favorite,” Dennis chirped in.

“Really? Me too! My mommy makes it homemade! That means that she makes it herself!”

“Wow… can I try it?”

“Well, I shouldn’t let you, because of germs.”

“That’s true. You’re smart, Billy.”

Billy blushed. His first compliment.

“Thanks. I think you’re smart, too.”

“Thanks. I’m glad I can sit with you. I was nervous about making friends.”

“Well do you want to be friends?”

“Yeah!”

“Cool! Well now we’re friends.”

Billy offered his hand, a pleased look on his face.

Dennis happily obliged.

--------------“Who are you talking to?”

Billy blinked, wiping the pleased look off of his face and snapping himself back into reality. He withdrew his extended hand and used it to push up his spectacles to see the voice’s owner.

Looking behind him, he could see that there were several bigger boys. He recognized some of them from class. Their leader looked confused, almost disgusted.

“Hey! Who are you talking to?”

“No one. I was talking to no one.”

The boys looked at each other and laughed, before moving as a group to somewhere more interesting.

And then there was only Billy.

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Honey I am perpetually stuck in honey And lapping up the sickly sweet Nectar, stringing it between My teeth Wading into the well Warming my legs in A pool of delicacies I’m being delicate with myself Fusing my limbs with the lake Reaping the supple tastes Of a break Smacking my lips in Slow motion Shampooing my hair in The viscosity of the ocean Quelling my inner thoughts Of lacking productivity.

As I steep a little while longer In honey

By Malika Beveridge-Bignall, Contributing Writer

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A Wave of Despondency A wave smacks against a rock.

An impulse of anger, the mannerism of motion in shock.

How dare it be confined to the sea And to be so abruptly trapped.

The great protector shouts above, bellowing at the bitch below.

Swirling silver soot in the sky.

Coaxing this seafoam lover with his lullaby.

A harmony with thunder is tried: A distant, rustling swing, dissonance personified.

The rotting place of algae and where childhood comes to die.

The moon cannot be seen Behind a viscous, smoky sheen.

And atop the barren beaches, You stand nobody has ever been.

Breath in the salt and cream.

Accept a moment’s reprieve.

But cast a lighthouse beam, evaluate perceptionality.

Escape your own damn mind.

But beware crashing insanity, Rippling in a riptide, nobody can hear you scream.

By Malika Beveridge-Bignall, Contributing Writer

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Pink I’m coming anew in my pinkness And caressing my supple heartstrings With saccharine treats Standing tall in the pink pleather shoes That I thrifted last week I am the pink pantheress.

A goddess.

And divine as I try, I am ostensibly girly And I try not to lie So I open up here about my rosy obsession: The salmon-colored, Palest red I’ve ever discovered, Blushing like I’ve just been smothered, I used to hate it, but I’ve recoveredPink And I string it across my chest Now And it adorns my neck Now I didn’t even know that I knew How Because pride in this just Wasn’t allowed But I am preaching it Now Saying it Out loud: “I’m coming anew in my pinkness!”

And I am so proud

By Malika Beveridge-Bignall, Contributing Writer

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Glass I’m pressing my hand to the clean glass window.

Watching the fog around my Smeared fingerprint recoil into itself.

Dissipating, Disintegrating As if it was never there at all.

I’m resting my bones on the window Taunting the outside, mocking the snow Tapping through a layer of skin Suffering the shocking cold deep within.

I’ve been digging my thumbs into the hot hallows of my cheeks Learning of condensation as steam seeps From my pores.

I’m pressing my fingers to my face The space between my hands, replaced By my nose Ironing away the frigid feeling of The window.

I’m pressing harder into my head.

I’m pressing harder into my head.

Peeking through the gap in my palms Just enough to see my fingerprints embalmed.

Smudged on the window.

Holding onto the glass like they’ll never let go.

By Malika Beveridge-Bignall, Contributing Writer

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Significant

By Julia DiGeronimo i've started telling people I love them. it isn't something I'm afraid of: love, but it's something I never say—it seems too significant to blurt out to just anyone, but i've started saying it to my people back home, and for the first time it feels like a declaration, a reminder, that the people i choose are significant in my life, to my life, to me— but I still hold the word close to me, like a secret that I can't tell to just anyone because I worry that if I start shouting it from the rooftops, it won't be that declaration I save for the ones in my life that I can't live without– so I keep it hidden in my thoughts.

