#maybe she goes there to “get back to her cool indie girl roots”

[mttonex]

joanfucius if one of them was a zombie and they killed people for body parts (lisa frankenstein au)

bonus doodles :3

[tearlessrain]

I’m about to watch Arthur and Merlin, which is free on youtube and came up in my suggestions randomly. I have no idea what it is but I am hungry for the arthurian Content so Imma watch it and see how it goes

update: it was way better than I expected and accidentally SUPER gay. that merlin tv show everyone loved was amateur hour compared to how gay this was.

“there is magic in the air, and in the water, but it has been forgotten by many in these lands” wow why does that sound familiar I wonder

the funny thing is I watched fellowship of the ring literally yesterday so this will be hilarious

but there is hope [extremely unsubtle cut to a baby who is definitely important]

now I think... and I could be wrong... but guys I suspect this baby might be the chosen one.

oh god there was no father he was conceived by midichlorians

THE SKYWALKERS HAVE INFILTRATED THE CELTS

okay place your bets is it arthur or merlin

it’s Merlin. or Merddyn rather, in a surprise twist this movie was written by Fucking Nerds

so far mild cheese aside this is surprisingly watchable

“your crops fail and so you ask the king for help, but do not help yourselves! where are your alters?? starvation is punishment for your lack of faith!” THE RNC HAS INFILTRATED THE CELTS

okay so near as I can figure out the mark is from the old gods but there’s a druid who I guess speaks for the king or something who wants them to worship different old gods and now he’s demanding the villagers make a human sacrifice and it’s gonna be Smol Merddyn.

aw no they killed Celtic Shmi. Merddyn got away though and is now wandering the Forbidden Forest

I’m mad this is actually a solid movie so far. absolutely nothing unexpected has happened but I didn’t click on a movie called “Arthur and Merlin” to be surprised

oh wait that kid who freed him was Arthur

fifteen years later arthur is... a military leader who looks strangely like one of those romans played by obviously white actors in older movies

I honestly can’t pinpoint when this movie was made on aesthetics alone

ooo some Roving Misogynists™ are here to cause trouble and assault random women for being christian. by order of the druid no doubt.

“you mock us!” “I do.” okay I’m starting to like this arthur.

oh my god is that. he just fucking. tripped over excalibur while wading in like a two foot deep pond to get this woman’s cross back for her. best interpretation ever.

wait Olwen??? as in Ysbaddaden’s daughter Olwen?? once again I assumed they’d go with Guinevere or make someone up but I forgot, this movie was made by Fucking Nerds.

okay I know insisting everything is gay is a constant thing on this site but I want to point out that Arthur has showed nothing but very platonic friendship to Olwen but this is the face he makes when he sees Merddyn in a vision

and I mean to be fair to him this is what Merddyn looks like now

goddamn

oh no they’ve immediately made it very clear that he’s Romantically Involved With Olwen In Secret Look They’re Kissing Nobody Is Gay

so now I really want to know who wrote this movie because what I’m seeing here is people who intentionally chose to use the name merddyn, and know that olwen exists, but then decided to pair her romantically with... king arthur. and culhwch just doesn’t exist I guess. not that this is the most off the wall welsh mythology ship I’ve encountered but still it’s a weird one for this kind of media even if it’s an indie film

who are you people. how did this movie get made. I mean I like whatever it is but for real how and why did you do this.

I love how there’s just this trio of random dudes who don’t even have names who are arthur/olwen’s friends. and yet somehow they’re likable and I’m rooting for them. whoever they are.

so the only real problem with this movie that’s denting my enjoyment is that nobody has names and they all have the same haircut so I lose track of who’s doing what. see these are arthur’s friends:

and these are bad guys:

and Olwen is the only person in either screenshot who has a name

if any of them ever changes into a new outfit I’m screwed.

I’m gonna be real with y’all I love me a cursed forest

in an ironic twist, excalibur is now firmly stuck in a tree trunk and arthur cannot get it out

why is this movie GOOD what the heck. I mean the druid and king situation is blatantly ripped from wormtongue and theoden but I still like. care about the king. they’ve done it well.

