always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper
Raise your hand if Beyoncé changed your life this week.
I assume everyone’s hands are up.
I’ve historically been what you might call a passive fan of Beyoncé’s music–I can sing along to “Run the World (Girls)” and “Single Ladies” without embarrassing myself, and have listened to the entirety of her last album what is probably the normal human amount. But “Formation”? On Monday, I put the “Formation” video on listenonrepeat and left it there. By the end of the day, I’d listened to it 74 times, and I honestly could have kept going. It is, both visually and musically, a revelation.
It’s a celebration of Southern blackness, with some incredible homages to Southern black queer culture, and it’s by far the most political thing she’s done to date. That she turned around the next day and doubled down on her message with her Super Bowl performance had me cheering in my armchair.
A lot as been said about both video and performance already, by voices much more eloquent than mine, so I’ll point you to some of them.
Sitta-pusilla on tumblr broke the video down reference by reference
Adrienne Marie Brown on the video as reactionary visionary fiction
Dr. Zandria Robinson talks about the movement in the movement
Finally, Kate Forristall on how, as white women, “Formation” does not belong to us
Notable Breakfast
Scrambled eggs with chives, turkey bacon, and toast
Dog Thing
Mixed Media
I finally caved on buying a PlayStation 4 just recently, because I knew that there would shortly be games coming out that I wouldn’t want to wait to play. Firewatch was the first of those games. It’s not a lengthy game–it took me about 5 hours, maybe–but it is immensely satisfying.
Set in a national park in Wyoming during a mid-80s summer, you play as Henry, a man whose sole goal is to hide from the world for a little while. You live in a fire watch tower, keep an eye out for smoke, and patrol the nearby trails. Your only company is Delilah, who occupies a different tower in the park and communicates with you via walkie-talkie. You never meet.
It’s a slow game. You gradually explore the park, and as you go, you begin to suspect that something nefarious is afoot. Something that effects you and Delilah, both. The game relies heavily on building atmosphere, accompanying it with incredible visuals and music.
Also, to my everlasting delight, if you find a turtle in the woods you can adopt it. It lives in a cardboard box in your tower with you (a very poor turtle habitat, but it doesn’t seem to mind), you can carry it around with you during the day, and even take it with you when you leave. Any game that allows me to adopt a turtle gets an automatic star.
In execution, Firewatch reminded me a lot of Gone Home (which, if you haven’t played it, stop what you’re doing and play it now). It didn’t hit me quite as hard as Gone Home did, but was still a hell of a game.
Also: I finished all of those Rivers of London books and preordered the next one. The series gets even more heavily into architecture as it goes, and I loved it. I read Midnight Queen and Lady of Magick by Sylvia Izzo Hunter, and liked them a lot. Solid regency-era historical fantasy, with some fun world building twists. The 2nd book also features a gay romance, which was an unexpected delight. I watched last year’s Cinderella, which is an inoffensive if overly faithful adaptation of the animated movie, with some truly stunning sets and costumes. In addition to “Formation,” I listened to the 1995 Cub album Come Out Come Out a lot, because it’s a perennial fave that never fails to cheer me up. I listened to the live performance of “All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem a bunch for the same reason.
I Read Comics for a Living
Zodiac Starforce #4! Finally! Everything comes to a head in this issue, the last of the mini-series. Paulina killed it on the battle scenes and on the romance scenes, and Kevin’s dialogue was so sharp. They did such a great job on this series, and I really hope we get to see more!
Also good:
Pretty Deadly #8 This issue is probably the best one they’ve done yet. Emma Ríos’ art was better than I’ve ever seen it, a feat I would have said was impossible. Emma and Kelly Sue are telling a tragic story and doing it in such a beautiful way that you hardly feel the tragedy.
Silk #4 Cindy is trapped in the Goblin Nation, and she gets a bit more than she bargained for. Cindy Moon’s voice is so solid, and her narration is such a delight. She does Peter Parker as well or better than Peter Parker.
All-New All-Different Avengers #5 This is the best Avengers book in recent memory. The team is half adults and half teens, and Mark Waid is doing an excellent job playing with those dynamics. Some major, major stuff goes down in this issue.
Jonesy #1 Jonesy is a teen who is loud, and opinionated, and completely delightful. Having successfully willed two characters on her favourite anime into kissing, she is convinced that she possesses supernatural powers of will, and has no problem unleashing them on her school. This comic is so good, and Caitlin Rose Boyle’s art is what sells it.
End note: the podcast I contribute to did its best of the year episode (finally!), if you’d like to hear it! But here were my picks for the best comic series of the year (on the left) and the best graphic novel (right).
Anxiety Pyjamas
H&M Hearts Pajama Tank Top and Pants
Fics I Shouted About
untitled by betp Teen Wolf, Sterek. Stiles and Derek have insomnia, and keep running into each other at various open-all-night establishments. It’s not a thing, and then it is.
untitled by coffeeinallcaps Star Wars TFA, Finn/Poe. Poe tries to take Finn on a romantic date. To an abandoned ship. It doesn’t go well.
By me: Blurred Into Blue and In the Dark and Quiet.
Lastly
Bye y’all!
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