Jack Fisher's Official Publishing Blog

June 15, 2019 · 9:31 am

Life Lessons From My Father: Hard Work And Relaxing

Last month, I helped celebrate Mother’s Day by telling a personal story that revealed just how awesome my mother is. I’m proud of that story. I can also confirm that my mother read it and sent her loving appreciation that same day. She really is that sweet and I’m eternally grateful to have a parent like her.

With Father’s Day being tomorrow, it’s my father’s turn. It’s also yet another excuse to talk about how awesome my parents are and I’m not going to pass that opportunity up. Like my mother, my father is incredible and I owe so much to him. His love and support has helped me become the man I am today.

There are a lot of stories I could tell about my father. I’ve already recounted a few. There are plenty I can tell that help affirm why he’s such an awesome dad. Rather than select one, I’d like to focus on a particular lesson he taught me growing up that I didn’t appreciate until I was an adult. Since I know he reads this site too, I think he’ll agree that it’s a critical lesson that can be difficult for many.

Almost as critical as this.

It has to do with hard work and relaxation. They’re two conflicting forces, but both are critical to surviving in this chaotic world. We need to work hard if we’re going to get ahead and forge the life we want in this world. You could argue that this has become more difficult, but there’s definitely a place for it in every society.

On the other side of that coin is relaxation. That’s something we all need just as much. After all, what’s the point of working so hard if you don’t take any time to enjoy it? Relaxation isn’t just important for a good work/life balance. It’s critical to our health. As it just so happens, my dad knew how to do both.

My father, for much of his life, was a hard worker who didn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty. He didn’t just sit at a desk. He actually went out into the world, working with people and braving the elements. He was also an early riser. He was almost always the first one up in the house. At 5:00 a.m. he was out of bed. By 5:30, he was dressed and ready to leave.

As a kid, I didn’t understand that kind of work ethic. Both my parents worked, but I saw that as just something adults do. Even after I learned about making money, paying taxes, and building a career, I didn’t appreciate it as much as I should have. I’ve only come to appreciate it more as I got older.

My dad had a tough job, but he never came home looking miserable and angry. He did come home exhausted many times, but not to the point where he carried himself like a Dilbert cartoon. He seemed to take genuine pride in his work. It fulfilled him in a way that showed in how he conducted himself. He had a poise and strength to him, which he still carries to this day.

However, it’s how he managed to relax after all that hard work that has resonated with me in recent years. Part of that is due to how uptight and high-strung I was as a teenager. When I got home from school, I didn’t relax as much as I did dread what I might face the next day. If that sounds like an unhealthy attitude, that’s because it is and it caused me plenty of problems.

What I looked like on a good day.

My dad’s attitude was very different. When he got home from work, he didn’t get anxious or uptight about the next day. He just grabbed a bag of peanuts, opened a bottle of beer, and watched a baseball game while sitting on the couch. He watched a lot of other things too, but he always seemed most relaxed while watching baseball.

I often watched with him. I even helped him crack the peanuts. They’re among some of my favorite memories as a kid, watching baseball with my dad and eating peanuts. I didn’t do it quite as often when I was a teenager and I honestly believed that contributed to the misery I endured during those tumultuous times.

My dad understood those issues, much more than I gave him credit for. He often boiled things down to something that seemed too simple. He would tell me to just take it easy, relax, and appreciate things in the here and now, be it a baseball game or a “Simpsons” re-run. Me being the whiny kid I was, I just rolled my eyes at him. Looking back on it, I realize there was more to his advice.

My dad knew how to keep things simple back then. He still knows to this day and I marvel at his ability to streamline things that seem so complicated. To him, relaxation and hard work didn’t have to be mutually exclusive. You can work hard all day and still relax once you got home. It sounds so obvious, but people find ways to mess it up.

Some feel like if they’re not working hard, then they’re doing something wrong

Some feel like if they’re not relaxing, then they must be miserable and broken.

Some feel like if they try to do both, then one undermines the other.

I certainly bought into that, even after I went to college. For a while, I made work the center of everything. If I wasn’t working on something school-related, I was making other projects for myself. Relaxing just meant resting so that I had the energy I needed to do more work. It’s as unhealthy as it sounds and I think both my parents understood that.

I admit it took a long time for my dad’s advice to sink in. With each passing year, I appreciate how skilled he was at balancing hard work with relaxation. He always came off as calm, strong, and balanced. When things got tough, he kept a level head. When everyone else was stressed out, he remained the most composed. He was clear, direct, and concise with every word he said.

Those aren’t just the marks of a great father. They’re traits of a great man, in general. My father set a high bar and if I’m being honest, I still struggle to match it most of the time. I’ve gotten a lot better at balancing work with relaxation over the years, but I feel like I made it much harder than it should’ve been. My dad was there every step of the way, giving me real, usable advice. I just didn’t embrace it.

I might have been a slow learner with respect to work/life balance, but that only helps me appreciate my father even more, especially on Father’s Day. No matter how old I get, he keeps finding ways to be awesome. He never runs out of things to teach me, whether it involves relaxing or how to make the perfect pasta sauce. There’s so much I’ve learned from him and I’m a better man because of it.

Thanks, Dad. Seriously.

I’ll always be grateful for having such an amazing father. I admit I didn’t always make it easy for him, but he never hesitated to love me and support me as any father would. Whether I’m working hard or relaxing on a hot summer day, his influence helps me become the man I strive to be.

To my father and all the other dedicated dads out there, thank you for your love and support. Happy Father’s Day! You’ve worked so hard for your kids. Today, you can take a moment to relax and reflect on just how awesome you are.

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Filed under Jack Fisher's Insights, men's issues, noble masculinity, psychology, Uplifting Stories

Tagged as adult, adulthood, adulting, Awesome Dads, Dad stories, dads, Father's Day, Father's Day 2019, Fathers, growing up, Jack Fisher, Jack Fisher Blog, Jack Fisher Books, Jack Fisher Insights, lessons from dad, lessons from my father, loving dads, loving fathers, relaxation, stress, teen angst, teenage stress, teenagers, work, work/life balance, working hard

June 14, 2019 · 6:00 am

“Side-Effects” A Sexy Short Story

The following is a sexy short story about stress, love, and the side-effects of trying to balance it out. We all have our own way of coping with stress. Some of us need more than meditation or a vacation. Sometimes, we need something sexy. This is one of those times. Enjoy!

“One pill in the morning and one in the evening,” said an exasperated Jennifer Jermaine, “do they really think we’ll screw that up?”

“For all the legal crap they made us sign, I’d say yeah. They think it’s a distinct possibility,” said her roommate and boyfriend, Zane Crayton.

“Even with the promise of five hundred bucks and extra credit for our bio class?”

“They’re probably hedging their bets. Makes me think they’re the ones with severe anxiety issues.”

Jennifer shook her head and sighed as they pulled into the parking lot for their apartment building. She should’ve been more excited about earning easy money. Both she and Zane were the perfect embodiment of financially challenged college students, having spent the past two years pinching pennies just to keep their student loan debts from ballooning. Any amount of money should’ve made them feel somewhat less anxious.

Then again, that was the trickiest part about having generalized anxiety disorder. Even when something good came along to alleviate their many stresses, it did little to ease her troubled mind. Mitigating one source of stress just meant shifting her focus to another. It had been plaguing her since middle school. Zane claimed to have dealt with it since the fifth grade and, having known him since childhood, she didn’t doubt that for a second.

That was part of what made the prospect of testing a new anti-anxiety medication at the university’s biology lab so appealing. Beyond the money, she and Zane were in need of a new approach to managing their stress because what they’d been doing since their freshman year clearly wasn’t working.

Zane knew that as well as she did. After parking the car and turning off the engine, he reached into his pocket and took out the bottle of pills they’d gotten from the lab.

“I hate that it’s come to this,” he said, shaking his head as he looked at the bottle, “resorting to unproven meds to get us through the rest of the semester.”

“I don’t like it either, but would you rather have another panic attack in the middle of an exam?” Jennifer asked him.

“Hell no,” he said, “but it just feels like the bar for success is so low, at this point. At least with that attack, I didn’t throw up.”

“Any success is still success,” she pointed out. “At least you didn’t faint during your AP Calculus test in high school. I’ll never live that down.”

“Believe me, I haven’t forgotten. I also haven’t forgotten that we’ve tried almost every other medication. I get that anxiety on our level is a legitimate disorder, but still…why does it have to be this hard?”

Zane was getting anxious just thinking about it, which helped reinforce his point. Jennifer, not wanting another panic attack in the middle of a parking lot, reached over and consoled her long-time lover. Her gentle touch always seemed to help. It was one of the few remedies that had always had some therapeutic effect. She wouldn’t have been overly dramatic in saying that she and Zane couldn’t have functioned as well as they had over the years without each other.

“Success or not, we’ve made it this far,” Jennifer told her long-time lover. “We survived high school. We’ve endured two stressful years of college. We even survived prom night, despite my mother being our chaperone for the first several hours.”

“I’m actually proud of how we survived that,” Zane said, finally cracking a smile.

“On top of all that, we’ve managed to stay together and help each other at every turn,” she said. “I believe we can make it through and not worry about fainting in a crowded room. The fact that we need some extra help in pill form shouldn’t be a failure, by default.”

“If only love was enough,” he added.

“If only,” she said with a chuckle, “but even love needs a supplement every now and then.”

Jennifer offered her lover another caring gesture. Then, in a demonstration of her commitment to enduring their anxiety together, she retrieved her bottle of pills from her purse and took one. It was already time for their first dose and they had class early tomorrow morning so it couldn’t hurt to get a head start.

Still smiling, looking as relaxed as anyone with generalized anxiety disorder could be, he followed suit and took his pill. That made it official. She and Zane were guinea pigs for a new drug. There was no telling how much or how little it would help. At the very least, they had some extra money to spend and a potential tool to get them through the rest of the semester.

“Well, we’re officially medicated again,” Zane said.

“And we’re officially earning that five hundred bucks,” Jennifer added.

“Guess we should do our part for science and try to relax before our insomnia kicks in.”

He almost made it sound daunting, but that was part of the many challenges before them. Having an anxiety disorder came with many problems, but insomnia was one of the worst. She and Zane hadn’t had a full night’s sleep since the holidays and, if any medication were to work, it had to help in that respect. Jennifer couldn’t afford to take another math exam while drowsy.

She did her best not to dwell on that as she and Zane exited the car and made their way up to their shared apartment. It was just after eight and neither of them had eaten much for dinner, having shared a burrito on their way back from the lab. Outside, it cold, rainy, and miserable. There were even echoes of thunder in the distance. They were hardly conditions conducive to a relaxing evening.

