#but also that first part and the fact i have an unhealthy love for tim drake | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

maccreadysbaby · 6 months ago

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Project: Killcode

batfamily + oc insert

tw: none

wanna read more? here’s the table of contents!

want to read the first fic in the hundred days series so you understand what’s going on here? here it is!

bentley is so clueless about like everything and it kind of makes me happy and sad 🫠 fun fact this boy has never seen two people kiss on the lips apart from movies, he has absolutely no idea what a healthy romantic relationship looks like lmao

part three

❝ MAFIA FAMILY (PT 2) ❞

SUNDAY — JULY 15 — 1:48PM

BENTLEY HAD BEEN STARING AT TWO PIECES OF A TORN NAPKIN FOR WAY TOO LONG.

Call me! One said, followed by a phone number and the name: Vera.

Text me, said the other, with a number and the name: Layla <3.

Bentley tapped his fingers on the coffee table. “Why do you think she put a heart on it?”

Asten, Jason, Dick, Tim, Steph, Duke, Damian, and Cass hardly batted an eye away from their intense game of Mario Kart. (Bentley was terrible at Mario Kart. Hence why he was staring at a napkin instead. Plus, only eight players could go at once. He didn’t mind.)

It was the day after the gala, which was commonly considered a lazy dayaround the Manor. Bentley enjoyed it very much, just hanging out with his family. Everyone was rocking sweats, and they had all slept through breakfast in favor of gorging on terribly unhealthy snacks, which was fun. (And probably giving Alfred a bunch of grey hairs.)

Jason, Damian, Duke, and Cass were sitting on the long sofa, while Steph, Tim, Dick, Bentley, and Asten took up spots on the floor around the coffee table. They also had a string of movies lined up to watch later, one of them being Bentley’s favorite, the Outsiders. (Dick always pulled it out after Bentley had an attack or a rough day, he realized, which was nice.)

“She’s a teenage girl. She probably thinks it’s cute,” Jason shrugged, leaning forward and focusing hard, his fingers moving impossibly fast on the controller. His white streak was hanging down toward his eyes and he kept blowing it away. “Girls love all that stuff.”

“Or she thinks you’re cute,” Asten added. Bentley scrunched his face up, glaring across the coffee table at him. He was too busy winning the race to see it.

Bentley looked over at Steph. “Steph? You’re a girl.”

She snorted, pushing one of her French brains behind her shoulders. “I mean, I used to sign my name with a heart, so I guess that’s a possibility.”

Oh. So it was normal?

“But also, when I dated Tim, I-“

A throw pillow nailed Steph right in the face before she could continue, so hard she fell over in the floor.

“Ow!”

“We are not going there,”

“They probably just want to be friends with you. You should text them,” Dick suggested. He was focusing so hard on the game that his tongue was sticking out the side of his mouth. “If you want to.” He added quickly.

“You should totally text them,” Asten piped up.

Bentley looked back down at the numbers. “What am I supposed to say?”

“Something like, hey, it’s Bentley, I really enjoyed hanging out with you the other night,” Duke said, actually taking a second to flick his eyes over to Bentley momentarily. “So they know you’re not just doing it to check a box.”

Jason scoffed. “Or you can just say hey instead of being a suck-up.”

“Maybe hey, it’s Bentley. So they have a little context,” Dick suggested.

Bentley sighed heavily. Why was this so confusing and difficult?

“Context is for losers,” Jason replied.

“Is that why I never know what you’re texting about?” Tim rebuddled, and Jason retaliated by shooting something at him on the game.

Dick looked over at Bentley, flashing a soft smile, blue eyes shining. “Just say what you want to say, kiddo. There’s no right or wrong way to do it.”

“Except cussing them out,” Steph added. Damian rolled his eyes at her, or maybe at the whole situation in general.

“If it were me, I would not text them at all. They were being rambunctious and interruptive during an important gala,” Damian muttered. His eyes were trained on the screen in a freakishly unmoving way. He was in second place.

“Some people like having friends,” Tim replied.

Damian scoffed, and Tim’s vehicle got shot at again.

“Whoa, no one told me we were playing Mario Kart,”

A chorus of grumbles and unhappy mutterings came with the appearance of Bruce’s voice.

Bentley glanced up, smiling lightly at him when he walked into the den in a t-shirt and pajama pants, something very out of the norm for Bruce Wayne. He caught Bentley’s eyes and smiled back, gray irises gleaming just like Dick’s did. (Bentley never would’ve thought Dick was adopted if he hadn’t been told, really.)

“That’s because you’re the worst Mario Kart player in history,” Jason mumbled, taking Damian’s second place spot, which caused a barrage of weapon firing to come his way.

Bruce looked appalled as he sauntered over toward the coffee table and couch. “I am not,” He muttered, ruffling Bentley’s hair on the way by. “Hey, chum. How are you feeling?”

“Okay,” Bentley shrugged, glancing down at the napkin pieces. “Trying to decide whether to text those girls or not.”

“From the gala? What were their names?”

Bentley tapped his fingers on the coffee table. “Vera and Layla.”

Bruce hummed in acknowledgment, shoving himself between Dick and Jason on the couch. “I think that would be nice.”

Bentley said nothing, but instead, pulled his phone out of his pocket and set it on the coffee table, screen up.

He guessed hey, it’s Bentley sounded best.

“Should I text them in a group?”

He got varying answers of yes, no, and whatever makes you comfortable. Which wasn’t very helpful in the slightest.

So, he settled on it. He opened his messages, added both Vera and Layla’s numbers to a group, and texted: hey, it’s Bentley.

And for some reason, he suddenly wanted to chuck his phone across the room and into a pit of lava, so instead of destroying a perfectly good device, he turned it off and tossed it on one of the chairs sitting behind him.

“He threw the phone. That means he did it!” Steph half-squeaked in excitement, even though Bentley knew she hadn’t even been looking at him. He swore everyone in the family had more than two eyes.

Not much was said besides a muted woohoo from Asten, which, honestly, could’ve been directed toward the game. Bentley was glad for it. Actually texting these girls was awkward enough as it was.

Not thirty seconds later, Bentley’s phone started ringing.

He felt eyes on him as he moved from the coffee table to grab it, peering down at the caller ID.

Vera.

With a breath in, he grabbed his phone and made his way out of the den.

“Don’t have too much fun, B,” Asten called behind him, and he shook his head, not looking back. He knew everyone was staring.

Why did they make Bentley talking to girls such a big deal? Other than the fact that it was his literal first time taking to girls his age, there was nothing special about it.

When he made it to the top of the stairs, he pressed the green button and put it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Hey! Great timing on your text, our plane just landed,” Vera said, her voice much more cheerful than it had been at the gala. “JFK is a disaster, though. I hate airports.”

“Hey, Bentley!” Came a second voice he recognized as Layla’s.

“Hey,” He replied, walking into his bedroom and shutting the door behind him. He walked around for a moment, tapping his fingers on his pants awkwardly. “Where… did you fly to?”

“Us? We live in New York City,” Vera replied.

Bentley furrowed his brow. “Isn’t that, like, right next to New Jersey, though? Why’d you fly?”

“If you had the choice of car or plane, wouldn’t you pick plane?”

Bentley shrugged. “I guess so.”

“Exactly,”

Bentley said nothing, but sat down on his bed with a little poof noise.

“How are you today? Better than yesterday?”

“Layla, that’s rude,”

“How is that rude?!”

Bentley snickered lightly. “I’m better than yesterday.”

“That’s good,” Layla replied. “That was scary.”

“Layla!”

“What?!”

“What she means is she’s glad you’re feeling better. And, in my opinion, your powers were awesome,” Vera replied. “I mean, I guess you weren’t having an awesome time, but… they were still cool. Do you control liquid?”

Bentley shrugged. “I guess. At first I thought it was just water, but I‘ve done champagne, and tea, and b-… uh, and… uh, stuff like that.”

“Were you about to say blood? You were totally about to say blood!” Vera exclaimed. “Bentley that’s epic!”

“Not really,” He sighed. “Especially when I lose it like I did last night.”

Or, y’know, when he almost murdered the Secret Keeper by bending her blood.

Crap. Vera.

Bentley tapped his fingers on his pants again. “Can you read minds over the phone?”

He heard them both laugh. “Don’t worry, cowboy, you’re safe unless I’m next to you.”

“Oh,” Bentley breathed. “Good.”

“So; big question,” Vera started. “For you, Wayne.”

He picked at his bedsheets. “Okay?”

“Are the Wayne’s a mafia family? I promise I won’t tell anybody,”

Bentley snickered, bringing his legs up and sitting criss-cross. “What? No.”

Vera grumbled. “Darn it. I thought I finally figured out why you’re all so strange.”

“Strange?” He questioned. “What do you mean strange?”

“Y’know. You stay home a lot, and do business stuff. To be such a high profile family, you’re not in public a ton. Which is weird,”

“And you were calling me rude for asking how he was?” He heard Layla mutter.

Bentley shrugged even though they couldn’t see him. “Well, lots of us are homeschooled or in college. We’re basically either at home or gone.”

Vera hummed. “Homeschooled huh? How boring is that?”

“Vera!”

“Don’t scold me, blondie,”

“I guess it can get a little boring, but it’s not so bad. I like being home with my dad,” Bentley explained, scooting so he was against his headboard. “Sometimes I miss Gotham Academy, though.”

“Really? Why?” Layla asked.

Bentley shrugged. He did miss it, sometimes. It seemed like there was something new at Gotham Academy every day (even without the psycho teacher incident), and at the Manor it was just… the same. Every day.

“I don’t know. We go out and do stuff, but sometimes it just feels like I’m living the same day over and over again,” He explained. “Real school wasn’t like that. Plus, having a teacher talk to you is much more entertaining than just reading from a computer.”

“Sounds dreadful,”

Layla snorted. “You really need to re-think this whole what’s nice and what’s rude thing, V.”

“How old are you?”

Bentley furrowed his brow. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” Vera spat.

“I’m turning fourteen in October. I’ll be in ninth grade this fall. Why?”

“Bentley, you should come to our school!” Layla exclaimed loudly, so loud it sounded kind of muffled on the phone, like she was really close to the microphone.

Bentley blinked a few times. “Uh… you live in New York City.”

“Yeah, but our school’s awesome. Our friend Summer’s aunt is the headmistress!” Layla explained.

Vera snickered. “Yeah, it’s a year-round boarding school for metahumans. I’ll send you the link to our website.”

Boarding school. Didn’t that mean the students lived there? Bentley wasn’t so sure about that part, but being in a school where he didn’t have to worry about being a metahuman sounded pretty cool. And, Y’know. Not staring at a computer in the Manor for the rest of his life.

“Okay,” Bentley replied. “I’m not sure about the whole living in New York part, though.”

“I mean, I guess you could drive back and forth every day, but that’d be a lot of car time,”

“Yeah… it sounds cool, though,” He stated, picking at the blankets.

Vera sighed. “Anyways, that mafia question was all I had for ya. We’re about to hop in a taxi. Make sure to look at the website, yeah?”

“Okay,” Bentley replied. “Bye.”

“See ya,”

“Bye, Bentley!”

The call was ended, and before Bentley could even put his phone down, he got a text. A website link.

Redwood Academy for the Gifted.

He hummed lightly, tapping on the link.

Going to a real school again, especially for high school, actually didn’t sound half bad.

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dedicated to @sassenashsworld ❤️

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tag list! (If you want me to remove or add you, ask in comments!)

@fleur-alise @sarcopterygiian @flyrobinflyy @skylathescholar @gayboss-too-close-to-the-sun @xiaonothere @beatyoutothatusernameloser

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crow-in-gotham · 14 hours ago

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BLOG POST NO. 19 - IDIOTS-IN-GOTHAM INTRODUCTION

I have come to the realization that I, like the great and wonderful friend that I am, forgot to introduce my friend group despite the fact that I’ve mentioned them on this blog on more than one occasion.

So, looks like introductions are in order :D

I made them play rock paper scissors on who would go first—

Thus, introducing the winner of said rock paper scissors game: @tagaminalan! Who I just refer to as Lan because that’s easier— He goes by he/him pronouns. He’s 19 years old (ha, old person) and is an HRM student. Oh, and also a part-time barista at the university’s local coffee shop. If you’ve been there then chances are that you’ve met him. Other relevant information is uhh he’s Filipino as well so there’s that.

Next we have the loser of the rock paper scissors: @RayneOrShine! Or just Ray, as I like to call them. Pronouns are he/they. He’s 19 years old but is older than me by like 9 days, so I can still point and laugh at them. He’s a Psychology Major— and yes, we have joked about him becoming an evil villain at some point (as you do) (how’s that “how to not be a villain” class going). Other information that might be interesting is that they’re half Filipino.

We mostly bonded because, you know, Pinoy and all that jazz— but also because we all happened to be in the same store that was getting robbed by a wannabe villain. Said wannabe villain then proceeded to get his ass whooped by Spoiler and Orphan. Other people might call it group (who needs) therapy, but we just call it trauma bonding.

If this post was made in the beginning then I’d say “that’s all” but it’s been a while and as we all know, I have two other friends that I feel obligated to add onto here or else they might have my head if they find out somehow.

Anyone who’s read the other blog posts knows this already, but I am also friends with Tim Drake-Wayne and Duke Thomas-Wayne, so that’s neat. Me and Tim bond over our mutual love for caffeine (others say it’s unhealthy but to that we say “fuck you”). Meanwhile, me and Duke met thanks to a group project and we kinda have a “yapper-listener” kind of dynamic. For some reason he tolerates my rants about random bullshit (he’s a real one for that).

If we’re counting friends from outside of school, then that would be Barbara Gordon and that one neighbor of mine who I don’t know the name of but we keep having conversations because we live downstairs and one of our windows happens to align and are in perfect talking distance.

I would also add the Red Hood as a special mention here, but he ate the last of my biko so he’s on the naughty list until he gets me that coconut milk he promised.

#meet the gang #finally introducing them #totally did not forget to do that because i have bad memory #i have a small friend circle #and i like it that way #all my friends are idiots #don't believe them if they say otherwise #gotham #living in gotham #gotham blog #tim drake #duke thomas #mandatory tags ig #they're cool with it #red hood #he promised me coconut milk #he had not delivered

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azol-otl · 3 months ago

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Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ♥️

I won't lie, I had reread all my stuff to be able to answer this and it was actually harder than I thought it would be. Turns out I do actually like how I write, who'd have guessed.

But here we go:

With a Kiss From Your Blade: (JayTim) So this was actually the first fic I posted that actually got me to keep writing fics and it holds a special place in my heart for that. Plus I just love how sappy and goofy Jason and Tim are in this and it was the beginning of my hairy Tim Drake agenda.

Hunting Compulsion: (JayTim Digital Devil Saga au) Okay I didn't expect to love this fic as much as I did. It was an off the cuff idea with zero plans that was written in chunks and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've always loved fusion fics (no surprise there considering the amount I've written) and discovering in real time as I wrote all the backstory events and general suffering the bats are going through in this porn fic was really interesting. Also I've been a sucker for literal man eater bats since Gotham Ghoul and this felt right.

Fair Play: (JayDick) First off I love how much of a loser I made Jason in this. It's kink discovery in the best way because he's just silently freaking out the entire time and is a useless gay in the face of it and I had so much fun writing that. It was also my first real attempt at writing this kink and honestly there were so many times I had to be reassured that this was in fact hot and not just a me thing. Shouout to the ending third with Dick's happiness at his change because it was a single paragraph but it had strength that I didn't expect it to.

The Stopgap Favorite: (JayDick, dungeon mesh fusion) Man what can I even say about this besides that this might be the most unhealthy Jason I've ever written and the way his story would translate to the Dungeon Meshi universe is fascinating. It has some of my favorite internal Jason monologues and the sheer bitter resentment and love he has about Bruce despite having sex with Dick is really good like damn I'm proud of myself for that. I also think it has some of the best lines I've ever written, specifically where Jason compares himself to Dick in Bruce's eyes.

A Learning Experience: (BruJay) Look, I don't ship this pairing. I just generally don't like Bruce. But I had so much fun writing this. Between repressed Bruce and confident Jason and just their entire dynamic-! It was so easy to write like I absolutely had a blast doing it. The parts I'm the most proud of are anytime Jason's speaking to Bruce honestly because Jaybin is such much nicer than Jason normally is but also he's a huge brat who knows he has Bruce wrapped around his finger. I just really like this fic guys.

