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fozmeadows · 3 years

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race & culture in fandom

For the past decade, English language fanwriting culture post the days of LiveJournal and Strikethrough has been hugely shaped by a handful of megafandoms that exploded across AO3 and tumblr – I’m talking Supernatural, Teen Wolf, Dr Who, the MCU, Harry Potter, Star Wars, BBC Sherlock – which have all been overwhelmingly white. I don’t mean in terms of the fans themselves, although whiteness also figures prominently in said fandoms: I mean that the source materials themselves feature very few POC, and the ones who are there tended to be done dirty by the creators.

Periodically, this has led POC in fandom to point out, extremely reasonably, that even where non-white characters do get central roles in various media properties, they’re often overlooked by fandom at large, such that the popular focus stays primarily on the white characters. Sometimes this happened (it was argued) because the POC characters were secondary to begin with and as such attracted less fan devotion (although this has never stopped fandoms from picking a random white gremlin from the background cast and elevating them to the status of Fave); at other times, however, there has been a clear trend of sidelining POC leads in favour of white alternatives (as per Finn, Poe and Rose Tico being edged out in Star Wars shipping by Hux, Kylo and Rey). I mention this, not to demonize individuals whose preferred ships happen to involve white characters, but to point out the collective impact these trends can have on POC in fandom spaces: it’s not bad to ship what you ship, but that doesn’t mean there’s no utility in analysing what’s popular and why through a racial lens.

All this being so, it feels increasingly salient that fanwriting culture as exists right now developed under the influence and in the shadow of these white-dominated fandoms – specifically, the taboo against criticizing or critiquing fics for any reason. Certainly, there’s a hell of a lot of value to Don’t Like, Don’t Read as a general policy, especially when it comes to the darker, kinkier side of ficwriting, and whether the context is professional or recreational, offering someone direct, unsolicited feedback on their writing style is a dick move. But on the flipside, the anti-criticism culture in fanwriting has consistently worked against fans of colour who speak out about racist tropes, fan ignorance and hurtful portrayals of living cultures. Voicing anything negative about works created for free is seen as violating a core rule of ficwriting culture – but as that culture has been foundationally shaped by white fandoms, white characters and, overwhelmingly, white ideas about what’s allowed and what isn’t, we ought to consider that all critical contexts are not created equal.

Right now, the rise of C-drama (and K-drama, and J-drama) fandoms is seeing a surge of white creators – myself included – writing fics for fandoms in which no white people exist, and where the cultural context which informs the canon is different to western norms. Which isn’t to say that no popular fandoms focused on POC have existed before now – K-pop RPF and anime fandoms, for example, have been big for a while. But with the success of The Untamed, more western fans are investing in stories whose plots, references, characterization and settings are so fundamentally rooted in real Chinese history and living Chinese culture that it’s not really possible to write around it. And yet, inevitably, too many in fandom are trying to do just that, treating respect for Chinese culture or an attempt to understand it as optional extras – because surely, fandom shouldn’t feel like work. If you’re writing something for free, on your own time, for your own pleasure, why should anyone else get to demand that you research the subject matter first?

Because it matters, is the short answer. Because race and culture are not made-up things like lightsabers and werewolves that you can alter, mock or misunderstand without the risk of hurting or marginalizing actual real people – and because, quite frankly, we already know that fandom is capable of drawing lines in the sand where it chooses. When Brony culture first reared its head (hah), the online fandom for My Little Pony – which, like the other fandoms we’re discussing here, is overwhelmingly female – was initially welcoming. It felt like progress, that so many straight men could identify with such a feminine show; a potential sign that maybe, we were finally leaving the era of mainstream hypermasculine fandom bullshit behind, at least in this one arena. And then, in pretty much the blink of an eye, things got overwhelmingly bad. Artists drawing hardcorn porn didn’t tag their works as adult, leading to those images flooding the public search results for a children’s show. Women were edged out of their own spaces. Bronies got aggressive, posting harsh, ugly criticism of artists whose gijinka interpretations of the Mane Six as humans were deemed insufficiently fuckable.

The resulting fandom conflict was deeply unpleasant, but in the end, the verdict was laid down loud and clear: if you cannot comport yourself like a decent fucking person – if your base mode of engagement within a fandom is to coopt it from the original audience and declare it newly cool only because you’re into it now; if you do not, at the very least, attempt to understand and respect the original context so as to engage appropriately (in this case, by acknowledging that the media you’re consuming was foundational to many women who were there before you and is still consumed by minors, and tagging your goddamn porn) – then the rest of fandom will treat you like a social biohazard, and rightly so.

Here’s the thing, fellow white people: when it comes to C-drama fandoms and other non-white, non-western properties? We are the Bronies.

Not, I hasten to add, in terms of toxic fuckery – though if we don’t get our collective shit together, I’m not taking that darkest timeline off the table. What I mean is that, by virtue of the whiteminding which, both consciously and unconsciously, has shaped current fan culture, particularly in terms of ficwriting conventions, we’re collectively acting as though we’re the primary audience for narratives that weren’t actually made with us in mind, being hostile dicks to Chinese and Chinese diaspora fans when they take the time to point out what we’re getting wrong. We’re bristling because we’ve conceived of ficwriting as a place wherein No Criticism Occurs without questioning how this culture, while valuable in some respects, also serves to uphold, excuse and perpetuate microaggresions and other forms of racism, lashing out or falling back on passive aggression when POC, quite understandably, talk about how they’re sick and tired of our bullshit.

An analogy: one of the most helpful and important tags on AO3 is the one for homophobia, not just because it allows readers to brace for or opt out of reading content they might find distressing, but because it lets the reader know that the writer knows what homophobia is, and is employing it deliberately. When this concept is tagged, I – like many others – often feel more able to read about it than I do when it crops up in untagged works of commercial fiction, film or TV, because I don’t have to worry that the author thinks what they’re depicting is okay. I can say definitively, “yes, the author knows this is messed up, but has elected to tell a messed up story, a fact that will be obvious to anyone who reads this,” instead of worrying that someone will see a fucked up story blind and think “oh, I guess that’s fine.” The contextual framing matters, is the point – which is why it’s so jarring and unpleasant on those rare occasions when I do stumble on a fic whose author has legitimately mistaken homophobic microaggressions for cute banter. This is why, in a ficwriting culture that otherwise aggressively dislikes criticism, the request to tag for a certain thing – while still sometimes fraught – is generally permitted: it helps everyone to have a good time and to curate their fan experience appropriately.

But when white and/or western fans fail to educate ourselves about race, culture and the history of other countries and proceed to deploy that ignorance in our writing, we’re not tagging for racism as a thing we’ve explored deliberately; we’re just being ignorant at best and hateful at worst, which means fans of colour don’t know to avoid or brace for the content of those works until they get hit in the face with microaggresions and/or outright racism. Instead, the burden is placed on them to navigate a minefield not of their creation: which fans can be trusted to write respectfully? Who, if they make an error, will listen and apologise if the error is explained? Who, if lived experience, personal translations or cultural insights are shared, can be counted on to acknowledge those contributions rather than taking sole credit? Too often, fans of colour are being made to feel like guests in their own house, while white fans act like a tone-policing HOA.

Point being: fandom and ficwriting cultures as they currently exist badly need to confront the implicit acceptance of racism and cultural bias that underlies a lot of community rules about engagement and criticism, and that needs to start with white and western fans. We don’t want to be the new Bronies, guys. We need to do better.

#race #racism #c-drama #fandom #fan wank #fandom wank #microaggresions #culture #the untamed #bronies #whiteness #ficwriting #fanwriting #cultural bias #discourse

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renegadewangs · 3 years

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Van Zieks - the Examination, part 12

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. Additional warning for racist sentiments uttered by fictional characters (and screencaps to show these sentiments).

Disclaimer: (see Part 1 for the more detailed disclaimer.) - These posts are not meant to be taken as fact. Everything I’m outlining stems from my own views and experiences. If you believe that I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, please let me know so I can edit the post accordingly. -The purpose of these posts is an analysis, nothing more. Please do not come into these posts expecting me to either defend Barok van Zieks from haters, nor expecting me to encourage the hatred. - I’m using the Western release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for these posts, but may refer to the original Japanese dialogue of Dai Gyakuten Saiban if needed to compare what’s said. This also means I’m using the localized names and localized romanization of the names to stay consistent. -It doesn’t matter one bit to me whether you like Barok van Zieks or dislike him. However, I will ask that everyone who comments refrains from attacking real, actual people.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

Let's bring this thing home! It's time for the conclusion of the essay series!

Conclusion With a stupidly long essay series behind us, it's time to look at what we've learned! Let's go back to Part 1 and review what we needed from Van Zieks's character development for a fully rounded redemption arc, shall we?

1) Present an antagonistic (possibly immoral) force who personifies Ryunosuke’s biggest personal obstacle/weakness, in this case racial prejudice. 2) Humanizing traits begin to show. OPTIONAL: A backstory to justify any immorality he has. 3) Over time, Barok has his realization and sees the error of his ways. 4) Barok atones for his immorality, not simply through apology but by taking decisive steps. 5) The cast around him acknowledges his efforts and forgives him.

And looking at the main game (plus additional dialogue), we have...

1) Antagonistic force:

Etc. etc. I have many of these. We can all agree that as an antagonistic force, he does his job quite well. CEO of Racism and White Privilege in the flesh. It works, since we as the audience get very frustrated and want to see him defeated.

2) Humanization:

Giving him an old friend to be a defendant was a brilliant move, really. Albert's reflection on the friendship and the person Van Zieks used to be really helped flesh him out and make him appear more like a human being with, y'know, emotions and weaknesses. The little snippets of dialogue in his office really help too. Presenting evidence can also lead to fun tidbits. All in all, considering how gruff and distant Van Zieks is, they really did their very best to humanize him. The writers were given very little to work with but they exploited every opportunity to come their way.

OPTIONAL backstory:

Again, I don't think we needed a tragic backstory to have a well-rounded, redeemable character. Still, it ties in very expertly to the game's plot and the motivations of quite a few other characters. The story of Klint van Zieks and his death isn't necessarily Barok van Zieks's backstory, it's the center of an intricate web which also holds Kazuma, Stronghart, Gregson, Jigoku, (S)Holmes, Mikotoba, Sithe, Drebber- I could go on. A LOT. So because of how very integrated it is into the main narrative's recurring themes and characters, I'll give it props for being relevant and well thought out. The bigger question is: Does it justify his immorality? Not entirely. I think the game could have gotten more out of this if they'd involved the other two exchange students in this tale just a bit more. They could have given more attention to how Jigoku's aggressive behavior in the trial impacted Van Zieks, and explained whether he might've suspected Mikotoba of sabotaging (S)Holmes's investigation. If the narrative had done that, all three Japanese people to come to London would have been ‘the bad guy’ in Van Zieks's eyes and it would have given more credence to his racial generalization. They could have also given more attention to how the people around him reacted to Genshin being the Professor, because I'm sure Stronghart and Gregson stoked the fire in terms of xenophobia. As it stands, there isn't really enough there to justify hatred of an entire race as opposed to just one person.

3) Realization/Redemption

We see him already start to realize the error of his ways around the end of 1-5, which is technically only about halfway into the full narrative. Unfortunately, thanks to 2-2 being played afterwards (but chronologically set before 1-5), any progress made in 1-5 can become invalidated in the player's eyes. Growth works best when it's done linear. Don't get me wrong, flashbacking to earlier times when a character is still more morally tainted can work well, but it needs to be executed properly. Barok's behavior in 2-2 is downright insulting towards the audience itself and therefore, it causes emotional friction when relaying the narrative endgoal of redemption. It also makes it extra jarring when we hit 2-3, and suddenly Van Zieks is meant to be relying on the protagonist's desire to expose the truth. How on earth can we as the audience trust that Van Zieks believes in Ryu's abilities when we just came fresh out of a case where this man actively sabotages Ryu's efforts?

Still, the line of redemption continues from 2-3 into 2-4 well enough. He admits that he was wrong- that his hatred was illogical and that he needs to change. This is the very definition of redemption. I need to stress once more this is not to be confused with atonement, which comes next.

4) Atonement

Here it is. It's not enough to simply acknowledge mistakes; one needs to work hard to fix them. Since Van Zieks is the defendant for two whole episodes, equaling roughly 20% of the full narrative and 67% of the time following his first true realization (chronologically), there isn't much that he can actively do to atone. Because remember, not only do these actions need to fit the situation he's currently in, they need to fit his personality. These two limitations ensure the atonement mostly takes the form of dialogue. Of apologies.

One might want to point out that he never apologizes specifically for his racism, but there's a reason for that. If you pay close attention, you'll notice that there isn't a single character who ever uses a word like “racism”, “xenophobia” or even “racial prejudice” in this game. It's for the same reason you'll never see an Ace Attorney character utter words like “alcoholism”, “drug abuse” or “depression”. These things may be implied very strongly, to the point where you'll know for certain a character is suffering from it, but it's never given these exact labels. It has to do with the tone of the game. In Great Ace Attorney's dialogue, Barok van Zieks is only ever described as holding “a deep hatred for Japanese”, which is then the only thing he could apologize for. And he does, so long as you aren't looking for a literal phrasing of “I apologize for my deep hatred of your people”.

Regardless, he can't take more active, decisive action until he's freed from prison and two scenes with Van Zieks later, the game has ended. He still manages to take two actions, though! The first is to publicize the truth of the Professor, taking the blame of the mass murders off Genshin's shoulders (and losing his own privilege in the process). The second is to take Kazuma under his wing as his disciple. I'm not certain there's anything else the narrative could have had him do. What is decisively missing, however, is the following:

5) Acknowledgment

The above aren't good examples of cast acknowledgment that Van Zieks is taking part in a redemption arc, rather, they're the best I could find. Characters are acknowledging that he's changing- that he's being kinder to them and they can get along with him now, but they're not acknowledging that he caused hurt in the first place. This, in my opinion, is the Great Ace Attorney's biggest narrative flaw. I've talked before about how Ryu's reaction to Van Zieks's racism is 'indirect communication', a typically Japanese manner of dealing with negativity. I've also talked about how Ryu is not in a position to speak up, as he's a literal minority who is there to represent his country in an official capacity and can’t afford to make enemies. However, characters like Susato and Kazuma are far more outspoken in their opinions, as is Soseki. The only one who ever calls Van Zieks out on his racism is the British judge, and even that is done very meekly. When an old crusty white guy is the one who condemns white privilege in a cast full of minorities, you've got a problem. The Japanese cast's refusal to acknowledge that Van Zieks's words were harmful is like Team Avatar telling Zuko that sure, he can join since he's a good guy now, but never once acknowledging that he burned down villages or betrayed everyone's trust in Ba Sing Se. There's something very vital missing, see? If indeed the cast had called Van Zieks out more actively on his harmful ways and how necessary it was for him to change, he in turn could have taken more atonement steps in response.

So, for the conclusion: Does Barok van Zieks tick all the necessary boxes for a complete redemption arc? Yes. In a very technical sense, all the requirements are there. But does that mean it's a successful arc? Not necessarily. The game has a few slip-ups, a few things not executed as well as they could have been. For that reason, whether the audience is satisfied with the arc is entirely up to them. Taking into consideration that they had to cram a whole lot of story into just two games- the second game in particular, I can acknowledge they did their very best with the limitations that were there.

And there we have it! That’s all I could think to say on the matter. I hope everyone who read this till the very end enjoyed it, maybe even learned a thing or two. I’m always open to questions, input and constructive criticism!

#dgs #dgs spoilers #tgaa #tgaa spoilers #barok van zieks #I'M FREE!#well until I tackle the DLC content #but until then...#FREEEE

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steve0discusses · 3 years

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Yugioh S5 Ep 18: A Series of Ecological Disasters

Booting up ye old Yugioh, booting up a new aesthetic playlist to type to. (today’s playlist is webcore, which would feel like such a damn fake aesthetic, if it weren’t that every single one of these -core aesthetics are pretty damn fake and everyone knows it.)

