#Since robbie robertson died last year

[littlemuppetmonsters]

Oscars predictions bc i KNOW you're all dying to hear my opinions:

Disclaimer i have not seen 90% of these movies and these are not necessarily whom i think SHOULD win its just who i think will. Based on who else is nominated and the academy's history

best picture Killers of the flower moon

best director Justine triet or Martin Scorcese

best actor Cillian Murphy

best actress Lily Gladstone

best supporting actor Ryan Gosling or Robert de Niro

best actress Danielle Brooks

best screenplay anatomy of a fall or past lives

best adapted screenplay poor things or american fiction

best animated Across the spider verse or the boy and the heron

best song I'm just ken or Wahzhazhe

best score killers of the flower moon

best production design barbie or killers

best costuming barbie or killers

The rest of them i dont know enough about to have an opinion. I think oppie will unfortunately sweep all the other technicals.

[lunarcovehq]

POPPY REED (REBECCA RITTENHOUSE) IS LOOKING FOR...

Connection: Younger Sister

Suggested Name: First name UTP, but last name would be Reed. They should have a nature based name like their other siblings - Poppy, Linden Jasmine (Who is their half sibling

Age Range: 29-34

Species: Witch or newly turned vampire/werewolf

Suggested FCs: UTP; We would prefer a blonde fc and some suggestions are Elizabeth Lail, Brianne Howey, Grace Van Patten, Virginia Gardner, Margot Robbie, Halston Sage, Jenny Boyd, Britt Robertson, Olivia Holt, Lily James, Josephine Langford, Madelyn Cline

Connection Description:

The twins were 6 they were taken away from Boston and memory wiped by their mother to forget Silas. They also had their last names changed to their mother’s surname. Your character would have been a baby/toddler still so most likely wouldn’t be subjected to as strong or any memory wiping at all.

They have a half sibling named Jasmine Chamberlain, that they were unaware of until 3 years ago when she came to town and told them of her existence.

Alyssa Reed remarried quickly to Miles Hale who would be their step dad as they grew up. Likely it was possible that they were close to Miles, since they would be the youngest and didn’t have a father figure already in their life.

Your character would always be have been treated as the baby of the family by the twins and their parents. They would be the one constantly protected and sheltered from the darkness of the world around them.

After the twins went away when they turned eighteen they were probably put even more on a lockdown by Miles and Alyssa and weren’t allowed to leave Lunar Cove. Wanting to prevent the family image from further being tarnished/losing another child.

When Miles and Yasmin (the former supreme) both died in 2022. Alyssa shaped your character up to be the next supreme even though they never wanted it. Thankfully they failed out of the trial pretty quickly, which cause discourse with Alyssa. Especially when Poppy later became Supreme.

In June 2023, Poppy was murdered by Kyle Kane. It caused an uproar in the coven which all present members (and non coven members) voted that she be brought back. Jasmine brought Poppy back, but as a result for bringing a her back Alyssa Reed died in her place.

Your character would also be aware Silas Chamberlain is their father since he was in town during December 2023, and he was turned into a werewolf by Nico Castillo. The family is still unsure where he is now, but they know someone like Silas doesn’t just die.

Please be sure to contact the player before applying:

Kourtney is available for DMs on @moonglowmagic !!

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 012: Hmm watcha say... (ASM 88-92, Ann 7)

MASTERPOST

In this post, we're here to DO CO---I mean, Doc Ock is here.

We get some real nice art in this batch, so check it out!

See, Otto has been hustling and busting to increase his Bluetooth range and finally, after months, succeeds in taking control again of his mechanical arms.

Spidey thus does his best impression of a Japanese erotic doujinshi.

That's a great panel.

The arms escape, but more importantly: Gwen has a great new outfit! Love it.

Pete also has a great outfit later.

The yellow jacket/blue pants works exquisitely, obviously, but the sweater below, and the black tie over a white shirt... It's great.

So this issue's about Ock hijacking a plane where coincidentally a Chinese general has also boarded, and Otto uses this to blackmail the US and get money. A bit of racism (unsurprising), a smart idea (Spidey assassin'screeding his way to the plane) and nice outfits prevent this issue from being completely unmemorable. Otto has been through an explosion, but come on, it's not the last time it happens. He'll be alright. He's a big boy.

