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tealeavesandtrash · 22 days ago

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🎄 Sweet Dreams of Holly and Ribbon: Part 8 - 5 Days Until Christmas 🎄

Read in full || Part 1 || Part 7 || Part 9

On the last Tuesday before Christmas, Sirius decides that he still needs to get Regulus another Christmas present. It isn’t particularly urgent, the Blacks have never exactly been massive gift-givers and Sirius has already got him one present, but what Regulus would also like is a nice book. Something gothic, maybe a poetry anthology. Sirius isn’t sure yet, he only thought of the idea this morning.

When he gets to the shop, small flecks of snow have started to fall and Remus is in the middle of locking up. “You’re not closing early are you?” Sirius asks as soon as he’s in earshot, a sudden lurch of panic at the lost opportunity.

Remus glances up from where he’s got the key still in lock. “I’m just going on lunch.”

Sirius lets out a breath of relief. “Thank god for that.”

“Last minute Christmas present?”

“How’d you guess?”

“You seem like the type,” Remus says with a small smile.

“I’ll have you know it’s the only one I forgot.”

“That you know of,” Remus shoots back.

Sirius huffs a laugh. “That I know of.”

They both loiter for a moment. “So should I just come back in an hour?”

“Oh, um yeah.” Remus pauses. “Or you could come round for lunch? I live closer than James. Save you going all the way back if you-“

“Yeah, that sounds lovely. I mean I don’t want to impose or anything - but yeah?“ Sirius quickly cuts off his ramblings.

Remus meets his gaze, eyes glistening through thick lashes. “Yeah?”

Sirius grins, “Yeah.”

Remus lives in the middle of a row of terraced houses not five minutes from the high street. It’s smaller than the Potter’s cottage, but there’s a clear similarity in his and Lily’s homely decor styles although Remus seems to fall further on the rustic, cottage-core end of the spectrum.

The walls are covered with shelves full of books and trinkets which Sirius could probably spend hours examining. There are a couple of photo frames mixed in amongst them. Sirius spots one of Teddy sitting on the beach in an oversized sunhat, another of a wedding that screams eighties fashion and who Sirus assumes are Remus’ parents, and there’s one of baby Teddy being held by a young woman who could be his mum but it’s hard to spot any family resemblance from the angle.

“It’s just lamb stew from last night, I hope that’s okay?” Remus calls from the kitchen and Sirius hurries to catch up.

“Sounds delicious.”

Remus puts the kettle on before starting the food. The radio is playing softly and Remus is quietly humming along to the music. Sirius doesn’t bother sitting at the table just yet, instead choosing to lean up at the counter.

“Tea?” Remus asks as the kettle finishes boiling and he’s pulling two mugs from the cupboard.

“Please.”

“Milk?”

“Yeah, three sugars.”

Remus cocks his eyebrow at that and Sirius huffs. “Don’t judge me, Lils gives me enough shit for it.”

Remus’ lip quirks in that way again. “I’m not judging, just interesting is all,” he says as he hands Sirius the mug.

There’s a couple of minutes of quiet as Sirius sips his tea. “Do you like it here?” He asks absentmindedly after a moment.

Remus looks over from where he’s heating the food on the cooker. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Sirius shrugs. “Not exactly much to do around here.”

“Bit of a culture shock from London?”

“Something like that.”

Remus hums in agreement, and then after a moment, “It reminds me of home.”

“You grew up near here?”

“No, South Wales. Valley’s way.”

Ah. Sirius thinks, that’s what the lilt in his accent is. A beautiful mix of the Scottish he’s picked up, layered on top of and seeping through into Welsh that Sirius hadn't been able to place.

“A lot of my holidays as a kid were camping up in Brecon or Gwynedd. It reminds me of that.”

“That's nice,” Sirius says quietly. “Are you going back down for Christmas?”

“No. My parents were meant to come up, but mam’s not well and I don’t want Teddy passing on anything from nursery and making it worse.”

“So it’s just going to be the two of you?”

Remus shrugs, “I don’t mind too much, could be worse.”

“I suppose,” Sirius muses. It does sound a little lonely to him, but he has grown accustomed to the all-out Christmases at the Potter’s. Maybe Remus like it this way.

The quiet settles again as they move to the table Remus serves up the food, but it doesn’t feel like the same awkward silence from their previous encounters.

“Oh my god,” Sirius groans as he takes a spoonful, “this is so good.”

Remus smiles, head ducked slightly but Sirius can still see the flushed cheeks. “Thank you, although it’s got nothing on my mam’s cawl.”

The snow outside is starting to fall thick and fast now and Sirius bemoans the fact he is going to have to leave this cosy kitchen with its warming food and excellent company.

“Can I ask you something?” Sirius asks suddenly, putting the spoon down next to the bowl.

“About Teddy’s mother?” Remus asks without missing a beat.

“No.”

Remus raises an eyebrow. "That's everyone's first question."

“Okay that was on the list but it wasn’t what I was about to ask and you also don’t have to answer.”

“I don’t mind,” Remus says with a shrug. “We were experimenting, called it off long before she realised she was pregnant.”

“Is she the one in the photo?”

Remus furrows his brows, clearly trying to work out what Sirius is referring to. “Oh, the one with Marls? God no. She’s an old school friend, more like Ted’s aunt than anything.”

“Oh. fair. His mum’s not in the picture then?”

Remus pauses, staring off at a patch of space just behind Sirius as he mulls over his words. “She's not not in the picture, but her job and her lifestyle don’t exactly lend themselves to raising a child. She’s always helped out when she can, and if Teddy wants a relationship when he’s older she’s open to it, but now isn’t the right time.”

“Oh?”

“She’s in Investigative journalism, always throwing herself headfirst into whatever story she can find. Last I heard she was doing some political exposé in Eastern Europe.”

“Okay well, no offence but she sounds so much cooler than you.”

Remus snorts. “Yeah, I know.”

There is a beat of silence before Sirius speaks quietly, “Thank you, for telling me. You didn’t have to.”

“I know,” Remus says. “You have a lot have a lot more tact than most people here.”

“They’re not weird about it?”

“Nah, just persistent. I don’t know how many I’ve tried to explain that there’s no Mrs Lupin. I just started making shit up until they got the message.”

“Oh all people care about is gossip. Want me to go around holding James’ hand? Start some cheating rumours to take the heat off you?”

Remus smiles. “Why do I get the impression you don’t need an excuse to do that?”

“Um easy, because he’s literally my soulmate and platonic love of my life.”

Remus huffs a half-laugh and they fall into another comfortable silence for a few more minutes. Sirius watches as Remus takes another spoonful of food, following the sharp angle of his jaw with his eyes and Remus chews and swallows. There’s a tiny smear of sauce on the corner of his mouth and Sirius desperately wants to lean across and swipe it away with his thumb.

“What was the other one?” Remus asks suddenly as he wipes his mouth and Sirius has the briefest moment of panic where he thinks Remus might have read his mind.

“The other what?”

“The other question you wanted to ask.”

“Oh, right. Um, you know Minerva McGonagall?”

“She’s an English teacher and I’m the only bookshop in a ten-mile radius. Is that the question?”

“First part. She said - well she didn’t say you specifically, but she said James wasn’t sure of the move when he first came up, and then said I should speak to you which I kinda took as you also questioned yourself?”

It’s so bold of Sirius to ask, he knows it. Remus has given him so much today already Sirius is starting to feel bad, but he can’t help but pry when this might be his only chance. And Remus, thankfully, doesn’t seem bothered. He pauses, puts his fork down and rests his chin in his hand in thought. “I did,” he says honestly. “Teddy had just been born and I couldn’t afford to stay in the city. I was planning on moving back with my folks, but one of my old lecturers knew the previous owner was looking for someone to start taking over and recommended me.”

“You didn’t know whether to come here or go to your parents?.”

Remus nods. “I didn’t know anyone up here, if I’d like the area or the job even.”

“Minnie also said She said she thinks you found you’re calling here?”

“I mean, I’ve never thought of it like that but I guess I did in a way.”

“And you’re happy?” Sirius asks cautiously.

“Yes,” Remus says, resolute.

By the time they’ve finished eating, Sirius has completely forgotten about Regulus' book. He follows Remus back to work on autopilot, and it isn’t until they’re chatting behind the counter and Remus asks what book he was thinking of getting that Sirius remembers the entire purpose of his trip.

“I have no idea,” Sirius says and Remus laughs at him.

“Well, describe him and I’ll try to recommend something.”

Eventually, Sirius settles on a copy of The Secret History. He can't say for certain that Regulus hasn't read it already, but it's a first edition that he'll appreciate on that basis alone.

“She basically invented dark academia,” Remus explains as Sirius just nods along. "If he's a fan of gothic and the classics then he's probably already read it, but it's a beautiful copy." He has far too much faith in Remus to question his recommendation and he didn’t pay enough attention in his English Lit class to follow his tangent about different literary movements and genres.

He promises to pass on Regulus’ review of it, but it isn’t until he’s on his way back to the Potters that he doesn’t even know when or if he’ll be back up here after Christmas.

Read in full || Part 1 || Part 7 || Part 9

@annaliza999 @marigold-hills @veganbutterchicken (If you do/dont want to be tagged in the next parts lmk <3)

#maddy writes #sweet dreams of holly and ribbon #remus lupin #sirius black #wolfstar #marauders #wolfstar fanfiction #marauders fanfiction #remus x sirius

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notes-from-sarah · 1 year ago

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When Magneto became Romani

These three pages were included in an X-Men anthology book titled Magneto #0, The Twisting of a Soul by Fabian Nicieza. It was published in 1993 and seems to be the first, or even only place where Magneto's Sinti background is mentioned. This issue is comprised of two short stories about Magneto's background written by Chris Claremont in the 1980's, plus these three additional pages which contradict everything previously written on Magneto's backstory. Unlike the DC universe, Marvel's mainline books are all in the same continuity since the beginning of Marvel Comics in the 60's. Every writer must follow what is established by the ones before. Of course, retcons will happen from time to time, but that's the idea in general. These three pages represent an almost whole-cloth retcon of everything written about Magneto's backstory to this point. For almost 17 years ('75-91), Chris Claremont developed a well defined backstory for Magneto, some of which is included in the very volume that these three pages come from, and Nicieza ignores all of it.

(Content warning for a word that is often considered a slur against the Romani people, I am quoting directly from the text)

Let's examine some of Nicieza's claims:

Pg 1 - "The man who would become Magneto was born Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, to a gypsy family of Sinte desent"

Fact: Magneto is Jewish, which goes completely unmentioned here, and has never before been suggested to be Sinti. I don't know why this author decided to erase his Jewish background and make him Sinti, but nowhere does Nicieza say anything about Magneto's Jewishness, instead casting him solely as Sinti, born to a Sinti family. The illustration even shows him with two pierced ears, an open shirt and a scarf around his neck to drive home the stereotypical "Romani" look.

Also, many Romani people are religiously Catholic/christian.

Pg 2 - "After Danzig was annexed to Nazi Germany in 1939, the young man then named Erik -- along with thousands of other gypsies -- was shifted to a work camp in the city of Auschwitz. We all know what happened then. It is -- or should be -- indelibly branded on our collective consciousness. Genocide. Extermination. Not only of the Jewish race. But also of the Poles, the gypsies, the homosexuals, the intellectuals. Anyone the 'Master Race' felt was disposable... Lehnsherr lost his parents and sister during his imprisonment at Auschwitz."

Fact: Magneto's sister and parents were murdered outside of their town/village by the Nazi Death Squads called the Einsatzgruppen. Magneto was the only member of his family sent to Auschwitz, the rest were murdered and buried in a mass grave.

