So today Selena Gomez's Stars Dance album has been released. I don't normally talk about album releases on here. Not really on point to what here is. Well sometimes.
I like to make exceptions randomly because of my own tastes. Heck this place is pure my flavor now so why not. There is a point to it though this time. This album is very powerful. Every song is full of emotion and just pure will of singing "this world is amazing, every step is heaven if you let it be, every emotion just screams how alive we are." It's an amazing album. Well, the only reason I'm even plugging it is because it's making me too damn glowy, happy, as well as laughing and smiling.
So here's a quick rundown on my thoughts about it.
1. Birthday - Um, okay no comment here. Great song and it's a fantastic reminder why birthdays matter, why enjoying life matters.
2. Slow Down - Wow. Umm, okay I'm just going to walk over here. Love this song, but yeah so not touching trying to analyze it. Way too hypnotic.
3. Stars Dance - My personal favorite. Okay one of many of my personal faves, but one of the few I'll openly say is! Err, until you ask nicely at least! It just holds a special meaning for me. I don't know how to explain it. Just strikes the right chords.
4. Like a Champion - Ingenious. Amazing song. Utterly pure genius down to even the little drummer boy allusions. Simply put it's a powerful song. Anthem worthy even for every person out there that needs that reminder.
5. Come & Get It - Already covered this one. The one that caught my attention to this album entirely.
6. Forget Forever - I'm skipping this one. Good song, but not one I want to comment on. Ever.
7. Save the Day - Amazing. Awesome. Not much I can really say about this one except that it's a joy to listen to.
8. B.E.A.T. - This one's a bit different. Um, again no comment. I like it, but yeah not one to over think...
9. Writer Your Name - I was adverse to this song a bit after the teaser seemed to focus on the wrong aspect, but after hearing the full song, it's really grown on me. Amazing song and message.
10. Undercover - Again no comment. Still catchy though.
11. Love will Remember - Again no comment. Good song.
The album is out in stores and on itunes now! So if you're a fan, go get it! It's worth every penny!
If they ever do manage to get an X-23 movie off the ground and going. She should definitely be included on the music. Between her and Lizzy Hale of Halestorm, there's not many other bands and singers that I can think of that truly shine and rock with what's needed. They both carry the raw emotion needed and all their songs have just real raw emotional power behind them because of it. If it were up to me, an X-23 feature would probably have both Selena Gomez and Halestorm on the album alongside a dash of Within Temptation, and appropriately suited orchestral scores that have a dash of techno rock hybrid.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Fox Prepping for an X-Force Film!
This came up before at Bleeding Cool with confirmations scattered about all over.
THR is reporting that Jeff Wadlow is writing the script and may also direct.
Okay, now that the boring stuff is out of the way. What? Yes I said boring! This is just the greenlight indicators and nothing of detail as of yet. The same happened to Magneto's movie too, and it got pushed into becoming X-Men First Class instead. So let's digest this info as we get it.
What we can assume though?
Deadpool will make it in, Cable will probably make it in, and almost every X-Force incarnation has had Domino. So those 3 are possibly most definitely certain.
Now the question is, what story will they be adapting?
They could be going classic futurescape vs Apocalypse.
They could do X-Force v3 Not Forgotten.
They could do both, with two X-Force teams, but that'd be too similar to Days of Future Past.
Then there's pretty much everything else that's out there in the comics or can be thought up. Which could even mean Gambit added to the team.(Not saying he would be! Just an example of anything they could pull up from what's been onscreen already!)
I'm holding out hope on Not Forgotten. It'd finally add X-23 to the movie mix. It'd allow for some Cable and Deadpool action. Plus if re-written right, could also play up some of the anti-mutant human hate groups for disparity juxtaposition of the extremes. It'd allow for a globe spanning multi-epic mission Die Hard so to speak too while also giving use boots to the ground mutant powers and arsenal strategies.
Chances are though with who they want to focus on this go around, we'll see something more akin to a classic X-Force story and roster with them fighting Apocalypse. Some characters from Days of Future past on the future side will probably make the cut if rumors are true. Characters like Sunspot and anyone else that might be from the New Mutants side that's featured there.
There are a lot of things to decide with this feature because of the characters.
Rahne Sinclair brings the religious fervor and story angles of her father.
Shatterstar brings in the understanding yourself side of the sexual identity coin.
Deadpool, well it's Deadpool, he's going to make the cut no matter what.
Cable is curious. Days of Future past seems to be going the Ultimate Comics route of Wolverine as Cable, but what does that mean for the X-Force film itself? Will we still see a 616 styled Cable? Possibly, but the question remains on if there would be any connection to Cyclops then? Cable has a very dense comic book trope character history(time travel, clones, and more!). It's almost impossible to involve him without some kind of time travel unless you rewrite the character from the ground up.
Domino... Well she's a fan favorite and mainstay. She has to make the cut.
Wolverine. Well he does drive a lot of audiences to theaters.
Warpath would be nice as we haven't had a native american X character on the big screen yet.
X-23 brings in a chance to highlight her and get audiences at large acquainted with her. Potentially even preps for a solo movie of her own after the fact in a "Mirroring Wolverine's path but making it her own" type way. The question here is if it's different enough from the second original X-Men feature. Then again, that film was also hailed as one of the best, so maybe that's a good direction to take anyway.
I'm still leaning on, hoping for, nay even praying for it to be a combination of Messiah War and Not Forgotten. While it would be similar to Days of Future past in many elements, it'd also allow for a wide array of cameos from classic X-Force characters like Tabitha "Boom Boom" Smith and could highlight many of the emotional plights of some characters. It'd help set the stage for a retro comic based X-Force sequel as it'd establish Cable as from a future fighting Apocalypse. May even give an easier rationale to bring him to the present to start his own formal X-Force team too( if he goes to the past, he inspired the one that brought him back, if he stays in their timeline, he picks up the mantle). It'd open the door for an archangel appearance, and it'd also allow for a Stryfe storyline mixed with Apocalypse. These stories are also very action heavy and would make a clear distinction as to why these aren't Xavier's X-Men.
That's where I personally lean at least. Fox's penchant to change things could be worked in their favor here to give us both, Comic inspired new version in soul, but classic in the making for the future. Best to come out on the ground swinging to further establish the groundwork, and yet also yield to making a bigger classic character roster sequel. Start out with the tightly knit group from v3, with them bringing Cable back from the future by accident mid-mission to stop the FoH/Purifiers. (A ramification of Days of Future Past? They want to make sure the future is good now?). Then a bit of character-centric piecing the current roster that won't carry over, like X-23's Not Forgotten story with Kimura. Then end with a Wolverine's mission is done, so he tries take Laura someplace peaceful, like the Xavier school after her ordeal. This leaves the team wide open for new leadership with Cable and his trying to prevent the rise of Apocalypse and recruiting the team that can do that now since Logan has left.
Maybe it's just me. I like the title "X-Force: Not Forgotten." It really speaks to all the characters we've been told could show up but haven't yet on the big screen. Though to be honest, anything they do will have my butt in the theater watching and enjoying it. Fox and Marvel have really stepped up their game on the X-Franchise, and it's a joy to see it grow.
THR is reporting that Jeff Wadlow is writing the script and may also direct.
Okay, now that the boring stuff is out of the way. What? Yes I said boring! This is just the greenlight indicators and nothing of detail as of yet. The same happened to Magneto's movie too, and it got pushed into becoming X-Men First Class instead. So let's digest this info as we get it.
What we can assume though?
Deadpool will make it in, Cable will probably make it in, and almost every X-Force incarnation has had Domino. So those 3 are possibly most definitely certain.
Now the question is, what story will they be adapting?
They could be going classic futurescape vs Apocalypse.
They could do X-Force v3 Not Forgotten.
They could do both, with two X-Force teams, but that'd be too similar to Days of Future Past.
Then there's pretty much everything else that's out there in the comics or can be thought up. Which could even mean Gambit added to the team.(Not saying he would be! Just an example of anything they could pull up from what's been onscreen already!)
I'm holding out hope on Not Forgotten. It'd finally add X-23 to the movie mix. It'd allow for some Cable and Deadpool action. Plus if re-written right, could also play up some of the anti-mutant human hate groups for disparity juxtaposition of the extremes. It'd allow for a globe spanning multi-epic mission Die Hard so to speak too while also giving use boots to the ground mutant powers and arsenal strategies.
Chances are though with who they want to focus on this go around, we'll see something more akin to a classic X-Force story and roster with them fighting Apocalypse. Some characters from Days of Future past on the future side will probably make the cut if rumors are true. Characters like Sunspot and anyone else that might be from the New Mutants side that's featured there.
There are a lot of things to decide with this feature because of the characters.
Rahne Sinclair brings the religious fervor and story angles of her father.
Shatterstar brings in the understanding yourself side of the sexual identity coin.
Deadpool, well it's Deadpool, he's going to make the cut no matter what.
Cable is curious. Days of Future past seems to be going the Ultimate Comics route of Wolverine as Cable, but what does that mean for the X-Force film itself? Will we still see a 616 styled Cable? Possibly, but the question remains on if there would be any connection to Cyclops then? Cable has a very dense comic book trope character history(time travel, clones, and more!). It's almost impossible to involve him without some kind of time travel unless you rewrite the character from the ground up.
Domino... Well she's a fan favorite and mainstay. She has to make the cut.
Wolverine. Well he does drive a lot of audiences to theaters.
Warpath would be nice as we haven't had a native american X character on the big screen yet.
X-23 brings in a chance to highlight her and get audiences at large acquainted with her. Potentially even preps for a solo movie of her own after the fact in a "Mirroring Wolverine's path but making it her own" type way. The question here is if it's different enough from the second original X-Men feature. Then again, that film was also hailed as one of the best, so maybe that's a good direction to take anyway.
I'm still leaning on, hoping for, nay even praying for it to be a combination of Messiah War and Not Forgotten. While it would be similar to Days of Future past in many elements, it'd also allow for a wide array of cameos from classic X-Force characters like Tabitha "Boom Boom" Smith and could highlight many of the emotional plights of some characters. It'd help set the stage for a retro comic based X-Force sequel as it'd establish Cable as from a future fighting Apocalypse. May even give an easier rationale to bring him to the present to start his own formal X-Force team too( if he goes to the past, he inspired the one that brought him back, if he stays in their timeline, he picks up the mantle). It'd open the door for an archangel appearance, and it'd also allow for a Stryfe storyline mixed with Apocalypse. These stories are also very action heavy and would make a clear distinction as to why these aren't Xavier's X-Men.
That's where I personally lean at least. Fox's penchant to change things could be worked in their favor here to give us both, Comic inspired new version in soul, but classic in the making for the future. Best to come out on the ground swinging to further establish the groundwork, and yet also yield to making a bigger classic character roster sequel. Start out with the tightly knit group from v3, with them bringing Cable back from the future by accident mid-mission to stop the FoH/Purifiers. (A ramification of Days of Future Past? They want to make sure the future is good now?). Then a bit of character-centric piecing the current roster that won't carry over, like X-23's Not Forgotten story with Kimura. Then end with a Wolverine's mission is done, so he tries take Laura someplace peaceful, like the Xavier school after her ordeal. This leaves the team wide open for new leadership with Cable and his trying to prevent the rise of Apocalypse and recruiting the team that can do that now since Logan has left.
Maybe it's just me. I like the title "X-Force: Not Forgotten." It really speaks to all the characters we've been told could show up but haven't yet on the big screen. Though to be honest, anything they do will have my butt in the theater watching and enjoying it. Fox and Marvel have really stepped up their game on the X-Franchise, and it's a joy to see it grow.
X-23 Returning to The X-Men?
Bleeding Cool has a report from the SDCC X-Men panel up on their site.
Among all the tastey morsels is this little nugget.
Among all the tastey morsels is this little nugget.
X-23 will be returning to the X-Men! We finally might see more stories with her and Gambit or her and Jubilee!!! Also, this might mean Marvel could be indirectly celebrating her tenth anniversary alongside the 50th anniversary of the X-Men! Possibly at least. Last time her birthday hit, Avengers Academy did it in a rather low key manner by just giving her a new costume. This time we might see some bigger story usage potentially! Maybe another new costume too. A girl can never have too many outfits. So keep your fingers crossed!-Will X-23 be showing up in the X-Books soon?Lowe said that he can’t say where, because he didn’t want to spoil anything. But yes. At that point Bendis made huge pointing motions to himself, so look for her to show up in either “All-New” or (more likely) “Uncanny.”
Off Topic: Rule of 23 Override (A Song and Birthday).
Cut me some slack here. It is rule 23 after all with her album being released stateside on 7-23-2013. Besides, today is her 21st birthday too. Oh sorry, yeah I mean the woman I keep saying would be the perfect X-23 for an origin movie. Selena Gomez turns 21 today, and Kinney Pride and myself wish her a happy and safe birthday. Welcome to casinos, bars, and whatever else was limited before!
Plus new videos from her new album. Makes me hope they all get videos at this rate. So many great dramatic shots, that show a wide variety of possibilities and wealth of talent for whoever is directing them. Not sure on the full credits for each.
Happy 21st Birthday!
Plus new videos from her new album. Makes me hope they all get videos at this rate. So many great dramatic shots, that show a wide variety of possibilities and wealth of talent for whoever is directing them. Not sure on the full credits for each.
Happy 21st Birthday!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Tomorrow Always Has Hope
Some other news stories crossed my twitter feed this morning that I thought I should pass along to you guys.
One from Huffpost about homeless celebrities who have proven that life does get better.
The other from the Sun Sentinel about human trafficking that's on the rise in Florida but they are taking action and making strides in awareness about these topics.
WBAL also has some other positive news about further arrests being made in these areas.
Listed below are some related organizations that help dive into these issues and provide further information on these topics. During August I will try to dive deeper into how this relates to X-23 herself and her comics as it is something highlighted quite frequently in all her stories. For now though, here is some further site reading material if you are interested in helping.
http://www.helpusa.org/
http://ecpatusa.org/
http://www.ecpat.net
One from Huffpost about homeless celebrities who have proven that life does get better.
The other from the Sun Sentinel about human trafficking that's on the rise in Florida but they are taking action and making strides in awareness about these topics.
WBAL also has some other positive news about further arrests being made in these areas.
Listed below are some related organizations that help dive into these issues and provide further information on these topics. During August I will try to dive deeper into how this relates to X-23 herself and her comics as it is something highlighted quite frequently in all her stories. For now though, here is some further site reading material if you are interested in helping.
http://www.helpusa.org/
http://ecpatusa.org/
http://www.ecpat.net
News Bites Others Should Read
These were just some quick bites from Bleeding Cool I felt were worth pointing out. They are things that need to be understood or were amazing to see.
Bleeding Cool has an article up about sexual harassment at Comic-Cons. Definitely worth a read and should be noted repeatedly that this needs to stop.
They also have an article up about an upcoming 40th Anniversary for Red Sonja that's just an amazing feat and one I wish could be done for X-23's 10th as well, but maybe that's something to save for her 23rd anniversary anyway.
Apparently there's also rumors of an X-Force movie from coming from Bleeding Cool. Potential announcements to be at SDCC alongside a larger slate of films. Personally I'm still holding out mild hope this means an X-23 film too, and I hope the X-Force team they lean towards is the Yost/Kyle era roster, with maybe a few Uncanny X-Force additions. There's a lot of directions they could take with these ideas. After Days of Future Past and The Wolverine there are a lot of directions they could take and stories they could do. This could potentially coincide with some of the rumors that Apocalypse will cameo in Days of Future Past. Personally, I'm hoping for the Dark Angel story arc being turned to the films, but that'd mean a post-X-Men The Last Stand X-Men film to set it up as well as maybe tie-in films like X-23 and Deadpool finally. We could also finally hear a formal announcement about the much talked about New Mutants movie they keep saying they want to make.
My gut tells me that there's something bigger brewing here though too. There might be some pretty big announcements to keep your eyes on coming up. This could be anything from an X-23: Daughter of Wolverine film as discussed here before, to a mentioned Gambit film centered around the thieves guild, to possibly even a COPS spin on the MRD done as a faux-reality show. Personally I rather like that idea myself and it might give Fox something akin to Marvel's new Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series for ABC but with a different kind of spin.
All around, it's looking like this year's SDCC is the con to be at. Also be sure to check out The Wolverine when it's released on July 26th. With all this kind of buzz surrounding X-Titles for movies, there probably is something key there in the after credits or before credits.
I'll try to keep you updated as I hear or find more information.
Bleeding Cool has an article up about sexual harassment at Comic-Cons. Definitely worth a read and should be noted repeatedly that this needs to stop.
They also have an article up about an upcoming 40th Anniversary for Red Sonja that's just an amazing feat and one I wish could be done for X-23's 10th as well, but maybe that's something to save for her 23rd anniversary anyway.
Apparently there's also rumors of an X-Force movie from coming from Bleeding Cool. Potential announcements to be at SDCC alongside a larger slate of films. Personally I'm still holding out mild hope this means an X-23 film too, and I hope the X-Force team they lean towards is the Yost/Kyle era roster, with maybe a few Uncanny X-Force additions. There's a lot of directions they could take with these ideas. After Days of Future Past and The Wolverine there are a lot of directions they could take and stories they could do. This could potentially coincide with some of the rumors that Apocalypse will cameo in Days of Future Past. Personally, I'm hoping for the Dark Angel story arc being turned to the films, but that'd mean a post-X-Men The Last Stand X-Men film to set it up as well as maybe tie-in films like X-23 and Deadpool finally. We could also finally hear a formal announcement about the much talked about New Mutants movie they keep saying they want to make.
My gut tells me that there's something bigger brewing here though too. There might be some pretty big announcements to keep your eyes on coming up. This could be anything from an X-23: Daughter of Wolverine film as discussed here before, to a mentioned Gambit film centered around the thieves guild, to possibly even a COPS spin on the MRD done as a faux-reality show. Personally I rather like that idea myself and it might give Fox something akin to Marvel's new Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series for ABC but with a different kind of spin.
