#modernizing it where they see fit just to make it palatable to a modern audience

[thebaffledcaptain]

your tags made me look up bridgerton george iii and-- oh my god. what have they done. no offence to that actor, he's a good looking fellow but What The Fuck

right? right??? where are the WIGS? where is the ROUGE? try as I might I cannot in any universe envision that man as our good george iii. he looks like he’s from once upon a time. he looks like the human equivalent of the default lego figure face. any respectable gentleman would not be caught dead in 18th century high society looking like that. god save the king but for christ’s sake not that one.

[azureflight]

Young Rhaenyra, Old Rhaenyra and the point of children

I have a personal pet peeve, of a certain trend I see especially in adaptations.

Stop erasing what makes a story/char unique and different from mainstream/conventional wisdom/contemporary perspective.

This used to be most dominantly seen when a non-western, or non-American work gets a "USA" adaptation. They would just erase the fundamental differences in perspective and approach to a certain topic or subject, that mostly stemmed from the cultural differences between USA and the original country.

One of the latest and most egregious examples of this would be Ghost in the Shell live action movie with Scar Jo. And no, it was not the choice of actress, that was actually fine. But they have fundamentally changed and in fact reversed the philosophy and conclusion of the story from the original, turning from a profoundly different take on transhumanism and question of what is a human and do we even have to be one, and made it into a generic "oh you are you no matter your memories or body and should stick to regular modern human individualism".

Which would be fine, if this was an original work. Ghost in the Shell 2017 would be a damn fine sci-fi action movie, if it was an original work. A bit flawed and somewhat cliche, but damn fine.

But it isn't. It is an adaptation of the iconic Ghost in the Shell, and as an adaptation, it has one of the most gratuitous examples of betraying the soul of the story.

Now, this brings me to HotD, and specifically the depiction of young Rhaenyra and the constant fandom arguments about her seemingly random turn from not wanting kids to having a brood of them.

Up until the very recent past (and indeed in a lot of countries in the rest of the world still), women having children and many of them, was the norm, the expected, the forced upon. However, within the last two generations, this has most certainly reversed in the western world, at least for the overwhelming majority of the population.

Nowadays, women not wanting kids and then not having them, is the norm. We understand and accept this as a perfectly valid position to hold. Beyond that, a lot of the traditional gender roles imposed on women got a lot of pushback, with defying and denouncing them being seen as not merely a novelty, but almost a necessary condition of being a truly independent woman.

This means we are now a different society with different norms, different expectations and different judgements. For us, now, a female character who doesn't want kids and doesn't like the traditional gender roles, is the normal person that we can all identify and sympathize with. For a lot of us, when such a character opens their mouth, our words come pouring out. And there is nothing wrong with that.

However, this does mean, now, the unique and different character would be someone who doesn't fit this new norm, this new expectation. And indeed, it is difficult to foster sympathy and connection between audience and a character, if the character has a fundamentally different perspective on some crucial social and cultural aspects of life. But therein exactly where the power and importance of fiction lies: The ability to produce and introduce different humans with different opinions and give us the ability to try and understand them.

The main function of fiction isn't to reaffirm and reinforce our contemporary morals. Indeed, validation is the least and perhaps the most debased thing fiction can do. And we most certainly oppose it, when some group or institution tries to do that for their own morals and values which we disagree with. No shortage of accusations of indoctrination and propaganda, and rightfully so.

But when we are faced with characters, societies and stories who defy and challenge our own conventions, suddenly we get chicken shit and start bending them to make them palatable ourselves instead of enjoying the difference and charging into see what this other perspective might provide us.

Rhaenyra in the books, never had a "not like other girls" phase. She was not a tomboy, she was not a generic pseudo-modern "gender no-confirming" girl from west coast who didn't want no kids and no husbands.

Rhaenyra was very feminine and enjoyed it. She wanted power and felt entitled to it, without trying to imitate traditionally masculine behaviors or trying to fit into some Madonna role. As far as we know, she wanted to have children, wanted a large family, and loved her kids to bits. Her being fully and unapologetically female, feminine and embracing all of the sensual, sexual and biological aspects of it while still demanding power and authority, is what drove the sexist green shits up the wall.

If she had been some tomboy, her attempts at trying to be "more like a man" would actually garner her more sympathy and support, as she would be seen as admitting and accepting the "weakness" of her sex. If she stuck to some virgin/maiden role, she could have been put on a pedestal and celebrated by the established sexist power holders.

Instead she was the Realm's Delight. A gorgeous woman who didn't know how to fight but dressed impeccably, who was not interested in swords or pants, but rode, hawked and feasted, who flirted and danced with admirers and deigned to tour the realm to see if there was a man she would enjoy having as a husband and when she was forced to marry a gay guy, she took a lover and started to pop out kid after kid with him.

Rhaenyra was undeniably female, in a society where being a woman was lesser. She was not someone they can put into a sterilized icon to strip from her flesh and blood humanity and she was not some "not like other girls/almost like a boy" type that they could rationalize accepting as their ruler because she "technically didn't count as woman" due to how different she behaved.

She was the embodiment of every fear about women these people had: Powerful despite lacking traditional mastery of arms, charming and hot, making her deeply desired by men which meant she could influence and "control" them, sexual meaning they couldn't control her, holding authority, meaning she could reject them, and cuckolded her husband, meaning she could emasculate them. Oh, and she also had a dragon so she would most definitely win if they were to ever try to assert themselves physically against her, as they would try against women like this in general.

The books try to paint Alicent as virtuous against fat Rhaenyra with her whorish ways, but it cannot hide the fact that Rhaenyra had men fighting, dying, killing and conspiring to be with her, even when she was "fat". 

The Rogue Prince they all feared, despised and admired, was caught in her orbit since she was 14 and stayed there until his death and despite all the attempts at trying to make Nettles into a big deal, the man died fighting for Rhaenyra.

Almost all of the lords who courted her, save for Lannister twins, remained loyal to her to death and even beyond her grave.

She was not a warrior herself, but she had gallant, honorable sons all accepted as competent and capable. And she was a mother who loved her children to the death, to the point of insanity and her sons loved her back, to their own ends.

Erasing this more feminine and traditionally conforming aspect of Rhaenyra, robs the story of the fundamental dynamic of her tragedy, how her more traditionally "normal" sides conflicts with rest everything else about her and work to exacerbate the opposition and vitriolic, murderous hate against her.

HotD traded away a beautifully complex character and a very interesting take on a sexist social dynamic, for a cheap narrative shorthand of "this is the character you should like".

If they had stuck to the truth of the story, of the child Rhaenyra who was isolated, tormented and abused in her own home by her own step-mother and her lackeys, under her father's nose, with his willful ignorance, they wouldn't need to invent such a generic skinsuit to shove her younger version into, in order to make the audience "sympathize" with her. A dutiful daughter, who loved her father but still felt entitled to her birthright, a feminine woman who still wanted to rule, a sensual woman who wanted to have a brood of her own because she lacked a proper family to belong to in her own youth, would be a much more complex, deep and interesting character. And one we could all cheer for, if the writing was decent.

Instead we have a pretty generic teenager powergirl who then grows up to be a completely different person as an adult and half the audience complains about how this was a “disservice” to her character or the change didn’t make sense. And you know what? They are right. The show never explained it because of time constraints, but also the show just refuses to properly set-up and explain stuff when they know the plot demands something happen anyway, which is shit tier writing. And it is a great disservice to Rhaenyra’s character, but in the opposite direction.

The story didn’t take a strong, independent woman who wanted no kids and made her a mother of 5. The story took a strong, independent woman who loved and wanted her kids and injected a completely made up phase of not wanting them into her youth just to make her more palatable to modern audiences with minimal effort.

So now, half the people who liked the first 5 episode version of fake Rhaenyra are stuck with a never explained, never resolved dissonance and all of us are robbed of a truly interesting and unique character and story.

[egyptian-sun-god]

Never Have I Ever (mildly critical lens)

1. BIG THING. NHIE is not a show that was made directed at me. Yes it has similarities with my heritage as Indian but I am not American. Not born there nor raised. I am a diaspora Tamilian though, and my schools throughout most of my life have had very little Indians and even fewer Tamilians in them. Usually its just me.  So while there is overlap, Devi and I would have innately different experiences and worldviews.

2. Why is her last name Vishwakumar and her Dad’s name Mohan? Where that coming from. Correct me if I’m wrong, but most to all Tamil people use patronymic's right? Like am I right or am I tripping? Someone correct me. I checked Mindy Kaling’s bio and she took her father’s last name so I might be tripping? 

3. Okay straight off the bat, Devi annoyed the hell outta me. Like no joke...I really dislked Devi. But she’s a traumatized teenager who has no common sense and too much hormones. I’ve seen ppl like her so I’m fairly happy we have a flawed and messed up portrayal of a POC and doesn’t feed into the idea of perfection. But also Devi’s mom is suprisingly lenient to Devi’s disrespect man. like I see why but woowowowowo....she’s uncharacteristically tolerant sometimes. 

Now even though I get that Devi is supposed to be flawed and unlikeable. Because she is immensely selfish and bitchy with shitty communication skills. Devi’s friends forgive her waaay to fast. Like ladies, what are you aiming for? SAINTHOOD? Like at least let her grovel a little bit for being such a bitch. 

4. Love interest. Y’all heard me. WHY THE FUCK IS BOTH OF HER INTERESTS WHITE or at least definitely white passing. Like they did Paxton dirty man. Like was it too much? Was it too much to wish for Devi to have more Indian friends or like an Indian/POC love interest? I feel personally that it is such a weird precedent that has been set with POC centric love stories. And this definitely should be a critic that has come up before. 

You know which love stories resonated with me? Nalini and Mohan. Because it represented the possibility of like marrying someone (going off the assumption they were arranged to be married) and falling in love after marriage. A very real scenario for many many couples. Kamala’s entire shenanigan with Steve and Prasanth and having to choose between the uncertain boyfriend situation but losing family but keeping family and going with an arranged marriage. Also props to Kaling for not demonizing arranged marriages. Please please let season 2 explore Kamala’s struggle more. Hell even that one off thing with Eleanor and the tech crew boy was funny. 

5. Kamala’s whole character was many vibes. Because counting down and stressing about marriage is such a goddamn relatable feeling. I ain’t that much younger than Kamala and let me tell you the anticipation/fear is REAL. And like her talking in Ganesh puja and like weighting the options of being a social outcast or going with the arranged marriage and with the hope that like you’ll find someone cool.

6. I don’t like how Devi tries to reject her Indian culture and I really really hope they develop that next season or something and get her to find a balance. Because at the end of that season she did get a good talking to about trying to be Indian enough or too Indian and finding that balance but it doesn’t feel like she’s finding that balance and her being jealous of the other Indian girl does not bode well for me. 

ALSO THEY FUCKING MISSED OUT SO BAD. You make a series about a Tamil American girl and you don’t name drop any famous stars. Thala Thalapathy, Superstar??? VJS?? Surya? Dhanush? Nobody? Why? Like Devi doesn’t know them...makes sense. But like Kamala is from town right? She has to have carried some of that. Like that scene when she called them for a movie right? Why not name drop some famous ass classic like Baasha or Sachein or Roja? Like a cool nod to the Tamil kids out there watching this series to see parts of their culture and language included. Like even the soundtrack and songs have no Tamil songs? Like not even one for the heck of it?? WHY? IS THAT NOT SO SO MUCH MISSED REPRESENTATION? Like typical Tamil things like making a beat out of random shit, Tamil kuthu songs, Typical Tamil mega serials, food and enjoying food together. Like why wasn’t the food stated or name dropped. 

Personally, NHIE was really really really white palatable and it didn’t really get it into any roots of our culture especially for a girl struggling to find roots as in where she fits. Like you gotta show both cultures and let the audience and Devi figure out where she fits. If you show long Netflix shows like Pretty little liars, show alternatives like mega serials such as Chitti or Mudiyaathu Karuppu or Mettioli? Or if you wanna be more modern name drop Tamil webseries’s? If you wanna show English pop hits, show Tamil album songs and kuthu beats. IF YOU WANNA REPRESENT, THEN ACTUALLY REPRESENT. Don’t pull this generic ass BS on me!

5. I hope the lack of tamil culture in the series gets corrected next season somehow. I don’t have ANY ANY faith that it will. But I can be hopeful. Also I lowkey like that Devi has like a “rival” of another Indian girl. I don’t like that is is rivalry cause brown sisters gotta support each other and that’s sort of been the general motto from where I’m from. But like I get why and it would make complete sense. 

I really really hope that Aneesha is like super super Indian. Proud of her culture and brings a lot of her culture and its facets to discussions and not afraid to make her culture a focal point of herself.  It would be a really good foil to Devi and it might spark some thought into her and accepting or at least recognizing the cool shit about being Tamil. I wanna see that mainly cause I used to be lowkey ashamed for having a strong accent when I speak cause I was made fun of and I didn’t like having different lunches or listening to different music and not being part of the more Western culture. But I learnt to ignore that and became like 3000 times more proud of being Tamil and wore like traditional clothes to school, ranging from kurti tops over jeans at first and eventually wearing full on chudidaars and saris (saris to proms at least, I couldn’t wear a sari on a daily, half sari probably, sari would be hard). Bringing traditional sweets and food and distributing them to anyone who would ask and trading lunches.  Please let me see a brown kid who is proud to be brown and straight up in your face about it at times. 

(Unrelated but to Tamil/Indian ppl who had other Indian/Tamil kids in your school like was trading lunches or like sharing lunches common? Like its a pretty common Tamil thing to do and I brought that culture of taking some of everybody’s lunch and giving everybody a part of mine everywhere I went. But like was that a thing? )

[laufire]

(CW for mentions of csa)

A lot of Commonly Accepted (Often Through Uncritical Repetition) Wisdom in fandom leaves me baffled, when not straight up ticked off, but one that's been on my mind lately, that never fails to bring a scrunched up expression to my face, is the idea that Bela Talbot's backstory was some last minute add-on to her character.

You might argue that the reveal was rushed since the writers caved in and killed her off against their original plan (or at the very least, earlier than). Or that using abuse is a trite way to raise sympathy for an antagonistic character. You could even say that some of the finer details might’ve not been set in stone until they sat down to write her exist, although that one is dubious. But I’m never really going to buy that Bela’s backstory hadn’t been already planned, likely in big part.

The reason why is Season Three Episode Six, “Red Sky At Morning”, Bela’s second episode, co-written by Eric Kripke himself. As all episodes with Bela were, may I add; which means he had a hand in crafting her story from the beginning, as creator, director, and writer.

There Dean, a character that has been shown as sharp and intuitive (although his success rate ain’t that great when it comes to Bela, admittedly xD), immediately pegs her as someone with Issues TM, asking “how did she get like this”. He even taunts her by referencing her father, showing off his talent to hit where it hurts by asking if he “didn’t give her enough hugs”, ‘cause he’s classy like that. This visibly affects Bela, changing her demeanor in their conversation, from more playful to defensive. Hell, I remember during my first watch in real time this moment, especially paired with the rest of the episode, was when I first thought it was possible she came from an abusive family.

Because, c’mon. This whole episode is about parricide. The monster of the week is a ghost who haunts those that “spilled their own family’s blood”. We get two other examples: a woman whose accidental car crash killed her cousin, and two brothers who killed their father for the inheritance. Clearly, the ghost doesn’t have a narrow criteria when it comes to means or culpability -which makes sense given his particular story: he was tried for treason and his brother, the captain of the ship, issued the sentence.

And just as we find out this information... Bela sees the ghost ship that foretells her death. This, paired with the insinuations about an unsavvory past and her discomfort at the mention of her father, aren’t a wealth of information, but they start to paint a picture. We now know for a fact that Bela caused the death of at least one relative (mom and dad); that she wouldn’t have needed to do it directly (she made a crossroads deal); and that she might’ve had a sympathetic motive (her father sexually abused her and her mother turned a blind eye).