Additionally, while many groups suffered under the Nazi regime, the genocide of the Jews was specific, deliberate, and at a scale not experienced by the other groups mentioned. For more information, read up on The Final Solution. There was also never a specific attempt to murder all Poles, that's just a lazy attempt to universalize something that was not universally experienced. People can suffer in different ways and it's a disservice to their stories if you attempt to blend them all into one homogeneity.

Also, why use the term "work camp" instead of calling it what it was? It was a Nazi death camp, no need to say it nicely.

Pg 2 - "But he gained something in the liberation of the camp in 1945, as well. He gained hope in the form of a wife, a woman named Magda. In 1946, they took up residence in the Ukrainian city of Vinnitsa... where Magda, gave birth to a daughter they named Anya."

Fact: Magda gave birth to Anya in a small village in the Polish Carpathians. Magneto, Magda and Anya lived in that village for some time, most likely 3-6 years, before moving to Vinnitsa.

Additionally, Magneto was around 15ish in 1945, while nothing disputes this claim directly, I'm not sure he was married at 15 years old.

Pg 2 - "But Lehnsherr had learned something else about himself in Auschwitz, something which was becoming more apparent and more frightening to him everyday -- he learned he was a mutant"

Fact: Magneto didn't discover his powers until he was in Vinnitsa. He didn't have a name for it or consider himself a mutant till much later.

Pg 2 - "When Anya was tragically killed in an arsonist's fire, Lehnsherr lashed out at the villagers who refused to help save her"

Fact: Magneto was prevented from saving his daughter by secret police who were trying to arrest him for an earlier altercation he'd had with someone. He did not "lash out" just because nobody would help, he lashed out because his daughter burned to death in front of him while he was actively being restrained and prevented from helping her.

Also, it's never mentioned that it's an arson attack that caused the fire. I don't know where Nicieza is getting this.

Pg 2 - "In his misery, in his loneliness, he went to Israel -- to save his own soul. He chose to work with survivors of the camps, and in turn, helped them regain theirs."

Fact: Magneto went to Israel because he was Jewish and he had nothing left after Magda left and his daughter died. He helped other concentration camp survivors because he knew what they had been through and could help them.

Also, why is this author having such a hard time calling a concentration camp a concentration camp?

For further information on his time in Israel, read Uncanny X-Men #161 by Chris Claremont.

Pg 3 - "Lehnsherr had taken to calling himself Magnus... as if by choosing his middle name, he could bring some semblance of balance and simplicity to his haunted life."

Fact: Magnus was the only name Magneto was ever given. There was never any suggestion that he was hiding his "real" name when going by Magnus and he is referred to solely by Magnus or Magneto throughout the books. I don't know why he suddenly needed a new name in the 90's but Magneto's name was Magnus for more than a decade.

Pg 3 - "I can separate Magnus the man from Magneto the Mutant Crusader. And please note my choice of words, for I have valid reasons to label Magneto Crusader and not Dictator."

Fact: Crusader is such a loaded Christian term, it's very strange for an Israeli Jewish woman to use it about another Jewish person.

Final thoughts: I'm not against comics taking a character in a new direction or developing them in some new way. What I don't understand is why Nicieza decided to rewrite Magneto's backstory so that he would be Sinti instead of Jewish, so that the chronicle of events in his life would happen in a completely different way, and why he literally ignored all the pages that came before the three he wrote in the same issue!

If you like Magneto as Sinti, that's awesome! It has the potential to be a really cool backstory for a reboot of the character, but also remember for nearly 20 years, Magneto was Jewish and it's not wrong for that version of the character to exist without the Sinti addition. I'll also note that the current version of the Character, the Max Eisenhardt version, is also not Romani. It's one of those things that has been done and undone a few times, much like everything about the character since the Claremont era.

Also, this post should in no way be interpreted as me downplaying the suffering of the Romani people during the Holocaust. Their stories deserve to be told and characters ought to be created to respectfully tell that part of the story. What happened to the Romani people was tragic and should not be forgotten. It also deserves to be told in a more thorough and respectful way than just taking an existing character, changing one or two bits of info about him and saying that's good enough. Nowhere does this Sinti background have any meaning for Magneto, it seems more like a random fact someone added because they were bored of him being Jewish. Magneto's Jewishness has meaning for him as written by Chris Claremont, whereas Nicieza and other writers in the 90's makes no mention of the Sinti background having any influence on the character. It has no effect on his life and seems to be a change made for the sake of it. Both Sinti and Jewish characters deserve better than that.

To read more about how Magneto has been portrayed in comics read my Magneto Biographical Timeline covering the years 1963-1991.

#X-Men #Magneto #Erik Lehnsherr #Jewish #Sinti #Romani #CW: Slurs #Holocaust #Marvel #Comics #Magda and Anya #Race and Ethnicity #Magnus #Max Eisenhardt #Hack writers of the 90s #Hack Pack #xmen

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girlfriendsofthegalaxy · 2 years ago

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tuesday again 4/25/22

where the fuck were we

listening

Tongue by Rêve. i do not care for this latex aurra sing album art, but this instantly went on the "somebody come fuck this (GAY)" playlist. a fun danceable party bop about oral. other than a concerning line regarding "gamey like venison", what more can you ask for. spotify

Yeah Yeah Yeah by Blood Orchid. starts out with some very straightforward drums and then gets SLUDGY. this makes me want to sing along with the chorus with as much vocal fry as i can manage. i think the band is american, but the pronunciation of "yeah" is something i have only heard from posh brits? i think it works here. spotify

Praising You (feat. Fatboy Slim) by Rita Ora. this is somewhere between a cover and a reimagining? fun if you already know and like the original, fun if you don't. short, peppy, got me through a lot of mopping on saturday. spotify

reading

very long title by susan pinsky. checked this out mostly for any advice on moving, which was limited to two paragraphs that said "get rid of everything possible, the most efficient packing is not always the thing that will get you through a move in one piece, hire people to do everything for you if possible". this was unhelpful to me.

the author is not adhd, but is writing it out of the experience of having an adhd daughter and a ton of clients who probably had adhd. it feels like it is largely geared toward people who have a wife or child with adhd. while the version i read had been updated, it did feel very out of date at several points, especially with regards to calendaring/planning systems and (if possible) forcing everyone to call you at your home phone so you can check your wall calendar that you keep on your wall and not double book yourself. like what.

while i had independently derived some of the specific tips through great trial and error and much of the book simply did not apply to me, it did give some interesting background on why specific things (open storage, clear bins, open shelving, the concept of having one or two shelves free as a staging area in each place you have shelves) work with rather than against us.

i can see this being useful to someone who has recently been diagnosed as an adult, or is managing a family with multiple adhd/otherwise neurodivergent members, but i certainly wouldn't buy it. her big thing is Get The Fuck Rid Of Your Shit while not really providing a lot of pointers on how to go about that, so i could see how pairing this with one of marie kondo's books might be helpful? neither pinsky nor kondo really give a whole lot of advice on like "so you're an adult, here are things adults have in their house to make their lives easier" so perhaps a third unknown book might complete the perfect trilogy. idk man. im cranky her advice about moving was half a page.

Witches, Princesses, and Women at Arms, a collection of erotic lesbian fairytales edited by Sacchi Green. this was objectively fine. i skipped one completely bc it would have been a fucking hysterical short skit but did NOT translate to the page at all. as is ever the case with anthologies, some of them were decent, some of them not so much, almost none will stick in my brain even though there was some very nice butch representation. the one that does stick in my brain, Woodwitch by M. Birds about a princess trying to break a familial curse re: war, and a witch who follows the army, was memorable more for its leadup and acknowledgement of how a marching army works? like yeah! historically that is how armies move and camp and feed themselves huh, this is surprisingly well-researched for lesbian erotica!

the level of explicit erotica is...sort of on the same level as most modern f/f fic? this came out a good five years ago and people sure are having sex on the page, but there's a lot of metaphor and various other veiled imagery.

unfortunately, i want to read about women gettin absolutely nasty with it. i want to read about a pussy written with the same fervor as the average m/m cock in fanfic.

it's misogyny is what it is.

watching

rewatched For A Few Dollars More (1965, dr. Leone). in my heart he fucked that old man

You Can't Win Em All (1970, dir. Collinson) bc a very western-ish screenshot had me absolutely baffled about why a mauser was in a western. this is not a western, this is about some american mercenaries during the 1922 turkish civil war. this is not a very good movie (my main beef is that it spends twenty minutes trying to convince itself why its leads should work together, and the contrivance it lands on isn't particularly compelling or comprehendible after carting through us a whole bunch of other failed inciting incidents). this movie doesn't even manage enjoyably bad, but it sure is a spectacle of a war movie. great calvary columns riding through the prettiest goddamn landscapes you've ever seen. all forms of transportation are covered, including "armored train" and "trio of biplanes". my personal tolerance for exotic travelogue movies is fairly high, yours may not be.

if you want an actual cowboy western with different triple-crossing american mercenaries played by burt lancaster and gary cooper, Vera Cruz (1954, dir. Aldrich) is like a proto-revisionist western? quite a bit darker than i expected for 1) an american western made in 2) 1954

playing

sort of tied in with the making section-- i am deeply unhappy with how much time i am spending with fallou/t 4 bc it is not a game that makes me happy. however, the startup cost to finding a new game that makes me happy is pretty steep. so i spent some time on saturday flinging games into various folders, bc i forgot that was a thing steam lets you do now. maybe a different organizational system will fix me.

do not need to look at again: lots of demos and prologues from my old job, a couple things that aren't on steam anymore, some stuff that came in bundles that i'm not interested in, any strategy games.

done: my time with this game is at an end but i may want to return to a handy list to remind myself of what i have finished. lots of short indie experiences, wolfen/stein the new order, night in the woods, the portals, firewatch, things of this nature

old faithfuls: fnv, fo4, dishonored, sable bc i love simply zooming about.

hard bounce: this is mostly to make myself stop trying to click with hollow knight. i am never going to like fiddly platformers. and that's okay.

try again later: i'm deeply annoyed i'm not clicking with hardspace shipbreaker bc on paper it's the perfect fucking game for me. in practice even after fucking around with all the sensitivities it's still too fiddly for me. i need much, much more forgiving games with a shotgun-close-enough mentality.

making

important moving prep: cleaned out the storage unit that still had the dregs of my last move plus boxes from three grandparents and my mom. this took three full fuckin days bc it was extremely hot, i had to stop to cry a bunch, and a lot of goodwill trips.

the great thing about siblings is that if you've been caretaking a family heirloom that makes you feel weird due to your fractious relationship with the dead person in question, you can foist it off to a sibling who had a completely different less fractious relationship with the dead person in question.

once again i have failed to take a pic of the baby blanket in real daylight but we are slowly chugging along, halfway through repeat 6/10

#tuesday again #tuesday again no problem

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fantomcomics · 2 years ago

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What’s Out This Week? 6/21

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Appare Ranman GN - Appearacing & Antonsiku

The time is the 19th century. Eccentric mechanic boy Appare Sorano sets off on an adventure along with his samurai minder, Kosame Isshiki, only to be cast adrift on the Pacific Ocean. A passing steamship rescues them...and delivers the two not back to familiar Japan, but to the far-flung land of America! Trapped in Los Angeles with no easy way to return home, the pair decide to enter the world's first trans-American automobile race. However, with vast sums hinging on the dangerous event's outcome, they may find the odds are stacked against them...

Bloodborne: The Lady Of The Lanterns GN - Cullen Bunn & Piotr Kowalski

Enter the city of Yharnam through the eyes of its citizens, when new hunters take to the streets to fight against the cruel and unusual epidemic that has gripped the city. In the black of the night, families and faith will be tested...

Bloody Sweet GN Vol 1 - NaRae Lee

One eerie night, in an old, abandoned church, a girl accidentally breaks the seal of an ancient vampire who...starts following her around like a hyper little puppy! It may not be your typical vampire story, but for Naerim, a victim of school bullying, Vlad's manic energy might be just what she needs to regain her smile!

