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stackthedeck · 2 years

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Okay but Peter finding out that Marc, a fellow Jew, is bound in servitude to a god of the type that the G-d of their ancestors passed judgement upon to the point where we have dinner once a year to talk about it is going to be a priceless conversation.

(Marc Spector’s spiritual beliefs are firmly “It’s Complicated”)

Marc Spector really said "it's complicated" like literally that's what the current Moon Knight run is about and it's fascinating! Like he is a very Jewish character, his grandfather is a rabbi that escaped nazi Germany, and his father is a rabbi, and that caused kids and adults in his neighborhood to target his family and his father encouraged passivism and to not fight back but just be a model minority. The origin of his DID is a nazi posed as a rabbi, as a trusted friend, and was serial killing Marc's community. The origin of his superpowers is an Egyptian god forcing life onto him so that he can be his servant. Like you said anon, that's clearly the Passover story except in reverse. Like who Marc is, is the story of Jewish oppression. And yet, he's non-practicing. Like how do you believe in G-d when there's another god that's puppet you around? Why hasn't G-d delivered Marc like He did His people out of Egypt all those centuries ago? And so he has to deliver himself, he rejects his father's passivism and so rejects his father's faith. Like Marc is Jewish because his life is defined by it but he feels a distance from G-d but not his culture. I would love to see him interact with Magneto because like he's a holocaust survivor like Marc's grandfather. But also I feel like he and Kate Pryd would be interesting together because they're both weird kids from Chicago that are Jewish but they feel weird about it. Like Marc's Judaism is something that he really only talks about with his therapist and I hope in the future it can be a joyful thing for him.

but like Peter Parker kind of has the opposite probably where's technically not Jewish at all. Like he's definitely coded that way, his philosophy and upbringing are very Jewish, the neighborhood he's from is historically Jewish, and his creator is Jewish. I believe there's one comic universe where he is Jewish but it's not 616 and he's canonically Jewish in Into the Spiderverse (Peter B my beloved) and you know technically he's Jewish in the Marc Webb movies because Andrew Garfield is Jewish. Like I personally read him as Jewish because I think it adds depth to his character and his relationship with New York and with Miles. But ultimately he's also non-practicing in this reading because he's not stated as Jewish so we can't see him do any traditions or practices.

These characters' interactions are pretty limited and when they do interact their points of contrast are Spider-Man's no-killing vs Moon Knight's extreme violence and Peter's quippy cute pg humor and Marc's edgelord dry sarcasm. And no one actually ships them like it's a Bendis panel the "little bit" is a gay joke, he just does that. Honestly, there are a lot of gay jokes with Peter, in general, it's weird and I feel like Marvel either needs to stop or just confirm it and let him kiss a dude already. But it would be interesting to see them bound over their different relationships to Judaism. Like being Jewish is a source of trauma for Marc because he's experienced extreme anti-Semitism. Being Jewish for Peter is just another piece of the puzzle of Peter, it's a thing that connects him to his family and New York, but so is Spider-Man and science, you know. And they're both non-practicing. Maybe dating Marc could put Peter back into the faith because he gets to hear about Marc's dad and granddad and their devotion and maybe he wants to bring that back into his life. Maybe Peter can bring Marc back into the faith and the community by showing an upbringing that did have anti-semitism present, but it wasn't as bad because he had just a little bit more support.

like idk obviously the "little bit" thing is a joke and I don't particularly ship them and really don't think they'd have a healthy relationship, but I do think that they could be good together and good for each other and Marvel just let Peter be Jewish and let him talk about it with other Jewish heroes like seriously he and Ben Grimm should be closer

#thinking about how Ben Grimm met the closest thing to G-d and he's still practicing #how religion works in superhero universes is fascinating #like the gods of all the pantheons exist like observably #where's the monotheistic one #asks

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mugasofer · 3 years

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Thinking about the worldbuilding and power-scaling in Worm.

I think a big part of why Worm has developed such an intense fanfic community - disproportionate to its popularity, even - is that the world makes for a perfect sandbox.

Winslow High in Brockton Bay in America in Earth Bet in the Entities' multiverse, each layer defined both by the layers above it (in ways both visible and invisible) and by the fascinating cast of that layer. You can drop pretty much any character in, no matter how weak or how powerful, and know they'll slot into one of those power levels and encounter an interesting cast of characters there.

All of Wildbow's stories follow heroes who grow in power and competence and deal with increasingly powerful parts of their world, but Worm is the most pure and blatant in its escalation spiral. We follow Taylor from struggling desperately against the street-level characters that define her hometown and the bullies in her school, all the way to struggling desperately against the hidden gods that define her multiverse. This means that, as a natural consequence of the story structure, we get to experience this fractal world that is interesting at every level.

Obviously, the Wormverse isn't alone in having characters of different power levels. It has this feature because it's copying traditional superhero worlds, which also have characters ranging from the mundane to the cosmic. But they don't have quite the same fractal structure; rather, you have isolated bubbles of characters around each main character and keyed to their power level. Metropolis is full of Superman-level planetary threats and Gotham is full of Batman-level street-level threats; Daredevil's New York is full of human Daredevil-level ninjas and Spider-Man's New York is full of Spiderman-level animal-themed supervillains and the Fantastic Four's New York is full of Fantastic Four level high-concept scifi threats. Crossovers between these series happen, but they are - and feel like - crossovers. Batman may stop Darkseid eating the multiverse one week in the JLA comic but he'll struggle just as hard against the Mad Hatter next week in his own comic. Outside of very occasional events like Civil War, there's little sense that that there's a global stage where things happen that affect the entire setting the way we get with the PRT and Cauldron, nor is there a sense that characters can graduate to that stage given enough power; the JLA and Avengers include a mish-mash of heroes at all power levels based more on popularity than logic, and lots of individual heroes do stuff that's supposedly impacting the entire country/planet/universe/multiverse in their own books without it showing up in anyone else's.

One might compare this to an old-school sandbox game of DnD. The players start off attached to a small town "base", or crawling between hexes dealing with disconnected local threats. But as they get more powerful, they start picking up quests from kings and powerful wizards to defeat threats to entire kingdoms or journey across the globe to retrieve powerful artefacts; they've graduated from a map of the local villages and caves and forest to a map of the world with kingdoms marked on it. They can go back to those little villiages marked on the hex-grid and find that, by saving or overthrowing the kingdom they were in, they've affected what used to be their whole world (although most of it will still be there.) In time, they grow so powerful that the entire world no longer really has any threats that can realistically challenge them, so the DM breaks out the books that detail specific gods and arch-demons and other cosmic beings; they've graduated from a mere map of the planet they were on to a planar cosmology of the multiverse and its rulers. Their actions now affect the entire setting; the patrons of entire religions they previously encountered can live or die as a result of their adventures, the very forces that underpin the universe might shift.

Put Superman into the world of, say, Avatar the Last Airbender, and he completely breaks the setting. Put the Last Airbender cast in DC Comics, and they can work OK as street-level heroes, but you need to be more specific because it's really a bunch of disconnected settings; they could have an interesting story in Gotham, not so much in Metropolis fighting Brainiac. Put either of them in a D&D setting, and they both work; Superman as an epic-level hero vulnerable to magic, the Avatar cast as middling-level characters each with their own unique brand of magic. Put either in Worm, and they both work; Superman is playing with the Triumvirate, Scion, Endbringers and the like; while Team Avatar would fit in nicely in Brockton Bay alongside Taylor (or any of the other cities we've seen described, like Chicago or New York or the setting of Ward, or indeed a fan-made city with original heroes, but Brockton Bay is the most richly detailed).

Now you might be wondering, where's all the D&D fanfic, then? Doesn't this completely undercut my whole hypothesis? But of course, D&D fanfic makes up most of the fantasy genre.

#worldbuilding #fanfic meta #worm #parahumans #gaming #rambling #long #by me

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daresplaining · 4 years

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A Few Thoughts About the Current Run

I feel like I ought to say a few things about my feelings on Zdarsky’s run, as of right now (August 2020, pre-Annual-- that may be important). I haven’t said much about this run, and I should admit that I actually stopped reading it for a while. At a certain point, I realized I was dreading the release of each preview, and took that as a sign that maybe I should take a break and just re-read some back issues instead. This is, above all, supposed to be fun; I never, ever want reading DD to feel like a chore.

That said, I am now caught up and feel ready to begin untangling exactly why this run is so distasteful to me. I’ve been fortunate to have other DD fans to chat with about this, which has helped me to pinpoint what my problems are... because on paper, this run seems like something I’d enjoy. Matt accidentally kills a guy; that’s always fun. Marco Checchetto is great. The story explores Daredevil’s relationship with the citizens of Hell’s Kitchen, which I love. Foggy helps Matt with an action-y Daredevil thing; that’s awesome. There are some very cool fights. Elektra is in it. Stilt-Man is (briefly) in it. It has all the trappings of an interesting narrative. But there is a giant hole in the middle of this run, and that hole is Matt Murdock-shaped and impossible to ignore.

I read Daredevil comics for a lot of things (anyone who’s been following me for the past few years might think I read Daredevil comics for Mike Murdock, and you may have a point there) but first and foremost, I read them for Matt. There is a lot that makes a good DD story great-- historically, the comic has featured great supporting casts, and that’s another problem with this run that I’ll get back to in a minute-- but Matt is always the anchor. One of the greatest strengths in Daredevil comes from the fact that the protagonist is such a compelling character. You are interested in what he’s doing. You want to follow his story. You enjoy being inside his head. I’m not saying that you can’t write a good Matt-free Daredevil story-- you definitely can. But if Matt is present and written poorly, the whole story will collapse around him, and that’s been my experience with Zdarsky’s run. Part of the reason I’ve taken so long to write this post is because I’ve been trying to figure out if my complaint comes from my own personal taste-- which is not a basis on which I can critique this comic-- or whether the problem is inherent in the work itself. Having discussed it with other people, I feel comfortable saying that I think the problem is in the writing.

Zdarsky’s Matt feels profoundly unfamiliar to me, and that in itself isn’t necessarily a problem, but I don’t find this new version of my favorite superhero interesting. I actually find him a little repellant. If this run had been my introduction to Daredevil, I would’ve said “Nope” and read something else. Matt is a character with depth. He is intensely multifaceted. His relationship to superheroing is complicated, his views on justice and morality are rich and often contradictory. Zdarsky somehow missed all of that and has crafted a one-dimensional character with a blatantly black-and-white sense of morality. Matt’s reaction to accidentally killing someone seems to be to decide that all superheroes are bad-- something I complained about at the beginning of the run and which, unfortunately, only grew more annoying as the story progressed. Zdarsky’s Matt is painfully self-righteous, to a degree that makes him extremely unlikeable (at least to me). And yes, Matt has been written as unlikeable before. I actually love when Matt behaves badly; I find that fascinating from a narrative perspective. But I’ve realized that the key reason that has been effective in the past is because the story has never condoned that behavior. When Matt was emotionally abusive toward Heather Glenn, Frank Miller went out of his way to show us-- via the side characters, via blatant expressions of Heather’s pain-- that Matt was in the wrong. When Matt was a jerk in Bendis’ and Brubaker’s runs, when he drove his friends away, when he acted irrationally and harmfully, the narrative commented on that jerkiness and irrationality.

But Zdarsky does not do that in his run. He presents Matt’s irrational and jerkish behavior without comment or nuance, as if it’s a perfectly normal, reasonable way for Matt to act under the circumstances, and I have been surprised to realize how distasteful I find that, and how bad it makes Matt look. There’s a difference between having a character who is comfortably flawed-- whose behavior you’re supposed to occasionally question-- and a character who is just unpleasant and unlikeable, seemingly by accident. In the most recent issue (#21), Matt has an extremely upsetting interaction with Spider-Man, one of his oldest friends, and Matt is positioned as heroic for behaving this way, and it made me feel a little ill, because there’s no textual examination or questioning of this behavior. It’s just Matt, pushing people away, being Angsty(TM) and Gritty(TM) and lone wolf-y just because, in a way that is grating and unpleasant and completely lacks nuance.

The other major element of Zdarsky’s characterization of Matt is religion. I’ve mentioned before (as have other DD fans before me) that Matt is not generally written as religious, and it’s a strange phenomenon that this characterization has appeared in multiple adaptations (the movie and the Netflix show) while having very little actual presence in the source material. But it was a key theme in the Netflix show, and while hopefully that influence will disappear from the comics as more time passes, we are still in a honeymoon phase wherein MCU elements are still popping up in the 616 universe. It’s clear that Zdarsky really liked the show, and Soule as well; I’m certainly not letting Soule off the hook here, because the idea of Matt being devoutly Christian showed up his run first. But there, you could get away from it if it wasn’t your thing (which, for me, it’s not). Soule had whole story arcs that didn’t mention it. But Zdarsky has made it 75% of Matt’s personality. When he isn’t fighting or sleeping with someone in this run, Matt is angsting about God.

