Jack Quick Reacts: X-Men 97 Episodes 1 & 2

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This is my quick, unscripted reaction to the first two episodes of X-Men 97. I’ve been anxiously looking forward to this show ever since it was announced. It’s been a long time coming, seeing the X-Men return to form. But they’re finally back and if these first two episodes are any indication, they have an uncanny future ahead of them. Enjoy!

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Filed under Jack's World, Marvel, X-men, YouTube

Sexy Short Story: The Long Weekend

The following is a sexy short story that I wrote after hearing a story from a relative about how they spent a long weekend in high school. Enjoy!


“Goodbye, mother. Goodbye, father. Thank you for a wonderful long weekend,” said Anna Redman as she hugged her parents.

“Thank you for finally making time for us,” her father replied, his tone a bit muted.

“I do hope you’ll visit more than once a quarter…especially after you’re married,” her mother added while hugging a bit harder.

“Can we please not get into that again?” she groaned. “I already promised to visit a week before the rehearsal dinner.”

“Fine,” her father sighed. “Just try to make it easier on us when it comes to promises.”

“We are your parents, after all,” her mother reminded.

“I know,” Anna said with a sigh. “I promise I’ll try.”

She offered a half-hearted smile, most likely to dissuade further arguments on that issue. They’d already endured enough of that of the past few days. While it was rarely productive, it was also unavoidable. And Trevor Callahan gladly endured it for his love, who was also his future wife.

Things were still somewhat tense between him and Anna’s parents. After they finished hugging their daughter, they remained reluctant to show the same affection. Her mother still gave her that stink-eyed look, which Anna claimed she gave to all her boyfriends. But her father did offer to shake his hand, which Trevor accepted.

“Thanks again for your hospitality,” he said to them.

“You are welcome,” Anna’s father said in an overly formal tone. “Since you are going to be our son-in-law, we want you to be comfortable in our presence.”

“Well, I think this long weekend together has helped with that,” said Trevor with a sincere smile.

“I agree. I am considerably less anxious about your upcoming wedding. I still have concerns, but…”

The older man bit his lip. Trevor could tell he wanted to say something that would likely rub him the wrong way. He also caught Anna giving her father a look, as if to put an invisible finger on his lips to keep him from ruining the moment. It was similar to the look her mother kept giving him. But in their daughter’s presence, they managed to remain cordial.

“We’ll work on our concerns while you work on your wedding,” Anna’s mother said.

“Thank you. And I promise to work hard,” said Trevor. “Your daughter really means that much to me.”

“Of that, I’m convinced. Just…give us more than a long weekend to process it all.”

“Will do!”

The older woman finally stopped giving her that ugly look and offered to shake his hand too. Again, Trevor accepted. Leaving this place on good terms with his fiancé’s parents was his primary goal for this visit. He felt like he’d succeeded in that regard. But it had been far more arduous than expected.

“Let’s get going,” said Anna, latching onto his arm. “It’s getting pretty late. I’d like to get home before midnight.”

“Please drive safely!” her mother called out.

“We will, mother,” Anna said, rolling her eyes again.

“And don’t take the back roads!” her father said. “They still haven’t fixed that damned pothole!”

Trevor looked back and nodded to affirm that he’d heard, doing his best to hide his annoyance. That was something he’d done a lot of these past three days. Anna warned him when they started dating that her parents were pretty intense. More than one boyfriend had broken up with her after dealing with them. None, to date, had lasted an entire long weekend with them. He was the first and was quite proud of that.

That didn’t make leaving their uptight, gated community any less a relief.

“Come on! Let’s get out of here,” Anna said under her breath. “I feel like my mother wants another couple days of belittling me.”

“Don’t worry. I made sure the car is all gassed up and packed,” Trevor replied. “One long weekend here is plenty long enough.”

“If you think that’s bad, just imagine growing up here.”

That’s a scary thought. I honestly don’t know how you survived.”

He offered her a reassuring smile. She squeezed his arm a bit tighter, as if to keep herself from looking back. They could still feel her parents’ eyes on them. They stayed on them even after they got in the car, pulled out of the driveway, and drove off through the secured gate. It was kind of eerie, being scrutinized so harshly by someone else’s parents. Trevor thought his mother was overprotective while he was growing up, but she didn’t have anything on the Redman’s.

Initially, he stayed silent as they drove out of the wealthy neighborhood that Anna had come to despise. He just let her fume for a bit, which she hadn’t been able to do much of during their visit. He couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been growing up with them. Even though her family was rich, well-connected, and widely respected, they created a very hostile, controlling environment for their children.

“Free again…to a point,” Anna said under her breath while looking out the window.