The next issue doesn't waste time with this either, since Spidey is once again fighting Ock on its cover, no less!

Randy's back, which is great.

We also get a very nice, if a bit overdone, panel.

On one hand, this issue is almost 100% action, which I dislike. On the other hand, we get fantastic perspective art.

But in the next issue, D E A T H A W A I T S.

I haven't had readers' letters for two issues now, I wonder if my scans are missing them or if the editors didn't have time for this.

Peter faints because a battle that takes a full issue is just far too long, and this gives us a nice waking up scene, although now I feel like Spidey is constantly sick or weakened.

Peter still hasn't told his secret to Gwen's father (he HAS to know though, right?). The artists are clever and they beg me to forgive them for last issue by providing both male physique and very nice colors.

It admittedly works. The colors, not Petter's too defined chest.

To beat Otto's impressive continent-wide Bluetooth skills, Peter invented a counter-measure: Bluetooth, but better! He No Way Home's Otto's tentacles and takes care of him.

Anyway, the tentacles go amok and Captain Stacy jumps in to protect a kid from rubbles and HE DIES. BUT NOOOOOT BEFORE REVEALING THAT HE KNOWS PETER'S SECRET. YES.

The letters are back, but they're not particularly interesting to me.

It's issue 91 one time, and what better way to close the year (December baby) than with a burial!

Gwen is furious at Spider-Man, whom she believes is responsible. So she's proactive and decides she's going to help Mr. Bullit at the local elections. Spidey's going to be fucked and she's making sure of it!

Bullit is making his greatest impression of the French government circa 2017-2027 (I will say no name, but those who know, know) and I'm having flashbacks. According to Robertson, he's "a fascist" and "still living in the 1930s". It's heartwarming to know that a century later, my government would be at the same point.

Jameson argues that maybe things were better before, to Robbie's face, which is truly outlandish.

FLASHBACKS, AS I SAID.

The issue was more disturbing than enjoyable.

In the letters, William Fesselmayer thinks that Hobie has to have guessed Spidey's identity, and I'd reply to him that he probably doesn't care. Someone else actually roleplays as him in the letters with the same "I figured who he is!", lol.

The readers are absolutely obsessed with the mechanics of Spidey's shooting mechanics, whereas I truly don't care about it. Like, it's a subject mentioned EVERY TIME.

In the penultimate issue of this post (92!), Iceman is here and considering he woudn't come out for another 4-5 decades, he's a jerk.

Look how he is, pretending he's straight!

Bobby's a breath of fresh air, literally but also figuratively. His powers are entertaining to see, after so much of Otto and Kingpin.

Meanwhile, Gwen's no silent observer. She very much channels our dear Natasha.

Meanwhile...

Wow, this is getting real, folks. ASM really starts affirming its politics from 1969 on.

It's page 10 and Iceman and Spidey are fighting for the second time in the same issue, and it feels endless.

And Robbie's kidnapped! Fuck.

But this panel ruined the tension and made me snicker.

Like I said, Iceman is a very pleasant addition to this otherwise... complicated arc. But what do I see? THE PROWLER'S BACK!?! Makes sense, given he was very popular (and rightfully so!). But he's going to be for the next post. We have Annual 7 to go through before!

I've read the first two stories before (as they're reprints from the very first two issues!) but not the last one, "A Guy Named Joe" (since I didn't read #38). So let's read it!

This is one issue before Norman reveals to Peter he's the Green Goblin. What a great guy indeed!

A protest scene that is sure handled differently than in 1969, huh!

MJ hadn't been showed yet! But she sure had a bust already.

Fun issue, nothing much to say, Joe Smith is an obvious name for an anonymous guy. It all ends well!

Overall, a mixed batch. It felt a bit too heavy at times compared to real life. Oof. Not that I necessarily disliked it...

[cincinnatusvirtue]

Abandoned places: Dunalastair Castle/The Hermitage, ruins in the Scottish Highlands, Homestead of Clan Robertson...

