#especially after said hero was so horribly mischaracterized

[hearts401]

I honestly hate how the fandom treats Michael as a hero and I'm seeing posts about it so I feel a liiiittle better talkign about it

my moots are holding back, i can tell. but hes my favorite so im not. and im a little pissed writing this bc. bc i relate to cc a lot. and seeing ppl mischaracterize not only my favorite character but also someone who reminds me of people who fucking suck drives me INSANE.

so psa, im pissed as fuck and i love michael afton.

First off, he killed Evan. That's obvious. Not only was that literall 100% his fault (NOT WILLIAMS IT PISSES ME OFF WHEN PPL MAKE THAT ALL ABOUT WILLIAM SHUT THE FUVCK UP

he was a bully. yeah he was a kid. yeah he was messing with him. Have you considered he was literally. abusive to his brother. i know the fnaf fandom is scared of using that word to describe him but its fucking true. he was abusive. as fuck. that was awful what he did he wasnt just a bully he harassed him and literally locked him in his room. he was fucking horrible.

and yeah, he didnt mean for that to happen, but not only was that stupid as fuck, i hate any interpritation of "he wanted to be like his dad" "his friends coerced him" PLAY FNAF 4. PLAY FNAF 4. FUCKING PLAY FNAF 4 LOOK AT HIS DIALOGUE AND WHAT HE DOES

HE LITERALLY. EGGED IT ON. IT WAS HIS FUCKING IDEA. WHAT PART OF THAT GAVE "he was coerced" THUSHFUDFUDSIOFDUSOFDSIOS

im trying to be normal

Yeah he probably felt like shit after. yeah it probably was some sort of motivator behind his actions. but lets think. lets think.

fnaf 1 and 2 take place before SL, no? So. if thats true. why didnt he burn those down? to "free the souls?" because it was never about the children.

he burned down the fnaf 3 location to get rid of william. it was ALWAYS abotu william. sure he set the kids free but i reeeeaaallyy dont think that was his intention. it was always about william.

in sister location, did he go there out of the kindness of his heart? no he went there because william asked him too. it was ALWAYS about william. and yeah he probably wanted to help liz, he probably really wanted to help her, but based on his actions, was this really for her? or was it for closure

thats something about michael that i put in shitty brother. closure. he didnt actually want to reconcile with his family, he wanted closure on the guilt he felt. is that 100% wrong? no. its normal to want closure, especially after something like that. but also that should not be his goal

did he apologize? yes. he said sorry. he felt bad, sure. but when you kill someone tehy dont come back. evan deserves to never forgive him ever because that was dumb as fuck and HORRIBLE. IT WAS HORRIBLE. ABUSIVE. ILL SAY IT AGAIN

MICHAEL AFTON ABUSED HIS LITTLE BROTHER FOR NO FUCKING REASON.

yeah. abused. say it with me. A-B-U-S-E-D

not just bullied, not just harassed, ABUSED.

ik we're all scared to say it here but its fucking true. say it with ur chest.

this always came back to william. do i thinkk michael is unfeeling and doesnt care about his siblings at all? NO! I think his siblings drove a lot of his actions. but in the end i dont think he always acted with their best interest at heart. or the mci kids'

and the whole "he wanted to be like his dad" i dont fucking care actually. no seriously sit down beside me and tell me that wanting to be like his dad is an excuse for abusing his brother. seriously come closer i wont bite.

tell me how you think that AS A TEENAGER, 100% AWARE OF HIS ACTIONS, that wanting to be like his dad justifies abusing his little brother. his little brother. who as far as we know, never lashed out, never fought back, never did anything to him. tell me how he fucking deserved that

"Michael was just a kid!" so was Evan. So was Elizabeth. So was Cassidy and Charlie and all the kids who died.

tell me how much michael did that didnt revolve around closure and his father. like i get it, he had priorities, but can we please stop acting like he's some angel working for the greater good of everyone.

it feelslike how ppl treat fucking henry. NO HES NOT A GOOD PERSON PLEASE

MICHAEL IS SELFISH HE'S MESSY HE'S STUPID. HE MAKES BAD CHOICES IN FAVOR OF HIMSELF HE PRIORITIZES REVENGE OVER THE GREATER GOOD HE HURTS PEOPLE AND IT MAKES HIM SO MUHC MORE INTERESTING

oh and also in case anybody wants to pull dittophobia out and tell me how mike went thru that trauma

so did evan. and instead of bonding over that trauma, michael harassed him. ABUSED HIM. wording is important. im sorry for repeating myself so much, but nobody ever tells it how it is. it was abuse.

edit: People seem upset by my wording and honestly? fair. i couldve worded this a lot better but i was tired and irritated and one thing i will clarify

i dont care if u dont see adult michael the way i do. i see him as a selfish obsessive guy whos intent is to fix his family, but plenty of people see it differently and thats okay! /gen

but im not taking back anythign i said about teen michael. because i think to do that is unfair to his character and frankly bullshit. i think its bullshit. and i dont care if you disagree. he was a terrible brother and thats that

but adult mike is free real estate idk idrc abt him as much as teen mike.