“I’ve already told you, I am no longer a man.” “are you so sure???” see I know nothing will happen since this is a movie not a fanfic but that line is the quintessential hate-makeout segue

THIS IS VERY HETEROSEXUAL they’ve had most of the argument while approximately that distance from each other

oh god what the fuck arthur’s friends got sacrificed by the druid just to make a point to olwen. this is the opposite of a Sacrificial Girlfriend.

they do not need to be this close to each other to argue but they keep on doing it

they’ve been on screen together for less than five minutes y’all

arthur: maybe you’re right, you are no longer a man

merlin: [conjures an entire patch of flowers for him to make... some kind of point I guess?]

okay now they’re arguing again but there’s all this “I thought I knew you” talk (which, again, it’s been five minutes) and the actors have clearly decided that their dynamic is based entirely on constant, roiling sexual tension

why does every single thing they say scan like dialogue from a slow burn enemies to friends to lovers fanfic

“the girl in the village, did you love her once?” “I know little of love” “Surely a man who can control the growth of a flower must be able to make love blossom” JUST FUCK ALREADY

this is how they’re having this conversation by the way

there was only one shrub hollow

“to control nature is one thing, but only the most powerful sorcerer could control the mind of a man- OR WOMAN,” he said, heterosexually.

y’all I’m gonna be honest I thought I was just projecting at first but this is the gayest thing I’ve seen since the baseball song in high school musical 2. this is just absolute beleg and turin levels of probably unintended but utterly blatant homosexuality. I’m so glad I decided to watch this movie and youtube was right to recommend it to me.

this movie really speaks to me because on a spiritual level I too am a mystical but irritable and socially stunted forest hermit with sexy hair just waiting for a brash but pure-hearted warrior who looks like a roman statue to draw me out of my cave with homoerotic banter. 

oh it’s not excalibur it’s... nuadu. which I guess in this movie is not the king of the tuatha de danann but a sword forged by them? see my first impulse would be to assume that the way they’re mangling everything, the writers knew nothing about Celtic folklore, except that they’ve chosen such weirdly specific things to mangle. they know their shit, they’ve just deliberately chosen to go absolutely buckwild with it.

THEY’RE DOING IT AGAIN THEY ARE INCAPABLE OF ARGUING WHILE STANDING MORE THAN TWO FEET APART

for real though character-wise this might be one of my favorite interpretations of merlin/merddyn I’ve ever seen. I feel like everyone involved was genuinely super passionate about the subject matter they were working with. like all jokes aside he’s really honestly well acted and well written.

STOP IT NOW YOU HORNY SIMPLETONS

uh oh they’ve been captured by... bandits?

oh it’s olwen’s uncle

“TO GOOD WOMEN... WHY DO YOU NOT DRINK, MERDDYN”

it is a mystery, olwen’s uncle.

a mystery.

this motivational monologue could have been so cheesy but like. I’m here for it. I would follow arthur into battle.

aw come on. olwen’s uncle betrayed them. I kinda saw it coming but dammit.

again, the druid should be absolutely stupid but he’s kind of a cool villain.

yay olwen’s uncle unbetrayed them. probably so would I if I’d seen what merddyn just did to the druid’s guys.

so the druid is trying to sacrifice ten thousand souls to raise a god from the underworld and merddyn is on the fucking warpath. and olwen’s uncle is ON BOARD HELL YEAH.

THE HOBBITS THE HOBBITS THE HOBBITS THE HOBBITS TO ISENGUARD TO ISENGUARD

arthur and merddyn have escalated to clutching each other’s clothes during their heated two-feet-apart discussions

olwen is a badass in her own right like she has her own whole thing going trying to save the king from basically his own literal dementia and the druid who’s taking advantage of it, which is somehow way more compelling than just magical mind control.

