Thursday, 16 February 2017

Comics Wrap-Up - Rusted From the Rain

Comics Wrap-Up title image









Film Trailers


Another li'l teaser trailer for you, from Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2!















Other Stuff


First look at Avengers: Infinity War!!!!

Granted, this featurette feels a little pompous, and there's a lot of milking-it, (did she just dare to say that?! Yes, she did. #DealWithIt,) but still - as long as they don't let the hype out-do the film, it should be awesome!









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Do you guys remember the Team Thor vid that was released a few months back?

It was basically a hilarious mockumentary of where Thor and Bruce Banner were during Captain America: Civil War (UK - US).










Well there's now a part 2 - which once again is just awesome.










I love Chris Hemsworth - he needs to be in more comedies; like, really badly!

'Yay! It's settled. We're getting a servant!"









That's all for this week my nerdlets - more comics and superheroes next Thursday, as usual!














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Monday, 13 February 2017

Review Time! - Santa Muerte by Lucina Stone

Santa Muerte title image


flower divider image



Title: Santa MuerteSanta Muerte book cover

Author: Lucina Stone

Genre: New Adult/NA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Witches, Vampires*, Werewolves*, Historical Fiction* (*ish)

Series: The Daniela Story #1

Amazon: UK - USA








A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book from the author, Lucina Stone, who I'm in contact with on Twitter.

This does not affect the content of my review; my review is fair and honest.

I agreed to read this with only the vaguest of notions of what it was about - I had read Naz @ Read Diverse Books' review of it, but had mostly forgotten about it by the time Lucina Stone contacted me.

I definitely didn't realise that it was urban fantasy - so that was a pleasant surprise!

I love urban fantasy - a subgenre of paranormal which involves magical-type-people (witches, vampires, etc.) faffing about in cities and/or towns in which they have their own societies (sometimes open to human society, sometimes hidden.)

It's strange, really, since I don't like cities in general - too much of a rural kind of girl. *shrugs* But there you have it.






Premise:

Turns out there's more to Daniela's family than she thought there was.

In the year 2030, Daniela sees no end to the pain. Depressed and hurt by an abusive relationship, she tries to take her own life...

...and wakes up somewhere strange.

This can't be happening. She can't be in the 1920s... right?

Dani doesn't get this time period, has no idea about magic, and, with a farm-girl named Daphne in tow, is being chased by a bunch of people who want her dead - or at least in jail.

All she wants is to go home to her mothers, but that seems almost impossible from here...







Best bits:

I love the chatty tone of this book. Stone grabs hold of you and says, 'come on guys, this way!' Which is spot on.

And the time travel element is well done! DID YOU HEAR THAT???? THE TIME TRAVEL ELEMENT IS WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!

Too often, time travel gets unnecessarily messy, or even just plain naff, but not here.

Here we have the reality of suddenly finding yourself in a world full of racism and rigid gender rules (Daniela ends up posing as a dude because of her short hair and trousers.)

And it's an element which is missing from your average time travel plot: the day-to-day-ness of living in that period, especially as a person of colour (PoC) in the USA.







girl image






I liked the Mexican variations on the stalwarts of urban fantasy.

All of the different species of the paranormal and urban fantasy worlds - vamps, wolves, witches, etc. are removed from their White European stereotypes and instead seen through the lens of Mexican folklore.

Most notably we have the brujas - the Mexican witches - who are written with skill and intrigue, and are far removed from the average urban fantasy witch-chick (who is normally a white goth-girl and/or biker-chick.)

The depression representation is good overall, devastatingly realistic as a whole - but I did have a minor issue with it, which I'll write about in the next section.

The sense of hopelessness and worthlessness depicted is accurate and heart-breaking, and Daniela doesn't magically get better the moment she ends up in 1923, meaning it's not treated as just a plot point.

And we get a same-sex, lesbian, parenting couple - which is awesome.








Not so great bits:

First thing, as ever, is first, here's the potentially distressing content from this book (hold on, there's some stuff to get through):
  • depression
  • attempted suicide
  • suicidal thoughts
  • hanging
  • abusive relationships
  • low self-worth/self-esteem
  • racism
  • racial slurs (including the 'n' word)
  • the KKK
  • lynching
  • segregation and discrimination
  • sexual abuse
  • child abuse
  • sexual assault
  • rape
  • torture
  • kidnapping
  • burning (as a form of torture)
  • attempted murder
  • homophobia
  • grave-robbing
  • missing persons investigation

I think that's everything - v. sorry if I've missed anything out.

