#okay maybe my version didn't have as much science fiction in it

[whatyourusherthinks]

My Adventures With Superman Review Wrap Up

Final Summation

Roan, skip it. We know you think this show is good. You only spent god knows how many paragraphs gushing about every single detail in every single episode, and the only things you complained about were things only people obsessed with Superman would complain about. I now know more about you're opinions on a fictional flying man than I know about my wife's political affiliation. You obviously recommend the show, what more do you even have to say? ...Buggnutz, you make an excellent point. So let's move on to...

Episode Rankings

Season One is in red while Season Two is in blue pppbbblllttt...

Olsen's Eleven

My Adventures With Supergirl

My Adventures With Mad Science

The Death of Clark Kent

Two Lanes Diverge

The Machine Who Would Be Empire

You Will Believe a Man Can Lie

Pierce the Heavens, Superman!

Zero Day: Part Two

Full Metal Scientist

Zero Day: Part One

Kiss Kiss Fall In Portal

Let's Go To Ivo Tower, You Say

Hearts of the Fathers

Adventures With My Girlfriend

Adventures of a Normal Man Pt. 2

Adventures of a Normal Man Pt. 1

More Things in Heaven and Earth

My Interview With Superman

Most Eligible Superman (This placement is all your fault Cat Grant)

What I Want From And For Future Episodes

BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING BUGGNUTZ I know this is selfish. I know that this isn't the purpose of reviews, I know that creators shouldn't be hamstrung by the wishes of fans and should do what's best for the story they are making, and I know that just because I'm a big fan doesn't mean that I deserve to have my voice heard in the creative process. I know all of this. But I had some ideas/wishes for things I'd like to see in future episodes and maybe the readers will agree and the creators will take inspiration from. I just wanna have fun and excise some ideas from my head. Okay, anything you want to add? ...You're a massive nerd.

Anyway, the first this I want is for the show to have

Massive. Nerd. Yeah I know. Actually, I don't want a movie necessarily, I actually just want 10+ seasons or however many the creators want. I feel like so many shows that are beloved are cancelled before the creators are ready to end them, and I really don't like it. This is just hoping everyone gets a fair shake in working on this show and telling the story they want to tell.

Second thing: Lex needs to start wearing more green. Oh god, really? Yes! He is a green villain, he should at least accent his clothes with the color! The guy wears green mech suits and has a green trench coat for Rao's sake! Yes, true, he doesn't ALWAYS wear green in the comics, but it's the color most associated with him. I guess they didn't make Alex wear so much green because they wanted the twist to not be more obvious than it was, but he's been revealed now. Seriously, I want this more than I want him to go bald. Why does Lois Lane wear more green than Lex Fucking Luthor? Actually, y'know what would be a funny way to do it? If Lex steals Lois's coat and just starts wearing it to be a petty bitch. That not only would be incredibly funny, but it would perfectly in character with the version they've presented for the show. AND SPEAKING OF DUMB ASS COSTUME CHANGES.

Third, give Clark his shorts back and Ma also makes a skirt for Kara. I am not ride or die on all super heroes having the "underwear on the outside". Batman looks fine without the black shorts, so does Wolverine without the blue, the Fantastic Four, and whoever else got that costume change. That is, except for Superman. Superman needs the red shorts for his costume. His design just isn't complete without it. Not only does it break the main blue coloring of his costume in a way that looks so much better than the quasi-belt every did, but the illusion to circus strongmen is something I think is essential to the character. And if you do it for Clark, you should absolutely do it for Kara. I was so excited in the second episode when Ma makes additions to Clark's costume, but now with the new costumes at the end of the second season, it just feels like fanservice inclusion that the writers forgot about. Well it wasn't to me, and it should be brought back. You don't even have to change anything else about the design. I've seen some artists draw mock-ups of the new costume with the shorts/skirt added, and it looks great. If the first scene of the third season isn't Clark and Kara standing awkwardly at the farm while Ma takes their measurements for additions to their costumes, I might actually throw something at the screen. Calm down dingus. NO THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Fourth thing, since the Newskid Legion are a major supporting characters, I want an episode with the Guardian. Hell, Cadmus was also introduced in the first season, and how badass would it be if Monsieur Mallah and the Brain met the Newskid Legion? I can totally see Mallah getting concerned about these kids getting into dangerous Superman situations by themselves and coming to the conclusion that what they need is a genetically modified clone to hang around and protect them. Besides, this is probably the closest we could get to having one of the best versions of Superman teaming up with Captain America (who also happens to be one of my favorite superheroes), and that would be awesome. Unlike my other wishes here though, I don't really need the Guardian to be a reoccurring character, I guess, I dunno I would like it but if they just wanted to make him a one-off that's fine too. But it would be awesome.

