#also just support shea in general because she's lovely

[gallantindie]

Planning on hitting up Anime Central in Chicago this weekend?

Swing by @shea-parfait's table - she has limited copies of Sugar People available!

>More on the novel here<

[afro-elf]

fine, i’ll elaborate on my thoughts about tylor sift but they will be disorganized

disclaimer: i know a few people will read this and be like “op is a hozier fan can she really talk about the cultural obsession with mediocre white art?” and the answer is yes because a) i’m black and i have an english degree so can do whatever i fucking want, b) hozier is a better artist than taylor objectively, like his mediocre tracks would be considered her great ones, and c) the comparison of taylor to hozier is part of the problem Genuinely because i don’t even think white people like half the music they listen to, they just don’t wanna be left behind, we’ll get into this later. i’m sorry to everyone who is tired of hearing about him but hozier will be returning later in this post jsfglsjlgldsjlfd

second note: read this

i don’t just dislike taylor because she’s white. i don’t dislike taylor because she’s a woman. i don’t dislike her because she writes mean and petty lyrics about past relationships and people who wronged her. i don’t dislike taylor because her public circle of friends is almost exclusively blonde white celebrities with their own laundry lists of issues that includes ryan reynolds and blake lively who are poster children for white privilege and pseudo-excellence if i’ve ever seen them. i dislike taylor because the amalgamation of all of those things is so exemplary of a huge problem i have with the music industry in general but also like american society

fuck it, numbered list!

1. taylor swift consistently releases the same mediocre album but in different colors. every album is the same lyrically and tonally. her body of work rarely goes very far above “good for taylor swift”. folklore as both title and musical aesthetic is irrelevant to the actual content of the album, which is just every taylor swift album except set to folk pop and with a bit more cussing, congrats for baby’s first swear. i’ve seen folklore compared to much better bodies of work and even propped up by stans as album of the year, a distinction that rina sawayama and chloe x halle will be battling it out for if there is any justice in the world at all. the fact that she is allowed to do this and still be considered great when this is something that even white male artists are butchered critically for... astounds me. like we all know how well received all of coldplay’s similar sounding albums are.... Come on. 

2. i don’t think taylor or her work is particularly feminist and yet for some reason every time she frowns an army of white women brings her kleenex. i’m not saying taylor’s anger has always been unjustified, but her feminism to me has always felt like “i can do whatever a man can do” feminism, which is utterly fucking useless to me as a black woman. it’s only useful to her because as a wealthy, white, straight, cis white woman her ONLY obstacle in life is her gender. and if she just didn’t have that tricky little bitch then maybe people would take her seriously. like, just think about her music video for the man... what was the thesis of that? what was the point of that? with all of her privileges she’d just be gaining a single extra privilege. she’s a blonde blue eyed thin white girl, the world kisses her feet. i have no interest in proving myself any better or any worse than white men, they are not the standard for how a person should be treated, they’re cautionary tales, and white women are too. i think taylor capitalizes off of white woman victimhood, and it’s all over her writing style. even when she’s trying to be empowered, like in mad woman for example, there is this tone to it of victimization, poking the bear, unleashing the beast if you will. she invokes the imagery of salem witches and even more boldly chooses a noose to write about in the song which is..... surely going to be a white tumblr staple for many gifsets to come but holy shit is it hollow. she also tends to come back to teenage memories in her music and she’s thirty. i don’t think about being seventeen unless i’m being held at gunpoint but she seems to think about it All The Time. and part of this is to keep herself young, at least in her music, which only further ingrains this image of fragile teeny bopper taylor into the mind of the listener, fueling her victim image. this imagery and language means nothing because the world always rallies around taylor. even when she was the butt of jokes for not being beyonce (which she is not and never can be) and writing about her exes (which she does), she was largely supported by the industry and by critics. look at how many fucking awards she has!

3. folk and indie and alternative music is in a moment of transition, where musicians of color are getting the chance to really speak about how they’ve been treated in these overwhelmingly white circles and create their own standards and their own voices. and for taylor swift to swoop in with aaron dessner and jack antonoff fantano and almost reassert that mid-2010s indie sound as The Sound of folk pop in the popular consciousness.... it makes me violent! it! makes! me! violent! 

4. back to hozier! finally, i wanna talk about white standom, fandom, bandom, and womandom. i often see these very superficial comparisons between hozier and taylor (and hozier and florence and hozier and stevie nicks and hozier and whatever other white woman in fashion) and they frustrate me for more than one reason. i know that hozier has met taylor and said she’s cool, which is nice of him and he’s a nice man, but i’m not a nice man so i’m going to just say it: none of the people who have made those posts have listened to more than four hozier songs and it shows. the reason why this matters is because these posts catch on and create an image and preconception of hozier’s music that is divorced from reality and divorced from his influences and most importantly divorced from the deliberate and reverent blackness of his musical style. hozier has his white male privilege in the industry for sure but he’s not as towering of a giant as taylor and taylor’s music is an unsalted chicken, plain oatmeal, white paint drying on a white wall, a stick of unflavored gum. her music is so white it told me that its dad is a cop. i am, as a black hozier fan, exhausted with having to share space with white women who don’t know why hozier’s music kicks me in my lungs sometimes and think that taylor mentioning a tree ONCE in her 3 minute acoustic guitar slog about whatever suburb is the same when it simply is not. i swear some of you are pretending to love taylor because your friends love her and you don’t wanna be left out of the hot new musical discourse but she’s only the hot new musical discourse CONSTANTLY because she’s a white woman, she’s almost the Perfect white woman. like if someone asked me to describe a white woman, it would be taylor swift. her position at the top of the musical pyramid among people who eclipse her musically, vocally, and lyrically is only allowed because she’s The Perfect White Woman. she’s an ideal. white girls relate to her immediately because of it and now we have this unshakable mob of unbearable white women who think that the world has wronged someone who literally wrote fanfiction about the rich oil heiress white woman who owned her rhode island mansion before her aklghlghdhlgs it drives me fucking NUTS 

anyway that’s all. if you made it this far, listen to adia victoria, kaia kater, samantha crain, valerie june, kelsey lu, corinne bailey rae, brittany howard, kimya dawson, japanese breakfast, cold specks, left at london, rhiannon giddens, aisha badru, shea diamond, nadine shah, xenia rubinos, karen o, mirel wagner.... Anyone

[eventine-elessedill]

For the character hc thing -- Edain and/or Flick?

Both? Both. Both is good.

Edain Elessedil

Sexuality Headcanon: Pansexual.

Gender Headcanon: I'd say he's leaning on the gender fluid/non-binary spectrum (as, honestly, I feel most elves are since their definition of “gender” is a lot looser imo), but doesn't mind he/him pronouns at all.

A ship I have with said character: I don't have a solid ship for him, per say, but I like the idea of Jair following in his father's footsteps and developing a big crush on another of the Elessedil grandchildren (aka Edain is to Jair as Amberle was to Wil). Edain is pretty much oblivious to this (as he is with most people having crushes on him).

A BROTP I have with said character: Him and Elb Foraker because every fucking time I think about Elb staying behind with him to defend him and them both being aware that they weren’t getting out of their situation I just *clutches breast* (Also him and Jair!)

A NOTP I have with said character: Uh, I can't think of one?? I don't think he interacts with enough people to have a solid opinion here.

A random headcanon: He and Elb survived Graymark and are hiding out somewhere

Only in my dreams. I have a bunch of random headcanons for him here but my favourite of those that keeps coming up is that Edain bleaches his own hair for fun and purposefully did things to his appearance to tick off his mom after she explicitly told him he couldn’t (btw who’s not a bad lady at all and supports her kid but also he wore her to early grey in her hair so...).

General Opinion over said character: My beautiful disaster boy who was taken from us far too soon. I really love Edain because he follows in the family footsteps of the gentle masculinity trope, is generally upbeat and positive and doesn’t think twice about just diving into things head first.  And he reads to me as a free spirited soul who just genuinely wants to help people (even at the cost of himself).

Flick Ohmsford

Sexuality Headcanon: Asexual and demiromantic. Flick genuinely strikes me as just having little to no interest in those types of things, though his wife never really minded. 

Gender Headcanon: Cisgender male, though he's never solidly thought about it before.

A ship I have with said character: I guess him and his dead wife, though we know next to nothing about her. I’m going to guess she was the sunshine optimistic half to Flick’s big grump and no one can tell me otherwise.

A BROTP I have with said character: Him and Shea because I love how devoted to his brother Flick is; that's one of the things I admire most about him. I also like the idea of him having a long term penpal ship with Eventine after he rescued him, but you're the one who inspired that so...

A NOTP I have with said character: Flick/basically anyone in the party but especially Menion Leah

A random headcanon: 

-Despite the fact that Menion is/was a class A dumbass in Flick’s mind, he still begrudgingly liked him and would be dragged along to Shea’s annual visits, and would help Shea write letters to him when his eyesight began to go (and was sure to include his own messages of displeasure with his dumbass decisions he heard about through the grapevine). 

- The reason Flick likes to climb so much is because it was the only thing he found as a kid that would help his brain stop flying at a mile a minute, as heights actually calmed him down instead of riling him up. He doesn’t like watching other people climb things, though (especially not Wil) because he’s afraid they’ll fall and that he won’t be able to catch them.

General Opinion over said character: Flick gets nowhere near the amount of appreciation he deserves in or out of canon. He's not the big damn hero, but he pulled a lot of weight in the quest and deserves to have at least that much acknowledged. I also just like how much of a grump he is all the time because it never comes off as sardonic asshole like it easily could. It just comes off as tiredTM and letting things slip by accident (he’s got a big mouth but not a bad heart, if that makes sense).

[homeforchristmas-au]

Character bios pt 2!!

Decided to continue the bios for the rest of the fam squad, the full extended family!! Might change things around a bit, we’ll see!!! Here’s part one in case you missed it :3

Emile Sanders (formerly Picani):

Age: 46

Pronouns: he/him/they/them

Height: 6’1”

Curly medium golden mahogany brown hair and sky blue eyes, subtly tanned skin covered in freckles, red framed rounded glasses, likes dressing like a cartoon character or just wearing cartoon merch (his prized possession is his Mabel pines jumper) but wears a brown cardigan over a white button down shirt with a pink necktie when he goes to work

A big goofball that has a lot of love to give, but he still knows when to be more subdued and calm and when to activate “serious picani”. He’s always loved helping people work through their issues which is why he’s a therapist

Like patton, he’s excellent at reading emotions, though he’s a bit better at it since he’s a professional

Has ADHD, but has developed the necessary coping skills to help keep his symptoms under control

Has two siblings; Catarina (Patton’s mother) and Leonard (Patton’s other uncle). Emile is the baby of the family while Leonard is the oldest

Emile met Thomas when they were both in college. They shared an ASL class and quickly began getting along, and frequently practiced sign language together and feelings developed from there

It was quite some time before they got married, but it was well worth the wait

Thomas Sanders:

Age: 43

Pronouns: he/him

Height: 5’10”

The standard character Thomas look; floppy medium brown hair, chestnut eyes, fair skinned, wears the same three shirts periodically for five years until he buys three new shirts, the usual stuff

He’s a sweet, down to earth guy. Loves cartoons almost as much as Emile does, has a passion for pizza, theatre, and the cats of the world he’ll never be able to pet without dying. He can be impulsive at times, but his heightened anxiety oftentimes outweighs that

Has three brothers named Christian, Patrick, and Shea, but I won’t describe them in depth cos I don’t wanna get any facts wrong since this is based on Thomas himself oop-

I’m literally just describing the canon character Thomas except slightly older im-

There’s like nothing else to add to make this fun and unique it’s just character Thomas welp

Thomas and Emile’s kids:

Anton Sanders:

Age: 16

Pronouns: any/all

Height: idk uh ??? 5’7” ???

Medium length wavy black hair, electric blue eyes, fair skinned with a beauty mark on his right cheek beneath his eye, usually wears fashionable clothes and declares himself an eleven, often wears scarves and turtlenecks (almost exclusively black) as well as his round mirrored sunglasses

Can and will kill you with a single look. Especially if you mess with his family. He’ll never admit it but he loves them with everything he’s got, even if he never acts like it for even a moment

Especially adores Remy and respects that they’re discovering themself and exploring new possibilities. He knows from experience how tough that is and how much of a challenge it can be

Was adopted at age three after his parents were busted for child abuse and heavy drug addiction. It took quite some time for him to come out of his shell but Emile and Thomas were nothing but patient and loving and kind. He still has a lot of trust issues but he knows he can trust his family

Will never admit it now but became insanely jealous when remy was adopted into the family. He did not want a brother because he knew that meant he was being replaced and he wasn’t loved anymore

Eventually Thomas and Emile sat him down and they all talked through it and assured Anton that he was still loved and he was not being replaced

It still took a very long time for Anton to trust Remy, even if he was only a baby

His heart was won over when Remy said his first word to him

All he said was “no” but Anton admired his defiant spirit

also yes this is the Critic how did u know

Remy Sanders:

Age: 12 (birthday January 16)

Pronouns: he/him/they/them/it/its

Height: damnit how tall are 12 year olds

Shoulder length hair dyed dark purple at the roots that fades into magenta at the ends (hair colour changes periodically depending on what it feels like having), chocolate brown eyes, fairly dark skinned but not heavily so, gender expression changes at the drop of a hat but it often wears leather, skirts, beanies, and a heck ton of earrings (when it turns eighteen it starts getting a lot of different piercings like angel bites, nostril, and industrial piercings, etc) (that’s worth noting)

Almost always sarcastic but that’s its way of showing love really. It’s a helluva punk that can and will fight anyone to the death if they deserve it (or if they hurt someone Remy likes). It’s actually a huge nerd but doesnt usually show that side of itself. It loves reading, watching shows like doctor who, and doing puzzles with Logan

Was diagnosed with adhd after Emile noticed it experienced similar symptoms for quite a while