[geek-antic]

so I started thinking about IDW1 soundwave again, and how he was blackmailed by optimus and how there was little to no resolution to that little subplot which is par for the course when it comes to the guy who wrote the robots in disguise comics at the time.

But I always keep jumping back to it because it bothers me that, from beginning to the end, it made no sense. the blackmail material that optimus had at his disposal hinges on a technicality. to summarize the situation: the autobots had the decepticons holed up in a camp with bombs in their head that would blow up at the push of a button if they ever stepped out of line or caused a threat.

bumblebee was the leader of the autobots at the time and held the remote detonator to those bombs.

unbeknownst to bumblebee and the autobots, Soundwave had discovered the frequency and made sure no decepticons got their heads blown off if the autobots ever were to use the detonator. the plan was to lay low and play along.

however, only a select few decepticons knew about this plan. most of the rank and file decepticons did not know about it. then a decepticon named horri-bull started causing trouble and bumblebee pushed the button to blow his head off. to play along as he was ordered to and to avoid rousing suspicion Soundwave had to either allow this to happen or had to send the detonation signal to the bomb in horri-bull's head to keep up the act.

but here's the thing, not only was it under orders that soundwave did it, it was still bumblebee who decided to push the damn button and kill horribull.

it's like... you know that saying that goes something like "you don't blame the gun you blame the guy who's pulling the trigger"? it's the exact same scenario! I just think this writer is bad, sure he has made some few good scenes and stories and dialogue that I genuinely appreciate but it doesn't make up for the majority of terrible stories and mischaracterization he's written for the sake of pushing the plot forward in a specific direction. it's just the worst way to write a story but I digress.

there is little to no resolution for this blackmailing subplot aside from some quick wrap up where horri-bull's romantic partner needlenose digs into soundwave when he finds out the truth. but the thing is: sure he can be pissed at Soundwave for going along with it, but bumblebee is still the one who decided to kill the guy, so it doesn't really make much of a difference. at worst it could've all been a minor dispute if they had talked it out but alas.

if I were to make a guess at anything out of that mess it would be that Soundwave allowed himself to get blackmailed because he probably felt tired, lost, and guilty all things considered. Because aside from soundwave all of the decepticon high command had gone off to fulfill their own goals, leaving the cause and the rest of the decepticons behind. Ravage who had pretty much raised Soundwave, was away to keep an eye on megatron who had not only given up but decided to change sides to the autobots, double whammy right there. the decepticons had lost the war so soundwave decides to pick up the pieces and tries to give the decepticon veterans a place where they can live in peace away from the rule of primes which happens to be earth of all places. but then he has to deal with galvatron who ended up joining them and he's looking to reignite the war all over again. god, it makes me tired just thinking about it.

point is: by the time thundercracker of all people, shows up at his doorstep with optimus prime in tow. Soundwave is probably like "yeah this might as well happen" this isn't even mentioning that ravage up and died at one point during lost light and soundwave felt that.

mostly i'm not counting that in because idk when it happened in robots in disguise on soundwaves end but whether it was before or after optimus blackmailed him makes little difference because either way the guy was already emotionally defeated at that point.

[locked-behind-the-walls]

Reviews of Some Nova’s Fics

I have been on the (non-fiction) writing kick as of recently, which finally lead to me writing some fic reviews. I've been planning to start writing reviews for B7 fic for a long time, but those plans mostly involved some highbrow "New Wave" gen in the vein of the stories published in The Aquitar Files. Of course, this means that when I did write some reviews, they were about the stories of the classic slashfic author beloved by the fandom. :D

Why Nova? While I like her, she's far from being my favorite B7 author, in slash or in all the fic. I think she's just easy to write about, for me at least - there are a lot of things that I like about her, and a lot of things that frustrate me, and they often are in the same story. Her writing has a lot of clearly discernible patterns and tropes, and I find it much easier to write about them than about the subtleties and nuances of relationships between the characters; I may say that while I like reading both gen and shippy fics of all types, I may tend to write about even the shippy fics in the same way I write about gen. I also probably tend to "accentuate the negative", not because my feelings about this author are mostly negative, but because I find it easier - and more entertaining - to write about the things I dislike than about the things I like.

Let's start? Be warned, those reviews contain spoilers and discussions of heavy subjects. The fics I read and reviewed here: Delinquent, Avon at the Window, Five Easy Pieces and a More Difficult One, Town Mouse, Country Mouse, Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry, Before and After, Why I Can't Stand Vila Restal, Prime Suspect, Time and Fevers, Outlaws and In-Laws.

