#also if you are only criticizing steven please reflect on why only him

[human-for-tonight]

the thing about watcher is I think buzzfeed unsolved fucked them over. both in terms of numbers but also in terms of output. if you go to buzzfeed unsolved network and sort by popular, you have to scroll past 84 videos before you get below 10mil views. and a lot of those are 5-7 years old, so those are numbers they would've been looking at when deciding to break off from buzzfeed (the first watcher video was posted 4 years ago). they thought they could get big numbers without constantly churning out videos, because that's what they'd gotten with buzzfeed unsolved. and I'm sure they adjusted their projected numbers to account for people not following over to the new channel, but I doubt they predicted their top videos would be in the 8mil views range (which is still a lot, but not what they had pulled in the past).

so they aren't getting old buzzfeed unsolved numbers, but that's okay! look at the try guys - they aren't putting up millions of views every video and they're able to have a company with a decent amount of employees. and this is where the output issue comes in. between their main channel and their various podcasts, try guys is putting out 5 videos a week, with 2 being main channel videos. watcher is putting out 3 with 1 being a main channel video. plenty of people who have been making videos for a while have talked about the youtube grind and the algorithm - there's a reason daily vlogs and content houses got so big. and watcher didn't want to do that grind. from the beginning they've said they want to do seasons of shows. which is feasible! again, this is something try guys does with without a recipe. but the difference is try guys has quick and cheap videos they can put out in between and concurrently with those big shows that help support them. eat the menu is their best example of this because it gets big numbers. watcher doesn't really have filler videos.

to further the try guys comparison, buzzfeed unsolved limited the type of content fans were looking for in a way try guys was never limited because trying new things is a really fucking broad category. try guys was always more about the people than the specific thing they were trying. obviously a lot of fans of watcher like ryan and shane (and to a lesser extent steven, based on how many people are blaming him specifically for this). but I'm sure there were also people only watching because they liked true crime and/or ghost hunting content, which makes it harder to branch out and retain ghost files numbers on their other shows.

overall, they thought they could be buzzfeed with just unsolved, and that's not how youtube works and now it's fucking them over that they got too ambitious too fast

[marc-spectorr]

Helloooo I have a head canon request!! Steven grant and a reader who struggles with an eating disorder and how he tries to help her????

pairing: steven grant x reader

warnings: mentions of an eating disorder, body image issues & therapy. steven being the absolute sweetheart he is.

a/n: did i cry while making this? a bit, sure. writing this was a therapeutic in a way. i've never been diagnosed with an eating disorder, but food has been such a sensitive topic to me for many years now. though i’m still trying to get better, i want to let you know that no matter what, you are beautiful just the way you are.

you were subtle about it at first.

or tried to, at least.

each time steven asked you if you wanted to go out for dinner, you’d politely decline, telling him that you weren’t hungry or that you were full from lunch (when in reality, you hadn’t eaten at all).

when you did share a meal with steven, you’d only take a few small bites of it, always leaving a lot leftover on your plate while giving him the same excuses again and again...

but steven is a smart man. you knew he’d figure out what was wrong eventually.

and you feared for the day when he does.

the day when he finally sees how broken you really are.

“sweetheart, may i ask you something?”

it happened over what was supposed to be a lovely breakfast one morning. steven had prepared his special vegan pancakes just for you. although it looked very appetizing, you couldn’t bring yourself to dig in. 

in fact, it brought you to tears, leading to you hiding in the bathroom for more than half an hour, stifling your cries by letting the sink faucet continuously run.

steven did his best to coax you back outside, his tone giving away the sheer worry and confusion he had. 

despite the countless times steven has told you how beautiful you are, you never felt the same way. you never saw yourself the slightest bit beautiful, not with your weight.

years and years of believing that your size isn’t perfect, that it isn’t desirable, has caused you to become so insecure to the point where you couldn’t bear seeing your full reflection in the mirror. 

recently, it had worsened after you went out shopping and none of the clothes you liked looked appealing on your body. the devastation took a toll on your confidence, and it’s as if every criticizing comment about your appearance began screaming at you ceaselessly all at once.

since then, you started skipping meals as often as you could. the mere thought of eating was sickening. it intensified the constant voice inside your head. the one telling you that you would never be good enough, and it was only a matter of time until steven realizes it.

he’ll realize it, and he’ll leave you for someone better and more beautiful than you...

you knew you couldn’t remain in the bathroom forever, but you also didn’t want to face steven after what he’d just witnessed. 

god, you felt so fucking pathetic.

the door clicks open, and you aren’t surprised to see him standing out there, brows knitting into a frown, his forehead creasing with panic. you attempt to push past steven, but he’s quick to catch your wrist, holding you in place.

there’s a silent plea in his dark brown eyes: stay. tell me. please...

and somehow, someway, you did. when steven questioned you straight, “why aren’t you eating?” you broke down with him beside you on the couch, confessing the torment you’ve endured, and are still going through. 

you tell him everything.

in the end, you didn’t know what to expect from steven. he’d been left speechless after the revelation, and it scared you. but before you could hastily make an exit, the arms around you grew tighter, pulling you in closer as he wiped away the stream of tears falling down your cheeks.

“darling,” steven sighs, pressing a featherlight kiss to your temple before his gaze meets you. “you are the most beautiful person in the world. i don’t care what the number on the weighing scale says— i love every perfect inch of you, and i will forever remind you of that, yeah? i’m so sorry to hear that you’ve been struggling, but i’m here, love. i will always be here, and nothing will ever change the way i feel about you.”

and from that day forward, steven makes do of his promise. he never misses a moment showering you with love, proving to you just how beautiful you are with his words and his touch. 

when you mentioned how you’re considering counseling, steven is all for it. he’s supportive and wants nothing more than for you to fully recover. he helps you in your search to find a therapist near the area. once you get an appointment set up, he accompanies you to and from the office. steven doesn’t mind waiting outside the building during your one-hour session; he’d wait as long as you need him to because you’re never alone in this. you’ll always have him.

steven ensures that you’re eating healthy as well. no more skipping on food under his watch. he also sort of becomes your personal chef, cooking you delicious meals or ordering from his favorite restaurants when time doesn’t allow. he even starts bringing a spare granola bar or two for you to munch on whenever you’re hungry, and it’s something that you’re incredibly grateful for.

with steven around, you never feel judged. he sees you for exactly who you are and loves you wholeheartedly. he gives you safety; he gives you comfort. he gives you the extra bout of confidence you need, encouraging you to love yourself the way he loves you.

you may not have seen it right away, but steven was indeed telling you the truth.

you are beautiful. 

you are enough.

you are worth more than what you weighed.

and for that, you are forever loved.

[vowled]

Kill Your Darlings: An Analysis of its Twists and Themes

A few days ago, I watched Kill Your Darlings, and needless to say, I became completely mesmerized by it. Naturally credible characters with well-crafted backstories portraying a true story of Love, Obsession and Murder, it's everything a person could ask for in a movie. The colour palette of the movie radiates comfort and the sound track takes you back in time when these two bright young men were falling in love. Right from the start it was apparent that there were many themes in the undercurrent of the movie, and these were such that required some amount of thoughtful contemplation. And I was incredibly sorry to not find any post or review which critically discussed the themes of the movie and did it justice- so after doing some reading and digging up as much as I could, here I am making an attempt to analyze the twists and themes of the story.

The Crucial Plot-twist

The Night In Question- why the movie's recounting of the events is fictitious:

When faced with the prospect of writing the deposition for Lucian, Allen tried his best to gather information about the events that led to David's murder. However, it proved to be a difficult feat as Lucien himself would not speak much about it clearly. So he pieced together what he could from the bits of information he got. However, we see Lucian vehemently opposing the deposition written by Allen and claiming it to be false. After some thought, I find that I believe Lucian's claims. Most of the following arguments are rooted in the fact that Lucien's relationship with David was an abusive one, where David basically groomed Lucian and was a sexual predator. I suggest reading my post here to gain more insight about how the abuse affected him.

"You weren't there, you don't know what happened." These words right here- they're the words of a victim. Being subjected to a form of sexual abuse myself, I found these words hitting me like a brick ton. These are words coming from a pained soul that refuses to recount traumatic incidents. He's practically saying that the abuse was so bad he had to kill his abuser to be free from it.

Even after Allen saw first-hand what a total creep David could be, even after knowing the man had stalked Lucian across multiple cities, he had to ask Lucian why the latter killed David when he "could have run". This tells me he couldn't exactly relate to Lucian's situation and wasn't very keen on believing him. Although he displayed a moment of intimate affection, there's still a lingering feeling of yeah but he broke my heart inside him. After learning how Lucian drowned David, he even begins questioning if he should help him at all. At this point, Allen doesn't trust Lucian enough to actually care how accurate the story is. So he wrote what he could, what he felt right. But even he couldn't condemn his friend/first love to such a fate as prison, so eventually he submitted it as his final paper. In all honesty, I thought that turning it in was a brilliant move, and one which also further proved that the "once you loved him too" version was mostly fanciful fiction.

Throughout the movie, sequences have been played in reverse frames (and I found this so pleasing) and from the nitrogen-inhaling scene, we know that these sequences designated memories playing out in Allen's head or his subconscious creating dreamscapes. And here's the catch- the entire scene of Lucian taking a walk with David and eventually killing him began with frames played in reverse order. This gives the absolute proof that the movie's depiction of the events were fictitious.

Allen's P.O.V. of the events mainly relied on the argument that at some point, Lucian genuinely loved and needed David. This couldn't be further away from the truth. When you're 14 and and being groomed and coaxed by an older guy, a lot many things could feel like love because you haven't experienced them before; but in reality, it's never love, it just is another form of violence.

Themes running through the movie

"There can be no Creation before Imitation"

We see Professor Steves saying this at the beginning of the movie, hinting that it would be a theme in the story. This statement is reflected throughout Allen's progression and development as a poet:

In the beginning, we see him being hugely influenced by his father's works and possibly trying to imitate him through poetic devices such as consonance.

Next, we see him imitating Professor Stevens' style of writing in his poem "the rose that scents the evening air, grows from by beloved's hair" which Lucian outright criticizes.

It is only with the poem Allen recites to Lucian on the boat that he starts developing some sort of originality. That poem in particular is directly drawn from his personal experiences and delivers splendidly.

This development continues as he proceeds to write "The Night In Question" wherein he brilliantly describes his opinion of how things went down. It was this streak that would eventually propel him to write his most celebrated poem, "Howl".

The Circle of Life and How Allen Breaks it

We see Lucian telling Allen how "Life is only interesting if it is wide" and about Yeats' "Circle of Life". As displayed by the linked document, turns out the circle of life is quite complex a thing, and the movie displays a lay-man's version of it. As Lucian tells about it to Allen, unbeknownst to them both, Allen also enters the circle and changes the turn of events:

It is obvious that at the party at David's, Allen was a misfit. David even goes so far as to literally call him out and point how unremarkable he was, but says how given the correct circumstances, even Allen could change things. And what's extraordinary is exactly this happens next: the liquor runs out in David's party and Allen suggests they should change the venue of the party- hence hijacking David's party!

We see Allen's life widen as he becomes closer to Lucian and starts doing things he'd never done before. At the same time, he also plays an important role in changing Lucian's life as well. It's Allen who suggests at first that Lucian should break up with David and stop taking his help. Later in the movie, after learning about David's obsessive behaviour, it's again Allen that said "we should get rid of him". Again, here we see some foreshadowing. Allen could have worded it in any probable way, and yet he suggested getting rid of David which subtly implied killing him. I do believe that this happened to become a subliminal suggestion to Lucian and furthered his murderous intent.

Hence, although Lucian radically changes Allen's life, the latter does so too in unlikely and unexpected ways.

Sacrifices (and Rituals?)

Since the beginning of the movie, we know that the characters are all extraordinary men and that they are capable of something revolutionary. But it was apparent that all of them would need a catalyst to set things in motion- a sacrifice of some sort which would help them break their moulds and free their inner poet. Allen's love for Lucian and his wish to impress him did make him work toward become better at writing. It was the fear of completely losing Lucian to Jack that made Allen put all his effort into writing, and made him come up with his best work yet - here, the fear acted as the catalyst.

However, the most significant thing in connection to this happened in this scene where Lucian cuts both of their palms and holds them up together - this can be considered a Blood Ritual.

"A blood ritual is any ritual that involves the intentional release of blood. Blood rituals often involve a symbolic death and rebirth, as literal bodily birth involves bleeding. Basic to both animal and human sacrifice is the recognition of blood as the sacred life force in man and beast. The participants may regard the release of blood as producing energy useful as a sexual, healing, or mental stimulus. In other cases, blood is a primary component as the sacrifice, or material component for a spell."

The fact that this event took place inside Allen's head during a trippy session outlines how Allen had subconsciously taken a blood oath with Lucian to further The New Vision. This process of developing their revolutionary ideas would successfully progress for the rest of the movie; however, before its completion, the oath demanded a sacrifice- and the murder of David became this blood sacrifice.

"With Death comes Rebirth"

In the first half of the movie we see the initiation of this theme; after they've agreed upon to bring up something revolutionary, Allen talks about how rebirth comes only after death, and in their naivety, they play out a pseudo-suicide scene to imitate death. Little did they know greater sacrifices would have to be made. Eventually as events play out, we come to realise that it is David's death that became the cause and medium for their rebirth- both academic and intra-personal. Jack and Bill co-wrote the book "And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks" about the murder of David Kammerer, and eventually rose to fame, while Allen became popular with "Howl and Other Poems", none of which could have been initiated/inspired without David's death. As for their personal growth, none of them were the same as they were before the affair. I like to think all of them changed for the better. Lucian must have finally felt a sense of relief after getting rid of his abuser, while Allen finally took-off his rose-coloured glasses, saw Lucian under a more critical light, and developed a sense of self-esteem.

A Study in Violence (I was unsure whether to include this point in this analysis or not due to the violent nature of it. But I figure this analysis would remain incomplete should I leave it out. So here it goes..) The sequence from 1:10:00 to 1:12:00 was an in-depth survey of Violence and how it can occur in different forms. In particular, it focused on how any form of penetration is intimately violating.

We see a lonely Allen being so lost that he's about to have sex with a complete stranger. This itself is very unlike him, who in the beginning of the movie was shying away from Lucian kissing an unknown girl. A few sequences later we see how he wasn't very comfortable with this idea (he wanted to turn off the lights but the other guy turned them on) and yet he was made to shift into a position he did not prefer and hence was made to have rough sex.

We see Bill looking very solemn and injecting drugs into his hands.

We see the violent altercation between Lucian and David. We see David forcing himself on Lucian and eventually being stabbed by him.

We see Jack recieving the news of the death of his friend.

In this way, we see every member of the group being exposed to some form of violence, be it sex, drugs, physical altercations or death.

First Love and its aftermath First love is also an important theme of the movie as it shows how one's first love has the capacity to radically change a person from within:

Allen's first love changed him from the shy, people-pleasing always-upright persona to the bold, radical, critical and unafraid person he became at the end of the movie.

Allen's discovery of his own style of writing can also be majorly attributed to Lucian's criticism of his rhyme-schemes.

All in all, it was his love for Lucian that drove him to become a more out-going person and ignited the mischief in his spirit, while the heartbreak of realising Lucian didn't feel the same for him also lent him invaluable insight and allowed him to develop confidence and a sense of self-esteem, which would play a significant role in him eventually becoming his own person.

While Allen's first love furnished him with the overall better things in life, the same could not be said for Lucian, sadly. Lucian's first love reminded us how oppressive love can become if the other person isn't suited-well for us; it showed us how sometimes love and obsession are separated by a thin line, and how dangerous it becomes when the line is crossed.

Lucian's story also showed us how sometimes a relationship can be more abuse than love, and when that happened, how easy it became to confuse violence with love.

The most significant message that the theme of first-love portrays is that there will always be consequences.

With this, I bring my arguments and analyses to a close. I hope a future (or even past) lover of the movie happens to stumble upon this someday and learn something fascinating about the movie (or reignite their love for it). Thank you for reading this far!