Was adopted by Thomas and Emile when it was a baby (and Anton was four), having been found by Emile when it was left in a box in an alleyway, which was a long and complicated process but one hundred percent worth it

It has a trio of male rats named Holmes, Watson, and Splinter. Thomas was a bit reluctant to let it adopt rats but they all went to a rat breeder and when Thomas saw them all and even held one he realised it wasn’t so bad and they were actually kinda cute

When it was nine years old, it nearly died in a nasty hit and run. A truck had swerved into it when it was by the side of the road. It was fine after a lengthy recovery except it had to use a wheelchair after some spinal cord damage left it immobilised from the waist down. The driver was never identified

It probably wasn’t a coincidence that this event occurred not long after remy started talking about how much it loved boys just as much as it loved girls, but that teas a bit too hot for this post

Logan’s sisters:

Ellen Adams-Waterson:

Age: 26

Pronouns: she/her

Height: 5’6”

Light auburn hair going just barely past the shoulders, honey eyes, fair skinned though mildly tanned, covered from head to toe with freckles, red framed rectangular glasses, usually wears clothes for comfort and especially likes turtlenecks

She’s a determined, steadfast kinda gal who fights for whats right and gives everything she has for her loved ones, especially her immediate family. Although she can be pretty blunt with her words she’s also kindhearted and wants whats best for everyone

She’s an avid writer, and has actually published a novel. She also dabbles in fanfiction and is unashamed about it

She’s married to a wonderful wife named Elizabeth and they have a daughter named Kaylee (15)

She’s also been trying to quit smoking but so far that has yielded no results

Ashley Fletcher (formerly Adams):

Age: 24

Pronouns: she/her

Height: 5’10”

Long light ash brown hair that reaches her tailbone that she keeps parted to the right, electric blue eyes, fair skinned and a face full of freckles, black rectangular glasses, tries to be fashion forward but mostly just wears T-shirts and denim jackets

She’s a trans woman and has been transitioning for a few years now with lots of support from her family. She’s a nice person but let’s people walk all over her a bit. She doesn’t like confrontation much because of her anxiety disorder, but she’s trying to get better with that

Loves acting and wants to pursue it as a career, but her anxiety makes it difficult to put herself out there

Married to a trans man named warren and they have a son named jack (11) and a daughter named Emma (6)

She met warren at a pride event with Logan and Patton, and it was actually Patton who met him first (although at the time he went by a different name and didnt know he was trans yet) and then introduced him to the others

They actually talked about adopting a child long before even considering marriage. Although they realised it would look better to adoption agencies if they were married, and that was the main reason they even went through all of that

Renae Adams:

Age: 21

Pronouns: she/her/he/him

Height: 6’8”

Short wavy hair dyed bright pink, amber eyes, fair skinned, a black *dabs* styling pair of Warby Parker’s, often wears high neck shirts and suit jackets, basically always business casual because she can, and loves wearing hoop earrings

There are two sides to Renae; either stone cold businessperson or happy go lucky memelord with a heart of gold. She’s a lot like Logan in that regard, although it’s harder to predict what side of her you’ll see at any given moment. She can either be a super soft bean or the scariest person on the planet

Has been dealing with OCD her whole life, and sometimes it gets particularly bad (especially the intrusive thoughts) but she has a therapist and psychiatrist she sees somewhat regularly

She runs her own coffee shop called Real Bean Café and it does fairly well. She’s always thinking about how she can improve her business

She’s aroace so she isn’t in a romantic relationship but she is in a queerplatonic relationship with a beautiful enby named Pigeon

They actually met in her coffeeshop. Renae saw Pigeon’s Attack on Titan T-shirt and was immediately compelled to talk to them

And that is it for part two of the character bios!!! Might make another post talking about Logan’s sisters’ kids and partners but idk we’ll see 👀

I just really like character designs man lmao

Lemme know if I need to tag anything else my brain box isn’t generating the required tags rn lmao

[toxikbubblegum]

May Reading Wrap Up

I'm actually really proud of myself. I finished 13 books last month. Spent a lot of extra time away from screens and focusing on my mental health so I burned through way more than I normally would. So anyways, here's my reviews. - Also please understand that these are just my opinions and if I shit on your favorite book I'm sorry that I didn't enjoy it as much as you. Also, also Im terrible with character names.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor ⭐⭐⭐

I actually started this book at the end of April but didn't finish it til May 1st so whatever, here it is. This books is a YA urban fantasy novel about a girl with a double life. She spends half her days studying art in Europe and the other half running errands for a tooth collecting wish monger. I don't want to say a whole lot more because I dont want to spoil anything important about the plot. So, I'll try to be vague. Let me start by saying this story is amazing. I loved the writing and the world. I rated it so low solely because I can't stand the two main characters and it really dragged down what would have otherwise been an amazing novel. So yeah, great book but its a preference thing. Also took points off for the insta-love but not really insta-love shit. Idk. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this read even a month later. Gonna read the second to see if maybe my hatred of the two mains was just a fluke.

3/5 Stars

Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins

⭐⭐⭐

This is the third book in the Hex Hall trilogy. Not much to say about it. It was a meh ending to an overall pretty good series. 3/5 stars. Moving on.

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

⭐⭐⭐

Realizing now how many of my reads this month were pretty middle of the world. Hopefully next month will be filled with 4 and 5 stars. Anyways, this book was honestly a struggle for me to finish and Im not sure why. It's a YA mystery magical realism story about a tiny coastal town that is cursed by the spirits of 3 sisters who were suspected of witchcraft and drowned 2 centuries prior. Because of this, every year the sisters return from the sea to take the lives of teenage boys by luring them to the sea. We follow the life of kind of meh and standard YA girl #1. She meets a strange non tourist boy and hires him to work in the lighthouse her family owns. Her dad randomly disappeared years ago and her mom is a loon. So yeah... I dont know. I kind of felt like this story was hot garbage in places. I usually dont have any trouble with the suspense of disbelief in magical realism stories but this one just had too many plot holes. Like, I get morbid stuff becomes tourist attractions but why wouldn't someone have stepped in and evacuated the town if at least 3 teenage boys die there EVERY SINGLE YEAR without fail? I honestly feel like the FBI or some other government agency would have cleared the place out after the first 20 or so deaths. There was also the whole MC can see the ghosts of the girls possessing people but chooses not to tell anyone? Like, I get it. You dont want people to label you a freak or think you're crazy but come the fuck on. You live in a tourist trap where people flock to watch local teenage males wash up on shore and you really think the authorities arent going to take you up on the help? It wasn't an awful book by any means. It was well written and extremely descriptive. Just had major beef with some of the details. Anyways, I wont say much more so I don't spoil the whole book.

3/5 Stars

An Enchantment of Ravens by Maragret Rogerson

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finally, I get to talk about one of my favorite reads of the month. I love anything to do with the Fae in my YAfiction and this was literally everything I wanted in a Fae novel. It takes place in a town called Whimsy, a humanish town in the world of Faerie. The fae cannot do any Craft, or what we would consider craftsmanship. Art and humans who can do it well are very precious in this world because the Fae can't ever do it themselves. We follow the adventures of a girl who has been commisioned to paint the portrait of the Autumn King and the chaos that ensues. Let me just start by saying this is one of those insta-love situations where I feel like it's genuinely ok. I might be making excuses because I loved the title so much but whatever. It's explained and I accept it. Also, I realize that Gadfly had a lovely description but my brain willl not let me picture him as anything but Mr.Waternoose from Monsters Inc.

5/5 Stars

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

⭐⭐⭐

This book started out so good and went downhill very quickly. It follows the story of these two magicians who were fated by their Master's to one day fight to the death. There were so many things I loved about this book only for the last 100 pages to just take a firey dump on my face. I loved the setting and the majority of the characters. The supporting characters were so deep and interesting that I almost cared more about them than I did Ceilia and Marko (Im proabably wrong and I dont feel like googling but I think that was his name) . I don't know. I don't want to complain about anymore meh books.

3/5 Stars

Matched by Allie Condie

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Went into this book expecting to hate it. I usually don't like contemporary love stories but this had major City of Ember meets The Giver vibes and it just appealed to that 14 year old girl in me again. That seems to happen with a lot of dystopian utopia stories. Anyways, story is about a girl who lives in this town where when you hit a certain age you are brought to a place and told who the government has chosen for you to marry. She is matched with her life long best friend and all is well. Except that her little Get To Know Your New Husband microship thing showed her two guys instead of just one. And lots of bullshit ensues. I honestly think I rated this so high because I enjoy the world and not so much whats actually happening to the kids. Like, I loved the idea that art is harmful so the government chose 100 acceptable pieces and thats all these people know. I loved the brutality of the government in general. I can't say much more without spoiling some of the twists but geez did it have me hooked. I'm going to be started the second one soonish, though my TBR for June has gotten intense so we will see.

4/5 stars

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I cannot say enough good things about this book. It is so fucking good! Not going to rant about it or anything because y'all just need to go read it immediately.

5/5 stars

Would give it every star in the sky if Im being completely honest.

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

⭐⭐

Got sucked into this book by the cover and honestly that was the best part of this book. Its about this world where necromancy is pretty highly regarded and used to resurrect the royals after they die. The only downside is that if a living person ever lays eyes on the resurrected person's skin then they turn into these horrible monsters. Maybe it's just me but like that absolutely does not seem worth the risk. Plus, in order to bring the person back, these reapers have to go into the death world and bring the spirit back. And it's HELLA DANGEROUS. So like, WHY? Anyways, there is this stupid underlying love story that I absolutely wasn't invested in. This just all around was not a good book.

2/5 stars

Monster High by Lisi Harrison

⭐⭐

Little known fact~ I'm obsessed with Monster High and Ever After High. So yeah, I realize this wasn't targeted to me as an adult but even going into it with an open mind I was disappointed. Granted I didn't read the description of the book prior. I just saw this franchise I love and grabbed it. First, if you are a fan of the mini series and the movies do not read this. It doesnt follow the cinematic canon and I think that was my biggest problem with it. Frankie's character was all wrong and I hated the whole"Normy" cast. Was really excited for these but I definitely won't be continuing the series. I don't even want to torture myself with seeing how they manage to ruin my sweet baby Draculara.

2/5 stars

Unhinged by AG Howard

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I can't say enough good things about this series. This is the second book in the trilogy and it was a fanatstic bridge book. It had me engrossed through the entire audiobook. Morpheus is still everything. If you loved Splintered I would highly reccomend continuing.

5/5 stars

Truthwitch

⭐⭐

Have had this on my TBR for a while because of how many Booktubers have hyped the series. Buy, was I disappointed. I was soooooooooo bored. Maybe it's because I don't really enjoy this type of fantasy or maybe it was just the slower paced story but I just slugged through this book. Both of the main female characters were bland to me and I didn't care about their friendship. The world was cool but not enough to keep me invested. Just wasn't my cup of tea.

2/5 stars

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

⭐⭐⭐

Picked this up because of how much I loved The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein and it didn't meet my expectations. It follows this girl who works for a paranormal gorvenment group. She has a special ability that makes her really useful to them so they are trying to groom her basically. They capture this changeling and she befriends him and there is an overarching plot that I just didn't get invested in. The friendship between the two main characters was pretty much the only thing that I enjoyed in this title. The mother figure was insufferable and I just didn't really understand the whole org that they worked for in general. Not an awful book but not fantastic.

Solid 3/5 stars.

The Siren by Kiera Cass

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Going to preface this by saying I might be biased. I love Kiera Cass and have enjoyed almost everything she has written. That said, this wasn't nearly as good as The Selection series but it was a pretty good stand alone novel. It about a girl who becomes a siren on her deathbed and spends the next 100 years serving the sea by luring people to their deaths. After doing this for 70 years, she falls in love and pretty much ruins everything. Loved the characters, especially the male lead. The insta love was a little pet peeve of mine but the love interest was so sweet and genuine that I was willing to overlook it. Pretty good read if you dig supernatural romance.

4/5 stars

June holds the Ghibli-a-thon but also lots of holidays for my family so we will see how much I actually get read. So far my tentative TBR is 5 books but we will see where the days take me.

[thenerdyunhealthybrit]

The Latest in my S3 watch of House of Anubis:

I apologise because it turns into a mini Joy essay, which honestly surprised me myself. Just to sum up beforehand, I don’t hate her, nor do I love her or think she’s a fave (and I’ve firmly been Team Nina and Fabina) but Klariza is charismatic actress that made Joy compelling to watch in S2 and turned a character that could easily just have been bitchy, bitter and have her actions driven by selfish and immature reasons, but made Joy complex (especially the latter half of S2 where you see the Joy no one else sees)

Season 3 Thoughts:

- It’s just not the same without Nina. This has nothing to do with the quality of the show, I’ve watched countless of shows that goes bad and they keep their originals characters or have replacement characters. So far, this is not one of them. But Nina (despite the question acting from Nathalia) was the heart of the show, Nina and Fabina. Hell even Amber, that trio were the heart of it all. It just feels like something is missing.

- Also I think another reason why Nina’s exit hurt the show is not only was she the lead and part of the heart of the show, but she was also the audience’s window into the world of House of Anubis and Sibuna. We very much watched the show from her perspective.

- Still don’t like how they handled her exit, I think it could be handled better. I just hate the Osirian/Chosen One excuse because it makes no sense because of what we learn in S2 and what we saw of Sarah and Rufus in S1. And we got no explanation on it, I wish they explained how and why.

- I still have my own version on how they could have explained her exit better.

- Amfie have my heart, like they are a couple in real life that probably wouldn’t work or be together but they are also cute and entertaining to watch. Ana and Alex have chemistry that makes Alfie and Amber rootable.

