“Sidekicks” by P.K. Gardner

This is the final book in the Enemies Trilogy (parts one and two here). I tried not to spoil things in the part two review, but I am just going to go for it here. So read the books if you have a stake in this, they aren’t very long, but you have been warned.

Walk a Mile ends with Alex Manners dying inside Malcolm Quick’s body. Mal is left stranded in Alex’s body with no way of getting his best friend or his original body back. Since then, Dodger (a psychic superhero) has been orchestrating a series of replacement Good Guy’s, to replace Alex. Mal is the obvious choice, but he refuses to take up the mantle that belonged to his friend. When Sidekicks begins, Cliff Awesome is the current Good Guy, with Ajax Gadzinski (son of Indestructoman) as his sidekick the Private.

This doesn’t last very long, Cliff gets murdered in a mugging gone wrong and a vacancy is left in the ranks of the supers. Ajax wants to quit out of self-preservation, and Mal is still in a depressive state after the loss of Alex. Meanwhile, Dodger has gone missing. Unbeknownst to the other supers, he’s somehow gotten himself trapped in a parallel universe. One where a lot of supers are still alive, and his counterpart is already dead. Alex killed him when he turned out to be a supervillain. Additionally, back in his home universe Mal swears that he’s been seeing Alex turn up out of nowhere. Mal starts trying to figure out a way to get his friend back, while Ajax seeks revenge for his. Clearly this is someone’s origin story in the works. But you’re left guessing as to whose it is until the end.

The beautiful thing about this entire series is that it all anchors on a friendship. The only couple that makes it through the book is Xavier and Kyle, also supers and enemies that decide to retire together. Mal and Alex’s relationship is reinforced time and time again by how the two meet in different universes but still feel the same connection.

Which only makes it sadder that Mal in the original universe is left alone, without an Alex. And what I really like about this book is that it isn’t about how Mal gets Alex back, it’s about how Mal learns to carry on without him. It’s really a fantastic story about coping with grief and loss. Mal learns to have faith in himself without needing his friend by his side.

Beyond that, it is also really nice to see Ajax take on a larger role. He’s been a minor character of each story, and it is great to see him also come into his own. Which makes this “origin story” thing work really well since it could just as easily apply to Ajax.

Finally I thought this was a really cool take on the “parallel universes” trope. Similar to Walk a Mile, P.K. takes a very common sci-fi trope and puts a unique twist on it. The result is familiar to fans of the genre, but also still engaging. Makes me wish that there was more to the series, but this is also a spectacular way to end it.

If you haven’t started the series yet, I really strongly recommend it. The first one is free on Kindle, and the rest are both so good they make the (rather cheap) price worth it. A great way to spend quarantine!

This Is Beautiful: Small Town Protests

Okay so I know across the country there are plenty of protests that have turned into riots with police tear gassing innocent people and really scary stuff. I don't want to talk about that, I'm going to primarily be speaking about a protest that I went to in my smallish town. It was still supported by people affiliated with Black Lives Matter, and everything about it was very kosher and peaceful.

Maybe it's that I've been starved for interactions with other people, but there seemed to be a real camaraderie and certain sort of togetherness at this march. Sure I definitely experienced that at bigger protests like the ones I went to in DC, but this one felt particularly close. It was hot and I was sweaty and wanted to leave, but I didn't, primarily because I wanted to hang in there and see the dance party after the march and what these people would do.

Possibly it's due to the smaller size, possibly it's because I haven't seen a big group of people in forever. But I really appreciated and enjoyed the energy at this march, I'm so glad that I went.

Black Ballerinas

LET'S DISCUSS BLACK BALLERINAS SHALL WE?

The ballet world (and the dance world more broadly) has been very slow to accept black dancers. Dance companies were entirely segregated until the 50s, and further progress has been slow at best. Black ballet dancers have been asked to use "white-face" to lighten their skin and fit in with the rest of the cast, and tights/shoes/wigs are not made for people with darker skin. Pointe shoes particularly have traditionally only been made with pink satin, meaning that black dancers have to buy a tube of foundation and coat their shoes with it in order to get a color that matches their skin.