Bone Orchard: Tenement #1 (of 10) - Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, & Dave Stewart

From the Eisner-winning creative team behind GIDEON FALLS, PRIMORDIAL, and TEN THOUSAND BLACK FEATHERS comes the biggest and most essential project yet in the bold and ambitious new shared horror universe of THE BONE ORCHARD MYTHOS!!! In this extra-length first issue, JEFF LEMIRE & ANDREA SORRENTINO bring you the story of seven residents in a building and the dark secrets that bind them together...beginning with a death that feels much more sinister than natural. TENEMENT is the newest entry into THE BONE ORCHARD MYTHOS from LEMIRE & SORRENTINO. This universe features self-contained graphic novels and limited series about the horrors waiting to be discovered within the Bone Orchard.

Chilling Adventures Presents: Camp Pickens One-Shot - Tim Seeley, Mike Norton & Matt Talbot

Camp Pickens has always been the go-to summer destination for the younger residents of Riverdale. It's a rite of passage for the teen residents to hold the coveted camp counselor positions. However, Camp Pickens mysterious past shrouds a deep, dark secret: it's cursed, and this summer all of its campers are going to find out the hard way in this one-shot anthology that's equal parts Sleepaway Camp and American Horror Story: 1984, reuniting the team behind the mega-hit comic series Revival.

Cryptid Kids GN Vol 1 - Sara Goetter & Natalie Riess

Penny swears that when she was a little girl, a creature called the Bawk-ness Monster-half sea-serpent, half chicken-saved her from drowning. Now, years later, she's about to move away to a new city, and before she goes she needs the help of her best friends, Luc and K, for a vitally important mission: to help her see "Bessie" one more time and prove that what happened was real. But in their quest to find Bessie, the kids stumble into a whole new problem-cryptids are being kidnapped by an evil collector, and only Penny, Luc, and K can save them!

Essence: Being A Muse GN Vol 1 - Aya Fumio

“Somebody fill my emptiness!” The day I was rejected from art school, everything that was "special" about me died. That's why I have no choice. Since I'm back to being "ordinary," I'll go to the job my mom decided on while wearing the clothes my mom picked for me so that I can find what my mom calls "happiness" alongside somebody my mom can boast about, trapped in a never-ending cycle of "What if?" and "Too bad" all the while.

Freak Buck HC

In editor Alexi Zeren's words, Freak Buck is a prison for the monsters we build every day, and the book covers are the cell walls. It features new and cutting-edge work from Marti (La Vibora, The Cabbie), Igor Hofbauer, Abraham Diaz, Gunnar Lundkvist, Josh Simmons, Josh Bayer, Alexis Rose, Jasper Jubenvill, Longmont Potion Castle, Emily V Brown, Dylan Languell, Heather Bryant, and many more. A beautifully designed, limited run, cutting-edge anthology that showcases both established indie artists and previously unpublished cartoonists.

Garvey’s Choice GN - Nikki Grimes & Theodore Taylor lll

Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading-anything but sports. Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garvey is kind, funny, smart, a loyal friend, and he is also overweight, teased by bullies, and lonely. When his only friend encourages him to join the school chorus, Garvey discovers his voice-and himself. He also finds a way to finally reach his distant father-by speaking the language of music.

Gospel GN - Will Morris & Ver

When opportunity refuses to knock for restless hero Matilde, the devil comes knocking instead. Thrust into action by the hellish arrival, Matilde and storyteller Pitt will quest for renown, the soul of their community, and answers to the toughest question of all: "Who am I?" Inspired by the work of Hayao Miyazaki and set in the chaos of King Henry VIII's reign, GOSPEL is a thrilling fantasy adventure that explores the truth behind the stories we tell.

Honeycomb GN - Joanne M Harris & Charles Vess

A lushly illustrated set of dark, captivating fairy tales from the bestselling author of The Gospel of Loki with the illustrator of Stardust, Charles Vess. The beauty of stories; you never know where they will take you. Full of dreams and nightmares, Honeycomb is an entrancing mosaic novel of original fairy tales from bestselling author Joanne M. Harris and legendary artist Charles Vess in a collaboration that's been years in the making. The toymaker who wants to create the perfect wife; the princess whose heart is won by words, not actions; the tiny dog whose confidence far outweighs his size; and the sinister Lacewing King who rules over the Silken Folk. These are just a few of the weird and wonderful creatures who populate Joanne Harris's first collection of fairy tales.

Misen En Place One Shot - Matt Carr, Lane Lloyd & Nicole Goux

After consuming every animal on Earth, humanity turns to the stars, enslaving, butchering and consuming creatures from across the galaxy. But now the food is fighting back - in spectacularly gory fashion! Tuck in your napkin for this messy, pulpy, over-the-top tale of bloody revenge. Dinner is served!

Out There GN - Seaerra Miller

Julia didn't always believe in aliens. It was her father who convinced her otherwise. You see-Julia's dad believes he was abducted by aliens. And ever since then, he's been obsessed with the extraterrestrial beings living out there. So when a festival commemorating the 75th anniversary of the infamous UFO crash in New Mexico rolls around, Julia turns down a dream vacation to Hawaii with her best friend, Sara, to join her dad for a weekend trip to Roswell, where he expects the aliens to make contact. But amid the alien-themed goofiness of the festival, Julia finds she isn't sure whether her father really did get abducted. His memories of alien interference are starting to sound increasingly shaky, and with them, her faith in him. Will this weekend bring the two closer together or only drive them apart?

Scribbles HC Vol 1 - Kaoru Mori

A collection of sketches from Kaoru Mori, the creator of hit historical manga Emma and A Bride's Story! Packed with illustrations done for practice as well as for relaxation, this compilation features commentary on every page as the roots of all her work are laid out.

Stringer HC - Patrick Kindlon & Paul Tucker

1983. Tournament tennis. A racquet stringer turned small-time drug dealer gets in over his head transporting a gym bag of cocaine across Europe. Carrying a half million in narcotics puts him on the radar of every dangerous man on the continent. Whoops.

Tales Of Asunda #1 - Sebastian A. Jones, Julio Brilha & Caanan White

The first kill is always the hardest, especially when you are destined to save the world... or damn it. The Stranger has taught Niobe how to fight, but can she take a life? From the pages of The Untamed comes the first Tale in this anthology series about the world of Asunda.

Tales Of Syzpense #1 - Chris Ryall, Ashley Wood & Nelson Daniel The split book revival is underway at Syzygy! Every month, TALES OF SYZPENSE presents two titanic 12-page tales of terror and turmoil! Up first, courtesy of Lore co-creators T.P. LOUISE & ASHLEY WOOD, the lead-off mystery of "Les Mort 13" plays out on the surreal and mysterious island of Southport after a run-in with Eris, the goddess of strife... And then, proof that "power is wasted on the young"! CHRIS RYALL & NELSON DANIEL present "Dreamweaver," the story of an aging adventurer with a mystical secret who looks to pass on his abilities to the next generation of hero...until they have much greater success than he did, and he decides he wants those abilities back at any cost. Each issue features two "Les Mort 13" covers by WOOD, a "Dreamweaver" cover by DANIEL, and a Syzpenseful tribute cover to famous split books of the past.

Until I Love Myself GN Vol 1 - Poppy Pesuyama

Still reeling from being born into a body they hate, Pesuyama confronts their past, their friends, and even their mother as they try to come to terms with who they are and what they experienced.

Vern, Custodian Of The Universe GN - Tyrell Waiters

On the edge of burnout, Vern decides to return to his family in the Sunshine State to start over. Starting a new dead-end job as a custodian at Quasar-a local science facility with a shady motive-he shrugs on his uniform, grabs a mop and bucket, and trudges off to clean up... Black holes? Space-time anomalies? Galactic ooze? Things aren't entirely what they seem at Quasar, and when Vern accidentally plugs in a mysterious machine and finds himself standing on the brink of the destruction of every planet in the Multiverse, he's presented with the greatest question of all: what is the point? Fans of Ben Passmore's personal and political comics-as well as classic sci-fi comedies like Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Rick and Morty-will enjoy this world of hyper fantasy with a touch of humor, as told by a Black creator.

Victory #1 - David Walker, Brett Weldele & Dave Johnson

From Vampirella's fiftieth anniversary to her very own series! She started as Vampirella's lover and ended up a very powerful pawn of Vampi's mother, Lilith. Along the way, Victory's made new friends, seen countless horrors, been saddled with a demon's ring that she can't get rid of, encountered the ghost of an old friend, and opened too many dimensional gateways to count. Despite that, there's so much that we don't know about Victory, like what her childhood was like. Or what she's been doing with her demon ring and the crazy powers it has granted. Or which old - well, foe wouldn't exactly be the right word - is about to show up to cheer her on. From writer David F. Walker (Compass, Young Justice, Naomi) and artist Brett Weldele (The Beauty, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?).

Voyagis TP - Sumeyye Kesgin & Ellie Wright

In her comics writing debut, ELSEWHERE artist SUMEYYE KESGIN asks: What if one of the VOYAGER probes reached an uninhabitable planet laid to waste by a wandering black hole? With her people's resources dwindling under the thumb of a relentless tyrant, Sen, a resident of the ailing planet Modia, will find adventure, friendship-and possibly salvation-in an unexpected relic from an alien planet called Earth.

Wild’s End #1 - Dan Abnett & I.N.J. Culbard

Journey to alien-occupied interwar England, courtesy of the award-winning creative team of Dan Abnett (Warhammer 40K, Immortal Red Sonja) & I.N.J. Culbard (Salamandre, Tales From The Umbrella Academy), with Nik Abnett providing additional material! Out at sea during the invasion, our intimate crew of unlucky voyagers returns to a world they once knew, their once-cozy seaside home now occupied by alien invaders.

Combining a rich cast of anthropomorphized characters in the tradition of Blacksad and aliens unlike any you've ever seen in the spirit of War of the Worlds meets Wind in the Willows! Wild's End is a world unlike any other... one you won't want to leave.

Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop GN Vol 1 - Imo Oono

"Smile" is a popular streamer who's self-conscious about her looks. "Cherry" is a shy boy with a love of haiku. When these two strangers accidentally bump into each other at the local mall, it's the start of a new relationship weaved by their modern and classical expressions of their feelings. Based on the gorgeous animated film!

You’re Thinking About Tomatoes GN - Michael Rosen & Cole Henley

The fan-favorite story from celebrated author and former British Children's Laureate Michael Rosen, now in graphic novel form. Frank isn't doing well at school, and he has just been told off by his head teacher again... He has one last chance to prove himself: all he has to do is follow the rules on his class trip to Chiltern House, complete his worksheet, and stay out of trouble. But when a girl steps out of a painting and steals Frank's worksheet, staying out of trouble is easier said than done. Together, they embark on a perilous adventure to discover the girl's lost identity, uniting with new friends along the way who show Frank all is not as it seems in this stately home. How did the owners of Chiltern House come to own its priceless treasures? Can the secrets of the past ever really stay hidden? Will Frank's head teacher stop him and his new friends before they find out the truth? Frank's class trip is more than he bargained for, but it may just hold the greatest lesson he'll ever learn.

Whatcha grabbing this week, Fantom Fam??