The Scottish Highlands have a storied history and one steeped in romantic imagery, locations & characters.  The history of the Scottish Highlands for the last few centuries is linked in the minds of many with the Scottish Clans system, an outgrowth of ancient Celtic social traditions.  The clan system, despite a common belief of one single related family, is in fact a more broad system of kinship.  One in which a singular family would maintain leadership of surrounding families in the area and in exchange for their recognized leadership and the collection later of taxes, the leading family’s most senior patriarch was to provide guidance and protection to the loyal families, creating a unique social bond where all were “related” or members of the same clan.  These leaders were the clan chiefs and traditionally lead the able bodied men of the clan in times of war and conducting raids on rival clans, usually for cattle, the common currency of Scottish clans.  Meanwhile, in times of peace they made alliances and conducted diplomacy with other clans, sometimes through marital alliances.  Over time, clan members whether descended from the chief or in member families adopted a common surname or variations thereof, these become known as the septs of the clan and over time different branches could expand as lands changed hands.  Its from this system that well known Scottish surnames have spread the world over such as Stewart, Campbell, Bruce, Montgomery, MacDonald, MacKinnon, Munro/Monroe, Macleod, Mackenzie, Robertson and others have come to be known.

Clan Robertson, known in Gaelic as Clann Donnachaidh (Clan Duncanson) has two hypothesized origins of their name.  One is they descend from the second son (Duncan) of the Scottish Lord of the Isles Angus MacDonald, descendant of the well known Somerled of mixed Gaelic/Viking ancestry.  The second, more widely accepted theory is lineal descent from the Gaelic (Celtic) Earls of Atholl, a district in the Highlands on tradition Clan Robertson land.  These earls were descended from the King of Scots, Duncan I (1001-1040), probably through his son Mael Muire, made Earl (ruler) of Atholl.

The name Robertson came about in the 15th century when the 4th Clan Chief, Robert Duncanson, an ardent supporter of the Stewart King of Scotland, James I was angered by the monarch’s murder.  He then tracked down and captured two of the conspirators, Sir Robert Graham & Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl (James I’s uncle).   Robert handed over the conspirators to be placed under torture and death by order’s of James I’s wife, Joan Beaufort.  Robert Duncanson was awarded the crest badge that remains with the clan to this day by James II on 1451.  The crest shows the a imperial crown clutched in a hand with the clan motto in Latin displayed: Virtutis gloria merces (glory is the reward of valor).  As a further reward of gratitude from the Scottish king, the Clan Chief and clan got the additional lands in the realm of Atholl, including the Barony of Struan, over which Clan Chiefs rule to this day.  In honor of Robert Duncanson, his descendants became known as Robertson which spread to the all members of the clan subsequently.  Presently, it has many variations including Robb, Robbie, Roberts, Robins/Robbins, Robison etc.  Other variations from the original Duncanson include Duncan & Reid.

Struan & Atholl are found in the Scottish Highlands in the traditional county of Perthshire, modern day Perth & Kinross.  The clan lands included the villages of Struan and Blair Atholl among others as well as Lochs Tay & Rannoch and are to be found in the Grampian Mountains, a range that makes up the Central Highlands.  It is a land with snow covered mountains, forests, many rivers and valleys intertwined with the aforementioned lakes and some moorlands to the west.

From the late 17th century into the 18th century, one of the longer reigning clan chiefs of Clan Robertson was Alexander Robertson, 13th Chief of Clan Robertson (circa 1670-1749) who in time would be known as the Poet Chief for his love of the written word and poetry.  He was known as a fierce Jacobite, displaying the long standing loyalty to the Stuarts/Stewarts, he is the only known clan leader to have fought in all three Jacobite rebellions (1689, 1715 &1745) against the armies of William III and later the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain.  In 1746 his lands were confiscated following the defeat of Jacobite forces including Highlanders at the last pitched battle fought on British soil, the Battle of Culloden.

