#mad max creator spotlight

[so-shiny-so-chrome]

Hey all, this year the Mad Max Fanfic Awards is taking a bit of a different format. We will be spotlighting different authors and other creators within the fandom. Think of, "Actors on Actors," directors' roundtables, convention panels, and magainze interviews with your favourite canon creators. We want to give fanon creators that kind of attention and support.

Please use the linked form to nominate any and all Mad Max Fandom creators you would like to see spotlighted, and supply us with questions you would like them to answer. Self-nominations are welcome. We will create a questionaire to be sent to all nominated creators, which will be shared here as we receive them back.

Depending on interest, we may also schedule live roundtables and panels with subsets of the creators and/or vote for genre and other category achievement awards.

We will give you notice before we close the form, but please send us your input so we can start spotlighting creators.

[spnfanficpond]

September Angel Fish Awards

(New Angel Fish design by @slytherkins!!)

WELCOME TO THIS MONTH’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE IN THE POND CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. Everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that this fun, thoughtful award will do just that. 

Be sure to read through this whole post as people who were nominated more than once only had one tag activated for tumblr tagging purposes!

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE SEPTEMBER’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Nominated by @impalaimagining

From Far Away by @plaid-lover-bay25

This fic is all kinds of sweet. We all know Jensen is perfect and will probably never need glasses to see, no matter what time does to his eyes, but HOO the thought of that man looking over the brim of his glasses when he looks up from his book to meet your eyes? Even if it’s through a screen? Count me ALL the way in.

Silver Lining  by @luci-in-trenchcoats

All I want for the rest of my life is to be right in the moment that exists within this fic. It’s so warm and cozy, even if it does get a bit overheated at times with all that shared body heat. I will gladly accept a few uncomfortably sweaty moments if it means having the two of them just like this.

Pit Stop by @stusbunker

This made me feel so many things. Honestly, it’s thrilling to think about hiding in plain sight like this. 10/10 would recommend public sex with Dean, even if it does mean the occasional scrape from the tree bark.

Nominated by @emilyshurley

Beautiful Ghosts by  @herstarburststories 

Okay picture this, me holding my cup of tea in the morning, crying my eyes out as I’m reading this. Because that’s exactly what happened. 

( Ahh… the angst in this one. This fic left me in tears. Can’t wait to read more parts.) ((submitted twice))

Calm after the storm by @thegirlwhorunswithwinchesters

An adorable Dean fluff. There is something so comforting about how Dean interacts with the reader.

How not to kill someone by @myinconnelly1

A short but chaotic fic and is totally worth the read.

What a wonderful world by @wingedcatninja

The imagery is so great, you can almost feel everything  Sam must be feeling.

A little trip by @mariekoukie6661

Though I have never been inside an Ikea I had a constant smile on my face reading this. And now my face hurts…

Nominated by @waywardnerd67

Mr Pretty Face by @carryonmywaywardcaptain

I want to nominate @carryonmywaywardcaptain Mr. Pretty Face. This was the most adorable fic in the world. Jordan aka Cap is getting her groove back and the world should be graced by her talents! Plus she’s just an awesome person.

Nominated by @sorenmarie87

No More Living A Lie by @fictionalabyss

I know it’s an older fic but the idea of Cas and reader being in a fake relationship (I’d say more but it gives away the story) is fantastic.  

The Real Deal by @firefly-in-darkness

I’m no stranger to reading smut but holy crap!  After a hunt, all you wanna do is sleep but your friend sends you something… and you can’t help yourself.  I don’t know what else to say besides that you should check it out.  

Flesh - January Jingle by @myinconnelly1

I still need to listen to the song this fic is based off of but damn.  This one is great~~ Definitely leaves you wanting more.  

Nominated by @mariekoukie6661

Know How It Feels by @supernatural-jackles

I love that one because then the boys would understand what cramps feel like for real!

Some Kind of Sadness by @supernatural-jackles

I love this one because Jen just writes all the emotion so well!!

That’s Alpha or Sir To You, Baby Girl by @sorenmarie87

Dawn worked so hard on this one!! It’s so good!! I just love the fluff and the domestic!!

What’s The Little Guys Name by @sorenmarie87

The Weechester, the little banter between everyone! My heart!! I love this so much!

Nominated by @fictionalabyss

The Way You Lie by @cockslut-padalecki 

 this one hit the nail on the head. How you can know with ever fiber of your being that you need to leave, run, but you find yourself right back there.

Wanna Help A Girl Out? by @sorenmarie87

“Now, will you be a good girl and get on your knees for me?  I believe you owe me something…” that last line had me demanding, nay screaming, for more.

Bikini Inspector  by sorenmarie87 

because sometimes it’s just fun to mess with a guy.

Pineapple and Pizza  by @cloverhighfive 

STILL SCREAMING ABOUT THAT CLIFFHANGER lol. Seriously, though. I don’t dive too deep into ships usually, but I LOVED this little series.

All The Good Girls Go To Hell. (Prologue - chapter 9)  by @cockslut-padalecki 

This fucking series. Holy shit. The smut = perfection and the jealousy and need are on fucking point. Hell yes. this is a must read. a filthy, dirty, must read.

Nominated by @ellewritesfix05​

Don't Test Your Luck  by @downanddirtydean

All the smutty goodness that you could possibly need. The attention to detail, the way it flows seamlessly, the heart-stopping fluff. It’s a total hit and literally one of my favorite fics I’ve ever read! I adore everything Lydia writes and this is simply a must-read.

Homework Help  by @downanddirtydean

Lydia is an amazing writer and talented creator. College-me had a heart attack reading this! It’s so delicious and naughty! 100/10 would recommend!

Life For Rent Chapter 27 by @winchest09

The entirety of Life For Rent is absolutely amazing. Tabby is extremely talented and creative, but this particular chapter is just so wonderfully written, I think it deserves a spotlight. The whole time, you can see yourself in the moment. The way she captures and conveys emotion is nothing short of genius.

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis

His Property by @negans-lucille-tblr

I’m nominating this whole dang series, plus both of the sequels!! Yeah, it’s smutty, but it also gets into the psychological issues, especially in the third series, Her Property. There is some possibly triggering content in the first series, which is discussed throughout the second and third, so if that could be a problem, then you might want to skip it. If you’re not easily triggered, though, this is a great story. And the smut is primo, too!!

The Last Visit by @laxe-from-outer-space 

Well, crap, guys. This one just hurts. Talk about taking my heart out back and beating the crap out of it. If you’ve got the tissues handy, definitely give this one a read!

Nominated by @manawhaat

About Bar Fights and Moobs by @cajunquandary

This is a perfect example of the ridiculousness that seems to follow the Winchesters everywhere. This is totally believable and gave me a good laugh.

Keep Me Company by @butiaintgonnaloveem

I’ll never get over how spot on this is for Ketch. It not only shows us a side we don’t get enough of on the show, but it also just shows a whole other side of him that feels so incredibly real and part of his layered persona. 

Calm by @winchesterswoonathon

This is a seriously lovely series about John and all those feelings he has the power to evoke in the people around him. It’s everything I love about him all mashed into a fucking delightful story. 

You Ever by @luci-in-trenchcoats

One of the things I love about Dean is his willingness to be there and help others when they’re having a hard time. He’s the ultimate comfort buddy and this fic is a prime example of his loyalty and sincerity. It’s a little sad but it’s sweet and comforting even in the angst. 

Nominated by @myinconnelly1

The Baby In The Impala by @a-fallen-angel-with-a-shotgun

 DADDY!DEAN!!!! to the max. This was so sweet, I can't even word properly!

One Room Left by @luci-in-trenchcoats

The amount of fluff present in the fic overwhelmed me

Imagine Getting A Sunburn by luci-in-trenchcoats​

Some cute fluff right here and nothing else needs said, read it

Dirty Little Secret by @hardcoresupernatural

 This had the trinity! Hot as fuck, adorable as all get out, and funny as shit. Read it!

Love Me Or Leave Me by @princessmisery666​

 This hurt so much and i wanted to cry. It had that feeling of being real.

Daddy’s A Superhero by @msmarvelouswinchester

Being a parent is hard and hearing a child of any age say they hate you is so hurtful. This was written so well.

Loving You by @emilyshurley​

I will never have enough good things to say about @emilyshurley but this fic was so hurtful and i'm still mad at her.

Finding Dean Masturbating In Your Room by @carryonmywaywardwriters​

 Very dirty and very hot!

Because Of Mistletoe by @idreamofplaid​

Happy half christmas drabble!

Halfway by @holylulusworld​

Dude i was crying so hard.  I just can't even talk about it.

The Frog Prince - or How To Kiss the Impala by holylulusworld

SO CUTE!!!! Absolutely adorable and i love protective!dean

Enough Both Of You by @fictionalabyss​

HOLY FUCKING SHIT this was so dirty and wrong and i love it!

Fatherless Son by fictionalabyss

I really like this series it was exactly what i think of for step!dad Dean!! chef's kiss 

You’re Home Early by fictionalabyss

This was just fun.  They both knew it was bad but they both loved it!

Risky by fictionalabyss

Alright look, if you ever post anything like this again, i want to be tagged.  I will make the fucking time for this every goddamn day!  So wrong, i love it

Finally by @there-must-be-a-lock​

super well written.  it felt so real to the characters and it was incredibly hot

A Huntress In The King of Hell’s Court by @crashdevlin​

I love when time travel is incorporated well in a fic, and this is exactly what i'm talking about!

Fan Mail by @waywardnerd67​

I can't not deal with my emotions on this fic.  It is so fluffy and i'm here for all of it 

One Night Changes Everything by @a-winchester-fairytale​

This ride was so hard i couldn't even comment on ever part.  I just had to rush through the whole thing so i could find out what would happen. 

Mated In The Darkness by @mummybear​

There are not enough words in the world to explain why i loved this fic so much!

Caught In The Act by mummybear

It's smut people.  Its dirty and fucking amazing smut!

Thank you all for the awesome work and great feedback!

