Sidetracks - March 4, 2021

[helloladies]

Sidetracks is a collaborative project featuring various essays, videos, reviews, or other Internet content that we want to share with each other. All past and current links for the Sidetracks project can be found in our Sidetracks tag. For more links and commentary you can follow us on Twitter. You can also support us on Patreon.

Jodie

1. Your Surge Capacity Is Depleted - It's Why You Feel Awful by Tara Haelle was a really interesting insight into why this particular bit of the pandemic might be hitting so hard. While I'm not convinced about the 'this is a particularly American response' and 'it's harder for high achievers' sections of comment from the experts I found the rest of the article really useful particularly this bit:

“Why do you think you should be used to this by now? We’re all beginners at this,” Masten told me. “This is a once in a lifetime experience. It’s expecting a lot to think we’d be managing this really well.”

2. A great list of black authors who have books out in 2021.

3. Gavia Baker-Whitelaw brings together all the responses from Buffy and Angel cast members about Joss Whedon. Warning for discussion of abuse. I hope he never works again.

4. Following on from Locus' recent apology about the way they review books by authors of colour, Tasha Suri talks about being one of the authors whose work was reviewed at Locus. Adri Joy talks about reviewer's responsibilities to the author.

5. The results of a make your own Bayeux tapestry app.

6. I did not know that strawberry finches existed.

7. Redwall is maybe coming to Netflix!

8. A thread of Dan Levy as queer books.

KJ

9. Disney is shutting down Blue Sky Studios, the animation arm of 20th Century Fox. For me, the worst part is that they've also ended production on the planned Nimona movie, which was only 10 months from release. I hope the project can find a new home.

10. SFF publishing news columnist Jason Sanford published an investigation into the claims that messages boards hosted by Baen Books have been used to promote violence, including the riot at the US Capitol on January 6th. As a result, the boards have been shut down, and DisCon III disinvited head editor Toni Weisskopf as a guest of honor -- something that no WorldCon has ever done before. Good for them.

11. It's long been rumored that Joss Whedon fired Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, because she was pregnant. Carpenter has finally confirmed this story, and a lot of other bad behavior by Whedon besides. She broke her silence to support actor Ray Fisher, who went public about racist and inappropriate behavior from Whedon on the set of Justice League, and was most likely fired because he spoke out. More reports have followed, and the other Buffyverse cast and crew have spoken almost unanimously against Whedon. Variety has more.

12. On a lighter note, I know the time for the Zoom cat meme has passed, but I wanted to share this Phoenix Wright mash-up anyway.