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    malarayofsunshine.com

    content creator, cruelty-free MuA, cosplayer, feminist, LGBTQAI+

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    My 22 Most Anticipated LGBTQIA+ Reads for 2021

    27 June, 2021 · Uncategorized · 0

    This year I’m writing my most anticipated list… half way through the year. Ya win some, ya lose some. #2021, am I right? There have been an incredible amount of wonderful books that have already come …

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    UPDATE!: 20 bookish goals for 2020

    1 August, 2020 · Books · 0

    Well, it's half-way through the year. Can you believe it? I'm not sure I can. The world is a wild place to be alive, right now. Below you'll find the text-version of the audio update I gave in my most …

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    Books to Read for Your Zodiac Sign, Part Two: Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces

    12 April, 2020 · Books, LGBTQAI+, Lifestyle, WhatchYA Readin? · 0

      We’re all stuck inside, probably reading now more than ever; so I thought what better time than to sit down and write this blog post.  Blog post ideas like this one flit in and out of my …

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    Fangirling Over V.E. Schwab and “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” with Jordandené

    16 March, 2020 · Uncategorized · 0

    Oh man, y'all... things in Seattle are wild right now. I'm currently sitting in a hotel room that Jordan booked for when Emerald City Comic Con was still on. Now, just a week and a half after ECCC …

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    Books + Web Comics with Jordandené

    1 February, 2020 · Books, Podcasts, WhatchYA Readin? · 0

    This whole "regularly posting" thing is pretty nice. I could get used to it! This week I'm joined by my pal and entrepreneur extraordinaire; Jordan Ellis of Jordandené and The Sartorial Geek. Click …

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    @malaray
    For those of you who’ve been asking, here are my For those of you who’ve been asking, here are my official performance dates and times for the 2025 season:

☘️ Sunday, 16th March at 1:00 p.m. – Irish Festival Seattle at The Armory, Seattle Center
☘️ Friday, 23rd May at 7:00-8:30 p.m. – Northwest Church, Federal Way, WA (𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘵 6:30 𝘱.𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸; 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘶 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦.)
☘️ Sunday, 25th May at 8:30 p.m. – Folklife 2025 at Seattle Center

Irish Step Dance has been a super important part of my life since I found it again three years ago. I danced for a couple of years when I was little, but missed it the whole time I was away. Honestly, I’ve been pretty quiet about my dance life online–mostly because I just have’t been as active online in recent years, but also because I was a little nervous to share this part of myself. (Which is so ironic coming from someone who broadcasted their life online for 8+ years growing up!)

ANYWAY all that to say, if you also fell in love with Irish Step Dance when Riverdance swept the globe at the 1994 Eurovision competition and you’d like to see some whimsical skedaddling IRL please come watch us perform–we would be so happy to have you in the audience.
    🎶 Nine ladies dancing… 🎶 (and 🎶 Four ca 🎶 Nine ladies dancing… 🎶 (and 🎶 Four calling birds…🎶!)

I was in line for a booth at Ren Faire with @ourshieldmaiden when I thought up the concept for this group, and now here we are– The Twelve Days of Christmas!

When it came to my photo I knew immediately that I needed to do “nine ladies dancing” and that I wanted to re-create a photo from my childhood of Irish Step Dance. I only danced from the age of eight to about nine and a half before we moved and it was too far / expensive to keep going, BUT I loved it so much. In the many years between then and now I’d been looking and looking for a group to dance with again and finally found my crew three years ago. I ordered some new ghillies (Irish Dance soft shoes) and I haven’t looked back since. Swipe to the end of the carousel for a peek at the photos of tiny Mallory that I modeled my photo after and a photo of my first ever hardshoe routine. (Spoiler: I was not good, but I was SO proud to be up there with my dance teacher and the TEENS!)

Also, I would be remiss if I failed to mention how PERFECT Pixel is as our “four calling birds” and @cosmic.reys.cosplay’s Edamame is as our “partridge in a pear tree”.

Please go check out each person and their photo up close and personal because everyone was SO incredibly talented and creative with their concepts. I truly have the coolest friends.