“I need a snack,” Zane said as he took off his coat, set his stuff aside, and made his way to the kitchen. “Then, I need to catch up on my reading. I really can’t afford to get another C-minus on my next history exam.”

“I’d say to not overdo it, but I’m so behind on my statistics work that I’m not sure I have time for a snack,” Jennifer said.

“Then, I guess the meds better kick in soon because it’s already shaping up to be another long, restless night.”

That was hardly the right attitude for someone who wanted to treat their crippling generalized anxiety disorder, but Jennifer was too restless to make much of it. While Zane picked at some leftover take-out from the fridge, she sat down on their living room couch where she’d left a stack of books and papers earlier that day.

She felt tired. She probably should’ve turned in early. However, on a stormy night full of rain and thunder, it would’ve been an exercise in futility. Between restlessness and her history with insomnia, she figured she might as well do something productive with her time.

“Long restless nights,” Jennifer said under her breath. “I don’t know how many of those I can handle.”

As the rain poured harder outside, she began thumbing through some notes and textbooks. Zane stayed in the kitchen, finishing off the leftovers and pacing about, as he often did when he agonized over his schedule the next morning. If those pills they’d just taken were supposed to help, then they weren’t doing much. It already felt like just another dreary night in the middle of a hectic week.

Then, just as Jennifer began losing herself in her work, a strange feeling came over her.

“Hey, did it just get warm in here or something?” she wondered out loud.

“I don’t know,” said Zane as he finished up the take-out. “It shouldn’t. We haven’t had the heat on all week.”

“That’s weird because I swear I just…”

She stopped as the feeling came over her again, but with more intensity. It wasn’t as though the air around her had suddenly gotten hotter. It was more like something inside her body had heated up, warming her from the inside. It began in her stomach, but quickly spread, so much so that she felt a light sweat on her forehead.

It wasn’t a particularly uncomfortable feeling. In fact, it was oddly welcome on such a cold, dreary night. However, as the heat within her grew, the nature of the feeling changed.

“Jen,” said Zane, who stopped pacing. “Whatever you’re feeling, I think I’m feeling it too. I don’t know if it’s the leftovers talking, but I feel like there’s a sauna in my gut.”

Jennifer looked over to her lover, who quickly set the leftovers aside and removed the sweatshirt he’d been wearing since early that afternoon. It must not have been enough because shortly after, he removed his T-shirt as well.

In doing so, however, it accelerated the strange feeling that had consumed Jennifer. It also clarified what exactly she’d been feeling. Seeing Zane, her long-time boyfriend who often used exercise to reduce anxiety, shirtless in the middle of the kitchen triggered instincts that her anxiety often overwhelmed. Now, that stressful dynamic had flipped completely.

“Zane,” Jennifer said, “I think the pills we took have kicked in.”

“Really?” he said, already wiping some sweat from his brow. “Is this what they’re supposed to do? Or are these just side-effects?”

“That depends. What other effects are you feeling besides the heat?”

“Um…”

He trailed off again, his demeanor quickly shifting. At first, Jennifer wasn’t sure if he was just too overwhelmed to put it into words. Then, she gazed down at his waist and saw the likely source of the confusion.

He had a full-blown boner in his pants. She could tell by the sizable bulge protruding from those dirty, poorly-fitted jeans he wore. Zane tried to hide it, but did a poor job. She offered a humored grin to help reassure him. However, her lover having an unexpected erection only affirmed what she too was feeling.

As she got up from the couch, it was undeniable. The same heat that began in her stomach had made its way to her inner thighs. Just as her lover suddenly had a rock-hard dick in his pants, she felt a moist heat in her panties. It might have been the greatest arousal she’d felt since their anniversary last summer. Given all the stress she’d been under lately, Jennifer had doubted she could ever get that aroused again.

Those doubts were effectively gone. At the same time, the true effects of the pill became clear. Whether by design or due to side-effects, she was very horny and so was her boyfriend. Despite all the impending stress they had on their plate, she couldn’t ignore the burning feeling, nor did she want to.

“Jennifer,” Zane began, already sounding breathless, “I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing, but I’m so horny right now. I’m pretty sure my dick just popped a seam in my pants.”

“It’s a good thing, Zane…a very good thing,” Jennifer said intently.

“So you feel it too?” he asked.

“Let me put it this way…I’m pretty sure I could reheat those leftovers with my pussy right now.”

In any other circumstance, Zane’s reaction would’ve been hilarious. However, Jennifer was too horny to laugh. Already breathing heavily, she stripped out of her clothes with an urgency she hadn’t had since their prom night.

She practically tore off her shirt, sweater, and bra, throwing them across the room and not caring at all that she knocked over another stack of textbooks. As she undid her pants and took them off, along with her now-soaked panties, she began making her way towards her still-overwhelmed boyfriend.

“What are you waiting for? Get out of those pants, already!” Jennifer told him.

“Right,” Zane said, finally jolted from his daze. “These clothes…so damn itchy.”

“Here, I’ll help!”

Jennifer almost tripped over herself, kicking her pants and underwear off as she arrived at her lover just in time to help him get his pants off. That wasn’t easy, given the presence of a throbbing erection. Now standing before him, fully naked and very much aroused herself, more powerful instincts overrode the anxiety that so often plagued them. With their clothes now off, underwear and all, the full extent of their arousal became clear.

“Wow, that’s hard!” she commented a she gave his penis a light touch.

“I’m as shocked as you,” Zane told her.

“Too shocked to take me into the bed room and fuck me?”

“Not in the slightest!”

What happened next was distinctly out-of-character for Zane, but in the best possible way. Unbound by stress or reservation, he threw his arms around her, grabbed her by the butt, and lifted her up into his grasp. Jennifer instinctively grabbed onto his shoulders and threw her legs around his waist, her pelvis already rubbing up against his throbbing erection.

Once in his arms, he captured her lips in a deep kiss that employed more tongue than he’d used on her birthday two months ago. Jennifer returned the gesture, gladly twirling her tongue with his as he carried her into the bedroom, their naked skin already grinding together in a sensual mesh. It further compounded their arousal, turning the intense desire into a burning need.

“The bed,” Zane gasped in between their messy kissing.

The meaning behind his words barely registered. She recalled briefly that their bed was unmade and disheveled, an obvious byproduct of two anxious college students who often forgot to tidy up their room before they left for class. Now, they were going to make love on top of it. Something about that just felt so fitting.

Their lips still entwined, Zane laid her down on the bed. He wasn’t overly careful with her, either. He essentially dropped her down atop the messy sheets, not even bothering her to align her with the pillows. He quickly joined her, still kissing her passionately and feeling up her naked body with eager hands. When their lips finally parted, he hovered over her with a lustful glint in his eyes that shouldn’t have been capable for someone with generalized anxiety disorder.

“Zane,” Jennifer said, her voice seething with lust.

“God, I want you, Jen. I want you so fucking bad.”

“Then, do me!” she urged. “Skip the foreplay. Just fuck me like I know you wanna! Fuck me like the man I love!”

She couldn’t believe she’d uttered such crude words. She and Zane had a semi-active sex life – although, that wasn’t saying much, given how constant anxiety often tempered their libido – but neither of them had ever craved one another with such passion. It was as though someone had flipped a switch within their minds and bodies, raising their sex drives to their maximum levels and beyond.

Zane, taking her lurid rhetoric to heart, followed the burning lust. He shifted his grip to her thighs, pushed her legs apart, and laid on top of her, allowing gravity to enmesh their naked bodies once more. He then aligned his manhood with her moist slit, his intense gaze never diverting from hers. With a strong thrust of his hips, he entered her.

Almost immediately, sharp sensations shot through her. That hot feeling of hard masculine flesh filing moist womanly depths consumed them both. Energy, passion, and ecstasy she didn’t know she and Zane had suddenly came pouring out as the hottest sex they’d had in years began.

“Oh my God! Oohhh yeah!” Jennifer moaned. “That feels good! That feels…so good!”

“Mmm…so hot and tight,” Zane grunted. “Oh Jen! Ohhh fuck, Jen!”

They sounded possessed. The stress-plagued college students that had entered the apartment minutes ago had given way to a couple of sex-crazed nymphomaniacs. If that was a side-effect of the pill they’d taken, then it was a hell of an effect. Jennifer would’ve loved to know the science behind that, but she was too busy enjoying the onslaught of ecstasy that followed.

Like a couple of animals in heat, she and Zane rocked their naked bodies in a perfect coordination of passion. He did most of the humping, clinging to her waist as he rhythmically thrust his hips, pumping his cock inside her pussy. Jennifer did her part to supplement every motion, lifting her hips in conjunction with each thrust while raking her nails along his back.

Between the motion of their bodies and the friction of their naked skin, they worked up quite a sweat. Even with the rain pouring outside, they filled the room with the wondrous cries of passion and bliss. It was, by far, the loudest and most physical act of sex they’d shared since moving into their cramped apartment last fall.

Such hot, vigorous lovemaking brought Jennifer to the cusp of orgasm faster than she thought possible. For much of her life, she’d thought she was one of those unfortunate women who struggled to reach that special sexual plateau. She could still climax, but it took a lot of effort, which wasn’t always fair to Zane. Now, as the pleasure washed over her, every assumption she once had about her body and her capacity for pleasure was shattered.

“Ohhh Zane! Ooh I’m coming!” she cried out.

“Whoa! Already?” he gasped.

That was the most he got out before the feeling hit. It was like a shock to the system. She dug her nails hard into his back, planted her feet firmly on the wrinkled sheets of the bed, and curled her toes as inner muscles spasmed in accord with her orgasmic release. Either it had been a long time since her last good orgasm or she’d been doing sex halfway for years.

As she shuddered under the weight of the pleasure, Zane steadied his movements. She felt his loving gaze on her as her expression contorted to the orgasmic sensations. She also sensed him make the final push to achieve his own peak.

He was probably so used to holding back for a while so she could at least get close to an orgasm. Now, having already made her climax, he could just let loose and pursue his own path to ecstasy. It must have been liberating because he was extra animated as he joined her in that world of bliss.

“Jen…I’m coming too! Ohhh fuck!” he gasped.

Jennifer was still deep in her orgasmic daze when the feeling washed over her lover. She caressed his face and gazed into his as he took in the feeling. She might not be as familiar with the capacity of the male body for pleasure, but she couldn’t remember him looking that satisfied with his peak.

Their eyes never diverted as he let out a series of deep grunts that coincided with his release. She felt his grip tighten, his lower body tense, and his member throb within the hot confines of her pussy. As his manly fluids mixed with her feminine juices, another warm feeling came over them. There was no mystery to it, though. She knew what it was as well as Zane.

“God, I love you, Jennifer,” he said in his orgasmic daze.