#It took me 84 years but I finally finished this #Guys sometimes not reading your works and coming back to them is really good for your ego actually #Honorable mentions are “The Twink Death of Timothy Drake” and “Of all Ideals the most sublime is Motherhood” who I am proud of #But they caused me so much stress writing like dang #Azol's asks

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adultswim2021 · 1 year ago

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Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! #30: “Brownies” | September 29, 2008 - 12:30AM | S03E10

The great thing about Awesome Show is that it’s inconsistent in the way it approaches the host segments. Tim & Eric usually introduce the show as themselves, but not always. There’s usually a gimmick, but sometimes not a strong one. But a lot of times, it’s this: They are dressed like dorks in front of something resembling a J.C. Pennys photo studio shoot. They’ve done a handful of episodes like this, and they vary only slightly. I characterize it as burn-out, or just the fact that you can only do a certain number of truly distinct set-ups.

I think so little of this that I found it a little jarring when this episode’s host segment, which seems rather thin and dashed-off to me, featured bloopers where the cast and crew are beside themselves with insane laughter before shooting it. The premise is Tim’s mom sends Tim a box of brownies, and they are so tasty that he and Eric just start going hog on them. That’s basically it. It's fine, but not great.

The first sketch of note is Linsey Porch singing “I Can Wait”, which is a bouncy sounding song about being a creepy stalker. The “Come Over” woman, Jennifer Mims, is the object of Linsey’s creepy affection. The song defensively says what he’s doing isn’t “rape”, and the end of the song features a bit of a reversal where Mims gives a big Lynchian smile to indicate that she’s into it, suggesting maybe that this is actually a bit of kinky role-playng. Tim & Eric watched this as part of their Valentines watchalong and kept calling this one “so fucked”. It has its charms, but it almost feels like an imitation Tim & Eric sketch to me.

There’s a reprise of the Business Hugs sketch, and it’s just alright; seems kinda like leftovers though. Wise shares with us his personal cell-phone number so he can help you out personally, which is nice of him. The scene transition is the best part, where a little Ray Wise bounces onto Eric’s bed. The editing is maybe the best part of this whole episode.

The next scene is Tim & Eric in bed, in their respective homes. Eric calls Tim so they can indulge in their nightly ritual of saying a friendship prayer before dozing off. They are both still chowing on brownies. This scene is good. They both doze off and wind up sharing the same dream, they are both climbing a mountain made of brownie, that they start eating and tripping out on. I like this okay, but I don’t find it that funny. The little Doug edits are cool. They are clearly going for something a little more purely for-stoners here, I think. I also like Tim’s tiny sunglasses he’s wearing in bed (which Eric wears in the dream, for some reason).

The next sketch is the very Memorable Gettin’ It Dunn: a public-access style talk show starring Richard Dunn with his guest Tanese Gray. He plays a word association game with her, using the words “pizza” and “plibt”. He eventually outros out of this segment by hitting play on his tape deck and having reggae music play, which he says is his favorite. I love this bit. It's too bad that it's so short, and that they didn't produce a full-length version of this and make it available as an extra on the DVD.

The next sketch is “The Facts Machine”, which is a Fax Machine that just prints out facts. This one’s okay, but they made the choice to speed it up and I think they did that to “save” the sketch. There are funny jokes in this, but they whiz right by. Bob, who’s been used pretty sparingly in this season, does the voice-over for it. I forgot about this sketch entirely, so I guess it qualifies as “forgettable”. But I like it.

Steve Brule returns! Here he advises you to get your stomach doubled with a synthetic stomach/esophagus combo that lets you eat unhealthy junk without digesting it. This is a gross idea, but it has some funny bits. I laughed at the line “I love to eat bad foods for me”. Just perfect dumb-guy phrasing.

The final scene of the season: Tim & Eric have eaten the brownie mountain and can’t wake from their dream. As they scream in anguish, we get a trippy sequence featuring different characters from the season, superimposed over floating brownies. It’s set to a song sung by Frank Black of the Pixies, a detail I forgot about. It’s sorta cool, and it seems like they’re making a conscious decision to free themselves of the custom of doing cliff-hangers at the end of each season. Good call. But this feels very clip-showy, because it more-or-less is.

There are a few deleted scenes from this season whose intended placement isn’t clear, so I’ll touch on them here. First there was Kazual Swordin’ with Kaz, the Asian fella that Tim always tries to kiss on the lips. He plants one on him good, eventually, so look out for that. This series of sketches is about Kaz teaching you how to use swords to do things swords don’t normally do, like pick up trash or open a locked door. These are funny, but I can kinda see why they were cut. Some of this footage does get used in a season four episode!

Another deleted sketch features Tim as a whispery singer-songwriter who sings a song with a single line about nobody loving him. It’s well-done, but slight and not laugh-out-loud funny. There’s also a sketch that’s a commercial for a browntooth (which is like bluetooth) "friend". The premise is that bluetooth headsets make you look crazy while you're having a conversation using one, so this service offers you an actual man who will pretend to be having a conversation with you to cover it up. The spokesmodel is a maladroit woman that they attached a cartoon mechanical spider thorax to. Her name is “Daniel_”. There’s some amusing touches, but the premise is sorta lame and I’m glad they cut it.

I can definitively call season three the worst season so far, and it might be the worst season ever. But I remember season four being a little better, and I honestly can’t remember season five that well. I still think the show is great, it’s just spottier than it’s ever been. But usually there’s at least one inspired bit per episode. But, you usually say that about shows like SNL, don’t you? If it’s a numbers game, Tim & Eric has the edge; 11 minutes to find the funny vs. 90 is a much better batting average.

EPHEMERA CORNER:

youtube

Gettin’ it Dunn (full length version).

There is actually a full-length eleven-and-a-half minute version of this; originally intended to air as a full episode of Awesome Show. I don’t remember where Tim & Eric said this, but I remember them giving an interview or something and saying they didn’t want to “sacrifice” a regular episode of Awesome Show for it. That’s too bad. I could name at least one episode I would have happily sacrificed for this. I remember thinking at the time that it was a shame that they had a definition in mind for what a “regular” Awesome Show was, but I guess I get it now.

I watched the whole thing in preparation for this write-up, and it would’ve been a season highlight if it actually had aired as-is. Dunn tries to be sweet with Tanese, and it’s clear that he’s seriously been pursuing her as his girlfriend, and mentions that they first met ten years ago. She sorta humors him. At one point the lower-third under her name changes from “Richard’s Girlfriend” to “Richard’s Friend” at one point when the conversation gets a little more explicit about their dynamic.

There’s one moment in particular I think about often: she teases Richard for wearing little shorts all the time, and says “you like to swim in your little shorts”. Dunn replies “I don’t like to swim in water” “What do you like to swim in?” “Use your imagination, dear”. I assume he means pussy, but it barely makes sense, and it’s so funny how cutesy he’s being.

MAIL BAG

*professor chaos's sidekick from South Park pointing at the titties on the robot chicken dvd* Bob & David did it, Bob & David did it!

I’ll never forget David Cross being mean in the commentary about the topless woman they got for Mr. Show, who calls her nipples a “bummer” and regrets not asking to see them in the audition process. I hope his wife Amber Heard made him apologize for that one.

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #tim and eric awesome show great job #Youtube

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galesh · 4 years ago

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Wish fulfillment au of Severus who was born in Albus' Dumbledore's time. I just wanted to post it as a reply on a discord server but then it got out of hand. So

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- Two clever swots duking it out... in academics!

- Debating each other of old spells and whether or not they're dark and the librarian jinxing them out of the library with hexes for being too loud

- Albus and Sev rubbing their stung bums and arguing about the hexes the librarian used

- Albus and Sev both discovering they're poor halfbloods and railing against the arswholes in charge who think they can sting their bums and get away with it

- Them stinging each other's bums because it's a fascinating body part and maybe rubbing them with a different set of hands because maybe it'll help, and they're experimental

-Albus viewing the fascinating kid with so much dark potential with new eyes.

-Sev keeping an eye out for the twinkly eyed twit because it's unnerving, really, and because he always found the goodness in others fascinating. He doesn't believe he can emulate it, but maybe some would seep through him in osmosis. That's what that muggle book said anyway

- His ma always said he had a thing for redheads. He's starting to suspect her of practicing black magic

- Albus and Sev working on potions and transfig together because none of them can tell the other they're bloody brilliant and that they're fascinated, and could we just get to stinging bums and rubbing out the soreness please

- Sev visiting the Dumbledore's on summer break because his father is dead and his mother as good as, meeting the creepy girl creature because he's nosy and of course he'd look at the one room Kendra told him not to

- Abe running to Ariana's room because she screams bloody murder. It's only when he gets there that he realises that that bloody snake they let into their house is being accosted by a happily shrieking Arianna who wants to meet this strange new black haired scarecrow her brother likes

- The older one

- Sometimes, Arianna suspects

- Sev being horrified by Ariana's sad tale, and not wanting her to waste away, working with Albus to make sure she can get out

- Abe (begging to) help them because he really wants to, and because he doesn't trust the snake

- Sev learns Abe can't bloody spell after the third time.he has to squint if the bottle has fluxweed or filchweed (Dyslexia is not recognised yet, but it will be, in the muggle world) amd tries to help. It's more insulting than helpful, but he tries!

- Albus feverishly searching for a way to fix what those muggle boys and their mother's imprisonment and his neglect have wrought. Searching in the darkest grimoires, because really, what is honor and goodness if it can't even help his sister?

- Ariana getting her father's silver signet, carved with the runes of protection, family, forgiveness and renewal. They can't fix her magic, but the magic she once loved has caused her loved ones only harm, and really, it's time to stop listening to the voice inside her, who wants to rip her mother to shreds and burn the whole world down

- In the end it's abe, who comforted her when her mum looked at her with hate and Albus ashamed who puts her ring on as she says the words the runes describe. It's hard to forgive her mother and those muggle boys, but Arianna thinks they've suffered enough (it'll be years later that she realises that she left one person, but as she watches her daughter's delightful coo as she Dan's her nose with a glowing goden finger, she is only thankful that her lack of forgiveness didn't take all her magic away).

- She kisses her brother-in-law to be on the cheek, as is only proper for a member of family.

(Ariana has a very feeble grasp on social niceties. She tries, okay! You try learning everything from books while trapped in a cottage like a demented princess, with a brother who even she knows has an unhealthy fascination with goats who'd talk to her normally)

(Arianna's husband and her daughter, who she names Severus --because every universe must have a second child with a severusly controversial name -- would really come to fear her social skills, or lack thereof. Severus blames her godfather and her uncle with a the raging hate of a 10 year old who's been denied Uncle Sev's sweets)

- Sev and Albus competing for the top spot in the classes with professors and the bottom in the classes without

- Albus meeting Gellert in the evening he's supposed to leave for France and noticing the same dark charm. Severus noticing, but wanting to taint it than emulate it

- A black owl pooping on Gellert's golden hair because he Does Not Share!

- Albus sharing his plans to Change The World which would kill a girl with beautiful, uncontrolled magic and put a vengeful father in a prison of his own despair

- Sev agreeing to them and adding some rather inventive and cruel revenges he'd have on the Wankers who disowned his mother for following her heart

- Albus crossing out those points with eyes that twinkle in gentle admonishment, because really Severus, where would you even get a fully grown basilisk, and ignoring the calculating glitter he gets in return

- Abe following the idiots because Ari orders him to help the idiots and he can deny her nothing

- Gellert becoming a Light wizard after being at the wand end of a particularly dark spell (they teach *that* at Hogwarts, the light school!?!?!?!?) By a vengeful gargoyle after he drunkenly kisses*Bruder* Dumbledore

(years later, Headmaster Dippet can't figure out why his newest Dada teacher is so militant about students knowing everything about Dark magic and why some magics should never be studied, or why flinches everytime he sees a mistletoe. He has enough experience at 300 Not To Ask)

- Albus learning the most beautiful healing spell at the hands of a scowling-dark-phoenix with moist, angry black eyes after the 12th use of a dragon's claw soon after he discovered the 12th use of their blood

(Fawkes could never forgive Severus Snape for stealing it's thunder. Also he smells owl. They're the worst!)

-Severus stealing the Flamels' thunder by creating a philosophers stone after being at their home for a month.

(Perenelle suspects it's because Nicholas, who can be really old fashioned about these things, forbade their apprentice and that brilliant boy with no thoughts from rooming together)

- Severus lacing Albus' lemon drops with the elixir of life because clearly, that imbecilic martyr thinks dragon claw wounds are amusing

- Albus lacing Severus' tea with it because it would be such a horrible thing to live alone

(or without the one person who matters, no offence to his family. Oh, alright Abe, you're definitely not it!)

(the elixir of life prepared yearly mysteriously dissappears into tea and lemon drops. Albus stops worrying over Severus getting killed by vampires while he gets their teeth in exchange of galleons like a demented tooth fairy, and Severus stops worrying about Albus getting nicked by antsy Dragons or Phoenixes or Nifflers, or whoever Albus scraps with in his spare time)

- Albus putting his demented convoluted plans in motion by destroying wizarding currency through inflation. It somehow leads to a goblin revolution, equal rights for magical creatures, and the adoption of muggle currency. Don't ask

(Rumour has it that Gellert, Wizarding Britain's champion one look at the the scowling face of a Severus Snape and proposes negotiations.

Muggle currency was great, really. Made mathematical sense, easier to handle, and twinkly eyed not quite evil overlords can't dependably reproduce all the identifiers. They hope

Quite coincidentally, as Severus will assure you, all the pureblood families --including the Princes, coincidentally-- lose all their accumulated money in the resulting changeover.)

- Albus rules everything from behind the iron curtain with gentle fists and an open smile. Everyone learns to agree with him because behind him stands the spectre of DEATHOMgWatdidyoudo that you want to always keep happy)

- An excited Tom Riddle learns about magic from a charming Professor who's really interested in how he speaks, and who agrees that muggles are awful but keep it down will you?

- Tom Riddle learns to confide in and trust the person who introduced him to the magical world; and tells him when he accidentally discovers the chamber of secrets while hissing open at one of the taps in the girls loo that just wouldn't dispense water (he was under a lot of pressure okay! No, he's not a creep!)

- Tom Riddle grows up to be a politician with a particularly hard view on those muggles. Being backed by the Headmaster of Hogwarts helps. The society has made great strides in the concept of equality and democracy however, and most creatures really don't like him for some insane reason. Albus Dumbledore wins the elections by a landslide again. Tom is tenacious, and plots for when he'd get the position after the old man dies

(On his deathbed, Professor Emeritus of Hogwarts, Professor Tom, curses todgy old men with unnaturally long lifespans)

-Harry Potter, who grew up loved and a headmaster who didn't want to train him in any way, shape, or form (Harry was glad. Headmaster Grindenwald was nice and all, but he really didn't want to know all about the Dark arts and why not to use them kplzthnx). He went on to work at the ministry because his mother instilled in him values of fairness, kindness, and Get Out The House And Go To Work You Bum!

(He named

- Ariana's first kid is named after Abe. Her second is called Severus. Severus being a girl, never forgives her, and years later, when her son is born, names him Ariana with a vindictive gleam in her eyes.

(Ariana never really learned a the social niceties. They're horribly ineffective, and Abe tells her she's always charming in any case)

(Severus Smith is comforted by the fact that her godfather is a immortal wizard who gives her the best sweets)

- Severus and Albus never really fall out of love, even though they fall out of bed many times. They are a different breed of men, really. Eternal devotion means eternal devotion, as they find out. The Flamels' are happy they finally get to go on what the muggles call double dates.

- They also never stop stinging each other on the bum, but that is a rather more mature tale.

#pls ignore #severus snape #albus dumbledore #snumbledore #for spider #discord has a 2000 character limit #how rude

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lawrenceop · 3 years ago

Text

HOMILY for the Solemnity of St Dominic

Isaiah 52:7-10; Ps 95; 2 Tim 4:1-8; Matt 5:13-19

St Dominic was not really noted for healing miracles during his lifetime, unless, of course, one considers raising the dead to fall under this category – this he did at least once, and in fact it was this miracle, witnessed by many people and told to the Pope that would lead to his canonisation in 1234, only thirteen years after his death in 1221. As you know, this year we mark the 800th anniversary of St Dominic’s death, which has been termed his dies natalis, his birthday into heavenly glory. A Dominican brother, who had been prior of Brescia and later Bishop of that city, reports that on the 6th of August in 1221 he saw a vision of a Dominican friar being taken up into heaven by Our Lord and Our Lady, and when he was summoned to Bologna later that day he realised it was Dominic whom he had seen being received into heavenly glory.

