Link Roundup: Emotional Labor, Culture Wars, and Avatar

In cleaning out my bookmarks folders (something that I occasionally do in order to prune out all the dead links) I happened upon several things that I had been meaning to actually do a blog post on, but life intervened and for one reason or another, it never happened.

Given that 2019 is my year for kindness (radical, reckless kindness for both others and myself) and acknowledging that my life is no less crazy than it was back then, so the likelihood of each of these getting said blog post is slim to none. I resolved instead to put them some of them here as a kind of link roundup ( to put all of them would make this post long in all the bad ways so I’m breaking them up into chunks).

Women Aren’t Nags – We’re Just Fed Up – a piece on emotional labor and how it’s still something that a lot of guys just don’t understand.

Hunger Makes Me   – this piece threw me for a loop when I first read it. My emotional response to it was overwhelming and complicated. Overall, it was an excellent piece. CW: does lightly reference eating disorders and dieting.

How to win a culture war and lose a generation – an older article, but no less relevant or salient for the passing of time. Followed up by From Waging War to Washing Feet: How do we move forward? – both of these articles are written by the same person, Rachel Held Evans, and both of them are very good, especially given the day and age we are in, and the clashes between the generations.

When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like ‘Avatar’ – an intriguing look at Avatar and the problems inherit with that film and others like it.

Attacking Avatar – another look at breaking down Avatar and why exactly it left you unsatisfied after viewing it.

A Thought on Action Movies

It is always interesting to watch action movies when you are a child of the military-industrial complex. Growing up on military bases and in and around the DC-Metro area makes its mark on you. It’s a little weird to describe sometimes, but by both deliberate training and general osmosis, you become a little more sensitive to a whole host of things. You tend to notice different things that civilians don’t always pick up on.

So you pick up on a lot really quickly, because that’s a thing that keeps you alive in the real world, but those skills also transfer over to movie watching.

Especially action/adventure/spy movies (or shows). Which all of us have love/hate relationships with and none of us can actually stop watching them. It’s almost a game to spot the mole or spot that one flaw that is going to be SUPER critical in 5,4,3,2, now.

It gets even creepier when the thing takes place somewhere you know well. Winter Soldier is one of the finest pieces of action cinema that I’ve seen and it’s also one of the most chilling simply because I know that city and that terrain pretty intimately.

Olympus Has Fallen was literally breathtaking, not just because of the premise (which was terrifying on its own) but because of the response times. The little details in that film had some family members dissecting it and how it couldn’t work like that in real life for their own peace of mind.

MI-5/Spooks had some episodes that were similar in nature. The ones that were just a little too realistic and had us squirming uncomfortably on the couch because “there but for the Grace of God go I.”

The reason this thought came about was because my AR (Awesome Roomie) and I were watching an action movie (Stratton on Amazon Prime, I definitely recommend it) because I love action movies and she loves Tyler Hoechlin and we were both having audible reactions to some of it for really different reasons.

So which action movies/shows are your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Sound The Bells

So this is a thing I love a lot. Sound The Bells by Dessa set to PacRim clips, telling a gorgeous story conveyed through exquisite craftsmanship.

In the past couple of weeks, my day job has been rather more intense than normal, which was expected (there’s a reason we refer to it as the year end deathmarch) so I’ve been laying low in my off hours. It was not exactly a stellar year and I’m closer to actual burnout than I want to be. So it’s time to read and rest and refresh myself. Part of that is going back to some of my favorite things. Things that make me happy.
I’ve been kicking around fandom for longer than I care to admit and one of the things that I love the most is the boundless creativity that springs up from it.

One of my friends linked the above video ages ago and I had to click on it – a fanvid set to one of my favorite songs using one of my favorite movies? It was a gift. I keep coming back to it too. The transitions are beautiful and the song pairs so well with the movie clips and even if you know nothing about the movie, you still get a great experience out of watching this video. It’s delightful artwork and it reminds me that fandom is supposed to be fun and it’s supposed to bring you joy in what you love.

The 2019 Reading Challenge

Yep, you read that right. The 2019 Reading Challenge.

After talking to one of my tribe members and doing a little bit of research here and there, I’ve decided to start a year long challenge and chronicle it here. I’m going to see exactly how many books I can read over the course of the year. There’ll be monthly check-ins and a few reviews where and when I can do them.