“I thought the cave taught you fairness” “well... you taught me fighting” JUST KISS.

okay let’s see how they pull off this dark god on the shoestring budget they definitely have, at this point I honestly believe in them.

by avoiding showing the god entirely apparently but they made it work even with that.

aw the king has named him his heir. which again we all knew would happen but it’s still so well done.

and we end on merddyn placing the crown on arthur’s head while lovingly quoting his own words back at him, while olwen looks on with the kind of approval that implies they’ve ended up with some kind of road to el dorado situation. solid.

so I was expecting this to be absolute garbage with bad actors and checked out writers just trying to make another mediocre coattail-riding medieval fantasy movie and what I got was some weirdly good actors and writers who are clearly obsessed with celtic folklore and desperately wanted to just run amok with it for an hour and 45 minutes. and they did. they poured every ounce of their hearts and souls and tiny, tiny budget into it. and it was beautiful. 10/10

[lost-n-stereo]

draw back your bow (let your arrow go)

Summary: Clarke Griffin doesn’t want to join Cupid’s Arrow, Los Angeles’ newest online dating site but her mother insists she at least give it a try. Enter “Fake Blake”, a man claiming to be Bellamy Blake, TV’s hottest new up and coming actor. With a profile photo that can’t be found on the internet, to stories only the man himself could tell, Clarke starts to wonder if her online crush could be her celebrity crush too. Modern Romantic Comedy AU

Part 1 - [Tumblr] [AO3]

Part 2 - Bellamy

Bellamy is always surprised when people stop him and ask for autographs.

He’s currently stopped in the middle of Target, a group of teenage girls surrounding him, but he loves it. The fact that people care enough about him to want a photo or his signature on some random scrap of paper is humbling.

“Can you sign my pop figure?” A girl no older than twelve or thirteen hands over a Robert Moore boxed figurine that Bellamy has at home, sitting next to a framed copy of the pilot script.

“Yeah, of course,” he grins and signs his name over the plastic sheeting on the front of the box. “This thing is pretty cool, I have one too.” The girl blushes when he smiles at her.

Her mother thanks him after they take a couple of selfies and then he’s making his way around the circle until everyone has gotten a photo with him.

When he’s alone again, and he hates to think finally because he loves his fans but yeah, sometimes it’s a little overwhelming.

Eight years ago he was auditioning for anything and everything, working as a waiter to make the rent. Six months after moving to Los Angeles he auditioned for The Ark, a new CW show that had high hopes of being the next Battlestar Galactica. He won the role of Robert Moore, a young but determined Ark guard, and almost a year to the day after he moved here the first episode premiered.

Seven years later and he can honestly say he never thought any of this would be happening.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and he grins when he sees a text from Clarke.

Clarke: Morning Fake Blake. How goes the “entertainment business” on this fine Friday afternoon?

This girl, he thinks as he thumbs in a response. She’s so quick to assume that he’s not being truthful with her but she still makes a point to text him. It doesn’t make any sense but he loves it.

Bellamy: I just got cornered in the cereal aisle by fifteen teenage girls.

Clarke: Ooh. And what kind of cereal did you decide on?

Bellamy: Chex .

Clarke: Gross! What are you, 50 years old?

Bellamy: I’m 26, brat.

He laughs at her response, a series of side eye emojis, and pushes his cart to the checkout. His phone buzzes again but this time it’s a call from his ex that he immediately silences. Why she would be calling him when they have been broken up for weeks is beyond him.

There’s another text from Clarke waiting for him when he’s done packing his groceries up in the back of his Jeep.

Clarke: So tell me the truth…when are you going to give up this Bellamy Blake thing?

Bellamy: Uhh…when I’m dead, I guess?

Clarke: …….

Clarke: I wish you could just be real with me.

Bellamy sighs and rests his head on his seat. He really likes this girl but he doesn’t know how to make her take him seriously. They have been texting back and forth for a week, after she agreed to give him her phone number so they didn’t have to use the Cupid’s Arrow app anymore. He saved her profile photo so it pops up whenever she texts him. He even asked his little sister Octavia the best way to go about this. Her advice was to man up and ask her to meet which he’s starting to think might be his only option.

