A Bad Romance
Oct. 28th, 2010 09:34 am![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cuntfucius posting in ![[community profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
scans_dailyI'm tired of everyone picking on my hunk of a man, Terry Long. If he shaved his beard, you guys would be all over him. In fact, I am going to do a series one day of photoshopping his beard out of the equation, and see how the reception of his scenes change. Is it because he doesn't have a stylish villain goatee instead? Or Ollie's sexy beard?
A happier time for Donna Troy! I'll showcase all of her loves: The First Love (Roy Harper), The Love of Her Life (Terry Long), and The Second Chance at Love (Kyle Rayner). But right now, only Terry Long, because he is way sexier than Roy and Kyle.
Marriage looked good on Donna. No, really! I mean, retiring her on a farm with a bad haircut and giving her a creepy baby plot didn't look good on her, but marriage did! Or maybe it was that red suit.
YOU WISH YOU HAD A LOVE LIKE THEIRS. Oh yeah, look at that. He's all ... charming and nearly 30 and making bad jokes. This is his second wedding, and he's very excited and confident about it! How can you beat a man who loves commitment that much? He's not jaded from his past divorce, which only took place like, under two years ago at this point. Terry is a man not afraid of the altar!
Terry Long was understandably popular with the ladies. All students on campus loved him, but the girls did in particular. And why wouldn't they?
Donna don't play that shit, though.
"DROOOOOOL." Could a sexier, smoother thing be said in such a moment? I think not. Just look at his boyish charm! Watch out, world, Terry Long's coming for your heart. He compliments Donna by telling her she looks like her Mother right before they bang on the plane. I'd be fanning myself at this point. Now, it could be said that Terry idealized Donna a bit since he was so obsessed with Greek mythology and Donna was tied to it, but ... that's okay, he paid for that later with the whole Greek Tragedy bit.
"To peace, wisdom, and unity." Donna, this is not a beauty pageant.
But look at how comforting Terry is! What a MAN.
And I mean it. Comforting. He does the right thing and doesn't make it about him when Donna has something traumatizing happen to her.
Here is Donna, looking like a delicious 80s watermelon. In the first panel, she seems to be checking out Terry's chiseled physique. And who wouldn't!?
But look at that, he doesn't press the issue!
Call it creepy all you want, the way Terry Long tries to flirt with both Koriand'r AND Dick Grayson at every turn. He's just a free-lovin' man! In the end, he knows his heart is with Donna. And look: He knows she's boss, and doesn't feel emasculated at all! Meanwhile, Dick talks about Kory's culture and their "savage" ways. Oh Dick! Stop changing the subject when Terry winks at you as he massages his wife's shoulders, it's obvious you want some of the Long.
Do you guys remember Jennifer Long?
... Yeah, neither does Donna.
So there was a time when Terry got fired from his job for not doing his homework like a good boy, and he blamed Donna over it and ran off for three days to brood. Dick move, right? Well, he came back! And we are given this sweet scene.
He is a THOUGHTFUL and considerate man! Sure, he might act self-indulged once in a while, but in the end he's always going to admit when he's wrong.
Prone to dramatic posing when he feels inadequate about being a civilian and dating a super heroine. With all of the pressures on masculinity, and the expectations of a man to provide for his woman -- and with Donna leading a life he's barely involved in, I could see why he would ... uh, pose dramatically and get upset. I would too.
They don't care about a ten year age difference. PFFFT and why should they? A LOVE LIKE THEIRS CANNOT BE DEFEATED. Unless it is by Starfire. But still.
Look at those two love birds! Fandom, stop throwing paper airplanes. BE MATURE. Like the beautiful love between Terry and Donna.
And ... yet again, Donna goes off with her friends, spending a majority of her time with them, while Terry is left to kind of sulk and overthink his unemployment, inadequacy, and loserdom. But that can't tear them apart!!!
And a relationship with Donna Troy is like a walk in the park! No obstacles will ever come in your way.
Uh
Er...
Okay, about that...
Wait, surely this is a misunderstanding!!
... :(
ADMIT IT, SCANS_DAILY. YOU ARE GUILTY OF THE CARDINAL SIN... OF NOT LOVING THIS MAN. But seriously, don't tell me you wouldn't date him.
A happier time for Donna Troy! I'll showcase all of her loves: The First Love (Roy Harper), The Love of Her Life (Terry Long), and The Second Chance at Love (Kyle Rayner). But right now, only Terry Long, because he is way sexier than Roy and Kyle.
Marriage looked good on Donna. No, really! I mean, retiring her on a farm with a bad haircut and giving her a creepy baby plot didn't look good on her, but marriage did! Or maybe it was that red suit.
YOU WISH YOU HAD A LOVE LIKE THEIRS. Oh yeah, look at that. He's all ... charming and nearly 30 and making bad jokes. This is his second wedding, and he's very excited and confident about it! How can you beat a man who loves commitment that much? He's not jaded from his past divorce, which only took place like, under two years ago at this point. Terry is a man not afraid of the altar!
Terry Long was understandably popular with the ladies. All students on campus loved him, but the girls did in particular. And why wouldn't they?