All around, it's looking like this year's SDCC is the con to be at. Also be sure to check out The Wolverine when it's released on July 26th. With all this kind of buzz surrounding X-Titles for movies, there probably is something key there in the after credits or before credits.
I'll try to keep you updated as I hear or find more information.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
From Anniversary to Birthday: A Change in Plans.
While Kinney Pride was originally planning to celebrate X-23's character premiere to the world as a 3 month ordeal, we're cutting that back a bit. We will still be celebrating X-23 day that year as it's just all around awesome it hits on a Wednesday this year, but there are other team Anniversaries that are also around this time, including that of the X-Men themselves. That's right, X-23's first official team she joined will have their 50th anniversary this year too.
So instead here will be opting to celebrate her birthday with a post on the 23rd minute of every hour. With the weeks following having material provided by fans or be focused on gathering all the details that others do to celebrate it. KP is still aiming to have a post for every day between that date and the proposed end date, but the heaviest will be on her actual birthday.
This will include all bits from what's being aired on TV, to fan appreciation, and even creator commentaries if they so choose to on other sites(or here if they'd prefer, all submissions are welcome at the venues suggested).
KP will still be trying to keep a few surprises, but right now I'd like to use this window to give others a chance to step forward about any and all topics they'd like pertaining to the character or even the rule of 23 if they'd like.
I will still be scattering some other carry-overs from proposed work that didn't quite make it to their final form in some manner or another for various times they were planned(and I do plan on doing them still once I can allocate what's needed better), so let's use this time to discuss the topics that can be hard at times, but also have some fun about things we'd like to see the character do or things we've loved that the character has done.
I'd also like to add some other contributors to here. So if you have a Blogger account and would like to help, please by all means pass me a message at the mentioned venues.
So instead here will be opting to celebrate her birthday with a post on the 23rd minute of every hour. With the weeks following having material provided by fans or be focused on gathering all the details that others do to celebrate it. KP is still aiming to have a post for every day between that date and the proposed end date, but the heaviest will be on her actual birthday.
This will include all bits from what's being aired on TV, to fan appreciation, and even creator commentaries if they so choose to on other sites(or here if they'd prefer, all submissions are welcome at the venues suggested).
KP will still be trying to keep a few surprises, but right now I'd like to use this window to give others a chance to step forward about any and all topics they'd like pertaining to the character or even the rule of 23 if they'd like.
I will still be scattering some other carry-overs from proposed work that didn't quite make it to their final form in some manner or another for various times they were planned(and I do plan on doing them still once I can allocate what's needed better), so let's use this time to discuss the topics that can be hard at times, but also have some fun about things we'd like to see the character do or things we've loved that the character has done.
I'd also like to add some other contributors to here. So if you have a Blogger account and would like to help, please by all means pass me a message at the mentioned venues.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
X-Men: Days of Future Past - The Rumors
So I've been out of the loop for a bit. Okay a long bit. I stopped paying attention entirely just wanting to go to the movies and enjoy them without knowing too much ahead of time.
Well I broke that today. Started looking up stuff to figure out if Marvel really did plan on killing Gambit off and how that could work story-wise with other brewing ideas centered around an idea with Gambit as a were-panther/tiger/feline(yeah, campy I know, but it could work well for a Halloween or Fairy Tale story, plus the pussy cat jokes with him just makes it fun). While looking that up, I kept bumping into more and more X-Men: Days of Future Past stories and rumors.
Lots of interesting details it seems. Much of the scattered rumors seem like a mess, but much of it also seem like an attempt to have Marvel and 20th Century Fox play nice with each other. We've got rumors of Misty Knight of Heroes 4 Hire fame possibly having a cameo. Rumors of Mystique's future self using clothes for her outfit once her powers came back, and also rumors that seem to play up to the Ultimate X-Men rendition of this story with how Wolverine was Cable potentially.
All around it sounds promising. There's also tidbits about Emma Frost being the mother to Emma and Kayla from X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which could potentially alleviate that story inconsistency. Granted I'd still prefer they go the vanity brain switching route, but this still works in their favor to have an Emma Frost for modern day features. There's also a rumor circling of Apocalypse making an appearance at the end of the film to set the stage for a 3rd prequel that will tie it all back together for the other films.
All around, count me excited.
Then again, I was already excited for it anyway.
It seems that Fox and Marvel are finally working together well. The addition of Mark Waid to consulting with Fox on the films seems to have really panned out well so far.
Personally I'm still hoping they plan on doing a New Mutants stand alone feature after the trilogy, but only time will tell. There's much they can do between the main titles that won't interfere if they tread over new characters with a few mainstays that would still be alive in that time frame.
There's also a few things to keep in mind though depending upon how they are approaching this film.
The main one being this film deals with time travel and alternate realities. Potentially the Days of Future Past future timeline is the aborted one and their corrections with time are what lead to the original X-Men trilogy.
They could also pull a Star Trek and create a divergent timeline, but considering "The Wolverine" is following in the steps of a post-X-Men Last Stand timeline, this seems unlikely.
Either way. I didn't find the rumors I was looking for about Gambit, but instead found lots of stuff that just has me saying yay over and over instead.
Well I broke that today. Started looking up stuff to figure out if Marvel really did plan on killing Gambit off and how that could work story-wise with other brewing ideas centered around an idea with Gambit as a were-panther/tiger/feline(yeah, campy I know, but it could work well for a Halloween or Fairy Tale story, plus the pussy cat jokes with him just makes it fun). While looking that up, I kept bumping into more and more X-Men: Days of Future Past stories and rumors.
Lots of interesting details it seems. Much of the scattered rumors seem like a mess, but much of it also seem like an attempt to have Marvel and 20th Century Fox play nice with each other. We've got rumors of Misty Knight of Heroes 4 Hire fame possibly having a cameo. Rumors of Mystique's future self using clothes for her outfit once her powers came back, and also rumors that seem to play up to the Ultimate X-Men rendition of this story with how Wolverine was Cable potentially.
All around it sounds promising. There's also tidbits about Emma Frost being the mother to Emma and Kayla from X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which could potentially alleviate that story inconsistency. Granted I'd still prefer they go the vanity brain switching route, but this still works in their favor to have an Emma Frost for modern day features. There's also a rumor circling of Apocalypse making an appearance at the end of the film to set the stage for a 3rd prequel that will tie it all back together for the other films.
All around, count me excited.
Then again, I was already excited for it anyway.
It seems that Fox and Marvel are finally working together well. The addition of Mark Waid to consulting with Fox on the films seems to have really panned out well so far.
Personally I'm still hoping they plan on doing a New Mutants stand alone feature after the trilogy, but only time will tell. There's much they can do between the main titles that won't interfere if they tread over new characters with a few mainstays that would still be alive in that time frame.
There's also a few things to keep in mind though depending upon how they are approaching this film.
The main one being this film deals with time travel and alternate realities. Potentially the Days of Future Past future timeline is the aborted one and their corrections with time are what lead to the original X-Men trilogy.
They could also pull a Star Trek and create a divergent timeline, but considering "The Wolverine" is following in the steps of a post-X-Men Last Stand timeline, this seems unlikely.
Either way. I didn't find the rumors I was looking for about Gambit, but instead found lots of stuff that just has me saying yay over and over instead.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
The Damages and Rammifications of Global Rape Culture
This article brings up a very valid point and elaborates on it pretty evenly.
I'm going to go ahead and embed the video here to help express the points I'm going to try and make that go in hand with it. These points are not me bragging. Far from it. As the article states, it's a sad state of affairs that it even has to be said.
Okay. You know, he is absolutely right.
I lived through a similar scenario entirely. Even plastered off my ass, I didn't force myself on someone else.
One of my more important ex's in my life had a tendency to drink. Right off the start though she warned me about this and we discussed it. If we were going to get intimate, the first time could not be while we were drunk. She had outright warned me she gets rather touchy feely when she drinks and is around those she likes. I respected her wishes. The most we ever did was cuddle.
There was one instance during Christmas in 2005 though. We were all playing drinking games at a friends house. All of us were over 21 mind you, and we were being responsible about no one driving if intoxicated too. In fact it was the reason I ended up staying with her on that couch all night on Christmas Eve. She had too much to drink far too quickly from beer pong, and was laying on the couch using my lap as her pillow. Eventually the amount of liquor caught up with her and made her sick. She warned me, I yelled trashcan to the others who were all too inebriated to make sense of that. One tossed a box with a hole in the bottom, the other brought over a kitchen pan. Finally one of them grabbed a bucket. She puked, I cleaned it up. (As an aside, binge drinking is not healthy, but accidents do happen. So keep a bucket or trashcan at the ready. Drinking is not something you should do in excess either, but again mistakes can happen. Especially when you are still learning your tolerances. It's best to at least be prepared on those occasions to be safe and responsible. Also, do not drink around those you cannot trust. That outright is a safety hazard for your own well-being. If you know someone has taken advantage of it before, odds are they will again in the future.)
Afterwards, she pleaded with me to not be mad, which I wasn't. She begged me to stay by her side. So I did. I continued to be her pillow all night. She got a bit more friskier that night than normal, but considering everything we'd talked about before even in being her personal close guy friend(she had an issue with the word boyfriend I never understood) at the time, it wasn't right. I wasn't comfortable that night with even resting my arms on her so we could both sleep. I simply let her use my lap as a pillow as she asked, and kept my arms to myself at the top of the couch. Mostly to protect her from others that might try to take advantage, but also because honestly I was quite uncomfortable about this myself. Even more so when she started nibbling on me, but thankfully she turned her head and stopped when I didn't respond. (Really, I was chanting in my head "please don't react, please don't react, please don't react" over and over and over again because of what she had said previously.) So my Christmas Eve of 2005 was spent sleeping on a couch in a sitting position. My Christmas morning of 2005 though was me waking up looking into the eyes of a woman I thought I loved. So while nothing happened that night, it is still one of the best Christmas memories I have. (Seriously, if the right parties want to verify the veracity of that claim, by all means, go ahead and contact me. I have nothing to hide.)
The thing is though. Real men don't take advantage. Consent is mandatory. It's sad that I even have to keep saying this. That people are even that afraid of men because of the monsters out there that they have to create tests to verify their honor and dignity. That boys even use such words as "rape" in their everyday vocabulary to even make women think they might. I've had that thrown in my face before by someone. I didn't argue it though. She was right. It was something I should have never said. Did I mean it as she thought it sounded? No, but that makes no difference. Even having said that word in her direction made her uncomfortable. She had every right to feel that way, to want to protect herself. Everyone does.
Sadly, one of my friends likes to play devil's advocate and says a lot of things he shouldn't. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in that with guy speak. That doesn't make it okay. That's not an excuse. This does not rationalize it. In fact this is the very problem. Now granted he does know if he ever put a finger so much as even near a person I cared about in the wrong way, he'd be a eunuch right after. That doesn't mean that others understand that though. That doesn't make me using it as a joke any less problematic. I perpetuated something that is a genuine real world concern and it should have never been said. It's not something that should ever be joked about or even considered.
Rape is not a subject I take kindly to, and is one of the things that can make me hate a girlfriend's ex-boyfriend with a passion to the point I might actually hurt them if she's not near when or if I see that person. I'm not trying to gloat or brag, and I hate that I even have to point that out. The internet has a habit of attacking white knights though. Even tin foil ones. They treat being good as some ploy, some act to get a desired result, and it's not. My life's events are just what they are. I'm being forthcoming with them as examples and situations can vary. I'd hope that others can see how they are supposed to act if put into similar positions. If from this just one person decides to step up and be a real man if ever put in that spot, then it's worth it.
The problem is society tries to tell men that our natural state of being is that of a rapist. We are Schroedinger's Rapists. They tell us we cannot be trusted. Some want to go so far as try to even push us to that. See how we break to become that. A real alpha male isn't a rapist though. An alpha male is a protector. Someone that will keep who they care for safe no matter what. They do not force themselves on others. An alpha male is a real man.
It's easy to see why society thinks this with every act perpetrated by boys onto others. Look no further than the link above and how it talks about the Steubenville case. How people reacted to the predators in that was distressing. They tried to defend these little monsters and talked about how their lives were ruined. No one talked about the victim. Many of them blamed the victim. The person that was violated was blamed for the crimes committed against her. Those boys should have been castrated and their parents incarcerated for not teaching them better than that.
It's not much better in politics. We wonder why others can even fathom rape, and yet politicians are presenting bill's to become law all over the country that are tantamount to rape. They get no punishment for this whatsoever. Just more money thrown their way to perpetuate the problems and make the world more toxic.
Gamers toss the word rape around like it's nothing as well. In fact the second they realize it might bother you, they use it more. They delight in destruction, and yet wonder why girls rarely want to speak to them in game or at all.
This whole thing just is too big even for me to voice though. Just trying to voice this from a male perspective is impossible. Even with my own history, this isn't something I can truly voice entirely. I can only tell you from what I've seen and heard from living in this world; the things I've experienced and witnessed from my own life.
It's not much different for men though. If you do get drunk or drugged at a party. Others will do things to you thinking it's a laugh. People laugh at the degradation of others like it's a joke or prank. They make jokes about "mushroom slaps" and trying to stick their dick in a guy or girl's mouth while passed out. All of that is still sexual assault though. Yet the mentalities people have is that it's funny. Something to be amusing. A prank or story to tell that others will pat the perpetrator on the back about because it's harmless. It's not though. It's a crime. It's assault. You are sexually assaulting another by doing that.
It happens to other people, but it's different when it happens to you. You shouldn't wait until it happens to you to think differently though. Put yourself in the position of the person attacked. How would you feel dealing with that? Have some empathy. Be human, not a monster. Stand up and stop them. Don't just sit back and watch it happen. Don't just be an accomplice by inaction.
I have no answers to this though other than saying stop hurting others. I wish I did have some big answer to it that'd make it stop. I just know what's wrong from how I was raised, and the life I've lived. There is no single solution to this, just many questions of how life degraded to such a state. It's not something as simple as saying humanity has debased itself into thinking it's an animal so it now treats each other like animals. It's not something as simple as saying it's because we've forsaken religion or spirituality either.
It's a topic and word people take too lightly. It has gravity to it, and should be treated as such.
At this point I'm just pretty much repeating because I can't think of how to really continue this topic. Hopefully later as Kinney Pride continues to grow, we can have a specialist come in to handle and deal with this topic. X-23 herself is ripe for it as literally that's what everyone has done to her from birth. Maybe not sexually, but her life was raped so that others could feel powerful. Her innocence and youth were taken away before she could truly even know what it was. It's not any different.
X-23 Surface Key Dates
I've brought this up before because, well, the anniversary for her X-Men Evolution episode is coming up. So we know that's August 2nd(just 23 days away!). There's also secondary dates of importance though with X-23 too.
While her first appearance to the world was through X-Men Evolution on TV, her first appearance to the Marvel world on the printed comic page was December 10th, 2003. This same pattern tends to prove true for a lot of comic characters that begin through one form of media and then traverse back to the original comics their parent company was founded with. Be it DC or Marvel, or any other that have traveled from on the screen to on the page. Whether it's a Firestar that's born, or Chloe Sullivan investigating Clark Kent; they all started somewhere.
So here are some of the key dates that matter for X-23 so far. These are the surface level details and dates. They do not entirely reflect her pivotal story issues and their dates. That list will be coming soon as I continue going back over the old issues and do more digging still.
August 2nd, 2003 is the air date of her first X-Men Evolution episode. This is when American children first met her through KidsWB. It was the 11th episode of the 3rd season(episode 41 over the entire series) and called "X-23." The follow up to her story is in the 46th episode of X-Men Evolution's run(season 4, episode 3) called "Target X." It aired originally on August 30th, 2003.
December 10th, 2003 with NYX issue 3 is her first appearance in the Marvel 616 universe. A story known to others as "NYX: Wannabes."
First official meeting with the X-Men was on October 6th, 2004 with Uncanny X-Men issue 450. This was part 1 of the 2 part story "The Cruelest Cut."
She joined her first official team, the New X-Men from Academy X, with their issue 20 released on November 9th, 2005. This was part 1 of the story "Childhood's End."
January 12th, 2005 is the date of her first issue of her first self-titled miniseries with the release of X-23v1 issue 1. It was part 1 of 6 to her "Innocence Lost" story.
On October 11th, 2006 issue 31 of New X-Men hit shelves. This featured the first appearance of Kimura, the Sabertooth to X-23's Wolverine. It is part 4 of 4 to the story called "Nimrod" from the pages of New X-Men.
September 15th, 2010 is when the first issue of her self-titled ongoing series was released. It was part 1 of "The Killing Dream."
December 14th, 2011 is when Laura first officially entered the Avengers-in-training ranks of the Avengers Academy with issue 23 of that series. The story was called "Second Chances."
While her first appearance to the world was through X-Men Evolution on TV, her first appearance to the Marvel world on the printed comic page was December 10th, 2003. This same pattern tends to prove true for a lot of comic characters that begin through one form of media and then traverse back to the original comics their parent company was founded with. Be it DC or Marvel, or any other that have traveled from on the screen to on the page. Whether it's a Firestar that's born, or Chloe Sullivan investigating Clark Kent; they all started somewhere.
So here are some of the key dates that matter for X-23 so far. These are the surface level details and dates. They do not entirely reflect her pivotal story issues and their dates. That list will be coming soon as I continue going back over the old issues and do more digging still.
August 2nd, 2003 is the air date of her first X-Men Evolution episode. This is when American children first met her through KidsWB. It was the 11th episode of the 3rd season(episode 41 over the entire series) and called "X-23." The follow up to her story is in the 46th episode of X-Men Evolution's run(season 4, episode 3) called "Target X." It aired originally on August 30th, 2003.
December 10th, 2003 with NYX issue 3 is her first appearance in the Marvel 616 universe. A story known to others as "NYX: Wannabes."