There's swearing and violence; if you can handle all the other stuff though... *shrugs*

At one point, the phrase totem pole is used in as a metaphor in a non-native setting, which is seen as cultural appropriation, affecting some First Nations tribes (this piece by Robin R R Gray explains more.)

It was only once, but was still disappointing, and I hope won't occur again in future books.







eye image







Also, and this one is more of a personal preference, the relationship between Dani's mothers is referred to as a lifestyle. I don't like this.

I'm aware that a lot of LGBTQ+ people are ok with it (especially from older generations,) but I am personally not a big fan of the term.

But then, a lot of LGBTQ+ people find the term queer very offensive, but I personally identify as both sexually fluid and queer.

I guess you just have to understand that some people will be offended by both of these terms, and you need to examine how and why AND WHETHER YOU SHOULD use them in any given context.

Occasionally it felt like the representation of Daniela's depression was a little bit hit-and-miss, simply because at the times when it wasn't affecting her so much it was almost as if it didn't matter any more.

Honestly though, the representation of depression was, overall, heartbreakingly affective.






Verdict:

This is a great book - a strong foundation for the series, with great characters and interesting paranormal elements.

If you're an urban fantasy fan, this is a must. But those not so familiar with the genre will love it too.




UPDATE 22nd APRIL 2017:

A couple of people have raised issues with the lesbian and depression representation in this book, as well as a few other matters. Some people have equated Dani's lesbian mother having sex with a man with biphobia.

I personally don't agree with the lesbian rep/biphobia criticism - because if anyone knows that sexuality is fluid, it's yours truly. But I see the validity of the points made.

For an overview of the issues that some people have with this book, see C T Callahan's Goodreads review.

I do find C T Callahan more than a little harsh on this book, but you guys all know that I believe in having all the cards on the table so that you can make up your own minds.

















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Sunday, 12 February 2017

Nerd Church - Rebel Valentine

It's Valentine's Day this Tuesday, and yours truly is here with a typically rebellious view of all things love and romance!

(I am going to talk about sex here - not graphically, this isn't that kind of blog, but I will be talking about the topic frankly and openly. Just a warning, for those who might want one.)





arty picture of girl standing in a picture frame with the word love behind her





This may be a shock to you, but romance and pairing off isn't the be-all and end-all of life.

I know, weird, huh?







Of course if you listen to books, films, and the media in general, then no-one can be happy without it. Especially not women.

Middle-aged, able-bodied, cishet, white dudes get the occasional 'it's ok to be single' pass, but women, and pretty much anyone else? Nope.








OK, this may seem like an anti-Valentine's post, but it's not. There's nothing wrong with Valentine's day.

If you've found romantic love, then celebrate it, by all means! And I am genuinely happy for you if that's the case.









But I don't pity single people. For a start I am single. I've actually never had a boyfriend, girlfriend, or significant other.











And yes, because you're wondering but are (hopefully) too polite to ask, I'm a virgin.

(That's not to say I've never done anything with sexual undertones *ahem*... which we won't go into here... but the actual sex - or kissing, actually, for that matter - just hasn't happened yet.)









I do find it a little embarrassing to admit that. Not because I'm in any way ashamed of it, but because people look at you like you should be embarrassed, or like there's something wrong with you.

But - and this is important - THERE'S NOTHING SHAMEFUL ABOUT BEING A VIRGIN, AND THERE'S NOTHING SHAMEFUL ABOUT NOT BEING A VIRGIN.

The timing has never been right with the right person for me. And that's ok. For other people, the timing has been right, and the person has been right, and that's ok too.








I'm not naïve - I know how everything works, I have desire (except when I'm asexual for a while,) I'm just happy to wait until things are right.


Look, I know this isn't just a female thing - but the judgement is often more thorough against women, believe me.








Why do we make such a big deal out of the social status of sex and romance? They do NOT define you as a person, they are just one aspect of a multi-faceted personality.