Delinquent

This was the first Nova's fic that I read and one of my favorite ones so far. It has some problems - while I like good boy/bad boy pairs, I think she sometimes tries too hard to shove Blake and Avon into these roles; the way Avon regains his rebelliousness after getting together with Blake felt too abrupt, almost comically so (I know that Magical Healing Cock is a thing; perhaps we should come up with the B7-specific version, Magical Class-Consciousness Rising Cock); and, of course, "undesirable associates" gets repeated ad nauseum. But I just find the idea of Avon being Blake's childhood hero so adorable, and it's for sure one of the most original takes on "they knew each other pre-canon" trope in this fandom. It's interesting to review it after reading other Nova's fics - now I can clearly discern some tropes and headcanons she used in many other fics, e.g. exploring characters' backstories, accentuated differences in Blake's and Avon's upbringing, love restoring the fighting spirit in characters and so on.

Five Easy Pieces and a More Difficult One

I... frankly don't remember that well the more psychological parts of this one, even though I read it not so long ago. What I remember well is all that sex and the bit with the uprising, which sums up my priorities quite accurately. (The sex was damn good. And so was the uprising.) In my defense I must say that it's one of those "faux-casual sex turns into emotional commitment" fics, so sex and romance are interwoven very closely here, even by the fanfiction standards. It's also quite trope-heavy, going through several slash cliches, and as someone who's not a fan of many slash cliches I can say that it's done in pleasantly non-cringy way (except the first part, which was somewhat cringy. I think nothing can redeem Visiting a Gay Planet and Trying to Fit In for me, except maybe outright parodies).

Town Mouse, Country Mouse

Another story about Blake's and Avon's very different upbringings, the one that probably got the most stylized, most deliberate and most extreme about emphasizing these differences. I found the sordidness too sordid and the cutesiness too cutesy, but it was probably the point.

Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry

Oh right. One of my least favorite tropes of all times is using other people as cannon fodder to showcase your Great Romance, and this fic is this trope in spades. Nova clearly likes it - she uses it in several fics, sometimes with several people. That's where we would't agree, I guess. Avon killing himself is another thing which we would't agree on. I get it that Avon have seen (and done) some shit, but the only case in which I can imagine him killing himself is, ironically, if he shared Blake's idealism - it would make such a hellish mix with his personality that it might get just too difficult to bear. This one is not the major point of disagreement and I think can be written convincingly, but here it just comes off as too dramatic. I liked the Vila voice, though, it was pleasant to read and created interesting interplay with the grim backstory and not exactly sunny main story.

Before and After

The only thing I liked about this fic is that Avon got put against the wall for killing Blake. (This review will surely gain me a lot of friends in the fandom.) It was bold and quite cathartic. But of course, here it was because he wanted it - he's too cool to just be shot, apparently. I can also add half a point for the homophobia thing - I don't mind exploring this subject matter in slash, and don't even mind portraying main characters as homophobic, it could be done in an interesting and nuanced manner, but here I felt like it was only somewhat interesting, but mostly felt forced and just made them too unsympathetic. Apart from that, it's just way too similar to Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry, except now Deva is also dragged into the Not As Good As performance.

Avon at the Window

Ouch. I guess we are supposed to read this one in non-quite-serious, kinky way, because otherwise the situation described here becomes just way too appalling and overshadows any enjoyment one could derive from characters getting together. On the other hand, at least here Avon's Horrible Past is not as jarring as in Outlaws and In-Laws, because this fic is much more angstier and here it's more a center of the story. Nova is very unsubtle at laying out the angst here, crude even - and effective, considering that from all her fics, I remember this one the most and it provoked the strongest emotional response. It's a controversial trope, and I'm not a fan of how she engages with it, but in its own way, it worked.

What I dislike, however, is that Blake is basically mischaracterized for the sake of angst. I can see him to be uncomfortable with prostitution, but I can't see him react in such over-the-top judgemental and aggressive manner. I think it would be more realistic - and more interesting - if he tried to be understanding, but was making such poor job of it, being so clearly not okay with the whole situation despite trying to be, and it eventually lead to falling out between them. I believe he at least would bother to learn more about it and would knew how old Avon was at that time! And then I would be able to buy his more bitter and aggressive behavior PGP because well, Avon shot him, he has the right to be upset, and besides he did seem more bitter and aggressive in general in the last episode. As I said, Nova is very unsubtle here and sometimes it hurts the quality of the fic. Also, while treating domes and space stations as ordinary cities under the open sky is a very common trope in Blake's 7 fanfiction, it also one of my least favorite ones and here it's truly egregious in the bits set in the Space City.

The part I liked the most is the one where they are discussing the book about the prostitution. Nova can be very good in sociopolitical stuff, and those ARE the themes where I wouldn't mind her to be unsubtle, but alas, there is too little of it in this fic.

Why I Can't Stand Vila Restal

At this point it started to read like several other fics, some of them Nova's and some of them not. I don't have much to say about this story - it's easy to read and the sex is good, but there is just nothing new about it. Also, Blake is too paternalistic in this one, which can be done well but I just don't dig it, especially in sex scenes.

