#creative and diverse shows are being cancelled left and right

[blackgirlcinephiles]

A million times, THIS 👆🏾👆🏾👆🏾

#I am the first person to champion seeing Black characters on screen in a wide variety of different worlds and experiences #but I can’t get behind begging white creatives to give that to us #time and time and time and time again has shown that they cannot be trusted #that theyre not willing to do the work #that theyre not willing to change #if they do it’s temporary #all the diversity and inclusion hires that came out of the 2020 protests have been rolled back #Netflix laid off a bunch of their POC staff #creative and diverse shows are being cancelled left and right #on Netflix and platforms like HBO #support Black creatives making art that centers Black people #creating stories with nuance and dignity for their characters #anything else is for the birds

[xoxoemynn]

I'm glad you feel at least a teensy bit better after sleeping. I feel pretty out of it. I've had a few weeks of ups and downs that have left me pretty exhausted before this news.

I hope you don't mind me leaving a message here. I've never been part of the fandom community, just outside of it, so I'm not even really feeling the 'at least we still have each other' sentiment. Ofmd helped me revive my creativity after years of not creating anything when I used to do so much. I'm still slower at it than I used to be, but it's a start. It's something.

Ofmd gave me the strength to come out at work, to be myself in most parts of my life rather than just carefully cultivated moments. I've found strength I never knew I had. Ffs I'm doing diversity training information stuff now??

I feels good. Feels great. And I really don't think it was a long shot to think that a successful, critically acclaimed show would get rescued. (I did wonder if making it very clear how valuable it was made HBO have an insane asking price but I hope not)

And I know s2 ended neatly (thank god) but I was so on board with Jenkins' view of "the will-they-won't-they is the least interesting part of a romance". Because you never see the payoff! It's just oh they're together now, the end, and you don't get to experience the characters as a couple. The story was the development of Ed and Stede's relationship, and a 3rd part would have given us the full scope of that.. *sigh

Idk I guess I'm just at a bit of a loss. Feeling empty. I was already struggling posting my work, or thinking how to adjust how I do it, because I don't feel its good enough for this fandom (which in my very limited experience feels very clique-y? If you're not in with the cool kids then no one cares and I'm too old for this!) It's all a bit "what's the point" I guess. I expect it'll pass but aaa, man. Y’know. Rant over, thanks for reading ^^'

The deepest of sighs, the tightest of hugs.

I feel you. Starting work today with swollen eyes and a tired heart. It sucks. This all just really sucks. And yes, I'm so grateful we got the show at all, I'm so grateful for the cast/crew, I'm so grateful for this fandom and the friends I made along the way. But this show, that did EVERYTHING RIGHT, ended before its time. And there's no getting around that just really, really sucks.

You're right, I don't think it was ridiculous to believe our renewal efforts might be successful. Because it SHOULD have been! It was a beautiful show with a passionate fan base that was also viewed very favorably by critics. In any sane world, OFMD's renewal would have been a given. And it's not silly or stupid to hope for good things to happen in a world where so often good things don't. The solution to the world being a shit show isn't to just bow our heads and accept it. It's to keep hope alive because yes, it might turn out different this time! Beautiful things deserve to be cherished, and that's what we did and will continue to do with OFMD. OFMD wasn't canceled due to a lack of love. It was corporate greed, pure and simple, and unfortunately that's a really difficult evil to fight against. But we still gave it our all, and people and the industry took note. That's no small feat.

And the show did so much for all of us! I'm so happy it gave you the strength to come out at work and live more in your authentic self. That's huge! That's the power of good art. And that's something studio heads can never take into account while they plug figures into their calculators and huff and puff about the numbers not being there.

I do hope you'll post your work, and share whatever you feel comfortable sharing. We really are of all skill levels here, and I've found genuine love of the show/its characters > the most technically well-written fic on the planet. I do hear what you say about it feeling cliquey, but for what it's worth, I also think it's very welcoming to newcomers? I realize that sounds like a contradiction. But I do think people have just kind of naturally formed little social circles of their friends and it can feel hard to break into, especially if you're an introvert like me. But I think if you start just getting in people's inboxes or reblogging with tags that show your personality/opinions/whatever, you'll start naturally forming those groups on your own. I'd also really recommend the OFMD Fic Club server if you're trying to get the courage to start posting your own work. It's a really supportive community there of people who've been posting for decades, as well as those who are just beginning to plan their very first fic.

Anyway, this is getting long and rambling so I'll end it here, but please know I'm sending you SO much love. It sucks right now but we'll get through it. And my DMs are open if you ever just want to chat. 💕

#ask #Anonymous #also the DM offer is open to everybody #I may be slow but I'll respond #I know fandom can feel cliquey but there's no reason for that #*Stede voice* I'M your friend! #(also if you have discord I'm much better at DMs over there bc tumblr is the worst) #(BUT I'd prefer the first message be out of tumblr just bc I get so many bot requests at discord lol) #(don't want to accidentally delete you) #ANYWAY LOVE YOU #ofmd

[livingfictionsystem]

Review for 'Yellowface' by R.F. Kuang

June Hayward, an aspiring author with only scarce flops to her name, best friends/frienemies/rivals with Athena Liu, successful Asian-American Indie darling, has a lot of possible reactions to witnessing Athena's sudden and accidental death. Stealing Athena's unpublished draft about Chinese labour camps and claiming it was her own was certainly a *choice.* This book was honestly a treasure. It's a blunt, biased, yet uniquely savage view into the world of cultural appropriation, media backlash, and publishing. It's also a treat for anyone who loves to follow petty cancellation deep-dives and general drama; I was reacting verbally like I was watching a football game for my entire listen-through.

I love how many infinite shades of grey there are in June Hayward's first person POV. On one hand, fellow struggling creatives could understand the bitterness at being overlooked and the temptation to launch oneself dishonestly into notoriety on a wave of trends. Fame-hungry creatives can be absolute sharks. Her sarcastic and exasperated take on everything is jarringly relatable and actually pretty witty. She wasn't completely irredeemable; she did write supposedly half of the book based on Athena's notes and 'unreadable draft,' did extensive research herself, and even donated money to related charities. On the other hand, you see June change her name to 'Juniper Song' ("Hey, it *is* my legal middle name!"), using phrases like "reverse racism", and thinking things like, "Oh, I think have some Cherokee genetics on my mom's side I could use for a new book idea."

It really has a Bojack Horseman-esque way of exploring how publicists twist things for 'the right spin.' How commodifying everything from diversity to drama is just part of the game, some sort of socio-political mental chess.

The POV followers the MC's reputation's endless rollercoaster rising and falling as her house of cards collapses. Multiple angles are addressed on both sides, anything from claiming that Asian trauma is being 'gatekept' from the poor misunderstood white writers, to digging up June's 5 year-old posts responding positively to a Wonder Woman film and saying it was 'proof of a white savior complex.' Then you have elderly Chinese immigrants thanking June with tears in their eyes about how much her book means to them, while the right wingers are defending her on Twitter.

It was all incredibly realistic and modern, to the point of my leaving a review of a book on Goodreads is feeling extremely meta. No one is likeable or sinless---only fascinating and multi-faceted. The POV leaves room for the reader to pivot from having anxiety about June getting caught, to looking forward to the truth being revealed.

June's racism is also extremely well-written and just as contemporary. You see her trying to unlearn, correct herself, pay her dues, even try to protect Athena's memory, but then she'll get desperate and go on an internal rant about how "Karen" is used to discriminate against white women. And the thing is, June's not written as a stereotypical bigot or right-winger. The book has her probably about left-of-centre. She's the kind that's on the side of the disenfranchised until it's time to get defensive about micro-aggressions. The kind who uses the term 'Cis-het' but gripes about how minority creators have this conspiratal advantage.

Definitely read this book. I loved it. An easy 10/10.

Also, with how intimately and accurately R.F. Kuang wrote about experiencing mass cancellation, I have to ask them---are you okay? Show me on this doll where Twitter hurt you.

One of my favourite parts was when June was being cancelled one time and someone stood up for her, calling the mass pile-on a 'lynch mob.' Then there was discourse about whether or not using 'Lynch mob" in this context was racially insensitive, and then there was discourse about race of the person who started the discourse---IT WAS SO REALISTIC.

There's also another really good scene where June sits down with film execs and tries to insist; "I need actual Asian people playing the Asian characters, though. Representation is important." And one of the producers makes a racist joke about Asian accents and the other one playfully scolds like "LOL you can't say that!! :)"

It really had a 'As long as we're all white here, we have a little racism, as a treat. Just to make you feel like you're part of the gang' vibe.

-Xanthe

#book reviews #long read #book recommendations #yellowface #booklr #racism #asian writers #commodification #r.f. kuang #cultural appropriation

[visionaxry]

TOP 10 TV SHOWS I WATCHED IN 2020

1. Dear White People

This show goes on the top tier of my favorite shows ever. It’s been around since 2017 (after the eponymous movie of 2014) but only this year I finally got the chance to watch it. Truly one of the best written shows I’ve ever seen, with such compelling characters and story. While I love to watch series with hard hitting social topics, it’s usually very emotionally exhausting for me. However, DWP manages to balance the gravity of its plot with a bright outlook. Besides, I always love to see different characters’ perspectives so the format of DWP is extremely engaging.

2. Grand Army

Grand Army is not your typical teen drama. It’s very raw and real. Five protagonists pull you into the story, and whether you hate them or love them, they don’t let you go. All characters feel like actual people you could know in real life. The show talks about racism, terrorism, sexual assault, white feminism, poverty, homophobia, bullying and more. I also love the way the show uses phones and social media, which you rarely get to see in teen shows. It doesn’t feel glossy or over dramatic. It does get graphic and dark, but it makes you care about the fate of its characters. Here, we also get to see five different perspectives. That and the rawness reminded me of SKAM, although GA is way less cheerful. It could also be compared to Euphoria with it’s portrayal of real issues, but I feel like GA hits the spot much better (and has more diversity).

Finding out that the creator is racist, upon finishing the binge, left me shocked and quite conflicted. I hope they will change the showrunner for season 2 (if it gets renewed). 

3. The Great 

I’m not much of a period drama fan but this one’s no typical historical shows. It plays around historical figures, but you shouldn’t take that too seriously, just like the show itself. It’s a great (haha get it) fun to watch. The combination of comedy with the actual life or death peril creates a unique experience. Each episode the tables turn, you feel both, betrayed and enticed. Not to mention, Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult’s chemistry and performances are phenomenal. Overall, it feels like a strawberry blew up in your mouth (take it however you want).

4. Dickinson

Dickinson is similar to The Great in a sense of historical accuracy. And I’m grateful for it, because seeing the 19th century nobility twerking at a party was something that brought me an immense amount of joy. Of course, you get to see Emily Dickinson’s poetic and original inner world, which is handled quite creatively.

5. The Queen’s Gambit

This is just a very well written, portrayed and produced story. Even if you feel like it wouldn’t be your cup of tea (I mean a period piece about chess? Come on), chances are once you put the show, you won’t be able to stop. It’s a limited series with a star struck cast which pretty much reads like a prolonged film. It’s also pretty suitable to watch with your family, if usually you struggle to find a common interest.

6. Julie and the Phantoms

This show certainly exceeded everyone’s expectations. It may seem like a typical kids show, but it’s smart, deep and entertaining. The music is incredible and it’s impossible not to fall in love with characters. Also, here’s the proof that your show doesn’t need to have graphic scenes and oversexualized underaged characters to be good. 

7. Saved By the Bell: the reboot

So I didn’t watch the original show, but the reboot caught my attention mostly because of Josie Totah, and because the vibe of the show just felt like something I would like. And I was absolutely right. Perhaps it’s not everyone’s cup of tea (and what is?) but to me it’s hilarious. A sort of heart-warming witty little show with gen z humor and interesting diverse characters. Definitely my new comfort show. And Lexi’s my queen.  

8. Outer Banks

Released during self-isolation it became a way for the viewers to live vicariously through the risky outdoor adventures. Perhaps, that’s why it’s such a hit and a bit overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked (why do you think it’s on this list). It’s not an outstanding show, might be cheesy and raise some questions (like how can they all be teenagers looking like that?) but it’s entertaining and engaging, and sometimes that’s all you need.

