#man y'all's baggage just lines right up don't it.

[bluespiritshonour]

Oh my God!

I just caught up with World's Finest: Teen Titans and I absolutely have to write this out:

First of all, I love this cover:

The thing that caught my eye: “you're grounded.”

Not the dramatic “you're fired” as if the motherfucker didn't raise that damn kid in his own damn house for YEARS.

(I know. I know. Bar on the ground, but what would you?)

Also, the anger palpable on Bruce's face and Dick's absolute disregard for it. I'm laughing here y'all. This is what teenagers act like. This is what fights between parents and children look like.

Also. Dick Grayson, I've been missing. You're back from war!

I love how curt he is. The “Get lost” hits in all the right places. We love a strongly-principled character that stands for what he believes in. With all the lukewarm Dick Grayson writing floating around I felt like walking into a coffee shop while it's snowing outside.

More of this writing, please.

I'd been waiting for this moment all through this series.

This conversation.

I compare things all the time. It might not be the right thing in every field but I think it serves well when it comes to comic books. We all have personal “canon criteria”—for example, mine are “Darwyn Cooke wrote this Bruce so I'm taking it as valid characterisation ” or “Every version of Bruce played by Kevin Conroy is valid”. (Minus Bruce Timm bullshit!)

Which was what cinched my hatred for Bruce after reading a Robin short story that Cooke wrote and alluded to Robin: Year One in it. I mean, I might not fuck with Dixon, but am I going to call even Cooke's Bruce OOC? No. It means Bruce is a jerk. Full stop.

Waid is one of the writers I respect (excluding Kingdom Come. I hate it and I can't put my finger on the why. But I just do: I hate it. I hate it for Clark. I hate it for Diana. And I'm a professional Bruce-hater so let's not even go there. I hate it for Dick too.)

And Dick and Bruce's relationship has a lot of baggage from the fact that a) Bruce is himself traumatised and fails to meet Dick's emotional needs b) he wasn't ready to be a father when he adopted Dick c) Dick simply suffers from being the eldest—the test child.

And very rarely have I seen writers manage to walk on the thin line of complicated-but-dedicated-and-strong.

Young Justice cartoon did it. Dick and Bruce's relationship is going strong. But they fight and have different values. And Dick can see all that is wrong with Bruce's approach to vigilantism in particular and life in general.

Grimm (Legends of the Dark Knight #149-154) did it right. Where Bruce hurt Dick deeply and made him feel unwanted all the while overthinking about Dick's well-being. Way to go, buddy! You can see the repercussions it has for Dick while simultaneously stare at this man who's tying himself into knots trying to think how best to parent.

I think that's what most Bruce and Dick comics miss: the excessive worrying. They don't show the worry, make them fight for drama, never address it apart from throwing out a “it's because Bruce's worried” (bitch, where?) and have Dick running back to Gotham at the first chance. It sounds an awful lot like “your parents hurt you 'cause they love you” bullshit.

I think World's Finest manages it well because foremost, Bruce says, in words, that he's worried about Dick's well-being. He's taciturn, he's putting constant pressure on Dick all in the hopes of making him quit Titans. All this makes him a jerk. But I don't hate him for it.

It's between Dick's “you don't trust me” and Bruce's “no, I don't trust them.”

Most teenagers clash with their parents. It's normal. That's what Waid has shown here and I love it. It feels very—normal?

Especially when the Bats aren't normal! Bruce sure as fuck ain't a normal parent. But there was something very bitter-sweet coming-of-age in this conversation.

Bruce does all those things that are bad for Dick and his growing independence. You're not supposed to handle teenagers like that.

He's worried and taking desperate measures. “If I punish him, then maybe he'll obey me and quit Titans and then he'll he safe”—lots of parents who don't know how to deal with teenagers do it.

But the sequence of it: Bruce is worried → Bruce wants Dick to quit Titans → for Dick it means proving himself to be better, to not get hurt (as if he can control that beyond a certain point) → Bruce being alarmed at Dick's insistence to stay with the Titans and taking desperate measures like benching him.

At least it makes sense.

Compare it to Dixon's Nightwing origin story, which honestly, personally I think was lazy writing. Drama for drama's sake. “You’re fired because you're spending too much time with the Titans.” The same writer also had Bruce say that he did it because he wanted Dick to strike out on his own. Blah, blah, blah.

And no matter whatever happens he'd never ever say it to Dick's face that he's worried about him because—well, reasons.

Robin: Year One logic:

I'm worried about Dick's health so I fire him. He runs off and can get hurt? He joins a school for assasins? None of my business. He can get hurt on his own, I don't care as long as it is not on my conscience. Peace.

—Bruce “professional narcissist” Wayne.

So, yes. When faced with this book(WF: TT), I'd call Dixon's writing lazy.

I'm also comparing this to several other instances when Bruce verbally says (never to Dick, mind you) that he loves that Dick's a better person and better vigilante than him. But in the same book he'd yell at Dick for exactly the same thing. (I consider that lazy writing, since BTAS made sure to show a shot of Bruce smiling whenever Dick was happy/not like him).