Prime Suspect

Another fic that I mostly forgot soon after reading. Blake playing detective was fun, and the resolution was deliciously wacky - but what I love about Nova is that she's not afraid of wackiness. Orac bashing is probably the only sort of character bashing I can stand, and no, that's not because it's not alive, it's because it's such an asshole. (I like Orac anyway).

Time and Fevers

Other characters are dragged into Blake's and Avon's love lives to make a point about their love - again! Deva, this time, and Jenna, somewhat, and while I like Blake/Deva, but definitely not like this. At least some time is given to explore their relationship, though not much. I would have preferred if Jenna either got a larger role or wasn't mentioned at all - as it stands now, it's just too creepy. Did she also die? I think we just are not supposed to care. :(

I liked quite a lot of things about this fic. I have a weakness for the washed out, beaten down Blake, and this fic portrays him rather well. Characters are older than usual in this story, and it is also handled well. The theme of love giving you back your mojo is developed better than in Delinquent, even though it involves unfavorable comparisons with other relationship (but not explicitly so, thankfully). The angst is good and not overdramatic, but rather more muted and melancholic, which goes better with Blake's 7 fics. The stuff about sexual histories of the character was, like almost always in Nova's fics, one of the strongest points. However, some bits gave off the vibe that was too romcom-y, especially Dayna and Soolin acting like matchmakers - it's just so not my thing.

Outlaws and In-Laws

One of my favorite Nova's fics and so quintessentially her - very good and hot mess at the same time. It has a lot of themes which I like and most of which Nova generally does well: explorations of characters' pasts and their sexual histories; political themes, including sexual politics; quite a lot of worldbuilding and interesting original characters. That first time is one of my favorite ones, the sex is original, hot and not unrealistic at the same time. Even the cheesier parts didn't feel that bad (or maybe my love of the Gothic genre helped me to get through them). However, the mood of the first and the second part of the fic was just way too different, which again might have been the point, but I don't think that it works that well there. I agree with Aralias' review that Blake is too damn passive in the second part, and this that just felt like him abandoning Avon. I think it contributes to the sudden drop of temperature in the story, figuratively speaking. I also wish we spent more time with Blake's mom - she seemed like a fascinating character, and yet most of her arc was spent on wackiness and being an obstacle.

So, those are my reviews of Nova so far. Maybe I'll write more in the future after reading more fics, or maybe not. Of course, all those fics are also well-written, and easy to read, and have good characterizations, but other people already wrote about it. At this point I can describe Nova as an author who sticks strongly and noticeably to the tropes and headcanons that she likes, and some of them I like too, while others not so much. Her fics also have a lot of mood whiplash, some of which probably wasn't intended as such. I also got the impression that she's better in more lighthearted stories than in straightforward angst.

[bringbackwendellvaughn]

Legacy characters

Got so many asks about legacy characters...

so here you go.

My favourite Captain America is Steve Rogers. He will always be the only Captain America. John Walker is one of my favourite characters and his tenure as Captain America was a fantastic story but it’s a completely different story. John was never meant to be Captain America or the best Captain America or the real Captain America or even the “hero” of the comic. He remained a great character afterwards. When Geoff Johns made him Captain America again it was terrible writing and completely butchered the character. The whole direction of him being a ersatz evil Cap was a colossally bad idea which ignored all his character growth and his relationship with Steve. With that said, Allan Jacobsen did a pretty great job at half-fixing that bad idea and making it a bit worth-while. I really like Jeff Mace (read Captain America: Patriot, everyone) and I think 50s Cap has his place as an antagonist but none of these are Steve Rogers. Two i want to mention though; Punisher - i am one of the few people who think Punisher as Captain America makes sense and could get some good mileage out of it. But it’s a story not worth doing at the expense of Steve, it was good when it was done briefly when Steve was gone and I tihnk they could’ve ran with it for another trade or two. And secondly, Hawkeye! I think this was unintentionally the best idea Jeph Loeb hit on in Fallen Son. I think when it comes down to it, if Cap was ever to pick his successor (and not have Bucky or Falcon forced down his throat as the obvious candidate) then Hawkeye is perfect. Hawkeye is someone who has completely grown into the perfect person to continue Steve’s legacy. Again, i don’t want to see this happen, i just want to say.

Although most my opinions on legacy characters are “the real one is best”, one of my big contradictions is I much much prefer James Rhodes as Iron Man. I find he is a far more compelling and relateable character than Tony Stark, he’s someone you can root for and he truly improves on all the problems I have with Tony. Tony is a selfish, vain, elitist bully who is rich, a genius and one of the most successful people in the world who can just solve stories with new armor. James Rhodes is more of an everyman, he has doubts, he’s not doing it to show off or because he can and he has a lot to live up to. Not only that - and I don’t really want to wear this as a point - but he is a “black” character and, i really don’t think characters should be replaced with others for diversity’s sake, but having a black man as Iron Man does give a fantastic marquee black character.