I hesitate to complain about this because it’s Zdarsky’s right as a DD writer to change the protagonist however he likes. It’s frustrating, yes, but not actually a sign of bad writing per se. Plus, not everyone is me. Many people-- probably including many people who were fans of the Netflix show and are entering the comics via that connection (which seems to be the target audience for this run)-- may be religious and may connect to MCU/Zdarsky Matt in that way. And that’s wonderful. I want to be very clear: it’s not the religiousness itself that I’m complaining about. My complaint is this: if you’re going to drastically alter a character, you need to back it up. You need to dig into it, make that new personality element feel powerful and real, and integrate it into the character’s pre-existing personality. And if you’re going to base the entirety of that character’s emotional journey on that new trait, you need to work to make sure it’s accessible to your readership. I, as a non-religious person, have no sense of why Matt is so upset about God. I have no frame of reference for his pain, either from my own experiences or from previous Daredevil continuity, and Zdarsky does nothing to develop or explore the basis of Matt’s faith, and so it all just falls flat. I feel alienated by this run. I see an angsty, self-righteous, prickly jerk ranting about needing to do God’s will, and then I put the issue down and read some She-Hulk instead. If Zdarsky (or Soule-- again, he could have done this too) had made an effort to actually explore and explain Matt’s feelings about his religion, rather than lazily shoving that characterization in there and assuming readers will just accept it, it wouldn’t bother me nearly as much as it has.

Also, I feel I have to mention; this is a fantasy universe. Matt went to Hell and yelled at Mephisto in Nocenti’s run, and it was awesome. Maybe this is just me, but if you’re going to bring in religion, at least have some fun with it! Bookend Nocenti’s run: Matt goes to Heaven, runs into God, and she gives him some free therapy and a souvenir t-shirt (or, I don’t know, something). To give Zdarsky credit, he did at least hint at that sort of thing in Matt’s conversation with Reed Richards in #9.

I'm going to cut this post short, because I really don’t enjoy writing negative reviews. I’d much rather post about things I love, and over the next few weeks I do plan to highlight aspects of this run that I’ve enjoyed. But I’ll end by saying that the weaknesses in Matt’s characterization could have been mitigated by a great supporting cast. Having prominent secondary protagonists would have provided outside perspectives on Matt’s behavior and given the reader other characters to root for when he got too out-of-hand. They would have drawn out the human elements in Matt’s character and helped give him that nuance he so desperately needs. But this run, just like Soule’s before it, is woefully underpopulated. Foggy’s presence is extremely weak and his appearances far too infrequent. Apart from brief cameos in MacKay’s Man Without Fear mini, Kirsten McDuffie and Sam Chung have both vanished, and I’m worried that Kirsten might have joined Milla Donovan in the limbo of still-living-but-permanently-benched ex-love interests. The women in this run are all either villains or people for Matt to sleep with (I was pumped about Elektra’s return and the idea of her training Matt, but her characterization was disappointing (I may write a separate post about this), and Mindy Libris could have been really compelling as a moral person trying to survive life in a crime family, but instead she was just a one-note, underdeveloped victim for Matt to lust after). To Zdarsky’s credit, he has clearly been trying to give the Kingpin a humanizing story arc, but even that I haven’t found compelling enough to want to keep reading (though that could just be me). Cole North was intriguing at first, but he ended up feeling more like a concept than an actual person. And none of these characters engage with Matt on a human, emotional level, which is what a good supporting cast needs to do. I commented early-on that this run felt like all flash and no bang (Is that a term? It is now.) and I think I still stand by that-- it’s all bombastic plot concepts and big ideas without any of the actual development or nuance necessary to make them work. There is nothing in this run that has pulled me in and held my interest; in the absence of a Matt I can connect to, I need something, and so far I haven’t found it.

I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point. This run was nominated for an Eisner for best ongoing series, so apparently someone likes it, but it has become clear that-- so far, anyway-- it’s just not right for me.

#Daredevil vol. 6 #Daredevil #Commentary #This is very negative. I'm sorry. Feel free to ignore it.

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iimanga · 3 years

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The Whole Marvelous Super Ultra Cosmic Magical Comic Book Universe

The produce of imagination and business that was Marvel Comics was a synchronic harmony sounded by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko and every one of the creators and craftsmen and inkers and colorists who worked there. Everything began during the mid 1960's the point at which the Fantastic Four and Spider-man and the X-men (The Uncanny X-Men) were framed from the creative mind of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

X-men was a film industry crush the previous summer. I'm certain you additionally recall the profoundly effective Hulk TV show.

The most punctual X-men comprised of Jean (Marvel Girl) Gray (who later turned into the amazingly well known Phoenix), Professor X (Xavier), Cyclops (Scott Summers), the insightful Beast (Hank McCoy), and Iceman (Bobbie). Freaks brought into the world with exceptional "super-freak" capacities.

Later came the New Mutants with more youthful characters having freak controls that occasionally appeared to have them (the main sort of comic book story I don't care for).

These characters from X-men including (Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Storm, Banshee, Kitty) advanced with the appearance of the imagination of John Byrne (beginning in issue #108 of X-men) and Chris Claremont (Giant Sized X-men #1 and Uncanny X-men #94 now esteemed at $500. up in "mint" condition. The most famous person was the principle star in the X-men film- - Wolverine. There makes certain to be a continuation for this film industry crush.

X-men Comics instructed kids that bias is shrewd. Individuals who live in dread and in this way eagerness attempt to annihilate what they don't comprehend.

Fascinating that both the latest Star Wars film and X-men film truly investigated lawmakers (Congress). In the event that force undermines totally is it conceivable our framework is totally bad? The Senator in the X-men film took in his example somewhat late.

Insect man- - the new Marvel film in progress - is about a typical young child anxiety (menaces thumping him, not getting any darlings, skin break out, etc is gentle stuff contrasted with the present school encounters -, for example, not having chance and killed while going to or going to the everyday schedule lured by a destructive medication or tainted by a stellar infection) is only nibbled by a radioactive bug (revolutionary stuff for the mid 1960's).

This gives Peter Parker super powers- - creepy crawly controls - whenever intensified a man could lift a truck and convey it 20 miles as insects do. (Try not to get me going discussing Henry Pym the Antman who became Giant Man in the Marvel's Avengers ((Capt. America, Thor the Thunder God etc.))). Add to that Peter Parker was likewise a splendid understudy who had the option to concoct a web shooter and other extraordinary innovations. What's more, Spider-man was brought into the world as a bi-result of the bi-item known as radioactive material (which Science actually doesn't have the foggiest idea how to dispose of). (Take a stab at telling that to the Bush organization). Everything is energy! Recall Tesla curls.

However, Marvel was not by any means the only spot strutting superpowered characters.

D.C. Funnies (Time Warner), as well, used folklore and accounts of Biblical extents to entrain, invigorate and energize ages of youngsters, children and grown-ups from the 1940's to introduce.

A few characters like Superman, Atom, Flash, Batman, Green Lantern, JLA and others and even D.C's. adaptation of Capt. Wonder might have been propelled by profound writing which recounted Hindu Gods and Goddesses and surprisingly Biblical personages who could remain in fire and so forth

Contents and Wit

Superheroes: starting through human creative mind and from writing, folklore, religion.

However most likely comic makers just made up their wondrous stories.

When I talked with Gerry Conway for the Comics Journal he conceded to me that he had investigated a portion of the funnies he composed. Conway's companion accomplice Roy Thomas no question investigated Conan and Thor and other material while author and supervisor at Marvel. They cooperated on the incredible enlivened Fire and Ice film. (Ralph Bakshi/Frank Frazetta).

Also, at first Thomas got the Conan property over to Marvel from Edgar Rice Burroughs in Tarzana, CA. (Tarzana- - Tarzan...get it? That's right, it also is a comic.)

More seasoned society know and love the endless Films and TV shows and serials highlighting these and other most loved brilliant characters: Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Commander Cody (which might have enlivened the Rocketeer comic and film).

COMIC BOOKS - Born by the sheer exhurberance of the actual Universe through the vehicle of the Human Being!

The Comic Industry is an analogy forever. An inestimable dramatization unfurling. In any case, not to place old wine into new containers: Many occasions in the past Marvel and D.C. have joined to do specials that helps the play of imagination. I initially met Stan Lee while I was the administrator of a Comic Book Store in Studio City, California in the 1970's.

Or then again, more precisely, I met him through his works at Marvel Comics - his exceptional contents and mind in 1961.

Exceptionally astute association with the fans through clubs and letter sections in bygone times caused one to feel like one was a piece of something. With Merry Marvel "we had a place."

Stan Lee's accounts contained genuine person's, finished with issues and the start of incredible groundbreaking thoughts and standards for carrying on with a decent life.

As when Spider-man didn't stop a Burglar - a similar Burglar who later killed his caring Uncle- - Peter Parker (Spider-man) got the message - serve humankind. With extraordinary force comes liability.

Furthermore, obligation is the capacity to react.

Energizing anecdotal stories loaded with experience and energy with ethics. Outlined lavishly.

Wonder Super characters were at first looked on by society as trouble makers. Even subsequent to saving human butt large number of times.

J. Jonah Jameson (modest Editor of the Daily Bugle paper) has abhorred Spider-person for more than 30 years. Jameson really attempted to annihilate Spider-man by turning into a super reprobate.

Adrenaline junkie (blind Attorney yet Batman-esque in capacities and actual strength and spryness - however with uplifted faculties) the Man unafraid was regularly marked a scalawag too from the start.

Similar to the always well known Incredible Hulk - first deified as a comic book during the 1960's. Who went from dull and idiotic to approach virtuoso relying upon the decade where this suffering person is perused.

What we dread we regularly view as shrewd.

Funnies have attempted to instruct us that the means are pretty much as significant as the finishes they produce.

What we do en route decides the outcome we will get. Funnies are distributed in light of the fact that a word sounds great to the distributer. However, a portion of these new youthful free distributers need to find out about the significance inside these words (thus do their clients). However, more capacity to these ambitious youths.

What is Yoga, Meditation, Tai Chi, Mantra? What is Zen? (One youthful upstart distributer of "Harmony - intergalactic Ninja" had never known about Alan Watts - incredible advertiser of Zen until I let him know Alan Watts was a renowned and famous scholar turned maverick Philosopher and Author (one of many) liable for acquainting Eastern Religions with the profoundly starved West- - frequently heard on KPFK radio. Alan Watts is potentially the chief advertiser of Zen. Watts' book " The Wisdom of Insecurity," specifies, for goodness' sake, Comic Books. What are Chakras? The Tao implies what? When children grow up and find out with regards to Meditation will they be spoiled by our ineptitude and insatiability?

Trendy expressions ordinarily lower cognizance and create turmoil. Obviously when I use to distribute stuff as a young person I made up names that sounded great however had almost no significance, for example, Beyond Infinity, مانجا لاند, Eon the Magazine of Graphic Illusions. I know less now than I did then, at that point. What is make, craftsmanship, Love, Truth?

I held a few signature parties with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the 1970's and 1980's. I tossed more than 50 effective signature parties with numerous awesome comic book specialists and authors. I'd have the occasion, give rewards, do all the publicizing, realistic workmanship, official statements, and so forth It was an invigorating encounter. It was enjoyable to cooperate with professionals and fans. I parted with a ton of free promotion stuff.

10th Nebula's first signature party was held with Stan Lee, distributer of Marvel Comics. For a considerable length of time my shop suffered in North Hollywood, CA nearby to the world's most seasoned Science Fiction Club (an inherent crowd of companions and fans and PC monsters).

The Stan Lee occasion evoked long queues of Comic Book devotees of any age slobbering for Stan's mark on the sprinkle page of their old and new funnies. These days experts sign funnies on the front of their title en mass which I don't support. (Yet, who pays attention to me).

Funnies structures are frequently manhandled by hopeful youthful distributers who utilize a few pointless full page sprinkles when the impact could be accomplished in a minuscule board - misuse of cash, ink and paper if you were to ask me. Not at all like bygone times when Steve Ditko gave us our best possible value as around 6 boards for each page - he in his manner resembled a Zen Master - the accuracy of his work matched the craft of Chinese Calligraphy (see his one of a kind style in old Atlas Comics from the 1950's). A portion of the new experimentation's by Frank Miller and different gifts have all accomplished outstandingly imaginative work as well.

