Book & Movie Reviews | She Who Writes Monsters

Archives for : Book & Movie Reviews

Cautionary Tale: Red One

Posted by :letitia.carelock@gmail.com On : December 9, 2024

Tags:blog post, blogging, cautionary tale, chris evans, Christmas, christmas movies, fiction, JK Simmons, kyoko m, Lucy Liu, red one, spoiler alert, spoilers, The Rock, x-mas, xmas

There are times that I find myself confused as an elder god millennial, and guys, I have to admit that I am highly confused by the bizarre film that I saw a couple of weekends ago in theaters.

By now, Red One has a reputation, and it should. It is one of the most baffling misfires that I’ve seen personally in a long time, and frankly, we haven’t seen a misfire on this scale since about Madame Web. Now, granted, we have still had some movies fail that didn’t expect to fail after the actors/writers strike of last year, but Red One is a slam dunk that somehow was the most pathetically lazy showing of The Rock’s career, which is saying something considering– *points to his last at least 7 films* So I decided this movie would be a great subject for a highly confused Cautionary Tale segment. I mean, at least this time I’m not angry? Yay?

Just in case you haven’t heard, Red One is a Christmas action-adventure film (or it’s supposed to be one) that stars The Rock (and no, I will NEVER call him Dwayne Johnson even though I know this man wants me to call him Dwayne Johnson; I’m a millennial and we hate change, so I’m gonna call him The Rock until I die.), Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, and JK Simmons along with a couple familiar faces like Nick Kroll and that big-headed girl from the Sabrina Netflix remake (whom I personally know as the snotty little BD Merrill from Feud: Bette and Joan, amusingly enough.) It originally was gonna be a Netflix movie, but for reasons I have yet to fathom, they released it in theaters (though most likely, the bloated budget made them have to try for theater money despite this movie being so low effort it could only have been made by Netflix). And by the way, that is a longer conversation America desperately needs to have with every single studio and streaming channel. We need to talk about the fact that we’ve had several films in the last few years that should’ve been streaming (Abigail, 65, Cocaine Bear) instead of released in theaters in order to be moderately successful, and then we’ve had some movies that SHOULD have been released in theaters but weren’t (both Extraction films as well as Prey aka that Predator movie with the Comanche warriors). I think Red One is just an entry in a long list of streaming and theater films in which nobody at all understood the assignment. Somehow.

I say somehow because seriously, who messes up “The Rock and Chris Evans save Christmas”?

Well, sadly, Red One figured out how.

Before I dive into the mess, I’ll give you a short version of the story itself. Odds are you skipped this movie and for good reason, but let me make the following disclaimer: I in no way hate this film nor do I think it’s a bad film. It’s just aggressively fucking lazy. And I’ll be honest—I have no proof but I also think this was an AI-generated script. I’ll explain below, but for now, spoilers for the events of Red One.

In Red One, Santa Claus (JK Simmons) and pretty much most mythological creatures are real, but they naturally just hide from the modern world at large under the umbrella of a global off the books type of outfit that maintains public safety and maintains these magical creatures. Santa Claus’ bodyguard, Cal Drift (The Rock), is handing in his resignation letter after 500 years of service. Why? Oh, he has good reason—everyone sucks now. Just so much. This is basically the only part of the movie they got right—Cal’s cynicism is ungodly accurate, and I say that as a former retail worker of almost 10 fucking years. I also say that as someone forced to delivery groceries for extra money. Everyone fucking sucks, and even though I know this movie was filmed between 2022 and 2023 and had no idea the results of the election, it’s also now painfully timely that Cal notes that every adult in the world is a sack of shit and he’s tired of providing for them knowing they all suck. Santa is saddened, but accepts his resignation, but quite literally ONE SCENE LATER, Santa is kidnapped. Cal and his people note that a suspicious activity clue links to a guy named Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans), who is allegedly the best tracker in the world. They interrogate him and find out all he did was locate Christmas Town, but he has no idea who hired him nor does he have any other clues, so they resolve to use him as a link to investigate and save Santa before he’s either killed or there is no Christmas that year for them.

Now, again, on paper, that sounds fine. Just a cut and dry buddy cop format—a stoic bodyguard forced to work with a cynical thief, gambler, and deadbeat dad, to save Christmas. Again, winning formula, and I have no complaints about the premise.

The problem is this movie absolutely bungles every single part of it.

And I mean…every. Single. Part. Of. It.

And frankly? I’m not sure why.

So what doesn’t work about it, you ask? Well, since I’ve had a few weeks to think it over, I’ve boiled it down to a few issues. I’m not aware if anyone involved in the film has explained anything about its production or its poor box office performance, so this is just my own musings, nothing backed up by an interview or a quote.

First off, it was a mistake to pick this role for Chris Evans. Not that Chris Evans couldn’t do it. Chris Evans has more than shown us he has incredible range as an actor, and I genuinely mean that. He has shown us he can do serious work, comedic work, action, romance, and every genre in between. He’s not let himself get pigeonholed like he did in the early 2000s where he was kinda just “that hot guy in mediocre movies” until he got his big break with Captain America and has been kicking ass on the silver screen ever since. And that’s part of my massive disappointment here. I love Chris Evans to death. The man gives great hugs and he’s uber talented. The problem is that Red One was probably made by the same fucking AI-generator as Red Notice, that utterly lame and forgettable big budget Netflix film with, who else: The Rock, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot. These movies are painfully similar in premise and execution, but the difference is that while Red Notice sucked ass, Ryan Reynolds was GENUINELY trying to be funny, and he was successful half of the time. Even though that movie sucks, Reynolds was able to claw his way out of that terrible script and found just a handful of funny moments to help us get through it.

And sadly, Chris Evans ain’t get that chance here. Boy, did he not.

Pretty much every single thing out of his mouth in this film is a cliché of some sort, whether it’s an old cliché or a new one. I cannot identify a single original thought anywhere in this film, and that’s insane considering Evans has wonderful comedic timing. I mean that—not just scripts. If you’re a fan, you know very well that Chris Evans is a big fat fucking goober in real life. He’s silly and insecure and sweet and just an all around fun person, so it makes no sense to me that Jack O’Malley is such a generic character that not even Evans’ natural fucking charm could make the character work. He has nothing to do. It’s just a miscasting of titanic proportions, not because he’s not right for a buddy cop movie with the Rock; it’s that they made this character so bland that even his performance couldn’t make it better. It’s a lot like how Disney totally misused him in Lightyear by making the “real” Buzz a dull, generic character. It’s just so generic he might as well be a talking bowl of oatmeal. There’s nothing for him to bite into at all, and that just makes me so sad because they had to have told him not to improv to make the movie funnier and they must have told The Rock the same thing. And boy, was that a mistake.

Second off, it was a mistake to pick this performance for The Rock. Now, I’m not stupid. The Rock is not a good actor; the Rock is an entertaining actor. By about Jumanji II time, the Rock figured out his career. He knows that he can do exactly two things in every movie: be a stoic guy or be his actual personality, which is a funny, charming, witty guy with a big heart. And that’s literally okay. I can name several actors and actresses that play the same role 1000x because we like it and it’s fine. (Ex. Bruce Willis is the same dude in everything and none of us care ‘cause he’s FUCKIN’ COOL) But deciding to make Chris Evans the mouthy one and the Rock the Straight Man? MIIIIIIIIIIIIISTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE! It was PAINFUL. Watching The Rock do his Straight Man bit after I’ve seen him do great comedic work like Be Cool (shut up, I love that movie, and it’s way better than Get Shorty COME AT ME SCRUBLORDS I AM RIPPED) or The Rundown made me sigh. Look, I get it. You can’t have two mouthy main leads or you end up with that horrible Predator sequel that had Key in it (I shit you not, the entire film was nothing but comedic sidekicks except they were all main leads; it is even worse than you think it is), but at the same time, this was NOT the time to make The Rock do his Straight Man routine. Cal is having a crisis of conscience; not his own, but that he thinks every adult is a POS and he doesn’t want to make them happy anymore. And I’m not saying we needed him to be quippy and sarcastic. He has no personality. He’s just Tough Guy ™. We learn NOTHING about him. We don’t know how he got the job, what kind of entity he is (we know he’s not human since he’s worked for Nick for 500 years and he’s also very fast and strong, does more than a human can do), how long he’ll live for, how long he’s already lived for, how he got to work for Santa, just NOTHING! A big bowl of nothing! And I think it’s because someone told the AI “do not have a single scene of exposition” and it listened. We needed to know more but because the film’s focus is on these over-done action sequences (that by the way, look fake as shit and they need to fire that SFX company), almost nothing about Cal’s arc feels satisfying by the end. It was the wrong call to ask him not to insert his natural charm into the movie, same as Evans’, and the film suffers massively for it.

Third of all…and I can’t believe I’m about to say this about a fucking Christmas movie…it’s too goddamn serious. I mean it. All of the advertising made this film look like a funny, tongue in cheek romp. Well, guess what? You get there, sit down, and the movie proceeds to take itself as seriously as Leon: The Professional for a whole sixty percent of the story. WHO ASKED FOR THAT?! Did the trailer’s editor just think he had to sell the movie to us this way or we wouldn’t go? It’s a complete 180 from what was advertised to us, so not only are you sitting through dry, cliché dialogue, the movie can’t even brighten up with a joke for more than half of its running time. It is a decision that still baffles me to this very day. I’m not saying every Christmas movie needs to be a comedy and not have serious moments. I’m just saying this shit was borderline false advertising. I kept throwing my hands up as I sat in the theater because every five minutes, the movie would act like it was a serious affair and I should care about these people even though it gave me no reason to care about them. The movie is so tone deaf and it has no idea what the mood is from scene to scene. It can’t focus worth a damn on its own message.