Captain Marvel i’ve covered before. Basically, I’d settle for anyone who isn’t a mischaracterized terrible looking Carol Danvers who makes me ashamed. Honestly, Genis, Phyla, Monica, Noh-Varr, the Skrull, Rick Jones, Hulkling, Quasar, Mar-Vell... just anything other than what we’ve got.

Quasar i don’t think requires any mention. i never liked Phyla assuming the mantle but i won’t fault her for it. Rich was appropriately almost as short as it could be (though it bothered me that he was depicted using the powers far more impressively than we’d seen Wendell ever use them). Avril kincaid ahahahah. I don’t see the point in making Quasar a mantle. If Wendell retires, there doesn’t need to be a Quasar. There needs to be a Protector of the Universe, yes, but that is not equal to being Quasar.

Nova is again Rich Rider. Well, I’ve no issue with the Nova Corps, but Richard Rider is the featured Nova. Frankie Raye is cool but her name is unfortunate - she’s someone who i think should’ve gotten a new moniker rather than shuffle off into the grave for Rich (I’m sure I’ve posted before that I’d have dubbed her “Herald”). I’ve also considered the idea of having Robbie become the New Warriors’ “Kid Nova” but that’s entirely fanon thinking. I would never suggest he replace Rich. No one should really replace Rich, especially after the DnA stuff made it completely the case that no-one could ever achieve what Rich has.

Swordsman - i almost forgot this one as it’s not a big character at all. But Swordsman is a case where I like the legacy more than the others. Andreas von Strucker is a fantastic character and he’s run as Swordsman, while not particularly honouring the name, is the highlight of the character’s existence and name. Although the original Swordsman himself is quite a decent character, if it came down to picking between the two, I’d go with Andreas as Jacques is best defined as dead. He achieved his whole “hero” thing with his death. The Gatherers one is a character they never kept around long enough but he had potential and wasn’t bad, but again just Andreas is much more interesting and useful i think.

Penance isn’t much of a legacy as it is just a name that gets thrown about between unrelated characters. I think the Generation X one (who is hurt by James Robinson’s garbage retcon with M) being called Hollow now makes the case for not calling her Penance anymore. Robbie as Penance... I’m conflicted with. I completely see why people hate it and agree that it doesn’t make much sense with Speedball’s character - and it’s genesis as Joe Quesada just hating Speedball (and the horrible notion that he, Jenkins and Ellis were knowingly mocking self-harm) - but as a character concept I love it. If Robbie had kept being Penance I would have no problem but i wouldn’t want to inflict everyone else with something they hate. I do think Penance is a solid idea and everything done with Robbie as Penance was good but i find it really hard to reconcile between Speedball and Penance. I like them both and i feel picking either/or is doing a disservice to the other. I’ve thought up a few ideas for how to keep Penance AND Speedball (Penance was a Robbie Baldwin look-a-like hired after Season 1 of the reality show, Penance is former Speedball wannabe Darrion Grobe who i know next to nothing about, even just doing a Namorita style time-travel resurrection to have both) but i don’t feel any of those ideas are things that i would consciously want to do. I hate when other writers do shit like that. With Speedball and Penance I really want to have my cake and eat it too.

Marvel Boy... is a name I do not really have any consideration for at all. And that’s not due to the characters - Vance, Noh-Varr, Uranian, even Wendell - they’re all great. But every single one has another more identifiable name (except may Noh-Varr). So, Noh-Varr can be Marvel Boy if there must be one and if he’s not Captain Marvel. But he’s one of those guys who can get away without having a codename and just being Noh-Varr.

Ms. Marvel someone asked about and they definitely wanted to know what I think of that one and i refuse to offer an opinion so people can’t just say i’m being racist or sexist or whatever they want. Carol Danvers is/was/will always be Ms. Marvel. She was the first, she was the best, she was the longest enduring, she had the longest lasting ongoing of a Marvel female character in years. She was so close to the precipice of becoming huge on her own accord but Marvel decided it was better to force that and fail. And it was all just so Wacker could have his daughter dress up as her (hey, idiot, why not have her dress up as Sue Storm or Phoenix or any of the many less leg showing heroines?). Marvel were content to ruin one of their best female characters for selfish and idiotic reasons and that great character can never exist again. I also will mention Sharon Ventura. I feel bad for her. She was as much as a Gruenwald character and could’ve been something special but Steve Englehart butchered her early on in her existence and lumbered her with off-panel rape backstory, a man-loathing personality and quickly a rubbish “She-Thing” dynamic. And she became known as “She-Thing” by readers and unattentive writers who missed she was still being called Ms. Marvel even when she was in that form. Then when she got restored to being normal, subsequent writers just didn’t bother remembering that. I remember when Triathlon killed “She-Thing” in Secret Invasion and it turned out she was a Skrull, I was hoping it’d turn out she had been a Skrull between Gruenwald writing her in Cap #331 and Englehart writing her in FF but that was an entirely selfish desire on my part which would have been just as bad as Stephen Wacker for what he did to Carol.