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Swayer Slaughters in Disco-Induced Bender BREAKING NEWS // By Stephanie Tokasz, Staff Writer

era that the accused crime was completely justified. He refused to take off his tie-dye bell bottoms, faux afro, and sunglasses, while still blowing kisses to his fans protesting his arrest.

In a long awaited high-profile interview, the Swayer claimed the reason for the accused murder was because the “fan” claimed rock n’ roll was going to take over disco soon.

He still claimed the murder was entirely justified and was the result of just a little “Saturday Night Fever” on a “Friday night.”

Adam Art by

Dee

The Swayer stated, “Oh [screw] the future. Look, tonight is the future, and I am planning for it!” in reference to why he committed the murder following after the fan’s comment.

J

une 18th, 1978

Highly acclaimed disco singer Steve “the Swayer” Jenkins has been accused of manslaughter.

News reports have stated the Swayer murdered a fan outside of his Friday night venue due to a comment regarding disco made by the fan.

On Saturday, June 16th, the Swayer was set to perform at the ‘Friday Night Fever’ venue in San Francisco. Outside of the venue, witnesses who were waiting to see the performance claimed they saw the Swayer hit the fan with a microphone in the head 17 times after the fan made a comment disrespecting disco.

However, in the entire 60-minute interview, only about two minutes were spent discussing the murder, and the rest of the time was devoted to praising disco.

He ended the interview, still wearing his signature outfit, stating, “It’s all love, babe.”

The Swayer is now awaiting another trial, and maintains his notguilty plead.

The trial that was set to occur next week is now being pushed back after the current judge was traced to have attended his concert on Friday and runs a disco club devoted in his honor.

The Swayer’s bail is currently set at $100,000, which sources say he could easily pay. However, sources inside the prison claim he hasn’t made bail yet because he wants to “bring a little disco to the jail” before his release.

We are still receiving information on the case and will continue to update.

After the killing, the Swayer walked away swiftly from the scene and into the venue, where he performed renditions of, ironically, “Stayin’ Alive” and a fan favorite, “Dancing in September.”

Stephanie Tokasz is a second-year film, photography and visual arts major who has gotten away with several crimes by saying ‘it’s vibes.’ You can reach them at stokaz@ ithaca.edu

Cameras outside of the venue were able to capture the murder, and hundreds of witnesses watched the murder take place, but very few came forward to testify.

When asked about what they witnessed, one teen female fan answered, “[The Swayer] is so perfect. He can do no wrong.”

Another male middle-aged fan responded, “So what? He’s the next Bob Dylan.”

When the police made the arrest, the Swayer yelled at the cam-

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CPR Class Registration Syrockets “Stayin’ Alive” Has Become Camp // By Massey Willaims, Staff Writer

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f you’ve ever taken a CPR certification class, you have most likely learned about the “Stayin’ Alive” trick. When learning how to do chest compressions, prospective life-savers are instructed to deliver the chest compressions to the same rhythm as the song “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. Whether due to the Bee Gees’ latent medical expertise or some life-saving cosmic coincidence, a disco song about staying alive on the dance floor has helped countless of heart attack victims stay alive on the actual floor. Now, the American Heart Association is witnessing record-breaking registration numbers for their CPR certification classes. Experts in the field cite the return of the disco aesthetic on social media as the cause for this uptick in interest. Specifically, the song “Stayin’ Alive” has become “camp” in the eyes of the online generation.

This ironic yet affectionate label for disco music has spawned a viral social media trend on Tik Tok, where thousands of videos embracing the disco aesthetic as well as first aid have appeared seemingly overnight. In these videos, young people film themselves giving CPR compressions to the tune of “Stayin’ Alive,” which has simultaneously become the app’s most popular sound as a result. The first video was created by heartlover120, a nurse in Michigan who teaches CPR training classes. Her video gained a decent amount of attention due to her dressing the practice dummy up in a 70’s disco getup. However, the current most popular video in this trend is of TikTok star Charlie D’Amelio doing CPR on a similarly-dressed practice dummy. Many have accused D’Amelio of stealing heartlover120’s idea without proper credit, but the damage was already done.