Fourth of all, the “no exposition” rule crippled the film. Not only do they not explain what the mythical entity agency is and does, they don’t explain fuckall about anything else in the movie. They must have been told no exposition because they don’t even do it in spots where we actually need it. Again, I get it. Nobody likes exposition dumps, and yes, you as a modern screenwriter should be finding clever ways to fill the audience in without dumping it, but not doing it at all is fucking dumb. Why? Because it means your audience has no idea what the stakes are and what can or cannot be done inside of your magic system. The reason you set up rules and limitations is so when we encounter a problem, we don’t immediately assume it can be resolved no problem with magic. Hell, it was one of the leading issues with the Harry Potter books—so many people pointed out plotholes that neither JK nor the story wanted to explain away with magic. Here, we don’t know what Cal can and cannot do or if he can even die or what his abilities are and the exposition would have made that clear. Same as how there is a huge plot hole in the third act where Jack and his son quite literally luck their way out of a problem. And the lack of exposition also made the villain’s defeat confusing as hell (i.e. If touching the globes made her go into one, did she never pick one up after they were made? Did it only work because she fell into hundreds of them? If she has one nice moment with another person, is it going to easily let her out? COME ON MOVIE ANSWER ME.) There are just too many scenes where I had a question that the movie should have already answered, but didn’t possibly due to some kind of anti-exposition edict.

Fifth of all, JK Simmons and Lucy Liu were completely underused, and they were part of why I even went to the film. JK Simmons has more than proven that like Chris Evans, he has a ton of range, so making him an AND credit sucked big time. Lucy Liu is barely given time too, only being their handler and getting one damn fight scene. Ugh. What a stupid decision. I’d much rather watch them than another CGI-soaked soundstage action scene.

Sixth and finally, the dialogue very much reads like (1) it was AI generated and (2) someone was gonna go back through the draft to punch up the jokes, but ran out of time and never did. I mean it. There are so many moments in the film where it looks like the script says “insert funny line here later” and it makes everything feel so stilted and unnatural as a result. The characters say things no one in their right mind would say; again, why I think it was written by AI. It’s just constant clichés said without a wink or a nod or anything at all. Even the “save Christmas” scene that is supposed to be funny is instead very, very awkward and unnatural. I laughed three times in a two hour movie, people. And the people around me weren’t really laughing much either. It’s just so lazy. It has nothing to say. The characters might as well be walking around jabbering like those Sims characters.

So what can we learn from Red One shitting the bed?

AI should not be writing your damn script. Yeah, I get it, it’s easy and it’s free, but screw you if you want to be a writer and you’re using AI to do the entire thing. It should be a jumping off point or a resource for ideas, not the apparatus with which you make art that you expect to be paid for. Do the damn work and stop relying on AI theft to put your screenplay together.

Know how to cast your movie accordingly. I really think The Rock and Chris Evans could have been so fun together had this not been a lazy, lifeless script too concerned with action and lack of exposition. They should have asked them both to improv here or there to get the dialogue more natural-sounding and to punch up the simple plot. I hope they someday decide to team up again in a much better film; the chemistry is there, but the film just didn’t use it. This script is so generic you could put anyone in those roles and it wouldn’t be any more appealing.

Pick a consistent tone between your film and the trailers. I’m still mad about how serious a movie about saving Christmas had to be. It’s just so needless. If this movie had been as campy as the trailer, we could’ve hit a homerun. Pretty much all the action and camp are in the trailer; the rest of the film is painfully serious, which makes no sense considering it’s also so generic and bland. To be fair, this problem is also not unique to Red One. Hollywood in general needs to stop editing trailers to be misleading and should be fined when they do it, if you ask me. If you made a serious movie, then make a serious trailer. If you made a silly movie, then make a silly trailer. It’s not hard, okay? Just get specific so you attract the right person to the right movie. If you don’t, the wrong person sees it and blasts you on social media and through Word of Mouth, which costs you money.

Don’t rely completely on your casting and make sure you’re still delivering a satisfying story. I can tell they thought this up before The Rock’s career started to decline, which it did around 2020 and around the time Black Adam bombed. By the time they were filming, he’d done a ton of damage to his career by picking shitty films and then getting a reputation for being egotistical and unprofessional. I’m personally hurt to hear that as I’d been rooting for him since after The Rundown, but unfortunately, he’s been spiraling and he took this movie down with him in some ways. The public has been disinterested in him since Black Adam and Chris Evans’ post Captain America career, while fine, hasn’t been headliner movies, so his popularity wasn’t enough to put butts in seats for $15 a person.

Know the difference between a streaming quality movie and a theater quality movie. Covid changed how we see movies. Some people learned patience and are fine with a movie coming to home release sooner since they no longer want to risk covid just for entertainment. These studios need to start paying better attention to their content. It should’ve stayed a streaming movie. I’m mad I spent the money on something so generic and I’m probably not the only one. The people are showing you what they consider worth a trip to the theater. For example, Moana 2 opened very well at the box office and that’s a smart move by Disney, especially since she was coming up on her 10 year anniversary in 2026. Red One should have stayed on Netflix given its lazy writing and lackluster effects, but it didn’t, so now it’s also a box office bomb and critically panned. If it had simply been streaming only, sure, we’d have pointed out all this same stuff, but we also would be less harsh because it meant we didn’t pay $15-30 to see it. Seeing a lousy movie for free or streaming price versus theater prices is now a thing. You better make a good movie or we will get on social media and blast your ass apart. They need to look at these reviews and pay attention to why it didn’t perform despite all the A list stars attached and the simple but likable premise.

If anything, I just hope they learn that there are only so many lazy films that will turn a profit. You have to stop being so lazy and bother to care about story and character, especially now that people have so many options for entertainment. Star power isn’t everything. It’s just a piece of the pie. So y’all better learn how to bake better or you’re gonna go out of business.

Cautionary Tale: Agatha All Along

Posted by :letitia.carelock@gmail.com On : November 3, 2024

Category: Book & Movie Reviews, Inspiration, Things X Taught Me About Writing

Tags:agatha harkness, billy maximoff, blog post, cautionary tale, Doctor Strange, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, kyoko m, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, marvel comics, mcu, rant, tommy maximoff, vision, wanda maximoff, WandaVision

Like most people, I don’t fucking appreciate it when someone wastes my time.

To preface this Cautionary Tale episode, I will say that I am among the minority in terms of how I feel about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I disagree with people that claim everything went downhill after Avengers: Endgame. I in fact vehemently disagree. I think the company itself has had issues with quality control for certain– *stares motherfuckerly at Ant Man 2, Loki seasons 1 and 2, Thor 4, Doctor Strange 2, and Secret Invasion* –but I don’t think they’re hacks and I don’t think everything after Phase 3 was crap. I think they simply lost the thread and need to get back on track for consistently good material instead of this wild variation between good and crap.

Well, I can say with full confidence that if they ever make another show as bad as Agatha All Along, then the people who hate the MCU are going to have a lot of future material to complain about. And I might join them at that point.

For those who don’t know, I’ll do a brief recap of the premise of what led us up to the “story” in Agatha All Along. From this point forward, I will be spoiling the events of WandaVision and Agatha All Along as well as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so if you’re behind on those works, you may want to come back after you’ve seen them.

In WandaVision, Wanda basically snapped after finding out the government took Vision’s body after he was murdered in Infinity War and were essentially trying to reconstruct him. They were unsuccessful, to a point, so she now has confirmation the love of her life is gone forever. She was crushed to come back to life after Endgame and find him gone forever, and in her grief, she created a Hex that created an alternate reality that trapped a very small town of people inside her delusional fantasy in which Vision was alive and well and she had twin boys and a picturesque life that was modeled after her favorite sitcoms growing up. Over the course of the show, she eventually becomes cognizant of what she’s done and she finally resolves to undo it all. She destroys the Hex and returns all the citizens to their normal lives except for Agatha Harkness, who turned out to be an evil witch that got close to try and steal Wanda’s powers. They have a fight and Wanda curses Agatha to not remember who she is and instead lets her live a pretend life in Westview. The events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness then occur and then this show picks up sometime after that has already gone down.

Agatha All Along picks up with Agatha still under Wanda’s spell, but a boy named Teen breaks her out of it and asks her to take him to The Witches’ Road. The Witches’ Road is a mythical alternate reality or dimension in which you are tested by several trials and if you get through them all alive, you will win the prize, which is anything that you desire, sort of like a wish at the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. In the MCU, Agatha Harkness has been rumored to be the only witch that ever made it to the end of The Road, but she was bound by Wanda and can’t use her powers, so she agrees to take Teen on the road so she can get her powers back, but they have to gather a coven first to summon it. They recruit a few other witches and the summon the Road, but they also have the Salem 7, a coven of witches that hate Agatha, and Rio, a psychotic killer witch that also hates Agatha, on their heels. They have to pass every trial alive in order to get what each of them seeks at the end.

Now, that sounds fine, right? A little convoluted, but fine. So why is Agatha All Along the subject of yet another blog post of Cautionary Tales from me?

Because I fucking hate it when a work of fiction wastes my fucking time.

