iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Gavia Baker-Whitelaw @gavia.bsky.social · 12h

Ahead of the Lanterns finale, the #1 thing I want to see is John Stewart jailbreaking the Green Lantern ring and becoming an independent superhero. I don't think the show works *without* that ending!

fansplaining.com

Lanterns: Inside the Failsafe

In episode 7, Hal’s murder investigation picks up speed and the show makes a welcome pivot to Green Lantern’s spacefaring roots.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 13h

In our latest, @pokachee.bsky.social talks to Pokémon fangame creators like Pokémon Reborn's Amethyst Liddell about the ways that community fundamentally shapes their fanworks. Read the article or listen to an audio version: fansplaining.com/pokemon-fang...

screenshot of text reading: “I couldn’t have done it well without such a passionate playerbase to engage in the game, give feedback both positive and constructive, and make connections with each other to help sustain the energy between long development times,” Liddell told me. “Because of all of that, it’s difficult to say exactly how the community affected the creation of the game. How does water affect the creation of the ocean? I can hardly separate one from the other.”

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Aja Romano @bookshop.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Listen i don't know a jigglypuff from a powder puff but I learned so much from this piece! It's so clear these fans pour *so* much into these games, so of course Nintendo started DMCA-ing them because god forbid people increase the value of your brand by making cool stuff for it 💀

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Lin Codega @lincodega.com · 30/09/2026

Pokémon fangames, like licensed projects, aren't the result of one person and the communities of volunteer developers, writers, and artists show that some people really are just in it for the love of the game.

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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

*Love* our latest from @pokachee.bsky.social, about a type of fanwork that's massively popular but one I rarely see discussed in convos about transformative fandom. Fangames are technically interesting—literally using the source material in modding—but even more so from a community/fandom angle:

fansplaining.com

Pokémon Fangames Evolve Beyond Their Origins

For fangame creators, the work they develop and the communities they inspire are inextricably tied.

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Ana Diaz @pokachee.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

New from me: I did a deep dive and spoke to Pokemon fan game creators for @fansplaining.bsky.social. This was so hard to source, but I am humbled by the sources who took the time to talk to me about this super massive, and relatively under-examined, fandom. fansplaining.com/pokemon-fang...

fansplaining.com

Pokémon Fangames Evolve Beyond Their Origins

For fangame creators, the work they develop and the communities they inspire are inextricably tied.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Our latest is live! 💛 @pokachee.bsky.social reports on the expansive world of Pokémon fangames, talking to a host of popular game creators about the integral role their fellow fans play in inspiring and furthering the evolution of their work. Read the article or listen to an audio version:

fansplaining.com

Pokémon Fangames Evolve Beyond Their Origins

For fangame creators, the work they develop and the communities they inspire are inextricably tied.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

In her recap of the penultimate episode of HBO's Lanterns, @gavia.bsky.social analyzes the show's uneasy blend of genres—and how its unwillingness to truly commit to any of them undercuts the core story. Read or listen to an audio version: fansplaining.com/lanterns-ins...

Text reading: At its core, this is a story about two men who got screwed over by shitty but well-intentioned parenting, compounded by the insidious influences of toxic masculinity and racism. In another universe, Hal and John might have been friends or allies, but here they’re kept apart by the circumstances that shaped their personalities from childhood. This conflict forms the emotional driving force of the show, but it’s let down by a lack of specificity in the surrounding blend of genres.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

In the penultimate episode of Lanterns, we finally spend some time in space—but as @gavia.bsky.social writes, "Everything alien is kept at arm’s length in this show." Read her critiques of Lanterns' uneasy genre balance, shying away from sci-fi, but not willing to commit to mystery or thriller:

fansplaining.com

Lanterns: Inside the Failsafe

In episode 7, Hal’s murder investigation picks up speed and the show makes a welcome pivot to Green Lantern’s spacefaring roots.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

As we approach the Lanterns finale next week, catch up on @gavia.bsky.social's recaps of the season—you can now read (or listen to an audio version of) episodes 1-4 for free! Start here:

fansplaining.com

Lanterns: Are You Afraid?