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pterawaters · 2 years ago

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Ptera's WIP List (6/2023)

Recently Posted

The Pelt (Complete) - Stranger Things, Steve/Chrissy, Werewolf AU, E rated, 1529 words

In Progress

Stranger Things

Hold on to Your Heart (WIP, 11/15 chapters posted, 12 written) - The older teen polycule, Jonathan/Argyle, Eddie/Chrissy, Steve/Nancy, Robin/Nancy, Steve/Eddie, Argyle/Eden, E rated, 59k

Post S4 Stoncy (editing, will post for @julybreakbingo), Stoncy, T rated, 8k

Demogorgon Steve (WIP, 7 of 9-ish chapters written) - Steve/Demogorgon, horror/body modification, some noncon, E rated, 30k so far, might finish up for julybreakbingo

Wrong Bed Coffee Shop AU (WIP, my main julybreakbingo fic) - Chrissy/Steve, Steve/Nancy, Jonathan/Nancy, Jonathan/Chrissy/Steve/Nancy, aged up, pregnancy, E rated, 21k so far, maybe 40k when it's done?

King Steve - Steve takes on a greater protector role starting in S1, 6k, not sure where it’s going exactly, but I'm not ready to abandon it

Wednesday

The Beast in my Bones (#3 of When is a monster not a monster?) - Tyler/Xavier, Xavier & Wednesday, eventual Wednesday/Tyler/Xavier, season 1 rewrite with Xavier as the Hyde's master, 13k and 3/~6 chapters? I need an outline for the rest

Original Works

"The Cave" - a 7.5k fic that will be included in a future anthology put out by Duck Prints Press, more info to come

Overnight - Magnolia Way book #3 (polyam/bisexual MCs), 25k, Coming Soon! (beta readers needed!)

A call from his dad ruins Brad Shepard’s plans for a relaxing weekend off work. He has to pick up his high school memorabilia collection from his dad’s place before Monday if he wants to save it from the dump. Time for an eight-hour road trip! Brad’s boyfriend, Sean, tags along for moral support. Along the way, a flat tire leads to an argument that threatens their relationship.

With the boys gone for the night, April and Jaime decide to throw a sleepover with April’s friend Nisha, the cute college girl from across the hall. Despite a rocky start, Nisha and Jaime get along better than April could’ve hoped. A night of movies, snacks, Truth or Dare, and karaoke ensues, though they’ve got to keep it down to avoid a visit from their cranky, homophobic landlord.

Moving day rewrite - Magnolia Way book #1, 14k of about 20, I felt like I could make some vast improvements with a rewrite, so I’m working on it!

Phase shift - Nyctophobia book #1, 99k, Sci-fi novel about a small-town family fighting interdimensional aliens and the government trying to cover up the invasion. In revisions.

Inertia - Nyctophbia book #2, 80k, I have about 15-18k left I think. I focused on this one a lot during Nov 2022 Nanowrimo and April 2023 Camp Nano, but I haven't worked on it much since. I could use some cheer readers, if anyone wants to read it and help me wrangle the ending.

"Many Hands" - I submitted a pitch for a polyam erotica anthology and I'm waiting to hear back if I got in!

GYWO Progress

My pledge for Get Your Words Out this year was 350k. Currently I'm at 165k, right about where I should be to reach my goal by the end of the year.

#ptera tries to write #ptera's wip list

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mwsa-member · 3 months ago

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MWSA Interview with Kathy Kasunich

Date of interview: 23 September 2024

Kathy Kasunich, originally hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, now calls Williamsburg, Virginia, home. Her debut novel, Always Remembering, is a heartfelt historical fiction romance set against the backdrop of World War II. This captivating work, inspired by her father's service as a medic during the war, seeks to honor the everyday heroes of the Greatest Generation and has earned acclaim, including a finalist nomination for a medal from the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA).

Kathy's short fiction is featured in the recently released anthology Christmas on the Bay. She was also honored as a finalist in the 2023 Golden Nib Awards for her poetry. Currently, she is crafting a new novel set in 18th-century Williamsburg, fueled by her love for historical contexts and the vibrant history of her surroundings.

As a dedicated member of the Chesapeake Bay Writers and the Writers Guild of Virginia, Kathy actively engages with the literary community to promote creativity and collaboration. In her spare time, she finds inspiration in photography, nature, and music, weaving these elements into her creative endeavors. To discover more about Kathy and her work, visit her website at kathykasunich.us2.authorhomepage.com.

MWSA: How did you find out about MWSA?

Kathy Kasunich: At a World War II event where I was selling my book, a patron praised the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) and encouraged me to join the organization.

MWSA: What was your inspiration for Always Remembering?

Kathy Kasunich: The inspiration for my book comes from my parents, particularly my father, who served as a medic during the war. After they passed, I found myself surrounded by a war diary, letters, and cherished memorabilia—precious pieces of their history and love. These items, coupled with the stories they shared, motivated and inspired me to tell their story, not just to honor them, but to pay tribute to all who served during that time. Their courage, along with the sacrifices of thousands, deeply moved me.

In today’s world, it’s almost unimaginable to think of being in a war, separated from your loved ones, with only letters to bridge the gap—letters that took days, sometimes weeks, to arrive. The waiting, the uncertainty, the longing—it’s a pain most of us can hardly fathom. Yet, these men and women endured it all, facing unimaginable challenges both on the front lines and at home.

I wanted to capture that experience, the heartache and the resilience, to ensure that the sacrifices they made are never forgotten. My hope is that through their story, we can all remember the profound cost of freedom and the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

MWSA: How did you decide on the title of the book?

Kathy Kasunich: In my book, Always Remembering, I included letters my father wrote to my mother during the war. He often signed them, "Always Remembering, Never Forgetting, Loving you forever." The phrase "Always Remembering" struck me deeply, inspiring the book's title. These words are more than a touching sentiment, it’s a testament to the strength of their love. In a time of unimaginable uncertainty, they had to always hold on to the memory of the person they fell in love with, clinging to that hope as a lifeline, believing they would see each other again.

MWSA: Is your book a love story or a war story?

Kathy Kasunich: My book is both a love and war story. It tells the tale of love during war and the enduring consequences. But it is also about the war, following the trials and tribulations of the 42nd Rainbow division as they battle through France and Germany, ultimately liberating Dachau Concentration Camp. The novel is told through both of their perspectives. It chronicles my father’s experience as a medic during this time, giving his assessment of the events. The narrative also reflects my mother’s struggles on the home front.

The book is much deeper than a love story, it explores the sacrifices, brutal realities of war, the life of a medic, and the challenges faced back home and overseas. Extensive research went into capturing the battles and historical context, blending these with deeply personal stories. Although classified as historical romance fiction—due to the need to fill in gaps and create dialogue—the book is rooted in the true story of an ordinary couple facing the extraordinary trials of war.

MWSA: Have you received any comments from your readers?

Kathy Kasunich: Yes. Some of the comments I have received state that the story transported them back in time and gave them a glimpse into what life may have been like for their great-grandfather, grandfather or father who served during World War II. It often prompts them to tell me the stories they know about their family and I encourage them to tell their story because we need to keep these stories alive, especially since most of the World War II veterans are gone. Others say their family member never talked about the war and they enjoyed learning about life during WWII. One young woman commented she didn't know much about World War II and through the book she learned a lot about the era and World War II. "It was like learning about history without reading a boring textbook with fact after fact. It was more personable." If the book educates someone, encourages dialogue or causes one to contemplate about the times, than I know the veterans and their families are honored and remembered.

MWSA: Do you plan to write more World War II related stories?

Kathy Kasunich: I would love to tell more stories from that era, but I am currently working on a historical fiction book that is set during the 18th century in Williamsburg. Hopefully after I finish this book that was inspired by my surroundings, living right outside colonial Williamsburg, I will revisit this time period.

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mateushonrado · 8 months ago

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Possible ideas for more Star Wars: Tales

Status Post #11006: As you know, the fate of Star Wars in animation is now unclear outside Young Jedi Adventures since Lucasfilm has shut down their Singaporean animation studios, thus marking the end of an era that began with The Clone Wars nearly 16 years, which means an animated series focusing on Luke, Leia and Han doesn't seem likely for the time being but I do have ideas of where they could go with the Tales anthology series, having watched Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire on Disney+ recently, especially with the latter in terms of the fate of Barriss Offee after becoming a fallen Jedi in the fifth season of The Clone Wars, in which she becomes an Inquisitor after Order 66 before it ended with her redeeming herself by betraying the Inquisitorius and becoming a healer though she would get stabbed in the stomach by Lyn Rakish aka the Fourth Sister, who ultimately becomes regretful at what she did, though I do think her wound is likely non-fatal, given that both Reva and Sabine have survived being stabbed by a lightsaber that leads to a future entry, either a comic book focusing on her recovering from her injuries or Ahsoka season 2 along with Lyn carrying her out of a cave by saying "I'm gonna get you of here", implying that she'll get medical help since I'm doubtful that we've seen the last of her and several reviewers said that the last scene is open ended, so until we get confirmation of her fate, I'm in the camp that she survived.

Tales of the Senate: I could see this focus on the likes of Riyo Chuchi, Mon Mothma and so on.

Tales of the Sith: Now this would be cool, as it could focus on Darth Maul and Asajj Ventress.

Tales of the Clones: Could see this focus on Hunter, Omega, Rex and Emerie.

Tales of the Mandalorians: This could focus on Bo-Katan and Djarin.

Tales of the Bounty Hunters: Could focus on Boba, Hondo Ohnaka, Cad Bane and Aurra Sing.

Tales of Project Necromancer: Could focus on the four alien children from the final season of The Bad Batch.

Tales of the Rebels: Could focus on Hera, Zeb, Kallus and Sabine as a midquel between Rebels and Ahsoka.

Tales of the Dark Side: Could serve as a prequel of Ahsoka involving Baylan and Shin.

#star wars #star wars tales of the empire #animation is a medium #star wars tales of the jedi #star wars day #may the fourth be with you

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meowmageddon · 1 year ago

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September 2023 Reading Update!

Wild that it's already September! Feels like my reading is finally returning to normal after the busy end to last year and buying our house this year.

Following my new monthly update format plans, I'll cover what I finished reading last month, what I'm currently working through, what I plan to get to this month, and some new and upcoming releases that sound cool! So as it's a Long Post ahead, I'll give you a break here.

August Reads Mini-Reviews

Trans-Galactic Bike Ride ed. by Lydia Rogue - 3.5 stars

The stories in this anthology varied in quality a bit, and some felt a bit young for me, despite not being YA per se. Still a good time, with a few especially memorable romps. Full review here.

Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection Vol. 1 ed. by Hope Nicholson - 4.5 stars

Great all around collection! My personal favorites were "Ochek" by David Robertson & Haiwei Hou, "Coyote and the Pebbles” by Dayton Edmonds & Micah Farritor, and “Home” by Ian Ross & Lovern Kindzierski & Adam Gorham & Peter Dawes.

Babel by R.F. Kuang - 4 stars

This was very much My Shit, but also could have benefited from being a duology or even trilogy instead of one book. I loved how stuffed it was with etymology and history, though some might find that more dense a read than they'd like. The shift from the relatively slow, observational pace of the beginning to the tense action after about 300 pages can be a little jarring. And I wish we'd had more fleshing out of the other characters and their relationships, as well as time spent to take the commentary on empire and colonization back further. As my first R.F. Kuang read, it was very enjoyable, though.

More detailed review on Goodreads or The StoryGraph.

Moonshot Vol. 2 ed. by Hope Nicholson - 5 stars

It felt like the project really hit its stride here. Lots of great stories and art. My favorites of the bunch were “Worst Bargain In Town” by Darcie Little Badger & Rossi Gifford, “Water Spirits” by Richard Van Camp & Haiwei Hou, and “Journeys” by Jeffrey Veregge.

Current September Reads

Back down to the appropriate number of reads: The Library Book, The Physical TBR Book, and The Project Book.

Moonshot Vol. 3 ed. by Elizabeth LaPensée, Ph.D. & Michael Sheyahshe

As with the previous volumes, more comics, illustrated stories, and artworks by Indigenous creators. This time edited by past contributors! Over halfway through, so it won't take long to finish.