That scene offers some more tidbits of information about her past that seem too in tune with 3x15 to be coincidental, and that absolutely break my heart: Bela’s “You wouldn’t understand. No one did.“ and “I’ll just do what I’ve always done. I’ll deal with it myself”. See, I always thought Bela must’ve told people, when she was a kid. That she reached out for help not just to her mother, but to everyone around her that she thought could’ve help: teachers, maybe even law enforcement; adults that should’ve being worthy of that trust and protected her. Except no one did (and the fact that her family seemed to be not only very rich but influential paints a very bleak picture that surely contributed to her cynic view of the world). So she took matters in her own hands, and sold her soul for ten years of relative safety and freedom from her abusers.

To tie it all up, her final scene in that episode offers some more moments that again, are very in line with her backstory. We see how she treats relationships as transactionals: she pays ten grand to the Winchesters for saving her life, like she paid with her soul. Dean, again, draws attention to her likely messed up past by calling her damaged, and she replies that “takes one to know one”. Terrible childhood, ammirite. The show wasn’t been subtle here: it’s telling us Bela has a terrible past, like the Winchesters do, but of a different kind that has resulted in a different kind of person. So yeah, I think all the facts were hinted at back in 3x06.

We could go even futher back and point out 3x03, Bela’s introduction. One of the very first things she says in the show, during her first face to face with Dean (a character that just condemned his soul to Hell), is “We’re all going to Hell, Dean. Might as well enjoy the ride”. Sure, it could be an incredibly fortuitous coincidence; as a writer, I’ve had those and they’re damn great. But it seems VERY lucky, and more likely to be a case of the kind premeditated, well-placed foreshadowing that Kripke excels at.

So, okay. I’ve established why I think Bela’s backstory wasn’t a spur of the moment decision. But why is there a notable narrative in fandom that it IS?

First thing first, I want to get something out of the way: you don’t have to like it even if it was planned ahead. I understand it’s a very thorny subject, and to make matters worse, it’s inherently tied to her death. You might even be fine with the what, but not with how it was dealt with (although personally, I appreciate that neither the abuse nor her death were shown onscreen. In fact, the worse violence we see Bela on the receiving end of in her run is Dean’s threats and manhandling, which seems like a very purposeful choice ngl. Even Gordon freaking Walker was gentler lmao).

But I do disagree with some extended fandom opinions on the topic, and I guess that’s what the post is about. For one, I don’t see how the show “condemned” or morally judged Bela in this scenario. If anything, they clearly wanted to make her sympathetic, AND they showed Dean as being in the wrong by robbing him of information. Dean’s opinion on Bela couldn’t count for shit, for once, because he didn’t have the full picture; because Bela had deemed him UNWORTHY of the full picture, and thus anything he had to say on her couldn’t be taken at face value (except this is Supernatural, so I guess this was a little too much to ask of some people?). I think saying that just because Bela died and went to Hell as a consequence of her deal, IN THE SAME SEASON the same happened to our co-lead, because the writers deemed her evil and irredeemable is simplistic at best, and the audience projecting their own feelings (or being unable to see past Dean’s) onto the writing.

All that said, to go back to the initial point of all of this xD: WHY does fandom seem to insist on viewing this narrative choice as some cheap last minute addition?

There might not be one explanation that fits all, but I have a few ideas. One is that, if this wasn’t planned for and hinted at from early on, some people might feel as if this “absolves” them of their previous (and disgustingly hateful and misoginistic) reactions to Bela. Others will see this as absolving Dean, and maybe even Sam to a lesser extent, for not helping her and for being callous towards her; if her tragic backstory was this artificial, rushed choice made by Those Writers, then Dean wasn’t responsible for reprehensible attitudes towards someone who deserved his compassion (and it can’t be denied that this fandom loves absolving Dean of responsibility lmao). And a lot people are probably only repeating what they've heard from others as the accepted narrative, especially those that didn't even watch all of s3 if at all (Castiel is my fave too, but seriously, s1-3 are worth it).

It’s like they’re creating this imaginary separation between Bela pre-reveal, and Bela post-reveal, to make the situation easier to themselves. See, Bela pre-reveal was this annoying bitch who inconvenienced and embarrassed our leads (not to mention dared have chemistry with them), and thus deserved to be punished for it; or, if we’re going with more modern fandom sensibilities, she can be made to fit into the shallow #GirlBoss mold, with a side of “Secretly A Lesbian And Therefore Not A Romantic Threat” flavour -the current preferred method to make controversial female characters more palatable.

The reveal throws a wrench into this narrative. “Bitch who deserves her comeuppance” is a hard sell when you’re talking about a character who survived csa. And a shallow #GirlBoss reading doesn’t work if you have to acknowledge that Bela was one of, if not the most tragic characters in the entire run of Supernatural.

She spent over half her life at the mercy of her abuser(s), hurt by those who should’ve loved her and protected her most. The rest of her life was extremely lonely, with seemingly only a cat as company, and a surface-level freedom that hid under the sentence that loomed over her head. She died without a single friend, or a simple show of kindness and compassion, without anyone bothering to fight for her. And then she ended up tortured for who knows how long until she became one of her torturers.

All of that is extremely difficult to digest. And when things are hard to swallow, people do as people do, and they try to simplify them. So, sure. Bela’s reveal wasn’t ever hinted at, it’s completely removed from her character and the person we met, and is not even worth trying to fit into the narrative. Sounds easy.

[bywordofaphrodite]

Book Reviews 5&6: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan & Alpha Force: Survival by Chris Ryan

This review’s theme is action and adventure ! audience age range: roughly 12 and up !

For this review I’m using the first book from two action/adventure series, featuring the only male authors I've selected of the ten books chosen for these posts. Both are action-packed books with ensemble casts featuring boys and girls, though the similarities mostly stop there.

As a lover of Greek mythology and fantasy in general, Rick Riordan’s sarcastic and upbeat hero of Percy provided a hilarious new way to look at the more serious myths concerning the gods and enemies of Mount Olympus (his slightly inaccurate retellings made acceptable because the series was made for a younger audience, not to mention it’s funny so who cares).

Alpha Force is firmly set in the real world, no magic to be seen, just hardened survival skills that seem more sitting to the SAS than a bunch of young teens- but with the author Chris Ryan being a member of the SAS himself, it’s exactly what you’d expect.

Nostalgic review

Rating: ★★★★★

Percy Jackson is one of those famous book series in a long list of teen/YA fiction that has gripped teens by the throat on its basic lore alone. During class my friends and I would go on Tumblr and Pinterest to pass time, and as readers we always ended up on That Side of Tumblr- yes, the side filled with cheesy edits of all the popular main characters of the time: Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games, Clary Fray of The Mortal Instruments, all the usual squad, and of course Percy Jackson himself. In a sea of lead female characters, Percy was a fun male lead to throw in the mix. It felt special too, that Riordan continued to write Percy’s story ageing him up as the books went on. We grew up with Percy too. I still keep collect the series even now; my brother’s gift to me for my 21st birthday was the Heroes of Olympus collection, though I haven’t read the older books in several years. I’ve always thought Riordan’s writing style not only improved over the years, but also adjusted well to writing for an older audience in the newer books, which was impressive. Additionally, Riordan listening to his fans and adding in more and more representation through great diverse characters definitely sweetens the memories attached to this series.

Alpha Force is just so good. And so underrated. It was between Alpha Force and Alex Rider for the second book in this review, but ultimately I decided enough people know Alex Rider (there’s a movie and a new series about him, go check the series out, it’s great!) and Chris Ryan’s hidden gem was something I wanted to discuss more. I went through an Extreme Survival Adventures book phase during early high school, devouring all kinds of action from deep-sea diving to climbing Mount Everest and every shipwrecked story on the shelves. I’ve always been a huge fan of the ensemble character groups where everyone has a distinct role that no one else can fill; I find it prevents boring main character syndrome where one singular person never needs any help and therefore has neither character development nor conflict. The Alpha Force series managed to deliver fantastic action sequences, smart yet surprisingly realistic characters and somewhat rarely in my experience- incredible female characters who actually had real personality and arcs that belonged to themselves and not the male characters. Honestly, this assignment has been a great excuse to make myself read these books again!

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Review

Post-read: ★★★★

Synopsis: when struggling student Percy Jackson’s pre-algebra teacher transforms into a monster on school grounds and tries to kill him, Percy runs home to be told the truth by his mother about who he is: a demigod, and upon his arrival at the safe haven for demigods- Camp Half-Blood- Percy discovers he is the son of Poseidon, with water powers to boot. With the help of a satyr named Grover and daughter of Athena, Annabeth, Percy sets course for the Underworld to prevent a war breaking out on Mount Olympus.

(I wanted to make this four and a half stars, but I am incompetent at adding in the half, so if you’d kindly just imagine it is there that would be great.)

Okay! Let’s get into it!

With the first chapter titled ‘I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORISE MY PRE-ALGEBRA TEACHER’, I think the tone for the story is established rather immediately. The first-person narrative allows the character of Percy to talk to readers directly, and it creates a very easy feeling of Percy recounting his feelings and adventures as if in a one-on-one conversation. I felt just as drawn in rereading as an adult as I did when I was in school. Percy doesn’t fit it in at any schools and has been kicked out of six when the first chapter begins. His ADHD and dyslexia make concentrating and studying hard, and he’s always restless. The only people he feels are on his side are his friend Grover and his Latin teacher, Mr Brunner, who seems to be the only teacher who doesn’t have it out for him.

As it turns out, neither Grover nor Mr Brunner are people! Grover is a satyr sent to watch over Percy until he reaches Camp Half-Blood, and Mr Brunner is the immortal centaur Chiron and the activities director at the camp, also watching over Percy. When the Fury Alecto- disguised as Percy’s pre-algebra teacher Mrs Dodds- tries to kill Percy on a school field trip, the satyr and centaur jump in to save him. Later at the camp, Percy continues to stay fast friends with the two and confides in them while they teach him everything about his new world. Percy meets many more kids at camp, all of whom struggled in the human world before finding their true capabilities upon discovering their status as demigods. Annabeth is one such kid, the daughter of Athena who is cold to Percy at first, out of loyalty to the history between Athena and Poseidon, but who ends up becoming fast friends with him, and later his girlfriend throughout the series.

Riordan’s writing is fresh, engaging and fun at every turn. His modern takes on the gods and their ancient stories and riddles makes for a terrific adventure, and the ‘quests’ undertaken by the demigods mimic the old mythology in a palatable way for young readers to digest easily and understand what exactly is going on. The best part about Percy Jackson for me isn’t the monsters and battles, but rather Riordan’s intentions when creating the series: he wanted to give his dyslexic son a hero he could relate to, and since the first set of books Rick Riordan has gone above and beyond expectations to create demigod heroes for kids spanning many different ethnicities, genders and disabilities. Of the many series popular among young people, I’m especially glad that this one full of so much representation is maintaining the hype it deserves.

Characters who aged well: Percy! At twelve years old in this first book of the series, and just the right combination of witty, kind, hot tempered, brave and cheeky to make a believable and lovable young protagonist; his diagnosis with ADHD and dyslexia not being portrayed as a weakness but rather a part of him makes Percy a special hero to neurodivergent readers. Annabeth, too, remains a great character, she’s intelligent, logical and ambitious in a positive manner, and never falls into the trap of being ‘not like other girls’.

Characters who aged badly: nobody! All the side characters are great, and even the villains are entertaining, especially alongside Percy’s ridiculous commentary. The gods are portrayed rather mockingly, which is a kindness really, compared to the awful acts they commit in the original myths.

Favourite scene/quote: ‘Deadlines just aren’t real to me unless I’m staring one in the face’ – I first read this book years ago and it’s still relevant. I can’t even be embarrassed to relate to it at this point.

My favourite scenes both centre on Medusa- or rather, her severed head. Furious with the gods- namely, Zeus, Athena and his father Poseidon- for sending himself, Annabeth and Grover on such a dangerous quest so quickly after his first day at camp, Percy stuffed Medusa’s head into a package and wrote the address of Mount Olympus on a delivery slip, ending with ‘best wishes, PERCY JACKSON’. To Grover’s distress at Percy’s being ‘impertinent’ to the gods yet again, Percy simply responded ‘I am impertinent’. 10/10 big mood.

The second refers to Sally explaining to Percy that she can take care of herself, and, leaving Medusa’s head in her fridge, Percy exits their apartment just as Sally’s abusive boyfriend walks in. The last thing Percy sees is his mother, ‘staring at Gabe, as if she were contemplating how he would look as a garden statue’. It’s a nice moment between mother and son, followed by Percy understanding the strength his mother has and how much she does for him.

Alpha Force: Survival Review

Post-read: ★★★★

Synopsis: Five teenagers end up stranded on a desert island after their sailing ship goes down at sea. Enthusiastic Alex, reluctant Amber and Hex and practical jokers Paulo and Li are all part of a ‘working eco-voyage’ that quickly falls apart, leaving them to survive on their skills alone against komodo dragons, sharks and modern day pirates somewhere on the Indonesian archipelago.

The story begins with Northumbrian boy Alex- the closest to a main character out of the five- scrubbing the deck of a ship called the Phoenix and lamenting the fact that he’s been lumped in with four people he would never have chosen to be in a watch with. Assigned to A-Watch by their mean supervisor Heather, Alex finds himself the unofficial watch leader… and the only person who really wants to be there. Also in A-Watch is Amber, the daughter of African-American software billionaires who recently died in an accident and left her the sole heiress to the fortune. Amber, still hurting from her parent’s death, is furious to be on board the eco-voyage organised by her Uncle John, who believes she needs to move on in a place outside her comfort zone. Amber spends a great chunk of time antagonising English hacker Hex, who was sent on the trip as a punishment by his school for ruthlessly hacking into the accounts of a teacher who bullied his younger brother. Rounding out the group are Paulo and Li, both of whom are very athletic and thrive in the outdoors, but also uninterested in doing any real work aboard the Phoenix. Paulo is a charming ranch hand from Argentina who loves food and flirting; Li is the Anglo-Chinese daughter of zoologists who enjoys testing out her martial arts on Paulo.

After an argument with their supervisor Heather, Amber decides A-Watch should steal food and relax in a small boat beside the ship to thwart her- a fine plan at first, which goes haywire after the rope frays and they awaken to find themselves in the middle of the Java Sea with no one knowing they’re missing. Tensions rise between the teenagers as they panic over food and safety as they work to survive. Hex just barely survives a Komodo dragon attack, and their hope for help in spotting a family aboard a yacht goes down the drain when it becomes clear they are hostages of modern-day pirates. Luckily, for the family- the Larousse family who were friends with Amber’s parents, no less- the members of A-Watch manage to put aside their differences and put together their skills to save the day.

By the end of the book, the group have outwitted the pirates, saved the Larousse family and successfully sent an SOS signal leading to their rescue. During their recovery in hospital, Amber learns the truth about her parents: behind their billionaire software company her parents worked as undercover agents around the world, fighting against corrupt governments, powerful cartels and other dangerous ventures. Amber’s Uncle John agrees to let the five carry on her parents work as a team, noting that five teenagers could easily slip into situations that adults can’t. Hex then announces he has a name for the five: Alpha Force, taking the first letter of all their names and representing the new beginning for Amber to move on from the Omega (ending) necklace she wears round her neck to remember her parents.

Characters who aged well: all of them!

Alex’s love of the outdoors is endearing, and he never underestimates anyone else’s skills despite being the most prepared for struggles in the outdoors; he is fairly introverted and thoughtful without being boring, I think he’s very sweet.

