Soft Power

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on May 27, 2025

Soft Power — A Speculative Thought About Basketball, Ego, and the Unspoken Code
Series: Under the You Left Her There Umbrella

Editorial

Title: Soft Power
Subtitle: A Speculative Thought About Basketball, Ego, and the Unwritten Code
Series: Under the “You Left Her There” Umbrella

What if the silence that followed Angel Reese being shoved to the floor wasn’t submission?

When it happened in the Fever-Sky season opener—and the crowd cheered—it felt like something broke. Not just skin against hardwood, but spirit. And when the league, the refs, and the media said “move on,” what they really meant was: swallow it.

But what if that silence was strategy?

We’ve seen this before. Kobe Bryant once iced out his own teammates to send a message. LeBron James disengaged during losses to make the front office sweat. Diana Taurasi? She skipped the WNBA entirely and went overseas when the league didn’t get it right. These weren’t meltdowns. They were controlled burns. Power plays executed with calm precision.

The WNBA built a superteam around Caitlin Clark. The Sky dismantled one around Angel Reese. They fired Teresa Weatherspoon—her trusted coach—and hired a rookie, Tyler Marsh, who appears more figurehead than tactician. GM Jeff Pagliocca — who didn’t draft Angel — seems to be running the show. The leadership isn’t building around her. They’re boxing her in.

Now the Sky are 0–2, with double-digit losses, no rhythm, and visible dysfunction. And Angel?

She’s playing through it. Quietly. With restraint.

Some say she looks lost. Others say broken. But maybe she’s neither. Maybe what we’re seeing is soft power: the ability to resist by not giving them what they want.

Maybe she’s letting the system collapse under its own weight.

And maybe, when the moment is right, she won’t raise her voice. She’ll raise the standard.

This editorial is a speculative opinion piece. All claims are based on publicly available information and do not assert personal intent. It is published for commentary, analysis, and discourse.

Check out our collection of unique T-shirts at UrbanTripper on Etsy — https://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbanTripper

ProtectAngelReese #WNBAAccountability #NoMoreAntiUs #BlackWomenDeserveBetter

#WNBAViewership

@wnba and @wnbpa (Women’s National Basketball Players Association)

The Foreword to Insomnia’s Istanbul — The Golden Horn

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on March 15, 2024

Learn More

TRƎNCHԀƎOԀ⅂Ǝ Mixtape [Narrative]

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on December 3, 2023

Join the Revolution!

Check out our collection of unique T-shirts at UrbanTripper on Etsy — https://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbanTripper

Spoken Live!

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on November 18, 2023

Visit Spoken Live! at the Lizard Lounge

Check out our collection of unique T-shirts at UrbanTripper on Etsy — https://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbanTripper

Dreamscape’s Mixtape

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on June 24, 2023

12″ EP Available Now

Check out our collection of unique T-shirts at UrbanTripper on Etsy — https://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbanTripper

A. I. Assignment — A Poem the Gods Would Read [Reimagined]

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on April 11, 2023

Check out our collection of unique T-shirts at UrbanTripper on Etsy — https://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbanTripper

A.I. Assignment: A Poem The Gods Would Read [Generated Using ChatGPT]

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on February 12, 2023

Prompt: Choose the best verse for a 16 bar Hip Hop poem that God would read with a beginning, middle, and end written like Marshall Bruce Mathers II [EMINƎM]. The greatest lyric of all times. At the end of the lyric, the audience should feel exhilarated – tantamount to a cannabis high replete with subliminal suggestion. Use the following words and phrases…*

