50 Ways to Consent
A Valentine’s Day PSA By Jae Gibbs.
Let me get one thing straight: I am not the Fun Police. I am not here to shame or judge anyone for enjoying the things they like. I am not trying to ban any type of books, movies or artistic expression, or tell people what they should or should not spend their money on. I’m just trying to be a good person, a good friend and a good feminist in a crazy, often scary world. I’m trying to be the change I wish to see, with my words, the articles I post, and most of all with my original writing.
When I was a teenager in a small town, I read Ms. Rice’s Erotic Sleeping Beauty books, some of them out loud at the public library in the children’s section (there were no children present at the time, it was making fun of the idea of a Fairy Tale for adults, and of the awful purple prose and Ikea nature of the sex in those books). And I think “50 Shades” is just more of the same bodice-ripper, Harlequin, free on the internet kind of immature “romance” fiction. There’s nothing new under the sun and no stories left untold.
I take issue with female protagonists written by female authors using tropes that de-power and rob agency (especially sexual agency) from supposed “strong female characters (TM)”. I take issue with abuse being mislabeled as romance or sexy. I take issue with bad writing and most of all, with authors not bothering to do any research on a subject as touchy as “alternative lifestyles” and presenting their fantasies as accurate portrayals of said lifestyles. But more than any of those combined, I take issue with censorship. We have the right to like what we like, frivolity, flaws and all.
I ask only that people think about what they are consuming, and maybe ask themselves why they enjoy something that’s controversial or a “guilty pleasure”. And please, don’t try it at home unless you do the research that the author failed to do. (Stephon from SNL “Spicy!” from our funny t shirt collection. Let’s not take ourselves too seriously.)
Know yourself, and know the difference between love and being taken advantage of. Have a safe and happy Valentine’s Day.
Women in Comics: Part One
Fairer Sex Heroes by Jae Gibbs.
Feminism Finally came to Asgard in 2014.
Did you know that the first masked super-heroes were created for and by women? In 1902, Emma Orczy wrote the Scarlet Pimpernel, about a masked vigilante, and in 1936 “The Phantom” was first published in an Australian women’s magazine. If not for women readers, would modern comic books exist? Doubtful, since in the early days of the medium, (1930’s-40’s) more girls read them than boys, regardless of subject matter. And now, studies show that women and girls are buying and reading about half of all comics and graphic novels, more than that if you include sales of Manga.
(The Mighty Thor from our Marvel T-Shirts collection.)
So, when I saw that Marvel’s THOR was going to become a female character, I thought it a ploy, as did many fans and critics. Then I read it. It was really damn good. The writer, Jason Aaron, denied that it was a ploy from on high and said he’d been planning this arc for the two years strong he’d been writing for Thor. Along with outstanding art by Russell Dauterman and colors by Matthew Wilson, the story of Thor Odinson losing his worth to carry the mighty Mjolnir, his arm and his heroic will, while Freya reigns as All-Mother of Asgardia, enchanting the hammer so that it says “If SHE be Worthy” was an amazing story to behold, even if you’re not a fan of super-hero comics or Norse Mythology.
“Hel Yes!” indeed.
RWBY
I’ve been a fan of Rooster Teeth productions since pretty much the beginning. This was the early days of internet content, around 2003, when their “Halo” comedy series “Red Vs Blue” already finished their first season and was working on 2. I loved everything about the wacky cast of NSFW trash-talking violent sociopaths in the military IN SPACE and as of 2013, the show is still going strong and released on Netflix.
Then, a couple weeks ago I saw a rated TV-PG animated show called “RWBY” (pronounced Ruby) starring an anime-esque (Attack on Titan T Shirt from our anime selection) group of teen girls in color coded outfits (Red, White, Black and Yellow) added to Netflix. As the parent of a small child missing the freshly over Avatar: the Legend of Korra, I wanted to see if it was any good. I found out that RWBY was also made by Rooster Teeth and that it was the brainchild of 33 year old creator, Monty Oum. 
Unfortunately, I found this out because tragically, Monty Oum passed away a week ago after having a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics. The show is fantastic, for any age group or to watch as a family (aside from some Princess Mononoke-like monster blood and violence). The characters are instantly relatable, especially if you play D&D, and the dialog has the signature rapid-fire hilarity that RT is known for with none of the creative profanity.
