#sharing last name with a fictional character is dope

[durzeh]

The happiness I've felt for almost one month now, is hard to describe! After 1.5 years of fighting with the Tax Office, I can FINALLY introduce myself with the last name Argentum! 😭🥹🥹 waiting for some papers so I can fix a new driving licence! I might've used a forest worth of paper to practice my signature!

I'M SO HAPPY and proud of myself for not giving up! I had to appeal and defend my case two times and the waiting period was a fucking nightmare!

Thought it would take some time to get used to the name and accidentally introduce myself with my old name, but I'm already used to it and it just feels so right, like it was meant to be 🥹

Celebration cookies all around! 🥳🍪

[onenettvchannel]

BALITANG SHOWBIZ: Doraemon's Double Pioneer Japanese Voice Actresses of 'Nobi Nobita' have both died

KYOTO, JAPAN -- The world of Japanese animation mourns the death of two (2) pioneering voice actresses from the hit classic anime series 'Doraemon'. The death of 'Yoshiko Ota', acts originally for 'Mr. Nobita Nobi', and Noriko Ohara, her successor, has left fans and their colleagues in tears.

Yoshiko Ota, who first brought Nobita to life in the 1973 version of 'Doraemon' on Nippon Television, passed away last Friday on October 29, 2021 at the age of 89. Her agency at 'Theatre Echo' announced that she succumbed to heart failure after battling the condition for several years. Ms. Ota's portrayal of Nobita laid the base for the popularity that has not only endured but also left a mark on the series.

Nobita of the 1979 series 'Noriko Ohara', died alone on Friday (July 12, 2024) at 88 y/o. Ohara's agency '81 Produce' revealed on social media post that she had died after receiving unsuccessful treatment for an unspecified illness. Our news team learned to OneNETnews, it is not determine if she is related to natural death, health concerns or both.

With her voice, Ohara's instantly became synonymous with Mr. Nobita, the character loved by generations of Japanese viewers. In a career spanning more than 4 decades, she also voiced characters in other popular anime, including 'Yatterman' that was released in January 1977 and 'Conan: The Boy in Future' in 1978. Though their names share 'Conan' from the anime series 'Detective Edogawa Conan' are no connection, or being related between the plot, genre or voice production occurs.

First broadcast in April 1979 at All-Nippon News Network's TV Asahi, 'Doraemon' just about became an instant cultural phenomenon first in Japan and then around the world. The series follows a cat robot named Doraemon as he travels back in time to help a young boy named 'Mr. Nobi Nobita'. That success may be due only to the magnificent voice acting that realized these characters and made them emotionally resonate with audiences across all ages.

Internationally, 'Doraemon' found its place in more syndicated TV networks outside Japan, whether by free or cable TV, such as Disney XD in the United States of America (U.S.A.) and GMA 7 in the Philippines. Episodes in local languages, as part of global syndication aired most of the daily reruns with no new episodes. Such worldwide reach made the series a staple of childhood for most in the world, further making it a cultural icon.

A thoughtfulness tribute between Ota and Ohara marked an era for 'Doraemon' fans. In so many ways, their comforting voices will be deeply missed. Today, 'Ms. Megumi Ohara' already has to transition her around 2 decades ago, in continuing her new legacy for a voice actress of 'Nobi Nobita', because of the likeness that matches as a fictional male character.

As the anime community reflects on their legacy, the impact of Ota and Ohara's work will continue to be felt for generations to come. Both hard work and skills have all managed to touch the anime industry, in such a way that their voices will never be forgotten, always remembered in the hearts of fans worldwide.

FILE and ART PHOTO COURTESY for REPRESENTATION: Google Images and Jainish Ramanuj via Figma PHOTO BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna

SOURCE: *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobita_Nobi *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiko_%C5%8Cta *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noriko_Ohara *https://www.figma.com/community/file/990094112434879347/nobita-by-jainish [Referenced Art Photo via Figma] *https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-11-08/voice-actress-yoshiko-ohta-passes-away/.179327 [Referenced News Article #1 via Anime News Network] *https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-07-23/voice-actress-noriko-ohara-dies-at-88/.213502 [Referenced News Article #2f via Anime News Network] *https://www.epicdope.com/noriko-ohara-voice-behind-nobita-from-doraemon-dies-at-88/ [Referenced News Article via Epic Dope News Bureau] and *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjBQ9dKYtI4&t=1833 [Referenced YT VIDEO via Rulumi]

-- OneNETnews Online Publication Team

[delta-queerdrant]

everything's subjective nothing lasts (Ex Post Facto, s1 e8)

I take it that some people find "Ex Post Facto" to be a pretty stupid episode but I think it is cute! It has an aesthetic (midcentury noir! aliens with fancy chicken hairdos!) A science fiction take on an unreliable narrator! Detective Tuvok with his very own parlor scene! A space dog that is actually just a dog!

(Apparently the doggo was a chihuahua / Brussels Griffon mix. I had never heard of a Brussels Griffon, which sounds like a philosophy problem or a D&D construct. I really cannot object to it appearing on an alien world as, well, look at the weird little creature.)

Nothing about the story is at all novel - there's a femme fatale, a mystery, some Cold War spy shenanigans (in general the political milieu of Voyager seems to fluctuate between Cold War and post-Cold War vibes in a way that I suppose feels right for the nineties). The solution of the mystery is quite boring.

Nevertheless it's a romp, as the noir sensibility is self-aware and tongue-in-cheek (at least that's what I take from the music score, which is doing a lot of work). Robin McKee, as Lidell (hmmm that name is a choice) brings some fun, vaguely-Kim-Novak-adjacent energy to her by-the-numbers Bad Lady role. (Some of her costumes were pretty fun!)

What on earth is this show doing with Tom Paris and his construction of bad-boy masculinity? As a homework shirker, negger, and sarcastic antihero, this character is legible to me, but as a man who is allegedly attractive to women, I've got literally nothing. He has nice eyes? His attempts to project "suave, confident pilot" have an uncanny Ken-doll flatness to them.

I suppose Lidell isn't actually into him and is just stringing him along to frame him for her husband's murder, which leads me to the amusing/alarming conclusion that we have no evidence that anyone actually finds Paris charming and he's actually just a bit of a loser. Certainly this episode doesn't position him as the main character - he's completely passive, some dope who gets in trouble and has to be rescued. If this were a hardboiled detective story, he'd be the broad who steps into the detective's office and begs for help.

I misspoke, of course, as Harry Kim apparently still likes Tom Paris, or something. Had to giggle at this line: "Someday it will be you, Harry. You'll meet her, and you'll know it's wrong from the first moment you see her, and you'll know there's nothing you can do about it." Harry conspicuously does not respond. I could write the fanfic, but I shan't.

In short, I had a good time! 3 out of 5 marob root teas, shared on rainy afternoons (may be drugged).

Dogwatch (we may as well institute one): one. Neeka, a scraggly weirdo space dog, appeared as witness for the defense.

[hypnotica-ships]

So here's my BNHA self insert, I'll throw their info in the read more. The top of the masks themselves is just sketched out, cause it seemed good enough to share like that.

Name: Crow ???

Hero name: Hypnotica, the Hidden Hero

Referred to as the Hidden Hero since not much is publicly know about them, which seems to be by choice. However, it is known that they are a foreigner coming from the Home of Heroes, America, and have expansive hand to hand combat training.

Pro-Hero Rank: 22

Hero Team: The Discorded

Their Quirk: Shadow Possession

If he touches someone one of the floating mask around him posses that persons shadow, becoming one of 5 entities. Each entity has its own special form they like to stick to, but are able to shapeshift at will. The possession does not affect the original shadow's host. However this possession only lasts 24 hours or until the Host is made unconscious. The Host and the entities do not cast their own shadow, thus the need for the physical touch of someone who does. The Host does not seem to be in control of which entity chooses the control a shadow, but the entities seem to listen to him via some sort of mental connection. The Host themself carries a collapsible battle halberd and has been shown to be very skilled at using it. While not possessing a shadow the Host is more prone to mood swings and personality changes.

Special Move: Engulf

Each active entity can combine together to create a large dark mass that will overtake the enemy. Causing physical pain in a dark void. The more active entities, the stronger the attack is.

Additional Info: They also have a tendency to 'adopt' various stray heroes and villains adding them to their 'family' even though they already have a biological son. Reasoning could be due to always having a shadow to use, but it's unclear. They are also skilled enough to be in the top 5 pro hero category, but stay a bit lower due to not wanting public attention. Also possible former Rockstar back in America, but due to sudden kid, he decided hiding from the fame was a better idea. The Host wears a mask in his hero outfit but it doesn't do anything besides hide his identity. The masks have a sort of mind of their own and can float around the Host's body around at will, however they like to form a sort of halo formation most of the time.

I have yet to draw up the entities shadow forms, but I do have them figured out. Also shoutout to @fictional-characters-are-hot for the idea of using my alts as part of my quirk and the mask idea, it was such a dope concept.

The Masks:

Mask 1 is the Host's, not much to say about it.

Mask 2 is Dolly, she takes the form of a Harpy type creature.

Mask 3 is Unnamed, they take the form of a Lovecraftian Wraith, like hooded figure with tentacles.

Mask 4 is Ghost, he takes a Naga type form.

Mask 5 is Dylan, his form is a Lion Man, think werewolf but Lion...Werelion...

Mask 6 is Terry, his is a Centaur form.

I think that's all for now...

[gigslist]

34+ Voiceover Roles & 3 Musician Open Calls - Work From Home - Paid

'F*cking Sober' Podcast

22 + Roles

3 Open Calls for Musicians With Their Own Music

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

Deadline : September 15, 2021 2:00 PM

Somehow9am Productions // F*cking Sober: the first 90 days Podcast

Katie Mack, coord.

:"A call for artists in recovery for the 2nd Season of The Webby Award Winning Podcast Series 'F*cking Sober: the first 90 days.' We are looking for voice over talent and musicians/music producers for 'FS: Shadai.' 'F*cking Sober' is a semi-comedic mostly non-fictional narrative podcast following Shadai’s first 90 days of getting sober. Thirty-five year old Shadai is the black, queer, strong female in advertising— so what if she keeps shots in her bra for between meetings, right? But after a shitshow holiday party, a fuzzy cop encounter, and a disaster presentation with the new big account, Dry January doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Maybe Dry Forever is better. This is what it looks, acts, and feels like to get f*cking sober. This 8 episode serialized show features music by artists with their own story with recovery. F*cking Sober Season 1: Anita has received 15k downloads since it’s release in Nov 2020, and received a 2021 Webby Nomination for Best Limited Series, and a Webby Win for Best Writing for a Podcast. At this time we are only looking to work with artists who have a relationship/understanding of recovery. Please follow instructions for submitting and what to include in the cover letter to be considered! Thank you! Listen to Season 1 to get the vibe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f-cking-sober-the-first-90-days/id1538804959?i=1000499155627 And check out: www.fckingsoberpodcast.com @fckingsober90_podcast More information about Somehow9am Productions & Katie Mack (Producer): www.somehow9amproductions.com www.mackstage.com"

Roles

Shadai (Voiceover): Female, 18+WORK FROM HOMEproduction states: "Note: We are only accepting submissions from artists who have their own story in recovery, TY! 35 year old, black, queer, cis gender female attorney with a dry sense of humor, who has strong opinions and shares them sometimes, is a powerhouse and knows it all… until… until she doesn’t. Please note your experience with improv/comedy in your cover letter If you have writing experience or are interested in writing please note this in your cover letter. We will be giving writing credits to the right candidate who desires to contribute to the molding of this character."Required Media: Voice Reel

Other Characters (Voiceover): 20-70

"Note: We are only accepting submissions from artists who have their own story in recovery, TY! We are looking for diversity in every sense of the word, from all genders, to ages, to ethnicities, to lived experiences, to food preferences!! In short, we are looking to cast dope, interesting people. Looking to cast various characters through out the S2 Shadai, including but not limited to:

Dad (black, army veteran, a dad’s dad)

Mom (black, hyper critical, the opposite of Shadai)

Dana (any ethnicity, work enemy)

Coco (white, work bestie)

JewBoo aka Therapist (Jewish, confidant, motherly, with a special sense of humor)

Miriam (black, best friend and ex-lover who tells it like it is)

Galen (white, gay, best friend who is warm and caring and pushy)

15 other characters Please note any experience you may have with comedy/improv if any. Please submit your reel along with your cover letter."Required Media: Voice Reel, Cover Letter

Musicians (BIPOC Artists in Recovery) (Voiceover): 18+ music from BIPOC identifying artists.

Musicians (Queer Identifying Artist in Recovery) (Voiceover): 18+ music by Queer Artists.

Musicians (Non-BIPOC/Non-Queer Artists in Recovery) (Voiceover): 18+ music from non-BIPOC or non-Queer Identifying Artists in recovery.

"To be produced over the course of October 2021 - January 2022 Shadai’s commitment is estimated at two hrs/wk. Other characters 30mins. Musicians, all work should already exist. Please be prepared to send stems or stripped down tracks."

Compensation & Union Contract Details

Stipend: $25 - $75Production states: "Shadai (Lead Character), $550 for full season. All Other Characters: $25-$50 per episode. Musicians: $25-$75 per song per episode. Sync license contract."