[P.S. an uplifting fact: in real life, Lucian, Allen, Jack and Bill each got the type of life they wished for, and remained friends for the rest of their lives :) ]

[crispyapplepies]

AkuRoku Defense pt 2

Axel and Roxas’s ship has had one of the most bizarre fandom journey’s i have ever come to witness. It has gone from being one of the most popular ships maybe ever, to being dead cancelled over a supposed age gap and I find that completely unfair, especially when it speaks to so many innocent people who emotionally depend on the ship, (yes innocent includes the spicy people because art literally is not a crime). So its time to defend it.

Brief Review on Nobodies vs Aging

First of all, l already explained in part 1 what the Nobodies Don’t Age thing means but I’ll go over it again briefly, since it can be confusing, though also many people seem to demand their hands be held rather than use their imaginations to understand. Even so, here’s the short version just for a review:

-A person in KH is made of a heart, body, and soul.

-The body reflects the heart in KH. (See: replica bodies taking on the appearance of the heart that’s inside them). 

-A nobody lacks a heart, making them just a body and soul. They’re advanced zombies of sorts.

Nobodies do not age because they have no heart for the body to reflect. This is why they won’t change until they form one. Change includes age

-Ergo, you can imagine any age you like for Axel to be nobodied, cuz he was frozen at that age and did not change for 10 years. Not until he met Roxas. 

We’ll come back to this again later.

Axel Loves Roxas Canonically

Second of all, Axel loves Roxas and you are allowed to interpret that as platonic, familial, or romantic, I don’t care as long as you’re not forcing that idea on others like the ship police. That said, people are allowed to explore how romantic this love potentially is. 

And what you might like to know is that the canon is even open to this. Axel’s love for Roxas is canonically expressed, and if you would like, you can even interpret that love as romantic. See below:

We are going to look at the japanese translation because AS ALWAYS good old SENA is here for the straights and erases the gay, like clockwork. 

In English, Axel says this:

Axel: I wanted to see Roxas. He...was the only one I liked... He made me feel...like I had a heart. It's kind of...funny... You make me feel...the same...

Axel’s line here in Japanese:

Axel: I wanted to see Roxas... I loved him. Being with him... it made me feel like I had a heart. I feel it from you, too... the same kind of....

You may notice that as romantic as the line “he made me feel like I had a heart” sounds, the original can be read as wAY gooier, specifically cuz of this word:

好き: "suki"

Now here’s the thing. Japanese is a pretty vague language which is why context is so important for these things, as well as what you say, and what you don’t say. 

“Suki” is a very key word here because it is often used in romantic confession scenes.

(I have no idea what this panel is from, I apologize lol) 

It CAN mean something casual, like “I love video games”, but considering Axel is saying this with his dying breath, I don’t think we should be treating it as some hyperbole. He is referring to a person and it is meaningful. However. It is still a word with plausible deniability. Japanese has several words for love, “ai” for example being one of the most inarguable means of referring to romantic love. So choosing “suki” still leaves room for the homophobes to disregard it as something not romantic. Which makes it objectively inconclusive. Here is the thing though… they specifically chose that word, suki, a word which IS so often used in a romantic context in many anime and manga. 

They also chose to use that word rather than something objectively platonic. Which means you also cannot conclude Axel did NOT mean it romantically. Given his devotion to Roxas, and the fact that they chose this word of all words for him to say… I’m personally going to assume it’s romantic. You are free not to interpret it that way. But I am because I am considering the fact that they did not choose something strictly platonic. 

(My translator friend actually freaked out when I showed her this, she’s translated and seen enough confession scenes to know what connotations that particular word comes with lol). 

If you’ve read my queer coding doc, you may recall I also go over how this is one of the most important tricks with queer coding. You write something that CAN be viewed as queer but with plausible deniability for straight people to ignore it. It’s a means of protecting oneself and the text from homophobic oppression. It is a legitimate practice. So even though it can be denied as a queer text, it can also very very well be viewed as a definite queer text. We are choosing to queer it here. It is not as explicit as it could be, but it is still very bold, suggestive coding considering the homophobic world we live in, and especially with KH2 being released in 2004. 

“But Age Gap!” (ughhhhh)

We’re back to this cuz I also finally have the Japanese version of that infamous page in the Day’s novel to look at.  

I hope you’ll forgive me if I get a little bit salty but I don’t like to repeat myself lol so I’m gonna try to keep this section short and to the point.

In this interview with Nomura, he expresses that nobodies do not age, and they exist as they were at the time of becoming a nobody. He then suggests Xemnas seems 30 ish.

Now I truly do not care to hold your hand through the process of thinking creatively because you should be using your own imagination, if you have one, to think critically and creatively about what this idea means.

Kingdom Hearts is a FANTASY game. Nobodies are a FANTASY concept. They can break ALL the rules about real life that you want them to. But I will go ahead and explain this for you even though I’ve already done it many times, in this very document even and in other meta posts.

The body reflects the heart. Nobodies are frozen as they are from the moment they are “born”, which is to say the moment they are created. Glorified zombies. They aren’t going to age unless they form a heart. Why does Xemnas look 30? He has a heart! Or he was formed 10 years after TerraNort defected. You tell me. Why did Ienzo age? I dunno, you tell me! Either he formed a heart and didn’t know it, (he’s passionate about his work, he loves Ansem the Wise, any number of things could’ve made him form a new heart), or he was nobodied later in life. Axel is frozen at whatever age he was when he was nobodied, all the while Ienzo could’ve been nobodied 10 years later. It’s a fantasy, and these are fantasy rules. That scenario can happen. YOU decide. Until the canon tells us for sure, your imaginations can run wild with explanations. Even if the canon does tell us, you can still imagine whatever you want for your own headcanons. Freedom is amazing, it’s salty and sweet. 

Now let’s talk about that annoying page in the Days novel people keep shoving in my face.

This one right here. The official english translation is this:

That’s not the worst translation I’ve seen them put out there. But let’s look closer at the Japanese:

 Here, Axel says he thinks Roxas is about 10 years separate from himself, but things like age don't exist for nobodies.

Already that’s making a lot more sense to me for nobodies since we are told nobodies do not age. As such Axel speaking like he is 10 years older would feels almost contradictory when he has no heart and cannot change. 

This wording is important. Recall me saying that Japanese is very vague so all of the context matters. No one is denying that 10 years passed between Birth By Sleep and Axel meeting Roxas. However. Nobodies don’t age.

(please dont make me explain that a third time in this essay alone)

The Japanese and English both express that age does not apply to nobodies, (as discussed above^^^^) and the Japanese furthers this with its wording. They have 10 years of separation between Axel being nobodied, and Roxas existing.  

Axel saying in English that Roxas is simply 10 years younger than himself is rather misleading considering the ambiguity of the original. I can’t fault the translators too much for not understanding this nobody concept so well because it is obviously confusing. However, I do not think Axel was saying Roxas is literally, in real life human somebody terms, 10 literal physical years younger than him. He is expressing that he became a nobody 10 years ago whereas this guy became a nobody very recently, and it shows with how little he can even function right now. A zombie who has been wandering around with no heart for 10 years meets a fresh zombie wandering around with no heart for 1 day. 

I know antis are gonna use it against us no matter what, but at least know that akuroku is not inherently pedophilia nor is it inherently an adult/minor ship.

In many of our headcanons, Axel was frozen at age 18 or 19, with Roxas being 16. Absolutely no one is required to view them with a big age gap because imagination is free and you literally have no right to police it, but also because the canon expresses these nobodies as beings outside of the realm of age. They do not operate under real life rules or somebody rules. Think of Steven Universe where Rose was thousands of years old but only “grew up” as a person when she fell in love with Greg, a human in his 20s-30s who asked her to consider other people’s feelings. Consider the mind of a nobody as a state of Neverland. You aren’t gonna age unless you step out of it and change. Mature. Isn’t it sad that Axel did not feel like he had a heart until Roxas? No wonder people ship it!

Coding is Obvious

Finally I wanna conclude on a simple thought. This interview right here? I’d be curious what the original Japanese actually says lol but the english translation of it says that romantic akuroku was not Nomura’s intent. 

Here’s the thing though. If you know anything about queer coding, you know that using romantic coding between 2 male characters is signaling something. It is not something you should ignore. It would not be there if the characters were meant to be viewed as objectively straight. And for something “unintentional”... there sure is a lot of coding at work here.

From Axel pinning Roxas down and asking him to come home in a very sexually suggestive pose,

to watching the sunset in sheer bliss together just enjoying the peace of reunion,

to watching the sunset together while talking about what LOVE is, specifICALLY romantic love,

To this. And I already told you what this was in Japanese.

I’m not saying Nomura lied…

But I am saying that a whole staff worked together to create these games, and it is very difficult for me to believe that no one thought to say “these characters appear to be romantic, let us change the scene to be more platonic” if the characters were not meant to be romantically suggestive. 

Tl;Dr I wanna live in the timeline where people let you ship akuroku lol

[monkey-network]

The Fiasco Finale of Future [1/2]

So in the penultimate episode of Steven Universe 2, the climax of both the season and series as a whole... is a group hug. As I expected, plenty were not too pleased with this turnout. Some felt it was anti-climatic, some felt it was resonating, and others tried to own the critics by digging deep into the scene like they always do sucking this show’s co- Coming from nearly a month later, I’m... split. One hand, I didn’t mind the climax. On the other hand, it was pathetic compared to plenty of other finales I’ve seen in media. It’s like this show as a whole, I enjoy it, but I also enjoy smacking it upside the head cuz it made some Karen-esque, All Lives Matter type stupid shit that I just cannot get behind. So you know what, Perry the Platypus, let’s mix it up. I wanna express the good and bad of this climactic end to the show and see where we can go from there. You ready?

What’s Good:

You truly wanna know what makes that final hug a great scene? A real showstopper? I have the truth, the best truth behind this, you won’t believe me but here goes. The climax worked because A Hug Is Nice. That’s it, there’s nothing else to it beyond a hug being nice. “But Monkey, you incel troll, there’s should’ve been more to that. The episode shouldn’t have taken that long to get to that point.” Well, in typical fashion, let me put it this way by talking about Spider-Man 2 (better than Spiderverse, don’t @ me). The whole movie is centered around Peter’s life getting shat on. He’s getting fired left and right, his people are abandoning him, he even loses his powers, he’s just at his utter lowest. But at his apartment, while contemplating, in comes his landlord’s daughter, Ursula, who offers him some chocolate cake and a glass of milk.

We can say the scene comes out of nowhere and that this is all that happens, feeling pointless, but I say this is an important scene because after everything that happens to him before, this one gesture from somebody out of nowhere to be honest was one of the nicest things he’s received in a while. It’s the seedling of a scene that keeps Parker going before Doc Ock comes to make him truly spring back into action. Above everything, it was nice. Like a hug.

I don’t need to be philosophically deep with SU2′s meta to tell you that a hug can be a worthwhile thing to get more than anything. It doesn’t resolve all the baggage Steven has in his mind, but a group hug from the people closest to you (and the Diamonds) can be a gesture so nice, it can numb you out, if only for a moment. Only other times where Steven got a hug was when he felt everything could be okay. With Lars, Peridot, and Connie after her “rejection”, and it’s after that “rejection” where he slowly loses it in his attempts to shake off that harsh feeling of abandonment and that everything can be okay. It is something where he can turn to the others for help but the concern of their response makes him reasonably suffer in silence. That last part is a little dumb, but I’ll get to that later. He can’t really hug himself because it doesn’t work like that. The point being that Steven, at his lowest, just needed something nice to consider. And a hug from everyone who loves him (and the Diamonds) can be that piece of chocolate cake he needed to be at ease, again, if only for a moment.

Like let me tell ya, as a deliriously depressed man that constantly wishes for death, a hug shouldn’t be spat on. Whether it be from your friends or mommy, a good hug can, at the very least, keep you sane and going. It isn’t medication, let’s not get it twisted, but a healthy remedy nonetheless, especially if you’ve ever felt touch-starved like I have before. It’s an affectionate gesture that for what it’s worth, should never be taken for granted. And while Steven could’ve well gotten this big type hug at almost any time he desired, I can at least appreciate the show for saving that at the right time. Whew. But, while the moment itself is nice, it’s predictably almost everything around it that unfortunately puts the moment in a vacuum and me with a bad taste in my mouth.

What’s Bad: 

Let’s get this out the way, because I’m such a literal bastard... *inhale*

Penis. Penis. Penis. Penis. Penis. Penis. Penis. Penis. Penis. Penis. Penis.

MUSHROOM! MUSHROOM!

Congrats on those with the corrupted!steven theories who no doubt had it hard on when this horned trunk ascended, hung its head high, and beat its meaty chest with blind rage, the crewniverse certainly had the balls to go with this design and a long discussion of utilizing Monster Steven’s full potential. And if you think I’m nasty about this, hoo boy, be glad that words are all you’re seeing right now because artists no doubt had a field day potentially ruining this design for you even more. I’m surprised Tumblr’s flagging system hasn’t taken down whole posts with this. HEHEHEHAAAAAAAA!

As you can probably tell, I’m not a fan of this Diamond Dinodildo’s design (say that 5x times fast). I mean Rebecca could be as horny as she pleased with this show, but this is next level, I tell you. But seriously, it honestly sucked that this is what they came up with when it served no purpose to Steven thematically other than him being a literal peen of a monster. Said this before, but what does becoming a corrupted looking amalgamation mean to him beyond “he’s a monster”? Corrupted gems weren’t the worst things in his world, they were products of a even worse thing. Turning into a diamond like figure would’ve said something about the cycle of abuse making you not feel like yourself, but a reflection of who you not only resent more than anyone, but were the indirect causes of your newfound issues. That would’ve took his struggle in the Diamonds Days arc to its next logical extreme, and brought most of Future’s episodes centered around Steven’s issues to a sensible turning point. Being a warped Diamond version of himself would’ve meant finally embracing inhumanity, and that would’ve conveyed the peak of Steven harshly feeling less like a human over the course of the season, especially when we had several episodes and new powers centering around him being inhuman. And a previous episode had him try to shatter a Pink version of White Diamond, two beings generally responsible for everything that’s happened to him. And it isn’t the design that made this a turn off.

What was Steven even gonna do as a monster? He does nothing to the town, he never even makes it pass the cliffside. He doesn’t even try to attack anybody, the only times he does is when he’s provoked by either the Cluster, the Diamonds, or any of the gems. Spinel raised more hell than Steven. So on the look back it’s insultingly sad they hyped up this big dick energy only to do... genuinely nothing. He already didn’t deserve turning into Pinky the Phallisaurus, but having him not even do anything as a monster left far more to be desired. Mob Psycho 100 did this nearly identical, but better. You can’t deny that it would’ve worked better with 22 minutes, actually give him something to do beyond screech and stomp like he’s Scrat from Ice Age. As much as I don’t like Change Your Mind, 45 minutes worked to its favor to do everything it did. Oh wait, this episode did make good use of time... with a fucking pity party.

They wasted my baby

This is. The WORST scene in the entire series and I’ll stand by that 100%. It’s one thing to show something offensive, but it’s another to have something be completely pointless. Yes, Connie talked some sense into them, but we didn’t need to waste time having White Diamond and the others bitch about something everyone who isn’t a toesucking simp should’ve figured out at that point. Not like it mattered, the Diamonds and Spinel never show up after this episode anyways, so good job making them count for something, I guess. This as well as minorly acknowledge the fact that the gems had a lot to do with Steven’s mental trauma because hey, we don’t have to hold these gems too accountable for child neglect. Speaking of which, where was Jasp- This plays well into my previous point, we aren’t shown what Steven was gonna do as a monster, so what else is the episode to do beyond holding him back in time to just make the characters go “All is lost” for one second before getting back up like this is Marvel’s Captain Driftwood?

Friendship is Magic had this type of moment in its penultimate finale but in that, more time was given to show the villains getting the upper hand, Twilight at her low point, her turnaround with her friends, and the lead in charge to defeat the villains. While some moments felt convenient and downright insulting, they made the most of their limit. The same can’t be said for this and it makes no sense. Speaking of things that make no sense:

Was this shapeshifting or corruption? Rushing or dragging? This personally bothers me because people are saying he shapeshifted even when they were also on board with him corrupting. But what was the point where monster Steven cums cries into the ocean turning it pink?