Prior to the final two episodes of Agatha All Along, I was actually enjoying myself. It was nothing groundbreaking, but it held my attention and had an interesting cast. In particular, I felt Ellie and Lily were by far the best acted and written characters in the small coven. They were competent and layered characters who directly contributed to passing some of the trials on The Road. Over the course of the trials, they both die trying to save someone: Ellie dies trying to save Agatha, who absorbs her power and kills her, and Lily dies killing the Salem 7 when they come after them. It was immensely sad to see them go, but they both were fantastic characters with meaty roles, so I accepted it.

And then the last two fucking episodes happened.

To spoil, Agatha, Rio, and Teen—who turns out to be the soul of Wanda’s son Billy inhabiting a new body after the person died right when the Hex closed—have a showdown and Agatha finally lets Rio, who it turns out is really Death, kill her at last, sparing Billy’s life since they made a deal that one of them had to die. Agatha comes back as a ghost and Billy then realizes The Road was not real. Instead, what Agatha did back when she was alive in the 1700s is make up the Road to lure unsuspecting witches and steal their power and murder them all so she can have all their powers. She killed thousands of witches for centuries with this stupid fucking con. When Billy came to her, his reality warping powers that Wanda had basically made The Road real without him knowing it.

Anyone with half a brain should now be able to tell why the hell I’m so fucking angry.

The entire show was POINTLESS.

Ellie and Lily died…for nothing.

Not only did they die for nothing…they died to advance the fucking story of a fucking white woman who is a fucking mass murderer.

And the show proceeds to reward Agatha for this by letting her come back as a ghost, meanwhile the two of them had to die and go to the afterlife.

Oh, and the only black witch? She got no backstory while everyone else there got a backstory.

Again, no one reading this should be surprised that the ending of this show ENRAGED me.

How. Dare. You.

How dare you make a twist that not only trivializes the deaths of two minorities over a white woman who is a mass murderer, but how dare you then do it JUST TO DO IT. The twist does not enhance anything. All it does is subvert your expectations in an incredibly negative way. Instead of tying together ANYTHING in the previous episodes, the final two episodes of Agatha All Along take an interesting story about power, death, and the ambiguous nature of seeking power and turns into a cheap, knockoff M. Night Shymalan production.

I fiercely argue this is not an opinion, too. This is bad writing.

Do you want proof?

Fine. Here are ALL the things that have NO fucking payoff from this series with the “twist” ending that the fucking Road was never real and only Billy made it real:

-Jen’s character arc is completely unfinished. Choosing not to show us her backstory, how she was bound, why she wants power, how she survived through the centuries without it, completely makes this an Aborted Arc. Jen living at the end of the show doesn’t mean shit. You don’t get to go “oh, well, maybe if this show does well, she’ll get a spinoff and we’ll finish her arc then.” NO. If you introduced her arc and you did not finish it in this work, you have FAILED as a writer. That is not how this works. I don’t care that this is an episodic thing. You introduce it, then you fucking tie it off.

-The Salem 7 were built up as sooooo scary and contributed NOTHING to the story. They never fight them, they never trap them, and no one ever explains who they are and why only NOW they somehow found Agatha again when she’s been around in the MCU for God knows how fucking long. They die in an anticlimax after a beautiful sacrifice by Lily. Why in God’s name did you bother to even put them in? They serve NO purpose! They never catch them or hurt them or do anything at all!

-Sharon Davis, the cutesy neighbor, again, died because Agatha dragged her along to avoid having to bring Rio with them. Why was she here? She dies just to die! Why was she included at all? She adds nothing to the story and there is no payoff and her death doesn’t even affect the coven. And Rio ended up on the fucking journey anyway, so it was a waste of time and a waste of that actress’ talent considering she shows up twice and dies and it has no effect on anything.

-Lily’s sacrifice meant nothing. She died saving a woman who killed thousands of witches for her own selfish gain and who was such a low down dirty sack of shit that she taught her own fucking son to help her murder people. Why would you take this interesting, layered character and sacrifice her for a mass murderer? What about that is satisfying? What about that is meaningful?

-Ellie’s sacrifice meant nothing. She died saving a woman who killed thousands of witches for her own selfish gain. Again, why? What does that say about this fucking story that she had to die so some evil piece of shit could keep fucking people over for her own gain?

-The story starts and ends at the exact…same…fucking…place. The ENTIRE ordeal that resulted in the deaths of two innocent fucking women did not affect anything. The only thing it changed is Billy can now access his powers and wants to find Tommy. Agatha is dead, but a ghost and still alive to fuck people over, so the entire motherfucking eight hours of my life have been wasted on a story in which only TWO things have changed since it happened.

-Billy gets mad at Agatha after discovering The Road was just a con and tries to banish her, but then inexplicably he’s fine with being a murderer ONE conversation after he just tried to banish her. WHAT CHANGED!? What changed about Agatha murdering thousands of witches and you just killed two people with your magic for no reason? Why would you EVER think you wanted Agatha around after watching her admit to being a mass murderer? Why would you EVER think she could help you? Nothing she’s done has indicated she will be of any use and chances are great all she’ll do is find a way to come back to life and steal your power. It makes no sense that Billy is fine with having killed Ellie and Lily and is now besties with Agatha again after she abandoned him and just happened to have second thoughts. It was the worst attempt at a redemption arc that I have ever seen in my life. It is a pathetic, nonsensical showing of bad writing and I will die mad because I know this entire fandom ate it right up.

Many people in my life have heard my rant about what I call White Heifer Syndrome, and Agatha All Along is no different from that argument. Once again, a major studio has written a story in which a white woman fucks over hundreds of people and does not suffer the direct consequences of what she’s done, and her actions fucked over people of color in particular and that is why I am this angry at this show. I am sick and tired of watching white women in fiction fuck over hundreds of people and be treated like they’re a girlboss. Agatha Harkness is a fucking monster and I was FINE WITH IT when the show was treating her like a monster. Then the show proceeds to ignore Jen and give us Agatha’s “boo fuckity hoo” backstory and act like this literal mass murderer should garner my sympathy. Because you know, having a tragic backstory makes it all okay. All those dead witches, don’t worry about it! Feel sorry for poor, poor Agatha and her dead kid! It’s just the most crushing thing ever, isn’t it?

So what can we learn from this unmitigated fucking disaster?

Fuck twist endings. Yeah, I said. Fuck ‘em. I have completely reached a point of not wanting any major studio to handle a twist ending ever again. Stop making a twist just to make a twist. Subverting expectations only works when it is service to the story and the characters. If you do it just to avoid us predicting the outcome, you’ve insulted everyone’s intelligence and wasted their time.

Stop glorifying mass murderers and then trying to justify their behavior with a tragic backstory. A dead kid is no fun for anyone, but I am not about to excuse this empty ass bitch for slaughtering thousands to get more power all because boo hoo, your son is dead. Go to therapy, you jackass. If you’re gonna be evil, then be evil and shut the hell up about your pain because nobody cares. Like Rocket Racoon once said, everybody’s got dead people. It doesn’t give you the right to get everyone around you killed and then walk away from it with a smile, acting like you deserve anything other than misery. Stop asking the audience to treat white mass murderers like pop stars. Just stop it.

Stop killing women of color to advance a white woman’s story and then glorifying said white woman as if she somehow deserves their sacrifices. Women of color are not your fucking stepping stone. We are not your tools. We are not your Magical Negroes who advance white stories and then promptly fucking die for our trouble. Make these white women earn their keep themselves and stop forcing women of color onto their knees so white women can stand on their backs and declare themselves girlbosses. Hold these awful characters accountable and let women of color have agency of their own.

If you introduce a concept or a character, then you need to tie that off by the end of the work or you need directly address how it’ll be resolved in a future work. I don’t give a damn that Jen lived through the ordeal and got her powers back and may appear in the future. There was NO reason to focus an entire episode on Agatha being a mass murderer and shoving Jen aside when the other characters all got to have their backstories explored. Don’t think I didn’t notice the only black character got shafted, and don’t think I didn’t notice she’s a brown-skinned black woman at that and was fucked over by this story. I am not going to keep showing up to any property that cannot treat women across the board the same in terms of importance. This show was an utter disservice to these actresses and just served to glorify a woman who in no way deserves anything but hatred.

Marvel Cinematic Universe, I want nothing more than to keep loving you as I have over the last twenty years, but if THIS is the best that you can do…

You might be the next Cautionary Tale.

Get it the fuck together, MCU.

Signed,

An Angry Fangirl Named Kyoko

Ghost Protocol: Dating in the New Millennium by C.R. Burnett Q & A

Posted by :letitia.carelock@gmail.com On : October 31, 2024

Category: Author Events, Book & Movie Reviews

Tags:blog post, book announcement, c r burnett, comedy, ghost protocol, ghost protocol: dating in the new millennium, new release, romance, short stories, upcoming release

Everyone, I am pleased to announce that an upcoming romantic comedy and life experiences book will be hitting shelves soon from an associate of mine, C.R. Burnett! Read below for more details!

Ghost Protocol: Dating In The New Millennium delves deep into the realms of ghosting, online dating, and the ever-elusive search for true love. Ms. Burnett’s empathetic approach to the subject matter allows readers to relate to the struggles and triumphs of the characters, offering valuable insights and advice for navigating the turbulent waters of modern romance.

With her unparalleled ability to capture the essence of our time, C.R. Burnett emerges as a visionary voice within the realm of relationship literature. Her debut short story collection promises to be an indispensable guide for anyone traversing the dating landscape of the new millennium, providing both solace and inspiration in equal measure.

