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Alec Hardison's Superpower is Defying Stereotypes

Leverage showrunner John Rogers was pretty open about the fact that the show’s scriptwriters utilized plenty of tropes in their stories. In his blog, he often wrote, “You say trope, I say well-honed narrative tool.” However much they used those tools in the writer room, Leverage somehow managed to escape being a showcase of stereotypes, and no example is more obvious or satisfying than the character of Alec Hardison, the team’s expert hacker with a plethora of other talents, one of which is avoiding  becoming a walking, talking cliché. Can I just say how very much I enjoy the fact that the black male member of the cast is the least physically aggressive man on the crew?  Dear god, Hardison, you know I love you, but you are the most hilariously unconvincing hoodlum I have ever seen, and it is glorious. I loved this exchange, right after a confrontation with a street gang in The Miracle Job:

HARDISON: How about that, man? Did you see me? ELIOT: He was injured.

HARDISON: Well, somebody gotta fight the injured. Shoot, that’s my niche!

Hardison can do any number of incredible things: he can disarm a bomb on a plane while he’s miles away on the ground, he can forge an antique artifact in less than a week, he can even manipulate a mark’s perception of reality to a truly astonishing degree. And he’ll try really, really hard to be intimidating when the job needs it, but more often than not he’ll end up shooting a car engine while aiming for the enemy, or needing a rescue after his tough guy act gets him kidnapped. And that’s more than okay.  I’m happy that Hardison escapes the racist stereotype of black guys as hardened gangsters, that he tells Nate when he has to pretend to rob a grocery store that he has “no frame of reference” for that kind of violence. It’s great that Hardison portrays a different kind of masculinity than Eliot’s, that he’s allowed to express fear and panic without being declared a coward or somehow less than a man. Who the hell cares how hard this hacker genius can throw a punch? He certainly doesn’t need that skill set to overthrow a president. Another stereotype that Hardison definitively rejects is the image of the shy, socially awkward nerd. Hardison is charming, witty, and self-assured–he can smooth talk his way in and out of most situations as long as he doesn’t get overly cocky, which is the opposite problem of being shy. Also, next to Sophie, he’s the most stylish member of the group, with his scarves, vests, and bowties–and dear god, the man looks stunning in a suit. And for all of these, he is proudly and unapologetically a geek, with passionate opinions about Star Wars and a healthy obsession with fantasy RPGs. Also, his artistic, creative gifts are shown to be as much a part of his genius as his more “masculine” engineering skills. He paints, he sculpts, he plays the violin, he mixes his own music–he’s a goddamn Renaissance man, and nobody ever questions it. One more facet of this character that doesn’t play according to formula is Hardison’s history as a kid in the foster system. While Parker shows how very, very badly this situation can go wrong, Hardison’s story proves that not all foster kids end up traumatized. He was raised by a foster mom who cared, his Nana, who instilled in Hardison not only his convictions but the healthy self-image of a child who grew up knowing he was loved. Of everyone in the group, Hardison seems the most emotionally secure, the one who sleeps peacefully through the night. He has his own inescapable issues, sure, but his life as a foster kid is no cause for pity. He had Nana. He was loved. Basically, Alec Hardison is a foster kid, a geek, and a black man, and he owns the hell out of these identities while rejecting the tired clichés associated with them. What’s more, he does it all with a sexy, confident flair, and we can’t help but fall in love with him for it. After all, it’s the age of the geek, baby. Age of the geek.

(bethanyactually, do I get tea and cookies now?)

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@rubynye o hay thar

can I interest you in some gay ancient roman matronae on this idea of march

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puppy chow 4evah

I am honestly deeply curious about people's preferences from this list. Mostly as I just made one of these and brought it to a potluck and it is gone. Leave your distaste for Midwest cuisine at the door please. Yes, all of it will fluff you up for winter, that's like 63% of the point.

But for real? Which one do you just... almost hate yourself for loving the most?

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Dungeon Meshi risograph! This show... it makes me hungry

Prints available!

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matching icons for you and the girl you revived using dark magic!

[ID: Two lesbian pride icons. The first one is of Marcille facing right, she's smiling and wearing her hair in two braids. The second one is of Falin facing left, smiling with her eyes closed. End ID]

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he'd make an exception for Chrissy tho

The Expanse ~ Amos Burton

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I've had stretch marks since age 13 and puberty sprung D cups on me outta nowhere. It's nbd.

REBLOG IF YOU HAVE STRETCHMARKS

This way people can see they’re not alone. I have them and this would help me see that.

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I tried to explain how the Ides of March are an official Tumblr holiday using Gen Z TikTok Mark Anthony this morning.

Also, I would absolutely address the masses as Bitches, Bros, and Non-binary Hos.

It IS true that being on here gives you a tumblr accent. This morning my mother asked me something and i replied "i don't know i've never heard these words in that order" and she nearly choked laughing. It wasn't even that funny

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This is Shadow (and sometimes Cassie). she punches me in the face repeatedly to wake me up, and her nails were very very sharp and I was so tired I couldn't noun and I turned to @lemonsharks and said can you remove my daughter's knives? instead of 'can you trim her murder toes?', which is how we normally refer to infringing upon our cats' liberty and trimming their nails against their will.

The Beast that Bothers

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The best part about the SyFy Children Of Dune continues to be the vast amount of crazy space incest. nothing says love like giving your insane sister the clone of your best friend as a sex toy.

ok, and James McAvoy having inappropriate sexual tension with his twin, and stroking his own nipples.

#csi arrakis #children of dune #james mcavoy

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Watching yet more Gargoyles while I'm at my sister's and there is no greater joy than introducing an unsuspecting someone to the truly iconic shot of Coyote's screaming head with speed lines.

#gargoyles #nightmare fuel #coyote 1.0

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hello pretty pretty

xanatowen still in my brain

#owen burnett #david xanatos #gargoyles

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doorways steal memories

more adhd things

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Finally have solid reference on the Puck's height! Dude is almost always zooming around or sitting crosslegged, but he's not nearly as short as I'd assumed!

#all the headcanons ever #gargoyles #owen burnett

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I can't believe it took me this long to connect Delicious in Dungeon with Record of Lodoss War. You can't tell me that the character designs of Marcille and Kabru don't echo Deed and Parn on purpose.

#dungeon meshi #record of lodoss war

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