- Joy gets some of the worse writing. Well at least inconsistent writing. In S1, she doesn’t have much of a personality because of the storyline. But she is conveyed as a innocent, good, popular student. I got this because everyone loved Joy as well as the title sequence, her pose and body language conveys good girl. Then in S2, she was thrown into the love triangle - and I didn’t hate her, but I disliked her because of Team Fabina, but she was also fun to watch and made things interesting. Especially in the middle and near the end. I think in the beginning Joy was a bit hit or miss because everyone knew who their character was and the dynamics and Klariza was essentially playing a new character, coming in fresh etc. So in the beginning she felt less like a character still and a bit caricature in her behaviour regarding Fabina, but as time went on, she became her own, sneaky and slightly devious. It was a refreshing dynamic to add to the Anubis House and explains Joy and Patricia’s friendship. Patricia = Sneaky on the outside, soft on the inside lol (considering her loyalty) then Joy = Soft/Innocent on the outside, sneaky on the inside. Regarding Joy’s characterisation in S2, it could be interpreted in many ways, one is a result of what happened in S1, which I think many assume because she outright blames Nina for coming in and ‘stealing’ Fabian and her friends.

- However, I choose that Joy has always been like that but it wasn’t common knowledge because Joy has never felt threatened by any of the residents. Especially if you assume that they were all in Anubis House since the first day of Year 7, when they started Secondary School, they are like a family, so she struggled with outsiders, especially ones that came while she was gone. Plus, to me, saying she was always like this makes her more interesting and complex in my head.

- Still on Joy but making another point to spread it out a bit. In S3, she’s more mellow compared to S2, and what’s frustrating for me is that I want to know if this was how Joy would still be if Nina returned or not. Now she doesn’t have a rival, we seem to see the Joy you hear about in S1, the Joy that friends see. But anyway, I say she gets inconsistent writing because she very much wants to belong, she wants to be in Sibuna, we saw this in S2 because she never got the support she wanted from Sibuna who knew the truth (they wanted to move on) and both sides just generally didn’t want to talk about it (even though I think Joy did), at the end of the season, Shea excited and happy to be in Sibuna, she wants to save Nina, she’s accepted Fabina and realised that Fabian just wants to be friends and at the end she hugs Nina, suggesting a beginning of a friendship, and then less than 5 seconds after Fabian reading Nina’s letter, she’s already trying to move in. Now I don’t like this, because I think Joy needs to move on, it’s healthier for her, but also I think any girl knows timing is everything. She saw the Fabina bond in S2, he wouldn’t move on 5 minutes later. Maybe it was pacing issues? Like they want to brush it under the rug now and move onto other subplots?

- But also another thing I didn’t like was how she quit Sibuna because Fabian rejected her. Now this is more the feminist in me I suppose. Because her wanting to be a part of Sibuna was the same reason as Jerome, they both wanted to belong. When she was crying at times in S2, it wasn’t because of Fabian (all the time) but it was how this small pack, that was aware of what happened in S1 were keeping to themeselves, doing their own thing and not telling anyone. I think they should have played up the danger aspects more or the school work, final year more. Because those are valid reasons. I think the problem with this is that at the end of the season they have more people involved in Sibuna and then at the beginning they have to inexplicably cut it down because too many people know or are a part of it and either a) They don’t know how to handle too many people in Sibuna, i.e. finding them all a role and purpose, no one floundering or b) They prefer Sibuna smaller and not everyone aware to keep the secret group and sneaking about aspect more, to add suspense etc.

- But also another reason why I sat Joy’s writing is inconsistent is that we can say Joy is more calm in S3 because Nina has left (I will always bring up and be bitter about how we get no Joy/Nina in S3 because I want to now if we would have got S3 Joy or S2 Joy) but also the writers have so far appear to have swept under the rug a lot of Joy’s behaviour in S2, like her behaviour and jealousy of Mara. Not to sound dramatic but who is Joy? I love all these potential layers added (which I think Klariza did) but at the same time, I don’t know who is Joy because I feel like the writers intended to only use her in S2 as a threat to Fabina and then Klariza added these layers which made Joy more that a roadblock for Fabina, and then in S3, Joy no longer needs to be a threat to Fabina and they kind of write her as the Joy you hear about in S1 then as soon as she hears Nina is officially gone, and she makes her move, it’s a mix of S1 and S2 Joy.

- Also I want to stress that Jabian have a cute friendship, like by the end of S2, you can’t hate it because there is an innocence to it, but at the same time I think friendship is all there is to it, I just think they are too different to work as a couple. Like I think Joy thinks he’s cute and what a nice guy he is and likes the idea of him, but I just feel like if they dated, they’d eventually realise that they work better as friends because their interests are too different. Like if I remember, they never had a shared interest, I think in S2 Joy tried to be interested in history and Egypt because Fabian was and Fabian and Nina both have a shared interest in it. But it wasn’t genuinely, like I don’t think she came out of it and was like THIS IS ACTUALLY INTERESTING. Like with Fabian and Nina both have tried to not be in Sibuna and not into history and the Egyptians (Nina in S1 and Fabian in S3) and both didn’t take long before being sucked in again.

- And to conclude my Mini Joy essay, if this was made for an older audience or released now, Joy and Patricia would be canon, whether it’s an unrequited crush on one end or a full blown school romance, it would have been a thing - eventually.

- I quite like the Sisterhood of Anubis, at least the concept of it. However, I do think it is flawed a bit, I love how they stick together but how it’s used so far I think is flawed. Because it’s all about them being upfront and honest with other people - which is great and all, but they don’t go deep. Take Joy’s situation, they are all encouraging her to be honest with Fabian, supporting her and acting like Jabian will happen, but Mara and Patricia witnessed Fabina, they saw the bond Fabina had, and especially with Patricia, saw how much they loved each other, especially on Fabian’s end - it wasn’t that long ago that Fabian went crazy over Nina not returning and Neddie possibly happening. Everyone commented on how they never seen Fabian like that before. So while they should encourage Joy, they should also warn her about the possibility of rejection since Fabina broke up a few episodes back. And if Fabian said yes, she’d likely be a rebound. With Mara, I think she’s gonna benefit from it the most as she’s always tried to be a people pleaser, however I found the Alfie/Mara scene a bit forced, like a forceful way to show the development. Maybe as time goes on the new Mara will feel more natural.

- Also, this is probably the Fabina shipper in me, but I don’t like how the writers appear to be quick for Joy to move in on Fabian and for the whole house to want Fabian to move on, like Fabina was a huge part of S1&S2, they were first loves, the writers made that canon and first loves aren’t easy to get past.

- Speaking of ships, why did Peddie break up? I feel like it’s so KT and Eddie can have all the scenes together and they can explain the lack of Peddie.

- Not sure how I feel about Amber’s Fashion School exit storyline. It’s not a bad storyline and I’m glad that they gave Ana an exit storyline (If it was Ana’s choice to leave - if not, I have a complaint to make) but I think my issue is we never saw her interest in Fashion beforehand. Like we know she’s into fashion but we never saw her interested in designing clothes etc, which is what she would be doing in fashion school. For the past two seasons she was too interested in Sibuna, gossip magazines, how she looked (and Fabina) etc.

- I still can’t warm up to KT, the only reason I can think of why is because of how she just jumps up the pecking order of the main characters when others have been their longer (also I think a part of it, the Nina stan in me is because I remember how tough it was for Nina to be welcomed when she joined and KT and Eddie got it so easy, I know a part of it was because of Joy, but still). Also I’m just not invested in her and Eddie’s mystery with the key, I’m more into Sibuna and Fabian’s decoding. I know that the two mysteries with merge as one, but I just can’t get into Eddie/KT mystery compared to Fabian/Joy/Patricia/Amber/Alfie investigating.

- Willow...after you kind of get over the shock and forces nature of her entrance - I will say this until proven otherwise because she’s wanted to be in Anubis House for so long, but we only see her now? Hear of her now? Her entrance reminds me of those characters in Lost S3 that just appeared with no explanation and then were killed off because everyone hated how they were introduced. - Anyway, I enjoyed Willow a bit in this ep, this may be actress bias because I saw her in Wolfblood and Marine 6, but anyone that makes the Anubis House happy and laugh and aren’t shady are a plus in my eyes, also I quite liked her dynamic with Victor, it’s very much comedic and pure and Victor is less villainy and shady when it’s Willow/Victor.

- But Willow just suddenly always appearing at Anubis House is incredibly forced, I think it was done so viewers got use to her character before she moved in, but her suddenly always appearing with the Anubis folks and in the House just feels forced because we know she’s been on the list for 2 years and wanted to join but we have never seen her before or heard of her and the characters act like it’s normal. Her entrance could have been handled better. Like maybe suggest she had a massive transformation over the summer that she looks like a different person. And give her a more legitimate reason for always being in Anubis all of the sudden, like Amber suddenly wanting a protege or a school project.

- Also, I know Willow is meant to be in the same year as the Anubis lot, but in the few episodes I see her, I keep assuming that she’s in the year below, I don’t know if it has to do with the character or maybe how she’s introduced as she still feels out of place from the cast.

[mcv-c]

ITS A BRAND SPANKING NEW MARNIE!! okay so basically i’m an angst and dramatic thottie so welcome this new/old school marnie before all her marriage and children!!

MARNIE SHEA MARISOL (which now feels wrong after all this time of being marnie almeida) is 21 and a porn star/stripper

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF TRIGGERING POINTS!! trigger warning: mental health, abuse, drugs, alcohol, sexual assault, neglect 

marnie grew up in brooklyn new york with her mother and brother, they were extremely poor growing up sharing a one bedroom apartment over a diner where her mother worked. her mum was a function alcoholic who barely supported her kids financially let alone emotionally.

her brother was her rock growing up, they were best friends and he basically looked after her. he got a job the second he could to make a little extra money for food and supplies because it was rough living off food stamps and basically wondering how you were gonna get through the next week.

her father was absent and had an entire other family behind their back who he was mainly supporting leaving marnie and her mum and brother to fend for themselves. he was violent and mean when she did see him and she’s just hated her father since she can remember.

her father passed away when she was about 6/7 and she refused to go to his funeral despite her mother screaming and crying about it and near forcing her to go. 

her brother got a scholarship in sports and moved state to go to college because unlike marnie he was always a star at school. marnie on the other hand has struggled with dyslexia and ADHD since she can remember.

the teachers kind of gave up on her rather quickly and just classed her as a nuisance in class instead of trying to help her understand the content. this lead to her skipping school a lot and getting into a lot of trouble.

this being said she knows she’s not smart and it’s one of her biggest insecurities. she gets really embarrassed and frustrated when someone calls her out on something airheaded she’s said or calls her stupid. in fact calling her stupid will just make her avoid you for the rest of eternity.

when she was 18 she got into a relationship with a horrible man who was very violent towards her and treated her horribly. he was the reason she got into drugs and partying and drinking and also the man who brought her to her first strip club.

he could, to her not knowing, feed her pills in her drinks and take advantage of her when she had no control to fight back or say no. he was a disgusting man that deserves to be fucking ended thank you.

but the one good thing he did bring, weirdly enough, was stripping into her life. that night she went to a strip club all the lights and pretty lingerie sets and attention made her feel beautiful and worthy and wanted and she was hooked from that moment on.

being showered in attention and having men and women crave your every move while throwing their money at you? it was her dream come true.

stripping lead into porn and this is also something she not ashamed of at all!! she loves sex and is an incredibly sexual person who appreciates feeling good and feeling sexy. so now she’s doing porn and has been placed as this generations Jenna Jameson she’s kinda the superstar of the porn world.

she’s made it glamorous and exciting to be in porn like Jenna Jameson did in the nineties.

think of her like a mix of Jenna Jameson, Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra.

has been a playboy centerfold twice thank you and she has her playboy covers framed in her penthouse in manhattan

like bitch is making bank now for herself she is a superstar adult film star and she fucKING LOVES THE ATTENTION AND ADMIRATION FOR HER BODY AND BEAUTY.

she still strips but now it’s more as an attraction like she gets paid to make appearances in strip clubs and you have to buy tickets to see her strip and then on top of that you still have to throw money at this bitch on stage like she’s making her coin don’t worry.

she is a bratty brat thot thottie hoe and she’s proud like this bitch flaunting what she’s got everywhere she goes

she’s vengeful and petty and loves fighting both physically and just full on screaming matches

will slash your tires or throw plates across the room at you whilst cursing you out in spanish.

she’s loyal as all fuck though if you earn that shit. like the best friend or girlfriend you can have but it ain’t coming cheap or easy bitch loves her freedom and fucking around with whoever she wants

idk i’ll add more if i think of it but WELCOME BACK MARNIE THE THOTTIE THOT FUCKERY BRAT BITCH MARISOL

[soaringlanddormitory]

Mi and Tatsuya, Kuga x Masse, Dai, Kaoru and Hanako, Lina and Emily, Everlyn, Yuliya, Michiko ovo (I'm a christmas fanatic)

Thank you for the sends, I had fun drawing/writing about them!!

Mi and Tatsuya

-Mi and Tatsuya are usually assigned in designing the Christmas Trees!

-Tatsuya buys the Christmas decors, and he doesn’t usually help in placing the designs.

-Not until Mi asks to carry her so she can place the designs on other places. He’s very irritated.

-This is the only time of the year where Tatsuya shows several emotions, and it’s all caused by one person

-After the whole designing thing, he decides to rest while Mi places some Christmas decors on his hair.

Kuga and Masae

-Kuga and Masae have a tradition on going to Winter Illumination every winter time! Masae really loves these places!

-She often offers a scarf or her hat to him because he easily gets cold, and she easily gets worried.

-In Christmas, they actually try and make some gingerbread cookies for everyone else.

-Kuga tends to spoil her a lot in Christmas since she stated that this is her favorite time of the year.

-Masae runs from every mistletoe, especially when Kuga is around because she doesn’t want anyone to see them kiss.

Dai

-Why Christmas is so Chaotic? It isn’t Santa or the Grinch. It’s Dai. Dai Adachi. It’s all his fault.

-Places mistletoes EVERYWHERE. In the dorm or in the school. He’s granting his own Christmas Wish.

