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psychemochanight · 17 days ago

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Dick Grayson ✨

Different suits from his different stages (my AU- kinda)

A modern interpretation of his different ages, Basically canon stages (most of them), but from different lines joined into one, partly with HCs to give them coherence, lol.

Below I explain each of the costumes and a bit about the timelines in this AU (?)

Before I begin, let me clarify these things for this timeline:

Bruce was 27, almost 28, when he took in 8-year-old Dick.

Dick is only 3 years older than Jason, and Jason is only 2 years older than Tim. When Dick is 23, Damian is 10, almost 11 yo.

Now, let's start :D

1. Robin (9 years old).

He baby.

His costume consists mainly of 3 parts:

The green leotard which is made from his original Flying Graysons costume (he supervised all the work so that his costume would not be damaged).

The red vest, inspired by the red jacket worn by Pop Haly, the circus ringmaster, his first grandpa in everything but blood.

And his iconic yellow cape, of course; his tactic as Robin was, in fact, to steal the spotlight to make Batman even more invisible, so the bright colors suited him perfectly... Although he eventually learned to sneak around even in these bright colors, managing to scare even Bruce on more than one occasion. The cape is short to keep it from getting in the way of his stunts, but it is still resistant to things like fire and water, although not as resistant to weapons as Batman's because it would be too heavy.

In addition, his belt contained mainly elements to help with distraction and first aid items.

In my AU, Jason never received this costume, only Dick wore it because it was too personal, being literally his circus clothes transformed into his Robin uniform. (Aside from the obvious detail that it might not fit him, considering Jason was 13 and Dick was 9 years old, even if Jason was a little small due to malnutrition, Dick was also too small for his age).

2. Robin (13 years old).

Second version of his costume, a sign in some way of his passage from childhood to adolescence.

While it no longer had details from its original suit, it kept the essence of the suit as much as possible while beginning to give a more mature appearance, as well as including more efficient elements; such as starting to carry more weapons and not just distraction items on his belt, as well as more protection as he began to engage in close combat.

The black cloak on the outside helps with stealth, while he uses the yellow inner part as a way to draw attention if necessary. He still keeps his cape short so it doesn't get in the way of his stunts... Still not as durable as Batman's, but more durable than its first version.

As you can see, it is a mix in some ways of his costumes used in the animated series Young Justice and Teen Titans; so he also has things like gloves that he can use to connect to electrical equipment and hack them.

He started using it when he formed the Teen Titans team.

This costume only underwent minor changes until he was no longer Robin.

This is the suit Jason receives when he starts out as Robin.

Here I make an interlude to explain this part of the AU (again, it's a mix of different canon lines and some fanon stuff), where he goes from being Robin to Nightwing:

In my AU, Dick stops being Robin a few weeks before he turns 17. It doesn't exactly happen because he quit Robin or because Batman fired him, but in a way it's a mix of both situations.

Dick spent too much time with the Teen Titans, which bothered Batman as he felt he was no longer committed to Gotham and his role as his sidekick. So Batman confronts him about this... Not so much out of anger actually, but out of misplaced concern, as he felt he couldn't protect Dick if he was away from him, but he couldn't express himself. Bruce not knowing how to express concern resulted in a control that Dick was beginning to tire of as he grew older.

However, it was not only because Bruce was suffocating to him, but because Dick himself was beginning to doubt whether he really wanted to be a vigilante all his life. After finishing high school at a young age, he was admitted to university despite being younger than other students, which made him rethink many things.

Before he can express his insecurities to Bruce, he gives him an ultimatum: choose the Teen Titans, or choose to remain Robin.

Dick asks for some time to think about it, while he withdraws from both the Titans and Robin as he prepares to attend college.

However, Bruce takes his hesitation as a response, and "releases" him from his responsibilities as Robin and let him go to college.

That's when Dick, being away, just a few months later discovers that Batman now has another Robin as a partner through the news.

The short time that has passed causes Dick to misinterpret the situation as Bruce having spent much more time than he actually spent thinking about replacing him and training Jason, since Dick trained a full year before becoming Robin, he believes Jason must have gone through a similar amount of time, perhaps longer since Dick's training was short since he was kind of a prodigy (who also had physical training since he learned to walk); which makes him feel even more betrayed and angry towards Bruce.

This is when Clark contacts him, having also heard the news and wanting to know what had happened and, above all, how Dick was doing after this.

This is when he has the talk with Clark about what happened, his unofficial "dismissal" as Robin, and for the first time, Dick talks about his insecurities about being a hero, and also about his feelings about Bruce, since despite this, the man still sends him money and continues paying for his classes, plus he still responds as his mentor even if they haven't had a real conversation in months. Dick is angry and hurt, but he can't bring himself to hate Bruce, and clearly not Jason either, who he suspects doesn't even know the full context of the situation between him and Bruce.

Clark, who was always his second mentor and practically another father figure to him, supports him in this whole situation, not only telling him the story of Nightwing, helping Dick more than he thinks possible by making him see that he wants to continue being a vigilante... But also about his feelings about Bruce, and helping him translate Bruce's feelings as well, realizing that what probably led Bruce to do this was not distrust of him, but his way of giving him the opportunity to choose a life outside of vigilantism.

Although this last part is not resolved so soon, because even if he may have that in mind, the pain is still there... But at least, Dick has solved the first part of the problem, and with Clark's blessing, he's back in the game.

3. Nightwing (17 -almost 18- years old).

Dick's first suit as Nightwing.

It's a basic suit at best, not at all equipped like his previous suits, done primarily for the purpose of simply hiding his identity as Nightwing.

It's made of stuff Dick bought at regular stores, from a gym suit, the jacket, and even the basic pads and belts which, again, are mostly equipped with a first aid kit, as well as rudimentary weapons made by himself (more due to lack of money than knowledge).

We could say that this was his most "rebellious" stage as a vigilante, since even after Bruce discovered him and tried to scold him for his lack of equipment, Dick stuck to the suit for a while.

It's like the Discowing case to a certain extent, more than efficient, it's a suit suited to the fashion of the moment.

Since he could no longer be in Robin's colors, he took blue as the primary color for his suit, although this time saying to use black, as he didn't need to be the light that creates the shadow for Batman, so he decided it was his turn to be stealthy on his own.

Obviously he wasn't going to use just any cape, as it wouldn't have any resistance and would just get in his way.

4. Nightwing (18 -almost 19- years old).

Second version of the Nightwing suit, this time with more professional equipment. (Period of pseudo-peace with Bruce, Mostly for the sake of Jason, who he had become an unofficial mentor to).

It still leans more towards fashion than efficiency, but there's a better balance this time.

It is with this suit that he also begins to use his signature weapons.

(Instead of Mirage's infamous mullet, let me introduce: ✨ wolfcut ✨).

He also partly grew his hair out of depression after Jason died... Oops.

He dropped out of college to focus on Blüdhaven and return to the Titans full time.

5. Nightwing (22 years old).

I usually draw Dick at this stage, in his 22/23 years, even if the suit I once showed is not this one in reality- and probably if I draw it again I'll keep using the light blue/cyan I used before, I just used a dark blue now for the color palette, lol

There's not much to say, it's just a redesign of his current suit- At most I can add that his boots are special to allow him to move his feet more freely.

The suit is made of a more durable material, although definitely not as much as Batman's suit so as not to decrease his agility in any way.

(as I said many times: calisthenics body, not built like a fucking fridge).

(During this period of time he resumed his classes virtually and finished university).

Here the Titans are in charge of Donna, but they clearly still respect him as a leader as if he never left.

6. Batman (24 -almost 25- years old).

Having temporarily taken Bruce's place as Batman, Dick has to wear a different suit in order to fight on Bruce's level.

The suit is less heavy, meaning it is less durable, but it allows Dick greater mobility to make up for the lack of durability with his dodging ability.

The cape is shorter, but just as durable as the original, but, unlike the original, the cape is not attached to the hood and can be easily detached to break free from grabs or increase mobility.

At first, Dick used makeup to cover the visible differences between his face and Bruce's while was using the original Batman mask, but because he needed to be quick in emergencies, he opted to cover his entire face.

Projectile bat-ears :D

The boots are lighter, but the gloves are heavier.

Dick also trained to gain muscle mass, so he sacrificed some of his flexibility, making it impossible to maintain it with so much muscle on his body. He's still a lot more flexible than Bruce (and anyone in the family, tbf) tho.

7. Nightwing (27 yo).

Dick after stopping being Batman, returns to being Nightwing.

He still has more muscle mass than he had before, but he intentionally reduced his musculature a bit to return to his peak flexibility.

He made minor changes to his suit to suit his new fighting style, as it was influenced by his time as Batman.

...

And that's it :D

#dick grayson #nightwing #nightwing headcanons #my art 🪐#i have no idea if any of this made sense lol

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farshootergotme · 6 months ago

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I cannot believe I'm saying this but I just argued with someone who was insisting that Dick is abusive and cruel to his family and friends while excusing Jason's actions as "the pit did it". Please give me sweet/cute moments between Dick and his friends/family, whether that's just him listening (like the time he dropped everything so Tim could vent to him) or helping out etc

You ask and I'll deliver!

Dick, Bruce & Alfred

Alfred expressing his gratitude to Dick for being there after Bruce died: Batman #689

Dick and Alfred with an arm wrapped around each other: Detective Comics #838

Dick and Alfred grieving Bruce together: Nightwing (1996) #153

Alfred welcomes Dick: Nightwing (1996) #101

Dick tells Alfred he misses him: Missing (1996) #126

Alfred and Dick hugging: Gotham Knights #25

Dick hugs Alfred: Titans Hunt #2

Dick tells Bruce that if he wants him to wear the cowl again, he will: Batman and Robin (2011) #34

Dick helps Bruce save Damian in the simulation: Batman and Robin (2011) #23

Dick saves Bruce and they hug: Robin and Batman #3

Dick hugging Bruce after he and the league are saved: JLA (1997) #75

Dick calls Bruce “dad”: Nightwing (2016) #100

Dick tells Bruce he'd die for him: Robin (1993) #13

Dick asking Bruce if he wants to talk: Year One: Batman/Scarecrow #1

Jason & Dick

Dick gives Jason his old costume and his phone number in case he needs to talk: Batman #416

Dick catches Jason before he falls off a train: Nightwing (1996) #106

Dick calls Jason “little wing” while they work together: Nightwing (1996) #106

Dick tells Jason about Bruce firing him and apologizes for Bruce about him using Dick to make Jason feel small: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Dick hanging out with Robin!Jason: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Dick tells Jason they're brothers: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Dick tells Jason he's proud he's put the guns away: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Nightwing calls Red Hood “Robin” to calm him down: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Parallel to the past: Nightwing v4 annual #1

Dick promises Jason he'll talk with Bruce so Jason doesn't get in trouble after helping the Teen Titans in a mission: The New Teen Titans v2 #31

Dick offers Jason help: Batman and Robin (2009) #6

Cass & Dick

Dick offering Cass to talk: Batman: Family v2 #7

Dick and Cass apologize to each other: Batman and the Outsiders v2 #14

Dick and Cass cooking together: Nightwing (2016) #106

Dick and Cass working together to find the truth about Bruce murderer’s allegations: Batman: Bruce Wayne – Fugitive

Dick and Cass race each other: Batman – Legends of the Dark Knight #184

Cass describes in her journal how Dick told her about Cinderella and made her laugh: Batgirl (2000) #58