My fifth thing, and honestly I'm surprised I want this, is I want Krypto and Streaky to make an appearance. See, here's the thing with all the Kryptonians in the comics. It diminishes Clark's status as the last Kryptonian if every other decade they introduce more of them. The comics pull this a lot, and it honestly is kinda dumb. MAWS right now has only Clark and Kara, and they hammer it in the second season that there is not a single other Kryptonian left and that they just have each other. I'd bet dollars over donuts that Zod and his posse will show up if the series continues past season three, so do we really want to just keep saying "Oh... uh... more rockets left Krypton or that other Krytonians were just off planet." or whatever? Not really. But Superboy is getting introduced next season. And it's clearly supposed to be Conner Kent (or Kon-El), the clone made from Clark and Lex's DNA. He's even got the leather jacket and the shades like from the 90s comics, I can't wait to see what they do with him. So here's my proposal. Lex has to test his cloning experiments, and before he moves on to attempting to clone a human, he tries to clone a dog and a cat. And that dog and cat happen to have superpowers just like Superman. The writers could even be cute about it and have a horse and a monkey be previous attempts too. And then at the end of that episode Clark gets a puppy and Kara gets a cat. You can probably already see the potential. This Clark would be adorable with a dog, and there is such an easy b-plot to have Jimmy or Lois or whoever have to pet sit for Kara and deal with an asshole cat with super powers. Yeah you could stick with the comic's origin for Streaky and expand that to Krypto, but that would involve expanding Kryptonite to including a bunch of different types and that's another kinda stupid thing the comics do. Also, if Lex is cloning Superman, Bizarro better show up. I'm dead fucking serious. (Actually how funny would it be if all of next season is just Lex making a bunch of superman clones in various to try to kill him and they all go out of control in various ways. You already got Hank Henshaw as a pre-existing character who already hates Superman. This could be like Reign of Supermen but with the intention of killing Superman before replacing him.)