Bloch announced yesterday (!!!) that it would start manufacturing pointe shoes in darker colors, article about this here: https://footwearnews.com/…/bloch-pointe-shoes-darker-shade…/

Misty Copeland was made the first African American Female Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theater in 2015 (ONLY 5 YEARS AGO) and is still referred to as a "diversity hire" at times. Often, dance companies will hire black dancers but will not give them leading roles due to the image of a "light-skinned" ballerina being so persistent in people's minds. Dance companies like Alvin Ailey that feature black dancers and choreographers have done incredible things for the world of dance! But we need progress beyond this to fully integrate the dance world.

And of course this all intersects with class segregation in dance. Dance classes are expensive and need to be taken early and often in order to become a professional dancer. Shoes, outfits, and dancer equipment are all expensive as well. The time requirement to drive kids to dance classes and rehearsals can also be a huge burden on families. The result is that most (if not all) professional dancers come from upper class backgrounds.

I know I'm friends with people more involved in the ballet world than I am, so please add things if I left something out! And similarly if you know about about black dancers in other forms of dance. I don't know much beyond ballet, but tap was pioneered by black dancers and comes from a rich culture of black rhythms and music that musicians still pull from today. And then there's ballroom, modern, jazz, etc...

Further reading:

https://daily.jstor.org/the-history-of-african-american-ca…/
Good overview of the history of black ballerinas.

https://www.theguardian.com/…/2…/sep/04/black-ballet-dancers
Statistics on present day dance companies.

https://mistycopeland.com/
Misty Copeland's website.

https://www.alvinailey.org/
Alvin Ailey's website.

https://www.dancespirit.com/support-black-dance-community-2…
A more general article, but has a list of black dancers/companies to support towards the end.

This Is Beautiful: Sweet Sweet Electricity

So yesterday the power went out around 7 pm, and it didn't come back until a little after noon today. It was pretty eye-opening to see how much we rely on electricity and the internet to get through the day. Especially since we're in quarantine and internet is the main way I communicate with other people these days.

Couldn't do any work really, also I unfortunately just finished my book and the podcasts I had downloaded and couldn't get any more. Streaming was a no-go, and the zoom dance class I was going to participate in was out of the question too. It's a good thing I had already finished "The Dragon Prince."

We just old-schooled it, I nearly always have a physical book on hand so I read that. Also I used it as an excuse to get outside and hang out in the sun which was lovely. Thankfully the power was back on almost immediately after I went back inside so things really weren't that bad. But it was a funny reminder of how much we rely on this aspect of infrastructure that we often take for granted.

“Walk A Mile” by P.K. Gardner

This is the sequel to Enemies Like These, a book I read a little while ago as part of the Great Ace Digital Book Box. I was in love with the first book, and the sequel is also incredible, and packs just as big of a punch.

This series follows Alex, a boy with superpowers. His alter ego is Good Guy, a flying, super strength wielding superhero. His best friend is Malcolm, aka Malevolence, a supervillain with super speed and who enjoys building killer robots. This installment in the series details how, somehow, Alex and Mal manage to switch bodies, with the help of a couple psychic supervillains looking to experiment.

Now of course, this is one heck of a trope to use. But Gardner is nothing if self-aware, she even details out in some dialogue that this can be an annoying trope, but maybe we just have not seen it done right yet. And to be honest, I think that this is the best iteration of the body-switching trope that I’ve seen. The narration details not only the different appearances of the characters, but the different ways that their minds work. Alex (within Mal’s body) suddenly finds himself a math whiz, and Mal (in Alex’s body) finds himself thinking more like a hero and with more restraint. But there’s a deadline they figure out for them to figure out how to get back to their own bodies, or end up stuck with the ones they’re with. Honestly the treatment of this storyline is so incredibly well done that it’s by far the highlight of the book.

Meanwhile, another superhero named Dodger is trying to restart The Superhero Project, a government research program to create superheroes. The trigger-happy hero X pledges to stop him, having escaped the original Superhero Project that destroyed his life. These two storylines collide, and end in tragedy.