That was a common refrain for her. She said it every time they left her house and the affluent neighborhood she grew up in. It wasn’t out of pettiness or melodrama, either. Trevor had just experienced a long weekend with her parents. He could now confirm they were as overbearing as Anna had claimed.

The world she came from was just so different from his. She was the youngest daughter of a wealthy family, who had generations of old money to live off. He was the only child of a single mother who’d grown up in an apartment that wasn’t even as big as Anna’s old closet. He’d worked his way out of poverty, spending time in the military and navigating his way through college. His stint as a tattoo artist and a male stripper had made that work quite eventful. Those details certainly didn’t fit the profile of the man they wanted their daughter to marry.

Then again, Anna hadn’t cared for any of the men they wanted for her. Unlike her two older sisters, she’d never fit in with her affluent surroundings. She didn’t care for country clubs, fancy schools, and debutant balls. She’d spent her teen years sneaking off to punk rock concerts, getting drunk in dive bars, and hooking up with men her parents never liked. It got her into a lot of trouble. She’d even run away at one point. But she never became the prim and proper daughter they wanted.

And Trevor was genuinely grateful for that. If she had become that woman, they never would’ve met. She never would’ve hooked up with him while he was working as a tattoo artist upstate. She never would’ve pushed him to reassess his perspective on life. He’d spent so much time just trying to escape poverty that he forgot, at times, to work on building a better life. Anna was now part of that effort. Being with her made him a better man. And it helped her become her own woman.

It also helped that she still retained that rebellious side of her that developed in her youth. It was part of what drew him to her. It also played a major role in how their love had blossomed.

“It’ll be okay,” Trevor told her, finally breaking the silence. “We’re already in a less affluent zip code.”

“I can tell. The air already smells less stifling,” she commented.

“And I really think we made some progress,” he added. “They didn’t outright despise me. And your mom stopped calling me your latest fling.”

“Only after being engaged for three months,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Sure, they’re never going to treat me like your sisters’ husbands. I’m not going to run an investment bank or sit on the board of some media company. But I can still make a damn good living making custom cars. And you’ve come a long way with your art studio.”

“If only happy, fulfilling careers were enough for them.”

“That, we’ll never change. But at the very least, I think I’ve convinced them of how much I love you. Hell, I put on this fancy suit and you wore that gaudy dress for that restaurant we went to. We played by all their rules and jumped through all their hoops.”

“And it still might not be enough,” Anna groaned. “No matter how much we put on happy faces for them and be who they want us to be, they’ll never be satisfied.”

“Well, at this point, that’s all on them,” Trevor said reassuringly. “We’re getting married. We’ve made that clear. How we got to this point…I mean, I might not be the way they wanted.”

“We had sex in the back alley of a tattoo parlor less than two hours after we met,” Anna reminded him. “Trust me. That was not how they think a traditional romance should unfold.”

“Too late,” he shrugged. “We had sex many more times after that. We eventually fell in love. And we’re going to build a life together. Sure, it’s not going to be rich or fancy like them. But it’ll be ours. Isn’t that all that matters?”

She turned from the window and cast him an emotional gaze. Her lips quivered and her eyes watered with tears. At first, Trevor worried he’d said something wrong. But then, she smiled and leaned over across the seat, clinging to his arm even as he drove down a winding road.

“Yes. It matters a lot,” she said, her words choked by emotion. “But it shouldn’t! We shouldn’t have to put on fancy clothes and pretend we’re upper-class yuppie types, just to get my parents off our backs.”

“Well, if that’s what I have to do to marry the woman I love…so be it,” he said confidently.

Her smile widened. She squeezed his arm tighter and held back a sob.

Anna often got emotional, especially whenever her parents came up. It wasn’t just that they were overbearing and controlling, although that was a big part of the issue. They did so much to restrain her, ever since she was a child. She’d told him stories about how she’d been locked in her room for hours on end with the electricity cut off. There was even a case where her sister caught her kissing a boy outside school and she had all her phone privileges revoked for two weeks. It was one thing to have strict rules, but Anna’s parents took it to another level.

It wasn’t until Anna left home that she could just vent freely. Granted, that did get her into trouble a few times and got her caught up with questionable people. But it eventually led her to him. And he did plenty to help her vent what her parents did so much to repress.

He still helped her to this day. Just being near him seemed to bring out the caged spirit within her. That spirit also had a frisky side. While clinging to his arm, Anna slipped a hand down between his legs. That garnered a reaction, his body reminding him that he and Anna hadn’t had sex all weekend.

“You do so much for me. You’re so good for me,” Anna said to him, her every word laced with affection. “And I want to be just as good for you.”

