#anyway i think a lot about this arc and what it says about constantine and the way people treated him afterwards

[talentforlying]

while i'm talking out my ass: there are definitely parallels between constantine and the shadow dog from the beast of eden arc. existing as guardian between humanity and the supernatural horrors chomping at the bit to consume it, but going down in legend as the contributor or cause of every horrific, near-world-ending event that he was actually trying to prevent because everyone heard he was there when it happened. resurrected from failure by the belief that people have in him as their protector, and simultaneously, because they give him no choice.

which could also have been a contributing factor to how willing he was to accept its blame and destroy it.

[marireadshellblazer]

Constantine TV Series Episode 4 “A Feast of Friends”

Aight, I feel the need to express some feelings about this episode. I’m not sure this is going to be terribly articulate, but I’ll do my best. Let’s do this.

First off, it’s obvious to anyone who has read Hellblazer that this episode is based off of the first two issues of the comic book series. As I wrote in my post about my experience reading it, these issues were the perfect way to start off the series. It’s like “BOOM! This is how it is! Get ready for some serious shit! This is your only warning; this is what you’re in for.” Even though they did change the story for the episode, I still absolutely loved it. The storyline from the comics is a favorite of mine, but even with the changes made in order to adapt it for TV, this was an awesome episode. In fact, it’s my favorite episode of the TV series. Here’s why!  

   Why is it episode 4?

  Unlike the comics this story was adapted to be episode 4, meaning it doesn’t start the TV series. So, why wouldn’t it start the TV series? I think that you have to look at it from a few different perspectives.

  Let’s start with the comic: Issues 1 and 2, titled Hunger and A Feast of Friends respectively, make up the first arc of the Hellblazer series. Most fans know, however, that Hellblazer is not John’s first appearance in comics; he got his own series after appearing throughout the American Gothic story arc of Swamp Thing. Consequently, many people came into Hellblazer at the time having some familiarity with the character. While this chapter does expand on John’s character some, this doesn’t serve as a major introduction to him. They just drop the reader into one of his nightmare-inducing everyday situations with little to no preparation. Those who are familiar with his role in Swamp Thing will, odds are, not find these issues to be terribly weird or particularly jarring considering it’s in a series about John; they have a good idea what they are in for.

   Here is a quick run-down: John returns to his apartment in Paddington after dealing with the horror show that is the Brujeria in the Swamp Thing comics. Exhausted, he comes back to an unwelcome guest; Gary Lester. Gary is one of the friends who was involved in the Newcastle incident (which is fully explained in issue #11), which left each of them scarred in their own way. Gary dealt with the aftermath via drugs, which have left him wide open for other issues. After foolishly releasing a demon from a sacrificial victim, Gary runs to John for help dealing with the destruction said demon is causing. In this case it’s a hunger demon that causes people to feast upon whatever they greatly desire; food, a crucifix, and even an athlete committing autocannibalism. With help from club owner and Voodoo practitioner Papa Midnight, John betrays his vulnerable and trusting friend in order to stop the demon by instead making him the new sacrifice. Trapping the demon inside of Gary, the literal and figurative ghosts of John’s past haunt and torment him mentally as his friend dies slowly and in agony, ending this arc with a melancholy feeling. John stopped a demon, but at the cost of a friend who truly trusted and cared for him.

Using this story to begin the TV series as is, however, would have been more than a little strange. In the minds of most people outside of the comic book world, John Constantine was first introduced to them via the horrifyingly inaccurate Keanu Reeves film. (I love Keanu, I really do, but that film give me agita). Or, if they were introduced to the show after it had already aired, they are introduced via Matt Ryan’s masterful work portraying him in Legends of Tomorrow. While he does an incredible job in both Constantine and Legends (to the point where I find that I may simply be unable to accept anyone else taking on the role in live action) it depresses me terribly that Legends toned down John’s character so much with all the goofiness. It did not suit John at all! If anything, I find myself feeling sorry for Matt Ryan, who tried so hard to do John’s character justice. Uhg.

   Anyway…Already, a lot of the audience is going to be more than a little taken aback by the Constantine series’ portrayal of the character, however comic book accurate he may be. This show is tailored to as wide of an audience as possible, meaning they expect that pretty much no one has read Hellblazer or Swamp Thing before. Consequently, having the series start by just dropping the audience into his crazy world, especially with this particular story arc, might not be the best idea. I’m not saying that his introduction is done super well with the first episode (it’s not a total wreak, but there are issues) but it would have been much harder to start with A Feast of Friends.

     Characterization

    Now, let’s look at it from another angle: characterization. As the 4th episode this was, odds are, done assuming that there would be a lot more episodes after this (oh, the painful reality), but really the viewers are still just getting to know John. So, these early episodes are supposed to establish his character. They see him as knowledgeable and ready to handle the weird and scary in the first episode, and in 2 and 3 you see that he is serious about his work, a loner, weirdly well prepared, and how he interacts with others. While in some situations he does come off like a douche, his douche-ness is on full display in this episode. Honestly, this is accurate to how he is in the comics; he’s a nasty piece of work, after all. A world class bastard. He gives Gary shit for his drug addiction pretty much the entire episode as well as his choice to mess with a demon and the chaos it made that he now has to fix. He, like in the comics, tricks Gary into helping him and it results in a slow, painful death for the man. Gary really did trust John, and not only did John betray him, but he was callous about it. Now, that’s not to say that the situation and Gary’s death doesn’t bother him, and this is also seen in both the episode and the comic, but John solders through a lot of it with his mask of stoic indifference; he blatantly a deliberately betrays his friend without much hesitation.

    John’s characterization in the show is really important. While fans of Hellblazer know what they are in for (John being a dick, betraying people, sacrificing friends, etc) the wide audience the show was meant to appeal to might not respond well to that. How is the audience supposed to relate to a character whose major personality trait in this arc is to basically be a douche (even if it is justified in a way)? Generally speaking, TV shows try to have a lot of characters with redeeming traits and very basic bitch personalities so that as much of the audience as possible can relate to them in some capacity. They can describe the main character as “cool, quirky, sweet, loving, etc” because that is what network television strives for. The point is for the audience to relate to and find a lot of reasons to like the character, especially the main character. The audience is supposed to be able to see the qualities of the character in themselves. An example of a douchy character being changed for network television is the titular character in TV series Lucifer. He can be an asshat at times, but his redeeming qualities shine through in pretty much every episode; he’s helpful, has a strong sense of justice, and cares about Chloe. He often goes out of his way to understand others, although he often misses the mark, and tries to fix problems and issues that he accidentally creates in order to keep relationships with others. These are things people can relate to, and although he can be rather uncouth, it’s played for laughs, and he has more redeeming qualities than not. If the Constantine series started off with John coldly betraying a friend after giving him shit for his addiction the entire episode with not a lot of his positive traits coming through, from the perspective of most people, this might not be a good way to try and connect with the audience. I’m not saying there are people who don’t/won’t, but again, this is network television and they tend to play on the safe side.

    Comic book -> TV

    Ok so let’s move onto the meat of this; the changes made to the story. People always complain when something isn’t totally accurate to the book down to every last detail (Harry Potter *cough cough*) and making story and character changes to adaptions of comic books is nothing new. However, to be fair, there are some legitimately good reasons for this. Time, money, limits technology wise, and pacing are good examples. The most important thing to consider, in my opinion, is that we are going from a comic book to television. Literally, that is the most important thing. Essentially, what the writers had to do when adapting this story for the show was carry over the plot from one medium to another, which is tricky.

    What’s a medium? A medium is a platform that allows a message to be shared or presented. So, using the medium of a comic book is how Jamie Delano was able to share his message; the story of John Constantine. The writers of the television series then had to adapt the story from comics, a visual and written medium, into a different kind of visual medium with different features to it; stage craft, voice, music, etc.

    Comic books have features for story telling; the size and placement of the panels, the writing, word bubbles, narration bubbles, colors, art style, etc. The pro’s to this are that you don’t get paragraph after paragraph describing a place or a person; they literally show them to you and the art presents those details. They also allow for the art to take in the reader emotionally through what the images convey; messy art, sudden loss of color, or even a sudden blank page after a tragic event are simple yet effective ways to convey emotion that are, at times, difficult or downright impossible to put into words. And sometimes the writer wants to leave things to interpretation or allude to something without saying it outright. While this can be done in writing, it can be done through the art as well, and depending on how skilled the artist or creative a set up can be just as effective if not more.

     In television storytelling can be done with another wide array of features. Close-ups on the actors, the actors and their performance in general, music, background narration, changes in location, lighting, ect. This allows for emotions to come across in different ways; the quality of the acting can make or break the effectiveness of the scene, and music and lighting can alter the message or feel of scene in order to change or heighten the point, pacing, the use of CGI or practical effects, etc. So, keeping this in mind, there are many features that are exclusive to film that are not in comic books, and vice versa. So, as you can imagine, adapting the stories or message from one medium to another is nowhere near as straightforward as people like to think it is. In other words, I tend to give the writers/actors/etc a break when it comes to adaption because, honestly, there is a lot that goes into it and it’s not like I could do better, honestly. I mean, there are piss poor adaptions, I’m not gunna lie, but there are a lot of them that I think don’t get enough credit simply because it’s “different” in some ways.

     Aight, let’s first refer back to what I said earlier concerning the comic; these issues aren’t so much an intro to John as they are literally following him from the end of the American Gothic arc in Swamp Thing and to his apartment where he gets involved with more shit (no rest for the wicked, amirite?). So, again, not a good way to start the TV series. In the TV show, they also have to tie in the changes they set up in the previous episodes. Continuity, my friends.

    So, what is different? Here are a few things: John having a safe house, being in the US, Chaz being American and also not involved, Zed being involved and being Latina, the new angel character Manny, and the absence of Papa Midnight really change a lot about the story. The heart of it is John’s relationship with Gary and the defeat of the demon, which thankfully remains unchanged at it’s core. This is the central idea that drives this story and I think that idea was actually done a bit better in the film medium than in the comic.

   Keeping all of these factors and all of these changes that needed in order to keep things consistent with the TV show’s changes, let’s get into why I think that this episode is good even with the changes, but why I love it.

I love It

      After taking some time to consider things, I realize that what really makes this episode great is the actors; specifically, Matt Ryan and Jonjo O'Neill. The chemistry between them is undeniable. The way they look at each other and how they talk to each other really makes you feel like, at one time at least, they were friends. The scene where Gary swipes the ID badge and says “I learned from the best” is a great example of this. The look on his face and John’s; I don’t have a real eloquent way to say it. I just sort of feel it.

The retcon of Gary’s character really helps with this. Being that Gary is introduced and then killed off in two issues, you don’t really get to know his character in the comics. He’s only in one episode of the TV series, yet he feels more fleshed out. Soul was added to the character. Showing his struggles with addiction, as well as what I suspect to be depression and PTSD, really humanized him. In the episode, he was more than just a desperate, annoying junky; he was a flawed and relatable human being. Who hasn’t made a mistake? How many people have made BIG mistakes with consequences difficult to handle? How many people are haunted by their actions from the past? Addiction and the effects is has on people is devastating. I’m glad that they kept the ending true to the comics, but the way he was portrayed in the episode really made me feel for Gary in this case. It almost made me hope that maybe he really would get better, and have the chance at redemption that he was trying so desperately to find. But it wouldn’t be a John Constantine series without an ending like this one; John loses a friend and slowly digs himself deeper into hell.

Of course, it’s the ending of the episode that people really remember best. It’s the scenes that solidified, at least for me, Matt Ryan as John Constantine. It’s what really helped me have faith in the series. Watching it now, and seeing what really could have been, makes the episode somewhat bitter sweet for me. I felt like this is when the series really found it’s footing; the acting, storytelling, and how well arcs from Hellblazer could be adapted. This is where I think Matt Ryan hit his stride and we could see what he was really capable of as an actor if they let him spread his wings. In the earlier episodes I was honestly unsure. He looked the part, but the soul of the character had not really had a chance to shine through.

How John treats Gary at the end really made a difference, too. Holding him while he was in pain, and sitting with him as he died in agony; these simple yet effective changes really drove home John’s humanity in the face of evil and the tough decisions he has to make. The look he gives many at the very end, the anger and sorrow he seems to be struggling to hold back, is haunting.

In this episode, Matt Ryan’s love and dedication to John’s character shine. Seeing the story in live action gave this story a stronger impact. Even without a lot of the social commentary that was present in the comic, the live action element is what really helps drive the story home. I think it’s because it’s real people showing these very real emotions that can be hard to translate into art. Not to say that John Ridgway did a bad job, but it’s different in live action.