I’m starting with with my TBR pile which is about as tall as I am (I am exactly 5ft tall) for physical books. I am also counting my Audible list and the EBooks I have that I haven’t read yet. Comics and Graphic Novels also count. Basically I want to read more this year than I did last year and reading has always been my first and best passion. If you want to join in on the fun, I’m using the hashtag #UBC19/#ubc19 to keep track of my reading on the various social media platforms. Feel free to ask me about any or all of what I’m reading if you catch me in person. There’s nothing I love more than getting to nerd out with other book enthusiasts.

I’ll put the titles of the ones I’ve finished here:

  1. To Make Monsters Out Of Girls – Amanda Lovelace
  2. Limetown – Cote Smith (created by Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie)
  3. Milk and Honey – Rupi Kaur
  4. The Princess Saves Herself In This One – Amanda Lovelace
  5. The Witch Doesn’t Burn In This One – Amanda Lovelace
  6. Fierce Fairytales – Nikita Gill
  7. T-Rex Trying – Hugh Murphy
  8. Inspired – Rachel Held Smith
  9. Ad Eternum – Elizabeth Bear
  10. Seven for a Secret – Elizabeth Bear
  11. The White City – Elizabeth Bear
  12. GMorning Gnight: little pep talks for me and you – Lin-Manuel Miranda & Jonny Sun
  13. Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants, and Trees – Ernst and Johanna Lehner
  14. Secrets of the Nile – Carolyn Keene
  15. Batman #50
  16. Batman #51
  17. Batman #52
  18. Batman #53
  19. Batman #54
  20. Batman #55
  21. Batman #56
  22. Batman #56
  23. The Wicked + The Divine #38
  24. The Wicked + The Divine #39
  25. The Wicked + The Divine Special 1373
  26. Dead on Target – Franklin W. Dixon
  27. Night Train to Memphis – Elizabeth Peters
  28. A Study in Emerald – Neil Gaiman
  29. Tiger! Tiger! – Elizabeth Bear
  30. The Case of The Wavy Black Dagger – Steve Perry
  31. A Case of Royal Blood – Steven-Elliot Altman
  32. The Weeping Masks – James Lowder
  33. Art in the Blood – Brian Stableford
  34. The Curious Case of Miss Violet Stone – Poppy Z. Brite and David Ferguson
  35. Legion versus Phalanx – Myke Cole.
  36. Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys – Super Mystery: Mystery Train – Carolyn Keene
  37. The Mermaid’s Voice Returns In This One – Amanda Lovelace
  38. Alexander Hamilton’s Guide To Life – Jeff Wilser
  39. The Adventure of The Antiquarian’s Niece- Barbara Hambly
  40. The Mystery of The Worm- John Pelan
  41. The Mystery of The Hanged Man’s Puzzle – Paul Finch
  42. The Horror of The Many Faces -Tim Lebbon
  43. The Adventure of The Arab’s Manuscript- M+ichael Reeves
  44. The Drowned Geologist – Caitlin R. Kiernan
  45. A Case of Insomnia – John P. Vourlis
  46. The Adventure of The Voorish Sign – Richard A. Lupoff
  47. The Adventure of Exham Priory- F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre
  48. Death Did Not Become Him – David Niall Wilson and Patricia Lee Macomber
  49. Nightmare In Wax- Simon Clark
  50. Sunshine – Robin McKinley
  51. Down Among The Sticks and Bones – Seanan McGuire
  52. Beneath The Sugar Sky- Seanan McGuire
  53. Sparrow Hill Road -Seanan McGuire
  54. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown – Seanan McGuire
  55. Good Society RPG sourcebook
  56. The Wicked + The Divine – #40
  57. The Wicked + The Divine – #41
  58. The Wicked + The Divine- #42
  59. Princesses Behaving Badly – Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
  60. Leia Princess of Alderaan – Claudia Gray
  61. The Three-Body Problem – Cixin Liu, trans, by Ken Liu
  62. P.S. I Still Love You – Jenny Han
  63. In an Absent Dream – Seanan McGuire
  64. Always and Forever, Lara Jean – Jenny Han
  65. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making – Catherynne M. Valente
  66. Shadow Unit 1
  67. Batman #57
  68. Batman #58
  69. Batman# 59
  70. Batman #60
  71. Batman #61
  72. Batman #62
  73. Batman #63
  74. Batman #64
  75. Batman#65
  76. Batman Annual 3
  77. Werewolf the Apocalypse – 20th Anniversary Edition RPG sourcebook
  78. Kingdom of Needle and Bone – Mira Grant
  79. The Fifth Season – N.K. Jemisin
  80. The Wicked + The Divine #43
  81. Batman#66
  82. Batman#67
  83. Batman#68
  84. Batman#69