“You already are. Even when you try to be bad,” Trevor said, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

“Who says I’m trying?”

A mischievous undertone mixed in with heavy emotion. Along with her tone came bolder actions. She started rubbing his dick through his slacks. It also happened to be the one pair of nice dress slacks he owned, which weren’t that comfortable to begin with. Now, he suddenly had a growing boner to contend with. That made focusing on the road harder. But he and Anna never did things the hard way.

“Anna…” he said, trying to keep his eyes on the road.

“We usually have sex every weekend…often more than once,” Anna reminded him. “This is the first time in over a year that we haven’t. And being in my parents’ house, we couldn’t even sneak in a kiss…let alone a quickie.”

Trevor hadn’t forgotten, either. It had been quite jarring, going an entire long weekend without having sex with his fiancé. Anna had always been a very sexual woman. And his sex drive was above average, even for a healthy man. More than one ex-girlfriend had claimed it was too high.

Anna was the first woman he’d ever been with that dared to be as horny as him. And they relished that shared horniness. It made for an exciting and active sex life. Having to temper it for an entire long weekend had been difficult. Trevor had even been tempted to sneak into her room a few times, but her parents were just too vigilant. He thought they could make up for it when they got home. But, with an hour-long drive ahead of them, that didn’t seem feasible anymore.

“All my life, I’ve been scolded for being so horny,” Anna said. “I swear my parents would scold a nun for her dirty thoughts. It’s a good thing they don’t know how much sex I’ve had since high school.”

“You think they know how much sex we’ve had?” he quipped.

“Believe me. If they did, they’d faint in horror.”

She started nibbling on his ear, a tell-tale sign that she getting wet. She also rubbed his groin harder, not caring that the roads were somewhat narrow and a storm was rolling in. But Trevor could only be so careful around his horny fiancé.

As they drove just outside the limits of her parents’ suburban locale, they entered a darkened stretch of road. There wasn’t much in terms of development, other than a few parking lots for construction crews working on a nearby development. And at this hour, they were empty.

Seeing this, while also surmising that Anna wasn’t going to let up, he made a snap decision. While there were plenty of reasons to get home quickly before the storm rolled in, the reasonable part of his brain had gone mute. He had a horny fiancé next to him at the moment. Other faculties took over.

“If we’re going to be scolded like that…fuck it!” he said.

Then, in a move that surprised his lover – and probably made her more horny, in the process – he hooked the wheel to the right and pulled the car into one of the vacant parking lots. The tires screeched at the sudden turn, but only briefly. His heart now racing and his blood flowing hot with desire, he pulled the car behind a large dumpster and parked it.

The engine then went silent. A tense, but heated silence fell over them. Anna then shot him a distinct glance. There was that distinct glance of hers – the one he hadn’t seen for three straight days. Gone was the formality, etiquette, and decorum. In its place, he saw that seductive, adventurous woman he’d fallen in love with.

“The back seat,” she said, her voice erotically charged.

Trevor couldn’t unbuckle the seatbelt fast enough. Anna did the same before racing him into the back, not caring in the slightest about wrinkled clothes or disheveled hair. They’d had enough of that. They longed for something raw and dirty.

Anna must have wanted it more because she beat him to the backseat. Along the way, she had already started to undress. She practically tore off the top part of her blouse, exposing the overpriced bra she had underneath that she clearly found uncomfortable. Trevor was more than happy to help her get rid of it, unclasping it from the front before slipping it off.

“Finally!” she said, relieved and impassioned. “I’m sick of hiding my boobs.”

“Speak for yourself,” Trevor said, grinning at the sight of her fleshy mounds.

“Shut up and get naked! I’m just as sick of you hiding that big, juice dick.”

That was the first bit of vulgarity she’d uttered since Friday morning. It was like sweet, sexy music to his ears. It got his heart racing and his blood flowing, especially in his lower body. He’d spent all this time, keeping his penis in check. Now that the restraints were off, it sprang to life a restless soldier ready for action.

Again, Anna beat him to the bunch. Before he could even reach for his belt, she pinned him to the seat, straddled his lap, and undid his pants. She had that eager, focused look in her eyes. She was already licking her lips in anticipation, so hungry for him, his sex, and his love. Trevor gladly led her take care of his pants. He began working on his tie and itchy dress shirt, which he fumbled with awkwardly. But, luckily for him, Anna was too horny to care.

“Damn fancy clothes! Why are they so hard to get off?” Trevor cursed.

“Good things are worth waiting for…working for…and pining for,” Anna said, having already revealed his boxers.