And then after his death the healing miracles multiplied. Many were drawn to St Dominic’s tomb in Bologna but this disturbed the brethren’s prayers, and they remained typically sceptical until a bishop got them to move St Dominic’s body to a more accessible shrine in 1233. On that occasion, which is commemorated with a feast day on the 24th of May, a sweet aroma came from his body which was found to be incorrupt, and the healing miracles continued so that the Shrine had to be enlarged and special chapel built for the relics of St Dominic, set apart from the choir where the brethren prayed.

For Dominic was making good his deathbed promise to be of more help to his brethren than he had been in his lifetime, interceding for them from heaven and healing many people. Hence, the responsory we have been singing every day of our St Dominic Novena, the 'O spem miram' reminds us that our father Dominic did “shine illustrious by so many miracles, wrought in the bodies of the sick.”

But then the 'O spem miram' makes a challenging request of our holy father Dominic for the able-bodied friars, and indeed, for all of us. We sang: "Bring us the help of Christ to heal our sick souls”. How is a soul, which is immaterial and non-bodily made sick? What does it mean to speak of spiritual sickness? When I first encountered this phrase in this antiphon it made me uncomfortable, and I would try to soften the translation of this phrase. Certainly, the original Latin phrase refers to the unhealthiness of our moribus, our moral lives, our moral actions and choices. Nevertheless, the term “sick souls”, I think, is trying to point to the interior disposition, the movement of the will, our desiring that needs healing.

Many of us are all too familiar with the struggle to do what is right, even what we know in our minds to be correct and just and true. And yet, as even St Paul says: “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Rom 7:19) Our sins, therefore, speak truthfully about our true desires, our motivations. The motto of the Dominican Order is Veritas, truth, and so there is something salutary about allowing our sins to tell us the truth about who we are, and what we truly love. For then we can bring this truth about ourselves – our sinful selves with all our weaknesses, follies, and crooked desires – to God the Divine Healer. Only when we stand in truth before God as sinners then, without fear of recrimination or rejection or harsh judgement, we can begin to be healed of our wrong desires, our acquired bad habits and evil ways, so that our true self can be revealed. But our sins only tell part of the story, which is that our actions are sinful because our desires have missed the mark. However, our true self is what God has called us to be: “You are the light of the world” says the Lord. So “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” What we do, therefore, reflects who we love, and indeed whose we are. Those of us who call St Dominic our father should therefore reflect him in his compassion, holiness, and love for Truth. And all of us who have been baptised into Christ are thus called to change, to be healed of our sinful ways; we’re called to desire rightly so that we will shine; so that we become more truly, more authentically the children of a God who is Love. For Christ is the Light of the World, and God is Love. So we have been called to shine with the light of our good works, our loving deeds.

This song, the O spem miram is, therefore, a prayer for continual reform, for the grace of being more authentically converted to Christ, of becoming more like St Dominic who was called the “light of the Church”. This idea of on-going conversion and reform, of moving closer to Christ animates today's Gospel. And the bar is set high – the commandments will not be relaxed – so that we will continue to turn to God for mercy and seek his grace. We call this 800th anniversary a Jubilee, and in the Bible a Jubilee is a time of liberation, of forgiving debts, and setting people free. So, for this time to be a true jubilee, we pray that we’ll be set free of our sins, that we will have the grace of repentance, and that there can be a genuine lasting change in our lives, our families, our communities. The plenary indulgence that is granted by the Pope today is yet another sign that at the heart of the celebration of St Dominic’s dies natalis is the divine act of being liberated from the bondage and burden of our sins.

The problem is that we often think that we don’t need to change; that we should be left just the way we are. We don’t have sick souls, indeed, we’re not sick at all – this is what I used to think! But because God is love, so he challenges us to become better. Because God is love, so he wants to heal us of our wounds that drive us to sin, which is a kind of self-harm. And because God is love, so he provides us with his strength, his grace, his divine life especially in the Sacraments of the Church that will restore us to health and well-being. This is what St Dominic perceived, and he spent his life steadfastly teaching, patiently preaching, and bravely doing penance for the salvation of sinners. In Latin, the word translated as ‘salvation’ is salus which also means well-being, health. Therefore, it is fitting that we ask St Dominic, the Doctor veritatis to bring us Christ’s grace to heal us in body and in soul. For Christ became our Divine Physician, assuming a human body and soul precisely in order to heal us, to save us, both body and soul.

So St Thomas Aquinas says: “Christ assumed a human nature [in order] to repair the fall of man”, showing us by his life and example, “by what he did and suffered that men should consider temporal goods or [temporary sufferings in this life] as nothing, lest a disordered love" for earthly things should hold us back from loving God and placing our hope of happiness in God alone. And then, "because not only good conduct and avoiding sins is necessary for salvation, but also the knowledge of truth so as to avoid error”, so Christ revealed divine truth about salvation to Mankind. St Dominic, therefore, was concerned for both a good and healthy moral life, and also a well-formed intellect with a healthy love for the Truth. All who knew him testified to his joy because he enjoyed this health of body and soul, and he wanted this same joy and health for us Dominicans, and we want this for you, the people we serve in our parishes and ministries. For this is the Order's mission which St Dominic left us: "preaching and the salvation of souls”.

Therefore, on this festal day, all of us are invited to turn together to St Dominic our father, and we ask him today to be useful to us now, as he said he’d be; to send help from heaven that will heal us spiritually as well as bodily, and so to bring us the lasting joy of the Holy Spirit. Hence we have sung these past nine days: "Fulfill, O holy father Dominic, what you have promised, and aid us by your prayers”. Thus we pray: Bring us, kind father Dominic, the grace of Christ that converts, reforms, and heals our lives, our communities, this parish, and our families and homes. Amen.

#healing #salvation #sin #repentance #conversion #grace

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thatblondeperson · 5 years ago

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So I learnt from that Tim Drake Guy's tumblr that Steph is a bully and abusive with Tim is that true. I ask since I know you seem to agree with a lot of the thoughts expressed on that blog. Can you help me find some examples of Tim/Steph comics. I was going to get YJ but the same tumblr blog says it's bad

So I want to preface with some very solid advice I've learned from being in fandom. It's really hard to learn anything from any blog because so much of it is opinion based, that the line between headcanon and canon gets far too muddied too often, and there's also always going to be biases that come from very personal spaces. It's important to take everything that every blog says ESPECIALLY in the DC fandom, with a very large grain of salt because half the fandom really doesn't actually seem to source their information with anything other than out of context panels, shitposts, or their own perfect ideals of what they want to gleam from the pages of each comic. It's all interpretive, and I'm sure that sounds a little bit petty, but I'm adding myself in here too because I have my own opinions separate from others, despite my firm ideology in staying as close to canon as I possibly can.

As far as that blog, I actually strayed away from them because I no longer agreed with a lot of what was being said. It got to the point where it was getting very unnecessarily negative all the time, and I want no part in this ship war that drives practically every bit of drama in the Tim fandom. I think that there is a lot of merit to some of the opinions on that blog, and they're clearly an expert on Tim in many ways. I knew them personally, so I can attest to that. But I think they also read only what they WANT to read on every page, and I think that makes for a lot of gaps where misinformation can leak in. That got filled with a lot of straight up wrong assessments of Stephanie Brown, and unfortunately that blog was already prime traffic for antis to spew unnecessary hate, so once the blog itself got on board, I tapped out.

No, Stephanie is not an abuser or a bully. I think tumblr throws around the word abuse far too casually. At most, Steph teases Tim, but never to a malicious or purposefully hurtful extent. She pokes at him, just like you would with a best friend. He barely even protests. A simple "Steph..." every now and again, but he even teases her back often and jokes with her. She's not an abuser, in fact, she herself is a victim of severe abuse in her childhood. Her flirting at the beginning of her and Tim's relationship is a bit intense, but she's 15, and doesn't know how to catch his attention. Her boyfriend was clearly way older than her and did not treat her well, her father abused her mother, and she was sexually harassed by her father's friends. She's never seen a healthy relationship to know how to act. Once they get together, she mellows out and is actually very compassionate and kind with Tim, and especially supportive.

A lot of haters throw around all this terrible stuff she did.

They say she stole Robin from Tim. He stepped away from the mantle, and she thought she caught him cheating, and Bruce opened up the opportunity for her.

They highlight a time when she almost blew Tim up. Bruce told her to do something drastic to force Tim to be a better Robin. Should she have thought it through? Yes. But she was young, and still desperate to prove herself.

Steph is a loose canon throughout a lot of her appearances. She doesn't always think before she acts, and that is one of her major flaws. She gets into trouble often, and that causes a lot of tension between her and Tim, often from him becoming overprotective of her.

Steph starts out fairly cynical in the beginning and softens up over time. After the explosion stunt with Tim, she does get her act together and she goes through a fantastic character arc where she really improves upon herself. She becomes a beacon of hope, but she really already was one. She's always been a source of light for Tim. She's a constant tether for him throughout their relationship, and she constantly bringing him back to reality. I think their dynamic is really great, and it does hurt me a lot how often she gets dragged through the mud now. It's tumblr, what can you do?

It's also interesting to me how often Steph is called out for being the unhealthy one, and they never talk about how Tim was the shitty boyfriend way more often:

Kept his identity from her but didn't respect keeping hers private

Kissed her when he was dating someone else at the time (he's actually kinda known for subtle two-timing, but this is hardly brought up by fans)

Essentially stalked her for a while

Often told her she needed to stop being Spoiler (overprotective nature yes...but still)

Interesting how the relationship is only toxic because of Steph. Hell she even gets shit for getting upset that Greta straight up tried to kill her in Young Justice, because they think it was selfish of her that she was desperate to learn Robin's identity. Yeah sorry...murder vs wanting to know your crushes name? Which is worse?

I'm also not going to sit here and demand that everyone love Steph. It's ok that people don't like her, I could give 2 shits, but if they're gonna spew hate, I'd prefer it be rooted in truth. Some of what I see written about her is just so so wrong...there's a trend in anti culture to even write her as Tim's rapist which YIKES. That's so beyond a healthy amount of dislike for a character.

Anyway, comic recs!!!

Detective Comics 647-648. (First appearance of Steph/Spoiler with classic "love at first brick" moment.)

Robin 57-65 (First date issue which is the cutest thing ever. Robin does a little flip at the end because he's so happy. And the chronology of Steph being pregnant which Tim was supportive of the whole time. Super sweet)

Robin 100-104 (Steph gets sick and Tim brings her soup. Lots of cute domestic moments, and you get more into Steph's past)

Robin 111 (more about Steph's past with Tim being super supportive, also the infamous piano issue which is a personal favorite of mine)

Robin 116 (very cute moments after Tim forgets his bday and everyone, Steph included, surprises him)

Robin 119 (supportive bf Tim, strikes again)

Robin 120 (Steph being an amazing supportive gf)

Batgirl 8 (Steph's run, where she and Tim collide again for the first time in a long time. Awkwardness and tension ensues, Tim tries to make a move)

Red Robin 10 (more crossover, very fun. More awkwardness and tension)

Convergence Batgirl (Not the best run, but a nice bit of closure for the pre flashpoint universe. Very sweet and wholesome.)

There's way more that I could list but I'm awful with issue numbers tbh. I know the stories, but I don't have the catalogue memorized. Better people than me have probably made a masterlist of TimSteph comics lol

I don't think you should let any blog turn you away from any particular series. I think if you wanna try out the new YJ, go for it!! I'm very cynical to anything published post 2011, but YJ is the only thing I've consistently read that's NEW, in years. I find it fun. Is it the best? No, not by miles, and it gets stuck with a lot of nonsensical filler often. But it's still a very cute and fun run.

I hope this ask gave you a lot of good info! I also recommend the very long post that should be just below this that goes into a lot of fandom misconceptions about Stephanie brown with more picture examples to highlight everything. Thanks for the ask, anon! I hope you have a lovely time reading these comics and hopefully many more!!

🖤💜❤��😊😊❤💜🖤

#TimSteph #stephanie brown #tim drake #robin iii #robin iv #spoiler #batgirl #red robin #dc comics #batfamilly #batfam #personal #ask tbp

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our-happygirl500-fan · 5 years ago

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Okay okay okay okay, I know I’m asking a lot of stuff and probs annoying you. I’m currently reading about the character but what about her and Tim?? Like can I get a run down of everything about them. The good and bad?? Everytime I see things on here it’s either making Tim to be so bad (Anti-Tim ig) or Steph to be so bad and I’m sure they’re both at fault, yea?

No I’m happy to help.

Both Tim and Steph have made mistakes but not in an awful way and more in a ‘these are literal children dealing with serious situations while also trying to be in a relationship with one another’.

The Steph being bad stuff entirely comes from the fact that she’s a female love interest to a boy who’s one half of a popular mlm ship, she’s made mistakes here and there but they’re human instances where she’s trying to do her best, fandoms often tend to erase or demonise female characters in any any fandom if they are involved in a ship. It’s a sexist habit that comes from reducing a female to only her romantic relationship and ignoring all her other connections and reeks of misogyny. There’s also some slut shaming as Steph was a teen pregnancy & a victim of sexual assault multiple times.

The anti Tim stuff is a bit more complicated, partly it’s a response to sexism where so many fans are sick of the misogyny directed at Steph that they go full throttle the other way or it comes from fans genuinely uncomfortable with Tim’s actions as this is comics and comics are usually written by sexist men which means Tim sometimes takes actions or says something that is not so great.

The important thing to remember about Tim and Steph is that they are each others best friends and they have been through so much together to the point where even if they were not dating they would still be one of the most important relationships the other had.

There is some worry that Tim and Steph feeds into each others complexes

Tim and Steph both experienced neglect growing up in different ways which makes their attitude to love very different.

Tim's parents were never around most of the time which makes him sort of desperate for love, for validation and most of the time he seems to be of the sort that love is something he can earn if he just does the right thing or achieves the right goal which reflects on how he probably thought if he got good grades or made his parents proud they'd notice him more they'd spend time with him more.

Steph's childhood of neglect I guess you could say came from the sickness of her parents Arthur Brown was abusive to both his wife and daughter and Crystal's drug addiction making her barely able to raise Steph half the time. More often than not it was Steph taking care of the house hold and her mother than any adult looking out for Steph.

With the neglect Steph went through she knew that there was nothing /she/ herself could do to change it, she couldn't magically make her mother quit taking drugs or stop her father from committing crimes by winning an award or behaving well, heck most of her childhood was just trying to keep her and her mum alive so in contrast with Tim who is desperate to receive love Steph is desperate to give love. Because if she's giving love to this person that means they care about her too right?

This comes across in how easy Steph is willing to poor love into people who are even remotely nice to her like the second Barbara or Bruce stop treating her like shit she's immediately like 'I would die for you'. The second her mother is sober enough to notice her Steph is there being like 'mom I love you I would protect you with my life'. Cass is slightly nice to her? She is now Steph's best friend.

Tim is desperate to receive unconditional affection while Steph is desperate to give unconditional affection which would explain why they are drawn to one another but enough about the meta and onto their actual history.

Steph became a vigilante originally to stop her fathers crimes, the entire point of Spoiler was an abuse victim taking agency back from her abuser and due to Tim being Robin and also investigating the same crimes the two would run into each other multiple times, there was an attraction between the two however neither truly pursued anything due to the fact that Tim was dating another girl and Steph was ‘seeing’ a guy (though the relationship was implied to be unhealthy as he was significantly older, Steph only being around 14 at the time, and showed little in Steph’s actual well being).

However despite the two already being in relationships the two developed keen banter together and quickly began to enjoy the others presence what arguably set then on the path towards a relationship however is when Tim very nearly died and Steph managed to save him at the last second, Tim was so relieved that he kissed Steph sparking a romantic interest from Steph and Tim beginning to realise he had feelings for her.

Steph would then continue fighting crime outside of her fathers crimes as Steph realised that as Spoiler she could help other abuse victims such as herself. Steph’s entire life can be described as falling through the cracks in the system no one caring about the abuse and unsafe situations that she grew up with and Steph’s early journey as Spoiler is her realising that even though no one had cared when she was abused and hurt she could be the person who would care for other people so no one would suffer the way she did. Steph aiming to fight crime meant that she and Tim ran into each other even more working multiple cases together until it eventually culminated into Tim admitting that he had feelings for Steph but due to his loyalty to Batman he could never tell her his secret identity however Steph told him that that was enough for her, the two ended their previous relationships and started dating.