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

Things have gotten intense in ways I didn't expect it to go (not a negative!). About a third of the way through, should be easy to finish this month.

Speaking Bones by Ken Liu

Had some neat revelations and some frustrating mistakes on the part of characters who should've known better so far. Only at p. 142 out of 1047. 💀

Additional September Plans

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link

This is on its way to my local library branch, so I'll be picking it up soon! It's Kelly Link's new story collection, just released this March. I look forward to more of her strange and wonderful works.

Loot by Tania James

Mentioned in my previous update, when I received it from the publisher's Goodreads giveaway. Going to start it once I finish Lone Women.

Upcoming Releases

A Crown So Cursed by L.L. McKinney (September 19th)

Third book in the Nightmare-Verse series, inspired by Alice in Wonderland stuff. I'm not always into YA fantasy, but I've been having a great time with this series!

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan (September 26th)

Adult historical fantasy set during the Inquisition, featuring Sephardic Jewish folklore. As Toba's people flee rather than forcibly convert, she's separated and ends up in a realm of powerful beings. Naftaly seeks to rescue her, encountering even more dangerous secrets along the way. Warning that it is the first in a series, and word on the street is that there's a cliffhanger ending.

So that's what's going on this month for my reading. If you read this far, know that I love you! 💕

#books #tbr #long post #Kitty's Reading List #September 2023 tbr

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dearyallfrommatt · 6 months ago

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DC produced a comic adaptation of the TV show which featured a lot of characters that for this reason or that couldn't be included in the show. Blue Beetle was one of them, along with Firestorm and Power Girl just off the top of my head. I remember reading some folks thought he was barred from the cartoon because of the Blue Beetle character on The Electric Company from PBS, but that's not so. Worse luck, he was free and clear to use.

Anyhow, Ted was featured in a couple of issues. One, he went up solo against the Gen. Eling version of the Hairy Man (this was after the Patriot Act episode that brought together the Seven Soldiers of Victory), and another featuring him and Booster Gold. It was classic Blue & Gold "Bwah-hah-hah" written by the late Kieth Giffen, author of those classic Justice League International stories.

You probably know this, but allow me to nerd out. The Ted Kord Beetle's adventures - along with, among others, the Question and Captain Atom - were published in the '60s & '70s by Charlton Comics, one of the many Number Threes that have come and gone. They went out of business and DC bought up the properties, introducing them to the universe (and readers) during the Crisis On Infinite Earths. Later, they provided readers with some of the best comics of the late '80s/early '90s. Seriously, check out Dennis O'Neil's Question run. Top notch.

Anyhow. Charlton didn't invent the character of the Blue Beetle, though, and he wasn't originally techno-wizard Ted Kord. The original Blue Beetle was one of the earliest costumed do-gooders, first appearing in 1939's Mystery Men Comics by Fox Publications. They were an interesting company, known for pushing the boundaries when it came to horror and sleaze.

As far as memorable characters go, they're best known for two of the silliest: The Bouncer and Stardust the Super Wizard. They also published Matt Baker, one of the few pre-WW2 African-American comic artists, and his "good girl" work with Phantom Girl acquired from Quality Comics (Plastic Man, The Blackhawks, etc.) and a take on Thor I know nothing about, but the rest was pretty much "rip off something popular and see what we can get away with."

Initially, Dan Garret was the son of a police officer slain in the line of duty. So he pulls a Bruce Wayne, runs around in a bulletproof costume, and takes a vitamin that makes him faster and stronger. Typical Golden Age stuff. He sort of did a Green Hornet/Phantom thing by marking his folks with a scarab-shaped whatzit and had the normal supporting cast (blonde reporter in love with the hero but scornful of the secret identity, comic sidekick, old guy, etc.).

He became a U.S. agent during World War 2 and his super vitamin started giving him real superpowers like flight and X-ray vision. Later, when superhero comics fell out of vogue, he became the host of a horror/crime anthology, not unlike Captain America did in the '50s. Still, Dan Garret was pretty popular. He had a radio serial produced by CBS that made him out more like the Shadow and a daily comic strip drawn by, among others, Jack Kirby (under a pseudonym).

After briefly being published by Holyoke Comics (no one of note apart from a Batman rip-off, Cat-Man & Kitten (yes, she's a she)), the character was picked up by then-young Charlton Comics in the '60s. They made some changes. This time around, Dan Garrett (they added an extra "t") was an archeologist who found a blue scarab on a dig. When saying the magic words "Kaji Dha!" Garrett was transformed into the Blue Beetle, with super strength, flight, X-ray vision, the ability to shoot energy beams, and whatever the story called for.

The stories were actually pretty camp, even for '60s comics, but Dan was replaced in 1966 by Ted Kord. I don't know how the story's been changed, but Ted was a favorite student of Dan (even though Ted's an engineer and, well, comic books, I guess), and answers a call for help. He finds his teacher mortally wounded and vows to take up his mantle. However, he can never make the scarab work, so he turns his engineering genius into a weapon against crime. He was created by Steve Ditko, so bonus points there.

Dan's made a couple of background appearances in the DCU and was once brought back to life by the scarab to fight his successor. Ted Kord's been a favorite since I was a kid and I fell in love with Jaime Reyes from the get-go, though I didn't care as much for the Blue Beetle series where Ted tries to play the mentor role for Jaime. I don't like it when comics portray Ted as considered a loser among the rest of the heroes, though I know continuity's been flip-flopped a couple of times since he went down in the most badass way possible.

In a world where gods clash and men can run faster than the speed of light, a guy who dresses like a bug and uses a gun that's expressly meant not to kill has the biggest balls in the DC universe. Plus, he's probably the only billionaire superhero who isn't carrying a boatload of baggage.

Kaji Dha!

Heroes & Villains The DC Animated Universe - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Elseworlds Addendum

Blue Beetle / Ted Kord

A brilliant industrialist and designer, Ted Kord decided to use his acumen for mechanical engineering to fight crime as the masked vigilante known as The Blue Beetle. Along with a levitating hover-car aptly named ‘The Bug,’ Kord devised numerous non-lethal crime-fighting weapons. This ranged from an incapacitating strobe-light gun to bug-shaped flying surveillance drones.

Although Ted had inherited the extraterrestrial scarab from the original Blue Beetle, the scarab never bonded with him and he remained unaware of the awesome powers this item could bestow. The scarab ultimately ended up bonding with young Jaime Reyes who was able to unlock the full potential of the alien weapon and operated as the third Blue Beetle.

The Blue Beetle was not included in the original DCAU due to licensing issues. The production company was unaware of whether or not they owned the intellectual property rights to produce cartoons and toys based on the character and hence he was left out. Which is a true shame in that an episode dedicated to the madcap high-jinks of Blue Beetle partnering up with his best buddy, Booster Gold, could have been a highlight of the series.

#Blue Beetle #Ted Kord #Booster Gold #Justice League #DCAU #cut-out #Dan Garrett #Jaime Reyes #Fox Comics #Holyoke Comics #Charlton Comics #comic books

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witch-hazels-musings · 3 years ago

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Until you are safe

Warning: Vision Hunt Decree still in effect, kidnapped themes, reader grabbed by hair (Thoma), possessive themes (scara)

Character X GN Reader | Anthology

Includes: Albedo, Scara, Thoma, Zhongli

Albedo

The frosty chill of the mountain side was more than you could bear. Every time you thought you gained warmth it was ripped from your body by icy hands threatening to drive you insane. You shivered and wrapped your coat further around your body while you scowled against the frigid cold.

Ahead of you stood Albedo who seemed indifferent to the temperature and while you were impressed that he knew how to handle this without any complaints, you were also irritated by the fact. He was barely wearing anything and here you were shivering under countless layers of cloth.

He turned to tell you something but with the turbulent winds and nibbling frost against your ears, you didn’t understand a single word he said. Quickly, you forced your legs to move as you made your way to his side.

“W-w-what di-did you s-say?” Your chattering teeth made it hard, and painful, to speak but you did your best anyway.

“We are nearly there, can you keep going?” He narrowed his eyes at you but you knew that was a common thing he did. It was unlikely to have any additional meaning behind it.

“H-how f-f-f-ar?”

“Just around the bend.” He rested the back of his hand against your cheek and somehow that made you shiver even more than the touch of frost. When you nodded and began to walk forward, he took up position behind you and directed you toward the camp.

With the cave blocking out the wind, and several warming mechanisms already glowing, you stumbled your way in between them an the fire. Trembling hands extended toward the orange and yellow light while you watched the snow drip from your clothes.

“I always h-hat-te this p-p-part.” You complained, shaking your head and shoulders to warm up the muscles. This wasn’t the first time you traveled to Dragonspine with Albedo, but each time you braved the conditions you recalled the promise you made yourself last time. Never again, well ... I guess that promise was made to be broken.

“Here, this will help warm you.” He handed you a cup and immediately you caught the scent of fresh and soothing tea. The aroma itself perked you up and even though your fingers were still stiff, you graciously took the offering. Warmth seeped into your throat as the liquid carved a path down your esophagus and into the pit of your baron stomach. With a refreshing hum you smiled through the steam.

“P-p-perfect. Thank-k y-you.” Another sip warmed your lips and tickled your nose but you didn’t dare stop.

“This trip should be less strenuous than last time.” Albedo began, his back turned to you as he rummaged through the stacks of books. “Where did I place that ... perhaps it got caught in the wind, that would be unfortunate.”

You giggled, eyes watching him meander and speak to himself all at the same time. He had a habit of doing it but it never bothered you, in fact it was comforting to hear his voice, stabilizing, grounding.

“You ca-can head out. I’ll b-be fine here after I w-warm up-p.” The shivering had eased, but you still succumbed to the residual affects as your body began to shift from frozen to thawed.

“No need, I can wait here for a while.”

“Haha, that’s silly, g-go on ahead.” You took another sip of the cup and found yourself sad at the emptiness of it. That’s when a hand entered your field of vision and you watched Albedo walk toward a table, refill your drink, and return to your side. He offered it to you and when your fingers found the circumference his nestled against them.

“Until I know you are safe, I will be here.” His eyes held your own for a while as if waiting for your reaction, your response, and when you nodded he mimicked your action before slipping back toward the bookshelves and research table.

You were glad he left you, because if he hadn’t you were sure the only way to cool down was to step beyond the barrier of the cave and into the never-ending snowstorm that protected Dragonspine.

Scara

Being at the side of a Harbinger had it’s own trials. If it wasn’t the constant movement between assignments or the threats against your life, it was the loneliness which creeped in every single day. There were some Harbingers who left the life of love far outside of their reach: Signora, who vowed to never love again and instead put all her attention into fulfilling her duty, Childe, found love a difficult thing to ignore and did his best to keep what he cherished hidden behind closed doors.

Scara, he never understood the meaning of the word until it crashed around him like a house crumbles into itself, and the way he kept his belongings safe was to have them near him at all times. It was far better to be under the watchful eyes of his competence than leave something so valuable in the hands of another. So, here you were, following him around and staying hidden until he called for you.

The room was empty, absent of all the things you would have normally kept to make this place more homey. If you could get away with it, you’d have made some changes to the décor, but the problem with never settling in one place for long made this desire of yours difficult to accomplish. It wasn’t feasible, you thought to yourself but that didn’t stop you from adding a bit of comfort when you could.

The night came and went without issue and after you prepared yourself for bed you wondered where your lover was. Was he succeeding, was he accomplishing his goals, would he return to you tonight or would you wake up alone yet again. Luckily for you, you had learn to be patient.

Your dreams kept you occupied but there seemed to be something about them that pulled you toward consciousness, a subtle wish drifting across your imagines to wake up.

Something brushed across your cheek, but was it the dream or reality, you couldn’t tell. Gravity pulled you close to something sturdy, but was it a creation of your imagination or the real thing - why was this so challenging. When your eyes finally opened and adjusted to the light of the room, you realized what had been calling to you.

