5 Lines of TV: Gotham S2E2

5 Lines of TV: Gotham S2E2

All images owned by Fox TV network

A new division of American Dirt, 5 Lines of TV takes popular shows and gives you five lines of dialogue in an attempt to describe the essence of the show. Like the idea? Comment! Have a favorite show? Let me know!

“The monsters are coming” Theo Galavan

“You’re fired.” “As you wish, Master Bruce.” Bruce Wayne/ Alfred Pennyworth

“I’m the boss.” Jerome Valeska, after pulling the trigger three times in a game of Russian Roulette.

“I have nothing but the best of intentions for Bruce Wayne.” Lucious Fox

“My line! There’s nothing more contagious than laughter.” Jerome Valeska

All images owned by Fox TV network

I made the mistake of posting these pictures saying they belonged to the CW TV network. I was wrong, and have since corrected the captions to reflect Fox Network's ownership. My apologies for the mix-up.

James Neal writes fantasy, both novel-length (Of Blood and Blade) and shorter stories (Paints the Invisible Eye).

He’s also on social media, so is toilet paper, but we digress. Click to join us on:

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How Much Should Writers Reveal About Themselves Online?

A fellow writer and blogger, Avery K. Tingle, once asked the question: “How much do you reveal about yourself online?” It was an entire blog post, and I’m not positive I’m quoting him verbatim, but that is the general idea about which he was wondering. He had just convinced me to try blogging, and in my beginner’s spirit I answered, via blog post, that as writers we must be willing to write about anything. The trick, I said, is to ensure you’re comfortable with any consequences that may come from writing about that “anything.”

Three years later and I’m beginning to understand where Avery was coming from. I’m beginning to wonder how much to put out there. I’ve had some wonderful interactions, especially when I wrote about Westboro Baptist Church invading my hometown or Leelah Alcorn’s suicide. Then, there’s post like this, where my message got buried under anger. I received the most comments on that post, but as for decent conversation, there was next to none.

That post taught me something. You can’t write anything. Well, not if you plan on being heard. There is a fine line between shock value and honesty. I’m sure every writer worth their salt has thought about putting pen to paper in an all-out rage-fest against one or more groups they find particularly irritating. However, the good writers don’t, or at least they’re more subtle than a metaphorical atomic bomb.

So what was that about ensuring you’re comfortable with any consequences that may come, James?

The words on that post will haunt me, probably for years, perhaps my entire life. I could delete it, but why? The damage to my reputation is done. I take responsibility for not ensuring, beforehand, that what I wrote said precisely what I meant in a way others would take time to understand. That is part and parcel to the work we do- accepting responsibility for all that we reveal about ourselves.

How much should you reveal about yourself online? Whatever you’re willing to take responsibility for in the future. I’ve found my limit, what’s yours?

James Neal writes fantasy, both novel-length (Of Blood and Blade) and shorter stories (Paints the Invisible Eye).

He’s also on social media, so are peanuts, but we digress. Click to join him on:

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Why the Witch Hunt in the Kim Davis Debacle?

Photo credit: Ty Wright/Getty Images

Kim Davis

Yes, I can see you’re already warming those fingertips up to backlash at me if I say something in her defense.

I’m not going to.

But a Few Hard Questions

I am going to ask a few hard questions though. I’ve read so many articles about this woman, and none of them have answered why we’re smearing a woman’s name in every little corner of the internet and newshole.

Did she do something wrong? Yes. A couple of things if we’re being honest. The first and most obvious being that Kim Davis did not step down from her position as soon as gay marriage was legalized. The second thing she did wrong, and this is where it ends folks, is she continued pulling a paycheck despite not being willing to do her job. That’s the reason the judge threw her in jail for contempt of court. That is it. The end. Game over.

Is She Really More Selfish Than Any of Us?

Her thoughts and beliefs she has displayed in public are not illegal to hold. Bigoted? Sure. Dangerous? From her, I doubt it. Yet we have turned her into a public figure while leading a veritable inquisition against her…and her “kind.” My kind. The God-fearing kind. So, hard question number one: Why are we burning a woman at the stake for being selfish? More important to myself and others like me (others who tend to be far more quiet than I), why are all God-fearing men and women being targeted along with yet another Christian who managed to hit the stupid wall?

Do You Care About Peace, Or Being “Right(eous)?

Hard question number two follows closely with number one: The LGBT community has been asking for peace and equality within the sanctity of law. Equality needed to happen, but it seems that since the LGBT won marriage equality, many of you (not all) are doing little more than inciting Christians to fight with you. I’ve warned about this type of behavior before. Inciting a fight does nothing but…well…incite a fight. What happened to the message of peace and equality, and do you still even care? Do you want Christians on your side? I’m not feeling very safe on this side of the line. How long, I wonder, before you turn the mob mentality against me?

Kim Davis VS Social Justice

So this is necessary?

Kim Davis is going to lose her battle of religion vs law. She lost the battle against social justice warriors the minute she refused to sign a marriage certificate. Please take a moment to realize what this witch hunt has been about: a piece of paper. I’m not saying it’s not important to uphold the law. I’m not saying Kim Davis was in the right. But, in the aftermath, the social justice warriors have once again proven they can be just as wrong.

The street goes both ways. You can’t bully people after telling them they can’t bully you. You can’t burn crosses in people’s backyards when you’ve told them it’s wrong. You can’t tell a group of people exactly how to think when you’ve demanded to be free to think for yourself.

Let's allow the law to handle Mrs. Davis. I promise you, they will take care of the problem one way or another.

James Neal writes fantasy, both novel-length (Of Blood and Blade) and shorter stories (Paints the Invisible Eye). He’s also on social media, so are tires, but we digress. Click to join us on:

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