That's not to say that they can't be important, and can't be meaningful. But they aren't ALL there is to life.














Single people can be happy. The 'happily ever after' doesn't need marriage, or a baby, or living together forever and ever.

The 'happily ever after' can be the hero of the story deciding that they're alright as they are - no-one has to 'get' the girl/guy/other romantic interest.

They can get a new job, a new house, or just plain decide that they like themselves - that's difficult enough.






Basically if we could stop forcing romance into plots and media that really don't need them? That'd be great.



(I'm totally Panic! trash)



And if the single characters could not spend every moment miserable about being single? That'd be good too. Thanks.

Check out Claudie Arseneault's guest post on Read Diverse Books for an excellent post on centring friendships and non-romantic relationships, written from an aromantic perspective.








So, to single folks, here's some home truths:


  • it's ok to be single
  • it's ok not to have a long-term partner
  • it's ok to not know whether you'll ever get married
  • it's ok to not settle if things aren't right for you
  • it's ok not to know whether you'll ever have a/nother romantic partner - if it happens, it's gotta be right FOR YOU
  • it's ok to not want a romantic and/or sexual partner - some people just don't
  • it's ok to either HAVE OR NOT HAVE casual sex - that's your call, no-one else's.







And to not-single folks, some for you too:


  • it's ok to enjoy your relationship
  • it's ok to not know how long this will last
  • it's ok for this not to last, or for it to last forever, or somewhere in between
  • it's ok to leave if things aren't right
  • it's ok to stay and try to work things through if things aren't right (except in cases of abuse, where I would suggest leaving for your own safety)
  • it's ok to do what's right for you








I guess what I'm getting at here guys is that we really shouldn't judge people by stuff like this - and we certainly shouldn't hold ourselves to other people's standards.

I know, I know, I am the world's worst when it comes to holding myself to other people's standards. But I'm slowly trying to convince myself that my opinion is the one that matters.








And you guys? You do what's right for you, when it's right for you.

Keep things consensual, safe, and respectful, and there's nothing wrong.

What you want matters guys, please remember that.














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Friday, 10 February 2017

Friday Fics Fix - Totally Winning

I love the TV show Supergirl. It rocks.

And I know, it sounds like it should be really naff - BUT IT'S NOT!!!!





Friday Fics Fix title image





Now, fans of the show will be aware of Winn, and aware of Mon-El.

People who aren't familiar show need to go watch it (like, now.) Because it's awesome-sauce, and even has canon (fangirling note: official) lesbian representation in series 3.













Now, as fandom will pair up everyone with... well... everyone, there is a ship for Winn and Mon-El.


The name of this ship is Monwinn - which makes me laugh for nerdy reasons related to the Welsh language which I won't go into too much here because it would probably take up half a page of explanation.

Let's just say that Winn, and its many variants, is a Welsh name that can signify several concepts related to white, fair, pure, holy, handsome, perfect, etc.

And Mon makes me think of Anglesey.

(Fangirling note: ship is relation-ship. See? OK, awesome.)







This week's fic is cute awesome Monwinn dorkiness with their first date (*squee*)













This week's fic then, my dear nerdlets, is:









Enjoy the sweet dorkiness, and I'll have more fanfiction-y-ness for you next week!






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Thursday, 9 February 2017

Comics Wrap-Up - Pour Some Sugar On Me

Comics Wrap-Up title image




Film Trailers


So that Superbowl thingummy happened in the US, and somehow that means we get new comic book movie trailers so I'm not complaining!




First up is a new trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

(Note to self: watch the first film. (Look, even I can't be up-to-date with all the superhero movies, ok? There's just so many of them!))

I love the nerdiness of giving it a volume label instead of just a number :)










And there are new Logan trailers! I love how awesome this film looks!!!!!!!!









And this ad feature thingy for Lego Batman...





...I really don't know wtf they fed the writers on this film, but it's clearly got some interesting ingredients (I'm thinking lots of caffeine and sugar!)








Webcomics

And, just like last week, I've got a little protest art via embedded tweets to show you! (Woo!)










Other Stuff



And to wrap everything up nicely, here's just a couple of interesting links I've come across this week:











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Tuesday, 7 February 2017

Month in Review(s) - January 2017

Well, that was January 2017... don't blame 2017 too much, guys, it keeps following 2016's examples.

