Photo of the Week

photo by ELIJAH JOHN M. ENCINAS/ THE FLAME Mindlessly scrolling through his feed, he promptly stops at a post that caught his attention. Breaking: Thailand saw no new cases. The headline reads in a local Facebook post. Under it are strings of comments brimming with envy. He cannot help but stew in the same sentiments as his fellowmen. The people in neighboring countries seem to be slowly easing back into the streets while he and millions of others are still stuck in the same confinement for months on end. While others are already shoulder to shoulder with their friends and family somewhere, he is stuck memorizing the four corners of his room like the back of his hand. The only times he can see the familiar faces are through the four corners of the screen. As he steps outs...

photo by MARLOU JOSEPH B. BON-AO/ THE FLAME Trigger Warning: transphobia, violence, murder The hands of a brute coil around her throat.  She gasps. She screams inside, I can’t brea—  Her delicate fingers held the ones cramping her neck. Pleas— With eyes turning bloodshot, she sees him. She sees his face—the last one she will see alive.   His face; that ivory skin and hazel eyes. The eyes clouded with a burning rage that would soon ignite. With little power she has left, she pushes his chest. She hits it—nothing. His heart; not beating like a rock. He grabs her hair and plunges her head down— She screams with bubbles coming out of her mouth—voiceless and unheard.  Hel— Once again, a woman who was meant to be a muse was forced into becoming a mermaid. With