TikTok has been flooded with “Stayin’ Alive” content, mostly with the hashtags: #CPR, #stayinalive, and #lifesaver. The race to create the most interesting and camp CPR video has seen creators bedazzle their practice dummies, cosplay as 70’s disco patrons while practicing CPR, and even vlog themselves saving actual lives. Multi-platform influencers have even started posting pictures of their CPR training certificates on Instagram, only adding fuel to the fire. This fad has proven that all you need to do to get Americans to help save the lives of their fellow man is to make it trendy!

The American Heart Association has done their best to capitalize off of this newfound interest in first aid by offering disco-themed classes, personalized CPR kits, and creating informative TikTok content of their own. These themed classes have been largely successful, although instructors have found it hard to cope with the mass influx of students while teaching in full disco getup, and students have noted that it’s hard to have an effective learning environment with a disco ball overhead.

However, as with every new internet community, there are always bound to be toxic fans that take it to the extreme. Some

creators participating in the trend have disavowed Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs), saying that needing a tool to save a life is “lame” and “cringe,” even though AEDs have a much higher chance of resuscitating a heart attack victim than manual CPR. The American Heart Association has been working with TikTok to de-platform these dangerous gatekeepers, but this growing sub-community still poses a major threat to the movement.

Overall, this trend has been largely positive, with more young people than ever having the ability to save lives. Heart attack related deaths have been decreasing exponentially ever since the trend has started. However, it is only a matter of time until the trend dies down, people lose interest, and lives will be lost as a result. So I will end this with a call to action: if you care about heart health at all, you will help keep the meme alive.

Massey Willaims is a fourth-year writing major who frequently performs CPR on herself for sexual gratification. You can reach them at mwilliams5@ithaca.edu

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Saturday Night Fever into the Sunday Scaries A Step-by-Step Progression // By Lenley Aikin, Staff Writer

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t is the year 2022; you’ve just become Tik Tok famous for a solid 5 minutes. You want to keep this momentum going by trying to revive the Saturday Night Fever of the disco era, the same way a plant mom tries to bring her plants back to life after they’ve already turned brown and crunchy. What’s the point of bringing back the Saturday Night Fever now? It’s like when Star Wars brought back Emperor Palpatine and said he “survived the fall.” Here’s a list showing that the Saturday Night Fever era does not need to return cause you can still have a wild Saturday Night today and wake up in the Sunday Scaries: 1. Hairstyles Ah yes, the Saturday Night Fever era was known for its iconic hairstyles, almost as iconic as socks and crocs (in sports mode of course). Back then, you could just slap on some hair gel and tease it up for a Saturday night…only to discover on Sunday morning that a new family of birds just made the down payment and moved into their new nest that is your hair. At least in 2022, you can still party at home Saturday night, then wake up to realize Sunday morning that you drunkenly dyed your hair the night before and now have neon E-Girl strips.

2. Fashion.

Saturday Night Fever was known for its flashy, bright clothes. The fashion pieces were so bright and flashy, in fact, that it was hard to tell if you were talking to your friend or a very mouthy traffic cone. Today, with all the oh-so-stylish KN-95 masks, you can’t tell whether you’re talking to a person or talking to one of the geese invading the snow fort on the Ithaca College Cam pus Center quads.

3. Partying.

Think the parties of Saturday Night Fever were the shit, and Zoom parties just don’t compare? Well, newsflash, a Jager hangover feels the same as it does on a Sunday morning in the 80s as it does a Sunday morning today. The only difference is one person spent Saturday night drinking in leg warmers and spandex, and the other just got rid of the legwarmers.

4. The Saturday Night Fever vs. A Saturday Night Fever.

In the ‘80s, the Saturday Night Fever was about partying like you’ve never partied before, similar to a millennial going through a midlife crisis (realizing Gen Z is the new young generation) trying to prove they can still keep up with the times, then regretting their choices on Sunday. Scary. Meanwhile, today, you have a Saturday Night Fever? Here’s a scary Sunday thought: now you have to stick that stupid fancy q-tip up your nose and give it a little “boogie.” Except no one’s going to want to join you for that dance…

The Saturday Night Fever died in the ‘80s due to Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, with the Sunday Scaries proving to be the superior species. However, traces of the Saturday Night Fever live on, but the Sunday Scaries are lurking just around the corner like an evil entity in a horror movie before it jump-scares you and you pretend that brown spot is a brownie you sat on. This century is already scary enough with the fear of leaving your mic turned on during a Zoom call, we don’t need the return of the Saturday Night Fever and it’s accompanying Sunday Scaries.

