Jelly beans? Or Kylo Ren’s super-sweet debut solo album?
Links
George R. R. Martin talks about why The Winds of Winter is late. I think it’s really important to see that even professional writers who make their living off of writing can struggle with the craft. I’m glad he said something.
Aja Romano details everything dumb Steven Moffat has ever said about women, diversity, and sexuality. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let me just start with—bisexuality isn’t a volume business, you jerk.
Ex Machina’s Alex Garland is adapting Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation, which will feature not only Natalie Portman and Gina Rodriguez, but also Tessa Thompson. Diverse, lady-led sci-fi? YES. GOOD.
Oscar Isaac, and the men who came before him, are the positive side of the ironic misandry movement, in which people of both genders joke — but not really — about how men in politics and popular culture often fall short of our expectations. Instead of noting how someone has failed to respect us or listen to us, shaking our heads, and tagging the incident #banmen, we’re holding up our internet boyfriends as a better way to be. If #banmen is a negative expression (what we don’t want), then the internet boyfriend is the positive version (what we do). They’re not necessarily realistic examples. Instead, they’re examples of our shared fantasies — fantasies that no rom-com is able to give us.
Noelle Stevenson explains why Boba Fett is a lesbian.
Gavia Baker-Whitelaw is co-writing a fandom-centered weekly newsletter called The Rec Center! This is great news. Sign up here.
One: Disney is doing a live-action Cruella de Vil film. Two: Emma Stone is in talks to play her. I assume this takes place during her early years as a designer in Paris (which I totally just made up)?
That epic MetaFilter thread about emotional labor is now available to read as an annotated PDF.
I had no idea that editor Marcia Lucas, George Lucas’ first wife, was so integral to the original Star Wars trilogy.
The TV DC universe will continue with Powerless, a workplace sitcom set in the DC universe at NBC.
This piece at The Tampa Bay Times, about a little girl murdered by her father, is difficult to read; it’s horrifying to read about how this particular situation slipped through the cracks time and time again. But it illuminates a lot of faults in the systems put in place to protect kids in situations like this.
Friends: take your lunch breaks. Please.
Acquisitions
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I missed that about Annihilation this week! That is super exciting.
I’m one of those people who are awful about taking a lunch break. Mostly because I really don’t want to go outside in the winter. In the summer, I’m more inclined to leave the building so take them more often.
I’m dealing with that right now—it’s starting to get so cold that I don’t WANT to outside. But I try to make myself, because I always feel better after having a walk and clearing my brain. I think the main benefit is less “get outside of the building” and more “get away from your work,” so the benefits still work even if you just go to another floor or room for your lunch break.
That’s a good idea of just going to a different floor or something. I might have to start doing that.
Ugh, Steven Moffat exhausts me. I am so excited for the day that he steps down from Doctor Who and someone else takes his place and I won’t have to feel like this show that I adore mildly-to-very-much (depending on the day) despises me.
Oh, hm, ambiguous syntax. I meant, mildly-to-very-much despises me. Not I adore it mildly-to-very-much.
I gotcha. He does just… tire me out. Like, I love Peter Capaldi and I love how much he loves Doctor Who, but I can’t bring myself to care about Moffat’s Doctor Who. Like, Bryan Fuller exists. There are people who make great shows who not only like people like me, but actively celebrate them! And put them in their shows! I got better things to watch, Grand Moff.
I had not heard about that epic Metafilter thread, but I just read the more condensed PDF version of it that you linked to here and it is amazing. Thanks!
You’re very welcome! I adore that thread so. It’s so useful.