#NOBODY talked about the black story??? when it was infinitely more compelling to me?????

[erros429]

we as a society need to talk about how most of yall will only care about queer love if there’s a white person involved. not that this doesn’t extend to cishet couples too because of course it does. but there are far too many white queer people that think they’re exempt from racism just because they’re from a marginalized group and that’s a conversation that needs to be had!!!

[bigskydreaming]

Speaking of Riley and other friends who are excellent, allow me to take a moment to pimp some of their books if anyone’s got some spare coin and is looking for good reads while on lockdown.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

It’s the start of Jordan Sun’s junior year at the Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing Arts. Unfortunately, she’s an Alto 2, which—in the musical theatre world—is sort of like being a vulture in the wild: She has a spot in the ecosystem, but nobody’s falling over themselves to express their appreciation. So it’s no surprise when she gets shut out of the fall musical for the third year straight. But then the school gets a mass email: A spot has opened up in the Sharpshooters, Kensington’s elite a cappella octet. Worshiped . . . revered . . . all male. Desperate to prove herself, Jordan auditions in her most convincing drag, and it turns out that Jordan Sun, Tenor 1, is exactly what the Sharps are looking for.

Rio’s got two other books you should also check out, I just grabbed this one at random because they’re all great (though its actually ‘7 Ways We Lie’ that’s my personal fave because Reasons).

Forest of Souls by Lori M Lee

Sirscha Ashwyn comes from nothing, but she’s intent on becoming something. After years of training to become the queen’s next royal spy, her plans are derailed when shamans attack and kill her best friend Saengo.

And then Sirscha, somehow, restores Saengo to life.

Unveiled as the first soulguide in living memory, Sirscha is summoned to the domain of the Spider King. For centuries, he has used his influence over the Dead Wood—an ancient forest possessed by souls—to enforce peace between the kingdoms. Now, with the trees growing wild and untamed, only a soulguide can restrain them. As war looms, Sirscha must master her newly awakened abilities before the trees shatter the brittle peace, or worse, claim Saengo, the friend she would die for.

This one is the start of a new duology and doesn’t actually come out until June 23rd, but Lori’s got a couple other books out already that are also worth the read. Her Infinite series starts with Gates of Thread and Stone and has the first two books out, there will be a concluding third volume still to come. But I’m lucky enough to have gotten to read Forest of Souls in advance cuz Nyah nyah (I’m so mature, phear my age and wisdom) and its by faaaaar my favorite of hers to date, including more than just the other two books she’s had published so far, and just look at that cover. Ugh. I love it so much. 

(It wasn’t her original cover, actually, they originally wanted to go with this cover of Suck that made me go umm how do you say “Eww” in polite, and authors have little to no feedback they can give on the cover, but Lori took a shot and sent in some examples of other cover artists she really liked and thought had styles fitting her image of the book better, and they picked one of the ones she sent and commissioned a whole new cover, and voila, ended up going with the above cover in all its spooky, thematically ominous glory.) 

On The Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis

A thrilling, thought-provoking novel from one of young-adult literature’s boldest new talents. January 29, 2035. That’s the day the comet is scheduled to hit—the big one. Denise and her mother and sister, Iris, have been assigned to a temporary shelter outside their hometown of Amsterdam to wait out the blast, but Iris is nowhere to be found, and at the rate Denise’s drug-addicted mother is going, they’ll never reach the shelter in time. A last-minute meeting leads them to something better than a temporary shelter—a generation ship, scheduled to leave Earth behind to colonize new worlds after the comet hits. But everyone on the ship has been chosen because of their usefulness. Denise is autistic and fears that she’ll never be allowed to stay. Can she obtain a spot before the ship takes flight? What about her mother and sister? When the future of the human race is at stake, whose lives matter most?

