#not to praise rick I just like the lesbians

[its-your-mind]

This is a call to action for all the PJO girlies (gender neutral) that I know are sleeper agents on this webbed site

Go read Trials of Apollo. Go do it. Do it right now.

I know what you’re thinking. “Tbh I didn’t love Rick’s writing towards the end of Heroes of Olympus” “There’s no Percy so why bother” “All of the Argo II crew are kinda OOC” and listen my friends. You are so valid to have those opinions. I felt the same way after Blood of Olympus. But listen to me. Look at me.

Now that you have had some time away, you must give these books another try. For me. For Uncle Rick. For the demon baby grain spirit who is only able to say his own name (Peaches).

Do not worry friends, I do not expect you to read just based on my say-so - I also provide:

A list of reasons why you (yes you) should go read the Trials of Apollo series right now gogogo:

(Spoiler warning - all broad plot things that you learn early on, but I know some people (including me) avoid that shit at all costs)

All the chapters are titled in bad haiku. Ya know that one scene in Titan’s Curse where Apollo just starts reciting apropos of nothing? That’s every chapter title. They’re all so bad it’s amazing.

Apollo is so up his own ass about everything, and it’s so cool to experience the same world through the eyes of someone who is not used to being in amongst the chaos

Oh yeah the plot. That’s a reason to read it.

Okay so

Basically Zeus continues his streak of being a shitty shit parent and decides to blame like… every bad thing that has happened on Apollo, and punish him by turning him mortal and enslaving him to a demigod girl named Meg who is a garbage gremlin with a little demon baby guard named Peaches (see above)

And like the A plot is they gotta save the oracles from shitty old Romans who wanna take over the world (stop me if you’ve heard this one before)

But like the B plot is about what it means to discover that you’ve fucked up, you’ve made mistakes, you’ve hurt people, and you gotta fucking own up to that shit

But also

You do not deserve to be punished for every horrible thing that has ever happened because of you, or even around you, and when a parental or authority figure in your life tells you that, they are an abuser and they are wrong

And yet

It can be so hard to fully separate yourself from them. Because for so long, they were all you had.

But that’s okay, because when you start to learn that the people who were supposed to care for you and love you were not actually doing that, there are people around you who will love you, who will support you, who will pick you up and hold you close and make sure you know that you are okay

And they can’t fix you

But they can give you the safe space to fix yourself

hmm that was an essay about themes and metaphors BUT THATS WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT

also there’s a wikipedia arrow who only speaks in Elizabethan prose (in all caps)

OH ALSO ALSO you get to see Will and Nico being a CUTE AS FUCK couple in the first book. Nico smiles. Also makes skeletons grow out of the ground when people annoy him. Fuck I love this little gay death boy so much.

AND. You get to see so MANY of your old friends. And they still! Get! Plot! And! Character! Development!! Even though they are only there for a little bit

OH OH OH there are two old lesbians who run a halfway house for people who are tangled up in magic shit with nowhere else to go

Did I mention Peaches? I did. He’s my favorite.

OH ALSO. This is “unreliable narrator” executed SO FUCKING WELL. Like, all narrators are unreliable. But Apollo used to be a FUCKING GOD. He has not had to deal with the reality of death all that much. He’s used to people praising his name and bowing down at his feet. But that ain’t happening!! And he is Unhappy about that!! But it also lets there be such a clear juxtaposition between what Apollo believes about himself and about the world and what is really true, which is such a wonderful way to write about recovery from trauma.

Ahem

Anyway it’s just real good Uncle Rick continues to knock it out of the park but he just did something different and we (at least I) needed some space from OG PJO fan brain before I could appreciate how fucking awesome this series is.

OH OH OH and if you like audiobooks Robbie Daymond (hello CR mutuals - yes, this is the one who is our beloved Blue Boi who we (Orym) so desperately need returned) is the audiobook narrator and he is. So fucking good. Absolutely NAILS the dramatic-ass-inner-monologue of this dramatic ass ex-deity. Also nails all the other voices as well. 15/10 audiobook narration I’m lichrally gonna go listen to other books JUST cuz he reads them.

okay why the fuck are you still here. GO. GET THESE BOOKS. If your public library does Libby you can absolutely get them on there. GO FORTH.

#trials of apollo #toa #rick riordan #uncle rick #pjo #percy jackson #pjo apollo #peaches the karpos #robbie daymond

[punkeropercyjackson]

Ultimately the reason Percabeth is such horrifically bad ship yet gets praised so much is that while Percy and Annabeth canonically love eachother,they also canonically don't like eachother LMAO.Percy's constantly wishing Annabeth was extremely different than who she actually is because he finds her unbearable and hard to be around and finds escapism in being around people who're unlike her with the biggest example being him having been in love with Rachel before they settled into still close exes

There's also his friendships with the Grace Sibs,Thalia had infinitely better progress with him in TTC than Annabeth has in the entire saga and he admires her a lot more too and it's a running theme that Jason is Annabeth's opposite and Percy became instant best friends with him upon first meeting and all three of their first meetings are more charming and unique than Percy saying his type is princess-y girls in his narration but Annabeth hating being seen as one because she's gnc and 'You drool when you sleep'.I also think if anybody is Percy's cosmically intertwined soulmate it's not any s/os but Nico and Hazel and by that i mean in a found siblings with him also being their pseudo-parent way.All their dynamics are interesting and richen their characters and they're from different time periods which only adds to how special their bond is

And on Annabeth's end.......She kinda straight up hates his existense.She's always talking about how stupid he is and that he's useless without her and i get that Rick tried to sell it as affectionate teasing but she's angered by it so often it's obvious it's just Rick being a cishet nt white old man.She gets angered by finding him attractive too?????This trope can be good but Percy never actually does anything,he's literally just existing and that includes not actively pursuing her back since he dosen't want her even half as much as she thinks she wants him.It's rare compared to her mean-spirited comments he explicitly never consented to and finds unnecessary and one of the many thing's he wishes she wasn't and he never returns her physical assaults so 'they're demigods and it's normal!' excuse dosen't add up

Yeah,they're dating in canon and gonna get married.Percy's also gonna not only go to college but a demigod college when again and again and AGAIN he says he dosen't want to be a half-blood and he's only going so he can live out a traditional lifestyle with Annabeth so so much for 'his thether to his mortal side' i guess.Annabeth never got any shit from Poseidon like Percy did Athena or terrorizing like Aphrodite does everybody else she talks to and Percy was forced to narratively forgive Luke,again,only because of Annabeth when he groomed him for a bit and abused him tons too and it's so vile to gaslight us into thinking Luke was anything but a serial pedophile and beyond far right to Percy's lifelong outcasthood and anarchy and Annabeth as a direct victim of his sick sexual 'interests' in plausible deniability font due to being a pg series.Percabeth is the peak cishet romance norms taken up to 12 like the Olympians and it's embarrasingly obvious nobody saying they're t4t has ever been in a transmasc4transfem relathionship

That's why this moment is so fucking depressing.She knows him and she dosen't like any of what he is and he dosen't say it outloud because he's scared of the truth,that he ended up with the wrong person,that he fucked up again and she's hollower whenever she's around him because she exists FOR him and for almost nothing else.They weren't eachother's choice,they were eachother's destiny decided by everyone but themselves.This fucks up my autistic ass so much man,no wonder i only ever liked that lesbian!Percabeth au with transfemme Percy and butch Annabeth that was popular when i was a kid,that's deadass the only way you can make it work,they'd need an entire rehaul but at this point i don't care to try because the shippers don't deserve it after how demonic they've been since the 2000s.Percabeth was never a good ship,you were just a tween

#anti percabeth #percy jackson #annabeth chase #percy jackson defense squad #pro annabeth chase #rachel elizabeth dare #thalia grace #jason grace #nico di angelo #hazel levesque #anti luke castellan #perseo jackson #black percy #latino percy #autistic percy jackson #transfem percy jackson #bigender percy jackson #punk!percy #team parent percy jackson #pro perachel #t4t jercy #nico percy and hazel #leah is our annabeth #black big three kids #pjo #anti rick riordan #cisheteronormativity #💌 #summerposting #pedophillia tw

[echoes-lighthouse]

Freakiest Thing Each Of My Selfships Is Into <3

I was just scrolling through the tag and remembered how much I fucking love hearing about other people's niche kinks so I decided to make a post about the weirdest side of my selfships :D

My platonic selfships are of course excluded and my nostalgia selfships are also excluded because they're weird enough without adding extra kinks to them. Also, most of these are focused on my f/os rather than my s/is because I'm like 90% ace but still interested in kink and also fictional sex with my f/os.