Bellamy: Have you stopped to think, even once, that maybe I’m telling you the truth? Honestly, Clarke. What do I have to gain by lying to you?

Clarke: I really don’t know.

His phone rings, his manager this time, and he rolls his eyes as he takes the call.

“Blake, do I have news for you!”

Bellamy switches from his phone to Bluetooth and starts the drive back to his place.

“What’s up, Tom?”

“How do you feel about starring in a romantic comedy?”

Bellamy groans as he gets on the 101. “Is it a lame romantic comedy?”

His agent laughs. “No! It’s going to be hilarious. Written by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.  This could be great for your career, Bell. The audition is next Thursday but it’s just a formality. They want you, so think about it!”

Tom hangs up without saying goodbye, which seems to be the L.A. way, and Bellamy does think about what a movie of this caliber could do for his career. So far he’s only starred in a few features, low budget horror films or indie stuff he did with friends. This could be his chance to break into mainstream movies, even if it’s not necessarily in his wheelhouse.

When he’s stuck in traffic, he looks around to make sure no cops are in the general vicinity before pulling his phone into his lap.

Bellamy: Do you think I could pull off a romantic lead?

Clarke: If you’re asking if I think Bellamy Blake could be a romantic lead, then sure. I don’t see why not.

Bellamy rolls his eyes. There she goes again with the distrust.

Bellamy: Thanks. I think.

She sends a string of laughing emojis, so he calls her a brat again and tosses his phone in the passenger seat so he doesn’t get a ticket.

***

“That’s a wrap for today! See you all tomorrow, bright and early at 8 am.”

Bellamy sags against the prop couch he’s sitting on and pulls his phone out of his pocket. There are no less than thirty new notifications since the last time he checked but none are from Clarke.

His best friend Monty drops down onto the couch next to him and sighs. “These seventeen hour days are fucking killing me.”

Bellamy nods and puts his phone back into his pocket. “Yeah, they suck. I just want to go home and crash.”

Monty grins and nudges him with his elbow. “Don’t lie to me. You want to go home and message the hot girl from that dating app.”

Fuck, he never should have told Monty about Clarke. The only reason he did was because Monty caught him sending her a text in the middle of a scene when the camera wasn’t on him.

“She doesn’t believe that I’m me,” Bellamy tells him. “Basically all of our messages so far are me telling her that I’m being real with her and then her telling me that I’m some crazy guy trying to lie to get girls.”

“So, send her a picture. Won’t that prove it?”

Bellamy thinks it over and then shrugs. “Maybe but anything can be photoshopped these days. I doubt anything I send would be real enough for her.”

He’s not really sure why he even cares. Yeah, Clarke is gorgeous. The photo she posted on Cupid’s Arrow, with her windblown blonde curls and shy smile made him instantly want to get to know her.  There was something about how free and calm she looked that made him wonder if she could be different than most of the women that he knows in this town.

Women like his ex, Echo.

The complete train wreck that was their relationship is the exact reason he stepped away from the Hollywood dating scene in the first place. They got along great at first, having met when Echo played a character on his show before moving on to the spinoff. It was the long hours on set that bonded them quickly and they went from coworkers to lovers in a very short span of time. He thinks not truly knowing the other person was the reason for their breakup. She took it harder than he thought she would when he ended things, and he’s still dealing with the repercussions today.

He tells Monty he’ll see him tomorrow as he pushes himself off the couch and calls for a car to drive him back to his house. It’s nearing one am and there’s no way he trusts himself to drive even though it’s barely a fifteen minute trip.

To say he’s surprised when he gets a message from Clarke on the ride home would be an understatement.

Clarke: Let’s pretend for a minute that you ARE Bellamy Blake. Tell me something only he would know.

He laughs out loud and thumbs in a response.

Bellamy: And how would you know something that I would say when you don’t know me? Also, why are you up so late?

Her message comes back right away.

Clarke: I don’t know, figure something out. And I’m studying for a test. Why are you up so late?

