#I also have everybody wants to rule the world planned out about up until fred's death

[hunnywrites]

My billy fics have gotten a sudden influx of attention on ao3 and um it’s making me nervous 👀

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super 097

Live!  At the Null Realm Fairgrounds!  It’s the Tournament of Power!

80 warriors from across the multiverse slug it out!  First prize: a super wish!  Second prize: Death!

Plus, check out the 60′s Batmobile!  On display at the fairgrounds!

And don’t forget Kids’ World, where you can meet Fred Flintstone and Spider-Man!

See KISS in a special live performance!  It’s all here at the Null Realm Fairgrounds!  Exit 103A off of I-69.  Be there!

Okay, so we finally made it!  We’re here!  The part where Dragon Ball Super finally gets good.  I would say “without any further ado”, but the Grand Minister makes a big entrance and insists on going over the rules one more time.  So it takes about five minutes to get rolling, but this is it.  The Tournament of power will start in this episode.

“Assembled gods and mortals, the Omni-Kings requested musical accompaniment for this auspicious occasion, and so we have provided it!  You wanted the best, you got the best.  The hottest band in the world!  KISS!

I needed a gimmick for this thing, a way to raise the stakes, and this is it.  While dozens of cartoon aliens and karate guys battle for their continued existence, I face a different challenge.  Can I liveblog the entire Tournament of Power while also assembling a kickass playlist for the arc?  A playlist made up entirely of KISS songs?  I have a chemistry degree and a one million word fanfic that strongly suggests that I have no limits. 

Anyway, the Grand Minister gives the signal and all these randos you’ve never heard of start fighting.

I remember during the buildup to thing in 2017, I wondered how Toei would even animate a battle royale like this.  Sure, you can kind of do close-ups of just a few characters on the edge of the stage, but you have to zoom out sometime, and what happens then?  Well, they solved this problem the same way Dragon Ball solves a lot of other problems: With explosions. 

For the next several episodes, everybody who isn’t getting screen time in this show will be firing off huge ki blasts with little to no effect.  And it’s glorious.

The Grand Zenos are blown away and we’re only a few seconds into this thing.

As for Team Universe 7, well, Gohan had a game plan, but he can only get half the team to follow it.  Goku, Vegeta, 17, and 18 all rush off to fight, and Frieza decides he can’t pass up a chance to enjoy his one-day pass from hell. 

From the bleachers, the gods wondered why they even bothered trying to prepare for this, which sort of proves my point about Episodes 68-96.  A lot of those episodes focused on everyone talking about this tournament and preparing for it, but most of those preparations amount to nothing. 

For example, there was a scene where Universe 3 showed off an enhanced fighter with special mechanical limbs designed for avoiding elimination and sweeping fighters out of the ring.  But Hit wrecks that dude right off the bat.

Oh, and Basil too.  Narirama doesn’t get eliminated in this episode, but it doesn’t really matter, since his whole game plan just got shot to hell.  And it only took a few seconds of this episode to introduce the dude and then take him down.  That other episode where he strutted his stuff was pointless.

Speaking of Basil, he manages to knock another fighter out of the ring.  This is Ryelibeu, one of the few contestants who has wings and could fly under the unique conditions of the Tournament stage.

But she’s so overwhelmed by the fall that she forgets to use her wings, and so she tumbles down into the abyss until she’s suddenly teleported to the bleachers.  Rumsshi is none too pleased about his team being the first to suffer an elimination, but Gowasu says there’s nothing they can do about it, which is the most Gowasu line ever.  Seriously, why did he even bother fielding a team?  I get the impression Gowasu would enjoy nonexistence.

At this point, the Grand Minister shows the Zenos how to use their GodPad devices to keep track of the ring-outs.  Nearby, a guy in a Fred Flintstone costumes watches on as they mark off Rylibeu.  Fred is eerily silent, as he isn’t supposed to say anything for this job.  But if he were the real Fred Flintstone, he would surely be saying “Yabba Dabba Doo!  That’s it for Rylibeu!”

Meanwhile, a bunch of guys try to gang up on Gohan’s squad, but they stand their ground and stay in this thing. 

There’s not much to call here.  It’s just absolute chaos.  Goku really wants to pick up where he left off against Top, but other fighters keep getting in Goku’s way.  When Top finally does fight back, some other guy attacks Top, so Goku’s going to have to accept the opponents that present themselves.

Goku catches a glimpse of Jiren, but before he can do anything about it, he gets grabbed by Nink, a big dope from Universe 4.  Nink doesn’t seem to be long on smarts, so his plan is to drag Goku to the edge and eliminate himself and Goku at the same time.  The spectators praise Nink for his smarts, as this is a great way to take out a team’s star player and gain an advantage, except, no.  This is a terrible idea.

Case in point, Goku only seems to be in a pinch because he’s trying to conserve his strength.  So when it looks like he’s doomed, he finally uses Super Saiyan Blue to escape, and Nink winds up eliminating himself for nothing.  The problem with this sort of strategy is that U4 only has ten fighters on the board, so they can’t affort to waste them like this.  Even if Nink’s plan had succeeded, that would only leave Universe 7 in a bad position.  The other six teams would be just fine, and U4 would have to deal with them without Nink’s help.  I don’t think that’s a bargain.

Also, U4 really had no idea what Goku was capable of, so they never stopped to consider if Goku could be eliminated this way.  It’s a bad enough strategy when it’s guaranteed to succeed, but when it’s a gamble?  It’s foolish.

But as Goku recovers from that near-defeat, he finds himself surrounded by Universe 9 fighters.  Looks like they’ve decided Nink had the right idea, but this time they’re going to use more manpower to make it happen.  What could possibly go wrong?

Meanwhile, Spider-Man is having a blast.

[cosmiclove-heavenstruck]

Midnight Quidditch Games | Harry Potter

Pairing: Harry Potter x Gryffindor!Reader (written with a female reader in mind, though the gender is not stated)

Wordcount: 3800 words

Warnings: none, just fluff and friends-to-lovers

Summary: Fred and George come up with the idea of hosting illegal Quidditch Games for all four houses every Friday night. Harry convinces Reader to play with him and they end up on the same broom.

a/n: No Voldemort Au, set in Harry's fifth year. English is not my native language, so there might be spelling/grammar mistakes. (Based on a headcanon by @/ murphcooper on tumblr)

Friday was my favourite day of the week, and there were two reasons for that: One, it was the start of the weekend, and two, we played Quidditch.

Up until fifth year, the most I had to do with the popular wizarding sport was cheering at the official school games for the Gryffindor team and attending the Quidditch World Cup in 1994. Then Fred and George came up with a very illegal, yet very exciting and fun idea, which was to host unofficial Quidditch games in the middle of the night that any student could attend. Whether it were First Years who could barely fly, or simple people that never made it onto their house's team, anyone was welcome.

The twins had planned it the first two months of their sixth year together with Quidditch fans from the other houses and had created lists for every common room, which wouldn't be readable by the teachers or Filch.

“It's illegal! What if something happens? What if someone gets hurt, how do you want to explain that to Dumbledore, or worse, to Professor McGonagall,” Hermione argued as soon as Fred and George had prompted their idea to us one Sunday evening.

“I'm disappointed. Do you really think we would work that sloppy?”, Fred asked.

“The house elves are in,” George explained. “Which means free food and free healthcare, all in one!”

“Awesome,” Ron said, and he should be proven right.

The only rules to attend were the duty to remain silent and to come in your pyjamas, just for the sake of it. Gryffindors and Ravenclaws would be playing against Hufflepuffs and Slytherins, Lee Jordan would be commenting as always and because Madam Hooch wasn't available, Hermione would be our judge. This was decided unanimously.

The first two games had occurred at the end of November, and they had been a complete mess. We had to raise the number of players on each team so everyone who wanted to play fit in, which led to three Keepers, six Chasers, four Beaters and two Seekers for each house. Furthermore, there had been a dozen of first years who couldn't fly yet and who had to be taught by voluntaries.

Those first two Friday nights I had spent with Lee, Hermione, Luna and Dobby on the commentary stand, cheering and eating chocolate biscuits. Once in a while, I had thrown a biscuit in the air for Harry to catch.

Because of the bone-chilling cold and pitch-black darkness brought by the Scottish winter, Fred and George had invented glass bulbs which carried bright orange, warm fire and hovered over the Quidditch pitch.

With the first Friday of December approaching, the excitement grew bigger and it was basically the only topic during every meal. Now that the rules and positions had set and the First Years could fly, we were awaiting the first serious game – as serious as playing Quidditch in pyjamas with Hermione as a judge could be.

“You have to play, too,” Harry said to me during lunch on Friday. My friends had tried all week to persuade me to play instead of only keeping Hermione company, while I had constantly declined.

“Yes, come on,” Ron agreed. “We know you can fly, you played with us this summer.”

“No, no way.” I shook my head and pulled the pumpkin juice jug closer.

“Why not?”, Harry asked, covering my glass with his hand. I raised my eyebrows, but he only grinned, which made my stomach tingle. But I glossed over the unwanted feeling and shoved his hand away.

“Because all positions are filled. And besides that, I would be a terrible Chaser,” I answered. “Or a terrible anything, really.”

“You could play as a Seeker,” Hermione suggested and poured herself a drink. “You're good at noticing details.”

“But Harry and that boy from third year are playing as Gryffindor Seeker,” I reminded her, cutting my toast in half.

“You could fly with Harry,” She said plainly. I stared at her with wide eyes. I should had known the moment I had told Hermione about my not-so-tiny crush on Harry that it had been a bad idea. Now she did what I should had expected: Trying to set me up with him.

“No, I – no.”

“But I wouldn’t mind,” Harry said. “And if you don't like it, I can drop you off at the stands again. Come on Y/N, say yes.” He nudged my shoulder, looking at me with sweetest puppy eyes. I couldn't say no to him, he knew that. I sighed.

“Fine.”

A content smile lit up on his face. “Brilliant.”

Around half past nine, we made our way out of the castle and down to the Quidditch pitch. Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George, as well as a dozen other Gryffindor students had their brooms shouldered, following me and Hermione through the dimly lit corridors.

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” I whispered, tapping the Marauders Map, which soon revealed Hogwarts’ grounds, ink lines flowing over the parchment. Filch was strolling around in his office, and so was Snape. McGonagall’s ink dot hovered in the East tower of the Fourth Floor. “Everything’s clear, but keep quiet,” I informed the others.

Hermione linked her arms with me.

“How are you?”, She asked, a knowing smile on her lips.

“Shut up. What was that at lunch?”

“Oh, come on, I just said what you were thinking. Everybody knows you have a thing for each other,” She said, and I quickly turned to make sure Harry was still talking to Dean and Ginny. Hermione chuckled. “I made a bet with Ginny that you will kiss after catching the Snitch together,” She added.

I swirled back around. “You what?”

“But Ginny thinks you'll snog in a broom closet afterwards.”

Before I could reply anything, Harry had caught up with us.

“What are you two whispering about?”, He asked, leaning closer so I could smell his deodorant.

“Nothing,” I said and was glad that the darkness hid my tinted cheeks. Hermione let herself fall back, leaving Harry and me alone at the front of the group.

“You're a terrible liar,” He said.

“Says you. Remember last year when we had detention with Snape –”

Harry wrapped his left arm around my shoulders, pulling me unintentionally closer, and placed his hand over my mouth to stop me from talking any further.

“You promised you'd take that to the grave.”

I grinned and pulled his hand away, though his arm stayed around me.

We made it out of the castle without any inconveniences, thanks to Peeves, who – on orders from the twins – created some chaos in the trophy room and distracted McGonagall.

We were the first to reach the pitch, and Harry unlocked the door under the stands with the key on the necklace around his neck, which led to the changing rooms and the spare brooms. Fred and George had stored the fire bulbs under a loose floorboard and were now freeing them so they could fly over the pitch. Hermione directed her wand towards the sky, sending out a Muffliato Charm, then winked at me and climbed up to the commentary stand with Lee.

In the meantime, the other houses arrived; the Hufflepuffs were followed by a tiny body of house elves carrying fast food on tablets over their heads. They spread over the stands, consorting with the students watching the game and providing them with hot meals and drinks.

“Welcome back everyone!”, Lee's voice echoed over the pitch and the crowd cheered. “And also welcome to everyone new here who wants to play or just likes to break the rules.”

“Hello from me too. We have some new players I want to introduce,” Hermione continued. “Marina Florence playing Keeper for Slytherpuff, Arthur Mitchell deputizing for Gryffinclaw’s Chaser Demelza Robbins, who is currently stationed in the hospital wing, and Y/N playing Seeker for Gryffinclaw together with Harry Potter.”

“That's ridiculous! Since when are we playing in pairs?!”, Draco yelled out of the crowd of Slytherin players.

“Since I'm making the rules, you daft idiot!”, Hermione called back, and laughing echoed over the field. Ron's language was clearly leaving a mark on her. “Now get on your brooms, everyone!”

“Make sure you don't slip off your broom in those silk pyjamas, Malfoy, ” Fred snickered loudly, and Draco held up his middle finger.

Slowly, the huge crowd of players on the pitch flew up into the air, positioning themselves on the right spots. I turned to Harry, who climbed on his broom. That was the part I had avoided to think about all afternoon: How would we fly on that thing together?

My heart drummed so loudly against my ribcage it was a miracle he couldn't hear it. We were friends, I reminded myself. And I would not ruin this friendship for the sake of some stupid feelings.

“Come on, Y/N,” Harry said, stretching out his hand. I grabbed it, and he helped me to climb onto his Firebolt, so that I was sitting in front of him. His fingers gripped around the broom stick, not very far from where I had placed my hands.

“You alright?”, He asked and I nodded.

“Brilliant,” I said, and he chuckled. He then wrapped his left arm around my waist before he kicked us off the ground and the Firebolt shot through the cold night air. My back got pressed against his chest, his knees squeezing my thighs, and out of shock, I held onto his arm around me.