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

Website:http://www.fckingsoberpodcast.com

======================================

'Rain: Series III'

12 Voiceover Roles

PAID WORK FROM HOME NONUNION

Deadline: September 14, 2021 8:59 PM

JKPRising James Klim, filmmaker

Seeking voiceover talent for "Rain: Series III," a web-series, created in the video game Halo Reach on MCC via Xbox/PC. "This series will have a total of 13 episodes. I have many characters to cast, 12 specifically. If you wish to learn more about the show, you can check out my documentary series regarding the show. You can view the first episode here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlzPQvJS3og A little bit about me, I am a freelance filmmaker who actually got into film through making Halo videos as a kid when I was younger. You can check out some of my work here - www.jkprising.com/ I've always wanted to return to my roots & finish a series I was never able to before, but now I have the time to focus on it. This is a paid position. Rates depend on each character as some have more lines than others & vice versa. I am not the wealthiest person in the world, but I will to compensate each voice actor for their performance. My budget per character is between $100 - $300. This again, all varies per character. In this post, there is a video of what the character will look like in the series. I have also attached a single page from a random episode script from the show. The highlighted lines are what the character will say. There will also be non verbal lines highlighted, this is meant to be voiced kind of like an anime, where every movement usually has sounds. Typically, how would you make a sound if you did any of the following, head turn, turns around, surprised gasp, sighs, etc. Since this a paid gig, I am expecting a professional voice audition & if hired, continued professional audio. This means minimum to no background noise. The audio needs to be crisp."

Roles

Chloe Moody (Voiceover): Female, 18-35WORK FROM HOME29. Voice type: English/United Kingdom accent, polite, doesn't get mad often but when she does, she loses it, anxious, low self esteem, hopeful. Chloe Moody used to be a psychiatrist, but after the death of her soon to be husband, she spiraled into insanity. She met someone later on in life named Tom Rains, who looked exactly like her dead boyfriend. She became obsessed with him & tried to get with him, which sunk her further into a deep depression. She finally hit rock bottom, which causes her to seek out help from the very people she used to serve. Chloe meets a psychiatrist named Jennifer, who is able to help herself almost fully recover. Chloe eventually accidently runs back into Tom, which triggers Chloe to try one last time. After a final rejection, Chloe comes to the realization that she is not redeemable & decides to take her own life in front of Tom. Chloe's death, triggers a massive event for Tom Rains, which has massive ramifications for the series. Chloe is a major character and will appear in a couple episodes.Languages:

English

Accents:

British

Australian

Voice Styles:

Soft

Softspoken

Crazy

Compassionate

Sad

Angry

Required Media: Voice Reel

Dark Daryl (Voiceover): Male, 18-40WORK FROM HOME

32, voice type: Very dark presence, evil. sadistic, look at examples like Yami Marik from the Original Yu-Gi-Oh - www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xaa_ycud6o, manic, darkness. Dark Daryl is the darkness of his original persona, Daryl. Daryl accidentally acquired a powerful technology known as an imperium. This caused Daryl to lose himself to it at some point & was taken over by an alternate personality named, The Professor, which caused tons of damage. When Daryl came back to his senses, the damage had been done & others abandoned him, which caused him to grow angry at something that he didn't consciously do. Daryl once again loses himself to the imperium, which turns into Dark Daryl, a representation of all the anger & hatred he endured over the course of his past uncontrollable actions. Dark Daryl is very aggressive, sadistic & wants to destroy the people who wronged him in the past. Eventually, he comes face to face with Daryl & fights to stay as the one who remains in control, even if that means killing Daryl & anyone who gets in his way. Dark Daryl is a character who appears in the second half of the show, & becomes the series main villain. He will appear in many episodes.

Languages:

English

Voice Styles:

Aggressive

Angry

Evil

Commanding

Straightforward

Scary

Dangerous

Intimidating

Demonic

Required Media: Voice Reel

Nikki (Voiceover): Female, 18-35 WORK FROM HOME

25. Voice type: Energetic, passionate, caring, open-minded, loving, positive, independent, fighter. Nikki used to date Tom Rains. She didn't really have much going for her, as she had no ambition at all during that time of her life. After Tom broke up with her, this was quite the shock to Nikki. It caused her to really dive deep within herself & from that moment, she tried to learn more about herself. She discovered a love for storytelling, & so went into journalism. Nikki is now dating Jennifer & they have been together for almost a year. Nikki eventually gets wrapped up in a major conspiracy, which drags many of her friends in with her. She is in for the story of her entire career. Nikki is a major character and will appear in many episodes.

Languages:

English

Voice Styles:

Comforting

Compassionate

Caring

Amusing

Animated

Brave

Heroic

Required Media: Voice Reel

Talent works remotely with professional recording equipment.

Professional Pay: $100 - $300Pays between $100-$300 depending on character.

Nationwide (United States)

Additional Materials

Website: https://www.jkprising.com/

Nikki Audition.pdf - https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/7f95c65b-ab53-43d3-a66b-9e59d1041acb.pdf

Dark Daryl Audition.pdf - https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/00cfdf46-84c1-4da6-9dee-91c7bcdeed3d.pdf

Chloe Moody Audition.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/186cbe9e-9c7e-4ce5-bcbe-2407a9dec00b.pdf

[the-busy-ghost]

☕️ It seems like so many shows fumble the ball, but I'd love to hear about a portrayal of Scottish history in period drama that you thought did a good job?

Thank you for asking! I don’t watch that many tbh and so far I’ve never really found one that was really good. I said the other day that Outlander probably can’t be said to be all bad- but I really haven’t watched it, it’s more that it doesn’t at first sight look completely unrecognisable as the eighteenth century (also the soundtrack is dope).

There is also actually very little content about medieval and early modern Scotland to go on. We don’t even have that many televised documentaries to watch (I may be remembering incorrectly but I think it’s something like two in the last twenty years- one of which was appalling). 

Which leaves by process of elimination, ‘Outlaw King’. The plot is not hugely accurate, there wasn’t enough Gaelic in it, and the whole depiction of Edward II was... not that good (I mean it wasn’t as bad as Braveheart but that’s such a low bar). The accents were a bit dodgy. There were also some annoying plotholes and in general it would probably have been much better as a tv series. On the other hand it was somewhat recognisable as fictional representation of fourteenth century Scotland, there wasn’t quite so much silly costuming and nor was the political situation reduced to ‘The Clans Are Fighting’. The Comyns got a bad rap but that’s about par for the course in popular Scottish history.

It was also a genuinely beautifully shot film and actually shot in Scotland for once- and some of the CGI was actually worth it for once, even if not 100% accurate (Stirling Castle, god what a great moment- and it even felt suitably dreich for Stirling. And Berwick was interesting too). One of the things too many people don’t have an appreciation for when it comes to Scotland is the variety of its landscape and the cultural and regional differences. 

Characters who cracked jokes were actually quite funny and not just drunk stereotypes! And attention to detail was good (if sometimes a bit gross- James Douglas’ “Farmers’ Hanky” for example). 

I think there was only one made-up character? I’m not sure I didn’t count- but it was a kid who served to drive home an emotional point about war so I suppose I’ll let it slide, even if Drew is not at all a believable name.

The obligatory sex scene could have been much worse. Also if there has to be a romantic plot at least the two leads felt like they had some chemistry. 

I felt what really sold it for me was that if you watch carefully there are little asides and hints towards characters who don’t have important roles in the movie, but whose own interesting careers can be followed in the historical record. I think that is important because what’s often forgotten about the Wars of Independence is that it was so much bigger than one or two men, it’s not Bruce and Wallace alone against the world. Hundreds of people had their own complex reactions to the conflict and even though the film obviously didn’t have time to show all that on screen, it really gave a nod to some of these characters that showed that the creators had at least tried to build the world (even if some other characters were less well-researched).

From a general medieval point of view it’s not terrible either actually- at least the costumes are more colourful and the religious bits are not all one sided. The sheer level of violence is A Lot to take in, but tbh it can’t really be called gratuitous given how bloody the year 1306-7 was. But no gratuitous sexual violence on screen- even if some is implied.

I would say it was a half-decent historical film, with its fair share of inaccuracies. It’s no Lion in Winter in terms of Pure Class either, but it can still be an enjoyable film for someone who loves studying mediaeval Scotland to watch- and it’s even enjoyable to pick inaccuracies out! So often with Scotland there’s not even much point picking out the inaccuracies, because it’s all so inaccurate it’s practically fantasy. It’s a bit of a luxury with Outlaw King to actually be able to point out where it’s inaccurate for once, rather than just making incoherent whining noises. 

Also if someone knew nothing about Scottish history, it does not have very many hugely misleading stereotypes that would hinder them in finding out anything more (except maybe the portrayal of Edward II).

And I’m not sure it would be everyone’s cup of tea but (aside from a few rather sickening scenes that I will only watch once, even though I know the history) I sort of enjoyed the film. I had issues with a lot of it but I can admit that I genuinely adored the colours, the dry humour, the tiny details and the attention to landscape, buildings, and weather. 

Sorry I ranted a bit, I just have a complex emotional relationship to this film and that’s a new experience for me when it comes to Scottish historical media! I do think, to answer your question in short, it did a reasonably OK job, not sure about plain ‘good’. I just reacted to it with such relief my judgement may be clouded.

Thank you so much for asking!

Edit: Oh I forgot- funny thing is that Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in itself, isn’t that terrible either. The plot’s all wrong, as are the character’s title, but (perhaps because it was written in the sixteenth century) the usual stereotypes are not present in the script and the people in the play are about as human as in any other Shakespeare tragedy. The problem comes more with how most people decide to stage Macbeth rather than the play itself. The same could be said of Douglas’ scenes in Henry IV Part 1 (honestly what were the Hollow Crown thinking with that costuming?). So it’s not a period drama per se but when on screen the reason Macbeth adaptations are bad (in terms of portrayal of Scottish history) is because of the preconceived notions of the modern directors and not because of Shakespeare. But if I talk about Shakespeare too much I’d have to bring up historical novels which can sometimes do a better job too. 

[preface2adreamplay]

No More Light (Chapter 7)

Summary: John is on a stakeout. But finds his attention is on a woman who moves into an apartment below the one he’s meant to be watching.

John Winchester & original fictional character. Eventual smut, plenty of angst.

Warnings: Cursing, talk of sacrifice, violence, mentions of abuse, light smut (nothing x rated)

Word Count: 2,643

Chapter summary: John and Red put their plan into action.

Italics are flashbacks.

SERIES MASTERLIST // MAIN MASTERLIST

I don’t remember if I had any places to go. The job with the stolen blood bags had been the main gig, I don’t usually like planning anything too far ahead of time. I don’t know who I’m gonna let down by not showing up somewhere. I didn’t wanna think about the next job, the next person in trouble. Red was it. All I could think about was her. I was invested.

My foot was pressing down hard, the miles building up behind us. The sun was setting and the thirst was real. I had to get to a bar quick. 

Pulling up at a clean lookin’ establishment in the main street I hopped out. When the door swung open I could smell the beer soaked tables, that shit just stays in the wood. A bit of sawdust on the floor to cover the blood stains. Real nice.

The barkeep ignored me when I sat at the bar, chair squeaking as I shifted. 

Red slapped her bag against the counter top and sighed heavily, getting the attention we needed.

‘Glass of Irish and something sweet for the lady.’ I grumbled, rubbing my hand across my beard, damn thing itches and hurts at the same time. It’s gotta go.

Red leaned over to me and brushed a hand across where I’d been touching. ‘I like it.’ 

‘You been reading my mind, doll?’

Crinkling her nose, she took a sip from the rum and coke that was handed to her.

‘Just what I needed. Back in a sec.’ Red disappeared into the ladies, leaving me to scope out the bar.

This was the place alright. It stank, it was dark and a few guys had eyes on me since I walked in. No one followed Red, at least. 

It wouldn’t take long for her brother to arrive if any of these guys were his cronies. I starting tapping my foot, I didn’t like how long she was taking, if she were back here with me I could rest easy.

I swallowed the whiskey in two gulps, it burned so good. Her familiar scent hit me before she sat down again. 

‘Fresh as a daisy.’

I chuckled. ‘You’re always fresh as a daisy.’

‘Thanks, John. That’s sweet.’ 

Red leaned in smiling and pecked me right on the lips. The barkeep gave us a sideways glance and threw open the cellar door, the clang as it hit the bar gave Red a jolt. She made an ‘oof’ sound. 

‘Jumpy are we?’ 

The bottle of whiskey was within reach, fuck it. It took another shot.

‘I’m ok…considering.’ 

I grabbed hold of her hand, it was soft and small in my calloused ham.

‘I’m itchin’ to get going.’ With my free hand I shifted my leather jacket aside, giving her a glimpse of my 9mm tucked into my waistband. 

The door swung open, a brilliant blast of evening light hit us where we were sitting. The silhouette was burned into my eyes, the fucker stood there that long. 

‘Give us the girl and you can go.’ It said.

Red grabbed hold of the crook of my elbow. 

‘Who is us?’

The speaker stepped in and stood aside for someone else, someone much larger. ‘Fuck me,’ I groaned. 

Realisation crossed the big dopes face. ‘You!’ he pointed a finger at me from his one good hand. 

‘Gigantor, let’s be friends.’

‘My name is not gigantor,’ he seethed, spit coating his bottom lip, leaking onto his chin. 

I held up my hands, ‘take it easy big guy. I’m tryna be nice here. But, ‘fraid to say, my girl is not going with you.’

‘Oh she’s your girl now?’ The first guy stepped forward, abs pulled in, arms clenched as if he were going to run up on me.

‘Step back, brother or you’ll get a whole lot of me comin’ at you.’ 

I didn’t reach for my gun, I was trying to keep a cool head. 

‘Why do men always think violence is the answer?’ Red’s statement to me a few nights ago rang through my mind like a bell.

Gigantor crossed an arm over his compadre’s chest. ‘Just give us the girl.’

‘Why do you say ‘the girl’? Like you’re in a movie or something, idiot.’ Red piped up behind me.

‘Get in the car, Mona, Ray’s waiting on you.’

‘Fuck Ray and fuck you.’

A click came from behind us. The barkeep had his barrel pointed at me. 

‘If you take her, I go free?’

Gigantor shifted his eyes to Red then back at me. ‘Yeah.’

Yeah right.

‘I’ll go. Just leave him alone.’ 