#new

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beyondthecosmicvoid · 5 years

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Afterword of First Book of Dune, "Dune"

“I knew Frank Herbert for more than thirty-eight years. He was a magnificent human being, a man of great honor and distinction, and the most interesting person at any gathering, drawing listeners around him like a magnet. To say he was an intellectual giant would be an understatement, since he seemed to contain all of the knowledge of the universe in his marvelous mind. He was my father, and I loved him deeply. Nonetheless, a son’s journey to understand the legendary author was not always a smooth one, as I described in my biography of him, Dreamer of Dune. Growing up in Frank Herbert’s household, I did not understand his need for absolute silence so that he could concentrate, the intense desire he had to complete his important writing projects, or the confidence he had that one day his writing would be a success, despite the steady stream of rejections that he received. To my young eyes, the characters he created in Dune and his other stories were the children of his mind, and they competed with me for his affections. In the years it took him to write his magnum opus, he spent more time with Paul Atreides than he did with me. Dad’s study was off-limits to me, to my sister Penny, and to my brother Bruce. In those days, only my mother Beverly really understood Dad’s complexities. Ultimately, it was through her love for him, and the love he gave back to her, that I came to see the nurturing, loving side of the man. By that time I was in my mid-twenties, having rebelled against his exacting ways for years. When I finally saw the soul of my father and began to appreciate him for the care he gave my mother when she was terminally ill, he and I became the best of friends. He helped me with my own writing career by showing me what editors wanted to see in books; he taught me how to construct interesting characters, how to build suspense, how to keep readers turning the pages. After perusing an early draft of Sidney’s Comet (which would become my first published novel), he marked up several pages and then wrote me this note: “These pages…show how editing tightens the story. Go now and do likewise.” It was his way of telling me that he could open the door for me and let me peek through, but I would have to complete the immense labors involved with writing myself. Beverly Herbert was the window into Frank Herbert’s soul. He shared that reality with millions of readers when he wrote a loving, three-page tribute to her at the end of Chapterhouse: Dune, describing their life together. His writing companion and intellectual equal, she suggested the title for that book, and she died in 1984 while he was writing it. Earlier in Dune, Frank Herbert had modeled Lady Jessica Atreides after Beverly Herbert, with her dignified, gentle ways of influence, and even her prescient abilities, which my mother actually possessed. He also wrote of “Lady Jessica’s latent (prophetic) abilities,” and in this he was describing my mother, thinking of all the amazing paranormal feats she had accomplished in her lifetime. In an endearing tone, he often referred to her as his “white witch,” or good witch. Similarly, throughout the Dune series, he described the heroic Bene Gesserit women as “witches.” Dune is the most admired science fiction novel ever written and has sold tens of millions of copies all over the world, in more than twenty languages. It is to science fiction what the Lord of the Rings trilogy is to fantasy, the most highly regarded, respected works in their respective genres. Of course, Dune is not just science fiction. It includes strong elements of fantasy and contains so many important layers beneath the story line that it has become a mainstream classic. As one dimension of this, just look at the cover on the book in your hands, the quiet dignity expressed in the artwork. The novel was first published in hardcover in 1965 by Chilton Books, best known for their immense auto-repair novels. No other publisher would touch the book, in part because of the length of the manuscript. They felt it was far too long at 215,000 words, when most novels of the day were only a quarter to a third that length. Dune would require immense printing costs and a high hardcover price for the time, in excess of five dollars. No science fiction novel had ever commanded a retail price that high. Publishers also expressed concern about the complexity of the novel and all of the new, exotic words that the author introduced in the beginning, which tended to slow the story down. One editor said that he could not get through the first hundred pages without becoming confused and irritated. Another said that he might be making a huge mistake in turning the book down, but he did so anyway. Initial sales of the book were slow, but Frank Herbert’s science fiction–writing peers and readers recognized the genius of the work from the beginning, awarding it the coveted Nebula and Hugo awards for best novel of the year. It was featured in The Whole Earth Catalog and began to receive excellent reviews, including one from the New York Times. A groundswell of support was building. In 1969, Frank Herbert published the first sequel, Dune Messiah, in which he warned about the dangers of following a charismatic leader and showed the dark side of Paul Atreides. Many fans didn’t understand this message, because they didn’t want to see their superhero brought down from his pedestal. Still, the book sold well, and so did its predecessor. Looking back at Dune, it is clear that Dad laid the seeds of the troublesome direction he intended to take with his hero, but a lot of readers didn’t want to see it. John W. Campbell, the editor of Analog who made many useful suggestions when Dune was being serialized, did not like Dune Messiah because of this Paul Atreides issue. Having studied politics carefully, my father believed that heroes made mistakes…mistakes that were simplified by the number of people who followed such leaders slavishly. In a foreshadowing epigraph, Frank Herbert wrote in Dune: “Remember, we speak now of the Muad’Dib who ordered battle drums made from his enemies’ skins, the Muad’Dib who denied the conventions of his ducal past with a wave of the hand, saying merely: ‘I am the Kwisatz Haderach. That is reason enough.’” And in a dramatic scene, as Liet-Kynes lay dying in the desert, he remembered the long-ago words of his own father: “No more terrible disaster could befall your people than for them to fall into the hands of a Hero.” By the early 1970s, sales of Dune began to accelerate, largely because the novel was heralded as an environmental handbook, warning about the dangers of destroying the Earth’s finite resources. Frank Herbert spoke to more than 30,000 people at the first Earth Day in Philadelphia, and he toured the country, speaking to enthusiastic college audiences. The environmental movement was sweeping the nation, and Dad rode the crest of the wave, a breathtaking trip. When he published Children of Dune in 1976, it became a runaway bestseller, hitting every important list in the country. Children of Dune was the first science fiction novel to become a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, and sales reached into the millions. After that, other science fiction writers began to have their own bestsellers, but Frank Herbert was the first to obtain such a high level of readership; he brought science fiction out of the ghetto of literature. By 1979, Dune itself had sold more than 10 million copies, and sales kept climbing. In early 1985, shortly after David Lynch’s movie Dune was released, the paperback version of the novel reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. This was a phenomenal accomplishment, occurring twenty years after its first publication, and sales remain brisk today. * * * In 1957, Dad flew to the Oregon coast to write a magazine article about a U.S. Department of Agriculture project there, in which the government had successfully planted poverty grasses on the crests of sand dunes, to keep them from inundating highways. He intended to call the article “They Stopped the Moving Sands,” but soon realized that he had a much bigger story on his hands. Frank Herbert’s life experiences are layered into the pages of the Dune series, combined with an eclectic assortment of fascinating ideas that sprang from his researches. Among other things, the Dune universe is a spiritual melting pot, a far future in which religious beliefs have combined into interesting forms. Discerning readers will recognize Buddhism, Sufi Mysticism and other Islamic belief systems, Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, and Hinduism. In the San Francisco Bay Area, my father even knew Zen Master Alan Watts, who lived on an old ferryboat. Dad drew on a variety of religious influences, without adhering to any one of them. Consistent with this, the stated purpose of the Commission of Ecumenical Translators, as described in an appendix to Dune, was to eliminate arguments between religions, each of which claimed to have “the one and only revelation.” When he was a boy, eight of Dad’s Irish Catholic aunts tried to force Catholicism on him, but he resisted. Instead, this became the genesis of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. This fictional organization would claim it did not believe in organized religion, but the sisters were spiritual nonetheless. Both my father and mother were like that as well. During the 1950s, Frank Herbert was a political speechwriter and publicity writer for U.S. senatorial and congressional candidates. In that decade, he also journeyed twice to Mexico with his family, where he studied desert conditions and crop cycles, and was subjected unwittingly to the effects of a hallucinogenic drug. All of those experiences, and a great deal from his childhood, found their way onto the pages of Dune. The novel became as complex and multilayered as Frank Herbert himself. As I said in Dreamer of Dune, the characters in Dune fit mythological archetypes. Paul is the hero prince on a quest who weds the daughter of a “king” (he marries Princess Irulan, whose father is the Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV). Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam is a witch mother archetype, while Paul’s sister Alia is a virgin witch, and Pardot Kynes is the wise old man of Dune mythology. Beast Rabban Harkonnen, though evil and aggressive, is essentially a fool. For the names of heroes, Frank Herbert selected from Greek mythology and other mythological bases. The Greek House Atreus, upon which House Atreides in Dune was based, was the ill-fated family of kings Menelaus and Agamemnon. A heroic family, it was beset by tragic flaws and burdened with a curse pronounced against it by Thyestes. This foreshadows the troubles Frank Herbert had in mind for the Atreides family. The evil Harkonnens of Dune are related to the Atreides by blood, so when they assassinate Paul’s father Duke Leto, it is kinsmen against kinsmen, similar to what occurred in the household of Agamemnon when he was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra. Dune is a modern-day conglomeration of familiar myths, a tale in which great sandworms guard a precious treasure of melange, the geriatric spice that represents, among other things, the finite resource of oil. The planet Arrakis features immense, ferocious worms that are like dragons of lore, with “great teeth” and a “bellows breath of cinnamon.” This resembles the myth described by an unknown English poet in Beowulf, the compelling tale of a fearsome fire dragon who guarded a great treasure hoard in a lair under cliffs, at the edge of the sea. The desert of Frank Herbert’s classic novel is a vast ocean of sand, with giant worms diving into the depths, the mysterious and unrevealed domain of Shai-hulud. Dune tops are like the crests of waves, and there are powerful sandstorms out there, creating extreme danger. On Arrakis, life is said to emanate from the Maker (Shai-hulud) in the desert-sea; similarly all life on Earth is believed to have evolved from our oceans. Frank Herbert drew parallels, used spectacular metaphors, and extrapolated present conditions into world systems that seem entirely alien at first blush. But close examination reveals they aren’t so different from systems we know…and the book characters of his imagination are not so different from people familiar to us. Paul Atreides (who is the messianic “Muad’Dib” to the Fremen) resembles Lawrence of Arabia (T. E. Lawrence), a British citizen who led Arab forces in a successful desert revolt against the Turks during World War I. Lawrence employed guerrilla tactics to destroy enemy forces and communication lines, and came close to becoming a messiah figure for the Arabs. This historical event led Frank Herbert to consider the possibility of an outsider leading native forces against the morally corrupt occupiers of a desert world, in the process becoming a godlike figure to them. One time I asked my father if he identified with any of the characters in his stories, and to my surprise he said it was Stilgar, the rugged leader of the Fremen. I had been thinking of Dad more as the dignified, honorable Duke Leto, or the heroic, swashbuckling Paul, or the loyal Duncan Idaho. Mulling this over, I realized Stilgar was the equivalent of a Native American chief in Dune—a person who represented and defended time-honored ways that did not harm the ecology of the planet. Frank Herbert was that, and a great deal more. As a child, he had known a Native American who hinted that he had been banished from his tribe, a man named Indian Henry who taught my father some of the ways of his people, including fishing, the identification of edible and medicinal plants in the forest, and how to find red ants and protein-rich grub worms for food. When he set up the desert planet of Arrakis and the galactic empire encompassing it, Frank Herbert pitted western culture against primitive culture and gave the nod to the latter. In Dune he wrote, “Polish comes from the cities; wisdom from the desert.” (Later, in his mainstream novel Soul Catcher, he would do something similar and would favor old ways over modern ways). Like the nomadic Bedouins of the Arabian plateau, the Fremen live an admirable, isolated existence, separated from civilization by vast stretches of desert. The Fremen take psychedelic drugs during religious rites, like the Navajo Indians of North America. And like the Jews, the Fremen have been persecuted, driven to hide from authorities and survive away from their homeland. Both Jews and Fremen expect to be led to the promised land by a messiah. The words and names in Dune are from many tongues, including Navajo, Latin, Chakobsa (a language found in the Caucasus), the Nahuatl dialect of the Aztecs, Greek, Persian, East Indian, Russian, Turkish, Finnish, Old English, and, of course, Arabic. In Children of Dune, Leto II allowed sandtrout to attach themselves to his body, and this was based in part upon my father’s own experiences as a boy growing up in Washington State, when he rolled up his trousers and waded into a stream or lake, permitting leeches to attach themselves to his legs. The legendary life of the divine superhero Muad’Dib is based on themes found in a variety of religious faiths. Frank Herbert even used lore and bits of information from the people of the Gobi Desert in Asia, the Kalahari Desert in Southwest Africa, and the aborigines of the Australian Outback. For centuries such people have survived on very small amounts of water, in environments where water is a more precious resource than gold. The Butlerian Jihad, occurring ten thousand years before the events described in Dune, was a war against thinking machines who at one time had cruelly enslaved humans. For this reason, computers were eventually made illegal by humans, as decreed in the Orange Catholic Bible: “Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.” The roots of the jihad went back to individuals my parents knew, to my mother’s grandfather Cooper Landis and to our family friend Ralph Slattery, both of whom abhorred machines. Still, there are computers in the Dune universe, long after the jihad. As the series unfolds, it is revealed that the Bene Gesserits have secret computers to keep track of their breeding records. And the Mentats of Dune, capable of supreme logic, are “human computers.” In large part these human calculators were based upon my father’s paternal grandmother, Mary Stanley, an illiterate Kentucky hill-woman who performed incredible mathematical calculations in her head. Mentats were the precursors of Star Trek’s Spock, First Officer of the starship Enterprise…and Frank Herbert described the dangers of thinking machines back in the 1960s, years before Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator movies ...

By the time we complete those stories, there will be a wealth of Dune novels, along with the 1984 movie directed by David Lynch and two television miniseries—“Frank Herbert’s Dune” and “Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune”—both produced by Richard Rubinstein. We envision other projects in the future, but all of them must measure up to the lofty standard that my father established with his own novels. When all of the good stories have been told, the series will end. But that will not really be a conclusion, because we can always go back to Dune itself and read it again and again, ” -Brian Herbert

This shows the appreciation that Brian had for his father. Many fans are still on the fence regarding Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson continuation of Frank’s work. Some think some of their sequels and prequels are good while others think their attempt to expand on the Dune lore is a failed attempt and don’t believe they have based their works on Frank Herbert’s alleged unfinished manuscripts. I fall somewhere in the middle. There are things I like from the Dune Expanded Universe and other things that I could care less about. Nevertheless, I love that Brian Herbert has continued with his father’s passion and is currently working with director Denis Villeneuve and others to bring his father’s vision on the big and small screens and stay loyal to it.

#frank herbert #dune #brian herbert

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jasonadofinamcs-blog · 6 years

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Anyone Can Wear the Mask

On December 14, 2018, the animated superhero film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released in theatres. Since its release date, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has grown to be one of the most enjoyed and incredibly fascinating superhero movies in such a short time. From beautiful animation styles to breathtaking scenes and interactions, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was positively received and greatly enjoyed by audiences that consist of comic book fans, non-comic book fans, adults, children, and even celebrities. Through its charming, heartwarming story and characters and its fascinating animation and production process, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is an incredibly unique film that creates its one version of the “hero myth” archetype and is a prime example of the “active audience” notion.

Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse revolves around the development and upbringing of teenager Miles Morales. Like nearly every cinematic film, the story follows the same archetypes stated by Carl Yung. Arthur Asa Berger defines archetypes as “a universal theme found, according to [Carl] Jung, in dreams, myths, religions, and works of art” (91). If not all, most stories carry archetypes that help to create a story and develop its characters and setting. According to Berger, Carl Jung, one of the most significant psychoanalytic theorist other than Sigmund Freud, established various forms of concepts that work to properly analyze various forms of media such as texts. One of these concepts is the myth of the hero. The concept of Jungian Psychoanalysis states the archetype “heroes” is the most common and best-known concept worldwide. The hero archetype can be dated back to various forms of classical stories and legends such as Homer’s Odyssey and other mythological stories.

Miles is the hero of the story and the entire premise of the film revolves around his growth as a person and a hero. Throughout the film, the audience experience Miles’ growth development as he assumes the role as the new Spider-Man after he witnessed the death of the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker. Miles’ story follows the same pattern as the myth of the hero archetype. Jungian Joseph L. Henderson explains the general direction that hero myths take. In the beginning, is known as the hero’s “humble birth”. The hero then displays superhuman strength or abilities that may have been acquired, or simply “awakened” through a certain series of events. The hero then begins their journey as they face various trials and struggles against evil villains. The climax, the highest and more eventful part of the entire story occurs, which then leads to the ending conclusion. Either a happy ending or a bad ending (93). Miles is introduced as a character, then he acquires his newfound spider abilities, learns valuable lessons and grows confidence as various events occur, and the film ends with Miles triumphant as he takes up the mantle of Spider-Man. Miles undergoes this exact same process of the myth of the hero archetype, which would make it seem like the film is the exact same as every other film that follows this archetype such as Star Wars or the Harry Potter series.

What makes Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse unique from this stereotype is that the entire story is based around inter-connected alternate dimensions. Miles is not the only hero of this story. He is joined by characters Peter B. Parker, Gwen Stacy, another Peter Parker from a darker, grittier universe, Peni Parker from a futuristic dimension, and a pig version of Peter Parker otherwise known as Spider-Ham. The film allows the audience to experience the development of all of these characters. Through comedic interactions and heartfelt conversations, we, as the audience, are able to see how each of these diverse characters develop as individuals and as a team.

As the film goes on, we can see how diverse these characters are and how they are able to express their individuality. Berger states, “Heroic figures help young people with problems of separation and individualization from their parents and other tutelary figures…(93). A reoccurring theme of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is that “anyone can wear the mask.” In other words, anyone can express who there truly own and express their individual personalities while embracing the characteristics that make them who they are. The film has been more influential in ways that some may not expect. The words “Anyone can wear the mask.” has touched the hearts of various fans. This makes the film a form of mass communication as it carries a message to the audience. Stan Baran defines mass communication as “the process of creating shared meaning between mass media and their audiences” (Baran 6). These fans then proceeded to create their own version of Spider-Man where they would draw art of themselves or an original character in original Spider-Man suits of their own design. This trend became extremely popular and these creations have taken the name as “Spidersonas”. Below are some of the Spidersona artwork done by Jacob Miller (@JacobGrimoire) which displays their own creative characters with their very own original suits.

The way fans come together to form their own creations and express themselves through their own version of being Spider-Man is extremely heartwarming. This can be considered as an example of an active audience. According to David Crouteau and William Hoynes, the term “active audience” can be considered as “ a critique of cynicism about the power of media and an expression of faith in the power of people (to actively interpret, construct meaning, etc)” (262). The audience was able to actively interpret the words and themes the film was trying to display. The audience engages with media in various ways such as going out to see the movie more than once or creating their own Spidersonas. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has caused a great wave of media consumption as its popularity rose to new heights. From this form of media, people were able to go from media consumers to media producers as they create art, songs, or even real-life costumes. The film has created a great wave of new media as it allows the audience to truly have a fun time in or out of the theatre.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a phenomenal film that has touched the hearts of many people worldwide. It has allowed its audience to embrace and express their own personalities and “wear the mask.” As of right now, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has won many awards and has even won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse continues to inspire its audience and make them feel as if they can also wear the mask and be Spider-Man.

Works Cited

Berger, Arthur, and Carl Jung. Psychoanalytic Criticism. ilearn.ucr.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3461182-dt-content-rid-30091666_1/courses/MCS_005_001_19W/Berger%20-%20Psychoanalytic%20Criticism.pdf.

Croteau, David, and William Hoynes. “Croteau and Hoynes -- Active Audiences (Ch 8 Pp. 255-271).Pdf - CHAPTER 8 Active Audiences and the Construction of Meaning With the Emergence of The.” Croteau and Hoynes -- Active Audiences (Ch 8 Pp. 255-271).Pdf - CHAPTER 8 Active Audiences and the Construction of Meaning

“Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture / Stanley Baran.”

Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture / Stanley Baran, by Stanley J. Baran, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010, pp. 3–27.

Solomon, Charles. “How the 'Spider-Verse' Animators Created That Trippy Look.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 Dec. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/12/25/movies/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-animation.html.

#spiderman #james anderson #media & cultural studies #please give me an A

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ramajmedia · 5 years

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10 Best Shyamalan Movies, According to IMDb | ScreenRant

It’s fascinating that M. Night Shyamalan has undergone both the highest and lowest possible career positions in Hollywood. Shyamalan was once considered the next Spielberg. He established a distinct voice with quiet, intimate thrillers, creative camerawork, and twists. But after just a handful of films, he was ultimately rejected for a decade. And at times, it didn’t seem unreasonable. His writing has been on the nose, and even campy. So it’s easy to forget that he also achieved truly clever, moving, even witty scenes. It’s fun and safe to hate on things—certainly online. But Shyamalan isn’t the outright failure many would have you believe. Let’s examine how IMDb users rated his filmography, an equal share of disappointment and iconic thrills.

10 The Happening - 5.0

The premise of abrupt, unexplained mass suicide is actually pretty intriguing. And Shyamalan conjures up some decent imagery involving the suicides themselves. The construction workers lazily falling to their deaths is neat, but scenes like the lawnmower suicide just feel shoehorned. Actually, the film doesn’t fully resort to its infamous, cheesy tone until it embraces the plant theory. But the performances are pretty lacking, despite boasting a cast that’s proven talented elsewhere. The movie just can’t straddle the line between intentional and unintentional camp. That identity crisis feels awkward in any film, let alone in horror. It’s unfortunate, because there was a lot of promise going in. Also, the cinematography is beautiful, the score is decent, and the direction effectively captures some terrifying ideas. They just needed a better vehicle.

9 Lady In The Water - 5.5

This was the first Shyamalan film to be universally panned. It’s certainly blatant self-indulgence to allow oneself a large role—as a writer whose work will save the world, no less. And of course, he brutally murders the critic. But the entire story works on a meta level. So although it’s frustrating that all of the characters are archetypes, they’re supposed to be. They slowly discover they are only pieces of a fantasy. This explains the exaggerated performances. Sure, there’s some awkward attempts at humor, and the film is thematically ham-fisted. There’s certainly one too many characters to follow, and some of the stereotypes are uncomfortable. But the score is beautiful, the Gothic atmosphere is appealing, and the Scrunt horror is compelling.

RELATED: M. Night Shyamalan's Movies, Ranked By Rotten Tomatoes Score

8 Wide Awake - 5.9

Although it may surprise you, Shyamalan’s earliest work leaned towards comedy. Few will recall that he actually adapted Stuart Little, a cute kids movie for the time. But this film is far more in line with Shyamalan’s typical themes. Wide Awake is about a kid at catholic school. The boy has recently lost his grandfather, and searches religion for consolation and comprehension. Shyamalan has always been fascinated with faith, and using a child’s perspective to explore it feels very natural. Unfortunately, the movie rarely follows suit. The lead actor is very convincing, and his character strikes just the right tone of precocious. But the story is shockingly generic, and the music unbearably likewise. Still, here and there, the movie finds some sincere poignancy, where the story truly belonged.

7 The Visit - 6.2

This middling film is often regarded as Shyamalan’s return to form, after his blockbuster failures. Avatar: The Last Airbender was a lighthearted, funny, lush fantasy-adventure—a triumph of animation. Shyamalan’s dark, brooding style doesn’t fit that world whatsoever. And After Earth was more big-budget fare that didn’t channel Shyamalan’s traditional, successful formula. The Visit, however, was a small found-footage experiment that largely works. Shyamalan gets some terrific child performances out of his leads once more. This definitely helps the comedy, which includes some of his best. The twist is pretty unexpected, and the premise is fun. Overall, the relaxed and comfortable tone of Shyamalan’s actual filming radiates from the screen.

RELATED: 5 Awesome Found Footage Horror Films (& 5 That Don't Work)

6 The Village - 6.5

The Village is a somewhat underrated film with flawless music, gorgeous cinematography, and compelling monsters. Unfortunately, it was sold as a monster movie rather than an offbeat romance, to satisfy audience expectations. Bryce Dallas Howard delivers a surprisingly charming, gifted performance, although many supporting characters do not. Adrien Brody’s character isn’t necessarily exploitative on paper, but on screen, it’s pretty iffy. The twist ending has been seen elsewhere, but it’s effective nonetheless. Also, Shyamalan’s blatant commentary about governmental manipulation by fear was unexpected and neat. As usual, Shyamalan wears his sentimentality on his sleeve, but the ruminations on grief are intriguing.

5 Glass - 6.7

This conclusion to Shyamalan’s unexpected trilogy was quite divisive. Both prior films were widely accepted, so expectations were high. Certainly after such a lengthy hiatus from David Dunn, and in this current pop culture landscape. Glass needed to live up to Shyamalan’s fanbase and audiences who are overwhelmed with constant superheroes. The lead performances are strong. The controversial, merciless ending is rather unsatisfying, but bold nonetheless. The film is confined, but the scale and themes have largely escalated out of reach. This movie swings for the fences, so it’s an equal share of letdowns and superb hits. Still, aside from some awkward close-ups, the direction finds some inventive and appealing imagery.

RELATED: Glass: 20 Wild Details Behind The Making Of The Unbreakable Movies

4 Signs - 6.7

This was one of Shyamalan’s biggest hits, focusing on an isolated mid-western family during an alien invasion. Like The Birds, a distinct influence, the supernatural threat is basically an entertaining vehicle for drama. Signs is thematically blunt, but rich. The mere concept of coincidence is innately intriguing. The protagonist’s unresolved grief, and crisis of faith, balance well with the strained family dynamic. The performances are outstanding, the humor generally works, and the suspense is very effective. The aliens remain largely obscured, and the gradually escalating encounters with them are clever and unsettling. They certainly boast a terrific design, both familiar and uniquely disturbing. Also, the score is sincerely moving and frightening as needed.

3 Unbreakable - 7.3

Shyamalan’s supernatural thrillers are unique in always presenting the strange phenomenon as an intrusion on our reality. The movie follows an unfulfilled man that doesn’t realize he is truly a superhero. It’s a fascinating, nuanced drama and love-letter to comic books all at once. However, expectations were needlessly high after Shyamalan’s breakout horror film. But it successfully subverts the genre it loves while telling a compelling origin story. The music is very unique, both haunting and exciting. Also, Shyamalan really captures the feel of a comic book by framing subjects so deliberately, and utilizing colors so creatively.

RELATED: Top 10 Pre-MCU Superhero Movies

2 Split - 7.3

The two leads deliver some great performances, but James McAvoy steals the show here. He portrays a series of various convincing personalities. Hedwig is a genuinely funny character, and yet The Beast is undeniably intimidating. It’s a shame to lose James Newton Howard for the score, but that was clearly intentional for the big reveal. The twist ending of this movie is a very clever magic trick, far unlike Shyamalan’s previous outings. Somehow, he managed to keep it under wraps that this connects to Unbreakable. The film is very much about abuse, which is presented in a sickening, very disturbing way. The claustrophobic atmosphere allows for an equally contained story, with thrilling escape attempts and extended opportunities to explore the characters.

1 The Sixth Sense - 8.1

The Sixth Sense is one of the most entertaining horror films of all time, which grounded the psychic and spiritual phenomena. Haley Joel Osment’s performance is absolutely profound, and truly iconic. Not just for a gifted child actor, but for any actor. Like everything else in the film, it is nuanced, potent, and convincing. The relationship between Cole and the protagonist is organic, and the former’s unique circumstances provide great drama and thrills. The film is very much about moving on, both in the literal and figurative sense. It’s also about purpose, something Shyamalan frequently explores. And, of course, the twist ending is undeniably the most famous scene in Shyamalan’s entire filmography. The context of marital problems is altered completely, despite all the evidence in plain sight.

NEXT: M. Night Shyamalan's 10 Most Memorable Scenes, Ranked

source https://screenrant.com/10-best-shyamalan-movies-according-imdb/

#screenrant

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enddaysengine · 7 years

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Non-Fiction Resources for Eberron

This post is meant to serve as a series of links to resources for worldbuilding. I’m listing them with an eye towards Eberron specifically, but you can use them for any setting. Some links may show up more than once if they fit in multiple categories.