This is actually where a lot of criticism over the relationship is from due to the obvious power imbalance Tim knows every detail of Steph’s life while controlling all information Steph has on him and only lets her interact with Robin. Tim has also been shown to be rather possessive of Steph controlling her interactions with other members of the superhero community and expressing alarm in her spending time with other heroes who are not him.

There is also the fact that for a large part every man Stephanie has ever interacted with have been abusive in some way, her home life was incredibly dangerous due to her mother and fathers friends all being criminals or victims and Steph had to deal with at least two instances of child predators growing up so to many readers it becomes increasingly obvious that Tim might very well be the first man Steph ever interacted with who treated her with human decency and that is why she fell in love with him.

After the relationship started Steph found out that she had become pregnant from her previous relationship and the reader discovers that Steph’s previous boyfriend on top of being awful to her was also using her for sex. Steph tells Tim about the pregnancy fully expecting him to break up with her however Tim states that he is going to be there to support Steph. The two grow even closer as Tim becomes someone for Steph to lean on wearing disguises to take Steph to birthing classes and helps Steph through the process of putting the baby up for adoption. Tim is even there when the child is born.

The incident made Tim and Steph even closer and afterwards the two continue dating and remain close, Steph quickly becomes what could be considered Tim’s safe place as he is able to leave any problems as Tim Drake or Robin away and simply enjoy being with her and during times where Tim is unable to visit Steph he is shown to be tense and disgruntled without the positive emotional outlet however after nearly over a year and a half of dating Steph begins to realise that the dynamic of the relationship is uneven as Tim has complete control and knowledge over her own life while she knows nothing about Tim’s life out of the mask. Steph begins to worry about merely being used and starts openly wishing that Tim would let her be more involved with his life outside of Robin.

Tim meanwhile is beginning his rebellious phase against Batman and Bruce takes actions to try and nip it in the bud as Dick’s rebellious phase ended with Dick leaving Batman for the Titans and Jason’s rebellious phase ended with Jason dead. Bruce attempts to control Tim by using Steph revealing Tim’s secret identity to Tim. After that point Bruce would continually manipulate Steph in a gambit to manipulate Tim and Tim expresses frustration at Bruce using Steph to get to him.

Bruce and Steph’s relationship is incredibly complicated in its own right as Steph has a childhood admiration of Batman as he was the only one who seemed to be able to stop her fathers abuse by putting him in prison. This childhood admiration causes Steph to follow and respect Bruce no matter how many times his actions hurt her. Bruce on the other hand has a lot of issues regarding Steph as Steph reminds him a lot of Jason and Bruce puts a lot of his unresolved issues regarding his dead son on her which as you might assume does not end well for Steph at all.

Outside of Bruce’s meddling however Steph and Tim grow increasingly close no longer having to worry about secret identities the two go on regular dates and are there for each other in every aspect of their lives. However Tim’s father finds out about Robin and forces him to quit and Steph who had been dating Tim ‘batman needs a Robin’ Drake for years was firmly of the belief that ‘Gotham needs a Robin’ at which point Steph herself becomes the fourth Robin though it is heavily implied that once again Bruce is manipulating Steph in order to manipulate Tim into coming back.

Then DC enters its dark ages where they kill off characters left and right and Steph is tortured, raped and killed in a Gotham wide gang war primarily for Bruce angst so that Bruce can go ‘oh god it’s Jason all over again I knew she was girl Jason I knew it’ mean while Tim has what can probably be best described as a mental break down over Steph’s death and the subsequent death of his father and multiple friends. This causes Tim to become cold, cynical and increasingly dark and pessimistic (he has depression).

However Steph comes back to Gotham two years later alive again and it is revealed that Leslie Thompkin’s essentially kidnapped Steph to Africa for two years and faked Steph’s death in order to try and save Steph from being a soldier in Batman’s crusade. Steph was Leslie’s ward for two years but realised that she could literally not stop fighting crime as in Africa Steph literally started dressing up as an African legend and started fighting crime there, eventually convincing Leslie that they needed to go back to Gotham the two returned and Tim was over the moon to see Steph alive kissing her on sight, however Tim realises that he essentially had a break down over Steph death for nothing and expresses resentment over Steph letting him believe that she was dead for two years. Steph who had spent the past to years recovering physically and mentally from the trauma of being tortured for days prior to Leslie faking Steph’s death and Steph essentially not having had a choice in Leslie’s plan to fake her death is just like ‘I don’t know what to tell you buddy’

Steph is still Tim’s emotional home, immediately relying on her for emotional support once again and the two are shown to still love each other however the two had changed a great deal over the time they were apart. Steph having had an adult finally care about her well being for the first time in her life grew much more positive into someone who believed in the inherent good in people and in hope while Tim had grown harsh and dark and cynical. The two even joke about how Steph has become an optimist while Tim had become a pessimist. Steph is like a beam of light for Tim who had become increasingly dark and Tim finds himself being both wary of it and drawn to it.

Then Bruce gets back to his old tricks of using Steph to manipulate Tim and gives Steph instructions to challenge Tim in order to improve Tim’s skills as a crime fighter. Steph on Bruce’s orders employs and assassin to fight Tim however the assassin goes to far and Steph is injured trying to protect Tim. Tim realising that Bruce is once again manipulating Steph to get to him as well as having an inherent fear of Steph dying again demands that Steph should not be a vigilante any longer never mind that Steph literally can not stop fighting crime which causes a rift between the two.

The superhero community then believe that Batman is dead and Tim leaves Gotham to prove that Bruce is alive while Tim is gone from Gotham Cass makes Steph the new Batgirl and Steph becomes incredibly close to Barbara and Damian and as Batgirl makes several friends within the masked community no longer having her interactions be controlled by Tim or Bruce. Steph starts coming into her own and building up her self confidence, when Tim returns he is once again upset that Steph is still fighting crime his fear of Steph dying still going strong and acts condescending towards Steph’s attempts to help him however Steph proves herself in sheer level of skill and prowess and Tim accepts her as a vigilante and the new Batgirl accepting that Steph will not die again. Tim then attempts to rekindle their romantic relationship however Steph realises that she had been too dependent on Tim’s love and wishes to improve herself as a person before she even thinks of entering a relationship again. The two remain close friends however Tim expresses attraction towards Steph multiple times (Tim is the horniest little fuck during this time in their lives and Steph is literally out their trying to live her life and better herself as a person and get a university degree it’s hilarious)

If Convergence is to believe the two would always eventually get back together in one way or another the two issues being about their romantic interest in each other and getting back together.

After the reboot happens when they meet again Tim immediately expresses romantic interest in Steph while Steph herself is wary of Tim as in this universe both her mother and her father are criminals who have tried to kill her and Steph has effectively been homeless living in public libraries or where ever she can. It is unknown when but Tim offers Steph a place to live at his apartment and a some point the two eventually enter a romantic relationship.

A lot of fans have criticised this as Steph is entirely financially dependent on Tim for food and shelter and once again Tim holds more power than Steph in the relationship. Also in the rebooted universe Tim is Steph’s only support system as her parents tried to kill her, her father murdered any civilians she was close to in order to hurt her and any connections Steph had before the reboot have had vast amounts of their history erased.

Steph has also been shown to be responsible for a lot of Tim’s mental health as she has to stop him from crossing lines or going off the deep end multiple times it is described as Tim having a tendency of walking a dark path when he is alone.

Steph and Tim are both presented as each others support systems in current comics and when Tim wanted to leave Gotham in order to research the multiverse Steph went with him as the two rely on each other.

I don’t believe there is a good guy or bad guy in their relationship both Tim and Steph want what’s best for each other but sometimes these views don’t line up which causes conflict but at the end of the day they are two people that care about each other a great deal and whether they are in a relationship or not they will always be one of the most important people in each others lives.

The relationship is criticised by the fandom as fans either fetishise mlm relationships and are angry at Steph ‘getting in the way’ an unfortunate trend in all fandoms and on the other side many are tired of female characters being reduced to their romantic relationships.

TimSteph is a cute ship with a deep connection and a lot of history proving that they care about each other a great deal but sexism and misogyny are things that exist especially in fandom spaces and that creates a nightmare.

#asks #DC comics #stephanie brown #tim drake #dc #timsteph #boy these two have been through a lot #but yeah the ships fine people just hate woman and fetishise gay relationships

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thecursedhellblazer · 5 years ago

Text

For @thedemonconstantine: you didn’t ask for it, but I couldn’t resist so I delivered anyway xD

Look at our idiots together || Accepting !

JOHN & DEMON JOHN

who hogs the duvet Honestly? Both. It’s not even about the damn thing, it’s all a ruse to have an excuse to fight over something, even in a moment that’s supposed to be a quiet one. Most of the times it ends with the poor duvet being forgotten and them shoving at each other, insults flying around, hands fisted in clothes and hair. Then...one thing leads to another, up to a quite predictable finale.

who texts/rings to check how their day is going None of them. John put a tracking rune on his Other, so he always know where he is and he prefers showing up in person to check on whatever he is doing if the Copy heads off somewhere suspicious. As for Demon John, he probably calls and texts John just when his Maker is doing something that requires focusing, with the only aim of annoying the hell out of him. And he does it even if he’s sitting in the next room.

who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts Depends on your definition of “creative”. And of “gifts” too. Demon John makes sure to pull out embarrassing “presents” (like stuff they can use in their private time) every time John has company (mostly Tim and Chas, but there was that one time when Zatanna came to visit...Not the best way to let their ex girlfriend know that they are a thing. And that the Copy exists in the first place). John usually retaliates by dumping spells and holy water on his Other’s head, because a bit of “healthy cleansing” never harms. And, if it does, oh, “yeh asked for it, mate”. However, there are very rare moments when they are being oddly civil with each other (and every time it happens Chas starts preparing for yet another Apocalypse, because that has to be a sign) and, in such periods of truce, some actual gifts might happen. John breaks out his best bottles of wine and liquor (the expensive ones he stole or got gifted in the past, the ones he keeps for special occasions) just for the two of them, because he feels like “drinkin’ some better shite”. The Copy pops back from Hell with some rare ingredient or a small artifact he found “by chance” along his way. They never acknowledge it, but it happens.

who gets up first in the morning They tend to get out of bed (or of whatever they have been sleeping in) at the same time, for the mere reason that they have Chas coming in and kicking their asses out of bed (he tries the gentle way first, with the promise of breakfast, but it works only half of the times). If John has a case or a meeting or stuff to do in general, he might be the one to crawl out of bed and leave the Copy to laze among the sheets. Demon John doesn’t necessarily need sleep, but he does anyway because he is a lazy bastard and he likes to taunt John with that fact that he doesn’t need to be up and running while his Maker has to. Plus, maybe, very deep down, part of the truth might be that he likes sharing John’s space and sleeping with him gives him a good excuse to do so.

who suggests new things in bed They are constantly looking for ways to torment each other, so most of the times is a competition to find new ways to push each other out of their comfort zone. For now, they are both losing, because there are very few things that have turned out to be a categorical ‘no’ and, when it happens, it’s usually a shared opinion. This doesn’t stop them from trying, though. On the contrary, it spurs them on even more.

who cries at movies None of them. Usually them watching a movie together means a ton of annoying commentary that irks everyone who happens to be around. There was this one time when they caught Chas getting emotional over a movie, though. Useless to say, the poor man didn’t hear the end of it for weeks and weeks.

who gives unprompted massages Oddly enough, John does, from time to time. They are moments when he has been drinking, but isn’t drunk just yet. The alcohol gives him that bit of liquid courage he needs to admit that he might be craving some physical intimacy that doesn’t involve having heated, complicated, perverted sex, and so he settles behind wherever the Copy is sitting and works his hands all over the Other’s back. Demon John called him out and mocked him about it at first, but he stopped the one time John got really pissed and threatened to stop doing it completely. In the Copy’s defence, no one knows how to work the knots out of your muscles better than yourself.

who fusses over the other when they’re sick No one fusses. On the contrary, whenever one of them is sick or injured (and mostly is John because, demon blood or not, he’s still human), it’s a festival of mockery and making sure the unlucky one gets even more miserable than they already are. It still happens, even if they have tuned it a bit down after an exasperated Zatanna has threatened to put a spell on them both, to make sure that when one of them gets sick, the other does too.

who gets jealous easiest Demon John. It’s just part of his personality, considering that John has tried (and apparently failed) to shove all his worst traits inside him. The fact that they are both natural flirts doesn’t help the issue and the episodes always tend to end in very ugly fights and temporary break-ups. Useless to say, John is forced to hunt down the Copy every single time in the aftermath, because the Other goes around and wreaks havoc (out of spite, he says, but maybe that’s not all that there is to it).

who has the most embarrassing taste in music They have the same exact tastes when it comes to music, so mocking each other every time one of them gets a new tune stuck in his head is something they have quickly stopped doing after they have realised that it usually ends with the both of them having said song stuck in their heads. And, that considered, the only one who gets to tease them about it is Chas. And Tim too, if he happens to be around and in the mood.

who collects something unusual Collecting magical and cursed artifacts is part of what John does for a living. The Copy doesn’t really care for them, unless they are something that can come useful to him in some way, so he normally leaves that sort of oddity to his Maker.

who takes the longest to get ready John can take ages in the shower whenever he is too hangover to process what he is doing or hasn’t slept in days. Demon John takes ages just because he doesn’t really want to get ready for whatever they are supposed to do. Cue to Chas, waiting outside in the cab, drumming his fingers and wondering if he should just head off on his own and have them reach him once they are ready via planeswalking.

who is the most tidy and organised They are both messy as hell. John tries to keep his living space clean, but the only reason why the place isn’t a complete dumpster is because their best friend is patient enough to clean after them. Of course, double John means double mess and double trouble...And Chas should really start asking to get paid.

who gets most excited about the holidays None of them has a real definition of “holiday”. Not in the common sense of the term. For people who live their kind of life, vacations aren’t exactly common, or something they bother with in general. It happens that John decides to take some time off from actively looking for trouble, also because the troubles usually come finding him anyway, and they all go off somewhere that is supposed to be quiet (as quiet as it can be with the pair of them around). It’s not something they get excited about, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t appreciate.

who is the big spoon/little spoon Spooning isn’t something that happens often. Most of the times, they end up tangled in each other, face to face. In any case, as almost everything in their relationship, they go for switching, depending on the mood or simply on whoever has lost their latest bet. The little spoon gets an unhealthy amount of mocking all the way through it, so it’s not a position either of them really looks forward to finding himself in (unless Demon John is really in the mood of being degraded. He makes sure to lose at the games on purpose, in that case).

who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports Considering that every chance is good enough to try and best each other, they both are insanely competitive at pretty much everything. They are both incredibly sore losers and cheating is their norm, which makes it an official part of the games. However, the worst happens whenever they are teaming up against some unfortunate opponent, because their competitive streaks sum up and good luck getting out of a game against them in one piece.

who starts the most arguments They both never miss the chance to have a go at the other, but Demon John tends to poke John a bit more often than the magician does. While John loves fighting, there are times when he honestly just wants to enjoy a quiet pint and instead he finds having to deal with his Other being a pain in the ass for the whole night.

who suggests that they buy a pet Aside from John’s occasional fantasies to stash the First in the Chest that Tim has gifted him, none of them are the pet kind of person. Chas, on the other hand, would kill to get a dog or two, so, if they’d ever end up with one or with a hellhound, you know whose fault it is.

what couple traditions they have Does screwing on every surface, available or not, count as one? Aside from that, they take one night per week to go off somewhere on their own, not much for privacy but because John thinks that Chas needs some breathing space. What they do changes every time. They might go somewhere and get drunk, or go off to some other realm and wreak some mostly harmless havoc. From time to time (rarely), they head off to visit one of John’s few mates, because their reaction to the pair of them is always hilarious. Also, when they are drunk, they get the idiotic idea of impersonating each other, because they find it hilarious, for some obscure reason, and switch roles. Chas, Tim and Yoyo are beyond unimpressed.

what tv shows they watch together TV shows aren’t really their thing. At times, they just sprawl on the couch and watch whatever trash it’s airing, for the sake of being able to exchange comments or bicker over it. Watching games is more likely to happen, but in that case Chas is there with them too, and it becomes more of a buddies kind of night.

what other couple they hang out with Double dating is not even up for discussion. It can’t work because it constantly ends up with everyone feeling uncomfortable (aside from Demon John, who always laughs his ass off). There has been one time when they both stalked Chas while he was hanging out with this cute woman he had run into and the ordeal ended into a full-fledged disaster. Zatanna tried to introduce John to her current boyfriend, but of course she should have expected that he would have showed up with the Copy in tow (even if, in John’s defence, he tried to make the Other stay behind). As for whatever girl falls in love with Tim, they really don’t need more rotten luck coming in their way, so they are both forbidden to meet them as a pair.

how they spend time together as a couple Aside from the obvious (which means fucking, drinking, fighting, being a pain in everyone else’s neck), Demon John has taken up the habit of tagging along for John’s (mis)adventures. He usually isn’t very helpful, but John, on good days, appreciates the company in any case. They also go demon hunting together, from time to time, just to have a laugh out of it. The demons who already hate John’s guts are anything but pleased to find out that there are two of them now. Also, during one of his visits, Tim has suggested them this very nice pic-nic spot in Hell, set over a cliff, with a great view of a lava field where some damned souls are being tormented. The ground is mostly burnt, but in some periods of the years the plain also grows some spectacular fire flowers. They smell a bit too much like rotten eggs, but they are quite the sight (”romantic”, Tim has called it). An added bonus is that the place also happens to be property of the current Ruler of Hell and the First is never amused to find the pair making a mess of his field and of each other.

who made the first move It’s a bit difficult to say, because it depends on what should be classified as “first move” in their case. Technically speaking, the sexual (and romantic) part of their relationship started because the Copy kidnapped Tim to get his payback on him for rescuing John from his clutches. However, on the other hand, the one who officially crossed the line during the consequent fight was John. It’s definitely up to interpretation.

who brings flowers home Whoever is in the mood to try and either curse or poison or make the other sick as payback for whatever has been done to him earlier on. Once again, the eventual witnesses to the scene are not impressed.

who is the best cook Considering that Demon John most likely doesn’t even care to learn how to turn the cooker on, it’s John. He has been forced to learn how to put meals together, since he has lived on his own for most of his life. He isn’t stellar, but he can be pretty good when he puts some effort into it. Plus, even if he would never admit it, he finds cooking relaxing from time to time and fun, whenever he chooses to experiment with it (even if that last thing is at very high risk of setting something on fire).