Anyway, it’s been so long that, I’ll be honest, I thought I booted up the wrong episode:

I usually skip the anime intro, but I try to watch it once each arc, cuz the intros change, and this arc was like “screw it, here’s all the other villains, just pretend this arc isn’t happening.” They had Pegasus, they had Marik, they have Bakura (who is kind of in this shot as well, you can see him phasing in there.) And like...I guess they’re hiding the villain of this arc or something because that was it. Alexander the Great got just nixed from this villain list and that’s a shame.

Just a real weird choice, but since apparently this arc didn’t air in Japan they probably had to outsource this anime intro and whatever studio in charge of it just cobbled together stuff from every other season and then a couple of shots of capsule stuff.

Speaking of capsule stuff: get a load of how many freakin lines the animators have to deal with every time they draw Grandpa.

Bro saw this and was like “oh yeah, this is a Shonen Jump” and yeah. The hair does give those vibes. We got a good look at what Vegeta would look like if he really let himself go.

(read more under the cut)

Sorry, my playlist started playing a song where every single line of the song is “Adrien Brody” and it took me like a few minutes to realize I was listening to “Brodyquest” completely seriously.

Damn it, webcore, don’t betray me like this.

Anyway, this arc does something super surprising: Yugi actually hugs somebody and doesn’t look like he’s going to pass out standing up.

It is pretty fitting that the good Yugi hug would go to Grandpa.

And, as night falls, Joey Wheeler has gotten hungry, and there is nothing to eat but his new best friend and spirit animal, baby dragon. Unfortunately he shares life points with the dragon, and I think if you eat it that just instakills you.

And directly underneath him--since this world is like 100 feet wide and things just conveniently happen--Tea has told everyone that they needed to stop worrying about Joey. Which is a lot coming from Tea, because her worrying about Yugi/Yami getting hurt is most of what occupies her headspace in this series.

But even Tea was like, screw Joey, I guess.

Who kinda just falls directly into them upside down, and shows us what Joey’s hair looks like when it’s sticking straight up.

For reals, admire how long Joey Wheeler’s hair is. If Tea were upside down, she would have the same length of hair.

Also speaking of Vegeta, I am low key concerned that Joey has what appears to be a significant amount of male pattern balding going on for a teenager.

Apparently getting set on fire many, many times did have an effect on Joey, and this massive pompadour he wears is a combover. Poor baby.

Holy crap, if this is what card stress and getting killed multiple times did to Joey Wheeler, can you imagine what’s going on under Seto’s bangs? That’s probably why his bangs ride so low, Seto likely wears a freakin toupee.

Guys, Joey’s gonna lose his hair at 25 at this rate. Those locks just aren’t long for this world. Poor baby.

After Joey rejoins the party, he immediately eats all of their food. Not sure why they can’t just have Baby Dragon eat like...whatever Baby Dragon naturally eats...and then transform that into shared Joey Wheeler life points, but it’s not clear exactly how much of a life-connection they have with their Yugioh monsters. Not like it matters because Joey Wheeler is default starving all the time anyway.

Tristan has decided we should start laying blame, I guess because Duke Devlin isn’t here anymore to be the local kill joy. This doesn’t seem to be important at any point, and most of the characters are just ignoring Tristan because like...once you’re in the haunted game in a haunted tomb in a random part of India--it’s kind of moot to argue about who’s fault that is, youknow?

Joey reminds us that he found this quest item in a treasure chest under a secret waterfall. No one says “that was convenient that you landed there after getting chased through a ravine by man-eating birds after you got your dragon from when you got your crotch injury from getting spliced by that tree.”

Which is when Tea says “Wait! We haven’t had a plot thing happen in like 4 seconds! Wait!”

Hey what degree of “I don’t trust nature” do you have to be to assume that all the flowers are trying to eat you?

Like what level of anxiety is Tea where she not only is like “pretty sure the flowers are going to destroy us?” but also...she’s correct? Like she’s not wrong.

They set the dog flowers on fire, but unlike the Jungle Book this doesn’t solve any problems (which apparently got taken off the Disney+ kid’s menu so...yet again, I make a Disney reference in these recaps that future generations will not understand because so much of the Disney library has been banned from the vault. It’s almost like Disney should let go of that copyright they held on for like a hundred years, because what they’re holding on to is only going to get more racist with time. But nah. Gotta hold on with their greedy mickey mouse gloves.)

So instead of using fire, Tristan used his monster to electrocute the air (?) and blind the dogs. Wisely, the animators quickly jumped to this other scene so we wouldn’t have to analyze why it’s suddenly daytime or why that plan would even work.

Joey and Tristan do a lot of buddy buddy stuff this arc. Usually we see a lot of Joey and Yugi’s bottomless friendship, but we don’t get this much Tristan/Joey love. So shippers rejoice, these two seem to have several coordinated dances and songs...and I’d say that teens don’t typically do that, but I went to summer camp, there are situational places where teens will sing the entire vacation and make coordinated dances.

Weirdly, since Joey and Tristan share so much time together, this also means Tea and Yugi actually sit next to eachother for a lot of this arc, almost as if they were a couple. Mind you, they’re chaperoned closely by Grandpa, but youknow...that’s a different energy than I’m used to seeing.

That and like, they can’t have Tea dance with them because last time she did a dance, it was like a DDR fight and she elbowed some guy like it was a fisticuffs situation. Like there was some sort of dance war going on behind the scenes of Yugioh’s card war, and it came up once and I guess Tea resolved it and the dance fights haven’t come back since.

Overall, if they did a dance with Tea, they would get kneed in the face, so that’s probably why they insist on doing cancans as a duet and not a trio.

After Joey and Tristan freak out over having no food, Tea decides to just start eating in front of them.

and like...didn’t Joey eat that food yesterday? Like last night? The short term memory loss on all these fools.

Immediately after this we realize something weird in the water. That’s right, it’s a massive head.

Yugi seems to have forgotten they lit this turtle on fire and electrocuted the entire sky the night before. Not that it mattered.

There were like...nesting birds on those trees on that island. What the hell? They just killed so MANY of those man-eating dogs that are flowers.

Seriously are land turtles allowed to just...dive underwater for long periods of time? How does that ecosystem even work? It’s like...That’s wild to think about.

Inside the temple, they have to fight a genie or something.

In case you were wondering, the only reason Tea and Grandpa got iced is because they were the closest to the door. The two who were actually standing out of harms way were the closest to harm the whole time.

Bro tells me this is also what will happen to you if you are in the front or the back of the party while playing Cthulu D&D

Anyway, Pharaoh decides to disclose that his big problem of feeling guilty all the time and taking all the blame, which he did all of last season...is still a huge problem he will probably never tackle.

Straight up, don’t be fooled by my caps, everyone else has completely forgotten about Alex, who is still running around that temple up there. They haven’t even asked Grandpa “hey is this your protege? Is this your mentee you never told us about?” Nah. They already forgot.

How wild is it that Pharaoh thinks this is all his fault when he was the only one who was like “YUGI IT’S A TRAP DON’T GO IN THE- well...OK I guess we’re doing this, fine.” Is he upset he didn’t take control from Yugi and walk back to the plane? Because that’s the only way he could even be partially responsible, He was the only guy who was like “I see the end from the beginning on this y’all, and it’s the massive pyramid in India.”

Speaking of forgetting, they came across this language Pharaoh has decided to have nothing to do with.

This was actually a riddle and it was like...it was a riddle, sure, I guess.

And so Joey Wheeler does not hallucinate his dead wife from a previous incarnation and get on the back of his Baby Dragon to sail away into the sunset. Instead they’re just gonna walk.

Too bad Tea’s orb covered in wings only seems to hover a bit. Every single wing on that weird orb is absolutely useless.

And then Pharaoh’s pokemon is just a fire--which is hard to sit on--and Celtic Guardian...who would allow it, sure, but probably doesn’t fly (I think. He might fly)

And then Tristan’s Pokemon kinda seems like if you sit on it, you will get electrocuted. It can probably fly though. It’s very round. Seems like an anime thing that the more round your mascot character is, the more likely it can at least bounce a good distance.

So, next time, I’m just going to assume that we are going to do even more camping. And youknow, if you told me exactly HOW MUCH CAMPING was in this card game show with super future tech, I would not have believed you. But like...a lot of this series is set in the woods right? Like a lot a lot? I have grown to appreciate the woods.

Anyway, as always, if you just got here, this is a link to read these in chrono order:

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

See you next time!

#yugioh #yu-gi-oh #recap #photo recap #S5 #Yugi muto #yami muto #grandpa muto #tea gardner #joey wheeler #tristan taylor #baby dragon #Ep18

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jewishjon · 4 years

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Ohk I really want to read about kaz cooking. Do you think he can do it??

Set before Six of Crows

Kaz strolled away from the gambling hall, the door wide open behind him. He clutched his crow-head cane, without looking back. He could hear screaming and running feet from within the gilded establishment. People were already discovering the remnants of the job.

It didn’t faze Kaz - he’d be long gone by the time the Stadtwatch arrived to survey the damage. It wouldn’t be long before the staff of the gambling hall noticed that one of their most wealthy customers had dropped dead on the floor of his private room, fatal poison clouding his system.

It would take even less time for the authorities to find out that the only person who’d entered Henry Lowell’s exclusive lounge in the last hour was an unusual man with a distinct limp and black hair the colour of the darkest night.

Kaz was usually far more inconspicuous with his jobs, but there was little damning evidence pinning the guilt on him regarding this murder, beyond untrustworthy eyewitness accounts. Henry Lowell had made many enemies in his life, as one of the most notoriously fickle members of the Merchant Council. It wasn’t hard to imagine half of Ketterdam having fantasised about ending the egotistical man’s life.

Besides, he had met his demise via poison. Kaz Brekker was known for his more violent methods of murder. Chances were, no one would notice the empty plate covered in chocolate cake crumbs that Kaz had intentionally asked his man who worked in the hall kitchens to take and wash as soon as Lowell had had his fill. The man had toed the line between confidence and pure arrogance for years. It wasn’t Kaz’s fault that he had made the fatal decision of messing with the Dregs.

As Kaz entered the Slat, planning to head up to his office and decide how to deal with a rival gang that was rapidly gaining power in his territory, he found himself ambushed by a small yet incredibly ferocious figure.

Inej Ghafa stopped him in his tracks, standing in front of him and looking at him stubbornly.

Kaz narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing, Inej?”

Inej shrugged noncommittally, and smirked. “I don’t know. What were you doing earlier today?”

Kaz scowled and tried to push past her, but she held her ground.

“Why does it matter?” he snapped. “Get out of the way. I have work to get done before the job tonight.”

Inej turned away, beckoning Kaz to follow, and he followed her, annoyed at the distraction from his work, to the area that had been assigned as the Slat ‘kitchen’.

Kitchen was a rather strong word to describe this area. It was less of a kitchen, and more of a mess of used cutlery, and dust-covered pans that Kaz was fairly sure Jesper had stolen from a racist mercher to spite him. There were an abundance of sharp knives that had a vaguely red hint to their edges, and Kaz suspected it wasn’t rust.

Dirty plates piled in one corner, no one having bothered to clean them up in the entire time since Kaz joined the Dregs. The area was mostly used for members of the Dregs to grab the least disgusting plate they could find to eat whatever leftovers they’d managed to salvage from the street that day.

An idea of what Inej was hinting at began to take shape in Kaz’s mind. He sculpted his expression into one of irritation and made for the door.

“What do you want here?” asked Kaz. “This is the kitchen.”

Inej rolled her eyes. “I can see that.” She moved towards the corner and picked up a plate. “What I wanted to ask you about was this.”

On the plate was a quarter of a chocolate cake. The very same cake Kaz had used to kill Lowell.

“Jesper said you…” Inej seemed to be struggling to get the words out for fear of laughing. “Cooked this.”

Kaz raised an eyebrow. “As a piece in an elaborate and bloody murder plot, yes.”

“You can cook.”

“If it’s for the sake of business.”

“I repeat, you, Kaz Brekker, can cook a damn good chocolate cake.”

“If you won’t let this go, I’m leaving.” Kaz glanced at the door and noticed for the first time it was locked, and Inej was carrying a key triumphantly. He was certain it had been in his pocket a second before. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Inej pulled out a chair and sat down. “Beat you at your own game.”

Kaz laughed. “Never. I let you take that key.”

In truth, he’d been distracted, which was strange in itself. Kaz Brekker never let his attention stray. Yet, something happened when he was with Inej that made his focus slip momentarily. It was a weakness, and he’d spent years ensuring he had no weaknesses. It had to stop soon.

Inej took a knife from her belt and cut the cake into slices. She handed one to Kaz and he accepted it reluctantly, slipping down into the chair beside her.

“I sniffed it, and it didn’t have the scent of any poison I know. I’m assuming you didn’t hide any and mask the smell?”

Kaz scoffed. “You nearly ate that cake not knowing if it was poisonous or not?”

“That’s why you’re here.”

Kaz sighed. “You’re right. I added the poison for Lowell later. I couldn’t have some member of the Dregs salvaging it from the trash and eating it. Though, honestly, if they were stupid enough to do that they would probably have it coming.”

Inej took a bite of her cake and Kaz picked at his in silence.

“It’s not like I’m Ketterdam’s next best housewife or something.” snapped Kaz suddenly. “I learned this recipe from my mother, for Ghenzen’s sake.”

Inej looked up abruptly. She drew in a quick breath. “Oh. That’s… that’s the first thing you’ve said about your family.”

Kaz bristled, realising his mistake. “Don’t get used to it.”

Inej looked at the table, not meeting Kaz’s eye. “I only brought you here because it surprised me. That you could cook well. It wasn’t a side of you I’ve ever seen.”

“I don’t have another ‘side.’ I’m a gang leader and a murderer.” retorted Kaz, but it lacked venom.

Inej took another bite of her cake and let out a loose smile. “Maybe so, but this is a delicious cake.”

“Next time you see me stab a man in the guts, I’m sure all you’ll think about is my cake.”

Inej leaned forward and stole a piece of Kaz’s cake. She grinned. “If you make more of this, I might consider it.”

Kaz scowled. “If you tell anyone about this, your next slice of cake will be the poisoned one.”

Inej only smiled. “So there’s a next time?”

This fic was written for Grishatober Day Two: Soc characters! @grishatober

Tagging some of my Grishaverse mutuals bc I don’t have a taglist for some reason: @tsaritsas @sobachka @rangiskyoshis @vosjiks @kabhi-khushi-kabhi-gham @thomaslightwood @tricewithaz @spookykuwei @theprinceoftheair @nothewraith

#soc #ck #six of crows #crooked kingdom #grishaverse #the grishaverse #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #kanej #jesper fahey #grishatober2020 #Grishatober day 02

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fandompitfalls · 3 years

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Prodigal Son and why Living Shouldn't Be Controversial

Originally posted 1/27/2021

After my last post I wasn’t sure what I would write about. Several of my upcoming posts are research intensive and potentially controversial so as far as I’ve gotten on them was to put them in my book for blog post ideas and that’s about it.

And then Season Two of Prodigal Son aired. So what am I doing? A research (not so intensive) and potentially controversial post. At least I’m on brand.

For those who don’t really know the show: In its second season Prodigal Son is the story of ex-FBI profiler Malcolm Bright who was fired for his risk-taking habits and came back to the NYPD at the request of Captain Gil Arroyo. Malcolm Bright is also Malcolm Whitly, the son of the influential and extremely wealthy Whitley family. The Patriarch of the Whitly family, Dr. Martin Whitly, a convicted serial killer known as “the Surgeon”, is currently in a secure psychiatric facility. His son Malcolm put him there. Malcolm now works for the NYPD under Gil’s team that includes Detectives JT Tarmel, and Detective Dani Powell and Medical Examiner Edrisa Tanaka. While not solving crimes, Malcom must deal with his tenacious television reporter sister Ainsley Whitly and their wealthy, hovering mother Jessica Whitly. As well as his father who is trying to make his way back into his family’s life via Malcolm by assisting via telephone with certain cases.