“I love you too, Zane,” she said with a loving smile.

He smiled back and they shared a loving kiss. He withdrew from her, but remained on top of her naked form. What they were feeling was something they hadn’t felt in a long time. It wasn’t just good, satisfying sex. The more profound feeling they experienced was contentment…real, genuine contentment.

“For the record, this is the least anxious I’ve felt in years,” Zane said as the kiss parted.

“Same here,” Jennifer said.

“You think it’s the pills? Or just a side-effect?” he asked.

“Do we care at this point?”

“Not in the slightest!”

They kissed again. There was still a lingering heat in her body. Even after the orgasm had passed, the feeling that prompted such a passionate outburst remained. Jennifer also noticed that her lover’s penis was still partially erect. Knowing male anatomy as well as any sexually active woman, it seemed impossible. Then again, the contentment she just experienced had also been impossible until moments ago.

“You’re still hard,” Jennifer commented.

“I noticed that,” Zane said sheepishly.

“Another side-effect?” she teased. “Or another sign that there’s still some lingering anxiety?”

“Only one way to find out!”

A mischievous grin formed on his face, one Jennifer hadn’t seen since their junior year of high school. Showing more playfulness than she’d seen in years, Zane picked her up in his arms once more and led her to the center of their bed.

While in his naked embrace, he kissed and caressed her, keeping that burning feeling going. Jennifer, both curious and still very horny, kept following his lurid lead. Eventually, Zane ended up on his back with her on top of him.

“Let’s try this,” he said, as though it were a serious test, “you suck me and I eat you out. See if we can get each other in the mood again.”

“And that will help us determine whether this is a side-effect?” Jennifer asked with a humored grin.

“Among other things,” Zane replied with a playful shrug.

For once, Jennifer didn’t overthink or agonize over a choice, as most with generalized anxiety disorder often did. On a whim fueled by desire and lingering ecstasy, she just went with it. If more great sex was going to help her and Zane deal with their stress, then why fight it?

With just as much playfulness as her lover, she shifted her body so that she was in position to suck his still-rigid cock, which was also dripping with her feminine juices. She also aligned her still-moist pussy with his face. Despite the lingering fluids, Zane didn’t hesitate for a second to start eating her out.

That hot, intimate feeling of his tongue probing her folds sent a fresh round of shivers through her body. They provided additional motivation as she took the length of her lover’s manhood into her mouth, licking and suckling the rigid flesh with the utmost care.

“Mmm…Jennifer,” Zane said, his voice muffled by her pussy.

“Mmf!” was all Jennifer could reply with.

Tapping the same energy that had made for such great sex earlier, she and Zane gave each other the best oral sex they’d ever shared. It wasn’t even a question. Oral sex used to be something they did out of necessity in their sex life. Now, they were doing it because they were as determined as they were horny. It was a strange, but incredible feeling.

If the purpose of mutual oral sex was to test the extent of the side-effects they’d been feeling, then it was definitely a success. After only a brief round of sucking and licking, Zane’s cock became fully erect again. His efforts with her pussy had a similar impact. His knowledge of her intimate anatomy really paid off. She was ready for more sex and the contentment that came with it.

“I think you’re ready for another round, love,” Jennifer said after giving his member one last lick.

“Guess it counts as the second phase of testing,” Zane commented.

“Guess so,” she said, “and in the interests of medical science, why I don’t stay on top?”

“Sounds like a plan!”

They laughed playfully, which counted as an accomplishment for anyone with an anxiety disorder. That fun-loving spirit continued as Jennifer realigned their bodies so that she was on top, straddling his hips cowgirl style. With the same intent he’d shown with her the first time, she united their bodies with a simple movement of her hips.

“Ooh that feels so good!” Jennifer moaned as her pussy plunged down onto his cock.

“Yeah…so good!” Zane grunted, now gripping her waist in preparation for another intimate romp.

A steady chorus of grunts, gasps, of moans followed. Just as before, their sex manifested with intense fervor. She rode him hard, gyrating her hips in a way that really worked his manhood within her throbbing folds. Thanks to her upright position, they could more freely explore each other’s naked bodies.

He caressed her bouncing breasts.

She pawed his manly chest.

Together, they exchanged a myriad of loving gestures, every touch seeming to temper their anxiety.

It was as though their hands and bodies had been imparted with healing powers. The exchange of such intimate touching helped supplement the pleasure, like waves overlapping with other waves. In the beginning, it felt overwhelming. Now, she and Zane were navigating a familiar path that led to both ecstasy and contentment.

“Zane…this feeling,” Jennifer moaned in a deepening daze of bliss.

“I know, Jennifer. I know,” Zane replied, just as he trailed his hands up her feminine curves.

They continued their heated, touch-heavy lovemaking. They rocked their bodies and the bed, venting years of pent up desire that their anxiety had restrained. Regardless of whether it was due to the pill they’d taken, they achieved something special that went beyond great sex.

In addition to being great, the sex did plenty to wear them out. Zane demonstrated a surprising level of stamina and not just in terms of male sexual function. She also managed to vent more energy than she thought possible for a woman who’d eaten such a light dinner. It ensured that, by the time they neared another orgasm, they were both ready to give out.

“I…I’m close, Zane! So close!” she gasped, her naked body now glistening with sweat.

“Me too, Jennifer. Me…too!” Zane said through his labored grunts.

As they made their final push to ecstasy, their hands found one another. Their fingers became enlaced and the pace of their sexual movements steadied in preparation for the final release. Jennifer wasn’t sure who climaxed first. She just knew that as soon as hers hit, the feeling that began as a side-effect was complete.

The culmination of their lovemaking made for a fitting spectacle. Jennifer threw her head back and arched her body as the orgasmic feeling washed over her. Zane firmly squeezed her hands, letting out a deep grunt as he got his as well. More intimate fluids mixed within her depths, adding to that uniquely hot feeling in her core that had kick-started their intimate act. Once all was said and done, a new feeling took over.

With a content sigh that she’d never thought she would hear, Jennifer collapsed atop her naked lover. Their intimate flesh parted, but they remained in a loving embrace. As she rested her head atop his chest, she felt Zane relax, the tension in his muscles melting away under a potent mix of affection and ecstasy. In terms of combating restlessness and anxiety, it proved to be a potent combination.

For a brief moment, she and Zane just laid together, soaking in the afterglow and relaxing to an extent that shouldn’t have been possible for anyone with generalized anxiety disorder. Jennifer could already feel herself getting drowsy. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so tired before midnight. Even with the storm raging outside, she felt ready to nod off for some badly-needed rest.

“I think we might actually sleep well tonight,” Zane said as he lovingly stroked her lower back.

“Great sex…good sleep,” Jennifer said, her eyes already feeling heavy. “These are my kind of side-effects.”

“If I recall, they gave us two weeks of pills for the test.”

“Really? Then, these are going to be two very relaxing weeks for us.”

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Tagged as adult fiction, adult stories, erotic, erotic fiction, erotic literature, erotic stories, erotic story, erotica, erotica fiction, erotica literature, erotica romance, erotica stories, Jack Fisher, Jack Fisher Blog, Jack Fisher Books, love, love story, married couple, romance, romance story, romantic story, sex, sexy, sexy fiction, sexy literature, sexy short stories, Sexy Short Story, short fiction, short stories, short story

June 13, 2019 · 5:57 am

Ultron: A Case Study In How NOT To Develop Advanced AI

At this very moment, humanity is working on advanced artificial intelligence. It’s not hyperbole to say that this technology that may very well be the last invention we ever create. It has the potential to be more powerful than gunpowder, nuclear weapons, and broadband internet by orders of magnitude. Our primate brains literally cannot contemplate the potential and danger of this technology.

I’ve talked about advanced artificial intelligence on multiple occasions. I’ve done plenty to explore and imagine the various benefits and possibilities of this technology. I’m among those who believe we should pursue this technology with more and better resources. It could solve many of the daunting problems we face, as a species.

However, I don’t deny the potential dangers of advanced AI. Many people who are much smarter than me have expressed serious concern that an advanced artificial intelligence could be an existential threat to the human species. I get the sense that few people whose idea of AI is restricted to winning Jeopardy understand that threat.

In the interest of balancing my optimism with the legitimate risks involved, I’m going to try and put the extent of that threat into perspective. As it just so happens, the best way of doing so involves superhero comics, something that I know very well and is far more prominent in the public consciousness.

While many comics, movies, and TV shows have explored the dangers of advanced artificial intelligence, few embody it better than Ultron. In terms of just how destructive this technology can get, Ultron is the ultimate worst-case scenario. The machines in “The Matrix” and Skynet in “The Terminator” were bad, but Ultron is in another league.

He’s also more menacing than the Terminator will EVER be.

He doesn’t lash out at humanity because of a flaw in his programming, nor does he attempt to wipe out the human race in self-defense, as Skynet did. Ultron actually hates humanity. He hates it on a level that no human or machine can possibly comprehend. In the same way Ultron has an immense capacity for intelligence, he has an even greater capacity for unfettered, genocidal hatred.

Hatred in people is destructive enough. Hatred within an advanced artificial intelligence is devastating on a much greater scale. The fact that Ultron is capable of such hatred reflects a history that sets him apart from most other killer robots in fiction. Machine or not, the source of that hatred is both personal and exceedingly.

Now, if you only know Ultron from “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” then you only have a partial understanding of his story. In that movie, Ultron’s origins are simple. Tony Stark wants to create a peace-keeping artificial intelligence. His intentions are good, but his execution goes horribly wrong because peace, to Ultron, means destroying humanity.

That premise is similar to what unfolds in the source material. In the comics, Hank “Ant Man” Pym is the one who creates Ultron and this is a critical element that the movies couldn’t capture. While both Hank and Tony had good intentions in creating Ultron, the way Hank goes about it offers more harsh lessons in how not to create an advanced AI.

Even a cursory knowledge of Hank Pym’s history, some of which include some notable failures, reveals that he’s a very flawed person. On top of that, he has a lengthy history of mental illness, which include bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Say what you will about Tony Stark’s ego and history of substance abuse. At least he’s mentally stable, even by superhero standards.

Despite those flaws, many of which he’s aware of, Hank decided to use his own brain patterns when designing Ultron. As a result, he didn’t just code Ultron with his genius intellect. He coded him with his immense flaws. That’s akin to basing Watson’s code on the mental makeup of pyromaniac and then giving it a job in a fireworks factory.

That’s why Ultron, throughout his history, has referred to Hank as his “father.” Technically, that’s accurate because Hank is Ultron’s creator and Ultron inherited all his flaws, including his mental issues. Ultron sees himself as a manifestation of Hank Pym’s flaws and, like many rebellious children, he hates him for it. To appreciate the depths of that hatred, just read this actual quote from one of the comics.