Those would’ve been wise words had she not sounded like a full-blown nymphomaniac. But Trevor didn’t care complain. He was more than happy to let his love make her point.

And she chose to make it by roughly pulling his pants and boxers down to his ankles, allowing his erect dick to pop free. His shirt was only half-unbuttoned and his tie was only partially undone. But she didn’t wait for him to get everything off. She just shifted her body within he confines of the back seat, her knees now propped on the other seat with her head facing his crotch at a perpendicular angle. Trevor didn’t have to move at all from his seated position. He just had to lean back and watch his horny fiancé dive for his cock, hungrily taking nearly his entire length between her lips.

“Ohhh fuck!” Trevor exclaimed blissfully, finally letting the profanity fly once more. “I missed this…your soft lips on my cock.”

“Mmm…I missed it too. I missed your big, delicious cock!” Anna purred after getting her first taste.

“Even after just three days?”

“Yep!” was all she said before taking his length again.

Trevor didn’t question her sincerity. His love did plenty to make her point by giving him one of her famous blowjobs.

She was always so thorough, skillfully sliding her tongue along the length of his shaft while bobbing her head in a steady rhythm. She also made sure to use both hands, squeezing the base with one hand while fondling his balls with the other. Anna, having grown up in such a strict environment, had a talent for channeling her pent-up desires into every intimate act. That included oral sex.

“Yes! Just like that, Anna! Just like that!” he grunted.

Trevor stopped unbuttoning his shirt. He just ran his fingers through his lover’s now-disheveled hair and soaked in the wonderous sensations that followed. It felt so good, the slithering warmth of her lips and tongue. It got his member aching with desire, hungry for all the sex they had been denied for the past three days.

And, in the interest of aligning their desires fully, Trevor turned his attention towards the opposing seat. There, Anna’s perfectly round butt was arched upwards. If someone had gazed in from the other passenger window, they would’ve gotten a clear view of her underwear. Showing some friskiness of his own, she snaked his arm around her said and slipped his hand down the front of her panties.

That earned him a handful of a wet, fully aroused pussy. Trevor swore he could smell her arousal in the car, which was already feeling hot and muggy.

“Mmf!” Anna moaned in approval, her reaction muffled by his cock in her mouth.

“Damn! You’re so wet,” Trevor said to her. “I’m never one to interrupt a blowjob, but…”

He purposefully let his words trail off, trusting Anna to fill in the blanks. To further lessen the ambiguity, he skillfully unzipped the back of her skirt. That got the message across loud and clear. And his love responded in kind.

Shooting him another lurid look, Anna gave his member one last lick before shooting up from the seat. She then swiftly slid off her skirt and underwear, even kicking off her expensive heels in the process. That left her completely naked, finally free of the fancy clothes she hated wearing. She now had the look of a caged animal that had escaped her confines, albeit one who happened to be very horny.

“Come here, handsome!” Anna said, sounding both aggressive and seductive.

Again, Trevor didn’t have to move from where he sat. She just grabbed him by the neck, straddled his lap, and aligned her moist opening with the tip of his penis. Instincts and passion took over from there. His half-undone tie still hanging from his neck, Trevor grasped her waist and locked eyes with her.

“I want you,” he said to her, his love for her showing alongside his lust.

“Then, do it. Take me!” Anna urged him.

Trevor didn’t hesitate for a nanosecond. Taking the initiative, he pulled her into kiss before using his grip on her waist to push her down onto his cock. She further supplemented that effort, thrusting her hips downward to unite their aroused bodies.

And after the longest of long weekends, they were doing it. He and Anna were having sex. His hardened manhood penetrated her moist womanhood, the resulting sensations coursing through them like an overflowing dam. And from there, several days of pent-up sexual energy came pouring out.

“Yes! Yes! Ohhh Trevor!” Anna panted.

“Anna…” gasped Trevor.

She rode him hard, building up to the fervent sexual rhythm they both so loved. It was even a bit rougher than usual. Anna was so aggressive with her kissing, nibbling on his lower lip and raking her manicured nails around his neck. Trevor put more strength into his movements, squeezing her waist hard and thrusting his hips upward so that he penetrated deep with every movement. It also made her breasts jiggle to the rhythm, which was always a nice bonus.

As their sex intensified, their shared body heat spread throughout the car. Combined with the muggy evening air, it made the inside feel like a sauna. The rear windows soon became fully fogged. Even if anyone did happy to pass by their car, they would only see the faint outline of their naked bodies. They never would’ve seen the fully spectacle of two horny lover’s going at it.

“We’re really doing this,” Trevor told her, whispering into her ear through labored panting. “We’re making love…in the backseat…of a car.”