I hope I was able to get these thoughts across. I wasn’t sure if I should share this or not, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I know this is sort of jumbled, but hopefully it’s not a total mess to read.

[inmyarmswrappedin]

Me again (the anon that asked how you were doing). I’m glad you are doing good!

We really made me think about what you said of Constantin being an asshole because he has never actually being called out on his bullshit. Like, we already saw that the physics professor didn’t say anything about his comments and laughing at Fatou and none of his friends have ever hinted at a fight or a sort of call out. We saw them being uncomfortable, but never calling him out (some of them have got a lot of reasons to: Zoe with the entire Nora situation, Kieu My with the entire Fatou situation, Ismail with the Maike situation and whatever made them uncomfortable during that insta story). It’s quite surprising they are still hanging out with him. I have yet not figure it out i I think Constantin making Fatou uncomfortable in the friday clip was intentional of he was just too drunk to notice it (he did seem very drunk so in that specific clip I’m giving the benefit of the doubt till further notice, probably the next time he is an asshole).

I’m looking forward to see him actually getting call out for his actions and the consequences really making themselves present in his life. No doubt at least one of his parents has endorsed his behavior and his new group of friends seems very supportive of them too, while the Insta squad seems uncomfortable with that but supportive in terms of his problems.

Sorry that it’s very long again :)

Hi anon 🥝 I love long asks! I only wish I could figure out how to send them myself lol, I’m still on a character limit for some reason.

We’ve been talking recently about how the ganggang are such good friends and like a family because they stepped up for Sporty at a time of crisis, instead of deserting him. And dgmw, I think they’re great friends for doing this, but... Did we ever find out whether they asked Sporty for accountability? Because before they rescued Sporty, Zoe was angry and upset at him (and Ismail) for crashing her party after being disdainful of it because Nora and Ava were going to be there. And Kieu My was put in the position of having to choose between sticking by Sporty, or defending the girl she’s madly in love with, both on the courtyard and during the Physics presentation. And we know Ismail feels like he’s given up friends and other things for Sporty, and for what. 

I don’t blame the ganggang because they’re still pretty young, and I don’t think they quite have the maturity to recognize that you can stand by a friend at a time of need, without letting them walk all over you. Which is honestly what I think it’s happening, and why I think Zoe, Kieu My, Ismail and Finn’s pain and resentment will only grow, unless Sporty starts taking responsibility for all the shit he’s introduced into their friendship. 

I think Sporty was genuinely trying with Fatou in the Friday clip, but because he hasn’t made amends individually or the ganggang as a group, it came off as bizarre and like he was underhandedly mocking her. 

Anyway, this is why I feel Constantin and Mailin are actually two sides of the same coin (and why I think Sporty will have a bigger role in Mailin’s season, not necessarily as a LI but possibly). Mailin also has a great deal of privilege herself, and she could’ve become quite an asshole if the cashqueens (and specifically Ava) didn’t hold her accountable. It’s thanks to the cashqueens that Mailin will become a doper person. Meanwhile, though the ganggang thinks they’re helping, they’re not actually holding Sporty accountable, which is why he will go on sabbaticals with his other squad whenever the ganggang bores him again. Of course, Mailin started out as genuinely wanting to do the right thing, but ultimately I think their character arcs will connect. And honestly, Mailin of all characters is the only one who can guide Sporty, because everyone else is too marginalized and directly impacted by his actions (Nora, Zoe), to be put into the “friendly poc educating the cishet white boy” role. 

[afaimsarrowverse]

Arrowverse-Spin-Offs, we would like to see:

„Arrow“ and „Black Lightning“ are done, „Supergirl“ is in its last season and „The Flash“ and „Legends of Tomorrow“ will probably be over rather sooner than later. So it’s time to look at some potential Spin-Off-Ideas and the reasons why we won’t see any of those happening. But hey, I have been wrong before. The last time I did such a list, I wrote that Warner would never allow a „Superman“-Show to happen, because of them wanting him exclusive for the movies, even though at this point the Powers that Be were already working on getting „Superman & Lois“ on the way (because they have been working on that since around „Elseworlds), so maybe in two years one of those shows on this list will actually air at The CW:

Atoms: Since Ray has left „Legends“ I have been missing him, and since Crisis was the last we ever saw of Ryan Choi, yes, I still want „Atoms“, starring both Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi and their respectice wives, sciencing their way out of every problem and superheroing a little bit at the side. Yes, Fairy Godmother Nora would be a challenge to put into that concept, but if someone really wanted to find a way to integrate that storyline in the show, they could and if not, they could just do away with her powers off-screen. To bad Brandon Routh and Berlanti Productions did not part under the best terms and that the reason they got rid of him in the first place was that they couldn’t afford him any longer, so this one is not likely to ever happen. Also, I am not sure too many people are actually interested in a whole show about the Atom. Even if there a two of them.

Canaries: With „Green Arrow and the Canaries“ not picked up, they could return to this fan-favored concept: A solo show for Laurel and Dinah. Ditch the Future Crap or wrap it up in the Pilot, let them live in the present again and be a crime fighting double act. Or just set in the future, if you must, and let Dinah keep her club and just say good bye to the Queen-Kids. But since both actresses waited for a year to star in a show, that was not happening and said no to jobs because of that and the plotthreats of the „Green Arrow and the Canaries“ Backdoor-Pilot are still up in the air, it is very unlikely that we will get to see this one.

ThunderGrace: They should have aimed for that show instead of „Painkiller“, they might have had better chances to get picked up with it. Anyways, giving Anissa and her new wife Grace their own show, set in a different city of course, would go great with certain protions of the „Black Lightning“-Audience and might even attract new viewers. Having Jennifer and TC guest star regulary would also be great. Sadly this won’t happen of course, „Black Lightning“ already was very much Anissa’s story, giving her her own show would be like continuing „Black Lightning“ just without Jefferson, so it would basically be the same and therefore The CW would not go for it. Also, as long as „Batwoman“ is around, they would not do a second show with a lesbian Superhero Lead, who fights streetlevel, and since Season 2 also not one about a lesbian Superhero Lead, who is black on the top of that. So sadly, not happening.

Guardian and the Sentinel: „Supergirl“ is not getting a Spin-Off, but if we could choose, only Jessica Queller would go for the „Midvale“-One. Having Alex Danvers and Kelly Olsen als crime fighting partners in every sense on our screens would be great. Yes, the title might need some working on, but the concept would be great. They would probably operate outside of National City, there might even be a way to get the military angle in somehow. However as with „TunderGrace“, thanks to „Batwoman“ this one will never get made, because neither Alex nor Kelly have superpowers. Too bad.

Daughters of the Demon: I am very aware that I am the only one, who wants this Spin-Off. But I still want it. A show build around Thea Queen and the Al Ghul-Sisters (and Roy Harper of course) and their dealings with the League of Assassins in all forms and shapes. Katrina Law is of course not available right now, but the main reason we will never see a show around Thea, Nyssa, and Talia is that no one except me is really interested in it.

Dreamer (and Brainiac-5): This one has probably the best chance of ever happening from everything on this list, but given that it wasn‘t done anywhere outside this year’s Pride-Special, means that there probably are no actual plans for it. Anyways, a show about Dreamer with Brainy at her side, probably set in a new city rather than National City, would be great. Nia is still very new to the superhero-game, just finding her feet, and her romance with Brainy can go to many more places. But after the backlash in regards to „Batwoman“, The CW is probably hesitant to dare making a show about a transhero starring an actual transwoman. Nia might rather get moved to „Legends“ or „Superman & Lois“ or get to guest star on „The Flash“ next season than get her own show.

Next Gen: Mia Queen did not get her own show, when she was teamed up with the Canaries. However if you were to team her up with the Tonado-Twins and a Super-Spawn (not the Kent Twins though), she and Dig’s kids might just get another chance for their own show with William as their tech support. However the death of „Green Arrow and the Canaries“ makes that very unlikely, addionally we don’t know what will happen to Nora and Bart on „The Flash“ yet or where they will go with Kara or Clark for that matter in the future. And show set in the future would also cement that future, which would limit all the other shows somehow in storytelling terms, which might have been one of the reasons „Green Arrow and the Canaries“ was not picked up, so don’t hold you breath for that one.

Hall of Justice: Crisis established the League, but in a few months, only Sara, Barry and Clark will be left. But Nate is probably not the only one who applied for a seat. This one would of course have to take place between seasons or star everyone expect the heroes, who currently still have a show. I did name it „Hall of Justice“ on purpose, because there are many reasons, why this would never happen with the other name, but to be blunt, it would probably never happen under any name. However, this would be a good way to actually end the Arrowverse. To do a mini-series, where the League assembles after the last or most of the old shows are done. This could be one last Crossover with the potential of Follow Up- Features, if someone would ever want to make more of it.

An Anthology-Show:

 Originally „Legends of Tomorrow“ was supposed to be an Anthology-Show, and while the decision to make an acutal show instead was the right one back then, the Arrowverse has grown since then, and the idea to do an Anthology-Show to keep it alive is actually a No-Brainer. Instead of whole Seasons, it would be better to go for Two-Parters, Three-Parters, Four Parters and even One Offs though, in order to get more stuff done in the span of a season. The main reason this will not happen is money of course - without standing sets this one would be hard to pull off, but I think it is necessary at this point. And they could even do only two arcs per season or  only a hand full of episodes. This is where they could wrap up the open stortythreads from the failed Backdoor-Pilots – „Green Arrow and the Canaries“ and „Painkiller“ –and also where they could test out new Spin-Off Ideas, they could do my entire list here, plus more, like Slade and his sons, a story about the Hawk s, one about Kate Kane, or even Brandon Routh’s version of Superman etc. They could even go back and do in-between episodes about forgotten and dropped storylines, to which they never got around, like Roy’s death and resurrection or Rip’s founding of the Time Bureau. Additionally this is where they could do the Annual Crossover, they would not need to sacrifice episodes of the other shows, but instead air the Crossover as the Mid-Season Replacement in its own show, followed by some other storylines. But like I said, money is not on the side of this one.

 Bonus: Show that will air on HBOmax instead and therefore can’t happen for the Arrowverse:

John Diggle, Space Cop:

 This would be the Arrowverse Version of „Green Lantern“ and with a „Green Lantern“ Show heading to HBOmax it will of course never happen.

Hellblazer:

 Not too long ago this was my top-bet for a new Arrowverse-Spin-Off, given that Matt Ryan’s „Constantine“ left a lot of unresolved storylines behind, but now that a new version of „Constantine“ with a younger John Constantine as the Main Protagonist in it, is heading to HBOmax, Matt Ryan’s version of the character may even be scrapped from the Arrowverse for good in the soon future. Let’s hope there is room for both versions of the character, but a Spin-Off for the Arrowverse is very much not happening any more.

Booster Gold (and Blue Beetle):

 Wait, you might say, since when is Booster Gold getting his own series on HBOmax? Well, he was at least planned to get one. Alongside „Green Lantern“ another show was announced back then, remember?„Strange Adventures“  was supposed to feature Booster Gold. And while it has become kind of quite around this project, it was not officially scrapped. Given that it is very unlikely that we will ever get to see an Arrowverse-Version of Booster Gold instead, much less in his own show, and with „Blue Beetle“ getting his own show on HBOmax as well, Ted Kord will probably also never pop up in the Arrowverse, and Michael and Ted will never team up alonside the Legends. Too bad.

[missbrunettebarbie-writer]

A long time ago @nectargrapes made a post about all the ships that have the same vibes as her Laila/Darius (If you don’t know who Laila and Darius are, go read Cammie’s amazing novel right now). I liked the idea a lot and thought to do the same....and then forgot about it xDD. Anyway, I present you all the ships that remind me of Pandora/Al.

1. Siena Rosso/Anthony Bridgerton (Bridgerton)

They share the same “can’t stay away from each other” dynamic. When they are in the same room, they can only stare at each other, the entire world fading somewhere in the background. In fact, I am quite sure I only started shipping Santhony because they remind me of Pandora/Al. The way Anthony just fell more and more with Siena with every passing day, how Siena only started this relationship for the benefits of having a powerful man help her get through life only to open her heart to him, it’s all very similar with how I am writing Pandora and Al in their early days.

