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SHIFT #10 COMING June 5, 2015

SHIFT #9 May 22, 2015

SHIFT #8 May 1, 2015

SHIFT #7 April 17, 2015

SHIFT #6 April 3, 2015

SHIFT #5 March 20, 2015

SHIFT #4, SPECIAL PRINT ISSUE: Growing up Mutant, March 6, 2015

News: "Mutants in the News" digital edition podcast with Cecil Palmer

A bi-monthly round up of mutant-centric topics from around the world.

[transcript included in print issue, online, click for transcript]

Feature: "Mutants: What Psych 101 Doesn't Cover" by Luornu Durgo

In the first major generation of mutant kids, misdiagnosis is already a huge problem. Personal stories and what to look for from someone who knows first-hand.

Feature: "Amári Familíya" by Wanda Maximoff

Growing up Romani, mutant and adopted.

Feature: "Demonization" by Jeanne-Marie Beaubier and Illyana Rasputin

Two mutants get personal about the dangers of fanaticism and its effects on mutant kids. How to recognize the signs and stop the hate.

Feature: "30 Seconds to Acceptance" by Becky Rosen

Sometimes people react badly to learning you're a mutant. And sometimes they just need half a minute to process before they prove exactly how wonderful they are.

Feature: "Since the Start" by Kurt Wagner

The early years of one of SHIFT's in-house columnists: on family, the circus, and being blue.

Interview: "An English bird from NewYork" by Sirius Black

Diaval Woods talks to Sirius Black about growing up as a Yorkshire boy... and a raven, and a wolf, and a horse. Diaval explains what it's like to spend half his life in animal form, and the impact his powers had on his family before anyone knew what an X-gene was. You can hear it in my accent when I squawk//I'm an English bird in New York.

Interview: "Unbreakable" by Pietro Maximoff

Lil Crawley talks to SHIFT's editor about growing up mutant: her mother, coming into her powers young, struggling with what they meant, and finding emotional strength to match her physical abilities.

Guest Feature: "Fostering Mutants" by Kyle Jinadu

A SHIFT guest reporter talks about the specific hurdles facing mutant children in the foster system, and has advice for foster parents. Introdcution by Jean-Paul Beaubier.

Column: "Intersectional Mutantism" with Faiza Hussain

A personal perspective from minority groups within the growing mutant community.

Column: "Out" with Shaun Mason

Collecting LGBTQIA Mutant perspectives.

Column: "Being Blue" with Kurt Wagner

Articles and perspectives about living life with physical mutations from someone who has them.

VLog: SHIFT's Agony Aunt VLog with Sirius Black

Got a problem? So does Sirius, probably. Learn about his and get answers to yours!

This week, Sirius talks about his own growing up experiences and yours.

SHIFT #3, February 17, 2015

News: "Mutants in the News" podcast with Cecil Palmer
A bi-monthly round up of mutant-centric topics from around the world.

[click for transcript for the hearing imparied]

Featured Story: "The Heirloom" by Felix Ames

Felix, a mutant who sees ghosts, and "Todd," who has psychometric abilities, embark on an adventure when Todd gets an impression from Felix's second-hand scarf. Using their abilities together, they find the ghost that it belonged to, and eventually return the scarf to the ghost's living husband.

Feature Editorial: "Mint in Box" by Jay Guthrie

On the importance of preparedness, when it comes to outing yourself--or being outed--as a mutant. From someone who knows all too well.

Feature Editorial: "My Mutant Skin" by Pietro Maximoff

A tongue-in-cheek (yet informative!) take on skincare, hair, and makeup for the superspeed-inclined. Bonus: delving into potential other-superpower-related cosmetics issues.

Column: "Mutant Metropolitan" with Betsy Braddock

Fashion and the best mutant-friendly places in NYC revealed.

Column: "Intersectional Mutantism" with Faiza Hussain

A personal perspective from minority groups within the growing mutant community.

Column: "Out" with Shaun Mason

Collecting LGBTQIA Mutant perspectives.

Column: "Being Blue" with Kurt Wagner

Articles and perspectives about living life with physical mutations from someone who has them.

Column: "SCIENCE!" with Cal Rankin

Discussion of mutant-centric science topics from academia and beyond.
VLog: SHIFT's Agony Aunt VLog with Sirius Black

Got a problem? So does Sirius, probably. Learn about his and get answers to yours!

This week, senior staff member Faiza Hussain joins Sirius for discussion of Faith, Religion, and Mutation.

Fiction: "Rue for Two, part 2" by St. John Allerdyce

The conclusion of our modern mutant take on Poe's C. Auguste Dupin.