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JOHN & CHAS

who hogs the duvet John moves around a lot in his sleep, so he often ends up stealing the thing and then kicking it on the floor. Chas lets him do it and, if he wakes up during the night, he always makes sure to get the duvet back and to tuck in John under it once again. He is aware that it’s pretty useless, because the blanket is fated to fall on the ground once again, but it’s all part of his self-appointed job (namely, taking care of that disaster man he can’t live without).

who texts/rings to check how their day is going Chas. He knows that John isn’t very good at taking care of himself, so he rings in, when they are apart for a prolonged amount of time. The magician doesn’t always pick up or at times he hangs up in his face, but Chas doesn’t take offence. That’s just whom John is. As for John, he doesn’t call or text unless he needs something or wants to share some completely useless piece of information. However, he tends to do the second thing mostly with Chas and Chas only and the latter knows, by now, that it’s his way to tell him that he is alright. You can’t get John Constantine to tell you straight in the face that he cares, but he shows it, in his own weird way. Good thing Chas has learnt to read between the lines a long time before.

who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts John brings back the weirdest kinds of souvenirs from his trips, so he definitely wins the price for the oddest gifts. Some of them are completely useless, others are bordering dangerous, but from time to time he also gets his hands on tokens that have a use or can bring some decent luck to their owner. He slips them in Chas’s pockets without saying a word, stealing his cigarettes in the process. Chas’s gifts are more of the normal kind, but he makes sure to get everything John is currently missing, because he is well aware that the other might not go around and buy them until he is desperate. In the end, it doesn’t really matter what exactly he gets him, because John always sees is one thing: Chas being there, having his back all the time, no matter what. And there is no best present than that. Especially because he is absolutely persuaded that he doesn’t deserve any of it.

who gets up first in the morning Chas. He always lets John sleeping in a bit, even when they are supposed to be out and about early. The time to cook him breakfast, at least, especially when the blond has stayed up till almost dawn, doing only God knows what. It’s a bit of a morning routine they have established and they are both quite comfortable with it. Even when Chas is forced to literally kick John out of the bed.

who suggests new things in bed They can both get pretty creative. John has tons of experience from sleeping with non-humans, so he usually is the one who spits out the new ideas, always making sure to tell the whole story while they are sharing drinks or spending a quiet night in. Chas tends to be game for almost everything, because he trusts John and he knows that his best friend comes in very odd flavours, even if he is a bit weary every time there is some spell or magic involved. But damn if he doesn’t prefer having just a more normal fuck from time to time.

who cries at movies As mentioned above, John isn’t very likely to get emotional over a movie...or anything else. Chas is a bit more open with his feelings, even if he doesn’t go as far as crying, and that usually gains him a good amount of teasing. There are certain times, however, when John is in one of his weird moods and some themes might trigger memories or dark thoughts. He closes off and gets sour, even if he doesn’t say anything. Not that he needs to, since his best friend knows him too well to miss the shift. When it happens, Chas usually turns off the TV, saying he has got bored, and they go off for a drink to their favourite pub, or maybe just have a walk or a ride somewhere. John plays along, pretending to believe Chas’s excuses, but he is well aware of what the other man is doing. And those are some of the many moments when he can’t not admit how lucky he is to have Chas with him, in spite of everything.

who gives unprompted massages Usually, it’s Chas. John is almost constantly tense as a wire, even if he is very good at hiding it. Sometimes it’s subtle, with Chas going to stand behind his and rubbing his shoulders for a while, others he bullies the magician into lying down and being still while he gives him a full back rub. John protests every time, but his heart isn’t in it, because he knows he needs it and because Chas works miracles with his hands. It happens, more rarely, that the roles are reversed and John is the one giving the massages. Usually it happens on the days when Chas is missing his daughter more than the usual or when he has been forced into one, long fight on the phone with René. Or after some tough case. John breaks out a bottle of their best gin, pours Chas a glass, downs a shot himself and then gets to work. There’s no talking, but he always spends at least a good hour straddling the other man’s thighs and working on removing every single knot he can find in his muscles. And if Chas happens to doze off in the process, he then grabs the bottle and goes off in the basement, leaving the other man to his well-earned and much needed rest.

who fusses over the other when they’re sick Again, it’s Chas. He fusses and worries and covers John with attentions, even when they aren’t wanted or appreciated and when he gets yelled because the magician just wants to lie down and be miserable. However, no matter what he might say, John still gets soup, fresh sheets,painkillers, and has his alcohol and cigarettes intakes restricted. Moreover, Chas is usually the one doing the patching up after a bad fight or a mission gone wrong. John, instead, sucks at being a nurse, even if he tries from time to time. He tries to be quieter and to give Chas more space to rest. He breaks out the healing spells Zatanna had tried to teach him once upon a time and gets them to work, when normally he can hardly heal a flesh wound with them. He delivers all of it wrapped in a constant dose of teasing, but it’s hard not to miss the care and the attention he puts in every single gesture.

who gets jealous easiest Jealousy is a bit of an odd thing with them. They aren’t together, not in the normal sense of the term, and John still sleeps around from time to time, even if not as much as he used to do. On the other hand, Chas is technically still married to René. They balance it, because they put their friendship before any romantic or sexual attraction they have for each other, but at times it stings. For Chas, it can be hard to see John going off with others, even while they were supposed to be out together. As for John, he sees the looks that some girls (and some men too) give to his best friend and he can’t help the bitterness, even if he knows that Chas wouldn’t do anything about those (hard to tell if it’s because he is still married or because he is trying to stay faithful to John himself). What makes the magician jealous, however, is the awareness that those people could give Chas what he deserves, while he, with the kind of life and choices he makes, would never be able to accomplish it.

who has the most embarrassing taste in music They both have their moments. Sometimes, one of the latest hits gets stuck in their heads and it’s usually some very embarrassing song for teenagers and that always ends in a lot of teasing coming from the other. It’s a bit of a game, with one trying to stop himself from humming along whenever the song is aired on the radio and the other eventually catching up with what’s happening.

who collects something unusual As mentioned above, collecting weird things is part of what John does. Chas helps him out in the basement from time to time, so he has a very good idea of what is stashed down there. He would never admit it to John, but at times he really wishes he could unsee and forget about some of the things he has witnessed in the vault. Especially when some of them end up in John’s mouth. He has seen pretty much a bit of everything, but witnessing his best friend touching and swallowing things that are instinctively revolting still gets to him from time to time.

who takes the longest to get ready They are both pretty quick with getting ready, but John has his moments when he is too gone to be able to coordinate his own movements, whether it is because he’s drunk, because he is too sleep deprived or because his head is completely elsewhere. When that happens, all Chas can do is making sure to have aspirins and coffee at hand and arm himself with a good dose of patience. Thankfully, when it comes to dealing with John, he has a lot to start with.

who is the most tidy and organised Chas. He is the only reason why John doesn’t live in the middle of Chaos. Truth to be told, the magician can clean up after himself, but there are periods when he is obsessed with something or has too many mood swings and he completely forgets about everything that concerns care and self-care. He doesn’t eat enough, he doesn’t sleep enough, he drinks and smokes too much. He leaves everything hanging around, from trash to clothes, to dirty dishes, to empty bottles. He doesn’t listen, he even forgets that Chas is there at times. Eventually, he gets back to his normal self, but they are usually rough periods, for them both.

who gets most excited about the holidays Excited isn’t the right word, but usually it’s Chas. “Holidays” with John means “no more magical shit for some time”, which usually translates in not having anyone trying to kill them and being able to properly relax. Of course, it never lasts because John gets restless too soon, but it’s still a good chance for them to recharge a bit. The holidays Chas gets excited about, instead, are Geraldine’s ones. They are the periods when she gets back from boarding school and he travels back to England to spend time with his daughter. He asks John to tag along every time, but the answer is always a negative one. He doesn’t push, because he expects it, but he can’t help the disappointment. John is and will always been an important part of his life, no matter the status of their relationship and he wished he could be a part of his daughter’s life as well exactly because he is important to him. But, then again, dealing with Constantine means having to find a compromise and he takes what he can, even if it means splitting between the two important people in his life.

who is the big spoon/little spoon They tend to take “turns”, when the cuddling actually happens, which isn’t all the time. John has to be in the mood for it and Chas respects the boundaries, even if, was it up to him, they’d be touching all the time when they are alone. Chas honestly love being allowed to hold John, wrapping himself around him. It gives him the illusion that he can keep the blond there with him, it allows him to forget, for a while, that John is going to slip from his fingers once again, as soon as the moment is over. And, deep down, John likes to he held too, because the gesture gives him a delusion of the peace and the warmth he will most likely never be allowed to have. And he enjoys being the one holding Chas too, from time to time, because it helps him believing that there is something he can give to his best friend that isn’t just misery and grief. He needs to believe that he can protect him, that he can be a decent person for him, that he can make the price of the wonders he shows him worth paying. Chas just basks in the feeling of having John’s arms around him because they are the reminder that, in spite of everything, he is, one way or the other, the one person John fights to keep in his life.

who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports They are both pretty competitive, so their matches can get heated, especially when they are drinking their way through it. However, John is a sore loser and a cheater, so he ends up winning most of the times, either because he bends the rules to his own will or because Chas let him win. Antagonising a drunk, overly competitive magician isn’t always the best idea and, while he knows that John would never really harm him beyond repair, experience has taught him that he can been scaringly vindictive when he decides to be.

who starts the most arguments John. He is often careless with his words or too brutally honest when he shouldn’t be. When he is angry, he lashes out, taking all his rage out on the closest person to him. And said person happens to be Chas most of the times. As for Chas, he is usually patient and knows John well enough to know not to bite when the other tries to provoke him on purpose, but there is only so much he can do to bear him when the blond hits all his buttons at the same time. When he is the one to snap, the arguments are always the most vicious and a few times they have ended with John using magic on him, just as he did the day he left London. He has never spoken like that one time again, of course, because that’s one line he doesn’t wish to cross a second time, but they have come close to it in a couple of occasions.

who suggests that they buy a pet Chas likes dogs and he is hellbent on getting one (this is your headcanon and I love it, so here it goes again x’D). John couldn’t care less for having a pet, mostly because they are more of a bother than anything else. Besides, if he had to pick something, he would go for a cat or for a snake, because they are far less trouble. Or some magical creature that can mostly take care of itself. It’s a still ongoing argument, with the result that the only pet they get to have is Yoyo whenever Tim stays with them for some time. Considering the amount of time John spends fighting with the bird, he and Chas have agreed that, whatever happens, their possible future pet won’t have feathers. Of any sort.

what couple traditions they have Their “couple traditions” coincide pretty much with their “best mates traditions”. The watch sports on TV, go out for drinks, have road trips and, from time to time, some sight-seeing. Picking up bar fights might as well be part of the list, considering how often it happens. They also spend their quieter nights on the couch, sharing a beer and talking about their shared past, or about the things they have done while separated. From time to time, when they get nostalgic over their younger years, they end up recreating the settings of their most memorable hook-ups. It’s never the same, and perhaps it’s for the best, but satiated their shared desire for closeness.

what tv shows they watch together They usually go for sports, but it happens from time to time that one of them gets mildly interested in some soap opera or TV show and they watch it together to have a laugh. The most memorable time has been when John forced Chas to binge all eight the seasons of “House, M.D.” and the poor man was forced to hear, among the other things, the magician going about, in every single episode, how the protagonist and his best friend should have just “shut the fuck up n’ fuck already”.

what other couple they hang out with They aren’t officially a couple, so they can’t exactly double date. They see Zatanna and some others of John’s mates, from time to time, but those outings are considered meetings between friends and acquaintances. Alternatively, it’s always the two of them with Tim and Yoyo, and those are, even if none of them uses that term, “family reunions”.

how they spend time together as a couple They do all the things they have always done during the years, after Newcastle and Ravenscar. They act much more like best buddies than anything else, with the addition of the fact that a life with John Constantine includes demons, angels, magic and all the rest of those particular lots. There is always a danger waiting behind the corner, or some sort of Apocalypse they need to stop. Plus, the random hook-ups and the rare, but meaningful moments of tenderness, but those are something they never talk about in the aftermath.

who made the first move John. Back when they first met, he was the one who decided that he wanted to screw the pretty brunet who had fixed his band’s mixer and he was the one to kiss Chas first that very same night. And he was also the one to kiss Chas outside the pub, almost two decades later, before leaving for the States. Moreover, he was the one to send the first text to allow them to reconnect, but that was just because Chas didn’t have his new number or address. Otherwise, they both know that Chas would have reached out first.

who brings flowers home Chas, but he does it for himself, not for John. The place definitely use some colours and, besides, they smell much better than all the potion John insists on preparing in the kitchenette of the cabin.

who is the best cook As stated above, John can manage in the kitchen, but Chas is much better than him and, especially, he’s the one who takes care of the cooking more of the times. It’s the best way to get proper meals at appropriate times. Whenever he leaves it up to John, he ends up having breakfast at 3 in the afternoon and dinner at dawn. Useless to say that, since he likes his routine, he prefers taking the matter in his hands.

#hellblazer #john constantine #demon constantine #chas chandler #* My reality is eleven tenths perception. * ::headcanons::#* If Souls came in Pairs Yours would be the Brighter Half of My Own * ::John&Chas:: {thedemonconstantine}#* You're the Mirror I'm not Afraid to see My Darkness reflected in * ::John&Demon John:: {thedemonconstantine}

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fishfingersandjellybabies · 5 years ago

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Unwavering - unforgiven series

Characters: Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, hints of others Summary: To do anything, you need to take that first step. A/N: THE END. The party was basically to celebrate Damian and Tim healing and showing off the fixes to the apartment, but also a bit of an olive branch. The party was supposed to be for the literal actually-adopted/-family Batfam, but Cass decided the invitation implied a plus one and brought Steph. Not everything is perfect, and their relationships will rebuild over time, but Tim and Damian were just so thrilled all grievances were aired and they didn’t have that stress of anger/being alone anymore. Aka they love parties. Alfred arrived early and helped Tim and Damian make the pizzas. Damian remains living with Tim for the foreseeable future. Supplemental listening is ‘Don’t Give Up On Us Now’ by MENEW. Thanks for reading this series! I love you :3

Unforgiven series.

Dick stared into the mirror, huffing out a sharp sigh as he straightened his jacket. Almost instantly, he heard a mocking snort behind him, and looked at the reflection over his own shoulder.

“It isn’t a date, you know.” Bruce hummed, leaned against the doorframe. He looked nice himself, similarly casual in jeans and a polo. “You don’t have to be so uptight.”