Dick stops Jason from attacking Cass: Batman & Robin Eternal #3

Tim & Dick

Blindfolded bonding: Nightwing (1996) #25

Dick hugging Tim and kissing the top of his head: Nightwing (1996) #139

Dick inviting Tim on a mission: Nightwing (1996) #142

Dick makes Tim laugh: Robin (1993) #71

Dick cooking for Tim: Batman #512

Dick complimenting Tim's skills: Robin 80 Years of the Boy Wonder The Deluxe Edition

Dick complimenting Tim's skills 2.0: Nightwing (1996) #6

Tim tells Dick that he will always be there for him: Red Robin (2009) #12

Dick changes his plans to stay and listen to what Tim needs to talk about: Robin (1993) #156

Dick and Tim hanging out: Secret Origins 80 Page Giant

Dick calls Tim his little brother: Secret Origins 80 Page Giant

Damian & Dick

Dick and Damian hugging when they find out the other is alive: Grayson #12

Dick hugs Damian relieved that he's okay: Nightwing (2016) #20

Dick assures Damian they'll find Bruce: Nightwing (2016) #29

Damian admits to have missed Dick: Nightwing (2016) #20

“We are still the greatest”: Nightwing (2016) #20

Dick comforting Damian as he cries: Batman v3 #33

Damian thanking Dick for being there: Batman v3 #34

Batman!Dick saves Damian's life and praises his work: Batman and Robin (2009) #3

Damian tells Dick he is his favorite partner: Batman Incorporated v2 #8

Dick and Alfred acknowledge Damian's efforts to be better: Batman and Robin (2009) #22

Damian throws up and Batman!Dick comforts him: Batman - Streets of Gotham #7

Dick calls Damian his Robin: Robin (2021) #5

Damian says he doesn't need the Titans because he already has a friend in Gotham (Dick): Teen Titans v3 #92

The (Teen) Titans & Dick

Wally and Dick hugging: Nightwing 1996 #141

Wally asks Dick for help to find Linda: The Flash v2 #214

Donna and Dick hugging: Titans Secret Files #2

Dick listens to Garth's problems: Titans v2 #15

Dick tells Donna that he's there if there's anything she wants to talk about: The New Teen Titans #14

Dick helps Roy find Lian and bring her home with him: Action Comics #618

Dick kissing Donna’s forehead: The Titans (1999) #28

Titans pillow fight: The New Teen Titans v2 #32

Dick and Gar talk about Vic: The New Teen Titans v2 #48

Steel and Gar talking about Dick: Titans (2016) #27

Nightwing argues with Batman to save Cyborg: JLA/Titans #2

Roy opens up to Dick and Dick tells Roy he'd trust him with his life: Outsiders (2003) #11

“Who wouldn't fall in love with that wouldn't fall in love with that strength and that smile?” – Donna Troy: DC special - The Return of Donna Troy #2

Dick calls the Titans his ‘safety net’: Nightwing Secret Files and Origins

Wally tries to distance himself from his loved ones but goes see Dick when his statue won't stay turned away: The Flash v6 #9

Others

Dick comforts Jon: Nightwing (2016) #89

Kara thanks Dick for being a friend and brother to her: Justice League of America v2 #60

Superman calls Dick the multiversal constant for being confident, kind and cool in every universe he's been: Nightwing (2016) #9

Friends: Nightwing (2016) #9

Some heroes help Dick move out and Dick thanks them for their assistance: Nightwing #153

Dick Grayson, the most trusted man next to Superman: The Brave and the Bold v3 #15

Dick's neighbors talking about him: Nightwing (1996) #87

Dick gets powers for two hours and spends time with Superman: Nightwing (2016) #104

Jim tells Dick his cops prefer him to Bruce: Batman and Robin (2009) #13

Nightwing leading the Titans: Teen Titans (2003) #23

Dick relates to Conner and tells him he has to start trusting himself as Dick trusts him: Teen Titans (2003) #33

“You know, everyone's right about you. You totally rule.”: Teen Titans (2003) #33

Kyle's first impression of Dick: Green Lantern (1990) #81

Oh man! This is awful! How can Dick be this abusive? Oh, wait! he isn't.

Well, sorry it took me a bit, but I hope this helps!

There's more characters' moments I wanted to add but it was taking me too long so I decided to leave it as it is.

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the-flying-robins · 4 months ago

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Dick Grayson: Death Is Not the End

New Titans #55 // One Minute You're Here, Bruce Springsteen // Teen Titans/Outsiders: Secret Files & Origins (2003) // Gone, Glen Martin Fitch // Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #3 // Batman Incorporated (2012) #9 // Nightwing Vol. 3 #18 // Batman Vol. 1 #687 // DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #2 // I'll See You In My Dreams, Bruce Springsteen // Batman & Robin Vol. 2 #23 // Batman & Robin Vol. 1 #8 // Nightwing: Secret Files #1 // Nightwing Vol. 2 #10 // Batman & Robin Vol. 1 #16 // Death Is Not the End, Bob Dylan // Grayson #12 // Nightwing Vol. 4 #100 // Nightwing Vol. 4 2021 Annual // Nightwing Vol. 2 #118 // DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #3 // The Titans: Secret Files & Origins #2

#dick grayson #jason todd #donna troy #bruce wayne #batman #damian wayne #web weaving #first try doing something like this really hope you enjoy!#shhhh i know that donna hug is pre her death #but i had to get creative with my panel choices

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zahri-melitor · 5 days ago

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DC Therapists: Psychiatrists, Psychologists and Counsellors

Say you want to write about a DC superhero seeking psychological treatment or seeing a counsellor. I know, it often feels overwhelming trying to pick someone to use; it can feel like every psychologist or psychiatrist is either seen treating villains in Arkham Asylum and getting promptly killed on page, or is an outright villain. But not all of them fit into those two categories! There are more than a few characters across DC who have provided psychological treatment for various superheroes and can be trusted to keep secret identities; both those who know about various identities and those who would keep them as privileged information if approached by someone who wanted treatment.

This is the please stop using Dinah Lance as a psychologist in stories about comics canon, she is a florist, martial artist and secret agent folks post.

Heroes who also have psychological qualifications:

Lilith Clay [Omen] and Kara Zor-L [Power Girl] (Action Comics #1051, Power Girl 2023): psychiatrist and telepathic therapist

Kent V. Nelson [Doctor Fate] (Countdown to Mystery 2007): psychiatrist

Khalid Nassour [Doctor Fate] (Superman 2018 #23-25): EMT and counsellor

Guy Gardner [Green Lantern] (Guy Gardner #14 1992): counsellor and school teacher

People who have specifically treated superheroes or know superhero identities:

Dr Claire Foster (Superman 2002, Titans 2008): either psychiatrist or psychologist

Dr Owen Slade (Flash 1987 #9-11): psychiatrist

Dr Bridget Clancy (Nightwing 1999): doctor, occasional psychiatrist

Dr Parker (The New Titans #57 1988): therapist

Dr Marion Winston (Amethyst Princess of Gemworld 1983 and 1985): child psychologist

Dr Leslie Thompkins (Batman, generally): general practitioner/primary care physician, occasional social worker

Dr Alan Huss (Batwoman 2011): therapist

Dr Simon LaGrieve (Suicide Squad 1987): psychiatrist

Dr Marnie Herrs (Suicide Squad 1987): psychotherapist

Dr Mac McCoy (Suicide Squad 1987): psychiatrist or psychologist - refers to himself as a head-shrinker

Dr Edmond Cathcart (Brave and the Bold 1955): psychiatrist

Dr Brian Bryan (Azrael 1995): psychiatrist

Dr Evelyn Rosen (Huntress 1989): therapist

People slightly outside the scope of the project who are still worth mentioning:

Dr Ryk’rr (Legionnaires 1993 & Legion of Super-Heroes 1989): a psychologist for the Legion of Super-Heroes. Slightly beyond the scope of this project, given she’s based in the 31st century, but if you’re writing stories set in the 31st century and want a therapist, she’s available!

Dr Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn, Batman generally): psychiatrist. I don’t think Harley reasonably fits into the categories I want, as she’s definitely disbarred as a psychiatrist and all over the shop depending on period, but Harley also does love to give unsolicited counselling advice.

If you want to add more names in I am delighted to add them.

Currently in the “this is going to take more research” pile are the following:-

Rene Carpenter (Vigilante 2005): I need to track down a version of this miniseries, and see whether she’s a beneficial character or not. Given this is Vigilante, that’s not a given.

Dr Derwood Denton (Ambush Bug): He treated Ambush Bug and then became a TV doctor and from summaries seems to occupy a similar niche to Dr Phil at best, so I suspect he falls outside the scope of what I want.

Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud (Kid Eternity 1993): this is some Vertigo level nonsense involving dead spirits of real psychiatrists and I am going to need to read around it for more context.

#dc superhero therapists #dc reference

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celli-ohs · 23 days ago

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Show Must Go On

pairing: secret softie!park jongseong x reader

genre: high school au; crack, comedy, fluff

synopsis: When you told the waitress to give your compliments to the chef, you didn't expect the chef to come out and thank you personally, and you really didn't expect the chef to be your classmate Park Jongseong. Realizing how bad this could be, he has you keep it a secret. That shouldn't be too hard for you to do he thinks, but you're full of surprises- and slip-ups.

before you read: character profiles | sunghoon series

warnings: language, loser enhypen

word count: 3k

taglist (open): @ancnymcnzjy @melancholy-z @lamin143 @soobinbunnie5 @benny1989fredd @bbsantc @jimmiwuwaiting @blindmortal @seongiewon @yuyita-rosier @kkathy101

note: part 2 of my and scene! series, loosely based off en-drama.

Entry 002: 23/05/24

“So your solution to the problem is to stalk and intimidate the poor girl into silence? Who are you, Batman?”

Jungwon looks at Jongseong skeptically, the older boy yawning as they walk.

“I’m not stalking her! I’m just going to make sure she doesn’t tell on me. I can’t afford to lose my job, my parents need me,” He sighs, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “And I’m not Batman!”

“Of course, you’re not, Batman saves the innocent, you're torturing her instead.” Jungwon mocks.

Jongseong glares at his best friend, who laughs at him. “You know, you could just explain that to her. You need to have more trust in people.”

With a sigh, Jongseong grimaced. He knew this, yet he still couldn’t. Even his friends had no idea he helped out his family restaurant. They all believed he was in some hardcore baseball league outside of school.

And it’s not because he couldn’t trust them. Well maybe because he couldn’t trust them, outside of Jungwon, they all had big mouths (especially Riki and Jaeyun).

And after last night, he’s worried his reaction might have made his situation worse. Instead of calmly speaking to you, Jongseong practically shoved you out of the restaurant, threatening revenge if you crossed him. Looking back he had over-exaggerated out of fear, and he felt a bit guilty.

But Jongseong had a lot going for himself, he didn’t want it to end just yet.

“Whatever you do, please don’t drag me into it. I don’t want to get in trouble because my best friend is a bully.” Jungwon shakes his head.

“I’m not a bully! I told you I’m just trying to make sure she keeps her mouth shut!” He argues.

“Uh huh. Yeah, and there’s your victim.” Jungwon nods as he looks forward, causing Jongseong to turn and follow his line of sight.

You’re walking across the street, looking cheerful as you make your way to the crosswalk. You look like you’re having a grand old day. That is until you finally spin around, making eye contact with Jongseong.

Your smile immediately falls, color draining from your face as he mugs you. The crosswalk light signals for you to walk, but you don’t budge, too scared to move.