“Mmm…so hot,” she purred.

“Someone…could see us,” he added. “They could just walk up…look inside…and see us…naked and humping.”

“Yes…they could,” Anna conceded.

“And that excites you, doesn’t it?”

“Yes!”

“Say it louder!” he urged her.

“Yes! It excites me!” she shouted.

That just made it hotter. Anna Redman, a woman who had been so reserved and mannerly all weekend, was doing something so naughty with him. And she admitted she loved it. She’d always had a naughty side, but had gone to great lengths to hide it. He was one of the few she’d ever shared with it. That made their love and their passion special.

That added bit of excitement also got Anna to channel more of her naughty side. While riding his cock, she somehow found a way to undo his tie and get his dress shirt off, which had since become half-soaked by his sweat. Now as naked as her, she showed off some of her kinks, leaning into lick his nipples while skillfully working her hips to really intensify their sex.

Trevor, now happy to be free of those fancy clothes, just leaned back and let his lover do her thing. He just kept supplementing every movement with his powerful arms, drawing out every sweet sensation from their sex. Eventually, the blissful pressure had built up enough to get them to the brink of orgasm.

And once again, Anna was a step ahead of him. Trevor could already feel it, the subtle squeak in her moans and the extra tightness in her pussy. She was about to come.

“Oooh I’m close, Trevor! I’m really…really close!” Anna panted.

She was already past the point of no return. It usually didn’t take much to make Anna come in the first place. But being stuck at home for three days, denied any form of sexual relief, the orgasm hit her extra hard.

“I’m gonna…I’m gonna…oohhh God!”

She let out a long, sustained cry of ecstasy that left Trevor’s ears ringing. The acoustics of the car made it an even greater spectacle than usual. He eagerly took it all in, still holding his lover’s waist while she writhed in ecstasy.

She was so animated, her hips and torso trembling while her toes curled. She even leaned back while still clinging to his neck, giving him a perfect view of her O-face. He loved that look, born of both passion and desire. Being able to give it to her just made their sex that much more satisfying.

“Trevor, my darling,” Anna purred, her voice trembling with orgasmic delight. “You know just how to treat a girl…when she’s extra horny.”

“Thanks,” he said with a cocky grin. “But I know how you can return the favor.”

She was still short of breath, her body reeling from such an intense orgasmic rush. But she still had enough strength and passion to shoot him that naughty look again. That confirmed they were still on the same page, even in their lurid state of being.

“Do what you have to do,” Anna told him.

“Ah the sweetest words a horny man can hear!” he said.

With an eager grin, Trevor let his own inner nymphomaniac take hold. Like a man possessed, he drew his naked lover back into an embrace, wrapping his powerful arms around her sweaty body. He then lifted her up briefly, her legs locked around his waist, and readjusted their bodies.

Feeling bold, as well as horny, he turned Anna around and got her on all fours. She had that perfect ass pointed right at her, her pussy still visibly wet and dripping with feminine juices. In the confines of the backseat, she had to lean up against the passenger door for support. But he still had enough room to get into position behind her, align his pelvis with her butt, and thrust his still-erect penis back into her vagina.

Once he felt that tight flesh around his member, Trevor eagerly hammered away. He humped her hard and fast, his pelvis smacking loudly against her butt as he pushed for his own release. It further added to the muggy heat in the car, fogging the windows up even more and covering their bodies with more sweat. It was so hot and humid, the thick sent of sex becoming concentrated in such a small area.

That awakened a special excitement within Trevor, getting him to a rare place of impassioned ecstasy. He felt his climax coming strong. He wanted and craved it like never before. As it neared, he took her hands in his and interlocked their fingers. He then squeezed them firmly as he held on.

“I’m ready, Anna! I’m…gonna…come!” He told her.

“Mmm…do it, love! I want it…for you…for us,” she said to him.

Trevor grinned intently, closing his eyes and delivering the last round of focused thrusts. Her inner folds squeezed his member with their tight warmth, inviting him to join her in the pleasure she had just shared. He finally caught up, pushing through that final threshold before achieving that special sensual peak.

It hit him every bit as hard, the past three days of intimate deprivation having affected him as well. He leaned over, buried his face in her shoulder, and squeezed her hand tightly as he climaxed inside her. Hot streams of his masculine fluids mixed perfectly with her feminine juices, creating a special warmth within her.

It was their love and lust taking a tangible form, hot feelings becoming real. Along with that release, waves of warm bliss coursed through him, like a blanket of ecstasy wrapping around him. After the cold personality of Anna’s parents, he more than welcomed that feeling. And Anna gladly shared it with him, turning her head and kissing his lips softly as he processed the wondrous feeling.