“Scara?” You pulled your hand down from behind the pillow, the muscles tense from being locked into that position for so long. “What has-”

“Go back to sleep.” He spoke and the sound of his voice pulled you closer to him.

“Is everything okay?” You continued your question as if what he said was never uttered, your eyes trying to find the outline of his frame while your skin adjusted to his touch.

“Nothing to concern yourself with, just sleep.”

“But, why are you here?

“I don’t recall needing your permission to do anything.” His words may have been direct, but you could sense there was something else behind them.

“... would you ... like to come to bed?”

“I can’t.” He adjusted and you felt the warmth of the blankets cover more of your exposed skin. The chill of the evening became blocked by the sheets and you hummed in response. You were confused, but the feeling of his hand running along your neck, your jaw, and into your hair made all the questions you had disappear. Moments like these brought out something completely different in the Harbinger and you wondered why he treated you so differently.

With a yawn, you turned into his touch, lips finding the palm of his hand easily and placing a tender kiss against his skin. “You don’t need to stay if you have work to do. I’ll be fine.” You hummed again as he thumb ran over your lips and the gentle pull of sleep began to find you. It was quiet for a while and you focused on the warmth, the closeness, the comfort he provided until you practically melted into the bed.

“I can’t do that either.” Scara whispered, hand pressing into the mattress as he leaned closer to your face. “Not until you are safe,” He breathed in your scent, gazing down at your trusting form beneath him. “Even from me.” He spoke as his fingers curled into the sheets and before he lost himself in you, he slipped from your bedroom and made his way down the hall.

Thoma

He ran so fast as soon as the news reached him. The weight of his feet as he dashed through the countryside grew with every passing second but there was nothing more painful than his clenching heart and anxious thoughts.

What have they done, am I to late, please don’t be too late. He wracked his brain over and over again, blamed himself for the stupidity of leaving you. If he had been there would the outcome be different? If he had stayed, would he have been able to fend off their attack enough to get you to safety. How foolish of him for thinking they wouldn’t use dirty tricks like this to accomplish their goals.

Rumors and intel began to swirl like wildfire and at this point he couldn’t differentiate the accuracy of it all. There was one thing he knew for certain, the vision hunters had you and he was going to get you back.

Their campsite was simple and you wondered if they would really be able to escort all of these prisoners back to the city on their own. They were intimidating enough to keep most insurrection at bay, but you were not about to let them get away with this. After a quick analysis of your surroundings, you found a few potential options worth trying, now it was only a matter of timing.

“You won’t get away with this!” Someone shouted next to you and you patiently waited for an opportunity.

“Shut up.” A soldier barked, his dismissive attitude apparent from the lack of eye contact and the wave of his hand.

“This is wrong and you know it! Do you think you’re immune to the decree, when the day come to hand over your vision will you?!”

The soldier turned and made his way through the trembling captured, you used the scuffling of those trying to get out of his way as an excuse to move closer to your escape. The dirt scraped against your bound hands and pulled at your clothes, but you didn’t care because each inch you gained the closer you got to freedom.

You watched the soldier lift the woman from the ground, his impressive height apparent as she dangled above the well worn soil. “I will do what is necessary for the Raiden Shogun. I am bound by honor, unlike the resistance.”

“Honor! You know nothing of it. Put me down you brute.” She spat in his face and he reacted in kind. You hated the fact that you were using her as your distraction, but hopefully if this all worked out in the end freedom would be enough compensation for her bruised face. Your fingers brushed against a metal handle, the sword you were aiming for had been reached and you quickly worked to get yourself free from the bindings.

The loosening rope told you of your success but when your hand wrapped around the hilt of the weapon and you moved to stand, a sudden pain against your head made your vision go blurry.

“What do you think you are doing?!” Shouted a voice near your ear. They were so loud that you shrunk away from it only to be yanked right back. “You think you could take on all of us? Are you stupid.”

“I didn’t think so.” You wheezed, blinking harshly to try and bring your vision back to clarity.

“Well let me help you understand.” He drug you away from the group but before you could take but a few steps, an intense groan blasted it’s way near you and the hand that held your hair fell away in an instant.

“Are you alright?” A familiar voice asked, hands finding your waist to steady you. It was like your eyes snapped back on because as soon as you turned your head, you found Thoma standing their with an expression you’d never seen before: fury.

“I’m - ouch - okay.” You whispered and then you realized the implications of him being there. Turning, you pressed your hands against his chest and pushed against him, your voice turned tense as you shouted. “Ge-get out of here! What if they catch you!?”

“I’m not leaving.”

“Thoma!”

He looked down at you, his arm tightening around you and you swore the world shifted red and the screaming soldiers shouts became muffled. “Until I know you are safe, I’m not leaving.” He looked forward and the glint of his polearm caught your attention. “Now hold on, okay.”

The dry landscape turned into a wildfire until only what Thoma wanted to remain, remained.

Zhongli

“This is very kind of you, Zhongli. To walk me home.” You chuckled, gazing up at him as you made your way down the path and toward the city. It wasn’t uncommon for Zhongli to escort you from place to place, but tonight you would have assumed he would stay on the Pearl and continue his lively conversation.

“It is no trouble at all, to allow you to walk by yourself would not sit well with me.” Zhongli commented matter-of-factly, his eyes closing as he nodded his head and gazed up toward the stars.

“You were having such a nice time, know that I didn’t mean to bring that too a close.” You scratched your forehead and adjusted your clothes after climbing the stairs from the docks. It was a rather pleasant night, but it usually was in Liyue this time of year.

“I would never insinuate you had ill intentions. I made this decision on my own, to escort you is no trouble at all.”

“Yes, well, that’s very kind of you Zhongli.” The lights of the festival swayed in the wind. To you they looked like fireflies in the sky, but that was such a silly thought you kept it to yourself. “I think I can manage on my own, if you want to go back?”

“Nonsense, I will stay until I know you are safe.” He glanced down at you and offered you a smile, one that spoke true and gave you the impression of ‘I will not be swayed.’

“Well, thank you.” You turned away from him in hopes that he wouldn’t notice the embarrassment you were sure shined in your eyes and flashed across your expression. How can someone so regal find your company enjoyable at all - but Zhongli was so kind to anyone you fought against your better judgement to believe this gesture was more than common courtesy of a gentleman.

“It is my pleasure. Did you have an enjoyable time?” He asked, head examining the city streets and decorations as you had earlier.

“Oh yes! Thank you for inviting me, I’ve never attended something so high class.” You fussed at your outfit again, it was apparent you weren’t used to wearing something like this but you did your best to fit in and not insult the guest who invited you to join him.

“I am delighted to hear. It is far better to enjoy ones time when in company you relish, don’t you agree?”

“Absolutely!” For a while, the two of you discussed the highlights and lowlights of the gathering. The sound of your laughter and excitement caught the attention of late night patrons, but you didn’t mind because it also caught the attention of the one you wanted the most.

It wasn’t until you neared your home that the conversation began to drift. Your heart was sad that the night was coming to a close but responsibilities held you to a tight schedule, even if you felt the itch to break them.

“Thank you again, Zhongli. This night will be one I remember for a while.” Your nails had received a break all evening, but, now that you were about to be alone, they felt the dig of your nervous habits once again.

“It was my pleasure, it is always a gift to spend the evening with you.” He bowed, his long hair slipping over his shoulder at the motion.

“I tend to agree with you.” Chuckling, you moved to unlock your door and when you looked back to Zhongli, his face was illuminated by the sparkling lanterns and yellow glow of the city. No matter what he did he radiated colors you’d never fully understand.

“Liyue has many festivals,” He began, his tone wistful, “though I must say the ones where lanterns adorn the city are my favorite. Do you not think they look like fireflies in the distance?” He asked, gazing up at a few that dangled across the bridges and walkways that lined the city.

“Yeah, actually I do.” You whispered as your eyes fell onto the man you loved so much it hurt to look at him, but, if it meant you could capture even a hint of his existence in your memory, you would happily suffer this pain.

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stovepiperat · 2 years ago

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terror camp ‘22 day 1: an informal reclist

HOW A-FUCKING-BOUT that CAMP huh guys!! Good shit!! Anyway, here’s two (variably) related recs (that weren’t previously mentioned in the server, to the best of my knowledge!) for every TC22 panel. Just because.

Please click through to AO3 to see full individual taglists, warnings etc. Other half of this post is in progress. Also, you may have noticed that the descriptions get a little bare-bones as the post goes on. This is because I am slapdash and sleepy. Sorry. But please let me know if I need to fix anything, as always!

(Get in contact with the mods at terror.camp to get access to recordings and Discord!!)

‘There Will Be Poems’: Franklin, The Terror and the Noble Failure Narrative

Principles of Magnetism (a Comedy of Manners) by acaramelmacchiato (Fitzier, 21k)

Less horrific consequences than in canon, but this IS a noble failure narrative, one which, fittingly enough, pivots nimbly around a pastiche of Britishness and features the futility of attempting to reason with Sir John Franklin.

the waiting room by Ias (Fitzier, 10k)

Maybe the real noble failure narrative was the delirious, calcifying regrets that haunted us along the way. I think there are deeper reasons this fic relates to the theme, but it would be a disservice to its understated angst for me to try and drag it all out and dissect it here.

Imperial Apparitions: Victorian Periodicals and the Search for Franklin (1848-1860)

My Name Is John Franklin And I Like To Fuuuuuuuuuck by Charlotte_Stant (Lady Jane, 1k)

I know the title is... but it’s a Lady Jane character study! I promise! Gosh, speaking of things I love about Terror fandom, EXEfest is so neat.

Three Winters, Four Springs by halotolerant (Fitzier, 50k)

“Han,” I hear you say, “I love psychic wolf sex, but what does it have to do with contemporary British imperialist propaganda takes on the lost Franklin expedition?” Well, that’s a fair question, but there’s some really fascinating worldbuilding specifically relating to the gaps between the filthy, miserable, selfish-surviving reality of expedition life and the memoirs that make mint on it.

Always Simple & Sincere: Protestant Doctrine & Difference In The Franklin Expedition

Like Unto a Man by disenchanted (Hickey/Crozier, 6k)

Crozier has weird psychic powers like in the book, but good. This fic is basically just him lying there and unwillingly astral projecting into Hickey’s sex memories but he is very Protestant about it, somehow.

old habits die hard by MOUSE9000 (Terror lieutenants, 5k) I don’t really want to explain how EXACTLY the modern AU vampire roommates and their ambiguous relationships are kinda Protestant with it, but they are.

The C, the C, the open C: Classics and The Terror

A More Appropriate Hole by chatterleysghostwriter (Hodgson/Dundy, 6k)

Hodglove, Catullus, having an ever-so-slightly anachronistic depressionwank. What more could you need?

Ex Illustri Vagantium Ordine by annecoulmanross (Fitzier, 3k)

Meta-classicism with a touch of everyone’s favorite (Latin footnotes.)

(I’m going to level with you guys 100%: I feel like probably most heavily classics-referencing fics in the fandom are Bridglar, which I don’t really read (just not my thing) and as such that’s just, like. A gap in my knowledge. Sorry, Bridglar, I don’t want to erase you from this narrative! If you want to add your own rec in reblogs, feel free.)

and sang no more: The Fictional and Historical Impact of Traditional Music in The Terror

all seasons, at all hours, and in all places by Gwerfel (3k, Hickey/Tozer) “Rat Catcher’s Daughter” song played for horror. Spooky and crawling.

A delightful God-fearing man by Lilliburlero (3k, Gibson/Irving)

Irving seeks out a songbook, in a delightful romp which also happens to be very well-cited.

Poetic afterlives of the Franklin Expedition

Something different for this one—let’s have a little fanpoetry!