I hadn't flown since last summer, and even then it had only been on Ron's old broomstick a few feet above the earth. This here was the complete opposite: Harry's Firebolt was a hundred times faster, and it barely took us three seconds to be the ones flying the highest over the stadium.

“I got you, everything's fine,” Harry said somewhere close to my ear as he had noticed my hand clenched around his arm, and a warm shiver ran down my spin. I looked down on the Quidditch pitch.

“It never looks that high when I’m down there,” I said.

“Are you afraid of heights?”, He asked, but I shook my head.

“No.” Not with you. I could feel his heart beating against my back and absently stroked over his hand on my waist, until Hermione's voice ripped me out of my thoughts.

“Okay, I want a fair game and no injuries, is that clear? And show some respect to the youngest players! Now ready, steady, GO!” With a wave of her wand, the trunk with the Quidditch balls snapped open and the Quaffle flew high into the air, followed by two Bludgers. For a short moment, I saw the Golden Snitch, then it rushed off into the darkness.

“So, what do we do now? Any secret strategies?”, I asked.

“No,” Harry answered, placing his chin on my shoulder. “We just wait and watch.”

A tingling warmth spread through my body at the subtle touch. Gently, Harry steered the broom around the pitch, while the others beneath us played.

“Katie wins the Quaffle – passes to Montgomery – Rick close to score, come on – YES, Gryffinclaw scores 10 points!”, Lee bellowed and loud applause erupted. “And Slytherpuff in possession – Blaise with the Quaffle – Josephine Gordon from Hufflepuff takes over, excellent Chaser that girl, and rather attractive – OW, I'm just stating facts!”

Hermione had smacked Lee on the back of his head.

“Anyways, Blaise in possession once again – now First Year Conan Ivory – Smith overtakes – and he scores. Ron, look at the Quaffle, not at Hermione – OW! – But Gryffinclaw still leads – Ginny overtakes – fights off some Slytherins – hey, careful Harry, Bludger coming your way –”

Harry quickly leaned over me and the Firebolt dropped a few meters, dodging the Bludger rushing over our heads. George (or Fred?) darted after the ball, calling a quick “Watch it, lovebirds!” at us, and hit the Bludger towards a Slytherin Chaser.

The other twin was close behind, shouting “Less snogging, more seeking!”

“Shut it!”, I yelled. For Merlin's sake, did everyone knew about my crush? Was it really that obvious for everyone except Harry? Not that I wanted him to find out – he would be embarrassed, he didn't think of us as anything other than friends.

Harry's arm slipped from my waist and he cleared his throat, but a broomstick did not provide much space, wherefore his chest was still pressed against my back and I could feel his rather fast heartbeat.

“Do you, uhm... want me to drop you off?”, He asked.

“Oh. Uh, no,” I said, trying to turn so I could face him, “I like it, but if you want to –”

“No! No, I just thought...” Harry’s eyes danced over my face like they had never before and we were quite close.

“ – Applebee has the Quaffle - and that's a score! Sixty to sixty!”, Lee called, and Hermione blew her silver whistle. I ripped my eyes off of Harry and looked down to the commentary stand. “Now, we’re gonna have a short break, because Dobby thinks you're gonna starve otherwise. All the first and second years are asked to go back to their dorms, because it's almost midnight – don't complain to me –”

Harry carefully steered his Firebolt back to the ground where he landed near Ron and Ginny. I climbed off and was glad to be spared an awkward conversation, because Ginny grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side of the pitch. The sudden loss of Harry's warm chest made me shiver.

“Now, have you ever thought about making out in a broom closet?”, She asked, a mischievous grin on her reddened face. I rolled my eyes at her.

“Hermione told me about the bet, so don't even try! No one's gonna make out in a broom closet,” I said.

“Except you and Harry,” Ginny replied. I opened my mouth to talk back, but was interrupted.

“What’s going on with you and Harry?” Cho had caught up to us, snatching a plate with fish and chips from a tablet an house elf carried through the crowd. “I have watched you, it's adorable, honestly.”

“First off, there's nothing to be adorable,” I said and stole a fry from her plate, “and second, you are supposed to watch the Snitch, not us.”

“So is Harry, but he only has eyes for you.” Cho smiled and tapped my nose with her finger. Ginny giggled and ate a piece of fried fish. In the same moment, Hermione breathlessly jogged up to us.

“What – were – you – waiting – for?”, She panted. I furrowed my brows.

“Huh?” Hermione sighed and shook her head.

“You were this close to kiss him, why didn't you do anything?”

“Is my love life this much more interesting the Quidditch game?!”

All three girls answered “Yes” in union.

“But he doesn't feel the same way for me!”, I argued. “We are friends –”

Ginny grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me around. “Do friends look at each other that way? I don’t think so.”

Harry stood a few feet away with Ron, Seamus and Dean, though he seemed not to listen to their conversations and instead stared over at us. At me. When he realised he had been caught, he waved shyly and almost spilled his pumpkin juice. I waved back at him before turning to the girls again, all of whom were looking temporising at me.

“Oh, I – I don't know. Even if you're right, I can't just kiss him out of nowhere on his broom.”

“No, you gotta snog him in a broom closet so I get my Galleon,” Ginny said smugly, and Hermione nudged her with her elbow and looked at her watch, before blowing her whistle again.

“Everyone back on their positions, break's over!” Then Hermione shot me a serious look. “Get the boy, we're all done of you pining over one another. Ron can get the other boys to crash somewhere else, if you need the dorm.”

“Hermione!”, I gasped, but she was already rushing back to the commentary stand.

“Good luck,” Cho said, and Ginny winked. I glared at them before making my way over to where the Gryffindor boys stood. I saw how Ron said something to Harry, patted his shoulder and flew off.

Harry turned to me, smiling. His hair was even messier than usual due to the wind, and he had put on a black hoodie over his pyjamas. He looked cute and hot at the same time, and I couldn't quite believe that he was supposed to like me back.

“Do you want to – or?”, He asked.

“Yeah,” I smiled and he got on his Firebolt, making space in front of him for me.

“Good. I mean –” He cleared his throat as I climbed on his broom. The next second, we were high up in the air, his chest against my back again.

“Okay, guys, game's on again! Go!”, Hermione shouted and waved her wand at the Quaffle, which flew upwards and was caught by Ginny instantly.

“And we're back – Katie passes the Quaffle to Valentina – She flawlessly dodges a Bludger – Back to Peters, almost made it onto the Ravenclaw team – and he scores! SEVENTY TO SIXTY.”

I took a deep breath and leaned back against Harry, watching the game unfold. He propped his chin back onto my right shoulder, like an unspoken routine.

“I think I'm gonna play again next Friday,” I said out of the blue.

“Really?”, He asked, sounding surprised. I smiled. The crowd underneath us cheered.

“Yes. If you save me a place on your broomstick.” I turned to look at him, and he smiled brightly at me. We were as close as earlier, maybe even closer. I held my breath, until I noticed something small and golden buzzing through the air behind Harry, illuminated by one of the fire bulbs.

“There!” I pointed at the Golden Snitch, and Harry's head spun around to assure himself.

“Do you trust me?”, He asked.

“Of course,” I replied. Instantly, his hand was back around my waist and he yanked the Firebolt around.

“ – Seamus throws the Quaffle to Dean – Dean passes Nott – and he scores! NINTHY TO EIGHTY FOR GRYFFINCLAW! And Potter seems to have spotted the Snitch, Draco, Cedric and Cho close behind – Come on, show them what that Firebolt can do!”, Lee's voice roared from somewhere deep down, but my eyes were glued onto the Snitch: It whirred through the ice cold December air and up to the left ring of the Slytherpuff team.

Malfoy had almost caught up to us; even though the Firebolt was the fastest broomstick on the market, it was obviously slower when carrying two people instead of one.

The Snitch twirled around the pole, then dropped down and headed for the floor. Harry followed, and now we where almost vertically flying downwards. Because of the sudden shift of direction, I swore loudly and clenched my hands tighter around the broom.

“I won't let you fall, I promise,” Harry called over air rushing past us.

“I know, but a warning would have been nice!”, I yelled back, and he chuckled.

The weight of two people on one broomstick also meant that we got dragged downwards way faster, which meant we were outdistancing Malfoy. The Golden Snitch took a sharp right turn and now buzzed two meters above the ground to the other side of the pitch.

“You have to catch it!”, Harry yelled.

“WHAT? No, I can't –”

“Yes, you can! I have to steer!” And hold you. But he did not say that. I swore under my breath and carefully loosened one hand from the broomstick, stretching it forward. The Snitch was inches away from my fingertips and I pushed myself up, Harry's grip around my mid tightening. The silver wings touched my fingers, I stretched my arm further and in the same moment my hands clasped around the tiny, golden ball, we fell forward.

“ – And that doesn't look – Oh, Potter and Y/L/N are on the ground. I can't really see, if someone caught the Snitch –”

As one tangled mess, we landed on the frozen lawn, rolling over one another and stopping with Harry half on top of me. My whole body ached and I would definitely get bruises from the fall, but that was something I could worry about later. I caught the Snitch!

“Shit, sorry, fuck. Y/N, are you alright?” Harry's face hovered over me, a bloody scratch on his cheek. I grinned happily and held up the golden ball.

“Yeah, more than alright.”

“Y/N caught the Snitch! TWOHUNDRED AND FORTY TO EIGHTY! Gryffinclaw wins!”, Lee bellowed and the crowd cheered and applauded loudly. Harry held out one hand to help me up, and I took it.

“I'm sorry, I know I promised, but I couldn't hold you any longer and –”

“Shut up.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him full on the lips. My hands found their way into his raven hair, and he hugged my waist, pulling me so tightly his fingers almost touched his own rips with the opposite hand. I kissed him, and he was kissing me back; it felt like someone had lit a firework in my heart, and for one marvellous moment, we were the only two people in the whole wide world.

Then the other players landed on the field, and we broke apart, catching our breaths. We were both grinning, and I felt drunk from the cold night and catching the Snitch and kissing Harry.

The raven haired boy bent down to kiss me once more, this time softer, and he intertwined our fingers before leading us over to our friends, where Ginny flicked a Galleon into Hermione's open hand.

“Took you long enough,” Ron said, who had both his and Harry's broomstick shouldered.

“Well, they got around in the end,” Cho added, leaning against Cedric, his chin propped on her head. “Sleepover at the Ravenclaw dorm?”, She added, and we all nodded in agreement.

While Fred, George and Lee collected the fire bulbs and Quidditch balls, and the house elves cleaned up the dirt with a snap of their fingers, we made our way back to the Hogwarts castle:

Ron alongside Hermione, followed by Seamus and Dean arm-in-arm, Cho with Cedric, one arm around her waist, Ginny carrying a tired Luna on her back, and lastly, Harry and me, holding hands.

“You know, I'm glad I agreed to play with you,” I said. Harry smiled.

“Yeah, me too.” He pressed a kiss on my cheek. In spite of the shivering cold, I had never felt more warm and comfortable than in this moment.

[truestory1929]

April 9th 2020

Final Blog 1979 to 1983 Emerson and Mary leaving the nest. After 1983 our house just went along just like everybody else!

Left to right back, Jamie, Me, Dad, Rita, front left, Emerson and Dorothy. This pic was just after we met our Father for the first time in 15 years!

THE FINAL BLOG! April 9th 2020

1979 to 1983

Emerson's leaving and Mary is moving in!

     Well here we are January 1979, my oldest son brother Emerson is halfway through grade 12 and wondering what to do in June when he graduates. Emerson took Motor Mechanics in High School this trade is still with him today, saved him tons of money, but he never took it up as a career. We had  rules in our house about education. First; education was more important than sports, two; you can live with us as long as you continue your education as long as you are progressing, this does not mean spending three years in grade 12, third and last; when the education is over, you live with us rent free for one year, get a job, save money for an apartment and move out. Otherwise we believe without these rules [ and we saw enough of it]  your parents will charge you a small rental fee,then you will take your excess money and buy a fancy sport's car with big payments,and a big insurance  bill and now go no where fast. This might be called tough love today. Especially because the average age of moving out is about 27 years old if you are lucky.

    David joined T-ball last year, and Jason joined this year. Sports was not at the top of our list for raising kids. I only played back yard sports. We had a ball field out by the Saint John airport where the car rental company is now. We played a lot of flys and grounders, scrub etc. Pat Riley and Jim Daly both hitch hiked to the south end of Saint John and played Little League. We played pond hockey on Treadwell Lake. I really did love sports but because of my situation I just did not get there. I am not feeling sorry for myself, its just the way it was.The first year I was at my foster home, the boys in Johnson's road talked me into joining school boy hockey. I had no equipment and The Wood's [ my foster parents] where not interested in helping me. I bought old time hockey equipment from the Merzetti's.[ who owned Mutal Jobbing on Douglas avenue] You could use google today and find this hockey equipment from the 50's. Leather helmet, leather pants and size 10 skates when I was a size 8. I loved it, but hitchhiking to Simonds Centennial Arena in the dead of winter was brutal. I played about 10 games. I did not even know what an off side was and I would be standing down in front of the other teams net waiting for the puck before my team mate was across the blue line. After a couple of games I caught on after all the the screaming and yelling from the coach and the players. Its funny now to think back on this stuff. Murray Sewell was responsible for my kids getting into sports. Murray had his t-ball team practicing in the Glen Falls play ground [which was next door to our house]so David went over to see what was going on. He got David throwing the ball and Murray was impressed. Like in the Chevy movie "BING0" this guy could throw a ball voila sports was born into the Reynolds Family.Jean was a good athlete, basically a tom boy until she was 16 years old, then yahoo, the most beautiful girl I ever met, a real lady, dainty, sweet, kind, loving, supportive [ and I mean supportive, I had a lot of crazy ideas and she went along with them eventually]. She was always being picked to be on someone's team at he Allison grounds in Rockwood Court. So its in [watch for the pun] the Jeans! lol

 Now lets go back to the Merzetti's. In my first year with my foster parents, Marion and Fred Woods, Jim Merzetti asked me if I wanted to make some extra money stocking shelves at Mutal Jobbing. Well sure I was always looking for ways to make money. I use to walk the ditches with Jimmy Daly for pop and beer bottles and we we an empty 50 lb burlap bag. We would take them Berry's store across from the airport and cash them in. Pile winter wood for neighbours, run errants for the neighbors, fish trout through the ice and sell them and even cut trees down from other people's land and sell them for christmas trees. We just got inside the door and this elderly gentleman walked in. MR. Merzetti who own the business introduced him to me, his name was Havelock Lane. Tall slim man very nice. Three years later after Jean and I started dating, she introduced me to her grandparents Havelock and Genavieve Lane! Yep, same guy!