“It might as well be.” Dick mumbled. “And don’t lie, B. You’re nervous too.”

“Of course I am.” Bruce admitted freely, and that was almost surprising. “This is…important.”

“Understatement.” Dick huffed. He adjusted his jacket one more time, then turned to face Bruce. “You ready to go?”

Bruce nodded. “Waiting for you, son.”

There was still the doorman at the building, but the security had grown two-fold since he was last here. Not surprising, after the recent (seemingly) random attack by Scarecrow on a few of the tenants.

It took just as long to get through the lobby as that first visit here. Checking of names and IDs at the front desk, a metal detector that was new – the whole shebang. There was even now men standing guard outside the elevators, who watched them intensely as they waited for the lift.

“…I didn’t want them to come back here.” Bruce hummed thoughtfully as the doors opened and they stepped inside. “Not so soon, anyway.”

“Alfred gave them the all clear.” Dick offered, though he agreed with Bruce.

“I told him not to.” Bruce pouted, looking at the various buttons for the different floors. He stabbed the one he wanted. “He knows they would have been safer at the manor.”

“Sure, just as he knows Tim gets flighty after a while, especially if he’s uncomfortable, or doesn’t want to be there in the first place.” Dick reminded. He paused then, glanced up at the screen near the ceiling, dinging with every floor they passed. “...We haven’t earned forgiveness yet, Bruce. You know that.”

“And he only wants what’s best for Damian, I know.” Bruce drawled. “I just…I’m impatient.”

“You miss them.” Dick corrected, putting a hand on Bruce’s shoulder. “I know.” A sad smile. “I do too.”

Bruce peeked at him.

“But tonight is one step towards that forgiveness you and I don’t deserve.” Dick nodded as the elevator slowed to a stop, and the doors slowly rolled open. “I hope, anyway.”

The hallways was the same. Soft lit and lovely. Quiet, with an almost soothing wavy pattern of gold and black running along the carpet. Dark brown doors lined the hallways, their golden number glittering, almost judgmental, as they watched Dick and Bruce start down the corridor.

Dick’s heart was thumping, and he couldn’t help but nervously tap his finger against the inner lining of his jacket pocket as they moved. Bruce was stoic beside him, face stone, eyes blank – his own way of dealing with his emotions and fears.

Time seemed to slow, the closer they got to that turn, and Dick hated it. Just wanted to get this over with, wanted this agonizing feeling of anticipation to disappear.

He held his breath as they finally reached that corner, and turned to the right, to the door in the little hallway all its own. Held it as Bruce inhaled himself, and knocked on the door.

Knock-knock-knock.

There was noise behind the door. Voices, maybe, or music. Too low to make out, and he was starting to get distracted by his quickening heartbeat, and his lungs begging for more air.

If they took any longer to open the door, they might open it to him passed out on the floor. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing. But he couldn’t take that breath, not just yet.

A moment later, there was the click of a lock, and the heavy door was pulled back. Sound exploded into the hall – both music and voices, with laughter mixed between.

But Dick didn’t quite hear it, too focused on the little boy who’d opened the door. Damian’s injuries from Crane were just shadows now for the most part, with the more serious ones hidden by his clothes. Though Dick could see the edge of the bandage still along his arm poking out of Damian’s sweatshirt sleeve, and his stomach sank.

But he couldn’t dwell on that, couldn’t dwell on the injuries and the attack and the past, not when Damian grinned excitedly up at them.

“Father.” Damian hummed, barely containing his giddiness. “Grayson.”

“…Son.” Bruce said, and Dick felt himself exhaling finally. “Good to see you.”

“And you.” Damian nodded. And it was amazing, that grin was almost bursting off his face. He glanced to the side, back into the apartment. “The drive over was well, I assume?”

Bruce smirked, let out a little snort. “Best drive I’ve ever had.”

Damian opened his mouth to say something, but was instantly cut off by Tim appearing at his side.

Tim looked between them, and to the surprise of all, gave his own bright smile.

“You’re late.” He scolded, but it was playful. “Jason was about to call the cops to report you missing.”

Bruce chuckled. “You could have started eating without us. We wouldn’t have minded.”

“But Damian would have.” Tim rolled his eyes, and gave Dick a knowing glance.

“It’s rude to begin a party before all your guests arrive.” Damian huffed, crossing his arms. “And Pennyworth agreed.”

There was a polite cough from inside the apartment that confirmed it.

“Thanks.” Dick smiled at Tim. Tim nodded, and shifted, tugging Damian back into the apartment and gesturing for Bruce and Dick to come in too. Bruce glanced to Dick, and Dick moved for him to go first. After another moment’s hesitation, Bruce did just that, all but trotting after Damian like a lost puppy.

As Bruce passed, Tim looked back to Dick expectantly.

And Dick found himself biting his lip. “Can I, uh…” Squeezed his fists in his pockets, laughed at himself for how ridiculous he was being. Tim waited patiently, hand on the door, ready to close it. “Can I give you a hug?”

Tim blinked in surprise, glanced back into the apartment. Then laughed, and let go of the door to open his arms.

Now there was no hesitation, no second thoughts. Dick stepped forward and enveloped his little brother in his arms.

And Tim didn’t hesitate either, returning the gesture instantly. Groaned a little, playfully, as Dick gave him a squeeze.

“Still have the injuries.” He grunted around another laugh.

“Sorry.” Dick mumbled into his shoulder, though didn’t lessen his grip any. “…Thanks for inviting me. Us.”

To Dick’s surprise, Tim quietly replied: “I’m glad you came.”

And all the nerves disappeared with those words. He held Tim for a moment more before leaning back to hold Tim’s face in his hands and kiss his forehead.

“Why do I feel like I’m twelve years old again, all of the sudden?” Tim mumbled. When Dick pulled back, he saw Tim’s face was red.

“Because to me you always will be, little brother.” Dick laughed, reaching up to ruffle Tim’s hair. Tim tried to push him off, but chuckled all the same.

And Dick didn’t miss the fact that Tim accepted the moniker. Didn’t frown or react in a way that said he didn’t want to be called Dick’s little brother. Just kept that easy smile. And, maybe it was Dick’s own hopes and imagination, but…Tim’s shoulders seem to relax a little as he said it. His own stress and tension dissipating as Dick still referred to him as that. Still thought of him as that.

Brothers.

“Will you two hurry up?!” Jason shouted from the kitchen. They looked over to find him with his arms crossed, a beer bottle already in one hand. Cassandra and Stephanie sat at the kitchen’s island, Alfred behind them. But what caught Dick’s eye was Damian, leaning happily into Bruce’s side, Bruce’s arm gently around his shoulders. “Some of us are starving.”

“Told you Jason was getting impatient.” Tim rolled his eyes, leading Dick towards the kitchen.

“You really could have eaten without us.” Dick tried, blowing Jason a kiss when the other flipped him the middle finger.

“It’s a…family party.” Tim reiterated, handing Dick a bottle of his own. “And…Damian’s right. You can’t start a family party with the whole family present.”

The implication of that statement wasn’t lost on Dick. Not on Bruce either, who tugged Damian closer into his side.

But if they were going to get any deeper into the idea, they were interrupted by Jason and Stephanie, both cheering loudly and grabbing for the first slices of pizza that were sitting on the counter.

Organized chaos ensued then, with talking and music all mixing together into a dull roar. Dick watched the scene gratefully, feeling his soul loosen and his heartbeat relax.

Ignored the tears in his eyes when Damian wandered from Bruce’s side to his.

And the party rolled on, everyone gouging on Alfred’s handmade pizza, soda and everything else unhealthy they could think of, just enjoying each other’s company and presence.

As they ate, Dick found himself watching Tim, as he showed Bruce the renovations and fortifications made on the loft since the attack. Watching his smile and happiness and comfort. Let his heart soar as Damian and Tim interacted, their bond seemingly impenetrable now, even with the always-changing emotional landscape around them.

“Hey…Tim?” Dick found himself asking, later in the evening. Probably at the most inopportune time, as Tim was chewing a bite of pizza.

Tim stopped midchew, looking over.

“This…is a good first step, right?”

And Dick didn’t need to elaborate what he meant. Didn’t have to explain that he meant for their relationship, their own bond. The one he thought, the last time he knocked on this door and was rejected, he could never rebuild, for the rest of time.

“A good start?”

Damian reappeared at his side, practically hugging him, asking him a question. A mindless one, something about Jason’s hair. But he didn’t answer it. Just wrapped his arm tightly around Damian’s shoulders, waiting for Tim to respond.

“Honestly?” Tim rumbled, food shoved into his cheek. Chewed for a second more, thinking about his words, then swallowed. Smacked his lips and gave a bright, happy, Tim smile. “This is the best first step we could have hoped for, Dick.”

#Tim Drake #Damian Wayne #dick grayson #bruce wayne #unforgiven series

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purplesurveys · 5 years ago

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713

Have you ever read the Hunger Games series? Nah, that was put out when I started to not read anymore. I did see the first movie though since it was always being aired on TV. When was the last time you ran into something? Haven’t been doing a lot of running these days being stuck at home... but uh probably my dog? He’s always scattered in the most random spaces around the house, it’s so easy to literally stumble upon him. Do you enjoy dressing up? I don’t get to do it a lot but yeah sure. Do you live in the city or a rural area? I live in an urban area. Rizal is technically a province but it has some urban, more city-like parts – I live in one of them. The way provinces are in the country is generally nice for staycations but I can’t see myself living in them for good; there’s hardly any phone signal, they have none of the stuff I’m used to having in the city like malls and coffee shops, and there’s much less coverage for internet connection. Would you say you have a sense of style? Pretty much. I think it’s distinguishable enough that people can pick clothes they think I’d like off a rack.

What's your biggest fear? Cockroaches, failing, being publicly humiliated. Have you ever been bitten by a wild animal? Nope. Add that into one of my biggest fears. Are you close to any of your cousins? I’m closest to my Kuya, the eldest cousin on my mom’s side. I used to be close with my cousins on my dad’s side but since we’ve always lived far from each other we ended up getting awkward when we were teenagers and we haven’t moved past from that ever since. All my other cousins are too young for me to be close to. Have you ever been lost in the woods? Nope. Where did you last travel? I think my last out-of-town trip was when I went to Nasugbu with my friends as a last hurrah before the semester started last August. Do you enjoy driving? I would enjoy it more if traffic wasn’t so congested all the time, but generally I prefer knowing how to drive than not at all. I find it really convenient and I like being able to move at my own time, at my own pace. What song did you last listen to? Hahahaha don’t even be surprised anymore – it’s lofi city up in here, dude. If you have a job, how often do you work? What time do you normally go to sleep at night? These days, very late; my body clock has been beaten up bad (by me, lmao) in the last month. I’d normally turn in from 2-4 AM. Do you watch a lot of movies? I used to. Watching new movies was all I ever did circa 2014-2016, but life got a bit more hectic and my time for watching movies waned until I was never able to get back to my old routine and I just stopped watching altogether. These days I’m only able to watch new films if Gab asks me to tag along with her, like what happened with Midsommar, Knives Out, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Do you like Tom Petty? I only know him by name. I don’t have an opinion. Would you rather have snow or rain? I mean I’m just stuck with one of the choices anyway, so rain it is. Do you own a lot of sweaters? Nah I own zero. The only one I have belongs to my girlfriend. Have you ever tried rock-climbing? I’ve tried mini rock-climbing walls, but nothing too high or that required me to put on a helmet and harness. Ever ridden in a police car? Nope. Favorite decade of music? Idk I’ll have to go with the most recent one, 2010s. It was a period when I got old enough to 1) connect with the music coming out and 2) discern what to me sounds good and what doesn’t, and it was also a time where I got to establish what my general music tastes are. The 2000s to me mostly offers nostalgia but nothing outstanding, and I feel too detached from the other past decades for them to be my favorite. Have any of your best friends been your best friend longer than a year? I’ve had best friends I’ve kept for 15 years and 8 years. Ever witnessed a murder? No, but I came so close. One of our first news assignments was to cover a crime story, so on the first night a friend and I spent the night over at a local police station to wait for leads. There wasn’t any and on the second night, another pair of groupmates were tasked to wait at the same station to wait for reports – they were the pair that got a tip and they got to see a fresh crime scene :( which I know should be nothing to be envious of sksksk but still. If I remember correctly it was a stabbing incident and someone did die from it. Do you care what people think of you? I try not to but some opinions that reach me will still get to me, especially on rougher days. Does your room have a ceiling fan? No, just a standing electric fan. Would you consider yourself poised? Eh, it’s not the first word I’d use to describe me. If I’m feeling antsy you’d know it, because I would show it. Have you ever tried blogging? I have tried blogging, as early as when I was 10. I mainly used Blogspot as a diary, but it didn’t last long because 10 year old me just couldn’t keep the blog up and running. I discovered Tumblr when I was 11 and since then it’s been my main website for if I wanna blog (or in this case, microblog) about my interests. Favorite television channel? I haven’t watched TV in a looooooooong while. Have you ever lied under oath? I’ve never had to be under oath. What are your religious views? None. Are you a romantic person? Yeah but mostly in secret; I don’t like being too public when it comes to being expressive. Like I’d swat my girlfriend’s face away if she tries to kiss me in public lmaooooo but when it’s just the two of us I’ve gotten her love language down to a T and I know exactly what to do to make her feel loved. When did you last change your bed sheets? A few weeks ago. My eye started getting irritated whenever I was anywhere near my bed, so I chalked it up to having sheets that needed to be changed. Would you consider yourself a flirt? That would be the literal last thing to describe me. At what age do you plan to be married? Somewhere between 27-29. Do you eat a lot of junk food? Meh not really these days. I’m old enough to start feeling how unhealthy they are whenever I eat them and they no longer feel filling to the stomach either. When did you last go on vacation? Half a year ago. We haven’t been able to go on vacations this year because of coronavirus obviously, so our last trips have been on my dad’s last break at home. Are you resilient? I’d like to think so. I’ve been through so much shit and of varying degrees all my life but I’m still stubbornly here. Have you ever failed a subject before? I’ve never failed an entire class but I’ve failed exams, mostly math-related ones. If so, what was the class? My first failed class was math in Grade 4 (which was when we started learning super super super basic algebra), then I failed a number of algebra exams in 1st year, and then advanced algebra and geometry, and I think even chemistry and calculus, as the years went on. Do you wear more bright or dull colors? I used to wear duller colors, but I’ve recently been so bored with how my wardrobe has been mostly black and white throughout my stay in college that I started to make an effort to buy more colorful stuff so I can look livelier. Do you know anyone who has attempted suicide? I know a number of people. What's your favorite quote? I don’t really have one but one of my favorite movie lines is “How you like them apples?” from Good Will Hunting, if that counts. Would you consider yourself mature? Sure. I like taking on a motherly role in all my friend groups. How many clocks are in your house? I only regularly encounter the one in our dining area but I dunno if any of the bedrooms have clocks as well. Do you play any sports? Table tennis. What is your biggest life regret? Eh I say this a lot but only because it’s my one big regret – I wish I didn’t have such a hard time adjusting and spend so much time wallowing in self-pity in my first year (and part of my second year) of college. I spent all my days crying in my car because I had nowhere to hang and no one to talk to, and I was feeling worse by the fact that everyone else seemed to settle in with ease. I wish I had just said ‘fuck it’ earlier and just joined orgs and talked to people. Now I don’t really get to say that my entire college experience had been one of a kind, because I was mostly only trying to keep myself alive for nearly the first half of it. Have you ever been injured in a car accident? Nah not injured, but I’ve been caught in a couple of accidents. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be? I would love to be in a Tim Hortons right now, studying while having their coffee and one of their wraps. Have you ever had highlights in your hair? Never. I’m not allowed to, which is fine because I stopped wanting to dye my hair. Favorite fast food restaurant? KFC has the best fast food but not the best restaurant. I don’t think I enjoy eating at any of the fast food restaurants we have because they all smell like a bunch of people have come and gone in the place D: In what country were you born? Philippines. Born and raised. Are your eyes more than one color? Nope. Have you ever caught something on fire? No but I’ve seen someone else get something on fire – back in Grade 4, my science teacher was showing us how a Bunsen burner works and a classmate (and tbh the class troublemaker) named Kressel tipped it over while the teacher wasn’t looking. We were too young to know what to do about it – and we were also all panicking on the inside and none of us could move – so we just watched part of the table getting burned away. What would you consider your biggest flaw? I’m very sensitive and I take a lot of things personally. What do you think your best quality is? Kinda conneected to that. I can read people quite well and can tell when they’re feeling too sensitive, if a joke has gotten too far for them, or if they’re starting to feel uncomfortable in a group setting. Do you enjoy listening to others' problems? *Enjoy* might not be the right word for it – I don’t derive pleasure out of hearing the things making my friends stressed out. I do like being the person they turn to; I like knowing they trust me.