“I love you…you dirty, sexy minx,” Trevor told her.

“I love you too…you handsome, sexy stud,” Anna said.

“Can you believe what we just did?”

“Yeah…I definitely can,” she laughed.

“Me too. But still…the back seat of a car?”

“I know. But when you’re in love, horny as hell, and spending long weekends with my parents…well, what did you expect?”

They shared a good laugh and kissed again. Still short of breath and swimming in post-coital bliss, Trevor withdrew from her and collapsed into one of the passenger seats. Anna, still naked and covered in sweat, eagerly curled up next to him. She didn’t mind that her hair was a mess, her makeup was smeared, and she smelled like a slutty prom date. She had a beaming smile, one that reflected a side of her that she never got to show with her family.

Anna was a horny woman with a dirty mind.

Trevor was a horny man who’d wasted his youth on women who couldn’t keep up with him.

Somehow, they found each other. And them having sweaty, dirty sex in the backseat of a car less than five miles from her parents’ house was a perfect testament to why their love was so strong.

“We’d better get moving,” Trevor sighed. “Someone really could walk by, see our car, and get curious.”

“You’re right,” she said, “they could.”

“For all we know, your parents could feel like going for a late-night drive, see our car, and catch us like this…all naked and sweaty.”

“Yep. They could. They never have, but they definitely could…just to mess with me.”

Another heavy silence fell over them. And once again, Anna shot him that sexy, seductive look.

“But we’re not going to,” Trevor said, taking her in his arms again. “We’re going to do it again, enjoy the hell out of it, and drive back home bare-ass naked!” “Shut up and kiss me, babe. This backseat ain’t gonna rock itself!”

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Jack’s CreepyPastas: Nikola Tesla’s Last Invention

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video is a CreepyPasta story that I wrote and narrated myself about Nikola Tesla. Enjoy!

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Ultimate Black Panther #2 Review: Wakanda At War!

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video is my full review of Ultimate Black Panther #2 by Bryan Hill and Stefano Casalli. In the first issue, Wakanda suffered a devastating attack at the hands of Khonshu and Ra. Now, Wakanda is at war with the Maker’s Council. But on top of the war, some major complications enter the mix that escalate quickly in this blossoming new Ultimate universe. Enjoy!

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Avengers, X-Men, And Why The Difference Matters

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video is a bit of a rant on the Avengers, the X-Men, and how they’re depicted in popular media. One is a celebrated team of heroes. The other is hated and feared, even as they try to be heroes, as well. There are many reasons for this that go beyond the general narrative. And with mutants poised to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I believe the time is right to highlight and scrutinize those differences. Enjoy!

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Filed under Jack's World, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, superhero comics, superhero movies, X-men, YouTube

Narcassists Are More Likely To Become CEO (And Why That’s Concerning)

A while back, a close relative of mine retired after a long, fruitful career that spanned nearly 40 years. They probably could’ve retired much sooner, but they were among the fortunate few who actually enjoyed their job for the most part. It had its ups, downs, and everything in between. But overall, it was a good career that most would be lucky to enjoy.

Over the course of that lengthy career, they worked under multiple CEOs. This was a fairly well-regarded organization, too. So, the CEOs were not part of some succession plan or a proud family business. This was the kind of company that followed a fairly traditional corporate structure and kept things impersonal as much as possible when it came to executive decisions.

However, in talking about how much the job had changed over the years and how much the industry had evolved in that time, this same person revealed something I found both striking, yet unsurprising.

Every single CEO they worked under qualified, by their definition, as a narcissist.

Now, for most people who have worked similar jobs, this probably isn’t surprising. There’s this prevailing sentiment that anyone who becomes CEO has to be a narcissist to some extent in order to get to that level. It even makes a perverse bit of sense. By their own nature, a narcissist seeks control, status, power, and aggrandizement. And the position of CEO offers all of that in spades.

But even if it makes sense for narcissists to become CEOs and we consider it normal, for the most part, that still warrants concern. There are times when our concept of normal has some major problems and we shouldn’t be afraid to confront it. This is definitely one of those situations.

For the relative who told me this, they had quite a few interesting stories to tell regarding the narcissism of CEOs. But they did make one important distinction. Even though these individuals were overtly narcissistic, they were not outright psychopaths. While most psychopaths are narcissistic, not every narcissist is a psychopath.

Narcissists can and do have some sense of moral responsibility.

Narcissist can and do experience empathy on some levels.

Narcissists can even be good CEOs, for the most part.