Cory is actually one of my oldest friends lmao, like, I first met her through another writing friend when we both roleplayed on this messageboard X-Men: Evolution RPG over fifteen years ago, and just....somehow never lost track of each other through all our various hyper-fixations and divergent fandoms and even with years-long ‘vanishing from the internet’ periods by yours truly (I am was mysterious and enigmatic, hear me roar). This is actually her third published novel? Or maybe second, I forget the order....her first, Otherbound, is great too, she’s written a Guardians of the Galaxy tie-in novel for Marvel, and she’s got her next book, “The Art of Saving the World” coming out this September, and its soooo good and head-trippy and the premise is so mindfucky that I have no idea how she pulled it off as well as she did and its great and you will love it or you will answer to me (lol no you won’t, I am all talk, I bruise like a peach, don’t doxx me yo). But On The Edge of Gone remains my personal fave of hers, Denise is an in-text disabled autistic black girl and suuuuuuch a fantastic main character, and her love for her family against the backdrop of an apocalypse actually in its on-going stage, no post about it, is like.....unfortunately a little too prophetic in various ways, lolol, but like, timely as hell and resonates. 

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Welcome to Andover, where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship--only it turns out to be for the towns most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, whom Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then theres the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.

I actually met C.B. on tumblr here, via this account, thanks to a mutual mutual, which just goes to show you never know who you might end up meeting on tumblr dot hellsite dot org, and only after that fact did we find out that we had various other mutual friends from our writing/publishing circles of friends, including Cory, lolol, so y’know....small world. But this series has three books out, with a fourth to come, and its such awesome fun, with superpower hijinks galore, an Asian protag and tons of LGBTQ+ supporting characters, trans superheroes, and compelling plots. She’s also writing Ben 10 comics for Boom! Studios, a comic book company that does original content but also publishes a ton of licensed properties like various other cartoons like Ben 10, the Power Rangers, etc, etc. And this reminds me there’s a certain story she was working on the last time we met up for coffee like, lololol probably three years ago now, which means I am way overdue to bug her about it and ask “Is it done yet is it done yet can I read it yet is it done yet” because I am a paragon of patience and a bastion of self-control, obvsly.

Anyway, here endeth the pimping of my friends, go forth and buy ye their novels, verily and such. Or y’know. Don’t. If you don’t want to be cool, I guess. Nerds. (LOL no but if you like my content and posts and topics I think you stand a better than average likelihood of enjoying at least one of the books by the aforementioned ladies, and you’d be supporting LGBTQ+ authors as there’s nary a straight among them. LOL, like I would ever have straight friends, hahahaha could you imagine, what would we even do).  

[schraubd]

What if Everything is Antisemitic?