Red bravely stood from her barstool, pushing her skirt over her knees. She glanced at me, giving me a nod that said ‘it’s cool.’ 

I stood down and watched her leave the bar. The arms surrounding her, blocking her from my view. 

I can’t describe how I felt right then. My red headed dream woman disappearing with dangerous men, their hands on her. 

Time stopped as I made my way across to the door, all eyes watching me go, I felt them searing into me, pecking at the shell of my very being. 

But it had been the plan. It was our plan and I was to follow.

They had done nothing to her…yet. But I knew I was gonna kill them all.

Hours later, I was huddled in a swamp, soaked to my knees in foul smelling water. I didn’t notice or I didn’t care. 

I could hear her voice carrying across the night air. 

‘Nothin’ will hurt you Red, I’m here.’ I whispered in to the heavy stillness. Southern nights, I hated them.

With the raucous of the followers surrounding her, you wouldn’t think I could hear anything else but I was tuned into her. I could feel her around me, just as she was last night.

The softness under me, I was all sweaty and gasping while she purred sweetly. Clinging to my arms, she raked at my skin, pouting. The initial push had made her shiver, her eyes widening. But I went slow, talking to her like she was the most precious thing on earth, telling her how good she felt and how good I wanted make her feel. 

Her head was thrown back between the pillows, the crescendo reached with a wail she didn’t know she had in her. ‘Do that again, John.’ She grinned down at me, biting her lip and giggling. 

My mouth found her perfect lips again and I drank her down, that sweet slick I wanted so bad. She took everything I gave her with a wide eyed excitement. 

‘I’d done it before but I’ve never felt it before,’ she gasped when I lay next to her. 

Sleeping on her back for an hour or so, chest rising and falling with her dreams. Waking and smiling before she opened her eyes. Resting on her elbow to look down at me. I’d only caught a few minutes here and there. 

‘John, can we do it again? All the way this time.’ 

‘Anything you want, Red.’ I kissed her like I hadn’t kissed any other woman for years, my arms keeping the weight from her before she begged for it. She wanted all of me, head to toe, my skin on hers. 

Sinking in and feeling the resistance was a thrill I’d never experienced. ‘Take a breath, sweetheart,’ I whispered while I ran my lips down her neck, sucking the sweet dip between her collar bones. After a few shallow thrusts she let me in. 

It could just be the hunter in me but I felt something change in her right at that moment, there was a heat shimmering through the air that hadn’t been there before. 

Was it true what she’d said? She’d own the demon if she took ownership of her body? 

Red fell asleep a little after that, asking me to gently rub her thigh. I tried to stay awake but c’mon, I’m an old man, I’ll drift off after a good fuck. 

The sound of a door creaking open reached me, the main man, Raymond Caro, Desdemona’s big brother sashayed into the circle of robed followers. He held up his hands as if to quieten the rabble.

‘Brothers, we come here to celebrate the ascension of myself. A special night indeed, only made possible by my beautiful sister, Desdemona.’ Raymond pressed a hand against his sisters forehead, stroking his thumb back and forth fondly. 

The anger boiled in me, I set it to simmer…for now.

How dare he say her name as if he revered her. As if he loved her.

My sweet Desdemona. Was it me that whispered it?

Red whimpered in assent. ‘All for you big brother.’

I could see Raymond’s ego flare, the hay-headed fucker. His blonde hair had grown wild, beard unkempt as if he were the 21st century Jesus.

The chanting started up again and Raymond started waving his arms about. 

I was just about to roll my eyes as the infantile display but something caught my attention.

The swamp had stilled, the sound of the night had stopped. The hairs stood on the back of my neck when I heard the shrill sound. I don’t know where it came from, neither did the robed men surrounding Red, they were turning their heads this way and that trying to figure out the source of this rising vibration. There was a crack and a boom. The branches of the trees around me shuddered.

What the fuck was happening?

I stood to my full height, still covered by the leaves. No one had spotted me yet. 

Red groaned again, writhing on the stone slab where she had been bound. 

From here I could see the night gown clinging to her sweat sodden skin. She was scared, I didn’t need to see it to know. My heart sank at the thought of the woman laying there, afraid of what was to come and no one was helping. 

None of the fuckers surrounding her would help her because they had been promised a share of the spoils. 

A chill wind whipped past me and rustled the trees.

Raymond was shouting, his face lifted to the night sky. 

Red thrashed back and forth her limbs uncontrollably flailing painfully. 

It was memory thankfully, coz I had nothin’ with me. The words rolled off my tongue like it was the lyrics of my favourite song. I had my eyes on Red and only Red. The air feeling like it was closing in on me, shifting colour from black to grey, flashes of images like a tv screen was projected for all to see.

Red was there, gyrating on top of men, all men for all eternity. My hands spread wide, palms down to the earth. You’ll be cast back to the pit from where you came. 

The ground swelled beneath me, yawning wide and threatening. 

Red was in a fevered dream, telling me all of her secrets. If I could, I would tell her it was all ok, whatever the demon had her do was not her fault. None of it was. 

Raymond found whatever balls he had and tried to square up to me.

‘It’s my demon, give it to me.’

‘I’ll give you somethin,’ I think I said. Or maybe I was too focused on this one thing. This ball of hateful black energy convulsing against the endless dark above me. ‘Back to hell with you.’ I managed to say between the words I didn’t know I’d memorised.

‘John!’ She sounded relieved, alive.

Thank god she was alive.

The demon was gaining shape, Raymond was engaging it, urging it to come into him and live within his skin. 

The cacophony was deafening.

Keep calling my name, Red, I urged her. I won’t forget myself.

One last push, I had the strength to do it. The ground opened up, flames licking at my boots, threatening to pull me down with it.

A scream and a swirl of smoke and it was gone. 

‘What have you done???’ Raymond cried. 

I ran to Red, freeing her from her bonds, but she was tied too tight.

‘It’s gone, help me get your sister out of the ropes.’ 

Raymond was looking at the ground where the hole had been. 

The screech of car tyres told us any of the losers that stuck around for this bogus ceremony had gotten outta here fast. 

My flick knife was in my hand and cutting into the ropes. 

‘Ray.’ Red rubbed the marks on her wrists, sitting up with my help.

‘Why would you do this?’ He looked to me. 

‘You could hurt any more people, Ray.’

He ignored his sister, his red rimmed eyes fixed on me. ‘Motherfucker, don’t you know who I am?’

‘I kinda wouldn’t give a fuck, only you’ve made a show of getting your sister away from whatever kind of life she wanted and into your fantasy of stealing her power. Don’t you know that’s the one thing you can’t do?’

The dumb fucker just titled his head, confused.

‘You can’t take a woman’s power. Nothing earthly or otherwise has that influence.’

Red grabbed the gun in my waist band, I dared not stop her.

‘Wow, baby sister, cool it.’ Raymond put on a facade of submission, reaching over to her all the while, his intent clear. 

Red’s hand shook while she pointed my gun at him. 

‘For years he’s been using me to service his friends, the men that wanted to sit with him in the heavenly courts. For his own gain, for fun. I couldn’t live with myself if he took it, John.’

We were sitting on the floor of Faye’s kitchen while she told me her plan.

The goons would find her quick enough. Everybody was afraid of Raymond in her hometown.

Once she was taken, her brother would start the ritual, he was afraid of losing time. It could only be done under the full moon and the pregnant belly of the wench hung low tonight.

‘If I don’t kill him, he will kill me and countless innocent people. No one should have that kind of power, John. When the ritual starts, you have to find some way to stop it.’

And I did. My old journal had given me some ideas. I’d been around the block a time or two.

‘The demon is gone. Now there’s only me, plain old Desdemona.’ She gripped the handle of the gun with both hands, her strength giving out.

‘Just a little slut with nothing else to give the world but what’s between her legs,’ her brother laughed, reaching behind his back to what I assumed was a weapon.

‘Steady on now, buck.’ 

‘Fuck you, Raymond.’ 

The scorched earth opened up next to him, a long arm of black mist enveloped him. With a screech, Raymond fell to the ground, his belly scraping against the cement while he clawed in panic. 

A strange popping noise followed him as he disappeared into the ground. 

‘Did you do that??’ I held myself steady.

Red smiled, ‘I told you I could control it.’

‘You did?’

Red shimmied to her feet, standing next to me over the spot her brother had been standing. 

‘When I gave myself to someone, the demon would be under my control. That’s the sneaky ways of it. Raymond had me for so long locked away he could do whatever he wanted.’ 

‘Ok, I heard you say that I just didn’t realise you could do THAT.’ I gestured to the area around us.

‘Are you impressed?’ Red beamed up at me.

‘Hell yeah I am.’

I risked a quick kiss, hoping it wouldn’t awaken the ground demon again.

‘John?’ She whispered against my mouth.

‘Yes?’

‘Take me back to your motel?’

‘Yes ma’am’. 

[knotbulian]

1-50

1.      do you have a crush on anyone?

Yes this girl on youtube, this one girl on my workfloor, andon @setonfirebyfiends

2.      what’s your favorite candy?

Maltesers atm

3.      favorite love song?

This or this

4.      what was your first kiss like?

Teethy lmao

5.      what was your last kiss like?

Cold, raven walked me to my train home and kissed me on theplatform goodbye

6.      sexual/romantic orientation?

straight, like8.5/10 romantically orientated lmao

7.      do you prefer poems or love letters?

Ugh both are equally fire to receive. But I only have thecapacity to write love letters.

8.      favorite fanfic trope?

Idk what this is but Twilight fanfics are the bomb

9.      have you ever been in love?

Ya

10.  favorite milkshake flavor?

chocolate

11.  dinner dates or brunch dates?

Dinner dates just cuz its acceptable to drink

12.  favorite flowers?

marigold

13.  favorite perfume/cologne?

Oud wood – tom ford

14.  favorite candle scent?

lavender

15.  what’s your ideal first date?

Homecooked dinner and a movie, movie can be either a stayin or in a theatre – its fun being seen as a couple in public

16.  favorite love story?

twilight

17.  what’s the most attractive thing a person couldwear?

Dress w leg slit and open back

18.  chocolate,vanilla, or red velvet?

chocolate

19.  snow, rain, or sun?

rain

20.  sweetest romantic memory?

A lot of dates w my first girlfriend were dope, spent a lotof time at lakeshores and creeks by our homes

21.  favorite dating sim (and favorite character)?

Ive never played one

22.  fictional crushes?

The girl from danny phantom lmfao

23.  what’s your dream wedding like?

Barn wedding with mason jar lights and bales of hay forseats

24.  what makes you blush?

Any form of compliment in person will usually make me die

25.  do you believe in love at first sight?

Absolutely not

26.  do you believe in soulmates?

Sure 😊nothings real

27.  denim jackets, leather jackets, or bomberjackets?

BOMBERMAN. Naw um probs denim but I like how leather jacketslook

28.  what’s your sign?

Aquarius

29.  are you single?

yes

30.  do you prefer to charm, or be charmed?

Both are equally fun. the gratification of knowing that what you’re doing is working on someone is indescribable

31.  guitar or piano?

I play guitar but would love to learn piano.

32.  favorite romcom (or any romantic movie)?

How to lose a guy in 10 days, love actually, eternalsunshine of the spotless mind, 500 days of summer, 50 first dates, crazy rich Asians,crazy stupid love

33.  do you fall in love easily?

Yes,desafortunadamente

34.  valentine’s decorations: yay or nay?

YES ABSOLUTELY. I work in the financial district and it wasSO fucking cute to see all the pink, white an purple decorations

35.  would you prefer to propose or be proposed to?what’s your dream proposal?

I want a bitch to propose to me. Probably just done inprivate, warm lighting, gushing full of love w whomever im with - share a slow dance after omg im driving myself nuts rn lmao

36.  cloud gazing or star gazing?

Stargazing

37.  do you like to dance?

I do, am I good naaaa

38.  what’s your OTP?

Bella and fucking JACOB black

Jo and fucking LAURIE

Ryan atwood and marissa cooper

Seth cohen and summer Roberts BRO

ZENDAYA AND MYSELF

39.  kittens or puppies?

kittens

40.  coffee, hot chocolate, or tea?

coffee

41.  favorite soda?

Vernors ginger ale – literal liquid gold

42.  do you prefer gazing wistfully out the window orlying dramatically over the sofa?

Lying. Gazing if its on a train

43.  favorite ABBA song?

The winner takes it all

44.  fuck/marry/kill? (anons name 3 people of yourchoice)

fuck the girl I went on date with two days ago, marry@setonfirebyfiends, kill amy schumer

45.  favorite pajamas?

Ball shorts and a movie tee

46.  favorite liquor?

Ciroc boys

47.  do you think about love a lot?

yes

48.  a walk in the park or a walk on the beach?

Beach, love being surrounded by water

49.  hand kisses or nose kisses?

Hand kisses, we do so much with our hands.

50.  what’s your dreamhouse?

A basement, a main floor, a second floor, a third floor, aloft, and a huge ass room for my gaming computer lmao

@setonfirebyfiends thank you ily ur my onlyfan ahhhaaaaaaa :$

[gotatext]

TASK OO1 / OOC SURVEY.

[kermit voice] hallo.... its me 

YOUR ALIAS & NICKNAMES — nora

AGE — 23

TIMEZONE — gmt

PREFERRED PRONOUNS — she/her

MBTI — enfp-infp border cos im an introvert who Masquerades as an extrovert :)

HP HOUSE — i spent 10 yrs of my life thinkin i was gryffindor.... to find out.... huffle....puff...... 