  85. Batman#70
  86. Star Wars: Age of Republic: Padme Amidala
  87. Star Wars: Age of Rebellion: Special
  88. Berlin – Jason Lutes
  89. Barrier – Brian K Vaughn
  90. James Bond 007 – Warren Ellis
  91. H1 Ignition – Mark Waid + Team
  92. Malika Fire and Frost – Roye Okupe
  93. Worlds of Aspen 2016 – Joshua Hale Fialkov & J.T. Krul
  94. The Looking Glass Wars: Crossfire – Frank Beddor
  95. Star Wars: Republic Commando: Triple Zero – Karen Traviss
  96. Hawkeye: My Life as A Weapon – Matt Fraction/David Aja
  97. Hawkeye: Little Hits – Matt Fraction/David Aja
  98. The Obelisk Gate – N.K. Jemisin
  99. The Language and Writing System of MS408 (Voynich) Explained – Dr. Gerard Cheshire
  100. The Stone Sky – N.K. Jemisin
  101. Master and Apprentice – Claudia Gray
  102. Final Girls – Mira Grant
  103. Midway Relics and Dying Breeds – Seanan McGuire
  104. No Flight Without the Shatter – Brooke Bolander
  105. The Seventh Bride – T. Kingfisher
  106. Leviathan Wakes – James S.A. Corey
  107. The Long Con Volume 1 – Dylan Meconis/Ben Coleman
  108. A Discovery of Witches – Deborah Harkness
  109. Red Hood Outlaw: Requiem For An Archer- Lobdell/Woods/Loomis
  110. Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance – Tobias S. Buckell
  111. Waiting Out the End of the World at Patty’s Place Cafe – Naomi Kritzer
  112. I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land – Connie Willis
  113. This Is How You Lose The Time War – Amal Al-Mohtar & Max Gladstone – Hardcover
  114. This Is How You Lose The Time War – Amal Al-Mohtar & Max Gladstone -Audiobook
  115. This Is How You Lose The Time War – Amal Al-Mohtar & Max Gladstone – Ebook
  116. Vegas Heist – Van Allen Plexico
  117. Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue – Charlie Jane Anders
  118. Confessions of a Con Girl – Nick Wolven
  119. Utopia, LOL – Jamie Wahls
  120. The Scholast in the Low Waters Kingdom – Max Gladstone
  121. Paradox – Naomi Kritzer
  122. Angel of the Blockade – Alex Acks
  123. The Fisher of Bones – Sarah Galley
  124. Crispin’s Model – Max Gladstone
  125. The Dark Birds – Ursula Vernon
  126. Waiting on A Bright Moon – JYYang
  127. Pan-Humanism: Hope and Pragmatism – Jess Barber and Sara Saab
  128. A Human Stain – Kelly Robson
  129. Storm of Locusts – Rebecca Roanhorse
  130. The Moscow Rules – Antonio and Jonna Mendez (with Matt Baglio)
  131. The Long Con #6 – Dylan Meconis/Ben Coleman
  132. The Long Con #7 – Dylan Meconis/Ben Coleman
  133. The Long Con #8 – Dylan Meconis/Ben Coleman
  134. The Long Con #9 – Dylan Meconis/Ben Coleman
  135. The Long Con #10 – Dylan Meconis/Ben Coleman
  136. The Wicked + The Divine #44
  137. Middlegrade- Seanan McGuire
  138. The Queen of Life – Ysabeau S. Wilce
  139. Twelve Sisters- Y.S. Lee
  140. The Bull Dancers – Jay Lake
  141. Confessor – Elizabeth Bear
  142. Water to Wine – Mary Robinette Kowal
  143. Byways – Tobias S. Buckell
  144. Deodand – Karl Schroeder
  145. A Symmetry of Serpents and Doves – Ken Scholes
  146. Rock of Ages – Jay Lake
  147. Green and Dying – Elizabeth Bear
  148. The Desire Lines, by Karl Schroeder
  149. Midway Bells & Dying Breeds, by Seanan McGuire (audiobook)
  150. Tensegrity, by Tobias S. Buckell
  151. Forest of Memories, by Mary Robinette Kowal
  152. Let Me Hide Myself in Thee, by Ken Scholes
  153. Introduction (METAtropolis) essay by John Scalzi
  154. In the Forests of the Night – novella by Jay Lake
  155. Stochasti-city – novella by Tobias S. Buckell
  156. The Red in the Sky Is Our Blood – novelette by Elizabeth Bear
  157. Utere Nihil Non Extra Quiritationem Suis – novella by John Scalzi
  158. To Hie from Far Cilenia – novella by Karl Schroeder
  159. Searching for Sunday – Rachel Held Evans
  160. If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again – Zen Cho
  161. Empress of Forever – Max Gladstone
  162. Still Star-Crossed- Melinda Taub
  163. Bookburners Episode One – Max Gladstone
  164. The Cold Equations – Tom Godwin
  165. Penhallow Amid Passing Things – Iona Datt Sharma
  166. Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys, Super Sleuths! Volume 2 – Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon
  167. Evil Has A Name – Paul Holes and others
  168. Mermaids, Singing – Tiffany Trent