Ant-Man is an identity i’ve never cared for. I think it’s a lame identity. To that end, i like Eric o’Grady. i think he was the most entertaining/interesting/unique.

Giant Man is a dud of a name. I’d just get rid of it altogether.

Goliath is okay and in many ways I’d say it should be Pym’s. If you want Pym as the giant growing character. But I think that should be Bill Foster... but he’s dead and i preferred the moniker Black Goliath. Then you’ve got people like Erik Josten and Hawkeye cluttering up the Goliath name.

Yellowjacket is a rough name. It’s probably Pym’s coolest sounding but I sort of feel it’s a name he shouldn’t want to ever use. Which is a problem since I prefer Hank’s science elements of which this name is the best fit for. Then we have Rita deMara who is another character who i think deserves another shot but then you’ve got the problem of her being Yellowjacket or having to give her her own name which then robs the character of pretty much 95% of the reason people might be interested in her.

Wasp is Janet van Dyne. It’s sad that should ever be an area for contention. I think Hank taking up the name was... well-intentioned. But it was mainly just a source of ridicule. Which is a shame because that costume and attitude was probably his best. And I’m not gonna bother acknowledging the other Wasp.

Nearly forgot Green Goblin (in fact now i realize i ain’t been thinking villains). I actually don’t know what to say about Green Goblin. I think Harry might be my main choice... but that is down to J.M. DeMatteis’ being a great writer and Harry not being rubbish in Amazing Spider-Man 2. Phil is a great character pre-Slott but i think could benefit more from a different name (while maintaining the same Green Goblin look)... maybe Jackal? Norman i think should’ve stayed dead after Gwen’s death and it’s hardly that alternative a thought. At the end of the Clone Saga, i think it would’ve been a lot wiser to have resurrected Harry as the architect as his death was both more recent, less iconic and far easier to reverse. We would’ve lost Ellis’ Thunderbolts and Dark Reign but I think that’s a decent trade-off. Even those could have been retrofitted to include Harry instead... if they were ever worth doing...

hobgoblin is a tricky one. i have the utmost respect and unwavering loyalty towards roger stern. his original hobgoblin stories are among spidey’s absolute best.  but when it comes to his identity... i must confess i much prefer Tom DeFalco’s idea that Richard Fisk was the Hobgoblin. This makes more sense to me than in terms of believability and motivation. Of course, neither of these got to  play out and instead we got Christopher Priest’s dreadful revelations to spite DeFalco (he wanted the Foreigner, but Peter David talked him down to Ned Leeds which is still rubbish). If it’s Ned Leeds or Roderick Kingsley, I’m going with Kingsley. I’m glad Roger got the chance to fix it but it would never have needed to be “fixed” if Christopher Priest hadn’t turned the entire thing into a farce. So ultimately, Kingsley is for the best... BUT THERE COULD’VE BEEN A ONE I PREFERRED EVEN MORE. But then we have Jason Macendale - who was a great character and a really wise choice for substitute. Even when we got the Demogoblin stuff, it seemed all as a means to make Macendale as interesting and challenging as his predecessor. I think Rog killing Macendale off was a bit of a bum note (why not have him revert to Lantern or even in some way Demogoblin?). Clearly the hobgoblin is always going to be a problem and it’s just a shame that so many good aspects or elements have been gotten rid of.

Which brings us to the Rose. Defalco intended him to be Roderick Kingsley. Which makes a lot of sense to me again when it comes to motivation and believability. But as some have noted, there is a slight wisp of homophobia in making the pampered homosexual into a flower villain. BUT i will counter that by saying, the Rose is actually fucking badass! he’s a really legitimate and was a well received villain at the time. there was nothing “gay” or “insulting” about the Rose, past the flower idea. But Priest decided to make it Richard Fisk - again motivated out of spite for DeFalco. This was fortunate for Roger being able to fix the Hobgoblin. And i think the motivation for Fisk was always there - but the same motivation led to him being a good Hobgoblin - and Priest tried his hardest to even butcher that decent motivation. And then any Rose that followed was dreadful, confusing and became utter editorial farces. We don’t need a Rose that badly.