ARE YOU A STUDENT? WHAT DO YOU STUDY? — i fuckin wish! being a student was dope af i got stressed about essays like once a month and apart from that i was just chillin, surrounded by really intelligent people every day n livin it up on the party scene. adult life fucking sucks no one wants to have fun cos we all work fuckin tonnes of hours so we can afford to eat and get paid peanuts xx

ARE YOU ENJOYING IT? — im really afraid of bein one of those jock types who peaked in high school but i deff peaked in uni like 100% i was way more interesting 2 years ago

LINKS TO OTHER ACCOUNTS & SOCIAL MEDIA — im not showin u my instagram bc im a fuckin embarassment but this is pinterest , this is my personal blog, this is my writing / 1x1 blog i never use any more n this is my trash talking twitter where i mostly just cry about timothee chalamet and bash the tories. 

DISCORD USER — kristine’s forehead vein#8664

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FICTION GENRE? — i dont read fanfiction much but when i do u can be sure it’s slow burn angsty enemies to lovers mutual pining heart attack every time one of them accidentally brushes the other’s hand

TOP FIVE FAVOURITE FILMS — suspiria (2018 luca guadagnino version rogue i kno but i prefer the remake), the lobster, before sunrise, baz luhrmann romeo + juliet, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind,  thoroughbreds (REC!! so underwatched pls watch it. compelling female characters), hunt for the wilderpeople (also so underwatched), swiss army man, call me by your name, atonement, moonrise kingdom, trainspotting, the florida project. i rlly like films ok

A BOOK YOU FEEL “CHANGED” YOU? — the song of achilles by madeline miller n also fen by daisy johnson

A MOVIE YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN? — booksmart cos its fuckin dope

WHAT IS YOUR SIGN? — libra

ARE YOU INTO ASTROLOGY? —  i like to pretend im super invested in it mostly to anger my friends but tbh.... i just use it as a rough guide for character creation.... its fun but i dnt .... fully invest in what it has to say..... altho i am the most unbalanced n indecisive bitch on earth so i guess they got that right !! i just live to please baybeyy!

WHAT PLATFORMS HAVE YOU ROLEPLAYED ON? — tumblr for about 8 year (omg) n before tht facebook..... i was very embarassingly in a twilight rp..... i wrote jane..... i also rped as a scene kid oc n when i was like 12 i was on some weird forum harry potter roleplay where i basically played a self insert with georgie henley as the fc......

WHAT OTHER HOBBIES DO YOU HAVE? — i used to have so many hobbies but now i jst lie in my bed staring at the ceiling. but before i was workin like a dog i loved reading, writing, acting in theatre productions..... going out on the town getting bevved..... big druggy EDM nights in warehouses tht probably weren’t liscenced for tht many ppl..... gigs... costume-design and making, spoken word poetry, acrylic painting n rollerskating but my sister broke my skates abt two years ago in vengeance and i’ll never forgive her that fuckin bitch

HAVE ANY PETS? IF SO, TALK ABOUT THEM! — no my landlord is a fascist

IS THERE A TV SHOW YOU RECOMMEND A LOT? — i’ll never stop reccing euphoria!! also i was pleasantly surprised by looking for alaska!! but i also rlly like bob’s burgers, parks and rec, good omens.... black mirror, n sharp objects. lovesick on bbciplayer (n netflix i think) is also rlly fun

ANY SHOWS YOU LIKE SOME MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT YOU DO? — maybe love island, idk if i talk abt that much bc i am ashamed but i am so obsessed with it. i even got the love island game n got so invested in my fictional relationship w bobby tht i had to delete it

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IT? — god god... i haven’t finished a book in ages.... i recently started reading milkman by anna burns, the bees by laline paull and everything under by daisy johnson.... bt the last book i read cover to cover was probs circe. defs read it. feminist and witchy

CURRENTLY READING? — i jst said this but the bees, everything under and less so milkman cos im finding milkman a bit tough

LAST FILM? REC IT? — i watched ladyworld the lord of the flies all-female remake n even maya hawke could not save it.... dnt get me wrong from an art film point of view i loved it but it felt a bit underdeveloped n a level media studies for me..... apart from tht?? the runaways (yorkshire film not released yet at a preview screening) and threads (also a yorkshire film from the 80s about nuclear apocalypse)

THREE MOVIES YOU NEED TO WATCH — portrait of a lady on fire, i work at an independent cinema n we recently had a preview screening and everyone said it was SICK, uhhhh short term 12, n the new eliza scanlen movie babyteeth

WHAT MOVIE DO YOU THINK YOU’VE SEEN THE MOST TIMES? — madagascar because when i was 12 my parents bought me a little television with a dvd player in it for my birthday and madagascar was the only dvd i owned for like..... the first two years of havin the absolute luxury of a tv in my room so i just used to watch it all the time n i now basically know the script inside out

WHAT ALWAYS PUTS YOU IN A GOOD MOOD? — nothing, life is pointless n i hate fun, let me rot in peace

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE MUSICIAN / BAND? LIST IF THERE ARE MORE THAN ONE. — ughhh god probably lcd soundsystem. gorillaz, the streets, tame impala, talking heads, soft hair, i also love lizz tho n also angry twangy guitar girl bands like girlpool, courtney barnett, best coast, cherry glazerr,

WILD NIGHT OUT OR QUIET NIGHT IN? — quiet night in my party days are over i cant even be bothered to go to the shops if its past 4.30pm and dark these days

ANY PHOBIAS? — clowns n rats

DO YOU LIKE BUGS? — absolutely not

BIRDS? — yes but not if they fly in my face

ARE YOU A CAT OR DOG PERSON? BOTH? — i love both i want one 

BIGGEST PET PEEVE? — tory middle aged boomers who treat me like actual shit on their shoe because i work in the service industry like thats my choice and their poor economic decisions didnt mean i have to do a shitty job to afford to live bcos of austerity n cuts to arts funding meaning i cant get a job writing unless i self-fund :)))

FAVOURITE THING ABOUT THE RPC? — that everyone ive met through rp is a fuckin LAFF

TOP TEN FAVE FCS TO USE? — god .... diana silvers, timothee chalamet, margaret qualley, kristine froseth, froy gutierrez, zendaya, elle fanning, astrid berges frisbey, hunter schafer, leonardo dicaprio

FIVE YOU LIKE WRITING AGAINST? — herman tomeraas, hunter schafer, saoirse ronan, timothee chalamet, froy gutierrez

FAVOURITE TYPE OF FOOD? — linda mccartney 1/2pounder mozzarella veggie burgers, sweet potato wedges, tomato soup, mozzarella sticks, brownies

WORST FOOD? — green things like broccoli n sprouts gross. baked beans cos as a kid ppl used to do baked bean baths for comic relief / red nosed day a lot n i thought when they were finished in the baked bean bath they just put all the cold beans back in the tin. actually anything small that moves around on your plate. peas. spaghetti. sweetcorn. i dont like small things i cant control.

DO YOU PLAY VIDEOGAMES? IF SO, WHAT ONES AND ON WHAT PLATFORM DO YOU PREFER? — last year my housemate had an xbox n i went through a phase of obsessively playin fable 3 it was amazing. i had like 5 husbands and 3 wives and loads of kids but they all ended up leavin me cos i spent so much time out doing quests neglecting them

ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE TAG? — this

LASTLY, HOW DID YOU FIND US? — im one of those bitches who was in this grp all the way back when it was swipe... so quirky and original!! i knew the band before u! anyway im goin now this has been sufficiently embarassing..... i am lame

[aion-rsa]

Batwoman: How Housing and Homelessness Shape Ryan’s Heroism

https://ift.tt/3omZdIO

From the very first promo, where we saw Kate Kane give first money and then her gold watch to a young woman panhandling, Batwoman has concerned itself with homelessness and housing. In Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie), however, Batwoman has a new protagonist with lived experience of homelessness. Unlike a lot of television shows that use homelessness as a shorthand to demonstrate that a main character is a good or bad person, Batwoman meaningfully incorporates Ryan’s housing struggles into her long-term character arc and how she approaches her time in the cowl.

In that first teaser back before season 1 premiered, the audience was meant to learn both that Kate Kane was incredibly wealthy and that, unlike the jerky anonymous member of the Crows, she actually cared about doing something to change Gotham’s notoriously tough streets, and not just in a “lock ‘em up” kind of way. As the first season unfolded, heiress Kate became more aware of how gentrification and the lack of affordable housing was squeezing low-income Gothamites out of their own city, thanks to her one-time girlfriend, Reagan.

At a press event before the start of season 2, showrunner Caroline Dries shared that incorporating housing policy wasn’t some kind of strategic goal, but she did always see Gotham as a kind of Los Angeles 2.0 – except even bleaker.

“From a creative point of view, I think that happened a little bit subconsciously. Living in LA the homeless population has just exploded in the last seven years or so,” Dries says. “It’s everywhere you look, and it’s such a huge problem, and it feels like there’s really no solution to it.”

For Dries, fiction allowed her a measure of wishful thinking: “When I was offered the opportunity to write Batwoman and to write Kate Kane, it seemed like: Oh, at least maybe there’s some way that I can have control over this seemingly like endless pandemic of homelessness in our city.”

After hearing about Reagan’s grandmother’s housing struggles – and how common they are across Gotham – Kate went on to form Gotham Pride Real Estate, her way of improving her city by day, under her own name. Kate bought and renovated apartment buildings and rented them at reasonable rates as a way to lock in long-term affordable housing. In some cases, Gotham Pride bought buildings in Gotham’s wealthiest neighborhoods and still rented them at very low rents, pushing back against the extreme wealth segregation that the show has hinted at and that is a reality for much of America.

As Dries says, “It was just like a little bit of hopefulness that I was trying to put out into the world.”

Kate also created The Hold Up, an LGBTQ bar that seems to cater specifically to the sapphic set, which is its own form of business activism. Nationwide, lesbian and queer bars for marginalized genders (women, trans people and nonbinary folks) are an endangered species. As we saw when Kate and Sophie got kicked out of Allesandro’s for holding hands, having spaces where queer folks can simply exist safely and openly isn’t a given, so creating one matters. By owning real estate and using it to make safe, affordable spaces for vulnerable populations to live or to gather socially, Kate Kane has leveraged her wealth to help various communities reclaim Gotham so it can belong to everyone, not just the wealthy few.

With Ryan Wilder stepping into the spotlight for the second season, housing takes on more urgency. The premiere showed how squatters from Alice’s Wonderland Gang killed Ryan’s mother in her own apartment. That made Ryan an orphan and forced her out on the street. She’s been living in her van, and as of the end of the second episode, our Batwoman is still marginally housed, meaning that while she can stay in her van, that’s neither a permanent solution nor is it a sufficient one.

How many other superheroes have experienced homelessness in the present tense – and not as part of going undercover or in some kind of training exercise, but because they literally had nowhere else to go? Dries intentionally pivoted to a different kind of Batwoman in a number of ways, and Ryan’s housing status is one of them.

“With Ryan, it was part of the overarching goal that I had in creating a character who is nothing like Kate Kane, and Kate is a billionaire who never will have to worry about being homeless, she can work to help homelessness,” Dries says. “So it just made sense to me that in creating Kate’s foil, more or less, that maybe Ryan came from a more troubled background where she was part of this problem in her city.”

While Kate was an excellent hero for her city, in many ways she was still a privileged one. Ryan’s experiences, including her time navigating what it means to be unhoused, open up a whole host of possibilities for the ways in which her Batwoman could best serve the people who need her most, because she knows their needs acutely. A common critique of Batman is that many of the people he physically brutalizes are in need of mental health services and/or are at the mercy of an unjust criminal legal system and a city with no social safety net that has pushed them toward a life of crime. Just as Kate’s queer Batwoman before her, Ryan’s Batwoman poses the question: What does a radically reimagined Batwoman look like? How can she better serve the people of Gotham with the greatest need, while pushing back against the authoritarianism of the Crows and the demands of the wealthy elites who hire them?

Toward the end of the second episode, “Prior Criminal History,” Luke Fox offers Ryan a warehouse to draw the poisonous bats away and then detonate a bomb to take them out, away from innocent civilians. On the city plans he has access to back in the Bat cave, the warehouse looks abandoned. But Ryan does a double-take and tells him no, they have to find somewhere else – that’s actually a homeless encampment. Luke immediately starts looking for a new locale, and Ryan comes up with the idea to use the Crows Security bus, resulting in a great little set piece.

It may seem like a small moment, but this demonstration of how Ryan’s knowledge and therefore actions as Batwoman would be completely different is spot-on and an absolute game-changer. In every city in America, there’s a complex infrastructure that people who are currently homeless or marginally housed must navigate in order to get through their day to day. Just out of sight from housed people, there are encampments, shelters, and an array of social services all requiring completely different paperwork, hours, and counselors. Ryan would know the safest places to park her van, the hours for the best soup kitchens, where the women-only shelters are, and the places that stay open latest, in case it gets so cold late at night that she has to go in.

Just before she detonates the bomb, Ryan sees a young woman sheltering in a tent nearby. She runs over and shields them both with her cape. Afterwards when the coast is clear, the young woman looks up at Ryan in the batsuit with admiration.

“Batwoman?”

“Oh no, not really,” Ryan says, hesitantly.

“Well,” says the young woman, “you are to me.”

Read more

TV

Batwoman Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Prior Criminal History

By Nicole Hill

Comics

New Batwoman Ryan Wilder Gets Surprise DC Introduction

By Kayti Burt

Just as Kate Kane helped many more people see themselves on screen as heroes, Ryan Wilder is now doing the same thing, in-world, and I suspect, irl. For Black women and queer Black folks, but also for anyone who has experienced homelessness. For the people who have couch-surfed for months on end, lived in their cars, lost their housing through no fault of their own, or who struggle to keep their head above water because of a record – even if it’s one they got unfairly, like Ryan.

Leslie speaks about how with the character of Ryan, the show gets to bring in a firsthand story to show what it’s like to actually live through these experiences, rather than having characters observe or comment on them from afar.

“I think that what’s really dope about what we’re doing this season is you get to see Ryan’s story and how she ends up where she is,” Leslie says. “And a lot of it is just, it’s the system and being lost in the system and not having support in the system. So I do think that that’s another way it’s being addressed.”