Alexander Robertson had no children and so his chiefdom passed on to other family.  In his lifetime, he built a castle estate he called the Hermitage, it was located near the River Tummel between the Dunalastair Reservoir and Loch Rannoch, the famed mountain Schiehallion with its snowcapped peaks overlooks the grounds.  It is surrounded by forest and it served as the traditional Clan seat or castle.  The Hermitage was a place where Alexander entertained his guests with drunken parties and poetry recitals recalling the great historical deeds of his ancestors, often portrayed in a romanticized heroic manner.  His poetry was sometimes scandalous both for its sexual explicitness of romantic conquests, innuendo and sedition against the Hanoverian monarchs of Britain.  He also forbade women from entering the grounds of the Hermitage due to his perceived misogyny as sometimes reflected in his poems reflecting his own sexual conquests.  In 1746, following the defeat at Culloden, the Hermitage was burned to the ground by Hanoverian government troops as a lesson to the leaders of the rebellious Jacobite movement.

Alexander, moved into a small single room hut some miles to the west in Rannoch Moor, the western most part of the traditional Robertson lands.  He was still the Clan Chief but dispossessed of his traditional lands and his cause he turned to his only two comforts at that time, poetry and alcohol.  He still wrote of the heroic deeds of the clan’s ancestors, performing a clan essential duty, ancestor worship.  However, his alcoholism continued to worsen and caused health issues in his advanced age.  He had few visitors willing to visit him in the isolated and desolate location he found himself in, which coupled with alcohol fueled persona increased his isolation, he died in 1749, around the age of 80.  Despite his alienation in the last few years of his life, Alexander’s coffin was accompanied by 2,000 clansmen who followed it 15 miles across moorland, river valleys and mountain lined lake shores to be buried in the old graveyard of Struan, part of the clan’s barony.  

Eventually, a new home was built on the site of the Hermitage which included double towers around the year 1800.  This home was called Mount Alexander, after the famed Poet Chief.  In 1853, Clan Robertson’s 18th chief, George Duncan Robertson sold it to the MacDonald family.  The new owner, Sir John MacDonald, demolished Mount Alexander and by 1859 completed the structure which stands today, built in the baronial style it was known as Dunalastair House (Alexander’s Fort) also in honor of the famed Poet Chief and his Hermitage estate.  It went through a number of owners and the greater estate has current owners but Dunalastair House was in use as a residence up through World War I, by the conclusion of that time, it no longer could maintained due to expense for the many servants and groundskeepers needed.  During World War II, it was used as a boarding school for Polish boys who fled to Britain to escape the Nazi and Soviet takeover of their homeland, it was also converted to a girls school later.  However, the home was not well maintained and by the 1950′s its remaining contents were at last sold off. Abandoned thereafter, it was subject to vandalism and the elements of weather.  The lead roof was stolen by the 1960′s and since then the Scottish rains had emptied onto the roofless stone ruins with its towers and spires, still with a dirt road leading to its grounds in the midst of forested lands, the ruins are visited by curious travelers to this day.  The surrounding grounds are still owned by a private family but they now have  another home they reside in, there are cottages on the estate that are rented out to travelers and there is a nearby hotel that also uses the name Dunalastair.  

In the present, no grant or additional money has been put into restoring the house to its former glory, so it remains a ruin of days long since passed, but the site, nestled amidst the Highlands and in the shadow of Schiehallion’s peak and surrounded by flowing rivers, shimmering lakes and groves of forest over rolling hills is a romantic spot, like it was in the Poet Chief’s day.  Also on the grounds are the burials of a number of former Robertson Clan chieftains, reminders of times of times long gone...

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Let’s dissect this shit shall we.

Yes Peter you have had a brother. His name was/is Ben Reilly as far as you and Marvel and Slott are concerned he came back during an event from earlier THIS YEAR which this story DIRECTLY REFERENCES. FFS!

Jonah is right. Spider-Man WAS an idiot for considering something so utterly childish. Spider-Man has demonstrated legitimate investigative skills in the past and been able to piece things together off the back of relatively little information. Peter is intelligent, but not just in so far as he knows about biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, etc. He is honestly intelligent when it comes to strategy to a certain extent and again investigative skills. For fuck’s sake he literally used to WORK for a newspaper!

How the fuck is Peter renegading on their deal to go address crime proving him to be a menace? It’s even a stretch to call him untrustworthy as he was breaking their deal specifically to go out and address an immediate problem Jonah just got done berating him for moments before

Right here in this issue in multiple ways we are witnessing the legacy of Civil War in action and proving my feelings as a dumb 14 year old in 2006 entirely correct. Unmasking Spider-Man was a short sighted idiotic and creatively reductive decision. Because there is no good resolution for it. You can’t commit to it so you HAVE to reverse it but there IS no way to organically reverse it without major ramifications. This is one of those. Jonah doesn’t know who Spider-Man is. But he did USED to know. And then he forgot. 