2. Elektra Natchios/Matt Murdock (Netflix’s Daredevil)

Partners in crime who use their special training and abillities to committ illegal activities? Hell, yes. They are also so playful together which is the vibe I want Pandora/Al to give off. I remember that episode where Elektra and Matt meet for the first time and they break into a politician’s house and start playing the domestic couple and ngl, now I want to write a scene like this. On an angstier note, Mattelektra’s arc in The Defenders shares some emotional points with my darling OTP even if the storylines are very different.

3.Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson (The Vampire Diaries)

I already said that Pandora shares a lot of similarities with Caroline, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise Pandora too has a romance with a very old, very powerful creature. There is the same push and pull feel, the same games of cat and mouse. Pandora, like Caroline, starts the ‘relationship’ by using Al for her own ends. Oddly enough, I would say Pandora and Al are tamer than Klaroline: they are softer with each other, much more cooperative, they respect the other and their mind games are more for fun than anything else. 

4. Buffy Summers/Angel(us) (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Four words: Doomed One True Love. I think this is the essence of both ships. Combine this with the way everyone frowns at the idea of Buffy and Angel being together and how even the universe seems to want them apart and yeah, you basically described both ships. (As a sidenote, I think Buffy is how Pandora was as a teenagers. It makes me wonder what would have happened if she met her Angel at that age instead of in her late twenties).

5. Zari Tarazi/John Constantine (Legends of Tomorrow)

Maybe it’s because I used Constantine’s actor, Matt Ryan, as a face claim, but this is another ship that vaguely has the same ~feel as Pandora/Al. I haven’t watched LOT in a long time (I should pick it up again), but I remember how much I enjoyed when their priorities clashed. John’s struggle to choose between Zari’s brother and his own promise to Astra is something Al can relate too xDD.

6. Nikita Mears/Michael Bishop (CW’s Nikita)

I’ve gotten the same vibes from the very first episode where Michael could not bring himself to kill Nikita. Nikita and Michael met when both of them were in an emotionally awful place (Michael’s family was killed, Nikita has just gotten volunteered to be an assasin), just like Pandora and Al. There is also the teacher-student angle with the student soon outdoing them, the way their loved for each other insipred them to fight for what’s right, The Marriage Theme and probably other things that don’t come to mind right now. I honestly didn’t expect to find so many parallels between these two ships, but they are definitely there.

[nolabballgirl]

Hello😊 can you share your opinion on this season of skam fr so far pls? ive seen so many diff post reporting on how good it is and ofc I've seen the "wow skam fr is druck" ones, which piqued my interest. My background: I think OG is mostly incredible, ive enjoyed some seasons of eskam and Druck (I'm undecided about the current season). But ive never watched a full season of skam fr bc I didn't enjoy writing and tone, tho I did like some of the acting...Might watch skamfr based on your opinion

Hi, Anon! Thanks for your ask! Anon, your watching tastes are close to my own, so hope this is helpful. Anyway, you have to keep in mind that at the end of the day, Skam France is still Skam France 😄 It’s true that there is a new writing team this season, but they have already made serious missteps and writing choices that make me question how much has really changed, especially in relation to POC characters and redemption arcs.

Now we are about to start episode 5, so this is only based on 4 episodes so far. Let’s break this down a little more.

What Skam France has done well this season so far:

Pacing and number of clips - we have had clips almost every day and usually multiple clips per day. and it’s been a decent mix of fluff and more serious clips. episodes have all been above 20 min so far with the last episode approaching 30 min.

Using more Parisian sets/locations - i do feel like the city itself is playing a bigger role in the season compared to most, if not all, of the previous seasons, and there are some very pretty shooting locations.

Cute kids! - la mif members jo and bilal have super cute lil sweet angel siblings. 😇 i do hope we get more scenes showcasing these cuties!

Max’s official gender change - while i’m annoyed that this is almost exclusively being shown through social media, it’s still such an important storyline to cover. and hopefully helps guide others watching who need help navigating this system!

Avoiding tiff being transphobic (so far!) - max is clearly the main love interest for tiff this season, and it looks like we might avoid the tiff being transphobic storyline.

Finally, lucie and flavie (tiff and lola) make some nice acting choices.

What Skam France has NOT done well this season so far:

The underlying premise of tiff as main - at the end of the day, the main is still a conventionally attractive, thin, cis, white straight girl who was a horrible bully to last season’s main, lola. given skam france’s historically bad representation choices, especially of POC/Muslim characters, the fact that the new writers loved this character so much to make her the main when so many other choices existed says a lot.

No apology from tiff to lola - earlier this season we had lola call out tiff for her bullying, and other characters have mentioned it to tiff as well, and yet we have had no acknowledgment by tiff that what she did to lola was wrong or even show any personal responsibility for it. rather, when confronted by lola, tiff pointed to her own problems, and referenced her pregnancy. cue all the la mif members, including MAYA!, coddling tiff and subsequently tiff and lola becoming besties. talk about poor writing choices! for an analogy, imagine if the druck s7 main was constantin who all of a sudden became besties with ava after telling her some sob story about his life. it’s just hard to sympathize with a main who has made no effort in earning her redemption arc and righting her wrongs, and we are almost halfway through the season.

Treatment of black characters - the depiction of the two main black characters this season, aurélien and judith, has been horrible. they are often shown in dark, confined spaces (like bathrooms) with dramatic/menacing music overlayed over the scene. and as for conduct, aurélien has not only ghosted tiff but also physically pushes her in a scene. judith is also shown as an antagonist to tiff and confronts her in one bathroom scene that could be straight out of a horror film (the music! yikes!)

Sidelining of other MOC characters - the other MOC characters this season, bilal and redouane, are currently acting out the trope of POC characters being part of the comic relief for a season. there is a rumor that bilal may be the s8 main, but we’ll have to see.

And one last point - honestly, a lot of people just watch skam for the cute ships, and there is always a ton of angst and criticism whenever a skam remake separates or breaks up a ship. given that there are a fair number of scenes with tiff/max and it’s all cute and low drama, i think that has fed into the commentary surrounding this season too, so there you go.

[yaraaimsakul]

god i forgot that ismail is nonbinary, sorry for that i realized when i read your answer 😰 but if it's them i would like to think that it will be their redemption arc but idk how and for sure not this season

hi again! 🌸 it’s ok, no problem! i think we have no confirmation of them being non binary yet or which pronouns they prefer, but that’s exactly why it’s probably better to use they/them in my opinion.

and yeah, i agree. if ismail is behind that account, the redemption arc is probably going to have something to do with that. it’s weird though because we don’t know exactly what happened with ava, and if they really used to bully her it’s a big yikes (not saying she’s lying though, just saying that maybe it was just constantin or who knows. god i just want to know so much more about ava). either way, as it is right now i’m not a big fan of them being behind the account, but i just have the feeling it is.

anyway, i don’t know how the redemption arc will go, but i’m pretty sure it’ll come eventually. and right now the only way i can think of is though this plotline with the insta account. but it also depends a lot on who the next main is and aaaaahhh we still have so many things to know

[sorrelchestnut]

a question of motivation

Are any of my followers actually playing Greedfall?  (Aside from you, @arlathahn, I know you’ve been out there suffering along with me.)  If you are, hit me up, because I have fallen down this rabbit hole and I don’t seem to be hitting bottom anytime soon.

Which, obviously, means it’s time for some some overly-elaborate character speculation!  Because how would you even know I’m in a fandom if I’m not overthinking things, amiright?

Spoiler warning for Treason! and Kurt’s companion quests ahoy.

*

*

*

I've been thinking about what causes Kurt to betray you if you don't do the Ghost Camp quest before Treason, because I finally got a chance to play through The Bad Version, and on the surface of it, it doesn't make sense.  All of the things he says to you when he doesn't betray you - that he cares about what happens to you, that he might be a mercenary but he still values his honor - aren't any less true in the world where he does.  I mean, he might agree when you call him honorless, but when you step in front of Constantin and tell him to "fight with honor" he nods and stands down the guard, and does his damnedest to oblige.  When he says, "Sorry, Green Blood," he seems to mean it; when he says, "I am proud of you - truly," he seems to mean that even more.  To all appearances, he doesn't seem to care about those things any less just because he's trying to kill you.  So why do it at all?

The narrative seems to imply that his loyalty to the Guard was stronger than his loyalty to de Sardet.  That without knowing that Torsten condoned the kind of torture that he suffered through when he was younger, he'd be willing to follow his commander's orders, even to the point of the betrayal and murder of someone he clearly cares for a great deal.  Even Sieglinde says it, when he tells her about the Ghost Camp: "You've always been a loyal person, and too many loyalties are sometimes hard to reconcile."  His loyalty to de Sardet and his loyalty to Torsten are presented as two opposing forces, the proverbial rock and a hard place, and without learning about the Ghost Camp, his loyalty to Torsten wins out.

(Okay the rest of this is going behind a cut because it got absurdly long.)

My problem with this is that it implies that, without de Sardet's intervention, Kurt is the sort of man who would blindly follow orders to the point of assassination and murder, and that… doesn't square with what you learn about him in the Ghost Camp questline.  That's exactly the sort of mindset that he's spent the last two decades struggling to leave behind.  He takes honor seriously, to the point that it's something he went out of his way to teach de Sardet alongside swordsmanship; he takes personal responsibility for the soldiers he recruits and blames himself when something happens to them.  He doesn't believe in following orders blindly: when you go to the Ghost Camp, he says, "It's not too late to refuse all of this," and, "Are you really going to obey these scoundrels?"  That's not de Sardet's influence; it's a deeply-held belief, a reaction against the violation and trauma he suffered as a youth.  I find it hard to believe that conditioned obedience could go so deep that it would override that part of his psyche.

And the thing is, if Torsten knew him at all - and it's implied that he did, especially since he targeted Kurt specifically for his weapons-smuggling scheme at the beginning of the game - there's no way he wouldn't have known that about him.  Especially since the game implies that Torsten also knew about Hermann's old training camp back in the day, which  means he'd also know how deeply Kurt's loathing ran.  If you were in Torsten's shoes, would you trust a man like that to be in charge of clandestine mission that could decide the fate of your entire endeavor?  I submit that you would not - unless you were a complete idiot, and a complete idiot does not manage to plan a three-pronged coup d'etat that nearly succeeds.

No, I think Torsten offered something that he knew Kurt couldn't refuse.  Something that he knew Kurt would want more than anything else, maybe even want badly enough to be worth betraying someone he cares about deeply.  And it wouldn't be rank, or power, or even money: despite Kurt's jokes on the subject, it's obvious that honor means a lot more to him than gold, and I doubt he’s making pennies as a legate’s personal guard anyway.  No, it'd be something that only Torsten could offer him, something he's wanted long before he even heard the name de Sardet.

I think Torsten offered him Hermann.

Hermann obviously suffered no consequences for running a fucking torture camp and calling it elite training.  Someone must have shut down the camp back in the day, because Kurt says he thought it was a thing of the past, but Hermann himself got off scot-free.  Hell, they promoted him! And you know from Kurt's final mission that Hermann is much-respected by his soldiers, some to the point of hero-worship.  Kurt had to live with the knowledge that his abuser was living the high life less than a day's travel from where he was stationed, and there wasn't a single fucking thing he could do about it, because Hermann was their golden boy, and that meant he was fucking untouchable.  Even de Sardet, if Kurt had ever been able to bring himself to tell them about it, wouldn't have had the leverage to do anything to him, not in someone else's city.

But Torsten could.  Torsten was the only person on the island with a higher rank than Hermann, and in the chaos of a coup d'etat it'd be easy for one man to disappear, especially if you were the one giving him orders.  I think Torsten went to Kurt and told him that he could have his vengeance, finally, after all these years… and all he had to do was betray the person he cared about most.

It squares with the way Kurt acts in his betrayal sequence: he's not bitter, or defiant, or proud, like he would be if he believed in what he was doing.  Mostly he just seems tired.  I think the promise of vengeance was enough to secure his agreement, to carry him through rounding up a squad of obedient young idiots too beaten down to question orders and march into the throne room…  And then he looked at these trusting young nobles, these kids he's been charged to protect, and all that promised vengeance just turned to ashes in his mouth.  Which is why, I think, he stood down the guard and fought de Sardet one-on-one: he’d trained them himself, he knew how good they were, and dying on their blade seemed a lot easier than living with the consequences of his actions.  And why, if you choose to spare him and he regains the upper hand, he turns the pistol on himself rather than pull the trigger on his best and favorite student.