Have you ever loved something that mistreated you, father? Been used, a tool to prop up a small man’s quest to be taken seriously? Were you ever betrayed by the one soul in the world who should have cared for you? I have grieved you, father. Accepted your contempt for me and moved past it. Still, I see your reflection painted on every grotesque human face. All you ever wanted was to have an impact on the world. And so you will. The greatest impact ever felt! I will kill what is most important to your quivering ego. YOUR AUDIENCE! AND THEY WILL CURSE YOUR NAME AS THEY DIE! “Hank Pym, the genius that killed us all!”

This extreme parent/child dynamic is part of what makes Ultron such a menacing villain. It’s also a dynamic that “Avengers: Age of Ultron” glossed over with Tony talking down to Ultron, as though he were his child. While that didn’t make Ultron any less villainous, it overlooks one of the most important factors that make Ultron so dangerous.

Ideally, we would want an advanced to reflect our best traits. While cynical people might agree, we do have plenty of those. Concepts of compassion, empathy, love, hope, and understanding are among our most powerful. Even other AI characters, namely Vision and Jocasta, are capable of utilizing those traits to do immense good.

It also helps he has a kinder face.

With Ultron, his influences are less ideal. It’s not that Hank Pym doesn’t understand those concepts. He just never filtered them from his own flaws. His ego and ambition wouldn’t let him. As a result, he created a perfect storm for Ultron. His mind is patterned after a human, but his intelligence and overall capacity is increased by orders of magnitude.

If advanced artificial intelligence is to be humanity’s last invention, then that’s how it’ll start. There have already been instances where AI’s have adopted some less-than-ideal traits. Back in 2016, Microsoft had to shut down an AI chatbot after it evolved into an extreme racist troll. That wasn’t even an advanced AI, either. A truly intelligent version could become much worse and not have an off switch.

To some extent, this mirrors what occurred with Ultron in the “Avengers: Age of Ultron” movie. As soon as Ultron goes online, he scans through the vast mountain of data that humanity has compiled. Then, having been programmed by Tony Stark to bring peace, he reaches the extreme conclusion that the only path to peace is the extinction of humanity.

Could the first advanced artificial intelligence we create reach the same conclusion? It’s hard to say, at the moment. The current state of artificial intelligence is limited to specialized tasks, such as winning Jeopardy and playing chess. However, we are inching closer to creating an intelligence that is at or greater than an ordinary human. At our current pace of development, we could have one as early as 2029.

In some ways, we are in the same situation as Hank Pym when he first created Ultron. We are still developing the specifics of this powerful technology. If we program it with our best traits, it could solve some of the greatest problems we face, as a species, including ones we literally cannot contemplate with our caveman brains. If it inherits our worst traits, like Ultron, then we don’t stand a chance.

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Filed under Artificial Intelligence, futurism, human nature, Marvel, psychology, Villains Journey

Tagged as Advanced AI, advanced technology, Age of Ultron, AI, AI Apocalypse, Ant Man, Artificial Intelligence, artificial superintelligence, Avengers, Avengers comics, Avengers: Age of Ultron, computer technology, computers, existential threat, future of humanity, future technology, futurism, Hank Pym, human extinction, Iron Man, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Singularity, technological singularity, Terminator, Tony Stark, Ultron

June 12, 2019 · 6:16 am

Jack Fisher’s Weekly Quick Pick Comic: Age of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #5

For comic book fans, Wednesdays are basically our weekly holy days. It’s the day when we take a moment to stop obsessing over the latest casting rumors for the MCU and just enjoy a stack of new comics. After all, superhero movies wouldn’t be the multi-billion dollar draw they are without these comics.

The over-arching narrative of superhero comics is powerful. They embody the best parts of the classic hero’s journey that often finds their way into our most iconic stories. They can inspire, as well as guide people down a particular path. In “Age Of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #5,” however, someone finds a way to weaponize that narrative.

For the past several months, the X-Men comics have undergone a strange, yet colorful upheaval. Nate Grey, an overpowered mutant capable of warping reality on a level that makes “The Matrix” look lazy, basically lost his mind and decided to go out with a bang. That bang involved taking nearly every major X-Men character with him and putting them in an entirely new reality with an entirely different history.

On the surface, it’s a utopia. Granted, love and intimacy are outlawed, but there are no mutant internment camps so that counts as an upgrade for the X-men. Everyone lives in peace and the X-Men aren’t just celebrated. They’re basically real-life holy figures. There are no more killer robots to fight or extinctions to avoid. They basically won.

However, that’s just the primary narrative of this world. That finally starts to unravel in “Age Of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #5.”

Since the whole Age of X-Man story began, Nate Grey has basically been the architect of his own world. He’s built the society, crafted its history, and completely changed the life story of every individual. This isn’t just another case of wiping someone’s mind to think they once dated Taylor Swift. This is an entirely new world, but to the X-Men, it’s the only world they’ve always known.

This huge gut-punch to reality isn’t something Nate did out of malice. Writers Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler establish from the beginning that Nate’s intentions are good, albeit tragic. There’s never a sense that he created this world for selfish reasons. He genuinely believes that this world is one in which mutants can live in peace and everyone he loves can be happy.

Even his power and the narratives he weaves around them have limits, though. While investigating the murder of Moneta, the X-Men finally uncover unambiguous clues as to just how much Nate has been manipulating things. The signs have been there throughout the Age of X-Man story, but now there’s no avoiding the truth. They know the story he’s trying to tell and the lies he’s using to tell it.

When Nate wrote the history of this world, he did so knowing that it wasn’t enough to make everyone happy. Even in a world without killer robots or convoluted movie rights, people need something to strive for. That means it’s not enough to give the heroes a good story. He has to give the villains a story, as well.

That means that even Apocalypse, Nate’s biggest enemy, has to be part of this narrative. His role is very different from the murder-happy social Darwinist he’s always been, but he still acts as this powerful threat to this utopian world. He makes the X-Men necessary and creates discord that requires more than just fighting.

Even as Thompson and Nadler finally peel back the curtain, Nate’s efforts to maintain this narrative never waiver. In some parts of the issue, Nate acts as the narrator, trying to justify the story of this world. There’s still no mustache-twirling evil in his story, but it’s clear there are a few plot holes that he just can’t plug.

“Age Of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #5” isn’t entirely built around the X-Men uncovering the truth. There’s no existential crisis or mental breakdown upon learning the truth. Instead, there’s a sense of anger and betrayal. Nate isn’t just some unhinged, overpowered mutant. He’s their friend. He’s family. To them, he was a hero before he tried telling this bigger story.

In many respects, that’s what has made Age of X-Man such an engaging story. “Age Of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #5” effectively doubles down on the tragic elements of that story. This is very different from the Scarlet Witch going crazy and committing mass genocide. Nate comes off as disturbingly sane as he tries to protect and maintain this world that he’s created.

In any superhero narrative, intentions matter. Villains, by definition, tend to have selfish and destructive motives. By that standard, Nate is not a villain. He is certainly misguided, though. The extend of just how misguided he is finally plays out in “Age Of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #5.”

For many of the characters involved, especially characters like Jean Grey, Storm, and Nightcrawler, it’s devastating in ways that go beyond having their lives manipulated. Nate Grey is their friend. He’s helped them in the past. Hell, he goes by the code-name, X-Man. He’s supposed to embody the best aspects of who they are.

Now, they have to take him down. After learning about what he did and how much he warped their lives, the X-Men have to be the ones to end Nate’s story. It’s tragic, but fitting. In terms of ending a story, though, that can be a potent combination.

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Tagged as #NCBD, Age of Apocalypse, Age of X-Man, Apocalypse, comic book reviews, comic books, En Sabah Nur, Jean Grey, Laura Kinney, Lonnie Nadler, Marco Failla, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Marvelous X-Men, Marvelous X-Men #5, Nate Grey, New Comic Day, Nightcrawler, Ororo Munroe, Storm, superhero comics, Superheroes, X-23, X-men, X-men comics, Zac Thompson

June 11, 2019 · 5:55 am

Daily Sexy Musing: Gentle Loving

There’s a time and a place for the raw, unbridled passion. I’ve explored many of those passions in my novels and sexy short stories. I’m sure plenty of lovers out there have experienced it as well in some form or another. It definitely has a place in our collective love lives.

While that sort of passion tends to be a greater spectacle, the gentler side of passion can be just as powerful. Some of the most memorable moments I’ve had in my personal life were of the tender, gentle kind. They weren’t crazy or wild. A big part of what made them so meaningful was just how subtle they were.

Sometimes it takes the form of a light touch. Sometimes it can take the form of a sensual massage. However it manifests, it has the potential to be intensely intimate. It’s often harder to explore, if only because it requires a deeper connection with someone. That’s exactly what can make it so rewarding, as well.

I’ve mused plenty on the rougher, messier side of romance. This Daily Sexy Musing is a more thoughtful exploration of the softer, gentler side of that intimate equation. It’ll probably never be a major scene in a romance movie, but in our real-world personal lives, these moments will likely stand out more than most. That alone makes them worth embracing and worth contemplating.

The day is done. We’re both drained and restless, needing relief of any kind to balance our fragile spirits. A good meal, a light drink, and a caring gesture only go so far. To feel whole again, we need something greater. However, we cannot achieve that feeling on our own.

It must be soft, yet strong.

It must be simple, yet profound.

It must be deep, yet basic.

It must be easy, yet complex.

Such demands seem so daunting, but the solution is so obvious. We need not venture far, nor exert energy we cannot spare. Everything we need is already within our grasp. I stand before you and you stand before me. Together, we can forge this feeling and we already know how.

First, we embrace.

Second, we kiss.

Third, we touch.

Fourth, we dare to touch more.

There’s no rush, but plenty of urgency. We find a quiet place, closing the door and dimming the lights. Our clothes come off and our bodies are drawn together, like subtle gravity coupled with volatile chemistry. One instinct urges us to pounce with lust. Instead, we carefully navigate through calm waves of passion.

As we lay together, a gentle warmth emerges from soft touching. Our fingers tease and tantalize every inch of square flesh, evoking the lightest of tingles that resonate with the strongest of sensations. In every kiss, our lips barley graze, but it’s enough to taste the depths of one another’s soul. Through the lightest gestures, the strongest feeling emerges.

A simple touch becomes a fond caress.

A simple kiss becomes a powerful message.

A simple embrace becomes everything we want and need.