Now if Steven got himself corrupted, this would make sense since the three Diamonds are there with so fully turning him back to normal wouldn’t be an issue. Questions would arise about how corruption can happen to a human, then again this is Steven Universe, fans never really wanted you to ask questions. But if this was shapeshifting, then why have this permanent monster form? It would’ve made a little more sense of Steven changing his shape depending on his emotions, like what we’ve seen before. Additionally, Steven should have been capable of talking normally instead of roaring and growling like he switched brains with an actual animal. Just because he kinned Godzilla’s joystick doesn’t mean he was unable to speak to anybody, that is if he shapeshifted. Lastly, and this is more implicit than my previous points:

This season shouldn’t have tried tacking mental issues and trauma onto this dickslap of a climax. I’m on the side where we should’ve seen more from monster Steven, but what does this tell me for the topic of mental health? Nearly killing people on three separate occasions didn’t help, but having him transform into a near mindless beast is a backhanded way to convey post traumatic stress. Let me put it this way, if we didn’t get that episode where we learn Steven had held up trauma and stress from Doctor Priyanka, everything surrounding it afterward wouldn’t feel as fucked up as it did. Yes, understanding a root of a character’s problems is good, beneficial even, but having your character nearly, sporadically, commit MURDER THREE TIMES only to then have him become a wildin’ creature does nothing, if not disgust. It's disgusting when you talk about PTS one minute and have your main character be socially dangerous the next. You’d feel sorry for him, sure, but I gotta say nearly killing people is not something we should just hand wave. That is not a good or realistic depiction of depression and post traumatic stress; especially when you trying to discuss this with children. And don’t try to justify it by saying it was necessary for his downward spiral. Having to think and see death before my own eyes in real life, there should’ve been a better way to make Steven hit rock bottom without putting other’s lives on the line. It wasn’t compelling or resonating to see him become a witless creature after saying he could get away with anything, it felt jarringly hallow and teeth gritting sadistic to think this was acceptable. It took him turning into a literal creature to finally go to therapy or a throwaway line about therapy in this show’s case? Are you kidding me?

The hug is a nice moment on its own, but it took far too many kneecaps to get to this point and think it’s believably or justly earned. I can make fun of the monster design all I want, but what they put Steven through to get to this point is the most insulting writing I ever have to think about. Because you know what that hug told me, personally? It’s that you can commit near irrefutable atrocities, you can behave like a blithering rampaging beast all you wish, but that won’t matter. Because you’re valid and your people will love you. That is not only asinine, but it kinda pissed on what I went through growing up. Like, as idealistic as that felt, it didn’t add up because it made the mentally unstable come off as more unstable than they mostly are. You can disagree all you want with this, it won’t change the baffling fact that I came to this conclusion in the first place when I didn’t want to. “But the crew said in an interv-” NO, just nope. If the message the show gives is this polarizing for those that invested or were concerned with it, maybe the message wasn’t clear enough, who knows? I can believe Mr. Rogers never fucked this up when he made his show. I tried thinking of this differently, but I can’t excuse what they did and how they did it. Bojack Horseman never pulled this with its main lead and when it truly did, that was given more time to sort out; not an 11 minute epilogue in its final moments. The hug was nice, but this episode was trash.

Speaking of which, next time...

We Finally Look to the Future

Here’s Part 2, if you’re up.

[one-hell-of-a-bi]

(could you tell me how those lack critical thinking please? not trying to argue, just actually confused)

Sorry for the late reply! The notes on the post itself do a good job of explaining things, but here’s my take.

Abuse is NEVER black and white. It might seem like it is, and for some people thinking about it that way helps, but with all forms of trauma assuming there is one way everyone should process and represent what happened to them is misguided and harmful. 

Like yes at first it does seem reasonable to say that all abusers are evil and that they should never be redeemed and that narratives that frame them as being worthy of forgiveness are harmful, but that in itself is showing a remarkable lack of understanding of what actual abuse survivors go through.

I don’t really know how other to explain it than through anecdotes so this might get a little heavy, I apologize, I’ll add a TL;DR at the end encase you would rather not read about abuse.

That said, the paragraphs below discus childhood sexual assault and emotional abuse.

So I was sexually assaulted when I was ten. For the longest time I hated my abuser, tbh I sort of still do. But he used to be someone I trusted and loved, so it’s hard for me to say things like “he deserves to rot in hell” or “I hope he dies” because...I don’t really feel comfortable saying those things about anyone, even someone as bad as him. Plus, I have reason to believe that he might have hurt me just because he himself was hurt, and while that doesn’t excuse what he did, it makes things a little bit more complicated.

It was only recently that I discovered what became of him. After what happened my family never talked about him, and I never saw him again either. I didn’t go to his trial and no one ever told me what the verdict was. I can’t even find any news articles about it no matter how hard I look. For all I know he didn’t even get punished. And tbh I was fine with that. I didn’t want to think about it. I honestly felt a little embarrassed by it and felt like my family never really believed me. So I was ok with not knowing.

But a couple of years ago he apparently reached out to my mother and started talking to her. I don’t really know WHY, but she felt comfortable talking about whatever he wanted to talk about and some members of my family have welcomed him back into their lives. And when I found that out I felt SO betrayed. I felt violated all over again, and when I went onto his facebook page to block him I saw that he was in a relationship with someone. And part of me really, REALLY wanted to find out who he was dating and tell her what he did. Ruin his life all over again. Because he ruined part of mine, why should he get to be happy? 

But after I calmed down I thought about it....and while I NEVER want to see him again(just the thought of it makes me break out in panic sweats and feel like I’m gonna throw up and cry), who am I to say that he isn’t allowed to try to be a better person? I don’t believe in the death penalty, and he’s only in his 30s. If he can see the error of his ways and grow and change and find a better life....well, I’d rather that than he go back to offending or rot in jail. If he can be forgiven by someone, that’s ok. It doesn’t have to be me, but I am willing to accept that he has a life now, and for better or for worse that’s not something I can control. 

So you see, I cannot condemn him. Part of me still hates him, and I would rather die than ever see him again, and I don’t think I will ever be able to forgive him, but I don’t want him to die. I don’t want to ruin his life. I don’t want to stop him from being a better person. If there is a hell I don’t want him to go there. 

And to say that if I don’t feel like he should be killed I somehow am being a bad survivor or that stories like mine are harmful is....bad. Stories like mine are actually VERY common. Most abuse survivors feel really conflicted about their abusers, some even still love them. Some forgive them. And reflecting that in our fiction is GOOD. 

As another example, my dad has always treated me like crap. He loves me, I know he does, and I know it was mostly because he was sick, but he wasn’t a good dad. He used me as a pawn against my mom, he made me take care of myself way too young, he blamed me for things that weren’t my fault, he yelled at me, he neglected me, all in all he was a really bad father. And I still love him.

I can still remember the good times we had. I remember talking about sci-fi and science, seeing movies, and going out for good food. He bought me nice things when he could and taught me how to cook. He never made fun of my interests, he tried to teach me to drive, he even took me to conventions and helped me make my cosplays. He let me get dogs, and I am still so grateful for those dogs, who I still have and love to this day. He’s also the reason I moved to Arizona and because of that I made new friends and got a job I loved and met my boyfriend(and our 2 year anniversary is tomorrow!).

So yeah, my dad was both a force of good, and a force to harm in my life. He hurt me a lot, and I am still trying to overcome the trauma he caused to this day. I have a lot of negative feelings towards him, and it is hard for me to talk to him, and I do have to remind myself that I don’t have to take care of him, but he’s my dad and I forgive him. I know he loves me. I want him to get better and be a good person. I don’t want him to not have a chance at redemption. I cannot condemn him. 

And these people who think that narratives like mine, where I forgive and move on and the abusers go on to have lives and even be a part of mine, are somehow evil or harmful or invalid are fucking wrong. I don’t feel bad saying that. They are WRONG. Because most people who did have abusive parents will feel the way I feel. Conflicted. A sense of both love and resentment. A reluctance to cast them aside. A desire to care for them when they need you. And a lot of us don’t even feel like we need to forgive them...we just do. Sometimes it’s easier to forgive. And sometimes we just want to have another chance at having a parent that loves us. There’s nothing wrong with that. 

And as other survivors have said, seeing stories where abusive parents and people do see the error of their ways and go on to make an effort and change and try to be a better person and be worthy of redemption is cathartic as hell. It might be unlikely, and it might be an escapist fantasy, but it makes us feel better, and helps us process and cope with our trauma. Like fucking forgive me but sometimes I want to read a story in a world where people who do wrong ARE redeemed and DO make amends and become good people. 

And this post is long enough so I won’t get into it too much but stories where bad people are redeemed are actually GOOD. Everyone fucks up at some point in their lives. Everyone does something awful, something that feels unforgivable. And when we do we see stories like ATLA and Star Wars and Steven Universe and see people who have fucked up and done awful things and who still are given a second chance. The struggle forward isn’t easy, people won’t always forgive you, they shouldn’t be expected to. But these stories tell us that no matter how far we have fallen, we can ALWAYS get back up. We can always be better. We are never beyond saving. We shouldn’t give up. That’s really fucking important for EVERYONE to see. 

And I mean you don’t have to look far to see a world where one fuck up means you are evil. That’s how Tumblr is! A system of morality where one strike and you’re out. Where you can never be redeemed. Where all apologies are performative and anyone who tries to be better is just trying to get people to forgive them so they can be bad again. No one can learn from their mistakes. And that FUCKING SUCKS. I really do not want the world to start being like that too. 

But anyway TL;DR

Most abuse survivors feel really conflicted about their abusers and do not follow a narrative that tumblr believes is “correct”. Acting like there is only one way to process and come to terms with abuse and that depicting anything else in fiction is somehow harmful and evil is in itself harmful and evil. The people making those posts don’t actually seem to care about that and tend to talk over abuse survivors who usually enjoy these narratives because stories where abusers do change and are forgiven are super cathartic and can help us heal more than stories where the opposite happens. In fact a lot of these stories are written by people who have been abused, and once again, acting like these narratives are somehow wrong is harmful as hell and invalidates a lot of people in the name of morality.

Tumblr once again shows a lack of any and all critical thinking and in doing so harms the very people they claim to be protecting because nuance is evil and everything is black and white.

Sorry that this got so long, if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

[starspanglcdman]

⌜ CHRIS EVANS, MALE, HE/HIM | soldier by trixie mattel, choleric, the activist ⌟  ⏤ blink and you’ll miss STEVE ROGERS, the hero that goes by CAPTAIN AMERICA ! last i heard, they were co-parenting with BUCKY BARNES. they’re a professor of DRAWING & PAINTING at paragon academy, and i’ve always found them to be pretty PERSISTENT & OPTIMISTIC, though i’ve heard that they can also be really SELF-RIGHTEOUS & INFLEXIBLE. do you think they’ll give me an autograph?

small violence & gun tw! just a small mention

The paint doesn’t move the way the light reflects, so what’s there to be f a i t h f u l  to?

steven grant rogers was born on july 4th, 1918 in brooklyn, new york to sarah and joseph rogers

he never met his father. to steve, joseph was only a photograph, a story told once in a while when his mother got melancholy at night. he was a soldier. a ghost.

as a child, steve was slight and prone to sickness. this still didn’t stop him from being feisty and fighty, always standing up for what he considered to be right.

somewhere along the way, bucky got tangled up in his life. they have been inseparable ever since.

steve loves art! he’s always loved to draw—it’s why he enrolled in auburndale art school after he graduated high school. he dropped out a year later due to the great depression but he’s never let his love of art fade.

as the second war broke out, steve felt that he couldn’t sit idly by. this led to him trying to join and then being rejected from the army four times

after his third rejection, bucky leaves for war. after his fourth rejection, steve meets dr. abraham erskine. erskine sees steve for who he is and who he could be. this leads steve’s enrollment in the u.s. army and in project rebirth.

steve gets the super-soldier serum after months of training and preparation from both the army and from erskine, who helped him become who he is today.

from then on, the story’s simple: he goes overseas, rescues bucky’s unit, forms the howling commandos. loses bucky. flies a plane into the ocean to save the united states.

for 45 years, steve is presumed dead.

his body is found in 1990, perfectly preserved and very much alive.

after being revived from the ice, steve joined SHIELD and did jobs for them. he helped form the avengers to protect new york. 

he found bucky again. helped him get back to who he was and all was right with the world again.

violence & gun tw! last year, he got shot at an anti-registration rally, where he was speaking out for mutant / powered rights! (also commonly known as event 08)

is now happily married and has a lot of adopted kids. please bring steve kids. i want a mini-army.

extras!

professor for classes of drawing and painting. he’s always defaulted to drawing because those are his origins, but is very passionate about painting. he grades his classes on very arbitrary criteria and always defaults to the group constructive criticism style of teaching in his classes.

he is unapologetically bisexual. when he was younger, he got so used to hiding that fact that it took him a while to open up about it. but now, he recognizes that his visibility is important for younger kids who are struggling, too. so, he’s very passionate about lgbtq+ rights and even moreso about lgbtq+ youth.

steve is incredibly politically active and stands by his belief that protesting works and should be done by anyone who feels their voice should be heard

steve has no room for bigotry. he fucking fought a war about it.

he’s a vocal advocate for mutant rights and won’t make you forget it.

[antoine-roquentin]

You and your colleagues trace the “populist” upsurges of 2016 in both major parties to the runaway growth of a “dual economy” in America and the failure of our money-driven political system to do anything about this but talk. Yet among liberal commentators in the mainstream media it’s now all but axiomatic that economics cannot explain the election. They pin its outcome on racial resentment and gender prejudices. What’s your take on this line of argument?

The short answer is that these folks are running a perfectly good point into the ground. From the day he announced — indeed, even before then, when he kept questioning where Obama was really born — Trump and his campaign hammered away on racial and gender-related themes. I doubt there was any dog whistle he and the campaign didn’t try out.

But Trump was also making noises that no other major Republican challenger had in many years. Parts of his critique of international finance, globalization, outsourcing, and free trade overlapped with Sanders’s. Also like Sanders, instead of burying his listeners in a blizzard of four-point plans and policy-speak like Clinton did, he forthrightly talked about the need to restore prosperity, bring jobs back to the US, and to “drain the swamp.” He criticized Goldman Sachs, raised the prospect of repealing the carried-interest tax deduction beloved of Wall Street, and mocked Bush’s decision to invade Iraq. He also questioned the value of NATO to the US and the continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, while pushing to reduce tensions with Russia.

This is not to say he was a carbon copy of Sanders; he wasn’t, as anyone who read between the lines of his comments about blue collar workers vs. unions or paid attention to what he has done since taking office on taxes, labor policy, and immigration.

But the economic appeals were clear and powerful.

In the days after the election, I was astounded how fast the Clinton campaign’s notion that it was all due to the “deplorables” crystallized into “common sense” in so many quarters. Or the parallel wave of assertions that the electorate’s rejection of her was a convulsive reaction to the election of the first black president in American history. That one seemed to me quite implausible: why should the reaction be so much stronger in 2016 than in 2012, when Obama was running for reelection?

Trump’s boasting about his sexual conquests and tirades about women’s rights and roles and his volte face on abortion to please the Right were all obvious, but even newspaper polls suggested that the story had to be more complicated in regard to white women and possibly even Hispanics.

What about the post-election academic studies that everyone keeps citing in support of the conclusion, though?              

If you look closely, you will see a kind of schizophrenia pervades these. Studies by Shannon Monnat and other scholars that analyze aggregate county-level voting returns suggest that Trump’s appeals resonated especially strongly in poorer areas left out of the painfully slow recovery of the Obama years. The force of the dual economy explanation is plain in these.

But the big studies of individual voters do not show this pattern. One problem with them is that the economic variables that you would really like to have — for example, vulnerability to imports, but above all longer-run trends in economic growth — are just not to be found in the data these studies collect. They can only be added at enormous time and expense and sometimes not at all. Statistical software for relating complex surveys of individuals to local growth patterns over time is also imperfectly developed.

But you can’t beat something with nothing. If you don’t like those studies, what’s your answer?                     

Exactly. So my old colleague Ben Page and I set out to analyze the American National Election Survey data afresh. We compiled a lot of data about congressional districts and related this to the survey data. My colleague Jie Chan and several of Ben’s students eventually joined us. Our first, somewhat preliminary, paper is now out as a working paper.