Except for the Whitly’s (who while wealthy are probably not very good role models), the entire main cast is made up of people of color: Filipino, Black, Asian. While the first season was introductions to everyone and dealing with Malcolm’s lost memories regarding his father, the father/ son dynamic, cultivating a loyal fanbase and potentially starting some ships both purposefully and accidentally (I’m looking at you Brightwell and Maldrisa shippers), this second season started off with a bang. Something that might have been relegated to a side plot, I feel, had become larger than this season’s overarching plot and will end up and absolutely deserved to be in equal standing.

In the first season, we are introduced to JT, the by the book detective who doesn’t like Bright in the beginning but by the end of the first season, they’re…okay. We also meet JT frankly adorable wife Tally and discover that he’s going to be a dad.

In season two, months have passed, and JT is acting Captain while Gil is out on medical leave. He brings Bright in on a case involving a justice killer. At the end while back up is being sent to Bright’s apartment for the final conflict, Dani rushes up while backup is on its way and JT is right behind her. He arrives moments before the back up and when they arrive, he directs them up to the apartment. What happens instead is something we’ve all seen on the news this past summer. The first cop that arrives tackles JT and presses him against the wall, baton at his throat telling him to stop resisting. The terror in JT’s eyes is startling as he realized that these officers, the one holding him and the other five who have their guns trained on him are not going to let him explain that he’s a cop. It isn’t until Dani runs out holding her badge and Malcom following close behind, both of them yelling to stand down, that he’s a cop does the office let go of JT and step back. Back at the station, Gil is furious and wants to take it to I.A., but JT insists it won’t do any good and he needs to think about it. He has a family now and he doesn’t want the retaliation. The scene ends with Gil, Dani and Bright supporting his decision and telling him they have his back. JT is emotional and for good reason. The people who are supposed to be working with him just tried to kill him.

Episode two didn’t let up; in the middle of a chase, Gil tells JT to call for back up and what happens is enraging. As JT calls on his police issued walkie for backup, the person manning the other end tells him that the line if for police use only and uses the term “boy” before disconnecting. Later, it shows JT and Dani standing outside the office watching Gil yell at the dispatch for not sending officers for a potential hostile situation. JT decides to not file a report mentioning that he has a family to worry about and he must work with these people. It is harassment and emotional terrorism at its worst.

In the first episode this season, Dani and Bright are talking and Dani mentions the institutionalized racism she’s been dealing with. With this show being categorized as a police procedural, showing this sort of dangerous institutional racism within the police force is both tricky and important. While police shows have mentioned an episode or two of racism within the force, it’s usually an episode and the one bad cop is taken to task by the white Captain and the entire thing is brushed over. The good thing about this show is so far, all the people in power we’ve seen on the force have been people of color. It also makes it harder to pull the “white savior” role as Bright, while on the team, has no real standing with the NYPD and could be kicked off cases in a heartbeat. Jessica, with all of her wealth and ties (or not, make up your mind Jess) to Gil, can’t really do anything expect throw money at the issue. The brunt of the conflict will lie between Gil and his team facing the police force including these cops who “are just doing their job” and the veil of secrecy that lies within the Thin Blue Line. It’s not something that can be erased in a five-episode arc and I really hope it’s not. The racism within the department has been established, it can’t be erased with the firing of the cop who attacked JT and it can’t be addressed with the Commissioner coming in to make everyone go to training to make it all magically go away.

The showrunners spent the entire first season introducing us and making us love these characters and given the current climate of the world, this was a bold and correct decision, one that needed to be addressed. I know there is talk on message board stating that this season is too “political”. Black Lives Matter, is not political, institutionalized racism within the police force is not political. Men and women of color that are on police forces are risking their lives to do good and make streets safer and do not deserve to wonder if they’re going to take “friendly” fire from one of their own. This year we’ve heard too many stories of officers who were threatened out of uniform and officers who spoke up only to be removed from duty. This isn’t a new thing. Nobody should be murdered for living their lives, for sleeping, for complying with proper police requests.

Personally, as a white person, watching these scenes hurt. Watching JT’s reactions hurt. Hearing someone who was supposed to have his back use a term that has racist undertones when said as it was, made me furious. Which is what it’s supposed to do. But this is also a dangerous road the showrunners are taking. There is no clean and easy way out of this, to have it discussed and “fixed” isn’t reasonable nor believable anymore, to ignore it after three episodes isn’t doing it justice. I don’t know how this will turn out, but it absolutely needs to be addressed this season. To the extent of having it a plot equal to Malcom’s covering up a murder and hiding the body without getting caught.

If you want more information or want to get involved, please look at the websites linked. It shouldn’t take a television show to spread awareness, but if it does, so much the better. People are starting to get involved with activism because media and it’s good (sometimes). Television should start a conversation, that’s when it’s working best.

#FPBlog #Prodigal Son #racial tension #televison #blog

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ralfstrashcan · 3 years

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Malec in late 2B

It's been *checks watch* three years and I've finally calmed down enough to try and untangle my feelings about the end of 2B in a coherent way.

1) Alec's decision not to tell Magnus about the Soul Sword. I've worked through my thoughts regarding that in this fic already where I go into Alec's reasoning for it. The tldr of which is that a) Alec consciously made the decision not to tell Magnus instead of running out of time to decide, b) he actually had good reasons for that and made that decision with Magnus's and the Downworld's best interests at heart and c) ultimately his love for Magnus was the very reason he didn't tell him because if he had cared about sparing Magnus's feelings a little less he would have told Magnus about the Soul Sword on condition that Magnus can't tell his people, damn the guilt Magnus will feel when warlocks die because they weren't forewarned.

2) Magnus's reaction to finding out. Magnus flips his shit, basically, lashes out, is deliberately hurtful and doesn't really listen to Alec's reasons for his decision. This is both an understandable and an ic reaction because Magnus is a very emotion-driven character and what he just learned is drastic. Could there have been a more graceful way to handle this revelation? Certainly. But it's nothing I would just expect from any given character. You'd have to be exceptionally level-headed to keep your cool in such a situation and I don't fault Magnus for not being that. His reaction was very human.

Alec gets points deduction for his line “Let's not make this personal” because dude, do you know your boyfriend at all? Have you realized that emotional compartmentalization isn't his strong forte? This line just angers Magnus more. (Alec also gets points deduction, with extreme prejudice, for trying to shush Magnus because what is wrong with you, man. I mean, this might just be a personal hang-up of mine but isn't that gesture patronizing as hell? Anyway.) On the other hand Alec gets some points for not going after Magnus. When I first watched that I thought it was very strange and kinda weird but in hindsight it is obviously the right choice. Magnus needed time and space to deal and Alec realized that trying to go after him and talk it out then was pointless and would have only angered Magnus more.

3) Magnus's reaction to Alec seeking him out because of Max. Admirable. Magnus puts all his (very understandable) anger aside to rush to the Lighwood family's aid. It doesn't matter that he can't help in the end, he is there as emotional support despite the frosty atmosphere between him and Alec. It is the decent thing to do but not everybody would have shown such kindness in his shoes. 10/10.

4) Magnus contemplating if he should take the Seelie Queen's offer aka sappy Malec flashbacks. I'm gonna place half the blame on show writers and half the blame on Magnus himself because, bro, this is not how you make a strategical decision for your people. Not even once is Magnus shown contemplating the repercussions of his decision for the warlocks or Valentine or the future of the Downworld. He only mopes about his boyfriend betraying his trust, basically. And I mean! I understand he's hurting a lot! And I understand people can't just turn off their emotions! But a good leader should be able to put his own emotions aside at least for a short time when an integral decision about his people has to be made, and quickly! And in that regard Magnus, uh, fails, apparently.

Again, I think half the blame lies with the show writers who wanted cute Malec flashbacks and generally fail at portraying inner Downworlder affairs if they don't serve the shadowhunter-centric plot. But I can't just yell “ooc behavior!!” and shrug it off because this isn't exactly ooc behavior for Magnus. Magnus is a very emotion-driven character who fails at separating personal and political matters. That's a theme. I point no further than the whole Camille-thing where he turned a blind eye to her bleeder dens because he felt personally indebted to her, and only stopped her when Raphael's life was at stake. So yeah... 0/10.

Full disclosure, I think there is a different way to read these scenes. Maybe Magnus wasn't just nursing his broken heart and missing the point. Maybe what he was actually contemplating was what he'd been fighting about with Luke before, namely if Alec can even be trusted as a person or if he's too much a shadowhunter to ever deserve their faith and cooperation because he will always treat Downworlders as lesser, because he's as racist as the Clave. In that case it would make sense for him to remember their private 1:1 interactions, to reassess Alec's character as a whole. But it would also mean that the conclusion he reached is that Alec is as corrupt as the rest of the Clave, and that would make them getting back together without ever talking about this... even more messed up than it already is! But I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway, needless to say that I don't interpret it this way.

5) Magnus breaking up with Alec. To me personally (and to Alec) the breakup makes no sense. Magnus and Alec have different stances on, like, the implications of their relationship (and I'm emotionally wired like Alec is, at least in that regard). What I mean is this: Why does Magnus feel the need to break up with Alec? He's not an idiot, he knows that just because he breaks up with Alec his feelings for Alec will not miraculously evaporate as well. He'll be as emotionally compromised as he was before. And yet he says, “The only thing holding me back from [making difficult decisions to ensure the survival of my people] is you.”

Here's the thing. When Alec decides not to tell Magnus about the Soul Sword he does so in his capacity as the Head of the Institute, taking (almost) no account of his role as Magnus's lover. He is able to do that because he can compartmentalize between these two roles in an extreme way and therefor his relationship status has no influence on his decision. (Sure, not being with Magnus wouldn't have provided extra incentive to tell him, but work with me here. What I mean is that if Alec had rationally decided to tell Magnus about the Soul Sword, he would have made that same decision whether he was with Magnus at that point or not.) What did influence his decision making process were his feelings for Magnus, and these remain unchanged regardless of their relationship status.

Magnus has an entirely different stance. To him being in a relationship implies a certain kind of loyalty that must be maintained at all times. If their roles had been reversed I don't doubt that Magnus would have told Alec about the Soul Sword immediately because of said loyalty, and he would have thought it through for exactly zero seconds beforehand. He expected the same thing from Alec and that's why he feels so betrayed when he realizes that Alec kept it from him. This is why Magnus feels the need to break up with Alec: to disengage from this loyalty that keeps him from making decisions with only the warlocks in mind. Magnus's decision making hinges on their relationship status and the loyalty it demands, not his feelings for Alec.

Alec doesn't understand this. That's why he tells Magnus that he can have both: Alec, and the freedom to make the best choices for the warlocks, to act like the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Alec wouldn't hold it against him if he made the best decisions for his people while they are together because Alec, too, did have Magnus and made decisions as the Head of the Institute. But Magnus works differently. He'd feel like he's betraying Alec if he makes High Warlock of Brooklyn decisions while still being with Alec. And that's why he breaks up with Alec, and that's why it makes sense for Magnus to break up with him.

6) Magnus's behavior afterwards. Oh my god where do I even start.

--- Magnus being a petty bitch? Hell yeah.

--- Magnus hiding behind the Seelie Queen and running after her like he's her lap dog? Hell no. Wtf did I just watch!! Even better, he leaves Raphael behind? And Raphael then tells Izzy that Magnus was his ride and he's effectively trapped at the Institute because the sun is shining brightly outside?? I'm sorry, what. The Downworld just divorced the shadowhunters with a side of “hmm maybe we'll stop caring about the Accords as well in the near future” and Magnus leaves his Raphael behind? This is unacceptable!! I don't even know what to say to that!!

--- This has surely been discussed before but it needs to be said. Magnus implementing an anti-portal ward around New York that incinerates any angel-blooded creature that tries to pass it and not telling Alec about it. They hear about it from Luke instead and since Jace's reaction is immediately telling the shadowhunter extra next to him to stop shadowhunter movement in and out of the city immediately it is heavily implied that some shadowhunters already died thanks to this ward – since there are apparently troop movements in and out of the city that need to be stopped. (Which was to be expected! Sure, they know Valentine won't leave the city before he's got his hands on what he believes to be the mortal mirror locked away at the Institute, but he could surely be regrouping outside the city. Sending patrols into the near vicinity is the sensible thing to do.) Shadowhunter casualties due to the ward are further implied by Jace then leaning heavily on the desk and half-whispering to himself “No more shadowhunters die today.” Which makes sense. The patrols in question would have just vanished with no chance to report back what happened to them so they were probably assumed dead by Valentine's hand.

The point: Wtf Magnus. He must have been aware this could and would happen. The way I see it there are only two possible explanations: Magnus deliberately did not tell the NY Institute shadowhunters a) because he thought word might get around to Valentine or b) out of pettiness. And considering that knowing about the ward doesn't magically un-trap you and only means you will not cross it and therefore remain alive but contained, a) doesn't really make sense. The ward wasn't designed to lure Valentine to his death. It was designed to keep Valentine in the city so the other Downworld factions could hunt him down, and the ward will continue to do so even after Valentine learns of its existence. There s no harm in him knowing about it while there is a lot of harm in the NY shadowhunters not knowing about it because they will just die, for nothing, while trying to find Valentine. Magnus willingly risking that on the off-chance that Valentine walks into the ward at random is not his style at all. This leaves pettiness as motivation and sure, Magnus is petty, but not at the cost of so many casualties. This is so painfully ooc that I just can't!!

7) Their “reconciliation.” As you might have already guessed from those quotation marks: Thanks, I hate it. That adequately sums up my feelings on the matter. Don't get me wrong, the scene itself is lovely, I guess. But, content! They have this huge issue and they just don't talk about it! Magnus never learns of Alec's (legit) reasons for not telling him about the Soul Sword. Alec apologizes for.. what exactly? Doing something he was convinced was the right thing? And they never realize their differences in decision making which is even worse! This whole drama stemmed from the fact that they view the obligations that come with being in a relationship differently where their responsibilities as leaders are concerned. This is bound to become a problem again in the future!! And they just! dont! talk about it! aaaahhhhhhhh!!!! how!!!!!! are you adults or what!!!!!!! *sigh* just... –ꝏ /10

8) Aftermath. Oh right, this will of course not become a problem again in the future because Magnus loses his job. How neat.

Leaving the salt aside though I have to admit that I.. actually think the warlocks weren't entirely in the wrong in sacking Magnus. And before you kill me, hear me out. The first thing to note is that neither Raphael nor Luke get sacked for their decision to side with the Seelie Queen. Why is that? Because vampires and werewolves are fundamentally differently organized than warlocks. Warlocks have an international infrastructure. There's the Council, the Spiral Labyrinth, and stuff. Vampires and werewolves have their local clans and packs, and nothing more. Magnus has superiors. Raphael and Luke do not. After the Seelie Queen makes that deal with Valentine she condemns every Downworlder, except those located in New York, to death. Raziel's wish will kill every Downworlder on earth and only those in the Seelie Realm are safe. And as Magnus says in early 2x19

If Valentine had succeeded then literally all the other warlocks in the world would have died! Yes, the fact that the Seelie Queen threw them all under the bus isn't Magnus's fault, but

it was to be expected. Luke and Raphael both warn Magnus not to trust the Seelie Queen, that she has her own agenda and it's to rule over the Downworld, and that's why both Luke and Raphael were hesitant to accept her deal.

So I think it's pretty understandable why the other warlocks kicked Magnus out on his ass. In their eyes he would have been semi-complicit in their collective demise if Valentine had succeeded, having sided with the one who betrayed the Downworld. It doesn't matter that Magnus's choice means the warlocks at least wouldn't have gone entirely extinct if Valentine had won. It doesn't matter that the Seelie Queen would have made that deal with Valentine whether the other Downworlder factions had sided with her or not. (She had Simon in her Realm who could create new vampires, she probably would have kept Maia for new werewolves, and warlocks can be made by uuhh unethical means. What better Downworld than one that's never known anything but the Seelie Queen's uncontested reign? Yes, she absolutely would have let them all die.) None of that matters to the warlocks. They feel like Magnus betrayed them as a community and that's why they sack him.

