#sunny characters are my kryptonite

[r1k-y9]

Myst and Sunny are on vacation!

[physalian]

Incorporating weather elements into your narrative

*Picture me in shock over 11 new followers in 6 days after a 3 week dry spell: Thanks everybody!

Short this time! Weather and climate as worldbuilding are kind of like adverbs. Adverbs, as a concept, are not book kryptonite (despite what all the people screaming about how using better verbs is always the answer want you to believe). Adverbs should just be used with intent and not be redundant, which I’ve said before.

Basically, why use an adverb that doesn’t actually tell us any helpful information about the verb that the reader can’t already presume? “She smiled happily,” well, yeah, as you do. “She smiled sorrowfully,” okay, now that’s an expression I can work with. Why is she smiling sorrowfully? Why does she think she must smile through her sadness? Clearly it’s failing, otherwise the narrator wouldn’t note that the smile is sorrowful at all.

There’s a reason “talking about the weather” is the butt of the joke. It’s generally seen as boring and inconsequential to either party and used to just fill otherwise awkward silence. A quick sentence for sensory details is great. Repeat details that don’t dig into those sensory elements are not.

Your weather is no different. Why are you describing it if it serves no purpose to the scene? Everyone’s default unobtrusive day is different, but unless stated otherwise, people are going to assume it’s either day or night with mildly clear skies and tolerable heat and humidity. Talking at length about average weather that doesn’t impact your character’s emotions or choices, or the tone of the narrative, is a waste of effort in my opinion.

As in, describing the perfect day while a charcater is stuck in an office and unable to enjoy it? Yes. A character getting groceries and it's 72 and sunny and look at all the boring shapes of the clouds and planes flying over head while I get zero input on how the character feels about any of it or why this detail matters? Fluff and filler.

If your book is chock full of poetic fluff, go ham, everybody's ideal narrative is different. I like mine lean, otherwise I get bored by all the fluff while I wait for the book to remember it has a plot.

Weather fits into one of those little buzzword bingo cards where, if the author is taking an aside to describe it, you know it’s going to be important later (or at least it should be important later if the author didn’t just forget about it). Weather tends to be used as foreshadowing and is used as metaphorical shorthand everywhere.

If I write about a character going off on a quest and I tell the reader that clouds are growing in the distance, there’s a 70/30 chance I’m not just talking about actual clouds, but the threat of the enemy, some sinister plot our plucky heroes are ignorant of. Stuff like:

A red sunrise

Black/grey stormclouds

The ambiguous “rain/storm” that’s coming

A chilly wind picks up

An oppressive heat wave settles over the land

Fictional weather is so entrenched in metaphor and allegory that no matter how cliché it gets, watching or reading a funeral scene where it’s not grey and rainy feels insincere and not somber enough for the tragedy unfolding. You can avoid this by having your characters hate that it’s not raining for their funeral, as if even God doesn’t mourn their dead friend and the rest of the world moves on uncaring.

Same vibe as Halloween decorations in broad daylight. Or Christmas decorations in the Florida 80 degree December. Fall without the changing colors of the leaves. The mood is completely wrong.

“It was a dark and stormy night” sets the reader up for something serious, perhaps mysterious and dramatic, not a cheesy Hallmark romance. Weather as tone is extremely helpful. Not describing it is better than picking the wrong weather for your scene, unless you're trying to be ironic. Weather is practically its own character, depending on how much it matters to your story.

Fantasy and abnormal weather should be treated like any other scene descriptor element. It’s not enough to just drop in a detail about how there’s a 20% chance of blood rain at noon. If this is meant to be metaphorical or foreshadowing, despite being “blood rain” maybe it’s not an ill omen. Maybe it’s a magical fertilizer and a farming boon that graces the land, you gotta clarify.

Personally I’d fixate on the blood rain and want to know much more about it, just as much as I’d want to know about the rest of the town. I don’t need you to explain why it exists, it can exist just for funsies without serving any plot purposes, but I definitely want some more detail about the blood rain, it sounds cool.

—

TLDR; Weather cannot be untethered from its metaphorical and tonal implications, it’s just too entrenched in fictional associations. With that said, if weather in your book isn’t important at all to the story, randomly describing the sunny day at length is like describing the grass of a random lawn—we all know what random grass looks like. Unless the state of the lawn matters, it’s fluff. If it doesn’t service the character’s arc, the themes of the story, the tone of the scene, or the plot in any way, it can be skipped beyond relaying to your readers on the time of day and some sensory details like if it’s hot or windy or humid.

[roosterbox]

Fic Rec Friday 2/16/2024

Title: Like It Was Made For You

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandoms: X-Men: First Class (2011) RPF, British Actor RPF, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) RPF

Relationship: Michael Fassbender/James McAvoy

Characters: Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy

Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff, Mpreg, Breakfast in Bed, Coffee, Hurt/Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Love, Established Relationship

Summary: "I’m pregnant,” James says. This excuse works, as it has for the past seven and a half months. He’s beginning to feel a bit guilty about this, but only a bit, since he’s also feeling the size of a whale and distinctly uncomfortable. Michael smiles.

Or: adventures with tabasco sauce, hot coffee, hurt/comfort, and sunny mornings.

———

A blast from fandoms past today. These were the days…

Mpreg is my kryptonite. Seriously. If there’s ever a ship you want me to check out, and you want an absolute guarantee that I’ll read it? Drop me an mpreg fic. I may or may not enjoy it, but I will NEVER be able to resist the siren call of mpreg. You’d think I’d be more drawn to ABO as a result, but eh. Anyway.

The dynamic here is so good. I love McFassy fics where James is something of a lil shit. Because let’s face it - he absolutely is, lol. His restlessness is so well conveyed; I’ve never been (and never will be) pregnant, but somehow I still know how he feels. And Michael being the softer, perhaps more caring one of the two is lovely. He’s certainly a tad bit overprotective, but luckily for him, it’s endearing. Their relationship is so affectionate and playful. It’s a genuine pleasure to read these two guys just existing in the world and loving each other, eagerly awaiting the birth of their child.

I love the changing names for their kiddo too, shifting as they try different ones out. That kid, when they’re born, will be so fucking cherished and adored. Also, if you read other fics of this ship by one of these writers, you start to recognize familiar tropes. Those tropes are like a warm blanket for me whenever I reread this. Reminds me of a time, years ago, when we were all just enjoying reading, writing, and experiencing the relationship - friendly, sexual, and all points in between - of these two actors. Fun times, my dudes.

Important note: Locked fic, so no link, sorry. You can probably still find it fairly easily if you have an account though.

———

Next Week: For the penultimate fic in this year-long batch of weekly recommendations, how about a nice, smutty little Spacedogs story? Features include Lust/Love at First Sight and then almost immediately turning that UST into RST, Nigel being a lil shit, and transmasc Adam. An excellent combo if I do say so myself.

See you soon!

[veliseraptor]

Hi....if you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top 5 fav MXTX characters from all of her works (MDZS, TGCF, and SVSSS) that at first you think would dislike or just don't think much about them but at the end you like them anyway? And why? Thanks, Lise....

oh hmmmmm. let's see, this one is a little hard because for the most part I'm so predictable, but let's see here...

1. Shi Qingxuan. This is probably the...least surprising? of the bunch in some ways because she is just genuinely delightful from her first appearance and continues to be, but also she’s very much not at all a character type I’d usually go for? Bubbly, cheerful, outgoing, friendly...not usually my thing! and yet here I am going LADY WIND MASTER <3 <3 <3 all the time and it’s not just because of her deeply fucked up story arc (though that definitely doesn’t hurt).

Just...I think it’s the combination of the way that she’s so sunny and bright it’s kind of infectious, and particularly in contrast to her dour best friend, and the fact that while she’s flighty and sort of frivolous she’s also so good - generous, kind, quick to reach out to people who are on the fringes (Xie Lian being a prime example, but also Ming Yi!), and also very concerned with justice and at least trying to do the right thing.

And of course the deeply fucked up story arc, and the way that learning her backstory also suggests that at least some of that cheerful bubbliness is...almost an exaggeration that results from this deep-seated fear. At least, that’s my read.

But also just. so fucking endearing. I think it was the “using godly powers to create horror atmosphere” that really did me in for good on Shi Qingxuan Loving Hours Forever.

2. Lan Xichen. This is one where it’s not that I ever disliked him - I didn’t! - so much as he was just a character that I had some vague sense of positive feelings toward. And over time my feelings about him have waxed large and it’s not just because I like him that I named a plant after him (it’s a jade plant, I couldn’t not), but that was a factor.

I think it has something to do with the combination of “very good person, severely damaged” that I sometimes really go for? And also ��good person, doomed” which isn’t always a thing I go for, but ‘doomed’ is a major factor.

But just...the way he relates to the world, and the heartbreaking ways in which his trying so hard to do the right thing, to be fair, doesn’t work for him, in large part because of the world he lives in.

I also just want him to like...have things for himself. Have a lot of feelings about Lan Xichen and the prison of perfection and expectations and pedestalization, and the way that he doesn’t have a lot of space to be selfish, and the one place I feel like he really lets himself have something where he’s not bearing some kind of responsibility, where it’s a relationship that is (while also political, sure) for himself, it...turns out catastrophically.

Big ouch.

3. Jin Ling. I’m just not that into teenage/child characters! I’m not. They don’t interest me. and yet. I think Jin Ling’s deal for me is a mix of “god you’re a mess” and also “this kid is trying so hard” and that makes me want to give him a hug and a pat on the head and tell him he’s doing pretty good actually.

Just...kid really is a mess. and yet he is trying. and that combination is sort of kryptonite for me.

4. Yin Yu. I mean, for most of the first two thirds of TGCF Yin Yu is relatively unremarkable and a nonentity (sorry, buddy) and then all of a sudden here the backstory comes in Mount Tong’lu and I’m like. oh shit.

and then the scene in Heaven where Jun Wu offers to give Yin Yu Quan Yizhen’s power and Yin Yu refuses and I was like ohhhhh shit.

picking up another character with a massive inferiority complex and martial sibling issues!!! never enough of those

5. Jun Wu. DIDN’T SEE THAT ONE COMING AT ALL and yet there we are, in book fucking five, practically at the last moment and I’m like. oh. oh dear. I’m having feelings about the Heavenly Emperor.

I mean, to be slightly fair to me I was already having feelings about Bai Wuxiang but those were mostly “love this, love this dynamic, love everything going on here” and not, you know, “oh god my thing for disappointed idealists who crashed and burned and are now taking it out on the rest of the world” which was where that ended up, with a side of... “antagonists who have kind of sort of always been looking for someone to prove them wrong and take them down on some level because they’re very fucking tired but can’t just stop”

anyway. Didn’t see that coming.

BONUS: Pei Ming. Even more than Jun Wu this came out of left fucking field and I wouldn’t call him a favorite or anything but I do have this vague slightly inexplicable fondness for him? I think it’s because he spends so much of his on-page time being vaguely ridiculous. And he’s just so...affable, I don’t know, and I find his reactions to Hua Cheng and Xie Lian delightful, and his role as one of the Three Tumors/Mean Girl Triad even more delightful...yeah, idk. Didn’t expect to find myself looking fondly at the womanizer and going “yeah, you’re all right” and yet here I am.

[kuekyuuq]

What happened to Lena’s mother?

Here we go, me dissecting a fictional show again, to try and find meaning while its sixth season is on summer break, and because apparently everything may or may not be relevant again. So let’s cut to the chase:

What we've been told:

"We were visiting family she said. Somewhere by the water, a lake I think. It was... It was so green. It wasn't a very bright day, it was overcast, but my mom said that's where the magic was. It was the rain that made the green. So of course, she went swimming. She didn't come back. [...] I was with her on the shore, when she went in, and when she went under and I did nothing." 

[Lena Luthor - 4x07]

I don’t know about you all, but... this whole description always felt strange to me, like there was more going on than Lena’s mother just going for a swim while it was overcast and raining, the loving and devoted mother she’s described as leaving her little girl on the shore alone. In a show like Supergirl and with Lena’s mother’s fairy-tale connection, I find it hard to imagine that the woman just had a leg cramp and drowned... Not to undermine the tragic of it all. For any child a mother’s death and the sub-sequential uprooting would equal to, like, all of a sudden losing one’s whole world, only to be flown to what is essentially a whole new and entirely different world and to be put with a family of strangers...  Is it just me who sees the parallel here? ...where was I? Right. So let me dissect the wording and add my two cents:

Visiting family, huh?

Lena seems to have no other family but the Luthors, with Lionel being her ever absent bio-dad (until he died) and Lex being her half-brother.

Lena's mom said they’d visit family, went into a lake and [presumably] died.

So, was her mother suicidal? Went to 'join' her non-alive family?

If Lena's mother wasn't suicidal, but indeed referring to their family, then... who could she have been referring to?

The visiting part also may or may not imply something non-permanent.

I honestly don’t believe in the “suicidal” approach, as even Lex noted how sunny and light the woman was. She’s described as happy and carefree...

Lena (who according to Lex's journals was capable of remembering people and events from before she was 4 years old accurately) only remembers it was by the water, guesses it was a lake. Something about the location (or something at the location) stuck with Lena as "lake-like".

It was overcast and raining. (Young-)Lena concluded that was what made everything look green. I mean, we assume this happened in Ireland, so green should have been somewhat normal for her? Yet, this stood out to her... 

So... magic? 

Lena's mother was into that fairy-tale / folklore book, y'know, the one Lena used to find the Medallion of Acrata, that Andrea snagged (and which we seemingly will see a lot more of in s06). 

The medallion being real is a rather good indicator that whatever 'magic' is described in that book is at least to some degree rooted in (the show's) reality.

[Aside from “The Adventure of Acrata”, the set-designers inserted “Hans in Luck”, “The Fox's Brush” and “The Grateful Beasts” (Brothers Grimm) to the book’s pages. Oookay.]

Green, so green.

Most obvious thought would be Kryptonite. But I cannot find any reference of green Kryptonite doing something that could remotely fit the scene described. I was sorta hoping, maybe the rain tainting everything green could be a meteor shower, but this event happened in 1997. Kal's pod (and the accompanying Kryptonite shower) fell to Earth around 1979. Couldn't have been some greenK following in the wake of Kara's pod either, because that didn't arrive on Earth until 2003.

Also also, Lena's mother apparently knew where to go in advance. This leads me to believe it may have been a "natural" occurrence.

What else is green?

Well, the Arrowverse’s Temporal Vortex for one.

Or the sky (light) at the Dawn of Time.

Am I really alone in the belief, that maybe, just maybe, Lena’s mother searched and found a “magical” place that happened to be some sort of portal?  ...to “visit family”? Maybe? Possibly had intended to take Lena with her? Something went wrong (as things always do when magical stuff is involved)?

"So of course, she went swimming," she said in a sarcastic tone.

That can easily be adult-Lena's way of belittling the moment, distancing herself from her own pain by adding some sarcasm. Lena's mother clearly went into something (”lake-like”), and never came back, presumably in a good mood (at least not scared) and without hesitation. Lena thinks "lake" and her mother "going under", while she herself remained at the edge of the event. Remember: This whole narration is what her 4-yo self saw and understood, revisited through an (guilt-ridden, self-deprecating) adult’s lens.

Here's a little tidbit, that I found checks quite a lot of boxes:

In Celtic/Irish mythology there is this supernatural "Otherworld" (aka Avalon in the King Arthur Legend), a realm of the deities and possibly also of the dead / ancestors and/or heroes. Apparently it is similar to a parallel universe (or some sort of multiverse) and a happy place. This elusive place is reached by entering ancient burial mounds, caves or by going under the waters of pools, lakes or the sea (giving it one of its many other names, Tír fo Thuinn, "land under the wave") or by crossing the western sea. And/or it sorta connects (at certain times or random / aforementioned places), signaled by fog, mists, sudden changes in the weather, appearance of unusual animals or divine beings. In tales featuring this realm, sometimes the hero returns after what he believes is a short time, only to find that all his companions are dead and he has actually been away for hundreds of years.

You know where you'd learn about “Otherworld” (aside from wikipedia)? In a book of fairy-tales, folklores and myths.

Now, there’s currently this fan-theory that Nyxlygsptlnz could be ...Lena’s mother...

Alright, similar’ish hair-do. I give you that. And the way the clothing bunches at the shoulders looks similar... It’s possible, I guess. Visually, at least.

However, Nyxly shared her troubled past, and Miss “tried to cut my father's throat” seems to not have (had) nearly the care-free, loving, playful, free-spirited character Lena’s mother has been described with. Who sang an Irish lullaby to a 7 year old Lex. And worked with/for Lionel for several years... Plus, wasn’t Lena to look ‘exactly’ like her mother?  So... yeah, if the writers go there, I will have serious problems suspending my disbelief.  That’s all I have for the moment.  Thanks for reading and as always don’t feel shy to correct me or help me find more clues.