I'm sure that in time it'll move away from the influence of it's older sibling, who was, let's face it, a freaking disgrace of a year.

2017 though can still be steered in the right direction with the help of intervention programmes, and stopping it from hanging out with the wrong people. We hope.





Study and bookshelf





On a more positive note, this was the month that yours truly, along with Angel, Jolien, Dina, Lara, and our fearless leader, the lovely Ely, ran #DisabilityDiaries2017.

And it rocked. In case you hadn't noticed. ;)







You can check out alllllll of the posts from everyone during the event in this Google+ collection, and most of the posts in this BlogLovin collection.

If I've missed your post out, please let me know! Some of the posts I couldn't add to the BlogLovin collection, because not all of the blogs involved had an account there.







You can also submit your discussion and list posts from the event to The Bookish Diversity Link List 2017.













So, I only reviewed 2 books in January (I know, I know, I need to review more!) and both were for the Disability Diaries:





Unspeakable book cover Jerkbait book cover










My other posts for #DisabilityDiaries2017 are listed below:












And that's January! :)







Sunday, 5 February 2017

Nerd Church - The Age of Media

(This post contains gifs with jerky/not smooth motions, which may cause problems to those with photosensitive medical conditions such as epilepsy or migraines.)


We live in a world of media.

Mass media, social media, targeted media - it's all there.

And yet Media Studies and related subjects are often criticised and seen as 'easy.'

The fact is, Media Literacy is something we all need - urgently - in today's world.

Too many people are left illiterate in this area. And in a world of Trumpy McTrumpface and all the other sh**, this IS NOT GOOD.






media icons tree pic





So today, my nerdlets, I'm going to attempt to show you why you need to start thinking about this - and how you can do that:





What counts as 'media?'

The Internet, social networks, magazines, TV, film, music, and, yes, even books. That's just a few.

Media is modern life - modern popular culture, the modern world.














Why is it important?

It's important because we need the relevant critical skills to analyse and think about the media we consume.

We need to understand what different pieces of media are saying about topics, and about groups of people.






All human beings have biases, therefore all media has biases.

So you can't trust everything you see.

You also have to realise that every part of the media you consume is part of a wider picture - it's all telling you something, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and you need to be able to figure out what that is.














Where can I start?

Media literacy isn't something that you just magically acquire.

I personally think it's something that you have to develop over a lifetime (although many may disagree,) but the first step is understanding that you need to know more.

And while the obvious place to start in the digital age may seem to be Google, it can often be difficult to figure out what to search for, and what sites are useful.














Here are a few websites to get you started:

  • TV Tropes - this is a huge resource of recurrent themes, stereotypes, and symbols, within all aspects of the media, complete with examples (the site started with TV themes etc. - hence the name.)


  • Common Sense Media - this is a site with a focus on media literacy for kids, and is aimed primarily at parents and educators; it does have some really interesting articles and resources which I'm sure you'll find useful.






OK, I hope that's useful guys - go be awesome! :)





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Friday, 3 February 2017

Friday Fics Fix - I Think You're My Best Friend

Do you feel like some Sherlock-y goodness? Of course you do!

And lucky for you, I just happen to have some. I know, convenient, huh?





Friday Fics Fix title image






I came across this awesome li'l fic - the first in a series in fact - about an aromantic Sherlock.

I've brought you asexual Sherlock fics before now, of course, but that doesn't mean I can't bring you more dammit! 

And, as I said last week, fanfiction can sometimes be a godsend when it comes to plugging the gaps in the diversity of your reading.

(And a lot of diversity seems to come from the Sherlock fandom - aka the Sherlockians - possibly because Sherlockians are a) awesome and b) completely uncontrollable. And I should know, because I totally am one. 😈)















A little note though - this fic mistakenly places Aromantic (Spectrum) Awareness Week in November (possibly because this was the date of the first AAW.)

For the last few years, this awareness event has actually taken place in February.







So this week's fic is:

National Aromantic Week (I'm Not A Machine) by shnuffeluv







Enjoy, be awesome, and come back next Friday for more attempts to use fanfiction to make the world a better place (Mwahahaha! 😉)








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Thursday, 2 February 2017

Comics Wrap-Up - But I'm No Good, Good, At Lip Service





comics wrap-up title image








Webcomics





In the wake of a whole lotta stupid coming out of the US in terms of policy this month, let's take a look at some excellent webcomics/cartoons/art from the webs, which make the world a better place.