Release date: November 23rd, 2024

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/hLEk_TieZZw

About the Author:

C.R. Burnett is an emerging author who has brought forth a captivating insight into the intricacies of modern-day dating with her inaugural book, Ghost Protocol: Dating In The New Millennium. With a unique perspective and a knack for understanding the complexities of human relationships, Ms. Burnett masterfully navigates the ever-evolving world of romance in this thought-provoking and engaging read.

As an author, Ms. Burnett’s writing style seamlessly blends humor, wit, and astute observations, creating a literary experience that leaves readers both entertained and enlightened. Through her compelling storytelling, she sheds light on the challenges faced by contemporary individuals seeking connection in an era marked by technological advancements and societal shifts.

–

I sat down with Ms. Burnett for an interview that I’d love to share with you!

When did you start to write and what drove you to write this book?

I began writing at a very young age—just three years old—when I first mimicked the words in the letters my father sent to my mother when he was in the Air Force and stationed abroad. This early exposure to the written word sparked a lifelong passion for writing. I was inspired to write Ghost Protocol: Dating in the New Millennium based on my own experiences and those of others as we navigated the complexities of attempting to form genuine relationships in a digital age. As online dating became the new norm, I witnessed firsthand the challenges and often awkward moments that come with trying to connect with others in this evolving landscape. This book aims to explore those experiences and offer insight into finding meaningful connections in a world increasingly defined by technology.

What can you tell us about the book?

Ghost Protocol: Dating in the New Millennium delves into the complexities of forming genuine relationships in an era where access to anyone, anywhere, paradoxically leads to greater disconnection. It explores various relationship types, including friendships, romantic connections, and family dynamics, highlighting the breakdown of communication in our interactions with each other. Drawing from both personal anecdotes and the experiences of others, it uncovers the challenges and awkward moments of navigating relationships in general while seeking to provide insights for fostering meaningful connections in real life in this increasingly digital world.

Tell us more about yourself. What’s your background?

Well, I was born on an Air Force Base in Kansas, lived in quite a few states due to my father’s enlistment, and once he completed his duty, we settled in Nashville, TN where I grew up and call home. I graduated from high school and college in Kansas, where my parents are both originally from. I’ve always had a passion for storytelling, which first emerged in grade school when I began writing short stories featuring my friends and me as heroines in supernatural adventures. This love for writing continued into junior high, where I served as an editor for the school newspaper, honing my skills in crafting engaging narratives. In high school, I turned to poetry as a way to process my experiences and emotions, and I contributed to a poetry review publication that deepened my appreciation for the art form.

I pursued a Bachelor of Arts in English Creative Writing at Kansas State University, followed by a Master’s in the same field from Southern New Hampshire University. It was during my graduate studies that I began working on my book as a capstone project, culminating in my graduation in 2017. Since then, I have also had the privilege of teaching English at the college level, where I share my love for literature and writing with my students.

What made you decide to write about the perils of modern dating?

You know, if I had a dollar for every crazy conversation screenshot that I’ve collected over the years, I could probably fund a small indie film about modern dating! I’m saving them for the revival of my Woke Girls Don’t Date podcast. Seriously, it’s astonishing how decorum seems to have taken a back seat in today’s online interactions.

What really drove me to write about the perils of modern dating is how vastly different it feels now compared to the 80s and 90s. Back then, dating had a certain simplicity and sincerity that seems lost today. Now, with the internet providing both a shield for people to hide behind and an overwhelming number of options, it feels like many people are reluctant to truly commit, fearing they might miss out on something—or someone—better. It also seems like everyone is afraid of being who they truly are for fear of being either judged or rejected. These paradoxes complicate connections, making the pursuit of anything genuine and meaningful feel much more daunting than I remember from my single days before marriage.

Do you have any other ideas you’d like to write someday?

One writing project that I am focusing on next is completing my novel, Snow Falls on Darkness, which I’ve been developing for quite some time. The story is loosely based on my real-life experience of surviving a relationship with a narcissist who became dangerous after I discovered his infidelity and broke up with him. It delves into the complexities of relationships, the importance of female friendships, and how longevity doesn’t always equate to loyalty. The narrative highlights an unexpected bond formed between women from different backgrounds—an African American female lead and a white woman seeking help to escape her toxic marriage to that same man. It’s a story I believe needs to be told, and I hope it resonates with many. You can find the prologue to the story at http://snowfallsondarkness.blogspot.com.

In addition to completing my next novel, I’m fleshing out a book of poetry and another novel I started some time ago that’s tentatively titled The Marilyn Monroe Syndrome. This story follows a woman into her golden years who explores the idea of having multiple men in her life for various purposes (most of them nonsexual), reflecting on Ms. Monroe’s belief that no one man can fulfil all the qualities a woman seeks to have in a successful relationship with a man. I’m particularly looking forward to interviewing a vibrant 80+ year-old woman in North Carolina who has lived this dynamic since the passing of her second husband; I can’t wait to learn about her insights on this intriguing concept!

Which series or films do you think people who would like your book watch? Is your book similar to something they’d already recognize?

While there isn’t a specific series, film, or book that closely resembles Ghost Protocol: Dating in the New Millennium, I believe readers who enjoy relatable narratives about everyday life and relationships will appreciate my work. I intentionally steer clear of stereotypes and the typical overdone African American tropes; instead, my characters are just like you and me, facing universal struggles such as communication and connection. This focus on authentic experiences makes the story relatable to a diverse audience, allowing them to see themselves in the characters’ journeys.

You currently reside in Dallas, TX. Did that have any influence on what you wrote in the book?

While I believe the experiences highlighted in Ghost Protocol: Dating in the New Millennium are universal themes, Atlanta, Georgia, serves as the backdrop for the stories in this book. It’s often stated that Atlanta has a notably imbalanced ratio of eligible women to men especially in the African American community, which adds a unique context to the narratives of my stories. From ghosting to catfishing, this book delves into the ups and downs of relationships in the digital age, offering insights and perspectives that I hope will resonate with readers everywhere, including those in Dallas, TX and beyond.

What made you choose the title Ghost Protocol: Dating in the New Millenium?

I chose the title Ghost Protocol: Dating in the New Millennium because it perfectly captures that Urban Dictionary definition of ghosting — “when a person is seen as not being fully present in their dealings and communications with other people.” It’s like everyone’s playing hide and seek, but without the seeking part! The term “protocol” adds a dash of humor to this deliberate process of avoiding conflict and communication, like we’re all part of an unwritten rulebook on how to disappear. I think I just invented a new diagnosis — Ghost Protocol Syndrome! Haha! It is both fascinating and frustrating how in a world where we have more ways to connect than ever, we often end up feeling more disconnected. It’s like we’ve got smartphones but lack the heart-signal strength for a true connection!

Which other writers and books do you enjoy?

I have a deep love for many great African American authors that I studied in college and continue to read, such as Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and Frederick Douglass — there are so many more! I also enjoy works by Neale Donald Walsch, Richard Bach, Dan Brown, Robert Ludlum, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and J.K. Rowling. I’m drawn to stories and ideas that open the mind to new possibilities and perspectives, especially unique character journeys that break the mold, as well as narratives rooted in reality, such as the mysteries throughout humanity’s history that leave you questioning their truth and the conspiracies surrounding them.

Interested in more? This book will be available on November 23^rd, 2024 in e-book and paperback! Stay tuned for the pre-order link, plus a chance to win prizes!

ConTinual Panel: Marvel’s Echo (Comics Lair)

Posted by :letitia.carelock@gmail.com On : May 12, 2024

Category: Book & Movie Reviews

Tags:alachua cox, blog post, charlie cox, daredevil, echo, fantasy, Hawkeye, kyoko m, Marvel Cinematic Universe, marvel comics, Marvel Studios, maya lopez, mcu, wilson fisk

Honestly, what can be said about Marvel Studios’ absolutely amazing mini-series about Maya Lopez? A lot! So come hang out with me and a bunch of nerds discussing the incredible recent show, Echo.

Comics Lair ConTinual Panel: Across the Spider-Verse

Posted by :letitia.carelock@gmail.com On : April 11, 2024

Category: Book & Movie Reviews, Inspiration

Tags:Across the Spider-Verse, blog post, Comics Lair, con-tinual, ConTinual, Into the Spider-Verse, kyoko m, Marvel, marvel comics, Miles Morales, online panel, panel, Peter Parker, Sony, Spider-Man, Spider-Verse

Come join me and other geeks talking about one of the best comic book movies in recent history, Across the Spider-Verse! All hail Burrito Peter!

Comics Lair ConTinual Panel: The Marvels

Posted by :letitia.carelock@gmail.com On : February 1, 2024

Category: Book & Movie Reviews

Tags:blog post, Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, ConTinual, facebook live, Kamala Khan, kyoko m, live, Marvel Cinematic Universe, marvel comics, Marvel Studios, mcu, Monica Rambeau, panel, panels, The Marvels, youtube live

I hope you enjoyed The Marvels as much as we did! If so, please join me and a panel of wonderful fans as we discuss the ins and outs of The Marvels!

An Ode to American Fiction (2023)

Posted by :letitia.carelock@gmail.com On : January 26, 2024

Category: Book & Movie Reviews, Inspiration

Tags:american fiction, american fiction (2023), black authors, black fiction, black people, blog post, issa rae, kyoko m, Oscars 2023, Oscars 2024, sterling k brown, The Academy Awards, The Oscars, thinkpiece, urban fiction

“The flame might be gone, but the fire remains

And I’m stuck on a path to my own ruin

Did you see me behind the wheel?