Amber’s presence as a billionaire black girl with great navigational skills was a fun subversion of the unfortunate stereotyped roles black characters are given; she has great character development without losing her sharp-witted personality and she’s very funny.

Hex plays off Amber’s banter with ease after their initial clashing, and I like that, though he loves his electronics, he never lets the team down by adapting to the outdoors.

Paulo is just adorable, a charming boy from a ranch who likes to flirt with the girls he likes but always respects their boundaries. His positivity is also very uplifting.

Li: ahh my cool favourite Li. Not just providing Asian representation, but also mixed representation, which I was very pleased about as a kid, and still am. Similarly to Amber, Li subverts a stereotype of her own- she’s knowledgeable about things without being a nerd, and gets to be the most playful character alongside Paulo. In my experiences with male authors, the girls rarely get to be the ‘funny’ character so I always enjoyed this!

Characters who aged badly: no one!

Favourite scene/quote: “‘Or was Heather right? Are you too good for us, Alex?’ said Li, slyly.”

This quote signifies when Alex properly commits to being a part of A-Watch, going along with Amber’s plan to ignore Heather’s disciplinary instructions in favour of ‘stealing’ food. It’s the first time the group work as a team, and his hesitation gives way to helping his new friends even though he never does anything against the rules. I also just enjoy Li’s sneakiness at any time, really. The following scene where the five relax under the stars eating food and getting to know each other before all hell breaks loose is nice to read, and all the action sequences are really great, especially Amber’s dive with the sharks while escaping pirates.

Overall verdict:

I wanted to give both of these books four and a half stars, so let’s pretend I figured out how to do that. The only reason they both don’t get five stars is because the following books in their respective series improve after the first ones- both in writing style and character development- and I’m allowing room for that.

Starting off with The Lightning Thief, the headlong dive into action from chapter one was so fun, and learning about the monsters and mythology in time with the main character is always a welcome addition. As someone who read the original myths before any Percy Jackson novels, hearing them retold from Percy’s humorous perspective is very amusing. Anyone familiar with Percy Jackson knows that the movies released a few years ago were kind of a major letdown compared to the books, so the fact that Disney+ has now taken the series on board and begun casting (worldwide!) is super exciting! In line with Rick Riordan’s mantra of inclusivity, anyone of any ethnicity or gender can apply for the roles, which I think really fits the concept of what Percy Jackson represents.

There were very few reviews for Alpha Force due to how underrated it is, and all I could find was a few comments on Goodreads. One person mentioned that they felt the beginning of Survival was slow. I personally don’t know what ‘slow’ refers to in this case, as I felt the introductions and set up all very natural and in a way, necessary before the serious action kicks in. However, I tend to enjoy a few quiet scenes focused on character development that might not be for everyone. I’m still pretty sad there’s literally nothing else about this series on any fandom pages or anything, but I suppose I’ll just have to resign myself to just me and my brother talking about it!

In the case of both books in this review, my memories of these series were not simply clouded by the rose-tinted lenses of nostalgia. I remain just as impressed and in love with the worlds and characters within the stories, and I hope other people enjoy them as much I continue to.

[maraudererasmut]

Black and White (Part III)

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

A week had passed since the opening of Black and White, and in that time, Remus had hastily completed four paintings, photographed everything he had and assembled his portfolio book. He had the opportunity to show his work to one of the most influential people in the London art scene, and he'd be damned if he let anything get in his way. 

After a frustratingly long shift at the cafe, Remus trudged back to his tiny flat. He immediately hopped into the shower, letting the cool water run over his body, trying desperately to pretend it was warmer than it was. 

Remus hurriedly got dressed, making sure to wear the nicest article of clothing he owned: his one and only suit. Before leaving the house, Remus caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and paused.

He looked dapper. Well, dapper for a poor artist living from paycheck to paycheck, scrambling to put food on his table. His face was clean shaven, his curls gelled back neatly. His suit was ill-fitting, but it wasn't too noticeable. At least his shirt fit him nicely, and it matched his tie, which was good enough for him. Remus flashed the mirror a smile. It didn't look real; it looked like the type of smile Remus used to wear during the holidays when he visited his extended family. Taking a deep breath, the artist steadied himself and tried again, smiling into the mirror. It was believable enough. 

As Remus walked down the street, he couldn't help but let his mind wander. He was nervous. No, terrified. He had no idea what Sirius Black would think of his art, and he had no one to ask for help. None of his friends were artists. According to them, Remus' work was all "really nice, Remus! I love it!" Unfortunately, no one ever seemed to love it enough to want to purchase it. 

Remus had been ridiculed in the past. He had heard gallery owners tell him his work was too high-brow, too low-brow, too literal, too abstract. They've said they hated his use of colour, they hated the absence of colour, his work was too derivative, his work was too unique. It wasn't palatable for a modern audience, it was too confusing for the mainstream, it was too mainstream for the artists. Remus had heard everything about his art, how he would never make it in the art world and he would never sell a painting. It had been disheartening, but Remus continued painting anyway. He had no other choice. His life would never be complete if he didn't paint.

Before he even realized it, Remus was standing outside of Black and White, his fingers gripped tightly around the portfolio case that he was holding. This was it. This was his chance. Remus lifted his hand to knock on the door and hesitated for a moment. 

He couldn't do it.

Then the door opened.

"Remus!"

James' grin was the same one Remus remembered from the gallery opening, broad and bright and filled with abundant enthusiasm. It was infectious, and Remus couldn't help but smile in return.

"Hello, James."

"Come in, come in!" James opened the door, gesturing for Remus to enter. As Remus passed him, the man began babbling about anything and everything. "Sirius said you might be stopping by today, so I figured I'd hop over! I'm excited to see what kind of work you have! I tried looking for a website for you online or something, but you don't really have a presence, do you? That's something you need to change, Remus! All artists need an online presence, that's the only way that people can find their work! We'll talk about it over dinner some time, I can definitely help you out with that. And Lily—"

"James…" The voice that cut him of was cold and low, reverberating in the spacious gallery. Remus almost didn't recognize the voice; the last time he had heard it, the man had seemed so happy. "James, stop boring our guest with your inane chatter."

Remus bit the corner of his lip, slightly uncomfortable at being present while James was scolded by his friend. James, on the other hand, seemed completely unphased. 

"Good luck," James offered cheerfully, clapping Remus on the shoulder. "I'll be here after your interview!"

Remus swallowed hard, his grip tightening on his portfolio case. He took a deep breath and headed to the back of the gallery where the voice had originated from. 

Sirius appeared in the threshold, looking as handsome now as he did a week ago. His hair was left loose around his shoulders, a shimmering black wave splayed across his back. He was wearing a stark white shirt, the top buttons or which were undone, exposing creamy skin and deep grey tattoos, faded slightly from the wear of time. His hands were tucked into his slacks, which were clearly tailored, falling just above shiny black shoes, two little mirrors reflecting a twisted version of the man who wore them. 

Sirius offered Remus a grin, which Remus tried— and failed— to return. Remus was fairly certain that whatever expression he did manage to make was some combination of deep-seated horror and completely awe-struck, with just a dash of panic. Sirius either didn't notice or chose to politely ignore Remus' face, opting instead to beacon him into the back office.

"Please, have a seat," Sirius said once Remus was in the room. The tone of Sirius' voice was still chilly compared to the warmth of the other day, making Remus feel more nervous than even he had anticipated. "What have you brought to show me?"

"Well," Remus began, scrambling to unzip his portfolio case. He pulled out his book and handed it to Sirius, stammering slightly as he explained himself. "I— I've taken some photographs of my work. I didn't really bring— I mean, I have one or two— but mostly I didn't bring any originals. But the photographs are good," Remus insisted as he saw Sirius raise his eyebrow. 

Carefully, as if handling a venomous creature, Sirius opened Remus' portfolio book to the first page. Remus tried to read the man's expression, analyse his face, figure out what he thought of the art. Sirius was stone, completely still, his face unreadable. Remus felt a lump rise in his throat as Sirius turned the page without a word. Then another page. Then he skipped to a section in the middle.

Remus opened his mouth to protest, knowing that the gallerist had passed over one of his stronger pieces, but Sirius simply raised a finger, effectively silencing Remus. 

Sirius flipped through again, staring at a few more pieces before snapping the book shut with a sharp sound that startled Remus.

"What else have you brought?"

"I— " That was all Remus had. Just the one portfolio book. He thought that was all he needed. The only other things were a few doodles in his sketchbook, a few originals that were represented in his portfolio and an incomplete painting that he had been working on and accidentally packed. 

"Very well then," Sirius began, causing Remus to panic.

"No! I— I have some paintings!" Remus reached into his portfolio case and pulled one out, but he noticed the slight shake of Sirius' head, the purse of his lips. Remus pulled another out, hoping this would be what Sirius wanted to see. "I have these…"

Remus watched as Sirius' eyes shifted, lighting up ever so slightly.

"What else is in there?" He asked, nodding to the case.

"Oh, uh…" Remus peered inside his portfolio case, feeling uncertain. "No— Nothing… well, not nothing, but i— it's not done."

"Show me," Sirius said sharply. It wasn't a question.

"Oh, um…" Remus reached into the bag and pulled out his unfinished piece. It was something that had been on his mind for a while, something he kept going to and stopping, unable to figure out how to continue, how he should finish it. The painting had troubled Remus for so long, he had honestly forgotten that it was even in his portfolio case. 

At once, Sirius' expression changed. It softened as his eyes danced across the canvas, darting back and forth, bright and shining in the gallery light. As they widened, Remus could see the sky blue in those eyes, the warmth of the grey. They were beautiful. Remus wanted to paint them.

"I want this," Sirius said under his breath, more to himself than to Remus. He looked up, as if he only just remembered that Remus was there. "This one. I like this. Do you have more if it?"

"Uh…" Remus wanted to tell Sirius that the work was unfinished. He wanted to say that it was the only one like it and that he didn't think he could ever create more. He wanted to demand why Sirius loved this one so much but hated all of his completed works. Instead, he reached into his satchel and pulled out his sketchbook. "I have these…"

Sirius held the book in his hands, almost reverently, and opened it. As he flipped through the pages, he scanned the artwork, taking it in, absorbing it. Unlike with Remus' portfolio, Sirius' mouth twisted slightly, moving as it shaped words under his breath. Page after page, Sirius kept going, taking in what he saw in the book. Liking it. Remus felt himself relax, felt the tightness behind his eyes, forcing back tears of relief.

The book closed and Sirius' eyes raised to meet Remus'.

"If you can give me more of this…" Sirius emphasized his point by placing his palm firmly on the textured black sketchbook cover. "And this," he said, nodding to the unfinished painting, "I have a spot for you in this gallery."

Untitled No. 1

(R. J. Lupin)

[thelearningcat]

You know what’s a movie that should be redone in this new feminist movement year: Mona Lisa Smile

There’s a lot of problematic elements to this film, but there’s also a whole bunch of potential. I love 1950s feminist films. What could possibly be more empowering then a woman being empowered in a time when women were vastly being pushed back into the home (at least in the States, though I think it is true elsewhere).

Here’s some aspects I would love to highlight in my 2019 Mona Lisa Smile.

Female artists, both in the film and taught in Katherine’s class. In the 2003 movie, we never see any of the women actually making art in any way. Nor do we see her feature female artists. In a film supposedly about female empowerment, there are very few women doing any kind of real work that shows they aren’t just housewives. There are women in the administration and we get what some of the female professors teach. However, even Katherine, we know she does “research” but we never know what she does research on. As someone in academia, I can say, there’s no way it would never come up what she specialized in, even if all she had is a Masters. I want some female artists. I don’t know many but I know Georgia O’Keeffe was probably already painting by then, and in a conversation about modern art at an all girl’s school, it feels like a missed opportunity for the writers to really get some lesser known female artists of the time’s name out  through Katherine’s teaching. 

Women choosing to not be in a relationships. We have a lot of women finding out their men lied and choosing, but that’s not really a choice. Katherine isn’t even really a chosen single woman. Instead, we have women trying to be in relationships and them failing, and somehow we are supposed to believe they can be happy without a man. You cannot convince me that there are not some happy single ladies as professors. It would have been one of the few professions available to higher income women that might pay decently. 

Some happy lesbians. We have one lesbian, who nicely supported the kill your gay trope by killing one off screen prior to the start of the film and the other getting fired early to get her off screen for the rest of the film. I had a split moment in the beginning where I expected two of the female students to turn out to be lesbians, but that was quickly squashed.

More historical discussions. We get a brief discussion of war veterans and contraception, but there is so many rich discussions that could have really played into this movie’s female empowerment. If the point is to show this feminist professors breaking the mold in this conservative school, then really developing all the ways she subverts the ideas of womanhood other than through her dating habits (and lack of marriage) would have really have enriched the character development. Sure, I like the notion that it seemed like the administration was nitpicking stuff to be offended by, but I was left with female characters who felt out of history in a historical context.

Better female characters. All the characters felt just a baby step outside of a stereotype. We have the goody good who did everything right only to have it thrown in her face(Betty), we have the insecure woman falling in love(Constance), the traditional woman who had the intelligence to go far in a career but chose family instead(Joan), and the “whore” who slept around with older, sometimes married men(Giselle). Honestly, the second to last (Joan- intelligent woman who chose family) really highlights the shortcomings of the overall characters in this film. If you’re going to have a movie about female characters in the 50s running up against a feminist, then play with that. None of the women actually chose a career, so while Joan could have really pushed up against the idea that all feminists have to be career women, it instead felt like they were instead supporting the very ideals that their movie appeared to be trying (and failing) to subvert.  Here’s the characters I would have liked to see developed.

Katherine: the feminist professor, who was the epitome of what would become 70s feminism. Free-love woman who wasn’t looking for one man to satisfy her. Make her bisexual for some lbtq representation (absolutely no student-teacher relations though!). Not only is she not super into monogamy, but have her really encouraging women to get jobs, push off having children, and learn about orgasm. Encouraging women that they can be tough and men can (and should) be kind. Maybe this would be too far ahead of her time for a 50s movie, but I think really leaning into this idea that the conservatives at this school would be scandalized by her would be really great. I don’t know enough about 50s feminism, so I would even take her being tamer than 70s free-love. But I think she really has to be a progressive feminist to have the narrative really work well.

Betty: A smart woman who believed she always just wanted a husband and family, because she’d never been given another option. She is a great person for a stay-at-home wife gone career woman arch. You don’t need to have the husband have an affair. Instead, just show that she’s unhappy with the wifely tasks. Show her loving to learn or have a passion for a specific subject. We could really dig our teeth into a woman who just never realized what cage she’d been placed in. It’s how many of us feel when we begin reading about socialization of little girls anyway. How many of us became feminist when we realized that our tendency to say “I’m sorry” before a question in class came from gendered socialization lessons of our childhood? I want to see that woman evolve. I want to watch her deal with the cognitive dissonance, and that’s why she’s such a dick in class to Katherine. I want to see her begin to see the cracks in the facade she convinced herself of as she was encouraged by this professor she hated to see the other options she had. 

Joan: Honestly other than giving her a husband who didn’t come off as a prick, I like her arch. This intelligent woman who thought about law school but decided to instead stay and be a wife, I love it because that’s what feminism is all about- women being able to choose. However, the whole movie we get this dick of a husband who says things that imply he wouldn’t be supportive and even if we give some credit that they were trying to stay true to what men would say then, it just left a bad taste in my mouth. Even when Joan proclaimed it was her choice, I didn’t have enough grounding to believe that she wasn’t pressured indirectly into it by her husband. He didn’t have to be progressive or feminine, but something further to show that he was entirely devoted to her happiness and would have in fact supported her would have made her arch more palatable.