We've been talking a lot about the avoidance of antisemitic "tropes" when criticizing Jews or Jewish institutions. Aside from very obvious expressions of antisemitic hate, there are lengthy lists of words or concepts to avoid when talking about Jews, because they are linked up to historical antisemitic beliefs about Jews -- e.g., Jewish wealth, Jewish conspiracies, Jewish cabals, Jewish bloodlust. It's fine to be critical of Jewish institutions, but if you use such words or concepts (tropes) in doing so you start to wander into antisemitic territory. So just avoid the tropes! This makes sense, in its way. But there's a big lurking problem nobody really wants to grapple with: what negative or critical assessment hasn't been attached to an antisemitic ideology at one time or another? The almost-infinite mutability of the content of antisemitic ideology as one of the most striking features of antisemitism over time. Moshe Lilienblum's 1883 remarks, where he described how Jews were cosmopolitans to the nationalists and nationalists to the cosmopolitans, radical free thinkers to the religious and close-mindedly superstitious to the atheists, conservatives to the liberals and liberals to the conservatives ... on and on forever, is compelling illustrations. I think all "-isms" display this mutability to at least some degree -- think of racist iconography of Black men as happy-go-lucky simpletons right up until they're bestial brutes -- though it's possible that antisemitism represents an extreme case. The fact of the matter is, though, that for pretty much any negative (or potentially negative) human characteristic you can name -- greed or miserliness, violence or cowardice, close-minded religiosity or arrogant secularism, univeralism or particularism, licentiousness or frigidity -- somebody has associated with the Jews. One upshot of this is that it gives a hint as to the causal story of stereotypes: it's the hate that drives the stereotyping, not vice versa. People dislike Jews, and so associate Jews with things they dislike. If the hatred stays constant but the dislikable characteristics change, the stereotype shifts to match. But if this is true, it creates a practical dilemma for the "just avoid antisemitic tropes" advice. Because if any negative evaluative concept has been imputed to Jews in an antisemitic way, then there might not be a clear way to speak in negative evaluative terms about a Jewish institution. And that's a dilemma; one I haven't quite figured out how to solve. Obviously, the answer can't be "we can't speak negatively about Jewish institutions, because it will always be antisemitic." But it also seems wrong to say "antisemitic tropes are so omnipresent that it's unfair to cite them in a particular case." So what to do? One potential solution is to say that, just because a given concept has been used as an antisemitic trope, that doesn't mean its usage in a particular case is motivated by antisemitism. It could just be happenstance, and indeed if every negative evaluative concept is associated with antisemitism, but only some usages of that concept are motivated antisemitism, by definition there is a significant set of cases where a given evaluative concept, assessed against a Jewish actor, only by happenstance is motivated by antisemitism. This, I imagine, is what many of those who are charged with relying on antisemitic tropes wish to rely upon -- "yes, I said AIPAC was greedy and money-grubbing -- but it has nothing to do with their association with Jewishness! Sometimes greed is just greed!" -- but it comes with problems. The most immediate issue is that, if the prevailing question is one of intent, under normal circumstances the use of an antisemitic trope is among the most probative bits of evidence we have as to motive. We can't see into the hearts and minds of men, and so if we decide that the use of tropes associated with antisemitism are no longer evidence about one's heart or mindset towards Jews, we're left with a situation where antisemitism's ubiquity paradoxically makes it virtually impossible to prove (outside a small set of cases where the perpetrator admits to the crime). The bigger problem is that this entire outlook depends on motive being the dispositive question. Yet antisemitic tropes still retain their antisemitic power even when used innocently. Antisemitism is familiar and in tune, it makes things "ring true". Those who argue -- fully free of antisemitic intent -- that AIPAC is greedy and money-grubbing nonetheless are more likely to have their argument "taken up" because of the antisemitic trope that Jewish-identified institutions are greedy and money-grubbing. It fits into our web of belief better than a comparable claim would in a epistemic network where such a stereotype was not present. This, to me, suggests a need for a more fundamental reframing. Rather than trying to divide up our discourse into kosher and treyf -- this statement is permissible, that one is antisemitic; this phrasing is fine, that one is a no-no -- we would do better to think of antisemitism as permeating the social sphere. Or put differently, instead of asking what antisemitism is, better to ask what antisemitism does. Antisemitism mobilizes, unifies, and encourages. It makes the unreal real and the implausible plausible. The practical consequence of this is that it is simultaneously true that there will be plenty of cases where a given "antisemitic trope" deployed critically against a Jewish institution will be both validly arrived at through non-antisemitic motivational pathways while also being true that even in those cases the antisemitic character of the trope alters how that trope is received and the impact it has on the deliberative community. Ultimately, the "everything is antisemitic" dilemma is a dilemma primarily because we think we can successfully create a sort of "clean room" in our discourse about Jews where antisemitism can't infect, and that such a discursive state is the success condition of a proper epistemic state of affairs regarding Jews. The goal is to cordon off antisemitism, demarcate and isolate it, so that we can stay away from it and for the remainder of the conversation no longer think about it. I suspect the solution will ultimately run in the opposite direction: we will have to think about antisemitism a lot more often and in a lot more depth, because it really is everywhere. There is no "clean room". The flip side is that we also need to develop criteria for talking about Jews in a world where antisemitism has not and cannot (for the foreseeable future, anyway) be extirpated. If antisemitism is everywhere, it also lies in the places and cases where Jewish actors are doing bad things that need and deserve criticism. The fact of the latter doesn't negate the former, but the fact of the former can't delegitimize the latter. via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/2EaruNv

[aion-rsa]

Lucifer Season 5 Episode 4: It Never Ends Well for the Chicken

https://ift.tt/3aQyq2r

This Lucifer review contains spoilers.