(I'm embedding tweets here, and I've never done that before - so let's hope this works!)








First, let's let Ms. Marvel, aka Kamala Khan, show us how it's done:










Now, let's let Lady Liberty show the world how she would greet refugees:



















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And just to round off the webcomics section, here are a couple of awesome artworks/cartoons from LGBTQ+  creators:




















Other Stuff



The wonderful Supergirl TV series has been nominated for a GLAAD award for outstanding drama series.

The awards honour media with outstanding LGBTQ+ representation; and the current series of Supergirl has made leaps in rep. with the step of allowing Supergirl's sister, Alex, to be lesbian.










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And here's a bunch of interesting links of the comics-y type that I've come across this week:
















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Wednesday, 1 February 2017

Micropoetry - January 2017

Ok, January 2017's micropoetry by yours truly.

There's only 3 pieces this month because I've been uber-busy with work, personal stuff, and #DisabilityDiaries2017





20th January
Strength.
Not shouting the loudest.
Not hating the most.
But loving all you can.
Getting back up.
Facing another day.
That's strength.




25th January
You do not understand
As I take you gently by the hand
& tell you
no
& try to stop you pushing the knife
further into me than you have






girl walking in the rain



28th January
But my dears,
The rain
Is just the part
Of the sky
That we can touch.
And
That touches us.








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Sunday, 29 January 2017

Nerd Church - Never Ever Forget

Warning: this post discusses the Holocaust and related topics


Human beings can be horrific to each other. That's why we must never forget.


Holocaust Memorial Day last Friday reminded many people of the atrocities committed by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s. It's a lesson that we can't afford to forget.




Dachau memorial






We have to be willing to learn the lessons of those past days.

In order to do that, we have to force ourselves to remember how this happened - what led to the murder of so many.






Over the past few years, I've contributed to several projects to preserve historical documents digitally - including Holocaust records.

What's chilling about many of the records is their straightforward nature. This is the bureaucracy of genocide - a well-oiled machine of paperwork and permits.







It hits home, though, just what it is you're looking at, when you see the same date of death recorded for every member of the same family, or when you see record after record marked with the year 1942 as its final date.

Or when you look into the eyes of a Jewish girl your age in the picture on her identity papers - she's working as a secretary, she's dressed smartly, hair neatly curled.

Her smile is sweet but slightly mischievous. 

And you know she probably died soon after.

And she's full of life in her picture. And you realise she deserves to be remembered - not just because of what happened to her, but because of her.

And because no-one should have been able to take that life from her.







The Holocaust did not begin with murder. It began with the gradual erosion of human rights. It began with prejudice and hate.

It began with cataloguing people; registering them, restricting them, seeing them as somehow inferior. That can't happen again.






To educate yourself about the holocaust, there can be no better place to start than the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website.

You can learn more about the project I talked about - the World Memory Project - here.









Friday, 27 January 2017

Friday Fics Fix - And It's Our Time Now If You Want It To Be

Ahhhhh, fanfiction, some days you make me think this flying dirtball zooming through space isn't quite so doomed after all!

Which is an achievement, given the current levels of cr*pitude going around.




Friday Fics Fix title image






So why the optimism?

Well I've come across what I consider a little gem of a fic.









I've been trying to read more diversely in terms of gender, since at the moment, most of what I read is by and about cis-gendered people who fit into the gender binary of male/female.

Fanfiction is often a great resource when it comes to reading diversely.

(Don't get me wrong - it can sometimes be shockingly mis-representative, but due to the open and accessible nature of the medium, there are also people doing some amazing stuff for diversity through fics.)














This week's fic is a short, sweet, little fic about Harry Potter's friendship with Luna Lovegood.

Both Harry and Luna identify as non-binary in this fic, with Harry using they/them pronouns, and Luna using xe/xyr pronouns.






This week's fic then, my dear nerdlets, is:

Blibbering Humdingers are Allergic to Bread by hanarsweater









See you next week for more fanfiction-y-ness - same time, same place! :)






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