If you know of a resource that you don’t see on my list, please feel free to reblog/reply/DM me to say what the resource is and why it should be included on the list. I’ll do my best to add it in.

General

Class Central: A meta-database for free online courses across a wide variety of websites. Think of it as Google for online education.

Crash Course: It’s free, it’s on Youtube, and it’s in a ten-minute episodic format. Started by the Green Brothers, the Crash Course series on Economics, Philosophy, Sociology, and Film History are especially useful for Eberron Campaigns.

Coursera: Coursera is a website where university level classes are available for free. You can also get certifications from Coursera for a fee so you can build your resume while planning your next campaign. If you are doing anything involving dinosaurs, this website is a must have.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History: Dan loves historical “What if?” moments, and with good reason. If you want to hear the most badass historical stories, examine how drugs, alcohol, and human stupidity impacted history, or get a sense of what it was like to live through the most brutal historical eras, this is the place for you.

edX: Another excellent site with free courses that you can upgrade for a certificate. A good place to look for courses in the humanities and religion.

Foundation for Economic Education: About two dozen course on entrepreneurship and economics. A great option if you want to get into the machinations of the Dragonmarked Houses and the Aurum.

Google Books/Google Scholar: My first goto for research of any kind, and the first place I advise my students to begin their research. Seriously, I’ve written papers, then had them published just using these two. Use them.

Great Course/Great Courses Plus: GC and GC+ are not free services, but they have such an extraordinarily high production value that you can understand why. History, science, culinary theory, economics, anything you can think of is covered in the Great Courses catalogue. Great Courses Plus is their streaming service, which at $15/month for an annual subscription is a killer deal.

FutureLearn: Another great site with a wide selection of courses.

Open2Study: Another solid set of free online courses, this time out of Australia. There are some pretty interesting and unique ones here.

World Science U: An awesome look at current scientific topics. Offers both Master Classes with experts and introductory courses.

Writing with Colour: The best place to go to check yourself for unintentionally problematic depictions of POC in your games. Also a great read if you are looking for details and cultural beats for NPCs you don’t share a background with. They are awesome and you’d be surprised how many chronicle ideas you can get just by binging their archive.

Crime & Law

Addiction and the Brain

The Addictive Brain

Drugs and the Brain

Forensic History

Culture & Society

Cities Are Back in Town - Urban Sociology

Crash Course Sociology

Foundations of Eastern Civilization: Lots of great inspiration here, especially for the history of the Dhakkani Empire and Galifer.

Great Works of Utopian and Dystopian Literature

Indigenous Canada: Cultural colonialism is out of focus in Eberron, but it does exist in many regions, especially once you start to dig into history a bit more. There are also some (likely unintentional) parallels between the history and culture of the Metis and that of half-elves. Plus, if you live in North America, you should be taking this course if for no other reason than the importance of recognising FNMI culture, history, struggles, and contributions.

The Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact on Pop Culture

Dragonmarked Houses

House Cannith

Introduction to Aeronautical Engineering

Inventions That Changed the World

House Deneith

Forensic History

House Ghallanda

Baking Pastries and Desserts

Food & Beverage Management

The Lost Art of Cooking

Secrets of Spices

The Science of Gastronomy

Wine Tasting - Sensory Techniques for Wine Analysis

House Jorasco

Clinical Biosafety Awareness

Drugs and the Brain

Frontiers of Biomedical Engineering

Healing with the Arts

How Music Can Change Your Life

Introduction to Pharmacy

Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us

Medical School for Everyone - Grand Round Cases

Medical School for Everyone - Emergency Medicine

Medical School for Everyone - Pediatric Grand Rounds

Psychological First Aid

House Kundarak

International Economic Institutions

Money and Banking - What Everyone Should Know

House Lyrandar

Agriculture, Economics, and Nature

Introduction to Aeronautical Engineering

Meteorology - An Introduction to the Wonders of the Weather

The Science of Extreme Weather

House Medani

Forensic History

Introduction to Forensics

House Orien

Introduction to Aeronautical Engineering

Inventions That Changed the World

House Phiarlan & House Thuranni

Crash Course Film History

Film, Images, & Historical interpretation in the 20th Century: The Camera Never Lies

Healing with the Arts

How Music Can Change Your Life

How to Listen to and Understand Opera

Mastering Stage Presence

The Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact on Pop Culture

Teaching the Violin and Viola: Creating a Healthy Foundation

House Sivis

Discovering Your Roots: An Introduction to Geneology

Global Muckraking: Investigative Journalism and Global Media

Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics

The Story of Human Language

House Tarkanan

Addiction and the Brain

The Addictive Brain

Drugs and the Brain

Forensic History

House Tharashk

Energy 101: The Big Picture

Forensic History

Introduction to Forensics

Mining Engineering

Politics and Economics of Internationational Energy

House Vadalis

Chicken Welfare and Management: Your eyes do not deceive you. This is not a joke. If you want to get a sense of what House Vadalis may have to consider at the day-to-day level, you should start here.

Dog Emotion & Cognition: You know puppies are how House Vadalis wins allies amongst the young ones.

The Horse Course: Because keeping the cavalry functioning during the Last War was mildly important. Mildly.

The National Geographic Guide to Birding in North America

House Vol

Death

Death, Dying, and the Afterlife

Soul Beliefs 1 - Historical Foundations

Soul Beliefs 2 - Belief Systems

Soul Beliefs 3 - How Does It All End?

Economics

Crash Course Economics

Crash Course Intellectual Property

Energy 101: The Big Picture

International Economic Institutions

Money and Banking - What Everyone Should Know

Politics and Economics of Internationational Energy

Fauna & Flora

Dinosaurs & Relatives

Ancient Marine Reptiles: Aquatic reptiles are awesome and don’t get enough face time with the public. These creatures were awesome, and given how Eberron was originally supposed to feature aquatic nations, this four-lesson course is totally worth your time.

Dino 101: The ultimate course about Dinosaurs. A must have if you are running a game in Q’barra, Talenta, or Xen’drik.

Early Vertebrate Evolution

Theropod Dinosaurs and the Origins of Birds: At five lessons long, this course is pretty short, and the content matter is fascinating (says the biology teacher).

Introduction to Biology

Geography

Antarctica: From Geology to Human History

Introduction to the Artic: Climate

Meteorology - An Introduction to the Wonders of the Weather

Mountains 101: Think the Blackcaps, Shadowcrags, and Endworld Mountains will all be the same because they are all mountain regions? Think again.

National Geographic Polar Explorations

Nature of Earth: An Introduction to Geology

Ocean Literacy

The Science of Extreme Weather

Wonders fo the National Parks: A Geology of North America

The World’s Greatest Geological Wonders

Government

The History of Rome Podcast: The best history of Rome you will ever listen to. Conspiracy, betrayal, money, lost glories, and stunning military battles are something Rome and Eberron both have in common.

Planes

General Cosmology

Astral Plane

Ethereal Plane

Plane of Shadow

Daanvi, the Perfect Order

Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning

An Introduction to Formal Logic

Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams

Emotions: A Philosophical Introduction

Secrets of Sleep Science

Why Evil Exists: Dal Quor isn’t an evil plane, but its core right now is so this course can be useful.

Dolurrh, the Realm of the Dead

Death

Death, Dying, and the Afterlife

Soul Beliefs 1 - Historical Foundations

Soul Beliefs 2 - Belief Systems

Soul Beliefs 3 - How Does It All End?

Fernia, the Sea of Fire

The Effect of Fires on People, Property, and the Environment

Why Evil Exists

Irian, the Eternal Day

Exploring Light

Introduction to the Biology of Cancer

Understanding Cancer Metastasis

Kythri, the Churning Chaos

Free Will and Neuroscience with Alfred Mele

Human Rights: The Right to Freedom of Expression

Lammania, the Twilight Forest

Ancient Marine Reptiles:

Dino 101

Early Vertebrate Evolution

Meteorology - An Introduction to the Wonders of the Weather

Mountains 101:

National Geographic Polar Explorations

Nature of Earth: An Introduction to Geology

Ocean Literacy

The Science of Extreme Weather

Sensing Planet Earth: Water and Ice

Theropod Dinosaurs and the Origins of Birds

Wonders fo the National Parks: A Geology of North America

The World’s Greatest Geological Wonders

Mabar, the Endless Night

Risia, the Plain of Ice

Antarctica: From Geology to Human History

Introduction to the Artic: Climate

National Geographic Polar Explorations

Sensing Planet Earth: Water and Ice

Why Evil Exists

Shavarath, the Eternal Battleground

The Decisive Battles of World History

The Great War and Modern Philosophy

History’s Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach

Why Evil Exists

Syrania, the Azure Sky

Effective Altruism

Giving 2.0: The MOOC

Meteorology - An Introduction to the Wonders of the Weather

Moralities of Everyday Life

Successful Negotiation - Essential Strategies and Skills

Thelanis, the Faerie Court

Animals in Mythology

Birds in Myth

Hamlet’s Ghost

Heroes and Legends - The Most Influential Characters in Literature

Xoriat, the Realm of Madness

Addiction and the Brain

The Addictive Brain

Drugs and the Brain

Emotions: A Philosophical Introduction

Mind-Body Philosophy

The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness

Why Evil Exists

Religion

The Cathedral

Crash Course Mythology: Eberron is one of the few RPG settings where Deities are distant and may just be social constructs. The Sovereigns & the Six may be the only pantheon, but different regions worship different sets of gods. there is a lot of analysis in this series that you can draw on to figure out why a region is drawn to a particular faith.

How Jesus Became God: Lots of discussions here about religious transitions and syncretisms. While modern Christianity is very different from the Sovereign Host or the Church of the Silver Flame, there are applicable lessons for both.

Soul Beliefs 1 - Historical Foundations

Soul Beliefs 2 - Belief Systems

Soul Beliefs 3 - How Does It All End?

War

The Great War: Coverage of WW1, on a week by week basis, 100 years later. If you’re looking for inspiration for the Last War, there is no place better to start than our own “War to End All Wars.”

The Great War and Modern Philosophy

The French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon: There is a very good chance that once King Borenel of dies, Breland will erupt into revolution. The exact circumstances may be different, but there could potentially be a lot of parallels to what happened in France.

Human Rights: The Rights of Refugees: Topical in Eberron during the Last War, especially following the Mourning. Also topical in the real world.

Revolutions Podcast: An excellent look at what happens when people get fed up with their governments. Given that Eberron is filled with rebellions in the making, there is a lot you can mine from our own histories here.

#eberron #Worldbuilding #inspiration #resources #rpg #dftba

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ununniliad · 7 years

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Book Review: The Further Adventures of Superman

The Further Adventures of Superman is an anthology of Superman stories that came out in 1993 - just after he'd died in the comics, and right on the heels of the premiere of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. It's especially interesting here, because it acts as a sampler of examples of what the wider culture was thinking about Superman when there was no movie around - hadn't been for a while, wouldn't be for even longer.

There are two different trends in this volume that are especially interesting to note. The first is that many of the stories are themed around religion and spirituality, gods and devils. It doesn't feel like an editorial edict - the stories come at the subject from many different directions, and a couple leave it out entirely; it's fascinating that this seems to just have been what was on everyone's mind.

The other trend is even more curious: the majority of these stories seem to have been written about Superman as he was in the 1970s! Some of them use explicit elements of '70s Superman comics, like Clark Kent working for WGBS instead of the Daily Planet, or the use of 'Kal-El' as a 'true' identity. Others use explicit elements from Superman: The Movie - at least one talks about the twenty-eight galaxies that baby Kal-El's starship wandered through. Yet others are simply about combining the planet-juggling levels of power the character had back then with the heated melodrama of the era.

It feels like most of the writers here hadn't read a Superman comic for ten to twenty years, and were working off of memory; many of these writers are reliable licensed fiction writers, not particularly known for superhero fiction, so that may even be true. Either way, it's weirdly consistent, and I've got to wonder if it's a reflection of how, in the '80s, comics turned towards specialty shops and away from general audiences.

In any case. Why don't we try out some capsule summaries, see how that goes?

The Riddle of Superman's Mask: This story was written by Will Murray, the writer who created Squirrel Girl, and like SG herself, it's trying to combine the fun weirdness of the Silver Age (in the form of a 'what fantastic thing happened to Superman to make him act so weird?' mystery) with the emotional depth of later eras. It doesn't quite work, but it's an interesting try.

Apparitions: By the redoubtable Diane Duane, this story brings Superman face-to-face with several of her recurring tropes - the heat death of the universe, the immanent presence of divinity, the truly alien mixed with the truly kind. And the investigation of that divinity, that alien-ness, and how they may intersect is the meat of the story. The ending feels slightly unsatisfying, in a way that it kind of has to be in this space, but the journey is interesting.

Lucifer Over Lancaster: This one actually explores a pretty similar space to the last story, but not as well, in my opinion - it has a more judgmental Superman and a more judgmental tone that clashes with the message of tolerance and love of the alien, as well as a fair bit of gore and death that doesn't quite feel earned. But it has some neat psychic visions, if you're up for that.

Dateline: Metropolis: Possibly the least fantastic of the stories in this volume, this is a straightforward "what Lois is up to while Clark's having an adventure" story. In this case, she's pursuing the idea that up-and-coming businessman Roger Gunn is, in fact... Superman! And it's... ehhh. There's some good Lois, but the moments in which she's dense, and especially her reaction to the idea of knowing Superman's secret ("I'll have to stop writing important news articles in order to not out him! Oh well, maybe being his girlfriend would make up for that")... ehhhhh.