These are not actual awards! This system is set up so everyone in the pond has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, and the more everyone remembers to submit their own fics after posting, the better this will be :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

[thecaffeinebookwarrior]

The Many Faces of the Strong Female Character

The much-requested, positive counterpart to my classic “Female Characters to Avoid in Your Writing” and it’s much-later sequel.  

Here, I will discuss some of my favorite fictional ladies and what makes them work so well;  given my rapturous love of women, there will probably be a sequel!  In the meantime, I talk more about portraying female characters here.

Happy writing, everybody!  <3

1.)  The Warrior

(Gif credit.) 

When most people hear “strong female character,” they picture the most popular definition of the term:  a stony-faced, emotionally shallow, conventionally attractive broad who punches and kicks stuff.  She may occasionally shout things like, “I DON’T NEED NO MAN,” while perhaps punching a small baby. 

I decided to start with my wife Diana, because she is the perfect antithesis of this trope.  She isn’t stony, she’s courageous.  She’s unabashed about showing her doubts, hopes, affections, and optimism.  Her love interest never steals her spotlight, but she feels no need to shun romance to appear “strong.”  She’s beautiful, but not sexualized or objectified.

And while most Strong Female Characters™ are ironically reduced to damsels in distress at some point in their own narratives, Diana consistently takes the lead, totally autonomous over her own story.

You can kick ass AND love babies, people.  Joss Whedon, please take notes.

(Gif credit)

Other examples:  Okoye from Black Panther, Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road, Rey from Star Wars, and Ser Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones.

2.)  The Comedian

(Gif source)

If you haven’t watched Chewing Gum on Netflix, stop whatever you’re doing and watch it right now.  Its relatively simple premise – a twenty-four-year-old from a fundamentalist Christian household struggles to lose her virginity – is a segway into a hilarious, genuine exploration of human sexuality, relationships, and how we forge our identities.

Brilliantly portrayed by the series’ creator, Michaela Coel, Tracy is essentially that one friend who knows exactly what you’ve been thinking and isn’t afraid to say so.  She is never relegated to a single trope or stereotype.  She’s stumbling, clumsily but enthusiastically, through the life experiences that shape us.  Most importantly, she is allowed to be sexually curious, awkward, aggressive, insecure, and – I can’t stress this enough – hilarious.  The dialogue is infinitely quotable, and endlessly relatable. 

(Image source)

Watching shows like Chewing Gum makes me realize how few female characters – and even fe wer Black female characters – are portrayed as truly human.  Typically, they’re allowed to be sexy, but not sexual.  They’re allowed to be awkward, but only if it’s cute.  They can be insecure, but only if that insecurity can easily be solved by the affirmations of a male love interest.  And they’re rarely allowed to be the main source of a series’ comedy.  

So remember:  let your female characters be human.  Let them be awkward, funny, sexual philosophers.  It’s easier than you think.  

(Gif source)

Other examples:  Abbi and Ilan from Broad City, Leslie from Parks and Rec, Tina from Bob’s Burgers.

3.)  The Drama Queen

(Gif source)

Watching Riverdale is like hurtling along on a structurally unstable rollercoaster.  It’s utterly insane, a lot of fun, and once you’re on, you can’t stop.

But amidst the explosions of batshit crazy plot points, killer cults, and the existential perplexity of finding yourself attracted to emo Jughead, there are some real gems.  One of these is Cheryl Blossom, and pretty much every plot line surrounding her.

Cheryl is introduced as a fairly one-dimensional, catty mean girl, though the Regina George-esque charisma with which she’s portrayed makes her instantly likable.  Initially, we expect her to be a character we’ll love to hate.

(Gif source)

And yet, within the first few episodes, I was impressed by how layered and complex her motivations were.  Much of contempt towards others was misdirected rage from an upbringing of extreme emotional abuse, and grief over her dead brother -- all portrayed without a Snape-style condonation of said behavior.  By the end of season one, my thoughts were generally, “Oh, crap, I don’t think I can claim to be watching this ‘ironically’ anymore,” and “MORE CHERYL.”

(Gif source)

Season two answered my wish, and then some.  Cheryl was saved from an (impressively conscientiously portrayed) attempt at sexual assault by a pack of her female friends, and her attacker got the shit beat out of him in one of the most cathartic moments of modern television.

To the exaltation of my queer heart, she also came out as a lesbian, in a deeply moving story arc that I never would have expected from this show.  Without spoiling too much, she and her new love interest kissing in front of anti-gay propaganda footage was legitimately one of the most powerful moments I have ever witnessed.

(Gif source)

Before the season was over, she viciously threatened her abusive, homophobic mother while covered in blood, shot a serial killer with a bow and arrow, and joined a gang.  If that’s not gay culture, I don’t know what is.

Oh, how I wish this show was just about her.

Other examples:  Alexis from Schitt’s Creek.

4.)  The Lovable Bastard

(Gif source)

Ah, The Good Place.  I have never experienced such a breath of comedic fresh air.  A new philosophical principle each episode, examined and applied in hilarious and thought-provoking ways.  A complete absence of harmful stereotypes.  Incredibly lovable, three-dimensional, and ever-evolving characters. 

I was considering using my queen Tahani for this list, who externally larger-than-life and internally vulnerable after emotional abuse by her parents.  Also, she’s hilarious.  Everyone and everything in The Good Place is hilarious.  And I also thought about talking about Janet, who is the best character in anything ever, but of course:

(Gif source)

Instead, I’ll be talking about bisexual icon Eleanor, who is something very few female characters get to be:  the lovable bastard.

(Gif source)

Eleanor, when we first meet her, is not traditionally good in any sense of the word.  She turned down a high-paying job because she was expected to be nice to people.  She sold placebos to the elderly, and was great at it.  She was drunken, slovenly, hedonistic, and selfish.  And she’s instantly incredibly likable.

Why and how Eleanor is so enjoyable, even at her very worst, merits an essay all its own.  But in a nutshell:

We empathize with her.  We are introduced to “The Good Place” completely through her eyes.  We are in her shoes.  

The stakes are high.  When we discover that her entry into the good place was a mistake, we want her to be okay.

We come to understand her, and how her terrible childhood shaped her destructive behavior.  

She wants to be a better person, and with time, effort, and character development, we watch her become one. 

Not only is this an amazing lesson in how to endear audiences to your character, it is also infinitely refreshing.  The most famous lovable bastards are all men --  Han Solo, Dr. House, Captain Jack Sparrow, the Man With No Name, et cetera -- but women are rarely afforded the same moral complexity.  If a woman in fiction has done bad things, she’s not usually a lovable bastard.  She’s usually a bitch. 

Eleanor isn’t just a great character.  She conveys an important lesson:  women are people.  People with the same capacity for mistakes, growth, redemption, and love as anyone else.

(Image source)

Other examples: Chloe from Don’t Trust the B*tch in Apartment 23

5.)  The Cinderella

(Gif source)

Yep.  I said it.  Cinderella is a strong female character.

My girl not only survived in an abusive household, she persistently stayed positive.  She worked each day to make the best of an impossible situation, from which she had no means of escape.  That takes an insane amount of courage and tenacity. 

But Caff, I hear you scream, she needed help to escape!!  Well, my imaginary counterargument, so the fuck what?  MOST people need help to escape their abusive situations, and there’s no shame in that.  Accepting help from someone you trust is the best thing you can do in a situation such as that, and implying otherwise is horribly damaging to victims of abuse.  

But she married the prince, you more feebly protest.  Yes!  She did!  She found love and happiness and a great life in a socially influential position!  And that’s an amazing message!

So in the flurry of female warriors, let’s not forget Cinderella, who tells people that their terrible circumstances won’t last forever, to stay hopeful and kind, and that accepting help from a trusted friend can lead to a happy life.  

Cinderella is a bad bitch, and she deserves her happily ever after.

(Gif source)

Other examples:  For some reason, I’m thinking of Sansa from Game of Thrones.  When people try to discredit her as a strong character, they often make similar complaints.  But both, quite fittingly, end up as queens.

[doctorofmagic]

June Solicitations: Doctor Strange confirmed appearances

DR. STRANGE #7

MARK WAID (W) • TOM Reilly (A) Cover by MAX FIUMARA LIVING VAMPIRE VARIANT COVER BY MIRKA ANDOLFO • Are YOU Doctor Strange’s biggest fan? • Would you jump at the chance to join the Sorcerer Supreme on an epic magical adventure—no matter the danger??? • Those are the questions that Kermit, Stephen’s office assistant and #1 Strange fan, will have to answer, as he gets swept up in Doctor Strange’s latest mystical maelstrom! 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

STRANGE ACADEMY #4

SKOTTIE YOUNG (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C) VARIANT COVER BY TBA CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT VARIANT COVER BY ART ADAMS TAG, YOU’RE IT! The students at the Strange Academy blow off their homework for the craziest game of tag ever. • Every door of Strange Academy holds a surprise – one takes you to Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, another to Weirdworld, another to Asgard; and some doors’ destinations are unknown even to Strange himself. • The students plan on stepping through every door, and at least one of the students will bear some significant consequences of their actions. 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MARVEL #4 (of 6)

ALEX ROSS, STEVE DARNALL, DANIEL ACUÑA, DOUG RICE & MARK WAID (W) ALEX ROSS, DANIEL ACUÑA, LUCIO PARRILLO & HILARY BARTA (A) Cover by ALEX ROSS VARIANT COVER BY Daniel ACUÑA As Doctor Strange continues to contend with the machinations of Nightmare in the framing story by Alex Ross and Steve Darnall, a bevy of other creators lend their talents to stories from all across the Marvel Universe: Daniel Acuña spins a saga of the Deviants in the world of the future; Doug Rice and Hilary Barta explore the earliest adventures of Doctor Droom during the time of the Marvel monsters; and Mark Waid and Lucio Parillo pit the Hulk against a fighting mad Wolverine in a brutal painted saga! 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

THE DARKHOLD ALPHA #1 (not confirmed)

STEVE ORLANDO (W) • CIAN TORMEY (A) • Cover by GREG SMALLWOOD TEASER VARIANT BY GREG SMALLWOOD Variant cover by AARON KUDER ENTER THE PAGES OF THE DARKHOLD... IF YOU DARE! Critically acclaimed writer Steve Orlando (Martian Manhunter, Batman, Wonder Woman) makes his Marvel debut with a story that will delight and terrify! For hundreds of years, scholars and heroes alike have searched for the complete text of the Darkhold — A.K.A. the Book of the Damned, written by the elder god Chthon. Now one of the greatest sorcerers in the Multiverse has found it — and Chthon has found him. To save them all, the Scarlet Witch must gather the world’s greatest heroes…and unleash their inner darkness. Witness the Marvel Universe’s descent into chaos! 40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99

SAVAGE AVENGERS #14 (not confirmed)

GERRY DUGGAN (W) • Patch Zircher (A) • Cover by VALERIO GIANGIORDANO Conan leads a team of Savage Avengers against an Asgardian dragon in a quest for treasure. Get out your twenty-sided dice and roll to attack with Conan, Magik and new Savage recruits the Black Knight and Juggernaut! 32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

June seems a good month! First, I’m very worried about poor Kermit. Hope he’s fine, in the name of this fandom! Second, even though the kids from Strange Academy won’t be seeing Stephen, I’ll talk about it all the same. Finally, can’t wait to read more about Alex Ross’ plot with Stephen and Nightmare!