I don’t want to give away the ending here, I’ll definitely spoil it when discussing the trilogy’s finale though. But needless to say, this book takes all your expectations and turns them on their heads. It’s a wild ride and incredibly enjoyable. The ending leaves you with Mal reinventing himself into, maybe not a hero, but probably not a villain either. I can’t wait to see how this series gets finished.

This Is Beautiful: The Dragon Prince

I really needed something lighter than "Killing Eve" this past week, and "The Dragon Prince" has honestly been perfect. It's a children's tv show centering on a fantasy world with magic, elves, and dragons of course.

What really drew me into the show was that it really makes an effort to be inclusive and diverse. The king is a black man, people of color are featured in nearly every community shown. Which is great, but then in the third episode you meet Amaya, a general who is also deaf and communicates by signing. Introducing her really made me shut up and watch the show more intently, how often do you see a deaf character who is also a badass? She's incredible.

For the most part the show isn't that deep, but there are really great concepts in it for kids. The king at one point explains social contract ideas and Rawls' veil of ignorance. This is the idea that you don't know what situation you will be born into, therefore you want to make opportunities equal for all. I was super taken aback by that, rarely are these ideas discussed so explicitly.

Having said all this, the animation style still throws me off a bit. They don't animate every frame so it can look kinda awkward for some movements. But a lot of the art is still gorgeous, the elves particularly look incredible.

I'll be watching this for a while, would definitely recommend it if you need to recharge as well.

Pride 2020

Sure doesn't feel like 🏳️‍🌈Pride Month🏳️‍🌈 but we're going to go for it and post a rant anyways.

Just a heads up that being LGBTQ+ is about WHO YOU ARE and not WHO YOU LOVE. That's literally why trans people are queer, why aces are queer, why aros are queer, and so on regardless of anything else. You can be "passing" and still be an integral and vital part of the gay community. Taking on the LGBTQ+ label is not inherent from any action that you perform (or even the way others treat you) but a statement about who you are as a person and how you define your own experiences. Taking the "who you love" shortcut is a dangerous misconception designed to alienate and exclude whole sections of the community, and also is flat-out incorrect. No gatekeeping allowed.

And that also means that if you're stuck in quarantine right now and are single, can't safely be out where you are, haven't been to brunch in ages, and all the events have been cancelled: you're still queer! You're still allowed to be proud! It is still Pride Month even if there isn't a parade and you should definitely do something (if you can do so safely) to celebrate and reaffirm your identity and your personal growth. Having said that though, if you are unable to celebrate or don't want to for any reason, that is totally valid and no one can tell you otherwise. A lot is going on in the world and it is okay to take a break, whatever that means to you.

Also not-so-friendly reminder that the original Pride was a riot led by trans women of color. Put some of that energy towards supporting those currently fighting for racial justice, because that fight is not over yet and you owe past riots for your rights today. #blacklivesmatter

This Is Beautiful: Killing Eve

I finally started the TV show "Killing Eve" this week and I am enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. Not that I thought I'd dislike it, I wouldn't be watching it to begin with then, but it's a really hard show to pin down. The easiest way to describe it is that an assassin and investigator investigating her have this strange attraction, which gets at it on a surface level, but the show seems to be developing into a lot more than that.

Now I thought that I wouldn't like it because I am not into stories about psycho assassins. The whole "Breaking Bad" thing really holds no interest for me, I am not here to develop sympathy for people who do not deserve it. And I was really hesitant to start this show as a result (even though others have told me that it was excellent and also gay haha). But this show definitely isn't going in that direction and in fact may be surprisingly deeper than that.

The show definitely does not shy away from what a horrible person the assassin is. She murders people in almost every episode, and basically keeps confirming to the audience that she's a psychopath through other characters as well. Which is all a huge sticking point for me, as I have said I am not here to sympathize with murderers.

While I am only on episode like 8, I think this show has the opportunity to be incredibly deep. I am most intrigued by what the assassin said to the investigator, "I think you'll find that we're working for the same people," and what that says about power and the forces at play in modern society. Will it be like the Matrix where rebellion ends up being part of the system? Or will it be more of a Watchmen where those in the know have set up a crisis to unite people? Regardless, I am definitely in for the ride and here for it.