Bellamy: Pushing 12+ hour days this week filming. Today ended up being almost 17. I’m just now heading home.

There’s no response for awhile so he pockets his phone and rests his head back with his eyes closed until he reaches his place. It’s not a huge mansion or anything, just a decent sized house that he purchased when The Ark went into its third season. The network had basically promised them at least six seasons so he figured it was a good time to put down some roots. Now they are in their seventh season with no end in sight so he’s happy to have a real home to come back to every night and not some shitty apartment in the city.

Clarke still hasn’t responded by the time he’s getting into bed almost an hour later. After he showered and washed off the past seventeen hours of work, he practically fell into bed. He lies there for awhile, staring up at the ceiling and wondering what he could tell her to make her believe him. A thought pops into his head and he smiles, reaching for his phone to send her a message.

Bellamy: Are you a fan of the show?

He doesn’t have to wait long before her reply comes through.

Clarke: If I’m being honest, it’s my favorite. Why?

He mentally pumps his fist in the air because this? This he can work with. His sister was right. The only way she’s going to believe him is if she meets him.

Bellamy: Come by the set and visit me. I can get you and a friend day passes to come meet the cast.

Her response is immediate.

Clarke: There is no way this is real. I can’t give you my address to send some imaginary passes to my doorstep.

Bellamy: I’ll send you an address. Give them your name and they will let you in. Next Wednesday?

It’s less than a week away and he hopes that she’ll give him a chance to prove he’s telling the truth. He doesn’t know why he wants her to believe him so badly, maybe because he really thinks there could be a connection there.

Clarke: Fine. But if I show up at some abandoned warehouse, I’m out.

Bellamy laughs and types in the address of the studio, tells her to be there Wednesday at noon.

Maybe, just maybe, when she sees her name on the approved guest list, she’ll finally see that he’s been telling her the truth all along.

[gakkawojin]

time for a eurovision ranking rant with sav that no one cares about wooooooo

this is actually vaguely in order of songs i love through to dislike so here goes

italy: francesco gabbani, occidentali’s karma my clear winner near enough since it was announced, honestly. good hook, good overall sound, unique amongst this year’s selection, interesting theme, faintly silly dancing, europe’s cool uncle. solid winner. will probably do very well in the show and maybe win, roma 2018 right boys, honestly though this is one of my fave esc entries in years if not ever

moldova: sunstroke project, hey, mamma! see above: good beat, good sound, questionable silly dancing, europe’s other cool uncles. decent vocals, excellent musicians, and they really seem pleased/proud to be representing moldova again (imo ola tira held them back this time), this is a solid club/party song and i think a solid qualifier. maybe not a winner, but i’m expecting/hoping for a good result for moldova! hopefully their second time in the top ten, maybe even their first top 5 if they’re lucky

belarus: NAVI, historyja mahjo žyccia another i loved from the first time i heard it in the national selection days (i didn’t think it would win cause everything i love seems to die on the stage at nf shows) and it’s much stronger with the new rework. it’s just such a happy, feelgood song, they’ve got great voices and chemistry together, it still stands out even weeks after its announcement and i love it. also first entry in belorussian yesssss

the netherlands: OG3NE, lights and shadows i’ll be honest, when i first listened to the studio i wasn’t in love, but then i heard their live performance and hoooooooooooly shiiiiiiit man they’re good. will need strong/dramatic staging because the song itself is a bit 90s but it’s got a good build and some amazing vocal work, i would love for this to do well

portugal: salvador sobral, amar pelos dois i hate ballads, i do, but i love this -it’s quirky, something a bit different, and his voice is lovely. it reminds me of old disney movies in the best way. it actually reminds me a bit of pernilla karlsson’s när jag blundar for finland a few years ago, weirdly, but i really like them both. i hope this year finally brings portugal back into the finals because this is gorgeous, honestly