But as Spider-Man stories made a point of establishing, he and everybody else didn’t forget the fact that Spider-Man unmasked, just exactly WHO he was. In New Ways to Die Norman Osborn even acknowledges that he doesn’t know who Spider-Man is but that he does remember the fact that he USED to know. The same applied to the Fantastic Four. The same should apply to Jonah. Except now that the psychic blindspot got removed (see Spider Island) everyone should START to remember because there is a gigantic Peter Parker shaped hole in their memories. Jonah was a fucking investigative journalist for a living. HOW did he not figured out based upon those gaps in his memory that Peter is Spider-Man?

I don’t know how to feel about this particular explanation of Jonah’s hatred of Spider-Man. I guess it’s reconcilable with the explanation from Tangled Webs #20 and isn’t that bad really considering the 90s cartoon used it too.

I equyally don’t know how to feel about Peter chewing Jameson out. Jameson is after all someone he cares about at the end of the day. In Spec #241 he actually expressed concern for him noticing just how old and tired he seemed. So I don’t buy that deep down Peter really believe Jonah is worthless or doesn’t do some stuff to help people. He knows the people at the Bugle like Robbie and Betty and Ben Urich definitely help people and Jonah after all employed them. However I can equally see him in the heat of the moment here lashing out at the guy who has made his life Hell. 

Okay now for the big one. The unmasking.

Like I said this goes back to Civil War. 

The rules surrounding the mindwipe established that the act of unmasking would restore someone’s memories completely so right now Jonah should be remembering Peter unmasking in support of the Super Human Registration Act and their conversation during Back in Black.

But we don’t see that.

Whilst this is an act of compassion on Peter’s part and in a sense that is very true to who he is Civil War once more rears it’s ugly head.

In Civil War Jameson was a man who had the Bugle, had the support of his employees and friends, had his wife, had his adopted daughter and had his son John.

He also had years of gruff yet ultimately true friendship between himself and Peter and he also respected Mary Jane and Aunt May. He was sympathetic towards Peter once or twice upon learning of May’s health problems. He made a point of looking out for information on Mary Jane’s abduction by Jonathan Caesar. He secretly paid for a high price lawyer when Peter was arrested for murder during the Clone Saga. He recognized there was a vendetta between Peter and Norman Osborn during the former’s ownership of the Bugle and partially because of that (and partially due to other factors) resolved to kill Osborn.

Jonah was when push came to shove Peter’s friend.

And yet despite that friendship and the generally positive place his life was in at the time, when Peter unmasked Jonah didn’t see his young friend whom he’d watched grow up over the years. He saw the menace he’d dedicated his life to destroying who’d been tricking and humiliating him for years. Consequently he decided to try and avenge himself on Peter by suing him.

And Peter knew all that.

Jonah in this story has little left to lose and his vendetta against Spider-Man is all that he has left. He even says as much.

So knowing Jonah reacted in a bad way that hurt him back during Civil War, knowing his life has gotten demonstrably worse since then to the point where his hatred for Spider-Man is all that drives him now, Peter decides to unmask.

What is even the fuck.

Peter in this very issue states the mask is there to protect his loved ones.

Loved ones have DIED because a few individuals have known he he was.

So now he’s going to not just give that information to the guy who’s CLEARLY got severe such severe issues with him that he’ll go to extremes to ruin him (and have been doing so since day 1 of his career) but also REMIND him of that OTHER time he knew who he was? Alongside all those times he objectively tricked him to divert suspicion away from the truth, which included making him believe his own son was his hated enemy?

Peter is REALLY going to risk doing that?

What?

Is he going to make Eddie Brock remember all their good times together too, so long as Brock seems sad enough?

Yeah okay, that’s a false equivalence because Jonah has never deliberately tried to hurt or endanger other people in his pursuit of Spider-Man and isn’t generally speaking psychotic.

But for fuck’s sake he’s funded the creation and efforts of killer robots and multiple super villains to bring in Spider-Man and they’ve usually gone rogue!