And the flame might be gone, but the fire…

-“Remembered” by The Dear Hunter

Sometime in the middle of last year, I heard the premise for American Fiction (2023) and thought it sounded like an absolutely genius concept completely relevant to not just my experiences as an author, but the experiences of a whole bunch of POC that I personally know. Lo and behold, upon viewing it, they knock most of it out of the park (I don’t like the final act, personally; I think it doesn’t feel cohesive and satisfying enough to end what was a REALLY good story in the first and second acts). Enough that it’s why I felt like I wanted to blow the dust off my blog for an entry. I think this movie is going to give us a lot of cud to chew as a society, and that it’s definitely a conversation worth having among black authors in particular.

Let’s get into it. Before we start, spoilers for American Fiction (2023). At the time of this post, it is still in theaters so if you want to get the juicy details, I recommend you pop out to a theater. Its theatrical run was extended thanks to the Oscar nominations.

American Fiction is about a struggling black professor named Thelonious “Monk” Ellis who is vexed by the fact that his work is actually quite good, but it doesn’t sell because it’s complex and not palatable to the masses. After a lot of misfortune, he gets the idea to write a book that’s both pandering to urban fiction readers and is a middle finger to the industry that puts out books that basically (in his opinion) reinforce harmful black stereotypes and sends it to his publisher under a different pseudonym, laughing that he will get reviled reactions to writing tripe. Well, the opposite happens! Immediately, a huge publisher says they want the book and to offer him friggin’ $750,000 for it. Monk is gobsmacked, but since his sister just died and his mother was just diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, he reluctantly decides to take the offer. Things get even more complicated when the book blows up as a number one bestseller and he gets a movie deal, despite his chagrin and embarrassment, and he struggles to reconcile the fact that the worst thing he’s ever written is now his most successful book.

So, in my family, my older brother and have a running joke about the fact that I am a fairly good writer (or at least I feel that I might be one; none of the good writers ever know it or believe it even when given evidence) but I make nothing off my books because I don’t write to market, and if I just sold out and wrote bad smut or books for basic bitches, I’d be a millionaire.

You can see why I went right out to see this film as a result.

American Fiction’s biting sarcasm and relentless exposure of the faults in the publishing world and the black community is definitely going to be remembered by all relevant parties. This film shines a light on something that the average person, regardless of race, ethnicity, and nationality, probably doesn’t know. Way too many people don’t know how the writing and publishing world works, and this film does. It truly gets it. It gets what black writers go through and it gets what the mainstream publishing world sounds like. Whoever wrote it definitely has either experienced this crap directly or is intimate with someone who does, because everything in the film proceeds exactly how it does in real life, for the most part.

And that’s what got me thinking.

If I had to sum up American Fiction (2023) in a word, I’d say it’s about responsibility.

So in the story, one of the reasons Monk decides to write the most base and pandering piece of crap novel is after having to endure watching a book seemingly just like it blow up by a black female author named Sindra. It inadvertently puts him on edge every time he has to be somewhere and see her book, given that the book just panders to every black stereotype since that is the genre expectation for urban fiction. Finally, in the third act, he and the author are in the same room and he asks her why she considered his book (keep in mind, she has no idea he wrote it) pandering, yet hers doesn’t count. She fires back that she’s writing to market and that it’s not her fault if white people or other people think that all black people behave the way they do in urban fiction. The film is basically examining personal responsibility as an author and in particular, as a black author.

And I can say for certain that is going to ring through the halls of history as relevant for decades to come.

The film has a very intelligent argument and I appreciate the living hell out of it being in a big production movie that is now an Oscar nominee. Now, don’t get me wrong—fuck the Oscars. Yeah, I said it. They’re archaic, antiquated, and utter crock. Most of the time, if a good movie gets an Oscar nom, it’s a fucking coincidence. The Academy in no way is interested in awarding the “best” movie anything; this is a room full of people that wanna be pandered to, and the harder you pander, the more they’ll pat you on the back, which is why damn near every year is the same fucking movies getting nominated. It’s aggravating as hell and it’s why they are continuously losing the public’s attention. People are tired of unknown garbage getting attention, especially since the Academy is who’s being lambasted by the very same film they nominated. The Academy doesn’t want to hear shit from POC unless it’s a story about their pain. Every once in a blue moon, you’ll get competent and joyful films winning like Everything Everywhere All at Once, but largely if POC are nominated, especially black people, it’s because it’s talking about our pain, not our triumph, and the Academy seems to think the only relevant stories we can tell are about our pain, which is exactly what is discussed in this film, and it’s handled rather well.

But I do take a departure from Sindra’s argument.

Sindra’s argument boils down to “people enjoy what I write and I’m not wrong to write to that market; it’s the responsibility of white people to not believe nothing but stereotypes.” That’s a good, solid argument…but I disagree. I understand the argument completely and I think I agree to an extent, but my problem with what’s discussed in the film is more of a long term, wider scale problem than an isolated one.

The reason that I dislike that type of writing is that it reinforces negative stereotypes about black people that affects things outside of just the reading world. What I’m concerned about is the long term effects of writing that kind of fiction. Sindra is correct; it is the responsibility of society to not reinforce negative stereotypes, but I argue that authors hold some of that responsibility too. It is for this very reason that you see a lot of popular white authors either never writing black people (even if the character LIVES IN THE MIDDLE OF FUCKING CHICAGO NOT POINTING FINGERS OR ANYTHING BUT YOU KNOW WHO THE FUCK YOU ARE) out of fear that they’ll “get something wrong” and offend POC or they seldom write them and cheat readers out of what could be an interesting character and story. If these white authors don’t have POC in their lives, first of all, that’s sad and they need to get their shit together, but second of all, they feel like they’re too scared to write POC because all they’ve ever seen are Tyler Perry movies and Worldstar and Eric Jerome Dickey books, so they have zero frame of reference for the black experience, so they skip it. While that’s an isolated problem, it’s much bigger than that. The problem I have with Sindra’s argument is that when you endorse this type of writing, there are real life consequences.

I’ll give you an example. Let’s say there is a job opening for a front desk clerk at a dentist’s office. The hiring manager has two candidates that are the same age, have the same level of education, and have the same level of experience needed for the job. Both of them have great interviews, too. One is black and the other is white. For the sake of the argument, let’s say this hiring manager is white. Now, here he sits with two resumes of identical people. How does he make that decision? Well, if this hiring manager has seen nothing but Tyler Perry movies and reality TV shows, what are the chances he starts thinking about his black potential candidate as being a problem? More than likely, it’s gonna creep into his head and influence the decision, so he passes on the black candidate based on falsified evidence of what black people are like. That’s my problem with Sindra’s argument. This is of course a small situation and I’m sure that black candidate doesn’t want to work for someone who would turn him down based on him believing an incorrect stereotype, but that’s my point.

Opportunities can be taken away from black creatives based on negative stereotypes. And that isn’t just black people, too—people of color in general have to struggle with the fact that the white population is still in control of most of America’s working parts, and so we have to contend with extra stress and problems that they don’t necessarily have based on race. This is of course not to say white people don’t have problems; of course they do, they have the same problems except for the fact that when white people act out, no one blames the entire race. And that’s what black people—and POC in general—have to contend with on a daily basis. I cannot tell you how many micro-aggressions I’ve had to endure being a black woman in the South. It’s truly maddening how differently you’re treated as a black woman in America, but the South really can get under your skin and make you frustrated with how they handle everything down here. Sindra’s argument, to me, is too idealistic. I would love to live in a world where stereotypical behavior is not viewed as blamed on an entire race of people.

But that’s not the world we live in.

Someone once said that being a woman is like ballroom dancing backwards in high heels, and it is. But I would argue being black is very similar. We can’t just be as good as our white counterparts—we have to be better in every way, and even when we are better (though to be fair, better is a very subjective term for this argument), there is still an enormous possibility that we get nowhere because the person at the gate is someone who looks at us and sees nothing but negative stereotypes. We have to work ten times harder for the same reward that would’ve been considered on normal merit had we not been a POC. That’s why I don’t agree that there is no responsibility with us as black writers. I think we have to pay attention to what we’re putting out there because even if it seems like no one cares and no one’s watching, someone certainly is and they can unknowingly affect the outcome of a black person’s life based on their experiences. I’d love to say that we can get there as a society, but I’m not confident in our ability to understand complexities.

But that’s also what I like about the film. It is a complicated argument with plenty of support for both sides and I love that someone wanted to have this conversation at all. This is exactly what all low-to-mid-level black authors go through at some point, especially the indie and small press crowd. I certainly don’t feel negatively towards urban fiction; who the hell am I to judge? If y’all saw my Browser History on AO3, you’d have plenty of stones to throw into my little glass house. But what I am saying is that I think it’s still our responsibility as black authors to think before we write something that might have a Domino effect down the line, but we also need to call out the people who make shitty decisions based on stereotypes at all times. We can’t let up on that. It’s ridiculous to sum up a whole race of people based on a 90 minute movie or a season of a reality show. We shouldn’t do it to each other and we shouldn’t do it to other races, nationalities, and ethnicities. Hell, that’s how we’ve had a resurgence of fucking Nazis in America; instead of punching them in the face, people said “we should hear them out” and now we’ve got a whole ass third of the country insane enough to storm the fucking Capitol to assassinate the Speaker of the House and the goddamn former Vice President. This. Stuff. Matters.