Anyways they're under the readmore because I don't tend to post n$fw on this blog so I don't expect everyone to have the tags blocked! Please dni if under 18, etc

Jester- she likes being free-use on occasion so we'll have nice big parties with her on a table and everyone is well-trained on the rules and her safewords and she gets dicked down proper and I tell her she's doing a great job

Tate- absolutely rampant mommy kink, which wouldn't be quite so weird if his mother didn't live next door :I

Himiko- feral kitten play, baby! Especially if we're showing off for the other LoV members, we go full kitty mode and draw lots of blood and tumble around together and have fun

Tomura- age play in all of the most extremes: diapers and bottles and gloves that curl his fingers into a fist so he can't use his quirk or his hands, poor baby

Toshi- we're like 80% vanilla but we have done a couple of me-as-student, him-as-teacher roleplays that get us both going partially because of how absolutely taboo it is for both of us

Zero- uhhhh, it's Rick Sanchez I don't know what the craziest could possibly be? we have a lot of public sex at those kinds of parties, or on planets where that's the norm. I like to control him while he's having sex with someone else, tell him exactly what to do while he pleases them. OH, we do consensual non-consent scenes and somnophilia scenes, that's probably the wildest stuff maybe?

Val- the extremely vore-adjacent experience of having sex in someone else's body: the intimacy of making love in their bloodstream, nestled against a single red blood cell

Grell- blood play that is not safe or sane, but very much consensual: we got a little carried away one time and I almost bled out afterwards but I was okay: she's vicious with a scalpel, what can I say? My beloved half of Jack the Ripper.

Cecil- our relationship is 95% platonic but he's had a few phases where he's worked up enough to use me: it's kind of a sex doll situation where I'm not very active and I keep to a smaller form and let him do whatever he wants

Tumblr- we're still in the experimentation phase! nothing too wild in this relationship: she has a bit of a daddy kink (and a praise kink) but that's about it.

Monokuma- exhibitionism, baby, I'm out here doing a solo show for the cameras until I get some sweet bear loving. Technosexuality, I suppose? I would like to make him overheat ^-^

Death- hmmm, just some body worship: I could eat her out for hours and I think I do, when she lets me. Cock warming if she's got one for the day.

Gertrude- not very exciting: lots of cliche artsy lesbian things like oils and massages, waxplay and foodplay, painting each other nude and overflowing the bath by accident when we're cleaning up

Dirk- plushophilia, dubious consent, and forced orgasms: control over the other person's orgasm is one of the ultimate powers in our relationship and it swings both ways in turn

Jonah- *chanting* desk sex, desk sex, desk sex... cockwarming and powerplay. he takes out his frustration over bad business deals on me and I'm very ready for it, but sometimes I put up a fight just so he can wear himself out a bit more getting me where he wants me

Which do you think is the wildest?? I think I'm too close to really choose. You should do this with your selfships also if you'd like to!! I really do like hearing about characters and people's niche kink preferences and I think selfship/kink crossovers are something I don't see enough of.

#nsft #tw kink #i've already marked this as mature so i'm not sure i need to tag much more #or if tagging more will lead tumblr to take issue with it #i made a general sexy post about my f/os a year ago #but this is the specifically freaky version with updated f/os as well

[nerdsbianhokie]

Alex with ADHD? If you're up for it, I'd love to hear more! (I've never thought about it and now I'm wildly curious)

ooooh, this is one of my fav hcs. I’ve actually started a few fics about it but never finished. I have managed to sprinkle it throughout fics I have posted without stating it explicitly

This is an article I’ve used to start a few of the fics

(also note, I have not watched since early s3, so anything since is not relevant to any of my hcs)

Under the cut cause it did get long

Alex Danvers has ADHD

First, Alex has massive rejection sensitive dysphoria:

Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) is an intense vulnerability to the perception – not necessarily the reality – of being rejected, teased, or criticized by important people in your life. RSD causes extreme emotional pain that may also be triggered by a sense of failure, or falling short – failing to meet either your own high standards or others’ expectations.

See, her reaction to Maggie turning her down, her reaction to learning why Hank originally brought her to the DEO (until he told her that it was her own accomplishes that helped her stay), see Jeremiah’s ‘return’ from Cadmus

On the flip side, everyone jokes about her having a praise kink, which makes a lot of sense in relation to this. Euphoria to oppose the dysphoria

Second, her college spiral. It is very, very common for people (esp girls) with undiagnosed ADHD to crash in college. The loss of the structure that kept us going through high school is suddenly gone and we don’t have the skills to keep going without it.

Alex’s ADHD is very much based on my own (also diagnosed) and it’s essentially, through elementary, middle, and high school, she excelled, possibly without even bothering much with studying. It was easy.

College isn’t easy. Classes aren’t as structured, the workload is much more self driven, and there is much more pressure. Combine that with the fact that she didn’t learn how to properly study or time manage and it’s a recipe for disaster even without the extra pressure from her mother regarding Kara.

Third, her social life.

I read somewhere (don’t remember anymore) that for most children the focus of mental growth is first very social, then turns to things more like pattern recognition (think, learning the alphabet and numbers) while kids with adhd, girls especially, often do it in reverse. We often end up bounding ahead of our peers irt reading and math and other subjects, but fall behind socially. Then, when we’re ready to start learning social skills, our peers have already done that and formed groups. While they can catch up with the learning, it’s very difficult to catch up on the social aspects.

(kids with adhd often have very few friends, and feel separated from their peer group. I personally never felt like I belonged, which was only furthered by moving every few years due to my father’s job. my sisters never seemed to have the same issue finding friends wherever we went)

So, Alex. She had a friend group during the times we’ve seen of her childhood, but, it fell apart pretty quickly once things shifted and she was left with just Kara.

(Vicki we know it was most likely because of Alex’s sexuality and Alex not understanding those feelings. Rick had a crush on her. Her other friends basically dropped her as soon as she reported the teacher preying on her friend)

By the beginning of canon, Alex has no friends. She has Kara, her sister. She has Hank, her mentor and father figure. That’s it. She doesn’t even hang out with any other agents.

Alex can read a mark and has most likely had training with the DEO on body language and such, but she has very little innate social skills. I think a lot of it in fandom gets played off as her being an awkward lesbian, but it’s more than that, for sure.

Even through canon (and what I do know of the more recent seasons) most of her friends are through Kara.

Fourth, substance abuse is very common in people with ADHD, and Alex canonically has a history with alcohol abuse at the very least

Fifth, hyper focus. We don’t see this as much, but we do know that Alex will forget to eat if really focused on something, per s1 and Kara bringing her food, which is a part of hyperfocusing 

I could go on an on with little things

Alex’s ADHD is rather classic diagnosed female ADHD. If she was physically hyperactive as a young child, it turned inwards as she grew and told to sit still. Her emotions are heightened, highs very high, lows very low. She thrives with direction and focus and flounders without it.

Just, Alex with ADHD

#Alex Danvers #ADHD Alex #Supergirl #. #.. #adhd #i use rsd a lot while writing her in fics #if anyone has more thoughts #please add #Anonymous

[pipabething]

Hey! I don’t think people don’t WANT to see what’s wrong with rick. There are plenty of fucking ISSUES he has and he isn’t defending himself well at all bc he could just fucking apologize and acknowledge his racist fucking mistakes. But i unfollowed you not because I don’t think Rick is bad, but bc I actually cant take anymore stress right now. I kno that sounds stupid but like. I’ve worked thru the whole pandemic, and so dealing w racist homophobes there...I just need a break. Am I bad for that

no. and you're right. i didn't think about this.

my post was directly in reference to people (mainly white people) who choose to ignore what rick says and make those stupid posts that praise him for "trying".

i was also referring to how i lost 30+ followers over the reyna/hunters thing that happened a few weeks ago. i feel like that was because a lot of people refuse to listen to actual gay/bi women when they're saying that what he did hurt us. specially that i was uncomfortable with him making reyna ace bc i felt like it was just a way to screw over the lesbians again.

so that's what that post was about. i understand your reasoning though and i'm sorry i failed to consider/mention that in my original post. i just get frustrated when people tend to ignore the significant problems that are affecting people in fandom spaces.