    Emerson graduated yahoo, big milestone for any Reynolds to graduate.You know I never said this before,I hated our last name, I swore I was going to change my name when I grew up. We used to get "ren-hole" because we we so dirty and so poor, an I'm sure we were stinky. How do you bath in the winter and wash clothes when I filled the washer up every morning to supply water for Mom for the day out of Treadwell Lake? I remember when I graduated I thought I died and went to heaven! Emerson decided to go to NBCC and Take the one year plumbing course. We were very proud of him  wanting to continue his education. This will make the fourth Reynolds to go to NBCC. Myself, Dorothy and Jamie also graduated from NBCC. He passed in flying colors. He never took up Motor mechanics or plumbing as a career trade, but has saved himself lots of money doing both. Who really knows what you want to do for a living for the rest of your life? Every person I know [and I know a lot of people] are not doing what they thought they might do after the education is over with one exception, My son David, he knew he wanted to be a Doctor in grade 6. Emerson had done many jobs, each jog shaping his skills and shaping his well being. He has found his niche in Ventilation, he is at the top of his game, he  is in upper managment, he creates multi-million dollar bids for his company, he is well respected in his company and his field of expertise! Emerson never took us up on the offer to stay rent free for a year. NBCC let him graduate early as he had a job with Bob Duplussis Plumbing company. Moved out and into his own apartment on Michael Crescent all by the time of his 21st birthday on June 5th 1980. Emerson lived with us for 7 years. He is my oldest son, he is a big brother to my three sons. It was a hell of a run Em!

     Ben now has got into the sports world He joined t-ball this year. Jean is trying to get her drivers licence. Jean is very nervous about theses things. She is now 30 years old. I work shift work so I am not around to drive the kids to their sports for every game. We are going nuts, we have friends and neighbours helping us with driving to and from ball and hockey venues. Kudos to the Sewell's, Goguens, Allaby's, Carson's, White's, Mclaughlin's, Hutchinson's, Doiron's, Stevens, and many more for helping with picking up and delivering our kids to and from the rinks and ball fields. I was driving a 1974 Pontiac Lemans at the time. Big car, Jean failed two road tests up to this point. The car was too big for parallel parking , combine that  with Jean's nerves it was useless. Okay new plan, I called rent-a-wreck to see if I could rent a small car for her to take road test. They said no [remember no speaker phone] as their insurance only covers the driver. I said okay, [I never told Jean the whole conversation] come on Jean we are going to get a small car for you. I told her she could  sit in our the car until I got the rental car, I was not making any mistakes about blowing my scam. I rented an AMC pacer, nice and small, easy to parallel park etc. I left my car in the parking lot and drove home, we already had the appointment made. Jean said she would need to take a valium to calm her nerves just before we leave. The road test was in the West Side Motor vehicle. Now the examiner always asked for the permit and car registation. The registration was just a photo copy. In these AMC pacers they hasd  a tray that ran the entire width of the car under the dash. So I told Jean that it was just laying under the glove box where he could see it, praying that he would not pick it up. Remember Jean has no idea that this whole thing is illegal. Well she took the test and passed in flying colors. Yahoo Jean has her licence, I told Jean the whole story after we got home. The colr drained from her face.

    Okay, we are starting to finish chapters and start a new one. David finally gets his own room at 9 years old after Emerson moved out. We asked him how he wanted his room done. He wanted wallpaper with the old vintage airplanes, De Havilland's etc. We bought him a Captains bed and painted the room. That was one happy kid yahoo! Well the yahoo did not last long. Around Christmas time we got a call from Jean's mother who was living in Montreal at the time. We had just got settled in bed for the night, its was around midnight when the phone rang. We turned on the bedroom lights and Jean proceeded to talk to her mother. No speaker phone then, but I gathered it was Vera. Jean hung up and said her mother was crying and broken hearted. I asked her what was the matter and she said that Mary needed a place to stay until she graduated from high school.[ Quebec passed a new law that year requiring all students to finish their education in French only. Mary was taking hairdressing. Bill 101 was enacted on August 26, 1977. The bill basically was  made to ensure the Province of Quebec became totally French speaking only. The top jobs at the time were held by English speaking Canadians. Bill 101 was to make schooling in French only up to high school. All signages were to be in French only. Then in 1980 they decided that the high schools were to be French only too. Mary needed to move back to Saint John to finish high school.]  Jean said her mom wanted us to talk it over and call her back tommorrow. I told Jean call your mom back right now. You were the one who decided to take in Emerson for me. If you said no it was no. Now it is my turn, we are taking her in. Jean called Vera back and told her we would take care of Mary, and that was that. Now we have to tell David that he will have to move back in the laundry room for at least three years. Poor David, as sad as he was he never complained, he went about his business as usual. He might have said something to his brothers but not us? Mary was in grade eleven and will be going to Saint John Vocational School. Something I forgot to say about Emerson, he did a lot of babysitting, he made his own money as he was a member of the Miltia since he was 16 years old, and bought us very nice gifts [Thanks Em] Okay now, Mary was the same, she helped Jean around the house, she baby sat and made life for us as easy as possible. Mary was 17 years old when she moved in.

   Well Mary graduated in flying colors in June 1982. Mary decided that she really did not want to be a hairdresser. Jean was working at the Top of the Town restaurant. This was located on Main st. on the roof of Keddys Hotel. I talked to the superviser of the down stairs coffee shop and dining room off the main hotel lobby and was able to talk her into hiring Mary as a cashier. She eventually became a waittress. Jean introduced Tony Kane to Mary. Tony was working in the banquet department. The next year I got her an apartment in east Saint John and her and Tony moved in together. Mary moved out the end of September 1983. Before she moved out I got Mary to teach me how to cut hair.[ I just cut Jeans hair yesterday as we are quarantined]. David is now 12, Jason is 11 and Ben is 6. cutting their hair became another job for me for years to come. Emerson was getting married on Oct 8 1983. I was the best man at the wedding. It was a blast. When we got home we found our house was in  shambles. Some one broke into our home and ransacked the place, stole our stereo system and all my 8mm home movies from 1979 to 1983, Christmases, birthday, sporting events etc. We were heart broken. You never really get over something like that. It was like somebody tearing your heart out.

     Well David gets his room back again, he is now 12 years old. You are a good man David.We have been married now for 13 years Dec 12, 1983. We started this journey moving people into our home in 1973, two and half years after we were married. We were married December 12 1970. We will be married 50 years this December. We were going to go on a cruise, but we think in lieu of what is happening right now with the coronavirus that cruising is out for a long time for us. We have no desire to even fly overseas. We will stick to North America thank you very much!

   This will be my last blog, hope you guys found something that interested you. I can't sign out before I mention the foster parents. May of 1967 I went to Fred and Marion Wood on Johnson Road, where I grew up with  their youngest son Gerald. He introduced me to motorcycles, he would let me ride all of them, he had 4 different bikes in my time there. I never had an older brother so now I do. Gerald or Woody which he prefer, we still bike around today.  Dorothy and Emerson went to the Donnie and Jean Armstrong's, god bless them they 7 kids of their own. Jamie went to the Baxters Len and Mertle, who had at least 8 kids of their own.[The Baxters and the Armstrongs lived across from each other on the Loch Lomond road beside the Norris road.] Then Emerson went to the Morris's, and Dorothy went to the Websters. Then Emerson went back to the Armstrongs and then to me and Jean May 9th 1973. So from May 1967 to May 1973 Emerson moved 4 times in 6 years. Dorothy then went to Godin's and then to our place on Cooks Lake road off the Norris Road in August 1975 to attend NBCC. We lived in a small house we were renting from Dawn and Vince Dempsey. They were our Landlord and Landlady for our first 7 years of our marriage. After Dorothy graduated she and her boyfriend, John Sullivan, got an apartment on the Loch Lomond Road. People can say all they want about foster parents, some good stuff and some bad stuff. Without them, where would we be today. Mr amd Mrs. Wood taught me every thing I know. learned manners, building, [ I used all the tools to build an addition on the back of their house. which launched me into the Oil Refinery], I learned how to plAy chess, learned how to play a guitar etc. We had three square meals a day, we were warm, were clothed, we had it all. Yes we were separated, yes the love was not the same as we got from mom. But man, these people took us into their homes and took care of us. We were backward, dirty, angry, at times just plain bad, neglected, dressed in rags, if you can think of it that was us, but they took us in anyway, GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

    I wanted my grandchildren to have some history about their grandparents and their parents. I knew nothing about my grandparents, little about my aunts and uncles, cousins etc. They all lived in Nova Scotia. The only relatives that came to see us was Mom's parents Fred and Margie Hayter, they came in 1961 a year after Dad left, just for the day, and my Aunt Goldie in the late 70's at Todd Street in Glen falls. I started this project in the fall of 2013, I do not know where the time goes.I was going to quit a few times, I stopped writing for a while, but my grandkids urged me to finish. At times it seemed that I was just whining or feeling sorry for myself or sometimes it just made me sad. Thanks you for urging me on, it was good therapy for me, it made me realize how lucky we are, to have the family we have and all the good people I have met and all the things we have done! I am a lucky man to be so rich with LOVE!

    I never thought I would live long enough to receive an old age check, we have been getting it three years now. Its great to be a Canadian. After living in USA for the last several winters you know how lucky you are. They do not have free health care [ I know what you are thinking its not free , we paid high income tax compared to the Americans but that was a good thing, just ask an American.] and we have the Old Age check. They do not have this. They have social security, which is based the same as our Canada Pension Plan, a working persons pension. [ notice I did not say working man's pension lol]. Our old age check is an  awesome bonus. Canadians do not contribute financially to it, you only need to be 65 years old,and be a Canadian citizen for 5 years. Yahoo. I hope you all get to collect it someday.

      We will continue to quarantine ourselves after our mandatory quarantine on April 15th. We may be carriers so we do not want to pass anything on to you. We will continue the 6 feet or 2 meters social distancing,and we will wear a mask when we are out. We will visit out in the yards at your place or ours for the good of all of us! We love you all very much!    

    Your grandparents Nana and Papa! oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo see you soon!

[madelainesvixens]

Call it what you want: Chapter two | I’d like to thanks Mr. Dickson

Monday, September 28th

10:01

''Everyone stand up.''

Confusion flashed on all students' faces on Monday morning at their science teacher's request but obeyed, going to stand at the front of the classroom in messy queue.

''Back in September, each of you strategically picked your seats according to where your friends sat but, this morning, I decided to stir the pot and get you out of your comfort zone by pairing you with new lab partners from other cliques. While it's fun to sit with your best friends, that's not how life works. In the real world, you'll be forced to work with people who are very different from you and you won't have a say in it.''

Groans of depreciation along with whispers of complanings filled the classroom. Mr. Dickson tapped his wooden ruler on the desk to get everyone's attention - and silence - and started assigning the new seats with a threat of detention if he heard another complain.

''Miss Samuels, you'll be paired with Miss Blossom.''

Sierra wrinkled her nose and walked to the seat Mr. Dickson had pointed and sat down. Beside her, Penelope grinned excitedly, flashing her braces. Sierra rolled her eyes, wishing Tom was in her Science class. Maybe if he were, she wouldn't have been stuck with nerdy Penelope.

''Next is Mr. Lodge and Miss Gomez.'' Hermione quietly took a seat next to Hiram without protesting and Mr. Dickson continued his placements. ''Mr. Andrews, you'll be paired with Miss Maiden.''

FP snickered, elbowing Fred who narrowed his eyes at him. Mary Maiden was one of those annoying stickler.  Always following defined procedures, the redhead never did anything that might contradict any laws and was very strict about following the rules in any situations whether it's for an assignment or a simple school policy. She really was no fun.

''Enough laughing, Mr. Jones. Go sit with Miss Smith.''  

The teenager was shook for a second. What? Miss Smith as in Alice Smith? This was FP's lucky day.

A smirk on his lips, FP crossed the distance to his new seat and sat on the seat next to the blonde.

''We've met before, haven't we?'' Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.

FP nodded. ''Detention.''

''Right. You're the one who punched his teammate before Friday's game, uh?''

The raven haired Bulldog raised an eyebrow, surprised she was interested in gossips. ''You heard about that? I thought it was hush hush.''

Alice scoffed. ''Nothing stays hush hush at Riverdale High. Not with girls like Hermione and Sierra. They have big fucking mouths.''

Touché.

Mr. Dickson finished assigning places and then, he dove into astronomy for the rest of the hour which wasn't FP's forte. He knew about Mars, Jupiter and all its siblings but the rest was lost in the black hole inside his brain.

The bell rang and everyone gathered their things to leave.

''What time shall I show up to your house?'' Alice asked, lingering at their lab table.

FP furrowed his eyebrows, confused. ''My house? What for?''

''The assignment,'' she reminded him.

''Oh! Sorry, I- Would six be fine? I have football practice after school.''