And yes, I know that’s a huge example for such a modest film, but that’s why I feel so strongly about the argument the movie presents. It’s surprisingly the small stuff that can make a difference in the writing world. I also think that every writer, no matter how successful, should be fostering friendships and relationships to help each other out. We are not in competition. All of us should reach down and pull the person below us on the ladder up, not pull the ladder up behind us so they can’t reach out of fear. We have to uplift if we want things to change. We have to keep having these conversations to eradicate as much of that learned hatred as possible.

And I really think films like American Fiction (2023) are how we get closer to that goal.

So thank you to everyone who had anything to do with making it. Even though I didn’t feel the ending was right, I really had a good time with the first and second acts and I hope they get to bring home the (irrelevant) gold just because it would be good for America to find out just how fucking rough it is out here for black authors.

But we persevere.

Here’s to you, American Fiction. Knock those old bastards at the Academy dead when it comes time.

Kyoko

Cautionary Tale: Justified: City Primeval

Posted by :letitia.carelock@gmail.com On : August 23, 2023

Too much of a good thing can be bad for you, and I think there is no better example than TV shows that get after-the-fact mini-series or additional seasons after their initial run, like Justified on FX. For those who are not aware, Justified was an FX show starring the infinitely talented Timothy Olyphant as US Marshal Raylan Givens, based on the book series written by the late Elmore Leonard. Givens is a modern day cowboy of the most badass variety, and Justified is a love letter to urban cowboys. I wish I could say the show was perfect, but it is far from that; in my opinion, it should only have had four seasons. I found season five to be bad except for the most epic villain death in television history (if you must know, look up “Justified Twenty-One Foot Rule” on YouTube and sit back and enjoy), and season six was dogshit. Therefore, when it was announced there would be a new mini-series ten or so years later, I remained cautiously optimistic and began to tune in each week via Hulu.

And what I found is unfortunately a lot like when Dexter ended, then returned to try and close the loop a little better the next time around.

Which is the subject of today’s episode of Cautionary Tales.

So all the way back in the year of our Lord 2015, I wrote a cautionary tale blog post about Justified’s lousy final season. To sum it up, the last season was very forced and it was apparent the writers had no more good ideas as they’d used them up in seasons 1-4, so the last season ended on a pathetic whimper and I won’t get into it because it’s a sore subject. But I knew all the way back then that there was a finite amount of talent in the writers’ room, and I had hoped that the big gap of time between the end of the original run and the revival would have given them the time to find a good story. I actually bothered to grab the book that this series is loosely based on, City Primeval by Elmore Leonard, just because I wanted a preview of what I might expect here. The book has a reputation for basically being a middle of the road title for Leonard’s career, but the reason I’ve brought it up is because of the context. This book has nothing to do with Raylan Givens. The book is actually about a character named Raymond Cruz, but the Justified producers decided to take Cruz out and plop Raylan in since the show, while never an enormous hit, had a modest viewing of two million viewers until the final season, which lost about half a million viewers after season five was NOT good and season six was even worse. They knew they had a built in audience that would likely return for a revival, so they decided to take the plot from the book and just assign it to Raylan instead.

And honestly, I think it was a mistake.

Not a huge mistake. Not a catastrophic “I hate this” mistake.

The problem is that this revival is nothing but wheel-spinning.

Let’s get into why this is today’s lesson of cautionary tales.

Naturally, massive spoilers for the ending of Justified and for episodes 1-7 of Justified: City Primeval. At the time of this post, the series finale has not aired, so this is more of a retrospective recap and discussion of where I think things went wrong.

Alright, so here’s the basic set up: in the original series, Raylan was reassigned back to his hometown of Harlan county Kentucky after he shot a mobster to death in a crowded restaurant in broad daylight in Miami. Long story short, the original series ends with him surviving Harlan and going back to Florida, which was where he was before the shooting. We pick up close to ten years later with a very seasoned Raylan dealing with his preteen daughter, Willa, whom he had with his ex-wife Winona, and Raylan catches a case that sends him up to Detroit, Michigan. Now, Raylan is very familiar with some Detroit mobsters that had a foothold in Harlan county because it’s a backwater town full of gross racist pieces of shit and so the drug trade is huge in Harlan and so is the general crime. After arriving to Detroit, he crosses paths with Clement Mansell, an Oklahoma Wildman who has no regard for literally anyone or anything. Through sheer dumb luck, the judge Raylan was working with runs into Mansell and Mansell snaps, killing the judge and his assistant in their car in the dead of night and taking the judge’s book full of blackmail material on dozens of Detroit citizens. Mansell, who is a career criminal but managed to walk on a technicality thanks to his lawyer-under-duress, Carolyn Wilder, then gets with another one of his associates named Sweetie to start blackmailing the people in the judge’s book to make money off them, citing that once he has enough, he and his side piece bimbo Sandy will retire to the tropics.

Now, that sounds like an alright idea on paper, but unfortunately, I think the bad writing from the final season carried over into this one. The biggest problem of the show so far is that while I get that Raylan is a fish out of water, none of the things that make him a great character other than that sly sense of humor and swagger are present in this mini-series.

Raylan Givens has two important things working for him as a US Marshal: he’s incredibly intelligent and observant and he’s an amazing shot. Those two traits define him as a character. Most of the fun of the original show is watching the Harlan criminals figure out that Raylan’s intelligence and perception mixed with being a crackshot make him next to impossible to evade or defeat. And what I’ve always loved about Raylan is that he is always fair. Almost every time he’s had to confront a convict or an escaped felon, he explains exactly what he’s going to do and what their situation is and he lets them make a choice. And 99% of the time, the dopes in Harlan county think they can either outthink or outdraw Raylan and they are dead wrong, pun intended. So I was excited to see Raylan in a new environment, ready to see him adjust and change and grow in this new city.

And yet I’ve gotten 7 episodes of absolutely nothing.

I’m someone who understands that a new series can mean that they make changes and I won’t necessarily always like said changes, and that’s okay. The issue I have with this particular change is that it makes me wonder why they bothered to tell this story if Raylan’s intelligence and amazing shooting skills are not at all in use this entire series. He never gets the drop on Mansell. He and the Detroit cops fumble the investigation so badly that I frankly would be annoyed if I were a real Detroit cop because they basically make them look incompetent. The decision to basically neuter Raylan and not give him any decent leads or even just use his own intuition to figure out how to get this guy behind bars is infuriating. The difference with this series in particular is that it’s not like Mansell is very clever in how he commits crimes. The guy is blatantly doing whatever he wants, but the Detroit cops are so stupid that they somehow still can’t lock him up. So forgetting the judge and assistant’s murders, he also attempts to rob an Albanian guy at gunpoint and breaks his leg when the guy doesn’t have any money for him to steal. He was caught on audio by the police trying to blackmail a civil servant. He murders his co-conspirator, Sweetie, and burns down the bar. He executes the guy whose condo he and his bimbo had been staying in, basically for no reason, in broad daylight in an upscale condo. Did you read all of that? Now explain to me how the heck the cops can’t find any hard evidence or anything to get this guy locked up?

I’ll tell you how: shoddy writing. And unfortunately, this has been a problem for as long as fiction has existed. Often, lazy writers don’t want to make a villain smart and always one step ahead of the protagonist because it’s “too hard,” so what they do instead is simply make a dumb protagonist who bumbles all the attempts to catch the villain. And that’s really the biggest issue I have with Justified: City Primeval. The writers decided to take the easy way out by making the Detroit cops idiots and make Raylan a neutered puppy who can’t anticipate any of Mansell’s moves or gather any evidence that would lead to some kind of conviction. All of the momentum of the previous show is not present in this mini-series.

And you know, I’d be less salty about it if the content we’re seeing that is not Raylan investigating Mansell was good, but it’s not. Now, I will say that Raylan and Carolyn Wilder’s fling is by far the only legitimate enjoyment I’ve gotten out of the show. You’re welcome to throw a Criminal Offensive Side Eye at me for it; I’ve wanted Timothy Olyphant to have a black female love interest for 10 years and this series gave me exactly what I’ve always wanted (just no sex scenes, grrrr) and I’m okay with my own bias in that regard, but everything else in the show suffers as a result of the show not delivering good content. The performances are good, don’t get me wrong, but nothing is even coming close to the enjoyment we had back in Harlan county with the kooky criminals and the interesting fellow marshals in Lexington. This revival comes across as a cash grab leaning on an established IP to get viewers.

And based on the reactions from the Justified fandom, I don’t think the show is hitting for them either. I’ve been hearing complaints about Raylan’s lack of police work since episode two. I personally had reserved judgment and was hoping it was going slow in the beginning, but it would pick up in the middle, but it didn’t. The needle has not moved an inch. The entire plot is only moving forward because of Mansell, not Raylan, so in the end, it makes the show feel like Raylan was the Decoy Protagonist and the show is instead all about Mansell, who is an irritating piece of shit in every regard, and it annoys me greatly that this actor’s fangirls have clogged the Tumblr tag with a bunch of disgusting simping for a man who murdered his own mother in cold blood and threatened to rape an underage girl in front of her father. But that’s a long story I’m not gonna get into.