Okay, so now we know why it made (in-universe) sense for the warlocks to fire Magnus. Make no mistake though – I don't approve of this reasoning. It's short-sighted and not very practical, and also unfair. Better save some of your species than none, right? Fine, Magnus should have informed the Council and stuff about what was going on so they could make their own deals with the Seelie Queen if they want to.. but then, do we even know if he did or didn't inform them? No. Any further discussion on this point is just poking in the dark so let's move on.

I did say that I think the warlocks weren't entirely in the wrong in dismissing Magnus from his job, though. Let me explain.

a) Magnus's decision to side with the Seelie Queen or remain sided with the Institute would have not made a difference regarding the whole Valentine-thing, right? Things would have played out exactly the same: Warlocks create anti-portal ward, Val makes a deal with the Seelie Queen and gets to Alicante anyway. The survival of the Downworld depended on Clary stabbing Valentine to death before he made the wish, and that remains unchanged no matter Magnus's decision. What Magnus's decision would have influenced (if this goddamn show knew what continuity is, lol) is what came after. Where does siding with the trigger-happy Seelie Queen, who made no secret of gunning for war with the Clave, leave the warlocks? On the Clave's bad side, that's for sure. Especially if things had escalated between the seelies and the shadowhunters (which they do in the books!!). In the show.. things just go back to how they were before the Downworld's little fail-rebellion. Either because the Downworld and the Clave mutually decide to just pretend none of it ever happened (since the Consul was exposed as a Circle Member, which, awkward) or, which I believe is more likely, because 3A focuses on The Owl Mystery and not on foreign policy and this show just sucks when it comes to including anything not strictly-plot-relevant. In any case!! Magnus's decision to side with the Seelie Queen should have had severe repercussions for the warlocks and their standing with the Clave aka dramatically worsened it, and for nothing (since nothing came of the “rebellion” and it's honestly doubtful how many warlocks would have wanted a full-on war with the shadowhunters anyway. They seem pretty good at laying low and doing their own thing). So in the long term siding with the Seelie Queen wasn't / wouldn't have been a strategically good decision (if it wasn’t followed up by a war of independence, which it wasn’t) and a legit reason to get fired.

b) More importantly, in 3x09 Lorenzo says to Magnus, “I took this position because you couldn't handle it. You let your heart dictate your actions and that will be your downfall,” which I always took to mean – since Lorenzo was god knows where when all of 2B happened – that the gossip in the warlock community is strong, and has it that Magnus only sided with the Seelie Queen as revenge for Alec not telling him about the Soul Sword / something relating to their breakup. No matter how this opinion formed in the community... *glances at 4)* they're not wrong? And this is definitely a legit reason to get fired.

So where does this leave us? I don't approve of the Council firing Magnus for the reason they did because it was a dumb reason. When I look at Lorenzo – lazy, self-centered, unwilling to actually do anything when push comes to shove – I don't think Magnus should be fired because he's obviously the much better choice as High Warlock. And I don't even think that siding with the Seelie Queen was, per se, a wrong choice. But the way Magnus made that choice left much to be desired and was a clear lapse in leadership, one where a dismissal would have been justified. And this should have been addressed in a constructive way so he can learn from his mistake.

#shadowhunters #alec lightwood #magnus bane #valentine morgenstern #the seelie queen #malec #i rewatched the 2b season finale and this happened #is this a controversial opinion? lol

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supercasey · 5 years

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So I watched Batman Ninja with my buddy Jason the other night...

Under a readmore because I'm screaming and y'all normal people don't need to see this shitshow.

So, like, to begin with; the animation is gorgeous- I will in no way try to deny that- and does a lot of cool things with the art style. You can tell a lot of work went into this movie, and while I personally find it so bad that it's funny, I'm not gonna shit on anyone who likes this film more seriously. (Also, I'm gonna shit on the outfits a lot, so sorry if that comes off as unintentionally racist. I am white and stupid.)

However, other than that... What the shit??? Was that??? I'm still reeling 48 hours later.

The basic plot of this wild ass movie (that I could figure out): Gorilla Grodd has built a time machine so he can go back in time and rule over Feudal Japan and change history (it never really specifies why he chose Japan of all places but go off, DC). He brings Deathstroke (my fav obviously), The Penguin, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and The Joker + Harley Quinn (because if you want your plans to work you should absolutely bring in the disaster piece of shit that is The Joker).

Also Catwoman is here but from what I can tell it was accidental on her part/I think she's the one who fucked up the time machine??? Unclear.

So everyone goes to the past, including Batman, Alfred, and all the Robins (Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, and Damian Wayne as Robin) (none of the girls but let's be honest, I think they dodged a fucking bullet).

Batman ends up behind everyone else during the time traveling??? Not really explained, but now everyone has been in Japan for two years and Catwoman has depression.

Okay onto me rambling:

They have this scene where every villain gets a title card/one-liner, and everyone else but Deathstroke gets a line that fits their shtick. I feel like they had no idea what to do for a pun/joke, so there's just a literal pause then "... Yeah :)" from Deathstroke. I straight up scream-laughed so fucking hard.

All the Robins look so fucking stupid except for Tim. Nightwing looks like Goku, Red Hood has the tallest bucket on his head I've ever seen, and Damian's hair... good fucking lord.

Also, Damian is completely out of character. The people making this movie, I think, have never read a comic with Damian, and just made him into "annoyingly happy child character that is annoying as all fuck and talks to animals for no reason except Baby" and let me tell you, I got such whiplash from seeing that. Also Damian and Red Hood are apparently voiced by the same guy and my buddy Jason is freaking out about it lmao.

Joker's fucking UGLY next question.

Harley sounds low-key annoying in this film but that might just be me... feels like a lot of people who try to voice her make their voices as high-pitched as possible and it's very grating after awhile.

There's an amnesia plot??? Where Harley and Joker get amnesia after a boat fire??? Red Hood beats the fuck out of them and while I feel bad for Harley, fuck Joker, he can die. They get their memories back by seeing a plant... that looks like Joker's face... as my boy Deathstroke would say: "... Yeah."

There's a clan of Batman ninjas from the past and, tbh, they look pretty fucking cool and I thought they were a really neat concept. Doesn't excuse the bat ghost thing.

OH GOD THE ENDING FIGHT

Through a series of unfortunate events, Gorilla Grodd and all the other villains start fighting each other in giant mechas in order to decide who will rule Japan because of course they do.

My favorite parts from the villain fights:

Two-Face's robot is the shit of nightmares. At one point Deathstroke and Grodd are going at it, Two-Face gets between them, then FLIPS A COIN FOR WHO HE'LL BEAT ON (very in-character I guess but I was still screeching). Btw, he chooses to attack Grodd, and Slade just stands back like "... Yeah :)"

Can you tell that I'm not over that stupid line yet?

PENGUIN HAS SEMI-SENTIENT PENGUINS WORKING ON THE INSIDE OF HIS ROBOT WTF!?!? WHERE DID HE GET THEM!?

Poison Ivy is beautiful, next question.

Okay, back to everything in general:

Grodd reveals that he has been low-key mind controlling all of the other villains this entire time, and that he's the one who made everyone build giant robots. He attempts to take full control of everyone, but Joker does instead. This is maybe the most sane part of this entire goddamn movie.

ALL OF THE ROBOTS MORE OR LESS FORM VOLTRON, LADS!!!

So now our heroes (Batman, the Batsquad, and the Batclan) need to take on this giant robot... so what's a boy to do? Well, if you're Damian Wayne in this movie, you get a magic flute from Grodd after he nearly dies for you, and with the help of your baby monkey friend, summon an army of millions of monkeys that form a giant monkey.

This is a Batman movie. Just thought I'd remind y'all of that.

At first it doesn't work, but don't worry! Another monkey (wearing a pink bow to remind us that she's a girl and the other monkey's love interest) comes and helps Damian play the flute better so the monkeys are better.

Monkeys still aren't enough, so with the power of bats and probably a lot of weed being smoked, the bats that came out of literally nowhere form a giant Batman to punch Voltron.

(Side note: they destroy the arm that Deathstroke was controlling so I don't know why he isn't dead. Never explained. He isn't even really hurt!!!)

The Robins enter Voltron to fight the villains because Joker loses control of everyone: Nightwing vs Penguin, Red Hood vs Deathstroke, and I forget the other match-ups, but nothing matters except that Red Hood walking up to Deathstroke and saying "Tell you what... I'll let you take the first shot" was badass and the best part of the movie.

Too bad we didn't get full fights scenes between everyone 🙃

Batman nearly died??? But lived??? I was so lost at this point and probably should've been paying better attention, but I was too busy trying to convince myself this wasn't a fever dream.

They got back to the present and everyone lived happily ever after, the end :)

Notes: I'm sure I missed some shit but Jesus fucking Christmas, it was a wild ride from start to finish. It was, like, not that great storytelling wise, but it was so bad it was funny??? It was the "The Room" of Animated Batman films.

Batman is a fucking HIMBO in this movie. I dunno how to exactly explain it, but he makes so many stupid ass decisions throughout the movie, it's so funny. When he's trying to blend in with the townsfolk HE LITERALLY CUTS HIS HAIR TO HAVE THE BATSYMBOL ON THE TOP OF HIS FUCKING HEAD!!! WHO APPROVED THIS MOVIE!?!?

I have decided that Deathstroke didn't die because trans rights. Is he canon trans? Well, he is in my heart.

Jason Todd's voice actor did a great job with him, tbh I wish he had been more prominent in the movie.

I literally forgot Tim and Dick were there most of the time they were so unneeded in the plot.

I hated Damian but whatever.

I honestly did enjoy the movie, but probably not for the reasons the creators wanted me to. Again, nothing against the creators, but this was such an odd movie for 90% of it's run time.

7/10 would watch again, if only because it was so funny and nonsensical.

Ratings all together:

Animation: 10/10

Voice Acting: 7/10

Story (If taken seriously): 2/10

Story (if not serious): 8/10

All together; watch this if you're a Batman fan that feels like having a hilarious time and doesn't mind seeing your favorite characters be OOC or doing weird shit. I feel like this movie is best enjoyed on call/while hanging out with friends.

#dcu #dc #batman #bruce wayne #jason todd #damian wayne #tim drake #timothy drake #deathstroke #poison ivy #the penguin #the joker #joker #harley quinn #for jason #supercasey ramblings #thinking of doing a series of me reviewing/talking about batman movies and shows #but I dunno yet

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wearejapanese · 6 years

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In 2001, Sarah Silverman told a joke on Late Night With Conan O'Brien that incurred the wrath of Asian American activists and, in a perverse way, also became her breakout moment. The bit involved trying to get out of jury duty, with Silverman recounting a friend's suggestion that she write something "really inappropriate" on the form — something like "I hate chinks." But, Silverman said, she didn't want to cast herself in such an ugly light, so she opted to instead write "I love chinks. Who doesn't?"

The network that aired the show, NBC, apologized for the slur a few days later. But Silverman refused to, opting instead to fight it out with Guy Aoki, the cofounder of Media Action Network for Asian Americans, on Politically Incorrect. The comedian, who in more recent years has shifted her perspective on — and moved away from — the sort of meta-bigot comedy that marked her rise, insisted at the time that Aoki was a humorless scold who'd missed the point: "It’s not a racist joke," she said on Politically Incorrect, "it’s a joke about racism."

She never seemed to hear Aoki's own point that a slur is still a slur, and that the reason Silverman settled on the one she did was because it was seen as permissible and more acceptable as the stuff of humor. Looking back at this particular sorry-not-sorry moment, and how little the conversation has progressed since, what really rankles is not just the implication that racism against Asians is less serious and less real. It's the familiar proprietary ease of it all, the sense that it could be gotten away with because Asianness is colonizable enough as an identity that anyone can gain in-group joke privileges. Silverman didn't intend her chipper punchline (“Who doesn’t?”) to also work as an orientalist slogan, but it did, and still does — a handy summation of the fact that a lot of anti-Asian racism gets presented through a lens of warped, acquisitive affection, and then denied or defended on the basis of it.

When Edward Said wrote the book Orientalism in 1978, he focused on the long arc of Europe's paternalistic conceptions of the Middle East. The term has since been expanded in scope into a broadly useful one for the West's selective seeing of the East — especially, for the purposes of this piece of writing, East Asia — with many sins included under its umbrella: exotification, condescension, appropriation, othering, and general treatment of Asianness as a cultural buffet from which people feel welcome to help themselves to whatever they're inclined to take and reject what they aren't interested in.

Orientalism surfaces in the New Age commodification of Eastern spirituality, in the predilection to glom separate cultures into a blurry whole, in the freedom that still seems to be felt in making open declarations about having a fetish for Asian women or dismissing the sexuality of Asian men. And orientalism shows up onscreen — in films, on television, in music videos — with so much more regularity than good faith representations do that pushing back against it has been a steady drumbeat in Asian American activism for decades now. It's a thread that runs through the history of American movies, especially, from the early studio days when trailblazing star Anna May Wong’s career was curtailed by stereotypes up through the present, when the likes of Wes Anderson, Jared Leto, Anna Wintour, and Scarlett Johansson are still providing plenty to fight about.

On one level, the fact that this regular stream of distorted images persists speaks to how unaware creators seem to be about what they're doing, but on another, it shows how little they seem to care. It's not news that orientalism exists, but it still seems like news to many that there's anything wrong with it, or that there is, indeed, a difference between, say, objectifying homage and legitimate cultural exchange. Which might be why it's been so hard to push back.

When racism — in the minds of many — still means open hatred, the idea that it can also come couched in the guise of fandom or fondness is a reality people really don't want to acknowledge. Orientalism is ultimately about power, which may be why it has taken the rise of international markets, and of China in particular, to force Hollywood to try to see the continent through something other than a scrim of Western assumptions.

The most telling thing about the conversations that have followed the release of Wes Anderson's latest film, Isle of Dogs — a movie that, whatever you think of it, is inarguably about Western assumptions about Japan — is the gap between the thoughtful and measuredcriticism (much of it from Asian American writers) and the outraged, outsized response to that criticism online. It's as if the very implication of racial insensitivity is worse than any offense itself could ever be. These commenters were an odd alliance of Anderson devotees and the usual internet complainers who love to call out "identity politics" and "snowflakes," but most, judging from their Twitter avatars, were white men or sentient anime characters.

But Anderson himself, a filmmaker who has always been clumsy with anything to do with race, has functionally described his own feature as orientalist. At the film’s debut at the Berlin Film Festival in February, he explained that he and his regular collaborators Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman had wanted to make a movie about a pack of dogs, and also "something in Japan," and the two ideas were then just combined: "The story could've taken place anywhere, but it came together when we realized it should take place in a fantasy version of Japan."

And it does, in a near-future Japan that's also decidedly analog, and home to a dual-species adventure that takes some of its cues from the work of Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki. Most of the acting talent is from the US — the dogs, voiced by the likes of Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, and Scarlett Johansson, speak English, while the humans speak Japanese, which frequently goes untranslated. Most of Anderson's movies take place in overtly imaginary renditions of actual places, from the outsider's dream of New York (as drawn from J.D. Salinger and back issues of the New Yorker) in The Royal Tenenbaums to the invented Eastern Europe republic of The Grand Budapest Hotel, a Stefan Zweig–inspired wonderland where real historical horrors lurk behind whimsical imagery. In that sense, the similarly fictional city of Megasaki in Isle of Dogs, along with its adjoining trash- and canine-dump island, is no different.

What is different is the real-world cultural context: the tradition of Western othering of Japan that Anderson seems blithely indifferent toward, even as he participates in it. Because it's stop-motion, the film uses scaled-down puppets to represent its characters onscreen, but it also diminishes them in more figurative ways, with a gaze that's detached and dispassionate when it comes to most of the humans, aside from 12-year-old Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin) and foreign exchange student Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig). Tracy, who leads the resistance against Megasaki's oppressive anti-dog leadership, is the human who gets the bulk of the English-language lines and, with them, the big shows of emotion. She's the American girl brave enough to take initiative when no native Japanese resident dares — a regrettable foil for stereotypes about Asian compliance.