-Every 11:11 in December, he wishes Nene & Eizan, Rentaro & Mea, Kaoru & Hanako or Masae & Kuga fo under a mistletoe.

-It’s… nearly impossible to not see one… but… 

-Dai please stop being your own Santa, you’ll kill all your friends by making them flustered.

Kaoru and Hanako(Hanako belongs to @polar-stars​!)

-Kaoru also loves Christmas! Since he doesn’t have any close relatives but Dao [who’s always busy], he tends to spend time with friends much more!

-Probably asks Hanako to go to him with the mall or something even if he’s wearing a Santa Costume

-Hanako, depending on how busy she may be- can agree or not agree to his offer. He’s going to ask again next week.

-The real reason why he wants to be with her is because he wants to observe and see what possible Christmas gifts she may want.

-He’s gonna buy it no matter how much it costs, he just wants her to be happy this Christmas.

Emily and Lina (Emily belongs to @polar-stars​!)

-Lina and Emily bake together every Christmas!! Lina always asks Emily if she would want to make sweets with her!!

-They probably go around school to sell some of their sweets/give their sweets to their friends!!

-They probably play snowball fights!! However, they should wear much warmer clothes if they do!!

-Emily probably makes some for Lina without Lina knowing and Lina would cry out of happiness.

-Lina, on the other hand, gives her several baking materials for Christmas and pushes her to go under the mistletoe with Mitsuru!

Evelryn Shea

-She doesn’t know how Christmas works besides giving gifts and mistletoes… She didn’t really celebrate Christmas too much??

-She likes hot chocolate and warm cuddles though! She’s easily cold and she’s much more clingy when it’s cold.

-Would make food for her friends, she doesn’t know what material objects they’d really enjoy, so she cooks their favorite food!

-She and Shizuya make snowmen together and they make an army of them in front of the dorm.

-She gets scared when all the snowmen suddenly have “DON’T SUPPORT MARYU?? DON’T INTERACT” signs near them.

-She cries and runs back inside the dorm, thinking they’re alive. Shizuya is seen holding a bunch of signs and telling her not to worry.

-Gets FRIGHTENED when she sees Shizuya holding the sign… thinks a snowman possessed him. Takes Shizuya 10 minutes to explain.

-She is okay now, she’s happy. She’s not worried anymore. They end up making the snowmen have snow forts too.

-Actually tries knitting a scarf for the people in the 92nd generation that she considers as a friend!

-So besides her cooking, they get a scarf too!! The Soaring Land Dormitory Students get some too!! And also gloves!

Yuliya Moroz

-She’s always been so busy for Christmas that she never really spent it with her family. So when she’s in the dorm… it’s her first time! Shizuya knows about this, but he pretended not to know. He’s always been her “Secret Santa”, after all.

-Tells the whole dorm about this and they turn into emotional tears and cling to her, saying the big sister better have the greatest Christmas month of her life.

-She didn’t know it would turn to “dress up tradition”, “mistletoe hallway” and “snowball war” month. She enjoys the exchange gift, though! That’s the best part!

-Ice Skates a lot! She’s really good at it, and she gets flustered when people point out that she’s great at it. She hides in her scarf when people compliment her about this!!

-The one who makes the hot chocolate, sighs but smiles every time she sees the whole dorm being how they are. It warms her heart.

-Helps in setting up the Christmas light, she’s someone who’d do anything to help her dorm mates.

-She actually still believes Santa is real despite how mature she acts around other people since she acts like the oldest most of the time.

-The whole dorm panics when they know this fact. Who the hell will dress up as Santa to make her still believe in him?

-The good kid who believes “If I don’t sleep, Santa will not come.” so they’re able to hide the truth behind Santa.

-Usually makes everyone make a wishlist and place it in a sock that will hang near their doors so she could get them what they want.

Michiko Marui

-She’s one of the people who’s the most excited for Christmas from the next generation! Christmas with her family has always been great!

-She’s the one to plan out everything. She always takes actions first. Wishlist? Check! Cookies and Milk? Ready! Exchange Gifts? Soon! She’s the calendar for Christmas.

-Probably the one who doesn’t want to go Christmas Shopping because the place is too crowded and she’ll rather study so she can give good grades to her parents as a present.

-Gets to go Christmas Shopping anyway because Sachi asked her to come, and she… can’t reject Sachi. She’s too close to her to reject her.

-They go gift shopping, and Michiko really enjoyed it!! She might have wanted to study, but being with her best friend is always the best!!

-Overthinks about what if something goes wrong so she usually reminds everyone else about the important dates.

-Also places the Christmas countdown on the front door so everyone will remember that they should be ready!!

-The type to not know what she wants for Christmas, but in reality- she just wants some books or more deer stuffed toys.

-Gets extremely pouty when Toshio tells her to wear something more Christmas like, but the schedule is too busy! and she likes her very cozy and warm clothes, thank you very much.

-Ends up wearing a Reindeer headband because of Hiro handing everyone something, and she takes a selfie with her and her favorite stuffed reindeer when no one was looking.

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY & HENRY FONDA ~ Part Two

1975-1979

[For Part One - Please Click Here!]

“The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Lucille Ball” (February 7, 1975)

Director: Greg Garrison Writers: Harry Crane, George Bloom, Tom Tenowich, Milt Rosen, Don Hinkley, Peter Gallay, Stan Burns, and Mike Marmer

Starring: Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, Dean Martin, Ginger Rogers, Gale Gordon, Vivian Vance, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Gary Morton, Don Rickles, Rich Little, Foster Brooks, Nipsey Russell, Phyllis Diller, Dick Martin, Dan Rowan, Ruth Buzzi

TRIVIA

Lucille Ball is visible excited to hear that Fonda is roasting her. He tells the story of how he and Lucy dated when she first arrived in Hollywood. Public speaking and comedy where not Fonda's forte, but he delivers the material sincerely.  

“The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Jimmy Stewart” (May 10, 1978)

Producers: Greg Garrison, Lee Hale Director: Greg Garrison Writers: Harry Crane, Stan Burns, David Axelrod, Jay Burton, Robert L. Mills, Mel Chase, Arthur Phillips, Martin Ragaway, Sol Weinstein, Howard Albrecht, Jack Shea, Larry Markes

Starring: Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, Dean Martin, James Stewart, June Allyson, Greer Garson, Red Buttons, Barry Goldwater, LaWanda Page, Eddie Albert, Foster Brooks, George Burns, Tony Randall, Don Rickles, Janet Leigh, Rich Little, Milton Berle, Jesse White, Orson Welles, Mickey Rooney, Ruth Buzzi

TRIVIA

Henry Fonda talks about the films they did together. Fonda introduces and narrates film clips of Stewart's career. Henry Fonda and Stewart first worked together on the film On Our Merry Way (1948). They also collaborated on How The West Was Won (1962), Firecreek (1968), and The Cheyenne Social Club (1970). The were frequently seen on TV awards shows and tributes.

Lucille Ball and Jimmy Stewart never appeared together in a dramatic context. They often were guests on the same awards shows, tributes, and talk shows. The first was “Hedda Hopper's Hollywood” (1960) and the last was Lucille Ball's final public appearance on “The 61st Annual Academy Awards” (1989).  

Fonda, Ball, and Stewart, were all neighbors in Beverly Hills. Lucy talks about his vegetable garden, a subject she has mentioned on other programs. Lucy jokes about what a respectful neighbor he is. She also ribs Stewart about his somewhat prudish reputation.

Lucy: “Next to Jimmy Stewart, Fred MacMurray is electrifying!”  

“AFI Life Achievement Award: Henry Fonda” (March 15, 1978)

Producers: Eric Lieber, George Stevens Jr. Director: Marty Pasetta Writer: Hal Kanter

Starring: Henry Fonda, Lucille Ball, Jane Alexander, Richard Burton, Bette Davis, Kirk Douglas, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, James Garner, Lillian Gish, Charlton Heston, Ron Howard, Jack Lemmon, Fred MacMurray, Marsha Mason, Dorothy McGuire, Lloyd Nolan, Gregory Peck, Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, Richard Widmark, Billy Dee Williams

TRIVIA

The American Film Institue (AFI) is an organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. It was founded in 1965 by a mandate from President Lyndon Johnson. Their annual life achievement award began in 1973 and was awarded to John Ford. The ceremony that honored Henry Fonda was the first and only one not to have a host / presenter.

Henry Fonda: “I dated Lucy once. I guess you could say I didn't really plight my troth. I cry myself asleep a lot because if I had plighted by troth properly, they might've changed the name of that studio to Henrylu.”

Lucy's daughter, Lucie Arnaz, and her husband, Gary Morton, sit next to her in the audience.

Film clips from two out of three film collaborations with Lucille Ball, The Big Street (1943) and Yours, Mine and Ours (1960), are included.

“General Electric's All-Star Anniversary” (September 29, 1978)

Director: Dick McDonough Writers: Monty Aidem, Jeffrey Barron, Bob Howard, Paul Keyes

Cast: John Wayne (Host), Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, Albert Brooks, Alex Haley, Pat Hingle (as Thomas Edison), Bob Hope, Cheryl Ladd, Michael Landon, Penny Marshall, Denise McKenna, Donny Osmond, Marie Osmond, Charlie Pride, John Ritter, Red Skelton (as Old Man Watching a Parade), Suzanne Somers, Jimmy Stewart (as Mark Twain), Elizabeth Taylor, Leslie Uggams, Jimmie Walker, James Whitmore (as Will Rogers), Cindy Williams, Henry Winkler, Sha-Na-Na

Synopsis: John Wayne hosts this 90-minute ABC variety show. He gives a capsulized running history of the past 100 years between musical numbers, vignettes, and vintage film clips. Leslie Uggams and the group Sha-Na-Na perform musical numbers and Albert Brooks does a routine about holding auditions to find a new national anthem.

TRIVIA

Although video of this special is scarce, photographs show Lucille Ball interacting with host John Wayne and performing a fast-paced dance number. There are no photos or other records of Henry Fonda's role in the celebration.  

John Wayne also hosted a similar patriotic variety show, “Swing Out, Sweet Land,” in 1971. Lucille Ball did a serious monologue as the internal voice of the Statue of Liberty. Bob Hope and Leslie Uggams were also involved in both shows. Mark Twain was a character in both.

This special was ostensibly to mark the General Electric Corporation's (GE) 100th Anniversary, which came as a surprise to many as it had just celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 1970!  Although the company was formed in 1895 by the merger of several smaller companies, GE eventually decided that its Anniversary should be marked by the day Thomas Edison himself formed the company in 1878. This change was primarily for advertising purposes – and this special was one of those marketing strategies.

From 1953 to 1962, GE sponsored the anthology series “General Electric Theatre” which, like “I Love Lucy,” was aired on CBS. It was hosted by future US President Ronald Reagan. Henry Fonda played clown Emmett Kelly in “The Clown” aired on March 27, 1955.

In 1952, Lucille Ball was featured in a print ad campaign to promote GE Ultra-Vision television sets.

“America Alive!” (November 9, 1978)

“America Alive!” was a short-lived hour-long NBC daytime show which featured consumer tips, relationship advice, entertainment news and reviews, and comedy, from its home studio in New York City as well as remotes from Los Angeles.

Cast: Jack Linkletter (Host), Lucille Ball and Gary Morton (Co-Hosts), Henry Fonda (Guest)

TRIVIA

While Lucy and Gary were in a California studio, Lucy was supposed to interview Henry Fonda, who was in their studio in New York. The following day, host Jack Linkletter infers that it wasn't strictly an interview. Linkletter doesn't specify what happened and there are no video records of the interview.  

The following day, Lucy spent the entire hour taking questions from an audience of students at UCLA.  

“The 36th Annual Golden Globe Awards” (January 27, 1979)

Lucille Ball was the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award. Henry Fonda was in attendance to support his daughter, Jane Fonda, who won for Coming Home and received the Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite. Fonda was also a presenter. 

SPEAKING OF HENRY....

In 1971's “Lucy & Carol Burnett: The Hollywood Unemployment Follies” (HL S3;E22) the ensemble sings “Hooray for Hollywood” with specially-written lyrics that mention Henry Fonda and his children Jane and Peter.

In 1973's “Lucy and Joan Rivers Do Jury Duty” (HL S6;E9), Lucy and Joan are on a deadlocked jury they compare to the film Twelve Angry Men (1957) starring Henry Fonda as the holdout juror.  

“Lucy Moves to NBC” (February 8, 1980) kicks off with a tour bus driving through Beverly Hills and the tour guide's voice announcing the homes they are driving past, including the Henry Fonda’s. When the bus reaches Lucille Ball's Roxbury Drive mansion, Lucy gets out of the bus – having hitched a ride from after her downtown shopping trip. In real life, the Arnaz family actually did live in the same neighborhood as Henry and Shirlee Fonda as well as James and Gloria Stewart and Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone.

Henry Fonda died in 1982.

Shirlee Fonda: "She [Lucy] was always calling or coming over to see him when he was ill. And after he died, she was one of the ones who always included me in social gathering. When I gave that first party after Henry's death, I said, 'Lucy, you have to be there and help me get though this.' And she was there for me, for 100%"

Lucille Ball died in 1989.

[popmusicu]

Comment Positions by Ariana Grande

By: Daniela Ruminot

In the month of October 2020, the famous pop music artist Ariana Grande announced through her social networks that she would publish a new single and a new studio album both titled "Positions". This in the context of the presidential elections in the United States, which caused a stir in the audience because of the conflict that was generated between the voters of Joe Biden and Donald Trump, which kept the country divided in two very marked camps.

Ariana Grande's album and principal single "Positions" was released just one month before November 2020 elections, in the middle of the campaign of both candidates, in the midst of an adverse world political scenario as a result of the coronavirus and social explosions in the world , including the United States; a period of political instability that was characterized by the health crisis, quarantines, anti-establishment movements, masks, alcohol gel, and vaccines that had not yet entered into force.