Now, concerning the not confirmed appearances... Although Darkhold doesn’t mention Stephen, he was directly involved with the book in the past. I’m very curious, especially when there’s Victor on the cover and a mention to magic characters. I’m always eager for a magic team haha. And Savage Avengers, well, he was leading this team, so it’s possible. Plus, Illyana! I’m very excited!

[majornelson]

This Week’s Deals With Gold And Spotlight Sale + Publisher Sale And Game Fest Sale

Here are this week’s games and add-on deals on the Xbox Games Store. Discounts are valid now through 21 May 2018.

These deals will expire at 10:00 am UTC on Tuesday May 22nd 2018

     Xbox One Deals 

Content Title Content Type Discount Notes The BioWare Bundle* Xbox One Game 67% DWG WWE 2K18* Xbox One X Enhanced 50% DWG Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition* Xbox One Game 50% DWG Kerbal Space Program Enhanced Edition* Xbox One Game 30% DWG WRC 5 FIA World Rally Championship* Xbox One Game 80% DWG Mass Effect: Andromeda – Deluxe Recruit Edition* Xbox One Game 67% DWG Big Buck Hunter Arcade* Xbox One Game 60% DWG Hunting Simulator* Xbox One Game 70% DWG Albert and Otto* Xbox One Game 33% DWG Bedlam – The Game By Christopher Brookmyre * Xbox One Game 60% DWG Bleed Complete Bundle* Xbox One Game 75% DWG Dragon Age: Inquisition DLC Bundle* Add-On 67% DWG Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition Demon Hunter Bundle* Xbox One Game 50% DWG Devil May Cry HD Collection* Xbox One Game 30% DWG Devil May Cry HD Collection & 4SE Bundle* Xbox One Game 30% DWG Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition* Xbox One Game 67% DWG Dragon Age: Inquisition – Game of the Year Edition* Xbox One Game 75% DWG Hyperdrive Massacre* Xbox One Game 85% DWG I am Bread* Xbox One Game 75% DWG Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition – Lady & Trish Costume Pack* Add-On 40% DWG Mass Effect: Andromeda – Standard Recruit Edition* Xbox One Game 67% DWG Raiden V* Xbox One Game 60% DWG Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition – Super Nero / Super Dante / Super Vergil* Add-On 25% DWG Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap* Xbox One Game 50% DWG WWE 2K18 Digital Deluxe Edition* Xbox One X Enhanced 50% DWG Xenon Valkyrie +* Xbox One Game 25% DWG Cuphead Xbox Play Anywhere 15% Game Fest Sale Friday the 13th: The Game Xbox One Game 67% Game Fest Sale Hello Neighbor Xbox One X Enhanced 30% Game Fest Sale Subnautica (Game Preview) Xbox One Game 25% Game Fest Sale ARK: Aberration Add-On 15% Game Fest Sale ARK: Scorched Earth Add-On 40% Game Fest Sale ARK: Survival Evolved Xbox One X Enhanced 40% Game Fest Sale ARK: Survival Evolved Explorer’s Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 40% Game Fest Sale ARK: Survival Evolved Season Pass Add-On 30% Game Fest Sale Cities: Skylines – Content Creator Pack Add-On 20% Game Fest Sale Cities: Skylines – Premium Edition Add-On 40% Game Fest Sale Cities: Skylines – Season Pass Add-On 30% Game Fest Sale Cities: Skylines – Xbox One Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 50% Game Fest Sale Dead by Daylight: Special Edition Xbox One Game 50% Game Fest Sale Deep Rock Galactic (Game Preview) Xbox Play Anywhere 10% Game Fest Sale Human Fall Flat Xbox One Game 50% Game Fest Sale Immortal Redneck Xbox One X Enhanced 33% Game Fest Sale Killing Floor 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 50% Game Fest Sale Phantom Trigger Xbox Play Anywhere 20% Game Fest Sale The Long Dark Xbox Play Anywhere 35% Game Fest Sale theHunter: Call of the Wild Xbox One X Enhanced 20% Game Fest Sale Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide Xbox One X Enhanced 70% Game Fest Sale Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Xbox Play Anywhere 50% Publisher Sale Injustice 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 40% Publisher Sale Scribblenauts Showdown Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale Mortal Kombat X Xbox One Game 60% Publisher Sale LEGO Worlds Xbox One Game 30% Publisher Sale The LEGO Movie Videogame Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale Batman: Arkham Knight Premium Edition Xbox One Game 60% Publisher Sale LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Deluxe Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 60% Publisher Sale Batman: Arkham Knight Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale Batman: Arkham Knight Season Pass Add-On 50% Publisher Sale Batman: Return to Arkham Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale Cars 3: Driven to Win Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale Injustice 2 – Legendary Edition Xbox One X Enhanced 20% Publisher Sale Injustice 2 – Ultimate Pack Add-On 20% Publisher Sale Injustice 2 – 23.000 Source Crystals Add-On 20% Publisher Sale Injustice 2 – 50,000 Source Crystals Add-On 20% Publisher Sale LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Deluxe Edition Xbox One Game 60% Publisher Sale LEGO Batman 3 Season Pass Add-On 50% Publisher Sale LEGO City Undercover Xbox One Game 40% Publisher Sale LEGO Jurassic World Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Xbox One X Enhanced 50% Publisher Sale LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 – Season Pass Add-On 50% Publisher Sale LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Bundle Xbox One X Enhanced 40% Publisher Sale LEGO Marvel’s Avengers Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale LEGO Marvel’s Avengers Deluxe Edition Xbox One Game 60% Publisher Sale LEGO Marvel’s Avengers Season Pass Add-On 50% Publisher Sale LEGO Movies Game Bundle Xbox One Game 40% Publisher Sale The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale LEGO STAR WARS: The Force Awakens Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Deluxe Edition Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Season Pass Add-On 60% Publisher Sale Mad Max Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Game of the Year Edition Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale Middle-earth: Shadow of War Gold Edition Xbox Play Anywhere 50% Publisher Sale Middle-Earth: Shadow of War – Expansion Pass Add-On 50% Publisher Sale Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Silver Edition Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale Mortal Kombat X – Kombat Pack Xbox One Game 60% Publisher Sale Mortal Kombat X – Kombat Pack 2 Xbox One Game 60% Publisher Sale Mortal Kombat XL Xbox One Game 50% Publisher Sale

*These offers are only valid for Xbox Live Gold members. Please note: prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by region.

     Xbox 360 Deals

Content Title Content Type Discount Notes Borderlands* Backward Compatible 60% DWG BioShock* Backward Compatible 60% DWG BioShock 2* Backward Compatible 60% DWG BioShock Infinite* Backward Compatible 70% DWG Borderlands 2* Backward Compatible 60% DWG Devil May Cry 4* Games On Demand 67% DWG Devil May Cry HD Collection* Games On Demand 75% DWG DmC Devil May Cry* Games On Demand 70% DWG The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition * Backward Compatible 85% DWG

*These offers are only valid for Xbox Live Gold members. Please note: prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by region.

via Xbox Live's Major Nelson https://ift.tt/2rHopPw

[adelmortescryche]

Fic Writers Week - Day Three

Hurray, it’s the day for recs, meaning I can actually contribute stuff as a reader alongside reccing one of my lesser known fics as a writer/creator! I’m going to try hard to control myself, and I suspect a few of these are still going to be recognizable... but here’s hoping that this list will give at least some of you something new to read. Here’s my post for day 3, @ficwritersweek​.

Day 3: Small But Mighty

Readers: Highlight underrated fics/writers - Do you know those fics that you think should’ve gotten more attention, those writers that you think more people should know? Time to bring them to the spotlight!

Writers: Highlight your new/underrated fics - Have a story you’re proud of but that you wish had gotten more attention? Just published a fic and want people to see it? This day is the perfect chance to talk about them!

Fic Recs:

The Genevan Paso Doble by FullmetalChords - A Leverage and YOI fusion! This series was so much fun to read. And, really, Grifter!Yuuri, what more do we need.

wish by spirit and if by luck by @midnightluck - One Piece, ASL Brothers reunion fic. This is probably a bit more well-read than should really be on this list, but frankly, I only stumbled across it by chance, and this writer’s take on the ASL bros dynamic has to be my favorite yet. And the best Sabo, honestly. I haven’t seen anyone else mention it in an ASL bros rec list till date, so here we go.

Extreme foolishness or unsound mind (defines insanity) by @aerialflight​ - Inception and Mad Max fusion. Eames-is-Max-is-Eames. Honestly, I love this fic so much. I might be a teensy bit biased since I’ve been around for the more recent plotting, but the idea is epic and should probably be seen by more people, just because of how much potential it has. Give it a whirl if you like either of the base series.