9. I am not okay with this

Let’s take a moment of silence for this amazing show being cancelled. Do you like Teotfw or Stranger Things, or better yet both? This show’s for you! It’s unique, dynamic, feels like you’re reading a comic book. Has a certain mystery to it and its own distinct voice. It also feels retro and nostalgic, even though it’s set in modern day.

10. Love, Victor [SPOILERS]

There’s a lot of things I wish I could change about the show to make it better: For starters, more representation. I mean you’re making a show, not exclusively, but primarily for the lgbtq+ community and you only have two main gay characters? What’s that about? There are so many possibilities to make other characters not straight. E.g. Mia and Lake could be couple goals, Pilar being bi, Andrew – definite bi energy. Secondly, the cheating trope is so exhausting and overdone in gay storylines. It doesn’t add drama, it just makes the couple and the characters hard to root for. Also, making the love interest so obvious was so underwhelming after everything we went through in Love, Simon. I was kind of hoping for a surprise love interest until the end.

Regardless of all that, no matter how far from teenage reality this show is, it was cute. And even though I rooted for the secondary characters way more than the main one, I’m still excited to see what they come up with for S2.

#tv shows #tv shows 2020 #2020 shows #Shows to watch #dear white people #grand army #the great #dickinson #the queens gambit #julie and the phantoms #saved by the bell reboot #I am not okay with this #love victor #outer banks #stranger things #TEOTFW #skam #euphoria #wlw #lgbtq show #female lead

[redheadedteatotaler]

First and foremost, special thank you to @ladymarinenc​ and @tonksiefea​ for their help with the summaries for all the YT News vids...I very much appreciate it. There’s a lot to cover there, and I have to break the stories down over a couple of days, as Tumblr will only allow so many video links in one post...and I have some new info revealed in the Editors Notes...let’s get into it!

We have several different topics to get to today...and I’m gonna start with the one that is likely the least concerning. The Book Cancellation. In case anyone was wondering, they’re doing this to completely eliminate Cara. Not because of what Gina said, but because they’re trying to get out of paying her royalties.

RK Outpost talks about how LuciferFilms has now canceled both the Mandalorian Original Novel as well as the VisualGuide. Which does not make sense if they were just taking out Cara Dune. He pointes out that clearly the divide between Darth Kennedy the Moronic and the Favreau/Foloni Side is clear. He also shows an article about how Pedro is putting Last of Us tv show as his "Main focus" but how the article originally said he "Could" Still be in Mando not he was until it was changed and that both Darth Kennedy the Moronic and Favreau have mentioned Book of Boba Fett as "Chapter 3" of the Mandalorian and that the filming that was supposed to be in April for Mandalorian is actually the Obiwan Series. (Which is once again Darth Kennedy the Moronic putting her projects before others). It seems Darth Kennedy the Moronic does not have an understanding of where to go with from here and has lost the plot with Mandalorian.

Fans also took to the internet to voice their absolute displeasure in Cara being ignored for International Women’s Day. 

Yellowflash 2 weighed in, pointing out how well we see the crap that’s going on. 

On International Womens Day, Star Wars official sm pages, they posted an excerpt from Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy celebrating Leia Organa.  The post read “Leia Organa’s fearless bravery, intelligence, sharp wit and commitment to fighting galactic tyranny make her an inspiration not only to the Rebellion, but to generations of SW’s fans around the world.”

Fans see right through the bull and see how hypocritical Disney is being since firing Gina Carano.

Jim Riley on Facebook wrote, “You know who else is brave, intelligent, sharp witted and committed to fighting tyranny in real life as well as on the screen?” and he posts a picture of Gina.

And now for the big news story of the day. The shareholder’s meeting. Bob Cheapskate was asked point blank about Gina being fired, and the possibility of Darth Kathleen the Hypocritical getting fired. His answers were less than stellar for both, and the Star Wars community is in an utter uproar. They claim there’s no Civil War going on....yet Bob’s answers point to the exact opposite. Our anchors couldn’t wait to weigh in. 

Drunk 3P0 had a lot to say on the subject, and he’s been around Disney’s cast members more than most. 

Mr. Chapek said Tuesday in the annual shareholder meeting that he “doesn’t see Disney as characterizing itself as left-leaning or right-leaning” when responding to a shareholder who accused Hollywood and the company of a double standard in firing Gina Carano from the Mandalorian because she’s a conservative.

While not speaking about the Gina Carano incident directly, he did say “Disney stands for values that are universal: respect, decency, integrity and inclusion and we seek to have the same content that we make reflective of the rich diversity of the world we live in.  And I think that’s a world we should all live in harmony and peace.”

Jay has plenty of videos on his channel that show proof showing employees of Lucasfilm and how they do NOT fit into those Disney values. Behind the scenes can be much worse than we may think or Bob could just be “full of crap”.

Jeremy at The Quartering also talks about it, but goes further into the article than Jay did. 

Disney stock is down almost 4%.  During the question and answer portion of the meeting, Chapek confirmed that “Star Wars is dead and Lucasfilm will continue to be a stain on the company.”

When Chapek was asked, “Are you guys looking at firing KK or asking her to resign and promote somebody like Filoni or Favreau or both to the co-council?”

His response was “We’ve been absolutely thrilled that we can have the kind of creative talent in our company, the likes of kk running Lucas and we look forward to having K directing the activities of the entire Luciferfilm organization for many years to come.”

Anna, That Star Wars Girl takes Cheapskate’s comments apart...

Anna goes through Bob Cheapskate's answer to the question about Disney having a blacklist as well as playing the clip of the question about Gina that was asked and Cheapskate's answer. She went through the parts of Cheapskate's answer and how it was lies directly disproving the points and once again showing Gina's tweet as about the German topics as well as Auschwitz Memorial's tweet and Pedro's Tweets about MAGA hats.

Because Tumblr will only allow 5 videos per post, the news about the shareholder’s meeting will be featured for the next few days. I actually like the fact that I can’t bombard you all at once, as it gives people time to process the information in each video, and not have so much on their plate. 

Also, starting tomorrow, some categories will be renamed, and the new categories will start to be a part of the newsletter. 

I apologize that this one is so short, but I want to give everyone the chance to wrap their heads around what happened, and not have other stuff be overlooked. 

Til next time! 

#gina carano #the carano files

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I complained about it when The Mash Report got canceled, just because I really liked Nish Kumar and I knew the format of the show and I was pretty sure Nish Kumar doing that type of show would be something really good. It was on my list of things to watch, but I hadn’t actually watched it yet. Therefore, when I sat down to watch it this week, I’ll admit I was a bit concerned that if it turned out to be not that great, it would make me a massive hypocrite who’d defended something I hadn’t even seen and would have to acknowledge that it actually got canceled because it sucked.

Fortunately, I was not disappointed. I actually liked it even better than I expected to, and I expected to like it quite a bit. I’m going to go on about that for a while, so I’ll put it behind a “keep reading” link.

I already knew I liked Nish Kumar, but I was not expecting to be so incredibly impressed by Rachel Parris, who absolutely needs to get her own show whether The Mash Report gets picked up by another network or not. I had not realized how many other correspondents they had; I am now even more into Catherine Bohart and more excited to see Desiree Burch on Taskmaster season 12. I already liked Ahir Shah from some News Quiz appearances, and I really enjoyed every single segment he did on The Mash Report (I was pleased to see him on last night’s episode of Mock the Week, apparently his entire BBC television career isn’t over just because The Mash Report got canceled). Andrew Hunter Murray, whom I recognized as a QI elf who’s come onto the stage occasionally during episodes, was amazing in his role as a spoof news correspondent. He put out some Daily Show-level work.

Also Geoff Norcott was there. I could talk about how it felt confusing that he sort of went back and forth between someone playing the character of a parody conservative and just playing the role straight, and how occasionally he actually was mildly entertaining (he even had very brief flashes of being properly entertaining), but sometimes he was also mildly infuriating and mostly he was just sort of there and I looked forward to his segment being over. I could go on for longer about that, but I don’t feel like doing so.

I will say that when this show got canceled, I didn’t fully understand why it was the one to be targeted. The BBC has lots of political shows, and all the ones I’ve seen have been left wing (to be fair I wouldn’t watch right wing ones because I get enough of that shit from the actual news and when I’m looking for comedy I just want to watch people make fun of it, but I haven’t heard of any right wing BBC shows either). Why pick the one show that gives a platform to Geoff “the real institutional bias is against conservatives” Norcott? Why pick this show out of all the other ones?

I understand that more now that I’ve actually seen it. I watched The Mash Report right after finishing all of Russell Howard’s Good News/The Russell Howard Hour, and that’s an interesting comparison. For one thing, it’s worth noting that the BBC did cancel Russell Howard’s Good News; he moved to Skye and re-titled it The Russell Howard Hour due to, according to my limited knowledge about the situation, creative control issues with the BBC. But they first let it run for 6 years, 10 seasons, and 96 episodes - that’s a lot longer than they gave The Mash Report. And I’m not sure, but I get the impression that ending the BBC show was also at least partly Russell’s decision; he had enough capital by then so if he wanted more freedom than the BBC gave him he could easily move to another network. Whereas based on Nish Kumar’s reaction to the cancelation of The Mash Report, I’m pretty sure that was not his choice.

Now that I’ve seen both shows, I can see some clear differences. First of all, one could point out that in general, people who look like Russell Howard are going to have an easier time getting very publicly successful than a show with as much racial and gender diversity as The Mash Report. But also, I think the satire on The Mash Report is much sharper than the satire on Russell Howard’s Good News (if I really wanted to be pedantic I could make the point that technically Russell Howard’s shows are not satire and that term gets applied too broadly these days, but for the sake of simplicity I’m going to conflate “topical” and “satirical”). Russell Howard was definitely not afraid to go after shitty politicians, and he did some well-researched segments on important issues. But when it came to current political issues, The Mash Report got a lot more specific in its criticisms. It had a lot more hard facts to back up the points. Russell spent more time on “safe” issues that already had a fairly wide consensus, while The Mash Report got into more controversial topics. The Mash Report’s sketches were there to drive home political points, and they did that very well. As opposed to the sketches on Good News, which were there to give Russell and his friends and brother a chance to film themselves jumping through windows and things (not that either of those are bad, I hugely enjoyed watching Russell Howard and friends jump through windows and things). Russell also did get rather sharper in his political criticism after he left the BBC, which I’m fairly sure is not a coincidence.

I don’t mean to specifically pick on Russell Howard’s Good News; it’s just the first other political BBC show that came to mind since I just watched it (also, I really do want to be clear that comparing how controversial their political content was does not mean I’m comparing how entertaining they were, they were both very entertaining in different ways). I just watched last night’s episode of Mock the Week, and I think a lot of what I said about Russell Howard’s Good News can apply to that too - making jokes about general topics and not going too far into specific facts. I think that’s the case for most political comedy shows, from any network in any country. Which is sort of how it’s supposed to be. If you want to get detailed information about politics, get it from the actual news. If you’re already informed from the actual news and want to hear people make jokes about stuff you already know, then turn on political comedy and watch people say stuff about Boris Johnson’s hair.

There are a few shows that break out of that a bit and try to be sharper while still being in the comedy genre; I think a lot of people would agree that Last Week Tonight is the gold standard of this these days. Now that I’ve seen The Mash Report, I realize it falls more into that genre of political comedy. Therefore, I now understand much better why The Mash Report was picked over other BBC political shows to get canceled by the new “anti-left wing bias” BBC guy.

Having said that, I still find it hilarious that Geoff “cancel culture silencing the right wing” Norcott has been literally canceled for being on a show that was deemed too far left. Hopefully another network picks it up, with or without their resident voice of the underrepresented conservative middle-aged white men.