Lenley Aikin is a second-year mathematics major who is shocked every time she makes it through to Monday. You can reach them at laikin@ithaca.edu

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I Think we Should Cut All Vintage Clothing into Crop Tops Just to Play Devil’s Advocate // By Connor Stanford, Staff Writer

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intage clothing is cute as a concept, but I’m getting bored.

There’s nothing exciting about wearing something that someone else wore 37 years ago. Technically speaking, that's a cross-decade outfit repeating, EW Tacky. . Instead of just wearing something vintage or something new (which is just as cliché), I propose we start turning vintage items into something new. Isn’t that idea such a slay?

The very thought of vintage items becoming historical artifacts makes me shudder. Historians don’t know the difference between a Louboutin and a pink Croc! We can’t let them get their grubby little unmanicured hands on them. We have to protect vintage items from the unstylish, so we have no choice but to gatekeep them for the sake of fashion. That requires mutilating clothes. But hey, it’s 2022, upcycling is cheugy and downcycling is a serve.

Sustainability is for scientists in sensible shoes, not hotties.

I don’t have an aversion to vintage clothing, I love vintage clothing- which is why I repurpose it. It has nothing to do with Melissa Mahoney in seventh-grade English class calling my thrifted outfit “shady-maple retirement community chic.” I mean, I hardly even think about her, and who even cares about her new lifestyle brand boyfriend and getting verified on Instagram two days ago.

That hand-knitted sweater your great-grandmother made with her arthritic hands for your mother’s high-school graduation?

We’re cutting a cleavage window in that. Then the scraps go into the fire because if Louis Vuitton can do it with their unsold handbags, we can certainly do it with a tiny bit of fabric.

I heard you were looking for an original Juicy Couture pink velour tracksuit. Sorry babes, a thirteen-year-old named Mackenzie from Milwaukee turned the last one into scrunchies. She’s selling them for $39.99 on her Depop if you want one.

Of course, I have the white lace puffer vest I made which is an entire gag. I mean sure, my mom cried for nearly two weeks straight and grounded me for the entire summer when I cut up her wedding dress, but it was worth it for the 437 likes on my TikTok post.

The trend cycle is speeding up, and you have to be on top of it or you’ll get run over. The mini-revival of shutter sunglasses you saw on TikTok just before reading this? That’s already out of style.

This is becoming a huge trend, and you need to hop on it now if you want any mileage. You know those stylish people you run into at the Goodwill, whose very presence means all the good clothes are gone? They’ve started taking the ratty old blue carpet stained with god-knows-what and the clothing racks. I think I saw them leaving with the elderly cashier Brenda blindfolded in a shopping cart too, they were wearing the sales tags as earrings.

It’s getting competitive. The indie fashion kids that work at your local thrift store will now no longer hide the clothes they

want in the wrong section or among the furniture, they will now be nestled in the pizza boxes in the recycling bin from the dying Domino’s Pizza across the street. If you want that ironic supportthe-troops graphic tee with the cartoon groundhog and flame decal, you’re going to need to go dumpster diving in greasy pizza garbage and then fist fight for it.

You need to hurry up! By the time you’re done reading this, our little venture will be going mainstream. Depop just announced an option for you to sell pre-vintage clothing 30 years in advance.

Shein now has an option to sew fake designer labels on their merchandise for an additional charge, “Because even Shein knows it’s Shein.” Urban Outfitters is currently lobbying the Oxford Dictionary to change the definition of “vintage” so they can sell last quarter’s backstock.

Well shit. I just got a notification. The wave of downcycling is over. Now you’re never going to be able to revamp your basic and tired quarantine wardrobe from 2020. Yes, it’s been two years and you still couldn’t manage to switch up your look. There is no clothing left actually. They downcycled it all. No clothing exists anymore <3. Sorry ‘bout it. Go make it yourself like it’s 1907, go buy some sheep or…something.

Connor Stanford is a first-year theatre studies major who is always wearing ancient lace and is at constant risk of a nip slip. You can reach them at cstanford@ithaca.edu

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An Open Letter to Mamma Mia! Girls Concerned About Not Knowing Who the Parent of their Baby Is You’re forgetting the fact that no one will date them because they won’t shut up about Mamma Mia // By Kathryn Miller, Contributing Writer

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ook. You’re very pretty and seem like nice girls, but how many of you know an ABBA song other than the ones on the Mamma Mia soundtracks? Even better, could you sing along with Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again the first time seeing the movie?