Do you keep any plants in your house? My parents do. Sometimes they’ll ask me to water them, but I don’t claim any of the plants as mine. What is your mother's occupation? She’s confidential secretary to one of the higher-ups in her workplace. Do any of your friends like your musical style? I’m not the first person they’d go to to ask for song recommendations. My taste is admittedly a bit blah and basic, so I don’t blame them haha. What are you most looking forward to? I wanna say this quarantine ending, but I know resuming life in the real world would also be making me anxious when the time comes. I guess I’m most excited for seeing Gabie again, because I haven’t seen March 7th. What was your favorite television show as a child? My first favorite show ever that I was also super attached to was Hi-5 with the original cast – this was for kindergarten days. When I got a bit older I loved Spongebob, then when I got even a bit older than that I started liking Drake and Josh, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, That’s So Raven, and Hannah Montana. My first favorite that didn’t come from a kids’ channel was probs Breaking Bad. Are you afraid of insects? Yeah, most of them. Are you cold-natured? Idk if this wants to ask me if I’m snobbish or if I get cold too quickly, but I’m gonna go right ahead and say I can be a bit of both. How old were you when you got your first pet? I was 5 or 6 when I got my first few goldfish. Our house back then was very crowded and wouldn’t have been conducive to pets that would walk around, plus I had never owned pets before, so my parents thought it would be best for me to start off with fish. Did you / do you enjoy high school? It was okay for the latter half. What would you say was your favorite age? 16, which also happened to be the start of the second half of high school. There wasn’t a single low point that year and I had great friends, great grades, and an overall great time in junior year. What annoys you most about social networking? Ehh there are different annoying things for each of the big social media sites. Twitter sucks for its cancel/public shaming culture; Facebook suffers from fake news and troll armies, and conservative relatives are often there to gossip about your posts or your stances (at least for us Asians, idk if family in other cultures can be just as nosey); and Instagram is just unbelievably fake to me that I’ve never even tried joining there to socialize.

Are you the center of attention most of the time? No. Whenever I feel like I am I always shift the spotlight to someone else. What are you currently reading? I’m not reading anything at the moment. When did you last go to the library? At the start of the year, when I had to borrow a book for my Rizal class. Are you ill at the moment? Nope, and remaining not ill would be the best situation for now given the current circumstances. Do people tease you about anything? My friends know I’m a little sensitive so they’re careful about making me the butt of their jokes for too long, but I do get teased for my lack of street smarts which I’m fine with because it’s true hahahahahaha. How late did you stay up last night and why? Not too late considering how late I stay up these days – just around midnight. My left eye acted up again, was tearing up like crazy, and I could barely open it without starting to feel pain so I just went ahead and got some sleep. Have you ever written poetry? Only when we had to in English classes or if we had to submit entries for my org’s literary folio. I’ve never voluntarily written poems. Curtains or shades? Shades. How many people have you spoken to in the last hour? Six, I think? - my dad, sister, cousin, Gab, Andrew, and Angela. Do you tend to text a lot? These days no because I haven’t had (and needed) cellphone load in the last month lmao. Normally though I do. Ever lost a great best friend? Yeah. Sofie and I drifted apart when we started college and the time apart made me realize that we simply had two entirely different personalities and there was no way we would have kept up the friendship considering how far we would be from each other once college started. But it was a nice couple of years that we had being best friends and I don’t regret the antics we got into together. What is your favorite kind of flower? Peonieeeeees my god his question is everywhere. Do you own any guns? No, and I can tell you people where I’m from generally find America’s gun fixation really weird. What would you say is your favorite book of all-time? I think it’d be unfair to tag something as all-time favorite when I haven’t read enough books... but I remember really enjoying Without Seeing the Dawn by Stevan Javellana. Never mind the fact that it was required reading for school; I genuinely loved the whole book and ate it up pretty quickly. Do you think you're living a good life? I guess, but I’d much rather call it ‘fortunate.’ What's your least favorite part of the day? On a normal schedule that would be once my alarm hits and I know I have to get out of bed and anticipate the traffic I’ll be stuck in.

Are you an over-achiever? Not in the sense that I like joining competitions and winning every single one of them, but I like calling dibs on a lot of tasks no matter how booked I am, and even doing the tasks of others if I sense that they’re not moving. Have you ever won an award for a speech? I haven’t, but I’ve been in a public speaking competition. I let my anxiety get the best of me that day and I ended up rambling midway into my speech, so now thinking about it is something that makes me wince these days because I know I could have done a lot better. Do you tend to curse a lot? Not as much as when I was a teenager but I’ll still slip some shits and fucks in my sentences every now and then. Have you ever played on the Ouija board? No. And I think that if it does happen, as much as I love the concept of Ouija boards, I’ll be too scared to join the session haha. Do you sleepwalk? Nope. Have you ever slept on the floor before? I’ve never slept on the FLOOR floor. I’ve slept on floors but there was always a mattress to lie on to feel comfortable, ya feel. Are you a fan of public displays of affection? It’s easy not to mind simple acts like holding hands or forehead kisses, but it can get uncomfortable if a couple is clearly in the moment and is like literally making out on the escalator or talking like babies to one another but loud enough for others to hear. Either way though I wouldn’t call myself an active fan. When did you last attend a yard sale? Idk dude, 12 years ago I’d say. Do you wish your life were simpler or more interesting? More interesting. What goals do you wish to accomplish tomorrow? None. I just want to care for myself these days dude. And remind myself that it’s okay to not feel like being productive. When is your birthday? Exactly a week from now – April 21st. Which is worse: going blind or deaf? Blind for me. There’s a lot of stuff and places I have yet to see and new experiences that I wanna be able to digest by seeing them, like getting to the top of a mountain or seeing my future kid. What was the best part of today? Eh, today’s been uneventful at best. Do you attempt to stay away from drama? I don’t want to be the subject of drama but if there’s drama involving other people and my friends got a hold of it, I would honestly find it hard to ignore it. What liquid did you last drink? Water. Do you ever prefer to be alone? I have moods where I’d want to be alone, but it doesn’t happen all the time. I still like being around people because it keeps me from being alone with my thoughts. Have you ever had a deadly animal as a pet? No. Favorite Disney movie? Toy Story. Tangled comes at a verrrrrrrrrry close second. Have you ever been to the beach? Yes. I think since 2009 we’ve been going to the beach at least once a year. If you have, how many times have you been? ^ Considering that estimation I’ve been to the beach a minimum 11 times, but it’s definitely a lot more than that since there’ve been times where we went to beaches multiple times in a single year. What was your dream occupation at age ten? I wanted to be an author then. Are you terrified at the idea of weight-gain? No. I’m a little underweight so I'm okay with welcoming a few extra pounds. Do you drink a lot of water? I don’t take eight glasses a day but I still drink relatively more than my friends and relatives do, who seem to like iced tea and soda more. Does your room have carpet or hard-wood floors? Hardwood, as with most (maybe even all) Filipino houses. Do you take naps daily? No, not daily. I probably take 3-4 afternoon naps every week.

Who were you named after? My parents say I was named after the Swedish singer Robyn, but they also tell me a conflicting story in that they just liked how the name sounds and went with it. Do you plan on traveling this spring or summer? In the current state of the world? No can do chief. I wanna be able to travel once this shitstorm is over though. Do you know anyone who is colorblind? I don’t think so. Have you ever been a teacher's pet? For some classes, but they’ve been very few and far between. I don’t consciously make myself the teacher’s pet in all my classes. What is your absolute favorite hobby? Eating out/trying new food! How many times a day do you brush your teeth? Once or twice. Ever been to a tanning bed before? I have not. I don’t need to. Are you satisfied with your financial stability? I don’t even have finances sksksksksksksks Who is your favorite actor / actress? Kate Winslet. Are your nails painted? Nope. What's the meanest thing you've ever said to someone? I make it a point not to say mean things to anyone because words stick. I learned that from a young age which, aside from how fucked up that is, is still a good thing, because it taught me early on to be careful with my anger. Do you ever accidentally talk to inanimate objects? I don’t do it accidentally lmao I just apologize to most of the objects I bump into. What's your favorite flavor of ice cream? Cookies and cream. Have you ever kissed someone of the same gender? Regularly. Do you receive any hate mail? No but that’s because I actively avoid having outlets for that. Anonymous hate would only make me paranoid and will probs drive me madly insecure in the wrong run. Have you ever sent a letter in the mail? Nope. If you could, would you have a pen pal? Meh, I’ll pass. I find instant messaging a lot more convenient and I doubt I’d have the patience for keeping a pen pal. What color are the pants you're wearing? I have brown shorts, not pants. Have you ever had a stalker? Nope. What is your life philosophy? You don’t have to be blood to be family. Who last sent you a goodnight text message? Gabie. Do you own any clothes that are your favorite color? Very few, because pink actually doesn’t suit me. Have you ever been in a hot tub before? Sure. What's your favorite comedy movie? White Chicks. In which year were you born? 1998.

#survey #surveys

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ifbrd · 5 years ago

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Who should know their secret identities: A Huggy and WordGirl Relationship Analysis

Let’s take a moment to discuss WordGirl/Becky and Huggy/Bob’s relationship. To label it, it seems to be an interesting mix of friendship, mentor/mentee, and parent/child. Today I want to specifically talk about the parent/child aspect of their relationship. I want to talk about a rule of Huggy’s that may not be best for Becky.

Like any decent parent, Bob obviously just wants what’s best for Becky. But sometimes what a parent or guardian thinks is best for the child, is not what is really best for them. For our favorite heroine and her sidekick/mentor, I think this is the case with their secret identities. Bob seems to be very strict on this subject, while Becky has shown a desire to share her secret with a select few people. Of course, Becky is protective of her identity too, but on more than one, on-screen, occasion she has wanted to share this secret with her best friends and family, while Bob continues to object to the idea. And there’s reason to believe this conversation comes up a lot more off-screen than we may have realized, which further brings into the question whether or not Bob’s perspective on the matter is the right one.

Let's take a look at some secret identity sharing (or almost sharing) moments, shall we?

The first incident was in WordGirl Makes a Mistake. Whilst feeling self-conscious about her mistake, Becky decides to confide in her dad and brother. Notice Bob’s reactions to this.

He abandons pizza. Bob. Abandons. Food. He never does that, even during the most crucial moments. At best he takes the food with him or scarfs it down before leaving. But he feels so strongly about this that he completely abandons his food.

Then he tries to discredit her in a panic. When she shares her secret with her family, he can’t look and once it’s all said and done, he looks very annoyed and disapproving. He doesn’t let up on this until he realizes neither Tim or Tj believe her.

Now let’s turn to Becky to see her perspective on the subject. Aside from the fact she was willing to tell her family, she states that she’s been “Holding this back for a long time…” clearly showing that she truly does want to tell them she’s WordGirl.

Next, we’ll examine The Good, the Bad and the Chucky, when Becky seriously considered telling Violet, and almost went through with it.

When the idea is brought up, Huggy immediately protests and is grumpy the rest of the episode. When Becky starts to tell Violet, Bob makes one last attempt to convince her not to. Becky doesn’t pay any attention to him and keeps talking, and Bob goes into full-blown panic. He even faints.

Again, compare this to Becky, who truly wanted—yearned — to tell Violet. Remember this episode defined yearn as being something stronger and deeper than a want. Not to mention her reasoning says a lot about how much she wants this. “She’s my best friend, I tell her everything, and it would be such a relief to totally be myself around her.”

This episode also gives us some insight into how often this conversation comes up and how it usually plays out. When WordGirl first brings up the idea of telling Violet and Huggy objects to the idea, she frowns and rolls her eyes. She does this as though she’s heard this a thousand times and is tired of hearing it.

An even better episode to help us realize how this conversation goes is The Invasion of the Bunny Lovers. This is the episode where Scoops finds out Becky is WordGirl. Bob is under mind control the entire episode, and doesn’t find out about the incident until the end when Scoops calls Bob “Huggy.” The screen immediately shows WordGirl who looks extremely nervous and signals Scoops not to bring it up.

Scoops doesn’t get the message and WordGirl then gives Bob a very nervous smile. This is similar to how a child acts when they are in huge trouble and want to either get on their parents’ good side or not even tell them to stay out of trouble.

The next thing she does is fly away from Bob, again much like a child trying to avoid trouble.

After Huggy finds her, her expression quickly changes to a look of dread, like she’s about to get the lecture of a lifetime. Meanwhile, if we examine Huggy’s body language, he’s clearly mad and she certainly is getting the lecture of a lifetime.

Going back to my point about this being like a child in trouble with her parent, and how this shows us how the secret identity topic usually plays out, I see this whole interaction as being similar to family’s putting an emphasis on grades. Of course, the child wants good grades, but perhaps the parents are very strict about them, and when the child gets a less than satisfactory grade, she might try to hide it or wait for the right time to tell her parents, because she dreads the reaction they will inevitably have. The secret identity rule is such a strict one with little to no room for debate that Becky acted like a child with a bad grade when the secret got out.

And of course, this makes perfect sense. Becky was so young when she discovered her powers, she was at an age when most children want to show their parents every cool thing they can do. And at age 9-11, Becky has been shown to be very open with her parents, so of course she too would have wanted to share her abilities with her parents. But she clearly didn’t because…ya know, they don’t know about them. What would have stopped a censor-less toddler with not yet the brain capacity to think “maybe I shouldn’t tell mommy and daddy what I can do”? It was Bob.

Bob told her not to tell anyone from a very young age, and Becky listened to him because he was someone who loved her, took care of her and someone she trusted. But now she’s getting older and starting to think for herself and questioning whether Bob is right when he says “you can’t tell anybody you’re WordGirl.”

And maybe she’s right to question it. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s just telling her she can’t tell because he believes it’s what’s best for her, but is it really what’s best for her? Granted, Bob probably has this rule so strict because the more people who know, the greater the odds a slip up could happen that lets the secret out to the world, which would undoubtedly be terrible. That and anyone who knows her secret would be worried about her in battles.

But is telling a few people worth the risk of all this happening? First, let’s look at how bad Becky wants this. “I’ve been holding this back for a long time” “I yearn to tell Violet I’m WordGirl.” Second, let’s remember why she wanted to tell the people she did. With Violet, it was because she was feeling guilty for not having told her and craved the ease for not having to hide herself from her best friend. And she told her family because she was having a hard time as WordGirl and her family started to notice.

Which leads me to my next point my most important point because this isn’t about what Becky wants. It’s about what she needs. In the case of her family, she needs to be able to go to the people who care about her and want to help her most. As much as Bob loves her and will do whatever he can to help her, he can’t solve every problem she has. Not to mention sometimes it’s not even that she needs their help and advice all the time, sometimes she might just need an ear to vent to that’s not Bob’s. And her family deserves to know what’s going on with their daughter. They deserve to know she’s worked up because she made a word mistake in battle, or that she’s acting rude because she’s been spending one on one time with Ms. Power. Her parents want to help her, but they obviously can’t if they’re not aware of that part of her life. And wouldn’t Becky’s life and crime fighting be easier if she didn’t have to lie to her parents to go do her job? Wouldn’t it be easier for her to say “I missed family dinner because I was fighting Two-Brains and the Energy Monster,” then to get punished for doing her job? I won’t even get into the fact that keeping secrets—that dictate a huge portion of your life—from your loving family is probably emotionally unhealthy.

As for her friendship with Violet: that had many problems that were because of the WordGirl secret. I won’t get too much into this here because one day I want to do a whole analysis on it, but in many episodes leading up to Rhyme and Reason, Becky and Violet were starting to have a rift wedged between them. And it always was because Becky had to leave to fight crime when Violet needed her. I’m not sure when these issues started, but if Becky had told Violet when she wanted to in The Good, the Bad and the Chucky, it likely would have gone differently than in Rhyme and Reason. This not only would have fixed a lot of problems in their friendship either before they started or before the problems had gotten bad, but also would have resulted in less drama. Most of Violet’s betrayed feelings were from the fact that Becky never told her, and she found out by accidentally photographing it. This would have saved Becky a lot of unnecessary heartbreak. Maybe not all of it, but a lot of it.