So if you’re into CGI that looks hand-drawn, fun and funny fantasy, cute girls (and guys) who kick ass and family-friendly action that is well-choreographed and emotionally charged, please check out RWBY on Netflix streaming or on the Rooster Teeth home site. RIP Monty Oum. You were brilliant and generous.
Supernatural, Slash, And Subtext: Part 5
No show has been more often accused of blatant queer-baiting than Supernatural, and for good reason. I know many straight male fans of the show who watch it now, hoping that Dean and his favorite angel get together in the end. That seems to be where the show has been and is heading, despite writers and show-runners unable to agree on anything or even make up their own minds as to whether they support the relationship as romantic or not.
I personally think that they’ve written themselves into several dark corners, because they now have a larger queer (or queer-friendly) audience than a straight, conservative one, and because they might feel as writers that the show would lose its edge or jump the shark if the guys actually got together, or even implied a true romantic or sexual connection. After all, Moonlighting and the X-Files were ruined by their leads getting together and they didn’t have homophobic backlash as an excuse.
All that is besides the fact that Dean and Castiel weren’t ever meant to be the stars of the show; it was originally for more than 4 seasons a show about two brothers hunting monsters and saving the world in a cool car with awesome music. (More like the Blues Brothers, with gore instead of singing, “Mission From God” pic from our Movie T Shirts collection.) If Destiel becomes cannon, who or what do the writers do with poor lonesome Sam (Jared Padalecki)?
Supernatural, Slash and Subtext: Part Three
While at Supernatural Con 2014 Fan Q&A, Misha Collins asked a young lady if she wrote fan fiction, and she said that she’d tried, but to no avail because of her own distracted laziness. So, Misha tried to help her out, especially after it had been explained to him that “50 Shades of Grey” was a “Twilight” fan fiction originally. He told the audience to raise their hands if they would be willing to work with the young lady to help her write and publish a sexy fan fiction for Supernatural, and maybe actually make some money on it. Many hands were raised, including my own. (Girls “I like Guys with Cars and Money” batman hoodie because Misha Collins is amazing and has both things.)
I’ve never read “50 Shades” nor written any fan fiction, slash or otherwise, but I have had erotic original works published and made some money off of it and I do like the idea of Castiel sort of endorsing Destiel style writings being out in the world. Misha called on a young man closer to the front row to exchange information with her instead of me, which was just as well. I have a full plate of writing to do without taking on special projects for a stranger.
Supernatural, Slash and Subtext: Part 2
While at Supernatural convention SF, 2015, Misha Collins was answering fan questions and a young woman, maybe 17 or 18, asked him if he had read any of the Slash fiction that fans had written about his fan-favorite character, Castiel and his not-quite-boyfriend, Dean Winchester (Jenson Ackles), lovingly dubbed by fan-girls (and rarely but not unheard of boys) as “Destiel”. Misha had not read the fan’s manuscripts, except when he was new to the role and accidentally stumbled upon some in 2009 while looking up what people thought of his character in general. His response was shock and awe, saying “Cas! You are being a very naughty angel,” in the most good-natured and ribbing way that Misha has when talking to fans.
(Jimi Hendrix “Kiss This Guy” from our vast music t-shirt collection.) Since then, the writers of the show have dropped innumerable “hints” that the relationship between Dean, the surly pretty-boy alchaholic and his socially awkward, trench coat sporting, blue-eyed pal are more than just friendly. Misha tried to play coy with the audience and at other conventions, Jenson has dodged similar questions, sometimes even outright accusations from real world gay or bisexual fans who are offended at his teasing portrayal (who I guess don’t realize that he’s not in control of what his character says or who he ends up dating in fiction).
Supernatural Convention 2015 Part 1
Family doesn’t end with blood.
The CW’s hit show “Supernatural” has been on the air for almost 10 years and just been renewed for its 11th season. What started as that other show about sexy people hunting monsters on what was then still the WB network, has turned into a flagship for its parent company and a rallying cry for a huge fandom that explores themes of what it means to be human, what it means to be a family and what it means to fight evil, within as well as literal things that go bump in the night.
During its first season, the tag line for Supernatural’s promos was “Scary just got sexy”, and it was described (not unjustly) as “The X-Files meets the Hardy Boys.” (X-Files image from one of our many novelty t shirts) But now, the line is changed firmly to “Join the Hunt.” Still, perhaps it might be better encapsulated with a line from one of the show’s own characters: Jim Beaver’s beloved portrayal of Bobby Singer (a gruff father figure named as a joke by the crew after one of the show’s head writers and executive producers) told the two main characters, brothers Sam (Jared Padaleki) and Dean (Jenson Ackles), that “Family don’t end with blood, boy!” and that has made a world of difference for people on social media, for youths exiled due to being LGBTQ, for fans and strangers to the show alike.