The central fact of the matter is that if you’re going to resurrect a show, then you have to do your due diligence in—and pun fully intended here—justifying its existence. From what I read of the book, it was a decent story that was worth telling. This story is not worth telling. It adds nothing to Raylan’s dimensions as a character and the “rivalry” they are attempting to set up with Raylan vs. Mansell is weak because the show has not developed it. I went through my head and thought about how many scenes Raylan and Mansell have had together and oddly enough, it’s not very much. He gets under Raylan’s skin because he’s a slimeball and knows it and yet the laws of man somehow just don’t apply to this guy, but that’s it. There is nowhere near the history between them like some of Raylan’s far better opponents like Boyd Crowder or Dickie Bennett. They might as well have just not made this revival in the first place if the only thing that would be good about it was Raylan gettin’ it on with a smart, powerful black woman who can handle him in a way none of the skanks he’s slept with in the past ever have. (Yes, I said it. Every woman Raylan has ever slept with in the original show was a skank. Come at me, scrublords, I’m ripped. )

Some of the issue, too, is that the supporting cast is nowhere near as strong as the one in the show’s original run. Our cast of characters is too big and so no one’s getting the focus they should have in order to make them more interesting. I already mentioned that Mansell has a stranglehold on the screentime and everyone else is left with pieces. There have been two majorly important conversations between Raylan and Carolyn that were cut short that I think was a massive mistake: seeing how they hooked up for the first time, and this most recent episode when she bluntly asked him how he would get Mansell’s prints on the murder weapon. We should have seen more content for Carolyn, Sweetie, and the detective that Raylan’s been partnered with, Wendell. None of these relationships are elaborated on enough to really make us care about what’s transpiring. It’s all too much of a light touch with Mansell as the focus, and frankly, if the new show is so enamored with this douche, then you should have just adapted the book as-is instead of including Raylan since Raylan isn’t getting to do anything the entire time.

I also want to take a little aside here and mention a pet peeve of mine. Anyone who knows me knows about my theory about what I call White Bitch Syndrome. White Bitch Syndrome, in a nutshell, is when writers coddle white female characters (and 90% of the time they’re also blonde) when everyone else in a story has to pay for their mistakes and live with the consequences of their actions. The number one reason I hated the final season of Justified was because the show went full White Bitch Syndrome with a character named Ava Crowder, who basically spent all six seasons being a reprehensible piece of shit and got away with everything solely because white woman. Now, the bimbo Sandy Stanton is nowhere near the level of cunt that Ava Crowder is—and yes, I use that term sparingly, but Ava Crowder has earned it, trust me—but she is still being coddled and I absolutely despise the way that she’s been Mansell’s accomplice, but only now does she realize he doesn’t care about anyone but himself and would kill her the second she defected. It’s not fair for you to make all these other characters pay for their actions, but she gets to walk because she’s blonde, white, and female, but again, this was Justified’s MO in the original show. Ava got away with everything and Winona’s stupid ass walked out on Raylan too without a scratch on her, cementing her as one of the dumbest characters of all time since there is no man in Harlan county like Raylan and any woman with sense would jump at the chance to be with him. But I digress.

I guess, overall, the words I would use for this revival are “unnecessary” and “unsatisfying.” It doesn’t feel like it needed to come back if this was the material it returned to in the end. Is it better than the last season? Eh. In some ways, yes. There are better characters here and Raylan isn’t acting like a complete psychopath willing to throw his badge and life away just to kill Boyd Crowder, but at the same time, this isn’t a worthy story for Raylan Givens, especially if like I suspect, they kill him off in the series finale. This was not the right choice for him and it seems to have fallen into the traps like the Dexter revival I mentioned above (keep in mind, I never watched Dexter, but I knew it had one of the most hated finales of all-time and I know about the revival’s reception only because my dad watched it over winter break one year and we chatted about how it went).

Is it possible the series finale wows me and fixes all the problems I had in episodes 1-7? Yes. Is it likely? No. My guess is that they left all the action in the final episode so it’s an incredibly bottom-heavy series with an unsatisfying conclusion. Rest assured, if they kill Raylan off after an incredibly lackluster season, I will simply go into denial like I did with the original final season, as I sadly have had to do with a lot of shows I used to love.

So what can we learn from this debacle?

A few things, really. First, don’t bring back a beloved character unless you have something relevant to say about them or about any sort of important subject matter that you want to write about. Second, if you are more interested in writing about the antagonist than the protagonist, then you need to establish that right out of the gate instead of leading people on to think the story is centered on the protagonist. Third, learn what scenes need to be elaborated on and what can get cut that won’t be detrimental to the overall story. Fourth, don’t be lazy and make a dumb protagonist so the antagonist can get away with everything; do the work of writing a competent antagonist and a competent protagonist equally. Because if you don’t do that, you end up with a trope that has a name I forget that has to do with Lex Luthor; don’t write your bad guy getting away with his crimes so often that it induces apathy within your audience because Status Quo is God. This trope refers to Lex Luthor as the main example of how a conflict between good and evil can get boring if the bad guy ALWAYS gets away with his crimes so that the work of fiction can continue to be made. We all know that Lex is never going to jail—not for anything serious that he’s done and not for any significant length of time if they do get him on something eventually—and so Superman defeating him time and time again can get old if you’re not adding any new dimensions to the struggle. Lex fared a little better in Superman: The Animated Series because Supes and Lex were engaged in, for lack of a better word, a cold war. Lex does a bunch of illegal, shady shit and Clark tries to stop it or tries to gather evidence to either put Lex away or destroy his chances at future crimes, and that worked for that show’s format. You have to balance it with victories and losses for both sides or your audiences will lose interest.

And frankly, that’s about what happened by the time I finished watching episode 7 of City Primeval. I’ve just lost interest in what they decided to focus on and this isn’t a return to form for Raylan Givens nor this writers’ room. But what can you expect when the last season was also a dried turd?

If nothing else, I’ll commend them for giving Raylan an age-appropriate, interesting love interest with whom he had actual chemistry. That’s the best thing I can say for City Primeval, personally. I guess we’ll see if they somehow buck the system and stick the landing, but my guess is I’ll be just as disappointed with this finale as I was with the original one, and that’s a damn shame considering the enormous talent of the cast in this mini-series.

Better luck next time, my long legged cowboy boyfriend.

“On this lonely road

Trying to make it home

Doin’ by my lonesome, pissed off

Who wants some?

See them long, hard times to come…”

Farther Reefs Anthology

Posted by :letitia.carelock@gmail.com On : October 9, 2022

Category: Author Events, Book & Movie Reviews

Tags:anthology, blog post, fantasy, fiction, kyoko m, mermaids, pirates, sea stories, short stories, short story anthology, short story collection

Pirates and kraken, boats and submarines, deadly sirens, mermaids, and the women who face them all. These are our heroes.

High seas adventure, fantasy, and magic weave together in this sapphic anthology focusing on the joy of the unbounded oceans.

If you like diverse stories with lesbian and sapphic heroines exploring oceans, battling sea monsters, and seducing pirates, buy Farther Reefs today!

Pre-order a copy today! Release date is October 18th, 2022.

Of Claws and Inferno – Excerpt #2

Posted by :letitia.carelock@gmail.com On : March 4, 2022

Category: Author Events, Book & Movie Reviews

Tags:blog post, contract killers, dragons, excerpt, faye worthington, fiction, hitman, kyoko m, of cinder and bone, of cinder and bone series, of claws and inferno, stella, winston

We’re coming up on the release date for the fifth novel in the Of Cinder and Bone series, Of Claws and Inferno, so here’s your second excerpt! Spoiler alert, as always. Read the first excerpt here if you’re not caught up yet.

CHAPTER FIVE

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES

The abyss gazed back.

That was what Faye Worthington, MIT engineer and designer of the Knight Division’s dragon tracker technology, had learned over the last year.

“Hold your arms out, please.”

Faye spread her arms and legs. The guard swept her from head to toe with the metal detector, then gave her a pat down. She smirked when he returned in front of her, fluffing out her natural blonde locks around her shoulders. “Wow. You didn’t cop a feel. I’m proud of you.”

The guard gave her a stony look. She smiled wider, batting her lashes. “You have ten minutes, Ms. Worthington. Don’t make him late for his appointment.”

“Of course. Then I’d be late, since we have the same appointment.”

She heard a loud buzzing noise and then the iron gates unlocked in front of her. The guard pulled them open and she walked through them, her stride easy, relaxed, despite how she actually felt inside. Her stomach wouldn’t stop doing jumping jacks. She hadn’t been able to eat anything as a result. It annoyed her to no end.

Another guard opened a second door for her into the visitation area of the Cedar Junction Massachusetts Correctional Institution. Her heart thumped clumsily against her sternum as she walked through the maze of tables to the one designated for her and the room’s only occupant.

The man sitting at the table was of indeterminant age. His features were plain and ordinary as could be but for his dark brown eyes. Somehow or other, the fluorescent lights didn’t seem to reach them, as if they were perpetually in darkness, like twin black holes set in his brow. His head was completely shaved bald and beneath his dark red jumpsuit was a compact, muscular frame.

“Well, well, well,” Winston, hitman extraordinaire, drawled, his mouth stretching into a pointy grin. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

Faye snorted as she pulled the chair out from the table and sat down. “Excuse you. I’m wearing Prada. Nobody dragged me anywhere.”

Winston chuckled as he glanced over her exquisite red dress. “Acknowledged. I’m flattered you dressed up for me.”

Faye rolled her eyes. “You wish, bastard. Do you know how many members of the press are showing up to this farce? I have to keep up appearances. Besides, pretty sure having a nice rack will positively influence the media to give me sympathy points.”

“You’re being downright tactical about it, huh?”

Faye shrugged. “Can’t hurt my chances.”