Giselle: Oh boy, this is just such a problematic character. She’s repeatedly been told she’s a whore, but we are never given a reason that she is friends with Betty, because while we see her being supportive, we see Betty just constantly shitting on her (and Constance for that matter). I think a free-love student isn’t a bad idea for the contexts, but that idea that she would be friends with these other female characters is just hard to stomach. You need to give me a reason to believe they would all be friends, which given the contrasting character Katherine could be, I think they all need to relatively start in the same place of conservative traditionalism. I think instead of just having the “whore” character, Giselle would be better off as a lgbtq representative. Maybe everyone thinks she’s a whore because she sneaks around a lot and no one knows where to (turns out she’s sneaking around with a female professor or student). Maybe she’s dates a lot and sleeps with one man before the end of the movie, but she declares that she’s gay or asexual after the encounter. Her friends could still make comments about her tendency with men, without it being so unlikely that they’d remain friends with her. Her progressive teacher introduces them to the lgbtq world, and that makes her start questioning herself. I’m all fine with a woman who likes sex as a character, but she just doesn’t fit with the group of friends and it shows. 

Constance: Oh boy. Her arch is so boring. It makes no sense in the context of the overall plot. It felt especially jarring considering her character’s only development seemed to be this boy she liked. Here’s the thing, there was something to her character that was tossed aside for this romance that could have made for a good feminist narrative: her confidence. Betty constantly puts her down about this boy she likes, and that’s shitty, but honestly, it is clear that her character is very insecure. She believes every time Betty says something that a guy couldn’t possibly like her. That right there could be really well developed into an arch that spoke to women in the audience. Develop the fact she’s an insecure woman who feels more secure when a guy likes her (and is easily convinced he doesn’t). Have Katherine teach a whole lesson about the male gaze in art. Have Katherine shows pictures of woman throughout the ages who were considered beautiful and discuss how beauty changes (and thus what is good art also changes). Have there be a real resolve to the interactions between Betty and Constance that are such toxic interactions. Betty needs to learn that what she says is harmful and Constance needs to learn that other people don’t define her self worth. This doesn’t even touch on all the other characters who need a ton of tweaking/overhalls to make this movie better. 

This movie has so many nuggets of potential but end up with a female empowerment movie where at best only one woman is really empowered, the rest are right where they were at the start of the film, or worse off. 

[ethenell]

Best Films of 2018, Part II

5. The Favourite (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)

“I dreamt I stabbed you in the eye ...”

Dogtooth was as bold as debut features come ... It’s fiendishly clever conceit and distinctively muted delivery heralded an auspicious new voice in international cinema.

But even Dogtooth’s most ardent supporters would have been hard-pressed to imagine that, a decade down the line, Yorgos Lanthimos would find himself at the helm of a film with no less than ten Academy Award nominations to its name. In that sense, The Favourite is a perfect demonstration of both how far Lanthimos has come since his inimitable debut, and how fiercely true he has stayed to his idiosyncratic vision.

Lanthimos’s great leap has been to take his vision out of the arthouses and into the cinematic mainstream without losing one iota of his edge. The Favourite, anchored by a trio of extraordinary performances by Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone, is easily Lanthimos’ most palatable offering yet. With all due respect to Dogtooth and Alps, it may also be his flat-out best.

Lacking the high-concept foundation of his previous work, Lanthimos’ latest more than makes up for it by playing up the absurdities of its setting. In the cutthroat world of social climbers and hangers-on in the lavish royal court of Victorian England, Lanthimos' wickedly comedic voice has found it’s perfect canvas, and his trio of actresses sell every bizarre beat to perfection.

Lanthimos’ films has always explored the ways that the societal convention clashes with our most basic, instinctual behavior, and The Favourite is no exception. Victorian England is simply a (fish-eye) lens through which he strikes at humanity’s propensity for self-interested cruelty, manipulation, and deception. Unsurprisingly, Lanthimos’ diagnosis on the topic remains characteristically bleak. But if The Favourite teaches us anything about Lanthimos as a storyteller, it’s that he’s uniquely capable of delivering bad news with a smile and a wink.

 4. Eighth Grade (dir. Bo Burnham)

“Gucci!”

Bo Burnham, who first gained fame through YouTube videos of self-proclaimed "pubescent musical comedy", would strike most offhand as an unlikely source for the most pure-heartedly empathetic film of the year. But Eighth Grade, Burnham's debut feature, is exactly that. 

Centering around the painfully shy Kayla as she goes through her final week of middle school, Burnham and star Elsie Fisher bring to the screen a keen sense for what it means to be a child in the age of social media, not to mention the most genuinely rewarding actor-director connection of any film in 2018. 

Burnham has said repeatedly that the casting process for the role of Kayla was extensive, and that he nearly considered shelving the project before auditioning Fisher for the role. Seeing her on screen, it's easy to see both why Burnham was so particular in casting this part, and why he struck gold discovering Fisher. 

As written by Burnham and played by Fisher, Kayla is a ball of anxieties whose struggles in IRL social scenarios are presented in direct contrast to the version of herself presented on her YouTube channel, through which she shares motivational videos with messages about, among other things, courage and being yourself. It's this juxtaposition that forms the thesis of Burnham's beautiful film, but not quite in the way you might expect. 

This may not come as too much of a surprise, given his background, but Burnham categorically rejects lazy criticisms of the social media generation, or of social media itself. In fact, Eighth Grade feels more in tune with the detailed realities of a life dominated by interaction and engagement through social media than any other film in recent memory. 

But, in spite of the broad cultural transformation that has followed in social media's wake, Eighth Grade's greatest achievement is to remind it's viewers that the vulnerabilities and angst of childhood remain largely unchanged. 

3. Roma (dir. Alfonso Cuaron)

“We are alone. No matter what they tell you, we women are always alone.“

Alfonso Cuaron is one of the world’s most treasured filmmakers – this much is not really up for debate. His unerringly brilliant filmography showcases a directorial range unmatched in modern cinema. So, the transition from the space epic Gravity to an intimate family drama set in an upscale suburb of 1970s Mexico City should have surprised no one familiar with the director’s previous work. His new film’s reported autobiographical elements should also have come as no surprise, as he had previously dabbled in stories loosely based on his own life with his celebrated debut, Y Tu Mama Tambien.

But even this thorough setting of the stage could not have been adequate to prepare audiences for what Cuaron had in store. Among a filmography already replete with masterpieces, Roma may well be the most important (and personal) film Cuaron has ever made.

Unlike Y Tu Mama Tambien, Roma draws inspiration not from Curaon’s own adolescent exploits, but from the experiences of Libo, the domestic worker who helped to raise him, along with his own mother, as they deal with a series of upheavals within their upper-middle class home.

Where Roma and Y Tu Mama find common ground is in their uncanny ability to ground their intimate stories within the broader sociopolitical landscape in which they are set. Perhaps the most notable achievement of Cuaron’s work than his unparalleled ability take us to a time and place, set us inside an experience that’s unlike our own, and drive home with uncanny precision how that experience fits within our world at large.

The miracle of Roma is the grandeur and power it imbues in the banal details of domestic life. Even with Cuaron having largely abandoned the formal flashiness of Children of Men and Gravity, his images elevate a traditionally marginalized figure to almost mythical significance. Today’s world being what it is, Roma serves as a powerful and timely reminder – every life, even those most easily overlooked, spill over with love and tragedy and moments of genuine wonder.

 2. Burning (dir. Lee-Chang Dong)

“There is no right and wrong ... Just the morals of nature.”

There’s a mystery at the heart of Burning that never resolves itself -- at least, not in the way you might want it to. And though it casts an unmistakable pall over the film from the moment that it comes into focus, there’s a sneaking suspicion that writer-director Lee Chang Dong’s real focus is lingering just behind this shroud.

Indeed, peeling away this outermost layer of intrigue reveals a thorny, tangled treatise on the divisions of modern society. Burning functions exceptionally well as a pure, slow-burn mystery, but it’s deliberately composed subtext provides contextual space for it to blossom into something far more complex and significant. No doubt in my mind, this film is a masterpiece.

On paper, Burning’s first act seems well-worn – Jongsu (Yoo Ah-In) reconnects by chance with Haemi (Jeon Jong-seo), a friend from his home village, whom he initially does not recognize. He agrees to feed her cat while she travels in Africa. When she returns with a mysteriously wealthy sophisticate named Ben (a slyly terrific Steven Yeun) Jongsu immediately feels threatened. But as his petty jealousies pile up, deeper suspicions begin to take root, and small, seemingly innocuous details begin to point towards sinister possibilities. 

Rather than focus on the things that connect us, Burning probes the divides between us that – as modern discourse reaches ever closer to a fever pitch – threaten to become unbridgeable.

In this state of disconnection, what can we be convinced to believe about one another? What (or who) is disposable?  Burning asks provocative questions about our cultural shortcomings and paints a chilling picture of the alienation that can fester as a result. It’s a patient, masterful film that pays off with an absolute wallop of a conclusion.

As we see our cinemas filled with more and more tired remakes and obvious retreads, Burning represents something truly indispensable and increasingly rare – an assured, original masterpiece from a vanguard of international cinema.

1. First Reformed (dir. Paul Schrader)

“Can God forgive us? For what we’ve done to this world?”

Decades after penning the script for Scorsese’s searing take on the explosive blend of toxic masculinity and moral righteousness, Paul Schrader is back with his own twisted take on Taxi Driver  this time sprinkled with elements of Winter Light, Bergman’s austere study of faith in crisis.

Like Bergman’s enduring chamber play, First Reformed focuses on a pastor, Ernst Tollet (an earth-shakingly great terrific Ethan Hawke), who offers to counsel the troubled husband of one of his parishioners (Amanda Seyfried), only to find himself slipping into a spiritual crisis of his own. 

In the wake of their conversation - which plays out as a debate over the morality of bringing a child into a world on the brink of unavoidable ecological catastrophe - Tollet is forced to reckon with his own deeply repressed guilt, along with his rapidly deteriorating health, and quickly finds himself buried under the spiritual weight of his own sins, and those of humanity, writ large. 

In his search for answers, Tollet whispers into the void, and in return comes nothing but silence. This profound absence drives Tollet deeper and deeper into the clutches of despair until, in the film’s breathless final moments, the void finally shouts back. It’s one of the more profoundly, beautifully surprising conclusions in recent memory - one that suggests that our only hope for true salvation is not in blind faith, but in transcendental human connection

First Reformed takes on a wide range of themes over its 90 minute run-time, but Schrader is most directly concerned with this eternal and fundamentally human struggle between faith and despair. 

At its psychological foundation, faith is a willful confrontation between the human capacity for hope and a cold and uncaring universe - it’s sold to us as the only true antidote to existential despair. But First Reformed – driven to the knife’s edge by Hawke’s powerhouse lead performance – argues convincingly that the line between bravely confronting the abyss, and being wholly consumed by it, is perilously thin.

[scripturehomosexuality]

Update: Why This Blog Has Been Silent, And This Blog is Moving

If you’ve been a regular reader here, I’m sure you noticed that this blog has been silent for the past few months. The silence has been so extreme, I missed posting on its third anniversary. Believe me, this silence was not intended. Certain circumstances forced it to happen, though given current events, it might have been a blessing in disguise. I’ll go more into that later.

Though I write this blog, I’m still a regular person who must face the same troubles as everyone else. As such, around the time that I made the last post, my life became quite unstable through no fault of my own. After a certain point, that instability put my living situation into serious doubt. Thus, I was faced with a choice - deal with the situation and neglect the blog, or keep up the blog while the rest of my life fell apart. I chose the former. I wouldn’t be able to give any help if, among other things, didn’t have a place to live.

Plus, believe it or not, the loss of my smartphone had an effect. Through that phone, I was able to maintain constant supervision of the blog and the g0ys subreddit. It inexplicably broke down in June, and I’m currently stuck with a substandard model. Thus, maintaining control over both became much harder.

At this point, though it’s not in an ideal place, things are much more stable now. That instability has reduced, and I’m working to get a better phone during this month. Plus, I was still writing in fits and spurts. I currently have three finished articles waiting to be published. One of them is the post intended for the blog’s third anniversary. I have many more drafts meant for publication this year at various stages of progress. I logged in periodically to keep the blog active, and did so again on December 26th to start resuming normal activity.

That was the first time I logged in for all of December, and as I know now, I was in for a surprise.

Earlier in the month, and after a revision in September 2018, Tumblr changed their Community Guidelines again. Under the subtitle “Adult Content”, they read as follows:

“Don't upload images, videos, or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples — this includes content that is so photorealistic that it could be mistaken for featuring real-life humans (nice try, though). Certain types of artistic, educational, newsworthy, or political content featuring nudity are fine. Don’t upload any content, including images, videos, GIFs, or illustrations, that depicts sex acts. For more information about what this guideline prohibits and how to appeal decisions about adult content, check out our help desk.”

Like the September update, this change is very problematic. In short, anything showing sexuality or nudity (even toplessness) is now banned from Tumblr. At least, they say as much. They also say that they will make exceptions for “certain types of artistic, educational, newsworthy, or political content featuring nudity”.

You might not realize it, but a huge problem lies within that phrasing. The policy doesn’t say that they will allow ANY nudity that is of artistic, educational or political value. They say that they will only allow “certain” types. Whatever counts as those approved “certain” types is totally up to Tumblr’s discretion, and is subject to their fleeting whims.

Nevertheless, you might think that such a policy would exempt this blog. After all, as you’ve seen, all nude photos featured here are shown mainly for their historical value. All of them were captured with the consent of those photographed. All of them are in black and white, which immediately shows that they have some age. While this blog has never felt squeamish about showing nudity, it has done so to teach history in the best way possible.

Well, you’re wrong. Within the past few days, four articles were flagged as being too adult for Tumblr, and were hidden from public view. They are

Capitalism’s Role in the Taboo Against Nude Swimming

The Innate Male Need For Communal Nudity (Under Appeal but Not Visible)

Happy Two Year Anniversary

What The Olympics Teach Us About Same-Sex Bonding (Since Restored)

So if you’re looking for them, please know that they still exist. I didn’t delete them, and I never would intentionally delete them. You just can’t see them. Furthermore, as you probably noticed, the first three are key posts of the “Everyday Nudity” series.

Personally, I’m not surprised that the series was among the first output affected. The “Innate Male Need” article was what nearly brought down the blog in March 2018. Some staff within Tumblr clearly opposed its publication, even though it violated none of their guidelines at the time. They were so opposed to it, they tried to hold the site hostage by shutting it down whenever I tried publishing it. Though I ultimately succeeded, it seems certain Tumblr staffers were looking for another opportunity to take it down again. They did, and this time, the guidelines are on their side.

Plus, I think I need to note the following: through their myriads of photographs, all three posts were a terrible indictment on U.S. society. They amply demonstrated

the failure of the U.S. education system to teach something that was ubiquitous just a generation ago

the utter and unprecedented prudishness of modern U.S. society

the cooperation of the U.S. capitalist system in sustaining this taboo on everyday nudity

the inconsistency of this reality in a nominally Christian country with supposedly “traditional” Christian teachings on homoeroticism

the role of “gay” and “straight” media in obscuring this story

These articles were some of the most read posts on the blog. And they had an effect. Information about the topics covered therein are becoming common knowledge, and I believe that’s due to articles like these.

Thus, I’m willing to make the following call on the Guidelines changes - they weren’t done just to purge itself of pornography. Furthermore, these changes have affected many Tumblr blogs, including some who didn’t publish NSFW content at all. To me, this was ultimately a political move. This was done to purge Tumblr of politically “inconvenient” content, and make it more palatable to corporations.

To prove my point, I will go back to my own content. All nude photos here were clearly attached for historical value. The posts that contained them were meant to educate and inform. To any reasonable mind, I’m sure that would count as “artistic, educational, newsworthy, or political content featuring nudity”. Even after being appealed - which would require human intervention - the ban was removed only for the “Olympics” article. So to me, the only other reason why they would be flagged was because the message they were sending was objectionable. In other words, from what I can see, the suppression of these posts is plainly political censorship.