#ask #anon

[housemartius]

Just wondering about your opinion, why do think rick is “no uncle of mine”. No disrespect just want to know others opinions

ooof so many reasons… mainly bc of his portrayal of characters of colour and lgbtq+ characters. my fave way to describe rick when it comes to these matters is: does the bare minimum. like he literally puts little to no effort when it comes to his research, it’s laughable how much this fandom praises him for being an “ally” when: piper is a racist stereotype, reyna is lesbian-coded and yet he said she could basically be neither a lesbian or bisexual bc to him she’s straight, here’s a good post abt alex and magnus aka transphobia issues (i haven’t read those books so i formed my own critics based on other ppl’s and excerpts i’ve read from the actual text), one of my own posts abt piper and hazel’s physical descriptions, frank suddenly gets all the confidence he ever needed bc he lost weight, the antisemitic issue,…

there’s just a lot… i have a discourse tag so if you’re curious you can check that out. rick is just… yeah… not exactly the wonderful guy he’s painted as

#anonymous #replies

[zurithiaxeli]

aa @inkwells-writing is so nice to tag me in this!! please follow him guys he makes awesome fics and he deserves everything in the world!!!!

as for who i’m gonna tag,, @jaistashu, @hermajesty101, @rune-ined, and anyone else who wants to do this! c: have fun guyss

Name: i’m zuriiii!!

Gender: i’m genderfluid actually! more often than not, i’m a gal tho c:

Star Sign: leo

Height: 5′0″,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, orz EDIT: I’M ACTUALLY 5′1″ SO HHHHHHAH!!!!!!

Sexuality: alskdfj i,, like girls a lot,,,,,, but i don’t like defining myself based on what genders i like. it’s like, i’ll like who i like! no matter the gender! idk so pan maybe?

What image do you have as wallpaper? I HAVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ART OF A BLOODIED, BRUISED, SUSPENDER-WEARING KID ARTHUR SURROUNDED BY ROSES AND VINES AND I’M TRYING TO FIND THE ARTIST ALKSDFJASDLJF SOMEONE HELP ME PLS I NEED TO GIVE THEM PRAISE I’VE BEEN TRYING FOR A THOUSAND YEARS

Have you ever had a crush on a teacher? omg no! never!! i sorta wanna remove this question now ://

Where do you see yourself in ten years? tbh,, idk,,, hopefully i’m in my shared apartment happily cuddled up with my partner under the blankets in the late morning, grumbling about not wanting to go to work yet cause the bed is so waaarm only to be gently persuaded by partner with lots and lots of kisses <3

If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you be? in a more developed country with more accepting people,,

What was your coolest Halloween costume? all my childhood memories are a blur so i can’t say for sure but it’s probably that one witch costume that matched with my sis’

What was your favourite 90’s show? ,,,,,,,,i don’t even watch tv nowadays much less 90′s shows

Last kiss? i mean it’s technically my mom but that’s not romantic. never actually kissed someone romantically

Have you ever been stood up? YES!! BY MY CLASSMATES!!! i waited 3 hours for them but they never showed up cause they apparently skipped it and went to the mall ://////

Have you ever been to Las Vegas? lol i‘ve never been to other countries

Favourite pair of shoes? do flip-flops count

Favourite fruit: akljsdfgh probs mango or banana or pineapple

Favourite book: jhgfjg i can’t pick just one!! i’m currently reading the magnus chase series by rick riordan tho. i like it a lot c:

Stupidest thing you’ve ever done? -video compilation of all the times i trip over nothing-

and then the second post was

Top three ships:

maPLETEA!!!!!!!!! from hetalia

usuk (and all its variations lol) from hetalia

adrinette from miraculous ladybug

Lipstick or chapstick:

sldkfj i don’t like either of them,,,,,,,,,,, :c

Last song:

it’s either moira dela torre’s malaya or moira dela torre’s tagpuan,, please listen to her!! she’s got such a soft and beautiful voice!! :D

Last movie:

Mystère à la Tour Eiffel (which i’m assuming means mystery of the eiffel tower. it’s a movie about two lesbians who go and solve a mystery about a series of murders centered around the eiffel tower. my summary does no justice to it. pls go watch it!! also the gals have their happily ever after c:)

Top three shows:

full metal alchemist brotherhood (tbh)

black mirror!!

(dude,,) steven universe

#tysm for tagging me ink!! love youuu <3 #manahimik ka na kasi zuri

[marymosley]

Religious Leaders Move To Claim Coronavirus As Wrath Of God [Updated]

YouTube Screenshot

Where the world is united in fighting the menace of the coronavirus, Gazan Imam Jamil Al-Mutawa used his sermon in Gaza to praise the virus as sent by Allah to kill Westerners and Jews while sparing Palestinians. If the translation is accurate on MEMRI from March 20, 2020, the Imam is enthralled by the virus declares “[Allah] has sent just one soldier, [the coronavirus].” In the meantime, Ralph Drollinger, a Christian leader with ties to President Trump, argues in two blog posts  that the virus is the wrath of God over our sins. Another preacher is claiming to heal all carriers attending his services because the virus is merely the manifestation of the devil. He added “You’re not spreading God’s word, you’re spreading this virus.”

Al-Mutawa reportedly declared the virus as a victory of Islam against its enemies and suggested that it spared Gazans. However, after this sermon two such cases were reportedly found in Gaza:

“[Allah] has sent just one soldier, [the coronavirus]. What would happen had he sent 50 like the coronavirus? He has sent just one soldier and it has hit all 50 [American] states. An hour ago, they said on TV that in California… They said that they expect 58% of California to be infected within two months. They talk about 25 million infected people in just one of the 50 states. Allah be praised. Look how anyone who schemes against the Al-Aqsa Mosque is being shattered to smithereens by the soldiers of Allah.”

Cases were confirmed in Gaza the next day.

I cannot confirm this translation, but, if true, this is not simply a disgusting sermon but a dangerous one. There are cases in Gaza and doctors are worried about a catastrophic outbreak given the living conditions and concentration of the population. Other Islamic leaders have been more responsible, including advising followers not to attend services like this one. The failure to heed such advice however is not limited to the Islamic religion, as we recently discussed.

For his part,  Drollinger references the “religion of environmentalism” and express a “proclivity toward lesbianism and homosexuality” in his discussion of the wrath of God, including his explanation of the virus in a column entitled “Is God Judging America Today?” one of the minister’s posts about coronavirus pandemic, have infiltrated “high positions in our government, our educational system, our media and our entertainment industry” and “are largely responsible for God’s consequential wrath on our nation.”

His language is rather convoluted but the conclusion is clear:

“Some leading evangelicals believe and teach that America is now experiencing God’s judgment.

If that is the case, as a public servant who is sacrificing so much in your attempt to turn our nation around, it would stand to reason – if those Evangelical leaders are correct – that you are wasting your time now.  But let me qualify that: I do not believe American [sic] is experiencing the forsaking wrath of God, but yes, American [sic] is experiencing the consequential wrath of God. “

The “consequential wrath of God” seems to be connected not to a wild animal market in Wuhan but our social and political choices in the United States?

He is not alone in such wrathful conclusions. Evangelical pastors like Rick Wiles has told his viewers that the “death angel” was sent to reap mass death for things like “forced abortions” in China and he is now likely coming for us.

All of this shows how disease is not simply a public health emergency but an opportunity for some. It is uncanny how such disasters are so easily claimed to fit religious and political agendas. Just as we have market profiteers, these are religious profiteers who claim windfalls from disasters.

Religious Leaders Move To Claim Coronavirus As Wrath Of God [Updated] published first on https://immigrationlawyerto.tumblr.com/

[aftgonice]

Thanks for the lgbtqia+ book list. There's a book series i'd highly recommend to read: The Magnus Chase Series by Rick Riordan. There's a genderfluid transgender character, his main character is pansexual. And there's also two gay men (in a relationship) in the first book of the Trials of Apollo series (Apollo is also bisexual), in the second book is a older lesbian couple. And some other characters (the hunters of artemis) are aros and aces too.

You’re welcome about the book list! ♥

And thank you so much!!! I’ve heard LOTS of praises for that series and I’m honestly so excited to start reading it! I think it’s amazing that a middle grade series (wait is it middle grade or YA actually??) has so much diversity that isn’t just “two gay dudes” but it actually has a huge variety of sexualities and gender identities (also thank you for being so specific about them in your message!). I’m trying to catch up with my massive TBR because there are so many new releases lately that I’m excited about, but as soon as I get a little more time I’m going to read Magnus Chase (I like binging series so that’s also why I haven’t started yet!).

@ everyone else, get on this series ASAP!

#renee answers #magnus chase #book recs #lgbt

[the-overanalyzer]

Trials of Apollo, Book 2:

Things happened and I loved almost all of them.

Further thoughts under the cut. Spoilers, obviously.

So, remember how last year, we joked that THO was super gay? Well, I’m happy to report that THE TREND CONTINUES. Praise be to Rick Riordan, patron saint of Knowing Your Audience.

Not only do we get an actual factual same-sex kiss, a first for the franchise if I’m not mistaken (and if I am, please do tell, because I would hate to have missed something like that), but we also get an older lesbian couple raising a child together, and none of them die.

AFRICAN GODS THAT AREN’T EGYPTIAN: CONFIRMED!