[bobasheebaby]

75 Criminal Minds Prompts

Some of these can easily go very, very dirty, and yes I’m talking about Morgan and Garcia conversations and honestly would it be a list without them?

1 “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you’ve really stopped to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. ― Hotch

2 “Life is a hell of a thing to happen to someone.”― David Rossi

3 “Destroying a book is like…destroying a whole world.” — Diana Reid 

4 “Trust me, kiddo. I’ve been here before.” ― David Rossi

5 “I’ve always heard every ending is also a beginning. We just don’t know it at the time. I’d like to believe that’s true.” — Emily Prentiss 

6 “He is the perfect man. He doesn’t hog the covers, and he poops in a box.” — Emily Prentiss 

7 “Went on a diet last night. Lost 185 pounds.” — Dr. Tara Lewis 

8 “Marital bliss followed by marital diss! Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?” — Penelope Garcia

9 “I don’t take kindly to being blown up. In fact, it kind of pisses me off.” — Derek Morgan 

10 “You know, I've learned that, in the short time I've had the privilege of being a dad... it heals wounds, just being there for your kid.” — David Rossi

11 “What makes you feel confident?” “Statistics.” — Derek Morgan and Dr Spencer Reid

12 “NAME , believe me when I say this, I've never known a normal day in my entire life.” — Dr Spencer Reid

13 “The number of pathogens passed during a handshake is staggering. It's actually safer to kiss.” — Dr Spencer Reid

14 “No one gets therapy these days without a healthy dose of medication.” “What are you implying, NAME?” “That everyone is medicated.” — Dr Spencer Reid and Penelope Garcia

15 “He/She doesn't give a damn about black or white. The only color that son of a bitch cares about is green.” — Dr Spencer Reid

16 “I don't know everything. I mean, despite the fact that you think that I do.” “I never said that. When have I ever said that?” “Every day since I met you!” — Dr Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan

17 “I never have any normal fans.” — Dr Spencer Reid

18 “Hey, Baby Girl, whatever you’re doing, drop it.” — Derek Morgan

19 “Talk to me, Baby Girl.” — Derek Morgan

20 “There you go, Baby Girl, that’s sweet.” — Derek Morgan

21 “Give it to me, doll face.” — Derek Morgan

22 “Hey, doll face. Ready to work some magic for me?” — Derek Morgan

23 “Hey, silly girl. I love you, you know that, right?” — Derek Morgan

24 “Hey girl, you’re on speaker. Behave.” “Or what, you’ll spank me?” — Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia

25 “It was once said that love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, but trusting them not to.” — Derek Morgan

26 “Hey baby girl, I need you to work that magic of yours.” “Rub my lamp, release the Genie.” — Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia

27 “You really are afraid of the dark.” “I'm working on that.” “You should work a little harder.” — Derek Morgan and Dr Spencer Reid

28 “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, pump your brakes. What is this about?” — Derek Morgan

29 “Oh, and if you hate sad stories as much as I do, you should leave the room right now, 'cause this is super sad!” — Penelope Garcia

30 “Enchantress of all things possible, use your imagination.” — Penelope Garcia

31 “My least three favorite words strung together: I don't know.” — Penelope Garcia

32 “Hello, my pretties. I have seen the wizard and he granted my wish.” — Penelope Garcia

33 “She knew where to toe the line between right and raunchy.” — Penelope Garcia

34 “OK, let me get you on a secret: Guys, we don’t do well on subtle clues, OK? You got to be direct, straight up. Just tell him exactly what you want!” — Derek Morgan

35 “It’s who you are, Baby Girl. You see the beauty in everything and everyone no matter where you go. That part of you is never gonna change, and I won’t let it.” — Derek Morgan

36 “NAME, people need to know that they're important and sometimes you forget that.” — Hotch

37 “Don't you have something better to do?” “Than to annoy you for three hours? Hell no.” — Hotch and Derek Morgan

38 “I think, deep down, we're all capable of unspeakable things. Where it starts or what you call it, I don't know.” — Hotch

39 “NAME, this is the job, and I need to know that you can be objective.” “And I need to know that I can be human.” — Hotch and Emily Prentiss

40 “Scars show us where we have been, they do not dictate where we are going.” — Rossi

41 “You don't need to do anything you don't want to. Understand?” — Rossi

42 “Just be careful. That ego of yours is going to get you in trouble." — Rossi

43 “Somewhere along the line, I put myself first. I admit it, but I can't go back and change it." — Rossi

44 “It could be that, after all of these years, I rewrote history." — Rossi

45 “Time will pass and slowly you will find how much it hurts. And, maybe, you'll find something else to fill that empty space." — Rossi

46 “Where you headed?” “Nowhere in particular.” “How will you know when you get there?” — Rose and Gideon

47 “Only a man would waste $50 trying to win back that $3 stuffed animal.” — JJ

48 “This is my favorite part. This is where you hang yourself with your own tongue. So, please keep talking.” — JJ

49 “My father/mother believes that children shouldn't be shielded from the realities of the world. I do! Isn't that why we read them fairy tales in the first place?” — JJ

50 “Oh god, please tell me you don't have a crush on a fictional character.” — JJ

51 “You are the best ever.” “Aw, and you're the most perceptive.” — JJ and Garcia

52 “I once dated a guy/girl who washed his/her car more than he/she washed his/her hair.” — JJ

53 “Don't tell me what I want and don't want.” — JJ

54 “You do what it takes to protect your family.” — JJ

55 “Look, I don't speak smartass.” — Michael Russo

56 “How's it having NAME around?” “You can have him/her back whenever you would like.” Hotch and Garcia

57 “So, NAME, when are you and NAME walking down the aisle?” “Hey, whoa, whoa. Baby steps. Baby steps.” “When NAME says "I do", it'll be a national day of mourning for single men/women everywhere.” — Rossi, Morgan and Reid

58 “Ugh! This heat is brutal!” “You know, it isn't so much the heat as it is the humidity.” “At some point, it doesn't matter how you look at it. It all sucks.” — Derek Morgan and Dr Spencer Reid

59 “Need a minute?” “So, so badly.” — Matt Simmons and Penelope Garcia

60 “Hey. I came as soon as I could. What's wrong?” — Matt Simmons

61 “We ask questions, and we come home.” “No creepy weirdness?” “No weirdness.” “Good, 'cause I'm about full up in the creepy weirdness department for one night.” — Matt Simmons and Penelope Garcia

62 “Ooh, what about this one? Sunny, two-bedroom. It's close to work. And it's in your price range.” “NAME, you're moving? You don't like change.” “That's true. Change is my kryptonite. But the apartment is no longer a sanctuary. I have a new neighbor. Window's right here. He enjoys doing naked kung fu. Some things you cannot unsee.” — JJ, Simmons and Garcia

63 “Thank you.” “For what?” “For being you.” “Aw, thanks. I don't know how to be anyone else.” — Emily Prentiss and Dr Spencer Reid

64 “When a woman tells a man about her feelings, she doesn't want him to fix her. She wants him to shut up and listen.” — Emily Prentiss

65 “I just feel I can't understand others' emotions if I don't deal with my own, you know?” “The best way out is always through.” “Too bad it's not always the easiest one.” “You're not kidding.” — Dr Tara Lewis and Rossi

66 “It helps if they think you're crazy. They don't argue.” — Diana Reid

67 “I don’t hate you ... I’m just not necessarily excited about your existence.” — Dr Spencer Reid

68 “There are many paths to the same place. Trust me.” “Just so you know, you sound like a fortune cookie.” — Hotch

69 “I’m always right. Also, you’re secretly in love with me.” — Penelope Garcia

70 “I just gave the bartender my number in Roman numerals. If he/she figures it out, he’s/she’s worth a shot.” — Dr Spencer Reid

71 “Shh, the adults are talking. When it’s your turn to speak, I’ll give you permission. Okay?” — JJ

72 “Hey, mama, tell me something I don’t know.” — Derek Morgan

73 “Talk dirty to me.” — Penelope Garcia

75 “Hey, don’t make me spank you when I get back.” “Don’t listen time him/her, NAME, he’s/she’s all talk.” — Derek Morgan and Dr Spencer Reid

[luckycloud808]

weird asks that say a lot from @julietgiulia​

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans? Coffee mugs

2. chocolate bars or lollipops? Chocolate 

3. bubblegum or cotton candy? Neither

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you? Shy, conscientious, perfectionist

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups? Glasses

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? All contributors

7. earbuds or headphones? Earbuddies :)

8. movies or tv shows? Movies

9. favourite smell in the summer? Hot soil, flowering plants, fruit and needle trees, post rain, towel after ocean swim, wind through car window driving through forest(ed highway)

10. game you were best at in p.e.? Hockey, soccer, california kickball, high jump and arm hang? 

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? Usually oatmeal or millet with omegas, fruit and oat milk or avocado bagel with black pepper and nutritional yeast

12. name of your favourite playlist? A nice mix for ness

13. lanyard or key ring? Key ring

14. favourite non-chocolate candy? Licorice, candied fennel or anise seeds

15. favourite book you read as a school assignment? Les miserables, The thief lord, The cellist of Sarajevo - off the top

16. most comfortable position to sit in? Slumpy posture, one leg over or under the other, knee tuck or apple sauce

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes? Hiking boots or black sambas

18. ideal weather? Sunny after rain a little windy

19. sleeping position? No pillow usually on my left or on my back or front with one leg bent 

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? Notebook or notes app

21. obsession from childhood? Fairies and making homes

22. role model? Opa

23. strange habits? Not sure what qualifies as strange

24. favourite crystal? Not really into them but maybe jade or quartz 

25. first song you remember hearing? I turned out a punk or something by Joe Strummer

26. favourite activity to do in warm weather? Backpacking

27. favourite activity to do in cold weather? Cuddling, snowy adventuring, dancing

28. five songs to describe you? Hazel (bob dylan), Planted a thought (arthur russell), Junie (solange), Corridor of dreams (the cleaners from venus), Even cowgirls get the blues (emmylou harris)

29. best way to bond with you? Quality time, presence, care, spontaneity / silly curiousity

30. places that you find sacred? Oma and Opa’s yard and greenhouse, forest, Veluwe, ocean

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? Floral dress, nice earrings with sambas and sweatshirt or hiking boots, wool socks and over shirt, with shorts and tank top

32. top five favourite vines? Fresh avocado is the only one that comes to mind

33. most used phrase in your phone? Yay sweet and or That’s funny

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? Can’t think of any

35. average time you fall asleep? 2am

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? Probably one of those justgirlythings ones here or Fb I have no idea

37. suitcase or duffel bag? Suitcase

38. lemonade or tea? Tea

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie? Lemon tart

40. weirdest thing to ever happen to you at your school? High school - Maybe bear spray yoe evac? authority figure telling me what I was wearing was inappropriate? psych teacher crying in class? Post sec - Tiktok famous boy makes a tiktok of me knitting in psych class? boy crushing steals my textbook just to get me to go to his car so he can return it to me? 

41. last person you texted? Daisy 🌼

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets? BOTH

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? Hoodie

44. favourite scent for soap? Rose, patchouli, rosemary, lavendar, mint, etc.

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero? Fantasy

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? Naked 

47. favourite type of cheese? Cashew cheese or if I could brie

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? White nectarine but there are so many to try!

49. what saying or quote do you live by? “She walked with her entire body as if to gain momentum for an event in which her entire body would participate.” - Anaïs Nin (A spy in the house of love)

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have? Probably my kid best friend

51. current stresses? Health issues, unstable income

52. favorite font? Freight rn

53. what is the current state of your hands? Coffee shakes

54. what did you learn from your first job? Hundreds of PLU’s, how to pack groceries, how messy and wasteful people are, that everyone should have to do a customer service job in their lifetime, how really great and awful people are, that I shouldn’t let other people’s stresses make me feel like I should be stressed, that quitting is good sometimes

55. favourite fairy tale? The six swans, Vasalisa the wise, Baba yaga, Bluebeard, Rumpelstiltskin, The red shoes, The velvet ribbon, Goldilocks and the three bears, and many many more

56. favourite tradition? Writing letters and cards, dressing up for halloween, celebrating birthdays

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome? Eating disorder, depression and heartbreak (although these are things I still need to keep being overcome)

58. four talents you’re proud of having? Writing, taking notes, learning about my body, feeling for what resonates

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? Heyo, how bout that!

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? Nausicaä of the valley of the wind (hayao miyazaki)

61. favourite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? Recently found on my Tumblr feed from a book waiting on my shelf: “I want to believe, walking those aimless nights, that I was praying. For what I’m still not sure. But I always felt it was just ahead of me. That if I walked far enough, long enough, I would find it–perhaps even hold it up, like a tongue at the end of its word.” - Ocean Vuong (On earth we’re briefly gorgeous)

62. seven characters you relate to? In no particular order, not long thought out: 1) Sabina (A spy in the house of love), 2) Elio (Call me by your name), 3) Patti (Just kids), 4) Sally (The ruby in the smoke), 5) Camille (Un amour de jeunesse), 6) Dani (Midsommar), 7) Orla (Derry Girls)

63. five songs that would play in your club? I follow rivers - the magician remix (lykke li), JA! (bizzey), Gasolina (daddy yankee), Nice for what (drake), This must be the place - naive melody (talking heads) / love my way (psychedelic furs)

64. favourite website from your childhood? Myscene, Club penguin - those free gaming websites 

65. any permanent scars? A few on my face from tables and my dog, one on my knee from flip flops on a boat launch, a few burns here and there that probably aren’t permanent

66. favourite flower(s)? Always changing, echinacea and yellow roses rn

67. good luck charms? Change on the ground, nice earrings, well worn shoes, spotting flowers or animals

68. worst flavour of any food or drink you’ve ever tried? Cream of mushroom

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? Popped in my head, maybe not the most fun - the flower bud in the centres of apple tree fruiting spurs make the king fruit (the biggest and best apple from each spur) and if you pick the king blossom then all the surrounding blossoms will be bigger and better 

70. left or right handed? Right

71. least favourite pattern? Galaxy?

72. worst subject? Economics

73. favourite weird flavour combo? Miso and apple, blueberries and coconut curry, orange juice and beer (I don't know if its really possible to find a “weird” combo maybe it’s more like “not found in my culture”)

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen? 5 if 0 is no pain (I don't think I’ve been above 8.5)

75. when did you lose your first tooth? No idea

76. what’s your favourite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)? Gnocchi or boerenkool

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill? Flowering plants

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store? Station coffee

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo? School id

80. earth tones or jewel tones? Earth

81. fireflies or lightning bugs? I don't think I have much experience with either

82. pc or console? I cannot either way

83. writing or drawing? This is my kryptonite question

84. podcasts or talk radio? Podcasts if I had to choose

84. barbie or polly pocket? Polly pocket

85. fairy tales or mythology? Mythology (stories are linked more)

86. cookies or cupcakes? Cookies

87. your greatest fear? My health issues keep accumulating and getting worse forever

88. your greatest wish? My health issues resolve

89. who would you put before everyone else? Myself, Suzmom or Marleymoon

90. luckiest mistake? Choosing mini school, don't regret it but maybe not the best decision

91. boxes or bags? Bags

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? Sunlight and rocksalt lamps

93. nicknames? Ness, nessie, nessa, bean, bear, benjamin, kindje, sweet pea

94. favourite season? Late spring or late summer

95. favourite app on your phone? Flo, Spotify, Google maps, notes, weather, find my

96. desktop background? Santa Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized? 7+

98. favourite historical era? I love revolutions and renaissances but all of em have hard times and good times

[rubiakxma]

@psychokineticsunshine​​​ asked: ((slam dunks my url in here :D Opinion Meme//ACCEPTING

My Opinion on:

The Character(s) in general: Silver the hedgehog is a cinnamon roll who should be loved and protected forever. How they play them: Sunny is a cinnamon roll who should be loved and protected forever as well. Sunny is an angel baby who should be adopted by the shadows and protected at all costs because he is too fucking pure for this world. The Mun: Hedgieeeee. I love me some Hedgieeee. I’ve known hedgie since i started on tumblr and they are just a positive influence in everyone’s life. She is so sweet and is always there to provide hugs when comfort is needed. Adopt yourself a hedgie. Its good for you.

Do I:

RP with them: I will always roleplay with Sunny. Want to RP with them: Yes. Angst and mush is my kryptonite and she provideee<3

What is my:

Overall Opinion: Stop reading this and go follow hedgie’s angel baby and protect them. 