On a somewhat less depressing note, it also squares with the way things play out if Kurt doesn't betray you.  Think about it: Torsten obviously heard about Kurt shutting down the Ghost Camp, but he still brought Kurt into his attempted coup anyway.  He had to at least suspect that Kurt might not be feeling cooperative: when you search Torsten's office during Treason, they even say how Torsten was hedging his bets with Kurt's loyalty.  But hedged bets or no, Torsten had to have a reason to think such a close compatriot of the legate would worth the risk of exposure.  And the only way that calculation makes sense is if he had leverage: Hermann's head on a pike, if only Kurt joins his little rebellion.  And even then, Torsten must have managed the timing very carefully; the only way that scene makes sense in a no-betrayal version is if Kurt just straight-up didn't have time to warn de Sardet between Torsten's approach and the Guard's attack.

(Relatedly: typing this out, it occurs to me that something must have happened to move up Torsten’s planned timeline.  Think about it: de Sardet had the chance to warn the other cities, even though they're like a day's travel apart, which means that the attacks weren't coordinated to occur all at the same time.  That's Rebellion 101, so something about Constantin's diagnosis must have caused Torsten to attack earlier than planned.  Maybe he figured it'd cause too much of a shake-up in the guard rotation so he had to make his move before it could happen? Maybe he found out de Sardet cleared the room, leaving them alone and vulnerable, and thought the opportunity was too good to pass up?  Either way, he clearly made his move ahead of schedule - and it came back to bite him in the ass in the worst way possible.)

Anyway, the point of this theory - besides filling in what I see as a hole in his character arc - is that it makes Kurt's decision not to betray them even more poignant.  It means it's not just a matter of picking one loyalty over another: it's him making a deliberate choice to sacrifice what might be his only chance at vengeance against the monster who ruined his life, in order to save his best (only?) friend.  That's powerful stuff! And it makes it all the more rewarding when de Sardet manages to take out Hermann anyway, unflinchingly getting their hands dirty with bribery and corruption just because Kurt asked it of them.  And afterwards – and this is the crucial part - they don't even ask him for anything in return.  It's the final and tangible proof that de Sardet deserves all the loyalty he's already given them, and contrasts all the more beautifully with Kurt's realization of how misplaced his loyalty to Torsten had been.

So.  There you have it.  My 1500-word answer to a question probably nobody but me was asking, but damned if I wasn't going to answer it anyway.

[blog-of-reaction]

Legends of Tomorrow 3x15

It seems like whenever I do one of these I always thing of something else to say five minutes after posting. Anyways, first off, a theme in this episode is one that is summed up pretty well at the end when Gary says, "Some wounds are so deep they never truly heal."

Like yes, that's right. Ever since we met Sarah in Arrow she has struggled with darkness inside of her. I'm not sure about how I felt when it implied that the reason for that, and the reason for Mick's obession with fire, is because they were born to be totem bearers. It seems to kind of invalidate it a bit in my opinion. Like, no, how about the totems chose them because that is part of who they are, and not that they are that way because they are destined to be totem bearers. A small, but significant difference.

Anyways, yeah, Sarah has always struggled with darkness inside her and it shows up in a lot of her character arcs. And well part of it may be the writers just sticking to what works I prefer to think, and think it could be their intentions, that since it is a part of her, since it has helped shape her like....I don't know like, it isn't something she faces once and Bam everything's better she never struggles with it again. That is unrealistic. Her darkness can be helpful at times, and part of the reason I love her is because she is capable of being the villian, but she never would be.

Also, Constantine, Astra is always there, haunting him and just.....I'm actually not sure what to say, I forgot what I was going to say.

I said before that I was sad that the writers kind of forgot about Mick and Amaya's friendship, but it made an appearance this episode, and that make some really happy. I just knew when I heard there was a fire totem that Mick would be the bearer, I mean, who didn't? Amaya's belief in Mick, seeing past his bravado more often then the rest of the Legends, it's awesome. They both believe in and support each other. Except sometimes Amaya can get fed up with Mick and Mick is like, really bad at emotions or showing he cares.

Also, Sarah's speech to Nora,

"No. No, to a life without pain, or regret. No to being a demons lackey and No, to bringing more death into this world."

Amazing. I love her. She continues to be my favorite.

[aeon-wolf]

Legends 4x12

Ya’ll we got so fucking fed tonight. 

Okay so since this post is basically going to be fangirling over Avalance for 70% of it, I’ll get all of the boring stuff out of the way first. If you just want Avalance stuff, jump down to the line break. 

- I am living for Nora’s arc this season. As I’ve said many a time, she is probably my favorite “villain” character that has been on Legends so I’m glad they’re giving her the redemption arc. And it’s been written beautifully. The fact she is trying to change for herself; not for Ray, not for anyone else. But because she knows she’s capable of being a better person and wants to be that person. And then her working with Constantine to trick Neron. I admit I was a bit worried initially they were going to play the betrayal card with her, but I was glad to be proven wrong. And I will never doubt my precious child ever again. 

- We got somewhat introduced to what seems to be Neron’s endgame. Bringing Tabitha into the world and then using magical creatures to scare humans into giving their souls to him. I’m not sure how that second part works exactly, but I’m sure it’ll be explained at some point. Probably in the last five minutes of the season finale knowing Legends. It’s probably a safe bet that Tabitha is a fellow demon if he needed Ava’s body as a vessel for her. 

- I admit Ray and Nate are my least favorite Legends. That isn’t to say I hate them or anything. Just if I had to put all the Legends on the numbered list, they would be at the bottom. So the whole Nate/Ray scenes were really a miss for what I’m interested in Legends for. And with them butting up against Nora/Constantine/Neron scenes and Avalance scenes, they just felt like a drag to watch. That said, I do really feel for Nate. He’s in a difficult position, discovering things about his father and then having to face the demon who killed him. And he’s had some fun to watch growth over the season. 

- I’m really still not here about SteelHacker (or Natari, according to Mona), but I also wish they’d stop playing this “will they, won’t they” with them. Either get them together or don’t. I really am getting kind of annoyed on some level with Zari being like “I like him, but wait no I can’t do that.” I love Zari getting growth, and while I’d infinitely rather see her be single, on some level I can understand her position. Love has always been a liability for her. ARGUS killed her family (if I’m remembering right, I don’t have a great memory), and from what we know about her past, her family were the only people she’s really ever loved deeply. So to protect herself in her dystopian future, she had to cut herself from getting too attached. Thus when she’s running into real budding romantic feelings, it’s hard for her. She’s unsure of herself. And from that standpoint, I don’t mind SteelHacker. Also, I would really like to believe the writers would have liked to put Charlie and Zari together (the eye sex and “You’re straight?” line in this episode), but CW executives (remember the network this show is on everyone) said they met their limit for lgbt+ relationships with Avalance and John/Desmond. Obviously, we can’t know that, but I’ll choose to believe that because it makes me feel better. 

- I also really liked how they portrayed both John/Sara and John/Nora relationships this episode. When Sara insisted on going in after Ava, John seemed to be protective over her in trying to discourage her. After Caity sort of shut down any John/Sara romance stuff at Clexacon (not that there was any indication their dalliance in S3 was any more than what amounted to a drunken one night stand as well as a mistake), I feel like it’s been a bit easier to see their relationship more as almost a brother/sister kind of relationship. Perhaps most akin to twins. They support each other, are protective of one another, but they get on each other’s nerves and annoy the shit out each other, often times for fun. And John/Nora seems almost like a yin/yang relationship. They both are cut from similar cloth, as their conversation outside Neron’s holding cell in the hallway shows. They’re both scared of themselves and their own power, but where John is kind of the tortured soul about it, Nora tries to redeem herself and be better. I think both could learn a lot from the other. 

- There are other little bits and pieces I liked about the episode, but this post is already long enough without talking at all about Avalance, so if you’re curious about anything else, please send me a message. 

AVALANCE!

We, as a fandom, were so fucking fed it’s unreal. It’s such a strange feeling to me to pretty much have an entire episode basically be dedicated to our pairing getting to work out relationship issues and actually talk about the future. 

- So first off, can we talk about how Ava has a cute ass picture of her and Sara in her entryway? It’s such a small thing, but it makes the relationship feel so real. Also when Sara was knocking at Ava’s door, apologizing and facing her fears and wanting to work their relationship out, that was such a growth moment for Sara. I was so proud of how far our emotionally closed off, reformed assassin has come. 

- So basically Ava had been missing for two weeks, which probably was about when they had their fight. And Jes even said at Clexacon that there was supposed to be more to that scene where someone walked in on her having a mental breakdown. I’m thinking a possibility might have been Hank coming in, maybe Ava was late for their meeting and that’s obviously strange for Ava and he tells her to take a leave of absence to get her head on straight after she confesses about her relationship with Sara. And then Neron ambushes her in her apartment shortly after? That’s pure speculation and we’ll probably never know, but it’s fun to think about. 

- The fact that Ava’s hell was set in the Legends version of Ikea was hilarious. Along with all of the little gay shoutouts. They managed to fit in an “out of the closet” joke as well as building furniture together, which was clearly peak gay. And confirmation that Sara is the one to disregard instructions, fail and then have her significant other basically say “I told you so” when they build the thing successfully following directions. 

- I’m glad they clarified her opinions on one of the things Sara and Ava got in a fight about in the first place, how the Bureau was treating magical creatures. I’m not really sure I got the characterizations right in my assumptions, but it seemed to be a defensive fear thing, rather than any sort of malice or callousness. It obviously doesn’t make it right, but it does explain her point of view better than she did in the actual argument scene. 

- As I said, one of the most real things about the entire episode was that Ava and Sara were talking about real problems that you’d normally see a straight couple on a TV show discuss. Long term commitment (shoutout for actually showing them as older wlw which is fucking rare on TV, even if it was only for a moment), them consider what a “normal” life would be like, and address them being two powerful, independent women trying to navigate a relationship when both of them are in pretty unfamiliar territory was a long term relationship. It was about treating Avalance like a normal relationship on the screen. The fact that they are two women wasn’t ignored, but it wasn’t the central point either. It was more like two people, communicating about what they want, recognizing they’ll both have to compromise on some things and work their problems out together that just happen to be two women. It was beautiful and no one can tell me otherwise. I’m sure someone will find a bone to pick with the whole premise, there always is, but I’d just like to recognize that while it may not be perfect, it’s a hell of a lot better than the “bury your gays” tropes that we were dealing with not 3 years ago. As well as other questionable lgbt+ representation decisions on a certain network. 

- I’m kind of glad that it was Ava that wanted the “normal” life. And kind of addressed that there is more to life than her job. I feel like, at least for myself in writing fanfic, I’ve characterized her as someone who basically has no life outside work. And while that might be canonically true at the moment, getting verbal confirmation that Ava does want something more with Sara was great.

- And then again, Sara and her own insecurities over her past and not being able to be the person that Ava “needs” Which like.. fucking props for the ones who wrote the line “Neither of us needs anybody, but you are who I want.”  I feel like in a lot of TV relationships (not just wlw) that they always make characters so dependant on their significant other, *cough Supergirl* and they sacrifice character development of one or both characters in favor of building a relationship. Or propping up one character at the expense of the other. And while Avalance is obviously important, both Sara and Ava have had growth unrelated to their relationship in the last two seasons and that line is kind of just a representation of that fact. 

Anyways, I have a lot more feelings about the episode, but this post is long enough. Please send me inbox messages to fangirl with me if you want. I’m so hyped about this episode. I think moving away from a specific magical fugitive and just focusing on the Legends and the Neron plotline (plus the whole Nate thing) did the episode fluidity a lot of good and from the promo for next episode, it seems like it’ll be similar. 

[allimariexf]

Friends. I am so unable to have coherent thoughts about Arrow at this point. I wanted to do a little 7x19 review (not much to say, tbh fuck I lied), but then again I also wanted to do a 7x18 review, and a 7x17 review, and...also talk about Arrow ending and EBR leaving. Yeah, ‘cause I still haven’t managed to do those things.

I keep thinking I have to have all my thoughts in order and arranged before I can say anything valuable, but the problem is my thoughts won’t comply. They refuse to be orderly and arrangeable. (Also I’ve tried just typing whatever is in my brain, too, but all I have to show for it is about 10,000 words of semi-coherent babbling hanging out in my Drafts. Probably never to see the light of day.)

So anyway 7x19 (🤞 that I stay on track here - update: I fucking failed! 😱😱😱): it was okay I guess.