  169. A Brand New Thing – Jenny Moss
  170. Batman #71
  171. Batman#72
  172. Batman # 73
  173. Batman #74
  174. Batman#75
  175. Batman#76
  176. A People’s Future of a United States Introduction – Victor LaValle
  177. The Bookstore at the End of America – Charlie Jane Anders
  178. Our Aim is Not To Die – A. Marc Rustad
  179. The Wall – Lizz Huerta
  180. Read After Burning — Maria Dahvana Headley
  181. Chapter 5: Disruption and Continuity [excerpted] — Malka Older
  182. Four Revelations From the Rusalka Ball – Cassandra Khaw
  183. Spellswept – Stephanie Burgis
  184. The River Always Wins – Laura Ann Gilman
  185. The Amethyst Deciever -Shveta Thakrar
  186. A Spy in the Deep – Patrick Samphire
  187. Any Way The Wind Blows – Seanan McGuire
  188. The Thing About Shapes To Come – Adam-Troy Castro
  189. Estranged Children of Storybook Houses – Julian K. Jarboe
  190. For Darkness Shows The Stars – Diana Peterfreund
  191. To Say Nothing of The Dog – Connie Willis
  192. The Christmas Bride- Grace Livingston Hill
  193. Letter Excerpt: Lorenzo de Medici, The Magnificent concerning finances and the death of his father
  194. The Levy of a Forced Loan, Quarter of S. Maria Novella; April 1378 Florence
  195. Two Marriages in the Valori Family, 1452 and 1476
  196. Marriage Negotiations: The Del Bene 1381
  197. Hero with A Thousand Faces- Joseph Campbell
  198. The Highwayman- Alfred Noyes
  199. Jackdaws – KJ Charles
  200. All You Can Do Is Breathe – Kaaron Warren
  201. Needles- Elizabeth Bear
  202. Baskerville’s Midgets – Reggie Oliver
  203. Blood Yesterday Blood Tomorrow – Richard Bowes
  204. X for Demetrious – Steve Duffy
  205. Keeping Corky – Melanie Tem
  206. Shelf-Life – Lisa Tuttle
  207. Caius – Bill Pronzini and Barry N. Malzberg
  208. Sweet Sorrow – Barbara Roden
  209. First Breath – Nicole J. LeBoeuf
  210. The Witch Who Came In From The Cold – Season Two Episode One – Max Gladstone & Lindsey Ellis
  211. The Witch Who Came In From The Cold – Season Two Episode Two – Max Gladstone & Lindsey Ellis
  212. Hounded by Kevin Hearne
  213. To Drink Coffee With a Ghost – Amanda Lovelace
  214. Bite Me ! – Dylan Meconis
  215. Mockingbird Trade 1- Chelsea Cain
  216. Mockingbird Trade 2 – Chelsea Cain
  217. The Perfect Assassin – K.A. Doore
  218. Ninth House- Leigh Bardugo
  219. One-Eyed Jack – Elizabeth Bear
  220. The Witch Who Came In From The Cold – Season Two Episode Three – Max Gladstone & Lindsey Ellis
  221. The Witch Who Came In From The Cold – Season Two Episode Four – Max Gladstone & Lindsey Ellis
  222. The Witch Who Came In From The Cold – Season Two Episode Five – Max Gladstone & Lindsey Ellis
  223. Bookburners Season One Episode Two – Max Gladstone
  224. It Was Saturday Night, I Guess That Makes It All Right by Sam J. Miller
  225. Attachment Disorder – Tananarive Due
  226. By His Bootstraps – Ashok K. Banker
  227. The Omega’s Day Off – Dessa Lux
  228. Blowout – Rachel Maddow
  229. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #1 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  230. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth#2 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  231. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #3 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  232. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #4 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  233. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #5 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  234. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #6 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  235. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #7 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  236. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #8 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  237. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #9 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  238. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #10 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  239. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #11 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  240. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #12 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  241. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #13 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  242. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #14 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  243. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #15 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  244. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #16 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  245. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #17 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  246. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth Annual #1 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  247. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #18 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  248. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #19 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  249. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #20 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  250. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #21 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  251. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #22 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  252. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #23 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  253. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #24 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  254. Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth #25 – Lobdell, Soy, Gandini
  255. Die #1 – Gillen, Hans, Cowles
  256. Die #2 – Gillen, Hans, Cowles
  257. Die#3- Gillen, Hans, Cowles
  258. Die#4- Gillen, Hans, Cowles
  259. Die#5 – Gillen, Hans, Cowles
  260. Die Worldbuilding Essays – Gillen, Hans
  261. The Wicked + The Divine #45- Gillen, McKelvie, Wilson, Cowles
  262. House of X #1- Hickman,Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  263. House of X#2 – Hickman,Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  264. House of X#3 – Hickman,Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  265. House of X#4 – Hickman,Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  266. House of X #5- Hickman,Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  267. House of X #6- Hickman,Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  268. Powers of X#1 – Hickman, Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  269. Powers of X#2 – Hickman, Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  270. Powers of X#3 – Hickman, Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  271. Powers of X#4 – Hickman, Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  272. Powers of X#5 – Hickman, Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  273. Powers of X#6 – Hickman, Larraz, Silva, Gracia
  274. Batman #77
  275. Batman#78
  276. Batman#79
  277. Batman #80
  278. Batman #81
  279. Batman #82
  280. Batman #83
  281. Batman #84
  282. The Author of the Acacia Seeds. And Other Extracts from the Journal of the Association of Therolinguistics – Ursula K. LeGuin
  283. Die RPG Beta Manual 1.1 – Kieron Gillen
  284. Die RPG Arcana – Kieron Gillen
  285. The Gentry’s Guide to Mixing Swordsmanship and Magic – Good Society RPG
  286. Falcon’s Apprentice – Jody Lynn Nye
  287. She Remembered – Lee French
  288. Thorn Girl – Connie J Jasperson
  289. The Princess and the Dragon – Robyn Bennis
  290. Alive – Raven Oak
  291. The Magpie Lord – KJ Charles
  292. Interlude with Tattooes – KJ Charles
  293. To The Girls Afraid of Dying – Ashe Vernon
  294. Self-Portrait Dressed As A Self-Help Program – Ashe Vernon
  295. To The Boys Afraid of Dying – Ashe Vernon
  296. Last Call – Ashe Vernon
  297. Rafe – Rebekah Weatherspoon
  298. The Future As An Exercise In Hope – Ashe Vernon
  299. New Names for Old Heartaches – Ashe Vernon
  300. Delicate Things – Ashe Vernon
  301. Inventing New Ways To Call You Beautiful – Ashe Vernon
  302. Bad Habits – Ashe Vernon
  303. Swamp – Clementine von Radics
  304. I Wish I Wrote The Way I Thought – Benedict Smith
  305. Halfway House – Ashe Vernon