[smokeybrand]

What Comes Next

My brother posted something about the new Wonder Woman from Didio’s failed 5G initiative, Yara Flor. New Wondy is, apparently, a literal Amazon; She’s from the Amazon in South America. I think she’s Brazilian, specifically. My brother, who doesn’t even give a sh*t about comics like that, had no kind words for this odious turn of events. Didio’s fever dream of a live wide reboot, the third one in a decade, was rightfully killed and he, himself, fired when the ATT buyout went through. Look, i love comics. I think they are one of the purest forms of storytelling outside of actual novels, that we have today. They’re an infinite well of creativity and inspiration so it boggles my mind why the two major comic houses can’t seem to write a compelling f*cking narrative to save their lives and always resort to this reboot bullsh*t. Marvel is much less guilty about this, the less said about All New-All Sh*t, the better, but three times in ten years? Really? What the f*ck was Didio doing?

I mention All New, All Different because DC’s Future State, the re-branded moniker of 5G, is exactly the same goddamn thing but with a DC twist. That means it’s going to be worse. We already see this sh*t happening. New Wondy. Johnathan is replacing Clark. Batman is presumed dead but is really on the run, like in the vastly superior Court of Owls arc, replaced by an unknown vigilante wearing his symbol. It’s Luke Fox. DC already spilled the beans about that sh*t. Force that diversity directly into your books because that sh*t worked SO well for Marvel, right? It’s not like that disaster didn’t take until now for them to get back to good, even if sales don’t reflect the good will because comics are a whole ass dying industry. It’s dying because no one tells great stories anymore and companies rely too heavily on desperate, ill conceived reboots like this or thousands of variant covers. Future state is doomed to fail. DC has no faith in it, no faith in the actual work, proven by the fact that Jim Lee announced the books will be returnable. Who the f*ck makes comics returnable?? When has that ever been a thing?

I give DC so much sh*t because their product is sh*t. It’s been terrible for a long while now, with the exception of a few Flash arcs, DCeased, most of Earth-2 before it got canned, and The White Knight run. I’ve written at length about my love for that sh*t. Hell, even Joker War turned out to get it’s sh*t together in a hurry and end on a ridiculously compelling note. I even found myself intrigued by where Punchline was left and i hate that b*tch. I also hate The Batman Who Laughs. This Gary Stu ass mass of originality is everything wrong with DC and comics as a whole. Dude is a try hard, edgelord, OC character getting an unearned push, forcing him down our throats as readers. It’s f*cking ridiculous. Marvel is dong this same sh*t with f*cking Knull but he’ll eventually be forgotten. TBWL is around to stay because casuals love this f*ck. We’re in the middle of another Crisis event that he orchestrated which is the lead-in to the entire Future State slate. The biggest boner in recent DC history is going to be the direct result of the worst character DC has pushed in twenty years. If that isn’t the most flaccid poetry, i don’t know what is.

I know I'm giving this Future State a lot of sh*t, and it might be fully warranted, but there aspects of this nonsense that i do, in fact, like. I like that Cassandra Cain is Batgirl again, even if that means the other one i don’t like, Stephanie Brown, gets the same treatment. I like the look of Latina Wondy and that Gotham City seems to be super Cyberpunk now. I don’t think I've ever seen that in the books before. Gothic Cyberpunk? Can it really be everything i dream of? Manta’s kid is, apparently, taking the Aquaman mantle with Curry’s daughter inheriting the Aquagirl title. Luke Fox shouldn’t be Batman, Damian Wayne should be. If Artemis can be Egyptian, then Latin Wondy is fine. I’m even borderline okay with John Kent being “Superman.” I like the fact that there is more diversity coming to DC’s books, overall, i just don’t think this is the way you go about doing it. Non of this feels organic or competently executed. This sh*t feels so goddamn miserable, it hurts. Everything i just said. I've seen before. Cass had an entire series to herself as Batgirl, same as Stephanie. Gordon was the first to don a high tech Batsuit when Bruce was missing, not Luke. F*cking Nubia is a thing. I watched Aqualad hit all of these same beats in the Young Justice show and Johnathan is literally Superman in DCeased. That book may or may not still be running alongside these Future State titles, man! That’s my biggest issue with all of this; It’s just more of the same, but worse. Even f*cking Red X, that asshole identity Robin took on when he worked for Slade in the old Teen Titans cartoon, has a part to play in these books. If that doesn't clarify my problems with this event, I don't know what can.

Future State is the most transparent, unoriginal, corporate pandering effort i have ever seen. It smacks of desperation. I know that because, aside from the return policy, instead of this being an entire line wide reboot like Didio wanted, it’s only supposed to be a two month run. Two months and then the status quo returns. This tells me that, the only reason we’re seeing any of these books, is because DC lacks content. The Wuha f*cked up A LOT of sh*t and it seems DC was wounded more than we thought. Before Didio's firing and the jumbling of the comic hierarchy, work was already complete on some of the 5G sh*t. I imagine, maybe, speculation on my part, about two months worth of content? Sub-par content at that? It’s insane to me that DC is floundering this much. Marvel is killing it with their X-Titles and Thor is gaining ground quickly but there is nothing currently being published but DC that even comes close to those books. Rehashing a failed idea that was already canceled once, ain’t the answer. As much as i what the comics industry to be okay, as much as i want DC to tell great stories, and as much as i want to see Cass back behind that symbol, this ain’t it, chief. I would love to go into this event with cheery optimism but, if DC’s recent history has proven anything, it’s that optimism in their content is for fools. This entire run seems like an obvious mistake.

[dipulb3]

Analysis: White guilt, apologies and why Hollywood is a cauldron of race issues at the moment

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/analysis-white-guilt-apologies-and-why-hollywood-is-a-cauldron-of-race-issues-at-the-moment/

Analysis: White guilt, apologies and why Hollywood is a cauldron of race issues at the moment

Despite complaints about “cancel culture” and racist insistence that people who talk about these important issues are “playing the race card,” Hollywood can’t seem to get away from conversations about race and diversity.

And while hopefully those discussions can lead to progress, lately they have led to controversy for some.

Osbourne said she didn’t necessarily agree with Morgan’s comments, but defended his right to make them. She herself was accused of being less than respectful when she berated Underwood for appearing to get emotional and insisted that if anyone should be crying over the conversation, it should be Osbourne herself.

Her perceived “victimhood” not only didn’t go over well, but the incident led to both an apology from Osbourne and an investigation by CBS into happenings on the set of “The Talk.”

Chris Harrison: “The Bachelor” franchise and its issues with race have long been discussed.

From its lack of diversity to last year’s outrage over “Bachelorette” star Hannah Brown using a racial epithet while jamming to a song, it’s safe to say the reality show has generated some headlines on matters of race.

But things came to a head this season after the casting of the first Black “Bachelor,” Matt James.

Longtime franchise host Chris Harrison has had to step aside from his duties after controversial comments he made during an interview with Rachel Lindsay, the first Black “Bachelorette,” who has been working for the TV show “Extra.”

During the chat, Harrison appeared to defend contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for being photographed at an antebellum plantation-themed fraternity formal event in 2018.

Harrison apologized, and James ended up giving Kirkconnell the final rose but then broke up with her over the controversy.

Billie Eilish: This instance was not so much an apology aired but rather yet another time a White artist has felt compelled to acknowledge a Black artist when an institution — in this case, the Grammys — did not.

Last Sunday, Eilish took home the final award of the evening, the prestigious record of the year, and used her acceptance speech to explain why rapper Megan Thee Stallion, one of her fellow nominees, really deserved it.

“You are so beautiful, you are so talented,” Eilish said. “I root for you always. You deserve it, honestly.”

If the moment felt familiar, it was because we had seen it happen before.

Adele tearfully gushed about Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” album deserving to win album of the year in 2017, instead of her album “25.”

Three years before, White rapper Macklemore apologized to rapper Kendrick Lamar for winning rap album of the year instead of the Black artist.

Race and identity politics can be complicated, but what’s not hard to understand is that these incidents happen because disparities and a far-from-level playing field absolutely exist in this world and in Hollywood.

Until that changes, someone is going to end up feeling sorry for it, or at the very least need to acknowledge it publicly.

For your weekend

Three things to watch:

‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’

Calling all superhero geeks.

The time is now to finally see how the Justice League film fared in the hands of Zack Snyder, thanks to the release of this extended director’s cut. Joss Whedon had stepped in to complete the 2017 film after Snyder left the project due to personal tragedy.

“The result of this fresh take, strictly from a creative and filmmaking standpoint, is fascinating: How did two different directors — Whedon, who birthed the ‘Avengers’ franchise on screen; and Snyder, who tackled adapting the famously unadaptable ‘Watchmen’ — approach the same material?” is how my Appradab colleague Brian Lowry described the project.

The movie premieres Thursday on HBO Max (which is owned by Appradab’s parent company).

‘Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal’

Ripped from the headlines, as they say, this film uses re-enactments to tell the story of the college admissions scandal that landed several wealthy parents — including celebs Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman — in legal trouble.

The story dominated the news for months, and now you can relive it all by heading over to Netflix, where it’s currently streaming.

‘Minari’

Now that the Oscar nominations are out, you may want to check out some of the nominees.

“Minari” is up for six categories, including best picture. The drama draws on director Lee Issac Chung’s childhood to tell the tale of a Korean American family trying to survive in rural Arkansas in the 1980s.

The film is currently available to stream on several services including Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

Two things to listen to:

Justin Bieber recently told Billboard there is a message behind his new music.

“I just want to be somebody who can say, ‘Look, I did some things that I’m not too proud of, but I took a look in the mirror and decided to make some changes, and you can too,” he told the publication. “There was a time where I really did have my identity wrapped up in my career, but I really do have an overflow of feeling like my purpose is to use my music to inspire.”

His sixth studio album, “Justice,” drops Friday and is Bieber’s second album release in 13 months. (“Changes” came out on Valentine’s Day 2020.)

With marriage to model Hailey Bieber and more private time — thanks to quarantining and no cellphone to limit who can get a hold of him — the now 27-year-old former teen idol appears to be at a new stage in his life and career.

Last year, Lana Del Rey announced she would be delaying her new album, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club,” for a few months.

Now, we get to see if it was worth the wait.

The studio album from the singer is the much-anticipated follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2019 collection, “Norman F**king Rockwell,” and expectations are high that she will continue to deliver her special brand of artistry when it drops Friday.

One thing to talk about:

It’s not breaking news that award shows and their voters appear to be out of step with the general public.

But this year’s best supporting actor category for the Oscars is even more confounding.

That’s because the two stars of “Judas and the Black Messiah,” Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya, are both nominated in the category.

Which begs the question: “Which one is the actual star of the film if neither scored a best actor nod?”

I reached out to the Academy about this and a rep declined to comment. So we’ll just have to be content with the fact that the two won’t have to compete with the late Chadwick Boseman, a best actor nominee who is favored by many for what is believed to be his final on-screen performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

Something to sip on

Looking for something to watch? We asked some of our friends around Appradab what they binge-watch to decompress.

Fredricka Whitfield, Appradab Newsroom anchor

Not at all uplifting, nor did they help me decompress, yet I indulged in “Killing Eve,” “The Undoing” and some “Lovecraft Country.”

Michael Smerconish, Smerconish anchor

“Call My Agent!” Who’d have thought I’d get hooked on a French TV show with subtitles — but I love it.

Kate Bolduan, At This Hour anchor

How can I limit it to just one?! Now, a year into Covid, here are some of the favorites that have gotten me through — “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Succession,” “Billions,” “The Spy,” “Kids Baking Championship (seasons 1-9),” “The Men Who Built America” and “The Mandalorian.”

[ryansunsolved]

Request: Stripper AU, but Shane’s the stripper and no one knows until Ryan ends up at the club where Shane works because it’s a new club.

I’ve seen this prompt floating around tumblr recently but I’ve never seen someone make Shane the stripper in this AU, so kudos to you anon for being creative and providing us with some god-tier stripper!Shane content. I mean, look at that boy’s legs!

sweet as wine

There he was, like disco superfly I smell sex and candy here Who's that lounging in my chair?

Read below the cut or here on ao3

Look— none of this would have happened if Steven Lim wasn’t a scheming little weasel who doesn’t respect the sanctity of Chubby Have I Bunnied.

“Never have I ever lived in Arcadia, California,” Steven said through a mouthful of marshmallows.