There's no overt malicious intent to Isle of Dogs' cultural tourism, but it's marked by a hodgepodge of references that an American like Anderson might cough up if pressed to free associate about Japan — taiko drummers, anime, Hokusai, sumo, kabuki, haiku, cherry blossoms, and a mushroom cloud (!). There's a plot development in which poisoned wasabi is hidden away in sushi, and a scientist character named Yoko-ono, who is voiced by Yoko Ono. This all has more to do with the (no doubt intricately designed and decorated) insides of Anderson's brain than it does any actual place. It’s Japan purely as an aesthetic — and another piece of art that treats the East not as a living, breathing half of the planet but as a mirror for the Western imagination.

In the wake of Isle of Dogs' opening weekend, there were multiple headlines wondering whether the film was an act of appropriation or homage. But the question is rhetorical — the two aren't mutually exclusive, and the former is not automatically off the table just because the creator’s intent was the latter. More importantly, it's possible for Isle of Dogs to be both a charming story about humanity's rapport with canines (try saying the title out loud) and an act of erasure; it can showcase both what its director has traditionally done well and how he's opted to lean directly into one of his most evident blind spots.

The online reaction to criticism of the film has been filled with blind spots, too, with people unfairly painting the discussion as a call for cultural purity, insisting that "actual Asians" aren't bothered by any of this, and brandishing cowriter Kunichi Nomura — whom Anderson brought on to advise on cultural specifics as well as provide the voice of his villain — as some kind of human shield against this entire topic. In the space between these two sides of the conversation, you can see how threatening some people find the suggestion that their intent might not matter as much as the reaction of those seeing themselves onscreen. It's not the idea of creating a fantasy Japan that's Anderson's problem — it's the underlying sense that he wouldn't be able to conceive of a real one.

#wes anderson #Japan #orientalism #representation #perception #japanese #culture

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schraubd · 7 years

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On Asking Jews To Be More Anti-Nazi

The second job I wanted to be when I grew up was a cartoonist (the first was omelet chef at a Marriott. Little kids have weird goals). I loved Calvin & Hobbes, and later Dilbert, Doonesbury, Foxtrot, The Boondocks, and many others. My ambition, alas, quickly foundered against the reality that I have no artistic talent whatsoever. But occasionally I still draw cartoons in my head (where their artistry and technical virtues are unimpeachable). My most recent imagined cartoon is set in Auschwitz, 1944, where a portal opens up and a time-traveler steps through. It is a literal "Social Justice Warrior" -- from the future, armed to the teeth, and ready and eager to "punch some Nazis". After completing his task, some Jewish inmates approach to thank him for rescu-- BAM! He clocks them too. "Did I say 'Zio-Nazis excepted'?" I was thinking about this after reading this tweet by Ferrari Sheppard, where he says "Can't be anti Nazi pro Israel."

Can't be anti Nazi pro Israel.

— Ferrari Sheppard (@stopbeingfamous) August 13, 2017

I read that tweet, in turn, shortly after reading this thread by Sophie Ellman-Golan urging White Jews to "join" the fight against the neo-Nazi resurgence we saw in Charlottesville.

To white Jews alarmed by #Charlottesville: this is the movement. Join it. It will fight for us, but we have to fight for Black folks too.

— Sophie Ellman-Golan (@EgSophie) August 13, 2017

It is, she says, a fight Jewish institutions have been "shamefully late" in adopting as our own. I reflect on this, and I'm torn. My thoughts are scattered; they fly all over the place. Consider the ADL -- called out by name by Ellman-Golan. I recall excoriating them for selling out liberal Jews in their appalling silence on David Friedman's "kapo" comments. Then I think of the immense pressure the ADL has come under from the right, which accuses it of taking too hard a line on right-wing racism. I remember the shamefully equivocating tweet ADL chief Jonathan Greenblatt put out yesterday, drawing equivalence between Nazi and "antifa" violence. Then I remember the following tweet thread which was so much better. I also remember how a sizable chunk of the negative responses to Greenblatt's original equivocation somehow managed to work "Israel" into the message -- because that's what it's always about, isn't it? I consider how it seems many of the ADL's critics are eager, even happy, to infer the worst about it. They like the idea of "Jews who don't really oppose Nazis". They seem to revel in the idea that the Jews aren't anti-Nazi to their satisfaction. The Jewish community -- institutionally and otherwise -- is a varied and diverse bunch. That variation and diversity applies as much to our presence in social justice organizing as anything else. The explanations for this diversity will be similarly varied. After all, I, too, have written fusillades decrying the tepidity of many Jewish groups in calling out the ascendant tide of right-wing racism. So clearly I concur there's a problem here. At the same time, I also think that there's something truly grating at the idea that Jews have to prove themselves "anti-Nazi." Mia Steinberg wrote something very telling about how this debate plays out for Jews: "Instead of 'would I have stood up to Nazis in WW2', the thought experiment for me has always been 'would I have survived?'" The Holocaust was not an arena for Jews to prove our moral valor, and when our reaction to Nazism doesn't adopt appropriately heroic tones that is not proof of Jewish "complicity" in anything. The celerity with which people seem eager to tell Jews we're the new Nazis, or we don't care about Nazis, or we're not responding to Nazis in a way that gives non-Jews sufficient confidence that we're really anti-Nazi, is degrading and infuriating. Yet again -- I can't fully go down that road either. Surely, the groups like ZOA who have explicitly lined up behind the Trump/Bannon alt-right wing have no moral legs to stand upon. And even as I bow to no one in downplaying the seriousness of the growing clouds of antisemitism, Ellman-Golan is simply right -- I refuse to tolerate people denying this -- that in its current manifestation in the United States Black people are more violently targeted by the forces of White supremacy than are Jews. That doesn't mean Jews aren't targeted, and aren't targeted in ways that are worthy of genuine fear and concern. But it is not wrong for there to be a focus on racist violence, so long as that focus doesn't come via denying the reality of antisemitic violence. But (once more around, and here's where I really want to land) can we honestly say -- unblinking, looked-in-the-eye, full-stop -- that when Jews don't throw themselves into these movements that the primary explanation ought to be "because Jews don't care about Nazism"? Can we be so confident that the movements in question "will fight for us"? The fact of the matter is, too often Jews -- from Chicago Dyke March to Creating Change to Slutwalk -- do try to participate in these movements, and are cast out, or turned aside, or subjected to humiliating ideological litmus tests where we're guilty until proven anti-Zionist. That's part of the reason -- not the sole reason, but part of the story -- why I shy away from protest movements. I don't know that they "will fight for us". That is not something that simply can be wedged into our presuppositions as a demanded default. Much the opposite:

As a Jew, I can't completely cheer at these expressions of left-wing activism because I know there is a real and non-negligible risk that in that crowd someone wants to say the whole thing they're fighting against is a Zionist plot, and there is a real and non-negligible risk that if that person gets a hold of the mic and says so the crowd will erupt in cheers.

It grates when this is denied, when people act as if the only reason Jews "don't show up" for social justice (to the extent that we don't) is because we're too indifferent or too fragile or too embedded in our own privilege to really care. Such a view doesn't take seriously real practices of exclusion; it assumes them away because it takes "they will fight for us" as an axiom rather than a (often quite dubious) proposition that must be demonstrated. It's the "why do all the black people sit together in the cafeteria" question of Jewish social activism. If Jews are "late" to the social activist party -- and I don't necessarily concede that we are -- perhaps part of the reason is that social convention requires a truly grotesque amount of preparation, costuming, covering, hedging, eliding, and self-effacing before the Jew is admitted through the doors. It's exhausting. And it's hard to blame people for not wanting to show up, when those requirements are allowed to persist unexamined. Finally, when talking of these exclusions we should be clear that this is not even primarily, let alone solely, a POC thing. Indeed, Black people in America have consistently demonstrated their intolerance of antisemitism and their willingness to stand with Jews against antisemitism even in their own community. That history has to be part of the story too. The story of Black-Jewish relations simply isn't -- much as conservative hagiographers might wish it so -- one of self-sacrificing Jews altruistically defending civil rights only to be sold down the river by ungrateful African-Americans who dived headfirst into antisemitic conspiracy-mongering. What it boils down to is this:

Jews are genuinely threatened by the rise of the alt-right. This is a movement that affects us in a real, tangible way -- not as allies, not as "fragile" White people, but as a vulnerable group that is genuinely imperiled by these social forces. Acting as if Jews don't have skin in this game is a form of antisemitism denial.

Currently, the tangible manifestations of extreme-right identity politics have a greater impact on the material conditions of black and brown lives than they do that of White Jews. That assessment in no way falsifies the first bullet point.

All non-Jews, to varying degrees, benefit from the social privileges and prerogatives that exist under conditions of antisemitic domination. This assessment in now way falsifies the second bullet point, it merely establishes a kyriarchical relationship where (in the contemporary American context) racial domination has greater punch than also-extant antisemitic domination does.

The relationship between (proximately-European) Jews and Whiteness is a complex one. Such Jews clearly do not enjoy an unadulterated White privilege (as the seething hatred of White supremacists makes clear). But it is also clear that we enjoy a great many of these privileges and prerogatives on a day-to-day basis. While possession of these privileges does not falsify the existence of antisemitism, neither does experiencing antisemitism falsify the existence of these privileges.

Some Jewish groups have been derelict in their duties to combat this right-wing menace. It is our obligation as Jews to insist that our communal representatives fight against far-right extremist movements both because they threaten us as Jews and because they threat others -- Black people, brown people, queer people, and more -- who may or may not be Jewish.

To the extent that some Whites Jews haven't partaken in anti-right resistance movements in the stock ways typically demanded of White allies, the explanations that apply to White people generally who don't "show up" are not always inapposite. But they are frequently incomplete, and a serious conversation needs to be had about the politics of antisemitic exclusion that afflicts Jews who very much do wish to be involved in left-wing activist spaces or otherwise participate in contemporary progressive politics. This conversation cannot take "they will fight for us" as an axiomatic entitlement.

Do these not fully fit together? Then they don't fully fit together. As I said, I'm torn. I don't claim to fully fit together on this.

via The Debate Link http://ift.tt/2uBzEN4

#anti-semitism #Black #far-right #leftists #nazis #progressives #racism #white supremacy #Whites

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samtheflamingomain · 7 years

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the fractured but decent

I just finished the new South Park game, The Fractured But Whole, so naturally, I want to pick apart every detail and review it in disgusting depth.

It might seem unfair to compare it to Stick of Truth, but I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of that.

Obviously, I'm a huge SP fanboy, and had been following the release of the game months beforehand. I watched an interview with Matt and Trey, and they gave a lot of insight into the game, how it would be different from SoT, and how it would be similar. That too will play into my analysis.

Obviously, spoilers ahead.

Let's divide this up for clarity. I'll go through general gameplay, plot, side quests and collectibles, mechanics/UI, and general thoughts, in that order.

Gameplay is a vague term so let's subdivide that: combat, powers, effects and exploration.

Combat is decent. I prefer the system set up in SoT, but the new system has its pros. I like the grid, moving around, and how your stats effect where you can move on the battleground. For example, Clyde has such a high "movement" stat that he can move almost anywhere on the grid.

But it can also get frustrating and confusing. Sometimes there's so many players on the board that moving becomes impossible. Sometimes you're stuck with combat buddies that can't attack, and sometimes it's unclear as to what the board will look like after your turn. For example, knockbacks and moves that change your location aren't always obvious as to how they’ll play out.

Finally, "inspection mode". It's meant to be used to get details on your friends and foes in battle, like their class, their health, and, most confusingly, their status effects and durations thereof. I never used it, and I think it just served to make combat more confusing.

Powers, I'll admit, kinda suck. Once you reach a point in the game where, for some back-assward reason, you unlock ALL POSSIBLE POWERS, it becomes a game of making a goddamn spreadsheet to weigh the pros and cons of more than 15 powers to decide which 4 you can have active in combat. Now, they give us a bit of help by allowing you to switch powers and buddies before a battle, but taking 20 minutes to pick your best powers beforehand is tedious, but also, unfortunately, necessary.

Also, they aren't very interesting or varied. Most powers involve a punch or hit, but there's like 8 of them that are basically the same. A lot don't make sense for their class, while others are completely useless. Finally, fuck all the healing powers. If you've got Kyle on your team, he's 50% a healer, so you have 2 (very weak) moves to use to deal damage. The healing items are much more effective, at least in my opinion.

Effects. What I mean by that is "Might", stats, and "artifacts". This is a lot of convoluted spreadsheet math again. There's hundreds of items that you can stick in your stats to improve your "Might". This is very hard to explain and even harder to balance.

Say you have six slots. There's more than 100 things that can go in those slots. Some of them improve your health stat, but eliminate your ability to move. Some of them downgrade your buddies' health while increasing your damage dealt. There's a total of (I think) 12 stats that can be affected by these "artifacts". Each one is assigned a number, and adding up all these numbers gives you your "Might" - which I still don't understand what, if anything, this means.

Exploration. Very little has changed since SoT in this department except there's fewer fast-travel locations, a slightly bigger map, and more (and better) puzzles throughout the world. One of my gripes would be the uselessness of many locations - a good 50% of the buildings or locations are only relevant once, and there's no need to revisit them later. (Canada, Mephesto's, the strip club, the Italian restaurant, City Wok, and U-Stor-It just to name a few).

But like I said, the puzzles are quite good, and actually challenging at times. Sometimes it involves spotting something a buddy can knock over, or noticing a little pinwheel that can get you on top of buildings. With the addition of the fart powers (reverse, pause, summon self and shift night/day), these puzzles are more complex and often have multiple steps involved.

Alright, onto the plot. I think it's much better than SoT. It starts out similar, with one faction of kids against the other, then brought together to fight a bigger foe. But they did this in a better, funnier, and ultimately more effective way, in my opinion.

For example, what seems like a silly side-quest leads to Stan (from the other faction) helping your faction, which then leads to both groups joining once they discover something bigger going on.

Now, this "bigger thing" is pretty confusing, especially at first. There's a lot of parts that don't seem to match up. The mayor is apparently failing the city, the cops are working for a racist slime monster (literally), and the sixth-graders are hoarding cats. It eventually comes together: the town is falling apart due to the main foe putting cat urine into the city's drugs and alcohol in order to cause chaos to usurp the mayor's seat. A lot of random groups get involved, like the sixth graders and Butters, to try and capitalize on the situation.

Which brings me to the second half of the game, where, in my opinion, a lot of comedic gold is made without it relying too much on nostalgia and throwbacks to the show. Mitch Conner, the main bad guy, is a joke I've never found particularly funny in the show, but in the game, it was easily one of the smartest moves they made.

"Mitch" (Cartman's hand puppet) kidnaps your parents in order to get you to help him win the mayoral race. As soon as this is revealed, all the characters react as they should: by blaming Cartman. No matter how much he insists "Mitch" is acting on his own, independent of himself, everyone turns on Cartman and he goes into hiding.

This, to me, is a much better way of bringing the plot together than in SoT, where the main villain's (Clyde’s) motivation is not very clear or believable. When we see "Mitch's" motivation for becoming mayor (to make every day Christmas), it's so absurd and Cartman-like that it works incredibly well.

And probably the funniest part of the game, right at the end, is when suddenly Mitch Conner takes over Kyle's hand. It makes no sense, but after the entire problem being blamed on Cartman, it takes a hilarious turn, suggesting that maybe Cartman really wasn't really behind everything after all.

And finally, the last battle. There's a bit of bullshit about going forward and back in time, but it ultimately leads to a hilarious battle where the characters fight themselves from the past - when they were still "playing" Stick of Truth. SuperCraig fights Thief Craig, Human Kite Kyle fights High Jew Elf Kyle and et cetera. There was also a great throwaway line from Wendy: "Hey, now I finally get to play Stick of Truth!"

Onto side quests and collectibles. I've stuck these together because they're pretty much the same. There's only maybe 8 side quests, and almost all of them are just "collect X and return to character Y". There's a lot to be desired in that department, in my opinion, but there is some good stuff in the "filling out your character sheet" plotline. Like the farting-flying-unicorn minigame where you help Kanye West's mother reach heaven so you can meet Jesus and choose your religion. Or when you have to learn about microagressions from PC Principal to choose your race.