First official meeting with the X-Men was on October 6th, 2004 with Uncanny X-Men issue 450. This was part 1 of the 2 part story "The Cruelest Cut."
She joined her first official team, the New X-Men from Academy X, with their issue 20 released on November 9th, 2005. This was part 1 of the story "Childhood's End."
January 12th, 2005 is the date of her first issue of her first self-titled miniseries with the release of X-23v1 issue 1. It was part 1 of 6 to her "Innocence Lost" story.
On October 11th, 2006 issue 31 of New X-Men hit shelves. This featured the first appearance of Kimura, the Sabertooth to X-23's Wolverine. It is part 4 of 4 to the story called "Nimrod" from the pages of New X-Men.
September 15th, 2010 is when the first issue of her self-titled ongoing series was released. It was part 1 of "The Killing Dream."
December 14th, 2011 is when Laura first officially entered the Avengers-in-training ranks of the Avengers Academy with issue 23 of that series. The story was called "Second Chances."
Pre-Anniversary Jitters
I'm going ahead with a few entries earlier than planned because they are topics that can't wait. I'll find a way to fill in for that material later. For now. I want these pieces forward because these topics are just getting worse and worse. People need to wake up to them and change them for the better. There is no point in waiting, this change needs to start as soon as it can.
Geeks and Cyber-Bullying
Everyday, in and out it's the same thing from geeks around the world. Attack, attack, attack. Superior to all so let's make the world burn for not bowing to our will. Enough's enough. This is causing more damage than helping. We're creating and showing others how to cyber-bully, we're laughing at it. We're dancing over tearing others down just for the sheer thrill of tearing them down. We're becoming the bullies we claim to fight against. These acts are starting to infect real world actions now. Youth seeing others delight in the destruction of others are now forcing their wills onto people in the real world because of the examples set. Politicians thinking this is the will of the people are taking their actions too far in revoking rights from others and trying to control women's bodies too. It needs to stop. It's getting out of hand.
I've mentioned before I was a fansubber for a long duration. I was. I was DHawk then DororoHawk then Dororo and then Talon of TV-Nihon fame. Names that progressively changed over time as to avoid confusion and then users unhappy with being banned for trolling or trying to cyber-bully. I've long since foregone any ties to the group though after an inside upset where we both were going opposite directions and personally I felt the atmosphere was getting rather toxic. Not that the fans were any better with their spiteful demands and attitudes either, though there were some shining examples of appreciation too. Overall it was a common thing I saw. Others were constantly delighting in the dismantling of "stupid." They attacked others, used any excuse to rally against another for no reason. Broke server rules over and over again with impunity just to torture users with nickserv commands that'd force them to disconnect because the users were new to mIRC.
It was essentially a hobby among a lot of them to revel in being mean and having superiority complexes. Every mistake was something to tear apart because their own lives were so menial or trivial. So the only way to make that better was to tear down others. I left and haven't looked back for that reason. I'd been with the group since 2004, I left in October 2011 over standing up against power abuse against the fan base and those in charge continually delighting in being bullies to users for no reasons but their own inflated egos. Abuse that was reminiscent of the very things the group was trying to move away from after having a turbulent leader for years that intentionally caused flame wars all over the internet. For a time that former leader who-shall-remain-nameless was the Toku fandom's cyber-bully all wanted to avoid, feared, or hated. I've never feared his wrath, but I also again will not name people like that unless it serves a point beyond public shaming. I did not want to see the group turn back into that, but slowly enough different users were growing into new hims to fill the void and delight in destruction of the very people that looked up to them. I attempted to raise these concerns about how the group was falling into old habits, but they fell on deaf ears. It was obvious they didn't care or want to change how they treated others. I've never returned to that group either, so I couldn't tell you if they've since changed(though recently I've heard they claimed to have, but again they've made that claim at least once a year since they formed). There are a handful of amazing people and artists from there I've kept in contact with, but for the most part that level of toxicity is not something I want in my life. They were fans that took out their frustrations on other fans for no reason other than they were there. It'd be tragic if it weren't so pathetic.
It's a common thing among geeks though. They lord their superiority over others like they are better than everyone. They're not. While many areas of the geek world still to this day uses terms wrong and make up their own definitions for them, all anyone can do is gently try to correct them and explain it nicely. When a war of condemnation and superiority starts, no one wins or can win. Everyone just looks silly.
Many geeks were teased in high school, some teased even younger, some still teased even after by those they admire. Sadly though, the fans are no better. By accepting it, they make it worse. By perpetuating it, they show they think it's okay. Many fans and creators alike are the very things they claim to hate. They tread too dangerously over the line of becoming the thing they profess they're fighting against. They snap at those that don't fall in line to their opinions, but they also snap at those that dare try to speak differently. They've lost sight of what the line is. They've lost sight of how to articulate it. This is why more and more geeks are getting a bad name. On one side they clamor for all they deserve over others, while on the other they look upon their own actions with impunity from arrogance and ignorance. They can't have it both ways. If you are called out for being a jerk, and you know you are being one, tone it down. If you are called out for actually standing up for what's right, turn it up. Society needs to not accept ignorant negativity. Constructive criticism and critiques are one thing, but actively tearing something apart with delight is just asinine ego stroking that can make you look like an ass.
George Lucas and Star Wars for example. Before selling the rights to Disney, he officially stated "Why would I make any more when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?" That was the fans saying this to him. Not fans unhappy with story points, characters, or with script choices, but fans who personally attacked his character as a human being for his artistic choices.
Yet, right now you're probably nodding and thinking "good, he shouldn't do more." You sir or ma'am, are the exact problem. It's not just Lucas that faces this. Michael Bay with his Transformers movies is being hit repeatedly with the same bile magnified tenfold that Lucas had gotten. It's fine to have complaints about various elements, but discuss them with why. Recognize the film as part of serial installments that many holes could be filled in later for overall world progression. People for the most part don't care though. It's bad. It's different so it must be bad! It has plot holes! Everything it changed is a goof! It's a mistake! Michael Bay is a monster that raped my childhood because I didn't like it! The list goes on and on with worse words than that. Audience confusion goes straight to "everything about what I saw was mindless drivel because I personally didn't understand it!" They use chant phrases like "raped my childhood" and more. Geeks, if anything, know how to overreact with passion. The new Ninja Turtles being produced (not directed) by Michael Bay is another prime example of this all over again. The white wash claims of the Last Airbender are another. M. Night Shymalan people outright delight in personally attacking repeatedly for his work. They call him racist and worse for a film that only had one of the four elements actually changed and it wasn't even to Caucasian! (The Water tribe is an entirely debatable opinion point, but the Fire Nation change though is an actual change. That's not to say there weren't other large issues, but very few ever talk about those instead opting for the off base racial commentary instead.) We impose what we think properties should be whether they are or aren't, and then tear it apart when it doesn't match this alleged ideal. Yes people should speak up when something's genuinely wrong, even detrimental to others, but we shouldn't be angry when we are ignored when we're wrong. Stop pouting about that like you were slighted and invalidated. It's their vision, not yours. Let them tell their story. Then discuss the points of it that you would like to see elaborated on and what worked or didn't for you. That's not what geeks do though. They preemptively lash out like it's theirs to control.
When victories are won that needed to be like XBOX 1, they compare it to other aspects of life whether it's applicable or not. A video game console revoking your freedoms of your purchases and invading your privacy is one thing(it is a hardware medium to allow media consumption), harping on entertainment you don't know anything about is another entirely(this is someone's artistic work that they are creating). These two do not equate whatsoever. You're not instigating change for the better with media, you're hurting it instead. Creators do listen to fans quite often, but they listen to fans that raise valid concerns and elaborate on them with kindness. They rightfully disregard the ignorance and arrogance that's completely off base. They have to. It'll wreck their properties otherwise. It'll wreck their vision.
The 2004 live action film Casshern from Japan directed by Kazuaki Kiriya gets the same flack. Many call it an effects spectacle with no substance, missing entirely the heavy anti-war messages throughout the film. US distributors didn't help that opinion much by cutting one of the key scenes that brings the point home and sets the rest of the tone of the movie. One scene in a person's vision can make or break the message they are pushing within a film. In this instance it was also one of the most beautiful and poignant scenes littered with phenomenal technique usage scattered across a camera cut montage. Yet for the American release, it's sitting on the cutting room floor. These are just directors who get slammed repeatedly for choices in entertainment they worked extensively hard to bring audiences. Directors and creators alike who want to share their vision of their ideas with the world for them to enjoy as much as they did in making it.
The bile and venom gets worse as you wade into comic book films. X-Men religiously gets the same complaints thrown at it. It gets worse even, fans outright call 20th Century Fox and those involved all kinds of derogatory terms for not just giving the rights back to Marvel. A business choice that if they did would mean no more X-Men character movies for a long while for anyone as Marvel's slate is already quite heavy as is to the point they've had to shelve other films like Runaways (Small Faces). So at minimum if Fox had done as fan's request, we wouldn't see a film for any X-Men until 2023 maybe if we're lucky.
It still gets worse though. Fans and geeks alike berate other geeks and fans for liking what they like. They call them bad people, and worse derogatory remarks for daring to enjoy something different than them. It's fine to enjoy what you enjoy of art. That's what makes it art. We should always discuss aspects and merits of it too, but we should not attack others personally over their taste unless it is an actual danger to another of high magnitudes(snuff films or other intentionally abusive or cruelty influenced mediums and actions). What right does anyone have to call another a bad person, or make them feel like a bad person for enjoying the music they enjoy, the video games they enjoy, the movies they enjoy, and more just because it disagrees with someone else's opinions or taste? While we should recognize certain elements of properties that are problematic, those points should be educated to others about. Preaching to others that Twilight is evil and bad and you are bad or have no taste for liking it does nothing but alienate people. If you educate them about what is problematic in it though about what it teaches girls to accept as okay from those that claim they love them, maybe the point could actually be heard and understood. Maybe it could be accepted for what it is, a film and commentary on common social issues many ignore, instead of touted as a new age fan girl religion. In fact there is a whole fan girl movement that recognizes Twilight for what it holds within, but still enjoys it. They can easily discuss the ramifications of the various aspects insinuated more than any hater could, but yes they do still enjoy the films for what they are. The rest of society though needs to learn to stop attacking people, and start learning to communicate clearly and appropriately.
Those are just companies and Directors. That's just simple fan fervor. Not excusing it, as it is what it is. It's still cyber-bullying on all accounts. On the people fans look up to though, the ones they admire and look to for guidance, for intelligence, those turning against them can be worse and even more tragic and damaging.
Marvel themselves is where I'm going to have to point this one out. They have been known to make this mistake too. While at times I've wanted to apologize to certain elements for my own remarks towards their previous behavior as it in many cases was no better than their actions, I do have to still point out many instances of how certain elements treated fans was cyber-bullying. Flat out, it has no excuse. They attacked, trolled, and reveled in treating others poorly on the internet. This element attacked others in their own digital homes so to speak, and while yes it may have been in defense of other creators, it is still not an excuse in how they did it. The same can be said of other creators who have done the same to other areas of the internet and other people. Some try to hide it behind their own walls of security for forums or double speak on twitter or you name it, but it's the same. They took delight in cyber-bullying for what they felt was a slight against them or just bias. They do personal attacks aimed at others without a care in the world because of their status. That doesn't make it right. The fact is they still personally attacked fans and users. They are no better than the bullies they proclaim to want to stop. I'd grown silent about these actions in recent years, and slowly they changed thankfully, or for now at least seemed to have. They matured to better. It made me happy to see that in recent days for the most part when checking up on if things were still the same. They seemed to start to channel all that stuff elsewhere and away from those that admired them most. Certain voices got quieter on the internet. A calmness took a better foothold. Though Marvel always has stood up for those that needed something to believe in, sometimes they forgot there is no age limit on that. Sometimes they remembered that too though and grew from it. They've even started a new youth and family oriented initiative called Share Your Universe to highlight and expand on this shift to help inspire their younger fans and the fans with families. A place where hopefully the creators and editors will keep themselves in check since it is for children and families.
Personally I had to stop reading Yahoo and Huffpost reviews for the same reason. The authors of various show recap pieces were getting meaner and meaner. It was feeling more and more like we were watching two entirely different shows, but they just kept feeding the fan hate. Reviewers delighted in tearing down Once Upon a Time for alleged mistakes that were in the show about Henry and the curse that weren't even there. Supernatural reviewers were delighting in tearing down the writers attempts to establish a growing new generation of hunters and how dark that life can truly become but why there's still hope. That even though people have fallen during the war, those closest even, more were standing up to fight and were winning. All these stories had points they were building. The reviewers of them though stuck to their micro points to dismantle them with reckless abandon for daring not to follow the vision they the fan had in mind it should do. Most often without having examples from within the show universe to back it up, whereas the shows were following their own preset rules for these worlds that have been steadily established throughout. This is the thing to constructive criticism for serialized media. It should contain precedents established within the confines of said serialized work to help establish the basis of your points.
This is why sometimes fan interactions can harm a show or comic. If creators listen to some of these complaints they start to get lost about their own vision by deviating to appease ignorance. There are other times though where it can benefit. Some fans do bring up valid discussion points many haven't thought of before. Those are not things to dismiss. They are things to ponder and explore, see the possibilities of and even give thanks for. This is why discussion with clear communication is needed without derogatory or inflammatory phrasings. Discuss the points and help educate the fans about what they may have missed or the questions they may have. Many shows these days are quite rapid fire. They present information nonstop throughout. So if you got up to use the restroom or grab a snack or drink, you may have missed the exact point you're complaining about wasn't in the episode itself(which is not an opinion then, it's just ignorance). Like one reviewer's complaint about the Supernatural episode Girl next door with how Sam knew where to look for the fox demon. The scenes prior to it had a map montage of past and present that explained the techniques Sam used alongside where and how he learned it. So the complaint was actually remedied by the show itself, but ignored by the reviewer to continue on the tirade of ripping it apart as they had done previously.
I've personally made that mistake myself though. I have tried to avoid personal attacks with any commentary I've made preferring to stick to the quality of the work itself. The times I've strayed, others have helped set me right and I've looked back to correct, or set straight myself. There are creators though that don't fall under this, and never will. They carry empathy in all their words and choices. They phrase it just right so that it can be scathing but at the same time it's constructive. These are the kinds of creators you don't want to piss off. They dance the line like a fine ballet, making sure no one can touch them. I'm in awe of some of their moves. They truly are talents that can't be imitated or impersonated. A shining example of how to get points across without actually doing anything at all. No tricks, no ploys. No insults. Just pure them and their fun. It's one of the things that has made me become in awe of Marjorie Liu's work, among the others I see this skill with, though it's starting to get rarer and rarer it seems.
The thing is, all of us, all people no matter our status think we're above reproach. We claw away at claiming justice without actually looking at what that means or what we're saying. Many don't even understand where the lines are or why they are there to begin with. We claim superiority over others, and brow beat those that don't agree with pure animosity without any facts. Instead of it being about the clarity and quality of the work, it becomes a matter of personal pride and how-dare-they-say-thats. Falling squarely into the trap of becoming the very monster they were probably tormented by as a child, or throughout their own lives still.
It's sad really. Even tragic. For every good deed done, thousands more are done to others without a care. Karma doesn't work like that though. It's called the 3 fold rule. For every bad deed comes back onto you in triplicate. I know my sins. I know my mistakes. I recognize them for what they are and always have. I am no better than anyone else nor have I ever claimed different, but I will not bow to hypocrites or ignorance ever again either though. Especially ones that do not understand the difference between personal attacks and analyzing the work itself. Though yes, they should all remain in friendly debates and discussions.
I've mentioned before I was a fansubber for a long duration. I was. I was DHawk then DororoHawk then Dororo and then Talon of TV-Nihon fame. Names that progressively changed over time as to avoid confusion and then users unhappy with being banned for trolling or trying to cyber-bully. I've long since foregone any ties to the group though after an inside upset where we both were going opposite directions and personally I felt the atmosphere was getting rather toxic. Not that the fans were any better with their spiteful demands and attitudes either, though there were some shining examples of appreciation too. Overall it was a common thing I saw. Others were constantly delighting in the dismantling of "stupid." They attacked others, used any excuse to rally against another for no reason. Broke server rules over and over again with impunity just to torture users with nickserv commands that'd force them to disconnect because the users were new to mIRC.
It was essentially a hobby among a lot of them to revel in being mean and having superiority complexes. Every mistake was something to tear apart because their own lives were so menial or trivial. So the only way to make that better was to tear down others. I left and haven't looked back for that reason. I'd been with the group since 2004, I left in October 2011 over standing up against power abuse against the fan base and those in charge continually delighting in being bullies to users for no reasons but their own inflated egos. Abuse that was reminiscent of the very things the group was trying to move away from after having a turbulent leader for years that intentionally caused flame wars all over the internet. For a time that former leader who-shall-remain-nameless was the Toku fandom's cyber-bully all wanted to avoid, feared, or hated. I've never feared his wrath, but I also again will not name people like that unless it serves a point beyond public shaming. I did not want to see the group turn back into that, but slowly enough different users were growing into new hims to fill the void and delight in destruction of the very people that looked up to them. I attempted to raise these concerns about how the group was falling into old habits, but they fell on deaf ears. It was obvious they didn't care or want to change how they treated others. I've never returned to that group either, so I couldn't tell you if they've since changed(though recently I've heard they claimed to have, but again they've made that claim at least once a year since they formed). There are a handful of amazing people and artists from there I've kept in contact with, but for the most part that level of toxicity is not something I want in my life. They were fans that took out their frustrations on other fans for no reason other than they were there. It'd be tragic if it weren't so pathetic.
It's a common thing among geeks though. They lord their superiority over others like they are better than everyone. They're not. While many areas of the geek world still to this day uses terms wrong and make up their own definitions for them, all anyone can do is gently try to correct them and explain it nicely. When a war of condemnation and superiority starts, no one wins or can win. Everyone just looks silly.