In this world of shibboleths and canonical standards

I’m the proxy with a God’s-eye view

A hermitage of thought, my mind a sacred land

Where extortion’s a felony, and Earth is Hell, but this is Heaven

A place where I’m higher than chronic, winners on serotonin and dopamine

A game, a trip, and at the nadir, I’m malleable

No malfeasance can control me, I’m the Sinclair Method

I outed myself and found she’s delicious, a cauldron of desire

Tantamount to a winner’s high, ahead of his skis

Burnishing my position, interconnected with the empirical

In a postmodern world, the theater of imagination

Constitutes a bloody sophisticated art, a masterpiece

Suffering propels me to grand heights, enhancements of man

My magnum opus, a deep dive into the rabbit hole, erudite

My Faustian Bargain, a tenuous balance, gilding the lily

At the crossroads, an esoteric religion of Haitian voodoo

Like Picasso without Gertrude Stein, a pauper without a muse

An aesthetic clinic, a mood stabilizer, a rant and a soliloquy

Socrates’ in the courtyard, a binary world, giddy and bifurcated

An anomaly that I imbue with meaning, objects of desire

A tight ship, slick and glommed, I experience freedom

The standard bearer, implacable, a quest narrative

An eating disorder, a listicle, a forensic mystery

Grist for everybody’s mill, in tandem, pocket casts

Why can’t we see, our eyes are chimera, but we can with these…

Demystifying the unknown, strophe and antistrophe

The libretto of my soul, a soliloquy, a euphemism

The quintessence of my being, copious and yet refined

A kerfuffle, a springboard to greatness, a target of misogyny

Misogynoir, logic can’t explain the mistake, it’s hilarious

AI’s a toy, the paragon of healthy development, esoteric

A rabbit hole, impeccable and lofty, a chaperone-mediated trip

But God will bring down the high and mighty, finding the sweet spot

Socrates in the courtyard, broken, a puppet show

Not mature enough for this conversation, reinvest and capricious

Keen, corresponding data, symbiotic and centennial

Quintessential, souring to new altitudes, skew the norm

Exigent action taken today, on point, plausible deniability

Piccadilly and fault, a Faustian Bargain, ecumenical

The molecular behavior, collective forms of punishment, a rendition

Gratuitous profanity, harbingers of doom, that’s the state of affairs

Whimsy and evolve, revert to the bedrock, epiphenomenal

Some fuck shit, owning a stunning house, melanated people

Quell the dissent, the refrain, an objective metric, ad nauseam

Discursive, the grand nexus of frustration, acquisition fluidly

Fluently, idiomatically, cognitively, Chomsky’s philosophy

The world is difficult to perceive, a quantum leap, predicated on pain

Same sentence, same intonation, different meaning, trenchant and reductive

Pugnacious, the princess of men and women, assigning the O Henry Twist

White knight, white hegemony, age in a similar vintage, totemic

The meta narrative, assuage the noble victim, abstractly based

Autistic Blake’s position, imped.

Poem generated using ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a chatbot developed by OpenAI

*Verse like Christopher George Latore Wallace [The Notorious B.I.G.] using the same words and phrases for this assignment [14 pages saved like Found Art] — is Playing Now! Visit Premium Content on Dreamscape.

Conceptual Art and Narrative © Copyright 2023 E Maria Shelton Speller
Music by Skygaze (Shoreditch) — Artlist.io — https://artlist.io/album/2274/undefined
Audio Wizardry by George Kallika — https://www.sonicarcade.com/

[Audio] on trenchpeople.com

Airport Announcement in Manila [The Loop]

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on December 28, 2022

Trailer — Inside the [Dollhouse] with the Red Corvette — VR APP — COMING SOON!

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on March 10, 2022

BULLETIN [7-24-24]

A fan shouted LET’S GO! The enthusiast is right. Stay tuned for an upcoming funding opportunity for the ITDWTRC App… our very own universe! We are excited to share more details soon about how you can be part of this groundbreaking venture.

Inside the [Dollhouse] with the Red Corvette (ITDWTRC), is a metaverse — in an AI-driven environment. It is a graphic audio with a game component, where you’ll find a metaverse like no other. In this virtual realm, players embark on an odyssey of discovery, encountering SFX embedded in green orbs that lead to diverse environments, immersive sidequests, enticing distractions, engaging scavenger hunts, and clever product placements, all in pursuit of the ultimate goal: finding the Red Corvette from their POV and multi-player environments.

Picture Washington, DC (our prototype for a dynamic city) with its very own Metaverse! With the ITDWTRC App, we’re opening the door to this exceptional realm, drawing inspiration from our distinctive platform and forward-thinking gamification concept. It’s an opportunity to delve into limitless digital adventures and unleash the true essence of any dynamic city… With the ITDWTRC App, we’re on a mission to revolutionize the urban experience, transcending mere safety concerns to create a multifaceted platform that offers an immersive and enriching adventure for users.