Caleo is still a thing, and while they’re never threatened with a breakup, I like that the prolonged period of constant activity has caused some stress. Because they’re both kind of assholes, and it’s good Riordan hasn’t forgotten that.

That said, bleh, domesticity.

Hunters of Artemis can’t get gay with each other, which kind of sucks, but I actually appreciate it for being consistent. None of that “it doesn’t count” BS.

Family! Blood family, adopted family, found family! The good, the bad and the fixable!

Lityerses has come down with Agent Washington Syndrome and I kind of love it. Not the former bad guy I was hoping could pull a Zuko, but I’ll take it. Still some books left, after all. (he said, with the slightly crazed laughter of one living with false hope)

I joke, but given how many of his own fuckups Apollo has to unfuck, and given that they’re going back to New Rome, I can hope for some Octavian Content, right? Right?

Speaking of dudes named Octavian, is the Third Emperor Augustus? The only other ones I can think of that Nero would be afraid of are Tiberius or Caligula. But that may just be the pop culture talking, it’s been ages since I brushed up on Roman history. There’s probably some worse dudes in there.

On the subject of Romans coming back: RICK, KEEP YOUR TRAGEDY-LOVING MITTS OFF MY BOY FRANK.

On the subject of people coming back at all: HELL YEAH GROVER UNDERWOOD, ACKNOWLEDGED AS IMPORTANT AT LONG LAST! I’m so sorry these losers are dragging you into this nonsense, but I’m so, so glad you’re here.

#trials of apollo #toa #toa spoilers #spoilers #apollo

[kentuckertv]

jay-z letterman interview netflix trump racism

Jay-Z interviewed by David Letterman on Netflix.

Hed?: David Letterman’s Jay-Z interview gets really, really awkward [I LIKE THIS ONE the most]

Hed?: Jay-Z and Letterman agree that Trump is a racist OR:Jay-Z tells Letterman Trump’s Presidency is ‘a great thing’

The latest installment of David Letterman’s monthly Netflix show is an interview with Jay-Z. It got some attention even before it began streaming on Friday for snippets Netflix released in which Jay-Z talks about infidelity in his marriage to Beyonce, and about conversations he had with his mother when she came out as gay. When Letterman brings up Donald Trump and volunteers that he thinks Trump is a racist, the rapper says he thinks Trump’s presidency is “a great thing,” because “he’s bringing out the ugly side of America that we wanted to believe was gone” and now we have to “have that conversation and deal with it.”

But this edition of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman is perhaps most notable for how awkward it is. Letterman is well-known to be a big music fan—some of anyone’s fondest memories of his old late-night talk show would include his segments with Warren Zevon, for instance. But when it comes to hiphop, Dave is out of his depth in a way that is sometime squirmily uncomfortable. Here’s a sample music question he asks of Jay-Z: “By the way, the east coast/west coast thing, that’s over?” Here’s another: “Forgive me for being a dope about this… What I’m getting at is the use of the n-word.” If you notice that these aren’t actually questions, but more like graceless ways to bring up subjects Letterman is ignorant of and doesn’t know how to frame, then you begin to see how awkward this interview becomes.

Hemming and hawing, dithering and fumfering, Dave admits, in a verbally contorted way, that he’s never paid much attention to hiphop, which leads some of his questions and observations sounding inadvertently condescending: “The stuff, it’s very sophisticated,” he says of hiphop, with more than a little surprise in his voice. “You play with your lyrics,” he observes of Jay-Z’s work. “It’s very complex stuff.” It’s as though he’s praising a child. Jay-Z is gracious and tolerant, while also giving Letterman a sharp glance here and there. When Dave says, “Hiphop is autobiographical, am I right?” Jay-Z responds, “Uh, no. It pretends to be.” “Really?” says Dave, rather shocked. “Even in the beginning?”—meaning, even when rappers are just starting out? “Yes,” says Jay-Z. “It’s kids lying. Sorry.” He frowns at Letterman as if to say, “Do you really not credit me with imagination?”

Every edition of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction breaks up the interview with taped segments in which Letterman goes on-location somewhere that illustrates some point being made in the conversation. Here, Dave goes to Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, California, to talk to producer Rick Rubin, who has collaborated with Jay-Z in the past. Jay-Z is not present on this visit, and these segments end up ignoring his work almost entirely, instead fixing on a woman Rubin is currently producing, up-and-coming singer Madison Ryann Ward. Where My Next Guest plays only a few seconds of Jay-Z’s music, the hour makes room for two entire songs from Ward. It’s impossible to avoid the notion that Letterman is far more comfortable showcasing the work of this white woman’s singer-songwriter folk-rock than he is with Jay-Z’s music.

Perhaps I need to say here that I admire Letterman enormously and believe he is the single greatest late-night talk-show host in the history of that TV genre. One reason for that is that Letterman always had a sure sense of who he should interview, and how to go about it. That assurance is missing here. Too often, his questions aren’t questions at all, but words he blurts because he’s not quite sure how to ask them: “My goodness, your mother is a lesbian” is how he brings up Jay-Z’s mother. Jay-Z is polite enough to rescue Letterman from his discomfort and talk about his mom. Letterman broaches Jay-Z’s infidelity by talking first about his own, but in such a stilted, oblique way—he never actually says the words “infidelity” or “cheating”—that if you didn’t know Dave’s (or Jay-Z’s) past, you’d have no idea what he was talking about. Again, Jay-Z comes to his rescue, courteously.

There’s funny stuff here and there. One unexpected running joke in the hour involves Judd Apatow in a way I won’t spoil. Jay-Z also insults Jimmy Fallon without ever mentioning the Tonight Show host’s name. And I really enjoyed the way Jay-Z takes such pleasure in making Dave squirm when he brings up Letterman’s wealth. Squirming discomfort—some of it pleasurable, much of it not–proves to be the subtext that runs throughout this entire hour.

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman: Jay Z is streaming now on Netflix.

#_revsp:wp.yahoo.tv.us #racism #david letterman #netflix #jay-z #_category:yct:001000086 #beyonce #_uuid:34e7a30f-a27b-3e0d-837e-478959cb4b25 #_lmsid:a0Vd000000AE7lXEAT #jimmy fallon #donald trump #_author:Ken Tucker #jay z

[serene-victory-77]

Reyna in The Tyrant’s Tomb

Idk if this needs a spoiler warning anymore but yeah spoiler warning.

I’m glad, in the end, that Reyna is single. While I am writing a fanfic in which she and Annabeth are a thing, in which I just put her as ‘Queer’, I was also never really on the Hetero or the Lesbian TrainsTm people wanted her on, because I couldn’t decide if they were true to her or not. In the end, I really just labeled her as Queer in my head because I could see her as Straight, or Lesbian, or Bi, or Pan, or Aro.

So that doesn’t bother me. What does bother me is Reyna joining the Hunt.

For everyone who is going to go, LET HER HAVE HER RETIREMENT, yeah, you’re right, our queen does need a goddamned break. But I don’t like the Hunters.

The reason I don’t like the Hunters is that Rick, in making these powerful, strong, independent women who don’t need a romantic relationship to feel good about themselves, made a bunch of male-hating somewhat Fem-Nazis. 

Do many of them likely have a reason to hate a man/men? Yeah of course. But look at Thalia. So quickly, she starts to disregard boys, treating more than one male character like trash. I don’t need her to like men. I’d just like her not to hate them. And considering how she did forgive Luke, I don’t think we can say But Look At What Luke Did, because she lets that go. And she and Percy are supposed to be friends, and there are Nico and Jason too, so why does she act, on more than one occasion, like boys/males are nasty creatures?

So many of the Hunters are actually just straight-up sexist. Are women amazing? Yes. Do they deserve more praise? Yes. Should they be treated like queens? Yeah, unless they’re lunatic killers and whatnot. 

I’d like to think that Reyna wouldn’t be “converted” to hating men since she’s had several good male people on her side, but the general attitude of the Hunters is soooo painful. 

The other reason I don’t like Reyna joining the Hunt is because Nico is losing another sister to the Hunt. Nico just lost Jason, and now Reyna is becoming part of this mysterious, only seen every-so-often, kinda-on-tight-rules-depending-on-how-Rick Riordan-decides-to-write-them, men-hating, sister-snatching group. Nico wasn’t happy about Bianca joining, and I sincerely doubt he’ll be happy with Reyna joining. Nico’s already been left so much. Of course, he shouldn’t be the defining factor, but I still hurt for him.

In the end, do I have a better idea for what Reyna should have done? I’ll admit, not really. I’m fine with her stepping down as praetor cuz she needs a break, but I don’t think becoming an immortal warrior really does that for anyone. Personally, I think she should be given the chance at a Normal Life, like what Annabeth and Percy are trying to do, and what Jason and Piper were going for (and failing at but whatever). How Rick, or anyone, would have made that for her, I don’t know.