austria: nathan trent, running on air i really like this, honestly -i don’t think it’s a winner by any means, but it’s good, radio friendly, it’s feel good and fun and i like it. i’m curious what’s gonna happen with staging but i think nathan’s a strong dancer and performer so this should do okay for austria, it’s similar in tone/style to last year and they did alright then so

france: alma, requiem i really liked this on release, but her live vocals just don’t hold up as well as i’d wanted them to, and i feel the song starts to trail in the last minute or so. i still really like it and i think it’s another really solid effort for france this year but it’s just not as strong as some of the other entries for me

estonia: koit toome & laura, verona hilariously i haaaaaaaated this in the early days of eesti laul (my girl elina born was there after all so) but it really grew on me, their voices are solid together and i think with a bit more practice/better staging this could do well, given there’s so few duets this year

hungary: joci papai, origo i reaaaaaaally like this, except the weird little rap bit. hopefully europe aren’t our usual hideous racist selves about it and it qualifies and does well, cause it’s so unique and it’s such a love letter to hungarian culture. the staging and music is beautiful i really love it

latvia: triana park, line this isn’t something i can see myself listening to over and over again, but it’s a decent song and the staging is wiiiiiiild, it’s gonna stand out, kick ass, take names and probably a top 15 spot imo

finland: norma john, blackbird i don’t love this, it’s okay, but her voice is gorgeous hot damn. it probably won’t win but it’s just really a very nice song. i worry it might get lost or forgotten, which i think is a big issue/worry with a lot of entries this year

everything past this point i flat out dislike or just hate honestly so this gon be brief

cyprus: song is passable to good, but i was immediately concerned when he mimed his first live performance, it just looks shoddy and i’m now thinking he can’t actually pull these notes off

poland: decent song, i’m just not huge on her voice. she can definitely sing and she’s got a solid jazz vocal, it’s just not my thing

denmark: it’s just a bit forgettable, honestly. it feels just like an x factor singer’s second single, which it is, but i just think it airs too closely to generic for me

switzerland: it’s alright, she’s gorgeous, but it’s just nothing to write home about. their aesthetic is on point but it’s just doesn’t do much for me

united kingdom: ...no comment. honestly we’re so meh this year i can’t

germany: oh bless you. honestly this isn’t even terrible, everyone is just gonna immediately forget about it

ukraine: i like rock at eurovision. i do not like this. the staging just creeps me out with the dodgy prosthetics and i just think it’s so dark and grumpy and sad, i’m not a fan at all

spain: forgettable. all i know is he wants me to ‘do it for your lover’. what is ‘it’

albania: i really like it in albanian, and her voice is insanely strong but i’m worried the english version is gonna lose all its charm and musicality as has happened on many occasions before

belgium: solid meh. sounds like it tries too hard to be indie, wishes she was lana del rey, the music is good and the song itself is fine, but i am fairly sure this won’t work live because it just sounds so forced

greece: someone let them know cascada called and asked for the breakdown from ‘glorious’ back, this sounds so 2006 and i cannot, it’s an improvement from last year certainly but still not a strong comeback imo

croatia: completely ridiculous and i can’t wait for the live performance in the same sense that you can’t tear your eyes off a train wreck

georgia: she’s got a powerful voice that’s for sure but the song is so repetitive and the staging is just bland as hell

australia: it’s just dull god love them, it’s another ballad in a sea of ballads and he’s like 17 telling me how difficult and hard love is, i don’t care, will qualify ‘because it’s australia’ and it’s just so eh

czechia: oh, oh sweetheart

slovenia: why did you pick this, who hurt you

malta: see above

romania: i literally hate this and cannot wait to buy the album so i can delete it, fuck me i can’t stand it

also two of the national finals happening this weekend (that i’m missing because family event bah) that might return hope and joy to this year’s contest:

sweden: i will take literally anyone winning as long as it’s not lisa ajax or ace wilder cause they both drive me nuts. personally i’m rooting for mariette or robin bengtsson but wiktoria will probably take it

iceland: again will take basically anyone qualifying here, i’d prefer either of the arons or even daði but honestly they’re all alright, except maybe hildur but eh

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Moooore Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow stuff, courtesy of another Tom King interview: 

King was on the Supergirl Radio podcast this week, and while a lot of it is just a repeat of what was said in the previous interview on ComicPop Elseworlds Exchange, there were still some interesting bits, IMO!