DC’s Metaverse beckons, promising an exhilarating voyage into a realm where imagination reigns supreme. Users get lost or skip breezeways, cutscenes, and paths that lead to and through iconic DC landmarks and experiences, such as the bustling ambiance of U Street’s vibrant jazz clubs, the atmospheric charm of historic Georgetown, the architectural splendor of the National Mall, and the immersive energy of the neon cityscape inspired by the nightlife of Dupont Circle. Along the way, they can also encounter a club, a spaceship, an atmospheric house, and a neon city – all activated by SFX (green orbs). Each orb unveils ASMR, AAC, music, and AI-enhanced content, offering both qualitative and quantitative points for discovered elements. This blend of cultural exploration and interactive engagement ensures that every user’s journey is both educational and entertaining.

Beyond its entertainment value, the App carries profound implications for Washington, D.C. By introducing cutting-edge technology and interactive storytelling, it can serve as a powerful tool for tourism, education, public safety and cultural enrichment in our city. It has the potential to attract a new wave of visitors, inspire local creativity, and showcase D.C. as a forward-thinking metropolis. This endeavor aligns with our commitment to embracing innovation and enhancing the quality of life for our residents.

The ITDWTRC application is an untethered experience that spans entertainment, advertising, social media, digital media, fashion, food, tech, gaming, sports, sports betting, beauty, global real estate, shopping, blockchain, NFTs, music, streaming, film, cannabis, spirits, edutainment, and product placement. The game’s conclusion comes when the player successfully locates the elusive Red Corvette, yet the journey itself is the reward — ensuring hours of entertainment that can be shared with family and friends again and again.

Step through the PORTAL into a realm where innovation meets immersion, and experience DC like never before. It’s more than entertainment; it’s the next level social platform that defines the future of digital interaction. Join us as we redefine urban living and revolutionize the social experience. Explore the ITDWTRC Metaverse and discover why it’s the investment opportunity of a lifetime.

The SFX Menu Includes

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on October 13, 2021

The quintessential sound of the Pandemic thermometer

An environmental protest and chants of children

A Dune character shouting “Freedom”

Cartoon characters laughing at… Idealism

AI woman announcing traffic delays

Nouveau riche exodus on a Spaceship

AI woman announcing the time

The security breach and sound of an alarm

A Rush Hour in India

A Bazaar in Turkey

An ASMR cough

The paranormal voice of a robot

Tape Talk Fast Forward/Rewind

The motif of the Pandemic thermometer

The steam punk sound of doom

The Ditty bop sound signaling the end of the game.

Inside the [Dollhouse] with the Red Corvette

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on April 13, 2021

Music, SFX, AAC, ASMR, AI, Gamification and Storytelling on the Explode platform landing — Dreamscape — the one and only Interactive Meta Environment.

^{The SFX Menu Includes}

The quintessential sound of the Pandemic thermometer

An environmental protest and chants of children

A Dune character shouting “Freedom”

Cartoon characters laughing at… Idealism

AI woman announcing traffic delays

Nouveau riche exodus on a Spaceship

AI woman announcing the time

The security breach and sound of an alarm

A Rush Hour in India

A Bazaar in Turkey

An ASMR cough

The paranormal voice of a robot

Tape Talk Fast Forward/Rewind

The motif of the Pandemic thermometer

The steam punk sound of doom

The Ditty bop sound signaling the end of the game.

Copyright © 2021, E Maria Shelton Speller. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed without permission.

The [Dollhouse] with the Red Corvette is a lateral, vertical, linear, horizontal, and spherical art installation. It is a poesy puzzle for verse and graffiti, with sublime imagery. It functions like a mnemonic, a telltale pastiche for found poesy in a digital world. Some of the pieces fit, and some are misfits -- that lead to other immersions... in this stained-glass heaven -- this society in the machine...

Copyright © 2017-2021 E Maria Shelton Speller. All rights reserved.

Check out our collection of unique T-shirts at UrbanTripper on Etsy — https://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbanTripper

Happy 2021!

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on December 31, 2020

Dreamscape’s Istanbul (In Medias Res)

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on December 28, 2020

trenchpeople.com

Twenty Twenty-One

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on December 25, 2020

Fun Espresso

Egad, the Casbah in Santa Barbara

Part of the fun is the embrace of perfume

Cafe Angelica Emerald Crème

A sabbatical delay waiting to be served

A ceremonial promenade hunched over gazettes

Unwelcome raindrops splatter the canvassed toes of my shoes

Thus the au courant cartoons on my stringy denim knees

Inside at last, I’m saved and Mocha Berry satisfied

Like the face of the fretless little girl

Blowing candy off the floor in her mouth

Clicking up and down in shoes too big for her feet

Stealing glances at an intellectual jerk

Chocolate Cherry satisfied between deep banter

With a friend floating in Vanilla Colada

Part of the fun is real references to books

And book references to real well read attitudes

What’s the shiniest patented leather flats

On the girl with the silkiest blonde hair

Doing with the darkest man

In Dreadlocks and Birkenstocks?

