Silence, one of the things

that I really enjoy

such a pleasure for sure

Oh boy!

But there’s one other thing

that makes my heart sing

moving right behind you

& you not even realizing it

when i make my move

it’s like a smooth groove....

From a young age

i was full of rage

but i found a way

i told myself hey

why not slash and slay?

—And so i did

went out to rid

myself of my own frustrations

by using my favorite artistic tool-

a handy~dandy kitchen knife.

#MichaelMyers.

“Class, settle down. Let‘s get back to the reading.”

The class silences, as the teacher turns her fiery gaze back down to her bible.

“So what do we think it means when they say “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”?”

”Yes, Chris?”

”It means being a homo is a sin.“ He laughs.

She replies, in frustration, “You know that is not the proper use of that word. Assuming you meant ‘being gay’, that is correct: being gay is a sin.”

I can only imagine the confusion written all over my face. My teacher looked in my direction; my inner monologue was intensely advising her to call on anyone BUT me. To my relief, her eyes landed on another victim.

My friend, who sat right in front of me, turned in her seat, “Homo. Ha ha” she smirked at me.

“How is being gay a sin? Sin is something we do by choice, right? So why is just simply being gay a sin??” I asked her, honestly wondering how we were supposed to comprehend this.

“I guess you choose to be gay? I’m not sure.” She shrugged.

“Well I don’t choose who I like. Do you?”

“No, I guess not.” She looked down at her jumper, confused now too.

There we sat, 10 years-old and questioning the intellect and reasoning of not only our teacher, but the entire book we had been raised learning.

This was the first time that I questioned the credibility of something I was supposed to blindly believe. This was the first time that I realized that I did not agree with the Bible; and this was the first time that I realized I was going to always be someone that would fight for the unaccepted.

To defeat a devil, you must summon a bigger one.

One of my favorite characters from DC comics is back in is own animated film, Constantine: City of Demons. John Constantine (voiced again by Matt Ryan) is recruited by his long time friend, Chas Chandler, into helping his daughter, who has been placed under a supernatural comatose. In order to solve this mystery and save the soul of his best friend’s daughter, Constantine must travel to Los Angeles, a city that isn’t exactly full of angels.

I’m sure everyone here is aware by now that I’m a huge fan of John Constantine. Hell, I actually met the real guy Matt Ryan in person at Wizard World, and got a photo with him. And I was definitely excited for this movie. So excited that I immediately went to my nearest Target and bought it on Blu-Ray. And you know what? I have no regrets. I really liked the movie.

Back in 2005, there was a movie titled Constantine that starred Keanu Reeves as the titular character. It wasn’t that good. And after seeing this movie, that 2005 movie should have been this movie.

First huge positive is of course Matt Ryan reprising as John Constantine. The guy has definitely proven that he is the definitive John Constantine, whether through voice-over or live-action. Charismatic, sarcastic, moody, con man, the guy just perfects it.

The animation is really nice too. It’s the same team that’s done all the DC Animated Universe movies. In fact, this film is actually a sequel to Justice League Dark, but I’ll get into that in a bit. Not only does the animation do a great job of bringing the beloved character to life, but really brings to light the dark world that surrounds him. Hell, it even makes room for some trippy moments like out of Dr. Strange from the MCU, which is something I hoped to see from this movie. By the way, if you’re thinking of getting this movie and letting your kid watch it just because it’s animated, think again. This movie is R-rated with good reason. Holy shit, the animation really highlights the blood and gore in this movie. Honestly, with something dealing with Constantine and demons, it has to be R-rated. There’s no way they can get away with a PG-13 rating. They even drop the F-bomb in this movie. So yeah, don’t let your kids watch this.

The film also does a good job introducing characters from the Constantine/Hellblazer comics. I already knew about Chas Chandler from the comics and the show, but it was nice to explore his relationship with Constantine. It even introduced characters that I didn’t know existed like Asa the Nightmare Nurse. No clue to who she is, but I liked what I saw from what was given in this movie. And there’s a reveal about her character that really makes me want to check her out more.