They opened with some general questions--how did he start writing, when did he get into superhero comics, etc. 

And then, the Supergirl portion!

The hosts asked where he first encountered Supergirl, and as before, he said that Supergirl is one of those characters that everyone just knows, like Batman and Superman. So he felt there was never a time where he wasn’t at least aware of her.

If forced to pinpoint something specific, though: the cartoons (Superman: The Animated Series and JLU) and for Kara Zor-El in particular, hardcover trades of the 70s stuff.

He had some AWESOME Carmine Infantino art, from the issue where Supergirl fights a bunch of mini-supergirls, in Daring New Adventures.

When asked if he used any of those stories for this new project, King again said that he went back to the ORIGINAL origin, in the Silver Age Otto Binder stuff.

Because he’s written Superman, the hosts asked if he thinks about the differences/similarities between the two when writing Supergirl.

He said that Kara’s more of a survivor than Clark, she’s been through more; he feels that Superman is always striving to be the icon that is Superman, whereas Kara can just be herself. 

He describes her as harder, more cynical, ‘she’ll drop an F-bomb here or there,’ she’s ‘old and crusty.’

The hosts asked him how he came to be on the book and while it’s basically the same story he told on the other podcast, there were a few additional details he mentioned here.

He specifically said that editors were frustrated, because there is this. Thought? Among creators, that Supergirl is perfect, and there are no fun Supergirl stories to tell. 

(Brief, opinionated interjection here: HOGWASH!)

He again brought up the idea that people can be precious with Supergirl; he said she is precious, but she’s also badass.

When asked if there was any particular piece of Supergirl mythology that he wanted/was excited to use, King said that this book isn’t really about that--he again used the expression of stripping off the barnacles that have built up on the characters over the years, really getting at the most basic, pure take on them.

He was like, ‘we keep the dog, maybe the horse if we can make time for him, because [Comet] is the weirdest thing in all of comics.’

Elaborating on the book/lack of Supergirl mythology: He put her in space, gave her a simple mission, and let the story be a thesis on why Supergirl is awesome.

Next question was about the comic writing process.

King said there’s no set way to write a comic script; he tends to write ‘full scripts’; they resemble movie scripts in that there’s panel descriptions for each page, as well as the dialogue for each panel.

His descriptions are light, though. For example, he’ll simply put: ‘Supergirl encounters a Space Dragon’, and leave the rest up to Bilquis.

Again had nothing but praise and excitement re: working with Evely and Lopes. 

Said Evely adds such depth and emotion and storytelling to the artwork.

Then there was a question from the live chat; the listener noted that a lot of King’s work contains romance/is focused on romantic love. They asked if this book would also be about romantic love, or another kind of love.

King: This is not a romance. The love in this comic is a friendship love, between Kara and Ruthye.

When asked if other pre-existing characters would make an appearance: There will be shout-outs, but this is first and foremost a book about Supergirl; she is at the center of the book.

The goal is to make her one of the pillars of DC Comics.

On the subject of the ‘western’ part of the space western: Again mentioned True Grit, as well as The Searchers, and Red River.

Compared Kara to John Wayne.

Likes the idea of a character who has a simple mission, needs to go somewhere, and travels through various lands to get there, like the Odyssey.

Initially, he was going to have Kara be a sort of ingenue who learns to be tough as she goes on this journey, but his editor said, ‘No, she should be the teacher, instructing this young girl on how to be tough’ b/c Kara has the life experience. And King was like, ‘yeah! Let’s do that!’

And of course, because it is Supergirl Radio, they asked if he’s watched the show.

He watched the 1st and 2nd seasons with his daughter, then they fell behind/stopped watching because she moved on to other things, but he loved it! Specifically loved that he could watch a superhero show with her; good bonding time.

