The Friday Edition - Jul 31, 2020
Fresh from your pals at themarysue.com
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Born to conquer. Destined to rule.
Get your copy of Unconquerable Sun, the epic queer space opera you’ve been waiting for.

And, you can read author Kate Elliott's breakdown of what gender-swapped tales like this can tell us about ourselves on The Mary Sue right now!
Movies, 20th Century Fox, Bryan Singer, X-Men

The X-Men Films Offer a Villainous Origin Story for Bryan Singer

bryan singer smirking that smirk.
"His behavior was poor on the movie. We accommodated him on the first movie, and therefore we can accommodate him on the second movie. And on and on. And it created a monster."
Big on the Internet, feminism, patriarchy, toxic masculinity

We Can’t Ignore the Role of Patriarchy in Our Cultural Addiction to Success

Don Draper (Jon Hamm) faces personal and professional upheaval in the final season of Mad Men.</em
When we talk about our culture's addiction to the idea of success, we can't ignore how that enforces patriarchy and toxic masculinity.
News, gun violence, Megan Thee Stallion

The Memes Surrounding Megan Thee Stallion’s Shooting Are a Reminder That Black Women Do Not Get to Be Fragile

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 11: Megan Thee Stallion attends the Coach 1941 fashion show during February 2020 - New York Fashion Week on February 11, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
No one should have to be told that making jokes about this is not okay, yet we still have to because instead of seeing a victim of a shooting, many see another opportunity to mock Black women for existing in public.
TV, The Umbrella Academy

Review: Umbrella Academy Season 2 Is Even Better Than the First

The Umbrella Academy season 2
The Hargreeves are back, and this time, they have to stop the apocalypse. Oh wait, they already failed doing that once?
Big on the Internet, Cary Elwes, The Princess Bride, Westley

Westley Even Wants You to Wear a Damn Mask

Westley and Princess Buttercup in the Princess Bride
So, thank you, my Westley, for giving me this brief moment of happiness. Listen to the Dread Pirate Roberts. Wear a mask. There’s a shortage of perfect lungs in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.
Movies, Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are Alright

The Cast of The Kids Are Alright Discusses the Film’s Controversy 10 Years Later

Julianne Moore and Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right (2010)
The Kids Are Alright is an interesting film because our language about sexuality has evolved so much that people today are more likely to get Jules' fluidity and call it that. We are also in a place where we understand that not every LGBTQ film needs to be a perfect piece of representation. But in 2010, the choices in this film sometimes feel like it just included something heteronormative to ground it for a mainstream audience.
AMP Featured, Big on the Internet, Claudia Conway, George Conway, Kellyanne Conway

Claudia Conway Returns to Social Media to Roast Her Parents and Trump

the conways
Is there a more universal experience than being embarrassed by your parents?
AMP Featured, Big on the Internet, donald trump, Joe Biden, Twitter

Biden Tweet Makes the Simplest and Best Case for His Presidency

Joe Biden laughs and claps on the debate stage.
Yesterday afternoon, with eleven words, Joe Biden made the best case for why America should vote for him.
Comics, contributors, Marvel Comics, Storm (X-Men)

Why X-Men’s Storm Is the Rightful Ruler of Wakanda

Storm shooting lightning in Marvel comics.
Although she’s technically not the queen anymore in the comics, the Earth-shattering weather goddess should be sitting on that throne.
AMP Featured, News, 2020 Presidential election, Conspiracy Theories, donald trump, Joe Biden

Remember How Rightwing Media Attacked Biden for Predicting Donald Trump Would Try to Postpone the Election?

Donald Trump gestures towards himself, speaking to reporters.
"Conspiracy theories!" they said. "But the norms!" they said.
News, Barack Obama, John Lewis, vote

Things We Saw Today: The Nation Remembers John Lewis

Former US President Barack Obama speaks during the funeral of late Representative and Civil Rights leader John Lewis(D-GA) at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia on July 30, 2020. - Lewis, a 17-term Democratic member of the US House of Representatives from the southern state of Georgia, died of pancreatic cancer on July 17 at the age of 80. (Photo by Alyssa Pointer / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALYSSA POINTER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Mourners from across the nation gathered in Atlanta today lay the late congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis to rest.
Movies, contributors, Joss Whedon, The Cabin in the Woods

Reexamining How I Viewed Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s Cabin in the Woods as a Teen and an Adult

cabin in the woods cast
2012 was a big year for Joss Whedon. Buffy the Vampire Slayer had its 15th anniversary, his Avengers brought the Marvel Cinematic Universe together, and on top of everything else, the little indie horror movie he had cowritten with his protégé Drew Goddard, Cabin in the Woods, was finally released. I was fourteen and incapable of talking about anything other than Joss.
Big on the Internet, anime, Congress, Dragon Ball Z

Florida Congressional Candidate Calls Dragon Ball Z Anime Porn—Oh Man Does He Have a Lot to Learn

vegeta smirking at anime porn
Florida 18th district congressional candidate KW Miller has made a Yamcha of himself by not only discussing anime porn, but labeling the popular show Dragon Ball Z as one of the "top issues" concerning the "internet matrix."
Movies, Han Solo, solo: a star wars story, Star Wars (franchise)

Give Solo a Sequel, You Cowards!

Han Solo and Chewbacca in 'Solo: A Star Wars Story"
Now, look here: GIVE ME MORE SOLO, YOU COWARDS.
Big on the Internet, ICE, Nazis, Twitter

If ICE Doesn’t Want To Be Called Nazis They Should Stop Acting Like Nazis

PORTLAND, OR - JULY 30: Federal officers form a police line in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in the early hours of July 30, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. Protests against the federal presence in Portland continued Wednesday following an announcement by Governor Kate Brown that federal officers would begin a phased withdrawal from the city. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
ICE agents don't like being called names like "Nazi" and "racist," to which we offer the following simple solution: Stop acting like racist nazis!!!!
Big on the Internet, Doctor Who

Doctor Who Is the Only Thing That Makes Sense Right Now. The World Needs a Doctor.

Donna Noble in a wedding dress as the Doctor raises an eyebrow at her.
Doctor Who is a show that brings me such joy, has an episode for nearly every mood, and reminds me that there will always be someone in this world who would rather see destruction and chaos instead of peace. 
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