[teacupwriter]

11/11/11 tag game

Thanks so much for the tag and awesome questions, @jaydewritesfiction! It’s been an Age since I’ve done any tag games (moment of silence for all the ones I straight up forgot about... sorry) but anyway. Let’s do this.

Rules: Answer the 11 questions of the person who tagged you, make up 11 questions, then tag 11 people to answer them.

What is your ideal writing environment? - Quiet! I like listening to my own music, but any other background sound is kryptonite for me. My ideal writing position is probably sitting on my bed with a sleeping cat tucked up next to me. (Until said cat wakes up and decides to flick his tail across my screen...)

Do you have any writing rituals? - I don’t know if this counts as a ritual, but I do listen to music a lot while writing, and making wip playlists and pinterest boards feels very ritualistic and inherent to my writing process.

What’s your favourite aspect of drafting? - I don’t really ‘draft’ in the classic sense? My first draft tends to incorporate a lot of editing and such as I go along. But I do love reading back through what I’ve written and just ripping into it on that first edit, cutting lines and shifting focus and being really brutal. Might sound weird but that’s always fun for me, because that’s when I nail down what the story wants to feel like.

How do you go about brainstorming and developing ideas? - Hm. I kind of... get a story in my head and then think about it? Constantly? I walk around and I may be doing other things but all the while I’m perseverating on the characters and certain scenes, and I’ll just pick up new ideas and add them into the stew. I love watching movies or tv for inspiration, too.

What was the most recent thing you’ve been inspired by? - Haha uhh this is gonna sound really horrible, but recently a woman was found floating down the river super close to where I live (she was rescued and it turned out totally fine) but she was found by a group of teens and was refusing to answer questions about who she was or where she came from and my brain was like !!! story?¿

Rainy day writing inside or sunny day writing outside? - Rainy day writing inside!!!!! 100%!!!

Which themes/topics are you most drawn to? - Uhhh romance, for sure. Specifically queer romance. Also friendship, coming of age, self-discovery, trust/betrayal, found family, and uncovering corruption/deceit.

Do you read a lot in the genre(s) you write? - All my projects are YA, and while I do read a lot there is just SO MUCH good YA out there that I feel like I could never read enough! And if fanfic is a genre... then yes, lol. I read a lot of fanfic.

How would you describe your writing voice? - Character-centric and character-driven. Very... physiological? As in, lots of description of physical/internal responses. Head-scratching metaphors.

Which project gave you the most challenges? How did you overcome them? - Probably the most challenging project I’ve finished was my first full-length story, a 140k Tintin fanfic I started when I was 14, and finished when I was 18. I guess I triumphed by just pushing through and forcing myself to work things out, though it wasn’t much fun by the end. I��m still glad I finished, though, because that’s such a satisfying feeling.

Which project gave you the most enjoyment to write? - Not to talk about fanfic again, but since all the projects I’ve finished are fanfic... I really really loved writing my weird genderbent That ‘70s Show fic. It was very close to my heart and it just poured out of me. You know those stories that hit you like a bolt of lightning and you’re just the hapless conduit? It was like that.

Here go my questions!

What’s one thing/detail you always find yourself writing into every story?

What is your number one writing ‘crutch’ or filler phrase? (Examples: saying ‘just’ too much in dialogue, characters raising their eyebrows, etc.)

What is your opinion on the oxford comma?

What’s a genre you’ve never written but would love to try?

If you could live in any of your stories, which would it be and why?

Do you remember the first thing you wrote? If so, what was it?

What character type are you a sucker for?

What‘s your least favorite writing advice and why do you hate it?

What’s your favorite writing advice, or advice that’s helped you a lot?

Which of your characters are you most different from? Do you find it hard to write them, or not?

What do you want to be known for as a writer?

Tagging: @scribble-dee-vee, @katiehahnbooks, @cabaretofwords, @kittensartswriting, @thelittlestspider, @mythwords, @wrotethestars, @anzwrites, @dczwrites, @arwallace and @juls-writes if you’d like!!

[heroes-never-discourse]

i'm not op of that 'if you read yaoi' post but i'll take some cute bl recs anyway. i literally only just started reading manga this week and i'd love to add some more titles to my to read list

!!!!

absolutely anon, let me tell you I spent three weeks reading nothing but bl and it was Great and now I have Many recs for you

warning! this is Gonna Be Very Long so my recs’ll be under the cut (bolded ones are my favorites!)

1K Apartment no Koi

24 Jikan Eigyouchuu

After Morning Love and its spin-off Before Daylight Love

Ai ga Love Shite You nanosa(this one is as ridiculous as it is adorable, so fucking funny)

Amayadori wa Basu-tei de

Ameiro no Toge

Ameiro Paradox(this one is still ongoing; i usually hate when love interests do nothing but bicker? but the journalist boyfriends just do something right for me. and Natsume Isaku is just one of my favorite mangakas! love most of her work)

Ano Koi no Tsuzuki

Arashi no Ato

Bikkuri suru hodo Doji na Koi

Body Talk Paradox(the second and third stories are the best ones, really love the art style, it’s very crisp, and one of the side characters/one half of the secondary couple has one of the most unique designs I’ve seen in a BL)

Boku no Ano Ko

Boku to Neko to Hatsukoi Kousa

Bokura wa Sore wo Hitei Dekinai

Chiisana Koi no Melody

Chikatetsu no Inu

Colorful Line

Konbini-kun.(I love Junko’s art style it’s very very cute)

Count 0(boy can see a counter above everyone’s heads that counts the number of lies that person has told in their life and is jaded because of it, until he meets another boy whose counter reads 0, very cute)

Doukyuusei and its sequels Sotsugyousei and O.B.

Doushitemo Furetakunai and its spin-off Soredemo, Yasashii Koi o Suru(Doushitemo is top tier okay, it’s one of my absolute favorites, the romance is lowkey and sweet and they’re just so good ;~;)

Doushiyoumo Nai Keredo

Endou-kun no Kansatsu Nikki

Faraway

Gentei Kareshi

Gosan no Heart and its spin-off Owaranai Fukou ni Tsuite no Hanashi

Gunjou no Subete

Hachimitsu Darling

Hana no Mizo Shiru(very very sweet, I’m pretty sure I teared up at one point)

Hanagaya Eigyousho no Kare

Hand Which

Harapeko Usagi to Koisuru Ookami

Hare no Hi

Hatsukoi (Kakine)(very silly, there’s like four different love stories happening in this one boarding house, it’s great)

Hatsukoi (Kazuki)(so this mangaka has a huge list of Haikyuu doujins they’ve done, and I hadn’t watched Haikyuu before I read this but now that I have I can’t unsee the fact that the main characters look like Kageyama and Hinata lmfao)

Hatsukoi no Atosaki

Heart no Kakurega(the secondary couple are hit or miss but the main couple Izumi and Haru are so pure?? they’re so sweet I love them a lot)

Hibi Koikoi

Himegoto Asobi(I’m a goddamn sucker for single dad falls in love stories and this one is one of the best)

The Iberiko Buta series(this manga is so fucking funny?? the initial couple are cute and hilarious idiots, while the second couple are a bit more lowkey and bittersweet, and overall it’s such a funny cute read)

Illumination(this manga is melancholy in book form, I really love this mangakas writing style, the stories are all bittersweet and its some beautiful, beautiful angst)

Kaeru no Prince-sama

Kakugo wo Kimete

Kanemochi-kun to Binbou-kun (“I fell in love when I was sixteen”. great. thanks manga. now i’m crying.)

Kasa no Shita, Futari

Katappashi Kara Zenbu Koi

Kigurumi Planet (the premise for this one??? is so off the wall and ridiculous lmao this manga has no right to be as good as it is, the couple is very sweet and the story is actually pretty good if you can get past how fucking bonkers the premise is)

Kimi to Aruku

Kimi to Date (short and sweet! I love the art style)

Konya mo Nemurenai and its spin-off Kimi to Kore kara(college boy accidentally summons a demon who decides to stick around so he doesn’t have to go home and marry his childhood friend - I fucking love Konya so much, and the love interest Endo is legit one of my favorite characters, I usually hate assholeish semes but he just pulls it off so well; the spin-off features the secondary couple of Konya)

Kimi wa Natsu no Naka

Kiraboshi Dial

Kirakira no Hibi

Kodomo ga Neta Ato de

Koi made Hyakurin and its spin-off Akunin o Nakaseru Houhou (young heir to his grandfather’s yakuza group starts hero-worshiping an ex-yakuza florist (who now hates yakuza) and eventually they fall for each other - listen this manga was made for me, I love yakuza with a heart of gold and ex-yakuza archetypes so fucking much, i love this manga a lot and the main couple is so sweet; the spin-off features ex-yakuza’s older brother)

Koi ni mo Naranai.

Koi no Hanashi ga Shitai

Koko ni Aru, Kimi no Oto

Konya, Mister de

Kuchizuke wa Niji no Ue de (the premise for this is so cute and unique! a man who’s followed by sunny weather and a man who’s followed by stormy weather meet and decide to go mountain climbing! very cute)

Kurayami ni Strobe

Life, Love (okay listen this one! i did enjoy this one How. Ever. it’s a story where a seemingly not so smart man is made to guard the man that he and his boss kidnapped, and then they maybe??? fall in love over the course of the kidnapping and that’s the first half of the story, and the relationships are very weird and complex and the characters are also weird and complex? and it’s very unsatisfying as a romance but still somehow satisfying? except the ending which left me just shocked laughing like ‘that’s it?????’ and i’m still not sure how i feel about it but i’m pretty sure i liked it and yeah disclaimer over)

Link: Boku to Kimi no Aida

Lotus Eater

Lucky Number 13(okay no this one is so sweet and cute, a huge baseball otaku falls for a boy who is plagued with bad luck unless he’s dating someone, in which case his bad luck transfers to his partner, they’re such a pure couple and it’s a very sweet and funny story and I love it)

Mad Cinderella(this one isn’t totally scanlated :( but there’s still a lot of it scanned and it’s all very cute and worth)

Mahoutsukai no Koi

The Mainichi Seiten Series; Mainichi Seiten, Kodomo wa Tomaranai, Children’s Time, Kodomo no Iibun, Aki-chan no Iibun, Isoganaide, Hanaya no Nikai de(very very slice of life, three couples in all, the first volume is kind of slow and the art is kinda rough and the couple is very chaste but still cute and the art gets better through the series, and the other two relationships are top tier and overall this series is one of my absolute favorites)

Mayoke no Darling

Mazu wa, Hitokuchi.(okay but the premise is a farm that secretly raises flying pigs how amazing is that)

Me wo Tojite 3-Byou

Merry Checker

Motto Aishiaimasho

Nakanai Hotaru

Nee Senpai, Oshiete yo

Negative-kun to Positive-kun

Neko no Koi (I really love young masters who are in love with their less well-off childhood friend/keeper that’s some good shit)

Nennen Saisai

Nichijousahan Bi - Beautiful Life

No Color

Number Call

Okujou no Bye-Bye

Omamori Shimasu, Dokomademo

Ringo ni Hachimitsu and its sequel Kare no Barairo no Jinsei (i really love this mangakas art style and way of writing, very good)

Rutta to Kodama (listen these boys will be the death of me, I love delinquents especially delinquents with hearts of gold, and Rutta is the epitome of that, he and Kodama are so fucking sweet and I just love them so so much, one of my absolute favorites)

Saiyaku wa Boku wo Suki Sugiru(this one is still ongoing! it’s basically a soul mate au where if one half gets injured the other is the one who sustains the injury, turned into a family curse that lasts a year upon the younger one’s 17th birthday, so very very good)

Sannin Gurashi (i love this one it’s so sweet ;~;)

Sawattemo Ii kana (also not completely scanlated and I cry every day because of it)

Sayonara, Heron

Sayonara, Itoshi no My Friend

Seinen wa Ai o Kou

Sense of Love

Seven Days

Shitteru yo.

Shuuden Elegy

Signal

Soko ni Suwaru na

Sonna Me de Mitekure (this one??? is fUCKing ridiculous, I laughed through the entire thing it’s fucking ridiculous omg)

Sono Koi ni wa Wake ga Aru(love!!!! i love this one! so much! stoic but gentle semes are my fucking kryptonite okay and Azuma is that in spades, he and Aoi are just so fucking cute)

Sono Mama de

Sore wa Isshun no Hikari, dewa Naku

Sore o Koigokoro to Yobu no Nara

Sorenari ni Shinken Nan desu.(this is basically a sick fic featuring an overworked single dad and his playboy regular who’s in love with him, literally one of my absolute favorites and I think the first yaoi I ever read? Oosawa and Yoshioka are top tier and it’s just so sweet and feel-good, ugh I love)

Spotlight Lover

Star-like Words

Sugar Code(mix competent yakuza with useless gay and you get Oodoi, it’s beautiful; I love Oodoi and Akira a lot)

Suteneko no Karte

Te o Tsunai de Koi o(”oh you guys don’t get along? okay now you have to hold hands the entire walk home until you do” lmao archery club president knows what’s up)

Tear Drop

The Killer

Tight Rope(i’ve already exposed my love for yakuza and ‘young master in love with his childhood friend’ archetypes which means me loving Tight Rope was written in the fucking stars because Ryuu is b o t h, and I just really love Naoki as well)

Toki no Maigo o Sagashite!(amnesia plot!)

Tsukiatte Agete mo Ii n Dakara ne (this one is f u c k i n g ridiculous, the love interest is a giant fucking ham, it’s r i d i c u l o u s lmfao)

Twinkle (Kanda)

Wakabaryou de, Kimi to

Wakadanna ni Goyoujin

Work In

Yachin Hanbun no Ibasho desu

Yakozen

Yamada to Shounen

Yamete Kudasai,(this one gave me cavities)

Yozora no Sumikko de,

Yuki no Shita no Qualia

Yuugure no Machi

Zantei, Koibito

[r1k-y9]

art block is hitting so hard rn it sucks ass but here are some drawings that I made while fighting it off LMAO

[officialthiamlibrary]

Welcome to another profile on Behind the Screens, giving you personal insight on who your favorite creators are and what they do when they aren’t wowing you with their creative ability.

On this profile, we’ll learn more about Tagan, also known in our pack as ThiamFresh or CaptainMintyFresh. The author of Airplanes, Sweet Talking, and a plethora of other Thiam prompts and stories, Tagan shares bits about her life, her writing process, her ideal road trip buddy, and her tips for creating tension-filled relationships.

Hi, Tagan! Let’s start off simple. Using a sentence, where the word count is either equal to or less than the number of letters in your two favorite Teen Wolf characters’ name, tell us about yourself. 

Theo Raeken + Derek Hale = 19: I’m Tagan. Love to write and act. I have a terrible sense of humour. Generally an accident prone mess. 

Talking about Teen Wolf characters, which five characters would be on your Ultimate Paintball/Laser Tag team and why? 

Theo, Malia, Allison, Liam, Stiles. Right, so I want Theo because like boy’s a master tactician/manipulator and he’s ruthless. Boy would 100% shoot 10 year olds to win and that’s the kind of person I want on my paintball team. Malia, again, she would have no qualms about just decimating the other team. Allison because she is an amazing shot; her role would be stealthing her way through the field to take people out/sniping everyone else while the ‘ground team’ does the closer stuff. Liam because he’s athletic and competitive. Stiles because he’s good at coming up with plans, plus...you know..he’d be really good bait for the other team.

Omg he would be! Now, before those characters blessed us with their existence, we found love and OTPs in other ones. What would you say were your first ships, way back in the day?

I’m not sure if this counts but Ant and Dec? I thought they were married but if not, then Monica and Chandler or Spike and Buffy. The first fanfiction I read was for Dramione.

And, how did you land in the Thiam Family? What about Theo x Liam drew you in?

I really liked their scenes in 6A (And some of the scenes in 5 but honestly, I hated five as a whole and watched it out of duty more than anything so I just didn’t have the enthusiasm to get into a ship.) Theo was the first bit of 6A that i actually really liked and a lot of that was just down to his sass and a lot of it was directed at Liam. And then the car key scene had me cackling with laughter. There scenes were just..fun in a way the rest of the season lacked, at least to me. So I was pretty invested in their whole dynamic and then there was ‘Being the bait’ and ‘do you know how to ride a horse’ and I was pretty sold. I went to search for Thiam content then but didn’t find any so just went back to writing the fics for other fandoms I was doing then and didn’t really mind.

But then 6B came out and the second I saw Theo on screen I was thinking “wow i can’t wait for him to see Liam and realised I was a bit more sold on them than I had planned to be and so I searched the tag again and went onto AO3 and read the few fics there but there really weren’t many. 