As for the collectibles themselves, they're a bit much. Collect Yaoi, toilets, artifacts, costumes, Memberberries, Coonstagram followers, character sheets, cats. But that's up to you to care which achievements you pursue.

Now, mechanics and UI. This is the one category I will unapologetically shit on till the cows come home, with the exception of the phone menu, which is actually a very smart way to organize the massive amount of UI in place.

The artifact menu is a mess. It's confusing and frustrating. Same with the powers menu. Very hard to navigate intelligently. Props to the crafting menu, which is rather straightforward. But outside of the phone, the simple act of pulling up the map, seeing your quests and seeing your progress on those quests is very much lacking.

It gets even worse when we get into combat UI. When it's your turn, you get to choose between your three powers and healing items. It's actually somewhat trial-and-error when you go for an attack. Which power is most effective, and from which position on the board? It's a good thing it's turn-based and not timed, because I often found myself spending a good minute or two testing out every possible move.

And I'd be amiss if I didn't talk buddies. There's waaaay too many, and it's pretty easy to see the best ones and never change them: Wendy, Tweek, Cartman and Clyde were my team for the entire game, because nearly all the others have massive, gaping flaws in their combat abilities. For example, Stan only has two good moves, and they're very situation-dependent. They only help if he's in a specific spot and the enemies are lined up perfectly. He, along with Kyle, Kenny and Jimmy, are pretty useless.

Finally, general thoughts. Obviously, no matter my gripes, it's a great game. It's got enough from the last game and enough from the show to make it work. I found it much funnier than the last game, but, and here's one of my biggest problems with it: it was very short.

This brings me back to when I watched Matt and Trey talk about the game pre-release. They specifically said that this game would be longer. It only took me 20 hours to finish the main plotline AND all the side quests and collectibles. The last game took me nearly 30 hours just to finish the main quest.

Also, they said the combat would be harder. It’s definitely more confusing and convoluted, but overall, it was pretty damn easy, (and I played on the hardest setting), and I only died maybe three times.

Two of the three fart powers (summon self and switch night/day) are pretty useless; I would've liked more interesting uses for these powers, or, even better, different ones. Reverse time and pause time have great applications in nearly every aspect of gameplay, whereas the other two only get used once or twice in very specific circumstances.

Again, I only gripe because I love the show and the games; I wouldn't put this much thought into it if I didn't. There was a lot that I feel like they missed out on, but there was definitely a lot that they got right. Every building has something to offer, unlike SoT, and there's a lot more in the way of puzzles, characters and overall comedy.

I do hope there'll be another game, but I don't know how that would really happen. If they're going to stick to the RPG genre, well, the kids have only ever played Game of Thrones and superheroes in the show. I don't know that there's another way to do this sort of game.

But hey, as we all know, Matt and Trey are full of surprises.

Stay Greater.

#south park #south park fractured but whole #south park stick of truth #review #sam #fractured but whole

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zenosanalytic · 7 years

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A Murder of Gods Redux

Ok, so I’ve watched Ep 6 a few times now and I want to write more in-depth about my reactions to it.

Somewhere in America

The Somewhere in America intro was good, I thought. The US and Jesus/Christianity/God/the Divine mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people, and this intro does a good job of both exploring that fact in the specific context of southern USian immigration, and establishing this difference, sometimes conflict sometimes synthesis, as a central theme of the episode.

To the Immigrants, the US is an aspiration, an opportunity, a place of salvation; to the Murderers, it is something they already have and need to protect from other people getting. To the Immigrants, Jesus is a guardian sharing in their suffering and giving aid at their worst extremity; to the Murderers Jesus is also a guardian of sorts, but as a patron and justifier of righteous violence. The Murderer with a rifle has a crucifix in his trigger-hand and another crucifix as the crosshair of his sight: symbolically, Jesus guides his killing-hand, and his murderous world-view is seen through Christ and the Crucifixion.

The view of the Murderers finds continuity in the citizens of Vulcan, Virginia; and I wonder if putting it in Virginia was, itself, symbolic. As a symbol of USian racism and white supremacy via its role in slavery, the confederacy, and Jim Crow, obviously, but also the name, Virginia, “Virgin”, and the way in which white concepts of virginity play into white USian racial, and sexualized national, anxieties. The people of Vulcan, as Wednesday says, want to keep for themselves “their America” and “their Town”, viewing the outside world(including the rest of America) as hostile and dangerous. That connection shows how easily the Murderers’ xenophobic desire to make the Nation inviolate(and therefore “virginal” in a misogynistic, property-relations conception of the term) morphs into egotistical sectionalism within the Nation(hint hint, the Southern revolt in defense of slavery). It shows how the mindset which vilifies and verminizes the outsider and immigrant quickly and easily turns to do the same to one’s neighbor, a connection strengthened by the visual callback to the Rifleman in Vulcan; right before Vulcan gives his benediction to the congregation, we see a close up of one of its members holstering his gun, a crucifix beside it on his belt.

While I can’t really articulate why at the moment, there seems something very Apt in this being the “home” and power-base for an Old God who has sold out to the New Ones. Maybe it is that the multiculturalism and racial “sensitivity” displayed by the New Gods in Ep 5 was so obviously the shallow insincerity of corporate image-control, that an Old God unabashedly promoting white supremacy and white Christian gun-culture seems philosophically aligned with them already. Or maybe it is that there are few ideas which have, historically, garnered more devotion in, and been more central to the Eurocolonial States of the American continents, than white supremacy making it, while unmentioned by the series, the oldest of America’s New Gods.

I don’t like how the Somewhere in America sequence fits, structurally, with the rest of the episode, though. I feel like it’d have been better, that it would make the argument more firmly and clearly, to cut directly from this SiA to introducing Vulcan, and either returning to the characters afterwards, or putting the two character sequences before, and having the SiA be an inter-ep interlude which blends back into the ep via the Vulcan intro. For instance: you do the intro scene, but take the bit where the camera lingers on a Vulcan bullet and put it at the end of it, after the crucifixion bit. The camera tracks the shell as it tumbles into darkness and then it lands on the factory floor in Vulcan, to be found by the “Boss”, who takes it from there. Maybe throw in a “wouldn’t want anybody to slip on this” line when he picks it up, so that his later death-by-factory-mishap is more ironic.

A Plot

I think the musical cues in S1E6 could have been seriously tuned back, which is weird because this series(and these show-staffers) typically do such a great job on sound and music. The cues used in L&Sw’s parking lot scene, and when Wednesday pulls the tree-homunculus out of Shadow, were distracting and dissonant with the action on the screen; I’d have preferred either leaving them out, or using something not so loud and jangly. Same thing for the music during Vulcan’s speech about faith in the study; it just didn’t FIT. Silence, punctuated at the moment of recognition of his betrayal by Vulcan’s pistol-shot, would have been a better accompaniment to the scene. The sort of sarcastically dirgey jazz march in Vulcan for the funeral didn’t work for me either. The shift to it from the more understated music before was too stark, the guitar distortions didn’t fit, and it sounded kinda... circusy is the only way I can describe it. I don’t think going that Metal with it worked well, though I understand the impulse given the industrial/volcanic subject matter and god it is meant to be themeing. I didn’t like how Wednesday’s monologue was woven into the march, either, and I felt it was kind of heavy-handed and obvious for the character. Maybe if it’d been done as a dialogue, with Shadow opening the discussion by commenting on the weirdness of the uniforms and guns, or on how everyone, from the moment he entered the town, was watching him with such obvious hostility?

Which gets to another thing I didn’t like about this ep, which was the writing for Shadow. He’s been written as more talkative and emotive than he was in the book throughout the series, and necessarily as rather passive and reactive here at the beginning as he’s been introduced to the world it takes place in, but this ep just really seemed to sideline him into sidekick territory; into setting up and reacting to the speeches and actions of others rather than being a full character, equally as involved in the story as everyone else.

And at the same time he was being sidelined, the action the ep chose to focus on wasn’t really given the time or treatment it needed to sell it. There are, of course, signs that Vulcan has chosen the other side(his industrialization for one thing, the unreality of the manufacturing sequence for another, his comfort and wealth for still another), and that Wednesday wants that friendship to have held firm but is wary(the thundering at the end of their first meeting, his notice of and slightly offended tone at Vulcan not drinking the Soma[which btw, they really need to have introduced and explained before it played a plot-point in an ep, adding to the feeling the Vulcan sequence was pushed forward from where it was originally meant to be in the series]), but that interpersonal stuff wasn’t built up enough to justify the pay off. On further viewing, the Study scene works better than it did initially for me, and I picked up on smaller touches in Whittle’s acting which I missed the first time around which made the whole sequence at his House better to me, but it as a whole(and the performances of McShane and Bernsen) still felt too heavy-handed and rushed to me for the feeling of paranoia it’s meant to evince. I mean: Shadow’s discomfort and its sources are more than clear from the moment they arrive, as is Vulcan’s role in escalating them through his unstated aggression towards Shadow(though I wonder if this is not only racism, but also a reaction to Shadow’s demigod nature? Vulcan’s “so it’s true” statement to Wednesday on seeing Shadow, and his look to Shadow at the end before saying “oh Yes” suggests to me that Odin’s fathering a child and bringing him into play might be seen as an act of aggression by the New Gods, raising tensions), but Wednesday’s concern, and the things Vulcan did to set it off, were too in-your-face and fast-developed to be satisfying.

Also, while the noose-vision at the tree itself was not a bad idea, having it be a bone-noose was cheesy, and belabored Odin’s connection to bonfires and skeletal remains through the symbol of the noose, for no reason I could see. I mean, thinking about it now, maybe the point was to suggest and foreshadow Odin’s own destructive manipulation of Shadow and his emotions, or Wednesday(and the concepts/states of mind he represents)’s own involvement in the USian history of lynching, more directly than a rope-noose would have? To tie Wednesday, who in the scene is Shadow’s ally and sympathetic confidante(sharing a knowing look with him in response to Vulcan’s behavior), to the very history of racist “sacrifice” to white purity and supremacy which puts Shadow on edge about the town in the first place? But, if so, it’s such a small, esoteric, difficult to parse part of the scene, and so overwhelmed by the more immediate and visceral reaction to the noose and lynching itself, that I don’t think it really conveys that effectively, even if that was the idea behind it(which it might not have been. Maybe they just thought it would look “Cool”). And, honestly, lynching symbolism is kind of a tasteless place to hide what could only be an easter-egg for book-fans already in-the-know |:T

Also, and this is obvsl less important than that last bit, I felt like the God-Talk in the house scenes was really obvious, but that the show wanted us to react to it like it wasn’t? Which is just... Incomprehensible, quite frankly. Honestly, the show’s kinda done a bad job of managing Shadow’s entree to this world in a way that keeps pace with that of the audience. Though I come at it from having read the book, so maybe someone who hasn’t would feel like the syncing of the pacing isn’t so bad.

Also Also: the Laura segue from the House didn’t fit. Like: why? What was it in those scenes connecting them? Shadow and his relationship to Laura and Wednesday and his relationship with Vulcan? Trust and Betrayal? Faith and Doubt in one’s relationships? The nature of Gods and Shadow’s growing divinity? Houses and Homes? It didn’t feel well-established and it did feel like just a lazy reason and way to transfer back to the ep’s B story.

I have to say I liked the conclusion of the A plot a lot better on a second viewing, though, and the look on McShane’s face after beheading Vulcan, while watching him burn in his own fire, was Delicious >:] The pissing into said fire to “lay a curse”, and Shadow’s overreaction to it, was Excessively “edgy” >:T There’s certainly something primally human in pissing as a sign of disrespect and desecration, more so when it is done onto the thing, but it just didn’t work for me in that context here(I’m curious to know if it worked and felt justified in the scene for others, though. Maybe the move away from such casual vulgarity, and the increased social sanctioning of sanitary functions, in the US over the last 100 years or so makes it too difficult to connect to? Maybe I’m just too prudish on this subject to appreciate its intent here?? idk)

B Plot

On further viewing, my opinion on the first leg of Laura, Sweeney, and Salim’s journey hasn’t changed much. I liked it, I thought their performances were good, the dialogue writing was mostly good though too on-the-nose philosophically and too wrought(sounding like something someone would write and not like something they’d say is what I mean) here and there. Laura’s long-suffering reaction to Sweeney’s constant “Cunt” was satisfying, as was her distaste for his mockery and meanness to Salim, even if it is probably partially instrumental to her and meant more to build a rapport with her driver than sincere. It was fine, but nothing in it really grabbed me or blew me away.

I’m a bit more conflicted on the her wanting to visit home again, though. On the one hand it didn’t feel natural, on the other part of Depression can be not feeling you feelings most of the time, and then being overly sentimental when you finally, for once, do get to feel your feelings for awhile. That ambivalence of both wanting a connection and resenting it, appreciating people while also harboring very negative opinions about them sometimes(or most of the time) is part of being depressed so including that bit, and including it in a way that seemed out of the blue, certainly furthers that characterization of her.

I also like the bar scene a bit more, as I think there’s definitely a connection being drawn there between Laura’s “love” of Shadow, and Wednesday’s needs/plans for and befriending of Shadow. Sweeney’s obviously speaking more for Odin there of course, furthering Wednesday’s desire to keep Laura away from Shadow out of a concern that a variable like her could really throw a spanner in his plans for him, by sowing doubt in her mind about his continued devotion/love for her. But he’s right, in certain ways, about Laura’s feelings for Shadow, and more right than he could possibly know he is; that she doesn’t particularly care about how her love impacts Shadow, or their relationship and how he feels/felt about it, and only really considers their relationship, and Shadow, from the perspective of what it can do for her and make her feel. Basically that her relationship with him is Instrumental and fundamentally manipulative. This scene cuts directly to Shadow looking up at Vulcan’s hanging tree and seeing that bone-noose flop down. Which, now that I think about it, probably undermines my complaints about it a bit >:| That connection, and Laura’s parting rejection of examining her relationship to Shadow, casts Wednesday’s sympathy with Shadow in that scene, over Vulcan’s behavior and comments and the Neighborhood Watchman eyeballing him, in a more insidious and manipulative light. This suggests that that sympathy, and Wednesday’s later use of the common social justice refrain that neutrality in the face of oppression is siding with oppression, are performances for Shadow; attempts to manipulate and use him just like Laura did and still wants to.

Seeing that now, though, I’m still ambivalent about the scenes; they just don’t feel like, when watching them, they are handled as well as they could be, or that they make this as obvious as it needs to be given the subject matter and the importance of getting these racial politics immediately across to everyone in the audience.

The Ending of the B Plot returns to the central theme of this episode; Faith and Perspective, and how Big Ideas mean different things to different people. Salim prays and says God is Great. Laura, in typical Jerk-Atheist fashion, condescendingly corrects him with “Life is Great, Salim not Salim”. But he doesn’t take offense because he hears that as an addition, rather than the correction she meant. “Life is Great” he adds, to him nothing more than a recognition that God’s Greatness comes to people through the Life it gives them. With the Sunrise in the background, the examination of his prayer as a physical act, and the appropriate music, it’s an ending that manages to be thematically appropriate and beautiful without ignoring or editing away Laura’s egocentric misanthropy(her focus on Life, when that’s the objective she’s currently pursuing, is Telling), or Sweeney’s twitchy, dissatisfied sense of abandonment as he side-eyes and spits and kicks the dirt at a sun whose meaning for him has yet to be entirely revealed. And again, I just have to say Schreiber’s performance is amazing, because with those simple gestures he manages to convey that his constant aggression is somehow tied to his relationship to the Sun, beyond his need for the Coin and the ill-luck giving it away has brought him.

So I still feel pretty dissatisfied with A Murder of Gods, but with more looks I think there’s definitely Meat to dig into in it. The ideas and themes in it are interesting, but I didn’t find the execution of all of them satisfying.

#American Gods #American Gods Spoilers #AG S1E6 #A Murder of Gods #Followups #zA's Outside Viewing #TV Reviews #analytic posts

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celticnoise · 4 years

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Months ago, I wrote one of the most controversial articles in the recent history of this site.