Sixth, and hear me out on this one. I already mentioned Conner Kent/Kon-El Superboy will make an appearance next season. Outside of the comics, most people know this Superboy from Young Justice, and in that show he is dating (or was, I stopped watching after the second season) Miss Martian. But, she's kinda got her own baggage that would be a bit to hard to bring into a show that's exclusively based in the Superman mythos, so here's my pitch instead. After Superboy eventually gets redeemed and joins Clark and the team, he should meet and fall in love with... Martian Manhunter HEAR ME OUT! Out of every DC hero that I would consider to be their own property (i.e. not other Superpeople like Supergirl or Steel) Martian Manhunter is probably the easiest to incorporate into the show. The comics and other animated properties constantly draw parallels between J'onn's and Clark's situation, and there is so many interesting directions you could take this in this particular show. Clark's constant emotional journey is about acceptance on his adopted planet and while Kara being around is great and I'm sure we'll get some great drama and introspection from both characters in the next season, he still considers earth his home. He doesn't remember anything from planet of origin. J'onn does. That's always been a point of contention between the two and it leads to some really interesting drama if the right writers utilize it. Can't you totally see a Clark who, in future seasons, feels more secure in his place on Earth having to help a new alien with a similar but way worse situation with the same problems he had at the beginning of the show? Now I can hear what you're saying... Martian Manhunter has always been a fairly asexual character, and a major part of his backstory is that he has PTSD about his wife and kid. Thank you Buggnutz, and you're right! But MAWS changes every character to fit better with the storyline, and I think the changes are always for the better. So do the same with J'onn. Age him down. Instead of him being rescued as an middle aged adult by a random scientist who then dies immediately, maybe this is teenager or young adult J'onn is accidently rescued by Star Labs, or the Brain and Mallah, or Lex Luthor, or whoever, and his PTSD comes from losing his parents instead of his wife and kid. You can still keep his personality the same, just adjust the anime knob a tad. Everyone already lost their minds with twunk Slade Wilson, can you imagine the pop-off for emo twink J'onn J'onzz? And then he can meet Conner and they can have a meet cute and it can be the new relationship to hope for after Kara and Jimmy inevitably hook up. Plus, DC already changes the sexuality of pre-existing characters, including Superboy (kinda sorta), in the comics so this wouldn't be the first time they've done something like this. And while the show is already a huge diversity win in general, if it's raining why not let it pour hm? This is the only outside hero I want added to the show by the way. No Batman, no Wonder Woman, none of that. Keep it to obscure easter eggs and references. Let the Superman show be about Superman please.

And for sure don't bring in the Doom Patrol. Or, at least, not every member of the Doom Patrol. Who the hell are the Doom Patrol? They are my favorite superhero team. They've changed a lot over the years, but the basic gist is that they are a team of regular people who got into horrible accidents which gave them powers, but also made them freaks in the eyes of society. They've been everything from black ops earth defenders to psychedelic dimensional travellers. Heck, their most recent series makes them a metahuman government support network. The reason I bring them up is that the Brain and Mallah are frequent enemies of the Doom Patrol, so if they were to bring them into the show, they'd probably make them enemies of the crew. I don't wanna see my boy Robotman be evil, aight? However, there is one member of the Doom Patrol that could possibly work as a one-shot antagonist, if they really wanted to do it. That is the Doom Patrol typical defacto leader, the Chief. Nile Caulder, a.k.a. the Chief, is a super smart guy in a wheelchair. Yeah that's it. His big thing in the comics is he usually engineers the accidents that give the various members of the Doom Patrol their powers, as a sort of sociopathic experiment. So he's already evil, canonically. It would be an easy thing to turn into "oh he's a scientist for Task Force X and he specifically wants Brain and Mallah because history or maybe ego" but eh... They're is probably too much history in the comics for it to fit. I'm just asking that the writers not make the Doom Patrol evil.

One final thing... Darkseid is gonna show up eventually, right? There was the lasers in flashback during 'More Things in Heaven and Earth', so there has to be plans way down the line for the New Gods. Right? Well if they do, I hope for two things. One) Mister Miracle is involved somehow. Even if it is in a limited capacity, I'd just want to see him. Mister Miracle is awesome. And two) Only give us sparing glimpses of the big man, at least until the finale of his storyline. Here's the thing, Darkseid is a big deal. He's literally the god of everything evil, and a character like that loses his gravatas if you keep bringing him back. So save him for like the final fight. Which isn't to say never show him or mention him. Darkseid is a force of evil, he has armies of minions on his literal beck and call, and Desaad is just his hype man. Darkseid shouldn't tussle with wannabe heroes unless they attack him first. Darkseid is greater than these lesser being. Darkseid is Omega. Omega is Antilife! ANTILIFE IS DARKSEID! DARKSEID IS-

[comphetkoncass]

maybe i WILL write that dick+tim, kon+kory fic. for my me.

p1: dick + tim about the similarities b/w kon + kory

"heyyy so i think. kon needs seen for some clone issues. by scientists. but he cant get past the doors which is WEIRD since he used to LIVE in cadmus itself, even after being freed from the tube. kory has some trauma about being experimented on too, doesn't she? with her starbolts? how do you get her seen?"