I’d gotten stuck on all the fics I was doing for other fandoms and so put up a request for prompts and Thiamkey gave me a bunch of headcanons and prompts and then people seemed to like them and started sending them in and then I just...talked to people and they were all lovely and we had all this amazing content coming out every week from the show and more people climbed aboard the ship. More fics being written, more prompts being sent.

Honestly, i just wanted to dip my toe in the water, write a fic or two while I waited for other people to write their own but then i suddenly found myself up to my neck in Thiam and not regretting a second of it.

Let’s jump into writing. Before we dive into the Thiam pool, if your writing process was a person, describe him or her. What does he or she do? Wear? Listen to?

My writing process as a person would probably be a toddler in a room full of toys but instead of playing with them, she just hiding under furniture and has five different conversations with five different imaginary friends at one time. She’s messy, with chocolate ice cream smeared over her face and her hair tangled into nots. She has no real idea about what’s happening but is excited none-the-less. Will have constant tantrums and cry then be excitedly squealing in the next second. ACDC would be playing in the background.

And your writing Kryptonite? How do you fight it?

Procrastination. I’m really bad at focusing on any one thing. Like, if i’m watching a new episode of a show, I’ll play solitaire in the corner of the screen because otherwise, I’m too unfocused to be focused. If that makes any sense. So when I’m writing I have to have a conversation open with someone or have just done a puzzle or something that’s fried my brain a bit so I can focus on writing, but I often end up getting too focused on the other thing and not getting any writing done.

As for how to fight it, I honestly have no idea? I just kinda flit around and hope for the best.

Well, clearly it works for you, so cheers! Do you write novels or short stories about original characters, as well? If so, can you share one you’re particularly passionate about?

Yes i dooo :) I write books. So I’ve written three so far and have like 12 in the works. (There’s a YA series in there which is why there’s so many) um..I’m not sure what i’m particularly proud of so i’m just pasting the first scene I found in my emails which is a scene from a zombie book I wrote called Autumn

Autumn Excerpt:

Sometimes I could forget, for a moment. When the sun was high in the sky and we were strolling through an open field. Weapons held loose in hand, rucksacks tossed over single shoulders. When we were throwing a bottle of water between us, talking about now pointless things, sharing stories and silly jokes. Laughs etched onto our faces as we'd forget all about it. About the past months and the horror we've seen, the people we've lost.

But then a stray would stumble into the field or we’d hear a distant scream and it would come rushing back. Hands quickly going back to locked tightly arrowed our weapons, smiles slipping from our faces.There were also times I couldn't forget, not even for a second. When we lay on rough roof tops, looking up at the dark sky willing to sleep, to get lost in a dream but I could hear it, the scratching of nails against brick, the snap of teeth hitting together and the low, guttural moans. At these times I’d think, this will be the last sound I ever hear. The huffing of the dead, the wet slapping and slurping as they tore and chewed on flesh.

On these nights I’d try to comfort myself, Say that that nightmare sound wouldn't be what I heard, I prayed for a gunshot, dreamed of that rather than the sounds bellow me. Because, these days, you go out one of two ways and a gunshot was everyone's silver lining.

When you mentioned YA series, my back straightened haha. What’s the title of your series? A synopsis for what it’d be about?

Oh god, so the longest one I have to find a new title to because it’s called Gifted and is about people with superpowers and now there’s that The Gifted show out about people with powers so that’s a bit awkward.

Me and my friend wrote a webseries when we were like 14/15 and although we only filmed a tiny bit of it, we actually had the whole thing planned out. Three seasons, 40 episodes and when we stopped working on it I was like “dude can i turn this into a book series?” and he was like “Yeah go ahead.” So I started writing a bit of it.

Gifted follows the story of three childhood friends as they get powers and deal with all the usual coming of age stuff while getting caught up with other people with powers. The first book will be done in alternating POV between the three friends, but that will slowly expand to incorporate the more important characters met along the way.

There’s lots of whump, teenagers dealing with depression and PTSD.  Basically i tried to write a new fairly light hearted story about kids coming of age and dealing with typical super power problems, but then accidentally put them through the ringer and turned it into a mass of character study and angst.

Final question before the barrage of Thiam questions lol. Characters often find themselves in situations they aren’t sure they can get themselves out of. When was the last time you were in a place like that and what did you do? 

The last time I found myself in a situation I couldn’t get out of was this summer and I cried a lot and then made scathing jokes to the reasons I couldn’t get out of the situation with a sunny smile that left the situations unaware that I was trying to figure out how to word a letter that told the situations they need never situate themselves anywhere near me ever again. (I have yet to send those letters.)

Wow, yeah, I’ve been there before. I hope you find the strength/courage to send those letters one day. Since we’re talking about personal experiences, would you say that any of your life has poured over into your Thiam writing?

The only one I can currently think of is the scene in Sweet Talking where Theo’s tired and listening to Liam, Mason and Corey hang out and thinking about how he’ll never really fit in.

My brother had a bunch of friends round before I wrote that chapter, or at least that part of that chapter. I moved away from my home town/all my friends (there’s literally 1 friend but whatever) 3 years ago and haven’t made any friends since. My brother keeps telling me his friends can be my friends but I‘m always the odd man out and it’s just really lonely so I was definitely channeling some inner loneliness into that.

Let’s say you could escape it all and venture on a major Airplanes-esque road trip. Who would you take (real or fictional)? Where would you go? And what is one shenanigan the two of you would run into?

The Queen. I just think it’d be really funny, not to mention you could get in like everywhere for free.

Honestly I think if the queen wasn’t available, I’d want to go with @thiamfanartlove. We’ve only been talking a little while, but we get on really well and I feel like we’d be equally ready to do a bunch of dumb stuff on our journey. I’d want to go around Europe. Hit up @thiamkey on the way and a few other people. 

We would 100% get into a fight at some point because neither of us have any chill. Like, someone would insult one of us and the other would just be down to fight and then it would turn into an all out brawl with us against the world. (We would lose, but it’d be a good story, at least.)

Truth. And one story we’d demand all the details on. You’ve talked a lot about some trivia, inspirations and spoilers for Airplanes in your livestream, which are linked here. So, my questions to you are more about the technique side of your writing, since it’s always amazing to learn from you all.  

You incorporate great character studies into your stories. What would you say are some tricks you use to portray what your characters are thinking?

I think, just finding a way to resonate with the character you’re writing. Even if it’s a character you think you have nothing in common with, I promise you somewhere there’s a memory you have that fits something they’ve felt. 

Liam’s POV was really weird to me at the start of airplanes so I chose to focus on something I could personally understand. Which was the need for freedom but anxiety at what it might cost the other people if you take it and that..kind of self hatred for the anger issues and wishing everything could change. You find a common thread and write that and soon enough you find yourself understanding the character, even in situations or with feelings you’ve never personally been affected by.

I don’t know if that makes any sense? But basically yeah, find common ground and that one scene you can write and then work from there.

And, the tension between your characters. How do you build that tension when it comes to relationships to avoid the instalove phenomenon?

ANGST! I dunno, the easiest way for me to slow down the instalove is the characters being more preoccupied with other stuff than their love lives. I think just..keeping it as real as possible. In my personal experience, love at first sight is rare. You can’t fall in love with someone until you know them so a lot of it is just..giving the characters these little moments that bring them closer together, making them have those conversations that you’d have with your best friend and just slowly drawing closer and closer together as you get more comfortable. Especially in Airplanes when it first starts Liam’s in a pretty bad place mentally. He’s really drained and feeling the weight of everything he’s been through so his mind was just so far away from romance that it seemed wrong to have him noticing any feelings for Theo until he was a bit happier and had healed a bit. Not to mention all the baggage the two have.

Having a character go through that process of questioning their sexuality is fun as well. I mean, Liam so far in canon has been written as straight and that’s a lot of fun to play with because you have that whole realisation process where he has to figure out that what he feels for Theo isn’t entirely platonic and that it’s different from how he feels about Mason or any of the other guys in the show and that can be a really challenging thing to do. Not even in the ‘Oh coming out is scary’ way just in the heteronormative straight until proven otherwise sort of way.

I mean i’m Bi and that took me like...21 years to realise? And it wasn’t that I didn’t have little crushes on girls before it was just I’d never noticed them for what they were. For me the only reason it clicked was because I realised I was Asexual and that my ‘well I don’t want to bone a girl so I’m not gay’ was kinda pointless thing when I realised that I didn’t even want to bone guys. It was just what was expected. Once I took that away and sat down and thought about it, it was suddenly very clear to me. But most characters won’t have that specific nudge so it can be a fairly long road.

Just, to stop instalove think about what they’re going through, think about how you fall in love because the realisation may be instant but the build up is usually gradual. You notice it in one dumb moment but to actually get there, you have a long list of bits where you get to know the other person and you deal with your own personal issues and stuff.

For building tension, it’s again just building up that relationship. You start off small with touches that make the heart speed up before they’re more comfortable and grow closer. Honestly, the best way is just to focus on the friendship first and the romantic relationship second because then you get the familiarity and that’s when you can start having your characters realise there’s something else there and that suddenly makes all these little touches a lot more terrifying and confusing as they try to figure out what it means. 

That’s perfect though. And the gritty realization that most people have about those they’ve fallen in love with since they’ve usually gotten close to that person by that point is terrifying and emotional, so I can now see where that tension comes from! Anything else you’d like to say, in general. The floor is all yours.

Umm okay. I am always accepting prompts but it willlllll take me a while to get to them because i have quite a few and don’t really go chronologically but more where the inspiration hits and sometimes, like with airplanes, that’s my own story rather than a prompt but my ask box is always always open for more prompts.

Upcoming works, I have no idea. Right now, I just want to finish airplanes and then see where I go after that. I do want to play around in the airplanes universe a little bit more after the fic is done with, delving into Theo’s POV for some of the missing scenes and I also might do a short pack scene where you have everyone realise Theo and Liam are gone in the morning in Idaho.

The reason I like sharing my work is because I like the idea that maybe I can help someone and maybe that sounds dumb--but to me--reading is a major escapism technique. I used it a lot when I was younger and this fic and the comments I’ve gotten have just made me so insanely happy because it seems like, maybe for a few people, I’ve reached my goal in helping someone through a bad day or to relax and just forget their worries for a while. And that’s the whole reason I like writing and that’s the first time I’ve ever really felt that and I literally cried when someone told me my updates helped their shitty week before because...that’s the whole reason I want to get into writing or acting as a career and to see I’d achieved that goal was just awesome.

If you’ve sent me a nice message on tumblr and I haven’t replied, it’s not because I didn’t read it or I don’t like it or whatever you might think. It’s because i’m a hoarder and now have a folder wth screen shots of all the nice messages in it, so that I can look at them when I’m having a nice day.

Really, I just want to say that I see everything you guys send or make or comment and I appreciate every single one and just thank you. Life’s been tough for me lately but getting to write for a fandom as accepting and kind as this one is really really amazing and your messages have picked me up when I’ve felt worthless so many times. Just keep being awesome Thiam fandom! And thank you for being so welcoming and supportive of everyone that joins.

Aww thank you! We’re so happy to have you in our fandom and to have Airplanes, your prompts, and other stories. I, and others have shared the same sentiment, agree with you that this fandom is amazing and so supportive of one another that it almost seems surreal! So, go us, lovely pack! 

To finish us off, what’s next for you? Both in life and in the writing world?

For life, I’m hoping to get some acting roles for student films and stuff. Get myself a laptop so I can write more and a camera (eventually) so I can film the scripts I’ve wrote. I also want to send some of my books to publishers and generally try to make a life for myself out of the two things I love doing.

I have a bunch of books I’m working on and I really want to finish writing my YA series because it seems like it could be quite fun once I get a bit more into it.

With that, BTS presents ThiamFresh to you! As always, you can keep the conversation going; respond to any of her thoughts, ask more questions, send a prompt, or simply swing by for a chat with Tagan anytime. To dive into her works, check out both her AO3 and Tumblr. 

Tumblr: thiamfresh

AO3: captainmintyfresh

Ask Box: thiamfresh ask

A huge thank you to Tagan for being so open to answering our questions and sharing her tips on character stories and building tension. 

Some great news, for everyone who enjoys this series, we’ve decided to run Behind the Screens every Thursday. And, we’d love your help in doing it! 

Have a Thiam Creator you fan over, from any platform (AO3, Tumblr, Wattpad, Instagram, FFN, etc). Please send us their names. Bonus points if you include any questions you’re dying to ask them. Likewise, if you as the creator, would like to be a part of the Behind the Screens series, give us a shout too! We’d love to get to know you, as well.

Hasta Luego!

[templeofgeek]

Not even rain could keep the con goers away from this year’s Long Beach Comic Expo (LBCE). As everyone knows, California is known for its constant sunny days. Well, that was not the case in the days leading up to Long Beach Comic Expo. It rained and stormed like nobodies busy down here. Rain…. I would say that is not something we are used too. However, that didn’t stop people from dressing in their favorite cosplays and grabbing their wallets.

The 2017 Long Beach Comic Expo was a hit despite the rain and the con crowded weekend. Folks from all over showed up with umbrella’s in hand and money at the ready to purchase that Jason Momoa photo-op.

That’s right folks, Khal Drogo himself was there and it was glorious. Honestly, this man has a presence beyond words. I am still kicking myself that I did not meet him.

Jason Momoa | LBCE17 | Photo by: Tiffany

However, Jason Momoa is not the only reason we were not so casually lurking around the autograph area. This year’s con was also the first time that all of Supernatural’s Ghostfacers were in the same place at the same time. Some of you might recall that I met Travis Wester at Long Beach Comic Con, he graciously (for a small fee) signed my photo-op that I have with my sister & AJ Buckley.

So this happened today. Travis Wester's reaction to the photo-op from VegasCon was glorious. I'm so glad I got to meet him again! Thanks to Tiffany I have these photos. #LBCC16 #LongBeachComicCon #GhostfacersForever #Supernatural #SPNFamily @longbeach_cc

A post shared by Katharine (@ladykatharinep) on Sep 17, 2016 at 10:01pm PDT

So obviously I had to meet AJ Buckley and have him sign on his half of the photo-op, which he did!

https://twitter.com/LadyKatharineP/status/833157736833519616

He signed it with “WWBD”….. *squee*

Ghostfacers via Tumblr

Ghostfacers Panel – LBCE 2017

Along with the ability to meet and greet ALL of the Ghostfacers, which WE TOTALLY DID! I was NOT going to miss my chance to meet Spruce & Corbett.

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Spruce via Supernatural

Alan Corbett via Tumblr

Supernatural

Too precious for this world indeed. The panel was incredible. The Ghostfacers talked about their time on the show and the web series.

Actually, we found out from AJ Buckley & Travis Wester that the final episode they were in #Thinman was the worst experience they ever had on the show. Apparently, the director made it incredibly difficult for them. He didn’t understand the characters. That’s why if you watch the episode it just doesn’t feel like a Ghostfacers episode. HOWEVER, I did ask them if they would come back if asked and that is actually IN THE WORKS.

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Ghostfacers via Tumblr

Fan Fiction via Tumblr

Travis & AJ said that they have been talking with Supernatural about possibly coming back! I mean that would be amazing! ALL of the Ghostfacers should return to the show. Could you imagine how fantastic that would be?!? Anyways…. the panel was amazing. I might have shown just how much of a Supernatural nerd I am. Look, I’m sorry I happened to know all of the titles to the episodes they were talking about and I might have said so OUT LOUD. I’m fan okay…. I was also at SPN Vegas con the weekend before so that is all I had on the brain.

Moving right along….. I would like to thank all of the actors/actresses for coming to this panel. It was an absolute pleasure to see Travis Wester, AJ Buckley, Brittany Ishibashi, Dustin Milligan, Austin Basis, and Mircea Monroe again.

Photo Credit: Chelsea Pommerening

Now on to my favorite part of conventions…. COSPLAYERS!

LBCE 2017 Cosplayers

Like I said earlier, it had been raining the week leading up to the convention, it even rained the first day of the con. SO you can imagine that Cosplayers may not have been too willing to show up. Honestly, who would want to possibly ruin that amazing Doctor Strange or Khaleesi cosplay costume. BUT, the rain did not stop them. We saw some of the most amazing cosplayers roaming around inside & outside the con over the 2 days. I am still blown away by how amazing these people are.

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Supergirl

Superman & @slcgreenarrow

Kim Possible & Ron Stoppable

@con.snow & Lyanna Mormont

I don’t know what is happening here

@korupp

Creepy Norman Bates dressed as Norma

*All photos were taken by Chelsea Pommerening & Katie Penix. Please email info@templeofgeek.com regarding photos. Please do not take without permission. 