Fierce as Fire by chiiyo86 – FMA and AtlA crossover/fusion. With Ed as the Avatar. This borrows bending and some mythos from AtlA, but it’s still largely FMA. This was rec’ced to me by a friend, and is absolutely fantastic. So much fun to read!

Shining Delinquent Dragon by calikocat – Gokusen. For anyone who wanted to see what Season Two of the drama could have been like if Shin had been around! With added Shin/Yankumi. This is very well built, with plenty of screenshots and images to supplement it – enough so it feels like reading a visual novel of the drama. I remember having a lot of fun reading it, the first time around. Frankly, anything by calikocat is worth a look, especially if you enjoy BtVS, but this one definitely has a fond place in my heart.

Origin Story by creamycomet – Boku dake ga Inai Machi | ERASED. A canon divergent, what-if fic. Honestly, this one’s verging on For Want of a Nail – Yashiro befriends Satoru when they’re both still children. And Satoru’s presence in Yashiro’s childhood brings changes to many things. Primarily Yashiro’s abusive household. No time skips in this – they’re kids in all of what’s been posted so far.  This fic is gorgeous, I love everything about it, and I need more Yashiro fix-its for this fandom. And more platonic interaction for these two, okay. I just do.

Wild Things by Haberdashette – Daiya no A, MiSawa. What DnA could have been if it had been an urban fantasy while still sticking to the canon plot. The traces of the supernatural and the way it exists alongside regular life in this fic is fascinating. Such good worldbuilding.

Never Leave the Island by booksindalibrary – KHR, Gen. Tsuna is a Siren/Merman. Except this is before the canon plot – him being a human at all is because he’s kidnapped and sealed by Iemitsu and Timoteo. And I’ll reveal no more than this, for fear of spoilers. Gotta say, I love the way Tsuna’s been written in this. And the idea on the whole. Astral Projection! Non-human-and-mildly-terrifying-Tsuna! *starry eyes*

Fic Recs from my Works:

Of all my work, I’d have to say the Sailing Strange Seas series is probably what’s least well known, while also being something I’m ridiculously fond of. It’s a PotC and One Piece crossover; the series as a whole is set post-Dressrosa, pre-Whole Cake Island for One Piece, and post-trilogy for PotC. While taking On Stranger Tides with a pinch of salt. Here are the summaries for the two fics posted so far in the series:

Sailing Strange Seas - The crew of the Flying Dutchman fish out a strange pair of men from the waters of the Locker. And Will finds himself faced with men who are either unwilling to face their death, or are from rather further away than the land of the living. Luffy just wants to go on an adventure, and Zoro is caught between wanting to find a way back and simply waiting to see where this particular journey is likely to lead. Two very different sets of pirates are set face to face, and yet, some things remain the same.

Strangers in Strange Places - Elizabeth Turner née Swann was perfectly happy holidaying in Port Royal with her children or, at least, claimed to be perfectly happy holidaying in Port Royal, ridiculously cumbersome corsets and dresses notwithstanding. Well, making the acquaintance of a queer stranger on the streets of the Port should serve to keep her boredom at bay, if nothing else.

(Or: That one in which Law, separated from his travelling companions when they run through a portal after leaving Dressrosa behind, goes on a quest to track down his missing, troublesome not-allies. In his defense, following the rumours of a Pirate King in this strange, alien world seemed to make sense when he started out.)

Well, that’s it for my recs. This got longer than expected, in spite of removing a large part of the recs I’d wanted to add. I guess I’ll just have to make more rec lists over time, if people like my taste in fic. *wry grin*

[knifeonmars]

Comics that mattered to me in 2017

2017 has been a pretty rough year. I’ve spent a lot of the last year feeling increasingly burnt out on comics, wondering why I bother with something that frequent leaves me exhausted and disillusioned. Between Marvel’s endless train wreck of a year and the galloping moral outrage of DC digging up the corpse of Watchmen for a gobsmackingly stupid “sequel”, I’ve been profoundly put off this past year. . Despite my general sickness with the often flavourless slurry of corporate comics though, I still read a lot of really good comics, and some of them even managed to brighten my day.

Here’s a few of those comics, in no particular order. I would note that I’m talking specifically about stuff that I personally read this year, not stuff which was first published this year, so there’s some old stuff in there.

OMAC -

OMAC is one of those comics that I’d seen critics and writers talking about for years and which had always interested me conceptually, but I’d never had the time to pick it up. I finally did a few weeks ago and I couldn’t be happier with the decision. OMAC is buckwild; imaginative, energetic, and oddly prescient, and also angry as all hell. The thing that I really like about OMAC is that it present us with this somewhat horrific future and then actually pushes back against it, which contrasts it with the great but shortlived recent Prez series. The cliffhanger ending, which I really should have seen coming since this book is several decades old and I’ve had ample opportunity to find out about, is a bit of a bummer, but by no means spoils the energy and dynamism of the whole. What OMAC gets is that I don’t want to see a horrifically corrupt world reformed through optimism and cooperation, I want to see the whole fucking thing torn down, and while OMAC isn’t quite the rage fueled dance of destruction that I want, it’s pretty damn close.

Batman: Superheavy -

I was skeptical of the whole Superheavy angle back during the unfortunately short lived DCYou initiative, but this finally clicked for me at some point: Superheavy is Batman as a mech anime. It’s gorgeous and action packed and cool, and I’m disappointed that there’s not more of it. Commissioner Gordon as a hardluck everyman hero trying to live up to the impossible legacy of Batman was a suprisingly solid concept, and one which I’m disappointed to see dispensed with and forgotten so quickly. The ending to this all too brief era in Bloom is unfortunately somewhat rushed in my opinion and defaults to having the glorious return of Bruce Wayne solve everything in a way that I didn’t find particularly satisfying, but the initial Superheavy arc remains stylish and fun. On a personal level, I came to Superheavy at a time when I was beyond sick of the corporate superhero paradigm and it managed to make me feel that not everything was trash.

Deathstroke -

DC Comics has long been determined to make Deathstroke “happen” despite little real appeal or interest, and my own opinions on the character have generally trended towards “he’s like a really cool action figure” and “Hideo Kojima could make this interesting”. But Christopher Priest is an industry legend and so I’ve been following this series in trades. It’s great. It’s incredibly dense and at times a little confusing, but as someone who tends to tear through their reading material, it’s nice to have a series that makes me slow down once in a while. A killer redesign of the character and a willingness to embrace his role as a villain rather than some sort of tedious antihero have made this series genuinely one of the best the DC is putting out these days.

Secret Identities -

The thing about indie superhero comics is that the majority of them deal in analogues and standins. That’s not to say that the can’t still be good, but often times its extremely obvious which characters a writer was basing their own off of. Secret Identities doesn’t read like that at all. What I like about Secret Identities is that the characters do actually all feel fresh and original, and the idea that all of them are hiding dark secrets is a pretty great hook. Couple that with some great art, cool character designs, and solid writing, and Secret Identities is one of the better pure superhero books which I’ve read this year.

The Goddamned -

I mentioned that this year has been rough, and The Goddamned is a great comic for a rough year. It’s dirty, grimy, cynical, and brutal. It’s Mad Max in Bible Times, and it is absolutely great. Gorgeous art and designs which make the Neolithic technology and clothes of the characters look interesting and even appealing, and a spectacularly dark revisionist take on the setting of the biblical Old Testament make this a really unique and interesting book. It’s a good book to read if you find yourself looking at the past year and wondering if humanity deserves to live.

Extremity -

Daniel Warren Johnson deserves to a breakout star in the coming year. Extremity is his first monthly solo series, and it’s a delight. Johnson brings his incredible art to an original story that’s a lot more grounded and emotional that you might expect from a writer who’s been making his name as an artist, though the quality should be no surprise to anyone who’s read Johnson’s earlier work. Extremity is about the lengths that people go to for revenge, the death of the soul and the corruption of noble causes, and the cost of violence. It’s about an artist who loses her hand and becomes a warrior, and watches her father become a vengeance fueled and amoral murderer. It’s about a war machine deciding it wants to be something else. It’s gorgeous too. It’s Mad Max in the Valley of the Wind, and I highly recommend checking it out.

Apollo and Midnighter

The Midnighter series of DCYou was a favorite of mine, I just love a wrecking ball of a character tearing through things with style and panache, so I was extremely excited to see this sequel miniseries come out to complete the story and more fully flesh out Apollo, who tends not to be given as much spotlight as Midnighter. It’s great, and a suitable send off for versions of these characters who we’re unlikely to see again now that DC is cordoning the Wildstorm characters off in Ellis’ hit or miss imprint.

Hawkeye: Kate Bishop -

Despite a general predilection for ultraviolence and trauma, I do actually enjoy a lighthearted series every once in a while, and the first volume of the newest Hawkeye: Kate Bishop series is just what I needed at a point when I’m no longer sure if Marvel as a whole is something that I’m interested in. It’s fun, the art is gorgeous, and it balances comedy with a sense of gravity and consequence. It finally lives up to the promise of the LA Woman premise offered way back in the Fraction/Aja/Wu/Hollingsworth run on Hawkeye that never seemed to get off the ground, and I’m glad to have it.

BPRD -

I ended up reading a lot of emotionally exhausting books this year, and BPRD certainly ranks among them. It’s also one of the best. I poured through the entirety of the Hell on Earth mega arc after seeing it on a digital sale, and it was immensely rewarding. It’s a story about the grinding horrors of conflict and keeping hope alive, that always managed to balance being emotionally serious with the kind of world where its totally plausible and enjoyable to have an arc that features giant kaiju fights.

Hobtown Mysteries: The Case of the Missing Men -

I spotted this number is a book store one day, and had to return to pick it up when I realized that the creators were local to Halifax. It’s a really cool and unique read, drawing on a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys teen detective influence combined with Twin Peaks, in a way that doesn’t feel derivative or like it’s trying too hard. While I didn’t grow up in the kind of small town that’s at the focus of this story, I certainly spent enough time in and around them growing up to have a nostalgic appreciation of the setting. It’s totally unlike anything else on this list, and absolutely worth a look.