It was on context, and why certain words have different meanings depending on how they are used.

I wrote it because certain segments of Sevconia were tripping out over the use of the word “fenian” on a Green Brigade banner whereas their use of it was deemed offensive.

And in that article I talked about how black comedians in America – with Richard Pryor as the lead-off hitter (second baseball comparison of the day for me) – seized the N word from the racists and bigots and made it their own.

They took the power out of the word. They took away its ability to hurt people. They blunted the sword.

The contextual difference is this; when two black men are trading the word with each other, bantering and going back and forth, that gives it a very different context to a white supremacist shouting the word through a loud-hailer at a rally.

Context, yet … but the time, and the place, matters too.

A good friend of mine, my regular drinking buddy when I was in Glasgow City Council, is, like me, a huge film buff.

One of the movies Andy and I used to exchange dialogue from was a Christopher Walken piece called The Prophecy.

I’ll spare you the plot, it is pure cheese.

In it, Walken plays the Archangel Gabriel, who’s fallen out with God over humans and our exalted status.

(It was the stupendous Green Brigade banner at the game, depicting another Archanegel, Michael, that made me think of this.)

Wielding sarcasm and bitterness like a broadsword, Walken spends a lot of the movie pouring scorn on the human race.

He refers to humans as the “talking monkeys.”

Witless, uncomprehending, understanding neither ourselves nor the bigger mysteries of which his character is privy.

Mortal, fallible, weak. Yet considered his equals.

My mate liked that phrase a lot, and always used to use it in reference to Rangers and their fans.

I picked up the habit, and used to lapse into it from time to time when discussing them.

I understand the context; the Peepul might be sentient creatures who walk on two legs just as we do, but as their behaviour is often so one-dimensional as to make them cut-out characters you couldn’t string together enough of their brain-cells to power a set of Christmas lights.

Our calling them zombies is not that much different.

Why did I stop doing it?

Because it was dumb to begin with, and I realised how easily it could get you into trouble if it became entrenched.

Imagine shouting that at the screen, in a pub, just as Alfredo Morelos or Joe Aribo is passed the ball?

Racist? Not in the context you mean it, but who’s going to give you a chance to explain that to them?

Think you’d get the opportunity to relay the details of a movie from 1995 and how the spiteful derisive a fallen angel applies to the human race tickles you enough that you’ve taken to using it as a shorthand for Sevco?

You’d be lucky if jailing was all you got.

And you know what?

It’s probably right that you wouldn’t get away with it.

Because maybe, although you don’t intend to cause offence, that explanation is too easily adopted by those whose intent is much more sinister.

Is that a daft thing to care about?

I used to think that it was, but once you establish a precedent for something all manner of scum can hide behind it, and use it in their defence.

I no longer think it’s as daft as I once did.

This is why the law exists at all. What does the law say?

A judge would not care about the context because the average person would not care.

That’s the criminal standard and I broadly accept it.

Besides all that, the joke stopped being funny when I started reading Ibrox Noise; I now consider it an insult to our simian friends.

By a similar token, I don’t use the H word either.

I don’t believe the word is sectarian,

I don’t believe the word should be banned, but to me it’s always had a very specific meaning and I know that not everyone who uses it shares that sentiment.

It comes from Attila, who looted, scorched and destroyed everything he came across.

It’s a word that denotes wreckers, those of a certain hate-filled disposition.

They don’t have respect or tolerance; they want to burn the world down.

Far from something I apply to everyone of an Ibrox persuasion it’s a term I’ve frequently applied to those ex-Celt’s in the media who never tire of sticking the boot into us. I’d never put Kenny Miller or Brian Laudrup or even Terry Butcher (especially since his public repudiation of sectarianism) in that category, but I would quite happily attach it to Walker, Provan and Nicholas.

It’s about a state of mind, and about how a person behaves.

The reason I don’t use it is that there are better terms out there for getting that message across; I find the constant way it’s used to be lazy and, yes, a lot of folk would apply it in a sectarian way.

The same applies to the word “orange”, a word with a socio-political meaning, a quite explicit one and which is in no way relatable to someone just because they sit in the Ibrox dugout.

Who has the time to stand and argue that point?

Let’s just drop the word entirely.

Sometimes not even the context matters.

Some things are just stupid.

Some things are prosecutable and stupid.

I bet almost everyone knows what’s coming, and you’d be right.

We live in the country where this was made quite clear to a deeply religious Polish goalkeeper who was told that expressions of religious faith could get you done.

Remember the outcry after Boruc made the Sign of the Cross during a Rangers game?

Who cared about context then?

We all did, Boruc did, because to him it was an act of religious observance which he had never encountered a problem with before.

But what I remember most about it was that much of the media said he should know better, that it was something he just plainly and simply shouldn’t have done in that time and place.

In. That. Time. And. Place.

Remember those words, they are important.

There is plenty of footage of Boruc doing it during other games; indeed, he did it before each and every match.

Did that stop the frothing?

Of course it didn’t.

Did it prevent the hacks from going into a paroxysm of confected anger over it?

Nothing was going to deny them their day of metaphorically crucifying a Celtic hero.

Boruc was hauled up before the SFA and fined for it.

Few in the press went to the bat for him. (Third baseball metaphor.)

A lot of the same people who are happy to defend Morelos were sticking the boot right in.

These same people wanted Scott Brown hung, drawn and quartered for celebrating in front of his own fans last season at Celtic Park.

You could not mark their necks with a blowtorch.

During Rangers’ financially doped march to nine in a row, Gascoigne did his mock playing of the flute against Celtic not once but twice.

A lot of the hacks still fete him and treat it like a joke.

The first time he said he’d been set up, although it would have taken that particular talking money (see what I did there?) five seconds, had he used one brain cell, to figure it out.

If he had a brain cell, that is.

I have never bought his excuse, and especially not when you consider his sordid history since, which involves not only sectarianism but racism as well.

Even if I had, what was his excuse the second time he did it?

The SFA let him off both times, by the way … although Rangers itself accepted that, especially on the second occasion, he had gone over the line. Walter Smith announced that he would face an internal disciplinary over it, and the club docked him wages.

Context counts for everything, or it would in a perfect world.

But the SFA and the Scottish media have been content, in years past, to get by simply by what looks appropriate at the time. To them. Perception is reality, and as long as they could make a case that Boruc was winding up Celtic fans or that Gascoigne was just being “Gazza” and didn’t intend offence, they were happy to ignore all else.

The same logic is being applied to Morelos and his throat-cutting gesture.

It is the same media sleight of hand which we’ve seen all too clearly down through the years, including when they reimagined Nazi salutes for “Red Hand Salutes”.

“We’re not doing a gesture linked to killing Jews, it’s one linked to killing Catholics.”

“Oh well, that’s alright then … you carry on.”

This logic, this ability to justify anything, is astonishing.

It is also appalling.

But I have to give it to them on this one; their “found footage” of Morelos making a “cut throat” gesture to “celebrate” a goal in Denmark on Sevco’s European travels is a masterpiece of obfuscation.

They say it will, or at least should, exonerate the player.

But really?

Are they seriously going to ignore the where, when and circumstances of that act and say that because they can prove he did it before, in a different context, that it’s okay?

Let’s put in the context they claim; that Morelos was simply telling the Celtic fans “the game is over”.

With a throat-cutting gesture.

As he walked off the pitch after receiving a red card.

In the febrile atmosphere of a Glasgow derby.

Just for one second ponder that, will you?

Even if I believed that interpretation – and I do not believe it for one second – how stupid do you have to be not to realise that it’s act of gross stupidity in front of tens of thousands of people who might not understand or particularly care about the context?

If Morelos had tauntingly waved at the Celtic fans as he was walking off, that would have been an act of provocation and very few would have been in the slightest doubt about that … but this isn’t?

It was done as a GIRUY to the Celtic support; it was either Morelos slagging us off as he left the pitch after a red card or it was a threating gesture.

Both of these are punishable offences by the SFA.

Both of them.

There is no exoneration here, just degrees of guilt.

It defies belief that anyone in officialdom would even care what that gesture actually meant anyway; you only to consider what it looked like.

It was an either an act of spite or an act of criminal recklessness.

Either of those interpretations could have had the same ending; major trouble in the stands and across the city of Glasgow as a whole.

He did it walking off the pitch, and so either of those interpretations meets the SFA definition of actions which bring the game into disrepute.

It will be beyond belief if Morelos is not sanctioned for it.

In my opinion, Kent’s explanation for his own gesture to our fans is just as suspect, just as ridiculous, just as contemptuous in that it treats us like absolute mugs and it should be just as unacceptable to the governing body.

That, too, is a disciplinary offence.

Both of them, by the way, would have been disciplinary offences whether they had happened against Celtic or not.

That it was against us is a convenient way for the media to lump it into the usual aftermath of the game when it’s a much simpler issue.

But yes, the context, time and the place, and the circumstances … here, they matter a great deal.

I am disgusted by the way the media has leapt to the defence of this thug and cheat, this serial whinger, diver, as good at flicking out with boot or elbow, and as capable with a fist as with either of his feet at scoring goals.

Their desperation to find anything that would offer mitigation reeks of bias and is all intended to keep him on the pitch when his conduct has more than earned a lengthy spell in the stands.

There should be no debate here.

In any other football nation, there would not be, any more than Artur Boruc would have had to go in front of a judge and explain why a gesture you could see on any football pitch anywhere in the world constitutes a criminal offence in Scotland.

What warped standards we apply here.

What twisted things our media chooses to get angry over, and which it would exonorate.

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goth-unicorn-supreme · 5 years

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I had an oddly revealing conversation today while standing in line at Walmart. Someone made a comment about Trump’s infamous impersonation of fruit and I said, “An actual orange could run America better.” The black straight man (this will be relevant later, I promise) behind me snorted and laughed, and that’s how we got to talking. It was a long ass line, and the conversation started with Trump, so of course we did eventually get to racism and homophobia and sexism - Trump’s Three Pillars, if you will.

The man starts talking about the racism he has faced, and my heart went out to him. As a kid, he was forced to watch three teenage asshats absolutely trash his brand new bike that his mother just bought for his birthday while a fourth asshat held him. That was the only example, but I could see it was what affected him the worst. I was enraged, and I told him so. I asked what happened to them and he said, “Nothing, what did you think was going to happen? You whities don’t care.” I opened my mouth to continue to sympathize, but I paused. He pretty much just lumped me in with the bullies that did that to him. I know sometimes people trip up on speaking, I do it ALL the time, so I figured that’s what happened here. I smiled and said, “Well, I hope those fucks get their kneecaps broken at some point.” It’s my usual go-to “insert painful punishment here”, and even after everything that happened I STILL hope they get their kneecaps broken. Several times.

This point he’s enraged, and personally I believe he was probably reliving it. I can’t blame him. It’s no excuse for what came out of his mouth eventually though.

He begins ranting on how every white man, woman, and child deserves ‘it’ (he never did say what ‘it’ was, and I sure af didn’t ask). Then, he blurts out “And people think fucking Indians were oppressed! You stupid fucks don’t know what oppression is.” I let him go on about white people because in that moment I think he needed it. I think he needed to unleash all that pent up anger on a white person that he felt wasn’t going to bite back. I was more than willing to take it, right until he starts going off on Natives. I have no fucking clue where it came from, I was honestly shocked that someone who had faced such hatred could then turn around and do it to someone else.

“We’re not Indians. We’re not from India, Columbus was a dumb fuck - “ He doesn’t let me finish, now going off on how I’m not Native (still caused us Indians) and that I’m just a white bitch. I’ve had it. I hurt for this man, and under the disrespect and anger I was still hurting for this man. I was not going to let this man continue this bullshit, though.

“The only reason I don’t have an ID card was because my FULL BLOODED NATIVE MOTHER moved across the country the second she learned she was going to have me because HER mother was a physically abusive drunk. My mother chose my safety over my Native blood, and I thank her for it every day. My father is a white ginger, I had a 50/50 shot on what I looked like.” The man’s still anger, but he’s at least letting me speak now. I didn’t disappoint.

“Do you know what has been DONE to my mother’s people? Do you know how many have lost everything, including their life? Do they not teach about the Trail of Tears anymore? Do they not teach about how the government fucked over so many tribes by taking their land and relocating them to completely inhabitable plots of shit?” Honestly, this was as far as I wanted to go. End of the day, the man faced a horror that no one should go through. He wanted to continue.

“How is that comparable to what MY people faced? We were SLAVES, at least INDIANS weren’t.”

“THAT’S BECAUSE THE WHITE MAN DIDN’T THINK WE WERE GOOD ENOUGH. THE WHITE MAN WOULD RATHER SCALP US THAN KEEP US, AND LET’S NOT PRETEND THAT US NATIVES DIDN’T GET SCALPED BY BLACK MEN EITHER. YOU CAN LOOK THAT UP. OUR SCALPS WERE WORTH MORE THAN OUR LIVES.” I’m like two steps away from shouting, and by now there’s a line that has formed AROUND us. It’s Walmart, this shit happens every two weeks. No one bats an eye.

He’s quiet, and quiet, and quiet. I start calming down, I’m think this bullshit is over, I can go home and slam back as many teas as I can handle. Nope.

He looks thoughtful for a second, and then “You’re still white.”

I wanted to cry. I try a different approach, because it’s apparent I couldn’t walk away. What would that accomplish for this man? He’d leave still thinking every white doesn’t give a fuck about him, that every white person supports racism, although I think he might feel different about Natives.

“Are you straight, by chance?”

“Yea, why?”

“And you were born with a penis, correct?”

“Um, yea. I don’t - “

“So then, you’re part of my oppression. I’m LGBT, and I have a vagina. You are my oppressor.”

“What?! Lady, I haven’t done shit to you!”

“Exactly. And I haven’t done shit to you, but you lumped me in with the four piss ants that don’t even deserve to breathe the same oxygen as you do. I was ready to cry for you, but all you saw was me as your oppressor. If every white person is a fucking racist, then every straighty is homophobic and every man is sexist. But you’re not, are you?” He’s quiet again, so I lean in enough for him to clue in that I’m waiting for an answer.

“No, my sister is a lesbian. I love my little sister.”

Now we’re both quiet, for probably the first time in maybe twenty minutes. His face was just ... blank. I don’t know what he was thinking, and really it don’t matter. After a bit, I just reached out, put my hand on his arm, and told him that I truly believe racists, homophobes, sexists, and all those alike deserve nothing but death and then just walked off to find a line a few aisles away. I was emotionally drained, my adrenaline was wearing off so I was hit with a migraine and the need to vomit, and I couldn’t help but feel I came face to face with the product of Hatred. This is what racism does - it destroys lives, whether it’s literal or figurative. You can’t process hatred, you either fight it with love or you spread it. I don’t think anyone, and I mean ANYONE, had stepped in to help this man fight so he did the only option left - spread it towards Natives.

I’m probably gonna think about this man for the rest of my life. I’m probably gonna be on my death bed, wondering what has become of him. Every time I see hatred, this man is gonna be in my thoughts. Maybe I didn’t handle everything the way I should have, I still feel really bad about the scalping discussion, because I could tell by his face that the thought of black men scalping Natives was horrifying to him. I don’t know if he believed me or not, but the thought alone must have been enough for him. But, I’m content with what happened. Hate me, flame me, call me whatever you want, accuse me of what you will, but I am content with what happened.

#racism #sexism?#homophobia?#I dunno if those tags count for this #but eh #im now gonna go sleep for the next twelve hours because im exhausted

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wanderermatteo · 7 years

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The Pier

The Pier I had spent the night awake, as now seemingly all my nights were. Nothing could free my mind from the confusions that clear thought held. I had to get high, soften the loneliness and the guilt that refused to let me rest in peace. Grabbing a dub and and my wallet. I dressed lightly and headed out of the shelter. The air was crisp and chilled by the early mornings still darkness. I found relief in the cold walk towards the pier, it seemed to take away the depression and replace it with more of an even keeled emotion. The pier as I expected was empty in the early dawn with the exception of an Asian fisherman, towards the end of the pier. Casting out twinned traps trying to catch I don’t know what out the polluted Hudson. I passed him walking all the way to the piers tip, and sat absorbing the mist that had yet to be cut by direct Sun light. I sat for a second and wished, I was on the other side of Manhattan. At least I could have seen the sun rise. I missed the sunrise, it seemed so lackluster and completely lacking in magic in the city. Or maybe that was just the homesick part of me thinking.