Furthermore, Safe Mode already hid “adult” posts from people who didn’t want to see it. For their part, all three posts contained warnings that nude photos were inside the posts. None of those photos were visible in the post previews. If Tumblr admins were solely concerned with creating “a place where more people feel comfortable expressing themselves”, that was a somewhat fair (if deeply flawed) solution. It left more sexual blogs to operate in relative peace, and allowed more prudish viewers to mostly avoid them.

Plus, if the Guideline revisions were just concerned with adult content, why flag the “Olympics” post? That post contained no nude photos at all. The only thing that would cause offense was that, through its frank commentary, it tore apart establishment sexual concepts that are corporate in origin.

Along with that, from what can be seen, the porn bots on Tumblr (which are usually corporate in origin) are working just fine. The ban seems to affect only output from individual blogs. Thus, I don’t think that NSFW content was offensive because of its content. Instead, that content was offensive because it didn’t come from corporate producers. It came from the people themselves, as authentic expressions of sexuality often unseen in more mainstream output. It is this which is being hurt by this ban, and I don’t think that’s an accident.

The fact that Tumblr is now hiding them means that Tumblr hasn’t been comfortable with them for some time. The mere presence of community-driven sexual content evidently gnawed at them. They wanted them gone, but it didn’t want to do it too fast, lest it alienate their core audience.

Tumblr CEO Jeff D'Onofrio says that they will only hide posts that violate policy, and will not delete them. Frankly, I don’t believe him. Hiding them is a subtle way of abolishing them from public memory. Deleting them completely just finishes the job. Plus, this new change clearly signals that they are uncomfortable with having certain blogs on their platform. I can’t see why they wouldn’t take the next step and eradicate those posts, or completely delete the blogs that post them. Furthermore, as said before, abolition of sexual content is merely the pretext of the moment. Others will likely emerge to further apparent goals of purging Tumblr of its most unconventional users.

On top of that, I’m not the only one who thinks it’s political. In a recent commentary on the changes, Vox remarked that the change (and reaction to it) is reflective of larger trends. They explained that “on a deeper level, the giant outcry over this [policy change] reflects a larger anxiety from users — a fear that Tumblr is cracking down not just on porn but on the very essence of Tumblr culture: unruly, unsanctioned, and in many ways, united by the very spirit of deviance that Tumblr is trying to kill.” I truly believe that this is the case. Sex is just a pretext to remove the culture of free speech that has always characterized Tumblr.

Make no mistake - this move is totally in service to a growing American corporate state. It is a corporate state that is of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations. Its sole motivation is creating a culture of sheer conformity and neat division, because that ensures capitalism’s everlasting growth. It dislikes anything that rocks the boat, except if that rocking will make more money.

After all, keep the following in mind. This ban was apparently spurred by the recent actions of Apple, who removed Tumblr from its online store. On the eve of the ban’s enforcement, it was promptly restored. This is despite the fact that NSFW content still exists on Tumblr. The difference is that such content is now mainly corporate in origin, instead of the more community-driven content. So what was the issue here? Was the content the problem? Or that it came from the wrong source, and as such, had an authenticity that corporate content couldn’t compete with?

All signs indicate that the censorship drive won’t stop here. Tumblr has already gone to excessive lengths to crack down on content that most users didn’t object to. Meanwhile, the porn bots and others who supposedly caused the censorship haven’t gone anywhere. Adult content isn’t the problem. Instead, it is that Tumblr contains a potent people power that corporate America simply can’t tolerate.

As a result, I must read the writing on the wall that becomes clearer every day. I predict that this blog will be deleted along with many others. I believe that by the end of 2019, “The Scriptures Don’t Condemn Homosexuality” will cease to exist on Tumblr. I personally think the end will come by June. But even if that doesn’t happen, I can’t see how it will survive past December 2019.

This blog has consistently railed against modern sexual philosophy, which preaches that same-sex desire and behavior is inherently abnormal. As this blog has shown, that philosophy owes its growth to runaway capitalism (aka neoliberalism). Neoliberalism sustains and protects that philosophy, and vice versa. That system of thinking simply cannot tolerate challenges to its logic. And while the blog is mostly intact, I’m sure more changes will be made to make blogs like this less likely to exist on Tumblr. 

As such, barring any repeal of censorship, this will be the last new post on this Tumblr blog. No more content will be posted here. I don’t know if new posts will be used as pretext to shut the blog down. No messages sent to the inbox will receive a response here. However, I will not delete the Tumblr site, since this is the one that users know the most. This blog will remain in suspended animation until Tumblr inevitably shuts it down.

At this point, the Wordpress site will become the main site. The next few weeks and months will be spent transferring all articles to that website. I will try to recreate the Tumblr blog on Wordpress as faithfully as possible, including the extra links at the top of the page. I will also utilize Wordpress’ tools to make it even better. The Tumblr site will become an auxiliary site to direct traffic to Wordpress.

To be clear, I don’t see this as a final solution. This will be a real test of Wordpress’ tolerance of free speech. I have no idea how Wordpress will respond to what I will publish, but I hope for the best. Even as I’m heading to Wordpress, I’m also researching other platforms in case Wordpress doesn’t work out.

For the time being, my first priority will be helping reanimate the g0ys reddit chat. More than anything else, this blog aimed to make like-minded people connect with each other for personal fulfillment and social change. The Reddit chat seems best equipped to do that, and as such, I view it as the blog’s greatest legacy. Thus, I will be posting there more regularly in the days and weeks ahead. Furthermore, I also help see how to keep the chat active even when the moderators aren’t there.

I’m not going sugarcoat anything. This is a big step backward. Right now, I should just be concerned with getting new content out. I never thought that when the blog is so established, I’d have to move its content between platforms. This will be a time consuming process, because there’s over 100 posts to transfer. My finished manuscripts for this publishing year won’t be seen for months.

As such, the inactivity of this blog might have been a hidden blessing. If I continued publishing, it would have counted as more posts to move. Since output stopped in September 2018, it makes my job easier.

Furthermore, its readership has never been higher: for the first time, there were over 1000 trackable visitors in a single month, during November 2018. Its actual count was probably higher, so doing this move will be incredibly disruptive. During this transfer, I don’t know if all readers here will be able to make the switch.

However, in the end, this is what is needed. It helps accomplish goals that are bigger than Tumblr, this blog or myself. This Tumblr site merely wishes to further the work of the g0ys, the Man2Man Alliance, and other associated movements - to free humanity of sexual concepts meant to control, punish and enslave. Tumblr is just a means to an end. This work will go on with Tumblr or without them, because the stakes are too high to do otherwise.

Finally however, I want to thank David Karp and the version of Tumblr he oversaw. They created what is becoming an rarity - an internet platform where freedom of speech and thought truly ruled the day. This blog’s work simply would not have been possible without Tumblr, and was far better because of it. I’ve met and heard from many readers of like mind whose feedback aided me further. The photo content in the “Everyday Nudity” series came from other Tumblr blogs. I will always be grateful to them for allowing this blog to speak freely, and am sorry to have to leave.

However, times have changed and this blog must change with it. This work will go on. Concepts of sex have a tremendous effect on other parts of life. I will working to help make those concepts fit reality, so that all can be truly free.

- Herold Jennison

[epicforblackmadonnas-blog]

The Break Down

I visited the birthplace of Hip Hop at 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in the Bronx, on a Friday afternoon.The neighborhood that birthed the genre is quiet, the building is tall and unassuming and nestled off the side of the highway. Few people are out, even mid day. The character of the neighborhood and it’s history are only made clear to me by the graffiti that laces the side of apartment buildings, flags that hang from windows, and the occasional car cruising by with it’s windows rolled down and the driver playing music. In the tight knit, neighborly community, everyone communes at the bus stop to pick up their children as they arrive from school.   I can understand how only about 50 years ago a genre grew infectious among this small community at block parties and neighborhood gatherings and eventually spread to other parts of the borough, city and world. According to data and statistics from market.com Hip Hop and Rap is one of the most popular genres of music in the past 10 years only falling behind pop and classic rock. The genre is especially popular among millenials (16-24 year olds), data from statista.com illustrates that Hip Hop/Rap is the second most popular genre of music for that age demographic. Like with most media, music has both indirect and direct influence over it’s consumers. Hip Hop is no different. This essay will explore the ways in which Hip Hop and beauty standards overlap and the effect on it’s consumers, particularly black femmes.        Hip Hop began in the Bronx, in the late 1970s. The genre was one that initially only included male artists until MC Lyte’s debut album release of Lyte as a Rock in 1988. Lyte was a pioneer for women in the genre and culture and created space for other Black female MCs within the genre. Contrary to modern day Hip Hop and beauty ideals, MC Lyte was said to have purposely worked to separate her image from her sound or appeal to her music. She “underplayed her beauty, without hiding it, because she was so determined to be respected as an artist and a person.” (hiphoparchive) While Black women became more prevalent and visible in Hip Hop as both Muses (in music videos) and rappers, the sexualization of Black women within the Genre also became more present. In the late 90s early 2000s, sex became ingrained in Hip Hop culture, this of course had an effect on the community of Black women looking to infiltrate it. Rappers like Lil’ Kim embraced their sexuality and were embraced by the Hip Hop community (but ultimately were still met with unattainable standards of beauty). Black women looking to be embraced by the culture but didn’t fit the expectation beauty put forth, sought other means of fulfilling Black beauty standards, like cosmetic surgery. A study published by the US library of Medicine National Institutes of Health depicts and discusses the increase in cosmetic surgeries from the year of 2006 to 2007. The most popular procedure among the Black community in that year was a Rhinoplasty (nose job). In recent years liposuction, breast augmentations and buttock enhancements like augmentations or lifts have increased. In her article “Are Beauty Standards Pushing Black Women Into Dangerous Back-Alley Surgeries?” Health journalist Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez says that the increase in the procedures in the Black community come from “the extreme societal pressure put on Black women to have an hourglass figure.” what she regards as the “ideal Black body type.”    Body type aside the Hip Hop community has also put forth ideals about hair type and skin tone within the Black community. An article on BET.com features some of the most forward lyrics by Rappers that blatantly express their preference or profess their love for lighter skinned women. On Eric Benet’s song “Red Bone Girl” Lil Wayne raps “I like them light skin, lighter than a feather/ And if she red hot, I’m biting that pepper.” The article also features a Travis Scott Lyric “Nothin' like the light-skinned mamacitas in H-Town /They got them pornstar big booties” which both glorifies women with lighter skin and sexualizes women with “big booties”. In a controversial 1997 cover story by Black feminist theorist and cultural critic bell hooks for Paper Magazine Kim. One of hook’s most notable pieces is Gangsta rap and the piano where she compares white maleness of Steward a possessive and predatorial male love interest of a mute woman named Ava in the movie, his presence strips her of her artistic dedication to playing the piano, sex becomes what takes precedence over her music. Yet their love is seen as non threatening, “natural” as hooks puts it. Where Black men in Hip Hop are considered misogynist and murderers so as depicted by white critics of the culture for rapping about these same sexual desires and committing the same offenses as white men. Hooks also points out that when critiqued for the culture of violence portrayed in gangsta rap, white critics don’t consider Blackness within the context of white supremacy. Hooks speaks to this when she writes  “To see gangsta rap as a reflection of dominant values in our culture rather than as an aberrant "pathological" standpoint does not mean that a rigorous feminist critique of the sexism and misogyny expressed in this music is not needed. Without a doubt black males, young and old, must be held politically accountable for their sexism. Yet this critique must always be contextualized or we risk making it appear that the behaviors this thinking supports and condones,--rape, male violence against women, etc.-- is a black male thing. And this is what is happening. Young black males are forced to take the "heat" for encouraging, via their music, the hatred of and violence against women that is a central core of patriarchy.”     In Paper Magazine Lil’ Kim speaks on her sexual image and music from an empowerment perspective. When hooks asks about her right to be a sexual being, with sexual desire, Kim’s response is about letting go of shame and taking ownership, when she says "We havin' sex. Tell whoever — make sure you tell 'em how good I did it!" Kim says she represents both, the liberated woman and the sexy girl of men’s dreams when asked. In many ways she was right her image became the quintessential image for Black femmes both in and outside of the Genre. Petite, yet curvy, skin that was a palatable brown tone and long straight dark hair. With this, even she had insecurities projected on her by men and the genre, she says in the interview she is still rebuilding her self esteem. Fast forward to modern day hip hop, between MC Lyte and Cardi B. Hip Hop is more forward than ever about who and what is beautiful, sexy, attractive, desirable. Especially in the age of social media. Data from smartinsights.com shows the growth of visual based social media platforms like instagram and snapchat among the millennial demographic. According to the data half of instagram’s users use the app daily and according to mediakix.com 50 million followers are maintained by the top 10 beauty instagram influencers,  meaning that, on the platform millions of people see their posts informing beauty standards daily. Black beauty standards are also informed by Hip Hop when taste makers of the culture   choose spouses who they go public with. Rapper, Kanye West for instance who is one of the most talked about artists in the genre right now, has used his brand to leverage his socialite wife Kim Kardashian. Kim Kardashian is a white woman who has often come under fire for appropriating Black culture, emulating Black features and profiting from it. While Black women who boast these same features naturally, are ostracized and even systematically discriminated against for these same things. Kardashian posed for the winter 2014 issue of Paper Magazine and the picture on the cover of the issue bore a striking resemblance to photos taken of a former slave and south african woman named Saartjie Baartman who was recruited and exploited by a white German man to be a spectacle for masses throughout Europe showing her nude body, special attention was brought to her large buttocks. In the picture Kim Kardashian mimics this by poking her own surgically enlarged butt out. Baartman’s naked body was a source of curiosity for Europeans, sometimes she was asked to perform native dances or play instruments while nude for audiences according to TIME. Kendall Jenner sister of Kim Kardashian has also been scrutinized for appropriating and benefitting from Black culture and emulating Black beauty standards. Jenner much like her elder sister, dates another Black rapper, Travis Scott, according to statista.com she follows close behind her older sister Kim, with the 7th most instagram followers in the world. She is known for her beauty brand Kylie Cosmetics that is most notable for its lip kits, that include a variety of lip glosses, sticks and liners. However, her marquee feature, her lips are cosmetically enhanced to emulate the features of Black women. While Black women have been ostracized for having large lips, the personality’s lips and lip kits have launched her to the top of the Forbes celebrity 100 after just three years of business according to the site, Jenner grossed almost a billion dollars. Many rappers and other taste makers in the culture (i.e. DJs, Hosts, Record executives, producers etc.) date women who fit into the ideal mold of Black beauty standards which according to Hip Hop Historian and Podcaster Byron Morgan includes being shaped similarly to a barbie doll in stature, with large breast, a large butt but a contrasting small waist. Rapper Merci D of rap trio Blemme says these same standards of beauty include Fair skin and eurocentric facial features like a narrow nose, smaller eyes and full but not oversized lips. The image of the most beautiful woman to hip hop is a woman who is not “too imposing” the rapper said in our interview. In 2016 Hip Hop producer Swizz Beatz posted a post VMA photo of he and other Hip Hop moguls Jay Z, Steve Stoute, Kanye West and Diddy with their wives/partners after the Video Music Awards. This photo perfectly illustrates that the features both Morgan and D refer in our interviews are necessary to be considered beautiful by the culture. When the photo first surfaced some took to the comments to point out the stark difference between the skin tones of these men and their wives. One comment read “Beautiful pic. Interesting that it’s mostly dark-skinned black guys with light-skinned women. We’ve come so far in the black community.” and ended with a thinking emoji. The women in the photo from Alicia Keys all the way down to Cassie fit into the aforementioned ideal beauty standard. Comments like the one under that photo that Swizz Beatz posted are much like comments other rappers and Hip Hop influencers have received when expressing a dislike or distaste for women who are conversely dark-skinned, with coarser textured hair, are fat or not coke bottle shaped, with wide noses and thick lips, women who are undeniably black and are not ambiguous as rapper Merci D put it. This younger generation of rappers has been unapologetic about their dislike for Black women, especially darker-skinned Black women. Rappers like Kodak Black and ASAP Rocky have made comments in recent years about dark-skinned Black women that fueled anger among many. In an interview with The Coveteur in 2013 rapper ASAP Rocky said that women had to be “fair skinned” to “get away with” wearing red lipstick. Rocky’s interview has since been removed from the site, however, his original remark can be found here. That comment from the interview with the site spurred many hateful memes about the subject matter. One meme portrays Black women as the character Mr.Popo from Dragon Ball Z a character that is literally the color black with bright red lips, who don’s a turban and gold hoop earrings. The meme reads “when darkskin girls put on red lipstick.”  A quick twitter search of “darkskin girls red lipstick” yields some pretty disturbing search results one tweet remarked “Dark skin girls with red lipstick give me nightmares.” Similarly Kodak Black took to an instagram live stream in 2017 where he remarked I dont really like Black girls like that sorta kinda after the backlash he received for his initial comments on the subject matter he responded by saying he only likes “red bones, he doesn’t like Black b------, like this” the rapper says as he gestures at his own skin, he only likes “yellow h---.” (6/26/17). Many took to the internet to say that the Rapper’s dating preferences were a reflection of self hate. What I would like to consider is how instances like the ones above and others, pressure Black women to conform to the standards of beauty that were previously outlined. In my interview with Merci D she states explicitly that getting a Brazilian Butt Lift and a breast augmentation are at the top of her list in terms of physical desires when she strikes big with music or writing, she also remarks that this desire could be rooted in the fact that she’s seeing women with these enhancements frequently in mainstream media and in the culture. The rapper also details the ways she feels pushed outside of the mold of ideal Black beauty standards due to her size. She says that at her first Kiki ball she didn’t feel completely comfortable because of the fact that she was fat and because she felt as if her expression of femininity wasn’t fully appreciated. Singer\songwriter K Michelle and even rappers like the esteemed Lil’ Kim are great Black women celebrity examples of how the negative effects of the pressures to be a “Beautiful” Black woman can be unsafe and detrimental to not only their self esteem but physical health. K. Michelle went on the talk show the real to talk about the state of her health following her enhancements to her buttocks. The songstress said “I’m having trouble with men right now, I thought maybe if I had a big ol’ a huge butt I’d get even bigger love.” She says she also got work done on her teeth and hips. The pain from complications of her buttocks surgeries even caused her to get checked for lupus. In the interview Michelle sympathizes with women who have gotten the same enhancement and are similarly having complications due to them but may not have the money to seek removal or help as she did. Rapper Lil’ Kim has been forthcoming about her love for plastic surgery and over the years she has grown to look much different from when debuted in the 90s. In 2016 when the rapper made an appearance on the reality show Love and Hip Hop fans and spectators made comments about the stark difference in skin color and facial features, comments accused the rapper of bleaching her skin. Although the rapper denied these allegations, the incident caused comments made by the rapper in the 2000 in Newsweek to resurface in the Newsweek article she  remarked “Guys always cheated on me with women who were European-looking. You know, the long-haired type. Really beautiful women [who] left me thinking, ‘How I can I compete with that?’ Being a regular black girl wasn’t good enough.” Through my interviews with Black Hair Specialist/Scholar Kameesha Tate, Rapper/Storyteller Merci D, Musician/Multi-instrumentalist Tyrone Wilkins Jr., and Hip Hop Historian/Podcaster Byron Morgan and  I also heard about the ways that these harmful standards of beauty birthed movements of resistance and self-love. The natural hair and body positivity movements were heavily referenced in my interviews with those listed above. As Tate stated in her interview the natural hair movement was born of the Black is Beautiful and Black power movements of the 60s. In the PBS documentary Black is Beautiful historian Tricia Rose says the the “Black is Beautiful Movement was an effort to sort of throw off the shackles of the way White supremacy constructed Black bodies they’re not as intelligent, they’re not human, they’re not as beautiful, they’re not valuable she also said that in order “to undo that one has to directly attack that ideology.” Which Tate elaborated more on in  my interview where she details her big chop and embracing of her natural hair despite negative comments from people some of whom were even her family, she says that the natural hair movement is about black women embracing their natural hair which is inherently political, because it can often be a matter of of contention in places of employment and schools. Merci D referenced Fatima Jamal, fatfemme on instagram as a source of inspiration and for being encouraged to accept her own body through being encourage to wear what she wants by the model. She says she’s witnessed Jamal embrace her body by wearing “dainty” and “feminine” clothes that hug curves that aren’t celebrated like her stomach. According to ThePerspective.com, the body positivity movement was founded in 1996 and encouraged self love and self acceptance as opposed to shame about one’s body and getting rid self imposed food restrictions.