Virgil -

One last book, an angry, raw exploitation action comic about a gay cop on a tear through Jamaica. It’s my jam, and JD Faith is a wonderful artist.

[comiccrusaders]

The Road To San Diego Announcement #3: Discover An Unforgettable Night At The Theater in October 2018

BOOM! Studios is proud to continue The Road to San Diego, a ten-day spotlight on the most exciting comic book and graphic novel news in advance of Comic Con International in San Diego (July 18-22), with the announcement of THE BACKSTAGERS HALLOWEEN INTERMISSION #1, a new special in October 2018 from series creators James Tynion IV and Rian Sygh, along with special guests Sam Johns (The Backstagers: Valentine’s Intermission), Shan Murphy (Bouquet), Abby Howard (Junior Scientist Power Hour), and Savanna Ganucheau (Bloom).

With the days getting shorter and the nights getting spookier, the Backstagers are back for the Halloween season with all-new tales of terrors and creepy creatures. When Sasha accidentally falls asleep backstage, he ends up locked in the theater overnight! What lurks in the shadows, what terrors will he discover, and what the heck are the stage managers chanting? With back-up stories spotlighting your favorite Backstagers, this spine-tingling tale of the stage will leave you with goosebumps you can see from the back row!

“A year back, Rian and I talked about how we might be able to continue to visit the world we had created in The Backstagers. We had the thought that we’d bring the sweet boys of the St. Genesius Stage crew back with a couple of oversized specials,” said James Tynion IV. “The first came out on Valentine’s Day, and let us delve into one of the core pillars of the series, the powerful love and friendship between our characters. But the second was always the one I was most excited about. The Halloween Intermission issue lets us expand the spookiest mythology behind the St. Genesius theater, to tell a genuinely frightening story that captures the heart and soul of the book and these sweet boys. I’m really proud of what Rian and I have cooked up for you, and with Sam Johns writing super spooky back-up stories for incredible art powerhouses like Abby Howard, Savanna Ganucheau, and Shan Murphy…It’s going to be one heck of a Halloween!

“I was so excited when James and I were coming up with this story, I love our characters so much and I was so pleased when we decided to give the Stage Managers their time to shine since they didn’t get much opportunity in the first series,” said Rian Sygh. “I’m mostly excited about drawing a lot of Halloween nonsense since its one of my favorite holidays. It’s been especially interesting seeing other people’s art for the Back-Up stories. Collaborating with these incredibly talented cartoonists has been a dream, and makes me feel like The Backstagers have a lot more stories to explore than I could ever draw on my own!”

BACKSTAGERS HALLOWEEN INTERMISSION #1 features a main cover by Sygh and a variant cover by Veronica Fish (SLAM!).

“Who needs candy when you have comics as sweet as the THE BACKSTAGERS HALLOWEEN INTERMISSION?!” said Shannon Watters, Senior Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Our boys in stage blacks are back, and giving us all a high-quality haunting just in time for the spookiest time of the year.”

BACKSTAGERS HALLOWEEN INTERMISSION #1 is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ award-winning BOOM! Box imprint, home to groundbreaking original series such as Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn Allen, and Noelle Stevenson; Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Max Sarin; Misfit City by Kiwi Smith, Kurt Lustgarten, and Naomi Franquiz; Fence by C.S. Pacat and Johanna The Mad; and Goldie Vance by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams.

Print copies of BACKSTAGERS HALLOWEEN INTERMISSION #1 will be available for sale in October 2018 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.

For continuing news on THE BACKSTAGERS and more from BOOM! Studios’ The Road To San Diego​​, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

The Backstagers Return For A Halloween Intermission from BOOM! Studios The Road To San Diego Announcement #3: Discover An Unforgettable Night At The Theater in October 2018…

[siphen0]

BOOM! Studios is proud to continue The Road to San Diego, a ten-day, ten-announcement spotlight on the most exciting comic book and graphic novel news in advance of Comic Con International in San Diego (July 17–21), with the announcement today of HEAVY VINYL: Y2K-O!. The brand new original graphic novel, available in stores March 2020, reunites the acclaimed team of filmmaker and writer Carly Usdin (The Avant-Guards) and artist Nina Vakueva (League of Legends: Ashe – Warmother) for a brand-new adventure with the music store crew—and secret fight club—of HEAVY VINYL.

Your favorite girl gang is back and on the brink of a new millennium! It’s the summer of 1999, and while the staff of Vinyl Destination is dealing with growing up and getting out into the world, the tension over Y2K is mounting into an all-out panic! Can this group of music-loving vigilantes balance their work lives with their dating lives, prevent the total collapse of modern society, AND be home in time for dinner?! Only one way to find out!

Carly Usdin is an award-winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Her first feature, Suicide Kale, won the Audience Award for Best First Feature at Outfest 2016.  Carly is also the creator and writer of two comic book series for BOOM! Studios: Heavy Vinyl and The Avant-Guards. Heavy Vinyl was nominated for a 2018 Prism Award, honoring the best in LGBTQIA+ comics.

Carly has recently completed her short film Misdirection, created as part of the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women, class of 2019. Currently she is developing several projects through her production company Scheme Machine Studios, which she owns with her wife, photographer and producer Robin Roemer.

“Getting the chance to continue the Heavy Vinyl story is a dream come true! I’m thrilled to be reunited with my precious little ‘90s babies. The story picks up a few months later — it’s 1999, digital music and file sharing have upset the status quo, and Y2K approaches!!” said writer, Carly Usdin. “You can expect the same level of exhaustively-researched pop culture references with new characters, a new mystery, and more Chris/Maggie cuteness. I’ve been having a great time writing it, and I can’t wait for fans to read it.”

Nina Vakueva is a self-taught freelance artist born and based in Moscow. She graduated from Moscow Architectural University in 2014, worked briefly for the Architectural Bureau then moved to comic books and character design. Nina worked as part of Russian comic studio, Bubble, and currently works as an artist on Heavy Vinyl for BOOM! Studios, League of Legends: Ashe – Warmother for Marvel Entertainment, and on her original webcomic, Lilith’s Word.

“It’s time for Chris and the rest of the vigilante girl group from HEAVY VINYL to tackle Y2K!” said artist Nina Vakueva. “These teens are always up for a big adventure, so catch them hacking computers and fighting crime, all while playing their favorite music and having fun with their friends in the new HEAVY VINYL: Y2K-O!”

The HEAVY VINYL: Y2K-O! cover will feature artwork by Nina Vakueva.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be teaming up with Carly and Nina to bring everyone a brand new graphic novel set in the kick-ass, action-packed world of Heavy Vinyl.” said Shannon Watters,  Senior Editor, BOOM! Studios. “There’ll be plenty of sweet, sweet lady romance, action, mystery, and late ‘90s fashion and goofy good times in this love letter to the historic manic panic of the Y2K craze.”

HEAVY VINYL: Y2K-O! is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ award-winning BOOM! Box imprint, home to groundbreaking original series such as Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn Allen, and Noelle Stevenson; Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Max Sarin; The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin and Noah Hayes; Misfit City by Kiwi Smith, Kurt Lustgarten, and Naomi Franquiz; Fence by C.S. Pacat and Johanna The Mad; and Goldie Vance by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams.

Print copies of HEAVY VINYL: Y2K-O! will be available in March 2020 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), bookstores, or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.

For continuing news on HEAVY VINYL: Y2K-O! and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter. 

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

HEAVY VINYL Returns with New Graphic Novel from BOOM! Studios in 2020 BOOM! Studios is proud to continue The Road to San Diego, a ten-day, ten-announcement spotlight on the most exciting comic book and graphic novel news in advance of Comic Con International in San Diego (July 17–21), with the announcement today of…

[jaeame-blog]

Rick and Morty Season 3 Episode 4 Review: Vindicators 3 | Rick and Morty season 3 episode 4

Rick and Morty has always been a good show, but this season is absolutely living up to the hype. One winner will be chosen after the giveaway closes on Sunday, August 20th at 12:00PM PT. Open to US residents only, void where prohibited. After hours of scouring the Internet, fans have finally found part of the video from the fake Rick and Morty live stream that aired on AdultSwim.com instead of the actual episode. Ever since Rick and Morty returned to our screens two weeks ago, the show has been very heavy on pop culture parodies.

Rick and Morty is back tonight with the fourth episode in Season 3. The first episode Rickmancing the Stone was a parody of the Mad Max franchise and the post apocalypse sub-genre in general, while. Ever since "Rick and Morty" returned for a third season, different genres and themes were featured every week.Tonight the fourth episode of Rick and Morty Season 3 will be aired. Last week we finally got to see Pickle Rick, after all these months of waiting.

Rick and Morty continues Season 3 tonight with Episode 4, "Vindicators 3." This one could be a great parody of The Avengers, but knowing Rick and Morty, it will be a lot more than that. We're covering Rick and Morty season 3 from just about every angle, from exclusive interviews with the cast and creators to our tireless effort to chronicle every joke in the season.As we know, last week finally Pickle Rick was there, after all these months of waiting and speculating. Here's how you can watch Season 3, Episode 4 live, on TV and online. After Season 3 Episode 4 of Rick and Morty, fans are ready for a little Noob Noob appreciation. The parodies roll on in Sunday's episode of Adult Swim's Rick and Morty season 3. Ever since Rick and Morty returned, the show is tackling different genres each week.

[so-shiny-so-chrome]

Witness: B_Kilroy

 ThCreator name (AO3): B_Kilroy

Creator name (Tumblr): brian-kilroy

Link to creator works: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_Kilroy/pseuds/B_Kilroy/works?fandom_id=51060

Q: Why the Mad Max Fandom?