 It was foul— but fair play, and an obvious payback for Ryan’s earlier targeted question at Steven. Ryan laughed and begrudgingly fit another extra large marshmallow into his cheeks, nudging Shane.

 “I feel like you have” he smiled, pointing a finger at him.

 “Hm? Have I ever lived in Arcadia, California?”

 “Oh, I thought you said slept,” Ryan snorted, a rogue marshmallow falling out of his mouth like a crewmate jumping ship.

 Shane bit his lip, remembering that one time, years ago when he and Ryan had just started working at Buzzfeed as interns, Ryan inviting him to stay at his parents’ house in Arcadia. He remembered that night all too clearly— the night of their first and only kiss.  It was as though they reached some silent agreement to never mention it again, and Shane didn’t dare to, keeping their work relationship and his own feelings separate. But that was ages ago, and even if Shane’s feelings were still virulent in moments like these when Ryan looked soft and sure, leaning into his space, he had gone this long without mentioning it.

 No need to ruin a good thing,  he thought bitterly, and begun to wonder if he would have to dig out that old journal sooner than expected.

 Ryan had lost the game, forced to spit a congealed mess of mashed-up marshmallow into the staff sink, much to the mutual disgust of his co-hosts, and that’s when shit hit the fan.

 “Ryan, since you’re the loser, I think you should face punishment of some sorts,” Steven said thoughtfully, grinning as he reclined back in his chair.

 “Now, now, let’s be civil,” Shane tutted, Ryan rising to meet Steven’s eye beside him.

 “Like what?”

 “Oh, I don’t know...” Steven hummed, twiddling his fingers. Shane could practically hear the gears turning in his head.

 Steven and Ryan had always had this peculiar rivalry of sorts. It was usually victimless and in terms of workplace conflict, relatively mild, but sometimes it got carried away. Shane could think of about ten different instances off the top of his head where the two had gone head-to-head.

 “What about...you have to go to a strip-club—“

 “What?!” Ryan burst into laughter, head tilting towards the ceiling as he snorted into his hands, “Wha—  why?”

 “—for two hours, with the boys,” Steven finished, “Come on, Ryan, it’ll be fun.”

 Shane instantly paled, pulse hot and wild beneath his skin, Ryan’s laughter muffled below the ringing in his ears. He swallowed thickly, only shaken from his thoughts by Ryan’s hand, searing hot on his thigh.

 “What do you say, Big Guy? You, me, Big Apple Steve, and T.J. out on the town this Friday?”

 Shane looked at Ryan’s sunshine smile, those glittering brown eyes, completely unaware of the inner turmoil Steven’s simple gag had sent him into. Ryan’s touch seemed to brand his skin beneath his skinny jeans. He shivered, putting on what he hoped was a composed face.

 “Sorry, boys,” he said breezily, “m’afraid I’ve got plans.”

 “Booooo,” Steven called after him as he hobbled unsteadily to his feet, making a bee-line for the water cooler.

 Ryan laughed, adding a few taunts of his own, but as Shane cooled his burning face against his aluminum water bottle, he noticed Ryan’s curious glance, as if trying to read Shane’s mind

____

Okay—Shane hadn’t lied. He really was busy on Friday night. What important plans he had, he couldn’t say, not even as Ryan continued to pester him for the rest of the week. He supposes that considering the nature of said aforementioned plans, it would have been wiser to cancel them altogether and just tag along. It would be easier right? He could see Ryan get drunk and danced upon by a few scantily-clad women and then Uber it back home after knocking back a few brewskis himself. But it wasn’t his fault— how was he supposed to know that the strip club Steven would drag Ryan to would be the same strip club Shane worked at?

 Look, Shane wasn’t down on his luck by any means— he had recently started a promising new company with two of his closest friends and colleagues, and was still receiving a cushy contracting cheque from Buzzfeed for their Unsolved series. And despite his recent exit out of a long-term relationship, he liked to think he was doing pretty well, co-parenting a cat with a woman he still very much considered a good friend. But Los Angeles was an expensive place to live, and despite his nonchalant attitude in the Watcher Weekly, he couldn’t help but wonder, if it all went south, what would his backup plan be?

 Besides, why did strippers always need some tragic background story to justify what they do? Couldn’t they just dance because they enjoyed it? 

Shane certainly did, and it came as a real surprise. He never actually expected to take his brother’s friend up on the offer when Finn dragged him to a bar one weekend. They were four drinks in, intoxicated by the booze and fluorescent lights of the dim club, but that single passing comment ended up thrusting Shane into what would eventually become his side job and newfound passion.

 “You could probably strip,” he joked, knocking back some fruity drink, “got the legs for it and everything.”

 The guy was piss-drunk and drenched in body glitter— not exactly the kind of person you would take moral advice from, but nevertheless, Shane woke the next morning with a pounding head and an odd curiosity. It was a joke at first— like one of those bizarre hypotheticals your brain sometimes conjures up. But you never actually  act  on them. The only problem was that he did, and by the time he had secured his first gig, he could no longer deny that he was actually  interested  in a job like this. Okay, so what? He was a young, attractive man living in a particularly liberal part of L.A. 

He shouldn’t have to prove himself, or feel ashamed about what he does. Hell, half the people he worked with were gay and heavily involved in the nightclub scene. And yet still, he found himself choosing not to mention this particular part of his life to his coworkers—  especially not Ryan.

 It just never came up, and Shane never thought that it would— that was before Ryan showed up at his strip club.

 ____ 

The atmosphere hit Ryan like a freight train the second two intimidating bouncers begrudgingly lifted up two velvet ropes, letting him, Steven, and T.J. into the nightclub.

 It was rather upscale, and nothing like the sleazy, smoke-filled joints Ryan remembered from his college days. The walls were black marble, lined with tasteful vintage band posters and neon hanging emblems. An authentic-looking jukebox sat nestled in the corner, and along the stage, a line of attractive dancers had started to form.

 “I can’t believe they still I.D’ed me at the door,” Ryan shouted above the music, vibrating intensely through the floor and walls.

 Steven grinned, “Well, you know what they say— Asian don’t raisin.”

 “What—“ Ryan laughed, unaware if Steven could even hear him over the noise, “I’ve never heard that before.”

 Steven smiled and nodded towards a nearby waitress, leaning in closer to Ryan’s ear, “Maybe you can try to get a free drink. You never know!”

 T.J. rolled his eyes, “Meet me at the bar by twelve. And try not to do anything that’s going to get us arrested.”

 With that he left, striking up a conversation with the bartender. T.J. was a married man with a newborn baby at home— a strip club was the last place he wanted to be, but he obliged to humour Ryan and to provide a ride home if needed.  Ryan, however was recently single. He and Mari had broke things off amicably about a month prior, giving her more freedom to explore her blooming career and Ryan more opportunities to film things for Watcher without feeling guilty about time spent away from home.  They were on good terms, but breakups were never easy, and Ryan was more than happy to get his mind off the situation and get himself back into the dating pool. He suspected Steven’s intentions were as such when he suggested this in the first place, and overcome with a sudden wave of affection for the man, slung an arm around his shoulder.

 “C’mon, Big Apple Steve. Let’s go find us some dancers.”

 _____

 The performances were impressive. Sultry but tasteful, dozens of dancers strutted the stage, winding around glimmering silver poles like black cats, smoky eyes glittering down at the crowd.  There were a few men in the mix too, clad in tight, cropped black clothes, rippling with muscle underneath. Ryan paid no mind to them, used to L.A.’s diverse, open culture, and after knocking back a few drinks, he even found himself eyeing them as much as the girl performers.  It was then that his heart stopped dead in his chest, pushing away the slow haze of liquor from his mind as his eyes zeroed in on one tall figure working the stage.

   The man was unbelievably tall— towering above the rest of the performers, even the ones in six-inch heels. Through the rips in his black jeans, he could see his pale skin, broken up by delicate lace fishnets clinging to his slim long legs.  As the man peeled his shirt off, his collarbones jutted outwards, lean muscle trailing downwards from between his chest. His makeup was minimal— just smudged black eyeliner and a light dusting of glitter down his cheeks and pecs, hair mussed up as if he’d just had sex.  He swayed gracefully to the music, toying with the button of his jeans teasingly, stalking the pole like a predator before swinging around it once, smoothly. Ryan’s jaw dropped, and as he made eye contact with the stranger, the man visibly blanched.

 “I...” Ryan choked out, pants alarmingly tight as a hot coil wound inside his stomach.

 And then Shane was running off the stage, disappearing behind a blue velvet curtain as the music boomed on.

 “Wow,” Steven said, equally as baffled.

 “I...I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Ryan said shakily, nearly tripping over his seat.

 He stumbled towards the floor, and much to his own surprise, he found himself ignoring the neon green restroom sign, heading straight for the backstage instead.

 ____

He found Shane hunched over a vanity with smudged makeup and a lit cigarette like a tragic Hollywood star drowning in self pity and body glitter.

 “I’m not offering any private dances right now,” he grumbled, voice muffled by his hand.

 “I...” Ryan said, unsure of what the proper protocol was upon finding your friend naked and grinding on a stripper pole.

 He was even less sure about how to gracefully navigate that conversation with a raging boner.

 “Oh,” Shane said softly, taking in a sharp breath.

 “I—“

 “Look—“

 They both spoke at the same time, laughing quietly like it was some kind of Mexican stalement and not the singlehanded most confusing moment of their entire friendship thus far.

 “You first,” Shane said almost shyly, and it occurred to Ryan then that for the first time in their dynamic, Shane might be more scared than him.

 “I had no idea,” he said lamely, and cast his gaze back at his sneakers.

 Nice going, Bergara. Real smooth.

 Shane laughed dryly, “Yeah, that...that was kinda the whole point. Who woulda thought Steven would pick the only strip club I’m working at tonight, huh?”

 Ryan smiled, scratching his neck, “Yeah. Uh— I just...” he looked at Shane, biting his lip, “Why didn’t you tell me? I know it’s none of my business what you do in your spare time but...we’re friends, Shane. You know you can share this stuff with me, right?”

 Shane looked down at his lap, looking guilty, “I know, Ryan, I just...” he sighed, “I don’t know.”

 “I mean,” Ryan shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. It was decidedly hard to have a serious conversation when your incredibly hot friend was half naked and sweaty in front of you. “Is it for money or—“

 “No,” Shane said instantly. He shook his head, “I just...” he trailed off, looking at Ryan and offering a halfhearted shrug, “like it, I guess.”

 Ryan nodded, furrowing his brows, trying to take all this information in through his beer-clouded mind.

 “Okay,” he said finally.

 Shane looked at him, looking surprisingly vulnerable and almost small in his chair, “Okay.”

 Ryan swallowed thickly, “You were really good out there.”

 Shane snorted, scratching at his chin, fingers scraping against his beard with a soft sound that send another confusing jolt of heat towards Ryan’s groin.

 “Yeah?”

 “Yeah,” Ryan said, surprised at how deep his voice sounded. He began to walk towards Shane, seemingly not by his own accord. “Really good.”

 “You already said that,” Shane said smiling, looking amused.

 “Really good,” Ryan repeated, voice husky and thick in his chest. Shane’s eyes were wide, and from their close distance, he could see as they dilated, eyes darkening further.

 He licked his lips, feeling dizzy with the intensity of it all, high on the sight of Shane before him, “Still not doing any private dances tonight?”

 “I...” Shane trailed off, looking at his lips, “I might be able to make an exception.”

 “Yeah?”

 “Yeah.”

 Like moving through water, Shane slowly stood up, drawing up a chair, pushing on Ryan’s chest until he fell back into it, breaths laboured as they tore through his chest.  Shane circled the chair once, twice, dragging his fingertips teasingly against Ryan’s low collar before stopping in front of him, dropping gracefully  to the ground on the balls of his feet, smiling coyly at him, gripping his chin.  He got up again, slowly swinging his hips and trailing his hands along his thighs, dragging them up his hardened pecs before threading them through his hair, giving it a resolute tug. He poised one of his long legs on the arm of Ryan’s chair, the impressive bulge in his jeans in direct eyesight as he dragged Ryan’s gaze up to meet his own.