A sound behind me made me turn and look more suddenly and directly than politeness calls for at the face of and old Asian man running near the rail. He seemed to not realize the look or even m presence for that matter. He passed within a foot of me, following the rail exactly as it cornered and cornered again and lead back towards land. Unheaded by me his wife I am assuming passed me in the same manner and the same path as he, althouth a bit more rounded and less cornered path. She followed him as might a faithful dog tired of its masters ubsured energy. I smiled something about her was comedic and yet commendable. In my pocket my hand touched the sharp corner of the bag maryjane. Smiling again and remembering my purpose for this early visit to the pier. I pulled the bag and my wallet from my pocket. Putting bag between my teeth, I opened my wallet and took two Bob marleys out. The wind was not moving so rolling was a “breeze” I took my time though. I liked to think I rolled a beautiful joint and this would be no exception. I had no fear of police, I knew that at 4:30 the last of the night patrol had left, and it might be noon before the pier would be invaded again by their unwelcome presence. There. It was done, I felt proud. And why not it was perfect the finely crushed weed Thinly wrapped looked…I wish I could show it off. This interrupting thought made a feeling of loneliness sweep back, I lost the slight smile that had found a home on my face. But only for a second I was feeling better now and the unlit joint in my hand needed a lighter. Lighting the j took more of an effort than had rolling it, it seemed that with the sun beginning to rise was coming a breeze. Finally cupping my free hand, flicking the lighter hard, pulling deeply it lite. I pulled hard I had no desire for the small ember to go out. It glowed brightly slowly eating it’s way around the tip and down the j. Exhalling I almost coughed, the pull had been a bit much but I knew a few more like that and I would want nothing in the world but sleep. I smoked lazily just fast enough to keep the ember well lit but that was all. I noticed the sun had made its first contact with the houses on the Jersey side. Turning I saw it rising between the buildings of times square. The drug did its trick, even in the now growing breeze I didn’t feel the cold. The Waves and seagulls were more beauty and entertainment than I could wish for. My mind was now a simpler and more peaceful place. I felt the sudden heat of the ember on my finger tips, instinctively I flicked the small roach from my fingers. It landed on the boards of the pier and them a second later sweepted by the wind fell to the water below. I reached for and lit a cig, it tasted good. I smoked it much more quickly than I had the j. Pulling hard and exhaling, enjoying the clouds of smoke blowing into the wind. Footsteps again suddenly grabbed my attention, turning quickly my eyes found the eyes of man might have been 25 maybe 40. And obviously homeless. He returned the look walked up and asked for a cig, dahm I have to stop doing that, I thought. Eye contact in New York was always an invitation of some kind, and mostly unwelcome attention. But I was in a good mood and had a fresh pack so I replied in a friendly if not completely genuine “sure ya no problem.” After bumming a light as well, he sat down on the bench next to me. I had hoped he was going to at least leave me in peace, after getting a cig. But after setting his back pack down. He looked and asked me if I smoked. The sarcastic answer of “of course” “im smoking now” came to mind, but I knew what he meant. A simple yes came to my lips and before I knew it he was unzipping a pocket in his pack and pulled out a nice looking blunt, lit it, and held it towards me. And though still somewhat standoff ish, to his presence. I accepted his implied offer and took the blunt. You have no idea what the fuck is in that blunt. Was the one clear thought my intoxicated brain had but it was not alarming enough to me in that moment. And besides he seems calm and intelligent enough. I pulled once, exhaling and reaching the blunt towards him. He motioned for me to take another pull. It tasted good so I looked the offer this time with less fear and more friendship. Exhalling a second time I handed it back to him. He began saying sometime about the dahm fucking Asians always running around for no reason. I was to high to really object or even really listen. Although something in his voice made me laugh, and them convulsively cough as a result. Rookie mistake I thought. Never laugh while smoking. Looking down I noticed his feet were worn through the leather shoes he was wearing. Something about him made me double think my perceptive powers. Everything about his clothes said bum, and yet something about the way he had walked when he approached, the clear blue of his eyes and may be something about his nose gave him an air of royal presence. Haha here! Pulled from my thoughts I noticed he had been trying to pass the weed back, I smiled, laughed and “sorry I zoning out”. He laughed and I pulled, things became quiet for the first time since he had sat down, it seemed my Caucasian brother had run out of racist comments about the Asian fisherman 20 yards behind us. Suddenly he jumped up. Standing in front of me he waved his hand out as calming a cheering crowd and began delivering lines from what I thought was the sapranos. He mimicked well, every line was perfect in tone and delivered beautifully. But all I could feel was embarrassed, I looked around quickly and no one seemed to be around. Even the Fisherman seemed oblivious to the performance going on before me. “And cut!” Was his enfatict punctuation to the bit of theater. Looking at me he seemed unaffected by what had to have been mere shock and confusion on my face. Spinning lightly he sat back down and asked me if I knew that the pyramid capped building behind us was the illuminati head quarters in New York. I trying to keep my smile hidden, told him I did not. He then began telling me about his girl friend, well one of his girl friends, his Russian girl friend who because of her families blood lines had been invited to that building and had seen the secret workings within. Even though doubting his sanity at this point, I decided his story entertaining and asked questions at points as he told me his tale. He had been born weathly, but had become poor on the sudden death of his aunt who raised him. On his 30rth birthday a fortune would be his, the trust of the estate would be put in his name. He had seen much of the world Russia and Italy, were the only places he thought worth being. Since the power of the world rested in their hands. So on and forth his story came. I could not laugh, so sincerely did he talk that I feel he would have been hurt if I seemed anything but believing. He was maybe the most racist man I have ever met, he told me that the “plutarians” some sort of alien race had founded the world and mixed their blood with that of the Aryan races. He told me that he was the last of the plutarians, and all hope of preserving this long hallowed race were all but lost. I should have disagreed, this is a sinful thing to say, but it felt good even if only in the whimsical tales of this crazy man, to feel superior. It fed something dark in my soul that I have no interest finding again. Lighting a cig, I passed him one without him asking and then the light as well. I was feeling generous, and though somewhat shocked by the amount racial hate being spewed around an epic tale of the founding of the earth, I was alone. No one in the world would know better if I enjoyed how eloquently he told the story. He was eloquent I thought as he rumiged through his bag. His vocabulary stretched the limits of my own rather inflated mental dictionary. “Here it is, my plays” he said “plays I have worked on for years, each one could be the greatest piece of literature ever to grace man’s pitiful eye.” I might have smiled as he introduced the few scrapes of paper carefully rolled and held by an elastic band. He looked hurt for a second as if my smile had been an unbelieving one mocking his sanity. But As he had at other points in the conversation, he simply blinking his eyes and dove into the story of his plays as if to convince me that his introduction to them had not been overestimated. As he talked glanced across at the now unraveled pages in his hand. I realized as he jumped from page to page telling me the endless plots they contained, that only the first page had been written on, the rest were empty. I felt pity, for the first time when I saw this but I pray to God he did not see it. If earth has taught taught me one thing I is never to pity, give yes, empathize yes, assist yes. But never pity...

#story #my favorite short story #my original work #read this #check this out #art #long reads #love this #writers on Tumblr

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anitabyars · 7 years

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Kennedy Ryan shares a special post on the inspiration behind "Bruise," the original piece written for her latest release Grip. (Scroll to the end for the full poem & a signed paperback giveaway.) “Am I all of your fears, wrapped in black skin?” The cursor flashed a warning at the end of the line I’d just typed. Read on its own, the words seared the page, an incendiary challenge. A jagged line in the sand that could shove half my readers to one side, and half to the other. I needed to be careful. I wanted to be fearless. I had to be honest. The hero of Grip, my latest release, Marlon James (Grip to his fans), is a rising hip-hop star, but he’s more than that. He’s a lyricist and a poet. He’s a black man, concerned about black men vulnerable to cops who should be protecting them. He admires officers who run toward danger when most of us run away. He wonders what he can do to bridge the gap between the two. I took several risks writing Grip, confronting, in the context of a love story, prejudices that are often blatant, but sometimes remain hidden even from ourselves. No issue weighed heavier on my mind than that of black v. blue. In the story, Grip gets stopped DWB. Driving While Black, for those unfamiliar. Probably somewhere else in mainstream romance, readers have sat behind the wheel in a black hero’s perspective, glanced in the rearview mirror, seen those blue lights flashing, and wrestled with the fear, frustration and anger born from years of being stopped for no reason...but I haven’t read it. And as I wrote it, I remembered my own husband’s accounts of being stopped most of his life; of him and his friends lying on their stomachs on the ground while their cars were searched. I recalled the first-hand accounts I’d read of black and Hispanic men, even in the last few months in LA, Grip’s hometown, stopped and searched so much more than their counterparts. But I also thought of my friend’s husband, a good cop, a good man who faced down fear every day to protect people like me. Of her anxiety when tragedy strikes, when travesties happen. Incidents that I watch on television from the safety of my couch while her husband wades knee-deep into danger. I wanted to tell both sides of this story. I didn’t want to debate or persuade. I wanted readers to listen; to hear the other perspective. To consider. To understand. To empathize. These are the building blocks of resolution. Our country is more divided than we’ve been in a long time, and many of those divisions still, sadly still, fall along the lines of race. I don’t know how we resolve anything in this current climate. I don’t think we do unless we exchange perspectives; manage to communicate with one another in lower decibels, in reasonable thoughts, in something besides shouty caps on Facebook and Twitter. In Flow, the prequel to Grip, Bristol, the heroine says, “...before we say our words, they’re ammunition. After we’ve said them, they’re smoking bullets. There seems to be no middle ground and too little common ground for dialogue to be productive. We just tiptoe around things, afraid we’ll offend or look ignorant, be misunderstood. Honesty is a risk few are willing to take.” And yet it requires honesty, and giving each other grace to speak with candor and respect, even if sometimes ineloquently. It requires that we step into the other’s shoes. Usually, we are not all right or all wrong. We are more nuanced than that; the issues more complex than black and white. Or in this case, black and blue. This story models that, I hope. In my small corner of the world, with the only tools at my disposal, my pen and my voice, I hope I demonstrated that. I hope someone on one side of that jagged line in the sand understood the person across from them a little better after reading GRIP. This wasn’t about my personal outrage; my indignation as I watched black men gunned down this summer during traffic stops. It wasn’t about my horrified grief as I watched cops in Dallas ambushed, killed. It wasn’t just about either, and it was completely about both. One of my favorite communicators says sometimes we choose between making a point and making a difference. I really hope, in some small way, the words to “Bruise,” the original piece I co-wrote with a spoken word artist for this book, volley right past just making a point, and manage to make a small difference, even if the only difference is that one person chooses to listen and tries to understand. There are so many other things I could say; so many statistics I could cite to sway you to one side or the other. But instead, I’ll let “Bruise” speak for itself. And for those on both sides of that jagged line in the sand. For more on the role of race in Grip, check out Mara White's piece in The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/58b96fd5e4b0fa65b844b200 Signed paperbacks of GRIP & FLOW, the prequel, are up for grabs on Kennedy's Facebook page! ENTER HERE: https://www.facebook.com/KennedyRyanAuthor/photos/a.502447269864442.1073741828.438681796240990/1186068878168941/?type=3&theater “BRUISE” Copyright (c) Kennedy Ryan, 2017 Am I all of your fears, wrapped in black skin, Driving something foreign, windows with black tint Handcuffed on the side of the road, second home for black men Like we don’t have a home that we trying to get back to when PoPo pulls me over with no infractions, Under the speed limit, seat belt even fastened, Turned on Rosecrans when two cruisers collapsed in Barking orders, yeah, this that Cali harassment Guns drawn, neighbors looking from front lawns and windows I know cops got it hard, don’t wanna make a wife a widow But they act like I ain’t paying taxes, like your boy ain’t a citizen They think I’m riding filthy, like I’m guilty pleading innocence. They say it's ‘Protect & Serve’, but check my word Sunny skies, ghetto birds overhead stress your nerves, They say if you ain’t doin’ wrong, you got nothin’ to fear, But the people sayin’ that, they can’t be livin’ here . . . We all BRUISE, It’s that black and blue A dream deferred, Nightmare come true In another man’s shoes, Walk a mile or two Might learn a couple things I’m no different than you! You call for the good guys when you meet the bad men, I’m wearing a blue shield and I still feel the reactions When I patrol the block, I can sense dissatisfaction There’s distrust, resentment in every interaction, Whether the beat cop, lieutenant, sergeant or the captain We roll our sleeves up and we dig our hands in I joined the force in order to make a difference, Swore to uphold the law, protect men, women and children, These life and death situations, we make split-second decisions All for low pay, budget cutbacks and restrictions We’re ambushed in Dallas, now where’s all the chatter Gunned down in Baton Rouge, don’t blue lives need to matter? Not just a job—it's a calling, a vocation, My wife’s up late pacin’, for my safety—she’s praying, And yet you call me racist? You wanna trap me with your phone? I’m just a man with a badge trying my best to make it home. We all BRUISE, It’s that black and blue A dream deferred, Nightmare come true In another man’s shoes, Walk a mile or two Might learn a couple things I’m no different than you! Buy GRIP Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2lKfZVt Amazon Universal: myBook.to/GetAGrip Free in KU! Join the Discussion Group once you’re done: http://bit.ly/2m8xEqf Check out the TEESPRING Campaign: https://teespring.com/GetGripped Listen to the playlist on iTunes: http://apple.co/2lWI9ur Listen to the playlist on Spotify: http://bit.ly/2lWrHdS "The story reads like a movie . . powerful and intoxicating ... and sinfully sexy. GRIP has everything—dynamic characters, soulful plot, and a lesson at the end that will change the way you look at life. One of my favorite reads this year. Maybe ever. 5 massive, gripping stars from me!" -- Adriana Lock, USA Today Bestselling Author About GRIP: Resisting an irresistible force wears you down and turns you out. I know. I’ve been doing it for years. I may not have a musical gift of my own, but I’ve got a nose for talent and an eye for the extraordinary. And Marlon James – Grip to his fans – is nothing short of extraordinary. Years ago, we strung together a few magical nights, but I keep those memories in a locked drawer and I’ve thrown away the key. All that’s left is friendship and work. He’s on the verge of unimaginable fame, all his dreams poised to come true. I manage his career, but I can’t seem to manage my heart. It’s wild, reckless, disobedient. And it remembers all the things I want to forget. Download Flow, the prequel to GRIP, TOTALLY FREE! Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lAhSSC Read on WATTPAD: http://w.tt/2kUo8Yk About FLOW: In 8 years, Marlon James will be one of the brightest rising stars in the music industry. Bristol Gray will be his tough, no-nonsense manager. But when they first meet, she’s a college student finding her way in the world, and he’s an artist determined to make his way in it. From completely different worlds, all the things that should separate them only draw them closer. It’s a beautiful beginning, but where will the story end? FLOW is the prequel chronicling the week of magical days and nights that will haunt Grip & Bristol for years to come. Add STILL (Grip #2) to your TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34642932-still About the Author: Kennedy loves to write about herself in third person. She loves Diet Coke…though she’s always trying to quit. She adores her husband…who she’ll never quit. She loves her son, who is the most special boy on the planet. And she’s devoted to supporting and serving families living with Autism. And she writes love stories! Facebook: http://facebook.com/KennedyRyanAuthor Book Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/681604768593989/ Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kennedy-ryan Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jTjDuU Twitter: @Kennedyrwrites Instagram: @kennedyryan1 Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/author/show/7429243.Kennedy_Ryan Google +: http://plus.google.com/u/0/+KennedyRyanAuthor/posts Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kennedyryan/

#kennedy ryan

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