Alice searched inside her backpack and opened her notebook, the same one she had during detention, and handed it to FP with a black marker pen. ''Write your address down, Jones.''

''All done,'' FP said, returning the notebook to its owner. ''And, for your information, everyone calls me FP,'' he added.

''I'll be there at eight. See ya tonight, Jones.''

.

3:52

After the last bell, FP dropped his books in his locker, grabbed his sports bag and made his way to the locker room to change for football practice. Surprisingly, when he arrived, only Fred and two other guys were there.

''Hey, man,'' FP said, joining Fred.

''Hey,'' Fred replied before bending down to grab his shoulder-pads, passing them over his head.

FP opened his sports bag and started pulling out his clothes. ''How's working with Mary going,'' he asked with a snicker as searched for his undershirt in his messy bag.  

Fred groaned. ''She's annoyingly strict. I can't even drift off for a second, she'll snap her fingers and bring me back to orders.''

''She'll be a challenge to get in bed.''

Although the saying said 'quiet in the streets, freak in the sheets', FP doubted it applied to the redhead. A girl like Mary Maiden had probably vowed chastity until wedding, therefore was still a virgin. She also probably had never seen nor touched a dick in her life.

Fred shoved FP. ''Ew, I'm not having sex with Mary.''

''What are you guys talking about?'' Marty asked as he dropped his stuff next to FP, looking expectantly between the two boys.

''Fred's new crush.''

''What?! No! She's not-''

Marty raised an eyebrow, interested in the hot subject. ''Who is it? I thought you were set on Hermione.''

FP smirked and said, ''Mary Maiden.''

Fred narrowed his eyes and Marty bursted out laughing. ''Why did you switch an eight for a three? What the fuck Andrews? Hermione might come from a catholic school but she's not as religious as she made herself look like. I saw her with Lodge last week and he had a hand up her skirt. I bet she's a fine piece of work underneath that plaid skirt and button ups.''

''I'm not into Mary. That's bullshit!'' Fred defended but everyone ignored him and continued teasing and laughing.

''He could've done worse,'' a Hal pointed out, joining the conversation while avoiding FP's eyes, not feeling like getting punched twice by his captain. The shiner on his face was painful enough, he didn't need a second.

''Yeah, there's Penelope,'' Marty added, still laughing.

Fred rolled his eyes. ''Shut up, Mantle.''

.

20:10

It was rare FP had anyone over at his house. His father's drinking problem made the teenager hesitant to invite people over. Even Fred never stepped inside the Jones household and he was FP's best friend. In the past,Fred had tried to come in so many times but every time FP found an excuse like his dad had the stomach flu or that he had a night shift at the factory and was sleeping - which was half a lie. His dad was indeed sleeping but not for the same reason.

But, when Alice invited herself over after Science class, FP couldn't say no. That's a lie. He could have but, did he want to?

Just in luck, Forsythe had a night shift at the factory so he wouldn't be home tonight when Alice will pass. Thank god.

Alice showed up on the Jones's doorstep at eight past ten. FP answered the door and almost choked on his own saliva when he saw Alice. She had ditched her flanel and tied it around her waist, giving FP a full view of her bustier and, by default, a nice glimpse of her boobs. FP swore she did it on purpose because the look she gave him as she brushed past him to get inside wasn't nothing.

Or, at least that's what he told himself.

He led her to his bedroom and they got all of their stuff out, ready to work of their Science assignment. They sat on FP's bed, Alice on the end of the mattress and FP at the head, textbooks opened in front of them as the two scanned they pages to find informations.

''How good at science are you, Jones?'' Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.

FP snorted. ''Astronomy? Not so much.''

He had a 'D' in his last test and had to climb the slope and get at least a 'B' on this assignment if he wanted to stay on the football team. FP had planned to work hard with Fred on this assignment but things took a different turnure this morning when Mr. Dickson decided to change binomes. Now, if FP fails Science, he's gonna have to blame it on Mr. Dickson because he paired him with Alice.

''Me neither.''

''I'm good at anatomy though. I can recite all the arteries.''

Alice raised an eyebrow, mildly interested. ''Can you really?''

FP chuckled, shaking his head. ''Not really.'' He scooted closer to the middle of the bed, pushing his textbook on the side a bit. ''I know the carotide, though. And, the femoral,''  FP said with a playful smile, knowing very well those were both erogenous zones. He's not as stupid as people made him out to be.

''Right, Einstein. Everybody can recite words. It doesn't mean anything. Do you even know where the carotid and femoral arteries are?'' Alice raised her eyes from her textbook, her blue eyes looking into his and biting her lip.

As a response, FP smirked and that's where they realized their assignment was never going to get done. Sorry not sorry, Mr. Dickson.

They didn't know who started it but Alice had joined FP at the head of the bed and was now straddling him, mouth on his as his hands moved up and down her sides, feeling the warmth of her skin and the delicate fabric of her lace bustier underneath his fingertips. Alice's hands were in FP's hair, tugging at the dark locks while deepening the kiss. A moan left his lips and the blonde smirked.

FP broke the kiss, an amused smirk on his lips. ''Well, well. Looks like we're going to fail brightly.''

''I say we're excelling at anatomy. Don't you, FP?''

FP's smirk widen, hands wandering down to the blonde biker's butt over the denim of her jeans, making her gasp in surprise. She leaned down to kiss him, hands snaking underneath his white tee shirt, feeling the defined muscles. FP's lips moved to her jaw and to her neck, making her moan, nails scratching at FP's back, leaving red marks behind.

Seconds later, FP's tee shirt was pulled off and thrown on the floor right before dipping in and kissing between Alice's breasts, sucking at the skin and she put her hand to the back of his head, keeping him there. Yes.

After that, more clothes started to come off and more and more skin was revealed until they were fully naked, science textbooks long forgotten. This was much better than working on their assignment anyway.

NEXT CHAPTER (X)

[orbemnews]

Hong Kong Courts the Rich as China Tightens Its Grip HONG KONG — Political opposition has been quashed. Free speech has been stifled. The independent court system may be next. But while Hong Kong’s top leaders take a tougher line on the city of more than seven million people, they are courting a crucial constituency: the rich. Top officials are preparing a new tax break and other sweeteners to portray Hong Kong as the premier place in Asia to make money, despite the Chinese Communist Party’s increasingly autocratic rule. So far, the pitch is working. Cambridge Associates, a $30 billion investment fund, said in March it planned to open an office in the city. Investment managers have set up more than a hundred new companies in recent months. The Wall Street banks Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley are increasing their Hong Kong staffing. “Hong Kong is second only to New York as the world’s billionaire city,” said Paul Chan, Hong Kong’s financial secretary, at an online gathering of finance executives this year. Beijing can’t easily afford to scare away Hong Kong’s bankers and financiers. The former British colony remains a major gateway to the international financial system. Chinese companies need it for raising money from global investors; those companies and wealthy Chinese also rely on it to move their money overseas more readily. So Beijing is striking a careful balance. It is stripping liberties from Hong Kong’s people to stop brazen challenges to Communist Party rule, like the sometimes violent antigovernment protests that erupted two years ago. At the same time, it is trying to charm the city’s financial class to keep it from moving to another business-friendly place like Singapore. “It is a one-party state, but they are pragmatic and they don’t want to hurt business,” Fred Hu, a former chairman of Goldman’s Greater China business, said of Chinese officials. For apolitical financial types, the changes will have little impact, said Mr. Hu, who is also the founder of the private equity firm Primavera Capital Group. “If you’re a banker or a trader, you may have political views, but you’re not a political activist,” he said. To entice the wealthy, Hong Kong is completing work on a big tax break that will primarily benefit private equity, hedge funds and other investors. Officials are moving to make it easier to connect the city’s money managers with affluent mainlanders. Chinese companies are selling tens of billions of dollars’ worth of shares in Hong Kong, padding the profitability of Wall Street banks. In its most recent move, Hong Kong last week proposed limiting how much companies must disclose about their ownership, which could shroud wealth in a city where the families of the Communist Party’s elite have long parked their money. Not everybody has been won over. More than 1 percent of residents have left since Beijing imposed a broad national security law last summer. Tens of billions of dollars have flowed out of local Hong Kong bank accounts and into jurisdictions like Singapore. Tensions run taut inside Hong Kong’s gleaming office towers. Even executives who are sympathetic to the government have declined to speak publicly for fear of getting caught in the political crossfire between Beijing and world capitals like Washington and London. Hong Kong’s tough rules on movement in the pandemic may also spark some expatriates to leave in the summer once school ends. Today in Business Updated  April 6, 2021, 7:10 p.m. ET For now, however, financial firms are doubling down on Hong Kong. Neal Horwitz, an executive recruiter in Singapore, said finance was likely to remain in Hong Kong “until the ship goes down.” In its biggest offering to the investor class, Hong Kong has proposed eliminating taxes on investment income called carried interest, which is typically earned by private equity investors and hedge funds. Officials had discussed the plan for years but didn’t introduce a bill until February, and it could pass in the coming months through the city’s Beijing-dominated legislature. Similar tax breaks have sparked criticism elsewhere, including in the United States. But Hong Kong fears a financial exodus without such benefits, said Maurice Tse, a finance professor at Hong Kong University’s business school. “To keep these people around we have to give a tax benefit,” he said. Hong Kong has also proposed a program, Wealth Management Connect, that would give mainland residents in the southern region known as the Greater Bay Area the ability to invest in Hong Kong-based hedge funds and investment firms. Officials have boasted that it would give foreign firms access to 72 million people. Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials signed an agreement in February to start a pilot program at an unspecified time. Pandemic travel restrictions have slowed the proposal’s momentum, said King Au, the executive director of Hong Kong’s Financial Services Development Council, but it remains a top priority. “I want to highlight how important the China market is to global investors,” Mr. Au said. Mainland money has already helped Hong Kong look more attractive. Chinese firms largely fueled a record $52 billion haul for companies that sold new shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last year, according to Dealogic, a data provider. New offerings this year have already raised $16 billion, including $5.4 billion for Kuaishou, which operates a Chinese video app. The record start has been helped in part by Chinese companies that have been pressured by Washington to avoid raising money in the United States. Managing those offerings helped Goldman and Morgan Stanley climb to the top of the Asian industry rankings that measure the fees banks collect. A spokesman for Goldman said it planned to accelerate its hiring in Hong Kong by nearly one fifth in 2021 compared with last year. Morgan Stanley has doubled its pace of hiring this year, a spokesman said. Thomas Gottstein, the chief executive of Credit Suisse, the Swiss bank, said in mid-March that it would triple its hires across China, and a spokeswoman said a Hong Kong staff increase was part of that. Bank of America is adding more people in Hong Kong, while Citi has said it will hire as many as 1,700 people in Hong Kong this year alone. HSBC, the British bank, has faced pressure from Chinese state media to hew to the party line. Still, it is considering moving some of its top executives to Hong Kong, because it will be “important to be closer to growth opportunities,” Noel Quinn, HSBC’s chief executive, said in February. Investment funds are flocking to Hong Kong, too, after officials in August lowered regulatory barriers to setting up legal structures similar to those used in low-tax, opaque jurisdictions like the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. Government data shows that 154 funds have been registered since then. City officials last week also proposed to allow companies to conceal sensitive ownership data, in a move that could benefit companies and Communist Party officials alike. The measure could take effect as soon as May, and does not need to be approved by lawmakers. Critics say the move would make it nearly impossible to track the individuals behind companies that register in Hong Kong. “The proposed law will facilitate corruption, fraud and other crimes,” said David M. Webb, a former banker and longtime investor in Hong Kong. It could also help those in China’s top leadership, who are sensitive to any accusation that they have used their status for personal gain. The families of Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, and Li Zhanshu, the Communist Party’s No. 3 official, at one point owned Hong Kong property, according to a trail that can be traced partly through public records. While officials have welcomed business, they have made clear to the financial and business worlds that they will brook no dissent. In March, Han Zheng, a Chinese vice premier, praised the stock market’s performance and the finance sector in a meeting with a political advisory group but made its limits clear. “The signal to the business community is very simple,” said Michael Tien, a former Hong Kong lawmaker and businessman who attended the closed-door session. “Stay out of politics.” Source link Orbem News #China #Courts #Grip #Hong #Kong #rich #tightens

[lestudio1-bernardbujold]

MUSEUMS AFTER THE CORONAVIRUS

By The Wall Street Journal

Saturday May 2, 2020

As Museums and Galleries reopen around the world, visitors will face new rules.

Institutions emerging from the coronavirus lockdown are reconfiguring spaces to keep employees and the public safe. The new rules will be similar to the one now applied at the grocery stores and at the pharmacies...

As museums and galleries around the world prepare to reopen in coming weeks and months, most are still puzzling out how to protect employees and visitors from the coronavirus.

They are mapping out different scenarios, depending on how the pandemic has affected their regions. Museums in hard-hit cities like New York, Baltimore and Los Angeles say they don’t expect to open until late summer or early fall but the Houston Museum of Natural Science plans to reopen May 15.

Many museums said they probably won’t be part of the early phase of reopening, when some barber shops and nail salons resume business. Instead, they will wait a few weeks to see if virus cases climb again. Graham Boettcher, executive director of the Birmingham Museum of Art, said he has no plans to reopen in May, even if Alabama authorities say the state is ready. “I don’t want to open until we have everything in place,” Mr. Boettcher said.

When and if visitors do arrive, they are likely to find museum lobbies, cafes and galleries that look and feel different. The Birmingham Museum of Art is considering sending visitors on guided paths by putting down vinyl stickers on the floors like some supermarkets do, so people don’t bump into one another. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is removing wall labels so visitors don’t cluster around them, instead directing people to a mobile app.