In November 2021, the group released their ninth studio album: Voyage. (Have you girls listened to it? The songs might be too slow for you who are used to the Mamma Soundtrack but the real fans appreciate it).

Do you know ABBA? Can you name the band members?

Obviously, I am an expert on ABBA so here is a list of the best ABBA songs not from the Mamma Mia Soundtrack that you need to know to be a real fan:

I didn’t think so. So here is what you should know.

ABBA is a Swedish pop group formed in 1971 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

Only real fans can properly pronounce their names. Their first breakthrough hit was “Waterloo” back in 1974. The original is soooo much better than the one in the movie by Blondie and that Beatles wannabe.

Very few people actually know the history of ABBA. Luckily for you, I am an official member of the ABBF - Agnetha, Benny, Björn, Frida Fan Club. So, the group actually began back in 1966 when Björn Ulvaeus met Benny Andersson for the first time. They established a partnership as composers. In the spring of 1969, Björn and Benny met two women who would eventually become their wives and the other two members of ABBA. When they first started creating music in 1972, they went by Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid. After winning Melodifestivalen and making it all the way to the Eurovision finals in England, they changed their name to ABBA which is an acronym of their first names. Did you know ABBA won Eurovision in 1974 with their song “Waterloo” that would then go to hit number one on charts all over Europe?

Of course, winning Eurovision didn’t necessarily help the band's success because of the negative stigma surrounding it. It tends to be really hard for bands to become famous from a competition known for making one-hit wonders. It’s a good thing ABBA had Benny and Björn, only two of the best writers and composers of the 70s and 80s. Roughly a year after the release of ‘Waterloo,’ ABBA released the album ABBA with smashes like “SOS” and of course, “Mamma Mia.” By 1976, ABBA was one of the biggest groups in the world, especially after the release of “Dancing Queen.” The group continued making music all throughout the 70s and early 80s even after Benny and his wife divorced. In 1982, the group decided to take a break, and over the course of the next three decades, their albums would go platinum, the musical Mamma Mia! would open on Broadway, (did you girls even know there was an actual musical before the movie?), the 2008 movie would release featuring star Pierce Brosnan, and ten years later, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again would release, with Brosnan reprising his role and a cameo from Madonna.

1. If It Wasn't for the Nights 2. Disillusion 3. Don’t Shut Me Down 4. Summer Night City 5. Tiger 6. King Kong Song 7. Dum Dum Diddle 8. Hey Hey Helen 9. Rock Me 10. Hole in Your Soul Anyways, Bill is the father.

Kathryn Miller is a second-year integrated marketing and communications major who will raise their child in Abba’s image. You can reach them at kmiller11@ithaca.edu

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The Eternal Question Does ABBA Exist in the Mamma Mia! Universe? // By Sara Mallory, Contributing Writer

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n Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Harry Bright (portrayed by Hugh Skinner) furrows his eyebrows as he looks past young Donna (Lily James), taking in the Parisian café around him. The grand piano in the corner only strengthens the determination in his eyes. The waiters dressed as Napoleon put down their trays and abandon their tables, taking their places for the upcoming dance number. “When you’re defeated by love, you’re utterly defeated,” Harry declares with a slight gasp. The location he has chosen for lunch and the cliches he has been spouting perfectly set up ABBA’s “Waterloo.” Harry’s gasp, a moment of realization, can only mean one thing: ABBA exists in the Mamma Mia! Universe.

It is well known that Mamma Mia! and its successor, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again are cinematic masterpieces, but movie musicals are nothing new. Rising in popularity, movies like La La Land, The Greatest Showman, and Cats, have exposed viewers to the concept of characters casually breaking out into song. These characters have no agency in their song and dance numbers; they are simply exploiting emotional moments by turning them into musicals. The characters themselves have no knowledge that a beautiful ballad or exciting dance number is occurring.

So, what makes the MMU (Mamma Mia! Universe) different?

Besides the fact that it is worshiped by fans, many songs within the MMU are performed by the characters themselves, NOT the actors. This distinction is the first sign that ABBA does exist in the MMU. “Our Last Summer” begins with Harry (Colin Firth) playing Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) a song on a guitar he once gifted Donna. “Super Trouper” is performed by Donna and the Dynamos, the most famous ABBA cover band throughout all of the MMU. While “Lay All Your Love on Me” and “Gimmie! Gimmie!