So it isn’t THAT false of an equivalency.

Peter knows Jonah values journalistic ethics generally speaking but that he is also has such a deep vendetta against Spider-Man that he is willing to make exceptions in his specific case.

I don’t give a shit if you say “But he was Peter’s brother-in-law! They were family!”

That doesn’t mean anything when you consider

a) Following May and Jay’s wedding Jonah publicly denounced Peter for faking pictures and got him blacklisted from any news photography gigs even though Peter faked those photos to HELP Jonah

b) Jonah got Peter his job at HORIZON labs but ONLY upon Marla’s insistence

c) Jonah to some degree at least held Peter accountable for his father’s death!

Face it the modern day Jonah never really considered Peter family and if he did that consideration definitely didn’t stretch to the point where he’d be all that kindly or caring towards him. 

Peter has a VERY reliable track record of Jonah’s past behaviors that would make it plain fucking obvious to him that he shouldn’t let his compassion in the heat of the moment rule his judgement because Jonah is NOT likely to keep his secret, IS very likely to hold a grudge and by extension is a HIGH risk to the secrecy which he vitally needs to protect himself and his loved ones.

In summary Peter unmasking, whilst dramatic, is bullshit.

Yeah, yeah he implores Jonah to look past the mask and see the man he’s known for years. 

Except he KNOWS Jonah DIDN’T do that last time, even when Jameson was FAR LESS vulnerable and Joe Robertson (Jonah’s veritable Jimeny Cricket) was by his side trying to talk sense into him.

And yeah he says he did it because he didn’t want Jonah to feel that way. But that becomes royal bullshit when you consider all those times Peter kept OTHER people who were far LESS likely to betray him in the dark despite doing so meaning they felt sad or thought badely of him. Literally up to the 1980s (unless I am forgetting) the ONLY people he entrusted with the secret that could kill people and ruin his life was the woman he loved and a child who adored him and who’d be dead within a few months anyway.

By far and away this is the best issue of Spec so far and there is real merit to be had here but the central twist of the story, the thing it’s been building to the whole issue is so utterly idiotic it ruins the whole thing.

[oratorealis]

Dimepiece :: Janet Rogers

Why poetry?

Poetry came out the winner between it and visual arts like painting and photography. When I moved to Coast Salish territory from Haudenosaunee territory, I came here with a little budding career as a visual artist in full swing. Two years after living here I began writing, pretty steadily. After a while the writing was going farther in a shorter amount of time than the visual work ever did and I must have made a conscious decision to follow the path of writing, although I can’t pin-point exactly when that was. So I would say writing and writing poetry in particular was a gift I found here on the west coast. It was like the words were waiting for me here. A blessing to be sure.

What are you working on right now?

I just completed an article for CBC digital which is a reflection of the Lament for Confederation penned and recited by Chief Dan George in 1967 at Canada’s 100th Anniversary. I had planned to respond to his poem/speech with poetry and I still plan to do that, but CBC reached out and I thought providing a current perspective on that iconic piece of writing by a well known and highly revered man, would be a way of addressing our progress or lack there of, as a country with a very abusive history with Indigenous nations. A kind of a how-far-have-we-come sort of piece.

I’m also writing a pitch for a media project with APTN – The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. The way I see my history and experience as a visual artist coming back into my work is through media i.e. combining film and poetry or visuals and audio. Neither of the writing listed here sounds very creative, but I have recently launched my 5th poetry book Totem Poles and Railroads and after traveling with it in the fall, I’m taking a bit of a break before I start to take it on the road again later this month and throughout the year.

What is your routine for writing? Do you have one?

I’ll answer this question like this; Whenever I am on the road or away for projects or conference work or what have you, I bring my cat Mister Bakerman to my mother’s (his grandmother) where he gets to luxuriate in her attention and regular routine of being fed on time the same time each day, he gets brushed regularly and upon request, she basically spoils him and he loves the regularity built into her lifestyle. With me, he sees me come and go frequently. He gets fed first thing in the morning, but he sometimes has to remind me about afternoon cat-snacks. I usually don’t have time to brush him and my bedtime is never the same time from night to night.

My writing is the same way.