Last week I went to Long Beach Comic Expo with @ladykatharinep, @michellepenix, @chelsearay1121, and @beatlechum. I got my first press pass! I saw the real Khal Drogo and an amazing Khaleesi cosplayer. There were some other fantastic cosplayers including the Kim Possible and Ron, the Rugrats, and a little predator. #lbce

A post shared by Tiffany Nicole Morgan (@simplemelody613) on Feb 25, 2017 at 8:39pm PST

Also, on a side note I would like to talk about the Batman holding Wonder Woman’s cloak with the kryptonite spear. That Batman was amazing in every possible way. Tiffany and I were in the parking structure helping out Jake Korupp (Doctor Strange cosplayer) with his photo shoot and this Batman came up to us & insisted we take a selfie. WHAT?!? WHY? He kept insisting we do so and put #batbomb. We did and I am so happy we did.

Trying to take a selfie at Long Beach Comic Expo and this happens. #batbomb #lbce

A post shared by Tiffany Nicole Morgan (@simplemelody613) on Feb 19, 2017 at 1:26pm PST

Seriously, LOOK AT HIS FACE! This is everything.

On last thing…..

Before I go, I would just like to say that I met the incredible women behind the NerdOut App while at this convention. The NerdOut App is a fantastic creation. This app will keep you informed on what kind of nerd stuff is happening in your area, from Magic the Gathering to Anime Conventions to cool comic stuff. You can read about the app & watch my interview here.

That’s all folks…

Looney Tunes via GIPHY

Well, this convention was super successful and amazing even with the terrible weather the week leading up to it. We would like to thank all the folks behind LBCE 2017 for getting this all put together and for having a Ghostfacers Reunion Panel! BLESS! Don’t forget that Long Beach Comic Con will be coming our way again this September!

LBCE 2017 - The Con After the Storm #LBCE2017 #LongBeachComicExpo #JasonMomoa #Ghostfacers Not even rain could keep the con goers away from this year's Long Beach Comic Expo (LBCE)

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1256

Monday April 1, 2019

 Call me an April fool. I thought that the pure joy of comic book collecting was going the way of the Dodo bird but judging from the attendance of yesterday's Capital Comic Book Convention I'm glad to say I am mistaken. No celebrities. No cosplay. No special events. Just a room full of vendors who also love the hobby and collectors looking for unique and fun comics. I want to thank my partner Chris for all his hard work. He made Jee-Riz's booth a standout in the room. "You don't see this sort of stuff very often" was heard more than once.

 Archie #703 - Nick Spencer (writer) Sandy Jarrell (artist) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). So much going on. We find out who attacks Jughead in the woods and why. I want to be a roadie for Josey and the Pussycats. Betty and Veronica enlists the aid of Cheryl Blossom to ferret out if Archie has a new girlfriend. As long as it's not Betty I'm not jealous of the ginger bonehead.

 Avengers #17/LGY #707 - Jason Aaron (writer) David Marquez (art) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This issue has some of the cheesiest dialogue I have ever read. I really hope that the Vampire War is over. This Avengers team is a bit too goody two shoes for me.

 Batman #67 - Tom King (writer) Lee Weeks & Jorge Fornes (art) Lovern Kindzierski (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Knightmares part 5. Batman's in his Batman: Year One costume chasing a masked killer. You'll feel like you're watching a Roadrunner cartoon. The guy in the mask is William Ernest Coyote. You're in for a shock when Batman unmasks him.

 Savage Sword of Conan #3 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Ron Garney (art) Richard Isanove (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Conan is captured by the evil wizard Koga Thun but manages to escape to continue his search for treasure. It looks like he's got to fight zombies to get to the treasure. I got all excited when I saw the cover showing Conan fighting alongside Belit but nothing like that happens at all inside. I'm not reading any more of these. I don't like being played for a sucker.

 Immortal Hulk #15 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Ruy Jose (inks) Paul Mounts (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I love this couch session with Doc Samson and the Hulk, sans couch. The two talk it out after a sniper shoots Betty and the Hulk. Some of the stuff they talk about is quite insightful. You think they're trying to find Betty but they're not. Their final destination is a surprise.

 Thor #11 - Jason Aaron (writer) Lee Garbett (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Thor goes looking for his best friend thinking he's going to need all the help he can get in the coming War of the Realms. The Lady Freyja has to make her son stop his foolish search. I like the little snippets showing characters we haven't seen in a while and I can't wait to see what their roles are in the war. Get ready true believers, Malekith is about to invade Midgard.

 Avengers LGY #714: No Road Home #7 - Jim Zub, Mark Waid & Al Ewing (writers) Paco Medina (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This issue features Monica Rambeau/Spectrum. Who better to fight the Queen of Darkness than a being of light. The last page made up for the disappointment I felt reading Savage Sword of Conan #3.

 Heroes in Crisis #7 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art pages 1-6, 11, 17,-19, 23-24) Travis Moore (art pages 8-10, 13, 14-16, 20-21) Jorge Fornes (art pages 7, 12, 22) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). You could read this one issue and it wouldn't make a lick of sense unless you've read the previous 6. I even had a hard time understanding what's going on and I've read every issue. I think the only reason I'm going to read the last two issues is to find out if anything makes sense in the end.

 Hulkverines #2 - Greg Pak (writer) Guiu Vilanova (art) Morry Hollowell with Chris Sotomayor (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). We go from Hulkverine, the Hulk and Wolverine fighting each other to the three of them teaming up. Meanwhile the Leader and Doctor Alba, who created Hulkverine, do the super villain equivalent of what the three super heroes did. The result is going to be very interesting. This is the first I've seen of Guiu Vilanova's art and I think it's great.

 Ironheart #4 - Eve L. Ewing (writer) Luciano Vecchio (art) Geoffo (layouts) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's a rematch with Midnight's Fire. This new super villain reminds me of Miles's uncle Aaron AKA the Prowler. I hope there isn't too much overlap between these two young super heroes, otherwise I will get bored with one of them.

 The Avant-Guards #3 - Carly Usdin (writer) Noah Hayes (art) Rebecca Nalty (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). The team has their first practice and play their first game. Major points to Noah for showing the players following through on their shots. I used to love playing basketball but never made my high school team. So I ended up managing both junior and senior teams and got to practice with them. I would love to find someone my own age to shoot some hoops with right now.

 Black Widow #3 - Jen & Sylvia Soska (writers) Flaviano (art) Veronica Gandini (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Natasha's mission to shut down an online pay-per-view torture site goes horribly wrong. I can't wait to see how she gets out of this predicament.

 Sabrina the teenage witch #1 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Veronica Fish & Andy Fish (art) Jack Morelli (letters). This new comic book is more like the TV show than the gritty ghoulish title that was on the racks a while ago. I liked the old show but haven't seen the new one. I had a crush on Melissa Joan Hart. I really like the writing and art in this so it's going on my "must read" list.

 Dial H for Hero #1 - Sam Humphries (writer) Joe Quinones (art) Dave Sharpe (letters). I mainly bought Marvel comics when I got more spending money and could afford new comic books but I did buy this DC title because I liked the concept. Robby Reed was this nerdy kid who finds a rotary telephone dial that changed him into a different super hero whenever he dialled H-E-R-O. he always had different powers and a different costume. This updated version has a kid named Miguel who is an adrenaline junky. An old timey telephone, the whole thing with handset this time, appears before him as he's plummeting towards certain death and he changes into Monster Truck. The Monster Truck pages are quite Kirbyesque. Throw in a page with Damian/ Robin, Lobo, Snapper Carr, Angel and the Ape, Harley Quinn and Alfred and I am hooked. I liked the town troublemaker Summer too. I am looking forward to seeing their further adventures.

 Doctor Strange #12 - Mark Waid (writer) Barry Kitson (pencils) Scott Koblish (inks) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Herald Supreme part 1. Stephen Strange is bored but he won't be for long. An alien from a warrior race of mystics comes to Earth to ask Doctor Strange how he defeated Galactus. I guess there's no Marvel comics where this guy is from. Seems the world eater is fixing to eat his planet. The super aggressive Zoloz manages to steal all of Doc Strange's mystical power and banishes Galactus in the Mystic Realms. Read this issue to find out why that's a bad idea. Now it's up to Stephen to keep the big purple planet eater from feeding and destroying our universe too.

 Action Comics #1009 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Steve Epting (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Leviathan Rising part 3. Lois is pissed at Amanda Waller but she reigns in her anger to come up with a plan to find out what Leviathan is. We get to see what Gold Kryptonite does, which is kind of cool. It's fun when something new gets added to a story. Superman's transformation surprised me.

 Sharkey the bounty hunter #2 - Mark Millar (writer) Simone Bianchi (art & colours) Peter Doherty (letters). This one's a fun space romp. The hunter finds his prey but she's not going to come along quietly.

 The Superior Spider-Man #4 - Christos Gage (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I hope this change is permanent but it's going to take some getting used to calling Otto but his new identity Elliot. I like how Anna Maria is the woman behind the man. She teaches him a lesson in humility in this issue. Now I have a craving for Polish sausage.

 Shazam #4 - Geoff Johns (writer) Dale Eaglesham & Marco Santucci (art) Mike Atiyeh (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Yay, my wish came true. We meet Tawky Tawny the tiger in the first 6 pages. This version is quite dapper. The kids get separated with two in the Wildlands, two in the Gamelands and Mary and Billy in the Funlands, contrary to what the cover shows. Who's going to rescue the Marvel Family? The last page will enlighten you. I'm not excited about the movie hitting theatres on April 5 but if it's as good as this comic book, I might go see it.

 Fantastic Four #8 - Dan Slott (writer) Aaron Kuder, Stefano Caselli, David Marquez & Reilly Brown (art) Matt Yackey (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Did someone forget to tell cover artist Esad Ribic that Victorious was female? Doctor Doom has captured both Galactus and the Fantastic Four. He's siphoning off the former's cosmic power and is going to execute the latter. Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny are sure in a pickle. I can't wait to see how they get out of it.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #18 - Nick Spencer (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Hunted part 2. There's a spectre of danger hovering over Mary Jane in the side story. That's always a good plot twist to keep a Spider-Man fan hooked.

 Daredevil #3 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Sunny Gho (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Know Fear part 3. Daredevil's been shot and is about to be arrested for murder. Detective Cole North aims to bring the suspect in no matter what it takes. I wonder if Canadian Chip Zdarsky picked that name as an inside joke? Just when the "tough-as-nails" ex-Chicago cop is about to succeed, Daredevil is rescued. I chuckled when I saw who it was, and it's not Man-Thing.

 Detective Comics #1000 - Is this worth $9.99 US? You bet your sweet bippy it is. I might even buy one for myself, but which cover to pick? Here are the choices.

 Main cover by Jim Lee (pencils) Scott Williams (inks) & Alex Sinclair (colours)

1930s by Steve Rude (art)

1940s by Bruce Timm (art)

1950s by Michael Cho (art)

1960s by Jim Steranko (art)

1970s by Bernie Wrightson (art) & Alex Sinclair (colours)

1980s by Frank Miller (art) & Alex Sinclair (colours)

1990s by Tim Sale (art) & Brennan Wagner (colours)

2000s by Jock (art)

2010s by Greg Capullo (art) & FCO Plascencia (colours)

 We get 3 pin-ups by:

Mikel Janin (art)

Jason Fabok (art) & Brad Anderson (colours)

Amanda Conner (art) & Paul Mounts (colours)

 Then there's all the terrific stories inside that not only shows Batman as a crime fighter but more importantly for this title as a consummate crime solver. You will find all of Batman's family and rogues gallery in here. I loved how this issue was a feast for the eyes too. I'm just going to list the titles of the stories and their creative teams. If you don't buy a copy for your comic book collection then you're missing out on what will be a classic. With a line up like this you can't lose.

 Longest Case by Scott Snyder (writer) Greg Capullo (pencils) Jonathan Glapion (inks) FCO Plascencia (colours) & Tom Napolitano (letters).

Manufacture for Use by Kevin Smith (writer) Jim Lee (pencils) Scott Williams (inks) & Alex Sinclair (colours) & Todd Klein (letters).

The Legend of Knute Brody by Paul Dini (writer) Dustin Nguyen (pencils) Derek Fridolfs (inks) John Kalisz (colours) & Steve Wands (letters).

The Batman's Design by Warren Ellis (writer) Becky Cloonan (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Simon Bowland (letters).

Return to Crime Alley by Denny O'Neil (writer) Steve Epting (art) Elizabeth Breitweiser (colours) & AndWorld Design (letters).

Heretic by Christopher Priest (writer) Neal Adams (art) Dave Stewart (colours) & Willie Schubert (letters).

I Know by Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art & colours) & Josh Reed (letters).

The Last Crime in Gotham by Geoff Johns (writer) Kelley Jones (art) Michelle Madsen (colours) Rob Leigh (letters).

The Precedent by James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez-Bueno (pencils) Raul Fernandez (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) & Sal Cipriano (letters).

Batman's Greatest Case by Tom King (writer) Tony S. Daniel & Joelle Jones (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) & Clayton Cowles (letters).

And finally Medieval by Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Doug Mahnke (pencils) Jaime Mendoza & Doug Mahnke (inks) David Baron (colours) & Rob Leigh (letters).

 That last story introduces a new (at least to me) Gotham City crime fighter named the Arkham Knight. His story continues in Detective Comics #1001 and I'm going to snag that issue off the racks to find out who he is.

[flowermandalas]

Electrocuting the Ants

I did terrible things to insects as a child.

Like many other boys growing up with nothing better to do, I tore the legs off Daddy Longlegs, incinerated pill bugs with magnifying glasses, and set fire to more than one ant hill. But I didn’t stop there.

I was a kid scientist. Spurred on by the early space program and largely ignored by the adults around me, I dreamed of one day voyaging to the stars. Meanwhile, to prepare myself, I read Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Bradbury, and other SF masters of the day. At the same time, I plowed through one field of scientific inquiry after another, beginning with magnets and batteries – I built my first lead-acid battery when I was seven – and moving quickly through fossils, geology, chemistry and electronics. But entomology was my most enduring interest and bugs were my favorite experimental subjects.

The insect kingdom was convenient for testing ideas that came up in both my scientific and science fictional pursuits. My interest was, I believed, purely clinical. I was training myself to become the perfect scientist: dispassionate, precise, even ruthless in the pursuit of Knowledge.

So, in the name of Science and in imitation of the Martians in H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, I removed the parabolic mirror from my telescope and used it to build a crude ray gun, on sunny days incinerating dozens of hapless bugs. Inspired by the pioneering efforts of the space program – I had a National Geographic poster of the solar system on one wall of my bedroom and on another a chart comparing the Russian and American unmanned satellites – I loaded grasshoppers and crickets into model rockets and blasted them into the sky. Unfortunately, like the dogs and monkeys who were carried aloft by grown-up rockets, few of my astronauts survived. Sea Hunt and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea led me to investigate building self-sustaining underwater environments, and in the course of my researches, I discovered that electricity breaks down salt water into hydrogen and chlorine gas. I caught flies and bleached them in hyper-chlorinated water, a byproduct of this process, until their bodies became translucent and their eyes glowed a piercing bright red.

I found all bugs interesting, but I think it was Superman who first got me to home in on ants. Though I soon graduated to more sophisticated characters like X-Men and The Fantastic Four and finally to genuine science fiction, Superman was my earliest superhero, and the Man of Steel always had a special place in my pantheon.

In one issue, the Caped Crusader was exposed to red Kryptonite, which transformed him into a creature with the body and mind of a man and the head and special abilities of an ant. This metamorphosis, though horrifying to Lois Lane, turned out to be a lucky break for humanity. Nearby, an army of mutant ants which had grown to gargantuan size was threatening Metropolis. The transfigured Man of Steel was able to communicate with the ant Queen antenna-to-antenna and persuade her to follow him, with her flock, into outer space. Happily, the effects of the Kryptonite wore off soon after Superman’s return to Earth, restoring his familiar blue-haired, manly visage.

Though I could never match the Man of Steel’s skill in ant argot, on a summer’s day I would spend hours in the back yard watching these ingenious creatures conduct their subtle and mysterious business. To test the abilities of their tiny minds, I’d block their path with twigs and fingers, forming impromptu obstacle courses for them to find their way around. It was ants who first fell to the death ray of my telescope’s mirror, and ants who were my first aquanauts, held under water on a leaf or twig, small bubbles of air clinging to their skinny bodies until they ceased to move. Later, it was ants I threw into jars filled with sulfur dioxide gas, and then, briefly remorseful, attempted to revive with pure oxygen.

Ants abruptly and permanently ceased to be my subjects, however, shortly after I turned twelve.