  Shane slowly pivoted, fully into the dance now, a small smile on his face as he ground back against Ryan, grabbing his hands and placing them on his thighs, where fishnets poked out of the leg of his jeans. Ryan’s breath faltered in his lungs,  “Holy fuck,” he gasped, the air knocked out of him like he’d just taken a football to the chest. His fingers twitched along the exposed line of skin, feeling like a teenager creaming his pants after getting to first base.

  What the fuck.

 And then Shane was pulling away, dragging him by the hand to a small couch in the middle of the room.

 “Shane, wha—“ Ryan was cut off by a strangled moan as Shane pushed him back into the cushions, straddling his lap with practiced ease.

 Shane smiled against his neck, starting to trail soft kisses along his jawline as he began to unbutton Ryan’s shirt.

 “Fuck, Shane, I—“ he panted nonsensically, hands exploring whatever expanse of skin he could reach.

 As Shane sucked a small bruise just under his ear, Ryan’s shirt popped open, nipples immediately hardening under the cool air as Shane began to grind softly down onto him, mouthing a hot line up his neck and clavicles.

 “Please, please,” Ryan moaned, reaching out for him. In his clouded mind, he wasn’t even fully aware of what he was asking for until he found it in between Shane’s parted lips. He  sighed into the kiss, hands cupping Shane’s cheeks as his settled on Ryan’s shoulders, rutting dirtily against the front of his jeans. Ryan gasped into the kiss, a strangled moan torn out of his lips as Shane drew his fingers down to pad at his sensitive nipples.

 “Fuck!” he groaned, thrusting his hips up to meet his movements.

 “Someone’s sensitive,” Shane murmured in his ear, placing a teasing bite along his jaw.

 “Shane, Shane,” he breathed, eyes rolling back into his head.

 And then Shane took one pec into his mouth and Ryan Bergara was a dead man.

 “Ohhh!” he borderline whined, clawing at Shane’s smooth back as he nipped at the bud, laving his tongue over it and mouthing hotly between his sternum.

 He ground down once, twice, and eyes glittering, placing his mouth over his sensitive nipple, he reached down with his free hand and squeezed the bulge pressing against the zipper of Ryan’s jeans. With one plaintive moan and a stuttered,  Shane, Ryan bucked his hips up and stilled, wide-eyed and flushed pink under the soft lights, “I just came in my pants,” he said suddenly. “Oh my god.”

 Shane cracked up, slumping against Ryan and burying his nose in his shoulder, “Oh my god, Ryan.”

 “It’s not my fault you’re so hot!” he said defensively, clinging onto Shane as he blanketed his body warmly, pressing him into the couch. He pressed a small kiss to his exposed neck, and Shane smiled.

 “I’m never letting you live this one down,” he wheezed, clapping him once on the ass, “I guess the viewers were right about your nipple thing.”

 “S-Shut up, Shane,” he muttered, pinching him in the arm.

 Shane huffed out a laugh against his neck and as the air stilled, he shut his eyes, “So...should we talk about this?”

 Ryan shifted underneath him, “Nah,” he said groggily, leaning into his touch, “let’s do that when I haven’t had five brewskis.”

 “Five?” Shane laughed, “Your frat boy habits die hard, Ryan. You’re gonna be a real menace tomorrow.”

 “Well,” Ryan said slowly, tracing a line down his back, “maybe you should come home with me and make sure my morning is tolerable.”

 “Oh yeah?”

 “Yeah,” Ryan said, feeling emboldened with each inch he grew closer to Shane, high off the post-orgasm bliss and the smell of Shane’s cologne warm and sweet against his skin.

 Shane grabbed his ass, “I fuckin’ love Steven Lim.”

 As Ryan dissolved into laughter, he couldn’t help but share the sentiment. And that night when he and Shane walked out of the bar hand-in-hand, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was Steven’s plan all along.

(send me a request!)

#shyan #shyan fic #skeptic believer #buzzfeed unclean #my writing #shane x ryan #stripper!shane

[woman-loving]

Transforming “Queer” into “Kvar”

Selection from "Queer Beograd Collective: Beyond Single-Issue Activism in Serbia and the Post-Yugoslav Space," by Bojan Bilić and Irene Dioli, in Intersectionality and LGBT Activist Politics: Multiple Others in Croatia and Serbia, ed. Bojan Bilić and Sanja Kajinić, 2016

Serbian LGBT activism has a relatively short history given that homosexuality was decriminalised in 1994. Soon after this routine revision of the penal code, which came as a surprise to the LGBT “community”,[5] the first gay and lesbian organisation Arkadija, operating from the early 1990s, was officially registered in July 1994. As the activist “scene” slowly differentiated, lesbian activists separated from Arkadija in 1995 to form a specifically lesbian non-governmental organisation, Labris (Mlađenović, this volume; Hura, this volume). It was this group that, inebriated by the ephemeral enthusiasm that followed the fall of Slobodan Milošević’s oligarchic regime in October 2000, misread the apparent “opening” of the political field and decided to stage the first Pride March in June 2001. The Pride—a feeling presumably “reserved” for other kinds of belonging in highly patriarchal environments—encountered an explosion of hooligan resistance and ended with around forty seriously injured activists (Bilić, 2016; Bilić & Kajinić, this volume). The then-Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić said in the wake of the event:

“I think that it is too early for a country that has been isolated for so long and under a patriarchal repressive culture to endure such a tolerance test. I am, of course, a supporter of tolerance in every sense and everyone is entitled to express their difference as long as they do not harm anyone else, and in this case there can be no harm because someone has different sexual affinities. That is the highest level of tolerance and I am afraid that we still need a certain period of time to reach it.” (B92, 2001, online)

The first attempt to stage a Pride March started the pairing of LGBT-oriented street protests with overtly homophobic aggression and inaugurated a chain of activist actions and immediate nationalist reactions sustained by the Serbian Orthodox Church. After the 2001 Pride, which became known within activist circles as the “massacre parade”, there was no initiative for Pride organisation in the following two years. In 2004, when the activists thought that the time was ripe for another attempt, they realised that they still could not count on political/state support and were yet again faced with homophobic threats, eventually cancelling the manifestation. In the words of Dušan Maljković (2013, online), a long-term LGBT activist from Belgrade:

“Forms of activism are often a local copy & paste of Western ones, which is very problematic because it implies a failure to consider the local context. This is the case, for example, of Pride parades, which many believe should be carried out like in the West at all costs, rather than reflect on how they might be reinvented to be made more effective.”

Queer Beograd Collective appeared in this context as a group of activists who decided to establish a safe haven in which the fluidity and richness of sexuality could be expressed and celebrated. A hamster with wings riding a bicycle was chosen as a logo because, as the activists stated (personal communication with Irene Dioli, 2009), “forming a queer collective in Belgrade was about as likely as finding a hamster with wings riding a bicycle”. They started condemning homophobic violence, which they perceived as a symbiosis of war,[6] clericalism, nationalism, militarism, and machismo that became deeply ingrained in the way in which politics was done by Serbian officials.[7] Accounting for the appearance of the Collective in their first Manifesto, issued in May 2005 as a “programmatic” statement of their first festival, the group members said:

“[…] the state and citizens are still ignorant toward problems of the LGBT population and all the others who are different. […] human rights are abused on a daily basis.

That is why this year we had a new concept—we refused to spend time on worries about violence that might happen and hiring private security or police. We wanted to build exciting cooperation between people on an international and local level, to have fun, and to promote queer politics. In this context to be queer means to refuse social rules and to constantly re-question supposed norms of patriarchal tradition. To create space beyond the rigid boxes of LGBT or straight sexuality, allowing each other the ‘privilege’ of self definition. To present a radical politics that sees the interconnectedness of all forms of oppression.” (Queer Beograd Collective, 2004)

The first “manifesto” introduced the concept of queer in its English original and announced that the initiative would attempt to offer a “holistic” approach to the frequent abuse of human rights by showing how various forms of discrimination stem from the same patriarchal nucleus. Over five days of the first festival, Do It Yourself, which took place in an abandoned building and gathered participants from Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Germany, Austria, and the United Kingdom, there were numerous art exhibitions, film screenings, performances, concerts, and workshops as well as a self-defence training. This event, which can be considered the start of grassroots queer activism in Belgrade, ended with a street party in the centre of the city, symbolically marking an attempt by the activists to, at least temporarily, claim a public space without provoking violent reactions (Dioli, 2011a).

However, after the initial enthusiasm to put an end to the incessant lamentations about Serbia’s backwardness and exclusion from the world, it became clear that the physical safety achieved through the use of the term queer did not come without a price. The activists and their sympathisers continued to grapple with the concept, some of them believing that the lack of violence and a sense of empowerment produced by the first festival could become possible because “queer” masked their sexual identities, which needed a more explicit politicisation.[8] At the “Queer Beograd Party & Politics” roundtable, organised within the second festival that took place in December 2005 and which lasted for three days, one of the participants said:

“I would like to describe a bit why I predominantly don’t identify or name myself queer, but rather lesbian. […] For me, using this term—which more or less has an Anglo-American connotation—is very questionable. […] There are these western paradigms which are most commonly translated, not just translated but sometimes copy/pasted to other regions, but not the other way around. This is also often the case with the term queer. It is very questionable, what we do with this translating of the concepts.” (transcribed by Irene Dioli, see Dioli, 2011a)

Thus, in the wake of the first festival, activists understood that “queer” did not really feel at home in the Serbian sociopolitical context. Although it could serve as a “folding screen” that would for a little bit of time keep hooligans “in check”, the concept was not widely known either within the Serbian LGBT “community”, which was supposed to be addressed by and take part in the Queer Beograd Collective festivals. Bearing this in mind, Jet Moon, a performer and one of the group’s founders, said in December 2005:

“After our first festival in Beograd, we realised it’s not enough to try and stage a queer DIY festival in Serbia, because for a start no one knows what queer is! On the one hand this is useful because the fascists and homophobes don’t come to attack us, on the other it means we don’t make contact with the community of people we want to play with. We don’t want to make a new kind of closet, but we use the word queer for a reason, for us it means more than the right to freedom of sexual expression.” (Moon, Party & Politics Roundtable, transcribed by Irene Dioli, see Dioli 2011a)

The second festival, self-financed like its predecessor a few months earlier, brought yet another series of performances, movie screenings, parties, and theoretical discussions on gender, sexuality, politics, and art. It was organised and attended by activists and artists from the former Yugoslav states and their guests from the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States. In contrast to the first event, which was supposed to acknowledge the presence of those who tend to be left out of the heteronormative paradigm, the second one was devoted to a closer engagement with the creative political potential of the concept of queerness in the Serbian/post-Yugoslav context. As a result of these discussions, the third Queer Beograd festival, which took place in October 2006, rounded the evolutionary trajectory of the concept of queer within the initiatives of this activist group by substituting it with the Serbo-Croatian word kvar, meaning malfunction. Thus, the “manifesto” of the third festival read:

“In Serbian there is no word that means queer, no way to say what we mean about queer being more than LGBT equality. For us queer means radical, inclusive, connecting to all kinds of politics and being creative about how we live in this world. So our new festival is called “Kvar”, a technical term literally translating to mean “a malfunction in a machine”, because in this world of capitalism, nationalism, racism, militarism, sexism, and homophobia, we want to celebrate ourselves as a malfunction in this machine. We dare to resist conformity and go against what is accepted to create something about living and justice, not false productivity, war, and money. We are happy to present to you “Kvar—the malfunction”, a festival celebrating diversity and freedom of sexual expression, celebrating everyone who fights against the system.” (Queer Beograd Collective, 2006)

Dioli (2011b) notes how the translation of queer as kvar preceded the publication of Judith Halberstam’s book The Queer Art of Failure, which questions conventional notions of success in a heteronormative, capitalist society. The choice of the word kvar, thus, becomes particularly relevant in the context of the so-called “queer asynchrony” and “temporal disjunction” that Mizielińska and Kulpa (2011) use to explain the relationship between Western and Eastern queer activisms. Although departing with a noble goal of “de-centring” Western sexualities, they stick to a Western point of reference that inevitably portrays Eastern European countries as lagging behind their Western “models” (Takács, 2013 ). With this in mind, “the Serbian queer movement may almost seem to have anticipated the times. This may help dismantle some stereotypes of ‘Eastern’ LGBT and queer movements running after ‘Western’ thought and conquests in a linear trajectory of development” (Dioli, 2011b , online). By opting for the word kvar, which, while being phonetically similar to the word queer, encapsulates the essence of their politics, the Belgrade Queer Collective activists showed how a foreign concept can be appropriated in the local context. “The local subjects found a brilliant synthesis on the linguistic as well as semantic level, and thus fully ‘localised’ the original term” (Dioli, 2011a , p. 164).