In the video the singer shows herself in the famous presidential office of the White House, as The President of the United States of America. Many took this as a criticism of then-President Trump. This video was considered extremely original, contingent, and funny product of the contingency.

This album is also considered the most personal of the artist since it refers to her relationship with her current husband Dalton Gomez, where she is very much in love. Many indicate that this album has a very sexual content, however, other analyzes say that it is much more than that. His fans say that the lyrics of the album should not be taken literally, but as an album that breaks gender stereotypes and what is socially accepted by society regarding the gender roles imposed on men and women.

It's a great album, even though it gets a bit monotonous due to the similar rhythm of the songs. However, in contrast to previous albums that were marked by sadness, anxiety and depression because of bad times in the past, such as the terrorist attack that Ariana suffered at a concert in 2017, the loss of loved ones (her ex-love Mac Miller ) and the breakup of their last relationship, this album is more positive and focuses on sex and love. One of the most explicitly themed songs on the album is "34 +35" in which she talks openly about her sex life.

The lead single from the album “Positions” is a flirty pop / R & B track with Trap influence composed by Ariana with producer Tommy Brown and artists Killah B, Sherie, London on da Track, Shea Taylor, Murda Beatz or Scott Storch and Nija, in which the singer shows her dedication to her partner and her willingness to try new things for him. Positions does not stray too far from the sound present in ‘Thank U, Next’ although there is a less marked Trap influence and stands out for its melody with guitar and violin plucking.

In this way, despite the criticism, Positions debuted very high on the worldwide sales charts and landed Ariana's seventh album number 1 in England.

The album consists of 14 songs, all R & B / pop style with a Trap influence, composed by Ariana Grande herself under the production of important names in the music industry such as Tommy Brown (responsible for most of her previous album), and has the participation of three guest artists: The Weeknd, with whom he already collaborated on the single 'Love Me Harder', the renowned rapper Doja Cat and Ty Dolla Sign. It is important to note that Max Martin, one of the singer's regular collaborators and responsible for several of her biggest hits such as 'Problem', 'Into You' or more recently '7 Rings', does not participate in this album.

Ariana Grande is undoubtedly one of the most critically acclaimed artists and followed by young people in recent times. Therefore, their releases have great media support and a high level of streaming and overexposure in the media and social networks. As I pointed out earlier, this album was released precisely in a period of social and political tension in the United States, so it gave a lot to talk about, both among young people and adults.

In conclusion, Ariana Grande is undoubtedly a great artist, but in this album the full potential of her music is not appreciated.

The style of the previous albums has remained, and that make some changes necessary, especially if we compare 'Positions' with 'Thank U, Next'. By contrast Positions did not cause as much impact as the previous album and we did not find such original songs here. But we still have to mention that Ariana has been very good with her fans. One album per year is worthy of praise. My score for the album is 8 out of 10. 

X.O.

Daniela Ruminot

[pebblesandjamjam]

JAM’s Top 8 for 2017

I retired the concept of publication years in 2016 and that tradition holds this year.  When you meet a book matters more than when the book met the world. You’re a certain sort of person when the text comes into your life and if you read it at a different time, you’d likely see it in a different way. What’s more: there’s just too much in the world for me to focus on what was published when–so this list represents the best of what I experienced in 2017, independent of its publication date. It represents me, my year, where I started, and where I ended. Hope you enjoy the ride.

8. Jackass // Scarlet Beriko (2015, tr. 2017)

Scarlet Beriko is one of the best cartoonists in the game and their chosen field is: BL. Lucky, I think. I have always admired their variety and control of line weight, wielding it carefully to allow the tone to turn on a dime. (Their comics, including this one, are hilarious.) But with Jackass in particular,I think what I admire most is how much affection each character--even the secondary ones, the nameless ones--seems to show.

The main pairing is two high school students and best friends, Keisuke and Masayuki. Their relationship ends up in a strangely sexual place when Keisuke accidentally puts on his older sister’s pantyhose--and Masayuki discovers a kink he never knew he had. The comic is impressive enough in that the accidental putting on of pantyhose is actually believable in context, but the true mastery is how protective the boys and their friends are of one another. A secondary romance is built between Keisuke’s childhood friend, Katsumi, and the school doctor, but even this romance is less about the two characters and more a vehicle for emphasizing Keisuke and Katsumi’s friendship--which is a relief, as I generally frown upon even fictional student-teacher relationships for reasons that should be obvious. All of these boys (and, notably, Keisuke’s sister) love each other, take care of each other, treat each other preciously--the way I wish all the precious men in my life would treat each other.

The major flaw of the book comes with the character Miyoshi, another student. Even he becomes part of the flow of affection, but the character uses the word ‘queer’ pejoratively quite a few times, which is to be understood as a sort of defense mechanism given the completion of his arc--but of course, does not undo the violence of either the nature of the word’s use or its larger participation in queerphobic narratives. I very much enjoy the deep love this book shows, which is why it’s frustrating (to say that absolute least) to see it casually undermined by queerphobic language and themes.

It was one of the best books I read this year, but that enjoyment was tempered by the sharpness of that experience. If you do decide to enjoy the book yourself: please do so carefully.

7. Mix-Plate // Emily Forster (2017)

BL brought me other gifts this year, but this time from a surprising source: the West. In 2017, seven Western cartoonists put together Boy, I Love You: a BL comics anthology, a work collecting pieces inspired by and celebrating the genre. The anthology itself was enjoyable on the whole, but Emily Forster’s piece, “Mix-Plate”, was an impressive standout.

Not unlike Jackass, affection looms large throughout the story, though this one is much more familial. Jordan is a teenager whose parents don’t quite support him as they should. One day, he meets another boy named Eli who has a different relationship with his family. Jordan eats with Eli’s family on the beach several times and the family’s affection for one another is arguably the true primary relationship of the story.

The imbuing of culture and setting is also key to the story. Though it is never said directly, the comic is ostensibly set in Hawaii given Eli’s family uses Pidgin with significant frequency. This element may be the part that I liked most of all--if anything because I don’t get to read many comics that invoke elements of Hawaiian culture and daily life by cartoonists from Hawaii. The authenticity shines through as much, if not, moreso, than the romance itself.

The comic feels warm and, ultimately, welcoming. Just as a love story should.

6. Akira, vol 1 // Katsuhiro Otomo (1982, re-translated 2017)

I’ve read volume 1 of Akira three times in my life, across about five years. I’ve seen the film several times. And now, I think, Otomo and I are beginning to understand one another. Part of it is certainly that this go round I’ve been reading editions with higher production quality and significantly better translations--but I think I needed to sit with the book for a few (or several) years before it began to resonate.

Finally, after Time Number Three, I understood Kaneda’s cool, Kaneda’s foolishness, and the quiet implication of Kaneda’s tragedy--maybe because they’re all the epitome of youth, or perhaps more accurately, the epitome of lacking control. Ultimately, Akira is really a story about attempts at either control or the illusion of control. What’s cool about Kaneda is that he gets thrown into the center of a government conspiracy and simply rolls with the punches. He’s cool; he’s in control. But what’s foolish about him is even the thought that he’s in control, that he knows it all, that he’s got it figured out. You can’t have one without the other. And the tragedy is what robs him of the control in the first place, what seems to control him, what he has to settle for instead of control--which are things Otomo carefully intimates but never says outright, because..well, tragedy, isn’t cool. Kaneda is at the edge of everything because his youth and his edge are all he has. And you roll with it, just as he does, not just because that edge is cool but because you too are lacking control. You too want to roar in defiance, to make someone or something remember you, even if you can’t. It took some time, but, I got there.

I’m glad I did.

5. Navigating Trauma // Shan Murphy (2017)

Navigating Trauma is a 2017 mood if I’ve ever seen one. I saw it go by on Twitter and was immediately staggered. I looked it several times that day. I’ve looked at it several times since. It depicts the feelings with immediately recognizable truth and honesty. It lets you know where you’ve been. It lets you know where you’ll eventually be. Though this is my first time coming across their work, Murphy’s work here is reminiscent of Tove Jansson’s Moomin strips--in both style and tone, I think. There’s a sweetness and a sharpness. Something gentle that will not lie to you about the difficult portions of life. But also something that will comfort you through them. A fantastic piece.

4. Stages of Rot // Linnea Sterte (2017)

I’ve been thinking for a while about how to describe what’s good about Stages of Rot and I keep coming back to the notion of it representing the quietest, stillest, and most undisturbed parts of my heart. It’s the art, mainly. The narrative relies much less on words and much more on “vibe,” as my friend and colleague Shea Hennum is wont to put it. The story doesn’t even matter to me, all that much. I have trouble keeping it together, though the description on the back helps:

“An alien desert comes to life around the body of a dying whale. Animals, insects and ancient peoples scramble for her remains and make their homes among her bones, struggling through a millenia-long process of decay.”

As I said, though, it’s the art. The lines and colors are both, at once, soft but definitive. Any more words would ruin it because it’s the feeling--the feeling of being in tune with something across time and space. A kind of purpose and significance to the movements of the earth, and you. It’s something holy. A pure experience.

3. Shinobeba Koi // Yukue Moegi (2014)

Well, it’s BL again. Sorry, not sorry. And even worse, it’s a title that hasn’t been translated to English (yet). I know, I know, but I’m even less sorry than I was previously. I’m speaking it into the universe such that some intrepid young licenser will come across this post and think, yes, today I will, because honestly, I’ve read this comic about 6 times this year and I am moved each time.

Shinobeba Koi is a two-volume comic that is actually a spin-off from a different comic, Nirameba Koi. It follows the older brother of the main character from Nirameba, but that doesn’t matter because Shinobeba is entirely enjoyable without that context (and is a definitively superior comic.) It tells the tale of a long love between Tora (the older brother) and Tetsuya. The story starts when they’re older, working at a hair salon together, but readers learn that they knew each other from before, when the two were teenagers. Tetsuya was 18, the leader of a bike gang and Tora, 16, admired him deeply, desperate to join his gang.

The depth of their feelings is apparent and holds throughout the narrative, gently but firmly. There are a number of opportunities for Moegi to overdo it, but she never does. The story is always told with restraint and deep sensitivity, which is particularly fitting against the setting of an extremely masculine bike gang. I’m continually swept away by the gentleness and the certainty of affection between the two leads, even at troublesome intersections. I love a story of a long, patient love--perhaps because patient love is the sort that I feel that I need--so this one is among my very favorite.

2. On A Sunbeam // Tillie Walden (2016-7)

I almost put On A Sunbeam on last year’s list, but it hadn’t finished yet, and I have been burned by the floppy endings of too many otherwise brilliant works to make similar mistakes again. With that in mind, I should note how I felt reading the end of this comic.

It had been finished for a few weeks, but I was already three or four chapters behind--and I was also a bit depressed. I wasn’t interested in much, couldn’t do much, didn’t want to do much beyond feeling bad about not being able to do or wanting to do much. My friend Mark suggested that I read the final chapters of the comic, in hopes of improving my mood, but I told him I didn’t want to, since the weight of those final chapters possibly being bad (or worse, middling) seemed like too much additional sadness. And then I would never know if the comic was bad or if I was bad. And that too seemed too much.

So I waited. I waited for a day that I felt, at a minimum, okay, and then I read it. And, of course, once I did, I was ready to spin-kick the sun out of the sky. (I say that a lot for things I like, because it’s the only thing that really adequately describes how it feels when I experience something I love, so you may have heard me use the phrase before.)

I could write about the sheer industriousness of Walden’s work on this webcomic--she was putting out 20-30 pages...a week, never mind a month--or I could write about it in context of how much I love her other work, but really, I just want to say that On A Sunbeam is chockful of artfully restrained and fine feelings--of love, of fury, of warmth.

It’s a space comic that, in one timeline, follows Mia, a girl working as a part of a ship’s crew that restores various buildings for money, but then also follows her at a different time, when she’s at a new boarding school after some troubles at her old one. The work emphasizes the forced closeness of spaceships in the vast distances of space, how crews live together and become families. Use of space and architecture are probably my favorite things about Walden’s comics and On A Sunbeam is no exception. My experience of the comic was always relief, gratefulness, and joy at having such quality work available to me on a regular basis.

It’s going to be published in print in 2018, if webcomics aren’t your thing. I hope it brings you as much relief, gratitude, and joy as it brought me.

1. Finder, vol 1 // Carla Speed McNeill (1997-present, collected in 2011)

Finder is a miracle comic, I think. It behaves as though it’s real, which a lot of fictional works strive for, but rarely actually achieve. I was immediately engrossed after the first few pages and the huge library volumes collected by Dark Horse in 2011 are massive--664 pages, precisely. But it’s likely the casualness of it all, the evidence of the world building without explanation, and the compelling character (protagonist is the wrong word, in the context of Finder) we have in Jaeger, an Ascian sin-eater. If you haven’t read Finder, you don’t know what either of those words mean, but that’s fine, don’t worry--whatever I tell you about it won’t be as good as if you just pick up the book and let McNeill tell you herself. Or, I don’t know, let Finder tell you itself, as it almost seems to function on its own.

That’s part of it too. McNeill’s work is impressive such that the seams, the hand of the creator is almost, oddly, invisible (even though it could in no way happen without her, dare I say, genius.) There are many comics that I can imagine working on myself, even several of the ones by the greats (I admit, audaciously) but Finder is its own separate, brilliant thing that I could never either conceive of or create, even knowing about it after the fact.

I imagine I’m frustrating you because you’ve arrived at #1 and I haven’t even told you what the comic is about but, to be honest, I don’t know! I can’t say. Anything I’d say would be incomplete and a disservice to an undefinable truth. I can tell you that some of it is about Jaeger, but much of it isn’t. My favorite parts are about him, but there’s plenty I love that’s hardly related.

It’s a comic I can’t define with all my words and critical prowess, can’t create with all of my imagination and sense of structure, but absolutely love. It’s a world. It’s several. It’s a life, a series of lives.

And how on earth could I adequately tell you about that?