I like this thing here where he says it to Dick's face. He's still grounding him for “discipline's sake” or whatever—very, very IC for Bruce.

But he also lets Dick know that he appreciates his values, that are different—better—than Bruce's own.

I can stomach that.

Honestly Bruce's writing in this book felt like BtAS writing (pre-Bruce Timm fuckery). That's a compliment.

P.S. Waid's a good story-teller overall. His Superman: Birthright was one of the first Superman comics I read and I fell in love with Clark right away.

Peace ✌️😂

[hexedwinchester]

Fire Country Season 1

apparently, some very lovely people on Tumblr asked for a quick review on Fire Country and since I'm already bingeing hard on this, why not?! (Some spoilers in the review, please proceed with caution). This one's for you @idontknow-1213 and @sounknownvoid 🤗🤗

For those who don't know the show, it starts with Bode Donovan (actually a Leone but changes his name to Donovan) in prison applying for a program to be a firefighter. It's all good and lovely, until the day he starts the program and is assigned to a firefighter camp, Three Rock in Edgewater, his hometown. Ghost of his past actions (revealed later) have him conflicted about being back home and he requests for a transfer but of course ends up staying. Throughout the season, Bode struggles to build the bridges with friends and family that were burnt long ago, all the while striving to be a better person. He believes if given a chance, people can change.

Now let's talk about some key characters!

Bode Donovan (Leone): our protagonist, though looks like a guy you wanna don't cross, thanks to the muscular build, long hair and prison tats, he is actually sweet but deeply misunderstood guy. He takes his job as a firefighter very seriously and is not afraid to defy an order if it means saving people. I mean you can't always play by the books, right? One thing I noticed about him is though he is out of prison (in a way), he still goes by the prison law. Bode has a long way to go.

Manny Perez: Captain of Three Rock, Gabriela's father and Bode's mentor. He keeps the inmates in line but also believes in them and has their backs. He comes to appreciate Bode's knack at being a natural firefighter and regards him highly. Unfortunately, Manny has his own demons he tries to fight on the side. This is also why Manny relates to the inmates because he shares a similar past. I like his character. He is a man who learnt a lot the hard way. Quite hard bitten like that.

Sharon Leone: Division Chief Sharon Leone is Bode's mother (gasp!). She is also sick (kidney disease, it sucks) so she requests Manny to keep Bode in the camp and he does. While Sharon has a soft spot for her incarcerated son, she is headstrong and damn good at her job (woman knows her shit and how to make it work). She is a total badass and popular among men (I mean, seriously what's with other men hitting on her like she's single cause she ain't?!)

Vince Leone: that's Bode's dad (and if you are a huge Twilight geek like me, you would recognise him as Chief Charlie Swan, Bella's father) who doesn't want to be Bode's dad because he is the reason why his daughter, Riley dies. (Not really, he thinks he is but accidents happen and the catalyst is someone else). So Vince hasn't forgiven Bode for this until the real guy confesses and Vince is stuck in a situation that brings back old memories. What's Vince like? A devoted husband (except for that one incident), a good firefighter and a girl dad that's hard on his son. And did y'all know, the actor Billy Burke is a damn good singer??!

Gabriela Perez: Manny's Olympic-swimmer-turned-firefighter daughter. Honestly, when I first saw the cast, I expected Gabz to be a lot stronger but she's just a sweet girl next door that's trying to follow her heart, conflicted to choose between swimming and firefighting, just like Jake and Bode. Sparks fly between her and Bode as they try to balance their feelings among other chaos. Although, they are still not my favorite couple. I prefer Vince and Sharon (tooth rooting couple goals!!). I honestly wanted to like her but she comes with unnecessary baggages and is a bit of a crybaby (sorry!) but whoever is incharge of her costume, needs a raise. Her wardrobe is really pretty 😍

Jake Crawford: ex boyfriend to Gabz and ex friend to Bode. They have a fallout when Bode discovers Jake cheated on Riley which ultimately led to her demise. And honestly, I was prepared to hate Jake (no, it has nothing to do with Jake reminding me of Jacob Black from Twilight) and while he starts off as a jackass, towards the end of season 1, they redeemed him well. He is also serious about his job and his new love interest (thank God!) Cara who happens to be Bode's ex! (Yeah, they date in the family, it seems like🤣) he respects the Leones (Vince and Sharon, I mean)

Eve Edwards: (is it just me or that's too many Twilight references already? 🙊) a part of Bode, Jake and Eve trio friendship, she is funny but doesn't sugarcoat it. She is fiercely loyal and hardworking. They start exploring her character towards the end of season 1

Freddy Mills: Inmate at Three Rock camp and Bode's friend. Their camaraderie is commendable. Both are loyal to each other and have each other's back. I think Bode needed a friend like him. So that's good. Plus, he wants to marry a girl named Cookie!