Many geeks were teased in high school, some teased even younger, some still teased even after by those they admire. Sadly though, the fans are no better. By accepting it, they make it worse. By perpetuating it, they show they think it's okay. Many fans and creators alike are the very things they claim to hate. They tread too dangerously over the line of becoming the thing they profess they're fighting against. They snap at those that don't fall in line to their opinions, but they also snap at those that dare try to speak differently. They've lost sight of what the line is. They've lost sight of how to articulate it. This is why more and more geeks are getting a bad name. On one side they clamor for all they deserve over others, while on the other they look upon their own actions with impunity from arrogance and ignorance. They can't have it both ways. If you are called out for being a jerk, and you know you are being one, tone it down. If you are called out for actually standing up for what's right, turn it up. Society needs to not accept ignorant negativity. Constructive criticism and critiques are one thing, but actively tearing something apart with delight is just asinine ego stroking that can make you look like an ass.
George Lucas and Star Wars for example. Before selling the rights to Disney, he officially stated "Why would I make any more when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?" That was the fans saying this to him. Not fans unhappy with story points, characters, or with script choices, but fans who personally attacked his character as a human being for his artistic choices.
Yet, right now you're probably nodding and thinking "good, he shouldn't do more." You sir or ma'am, are the exact problem. It's not just Lucas that faces this. Michael Bay with his Transformers movies is being hit repeatedly with the same bile magnified tenfold that Lucas had gotten. It's fine to have complaints about various elements, but discuss them with why. Recognize the film as part of serial installments that many holes could be filled in later for overall world progression. People for the most part don't care though. It's bad. It's different so it must be bad! It has plot holes! Everything it changed is a goof! It's a mistake! Michael Bay is a monster that raped my childhood because I didn't like it! The list goes on and on with worse words than that. Audience confusion goes straight to "everything about what I saw was mindless drivel because I personally didn't understand it!" They use chant phrases like "raped my childhood" and more. Geeks, if anything, know how to overreact with passion. The new Ninja Turtles being produced (not directed) by Michael Bay is another prime example of this all over again. The white wash claims of the Last Airbender are another. M. Night Shymalan people outright delight in personally attacking repeatedly for his work. They call him racist and worse for a film that only had one of the four elements actually changed and it wasn't even to Caucasian! (The Water tribe is an entirely debatable opinion point, but the Fire Nation change though is an actual change. That's not to say there weren't other large issues, but very few ever talk about those instead opting for the off base racial commentary instead.) We impose what we think properties should be whether they are or aren't, and then tear it apart when it doesn't match this alleged ideal. Yes people should speak up when something's genuinely wrong, even detrimental to others, but we shouldn't be angry when we are ignored when we're wrong. Stop pouting about that like you were slighted and invalidated. It's their vision, not yours. Let them tell their story. Then discuss the points of it that you would like to see elaborated on and what worked or didn't for you. That's not what geeks do though. They preemptively lash out like it's theirs to control.
When victories are won that needed to be like XBOX 1, they compare it to other aspects of life whether it's applicable or not. A video game console revoking your freedoms of your purchases and invading your privacy is one thing(it is a hardware medium to allow media consumption), harping on entertainment you don't know anything about is another entirely(this is someone's artistic work that they are creating). These two do not equate whatsoever. You're not instigating change for the better with media, you're hurting it instead. Creators do listen to fans quite often, but they listen to fans that raise valid concerns and elaborate on them with kindness. They rightfully disregard the ignorance and arrogance that's completely off base. They have to. It'll wreck their properties otherwise. It'll wreck their vision.
The 2004 live action film Casshern from Japan directed by Kazuaki Kiriya gets the same flack. Many call it an effects spectacle with no substance, missing entirely the heavy anti-war messages throughout the film. US distributors didn't help that opinion much by cutting one of the key scenes that brings the point home and sets the rest of the tone of the movie. One scene in a person's vision can make or break the message they are pushing within a film. In this instance it was also one of the most beautiful and poignant scenes littered with phenomenal technique usage scattered across a camera cut montage. Yet for the American release, it's sitting on the cutting room floor. These are just directors who get slammed repeatedly for choices in entertainment they worked extensively hard to bring audiences. Directors and creators alike who want to share their vision of their ideas with the world for them to enjoy as much as they did in making it.
The bile and venom gets worse as you wade into comic book films. X-Men religiously gets the same complaints thrown at it. It gets worse even, fans outright call 20th Century Fox and those involved all kinds of derogatory terms for not just giving the rights back to Marvel. A business choice that if they did would mean no more X-Men character movies for a long while for anyone as Marvel's slate is already quite heavy as is to the point they've had to shelve other films like Runaways (Small Faces). So at minimum if Fox had done as fan's request, we wouldn't see a film for any X-Men until 2023 maybe if we're lucky.
It still gets worse though. Fans and geeks alike berate other geeks and fans for liking what they like. They call them bad people, and worse derogatory remarks for daring to enjoy something different than them. It's fine to enjoy what you enjoy of art. That's what makes it art. We should always discuss aspects and merits of it too, but we should not attack others personally over their taste unless it is an actual danger to another of high magnitudes(snuff films or other intentionally abusive or cruelty influenced mediums and actions). What right does anyone have to call another a bad person, or make them feel like a bad person for enjoying the music they enjoy, the video games they enjoy, the movies they enjoy, and more just because it disagrees with someone else's opinions or taste? While we should recognize certain elements of properties that are problematic, those points should be educated to others about. Preaching to others that Twilight is evil and bad and you are bad or have no taste for liking it does nothing but alienate people. If you educate them about what is problematic in it though about what it teaches girls to accept as okay from those that claim they love them, maybe the point could actually be heard and understood. Maybe it could be accepted for what it is, a film and commentary on common social issues many ignore, instead of touted as a new age fan girl religion. In fact there is a whole fan girl movement that recognizes Twilight for what it holds within, but still enjoys it. They can easily discuss the ramifications of the various aspects insinuated more than any hater could, but yes they do still enjoy the films for what they are. The rest of society though needs to learn to stop attacking people, and start learning to communicate clearly and appropriately.
Those are just companies and Directors. That's just simple fan fervor. Not excusing it, as it is what it is. It's still cyber-bullying on all accounts. On the people fans look up to though, the ones they admire and look to for guidance, for intelligence, those turning against them can be worse and even more tragic and damaging.
Marvel themselves is where I'm going to have to point this one out. They have been known to make this mistake too. While at times I've wanted to apologize to certain elements for my own remarks towards their previous behavior as it in many cases was no better than their actions, I do have to still point out many instances of how certain elements treated fans was cyber-bullying. Flat out, it has no excuse. They attacked, trolled, and reveled in treating others poorly on the internet. This element attacked others in their own digital homes so to speak, and while yes it may have been in defense of other creators, it is still not an excuse in how they did it. The same can be said of other creators who have done the same to other areas of the internet and other people. Some try to hide it behind their own walls of security for forums or double speak on twitter or you name it, but it's the same. They took delight in cyber-bullying for what they felt was a slight against them or just bias. They do personal attacks aimed at others without a care in the world because of their status. That doesn't make it right. The fact is they still personally attacked fans and users. They are no better than the bullies they proclaim to want to stop. I'd grown silent about these actions in recent years, and slowly they changed thankfully, or for now at least seemed to have. They matured to better. It made me happy to see that in recent days for the most part when checking up on if things were still the same. They seemed to start to channel all that stuff elsewhere and away from those that admired them most. Certain voices got quieter on the internet. A calmness took a better foothold. Though Marvel always has stood up for those that needed something to believe in, sometimes they forgot there is no age limit on that. Sometimes they remembered that too though and grew from it. They've even started a new youth and family oriented initiative called Share Your Universe to highlight and expand on this shift to help inspire their younger fans and the fans with families. A place where hopefully the creators and editors will keep themselves in check since it is for children and families.
Personally I had to stop reading Yahoo and Huffpost reviews for the same reason. The authors of various show recap pieces were getting meaner and meaner. It was feeling more and more like we were watching two entirely different shows, but they just kept feeding the fan hate. Reviewers delighted in tearing down Once Upon a Time for alleged mistakes that were in the show about Henry and the curse that weren't even there. Supernatural reviewers were delighting in tearing down the writers attempts to establish a growing new generation of hunters and how dark that life can truly become but why there's still hope. That even though people have fallen during the war, those closest even, more were standing up to fight and were winning. All these stories had points they were building. The reviewers of them though stuck to their micro points to dismantle them with reckless abandon for daring not to follow the vision they the fan had in mind it should do. Most often without having examples from within the show universe to back it up, whereas the shows were following their own preset rules for these worlds that have been steadily established throughout. This is the thing to constructive criticism for serialized media. It should contain precedents established within the confines of said serialized work to help establish the basis of your points.
This is why sometimes fan interactions can harm a show or comic. If creators listen to some of these complaints they start to get lost about their own vision by deviating to appease ignorance. There are other times though where it can benefit. Some fans do bring up valid discussion points many haven't thought of before. Those are not things to dismiss. They are things to ponder and explore, see the possibilities of and even give thanks for. This is why discussion with clear communication is needed without derogatory or inflammatory phrasings. Discuss the points and help educate the fans about what they may have missed or the questions they may have. Many shows these days are quite rapid fire. They present information nonstop throughout. So if you got up to use the restroom or grab a snack or drink, you may have missed the exact point you're complaining about wasn't in the episode itself(which is not an opinion then, it's just ignorance). Like one reviewer's complaint about the Supernatural episode Girl next door with how Sam knew where to look for the fox demon. The scenes prior to it had a map montage of past and present that explained the techniques Sam used alongside where and how he learned it. So the complaint was actually remedied by the show itself, but ignored by the reviewer to continue on the tirade of ripping it apart as they had done previously.
I've personally made that mistake myself though. I have tried to avoid personal attacks with any commentary I've made preferring to stick to the quality of the work itself. The times I've strayed, others have helped set me right and I've looked back to correct, or set straight myself. There are creators though that don't fall under this, and never will. They carry empathy in all their words and choices. They phrase it just right so that it can be scathing but at the same time it's constructive. These are the kinds of creators you don't want to piss off. They dance the line like a fine ballet, making sure no one can touch them. I'm in awe of some of their moves. They truly are talents that can't be imitated or impersonated. A shining example of how to get points across without actually doing anything at all. No tricks, no ploys. No insults. Just pure them and their fun. It's one of the things that has made me become in awe of Marjorie Liu's work, among the others I see this skill with, though it's starting to get rarer and rarer it seems.
The thing is, all of us, all people no matter our status think we're above reproach. We claw away at claiming justice without actually looking at what that means or what we're saying. Many don't even understand where the lines are or why they are there to begin with. We claim superiority over others, and brow beat those that don't agree with pure animosity without any facts. Instead of it being about the clarity and quality of the work, it becomes a matter of personal pride and how-dare-they-say-thats. Falling squarely into the trap of becoming the very monster they were probably tormented by as a child, or throughout their own lives still.
It's sad really. Even tragic. For every good deed done, thousands more are done to others without a care. Karma doesn't work like that though. It's called the 3 fold rule. For every bad deed comes back onto you in triplicate. I know my sins. I know my mistakes. I recognize them for what they are and always have. I am no better than anyone else nor have I ever claimed different, but I will not bow to hypocrites or ignorance ever again either though. Especially ones that do not understand the difference between personal attacks and analyzing the work itself. Though yes, they should all remain in friendly debates and discussions.
X-23: The Parallel to the Trials and Tribulations that Stars Endure
I've mentioned this before alongside the other aspects of X-23's character being a very abuse or lost child spokesperson type character, but one element I've yet to truly dive into fully is this parallel. It's outside my reach of perception to be honest. It's something I could not personally truly understand.
So, I am going to try and do my best to explain this, and please do share your thoughts on this subject as well. Maybe you can help fashion this into a better focus on the areas that need that light. Discussion and openness is what's needed on these topics for the world to see. If we continue to hide them in shadows, people that take advantage of these things will continuously keep doing what they are doing and how they are doing it because we are letting them get away with it. We should never let them get away with it. For the sake of yesterday, today, and tomorrow's children, a light must always shine on these subjects.
X-23 is a unique character. It's hard to really suggest she only covers a single metaphor. Every company on the planet watches her like a hawk. Thanks to her affiliation with the X-Men and the Avengers, now every civilian watches her like a hawk too. She is perpetually in the lime light from all sides and has been really since birth.
That's X-23's life. That's Laura Kinney's life. What started out in shadows and in silence, is now in the eyes of the world. She didn't start that way at first. It was only those that wanted to use her skills that knew of her, but slowly the world became more and more aware of her presence too. All eyes are on her at all times thanks to her affiliations.
Those that want to use her, those that want to make her a trophy, those that want to even just abuse her to watch how her family or friends may react. She's a character that gets everything thrown her way. It's one of the reasons I genuinely prefer Sabertooth being dead. He relates to story potential towards X-23 that is not a topic I ever want to see tread. He's a character that embodies beast natures and that includes rape. There are topics X-23 entails though about bullies, but not just a singular kind of bully. X-23 deals with nearly all kinds. Even the kind that comes from inside her own head, or from her readers and fans.
X-23 is an embodiment of youth but also how Stars are used and abused. Her portrayal in NYX about being a prostitute does play up to that metaphor. She caters to the scarier instincts of the Marvel fan's darker desires and it's a dangerous area. This is why having her be a character more dangerous than even Wolverine comes into play. She needs it for self-defense in this comic book world of cruelty. Sadly the real world doesn't have such a defense for Celebrities, fans, or creators alike. At least not yet.
We hear about these things all the time. Rape culture, violence against children, violence against women, cyber-bullying, school yard bullies, suicide, and much much more. This year in particular it seems like every story is coming out of the woodwork to remind everyone. There's a reason for this. It needs to be stopped. It needs to stop.
We say it's okay. They signed up for this life. They signed up to dance for our enjoyment. They didn't really. They signed up to do what they love. There are very few stars where I make exceptions for this. Many are grounded intelligent stars. They don't let the money and spending get out of hand. They balance living a normal life with what they can. They want the real world experiences every person craves to have. They want the support of others to choose to live as they want to live. Yet fans treat them with death threats, suicide threats, and more just for being a celebrity. We tear them down repeatedly because they brought us joy. How does that make sense? These Stars are as human as you or I am.
The rape culture within these confines is so bad, that a star as young as 14 already will have internet users aggressively arguing over what it'd be like to take their virginity. Freaking 14 years old?!? They do this in plain sight across social media and it's sickening. Yet we look the other way. "It's on the internet, that's not real anyway." These are kids and adults delighting in the destruction of the innocence of others. That's cyber-bullying, and it shows a mentality of this is their thoughts that they want to act on. Mentalities people let fester in the heads of kids and the media, we let it grow in how they act and treat others. Then we wonder why things like kids, little girls and boys are getting gang raped by classmates that just laugh take pictures and think it's funny. It's sick. How could these kids could ever think something like that is okay? What the hell did the world do to raise such little monsters? Yet we blame the victim. They shouldn't have been drunk in public, they shouldn't have been with a group of boys, and whatever else one can come up with or make up on the spot. It's sickening. People have no respect for others, they have no respect for themselves and their own dignity and it's just sick. What kind of parents created monsters like this? What kind of people actually let that happen and do nothing about it?
The rape culture towards young celebrities feeds into this making it worse. Obsessed fans make fake porn photos that they scatter across the internet. Stuff that can vary from all over the age spectrum. We start dehumanizing those stars into objects at an early age. Praying for nip slips or a no panties drunken display. Maybe today will be the day so and so has a wardrobe malfunction. These are the darker natures of the fandoms to child celebrities let alone normal celebrities too. These are the same things that are thrown onto X-23 herself. An object for others to use, a tool or a weapon to aim at people. A sex object to relieve themselves with. Nearly all the same problems that young actresses have to deal with too. By accepting it, we perpetuate it's okay. We are essentially telling others it's okay to treat anyone like this if even their idols are fair game. Then we wonder why such monstrous acts can happen.
Parenting makes the difference. Some have amazing guidance from parents that listen and help, while others have had ones that take advantage of their growing fame. Every child celeb goes through something different. Some harsher than others. Their stories aren't mine to tell though. Some of them prefer these stories private, some are very outspoken about them. Stories that vary all over the spectrum from having to grow up too fast in the limelight, their parents abusing the money they are making as guardians, studio employees taking advantage of their positions of power, the fans threatening suicide or death threats at every choice they don't like of that celebrity. Others telling celebs who they can or can't be with and how they must live their life. The demands are quite high, and getting higher every passing year.
Loving supportive parents make a huge difference. The ones who stand up to help make a difference. With X-23, her mother brought her into that world, but in the end did try to save her. Logan, her father, didn't know she existed until she wouldn't let him help her, and even when she did, he contributed to her falling farther away from herself further if even under the best of intentions. Gambit though was another friend that let her grow into more by not condemning or judging her, just being there for her as she needed. The world needs to stop accepting this behavior about condemnation on those that live differently than ourselves.
Sure there are rare instances where a prat might be throwing money around like it's water to impress others. It does happen, but maybe we should dig deeper into why. Are they doing this because of their own insecurities? Their own feelings of emptiness? Or are they doing this because they have no sense of care for others? Are they devoid of empathy and full of only vanity? Even growing up in the limelight there are stars who make differences in lives, who learn and grow. They aren't seduced by wealth into more than they need, inflating themselves into more than who they are. Their humble beginnings don't turn them into price tag whores without any kind of forethought or respect. Others can lose their honor to the craft they so praise by letting all the earthly riches go to their head. People say you can have no respect or honor without shame, but that's not true. Some of the shameless among us have the highest regards for respect and honor imaginable. It's whether or not you have lost all regard for a sense of self-respect and decency. Just because someone is shameless does not mean them have no decency. (Mind you, that's not saying you can't have fun either! Enjoy your hard earned money so long as your bills are covered and you can still save up!)
Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame is an example of one who made a difference. Yes, grew up in the lime light and has made his fair share of youthful mistakes with drinking that he had to overcome. From it he grew though. He's a charismatic outspoken actor now on human rights, even the dangers of alcohol and the star industry. He has many interviews on the pressures he endured, and how the stories of fun drunk parties enticed him into trying it and chasing those 'good times' for himself. Of course they never came. What people often don't tell others, or make clear across those drunken escapades is it's never about the booze itself. It's about the people you're with. Those same good times can be had sober so long as you have friends that respect you, laugh with you, and know you. People you can trust that won't take advantage. People that understand that inebriation means they cannot give consent.
Selena Gomez is another who grew from humble starts to incredible heights. She helps UNICEF and other fans reach their dreams. She reaches out to all corners that she can. Still fondly carries on about the simpler things like her first real car. Yet she's a star who is ranked #2 on the Top 100 hot actress list. Still a Texas girl at heart though, still a tomboy who likes to be girly over the right things(per her own interviews and webcasts). She's just a normal girl who reached for the stars and didn't stop. She could have or be with anyone but she's just a normal girl at heart who wants what she wants like any other woman. The only person who knows what those qualities are is her. Fans and audiences, or even celeb gossip mongers don't get to tell her or anyone who they can or can't be with. Who they need to be with. How every outing with a friend is now a date for a potential future match. That's just sick. Yet that's all we heard before she was dating Bieber, and that's all we're hearing now that they are apart. Who should be next for her. How about we stop guessing and just let her live her life as she sees fit? How would we react if people were telling us the same? So why the hell are we doing it to others? What kind of monsters are we to speculate over who someone should or should not care about? These stars, these people are their own people. So how dare we assume we know everything in their heads and about them. How dare we try to play matchmaker and tell them what they have to do. It's not our life to make those choices for them. The gossip world tries to control her every action and while she is getting pulled every which direction, she still stands up for others. She stands up for her fans. She protects them. Another example of this is her own website and forum among other ways to reach out to fans to let them know they will be okay and can feel safe without harassment from others. She's quite a smart girl, even using Facebook in her early years for video chats with fans to help keep the sick bastards at bay by them publicly shaming themselves from overstepping. Even her early self-made diary videos for youtube included how the paparazzi made going on a simple hiking trip for fun an ordeal. She's experienced and tried to enlighten everyone about the dangers but also the excitement to living the life she's led in a very down to Earth manner. How she still gets excited when her songs come on the radio, and even how she still gets overjoyed to tears when her singles hit their rightful number 1 place. Her Disney break out show Wizards of Waverly Place displays this metaphor too. It reflects that the celebrity world is magic but it must be tempered with responsibility. It must not be abused or taken for granted, otherwise it may cause more harm than good. This message comes from a show that caters to young budding fantasy/science fiction genre lovers. Starting to see why I lean her for the X-23 lead role now if a film were made?
Taylor Swift is another one many get in a tizzy over to slam repeatedly whenever the chance arises. Apparently even the Westboro Baptist Church is throwing one of their annual insanity fits over her too. Yet all she's doing is what any person wants to do. She wants to enjoy her life and all that it entails. Every love, she throws herself into with unreserved passion. Yet others mock her for it? She's living life to the fullest as to what she believes that is and lets it blast out to the world through her music. Yet we want to confine her to what we think is morally or ethically appropriate? Or we slam her for the fact she'll never look our way? How fair is that? She's still a person. Fans try to slut shame her assuming they know what she's done with those she's dated or that it even matters.
Alyssa Milano is a star that had to face this at an early age herself. Her own younger brother couldn't even surf the internet without finding porn pictures of his big sister everywhere, be they real or fake. The news stories from the early internet days show this is not a new problem.
These stars are real people. They have real families. They have real lives, real loves, real passions. Their fans are real people. We just have to remember that. We need to stop treating them like objects. Like possessions to tout around or notches on a belt. They are people. Not trophies. They are human with human desires, needs, lives, and yes, mistakes. We all learn from life differently. Just because they are famous doesn't make them our whores to pimp out like Zebra Daddy did X-23. An act Marjorie Liu re-covered in the X-23 v2 oneshot comic where Laura beheads another pimp doing that, and again in the v3 ongoing comic when Alice was introduced and where Laura admitted while she did live a life like that she would never pull another into what she went through, ever.
Celebrities are not ours to harass as we please or tell others they can't reach out to. We belittle others for who they care about and reach out to as their idols. Tell them don't, they have no time for you. Then we wonder why stars get jaded and life starts to wear them down. Someone I talked to once a long time ago during my fansubbing days made a very valid point. They wanted to write a letter to Demi Lavoto expressing their feelings and admiration for what she's been through, because that fan had been through similar disorders. They just wanted to let her know that she's not alone and that they appreciate and admire how she's becoming a voice to support others and how she grew from it. Everyone else in the fansub group balked and laughed at this. Why would a star, a celebrity, ever care about what you have to say? Suffice to say I'm no longer with said group. I'll let them remain nameless on here as that'd be bad press for them(no press is bad press, it's all exposure) and I do not agree with public shaming, but they were wrong. I told this person that they should go for it. Celebrities are people too, and with all they endure, sometimes the simple letters of hope, of thanks, of gratitude can make all the difference to them. Simple things to let them know they aren't and will never be alone. That we the fans appreciate all they do and have done for us.
Yes there are other stars, like politicians, that are quite vapid and causing more damage than helping. They are hung up on the things the money and the high society-like status at times that they forget the passion of what they do or the whys. They forget to stay grounded. They forget what life is like on the other side of helping people through genuine acts of kindness, not displays for publicity. They don't know what it's like donating the last 20 dollars they have for a week to someone else that may need it more. This disconnect happens all over the spectrum, whether it's Justin Bieber saying in various places on the subject of rape "everything happens for a reason" or it's Barbara Walters on the view defending the usage of derogatory terms aimed at Palin's children. I'll admit myself that I'm not a fan of Palin, but leave her children alone. That's too far no matter who you are. That just makes you an asshole(yes Walters and Maher, that's aimed at you, those statements you made were flat out wrong). There are other instances though where they can bring issues to light about current idols that many worship.
For example Justin Bieber's rape comments reveal a problem. It helps re-enforce and perpetuate rape culture as many teenage and preteen boys look to him as an example of what's okay. His other political leanings being so public already are also an issue. The media outlets have seen and heard it all before. Some of these child stars will burn out, some will rise to new heights. So they push topics on him that he should not answer yet to test him. See what kind of person he is. What kind of man he'll grow to be. His views on abortion and rape among other much headier and complicated issues that divide even adults are still forming. He's still learning. Someone should have stepped in and maybe asked, are you sure you want to answer that this way? Do you feel you may want to clarify that after some thought? He fell right into the trap these questions bring if you aren't ready to discuss them directly and at length. The media world loves a soundbite that can be repeated over and over again. That's exactly what they built to use against him because of his popularity. Though while they did it with purpose to out underlying views that'll accidentally influence a generation of adolescents, they also cemented the views by attacking instead of educating him to better himself. Now he's going to be a broken record of no comments and defending words that have no defense along with justifications and rationalizations that perpetuate the heart of the problem instead of growing from it to better himself.
Bieber's career, music, and choices are his own. They are his life, and unless his actions are harming another related to our lives, it's not our place to speak. The fact is his choices are though. Every kid that looks up to him and hangs on his every word is a responsibility resting on his shoulders for trying to be the voice of a youth nation of Beliebers. By pulling that kind of weight onto himself because of his looks and charm, he set himself on a pedestal he has to rise to. He built himself up high and the media world sees him for what he is. It's waiting on that fall. Fall he will too, and rationalize it as well. He'll try to blame it on everyone but himself. Words have power. Actions have weight. Hopefully he will learn this and set things straight. As it is, he's the kind of star that you fear can't handle the spotlight thrown their way in the long run. It's too much too soon. It's corrupting him from the inside out.
The bursts of narcissism like his signature at Anne Frank house, or his lack of caution by speeding down subdivisions without a care for others are all warning signs. How he's acted towards others in the public, and how he's not stepped up to ask his friends to cool it to protect his neighbors are even more. His letting them take blame for actions while using his property or while visiting him are all symptomatic of larger issues of not taking responsibility. They all lean towards a star that's self-obsessed and an outright danger to the well-being of others. Not the bad boy kind of danger of someone that stands apart, but the kind that makes excuses for hurting others without remorse nor even considers the consequences of their actions. These are not things that can be rationalized, and instead reflect a flagrant disregard for the safety and well-being of others, even children and apparently history as the case may be. His actions and threats against those that try to stand up to him and warn him about those he is endangering, including his own fans, are foreboding to complexes that could further endanger others. I know nothing of him personally except for the youths he inspires or twists by his own actions in being their idol they look up to and want to imitate. That's exactly why his actions and lack of care in the simple everyday things matters though. They warn of his true nature, of the example he is setting. These acts reflect the real him over his stage presence and public planned appearances. He's setting a bad example for kids, even putting them in harm's way by some of these acts.
This is a self-professed position he created through his own actions though. For that I have no sympathy for him. He stepped up to something he was not ready for with monikers of idol worship that raised the bar too high even for himself. Protecting the fans is great, but he needs to learn to protect himself and focus on the riches that matter instead of letting greed dictate his every move and desire before he does taint the youth of the world through these actions and statements. We try to rationalize that too. Those that had nothing will of course splurge on things. Sometimes they have to though as well to protect themselves and their privacy, but there are limits to that. It's his money and he can do with it as he pleases, but he is also the one who touts that he wants others to "belieb in him." With that kind of admiration comes a chance to make a difference and set an example which he is not doing. It's one thing to use your passion and loves to carry your life further and to new heights. It's another to be a self-professed narcissistic example for others to follow and then self-destruct from the pressures of it, claiming it's too much. It shows signs of narcissism mixed with attention seeking. It suggests someone still growing up, but also someone that doesn't care that his actions put others in harm's way. I'm sorry, but any person that literally and intentionally spits on another out of anger should not be given attention. They should be abandoned on the spot. There is no excuse for it. I do not accept that behavior from friends, so why in hell would I ever accept it from a celebrity? It cannot be rationalized.
Miley Cyrus is another that's hard to really understand what she has gone through. Finally hitting her "define me for me" stage she's really begun to shine in her own light her own way. She's made mistakes, but they are hers. She's owned them. She's used them to build her independence and not let anyone shove her into a hole of "this is who you must be." She never tried to be a voice of a youth nation. She just tried to be herself and show what it's like balancing fame and a real life. Even her show Hannah Montana helped imply this with the duality of the main character's life. She herself having been the daughter of a country star let her see how growing up in the limelight and out causes difficulties and strains. She, like Selena Gomez, never tried to be the voice of a generation, but in doing so became one anyway. They both are on different sides of the spectrum but push for the same kind of freedom and respect in different ways. They both want to protect fans and help uplift them, but they go about it in completely different manners that can sometimes help bolster the other, but also can bounce off the other quite harshly. They are both still people though that want what they think is best for what they believe in for themselves. Cyrus for example is trying to find new ways for twitter to communicate with fans without the harassment it can entail. (Yes, I had to cut it off there. There is a debate that can go on until I have no fingers left about the differences between Selena and Miley. So I'd rather skip that part entirely and just let the fans go with which they prefer.)
It's not entirely them though. While yes how they hold their fans in regard as individual fanaticism and borderline modern symbolic churches of false idol worship is what's creating it. That's not intentional. Society is telling kids when they need to grow up and who they can or can't enjoy musically. So they created shelters for their fans, but then the fans are the ones bowing to their feet as if they were gods, and then denouncing them the second their god breaks what they see as ideal, as ungodly.
They aren't doing it on purpose though. They are trying to protect their fans along the way but the real world looking in wants to strike it down. It wants to denounce and destroy that which it cannot comprehend. We put these simple lives, loves, and passions up on crosses and then crucify them for not conforming when they've done nothing truly wrong that we know of. We personally attack them for no reason other than they are different than us. If they aren't to our taste, why are we looking to them to harass or mock? It's not right or fair to them or their fans. Again though, there is a line in that. When one is dangerous to themselves or others through their actions someone should and must step in before something bad happens. That means to step in though and help guide. Not step in and destroy them with hate. It means reminding them there is a line and why it's there. To tell them or even show them the damage that crossing that line causes.
The scariest part in all this? The plain remarks of suicide, how people would kill themselves over stars. Over if so and so is in a movie, or if so and so is dating a different star. The list goes on and on with what people use it for. If someone so much as even mentions a star, others joke about suicide because of even hearing the name. Even jokingly or using that as a phrase, it stings. It damages. It breaks. It's a phrase that should not be used ever. It is a weighted joke that's long not been funny and should be abolished from speech. Yes, there are phrases that should never be spoken. Things that can make even the stars fall. Stuff that could make them blink out faster than anything else ever would. Things that can darken their horizons forever. Fans heave this on them regularly and expect them not to crack. They threaten these dark things and throw it on these stars heads like a crown of thorns and then wonder why they bleed from it. Darker fans lash out about how this star caused so and so to die because they wouldn't respond. We throw that on their heads like it's their fault and it's not. They are just people, just like everyone else. They aren't gods. They're human and they just want to live how they feel is right for themselves, and the passions they enjoy. They just want to care for who they care for and do what they enjoy while hoping it lifts others up too. That's not a reason to remove choice and free-will from their lives. There's no reason to try and remove their humanity for rising as high they did. It's those that try to remove the humanity from them that are the real monsters.
All of this information is easily and readily available everywhere and repeated so often, I barely had to look any of this up(Bieber stuff notwithstanding, so excuse me while I go set fire to my internet history). This is the world we live in. A world of turning people into full on Brand Names and removing their human element entirely. The real world breaks youth repeatedly and aggressively by doing this. The world loathes and wants to destroy innocence. The rape culture of the world tries to justify this. Blame the victims. They need to learn what the real world is like. They asked for this by entering that world. They need to grow up. What the world is doing is wrong. It's time for it to change. It's time for people to put their foot down and let others know they aren't alone in feeling this. X-23 is not the one broken. We aren't the ones broken. Stars aren't the ones broken. The world is broken. Society is broken. It's true for every child it tried to control by forcing them into only one class of person, one kind of thought, one way to live. It tries telling them "who could care about you or your problems." Those are the real monsters in this world. They are winning because we are letting them. Youth are believing the evil monsters more and more. They are being influenced by them. More and more are afraid of standing up or trying to learn to follow their dreams because of what the world will shovel on them for it. The evil monsters are using fear and the world is letting them win because of it and it's sickening! It needs to stop!
So, I am going to try and do my best to explain this, and please do share your thoughts on this subject as well. Maybe you can help fashion this into a better focus on the areas that need that light. Discussion and openness is what's needed on these topics for the world to see. If we continue to hide them in shadows, people that take advantage of these things will continuously keep doing what they are doing and how they are doing it because we are letting them get away with it. We should never let them get away with it. For the sake of yesterday, today, and tomorrow's children, a light must always shine on these subjects.
X-23 is a unique character. It's hard to really suggest she only covers a single metaphor. Every company on the planet watches her like a hawk. Thanks to her affiliation with the X-Men and the Avengers, now every civilian watches her like a hawk too. She is perpetually in the lime light from all sides and has been really since birth.
That's X-23's life. That's Laura Kinney's life. What started out in shadows and in silence, is now in the eyes of the world. She didn't start that way at first. It was only those that wanted to use her skills that knew of her, but slowly the world became more and more aware of her presence too. All eyes are on her at all times thanks to her affiliations.
Those that want to use her, those that want to make her a trophy, those that want to even just abuse her to watch how her family or friends may react. She's a character that gets everything thrown her way. It's one of the reasons I genuinely prefer Sabertooth being dead. He relates to story potential towards X-23 that is not a topic I ever want to see tread. He's a character that embodies beast natures and that includes rape. There are topics X-23 entails though about bullies, but not just a singular kind of bully. X-23 deals with nearly all kinds. Even the kind that comes from inside her own head, or from her readers and fans.
X-23 is an embodiment of youth but also how Stars are used and abused. Her portrayal in NYX about being a prostitute does play up to that metaphor. She caters to the scarier instincts of the Marvel fan's darker desires and it's a dangerous area. This is why having her be a character more dangerous than even Wolverine comes into play. She needs it for self-defense in this comic book world of cruelty. Sadly the real world doesn't have such a defense for Celebrities, fans, or creators alike. At least not yet.
We hear about these things all the time. Rape culture, violence against children, violence against women, cyber-bullying, school yard bullies, suicide, and much much more. This year in particular it seems like every story is coming out of the woodwork to remind everyone. There's a reason for this. It needs to be stopped. It needs to stop.
We say it's okay. They signed up for this life. They signed up to dance for our enjoyment. They didn't really. They signed up to do what they love. There are very few stars where I make exceptions for this. Many are grounded intelligent stars. They don't let the money and spending get out of hand. They balance living a normal life with what they can. They want the real world experiences every person craves to have. They want the support of others to choose to live as they want to live. Yet fans treat them with death threats, suicide threats, and more just for being a celebrity. We tear them down repeatedly because they brought us joy. How does that make sense? These Stars are as human as you or I am.
The rape culture within these confines is so bad, that a star as young as 14 already will have internet users aggressively arguing over what it'd be like to take their virginity. Freaking 14 years old?!? They do this in plain sight across social media and it's sickening. Yet we look the other way. "It's on the internet, that's not real anyway." These are kids and adults delighting in the destruction of the innocence of others. That's cyber-bullying, and it shows a mentality of this is their thoughts that they want to act on. Mentalities people let fester in the heads of kids and the media, we let it grow in how they act and treat others. Then we wonder why things like kids, little girls and boys are getting gang raped by classmates that just laugh take pictures and think it's funny. It's sick. How could these kids could ever think something like that is okay? What the hell did the world do to raise such little monsters? Yet we blame the victim. They shouldn't have been drunk in public, they shouldn't have been with a group of boys, and whatever else one can come up with or make up on the spot. It's sickening. People have no respect for others, they have no respect for themselves and their own dignity and it's just sick. What kind of parents created monsters like this? What kind of people actually let that happen and do nothing about it?