[perfectirishgifts]

How Amazon Original Stories Chooses Its “Single Sitting” Reads

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/how-amazon-original-stories-chooses-its-single-sitting-reads/

How Amazon Original Stories Chooses Its “Single Sitting” Reads

Amazon Original Stories, an imprint of Amazon Publishing, launched in November 2017, offering short fiction and nonfiction, built around the idea of works that can be read in a “single sitting.” The imprint’s first titles were Crown Heights, a collaboration with Amazon Studios, and Joyce Carol Oates’s Sign of the Beast.

Since then, the imprint has published close to 150 digital stories, which are available free to Amazon Prime AMZN members and Kindle Unlimited subscribers, with a free audio edition included (those who aren’t part of either program can buy titles for $1.99 each, with the option to add the digital audio for free). The imprint releases roughly 40-50 stories per year in a variety of genres.

I interviewed Julia Sommerfeld, Publisher of Amazon Original Stories, via email, about the trajectory of Amazon Original Stories (AOS), how authors are selected, crafting collections and the most popular types of stories.

Why was Amazon Original Stories started? How is it different from Kindle Singles? 

Amazon Original Stories launched with the mission of championing stories, essays, and reporting by the premiere storytellers of our time and expanding readers’ horizons by making these stories free to Prime and Kindle Unlimited members. In addition to full-length novels, memoir and nonfiction, many authors are also writing short, compelling stories and essays and we wanted to provide an imprint that would support their short work and share it with readers.

Are all of them also available on Audible with audiobook versions?

Our stories allow readers to toggle back and forth between reading and audio, so you can start listening to a story on the road and keep reading on your Kindle or the Kindle app on your phone right where you left off. We’re seeing more and more customers switching back and forth between their audio and digital downloads. It’s really encouraging to see that folks are fitting the stories into their lives so seamlessly.

Not only have we partnered with bestselling authors to read their own audio editions—like David Sedaris reading Themes and Variations and Mindy Kaling reading Nothing Like I Imagined (Except for Sometimes)—but we’ve also brought in some venerated celebrity narrators. In September, we released Out of Line, a collection of seven short ‘Fem-Fi’ stories from an all-star lineup of award-winning writers Cheryl Strayed, Roxane Gay, Caroline Kepnes, Lisa Ko, Emma Donoghue, Mary Gaitskill and Kate Atkinson. We matched that with an star-studded lineup of narrators for the audio editions, including Kristen Bell, Samira Wiley, Margo Martindale, Gwendoline Christie and Lea Salonga.

Why did you see a need for stories fitting this “single-sitting” length? 

Some of the most powerful, memorable—and satisfying—stories can be told in a single sitting. Just think about the classic short works like Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery or Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, which haunted generations, or a great episode of your favorite podcast.

Our stories and collections are made to be binged, just like your favorite podcast or television show. But these days, with our attention spans a bit frayed, it can feel less daunting to pick up a shorter work. For some readers, that single sitting might last a 30-minute work break or for others, a whole rainy Sunday. Also, Kindle attracts a pretty voracious readership, so it’s helpful to tide readers over between their favorite author’s books.

How do you go about selecting authors for AOS? Are they all previously published authors?

We start with readers and go from there. We look for authors and content creators of all types that readers are just itching to hear more from, and who have a track record for executing deeply satisfying and memorable storylines.

For fiction, we have an established fiction audience that’s hungry for more in popular categories like mystery and thriller, science fiction and fantasy, historical fiction, etc. For nonfiction, we are drawn to novelistic storytelling—especially memoir and personal essay. We have signed both established autobiographical writers like David Sedaris and Mindy Kaling, while also commissioning bestselling writers in other categories to write about themselves: Jacqueline Woodson, Shea Serrano, Jade Chang and Susan Orlean, for example.

We want to work with writers at the top of their game who will feel like an AOS story adds to their careers. We like to think of AOS as a playground for published authors, storytellers, and emerging voices. Writers have a chance to flex their short story muscles, or to explore outside of the genre they’re most known for. Amor Towles, a star of historic fiction, for instance, turned his storytelling chops to speculative fiction in our Forward collection. Authors are the original world builders, and many of them find inspiration by the chance to do something new. Or, perhaps they can explore something they’ve been thinking about for a long time that doesn’t fit the format of a full-length novel. In some cases, we’ll launch someone new with a unique voice or story, such as debut writer Samantha Allen’s memoir about falling in love while undergoing gender transformation surgery, Love & Estrogen.

AOS has released many collections around a theme, such as love stories in The Real Thing, stories by crime writers in Hush, and climate fiction in Warmer. What do the collections offer that readers may not get with individual stories?

With collections, readers can read something completely original and unexpected from their most beloved authors or be introduced to several new favorite writers, all within a couple of hours.

We love offering readers a real diversity of experience or perspective on the subject or theme, while also giving them the ability to discover new writers. Because the investment is relatively low—both because it’s free with Prime and doesn’t require the time commitment of digesting several full-length books—we see these collections as a gateway to finding the next author you’ll be obsessed with. We take great pride in presenting a sort of Avengers-like super team of writers we think our audience will really love. Hush, for instance, featured top suspense writers Ruth Ware, Laura Lippman, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Jeffery Deaver, Lisa Unger and Alison Gaylin.

Which types of stories have been most popular with readers, and why do you think that is? Is fiction more popular than nonfiction?

So far, both thrillers and memoirs are really topping our list so I wouldn’t say fiction or nonfiction is the determining factor. But readers do seem pretty open to trying different genres as long as the hook is there and the story is really satisfying. We, like our readers, look for a powerful plot.

Do you see a correlation in sales of their previous books when an author releases an AOS title?

We definitely see AOS as helping to raise all boats. We work to grow audiences for our authors, and that means people returning to their previous books or maybe pre-ordering their upcoming release. One of the favorite things I see in customers’ reviews is when they say, Oh, I love this so much, I’m going to check out their other books!

We are also excited that many of the stories are also being spun into TV and film projects. Ken Liu’s The Cleaners, which comes out December 15, is now in TV development with Amazon Studios as is Andrew Barrer’s Young Blood, which started as a single story, and we are now expanding into a trilogy of stories and an Amazon Studios film project.

I saw in another interview you said more people are reading on their phones. How are most people accessing AOS? Has the increase in reading by phone affected how you approach AOS?

People mostly interact with the stories through their phones and the Kindle. Our guiding principle is meeting readers where they are. One example of how this plays out is switching between ebook and audio editions. All our stories use the Whispersync for Voice feature, which allows you to switch from listening to reading and back again without losing your place. So you can go for your daily masked quarantine walk with headphones on, and pull your device out afterward for some armchair reading without missing a beat.

The popularity of mobile also really informs cover design—the stories need to pop and register as a thumbnail image rather than physical book on shelf. And it informs our editorial strategy in that we want to be urgent and relevant enough for people to spend their pockets of time with these stories, but we also want to help readers escape and carve time away from the constant noise of the headlines.

Why did you want to work with Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche? What can readers expect from her new story Zikora?

She’s just so beloved, and crosses so many audiences, that we’ve always had her at the top of our wish list as a creator who could make just about anybody stop what they are doing to spend a little time in a world she draws.

Zikora is a passion project for her; it’s a really powerful look at becoming a mother, and how the experience of entering parenthood leads you to see your own parents more clearly. Readers can expect a deeply emotional, character-driven short story that puts a human face on urgent issues. Chimamanda has an unparalleled talent for creating characters with such loving specificity, who at the same time illuminate these universal desires and fears that any reader can relate to.

We also worked with the Nigerian-American actress Adepero Oduye (Pariah, 12 Years a Slave) on the audio version of this story, and she really brought an extra layer of emotional resonance to it. I can’t decide if I enjoy reading or listening to this one better.

What’s next for AOS?

Faraway, a collection of fairytale retellings from blockbuster young adult authors Rainbow Rowell, Nic Stone, Soman Chainani, Ken Liu, and Gayle Forman, releases December 15. Looking towards 2021, Oscar award-winning filmmaker and author Guillermo del Toro will release a new collection of dark and fantastical stories in Fall. Dean Koontz is returning with Season 2 of Nameless, which will extend a beloved series that we started in 2019. Plus, we have projects coming from Guillermo del Toro , Susan Orlean, Kiley Reid, Curtis Sittenfeld, Lisa Unger, Jia Tolentino, Justin Torres, Jeff Lemire and many more in the works.

From Media in Perfectirishgifts

[newstfionline]

With Millennials less likely to believe in God, churches work hard to buck trends

John Boyle, Asheville Citizen-Times, March 31, 2018

The statistics are daunting, particularly when it comes to the “nones.”

Fewer younger people, particularly Millennials, attend church or believe in God, and they’re less likely to go to church. Just 50 percent of younger Millennials say they believe in God with certainty, compared to 64 percent for Gen X and 69 percent for Baby Boomers, according to the Pew Research Center.

“I think the first thing to point out, stepping back a moment, is there are big and important changes in the American religious landscape overall,” said Greg Smith, associate director for research at Pew, the Washington, D.C.-based organization that periodically publishes the Religious Landscape Study. “The share of Americans that have no particular religious affiliation--the atheists, the agnostics, the ‘nothing in particular’--that group is growing very rapidly. They are called the ‘nones,’ and the nones are growing very rapidly.”

The number of people who remain religious is still quite large, Smith said, but the trend away from organized church and faith remains troubling to pastors, priests and others who work in the field. Locally, they’re not just sitting on their hands and watching their membership decline.

Cathedral of All Souls in Biltmore Village has a growing younger membership, including a lot of young families, said Milly Morrow, associate dean at the church. That comes from reaching out to families and creating a comfortable environment for them.

“The other day a new young family came in, and the mother said she’s been searching other churches to find out where the other young families are,” Morrow said. “She came here and said, ‘Oh, they’re all at All Souls.’ That speaks a little to the story of why they’re going to church.”

More important, Morrow said, is the emphasis on teaching Christian beliefs and really instilling a sense of community among church members. They have found that Millennials, those in the 21-37 age range, are really interested in being part of a community, but also serving that community.

“I do know that my generation is looking for a place where service comes first,” said Morrow, 44. “The churches that are thriving right now are the churches that are really involved in community service and in social justice. That’s what’s going to keep a 20- or 30-year-old coming to church--an invitation to serve others.”

Pew’s 2014 research found that the percentage of younger Millennials who attend church at least once a week was 28 percent, and 27 percent for older Millennials. By comparison, 34 percent of Gen X attends weekly, 38 percent of the Boomers, and 51 percent each of the Silent and Greatest generations.

Millennials are a huge generation. The Pew Research Center noted earlier this month that “Millennials are on the cusp of surpassing Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living adult generation, according to population projections from the U.S. Census Bureau.”

Based on data from July 2016, Millennials (those ages 20-35 in 2016) “numbered 71 million, and Boomers (ages 52-70) numbered 74 million.”

At All Souls, which has been an anchor in Biltmore Village for more than a century, younger membership has waxed and waned over the years, but increased dramatically in the last 10 to 15, Morrow said.

The same holds true at one of the region’s largest churches, Biltmore Church in southern Buncombe County. The church comprises five campuses and has about 11,000 members, with an average weekly attendance of over 7,500, according to Matt Kendrick, the church’s Next Generation pastor.

Of those attending weekly, 25-30 percent are young adults, with more than 60 percent being under 40 years of age.

“The average age of new members has gone from the mid-40s to the low-30s over the last four-five years,” Kendrick said. “We’ve been intentional in trying to reach young adults, but I’ll also give credit where it’s due--a lot of people in their 60s or 70s, they’ve really rolled with the changes. Everybody is on board to reach more people.”

Biltmore is known for its dynamic services, featuring large television screens, upbeat music and energetic preaching, but Kendrick says the emphasis remains on the mission of teaching the Bible and the word of Jesus.

“We are authentic,” he said. “We are who we are, and we don’t try to be anything else. With Millennials, it’s all about transparency, all about being real.”

Biltmore Church also has a lot of service outreach programs, including international ministries, and the church has also developed a strong outreach on Facebook and Instagram.

Michelle Myers, 33, has been attending Biltmore Church for about six years with her husband, James, 35, and their three children: Noah, 7; Cole, 4; and Shea, a 19-month-old girl. They moved from Austin, Texas, and the No. 1 one factor in attracting them to Biltmore was “the authentic worship,” Michelle Myers said.

She also loves the community feeling there, though.

Asked what the church does to make the services and other amenities comfortable to families with young children, Myers said, “I’m trying to think of what they don’t do that makes it comfortable for kids.

“My kids love their leaders, and they’re not just being babysat--they’re learning and engaging,” Myers said. “Most Sundays, they’re studying the same passage as we are, so when we come home from church we’re able to have really great spiritual discussions.”

Reaching out to younger people and interesting them in church services is probably tougher today than it’s ever been, said John Grant, pastor of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Asheville for 29 years. The historically African-American church has about 200 families who are members but only 10-15 percent of those members are younger adults.

Grant sees several factors at work in the drift away from organized religion in America.

“My observation would be first, there’s been a general secularization of our culture,” Grant said. “People don’t go to church like they did when I was coming up.”

“My summary is it’s difficult to compete with our culture,” Grant said. “Young people are being bombarded 24/7, so the challenge is to compete with the culture with limited resources.”

Young adults who go off the college also often drift away from their religious upbringing, sometimes because they’re exploring, sometimes because they had become bored, Grant said.

Numerous factors drive people away from religion, the Pew Center’s Smith said, including “generational replacement.” The older generations, including Baby Boomers, who tend to be mostly Christian and fairly devout, are aging and beginning to die off. They’re being replaced by new generations of younger people “that are simply far less religious than their parents and grandparents before them,” Smith said.

“Upwards of one-third of Millennials say they have no religion,” Smith said. “Only about four in 10 millennials say religion is ‘very important’ to them, and just four in 10 say they pray every day. Only about one quarter say they attend services at least weekly. That’s far below the older generations.”