SHIFT #2, January 24, 2015

News: "Mutants in the News" podcast with Cecil Palmer
A bi-monthly round up of mutant-centric topics from around the world featuring SHIFT's new voice.

[click for transcript for the hearing imparied]

Interview: "First Principals" by Pietro Maximoff

How Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr are turning their school into a place of learning for young mutants.

Interview: "Sitting down with Simon Tam" by Cal Rankin

The rising science star talks to SHIFT about his work on the pioneering mutant genetics paper.

Feature: "Mutants Without Borders" by Pietro Maximoff

On Warren K. Worthington III's international mutant philanthropy.

Column: "Mutant Metropolitan" with Betsy Braddock

Fashion and the best mutant-friendly places in NYC revealed.

Column: "Intersectional Mutantism" with Faiza Hussain

A personal perspective from minority groups within the growing mutant community.

Column: "Out" with Shaun Mason

Collecting LGBTQIA Mutant perspectives.

Column: "Being Blue" with Kurt Wagner

Articles and perspectives about living life with physical mutations from someone who has them.

VLog: SHIFT's Agony Aunt VLog with Sirius Black

Got a problem? So does Sirius, probably. Learn about his and get answers to yours!

This week's theme: 'coming out'. Do it your way, do it safe.

Fiction: "Rue for Two, part 1" by St. John Allerdyce

A modern mutant take on Poe's C. Auguste Dupin, presented as 2-part serial.

SHIFT #1, January 9, 2015

Mutants in the News
A bi-monthly round up of links to mutant-centric topics from around the world.

Feature: "Coming Out in Triplicate" by Luornu Durgo
The Brande Industries scion has some news for the world.
Feature: "There's No Such Thing as a Level Playing Field" by Jean-Paul Beaubier
The snowy speedster talks the ethics of mutants in sports.
Feature: "Twenty-Four Hours on the Road With Dazzler" by Pietro Maximoff
Everyone's favorite pop princess lets SHIFT backstage.
Feature: "Sirius Black Shifts for SHIFT"
The golden boy of Reality TV on his experience of being a shifter. Video included!

Column: "Mutant Metropolitan" with Betsy Braddock
Fashion and the best mutant-friendly places in NYC revealed.
Column: "Intersectional Mutantism" with Faiza Hussain
A personal perspective from minority groups within the growing mutant community.
Column: "Out" with Shaun Mason
Collecting LGBTQIA Mutant perspectives.

Fiction: "City Living" by Becky Rosen
Just because you can fly, doesn't mean you can forget to buy the milk. At least rush hour is a whole lot easier, nowadays.

shiftmutantmag.com

Shift.

Synonyms: Adaptation. Alteration. Change. Deviation. Move. Transformation. Variation.

Antonyms: Destroy. Idleness. Remain. Sameness. Stagnation.

Mutation is all about shifting--shifting ideas about humanity, about understanding, shifting entire paradigms. SHIFT aims to be a voice for that change. News, lifestyle, and editorial pieces presented from a mutant point of view. That's it. That's the mission.

Click here

-What inspired SHIFT?
It's important for mutant voices to be the loudest in the melee of current events when it comes to us.

This isn't about separating us from everyone else. It's not even about trying to look like some kind of united or even homogeneous community, because we're not and never will be. We're human. But when people who aren't mutants try to tell the world about the mutant experience, they're gonna get it wrong, and that's a fact. At best, that's annoying for us. At worst--and history backs me up here--it can be deadly.

-Are you looking for advertisers?
Email ads@shiftmutantmag.com or check out our ads page.

We have a strict policy of only selling ad space to mutant-friendly companies, people, and organizations that meet our high standards of business ethics.

-Hey, I'm a mutant! Can I write/do art for SHIFT?
Email pietro@shiftmutantmag.com with ideas and a list of publications, if applicable.

-I'm a mutant, but I'm not ready to come out publicly. Can I write/do art for SHIFT?
At the moment, no, but eventually, yes--your point of view is valuable and we want it. While we're getting established, we're going with out mutants, but we will change that policy before too long. Updates will be posted when it happens.

-I'm not a mutant, can I write/do art for SHIFT?
No. You can write for pretty much any other publication in the world and talk about us, if you really need to. That's not what this one is about. On very rare occasions, a non-mutant who's deep into public allyship may be asked to write about something they're an expert on; we'll come to you if we're comfortable with that and provide you with a mutant partner to introduce you. Please don't ask.

If you're a non-mutant scientist, doctor, politician, ceo, anyone who has something relevant to weigh in on, email pietro@shiftmutantmag.com and we can talk about getting you set up with a SHIFT staff interviewer.