What is the best advice you've received as a poet?

Name your babies – in other words always title your work. Richard Van Camp told me this.

And, there are no good writers, only good editors. Garry Gottfriedson told me this.

Why do you live where you do?

I lived in Toronto for 13 years  - 10 of which I was drunk. After I got sober I took a look around Toronto and thought, geeze I better get out of this place. There was a small contract available to work at the Victoria Native Friendship Centre on a summer festival so I came out to do that, and thought I’d give it 5 years to see if this territory and I would get along. Well I have to say, this place embraced me from the start, things really clicked when I got here and I’m so glad I came here as a sober person, that I could offer my true self to this place. Further more the Salish people really welcomed me too so that was the clincher. I’ve been a guest and a visitor on Coast Salish territory for 23 years. I’m here for the trees. Some folks come here for the ocean, but I’m here for the trees and the fresh clean air.

Where is the wildest place poetry has taken you?

In August of 2013 I was invited to read/perform at a poetry festival at the Lincoln Centre in NYC, called LaCasita. As it so happened, there was an historical Two Row canoe paddle down the Hudson River the week after I read so I stayed to partake in that. The Two Row is a 400 year old agreement between early Dutch settlers and my people. Without going too much into that agreement, I had written and developed a piece of writing the year before the paddle, which I got to present at the 2nd to last rest stop of the canoe convoy. It was pretty surreal to be sharing my poem, which spoke directly to what the paddlers were actually doing. The next day they reached their destination at the Piers in Manhattan where Pete Seeger was in attendance (just months before he passed). We then all marched over to the UN Building and were allowed inside to hear the speeches on the Day of Indigenous Rights. That was the coolest and proudest poetry moment of my life. A side note: my Mohawk people were the original inhabitants of Manhattan before we got pushed up through the Ohio Valley into parts of what is called Canada today.

What artists most inspire you, and why?

Black artists and Indigenous artists inspire me because I get to learn about my own life and see reflections of my own truth in work/art by Black and Indigenous artists.

What was the last book you finished reading?

Robbie Robertson’s biography titled Testimony. I’ll be interviewing him this week for my radio program Native Waves Radio. He’s a really good story teller and his life is so amazing. His Mom is from my rez, Six Nations. So I look forward to interviewing him.

What has been one of your favourite moments on stage?

I got to dance on stage twice last year. I love dancing!!!!!! When Prince died, I asked the DJ at the gig to turn up some good Prince music and I just danced my little heart out for him. And in Hamilton, I complimented the DJ at that gig and he cranked some A Tribe Called Red so I did my best pow wow steps on stage for a bit. That was really fun. It’s good energy to share with people. When people see other people dancing, it makes them happy.

What would you like to be doing five years from now?

Five years from now it will be 2022 – is that right? Holy shit!

In 2022 I’d like to have a few very successful media projects under my belt such as podcasts and documentaries and media installations. I’d really like to be able to live part-time here and part-time on my rez so I can have access to Mohawk language classes and resources. I’d like to be able to garden more.

Janet Rogers is a Mohawk/Tuscarora writer from Six Nations. She was born in Vancouver British Columbia, lived in Stoney Creek, Hamilton and Toronto Ontario and is living as guest on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people (Victoria, British Columbia) since 1994. Janet works in the genres of poetry, spoken word performance poetry, video poetry and recorded poetry with music. Janet is also a radio broadcaster, documentary producer, media and sound artist. Her literary titles include; Splitting the Heart, Ekstasis Editions 2007, Red Erotic, Ojistah Publishing 2010, Unearthed, Leaf Press 2011 and “Peace in Duress” Talonbooks 2014 and Totem Poles and Railroads ARP Books 2016. You can hear Janet on the radio hosting Native Waves Radio on CFUV FM. Her radio documentaries “Bring Your Drum: 50 years of Indigenous Protest Music” and “Resonating Reconciliation” won Best Radio at the imagaineNATIVE Film and Media festival 2011 and 2013. Janet Rogers and Ahkwesase Mohawk poet Alex Jacobs make up the poetry collective Ikkwenyes, which produced the poetry CD Got Your Back and won the Loft Literary Fellowship prize 2014. 2Ro Media Inc is the production company she and Mohawk media artist Jackson Twobears own and operate which produced the short experimental documentary NDNs on the Airwaves about CKRZ FM Six Nations radio. Janet produced and launched a 6-part radio documentary series titled NDNs on the Airwaves focused on the current history of native radio in Canada, in February 2016.