“Why don’t you fellas go jerk yourselves a soda.”

Lucifer star Tom Ellis teased early in the year that the series would feature a “full blown” musical episode late in its fifth season, one of many indicators that the writers planned to pull out all the stops in what was initially thought to be the show’s final run. Though it appears fans will have to wait for the second half of the current installment to experience this narrative divergence, showrunner Ildy Modrovich’s team takes another creative leap with the noir detective story “It Never Ends Well for the Chicken.” 

Any time a show steps out of its comfort zone to explore varied storytelling techniques, there’s a good chance success may not necessarily follow. That’s certainly not the case here as Lucifer puts familiar characters into exciting new roles that allow the actors to explore sides previously hidden or obscured. Unfortunately, Trixie often gets lost in the mix, and though some of her finest moments occur when she appears opposite Maze, here, her interaction with Lucifer during their modified game night brilliantly drives the episode despite her still limited screen time. 

It’s difficult to miss Lucifer’s excitement as he readies the penthouse in anticipation of Chloe and Trixie’s arrival for a relaxed evening with friends, and when the detective fails to accompany her daughter, she sends several unambiguous messages. Even though Chloe may not be ready to confront Lucifer about what she’s learned from Michael, it’s clear she trusts him with her only child, a point that should not be underestimated. It’s true that Trixie tells Lucifer she was with her dad, but given the elaborate ruse that becomes clear at the end, that might not be true. Whether he understands the subtext here or not, we don’t know, but Trixie’s precociousness shines through as she manipulates Lucifer into telling her a story in lieu of another boring game of Monopoly. 

Read more

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Lucifer doesn’t waste the opportunity to spin a compelling yarn, and the writers delightfully embrace one of cinema’s classic periods to explore the mystery of the missing ring. However, the genius of the episode’s structure also includes the homage to the classic film The Princess Bride and its delightful narrative interplay between a boy and his grandfather as the tale unfolds.

Though there are murders to solve, it’s really the backstory of the ring Lucifer wears that comprises the bulk of the account presented in black and white, and we suddenly find ourselves smack in the middle of a 1940s noir detective story in which the renowned chanteuse at the local club is none other than Maze’s mother Lilith. Lesley-Ann Brandt (Maze/Lilith) takes on a persona that allows her room to show off not only a powerful singing voice and familiar saucy attitude but also to develop a character who battles some of the same issues of self-esteem we’ve seen in Maze. When Lilith blasts some of the boss’ boys with the retort that “I’m nobody’s girl,” her statement signals a refrain we’ve heard from Maze who often feels like an outsider abandoned by Lucifer and most recently Chloe. 

“It Never Ends Well for the Chicken” does a wonderful job of world building and seamlessly immerses the audience in the reasonably authentic ambiance of post-war New York City. And though the many references and connections to the present day storyline work for the most part, a few manage to fall a bit flat even as they manage to still evoke a smile. “The Devil solving crime. It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” Of course, young Trixie remains in the dark about Lucifer’s true identity, but when 1946 Lucifer immediately seeks out Jack Monroe for help finding the ring, Chloe’s daughter calls him out and asks “why does it have to be a guy?” 