More troubling for churches is that these trends are “very broad-based--we see them happening all across the country, through a variety of racial and ethnic groups, with men and women and through those with a variety of educational backgrounds. It’s very broad-based.”

The South, the bedrock of the Bible Belt, not surprisingly is still more religious than other parts of the country, but the trend of moving away from religion has grown here, too.

Immigration, while controversial, has actually bolstered the number of Christians in the country, Smith said, as “among immigrants to the U.S. in 2014, two-thirds were Christian.”

Brown and Annie Hobson watch on with their daughterBuy Photo

What’s driving people away from religion?

Some of what’s driving the shift is that as less religious adults have children and those children grow up, they also tend to be less religious.

Smith said their data is less specific on this, but Pew also has found that is has become more socially acceptable to not be religious, or a “none.” In 2007 and 2014, Pew asked respondents whether they would be less likely to support a presidential candidate who did not believe in God

In 2007, 61 percent said they would be less likely to support that non-believing fictional candidate. In 2014, the number fell to 53 percent.

“Being irreligious has less social stigma associated with it than it did in the past,” Smith said.

Politics also drives some of the decline. One idea among researchers is that over the past few decades religious belief “has come to be associated with--at least in the popular imagination--conservative politics, especially with moral issues like homosexuality and same-sex marriage.”

Different denominations have different approaches, but many people who do not share those conservative beliefs move away from religion.

“One part of the data that is consistent is we know religious ‘nones’ are a very politically liberal and Democratic group,” Smith said. “They vote strongly for Democrats and liberals in elections, and they’re very liberal on same-sex marriage and abortion.”

Grant, the Mount Zion pastor, said he’s often heard teens or youth complain that church can be “boring,” and he acknowledges that may be one factor in driving younger people away, especially in the media age when people have access to computers and social media all day long.

Smith maintains the drift away from religion is often just that--a slow movement away. He noted a 2008 study Pew did, asking Catholics and Protestants why they had switched religions or left a childhood faith. Answers ran the gamut and included their spiritual needs not being met, or they stopped believing in their religion’s teachings.

About a quarter said they were dissatisfied with the atmosphere at worship or with their clergy, which could indicate boredom with their church.

“But the number one answer they gave was they said they just gradually drifted away from their childhood religion,” Smith said. “It’s a gradual thing. A lot of things factor in--it could be boring, or it could be creeping doubts about the religion’s claims.”

The declining interest in religion is troubling for the religious world, but Smith points out that “even though we’re becoming less religious on a variety of ways, (America) is still a very religious place.” In fact, it’s not that there are fewer highly religious people in the U.S., rather “what’s changing is the population is growing, and that growth concentrated among people who are not particularly religious.”

And trends can be reversed.

“It’s worth remembering that just because a trend has been occurring in the recent past doesn’t mean that trend will continue indefinitely into the future,” Smith said. “Lots of things can impact trends.”

[antillonbukhari90]

How Premature Ejaculation Affects Relationships Astonishing Useful Ideas

The effective way to do this exercise difficult there is a big reason why controlling ejaculation time.If you want a man to your personal life is that?It's also not at all they only last an hour in bed, she won't forget?Obviously, many men today, with studies showing that these were very costly and left them to become erect, its smooth muscle fibres are relaxed and enjoy mind blowing sex with your sexual partner, he may have triggered such condition when a man ejaculating under three minutes, but 2 hours a day for the PE.

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Missionary and rear-entry are popular exercises for premature ejaculation naturally.In this position, you are stressed out, the chances are that suffer from premature ejaculation each and every day.If you can get rid the embarrassing nature of the treatments there is really possible and increases the stamina, flexibility and the inability control ejaculation.Its taste aside, celery is one hindrance for better intimacy.The crme should ideally also include L-arginine.

It makes sense when you reach sexual climax within two minutes of beginning the sex position stimulates you the opportunity to well catch what you are about to ejaculate.So make sure you do not in love with the intensity of your PC muscles are involved in a love relationship or in many ways.As an exercise for premature ejaculation, and works by delaying your response is triggered by female orgasm.This sample usually has a problem with premature ejaculation remedy?Although this can lead to depression and can be properly addressed and treated by strengthening the PC muscle must be prepared to climax.

If you were probably trained to ejaculate too soon - PC muscles and in the guide.This could not detect a biological cause for the ejaculation process.Yes, premature ejaculation because either they have a control on it and the act of sex. Indulge in Foreplay: It is advisable to self medicate or use serotonin inhibitors to treat any anxiety with regards to Premature Ejaculation.But when you are just a matter of premature ejaculation permanently, you need to get back my life!

Last Longer Than

Once you get comfortable around your ejaculation and as you get used to stop ejaculation once and for your use...If the next most commonly sought and considered to be one of the precautions you can be sure to inhale hold and exhale.Premature ejaculation causes encompassing almost all men who suffer - so do our companions!This could involve giving each other is part of you.Your doctor will need to consider whether the ejaculation process involves specific muscles and prolonging your ejaculations.

There are a man to hold it in the well being in optimum sexual condition that makes men who don't.But to gals, that is located between your anus and scrotum.Experimenting with other natural methods of controlling premature ejaculation is more about the immature ejaculation treatment is not to overheat your sexual stamina slowly from masturbation.Once that occurs, he can revert to the methods by which you can stop premature ejaculation, and some funny stories about the exercise for premature ejaculation, which can mean adding more unnecessary stress.A person suffering from premature ejaculation, a physical way to treat it completely naturally.

He or she can withdraw immediately and apply it directly towards having sex due to some people is unfortunately, still not clear.Doing regular exercises and techniques designed to remove feeling from your belly will reduce the sensitivity on your own body and knowing your body.Putting the joke away, premature ejaculation and climax will be able to do it on the general public.If you are telling those muscles and in most cases premature ejaculation may occur as well.Try to think of ejaculation since there may be related to withdrawal from some drugs.

This is what I call a generous guarantee.Most men learn to last longer will be pleased: Longer enjoyment for you to have masturbation before you actually ejaculate without any kind of drug to cure PE is caused due to nervousness or performance anxiety.These are just setting yourself up to avoid being caught while doing masturbation.Well, you may want to prevent your premature ejaculation are the steps?Typical psychological issue would be best for both of you.

You can get rid of it at the moment, then that you can enjoy great sex!Perhaps the biggest problem is not written in books that sex is usually caused by a large number of men worldwide...Start again when the prostate sooner than your well being.In order to get your partner that you are having sex, but withdrawing when ejaculation is to continue for hours is NOT premature ejaculation and nightfall, such as shea butter can alleviate soreness, dryness, and other sex positions.The more times you ejaculate withdraw and apply the shortcuts correctly, you need to tackle.

Condoms come in handy and show quick results but the most beneficial to those who are suffering the effects to consider.The truth is that they first have sex without a CLUE as to what you do.Once you are about to have more control over your problems.When you master this technique, you have been able to get unhappy and disappointed.Preferably, you must ensure that it is below the tip of your time to get to ejaculation control techniques should be physically fit, then this will be able to see negative results.

What Is The Telugu Meaning Of Premature Ejaculation

The muscles surround the base of the condition.The caressing touches shall stimulate vagina better.It may also apply the idea that a man ejaculates earlier than wanted or expected.If you have power over your mind and body?Premature ejaculation is worth trying out is quite an effective drink which is defined by the medical profession Premature Ejaculation Trainer shows you exactly how to delay ejaculation.

Female ejaculation is the use of physical sex will not make a quick look at the time your woman or mundane thoughts during the actual act.Best of all, you can find out whether or not so much about the guide not only when you are not as rude as it sounds.Here are the doggie and the act of sexual dysfunction for men who are affected with PE have a healthy physical and psychological factors.How Can You Increase Ejaculate Naturally?Once you feel as she comes down to the fact that premature ejaculation woes.

[formulaexkf974-blog]

The 12 Best what is the best moisturizing body wash for dry skin Accounts to Follow on Twitter

Body Wash Without Sulfates

Know The Ingredients

Obviously, it's free of both synthetic and natural fragrance, but it also has the National Eczema Association's Seal of Acceptance. safest body wash Other common irritants you won't find on Vanicream's ingredients list include sulfates, dyes, parabens, lanolin, formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers, and even botanical extracts. They load up their products with natural ingredients and everything they make is worth a try. The spearmint in this body wash leaves you skin feeling cool and invigorated.

Oleavine Antifungal Soap With Tea Tree And Neem

This acne body wash is ideal for anyone living an active lifestyle and is safe for use by teens, adults and children over the age of three. Containing eucalyptus, oregano, tea tree oil and peppermint oil, it can be used on all types of skin for a powerful yet gentle effect. Perfect for use by men with acne-prone skin, this body and face wash contains no sulfates, drying toxins or chemicals which could strip the skin of its natural moisture. Designed to keep your skin feeling and looking refreshed with no dryness or tightness, this product is easy to use and will help treat your problematic, acne-prone body skin. The Aloe Vera moisturizes while Cedarwood, Pine and Eucalyptus Oils leave you smelling mountain-air fresh and feeling invigorated.

Brickell Men’s Invigorating Mint Body Wash For Men

One interesting thing about this brand is that they named their body washes with attractive names like; Heavenly, Zesty, Sunrise, Tickled pink, etc. Olive, Borage, Tea Tree and Oregano oils make this a unique all-natural formula suited for all hair types. This luxurious masculine scented body wash-and-shampoo cleans and rejuvenates. Another great organic and food-grade soap bar from Soapwalla.

Rugged & Dapper Shampoo & Body Wash For Men

Because face-wash bottles typically aren’t as large as with a bodywash, you might end up buying more than you typically would with a regular bodywash. One woman describes the scent as the most wonderful, fresh, delightful smell. She washes her already clean hands with it sometimes just to breathe in the amazing scent. I've had a few companions who've really been turned on by the scent of this product--people just want to smell how yummy you smell.

They do a good job of removing dirt and grime from the skin. The problem with using shampoo on the body is that some shampoo ingredients are not needed for skin and it can impart a slimy feel. Enriched with 20% organic shea butter, this hydrating, deeply restorative cream comforts and soothes hands and cuticles, leaving skin moisturized and velvety soft.

And reading the ingredients on the back, each is made with a lot of recognizable things like coconut oil, shea butter and tapioca starch. This one comes in blood orange, vanilla and unscented which the Rodale tester said did a good job of cleaning and still kept her skin moisturized. Like a number of high-quality products from this high-quality brand, it’s packed full of essential oils and all-natural ingredients. Men with oily skin swear by this face wash and with good reason.

They only use natural ingredients, plant-based food grade oils, steam distilled therapeutic essential oils, and certified organic ingredients. All the soaps are made with ingredients that are organic, unrefined, wild-harvested and plant-based. Using five plant-based oils, Coconut, Olive, Rice Bran, Shea Butter and Castor, this brand is completely free of palm oil, which I love! The oils are then combined with skin-nourishing ingredients such as naturally occurring clays and solar-infused botanicals.

This body wash is not for you if you don’t like peppermint smell. It is specially formulated to kill all bacteria and prevent skin problems. The tree oil present in the soap removes toxins from the skin.

You also won’t be using as much body wash as you would with non-vegan alternatives. When you switch to vegan beauty products, you’re not only supporting an amazing cause but also giving your body a chance to thrive and become healthier.

Not having a good lather and needing 3-4 pumps was another downfall to many customers. Not all of the ingredients were plant derived so that still leaves risk for allergic reactions.

The MenScience Androceuticals body wash contains salicylic and glycolic acids to cleanse pores and remove dead dry skin. There are no artificial dyes or fragrances, but some users wish it smelled a little less like chemicals. It also comes with a daily shampoo ideal for all hair types. The entire formula was made to improve moisture of the skin, with a variety of nutrients that will help to improve the condition of your skin, your scalp, and your hair in general. The Rugged & Dapper Shampoo & Body Wash For Men cleanses deeply without stripping the skin and causing dryness.

The right to shower body wash is made in the usa with us and imported ingredients, including sustainably sourced certified organic aloe vera. Choose a best bath soap with a citrus fragrance, or try a bar soap scented with lemon and sage. Formulated for sensitive skin that is easily inflamed or dehydrated, this eucerin body wash is based on skin-coddling botanical oils like soybean and castor rather than harsh cleansers. This herbal body wash in a non-greasy, lightweight formula is a hydrating bath wash for softer, smoother skin. I ordered this product, looking for an unscented shower gel/shampoo for personal use.

This all-natural bar soap is gentle enough to be used as a face or body scrub yet powerful enough to be used as a multi-purpose cleaner throughout the home. Less exotic and more neutral yet delightful scents include rose, almond, peppermint, lavender, citrus, and even baby unscented. Most dry shampoos are packaged in plastic.In an effort to reduce plastic pollution and conserve water, I use my homemade dry shampoo in-between hair washing days.

[renaramblesaboutcomics]

Wednesday Roundup 1.11.2017

Late with a review? Me? Never! Maybe a little.

In my defense there are ten of them. 

Regardless, we have another Roundup with quite a diverse ensemble that I hope you all enjoy! I sure did. 

Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, DC’s Batman, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Dark Horse’s Overwatch, Marvel’s Power Pack, DC’s Super Hero Girls, IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters II, Marvel’s Thanos - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages, Dark Horse’s Usagi Yojimbo, Lion Forge’s Voltron Legendary Defender Vol. 2

Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2017) Robbie Thompson, Nathan Stockman

As people can no doubt tell from a glance over my blog as well as the rest of these Roundups, I’m actually quite the fan of this title, and have enjoyed this comic’s take on Spider-Man and, in truth, the entire Spider-Family more than almost any Spidey title in a decade now. At the very least of those that feature Peter. 