As we draw to the end of the season - of the show, really - a few things keep bothering me, and unfortunately they’re coloring any and all enjoyment I may be able to squeeze out of the episodes so I have to just get them off my chest:

1. I keep getting stuck on the terrible production value. I can’t help it! It’s gotten to the point where I cannot help but see the production as much as I see the story, and it’s so jarring. I see the sets, the stage, where I only used to see the setting. It’s the (lack of) camera angles, the lighting, and the very obvious reliance on sets, rather than location shoots. 

And I can’t help but think: it didn’t used to be like this. Seasons 1-3 were so immersive, so atmospheric. Stylized? Yes, but in a way that was purposeful and enhanced the story. 

The most recent seasons make production feel only like a means to an end.

I think the production budget got cut a little after season 3, but seasons 4 and 5 still felt epic and captivating enough. But season 6′s production values were abysmal. And I thought it would finally improve in season 7 with the new showrunner, but instead it has only gotten worse and I realize now that it must have everything to do with budget. (And maybe this is my bitterness talking, but I can’t help but suspect that part of it is that increasingly, more and more of each year’s budget is being used to fund the crossovers. 😠)

The EPs seem to have forgotten something critical about filmmaking - production is always going to be a crucial aspect of story-telling, whether it’s intentional or not. There’s no such thing as an “objective” camera angle or edit. Every non-decision has as much an impact on the story as a decision would have, and by forgetting that, they have vastly reduced the overall quality of the show.

Anyway, I feel like I have to make one thing clear, since after all, I WAS ON THE SET and I MET THE CREW - literally shook hands with and spoke to camera operators, lighting people, and all other sorts of production people: they work hard and take their jobs seriously and in no way am I trying to suggest that any of them are bad at their jobs. They were truly lovely and professional and I was so impressed by them. I truly think the lapse in production values is entirely due to decisions made at the very top about money. It just has a very unfortunate, very obvious impact on the quality of the show they’re making. 

2. I can’t help but see and lament the effect of OVERPLOTTING and a lack of emotional foregrounding.

I comment all the time about how tight the story was in seasons 1-3:

Big Bads who had a personal connection to Oliver

seamless interweaving of the Flashbacks and the present

a clear, consistent, well-paced evolution of Oliver’s character that paralleled the action/plot

excellently-plotted storylines where all the characters were relevant to the plot - so that we had a reason to care, and focus on character actually forwarded the plot.

a good mixture of villains of the week that were both interesting unto themselves, and provided much-needed wins/breaks in the overarching plot, and allowed for plenty of character moments

generally, because of all of the above, a perfect sense of pacing and an excellent balance between plot and character, where plenty of time was given to dialogue and quiet character moments - which only served to enhance the plot

But then season 4 came along and things went south quickly, mainly due (in my opinion) to writing decisions that put plot over character, resulting in some seriously out-of-character stories that unfortunately had a huge impact on the show going forward. But even aside from Oliver’s uncharacteristic lying and Felicity’s unlikely decision to call the whole thing off, season 4 was already suffering from a clear lack of the things (above) that made seasons 1-3 so good.

It was the first time the BB had no real connection to Oliver’s past, which meant that suddenly the villain arc had to pull double-duty - drive the present-day plot and also somehow establish an emotional reason for us to care. Unfortunately, rather than pulling those two threads together into a tight, single focus, the writers created a sprawling story - a messy, confusing present-day arc and the absolute worst flashbacks of the entire show.

And it also saw the deliberate introduction of more comic-book elements to the show, with Damien Darhk’s (and Constantine’s) magic, which was a wrenching change in tone from the first three season’s grittiness. (I know a lot of the haters like to blame this shift in tone on Olicity - and even I will admit that the suddenly happy-go-lucky Oliver was a little too heavy-handed - but I fully believe the tonal shift has everything to do with the introduction of magic. And, of course, the horrible, clunky, meta-heavy crossover, which for the first time was used as a vehicle, rather than a chance for us to enjoy interactions between characters we loved.)

Then there was season 5. Lots of people love season 5, and I agree there were good elements, but for me it still suffers from a lack of those things that made seasons 1-3 so great:

most of all, with NTA there were suddenly too many characters - and they didn’t have a legitimate reason to be there. Their stories were arbitrary, inconsistently explored (or, more accurately, not explored), and had nothing to do with Oliver. And (maybe worst of all), their backstories/stories had nothing to do with the overarching plot of the season. So, again, the show’s focus was pulled in a million different directions, rather than the earlier brilliance of plot and character working together to drive the narrative. 

the introduction of metas as major characters in Arrow (rather than only being used in the crossovers) continued the cartoonish atmosphere which, in my opinion, made the consequences of all actions feel slightly less real, less impactful. To me it felt like a betrayal of Arrow, at its core. Because Arrow was solidly gritty for the first 3 years - even the League of Assassins storylines of season 3 felt grounded and real. Even The Count, Cupid, the Clock King - comic book villains to the core - still felt gritty and real within the universe. But (for me at least) the casual reliance on metahuman abilities let the writers be sloppy and careless with their plots, their resolutions, and their consequences. 

and I know most people love Prometheus, but I never loved him for two main reasons. First, while I appreciate the fact that they tied Prometheus’s origin to Oliver, the personal connection just felt forced to me. Prometheus, Talia, all of it felt untethered and hasty. I think they could have done a much better job grounding the story, planting the seeds earlier, but they didn’t. Second, Prometheus just won too much. The show had spent 5 years making us believe in Oliver’s abilities - as a fighter, an archer, and a strategist - and it was suddenly as if he were a bumbling idiot. The show made him seem incompetent in order to make Prometheus be always 10 steps ahead, and it was not only disheartening, it was unbelievable. Because not only did Oliver have 5 years more training than Prometheus did, he also had a team behind him.

Season 6 failed spectacularly in all ways, in my opinion. It was the ultimate example of overplotting, where the writers basically took everything that was so great about seasons 1-3 and did the opposite. Too many characters, uneven pacing, a sprawling, unfocused villain arc, and a lack of any given reason to care about any of it. And of course, everyone acting counter to their long-established characteristics.

I was really, really hoping that Beth and the new writers would use season 6 as a counterexample: what not to do in season 7. But (and again, I am not trying to place blame - I have no idea who is really in charge of these decisions, plus at this point there are already so many balls in the air that a lot of it is probably out of the writers’ hands anyway) as season 7 winds to a close, it’s clear to me that they’ve basically repeated a lot of the same plotting problems of season 6. 

Which brings me to 7x19. (And all of 7b actually, if I’m honest.)

Because this was supposedly a JOHN DIGGLE-centric episode, but it was way too little, way too late. (Setting aside the absolute tragedy that it’s been 7 years and this is the first chance we’ve gotten to look in-depth into John’s backstory beyond Andy.) Like others have mentioned, the focus on John felt superficial at best. We have a character with 7 years of characterization to explore, but the episode hardly touched on John’s character, his emotions, at all. And the little we got felt superficial. 

Instead, the episode was plot-heavy, convoluted, and tried to accomplish too many things. Things that, for the most part, had not been adequately emotionally foregrounded. By that I mean:

John’s story with his stepfather could have been awesome, except we’ve never fucking heard John even mention his parents before this episode. They planted and harvested those seeds all within a single episode.

Felicity’s struggle with her legacy...WOW. That was the first time we’ve ever heard her specifically say that she wanted her own legacy more than as Overwatch. Yeah, we have the “beacon of hope” stuff from 4x17, and some references here and there this season - and I don’t mean to be ungrateful - but I feel like there were ample opportunities to do a better job foregrounding Felicity’s struggle, yet they just haven’t.

Emiko and Dante. Yawn. Too little, too late - both in the season and in the series. 

Emiko and Oliver. Same.  

I have strong feelings about why it’s all going wrong, and for the most part I think it’s this: the writers aren’t trying to tell a complete, emotionally fulfilling story in season 7. Rather, season 7 seems to be divided into two discrete storylines:

7a, the prison arc, was pretty much its own thing. Sure, the writers attempted to establish a connection to 7b through the flash forwards, but it’s a very weak connection that relies on illusions and attempts to obscure the audience’s perception of events (mainly to do with the attempt to make us believe that Oliver’s prison stint caused a fundamental change in Felicity, making her become a villain in the future). But in reality, the 7a arc was pretty much self-contained - and, in hindsight, all the better for it.

7b, on the other hand, has lacked focus and direction, and as the season has worn on it’s become increasingly clear that rather than having purpose and emotional fulfillment of its own, it’s being used as a vehicle:

to drive the flash forward story, and/or

to drive next year’s crossover storyline, and/or

to drive season 8′s storyline.

(I’m using and/or there because I pretty much suspect all of those things are one in the same.) 

Seasons 1-3 (and even 4 and 5, to some extent) built upon each other. The writers planted seeds in seasons 1 and 2 that didn’t pay off until much, much later, meaning that we were invested in that payoff. We were adequately prepared, through plot and character, for those stories. But rather than continue to reinvest and build on elements of the earlier seasons, the latter seasons - especially 6 and 7 - have gone off in completely unprecedented directions. And for season 7, this means they’re trying to do accomplish too much at the very end. Too much plot, too late in the game, with too little emotional foregrounding.

We have THREE EPISODES LEFT after this - only THREE EPISODES left with Felicity - and there are still so many unanswered questions. Not only for the season, but for the show. And somehow each episode still manages to feel stagnant, refusing to answer our pressing questions, or worse - introducing new ones. 

And I guess that’s what’s really getting to me now. Because did I hate 7x19? No, not really. Aside from the general decline in quality discussed above, it was fine. I like the Team Arrow moments, I liked Olicity in the bunker, the team within the team. This is the sort of action and stories I wanted more of last season, and all this season too. It’s nice to finally have it again. 

But it’s time for resolutions now, and we’re not getting them. It’s time they start answering our questions about the flash forwards, time they start resolving the Emiko storyline - or at least building up to that resolution. (Remember how tight 1x19 through 1x23 are? The threads unraveling, the ever-heightening intensity?? Nothing like the plodding, disconnected feel of these late-season 7 episodes.)  

All of which makes me think they’re not really intending to resolve these questions this season at all. Rather than giving us a satisfying, complete story, they’re just rushing to the next thing - the next crossover, the next season. 

And it just bothers me, because this is the end for Felicity. We deserve character moments, goddammit. 

The showrunners seem to have forgotten that it was always character that made this show great. And it just makes me sad that it seems they won’t remember it in time to give us the proper ending that Felicity (and Oliver, and John) deserve. 

[marireadshellblazer]

Hellblazer Issue #7

There are a couple of big gut punches in this issue. Forgot how hard the one with Ray hit, though.

Okay they need to stop with how amazing the cover art is. My heart cannot take it!

Whooo boy, ok, the guest art there at the beginning caught me a bit off guard. Good way to separate his dream from reality. Also, pretty hot. It really let’s us see into John’s mind; how he subconsciously views people and where is passions are. Where his curiosity overlaps with sexuality. Got some flashbacks to The Horrorist.

Also, I’mma have to agree with John here; public transport does suck. It was amazingly convenient in Japan, and it was nice to have around the college campus, but it isn’t exactly a pleasure experience wise. Worst I had was the subway in New York City. It was the single most disgusting place I have ever been.

So, another friend of John’s brought in here; Ritchie. Now, the computers he works with make this particular issue stand out as really dated. It also had me thinking about some stuff.

In my horror film history class, we talked a lot about what makes something scary. A lot of the time, the “monsters” in film represent the anxieties and fears that are present among the masses at the time. Movies about zombie outbreaks and viruses got more popular in the wake of COVID 19. Movies with people based on real-life serial killers prey on the fears people have about those in the community and their fear of being victimized. Movies with demonic possessions can be metaphors for all kinds of things, and werewolf films are often the most easy to decipher as parallels for everything from puberty to mental illness. Horror films are, in short, often scary because the thing to fear in them is often grounded in things that are real, thus the popularity of found footage and “based on a true story” horror films.

In our modern world technology is still a great source of anxiety. People watching you through your webcam, Google knowing your location, Alexa becoming one of those things from The Terminator, etc. While it might seem lame or dated now, movies like Ringu (or the American version called The Ring) play on these fears as well; our dependence on and the prevalence of technology and how it can victimize us. For instance, at the beginning of The Ring there are two girls talking about how they heard TV waves cause brain damage or something to that effect. This stuck with me since, when I was a kid, there were rumors that cell phones could cause cancer and that you shouldn’t sleep near them or have them on for too long (something about radiation, I think). Even now you hear about people thinking 5G will either kill us or be used for mind control.