“Stop that!” Jungwon suddenly shoves him, causing him to trip over his feet. “Y/n! Come on!” Jungwon waves you over and you meekly run across the street to join them.

“Morning,” Jungwon greets you. “G-Good morning.” You stutter, maneuvering around the younger boy so that he separates you and Jongseong.

The three of you walk in awkward silence. You don’t look at either of the boys, too nervous to even turn your head.

“I can hear you glaring.” Jungwon finally says something, elbowing Jongseong’s side.

“Sorry.” He grumbles, facing forward. He quickly glances at you.

The weather was starting to warm up now that it was the end of May. You still chose to wear your winter uniform, the blazer adorning your shoulders.

If he were being honest, Jongseong didn’t know much about you, other than the fact that you competed against him in the elections and won.

You shared homeroom with him, sitting a couple of rows away and closer to the front. In class you were quiet, studious, and polite. You were generally liked by everyone, maybe that was why you’d won and not him.

Not that Jongseong was hated or anything, he just kept to himself and his friends more. He talked with the other students in his class and grade just fine, but nothing more than surface-level conversations ever occurred.

But social images spun perspective.

You were the prim and proper sweetheart, while Jongseong was the routinely late and unenthusiastic grump.

(He blames his late nights and early mornings at the restaurant.)

“So let’s just cut to the chase,” Jungwon clears his throat. “What did you end up ordering at Jongseong’s family restaurant yesterday Y/n? The curry is my favorite,”

Jongseong chokes. Of course Jungwon would ask that, yet the idiot was supposed to be the new student body president.

“W-What?!” You trip over your words, surprised by this blatant question. You probably never expected the outward transparency from someone who was supposed to be your trustworthy president.

“I also recommend trying the katsudon, with curry it’s really good.” Jungwon is salivating. “His mom is a really good cook too, her kimchi jjigae is refreshing-”

“Okay shut up now.” Jongseong slaps a hand over his mouth. The younger boy tugs him off as they enter the school’s main building.

“I’m just giving her suggestions!” He argues, before turning back to you. “Try the ghee-grilled steak, it’s pricey but the meat melts in your mouth-” Jongseong shoves Jungwon into the Student Body Office, shutting the door and blocking your entry.

Finally, he has you alone (if you ignore Jungwon’s abhorrent knocking and yelling from the other side of the door).

You look terrified, stepping backward in fear as Jongseong stares you down. His sharp eyes are burning into your skull.

“Jongseong-”

“You won’t say a word.” He threatens you. You nod meekly, hugging the strap of your bag. “Say it. Promise you won’t tell.”

“I promise I won’t tell!” You squeak, showing him your tiny little pinky. Jongseong observes you. You’re standing pin straight, one hand gripping your bag, the other raised in the air, your pinky standing tall. Your jaw is clenched, and your eyes trained on him.

With a sigh, Jongseong relaxes. “Good.” He mumbles to himself, though he still feels uneasy.

He steps out of the way and swings the door to the Student Body office open with full force.

“Oof-!” A voice grunts. He’d forgotten that Jungwon was there, consequently squishing him against the wall. “Whoops.” Jongseong deadpans as you scurry inside.

As Jungwon begins to argue with him, Jongseong tunes him out, his focus being on you as you hide behind your desk.

“That’s my seat.” Jongseong looks up from the desk to find his classmate Nicholas eyeing him.

“Mr. Lee said we could switch. Forgot to wear my contacts and I didn’t bring my glasses.” He answers, pointing to his eyes before gesturing to his old seat a couple of rows away.

Nicholas eyes him, then shrugs. He doesn’t seem that upset when he realizes he’s sitting closer to his friend Eui Joo.

Jongseong bides his time by finishing his homework, quickly scribbling in his notebook. When the warning bell rings, he hears someone let out a gasp of shock.

You stand in terror a few feet away, clutching your books.

“What’re you doing? Sit down before class starts.” Jongseong calls out to you, and you tiptoe to your desk right next to him.

To make sure you keep your promise, Jongseong had your shared homeroom teacher switch his seat so that he could sit right next to you, much to your disdain.

You sit silently, hands on your knees with a straight back. Jongseong is facing forward, but his eyes are trained on you.

As your class starts, he finds it difficult to keep his attention on the lesson, always glancing towards your direction with a steely glare.

You keep your distance, trying your best to focus on the lesson, but it seems you’re not the only one who’s noticed Jongseong’s unwavering stare.

“Jongseong if you’re just going to keep staring at Y/n, I’ll have you stand in the hall.” Mr. Lee announces, and the boy’s head swivels around to his teacher.

“Sorry.” He mumbles, ears getting red. Mr. Lee sighs, returning to his lecture as the rest of the classroom begins to point and whisper.

Ignoring the unwanted attention, Jongseong has a hard time focusing, how could he if you were right there next to him?

It was like Jungwon knew. The younger boy had walked over to his class the second the bell rang for lunch, he stood outside the door with his arms crossed.

You quickly duck out of the classroom as Jungwon blocks his path. “What’re you doing here?” Jongseong asked after being ambushed.

“Making sure you don’t bully my Treasurer. Come on, let’s go eat.” He pushes him towards the cafeteria.

“I wasn’t bullying her!” Jongseong argues. “Uh huh, Then why did she text me that you were glaring at her all class?” Jungwon cocks a brow.

When did you do that? Jongseong swears he’s had hawk eyes on you since school began. He opens his mouth to defend himself, but Jungwon interrupts him.

“And don’t even think about sitting with her at lunch. Give the girl a break!” Jungwon steers him towards their table, where a few of them already sit.

“I wasn’t going to do that!” He shouts.

He was definitely going to do that.

“Do what?” Heeseung asks as he sits down beside him.

“Jongseong’s been stalking Y/n,” Jungwon quips and the boy turns to him in shock and embarrassment.

“Y/n? The new Treasurer?” Sunoo looks confused. “Oh my God, are you that jealous she won?”

Jongseong looks at Sunoo with furrowed brows. “I’m not-” He shuts himself up quickly. He couldn’t reveal the real reason why he was so upset.

“Oh totally. Super jealous. I think he’s got a crush on her with how jealous he is.” Jungwon adds fuel to the flame.

Everyone at the table suddenly gasps, eating this information up like dessert. Riki and Jaeyun are giggling, hiding their snide grins behind their hands as Heeseung and Sunoo are shocked.

“I don’t like her! Shut up Jungwon.” He threatens. Jungwon doesn’t seem to care, eating his food blissfully.

As the others immediately begin to gossip, Jongseong sighs, massaging his temples. “Where’s Sunghoon?” He needed someone with some common sense right now (Sunghoon wasn’t the ideal candidate, but he was the only one missing).

“He’s eating outside with his girlfriend for lunch.” Heeseung answers, causing Jongseong to groan in response.

“Maybe you should invite Y/n to go eat outside with you too,” Jaeyun giggles, pointing at him like a giddy schoolgirl. He falters from Jongseong’s intense glare.

“I said I don’t like her.” He argues, huffing as he begins to eat his packed lunch. His friends seem to notice his mood drop and change the subject to a movie night at Jaeyun’s place on Friday.

As the other boys argue over what to watch, Jongseong’s eyes browse the cafeteria, finally landing on you, sitting on the opposite side of the room.

You’re smiling, leaning against your hand as you listen to your friends Jaehyun and Sungho converse in front of you.

He’s reminded of this morning during your walk to school. You had the most serene look on your face, completely and utterly full of bliss as the sun shined down on you like you had coaxed it to rise.

Your hair is shiny and healthy, your cheeks have a rosy glow as you laugh, eyes lighting up.

It was as if you had transformed into an entirely different person.

His view of you is suddenly blocked, and he’s snapped back into reality.

“Earth to Jongseong! Hello?!” Sunoo playfully waves a hand in front of his face, chuckling as he catches a red-faced Jongseong in the act.

After school he’d run straight home, changing out of his uniform into some more comfortable clothes to work in.

“How was school son?” His dad asks as he chops some tofu for the soup simmering on the stove.

“Fine,” Jongseong conveniently hides the fact that you had found out his secret job.

“Just fine? Nothing fun happened today?” His dad seems extra curious today. Jongseong shakes his head. “Nope, just the usual.” He lies. Everything was anything but the usual today.

“Well the office called your mom and me today-” Jongseong practically jumps at the mention, looking at his father incredulously, as he dreads to hear his fate.

“-They were so surprised you showed up early today! They said it gave them a really good laugh! Isn’t that funny? Your mom and I were chuckling all day about it.” His father looks joyful as Jongseong’s fears dissipate.

“Oh, yeah. Haha.” He tries to shake it off, going back to his task of breading the chicken to fry.

“Oh!” His dad suddenly chirps. “Your homeroom teacher, Mr. Lee emailed me earlier today.”

Jongseong freezes, dropping the raw chicken into the bowl of flour. “He did?” He chokes out.

“Yeah,” His father sighs and Jongseong feels his stomach turn, causing him to lean against the counter.

“You forgot to turn in an assignment for your English class, he said he’ll let you turn it in late if you finish it on Thursday.”

Jongseong feels oxygen enter his lungs as he takes a deep breath, relaxing once again. “Yeah, I can finish it.” He nods.

“Now listen to this! Jungwon texted me today. Oh that boy, he surprised me.” His dad rambles on.

Jungwon?! What did his best friend have to say? Surely he didn’t out him, right? He may be more reliable of the bunch, but Jungwon was just as prone to blabbing as any of his other friends if he wasn’t careful.

“He asked if we could make him some curry for lunch tomorrow! Haha! He wants you to bring it to school so he can eat it.” His dad lets out a hearty laugh, tossing his head back.

Jongseong is barely able to laugh along with him, his head spinning from all the stress his dad had caused him just now. He quickly finishes the chicken, dusting his hands on his apron.

“I’m gonna take my break,” He announces, his dad waves him off with a grin. On his way out of the kitchen, Jongseong grabs a can of soda to drink.

He takes about three steps out of the kitchen only for him to drop his can when someone yanks him by the arm, stowing him away into the bathroom down the hall.

“What the-”

“Shh!” A hand is slapped across his mouth, shutting him up as he’s pushed up against the wall.

Jongseong looks at you ludicrously, eyes wide. Not only was he shocked and confused about why you were here, but he was also caught off guard by your expression.

You stare up at him with fierce eyes, a steely glare that could rival his own. Your usually perfect hair is messy, and you’re gasping for air as if you’d just run here.

While one of your hands covers his mouth, the other still has a firm grip on his wrist, pinning him down. For some reason, his heart begins to race, ears heating up.

With his free hand, Jongseong removes your hand from his face, gently pushing you off him.

“What are you doing here? I thought I made it very clear for you to never return,” He tries to ignore his beating heart as he scowls.

You sigh, running a hand through your hair. “I know- but I had to! I came to warn you.” You say, your soft and quiet tone long gone, replacing it was something loud and harsh.

“My friends are here, they insisted on coming. I guess Donghyun’s classmate recommended your restaurant. I couldn’t get them to change their minds- well honestly I wasn’t much help, I really liked the soon dubu jjigae and I kinda told them that- but anyway! I ran here as fast as I could to let you know. I’m too late though, they’re all here. You need to hide!” You rush, opening the door to peek your head through, scouting the area.

You… You’re helping him? But why? There was no reason for you to help him. You’d only benefit from exposing him. Hell- he’s been tormenting you for the past 24 hours, you probably wanted to tattle on him more than save him.