Supernatural Convention Part 2
I personally have been a fan of the show for about 5 years now, and the line “Saving people, hunting things: The Winchester Family Business since 1983” seemed especially appropriate to me as I was born on January the 17th, 1983, and the middle day of the Supernatural Convention at the San Francisco Airport Hyatt took place on my birthday. Much less like other nerdy conventions or even fan get-togethers, Supernatural Con is more similar to a 3 day rock concert with special celebrity guests on tour. This is both astounding and an enriching experience for any seasoned fan of the show, but be warned that it is one of the more costly fan expos I’ll ever attend.
I told every vendor that it was my birthday, and once I had shown proof, they even gave me discounts, and I participated in or volunteered for anything available, which also garnered me free stuff. I participated in a trivia contest with two other fans chosen from the audience (we did not win, despite best efforts. It was really hard), and I was one of maybe 100 people dressed as some version of the character Castiel, the rebel angel and sometimes ally/ assumed love interest/ big bad friend of the two main men on the show. 
I didn’t place in the costume contest either, though I felt really handsome in my long coat and disheveled necktie. (the zombie image from the classic horror movie t shirt I pulled just because in any nerd costume contest you can count on at least one zombie) The competition was steep and diverse, and the guy who won had made full sized black angel wings with pneumatic strings that allowed him to invisibly puppeteer them up and down.
Some thoughts on the TV show Z Nation
So I’m done with Star Trek TOS and enjoyed every minute of it. I think I might do the same thing with DS9 but want to take a break and talk about other stuff that has caught my eye on Netflix. First up: walking Dead Knock off Z Nation.
Of course calling a show a knock off of the Walking Dead is unfair since the Walking Dead is actually a knock off of about 800 zombie movies. Still, this show is like the Walking Dead with a mission. 
Zombie apocalypse happens (thank God. Image courtesy of our huge collection of zombie t-shirts) and one guy proves immune to the disease. Of course he was a prisoner forced to take the anti virus and has what might be generously considered a bad attitude and the lab they need to get him to is across the country. So the journey begins.
My first take on this show is it is alternatively one of the best zombie shows out there or the stupidest. Very hard core with things the Walking Dead wouldn’t touch like zombie children, zombie babies, cannibalism, and other stuff more than a little past PG-13. However once you get into the hard core nature of the show they trot out some dumb Zombi3-esque cliche and make the show look really stupid. Sorry but a zombie baby should present about as much danger to a full grown man as a football if you know what I mean.
Anyway I’m crunched for time but will parse out more thoughts on this show and a couple others I have been watching. Check back soon.
the Infamous Dave Inman
Star Trek Retrospective: Episode 1 the Man Trap
This episode is special to me because it not only was a great story it it’s the one I think I literally wet myself the first time I saw it. The Buffalo was the creepiest Star Trek humanoid alien ever (the Horta was the all time creepiest alien ever) and scared the heck out of me. I still get the creeps when I see it and even seeing the stuffed one in Trelane’s mansion in the Squire of Gothos give me the heebie jeebies. Kudos to whomever designed and built that costume.
That being said if you ever wanted to lose your ability to trust or like women this is the episode for you (well, this one and Where No Man Has Gone Before, Mudds Women, What are Little Girls Made Of, the Conscious of the King, Space Seed, This Side of Paradise, Amok Time, Who Mourns for Adonis, Catspaw, the Gamesters of Triskelion, a Private Little War, By Any Other Name, Spocks Brain, Wink of an Eye, the Empath, Elaan of Troyius, That Which Survives, the Lights of Zetar, the Cloud Minders, and Turnabout Intruder. To say that betrayal by, betrayal of, and distrust of women is a recurring theme in TOS Star Trek is a bit of an understatement). 
A beautiful woman who turns into a hideous monster and sucks the life out of men sounds like every guys nightmare of a relationship from the most stereotypical point of view. However as I have noted before the question “Do you think this episode might be a little too misogynistic?” is one that I don’t think came up often at the writing table. Let’s celebrate Star Trek for it’s racial equality agenda, not for the fact that every female in it wore high skirts.
(Game Over image from the funny t shirt collection)
the Infamous Dave Inman