Yet I think the really big positive for this movie is that it truly gets what Constantine is about. Throughout his life, John Constantine has experienced more tragedy than happiness. The film goes into his backstory about how he was an inexperienced magician that failed to save a girl’s life when he first summoned a demon. This was explored briefly in the live-action show, but I feel that it’s done a much better job here, and it’s here that you truly see why he is the way he is. John considers himself as a poison to those closest to him, hence he lives in isolation, smoking and drinking his life away. Yet he keeps on trying to fight back the darkness that chokes our world. Also, he’s not at all a confrontation person like Batman or Superman. He prefers to pull off one last con that ultimately wins the day. That’s John Constantine, and that’s why he’s awesome!

Now for my negatives, and this one’s a bit of a big one. I’ve heard a while back that the CW Seed was hosting a six episode series of Constantine, which turned out to be the first third of this movie. I’m not sure if that was the intention or not, but at least we got a Constantine movie. Yet the problem is that I cannot help but feel that this was false advertising. Not to mention that it was said that this was supposed to take place within the Arrowverse, but instead, as I mentioned earlier, this was actually a sequel to Justice League Dark. The problem is that most folks that are starting to become familiar with John Constantine only know about him from his appearance from the Arrowverse. There was already an episode from the Constantine series that dealt with Chas’ daughter being put inside a supernatural coma. So, people are not going to be aware that this movie has no connections to the Arrowverse. Not to mention, people will feel that there are continuity errors, yet again, they wouldn’t know that unless they were properly informed that this film was set in the DC Animated Universe.

But that’s just by personal fan gripe about the film. Now for a real negative against the movie, there’s one character in particular that I felt was unneeded in this movie. Get this, John Constantine meets the, I guess, spirit of Los Angeles itself, who does... you know, fuck if I know why this character exists. Honestly, you can write her out and nothing would have been lost.

This film is a must have for any and all fans of John Constantine, like me. Again, this is what the Keanu Reeves movie should have been. I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance to review that movie sometime, but if I did I would honestly give it a C or C-. It wasn’t all bad, but that film did not encompass John Constantine. Unlike this film, this film defines the character. I really like this movie, and I highly recommend checking it out.

Rent it and then buy it!

Now, abra-kadabra, Grading Scale!

Positives:

-John Constantine

-Great voice over

-Great animation

-Introduced interesting characters

-Explores Constantine’s life

-Earns its R-rating

Negatives:

-False advertising

-Unneeded character

Final Grade: A-

So there’s my thoughts on Constantine: City of Demons. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts? Are you a fan of John Constantine too? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

Best Quote:

Chas Chandler: “Can’t you just, I don’t know, magic them away?”

John Constantine: “Who the hell do you think I am? Benedict Bloody Cumberbatch?”

#harrysituationreviews #DC #comics #film #opinion #supernatural #demons #johnconstantine #AGrade

god dammit.

I hate god but I still prayed to him for you. I begged for you. I begged him that you would care.

But you didn’t.

Or maybe you did. It’s not like you ever talked to me about your feelings, anyway. How was I to know I was hurting you?

I get it. I maybe said something you didn’t like. Maybe it was even a little mean.

But you destroyed me. You shattered my entire existence. You were my everything but you treated me like I had done nothing for you.

I did so much for you.

I knew you were hurting so I did my best to patch the wound.

I had only band-aids and you a missing limb but I still gave them to you even though my femoral artery was spewing away my life source.

You were my everything.

I held you while you sobbed and I spent hours creating things tailored just for you and your family. I spent a month of my life more at your house than at mine because I was doing my best to support you.

I did everything for you. Your brother had died and you were a mess but I still stood by you through it. I came over the day after you found his bloodied body because I knew you were going to be fucked up. I knew you. I knew you. I knew you.

But not anymore.

I went to the funeral and I hugged your mom and your grandma and I bought you dinner and your mother ice cream. I baked you a cake that took me six hours to make- twice.

I made a playlist tailored just for you. I colored you pictures. I printed out poems and highlighted the special parts- put them in a binder for your convenience.

Like I said, I did everything for you.

I still hurt for you and I still mourn for you but I wish I didn’t. I would say if I could go back I wouldn’t do those things for you but I know that’s not true. I know I was not in the wrong and I know I deserved better.

I know I deserve better.

Fuck You.

Perhaps my blood is still fresh but this wound is old. I can’t staunch the bleeding because you’re still in my mind.

You’re a parasite.

Fuck you.

You’re the worst thing that ever happened to me.

I was fire.

You, water.

I boiled you.

You put me out.

I was light.

You, darkness.

I gave you my energy.

You snuffed me out.