Again, I don’t really care who she ends up with. Reyna is a wonderful character all on her own, and her platonic relationships already work a lot better than any forced romantic relationship could have gone. I’m glad she wasn’t forcefully paired up with anyone. But did she have to go to the Hunters?

#reyna avila ramirez arellano #reyna arellano #the hunters #percy jackson #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #My posts #my posts percy jackson #Nico di Angelo #thalia grace #annabeth chase #the tyrant's tomb #ttt spoilers #TTT #apollo #lester papadopoulos #artemis #artemis' hunters #Ace Reyna #Aro Reyna #Lesbian Reyna #Straight Reyna #Piper McLean #jason grace #rick riordan #the trials of apollo #luke castellan

[patheticphallacy]

IT’S MAY Y’ALL. Even though I’ll still be doing blog posts in May, it’s not going to be as hectic, as I finally finished my second year of university and have decided to take it easy after a very packed April.

I’m also doing things a little different with my wrap up this month by getting rid of star ratings. I watched a video on it, and I just feel like I’d rather people go by my actual comments on the books than look at the rating and decide that covers all my thoughts. I still have star ratings on Goodreads for my own personal use, but I’m doing my best to start writing proper summaries of my thoughts from now on!

READING WRAP UP

  Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan– a solid follow up to the first book, although there’s a startling lack of dragons in a series about a dragon naturalist! Definitely go into this one expecting a lot more politics than book 1, and Isabella starting a lot of Drama.

The Elementals by Michael McDowell– such an amazing horror novel! McDowell is so underrated for a writer who wrote predominantly in the seventies and eighties, and it’s so tragic how young he died. 

Princess Jellyfish Volume 1 by Akiko Higashimura– such a disappointing read. It’s really problematic, to the point where it drastically impacted my enjoyment of the plot, especially when I’ve got so many other more recent manga I could be enjoying more than this. 

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 8 by Hiromu Arakawa– speaking of next tier manga… holy shit. I am so scared of volume 9 and finishing this series, it’s meant so much to me and it’s really helped me immerse myself fully in reading manga. 

Lumberjanes Volume 9 by Shannon Watters– Barney is a precious precious bean and I love them! This is a roller derby volume, and it was pretty great: I’ve been a fan of roller derby since I first watched Whip It, and this volume was super entertaining!

Lumberjanes Volume 10 by Shannon Watters– wholesome volume where the parents come to visit their kids. I do feel really sad for Molly, but it was nice seeing everyone else’s parents! 

Lumberjanes: A Midsummer Night’s Scheme by Nicole Andelfinger– this was a fun bonus one shot comic. However, it does get very cheesy and it’s whole message is just so obvious  that them explaining it was very much unneeded. 

Smut Peddler Volume 1 by Various Authors– this is a fun anthology of smut comics that I super enjoyed reading. E.K. Weaver’s comic is by far my favourite, and it’s only after I realised that it was a one shot about a character in her webcomic! 

Rumple Buttercup BY Matthew Gray Gubler– a very cute children’s graphic novel about loving yourself and finding acceptance! 

Smut Peddler Volume 2 by Various Authors– this wasn’t as good as volume 1, but I still read it really quickly and had a fun time looking at the different art styles and methods of story telling!

Dream Daddy by Various Authors– there are so many good moments in this comic, it’s so great. Highly recommend if you’ve played the game, and if you haven’t, check it out, it’s real fun! Damien and Robert’s issue was by far my favourite as they were my favourites in the game too.

Tokyo Ghoul Volume 5 by Sui Ishida– finally, I’m starting to enjoy Tokyo Ghoul. It took a while this volume to actually understand what the hell was happening, but once I did, it really did become something I enjoyed.

Rick and Morty VS Dungeons and Dragons by Patrick Rothfuss– A decent enough read, although there is way too much dialogue and exposition on every page. The font is really small, too, so reading it was a hassle. 

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero– this book was actually terrible and I have a whole review discussing my issues and how harmful it is!

Jackass! Volume 1 by Scarlet Beriko– This is a funny, sweet manga about fetishes and blackmail. It has an age gap romance between an 18 year old and a doctor, and there is some transphobic bullying/weird treatment of bullying being okay if the person has a crush on you, but the main relationship is great, and the MC has a really lovely relationship with his older sister. 

Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka– Chronicles the Alice Batwoman arc from Detective Comics, as well as giving the backstory for Kate. It’s so great having a badass DC hero who is a lesbian, whose storyline also touches on homophobia in the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ era of the military. Glad I finally got to this!

Sparrowhawk #5 by Delilah S Dawson– a really disappointing series conclusion overall. I knew I should’ve just stopped reading after the first issue and I wasn’t feeling it, and I honestly wish I had after such a dissatisfying conclusion. Others may enjoy this, but it really wasn’t for me.

Assassination Classroom Volume 1 by Yusei Matsui— an amazing series starter! Already really moving with a teacher who spends all his time encouraging his students despite being a threat to the entire world they have to kill within the year. I have a feeling this will become a new favourite.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara– really great non-fiction read written by a journalist who played a massive part in the resurgence of talk surrounding the Golden State Killer. You also get some of her life story, and by the end I was almost in disbelief that the author had already died by the time her work was published. I will say it did drag at points, especially in the parts not written by McNamara that had to be finished after she died, but overall a really thorough look into the cases and the victims.

The Woods Volume 5 by James Tynion IV– this series is- dare I say it- picking up? I still have issues with the representation and the fact that most of the main characters to have died, especially in this volume, were POC while the white characters are in the exact same situation and survive. Will have to see if this carries on. 

Backwards & In Heels by Alicia Malone– this started off strong, and I found out so much about women in film and their presence in the industry since the creation of film in the 1800’s. However, by the end it got so repetitive and formulaic in the way information was presented that I started skimming. This is more of a coffee-table, occasional-read book when you fancy learning more about amazing women! Also, even though there is diverse rep and talk of lack of hiring of WOC and LGBT+ women in the industry, we also get the author praising white women earlier on in the book who took on roles where they did blackface and yellowface, which really dulled down the conversation in the latter half of the book. 

My Love Story!! Volume 6 by Kazune Kawahara– so GOOD. I got so emotional reading this volume, I ended up crying. This is by far one of my favourite manga series, I can’t recommend it enough. It follows tough-but-soft boy Takeo as he enters into a relationship with Yamato, cutest girl in the universe, with the support of his best friend Suna. Truly the PEAK of romantic comedy fiction. 

When the Sky Fell on Splendor by Emily Henry– emotional, hardhitting read about a group of friends who end up with superpowers after discovering a strange alien object. It’s very reminiscent of the film Super 8 in my head, and if you love stories about not only aliens but found families through friendship, highly recommend!

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle– I just don’t think Sherlock Holmes is for me. I love the retellings and adaptations, and in theory, I’m invested in the murder mysteries, but I just think Doyle’s prose weighs it down and there’s always that underlying racism I don’t think is appropriate to even attempt to shake. 

And my May TBR Jar pick is…. MY HEART GOES BANG by Keris Stainton!

TV SHOWS/MOVIES/VIDEOS

At the start of the month, I started bingeing Dead Meat videos, a channel entirely revolving around horror. My personal favourite series is the Saw kill count videos, and the movies that changed horror podcast episode James (the host) does with his girlfriend Chelsea (who is amazing)!

I finally watched season 2 of Stranger Things! I adore Steve, as always, and it was such a solid season (BOB). However I did have an issue with the needless rivalry that festered with Elle towards Max, season 3 better sort that and stop pitting girls against each other for no reason other than because of boys.

Zoe from Read by Zoe was on FIRE this month with some really great read-a-thon videos! I loved her 24 read-a-thon vlog especially, she read only books she enjoyed growing up and it all felt really nostalgic.

This is very much a personal one, but my favourite streamer returned to a podcast with the company he used to work for, and it was just…. so heartwarming to watch. I can’t believe he left four years ago! I’ve been watching this company since I was about fourteen, so it was so nice watching this, a long-awaited reunion.

Kat at paperbackdreams did an amaaaaazing video rant reviewing After by Anna Todd, and I loved it. In general Kat is a top tier booktuber for me, I highly recommend her videos as much as I can!

MUSIC I’VE ENJOYED

Pressure by The 1975

Old Town Road Remix by Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus

The Black and White and I Spend Too Much Time in My Room by The Band CAMINO

I Got 5 On It  (Tethered Mix From US) by Michael Abels, Luniz, Michael Marshall

Soldiers (From Stranger Things) by Kyle Dixon, Michael Stein

REVIEWS I POSTED

Three Romance Reviews: Kulti, The Hating Game and Sunstone

The Elementals Book Review

Meddling Kids Book Review

OTHER POSTS I’VE DONE 

Spring Cleaning Book Tag

Film Friday: Favourite Campus Films

Getting Through Exam and Essays: ADVICE

DISCUSSION: Reading at University, and how I do it!