Northwest Passages by kitsuneartemis

Spoon River Anthology, but make it The Terror.

An Arctic Sonnet by hangingfire

Sonnet 130, but make it Fitzier.

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lesbian-archives · 2 years ago

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Women, Lesbians and Prostitution: A Workingclass Dyke Speaks Out Against Buying Women for Sex*

By Toby Summer**

(As published in Lesbian Culture Anthology, edited by Julia Penelope and Susan Wolfe, Crossing Press, 1993. Originally published in Lesbian Ethics, 1987.)

*I am thankful that Lesbian Ethics exists; without it, no one could hear my written voice over the roar of the Man’s lies. I am also deeply grateful to those women who make my life possible in an impossible world. I thank you for your guidance, insight, truth-saying, assistance, criticism, patience, love and support. Without you, my courage would have failed me here.

**Toby Summer is not my real name. I do not use my real name because I don’t want to be exposed to the sexual humiliation that goes with having been abused as a prostitute. It never ends. No one who knows who I am is authorized to “come out” for me; if, when, where, how, to whom, and for what purpose I do choose to identify myself, it is my choice. It is the only control that I have that leaves me any human dignity.

Dedication

To the woman in my life who knows most what this has cost the both of us.

Introduction

Shining bright red, a miniature box of wooden matches sits next to my flat blue cigarette package. I bought the cigarettes, but some man forgot the matches when he left. The matchbox is embossed with gold, two circles. Inside the smaller circle, an owl sits on the stump of a redwood tree. On the left of the owl, there is a stick-figure drawing of a whole living redwood. On the right, child-like squiggles represent flying birds. Between the two circles, bold capital letters name the institution issuing the matchbox: BOHEMIAN CLUB. It is world famous; infamous, more accurately. War lords of this outlaw nation belong to this exclusive club, this men-only club.

While week-ending with a friend on the Russian River, I once penetrated the Bohemian Club’s summer encampment’s security. We strolled right through the center of camp. Structurally it looked like Girl Scout camp, but felt different. Bohemians don’t allow girls.

This club may soon have to hire women as workers because they lost a case in court for sex discrimination in employment. If and when they do, it won’t be the first time they’ve paid money to women, just the first time for non-sexual work.

I draw the above frame around the subject that I want to address to my community. This frame of men with absolute power and women with so little starkly shows that men make the rules and women do what we’re told to do. This is a system that uses class and race to divide women from each other, but it is based on sex discrimination. Prostitution and pornography are graphic practices of female sexual slavery within this system; the major difference between the two practices is that in pornography there is a permanent record of the woman’s abuse that can be sold again and again.

I do not deny that women are hungry for freedom and equality; I am such a woman. I do not deny that women make hard “choices,” nor do I deny that women find many ways to resist male supremacy. I have made such choices and continue to devise ways to resist, too. I simply underline the obvious: women do not rule. We have not consented to this system; our consent is not necessary or required. Men set the standards and women either go along and get along or try to think of ways to resist without getting killed. We get killed either way.

I. Connections

In Sex Work: Writings by Women in the Sex Industry, a newly released book by Cleis Press edited by Frederique Delacoste and Priscilla Alexander (1), the Bohemian Club is mentioned by name in at least two prostitutes’ stories. The first woman stiffly walks us through the staging area of her experience as though it were a grade B movie set. She doesn’t say how she feels. Her description struck me as perfunctory and disconnected. Scarlot Harlot’s profile of the Bohemian is one of her eleven submissions to Sex Work; her style is much more personal and engaging. She also admits that she’d make more money in a massage parlor than working the river’s rich trade. To understand the amounts involved, we have to move to another story in Sex Work, called “In the Massage Parlor.” It gets specific: $10 for a “tip,” or a $15 blowjob that deflates into a $5 “tip.” The massage parlor worker also reveals how she feels about the actual “work” that she does: “When they [the johns] touch my breasts, I tell myself they’re not really touching me…[a]nd sometimes I wonder how I can let the men do that. I wonder what is left for me. I wonder where I am.” (p. 63)

In Sex Work, Joan Nestle has contributed a piece entitled “Lesbians and Prostitutes: A Historical Sisterhood.” She says, “Besides recognizing the history of prostitutes as a valuable source for lesbian history, another connection that emerges is the lesbian customer [sic] and protector of prostitutes” (p. 238). She illustrates this with “the wonderful and moving story” of Jeanne Bonnet who is a transvestite and a john, who winds up “decid[ing] to enlist some of the women she visited [sic] in her all-women’s gang” (p. 239). Blanche Buneau, won away from her pimp by Bonnet, is shot and killed by him in their bedroom. The year is 1876. Nestle adds later, “Lesbians have and still do turn to prostitutes for sexual comfort [sic] as well as work as prostitutes themselves” (p. 249). Nestle attempts to draw connections between prostitutes and lesbians, but she has no radical analysis of the condition of women, lesbians or prostitutes.

There are connections between lesbians and prostitutes. I know because I am one. A lesbian. An ex-prostitute. I have lived the connection. I still live daily with the results. I have been a lesbian for about thirty years. Coming out as butch (transvestite actually) as a young teenager in the late ‘50s meant that I couldn’t finish school, couldn’t get a regular job, couldn’t rent a place to live after home became unbearable. The irony of loving women—which created a situation for me (actually created by an ageist, classist and sexist society whereby the alternative to jail and the street was the street, jail and fucking men for a meal, small change, and a temporary bed)—is only surpassed by the damage. Consider the fact that I learned what sexuality meant from johns and pimps before I could find out what it might mean with the girl I loved. This lesson is not erasable. My body remembers all of it. It seems that bodies learn—in the body, physically—how sex is to be felt, not just done or gone through. I submit to my readers that it was not a good thing for this girl-child, this young lesbian to do with her bright-fired self.

II. The Man’s Lie: Strategy and Damage

The removing of oneself from one’s body is a strategy for immediate survival; many prostitutes acknowledge this. This numbing—whether done like other torture victims do it or done with drugs and alcohol—is flight from that which is intolerable. Numbing mechanisms become reflex quickly. Reversing the process, later or in other circumstances, is difficult. It is my belief that such numbing in sexual assault situations sets women up for tolerating abuse, especially prostitution and sado-masochism.

Although I used this strategy as often as not, I also used a more damaging one at the same time. Today, I call this second strategy the Man’s lie, but then I called it pro-sex (2) and my choice.

The Man’s lie is still passing as truth not only from the Man but also through the lips of women, who—like I did—believe the lie. I mean, when Scarlot Harlot quotes her friend, Priscilla Alexander, as saying, “The right to be a prostitute is as important as the right not to be one. It is the right to set the terms of one’s own sexuality…[my emphasis]” (Sex Work, p. 61), what I hear is that someone thinks that prostitution has something to do with women owning our own bodies—somehow—while at the same time selling the very same bodies to men who hate women, whores (3) and lesbians and who do not make any excuses for their hatred.

This mind-fuck is very familiar to me; I thought for the longest time that I had invented it. I double-fucked myself for years before coming face-to-face with the truth of how male supremacist sexuality got to me. Not just remembering, but feeling; not just looking at all of it momentarily, but living it; not just opened up, but analyzed from a radical feminist politic for what it is and does. I have not always been a feminist, but I have always wanted to be free and female.

What I did in my mind did have something to do with freedom when I spoke the Man’s lie silently to myself about prostitution. I felt closer to freedom when I told myself that I chose what happened (even the rapes), that I felt OK about what was done to my body (even against my will), that the sex in the room had something to do with me and my sexuality (even though when she was in the room, too—my lover—the only thing I tried to do was keep him interested in me so he wouldn’t fuck her…some butch role), that the nausea-alienation-bruises-humiliation-STDs (sexually transmitted diseases)-poverty-abortion all were somehow fixable with what amounts to an EST positive attitude.

Oppressed people develop a sixth sense with which we anticipate the next move of our enemy in order to try to be successfully out of the way or in the most acceptable pose. The EST positive attitude served that purpose, as well as twisting my own mind; that is, the Man’s lie not only took the truth away from me, but it also served the Man by allowing him to point to me and say, “See. She loves it. She chose it. She’s even a lesbian…they all want it. Women are whores by nature.”

This strategic lie attempted to turn my degradation into something else, something more human, something that was not force and coercion. Poverty and oppression against women and lesbians certainly qualify as force and coercion, even if the barrel of the gun is behind the curtain of sex. What was accomplished with this lie was not a changed reality but merely a renaming of reality for something other than what it was. Reality did not change until I changed it, personally, for me; I got a different “job.” I wasn’t successful the first or second times. Even after I got out, I took my EST positive attitude with me when I went. What it didn’t explain was why I’d rather work in a hot commercial laundry for $1.00 per hour than fuck another man. The Man’s lie should have been exposed at that point, but it wasn’t. I hid behind the fact that I was a lesbian; that is, I told myself that I just didn’t want to fuck men. There was no understanding that there was something wrong with what happened to me as a woman. That lie stayed coiled like a viper for many years, waiting.

The lies that I’ve lived with, trying to make prostitution into anything other than what it is, are why I’m writing this paper; them and the damage. I did not want to do this paper. I hate every minute that I have been forced to spend on it. Like every fuck. Confronting how I’ve been hurt is the hardest thing that I’ve had to do in my life. A hard life, if I may say so. It is humiliating to acknowledge victimization. It is really quite simple; if you lose, you don’t win. One cannot be hurt and not be a victim to the perpetrator, and to all those who come after to watch the show. To avoid further abuse by the sexual practice of humiliation, I claimed the intolerable as my own, because being a victim was and still is intolerable. What I am doing in this paper is the intolerable. I want you to know that. I’m doing it because I can’t stand it that lesbians are buying women for sex and calling it progress, freedom, our sexuality, lesbian politics. I cannot stand the pretense of regard towards the women bought. Buying a human being is not regard. It is another lie. Prostitution is not freedom, not just another job. It is the abuse of women. It is sexual slavery. Period.

I want to say one thing about “healing.” For me, it is a fact that so-called healing is an empty and desperate gesture towards that which we do not have: freedom to be equal, creative and as safe as men are safe. I know that some damage is permanent; that is one of the reasons to stop what happens to women. Among other damages, what has outraged me most deeply is the damage done to my sexuality; it is the one thing that I had thought that I had saved (4) out of that disgusting abuse. Somehow, I despair of any hope to undo this damage. (5)

I wonder to myself what it means that so many women lovers have told me that our love-making was “the best it’s ever been” when what I held in my body was this incredible abuse. Once a whore, always a whore? I mean, how could they not feel what was going on? Was I that good of a performer? I’m not talking about faking orgasm either. I’m taking about how orgasm felt. How the sexuality itself felt. Fucking my way to heaven with thousands of orgasms and many truly loved partners did not “heal” the abuse. It may actually have deepened the learned sexual dynamic; it certainly caused confusion between this dynamic and any regard and respect we enjoyed with each other.

While I may not believe in “healing,” I do believe in change.

III. Sexuality Inequality

Dominance and submission is the basic dynamic of sexuality; regard for an equal is not sexy. Hierarchy is sexy. Power is sexy. Vulnerability is sexy. Humiliation is a sexual practice. It is humiliating to be a second-class citizen; that’s why men keep women second class. Men as a class devised male supremacy because men—but not only men—find it exciting to use force and coercion. “The good news is it isn’t biological.”(6) This dynamic is best expressed through prostitution; ruling class men buying women to feel their power manifested. Workingclass men, middle-class men, men of all races and ages, disabled men and gay men are also to be counted as johns when I start counting. Name your category and I’ll tell you what he looked like. It is felt in bodies as sexual, this expression of power. (It is a sexual rush to just contemplate it; ever watch some up-scale man thumb through a Vogue magazine? He consumes it like other men do actual pornography. Watch the body language. Whores are good at noticing men’s body language. I watch them, openly. It disturbs them to be watched.)

