Author: JC Henry

This isn't my first time at the rodeo. Well, actually I have never been to a rodeo. I'm an east coast girl. I write fiction and I want to post it here. In between, there will be essays on other subjects of interests. This is what I tell you all, I'm a mother, a daughter, a feminist, a Christian all these things allow me to write.

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Hello thanks for the likes and follows. 

I usually only write that sentence with the update posts but let us be real.  These place holders are unofficial updates.  Except for this one because I am not writing about my work or what my week will be like.  This is just a response to a question.  It is my opinion, and it could very well be wrong.  However, this is where I am today. 

Last week on the YouTube channel Casually Comics, the host Sasha posted a video she titled: The return of Supergirl, Is Kara being exploited? The episode consisted of how Supergirl or Kara Zor-El came back to the DC Universe after being killed off in a Crisis event.  A question came up that is paraphrased by me like this: Is there a double standard for female fan service as opposed to male fan service?   Dick Grayson/Nightwing’s booty is admired by fans and characters in the comics on many occasions. His body had been ogled and taken advantage of, in the comics and animations, look up Batman and Harlequin 2017.  However, hackles rise when it is Supergirl. Full disclosure I am attuning my response to the images shown on CC and memory of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse 2010.  I have not read the comics that this Supergirl was based on.  I was pleasantly surprised in the movie Kryptonian actually sounds like Esperanto.  I would also like to add that I focus more on story than artwork even in comics. 

For me, the cringe factor grew as they emphasized her age. Kara should be older than her cousin, however, due to science magic, and happenstance, she is younger and underage.  She is 17 years old in mind and body, adults are looking at her with inappropriate thoughts.  Yes, I know she is a fictional character.  I don’t get the same cringe from Nightwing.  I think that is because he is an adult.  I don’t admire his body when he was Robin.  Only when he is a young adult or new adult in his mid to late ’20s.  It all sounds ridiculous to think this hard about a subject.  But consider this situation, in Nightwing #93.  Nightwing is sexually assaulted by another “superhero”, her name is Tarantula.  The issue came out in 2004.  I don’t know when it was outright called rape, but I first saw an article about it in 2018.  There was a lot of shrugging off the issue by the writer and DC comics editors that green-lit the whole scene. I believe the situation would’ve been stopped immediately if Dick Grayson had been a 17-year-old boy.  No one would be questioning if it was rape or just “nonconsensual sex” as if one is not like the other.  A situation like that cannot happen to 17-year-old Kara because people would call it out for what it is, immediately.  The fact that Nightwing is an adult, despite emotional trauma, plays into what people think of the whole situation. So maybe we are just twisted individuals on varying levels.  

During the episode, I didn’t feel offended, I knew a number of images were taken out of context, but I did feel a whole lot of cringe for Kara Zor-El/Supergirl. There will be a number of fans who don’t see this and a number of fans who will, and a percentage of that number will also have inappropriate glee from it.  This is what puts a shadow on most of my feelings the idea that some jerk is enjoying the scene for the ick value. This brings another thought to mind, exploitation is easy.   

When Sasha asked my thoughts on the issue, too many words came into my head. I don’t think a dissertation needs to be written in the comment section of a YT video. I would have liked to put up a compare and contrast pictures but didn’t want to be sued. So enjoy the peaceful science view of the mountains. There will be people who read this or watch Sasha’s video and say that this does not matter. I of course, don’t agree with that. I don’t condemn the writers or artist that drew the characters they way they did or the wrote the stories the way they did. I do believe we should be free to analyze them from all angles. For some these images and even the situations are harmless for others they are trauma triggers. We should be able to face both sides with rational thoughts. Not have these things retconned or pulled from publications because a percentage is upset. This is not for every image and situation, I believe in case by case.

I am truly amazed I had so many words on the topic. I hope this video finds everyone doing well. Please leave a comment, like and subscribe. The week is still new and full of opportunity.

Happy Holidays.

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Wednesday Pastimes

It is the middle of the week already. This year is ending faster than I thought. Seriously sometimes I wish I was jellyfish. I know with climate change and pollution the oceans are not the best place for sea creatures. The idea of just being in water floating wherever the waves take you is really appealing to me. It is also ironic because I don’t know how to swim. I would have loved to say neither do jellyfish but a quick google search dissuaded me of that whole line.

This useless paragraph was put together because I lost my thoughts on what was supposed to be in this post. Coming up with something interesting to write about is as difficult as reading.