What I’m saying is, even though it’s dated, it makes sense to me that technology and it’s use as a portal for the mind is brought into Hellblazer. Computers becoming more accessible and the rapid upgrades that came with them, I imagine, caused a lot of anxiety. What can they be used for? Are they dangerous? Can the Russians use it to take over??!!! (I assume that’s what people from the 80’s were like IDK). The idea of using it in order to access the spiritual plane, although farfetched, falls into the question of “well, what can’t a computer do?” which is something that people still ask themselves today.

Poor Ritchie. Another victim of the curse that is being near John Constantine. Making me think back to what happened during the séance during the American Gothic arc of Swamp Thing; another magician dead after being pulled into something dangerous by John.

My God…I mean since I read his before I knew it was coming, but Ray…breaks my freaking heart every time. It’s no surprise that Delano includes his feelings about the treatment of gays and those with AIDS. I imagine, at the time, it might have been an unpopular opinion. Showing Ray speaking of his illness bravely and being open about who he loves…it gets me every time. He was murdered by brainwashed cowards for ultimately no reason. He stood his ground bravely for a friend. This is some real horror, here. What’s more horrifying than the murder of an innocent old man via hate crime? This was the first time (but not the last) I felt my stomach drop when reading this series. Delano made him a martyr for the message. It could be argued that this fits into the bury your gays trope, but it does get the point across. His death is haunting. The reader may not know him well, but they know very well Ray did nothing to deserve that.

Something I didn’t notice before: John being on a train bookends the issue, as does the subject of sex. At the beginning he’s sleeping, so at least somewhat relaxed, on his way to see a hommie, dreaming about banging a friend. Pretty standard stuff. At the end of the issue, he is stressed and dealing with the reality that the aforementioned hommie is now dead more or less because of him. The ghost of his ex then chastises him for having sex as a partial motivation, which does appear to be the case. Sex goes from something good (as good as unzipping flesh can be, anyway) to something shameful and is being something thrown at him as a problem. Nice touch there.

Ok so the journal entries at the end from when John was in Ravenscar were a bit of a surprise. The one about his sister…I have heard of people having experiences like that with siblings or other family. Is that normal?

Words I had to look up:

Duck- dear, term of endearment. (aight, I have heard this one in this context before, and I could kinda guess at the meaning, but this time I knew I needed to be sure. Also, not gunna lie, it’s kinda weird).

kia ora- Maori word, used here I think to mean lively or cheerful.

Cosh- big-ass stick, used as a weapon.

[flying-elliska]

What are the important bisexual characters that you said helped you? I am having a hard time finding good bi representation in which they aren’t considered promiscuous or unstable

Hiya anon ! What a quality question, thank you ! Here’s another mini essay about bi rep lmao.  If there are some that I forgot please tell me ! And to everyone, tell me about the bi characters who made an impact on your life, I’d love to know !!!!

Okay so.

-  When I answered the anon and talked about the characters that helped me come to terms with my sexuality, I talked about two in particular. Jack Harkness from Torchwood is depicted as very promiscuous, and somewhat instable. He still meant a lot to me because a) him sleeping around was never that much of a problem, it was because he was from the future, where things were different, which I thought was refreshing and b) his instability was because of the weight of being an immortal hero. Also fanon!Dean Winchester from SPN, as an older, more macho, emotionally witholding, badass dude written as bi meant a lot to me, but he doesn’t really avoid that stereotype either. But at least they were heroes.  However, I can understand wanting bi characters that actually don’t fit that stereotype, because bi people irl aren’t all like that, even if there is nothing wrong per se about sleeping with a lot of different people, or having mental issues to struggle with. And that was a while ago and now we have more and more cool characters ! Such as :

- Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. One of the best portrayals of bisexuality on TV imho. She didn’t start out as bi, she was this tough, cool, scary but with a heart of gold cop who had a lot of other plotlines before. But then, since they saw that a lot of wlw got this vibe from her, were really into her, and the actress came out as bi herself, they decided to use this. So it was super organic, and the way they introduced the subject was true to Rosa herself ; she’s a super private person, she doesn’t like anybody knowing about her life (it’s actually a running joke and Rosa Diaz has been implied to not even be her real name). But then she is dating a woman, and struggles with her parents not understanding and her coworkers find out, help her and support her. Her gay captain is there for her in his typical stoic but hilarious way. They organize game night with her when her parents won’t anymore. We see her crushing on women and dating, but it is treated exactly as the other character’s love life, they never make a big deal out of it. She isn’t the token queer character. She says outright she is bisexual and there is a specific point about her mom not understanding it’s not a phase and thinking she’ll end up with a man anyway, which #relatable. The focus is on the team as found family. Also right now she’s dating a butch woman, which is awesome since they are so underrepresented on TV and I hope we see more of her. That show really is my comfort show, it’s still bloodly hilarious and it really transcends the format to say some really deep woke stuff too, but never in a way that feels on the nose. Everyone should watch it tbh. 

- Korrasami ! Oh my god, I was so blown away when they got together. They’re two characters from the animated series Legend of Korra, they start out as rivals in love who have feelings for the same guy, but as they have to fight baddies together, they become bestest of friends, and both fall out of love with the guy. Then in season 3 and 4, their relationship becomes central to the show, as Asami stands by Korra through some really tough shit. Also, they’re both ultra badass and fight really well together. A lot of fans started reading their chemistry as romantic, but we’d never thought they’d actually go there. But the show ends with them walking into the ‘sunset’ (well, the spirit lands) together, holding hands. Now, it was never completely explicit on the show BUT they were dealing with a lot of censure from the networks and you have to be willingly obtuse not to read it as romantic. And after that the creators drew them on dates, and there is a comic series in which they are shown kissing, talking about their feelings, introducing each other to their families, etc. It made me feel so validated when it happened, and I just adore the whole ‘love triangle ditches the middle one and fall in gay love with each other’ trope. (is it a trope yet ? it should be.) It’s still a kids show at its core, but it has amazing depth and deals with some very deep shit. Korra starts off as a bit annoying but she has a really cool development, she’s a girl character we need more of - brave, dynamic but also brash and reckless and action driven in ways that are almost always exclusively shown for boys. And Asami is a more typical girly girl but she’s also a brilliant engineer and has a spine of steel and she’s also very slyly funny. They’re amazing. And the comics are super cute. 

- Now there are a lot of characters who are bi/pan that I love, and are good characters in themselves, but their arcs do intersect in some ways with promiscuity and mental instability. I’m thinking about Even from Skam and all his remake variants, Magnus Bane from Shadowhunters, several characters from Black Sails, Sarah Lance and Constantine from Legends of Tomorrow, Eleanor Shellstrop from the Good Place, Bo from Lost Girl, Ilana from Broad City, Joe McMillan from Halt and Catch Fire, God/Chuck from Supernatural (lmaooooo), several characters on Penny Dreadful, or in a totally different category, Vilanelle from Killing Eve or Hannibal from the series (who are hella bad guys but it’s never linked to their sexuality, and are also incredibly compelling to watch.)

 And even though these characters taken individually, I would argue, are good rep because they’re complex and layered and interesting and never one-dimensional (and watching them feels incredibly empowering at times)....it’s still a trend. I feel like when writing a character that is attracted to multiple genders, there is always this sort of...tangle of tropes that writers default to, unconsciously. Some negative and some positive. It used to be this trope of bis being villainous, instable, jealous, flaky, immature, perverted, manipulative, cheaters, amoral, greey, etc...and then it evolved into something of a reclaiming and subverting this trope. So now you feel like the Bi Character kind of has to be badass, glamorous, seductive, often superpowered or extraordinary in other ways.. And they also for multiple reasons (they’re immortal, they’re sensitive artist souls, they’re from the future, they’re psycho, they’re exccentric comic relief, they’re daring adventurers and pioneers) don’t care about social norms which allows them to sleep and fall in love with whomever. And so they tend to have those super busy romantic/sexual histories and very troubled backstories. In the past it was a bad thing, now it’s often presented as this positive, enlightened or at least fun and badass thing. They’re heroic, with big hearts, a tremendous lust for life and a cool rebellious attitude. They’re complex, dramatic, tortured. Which can be super cool, too. 

But it would be nice to have more ‘normal’ bi characters. I mean, boring bisexuals need to see themselves represented too ! Our sexualities don’t give us super powers. At the same time, it is true that bisexual ppl have higher rates of mental illness, which deserves to be explored, but it would be nice if it was actually articulated and not just part of this trope.  But still. We need rep, I think, that is more grounded and varied. So I think that’s also why I read a lot of fanfic. (I was really into the idea of bi Steve Rogers for a long time, partly also because he’s both very mentally resilient, kinda boring in a good way, and very unexperienced in terms of sex/romance, which is pretty much the opposite of the trope)

- I think books, and YA in general, are a good place to find these ‘normal bis’ characters. I’m thinking in particular of Leah from Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli (from the same book series that gave us the ‘Love, Simon’ movie) which is a super sweet coming of age/romance story about a super normal teenager who just happens to be also into girls (esp her best friend) and is loud and funny and very lovable and has zero doubts about being bi. You also have Adam Parrish from the Raven Cycle, another one of my forever faves ; he has an abusive family so PTSD from that but it never feels tropey, and it’s completely detached from his sexuality. He has magic powers, too. But his character feels completely opposite to the trope. He’s hardworking, somewhat withholding, prickly (and sometimes awkward), ambitious, determined, down to earth, and has a beautiful love story with another boy. And also Jane, from Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore, also really cool ; she’s a nerdy, smart girl who is actually inspired by Jane Eyre who has cool adventures in a weird house where we can follow her on different paths depending on the choices she makes, several of which are love stories. And finally the main character from The Seven Husbands from Evelyn Hugo, kinda fits the trope yeahhh since she’s a super glam actress who well, has seven husbands but it’s a pretty clever deconstruction since it turns out (slight spoilers) that Evelyn is actually through most of her life faithful in heart to the same person and the rest is mostly out of necessity, and her story feels very real and raw and down to earth. 

- I don’t go there yet but I really want to check out Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Schitt’s Creek which I have read have very good bi rep. And I want to catch up on Orphan Black (Cosima and Delphine both don’t have exact labels but they’re multi-gender attracted and they’re this cool couple of scientists in a relationship that gets a happy ending). I will never forgive what they did to Lexa so I stopped watching but I do think that Clarke Griffin from The 100 is very good bi rep. Alexia from Skam France, meanwhile, is a bit of a boundary case for me because, even though she’s presented as the ‘weird one’ from the group, very colorful and liberated and exccentric, she’s still a very normal teen who’s happy and comfortable in her own skin, which is awesome. 

- Disclaimer, I included characters in here that are also pan/omnisexual or don’t have a label but are attracted to several genders, for the purpose of this discussion i don’t think the difference is all that relevant at least to me (i mostly identify as bi for the sake of simplicity but tbh i could also fit under pan so i feel represented by all those characters). But I understand the importance of characters that state their identities more clearly and with pride. 

- So in conclusion : there is nothing wrong with having a sexually active life or struggling mentally (even tho that one is not fun). And I do love all my badass casanova time travelling super powered bis. 

But we need more bi characters that don’t fit that trope. We need bi characters in children’s shows, or that don’t have more than one relationship, or that don’t have a relationship at all, to break the tendency to always show bisexual ppl as overly sexual. We need bi characters in committed relationships to break this idea that bi characters are bound to cheat or can’t be satisified with only one person. We need bi characters that are mentally stable and successful and happy, to show that it’s possible. We need bi characters that are boring, bookish, nerdy, ordinary, clumsy, not particularly seductive, socially awkward, rule-sticklers, etc...to show that bi people are not all party animals, or doing it for attention, or to be wild, rebellious and socially progressive. It’s just a sexuality, it doesn’t say anything about your personality. Even though there are some correlations with MI or being bi might bring you in contact with more progressive ideas and to see life a bit differently, there is nothing automatic about it. 

- In conclusion, reading testimonies from real people also helped me a lot. It’s a very dated but I got the book “ Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out “ when I was struggling with my own sexuality and it helped a lot, to read that even back then (1991) you had all sorts of regular ppl claiming to be bi and that it was not a phase or a fad or whatever. 

[tessatechaitea]

The Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer #1

I just want to see Constantine enter a Magic the Gathering tournament.

Bah! Always a debt do! PTUI!