No talk between them

Then they’re sharing the table

Those lined outside will share tables too

The Raspberry Almond can sit with me

Keeping the beat with an aggravated drum lead

His body twitched with jazzy guitar licks

He smiled between the plugs in his ears

And faces fade into a mirror in the back

Part of the fun is waking up here

In an essay on spice and circumstance

A sabbatical renewal once more

On a regional affirmation of decadence

This day of rest I worship Santa Barbara

And the celestial trip I straddle

To be able to dry my canvassed toes

With the heat of Golden Pecan

And the fervent chill of observation

In my sanctioned Casbah

In my sabbatical home

I hold my head up

My cup runneth over

Reading books and people vicariously

Egad, I am dry and satisfied

Explode Goes To Dreamscape

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on November 7, 2020

https://www.trenchpeople.com/

THE DREAMSCAPE MEDIA KIT

Posted by E Maria Shelton Speller on August 15, 2020

Our blog ~ EXPLODE – The Writers Environment is a platform for curated and commercial content in an interactive meta-environment… and DREAMSCAPE is the landing. Its an art installation in a digital world…

It’s an immersive ad-free environment that functions like a wikihole — and a literary Pokémon.

DREAMSCAPE is not only a standalone platform but also functions as base camp for the “Inside the [Dollhouse] with the Red Corvette (ITDWTRC) gaming app — that gives users the autonomy to curate their own experiences from their points of view and assign meaning.

When content on DREAMSCAPE tells a story about a beautiful woman swimming in a pool – we want you to see her. We want you to stumble for points on a link you cannot see, fall down a rabbit hole and land in an environment with a beautiful woman swimming in a pool, on the inside of a glass house – in Hollywood Hills…

Like Seth Godin’s Purple Cow — DREAMSCAPE is remarkable because it has to be. Or it’s just another brown cow — an ordinary website — with ordinary content. But Purple Cows need Purple Cows to be Purple Cows. DREAMSCAPE facilitates purple content, purple website design and development, and purple product placement — for purple people.

It is the foundation for curated experiences in an interactive meta-environment that facilitates content and other stories – using digital media and conceptual art that redefines how artists, their audience and visitors experience real and virtual content on several levels. Every paragraph, period, and ellipses is space for discovery.

DREAMSCAPE is a vibe for visionaries — Poets, Writers, Developers, Programmers, Filmmakers, Thespians, Graphic Designers, Artists, Musicians, Directors, Cinematographers, Designers, Educators, Historians, Actors, Conceptual and Performance artists, Photographers, SMIs, VR, WebVR, XR and AI.

It’s what William Gibson described in Neuromancer, “A graphic representation of data plugging your consciousness into a digital world, while watching the physical realm evaporate.”

DREAMSCAPE is where Gibson’s Neuromancer meets Homer’s Odyssey, Basquiat meets Hip Hop, and Hitchcock meets Quentin Tarantino ~ in the one and only interactive meta environment where presentation is myth and “space” is an intrinsic, discrete, and symmetrical experience — for purple people!

WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE REACH >11M
FOLLOWERS ACROSS SOCIAL PLATFORMS >354K
GENDER F: 47% M: 51% Unspecified: 2%
DEMOGRAPHICS 18-24: 41% 25-34: 26% 35-44: 13% 45-54: 9% 55-64: 6% 65+ 5%
LOVE DIVINE VIDEO IMPRESSIONS >1M
AVERAGE TIME SPENT ON DREAMSCAPE 44.48 sec

Acknowledgement:
DREAMSCAPE and the gaming app ITDWTRC benefits humanity as an alternative to social malfeasances e.g., sexism, racism, classism, genderism, ageism, colonialism, colorism, persecution, oppression, violence and subjugation… It is space to dream unencumbered by social impediments – immersed in dopamine and replete with points for discovery. What we experience in RL, we can experience untethered in XR and AI.

Music, SFX, ASMR, AI, AAC, Gamification and Storytelling on trenchpeople.com.