Venom - Eddie Brock. Simple. But i will say i understand mac gargan. I think the problem was people like Bendis. The problem is Venom is one of Spidey’s most iconic and beloved villains but it’s a role that’s increasingly hard to force Eddie Brock into. So the solution to make Mac Gargan Venom and have a Venom without the anti-hero baggage of Eddie is incredibly sensible. We got to have a Venom who was evil and one of Spidey’s greatest foes. Except Bendis and others made mac gargan an utter joke. Flash thompson had an ok set-up... that works for Eddie Brock... but making it Flash was just rubbish-y. Most of Venom’s appeal is as either a Spider-Man villain or as Eddie Brock. Like i don’t need to say anything else.

iron man’s rogues gallery is pathetic. every single one, barring ghost, is a fucking legacy. there’s 20+ crimson dynamos. even ones like firebrand, whiplash, justin hammer... are replaced by legacy ones. it fucking sucks. and you know what, ghost is one of iron man’s best villains... madame masque too and her “legacies” are shit kurt busiek retcons.

human torch... simple fix: jim hammond is the torch. johnny storm is human torch.

whizzer isn’t really worth the consideration. one is dead, one is from another reality and one is called speed demon now.

ghost rider is an awkward one. johnny blaze has the better name and origin but danny ketch is a better written character i feel. and you can’t pick one without alienating a large fanbase of the other. i think there’s a fix for this... there’s the firestorm route of having them merge to be ghost rider or... how about they both can become ghost rider but only individually? like there has to be a ghost rider and say when johnny is ghost rider, dan is dan and when dan is ghost rider, johnny gets to be johnny. so the dynamic is that one is always having to suffer for the others freedom. but this is all fanon. alejandra is a non-entity and ghost driver isn’t someone i feel the need to consider.

scourge - retire this name and idea fast as possible.

nomad - likewise

deathlok - probably best retire this one too. michael collins was your best go and unfortunately his creator got to wrap that up and give the character a happy ending and to go back on it (oh, they did) would be incredibly insulting to the late dwayne mcduffie.

can’t think of any others worth mentioning... i mean i can think of other legacy heroes but none i really consider. captain britain, thor, hulk, nick fury... not really an area of contention with anyone i’d hope.

[brajeshupadhyay]

The death of civil rights icon John Lewis prompted an outpouring of tributes on Saturday, a combination of mournful praise and calls to action as the nation faces a fresh reckoning with persistent racism a half century after his pioneering protests for Black equality. “Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did,” former President Obama said in a written tribute. “And thanks to him, we now all have our marching orders — to keep believing in the possibility of remaking this country we love until it lives up to its full promise.” Lewis, 80, who died of pancreatic cancer late Friday, made an early mark as a young leader of the 1960s civil rights struggle, helping to lead the 1963 March on Washington, suffering wounds from a police beating in Selma, Ala., in 1965, enduring dozens of arrests and then serving as a House of Representatives member from Georgia since 1987. His death was mourned by figures who had known him for decades and by a younger generation of Black people, who have been on the front lines of the protests for police reform in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. Lewis’ last appearance was at a Washington protest in early June, and his last with Obama was in a virtual town hall addressing activists leading this summer’s protests. “How fitting it is that even in the last weeks of his battle with cancer, John summoned the strength to visit the peaceful protests where the newest generation of Americans had poured into the streets to take up the unfinished work of racial justice,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said in a statement. She long had an especially close relationship with Lewis. “John Lewis had the clearest vision of justice there can be,” said Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, a civil rights group. “He saw how civil rights would transform America, but he knew there would be no civil rights without the kind of Black political power that was willing and capable of disrupting the status quo. He became that power, and he disrupted the status quo. “He told Black Lives Matter activists that he wished he had an open internet in his time,” Robinson said. In a proclamation under President Trump’s name, the White House ordered the flag to be flown at half-staff, including at U.S. facilities worldwide, as is traditional for those so honored. Trump remained mum about Lewis on Saturday morning, when he played golf at his club in Virginia. He then tweeted condolences midafternoon. “Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing,” he wrote on Twitter. “Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family.” A week before he was sworn in as president, Trump launched a bitter Twitter attack on Lewis, after Lewis questioned the legitimacy of Trump’s election and said he would boycott the inauguration. “Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results,” Trump tweeted, mischaracterizing the congressman’s Atlanta-area district. “All talk, talk, talk – no action or results. Sad!” Backlash against his attack on Lewis helped prompt a broader boycott of the inauguration. Obama, in his tribute, recalled his own, very different inauguration experience with Lewis, when Obama became the nation’s first Black president. “I hugged him on the inauguration stand before I was sworn in and told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made.” Praise for Lewis also came in from some Republicans, including those who have blocked his legislative causes, including a pending bill to renew the Voting Rights Act. The House has passed that measure but the GOP-controlled Senate has declined to consider it — a fact many on social media noted in responding to a Lewis tribute from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). McConnell said in a statement, “You did not have to agree with John on many policy details to be awed by his life, admire his dedication to his neighbors in Georgia’s Fifth District, or appreciate his generous, respectful and friendly bearing.” “What a loss,” said House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) in a “Fox and Friends” interview. “You knew you were serving amongst someone who was a legend, who was a giant.” Democrats’ presumptive presidential nominee, Joe Biden, and his wife, Jill, issued a statement that began, “We are made in the image of God, and then there is John Lewis. How could someone in flesh and blood be so courageous, so full of hope and love in the face of so much hate, violence, and vengeance?” The Bidens said they had talked to Lewis a few days ago and found him upbeat and encouraging. “Instead of answering our concerns for him, he asked about us,” the Bidens said. “He asked us to stay focused on the work left undone to heal this nation.” Lewis also drew praise from Biden’s final primary rival, independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who said: “His courage helped transform this country. He won’t ever be forgotten by those who believe America can change when the people stand together and demand it. “ Sen. Kamala Harris of California, a Black Democrat who also ran for president in 2020 and is being considered by Biden as a possible running mate, said of Lewis, “He carried the baton of progress and justice to the very end. It now falls on us to pick it up and march on.” window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId : '119932621434123', xfbml : true, version : 'v2.9' }); }; (function(d, s, id){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://ift.tt/1sGOfhN"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); The post John Lewis dead: Tributes abound for civil rights giant appeared first on Shri Times.