A: I was just instantly drawn to it after seeing Mad Max: Fury Road for the first time.  The movie was incredible, from the imagery to the people, from the story we see to the story we have to piece together ourselves.  I was no stranger to fanfiction since I had written and read it in the past, so when I thought "I need to get more of this," I knew where to go.  Being more internet savvy than I was several years ago meant that I was able to find more places and people who engaged in the fandom, which in turn allowed me to become more engaged, and do more for this fandom than the ones I had been a part of before.

Q: What do you think are some defining aspects of your work? Do you have a style? Recurrent themes?Which of your works was the most fun to create? The most difficult? Which is your most popular? Most successful? Your favourite overall?

A: I think even though I didn't write much for it, "Through The Looking Glass" was the most fun to create, because the goal was to take the entirety of Mad Max and reframe it with Furiosa and Max being able to contact each other through their dreams.  It's fun to take that and view events through a different lens, or use one character to advise the other and shove the story in different directions.  After a while, these changes would have stacked up, but it would have amounted to a serious overhaul of character and plot through four movies.  

The most difficult fic was "Ear to the Ground," namely because it was a gift so I couldn't bounce the idea back off of its source to talk about it.  At a certain point I pretty much stalled, and that combined with the time constraints of the exchange were some serious stressors.  I've stalled many times in many fics, but this was the most difficult one to conquer.   

 My most popular, successful, and favorite fic to work on is by and large "Runaway."  I can't truly speak for why, but I believe its relative longevity and the AU concept of Fury Road essentially never happening was what earned some attention.

Q: How do you like your wasteland? Gritty? Hopeful? Campy? Soft? Why?

A: I like a good mix of gritty and hopeful, though it does depend on what sort of fic I'm writing.  I think we've all seen enough to know that you can't have good without the bad, but we also know that sometimes it's very possible to basically go about your business as long as you're smart about it.  Sometimes, the characters don't have that option.  I enjoy having a diverse world so characters can have a multitude of experiences.

Q: Walk us through your creative process from idea to finished product. What's your prefered environment for creating? How do you get through rough patches?

A: My creative process really varies.  Often, I just start writing.  Only after I have some stuff written down do the gears really start turning about the future.  As I work, sometimes I'll put down specific lines I want to use, or scenes I want to see, or a general rough outline.  The best thing I've done in this regard is have an outline set for "Runaway" and use the first posting of "Royce" as a first draft.  The best way to create is to have something set out in front of you, so you know where Point B is, and it's just a matter of getting there. 

 When I wrote in college, it was pretty much wherever I could snag a seat.  A handful of my old fics started in the very back of a State Government lecture hall.  As time went on, I wrote in the student center or in a dorm lobby or just somewhere I could sit down that felt vaguely productive.  At home, it's in my dark room with some music on. 

 Rough patches often signal a break in writing.  I'll typically go to another fic to work on, but recently having trouble means walking away completely.  For me, the only way to get through rough patches means sitting down and writing.  It can be a word, a sentence, or a paragraph, and any amount is fine.  All that matters is that I get the gears going, because there's no progress if I don't think about it.

Q: What (if any) music do you listen to for help getting those creative juices flowing?

A: I'll listen to a general playlist I've wrangled together if I'm writing for Maxiosa, and that can sort of get me in the mood - namely, some DJ Shadow or some Radiohead, though a lot of artists are one-offs.  For other fics, or moments where I need a specific tone, I can turn to more energetic music and scratch that itch.

Q: What is your biggest challenge as a creator?

A: Inspiration and drive is my biggest challenge.  Nowadays, I don't really have inspiration unless it just somehow *comes* to me - which will often be around 1 AM which leaves a lot to be desired.  A lot of writing also came out of emotional distress, which thankfully I don't really experience anymore, but that means finding some other sort of fuel to write from.

Q: How have you grown as a creator through your participation in the Mad Max Fandom? How has your work changed? Have you learned anything about yourself?

A: I've definitely grown in terms of how I write.  I sort of cringe at how I first wrote a lot of my stuff, which resulted in some works being removed or re-worked.  My writing has done a lot better in terms of - well, I don't cringe at it as much.  I'm more confident in what I write and how.  It's a more mature style that I can reflect on as an era of writing separate from what I wrote when I was younger.  In short, it's better.  

Have I learned anything about myself?  Can't quite say.

Q: Which character do you relate to the most, and how does that affect your approach to that character? Is someone else your favourite to portray? How has your understanding of these characters grown through portraying them?

A: I'd say I relate to Max the most.  I understand being alone and avoiding people.  That's oversimplifying it, but I sympathize with him the most.  This allows me to write him if not accurately, then it helps me write him well.  Writing characters in general, while I'm not writing canon material, allows me to think of them as more than what they've done on the screen.  It allows me to think of them as complex characters.  I fill out the blanks left on the screen and it helps make them whole.

Q: Do you ever self-insert, even accidentally?

A: Definitely.  "Royce" is by-and-large a self-insert, and I think it pretty much says so on the can.  It became a great way to explore what I would do in such a world, but I feel like doing self-inserts in the right way can be an excellent method to explore parts of the story that we don't usually see.  

Q: How does your work for the fandom change how you look at the source material?

A: It allows me to form a more complete image of the before, during, and after.  It may not be canonical, but I can appreciate the movie as more than just a slice of the world.  I think about everything happening behind the scenes - what's happening at the Citadel, in the War Party, in the wreckage following the battle of the Fury Road.  Instead of asking questions about what happened and what will happen, I form answers.

Q: Do you prefer to create in one defined chronology or do your works stand alone? Why or why not?

A: I enjoy the concept of trying to fit all my fics into one world, because 1) it breeds continuity, 2) it breeds opportunities for the future, and 3) it's just fun.  Not only do you have the source material, but using what you create helps you get more familiar and comfortable with the characters.  Writing for standalone fics means you have to resort to a different mindset for these characters, though some may enjoy that, so more power to them.

Q: To break or not to break canon? Why?

A: Both is fun.  I have canon-compliant and canon-divergent fics and they both have their benefits and drawbacks in terms of familiarity and "give" in terms of what you want to do.  

Q: If you work with OCs walk us through your process for creating them. Who are some of your favourites?

A: If they are proper OCs with no real inspiration, I start with basically envisioning them in my mind.  What are their names and what do they look like?  What is their purpose?  What is their past, and do you want that to factor into what they do in the present and future?  It doesn't have to be a whole lot if they're minor characters, but the more you do means you have more to play with.  You can add complexity to a character or just use them as a means to an end.  

My favorite OC has to be Royce just because of how I know Royce ends up, and how he's used as a storytelling tool.

Q: Who are some works by other creators inside and outside of the fandom that have influenced your work?

A: Owlship has had a direct influence on my work - I've snagged quite a few prompts from her and I've been inspired at least directly by "the centre cannot hold;".  While I can't say I really look up to anyone else as an influence, I definitely give props to Weirdness_Unlimited for taking off running with "To Love Reptiles" and their OC work, and giving me inspiration to keep going with mine.  I quite literally went through every single fic that looked good to me when I first found MMFR so I can't really point anything out that has influenced me except for the creativity of the community as a whole.

Q: Tell us about a current WIP or planned project.

A: Runaway is the big WIP I'm staring down right now.  I've been bogged down in terms of having a hard time writing thought and reflection instead of action.  I've probably said it a hundred times, but I do have an outline set up for the fic which would go pretty far if written for completely.  Anyone reading it can expect something interesting in the next few chapters.   I do have another WIP or two in my pocket that I'll abstain from talking about, but they'll be little one shots.  One's a bit of pre-canon, another's post-canon which is the one I'm favoring.  There's still gears turning, no matter how small, and I hope to get stuff going again soon.

@b-kilroy thank you for your time. 

[njawaidofficial]

How the Depiction of Autism on TV Continues to Evolve

http://styleveryday.com/2017/08/11/how-the-depiction-of-autism-on-tv-continues-to-evolve/

How the Depiction of Autism on TV Continues to Evolve

In 1988’s Rain Man, Dustin Hoffman plays an autistic savant named Raymond Babbit, who can complete difficult mental calculations in seconds while being unable to live on his own. Although it was a specific portrayal of a very specific place on the autism spectrum, Rain Man was a blockbuster hit, and Raymond thereby became the poster child for an extremely complicated disorder onscreen.

But during the past decade, television has been ushering in a new era. Recently, series such as FX’s The Bridge, NBC’s Chicago Med andParenthood and even HBO’s Sesame Street have given viewers a more multifaceted look at autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in all its forms.

Now, two new series – Netflix’s Atypical (Aug. 11) and ABC’s The Good Doctor (Sept. 25) – are being added to that list, and both are hoping to capture the human side of a disorder that in many ways remains mysterious. As Parenthood creator Jason Katims wrote in a guest column for THR in 2012, crafting the character of Max Braverman (Max Burkholder), a teenager with Asperger’s syndrome, proved difficult even though he himself was raising a son with the disorder:

“Early in the series, I asked our show’s Asperger’s ‘consultant’… if he felt he really understood what went on in the minds of kids with Asperger’s. He answered candidly, ‘No, I don’t.’ I asked him that question because after 15 years, my son, who has Asperger’s, is still very much a mystery to me. There are moments where he can be lucid and expressive, but very often I am left guessing.”

Atypical creator Robia Rashid can relate. Previously a writer onABC’s The Goldbergs and CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, she was inspired to create the series in part due to her close personal relationship with someone on the spectrum. But as she soon discovered, writing the POV of her main character Sam (Keir Gilchrist) — an 18-year-old on the spectrum who begins to branch out with the help of his therapist (Amy Okuda) — wasn’t easy.

“When I realized that this was the thing that I wanted to write, I was mad at myself, because it seems really hard to write his POV especially,” Rashid said of the series, which also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh as Sam’s caring but neurotic mother Elsa and Michael Rapaport as his father Doug.

To get that POV right, Rashid threw herself into research mode: listening to podcasts, reading books and blogs written by individuals on the spectrum, and collecting stories from those touched by the disorder. In addition to hiring a consultant for the series who “read every script, read every outline and watch[ed] every cut,” she leaned on input from those on the cast and crew who also had personal experience with autism.

