yeah overthinking prophecies is the mind killer but i have to say my piece re azor ahai, that is, if it's really meant to be one character, then the best narrative choice is dany. not only because she fulfills every word of the prophecy an entire book before we even learn of its existence. but also "no one ever looked for a girl," aemon tells us. in-universe her gender precludes her from being imagined as the saviour figure and on a meta level even the readers don't think the 16 year old girl with this much power (dragons) will be allowed to keep that power and fulfill an important narrative destiny as a hero of the story. the expectation is that the character will be brought low and/or surpassed by the classic warrior hero archetype of jon. which is why i think dany being AA is the most subversive choice. and would actually make jon the red herring.
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Happy Hobbit Day! (I almost forgot and it's technically well into the 23rd where I am right now, but I haven't gone to bed yet since waking up on the 22nd, so we'll say it counts.)
I think if Boromir had survived he should be allowed special permissions to go into the Shire to see his friends in their native habitat after everything is over.
Transcription:
Shire border security guard: "Sir I don't think you can bring those out with you..."
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Now that we're a few months on from Batgirls ending, and with solicits out for the next few months, how are you feeling about where they're situated within DC right now?
(With the possible exception of Babs. I suspect I know exactly how you feel about Babs, because I feel very similar. About how she's situated in DC. right now.)
My short answer for how DC is treating the Batgirls right now is "much better than where they were in 2020 but significantly worse than where they should be, especially compared to all of the Robins."
In order, I think Cassandra is (ironically, considering the history there) being treated the best, being given the meatiest stories, and being utilized in ways that actually showcase her motivations and skillset. She co-starred in Spirit World, is a major supporting character in Ram V's Detective Comics run, and is now co-starring in Birds of Prey. Her pre-reboot history and characterization has basically been completely restored (except for that awful era we Do Not Talk About™, which. good.) and we have a concrete and tangible narrative direction for her again. Frankly, it's absolutely wild to be a Cass fan in 2023 seeing how she's being treated right now after 15+ years of some of the worst character treatment imaginable.
Barbara is in a very distant second place largely because of the implied elephant in the room (Tom Taylor's usage of her in the Nightwing book, the ableism, and DC's stubborn refusal to commit to letting her be Oracle full-time again). I'm also still....very frustrated and upset by Kelly Thompson's decision to relaunch Birds of Prey without her given that Babs has headlined BOP since the very beginning, in every iteration of the team, and the team would not exist without her. However, I do have to note that she's once again being showcased as a fully grown adult woman, is being regularly featured in comics, and is being utilized as Oracle in books like Ram V's Tec run, so there's potential there despite no one at DC seemingly being very interested in doing anything substantial with her beyond letting her be "Dick's computer geek girlfriend."
Which ultimately puts her above Stephanie...who basically isn't appearing anywhere significant now that Batgirls has ended and she's not dating Tim anymore. Which is...not great, to put it mildly. If you ask me why that's happened, it's because Steph has spent the majority of her appearances since her reintroduction back in 2014 being treated as "Tim's girlfriend" rather than her own character with her own wants, goals, and potential storylines. So where does she go now that Tim's dating Bernard? I don't know, but none of the writers at DC seem very interested in doing anything with her right now.
This treatment is of course very much in contrast to every single male Robin and ex-Robin character...where everyone except Tim (whose dedicated solo ongoing just finished) will either have active solo ongoings (Dick, Damian) or a solo mini (Jason) running as of February 2024. The difference in treatment is stark...but of course, that's nothing new to fans of the Batfam women. At least Kate is getting some chance to shine over in Outsiders, I guess, however poorly titled the book is.
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In support of Hot General Summer (tm)
I realized that my recent poll not only lacked visual support but also left out a lot of my fave cdrama generals. So, in support of my Hot General Summer agenda:
Xiao Qi, Rebel Princess
Wei Wu Ji, Sound of the Desert
Ling Buyi, Love Like the Galaxy
Zhousheng Chen, One and Only
Zhao Yun, God of War Zhao Yun
Sima Yi, Secret of Three Kingdoms
Han De Rang, The Legend of Xiao Chuo
Zhan Beiye, Legend of Fuyao
Gao Chang Gong, Lan Ling Wang
Xiang Yu, Story of Han Dynasty
Cao Pi, The Advisors’ Alliance
Meng Tiang Fang, Ancient Terracotta War Situation
Chu Bei Jie, General and I
Zhu Zan, Jin Jiu Ling
Wolfie, The Wolf
Xiang Yu, Legend of Chu and Han
Cheng Yi, The Promise of Chang’an
Liu Xiu, Singing All Along
Huo Xin, Painted Skin the Resurrection
Meng Qi You, Glamorous Imperial Concubine
Yang Bros, The Young Warriors
Weng Gui, Princess Jieyou
Xiao Ping Zhang, Nirvana in Fire 2
Pei Zhao, Maiden Holmes
Ji Ye, Novoland Eagle Flag
Zhu Qi Zhen, Imperial Doctress (it’s a reach he’s an emperor. But he leads his force in battle and I wanted Wallace Huo there so...)
Yuan Ling, Lost Love in Times
Yi Xiao Chuan, The Myth
Gu Tingye, The Story of Ming Lan
Lu Bu, Three Kingdoms 2010
Xu Lingyi, The Sword and the Brocade
Yue Fei, Patriot Yue Fei
Xiang Yu, The Myth
Ping Zhang, Nirvana in Fire 2
Guo Jing, Legend of Condor Heroes 2008
Xiang Yu, The Legend of Qin
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