Our Weekly Roundup: Ethel Cain Distracts Us From the AI Apocalypse
Naomi: Pluto is entering Aquarius and the next 20 years will be ruled by global themes of technology; the world feels like it’s on the brink of collapse and the AI takeover is impending. This has spurred on my obsession with big skinny robots. In the film “Castle in the Sky,” robots tenderly care for […]
Empathy Everywhere All At Once
I witness the material sins of my father in the form of a dripping flame while I’m parked near the corner of Broad and Gilmer. He’d assured me that my true blue 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer — a car that’s a beater in every universe — had just passed a safety inspection. Regardless, when I crack […]
Yanking The Ribbons From My Hair
When you search the word “coquette” on Pinterest, you’ll be bombarded by a million different images. Women in hairbows; lacy dresses; skinned kneecaps; submachine guns laid on pale pillowcases. It’s a visual language that is vaguely French and Lolita-esque, an indescribable dream that simultaneously celebrates girlhood and twists it into something acrid. It rose out […]
Our Weekly Roundup: Philosophical Thoughts and Catwalks
Taylor: Women who, by their thoughts and insights alone, should be considered philosophers, but who, for various reasons (most succinctly misogyny), are written off as crystal-licking lunatics, or mommy bloggers or otherwise vapid bestseller genre self-helpers. Namely, prolific writer and ex-presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson, Liz Gilbert of “Eat, Pray, Love” fame, and Glennon Doyle, author […]
Our Weekly Roundup: Burning Holes in Our Brains at Junkyard Raves
Lareina: I’ve finally bitten the bullet and started listening to techno music. My friends and I have been haunting local raves and I’m pretty sure I’ve already lost half of my hearing. Pound it through my ears, pound it through my soul, OONTZ OONTZ OONTZ!! My parents are very proud. Mason: Today, I want to […]
Our Weekly Roundup: ‘Devil May Cry,’ ‘Fooly Cooly’ and Warm Winter Nostalgia
Walker: As of late, I have been playing a lot of the games in the “Devil May Cry” series. Following a half demon, half human devil hunter named Dante, the game mostly consists of raunchy humor, wacky gameplay and fighting otherworldly monsters. It’s very early 2000s, PS2-type edgy charm. Illustration courtesy of Capcom Natalie: The […]
VCU vs. the Pedestrian
Look both ways. Car headlights go past. The street is clear. Footsteps on the pavement. Make it to the other side without a backward glance. Until they don’t. Travesty paves Richmond’s streets. Ask anyone on campus and they’ll tell you their own horror story of driving in this city. It’s practically built into the roads, […]
Our Weekly Roundup: Greek Mythology is the MCU for Women
Naomi: I’ve been in Greek Mythology hell, because it’s basically the MCU for women. Stan Clytemnestra, stan Medea. Recently I’ve been enraptured by The Song of Achilles, because as a trans girl, I’ve always felt a kinship with Greek femboys. I’d like to imagine that if I lived in Ancient Greece I would be a […]
Our Weekly Roundup: Virginia Folk and Nathan Fielder
Our staff’s obsessions from this past week! Julianne: I’m a Nathan Fielder diehard. The minute his new show “The Curse” started airing on Paramount+, I shelled out $11.99 of my hard earned cash to the subscription service, and have been doing so dutifully every month since. I am enamored with, disgusted by and obsessed with […]
Our Weekly Roundup: ‘The Hunger Games,’ ‘Fortnite’ and Existential Dread
Taylor: Fighting to the death, I guess? Making my way through the Hunger Games trilogy for the first time right now and also watching the Squid Game reality spinoff just has me thinking about the ways humans consistently choose violence as a means of remedying existing or preventing future social and political turmoil and the […]
The Crawl From Finals Hell
It’s December. Finals season is upon us, work is utterly insane due to the holidays, and just stepping outside makes you feel like you might turn into a block of ice, crack from all of the pressure, and ultimately evaporate. You’re falling behind in your classes, doing nothing to propel yourself into the workplace (are […]
Psyop On You
They Did Not Belong Amongst the Obsolete I remember being scorched. Driving down Richmond Highway sometime during late July. The back of my thighs stuck to my leather car seat as I blasted “American Teenager” by Ethel Cain. The volume was maxed and its grainy audio rattled through the frame of my compact car. I […]