Clear plastic panels are going up in front of admissions desks at the San Antonio Museum of Art, and hundreds of thousands of masks have been ordered by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to hand out when it reopens, likely in early July. Stephen Bonadies, a chemist and art-conservation expert who helps oversee the collections at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, developed an algorithm to determine how many people the Richmond, Va., museum can safely handle in several rooms exhibiting “Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities”—130 an hour, down from a typical rate of 400, said director Alex Nyerges.

Michael Govan, director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, said he has one solution to post-lockdown concerns. The elevator at Lacma’s Broad Contemporary Art Museum is 21 feet wide, he said: “Perfect for social distancing.”

Some museums intend to focus on outdoor areas first even as their doors remain closed, for now. The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art likely won’t reopen until June. Before then, the Bentonville, Ark., institution plans to capitalize on its 120-acre grounds by offering self-guided hikes along 5 miles of trails that offer “cathartic forest bathing” and tours of its outdoor sculptures, said Rod Bigelow, the director. Even after Crystal Bridges opens its main buildings, it won’t reopen a Frank Lloyd Wright house on site as well as a mirrored room installation by Yayoi Kusama because “they’re so tight,” Mr. Bigelow said.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art may be closed, but it plans to invite the public to stroll its 5 miles of hiking trails that lead past outdoor sculptures like Buckminster Fuller’s ‘Fly’s Eye Dome.’

Officials from at least a dozen museums in New York meet weekly online to share ideas. Two directors in the group said they are taking cues from retail and real-estate industries about steering crowds safely through bottlenecks like coat checks, gift shops and stairs.

Most galleries across the U.S. remain closed. A handful, including Gagosian, have opened their Hong Kong showrooms, by appointment. All are bracing for overall lower attendance and tighter budgets during a year without art fairs or fund-raising galas. “Everybody is trying to take aim at a moving target, so you have to be nimble,” said dealer Larry Gagosian. “You can’t just flip a switch.”

Unlike stadiums or theaters, some art museums and galleries are well-suited to social distancing. Visitors tend to stroll through on their best behavior and are used to being monitored by guards. Science, history and children’s museums may face a tougher reopening challenge because many reworked their exhibits in recent years to be more interactive. “It’s ironic because we’ve been told to create as immersive an experience as possible, and now that push is coming back to bite us,” said Jennifer Martin, a museum consultant. “We need to be OK with closing rooms and taking things away.”

The Oakland Museum of California said it identified 178 “high-touch” elements across its exhibits, from touch screens to make-and-take crafting stations in its new children’s area. “Now we have to rethink it all,” said Director Lori Fogarty. Before the shutdown, California Science Center’s Lego-themed show, “The Art of the Brick,” invited visitors to build their own structures. Now, Jeffrey Rudolph, the president, said, the museum is cordoning off the hands-on portions of the Lego exhibit and plans to offer free take-home activity kits instead. Timed entry, touch-free transactions and masks for staff and visitors also are being considered before reopening, he said, and greeters may don astronaut helmets over their masks to appear more child-friendly.

The art market is also reeling from the pandemic. Most galleries and museums closed abruptly in March, in some cases leaving art in crates on the floors. Yoshitomo Nara’s exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was half-installed when the looming shutdown drove the artist to return home to Japan.

Mr. Gagosian said his 17 galleries are finding buyers for new works under $1 million by coveted artists like Stanley Whitney and Sarah Sze. However, resales of some older, pricier works have slowed in part because collectors can’t view canvases up close. Auction houses say they are succeeding with online art sales below $5 million, but the real test will come once Sotheby’s and Christie’s revive their live sales of big-ticket items in New York in late June. For now, both houses have furloughed some staff.

Smaller galleries said they need to reopen soon or risk closing for good. Miami dealer Fred Snitzer said his private sales remain steady, but half his sales are made at art fairs around the world—a circuit that is likely to remain at a standstill over the summer and possibly into the fall. Overall, galleries in North America expect to lose about 72% of their annual revenue this year due to the crisis, according to a survey conducted in early April by the Art Newspaper and Rachel Pownall, a professor of finance at Maastricht University School of Business and Economics.

Museums nationwide in US are losing $33 million a day during the lockdown, according to the American Alliance of Museums, which told Congress in March that nearly a third of U.S. museums, mainly in small and rural areas, might close if they don’t receive aid.

Particularly vulnerable are companies that organize and rent elaborate traveling exhibitions, such as shows of memorabilia connected to the Titanic or ones of artifacts used by the Vikings. Ms. Martin, the museum consultant, said museums that typically book these shows four years out are canceling, and “the next two years are in flux.”

SEE STORY ON THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE

https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-museums-and-galleries-reopen-visitors-face-new-rules-11588417255?mod=hp_lista_pos2

[cbilluminati]

Just in time for the movie release, Atomic Blonde makes a comic comeback in a big way. Here’s all the Oni Press Solicits for July 2017.

RICK AND MORTY: POCKET LIKE YOU STOLE IT #1

Retail cover illustrated by Marc Ellerby with Katy Farina

Alternate cover illustrated by Carolyn Main

(W) Tini Howard

(A) Marc Ellerby

(C) Katy Farina

(CA) Marc Ellerby with Katy Farina (retail cover), Carolyn Main (alternate cover)

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/12/17

IN STORES: 7/5/17

AGE RATING: Teen

GENRE: Humor, Sci-fi

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It is a new comic book miniseries based on the popular [adult swim] television series and inspired by the Pocket Mortys mobile game! In this five-issue series, Morty is on a quest to free himself (and all the other Mortys) from the clutches of Ricks, who collect Mortys and force them to battle one another for schmeckles and glory. Along the way, he’ll discover the grisly history of Morty battling, the dastardly lengths that Ricks are willing to stoop to in order to win, and perhaps… the strength in himself that’s needed to free the Mortys once and for all?

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KILL THEM ALL

(W/A/CA) Kyle Starks

(C/CA) Luigi Anderson

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 9/4/17

IN STORES: 9/27/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Humor, Adventure

PRICE: $19.99

PAGE COUNT: 184

The new gonzo graphic novel love letter to 90s action movies by Eisner-nominated cartoonist Kyle Starks (Sexcastle, Rick and Morty).

A betrayed murderess wants revenge. A hard-drinking former cop wants his job back. For either to get what they want, they’re going to have to fight their way through fifteen flights of criminals, assassins, drug lords, murderers, yup, even accountants, and… KILL. THEM. ALL.

KAIJUMAX SEASON 3 #1

(W/A/C/CA) Zander Cannon

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/19/17

IN STORES: 7/12/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Sci-fi

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

New season! New jumping-on point! Ah, Kaijumax Prison… that cesspool of corruption in the South Pacific! Tensions among the city-destroying convicts have eased after a month-long lockdown and Electrogor’s capture, and now the kaiju gangs have begun vying for power again, all-out-attacking their rivals, trading addictive smog and dioxin, and abusing weaker inmates. The Creature from Devil’s Creek, after a long time as the low mon in the Cryptid hierarchy, stumbles upon some information that makes him think it doesn’t have to be like this. Also: Mind-controlled murders! Pre-smartphone navigation fails! And… some VERY old timey religion?

THE DAMNED #3

(W) Cullen Bunn

(A/CA) Brian Hurtt

(C/CA) Bill Crabtree

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/19/17

IN STORES: 7/12/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Crime, Fantasy

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

Sketchy gambler Pauly Bones has slithered into Eddie’s life with an offer—together they can turn the tables on the demon crime families and finally get what they deserve. Eddie and Pauly can’t trust each other, though, and it’s only a matter of time before one double crosses the other. But with a new hired killer in town, they might both be dead before they can make their treacherous plays.

HEARTTHROB SEASON TWO #2

(W) Christopher Sebela

(A/CA) Robert Wilson IV

(C/CA) Nick Filardi

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/12/17

IN STORES: 7/5/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Crime

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and after spending the last several months avoiding her criminal past to try and build a normal life, Callie is fonder than ever. Forced to set her normal existence aside and break her anarchist pals out of a Canadian jail, Callie finds herself head over heels for her old life. When this one-time dalliance threatens to turn into a full-blown crime spree, Callie turns to the only person who will understand: Mercer.

LETTER 44 #35

(W) Charles Soule

(A/CA) Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque

(C) Dan Jackson

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/26/17

IN STORES: 7/19/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Sci-fi

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

THE END IS HERE. The final installment that will bring the award-winning series to a close.

KIM REAPER #4

(W/A/C/CA) Sarah Graley

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/19/17

IN STORES: 7/12/17

AGE RATING: Teen

GENRE: Humor, Adventure

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

Kim is suspended from her job as a Grim Reaper and is working in a bakery with Becka—a welcomed change of scenery, until a zombie rolls up to the counter. Animated corpses are the last straw, gosh darnit, so the pair decide to take matters into their own hands and venture down into the Underworld. And if they end up kicking some ghoulish booty on the way, that’s fine with them!

RICK AND MORTY #28

Retail cover illustrated by

CJ Cannon with Katy Farina

Alternate cover illustrated by

Jenn St-Onge

(W/A) Kyle Starks

(A) Andy Hirsch

(A/C) Marc Ellerby

(C) Katy Farina

(CA) CJ Cannon with Katy Farina (retail cover), Jenn St-Onge (alternate cover)

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 7/3/17

IN STORES: 7/26/17

AGE RATING: Teen

GENRE: Humor, Sci-fi

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

OH MY GOD IT’S INTERDIMENSIONAL CABLE TIME! Rick and Morty are wanted fugitives in an alien dimension, so until the heat dies down, there’s not much to do but watch interdimensional cable! Can you even believe it? A special one-shot issue drawn by writer Kyle Starks (with a special cameo by Andy Hirsch)! Meanwhile, Jerry learns a painful lesson in film history in this issue’s back-up comic drawn by Marc Ellerby!

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INVADER ZIM #22

Retail cover illustrated by Warren Wucinich with Fred C. Stresing

Alternate cover illustrated by

Jon Vermilyea

(W) Eric Trueheart

(A) Warren Wucinich

(C) Fred C. Stresing

(CA) Warren Wucinich (retail cover), Jon Vermilyea (alternate cover)

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 7/3/17

IN STORES: 7/26/17

AGE RATING: All Ages

GENRE: Humor, Sci-fi

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

WELCOME TO ZIM’S GREATEST PLAN YET! Earth will soon be his! (Maybe!) Unfortunately, there’s something wrong with GIR—ASIDE from the usual list of things. For one, he’s intentionally trying to kill ZIM. And for two, he’s doing it at the worst possible times. Is ZIM’s greatest plan destined for failure (like it usually is)? Part one of a four-part story!

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REDLINE #5

(W) Neal Holman

(A/CA) Clayton McCormack

(C) Kelly Fitzpatrick

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/12/17

IN STORES: 7/5/17

AGE RATING: Mature

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

Everybody’s dead and everything basically sucks, so it’s a good time for Superintendent Coyle to start actually getting some leads into just whatever the hell is going on on Mars. Plus a robot armor guy fights a limousine. Plus some answers to questions you may have been wondering about. Plus shenanigans. HOOORAY!

INVADER ZIM, VOLUME 4

(W) Jhonen Vasquez, Eric Trueheart, Danielle Koenig, Aaron Alexovich

(A) Warren Wucinich, Aaron Alexovich

(C) Fred C. Stresing, Cassie Kelly

(CA) Warren Wucnich

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 7/10/17

IN STORES: 8/2/17

AGE RATING: All Ages

GENRE: Humor, Sci-fi

PRICE: $19.99

PAGE COUNT: 128

ZIM has plans to take over planet Earth. Schemes! Designs! Machinations! Uh… other words that mean “plans”! And in the fourth volume of the critically acclaimed comic series, these “plans” are plentiful, horrifying, and only half as terrible as usual!

From taking over a local restaurant to proving to Dib that he’s the master of fear, will rule the world, one way or another! Or not at all. Or only on Tuesdays? COLLECTS INVADER ZIM ISSUES 16-20!

JEFF STEINBERG: CHAMPION OF EARTH

(W) Joshua Hale Fialkov

(W/A/CA) Tony Fleecs

(C/CA) Luigi Anderson

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 7/28/17

IN STORES: 9/20/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Humor, Sci-fi

PRICE: $19.99

PAGE COUNT: 176

Have you ever wondered what could have been if Kevin Smith directed Men in Black? Us either because that’s kind of a dumb thing to wonder. Besides, why obsess about “What ifs?” when you could be reading the defining sci-fi-rom-com-dram-actioner of our time! From the writer of The Bunker and the artist of My Little Pony—wait really? Okay, I guess we’ll go with it—comes an alien invasion the likes of which have never before been seen by human eyes.

The space invaders are real. They’re here. They’re mean. And they’re standing in judgement over the citizens of Earth. The human race’s final exam. They’ve chosen a single champion to test and, unfortunately for us, it’s none other than Jeff Steinberg. Romantically challenged idiot, video store clerk, constipated, confused, distractible. In other words, the planet is totally doomed.

MERMIN, BOOK THREE: DEEP DIVE (SOFTCOVER EDITION)

(W/A/C/CA) Joey Weiser

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 8/21/17

IN STORES: 9/13/17

AGE RATING: All Ages

GENRE: Adventure, Humor

PRICE: $12.99

PAGE COUNT: 152

The third book in Joey Weiser’s Eisner Award-nominated series is now in PAPERBACK! No one knows much about Mer, the underwater kingdom where Mermin the merman was born, but due to a rising conflict with the people of Atlantis, Mermin needs to get back home immediately. Which means his human friends get to accompany him and see all the aquatic wonders of Mer.

But once again, Mermin is tight-lipped about his past—even when it’s swimming right in front of him. And there are enemies lurking in the seedier depths of Mer, who’ve got their sights set not only on Mermin, but on Pete and his friends!