The rape culture towards young celebrities feeds into this making it worse. Obsessed fans make fake porn photos that they scatter across the internet. Stuff that can vary from all over the age spectrum. We start dehumanizing those stars into objects at an early age. Praying for nip slips or a no panties drunken display. Maybe today will be the day so and so has a wardrobe malfunction. These are the darker natures of the fandoms to child celebrities let alone normal celebrities too. These are the same things that are thrown onto X-23 herself. An object for others to use, a tool or a weapon to aim at people. A sex object to relieve themselves with. Nearly all the same problems that young actresses have to deal with too. By accepting it, we perpetuate it's okay. We are essentially telling others it's okay to treat anyone like this if even their idols are fair game. Then we wonder why such monstrous acts can happen.
Parenting makes the difference. Some have amazing guidance from parents that listen and help, while others have had ones that take advantage of their growing fame. Every child celeb goes through something different. Some harsher than others. Their stories aren't mine to tell though. Some of them prefer these stories private, some are very outspoken about them. Stories that vary all over the spectrum from having to grow up too fast in the limelight, their parents abusing the money they are making as guardians, studio employees taking advantage of their positions of power, the fans threatening suicide or death threats at every choice they don't like of that celebrity. Others telling celebs who they can or can't be with and how they must live their life. The demands are quite high, and getting higher every passing year.
Loving supportive parents make a huge difference. The ones who stand up to help make a difference. With X-23, her mother brought her into that world, but in the end did try to save her. Logan, her father, didn't know she existed until she wouldn't let him help her, and even when she did, he contributed to her falling farther away from herself further if even under the best of intentions. Gambit though was another friend that let her grow into more by not condemning or judging her, just being there for her as she needed. The world needs to stop accepting this behavior about condemnation on those that live differently than ourselves.
Sure there are rare instances where a prat might be throwing money around like it's water to impress others. It does happen, but maybe we should dig deeper into why. Are they doing this because of their own insecurities? Their own feelings of emptiness? Or are they doing this because they have no sense of care for others? Are they devoid of empathy and full of only vanity? Even growing up in the limelight there are stars who make differences in lives, who learn and grow. They aren't seduced by wealth into more than they need, inflating themselves into more than who they are. Their humble beginnings don't turn them into price tag whores without any kind of forethought or respect. Others can lose their honor to the craft they so praise by letting all the earthly riches go to their head. People say you can have no respect or honor without shame, but that's not true. Some of the shameless among us have the highest regards for respect and honor imaginable. It's whether or not you have lost all regard for a sense of self-respect and decency. Just because someone is shameless does not mean them have no decency. (Mind you, that's not saying you can't have fun either! Enjoy your hard earned money so long as your bills are covered and you can still save up!)
Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame is an example of one who made a difference. Yes, grew up in the lime light and has made his fair share of youthful mistakes with drinking that he had to overcome. From it he grew though. He's a charismatic outspoken actor now on human rights, even the dangers of alcohol and the star industry. He has many interviews on the pressures he endured, and how the stories of fun drunk parties enticed him into trying it and chasing those 'good times' for himself. Of course they never came. What people often don't tell others, or make clear across those drunken escapades is it's never about the booze itself. It's about the people you're with. Those same good times can be had sober so long as you have friends that respect you, laugh with you, and know you. People you can trust that won't take advantage. People that understand that inebriation means they cannot give consent.
Selena Gomez is another who grew from humble starts to incredible heights. She helps UNICEF and other fans reach their dreams. She reaches out to all corners that she can. Still fondly carries on about the simpler things like her first real car. Yet she's a star who is ranked #2 on the Top 100 hot actress list. Still a Texas girl at heart though, still a tomboy who likes to be girly over the right things(per her own interviews and webcasts). She's just a normal girl who reached for the stars and didn't stop. She could have or be with anyone but she's just a normal girl at heart who wants what she wants like any other woman. The only person who knows what those qualities are is her. Fans and audiences, or even celeb gossip mongers don't get to tell her or anyone who they can or can't be with. Who they need to be with. How every outing with a friend is now a date for a potential future match. That's just sick. Yet that's all we heard before she was dating Bieber, and that's all we're hearing now that they are apart. Who should be next for her. How about we stop guessing and just let her live her life as she sees fit? How would we react if people were telling us the same? So why the hell are we doing it to others? What kind of monsters are we to speculate over who someone should or should not care about? These stars, these people are their own people. So how dare we assume we know everything in their heads and about them. How dare we try to play matchmaker and tell them what they have to do. It's not our life to make those choices for them. The gossip world tries to control her every action and while she is getting pulled every which direction, she still stands up for others. She stands up for her fans. She protects them. Another example of this is her own website and forum among other ways to reach out to fans to let them know they will be okay and can feel safe without harassment from others. She's quite a smart girl, even using Facebook in her early years for video chats with fans to help keep the sick bastards at bay by them publicly shaming themselves from overstepping. Even her early self-made diary videos for youtube included how the paparazzi made going on a simple hiking trip for fun an ordeal. She's experienced and tried to enlighten everyone about the dangers but also the excitement to living the life she's led in a very down to Earth manner. How she still gets excited when her songs come on the radio, and even how she still gets overjoyed to tears when her singles hit their rightful number 1 place. Her Disney break out show Wizards of Waverly Place displays this metaphor too. It reflects that the celebrity world is magic but it must be tempered with responsibility. It must not be abused or taken for granted, otherwise it may cause more harm than good. This message comes from a show that caters to young budding fantasy/science fiction genre lovers. Starting to see why I lean her for the X-23 lead role now if a film were made?
Taylor Swift is another one many get in a tizzy over to slam repeatedly whenever the chance arises. Apparently even the Westboro Baptist Church is throwing one of their annual insanity fits over her too. Yet all she's doing is what any person wants to do. She wants to enjoy her life and all that it entails. Every love, she throws herself into with unreserved passion. Yet others mock her for it? She's living life to the fullest as to what she believes that is and lets it blast out to the world through her music. Yet we want to confine her to what we think is morally or ethically appropriate? Or we slam her for the fact she'll never look our way? How fair is that? She's still a person. Fans try to slut shame her assuming they know what she's done with those she's dated or that it even matters.
Alyssa Milano is a star that had to face this at an early age herself. Her own younger brother couldn't even surf the internet without finding porn pictures of his big sister everywhere, be they real or fake. The news stories from the early internet days show this is not a new problem.
Celebrities are not ours to harass as we please or tell others they can't reach out to. We belittle others for who they care about and reach out to as their idols. Tell them don't, they have no time for you. Then we wonder why stars get jaded and life starts to wear them down. Someone I talked to once a long time ago during my fansubbing days made a very valid point. They wanted to write a letter to Demi Lavoto expressing their feelings and admiration for what she's been through, because that fan had been through similar disorders. They just wanted to let her know that she's not alone and that they appreciate and admire how she's becoming a voice to support others and how she grew from it. Everyone else in the fansub group balked and laughed at this. Why would a star, a celebrity, ever care about what you have to say? Suffice to say I'm no longer with said group. I'll let them remain nameless on here as that'd be bad press for them(no press is bad press, it's all exposure) and I do not agree with public shaming, but they were wrong. I told this person that they should go for it. Celebrities are people too, and with all they endure, sometimes the simple letters of hope, of thanks, of gratitude can make all the difference to them. Simple things to let them know they aren't and will never be alone. That we the fans appreciate all they do and have done for us.
Yes there are other stars, like politicians, that are quite vapid and causing more damage than helping. They are hung up on the things the money and the high society-like status at times that they forget the passion of what they do or the whys. They forget to stay grounded. They forget what life is like on the other side of helping people through genuine acts of kindness, not displays for publicity. They don't know what it's like donating the last 20 dollars they have for a week to someone else that may need it more. This disconnect happens all over the spectrum, whether it's Justin Bieber saying in various places on the subject of rape "everything happens for a reason" or it's Barbara Walters on the view defending the usage of derogatory terms aimed at Palin's children. I'll admit myself that I'm not a fan of Palin, but leave her children alone. That's too far no matter who you are. That just makes you an asshole(yes Walters and Maher, that's aimed at you, those statements you made were flat out wrong). There are other instances though where they can bring issues to light about current idols that many worship.
For example Justin Bieber's rape comments reveal a problem. It helps re-enforce and perpetuate rape culture as many teenage and preteen boys look to him as an example of what's okay. His other political leanings being so public already are also an issue. The media outlets have seen and heard it all before. Some of these child stars will burn out, some will rise to new heights. So they push topics on him that he should not answer yet to test him. See what kind of person he is. What kind of man he'll grow to be. His views on abortion and rape among other much headier and complicated issues that divide even adults are still forming. He's still learning. Someone should have stepped in and maybe asked, are you sure you want to answer that this way? Do you feel you may want to clarify that after some thought? He fell right into the trap these questions bring if you aren't ready to discuss them directly and at length. The media world loves a soundbite that can be repeated over and over again. That's exactly what they built to use against him because of his popularity. Though while they did it with purpose to out underlying views that'll accidentally influence a generation of adolescents, they also cemented the views by attacking instead of educating him to better himself. Now he's going to be a broken record of no comments and defending words that have no defense along with justifications and rationalizations that perpetuate the heart of the problem instead of growing from it to better himself.
Bieber's career, music, and choices are his own. They are his life, and unless his actions are harming another related to our lives, it's not our place to speak. The fact is his choices are though. Every kid that looks up to him and hangs on his every word is a responsibility resting on his shoulders for trying to be the voice of a youth nation of Beliebers. By pulling that kind of weight onto himself because of his looks and charm, he set himself on a pedestal he has to rise to. He built himself up high and the media world sees him for what he is. It's waiting on that fall. Fall he will too, and rationalize it as well. He'll try to blame it on everyone but himself. Words have power. Actions have weight. Hopefully he will learn this and set things straight. As it is, he's the kind of star that you fear can't handle the spotlight thrown their way in the long run. It's too much too soon. It's corrupting him from the inside out.
The bursts of narcissism like his signature at Anne Frank house, or his lack of caution by speeding down subdivisions without a care for others are all warning signs. How he's acted towards others in the public, and how he's not stepped up to ask his friends to cool it to protect his neighbors are even more. His letting them take blame for actions while using his property or while visiting him are all symptomatic of larger issues of not taking responsibility. They all lean towards a star that's self-obsessed and an outright danger to the well-being of others. Not the bad boy kind of danger of someone that stands apart, but the kind that makes excuses for hurting others without remorse nor even considers the consequences of their actions. These are not things that can be rationalized, and instead reflect a flagrant disregard for the safety and well-being of others, even children and apparently history as the case may be. His actions and threats against those that try to stand up to him and warn him about those he is endangering, including his own fans, are foreboding to complexes that could further endanger others. I know nothing of him personally except for the youths he inspires or twists by his own actions in being their idol they look up to and want to imitate. That's exactly why his actions and lack of care in the simple everyday things matters though. They warn of his true nature, of the example he is setting. These acts reflect the real him over his stage presence and public planned appearances. He's setting a bad example for kids, even putting them in harm's way by some of these acts.
This is a self-professed position he created through his own actions though. For that I have no sympathy for him. He stepped up to something he was not ready for with monikers of idol worship that raised the bar too high even for himself. Protecting the fans is great, but he needs to learn to protect himself and focus on the riches that matter instead of letting greed dictate his every move and desire before he does taint the youth of the world through these actions and statements. We try to rationalize that too. Those that had nothing will of course splurge on things. Sometimes they have to though as well to protect themselves and their privacy, but there are limits to that. It's his money and he can do with it as he pleases, but he is also the one who touts that he wants others to "belieb in him." With that kind of admiration comes a chance to make a difference and set an example which he is not doing. It's one thing to use your passion and loves to carry your life further and to new heights. It's another to be a self-professed narcissistic example for others to follow and then self-destruct from the pressures of it, claiming it's too much. It shows signs of narcissism mixed with attention seeking. It suggests someone still growing up, but also someone that doesn't care that his actions put others in harm's way. I'm sorry, but any person that literally and intentionally spits on another out of anger should not be given attention. They should be abandoned on the spot. There is no excuse for it. I do not accept that behavior from friends, so why in hell would I ever accept it from a celebrity? It cannot be rationalized.
Miley Cyrus is another that's hard to really understand what she has gone through. Finally hitting her "define me for me" stage she's really begun to shine in her own light her own way. She's made mistakes, but they are hers. She's owned them. She's used them to build her independence and not let anyone shove her into a hole of "this is who you must be." She never tried to be a voice of a youth nation. She just tried to be herself and show what it's like balancing fame and a real life. Even her show Hannah Montana helped imply this with the duality of the main character's life. She herself having been the daughter of a country star let her see how growing up in the limelight and out causes difficulties and strains. She, like Selena Gomez, never tried to be the voice of a generation, but in doing so became one anyway. They both are on different sides of the spectrum but push for the same kind of freedom and respect in different ways. They both want to protect fans and help uplift them, but they go about it in completely different manners that can sometimes help bolster the other, but also can bounce off the other quite harshly. They are both still people though that want what they think is best for what they believe in for themselves. Cyrus for example is trying to find new ways for twitter to communicate with fans without the harassment it can entail. (Yes, I had to cut it off there. There is a debate that can go on until I have no fingers left about the differences between Selena and Miley. So I'd rather skip that part entirely and just let the fans go with which they prefer.)
It's not entirely them though. While yes how they hold their fans in regard as individual fanaticism and borderline modern symbolic churches of false idol worship is what's creating it. That's not intentional. Society is telling kids when they need to grow up and who they can or can't enjoy musically. So they created shelters for their fans, but then the fans are the ones bowing to their feet as if they were gods, and then denouncing them the second their god breaks what they see as ideal, as ungodly.
They aren't doing it on purpose though. They are trying to protect their fans along the way but the real world looking in wants to strike it down. It wants to denounce and destroy that which it cannot comprehend. We put these simple lives, loves, and passions up on crosses and then crucify them for not conforming when they've done nothing truly wrong that we know of. We personally attack them for no reason other than they are different than us. If they aren't to our taste, why are we looking to them to harass or mock? It's not right or fair to them or their fans. Again though, there is a line in that. When one is dangerous to themselves or others through their actions someone should and must step in before something bad happens. That means to step in though and help guide. Not step in and destroy them with hate. It means reminding them there is a line and why it's there. To tell them or even show them the damage that crossing that line causes.
The scariest part in all this? The plain remarks of suicide, how people would kill themselves over stars. Over if so and so is in a movie, or if so and so is dating a different star. The list goes on and on with what people use it for. If someone so much as even mentions a star, others joke about suicide because of even hearing the name. Even jokingly or using that as a phrase, it stings. It damages. It breaks. It's a phrase that should not be used ever. It is a weighted joke that's long not been funny and should be abolished from speech. Yes, there are phrases that should never be spoken. Things that can make even the stars fall. Stuff that could make them blink out faster than anything else ever would. Things that can darken their horizons forever. Fans heave this on them regularly and expect them not to crack. They threaten these dark things and throw it on these stars heads like a crown of thorns and then wonder why they bleed from it. Darker fans lash out about how this star caused so and so to die because they wouldn't respond. We throw that on their heads like it's their fault and it's not. They are just people, just like everyone else. They aren't gods. They're human and they just want to live how they feel is right for themselves, and the passions they enjoy. They just want to care for who they care for and do what they enjoy while hoping it lifts others up too. That's not a reason to remove choice and free-will from their lives. There's no reason to try and remove their humanity for rising as high they did. It's those that try to remove the humanity from them that are the real monsters.
All of this information is easily and readily available everywhere and repeated so often, I barely had to look any of this up(Bieber stuff notwithstanding, so excuse me while I go set fire to my internet history). This is the world we live in. A world of turning people into full on Brand Names and removing their human element entirely. The real world breaks youth repeatedly and aggressively by doing this. The world loathes and wants to destroy innocence. The rape culture of the world tries to justify this. Blame the victims. They need to learn what the real world is like. They asked for this by entering that world. They need to grow up. What the world is doing is wrong. It's time for it to change. It's time for people to put their foot down and let others know they aren't alone in feeling this. X-23 is not the one broken. We aren't the ones broken. Stars aren't the ones broken. The world is broken. Society is broken. It's true for every child it tried to control by forcing them into only one class of person, one kind of thought, one way to live. It tries telling them "who could care about you or your problems." Those are the real monsters in this world. They are winning because we are letting them. Youth are believing the evil monsters more and more. They are being influenced by them. More and more are afraid of standing up or trying to learn to follow their dreams because of what the world will shovel on them for it. The evil monsters are using fear and the world is letting them win because of it and it's sickening! It needs to stop!
Dustin Hoffman on the Difference of Perception Between Men and Women
The Mary Sue has an archived AFI interview with Dustin Hoffman up that talks about his work with the film Tootsie. It's an amazing piece and makes some very valid points. Might be best just to let you see it yourself. There is no other way to express it as eloquently as he.
This is something actors all over the spectrum have dealt with. Boy Meets World has done an episode that focused on this concept, as have many other shows(even Full House) and movies. Some have done it to comedic extremes, but all have had a very valid lesson that could be learned about the treatment and perception of women.