May we always remember the light will always come again, but be thankful for the slowness and reflection the darkness affords us while it lasts. ✨ Happy Holidays and Winter Solstice, everyone!

🥁 Twelve drummers drumming — @markiviousspicer
🪈 Eleven pipers piping — @live_1000_lives
👯‍♂️ Ten lords-a-leaping — @nogardehh
🩰 Nine ladies dancing — @malaray
🐮 Eight maids a-milking — @shakespeareandme
🦢 Seven swans a-swimming — @ourshieldmaiden
🪿 Six geese a-laying — @houseofpagesandstories
💍 Five golden rings — @cosmic.reys.cosplay
🐦 Four calling birds — Pixel (@malaray)
🐓 Three French hens — @5hensandacockatiel
🕊️ Two turtle doves —  @paigeloe
🍐 And a partridge in a pear tree — Edamame (@cosmic.reys.cosplay)

(oh, and thanks to @carolynleonard.photos for the wonderful photo grid concept!)
    ✨ My name is Mallory and I was born in 1989 ✨ ✨ My name is Mallory and I was born in 1989 ✨

Let’s be real, we all have a Taylor Swift story / connection. One of mine is that we’re born just about a month apart and are both (crazy?) Sagittariuses. 😜 1989 (now TV’s) has been one of my favorite albums ever since I heard “Welcome to New York” and dreamed one day of playing it while I walked around the city for the first time. Then when I finally did, it didn’t play in my headphones, but it played non-stop in my head.

To celebrate Taylor’s birthday, a bunch of super cool creators all joined Carolyn’s (@carolynleonard.photos) fun celebration idea: making portraits inspired by the eras and lyrics of miss @TaylorSwift. We’re sharing them today as our own little Eras Tour celebration.

Debut: @lovecitycosplay 🦋
Fearless: @celofwands 💫
Speak Now: @carolynleonard.photos 👄
Red: @whitneyautumnmakes 🧣
1989: @malaray 🏙
Reputation: @kb_reading 🐍
Lover: @ourshieldmaiden 💘
Folklore: @shakespeareandme : 🍂
Evermore: @lianacarissa 🌲
Midnights: @alyb_cosplays 🕕
TTPD: @glamourpossum 🖋️

📸: @alyssarosebuckloughlen (shout out to my work wifey for taking the most impeccable photos of my 1989 at the most perfect golden hour along the water!)
    “to be a woman” — mallory shoemaker, 7 novem “to be a woman” — mallory shoemaker, 7 november, 2024

i feel angry, it hasn’t gone away yet and i doubt it will. feeling anger is a privilege and one that, for the majority of my life, i haven’t allowed myself to indulge in, but now (thanks thirties) i am letting myself feel everything. i will channel my anger into action— with the way my existence as a queer woman is a radical act, the way my love and art and hope are resistance, and the way i will continue to champion for the people around me with fewer seats at the table than i have. we can only get through the next four years if we stay strong together. we must love and protect each other every day. feel the anger, feel the sadness, but don’t ever let them take away your love or your joy. when they take our hope, our love, our joy— that’s when they win and that is simply not how this story ends. 🩵
    i may have peaked with Pegasus 💙🪽 a few gra i may have peaked with Pegasus 💙🪽

a few grainy snaps from last weekend at the @mopopseattle halloween party with my Hercules crew.

based on some stunning Pegasus artwork i saw by @_sunsetdragon_

superrrr proud of this one— cuz the wings work AND i got into two lyfts with them on. 😂 i need to get proper photos taken stat! this build was my first time properly working with foam, my first time working with worbla, and my first time truly styling a wig— i learned so much.

happy Halloween and Samhain to all who celebrate! 🖤🎃🖤

Megera: @shakespeareandme
Hades: @nogardehh
Hercules: @tashakayyyy
Phil: @hotdog.hotel
Hera: @parkergbailey
Pegasus: me

📸 by Claire (@shakespeareandme), too!
    Wendy is ultimate eldest daughter core ✨ #Disne Wendy is ultimate eldest daughter core ✨

#DisneyCosplay #PeterPan #WendyMoiraAngelaDarling #DragonCon2024 #OldestDaughter

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