“We had crew members who would stop and say, ‘this doesn’t feel authentic,’” said Rashid, who noted that one crew member who has a son on the spectrum quit her regular job to come work on the show. “And I made sure it was a set where people felt comfortable telling me that.”

For the show’s star Gilchrist (Showtime’s The United States of Tara), the task of getting into character was helped immensely by the 2012 book The Journal of Best Practices, in which author David Finch writes about being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome five years into his marriage.

“[Reading it was] probably the most helpful thing, just because it really puts you in the mindset of someone who’s on the spectrum,” Gilchrist said of the book, which Rashid bought for every member of the cast and writing staff. Still, nailing Sam’s specific place on the spectrum required a lot of fine-tuning. “It’s such a huge spectrum that it was also about figuring out where Sam exactly fell, or what worked for this particular character instead of necessarily trying to cover all of it.”

The challenge of specificity was also faced by The Good Doctor star Freddie Highmore. His character — a brilliant surgeon named Shaun Murphy who leaves his hometown to work at a prestigious hospital — has both autism and savant syndrome, a condition in which an individual (often autistic) demonstrates highly advanced abilities in a particular area.

To prepare for the role, Highmore dove into books and documentaries on the subject, including Temple Grandin’s 2013 tome The Autistic Brain, which urges a focus on the strengths rather than the weaknesses of autistic individuals. For the actor, that attitude extends to what they’re trying to do with the series.

“It’s not about denying the very real struggles that [Shaun] will face in this hospital environment by dint of having autism,” said Highmore, who additionally relied on an on-set consultant to help inform his portrayal. “But at the same time, there is an attempt to celebrate his unique view of the world.”

“When I pitched this to ABC, I believe the second sentence I said [was], ‘This is not Rain Man,” said The Good Doctor creator David Shore, referring to that film’s focus on a more debilitating form of the disorder. “I think it’s important that autism is part of it, and I think we can enlighten people and do something quite positive. But it’s a show about a man who has autism. And he is very specific.”

Good intentions aside, advocates will no doubt be paying close attention to the new series, both of which feature a neurotypical actor (i.e. one not on the spectrum) in their respective lead roles. That kind of casting in the past has been a point of contention for some in the community, and it’s one that ties into a greater overall push for actors with disabilities. That said, Autism Speaks multimedia producer Andrew Duff sees the issue in relatively more diplomatic terms.

“There’s room for both neurodiverse [actors on the spectrum] and neurotypical actors to approach these roles,” said Duff, a part-time actor who was diagnosed with autism as a pre-schooler. “But at the end of the day, I would love to see more opportunities for people on the spectrum.”

In the case of Atypical, Rashid actually auditioned a number of actors with autism for the role of Sam before Gilchrist was cast. “The decision to go with Keir over someone on the spectrum was not one we took lightly,” said the creator, who later did cast an actor with autism — Anthony Jacques — as a character named Christopher. “But Keir ultimately felt like the right choice and the right fit because he did such a wonderful job.”

In discussing this issue, both Gilchrist and Highmore stressed their desire to do justice to the characters they’re portraying without resorting to tropes. For Highmore, that meant playing against, as he put it, “that stereotypical version of someone with autism who somehow can’t feel. Whereas of course that’s the complete opposite.”

Accordingly, Gilchrist noted that playing Sam opened him up emotionally in a way he hadn’t in a long time. “I’d been single for quite awhile when I did the series,” he said, “and it actually opened me up to the idea of dating again for the first time in quite some time.” (He’s now in a committed relationship.)

In The Good Doctor, the task of accessing Shaun’s emotional core is visually accomplished via flashbacks to the character’s traumatic childhood. “Freddie Highmore did such a great job of communicating that there’s a lot more going on there,” said Shore. “But the flashbacks allow us to get a glimpse into his mind.”

While Sam and Shaun represent very different places on the autism spectrum, both characters are able to verbally communicate, putting them in line with the majority of portrayals. While Autism Speaks chief program and marketing officer Lisa Goring applauds the increasing number of autistic characters in the spotlight, in the future she hopes to see more depictions of an underrepresented segment of the community. (It’s worth noting that Atypical does feature multiple characters representing different points on the spectrum.)

“For a portion of our community, they may not be able to communicate verbally,” said Goring. “It doesn’t mean that they don’t have a lot to say, it’s just they have another way to communicate. … That’s a very real experience for a portion of our community that maybe we don’t see as much on television.”

For both show creators, the counsel of organizations like Autism Speaks is important, though Shore in particular is wary of becoming too beholden to their input. “I’ll be honest, we don’t want to be answerable to them,” he said when asked if there were plans to screen The Good Doctor for nonprofits. (An ABC representative later confirmed that the series will indeed be screened for nonprofits). “But we want to be fair, and we want to be honest, and I want the feedback from the people who really know and understand this condition and have looked at this condition in a much deeper way than I have.”

At the end of the day, the numbers bear out one very encouraging fact: multi-faceted portrayals of TV characters with autism are on the rise. That’s good news for viewers who live with the disorder and have rarely seen themselves or their families represented onscreen. Said Rashid: “To meet with people who were basically saying, ‘This story hasn’t been told, and it’s about me,’ was really cool.”

[aion-rsa]

Clevinger Presents a Real Science Adventure with The Flying She-Devils

For ten years, Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener’s “Atomic Robo” has blazed the trail for high-adventure, good-time, sci-fi comics. Appearing both online and in print from IDW Publishing, Robo’s met dozens of outrageous and memorable characters, each of whom have potentially dozens of stories of their own to reveal. This April, Clevinger, Wegener, and IDW team up with Lo Baker of Aquapunk to bring another of Robo’s allies to the printed page in the high-flying, dogfighting, madcap “Real Science Adventures: The Flying She-Devils.”

First introduced in “Atomic Robo and the Flying She-Devils of the Pacific,” the She-Devils are a cadre of women pilots operating during the aftermath of World War II. Their debut spotlight finds them pursued by fanatical skyraider Mad Jack after they conspire to liberate a Sunderland patrol bomber from his possession. Baker’s vertiginous aerial escapades match Clevinger’s rapid fire dialogue to take readers on a six-issue thrill ride above the Pacific Ocean.

CBR: Brian, how soon after they first appeared in “Atomic Robo” did you start wanting to tell more stories about the Flying She-Devils?

Brian Clevinger: Immediately! Both because Rocket Powered Lady Air Pirates as a concept begs for more and more stories, and because we put them in a specific time and place filled with adventure hooks by recasting the Pacific Ocean as a kind of all-new wild west.

For people who missed their debut, can you give a short-version of the Flying She-Devils’ mission?

These women served the Allies in World War Two as pilots, engineers, mechanics, nurses, etc. and when the war was over, they decided to stay in the Pacific to make new lives for themselves. But it’s a new life surrounded by other pirates, mercenaries, and warlords.

“Real Science Adventures” wears a lot of classic adventure strip influence on its sleeve. Were there any particular inspirations you were channelling?

While there are tons of aeronautical pulp adventure comics, I always thought of the She-Devils as a Western that just happens to occur in a different time and place. Which is to say, the fact that they fly takes a backseat to the sheer lawlessness that surrounds our heroes and how/why they push against it. Oddly enough, this means “She-Devils” tracks closer to a wuxia story than flying ace comics.

The other major influence appears to be the chase. The opening arc is basically one very long chase sequence with lots of aerial action. Was that a specific choice, or was there a notable inspiration?

The She-Devils are very much an air and sea version of “Mad Max.” Does that make them Mad Maxine? But just like those movies you’ve got someone committed to justice in the face of chaos or corruption and overwhelming odds. The She-Devils and Max have two choices. Respond to the lawlessness, or give up and let the environment kill you. It lets you explore how and when and why these heroes choose to act when nothing matters but surviving for the next three seconds.

How long have the She-Devils’ adventures been appearing online? Do you plan to continue their adventures for the foreseeable future?

Oh, wow. I hadn’t thought of that! We put the first page online almost exactly one year ago!

There’s no explicit plan for more She-Devils stories, but that’s what I used to say before we made this one! Part of the advantage of how they’re situated in the overall Robo mythos is that it only takes a spark of an idea and suddenly you’ve got another six issues of adventures for them. So, yeah, nothing specific in mind, but She-Devils have already proven they can’t be kept them grounded for long.

Most of the stories have already appeared online before moving to print with IDW. Do you find much crossover between the webcomics audience and the print audience? In talking to other creators, there seems to be a divide and was wondering if you’ve noticed that or had any thoughts on it.

So, we dumped all our comics archives online back in 2015. Our new content goes online too, and I’d say about 95% of that is in advance of the print editions. Our data suggests there is no net crossover.

Obviously, there are those people who choose to throw money at “Atomic Robo” every way they can. The Patreon, the Kickstarters, the print issues, the collections, the comiXology versions. Lord knows we could use more of ‘em! And there are some folks who read it online for free without ever spending a nickel. That’s fine too! Hell, that’s why it’s online in the first place. You can read our stuff without any barriers and then decide for yourself if, when, and how to throw some money at us.

But almost everyone who supports us in some way chooses one of those options and sticks to it exclusively. Common wisdom suggests these different revenue streams ought to cannibalize one another, or at the very least detract from print sales, but in practice each one serves a different kind of customer who has no interest in the other options. Together they add up to two guys doing independent comics as their full time jobs. Which is pretty crazy. The fact that we’re starting our twelfth series (fifteenth if you count “RSA”) is simply unheard of.

Will there be material in the print versions that hasn’t appeared online?

There’s material that hasn’t appeared yet…but is going online with one page added every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as of March 6th. It’s an all-new story about the Sparrow infiltrating a secret Nazi “wonder weapon” facility. Spoiler: things will explode.

Anything to tease for “Real Science Adventures” after the She-Devils and Sparrow stories?

I just wrapped up the scripts for our next RSA series. It’s tentatively titled “The History of Everything” but that might change before it comes out. Either way, it takes place way back in the eleventh century right on the cusp of the First Crusade starting up. Our heroes are attempting to break into the most secure facility in the known world, The Imperial Library of Constantinople.