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Batwoman has long taken on serious social issues that other superhero shows lack the moral heft to consider, whether that means police corruption, racism within the legal system, American’s broken and inadequate healthcare, or discrimination against LGBTQ people. The show’s diverse cast of characters speak about these issues firsthand, and Ryan Wilder is no exception. Her backstory as someone who has struggled with housing insecurity isn’t a throwaway line but rather a current aspect of her life that sets the tone for who this new Batwoman is, and how the show will be moving forward.

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[juvoci]

8 January 2021

This blog can be read in its entirety on JUVOCI.com.

8 January 2021.

One document. One page. Simply thoughts.

But then the question arises: Which font should I write my thoughts in? Every font has its own personality. And where should I post my thoughts? On a blog? On Twitter? On Tumblr? On Instagram? All of them? One of them? None of them? My old school composition notebook which will probably be destroyed in a fire someday?

And then it becomes about someone not reading my writing. What’s the point of writing if no one reads it? But then I tell myself, I should just do it for myself. Read my own writing and I’ll get better at it. And should I promote my writing or is that vain? And is my writing even good enough to be promoted? I don’t want to bother people, offering them a flaming pile of garbage.

And when people tell me they love my writing are they just lying so I don’t feel bad? And when people tell me my writing sucks are they just jealous? Is it all up to me to decide how the world sees me? Is the world what I see it as, and not what anyone else sees, so that only my opinion ultimately matters? Because all is one?

I don’t know.

There are some things you should share with the world and there are some things that you shouldn’t. But how does one know the difference?

Anyways, I want to be a writer. Or... I am a writer...? I’m writing now, so I guess I am...? Uh, well, anyways. Yeah, I love writing. I love words. Typing sentences on the keyboard to me is like playing the piano, conducting a symphony. Language is beautiful. I love the lines which make up letters which make up words which make up sentences. I love how sentences have meaning, but they are also open to interpretation because all language is relative and infinite. There’s no way for me to express exactly what I mean and there’s no way for you to understand exactly what I mean. You’ll interpret my words for yourself, and any certainty you have about what I intended to mean is still just part of your interpretation. It’s an infinite regress, a fractal, beautiful.

I love writing. But here’s the dilemma I have: No motivation to publish anything. Or at least not publish anything in a “formal and edited and professional” way. When I spend too much time “re-reading and editing” my writing, I lose the spark of the original moment in which I wrote it. I lose that muse, that excitement, that inspiration. The moment dies, so to speak. The most natural way of writing, to me, seems to be publishing and writing simultaneously. Sort of like how Twitter works. You write something, and you publish it. There’s no intermediary step. Whatever you write, is published, in real-time. This feels more natural to me, most authentic, most productive. But then there is a fear in me that says “This is too lazy, this is too unprofessional, no one wants to read this crap, you’re just rambling,” blah blah blah... And part of me is like “Yeah, dude, you’re right. This is terrible.” But another part of me is like “Hell nah, fuck that, this shit is dope, you’re writing from the heart, you’re not even editing it, it’s raw expression, it’s dope, and you should definitely publish this and continue publishing everything you write cuz it’s dope.” Lol, and then another voice is like “Yo, I feel like y’all are both wrong. I feel like one of you is being too hard on yourself and the other is being too arrogant.” And then the real me is like “Bruh, I don’t even know.”

See? Now there goes my mind again. “Is that good or bad? Is my writing good or bad? Was that last paragraph terrible and dumb? Am I terrible and dumb?”

It’s such an interesting position to be in because you want to trust yourself but you also don’t want to become so trusting of yourself that you become delusional and blind to the inputs of the external world, but then you think that maybe your hesitation about trusting yourself is causing you to be worse at your craft and thus have less of a chance of being successful in that craft... you know?

But I think that the deepest part of me, my core, my heart, or whatever, wants to trust myself more. I feel my intuition leans in that direction. Because the question still remains: “What if I did trust myself completely? What would become of my reality?”

It’s 3:31 PM on Friday.

Writing Fiction.

Part of me wants to write fiction. I’m so conflicted in this area. I think that creating fictional worlds, fictional characters, fictional stories... it’s all really cool. They are really great ways to explore other worlds and other ways of thinking. But whenever I begin writing a fictional story (and I’ve started literally hundreds — and maybe even thousands — of stories — almost finishing a few of them but never actually finishing one — and certainly thousands of characters... along with languages, planets, species, religions, and more), I always lose the motivation for it before finishing (and usually before coming even close to finishing).

So, naturally, I ask myself: “Why do I lose the motivation to finish these fiction novels?” And the answer has usually been: “Because they’re not relevant.”

Now, I do think that I am quite hard on myself, and I would bet that some of the fictional stories I’ve written could actually be relevant and somewhat successful and influence their reader’s lives... but going back and publishing those stories would feel like trying to relive the past. I’ve moved on from those stories. Publishing them now would be like putting my fourth-grade science project (a “Baking Soda Volcano”) on display. It wouldn’t make sense from a personal standpoint.

I would rather write what’s on my mind today and publish that... which is what I’m doing now, I suppose.

3:53 PM.

There is something really special and interesting about simply documenting my life and my mind. There’s something raw and liberating about it. I’m simply just being me. Not more, not less, just me.

Sometimes I feel pretentious when I’m writing fiction. It feels like I’m trying to escape this world, like I’m too good for this world, like I’m trying to be more than I am, something I’m not.

Is my “real” life so much less interesting than a fictional life? Or could it be that “real” life is in fact the most interesting story of all? I’m starting to believe the latter.

I also haven’t been super interested in reading fiction. Or really anything much for that matter, other than conversations. I find conversations to be the most engaging reading and writing. Because it’s occurring in real-time, it’s a live event, you’re literally engaging with “another being”.

I don’t even have that much interest in reading my own writing. Occasionally I’ll review a few things I posted a week ago or month ago or year ago or whatever... but the vast majority of what I write is never actually read.

Bitcoin / Cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin is really cool. It’s interesting that it’s blowing up now. It has blown up before, but this seems bigger than ever. It’s really going mainstream, it seems. Corporations are buying it, banks are buying it, maybe nations will start buying it soon. Although if nations start buying it then they’re basically forfeiting their own currency, at least to some extent. But I think we should all embrace cryptocurrency. It seems like a great idea. It’s very safe, it’s very easy, there’s a static supply so that inflation and corruption cannot flourish. Sometimes growth takes sacrifice. I think nations should start sacrificing their local currencies for the sake of Bitcoin.

Imagine if the United States of America invested itself in Bitcoin. Imagine the global response. Imagine what that would do to the currency market.

4:05 PM.

I want to be a Thought Leader. I’m eating oatmeal right now, by the way. Oatmeal with fruit and honey and nuts. Good stuff.

Anyways, yeah, I wanna be a Thought Leader. That’s an ambition of mine, I suppose.

What does it mean to be a Thought Leader? Well, first let’s define thought.

What is thought?

Thought is many things, and many more things, depending on how you define it. Generally, I use thought to mean “a woman who has many casual sexual encounters or relationships”, just kidding. Generally, I use thought to mean “idea, inspiration, creation, imagination, realization, literally even the fabric of reality”.

That’s the “bigger” version of thought. However, when I say that I want to be a Thought Leader, I am not referring to that type of thought. I am referring to language. The construction of sentences and the words we choose to use. The meaning we give to words and the way inwhich we use them have a pretty profound impact on our day-to-day reality. I think you’d be surprised just how much your mental and verbal language impacts your life.

This is why we need Thought Leaders. Thought Leaders help keep the collective mind on track. Thought Leaders are masters of navigating the mind. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of improvement to make still, but one of my talents or skills is certainly a deep understanding of the mind.

Now, some people might call this an arrogant statement. “How dare you claim that you’re a master of the mind and that you should lead my thought!” And, yes, I agree, I understand, it is indeed something of an arrogant statement. But confidence is often confused for arrogance. Michael Jordon, Michael Phelps, Michael Tyson (his birth name is actually Michael, I just googled it)... these three athletes were confidence about their skills and talents. Or were they arrogant? Who cares? This is just semantics. They perform, and that’s what matters.

Well, I perform with the mind, with thought. I understand it deeply. And through this understanding, I’ve cultivated an incredible mind to exist as. And I want to share this gift.

And, yes, like I mentioned, I still have alot of improvements to make. I have nowhere near reached the peak of my mental (or physical) potential. But I’ve already made a lot of progress, and I’m improving everyday.

So what gives me the gall to declare myself worthy of the title Thought Leader? Well, I’ve spent my whole life introspecting, philosophizing, contemplating... and over the course of my life, everyday until today, and so likely for days to come, I’ve observed people suffering by the hand of their own minds. Anxiety, depression, fear — these things plague us.

The problem is that people are afraid of what they don’t understand. I start telling people about the incredible revelations I’ve experienced and they don’t understand and so it frightens them and they try to change the subject. The act of awakening is becoming self-conscious, and some folks just don’t seem to want to become self-conscious. But like Tim Ferriss says in his interview with Guy Raz: “It’s not about who doesn’t understand, it’s about who does.” (That might not be the exact quote, but he does say something like that.) Why focus on who doesn’t understand? You can find endless people who won’t understand. What matters is how many people do understand. One other person? Five people? Fifty? A million? That’s what matters. Expand your network of comprehension, not your perception of misunderstanding.

I understand, though. Becoming self-aware can be scary, especially if you haven’t become self-aware in a long time. It’s kind of like looking in your basement after not cleaning it for 30 years. It isn’t always pleasant if you haven’t done any spring-cleaning, but if you wanna clean the place up then you’re gonna have to face it.

But it’s sort of like... if you don’t jump in, you’ll never get wet... as the old saying goes. You gotta let your mind be blown every now and then. You gotta let your identity shape-shift and change from time to time.

4:34 PM.

I never claimed to be perfect.

4:42 PM.

So what is this “thought” that I’m “leading”?

Firstly, Peace and Love. I believe in peace and love. Now, yes, this sounds corny, cheesy, overly-wholesome... whatever. But, it’s right and true, I believe.

I believe that systems work better when there is harmony. Metallic machines run better when they’re lubricated with oil (I hope this metaphor makes sense because I’m not exactly a “mechanic”). Government and society and civilization work better when there is peace. Imagine if humans all over the planet started working together instead of fighting. Imagine how much time and energy and resources we would save if we stopped fighting against and arguing with each other.

Now, don’t me wrong. I recognize that competition is a huge catalyst for innovation. And I do not believe that we should eliminate competition. However, I think competition is useful for games, not wars. I’ll make a distinction between games and wars: In a society which games, everyone can ultimately win because the stakes aren’t death and utter destruction. Sure, the winners are awarded with a bigger reward, but the heads of the losers aren’t chopped off, their cultures aren’t destroyed, their families aren’t ruined. They can lose, learn from their mistakes, dust themselves off, and try again. And at the end of the day, everyone can smile and have fun and hang out together.

This would be a society built on games, not on war. This would be a more evolved, more enlightened society, in my opinion.

5:02 PM.

Gonna stretch out with some quick exercises like weight-lifting and hand-stands. Be back sometime later.

5:26 PM.

Exercising is so great. Such a great feeling. Highly recommend it if you’re not involved.

And washing your face or body with cold water is super refreshing, by the way.

11:10 PM.

Let’s get back to this Thought Leader idea. I think that’s important. What thought am I leading?

It begins with Peace and Love, yes. But there’s more to it than that. If simply saying “Peace and Love” were the solutions to our problems, then we wouldn’t have any problems, because I just said it. No, our problems are more complex, so just how do we manifest peace and love?

How do we manifest peace and love?

Firstly, it begins with a desire. We have to want peace and love. And it doesn’t seem like this is our current reality. It seems like alot of people want war. Now, I’m not certain that this is true. I’m not sure that many people would actually say “I want war.” But some folks sure behave like they want war. Some folks seem to become excited by the idea of war. Perhaps they haven’t much else to live for? Perhaps they are bored with their current life and a war would shake things up? Perhaps they are prisoners, and hope to escape in the fray? I don’t know.

Secondly, once we decide that we desire peace and love, we must introspect. We must practice self-awareness, self-consciousness, and watch ourselves closely so that we don’t slip up, back into our old violent ways. We must become very careful of ourselves not to resort to violence, and to solve our disagreements peacefully.

Thirdly, now that we’ve decided that we indeed do desire peace and love, and now that we’ve practiced and mastered self-awareness and self-consciousness through introspection and contemplation, we must set collective goals for ourselves, and we must give our collective world meaning and purpose. Why must we do this? Because a lack of purpose causes things (like human minds) to become chaotic, and chaos leads to insanity and forgetfulness, and insanity leads to violence... because the insane person has forgotten the commitment that they made to be peaceful. The mind is designed for meaning and purpose. Without these things, the mind begins to go insane.

But it’s not all just mental. It’s physical too.

In order to achieve Peace and Love, we must alleviate greed. Greed still permeates our global culture too much. A tiny bit of personal greed can actually be good, because it motivates you to achieve more for yourself and your family. But we live in a world today that is permeated by corporate greed and greed at an unfathomable scale. The inherent problem with greed is that the greedy person always wants more. And now we have found ourselves in a world where some people have access to so much wealth, and some people are struggling just for clean water. No wonder there is conflict and violence. Our rich and wealthy family members aren’t showing enough love to those who are struggling. Instead, they would rather flaunt their expensive clothing and cars on Instagram and such. We must remove this greed if we are to achieve Peace and Love.

Some people might say: “World peace is a childish ideal and will never manifest on Earth.” But why? What is your motivation for saying this? Deep down, do you wish it to be true? Do you actually like violence and conflict, perhaps? Are you creating negativity in your day-to-day life? Is the energy of your spirit attracted to negativity like a moth is attracted to light? Is this the best way to live? Perhaps you should make a change?