I was dirt.

You, wind.

I dirtied your presence.

You blew me away.

I was the stars.

You, the universe.

I was a small part of you.

You were my world.

I cared.

You, didn’t.

I still care.

You still don’t.

I am use to lowering my expectations

And standing in someone else’s shadow

For I am invisible

I am a pane of glass

You can see right through me

Hell, you can even see all of my insecurities

That I can’t help, but wear on my sleeve

I want to cry,

but no tears will run down my face

I want to cry,

But there is no point

No one is going to notice

No one is going to care  

For I am invisible

I am invisible

I AM invisible

    I AM INVISIBLE

I am the one people forget was there

Because to them

I was just another face

in a sea of strangers

I am the one people tolerate

Not the one they like

The one they tolerate

People only look at a pane of glass

To see what’s behind it

People only look at me to see

- oh, wait

They don’t

I am invisible

I don't remember when these particular nightmares began, but I was a relatively young child. I would go visit my paternal grandmother in her Beverly Hills high-rise, and when I rang the bell, an assortment of monsters started chasing me through the building. Eventually, I would reach the basement and would try to hide until I was able to exit and jump atop a white horse and ride away. As I got older, the monsters became more sophisticated and reminiscent of the horror movies I loved (and obviously watched too many of) and the basement morphed over the years into some Medieval dungeon torture chamber. It always ended, however, with the white horse waiting for me, reminiscent of the four white steeds at the end of The Princess Bride.

I didn't really care for my grandmother. She was very controlling and critical and I used to have to stay with her occasionally, typically against my will. She had three boys, and my father was the oldest. I was the first grandchild and the first girl. Lucky me. (I was ecstatic when my cousin was born eight years later so she could get all of the attention.)

I, myself, had two daughters and made sure that she didn't make them as neurotic as she had made me.

Interestingly, I had this recurring nightmare at least three times per week, every week until she passed away when I was 36 (and my younger daughter was two.) The day after her funeral, these particular nightmares ceased, and I never had them again.

#dreams #nightmares #Prose #challenge

Why does the heart sing

For it is her eyes that play

That song of sultry want

Deep inside it stirs the desires of want

The tiger wants his vixen

Playing until the sun rises

Dear Writers and Readers,

We noticed some less-than-exemplary behavior on Prose today, which forced us to take action against some users. This is a gentle reminder that, while we try to remain as uncensored as possible, some forms of content are simply intolerable. Please note the following passage from our Terms of Service, under Prohibited Content:

Content that is unlawful, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, indecent, lewd, suggestive, harassing, threatening, abusive, inflammatory, fraudulent or otherwise objectionable, or invasive of privacy or publicity rights;

In today’s case, harassment was the keyword. We have taken steps to punish infringing users, and prevent future infringements. Note that we will not be adjudicating arguments, disagreements, or squabbles between users, unless we deem the language used to be grossly abusive or inflammatory.

1. We have added a report button to all posts. You’ll find the button in the lower-right options menu (indicated by an ellipsis icon) of every post. If you encounter a post that violates the Terms of Service, please report it.

2. We have instituted a temporary posting restriction policy against first-time offenders. If we find that you have been harassing folks, spamming, or posting any other sort of Prohibited Content, you will be prevented from posting, commenting, and sending messages for a minimum of three days. Repeat offenders will be permanently banned.

3. We have added an internal feature to remove offensive posts. Posts that violate our Terms of Service, or that provoke grossly abusive or toxic comment threads, will be marked as such and removed after 24 hours. During that period, commenting on such posts will be disabled.

Refer to Section 10 of our Terms of Service for all forms of Prohibited Content: https://theprose.com/p/legal/terms

Happy Writes,

The Prose Team

You don't feel wanted, do you?

You feel like something more exists than this-- something more than the life you live. You think to yourself: "This can't be for nothing". You grow up thinking people always live for something, so why don't you? Have you found your something? Or are you lost, beyond recovery? You feel lost, no matter how far you have searched. You feel helpless, like you could scream at the top of your lungs and nobody would hear.

But that's okay. You're not alone and they feel lost too. The only thing that matters: to never stop searching. When they speak to you, trust they mean what they say. When they look upon you, trust in their eyes without deception. When they touch you, trust in their embrace, and believe it is real. Trust me when I say you are loved, and I want you to feel your "something".

This isn't for nothing.