The research and writing for this thing was a real hoot and we can’t wait to share it with you. Should be available later this year!

In addition to “Real Science Adventures” and “Atomic Robo,” do you have anything else in the works?

I’ve got a few things in mind but nothing concrete just yet. The great thing about “Atomic Robo” and our ability to expand upon its setting with “Real Science Adventures” is that we’re able to build one giant world of filled with adventures of just about any genre. We’ve got heists, Weird War 2 stuff, Tesla, Wild West, Cold War spy action, deep dark conspiracies, a talking dinosaur, rockmen of Hollow Earth, kaiju, and on and on.

And that sounds like a wacky pastiche of random sci-fi tropes, but we welded it all together into a coherent whole with a robot at the center of it.

The post Clevinger Presents a Real Science Adventure with The Flying She-Devils appeared first on CBR.

http://ift.tt/2pflo9l

[empireaust]

2017 Oscar Winners Predicted

Emma Thrower   If Leo was last year’s big Oscar news, this year’s is La La Land tying with Titanic and All About Eve for the most nominations of all time – 14, if you’re asking. So, before you decide to base your final Oscar predictions on the Golden Globe winners (Best Supporting Actor winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson wasn’t even nominated by the Academy), well, don’t. For, if you take a closer look at the science behind the Academy Awards, you’ll know that matching the Golden Globes to the Oscars is about as simple as Leo’s hunt for that second golden statue.

Here’s how we see it playing out in 2017:

1. Manchester By The Sea won’t win Best Picture

Kenneth Lonergan’s family weepy may have Casey Affleck leading the Best Actor race (with Denzel Washington nipping at his heels), but the film itself won’t fare as well in the Oscars’ biggest category. Why? Because you need an editing nomination to win the grand prize. (This also dashes the Best Picture chances of Hidden Figures, Lion and Fences.)

However this isn’t completely set in stone. In fact as recently as 2015 Birdman broke with convention by winning Best Picture without an editing nomination. Before that? You’d have to head back to 1981’s Ordinary People to find the last Best Picture winner to achieve such a feat.

Something Manchester By The Sea absolutely should be applauded for, however, is being the first film backed by a streaming company to crack the Best Picture race. Kudos, Amazon Studios.

2. Mel Gibson may have slipped in, but Hacksaw Ridge won’t win the top prize either

Of this year’s nine Best Picture nominees, eight have a screenplay nomination – except Hacksaw Ridge. Only one film in five decades has won Best Picture without a writing nod. The film in question? A tiny indie called Titanic.

3. You’re not meant to win Best Picture without a Best Ensemble nomination from the Screen Actors Guild

History suggests you can’t win Best Picture without a Best Ensemble nomination from the Screen Actors Guild. So has La La Land pirouetted itself into trouble by not receiving said SAG nomination?

If Chazelle’s film takes the big prize come next month – which at this point seems 99.9% likely – it will be the first film to do so since 1996, when Mel Gibson’s Braveheart unconventionally marched its way to Best Picture glory without a SAG Best Ensemble nod of its own.

But La La Land fans needn’t worry. The film is a definite two-hander as opposed to an ensemble effort (hence the nomination omission), and, with Hidden Figures surprisingly beating Moonlight to SAG’s top prize, La La Land’s Best Picture hopes are now even brighter.

(SAG deemed Captain Fantastic, Fences, Hidden Figures, Manchester By The Sea and Moonlight fit for their Best Ensemble category – all of which are nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, except Captain Fantastic.)

4. Acting nominations boost your Best Picture chances

Question: what was the last film to win Best Picture without a single acting nomination? Answer: Slumdog Millionaire. Alright, so the 2009 Oscars weren’t all that long ago, but it’s incredibly rare to take the grand prize without at least one actor in contention.

It’s worth remembering that actors make up the majority of the Academy’s members – that’s a powerful bunch you want on side. So, while Arrival may be up for Best Picture, it would help if it had an acting nomination, too. Here’s looking at you, La La Land (Emma Stone; Ryan Gosling), Manchester By The Sea (Casey Affleck; Lucas Hedges; Michelle Williams) and Moonlight (Mahershala Ali; Naomie Harris).

Hacksaw Ridge, Hidden Figures, Lion, Fences and Hell Or High Water also boast acting nominations, but, for the reasons explained above and here we’re placing them well outside the Best Picture frame.

5. Meryl Streep won’t win this year...

This is Streep’s twentieth Oscar nomination. (Twentieth!) But her mantelpiece isn’t in any danger of gaining a fourth Oscar this year. The pair battling it out for Best Actress in 2017? Emma Stone (La La Land) and Natalie Portman (Jackie).

6. But we will see our first non-white acting double win in 12 years

Mahershala Ali. Viola Davis. Place your bets now.

7. Critics’ groups tend to show us where the acting love lies

La La Land Remember when we said the Critics’ Choice Awards had a pretty great track record for forecasting the bigger Oscar categories (and that their Best Picture prediction rate was better than that of SAG, BAFTA and the Golden Globes)? Last year they ‘wrongly’ handed Mad Max Best Picture (Spotlight went on to win the Oscar), but their shiny acting prizes went to Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson, Sylvester Stallone and Alicia Vikander – a motion the Academy replicated, apart from Stallone (Mark Rylance won). This time around, they’ve opted for La La Land, Casey Affleck, Natalie Portman, Mahershala Ali and Viola Davis. Will Portman beat Emma Stone to Best Actress on the night? Will Denzel take Best Actor? We’ll have to wait and see.

8. It doesn’t look like Lin-Manuel Miranda will be getting his EGOT just yet

Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony. Only 12 people (including Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols, Audrey Hepburn and Whoopi Goldberg) have won all four. With the ‘EGT’ part already under his belt – and a Pulitzer to boot – it looks like Hamilton creator, Moana songmeister, and all-round musical wizard Miranda will have to hold on for at least another year before he can secure that elusive ‘O’.

9. The guilds hold the answer

Apollo 13 It’s hard to predict which way Best Picture will swing before two specific guilds – and SAG – have their say. Receiving critical buzz and regional awards in the earlier parts of Oscar season is all well and good, but while they may be a handy indicator, critics’ awards (besides the Critics’ Choice, as mentioned above) and the Golden Globes mean diddly squat in the grand scheme of things.

It’s all about the choices of the DGA (Directors Guild of America – Best Director), PGA (Producers Guild of America – Best Producer) and SAG (Screen Actors Guild – Best Ensemble). Win all three and you’re positively golden. But if the trio find themselves split? Well, things might just get a little complicated: see the 1996 Oscars where the SAG, PGA and DGA-winning Apollo 13 lost Best Picture to Braveheart (the last film to win the holy trifecta and not go on to take the Academy’s top prize, fact fans).

This is also how 2015’s big Boyhood v. Birdman face-off was easy to settle. Birdman took the SAG, DGA and PGA’s top honours. It was never going to lose.

As mentioned earlier, La La Land’s lack of a SAG Best Ensemble nom makes things that little bit more interesting, but it took the PGA’s big award this year. The DGAs aren’t held until 4 February – but we’re thinking it’s safe to assume a La La Land victory there, too.

10. But we’re putting our money on La La Land

La La Land Taking the above and our more comprehensive Oscar science into account, La La Land should come out on top this year. We still need to wait and see which film the DGA award before 100% deciding on who will take that most coveted of Oscars, but it’s been a pretty clearcut race so far with La La Land still a big step ahead of Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight.

Last year was harder. The DGA awarded The Revenant. SAG opted for Spotlight. The PGA then decided to mess it all up by giving their top prize to The Big Short which confused things, as, prior to last year the PGA and eventual Best Picture winners had matched since 2008. However Spotlight came out victorious, as we rightly predicted.

11. Here’s how we see it panning out on 26 February

PICTURE: La La Land

DIRECTOR: Damien Chazelle, La La Land

ACTOR: Casey Affleck, Manchester By The Sea

ACTRESS: Emma Stone, La La Land

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Viola Davis, Fences

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Manchester By The Sea

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Moonlight

DOCUMENTARY: O.J.: Made In America

ANIMATION: Zootropolis

FOREIGN: Toni Erdmann (Elle wasn’t eligible for nomination)

EDITING: La La Land

CINEMATOGRAPHY: La La Land

PRODUCTION DESIGN: La La Land

SCORE: La La Land

VISUAL EFFECTS: The Jungle Book

COSTUME: La La Land (Even if we did tell you never to bet against Colleen Atwood…)

HAIR AND MAKEUP: Star Trek Beyond

SOUND EDITING: Hacksaw Ridge

SOUND MIXING: La La Land

SONG: City Of Stars, La La Land

SHORT: Ennemis Interieurs

ANIMATED SHORT: Piper (Pixar’s short film, which preceded Finding Dory)

DOCUMENTARY SHORT: Extremis

[so-shiny-so-chrome]

Creator Spotlight Nominations

I'm in the process of sending out interview forms to nominated creators through Tumblr messaging. If you have Tumblr messaging turned off or would like to self-nominate, follow this link.

Forms will be published as I receive them. It's a bit long; you can always save your progress by hitting submit and then edit later. Of course, no deadlines, no pressure, this is meant to be fun; only share as much as you feel comfortable sharing.

[so-shiny-so-chrome]

Mad Max Fandom Panel: The Original Trilogy

Welcome to the first in a series of fan-run, Mad Max virtual panels. Our first topic is: the Original Trilogy. Our Moderator is Kalashnikorn @main-force-patrol , and our panelists are Kalashnikorn @main-force-patrol , Vanfu @crunkmouse , Tyellas @thebyrchentwigges , Owlship @v8roadworrier , Jaetion @jaesauce , and Weirdness_Unlimited @burn-your-face-upon-the-chrome .

If you have a question for one or more of the panelists, please send it directly to @main-force-patrol or @so-shiny-so-chrome . Please do not reply directly to this post unless you are on the panel, and then please use a “read more” tag to keep this post from becoming too massive.