“Chances, heh. Even without me talking, it’s pretty open and shut. I ain’t a rich politician. I was never getting off for this shit, even if I had gone with a fancy lawyer.”

Faye crossed her arms, her blue-grey eyes fixed intently on him. “And why didn’t you? We both know you’ve got the means to make it happen.”

Winston rubbed his scalp, his handcuffs jingling. “Why bother wasting the money?”

“Aren’t you up against the death penalty because you wouldn’t talk?”

Winston shrugged. “Lived a good life. If they wanna kill me, they can go ahead. Wouldn’t do what I do for a living if I were afraid of death.”

Faye’s eyes narrowed. “You said do, not did.”

Winston smiled. “Did I?”

“Uh-huh. You’re up to something.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You offered to meet with me before we go to the sentencing. Why?”

Winston touched his chest, pretending to be offended. “Blondie, I’m hurt. Are you saying you didn’t want to say goodbye? After all, this concludes our little cat-and-mouse game. They’re not going to let us have another private chat after this point. Especially not if I get the needle.”

“Let’s just say I’m skeptical that you don’t have some scheme to break yourself out of prison waiting in the wings.”

The grin returned. “You really think I’m capable of it?”

“I am more than sure you are. As much as I’d like to believe that I won our game, I’m not convinced. You let me win. I take issue with that.” The pretend amiability left her expression. Steel replaced it. “I’m not a child, Winston. You said you wanted a worthy opponent. You said you wouldn’t mind a beautiful Valkyrie like me putting you in the ground. So tell me what’s really going on here? Why didn’t you try to break out of prison to come after me?”

Winston clucked his tongue. “Too easy. That mystery you’ll have to figure out on your own. You’re smart. I’m sure you’ll get there soon enough.”

Faye shot him a sour look. “So then you brought me in here just to screw with me?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then what? Do you expect me to humanize you and ask twenty questions like the Iceman Chronicles or something?”

Winston flashed his teeth. “You know goddamn well I ain’t human, blondie.”

“Ain’t that the truth?” She sat back in her seat and scrutinized him. “Fine. If I’m not here for you, then I have to figure I’m here for Stella.”

“Winner, winner, chicken dinner.”

“What’s there to say? She’s in hot water, same as you, only worse because she shot Deputy Burns in the leg in front of the whole precinct. A lot of cops got hurt during that raid on her safe house, too. She did opt for the fancy lawyer, but we both know she’s not getting out of this either.”

“You’re assuming I brought you here to tell you something and not the other way around.”

Faye blinked in surprise. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I want to know if she’s sent anyone after you since she’s been in slam.”

“Oh. That. Yeah, she has.”

Winston scowled. “Tell me.”

Faye ran a hand through her hair. “Let’s see. There was the suspicious package delivered to our front door. We had to evacuate and call in the bomb squad, but it turned out to be a false alarm. All that was inside the box was an hourglass and a note that said, ‘You’re living on borrowed time.’ Technically speaking, it could’ve come from one of Jack and Kam’s enemies, but I wouldn’t put it past Stella. A week after that, I was walking to my car and Jack called me. Apparently, that shorted out the nice little car bomb someone attached to my Honda Civic and set it off early.”

“Jesus Christ,” Winston swore.

“Yeah, she’s a real piece of work, your ex-wife. When the bomb didn’t work, she sent McKenzie.”

Winston sucked his teeth. “Oh, that punk.”

“Yeah. He was hiding behind a dumpster when I got out of my evening hair appointment. Tried to strangle me in the parking garage.”

He snorted. “How did that go for him?”

Faye smiled. “Three broken ribs and a gunshot to the right foot.”

Winston whistled. “Atta girl.”

“And then there was Silicon Valley.”

Winston frowned. “What happened in Silicon Valley?”

“Sniper. I was leaving a conference center after a lecture about the dragon trackers. I sneezed right when he pulled the trigger, which made him miss. The bullet hit the trunk of the Uber I’d been about to get in. Total dumb luck. I took cover before he could try for another shot.”

“Did they catch the culprit?”

Faye shook her head. “Unfortunately, they think he was perched on top of a hotel. Once he blew the shot, he probably just went back inside to his room and waited it out. No one remembers seeing anything and the hotel’s old school, no cameras on the rooftop or in the hallways.”

“And when did that happen?”

“Six months ago.”

“Nothing since?”

“No.”

Winston’s frown deepened. “Don’t you think that’s suspicious?”

“I don’t think anything. I know it is. Stella’s sentencing is this Friday. Dollars to donuts, that’s when she makes her final play.”

“And just what are you going to do about it?”

“I’ve survived her twice already. Third time’s the charm. I’ve been in martial arts and sharpshooting classes since last April and I’m licensed to carry. If she’s stupid enough to try anything, then she won’t have to worry about a needle.”

Winston nodded. “Good girl. Death penalty’s up in the air for me, but the stuff they managed to unearth about Stella almost guarantees the death penalty, especially with her accepting the contract on Dr. Anjali while she was pregnant. Juries and judges aren’t supposed to be influenced by things like that, but in truth, they are. You try to kill a kid or a baby under their watch and you’re done. That’s why I never went after anyone younger than twenty-one, no matter what the price tag was. Stella doesn’t have my scruples. Predators are most dangerous when they’re cornered. This is the endgame, blondie. You’d better be ready.”

“I will be,” Faye whispered. “And this time, you won’t be there to stop me from pulling the trigger.”

“I’ve had time to think about that. And I realized this whole time you’ve been toeing that line between vengeance and justice. To some degree, I’d hoped you’d be able to keep your hands clean. Protect without becoming a killer, like me. But life doesn’t work that way. That first kill changes you.”

Faye tilted her head slightly. “When was your first kill?”

Winston met her stare for a long while, then exhaled. “I was nineteen, fighting a war I probably shouldn’t have been fighting, but it’s not like I knew that at the time.”

“Mm. Did you regret it?”

Winston grinned, but she could see the dark edges to it. “What? You think I come from some tragic backstory, blondie? That I’m a broken little boy who kills to fill that hole inside of my chest where my soul used to be? Nah. This ain’t one of them stories. I can’t dance or roll my tongue, but I can kill people pretty good. It’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at and when I lay my head down at night, I sleep like a baby. I don’t see their faces. Never have. Probably never will.”

A chill spilled through her. The matter-of-fact nature of his confession scared her more than almost anything else she’d ever heard him say.

Faye licked her lips. “They told me no one’s been able to ID you. You don’t have any family? Friends?”

“Do you think I’d tell you even if I did?”

Faye snorted. “Yeah, guess that was a stupid question. I’m going out on a limb here and guessing you left home to join the military, then faked your own death, changed your face and name, and came back a new man. That’s why no one’s recognized you even after your trial went viral. The last time they’d have seen you, you’d have been a teenager. Doesn’t matter if your family’s still alive; they’d have no way of recognizing you. The tip line turned up bupkiss, given your reputation. No one in your assassin’s guild is gonna give you up either since they know it’s a death sentence if they do. If you’ve taken any government contracts, they’re not gonna talk either to avoid implicating themselves. Given the circles you’ve traveled in, why are you still alive, Winston?”

“‘Cause I didn’t talk and I didn’t cut a deal,” he grunted. “If I’d have done either, oh, yeah, trust me, I’d be worm food right now. Great thing about having a reputation for going on a few decades is that if other killers and their handlers know you don’t talk, then there’s no need to waste resources trying to shut you up.”

Faye narrowed her eyes. “So you’re telling me no one’s tried anything with you since you’ve been caught?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Let me guess: the mob guys in Boston that you pissed off when you killed that driver?”

“Bingo. But their guys are sloppy. Too used to using brute force. They’re pretty easy to stop, comparatively speaking.”

Faye jumped slightly as she heard the guard knock on the door to give her a warning that her visitation had ended.

Winston smiled. “Time’s up, blondie. Gotta say, it was fun while it lasted. You’re something else. Watch your back.”

Faye smiled in return. “You’re a monster. You deserve to rot in a jail cell and I’m glad that I’m the one who put you in it. Just like I said I would.”

“Yeah,” he said, his eyes glittering with strange and troublesome things. “Just like you said you would.”

Faye stood and pushed in her seat before dusting off her gorgeous dress. “Goodbye, Frank.”

“Goodbye, blondie.”

She left without looking back.

–

Find out the conclusion to the cat and mouse game between Faye, Winston, and Stella in Of Claws and Inferno.

Release date: April 22nd, 2022

Pre-order available on Amazon and all other platforms for only .99 cents. Get it before April 22nd. The price will increase on April 23rd. Don’t forget to also add it to your Goodreads To Be Read shelf.

You can also sign up between now and April 22nd for the ARC program. Get a free copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review by signing up here.

See you guys back here in a month for the third and final excerpt!

Archives for : Book & Movie Reviews

Cautionary Tale: Red One

Cautionary Tale: Agatha All Along

Ghost Protocol: Dating in the New Millennium by C.R. Burnett Q & A

ConTinual Panel: Marvel’s Echo (Comics Lair)

Comics Lair ConTinual Panel: Across the Spider-Verse

Comics Lair ConTinual Panel: The Marvels

An Ode to American Fiction (2023)

Cautionary Tale: Justified: City Primeval

Farther Reefs Anthology

Of Claws and Inferno – Excerpt #2

Support Kyoko M

Subscribe to our mailing list and get any one of Kyoko M.\'s novels for FREE!

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories

Meta