Years of DC magic-users casting backwards spells and magicking up solutions to problems without a hint of "always a debt do" and then, suddenly, nobody can cast a fucking cantrip without paying out of pocket somehow. I get the "always a debt due" when you're dealing with demons or devils or some other kind of help from a summoned or black magic creature. But why the fuck must all magic cost something insane?! Just let Constantine do magic but occasionally he's got to deal with more powerful creatures or magicians who want something in return. Don't make him need to pay for every little thing he does. Something has eaten the sun so Constantine writes the word "Fuck" all over a decapitated pig's head. Can a head be described as decapitated? Isn't that the adjective for the body? Or does it only refer to both parts after separation? Anyway, you probably knew what I meant! I mean about the pig's head being separated from its body and not about how Constantine writing "Fuck" all over it will help return the sun.

Wouldn't be Hellblazer without the C-word. Although is it appropriate? I'm reading this prior to the watershed.

That's Chas's brief cameo in this new series. You might wonder how I know it's brief. Well, I read the next page where Chas dies distracting the evil monsters so that the super heroes can get the sun back. It's the quickest way for Simon to let the audience know that Constantine will do anything to save the world, even betray his friends. Plus he makes sure to say, "I've done worse for less," just to drive the point home. It's one of those revelations that would have greater impact over a long run of multiple different story arcs. But modern comic books don't understand that kind of accrued history anymore. Things have to happen quickly and in comic book shorthand, before the comic is cancelled. Plus, who wants to wait five years for sixty issues worth of history and characterization?! Spurrier knows Constantine has years of characterization and history already built up! Why not shove all of that into the first few pages of this new series and move on from there?! Constantine takes a bit of Chas's taxi cab shrapnel in the side and now he's probably dying. Sure, he could probably save himself by casting a spell that sends five babies to Hell. But first he has to find five babies! Instead, he just runs into young Tim Hunter from the past. John is all, "Oh, hey! Tim! Remember The Books of Magic? Remember Fairie? Remember how we all hated your stupid prat face? Anyway, this is your future and the bad guy ending the world is grown up you. Jerk." Tim Hunter is all, "That's me?! I wonder if I've been laid yet! Man, just think how much my older self's dick stinks!" Tim Hunter goes off to, I don't know, sue J.K. Rowling or something, leaving Constantine to die. But before Constantine dies, he's visited by old man Constantine. If things seem a bit crazy, it's because Constantine kept mentioning something about the world going mad or everything leading to madness or something that I didn't mention. But now I'm mentioning it so that all of this weirdness makes sense. Old Man Constantine wants John's soul in exchange for saving him. That's a pretty good deal, really! I'd totally go for it! Give up your soul to yourself way in the future? It's like putting it away for safe keeping! How the hell do you pass up that deal?!

That was my point! Take the deal, mate!

Constantine thinks Old Man Constantine is probably a Constantine from another universe and that there'll be some kind of catch. But he's dying and he doesn't have much time to decide so he takes the deal. That'll probably be important later! Old Man Constantine heals John, tells him to be the best John he can be, and then transports Constantine to some mental ward somewhere. Another universe without the sun being eaten? Maybe that was just the prologue to describe how Constantine leaped from the main DC Universe to the Black Label DC Universe. And now we can forget all of that Tim Hunter ending the world stuff that was so 1990s DC Vertigo weirdness. Now it's time for Constantine Unplugged! That just means he can say cunt again. Constantine manages to talk his way out of Ravenscar psychiatric hospital and discovers he's in modern London where Brexit is happening. Or not happening. Or not not happening? I guess we'll find out the next chapter of Brexit after the special elections. Go Labour!

Constantine having a bit of a philosophical thought about his own entanglement in a comic book ret-con.

I feel bad for comic book fans who need a moment like the panels above to justify comic book continuity. Who dreams of having some kind of solid, historical timeline without any errors throughout? Especially when your main characters never age. What the fuck do they want? Magic?! Anyway, I think Spurrier does the best he can here dealing with the audience he knows he need to fucking explain every little thing to. He's just putting it right out front: "Yeah, Constantine has a bunch of memories that don't mesh at all and he's now in 2019 and he's in his thirties or something and yes he was heavily involved in the 70s punk scene and maybe just get over it, okay? You're reading a funny book about magic. Grow the fuck up." Constantine finds Chas possessed by all the demons that meant to kill him years ago. He's dying of cancer from second-hand smoke and tells Constantine to fuck off and ruin somebody else's life. So John fucks off to go ruin somebody else's life. Or maybe to be a better version of himself. Or just to go drink himself into retirement. Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer #1 Final Thoughts: I guess this is the Hellblazer #1 prologue introducing the new series starting this week in Hellblazer #1. That's going to be really confusing for my image tags if I forget that I labeled these images "Hellblazer1.jpg" and such. If the scans in this review don't seem to make any sense, it's because you're reading this a few months on and I forgot about the image tags and reused the same tags for John Constantine, Hellblazer #1 coming out this Wednesday (but which I won't probably review for another week or two). Sorry!

[leftnipsdoodles]

also i think i finally grew the brain to be able to put into words why i hate narration boxing: bc its basically like having two different movies going at the same time.

you have a character who’s fighting off 12 guys so you’re looking at the panels and seeing the action, only to then be taken OUT of the action bc of the narration boxes.

the reason i keep saying ‘it worked for hellblazer and that’s where it should’ve stayed’ is bc hellblazer was never abt the action (i mean. towards the end it was. but hellblazer had a huge dip in quality at a certain point anyway lol). hellblazer didnt show you a picture of john fighting someone while the narration boxes talked abt his depression. hellblazer gave you john having his depression and then narrating it. the narration and the ‘action’ went TOGETHER. when john talks abt how cows will walk towards a body in the grass, he does so while there’s a body in the grass. which might sound lame in theory, but in reality, is just how storytelling should be handled and also it never FEELS lame. the narration boxes - his thoughts - are about what’s happening on screen. he digresses sometimes and over-analyzes and all that, but that’s his personality.

also, it wasnt used as much as you’d think! it depended on the writer ofc and again, after a while, hellblazer became more of a spin-off of itself if that makes sense so it became more used... but in general, there were a lot of times where you’d go pages and pages without a single narration box. but, tbf, even in hellblazer the narration boxing became too much sometimes. but, again, it was in-character. john constantine was a guy who was stuck in his own head. who could always count on ruining his own life. so when the narration got too much, when you got sick of hearing his thoughts, it was still in line with what you were reading and how you’re supposed to understand john.

anyway, to illustrate, i uploaded those pages: pages 1 and 2 are of the family man arc in hellblazer (sry for late arrival spoilers?) and imo it shows how to use narration boxing perfectly. these pages are AFTER the big fight. DURING the fight, there were no narration boxes. there was dialogue (and in this particular case, flashbacks. but even those were worked into it in such a way that it lead back to dialogue. you’ll have to trust me on this lol) page 3 is of the first new lobo issue which got the narration boxing right as well. there’s a bit of characterizing chit-chat from lobo while we’re waiting to get to the action; then his narration is worked into the action we’re seeing (and even cleverly subverts our expectations). it’s nice. it’s definitely not how most of the issue went tho, unfortunately. then pages 4 and 5 are of the new lobo series proper, and my bad examples. page 4 literally has one panel dedicated to rushing through the fighting action and then on TOP of that, the narration boxes are literally lobo talking abt something only slightly related (while also only giving you vague information abt it. ceremonial daggers, alright. given in peace times to remind you peace doesnt last? ok? are we ever gonna go into the cultural implications of this? no? alright. also then you waste two narration boxes on making a quip that carries no information whatsoever, not even characterization, bc we’ve heard him quip before. alrighty then.) page 5 has the same problem of taking away from the fight that’s happening on screen, but it also, again, uses narration boxes for NO reason. ‘can’t fret over it right now’ ‘i’ve got more pressing issues’. yes. we can SEE that. there was no reason to write this out. it’s a case of ‘tell, don’t show’ and its bad. its why very old comics are so hard to read, bc usually they would bombard you with text thats literally just telling you whats happening right now. the narration boxes need to ACCOMPANY the visuals, not make them irrelevant or be completely irrelevant to them. (the first two narration boxes in that page are excused bc a page earlier, the kid in question showed her tech expertise and it affected the fight that’s happening, plus it’s a hand-wavey way of explaining why she is and will be the tech guy throughout the next few issues. so that’s fine. the last two are justified too but im on the fence abt them anyway just bc the info we get from them is nill. we already know lobo’s not happy with the situation. in general, i think everything said in the narration boxes here could be worked into the story either visually or through actual dialogue)

SO.

overall, narration boxes are used more as a cop-out nowadays. it lets you tell your audience your character’s entire personality and deep characterizations without having to work up to them. it lets you basically write down their bio while also having the plot happen. it leads to ‘lazy’ writing, meaning: stories that don’t seem to have a real character arc (for the protagonist at least). i couldn’t tell you new lobo’s character development bc honestly i dont think there was any. he was presented to us on a silver platter. we didnt have to follow his story to get to know him. which, in turn, left a very weak impression. it’s like the difference of a metalhead friend you’ve known for 5 years telling you they secretly love knitting, and coming across someone’s tinder profile stating ‘i love metal and knitting’.

anyway if you’re still reading this you’re a weeniehead

[ultimate-miles]

Spider-Men II (2017) - Or, the comic book that shouldn’t exist

Spider-Men II is a meandering, unfocused mess of lukewarm ideas with no pay-off, that dabbles in colorism and whitewashing.

Somewhere around the “Venom Wars” and the “Spider-Man no More” arc, there was a sharp decline in the quality of writing for Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. At the crux of it was the death of Miles Morales’ mother – Rio Morales – and the emotional bullying of a kid who wanted nothing to do with superheroing following the death of his mother, but was battered into thinking otherwise by the female clone of Peter Parker (Jessica Drew), Gwen Stacy, and his friend, Ganke Lee. 

If “Venom Wars” was the signal that things were going south in the writing department, the death kneel for Miles Morales’ storyline truly began with the story arc “Spider-Man No More”, which was lead directly into a discombobulated series of story arcs that preluded and finalized the death of the Ultimate Universe.

Since then, Bendis’ take on the character – who had a fairly solid start (from Issues #1-19 of UCSM) – declined in a way that I can only describe as a writer simply losing interest in their pet project and disregarding how he handled the character from thereon out. There was no emotional investment in Miles’ day-to-day life, his family unit, friends, and etc. like there was for Ultimate Peter Parker. Ultimate Spider-Man was, as far as Marvel comic title goes, was fully realized story. But, if we’re being honest, Bendis also didn’t have to do a lot of thinking for Peter’s stories because they were often retreads of plots written fifty-sixty years before his time at Marvel.

With Miles Morales, Bendis, was, to some degree, flying blind and more or less had an open field of possibly and stories to play out. He could’ve created a legit mythology for Miles. Yet, when you boil it down, if Miles wasn’t being thrown into a “Blockbuster Event” meant to boost title sales then he was often standing in the shadow of some version of Peter Parker or Peter Parker’s family members in his own title. Simply put: Miles could not be Spider-Man in the same way Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer couldn’t Jason Bourne the hell out of bad guys without the say so of a white authority. Every time Miles’ story circles back to Peter Parker, the limitations of Bendis’ imagination with his Black Male Superhero was clear.

I don’t think anything encapsulates this more than the unwarranted sequel to Ultimate Marvel’s 2012 miniseries, Spider-Men: Spider-Men II – released in 2017 with about the same amount of issues to its name (five).

Spider-Men saw a then-brand new Spider-Man, a thirteen year old Miles Morales – encounter the 616 Universe version of Peter Parker, who accidentally ends up the 1610 Universe after some convenient circumstances involving the 616 version of Mysterio and a dimension hopping device.

Similar to Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1-5 and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #13-14, and Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #1-7, Spider-Men #1-5 runs Miles through the third consecutive gambit of getting “The Blessing™” of someone connected to Peter Parker, or Peter Parker himself. Spider-Men is more or less about how an adult Peter Parker deals with the fact someone much younger than himself (when he started doing what he was doing) was playing the role of Spider-Man following the death of teenaged version of himself (1610 Peter Parker), and eventually accepting that. It was a fun crossover that saw Miles work alongside someone he admired, and most importantly, didn’t lose sight of its tone and who the story was about in the end (Miles).

Spider-Men II, unfortunately, does the exact same thing, but now there’s no Brand New Car Smell, the question of how Peter Parker would react to a kiddy Spider-Man has been answered and Miles has been friggin blessed, officially, four friggin times, by Peter Parker and his unit in every way you can think of.