In episode 1, Hal Jordan and his protégé, John Stewart, investigate a shooting in small-town Nebraska.

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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I was extremely pleased to be asked to come on another public radio show, "This Is Uncomfortable" from @marketplace.org! A delightful conversation about what is clearly my current beat, "fanfiction is big business now and that's a real downer." 🙂 link.podtrac.com/sbi5iko8

Episode card featuring a picture of me (seated, wearing black, yellow, and orange, holding a tan purse, in a room with very midcentury colors at the TWA Hotel) and one of Josh (standing in a black jacket and burgundy shirt in some kind of park). Both against a mint background with the text: Thi$ Is Uncomfortable from Marketplace.

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Aja Romano @bookshop.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The stats on 2013 top ships is like someone walking over my grave 😅 just a long litany of every major LJ-era old-school slash pairing. What a trajectory we've since had.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

How have the fanfic numbers changed over the past decade? In our latest, fandom stats wizard @destinationtoast.bsky.social writes about their origins in fandom data analysis in 2013—and compares the results of their early stats questions to the same questions today: fansplaining.com/crunching-th...

Side by side bar charts comparing "High-Omegaverse fandoms in 2013" vs 2026. In 2013, SPN RPF leads with 3% of works. In 2026, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms leads by far with 17.3% of works in the fandom.

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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

So excited to get this one out in the world! 💞 @destinationtoast.bsky.social has been such a fantastic collaborator over the years. I was really pleased we got the ORIGIN STORY here alongside comparisons between 2013 AO3 and 2026 AO3. (Plus interesting thoughts about fandom stats as fanworks!)

fansplaining.com

Crunching the Fandom Numbers

In 2013, curiosity about Johnlock fic led me to pull my first fandom stats. Today, the world of fandom data analysis is thriving.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Our latest is live! 📊 And it's by none other than our most frequent podcast guest, @destinationtoast.bsky.social! Toast gets meta on their stats works, writing about how they got into fandom data analysis, and the way their practice has evolved over the years. Read or listen to an audio version:

fansplaining.com

Crunching the Fandom Numbers

In 2013, curiosity about Johnlock fic led me to pull my first fandom stats. Today, the world of fandom data analysis is thriving.

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Gavia Baker-Whitelaw @gavia.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

when he changed into that suit and it fit i was like WHAT.

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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I was so delighted that @bookshop.bsky.social wanted to revive the Tropefest series with me! 💓 We started with the broad umbrella of "secret identities," touching on masks, identity porn, fairy tales, opera, superheroes, bodyswapping, romance, transness, RPF....and even more topics somehow lol.

fansplaining.com

Special Episode 40: Tropefest: Secret Identities

He’ll never know the real me hiding behind this mask…

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Aja Romano @bookshop.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This was such a fun conversation! This is maybe my all-time favorite trope in all its many forms. I wound up talking about everything from Death Note to The Shop Around the Corner to my favorite fairy tale! Drive-by mention of Wangxian and I do need to know whether you all think Lan Zhan would peek.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Our September special episode is live! 🎭 @bookshop.bsky.social joins @elizabethminkel.bsky.social for a revival of the Tropefest series, tackling the theme of SECRET IDENTITIES. Why do we love stories about people who wear masks—both literal and metaphorical? Listen or read a full transcript:

fansplaining.com

Special Episode 40: Tropefest: Secret Identities

He’ll never know the real me hiding behind this mask…

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

In her recap of Lanterns episode 6, @gavia.bsky.social is zeroing in on the show's *real* writing issues: fansplaining.com/lanterns-the...