"okay. first of all, i recommend the fortress of solitude for anything to do with kon. even STAR labs recently fucked him over, i would seriously not put him anywhere run by human scientists."

"...ah." (star labs being what kicked kon out into gemworld for like 2 yrs and then sent him right back in rebirth)

"second: kory does best when she has a clear exit strategy and the freedom to leave at any time. she'll never do anything more intense than local anesthesia and i'll bet kon's the same."

other notes about this scene: they're for sure on a mission and mowing people down while they talk. <33

p2: kon + kory about the similarities b/w dick + tim

"kory. how do you do it. how do you date a bat without losing your fucking mind. we're literally not human, how do we have a better scope of human limitations than they do. what the fuck is wrong with them."

"what did tim do this time?"

"he almost died then sat back up and kept giving orders instead of letting me take him back to HQ to get patched up. he literally almost bled out. what the fuck. what the FUCK."

"ah... yes, that is a very 'bat' thing to be concerned with. the real issue will be if he does not speak with you about it afterwards. ...how are your persuasion skills?"

p3: dick + kon meeting for kon to ask about the human perspective of science-fiction-soap-opera-trauma.

aka what level of over-sharing is appropriate in a relationship between a science-fiction-trauma-magnet and a like, semi-normal dude. like, how to be a good partner when you're kind of messed up and there's some star trek level weirdness in your backstory and it's all traumatic. how to not freak out your partner when your life has just been really, really weird.

"uhh... hey. hi. sorry to bug you, i just wanted to ask... and out of full respect for you and kory's relationship, and if you could keep this between just the two of us, and dont tell tim? it's just. i uh. my life has been a science fiction trainwreck. and -- this is no disrespect to kory, but hers has kind of been a lot like mine? just- lab stuff, and belonging to evil people and being related to them too, and having really dangerous powers that we didn't ask for, and-"

"hey. breathe, kid."

"i was just wondering. what it's like from the other side. you and kory seem like you have such a good relationship even despite all the science fiction crap. help a guy out? i'm just so afraid of freaking tim out but i can tell he's freaked out by me not trying to lean on him more, but. give it to me straight, nightwing. as a bat -- as like, a normal dude, does it freak you out to have your partner always involved in some science fiction nonsense? like, should i keep downplaying stuff, or-"

"kon, i'm gonna level with you. bats are not nearly as normal as we seem. at least, not bats with friends. my best friend is a speedster, do you know how often i have to help wally figure out time travel dimension crossing speedforce crap? do you know how much weird, interdimensional gods and monsters nonsense batman helps superman and wonder woman with? i PROMISE you. no matter how fucked up and weird it gets, tim will take it in stride. like- no offense if this is a sore subject but didn't he try to clone you? i love him but he's kind of a science fiction weirdo himself."

p4: tim + kory meeting for tim to ask about partners opening up about more alien stuff.

tim's version of the last chapter -- he's asking kory for advice to how to get kon to open up a little. the things that make kory feel better about sharing even the weirdest and most traumatic science-fiction-soap-opera level weirdness in her life.

"i just have the feeling that kon's holding stuff back because he's afraid i'm gonna freak out on him. i mean, does he know how much weird crap i deal with on a daily basis? the other day he accidentally mentioned the clone plague he had, and got embarrassed like i wasn't literally there, like i didn't remember it after living through watching him get it and recover despite it almost killing him. if he's getting embarrassed over that, how am i gonna get him to open up to me about the weird multiverse shit he's been through lately? please help me, kory, you're my only hope. how does dick get you to talk about space adventures or -- the more... the ones that hurt you more?"