ATOMIC BLONDE: THE COLDEST CITY (SOFTCOVER EDITION)

(W) Antony Johnston

(A) Sam Hart

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 4/17/17

IN STORES: 5/10/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Crime

PRICE: $14.99

PAGE COUNT: 176

NOVEMBER 1989. MI6 spy Lorraine Broughton was sent to Berlin to investigate the death of another agent, and the disappearance of a list revealing every spy working there. She found a powder keg of mistrust, assassinations and bad defections that ended with the murder of MI6’s top officer, as the Berlin Wall was torn down. Now Lorraine has returned from the Cold War’s coldest city, to tell her story. And nothing is what it seems.

THE COLDEST WINTER: ATOMIC BLONDE (SOFTCOVER EDITION)

(W) Antony Johnston

(A) Steven Perkins

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 4/17/17 ​

IN STORES: 5/10/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Crime

PRICE: $14.99

PAGE COUNT: 184

EIGHT YEARS BEFORE “ATOMIC BLONDE” …BERLIN FROZE. After a string of botched assignments for MI6 in Berlin, David Perceval is being sent home. Even his final mission before leaving—the defection of a Soviet scientist—goes badly wrong, as the coldest winter for 30 years descends on Europe.

With transport out of Berlin impossible, and the KGB searching everywhere for their lost scientist, Perceval must improvise a deadly game of cat and mouse through the frozen city to keep the Russians at bay, and deliver his own unique brand of revenge!

FAUNS & FAIRIES: THE ADULT FANTASY COLORING BOOK

(W/A/CA) Trungles

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 8/28/17

IN STORES: 9/20/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Erotica, Fantasy

PRICE: $11.99

PAGE COUNT: 88

Fauns & Fairies: The Adult Fantasy Coloring Book is an erotic coloring book for adults, offering a steamy interpretation of traditional fantasy characters. From succubi to knights to pixies, the beautiful art nouveau-inspired illustrations show classic characters in sensuous poses sure to please. The delicate and detailed artwork is ideal for adult coloring book enthusiasts!

via Oni Press

Atomic Blonde is Back in the Oni Press Solicits for July 2017

Just in time for the movie release, Atomic Blonde makes a comic comeback in a big way.

Atomic Blonde is Back in the Oni Press Solicits for July 2017 Just in time for the movie release, Atomic Blonde makes a comic comeback in a big way.

[superpower-fly-invisible-book]

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Flight or Invisibility? Which Superpower Would You Choose?

Stephen Andes

Jul 27, 2018 · 9 min read

Before you make a choice — flight or invisibility — here are the ground rules:

Flight means the power to travel in the air, up to 100,000 feet, at a maximum velocity of 1,000 MPH. You don’t have any other powers. You’re not invincible. You don’t have super strength. Just flying. (And, thus, depending on your natural strength, you probably can’t carry many people with you. Large pets or small children would be key candidates).

Invisibility means the power to make yourself unseen, as well as your clothes. (So, you don’t have to go around naked!). But things you pick up are still visible. Food and drink are visible until digested. (Best Advice: Keep that in mind before sneaking around like a friggin’ pervert…).

You are the only person to have this power, flight or invisibility. You can only choose one. You can’t pick both.

Which one do you choose?

And what would you do with your power?

And, hey, there are no judgments here. Just go with your gut.

Ok, got it? Great! Keep your choice to yourself for now. We’ll get back to it. First we have to talk about the thought experiment itself, this Superpower Dilemma, and what it says about power and ethics in the age of #Metoo, Trump, and the Internet.

Photo by Jesús Rocha on Unsplash

Full disclosure: The Superpower Dilemma is not my creation. It’s been kicking around the Internet for over fifteen years. It’s shown up in Psychology Today as a projective test. Those who choose invisibility, according to PT, are people who, in Jungian fashion, embrace their shadow self in order to transcend it; or, those who choose flight are those who seek self-actualization a la Maslow. They push past basic needs — food, shelter, etc. — and search for true fulfillment. Even Forbes used the Superpower Dilemma in a poll of over 7,000 industry and business leaders. It’s no surprise that over 70% of those polled chose flight — approximately 28% chose invisibility. More men than women picked flight, according to Forbes. And more individuals in Human Resources and Safety chose invisibility! (Imagine invisible HR professionals lurking in the corner of the copy room…).

And then there’s the real starting point to the Superpower Dilemma on the Internet. Comedian John Hodgman did a segment on it in a 2001 episode of This American Life.

It’s hilarious.

Hodgman interviews a number of men and women — anonymously, of course — about which power they would choose and why. He finds that people basically never choose to use their power to fight crime. Far from it. Flight and invisibility are not enough, they protest. They would fly, rather, in order to travel to Paris, according to one man. Or, another woman claims she would steal as many sweaters as she desired. The superpowers are chosen for the self. For one’s own pleasure or curiosity or darker inclinations.

But, as with all episodes of This American Life, the Hodgman piece mixes two parts humor and one part pathos. It goes from good chuckle to fucking poignant really fast. (Ah, the storytelling delights of Ira Glass and Team…). Hodgman finds there’s a mental process involved, wherein a gut choice for invisibility usually ends with a rational acknowledgement that invisibility would lead to some bleak places.

Consider the honest appraisal of Man 7:

“Invisibility leads you — leads me, as an invisible person, down a dark path, because you’re not going to want to miss out, when you’re invisible, on — you know, no matter how many times you’ve seen a woman naked in the shower, you’re going to want to see it again, because there’s always a different woman, right? And there’s like a lifetime of that. And that’s not acceptable behavior, no matter whether you’re invisible or not.”

Or, the deep truth of Woman 1:

“First of all, I think that a lot of people are going to tell you that they would choose flight, and I think they’re lying to you. I think they’re saying that because they’re trying to sound all mythic and heroic, because the better angels of our nature would tell us that the real thing that we should strive for is flight, and that that’s noble and all that kind of stuff.

But I think actually, if everybody were being perfectly honest with you, they would tell you the truth, which is that they all want to be invisible so that they can shoplift, get into movies for free, go to exotic places on airplanes without paying for airline tickets, and watch celebrities have sex.”

Or, the ageless wisdom of Man 8:

“Flying is for people who want to let it all hang out. Invisibility is for fearful, crouching masturbators.”

We all fly and we all fade, Hodgman sums up. And the poignant question the comic leaves us with is this: “Who do you want to be — the person you hope to be, or the person you fear you actually are?”

Ok, so you’ve picked a superpower? Do you want to switch at this point?

At any rate, what conclusions might we draw about flight and invisibility? Flight is heroic. Invisibility is sneaky. Invisibility is a superpower for villains — maybe, even, for the villain inside all of us.

And, of course, there’s the whole thing about sex. Even the Kevin Bacon film Hollow Man (2000) — where Bacon, as scientist, learns how to turn himself invisible, has a requisite naked-woman-showering scene, which then turns into rape. What better metaphor for #Metoo? Women sharing stories of sexual abuse perpetrated by men whose actions have been, for them, vicious trauma, but for the rest of the world, unknown, invisible.

“It’s amazing what you can do when you don’t have to look at yourself in the mirror anymore.”

The Superpower Dilemma, in sum, has a clear ethical dimension. And, like many things the Internet hath made, the thought experiment is one humans have been puzzling over for thousands of years. For that, we have to travel to Ancient Greece where we learn of the first Superpower Dilemma — the tale of the ring of Gyges.

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Photo by Fred Pixlab on Unsplash

Athens, Greece.

Enter: Plato (c. 424–347 B.C.E.).

Bearded philosopher. Furrowed brow. Toga.

The dude was thinking about the Superpower Dilemma 2,400 years ago, albeit in a slightly different form. There’s no mention of flight in Plato’s telling of it. Just invisibility. The story is told in the Second Book of Plato’s Republic. Plato writes the story as though his brother, Glaucon, is the one telling it. And so Glaucon begins the tale of the ring of Gyges.

It’s a magical ring, Glaucon says, which gives the power of invisibility to the one who wears it. Turn it facing inward on the finger and the wearer is invisible; outward, the wearer reappears. The ring, in Glaucon’s telling, is found in a crack in the earth opened up by an earthquake. Gyges, the guy who finds the ring, quickly realizes the implications. Gyges is a lowly shepherd. But he gets himself sent to the king’s court. He seduces the Queen and conspires to have the king killed. And then Gyges assumes the throne. (If all this sounds familiar, it is. Tolkien used it as a model for the One Ring in the Lord of the Rings).

Glaucon’s point is this: No one will do right when they can get away with doing wrong. If given the power, like in the tale of the ring of Gyges,

“no man would keep his hands off what was not his own when he could safely take what he liked out of the market, or go into houses and lie with any one at his pleasure, or kill or release from prison whom he would, and in all aspects be like a God among men.”

“A man is just,” Glaucon argues, “not willingly or because he thinks that justice is any good to him individually, but of necessity, for wherever any one thinks that he can be unjust, there he is unjust.” Only fear of a lost reputation or fear of punishment cause people to do justice, according to Glaucon. And, if you have the power, and don’t use it like Gyges did, you’re probably pretty stupid.

“If you could imagine any one obtaining this power of becoming invisible, and never doing any wrong or touching what was another’s, he would be thought by lookers-on to be a most wretched idiot, although they would praise him to one another’s faces, and keep up appearances with one another from a fear that they too might suffer injustice.”

Basically, Glaucon says, we would hate and fear that power in another, but secretly want it for ourselves.

(Side note: H.G. Wells’ novella The Invisible Man (1897) pokes a few holes in the tale of Gyges. The book is all about how friggin’ hard it would be to pull off one’s evil desires, even if you could be invisible. The protagonist, Griffin, is a failed Gyges. He doesn’t manage taking over his town let alone the whole of England. His dark, evil plans come to nothing. And who defeats him? The community! The community comes together and destroys the guy. In essence, Wells simply tells us, through Griffin, why worry about invisibility when you can’t pull off the real soul-fulfilling devious shit anyway! Because, according to Wells, the community is stronger than the individual.)

Does Plato provide an escape from Glaucon’s argument? Is it true that we only do right because we fear losing our reputation and we fear punishment?

Well, that’s beside the point, actually. Plato’s point is political. He’s talking about society. Don’t look for justice in the individual, says Plato, look for it in society. The take away, for Plato and for us, is the cliché of all modern superheroes: With great power comes great responsibility. Plato was interested in making sure that those who have power are also made accountable. Power is a force that, indeed, has dark, bleak implications for human nature. But it’s also an energy for doing good. It just has to be forced in that direction. Justice, in essence, is the product of the terms demanded by society. It’s the desire for who we, as a society, want to be and the acknowledgement of our worst selves. It’s setting up bound aries that keep us from those worst selves.

[outright-geekery]

Just in time for the movie release, Atomic Blonde makes a comic comeback in a big way. Here’s all the Oni Press Solicits for July 2017.

RICK AND MORTY: POCKET LIKE YOU STOLE IT #1

Retail cover illustrated by Marc Ellerby with Katy Farina

Alternate cover illustrated by Carolyn Main

(W) Tini Howard

(A) Marc Ellerby

(C) Katy Farina

(CA) Marc Ellerby with Katy Farina (retail cover), Carolyn Main (alternate cover)

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/12/17

IN STORES: 7/5/17

AGE RATING: Teen

GENRE: Humor, Sci-fi

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It is a new comic book miniseries based on the popular [adult swim] television series and inspired by the Pocket Mortys mobile game! In this five-issue series, Morty is on a quest to free himself (and all the other Mortys) from the clutches of Ricks, who collect Mortys and force them to battle one another for schmeckles and glory. Along the way, he’ll discover the grisly history of Morty battling, the dastardly lengths that Ricks are willing to stoop to in order to win, and perhaps… the strength in himself that’s needed to free the Mortys once and for all?

#gallery-0-10 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-10 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-10 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-10 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

KILL THEM ALL

(W/A/CA) Kyle Starks

(C/CA) Luigi Anderson

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 9/4/17

IN STORES: 9/27/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Humor, Adventure

PRICE: $19.99

PAGE COUNT: 184

The new gonzo graphic novel love letter to 90s action movies by Eisner-nominated cartoonist Kyle Starks (Sexcastle, Rick and Morty).

A betrayed murderess wants revenge. A hard-drinking former cop wants his job back. For either to get what they want, they’re going to have to fight their way through fifteen flights of criminals, assassins, drug lords, murderers, yup, even accountants, and… KILL. THEM. ALL.

KAIJUMAX SEASON 3 #1

(W/A/C/CA) Zander Cannon

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/19/17

IN STORES: 7/12/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Sci-fi

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

New season! New jumping-on point! Ah, Kaijumax Prison… that cesspool of corruption in the South Pacific! Tensions among the city-destroying convicts have eased after a month-long lockdown and Electrogor’s capture, and now the kaiju gangs have begun vying for power again, all-out-attacking their rivals, trading addictive smog and dioxin, and abusing weaker inmates. The Creature from Devil’s Creek, after a long time as the low mon in the Cryptid hierarchy, stumbles upon some information that makes him think it doesn’t have to be like this. Also: Mind-controlled murders! Pre-smartphone navigation fails! And… some VERY old timey religion?

THE DAMNED #3

(W) Cullen Bunn

(A/CA) Brian Hurtt

(C/CA) Bill Crabtree

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/19/17

IN STORES: 7/12/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Crime, Fantasy

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

Sketchy gambler Pauly Bones has slithered into Eddie’s life with an offer—together they can turn the tables on the demon crime families and finally get what they deserve. Eddie and Pauly can’t trust each other, though, and it’s only a matter of time before one double crosses the other. But with a new hired killer in town, they might both be dead before they can make their treacherous plays.