[reflektormag]

Our top 10 albums of the year so far

Brian Rhatigan

Here at Reflektor, we listen to a lot of music, I mean a lot. So, we decided to compile a list of our favorite albums from the year thus far. Please take your time and listen to each of these albums, they are our favorites for a reason!

Note: The ranking of these albums are in no particular order.

God’s Favorite Customer - Father John Misty

God’s Favorite Customer, Josh Tillman’s fourth studio album under the name ‘Father John Misty’ is arguably the most emotional album by Tillman. FJM’s other albums have been received with great praise, and so has God’s Favorite Customer.

“God’s Favorite Customer is Father John Misty’s 4th studio album. As with all of his previous releases, it’s his lyrics that always stand out to me. This time around Tillman’s lyrics are more vulnerable and sincere than they’ve ever been although he never seems to loose his wit and humor. Aside from the lyrics the album just sounds really good, there’s some nice soft rock/70s vibes. God’s Favorite Customer is a record about heartbreak, and is a comedown from his previous 2 records.”  - Carla Huysmans

Tell Me How You Really Feel - Courtney Barnett

Aussie rocker Courtney Barnett comes in swinging with her second full length studio album. ‘Tell me how you Really Feel’ is filled to the brim with emotional and meaningful lyrics like in “Nameless, Faceless”, when Barnett sings about the troubles she has had with internet trolls.

“She really manages to fully cement her style, both musically and through her lyrics, which I find very vulnerable, but also uniquely original, with always an expected twist. I also recently went to a concert of hers and she is one of those rare artists who sounds better live, on a musical level.” - Leila Ricca

Lush - Snail Mail

Maryland native Lindsey Jordan started writing her first EP ‘Habit’ when she was 15. After graduating high school, Jordan released her debut LP “Lush” on Matador records. Songs like “Pristine” and “Heatwave” stand out because of the simplicity in the chords and the meaning in the lyrics.

“Lush is easily my favorite album of the year. Each song brings something lyrically new to the table that anyone can connect with. And Lindsey Jordan is just so damn gorgeous.” - Brian Rhatigan

KOD - J Cole

KOD is North Carolina rapper J Cole’s fifth studio album. The 12 song album is a beautiful blend of soul, jazz, rap, and rock. There are three different interpretations behind KOD; Kids on Drugs, Kids Overdosed, or Kill our Demons, all fitting labels for the atmosphere of the album.

“It was the best album of the year where all the songs fit together as one piece of work, rather than individual songs put together. It also told a meaningful story, had great lyricism, and combined different genres of music.” - Bryce Murphy

Blank Panther, The Album - Various Artists

“Black Panther: The Album is a perfect contender for this list. It showcases each TDE member’s talent, and blends the themes of the film with African culture seamlessly. The transitions are flawless, the lyrics are thoughtful, and the fact that it was made while some artists were on the road is incredible. It provides a modern soundtrack to a movie that blends tradition with the future of what will hopefully be a Hollywood that is more diverse and groundbreaking than ever before.” - Sarah Beckford

Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino - Arctic Monkeys

“After five years of silence, the Arctic Monkeys make their much-awaited return with surprising and hypnotic ‘Tranquillity Base Hotel and Casino’. Perfectly managing to avoid self-parody or stylistic repetitions, this new album appears as a startling reinvention, a meandering and puzzling journey beyond known territories. Just like mankind first set foot on the moon on the ‘Tranquillity base’ site, the Arctic Monkeys disembark in an unknown universe in which they reveal a new, unexpected aspect of themselves.” - Freda Looker

Little Dark Age - MGMT

“This new album draws heavily from 80’s synth pop/brit pop, and yet still holds true to that psychedelic charm that has peppered their career. They kick things off with ‘She Works Out Too Much,’ a spoof on exercise music. The driving beat, and pounding bass line keep the listener mentally jogging in place for four minutes and 38 seconds (the instructor voice-overs really sell it). Title track, ‘Little Dark Age’ is a darker turn into goth pop, previously unexplored by the duo until now. That’s not to say it’s not catchy, as it does bare a similar song structure and groove to one of their “big three,” ‘Electric Feel.’ It has, undoubtedly, the crispest production on the album; sharp vocals, a tight snare, and a most notable synth bass that doesn’t let up. The third track and second single, ‘When You Die,’ is gloomy and aggressive. The stringy acoustic guitar is perfectly present, weaving in and out of a frustrated Vanwyngarden, who isn’t hesitant in telling the audience, “Go fuck yourself”. ‘Me and Michael’ is a straight trip to the 80s: cheesy lyrics; copious synth; dozens of “woahs;” and some guy named Michael. It’s familiar, charming, and it’s a foot down on the grounds that they can still write a hook. ‘Tslamp’ (Time Spent Looking at my Phone) is what the tape machine spit out after being fed an utter disregard for the technology that we have literally become addicted to. ‘James’ is another ode to the 80s and a “Goonies” type camaraderie. ‘One Thing Left to Try’ is in the same vein as ‘She Works Out Too Much,’ in its annoying, overdrawn out glory. An unnecessary, synth pop battle cry.” - Kendall Wright

Freedoms Goblin - Ty Segall

“This 19 song album is one hell of an adventure, composed of ballads and fuzz ridden tunes guaranteed to leave the listener asking for more. But if 19 songs are not enough for you, don’t worry. Segall averages one album each year, just like fellow Bay Area rocker John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees, who happened to help produce Segall’s debut album. “Freedom’s Goblin” consists of hard rocking songs like “Fanny Dog”, and straight covers like “Every 1’s a Winner”. Regardless, Segall continues to push out hard rocking tunes that even the faintest rock fans can enjoy.” - Joe Terry

Isolation - Kali Uchis

“The album opens on the Bossa Nova masterpiece ‘Body Language.’ During a Reddit Q&A, when asked what the overarching theme of the album was, she replied ‘finishing your dry martini, enjoying views of the water as a beautiful woman dives in,’ and this track invokes exactly that image with the first beat drop. After that, the album flutters between genres through the hard-and-fast R&B track ‘Miami,’ the beat-driven collaboration with Steve Lacy ‘Just A Stranger,’ and the dreamy ballad ‘Flight 22.’ She flows through each medium with ease, rejuvenating it and making it her own as she goes. Pop hits like ‘Tyrant’ brush shoulders with the funk triumph ‘After the Storm’ and the Winehouse-esque closers ‘feel like a fool’ and ‘killer.’ There’s something for everyone on this album, yet at the end of it all, no matter your tastes in music, there will be only one name on your lips; ‘Kali Uchis.’” - Thomas Nell

Virtue - The Voidz (Formerly Julian Casablancas + The Voidz)

“Arriving three and a half years later, Virtue, the sophomore effort of the group (now just wearing the moniker The Voidz, as if to dismiss claims that it is a ‘side project’ in the traditional sense) is the anti-Tyranny. All that unbridled experimentation and exploration has been distilled into something that is much more recognizable and palatable. Although artistically, it’s coming from the same place fundamentally, Casablancas and his new group, have purposefully tamed the unwieldy beast of creativity, presenting the results of their exploration in a much more neatly presented package so that their audience can enjoy what they discovered as much as they did.”  - Dylan Harkin

[geekgirlnavigatingtheworld]

Who volunteers for a suicide mission into an area which has seemingly devoured all previous expeditions who venture into it? 

“Annihilation” is based on Jeff VanderMeer’s “Southern Reach” Trilogy. VanderMeer is a master of modern weird fiction, and he’s one of the authors I follow pretty devotedly. When I want my brain to explode around things I never would have thought about, I pick up some VanderMeer and read, happily. He disturbs me. He unsettles me. He takes me through reaches of imagination I wasn’t aware existed.

So, when  I heard about “Annihilation” I had two thoughts. “How the fuck are they going to manage that?” and “I have to at least see their attempt.” Today, I found out how they did.

Area X is adjacent to a startling phenomenon called “The Shimmer”.  Lena, a scientist at Johns Hopkins, ends up at the Southern Reach base because her fiance was on a mission in Area X. To find out what, exactly, happened, she volunteers to join a crew of women (three scientists and one soldier) who are going into The Shimmer to collect data.

The movie is broken into acts denoted by geographical regions. It’s appropriate, because here, the setting is the story. No one really understands what’s happening in The Shimmer. All they know is no one comes back from it, no communications get through, and the area is growing. It’s told in a series of flashbacks, with fits and starts, because we’re getting the story from Lena’s perspective.

Natalie Portman plays Lena. She’s smart and conflicted. There are things she’s sure she knows about the natural world, so when she confronts the reality of The Shimmer, she starts questioning everything, especially herself. Portman gives her strength and resolve without sacrificing the complexity her character needs to be believable.  Her motives for volunteering seem crystal clear at first, but as her story unfolds, we get layers of reasons that change our own perceptions of the character.

The team is led by Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Dr. Ventress, a psychologist. She’s perhaps one of the most unsettling things in the movie.  Dr. Ventress is clearly unhappy and dissatisfied with her work and the lack of answers they have about The Shimmer. She’s gone past angry into a kind of numb resignation.  Leigh makes her solid, efficient steel in an increasingly flexible reality, and she comes off weirdly unemotional, even though she appears at first glance to be one of the most honest people in the group. She’s an authority, and she’s the kind of authority who is dependable. She’s the sort of person others look to when the world has gone completely out of whack.

There’s a geomorphologist in the group, Cass Sheppard, who’s played by Tuva Novotny. Cass is the member of the crew who seems the least confused about her own reasons for joining the expedition. She’s a level-headed presence who seems curious about her fellow explorers. She’s also the one who seems the most open to conversation, even if no one else wants it.

Anya Thorensen is the group’s muscle and protection. Gina Rodriguez makes her brassy and street smart. She’s smarter than the average “shoot first, ask questions later” trigger happy idiot, thankfully, because anyone less perceptive would put the entire group in bigger peril than they are. She may not be sure about what’s going on, but she’s certain and sure-footed about how to make her way through it. When she makes up her mind, she sticks to it.

Then there’s Tessa Thompson’s Josie Radek.  Josie is a physicist who’s just finished her post-doctorate degree. She is also a cutter. While the movie doesn’t delve as fully into her motives as other characters, Josie is the character who makes the most sense. She’s the character saying all of the things the audience is likely thinking the deeper into the movie they get, albeit, she does it more diplomatically than most of us would. The thing I loved about the character is she’s kind of that stereotypical quiet genius, the sort of shy brilliance who rarely speaks up, but when they do, you’d better be listening, but she never wilts into the background. Josie makes important contributions through the film, and to realize this is the same woman who played a badass drunken Valkyrie in the lastes Thor film, is a real revelation about her talent. I can’t wait to see her next role.