Mine Enemy Grows Older: Easily the most fantastic of the stories in this volume, going into the outright cosmic - Superman and Lex Luthor in the year 900,000 AD, and the stakes are nothing less than apotheosis - transformation into a literal god. I originally read this anthology as a kid, and this story blew my mind - and unlike many similar stories that, on adult readings, turned out to have wonderful concepts but mediocre execution, it really does hold up. Worth it.

Forget Me Not: It's funny, but this one feels kind of like a riposte to the "lesson" of Superman II - Superman tries to break up with Lois For Her Own Good, but discovers via supernatural shenanigans how important she is to both his sides. The writing is adequate, but with some nice flourishes. Not bad.

Deja Vu All Over Again: A weird-ass story, with a bunch of interesting bits that simply do not come together. In theory, it's about Superman's compassion fatigue and his alienation from humanity, as seen through cosmic events on the day of Krypton's destruction; really, it's a meandering story with cosmic bits that sets Big Things up but doesn't really follow through. Odd.

Excerpt From the Diary of Dr. Morris Finkelstein: It's not funny, but at least it's short.

I Now Pronounce You Superman and Wife: You might expect a regressive, heteronormative viewpoint from a story with that title... and you'd be absolutely right. Packed with toxic jealousy culture, showing marriage as a disturbing, mechanical affair of control, it manages to be a throwback of remarkable fidelity to the worst and most sexist stories of the '50s and '60s. Yeesh.

Warrior of the Final Dawn: The writing here is just okay, but the theme is strong - the death of Krypton reaching forward to try to take Superman it its grasp from beyond the grave. Notably, this story is the only one in the volume to use the comics-contemporary setup of Lex Luthor as the powerful head of LexCorp, but it also calls out things like the Bottle City of Kandor and the city of Kryptonopolis in ways which belong to the older, pre-Crisis comics.

Prologue/Epilogue: An odd little framing device that doesn't really add anything, but doesn't hurt anything either. Inoffensive.

Overall, the stories in this volume average out to "okay". But it's an interesting sampler, and the best of these - "Mine Enemy Grows Older" and "Apparitions" - are, I would say, worth the price of admission alone. As well, examining the trends in this story - the throwbacks to older ways of viewing Superman, the focus on a plane higher than humanity - make some of the odd choices we saw in Superman Returns feel less odd.

#Reviews #Book Reviews #Superman #Anthologies

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mousou-note · 8 years

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Tag game!

I got tagged by @wanderingsofalice!!! This is a special occasion~❤

RULES: Always post the rules. Answer the questions asked, then write 11 new ones. Tag 11 people to answer your questions, as well as the person who tagged you. (Unless you are a rule breaker, breaking that rule.)

1. If you could do anything in the world, what would you do?

Magic! haha. Dunno what kind of magic, but magic. Good magic.

I’d also really love to know about all sorts of gods, and deities, and religions, and all that.

And skydiving sounds fun. So does learning how to pilot a plane. Hm.

2. How do you feel about space/stars?

I have mixed feelings, tbh. I love the stars, I really do. They are extremely beautiful, and looking up at them just gives me a unique feeling, a feeling that is exclusive to looking up at stars. I like it.

Space is fascinating. How it goes on endlessly and all that. How small that makes us. I like that too.

Space fiction is... complicated. I either love it or hate it, and I can’t create it to save my life. Like giant robots, I guess? Though I am currently trying my hand at a giant robot story. Somebody stop me please.

3. What does your dream library look like?

Ever seen Beauty and the Beast? That’s it.

But when I was in the UK (I stayed in London for a month doing an IELTS prep course; I wanted to go to London and also had to prove to myself that my English was good - and well, I didn’t get the perfect 9 I wanted but I got an overall 8.5 and that’s gotta prove something) I went to a library in Shrewsbury (I went there to see the castle - disappointing after having seen Buckingham and Cardiff - it was a Sunday and it was raining and almost all the churches were closed - except for something-or-other Abbey, which was very beautiful I must say - and I had to wait for my train back to London) and found a library there, close to the train station, that was just... so nice. It was a beautiful, old castle-like building, and inside just felt like... home, you know? I really liked that place. It’s my favourite library out of the ones I’ve actually been to.

And of course there is the library in the “ideal house I would build for myself if I ever got ridiculously rich”, but that would take a looong time to describe. It involves huge windows, lots of dark wood, comfy nooks to sit, and all books protected by paintings that would look like windows into another world. The whole place would look like a room full of windows that look out into far away worlds. They would mix with the windows into the world we live in and it would be lovely.

4. Do you have any pets? If so, what are they?

I have a few goldfishes, two Betas and a parrot named Tim who’ll definitely outlive me! Though actually the parrot is my grandpa’s and the fishes are my grandma’s. But eh, we all live in the same house. And Tim is pretty much family at this point.

5. If you could be brilliant at any hobby ever, what would you want it to be?

Drawing. I would love to be able to make my stories visible, you know?

6. What’s your favorite word?

In English? Squirrel.

In Japanese? Kurenai.

In Portuguese? Probably “eita”. It’s an expression, but I guess it counts... it’s such a golden thing that just doesn’t translate properly into any language.

7. What’s the oddest injury you’ve ever had?

I keep getting mysterious injuries out of nowhere, haha. But I guess the time I stepped on a ball and fell and almost twisted my ankle was the most stupid.

8. If you could hang out with anyone for a day, who would you choose and what would you do?

Ugh, right now I think I just really wanna see my darling and spend a whole day sitting somewhere with her talking. I really miss her, so sue me. *shrugs*

Wait, was I supposed to choose a celebrity or something? Tbh I don’t really care about the idea of talking to a celebrity or anything like that. And nobody really important in my life has died yet, so meh, no need for that either.

9. Do you like snow?

I live in Brazil! THERE IS NO SNOW!

I have only seen snow twice: once in Argentina, and once in Chile. It’s very pretty, but sounds like a huge hassle to live with, haha. I really like snow in pictures though, but it might have something to do with the whole white/blue/black palette, which I’m very fond of.

10. What are your feelings on socks?

I LOVE SOCKS! But I don’t believe in plain socks. Socks to me must have some kind of print. I have all sorts of colourful socks... pokemon socks, deadpool socks, strawberry, star, cloud, and piano print socks... I just really really love them! I came back from Japan with SO MANY SOCKS! And every time I go to Campos do Jordão (a city close enough to where I live that we can drive there, but far enough that if we go there we should rent a hotel room for at least a night to make it worth the trip) I have to buy at least one pair from this brand that I’ve only ever seen there. But I will repeat, I do not believe in plain socks. Plain socks are sad and boring.

11. If you could somehow move into the world from a book or movie/tv show, what would it be and what would you do?

Oooooh, boy, I really wanna be a pokemon trainer! I know it sounds stupid, but it sounds like so much fun!!! Though I might feel bad making my pokemon battle, so I might just become a coordinator or breeder. But hey, the pokemon world is such an interesting mess!!! I like interesting messes.

My questions:

1. If you made your own universe, how would magic work there?

2. How do you feel about giant robots?

3. You have to trade the most important thing in the world to you to save the world: what is it you have to trade? Would you trade it?

4. What’s your favourite flavour of ice cream?

5. Some powerful entity says you can write one book that will be perfect, and definitely a best seller, what would you want the book to be about?

6. You can become a superhero, supervillain, or antihero. Which would you be, and what would your powers be?

7. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Would you live alone or bring someone(s?) with you?

8. Do you prefer movies, books or videogames? What is your favourite in the chosen category?

9. What is your favourite sweet thing?

10. Who’s your favourite superhero?

11. You are suddenly transported to the perfect world, where you have the perfect life - what is that world like? What are you like in there?

...I put a lof of effort into those and probably no one will answer them, which is sad. But hey, maybe I can reutilize them in the [annoying] asks I send to Alice every day!

I... don’t know 11 people on Tumblr. Only @dibtm and @hardboilder... and well, I’m trying really hard to friend with Alice (except making friends is like riding a bike AND GUESS WHAT I CAN’T RIDE A BIKE), but well, she tagged me! SO, I’ll just leave an open invitation to whoever wants to do it!

#tag game #random #questions #wow this took a while #but it was fun #now let's go back to watching Arrow with dad #because he's addicted #and well it's my fault

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sjohnson24 · 6 years

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NASA Hiding the Evidence?

Ghosts & the Supernatural – Recently, Ancient Astronauts TV Series on History 2 came up with an episode called Aliens and Superheroes. But, if you really think of it, there is a connection and it could be our subconscious minds that divert towards superheroism due to the fact that ancient man was in awe of these extraterrestrials. Krrish fits right in, he’s a superhero and he’s from India. In ancient India Sanskrit writings, ancient man wrote many stories of these superheroic and villainous extraterrestrials that wielded great powers. But let’s go into another direction. Let’s talk about the evidence of these super extraterrestrials and who would have this evidence? NASA! See below:

There is so much proof that life exists elsewhere in the universe and our government agencies keep this information secret from the general public. Why? Answer: It would break down society, our religions would crumble, there would be a complete social collapse. How would I know that? Example: Orson Welles broadcast of the War of the Worlds, where everyone listening to the radio actually believed we were being invaded by Martians in the State of New Jersey. NASA is keeping the truth from us. They know what is going on, that is why they have NASA patches depicting the place of our origin…Orion. Ancients texts say we originated from Orion and it’s odd how NASA embraces Orion on their astronaut patches. Why not another constellation, why Orion? Answer: Because NASA knows the truth about extraterrestrial life and we are too foolish to realize it.

On the Moon, on Mars, there are pictures after pictures of what looks like structures with intelligent design. From the Cydonia complex to the pentagonal D&M pyramid. The D&M pyramid is very impressive, check out the Viking frame 35A72. The geometry at Cydonia is easily accepted as intelligent design by mainstream observationists, everything fits mathematically, no natural formation could be so mathematically correct. The Shard, another anomaly projects 1.5 miles into the lunar atmosphere. How can this be a natural formation? The Tower/Cube are close to the Shard, you would think that this was man-made skyscraper when first looking at it. Then what is the photo of what is called the ‘twisted paper-clip’, is this some kind of listening device on the Moon?

The anomaly referred to as The Castle has distinct geometric shape. It’s very complex in size and shape. What people call the Zond 3 Dome looks like a biosphere. The Crisium Spire actually has what it looks like crossbeams that support the Spire.

It’s odd that so many NASA officials are from secret societies. Those secret societies are the Freemasons to former SS members to what we refer as ‘magicians’. Perfect people to keep a ‘secret’. You don’t believe that there are secret societies in NASA? Then tell me why the official flag of the Supreme Council 33rd degree Southern Jurisdiction was taken to the Moon by Buzz Aldrin.

The pictures just keep coming from a picture that the Sojourner Rover took of a pyramid. There is no argument, it’s an actual photo of a pyramid. Probably now if you look at later pictures, NASA probably doctored the photo, like they doctored the photo of the Face of Mars.

Like there is a Sphinx at the pyramids at Egypt, there is a Sphinx at the South Twin Peak pyramid at Mars. The evidence is there, but are we going to turn a blind eye and look away or are we going to get our analytical minds working and embrace the evidence? I guess it’s all up to us. I can only sit back and wait.

Now let’s do a shift, let’s shift away from NASA and ancient aliens to a possible demonic possession. As a Fortean Investigator, one who investigates all things paranormal, I am fascinated with ghosts, demons, UFOs, cryptids. Recently, I took on this demonic case and as you will see, this family will continue to be troubled by a demonic force, because one member in the family is resistant to any kind of help. Onward with the story:

Ms. Tery, the sister of Mrs. S tells me that her niece encountered flies without eyes, that were speaking to her in a different language. You may say to yourself, what kind of story is this? Let me digress, this is a story of demonic possession, this is a story of how a demon came into the life of this family. Mrs. S believes her husband is possessed by a demon. She also believes her husband has sold his soul to the devil as she shows me a series of photos of her husband that shows a strange mist around his hands, as if his hands were binded. Other photos taken where the husband steps out of the picture, there is no more mist, but as soon as the husband appears in the picture, the mist is again seen around his hands.

Strange activity has happened in this home. The smell of cinnamon and sage is smelled around the house, but when you go into one particular closet, the smell is overwhelming. A wedding ring is placed on a top shelf of the closet and no one makes claim of placing the wedding ring on the top shelf. When Ms. Tery is speaking to me on her cell phone a static voice is heard in the background. She has called me twice and every time there is that same static voice in the background. I can’t make out the words, but you can tell that there are static words being spoken. Mrs. S husband’s mother used to dabble in black magic in Mexico. Could she had been involved in Santeria? Mrs. S only knows it was some kind of black magic. Mrs. S on one night was choked by an entity. In one picture of Mrs. S mother-in-law, you can see ghostly hands on her shoulders. Mrs. S husband writes a cryptic note and I wonder if the entity that has possessed him had to do anything with the strange writing? Mrs. S believes her 3 year old daughter is possessed. At times her daughter will act lethargic and her eyes will go side-to-side in a rapid motion. A strange text message comes over the cell phone, it reads: asterisk – meaning ‘ask Erik’. Mrs. S husband had changed considerably, heavy drinking and domestic violence, one one day his face distorted considerably and a unusual amount of mucus came out of his nose.