Text reading: Hal’s funeral is a lonely affair, preceded by a scene that seems designed to annoy me personally: Noah showing up on John’s doorstep with a formal black suit, which he helpfully located so John would have something to wear for the funeral. Is it plausible for a teenage boy to find a suit with John’s Superman-like measurements in a dinky little town like Rushville? No it is not, and it actually would’ve been appropriately uncomfortable to dress John in a suit that doesn’t fit.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

"As we work through the latter half of the season," @gavia.bsky.social writes, Lanterns "threatens to veer into Surf Dracula territory." In her analysis of episode 6, Gav considers the show's disinterest in the Green Lantern world—and offers up one very specific clothing-related gripe:

fansplaining.com

Lanterns: The Murder of Hal Jordan

In episode 6, John and Kerry investigate Hal’s death in 2026, revealing how much Rushville has suffered over the prior decade.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

“Making art, especially comics, can be a very lonely and solitary practice,” @tomatobird.bsky.social tells @mashazart.bsky.social in our latest. “While I enjoy that a lot of the time I’ve realized it’s important for me to physically put my work out there for people to touch and look at.”

fansplaining.com

The Death of the Artist Alley?

For smaller artists, increased costs and outsized merchandise expectations are putting convention-selling out of reach.

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Gavia Baker-Whitelaw @gavia.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

ICYMI, Fansplaining lifted the paywall on my first three Lanterns recaps, so they're now available to free subscribers! Some thoughts from episode 3: fansplaining.com/lanterns-rai...

This whole journey began with John Stewart's father “failing” a test by having a natural human response to a terrifying situation. John’s training is then designed to eliminate that natural response, employing methods that any right-minded person would classify as abuse. In the process, John’s parents create a rift between their children and give John a warped conception of his purpose in life. No five-year-old should be handed a gun and told that he has a special destiny—and as an adult, John is still chasing his parents’ dream with no visible relationships of his own.

There’s a lot to consider here regarding why John still wants to become a Lantern. As viewers, we expect heroes to make moral choices that go against the grain of societal expectations. Many superheroes are actually outlaws, filling the gaps in a corrupt or incompetent legal system.

Yet in order to earn the ring, John must take the opposite approach. His traineeship is formalized when he confirms that he’ll follow the Guardians’ orders even if they make him uncomfortable, echoing the way he agreed to assassinate an enemy of the U.S. government with no questions asked. It’s an intriguingly cynical foundation for the show’s depiction of the Green Lantern Corps, further complicating our view of who deserves to wield the ring."

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saba sabaton @ gateway fate 501 @sabato-n.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I've been quoted in this! Masha is an incredible writer, do take a look

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Is there still space for smaller artists in the convention artist alley? Increasingly not, @mashazart.bsky.social writes in our latest. "The new realities of the industry make it difficult to continue to table as a hobby—and even more difficult to turn it into a sustainable art career."

fansplaining.com

The Death of the Artist Alley?

For smaller artists, increased costs and outsized merchandise expectations are putting convention-selling out of reach.

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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Absolutely essential reporting from @mashazart.bsky.social at Fansplaining today for indie artists and the fans who want to support them. If you've been to a con in recent years, you've probably sensed that smaller artists were being pushed out. Here are the on-the-ground realities:

fansplaining.com

The Death of the Artist Alley?

For smaller artists, increased costs and outsized merchandise expectations are putting convention-selling out of reach.

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Masha Zhdanova'S WEBCOMIC IS ONLINE NOW!!! @mashazart.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

my article about artist's alley is up at @fansplaining.bsky.social today! thank you to everyone who talked to me about their AA experiences for this piece and let me use their photos fansplaining.com/the-death-of...

fansplaining.com

The Death of the Artist Alley?

For smaller artists, increased costs and outsized merchandise expectations are putting convention-selling out of reach.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Our latest is live! 🎨 @mashazart.bsky.social reports on the current state of the artist alley, where increased tabling costs, elaborate merchandise expectations, and the pressure to "design-maxx" booths means selling at conventions is increasingly difficult. Read or listen to an audio version:

fansplaining.com

The Death of the Artist Alley?

For smaller artists, increased costs and outsized merchandise expectations are putting convention-selling out of reach.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

"We’re given so little information about their background that Zoe exists as an oddly contextless entity: an antagonist whose level of free will is never fully clarified." In her analysis of Lanterns episode 5, @gavia.bsky.social has sharp critiques about several aspects of the show:

fansplaining.com

Lanterns: Was It Worth It?

In episode 5, tensions mount in Rushville as Antaan arrives to take down the Manhunter, leading John to make a shocking choice.