As a school science project, I had built a Tesla coil. This was an air-core transformer capable of producing tremendously high voltages at very small currents. It was first created by Nikola Tesla, the Serbian-born inventor who discovered alternating current and the principles behind radio. My coil, constructed from a cardboard tube that linoleum came in and parts scavenged from broken TVs, generated about 100,000 volts of radio-frequency energy, enough to light fluorescent bulbs from across a room and to interfere with the neighbors’ television reception. It made a monstrous noise, reminiscent of the Jacob’s Ladders I’d seen in old Frankenstein movies. With it I had won the 7th grade science fair.

After the fair, I continued to read up on Tesla and his inventions and to experiment with his device. One thing I learned was that six- or seven-inch sparks could jump from the coil to my hand without hurting me because high-frequency electricity flowed only along the outer surfaces of objects. When I grew tired of making my fingers twitch, shocking my kid brothers, and remotely lighting fluorescent bulbs, I began to wonder what would happen to smaller life forms if they were subjected to this surface-seeking current.

My studies of ants often ran in parallel with other investigations. While I was experimenting with the Tesla coil, I had also been cultivating an ant farm. I’d dug up the ants from an ant hill at the base of the swing set in our back yard and filled a large peanut butter jar with a mixture of ants and dirt. Then I’d punched tiny holes in the lid and covered the sides of the jar with black construction paper to keep out the light. Every few days I placed bread crumbs and chopped-up raisins on top of the soil and added water to a Coke bottle cap I’d set up as a trough.

After a week, I took the paper off and found, as I’d hoped, that the ants had made this jar their home. They’d built a maze of tunnels, visible through the sides of the jar, and had deposited stores of food in miniature cul-de-sacs. The ant farm appeared to be a successful community – at any rate, far more so than the crop of “sea monkeys” I’d tried to raise from a kit ordered through DC Comics, or the pollywogs we caught at Boy Scout camp that never quite made it to frogs. From time to time I’d remove the paper to see what new works the ants had created, and I’d periodically refill the Coke bottle top and toss in scraps of food. I began to wonder what to do with it next.

One Saturday morning, directly after Mr. Wizard – an early hero, until I learned he’d run off with his secretary – I turned on the Tesla coil. I tested its spark by drawing it to my fingertips, then picked up the ant farm jar and let the spark discharge through it into my hand. To be sure I was well grounded, I’d grabbed one of the metal poles that supported the I-beam in the center of our house. I felt the shock ripple through one hand and across to the other, saw it snake along the black paper covering the jar, which I’d left in place like an executioner’s mask. A few seconds later I put the jar down and switched off the power.

I don’t think I would have been affected much if, when I examined the ant farm the next day, all of them had been killed; I had already sacrificed many ants in the name of Science. Conversely, had they been unscathed, this would merely have confirmed what I’d learned about high-frequency electricity. I was prepared for either of these outcomes. But instead, when I stripped off the paper and unscrewed the top of the jar, I found a few ants still scurrying through their tunnels and, neatly stacked at the entrance to one of them, a mound of dead ants.

It had never occurred to me that only some of the ants would die, or that ants were sentient creatures who valued their lives as much as I did mine and would respond meaningfully to death. Survivors of their own miniature holocaust, the ants had dealt with the unthinkable as best they could and moved on.

My whole view of ants, and of all living creatures, changed forever in that moment. Solemn and remorseful, I brought the ravaged ant farm outside, back to the ant hill from which it had come. I dumped out the contents of the jar and left it to the survivors and their kin to sift the living from the dead. I tossed the jar itself into the garbage and, a few weeks later, moved the Tesla coil out to the garage.

On that day my experiments with insects ceased and my apprehension of what it is to live, and die, and grieve began.

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from Electrocuting the Ants

[briangroth27]

Supergirl Season 2 Review

Supergirl felt a lot more natural for The CW than CBS, so I was glad it made the move this season. While remaining on its own Earth, I'm glad the show has increased potential to cross over with the other Arrowverse now. I was sure the Invasion crossover would be a Crisis that blended Earths-1 and -38, and I'm glad I was wrong. This way, Supergirl can build its own world while still interacting with Earth-1. And the world building they did in Season 2 was great!

Full Spoilers…

Kara Danvers/Kara Zor-El/Supergirl Kara (Melissa Benoist) setting out at the beginning of the season to find out how to be "Kara Danvers" was perfect, given CatCo Kara was such a real, learned personality last year—not a mask like "Clark Kent" is, which I’ve long thought is a brilliant character choice—and it felt like the right time to develop that part of her life. Kara's reasons for wanting to be a reporter felt right to me, but unfortunately this arc ended up being underserved in the latter half of the season. It started strong, but I feel like the season lost direction for “Kara Danvers” along the way. Perhaps this was due the fact that the villains were driven by Supergirl’s influence on their children and the world moreso than anything Kara did at CatCo. Perhaps if Kara had been working to expose Cadmus or Rhea (Teri Hatcher) as an alien through journalism, that arc would’ve remained strong the entire year. That said, I loved that the season focused on Kara’s influence on others, specifically how her relationships with Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) and Mon-El (Chris Wood) made them better people. The entire Super family is built on believing people can be better and inspiring them to do so, making this a solid theme to cover on Supergirl.

One part of being “Kara Danvers” that hasn’t been covered yet is the darker side of that prospect. Season 1 revealed that Jeremiah (Dean Cain) and Eliza Danvers (Helen Slater) essentially raised Kara to be a human first and a Kryptonian never, given the world already had Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and they wanted her to walk under the radar. We got a taste of Kara not seeing the Danvers through rose-colored glasses when Jeremiah was working for Cadmus and Kara noticed something was wrong almost immediately. I’m not saying this came from retribution on her part—he is a father to her and the human conditioning wasn’t malicious—but I think there could be some resentment hidden under her surface that needs to be explored. I think we need to see more of Kara confronting her parents about raising her to be someone she’s not, and doing so this year would’ve been a strong parallel arc to Alex’s (Chyler Leigh) coming out story. Supergirl is closer to Kara’s origins than the woman the Danvers raised and has seemed like Kara's way of finding her true self and owning her power up until now. So, while “Supergirl is what I can do, Kara is who I am” is true—and Kara Danvers has been growing to be more assertive as she's gotten more comfortable being out with her powers/heritage as Supergirl—I feel like we've maybe missed seeing scenes where she started seeing CatCo Kara as her real self and Supergirl as just what she can do. Now that she’s gotten to team up with her more famous cousin and save him from Silver Kryptonite (in a fantastic fight!), I hope the hero worship has worn off so we can see Kara confront Clark about abandoning her with the Danvers. Alex brought up the fact that he ditched her this year, but Kara didn’t follow up on it. Coupled with the fact that Kara’s entire mission in coming to Earth was to protect and raise Kal-El, confronting him over the idea that he apparently couldn’t be bothered to return the favor would make for some great drama. I love it when the show balances Kara’s sunny optimism and hope with the fact that she’s faced real tragedy in her life—anytime she tries to talk with her mother’s AI (Laura Benanti) but is met with the computer’s inability to return any emotion is perfectly bittersweet—and I hope the writers continue to mine that drama in every aspect of Kara’s life. The reveal of what kind of man Zor-El (Robert Gant) really was worked against Kara’s memories of him, so I hope they continue to explore that as well. I don’t ever want the show to be as dark as Arrow, but a Flash-like balance of lightness tinged with tragedy would be ideal. I think they’re moving in that direction this season compared to last, so I’m hopeful they’ll explore these drama-rich story threads. Benoist is perfect as Kara and I’d love to see what she can do with personal conflicts like these!

In the move to The CW, some plotlines and characters were quickly shuffled away or undone outright, the biggest being Kara and James’ (Mehcad Brooks) relationship fizzling within the first hours of Season 2. I liked James and Kara’s budding romance in Season 1 and I shipped that relationship back then, but wasn’t heartbroken that they didn’t work out here. I’m glad they were both adults about it, respected each other, and remained friends, but I think that romance’s screentime in the first season deserved a longer fizzle, even if the relationship wasn’t going to last. Trying to make it work despite the dawning realization that they didn’t fit together would’ve paid off the investment Kara, James, and the fans put in last season, and it would’ve played into the realities of being human as Kara tries to “have it all” and realizes the parts don’t always fit together correctly: it’s completely realistic that even though something feels right, it doesn’t work for whatever reason. Maybe James’ secret life as Guardian and possible feelings of inadequacy over not doing as much good as Clark and Kara could’ve also driven their relationship to an early end, since he kept it a secret from Kara. Whatever would’ve finally ended the Kara/James relationship, we should’ve seen why it fell apart in more detail. If nothing else, I can safely say I truly believe James wanted nothing but the best for Kara, even if that wasn’t him.

The far more divisive relationship, Kara and Mon-El, started strong with her teaching him to be a better person and him revealing some uglier prejudices in Kara. I loved that the writers refused to make her hatred of Daxamites a one-and-done issue; instead, it was clearly something she struggled with every day. I didn’t want them to date from day one, but I admit that things like them playing Monopoly, their fun training sessions, and their good chemistry made the idea grow on me. I just didn’t think Kara needed a relationship with her trying so hard to figure out how to balance her Kara and Supergirl lives. I liked that she was struggling to be a reporter and to find out who “Kara Danvers” could be, and she never needed a guy for that. It also didn’t help that Mon-El was so tied to her alien self, which necessarily pulled focus from her Kara Danvers side for the vast majority of his appearances. I believe everyone can improve, and I absolutely believe he genuinely did try to be a better person, so I didn’t have a huge issue with them dating; I just wish they’d kept focus on the rest of her life too. That said, I was pleasantly surprised she asked Mon-El point-blank if he had feelings for her and even more surprised the writers almost never let Kara let Mon-El get away with the problems he brought to their relationship. Every single time—except once, post-breakup—she called him on his crap and he was forced to better himself. Mon-El was legitimately a possessive and jealous jerk at first, and while Kara looks for the best in people and believed he could be a better person—so she probably gave him more slack than a lot of people would have—she always stood up for herself and didn’t lower her standards or feel like a pushover. I really liked that, so I was disappointed when their breakup ended so abruptly with the musical crossover with Flash. Unlike Barry (Grant Gustin) and Iris’ (Candice Patton) breakup, Kara and Mon-El’s didn’t feel like a mistake, but like Kara had finally reached the limit of her patience and wouldn’t put up with his issues anymore. His silent admission that he might not have ever told her the truth about being the Prince of Daxam should’ve been the final nail in the coffin, so a magic declaration of love from him (literally the next day in our time, even if it was longer for them) shouldn’t have changed her mind. She did make a comment about dropping a mountain on Mon-El if he lied again, but I felt like there needed to be a bigger conversation between them in the wake of their breakup instead of a quick scene in the next episode where it seemed like him super-loving her and making her a big breakfast made up for everything. It’s one thing for her to have hope in his potential, but another thing entirely to expect her to keep dating him while he continues screwing up in increasingly bad ways. It’s a shame that got swept under the rug so fast, presumably so the drama with Mon-El’s parents wanting to take him away would be bigger. I would’ve liked a twist in “Duet” where the reality of the non-musical world hit Kara and Mon-El to show that the Music Meister might be wrong on this count (a suggestion I liked from Twitter was that Alex’s sisterly love for Kara could’ve been just as strong as Barry and Iris’ romantic love). As much as I was won over by their chemistry, I wouldn’t mind if Mon-El’s banishment prevented him and Kara from getting back together for a long time, if ever. I’m not sold on Mon-El as Kara’s endgame relationship at all (to Benoist and Wood’s credit, though, they made me feel the sadness of his banishment in the finale); it feels too early in the series for that and I’d like to see her date Brainiac 5 or someone else. If Mon-El changes on his journey, we’ll see if that will change my mind on whether I’m reinvested in a future for Kara with him.

One other thing I thought would’ve improved the Kara/Mon-El relationship is the two of them sharing their cultures with each other. Not only would it have been an excellent opportunity for Kara to re-embrace her Kryptonian culture (something I’ve wanted from day one), but it would’ve paralleled real-life relationship culture clashes perfectly to see him wanting to have Daxamite holidays and her preferring to celebrate the Kryptonian way. Those could’ve been fun, relatable speed bumps in their relationship that didn’t rely on Mon-El being a work in progress and would’ve gone a long way to show that—with some shared culture between these neighboring races—there were bigger reasons Kara felt a stronger connection with Mon-El (another member of an endangered species) than James or anyone else she’d dated so far. Seeing more of what Kara lost would also help connect Rhea’s crusade to Kara, giving us a greater instinctive understanding of what the villain was trying to recapture, since we would’ve seen Kara trying to reestablish that for herself throughout the year. It also would’ve connected Kara more strongly to Lillian Luthor’s (Brenda Strong) quest to preserve Earth culture in the face of the alien immigrants.

Like her issues with Daxamites, I loved that Kara’s growing proficiency as a journalist was a hard road to travel. It would’ve been so easy to paint Snapper Carr (Ian Gomez) as irrationally angry like J. Jonah Jameson can be sometimes and allow Kara to ignore his rules and impress him with her moxie or something, but making him right almost every time forced her to grow, just like Mon-El truly wanting to be better forced her to reevaluate her thoughts on Daxamites. For example, even if she knew she was right about a story, there were still journalistic standards she had to abide by. It was also really smart to take Cat’s (Calista Flockhart) offer of any job Kara wanted and turn it around on her as a sign of unearned privilege. I wanted to see more of Kara learning how to be a journalist—I’d even hoped Iris would give her a few pointers in either crossover—and I feel like this was the plot that dropped the ball most this season. While her job as a reporter allowed for some classic superhero undercover work, like visiting Alex and Maggie at a crime scene for a story, it felt like this plot fell to the wayside too often. I don’t know why Kara didn’t continue to work as a blogger after getting fired for posting a story despite Snapper’s dismissal of it. The one time we saw her do just that, it was several episodes later and she got her job at CatCo back for it. In the meantime, I grew very tired of her just hanging out at her apartment with Mon-El instead of doing stories for her blog or even just looking for work (a single line about Snapper blackballing her would’ve been enough to solve that issue, at least). Kara even had a line about being happy she didn’t have a job because she could spend more time with Mon-El, and while I don’t think it was meant to be taken that she’d given up on work altogether—it played mostly like she was reaching to find the positive in the situation—this was about the time that he started to feel like he was holding her back instead of supporting her.

Kara’s Supergirl side fared much better this year. Lines like “It’s hope; how could it be false?” were the perfect encapsulation of what she stands for (along with incorporating her new motto, “Hope, Help, and Compassion for All”). There were several classic Super moments over the course of the season, including Kara “Doubtfiring” as both Supergirl and Kara Danvers at one of Lena Luthor’s events (though I would’ve liked an explanation for why J’onn (David Harewood) couldn’t double her again), Supergirl pulling off huge saves like rescuing a train and stopping a space ship from taking off, entertaining excuses like “Supergirl was getting coffee with Kara,” and fun investigative moments with Mon-El that reminded me of Clark and Lois’ interaction on Smallville and Lois & Clark. Bits like Kara standing up to alien guards without her powers were awesome and I’m always up for seeing Kara use her brain to defeat villains like Mxyzptlk (Peter Gadiot) over her fists. On that note, I feel like both this and (to a lesser extent) Flash have a tendency to make Kara and Barry just the muscle, if only so the rest of their teams have things to contribute (Kara's not really even the leader of her team, J'onn is). That's something I'd like to see remedied in both their upcoming seasons. Perhaps an arc towards leadership is part of Kara’s series-long growth, because we definitely saw her gain confidence this season when it came to her superheroics. Kara telling Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez) she and Barry “feel like we help the world because we do” could’ve easily come off as pompous, but Benoist played it like hard-won confidence instead. That was a nice moment for her, considering how she spent most of Season 1 defending her effectiveness against what everyone thought of Superman; she’s clearly taking none of that anymore. I also wish more heroes would respond like this when confronted with allegations that they’re causing the problems they’re trying to stop. I liked that Kara came off the crossover feeling she should be doing more than just saving cash and jewels from common thugs; that felt real after getting a taste of larger threats. I loved how much focus they put on the effect Kara/Supergirl had on others: perhaps her greatest power, next to her compassion, is her ability to change hearts and minds and inspire people, so it's good to see the show didn't forget to include that…or villainous reactions to it.