I believe that world peace is possible, and I will likely continue encouraging it forever.

11:48 PM.

Lately I’ve been feeling like philosophy is kind of dumb. Here’s the philosophy: The universe is infinite. Do whatever you want. But what is philosophy, exactly?

I posted in the Philosophy sub-Reddit asking “What is Philosophy?” Let’s see what they say.

They banned my post. I don’t know why. I’m going to ask the same question in the AskPhilosophy sub-Reddit.

They also banned my post. Kind of ironic that you can’t ask “What is Philosophy?” in “Philosophy” sub-Reddits, eh?

(This discussion is continued on the next blog post for 9 January 2021)

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1830.co

This blog can be read in its entirety on JUVOCI.com.

[ewh111]

2017 Annual List of Favorite Film Experiences

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

With each passing year, I find it harder to keep up with new release films, as well as the growing queue of ones on my “To See” list. On the other hand, it feels like quality films are sequestered till the end of the year (nothing against summer blockbusters, but with a few exceptions, many are forgotten by the time you get back to your car) and the growing appeal and abundance of quality television fostered by its broader canvas for in-depth storytelling and character development is another distraction. 

But that brings me to one of my favorite things about the holiday season in Los Angeles. The last six weeks or so of the year is filled with many appealing options as films jockey for exposure ahead of the awards season. And I have a great deal of appreciation and gratitude (and a bit of jealousy) for the many artists and others who have the passion to make these visions come to life for us to enjoy.

All the best for a wonderful 2018 and hope that you get a chance to see some of the films below that moved me in some way, sometimes filling me with emotion or awe, or provoking long-lasting thoughts, or just trigger the desire to re-experience and see it again. So, here they are, in no particular order.

Cheers, Ed

P.S.–I’ve gotten many requests to also review favorite meals of the year, so that might come in another post. :)

Indelible Coming of Age Tales

Call Me By Your Name — Northern Italy, summer, 1983. Having read the André Aciman novel, this was my most anticipated film of 2017. And it did not disappoint. This beautifully told and lushly shot coming of age romance features a remarkable and revelatory (and perhaps best of 2017) performance by newcomer Timothée Chalamet (also in Lady Bird), who achingly captures the universal yearning, passion, heartache, and torment of first love. Kudos also to Armie Hammer and director Luca Guadagnino. While many moments stand out, including the empathetic and compassionate speech by father Michael Stuhlberg (also in Shape of Water) that is the dream of every LGBT kid, it’s the minutes-long reactive close-up on Chalamet as the credits roll and song of yearning plays that devastatingly endures. My favorite of 2017.

Lady Bird — Sacramento, 2002. A semi-autobiographical coming of age in the suburbs tale featuring the humorous, turbulent, and affecting relationship between mother and daughter by Greta Gerwig in her directorial debut. With a fabulous performance by Saoirse Ronan as the head-strong teen who calls herself Lady Bird, a terrific Laurie Metcalf as her mom, and HW alum Beanie Feldstein ’11 as her best friend, this is the rare comedy that is smart, witty, and endearing.

Compelling Period Piece True Stories 

Dunkirk — Dunkirk, France, 1940. A visually and viscerally compelling piece of filmmaking about the miraculous evacuation of 300,000 British troops from the doomed beach at Dunkirk, masterfully crafted by director Christopher Nolan via three intertwined timeframes (a week on the beach, a day by sea, and an hour in the air) that intersect and fold back and ultimately, come together in the end. 

The Post — Washington, DC, 1971. Spielberg + Streep + Hanks = a highly timely and relevant telling of the Washington Post’s saga to publish the Pentagon Papers. Resonant on so many levels with urgent themes of today—the need for a free press, the role of women in a man’s world, and a judicial branch independent from an overreaching executive branch—all told with briskly entertaining and thrilling pace. 

All the Money In The World — UK/Italy, 1973. I’ll admit that I was initially attracted to this pic to see how director Ridley Scott erased Kevin Spacey and recast Christopher Plummer in the role of billionaire J. Paul Getty and reshot major portions of his film six weeks before its release date. Hats off to him for pulling off a very engaging thriller depicting the notorious kidnapping of Getty’s grandson. Michelle Williams is spot-on as the mother who goes toe-to-toe with her infamously frugal father-in-law who refuses to pay ransom for her child. 

Dark Master Works By An Irish Playwright and a Black Comedian 

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri — Ebbing, MO, present day. Loved this very dark dramedy whose story emanates from a tragic event in a small town. There’s plenty of levity and wonderfully drawn characters via Martin McDonagh’s clever screenplay that mixes revenge, redemption, and moral ambiguity, featuring a trio of tremendous performances by raging mother of deceased raped daughter Frances McDormand, small town police chief and target of McDormand’s ire Woody Harrelson, and racist, violent, alcoholic mama’s boy police officer Sam Rockwell. 

Get Out — Suburban countryside, present day America. A creepy, twisted, funny, scary, and subversive version of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” crossed with a little bit of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” for the post-Obama era. A brilliant, provocative, and unnerving nexus of sophisticated horror, comedy, and extremely biting social satire by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut.

Strange and Untraditional Love Stories 

Phantom Thread —London, circa 1950s. I love Paul Thomas Anderson, and he’s made one strange but riveting movie here. A gorgeous Jonny Greenwood score swings from elegantly jazzy to intensely haunting, setting the mood for this darkly humorous film featuring hard to describe relationships (I hesitate to call it a love story) between an obsessively demanding and fastidious fashion designer (Daniel Day-Lewis supposedly in his last film role), his muse, and his ever-lurking sister/business partner and their respective emotional/psychological (and ultimately perverse) gamesmanship. And one may not listen to water-pouring or toast-buttering, or mushroom omelet eating in the same way again. 

The Shape of Water — Baltimore, circa 1962. Mix in a large dose of Cold War thriller and Creature from the Black Lagoon, plus a little Busby Berkeley, and you either get a political allegory (marginalized “others” whether mute, black, gay, or non-human vs. the Man) or romantic fairy tale. Leave it to Guillermo del Toro to bring us the more “romantic” one in this strange love stories category, an oddly beautiful and enchanting interspecies romance between two mute and isolated beings, one a cleaning woman (a wonderful Sally Hawkins) and the other a Creature From the Black Lagoon-inspired merman kept in a top secret government facility. Arguably, the “monster” in this story is the intensely sadistic government agent played with gusto by Michael Shannon. 

Bizarre Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction Tales 

I, Tonya —  Portland, OR, 1994. A stellar Margot Robbie plays the hard scrabble, trailer-trash, and ultimately disgraced Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding in this unbelievably crazy but true story of her life leading up to the infamous incident before the 1994 Winter Olympics. Told in zippy mockumentary style that is fun to watch, Allison Janney as her zany, abusive mother leads a supporting cast of inept characters involved in Tonya’s dysfunctional life. Directed by Craig Gillispie who also directed the offbeat gem, Lars and the Real Girl. 

The Disaster Artist — Hollywood, 2003. Another bizarre, but true real life story about the enigmatic writer/director Tommy Wiseau who made one of the most absurdly bad films ever that eventually turned into a cult classic (The Room). Humorously portrayed by James Franco, who also directed this offbeat but unexpectedly poignant movie about making a movie, though it’s ultimately more about the importance of friendship, having dreams, and America’s fascination with celebrity and movies. (And the side-by-side comparison of scenes from the actual The Room and recreations in Franco’s film are hysterical.)

Docs About Felines and Cheating Russians 

Kedi — Yes, this a documentary about cats, but it’s not just about cats. Rather it’s a meditative and heartwarming look at the community of felines that inhabit the streets of Istanbul, delving into their centuries-long symbiotic relationship with humans in the old city. The city is teeming with cats that are neither feral or domestic, each with different personalities and lives they share with the people they adopt. And therein lies the heart of this film, as the locals share their bonds and therapeutic experiences with these complex creatures, ranging from the mundane to the profound. 

Icarus – Putin + mysterious deaths + performance-enhancing drug conspiracy = A fascinating and crazy documentary that plays like a spy thriller. It starts out as an odd personal experiment by the filmmaker/amateur cyclist mimicking Lance Armstrong’s doping regimen, but through sheer dumb luck and serendipity, he develops a friendship with Gregory Rodchenkov, the affable, eccentric, and charismatic camera-loving head of Russia’s Anti-Doping Lab…and, as it turns out, the country’s mastermind behind its decades-long state-sponsored doping program. It then becomes a terrifying race to uncover the world’s biggest sports conspiracy, implicating everybody including the Russian president (resulting in the NY Times exposé) while trying to save whistle-blower Rodchenkov’s life from the clutches of Putin. 

Docs about Life and Death 

Obit. —While it may sound morbid, this behind-the-scenes look at the NY Times’ obituary staff writers is enlightening and fascinating, and in fact, quite lively (even its peek into the “morgue,” the paper’s clipping archive). Beyond celebrities and notables, who makes the editorial cut in the pages of the NY Times obit section? And how does one get appropriately celebrated in death, warts and all. Now you can find out.   

Chasing Coral – A wake-up call to the accelerating world-wide death of entire coral reef ecosystems by “coral bleaching.” This remarkably emotional doc follows a team of biologists, including a self-proclaimed “coral nerd” in a race against time to document this die-off with powerful visual evidence, and the result is an inspirational eco drama that moves you to act before it’s too late. 

Others Worth Mentioning 

Baby Driver (the soundtrack and editing alone are worth the thrilling 112 minutes of this stylish heist story about a young getaway driver); It (I don’t generally like horror films, but this retelling of Stephen King’s classic was one of the most engaging and well told of its genre); Star Wars: The Last Jedi (my favorite of the series); Loving Vincent (every frame of the film was hand-painted in the style of Van Gogh); Mudbound; Spider-Man: Homecoming (loved Tom Holland as the new Peter Parker); Beach Rats; The Big Sick; War for the Planet of the Apes;The Only Living Boy in New York; Wonder Woman; Spielberg; Battle of the Sexes; Stronger 

In the Queue

Coco, Darkest Hour, Detroit, Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, Downsizing, Molly’s Game, Florida Project, Victoria and Abdul.

Binge-Worthy Television

13 Reasons Why, Stranger Things 2, The OA, Mindhunter, Big Little Lies, Grace and Frankie 

Trailers

All the Money in the World: https://youtu.be/KXHrCBkIxQQ

Call Me By Your Name: https://youtu.be/Z9AYPxH5NTM

Chasing Coral: https://youtu.be/b6fHA9R2cKI

The Disaster Artist: https://youtu.be/cMKX2tE5Luk

Dunkirk: https://youtu.be/F-eMt3SrfFU

Get Out: https://youtu.be/sRfnevzM9kQ

I, Tonya: https://youtu.be/OXZQ5DfSAAc

Icarus: https://youtu.be/qXoRdSTrR-4

Kedi: https://youtu.be/w9fwhVx9zR0

Lady Bird: https://youtu.be/cNi_HC839Wo

Obit.: https://youtu.be/BgpMNerK9cU

Phantom Thread: https://youtu.be/xNsiQMeSvMk

The Post: https://youtu.be/nrXlY6gzTTM

The Shape of Water: https://youtu.be/XFYWazblaUA

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: https://youtu.be/Jit3YhGx5pU

[onlykeithpowers]

Sacramento native Keith Powers boasts a half-million swooning Instagram followers, thanks to his roles in two critically acclaimed musical biopics, Straight Outta Compton and The New Edition Story. Now the 24-year-old actor is romancing Bella Thorne in the new television drama Famous in Love, which premieres April 18 on Freeform (formerly ABC Family). He shares a few choice anecdotes, like how he learned to bust a move from Ronnie DeVoe and that awkward moment when he met Dr. Dre.

How would you describe the new show? People are calling it the next Pretty Little Liars. It has Pretty Little Liars nuances because Marlene King [produces both programs], so you’ll get those thrills, but it’s a fresh new show of its own. The only show I can say it’s close to is Entourage. Another one is Gossip Girl, because of the lies, the scandal, the sexiness. [Bella Thorne plays a college student and aspiring actress who gets cast opposite Powers’ character in a Twilight-like movie, and becomes torn romantically between him and a longtime guy friend.] If you want to see what an actress can go through after gaining overnight success, watch Famous in Love, because it’s so accurate. You get to see what she goes through, still wanting to be in school and dealing with fame. And then it gets dark and goes to a whole other place.

Your character, Jordan Wilder, sports a black eye. He’s the series’ bad boy, isn’t he? Jordan is not really a bad boy, he’s just a guy who makes mistakes, but the negatives get put on front street more than the positives. Jordan is the type not to interact with many others because of people throwing his name in dirt, but once you get to know [him], he has a lot of substance—he’s a cares-so-much type of guy. One mistake [in particular] haunts him: he moved in on his best friend’s girlfriend. What I love about the show is we get a chance to love and hate something about every character, and at the same time we can relate to all of them because they’re not perfect.

Speaking of relatable, you are awfully cozy with your fans on Twitter and Instagram—you answer many tweets personally. Can you keep it up now that your star is rising? I’ve always been a people person. With social media you have the luxury of reaching out to people directly. Once you have them, whatever you feed them they’ll take with an open heart. So I think it’s important. There are some who are grandfathered in and don’t have to do that—the Denzels, the Will Smiths, the Leonardo DiCaprios, the Channing Tatums. But things have changed, and social media has taken a primary role in the entertainment industry. It’s part of the job. I try to look at most tweets, but ever since The New Edition Story came out [on BET in January], my Twitter account has been in a shambles, and my Instagram too—the comments sections are crazy. So I’ve readjusted.

Let’s talk about The New Edition Story, in which you played group member Ronnie DeVoe, and Straight Outta Compton, about the rap group N.W.A.—you played Dr. Dre’s late brother, Tyree. What was it like portraying these real people? Playing Tyree was like playing a fictional character because people didn’t know him. Dr. Dre made a song about his brother on the 2001 album, [but] I got to introduce the character. But people know Ronnie—he’s still breathing and walking around. So people could pick out when I wasn’t authentic right off the bat.