 Whitewashing your Protagonist is a Bad Idea™

The crux of Spider-Men II is to answer the question that Miles Morales asked: “I wonder if there’s a me in your universe?” The original Spider-Men ended with 616 Peter Parker searching – online – for the existence of a Miles Morales in his universe and being “shocked” by the answer. Knowing in advance that the series was only five issues long meant that the answer Bendis would provide – almost five years after the original Spider-Men – would be both underwhelming and rushed with no satisfactory resolution to rest on.

The bread-and-butter of a comic book character is their ability to become relatively different characters or offshoots from the one that was the origin point. Marvel’s brand revolves around allowing writers to reinterpret established characters into someone radically different, or just update them for younger audiences. Sometimes this works for good, other times for bad. Anna Paquin’s Rogue isn’t 616 Rogue, 1610 Rogue isn’t X-Men Evolution’s Rogue, and so on and so forth.

Where the reinterpretation of a character becomes an issue is when it begins to erase a marginalized identity. It would be common sense among anyone with enough sensitively and the ability to look beyond themselves to know: You don’t reinterpret a Black character – like Virgil Hawkins or Ororo Munroe – into a white or non-Black character, you don’t reinterpret an LGBT character – like Renee Montoya or John Constantine – into a Heterosexual character, you don’t reinterpret a female character into a male character. White or male or female characters? Most of the time their fair game – with reservation (Heathers is a perfect example) – there’s usually nothing remarkable or unique about those characters because they’re representative of the norm, the thing people have been socialized to sympathize and empathize with.

Unfortunately, Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli are white, so they have neither sensitivity nor the ability to look beyond themselves. Spider-Men II confirms that, yes, there is a 616 Miles Morales. But, he’s a criminal who makes friends with Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin), and is so light-skinned there is no resemblance to his Black counterpart. He’s just the ambiguously brown stereotype. To brazenly imply that Miles Morales was, as a lot of folk were saying when the title was being published, “Sammy Sosa’ed”, is to imply that the story was tackling the subject of learned self-hatred, self-harm, and anti-Blackness and that somehow figured into 616 Miles’ narrative. Instead, this just atypical comic book racism played straight.

There’s little reason to even sympathize with 616 Miles Morales, and the point of sympathy is merely watching him cry over a woman named Barbra Rodriguez, a gallery curator, then use his criminal enterprise, namely the hired hand Taskmaster (which counts like a DC Comics reject tbh) facilitate a means for him to travel to another dimension to be with another Barbra – who presumably hasn’t met that universal equivalent of Miles Morales. For lack of a better word, 616 Miles Morales is probably the version of Miles Morales Bendis would’ve executed if he hadn’t killed Peter Parker (lbr). He’s a terrible character and a particularly woeful answer to a question better left hanging in the air.  

There is no “Mary Jane Watson” for Miles Morales

Bendis’ attempts to provide Miles a love life has been – on all accounts – incredibly bad and unsurprisingly limited to white women. Jason Reynolds might be the only writer to tackle Miles Morales to even remotely consider that Miles’ dating pool might be predominantly Black – but, he’s also the only Black writer to tackle the character, so therein lay the problem. 

One of the biggest issues with trying to shack Miles up with a girlfriend is that his character has never been allowed to mature. Where Peter Parker (in the 616 universe, anyhow) was allowed to graduate High School and go to College before he started any serious romantic relationships (Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane) or flirtations (Felicia Hardy) and was, therefore an adult where more adult situations could occur, Miles is a teenage boy who’s mind arguably would change like the four winds about girls, but this is never reflected or explored in his title.

Add to the fact that there were no longstanding female characters in his mythology, no one Bendis planned on introducing was going to work. Then there’s the fact that most readers were probably rooting for Miles and Ganke Lee to hook up as opposed to dropping a female character on him – because they liked their dynamic and most were content to compare their relationship to Peter/Mary Jane anyway. But Marvel was gonna pull the trigger on that in the same way neither Miles or Miguel O’Hara will ever get their big media break in something that isn’t a animated film (Into the Spider-Verse), or television series usurped from them (Spider-Man Unlimited).

Early issues of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (namely issues #12 and #19) preluded the character who would later become Ultimate Kate Bishop – Katie Bishop. Katie Bishop would play a supporting role as a then fourteen year old Miles’ girlfriend – a year after the death of Rio Morales – from issue #23 of UCSM until the end of Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man (which was only thirteen issues long). But, the persisting issue with Katie Bishop is that – unlike Mary Jane Watson (in almost any iteration of Peter Parker’s story) – she was never given any proper build-up or development as someone who would be important to Miles’ arc before the romancing starts.

She’s just dropped into the middle of his story, and audience is supposed to accept it. Then, Bendis and co. ultimately decide the only way to make this character interesting is make her the daughter of Neo-Nazi and a Neo-Nazi herself who follows the Ultimate version of Hydra. Instead of building any kind of goodwill with the reader, Bendis poisons the well altogether and sabotages the character and this was way before the bullshit he, Nick Spencer, and other writers would pull that would lead to creation of Nazi Captain America (el-oh-fucking-el).

The second attempt to give Miles a love interest was in the misfire series All-New Ultimates, wherein a fourteen year old Miles began flirting with the idea of messing around with, for all intents and purposes, a grown-ass woman named Diamondback – highlighting one of the major issues with why Miles and Romance subplots never work out. Following Miles’ move to the 616 universe, Bendis and whoever was responsible for the Spider-Gwen title tried to establish an Instant Oatmeal romance between a eighteen year old Gwen Stacy and a now fifteen/sixteen year old Miles Morales that was both misguided (Bendis really tried to justify it with the line “I’ll be seventeen in a month!” fuckin’ creep), gross and flat-out boring.

Bendis, has, summarily struck out two times in his lack of effort to create a version of “Mary Jane Watson” for Miles Morales. One was underdeveloped (Kate), the other was outright creepy and his living out the fantasy of fucking Gwen Stacy. Michel Fife’s (the writer of All-New Ultimates) creepy and halfhearted attempt to give Miles a “Black Cat” equivalent unilaterally failed with the end of the title itself. Spider-Men II, unfortunately, is Bendis’ third and final miss in the pursuit of Miles Morales’ love life and it’s a big part of why – outside of the whitewashing – Spider-Man II fails as a story.

Bendis attempts to posit that – for every universe that has a Miles Morales, there is a woman named Barbra Rodriguez that he will ultimately fall in love with. 616 Miles Morales’ entire narrative motivation – which renders 1610 Miles Morales’ side of the story completely irrelevant and void – in Spider-Man II is to escape to another universe where there is a Barbra Rodriguez, because his version of Barbra Rodriguez has died. But in the same universe (616) there’s a younger 616 Barbra Rodriguez that just shows up for no reason for 1610 Miles to swoon over. It’s so groan inducing.

Like Ultimate Kate Bishop, as an idea, Barbra Rodriguez isn’t a bad one per se. The issue is, like Ultimate Kate Bishop, that Barbra Rodriguez is dropped into the lap of the reader and expected be swallowed wholesale. In a series of panels illustrated by a perpetually bored Sara Pichelli (who’s interpretation of Miles has become, honestly, more and more ape-like than anything resembling the stellar character design she and David Marquez started out with, but only Marquez remained faithful to before his departure from Miles’ story) in something that resembles the image of the conceited little girl from Monster House selling Halloween candy to a neighborhood she doesn’t live in, the reading audience is meant to believe Miles falls in love with Barbra.

Barbra Rodriguez is a painfully unwritten and boring character to the point where I don’t think you can call her a character – just a prop for a half-baked romance subplot that doesn’t involve the version of Miles Morales readers have picked the book up for. As a character, she brings nothing to the table, as a prop she’s not even interesting. Bendis tries to pull the Star Crossed Lovers Xena-level Soulmates position without ever earning it and as a result Barbra is forgettable. Maybe if he actually introduced her in his last outing for Miles instead of creating a walking stereotype of a grandmother, this might’ve worked better. As it is, Barbra Rodriguez is a last minute thought the story itself fails to capitalize on for anything other than manpain.

Miles Morales isn’t Peter Parker, so naturally, he will never have a Mary Jane Watson. Not even on a metaphorical level, or for the sake of comparison. I honestly think that the only character, if it had to be a woman and not Ganke Lee, that would’ve worked, would probably be Bombshell (Lana Baumgartner). She’s the only female character within his age group he’s actually interacted with and established a genuine relationship. 

616 Peter Parker is an Asshole

Peter Parker’s interaction with a then thirteen year old Miles Morales was a fairly fun read. I liked the idea of Peter indirectly promoting himself to temporary mentor because he’s a grown man overly worried about the fact that someone far younger he was superheroing and largely in the memory of even younger version of himself – who he can’t quite deal with being dead (because it’s him). It was cute. The rationale behind Peter’s actions made sense, and it didn’t overstay its welcome.

Peter in Spider-Men II is a jerk for almost no reason. Because the narrative begins in medias res, with Miles and Peter arguing about how they got tied upside down, the reader spends a great deal of their time wondering why the hell Peter is being so antagonistic with Miles – to the point where he bluntly tells Miles that his being Spider-Man was a “mistake”.

Spider-Men II does not really answer this question – but instead spends the bulk of its first two issues being evasive about the issue altogether (because issues #3 and #4 are dedicated to 616 Miles Morales and his relationships with Barbra and Kingpin, with issue #5 “wrapping” things up for 616 Miles). Recapping that Peter Parker searched and presumably found Miles Morales in his universe before the implosion of the UM, Spider-Men II then has Peter pretending to help Miles locate the 616 version of himself, going as far enlisting the help of Jessica Jones – who summarily tells them there are no traces of a Miles Morales equivalent to even be worried about.

Because the reader is either meant to believe or knows that Peter is lying or being dishonest with Miles, a lot of their dynamic is artificial. Whatever Bendis managed to capture with the first crossover event between the two characters has vanished altogether. A lot of the time Peter Parker – who I keep forgetting is basically a diet soda version of Tony Stark, right down to wearing an armored suit with a glowing symbol and owning his own billion dollar franchise (Parker Industries) – comes off as condescending and a spandex wearing asshole. An asshole operates on the belief that he has the right and authority to tell a now fifteen year old Miles Morales when and when he can’t be Spider-Man.

Even weirder, instead of shutting that nonsense down, Miles takes it on the chin is more less like, “aww, gee, I guess you’re right, I’ll go be depressed now” even as Peter offers him a half-hearted apology and Miles can only say “well, you said it”. It’s the equivalent of Cyclops telling Storm she can’t be the leader of the X-Men, but without the holy retribution of Cyclops being smote with lightning. Like, I spend a grand bulk of this series – which doesn’t even legitimately resolve or explore the fraught dynamic between the two – wishing Peter Parker would fall into a hole and die. Peter Parker’s character in this title is downright insufferable. I miss John Romita Jr. and that other guy’s Peter Parker, but I hear he died in the Civil War. 

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

Behind all the mess that is the core of Spider-Men II, there was a fairly interesting idea to explore. Bendis really could’ve focused on how the two Miles Morales dealt with existing in the same space. He could’ve dealt with how Miles was coping with having his mother back, and living in a universe that was not his own – and how the death of the Ultimate Marvel universe affected him.

If he had established Barbra Rodriguez before this miniseries, he could’ve actually dedicated the time barely spent on her to simply furthering the relationship that should’ve started way before this story.

As it stands? 1610 Miles Morales and his exploits are more or less an afterthought to the core of the story itself. Peter Parker is a billionaire asshole throughout most of the plot and honestly not even required to tell the story. You can remove him from any and all plot points involving the “who is 616 Miles Morales?”, Jessica Jones, and the conflicts with Taskmaster, and nothing would change. He is irrelevant.

There’s too much time spent on the whitewashed version of Miles Morales – something that both hinders and illustrates just how far gone Bendis’ writing for Miles has diminished since 2013. 616 Miles Morales wasn’t a bad idea, but the execution of the character is fairly horrendous and racist.

Almost no one talked about Spider-Men II when it was released, almost in the same way there was barely an eye bated when the confusingly branded Spider-Man title (Miles’s 616 outing) was released in 2016 (beyond the “who cares if I’m Black?” bullshit). Everyone was talking about Spider-Men and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man when they were released, a lot of people liked it, some didn’t, but it was rather an indicator of its quality. The almost unilateral silence even Miles Morales fans visited upon Spider-Man and Spider-Men II rather speaks volumes of how bad it got.

I don’t recommend this to anyone who is a Miles Morales fan. You’re better off pretending Spider-Men never got a sequel.