Two demons have identified themselves as Acerbial and Savitsier. Acerbial is the demon of Sarcasm, he lives up to his name of being sarky. Savitsier is a demon of Satire. He governs burlesque, irony and lampoon. These names came about when Ms. Tery prayed to God.

Mrs. S husband is unwilling to receive a full submerged baptism to get rid of his attachment. I explained to the paranormal experiencers about conducting their own house blessing and convincing Mrs. S husband to get baptized, a basic form of exorcism. Mrs. S home is infested with negative energy and she wants out of this environment. I encouraged her to leave, before things enhance. As Deanna and I spoke to these courageous women who were willing to meet us to find answers and see how they can neutralize the threat that has came into their existing lives, I could see the sadness in one of the daughter’s eyes and at a point of time of this interview, Mrs. S broke down in tears. With a husband that is unwilling to be re-baptized and his mother still harboring the evil of the dark arts, it would make no sense for me to bless the home or baptize anyone in the family. It would only be a temporary fix, Mrs. S has to distant herself from the sources that have brought evil into her life. I will keep in touch with these two sisters and at a future point of time, I will be able to help these women in need. God bless both of them and Mrs. S two lovely daughters.

By Paul Dale Roberts, HPI Esoteric Detective Haunted and Paranormal Investigations – HPI International

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pw-wp · 7 years

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FAN ART: Weird subculture or Natural offshoot of Graphic Design?

IMAGE: Examples of fan art from the Deviant Art website.

My work often takes me to the hallowed halls of convention centers and community centers for annual gatherings of image makers of all stripes and their fans. These conventions, or “Cons”, be comic, horror, or video game themed, but one thing seems to be universal about them: Fan Art.

IMAGE: The fan-art-made-good example of Fiona the human and Cake the Cat from the Adventure Time cartoon series.

Fan Art is, essentially, art created by a fan-base centered around a specific property, actor, story, etc. It fulfills several purposes, from practicing art-making, community building, and, in some controversial cases (like most Cons one could attend), for profit. PBS’s Off Book program has explored how fan art is something that transcends media, stretching from graphic design to illustration and beyond (Brown, 2012). In some cases it can even influence the original product, as in the case of Adventure Time’s gender-swapped characters Fiona the Human and Cake the Cat (gender-swapped fan art creations of series leads Finn the Human and Jake the Dog). These characters proved so popular that series producer Fred Seibert greenlit an episode starring the duo (Brown, 2012). This is a grand example of fan art, but with the ocean of other offerings in the realm via online homes like Threadless, DeviantArt, and Mondo (at varying levels of quality and legality) and the recent experience of walking through mountains of fan art at a Wizard World Convention, I thought it might be a fine idea to look at the genesis of this subset of art.

Commissioned Beginnings

IMAGE: Top Row: Mythical figures drawn by Hokusai, Bottom Row: A selection of Mucha’s posters of Sarah Bernhardt.

Like much art, the term fan art is subjective. For example, if we consider religions to be organizations and gatherings of fans, why, we have fan art going back to ancient times of religious figures. Maybe the Venus of Willendorf had her own comic book. These images extend up to today, outside of Islam, anyway, and I don’t have years to write a single blog post, so we will narrow our scope a bit. Perhaps the best look at the origins of fan art can be traced back to the same beginnings, we ascribe to modern graphic design. I’m speaking, of course, about posters and Japanese ink prints.

Meggs notes that some of the early Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints that made their way over to Europe depicted Kabuki actors (p. 196, 2012). While the context is lost to many viewers today, these images functioned the same way as movie posters of actors function today. This is essentially the legit version of fan art- advertising art that is usually commissioned by the rights holder. It was not limited to just actors: like the posters of Superman or Wonder Woman on your kid’s wall, artists like Hokusai produced prints representing heroic warriors like Yoshitsune (Bouquillard and Marquet, pp.151-152, 2007) It did not take Europe long to pick up on this trend, either.

Artists like Mucha and Toulouse-Lautrec immediately spring to mind. Ulmer writes about how Mucha practically produced a sub-genre of Sara Berndhart posters in the late 19th century, when the actress contracted him exclusively to produce the now immortal prints (p.8, 2007). It would not long before professional image makers like Mucha found themselves joined by amateurs as well, and not just in the schoolbooks of aspiring artists.

SKYGACK and the Beginnings of Cosplay

IMAGE: Original comic image and homemade costume of Skygack the visitor from Mars.

Innovations in printing lead to an image explosion around the turn of the twentieth century. Along with adverts, newspapers helped launch the comic strip, a medium that has since branched into the multi-billion dollar businesses of animation, comic books and films. It’s fitting then, since thousands dress up as Batman and Spiderman every year, that one of the earliest documented examples of fan art would concern cosplay (the dressing up as) a comic strip character.

According to Ron Miller, Mr. Skygack was the creation of cartoonist A. D. Condo and was essentially a fish-out-of-water gag wrapped up as a visitor from Mars (2013). The character proved so popular that Plunkett notes fans started to make costumes of the Martian for city events and parties (2016). Apparently it was such a big trend that the newspapers picked up on it, so we have visual evidence of it, over a hundred years later. While the creepy looking fellow is something of a footnote now, Skygack deserves at least a plaque in the inevitable fan art hall of fame as a pioneer in the field. While this fellow was all laughs and harmless fun, there is also seedier side to fan art, so much so that the label may not even be properly applied.

TIJUANA BIBLES and Selling under the Table!

Image: Safe for work covers of Tijuana Bibles.

Now comes probably the most controversial subsection of fan art: erotic fan art. No, there won’t be any NSFW images presented here, but it is fascinating to examine this subsection, considering it is most associated with Rule 34 of the Internet today.Rule 34, of course, is, as Dewey writes, “If it exists, or can be imagined, there is Internet porn of it” (2016). Like the pioneering days of film, video and art itself (exhibit A: The Venus of Willendorf, of comic book fame), fan art’s less discussed and notorius subset has a history dating back decades. Tijuana Bibles, sometimes referred to as bluesies or eight pagers were illicit, cheaply printed little tracts depicting your great grandpa’s favorite cartoon characters in sexually explicit situations.

These illegal little books were sold under the counter and included scandalous adventures being pursued by Popeye, Blondie, and even Mickey Mouse. While the quality for most is lacking, some actually include some fine draftmanship, enough so that places like Duke University have collections of the little deviants(David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 2017). They served as an income source for many artists in the same way that illicit images produced on the internet are sometimes produced for profit. Indeed, they could even be used as stepping stones to “legitimate” careers. Faraci writes about how the initial Bazooka Joe (of gum comic fame) artist, Wesley Morse, got the nod from producing Tijuana Bibles (2012). The legacy of these little things extends out to today, and beyond just visual art. After all, we are all suffering through Fifty Shades of Grey movies thanks to written erotic fan fiction writing based on the Twilight series. One wishes the artists of the original Tijuana Bibles could have gotten a piece of that pie!

Beyond this somewhat seedy side of the fan art universe, not much of note has lasted the years between the early 20th century up to around the 1980s, outside the fantastic riffs of MAD magazine and the extreme world of Underground Comix in general, there is a style of fan art that is worth noting.

Before they were Pros: Fan art by Superstars when they were Young

IMAGE: The evolving skill of painter Alex Ross, as seen through his love of comic books.

Everyone has to get started somewhere. As Brown notes, oftentimes fan art is used as a way to practice the craft while having a guidepost and not needing the time to make new ideas (2012). This certainly makes sense. Even the author of this blogpost got his start from drawing horrendous Mickey Mouse doodles. The recent influx of artist books in the marketplace also provide the proverbial proof to the pudding.

Alex Ross is known far and wide for his painted depictions of superheroes. A collection of his work for DC comics shows that the man has been steeped in his subject matter for years (Kidd, 2005). His early drawings are certainly crude (he was, after all, five years old) but his efforts certainly pay off over time as his work gets better and better. He moves from doing fan art to inspired original characters, building his skill level over time before getting to college and mastering painting (pp. 21-28). Like many other comics artists, Ross does not appear out of a stump- he starts by emulating things he enjoys and grows into his own style and artwork. He is not alone in this- one particularly famous quartet of terrapins owe a lot to fan art and fandom in general

IMAGE: From left to Right: The work of Jack Kirby, Frank Miller and Eastman and Laird.

Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird have been very open about the inspiration that creators Frank Miller, Jack Kirby, and the character of Daredevil from Marvel Comics provided them in creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Farago writes about how both were inspired by artist/writers Jack Kirby and Frank Miller (p. 20, 2014). These inspirations, swirling about in the indie-publishing scene of the 1980s, were given manifest presentation in the first issue of the Ninja Turtles, which blatantly presents the heroes sharing an origin story with Daredevil (Farago, p. 20, 2014)- at the time being brought to new prominence by Miller. The fact that the comic book is dedicated to Kirby and Miller helps seal the deal.

The themes and art style of the early TMNT books has a healthy blend of Kirby dynamism and Miller inking techniques from that time. While not strictly an exercise in fan art, Eastman and Laird’s admitted admiration for the two other creators helped shaped one of the most dynamic franchises of the last thirty years. Like with Ross, the fruit of this labor shows the benefits of early, devoted fan hood combined with art making.

The Good, the Bad, and the Interesting Controversy

So we’ve seen a ton of interesting sides to this whole fan art thing. The good side has been expounded upon, along with the seedy seed, but what about the bad side? Well, the last bit of this blogpost will take a look at that and some of the controversy involved. Specifically, the copyright infringing, convention engulfing controversial side of the issue.

The culture news site Bleeding Cool has done fairly extensive reporting on the issue of rampant fan art at comic conventions. They have noted the uptick of giant collections of fan art that keep showing up at these fan gatherings, and how much these collections irk some practicing artists, who may rely on licensed image reproduction of everyone’s favorite superheroes to supplement their income in a tough business. One artist, Aldrin Aw,, was so frustrated at a particular vendor selling “fan art” (which here mostly related to copying original art and adding digital effects) that he hounded him out of the convention (Johnston, May 2016). He also went out of his way publicly shame the “fan” artist on social media. The growing conversation around the fan art and bootlegging at conventions has also lead to greater efforts at explaining the legal repercussions of selling another person’s intellectual property throughout the community. Seth C. Polansky, a lawyer specializing in art and IP issues points out that much of what we consider “fan art” is, in a strict sense, illegal (Johnston, June 2016). That’s certainly a downer for a growing artistic subculture.

Thus, we find ourselves at a crossroads. A long-running subset of image making and artistic development that’s struggling to find a balance between a passionate hobby and legitimate money-making venture that crosses many redlines in the legal sense. Perhaps the best balance is seen in the work of studios like Mondo and Gallery Nucleus. Both offer a variety of fan art paintings and other works, but they are licensed. Unlike sites like Deviantart, much of this work is invited and functions in the same way as the commissions of Kabuki art cited above. Things have gone full circle, in effect.

Regardless of the many issues involved, fan art is something here to stay, and it has a pedigree. It will be quite interesting to see just how far it spreads in the future.

Sources for this writing include:

Bouquillard, J., & Marquet, C. (2007). Divinities, warriors, and legendary figures. In C. Henard (Ed.), Hokusai: first manga master (pp.145-157). New York: Abrams.

Brown, K. (2012, May 3). Fan Art [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/video/off-book-fan-art-creativity/

David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. (2012).Guide to the tijuana bibles collection, 1930-1998 [Data file]. Retrieved from https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/findingaids/tijuanabibles/#historicalnote

Dewey, C. (2016, April 6). Is rule 34 actually true?: An investigation into the internet’s most risque law. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/04/06/is-rule-34-actually-true-an-investigation-into-the-internets-most-risque-law/?utm_term=.eed623bc895e

Faraci, D. (2012, July 25). Tijuana bibles from wesley morse, creator of bazooka joe (NSFW). Birth.Movies.Death.. Retrieved from http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/07/25/tijuana-bibles-from-wesley-morse-creator-of-bazooka-joe-nsfw

Farago, A. (2014). Teenage mutant ninja turtles: The ultimate visual history (1st ed.). San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions.

Johnston, R. (2016, June 10). Artists alley, art theft and copyright law- a lawyer speaks to bleeding cool. Bleeding Cool. Retrieved from https://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/06/10/artists-alley-art-theft-and-copyright-law-a-lawyer-speaks-to-bleeding-cool/

Johnston, R. (2016, May 8). Buzz sends tim lundmark packing at wizard world minneapolis comic con. Bleeding Cool. Retrieved from https://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/05/08/buzz-sends-tim-lungren-packing-at-wizard-world-minneapolis-comic-con/

Kidd, C. (2005). Mythology: the dc comics art of alex ross. New York: Pantheon Books.

Meggs, P. B., & Purvis, A. W. (2012). Art Nouveau. In Meggs’ history of graphic design (pp.196-231)(5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Miller, R., (September 19, 2013). Was mr. Skygack the first alien character in comics?. Io9. Retrieved from https://io9.gizmodo.com/was-mr-skygack-the-first-alien-character-in-comics-453576089

Plunkett, L.,(May 16, 2016). Cosplay is over 100 years old. Kotaku. Retrieved from https://cosplay.kotaku.com/cosplay-is-over-100-years-old-1777013405

Ulmer, R. (2007). Alfons Mucha. Los Angeles, CA: Taschen

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multiracialmedia-blog · 7 years

Text

Multiracial Family Man: Who is Alex Barnett and Why Should You Care?