Did you get to meet Ronnie? We met all of New Edition—they were there when we were learning the dance moves. We had New Edition boot camp [where] we basically had to shadow them—we had to keep up. It was good and bad: good because we’d get everything straight from the source, and bad when they’d come on set and say, “Aw, I would have never said that!” So it got a little tricky. Ronnie always gave me feedback. At first I couldn’t learn to dance, and he made it easy for me and kept my head on straight, rooting me on. That always felt good.

If you’d been a teenager in the ’80s or ’90s, whose poster would you have had on your wall, N.W.A.’s or New Edition’s? Definitely both, because I heard a lot of R&B growing up, [and] a lot of West Coast hip-hop—that was the time when West Coast and East Coast were beefin’. You’ve got the best of both worlds with those two. [New Edition’s] music is so timeless. I don’t think “Can You Stand the Rain” will ever be an old song. That’s one of the greatest songs of all time.

What was it like meeting Dr. Dre for the first time, when you’d been hired to play his late brother in the movie? It was awkward at first. We met at LA Center Studios. He didn’t want to look at me—he’d look at me, then look away. He was probably thinking, “Wow, this dude looks like my little brother!” I’d look at him, then he’d look at me, then I’d get shy. Then it was like, “This is going to be good.” Then, “All right, let’s do this!” And my middle name is Tyree, which was his brother’s name—it’s funny how things work out. [Dr. Dre] was one of my idols growing up, one of my heroes, so it’s dope I got to play his little brother.

Your character’s death is a big emotional turning point in the movie. [Tyree] idolized his big brother. He just wanted to be with his big brother at a time when N.W.A. was hot, but his mom said “No, you’re in school, you’ve got to focus on that.” And right when Dr. Dre was about to let him come [on a tour], that’s when he passed away. [Tyree was killed in a street fight in 1989 at the age of 21.] That’s what hurt, because, man, he just wanted to go on the tour. It’s always a sensitive subject talking about that with Dr. Dre, because he probably thinks about that all the time. I’m just glad I was able to show people his little brother because of this movie.

Was your mom protective of you like Tyree and Dr. Dre’s? I think all moms are—but my mom wasn’t overprotective. When [my siblings and I] were young we were always outside on our bikes and we’d be gone for hours. That was our vibe. But we obeyed our parents, so my mom trusted us.

What kind of childhood did you have? I had a very normal childhood, a fun childhood. I grew up in South Sacramento and went to high school in Elk Grove. I thank God [for] the childhood I had because I think it helps my acting. I was able to experience natural things that I think all kids should experience. You should go outside and [pop] wheelies on your bike and fall down and scrape your knee. I got to play basketball after school for hours, climb mountains, go out into the fields. There was no care in the world. I think a lot of parents suffocate their kids, and when they get out into the real world they don’t know how to act.

You played wide receiver in high school, and had plans to go into the NFL. I definitely had aspirations, but it didn’t work out, and I’m glad because I love what I do. Looking back, I didn’t love sports as much as I thought I did. You grow up thinking you can play sports for the rest of your life, but you have to work at it, and I wasn’t putting in the work. But acting I love, and I put in the work.

Your family still lives in South Sacramento. Do you get home much? I come up for holidays and birthdays. I stay with my grandparents, my mom—I hop from house to house. Everything has changed in Sacramento, but at the same time it’s still the same. Last time I was there, I was courtside with my mom [at a Kings game at Golden 1 Center]. It was super dope. I was so excited being courtside I didn’t even eat. via. Sactownmag

[lalka-laski]

If you were given three things to make you happy, what would these be? A brain rid of anxiety & insecurity A better paying/less stressful job A killer body How would you rank the following in importance: family, career, love life? Well, I’d group family and love life in the same category because when you find your soulmate, he/she becomes part of your family (regardless of marital status). Nothing comes before family. And all of that is entirely more important than career. Jobs are expendable, transferable. Our loved ones are not.  Which would you prefer: having a baby without a partner or a partner without a baby? For a long time I kind of envisioned myself in the former situation. But now that I have the love of my life, I wouldn’t trade him for anything. I do hope we have kids someday but I try not to stress about making it a priority. Spending my life with him is what matters.  What was your experience about being “mansplained,” and what did you do about it? I call out men each & every time they do that. I don’t have the tolerance.  Who was your favorite cartoon character when you were a kid? Princess Aurora! And she still is. I’m wearing a Sleeping Beauty bangle as we speak. 

Do you think God is real, and why? I have a fluid idea of what/who I believe God to be.  Do you believe in giving people second chances, and why? Absolutely. I would have never improved & evolved if it weren’t for the people in my life who gave me second (and third and fourth) chances. That’s how we grow. How would you describe your first crush? I was in kindergarten. His name was Jake. We ended up hooking up senior year of high school.  Better late than never, huh? Do you ever keep a journal? For my entire life. I have a whole box of over 30 journals ranging from age 9 to the present.  Do you think people fall in love because the right person has arrived, or because the time is right (regardless of whom the person is that they fall in love with)? Timing *is* a factor but ultimately love is about the individual person.  How do you feel about the #MeToo movement? I fully support it. What else do you expect me to say? What do you look for in a relationship? I never realized how important the element of FUN is for me until I dated Glenn. We’re very playful; constantly joking and making each other laugh. Several people have remarked to us that we always look like we’re having a good time in each other’s company. And we are! I think I had an unhealthy expectation of relationships in the past. I thought passion was only achieved through intense conversations, tearful arguments, violent sex. But Glenn & I have a magnetizing connection and mind-blowing passion, all while being each other’s best friends. Our relationship is rooted in JOY. And it’s the most beautiful thing. Other non-negotiable qualities are support and empathy (particularly when it comes to understanding my anxiety) and of course, loyalty. What is your idea of a perfect date? I love a traditional wining & dining. I’m not a fan of activity-based dates if you’re just meeting the person. Something about it feels awkward to me. I’d rather just sit in a relaxed environment, enjoy some good food & drink and chat away. What legacy do you want people to remember about you after you’re gone? I’d like to be remembered as a bright spot in people’s lives.

Have you ever asked a guy out on a date? No way. Not because I subscribe to gender roles or anything. But simply because I’m not a move maker. What was the most important lesson you’ve learned from your past relationship? Where to even begin? -You shouldn’t ever have to beg for attention or affection from your partner -Love should be celebrated & shared, not hidden like a dirty secret -Crying during/immediately after sex is not healthy -A man’s refusal to stop when you explicitly ask him to is the definition of ASSAULT

What book influenced you the most? I could never pick just one What’s a deal-breaker for you in a relationship? Well I’d like to say abuse or assault is a deal-breaker, but my response from a few questions ago proves that’s not the case. Although, I’ve learned my lesson since then. Also any kind of infidelity is unacceptable. Are you a morning or a night person? I’ve become more of a night person lately  How important is trust in a relationship? It’s the backbone of any healthy relationship How do you feel about infidelity? There is no room for it in a healthy relationship Do you believe that the day will arrive when humans will be replaced by machines in almost all aspects of life? Not entirely. I think machines will replace lots of menial (or even extraordinary) tasks but I don’t think humans will just cease to exist. What do you think is humankind’s greatest invention? I’m not trying to be snarky but the first thing that came to mind was pizza. Delivery pizza, to be specific. Do you ever think about how dope it is that you can get the greatest food in existence delivered to your door with just a few clicks of your phone? PRICELESS.  Do you think that humans are doing more harm than good to the planet? Oh 100% What is your take on telepathy? I think some people have stronger intuitive senses than others but I don’t believe in straight-up telepathy  What is your favorite workout routine? I don’t do shit, my dude Would you rather be called vain or insecure? I’ve been called both. And to be honest, I *AM* both. Although I’m only vain in the context of myself.  What important lesson did a close relative teach you? Be generous with your “I love you”s. You can never say it too much. 

What part of your body do you find attractive? My collarbones are my favorite feature Which would you choose to be: law-abiding citizen or rule breaker, and why? I’m a law-abiding citizen. I function best when strict rules are in place.  What is your ideal vacation? My dream trip is Poland or Iceland. But I’d take a vacation almost anywhere at this point. What superpowers did you wish you had when you were a kid? Teleportation or time-travel. Tbh, I still do. Are you a mountain or a beach person? Beach! What mythical animal do you resonate with, and why? A mermaid maybe because I love to swim? Funny Which member of your family do you feel closest to, and why? My sisters & my cousin Rachel. My sisters are kinda self-explanatory and my cousin Rachel & I are close in age and have very similar interests so we’ve always gotten along.  Who do you consider your best friend in your workplace? I like all my coworkers for the most part but my best friends no longer work here.  What three adjectives would describe you? Sensitive, imaginative, flighty.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? I’m pretty content with where I live now, in all honesty. What are you passionate about in life? Spreading love & joy What quality in a person do you fall in love with? Humor, wit, compassion, sensitivity  Have you had your heart broken before? Sure have. Do not recommend it!  What is your take on astrology? I find it fascinating but I take it all with a grain of salt. And I certainly don’t let it dictate my life. I just have fun with it.  What is your life’s soundtrack? Ideally it’d be something dreamy & whimsical! Slightly Disney-esque.  When was the last time you spoke with a classmate from high school? I’m texting with my high school best friend right now Are you left- or right-handed, and would you want to switch? Right handed. What subject were you good at in high school? English Do you find it difficult to admit that you are wrong, and why? I always take the blame & have no problem admitting I’m wrong. Even when I know I’m not...  Do you get excited or scared when meeting new people? Both but probably more nervous than excited What is your secret hobby that others would consider weird? I love reading inmate’s profiles on writeaprisoner.com and then researching their crimes How do you cope with stressful situations? HA HA HA, not well... Is there anything that you would like to change about yourself? Quite a lot. I’d like to be calmer and more disciplined. What musical instrument do you know how to play? None, although I’d love to learn something Which would you prefer in a romantic partner: a dreamer or an achiever? An achiever. What is your favorite part of a house, and why? My bedroom. It’s calm & cozy and decorated perfectly to my liking. Who is the fictional character who closely resembles you in terms of attitude? Elle Woods, on my best days. When you were a kid, what did you say you wanted to be when you grew up? An author. And that’s still true! What was the title of the first movie you watched in a movie theater? I think it was The Hunchback of Notre Dame but I’d have to confirm with my mom When was the last time you slept outdoors? A little cat nap on the beach not too long ago What is something that you are proud of about yourself? I’m proud of myself for making it through this ten hour shift today. Gotta take all the little victories I can get! What song do you often sing in the shower? I don’t sing in the shower much anymore since Glenn’s moved in. He’s a legitimate singer and I don’t want him to hear my voice What do you feel is the right age for people to get married? There isn’t one. Simply whenever you both feel ready & willing.  What would be your super villain name and your powers? SuperSensitive Girl, and I’d get my way by crying.  What three non-electric or non-automatic items would you take on a deserted island? Provided I already have food & drinking water, I’d bring a journal and pen (I’m counting that as one), my baby blanket and my book collection (also counting that as “one” item).  If “hello” were to be replaced by another word as a greeting, what word would that be? Hey? What is the weirdest thing that your family does together? I don’t know, we’re pretty weird...  What was the most embarrassing thing that you’ve done for a friend? I cannot disclose that here :X What would be the title of the movie showing your life from birth up to present? Work in Progress? I know, I know, that’s cheesy. But I’m too fried to think of something more creative. This survey has been LOOOONG! What fashion piece would you invent for women? Pants with functional pockets is a CONCEPT What is the single most important thing people should do for the planet? Um, recycle I guess? Truly, I don’t know. How do you define evil, and do you believe that a person can be evil? Of course I believe people can be evil. Anyone who intentionally inflicts harm on another person/animal/infrastructure is evil.  What do you think are the two things that prevent people from realizing their dreams? MONEY and access. As much as I’d like to say it’s our own limiting beliefs & bullshit that prevents us from achieving our goals, it’s really access to resources that makes or breaks you.  Would you lay down your life for someone? A few people 

What word or term do you wish to know the meaning of? I can just Google the definition of any word I choose. The internet is a magical place! What makes you nostalgic? Girl, what DOESN’T make me nostalgic?  Do you believe that each of us has a soul mate? I do, but I don’t necessarily think that person is always a romantic partner. And I do believe in multiple soulmates.  How would you live your remaining days if you found out you had only a week to live? Oh God, I can’t think about this! Do you listen to other people’s advice, or do you prefer figuring things out yourself? I’d prefer if I could hand off all my problems to someone else & have them solve them. I don’t like being responsible for myself! Imagine that you are tasked to re-design society - what changes would you make? I absolutely would not want to be assigned that task. (Lol- copping the previous survey’s answer because SAME).  What’s the perfect day for you? Sleeping in, hitting up the beach for some reading & swimming, then maybe a nice dinner & drinks somewhere fun? Would you wait for the sun to rise or for it to set, and why? Both are beautiful and majestic! If you were born in another era, when would that period in history be and why? There’s so many concerts from the 80s and early 90s I would’ve killed to see!  Have you made someone cry? Never intentionally but nonetheless, yes.  What is the most astonishing act that a person can do for you? For me it’s all about the small but significant gestures. What I love about Glenn is that he takes note of things about me that I don’t even notice myself, and then acts accordingly. For example, apparently I always complain I’m freezing when I get out of the shower (I never realized this) so he always turns the AC off while I’m in there so that I’m a comfortable temperature when I get out. Stuff like that means the world to me. What is more important: being true to yourself regardless of who gets hurt or considering the consequences of your actions on other people’s lives?We should all consider the impact of our actions on other people. It’s selfless and irresponsible not to.  If you die tonight, would you pass away fulfilled or unsatisfied with life? Can we not....?