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Gavia Baker-Whitelaw @gavia.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

This is a MAJOR episode that marks an interesting turning point for John Stewart, but I still think think the Manhunter storyline is a serious weakness for the show. The worldbuilding there is thin, to say the least.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Our Lanterns recaps continue with @gavia.bsky.social's analysis of the fifth episode: "Despite all current evidence to the contrary, we can be pretty sure that John will be a Lantern some day.... But episode 5 reframes this question from 'how' to 'why.'" Read or listen to an audio version:

fansplaining.com

Lanterns: Was It Worth It?

In episode 5, tensions mount in Rushville as Antaan arrives to take down the Manhunter, leading John to make a shocking choice.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

"I want to make it very clear at the outset that in no way do I want to force Star Trek upon my son until he loves it like some sort of Star Trek brainwashing experiment (“THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!”)," writes Matthew Razak. "He does not have to like what I like…but it would be really nice if he did."

fansplaining.com

Fandom: The Next Generation

Maybe the 80th attempt to get your kids to like your show will be the one that sticks.

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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I love the pictures Matthew took for this but before we had those, I suggested leading with something like this and the caption "what 10-year-old wouldn't instantly love this???"

Screengrab of Q in red robes and a black hat...situation from Encounter at Farpoint

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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

We've got a totally delightful essay from Matthew Razak up at @fansplaining.bsky.social that I have sent to multiple Trek parents with young kids. 🙂 Intergenerational fandom is fascinating—shared interests and/or shared inclinations—but you can't force it!!

fansplaining.com

Fandom: The Next Generation

Maybe the 80th attempt to get your kids to like your show will be the one that sticks.

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Aja Romano @bookshop.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Happy Birthday week, Star Trek fans! Please enjoy this wonderful @fansplaining.bsky.social essay from longtime Trekkie Matthew Razak on his hilarious, fraught attempts to get his son into Star Trek: fansplaining.com/fandom-the-n...

fansplaining.com

Fandom: The Next Generation

Maybe the 80th attempt to get your kids to like your show will be the one that sticks.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Our latest is live! 🚀 What happens when you want to pass your fandom onto your kid—and they hate the thing you love? "It might have been the first time in his life that he hoped bedtime would come sooner." A fantastic essay from Matthew Razak about trying to get his son to love Star Trek:

fansplaining.com

Fandom: The Next Generation

Maybe the 80th attempt to get your kids to like your show will be the one that sticks.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

FYI, this recap is now free to read/listen to!

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Our Lanterns recaps continue with episode 4, "The Weenie" (yes, we could not resist including "weenie" in our title, too). Halfway through the season, @gavia.bsky.social sharp critiques continue as the show struggles to execute its central mystery plot. Read or listen to an audio version:

fansplaining.com

Lanterns: Infiltrating the Weenie

In episode 4, Hal and John plan to sneak onto William Macon’s property in their search for Rushville’s hidden Manhunter.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

fansplaining.com

Lanterns: Infiltrating the Weenie

In episode 4, Hal and John plan to sneak onto William Macon’s property in their search for Rushville’s hidden Manhunter.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

"Unlike previous shows that required queer characters to assimilate into a heteronormative world," @claresears.bsky.social writes, "Killing Eve flips the script by rewriting the world as deeply queer."

fansplaining.com

The Queer-Normative World of Killing Eve

Clare Sears talks to Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge about gender, kink, and queer relationships.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

"Killing Eve’s attentiveness to women’s power-laden, perverse desires is unusual for television," writes @claresears.bsky.social, "but aligns with key concepts from queer studies that illuminate the show’s innovative work." Read an excerpt from Clare's new book on Killing Eve:

fansplaining.com

The Queer-Normative World of Killing Eve

Clare Sears talks to Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge about gender, kink, and queer relationships.