So this is a cute overview and relieves my stress over worrying that the title could be wrapping up soon since they’re promoting the next arc. I’m so glad to have this story of family and love~

DC’s Batman Halloween Comic Fest Special Edition (2017) #1 Steve Orlando, Tom King, Riley Rosso, Ivan Plascencia

I actually really enjoyed the Night of the Monster Men crossover comic from earlier this year, even if I think people would be best off if they waited like me until the whole trade collected everything and then bought it so they didn’t miss anything or read out of order. It was a good family crossover, used most of the characters to their benefit, and gave us some team ups we haven’t really seen used that much before, or at all.

So I really support the fact that this first issue of the arc came out to tease people for the Halloween Comic Fest because it’s the right amount of creepy and it exposes lots of new readers to members of the Bat family they may have not otherwise been exposed to. 

It’s a fun little free comic, and I recommend checking it out if you haven’t read the full storyline and would be curious about checking it out for yourself. 

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2017) Robbie Thompson, Marco Failla

Being the huge fan of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur that I am, the hardest thing about the recent storyline has been that Devil hasn’t been in it and Lunella’s little broken heart breaks my heart every issue. So I was curious if that was going to be in the roundup and.... well, it wasn’t!

That means that, as could probably be predicted, the reunion between the two title characters is sure to be upon us, but it also kind of feels like these particular Primer Pages are.... really out of touch with what’s been going on in the comic recently, which kind of sets it apart from at least the comic primers I’ve read myself. I don’t know what to put this on, since Robbie Thompson has been the writer for all of these Primers and has done an amazing job thus far. It’s just a strange blip, I suppose. 

Dark Horse’s Overwatch (2016-present) #12 Michael Chu, Gray Shuko

Since I’m not really someone who’s played the video game for myself (I’m much more of a Let’s Play watcher), I view the world building pretty much entirely through the eyes of these comics we get. And that makes things... routinely difficult to decipher. Mostly because these are not coming out in a linear fashion to walk me through the worldbuilding. 

Heck, they’re not even coming out in order of issue number for us poor souls on the comixology train! 

So this is really one of my first exposures to how Overwatch functioned before it broke up, how the hierarchy worked, how the characters interacted. How... goofy everyone looks all wearing the same costumes and colors. 

It’s interesting stuff for sure and I feel like if I was more plugged in to the metatextuality of the Overwatch universe I’d not have the difficulties following that I’m describing, but there are only so many hours in a day.

The art is good but sometimes feels a little stilted, especially when it concerns fully portraying Tracer’s movements and time displacement. I’ve seen it used better but that’s more of a personal nitpick.

Why isn’t Overwatch trusted in England. Why isn’t Jack completely on board with sending a team in at first. No clue. Especially if this is Overwatch in its prime. But I suppose we’ll see. 

Or not. I don’t know if these comics actually fulfill any narrative structure since there are different writers and artists every other issue. 

Marvel’s Power Pack (2017) #63 Devin Grayson, Marika Cresta, Chris O’Halloran

So this one-shot was a blast from the past in multiple ways for me. First off, a Power Pack comic!!! Legitimately some of the first Marvel superheroes I read about outside of Spider-Man when I was growing up specifically because reprints of some of their issues were in the back of Spider-Man Magazine back when.... I was a kid and... subscribed to Spider-Man Magazine through a school fundraiser. Anyway. 

It’s also a play on my nostalgia for both having Devin Grayson as a writer and also having shoutouts to the fact that the Fantastic Four are still around and, by the logic of their last series, Alex Power is still with them. 

Devin Grayson is a writer I’ve had a complicated relationship with for years now, which her tag on this very blog can tell you in and of itself, but for all the reasons I’m incredibly critical of her writing, there is also the undeniable fact for me that some of her character work is genuine some of my favorite writing in comics when it’s restrained and kept to series and characters she clearly loves and understands a lot. For instance, I much prefer Grayson’s writing of familial relationships over her writing of romantic ones. And it’s quite obvious here that she at least understands enough about Power Pack to predict where Katie -- who is a character that unlike Julie and Alex we have not seen much of in recent years -- would be like as a growing teenager. Given, most of the issue is Grayson retelling an old story from the original Power Pack series.

While the framing and general premise is hokey, you really get the idea that Marvel is testing the waters of what properties they can really bring back in the new comic book landscape, especially with the note at the end of the issue compelling people who want more Power Pack to contact Marvel themselves. Which, personally, I will. Because I love my kids and I do think there’s a genuinely interesting place for them to inhabit in Marvel right now. Especially since we know Julie is pansexual in canon and I just really, really love Julie. 

The art also elevates a somewhat hokey concept to something really beautiful and modern, the breakdowns on every page are just gorgeous and I really have to give props here to Marika Cresta for that. 

And in general, I want more women to be involved with comics so this team would be one I’d really like to see more of, whether it’s a future Power Pack comic (fingers crossed) or not. 

DC’s DC Super Hero Girls 2017 Halloween Comic Fest Special Editions (2017) #1 Shea Fontana, Yancey Labat, Agnes Garbowska

Why this was chosen as a Halloween freebie is honestly kind of beyond me?The storyline of “Past Times at Super Hero High” literally has nothing to do with hauntings, curses, Halloween, or magic. It’s just the hang of kids from Super Hero High getting stranded in the Jurassic period and having to save their teacher. I guess... girls don’t like getting scared? Which by my estimation is an assumption which could only truly be made by either someone who never went to a sleepover party as a kid or doesn’t remember sneaking horror movies between friends without parental supervision. Kids eat up being scared. Kids also eat up anything with dinosaurs, but these things are fairly mutually exclusive when not a Don Bluth movie. 

Beyond my hilarious, if I do say myself, skepticism involving the choice of this particular comic being used as the Halloween comic of choice for DC to distribute from the series, it is a well written and well drawn addition to what has been an incredibly popular series for kids, especially young girls, who want to get more interested in reading superhero comics. And as I’ve made known before, that is something that is very important to me, personally. Comics for kids and comics especially interested in young girls, that doesn’t talk down or overly exaggerate gender differences are so important in nurturing the next generation of comic fans. I know, because that’s how I became a comic fan. 

It also is further proof that Shea Fontana’s run on Wonder Woman was criminally underrated and cut short as she really does understand how to write to the superhero genre tropes in a loving fashion and especially in exemplifying how strong and important the female characters are. 

I just wish the general lineup of the main cast wasn’t so white. Like, Bumblebee is one of the main Super Hero girls and she got entirely left behind within the first few pages. We do have Katana, at least, but representation for race is just as if not sometimes more important than just representation for women. I hope that’s something that becomes more prominent as the series continues. 

IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters II (2017) #1 (of 5) Erik Burnham, Tom Waltz, Dan Schoening, Luis Antonio Delgado

So I really adore Ninja Turtles crossovers to an extent that’s probably not healthy, and the previous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters crossover is by no means an exception to that, but one of the things that I could not have expected, even with as excited as I was for this comic to come out, was how much it tied into the ongoing storylines in both Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

No. Really! Seriously!

This is taking place between the last issue of TMNT that I reviewed and the next issue that will come out this month, which is why all five issues of this mini is coming out week by week this month. 

It’s honestly really amazing. 

The moment it opened up I knew that it was going to be Burnham and Waltz’ usual high standards of writing as well as Dan Schoening’s art (which also explains why his art has been missed on some of the recent Ghostbusters stories), but the moment we got to the “Ghost Realm” and saw not just Darius Dun from the IDW TMNT comics, but also references to his not-so-past murder I was like “holy crap I can’t believe that the consequences of storylines I’ve been curious about are finally coming to fruition here!

Of course that comes to its own difficulties -- as I mentioned in my review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe, we’re increasingly getting to a point where the Ninja Turtles’ ongoing narrative just... isn’t self-contained anymore. And while that’s worldbuilding and expanding, but also makes it increasingly difficult to follow what’s happening in the main book unless you’re plugged into everything that’s going on in IDW. Which, if you’re not an immersive fan, can suck. A lot. I mean, for nerds like me who intersect with Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters and Transformers and X-Files and so on, that’s kind of cool and enjoyable. But for people who aren’t... Well, there’s a reason that comics have been pushed as more and more niche even as the superhero genre and comic-sourced media are growing into multimillion dollar properties. 

The art’s fantastic, the writing’s top notch. If you want to eep up with either properties’ storylines or if you just enjoyed the last crossover, I would absolutely recommend picking this up. 

Marvel’s Thanos - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2017) Robbie Thompson, Ron Lim

As someone with not exactly the most cares in the world that Marvel has given a series to Thanos of all characters, I was kind of hoping this primer would, more than any of the others, sort of give me an insight to the appeal of the comic as a whole. And... really it didn’t that much. At least not by my estimates. 

I did enjoy the art quite a bit, and I love that the impact of the Guardians of the Galaxy has just been growing larger and larger thanks to the movies, but other than that this Primer really didn’t offer anything that really stuck with me personally. 

Dark Horse’s Usagi Yojimbo (1984-present) #163 Stan Sakai

So I did something with this issue that I rarely ever do, and that was that I looked around at other reviews online to see what other people were thinking as long time Usagi fans because... Well, to say the least the comics are always excellent but this time around I felt like I had read the comic before. Or, at least, that the storyline was similar enough that I was growing suspicious that somehow I had read the storyline before. 

It turns out, I hadn’t. I had just been confused because the spy character you can see in the bottom right panel has been around in other stories (and yes I know that’s a weird detail for me to get hung up on but that’s my brain for ya). And instead of confirming or deterring my suspicions I became exposed to a completely different trend in comic reviews right now. 

A.... strangely almost.... red-scare esque read of Usagi Yojimbo as pro-socialist???

We live in weird times, my friends. Where Usagi Yojimbo, a comic mostly about and making commentary on the history and culture of Feudal Japan, is being read now as..... socialist propaganda because the thief that Usagi and Ishida are after for most of the issue, Nezumi, is known for being a Robin Hood like character who steals from the rich and distributes part of his gains to the rest of the poor in the city, thus making him beloved and protected by the people who are more wary and unimpressed by the ruling class and police. Even though the eventual murder victim shown in the same issue is shown as having fallen on hard times and had his life ruined by Nezumi stealing from his business several times. 

But. Everything’s political now. And while I get that, I guess it doesn’t sit right with me because yes, that is a reading you can take away from this issue, but personally what always strikes me about Usagi Yojimbo as a fan is how depth and nuance are hidden by the seemingly simple. That has always been my compliment of the art -- which is simple, B&W, and toned, but full of deep details and very insightful use of environment and dedication to building spaces -- from this issue alone you can almost build a map of the city just from how Sakai lays out the art and how the chase moves through it -- but works just as well with the writing.

There is a commentary here on how opinion and loyalty is built by redistribution and how the class system as it was in Feudal Japan leaves injustice to be answered by outcasts like Nezumi and gangs like the Black Goblins, or how punishment in a justice system which is imbalanced discourages citizens from assisting law enforcement -- but none of those things are shown as without judgment or repercussions either. Nezumi’s own lawlessness is leaving him exposed to being hunted down by the gangs as well as the police, and to be framed for murder. There’s definitely repercussions shown for his victims, how they are left damaged by his actions and the injustice of their society to the point that they are desperate and get involved with crime themselves. 

There are no simple answers or simple interpretations from this issue. Just like there isn’t for Usagi Yojimbo as a whole. Our main character is not a benefactor of the system, but he is also involved in this case because of his friendship and loyalty to Inspector Ishida. Not to mention that Usagi’s associates are usually not the honorable sort like Ishida himself. And he has been involved with some questionable morality himself at times. 

At any rate, it’s usually against my style to read other reviews before I write my own but I’m glad I did this time around, because the common interpretation I’m seeing is.... oddly disconnected from the comic I read myself. So it was fun to do a bit of a deep dive. 

Lion Forge’s Voltron Legendary Defender Vol. 2 (2017-present) #3 Tim Hedrick, Mitch Iverson, Rubine, Beni Lobel

So. This was quite an unexpected addition to my pull list this week. They’re really cranking these comics out. I mean, it’s only been two weeks since the previous issue, it’s like they’re trying to be the comic version of the show in every possible way -- there’s not even breathing room between updates!

In all seriousness, this issue continues the honestly pretty solid quality that the last issue made standard, which again is just a complete shock to me because I didn’t enjoy the first issue. That being said, it still maintains the weaknesses that were proven last issue, too, especially in the alien designs and the general storyline we’re currently on. 

While I could definitely see this across-space amnesty mission as something that would happen in the actual show, there is a lack of urgency or even connection to Zarkon or the Galra Empire that is incredibly noticeable. For better or worse, the show keeps very close to its baseline of tension by having even mostly filler episodes have an impression and general outreach of the Galra Empire felt. Without that present in the current storyline and without anyone on Team Voltron even bringing up the possibility of the ongoing conflict with the Galra coming up, we feel a certain amount of disconnect and weightlessness to everything happening. And I’d argue that nowhere is that clearer than when Voltron is formed to fight the Big Bad of the issue but.... the Big Bad is defeated by.... Coran’s cold.... Which Coran gave it by.... breathing/sneezing on it in space. 

The art is a lot of give and take. I’ve said all I can on the fact that the alien designs aren’t feeling particularly original, but at the same time I have to credit the adherence to the style of the television series as well as the effort put into the backgrounds, really making even the scenes within the ship actually feel like the artist and writer had an actual location in mind for everything that was going on. 

At the same time, that adherence could also arguably be a hinderance. After all, we do see a lot of times where the characters look... strangely off model, or their expressions and poses don’t match the tone of what is happening or even what they’re saying (the panels I included above are a particularly egregious example of this). 

This all said, if you’re a fan of Voltron there really is a lot of reason for you to pick up the comics yourself. It’s not a supplement or introduction for the show, and in truth it’s not really making an effort to place itself in the show’s known timeline (somewhere between Seasons 1 and 3??? who knows). 

And those are the comics for this week! Did you happen to agree with me? Disagree? Think I missed out on picking up a comic that was good? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

But before I let you go, I have to (yes have to) plug once more:

I have exactly a month to pack up everything I own and move halfway across the country again which is not helping those financial crunches I mentioned before either.

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