Questions kept piling up one by one, but right now they would have to wait. There was a more important matter at hand, like:

“But why are we in the women's bathroom?! I could get in trouble if someone found out I was in here!” He tries to subtly duck down to check if anyone is in the stalls.

“Don’t worry, I checked already! We’re alone.” You assure, turning back to him. “Come on!” You grab his hand once more, running you two out back into the hall.

You push him back towards the kitchen, swiping the checkpad and pen from his apron pocket to scribble something down.

“Here, this is my number, text me so I have your number. I’ll let you know when we leave. For now, don’t come out until I say so.” You instruct, passing him the pad back.

Jongseong looks surprised as he reads your number. Even when in a rush your handwriting is impeccable, no wonder you’re a part of the student body council.

You’re about to dash back out to the restaurant when Jongseong stops you, now it’s his turn to hold your hand.

You look up at him speechless, looking at your two hands (as if you hadn’t grabbed his first?!).

Looking into your eyes, Jongseong finds it hard to speak, the words crowding his throat and never forming. Your shock quickly turns to concern as you step closer to him.

“Jongseong? Are you okay?” Your hand doesn’t fall from his grip.

Suddenly self-conscious, Jongseong clears his throat, dropping your hand as he wipes his sweaty palm against his apron.

“Thanks.” He coughs out, giving you a half-assed smile as compensation. You stare at him with an unreadable expression for a moment, before bursting out into a smile that practically makes his heart leap out of his chest.

“I said I’d keep my promise didn’t I?” You tease, before leaving to return to your friends. He stands there, stunned. He can still feel the heat of your hand on his fingertips.

Jongseong thought his biggest worry would be making sure you keep your mouth shut, but now he realizes he should’ve been worrying about how to keep his heart under control.

Entry 001: 22/05/24 | Entry 003: 03/06/24

Show Must Go On masterlist | and scene! series masterlist | kpop masterlist

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24hrsoda · 2 months ago

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what would make bruce see the others as his sons but not dick?

mental maturity (?) i guess

Bruce canonically struggles at times with a regressed mentality and approach to things. It’s brought up so often that he still sees himself as the boy who had his world taken from him, Batman is fueled by that childish anger and pain and need for vengeance, etc.

When Dick comes along, I imagine Bruce hasn’t yet worked out flipping his approach to Batman from vengeance to hope. (He needs help with it, and Robin can be the key to that change, but it will happen gradually.)

I think he could struggle with seeing Dick as a peer for a bit in their early years. Not that he thinks Dick is a grown man or anything, but that he still sees himself as a wounded child, and acts accordingly. Whether he realizes that or not is another story. But it’s hard for him to get in the mindset that he’s supposed to be the responsible adult that makes the *right* choices, not the ones that benefit him best.

It’s kind of in a similar vein to when kids play on the playground together at the local park. They can be different ages, in different grades at school, etc, but when they’re plying together they don’t care about that. They’re just friends and they’re just having fun.

Or sometimes I think of that meme that’s like “working retail is crazy, you’ll be 23 with a 50 year old best friend”. Outside of that proximity, you could lead two entirely different lives with different experiences, but in that setting, you are peers. You’re on equal levels.

Eventually Bruce will grow up and become a father and Dick won’t be excluded from that, but it has to happen gradually. I also think a reason they might click differently than the others is because Dick witnessed Bruce and grew up with him pre-growth, so he knew a different side of Bruce that felt more like a big brother than a dad at times.

#batman #bruce wayne #dick grayson #robin #headcanon #hc #yapping

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natailiatulls07 · 1 year ago

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Trick or treat

Charles Leclerc x female!reader

Summary - You love trick or treating, but your boyfriend has never done it so you set out a mission to change that.

Warning - none I don’t think so

The 23 Halloween Season

I had grown up trick or treating, always have done it ever since I could remember. Dressing up in different costumes every year before going to every house collecting different types of sweets.

So when I found out about how Charles had never gone trick or treating, I set out to make the paddock ready for a halloween night. Managing to get every team to join in, admittedly Redbull was hard but with the help of Max I managed.

It was Saturday, luckily Charles had a good qualify result with front row. So when we got back to our hotel room, where I had two matching Barbie and Ken costumes waiting for us, I could kind of see the confusion on his face. "Surprise! We're going trick or treating!" Jumping up and down with excitement, I could see Charles looking happy with the idea but still confused.

"What around the hotel?" He asked as I calmed down.

"No silly, we're going trick or treating in the paddock!" As soon as the word ‘paddock’ Charles’ face got even more confused.

“Ok, you still look very confused”

“Very is an understatement!” Charles chuckled slightly.

Making our way through the paddock entrance, we were both blown away with how the staff had decorated each team hospitality individually and equally.

Looking down at our costumes, we look amazing. “We look so good!” I say clapping my hands with excitement which Charles just smiles at.

“Oh shit Barbie and Ken! The couple have arrived!” The voice of Lando Norris shouted from just outside the McLaren hospitality. We walked over to him hand in hand.

“Hey mate!” Charles greeted Lando, who was wearing a Batman costume. “Ah Batman, I love this!” I nodding along, showing my agreement to Charles’ comment.

“Of course! I’m actually so excited for this!” Lando excited told us, jumping up and down in his spot.

“Always loved trick or treating but Charlie has never done it so first time for him” I explained Charles’ lack of halloween experience to the Brit. Charles carefully snaking his arm around my waist. “Let’s get to it!”

Moving from Lando, me and Charles started to make our ways to the different hospitalities. Slowly collecting a variation of sweets, bumping into multiple friends from each team.

We bumped into George and Alex who were dressed up as Michael Myers and Ghostface.

"Hey guys, Lily's busy so I'm stuck with this twat!" Alex rolls his eyes whilst side eyeing the Brit to his side. George gives his friend a nudge before giving me a side hug.

"I must say Y/n you really pulled this whole thing of quite well, thank you" I hear him whisper in my ear, sending me a cheeky grin which goes unnoticed by Charles who's in conversation with Alex.

After some time, we all finish up our conversation and Charles drags us towards the next hospitality.

Whilst we were just leaving the Alphine hospitality, who gave out small individual bags of candy corn, we ran into Daniel dressed as a cowboy and Max dressed as Harry Potter.

"Yee haw cowboy!" Charles greets Daniel by tipping his own Ken style cowboy hat. "Have you guys been to the McLaren hospitality yet?"

Max shakes his head curiously. "No? Wait what are they giving out?"

After visiting each hospitality area, Charles found us a small spot to sit and count what sweets we got. In the end, we had a large range of options with some apple bags to snickers.

“You know I can see why you love trick or treating so much, it’s fun” Charles comments after looking through his small bag, a genuine smile taking place on his face.

“Yay I’ve finally converted you to love my favourite Halloween activity!” I did a small celebratory dance in my seat, as to which Charles did a small laugh at.

“Who’s idea was this? We should thank them…” He throws away a small comment unknowingly, opening a snickers bar.

A small almost cheeky smile made itself known on my face. Hesitating I say “Um well it was actually my idea…” Turning his head from the snicker, we lock eyes.

“You know, why I am even surprised?” Charles laughs at the fact that he was so oblivious.

“I had to! I needed to show you the best of Halloween!” Reaching an arm around my shoulder, Charles pulls me into his side with my head distinctively going to rest on him.

He pulls his head down, kissing my temple gently. “I love you so much Cheri…”

Tag list - @ilovechickenwings @carlossainzwho @ipab @erikasurfer @soph1644

#formula one #formula one x reader #charles leclerc #charles leclerc x female reader #charles leclerc x y/n #charles leclerc x you #charles leclerc x reader #charles lechair #f1 imagine #f1 #f1 x reader #f1 x you #f1 fic #ferrari racing

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fastestmanalive333 · 1 month ago

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Teen Titans Reading List (Pre 52 Only)

Silver Age/Early Bronze Age(Humble beginnings, the stories are really really fun in my opinion, its a good starting point if you wanna know how the team got together, see where the teen titans started out its not for everyone but i love it! )

1964-1973

Brave and the Bold #54

Teen Titans: Year One #1-3

Brave and the Bold #60

Showcase #59

Solo #7/2 "Doom Patrol vs Teen Titans" (just a fun short story)

Teen Titans: Year One #4-6 (if you wanna skip silver age and you dont wanna read that stuff just read teen titans year one and you'll be fine)

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #1-18

Teen Titans Spotlight #21

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #19

Brave and the Bold #83

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #20-33

Brave and the Bold #94

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #34-39

Brave and the Bold #102

Early Bronze Age (I still consider this part of Silver Age as after these issues the series goes on hiatus as this was the 70s and comics were really not doing well during this time period you could conceptually jump here but i recommend jumping at the 1976 revival either way.. this is very very short)

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #40-43

1976 Revival/Bronze Age (the short lived revival of the series, the art is really really nice and introduces you to Titans West who are important to Lilith Clays as well as Gar, Bumblebee and Heralds characters you could jump here if you genuinely want too it gives good context to the Titans break up that leads into NTT)

1976-1978

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #44-53

DC Special Series #11 (1978)

Showcase #100 (1978)

Brave and the Bold #149 (1979)

New Teen Titans Era (One of my favorite eras, Wolfman and Perez do what Chris Claremont was doing with X-Men he revitilazed the Teen Titans it is definitely considered the gold standard, and was DC's most popular book at the time of its running outselling Superman, it is iconic and is really just one of my favorite runs I highly recommend jumping on here..)

1980-1984

Legends of the DC Universe #18 (1999) (just a good raven issue and prequel it is not needed)

New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #1-20 (1980)

Tales of the New Teen Titans #1-4 (a really good mini that is a good way of knowing the characters more)

New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #21-27

New Teen Titans Annual Vol. 1 #1 (1982)

New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #28-#34

New Teen Titans Annual Vol. 1 #2

New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #35-37

Batman and the Outsiders #5

New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #38-#40

Tales of the Teen Titans #41-44

New Teen Titans Annual Vol. 1 #3

Tales of the Teen Titans #45-58

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #1-5 (1984)

Wolfman Era Continued (George Perez Leaves about the time Crisis on Infinite Earths kicks off to write the series this era starts off ok, but like Legion of Superheroes after Crisis, sales did start to slightly tank, when the title changes to The New Titans it begins to get very very bad)

1984-1988

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #6-9

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 Annual #1

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #10-12

Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-9 (You do not need to read Crisis just know Kole dies in #12 of it)

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #13-14 (Crisis on Infinite Earths Tie Ins,you dont need to read it as a whole just know Kole dies in it)

Crisis on Infinite Earths #10-12

Post Crisis

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #15-22

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 Annual #2

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #23-32

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 Annual #3

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #33-46

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 Annual #4 (reminder since this is post crisis.. Diana was no longer Dianas sister as Wonder Woman was rebooted.. i believe its in 48 or 49 where they make it mentioned she has never met wonder woman)

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #47-49 (Stop!! DONT CONTINUE AFTER THIS!!)

The New Titans Era (We kick this era off with Donna Troy Origin Fuckery.. good story tho.. Wolfman admits he wished this had never happened and that they could've been able to keep it as it was before.. you can tell he loses a lot of passion in this series and as a result the quality slips, due to many circumstances Editorial meddling, slipping sales etc. it becomes... awful!)

1988-1992

The New Titans #50-59 (1988)

The New Titans Annual #5 Batman (1940) #440-442 & The New Titans #60-61 (Lonely Place of Dying)

The New Titans #62-68 (GO BACK! GO BACK! BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!!)

The New Titans Annual #6

The New Titans #69-78

The New Titans Annual #7

The New Titans #79-86 (You have begun to reach the point of no return dont say i didnt warn you!!!)