http://sansaartimes.blogspot.com/2020/07/john-lewis-dead-tributes-abound-for.html

[brajeshupadhyay]

John Lewis dead: Tributes abound for civil rights giant

The death of civil rights icon John Lewis prompted an outpouring of tributes on Saturday, a combination of mournful praise and calls to action as the nation faces a fresh reckoning with persistent racism a half century after his pioneering protests for Black equality.

“Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did,” former President Obama said in a written tribute. “And thanks to him, we now all have our marching orders — to keep believing in the possibility of remaking this country we love until it lives up to its full promise.”

Lewis, 80, who died of pancreatic cancer late Friday, made an early mark as a young leader of the 1960s civil rights struggle, helping to lead the 1963 March on Washington, suffering wounds from a police beating in Selma, Ala., in 1965, enduring dozens of arrests and then serving as a House of Representatives member from Georgia since 1987.

His death was mourned by figures who had known him for decades and by a younger generation of Black people, who have been on the front lines of the protests for police reform in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. Lewis’ last appearance was at a Washington protest in early June, and his last with Obama was in a virtual town hall addressing activists leading this summer’s protests.

“How fitting it is that even in the last weeks of his battle with cancer, John summoned the strength to visit the peaceful protests where the newest generation of Americans had poured into the streets to take up the unfinished work of racial justice,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said in a statement. She long had an especially close relationship with Lewis.

“John Lewis had the clearest vision of justice there can be,” said Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, a civil rights group. “He saw how civil rights would transform America, but he knew there would be no civil rights without the kind of Black political power that was willing and capable of disrupting the status quo. He became that power, and he disrupted the status quo.

“He told Black Lives Matter activists that he wished he had an open internet in his time,” Robinson said.

In a proclamation under President Trump’s name, the White House ordered the flag to be flown at half-staff, including at U.S. facilities worldwide, as is traditional for those so honored.

Trump remained mum about Lewis on Saturday morning, when he played golf at his club in Virginia. He then tweeted condolences midafternoon.

“Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing,” he wrote on Twitter. “Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family.”

A week before he was sworn in as president, Trump launched a bitter Twitter attack on Lewis, after Lewis questioned the legitimacy of Trump’s election and said he would boycott the inauguration.

“Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results,” Trump tweeted, mischaracterizing the congressman’s Atlanta-area district. “All talk, talk, talk – no action or results. Sad!”

Backlash against his attack on Lewis helped prompt a broader boycott of the inauguration.

Obama, in his tribute, recalled his own, very different inauguration experience with Lewis, when Obama became the nation’s first Black president. “I hugged him on the inauguration stand before I was sworn in and told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made.”

Praise for Lewis also came in from some Republicans, including those who have blocked his legislative causes, including a pending bill to renew the Voting Rights Act. The House has passed that measure but the GOP-controlled Senate has declined to consider it — a fact many on social media noted in responding to a Lewis tribute from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

McConnell said in a statement, “You did not have to agree with John on many policy details to be awed by his life, admire his dedication to his neighbors in Georgia’s Fifth District, or appreciate his generous, respectful and friendly bearing.”

“What a loss,” said House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) in a “Fox and Friends” interview. “You knew you were serving amongst someone who was a legend, who was a giant.”

Democrats’ presumptive presidential nominee, Joe Biden, and his wife, Jill, issued a statement that began, “We are made in the image of God, and then there is John Lewis. How could someone in flesh and blood be so courageous, so full of hope and love in the face of so much hate, violence, and vengeance?”

The Bidens said they had talked to Lewis a few days ago and found him upbeat and encouraging. “Instead of answering our concerns for him, he asked about us,” the Bidens said. “He asked us to stay focused on the work left undone to heal this nation.”

Lewis also drew praise from Biden’s final primary rival, independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who said:

“His courage helped transform this country. He won’t ever be forgotten by those who believe America can change when the people stand together and demand it. “

Sen. Kamala Harris of California, a Black Democrat who also ran for president in 2020 and is being considered by Biden as a possible running mate, said of Lewis, “He carried the baton of progress and justice to the very end. It now falls on us to pick it up and march on.”

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