They asked him about incorporating stuff from the show and he said that he opted not to do that, as it’s sometimes not done well/feels forced. The example he used is that it’s very hard to get something like Calista Flockhart’s performance from the TV show into the comics, both in terms of the actual writing, and also in terms of legal stuff like the likeness rights, etc. 

Then they talked about KRYPTO! And King’s own dog, Roxy. 

Because King is a dog owner, he said he found it very hard to write Krypto sometimes, because he never wanted to put him in danger.

He also said that you can feel like a dog is a family member, and that is how Kara views Krypto; he is not a pet, or a tool, but a member of her family.

Another live chat question: Does he think of Kara differently, now that he’s written her?

King said she’s a much tougher character, than he initially thought.

Compared her to Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark; you don’t see him become Indy, he just already IS Indy, and he’s done this stuff a hundred times over.

And then he shared a little bit of issue 2 to illustrate this point: Ruthye and Kara encounter a guy who has beef with Superman, so he decides to take it out on Kara, and Kara easily dispatches him; Ruthye (the narrator of the book) marvels at how this happens everywhere they go, and it’s just a daily occurrence for Kara, because everyone thinks she’s the weak link/a way to get back at Clark.

Final question was about what he hopes is his legacy/the takeaway of this book.

King said he wants it to do well, and convince DC/the editors that there ALWAYS needs to be a Supergirl book on the stands.

And now, SOME THOUGHTS!

As mentioned, a lot of this stuff was already covered in the prior podcast, BUT! There are some new details here that build on those points.

For instance: King is really committing to a harder, cynical Kara. Who knows if she’ll remain that way by journey’s end, but that’s the take he’s going with.

(And, as before: not my preferred/ideal Kara! But I am open to seeing this. Largely because it is rooted in like. Character backstory/history; he’s not being edgy for edge's sake.)

Also, NO ROMANCE. 

*insert happy muppet flailing here*

I will admit that I had the extremely cursed thought that he’d bring back Comet, or worse, 90s Comet as some sort of guest star--and maybe he will, who knows! But I don’t get that vibe, really. Like, maybe as a fun shout-out, but not a full-on character in the story.

I do like that he repeatedly emphasized that this is a very simple book, with Kara at the center, and that it’s basically about Supergirl, and why she’s awesome.

Especially given how Future State whiffed that one.

That said, was a little dismayed to learn that Ruthye will be the narrator of the whole thing. It brings back horrible visions of Future State, and it’s harder for the reader to get into a character’s head when you’ve got someone else narrating the whole thing, but. We’ll see.

(What might take the edge off of this narrative choice is Evely’s art, since you can better determine Kara’s emotions/thoughts/etc.)

Interestingly, King didn’t want to comment too much on this book’s potential connection to Future State: Superwoman which...has me a little concerned.

(Please, never let that book be canon. PLEASE.)

The further details on the BTS stuff is disappointing, but not surprising. ‘Supergirl is too perfect/boring’ is a take that 1.) mirrors the same nonsense you see about Superman, and why everyone would rather be writing Batman and 2.) has existed FOREVER, and was particularly prevalent after the introduction of Power Girl. 

(It’s also flat-out wrong, in the same way that ‘Superman is boring’ is wrong.)

Other little things: Love that King says Kara views Krypto as a family member (because he totally is), and the Camine Infantino art was SO COOL.

SO, OVERALL: Gonna have to get used to the idea of an old, crusty Kara.

(Honestly I can’t even be mad at that description because I kinda find it funny? I mean, what with the Superman Fortnite announcement recently, I’m feeling pretty old and crusty, ngl. XD)

But I like a lot of the stuff King’s said so far.

Some of it does give me a little pause--like the heavy emphasis on the Supergirl part of her identity, as opposed to Kara, and how she’s just this awesome badass, with no real mention of other aspects of her character--but.

As should be very clear by now, I’m not in it for the writing.

Rather. I am here primarily because of

*takes a deep breath*

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!