Gimmie!” are not performed by specific characters, they play during Sophie’s bachelorette party, so if a DJ has the ability to play ABBA, the band must exist. At 25:30 minutes into Mamma Mia! Donna is even shown humming “Fernando” to herself as she works, meaning there must be a CD of ABBA’s Greatest Hits somewhere in that hotel.

These characters have agency. They are choosing to sing ABBA. The music of ABBA is more than just a performance. It is the life and soul of not just the movie, not just the characters, but the world of Mamma Mia! This may seem weird. In what world do people break into song and dance so casually? Don’t movie musicals need an element of suspended disbelief? People don’t just start singing, right?

These questions fail to consider how powerful ABBA’s discography is. Isn’t it entirely plausible that ABBA would inspire passionate flash mobs full of dancing, jiving, and air guitars? Who can listen to “Dancing Queen,” a song constantly inspiring newly turned seventeen-year-old girls on Instagram feeds all over the world, and not want to dance? When you hear “Take A Chance on Me,” don’t you want to take a chance on a plane ticket to a small Greek island and have sex with three strangers in the span of a few days? People in real life constantly break into song.

Have you ever sat next to a table of musical theater majors in the dining hall? Hang around Dillingham long enough and you’ll understand.

Besides, how else can you explain Pierce Brosnan’s attempt at singing “When All is Said and Done?” If Mamma Mia! was meant to be a normal movie musical, why wouldn’t casting hire a singer?

Brosnan’s character, Sam, is just an average guy singing an ABBA cover to woo the love of his life. Now, that’s relatable.

It is worth noting that there are a few songs in Mamma Mia! that function for the purposes of a normal movie musical. During the song “Honey Honey” Sophie and her friends read through past hookups in Donna’s old diary, trying to figure out who Sophie’s dad is. Here the song moves the plot forward, raising an interesting question: Assuming “Honey Honey” is a typical movie musical moment, are only some ABBA songs, the ones performed by characters, canon in the MMU? Does MMU ABBA have a different discography than our ABBA? What role does their music play? Could it be something more integral to the inner workings of their world? Their society? Their religion?

What complicates this otherwise very clear issue is the fact that two of the four band members, Andersson and Ulvaeus, make cameos in the films. Andersson plays piano during “Dancing Queen.” Ulvaeus appears during the ending credits of the first film, dressed as Zeus dancing to “Waterloo.” Dressing up as Zeus, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the entire Greek Pantheon seems especially symbolic. Mamma Mia! even ends atop a large cliff, reminiscent of Mount Olympus. The narrow stone steps leading up to the church Sophie intends to get married in, overlook a beautiful coast of Kalokairi, a fictional Greek island created for the MMU. The MMU has a noticeable relation to Greek mythology.

After all, aren’t we, viewers, audience members, and fans of the MMU worshipers of Donna and the Dynamos? Aren’t Donna and the Dynamos worshipers of ABBA? Maybe it isn’t so symbolic – maybe it’s literal. Donna, Sophie, and her three dads practice a religion based around Ulvaeus and Andersson. The entire MMU does. ABBA is the canon God of the MMU; the father, son, and the holy spirit. Or rather, the lead singer, the guitarist, the keyboards and the synthesizers.

The songs previously noted as functioning like normal movie musical numbers are, in fact, hymns. Songs like “Honey Honey” call on ABBA for guidance. Perhaps the lyrics would be better interpreted as “Honey Honey, how He thrills me.” Sung before her daughter’s wedding day, “Slipping Through My Fingers” is Donna’s way of calling on the Gods to bless Sophie’s marriage.

In “When All is Said and Done” Sam is praying that Donna will end up with him; and in the end, his prayer was answered. By the power of ABBA and the grace of God, they get married. In the MMU, the God ABBA descends into the world whenever the “night is young” and “the music’s high.” Jiving is a kind of prayer, and ABBA’s discography a book of psalms.

Sara Mallory is a second-year nonfiction writing major who has been issued a cease and desist by Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. You can reach them at smallory1@ithaca.edu

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Mamma Mia 3 Details released // By TJ Bogart, Contributing Writer

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amma Mia! has created massive success since its debut in 2008. The sequel created a box office success. Leaked images have shown Cher, Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, and Lin Manuel-Miranda eating food together, so there is a chance we could see a Mama Mia 3! threequel in the near future! Other leaked images show PLOT DETAILS about what we could see in this third installment. This is just a notion, but these speculations could potentially be what we see in the near future.