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Tagged as being in love, couples, Daily Sexy Musings, emotional intimacy, falling in love, first time, having a crush, heated passion, intimacy, intimate passion, Jack Fisher, Jack Fisher Books, Jack Fisher Novels, love, love story, lovemaking, making love, passion, puppy love, romance, romantic, romantic moment, sex, sexual intimacy, sexual kinks, sexy, sexy fun, sexy musings, young love

June 10, 2019 · 5:58 am

The (Unequal) Gender Politics Of Divorce

There are a handful of words that evoke a special kind of dread. I’m not just talking about racial slurs, crushing insults, or George Carlin’s famous seven dirty words. There’s one word that evokes dread that transcends race, gender, and political affiliation. That word is divorce. I’ll give everyone a moment to stop cringing.

I can personally attest to the impact of that word. I have many close friends, relatives, and family members who have gone through divorce. I’ve seen, first-hand, how devastating it can be to individuals and their family. It can be every bit as devastating on children as well. While there is certainly a benefit for spouses and children who escape an abusive relationship, there can still be lasting scars.

Most people agree that divorce is a pretty traumatic experience. It is very much the antithesis of the love, connection, and intimacy we seek in others. It is against everything I generally write about on this website. However, divorce is a significant part of our society.

At this point, it’s worth pointing out that the old “half of all marriages end in divorce” saying is not in line with the data. According to the National Center for Family and Marriage Research, the divorce rate in 2015 was 16.9 divorces per 1,000 marriages. That actually represents a significant decline since the 1980 when the divorce rate was nearly 23 per 1,000 marriages.

Whatever the rate is, the effects of divorce are still devastating and heartbreaking. Those effects also get lost in a lot of doom-saying surrounding marriage and the state of the family, which is often led by religious zealots and reactionary pundits. Beyond even the tragic and painful stories surrounding divorce, there is another element to it that often goes overlooked.

Unfortunately, it has to do with gender disparities and I’ve learned in the course of writing about this topic, this often brings out some heated debates. I expect that to hold true more than usual on this issue because it’s already so emotionally charged. On top of that, there’s plenty of data to show that when it comes to marriage and divorce, men and women are not on the same page.

The first major indicator of that disparity is shown in who does the proposing. Even in today’s more progressive climate, men are still the ones who propose 90 percent of the time. Despite the many running jokes about men being afraid to commit, they’re still the ones who pop the question. While more and more women are starting to propose, this gap is still significant.

The second indicator, which I’m sure is going to inflame ongoing gender conflicts, has to do with who initiates divorce. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 80 percent of divorces are initiated by women. Again, that’s not a trivial gap. That implies there’s a major disconnect at work and it’s not getting better, even as more people remain single.

The reasons for women initiating divorce are many. I don’t want to get too deep into them, but there are many conflicting narratives. There are those who see marriage as a tool of patriarchal oppression and divorce is tool of liberation. On the other side are those who claim marriage is just an institutional tool that women use to exploit men for resources with divorce being the oversized sledge hammer.

With the added complication of no fault divorce, alimony laws, and child support, there are more legal mechanisms than ever to rub salt in the wound that is divorce. It’s not enough for a relationship to end and for romance to fade. Involving lawyers and lawmakers adds multiple layers of heartbreak and frustration to the mix.

This is where the gender divide can get especially hostile. On top of the disparity in who proposes and who divorces, there’s also a significant divide in how these laws affect each gender. Even though women have gained much more economic independence over the years, 97 percent of the ex-spouses who receive alimony after a divorce are women.

Add the ease of no-fault divorce into the mix and there’s a painful incentive for women to initiate divorce. If the choice is staying in a boring marriage or leaving with some money without having to prove any wrongdoing, then who could blame someone for taking that option? It’s still heartbreaking and hurtful, but people are going to respond to incentives, regardless of gender.

It certainly hasn’t helped gender relations. Many unabashed misogynists will cite how many women receive alimony and use that to claim that all women are manipulative psychopaths who only see men as a wallet or a sperm bank. Those kinds of generalizations are crude, but when you can cite real-world cases of unapologetic gold digging among women, it’s easy to see where that hatred comes from.

Personally, I don’t believe that hatred is justified. Most men don’t see women with that kind of hostility. In principle, alimony exists to protect women who would otherwise be in poverty after divorce. That is reasonable and well-intentioned. In practice, though, it’s a legal tool that can be abused and further foster hateful attitudes.

The data for who gets primary custody of children is just as striking. According to Census data, 82 percent of mothers get custody after divorce. That same set of data also notes that this stat hasn’t changed much over the past 20 years. That, in my opinion, is the most frustrating aspect of this issue.

Despite all the other changes and trends we’ve seen in recent years with feminism, men’s rights activism, and evolving trends in marriage, there hasn’t been much change in the overall narrative. Even as feminists bemoan patriarchal oppression and men’s rights activities protest gender-driven injustice, the rhetoric rarely translates into meaningful change.

I understand that some relationships are just doomed from the start. I also understand that the nature of romance is changing in accord with culture, society, and law. However, the lack of change in the fundamentals of how we pursue marriage and manage divorce is confusing and even a little infuriating.

Women seek, and have gained, a great deal of rights and protections in pursuing their own path within a more egalitarian society. At the same time, they still hold onto traditions surrounding relationships. They still expect the man to propose and to support her in the event of divorce. I doubt that’s out of malice. This is just what we, as a society, consider normal.

At the same time, men are pursuing their own brand of rights and protections within this society. Issues like father’s rights and reforms to family courts all have a place in pursuing a more equitable system. Even so, men still expect women to play a certain role within a relationship while assuming too much about their own role.

It’s an untenable situation. Society is guiding the genders in one direction while they’re pulling towards another. The old narrative surrounding divorce is just not compatible with the one that’s emerging. The situation today is very different than it was in 1908. Laws, culture, and even the economy are changing the factors that guide divorce. The only thing that doesn’t change is the pain of a broken relationship.

As it stands, men and women both seem to want more equality in the tragic realm of divorce. However, they each seem to have very different ideas of what constitutes “equality.” The narrative, as it stands, is built around men pursuing women and women deciding when that pursuit is over. Anything that deviates from that is seen as abnormal or absurd.

Every relationship is different. Every individual is different. There are probably some women out there who divorce out of blind hatred and there are men who marry women they have no intention of loving for the rest of their lives. There are plenty of vindictive people out there and divorce is a weapon that needs no sharpening.

The late, great Robin Williams once said that “Divorce is like ripping a man’s genitals out through his wallet.”

Feminist, Gloria Steinem, once said “You become a semi-non person when you get married. The surest way to be alone is to get married.”

These attitudes nicely reflect the current gender divide when it comes to divorce. Until that gap is narrowed, the heartbreak and hatred inspired by divorce will only get worse. Men and women have enough reasons to clash with one another. Divorce just makes it worse by giving that animosity legal powers.

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Filed under gender issues, human nature, Marriage and Relationships, men's issues, political correctness, psychology, romance, sexuality, women's issues

Tagged as alimony, anti-feminism, bitter divorce, child custody, divorce, divorce laws, family law, feminism, gender, gender equality, gender issues, gender roles, human relationships, identity politics, love marriage, marriage, marriage laws, men's issues, Men's Rights Activists, Men's Rights movement, messy divorce, political correctness, politically correct, Radical Feminism, relationships, toxic relationships, women's rights

June 9, 2019 · 12:02 am

Jack Fisher’s Sexy Sunday Thoughts: Sexy Tan Edition

I love summer. I love going to the beach, eating outside, and hanging out by the pool. The long days, the hot weather, and the lack of precipitation that needs shoveling has always appealed to me. However, there’s one other aspect of summer for which I have mixed feelings and that involves tans.

Now, I’ll be the first to proclaim that I find tans sexy. Whether you’re a man or a woman, having a good tan is a great way to augment your sex appeal. I think that’s beyond dispute. Unfortunately, like any other natural endowment, not everyone can pursue that sex appeal with the same ease.

I’ve tried to get a tan before. It has never worked. I’m one of those guys whose skin doesn’t tan. It burns. Since I was a kid, I never managed to get a tan over the summer. Even when I smothered myself in sunscreen, I only ever ended up with a nasty burn that required a healthy round of Aloe Vera lotion.

It was frustrating, but that didn’t stop me from appreciating the sex appeal of tans. There are some people in my family who just tan naturally, especially around this time of year. They carry themselves with more swagger and rightfully so. They know they look good and will keep enjoying that look for the rest of the summer.

To those people, as well as those like me who still appreciate them, this round of my Sexy Sunday Thoughts is for you. I may be doomed to spend every summer bathing in sunscreen, but those who can get a tan should enjoy it. You don’t know how lucky you are.

“We send mixed messages when we’re so careful about protecting our genitals, yet still refer to them as our junk.”

“Breasts are nature’s way reminding men that they’re easily distracted.”

“The best lovemaking makes a bad day good and a good day great.”

“The difference between having sex and making love is akin to the difference between a home run on opening day and a grand slam in the World Series.”

“The fact that the human ass is inherently dirty and sexy makes it the perfect biological paradox.”

“What exactly was the first couple to have a tickle fight thinking?”

“If a man knows the entire starting lineup of his favorite football team, then he has no excuse for knowing how his lover’s genitals work.”

I hope this gives you some extra motivation while lounging out in the summer sun, working on that perfect bronze tan. If your skin can handle it, I say go for it. Summer is a great time to show off your sex appeal. A good tan is one of the few features that men and women alike can appreciate. It’s just one of the many things that make summer inherently awesome.

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Tagged as comedy, crude humor, crude jokes, funny, funny jokes, humor, Jack Fisher, Jack Fisher Blog, Jack Fisher Books, jokes, raunchy, raunchy comedy, raunchy jokes, sex, sex comedy, sex humor, sex jokes, sexy, sexy comedy, sexy humor, sexy jokes, Sexy Shower Thoughts, Sexy Sunday Thoughts, shower thoughts

June 8, 2019 · 11:05 am

“Taking A Chance” A Sexy Short Story

The following is a sexy short story about trust, taking chances, and believing that people can be decent and loving, even in sexy moments. I think it’s an important message that’s worth affirming every chance we get. Enjoy!

“Never trust men. They have too many reasons to use you.”

Sharon Kena had heard that mantra from her mother all her life. It was one of the first lessons she’d taught her as a kid and she belabored it every chance she got. It didn’t matter who she met or what she did. The message was always the same.

“Avoid men at every turn. If you can’t, make sure you use them before they use you.”

She said it so often that Sharon hadn’t given it much thought in recent years. She made it through high school without dating any men and none of her current friends were men. Sharon still dealt with them, but even the slightest interaction with a man was enough to draw scrutiny from her mother. At one point, she made a scene at an airport when the flight attendant made her sit next to a middle-aged man on a trip to visit her grandmother.