[wrath-ruin-reddawn]

FW Part 1: A New Wank

Fandom Wank, pt. 1/∞

In this first historic issue I'm gon rant about one of the worst problems that I have personally come across in fandom culture: the heavy policing of "problematic" female characters.

A little bit of background before we begin in earnest: I experienced this myself a few years ago. I made a rather innocuous post about a female character that I liked, pointing out some of her better qualities. Then, I got numerous responses, some relatively civil, other decidedly less so, about how that character was utter garbage because she was useless to the narrative and was far too passive and blah blah blah.

So, as a recap: these people decided to @ me and belittle my opinions because the character I was talking about wasn't a Strong Female Character™ with an Empowered Storyline™. And, to be fair, they were right; the character was hard-done by the writers, and she didn't have a narrative arc worthy of her. I never claimed otherwise. Literally, all that I said was, "Hey, this character went through x tough shit and survived and I think that's dope." And I got my head fucking bitten off. I'm not going to name names, but one of those people was pretty big in the fandom in comparison to me. It was basically them punching down, and I don't know if that was intentional but it sure as hell felt that way.

My past trauma aside, this perfectly encapsulates the toxicity of overpolicing in fandom communities. I enjoyed this character because I saw something of myself in her: she was well-intentioned and rebellious but also cautious and even a bit duplicitous. She worried heavily about how others viewed her and had the bad habit of telling lies to preserve her own reputation (which are unfortunate tendencies that I share). But, because her narrative role was Problematic and Unfeminist I couldn't appreciate her as a character, and therefore had to be reminded of exactly why she sucked.

But, here's the thing: there is nothing wrong with liking problematic characters.

We sympathize with all kinds of characters: irredeemable villains, fallen heroes, and yes, sometimes characters with good traits who happen to be placed in awful storylines. There is nothing inherently wrong with liking any (or all) of these types of characters. I am not denying that fiction can influence how we view reality, but I am saying that appreciation for any given character does not automatically correlate to supporting their worldviews, or actions.

Now, of course, things get more tricky when we are dealing with interesting characters in Problematic storylines, because we encounter harmful tropes and ideals at a macro level where they can be harder to spot. This is where, typically, insidious ideals come into play, because we are at a point now where some things are Not Okay, and mainstream content creators generally know this. They know that certain traits in characters will elicit complaints, and so they don't include them, which is cool. However, all too often there isn't a similar understanding of the structural implications of narratives, which can lead to serious, serious problems. (For reference: D&D of Game of Thrones infamy spent 4(ish) seasons portraying several compelling, interesting female characters only to completely shit the bed and derail all of that development through the shoddy craftsmanship of the surrounding narrative in later seasons. Just go ahead and read some of the critiques here if you're interested.)

(Also, no, in case you’re wondering, the character I was attacked over wasn’t Sansa.)

However, again, louder for the people in the back, liking these characters does not mean that you endorse the narrative structures that they are placed in.

I also feel the need to address the troubling trend that I have observed: namely, that female characters are all too often the sole targets of this kind of criticism. Let’s be real here: when was the last time that someone got chewed out for liking a male character just because they had a bad storyline? I’ll wait. Because, the sad answer is that fandom is able to divorce male characters from their narrative roles in ways that it is unable or unwilling to do for female characters. 

Of course, I understand that there is no shortage of male representation in most forms of media, whereas the same cannot be said for female portrayals. Although women did have 42% of speaking roles in US television last year, they were still largely defined by marital status and familial relationships in ways that their male co-stars were not, and there is still a worrying lack of women behind the scenes. And let’s not even get into video games-- I’ll just leave the sad statistic that only 7% of video games featured at 2017′s E3 had explicitly female protagonists (compared to 26% with male protagonists), or that last year it was worse at only 3%. Believe me, I understand that with fewer female characters we feel the need to demand the best from what little we have. But that really doesn’t excuse being an asshole. 

I’ll be the first one to admit that, sometimes, I’m a bad feminist. I’m way too attached to the word “bitch” despite its long, long history as a gendered slur; I’ve definitely absorbed toxic ideas about self-reliance and mental health, and although I absolutely love the music video for PYNK and think that it’s fucking iconic I can’t get into the song itself. (That last one was a joke. Not that I’m not crazy about the song, but that it makes me a bad feminist-- you know what, I’ve ruined it; it’s not funny now that I’ve explained it. Damn it I should’ve just left it there--)

ANYWAYS, as I was saying, I’m not a perfect bastion of progressive enlightened thought. But I aspire to be, and as part of that I always always analyse the media that I consume. Meta is super fun for me. But sometimes, I also have my guilty enjoyments, where I see potential in a flawed character, or a flawed narrative, and I get invested in it. Just because I enjoy these things does not mean that I haven’t interacted critically with the material. In fact, it is usually the opposite. So, maybe, could we stop automatically assuming that anyone who likes problematic content needs to have their shit straightened out? And stop policing women on what they should and shouldn’t like? And especially stop posting that nastiness on tagged posts where the OP obviously doesn’t want to see it. That’d be GREAT. ʘ‿ʘ✿ 

[afreviews]

In Depth Review of Logic’s ‘Everybody’

by Sadé

It’s been three weeks since the release of Logic’s highly anticipated third studio album, and here is my review for Everybody.

The production of the project is top notch. Executive produced by his partner in crime 6ix, the album also includes production from Logic himself, No ID, and a couple others. Features include the likes of Killer Mike, Khalid, Alessia Cara, Black Thought, Chuck D and more. The album did great in its first week in sales, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.And although it didn’t do so good in its second week, who cares? Logic is one talented guy, and this is a super elaborate concept album. 

A post shared by logic301 (@logic301) on May 4, 2017 at 11:16pm PDT

Logic faces some pretty serious themes, more so than any other project. We have the three main topics of religion, race and politics. Logic also dives into some other things: love, violence, life and death. There’s everything for Everybody. When you first hear the album it is a lot to digest but it is in Logic’s delivery that makes it so seamless. Conceptually, this project is seamless and just on point. Logic’s execution of not just his bars but the execution of the overall concept of the album is amazing. You can't just take the album at face value. There are so many layers that the Maryland rapper so intricately weaves together.

The Plight of The Biracial Man

Logic in the past has addressed that he’s biracial and his experiences growing up as such but never quite so much as in this project. This is a new side to Logic. He’s always been very open with his fans, but this project is Logic, or Bobby, on another level. 

"This is who I am. That’s why I’m so happy for this album because I finally do and say all the things that I was told I should be ashamed of." 

- Genius Verified

A lot of criticism on the album for solely focusing on the fact that he’s half black and white, but it’s more than that. Logic does speak on his plight as the biracial man but what other way could he speak on such issues? The emcee uses his experiences in order to emphasize the main message of finding that happiness within yourself in spite of others. Once you live with the album, you realize Logic is more so talking about just accepting yourself for who you are. Accepting yourself for what you love and where you come from. 

Everybody is for Everybody. 

Taking a Walk With God

“I know you need to Open your mind” - Hallelujah

Logic opens up with “Hallelujah” and it’s the perfect opener. He’s telling you to just be open minded and prepare yourself for what he’s about to dive into. You just know this project is going to be different from the other. The track ends with a skit starring astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson as God and former radio personality Big Von as Atom. Yes, Atom - not Adam. Derived from Andy Weir’s 2009 short story "The Egg,” the skits appear throughout the album. They serve as the essential backbone to this album.

Logic and his team made very minor changes to the original story, simply giving the character a name, the dialogue is more up to date, and added a speech from God that emphasize the album’s overall message.

To sum up: Atom dies in a car accident and meets God in a waiting room (purgatory) - actually the track “Waiting Room” is where this story unravels. He takes a walk with God, just shooting the breeze and finds out he’s the whole human race. He is just one soul traveling back and forth in a universe created for him as a teachable moment by God in order to mature into a god-like being. Think about it: Your kind actions are done to yourself, and your hateful actions are done to yourself. You were Hitler and “the millions he murdered." Like, what? I find the story very profound, and trippy nonetheless.

Did you get why Logic “Atom” and not just “Adam”? He’s the building block of every soul that ever was and will be. Dope shit.

I dig Logic owned the story and how he just morphed an album around it. He takes the idea that we are just one soul and makes this album that is literally Everybody. 

Walk In My Shoes

Where tracks like “Everybody,” “Take it Back” and “AfricAyaN” are from his point of view of the biracial man, he does speak from several different perspectives in order to relate to Everybody. 

“Every perspective that you hear me rapping from…I am either that person, have that experience or it was my sister’s, or my mother, or my brother or my friends, my wife, or their cousin. These are all real people that exist. I’ve just given them a fictional scenario to paint a bigger picture for the listener at home to hopefully be able to relate to.”

- Genius Verified

Here are three perspectives that stood out to me the most.

“I’ve done so much wrong I don’t know if I could ever be right” - Confess

Logic, with the help of Killer Mike, speaks from the perspective of a man who breaks into a church and confesses his sins. This guy feels as if he’s just a piece of shit and yells out to God, “I’m so tired and I don’t know what else to do.” He doesn’t even believe in God, but he’s hit rock bottom and maybe repenting will “save” him.

“I ain’t got a pocket full of money, but I’m full of hope” - Mos Definitely

Here Logic is the normal fresh of out college kid who is suffering from crippling debt and has none of the experience those jobs require. This was inspired by a close friend who came out to work with Logic and took the risk because all he had were student loans and eviction notices. I relate to this and a lot of 20-something year olds do too.

“I feel like my life ain’t mine Who can relate?” - 1-800-273-8255

This track is his darkest and most moving song. Logic takes on two perspectives, a suicidal person calling the hot line and the operator on the other end of the phone. The caller talks about how they don’t want to be alive. Then the operator explains why life is so important and why they should want to live. By the third verse the original perspective turns around and says “I finally want to be alive.” With help from Alessia Cara and Khalid, the message is so powerful. Logic has met fans who proclaimed that he and his music saved their lives. Hearing all of those stories affected him and has explained that he wasn’t even trying to. However, he’s worked on this track to actually do so and hopes it reaches more than just his fans.

I’ve chosen songs that really stand out, but he steps in the shoes of several more people. The perspectives either take over a whole song, or there's a subtle switch in the midst of a verse. We hear from a black single mother, a person who suffers from debilitating anxiety, a gay man, a misunderstood teenager looking to Logic as an idol. We even hear his take on the point of view from his mother. These point of views are real. Logic takes inspiration from those he knows so nothing about this album is contrived.

Easter Eggs-Galore

Logic was keeping a couple secrets from us in the making of this album. There are many, several easter eggs in the album’s cover alone, let’s focus on the music itself. For instance, the ending of the last track, “AficAyaN,” will have you shocked. Let’s start with the embedded secret verse from J. Cole. It’s self Logic has titled “Acceptance.”

“Fuck approval from strangers, that shit is dangerous as hell”

J. Cole is an artist that Logic has looked up to. His earlier music sounds a bit like Cole’s and well there is the being biracial thing. Logic spoke with Hard Knock TV’s Nick Huff about his overall relationship with J. Cole and how the secret track came into fruition. 

“I spill my soul into a microphone With poems written in blood In hopes that it’s enough for you”

The two did talk about working together for this project. Logic first presented “Take It Back,” to Cole. The track is told from Logic’s point of view that dives in deeper into his own past. Although he’s biracial, Cole didn’t exactly relate; “That’s your story...a story I didn’t know.” After some time, Cole eventually sent Logic his verse via voice memo. Filled with bars of “Acceptance”, J. Cole starts it speaking in the perspective of Logic then switches it up to talking directly to Logic.

“Nigga, my advice, fuck the black and white shit Be who you are, identify as a star”

He then reached out to Cole asking if he could keep the track as is, and a secret. No tag, no marketing. We also came to realize the easter egg in the album cover, an attribution we speculated but had no proof till the album’s release. This was a huge moment for Logic. As a product of J.Cole’s earlier music, to now having a secret track from the man: "This is my idol accepting me.”

The Ending of All Endings

Before we hear J. Cole’s letter to Logic, which was just amazing, Logic drops a bomb on us. At, what we believe is the end of the album, we hear some nature sounds and two people walking and talking. As Thalia, a staple in Logic’s work “concludes the program,” we’re brought back (or forward) to his last album The Incredible Story with Kai and Thomas.

Kai: Damn man, we’ve been walking forever

Thomas: Well, Thalia’s tracking system says we’ll be there in just over an hour

Kai: Shit, at least we got good walking music or is that it?

Thomas: Oh no, man. I’m cueing up the fourth album now, his final one

Now if you don’t know, the story in his last album was set 100 years from now. Kai and Thomas are just going through Logic’s albums in their walk to Paradise. At the end of the final album we’ll find Kai and Thomas at the final destination. Logic had this to say about his final album.

“Doesn’t mean I won’t necessarily be involved in hip-hop community...I’m just done with albums and it’s going to be the last one so you motherfuckers better buy that shit and tune in and see what it’s going to be about cause it’s going to be very special. I’m going to do something that has not been done in hip-hop before and I mean that conceptually as well. ... It must live in that ‘Incredible True Story’ universe and it’s going to be a story to end all stories including my own.”

- Genius Verified

Damn.

Everybody is for everybody. His plight of the biracial man may have thrown people off but it just means they’re just looking to the exterior. All the perspectives Logic takes on, including his own, are all lives Atom has lived. He may not know in the moment, but from each life he matures and learns a little something as he goes along. They’re just skipping by on the surface not diving in. Utilizing the story of “The Egg” as a backbone allows Logic to play around in new territory which may have scared the average listener. His main message to his listeners is peace, love, positivity...and “Acceptance.” 

“Remember that right here in this moment is all you are guaranteed, and the fact that you are living is what life is all about. So live your life to the fullest, according to your happiness and the betterment of all."