Music Monday: OMG This Song Book Tag

Top Ten Tuesday: Rainy Day Reads

Top Ten Tuesday: First Ten Books I Ever Reviewed on Goodreads

  April Wrap Up & May TBR Jar Pick IT'S MAY Y'ALL. Even though I'll still be doing blog posts in May, it's not going to be as hectic, as I finally finished my second year of university and have decided to take it easy after a very packed April.

#blog #book review #movies #music #reading #reading wrap up #tv shows #videos #wrap up

[theconservativebrief]

A spiritual activist group known for taking on the religious right and conservative policy is splintering over its leader’s decision to enlist a lawyer who also represents prominent alt-right figures.

The Satanic Temple (TST) a nontheistic religious group that says it is dedicated to humanistic values, evidence-based scientific inquiry, and the separation of church and state, is currently suing Twitter for religious discrimination. TST argues it was not only unable to effectively report threats to its headquarters on the platform, but also that when its leader, who uses the pseudonym Lucien Greaves, spoke out, he was punished by being temporarily suspended.

Greaves’s decision to work with Marc Randazza, a lawyer whose other clients include Infowars’ Alex Jones and a number of neo-Nazis and white supremacists, has led to a fracture within TST. The Los Angeles chapter of the group has disaffiliated in protest, calling Randazza a “Twitter troll and an agent of the alt-right,” while the co-head of the New York chapter has resigned and left the organization.

The controversy over Greaves’s engagement of Randazza has crystallized wider debates within the organization. For Greaves and his allies, TST’s primary mission is to defend principles of personal sovereignty like free speech and separation of church and state, often by taking advantage of legal religious liberty exemptions. Greaves has frequently argued that this sovereignty is sacrosanct, even for views he finds repugnant: He has, for example, defended the right of ultra-conservative firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos to speak at California Polytechnic University after students purporting to be Satanists led a protest against him.

But for many of the progressive activists drawn to TST for its high-profile commitment to left-wing advocacy work, TST’s partnership with Randazza, and willingness to overlook his more troubling clientele, is a worrying sign that the organization is too willing to let the voices of its leadership — many of whom are straight white men — crowd out the wishes of a more diverse membership.

The fracture within TST reveals the complications and ambiguities inherent in activism in the age of Trump. It also raises questions about the responsibility of broader activist groups, including religious organizations, to its members.

The Satanic Temple has been blending trolling and activism since it was founded in 2012 by two friends, Malcolm Jerry and Lucien Greaves (both pseudonyms). Greaves is the organization’s only public spokesperson and de facto head.

The group gained prominence in 2013, when some members held a mock rally — complete with theatrical black flowing robes — celebrating Florida governor Rick Scott, who had recently signed a law allowing students to read inspirational messages at school events. While that law was designed primarily to allow Christian students to evangelize in school, TST grabbed media attention by praising Scott for reaffirming “our American freedom to practice our faith openly, allowing our Satanic children the freedom to pray in school.”

In 2016, TST again made headlines for using religious liberty exemptions to get around Texas’s then-new “fetal burial rule,” which mandated that all fetal remains, including those that were the result of abortion, be officially buried or cremated. Because the organization formally holds that fetuses are not people, TST threatened to file injunctions against any planned enforcements of the law on religious liberty grounds.

It’s unclear exactly how many members the organization has. Its Facebook page has about 85,000 likes and its Facebook members’ forum has 7,000 members. For many Satanic Temple adherents, TST provides a moral framework, a place to conduct spiritual rituals with like-minded people, and a chance to reify dearly-held values.

This latest controversy began in January, when former child actor Corey Feldman, who’s previously claimed “demonic forces” have influenced his life, retweeted another user, LaurieGatta1, calling for the Satanic Temple headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts, to be burned down.

LaurieGatta1’s tweet, which has since been deleted, read: “I doubt nothing anymore. I have em. In Salem MA. Opened a Satanic Church last year!!! The Witches are evil. And Satanists and Cults are VERY real! W a church like this Should not exist! Burn it! Blame Hillary I don’t care! It’s gutta go. If anyone likes this idea they r FKEd.”

Lucien Greaves retweeted it, asking his followers to report the original tweet as harassment to Twitter. Instead, Greaves’s own account was suspended indefinitely (it has since been restored).

The TST is now suing Twitter for religious discrimination. “When Twitter is going to choose to treat one religious group differently than another, in a way that dehumanizes us, that sets up a dangerous precedent. … There are deeper ramifications for society at large when social media can suspend your account just because of discrimination,” he told the Washington Post.

Greaves said that the only lawyer who would take his case pro bono was Randazza, a lawyer whose defense of free speech — no matter how repugnant the message — has led to him to defend a founder of the neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer. Randazza is also defending far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones against several families of the victims in the Sandy Hook, Connecticut, shooting, who are suing him for defamation for propagating the idea that the massacre was a hoax.

However, many heads of individual local chapters expressed concern about retaining Randazza, especially because Greaves and TST were also simultaneously publicly fundraising for the suit despite being represented pro bono. (TST chapter heads and local councils organize and run local events and meetings, and funnel at least 90 percent of any profit from local events and fundraisers to the national level).

Emma Story, a former New York City TST chapter leader, said she expressed her concerns about Randazza to the national council several months ago. “We got a polite but non-useful reply about how lawyers represent all kinds of clients,” she told Vox. By mid-June, she said, other chapter heads had also express concern about Randazza’s affiliations, and in early July she and other chapter heads sent a longer formal letter to TST’s national council. They have yet to receive a response.

This week, the LA chapter disaffiliated from TST, branding itself the Satanic Collective, over concerns about Randazza. Story also resigned from the New York branch.

In a Medium post explaining her departure, Story wrote, “Randazza is not just another lawyer and it’s disingenuous to pretend that he is. … He has appeared on Alex Jones’s InfoWars again and again — not merely to discuss the Sandy Hook case but to express a whole variety of opinions about everything from Starbucks’s racial bias training to ‘the culture of victimhood’ in the United States.” Randazza has, she noted, appeared on InfoWars to warn: “one day in the future, there will be the uber victim: it will be one victim, to rule over all of them. There will be a black lesbian in a wheelchair with an eye patch and every single possible victimization and she will rule. … It’s a dystopian fairy tale.”

For Story, TST’s affiliation with Randazza highlights a wider issue within the organization: its unwillingness to prioritize the wishes of its most vulnerable and marginalized members. TST has, in her view, a diversity problem, skewing toward a generally privileged and largely white demographic.

“It’s not a coincidence,” Story wrote, “that the people who are leaving TST over this issue right now are predominantly members of the very same vulnerable groups we say we want to attract.” Still, members who are people of color, LGBTQ, or from other marginalized groups may feel uncomfortable with their religious organization doing business with someone who has not only defended, but also exhibited collegial behavior toward personalities like Jones.

In a statement made via Patreon, Greaves doubled down on his decision to work with Randazza. “I didn’t take the time to learn his politics, and I still don’t care what they are. He’s not representing our views, he’s defending our legal rights in court. He is a tool that has been made available to our enemies to their benefit. If we deny ourselves the same tools on the grounds that they’ve been used by our enemies, have we not merely forfeited our own fight?”

In a subsequent email to Vox, Greaves stressed that he believed that most chapter heads supported his decision to keep working with Randazza. He added, “We are not giving him a courtroom platform to pontificate about his political views, nor should those views be of consequence to us. [Refusing his services] would do nothing to hurt the alt right, it would merely hurt us.”

He acknowledged that national leadership had not replied to the initial letter of concern from some chapter heads, arguing that the organization was focused on upcoming projects. “The Satanic Temple is run by a small, overworked band of volunteers,” he wrote, “We’re still a young organization working out communication and administration issues, but we are deeply concerned about the well-being of all chapters and don’t disregard any internal disputes, nor do we disregard any concerns as superfluous even if we think they are misguided.”

Chalice Blythe, a member of TST’s national council, said in a statement that “a good portion of initially concerned chapter heads were given thorough explanations” about TST’s relationship with Randazza, and “felt their concerns were adequately addressed, acknowledged, and are in support of the standing of the lawsuit and retention of the lawyer.”

The debate about what the Satanic Temple is, or should be, and the degree to which its advocacy work demands a rejection of people like Randazza, is about far more than the politics of a single organization. Rather, it speaks to the degree to which even progressive organizations have been under increasing ideological strain in a political landscape in which news coverage of neo-Nazis and conspiracy theories has become, in essence, the new normal.