#lgbtq history #lgbt history #serbia #queer #queer beograd collective #Bojan Bilic

[mermaidylluria]

Warning to all you mers on Tumblr out there: The purge has officially begun. My account just got flagged, and the only things I have on here are my own event photos (which are all family-friendly & fully clothed), and mermaid art (both classical and new, some of which has an LGBTQ focus- and may, at times, *gasp* in some cases feature kissing). So.. just as a heads-up, the whole Tumblog censorship hubub is a real thing. My hope was that in a page FULL of mermaids, it would be obvious what the space was about- that it was absent of pornographic or ANY kind of child-endangering content, n’ be subsequently left alone.  But it appears that’s not the case.  So now that we know mer art is going to be targeted (after all, “NEKKIT BEWBIES, ER MAH GURD!!”), I suggest we all get ready to either defend our posts (via disputing flagged content), participate in some kind of (peaceful, preferably meaningful & artful) protest, or just leave the platform all together. 'Cause this tells me that they're not only flagging classical art, they're also trying to eradicate LGBTQ content, and NONE of that is okay.  Personally, I’m going to do all 3.  Fight and dispute, while making preparations to move my space elsewhere.  Where that’ll be I’m not sure yet, but if we loose, I want a place for my mermaid stuff to go, and the demigods at Tumblr better be aware, I’m taking my decently-well-known bellydance n’ other blogs w/me too, if I’m forced to leave.

And just for my personal 2 cents on the matter?  Dear gods, not ALL of the internet has to be child friendly. XP Censorship like that happening on YouTube, Facebook & now Tumblr stifles creativity (look at channels like Glam&Gore, who can’t barely do SFX makeup anymore because she keeps getting demonetized), silences valuable artistic and minority voices, removes audiences for burgeoning creators (who, btw, may NOT be engaging in pornographic content in ANY way), and forces narrow-minded, puritanical standards of "decency" (which are by FAR the minority), over others' ability to operate successfully in that medium. This smothers decent, AWESOME things like art, science, expression and SO much more. XS  See, it’s not about the p0rn.  It’s about the CENSORSHIP.  This is the internet. It was designed to dispense and SHARE information, ideas, inspiration, fun, etc. Not be a surrogate nanny for your kids. XS

ANNNNYWAY, if you want to read more about what is and is not allowed on Tumblr now, you can visit: https://tumblr.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/231885248. (And be sure to read to the bottom, where users can find out how to appeal post & entire blog flags under the last 2 questions.)  And if you have a mermaid blog where ANY kind of toplessness is involved, note that "female presenting nipples" is distinctly mentioned, which, as I'm sure lots of you already know, directly impacts classical AND modern art- one of the few things on Tumblr that can be shared WITHOUT a copyright, as well as a TON of mermaid art, classical and otherwise. XP 

What does this mean?  Well.. in simple terms, it means that stuff like Botticelli and Picasso are no longer welcome on Tumblr.  It means that Reubens, Waterhouse and Rodin, if they have artistic interpretations of naked women in their work, cannot be shared on Tumblr.  Even though their works are featured in international museums of the highest callibur, lauded all over the world as legends of innovation, vision, unparalleled beauty, & precision, expression & creativity, and world-famed for their social and economic value.  Those.. are not welcome here now, apparently.  Meanwhile, images & videos stolen from present-day & other modern hard-working artists, photographers, cartoonists, writers and other creators from allll over the world arrre hunky-dory. XP  DaFUQ, Tumblr??? (At -least- they mention mis-attribution & non-attribution on their new guidelines now. That at least, is an improvement. X*)

But now.. let’s see how that’s directly affected my blog, shall we..?  ‘Cause, as I mentioned before, I figured surely since I didn’t actually have any pr0n on my pages, I & other mer pages should be safe, right?  BZZZZZZZT, WRONG.  After getting this e-mail (pictured above), I went through my whole blog and found the 4 posts that were "flagged" as having adult content. *rolls eyes* 

3 of them were reblogs &1 was an original post. 

2 of those posts were queer-positive modern art. 

1 was a photographic collection of pieces FEATURED IN "W" MAGAZINE, 

And the last is a piece of classical style, queer-positive art. XS 

One of the modern pieces doesn't even show nipples, just saggy bewbies COVERED with small seashells. 

The other modern-style piece was a Rackham style drawing, where the tatas are but a mere suggestion of simple lines and dots. 

One was shown in a INTERNATIONAL FRICKING FASHION MAGAZINE SPREAD, which was apparently suitable for SOMEONES' interpretation of public consumption, 

and the last only shows suggestions & curvatures of breasts! (Showing the side and outer portions of the female chest, with no nipples. XP)

-And WHY AM I HAVING TO JUSTIFY THIS???? THIS IS ART. THIS IS NOT P0RN. Again I say "WTF, Tumblr????" XS

As you can see, 3 of my posts were reblogs, so I had no means of disputing those posts.  (According to their new guidelines, the owner of the original post has to do that, and if they are found as having “inappropriate content,” there’s no further means of appeal.)   But one of them, one of the very first posts I ever made in this blog, was an original, so I was able to refute its being deemed as inappropriate.  FIrst, you have to go through allll of your posts to find.. whatever it is someone’s had issue with.  (Whether it’s a person who’s flagged it or something chosen by Tumblr’s algorithms/keyword alert systems, I have no idea.)  But they don't even bother to link you in your notification e-mail, so first you’ve gotta FIND what’s being flagged before you can repeal it.  (I didn’t even know what I was looking for at first.  They never specify.  Would it be a tiny new icon near the Edit and Share buttons at the bottom?  A wee little flag pointer, outside of the post itself..?  Do I got to my posted page n’ try to find it?  Or will it be in my Posts stream, & the whole post be red..?  Who knows?)  But eventually, after enough scrolling, I found what I was looking for.  A big red bar across the affected posts.  -And if it’s a post you can do something about, they give you a button to push on the designated "flagged" work, at the top right. After you hit the "dispute" button, you’re given a largely blank page.  In the center, you get to choose between Dispute, Cancel or Learn More.  No “tell us why you feel this should not be flagged, why it doesn’t violate our rules,” nothing.  Nowhere to speak your peace.  You just hit a button, and you’re done.  You get no say, other than “I object, your honor!”  NOT COOL, people. NOT COOL.  You clearly don’t wanna hear the voices of your content creators, or, at least, enough to allow them to speak for the work they felt appropriate enough to post..

Reading this from another media source?  Please don’t discount this issue if you don’t personally have a Tumblog.  It doesn't really matter whether you use tumble or not, whether you think it's lame or not, etc. The problem is much, much larger than that, and it’s growing.  This is another very large, social media platform that's being affected by censorship in the name of marketing- and thus, be child-friendly.  They want the whole family to be able to come and see all the ads they wanna put here, and without that, they don’t make their money.  So anything not child-friendly, even vaguely PERCEIVED as not child-friendly (by God only knows whose standards), is being wiped out from the whole platform.  Don’t believe me?  It’s happened on YouTube, on Facebook, and likely, many others.  Do some googling and check it out for yourself.  YouTube is a platform that’s being strangled by this phenomenon right this very second.  There are videos on it.  Go see. Now.  ‘Cause if we don’t educate ourselves about this n’ do something to fight it, what’s happening to YouTube is our future.  Not just here on Tumblr, but EVERYWHERE.

Big Brother isn't just watching, guys, he's stealing your open arenas for personal and creative expression, so he can better market to you & yer kids.  He wants EVERYONE to buy his Stuff.   And if the kids can’t see it here, they won’t ask mommy and daddy to go get it for them.  So out classical art, and LGBTQ content, and mermaids go.  Out the door.  (Meanwhile, who do kids love?? UM.. MERMAIDS.  HELLO!!!  What should be educating them about history and the arts?  UMM.. FINE ART, HELLO.  Who teaches them about tolerance and diversity and SO MUCH MORE?  Umm.. THE LGBTQ community!  Who teaches them about what human bodies look like, and that it’s okay to have ANY kind of body?  UM.. BODY POSITIVE ART, THANK YOU.)  

We need to put the kaibosh on this somehow, now. Not just for Tumblr, or Facebook, or YouTube. We've got to find SOME way of letting the Big Boys know this is not activity we will tolerate. 'Cause the places to freely express ourselves are going to continue to diminish, get scarcer, and fewer.. until they're all.. gone.

ART =/= PORN, YOU IGNORANT, PURITANICAL, MONEY-GRUBBING FISHTITS.  LEARN TO POLICE YOUR OWN CHILDREN, MORE EFFECTIVELY POLICE GENUINE CRIMINALS, AND LEAVE THE REST OF THE INTERNET ALONE.  Please.

♥

#tumblr #artists on tumblr #art #censorship #censored #lgbtq #lgbt #lgbtqia #tumblr migration #stand up #protest #get active #activism #freedom of speech #freedom of expression #tumblr flagging #mermaid #mermaids #merfolk #queer #queer positive #object #fight #fight back #say no to censorship

[thecomicsnexus]

Jimmy Olsen, Superman's Pal, Brings Back the Newsboy Legion!

SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #133 OCTOBER 1970 BY JACK KIRBY, AL PLASTINO AND VINCE COLLETTA

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC WIKIA)

Jimmy Olsen is paired with the new Newsboy Legion, the sons of the original boy heroes plus Flippa-Dippa, a newcomer, to investigate the Wild Area, a strange community outside of Metropolis. 

The boys are given a super-vehicle called the Whiz Wagon for transport. When Clark Kent shows concern for Jimmy, Morgan Edge, owner of Galaxy Broadcasting and the new owner of the Daily Planet, secretly orders a criminal organization called Inter-Gang to kill him. But Kent survives the attempt, and later hooks up with Jimmy and the Newsboy Legion in the Wild Area. 

The youths have met the Outsiders, a tribe of young people who live in a super-scientific commune called Habitat, and have won leadership of the Outsiders' gang of motorcyclists. Jimmy and company go off in search of a mysterious goal called the Mountain of Judgment, and warn Superman not to stop them.

THE BRONZE AGE OF COMICS

The Bronze Age retained many of the conventions of the Silver Age, with traditional superhero titles remaining the mainstay of the industry. However, a return of darker plot elements and story lines more related to relevant social issues, such as racism, drug use, alcoholism, urban poverty, and environmental pollution, began to flourish during the period, prefiguring the later Modern Age of Comic Books.

There is no one single event that can be said to herald the beginning of the Bronze Age. Instead, a number of events at the beginning of the 1970s, taken together, can be seen as a shift away from the tone of comics in the previous decade.

One such event was the April 1970 issue of Green Lantern, which added Green Arrow as a title character. The series, written by Denny O'Neil and penciled by Neal Adams, focused on "relevance" as Green Lantern was exposed to poverty and experienced self-doubt.

Later in 1970, Jack Kirby left Marvel Comics, ending arguably the most important creative partnership of the Silver Age (with Stan Lee). Kirby then turned to DC, where he created The Fourth World series of titles starting with Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 in October 1970. Also in 1970 Mort Weisinger, the long term editor of the various Superman titles, retired to be replaced by Julius Schwartz. Schwartz set about toning down some of the more fanciful aspects of the Weisinger era, removing most Kryptonite from continuity and scaling back Superman's nigh-infinite—by then—powers, which was done by veteran Superman artist Curt Swan together with groundbreaking author Denny O'Neil.