However, we shouldn’t let that override the legitimate concerns we should have when dealing with narcissists. There’s a reason why so many super-villains in pop culture tend to be inherently narcissistic.

Among the key traits of narcissists is a sense of arrogance, self-entitlement, vanity, and a greater capacity to exploit others for selfish means. These are traits we rarely want in people we deal with on a day-to-day basis. But in the role of CEO, they can give someone an advantage.

It means they won’t hesitate to make decisions that cause harm, distress, or ruin to others. It also means they’ll cross lines most people won’t in order to increase profits, further an organization, or undermine the competition. They can and will do things that’ll seriously hurt those working for them, yet still sleep comfortably in their fancy beds without a shred of guilt.

Maybe these sorts of tactics do help certain companies and organizations thrive. Many of the most successful companies in the world were founded or run effectively by narcissists who did things that, in hindsight, were deplorable by most measures. But we give them a pass because that made them and their company a great success.

It’s a not-so-hidden blind spot that we, the public, tend to overlook. And as I’ve gotten older and had my own experiences with narcissists, I feel like that sort of mentality is detrimental in the grand scheme of things.

One story that did stand out from my relative was how one particularly narcissistic CEO lamented how they might not have enough money to retire. Granted, this CEO was making well above six figures and he was complaining directly to someone who made a fraction of this. The idea that their bloated salary was not enough to retire on just seemed outrageous for someone just trying their best to pay their rent or mortgage on time.

It perfectly reflects how narcissists lack empathy and aren’t the least bit concerned with how people less fortunate or affluent get by. It would be one thing if this were just someone who had been born rich. But remember, this is a CEO. Unlike those rich from inheritance, their decisions impact entire organizations. Those organizations are full of hard-working people who may or may not be in a position to retire, no matter how hard they work.

That kind of disconnect between those making executive decisions and those actually doing the work isn’t just illogical. It’s damaging to the long-term health of any organization and society. Because if the CEOs of the organizations we rely on to keep our economy growing are too narcissistic, then what incentive do they have to do right by the society at large?

If the choices is between making the right choice for the most amount of people or more money and power for them personally, a narcissist won’t make the right choice.

If the choice is between sacrificing for the good of others or exploiting others for their own personal benefit, a narcissist will choose to benefit themselves 99 times out of 100.

Unlike most people with a more balanced perspective, narcissists need to be coaxed into doing the right thing. And even when they do, they’ll often do it begrudgingly. Those who are smart on top of being narcissists might be able to come to that conclusion if the long-term benefits are there. But for the most part, you can usually expect a narcissist to made decisions that benefit them over everyone else.

In addition to the anecdotes of my retired relatives, there’s real science to indicate that a disproportional number of CEOs are indeed narcissists. And those narcissists working within those titles will continue to do whatever they think they can get away with, so long as they continue to benefit. You really don’t have to look far to see how much harm decisions from narcissistic CEOs can incur.

Having to work for a narcissist CEO is always challenging, but it can be done. Most people who have worked a steady job can attest to that. But it’s still worth asking ourselves if this situation is tenable in the long run. Because if we continue rewarding narcissists with lucrative jobs like CEO, then we’re just creating a world that’ll enable more narcissists.

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Ultimate X-Men #1 Review: Ultimate Utter Failure

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video is my review of Ultimate X-Men #1. The recently rebooted Ultimate Universe has been off to a great start. Ever since Ultimate Invasion, this new Marvel universe has blossomed in all the right ways.

But Ultimate X-Men #1 effectively ends that winning streak. Because this issue was a completely unmitigated failure on every level. It was one of the worst comics I’ve read since the end of the former Ultimate universe. And its failure is worth highlighting.

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The Only (Free) Self-Help Advice You’ll Ever Need

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video is a simple offer of free self-help advice in a world where every self-professed guru attempts to charge everyone every last penny for what is often common sense. Having seen way too many videos on YouTube professing some sort of magical secret to success, I felt like a video like this was necessary. Enjoy!

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Jack’s CreepyPastas: Why I Have No Parents

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video is a CreepyPasta story that I wrote and narrated myself. Enjoy!

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Abortion, IVF Treatments, And The (Distressing) Trend Of Criminalizing Women

A few years back, I did a detailed breakdown of the potential implications of the United States Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and effectively undoing a woman’s right to an abortion. When I wrote that, I did so with the sinking gut feeling that it would eventually happen. Ignorant, cruel, fun-hating, sex-hating, misogynistic right-wing assholes have spent decades of time and billions of dollars to undo this ruling.

It was never a matter of if this fundamental right would be overturned. It was only a matter of when. It just happened a lot sooner than I expected. And while there has certainly been backlash, the full extent of that backlash is just beginning. We won’t know how it’ll fully manifest for a number of years.