Donna don't play that shit, though.
"DROOOOOOL." Could a sexier, smoother thing be said in such a moment? I think not. Just look at his boyish charm! Watch out, world, Terry Long's coming for your heart. He compliments Donna by telling her she looks like her Mother right before they bang on the plane. I'd be fanning myself at this point. Now, it could be said that Terry idealized Donna a bit since he was so obsessed with Greek mythology and Donna was tied to it, but ... that's okay, he paid for that later with the whole Greek Tragedy bit.
"To peace, wisdom, and unity." Donna, this is not a beauty pageant.
But look at how comforting Terry is! What a MAN.
And I mean it. Comforting. He does the right thing and doesn't make it about him when Donna has something traumatizing happen to her.
Here is Donna, looking like a delicious 80s watermelon. In the first panel, she seems to be checking out Terry's chiseled physique. And who wouldn't!?
But look at that, he doesn't press the issue!
Call it creepy all you want, the way Terry Long tries to flirt with both Koriand'r AND Dick Grayson at every turn. He's just a free-lovin' man! In the end, he knows his heart is with Donna. And look: He knows she's boss, and doesn't feel emasculated at all! Meanwhile, Dick talks about Kory's culture and their "savage" ways. Oh Dick! Stop changing the subject when Terry winks at you as he massages his wife's shoulders, it's obvious you want some of the Long.
Do you guys remember Jennifer Long?
... Yeah, neither does Donna.
So there was a time when Terry got fired from his job for not doing his homework like a good boy, and he blamed Donna over it and ran off for three days to brood. Dick move, right? Well, he came back! And we are given this sweet scene.
He is a THOUGHTFUL and considerate man! Sure, he might act self-indulged once in a while, but in the end he's always going to admit when he's wrong.
Prone to dramatic posing when he feels inadequate about being a civilian and dating a super heroine. With all of the pressures on masculinity, and the expectations of a man to provide for his woman -- and with Donna leading a life he's barely involved in, I could see why he would ... uh, pose dramatically and get upset. I would too.
They don't care about a ten year age difference. PFFFT and why should they? A LOVE LIKE THEIRS CANNOT BE DEFEATED. Unless it is by Starfire. But still.
Look at those two love birds! Fandom, stop throwing paper airplanes. BE MATURE. Like the beautiful love between Terry and Donna.
And ... yet again, Donna goes off with her friends, spending a majority of her time with them, while Terry is left to kind of sulk and overthink his unemployment, inadequacy, and loserdom. But that can't tear them apart!!!
And a relationship with Donna Troy is like a walk in the park! No obstacles will ever come in your way.
Uh
Er...
Okay, about that...
Wait, surely this is a misunderstanding!!
... :(
ADMIT IT, SCANS_DAILY. YOU ARE GUILTY OF THE CARDINAL SIN... OF NOT LOVING THIS MAN. But seriously, don't tell me you wouldn't date him.
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Date: 2010-10-28 04:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-28 04:59 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2010-10-28 05:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-28 05:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-28 05:20 pm (UTC)- He's a ginger. No soul. Maybe Raven could help with that, but...
- Brillo hair AND pedo facehair? Move over, Bond.
- He's divorced. You see a man unafraid of the altar. I see a man who already *failed* once and who is only willing to go at it again because he's landed a superheroine half his age. Who'd say no?
- His charisma feels very, very forced. What kind of girl would go from Roy Harper to this guy? Those aren't remotely compatible scales of taste in guys. And college girls swooning over a history professor, especially one who looks as dorky as him? Sure. Happens all the time.
Terry Long feels, to me, similar to the 40-something divorced Canadians who come here (Asia) to 'work' and then do nothing but bitch about how ineffectual they are at their jobs (because they're not really qualified) and hit on Asian high school and college girls. Eventually they hope to find one with daddy issues and marry her on back to Toronto where she'll be miserable and he'll be high-fiving his burnout buddies.
Not cool. Not cool, Terry Long.
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Date: 2010-10-28 05:45 pm (UTC)-Ginger jokes went out of style.
-There's no such thing as pedo facehair. I don't know where you got this pop culture inference but plenty of pedophiles are clean-shaven, I don't know a direct correlation between face hair and child-luvins.
-How do you see divorce as a failure? Sometimes it just doesn't work out between people. It's not as simple as to just look at it as a failure. And Donna isn't half his age. And who would say no? Terry eventually did. He initiated the divorce.
-"What kind of girl would go from Roy Harper to this guy?"
Uh, yes, they are remotely compatible in taste in guys. Terry and Roy both have inadequacy issues, bad luck in love, thought Donna was practically perfect, needed to be prodded in to responsibility often, and had less of a mature charm and more of a boyish charm. Kyle fit that pattern, too. And... uh, yes. Swooning over college professors happens a lot. Most teachers I've crushed on have been far from ideal in the looks department, and a lot of girls can say the same.