"...let's do this while we're gardening. i think that may help." (intentionally takes tim to a greenhouse with very alien looking creatures) "i find that sometimes it helps to talk about the more... difficult, stranger adventures by changing the scenery. but truthfully, you just have to ask questions and be extremely matter of fact with them. do not mince words, and use the descriptions that he does, unless they're fundamentally offensive, then ask for clarification. if he absolutely does not want to talk of course, don't push, but let him know that you genuinely want to discuss it. that he does not need to be embarrassed, either of the adventure itself or his feelings about it."

"got it. and ... if he does open up?"

"let him speak. if he stalls for a bit, ask questions if anything is unclear, as i know they can be when things are, ah... outside an ordinary human, earthly adventure. but for the most part, let him speak."

its tempting to add a scene abt . like . sa survivor stuff bc both dick and kory would have a lot of advice to give kon. but i think i will keep this relatively lighthearted. that can be a part 2 if im still so tempted

[alterumsinealterononest]

Ok so for some reason this blew up on Twitter. Some of the answers were really interesting questions, some were...less kind statements. Honestly, I've been keeping this theory in my heart for so long and I'm so happy it got people hooked!

So now, expanding (based on your questions/doubts):

- Some people wondered about why Reya-Ava would send Michael back just to die uselessly and someone replied that Reya-Ava sent Michael back so he could say goodbye to his mom and get her the closure she needed. I love this addition! We know, from what Michael said, that there will always exist a version of him in the other realm, so he didn't DIE die. Reya-Ava did the best she could for Michael&Jillian. She couldn't send him back fully because he was sick and wouldn't survive on earth so she sent him back for a short period of time, with a mission, to say goodbye. Knowing that even when he died on earth, he would live still in her realm.

- Reya-Ava was powerless because of the cross? Maybe, so what. An all-powerful character is really counterproductive in any universe/tv show/book/storyline (hello catholics, looking at you). Also there's a strong possibility that Reya could do something about that situation but chose not to. Again, to have young Ava cross over.

- Are we okay with the idea of Reya-Ava and Ava-Ava being in the same room at once? Fuck yeah, man. It's science-FICTION. Anything can happen, it's our universe we can play with it!

- Reya was alive (and adult) at the same time as Areala. Time traveling? Hello? Guys we have infinite possibilities with this tv-show, why are you trying to contain it? As long as it's a solid storyline and our characters's feelings are treated with respect, let it explore! We all wish there could be time-travel in real life (if you don't, you're lying), let it at least exist in fiction dammit. Plus! We only see Reya alive at the same time as Areala in Yasmin's story and we've already seen before that WN potrays flashbacks as the person telling the story believes it went. Yasmin could be wrong! (Special thanks to that one twitter account that basically called me stupid for "forgetting" that we saw Reya and Areala interacting, gotta love twitter)

- For everyone else making it really clear that they CAN'T STAND this theory: 1) man, thank you so much for telling me and not choosing to shut up and sit this one out.

- for everyone saying it's heartbreaking but interesting (thanks! luv you): yeah it's heartbreaking but guys this doesn't have to be permanently sad. Like, it doesn't have to be a bad ending. Again, we're talking sci-fi, Reya-Ava's time/place traveling powers could be and probably are limited so probably Reya-Ava isn't all knowing. She doesn't know all the future. Even if my theory was true (which, let's be real: doubtful. this is just a fun headcanon while waiting for s3) Bea and Ava's story could go on in Reya-Ava's future (especially if Reya-Ava was still CRYING looking at her love after all that time). Also! Reya-Ava could have a whole ass family on the other side (Mary and Shannon included?!), she could still be happy WHILE missing Beatrice. They could be reunited, you think Beatrice won't wait for Ava for a million years? You really think Beatrice won't ACTIVELY go after Ava?? Delusional if you ask me hehe

- finally: I'm aware that angst/fluff etc are personal preference, but I'd really hate for sapphic shows to take away the angst from their stories (which is what makes them interesting: the plot-twists, the quests, the fear, the pain, the love...) just because they're scared that fandoms will come screaming at their doors for not giving them a happy ending. I want a happy ending too, but I also want the angst of a normal couple, because that's what they are. Exceptional in their normality. Honestly, I want to see wlw couples that survive through the fucking worse because, even though parallel universes and holy wars aren't involved, that's what happens on the daily in real life.