Kara being so eager to jump in and help Barry without hesitation was perfect; I love their friendship and I hope we get many more crossovers (or even a CW Seed show like this). The two of them tag-teaming Cyber-woman (Erica Luttrell) and high-fiving was so fun, and their musical crossover was even better! Benoist and Gustin have excellent chemistry, so any time the two of them get to be super friends it’s a delight. On the other hand, I thought Kara’s frustration at Guardian picking up her scraps felt slightly out of place after the massive team-up of the Crossover, but I assumed that not knowing who he was after all this time was actually bothering her more. I loved her confrontations with James when she finally found out: they were very well-written and mature. I do wish he’d invoked Alex and the rest of the DEO as heroes who don’t have powers either, to which she could’ve responded that they’re extensively trained and he isn’t. That just felt like an exchange that could’ve fleshed out both their arguments a bit. I was glad the show took Kara’s side by having Guardian and Mon-El still need her help when Livewire (Laura Prudom) returned; Mon-El was too green and Guardian routinely takes severe beatings as it is, so they shouldn’t have been able to overcome villains with the power levels Kara usually faces. I’m glad Kara and James later came to a better understanding about his need to be Guardian; I thought that whole arc played out very well. I’d still like to see more from the lives of the other heroes Kara works with—the DEO agents—but I’m glad we finally got an official answer as to why Kara only sometimes wears her CatCo disguise at the DEO this year. I’d assumed it was an open secret, but it was nice to have it confirmed as common knowledge within the organization. I’d also like to see Kara take on a bigger leadership role with the DEO or at least as a superhero; moments like the first part of the season finale felt like she took a backseat to everyone else’s plans to deal with the Daxamites.

The aspect of Kara’s Supergirl life that didn’t feel like it got the attention it deserved was her willingness to kill or go along with plans that included killing enemies. Parasite (William Mapother) was her first kill, I believe, but the aftermath dealt with her being proud of Mon-El for being a hero, not the fact that she’d just killed a guy (even considering she warned him to stand down and he continued charging). I’m glad they didn’t try to justify it by saying “he’s not human anymore” (neither is she and aliens have been humanized on the show, so that excuse should never fly), but saying nothing didn’t feel right either and I think that should’ve been dealt with, particularly as she insisted they not kill Mxyzptlk in the very episode where he temporarily brought Parasite back to life. Kara was on board with at least seriously injuring the Dominators and outright killing any Daxamite who couldn’t get off Earth in time with the lead bomb, so the latter instance especially was another missed opportunity to clarify Kara’s morals. While Lillian could’ve brought up breaking the no-kill rule when she mentioned Kara’s politics in the finale (and Kara trying to peacefully persuade Rhea to stand down was a strong moment), I would’ve liked a scene where Kara’s adoration of President Marsdin (Lynda Carter) didn’t stop her from speaking against the plan to commit genocide. There’s also a dark grey area where Kara setting off the lead bomb lead to Rhea’s death, but it was Mon-El who refused to help her escape with the rest of the Daxamites. I do think Kara kicking all the Daxamites off the planet was a stronger moment than Lillian betraying everyone like I thought she would, but they absolutely need to dig into Kara having a hand in Rhea’s death next season. I think Kara and Barry should be heroes who don’t kill ever—they should always find the impossible solution no one else can think of—but if they’re going to, they absolutely need to deal with it. Perhaps they are, and Kara flying into the atmosphere in the final moments (and pushing back her human side in Season 3) is their spin on the Superman “Exile” storyline from the comics.

Alex Danvers I loved Alex’s story this year, with her coming to terms with her sexuality and building a healthy relationship with Maggie Sawyer (Floriana Lima). That was a well-crafted and solidly paced relationship that felt real—the best-written subplot of the season—and I’m very anxious to see if it will survive Maggie not being a series regular next year. Chyler Leigh’s portrayal of Alex’s coming out was excellent and immediately had me invested in them making it work. I was just as thrown as Alex was when Maggie initially shot her down and it was great to see Alex so happy with Maggie once they worked things out! I loved that this arc also brought Kara and Alex closer and paralleled Kara living with her secret, even if they didn’t dig into Kara’s side as much as I feel they could have. I’d missed those Danvers sisters couch moments, so it was nice to see them return. When Jeremiah came back working for Cadmus, both Benoist and Leigh were excellent at running the full gamut of emotions as the two sisters found themselves on opposite sides!

Alex was consistently awesome when it came to action sequences, like taking down Cadmus’ facility and keeping herself alive after being kidnapped. Creating a life jacket out of her pants was nothing short of brilliant! It’s no surprise that both Alex and Maggie were total badasses in the Daxamite siege, but that Alex/Kara “Meet me outside!” extraction from the compromised DEO was nothing short of spectacular! I do wish Alex could’ve taken part in the crossovers; I’d love to see her reaction to the Earth-1 heroes and ARGUS and she absolutely should’ve been a part of breaking Kara out of the Music Meister’s induced coma. That she wasn’t at least there to stay with Kara felt very wrong. I’d also like to see how Alex relates to the DEO agents besides J’onn and Winn (which was a fun, unexpected bit of chemistry), even if they’re just small moments. As second-in-command, she should know most if not all of them and it’d be fun to get glimpses into any friendships she may have at work.

J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter I’m a fan of the calm, composed presence Harewood brings to J’onn and the fatherly relationship he has with Kara and Alex. That said, giving him some friction with characters who aren’t White Martians was a good change of pace. I liked J’onn’s established history with Clark and their problems over J’onn keeping a cache of Kryptonite, but at the end of the season’s first two episodes their issue was resolved too easily. Even though the tension was mostly external to the two of them—Superman was worried the order to use the Kryptonite against himself or Kara would come from J’onn’s superiors even if he knew the Martian wouldn’t use it himself—it seemed like it had existed for years, so just handing the Kryptonite back to Superman to resolve it felt a little underwhelming. I thought J’onn’s relationship with M’gann M’orzz (Sharon Leal) was much better developed, even if it didn’t go where I thought it would. J’onn’s relief and excitement over meeting another surviving Green Martian was palpable and it was nice to see him so thrown and hopeful at the same time. I’d expected something like Young Justice’s younger take on Miss Martian, so seeing her and J’onn start dating was a shock that I thought worked well regardless of my expectations. That whole arc gave J’onn some solid growth—his learning to trust a White Martian nicely paralleled Kara learning to trust a Daxamite—and I really hope she comes back often in Season 3.

J’onn made a comment this year about Kara helping him to accept himself, which was a nice touch, but I really wish we’d seen more of that either this year or last. That could’ve been a cool counterpoint to Kara digging into Kara Danvers this year, to Alex dealing with her sexuality, and to Kara helping Mon-El to acclimate to Earth. My least favorite J’onn moment this year also involved Kara, when he told Mon-El to keep her under control and safe; in no world would that need to happen. That felt way out of character, even for a protective father figure like J’onn. I really enjoy J’onn’s easy friendship and rapport with Jeremiah, so it was a shame for things to go the way they did when Jeremiah turned on everyone to protect his daughters from Cadmus. I thought his motives seemed more sinister than that explanation, but I hope he and J’onn can repair this rift. I would’ve liked to see a similar rift explored further between J’onn and Alex when he impersonated Jeremiah to test her loyalty. The pull between her two “dads” could’ve made for some interesting drama. It also would’ve been nice to see when Alex and J’onn got back to running the DEO. Even though their search for Jeremiah was cut short last year, there was a slightly awkward jump from Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan Tatum) running things to them taking over again. I assume Lucy is still running the DEO’s cave bunker, but some mention of her current status would’ve been nice.

Lena Luthor Katie McGrath seemed to have a blast playing Lena and she got some great lines, like "That's the difference between us: I've never stood behind a man" and responding to "I'm a black belt” with “I'm a Luthor!” I really liked McGrath as Lex Luthor’s sister and I loved that Kara found real friendship with her. It was cool that Kara talking to and trusting this Luthor made things turn out differently than between Clark and Lex. I feel like Superman might unintentionally come off as high and mighty whereas Supergirl doesn’t, so simply talking and listening may have made all the difference here (to say nothing of the fact that Lena has a much smaller ego than Lex). I certainly hope Kara and Lena’s friendship continues, and that Kara’s trust in her is justified. Lena’s a great improvement over Max Lord (Peter Facinelli) and I liked that she was genuinely trying to redeem the Luthor name, though the show was smart about playing her intentions close to the vest early on, like when she set a trap for a gang of thieves when it seemed like she was setting one for Kara. It was funny to me how closely Lena’s history and the Luthor vibe in general paralleled Tess’ (Cassidy Freeman) past and the Luthors (Michael Rosenbaum, John Glover) on Smallville, as did James telling Kara that Clark and Lex used to be best friends. The Luthor mansion even looked like it could’ve been a room from the Smallville mansion. I loved Smallville, so stylistic shout outs like that and Lillian getting her name from that show made me smile.

I wonder what Lena will get up to now that she knows she’s the only one who can access Lex’s bunkers assuming he has others). There was a scene with a chess board that seemed to imply she thought of Supergirl as “her” knight, and I wonder if that will come to mean more than “Supergirl’s in my corner.” I don’t want her to follow Lex’s path, though. I liked that Rhea used Lena’s need for a positive parental figure to win her over and that was a smart plot connection between the season’s two villains, even if Rhea and Lillian didn’t get to meet face to face. I was also impressed Lena so quickly uncovered Rhea’s real identity and kicked her out. After being kidnapped and almost forced to marry Mon-El, Lena casually strolling down an alien hallway while he struggled to take out a Daxamite guard was funny, as was hacking a computer terminal with her tiara. Since Lena knows Mon-El is an alien and has met him as “Mike,” she has to at least strongly suspect Kara is Supergirl, right? I liked Lillian’s reasoning for not telling Lena about Kara, but I don’t think Lena will have the negative reaction her mother is hoping for.

James Olsen/Guardian I thought getting to run CatCo was a nice extension of James trying to do more than photography last season, but this plot was far too rushed and ignored in favor of Guardian to really work. They should’ve spent more time with James learning the ropes at CatCo before switching to trying to be a vigilante upon realizing he still doesn’t feel like he’s doing enough. Even if he totally failed at running the place, they should’ve stuck with the plot (which also could’ve opened avenues for Kara to spend more time there). Snapper’s curt reactions to how James wanted to run things worked just as well as they did for Kara (for as long as they lasted, anyway): again, he was in the right and James had to learn from him. 

Despite rushing through the CatCo business to get to it, I think Guardian’s the strongest material James has had on the show so far. I didn't think I'd be down with Olsen trying to be a vigilante, but Brooks’ acting and the writing in scenes where he had to justify himself to Winn (Jeremy Jordan) and Kara brought me around. I thought tying so much of his vigilantism to his father’s camera was a little heavy-handed, but I liked the idea behind honoring his dad. It also makes sense that he'd want to do more when all his best pals are superheroes. James' insecurities over people's love of the Supers vs. their fear of him played really well into classic Jimmy's persona and subtly reflected the double standards real-life society puts on white and black criminals (routinely showing black kids' mugshots and white kids' graduation or Facebook Profile pictures on the news, for example). I don’t think the people of National City were scared of him because he's black of course, but I do think there was a parallel to that in there. On a general superhero level, this was a really effective way of displaying why Kara and unmasked heroes inspire trust and hope while angry masked vigilantes don't; disputing the effectiveness of Batman (at least in a place like National City) without actually needing Batman. It was also cool that Guardian got to touch on the importance of representation in our superheroes, since Marcus (Lonnie Chavis) would only open up to James because he saw something familiar in him. I’m interested to see where they’ll take Guardian, but I’d like them to balance that with James at CatCo so he can interact with people as a reporter (or similar position) again; he seemed to miss just talking to people and hearing/telling their stories.

Winn Schott Winn working with the DEO is exactly what I was hoping for from his character and I'm glad they did it. He makes so much more sense there than at CatCo. I would've liked to see his official recruitment, but ultimately that didn’t matter. And who knew Alex and Winn would have such great chemistry? Winn’s interactions with James were also very well done; Winn yelling at James to cool his jets until the Guardian suit was complete was his second-best moment on the series (the first was everything involving his father last year). Winn’s concern for his friend was palpable and raw, and I’m glad that the Guardian plot brought these moments out for both of them. It was also a plus that they weren’t stuck in a love triangle again, since that defined their characters so much in Season 1.

Working with the DEO seems like it made Winn grow up a lot and I was impressed. His dating advice to Mon-El was actually really good. I’m glad that his almost childlike wonder didn’t go away with his newfound maturity either; his reaction to meeting Superman was perfect (as was Clark’s simple kindness in the face of that fanboy love), and there was such love in his eyes when Mon-El came to save him while quoting Star Wars. After hating him and his toxic crush on Kara last year, I’d say Winn is easily the most-improved character this season.

Mon-El At first, I thought Mon-El was the weakest link of the season, since Cadmus was more compelling and the reaction he provoked in Kara—her struggle with her anti-Daxamite prejudice—was more interesting than he was as a character. His adjustments to Earth culture were fun and it was nice to see Kara give mentoring a go, since that’s why she was sent here, but I didn’t want them to date (even seeing the Romeo/Juliet plot coming with Krypton and Daxam). I felt their chemistry felt more like an older sister/younger brother at first but it changed over the course of the season and their cuter moments won me over. I was surprised he was so shy about remembering their first kiss, but maybe not just announcing it and demanding what he wanted was one of the first signs that he really was changing. It’s worth noting that Kara was right about him becoming a better person: his honesty about being so possessive on Daxam being the “easier” path meant he’s genuinely trying not to be that person anymore. I absolutely disagree with a large section of the internet’s assessment that he was abusive to Kara; certainly not physically, he wasn’t emotionally manipulative, and she never let him get away with anything in their relationship (until “Duet,” which I’ve already stated was a problem, but I don’t think it was abuse). Even though I ultimately enjoyed their chemistry and relationship (minus the post-musical reunion and him potentially holding her back job-wise), I would’ve been fine with Mon-El going off to build a better Daxam. If M’gann can go help her people find a better way, why not him? He’d be fulfilling what Kara saw in him and had been nurturing all season. However, a permanent ban from the planet does make for more drama and it didn’t seem like the Daxamite army was going to listen to a kinder, gentler Mon-El anyway. According to the comics, he has a much bigger destiny in store, so it’ll be cool that Supergirl’s influence on him might essentially create the Legion of Superheroes on this Earth.

Maggie Sawyer I liked Maggie a lot; admittedly I don’t know much about the character in the comics, but Lima brought just the right mix of street smarts, compassion, and boldness to the role. She and Chyler Leigh also had great chemistry and I liked that Alex helped Maggie to open up again. I hope she returns early and often next season. I also hope she says yes to Alex’s proposal, but not answering and leaving it on a cliffhanger made me feel like maybe she won’t want to make that commitment. That’d be sad; it’s clear she loves Maggie and I can’t imagine why she’d say no. We’ll get to meet Maggie’s dad this year, so I can’t see how that affects her relationship with Alex. Regardless, it’ll be really good to dig into her personal life a bit more.

Beyond a stellar arc with Alex, the other invaluable thing Maggie brought to the show was the woman on the street perspective. Outside of people like Cat Grant and Max Lord commenting on Supergirl last season, we didn’t really get an in-depth look at what the citizens thought about Kara’s alter-ego. Even CatCo’s employees and Kara’s fellow DEO agents seem detached in this area and don’t really seem to have opinions (something I’d like to see remedied), but Maggie brought all that to the show and into Kara’s face. I loved that she introduced a “how legal are Supergirl’s arrests?” question and I hope they continue to explore things like that. Supergirl swooping in and stopping a hostage situation Sawyer and the National City PD had been working on for hours—frustrating Maggie—was another great point of conflict. Questions about the best use of superheroes’ time—should they just stick to fighting supervillains or should they handle street-level crime that’s beneath their powerset?—aren’t often asked in movies and TV, and I hope that Maggie continues to bring these questions up. The question of how much Kara should be helping National City before she stunts its growth is a fascinating one, and Maggie is just the person to ask it.

I also liked Maggie and Kara clashing over the best way to save Alex when she was kidnapped and their eventual bond from the experience. It was cool that they learned from each other’s opinions on how to deal with the situation, and to see each of their struggles with breaking the law to rescue Alex. I did wish Maggie hadn’t bashed Kara’s glasses disguise, though. That’s something the show should lean into instead of calling it out as pointless; even having Maggie say something as simple as “once you know, it’s kinda obvious” would’ve been enough.

M’gann M’orzz/Miss Martian I was stoked for Miss Martian to appear on the show ahead of the season—she’s been one of my favorites since Young Justice introduced her to me—and Sharon Leal didn’t disappoint. She played the crushing guilt of being part of a race that tried to cleanse Mars of Green Martians (even if she herself didn’t want to participate in the slaughter) very well, to the extent that I think she was trying to goad J’onn into killing her when she served him up to Roulette (Dichen Lachman). That sort of pain and guilt was something I hadn’t seen in the character to this extent before and I was glad Supergirl dug into it. That she literally got trapped in a coma by her guilt, necessitating J’onn to go in and rescue her, was a brilliant way heal the rift between them and to externalize her turmoil (ironically by internalizing her psyche).