The beginning of the Bronze Age coincided with the end of the careers of many of the veteran writers and artists of the time, or their promotion to management positions and retirement from regular writing or drawing, and their replacement with a younger generation of editors and creators, many of whom knew each other from their experiences in comic book fan conventions and publications. At the same time, publishers began the era by scaling back on their super-hero publications, canceling many of the weaker-selling titles, and experimenting with other genres such as horror and sword-and-sorcery.

The era also encompassed major changes in the distribution of and audience for comic books. Over time, the medium shifted from cheap mass market products sold at newsstands to a more expensive product sold at specialty comic book shops and aimed at a smaller, core audience of fans. The shift in distribution allowed many small-print publishers to enter the market, changing the medium from one dominated by a few large publishers to a more diverse and eclectic range of books.

JACK KIRBY

In 1968 and 1969, Joe Simon was involved in litigation with Marvel Comics over the ownership of Captain America, initiated by Marvel after Simon registered the copyright renewal for Captain America in his own name. According to Simon, Kirby agreed to support the company in the litigation and, as part of a deal Kirby made with publisher Martin Goodman, signed over to Marvel any rights he might have had to the character.

At this same time, Kirby grew increasingly dissatisfied with working at Marvel, for reasons Kirby biographer Mark Evanier has suggested include resentment over Lee's media prominence, a lack of full creative control, anger over breaches of perceived promises by publisher Martin Goodman, and frustration over Marvel's failure to credit him specifically for his story plotting and for his character creations and co-creations. He began to both write and draw some secondary features for Marvel, such as "The Inhumans" in Amazing Adventures volume two, as well as horror stories for the anthology title Chamber of Darkness, and received full credit for doing so; but in 1970, Kirby was presented with a contract that included such unfavorable terms as a prohibition against legal retaliation. When Kirby objected, the management refused to negotiate any contract changes. Kirby, although he was earning $35,000 a year freelancing for the company, subsequently left Marvel in 1970 for rival DC Comics, under editorial director Carmine Infantino.

Kirby spent nearly two years negotiating a deal to move to DC Comics, where in late 1970 he signed a three-year contract with an option for two additional years. He produced a series of interlinked titles under the blanket sobriquet "The Fourth World", which included a trilogy of new titles — New Gods, Mister Miracle, and The Forever People — as well as the extant Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen. Kirby picked the latter book because the series was without a stable creative team and he did not want to cost anyone a job. The three books Kirby originated dealt with aspects of mythology he'd previously touched upon in Thor.

 The New Gods would establish this new mythos, while in The Forever People Kirby would attempt to mythologize the lives of the young people he observed around him. The third book, Mister Miracle was more of a personal myth. The title character was an escape artist, which Mark Evanier suggests Kirby channeled his feelings of constraint into. Mister Miracle's wife was based in character on Kirby's wife Roz, and he even caricatured Stan Lee within the pages of the book as Funky Flashman. The central villain of the Fourth World series, Darkseid, and some of the Fourth World concepts, appeared in Jimmy Olsen before the launch of the other Fourth World books, giving the new titles greater exposure to potential buyers. The Superman figures and Jimmy Olsen faces drawn by Kirby were redrawn by Al Plastino, and later by Murphy Anderson. 

Kirby later produced other DC series such as OMAC, Kamandi, The Demon, and Kobra, and worked on such extant features as "The Losers" in Our Fighting Forces. Together with former partner Joe Simon for one last time, he worked on a new incarnation of the Sandman. Kirby produced three issues of the 1st Issue Special anthology series and created Atlas The Great, a new Manhunter, and the Dingbats of Danger Street.

Kirby's production assistant of the time, Mark Evanier, recounted that DC's policies of the era were not in sync with Kirby's creative impulses, and that he was often forced to work on characters and projects he did not like. Meanwhile, some artists at DC did not want Kirby there, as he threatened their positions in the company; they also had bad blood from previous competition with Marvel and legal problems with him. Since he was working from California, they were able to undermine his work through redesigns in the New York office.

REVIEW

If you are a ninenties creature like me, you remember all these concepts very well, because they came back in the form of Cadmus in the superman titles of the “triangle” era. This is proof that Kirby left a big legacy on more than one company. It is sometimes hard to tell where Kirby starts and where other writers come in. It is hard to tell on his Marvel work at least (and Stan Lee would often take credit for Kirby’s work). So the Fourth World is a good place to check on the real Jack Kirby. Away from Joe Simon, away from Stan Lee.

Now, about this issue. As I said, I knew most of these things from the 90′s Superman titles (that was also the last time Jimmy Olsen mattered). But I have to imagine what it was like to new readers... Jimmy Olsen readers in particular, that a few months ago were reading about Superman trying to prevent Jimmy (an adult) from being adopted. I also have to have in mind that comic-book readers were probably very aware of who Jack Kirby was. The sixties were pretty much dominated by Marvel, and a big part of that success was because of Kirby. But, as I said before, Stan Lee would take the media and take credit for everything. So I am not sure how aware casual readers were with Jack Kirby.

If they weren’t, by this issue they probably were, as DC did a lot of fanfare about the fact that Kirby was coming to DC. Some people compared Bendis coming to DC to this period of time in particular. While there are similarities, it is too early too judge Bendis legacy at this point in time.

The story in this issue is ok. There are a lot of characters and plots being introduced. It’s the first appearance of Morgan Edge, the Wild Area, the Outsiders, the Newsboy Legion (Junior) and other concepts. It is important to remark that this Newsboy Legion is not the golden age version of that group. They are the sons of the originals (and they look pretty much the same... and dress the same). Flip is a bit weird, though. I am pretty sure he doesn’t need the scuba kit on all the time. I will be reviewing the original Newsboy Legion in the golden age reviews.

The art is better than the usual Kirby style, but as it was said above, Al Plastino redrew Superman and Jimmy’s faces. This was common practice at DC, as they didn’t want their most emblematic characters changing too much from issue to issue.

I give this issue a score of 8

#jack kirby #al plastino #fourth world #vince colletta #gaspar saladino #bronze age #dc comics #1970 #jimmy olsen #superman's pal jimmy olsen #newsboy legion #comics #review

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2018 - Best TV Show

I stated last year that 2017 was the year Peak TV broke me, with too many shows spread across too many services, with many more on their way. 2018 was the year I learned to let go of the fact that I will never be able to watch every show, and to just be content with all the great shows I was able to catch. Here are the Aarons for Best TV Show:

#10. Barry (Season 1) – HBO

A simple premise that could initially be dismissed as prestige TV’s over-fascination with anti-heroes mixed with Hollywood’s over-fascination with itself, Bill Hader’s dark-comedy about a hitman who moves to LA to pursue an acting career quickly develops into a complex examination of post-war PTSD, a deconstruction of television tropes, and, simultaneously, just one of the funniest shows of the year. With veteran comedic talent like Henry Winkler and surprising break-outs like Anthony Carrigan to bolster a firing-on-all-cylinders Bill Hader as the titular character, Barry says “Yes, and���” to every opportunity to mix its hilarity with harrowing content to pitch-perfect results. While the premise, which feels dangerously close to slipping into Dexter territory by season’s end, may end up unsustainable at this level of quality, for now, Barry is a sure-fire hit, man.

#9. Dear White People (Season 2) – Netflix

More than weathering the backlash to its misnomer title, as well as the political climate that feeds into that backlash, Dear White People channels all that rage, frustration, misunderstanding, and fear into an oft-livid, oft-cathartic, and always witty season of television. Funny while never losing its firm focus, the most amusing aspect of Dear White People is perhaps the absolute joke it makes of the idea “diversity of thought” is mutually exclusive from “diversity of people” through the deft writing of its exceptional ensemble cast, who take turns shining in episodes that range from a groovy neo-noir mystery to an emotionally-eruptive bottle episode, culminating in an intriguing cliffhanger that suggests Dear White People has plenty left to address.

#8. Daredevil (Season 3) – Netflix

Just as Wilson Fisk clawed his way back up to being the King of Crime throughout the third season of the superhero drama, Daredevil clawed its way back up to the King of the Marvel-Netflix collaborations (and back onto this list following its nod all the way back in the 2015 Aarons) with a storyline based on the acclaimed “Born Again” comic-book run. While the show continues to have significant failings (including, most egregiously, the literal fridging of a female character in this latest batch of episodes), it’s easy for viewers to become blinded to them thanks to the chemistry of its main trio of friends, its renewed fixation on weighty thematic content, and, of course, its impressive fight sequences, including most notably the now-requisite one-take fight sequence that takes the form of an expansive prison riot this go-round. While the series has now been cancelled, solace can at least be found in the fact the show underwent such a creative rebirth before its untimely demise.

#7. American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace (Season 2) – FX

Ryan Murphy’s anthology series may have been working with less well-known true-crime material in its second outing, but the resulting exploration of the sinister systemic forces that influence such shocking stories is no less resonant. True-crime has several difficult hurdles to clear to not feel like cheap exploitation, and American Crime Story strikes the right balance to its appropriately disturbing portrayal of the heinous acts by framing them through the devastating impact they have, not only on the direct victims, but on the whole of a society more concerned with reinforcing homophobic power structures than with the pain and horror such structures produce. The season’s reverse-chronological structure not only makes for compelling storytelling, but seems perfectly suited for the way in which the series traces the sins of America’s modern day to the crimes of its past, creating impactful television.

#6. Supergirl (Season 3b-4a) – CW

Supergirl’s continually-increasing confidence and complexity has sent the series soaring to new heights with its pointed fourth season, which distills its obvious real-world political influences into an effectively universal rumination on the insidious nature of bigotry, the trials of public perceptions, and the necessity of hope. It remains to be seen whether Supergirl can stick the landing with its lofty ambitions, which deserve appreciation regardless, but grounding its dynamic superhero storytelling in the inspirational performance of lead Melissa Benoist, as well as a further push for inclusivity with the introduction of television’s first transgender superhero Dreamer, makes for television that is quite super, girl.

Hey, it’s my awards show. Let me pun.

#5. Better Call Saul (Season 4) – AMC

Better Call Saul’s fourth season appeared to reach a breaking point in regard to its overlap in cast, stories, and timeline with its parent show, it’s an aspect that could be read as a significant flaw or as the greatest strength of a great season. It’s easy to lament the loss of the quirky lawyer comedy the show was in its earlier episodes, but this mourning is perhaps reflective of the soul-wrenching moral descent of Jimmy McGill, spiraling harder and faster in wake of last season’s tragic ending. It’s painful in all the right ways watching the excellent cast lead their characters to fates both known and unknown, making for a momentous (and still endearingly offbeat) season of television that recalls the finest moments of Breaking Bad, but just might be arguably better.

#4. BoJack Horseman (Season 5) – Netflix

In a series renowned for its gut-punches, the underlying message of BoJack Horseman’s fifth season might be the most difficult to grapple with: No amount of regret, good intentions, or tragic backstories excuses BoJack or entitles him to a happy ending. But that’s no reason not to continue to seek healing. Netflix’s animated adventures of anthropomorphic animals continues to be one of the most important and affecting examinations of toxic relationships, mental illness, and the cycles of abuse in art. The fifth season’s added meta-narrative allows the show to deconstruct the uncomfortability of its own representations, and the toxicity in its own fanbase. At a time when questions of abuse and reconciliation not just in Hollywood, but everywhere, rage in our cultural consciousness, BoJack Horseman provides a powerful way to grapple with these issues… and make them digestible through its quick-witted wordplay, visual gags, and general horsing around, as always. 

#3. Legends of Tomorrow (Season 3b-4a) – CW

If you were to travel back in time to just a few years ago, it would feel unbelievable how big the CW’s interconnected superhero universe has become... and that DC’s Legends of Tomorrow would lead the pack in quality. However, the once middling show really went the extra mile in spicing things up. Sending a talking, telepathic gorilla back in time to kidnap a young Barrack Obama? Combining elemental energies to form an enlarged Tickle-Me-Elmo rip-off named Beebo to take down a Time Demon? Having your Time Demon played by classical actor John Noble, and then having an episode in which the characters travel back in time to the set of the Lord of the Rings movies to record the voice of John Noble, playing Denathor, playing himself in order to trick a character into believing that John Noble’s John Noble voice is in fact the voice of John Noble’s Time Demon character?? It’s hard to believe that these episodes exist in any show, let alone all of them (and so much more) in one. This zany energy, accentuated by a game cast and an embrace of its misfit nature, reflected in the character’s diversity in both backgrounds and powers, have allowed the show to finally rightfully claim the title of legendary. 