We agree completely with the studies that find racial resentment and gender considerations played substantial roles in the election outcome. We also concur that the political discussion and reception of the Affordable Care Act was heavily racialized — that really stands out when you study the survey data.

But we also find compelling evidence of the importance of economic issues. In the Republican primaries, for example, Trump’s support for import restrictions clearly distinguished him from the rest of the Republican field and helped gain him votes. The importance of feelings about the US being on the “wrong track” is also apparent. That likely reflects some economic considerations, though economics alone hardly exhausts its content.

When we analyze voting by congressional districts, especially changes in the presidential vote from 2012 to 2016, the importance of economic issues also stands out. Some of these factors are not obvious, unless you are familiar with recent studies of Brexit and German voting in the early 1930s, such as the importance of fiscal austerity in pushing voters to the right.

We find that economic considerations played a major role in the decisions of “switchers” — people who voted for Obama in 2012 but then voted for Trump; 2012 non-voters who came in from the cold to vote for the real-estate mogul; and last, 2012 Obama voters who didn’t vote in 2016. Limits on imports and, in the case of non-voters in 2012 who ended up casting ballots for Trump, beliefs that the government should take a more active role in sustaining peoples’ income both played a role.

We also find very direct evidence that the Clinton campaign’s relatively weak emphasis on policy as opposed to candidate qualifications cost it the votes of 2012 Obama voters. Many just did not perceive a meaningful difference between the major parties. Disappointment with the meager aid the Affordable Care Act actually provided individuals also appears to have influenced many of these dropouts.

We also discovered something else that has really interesting implications. In the earlier paper on money and the election that Paul Jorgensen, Jie Chen, and I wrote, we pointed out that in the final weeks of the campaign a wave of Republican spending on endangered Senate races dramatically turned many around, preserving Republican control of the Senate. The striking result was that for the first time in American history the party that won the Senate races also won the state’s presidential vote — with no exceptions.

Conventional election analysts barely noticed. If they did, they made nothing of it. But this led us to suggest that strong correlated efforts (often led by statewide parties) helped pull Trump across the finish line in some states where he was close.

Wait a minute: you mean that the efforts by the Kochs and other interests cool to Trump who poured resources into Senate races to hedge against loss of the White House may have provided Trump with the razer’s edge?   

Yes, precisely: reverse coattails. And the survey evidence confirms this. Among both those who switched from Obama to Trump and those who finally decided not to vote, it appears Senate races had major effects. The probability of either voting for Trump or not voting for Clinton rose substantially in those states but not elsewhere.

We take this as evidence for the commanding role political money played in the election outcomes. In effect a dual wave of money (Trump also spent fairly lavishly toward the end, as we showed), floated the Republicans to victory in both spheres.

Where does that leave all the claims that Russian interference handed the election to Trump?           

Unless you are prepared to argue that Vladimir Putin was in league with the Kochs and company to secure Mitch McConnell’s perch as leader of the Senate, and that they concentrated on states with Senate races, you need to think afresh about those claims.

We were clear that we had no pretensions to inside knowledge about things like Trump’s relations with the Deutsche Bank or what Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, or anyone else in his entourage may have said or not said to WikiLeaks, the Russians, or anyone else. For that, everyone will have to wait for the special prosecutor. We also said directly that we doubted that Facebook and other internet concerns had been forthcoming about all that they did and knew at the time and later. The various investigations have certainly confirmed that.

But nothing that has come out fundamentally changes the evidence that the mighty Wurlitzers of the Trump campaign and the domestic right-wing messaging infrastructure centered on Breitbart dwarfed Russian efforts. Russian efforts were not targeted with anything like the precision they should have been to be very effective, no matter how many people claim the opposite.

Russian or Russian-linked entities spent very little in key battleground states and, as we pointed out in our earlier paper, researchers who claimed the opposite relied on a poor statistical test. When you reanalyzed their data with a more appropriate test, their case evaporated. The Russians, for example, did foolish things like focusing tweets on states like West Virginia, which was a lock for Trump.

There’s more. Scholars have presented evidence that the Republican share of the vote in 2016 rose proportionately at least as high among people who used the internet the least. Past warning about empirical evidence on what would be required for high rates of belief change also remains relevant. I think a new Harvard study probably has it exactly right when they observe that the Russian efforts pale “in comparison to the directed efforts of the Trump campaign working with Facebook’s political marketing team.” No foreign operation can sow chaos like Steven Bannon and company. 2016’s madness was most likely made in America.

[patriotsnet]

What Does The Bible Say About Republicans

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-republicans/

What Does The Bible Say About Republicans

What Does God Say About Democrats

What Does the Bible Say About 2016 Election – Hidden Secrets Revealed – Republican vs Democrat

Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Saving America

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I know of no one doing everything they can to help our nation to turn away from wickedness and sin, and turn back to God, like Steven Andrew.;

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The USA is in a national emergency. Our only hope is to surrender our lives and the nation to God and agree to obey the Lord. We have hope. It is not too late to find Gods mercy. Steven Andrew

People are very concerned. The news shows the USA is in a freedon verses tyranny national emergency. It could even be a life verses death crisis if the nation goes into captivity as happened to Israel and Judhae for their sins. If we want to honor God and have God bless our lives and nation, it is important we know: What does the Bible teach about Democrats?

I am Steven Andrew, the pastor who believes like the founding fathers. I am on a mission from God

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Is the Bible your final authority or do you go by your feelings and own ways?This is Gods opinion, not mine.

For protection and national security, the nation needs to see Democrats hearts the way God does.my This is Gods opinion not my opinion.

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Bible Verses Violated By The Republican Party

Please note this article is not another case of a Democrat insulting the Republican party and their religious members.; I dont like either political party and Ive lost hope in the current political system until major changes are made.

While Ive lost most; interest in national politics,; some things still catch my eye. But what bothers me the most, and always gets my attention, is when a politician campaigns on a the premise that their allegiance to their God makes them a better person than the other candidate. Fast forward a few months after their election and there they are obstructing ethical legislation; for their constituents only to make their donors happy.

If a politicians; adherence to the Bible is what makes them a good person and good elected official, what do they become when they no longer adhere to the Bible?

You can understand why I feel my arguments made here are sound: The voting and campaign records of Congress are widely-available public records, and since 7 out of the 10 Bible verses I used are from either Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, meaning that 70% of this is literally the Gospel truth

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James : 19 Niv: Everyone Should Be Quick To Listen Slow To Speak And Slow To Become Angry

Well THAT’S a big red flag if I ever saw one. Any of the above points show that Donald Trump does not have a reasonable filter. Whatever comes to mind comes straight out of his mouth, especially when he gets angry. If our president acts out in anger, we are going to have a lot of issues on our hands. Can you imagine how he would converse with other world leaders? What would he do if they insulted our government, or heaven forbid, Trump’s hand size? How would he react to negative criticism from countries we very much need to remain on good terms with? Not only is this dangerous, it also gives more reason for people not to respect America. It would say a lot about us if our leader had the same temperament as a two-year old in a time out. A true God following leader would participate in rational discussion, in which all sides are heard and acknowledged.

I’m not trying to tell anybody that Hilary is the Christian candidate we’re looking for. In fact, I don’t even believe we need a Christian candidate at all. This is America, where anybody of any race or religion can do the job. What I am trying to say, is that if you think Donald Trump is your closest bet to having a Christian in office, you’re making the wrong choice.

Your choice matters. Choose wisely.

Abortion Is An Integral Part Of The Vaccine Industry

For you created my inmost being;;you knit me together;in my mothers womb.;Psalm 139:13

The Bible makes clear that life begins at conception. It says that every child is a gift from God . If Jesus were here today, I am not sure if He would be carrying a sign, but we can agree He would be pro-life.

Many are surprised to find that in fact, vaccines do contain;aborted fetal tissue,;including lung and kidney tissue.

This is because scientists grow live vaccines in living tissue. You can find aborted fetal tissue in 23 total vaccines, including:

MMR

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Gop Lawmaker: The Bible Says If A Man Will Not Work He Shall Not Eat

This storys headline;has been corrected. A quote from Rep. Jodey Arringtons remarks at a congressional hearing has also been added.

One lawmaker is citing a godly reference to; justify changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Rep. Jodey Arrington recently quoted the New Testament to question the strength of current work requirements.

The biblical passage, 2 Thessalonians 3-10, was a rebuttal to one of the hearings expert witnesses, a representative of the Jewish anti-hunger group MAZON. It is also a familiar refrain to anyone who has watched past debates about SNAP.

House Republicans have historically cited the verse if a man will not work, he shall not eat as justification for cutting some adults SNAP benefits. Arrington referenced the verse in a discussion;about increasing the work requirements for unemployed adults on the food stamp program. But critics say that;advances;a pernicious myth about the unemployed who receive SNAP.

The verse in question applies specifically to people who can work or otherwise contribute to society but choose not to, said theologians from several denominations who spoke to The Post. There is a perception, among some voters and lawmakers, that many adult SNAP recipients are exactly this sort of freeloader.

More from Wonkblog:

James : 26 Esv: If Anyone Thinks He Is Religious And Does Not Bridle His Tongue But Deceives His Heart This Person’s Religion Is Worthless

Wow. That was blunt. I commonly hear people say that they like Donald Trump because, “He speaks his mind.” There is a monumental difference between speaking your mind, and throwing words about without caution. The things that Donald Trump has used his platform to say should not only shock you; they should offend you. His words are rash, prejudiced, and hurtful. You don’t believe me? Here are some examples:

“You know, it really doesn’t matter what the media write as long as you’ve got a young, and beautiful, piece of a**.”

“My fingers are long and beautiful, as, it has well been documented, are various other parts of my body.”

Now I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t sound like the kind of man who has proper control over his tongue to me. Words are some of the greatest indicators of who we are. The president of our country should be able to possess certain qualities, such as engaging in foreign affairs without flying off the handle. Not only is this concerning to our national security, it is also a warning sign of poor character.

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Robert

Great article Jack,Sure a lot of good points you brought up. A lot to ponder as an election grows near.

It seems like the people who get elected reflect the sentiment of the nation. If we are concerned with the economy, we vote for the people we think will fix it. If we are concerned with moral issues, we vote for those we think care about what we care about.

This may also be a way in which God judges, or blesses, a nation. As the individuals of a nation move further from God, they elect representatives that are also further from God. These representatives are then naturally going to be motivated by something other than God and His love. Therefore, the nation suffers.

On the other hand, as the individuals of a nation move closer to God and elect godly representatives, these representatives seek Gods will for themselves and the country. The nation is blessed.

Thanks again for a wonderful, thought-provoking article.

Yours in Christ,

Friendship Is The Goal Of The Gospel

What does the Bible say about voting in 2020?

Christians rightly think about salvation as forgiveness of sins and eternal life. But it is more than this. Jesus gives all who trust him the privilege of being his friends . And what is eternal life, after all? According to Jesus, this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent . He rescued us to forge an intimate relationship with the triune God . God forgives us that we might share in his triune fellowship of love forever.;

In the new creation we will enjoy true friendship with all other believers. Our future is a world of friendship.

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Matthew : 28 Esv: But I Say To You That Everyone Who Looks At A Woman With Lustful Intent Has Already Committed Adultery With Her In His Heart

Now, I’m not trying to single out Donald Trump for having completely natural biological urges. All of humankind has fallen prey to the allure of lust. However, to battle with that in one’s heart and to voice it out loud to others are two completely different things.

The LORD calls men to honor and protect women. Women are handcrafted by God, and they are to be respected. Donald Trump has been quoted saying things that go directly against this God-given duty:

“Grab them by the the p*ssy.”

If that wasn’t vulgar enough for you, here’s a list of adjectives he has publicly used to describe women: Fat. Dog. Pig. Slob. Disgusting animal.

I don’t know what it’s going to take for this country to start valuing women properly, but having this guy in charge isn’t going to do it. As a woman, you should be concerned that a candidate for president is getting away with talking about your demographic like that. As a man, you should be standing up for the women in your life by saying that this is NOT okay! Young girls in this world should not grow up thinking that those words are okay because the President of the United States says them. If we elect this man, that will be the standard our girls will have for the men in their lives.

Exercising Our Civic Responsibility: What The Bible Says About Voting

Before we look at what the Bible says about voting, let us look at how our individual votes count.

Song of Solomon 2:15 says, Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. Foxes sometimes, in search of food, would enter into the grape orchards and devour the grapes and spoil the crop. However, the little foxes were too small to reach the grape bunches so they would chew on the vines and it would kill the whole vine. Instead of the farmer just losing his crop, he would lose his vine which was more disastrous. Spiritually some things we do or allow that we might think are little or insignificant can also be disastrous for us.

Listed below are some of the little foxes that generally keep us from our civic responsibilities, in the area of voting. The devil uses these lies and others so that he can keep godly men and women away from the polls and get the candidates of his choice elected. If we do nothing, it makes it easy for the enemy to help those who could become the wrong leadership for our nation.

My one vote doesnt count anyway.

Im disillusioned by the whole political process.

Im already too busy to take the time to cast an informed vote, so I just dont vote at all.

Politics are corrupt anyway and as a Christian I dont want to be involved.

What the Bible Says About Voting

_______________________________________________________________

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Achieving Racial Justice And Equity

The Bible is very clear that God does not show favoritism, and neither should his followers. So, there is no place for racism in the church or in America. The Democratic Party is absolutely just in standing strong against racism in America.;

Now, personally I think that some of the Democrats policies for eliminating racism are not biblical at all. But the fact still remains: The basic policy position is biblically just.

As the election approaches, remember: As Christians we are called to lead people to Christ, not to an elephant or a donkey. Dont allow your politics to sabotage your witness to unbelievers or your fellowship with believers.;

Our loyalty must be to Christ. So, do some research, and vote in line with the heart of Christ. Lets do our best to vote for right and just leaders, and to pray for righteousness and justice in the hearts of those who are elected.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join Impacts live outdoor worship service at 9 a.m. Sunday at 17746 George Boulevard in Victorville, or tune in online at 10 a.m. on the Impact Christian Church YouTube channel or Facebook page.

Christianity For Votes: How Republicans Are Using A Religious Facade To Gain Political Power

On full display: Rep. Ted Yoho, in his non-apology to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, remarkably argued, I cannot apologize for my passion or for loving my God, my family, and my country.

Talk of God has been brought into and out of national politics throughout American history, with various partisan and non-partisan causes, but rarely in our history has any political group weaponized faith for political goals as comprehensively as todays Republican Party. Although the name of God has been used as a rallying cry for Republicans for decades, the party that claims to support Christian values has developed a twisted ideology where the mere mention of God has become a license for injustice. Consequently, his name is being thrown out in vain by Republicans who seek to avoid being held responsible for their actions, even when those actions go directly against the Scripture.

The contradictory nature of devotional statements made by GOP;members;was put on full display in a recent scandal in Congress,;when Rep.;Ted;Yoho, R-Florida,;was forced to resign from a Christian organizations;board after publicly exhibiting a behavior profoundly opposite to the values he claimed to stand for.

Yohos non-apology

A powerful political tool

If we want to resemble a hope for uniting and healing;within our;nation, we must rebuke lies, hate and division. We must rejoice in the truth.

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Christians Cannot Serve Both God And The Gop

The Christian right is the backbone of the Republican Party. Christians of all stripes from Catholics to Protestants and evangelicals consistently vote Republican. The core tenets of the modern Republican Party, however, are at stark odds with biblical scripture.

Over the last four decades, few priorities have consumed the Republican Party more than economic policies that benefit the ultra-wealthy. The Ronald Reagan presidency, in particular, ushered in an era where corporate bottom lines took precedence over fair wages for American workers. The rise of the Reagan-Republican ethos, which preaches the elevation of over virtually all other considerations, directly influenced of American jobs to countries with vast pools of cheap labor. Ditto for union-busting and the adoption of job-killing automation in pursuit of maximum profit.

These factors, unsurprisingly, the American middle class. Moreover, Presidents Reagan, George W. Bush and Donald Trump all pursued radical tax policies that overwhelmingly; if not solely; benefitted a small group of exceptionally wealthy Americans at the expense of the working and middle classes.