I was hoping Miss Martian would play a larger role this season, particularly that she and Kara could become close friends and bond over being aliens with powers on this planet. I’d still like to see that in the future; they’ve got so much in common yet are such opposites that it’d be a great friendship to explore. I was sorry to see M’gann head back to Mars, but I love the idea that she’s going to try and lead her people on a better path. I do think they laid it on a little thick about J’onn inspiring her to be a hero, though. She’d turned on her people to try and save Green Martians from death 300 years before she even met him! He inspired her to stop running and feeling guilty, sure, but she was a hero long before that. I can’t wait to see what she’s like after her mission is fully complete and I’m glad it has hope in people at its core; Kara would be proud! Her return in the finale with an army of reformed White Martians was a great surprise and an awesome sign that her mission isn’t hopeless!

Lillian Luthor I was surprised the cool, calculating, evil mad scientist leading Cadmus was Lena’s mom, but that was an awesome twist! Her mistrust of aliens makes so much sense when you consider she’s basically echoing what Lex is always spouting about Superman; he must’ve gotten it from her. Like the rest of the Luthor presence on this show, Lillian and Lena’s relationship felt right out of Smallville’s Luthor playbook, and that’s a great place to go for inspiration IMO. Her skewed view of Lex’s downfall was perfect and I really liked all her plans with Cadmus this season. I wasn't expecting telepathic murders and it was cool to see Cadmus using alien tech! Bringing her back to team up with Kara and the DEO against the Daxamites made perfect sense and I loved that Kara’s very existence was so against Lillian’s views. Not only did she represent the alien menace, but Kara “corrupted” her daughter away from the Luthor way of doing things, making Lillian’s vendetta against Kara both personal and philosophical. Brought to life by a perfectly evil performance from Brenda Strong, Lillian and Cadmus might be my favorite Supergirl villains so far.

Queen Rhea I definitely didn’t expect Teri Hatcher to be playing an alien here, but she was great and felt totally natural as a ruthless queen! Rhea worked really well as a parallel to Lillian—she was trying to protect her race and ended up “losing” her child to Kara’s influence—and as a good villain in general. I liked that Cadmus attacked what Kara is and her right to be here, while Rhea attacked who she is (both as a Kryptonian and a hero defending Earth) and both of them clashed with what Kara inspired in others. Positioning Kara between two women who believe in their planet before all others was a great idea, as was making it personal because they saw Kara as “poisoning” their children and turning them against them. I loved the revelation that Daxam was a party planet for the express purpose of keeping its population stupid and easily manipulated. Her plan to set Mon-El up as a “new” kind of leader while actually embracing the same old systems also felt like a clever spin on modern politics. I had a feeling Rhea would kill her husband (Kevin Sorbo), but I didn’t expect her reaction to Mon-El turning his back on them to include a trip in a cage back to New Daxam. I liked that for how similar she was to Lillian, Rhea was even more horrible when it came to her child disobeying her wishes. I also liked that Rhea seemed to genuinely respect Lena at least a bit; that added a layer to their interaction even if Rhea was also totally using Lena for her technology and as a symbolic sign of the union between Daxam and Earth. I expected her to have a secret army, but I didn’t expect so many ships! The invasion was a great step up from the Kryptonian attacks last year and while I would’ve liked Kara to use more ranged attacks like heat vision and ice breath in her final fight with Rhea (particularly after Rhea revealed her Kryptonite-laced blood), the season came to a very satisfying conclusion. I was hoping Rhea would survive the season and I was sorry to see her go. I also really wish they’d found a way to reunite Hatcher with Dean Cain on screen.

Cat Grant I missed the Cat/Kara mentoring scenes from Season 1, caused by Flockhart's reduced role due to the production’s move to Vancouver, but it was also good to shake up that area of Kara's life even more. Snapper challenged Kara in ways Cat never did, so losing Cat’s support at CatCo—particularly with James also distracted by his Guardian duties—was good for Kara. That said, Cat’s return in the final two episodes of the season was very welcome and I loved bits like her conversation with Kara outside the bar. Telling Kara what she’d learned about the secret to happiness—it’s human connection, so wanting to rescue the people she loved wasn’t selfish, it’s everything—was a great moment. Cat’s interactions with Winn and James at the DEO were great, particularly her recognizing James’ eyes through the slits in his mask. Her constantly hitting on Clark is fun too. Cat’s diffusion of the Marsdin/Rhea standoff felt a little cheesier; I liked the intent, but it felt like it went on for too long and I’m glad Rhea didn’t go for it. I will say that was one of several moments this season where I was acutely aware that there was no one but powerful women on screen, and that was an awesome realization! I wonder if Cat knows Clark is Superman, because she finally revealed that she knows Kara is Supergirl (to us, anyway). I didn’t need her to know, but I’m glad that question has finally been answered. I liked her parting advice and pep talk for Kara, and I definitely appreciated that it was a fire that pulled Kara away: she committed to her Kara Danvers persona by ignoring a fire when she was first hired by Cat, and now she’s fully embraced her role as Supergirl (and, from what we know of Season 3, she’s actively pushing away her human side).

Superman I like this version of Superman a lot. It was definitely time for us to meet him and he didn’t disappoint! Asking Kara to tell him about Krypton at the end of his second episode was a great touch; the fact that she knew things about Krypton that he didn’t was one of the areas Smallville failed to cover when they introduced Supergirl. I just wish we’d gotten to see that conversation. I also felt like they did an excellent job of showing Superman was the more seasoned superhero without making Kara look inept. Both onscreen and off, Hoechlin made a point to be clear that it was Supergirl’s show, and that definitely translated into his generous performance as Superman. Beyond that, from the superheroics to Kara’s frustration with everyone fawning over Superman (and Clark), his team-ups with Kara were simply fun. He also shared some great insight with her and I hope he gets to return next season. I thought for sure the WB wouldn’t let Supergirl use him much due to the Justice League movies—I even thought he’d die in the crossover if it were a Crisis—and I’m extremely happy to be wrong.

Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers It was good to see Eliza back and doing science with the DEO this year! I’d like to see her become a recurring consultant for the agency. Eliza telling Jeremiah that they needed “to learn each other again” when he suddenly reappeared was a brilliantly realistic way of handling his absence that totally took me by surprise. I’m sorry we didn’t get to see that this year and hope we do next year, even if it doesn’t end up working out.

Dean Cain should be on the show more often! I liked that they let him play some darker shades of Jeremiah this year and he did it well. I knew something was fishy the way Kara and Mon-El left Jeremiah in a hail of bullets that didn’t seem to be hurting him during their escape from Cadmus. I didn't expect him to be a cyborg upon his return, but I liked it. I was honestly surprised Jeremiah really was fully coerced to help Cadmus, since he’d seemed darker in the previous episode. I was sorry to see Jeremiah shuffled off into captivity again after the attempted alien exodus plot and I hope he comes back soon. His relationships with Kara, Alex, Eliza, and J’onn are still full of potential drama that could and should be mined in the near future.

President Marsdin Lynda Carter was good as President Marsdin and I liked the callbacks to her time as Wonder Woman ("You should see my other jet" and Kara putting out a fire by spinning). I loved that Kara was such a fangirl of her character, though like I said earlier, I wish they’d let Kara overcome that when it came time to plan the attack on the Daxamites. That said, I liked her motives for taking quick action; this is maybe the first time I’ve seen a "shoot first and kill them all" President's motives that didn’t play like they were evil and corrupt. I'm not sure I like that she's secretly an alien, though. It may’ve been a stronger arc if everyone knew she were an alien but not everyone was ready for an alien president (they’d have to say she was born on Earth, of course). I also feel like her pro-alien stance would mean more if she weren't an alien herself; aren’t all of her pro-alien policies going to be criticized as self-serving rather than truly progressive if she’s ever discovered? …Though that could also easily parallel backlash to President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and any other progressive politicians and policies that try to create equality instead of continuing to support systemic oppression of anyone who isn’t white, straight, and male. I wonder if she’ll be impeached if/when the general public finds out she's not human; that seems like a powder keg that has to go off. Could it be big enough to start a civil war?

Other Allies Meeting Zor-El was overdue and having him create Medusa was a smart twist. I hope he continues to appear, because we haven’t seen much of Kara missing her birth father yet. It was great to see Vasquez (Briana Venskus) back at the DEO; I’d still love an episode focused on her and other DEO agents to see how they view Supergirl and other heroes. Are they like Maggie, and think it’s annoying that the Supers swoop in to take the glory they’ve worked hard for? Are they bitter that she sometimes isn’t in as much danger as they are? The addition of Eve Tessmacher (Andrea Brooks) as Cat and James’ assistant was a fun shout-out to the Superman movies. I’d like to see her get some more depth, but I was glad that even though she was into “Mike,” she didn’t fight Kara over Mon-El. That was a smart move on the writers’ parts. “Clark’s friend” who projects fear and uses gadgets has got to be Batman, right? There were at least three references to him on the show this season. When can we get a Kara and Barbara Gordon/Batgirl team-up?

I initially thought Lyra (Tamzin Merchant) was a bounty hunter sent to capture Mon-El, then I thought they might be setting up a discrimination subplot about humans and aliens dating (I was looking for a larger use for her character beyond just dating Winn). I didn’t expect Cadmus to be trying to force her and all the other aliens off the planet! I wasn’t too invested in her pulling heists to save her brother—I think I’ve seen enough of Winn being in sad romances—but I was glad she turned out to be good in the end. Lyra getting angry at Winn when he told her she couldn’t fight crime with him and Guardian because she was too violent felt like it should’ve been more of a problem for James taking on a partner rather than leveraging her relationship with Winn for drama, so that wasn’t very successful in my eyes either. Any character can improve, so I’d be willing to see where they take her next year if they bring her back. Brian (Josh Hallem) the alien snitch is also a fun recurring character I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. I enjoy how easily he can bridge Maggie’s down-to-Earth police side, the DEO, and Supergirl’s more superhero-oriented worlds.

Other Villains Harewood may not like playing Hank Henshaw, but I think he’s entertaining. I do agree that the cybernetic eyepiece looks a little cheesy, but not too bad. I’d like to see more of Henshaw on his own and forming his own plots, though. I’ve long wanted to see Metallo explore the loss of humanity he felt on Superman: The Animated Series, but with John Corben (Frederick Schmidt) dead here and cybernetic body parts in great abundance, perhaps Henshaw could take that on instead. He’s got Metallo’s evil cyborg role down already and also has a personal vendetta/connection to J’onn. There’s definitely territory to explore with why he sees himself as an equal to Superman and his hatred of aliens. Perhaps he thinks cybernetic enhancements are the only way to keep up with the growing alien presence on Earth. Whatever the case, I’d love an episode devoted to exploring him.

I liked this version of John Corben. His origins mirrored the Animated Series well and he was fun cannon fodder. I liked Metallo's return and enjoyed the run-up to his "death"—who knows if he's really gone—but since they established that anyone can be a Metallo, I don't think he was as much of a case of missed potential as I did Parasite. I liked the vast majority of what they did with Parasite, with the exception of his death. Beyond the issues with Kara killing him (I wish they'd at least tried to contain him somehow), I think there was more to explore with Rudy Jones: the use/misuse of power could have more directly tied into Mon-El's arc and stealing power versus using it selflessly like Kara does would’ve been an interesting contrast. At least this Parasite was a member of an alien race, so they can always have another worm show up (the Thing homage was pretty cool!). Perhaps bits of him survived and infected the bystanders when he “died,” creating the other Parasites from the comics. At first I thought the climate change angle was a little weak (if timely), but then I realized it paralleled Kara's attempts to save the world. I also love that we got a full-on purple monster version of Parasite here!

The use of Livewire this season totally surprised me; I thought she was able to give her power to minions and didn't expect her to be the victim. That was a great twist! Kara's very-Return of the Jedi moment where she chose to believe the best in Livewire was also cool. I'd like it if Livewire became something like Kara's Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller), even if she never becomes as heroic as he did. Playing Mr. Mxyztplk as an insane Disney prince was a really fun choice! I hope he comes back, both because they can do anything with him and because he had great chemistry with Benoist. He allows for some great comedic moments and off-the wall Silver Age zaniness and they should lean into that. I’m always down for a White Martian invasion, and the Thing homage with a White Martian impersonating one of the DEO agents was great (as was Jeremy Jordan playing evil!). This version of Roulette was a good small-scale enemy. I’d like her to continue to return in any number of criminal enterprises; I like that she diversifies. I really liked the twist that Jack Spheer (Rahul Kohli) wasn't the bad guy he seemed to be and I liked his past with Lena a lot. Also, his sci-fi technology was so cool! Rick Malverne (David Hoflin), Alex’s stalker/kidnapper, was another surprisingly strong one-off villain. His connection to the Season 1 flashback of Kara saving people from a car wreck was clever, and I was impressed by how smart they made him. His back and forth with the DEO and unwillingness to break and tell them where Alex was unless his father was broken out of prison contributed to one of the show’s most dangerous villains yet. I loved that Kara was able to get through to his father (Gregg Henry) to eventually stop him before he killed Alex, and I’m glad that his memory was erased. He was a great villain, but I don’t think a return would have the same impact his actions in “Alex” did.

General Notes I liked the shift in filming style that came from the move to The CW. I don’t know if they’ve switched to the stunt teams the other CW DC shows use now or if they’ve just gotten more ambitious with using the full range of Kara’s powers mid-fight, but while they were never bad in Season 1 the fights looked even better this year! I rarely like slow-motion breaks in fights, but they weren’t too distracting here. I wouldn’t want them to become the norm, though. There was some spotty CGI, but it didn’t bother me; I’m amazed we’re getting such great comic book action on a weekly basis! And there was also some great CGI, like Parasite! The alien worlds and technology the show incorporated also felt realistic and tangible. I liked the new DEO building and the expanded use of the Fortress of Solitude as well. The locations they kept didn't look jarring compared to their location shots and the production seemed pretty smooth. The pacing on all of The CW’s superhero shows has always felt very good to me: though they’re only 42 minutes an episode, more often than not they feel like a lot happens in them.

The alien acceptance plot was well-written and nicely relevant to current politics. Personalizing it through Kara and Mon-El, J’onn and M’gann, Lillian vs. aliens, and Rhea vs. extinction was great too. After the Daxamite invasion, I can’t wait to see how human/alien relations develop in the coming season. The alien bar was a cool addition and I’d love to see more of the alien subculture that’s developing in National City, as well as humans’ reactions to it (both positive and negative). The mix of Cadmus in the first half of the season and Rhea in the second—united by the aliens vs. humans plot and themes—was a good start to breaking up the seasons. I still want long seasons, but one villain over the whole year might not always work and this was a good way to utilize two great enemies.

The finale’s siege of National City was awesome and I loved all the mini battles. I like that they took the time to have Clark and Kara convince Cat to disperse any potential bystanders too. However, I would’ve had the lead bomb go off on top of the building instead of in Lillian, Lena, and Winn’s faces. Lead’s toxic to humans too, so while I can by that this only increased the content in the atmosphere enough to kill Daxamites but not enough to poison humans, having it explode in their faces was a little too big a stretch.

I wish Supergirl had had more to do with the CW mega-crossover, but I liked that Barry and Cisco’s (Carlos Valez) attempts to open a portal to Kara’s dimension still played into the plot to a small degree. They even saved Kara at one point! It’s unfortunate the CW hyped it as a 4-show event so much and they included the Kara/Barry/Cisco scene in the Flash portion too, making Supergirl’s contribution to the crossover inessential. This was apparently caused because they’d planned the season out before they knew Supergirl would be moving, so hopefully viewers weren’t turned off and Supergirl is much more integral next season. That said, Kara meeting all the Earth-1 heroes and her reactions to them—particularly Heatwave’s (Dominic Purcell) origin—were perfect! It was clear the writers were having a blast pairing Kara up with all the other heroes and I’m definitely hoping we get more team-ups in the future. I’m glad the crossover ended with Kara able to dial up Earth-1 anytime she wants, so there’s no need for Barry or Cisco’s direct involvement due to a specific plot to justify her crossing over. Also, the LEGO Batman/CW heroes crossover ads after the episodes were so fun!

Despite some missteps in Kara’s arc—particularly her journalism career and an eventually problematic relationship with Mon-El—I thought this was a great season! It was an excellent step forward from last year (which I also liked a lot). I don’t remember anything about Reign (Odette Annable) from the comics, but I’m interested to see how she plays into Season 3.

I can’t wait to see what else the coming year brings!