I also loved how “Annihilation” dared to say “You know, we’ve sent primarily parties of men in to do this exploration, maybe that’s a mistake.”  Because, most certainly, women are conditioned by society and culture to respond to things very, very differently than men are. It’s great to see a movie acknowledge it without trivializing it or taking it to awful, condescending places it doesn’t need to go.  Yes, women respond very differently, and it makes sense in a situation where conventional methods fail to try something different.

These women all got meaty, complex roles. They didn’t have to be melodramatic or go over the top to make something palatable out of a few meager lines and some basic subsistence plot-gruel. They got a movie. They got to represent female scientists and soldiers in a terrifying situation and bring this utterly warped reality to life. It was a joy to watch from that standpoint. They were more than just girlfriends or mothers or sisters or daughters. They were actual human beings working through a devastatingly complicated problem.

I’d say “Annihilation” veers solidly into horror territory, but it does it beautifully. There are sci-fi and thriller elements here, as well. The books are full of very freaky visuals, and this movie does parse them out, but it uses the ones it chooses to incredible effect. This movie beautifully retains a growing sense of creeping unease all the way through. Things are not right, even when they’re explained. When we get explanations, they’re the kinds of things that should scare the absolute shit out of you when you contemplate the ramifications of what they’re saying, especially with each new piece of information we gain regarding The Shimmer.

I admit it, I see a lot of movies, and it’s awfully easy for me to call tons of things before they happen. “Annihilation” did not fall into such disappointing predictability. Yes, I love a good mindfuck movie, I love it when concepts and visuals stick with me and turn over and over in my mind, pulling my imagination out through my ear, scrambling it, and stuffing it back in to turn over some more. “Annihilation” was that mindfuck for me. I’m going to be thinking about this one for a long time, even after I watch it again. And I will be, because I have a feeling it’s going to be another one of those movies where every time I watch it, I get something new out of it.

[scope-dogg]

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Final Impressions

I went into this series fully aware of its reputation. It’s become a byword for poor quality not only in Gundam but amongst the genre at large. Now that I’ve finished watching it, do I think it deserves it?

Eh, not entirely, but mostly.

The two big things to discuss regards this are the story and the presentation, and I’ll cover them in that order.

The story setup comes really close to UC, only this time, Zaft, the Zeon standin, are comprised entirely of a race of super-duper meta-humans called Coordinators. Evolved humans are nothing new to Gundam, with Newtypes in UC and X before this, and Innovators after in 00, but Seed is the one that runs hardest with the concept, to the point where it’s the crux of the entire plot. The conflict between Naturals (ordinary humans) and Coordinators seems like a really unsubtle allegory for racism, and it kind of works sometimes but it’s undercut by the fact that Coordinators are shown to be just better than Naturals at virtually everything. They try and play it off like the two are actually equal later on but it falls flat on its face. Other than that, in the first half the plot follows the original Gundam beat for beat, and it feels incredibly lazy. Most of the fights during that first half are dull and inconsequential, and not enough happens, with a journey to Jaburo Alaska making up the bulk of the runtime. There’s simply not enough going on either plot or characterwise during this segment, and the fights that take place during this timespan are just unsatisfactory for reasons I’ll explain later. I legitimately hated my time with the show during this period. It makes up for it by ramping up the stakes and the tension after the halfway point, culminating in a second half and conclusion that honestly was pretty good. It’s hardly the most compelling or subtle, but it actually felt like the stuff taking place on screen actually mattered in the big picture, which was a welcome change.

This inconsistency carries over to the characters. Protagonist Kira Yamato is infamous for being a poor Gundam protagonist, and I can’t say I disagree. He’s not annoying or repellent personality wise like some others I could name, but he is incredibly boring. He’s a Coordinator, and the writers use that to handwave away any potential obstacle that could pose a challenge to him. He’s the superest-duperest pilot there is, capable of doing ridiculous shit like rewriting his Gundam’s entire operating OS in about 5 seconds mid battle. His character arc is basically “I don’t want to fight, but I need to protect my friends!”, and then after he cheats death decides that he wants to become Space Jesus and stop all war, changing in personality to an unrealistic degree. It’s incredibly bland and uninteresting. The supporting cast, meanwhile, is kind of hit and miss. Murrue and Natarle, the commanding officers of the starship Archangel, have an interesting semi-rivalry going on, and Mu la Flaga is an affable and likeable presence throughout. I quite liked Athrun, Kira’s rival and eventual ally - it feels like he actually got some moderately good character development, albeit not the most compelling, and his squad of fellow Gundam pilots manage to be mostly entertaining and likewise get developed decently well. Rau le Creuset, the show’s resident Char clone, might actually be one of my favourite characters fitting that archetype. He doesn’t actually do a great deal over the course of the series, but he’s suitably schemy and nefarious, and he feels great to have on screen, especially at the end once his backstory’s been unfurled and his plans are set in motion. The other main villains, Chairman Zala and Azrael, on the other hand, feel like cartoon villains, both hell-bent on utterly exterminating the other side with their weapons of mass destruction. In the original Gundam it eventually transpires that neither the Federation or Zeon are really  the “good guys”, and they do the same here, but beat you over the head with it, to the point that all the soldiers and officers on either side feel like psychotic fanatics, it basically takes the intricate politics of UC and strips it of all its subtlety. Finally, the show heavily features one of my least favourite characters in Gundam to date in the form of Flay Allster, who seemingly serves no purpose other than being an annoying thot with her tits flopping around in the OP. I felt like at points the show wanted me to sympathise for her, but it completely failed to do that to the point that I actually enjoyed her suffering.

So far I’ve described a show that’s bland but servicable, even if it is beset by heavy flaws. What downgrades the show from mediocre to outright bad in my eyes is in the presentation. First, let me talk about the parts I liked.

I think the show actually has a strong soundtrack.

I liked many of the mobile suit designs - in fact, some of them I loved, especially the Duel and Providence.

That’s all. Otherwise, this show is a visual disaster. Tekkaman Blade previously held my record for most egregious abuse of stock footage, but Seed honestly blows it out of the water. You will see the same shots, again and again and again, episode after episode. Stock footage that was used as early as the first five episodes rears its head all the way through to the conclusion, with barely any changes made. This even carries over to plot moments - the show figures that if a major plot moment is worth showing to you once it’s okay to show it to you a dozen more times in flashbacks. I don’t know if it’s done to pad out episodes’ runtime or if they think that the audience has the attention span of a goldfish, but either way it’s not acceptable. I could forgive it if the show was visually appealing in general, but honestly, it’s not. It’s extremely janky, to the point where it looks like it was animated by dragging around jpgs in MS paint at points. Barely anything in the show looks right, everything just looks off somehow. I can’t put my finger on any one thing, but a few things I noticed were the lines used to draw most of it were too thick, shading was either absent or just poorly drawn in, and the artists who designed most of the tech and settings just seem to have a poor grasp of appealing colours. Character design is pretty unappealing. Any character who’s not an adult looks like a stick insect. The end result is something that’s rather ugly even disregarding the poor animation quality. It totally ruins almost every battle and even offsets the strengths of the mechanical designs. Take a look at something like the Strike Gundam in Gundam Breaker 3 or Gundam VS and it looks great. However, whenever you look at it in the source material there’s a 50/50 chance of it looking okay or looking like shit. With that said, the mechanical design isn’t entirely great either. Most of the designs are good, but they break out some garbage too. The trio of edgelord gundams in the shape of Calamity, Forbidden and Raider all look like trash in one way or another. It also hurts that the only real powerful and memorable designs were Gundams in this show. Everything else is a jobber grunt suit, with designs that are so close to the GM and Zaku from the original Gundam that it makes you wonder why they bothered. Obviously Gundam is in the name and those are always going to be the focus, but there was nothing in this that was like the Zeong, or the Sazabi, the Tallgeese, the Qubeley or any other of the cool mobile suit designs over the years that aren’t Gundams but still capture people’s imaginations. The one notable exception is Zaft’s four-legged, doglike BuCUE and LaGowe, which felt like the show’s one real flash of originality, but even that had already been done in Zoids.

Overall, I was able to glean some enjoyment out of this series, but it felt like I had to make an effort to do so and that I would have preferred to be watching something else. The story does eventually get kind of good, but I had to endure more than twenty episodes of boredom and mindless, repetitive fighting to get there. It’s easily the weakest Gundam series I’ve seen and one of the hardest modern series to watch in general. Even other weak Gundam series I’ve seen like Iron Blooded Orphans and Wing have aspects that make them easy to recommend ahead of this. There are silver linings here that might make this barely palatable if you’re intent on watching this out of curiosity or if you believe you have to because you want to watch every Gundam series, but otherwise, just skip this.

[dsm-v]

Hello! I’m nonbinary and I’m trying to research how different religions and their texts support and affirm nonbinary people. If you would like to, could you point me in the direction of some things to read on this subject pertaining to Islam? If not, then feel free to delete this. Thank you!!

Hello friend! Thank you for asking me, I am always very willing to share the extent of my knowledge on Islam with others. I will begin to say that your area of ponderance is very interesting and something that there definitely needs to be more dialogue and scholarship on, so I’m glad that there are people who are asking these types of questions. I don’t know if this research you mention is mostly for your own reference or for something like a research project but either way I hope I can help! 

From my understanding and my experience, Islam as is most commonly practiced and observed is a very binary religion in the context of gender. If you were to attend Friday prayers at a large Sunni mosque, for example, women and men are usually segregated (with women relegated to inferior spaces, sometimes not being permitted in smaller mosques at all) and sometimes there are even separate entrances for men and women. It is hard enough for binary trans people to find a comfortable place within Islamic and Muslim spaces, so I can imagine (and I know) that it is much harder even for nonbinary people. This is not to say that nonbinary people like me and many others haven’t found space for themselves within Islam and in Muslim communities, but that overall the most information I’ve found pertaining to LGBTQ or gender- and sexuality- diversity and nonconformity in Islam has been focused on binary identities and experiences. 

I know that this worldview is deeply rooted in the foundations of our religion, as well. For example, in the Quran, chapter 78 verse 8 reads “وَخَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا” which, to my understanding means something like “And we have created you in pairs”. The Quran also refers to this idea of things being made in “pairs” in ch. 36 verse 36 and I think in other places as well, including addressing at times both men and women or males and females. I am not a scholar of Islam so I also don’t know the original context of all of these verses but to my understanding the main idea is that things have been created in pairs, by God, who is unpaired and unlike anyone or anything else. So, beyond (perhaps unintentionally) enforcing this idea of a binary world, I think this idea has more to say about the concept of tawhid (the oneness of God), and that the diversity that exists is a reflection of the oneness and uniqueness of the creator. 

It is important to remember that the Quran is a text that originated in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th Century, and the Hadith (recordings of sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) and sunnah (the corpus of hadith and the otherwise generally accepted “tradition(s)” of the Prophet) were compiled in the few centuries following the death of the Prophet, so the worldviews and ideas perpetuated in these primary sources may not necessarily align with how we understand the world to be today. This is not to say that these texts are wrong, but that their originally intended audience is different than their current audience. So, it is important that we also understand that the framing of your question may be significant in that we can’t necessarily be looking backward in history for something that we have defined and constructed in modern terms. We can speak of nonbinary today because we currently understand that binary gender and the corresponding baggage and rules are largely constructed socially and culturally, and because we are beginning to acknowledge (in our culture and society, at least) that there are options outside of these restrictions. These may not have been ideas palatable to people 1400 years ago, especially without digesting a fair amount of yet-to-be articulated gender and other poststructuralist theories. 

But, gender and sexual diversity were recognized and recorded in the early history of Islam, even if we are to be hesitant about using the term nonbinary for these things. For example, there are hadith and other texts that refer to and speak about people described as mukhannathun (مخنثون), effeminate ones, people who we might today, in our terms, describe as trans women, effeminate gay men, or perhaps somehow otherwise transfeminine individuals. I have also seen ahadith (hadiths) that refer to intersex individuals, but the treatment of these individuals in these ahadith also seem to reinforce binary (and patriarchal and sexist) views, as these opinions (which albeit, came from a really fundamentalist and misogynistic website) dealt with: can the person grow a beard? do they have breasts? can they sit down to pee? how would someone else categorize them? and then they sort of said “well if you can sit down to pee and you have breasts even if you have ambiguous genitalia then you’re a woman”. Again, I may be conflating how intersex has historically been treated in or thought about in this religion with how the Muslim community currently addresses these things, but it is clear to me that throughout history and presently, there is great pressure for Muslims to conform to binary sex and gender roles.

Much of this pressure stems from the perpetuation of and belief in really flawed rhetoric such as the idea that keeping men and women separate will reduce the incidence of sexual violence (hint: it doesn’t). These ideas also stem from historical communities and circumstances which are quite different from our own. I am not arguing that the world is presently some wonderful place for women and queer individuals, but when we analyze the history of Islam, we can see very real and rational reasons why what are today considered sexist and outdated (and they are) systems came to be in place, such as the “guardianship” (walayah) system or the concept of hijab/veiling, which were originally ways to protect and preserve the rights and wellbeing of women, but which in many cases today they do just the opposite. 

I don’t really know of any sources pertaining to nonbinary and Islam per se, but there is a plethora of information out there on Islam and sexual and gender diversity. The discussions held within the contexts of Islamic feminism / feminist Islam also address some of these issues such as problems in our communities with sexism and misogyny, which ought to be fundamentally unislamic, as in Islam, every person has the right to their own relationship with the divine, and no one person is deemed more valuable than another. Just as a man is not worth more than a woman, an individual with a binary gender should not somehow be fundamentally better or more valid than a nonbinary individual.

I also want to point out that I have been speaking mostly as a historian and addressing some of the (a)historical perspectives that are found within Muslim communities regarding these “areas of concern”. As we know, the history that we have never tells the whole story. The fact that we do have sources from very early on that speak of gender and sexual diversity, though, tells me that these people have existed in Muslim communities for as long as there have been Muslim communities, and that while we have likely been systematically underrepresented, misrepresented, or eliminated in the stories told, that there has always been room for diversity, ambiguity, and to an extent, non-conformity within Islam. I know that presently even within my few years of being a Muslim and the handful of years studying Islam beforehand, I have seen really an explosion in visibility and acknowledgement of LGBT, queer, nonbinary, asexual, and other stories of Muslims who may not necessarily fit within normative expectations for how a Muslim “ought to be”. So even where there may be silences or a lack of acknowledgement or support for us in our foundational texts (the Quran and the hadith/sunnah and other traditions that we are taught as being “Islamic”), Muslims are making inclusive spaces and communities, and we are going back and readdressing and rereading these texts and evaluating how we have almost always been fed the misogynistic, sexist, patriarchal interpretations as the “truth”. A few scholars/academics I can think of off the top of my head who are especially adept at offering these conversations include Kecia Ali, Scott Kugle, and Amina Wadud, certainly among many others, and it is definitely my belief and experience that “the average Muslim” is much more “progressive” or accepting than one may expect. 

I apologize for the long-winded and probably confusing and somewhat-off topic essay, but I sincerely hope that this has been of some help and that you receive the information which you are seeking!

[thesethingsofours]

Black is King: Africa Beyoncéfied

I really enjoy watching old music videos on YouTube. It reminds me of simpler times: before CGI, insanely big budgets and, well, YouTube.

​Lately, I’ve been tripping on Kate Bush. Wuthering Heights sees her as a cosmic, cherubic teenager wafting alone in a field. In Army Dreamers she’s running through a forest with a  blonde kid, stopping only to mesmerise with her phantasmal, milky eyes. In Breathing she’s stuck in a Zorb until freed to join some green-faced virologists in a lagoon.

Those are all delightful, but my favourite has to be Babooshka. Shrouded in a black veil, she cavorts, improvised and imperfect, with a double-bass; like a mime artist bride's first dance at an enchanted wedding reception. Then, the chorus kicks in. Wailing, she transforms into a steampunk warrior temptress, back-lit by a heavenly white glow; her hips uttering truths even Shakira’s could never profess to know. There is one camera, one room, one performer, two outfits, and one special effect – zoom. It’s lo-def, simple, cheap, and in its way, purely spectacular.