Republican policies favoring the ultra-affluent, however, stand in stark contrast with biblical scripture. The Bibles condemnations of the wealthy and the accumulation of riches leave zero room for ambiguity.

In short, followers of Christ must choose between God and money.

Property was sold and the proceeds distributed to anyone who had need.

[sherlockedfanshani]

Johnlock: Two years on

I posted the following on a Sherlock fan forum in August 2016. I’ve just found it again and revisited it. It thought it might be interesting to reflect on how things have panned out in the Sherlock fandom: 

OK if you can bear with me, this is a long one! I wanted to set down some thoughts on this whole situation, which - frankly - I think has become a bit of a mess. Whether it can be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction at this stage I think is unlikely, but who knows?! As far as I can see it, there are two entrenched sides now: TJLC shippers on one, TPTB on the other, and other fans - both non-Johnlockers and Johnlockers who don’t want or don’t expect their ship to become canon - caught somewhere in the middle. This is just my personal interpretation. I realise others will see things very differently so please accept that my intention is only to try and set things out in a non-inflammatory way. I will set my cards on the table from the start. I don’t think it is or has ever been Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss’ intention for Sherlock and John to enter into a romantic or a sexual relationship in their version of this story. I take at face value what they have said about addressing the fact that, in the 21st century, two close male friends living together would make some people question whether their relationship was more than platonic. And that, combined with the fact that both Moffat & Gatiss’ careers began in comedy and sitcoms, the way they have explored this in ‘Sherlock’ has mostly been through humour. That humour, incidentally, is never at the expense of gay people or gay relationships. If anything it’s a gentle mockery of any characters (Mrs Hudson, Angelo, the innkeepers in THOB) who make erroneous assumptions. In fact, humour is derived from the notion that homosexuality is so unremarkable these days. Therefore characters automatically jump to the conclusion that what Sherlock and John are gay, simply because such a close male friendship is more unusual! Do I think the “gay jokes” are always successful? Not entirely. Even Gatiss is on record as having said maybe they overdid them. However, I don’t think for a moment that they ever expected any section of their audience to interpret these occasional moments in each episode as hints or subtext that Sherlock and John would actually get together as a couple. So what happened way back in 2010? The show airs and becomes a bigger hit than Moffat & Gatiss could ever have imagined. At some stage it becomes clear to them that the show is attracting a very devoted collection of predominantly young and predominantly female fans. And via social media interaction, the creators become aware that for this fanbase, the largest part of the appeal of the show is the relationship between John and Sherlock. I’ve no idea if they’d heard of slash fiction and shipping before it became such a phenomenon in the Sherlock fandom, but presumably they became aware pretty rapidly. In the early days, the cast and crew responded in different ways whenever the fourth wall was broken and they were confronted with the Johnlock-related stories, photo manips and artwork that the fandom was producing. Initially they seemed amused and even played along. However, their responses to some of the more explicit, NSFW stuff that was shoved in their faces - either by fans or by journalists such as Caitlin Moran or Graham Norton - was less genial, and you got the definite sense that they weren’t entirely comfortable. The image of these fans that was being presented then was that they were hysterical, teenage, heterosexual girls: unable or unwilling to have physical, real-world relationships of their own, and fantasising about two men getting together for their titillation in much the same cliched way that straight men fantasise over lesbians. (Note: I’m not saying this was the reality - just the perception which was promoted all the time and which presumably TPTB also inherited.) So their responses began to shift. The creators have always said that fans are absolutely at liberty to write or create whatever they like. To my knowledge they have stood by that. No legal action of any kind has ever been threatened against any of the Sherlock fanbase for anything they have written, drawn or photoshopped. They have even expressed admiration for some of the artwork. However, they definitely took a step back and cooled on this stuff. Over time, both Gatiss and Moffat’s attitude towards and relationship with online fanbases has definitely suffered. They are fans themselves as they frequently remind us. Massive fans. And although there was no ‘Sherlock’ when they were younger and growing up, there was of course the other big TV show that has shaped their careers: ‘Doctor Who’. Remember, they are from a different generation. When they were kids, teenagers, even young men, the fan experience was totally different and almost entirely passive. You couldn’t post your opinions on a massive global forum, there was practically no way to contact other fans outside your immediate geographic locality, and there was no way of contacting the people who made the series, or at least certainly no way of guaranteeing they could see what you wrote or elicit a reply from them. Maybe this means that they haven’t adapted to the way modern fandom works. Maybe it means that as middle-aged men, they expect their fanbases to be more respectful and more passive, and ultimately to accept what they are given or, alternatively, exercise the only other option: stop watching and walk away. So what do they experience in this brave new world? Steven Moffat takes over the show-running job on ‘Doctor Who’, and has a colossal amount of vitriol flung at him by its fanbase. So much so that he decides to quit twitter altogether. He’s also routinely accused of misogyny, to the point where he is forced to give interviews rebutting the notion. I’m not going to get into whether or not the claims have any validity, I’m just trying to make the case for why he he may appear prickly or thin-skinned when it comes to criticism in general. Fan interaction also complicates matters just because the vocabulary that fans use is different. Young fans tweet “u lil shit” to Mark Gatiss in the way they would to their friends, and this is unsurprisingly not interpreted in the way it is intended. Offence is caused, people are blocked, and more barriers are erected between TPTB and the people who love and are inspired by their work. At some point, attitudes within fandom began to shift. Rather than just shipping two characters whose relationship nobody ever believed would become canon, many of the online/tumblr fanbase began to believe that Johnlock could and should do so. The notion took hold that if Gatiss were solely in charge of the show, this would indeed happen, and it was only Moffat - the nasty heterosexual - who was getting in the way. Gatiss was tweeted countless times to this effect. Only recently, someone on tumblr discovered an old League of Gentlemen sketch where Gatiss plays a gay character whose relationship (and its subsequent break-up) is fetishised and patronised by an overbearing straight woman called Tish. Whilst this sketch is problematic and can certainly be viewed as being misogynistic on some level, I don’t think it’s stretching credulity to speculate that ‘Tish’ is probably based on a real-life person and that Gatiss was indulging in some therapy by yelling at her on stage night after night. Did Gatiss connect this person with the Johnlock shippers? Did it seem to him that he was now having his professional career diminished by a bunch of pubescent teenage girls with a crush on Benedict Cumberbatch who counted him amongst their number “shipping Johnlock”? It also presumptuously placed him in the position of junior partner to his straight colleague Moffat, banning him from writing what he really wants. Another patronising assumption. This is total speculation, but I wonder if John’s vehement “I am NOT GAY!” to Mrs Hudson in the Gatiss-penned “The Empty Hearse” was provoked by all the online speculation directed at Gatiss via his twitter feed. Was this intended as the ultimate response - to shut down the Johnlock debate once and for all? Ironically, of course, it had the opposite effect. It was interpreted that Mrs Hudson was the ultimate Johnlock shipper, and she of course could see the fact staring in her face that John and Sherlock were simply made for each other! Then we come to Mumbai in 2014. And Gatiss - in a departure from the creators’ habitually evasive and jokey means of answering questions about forthcoming plot points - embarks on a lengthy and heartfelt explanation/justification when he is questioned about Johnlock. I’ve watched this video more than once and I can’t interpret his speech as anything other than sincere. And this is also why I think Gatiss and Moffat’s reactions to whenever Johnlock is raised are becoming more irritable, more frustrated and with none of the playfulness they exhibit everywhere else. Gatiss must be aware of the accusations of “queerbaiting”. They have appeared on his twitter feed, apart from anything else. And just as Moffat feels hypersensitive to accusations of misogyny, Gatiss must surely feel the same way about being accused of effectively betraying his community and having internalised homophobia. He tries to set the record state but what happens? He still isn’t believed. Of course, a big part of this is a problem entirely of Moffat and Gatiss’ making. When you spend the bulk of interviews smugly declaring that you lie to protect future plot points, you can’t then be surprised when your fans don’t then believe you about other things: no matter how impassioned or frustrated you might sound. They really have made a rod for their own backs. The With An Accent journalist detected a difference in tone and attitude to the Johnlock denials compared to other obfuscations about plot, but if you’re not in the room, AND it’s not something you want to hear, why would you believe them? Johnlockers have varying degrees of expectation of their ship becoming canon, ranging from those who want it to remain strictly in their own heads and never be actualised on the show, via those who think it would be nice but is unlikely, through to those who desperately want it to be but remain unsure. And then we have TJLC. TJLC is a conspiracy in the truest sense of the word. Every piece of data is viewed through the prism of an utter conviction that not only should Johnlock happen, it will. Costume choices, set designs, drinks, lighting, everything is presented as evidence of confirmation of Johnlock, and some of it in the most convoluted way, with no acknowledgment that there could be any other possible interpretation for what appears on screen. A coincidentally commissioned survey into LGB representation is cited as conclusive proof, as well as a quote from Gatiss from an interview years ago that the way to introduce more LGBT representation is “softly, softly”, so as not to frighten the horses, so that everyone just sees it as mundane, everyday and normal. Ironically, if the conspiracy is true, and Johnlock is ultimately going to be the ‘big reveal’, that would be precisely the opposite approach to what Gatiss describes. It would make gay representation into a sensational shock twist, just like Mary’s reveal as the assassin or Jim from IT being Moriarty. That’s not treating LGBT issues with the respect they deserve in my eyes, and maybe that’s what Moffat is getting at when he describes that approach as ‘trivialising’. The TJLCers express the certainty that such a shock reveal would shake the foundations of society to its core, and it would be such a landmark, water cooler moment, that TV and gay representation, and indeed society itself, would never be the same again. Even if I remotely believed Johnlock were on the cards, I actually think the reverse would happen. The show would be universally derided as having ‘jumped the shark’. Not because its viewers are homophobic or resistant to the idea of gay couples, just because it would genuinely come out of nowhere for them. It would be perceived as pandering to a tiny minority of its fanbase - that is for those few of the general audience who are even aware that this is what some of the fans expect from the show. And for the vast majority of the audience it would come completely out of the blue and be utterly confusing. After all, in their eyes, at no point in the show, have John or Sherlock ever exhibited any kind of sexual attraction to another man. And this is another problem, and I’m sad to say, feeds into the sense of entitlement which some fans do exhibit. ‘Sherlock’ is a massive, mainstream, worldwide hit show. It is very easy to forget that in the little bubble of tumblr where you’re speaking to a self-selected group of people who all feel the same way and all agree with you. But the online fanbase is a tiny minority of the people who watch the show. Threats to ‘desert it’ and expect that to hold any weight with the creators really are meaningless. It’s not a niche, cult show where a fan can expect to stamp her feet and automatically get her wish. To put it bluntly, when your worldwide viewership is in the hundreds of millions, if a few thousand storm off because their ship is not actualised, it really makes no difference. What really makes me sad is that I can’t see any way that this is not going to end horribly for some people. I don’t think Gatiss and Moffat realise that - whatever it may have been to begin with - the fanbase now, or at least the ultra-ardent TJLC part of the fanbase, contains a number of young people who identify as LGBTQIA. For these young people - again predominantly women but also with a number of trans, non-binary and gender queer members - they feel their sexuality, their gender and indeed their whole identity has been helped and in some cases shaped by ‘Sherlock’: specifically by their conviction that Johnlock will be realised in the show. Watching the youtube video TJLCExplained Episode 25 “Why it matters” gives a glimpse into the passion and the desperate certainty these people have. It grieves me to see these bright, passionate, articulate and intelligent young people ploughing their energies into this conspiracy. They’re politically aware: educated in and fired up by gender politics and sexual awareness. So why waste all that energy and passion on two white, middle-class, middle-aged fictional men who - if the conspiracy is correct - are so far into the closet they have been unable to express their true feelings emotionally or sexually for many years to the one person they have shared a home with in all that time? I wish Gatiss and Moffat could see these inspired yet vulnerable people. I wonder what they would think. Would they be gratified that their show has had such a profound and positive effect on their fans? Or would they be sad or bewildered that these young people’s convictions have foundations built on sand? I’m not sure how or when it will end. Of the TJLCers who were fully signed up theorists before last week’s interview dropped, I have observed a couple of reactions. A few of them seem to have now been convinced that it isn’t going to happen and have already expressed disappointment and anger that they were duped or queerbaited. Presumably if they do feel so betrayed, this marks the end of their relationship with the show. However, most of the fan responses I have seen on tumblr have assimilated the new data as ‘yet more lies’ and rejected it, along with anything else that does not fit the conspiracy, whilst at the same time reserving some anger at the way Moffat and Gatiss spoke in order to protect their great ‘lie’. So what happens in five months’ time when Series 4 airs and - as I fully expect - Johnlock doesn’t happen? Will there be an explosion of rage and bitterness which will make last week’s little flare-up look minor in comparison? Or will the conspiracy continue on the basis that Series 5 is the ultimate destination? Or the special after that? Or the one after that? Until sufficient time elapses and everyone moves on? Only time will tell. It just makes me sad that fandom - which should be a positive, happy place - and which, when everything works, means friendships are made and creativity flourishes - can and has become such a toxic environment for both fans and creators. I’m sorry this has been so long and I apologise if I have offended anyone with either what I said or the way I said it. I guess I wanted to lay out my position - to clarify it in my own mind if nothing else!  

[jeparlelibremente]

In defense of Michael Bay and action movie aesthetics

I never thought I would be in the position of writing a critical piece defending Michael Bay, of all people. Didn't this guy direct "Pearl Harbour?" Isn't he the same Michael Bay responsible for creepily objectifying women by casting Victoria's Secret models almost exclusively, and then having lengthy steadicam shots that seem to just float over their posteriors?

Unfortunately, yes. That Michael Bay. You might want to continue reading this essay next to a bottle of vodka (I like the vanilla flavoured variety). Here’s a link, Australia only, sorry offshore peeps.

Let's back up a little bit here though; it's been in vogue - let me check - forever in Hollywood critical circles to deride the overwhelming majority of action movies and summer blockbusters ever since the invention of the air-conditioner. Granted, there are exceptions; but for every James Cameron making T2 there are about ten even poorer approximations of the Michael Bay aesthetic. I'll get to why they are objectively poorer further along in the essay, for now I wanted to make one crucial point: this hatred of action movies and Hollywood summer blockbusters in general is often more cultural phenomenon than genuine artistic sensibilities or aesthetic critique at play; last I checked, The Fast and the Furious was up to numero eight (nine?); someone is paying to see these films, and presumably they're deriving at least some entertainment from seeing Ludacris slide across a frozen lake in a bright orange Aventador.

Question: have you ever met these people? I live in Melbourne, Australia, and I have (and please believe me when I say this without shame) paid actual money to sit in a cinema and watch each and every one of these films. Yes, even Tokyo Drift. Besides, Tokyo Drift was the best one. And if you avert your gaze from chauvinistic, ultra-fetishised, so-far-jammed-up-the-backside of the hyper material culture of the West, i.e. the target audience, then you will witness thralls of young men and their girlfriends; baseball caps in reverse (indoor cinema) sleeveless shirts revealing badly inked Chinese characters suggesting unique depth and experience, brightly coloured sneakers, glimmering logos, and postures just a little too straight, backs a little too upright, feet spread and full-tilt swagger just a little too performative to disguise the Grand Canyon of inferiority complexes.

Your thoughts on what it's like to be confined to a room brimming with Lynx Africa and fake Burberry aside, do these people deserve entertainment less than anyone else? Doubtful they're fascists, equally doubtful they're going to head home and start slamming The Aeneid

Other side of the coin: if you're a movie studio, you're a business. So why not a make money? After all, capitalism ftw.

The point here is that people reading A.O. Scott, previous readers of Roger Ebert, and so on, form a particular social class. Aspirational 14%. Middle class status anxiety. If you can't have a bigger house than your neighbour, you can out-culture him with some bushido like manoeuvres of art criticism. And all you need to do is subscribe to The New York Times/The Guardian/The New Yorker and all of a sudden you've moved up a social notch. Here we go again: Narcissism of small differences - Freud This is why The Phantom Thread has so many Oscar nominations despite the fact it's a really, really average film. Just give the damn Oscar to Call me by your name or Blade Runner 2049; the latter hits so many home-runs it's the Babe Ruth of the entertainment/aesthetics 2 by 2. It actually had something to say, some great acting (not just over bloated, meandering portrait shots of DD Lewis and Co.) "But PT Anderson shoots in 35mm! Shut up, I hate you. Quentin Tarantino can get away with shooting in 35mm because he is a genius and PT Anderson only gets there part of the time. There Will Be Blood was great; what the hell was this?