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 017: Let's get smashed (ASM 116-118)

MASTERPOST

So John Romita Sr. just died. A great artist. I don't need to tell you, by this point.

1973 is here! Now, as I said, I'm very familiar with the few upcoming years. But will I look at them differently? Hmm!!!

The issue recaps what happened last time, and it feels surreal to now see exactly what happened. It's pretty much how I imagined it, except slightly more complicated.

Richard Raleigh is back! Or rather, here. What's up with that?

Well, turns out issues 116-118 re-publish Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine #1 (that special in black and white!) but edit it to fit continuity. In the original print (of ish 116), Stan Lee explains that SSM#1 was published around an election year, and they felt like the new election year was apropos for a lil' lifting, handled script-wise by my baby Gerry Conway, and visuals-vise by John Romita Sr. naturally.

So let's read them!

Ah, Romita. Your art never disappointed.

Maybe it's my contemporary look, but this single panel on the right raises so many alarm bells it's hilarious. I've head that kind of words coming from my politicians. *sigh*

The GwenPeter drama continues, and with the recent realization that Romita worked on romances, it all makes a lot of sense.

Man, I'm sure I commented on that back when---

Yup.

It's very nice to see how much Romita's art improved (more perspectives! And the colors help him a lot too.

You know, as we get on to issue 117, I feel like Conway's writing is easier to understand for me, as-in, not difficult at all, whereas Stan's writing was often annoying to parse due to some expressions. You really see the difference. Of course, Stan wrote the original issue, but Conway pretty clearly rewrote pretty much everything.

We've got a new masked baddie, and he reminds me of when the Kingpin's son was the antagonist for a bit. I hope we get to see him and his mother again!

Back to the gentleman's club (with no George Stacy in sight, since he died), Norman is still interesting and Robbie continues to be the MVP.

Yeah, Pete, things haven't really changed.

...I'm saying that, but actually, it's the opposite in my country now. Presidential candidates are about appealing to the voting majority... that is, old people. That is, people who don't work anymore but support the government's effort to raise the age of pension YES THIS WAS A POLITICAL POST FROM THE START MUAHAHAHA no but seriously. OLD PEOPLE WHO AREN'T GONNA BE AFFECTED BY IT ARE THE ONES MOST SUPPORTING IT. what a bunch of assholes.

anyway.

The multiple references to Peter's ulcer make more sense now too! Forgot about that. Poor baby. (Honey you're about to live through the worst two years of your life, and I will be seated. With popcorn. Actually, I have a coke and crackers. Yes, it's not even noon yet. Who cares. I'm a freelancer. My schedule is random.

Robertson's digging into Raleigh makes him a prime target (as usual), so the Disruptor's about to attack him with the Smasher. But wait... Huh?

In the reader's letters, people are praising Gerry Conway and overall issue 113. Which. Yes. He gets the soap opera. He gets it!!!

In issue 118, Robertson tries his best against the Disruptor, and to be fair, his best is a whole lot. Of course, he isn't fit to fight him, but still!

As the final battle, rages on, those messages down there interspede, and it's a genius move. It wasn't present in the original and I've got to say, it's excellent. It gives pacing, foreboding, and foreshadows what's about to happen...

The Disruptor says "he won't run off with his tail between his legs like a jackal" and oh boy, did they know about the upcoming villain of the same name? It's a line present in the original, but I can't help but wonder...

Of course, the Disruptor was actually Raleigh all along (it couldn't be anybody else), which makes his behavior kind of wonky, but oh well.

This set of issues is fine, I love me some intrigue, and we get to see the supporting cast, but it lacked something. As to know what, exactly, I'm not sure.

In the letters, Bill Creighton complains that the supporting cast hasn't had much appearances recently (before the previous batch of issues) and Stan reassures him that Conway, as was already seen, is attached to showing more of them. He also teases a bigger part for Harry soon... and laughs maniacally. Muahaha.