-You'll never know, I could just say I'm a mutant!
I have zero interest in policing this kind of thing. That's creepy. Don't be a jerk.

-Does that mean you don't want non-mutants reading SHIFT?
Opposite. I hope they read it and like it. Lots.

-I'm not a mutant; what can I do to help?
Signal boost, reblog, promote, amplify mutant voices. Listen--really listen. Call out people who buy into misinformation. Question everything.

SHIFT also has some technical positions that are open to non-mutants. Email pietro@shiftmutantmag if you're interested and have experience with web publishing and design.

Or just send us money. That works too. ["donate" button link]

-I have a friend who's a mutant. Can I give you their email so you can encourage them to--
Lemme stop you right there. Do not ever, ever out someone who's trusted you with this information, not even to someone you know is a friendly party. The world is a very dangerous place for us, right now. Feel free to turn them on to the mag, send them in the general direction of X-statiX, whatever. But never that.

-Do you take fiction?
Yes. Possibly there will be a more structured format for that later, but mutants making art is something we really want to put forward here. Hit me up at pietro@shiftmutantmag.com and let's talk.

-How much editing is involved in publishing/writing for an issue of SHIFT?
As much as it needs. For the moment I'm doing this mostly on my own. There will be edits for grammar, spelling, etc, and content if necessary. SHIFT reserves the right to refuse publication of any submitted material, or to withdraw an offer of publication if the changes deemed necessary by a SHIFT staff editor are denied.

SHIFT will not publish anything that puts any mutant in danger or that hasn't been thoroughly fact-checked. Any speculative or opinion pieces will have to adhere to a certain standard of responsibility, but do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editor, staff, or larger mutant community. We aim for a diverse collection of voices and experiences, not to create some new mutant dogma.

Editorial and Contributing Writers

Photos by Peter Parker

	Pietro Maximoff founded SHIFT after outing himself as a mutant speedster in November, 2014 [link to article and video]. He feels strongly about social justice, especially pertaining to mutant, lgbtqia, and Roma issues, and has been blogging loudly on all these subjects and more since he could pick up a keyboard. In his masses of spare time he reads, collects music, plays soccer, yells at the NY Giants, and applies himself wholeheartedly to any activity involving glitter. More information can be found at his personal blog. Pietro is finishing his baccalaureate degree and plans to attend college to study communications and media. He lives in New York City.
	Faiza Hussain is a junior in high school. Or, at least, that's what everybody tells her; she's still trying to understand the US schooling system as she's from England. She believes strongly in equal rights for all with a particular interest in women's issues, mutant issues, religious tolerance and gay rights, all of which are likely to be touched on in her column, Intersectional Mutantism (unless she comes up with a better name for it).
	Best known as Made in Chelsea's mischief maker, Sirius Black is also a model, prankster and out spoken commentator on social, political and personal affairs. He can be found on all major social media sites under the tag @siriuslyblack and in the tabloids getting up to no good!
	Betsy Braddock -- Coming soon.
	Wanda Maximoff -- Coming soon.
	Lu Durgo came out as a mutant in SHIFT's first issue. She's from Southern California, and has a wide variety of interests including art, music, business, and motorcycling. She's currently a Junior in high school.
	Becky Rosen is currently a Sophomore in high school whose main interests include writing and being the best fangirl a show about supernatural creatures could ask for! She is very excited to venture into the world of original fiction with SHIFT!
	Shaun Mason is a writer, blogger, and entertainer. Known for his popular YouTube shows The Shaun Mason Show and Hey Guys, Watch This, Shaun gained national attention when he came out as a mutant in September, 2013. [link to article and video]. A bisexual man himself, he has a special interest in issues pertaining to mutant and lgbtqia communities, especially with how the two intersect. When he's not writing, filming new videos, training as an EMT or working in a virology lab at Boston College, you can find him skateboarding, binging on science fiction, or finding something high to jump off of. Shaun lives in Boston with his boyfriend and their four skateboards.
	Kurt Wagner spent most of his life working as an acrobat in the circus where he grew up, and is now the Drama teaching assistant at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. He came out as a mutant in 2014 and since then he has been a vocally supporter of mutants and LGBTQIA. In his free time, he enjoys practicing yoga, watching Errol Flynn movies, and rereading his copy of The Princess Bride. Originally from Germany, Kurt currently lives in New York with his fiancé.
	Cecil Palmer -- coming soon.
	Cal Rankin -- Coming soon.
	The Artist Previously Known as Hotpants4Heathcliff, St. John Allerdyce has been penning romances since childhood. Born in Sydney, Australia, John grew up all over the Pacific, and is finishing his secondary school education in New York. The moment he turns 18, he plans to shop around his multiple mutant-centric romances. He also enjoys fire, and has a newfound interest in detective novels.
	Felix Ames is a junior in high school and has a mad passion for vintage fashion. When not scouring thrift stores in search of the perfect waistcoat, he can generally be found with his nose in a book. Eventually, he would like to study sociology and anthropology, and then travel to Narnia with a layover in Neverland.
	Jay Guthrie is from the southeast United States, and currently attends school in New York. He is 17 years old. Instead of growing up, he aspires to be a musician.
	Illyana Rasputin is a high school sophomore. She's originally from Russia, but was adopted to the US when she was nine and grew up in Minnesota. She's interested in music, travel, and dance, and is a regular encyclopedia of horror movie trivia.
	Jeanne-Marie Beaubier came out publicly as a mutant with her friend Dazzler and brother Jean-Paul on MTV in August of 2013. Since then, she's become a part time teacher and studies psychology at Sarah Lawrence College. She hopes to become a counselor for mutant youth.
	Diaval Woods hails from York -- the original one, in England, not the New One in America. His hobbies include being a bird and gardening, though not at the same time. By the time he graduates school, he hopes that "being a bird" will be a recognized career path which he might undertake full time.