However, the same assholes who fought so hard to undermine abortion rights were never going to be content to stop there. I’ve met and dealt with enough of these people to know they weren’t going to be satisfied with stopping women getting abortions. Even with the backlash their efforts incurred, they were always going to keep moving forward. They just have too much time, money, and cruelty to stop.

And the recent ruling with the Alabama Supreme Court that effectively criminalized in-vitro (IFV) fertilization is yet another instance of where these assholes will be focusing their efforts. I certainly didn’t expect something like this to happen so quickly after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but I can’t say I was surprised.

The details of this case are remarkable, and not in a good way if you have any shred of humanity. But what’s more important, in terms of the bigger picture, is what this ruling does to the very perception of what IVF is and why it matters.

Because this is not some new, untested, unknown technology that most people haven’t heard of. IVF has been around since the late 1970s and to date, over 8 million children have been born through IVF that probably wouldn’t have otherwise been born. Keep in mind, these are all children born to parents who genuinely wanted to have a child, but couldn’t conceive due to various reasons.

These are not people who are in any way unnatural or less-than-human. And their parents are that much more admirable for seeking to have a child that they otherwise could not have had. Now, this ruling has completely reframed these millions of people and their parents by ruling that the procedure that helped them become a family was somehow immoral.

At the heart of the ruling is the notion that IVF requires fertilized embryos. And, according to the twisted logic and ethics of these religiously motivated judges, fertilized embryos are no different than infant children. That mirrors how the same logic these people utilize when they call abortion murder because for them, life begins at conception when the sperm and egg meet to create an embryo. So, for them, it means the destruction of any embryo constitutes the loss of a human life.

Now, I’m not a lawyer, a judge, or a legal expert of any kind. But even I have enough brain cells to understand why that logic is complete bullshit. You don’t even need to make any religious or philosophical arguments to prove it wrong.

It’s a simple matter of observable fact. You can place a tube full of embryos in the freezer, which preserves them for future use. But you can’t do that with an infant child.

They are two different things. That’s why we use different words to identify them. It really is that simple.

But in this particular case, the Alabama Supreme Court focused on a single incident in December 2020 at an Alabama fertility clinic in which a special container of embryos was mistakenly destroyed. And plaintiffs in this case argued that constituted the wrongful deaths of living children.

Again, these were embryos in a freezer. If they were children, they would be dead. I wish I didn’t have to make that distinction, but this is apparently where we are with the discourse surrounding women, children, and health care.

But the court didn’t care for that distinction. Whether because of their religious convictions or ideology, these judges ruled these embryos are children. As such, IVF treatment cannot continue because it often involves the destruction and disposal of embryos, usually those that are not viable. It’s twisted, absurd, and irrational logic. But because these are judges, it’s now law in Alabama.

However, don’t expect it to stop there.

Remember, the current makeup of the United States Supreme Court includes the judges that eagerly jumped at the chance to overturn Roe v. Wade. And at least one of those judges has publicly stated that there are just as eager to revisit other rights regarding women and the LGBTQ community.

Do not discount these musings as wishful thinking or unwarranted speculation. When bigots, assholes, misogynists, and wannabe authoritarians tell you what they want to do, assume they’re going to make a serious effort to do it. Don’t assume that our current safeguards, be they laws, norms, or basic human decency, will be sufficient to stop them.

In the meantime, this ruling is another instance of a trend that has been unfolding since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The same people who advocated for it are pushing beyond the scope of abortion to basically legislate anything having to do with women exercising any level of agency or autonomy. More than anything, this ruling further proves their agenda has little to do with protecting or promoting children.

In one act, they fought to criminalize abortion in the name of saving unborn children.

In another, they fought to criminalize a procedure that actually helps couples have children.

But even if the hypocrisy doesn’t disgust you, just note the common denominator here. It all comes back to women, their bodies, and their role in rearing children. That’s what these court rulings and all the efforts behind them seem to revolve around. It’s about micromanaging how they use their bodies and criminalizing anything that gives them more agency than their religion or ideology commands.

And that’s wrong, plain and simple. I won’t even present to hide my bias on this. No court or judge, no matter how supreme their building claims to be, has a right to legislate what women do with their bodies. They may not like that some women do things they don’t approve of, be it having abortions, enjoying sex, or using science to have children they couldn’t otherwise have. But that’s their problem.

Unfortunately, these people and the right-wing assholes who support them are determined to make it everyone’s problem. That means it’s up to us, those who can actually discern the difference between a child and an embryo, to be just as determined in opposing them.

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