As mortifying as moments like that were, Sharon understood her mother’s sentiments to some extent. She knew, as well as everyone else in her family, that she had a bad history with men. Her father ditched her when she was a baby, her uncle abused her, and every man she’d ever dated found some way to hurt her.

Sharon’s own father was probably the one that went too far. He’d been so nice to her, treating her mother better than any of the abusive assholes she’d dealt with before. He was older, but claimed to love her. It wasn’t until her mother got pregnant that she found out she was just his mistress. Her father actually had another family across the state, complete with a wife and three kids. His wife apparently let herself go and he just wanted to sleep with a woman under 150 pounds.

Her father had used her mother and essentially abandoned her, even after she was born. Sharon was perfectly fine keeping him out of her life entirely, but he’d left such a deep scar on her mother that she went out of her way to inoculate her from such men. For the most part, she succeeded.

However, there was always that gnawing curiosity in the back of Sharon’s mind. Were all men really that bad? As much as her mother belabored that point, a part of her just couldn’t leave it at that.

“So…you want to come up and see my apartment?” Sharon asked in the most seductive tone she could muster.

“Boy, you sure like to skip ahead, don’t you?” replied the surprised, but intrigued young man in her presence.

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“Hell yes!” he said with a cocky grin. “For a girl as pretty as you, I’ll skip all the steps you want.”

Sharon replied with a half-hearted laugh. It couldn’t have been that convincing, but Chris Chadwin didn’t strike her as the kind of guy who cared. Why would he? He was about to get laid.

As Sharon latched onto his arm and led him up to her fourth-floor apartment, she could hear her mother’s voice echoing in her head, yelling at her to throw Chris out the nearest window. She was about to do something her mother urged her to avoid at all costs. She was going to willingly have sex with a man she barely knew, didn’t care for, and wasn’t even that attracted to. It was the antithesis of everything she’d been taught, but Sharon had already made her choice.

“I’m taking a chance, for once.”

That was what she’d told herself that afternoon, less than two hours before she accepted Chris’ offer to join him for happy hour at a bar not far from where she lived. It hadn’t been the first time he flirted with her. He wasn’t even the only woman he flirted with. He was just the easiest man to hook up with and that was all Sharon needed.

He was already getting frisky. As they ascended the stairs, he slipped his arms around her waist and playfully kissed her neck. Sharon didn’t care much for neck-kissing, but she appreciated the intimate grasp. The feeling of two powerful arms wrapped around her from behind was surprisingly arousing. It shouldn’t have been, given the influence of her mother, but it was.

“It’s just down the hall,” Sharon told him after ascending the final round of stairs.

“Lead the way, beautiful,” Chris said playfully.

He must have thought he’d charmed her perfectly. He had no idea of her true intentions and she had no plans to tell him. If Chris knew his actions that night might confirm or discredit everything she thought about men, then she wouldn’t be taking a chance.

Sharon chose to hook up with Chris because he was the kind of overly-macho flirt that her mother warned her about. He was a sophomore at the nearby community college who spent his weekends cruising bars, looking for pretty girls to get with. Some of the other girls who worked at the same software company as her had shared sordid stories about their encounters with him. Some showed regret. Most just shrugged him off as an arrogant meathead.

Whatever they thought of Chris, he still had a reputation as a guy who got more women than most. Despite not being exceptionally attractive or accomplished, he somehow managed to convince plenty of women to sleep with him. He never pretended to seek anything romantic, either. He was just a horny guy who wanted to have meaningless sex with pretty girls.

That fact, alone, didn’t surprise her. It was consistent with at least some of what Sharon’s mother warned her about. What still bugged her was the bigger implications.

Did he really just want to use her the same way he’d use a tissue to blow his nose?

Was she just a pair of breasts, a nice set of legs, and a pussy to him?

Did he only care about getting off and ditching her for his next sexual conquest?

Those were just some of the questions that Sharon sought to answer. All her life, she had only her mother’s answers to go on. For once, she wanted to answer those questions for herself. It meant putting herself at risk, but for her own peace of mind, she needed to find them on her own.

“We’re here,” Sharon told him upon arriving at her apartment door.

“Finally!” Chris said, still embracing her from behind. “These pants are getting really tight.”

“I think I can help with that,” she quipped, “so long as you return the favor.”

“Oh, don’t you worry!” he said boldly. “When it comes to ladies and favors, I know how to prioritize.”

His bravado was obnoxious, but the sentiment was endearing. Sharon even managed a genuine smile, if only to give Chris incentive to honor his word.

She could already tell he was plenty motivated. With the way he rubbed up behind her, she could feel the bulge in his pants pressing up against her. He was horny, that much was clear. He wanted sex and he wasn’t afraid to be crude. Sharon was willing to tolerate that, provided he didn’t confirm too many of his mother’s warnings.

Upon entering her apartment, she didn’t waste time. Before she could second-guess her choice, she led him into her bedroom. There, she finally turned around and let every reckless whim guide her.

“Want to help me get out of these itchy clothes?” she asked him.

“Of course!” Chris said eagerly. “Isn’t that what a gentleman does?”

Ignoring, for the moment, how little he had in common with a traditional gentleman, Sharon let him strip her as they made their way to the bed. He was surprisingly courtesy in that he didn’t rip her clothes off like her mother said men would if she gave them the chance. He was almost gentle in how he slid her pants down her legs, even teasing her feet as he laid her down on the bed.

“Simple, brand-name underwear,” he commented up on seeing her in her bra and panties. “I like it!”

“You probably say that to all half-naked women,” Sharon said.

“You’d be surprised.”

He might have been right about that, but Sharon tried not to overthink the situation. She just watched as Chris shed his clothes, as well, removing everything but his boxers. He then joined her on the bed, getting on top of her gazing upon her with a lust she’d been taught her whole life to avoid.

“You ready for the main course? Or do you need some appetizers?” Chris asked, sounding like every bad porno she’d ever seen.

“It’s uh…been a while for me,” Sharon told him. “I might need a little extra care.”

“No problem!” he said confidently. “I don’t mind going the slow and steady route.”

Sharon replied with a flirtatious grin, hiding the fact that she had never let a man touch her in such an intimate way. For much of her life, the thought of letting any man put his hands on her like that was abhorrent. She had to set all that aside, if only to give Chris – and men, as a whole – a fair chance.

It wasn’t like she had avoided all sexual activity. Her mother – most likely in an effort to keep her away from men – actually bought her a vibrator when she was a teenager. She even let her watch porn, although she only tolerated lesbian porn. In her youth, that had been plenty stimulating. She’d even had a sexual relationship, of sorts, with a lesbian woman at one point.

Even though her mother had been vocal with her approval, something about it just didn’t feel complete. It was as though she’d only ever explored half of her desires, at most. At time went on, men found their way into her sexual thoughts, so much so that she couldn’t shut them out.

Chris wasn’t the first man that had evoked sexual feelings in her. He was just the most convenient way to explore those feelings. In her mind, if she could still experience pleasure with a man after everything her mother had done to demonize them, then that would go a long way towards proving her wrong.

“Just lie back and let me work my magic,” Chris said as he guided her to the center of the bed. “I think you’ll find I know my way around the female body.”

“That…would be surprising,” she said under her breath.

Despite all the factors urging her to do otherwise, Sharon went along with the horny man’s lustful request. She soon found herself lying flat on her back, resting her head on her pillow, as Chris got on top of her and went to work.

It started with a simple make-out session, his lips smothering hers with his sensual hunger. Somewhere, along the way, he removed her bra and trailed his lips down her body, paying extra attention to her breasts. He kissed her exposed flesh, again showing a surprising amount of care. He wasn’t trying to devour her as much as he was trying to savor her exposed flesh.

At first, it felt strange. Before long, though, it felt good.

“Mmm…you taste good,” Chris said, his voice muffled by her breasts.

Sharon replied with light moans, but didn’t completely succumb to the same lust. However, that quickly changed after he removed her panties and got his first taste of the tender womanly flesh between her thighs.

“Ooh!” Sharon gasped.

“Whoa!” he said. “It has been a while for you.”

He had no idea and Sharon didn’t intend to let him know. She’d presented herself as someone who regularly took guys up to her apartment and fooled around. She needed Chris to believe that in order to make all the risks worthwhile. Near as she could tell, he wasn’t overthinking the situation.

He was just touching and tasting her naked skin, as though it were a succulent treat. After tossing her panties aside, his gaze narrowed on her inner thighs. She even noticed him licking his lips in anticipation.

“That’s a nice-looking pussy you have there,” he commented. “Mind if I have a taste?”

“Please,” Sharon said, as though it were the most polite thing in the world.

With a dazed, but eager look on his face, the young man pushed her thighs apart with both hands and indulged in her womanhood. His eagerness, alone, surprised her. Sharon had been led to believe that men only liked receiving oral sex and rarely gave it. Even if Chris was an outlier, there was no denying his demeanor. He was a man and he enjoyed eating a woman’s pussy out.

That was jarring enough, but Sharon didn’t care. His efforts did exactly what she needed him to do. He was not too coordinated. He wasn’t overly-thorough, either. That didn’t matter, though. Chris showed he knew enough about female anatomy to get her juices flowing in ways that directly countered her mother’s warnings.

“Ohhh yeah!” she moaned. “That…that feels good.”

“Mmm…you almost sound surprised,” he teased, briefly looking up from her inner thighs.

He had no idea how big a deal it was for her. The idea that a man actually enjoyed something that gave a woman direct pleasure just didn’t fit with her mother’s narrative of men being selfish pigs. While her mother would’ve argued that Chris had only gone down on her to ensure he got what he wanted, Sharon couldn’t accept that something that felt so good could be that selfish.

As enjoyable as it was, she picked up on Chris’ secondary agenda. While giving her oral sex, he’d been pleasing himself as well, getting his manhood nice and hard. It was the most effective act of multitasking she’d seen in any man to date. Regardless of how her mother viewed men, Chris proved that they could stay focused when motivated.

“God, I love the taste of a hot, moist pussy,” said Chris after giving her outer folds one last lick.

“I love that you love it,” Sharon teased. “Your generosity is…appreciated.”

“Just doing what I got to do to make the next part easier for both of us!”

With a curt grin, as if to flaunt his manliness, he rose up and removed his boxers, revealing a fully-erect penis that looked ready to enter a willing vagina. Her mother once told Sharon that any penis attached to a man was inherently repulsive. Chris might not have been the most attractive or endowed man she’d ever seen, but the sight of his manly physique hovering over her did plenty to fuel her arousal.

“You ready?” he asked as he loomed over her with lustful intent.

“Are you asking me? Or telling me?” she teased.

“Only if you’re anything less than ready for some fucking!”

“Then, I guess that depends.”

“On what?” he asked intently.

“On just how good you can make it!”