Alex Barnett, host of the Multiracial Family Man podcast, and his wife.

So yeah, we have this awesome podcast, “Multiracial Family Man,” featured weekly here on MultiracialMedia.com. Maybe you’ve enjoyed it, maybe you’ve been meaning to but haven’t gotten around to it, or maybe you haven’t been interested. But you need to know about Alex Barnett, the Multiracial Family Man—a gifted comic/performer, passionate advocate in the Multiracial Community, and co-creator of MultiracialMedia.com.

Alex’s work is family-focused. His bio states, “As the White, Jewish husband of a Black woman (who converted to Judaism) and the father of a 5-year-old, Biracial son, I examine the challenges of being a parent in a bad economy and the issues that confront multiracial families (including the dynamics between members of the same family who are of different races). He’s also co-creator of the comic strip, The Bronze Panther, about a four-year-old, Biracial superhero.”

He has performed at the 2016 Blend Conference at Cornell University, the 2015 Mixed-Remixed Festival in Los Angeles, and at the 2012 New Orleans Loving Festival. This topic is central not only to Alex’s home life, but much of his career.

Q: When and Why Did You Start Thinking of Yourself as a “Multiracial Family Man?”

A: This evolution from mild-mannered me to “Multiracial Family Man” happened as a result of my work as a comic. I was devoting more of my set onstage (and my offstage writings in essays, articles and blogs) to my thoughts and concerns about being the White dad of a son who is African-American. I thought long and hard about how my son would feel as he got older and learned the history of the country as it relates to race. I wondered whether and how I would be able to advise him about things that I’d never experienced personally but that might happen to him as Man of Color. I still think about that frequently. The more I thought about this, the more I wrote about it and talked about it onstage, and I developed the podcast to explore these kinds of issues with others in the Community.

Q: What was Most Surprising, Most Unexpected For You About Creating a Multiracial Family?

A: The most surprising and unexpected thing, by far, is the double standard in the way in which White people and People of Color (and especially Women of Color) are treated. It blows my mind sometimes. My son and I could hang upside down from a lamppost and act completely silly and no one would say a thing. But when my wife is alone with him, people ask her if he’s hers (implying that she’s the nanny), or they’ll feel no compunction about offering her stern advice about how to control or raise or otherwise behave toward our son. People of all races seem to have no problem telling my wife how she should conduct herself around our son and how she should be raising him/treating him. I guess that’s a form of White privilege that I’m benefiting from. Or, it’s racism toward my wife (or genderism), or maybe a little bit of all of that.

Q: What was the Impetus for the Podcast?

A: I became more and more fascinated as a result of my own musings about my own family about issues confronting Multiracial people and people within Multiracial families. After our son was born, I wanted to be on the road less, so I needed to find a way to continue to explore these issues and pursue my passion from home.

Q: How do you Address this Topic in your Stand-up Comedy?

A: That was the genesis of what became the podcast. Much of my set is about being in an interracial marriage and being the White dad of an African-American son. Here are two quick examples:

1. Buddies of mine, White guys, have frequently asked me: “Why a Black woman?” My response: “Because Black guys don’t do it for me.”

2. What happens when my son comes to me later in life for advice about stuff I’ve never experienced. For example, what happens when he says: “Dad, I need advice on how to be a strong Black man.” “How do I know? I’m not even a strong White man.”

Q: Before you Married and Had a Son, Had You Ever Paid Any Attention to Multiracial Couples, Families or People?

A: Before being married, I’d dated women of other religions, races and ethnicities, so I was familiar with that context and had paid some attention to it, but I didn’t focus on it to the degree I do now. Having a kid definitely changes (and sharpens) your focus on everything related to your personal life. For example, I am desperate to use the bathroom alone for once. I’d really like to sleep in. In all seriousness, having a kid is the one thing to guarantee to make you less selfish and more generous and altruistic (at least towards your child).

Q: What Do You Strive to Achieve with Each Podcast?

A: I hope to get my guest(s) to relax and take the listeners and me on a journey through their life stories. I hope that they’ll open up perhaps share stories they never have before and maybe come to realizations about themselves or life that they never had before. Along the way, my goal is to help inform and educate about the Multiracial experience and to provide listeners with a meaningful experience that will resonate powerfully with them.

Q: What Have the Responses Been to the Podcast?

A: The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I wanted to do this because it was something I cared about deeply, and I thought it would be interesting to people. What I’ve learned is that there’s a real hunger in the Multiracial Community to hear stories about themselves.

The Community is growing quickly, but popular culture has not kept pace. There is far too little of the Multiracial Community shown on screen, onstage, in the culture generally. While that’s changing, the Community still is under-represented in society. It’s been my experience that the members of the Community really relish and appreciate those stories and those pieces of content that speak to their experience.

Q: What Are Your Main Takeaways From These Podcasts?

A: 1. Multiracial people continue to grapple with simultaneously belonging to several groups, and yet not being fully welcomed in those groups.

2. Multiracial people, especially women, are the subject of fetishization and exotification at a rate far beyond what you might think. I think that virtually every Multiracial woman I’ve interviewed has told me that people have wanted to date them because they were seen as “exotic.”

3. Multiracial people are exhausted by being asked “What are you?”

4. Racism is far more pervasive and prevalent than you might think, given that we live in the 21st Century. Yet individual people about whom you might think the worst and expect the least will so often surprise you by how accepting and generous of spirit they are.

5. Doing a podcast is a lot of work!!

Q: How Does the Content of Your Podcasts Impact the Way You View Yourself and Your Family?

By focusing on issues of race and racism with such frequency, my sensitivity to these issues is heightened. I don’t think it’s changed the way I view myself or my family, but I’m more keenly sensitive to race as a general matter.

Q: What Do You Wish That all Interracially-married People Knew?

A: The woman isn’t always right, but she’s never wrong (how’s that?) Seriously, I don’t think there’s one thing. Race is important, to be sure. But in marriage, it’s just about people interacting and inter-relating and getting along. That’s not about race. That’s about agreeing to live your life with another person.

Q: What Do You Think That All Parents of Mixed-race Children Should Know—the Most Important Thing?

A: Well, I think it might depend on what the mix is. But, presumably, the one issue, especially if one parent is White and the other is a Person of Color is that society still is biased against Persons of Color, and, at some point, issues of race, racism and power dynamics will be a conversation (or conversations) that you will have to have with your child.

Q: What Has Been Your Biggest Learning Curve in Parenting a Mixed-race Child?

A: I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is the different ways in which Persons of Color (especially women) are perceived and treated versus how White people are treated. This hasn’t really come up at all with our son. It’s really been an issue that I’ve seen with how my wife is treated versus how I’m treated.

Q: What is Your Vision for MultiracialMedia.com?

A: That we will take over the World (too much?)

Honestly, the initial reason that Sarah and I started Multiracial Media was to provide a showcase—available 365 days a year—for the myriad voices of the Multiracial Community. We envisioned it as akin to a Telemundo or BET but for the Multiracial Community—a platform that would provide original content speaking to the Multiracial experience and a safe space for Community members to submit and post their own writings and artistic expressions about their Multiracial experience.

Q: What Would You Like to Add?

I love being a dad, and I’m privileged and honored to be a member of the Multiracial Community.

Multiracial Family Man: Who is Alex Barnett and Why Should You Care? if you want to check out other voices of the Multiracial Community click here Multiracial Media

#Alex Barnett #multiracial family man podcast

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thebossofkfc · 7 years

Photo

My Team Fortress 2 Oc!

I'm not 100% happy with him, I feel he looks a little too young to be a 28 year old, I should make his face a little thinner I think!

So this is The Nurse, a speed support character who uses poison to deal damage to the opposing team and heals his team.

He's a sprint runner, who uses hit and run tactics to drain enemy health using his poison.

Name: Jin Ho Wiggings

Age: 28 Years Old

DoB: 16th of June 1940

PoB: Queens

Star Sign: Year Of The Dragon, Gemini Gender: Male

Hair Color/Style: Short and shaggy, black

Eye Color: Blue

Height: 5'4

Weight: 152 pounds Ethnic background: Half American Half Korean Religion: None

Sexuality: Homosexual

Team: RED Class Name: The Nurse Offensive/Defense/Support or other: Support

Scars or Birthmarks: None

Tattoos: None

Personality:

As a kid Jin was cheeky and had a very snarky sense of humor, some people would call him a ‘little shit’. He’s always been an introvert, preferring to play on his own or read comic books instead of joining his sisters in their games (though a lot of the time he was hiding from them when they wanted to give him a make-over).

Because they were a rich family, it did get to his head a lot. He was snobbish to other kids and quite arrogant. He always wants to be the best at what he does, pushing himself to physical and emotional exhaustion to do accomplish this goal. He’s determined and stubborn, he cannot let projects go.

He’s a complete nerd, secretly obsessed with superhero comics, which he still reads in his spare time.

His social skills became really bad during his years at uni, and he’s never really tried to get them back. He’s quiet and awkward, as well as uptight and really needs to relax and take it easy from time to time.

He has an unquenchable curiosity for the human body and how it works, especially when reacting to poison and other substances.

He’s good with his hands and is incredibly clever, he’s a genius at finding ways to make weapons and other ways of using his poison (and antidotes of course).

He was a secret soft side; shown only to those he truly loves, such as his parents and Will.

Disabilities: N/A

Likes: Knowledge, Being the best, comic books, Will, Peace and Quiet, Working, Anthropology, Poison, Studying, Adrenaline rushes, Animals

Dislikes: Noise, Mess, People who claim nurses can only be female, social interactions, big groups of people, being put on the spot

Fears: Hemophobia (fear of injury), Death, Failure, Big social situations

Load out: Poison darts on left arm, medicine darts on left arm, close range gun in bag on his back

Other Items: Poison and medicine recharge (in his bag), photo of him and Will

Pets: None, thought he likes animals

Family: Chun-Ja (Mother), Steven (Father), Unnamed grandfather, three unnamed sisters, William (Boyfriend)

Friends: Will, The Soldier (more one sided)

Backstory: (Note that this is currently a draft version of his story, and I still need to work on it)

Jin Ho was born to Chun-Ja and Steven Wiggings. His mother, Chun-Ja had moved to the US when she was a child due to her father’s work, she is from South Korea.

She met Steven at University and they fell in love, and eventually got married and started a family.

Steven was a banker and Chun-Ja had family money as well as work as a teacher, they were very wealthy.

They had four children, Jin being the third child and only boy.

Jin and his siblings all consider themselves more American than Korean.

From a very young age Jin set his sights on working for the medical field, as he was fascinated with how the human body works and to support himself financially as an adult without relying on family money.

As a young teenager he became interested in poison, how to make it and how it affects people when injected. He decides to study it and learn everything about it, possibly even using it as a weapon of sort.

He spend ten years in medical school, locking himself up in his dorm room for hours and hours studying, only going out for class and in the evenings to buy food and go for a jog to stay in shape. He never bothered talking to anyone or making friends, all he cared about was being the best. People nicknamed him ‘the mole’ because of how he lived. It also destroyed his social skills, and he became very awkward and distant when forced into social situations.

When he left school he became an army nurse. He found a thrill in running in to save people from death and set himself a goal to be the fastest nurse there, it became a sort of game to him.

He catches the attention of one of his patients, a guy named Will from Mississippi. Will was really friendly, charming, and just radiated passivity and optimism.

They start talking, and they get along very well. Will brought out the best in Jin and made the normally uptight prick loosen up and show his kind side. And according to Will, Jin made him feel like he was worth something to someone after such a long time.

They end up falling for each other, going behind everyone’s backs to be together in secret.

One day Will gets gravely wounded in battle, it was thanks to Jin and two others from the medical team that he survived, but they had to amputate his leg, his wounds had gotten infected.

Will had to leave the military because of this, and Jin decides to leave with him, under the excuse that Will was going to need a nurse or doctor to tend to his leg and keep watch over him.

They move in together (under the guise of being old flat mates at uni to not raise suspicion) in a small flat in San Francisco. They live together for a few years, both perfectly happy together, but Jin missed the trills. He liked his job as a nurse at the area’s hospital, but it wasn’t the same. He wasn’t going to deny any of the horrors he’d seen in the military, but he missed the feeling of running into the fight to save people. It was like an itch that could never be scratched. He tried to shake the feeling by distracting himself by putting his focus back on poison, trying to figure out ways he could use it as a weapon and maybe donate them to the state or something.

This actually got the attention of Reliable Excavation Demolition (Also known as RED) and he is offered a place in the team as a support and to be an assistant to the Medic, to work on the field as a hit and run supporter for the team. After some consideration, he accepts and becomes The Nurse.

He tries to not form connections with his RED colleagues, but he does eventually warm up to them a little, he claims it’s just to improve teamwork. The Soldier tries to take Jin under his wing once he found out Jin used to be in the military, treating him, as the Soldier puts it, as “the son he never had”. Jin begrudgingly goes along with it and humors him.

Other: (things you want people to know about your oc) Nothing yet Template by http://imacrazygirl17.deviantart.com/

Team Fortress (c) Valve

#Team Fortress 2 #Team Fortress 2 Oc #fan character

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