-Terry Long feels, to me, similar to the 40-something divorced Canadians who come here (Asia) to 'work' and then do nothing but bitch about how ineffectual they are at their jobs (because they're not really qualified) and hit on Asian high school and college girls. Eventually they hope to find one with daddy issues and marry her on back to Toronto where she'll be miserable and he'll be high-fiving his burnout buddies.
Now, that's a skeezy type of guy. And Terry did a LOT of whining about his job and self esteem. So I can see where you'd conflate this in, even though in canon he was never shown to hit on his students and was always shown to be not only respectful but to always consult Donna on what she wanted and needed, and yielded to her 99% of the time.
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Date: 2010-10-28 05:58 pm (UTC)DIAGNOSIS: MEANIE MCJUDGYPANTS. POSSIBLY SECRETLY IN LOVE WITH TERRY LONG.
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Date: 2010-10-29 06:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2010-10-28 05:52 pm (UTC)The really weird thing? Donna drinking from a red can that's not a Soder or a Zesti. Can't figure it out, they must have totally made up a new one just for that issue.
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Date: 2010-10-28 06:05 pm (UTC)And I think love isn't about deserving. I think Donna's agency and choice to love whoever she loves should be respected, as long as the guy respects her. But she's a fictional character and marrying a dude who is writing her, practically, so agency kind of .. isn't in the question.
I honestly just like Terry more and more out of spite of fandom :( I don't understand their weird look-bias and blanket terms they throw over him that don't even fit him. I obviously don't think he's the bees knees, and like her two other relationships more, but...still. C'mon guys, jeez >[
AHHAHAH I know. That entire issue, where they all camp, was just the weirdest issue ever. And the posing. It looked like they were barbie dolls.
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Date: 2010-10-28 08:09 pm (UTC)He's rather charmless, divorced, dating his students/former students, dating women MUCH younger than he is, whines a lot, has a red afro and facial hair (was he modeled after Bob Ross of painting fame?). And they hook him up (to the point of marrying and having a child with) Wonder Woman's sister? What teen readers of "Teen Titans" (which I presume was the actual target readership in the 80s) actually identified with him?
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Date: 2010-10-28 08:19 pm (UTC)I don't think anyone identified with him, but I also think that adolescence has extended socially and has changed in construction -- there has been much more coverage in the media, for example, on illicit student/teacher affairs, on molestation, on all of that. This can lead to more awareness, but also paranoia and false character conflation and attributes. But I think that is why he was looked at differently at the time, which isn't even to say he was loved at the time. Many people accepted their relationship as a refreshingly healthy and happy one, but there was still quite a bit resistance to him, and it got worse and worse after he was shown more and more. His insecurities were showcased, how he took them out on Donna was showcased, and the sad thing is Donna wasn't shown to really assert herself often around him when he was doing any of this stuff.
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Date: 2010-10-28 08:56 pm (UTC)That kind of hairbeard suits a toga.
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Date: 2010-10-28 09:04 pm (UTC)Yes, it totally does.
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Date: 2010-10-28 09:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-28 09:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2010-10-28 10:16 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2010-10-28 10:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-28 10:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-29 01:29 am (UTC)Nobody stands a chance when their competition is Tom Jones. Nobody.
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Date: 2010-10-29 02:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2010-10-29 02:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-29 03:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-29 05:26 am (UTC)As for the age difference complaints as I've said before other than Beast Boy the Titans didn't particularly come across as teens to me anyways, so it doesn't seem that much of a problem. Donna and Dick certainly were involved in professions in their civilian identities where most people would have problems taking a 19 year old seriously in.
Honestly a lot of the "oh that creepy Terry Long" talk comes across as being as much the result of people repeating the idea over and over again until everyone became convinced of it as what was actually done with the character.
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Date: 2010-10-29 09:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-29 01:26 pm (UTC)Seriously, who could justify hating him on the basis of being dorky and having bad hair? He's ok.
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Date: 2010-10-29 01:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-29 05:30 pm (UTC)Have you ever dated someone younger than you that is in a.. say, volleyball team? you might happen to hang out with the pals of your partner, but you won't hang around with older volleyball players just because.
I disagree also with what you said about character voicing discomfort for people outside the story, I hate when writers do that and it's not refreshing for me, I find it annoying actually, moreover none should have a problem with Terry being there once in a while unless they want to be shitty friends to Donna. =(
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Date: 2010-10-29 06:41 pm (UTC)...Like, you know Aquaman's beard in Brave and the Bold? This is the evil twin of that beard.
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Date: 2010-10-29 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-29 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-29 10:22 pm (UTC)I am fine with superhero characters dating and marrying civilians (hey, I ship Clark and Lois), and I am fine with a modest age gap as long as the younger partner is also an adult (someone who is thirteen, fourteen, fifteen dating someone ten years older can be creepy, but I don't mind if they are over eighteen and preferably into their twenties).
I feel like... I could totally ship Donna and Terry if only someone would come along and write about Terry in a way that makes me like him more as a character. They can start by doing something about that beard. Would it really be too much to ask for to have the facial hair pared down to just a classilly-trimmed moustache or something like that?
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Date: 2010-10-30 07:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-25 11:04 am (UTC)