The more I look at Reya the more I'm convinced that's just Ava in the future. They look THE SAME. She's just like a slightly older Ava. That would give Ava such a GOOD storyline for season(s) 3,4,5,6... IMAGINE.

After Ava put the crown on herself and she talked to Reya, she came back "knowing" she had to sacrifice herself. What if what she came back "knowing" was actually that she somehow had to die/cross over to the other side? Because she had some kind of important mission in some other dimension/realm? Think about it, one second she was asking Bea to take the Halo and let her die, but as soon as Lilith suggested crossing over the Arc she didn't even put up an argument. She didn't want to die, she didn't want to stay alive but she wanted to "cross over", whatever that means, the only thing she wanted was to fulfill her next step. Reya probably told her she has something or someone she will really care about on the other side.

What if she finally allowed herself to kiss Bea because "I'm the god you've been worshipping this whole time, anyway"?

She told her to live her life because she knew she wasn't coming back, she had a mission, a responsability somewhere else.

How Reya looks at her past self in tears? How she's moved by the memory of her first and only real love? Maybe at this point Reya/Ava has been missing Bea for centuries. I would cry for that.

[theghostisametaphor]

So I just finished reading Gordon R. Dickson’s Necromancer, for the first time since I was nine and stole it off my parents’ science fiction shelf. It made a huge impression on me, so I was looking forward to revisiting it. Readmore, bc I’m going to ramble a little.

First I would like to say that there is no necromancing in this book called Necromancer, and while it’s not the biggest disappointment, its still a let-down. We meet a character from a mysterious organization who is called a necromancer, but it’s unclear why because he never has anything to do with death, or resurrection, just vague psychic forces. Our main character also gets made a necromancer, and he just kind of wanders about communing with vague psychic forces too. I’m not - really sure why they even call themselves that.

I remembered this really cool backstory about how the main character was a necromancer who stole somebody else’s body with magic so he could go on living and get revenge on his enemies, and it was exciting and morally ambiguous! The actual story was, apparently, handwavy cloning science that happens offscreen, that the protagonist has nothing to do with.

There’s also a depressing amount of ableism in the book considering the protagonist is technically disabled. Of course his missing arm never causes him any difficulty, and the one arm he has left is a Magic Arm that is superstrong and fast, and no other disabled people exist, and mentally ill people and madness are just used as scary background noise to prove how Awful things have become. 

Anyway, the biggest disappointment was a side character called Kantale, who gets the same treatment as a lot of Dickson’s female characters - she’s beautiful, doesn’t get to have any important scenes or affect the plot, sings 1 inspiring song, and despite not liking the main character (maybe bc he’s uh, kind of an arrogant dick) is irresistibly attracted to him. Oh, and is of course silently and hopelessly in love with an Older Powerful man who does get to have important scenes and affect the plot. 

The thing is, I remembered Kantele as a much more important character, if not the deuteragonist, who was also a magician, and used flute music to enchant people. I also remembered her as a lot more enby-coded, and I remembered the climax as this cool magic/action scene where she and the protagonist band together to defeat the other magicians in the organization with death magic and singing. 

...what we actually get at the climax is the protagonist - standing around and infodumping at the other characters, to explain why they don’t need to have a fight, or even a particularly lively argument. And that’s it. That’s the end. It’s extremely underwhelming. 

Look, I love Dickson’s Dorsai books despite their many flaws bc I read them as a kid and I have a lot of nostalgic and emotional feelings about them. But this was not one of the better ones, and I just really, really want to read the book I remembered for years and years, that actually involved necromancy and magic and music, and the main characters using them to do interesting things.