This is something actors all over the spectrum have dealt with. Boy Meets World has done an episode that focused on this concept, as have many other shows(even Full House) and movies. Some have done it to comedic extremes, but all have had a very valid lesson that could be learned about the treatment and perception of women.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Marvel's Share Your Universe
Marvel has a new family oriented and kid friendly initiative for social media and other content to help expand their audience reach and also still give kids an appropriate outlet for their favorite heroes. Part of it can be found in the link at the entry below this, and the Facebook page for Share Your Universe is up and active now too. It'll also allow people to more easily share and talk about their favorite heroes and interact with Marvel along with a whole list of other goodies soon to be available that include streaming shows to digital comics and more!
As the Facebook page states:
I gotta say, this gets major brownie points from me personally. Kudos to them. This is an awesome idea. I hope it proves successful and they do continue it. This is something I think everyone can agree on as kids, whether they be children of fans, creators, or just little sisters and brothers, will always be the future. Just remember to use parental guidance based on their ages! (Shouldn't need to be said, but with anything on the net, do not let it become their babysitter!)
The only thing I could even think they could add to it would be a postcard system too. There still is a rather unique feeling getting a postcard from those you admire. There used to be birthday clubs like this too. It'd be an interesting addition if they considered it. Postcard on the Run is a platform that could also make this more feasible for them. Then it'd just be a matter of a database for parents to help kids select or of age fans to select their favorite hero for which holidays they celebrate alongside their birthday. They have heroes that cover the full spectrum of holidays and people do love reminders from their favorite heroes too. The artwork shouldn't be too problematic with the full library available they have.
That idea might be a bit archaic, but it could work wonders blended into the system they are starting to establish now. It'd also be a great "thank you for your support" type venture. The not-so-antiquated thank you card.
Either way, I'd love to see how this grows. I hope it starts paving the way for a much friendlier and positive Marvel future. A future where kids can look up to their heroes and the people behind them. Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spider-man seem to be great starts to this initiative too! (Seriously Jeph Loeb, amazing work on those. Be sure to pat your team on the back for all their hard work, and don't forget yourself too!)
As the Facebook page states:
Marvel is YOUR Universe. Now, make it THEIRS. Get the latest information on family-friendly Marvel comics, movies and TV series to help you share your passion for Marvel characters and stories with the next generation of fans. And tell us about the Marvel Moments you share together!
I gotta say, this gets major brownie points from me personally. Kudos to them. This is an awesome idea. I hope it proves successful and they do continue it. This is something I think everyone can agree on as kids, whether they be children of fans, creators, or just little sisters and brothers, will always be the future. Just remember to use parental guidance based on their ages! (Shouldn't need to be said, but with anything on the net, do not let it become their babysitter!)
The only thing I could even think they could add to it would be a postcard system too. There still is a rather unique feeling getting a postcard from those you admire. There used to be birthday clubs like this too. It'd be an interesting addition if they considered it. Postcard on the Run is a platform that could also make this more feasible for them. Then it'd just be a matter of a database for parents to help kids select or of age fans to select their favorite hero for which holidays they celebrate alongside their birthday. They have heroes that cover the full spectrum of holidays and people do love reminders from their favorite heroes too. The artwork shouldn't be too problematic with the full library available they have.
That idea might be a bit archaic, but it could work wonders blended into the system they are starting to establish now. It'd also be a great "thank you for your support" type venture. The not-so-antiquated thank you card.
Either way, I'd love to see how this grows. I hope it starts paving the way for a much friendlier and positive Marvel future. A future where kids can look up to their heroes and the people behind them. Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spider-man seem to be great starts to this initiative too! (Seriously Jeph Loeb, amazing work on those. Be sure to pat your team on the back for all their hard work, and don't forget yourself too!)
Marvel wants to Share Your Universe!
Marvel's set to announce something new today.
It's called "Share Your Universe" or so the promo suggests. Something about it being part of their "Next Big Thing" as they regularly call it.
More details to come later today!
It's called "Share Your Universe" or so the promo suggests. Something about it being part of their "Next Big Thing" as they regularly call it.
More details to come later today!
Marvel Possibly In Kingdom Hearts 3?
Critiques 4geeks has stumbled upon a quote from Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura while he's attending the Japan Expo 2013. This quote just speaks to how they would like to add both Marvel and Star Wars to the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
Of course nothing is confirmed as yet, but count me excited on the prospects this has.
You've got the chance for X-23 in there, Deadpool as a partner or boss fight, among much much more. Marvel has a wealth of universes and characters that could be used as well as various renditions and styles of characters that could be tapped or newly created. Anything from the original X-Men to the original Avengers, even the new blood from the sons and daughters of Marvel could all work wonders within these confines. We could see Young Avengers, Runaways, X-23, Academy X, Kidpool, and much much more! They could also even add some new to Marvel within the confines of the world they are using. Like say a daughter of X-Men's Beast named Kitten(call me~)... Or any thing else that's being dreamed up right now from Marvel for the future X-Men or Future Avengers!
Here's hoping they also add a Game+ mode that allows you to make custom parties after you beat the game too! So this way you can have all kinds of side aspects and angles.
Like say Kidpool/Deadpool in a party with Jar Jar Binks that creates an extreme hard mode since all Pool does is attack Jar Jar instead of helping you.
Personally, well of course really, I'm just hoping they at least add X-23 to give her an action game foray already as well as give us Keyblade Knight Gliders in the Pod Races. If those two elements make it in, I'd be beyond content. Plus, it'd give me an excuse to never stop praising the game on here!
"Of course it would be great if we could add [the Marvel & Star Wars] licenses as well... there are lots of rules and restrictions by Disney so we can’t actually put in everything people want. So it’s a quite difficult decision but we’re gonna prepare some surprises for you so, just wait for the information.”
Of course nothing is confirmed as yet, but count me excited on the prospects this has.
You've got the chance for X-23 in there, Deadpool as a partner or boss fight, among much much more. Marvel has a wealth of universes and characters that could be used as well as various renditions and styles of characters that could be tapped or newly created. Anything from the original X-Men to the original Avengers, even the new blood from the sons and daughters of Marvel could all work wonders within these confines. We could see Young Avengers, Runaways, X-23, Academy X, Kidpool, and much much more! They could also even add some new to Marvel within the confines of the world they are using. Like say a daughter of X-Men's Beast named Kitten(call me~)... Or any thing else that's being dreamed up right now from Marvel for the future X-Men or Future Avengers!
Here's hoping they also add a Game+ mode that allows you to make custom parties after you beat the game too! So this way you can have all kinds of side aspects and angles.
Like say Kidpool/Deadpool in a party with Jar Jar Binks that creates an extreme hard mode since all Pool does is attack Jar Jar instead of helping you.
Personally, well of course really, I'm just hoping they at least add X-23 to give her an action game foray already as well as give us Keyblade Knight Gliders in the Pod Races. If those two elements make it in, I'd be beyond content. Plus, it'd give me an excuse to never stop praising the game on here!
Monday, July 8, 2013
Fan Concepts: Casting an X-23 Live Action Origin Feature Film Part Who Knows.
While I've tended to cover this over and over and over again to the point of probably ad nauseum, I think this anniversary might be the perfect time to just step forward with every detail on this subject in particular that I've had brewing in my head. This entry in particular will focus on the final bits of my views on the casting along with all the options associated to that. To hype up a bit for the anniversary though, I thought I'd go ahead and release this entry early. Maybe get the ball rolling on discussing this topic again overall ahead of time.
Personally I've also been rethinking the title as well. Maybe something along the lines of X-23: Daughter of Wolverine seems more appropriate. Giving her better focus on her heritage but also letting her stand out more as her own character too. Since the origin does dive into her birth and growth, it might be more fitting to approach it from that angle instead with the title. Still open to other suggestions though of course! This path also let's any sequels potentially grow from her other stories like Not Forgotten or if Fox decides to do an Academy X: New X-Men film it'd be easier to add her in now that she's established. The reverse is true too. The main focus is just to hook general audiences with the gravity and fun of initial origin mini-series, with some changes to help it flow better and add some tension breaking comedic elements as well as fan nods that could be a benefit for later.
But for now! Yup! That's right. Let's cover every character from the origin tale that needs to be cast. Every actor or actress that could excel in such roles to give the audiences quite a delight alongside moving performances.
So yes, this entry in particular will be heavily focused on my bias towards who I feel should be playing each role in an origin feature. As with all my choices though, I do have a tendency to factor in understudies as per time constraints or other conflicts of interest that could arise, but I'd prefer the lead star choices for each as they seem to provide the best on screen chemistry and potential per their individual dynamics from the information available to the public at large. I have left some slots open as their positions vary more so on the other choices used or present unique questions and casting decisions that need to be discussed at more length. All artwork from X-23: Target X is by Sonia Obeck and Mike Choi, while the artwork from X-23: Innocence lost is by Billy Tan on pencils, Jon Sibil on inks, and Brian Haberlin on colors. All are from the Marvel comics of the same name.
Laura Kinney aka X-23
The leading star of the feature. If you read here, I mean, well, what else can I say about her that you already don't know then?
Selena Gomez
From her wide range of roles, support of all walks of life, protective and caring attitude towards her fans, and ample amounts of charity work, it's hard to pick anyone else at all for this role. She embodies an eeriness that would just play well with X-23 on screen. From the sadness her eyes can hold at times behind a simple smile to the roaring at life with strength to protect others attitude she carries, she has it all in spades and could help elevate this film to impressive heights with her-every-one-and-thing-is-beautiful messages to the world. She is the world's ultimate big sister to every fan and child that has lost their way or needed a beacon of hope to cling to about a better tomorrow. Having been one of the lead stars in Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place, she is a young actress known to many for being their first foray into the fantasy worlds of magic and family friendly occult on television. The perfect actress for X-23 on screen and off that could also symbolize her graduation into the big leagues of feature film science fiction fantasy icons. A powerful woman in her own right that uplifts others. Sadly sometimes that's even at her own expense.
I am still open to others playing the lead role as per what best suits the director's choices and style, but this list reflects my personal top choices for who I think would be best in an origin piece. For me, that's her. Update: For preferred lead casting check this entry.
Dr. Sarah Kinney
The role of Laura's mother. The one who created her and eventually saved her from the Facility.
My personal final pick is:
Summer Glau
For her myriad of roles, especially Dollhouse. She presents a strong sub-geek tone of passing the torch on or welcoming to the ranks of female bad asses. She also quells many geek complaints of her not getting the role of X-23 herself, but still yields potential for a strong on screen presence and connection to the role as they'd like.
Megan Kinney
This is the role of Laura's cousin and daughter of Debra Kinney.
My personal choices I've limited it down to are as follows:
Ashley Benson
For her roles in Pretty Little Liars and Springbreakers she's displayed a wide aptitude to the kind of lines that would need to be delivered. She has already proven onscreen chemistry with my main star choice for the lead role. The few tidbits from what she's talked about in PLL as her character Hannah do provide much potential as an actress that gets it. As much as Ms. Gomez embodies Laura, Ms. Benson embodies Megan.
Demi Lovato
Currently my 2nd choice for Megan Kinney. From her previous roles she's shown a wealth of talent and this could give her an amazing mainstream comeback role as well as her outspoken nature on the topics X-23 entails. She presents a strong choice because of the more human and humane touch she brings to the table. A woman who isn't afraid to stand up to even Disney when they make poor choices in humor aimed at various disorders. She is already a hero to many.
Jennifer Stone
Tied for my 2nd choice as Megan Kinney, and one I feel bad for overlooking previously. She has an amazing range of talent in all the films she's been in and has been an inspiration to many. We've already seen her onscreen chemistry with some of the stars suggested, and she should definitely be given a shot at this role. She's a young actress that spoke about being an individual and defining your own flair however you can long before it became the cool thing to do. Definitely one that could bring Megan Kinney to life on the big screen in ways few others could and would also hopefully give her an amazing break out role on the big screen among world wide audiences and geeks alike. Having been another star from Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place, she's already deeply entrenched in the minds of young geeks and geekettes around the globe as well as a constant inspiration to them all. Granted she may already have a breakout hit with one of her other upcoming features that may already have her too busy for such a role.
Brit Robertson
Debra Kinney
The role of Laura's aunt, Dr. Sarah Kinney's sister, and Megan's mother.
Ginnifer Goodwin
Thanks to her role in Once Upon A Time, we've perfectly seen her skills in depicting a wide range of motherly concerns, action, and emotion this role would entail.
Desmond
The role of Debra Kinney's boyfriend and also a Facility planted spy to monitor the Kinneys without their knowledge.
Megan's Biology Teacher
There is a visual gag in the second origin miniseries that depicts this to be Adam Savage of Mythbusters fame. The best route would be to take that step further and have him do this role for an origin feature as well.
Megan's French Teacher
There is a visual gag in the second origin miniseries that depicts this to be Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters fame. The best route would be to take that step further and have him do this role for an origin feature as well.
Mrs. McCracken
Megan's School Principal. Her car is the one stolen at the beginning of Laura's "discovering fun all over town with Megan" montage. A woman with a strong authoritative presence and assertive booming voice would be needed. Potentially another geek reference type casting opportunity that can vary anywhere from the 1975 Wonder Woman's Lynda Carter, to the more recent 2008 Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star Lena Headey among many other possibilities.
Dr. Dale Rice
The father of Zander Rice. A pivotal piece for the opening scene of the origin minis and as such a pivotal piece for the opening scene of an origin movie.
Dr. Zander Rice
The son of Dr. Dale Rice. His father was killed by Wolverine when escaping the Weapon X project with Logan's DNA sample. Dr. Zander Rice is the man that continually tells X-23 that's she's subhuman. That she's only property to be used. A man of corruption, rage, and jealousy. He is the monster that uses all those around him for his own goals without remorse or gratitude. A role that may be very emotionally demanding and frightening for even the best actors.
Ryan Gosling
For this role, it's really hard to pick anyone else. His wealth of talent and charm that he brings to this role could very well put it over the edge on human nature scariness from arrogance and pride. After stumbling on this thought after seeing others suggest a want to work with him, I can't think of anyone else more perfect for this role. The look, the skill, it's all there to carry this role beyond what's evoked on the comic page.
Ryan Philippe
Who else but one of the stars from the early 1999 film Cruel Intentions could pull this role off? He's displayed perfectly how to flaunt the arrogance needed and also how to hold it back as he's shown in the 2001 film Anti-Trust. One of only 2 actors I could really see elevating this role to unexpected heights though there are many others I could see rising to the occasion too.
Dr. Martin Sutter
This is not an easy choice. As the head of the Facility, this character is a calm, cool, and collected authoritative figure. It needs someone that can have that presence of an older authority but also has that discerning eye rub reminiscent of the infamous Jean-Luc Picard face palm image. The easiest way to describe him would be an "In a Mirror, Darkly" or "Mirror, Mirror" version of Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard.
John M. Jackson
This is almost all I can come up with per his various roles from Bones, Jag, NCIS, among more. A very capable Texan actor that could carry this role. I'm open to suggestions still though as well. This role is a very hard one to nail down for the kinds of scenes it depicts and how you interpret the voice used.
Anthony Head
I'm not sure if anyone else could really pull this role off. His presence in Warehouse 13 and his other geek forays really puts him as a lead in the running though. He has that complete presence that's needed but also has the more human sides that'd be needed too. He's displayed all these qualities in pretty much every role he's had. Definitely my top choice for this character.
Rachel Sutter
Dr. Martin Sutter's wife and administrative assistant, she has an affair with one of the Facility staff and believes this affair led to her child that Martin Sutter believes is his.
Henry Sutter
Rachel Sutter's son. The second child to be saved by X-23. This one being the first of her own free will potentially(conflicting rationales that can go either direction because of timing and surrounding events). He is approximately a third to half of X-23's age.
Sensei Tanaka
He is the sensei who trains Laura in much of her hand to hand combat expertise. Nearly all his dialogue is spoken in fluent Japanese. A corporate hired Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid almost like role, or something akin to Chiun from Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.
Kimura
X-23's opposite. The female Sabertooth to X-23's Wolverine. Kimura is Laura's handler with the impenetrable skin.
Naya Rivera
Picked because of her dominating presence on Glee. She presents the perfect range of outspoken to quietly contemplating a thousand ways to kill you under her smile type allure. Also as seen from Glee, she is an advocate of anti-bullying, supports programs for teens and young adults who need it, among much much more. So while she does embody the perfect onscreen Kimura, she also embodies the perfect off screen heroine that'd remind people there are always places to reach for help.
Dr. Kevin
He's the man that helps Dr. Kinney and X-23 escape the facility at the end of the first act. His story has many undertones. One such undertone being a potential unrequited love and admiration for Dr. Kinney herself. He is what passes for her best friend at the Facility. This character helps provide a comedic foil for the science and drama heavy first act from some of their interactions.
Dr. Nathaniel Essex III / Mr. Sinister
Yes, in my personal vision for an X-23 origin feature, I would work in a cameo for a human form Mr. Sinister or a 'descendant' thereof. There is a chunk of the X-23 origin tale around Kimura that isn't told. We know Dr. Zander Rice's experiments have almost all ended in failure unless he picked up the ground work from someone else first... This is what makes Kimura's sudden appearance and success so questionable. How could he have finally succeeded when everything else he's tried has failed? What if he didn't? What if another scientist helped? Potentially, what if he may have requested services under the table from a higher tiered genetic expert? To this end, I'd personally write in a side cameo by Mr. Sinister in human form among the facility. This way he can be the reason behind the success of Kimura and lead to more stories or usage later in the X-Men Cinematic Universe. By using just a small cameo by name alone, and potentially even his own healing after X-23's escape from the Facility in act 1 of an origin feature, a subplot is established. It can also be used to help establish a timetable for his powers in the cinematic universe. Leaving this as an open ended point to come back to in any X-Men feature film presents large possibilities and generates fan hype. It also presents a potential fix for the comic origin of Kimura's creation as well. This would not reflect on X-23 herself, but does present large potential for a myriad of stories especially by using a descendant or is-pretending-to-be-a-descendant-of-himself type small story angle for the cameo. Not much screen time would be given. Maybe 10-15 minutes tops for all scenes combined depending upon how integrated he was to the rest of the scientist staff and their story.