For those who don’t know, the first jukebox musical is about a daughter and her single mother. The daughter wants to get married and have her real father be the one to walk her down the aisle, but she doesn't know who her father is. Through numerous ABBA songs, we find out that one of three men — Sam, Harry, and Bill — could be her father. They never really know who the father is, so they all take one-third responsibility to be her father.

In this third film, we see Sam reminiscing about the past and he comes across that time Donna, Sophie's mother, is with Bill even though he wanted her back. Now, even though he agreed to be one-third the father, he is extremely upset by this and schedules Sophie, Donna, Bill, Harry, and himself to be on the Maury Povich show because he wants to believe he is the father.

Supposedly, we watch background scenes of Donna tampering with the evidence because apparently there will be a FOURTH MAN who is shown through a series of flashbacks. It is rumored his name will be Jackson. Jackson is basically a Ken Doll and he is perfect in every single way. The way old friends do, we watch them flirt with each other and we get a little hint of intimacy.

These scenes will take place at a similar time that the sequel had some of these flashbacks to give continuity and respect to the prior films.

Their time on the show ensues with drama and physical confrontations, none of which get too violent. Maury asks Sophie “Does your mother know who the father is?” and she is in shock when Donna’s nervousness explodes with guilt. She brings up Robert and he is brought on, with Zac Efron in speculation to play the younger part and David Hasselhoff to play the more modern version. When the DNA results come through, NONE OF THEM ARE THE FATHER! Donna explains there is one more option as to who the father is: Danny DeVito, played by Danny DeVito, comes bursting through the audience screaming for Donna. Someone should have kept an eye on him because he wasn’t looking too good and he faints in disbelief when he learns that he’s the father!

Donna wakes him up by talking about the day he came into her life and how magical it was before he got lost at sea on a business trip after playing The Penguin. He explains he was saved but had no contact with her, so he moved to Waterloo, NY to become a drama teacher.

So besides Universal Studios using this as a mechanism for money, money, and more money, we find out who the father really is, which is more anticlimactic after seeing Jackson being teased this whole time; however, we get more drama. So please don’t shut this idea down because it is all still speculated from these leaks. Whatever story Universal decides, we wish them the best of luck in this process!

TJ Bogart is a second-year film, photography and visual arts major who has been silenced for releasing this sensitive information. You can reach them at tbogart@ithaca.edu

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A Comprehensive List of Disco Songs That Did Not Age Well

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From bad, to horrendous // By Molly Fitzsimons, Contributing Writer

1. “You Should be Dancing” by Bee Gees: a. no, thanks 2. “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang: a. no one should be this happy, chill.

3. “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John: a. let’s not get physical 4. “Dancing Queen” by ABBA: a. this feels a little like an underage girl (“only seventeen”) is having random men (“anybody could be that guy”) into her…pedophilia?? But more importantly, calling her a hoe since any guy seemingly can be with her.

5. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor: a. There are a number of reasons I think this is outdated and therefore list-worthy. This is a pandemic. A panini, a panoramic, if you will. Not to be a downer, but there is a whole lot of not surviving going on around. So, unless Gloria Gaynor is vaccinated, it's a stunt to tell people they can survive without the vaccine. Gloria Gaynor is the problem.

6. I’m So Excited by The Pointer Sisters: a. This song tells the story of a woman who is excited to lose her virginity and has high expectations for how it should go. I wanna see a follow up song of “wait…that was it?”

7. Get Down On It by Kool and The Gang: a. Something tells me he won’t get down on it when you’re done getting down on it…

8. Do Ya Think I’m Sexy by Rod Stewert: a. “If you want my body and you think I'm sexy/Come on honey tell me so” I just want to know how Rod Stewert would react if whatever poor woman is witnessing this said “I don't find you sexy”.

9. The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats: a. Man tries to get a woman to leave her friends because they are not dancing, and gaslights her into believing they shouldn’t be her friends, “'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance/Well, they're no friends of mine.” Sir, who said they were your friends in the first place, they’re hers. Disrespectfully, leave her alone.

Molly Fitzsimons is a second-year integrated marketing communications major who will personal kill disco if it ever comes back. You can reach them at mfitzsimons@ithaca.edu

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