At a loss of what to do for this entry. I will report what I’ve been listening to. I will apologize in advance because I fear some of my words may be redundant. I had completed the Forgotten Empires series by Jeffe Kennedy, the week before Thanksgiving. I enjoyed the whole series; the last book The Promised Queen had a twist I did not expect and one that I did. Overall, I enjoyed the three books and could listen to them again.

The day after Thanksgiving, I started to relisten to the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole but only the Lykae stories. The series includes all kinds of supernatural beings. Some I’ve heard of and others I have not. Some have been tweaked for the benefit of the series. There are seventeen books in print. The series is paranormal romances in the audiobook version – not safe for work or headphones only. The narrator was a man named Robert Petroff and he was very good. The tests are female characters and various male characters. None sounded wrong for the story, even when a scene got intense, the voice or voices were distinct and held up. The stories were not in print order: A Hunger Like No Other -book 2, Pleasure of the Dark Prince-book 9, Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night- book 4 and MacRieve, book 14. In 2022, the 5th lykae based story will be out for readers, Munro. I think it has been on hold for 3 years. I hope it comes out, but I am not putting all my hopes into it. This book has missed a deadline before. It was never clear why there was a delay, at least I never delved too deep into the business side of this issue. It could’ve been the author’s problem or the publishing house. Nothing was ever clear. Fans were just disappointed. So now we wait with crossed fingers. I also hope that whatever the situation was it worked out well for Kresley Cole. Even though I know how difficult it is to produce a book much less a series of near 20 books, I still get belligerent when I’m wearing a fan hat. I had fun for the last two weeks, reacquainting myself with the IAD universe. I might continue with the vampire stories next, because Robert Petroff is that good a voice actor. Or I might listen to something completely different.

As the year comes to a close, some of my plans may be clear. Wednesday is still a day for review posts. I know I have not said much about the books I have listened to. A more in-depth review may show up at a later date. What I have been doing to make that goal plausible is developing a reader journal. I had a stray composition notebook and decided I could make good use out of that book. It is something to look forward to next week.

That is all I have to write about my pastimes. Things that I do when I am not writing. I think I might give myself a reading or listening challenge to complete as much of the books I started but DNF’d. If the reason was neglect and not dislike. I will see how far I can get with this. If any of you remember the list I put up on this blog, suggest a book from that list. Constructive comments are also welcome. I hope this entry finds you all doing well.

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Updates December 06-17

Hello,

Thank you for the likes and follows. I really appreciate them.

Last week I had to take a break. With a deep sigh, I have not won NaNoWriMo this year. I wrote more words during November than I have in a long time and I am grateful. I made new friends and I enjoyed myself writing with them on Discord. As usual, I have not abandoned my story. I will continue to write until this story is complete. What I learned from this intense challenge, is that I may need to plan writing projects more effectively. According to the NaNoWriMo website if I continue to write at the rate I was I will finish this draft of Star Crossed sometime in January 2022. I find this to be acceptable. Therefore I will persist until I have a satisfying first draft give myself a month or two and then start the revision process.

I will also like to admit here that I am a little disappointed in myself. This does not mean that I blame the competitive nature of NaNoWriMo or anything like that. I am not the only one that failed at 50k words. Many of us joined with different goals in mind. I am not sure what to think about these feelings. I took the week to process at least half of them. I have no malice or envy for anyone who has reached the 50k. I will mostly participate in one of the Camp NaNoWriMo’s in April or July and the official NaNoWriMo in November 2022. I believe in the work that organization is doing for readers and writers around the world. It is not just about lonely writers making friends. It is just amazing that about 20 or so years ago, a group of friends started something that is now a worldwide event. If I am envious of anything it is the connections and the reach of NaNo.

Not sure what I wrote about the last two weeks in November before this entry. The holiday went very well. The Thanksgiving meal was held at a relative’s home. They had just moved in the summer I think and they invited as many family members as they could. We all had a good time and ate a lot. There were some substitutes instead of a whole turkey, we had a whole chicken. There was traditional stuffing, baked mac, and cheese, a vegetable curry for the vegetarian family members. If I am being a little honest it was around this time I fell of the writing wagon. I tried to stay on but over the weekend I fell completely off. I peaked at 25k. No matter how far I start a paragraph it always comes back to NaNoWriMo.

This is the first full week of December. Podcasts and YouTube channels will be full of reflections about the past year. I will have to seriously think about when I am going to post my reflection essay. My writing schedule is a little off-kilter but getting we are getting back on track. I wish you all reading this a great week. Don’t miss an opportunity to be kind.

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