#I'm just saying that if you actually care about representing real people ending your epic take at

[shiroselia]

Something something if your media analysis starts and ends at “stereotypes bad because stereotypes bad” you’re really not doing all that I fear

Like there’s a whole thesis to write on this (in fact I’ve literally done media analysis involving dissecting stereotypes for school assignments before so there is Definitely theses to write on this), but there is a larger conversation to have about fictional stereotypes that doesn’t have to, and shouldn’t end, at “stereotypes bad/good” because at the end of the day it’s, well first and foremost incredibly telling about society at large (the interesting part) considering that stereotypes really is norms at their absolute most dense and eccentric peak, also dismissing actual people because there Are people who do act stereotypical or fit stereotypes (source: Hi, I’m sometimes so stereotypical I’m a statistic at times, like, y’know, they come from somewhere) (which seems kind of counterproductive since one of the most go-to arguments Against stereotypical portrayal is ‘nobody is like that’)

Idonno I just think it’s not doing media analysis any favour to still be stuck at “ew tropes” because it stops us from actually dissecting what’s actually up here because you refuse to acknowledge a very important aspect of a work, and if your first reaction to encountering stereotypical behaviour and dismissing it purely because “Oh but surely nobody acts like that hurdur” I think that says more about you at the end of the day

[freelanceexorcist]

OK. I watched the first chapter of Ever Crisis First Soldier episode 2 and of course I have thoughts.

Cut for spoilers and length.

Sephiroth has officially become a sympathetic character. I mean, he always was, but there's no doubt about it being official now.

The way he's acting toward people, pushing them away? He's not being arrogant or sullen or a dick. He's a sad, traumatized kid with crappy self-esteem. He's in pain and grieving the loss of Glenn, Matt and Lucia's friendship. He's trying to convince himself that he's a soulless machine because machines don't have to feel what he's feeling. He's pushing everyone away because he doesn't want to make the choice he had to make between saving Rosen and saving himself and his friends. If you're cold, calculating and ruthless, such choices are a lot easier.

Except he's not any of those things or he wouldn't be acting the way he is. He wouldn't care, but he obviously does here. If you push everyone away and keep them at arms length, it doesn't hurt so much when they inevitably leave.

Except Angeal ain't havin' none of that. He's gonna make Sephiroth his bro if it kills both of them. The dynamic between these two so far is

And you know it works, too, and at least they get ten good years as friends after that.

So yes, the Sephiroth from Episode 1 is still there, but he's depressed and traumatized. If he returned to Midgar between episodes, he probably got a good dressing down from the top brass at Shinra and suffered who knows what at Hojo's hands. He's hurting and I think on some level Angeal knows that, which is why he's trying so hard to break through.

Now let's talk about Sephiroth's dream. I hope that was just a regular dream and not Jenova fucking with him because that would be a real kick in the nuts. I'm going to say it was an actual dream triggered by seeing Alissa "Definitely Not Jenova" Goldie and her uncanny resemblance to Lucrecia. And he was handed an empty bowl and told it was pumpkin soup because he doesn't know what pumpkin soup looks like. He just knows it would be good and that his mama would make him some if she could.

And speaking of Definitely Not Jenova. Nope, definitely not Jenova or Hojo mindfucking him. Not at all.

But since I'm a glass half full kinda gal when it comes to these things, I'm considering another angle. Yeah, purple and purplish pink are colors associated with Jenova, but those lights swirling around Alissa remind me of will o' the wisps or spook lights. Depending on which culture's folklore you're looking at, these can represent elemental spirits, the fae or demons (demons as in "spirit that never walked the earth in physical form" and not the Biblical nasties).

What if a forest spirit or similar entity took an interest in Sephiroth and wanted to get a closer look to see what makes him tick? Such an entity wouldn't really understand humans, so throwing Hojo in his face wouldn't strike it as being cruel or malicious. It was just curious to see how he would react.

Yeah, it's probably Jenova. "Those you hate, those you fear, those you love" after all. The other idea is worth considering, though.

Some odds and ends:

*i'm glad that the existence of female SOLDIER operatives has been confirmed. Not sure how I feel about them having to wear coochie cutters while the guys get real pants, though.

*I wonder how Sephiroth will get Masamune from its namesake. I'm going to be optimistic and say Mr. Epic Eyebrows will deem him worthy of receiving it, because that's how that seems to be shaping up at first glance. My prediction is that Masamune will pop up at times throughout the story to observe Sephiroth and test his mettle. He already knows Sephiroth is worthy, and these interactions will serve to verify that.

*Bachman's kind of a pain in the ass, isn't he? Sephiroth isn't your show pony, dude. He didn't even know you'd be tagging along.

*EC is really playing up how innocent and good these kids were back in the day. Angeal certainly had it helped along by his upbringing, but it took work for Sephiroth to maintain his goodness. He's the way he is despite his childhood, not because of it.

*I know I sound like a broken record but bog standard villains just don't get that kind of development. We're not supposed to see them sympathetically. At least not the ones for whom a redemption arc isn't in the works. We're supposed to cheer when they get what they have coming in a movie or on a show. We're supposed to feel accomplished when we beat them as the final boss in the game. We're not supposed to see their inevitable defeat as the heartbreaking last act of a tragic life.