The Bitter Painful End of the Wolfman Era (You can tell he is tired and washed af in these issues... this is your final warning you're fine? you sure? ok!!! here's evil Raven below so you know what you're in for!!)

1992-1996

Deathstroke The Terminator #1-13 (1991)

The New Titans #87-89, Deathstroke The Terminator #14-16, Team Titans 1-3

Titans Sell-Out Special #1 (1992)

The New Titans #90-93

Team Titans #4-6

The New Titans #94-96

Team Titans #7-10

The New Titans #97-100 (You have reached your death penalty these issues are painful to read) The New Titans #101-114

Team Titans #11-24

The New Titans #0 (this is probably where the run begins to pick up again in quality a little bit.. with a whole different fresh line up.. i unironically start enjoying it again i understand if its not for everyone tho)

Roy Harper takes over as the leader in short in #114

The New Titans #115-123

The New Titans Annual Vol. 2 #11

The New Titans #124, Green Lantern Vol. 3 #65, Darkstars #34, Damage #16, New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #125 (The Siege of the Zi Charam)

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #126-130 (If you had made it this far... kudos to you!!!)

Young Justice/Titans Era(The 1999 Revival!! Titans are back after going through 90s hell!! and we also get Young Justice both Titans 1999 and Young Justice are really really good i definitely recommend both)

1999-2003

WF3: World's Finest Three (Superboy/Robin) #1-2

Robin Plus Impulse #1 (1996)

Young Justice: The Secret #1 (1998)

JLA: World Without Grownups #1-2 (1998)

Young Justice #1-4 (1998)

JLA/Titans #1-3 Titans Secret Files and Origins #1 (1999)

Young Justice Secret Files #1

Titans #1-3 (1999)

Young Justice #5-8

Young Justice 80-Page Giant #1

Titans #4-20

Young Justice #9-12, Supergirl Vol. 4 #36, Young Justice #13, Supergirl Vol. 4 #37

Titans #21-30

Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #153

Young Justice #14-19

Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1, Young Justice: Sins of Youth Secret Files #1, Sins of Youth: JLA Jr. #1, Sins of Youth: Aquaboy/Lagoon Man #1, Sins of Youth: Batboy and Robin #1, Sins of Youth: Kid Flash/Impulse #1,Sins of Youth: Starwoman and the JSA Jr. #1, Sins of Youth: Superboy Sr./Superman Jr. #1, Sins of Youth: Wonder Girls #1, Sins of Youth: The Secret/Deadboy #1,Young Justice: Sins of Youth #2

Beast Boy #1-4 (1999)

Young Justice #20-40

Titans Annual #1

Titans #31-50

Young Justice #41-44, Impulse #85, Robin Vol. 2 #101, Young Justice #45 (Sins of Youth)

Young Justice #46-55

Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1-3

Geoff Johns Era (In this Era we get Geoff Johns' Teen Titans Run, as well as Judd Winicks Outsiders run, which I will count here, Infinite Crisis happens, and theres some emotional stuff, I enjoy this era although for Titans personally again im biased as it was one of my first Teen Titans runs, and I love Geoff Johns, Judd Winicks Outsiders is a good read as well, i'll definitely include Infinite Crisis cause Conners death is important to latter issues, and the titans do have a bigger role in it then they do in the first crisis it is an optional read but just adding it)

2003-2006

Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files 2003

Teen Titans Vol. 3#1-16 (2003)

Teen Titans/Legion Special

Outsiders Vol. 3 #1-19 (2003)

Teen Titans Vol. 3#17-23

Outsiders Vol. 3 #20-24

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #24, Outsiders Vol. 3 #24, Teen Titans Vol. 3 #25, Outsiders Vol. 3 #25

DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1-4 (2005)

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #26-28

Infinite Crisis #1, Teen Titans Vol. 3 #29-31, Infinite Crisis #2-3, Teen Titans Vol. 3 #32, Teen Titans Vol. 3 Annual #1 (2006) (my favorite issue!!), Teen Titans Vol. 3 #33, Infinite Crisis #6-7

One Year Later (Geoff Johns does write for a little bit longer leaving the title entirely at 46, Sean Mckeever takes over, Cassie and Tim are the only two cour four members left and we get yet another new line up! Eddie and Rose are the best characters in this)

2006-2011

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #34-46, (47 is a countdown tie in and 48-49 are amazons attack tie ins.. skip those they're awful)

DC Special: Cyborg #1-6

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #50-61

Titans East Special #1

Titans Vol. 2 #1-4 (2008)

DC Universe: Decisions #1-4

Titans Vol. 2 #5-10

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #62-68

Terror Titans (2008) #1-6

Faces of Evil: Deathstroke #1 (2008)

Titans Vol. 2 #11, Teen Titans vol. 3 #69, Teen Titans Annual (2009), Vigilante Vol. 3 #4, Titans Vol. 2 #12, Vigilante Vol. 3 #5, Teen Titans vol. 3 #70, Titans Vol. 2 #13, Vigilante Vol. 3 #6 (Deathtrap)

Teen Titans vol. 3 #71-74

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds 1-5 (Bart and Conners resurrection)

Titans Vol 2#14-18

Teen Titans #75-76

Titans Vol. 2 #19-20 (Do NOT Read Past this.. every Titans 2008 issue becomes unreadable after 20.. just pretend they do not exist)

Teen Titans Vol 3. #79-87

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #88-89, Red Robin #18, Teen Titans Vol 3. #90, Red Robin #19, Teen Titans Vol 3. #91, Red Robin #20, Red Robin #20, Teen Titans Vol 3. #92, Red Robin #21

Teen Titans Vol 3. #93-100

Anyway Happy Reading!!!

And TITANS TOGETHER!!

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kiragecko · 4 months ago

Text

Tim and Dick Interaction

Updated version, since Tumblr REALLY doesn't like me editing lists that were made in the old text editor. (The original, the rest of the lists, and a reading guide, are HERE):

Tim to Dick-

CIVILIAN NAME

Dick Grayson - 2 | 11 (Batman 440-42, 1989)

Dick - 71 | 70 (Batman 440-42, 1989)

Grayson - 0 | 2 (Batman 440-42, 1989)

Officer Dick Grayson - 1 | 0 (Nightwing 25, 1998)

CODENAME

Nightwing - 58 | 23 (Batman 440-42, 1989)

Robin - 10 | 11 (Batman 440-42, 1989)

Di – Nightwing - 0 | 1

Former Boy Wonder - 2 | 0 (Young Justice 21, 2000)

Batman - 6 | 3 (Red Robin 11-15, 2010)

FAMILIAL

Big Brother - 2 | 0 (Gotham Knights 33-36, 2002-2003)

Like Brothers - 0 | 1 (Gotham Knights 45-47, 2003)

My Brother - 1 | 0 (Red Robin 11-15, 2010)

OTHER

Pal - 1 | 0 (Batman 512-14, 1994)

Poor Baby - 1 | 0 (Nightwing 68-69, 2002)

Guys - 1 | 0 (Gotham Knights 45-49, 2003-2004)

Dude - 1 | 0 (Nightwing 97, 2004)

The Man - 0 | 1 (Outsiders 25, 2005)

Obi-Wan - 1 | 0 (Nightwing 142-43, 2008)

Captain Kirk - 1 | 0 (Nightwing 142-43, 2008)

Buzz - 1 | 0 (Nightwing 151, 2009)

Marcia - 1 | 0 (Red Robin 11-15, 2010)

INSULTS

You Dirty - 1 | 0 (Detective 723, 1998)

Jerk - 2 | 0 (Legends of the Dark Knight 120, 1999)

Dick to Tim-

CIVILIAN NAME

Tim - 70 | 43 (Batman 440-42, 1989)

Jeff - 1 | 0 (Batman 440-42, 1989)*

Tim Drake - 2 | 3 (New Titans 65, 1989)

Mr. Drake - 1 | 1 (New Titans 65, 1989)

Timothy - 1 | 0 (Secret Origins 80 Page Giant 1, 1999)

Timmy - 2 | 1 (Nightwing 97, 2004)

CODENAME

Robin - 66 | 12 (Shadow of the Bat 29-30, 1992)

Boy Wonder - 6 | 1 (Robin 8, 1994)

"The Boiled Wonder" - 1 | 0 (Detective 727-29, 1998-99)

Boy Basketcase - 1 | 0 (Nightwing 68-69, 2002)

Junior Sidekicks - 1 | 0 (Gotham Knights 45-48, 2003)

"Red Robin" - 1 |0 (Red Robin 11-15, 2010)

Red Robin ... - 0 | 1 (Red Robin 11-15, 2010)

Red Robin - 8 | 4 (Batman 703, 2010)

R. R. - 2 | 0 (Gates of Gotham, 2011)

Batman - 0 | 1 (Gates of Gotham, 2011)

STATUS

Partner - 1 | 0 (Shadow of the Bat 53-54, 1996)

FAMILIAL

Little Brother - 1 | 1 (Secret Origins 80 Page Giant 1, 1999)

The Brother I Came to Save - 0 | 1 (Nightwing 138-40, 2008)

OTHER

Kid - 7 | 3 (New Titans 60-61, 1989)

A Brave Kid - 0 | 1 (Batman 455-56, 1990)

A Good Kid - 1 | 0 (Shadow of the Bat 29-30, 1992)

Buddy - 1 | 0 (Shadow of the Bat 53-54, 1996)

Poor Kid - 0 | 1 (Shadow of the Bat 53-54, 1996)

Pal - 1 | 0 (Nightwing Annual, 1997)

Friend - 1 | 0 (Detective 723, 1998)

Coach - 1 | 0 (Legends of the Dark Knight 120, 1999)

Grasshopper - 1 | 0 (Young Justice 21, 2000)

Sneaky - 1 | 0 (Nightwing 68-69, 2002)

My Young Friend Here - 0 | 1 (Gotham Knights 33-36, 2002-2003)

Gang - 1 | 0 (B: Gotham Knights 49, 2004)

An Earnest Little Computer Geek Too Smart for His Own Good - 0 | 1 (Nightwing 110, 2005)

Chum - 1 | 0 (Nightwing 142-43, 2008)

Man - 2 | 0 (Robin 183, 2009)

Cindy - 1 | 0 (Red Robin 11-15, 2010)

Guys - 1 | 0

INSULTS

(You Little) Twerp - 2 | 0 (Nightwing 25, 1998)

Wiseguy - 1 | 0 (Nightwing 25, 1998)

Wimp - 1 | 0 (Robin 74, 2000)

Comments:

Dick actually took a while to warm up to Tim. They don’t interact much for the first 5 or so years, and Dick doesn’t really joke with Tim at all when they do. It isn’t until the Nightwing series that Dick starts teasing and really enjoying him.

Also, Tim is FAR to comfortable calling Dick by his first name in the beginning. Like, he totally thinks of them as best friends in his head and that isn’t healthy. He almost never thinks of Dick with any name other than his first for their entire relationship.

*FINALLY, Dick calls Tim ‘Jeff’ in one of their first encounters. This is a writer’s error - they changed Tim’s name late in the writing process - but I like imagining Dick just messed up his name. He WAS kind of distracted at the time.

#gecko's lists #tim drake #dick grayson #red robin #nightwing #batfamily

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celaenaeiln · 1 year ago

Note

who do you think each bats' favourite sibling is canonically? i haven't seen much about this outside of super fanon stuff so i'm curious

Let's start with the easiest one!