Needless to say Trixie’s request for a “gender balanced narrative” paves the way for Laura German (Chloe Decker/Jack Monroe) to don a man’s suit and hat, and we easily move past the fact that we’re watching Chloe in the guise of a Chandleresque protagonist. While the value of fan service can certainly be debated, when you’re able to bring back Tricia Helfer (Charlotte Richards) to portray Jack’s wife Shirley in this narrative shift, everybody wins. We don’t typically see Helfer in a submissive role, but she absolutely nails it as the frustrated partner of a man whose struggles extend far beyond his marriage. At the heart of the episode is, of course, the struggle Chloe and Lucifer face as they decide whether or not to repair their damaged relationship, and Jack’s decision to ask his wife for help in the case and then later admit he wants to talk about their marriage, speaks to Chloe’s underlying desire to reconcile with Lucifer.

However, it’s the brief exchange that Lucifer has with Jack that lays bare what we’ve all been thinking since the beginning of the season. Like Lucifer and Chloe, Jack’s meeting of Shirl was no accident, and though he harbors resentment towards his wife, he admits he still loves her. Lucifer asks the obvious question: have you thought about simply forgetting the past? And we have to wonder whether Chloe will be able to see beyond the celestial setup and value the real relationship she’s forged with Lucifer during their partnership?

Even though Jack and Lucifer’s search for the missing ring and subsequent related murders drive most of the action, there’s little doubt that Lilith’s belief that the ring confers immortality parallels Maze’s belief that she’ll be forever alone. In the most visually stunning and emotionally powerful scene of the episode, Lilith tells Lucifer that she’s learned what connects humans is the knowledge that their lives are not infinite. “I think I’ve been immortal long enough,” she admits, gives Lucifer the recovered ring, and then walks away as he stands in the night under a street light, the wet road glistening beneath his feet. It’s the quintessential noir ending, and even though the episode proper still has a few minutes to run, we should consider that this might also signal the end of Maze’s spiritual funk.

However, like all great mystery tales, there are twists still to be examined, and when Trixie asks Lucifer whether Shirl and Jack live happily ever after, we assume she’s projecting these characters on to the real life situation with her mother and Lucifer. Though she contends they fixed everything, the real life story proves a bit more complicated, and when she encounters Maze in the elevator, the demon hands her money signifying that Maze set the whole thing up to get the story of the ring from Lucifer. Maze visits her mother Lily Rose (Lilith) to ask the fundamental question that plagues her. “Why did you abandon me?” Interestingly, Lilith makes no attempt to assuage her daughter’s feelings leaving Maze no better off than when she started this journey.

There are some nice touches with the murders, and since this is Lucifer, it’s perfectly acceptable to take an extra liberty or two. Lucky Larry interrupts Jack and Shirl’s dinner and falls dead in their doorway, a knife embedded in his back. Even here it’s difficult to hold back a smile, and when they go to question Dan’s counterpart, Willy the Sausage King (Kevin Alejandro/Dan), the egocentric portrait painting session stands in stark contrast to Chloe’s ex’s attempts at true self improvement. Later, when Jack and Lucifer recreate Lucky Larry’s murder, it’s impossible to miss the parallel between Larry and Chloe’s feeling that Lucifer stabbed her in the back. 

Cigar smoking club owner Tony Stampanato gives Aimee Garcia (Ella Lopez) an opportunity to try out her masculine wings, but it’s her deathbed scene that plays well within the overly stylized story. Bringing Egyptian mystery always adds interest no matter the crime scenario, and the Eye of Horus drawn on the dead man’s eye is no exception as it leads Jack and Lucifer to a dealer in black market occult items. Melvin the Magnificent (DB Woodside/Amenadiel) offers a more comic presentation with his multifaceted con-man routine, but when Doctor Linda’s bartender turns out to be the brains behind the operation, any thoughts that these two are underused melt away. 

To refer to “It Never Ends Well for the Chicken” as a novelty episode just feels wrong, and even though that designation might technically be accurate, it fails to acknowledge the deep complexity of this narrative experiment. Lucifer will return to normal next episode, but the foray into 1946 leaves an indelible mark that only enhances the anticipation for the aforementioned musical outing. The wait is killing me.

The post Lucifer Season 5 Episode 4: It Never Ends Well for the Chicken appeared first on Den of Geek.

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