*EC took pains to make the connection between the purehearted pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth and the Sephiroth at the Edge of Creation. It's looking more and more to me like EoC Sephiroth and the Sephiroth menacing the party are two different people. Or, more accurately, two versions of the same person from two different universes/timelines and one of them isn't answering to Jenova anymore (if he ever did in the first place).

*I mean come on. The symbolism. The white feathers (which pop up all over Rebirth, too). This:

*That's not there by accident or because it looks cool. It's a single white wing to contrast with Jenovaroth's single black wing and highlight the differences between the two. The battle theme that plays during the behemoth fight is called White Winged Angel, fercryin' out loud! I will die on this hill.

That's all for now. Thanks for sticking around to the end of this if you did.

[karazor--el]

Jon Cryer Teases Lex's Agenda & Sociopathy in 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'

The Crisis is here, and that means that the Arrowverse heroes have to work with people they may not particularly like ... including none other than Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer).

And this comes as the heroes have just lost one of their own: Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell). "Team morale is at its lowest point at the start of Episode 2," Cryer told TV Insider before correcting himself with, "Actually, as bad as it is at the start of Episode 2, it gets worse."

And outside of those from Supergirl, Lex has zero connections to the rest of the Arrowverse. "Lex is a wildcard in that whole situation, because he comes in with a completely different agenda than anybody else," he continued. "He's sociopathically oblivious to the pain of everyone else, and that's why he's such a threat."

Here, Cryer previews what's still to come in the epic crossover.

Kevin Conroy Says Bruce Wayne Is 'a Very Bruised Individual' in Arrowverse's 'Crisis'

Kevin Conroy Says Bruce Wayne Is 'a Very Bruised Individual' in Arrowverse's 'Crisis'

The actor discusses playing the character onscreen for the first time and teases Bruce's interaction with Batwoman Kate Kane.

Does Lex represent a sign of hope, someone who died and was brought back?

Jon Cryer: That's a good point. But it always seems so arbitrary. The Monitor sets loose these characters and we're all wandering around going, "what's our purpose in this?" Lex has this incredible intellect, but he doesn't know any more than anybody else. So he just gets into his usual single-minded, "me, me, me," attitude and goes about his business.

Speaking of that resurrection, has dying and being brought back changed Lex at all?

It has changed him. He's seen death. There's no way to go through that and not be altered by it. What it seems he's taken from it is an incredibly clear desire for that to never, ever, ever to occur again, and so he's even more single-mindedly focused on setting his own agenda and not caring about what anybody else wants or need.

We briefly saw Lex with The Monitor at the end of Supergirl 508. What does Lex think of this cosmic being and what he said to him? It's gotta feel pretty good to be told they need his mind and he's going to be a hero, despite always considering himself to be one.

He considers this guy kind of a blow-hard nuisance more than anything else. He comes in and makes these grand pronouncements, and it's just, say what you mean. He's really tired of him, frankly. He has such disdain for every other being besides him that he doesn't think The Monitor is anything particularly special.

We even see that when he tells The Monitor they have to talk about his sister.

Yes, exactly. I have some conditions...

How much does he know about what Lena's been up to and what can you say about what's to come for those two?

I love working with Katie [McGrath]. No matter what, Lex is going to be messing with his younger sister. He's a bully, sociopath, basically your nightmare older sibling is what Lex is. But she is brilliant, and she is capable of beating him actually, and she's capable of resisting him through just being who she is. They'll always be good foils for each other. He's not aware of what's happened while he's gone, so if and when they do have interactions that I'm not allowed to talk about, it's going to be loaded with all of that baggage. Plus, you don't know what exactly he wanted to say to The Monitor, and I do. [Laughs]

In one of the trailers, there's a news report of Lex Luthor killing the Man of Steel. Can you say if that Lex is your Lex?

I can't say. How can I phrase this? Lex Luthor would consider a universe that had a thousand Supermen that he had a chance to kill just more opportunities for fun.

Are there any surprises in terms of who has the easiest and who has the hardest time working with Lex?

Nobody's really working with Lex. He's a chaos agent and he's pretty much making any situation he's in worse for the superheroes, but you do get to see why The Monitor thought that would be helpful in the situation. None of the heroes really get along with Lex. In fact, there's a running gag in many of the episodes about to what extent people will put up with Lex's behavior. If you've seen that still of Batwoman with Lex up against the wall, that interaction did not go well.

Speaking of that photo (above), what can you say about that dynamic?

Batwoman has zero patience for Lex.

How are things between Lex and Kara given all their history and the fact that he’s the one who told Lena her secret, but everyone has to accept he's there?

Because The Monitor has decreed that Lex has some contribution to make to this situation, they all very grudgingly have to put up with him to some extent. I can say there's a fair amount of interaction with Kara and she's horribly conflicted the whole time because he's the worst of the worst.

What else can you preview about the crossover? How he reacts to the heroes around him?

I can tell you what my reaction was. Just because I was the only guy who wasn't in a super suit for a fair amount of it, you do feel oddly, you want to stick up for humanity when you get a chance. You're like, the only straight-up human here is a real jerk. You get a little defensive sometimes. And also as an actor, you work with Grant [Gustin] and Melissa [Benoist] and Stephen and Caity [Lotz] and all of them. The physical demands on these people are just enormous and I go, wow, they're 28. I'm no longer 28 and I've got to be in these same situations as well, so it was very demanding, but so impressive what the number 1s were doing.

TV Insider.