Tim - Dick

Tim's favorite sibling but also favorite person ever is unquestionably, undoubtedly Dick. This boy adores his big brother. He's full-on obsessed with him.

His thoughts on Dick are just a compilation of praises about him and his inner dialogue simply consists of a series of hero worship.

Robin (1993) Issue #32

Red Robin Issue #23

Sometimes I ponder about Dick and Tim's relationship because I feel like what Tim wants from Dick isn't just a brother, I feel like he wants him to be a parent which is part of the reason why Tim and Damian don't get along.

Because the truth is, before Damian came along, Tim was Dick's robin first. And Tim loved it.

(This post was on hold for months because I needed that exact panel where Tim says to Dick "It's obvious he wants us to be the new batman and Robin." BuT i CaNt FiNd It. I literally give up, if anyone know what panel I'm referring to people reblog it with the panel and I'll upload it with the post)

Dick was Tim's Robin and everything he did he wanted to live up to him

Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Scorched Earth

Look at what he says about Dick:

Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying

Even before Dick and Tim met again, Tim started working out just so he could be like his idol. Tim literally says to Dick "My grades are okay but I studied because I wanted to just like you."

You know what they say about idols and pedestals and never meeting your heroes? The opposite is true for Tim about Dick. After meeting Dick for the second time, his idol worship grew so much it shattered every ceiling in existence.

Tim loves him so so much. People sometimes misunderstand and think that Tim hated Dick when he fired him from Robin but it wasn't hate that Tim felt. It was jealousy. Jealousy over Dick choosing Damian over him.

Tim even solely used the Red Robin persona for the mere reason that he didn't want to dirty Dick's Robin by stigmatizing it with his less ethical actions.

Damian - Dick

Obviously. The only reason I said Tim was the easiest is because Tim's inner and outer thoughts about Dick can be complied to create volumes of fanbooks of flowing poetry about him. Damian on the other hand is more of a tsundere, but there's still only one person who he loves aside from his father and even more than.

Robin War Issue #1

If there were any doubts, I don't think this panel could be any clearer about who Damian's favorite is.

Stephanie - Cass

Batgirl (2000) Issue #38

Cass - Stephanie

Batgirls (2016) Issue #14

Damn.

Steph and Cass are each other's favorites

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #945

Duke - noone? everyone?

Like actually I can't pick out one person Duke likes the best. You're either on his wavelength or he's snarking you off it. He's the type of guy where everyone likes him and he's chilling by himself, doing whatever he wants.

Jason - Dick

Out of the batkids who did deal with Jason during his worst phase, Dick is unilaterally his favorite. Sometimes when I think about Jason's relationship with Bruce, I'm reminded of how much Jason and Bruce are alike sometimes because Jason's view on Dick is almost identical to Bruce's view on Dick and they even have similar reactions. We all know that Bruce hero-worships Dick. Time and time again, Bruce emphasizes, stresses, and talks about how amazing Dick is and how he's so much better than him, and constantly places Dick on a pedestal. The issue comes when Dick doesn't want to do what Bruce wants him to do because he believes that Dick is an extension of himself, his better half, and he's furious when Dick doesn't follow or accept what he's doing because Dick should know what Bruce is trying to do because he's supposed to be better than him, how dare he stop him, etc.

Jason acts in similar ways to Dick. There's a whole issue where Jason gets fear gassed and one of his biggest fears is Dick. More specifically, it's about how amazing Dick is and never living up to him because in Jason's eyes, Dick is absolutely perfect. There is no one better than him because he is the peak of everything. He places Dick on the highest pedestal there is and he kind of safeguards Dick there in his heart. He used to get really angry because he believes Dick is the best but also refuses to let Dick be anything other than the best. The best way I have to explain them is Jason holding Dick prisoner as a result of his hero worship.

Once Jason is slightly calmer, his relationship dynamics with everyone became really clear, as well as what he thinks of them and it's shown how the way he treats Dick is just different.

Task Force Z Issue #8

Grayson Issue #12

"You don't do that to your--you don't do that to another Robin!"

He was going to say brother 🥺🥺

In this scene, it's pretty obvious that Jason loves Dick a lot but he's obviously not going to be all fuzzy feelings about it because he likes to be edgy. Jason's a little confusing in general for people to understand because they expect him to be nice and open but Jason's not nice, he's just nicer to the people he likes. Once we start understanding that, he becomes clearer.

And to Dick -

Nightwing (2016) Issue #15

-He's exceptionally nicer.

DC's Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun Issue #1

Another example of why Jason loves Dick the most is because in the comics, Jason doesn't work with anyone in the family unless he has to unless it's Dick because he chooses to work with Dick by choice.

Dick - Tim or Damian

Dick adores Tim so freaking much. He loves him so, so much.

Nightwing (1996) Issue #139

Catch me crying behind my sunglasses at Dick kissing Tim's head lovingly 😭

Robin (1993) Issue #12

I just love these soft touch moments Dick has with Tim. It's so incredibly sweet.

He was Tim's mentor

The New Titans (1988) Issue #65

and a really good one too.

He loves him-

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #696

-so much.

(I'd add more panels but I ran out of image space :'0)

I genuinely cannot say who he loves more at all. I can't even pick. I really do think he loves them evenly because when I think about leaning one side, more evidence comes to mind for the other side like a pair of counter weights.

Damian...I don't really need to say any words because the pictures speak for themselves

Batman (2016) Issue #34

Grayson Issue #12

aldskjdhkdjfhldfah;dh. Look at what he gave his son! A souvenir from the first time his dad met his mom because Dick knows how much Damian loves his parents <333!! There's nothing I can even say more.

Here's my previous post on Dick and Damian's relationship.

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sky-eira · 1 month ago

Text

Title: For Your Soul, I Shall Come

Pairing: Jonathan Kent / Damian Wayne (JonDami)

Fic Summary: a Soulmate AU where the young hero Superboy swore to protect the civilian Damian Wayne, both not knowing about each other’s secret identity.

(Despite the chapter title, no, it's not nearing the end)

This chapter contains an element that is potentially triggering. Watch out for the chapter's trigger warning in the end notes.

(previous chapter)

Chapter 23: The Story Before The End

Chapter Excerpt:

How big the world was.

How tiny he was.

The world outside was big and too much and messed up.

But tonight, with Jon-El lying by his side, Damian had never slept so soundly. So peacefully.

He felt completely safe.

#jondami #damijon #supersons #damian wayne #jon kent #jonathan kent #fysisc #jondami fic

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redhoodinternaldialectical · 2 years ago

Text

My Jason Todd Rec List and Character Manifesto! (Version 3.0! Edited and updated first on 28/01/2024 and then again on 23/09/2024)

This is a fuckin mess my ghouls, but I got categories and I got opinions and who can stop me from typing em out? Certainly not @lazaruspiss who is the reason this thing got made!

The format is gonna be:

title and page numbers (No #s if I'm recommending the whole title IMPORTANT UPDATE: Each title will be a direct link to a free digital copy! Make sure you have a good adblocker and enjoy!) picture Summary and general notes My estimate of how unhinged he is in this portrayal What his morals are like; note this isn't about whether he's a protagonist or antagonist

Since cream rises to the top, let us start with:

The Creme de la Creme

The best of the best. The most fun, the most compelling, the most interesting looks into his character.

Seeing Red aka Green Arrow (2001) #69 - #72

This one really does have it all. Jason runs rings around both Batman and Green Arrow at the same time, all the while going after a goal neither of them ever truly figures out in large part because this story wasn't afraid to let Bruce be either wrong or lying about Jason's motives. It also wonderfully leverages the ways in which the Bats and the Arrows are really good foils for each other. I think I'm going to be turning over the ways these interactions went down for a long ass time. I've been really wanting to go page by page for a comparison between the way Jason treats Mia in this and the way Jason treats Tim in the Titans Tower showdown. Bottom line for this one: It's just so good!

Jason's sanity level: Six out of Ten hinges affixed. He's got a solid grip on things, is reasonably level headed, only problem is he might have completely forgotten how to interact with other human beings outside of combat. Love him for that.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Sympathetic Villain. Decidedly willing to mow down some "brain donors", and his goals are pretty morally grey, but he clearly still has a strong code of ethics.

Task Force Z

This whole comic one big love letter to Jason Todd. The author, Matthew Rosenberg, very deliberately takes time to showcase all the strengths and flaws of his character that make him so beloved. He's competent, he's mistrustful, he's determined, he's heroic and yet poses as the villain, he's human yet badass, and he holds his ground against the rest of the Bats while still clearly loving them. If I was ranking these comics purely by plot and pacing this would not be in creme de la creme territory, but it's a fantastic synopsis of what Jason is all about and if I could only give someone a single series in order to let them understand who Jason is (and I couldn't give them Under the Red Hood), I'd give them this.

Jason's sanity level: Eight out of Ten hinges affixed. He's pretty level headed, but at the same time he very clearly is way too casual about violence to be full hinges affixed - the PTSD is very apparent in him.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Antihero. His motives are understandable and firmly rooted in doing the right thing, but at the same time he is very willing to be ruthless and to kill when he feels it's the right decision. Balanced!

Pay as You Go aka Outsiders #44 - #46

Jason's role in this story is fairly small, but it's a wonderful bit of characterization for him. The way he approaches Nightwing to offer his help and the way Nightwing accepts that offer are fascinating and very deserving of your time!

Also there's gay sex and a prison breakout, like, what more could you want? Actually I suppose you could also want (what I'm pretty sure is) Roy's first time meeting Jason as the Red Hood and some really cute scenes of him and Lian, and guess what this story has got that too!

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Antihero. He's deliberately choosing to play the villain, but he's very willing to work with the Heroes and is going out of his way to exonerate an innocent man.

Batman (1940) #408 - #411 Jason's debut featuring Ma Gunn's School and his first ever outing as Robin fighting Two-Face

Just LOOK at this PRECIOUS BOY! I wanna pinch him on his cheeks and give him a handful of these bad boys

Jason has a ton of personality to him right out the gate. The first story has Ma Gunn as the villain and she's a lot of fun. The second story in here with Two-Face is also enlightening with regards to Jason's early personality, even if it's not quite as fun.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero.

Under the Red Hood would be next if it wasn't already filed under ->

Foundational Texts

This is the shit that defines Jason as a character. Much is mutable in any given comic, but somehow, someway, all depictions of Jason are impacted and informed by these three stories. Enough has been said about all of them that I'm gonna keep it brief.

Red Hood: The Lost Days

(You may have heard a lot about Talia's role in this one: I would encourage you to read my analysis of her in this story and do your best to see her perspective in all this, she's a heck of a lot less villainous than people keep saying she is)

Jason's sanity level: Eight out of Ten hinges affixed.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Antihero. He kills some incredibly nasty people, while also doing some genuinely heroic shit. The only places where his morals deteriorate are in the presence of Batman and the Joker.

Under the Red Hood

Jason's sanity level: Four out of Ten hinges affixed. Remember how his morals deteriorated in the face of Batman and the Joker? Yeah, that's mostly because he's way, way too personally invested to think straight about them. He's strategic as fuck, but this is not a stable man's strategy for dealing with his issues.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Sympathetic Villain. He is a revenant, a vengeful juggernaut, and breaks an awful lot of eggs making this brilliant disaster of an omelette.

Batman (1940) #426 - #429 A Death in the Family

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero.

Joker becoming an ambassador to Iran plotlines count: One too many.

Solid Storylines

These ain't the vaulted heights, but not everything has to be the Sistine Chapel. They're solid, and if you're wanting more Jason I do certainly recommend them.

Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer and Countdown to Infinite Crisis (special note here: Countdown to Infinite Crisis must be read backwards, meaning you start with Issue #51 and then read down to Issue #1 and Countdown Presents isn't in chronological order and just... oh boy this storyline is a mess, but much of it is also quite good)

Jason is in what I like to call his Purposeless Depression Era during this. It's after his plans in Under the Red Hood fail and he's really just got no place to go, no place to be. He's keenly aware that on a cosmic level, he truly does not belong in this world anymore. He's supposed to be dead. There's something I find quite neat about this team up, with Donna Troy and Kyle Raynor and Bob, it's out of the ordinary for Jason, it's not bat related, and the ways he fits and doesn't fit with the other characters are just neat.

I especially recommend Gotham by Gaslight. The plot will be a lil hard to follow if you haven't read the others, but by the end of it Jason hopes to return to Steampunk Gotham instead of his own Gotham where he doesn't think he belongs, and the moments of him hoping to literally leave his universe behind are both sweet and sorrowful.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. He's just sad and lonely.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero. Even if only Donna is willing to tentatively try to see him that way.

Robin (1993) #177 and two pages of #182 and the front half of #183

Despite how much Jason is known for it, I think this is the only time we see him trying to run organized crime outside of Under the Red Hood (and uh debatably Battle for the Cowl). Short lil string of appearances, but critical for understanding how he's seen by Tim during this era if you care about that. Also I think this combined with Outsiders #44 - #46 (further down this list) it really cemented my understanding of Jason being strangely honest and forthright.

I think a major way other Bats fail to comprehend him is that they expect him to manipulate through lying, which just isn't his style. He doesn't lie about his motives; he doesn't obfuscate his tactics; he doesn't hide how he's feeling. Hell, he doesn't even try to lie his way out of prison! I could not tell you why this series of interactions gave me this impression but it is why I have such faith that when Jason says something, he probably just means it, even when characters like Dick or Tim assume otherwise.

Pity this was the lead up to Battle for the Cowl.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. He's even attempting to pick himself up out of his Purposeless Depression Era slump at the start.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Antihero.

Nightwing (1996) #118 - #122 aka Brothers in Blood aka the One Where Jason Gets Tentacles

COWARDS and KNAVES will tell you "the tentacles are so icky and everyone is so OOC" or whatever but again they are KNAVES and COWARDS because bitch this shit is GREAT

Jason: Wow! My bestest big brother killed someone who deserved it, so now I (the person he's rejecting only because I kill people who deserved it) have a real chance at being his family again!! :D Hooray! :) Dickie-Bird why don't you look happy to see me? :) Dickie-Bird I went out of my way to get us matching outfits and stalked your work and killed people in your name so it's nice and easy to make room for me in your life! :) :) :)

Dick:

Jason's sanity level: Two out of Ten hinges affixed. My mans is off his rocker and I adore him like this. Frankly, the entire storyline is unhinged, and it only feels appropriate that Jason is similarly bonkers in yonkers.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Villain. You can sympathize with him, and he is still trying to carry out justice, but I have to call it for straight villain when he's threatening to bomb a building full of innocent people.

Batman and Robin (2009) #23 - #25

I don't have much to say about this one. It's good. The above page is pretty much the highlight.

Wait actually I do have something to say and it is that I would like to lick Jason's abs, pls & thx, because the other highlight is that Winick clearly believes in redeeming Jason's value as a villain through sex appeal and it is working lmao

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. Certifiably sane, he's passed all his psych exams!

Jason's moral compass bearing: Villain. He threatens to bomb a train station full of innocent people. While he does do that in service of freeing himself and Scarlet, thus making it not completely self centered, I still gotta put him firmly in Villain.

Nightwing (2016) 2021 Annual

In high contrast to the previous two in which Jason acts as a villain to Dick, this one has them working together and the tentative peace and cautious trust they've got going is interesting to me. Very reminiscent of his appearance in Outsiders!

Jason's sanity level: Nine out of Ten hinges affixed. He's quite chill, but there's just this little edge to him that says his relationship to violence is a little too casual a little too deep to really be fully hinged.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Edgy Hero.

Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing

With Jason's return to being an antagonist after a long stint in the Hero bin comes his return to being really fucking dangerous and whip smart! My boy quotes serious philosophy that gives him a real point to make against non lethal vigilantes and cops! I also think the part where he lets himself be arrested just... it says so much and all of it is wonderfully interesting and feels fitting for his character. He's kept deeply human, and just all of this portrayal gels together really well.

Originally I had this up in Creme De La Creme because really, even though Jason isn't the star of the show, and even with Gotham War having, er, Minorly Derailed Jason's role in things, and one or two inevitable scenes where ya just have to accept that he's not as trigger happy as he should be because DC is married to the Joker - even though all of that is true, this is still a phenomenal rendition of Jason. However, with all of those annoyances and with Task Force Z being written by the same author, I decided to put it down here and leave TFZ in it's place. Basically it's got an arguably better story-line than TFZ, but contains less Jason.

Also I like that he's friends with my favorite, Stephanie Brown :3 and he and Rose's chemistry is nice. On top of all that? It's a fun comic. Like, I generally hate the Joker, but I found myself enjoying watching the Joker do his Joker things in this one.

Jason's sanity level: Nine out of Ten hinges affixed. Level headed, calm, careful, really the only reason this isn't a 10/10 is cause he's obsessively focused, which like, honestly is pretty reasonable I think.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Clearly Justified Antihero. I almost put down Hero on this one, but ultimately he is just far enough over the line with how he treats the less threatening of the rogues like Killer Moth.

Your Mileage May Vary

These stories I can't recommend without major caveats or warnings, but I still think are worth mentioning.

Gotham War (It's such a mangled mess that I'm just gonna link a reading guide. The same website that all the others are on will get you to all the titles this guide lists)

So, the main problem here is that Gotham War spans five different titles and had three different authors whose renditions of Jason do not feel cohesive or even coherent. The funny thing is though, each rendition has real merits, and while it doesn't go far enough in condemning Bruce's horrifying treatment of Jason for many people's tastes, I have to point out that it's one of the only comics to condemn an instance of Bruce mistreating Jason at all. The fact that the other Robins come to his defense is a HUGE thing! The bar may be in Hell, but it did clear the bar!

Due to how disjointed it is, I'm going to very loosely separate Jason out into two versions of himself. Think of these not as hard lines, but more a spectrum he slides across depending on what author has him that issue.

Jason Primus combines the ideas in Jason's Under the Red Hood speech about controlling crime rather than trying to stomp it out with his more Heroic modern interpretation. He's a chill, funny, smart guy whose protectiveness over the mooks is really charming.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero.

Jason Secundus is much more violent, not used to working with other people, and paranoid and antsy in a way that causes him to take it out on people who really don't deserve it. This is a compelling take on him, though I like him closer to Jason Primus. His trauma has clearly shaped him a lot, both for better and for worse.

Jason's sanity level: Seven out of Ten hinges affixed. Jason's moral compass bering: Anti-Hero, most of this focuses on him antagonizing two former Joker goons which kinda doesn't work well cause they're mostly scarecrow goons actually and also at one point he hurts them in a way that borderline just seems like stress relief. It's nothing worse than what we see Batman himself doing countless times, but it's still jarring because we've been made to strongly sympathize with the goon in question.

Batman: Three Jokers <- I read it while typing this up (the first version of this lol), so I got a lotta thoughts

Guh, this one is just fucking sad

So, I don't mind a story being blunt with its message as long as the message actually holds up. Unfortunately, this three parter's attempt at the cycle of violence lesson is... bad. Real bad.

Jason in it is neat! This is a good Jason portrayal somehow despite literally everything about the way this comic frames him! The narrative expects us to believe he is a danger to society on the cusp of becoming another Joker, because he *checks notes* shot the Joker dead, shot at a Joker loyal guy, and roughly interrogated an injured child abuser. At no point does he show signs of wanting to hurt innocent people. At no point does he show signs of doing any hurting without premeditation or a need to defend himself. I'm baffled by this.

My kingdom for a fucking CRUMB of nuance, I swear, smh...

I hear a lot of people hate his one sided romance towards Barbara. This is understandable as it squanders the opportunity to have a female character not be stuck as the narrative sponge for man emotions. I like it from the perspective of a Jason fan, and give condolences for the Barbara fans. It's not healthy, and good fucking job on the janitor sweeping away his letter to her so poor Babs doesn't have to deal with that shit, but I do like Jason's desperation to be loved by someone, anyone, who might show him compassion.

Jason's sanity level: Six out of Ten hinges affixed. He's sad, he's lonely, he needs some PTSD specific therapy, he's a bit creepy about his crush on Barbara, but quite frankly he has it together a lot more than the narrative would like us to believe. The way the other characters treat him like he's some kind of monster just waiting to snap and start maiming people indiscriminately makes me really uncomfortable.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Antihero. Quite frankly I'm tempted to say Hero out of spite.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #1 - #43

There are three transcendental character moments in this run that I think make it worth reading even if not all of it's your cup of tea. On the other hand though there are some big issues that could very easily be deal breakers. Oh and anything after #43 is a wasteland and #43 is included purely for the implication that being transgender made a woman immortal.

The narrative structure is really heavily dependent on rule of emotional impact/cool/allegorical usefulness. Many events will not make any fucking sense based on petty things like basic logic or the laws of physics, but they do work just fine in the area of what makes the story more fun or the emotional beats hit harder. Stronger than average suspension of disbelief is necessary for the reward of getting a lot of stuff that's, like, just really fuckin cool.

The romantic side plot with Artemis is... odd. Either the author, Scott Lobdell, intended to write Jason as a desperate loser trying to date his uninterested lesbian friend who he co-parents with, or he accidentally wrote a romance so awkward and comp-het that I cannot wrap my head around reading it as reciprocated. This works for me because I have a lot of fun reading Jason as a desperate loser who's not even actually in love with her, he just is desperate to cling to the closest thing he's ever gotten to a nuclear family and in denial about being either aro/ace or gay.

Now, lets explore a lil bit of the whole Jason is a loser angle, cause it's not the whole story, there are many points in which Jason gets to be a badass motherfucker, but he is much, much less of the hypercompetant, highly determined, murderous threat he used to be. Almost none of the newer renditions of Jason are. This Jason in particular though is very soft and cuddly, and fits the archetype of man trying to be the edgy bad boy but who secretly just wants a hug and a warm glass of milk.

If I were to describe my personal Jason in a few sentences I would say that he is someone who loves himself viciously. He feels he has been wronged and is willing to burn down the world to rectify that. He will hold your ass at gunpoint and demand the hugs and warm glasses of milk that he fucking well deserves!

This Jason is about as far away from that as you can possibly get. I still like him though, and I do not count him as being a different character, because when you start with emotional logic that goes like this:

It wasn't my fault + I deserve better = I get to burn the world down in order to get better

It becomes extremely difficult to ever stop burning the world without also deciding "It was my fault" or "I don't deserve better". Jason is meant to have changed a lot, and this is a plausible evolution of the Jason I prefer.

Finally, the handling of Bizarro, a mentally disabled character, is a sensitive enough topic that your mileage will vary, even if I can't think of a bad thing to say about it. Jason and Artemis are really pretty good about treating him with respect, giving him help where he needs it and autonomy where he's capable of taking it. They raise him, but don't control him, and he is literally like three days old when they find him so this isn't infantilization. It takes the framing of Lenny from of Mice and Men and Flowers for Algernon and rejects them in a way that I am satisfied with. You'll just have to read it for yourself to see if you're satisfied as well.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. I kinda wish he was more unhinged.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero. He even saves a puppy and gives them pats.