As a social justice organization, and as a religion devoted to celebrating personal autonomy, TST sees itself as a champion of unlimited free speech, and its choice of lawyer reflects that. But as a religion whose adherents are drawn to it because of their passion for social justice, and desire to advocate for the vulnerable, TST also runs the risk of alienating its members. In this, TST’s dual roles — as an activist free speech organization and as a welcoming religious space for a non-theistic community — may be in conflict.

The debate raging in TST, in other words, is ultimately a debate about the nature and limits of activism in the age of President Donald Trump.

As one current chapter head, who wished to remain anonymous, put it in an email to Vox: “We came into TST thinking it would be an organization that stands for something. I would rather not take the Twitter case than hire someone who represents members of the alt-right and Alex Jones. We know Lucien is not someone who has alt-right ideologies, but I would like to think he would consider all the members who are People of Color, LGBTQ+, and some Jewish members who have expressed discomfort with the idea of Randazza representing us.”

Original Source -> The Satanic Temple is divided over its leader’s decision to hire Alex Jones’s lawyer

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

[funnythingshere0-blog]

Sydney Film Festival Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post (USA, 2018) is a sensitive, frank, funny and ...

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Sydney Film Festival Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post (USA, 2018) is a sensitive, frank, funny and ...

For those who have read my glowing review of American Honey, I praised the main actress Sasha Lane for being a natural on-screen and a talent to look out for. Flash-forward to almost two years later, we have her on-screen again in the comedy-drama The Miseducation of Cameron Post and that had me excited. But fortunately, that’s not the only reason. The film is directed by Desiree Akhavan, who had directed the acclaimed romantic comedy Appropriate Behaviour, which dealt with its subject matters of gender roles and cultural perspectives very well. That point alone makes it highly appropriate that she is directing The Miseducation of Cameron Post.

And we have the lead actress Chloe Grace Moretz, whose work has been quite polarizing lately ever since starring in Olivier Assayas’ Clouds of Sils Maria. Starring in underwhelming films like If I Stay and films that barely got a theatrical release like November Criminals and Dark Places, the film seems to be the perfect opportunity to get out of that rut. Will The Miseducation of Cameron Post succeed in making a film that is sensitive in its subject matter about queer people as well as succeed in being entertaining?

Set in 1993, we follow the titular character Cameron Post (Chloe Grace Moretz). On the outside, she seems to fit the appearance of a normal teenage girl. But she has a secret that she hides from everyone, which is her being a lesbian. She is in a relationship with Coley (actress/director Quinn Shephard in a small role) and it takes a turn for the worst when the two are caught in the backseat of a car.

Cameron is sent away to a treatment center in a remote area called God’s Promise, run by Dr. Lydia Marsh (Jennifer Ehle). While she is being subjected to questionable gay conversion therapies, she bonds with some fellow residents like the commune-raised sardonic Jane Fonda (Sasha Lane) and the laid-back asexual Native American Adam Red Eagle (Forrest Goodluck). The three gradually become good friends as they pretend to go along with the process while waiting to be released.

Like the best of coming-of-age films, they all provide an honest outlook in their storytelling. In the case of The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a very well-executed comedy-drama coming-of-age film, indeed. Major credit goes to director Desiree Akhavan, whose direction is never blatant, manipulative and most importantly, judgmental to the characters involved. There is always a human element to these characters that always makes them easy to empathize with, despite their questionable actions.

Even some of the big dramatic scenes of the film are surprisingly nuanced and the small moments in the scene stand out, like in a scene where Cameron makes a phone call, her face is distorted in darkness during the emotional moment and we hear her hand grip the phone.

Characters like that include Reverend Rick Marsh (played by John Gallagher Jr.), a man who is still struggling and refusing to come to terms with his sexuality; Cameron’s overly optimistic roommate Erin (Emily Skeggs), a teenager who is desperate to believe she’s straight and even Dr. Lydia Marsh (Jennifer Ehle) can’t be called a villain (or what she’s called in the film, a Disney villain). But the great thing Akhavan does is that she never gets into the backstories nor lets the audience why they are who they are; she only shows what makes them flawed and remarkably human.

Alongside that, the best choice that Akhavan does is to adapt the final act of the book for the entirety of the film, which is when the lead goes into the gay conversion camp. In terms of the film, it throws the audience at the breaking point (efficiently and emotionally) where the characters come to the realization of their identity and how it affects others; and a sense of claustrophobia i.e. being thrown into a place almost immediately with no clear way out.

Despite the downbeat subject matter of the story, Akhavan adds plenty of understated humour throughout, which shows how ridiculous outside points-of-view can be towards homosexuality or even religion eg. the Christian exercise program called Blessercise that Erin exercises on.

It helps that the cast all give fantastic performances. Sasha Lane proves that her performance in American Honey is no fluke, as she is so comfortable and charismatic on-screen, all of her acerbic line deliveries are right on target. Forrest Goodluck (best known for his role in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu‘s The Revenant) gives a likable and laid-back performance.

Jennifer Ehle is compellingly understated as the matriarch who is always stern with her approach, yet Ehle never portrays her as a cartoon. Emily Skeggs is great as Erin, who hides under her guileless facade to look like she’s straight and Owen Campbell has a fantastic moment in the third act that is just heartbreaking.

But the biggest standouts in the film are John Gallagher Jr. and Chloe Grace Moretz. Gallagher Jr. nails the internal conflict of the character, hiding under a facade of jubilation. The cracks of that facade that become more and more noticeable over time that and Gallagher Jr. makes the gradual character reveal a marvel to watch, especially in the final act.

Moretz has played impassive or taciturn characters before like in the horror films Let Me In and Carrie (2013), but her performances were always flawed due to her inexperience at the time or how the character was written in the script.

But in the case of The Miseducation of Cameron Post, she really digs into the character, whether its the self-hatred for what she has done or her gradual realization of who she is. It’s a remarkably sensitive and nuanced performance that is the best in her career, hands down.

Overall, The Miseducation of Cameron Post is an understated and quite powerful film that is sensitive towards all of its characters, is remarkable in how inclusive it is, has great performances and has welcome acerbic humor that made me laugh out loud at times. Highly recommended.

Review Score: FOUR PEELED POTATOES (OUT OF FIVE)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post screened as part of Sydney Film Festival. For more details head HERE.

[chinad]

In completion of 2017.

Dec 19, 2017

dreamt being friend of an English noble family, or Japanese host, ie their 2 boys and only daughter. first the boys showed me their real estate, and traditional kid practices around & in trench of their castle, which so beautiful, with yard and fence, and harvesting field with peasants nearby. I commented British buildings usually round shape while Chinese commodity residential block usually in slice alike. they also showed me their parties. then their only sister returned. the girl likely an artist, she put on me new shirt & introduced me to her party. when I prepared to performance and jumping from 2nd floor balcony to hall ground over awaiting crowd, my alarm woke me up. it's a warm dream, without pressure, esp the daughter cares me so much. this week still in wilder joys aid by alipay virtual credit. I try to prepare an installment with the credit, so I in urgency to spend near ￥1500 so as to mount to 2000 CNY installment. spending upon year end gifts really a breeze. I equipped dearest son a suite of SQAD winter uniform, including coat & pants, pricey ￥350. last night I spend another 120 on family photo book reviewing a decade golden memories, esp in woz's growth. for our domain registrar, godaddy defies the credit, I partially shift some deposit from monthly mobile data plan and spare cash for renewing our remnant 16 domains year end. but mobile fee recharging has limit set by the virtual credit, so I only allowed 400 CNY to transit. however, after these operations, I more confident that 2017 will complete without regret. past week also allows us enjoying benefit of goods, like my kid brother aided me a new Japanese style bed cushion, quite soft & warm & economic efficient, I praise it exceeding word. otherwise each morning esp chiller morning when I get up my bone hurts. our new google home mini first arrived amid our seasonal cyber gifts. it's so beautifully functional, enrich my son's spoken English & informative anytime empowered by the moral uplifting American corporate giant. we spend half hour to setup it, still my son at a loss for he was not left alone to accomplish the task. he wants now to carry independent workload on his own. that remind me how hard my situation can be in a tiny world our economy & social circumstance permits. my kid brother this time generously extended arms to me, likely last time our elder brother loaned me for domain renewal even in his hard time shamed him, and his aid grants us to upgrade our rechargeable batteries stock, which prepares us for more e-gadgets to harness even more wonderful modern living standard. God, dad, reviewing our situation, we felt so much blessed: our beneficence hinders nobody, our broad laugh shadows no one. while most renowned billionaires bow to PRC sinful tyrant, confronted by lawless deprivation and death penalty instead of standing clean, esp IT industry monopolies in rats' race. God dad, our anxious free growth might ceilied esp upon my offspring, but dearest God dad, is there anything we bestowed is not under your Holy Majesty warranty? grant us usual path, and merry heart forever, under shine & shrine. bring me sooner my Royal China, my Crown Queen from Japan, Asoh Yukiko, for broader future of our 2 nations. in our ancestors' forged link, we stand firmer on the eastern Asia now and then forever.