I know that some gay men do not flinch from fucking women or lesbians. My own experience stands: some of my johns were gay men who just thought I was a young teenage boy turning tricks for spending money (blowjobs reveal nothing in terms of biology and I consistently passed for a straight boy when I chose to), but some of them knew I was a lesbian and thought it cute to buy a gay “sister.” Someone once asked me why it was that gay men seemed to have a stake in female prostitution; I think I know. Our gay brothers directly profit from keeping all women down and prostitution is central to keeping women down as a class; gay men sometimes use women that way, too.

Without dominance and submission sexual boredom sets in. My guess about why many lesbian couples who stay together over time seem to coast to a dead stop sexually-or at least turn to on a slow bell—is that familiarity breeds a working knowledge of the other person, while commonality creates a rough-cut version of respect. That is, the more we like each other and the more actual respect we have, the less dominance and submission is left, and therefore sexual feelings are not aroused as easily. Even built-in hierarchies like class, race, age, disability sometimes soften over time. Heterosexual hierarchy is much less likely to soften because male and female are terms defined by the dynamic of dominance and submission; it is categorically defined as sexual hierarchy where other hierarchies are not seen immediately as necessarily sexual. (They are, but it requires some analysis to get there from here, e.g., pornography shows us that Black women are used in specific ways to make their skin into a sexual organ to be then violated like genitals. We do find much visible bruising on Black women’s bodies in pornography.)

I want to ask my community, when we have sexual feelings, what are we feeling? Is it the pleasure and danger, perhaps? Have we eroticized our own destruction, as in the Story of O by Pauline Reage? Do we, like O (stands for “nothing”), murder ourself? I wonder what there is left for me. I wonder where I am. Or, do we, like Pat Califia, San Francisco’s picture perfect “lesbian” sadist (who left town after allegedly carving an unwanted swastika into a workingclass dyke’s body [I know the Jewish nurse who had to clean the wound], and who “…couldn’t figure out how to reach orgasm with a [woman] lover”) turn 180 degrees from ‘sexual dysfunction’ into a sadist who would rather fuck a hot male masochist than a vanilla lesbian?(7)

It seems to me that what might have been Califia’s original problem is simply that two women—without more—don’t generate enough dominance and submission for her arousal; the sexual dynamic of hierarchy was missing. I think that perhaps more women than Califia might feel this way. Maybe sado-masochism has been the key to inventing arousal, so that orgasm is possible for some lesbians. I know that butch-femme roles work that way even when mixed-and-matched (kiki in ‘50s language). I know that many, if not all, of my women lovers were aroused by what they perceived to be my butch ways. The difference between Califia and myself is only a matter of degree, not content. Sexual hierarchy is sexy. This is why I think that many lesbians have embraced sado-masochism and other trappings of male supremacist sexuality such as pornography, prostitution, strip shows, etc., as a “newly found, previously denied, to-be-explored” sexuality that we need to adopt, adapt, whitewash, and call our own. (I also think that some lesbians learned “their” sado-masochism directly from gay men, as well as from prostitutes, ex-prostitutes, and pornography.)

Prostitutes have been known to express our utter contempt for the johns that use us, but usually only to each other. We do not correct the power imbalance when we do this, although it does feel briefly better to vent the outrage and disgust. This is one way to acknowledge abuse of our bodies while attempting to block the fact that we are second class citizens being used for what women are: sex. The bravado about having power over men because men buy us is simply bullshit. “When those who dominate you get you to take the initiative in your own human destruction, you have lost more than any oppressed people yet has ever gotten back.”(8)

The prostitute who performs as a female sadist, a dominatrix, does not reverse the dynamic of dominance and submission. It may be true that she has “complete power” (Sex Work, p. 51) over the male masochist’s body for those moments that she is paid to do what she is told to do by him; but I think that is a matter of this man wanting to violate the social taboo (9) against men giving up male power. It is also true that the power of male supremacy is so great that a man can feel very safe even while he chooses to toy with “submission” momentarily. Let me suggest to you that if the dominatrix used that “power” that she has during this singular moment in history—in the way that men use their power over women—she’d be either in jail or dead. It is phony power.

While men eroticize the “exchange” of money for sex (arousing in and of itself because it actualizes and symbolizes the woman’s subordination), the female sadist may eroticize her perception of “power.” This is learning sexual hierarchy from the dominant’s point of view. However, individual perceptions do not alter social structures. It is conceivable—even likely—that some women have adopted this point of view as their “own.” This is possible because dominance and submission is learned behavior. If and when some women learn to eroticize dominance in its complete manifestation, what we will have will be biologically female people who are socially men. That is, it is possible that such a woman could eroticize the murder—sexual murder—of men. Picture a female Green River Murderer who murders men. For sex. There can be no subordination of anybody without the ever-present threat of murder to give the threat life. Liberal men who promote sexuality-at-any-cost for “women, too” probably have not thought about this possibility. Even if they have, what it would mean—socially—would not be what it means for a man to do it to a woman while male supremacy remains intact. Biological hopscotch cannot alter the system. Social transformation to female supremacy would have to occur before it would mean the same thing that it means now.

Personally, I think that it’s not what I have in mind when I think of freedom.

IV. About Class Solidarity

I have watched with some interest an element of organized prostitution women adopt language from the organized labor movement. They argue that prostitution is just another job, albeit a relatively high paying one. They call pimps “managers” and johns “customers.” They say that what is wrong with the “business” is that it is illegal, or, as in the case of Nevada, that the State controls prostitution. They claim that what is needed is a union to bargain for wages (already high, they say), hours (already good, they say), and working conditions. If wages and hours are already good, the issue must be working conditions. These same women argue that what is better about prostitution than other jobs for women is that prostitutes have “control” over what they do, what they “choose” to do. They don’t explain why prostitutes can’t control pimps and johns who hurt them right now. They slide past hard issues and blame them on the illegal nature of prostitution.

The fact that prostitution is illegal does not explain why men sexually murder women and children for sex. The fact that police do not seem to care about dead prostitutes, or other dead women either, does not explain why men do it. The fact that some police officers are corrupt and brutal when they harass and arrest women for prostitution is a secondary issue.

It is not that I think that prostitutes should be arrested; I do not. My solution would be to make buying women illegal, as well as all third-party involvement, but to “allow women to sell their bodies” without legal penalty. This would put real power into the hands of prostitutes; they could overlook the crime committed against them by the john if he abided by their agreement, e.g., paid them, did not otherwise abuse them. This suggestion is not a solution to prostitution; it is a transitional band-aid.

None of this addresses the system which requires male sexual access to women and children at all times. The analysis exhibited in the “business-as-usual” presentation of prostitution is one that does not in any way challenge the harm of prostitution itself. If workingclass people had no analysis of capitalism, then what we would have is what this element of organized prostitution has: no structural challenge to the status quo. Men must have this sexual access to women and children. (Why?) Fringe benefits like workers’ compensation, demands for no more arrests, or somehow resisting torture and murder are OK as far as they go, but they do not challenge the system of male supremacy of which prostitution is the ultimate systematic expression. Trying to make an inhumane system more humane with reformatory adjustments is like spitting in the ocean: I’m not against it, but it doesn’t do much.

Finally I want to say that—as an ex-prostitute, a workingclass woman, a radical labor organizer—I have to wonder if the women who are using the language of organized labor are seriously trying to make common cause with working people. I wonder about this because of the contempt that is frequently expressed for other women who work at low-paying, low-status jobs everyday, who do it all their lives, who frequently challenge their wages, hours and working conditions (including sexual harassment). For example, in Sex Work, Scarlot Harlot says, “Ex-prostitutes are out of touch with the true glories of the trade. Plus, they were never very good at it. That’s why they’re ex-prostitutes” (p. 123). (However, she also said on the TV show “People Are Talking,” KPIX, San Francisco, July 2, 1987, that she didn’t want to be doing this for money but couldn’t make as much money otherwise. She was the only woman on the show who still did prostitution; no one asked her why she didn’t want to do it.) In Sex Work “Aline” says, “I much preferred exhibiting myself, flirting, showing off my body than working at some shit-job cleaning someone else’s toilet for poverty level income” (pp. 131-2). (However, on the next page she finds her “work” intolerable and says it’s “time to clean toilets.”) Prostitutes, ex-prostitutes, and “feminists” cannot succeed in making common cause by ridiculing other women who are struggling to get by without fucking men.

V. Sisterhood: Just Another Brotherhood?

Now what about lesbians buying women, prostitutes, other lesbians? For sex. Like men. It isn’t news. (10)

Lesbian pimps have always been around. Lesbian prostitutes have always been around. Lesbian johns have always been around. I’ve known some of them. What has not been challenged is the harm done to those women who are positioned to be bought and sold. It is the failure of “feminism” to leave the structure of male supremacy intact while women pry their way into it. It is outrageous to me that women attorneys, who call themselves feminists, who don’t have to sell themselves to men for $15.00 a blowjob, say, “I think that prostitution is an excellent way to earn a living” (Flo Kennedy, attorney, activist, TV interviewer, MS Magazine, July 1987, p. 18). Kennedy is just the most recent example. Attorney Nan Hunter, who wrote the FACT brief against the Dworkin-MacKinnon anti-pornography civil rights ordinance, said in it, “A range of feminist imagination and expression in the realm of sexuality has barely begun to find voice. Women need the freedom and socially recognized space to appropriate for themselves the robustness of what traditionally has been male language ” [my emphasis].

Never mind the other women, who are not attorneys, who are crushed by the weight of the pornographers, pimps and johns. I want to know why anyone thinks they have a right to buy a woman for sex.

The connections between pornographers and women who call themselves feminists have always fascinated me. For example, we find Susie Bright, editor of On Our Backs (lesbian pornography) in such publications as Penthouse’s Forum, and Hustler. See “Confessions of a Teenage Lesbian” by Susie Bright, “a real live dyke,” in Hustler, March 1986. I found in Sex Work another such connection. Debi Sundahl, also known as “Fanny Fatale,” a stripper, says that the first place she worked was called the Lusty Lady Theater and that the owners of this place “…were involved in founding…the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco” (p. 176). Sundahl takes credit for “…start[ing] the first women-only strip show at a lesbian bar in San Francisco” (p. 177), for publishing the first issue of On Our Backs, “a lesbian sexual entertainment magazine,” and for making “adult or x-rated videos for lesbians under the name Fatale” (p. 178). It is also interesting to me that Phyllis Lyon (of Del Martin/Phyllis Lyon fame) is the Registrar for this Institute; she is also a FACT member.

I can’t say I have a lot of hope for change. I can’t say I’ve noticed much difference between the heterosexual community, the gay male community, and lesbians, except that women as a class do not have power as men do. But I have noticed that some women are aspiring to join the Bohemian Club. Similarly, in San Francisco there has been a hoopla around the 87th U.S. Open Golf Championship hosted at the S.F. Olympic Club’s lakeside golf course (one of several men-only clubs; it has 7000 members). Seems like the city leases 17 acres of land to them and that it is unseemly for a city run by a woman mayor, a woman president of the board of supervisors, and a woman city attorney, to contribute to the success of the club’s discriminatory policy. News, it is: The city may not renew the lease unless the exclusionary policy changes (S.F. Chronicle, June 23, 1987).

Some women seem to think that if they can do what men do then “we” will be equal. The question to be asked is, if women get to do what men get to do, and one of the things men get to do is buy women, who is going to be left for anyone to buy? Some women want to rule, and have the privileges, too. Some lesbians buy women for sex like the Bohemian Club members do, already.

#text #feminism #lesbian #lesbianism #antiprostitution #misogyny #male violence #80s

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