Knight Terrors: Robin

Have you ever been in the mood for a syrupy sweet hurt/comfort fanfiction in which Jason and Tim were magically forced to talk about how much they like each other in order to overcome their own insecurities? Do you wish that existed as a lavishly illustrated two issue comic?

If you answered yes to those two questions then congratulations! It does exist; this is it; go have fun!

If you think that sounds like ham fisted garbage turning what should be several long arcs of serious reconciliation and deeply meaningful character moments into two issue fan service schlock then condolences! I wish you all the best in denial, as all comic fans sail that river sooner or later and I shall join you upon it someday.

What category do I fall into? Well I think this is definitely ham fisted, but I won't kick a boar out of bed as long as they ain't a bore, and this little ditty is certainly entertaining.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed.

Jason't moral compass bearing: Hero.

Batman and Robin Eternal

This is a decent portrayal of Jason in his modern, much friendlier, and much more bat family integrated rendition. He has some fun moments in it, and I like his staby bracers.

I don't like this comic. It commits the most dire of writing sins: Being boring. I think about Jason every second of every minute of every day; if your comic that majorly features a good portrayal of him cannot hold my attention, then something has gone very wrong. Hopefully one of you will like it more than I do.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero.

Suicide Squad: Get Joker! (Content warning for suicide, skip to the hot take if this'll get to ya - also spoiler warning cuz I can't discuss this properly without discussing the ending)

A three issue miniseries in which Jason is inducted into the Suicide Squad on a mission to kill the Joker. He's highly competent as a team leader, grounded, intelligent, and uses measured violence in a way that is satisfyingly tactical. The squad they threw together honestly has some pretty neat chemistry as a whole, and the characters were appropriately messy and quite likable.

This isn't higher on the list because it thinks it earned it's ambiguous ending, and frankly, it's wrong about that. Ambiguous endings live and die by the question they make the audience sit with - It has to be worth losing out on the emotional payoff of a solid ending.

The question of "If you left Jason in a room with the Joker and a gun with one bullet, would he shoot the Joker or himself?" is a really shitty question. Like, did the authors not realize that just on a logistical level, Jason could leave the room and find a second bullet after shooting the Joker? Like, seriously, even if we accept the premise that Joker's speech got to Jason, there are no reasons for him not to choose the "both" option. The only way I can imagine this working is if the Joker is actually the fucking Purple Man from Jessica Jones using mind control.

So we exchanged the validation of literally all our protagonists' struggles/sacrifices paying off for... the vague implication that Jason unforgivably betrayed his teammates, himself, and the entire world because he was so eager to die that he couldn't wait ten fucking minutes. If I loved the Joker I might feel differently about it, but as is, I felt insulted.

This would have been Solid Storylines or maybe even Creme de la Creme if not for that implication. It's not boring though! The rest of it up to the end is honestly pretty damn good, if a bit convoluted, and much of the ending's sour taste can be assuaged by getting out a sheet of paper and doodling Jason opening Joker's head with a handgun and then going out for icecream with the team.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. He's a sad, sad lad tho.

Jason's Moral Compass Bearing: Anti-Hero, forced to be much more violent than he wants to be.

A Hot Take

I bet you thought the tentacles were the hot take! HAH! MuahahaahhHAHAHAH - Prepare now, puny mortals, to witness me defend Pill Helmet Jason AND his fashion choices!

No, I am not talking about Winick's redo late in the game, we've already been over that one. I mean I will defend Grant Morrison's flop era, three foot head gear wearin, goofy ass, unwashed ass, "how to build ur brand" reading maniac

It's time to talk about Batman and Robin (2009) #1 - #6

The interpretation of one scene makes or breaks this Jason:

If you believe he is being insincere and manipulating her into putting all her emotional eggs in the basket of his crusade, ignoring her wellbeing in favor of his 'brand', then this is probably the worst mischaracterization of Jason ever written.

If you believe he is being sincere, genuinely comforting her in the only way that he's got to deal with his own trauma, giving her real affection and not pushing her to take either option with the mask because he trusts her to make that decision for herself, then this gets Jason very right.

No matter what Morrison might have intended, I choose to believe it's the latter. This is terrible advice to give a trauma victim, but it makes perfect sense for Jason to believe that about his own trauma, and thus to pass that maladaptive view along.

He doesn't try to assure her that the mask can come off safely or that he'll get her a doctor because he really can't promise her either of those things. It would be cruel to her to pretend that he's got a solution. Jason can't undo the damage that was done to her any more than he can force a dead Bruce to kill the Joker.

Instead he offers her purpose, and reassurance that she's gonna look badass if she never does take it off, and protects her when she's in trouble.

You can claim this is just him acting out his chosen Hero role, but like, WHY would he have chosen to method act that role 24/7 if he wasn't trying to BE a Hero who protects people like Scarlet? There's nothing in it for Jason to fake this.

I also think if he was being written out of character as a manipulator we would have seen him use a romantic or sexual angle which he absolutely doesn't do.

Dickie, you are such a funny Batman, they never shoulda brought Bruce back tbh.

Instead, he seems to be taking a more parental role, in a near perfect reflection of how Bruce took him in when he was a kid. Just he's doing it his way, meaning that whenever Scarlet goes further with the violence than Jason seems to want to, he backs her up instead of chastising her.

Speaking of violence and morals, Let the Punishment Fit the Crime is a coherent moral position to take, even if you (understandably) disagree with it, or disagree with what punishments fit which crimes. It's basically the same moral position as every other version of Jason there's ever been! Like, is he even killing more people than he used to in stories like Under the Red Hood? No, I don't think he is. In fact, I would argue that Morrison's Jason is significantly less violent than Winnick's overall!

The branding thing is weird, lil annoying too after a while, but ultimately it still makes sense. And brings me around to my promised defense of his fashion choices.

First of all the symbolic importance of the fact that he wears white cannot be overstated in my mind. Will I elaborate? No, this post is way too long already lmao! Second off, it's supposed to be silly. I believe the silliness was a conscious, calculated choice, and the right one to make.

Jason doesn't believe that fear works, he's not trying for pure intimidation, and he knows that he's going to have to appeal to people in his bid to be seen as a Hero. Making himself seem big but non-threatening, a bright patch in the night, makes real sense.

Take a look at this view of Jason from Scarlet's POV when he comes to rescue her from the cops after she kills her dad:

He's got a smoking gun in his hand and he just shot two cops dead, yet we're hard fuckin pressed to find him intimidating aren't we?? Cornball dialogue, and the silliest fuckin hat in the universe, because he's not meant to be from this era, he's emulating the Golden and Silver age comics and all their goofiness. He's trying to be the older, happier, sillier batman that used to exist (at least in his head), while doing what he believes is right and necessary.

The costume makes sense dammit!

Also it just doesn't look bad, I can't provide an argument for this, it's just true!!

Also also every one of these fuckers should be wearing a helmet too, this is basic brain safety, if you're gonna go around antagonizing fuckers with guns you need to make your head at least nominally bulletproof, it's that simple!!!

Also also also the fact that he had red hair in this is oft maligned, but it gives Jason an in universe avenue to express a grievance with a super important part of the way Bruce treats him in his post-crisis time as Robin - Bruce was using him as an emotional replacement for Dick.

Morrison may not have liked Jason, but he demanded that every single iota of Batman lore be treated as important canon and that means that he also treats all of Jason's history as important canon too.

Now... do I recommend you read this? (This section was rewritten on January 28th, 2024)

Yes, with significant caveats. There's a reason I chunked this in with YMMV.

First is the Batman typical ableism of just really fucked depictions of mental illness. I normally wouldn't warn for this because everyone knows most of the rogues and will be aware of what they bring to the table, but Professor Pyg is obscure enough I wouldn't expect people to know, and the way he's written just... hurts. Like there's just something about him that is painful to read as someone that's got several schizophrenic friends who are near and dear to my heart. I would hesitate to recommend it to any of them the same way I'd hesitate to recommend Silence of the Lambs to most other trans people.

Secondly this comic is Extremely Gay (a definite positive!) however it is Extremely Gay in a way that kinda requires some onboarding and analysis to properly parse and that is actually why this post was edited:

The first time I read this comic, my impression was that it was vitriolically homophobic. Considering that at the time I had heard many things about Grant Morrison, and none of them good, I went with my gut. I put here that while I would defend Jason's characterization, I couldn't in good faith recommend something so bigoted, detailed what felt bigoted, and went on with my day.

Then a while later I saw a post that I suspect was talking about this one saying something along the lines of "How the hell could you call Grant Morrison, who gave us so many of our most iconic gay characters, homophobic? The racism and such I can understand but homophobic? No."

To which my initial response was a resounding: Wha??? Like, genuinely how was I supposed to read this and not get homophobia out of it?? But I went and looked Morrison up and yeah sure enough the guy's queer so I dug deeper and mulled it over until I figured out what the fuck I was missing. So, this section is a correction and an apology about that earlier homophobia claim. Sorry about that.

The styling of this queerness are highly akin to that of the John Waters movie Pink Flamingos which I'll let Matt Baume explain better than I ever could. This guy right here is pretty much the perfect example, Hell, he's even literally named The Flamingo.

Essentially it's queerness is all aggressive, unapologetic, and designed to be provocatively shocking, which can be jarring if you're not ready to flow with it. Also he likely had to arrange a lot of things to get around censorship, same as Judd Winick did. For instance the fact that Dick spoke the same circus lingo as the troupe of Very Queer Freakshow Workers who destroy the police precinct was meant to imply that Dick is Very Queer too. Pretty sure he would've said that in a far less convoluted way if he could've.

So, with the bulk of my initial reservations about this comic disproven... I have no choice but to straight up recommend it to anyone who thinks they can jive with this vibe of storytelling!

Jason's sanity level: One out of Ten hinges affixed. Obsessive, not taking care of himself, possessed of some really maladaptive trauma coping frameworks, completely unhinged. My condolences to his mental health, but I do love to see it.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Antihero. It's weird because this is undeniably a much darker comic, and Jason certainly feels darker, but in terms of what he actually does, and what the other characters do, his violence is honestly very tame.

So, cards on the table, here is the core of who Jason is to me:

He's got clear moral motives and a drive to help as well as harm, though violence and harm are the main ways in which he tries to improve the world.

When confronted he does not back down; he does not let himself be overshadowed or silenced. He is confident in his decisions and every bit of push back is already accounted for in his head.

Everything he does is premeditated. He is not impulsive. His plans may sometimes be unhinged but they are methodically planned.

He is painfully sincere, the way fire is painfully hot.

He desperately desires love and connection, but it will take many years of constant rejection and fighting before he is willing to accept any kind of compromise to his ethics for the sake of civility.

Under all the hurt and combativeness, he's a pretty goofy guy! He's got a sense of fun and likes to be flamboyant and silly when he can!

He's a villain, a hero, a protagonist, an antagonist, and everything between the extremes. He exists as a powerful counter-thesis to Batman, and as such DC can't ever fully answer the question of what to do with him. He exists in this waffling limbo state as his morals are debated, stretched, refuted, turned on their head. I think that makes him a wonderfully fascinating character to love.

I hope you enjoyed this and, like, go have fun reading comics!

#Damian's Tomfoolery #dc comics #dc universe #long post #jason todd #red hood #comic recommendations

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