HEARTTHROB SEASON TWO #2

(W) Christopher Sebela

(A/CA) Robert Wilson IV

(C/CA) Nick Filardi

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/12/17

IN STORES: 7/5/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Crime

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and after spending the last several months avoiding her criminal past to try and build a normal life, Callie is fonder than ever. Forced to set her normal existence aside and break her anarchist pals out of a Canadian jail, Callie finds herself head over heels for her old life. When this one-time dalliance threatens to turn into a full-blown crime spree, Callie turns to the only person who will understand: Mercer.

LETTER 44 #35

(W) Charles Soule

(A/CA) Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque

(C) Dan Jackson

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/26/17

IN STORES: 7/19/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Sci-fi

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

THE END IS HERE. The final installment that will bring the award-winning series to a close.

KIM REAPER #4

(W/A/C/CA) Sarah Graley

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/19/17

IN STORES: 7/12/17

AGE RATING: Teen

GENRE: Humor, Adventure

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

Kim is suspended from her job as a Grim Reaper and is working in a bakery with Becka—a welcomed change of scenery, until a zombie rolls up to the counter. Animated corpses are the last straw, gosh darnit, so the pair decide to take matters into their own hands and venture down into the Underworld. And if they end up kicking some ghoulish booty on the way, that’s fine with them!

RICK AND MORTY #28

Retail cover illustrated by

CJ Cannon with Katy Farina

Alternate cover illustrated by

Jenn St-Onge

(W/A) Kyle Starks

(A) Andy Hirsch

(A/C) Marc Ellerby

(C) Katy Farina

(CA) CJ Cannon with Katy Farina (retail cover), Jenn St-Onge (alternate cover)

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 7/3/17

IN STORES: 7/26/17

AGE RATING: Teen

GENRE: Humor, Sci-fi

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

OH MY GOD IT’S INTERDIMENSIONAL CABLE TIME! Rick and Morty are wanted fugitives in an alien dimension, so until the heat dies down, there’s not much to do but watch interdimensional cable! Can you even believe it? A special one-shot issue drawn by writer Kyle Starks (with a special cameo by Andy Hirsch)! Meanwhile, Jerry learns a painful lesson in film history in this issue’s back-up comic drawn by Marc Ellerby!

#gallery-0-11 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-11 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-11 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-11 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

INVADER ZIM #22

Retail cover illustrated by Warren Wucinich with Fred C. Stresing

Alternate cover illustrated by

Jon Vermilyea

(W) Eric Trueheart

(A) Warren Wucinich

(C) Fred C. Stresing

(CA) Warren Wucinich (retail cover), Jon Vermilyea (alternate cover)

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 7/3/17

IN STORES: 7/26/17

AGE RATING: All Ages

GENRE: Humor, Sci-fi

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

WELCOME TO ZIM’S GREATEST PLAN YET! Earth will soon be his! (Maybe!) Unfortunately, there’s something wrong with GIR—ASIDE from the usual list of things. For one, he’s intentionally trying to kill ZIM. And for two, he’s doing it at the worst possible times. Is ZIM’s greatest plan destined for failure (like it usually is)? Part one of a four-part story!

#gallery-0-12 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-12 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-12 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-12 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

REDLINE #5

(W) Neal Holman

(A/CA) Clayton McCormack

(C) Kelly Fitzpatrick

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 6/12/17

IN STORES: 7/5/17

AGE RATING: Mature

PRICE: $3.99

PAGE COUNT: 32

Everybody’s dead and everything basically sucks, so it’s a good time for Superintendent Coyle to start actually getting some leads into just whatever the hell is going on on Mars. Plus a robot armor guy fights a limousine. Plus some answers to questions you may have been wondering about. Plus shenanigans. HOOORAY!

INVADER ZIM, VOLUME 4

(W) Jhonen Vasquez, Eric Trueheart, Danielle Koenig, Aaron Alexovich

(A) Warren Wucinich, Aaron Alexovich

(C) Fred C. Stresing, Cassie Kelly

(CA) Warren Wucnich

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 7/10/17

IN STORES: 8/2/17

AGE RATING: All Ages

GENRE: Humor, Sci-fi

PRICE: $19.99

PAGE COUNT: 128

ZIM has plans to take over planet Earth. Schemes! Designs! Machinations! Uh… other words that mean “plans”! And in the fourth volume of the critically acclaimed comic series, these “plans” are plentiful, horrifying, and only half as terrible as usual!

From taking over a local restaurant to proving to Dib that he’s the master of fear, will rule the world, one way or another! Or not at all. Or only on Tuesdays? COLLECTS INVADER ZIM ISSUES 16-20!

JEFF STEINBERG: CHAMPION OF EARTH

(W) Joshua Hale Fialkov

(W/A/CA) Tony Fleecs

(C/CA) Luigi Anderson

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 7/28/17

IN STORES: 9/20/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Humor, Sci-fi

PRICE: $19.99

PAGE COUNT: 176

Have you ever wondered what could have been if Kevin Smith directed Men in Black? Us either because that’s kind of a dumb thing to wonder. Besides, why obsess about “What ifs?” when you could be reading the defining sci-fi-rom-com-dram-actioner of our time! From the writer of The Bunker and the artist of My Little Pony—wait really? Okay, I guess we’ll go with it—comes an alien invasion the likes of which have never before been seen by human eyes.

The space invaders are real. They’re here. They’re mean. And they’re standing in judgement over the citizens of Earth. The human race’s final exam. They’ve chosen a single champion to test and, unfortunately for us, it’s none other than Jeff Steinberg. Romantically challenged idiot, video store clerk, constipated, confused, distractible. In other words, the planet is totally doomed.

MERMIN, BOOK THREE: DEEP DIVE (SOFTCOVER EDITION)

(W/A/C/CA) Joey Weiser

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 8/21/17

IN STORES: 9/13/17

AGE RATING: All Ages

GENRE: Adventure, Humor

PRICE: $12.99

PAGE COUNT: 152

The third book in Joey Weiser’s Eisner Award-nominated series is now in PAPERBACK! No one knows much about Mer, the underwater kingdom where Mermin the merman was born, but due to a rising conflict with the people of Atlantis, Mermin needs to get back home immediately. Which means his human friends get to accompany him and see all the aquatic wonders of Mer.

But once again, Mermin is tight-lipped about his past—even when it’s swimming right in front of him. And there are enemies lurking in the seedier depths of Mer, who’ve got their sights set not only on Mermin, but on Pete and his friends!

ATOMIC BLONDE: THE COLDEST CITY (SOFTCOVER EDITION)

(W) Antony Johnston

(A) Sam Hart

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 4/17/17

IN STORES: 5/10/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Crime

PRICE: $14.99

PAGE COUNT: 176

NOVEMBER 1989. MI6 spy Lorraine Broughton was sent to Berlin to investigate the death of another agent, and the disappearance of a list revealing every spy working there. She found a powder keg of mistrust, assassinations and bad defections that ended with the murder of MI6’s top officer, as the Berlin Wall was torn down. Now Lorraine has returned from the Cold War’s coldest city, to tell her story. And nothing is what it seems.

THE COLDEST WINTER: ATOMIC BLONDE (SOFTCOVER EDITION)

(W) Antony Johnston

(A) Steven Perkins

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 4/17/17 ​

IN STORES: 5/10/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Crime

PRICE: $14.99

PAGE COUNT: 184

EIGHT YEARS BEFORE “ATOMIC BLONDE” …BERLIN FROZE. After a string of botched assignments for MI6 in Berlin, David Perceval is being sent home. Even his final mission before leaving—the defection of a Soviet scientist—goes badly wrong, as the coldest winter for 30 years descends on Europe.

With transport out of Berlin impossible, and the KGB searching everywhere for their lost scientist, Perceval must improvise a deadly game of cat and mouse through the frozen city to keep the Russians at bay, and deliver his own unique brand of revenge!

FAUNS & FAIRIES: THE ADULT FANTASY COLORING BOOK

(W/A/CA) Trungles

FINAL ORDER CUTOFF: 8/28/17

IN STORES: 9/20/17

AGE RATING: Mature

GENRE: Erotica, Fantasy

PRICE: $11.99

PAGE COUNT: 88

Fauns & Fairies: The Adult Fantasy Coloring Book is an erotic coloring book for adults, offering a steamy interpretation of traditional fantasy characters. From succubi to knights to pixies, the beautiful art nouveau-inspired illustrations show classic characters in sensuous poses sure to please. The delicate and detailed artwork is ideal for adult coloring book enthusiasts!

via Oni Press

Atomic Blonde is Back in the Oni Press Solicits for July 2017 Just in time for the movie release, Atomic Blonde makes a comic comeback in a big way.

[aion-rsa]

Oni Press’ Solicitations for July 2017

Oni Press has provided CBR News with the exclusive first look at covers and solicit information for products shipping July 2017. When you’re through checking out these solicitations, be sure to visit CBR’s Indie Comics Forum and discuss these Oni Press releases with fellow readers.

Oni Press Solicitations – Last Six Months

Product shipping June 2017

Product shipping May 2017

Product shipping April 2017

Product shipping March 2017

Product shipping February 2017

Product shipping January 2017

RICK AND MORTY: POCKET LIKE YOU STOLE IT #1 (OF 5)

TINI HOWARD (W) • MARC ELLERBY (A/CA) • KATY FARINA (C/CA)

ALTERNATE COVER ILLUSTRATED BY CAROLYN MAIN

Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It is a new comic book miniseries based on the popular [adult swim] television series and inspired by the Pocket Mortys mobile game! In this five-issue series, Morty is on a quest to free himself (and all the other Mortys) from the clutches of Ricks, who collect Mortys and force them to battle one another for schmeckles and glory. Along the way, he’ll discover the grisly history of Morty battling, the dastardly lengths that Ricks are willing to stoop to in order to win, and perhaps… the strength in himself that’s needed to free the Mortys once and for all?

JULY 5 / 32 Pages / Teen / Humor, Sci-fi / $3.99

KILL THEM ALL

KYLE STARKS (W/A/CA) • LUIGI ANDERSON (C/CA)

The new gonzo graphic novel love letter to 90s action movies by Eisner-nominated cartoonist Kyle Starks (Sexcastle, Rick and Morty). A betrayed murderess wants revenge. A hard-drinking former cop wants his job back. For either to get what they want, they’re going to have to fight their way through fifteen flights of criminals, assassins, drug lords, murderers, yup, even accountants, and… KILL. THEM. ALL.

SEPTEMBER 27 / 184 Pages / Mature / Humor, Action / $19.99

KAIJUMAX SEASON THREE #1

ZANDER CANNON (W/A/C/CA)

New season! New jumping-on point! Ah, Kaijumax Prison… that cesspool of corruption in the South Pacific! Tensions among the city-destroying convicts have eased after a month-long lockdown and Electrogor’s capture, and now the kaiju gangs have begun vying for power again, all-out-attacking their rivals, trading addictive smog and dioxin, and abusing weaker inmates. The Creature from Devil’s Creek, after a long time as the low mon in the Cryptid hierarchy, stumbles upon some information that makes him think it doesn’t have to be like this. Also: Mind-controlled murders! Pre-smartphone navigation fails! And… some VERY old timey religion?

JULY 12 / 32 Pages / Mature / Sci-fi / $3.99

THE DAMNED #3

CULLEN BUNN (W) • BRIAN HURTT (A/CA) • BILL CRABTREE (C/CA)

Sketchy gambler Pauly Bones has slithered into Eddie’s life with an offer—together they can turn the tables on the demon crime families and finally get what they deserve. Eddie and Pauly can’t trust each other, though, and it’s only a matter of time before one double crosses the other. But with a new hired killer in town, they might both be dead before they can make their treacherous plays.

JULY 12 / 32 Pages / Mature / Crime, Fantasy / $3.99

HEARTTHROB SEASON TWO #2

CHRISTOPHER SEBELA (W) • ROBERT WILSON IV (A/CA) • NICK FILARDI (C/CA)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and after spending the last several months avoiding her criminal past to try and build a normal life, Callie is fonder than ever. Forced to set her normal existence aside and break her anarchist pals out of a Canadian jail, Callie finds herself head over heels for her old life. When this one-time dalliance threatens to turn into a full-blown crime spree, Callie turns to the only person who will understand: Mercer.

JULY 5 / 32 Pages / Mature / Crime / $3.99

LETTER 44 #35

CHARLES SOULE (W) • ALBERTO JIMÉNEZ ALBURQUERQUE (A) • DAN JACKSON (C)

THE END IS HERE. The final installment that will bring the award-winning series to a close.

JULY 19 / 32 Pages / Mature / Sci-fi / $3.99

KIM REAPER #4

SARAH GRALEY (W/A/C/CA)

Kim is suspended from her job as a Grim Reaper and is working in a bakery with Becka—a welcomed change of scenery, until a zombie rolls up to the counter. Animated corpses are the last straw, gosh darnit, so the pair decide to take matters into their own hands and venture down into the Underworld. And if they end up kicking some ghoulish booty on the way, that’s fine with them!

JULY 12 / 32 Pages / Teen / Humor, Adventure / $3.99

RICK AND MORTY #28

KYLE STARKS (W/A) • ANDY HIRSCH (A) • MARC ELLERBY (A/C) • KATY FARINA (C/CA) • CJ CANNON (CA)

ALTERNATE COVER ILLUSTRATED BY JENN ST-ONGE

OH MY GOD IT’S INTERDIMENSIONAL CABLE TIME! Rick and Morty are wanted fugitives in an alien dimension, so until the heat dies down, there’s not much to do but watch interdimensional cable! Can you even believe it? A special one-shot issue drawn by writer Kyle Starks (with a special cameo by Andy Hirsch)! Meanwhile, Jerry learns a painful lesson in film history in this issue’s back-up comic drawn by Marc Ellerby!