#2. Atlanta (Season 2) – FX

Much like the last entry on this list, it’s impossible to know what to expect when one sits down to watch the latest episode of Donald Glover’s uncanny comedy Atlanta, which, when it first appeared on this list two years ago, was aptly described as like a never-ending Christmas. Whether banding together its group of rising comedic talent (including Zazie Beetz, Brian Tyree Henry, and Lakeith Stanfield) or spinning them off into their own madcap adventures, Atlanta continued to surprise and stupefy in style in its sophomore outing. Once again weaving insightful socio-economic commentary into sitcom premises cranked up to ten and funneled through an idiosyncratic vision, Atlanta’s quality remained as lush and bold as evergreen lantana.

That one’s not really a pun, but, again, this is my awards show, so no one can stop me.

AND THE BEST TV SHOW OF 2018 IS...

#1. The Good Place (Season 3) – NBC

When The Good Place began, it was met with a caution concerning its long term sustainability, but in its now third season, the show’s penchant for blowing up its own premise at every opportunity can be clearly seen as the confident strokes of a long-gestating story. Even within its absurd afterlife of bizarre predilections and oddball characters, the show never loses sight of its stirring humanistic core, which found new resonance in an inspirational third season premise that provides hope and happiness in the seemingly most dire of circumstances. While, as of this writing, it remains to be seen in what ways the show might again radically alter its make-up heading into the confirmed fourth season, but, based on the bonzer quality of the entire show thus far, it might be time to start considering that we’ve all been in the Good Place this whole time.

NEXT UP: THE 2018 AARONS FOR BEST TV EPISODE!

#tv #TheAarons #TheAarons2018 #TheAaronsTV #bestof #bestof2018 #barry #dearwhitepeople #daredevil #americancrimestory #supergirl #bettercallsaul #legendsoftomorrow #bojackhorseman #atlanta #thegoodplace #goodshows

[calamp]

Smart Tags Improve Fleet Efficiency and Crash-Triggered Video Can Save Lives

In the wake of Mobile World Congress Barcelona being cancelled, companies all over the world that were prepared to showcase their product advancements were left to reorganize. While cancelling the conference was well warranted, we are still eager to share what we had planned for conference attendees.

CalAmp kicked off 2020 by announcing its newest iOn™ Tag and iOn™ Vision products for fleet and asset management. To highlight the capabilities of its new Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, CalAmp planned a few very creative interactive demonstrations. Here is a quick rundown:

CalAmp iOn Tag

We know fleet managers face the challenge of launching standalone services that don’t tie into their main enterprise applications, making full integration more difficult. The new CalAmp iOn Tag visibility service helps ensure the right equipment is in the right vehicle, yard or storage area. If a valuable asset is left behind, the system will alert the driver and give the last known location to assist in a quick recovery. At MWC Barcelona, we planned to track in real-time a few CalAmp team members on-site at the show to showcase how smart sensors can be affixed to any valuable asset and paired with a CalAmp telematics device to help improve customer service, operational efficiency and cost savings.

CalAmp iOn Vision

An interactive demo of the iOn Vision video telematics solution was to be on display to show how the self-install camera, along with a CalAmp Wi-Fi-enabled telematics edge device and video server, will provide an accurate assessment of driver behavior to improve driving efficiency and fleet safety under ever-changing road conditions. While video cameras are not new, iOn Vision is a fully integrated video telematics solution. Coupled with CalAmp’s CrashBoxx® crash detection technology, iOn Vision enables fleet operators to capture video evidence of critical collision events to facilitate investigations and help mitigate liabilities.

“CalAmp has always prided itself on listening to our customers’ needs. We recently discovered via a U.S. fleet operator survey that fleet operators prioritize safety, reliability and accuracy when deciding upon a fleet telematics solution,” said Michael Burdiek, CEO of CalAmp. “Our newest telematics solutions does just that by providing improved visibility of owned and rented equipment as well as actionable video data that captures driver behavior, saving businesses thousands of dollars in lost assets and wear and tear due to poor driving habits. Even more importantly, this type of video data can save lives.”

iOn Tag and iOn Vision are powered by the CalAmp Telematics Cloud (CTC), an enterprise platform with a complete set of services designed to connect remote devices and assets to a diverse set of vertical applications.

Both products can be bundled with the CalAmp iOn Suite of Telematics Services to provide enhanced contextual insights around driver behavior including CrashBoxx-triggered video clips, detailed accident reconstruction reports and Driver Behavior Scorecard. These services enable fleet operators and telematics service providers to expand their mobile IoT solutions as business needs evolve.  For more details visit https://www.calamp.com/blog/2020/03/smart-tags-improve-efficiency-and-crash-triggered-video-can-save-lives/

#CalAmp Telematics Cloud

[xtruss]

Political thought

The threat from the illiberal left

Don’t underestimate the danger of left-leaning identity politics

— September 4th, 2021 Edition | The Economist

Something has gone very wrong with Western liberalism. At its heart classical liberalism believes human progress is brought about by debate and reform. The best way to navigate disruptive change in a divided world is through a universal commitment to individual dignity, open markets and limited government. Yet a resurgent China sneers at liberalism for being selfish, decadent and unstable. At home, populists on the right and left rage at liberalism for its supposed elitism and privilege.

Over the past 250 years classical liberalism has helped bring about unparalleled progress. It will not vanish in a puff of smoke. But it is undergoing a severe test, just as it did a century ago when the cancers of Bolshevism and fascism began to eat away at liberal Europe from within. It is time for liberals to understand what they are up against and to fight back.

Nowhere is the fight fiercer than in America, where this week the Supreme Court chose not to strike down a draconian and bizarre anti-abortion law. The most dangerous threat in liberalism’s spiritual home comes from the Trumpian right. Populists denigrate liberal edifices such as science and the rule of law as façades for a plot by the deep state against the people. They subordinate facts and reason to tribal emotion. The enduring falsehood that the presidential election in 2020 was stolen points to where such impulses lead. If people cannot settle their differences using debate and trusted institutions, they resort to force.

The attack from the left is harder to grasp, partly because in America “liberal” has come to include an illiberal left. We describe this week how a new style of politics has recently spread from elite university departments. As young graduates have taken jobs in the upmarket media and in politics, business and education, they have brought with them a horror of feeling “unsafe” and an agenda obsessed with a narrow vision of obtaining justice for oppressed identity groups. They have also brought along tactics to enforce ideological purity, by no-platforming their enemies and cancelling allies who have transgressed—with echoes of the confessional state that dominated Europe before classical liberalism took root at the end of the 18th century.

Superficially, the illiberal left and classical liberals like The Economist want many of the same things. Both believe that people should be able to flourish whatever their sexuality or race. They share a suspicion of authority and entrenched interests. They believe in the desirability of change.

However, classical liberals and illiberal progressives could hardly disagree more over how to bring these things about. For classical liberals, the precise direction of progress is unknowable. It must be spontaneous and from the bottom up—and it depends on the separation of powers, so that nobody nor any group is able to exert lasting control. By contrast the illiberal left put their own power at the centre of things, because they are sure real progress is possible only after they have first seen to it that racial, sexual and other hierarchies are dismantled.

This difference in method has profound implications. Classical liberals believe in setting fair initial conditions and letting events unfold through competition—by, say, eliminating corporate monopolies, opening up guilds, radically reforming taxation and making education accessible with vouchers. Progressives see laissez-faire as a pretence which powerful vested interests use to preserve the status quo. Instead, they believe in imposing “equity”—the outcomes that they deem just. For example, Ibram X. Kendi, a scholar-activist, asserts that any colour-blind policy, including the standardised testing of children, is racist if it ends up increasing average racial differentials, however enlightened the intentions behind it.

Mr Kendi is right to want an anti-racist policy that works. But his blunderbuss approach risks denying some disadvantaged children the help they need and others the chance to realise their talents. Individuals, not just groups, must be treated fairly for society to flourish. Besides, society has many goals. People worry about economic growth, welfare, crime, the environment and national security, and policies cannot be judged simply on whether they advance a particular group. Classical liberals use debate to hash out priorities and trade-offs in a pluralist society and then use elections to settle on a course. The illiberal left believe that the marketplace of ideas is rigged just like all the others. What masquerades as evidence and argument, they say, is really yet another assertion of raw power by the elite.

Progressives of the old school remain champions of free speech. But illiberal progressives think that equity requires the field to be tilted against those who are privileged and reactionary. That means restricting their freedom of speech, using a caste system of victimhood in which those on top must defer to those with a greater claim to restorative justice. It also involves making an example of supposed reactionaries, by punishing them when they say something that is taken to make someone who is less privileged feel unsafe. The results are calling-out, cancellation and no-platforming.

Milton Friedman once said that the “society that puts equality before freedom will end up with neither”. He was right. Illiberal progressives think they have a blueprint for freeing oppressed groups. In reality theirs is a formula for the oppression of individuals—and, in that, it is not so very different from the plans of the populist right. In their different ways both extremes put power before process, ends before means and the interests of the group before the freedom of the individual.

Countries run by the strongmen whom populists admire, such as Hungary under Viktor Orban and Russia under Vladimir Putin, show that unchecked power is a bad foundation for good government. Utopias like Cuba and Venezuela show that ends do not justify means. And nowhere at all do individuals willingly conform to state-imposed racial and economic stereotypes.

When populists put partisanship before truth, they sabotage good government. When progressives divide people into competing castes, they turn the nation against itself. Both diminish institutions that resolve social conflict. Hence they often resort to coercion, however much they like to talk about justice.

If classical liberalism is so much better than the alternatives, why is it struggling around the world? One reason is that populists and progressives feed off each other pathologically. The hatred each camp feels for the other inflames its own supporters—to the benefit of both. Criticising your own tribe’s excesses seems like treachery. Under these conditions, liberal debate is starved of oxygen. Just look at Britain, where politics in the past few years was consumed by the rows between uncompromising Tory Brexiteers and the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn.

Aspects of liberalism go against the grain of human nature. It requires you to defend your opponents’ right to speak, even when you know they are wrong. You must be willing to question your deepest beliefs. Businesses must not be sheltered from the gales of creative destruction. Your loved ones must advance on merit alone, even if all your instincts are to bend the rules for them. You must accept the victory of your enemies at the ballot box, even if you think they will bring the country to ruin.

In short, it is hard work to be a genuine liberal. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, when their last ideological challenger seemed to crumble, arrogant elites lost touch with liberalism’s humility and self-doubt. They fell into the habit of believing they were always right. They engineered America’s meritocracy to favour people like them. After the financial crisis, they oversaw an economy that grew too slowly for people to feel prosperous. Far from treating white working-class critics with dignity, they sneered at their supposed lack of sophistication.

This complacency has let opponents blame lasting imperfections on liberalism—and, because of the treatment of race in America, to insist the whole country was rotten from the start. In the face of persistent inequality and racism, classical liberals can remind people that change takes time. But Washington is broken, China is storming ahead and people are restless.

A Liberal Lack of Conviction

The ultimate complacency would be for classical liberals to underestimate the threat. Too many right-leaning liberals are inclined to choose a shameless marriage of convenience with populists. Too many left-leaning liberals focus on how they, too, want social justice. They comfort themselves with the thought that the most intolerant illiberalism belongs to a fringe. Don’t worry, they say, intolerance is part of the mechanism of change: by focusing on injustice, they shift the centre ground.

Yet it is precisely by countering the forces propelling people to the extremes that classical liberals prevent the extremes from strengthening. By applying liberal principles, they help solve society’s many problems without anyone resorting to coercion. Only liberals appreciate diversity in all its forms and understand how to make it a strength. Only they can deal fairly with everything from education to planning and foreign policy so as to release people’s creative energies. Classical liberals must rediscover their fighting spirit. They should take on the bullies and cancellers. Liberalism is still the best engine for equitable progress. Liberals must have the courage to say so. ■