Returning from my diversion: Michael Bay has an overlooked quality about his directing, and it is this: staging, choreographing, and then subsequently shooting technically complex action sequences, and then editing them together to make something enjoyable to watch, is really difficult.

Another quick diversion: ever been to the ballet? I hate it, I find it almost intolerably boring most of the time. But every time I've been, sure enough: packed audiences. And make no mistake, the effort involved in planning the choreography of these sequences of dancers is immense. See this metaphor yet? The pro-ballet crowd is probably not the pro-Mark Wahlberg and giant robots crowd, but hey, it's a free country. And capitalism ftw, just in case I wasn't clear enough about that already.

I probably should have structured this essay a little better with some, you know, actual planning, but whisky and planning are poor bedfellows, so let me backtrack a little further again to some directors who nailed action sequences: The Wachowski sisters (brothers at the time). At this point it's safe to say that the entire population of the planet Earth has seen The Matrix so let's contrast a fight scene from this, with an atrociously directed fight scene, by which I mean, every movie Steven Segal has ever made, ever.

Notice the camera work; the Wachowski's keep the camera pulled back, we have a spatial awareness of the environment, and we can see both actors, full body, performing their jujitsu or whatever in all its testosterone promoting glory. The camera changes angle sparingly, only to make some particular point about the exertion of one character. NB: you don't have to like physical violence perpetrated on one human by another, in the same way you don't have to like ballet. My point here is to illustrate good action versus bad. And this takes effort, because you need highly trained stunt people/actors, and a choreographer willing to work out the whole sequence with the director, and then communicate all this to the actors. Then you need to shoot it, and inevitably, someone will screw it up. Imagine the opening sequence to Touch of Evil (100% recommended fwiw - Orson Welles is one of those guys like Hitchcock) except the number of variables to screw up jumps exponentially.

But that's how these scenes should be shot; the focus is how two human beings interact to gain physical dominance over one another; cutting between angles every 400ms/someone throws a punch might be intended to "convey" the sensation of being in a fight scene but the reality is that you can't tell for jack what's actually going on. If your protagonist is supposed to be some badass, how could you tell? You never actually get to see how he parries, blocks, counter-attacks, dodges, and uses the environment to gain the upper hand over his opponent. You don't have a badass, you have a rapid fire sequence of jarring angle changes; nothing is seen, your character is lost. A warrior trope isn't a trope if you can't see the fight.

Antoin Fuqua also does this well in Olympus Has Fallen, yes I know, ridiculous film. But some great hand-to-hand combat sequences featuring Gerard Butler and some jingoistic North Koreans.

So, finally we return to Michael Bay. I won't bother defending the Transformers franchise; if you liked it, you're probably not reading this, and if you did, I'm not trying to take away your happiness or air some kind of superiority over you. Trust me, I like all kinds of "lowbrow" art. All that really matters is what you get out of it. You wanted edification? Go read History of Madness - Foucault is waiting for you.

Watch this:

I don't care who you are, taken in isolation, that shot is - let me check my thesaurus - totally badass. And so we arrive at the crux of the argument, the primary thesis: action movies work when action sequences are given room to breathe, when we, the audience, have spatial context. It lets us almost *empathise* with the pain; when you see a broken arm your instinct is to recoil and "ouch!" because that's how humans are wired. But if you constantly keep cutting between angles, all you do is generate confusion, detract from the agency of the characters, and create a jumbled, visual mess. Altered Carbon on Netflix straddles this line and often gets it right. Of course Tarantino gets it right with Kill Bill; just watch the fight scene at the end of part one. And Bay (admittedly, some rapid cuts and deliberately jerky 'over the shoulder' camera movements) *also* actually manages to get this right. Ditto for Bad Boys. The Rock might have the single greatest line of dialogue recorded, ever.

It's really easy to hate Michael Bay, I'm not even saying your reasons are unwarranted. But reflect on why you liked, or didn't like about film. A.O. Scott and company are no substitute for your own faculties, but if you don't use them, you'll never separate your own opinions from those of others. And that is dangerous.

[howaminotinthestrokesyet]

Guns n’ Roses: A Reassessment

I recently started to listen to Guns N’ Roses again in depth for the first time in a long time. I also started reading a book on the band by Stephen Davis, who wrote Hammer of the Gods about Led Zeppelin. He is quoted as saying that GNR only actually made one good album, Appetite for Destruction. This caused me to go back and reflect upon their other albums besides Appetite for Destruction. I began to agree with him that this band really did not make anything of real overall value after the release of their EP, Lies, as far as rock and roll goes. Use Your Illusion I and II were actually in retrospect very average. The question immediately emerged in my mind why did this happen and how did GNR get away with it for so long.

First, Izzy Stradlin left the band immediately upon the completion of Use Your Illusion. This point cannot be understated because he was probably the band’s most talented songwriter, even more so than Axl Rose. He was being marginalized primarily by Rose for creative control over the group’s content. They were trying to reduce his royalties for publishing on Appetite for Destruction. Now, his fingerprints were all over that album and their EP Lies. In contrast, he only contributed to five songs on each Illusion album. The one thing I will say is that Stradlin had mentally checked out of the band at that point. He knew he was probably leaving. In my opinion, the rhythm guitarist did not put his best effort forward in helping create those two albums. This was not a case of him trying to do it out of spite completely, but also Rose had become so ridiculous in his controlling behavior that it really was not worth fighting a losing battle. Added to that, Stradlin had recently become sober finally quitting heroin. At the end of his tenure, he did not even travel with the band, but instead Izzy always took a separate plane. As you look back at the first album, one of the things that Stradlin excelled at was being able to craft a hard rock song that had a faster tempo. In contrast, Rose was really good at writing a ballad, but not so much at writing a song that required a more complex structure. I guess it might seem somewhat surprising Rose would treat Stradlin this way because the latter was the reason that Axl came out to Los Angeles in the first place. Yet, if you know anything about the singer, then it really is not that surprising. This leads into the next point quite nicely.

Second, Axl Rose’s ego had hijacked everything to do with the band. They had become more of a backup band for Rose as he decided everything. Two examples show this to be true. Number one, by the mid-1990s everyone in the band who was an original member had either been fired or quit. Second, the decision by the band to follow Rose’s vision for all the music videos as part of Use Your Illusion. The videos are bizarre, vague, confusing, ridiculous, and pretty much make absolutely no sense. The band was no longer any sort of collaboration, but instead it was the Axl Rose show 24/7. One thing about Rose in all of this was that he would do anything to get his way and compromise was never an option. The guy probably should have been seeing a psychiatrist, which is how crazy some of his behavior has come across as over the years. Everyone in the music business had enabled him because of his talent for a long time, and this goes back to even before Guns N’ Roses was a band. For the most part, one of the things that Rose spent almost the next 20 years doing was proving that he could make just as good an album without the help of Stradlin. To his credit, the former rhythm guitarist did say in an interview that he did feel that Chinese Democracy was a good album. Most of the critics really did like the album as well, but the problem was he spent too much time making it. I believe that also shows how mentally unhinged Rose is when it comes to the real world and what is acceptable. Please note for the purpose of this article that 2008 album is not included because it was essentially a solo album.

Third, the question now becomes as to why the rest of the band allowed this kind of control to happen. The simple answer is the rest of the band was addicted to drugs. They went along with Rose because in their minds that was the most effective way to keep the money rolling in and maintain their habit. To his credit, Rose never did have any kind of drug problem. Maybe it would have helped. This is probably why there is such a stark difference between the older stuff from 1987 left over they put on the album and the newer compositions. People forget that the songs “Don’t Cry” and “November Rain” were written before the first album. The band really did not make any significant song that hit it off with the public after that album. I have used this word before, but essentially for the most part they made filler material. I did not realize this until I watched one of the concerts from the Use Your Illusion tour. Besides some of the ballads, the other songs are really average. I will not go as far as to say they are bad, but the overriding quality of them is ordinary. They probably should not have done two albums, but instead created one album with the best songs or even an album that consisted of ballads. Guns n’ Roses had already used up all of the good material prior to the first album. The other reason that Rose’s takeover of the band was allowed emerges in the fact that these guys were really not that good of friends anyway. Evidence of this comes in the dismissal of drummer, Steven Adler, as well as the treatment of Stradlin. You would think that one member of the band would have defended them in either situation, but that did not happen. Simply put, these guys had been thrown together out of several bands because that is just the way things were in LA at the time. People switched bands like it was nothing at all in the mid-1980s on Sunset Strip. Due to the fact they were all from different bands, this probably meant to a certain extent that they only had a certain loyalty to themselves.

Fourth, the final reason may come as a surprise knowing the history of the band, but it was the dismissal of Steven Adler. The decision to fire him changed the way the band sounded when they brought in Matt Sorum. The latter was technically a better drummer, but for some reason they simply did not sound the same as they did on Appetite for Destruction. This is all the more ironic because serious consideration was given to not allowing Adler to be the drummer for that album. This did not mean they intended to fire him completely, but only use him at the live shows. I guess what it comes down to is the reason why use Use Your Illusion was not as good as its predecessor comes in the fact that the band changed everything about the process. If you change everything, then you cannot possibly expect to create the same work. The band was also much too naïve including Rose to believe that they could create something as good as that first album again. I do not throw the word around much, but based on everything that I have read about this band during the time leading up to that first album...they got lucky. This was the type of luck that you possibly see in Rumors by Fleetwood Mac. A band is in the midst of a completely stressful environment and somehow by dumb chance in a way create something great. I guess lightning does not strike twice when you create conditions that make it practically impossible for such a thing to occur.

Guns N’ Roses has always been about image. That is my takeaway from all of this. They have produced this image of being these bad ass rock ‘n’ roll geniuses, but essentially it is all style, with the only substance being that one album. They have ridden off the coattails of Appetite for Destruction for the rest of their career. If you go back to the time when that first album was released, you will hear in many interviews how adamant the band was about their rock ‘n’ roll DNA. Looking back at these Use Your Illusion albums, they betrayed every single one of those statements by the absolute overload of too many ballads and underwhelming songs on the two works. I was thinking about going to see them live for a reunion tour, but that is not going to happen whatsoever. I am not going to pay $200 to hear essentially nine or 10 songs. Additionally, Axl Rose is really a shell himself, overweight with no voice. They fooled the world with all of their drama to make people think that we are missing out on a band better than Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith. Both Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith made more than one good album. For years, people lived with a misconception that Slash needed to amend his friendship with Axl. Once again, we were deceived by the band if you were thinking about hearing any new good material. If you wanted anything hat was just as good as their early stuff, then he should have been talking to Izzy Stradlin instead. And so it goes.

[edc-creations-blog]

  Mirror, mirror on the wall… someone’s shooting star is bound to fall. Will one go down, or will they all?

Sidney Stevens has a front row seat to the destruction of everyone she loves. Her family is poised to drive her absolutely crazy as she runs from one person to the other, extinguishing fires. Sidney faces the ultimate betrayal when her brother exposes the love of her life and his heinous crimes. Now she is forced to decide between what her heart feels and what her mind knows to be true.

Chief of Police Marcus J. Mystic has his hands full with a maniacal wife who is hot and heavy on his heels. Vondra has escaped the North Florida Mental Hospital with a plan and a purpose. If the authorities don’t capture her soon, they will all be doomed. Mystic also grapples with his love affair with Sidney. Their once sizzling union has now been doused with ice-cold reality due to accusations levied against Mystic by Randy Jr. Sadly, Mystic’s list of critics is growing longer by the minute. It’s a race against time to see who gets to him first.

Can Mystic convince Sidney of the truth before it’s too late?

Locked away in prison, Randy Jr. faces his own version of hell as he stares down a hefty sentence for murder. He is desperate to get out of prison and settle the score with his enemies. Will prison be the distraction that he needs to get his life together or just another place for his sins to incubate?

Spencer thought that he was off the hook for Linda’s murder, but now he finds himself in a battle for his own life. Spencer has to prove to everyone that he isn’t the killer, but he isn’t entirely convinced of his own innocence. Luckily, he has Artie in his corner.

Artie Garcia has been an integral person in everyone’s life, but deep within the recesses of his heart, he holds secrets that threaten to destroy him. As he vies for Sidney’s affections and aspires for a higher position on the force, Artie tests the bounds of friendship and loyalty to see his goals manifest. The games that he plays will put his life in jeopardy. Only Artie can determine if it’s worth the risk.

Join the characters of Miami Beat III: Illusions as they return for another action-packed journey guaranteed to have you questioning whether what you see is the truth or merely an illusion.

  Miami Beat: The Secret Society by Frederica P. Burden Listen to a chilling audio excerpt from Miami Beat: http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CTgGTxsX

Miami Beat II: Dilemmas by Frederica P. Burden Listen to a dramatic reading from Miami Beat II: Dilemmas: https://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CCmvBHQX

    Miami Beat III Excerpt: Chapter 11

Marcus Mystic appraised his reflection in the mirror with a smile. His bright green eyes sparkled with charm and charisma. His skin was the color of café au lait, and his smile could make any woman melt. For years he got by on his looks and his charm. He did climb through the ranks of the Police Department rather quickly, based on his experience and knowledge which he so prominently displayed, daily.

He thought about Sidney every minute of the day when he was apart from her. It bothered Mystic that he couldn’t get through to Sidney. He loved her desperately, but he also knew that he couldn’t say but so much. Although he cared about Sidney, he also cared about his job and his lifestyle that he worked so hard for.

Mystic hated keeping secrets, and he despised scandal. Currently, he was involved in a huge scandal. He still had Killa Dre’s hand in his possession. He knew that the heat would come down on him hard if someone found out that he knew who was behind the slaying of Killa Dre.

Killa Dre’s death was a great benefit to the community because the drugs he sold and controlled in the neighborhood was to their detriment. Mystic knew that Killa Dre’s murder wouldn’t wholly eliminate drug abuse in the community, but it would slow it down considerably until a new gangster took over.

Mystic didn’t miss Killa Dre, but he knew that someone would. He knew personally that a few officers were on Killa Dre’s payroll. He surmised that they would try to investigate the death of Killa Dre to avenge him.

Killa Dre’s criminal empire kept food on the table for some of the most unlikely individuals. It unnerved Mystic that he had to actually cover for Randy Jr., but Mystic couldn’t think of another way to fix the situation with the love of his life and winning her trust back.

Mystic couldn’t win.

Sidney was pissed with him, and he didn’t know how to get her to believe in him again. Mystic considered that if he turned in Killa Dre’s hand and affirmed where he located the hand, Randy Jr. wouldn’t stand a chance. He would never be let out of prison with an additional murder charge on his record.

Mystic considered the idea. Randy Jr. hated him. He knew a few things that Sidney didn’t. Mystic wondered if he let Randy Jr. rot in prison how long it would take before Sidney forgot about the accusations he hurled at Mystic during the prison visitation. He wondered if he would ever get Sidney back in his arms.

That was only one of his troubles.

Vondra was posed to cause him some serious issues if she didn’t calm down in the mental hospital. He estimated locking her away at the North Florida Mental Hospital was a great temporary solution to his troubles, but he could tell that something wasn’t working correctly. Vondra called him daily, nonstop.

Vera called him just as often as Vondra. Mystic ignored her incessant calls. He blocked the hospital number from his cell phone and told himself that he would deal with it when he was ready. Mystic couldn’t tell his aunt about the issue because he really didn’t want to speak with anyone at the hospital. So, he ignored every call that came through his phone, unless it came from his office.

Mystic wanted to just bury Vondra at the hospital and walk away, forever. He begged his aunt for help, and Vera quickly jumped into action. He considered contacting Vera to tell her that Vondra had somehow obtained telephone privileges. That way he could stop the incessant phone calls. She left him messages, over 100 per day. Mystic simply deleted the messages he received from the hospital.

He no longer cared.

Now that he was the Chief of Police he had real things to worry about. He didn’t have time to chase behind his wife to make sure that she was taking her medication and abiding by the law. It was too tiring for Mystic.