Gambit
Gambit's story from X-Men Origins: Wolverine as portrayed by Taylor Kitsch could continue here. Sarah Kinney and Kevin could potentially seek him out for help. They could use his conscience against him that kids are being harmed by his inaction, plus a sizable sum of money to entice him. Potentially maybe even dare him to help them as only a master thief could pull this off and Remy is getting slower in his old age. This could also add a little more comedic flair as Kevin's clinginess to Dr. Kinney could be exasperated by Gambit's advances though of course with Dr. Kinney oblivious to both(her eyes being only on saving her daughter). It'd also allow potentially some fan nods and could leave a story point about Gambit being put into suspended animation by another doctor at the Facility. This being after Kimura incapacitates him from growing bored with his distraction. This way X-23 and Gambit share no actual screen time as yet, but it allows for some quick audience wide-eyed reactions and gives fans more to look forward to with later. This could be their thief back-up plan that only keeps Kimura occupied briefly at an alternate location before the X-23 Kimura snowscape showdown at the end of act 1. This is an uncertain addition/change and would need to be discussed for how such a usage could best be utilized within time constraints and flow of the story. It would potentially allow an answer to bringing Gambit into the modern era X-Men films overall though. It also alleviates many of the side issues pertaining to how Kimura was retroactively added to the original origin minis and wasn't in the building during when X-23 escaped.
Douglas Ramsey
Due to the Daredevil rights defaulting back to Marvel, this means the prepared for backup character swap would have to be used. This could shift the timeline of the film itself depending on potential plans for the New Mutants movie in the Fox X-Men Cinematic universe. Douglas "Cypher" Ramsey and his ability to understand any language including body language presents the best replacement for the human lie-detector role that Matt Murdock/Daredevil played in the original. Casting could vary depending on the intended usage for a New Mutants movie. Granted this character would be potentially a decade to 2 older than such an appearance in an X-Men prequel film, but depending on casting there are lighting, makeup, and camera angle tricks that could help this.
Agent Morales
Again thanks to the rights issues being problematic between Fox and Marvel, Steve Rogers is off limits as it stands right now. So to correct this issue, potentially Agent Morales as a humane agent of the M.R.D. (Mutant Response Division) instead of SHIELD might work. There is still the potential that she is tied up with the SHIELD rights over with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A more X-Men only centered character may have to be chosen from their rich lore. Preferably not though as she presents the best outlet for a future adaption of the X-Force story "Not Forgotten." The casting options on this character vary greatly depending on the choices made and areas picked to accentuate. Personally I'd lean on Michelle Rodriguez or Mila Kunis, but until such details can be ironed out as what comic character to fill this slot appropriately, it's hard to narrow down entirely.
James "Logan" Howlett
The man known as the Wolverine, as portrayed on screen by Hugh Jackman. Seen briefly at the beginning but mostly featured in the third act when X-23 seeks him out.
Again, this is a fan created list. To my knowledge (and to my bank account's perpetual sadness) I am not affiliated with 20th Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, Disney, or any other party involved in these decisions and actions. All I have ever asked for was a chance to be heard and have my decisions weighed as any other person with vision for a film might and appropriately compensated for such consultation if used.
Does that mean I would want to direct? No. I do not have the skills for such a feat, nor have I had the chance to apprentice with someone to show me or teach me said skills. My vision flows more along the lines of a Producer, but sadly one with no bank roll to support it. I would still cherish the chance to discuss these options and more in full with those that could be involved and make this come to life, though I also understand that many talents may also prevail in bringing this to the screen in an appropriate manner as well. Most of the changes I would make are mildly minor, but would hopefully contribute to a larger vision with these tiny steps.
Still left on this subject? A few minor changes that need to be discussed or more accurately, that need to be debated. Besides that, only the music and the Director really. Even the music angle is debatable as many decisions would be dependent upon the director himself or herself and what changes were decided to be made from the original source material with where or what added.
Personally I've also been rethinking the title as well. Maybe something along the lines of X-23: Daughter of Wolverine seems more appropriate. Giving her better focus on her heritage but also letting her stand out more as her own character too. Since the origin does dive into her birth and growth, it might be more fitting to approach it from that angle instead with the title. Still open to other suggestions though of course! This path also let's any sequels potentially grow from her other stories like Not Forgotten or if Fox decides to do an Academy X: New X-Men film it'd be easier to add her in now that she's established. The reverse is true too. The main focus is just to hook general audiences with the gravity and fun of initial origin mini-series, with some changes to help it flow better and add some tension breaking comedic elements as well as fan nods that could be a benefit for later.
But for now! Yup! That's right. Let's cover every character from the origin tale that needs to be cast. Every actor or actress that could excel in such roles to give the audiences quite a delight alongside moving performances.
So yes, this entry in particular will be heavily focused on my bias towards who I feel should be playing each role in an origin feature. As with all my choices though, I do have a tendency to factor in understudies as per time constraints or other conflicts of interest that could arise, but I'd prefer the lead star choices for each as they seem to provide the best on screen chemistry and potential per their individual dynamics from the information available to the public at large. I have left some slots open as their positions vary more so on the other choices used or present unique questions and casting decisions that need to be discussed at more length. All artwork from X-23: Target X is by Sonia Obeck and Mike Choi, while the artwork from X-23: Innocence lost is by Billy Tan on pencils, Jon Sibil on inks, and Brian Haberlin on colors. All are from the Marvel comics of the same name.
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| X-23 from Target X issue 1. Art by Sonia Obeck and Mike Choi. |
Laura Kinney aka X-23
The leading star of the feature. If you read here, I mean, well, what else can I say about her that you already don't know then?
Selena Gomez
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| Yeah. She can handle it. |
I am still open to others playing the lead role as per what best suits the director's choices and style, but this list reflects my personal top choices for who I think would be best in an origin piece. For me, that's her. Update: For preferred lead casting check this entry.
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| Could Summer Glau work as Dr. Sarah Kinney? |
The role of Laura's mother. The one who created her and eventually saved her from the Facility.
My personal final pick is:
Summer Glau
For her myriad of roles, especially Dollhouse. She presents a strong sub-geek tone of passing the torch on or welcoming to the ranks of female bad asses. She also quells many geek complaints of her not getting the role of X-23 herself, but still yields potential for a strong on screen presence and connection to the role as they'd like.
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| Megan from Target X. |
This is the role of Laura's cousin and daughter of Debra Kinney.
My personal choices I've limited it down to are as follows:
Ashley Benson
For her roles in Pretty Little Liars and Springbreakers she's displayed a wide aptitude to the kind of lines that would need to be delivered. She has already proven onscreen chemistry with my main star choice for the lead role. The few tidbits from what she's talked about in PLL as her character Hannah do provide much potential as an actress that gets it. As much as Ms. Gomez embodies Laura, Ms. Benson embodies Megan.
Demi Lovato
Currently my 2nd choice for Megan Kinney. From her previous roles she's shown a wealth of talent and this could give her an amazing mainstream comeback role as well as her outspoken nature on the topics X-23 entails. She presents a strong choice because of the more human and humane touch she brings to the table. A woman who isn't afraid to stand up to even Disney when they make poor choices in humor aimed at various disorders. She is already a hero to many.
Jennifer Stone
Tied for my 2nd choice as Megan Kinney, and one I feel bad for overlooking previously. She has an amazing range of talent in all the films she's been in and has been an inspiration to many. We've already seen her onscreen chemistry with some of the stars suggested, and she should definitely be given a shot at this role. She's a young actress that spoke about being an individual and defining your own flair however you can long before it became the cool thing to do. Definitely one that could bring Megan Kinney to life on the big screen in ways few others could and would also hopefully give her an amazing break out role on the big screen among world wide audiences and geeks alike. Having been another star from Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place, she's already deeply entrenched in the minds of young geeks and geekettes around the globe as well as a constant inspiration to them all. Granted she may already have a breakout hit with one of her other upcoming features that may already have her too busy for such a role.
Brit Robertson
For her roles in Life Unexpected, Secret Circle, Under the Dome, and similar. Though this one borderlines on typecasting as it lines up to a large chunk of her previous roles, that could also be a benefit as it shows she is outspoken about such topics which are also very heavy within the X-23 origin and range.
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| Debra From Target X. |
Debra Kinney
Ginnifer Goodwin
Thanks to her role in Once Upon A Time, we've perfectly seen her skills in depicting a wide range of motherly concerns, action, and emotion this role would entail.
Desmond
The role of Debra Kinney's boyfriend and also a Facility planted spy to monitor the Kinneys without their knowledge.
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| Megan's Biology Teacher. |
Megan's Biology Teacher
There is a visual gag in the second origin miniseries that depicts this to be Adam Savage of Mythbusters fame. The best route would be to take that step further and have him do this role for an origin feature as well.
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| Megan's French Teacher. |
Megan's French Teacher
There is a visual gag in the second origin miniseries that depicts this to be Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters fame. The best route would be to take that step further and have him do this role for an origin feature as well.
Mrs. McCracken
Megan's School Principal. Her car is the one stolen at the beginning of Laura's "discovering fun all over town with Megan" montage. A woman with a strong authoritative presence and assertive booming voice would be needed. Potentially another geek reference type casting opportunity that can vary anywhere from the 1975 Wonder Woman's Lynda Carter, to the more recent 2008 Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star Lena Headey among many other possibilities.
Dr. Dale Rice
The father of Zander Rice. A pivotal piece for the opening scene of the origin minis and as such a pivotal piece for the opening scene of an origin movie.
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| Dr. Zander Rice as seen in X-23: Innocence Lost. |
Dr. Zander Rice
Ryan Gosling
For this role, it's really hard to pick anyone else. His wealth of talent and charm that he brings to this role could very well put it over the edge on human nature scariness from arrogance and pride. After stumbling on this thought after seeing others suggest a want to work with him, I can't think of anyone else more perfect for this role. The look, the skill, it's all there to carry this role beyond what's evoked on the comic page.
Ryan Philippe
Who else but one of the stars from the early 1999 film Cruel Intentions could pull this role off? He's displayed perfectly how to flaunt the arrogance needed and also how to hold it back as he's shown in the 2001 film Anti-Trust. One of only 2 actors I could really see elevating this role to unexpected heights though there are many others I could see rising to the occasion too.
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| Dr. Martin Sutter as seen in Target X. |
Dr. Martin Sutter
This is not an easy choice. As the head of the Facility, this character is a calm, cool, and collected authoritative figure. It needs someone that can have that presence of an older authority but also has that discerning eye rub reminiscent of the infamous Jean-Luc Picard face palm image. The easiest way to describe him would be an "In a Mirror, Darkly" or "Mirror, Mirror" version of Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard.
John M. Jackson
This is almost all I can come up with per his various roles from Bones, Jag, NCIS, among more. A very capable Texan actor that could carry this role. I'm open to suggestions still though as well. This role is a very hard one to nail down for the kinds of scenes it depicts and how you interpret the voice used.
Anthony Head
I'm not sure if anyone else could really pull this role off. His presence in Warehouse 13 and his other geek forays really puts him as a lead in the running though. He has that complete presence that's needed but also has the more human sides that'd be needed too. He's displayed all these qualities in pretty much every role he's had. Definitely my top choice for this character.
Rachel Sutter
Dr. Martin Sutter's wife and administrative assistant, she has an affair with one of the Facility staff and believes this affair led to her child that Martin Sutter believes is his.
Henry Sutter
Rachel Sutter's son. The second child to be saved by X-23. This one being the first of her own free will potentially(conflicting rationales that can go either direction because of timing and surrounding events). He is approximately a third to half of X-23's age.
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| Sensei Tanaka as seen in X-23: Innocence Lost |
Sensei Tanaka
He is the sensei who trains Laura in much of her hand to hand combat expertise. Nearly all his dialogue is spoken in fluent Japanese. A corporate hired Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid almost like role, or something akin to Chiun from Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.
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| Kimura from Target X. |
X-23's opposite. The female Sabertooth to X-23's Wolverine. Kimura is Laura's handler with the impenetrable skin.
Naya Rivera
Picked because of her dominating presence on Glee. She presents the perfect range of outspoken to quietly contemplating a thousand ways to kill you under her smile type allure. Also as seen from Glee, she is an advocate of anti-bullying, supports programs for teens and young adults who need it, among much much more. So while she does embody the perfect onscreen Kimura, she also embodies the perfect off screen heroine that'd remind people there are always places to reach for help.
Dr. Kevin
He's the man that helps Dr. Kinney and X-23 escape the facility at the end of the first act. His story has many undertones. One such undertone being a potential unrequited love and admiration for Dr. Kinney herself. He is what passes for her best friend at the Facility. This character helps provide a comedic foil for the science and drama heavy first act from some of their interactions.
Dr. Nathaniel Essex III / Mr. Sinister
Yes, in my personal vision for an X-23 origin feature, I would work in a cameo for a human form Mr. Sinister or a 'descendant' thereof. There is a chunk of the X-23 origin tale around Kimura that isn't told. We know Dr. Zander Rice's experiments have almost all ended in failure unless he picked up the ground work from someone else first... This is what makes Kimura's sudden appearance and success so questionable. How could he have finally succeeded when everything else he's tried has failed? What if he didn't? What if another scientist helped? Potentially, what if he may have requested services under the table from a higher tiered genetic expert? To this end, I'd personally write in a side cameo by Mr. Sinister in human form among the facility. This way he can be the reason behind the success of Kimura and lead to more stories or usage later in the X-Men Cinematic Universe. By using just a small cameo by name alone, and potentially even his own healing after X-23's escape from the Facility in act 1 of an origin feature, a subplot is established. It can also be used to help establish a timetable for his powers in the cinematic universe. Leaving this as an open ended point to come back to in any X-Men feature film presents large possibilities and generates fan hype. It also presents a potential fix for the comic origin of Kimura's creation as well. This would not reflect on X-23 herself, but does present large potential for a myriad of stories especially by using a descendant or is-pretending-to-be-a-descendant-of-himself type small story angle for the cameo. Not much screen time would be given. Maybe 10-15 minutes tops for all scenes combined depending upon how integrated he was to the rest of the scientist staff and their story.
Gambit
Gambit's story from X-Men Origins: Wolverine as portrayed by Taylor Kitsch could continue here. Sarah Kinney and Kevin could potentially seek him out for help. They could use his conscience against him that kids are being harmed by his inaction, plus a sizable sum of money to entice him. Potentially maybe even dare him to help them as only a master thief could pull this off and Remy is getting slower in his old age. This could also add a little more comedic flair as Kevin's clinginess to Dr. Kinney could be exasperated by Gambit's advances though of course with Dr. Kinney oblivious to both(her eyes being only on saving her daughter). It'd also allow potentially some fan nods and could leave a story point about Gambit being put into suspended animation by another doctor at the Facility. This being after Kimura incapacitates him from growing bored with his distraction. This way X-23 and Gambit share no actual screen time as yet, but it allows for some quick audience wide-eyed reactions and gives fans more to look forward to with later. This could be their thief back-up plan that only keeps Kimura occupied briefly at an alternate location before the X-23 Kimura snowscape showdown at the end of act 1. This is an uncertain addition/change and would need to be discussed for how such a usage could best be utilized within time constraints and flow of the story. It would potentially allow an answer to bringing Gambit into the modern era X-Men films overall though. It also alleviates many of the side issues pertaining to how Kimura was retroactively added to the original origin minis and wasn't in the building during when X-23 escaped.
Douglas Ramsey
Due to the Daredevil rights defaulting back to Marvel, this means the prepared for backup character swap would have to be used. This could shift the timeline of the film itself depending on potential plans for the New Mutants movie in the Fox X-Men Cinematic universe. Douglas "Cypher" Ramsey and his ability to understand any language including body language presents the best replacement for the human lie-detector role that Matt Murdock/Daredevil played in the original. Casting could vary depending on the intended usage for a New Mutants movie. Granted this character would be potentially a decade to 2 older than such an appearance in an X-Men prequel film, but depending on casting there are lighting, makeup, and camera angle tricks that could help this.
Agent Morales
Again thanks to the rights issues being problematic between Fox and Marvel, Steve Rogers is off limits as it stands right now. So to correct this issue, potentially Agent Morales as a humane agent of the M.R.D. (Mutant Response Division) instead of SHIELD might work. There is still the potential that she is tied up with the SHIELD rights over with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A more X-Men only centered character may have to be chosen from their rich lore. Preferably not though as she presents the best outlet for a future adaption of the X-Force story "Not Forgotten." The casting options on this character vary greatly depending on the choices made and areas picked to accentuate. Personally I'd lean on Michelle Rodriguez or Mila Kunis, but until such details can be ironed out as what comic character to fill this slot appropriately, it's hard to narrow down entirely.
James "Logan" Howlett
The man known as the Wolverine, as portrayed on screen by Hugh Jackman. Seen briefly at the beginning but mostly featured in the third act when X-23 seeks him out.
Again, this is a fan created list. To my knowledge (and to my bank account's perpetual sadness) I am not affiliated with 20th Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, Disney, or any other party involved in these decisions and actions. All I have ever asked for was a chance to be heard and have my decisions weighed as any other person with vision for a film might and appropriately compensated for such consultation if used.
Does that mean I would want to direct? No. I do not have the skills for such a feat, nor have I had the chance to apprentice with someone to show me or teach me said skills. My vision flows more along the lines of a Producer, but sadly one with no bank roll to support it. I would still cherish the chance to discuss these options and more in full with those that could be involved and make this come to life, though I also understand that many talents may also prevail in bringing this to the screen in an appropriate manner as well. Most of the changes I would make are mildly minor, but would hopefully contribute to a larger vision with these tiny steps.
Still left on this subject? A few minor changes that need to be discussed or more accurately, that need to be debated. Besides that, only the music and the Director really. Even the music angle is debatable as many decisions would be dependent upon the director himself or herself and what changes were decided to be made from the original source material with where or what added.
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