Fast-forward almost exactly forty years and, NOW STREAMING ON DISNEY+, Beyoncé releases Black is King – an ostentatious, opulent, enormous, 85-minute antithesis to the austerity of Babooska. In keeping with BEYONCÉ and Lemonade, it’s a “visual album” to accompany her (I suppose we need to call it now) “audio album” – The Lion King: The Gift. Both are inspired by last year’s CGI-update of the classic 1994 animation, following a similar storyline.

The film opens onto an “African” river. A wicker basket floats downstream, interspersed with shots of colourfully clad “Africans” in a variety of settings. James Earl Jones resonantly reiterates that “we are all connected in the great circle of life”. Under a pastel sunset, Beyoncé materialises on a beach in a flowing, white mille-feuille dress, holding a baby. There is spoken-word poetry, earnestness, shots of her daughter, a man painted blue. A group baptism ensues. Church organs sound. “You’re part of something way bigger”, she exclaims as she paints the face of a pre-pubescent boy.

The imagery steeply escalates, every colour luminescent and outfits increasingly innumerable. Beyoncé in horse-print… on a horse. Beyoncé in a painting… as Mother Mary. Beyoncé in water, dripping with red rope. It turns out we’ve been in heaven. Or space. Or somewhere beyond both - blacker and more kingly. The boy takes off, becomes a comet, hurtling towards earth. Is this in 4K? 8K? 16K?  Did they shoot it in Bey, not K? Whatever the definition, it is high. Babooshka, it is not. ​ This is irrepressible Beyoncé, lofty Beyoncé; the terrestrial goddess, progenitor of pop. To make the film, Queen Bey – who also wrote, directed and produced – drafted in a wealth First off, a word about Beyoncé’s “Africa”. It is relentlessly proud and picturesque in a way perhaps no other film about “Africa” has ever been. It is cool, hot, sensual, and sincere. It is appealingly traditional yet ambitiously modern. It’s Africa filtered first through the American kaleidoscope, then again through a diamond encrusted Beyoncéscope.

But as my Ghanaian mother relentlessly reminded people, Africa is not a country. It is the second largest continent on earth. It is not at all a singular culture. To chop up a kilo of its prettiest bits and squish them all into one tasty, palatable burger would be horribly reductive. One can fairly assume that patty-fying Africa is not Beyoncé’s intention, but if Black is King’s aim is not to represent a real-life place, what is it intended to do? In Beyoncé’s own words from a June 29 Instagram post:

I wanted to present elements of Black history and African tradition, with a modern twist and a universal message, and what it truly means to find your self-identity and build a legacy.

So it’s an idealised agglomeration of cultural concepts in service of Beyoncé’s ideas about her true heritage, and by association, those of anyone that identifies as black. ​Pastiche-ifying Africa. Fair enough.

But as I watch, innumerable questions arise, thudding inside my skull to the rhythm of jovial afrobeats: Where is the line between race and culture? Where does glorifying one’s ancestry end and appropriating a foreign culture begin? What legitimate connection does a billionaire American musician have to the African continent (where she has rarely visited and even more rarely performed)? Does being a dark-skinned American, 10-15 generations removed from your African ancestors, deliver a free pass to portray a place of 1.3 billion people you have barely been to?

What if Beyoncé was white, but born and raised in Ethiopia, and she made this same film? Is Beyoncé, in fact, the best – or only – person to show a positive version of modern “Africa” to a global audience? Is she creating a falsely romanticised version of heritage for Black Americans or a necessary interpretation of the continent they have a natural, genetic attachment to? Is animal print and people in trees cool or offensive? Is it cool or offensive to present all black people as the descendants of Kings and Queens? Is Disney+ available anywhere in Africa and will it ever be?

Is this just a pop music video, geared towards Beyoncé and Jay-Z adding to their billion-dollar empire? Or is it a deeply meaningful, glamorous exposition of what it means to be black, whether diasporic or native to Africa? Is Black, in fact, King?

I can’t answer most of these questions because I could argue both sides ‘til the Beys come home. Black is King is simultaneously superfluous and necessary; respectful and insulting; clever and vapid. It’s completely absurd, and completely logical. Part of me is appalled, but the majority, absorbed; addicted.

​I can’t look away. It’s the Beyoncé Paradox.

Many of these contentions arise because Beyoncé is so often front and centre; royally, religiously presented. In fact, the scenes without her – those dominated by West and South African rappers, singers, and nameless dancers – offer the most exhilarating, authentic, and refreshing moments. Had she chosen to purely direct rather than star, or stayed a little more in the background, her broader message may have been elevated. Instead, with her plumb in the middle, Africa is necessarily re-invented in Beyoncé’s image; moulded to fit the Beyoncé narrative - not that of the global Black diaspora, “Africans”, or nationals of its 50+ territories, hosting 2000+ languages. In this world, Beyoncé is King, albeit a benevolent one that invites her African subjects to participate in amplifying her personal glorification, ancestral identification and iconographic myth-building.

This is the artist’s prerogative, but ultimately, attributing deeper meaning to the film than it being a fundamentally superficial exercise in branding Beyoncé as Disney’s African Queen feels pretentious. Arguable, but pretentious.

That said, just as a joke is only offensive if it is insufficiently funny, when something is as beautiful, stimulating, and cool as this, does anything else matter? If people are happy to pay $7 a month and find some fantastical personal solace in it, what harm does it do? In the end, it’s a big, sexy, pop music video. Entertainment. Treated predominantly thus, it is, in its way, purely spectacular.  So watch it. While Lemonade had far deeper meaning because of her proximity to the subject matter, Black is King is still Beyoncé’s most stunning video to date. Its form and existence raise challenging questions about race, heritage, culture and society, but in the end, the sheer scale and sumptuous visual onslaught will inevitably win out. Streaming now on Disney+.* (*Not available in Africa)

Black is King Trailer

Babooshka

[wildwoodgoddess]

Unreliable Narrator in The Six Thatchers is NOT Go

I’m with @sussexbound on how to interpret The Six Thatchers. I don’t think it’s a retelling for an alibi or an imagined sequence or mind palace. I could be wrong, and will be happy to accept any and all told-you-so’s in that case, but coming from a story telling perspective, odds are good that the story is meant to be accepted as is.

For me, it comes down to how stories build trust with the audience. 

Once you establish the rules of a story world, you can’t break them without also breaking the trust of the reader. It’s a contract. The reader agrees to suspend their disbelief and buy into your story world. You, in turn, promise to give them a story world that is consistent and has some kind of internal logic--even if it’s the most fantastical story world imaginable.

Sure, there’s experimental storytelling in which there truly are no rules or internal logic but Sherlock is definitely not that kind of story.

I’m going to go into more detail and analysis of this, and it got long so I’m putting it under a cut. Basically, tl;dr: Revealing that entire episodes that appear to follow the established story-world rules are either complete fabrications or mind-palace fantasies utterly destroys the viewer-storyteller contract and break trust with the audience because it’s not part of the deal the story creators set up at the beginning.

You have some stories, for example Life of Pi that seem to be telling a thrilling and slightly fantastic tale, only to have a surprise ending that throws the entire story into doubt. 

That isn’t breaking any story rules. The entire tale is over-the-top difficult to believe in the first place, and there is only the one twist at the very end that makes you doubt the surface telling of the story. Because the tone and mood is already almost dream-like and fantastic, the reveal that the narrator is unreliable is fair play and makes for a great surprise ending. Additionally, the whole point to the entire book is that you (the reader) would rather believe the fanciful, unbelievable feel-good version than the dreadful and more realistic version that the narrator gives us at the end.

In TAB, the entire Victorian premise was clearly not “in-world” so the reveal that it was basically a mind palace drug trip is also fair play because it actually helps the episode conform to the show’s rules. The only modern scene in that episode that is clearly fantasy is the graveyard scene, and the initial clue that it’s not real there is that Sherlock wakes up not on the plane. But both plane scenes follow established Sherlock story world rules. 

Series 1 establishes the story-world rules of Sherlock. It’s a realistic, rational world where Sherlock and Mycroft have unusual abilities but those abilities are explained in a natural, plausible way by the fact that they’re both highly intelligent and funnel all their mental and emotional resources into maintaining those abilities. There’s subtext and there is also a lot more adventures and thrills than most ordinary people face, but the stories and the events that happen are clearly meant to be taken as real within that world. 

Series 1 also establishes a story world rule that people may not be what they first appear. The cabbie is actually a serial killer. Jim from IT is actually the world’s only Consulting Criminal. The quiet girl working at the museum is actually a former member of a smuggling gang. 

So Mary turning out to be a top assassin? Absolutely fair play. Follows the rules brilliantly. 

Other pertinent Sherlock story rules:

--The show uses on-screen graphics to show texts, Sherlock’s thoughts, John’s notes, etc. It also uses funky transitions and unusual camera work. It’s part of the show’s storytelling style. It may or may not convey subtext or mood but it’s definitely not going to be essential to understand the actual story. 

--The show has a rich setting, especially 221B, that contains canon easter eggs and clues and subtext. But those details are in there for fun and to make the story richer. They are not essential to understanding the story either. The creators don’t require the audience to have Sherlock-level deductive skills to make sense of the show. 

This all means it’s unlikely that a major plot point or rug pull is going to rely on the audience picking up on a lighting choice or a difference in a minor throw-away line in order to understand it. Any time that a detail like that is significant, usually Sherlock or someone else points it out (such as “hound” being a key word or John’s chair missing, etc.) It’s great that all those details are there for those of us who want to obsess over them, but to expect the larger audience to comprehend a story based on that is unrealistic. 

So what are the story-world rules for the Mind Palace? That one isn’t as clearly established in Series 1. We get hints, but we don’t really get to see Sherlock’s thought processes until Series 2, when he explains about mind palaces, and we’re shown an external representation of it. 

I think series 3, TSoT, is the first time we are brought inside the mind palace, right? But even then, we are given pretty clear signals--the scene changes, it’s obviously unrealistic, people appear and disappear. And then we’re brought back into the real story-world where the rules continue as originally established.

In HLV, the mind-palace scenes are also clearly delineated, with maybe the one exception of the scene where Sherlock is in the cafe meeting with Magnussen. That one could be mind palace, or something, simply because there are clearly implausible details such as Sherlock being out in public in his hospital gown and still hooked up to machines. But given that later both Sherlock and Magnussen refer back to this meeting makes me think that the meeting did actually occur in some way, whether or not the setting we were shown is accurate.

But after that, the Christmas at Holmes’ house, Appledore, the tarmac--all of those fit the established story-world rules of high adventure but still within plausibility. They are, I believe, meant to be taken as in-world fact.

So for series 4 and TST, the plain reading of the story line follows those established rules. High adventure, but not fantasy. A secretary that turns out to be more than she appears. There’s nothing implausible in what happens or sudden, impossible setting changes to indicate that this is mind palace. 

Yes, there’s a “Hollywood death scene” but let’s be honest--every single death scene in this show has been pretty Hollywood. It fits with the tone of the show--everything is a bit over the top and high intensity. But it’s meant to be taken as real given that established story world. 

So what about the unreliable narrator? Is Sherlock, like Pi Patel, giving us a more palatable version of a dark story? Is he trying to protect John? I don’t think so. If that were the case, we would have been given a clear signal from the start. And not just a possible allusion or parallel, such as the doctored footage of Sherlock shooting Magnussen. 

Every time there’s been an unreliable narration in the story, that’s been exposed explicitly, usually before the end of the episode. Irene Adler wasn’t killed--Sherlock saved her. There was no monstrous hound--it was a drug and a bad-tempered dog. Sherlock didn’t actually die in TRF--the audience was shown that he was alive. Sherlock wasn’t really dating Janine. Magnussen’s vaults were actually his version of mind palace. 

The only possible exception to this is if Moriarty is actually still alive. But even this doesn’t break the story rules because there have been other faked deaths in the show, and our POV characters are in the dark as much as we are. It’s a mystery, not an unreliable narration.

So for TST to suddenly be a fabrication, with no clear signal to us as the audience and no exposure of that by the end of the episode--that’s a huge violation of the established rules. It would break the audience’s trust. They wouldn’t feel they could believe anything else in the rest of the series. And that’s not the kind of show that Sherlock is. 

It’s because the rules apply to the viewing audience. They don’t apply to characters in-world. So Sherlock lying to other characters is fair play. But lying to the audience is not fair play. (And by “lying” I am not referring to show runners lying about plot points during interviews. I’m talking about the story’s narrative itself and the audience’s experience viewing the episode.)

I’m not sure how to put this into words, but there’s a difference between putting the audience in suspense, misleading them, or withholding information from them and out-and-out lying to them. We generally expect in a story, especially a mystery, to not have the full picture right away. We even expect to be misled. (UMQRA, Borgia Pearl, the cabbie’s passenger, etc.) And we expect that Sherlock will pick up on things we missed and give us the grand denouement at the end. That’s part of the game, and it fits the rules.

Sometimes we don’t know right away that Sherlock is lying, but we are almost always let in on the secret sooner than, or at the same time as, the characters in the story. (Sherlock rescuing Irene, Sherlock surviving the fall.) It’s part of the contract. 

The problem comes when you have all the POV characters, or the audience surrogate, in on the secret or lie and the audience is left out in the cold. That’s when the contract gets broken and you lose the audience’s trust.

This is why Sherlock making up TST would be lying to the audience and breaking the rules. There’s no signal, no clear nod to us that what we’re viewing is Sherlock’s lie. And I am not counting things like small inconsistencies or a strangely lit wall prints as legitimate signals because according to the established show rules, details like that aren’t essential for understanding the story. They only enhance the story experience for people interested in exploring it further. A signal needs to be pretty clear and something that the majority of viewers will recognize as a signal. 

For example, if the show had opened with Sherlock giving a police report or talking to Ella and looking clearly uncomfortable or saying something that could be interpreted as he’s not giving them the real story, then I’d say that’s a pretty good signal. Or if it was a recurring dream, I’d expect to see more fantasy elements or scenes that repeat throughout the whole episode in ways that are clearly not realistic (not just one repeat of Mary and John talking in bed or one repeat of John getting off the bus.) 

That said, I do think the main part of TST is shown as a flashback. The opening scene shows Sherlock going to meet Vivian Norbury in the aquarium, and then the shark swims overhead and we’re taken back to the start of the story to show how he got there. That’s a flashback, and it doesn’t mean the story is a fabrication. It’s simply a common storytelling device.

Here’s a Mycroft wikipedia article on unreliable narrators. It goes into the literary theory and history as well as signs of unreliable narration:

Intratextual signs such as the narrator contradicting himself, having gaps in memory, or lying to other characters 

Extratextual signs such as contradicting the reader's general world knowledge or impossibilities (within the parameters of logic)

Reader's literary competence. This includes the reader's knowledge about literary types (e.g. stock characters that reappear over centuries), knowledge about literary genres and its conventions or stylistic devices

If Sherlock was shown incontrovertibly to be narrating TST, and if there were clear and significant intratextual signs that he was contradicting himself, then I’d say we’ve got an unreliable narrator. But he isn’t shown anywhere relating the story to anyone, not even Ella. 

I’ve already discussed the lack of extratextual signs--the TST story doesn’t violate any of what we know to be the show’s established story world rules.

And the reader’s (or viewer’s in this case) literary competence? Well, that’s what we’re doing right now by looking at the show’s story-world rules. They simply have not established any reason for us to suspect that an entire episode is false. In order for us to modify our expectations, we would need to have those other signals to show us that the rules have now changed. 

Lacking those signs, it makes the most sense to me to interpret the episode as real within the show’s world.