Dec 12, 2017

these weeks brewing shopping online for quite some times, empowered by alipay virtual credit. but unfortunately godaddy doesn't support it. so I ordered woz's new boot, google home mini as planned in this dawn. later I will buy myself tea whose deficit last months helplessly. In dawn dreamt of a respected elder, likely PRC general Liu Bocheng. he first in my dream appeared as a painter, who drew golden leaves with Chinese traditional calligraphic painting. then he linked 3 painted leaves in a line to forge a brush and drew more in batch likes painting software, painter which can animate painting procedure does. then some relatives of the elder appeared, claimed the renowned man never query the elapse of his old acquaintances, for he can grasp the information in solitude & void. after woke up I felt he must be old partner of Deng Xiaoping, General Liu. these days PRC surveillance turns more rampant, and insanely. last weekend it only deterred playing back & restricted sources available via lagging internet, but last night it shameless rip audio from online episodes real time stream, and reset cache building minutes each after 2 or 3 minutes, just aiming upset my watching experience. hatred in PRC, esp dogs arranged by tyranny let me sad sometimes recently, by their desperate, cheap and total equipped to teeth. nevertheless my son rejoiced after my analyses of adversity we were beset, after he felt insulted by my scorn when he refused counting cash for me when I handover bills to pay our spa groupon in front the counter. might he thought the ammount, ￥250, too small for his engagement, but I hoped he recount before shifting to cashier, for I just roughly fetched from my purse. but he move them directly to cashier with whom I natively didn't trust. my son got hurt and in next Saturday when we went cinema & bought Taiwanese sweet juice he refused to face cashier. I first puzzled by his refusal, blamed him shy to publicity. then I saw his attitude & reason behind. so in Sunday luncheon, I explained why I didn't put him as independent but a kid. we more or less reunited & the downtown hotel restaurant lunch is delicious. after showered & returned to his mom's house, I let him watch "Rick & Morty" while I massaged his feet. his sinful mom tentatively arranged her lesbian friend's son came over for her english tuition, then my son looked diligently to play steam game with the docile kid while his mom, also the cheating kid, posed to be too busy and left my son unfinished amid game playing. its all right God, dad, just let the bitch does her utmost sins trying tearing my son apart between beast & holy, hership vs fathership. God, dad, 2017 ends soon. grant us renew all 21 domains with bonus, my only source of surplus in bare living year long including boarding & lodging, spa, barber, monthly cinema, weekly dining out with woz, dearest son. grant us self-relying sooner my online portal of Royal China. bring me sooner my Crown Queen, Asoh Yukiko, for future ahead, for tomorrow reality in eastern Asia. protect zhone 21 domains in our title & promising in their far-sight & far reaching game changing. grant us merry Christmas & lunar new year!

Nov 30, 2017

dreamt editing video as my old career in QRRS cable TV. a piece of video abnormal & frequently freezed. I reported to leader that its likely encrypted. my once departmental leader, likely framed me and side watched for my clueless while playing Mahjong with his pals in the studio. but I checked carefully to assure its not damaged but encrypted, then gradually decrypted the video. after that I posted my resignation notice for the unfriend environment in which the boss conjected with departmental leader setup me in. last night I felt sad for our new registrar, dynadot, so irresponsible to fix its problematic dns setting rule. it domain root record defies matched field, say title and value, but just arbitrary single value. while zoho mail hosting SPF and let's encrypt ssl dns verification both need title "@" matching txt value field, otherwise the only txt value wouldn't be recognized, and verification halt to proceed. such a simple malfunction defied many users' operational inc mine, and caused many complains in its user community. but after near 3 months after my transferation from godaddy, I yet saw fix at all. the boss of the company shows his leisure time with his pet dog in his pool on social media. this reminds me their less concerns with their product on which I deeply hope I can firmly cling to, after departed from godaddy which more intelligent and powerful esp dns setting, just in one shortcoming, too expensive & bargain needed in renewal. I hope our new registrar, dynadot, responsible, steady, but new found let the assumption shakeable. God dad, why domain registry so thin in scale of intellectual property, why is it so easy to be a domain registrar with such a problematic product while remains open service? it shakes my faith in American corporate moral, and traditional Chinese, esp from Taiwan, as dynadot founder is a Taiwanese, more equipped with merit of hard working and emotional smarter. On Tuesday our ordered ssd from taobao arrived. but last mile express, contractor Yuantong express failed to deliver. I buzzed the agent according sms noticement and the man claimed he no longer in the job for days. so I visited local office of the contractor a bus stop away. the small office jammed with parcels. 2 women there helped me find my package after a quarter's scrutiny. Yuantong once had a wonderful service, speedy & well organized, but now seemingly in deconstruction. for its too earlier to fetch my son from his school, I lingered awhile in KFC local franchise, now under PRC native brand. there I found my alipay virtual credit, 花呗, resumes my limit from freeze. I paid a KFC groupon via the payment tool in a blink. that's so exciting even before I went to bed hours later, I still felt shocking satisfaction. I need credit so badly. in next days I wondered what credit is and how it can facilitate my life, I took granted that it only encourages installment. so this month I will equip my son & my own 3 items, woz's new boot, google home mini, and my tea, all in one installment and hopeful year end bonus will pay the bill eventually. God, dad, enlive quality service in American Chinese startup, esp established corporations like dynadot. bring me fruitful usage of credit. bring me my Royal China, my Crown Queen Asoh Yukiko for better management of monetary. grant me constructive credit adoption, and booming business my online portal empowers.

Nov 27, 2017

retrospect last week, it elapsed so peaceful. but in fact I burning for the coming salary which turned out extraordinarily surprising. previously I thought the year end most financially demanding tasks completed with 2 loans from my old hometown relatives, ie my sisters & brother. but suddenly my vpn service informed me renewal due in couple days, exactly Nov 22. while recently my salary released usually on 19th monthly. so I took it easily. from 19th, Sunday, I looked out hopefully descending of salary till 22rd, Wednesday. everyday I prayed for solution. it was a sunny noon on 22rd Nov, 2017, I gave up canteen lunch and hope my last salvage. but it didn't. then I sought out with blessing resolution for dorm canteen's loan. they didn't refuse my appeal, offer ￥1000 at once. with it I immediately deposited in my icbc credit account. CCP surveillance blocked my trading attempts for a quarter, then went smoothly. my paypal strangely refused my payment, claiming verification failure. so I ditched it and paid via alipay, a mainstream electronic financial tool in PRC. my vpn vendor listed under its transaction log in alipay. might be that's what PRC surveillance demands in defying of my paypal which done last year perfectly. then most wanted salary release notification sms arrived: with year end bonus, I got 4420 CNY. I had previously doubted many times my budget & salary supporting gap, and thought I will save my purchase from returning less to bank credit, which already warned me insufficient pay back & possible sue over me. the main coming bill is my son's desktop os, ubuntu on a ssd usb drive, and gift sending to my nephew whose first child, a daughter just born. I had already refrained from gifting his wedding ceremony nearly year ago. so this time my congratulation really due to manifest. they both costs ￥300. with the powerful salary, I maintained last month pay back standard, 500 CNY each for ccb & psbc credit debt, while clear all my due liability among bills active in life, except debt to canteen loan adds more hundreds. but in the afternoon, when I handed over ￥1700 including 200 to pay a woman staff there for my laundry, the canteen operative woman and her husband accepted without complains. God, dad, what a wonderful moment after so many neck breaking anticipation! in the night I informed my son online the clearance of bills and claimed only left unfinished is donation annually to poor kids in China mountainous area, and bbn bible radio. but now, I want more: equipping my son woz a pair of new winter shoes to replace his wrecked one, and my tea deficit for months. my son's programming lesson arranged by his mom stepping in, my preparing his desktop environment is portable os on ssd udisk hopefully running on hardware of his old dell notebook and intel nuc in his lounge. dad God, let my son adopt my suggestion, first step to master typing via training tools from chrome store on his chromebook. grant me helpful and his prompt execution for remaining aid from powerful google & online courseware. I have almost no more debt in his education, nor in my online business, our portal for Royal China and democracy of China progressive. God dad, grant me another surge of spacious budget for renew our domains year end, nearly 15 domains left. grant us happier lunar new year, and Christmas 2017. thx for this clueless post in firm hint of publish in rest of recent elation.

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