JULY 26 / 32 Pages / Teen / Humor, Sci-fi / $3.99

INVADER ZIM #22

ERIC TRUEHEART (W) • WARREN WUCINICH (A/CA) • FRED C. STRESING (C/CA)

ALTERNATE COVER ILLUSTRATED BY JON VERMILYEA

WELCOME TO ZIM’S GREATEST PLAN YET! Earth will soon be his! (Maybe!) Unfortunately, there’s something wrong with GIR—ASIDE from the usual list of things. For one, he’s intentionally trying to kill ZIM. And for two, he’s doing it at the worst possible times. Is ZIM’s greatest plan destined for failure (like it usually is)? Part one of a four-part story!

JULY 26 / 32 Pages / All Ages / Humor, Sci-fi / $3.99

REDLINE #5

NEAL HOLMAN (W) • CLAYTON MCCORMACK (A/CA) • KELLY FITZPATRICK (C/CA)

Everybody’s dead and everything basically sucks, so it’s a good time for Superintendent Coyle to start actually getting some leads into just whatever the hell is going on on Mars. Plus a robot armor guy fights a limousine. Plus some answers to questions you may have been wondering about. Plus shenanigans. HOOORAY!

JULY 5 / 32 Pages / Mature / Sci-fi / $3.99

INVADER ZIM, VOLUME 4

JHONEN VASQUEZ, ERIC TRUEHEART, DANIELLE KOENIG (W) • AARON ALEXOVICH (W/A) • WARREN WUCINICH (A/CA) • FRED C. STRESING, CASSIE KELLY (C)

ZIM has plans to take over planet Earth. Schemes! Designs! Machinations! Uh… other words that mean “plans”! And in the fourth volume of the critically acclaimed comic series, these “plans” are plentiful, horrifying, and only half as terrible as usual! From taking over a local restaurant to proving to Dib that he’s the master of fear, ZIM will rule the world, one way or another! Or not at all. Or only on Tuesdays? COLLECTS INVADER ZIM ISSUES 16-20!

AUGUST 2 / 128 Pages / All Ages / Humor, Sci-fi / $19.99

JEFF STEINBERG: CHAMPION OF EARTH

JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV (W) • TONY FLEECS (W/A/CA) • LUIGI ANDERSON (C/CA)

Have you ever wondered what could have been if Kevin Smith directed Men in Black? Us either because that’s kind of a dumb thing to wonder. Besides, why obsess about “What ifs?” when you could be reading the defining sci-fi-rom-com-dram-actioner of our time! From the writer of The Bunker and the artist of My Little Pony—wait, really? Okay, I guess we’ll go with it—comes an alien invasion the likes of which have never before been seen by human eyes.

The space invaders are real. They’re here. They’re mean. And they’re standing in judgement over the citizens of Earth. The human race’s final exam. They’ve chosen a single champion to test and, unfortunately for us, it’s none other than Jeff Steinberg. Romantically challenged idiot, video store clerk, constipated, confused, distractible. In other words, the planet is totally doomed.

SEPTEMBER 20 / 176 Pages / Mature / Humor, Sci-fi / $19.99

MERMIN, BOOK THREE: DEEP DIVE (SOFTCOVER EDITION)

JOEY WEISER (W/A/C/CA)

The third book in Joey Weiser’s Eisner Award-nominated series is now in PAPERBACK! No one knows much about Mer, the underwater kingdom where Mermin the merman was born, but due to a rising conflict with the people of Atlantis, Mermin needs to get back home immediately. Which means his human friends get to accompany him and see all the aquatic wonders of Mer. But once again, Mermin is tight-lipped about his past—even when it’s swimming right in front of him. And there are enemies lurking in the seedier depths of Mer, who’ve got their sights set not only on Mermin, but on Pete and his friends!

SEPTEMBER 13 / 152 Pages / All Ages / Adventure, Humor / $12.99

ATOMIC BLONDE: THE COLDEST CITY (SOFTCOVER EDITION)

ANTONY JOHNSTON (W) • SAM HART (A)

NOVEMBER 1989. MI6 spy Lorraine Broughton was sent to Berlin to investigate the death of another agent, and the disappearance of a list revealing every spy working there. She found a powder keg of mistrust, assassinations and bad defections that ended with the murder of MI6’s top officer, as the Berlin Wall was torn down. Now Lorraine has returned from the Cold War’s coldest city, to tell her story. And nothing is what it seems.

MAY 10 / 176 Pages / Mature / Crime / $14.99

THE COLDEST WINTER: ATOMIC BLONDE (SOFTCOVER EDITION)

ANTONY JOHNSTON (W) • STEVEN PERKINS (A)

EIGHT YEARS BEFORE “ATOMIC BLONDE” …BERLIN FROZE. After a string of botched assignments for MI6 in Berlin, David Perceval is being sent home. Even his final mission before leaving—the defection of a Soviet scientist—goes badly wrong, as the coldest winter for 30 years descends on Europe.

With transport out of Berlin impossible, and the KGB searching everywhere for their lost scientist, Perceval must improvise a deadly game of cat and mouse through the frozen city to keep the Russians at bay, and deliver his own unique brand of revenge!

MAY 10 / 184 Pages / Mature / Crime / $14.99

FAUNS & FAIRIES: THE ADULT FANTASY COLORING BOOK

TRUNGLES (W/A/CA)

Fauns & Fairies: The Adult Fantasy Coloring Book is an erotic coloring book for adults, offering a steamy interpretation of traditional fantasy characters. From succubi to knights to pixies, the beautiful art nouveau-inspired illustrations show classic characters in sensuous poses sure to please. The delicate and detailed artwork is ideal for adult coloring book enthusiasts!

SEPTEMBER 20 / 88 Pages / Mature / Fantasy, Erotica / $11.99

The post Oni Press’ Solicitations for July 2017 appeared first on CBR.

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Flight or Invisibility? Which Superpower Would You Choose?

Stephen Andes

Jul 27, 2018 · 9 min read

Before you make a choice — flight or invisibility — here are the ground rules:

Flight means the power to travel in the air, up to 100,000 feet, at a maximum velocity of 1,000 MPH. You don’t have any other powers. You’re not invincible. You don’t have super strength. Just flying. (And, thus, depending on your natural strength, you probably can’t carry many people with you. Large pets or small children would be key candidates).

Invisibility means the power to make yourself unseen, as well as your clothes. (So, you don’t have to go around naked!). But things you pick up are still visible. Food and drink are visible until digested. (Best Advice: Keep that in mind before sneaking around like a friggin’ pervert…).

You are the only person to have this power, flight or invisibility. You can only choose one. You can’t pick both.

Which one do you choose?

And what would you do with your power?

And, hey, there are no judgments here. Just go with your gut.

Ok, got it? Great! Keep your choice to yourself for now. We’ll get back to it. First we have to talk about the thought experiment itself, this Superpower Dilemma, and what it says about power and ethics in the age of #Metoo, Trump, and the Internet.

Photo by Jesús Rocha on Unsplash

Full disclosure: The Superpower Dilemma is not my creation. It’s been kicking around the Internet for over fifteen years. It’s shown up in Psychology Today as a projective test. Those who choose invisibility, according to PT, are people who, in Jungian fashion, embrace their shadow self in order to transcend it; or, those who choose flight are those who seek self-actualization a la Maslow. They push past basic needs — food, shelter, etc. — and search for true fulfillment. Even Forbes used the Superpower Dilemma in a poll of over 7,000 industry and business leaders. It’s no surprise that over 70% of those polled chose flight — approximately 28% chose invisibility. More men than women picked flight, according to Forbes. And more individuals in Human Resources and Safety chose invisibility! (Imagine invisible HR professionals lurking in the corner of the copy room…).

And then there’s the real starting point to the Superpower Dilemma on the Internet. Comedian John Hodgman did a segment on it in a 2001 episode of This American Life.

It’s hilarious.

Hodgman interviews a number of men and women — anonymously, of course — about which power they would choose and why. He finds that people basically never choose to use their power to fight crime. Far from it. Flight and invisibility are not enough, they protest. They would fly, rather, in order to travel to Paris, according to one man. Or, another woman claims she would steal as many sweaters as she desired. The superpowers are chosen for the self. For one’s own pleasure or curiosity or darker inclinations.

But, as with all episodes of This American Life, the Hodgman piece mixes two parts humor and one part pathos. It goes from good chuckle to fucking poignant really fast. (Ah, the storytelling delights of Ira Glass and Team…). Hodgman finds there’s a mental process involved, wherein a gut choice for invisibility usually ends with a rational acknowledgement that invisibility would lead to some bleak places.

Consider the honest appraisal of Man 7:

“Invisibility leads you — leads me, as an invisible person, down a dark path, because you’re not going to want to miss out, when you’re invisible, on — you know, no matter how many times you’ve seen a woman naked in the shower, you’re going to want to see it again, because there’s always a different woman, right? And there’s like a lifetime of that. And that’s not acceptable behavior, no matter whether you’re invisible or not.”

Or, the deep truth of Woman 1:

“First of all, I think that a lot of people are going to tell you that they would choose flight, and I think they’re lying to you. I think they’re saying that because they’re trying to sound all mythic and heroic, because the better angels of our nature would tell us that the real thing that we should strive for is flight, and that that’s noble and all that kind of stuff.

But I think actually, if everybody were being perfectly honest with you, they would tell you the truth, which is that they all want to be invisible so that they can shoplift, get into movies for free, go to exotic places on airplanes without paying for airline tickets, and watch celebrities have sex.”

Or, the ageless wisdom of Man 8:

“Flying is for people who want to let it all hang out. Invisibility is for fearful, crouching masturbators.”

We all fly and we all fade, Hodgman sums up. And the poignant question the comic leaves us with is this: “Who do you want to be — the person you hope to be, or the person you fear you actually are?”

Ok, so you’ve picked a superpower? Do you want to switch at this point?

At any rate, what conclusions might we draw about flight and invisibility? Flight is heroic. Invisibility is sneaky. Invisibility is a superpower for villains — maybe, even, for the villain inside all of us.

And, of course, there’s the whole thing about sex. Even the Kevin Bacon film Hollow Man (2000) — where Bacon, as scientist, learns how to turn himself invisible, has a requisite naked-woman-showering scene, which then turns into rape. What better metaphor for #Metoo? Women sharing stories of sexual abuse perpetrated by men whose actions have been, for them, vicious trauma, but for the rest of the world, unknown, invisible.

“It’s amazing what you can do when you don’t have to look at yourself in the mirror anymore.”

The Superpower Dilemma, in sum, has a clear ethical dimension. And, like many things the Internet hath made, the thought experiment is one humans have been puzzling over for thousands of years. For that, we have to travel to Ancient Greece where we learn of the first Superpower Dilemma — the tale of the ring of Gyges.

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Photo by Fred Pixlab on Unsplash

Athens, Greece.

Enter: Plato (c. 424–347 B.C.E.).

Bearded philosopher. Furrowed brow. Toga.

The dude was thinking about the Superpower Dilemma 2,400 years ago, albeit in a slightly different form. There’s no mention of flight in Plato’s telling of it. Just invisibility. The story is told in the Second Book of Plato’s Republic. Plato writes the story as though his brother, Glaucon, is the one telling it. And so Glaucon begins the tale of the ring of Gyges.

It’s a magical ring, Glaucon says, which gives the power of invisibility to the one who wears it. Turn it facing inward on the finger and the wearer is invisible; outward, the wearer reappears. The ring, in Glaucon’s telling, is found in a crack in the earth opened up by an earthquake. Gyges, the guy who finds the ring, quickly realizes the implications. Gyges is a lowly shepherd. But he gets himself sent to the king’s court. He seduces the Queen and conspires to have the king killed. And then Gyges assumes the throne. (If all this sounds familiar, it is. Tolkien used it as a model for the One Ring in the Lord of the Rings).

Glaucon’s point is this: No one will do right when they can get away with doing wrong. If given the power, like in the tale of the ring of Gyges,

“no man would keep his hands off what was not his own when he could safely take what he liked out of the market, or go into houses and lie with any one at his pleasure, or kill or release from prison whom he would, and in all aspects be like a God among men.”

“A man is just,” Glaucon argues, “not willingly or because he thinks that justice is any good to him individually, but of necessity, for wherever any one thinks that he can be unjust, there he is unjust.” Only fear of a lost reputation or fear of punishment cause people to do justice, according to Glaucon. And, if you have the power, and don’t use it like Gyges did, you’re probably pretty stupid.

“If you could imagine any one obtaining this power of becoming invisible, and never doing any wrong or touching what was another’s, he would be thought by lookers-on to be a most wretched idiot, although they would praise him to one another’s faces, and keep up appearances with one another from a fear that they too might suffer injustice.”

Basically, Glaucon says, we would hate and fear that power in another, but secretly want it for ourselves.

(Side note: H.G. Wells’ novella The Invisible Man (1897) pokes a few holes in the tale of Gyges. The book is all about how friggin’ hard it would be to pull off one’s evil desires, even if you could be invisible. The protagonist, Griffin, is a failed Gyges. He doesn’t manage taking over his town let alone the whole of England. His dark, evil plans come to nothing. And who defeats him? The community! The community comes together and destroys the guy. In essence, Wells simply tells us, through Griffin, why worry about invisibility when you can’t pull off the real soul-fulfilling devious shit anyway! Because, according to Wells, the community is stronger than the individual.)

Does Plato provide an escape from Glaucon’s argument? Is it true that we only do right because we fear losing our reputation and we fear punishment?

Well, that’s beside the point, actually. Plato’s point is political. He’s talking about society. Don’t look for justice in the individual, says Plato, look for it in society. The take away, for Plato and for us, is the cliché of all modern superheroes: With great power comes great responsibility. Plato was interested in making sure that those who have power are also made accountable. Power is a force that, indeed, has dark, bleak implications for human nature. But it’s also an energy for doing good. It just has to be forced in that direction. Justice, in essence, is the product of the terms demanded by society. It’s the desire for who we, as a society, want to be and the acknowledgement of our worst selves. It’s setting up bound aries that keep us from those worst selves.