Technical
Staff Photographer
Peter Parker is a Queens-based photographer with experience in capturing the superpowered element. His photos have appeared in the Daily Bugle.

Staff Translator
Doug Ramsey is a New York-based translator with experience in computer programming and several languages. He's volunteered his services to spread SHIFT far and wide. He's a Junior in high school and plans to go on to study computer technology.

Art Director
S. R. Whelan is a young mutant artist from the New York area. His favorite mediums are watercolor, charcoal, and digital, and he'll be attending art school in the fall.

maximquick.tumblr.com FAQ

Hi there my name is Pietro. This is my blog where I post pictures of pretty things, glittery things, and social issues. I recently got a bunch of new followers because I did a heroic thing [link to story and video].

I'm a mutant. My power is superspeed. It's epic, yes.

Anyhow all the new followers mean my ask box is blowing up. As hilarious as most of the speculation has been so far, I figure it's best to get the real deal out there, so here goes with the FAQs:

-Are you that guy who--? [ETA: 12/14]
Runs SHIFT: THE FAST AND LOUD MUTANT MAG? Yes. That's me.

-How old are you?
18

-Where are you from?
New York.

-Pietro Maximoff? Are you Russian/Italian/whatever-American?

Also, now that everyone knows who my old man is, also ethnically Jewish and Sinte. [ETA: 1/24]

-Are you gay?

-Are you dating anyone/will you go out with me/will you date my daughter?
~~I'm dating pretty much the hottest dude in the world, so that's a hard 'no' on the dating questions. Thanks though, I think?~~

[ETA 5/15] We broke up :( But still, appreciated, thanks but no thanks!

-Are you dating _insert famous mutant here_?
No.

-Are you really Tony Stark's Kept Boy?
Wouldn't you like to know?

No but seriously, see above.

-How do you know _insert famous mutant here_?
How do you?

-How long have you been a mutant?
Uh, my whole life? If you're asking me when my superspeed manifested, that's kind of none of your business. Just saying.

-How fast can you run?
I'm just about supersonic.

-Is your mother/father/sister a mutant, too?
Questions about my family and boyfriend will be ignored. And get you blocked. Don't be creepy.

That said, since my little sister Lorna is out, yes, she obviously is. [ETA: 1/24]

[ETA: 5/15] Yes, my two sisters are both out and proud mutants. Otherwise, please stop asking me creepy questions about my family.

-Do you hate white/straight/non-mutant/rich people?
This is a stupid question. Stop asking it. PS I get a lot of...

-Die, mutant/g*psy/queer scum.
Get the fuck out of my ask box, you pathetic dickbag. Also, that is not a question.

-Why can't I use the word g*psy?
Look, you could Google this and find it, but you asked me for some reason, so I'm gonna say it ONCE. Here is a handy test for any and all racial/ethnic slurs:

Ask yourself, "Is this word being/has this word been used to marginalize/dehumanize/dismiss/murder me and my family/people?" If the answer is no, then you don't get to 'reclaim' it. If the answer is yes, then you get to do whatever you damn well please with it.

-I didn't know it was a slur!

-I'm just appreciating your culture, though!
Google "appropriation vs. appreciation". I don't have the patience for this.