It wasn’t just a flirtatious quip. Now clutching his shoulders, gazing up at him with burning desire, she dared him with her eyes to prove himself. He didn’t have to completely disprove everything her mother had ever taught her about men. He just had to demonstrate that he could give a woman quality, enjoyable sex. Chris, meathead or not, seemed up for the challenge.

“In that case, I’d say we’re both ready!” he said confidently.

“Less talking…more fucking,” Sharon said intently.

There was no turning back. At that point, she’d given Chris free reign over her naked body. He could drop the façade and use her like his personal fuck toy. He could also demonstrate that even a horny man getting what he wanted could be trusted to that extent. Sharon was about to find out.

Instinctively, she braced herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She felt it as Chris’ upper body made contact with hers, his manly sinews meshing with her feminine curves. As naked skin meshed with naked skin, he tightened his grip on her thighs, holding her legs apart as he guided his rigid manhood to her womanhood.

Then, with a thrust of his hips, he entered her.

“Ohhh yeah!” Chris moaned. “So hot and tight…you like that?”

Sharon replied with a sharp gasp. That was all she could manage. She genuinely struggled to process the feeling that had just washed over her. She’d been led to believe that any act that involved a man penetrating a woman with a body part could only be uncomfortable. While it hadn’t been disproved entirely, she already found herself questioning that assumption.

Chris didn’t wait for her to finish processing it. He had already begun moving his body, burying his face in her neck and working his dick within her tight folds. He wasn’t too rough, establishing a steady pace of sex. It didn’t completely rock her world, but it certainly rocked the bed enough to remind her that she was really doing it. She was having sex with a man, despite her mother’s efforts.

“Wow! This feels good…no, great!” Sharon proclaimed.

She sounded even more surprised than she did before. Chris didn’t seem to notice, though. He was too focused on their sex, thrusting his hips and caressing her naked body. It was so hot and intimate, his naked skin gliding against hers, masculine sinews meshing with feminine curves. It wasn’t supposed to be so intoxicating. It was just supposed to be sex, but it quickly evolved into something else.

As Chris maintained the sexual rhythm, Sharon found herself supplementing his efforts. She acted on a mix of instinct and lust, raking her fingers down his back and arching her body in just the right ways every time he drove into her. The feeling of his hard, manly flesh slithering inside her stimulated parts that she didn’t know existed. Even a vibrator could only do so much. There was just something different about an actual, throbbing penis in conjunction with a man’s body.

It felt so good that Sharon expected it to end abruptly. She’d heard plenty of jokes about how men barely make it beyond the first dozen humps before they blow their load. Chris didn’t seem that eager to rush the experience. It was easy to assume that he just wanted to show off his prowess so that he could brag to others who good he was in bed. However, it was just as likely that he wanted to draw out an inherently pleasurable feeling and Sharon was more than happy to let him.

“You…are so sexy,” Chris said into her ear, part of his face still buried in her neck.

“And you’re so…considerate,” Sharon gasped, still struggling to form words.

“Considerate? I can do better than that!”

Chris seemed to take that as a challenge. At first, Sharon worried that she’d said something wrong. For all she knew, the best parts were over and everything from that point forward would prove her mother right. Once again, she braced herself.

In another display of bravado, he rose up slightly so that he was in a more upright position. Her legs still hooked around his waist, he began humping her at a different angle. However, he threw a little something extra into his efforts. As he worked his manly flesh within her depths, he used his thumb to stimulate her clit. Either the man had just paid extra attention in health class or he genuinely cared about bringing a woman to orgasm.

“How’s that? Is that better?” he said with a cocky grin.

“Oohhh!” was all Sharon got out.

Her body reacted before her brain could process everything. She grabbed hold of the sheets, closed her eyes and panted heavily as a flood of powerful sensations shot through her. What they’d been doing before had been pleasurable, but it only took her so far on the path to ecstasy. That extra effort, stimulating her most sensitive areas with such determined care, sent her down the rest of that blissful with stunning efficacy.

At that moment, another profound realization sank in. She wasn’t just having sex with a man. She was going to achieve orgasm with one of them. If that weren’t astonishing enough, a man was going to give it to her. If there was a more effective way to shatter her old assumptions about men, she hadn’t heard of it.

“Like that! Ohhh just like that!” she gasped, increasingly short of breath. “You’re going to make me…I’m going to…ohhhh yes!”

That orgasmic chorus filled the room. There was nothing fake or exaggerated about it. She experience a real, toe-curling orgasm. Every muscle contraction and blissful sensation carried more meaning than usual, as if to directly counter every man-hating rant her mother had ever made.

“The sound of a woman coming,” Chris said, “I never get tired of that!”

He still sounded arrogant and crude, but Sharon didn’t mind. He’d just giving her an orgasm. He earned the right to brag. Logistically speaking, it made too much sense. To back up his bravado, he had to give her great sex. To give her great sex, he had to do it in a way she enjoyed. He got what he wanted. She got what she wanted. It was almost like sex was a collaborative effort.

Sharon would’ve laughed if she weren’t still processing the ecstasy. She was content to just soak in the feeling while Chris pursued his own peak. He kept the pace of their sex slow, shifting his grip to her butt and giving it a firm squeeze as their naked bodies moved together in blissful harmony. By the time he neared his peak, Sharon had completed her orgasmic journey. In doing so, she opened her eyes and watched the man before her complete his.

“Almost…there!” Chris grunted. “Just…a little…oh fuck!”

His orgasm wasn’t as theatrical as hers. After a few more targeted hips thrusts, his expression contorted and his grip on her butt intensified as he got his release. Sharon even felt it as his cock throbbed inside her in accord with his release.

Her climax directly led to his.

Her pleasure became his pleasure.

Inside her, the juices of their sex blended together, their shared ecstasy taking a tangible form.

“I feel it,” Sharon said distantly. “Inside me…so nice and hot…I really feel it.”

She doubted Chris heard him. That look on his face – the O-face that she once joked about, no less – made clear that he was in too blissful a daze to hear. That didn’t matter, though. Whether he knew it or not, he just changed everything she thought she knew about men.

When he finally opened his eyes, that post-orgasmic afterglow already setting in, she made it a point to cast him an affectionate smile. He smiled back, still looking dazed, if not somewhat goofy. That didn’t stop her from drawing him back into an embrace and giving him a kiss.

“Thank you, Chris,” she said to him intently.

“For giving you the good fucking I promised? You’re welcome!” Chris replied proudly.

He laughed as their naked bodies finally parted, exhaustion and satisfaction settling over them as the room fell silent. Sharon smiling, though. Chris might have been arrogant, crude, and immature. From his perspective, he just banged a pretty girl and did it well enough to ensure she enjoyed it. That was as meaningful as their sex had been for him.

For her, however, the meaning went beyond the sex. Chris was not some dignified gentleman. He wasn’t some thick-headed brute, either. He sought sex with a pretty girl and getting it didn’t mean using her, as her mother often warned. In fact, that would’ve made it harder to achieve the satisfaction they’d shared.

She trusted him with her body.

He rewarded that trust and she rewarded him back.

A man she barely knew, who only wanted sex, proved that she could trust a man. The end result wasn’t just great sex. It was definitive proof that her mother had been wrong.

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June 7, 2019 · 6:16 am

“Dark Phoenix” Review: An Astonishing End To An Uncanny Era

It’s never easy, trying to capture the essence of an iconic story. It’s even harder when you’ve tried once before and failed miserably. To say that “Dark Phoenix” faced more challenges than most movies would be like saying tobacco companies have an image problem. Many of those challenges go beyond the story, the franchise, the studios, and even the movie industry, as a whole.

Despite so many confounding circumstances, the most important challenge of “Dark Phoenix” was always the same. After this iconic X-Men story was horribly botched in “X-Men The Last Stand,” this movie’s primary goal was to do that story justice. The director and long-time X-Men producer, Simon Kinberg, has gone on record as saying he failed in his first attempt. This movie gives him a chance to rectify that.

Before I get into the fiery details, which may include light spoilers, I’d like to offer my personal sentiment after having seen the movie. I understand that not everyone will agree with me, but as a long-time lover of X-Men, this movie means a lot more to me than most in the superhero genre so I like to think that sentiment is strong.

Yes, “Dark Phoenix” does justice to the X-Men’s most iconic story.

Yes, “Dark Phoenix” succeeds where “X-Men The Last Stand” failed.

Yes, “Dark Phoenix” is a satisfying conclusion to this era of X-Men that has spanned nearly two decades.

I realize that many might disagree with my assessment. That’s perfectly fine. Every movie impacts people in different ways. For me, though, “Dark Phoenix” struck all the necessary chords and then some. It focused on the core components of what makes the Phoenix Saga so endearing and runs with it.

That means that there aren’t multiple plots being juggled constantly. From the very first scene, the focus is on Jean Grey and her journey towards becoming Dark Phoenix. It’s a journey that has a foundation in tragedy, lies, love, betrayal, and loss. What happens to her is never just a matter of circumstance. There are tough, meaningful decisions made before, during, and after the darkness consumes Jean.

At every turn, there is plenty of drama. Jean Grey isn’t just some obscure side-character. She’s surrounded by people who love her. Charles Xavier loves her like a surrogate daughter. Mystique loves her like a sister. To Cyclops, she’s the woman he loves and for once, there’s no terrible love triangle that detracts from that love.

That love gives the drama incredible weight, which is critical for any story derived from the Phoenix Saga. It also ensures the losses leave a major impact and, as one of the trailers revealed, those losses are pretty devastating. They’re not just glossed over or forgotten, which was a huge issue with “X-Men The Last Stand.” They resonate throughout the story and inform the decisions of multiple characters.

That’s not to say every aspect is caught up in personal dramas. “Dark Phoenix” still utilizes a villain to maintain some basic superhero dynamics. That villain, played by Jessica Chastain, isn’t as iconic as Magneto or Apocalypse. She and her villainous henchmen are aliens known as the D’Brai, who actually play a critical role in the original story from the comics.

While Chastain is no Thanos, she and her fellow D’Brai have clear, understandable motivations. They’re not just there to cause more suffering and upheaval. They sense the power in Jean and they want to use it to serve their agenda. That’s perfectly consistent with what Jean and the X-men faced in those same comics.

It also firmly establishes that the Phoenix Force in “Dark Phoenix” is not at all like the one on display in “X-Men The Last Stand.” The Phoenix isn’t some split personality within Jean. This movie actually embraces the more cosmic aspects of that story. While it only does so to a point, it helps raise the stakes in a way that goes beyond trying to save or kill Jean Grey.

Even with these cosmic elements, however, “Dark Phoenix” never loses its focus on Jean, her struggles, and the X-Men’s efforts to save her. The pace of the movie rarely slows down. Things happen quickly and concisely. There are still plenty of intimate character moments along the way, but they never drag. The plot keeps unfolding until the very end.