Throughout the season, Bode tries to prove he is worthy of being at Three Rock, worthy of Gabriela's love but with his own conflicted nature and Sleeper, an inmate from Bode's past comes to stir trouble, it creates a challenge, leaving Bode with a difficult choices to make.

I honestly went in blind with Fire Country. At first, I was just going to see the episode with Camden in it (duh!) but I decided to give the show a try and I'm glad I did. What I love about this show is, if you have seen Walker, it will give similar family vibes. The entire Cal Fire unit works like a family including Three Rock as they fight fire side by side. The whole romance between Bode and Gabz is not in your face (which is nice) but the chemistry between Vince and Sharon is too cute to ignore. The first few episodes are a bit slow as they set the tone but then the show ups the stakes progressively. It is quite intense at times and you can feel the heat (no pun intended) on your face. I love that the show takes the time to scratch beneath the surface for each of its characters and not just the main ones, giving them a certain depth. I didn't expect to like the show as much as I do! But it's quite refreshing and a bit different than your regular crime/cop procedural shows. All I can say is Max Thieriot, who I know from his The Pacifiers time, has done a great job as an EP.

Let me know if y'all have any interesting takes on the show or the characters!

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 - Exclusive Special Preview Breakdown

I literally just got home and am speedrunning frame by frame through ANOTHER huge trailer that dropped while IRL had me in a chokehold today--AMC, y'all are tryna put me in the hospital, ISTG! We're EATING SO WELL in the fandom!

That's the SECOND MOFO to shoulder-check my daughter--DEATH to all of them!

past!Lesmand in Les Innocents I assume.

This is spiiiiiiiiiicy, cuz it directly links up with what they show later about Claudia's diaries:

I BET! You choke-slammed me like my a-hole father-uncle-brother did, and refused to toss his desanguinated husk in the incinerator with his 9-fingered sidepiece! DISHONOUR!

DRAG HIM, Claudia!

(Why even bother touching it, ew.) I love how JA's voice over is explaining how Lou & Claud have experienced true horror, and they show some dried out skeleton from Eastern Europe, knowing good & well some corpse is LIGHT, compared to the mess they've been through.

this is FERAL.

HD footage of the infamous too-effing-dark-and-blurry Loustat kiss. At long last.

omg Lestat is a TROLLLLLLLLLLLL 😅

I'm getting the impression that there's barely a scene WITHOUT Lestat haunting Louis, even when his new boo's right there! Poor Armand never stood a chance. U_U

Assad said "Armand cannot help but feel Lestat's presence--" you mean like LITERALLY? With the Mind Gift? So Armand KNOWS Louis is hallucinating Lestat the whole time!? 😱

DANG, Louis needs Lestat as a scapegoat to blame when things go wrong, but he also needs Lestat to be his guilty conscious helping him make the "right" decisions.

What's WILD is that SamStat's so dang good at being this p.o.s. we (via Louis' POV) are supposed to hate--but this isn't even Lestat! It's a literal figment of Louis' traumatized imagination, even moreso than the descriptions Louis gave to Daniel in 1973. It is so much clearer here WHY Louis went off on Lestat in SanFran, cuz he'd been dealing with a fake Lestat for possibly decades by then, driving him nuts, that Louis then raged against in the first interview. I really like that AMC is showing us this--it hits so much better than just getting a couple lines in the book, and next to zero references in the movie.

TELL IT, JACOB! Y'all know those friends/family that just LOVE a bad boy--someone toxic AF that no one in their right mind would seriously consider, cuz they're addicted to the high that DRAMA gives them. They don't feel like they're really living/loving if everything's not a freaking rollercoaster. Which is why REBOUNDS are often a bad idea! They never process their damage before jumping to the next inevitable disaster--Louis LITERALLY carrying his past baggage with him. U_U

"Die, Claudia." 😒

LOUMAND'S BEDROOM AT LONG LAST! 😭 It's so cool! (My nerdy The Sims gamer heart is having palpitations; it's nothing like I expected. ❤️ MORE jail/cage bars.)

Not a shocker--I bet these are the ones about Paris (neatly sliced out), not the ones about Bruce (torn out). The agreement part is interesting though, cuz Louis has to ask Armand's permission to see his daughter's diaries, which means Armand's the one keeping them away--the question is WHY? Cuz we know Louis' memorized her diaries. So I'm wondering if it's cuz Daniel's been poking so many holes that Louis' starting to doubt his memories about what happened, and needs to see them for verification? OR, Lou has no memories of what happened and what was on those pages, and Armand's like "We REMOVE the Damage So We FORGET The Damage."

Chile, you been knew Louis' cuckoo bananas--the REAL mystery is Armand.

Yeah, we been knew Ben Daniels was gonna out-Lestat Lestat, the man's oozing Charisma Uniqueness Nerve and Talent.

Meanwhile Louis looks beyond disgusted.

RIP to all the Meat being butchered on stage.

"Dare I say it's a much gorier season." PERFECT. I really wanna see them BE VAMPS, not just the Theatre. LFG! ^0^