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Clare @claresears.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Just me chatting with Phoebe Waller-Bridge about kink, queerness and Killing Eve 🔪🪓❤️‍🔥 No big deal. Seriously, it's been very hard to keep quiet about this and I'm really happy that my book is finally out and that Fansplaining published an excerpt today 💜 Enjoy, x

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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

It's such a pleasure to be able to run excerpts from smart, interesting fannish books—like this one from @claresears.bsky.social's Killing Eve, out this week! Featuring analysis and exclusive interviews with Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge and EP Sally Woodward Gentle:

fansplaining.com

The Queer-Normative World of Killing Eve

Clare Sears talks to Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge about gender, kink, and queer relationships.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Our latest is live! 💜 @claresears.bsky.social's new book, KILLING EVE, features analysis of the show and exclusive interviews with series creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge—and we've got an excerpt. Check it out (as always, all our excerpts are totally in front of the paywall) and buy the book!

fansplaining.com

The Queer-Normative World of Killing Eve

Clare Sears talks to Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge about gender, kink, and queer relationships.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

In her recap of Lanterns episode 3, @gavia.bsky.social analyzes John's origin story—and contextualizes it within superhero media more broadly. Read or listen to an audio version: fansplaining.com/lanterns-rai...

Text reading: The idea of “raising a child to be fearless” is obviously nonsense from a psychological perspective. If someone actually enacted the parenting techniques we witness in the coming scenes, the results would be disastrous—more likely to result in persistent paranoia and mistrust of authority than the stoic and confident personality John exhibits in the present day. But in the context of superhero fiction, I’m perfectly happy to pick up what Lanterns is putting down.

There’s something fascinating about the idea of a child being forced to become a superhero. This is a staple trope in other branches of SF/F fiction, but it’s pretty rare in the superhero genre, which is all about characters making a purposeful choice to wield their power in a heroic way—whether that’s power they acquired at birth (like Superman or the X-Men), by accident (like Spider-Man), or by setting out to create a superhero persona (like Batman, although Bruce Wayne’s wealth is also another way of being born into power).

The original Green Lantern mythos wanted us to accept that its heroes deserve the power they receive, but this show is all about critiquing that assumption. As Hal’s behavior has made abundantly clear, fearlessness is not the best criteria for earning a Lantern’s ring. The way the Guardian speaks about genetic potential is also a worrying sign. How can you decide what a months-old baby will be like in thirty years? This whole episode is a thought experiment on the question of nature versus nurture, but I think we can all agree that the Guardian’s judgment of Baby John is absurd.

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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Some really sharp analysis of this show by @gavia.bsky.social in this week's recap! The nature of superhero narratives, the show's racial commentary, the allegory for policing...I've been having trouble deciding which ones to put in our social posts because they're all so interesting. Here's one:

Text reading: There’s a lot to consider here regarding why John still wants to become a Lantern. As viewers, we expect heroes to make moral choices that go against the grain of societal expectations. Many superheroes are actually outlaws, filling the gaps in a corrupt or incompetent legal system.

Yet in order to earn the ring, John must take the opposite approach. His traineeship is formalized when he confirms that he’ll follow the Guardians’ orders even if they make him uncomfortable, echoing the way he agreed to assassinate an enemy of the U.S. government with no questions asked. It’s an intriguingly cynical foundation for the show’s depiction of the Green Lantern Corps, further complicating our view of who deserves to wield the ring.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Our Lanterns recaps continue with @gavia.bsky.social's analysis of episode 3, where twin strands of flashbacks go through John's backstory. "The original Green Lantern mythos wanted us to accept that its heroes deserve the power they receive, but this show is all about critiquing that assumption."

fansplaining.com

Lanterns: Raised To Be Fearless

In episode 3, a series of flashbacks reveal the disturbing nature of John’s childhood—and how he became a Green Lantern trainee.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

fansplaining.com

Lanterns: Raised To Be Fearless

In episode 3, a series of flashbacks reveal the disturbing nature of John’s childhood—and how he became a Green Lantern trainee.

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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

"At present, Lanterns feels like neither fish nor fowl: not as sophisticated as a prestige drama like True Detective, yet less interested in superhero imagery than most comic-book adaptations." Before tomorrow's episode of Lanterns, catch up on @gavia.bsky.social's analysis of the first two:

fansplaining.com

Lanterns: The Last Manhunter

In episode 2, John has a surprising alien encounter while Hal continues his investigation in Rushville.

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