The two women in his life were both driving him crazy.

( Continued… )

© 2019 All rights reserved. Miami Beat III book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Frederica Paremore Burden. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author’s written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.

    Intimate Conversation with Frederica Paremore Burden

Frederica Paremore Burden graduated from Barry University with a Bachelors Degree in Nursing, and Masters Degree in Criminal Justice from St. Thomas University. She worked as a City of Miami Police Officer for 28 years, and retired as a Sergeant in 2017. She worked in various units throughout the department, including undercover details, as well as being a calendar model to raise funds for the PAL unit for the Police Department.

Frederica is an Adjunct Professor for the School of Criminal Justice at Miami Dade College and enjoys engaging with the young adults that she teaches and helps to guide them in molding their futures. She has three (3) sons of her own, her oldest has followed in her footsteps and is now a Law Enforcement Officer while her younger twins are in the midst of going away to college this year.

Her debut novel, Miami Beat: The Secret Society was published in the Spring of 2018, followed by the sequel, Miami Beat II: Dilemmas which was published in the fall of 2018. Miami Beat III: Illusions is the final suspense novel in the trilogy series, but this is not the last of Frederica Paremore Burden.

BPM: Please, share something our readers wouldn’t know about you. FPB: I have a serious addiction to Bike Spinning classes.

BPM: If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be? FPB: Red wine lover.

BPM: Introduce us to your most recent work. Available on Nook and Kindle? FPB: My most recent work is Miami Beat III: Illusions. This ties everything together in the last novel of the trilogy. You will see dreams turn into happy realities, and dreams that truly become nightmares.

BPM: Can you share with us something about the book that isn’t in the blurb? FPB: Because of jail, the house of cards tumble in an unexpected way. Relationships may be broken but is that for good?

BPM: Readers can hear excerpts from all of the books by clicking below. Miami Beat: The Secret Society by Frederica P. Burden Listen to a chilling audio excerpt from Miami Beat: http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CTgGTxsX

Miami Beat II: Dilemmas by Frederica P. Burden Listen to a dramatic reading from Miami Beat II: Dilemmas: https://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CCmvBHQX

Miami Beat III: Illusions by Frederica P. Burden Listen to a dramatic reading from Miami Beat III: Illusions:

BPM: Give us some insight into your main characters from Miami Beat III: Illusions.   FPB: Sidney is a strong young woman who takes the weight of her family on her shoulders, especially since the untimely death of her father occurred. Mystic is in love with one woman but is married to another, will he lose the love and stay married? He has a lot to lose either way.

Garcia is playing a game that he may not be able to win, but will his loyalty lasts for his lover? Spencer is Sidney’s bestie and he really puts that to the test. He has always been there for her in her time of need, but the real test will be, will she reciprocate this for him?

Vondra loves her husband Mystic but knows that he love Sidney, will she remedy this situation on her own, or will she just move on? She has left a trail of disappointments behind everywhere she has gone so why would this time be any different?

BPM: Where do your book ideas come from? Are your books plot-driven or character-driven? FPB: All of my books are plot driven with strong, sensual characters. My ideas come from my wild imagination and from some things that I was able to see during my 28 years of working in various communities while being a Law Enforcement Officer, and the books are both plot and character driven. The reader would definitely pick that up.

BPM: What’s so unique about the Miami Beat Trilogy storyline when it comes to suspense thrillers? FPB: The uniqueness of the storylines is that each character has real life issues that we all have encountered or know someone that is or has gone through them. The way that they handle their individual problems as you read on, makes them special and unique in the sense that the outcome may not be what we expect, but the issue at hand is challenged and overcome to a degree that the character can function in their day to day activities.

BPM: Were any of the characters personalities fictionalized versions of people from your years on the force? FPB: Yes, some of the personalities were. When you spend 28 years, 10 hours a day, 4 days a week, not to mention riots, hurricanes and training (15 hour days) with the same people, you learn them to the point where you know what their next move would be, and what their answers to certain questions would be. So when I was creating my characters, some of my coworkers came to mind for sure.

BPM: Does one of the main characters from the Miami Beat Trilogy hold a special place in your heart?  FPB: There is no one character that holds that spot. I have a small piece of each of them in my heart because I know how each one of them is suffering and how they end up working it out. You really have to step into each characters mind to write for the reader to feel, so they are all special to me.

BPM: Did you learn anything personal from writing this particular book, Miami Beat III: Illusions? FPB: I learned a lot about mental illness, about the LGBTQ society more. I really researched the things that I wrote about that I wasn’t too well versed on. I participated in the Gay Pride Parade and just hung out a lot with of the LGBTQ community to learn different things that I needed to relate with Spencer on. I interviewed a few parents of Autistic children to learn how Cero should be and what he would actually relate to. I truly enjoyed developing all of my characters and learning what I needed to know.

BPM: When developing a new book, what comes first, the plot or characters? FPB: For me, I developed my plot, then place the characters where they needed to be. Then I named them.

BPM: What did you enjoy most about writing and developing the characters for Miami Beat III: Illusions? FPB: I enjoyed actually creating, learning and living each and everyone of my characters. Choosing which direction I wanted them to go in. Being evil and ad through them.

BPM: Is writing easy for you? Do you feel lonely being a writer during the creative process? FPB: Writing is very easy for me. This was my refuge growing up. Writing is how I deal with problems to this day. I write down what I want to say to a person if I’m upset with them, and then discard it, and I’m good. I am not a person who hangs out with lots of people so being alone is something that I truly enjoy. I have kids and a very small circle of friends. That is more than enough for me. Any more than that is sheer problems.

BPM: Tell us a little about your creative process. Do you use a computer or write out the story by hand? FPB: It’s funny, I started out writing down things with pen and paper, but I would write so fast, I couldn’t read my own writing. Then I became sophisticated and bought a small tape recorder, but the small cassettes got misplaced and that didn’t last. A computer is my best friend. I type save and keep it going. I’m not one to wake up in the middle of the night and write down dreams or thoughts. When it hits me, I will write for a week straight or just a weekend. No big process, just when the mood hits, I’m on lockdown.

BPM: When you’re writing an emotionally draining scene, how do you get in the mood? FPB: It’s the plot, I already know what I’m going to do, and what direction it’s going in so I don’t have to sit and make myself sad or sexy…I just write the way I want the story to go and that’s it.

BPM: Writing can be an emotionally draining and stressful pursuit. Any tips self-care for creative folks? FPB: Always have an outlet. I spin on my bike every single day. It relieves all my stress, opens my mind to set it up for bigger and better creativity.

BPM: How do you personally deal with emotional impact of a book as you are writing the Miami Beat III: Illusions story? FPB: As I said before, I know the direction that I am taking my story so I am already prepared for what is going to happen next, so I’m ready. I just have to make sure the readers are getting the entire impact of each scene in my books. I want them to actually feel like they are there.

BPM: How much planning goes into writing a book in general? How long does it take to complete one of your books? FPB: It takes me about a month to get the genre together and it takes me six to eight months to write a book and that’s because I have it all in my head. I just have to spill it out on paper.

BPM: How much ‘world building’ takes place before you start writing? FPB: A months’ worth and then it is computer time. Getting everything out of my head and in some type of order to allow me to see the big picture. Then everything comes together.

BPM: Are there under-represented groups or ideas featured in your book? If so, discuss them. FPB: I touch on different aspects of life. I mentioned the LGBTQ, Mental illnesses, Domestic Violence, Police brutality. Unfortunately, the consequences for the actions of the characters that suffer with these issues are harsh, but I just want to make sure that they are addressed . No one is immune, it can happen to any of us.

BPM: Share one specific point in your book that resonated with your present situation or journey. FPB: My book is totally fiction. It has not been a part of my journey beside Law Enforcement being involved, but no personal situations were used.

BPM: What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book series? FPB: My challenge was, where do I stop to pick up in the next book? I didn’t want to write too much but I didn’t want to write too little. I didn’t want to put you to sleep, I wanted you to keep turning those pages sitting in that same position until you were done, closing it and thinking about what was going to happen next.

BPM: Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book series? FPB: I can tell you that I researched deeply, and It was eye opening and lots of fun at times. I don’t want to expose anyone of my friends that took their time to share people, places and things of value to them, to help me with my success but they know who they are, and I want to thank them all for helping me get the truths out there.

BPM: What does literary success look like to you? FPB: Writing has always been a way to clear negativity from my mind. It’s been a coping method for me since middle school. I have just taken it to the level of sharing what is in my head with readers that enjoy reading suspense novels.

Success to me is seeing my books on bookshelves, and in libraries. Seeing readers walk around with my books in their bags, having my books the subject of many book clubs, possibly being used as ethics books in college. I can share my story to help others succeed, I would love to be that household name. A brand, when you mention Miami Beat, you automatically say, “oh, that’s Frederica Burden’s trilogy.” That’s literary success to me.

BPM: What legacy do you hope to leave future generations of readers with your writing? FPB: I want everyone to know that every book isn’t a fairytale, that it’s not always a happy ending, and that good guys don’t always win. It’s real out there!

BPM: What is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you? FPB: I’m always on Facebook, and IG, so they can send me messages there, they can go on my webpage and we can chat there, I love to interact with my readers. I love hearing from them and reading their feedback. It gives me fuel for the next book.

BPM: How can readers discover more about you and your work? FPB: They can reach me on Facebook: Miami Beat: The Secret Society or at any of the sites listed below.

  Purchase all of the books written by Frederica Burden https://www.amazon.com/Frederica-Burden/e/B07KQLRDLP

Let’s Link Up on Social Media Frederica’s website: https://www.fredericaburden.com MB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamibeatbook Beat of Burden Podcast: https://anchor.fm/BeatOfBurden Frederica’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/addevon Twitter: @FredericaBurden and https://twitter.com/FredericaBurden Facebook Miami Beat: https://www.facebook.com/booksbyfrederica

  Beat of Burden Podcast with Frederica Burden Miami’s best kept secret… no cover fee, always a great crowd. Join celebrity host Frederica Burden and feel the beat Thursdays at 9pm EST! Listen to the latest shows: https://www.fredericaburden.com/podcast

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    Miami Beat III: Illusions by Frederica Burden Mirror, mirror on the wall… someone’s shooting star is bound to fall. Will one go down, or will they all?

[minijenn]

Universe Falls Preview 2

Goooooodddd it was so hard for me to decide what to put in this preview because I’ve been writing all day and its all so good but alas I can only show you so much for now so here. Enjoy my darling awkward mess of a fusion son (and please! Let me know what you think of him after you read this! I want feedback!) 

“Well, go ahead and take a look!” Mabel exclaimed as she gave the hesitant fusion a push towards the mirror. “Five bucks says you’re gonna be all like-” she gasped, throwing on a shocked, yet amazed expression before giving the fusion a challenging grin.

“Oh please, I’m not gonna-” his scoff quickly faded into silence as he happened to steal a glance at his reflection in the mirror in front of him.

“Yes!” Mabel cheered in a whisper upon seeing the fusion’s jaw drop in awe as he took in his reflection for the first time. “I win!”

Of course, the fusion paid her no mind as he instead simply stared at himself with wide, curious eyes. If he had any lingering doubts before, they were instantly put to rest upon seeing the perfectly equal semblance he bore to both Dipper and Steven. His eyes were bright and expressive, yet alert and intelligent, going well with the rest of his somewhat boyish yet almost mature at the same time. As he was already well aware of, he had four arms, all of which were surprisingly well toned, much like the rest of his body, clearly a merging of Dipper’s thin frame and Steven’s stocky build. Likewise, his hair was on the darker end of brown, short, but thick and unmistakably curly, even if most of it was well contained under Dipper’s usual pine tree cap. He also wore his dark blue vest, overtop of Steven’s pink star shirt, which was short enough to reveal the gem on his navel and had somehow gained an extra set of sleeves to accommodate the lower set of arms. All of that, along with a long pair of comfortable jean pants and a set of grey and white sandals, culminated to create a look that was surprisingly appealing and intriguing, even if his extra arms did throw it off just the slightest bit.

“Whoa…” the fusion finally spoke up, turning a bit to catch a better look at himself. “We actually look kind of…Great? Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking! W-well, I was gonna say…”

“Adorable!” Mabel chimed in, startling the fusion by snapping a photo of them. “Oh, that’s a keeper for the scrapbook!”

“Adorable?!” the fusion exclaimed, offended. “We are not adorable. Well… we might be, just a little… No, we’re not!”

“So if you’re not adorable, then what are you?” Mabel asked with a goading smirk. “Handsome? Because hey, you actually have muscles for once, Dipper. And the ladies love muscles.”

The fusion let out a small, somewhat uncomfortable laugh at this, his face lighting up in an embarrassed blush as his levity quickly faded into a scowl. “Ok, this is getting weird,” he said stiffly, looking to his reflection once more. “Huh? What’s so weird about this? I think the better question is what isn’t weird about this?” The fusion frowned as he lifted his lower arms up, cringing at how admittedly odd the sensation of controlling them was. “Oh, come on! I know it’s a little different at first, but you’ll get used to it! Trust me. Get used to it?! Why would I ever want to get used to—Whoa, hold that thought!” he gasped, his eyes wide as he noticed something interesting while looking at his reflection again. “What is that?” Intrigued, he slowly started lifting a hand up towards his forehead, but his other half was quick to catch onto his intention and hurriedly put a stop to it by grabbing his wrist tightly to halt his approach. “No,” he said simply, his tone rigid and his expression set in a hardened scowl that soon turned into hesitant confusion. “Why not?”

“Yeah, why not, Dipper?” Mabel asked, crossing her arms and grinning knowingly. “Are you afraid of letting Steven see your birthmark?”

The fusion snapped a glance of angry panic over at her, but this news only made him all the more curious. “You have a secret birthmark?!” he asked with a fascinated smile. “I wanna see it! No, you don’t, and you’re not going to. Aw, come on… can I see it? Please? No. But why not? Because… because I said so! But I just wanna know what it looks like!”

“You might as well let him see it,” Mabel interjected, still smirking. “After all, in a way it’s sort of his birthmark now too.”

The fusion was still scowling as he looked to the mirror once more, a brief look of hopefulness crossing his expression before he finally let out a relenting sigh. “Fine…” he released his tight grip on his other hand. “Just… just don’t laugh, ok? Why would I laugh? I’m sure whatever your—or our birthmark, is, it’ll be super cool! Just like us! …Right…” Without anything holding him back, the fusion removed his hat, freeing the upper half of his poofy, somewhat messy hair, which was soon pushed upward so he could get a better view of the mark on his forehead. And when he did, both halves of his whole froze in surprised amazement at what the saw.

“What the…?” he muttered, confusion filling his expression first before astonishment quickly replaced it. “Wow! It’s the Big Dipper! Just like the constellation! Yeah, but… what’s with the star?” His bewilderment quickly returned as he leaned in a bit closer to the mirror, taking note of the small star perfectly contained within the mark iconic constellation, which, when he was on his own, had always been expectantly empty. Still, as strange and somewhat disconcerting as that was, he easily bounced back into excitement with a gasp of realization. “Oh my gosh! This where you got your name from, isn’t it? Uh, well its-”

“Dipper’s not his real name, Steven,” Mabel informed casually. “It’s just a nickname.”

“Can you please stop telling him things?!” the fusion asked, aggravated first, then awestruck. “Whaaaat?! You mean I’ve known you all this time and I don’t even know what your real name is!? That’s crazy! No, it’s not, because as far as I’m concerned, nobody needs to know it. Aw, but its ok! You can tell me! What? No way! I already let you see the birthmark, I’m not letting you-” The fusion cut himself off with a startled gasp, his birthmark and gem both briefly flashing as he took a stumbling step backwards. “W-what was that?!” he asked, breathless and alarmed before breaking into a huge, knowing smile. “Whoa, so that’s your real name?! Wait… what? How did you—what did you do?! I… don’t really know. But whatever I did, I guess I found out what your real name is, Ma—Don’t.” He cut himself off, his tone harsh as he glared at his reflection. “I’m serious. Don’t say it. O-ok… I guess I won’t then…”

“Yeesh, calm down, Dipper,” Mabel rolled her eyes. “It’s not like your real name is even that embarrassing. Oh! But speaking of names, I just realized something! You don’t have one yet!”

