Arrow: My Guilty Pleasure

source: IMBd

ARROW is my new guilty pleasure. I don't know why because I can't seem to put my finger on it (though I really really wish I could).

(Spoilers)

This new tv series based on the comic book superhero Green Arrow is nothing we haven't seen before. Playboy billionaire (yawn) gets stranded on deserted island after ship wreck (double yawn), father was a successful business tycoon who died after the ship wreck (of course). Playboy gets rescued after 5 years and comes home a changed man but, must maintain his playboy persona while moonlighting as masked crime fighter. Oh and I almost forgot, he's still in love with ex girlfriend but things are complicated. AND her father just happens to be a cop (eyes rolls into back of skull).  Not only that but despite the obvious, no one knows who he really is and his hood always stays perfectly in place concealing his identity no matter what kind of acrobatics he's doing while shooting limitless arrows. *takes deep breath*   

So as you can see, nothing new here. And yet...why am I itching to stream the next episode as soon as it becomes available? WHY? It's so damn stereotyped and predictable! 

Well, maybe that's exactly the reason. I know what I'm getting-- an hour of Stephen Amell, mostly topless and running around shooting his arrows at bad guys. Superhero fighting crime and making the world a better place, one bad guy at a time. The premise is comforting and good will always prevail over evil. Plus, Mr. Amell is a fantastic actor for a hot blond guy and much more appealing in my opinion, than the classic comic book version with that awful mustache. 

So what am I saying? Have my preferences been reduced to eye candy and predictable story lines? Am I the same way with the books I read? The answer is, depends (the verb, not the brand name). Sometimes, I connect with the main character so much that I can over look problems with plot or a déjà vu premise. The same can be said about a slightly underdeveloped character wrapped up in a fantastic plot. But getting back to the series, I know that if it becomes too predictable, I'll end up losing interest and move onto something else despite the ridiculously hot mc. But for a clear conscience I think I'll need to tackle this question more thoroughly, and to do that I'll be forced to view a few more episodes of Arrow. Yes, most definitely.

K for Katydid what?

To be honest, I didn't have a firggin clue what to do for my K post. All I could come up with was katydids. Problem is, I already touched on that in my G post for grasshoppers. "Aw, phooey," I said in my best Donald Duck impersonation. It was almost 11:00 pm last night, I was tired and in a bit of a quandry when the apple fell. Yeah! The idea came thanks to one of Treelight's question a few posts back. Treelight asked me about brown and green being colors for grasshoppers. Well, varying shades of brown and green may be the most common for grasshoppers and katydids, but they do come in other smashing color as well, pink and yellow for example. So today, I'm going to give you a break from all the sciencey (I know that's not even a word) stuff, and because you've been so great putting up with my bug theme, and because I'm out of ideas for today, I shall give you Katydid Eye Candy.

*cue the disco lights*

Flamenco Dancing is to a Man's Buns as Water is to a Cup of Tea – HOT*

So as part of my birthday present, my mother took me to the theatre. I hadn’t been in ages so naturally, I was excited. We saw a rendition of Carmen, preformed by a Flamenco dance company. It was amazing! The spirit of flamenco dancing was a perfect mold to Carmen’s fiery and sensual personality. The women dancers were insanely talented and beautiful with their hair pulled back, and their long flowing skirts, and wraparound shawls. Their movements were crisp and intricate combined with lightning fast percussive footwork.  And then there were the male dancers with their tight, tight outfits and superior glutei maximi. *stops to fan self*

Ok, so there was a point I wanted to touch make here… yes, so what I found interesting was that while I was drooling observing the dancers, I noticed each had a distinct persona and I had a lot of fun naming them. For instance, there was The Rooster. You know the one I’m talking about, the short dancer with the hooked nose that compensates by sticking his chest out further then the others. He was by far the best at the flamenco strut.  Then there was Tarzan (my favorite). He traded his vine swinging moves for some flamenco feet stomping. He was the tall guy with the broad upper body, shoulder length dark hair and angular jaw line. He also had deep V shaped eyebrows that gave him that savage look… There was also The Gentlemen with the walking cane. He was simply bad ass. Every time he preformed, he did so with the cane, pounding it on the floor to rapid beats and wielding it through the air like a deadly weapon. During the zombie apocalypse, I want this guy on my side.  And then of course, there was the dancer with The Hair. He portrayed Don José, the guy who kills Carmen at the end. He was your typical male lead, good looking guy with the great hair. I’d add that he had great buns but frankly, they all did. Anyway, I’m not going to name them all, but you get the idea. What was unfortunate however, was the lack of personalities in the women dancers. They were all beautiful, sensual but all cast in the same dye. All except for fiery red Carmen.  I guess that can be attributed to the story of Carmen itself, but still, it would have been fun to see the men pair up with their matching counterparts. When I write, (holy transition Batman, give me a break it’s 1:30 am) I want to be able to create characters like these flamenco dancers. I want characters who step out onto the page with crisp, distinct personalities. How do I do that? With great buns dialogue, but also through the use of physical tags and attributes that  set them apart from the rest. But there's a whole lot more you can do to create great characters. 

So how about you? How do you all make your characters unique?