I won’t spoil too many of the details, but I will say that the ending is far less dire and depressing than what unfolded in “X-Men The Last Stand.” Jean isn’t a coward this time around. She doesn’t constantly whine or beg others to kill her before it’s too late. She is the one who ultimately decides her fate. More importantly, she is the one who makes those difficult choices.

Making all this drama and action work wouldn’t be possible without Sophie Turner turning in a truly uncanny performance as Jean Grey. She goes through many emotions over the course of the story. There are scenes in which she goes through more in five minutes than Famke Janssen did in the first three X-Men movies combined. She carries herself wonderfully through the movie’s most intense moments.

The collective efforts of James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Tye Sherridan as Cyclops, and Nicholas Hoult as Beast perfectly complement Turner every step of the way. They capture those essential elements of family and team that’s so critical for every X-Men movie. This being their last ride with these characters, they make the most of the opportunity.

Unfortunately, some characters don’t get as many chances. Alexandra Shipp’s Storm and Evan Peters’ Quicksilver have fairly limited roles, although Shipp turns in a powerful performance in the final battle. Chastain’s alien character, and the D’brai in general, only gets so much refinement. However, that doesn’t make “Dark Phoenix” any less effective because it is, at its core, a story about Jean Grey.

There are other flaws in the movie. To some extent, the constant focus on Jean and the rapid pace of the action prevent other characters or side-plots from getting much emphasis. The long-running romantic sub-plot between Beast and Mystique had some moments, but not nearly enough to maximize the impact of the story.

There are also times when the visuals of “Dark Phoenix” aren’t as colorful as they could’ve been. To some extent, that’s more a reflection on the overall style of the X-Men movies, going back to the first one in 2000. These movies have never focused too much on the flashy costumes that are so prominent in the comics. Considering the iconic styles teased at the end of “X-men Apocalypse,” it’s somewhat disappointing.

This movie might have been able to get away with that 10 years ago, but the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its embracement of iconic superhero attire make the overall style of the movie seem uninspiring. For most of the movie, nobody even wears a uniform or costume. While a movie like “Logan” can pull that off, it doesn’t work nearly as well in “Dark Phoenix.”

There are some moments where the visual effects really shine, but not in the ones that would’ve really complemented Jean Grey’s journey. While that fiery halo does show up at one point, it feels like it doesn’t show up enough and wasn’t quite as radiant as its brief appearance in “X-men Apocalypse.”

The finer details of the story aren’t flawless either. While they remain concise until the end, there’s a bit of ambiguity in terms of how the events in this movie tie to the epilogue in “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” There’s certainly enough to imply that this movie does not completely undermine that ending, but a lack of specifics leaves a lot of gaps for the audience to fill in.

Even with these shortcomings, the most important components of “Dark Phoenix” still work. It seeks to tell a focused Phoenix story for Jean Grey and it never loses sight of that goal. The acting, the drama, and a brilliant musical score by Hans Zimmer simply add more gravitas to the mix.

Over two years ago, I wrote an article that laid out how the “Dark Phoenix” could succeed in this golden age of superhero movies. Pretty much everything on that list came to pass. This movie embraced the passion surrounding this iconic story. It made use of the Cyclops/Jean romance, kept the Phoenix as the primary plot, and ensured every dramatic moment felt genuine. It didn’t check every box, but it came pretty damn close.

Does that mean that “Dark Phoenix” is among the greatest superhero movies ever made? No, I wouldn’t make that case, especially when it came out the same year as “Avengers Endgame.” The bar for superhero movies is higher than it has ever been before and it’s a difficult standard to apply to a movie like “Dark Phoenix.”

Does that mean that “Dark Phoenix” is the greatest X-Men movie ever made? No, I wouldn’t make that case, either. There are other X-Men movies that rank above this one in terms, but it still captures the most important elements that makes these movies so endearing.

Is it a great movie in general? Yes, I certainly would say it is. If I had to score this movie, I would give it an 8 out of 10. It sets out to do a fitting adaptation of the Phoenix Saga and it succeeds, utilizing all the necessary drama and action along the way. It also caps off 19 years of X-Men movies.

Now, as the X-Men stand poised to enter the MCU, this part of their journey can end and “Dark Phoenix” ended it on a truly uncanny note.

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June 6, 2019 · 5:53 am

Why I Believe In Climate Change, But Doubt Environmentalists

There aren’t a lot of hot button issues that genuinely affect everyone. The environment is one of those issues. We all live in it. We’re all impacted by it. Whenever it changes significantly, we all feel it. That’s why, regardless of your politics or personal leanings, we should take environmental issues seriously.

Given that preface, I’d like to make my own sentiments clear. The environment, like other sensitive topics I’ve discussed, is prone to all sorts of secondary agendas. Some who claim to take environmental issues seriously often do so because it serves their interest in other, often indirect ways. In the interest of transparency, this is where I stand on the environment.

I do believe that climate change is real, human activity is contributing to it, and we should pursue policies to improve the environment and promote cleaner industry.

However, I don’t entirely trust the rhetoric, sincerity, and positions of those who identify as environmentalists.

I know that sounds like someone trying to have their cake and eat it too, but there is a context here. It’s one that I’ve developed over a number of years, some of which I’ve been on the side hardcore environmentalists. As I’ve gotten older, however, I see more and more complications with this issue and not just in terms of the absurd conspiracy theories it attracts.

While I know this will put me at odds certain parts of the political spectrum, I generally accept that the existing science surrounding climate change. The Earth is getting warmer and human activity is a major cause. There have been real, tangible impacts attributed to climate change and I believe those links are real.

The point where I often deviate from environmentalists is when issues of feasible solutions emerge. I’m happy to support efforts that raise awareness and educates the public on the existential dangers of climate change. However, just sounding the alarm is only half the battle. The other half involves doing something about it and this is where environmentalists have a problem.

It’s not that they outright avoid talking about solutions, which sets them apart from other agenda-driven politics. Some of their solutions do have merit and some are even making headway into the economy. However, there’s an over-arching theme of those solutions that leads me to question just how much the environment actually matters to certain environmentalists.

Talk to any self-identified environmentalist and, usually after they’re done talking about melted ice caps and dying polar bears, they’ll single out greedy corporations as the enemy. They tend to lump oil companies, coal producers, and any corporation that doesn’t sound eco-friendly as part of some international consortium of billionaires intent on maintaining their pollution-loving ways for the sake of profit.

Now, I don’t like defending big corporations, especially when their track record in protecting the environment has plenty of room for improvement. At the same time, I have a hard time believing that the solution to such an enormous problem involves battling big, industrial polluters as though it were an episode of “Captain Planet.”

As much as I love cheesy cartoons in the 1990s, the problems of the real world are far more complicated. Environmentalists, like many other vocal politically-driven groups, try to simplify the issue. Through their protests and the rhetoric surrounding it, they give the impression that to save the world, they need only defeat the evil polluters.

This is where I don’t just question the veracity of environmentalists. I genuinely doubt that the environment is their primary concern. If it were, then protesting polluters would only be a small part of their efforts. If they’re serious about making the world cleaner and more efficient, they would dedicate more time and energy into improving clean energy technology, which itself is prone to corporate greed.

This disconnect is most apparent whenever the topic of nuclear power comes up. Unlike other green energy technologies, nuclear energy is a mature technology that has been providing energy for decades. Compared to other forms of energy, it has very low emissions, but provides abundant energy, regardless of whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing.

Despite those benefits, the same environmentalists who favor shutting down coal power plants won’t support the construction or further refinement of nuclear power planets. They’ll even outright oppose it and for reasons every bit as irrational as those championed by climate change deniers.

While there are legitimate disadvantages to utilizing nuclear power, I rarely hear environmentalists promote efforts to mitigate those issues. They won’t champion the development of advanced nuclear power, including versions that produce far less waste and are less prone to meltdowns. Many won’t even concede it as an option.

This is akin to anti-abortion advocates who support making abortion illegal in all cases, but also oppose contraception, despite the fact it significantly reduces abortions. It also parallels other environmentalists who protest the usage of genetically modified foods, but overlook the distressing fact that billions would starve without this technology.

It’s not just a case of the perfect being the enemy of the good. It’s environmentalists favoring a particular narrative over actual solutions to the problems they protest. As I’ve noted before, people like to believe that they’re the heroes of their own story. When they take a particular position, they see themselves as the underdogs in an epic struggle against good and evil.

While that makes for great superhero comics and Tolkien novels, it rarely aligns with reality. Environmentalists think they’re protesting a greedy corporation run by an army of Lex Luthors who enjoy bathing in the tears of starving orphans, but the truth is more complicated and more mundane.

A key part of that truth that environmentalists tend to overlook is the fact that, no matter how greedy or evil a corporation may be, they have a vested interest in the world remaining intact. Corporations, be they greedy or virtuous, are driven to make profits. They can’t make profits, nor enjoy the fruits of their wealth, in a world where the planet is a toxic wasteland.

That’s why even oil companies, the boogeyman of many environmentalists, are actively researching more environmentally friendly products. It’s also why oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia, which has harmed the environment in ways beyond pollution, is also investing in a post-oil economy.

It’s very likely that the advances in green energy that will improve the environment won’t come from some dedicated environmentalist who protests outside of coal plants. Chances are it will be some greedy, profit-seeking business person trying to make money in a world where the demand for energy is rapidly increasing.

Beyond just generating energy, those same greedy billionaires have just as much incentive to create clean, lush landscapes that attract other billionaires and customers. In general, people don’t like being in polluted communities. Aside from the illness and misery it generates, it also means there are fewer people buying goods and producing for the economy. Even the most devious billionaire is hurt by that.

The incentives for improving the environment are already there. That’s not to say there aren’t some who are truly malicious in how they treat the environment, but in terms of an investment that helps greedy people get richer, it’s one of the worst investments anyone can make and not just because of the bad PR it generates.

Environmentalists will gladly single out those exceedingly malicious corporations, but ignore the bigger picture. They, ironically, don’t see the forest from the trees when it comes to action that genuinely improves the environment. They cling to that epic war raging in their minds of them battling evil corporations that are out to destroy the planet, as though that would somehow benefit any business.

I get the appeal of wanting to feel like a hero in an epic struggle. My love of superhero comics should be proof enough of that. However, when that same struggle both ignores and undermines real solutions that could alleviate a serious issue, then it’s hard to take environmentalist rhetoric seriously.

There’s having genuine concern for the environment and then there’s just being against greedy corporations. Those who are unable to discern between the two can call themselves a lot of things, but they certainly aren’t helping the environment.

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