-You look white though. Like, super white.
Fun fact: ethnicity policing is creepy. Not to mention has some really fucked up real-world effects on people, families, and communities, so.. yeah. Don't do that.

-Were you really adopted?
Remember that thing I said about family questions? This is the creepiest of them all, bc no one with good intention would dig into my past like this. Think about that for a second. Scary, right?

But in the interest of adopted kid solidarity and support, I'm gonna go ahead and confirm this one.

-Will you read this fanfic I wrote/my friend wrote about you?
I am super flattered and applaud your awesome taste in mutant pseudo-celebrities, but no. That would be weird.

-Will you look at this picture I drew of you?
Totally! ^ω^ Unless you drew me naked, which would also be weird.

-Are you a superhero?
I think you gotta do more than rescue one kid to be a superhero? Now, Spider-Man, that guy is a superhero.

-Do you want to be a superhero?
I mostly want to graduate from high school, atm.

-Do you think vigilante justice is a good idea?
If I could answer this in like one word, I would, but "justice" is a complicated concept.

-Do you think mutants are the next step in human evolution?
Biology isn't that simple, and mutation doesn't work like that. Read a fucking book, don't come up into my ask box and bait me like that.

We are, however, awesome.

-What do you think about _insert other issue here_?
Check my tags.

-I'm a mutant too--who can I talk to?
X-statiX hooked me into things. They're knowledgeable and trustworthy, for real.

-Dude, we should totally party!
My party schedule is kinda full but I'll see what I can do. (✿◠‿◠)

-Is your hair really that color/does the carpet match the drapes?
This is actually my hair color, yes. I know. It's rad.

-Why is your hair always fucked up/how do you get your hair so awesome?
Uhhh, I mentioned the superspeed thing, right?

-Do you moisturize?
The amount of skincare questions I get is like the most flattering thing ever, seriously. Yes, though, I use Kiehl's Ultra Facial moisturizer every day. They also make fabulous lip balm. My skin's really resistant but superspeed still does some damage.

-What is your favorite color glitter?
All glitters are good, but silver is the superior glitter. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

-Have you considered accepting advertisers?
~~Considering it now, since my life--and therefore job--just got hijacked. I'll get back to you on that.~~
Yes, but not for here. Check out SHIFT for details. [ETA: 12/2014]

-Do all mutants know each other/You have a lot of mutant friends? [ETA: 12/2014]
We definitely don't all know each other (how even would that work?), but I do have a lot of mutant friends, yes, lucky me! Here's my favorite picture of me with one of my awesome mutant friends, my girl, Lil Crawley:

Aren't we cute?

Pseudo One-Year-Anniversary Gift for Remy

A USB drive with a bunch of songs on it. Found here:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5o6qZFr9hnJBo17fiwo_ivCSywU7hm66

The USB is attached to a tiny Moleskine notebook:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/78039006018654124/

Notebook contents:

Page 1
Remy,

I dunno when we got together, to tell the truth. I just kinda feel like we've been hooking up ever since we met and then this happened. And I like it. A lot.

But I guess it's been over a year since we became A Thing. So I thought I'd do something super nerdy for you.

So this notebook has the track list for the usb drive attached. I guess it makes a little story.

♥Pietro♥

Page 2
Sue Jack Daniels - Reverend Horton Heat
The only thing better would be "Sue Eames"?

Page 3
Beetlebum - Blur
Ultimate "Boathouse High Song". So many times I lost count.

Page 4
Hips Don't Lie - Shakira
Truth or Dare. You always were trying to get my clothes off.

Page 5
Rebels of the Sacred Heart - Flogging Molly
Three words: St. Patrick's Day.

Page 6
Electric Love - Dirty Vegas
Neverending hook ups ahoy. Who did I think I was kidding?

Page 7
Work Me - The Black Keys
That night you made me yours. You know the one :)

Take my Pain Away - Moullinex
All the stuff I didn't let myself think AFTER that night...

Page 8
Eros and Apollo - Studio Killers
Golden Masquerade God.

Trying to be Cool (Chainsmokers Remix) - Phoenix
Okay so I got a little jealous when you made out with someone else. Golden. God. What did I expect?

Page 9
Wicked Games - The Weeknd
Probably the part where we just threw up our hands and said, "fuck it." (Fuck me? Only me? Repeatedly?)

Page 10
Inertia Creeps - Massive Attack
Halloween. Blue paint. Your shower. Good times.

Page 11
Lay Me Down - Avicii
Letters from home.

Page 12
King for a Day - Green Day
Because Pietro + Corset = Happy Remy

Page 13
Photo of Pietro and Remy pasted in.