Mutual confusion filled the fusion’s face as he looked down at her. “Uh… yeah we do?”

“No, no, I’m not talking about Steven or Dipper, I’m talking about you,” Mabel corrected with a smile. “The fusion! Stevonnie and Maven both had names, so you need one too!”

“Er… no, we—Oh my gosh, we totally do!” the fusion gasped. “I can’t believe I hadn’t thought about that until now! … You guys aren’t serious, are you?”

“Of course we are,” Mabel nodded firmly. “Now let’s see here… Steven and Dipper… Dipper and Steven… How about we try… Diven!?”

The fusion scoffed, turning his nose up at the purposed name as he put his hat back on. “You are not calling us that. Yeah… I’m not really feeling ‘Diven’ either…”

“Ok… well… how about Stedip!?”

“Eh…?” the fusion stuck his tongue out. “I’m not a fan of that one either… Yeah, because it sounds dumb.”

“Pfft, everybody’s a critic,” Mabel sighed petulantly, but still, she wasn’t about to give up. “Ok, let’s try… Dipen?”

“No.”

“Stever?”

“Nah…”

“Dien?”

“Are you kidding?”

“Ugh, cut me some slack, guys!” Mabel exclaimed in frustration. “It’s not like combining your names is as easy as just tossing Steven and Dipper together and getting-” She gasped, her eyes widening as a new idea struck her. “I got it… You—you being the fusion of Steven and Dipper—shall henceforth now and forever be known as… Stepper!”

[idontneedasymbol]

12x23: All Along the Watchtower

If my thoughts on 12x22 were confused, then this was even moreso? (Though 12x22 I like more upon reflection -- even if my criticisms still stand, there were things I really loved. This one had less of that.) So if you're looking for squee, this isn't the best place; but I didn't hate it either. I don't think it was their best effort, though. (Which seems to be a shared sentiment, judging by how my dash has been 80% 12x22; minus the occasional upset, it's like the finale hasn't actually even aired yet?)

Things I did like -- Andrew Dabb actually can write, at least individual scenes. Kelly Kline felt like more of a real person here than in the entire rest of the season (admittedly she was a Bucklemming character for all but one other ep, so. Poor woman.) I was still generally bored with the scenes with her and Cas, but they had some cute moments.

...I do wonder if Dabb might be a Steven Universe fan. Kelly's video to her unborn son is...well, that's a pretty standard cliche, but the circumstances are still awfully familiar. (If you have any interest in the idea of a mother who has to sacrifice herself to bring her child into the world -- but who decides to do so completely willingly, from the start, as an entirely free choice for so many complex reasons -- look, I'm not saying Steven Universe is one of the best scifi/genre shows I've ever seen...except for the part where it is, and it explores so many intense themes so beautifully that it kind of spoils you for a lot of TV and, uh. Anyway!)

(I am positive that Dabb (or someone) was a Buffy and Angel fan. Though why they would crib from Angel's unspeakable 4th season I cannot imagine. "Jack" has all the hallmarks of Jasmine v.2.0, and no one needed that. No one!)

Bobby's return -- Jim Beaver, you troll! He was on Twitter bemoaning not being in this season. @owehimeverything had the thought when we were first starting the episode, that maybe he was punking us -- and lo! there Bobby was! Loved that. While I was not particularly bereft that Bobby died when he did (he'd served his mentorship role, it was time to move on) I appreciate the continuity of his return every season. And this Bobby especially, with his angel-killing hobby, who doesn't know the boys at all or share their history, that's got a lot of potential.

The whole post-apocalypse AU could be a lot of fun -- how it was introduced was ridiculously deus ex nephilim, but now that it's here I'm excited for it. And not just because I am all about AUs (though there is that. And Dean's memory of "French Mistake" was my favorite line of the ep by far -- of course what stuck with Dean is Sam being Polish. And not related to him.) It also ties into what, as far as I can tell, was Andrew Dabb's theme for the season, which is that the Winchesters really are important and do do more good than bad -- that they are the heroes their universe needs. And they're actually aware enough of it to be proud of it. And what better way to prove that than to show a universe where they didn't exist!  

(So presumably Lucifer and Michael got different vessels, who both said yes and the showdown happened? Did Michael defeat Lucifer, and then Hell went to war? Or did they kill each other? What's the deal? With Mary stranded there it seems likely we'll find out. Poor Mary, though. Comes back to life for a year, just reaches an understanding with her boys, and now, Mad Max! And she probably hasn’t even seen Fury Road.)

If the Winchesters' importance was Dabb's intended theme, though, it would've been nice to see it played out the rest of the season. And in this episode, for that matter -- because ultimately Sam & Dean don't do a hell of a lot here. Their plan to take out Lucifer was okay, but it was more action than character-driven. They didn't sacrifice anything for it (not deliberately, anyway; the sacrifices were made by others, but most unintentionally) and it didn't hinge on their brotherly bond in any respect, unlike the set-ups of most other finales.

Speaking of sacrifices -- boy howdy that was a lot of character death, huh? Which I'm not sure how to feel about, because I'm not sure if any of them (save Kelly Kline's) are going to stick? All of them being characters who died have died before and come back. So it's harder to trust. (And that's not even to point out that their shiny new AU is a chance to bring back just about any character in the show if they feel like it, albeit as a mirrorverse version.)

Of all of them, Crowley's felt like the most possible permanent death. He got to go out a hero in the end, farewell and all. And it's not a death I'm disappointed by; I'm a big fan of Mark Shepard, but the character had largely worn out his welcome for me. Or, well, I still liked him with the Winchesters. But I was rarely more than anything but as painfully bored as Crowley himself with all the Hell bureaucracy stuff. Will be happy to have that gone...if it is gone? (Please???)

The main thing I'm upset about, if Crowley is really dead, is that it might mean Rowena actually is as well, since so much of her story involved her son. And Rowena I really do not want to see gone. I especially did not want to see her gone without so much as a heroic stand or a heel turn or a moment of snark or anything. If she's really dead -- killing two popular female characters two weeks in a row without even giving them a last line, what the everloving fuck, show? But Lucifer thought he killed her before and that didn't take. So until proven otherwise I am going to assume Rowena weaseled her way out of this one as well...

(If she is really gone, then that's also all three of my favorite Sam pairings torpedo'ed, come ON show. :/)

(Or else Rowena is dead...and in Hell and becoming a demon queen! I could go for that...)

And then, Castiel -- is not dead. I know that Misha's contract hasn't been confirmed, but I will be astonished if they just let him die...like a female character, with no last line. Besides it's practically a tradition for Cas to bite it in finales.

I admit, if he is really dead...I won't be as sad as maybe I should be? I do love Team Free Will. And I adore Misha Collins; I don't know him, obviously, but everything I've seen of him, he's a stand-up human being of a kind that we could use more of. And Cas pushes a lot of my rebel-angel-loving buttons, along with my AI-learning-to-be-human buttons (he is the grouchy Data of SPN). But this season especially they didn't seem to know what to do with his character, to the point that a good chunk of his scenes bored me.

(And they seemed to be trying to make up for it by pushing the Destiel angle, which the harder they push, the more it turns me off it. I love Cas and Dean as friends. But as a TFW fan, they were putting so much more weight on Cas & Dean than on Cas & Sam in these last few eps. And you don't have to read it that way, I know -- Sam dragging Dean back to save him, that's not because Sam doesn't care about Cas but because Sam can be the more rational one, when he has to be, to save his brother. But still...and a lot of it is the fandom; I can't help but be thinking in scenes like that, that the Destiel fans are going to take it as 'proof' of the ship, and that annoys me more than it ought to.)

But I think this is moot anyway, because I seriously doubt Cas is going to stay gone. Though hopefully we'll get some good grief from both the boys before he makes it back!

Before that, though, I am hoping the first few eps might be just Sam & Dean on their own, depending on only each other, vs the nephilim (however that shakes out) -- return to the show's roots, as they keep eternally promising and never delivering. While season 12 had its bright spots, overall it is my least favorite of the show, and I'm really hoping for season 13 to pick up. A lot of that depends on what actually was the problem with season 12 -- there were so many different things wrong, and enough changes in the staff (not to mention actor availability), that it's really hard to say. And it also depends on whether the producers actually feel there is anything that should be fixed?

A lot of us seem resigned to season 13 being the last, though as far as I know there's been no confirmation of that one way or another. And it would be tragic for them to come so close to 300 episodes and fall short. But maybe the show has run its course? I don't know if that's so -- I only know that I do want more; but I want more of what I love, and maybe that's not what they want to make anymore. And that’s TV. So it goes.

[ladystylestores]

The Enormous Black-White Wage Gap

Want to get The Morning by email? Here’s the sign-up.

Good morning. U.S. coronavirus cases set a daily record. Policing bills hit a wall in Congress. And Democrats lead in several Senate races. Let’s start with a look at the black-white wage gap.

One remarkable sign of the racial inequities plaguing the United States: The wage gap between black and white men is as large today as it was in 1950.

If you look at the government’s official wage statistics, you’ll see a somewhat different story. Those number show that the wage gap is smaller than in the mid-20th century.

But the official statistics are misleading. They exclude people who are not working — and there has been a sharp rise since the 1980s in the number of black men who don’t work.

Some have dropped out of the labor force, no longer looking for work after having failed to find decent-paying blue-collar jobs (a trend that has also hurt men of other races, though not as badly). Others are incarcerated. Over all, even before the recent economic downturn, about 30 percent of black men between the ages of 25 and 54 were not working, much more than in previous decades.

As a result, the official statistics on wages and many other economic subjects ignore a growing segment of the black population. They cover only those men fortunate enough to be working. “It’s a weird hole,” Kerwin Kofi Charles, the dean of the Yale School of Management, told me.

When you take a comprehensive look at black and white men — as Charles and another economist, Patrick Bayer of Duke University, have done — you see that the black-white male wage gap is as large today as it was when Harry Truman was president. (I go into more detail, including charts, in this article.)

From The Magazine: “Racial income disparities today look no different than they did the decade before King’s March on Washington,” Nikole Hannah-Jones writes. “More critical, the racial wealth gap is about the same as it was in the 1950s as well. The typical black household today is poorer than 80 percent of white households.”

The central reason is centuries of government policies that have denied opportunities to black Americans — from slavery to the Homestead Act to Jim Crow laws to federally mandated segregation that affects housing prices today. The only solution, Hannah-Jones argues, is restitution: A federal program to repay black Americans for the wealth that the government has taken from them.

Elsewhere: Writers for The Atlantic have previously made cases in favor of and against reparations.

THREE MORE BIG STORIES

1. The virus is surging

The U.S. recorded 36,880 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the highest single-day total so far. While some of that reflects an increase in testing, the virus really is spreading more rapidly than it was several weeks ago. Across much of Europe and Asia, by contrast, the situation is less dire.

The rise of U.S. cases is also leading to more serious illness. In Texas, about 4,000 people with the virus are hospitalized, more than double the number at the beginning of June. Houston’s intensive-care units are now filled to 97 percent of capacity, the mayor said.

In other virus developments:

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will require visitors from several states with high positive test rates to quarantine for two weeks. The list includes Florida, which had imposed the same rule on visiting New Yorkers three months ago.

Investors alarmed by the surging cases sent the S&P 500 falling 2.6 percent on Wednesday. The drop was particularly tough on industries vulnerable to a prolonged pandemic, such as cruise lines and airlines.

Some countries in Asia and Europe are taking novel approaches to managing new waves of infections. In South Korea, the government has advised citizens to carry two types of masks — a surgical mask for normal use, and a heavy-duty mask for crowded situations.

2. Hopes dim for policing changes

Senate Democrats blocked a Republican police overhaul bill that they said was not an adequate response to systemic racism. The House, which Democrats control, is set to pass its own legislation today, but Senate Republican leaders have said they will not take up the bill.

Senator Kamala Harris said that Democrats would “not take crumbs on the table when there is a hunger that America has for real solutions to a very real problem.” Senator Tim Scott, a Republican, said Democrats had “decided to punt this ball until the election.”

More developments:

3. Democrats are ahead in crucial Senate races

The Republicans’ Senate majority appears to be in danger, according to New York Times/Siena College polls of battleground states. To retake Senate control, Democrats would need to win five of the 11 races that currently appear competitive (as well as the vice presidency, which breaks Senate ties). The Times polled three of those races — in Arizona, Michigan and North Carolina — and the Democratic candidate is leading all, although by only three percentage points in North Carolina.

It won’t be easy for Democrats, because nine of the 11 races are in states that President Trump won in 2016. But his unpopularity has made it imaginable, as Jonathan Martin and Matt Stevens explain. In a separate story, Nate Cohn looks at Trump’s deficit in six swing states, including Florida.

Here’s what else is happening

The three white men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was chased while jogging in Georgia, were indicted on murder charges.

A federal appeals court panel ordered an end to the case against Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, delivering a major victory to the Justice Department.

Some people are turning to conspiracy theories to explain the flood of fireworks booming over American cities. But experts say the simplest answer is probably the right one: People are bored, and fireworks are fun.

Live cockroaches, a funeral wreath and pornographic videos: The Wall Street Journal goes behind the scenes on eBay’s harassment campaign against two critics.

Lives Lived: The Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev famously warned the West, “We will bury you!” But his son Sergei Khrushchev liked the West just fine. In fact, he moved to the United States and became a senior fellow at Brown University. “I like this country,” he once said. He has died at 84.

BACK STORY: A challenging commitment

In Powderhorn Park, a diverse Minneapolis neighborhood just blocks from where George Floyd was killed last month, many white, liberal residents are rethinking their relationship with law enforcement.

When a multiracial group of homeless people displaced by the unrest over Floyd’s death set up a tent camp in the neighborhood park, residents pledged not to involve the police. They engaged community activists, delivered meals and persuaded officials to back off an eviction notice.

But as our colleague Caitlin Dickerson reports, the limited alternatives to traditional policing have created dilemmas about where to draw the line.

One Powderhorn resident debated calling 911 after he found an unconscious man wearing a hospital bracelet. Another regretted doing so after two teenagers held him up at gunpoint. And some residents of color doubt that their white neighbors’ vows to avoid involving the police will last.

“People all over the country have been saying recently they want to change their relationship with the police,” Caitlin told us. “What’s unique about Powderhorn is that its new ideals are already being ‘tested.’ I think that’s why the story is resonating with readers, because they know they will inevitably be ‘tested’ too. I’m hearing from people today that the story is making them think about how they might react in a similar situation.”

PLAY, WATCH, EAT, PIZZA

Make perfect pizza at home

Would you like to make a deep-dish pie, with crisp edges and without mushy dough? This recipe, developed by King Arthur Flour’s test-kitchen team, achieves that. The secret? Baking it in a cast-iron pan.

Some other tricks: The tomato sauce is “smudged on top of mozzarella like sunblock,” Tejal Rao writes, which turns the cheese into a barrier against sogginess. And sprinkling more cheese to the edge of the pan adds crunch.

For the ‘Hamilton’ superfans

Good news if you haven’t been able to see “Hamilton” (or just want to rewatch it, over and over): The film version begins streaming on Disney Plus on July 3.

The movie — which is not really a movie but a live-capture of the stage production — was shot over three days in June 2016. It stars much of the original cast of the award-winning Broadway show. This is how the film came together.

Here’s a list of 16 books to watch for in July. In “Afterland,” a mother must disguise her son in a world where most of the men have been wiped out. The novel “Blacktop Wasteland,” a fast-paced noir set in Virginia, follows a mechanic who agrees to one last heist. Nonfiction titles include a memoir by the longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek.

Diversions

Games

Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Channel for political junkies (5 letters).

You can find all of our puzzles here.

Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David

P.S. Ashley Southall has been named the new police bureau chief on The Times’s Metro desk. Ashley, an Alabama native, has covered the N.Y.P.D. for The Times since 2016.

You can see today’s print front page here.

Today’s episode of “The Daily” is about how voters in battleground states view the presidential candidates. On the “The Argument,” Opinion writers talk about Joe Biden’s veepstakes.

Please consider supporting Times journalism with a subscription.

Ian Prasad Philbrick and Sanam Yar contributed to The Morning. You can reach the team at themorning@nytimes.com.

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