These are all fine reasons to tell the closest people in Becky’s life, but Bob’s perspective on this subject is still important too. More people knowing means the secret could get out easier, everyone who knows will be worried about her in battles and probably other things I’m not thinking of. The question is: Is it worth risking all that for the benefits of Becky’s friends and family knowing? There is not a definite, crystal clear right answer, it all depends on Becky and what’s right for her and her life, and I think as she gets older, she’ll start to question what the right answer for her is. Bob, however, is stubborn and I can’t see him changing his views on this subject very easily. I don’t want him to suddenly change is mind and let her tell whoever she wants, but I do think it’s important that he considers his perspective on the topic, might just be the wrong one. But I don’t know what it would take for him to consider that idea. I feel like it would have to be something extreme, like Becky having a mental breakdown from not being able to tell her parents things.

None the less I do think this conversation has been coming up more and more lately and will continue to be brought up more and more as Becky gets older and starts thinking more for herself.

#wordgirl #becky botsford #bob botsford #captain huggyface #captain huggy face #wordgirl makes a mistake #the good the bad and the chucky #rhyme and reason #analysis #sorry for not cropping pictures but i was lazy and in a rush #also sorry for any screenshot with my mouse in the image #oh btw if someone notices any private information in the screen shots please let know so i can replace the pictures #i used a player with an account under my real name so if anyone notices my name or anything else (idk what) let me know #and then pretend you never saw it!!! ;)#I'm so happy to have this done #i hope you all enjoy it!!!!!!

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buttonpanels · 5 years ago

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So far, I’ve looked at the biggest shake-ups in comics status quos in the 2010s. Of course, I think those were important. They’re paradigm shifts that allow for different stories. But sometimes, you need to go smaller, and that’s what this is. This time, I’m going to be highlighting specific moments in comics that I feel were the best in the 2010s.

These can range from a single scene to a single panel, but they’re what I consider the best the 2010s have to offer. They might stand on their own or be the payoff for years of storytelling, but these are the ones that had the biggest impact on me as a reader. As a rule: it can’t be an entire issue. I’m also trying to avoid placing similar scenes on this list. So yes, it’s a loose criterion, but it’s mine. Anyway, let’s see what we have for arbitrarily ranked my personal best comic book moments of the 2010s…

15. “He was an Adventure”, Die #2

Die is a comic that embodies the best of Kieron Gillen. His knack for clever dialogue, interesting ideas, strong characterisation and self-aware contemplative narration are felt in every issue, bolstered by Stephanie Hans’ beautiful art. The concept of a role-playing game that sucks its players in is a bit derivative, but Gillen leans into the RPG side of things and really shows what an RPG made and played by a bunch of pretentious, conflicted teenagers would be like, and the world that would result. Nowhere is that better shown than when Dominic (or rather, Ash) reunites with Sir Lane.

After the cast return to their game as adults after having escaped it as teenagers, they run into immediate trouble. After dealing with it, the party discusses whether to take a horrible route to their destination or the one they used years prior, where everyone knows them. Before they can decide, Ash runs into an old flame of sorts — Sir Lane, a typical knight in shining armour who she was in a relationship with and said she would come back to. She teasingly cursed him so that he couldn’t rest until he saw her again, and now she’s come back… after over a decade and he’s a zombie. They’re forced to kill him, and decide to avoid taking the same path, lest they run into more from their past.

Die is a great series that captures the spirit and fun of RPGs while giving things just enough edge to feel interesting but not like the creative team is going out of their way to be edgy. This here is a great instance of that, bringing a dark edge to a fantasy cliché and taking full advantage of the setting and characters. The first issue of Die didn’t fully land with me, but this issue definitely did, with this dark and morbid scene and the poetic narration. Just a wonderfully executed moment.

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14. “You can’t help yourself… you are Apocalypse”, Uncanny X-Force (2010) #4

Here’s a moment that is heavily carried by the art. Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force is great, but this moment, which is otherwise not that spectacular, is elevated by an understated use of layouts and not only established that this would be a very different X-Force run, but the threat to come.

After the new, black ops and secretive X-Force team has hunted down the rejuvenated form of Apocalypse, they are at a crossroads when Psylocke refuses to allow them to kill the now child despot. The team debates before falling to infighting, before Angel finally gets the upper hand after wrestling with his inner demon, Archangel. When Apocalypse says he won’t become who they think he’ll become, Angel says he won’t be able to stop himself and goes in for the kill… only to hesitate… then Fantomex kills Apocalypse anyway. The team leaves with no fanfare or celebration.

The art is what really sells this scene. The fight between the X-Force members is well done and easy to follow, and the narration from Warren is executed very well with some great lettering, but that moment when Angel says that Apocalypse will always be a monster, and the art slows things down with wide panels and extreme close-ups and a peak into Warren’s soul, that is what sells this moment. It is a powerful pause in time that and scene that is emblematic of what the run would entail — wrestling with morality, nature vs. nurture and struggling with one’s inner demons.

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13. “I think about it every day”, Grayson #12

Grayson is a series I will never shut up about, because it just works so much better than it should. Taking Dick Grayson out of the world of superheroes and putting him in the more morally ambiguous and backstab-prone spy world allowed Tom King and Tim Seeley to get to the root of his character, and make it all the more satisfying when he returned to the world of capes and tights. Case in point: Grayson #12, where Dick reunites with the Batfamily. While every reunion is great, the one that was the bet executed in my mind is Dick’s reunion with Barbara Gordon.

Dick is reuniting with his family after his boss at Spyral forces him to come back to the organisation. She lets him get in his goodbyes, however. Having already spoken to an amnesiac Bruce Wayne, he went on to talk to Jason Todd and Tim Drake and gave them a gift of two batarangs, and is now talking to Barbara. Dick had previously run into her in his secret Spyral identity, but she didn’t really know it was him. He tries to explain why he did what he did, but she’s not having it and leaves. Dick jumps after her… off a bridge, and gives her the trapeze pole from when they swung together after she was crippled in The Killing Joke, and confesses all his unspoken feelings for her.

There’s really nothing more to this moment than that, it’s just Dick and Babs reuniting and Dick telling her what she means to him. It’s heart-warming and cute, and the whole “Cluemaster’s Code” that Dick is using — the first letter of every sentence will spell out the real message — is used really well this issue, but I like that Dick repeats himself when he says he’ll come back to her. It’s as if he’s willing to muddle the message and Barbara understanding it just to reiterate how important she is to him. This moment wouldn’t properly go anywhere, since Tim Seeley set Dick up with a new love interest in a terribly executed romantic subplot in his Nightwing run, but for a moment, one of the best relationships in comics got a moment in the sun.

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12. “You’re poison”, The Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer #1

Hellblazer is at its best when it acknowledges what a toxic influence John Constantine is on his friends and family. Very few people come out of their interactions with him unscathed, and his addiction to magic only guarantees that those around him will have a rough time of it. Nowhere is that better demonstrated than with how his long-time friendship with Chas Chandler ends, which ushered in a return to form for Constantine.

After coming back from a terrible future and promising his future self to live his best life, Constantine goes to visit his friend Chas. He learns that, since his absence, Chas has contracted cancer and is now in the cancer ward of a hospital. Upon his visit, he finds demons possessing Chas and goes to free his friend, using the bodies of other cancer patients, only for Chas himself to call John out on his years of being a prick, his abandonment and the fact that John gave him cancer. Constantine’s constant smoking in Chas’ cab is what it’s attributed to and he tells John to leave him alone and fuck off. John respects his friend’s wishes just before Chas dies and John is left truly alone.

Despite how their friendship ended, this issue also did a great job giving it something of a heart-warming ending… sort of, as in the future, John tricks Chas into essentially performing a magic suicide bombing, but Chas, ignorant of this, tells John that sometimes you need to step up and be a hero. Both scenes work together to show the nature of this friendship — Chas is a good person at heart and one whom Constantine values and trusts… but he’s still someone Constantine will manipulate, and who will call John out on his bullshit. It’s a fitting end to the character and a great way to kick off this new era of Hellblazer.

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11. “I thought you loved me”, Venom (2018) #11

The relationship between Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote has always been some level of abusive, but whether or not it’s a romantic relationship has generally not been touched on where it can be avoided. Maybe it’s the idea that Venom fans wouldn’t want a gay relationship, maybe it’s fear of the repercussions of a negatively portrayed gay relationship — the symbiote is identified as male a few times, after all — or maybe it’s just weird that Eddie is in a romantic relationship with alien ooze. But in the end, it’s usually more allegory and not so much a literal romantic relationship… until now, and it is glorious.

After a handful of issues of the Venom symbiote lacking its voice and Eddie’s cancer resurfacing, the Maker is able to “fix” Eddie while he goes through his memories and learns that certain parts were fake — his sister and initial cancer diagnosis being the primary ones he focuses on. He confronts the Venom symbiote, which can speak again, about why it changed his memories and it says Eddie needed to need it. They argue and Eddie wakes up to protect Dylan Brock, who he has just learned is his son.

Eddie’s relationship with the symbiote has always been destructive and unhealthy, and Cates fully leans into that here. The symbiote has manipulated Eddie into staying with it, forced him to become Venom and lied to him about his son. It has fully become an abusive lover and the sheer superhero-ness of this scene lends it a sense of self-awareness in what could otherwise have devolved into melodrama. However, Donny Cates is still able to end the scene with such conviction that it carries all the weight it was supposed to.

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10. “Smoke the meat”, Animosity #7

The biggest strength of Animosity is Marguerite Bennett’s keen eye for worldbuilding. The basic premise of “what if animals suddenly became fully aware” is explored for all it’s worth, with small bits of worldbuilding that truly make the world of Animosity feel alive yet relatable. The way Bennett uses these little pieces of worldbuilding to craft a nuanced and morally grey story is what really sells this series, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Animosity #7.

The scene in question deals with the aftermath of a fight the main characters get into, where they run into some carnivores. While everyone else tends to their wounds and gets some rest, main dog Sandor and the cat Pallas go to deal with the aftermath. They find their dead friends and we learn what they’re actually doing, and that it’s not uncommon — they eat the corpses of the dead. This time, they bury their friends, but the other animals that were killed are eaten all the same, and this isn’t the first time Sandor and Pal have done this, nor is it expected to be the last, and Sandor reminds Pal that, when Sandor himself dies, to feed him to his owner Jesse.

The scene is a wonderfully dark revelation, in a story where we learned more and more about what Sandor will do to protect his owner. It plays really well off the previous issues and does a great job escalating the moral ambiguity of the story. It not only adds more moral complexity to the wider world of Animosity, but furthers the story and characters. Every part of Animosity feels well thought out, and this moment not only advances the world but the story, in an unexpected and dark way.

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9. “He has you and me”, Doomsday Clock #12

DC Rebirth was a relaunch that truly returned some of what the DC universe had lost that made it so great. It lamented the loss of love, legacy and optimism, all of which were indeed sorely lacking, and told a story of how corrupting outside forces altered the DCU’s history and characters to better reflect a cynical outlook. Well, Doomsday Clock finally ended last week, and for all its faults and the discussions that can be had concerning creator rights and Watchmen, I think it delivered on its promise — the return of love, legacy and optimism, the latter of which was best exemplified in the return of the JSA and, as a result, of the Legion of Super-Heroes and Ma and Pa Kent.

After Flashpoint, it was established that Clark Kent had lost his parents at a young age, after they were hit by a drunk driver. Even after the Superman Reborn crossover patched up Superman’s history to essentially be the post-Crisis one — with some New 52 stuff sprinkled in here and there — he still had dead parents. Doomsday Clock revealed that Doctor Manhattan had caused the Kents’ accident, in order to transform Superman into a more cynical figure that he could relate to. However, after Superman inspires him, Manhattan believes in the ideals of love, legacy and optimism and undoes his changes to the timeline — or at least most of them, since DC’s plans clearly changed as this story was being published — and the restoration of the Justice Society of America is what kicks things into gear. Not only are the JSA my favourite superhero team, but their existence now changes Jonathan Kent’s outlook — instead of a cynical, protective outlook that causes him to discourage Clark using his abilities, the JSA’s existence causes Jonathan to encourage Clark instead, and he saves his parents as Superboy. The emergence of Superboy in turn causes the Legion of Super-Heroes to exist again. And they save the day, and all ends well, and Clark goes to reunite with his parents.

This moment is the perfect pay off to the entire Rebirth saga. There’s some wonkiness here as a result of rewrites, clearly. The Legion of Super-Heroes, as written now, are not inspired by Clark as Superboy but by Jonathan Samuel Kent as Superboy helping to found the United Planets, but the dialogue pretends like this is the Retroboot Legion from a few years back. Ignoring that, however, this moment just works. After the darkest parts of the story, with Imra fading away and Johnny Thunder broken and defeated, Superman’s inspiration is what undoes the changes and brings those people back. The legacy of the JSA that creates a new world of optimism, one that extends into the far future, and the return of the Kents is just makes it that much more satisfying that optimism and hope won out. This is a perfect ending to the story that Geoff Johns began in 2016, one that embraces what the DCU is about, even through its various reboots.

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8. “I’ll still hold your hand”, Doom Patrol (2016) #1

Gerard Way’s Doom Patrol run is a bit uneven, at least if you read it as it was ongoing like I did (you know, when every issue after the second was released late). But the first issue is a great introduction to the Doom Patrol, and the opening scene does a wonderful job setting the tone for Way’s run and introducing a character who is probably one of the best audience surrogate characters in comics.

The scene is pretty short and simple, giving a quick intro to Casey Brinke as she drives an ambulance during her day job. The narration is what sells it, as it carries this sense of poetry and angst that feels like it has enough conviction to be done well. Casey’s narration doesn’t feel ironic, self-defeating or cliché, but oddly reassuring — fitting, given she talks about what her job means to her. There’s some fun, of course, helped by the cartoony visuals and the neon colours, but otherwise it is just a relatively quiet intro to a character.

This introduction to Casey really does set the tone for the rest of Way’s Doom Patrol run, the more modern, straightforward and character-focused run. While there are stranger elements, such as when Casey and Terry None (a woman) have a biological son together and the cult that wants to transport itself inside Crazy Jane, at its core Way’s run was about the characters moving forward with their lives and Casey finding a place on the team. This introduction is great for setting that up, especially since some of the poetic narration is actually literally true, which was a very unexpected twist.

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7. “Batman punches people in the face”, Batman (2016) #53

Tom King’s Batman run is a thoroughly mixed bag, but it has moments of brilliance. One such moment is during the “Cold Days” arc, where Mr. Freeze is on trial after being captured by Batman, and a jury discusses his potential conviction. All are in favour of a guilty verdict but one — Bruce Wayne, who laments Gotham’s worship of Batman. This moment is probably the best culmination of Tom King’s Batman run up until this point, and gave real hope that his run would recover after the controversial wedding issue.

With Mr. Freeze arrested and on trial, Gotham’s jury is quick to label him as guilty despite the lack of evidence. Bruce attributes this to Gotham’s hero worship of Batman that he compares to worship of a god, because of the jurors’ perception of Batman is all-knowing, with his will having power over life and death. When asked what Batman means to him, Bruce tells the jurors that after his parents’ deaths, Batman was something he could believe in to keep him going, something he could rely on to always be there and save him. Not anymore; now that being Batman has taken Catwoman away from him, Bruce has become disillusioned with Batman.

This moment, as understated as it is, does a wonderful job paying off what had come in King’s Batman run. Bruce’s suicidal nature, his reliance on Batman as a means of achieving peace, his own obsession to keep fighting as Batman and the recent dissolution of his engagement with Catwoman resulting from his need to be miserable in order to be Batman, it’s all wonderfully played off by this moment that gives the readers a peak into how his breakup has shaken his foundation and made him doubt Batman. King’s run has a lot of flaws, but every now and then it delivered a powerhouse moment.

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6. “A man shouldn’t…”, Redneck #16

Redneck‘s core concept is relatively simple: vampires in the South of America. Donny Cates milks this for all its worth, with engaging characters and interesting lore. But what makes Redneck great is the characters, and how Cates is able to imbue them with a real sense of life. After a long string of tragedies, Cates gives his characters a few issues to breathe, and the result is one of the best scenes of the 2010s that deftly defies expectations.

The central family of the Bowmans is given a chance to breathe after their home is destroyed, they are betrayed from within and their generosity almost gets them killed. One character who is given a bit of a spotlight is Greg, who we learn is gay and who has a cute fling with minor character Winny. They talk about it becoming more when the patriarch of the Bowmans, his father JV, walks in on the two. What follows Greg trying to calm his father down, who walks away in shock, and Greg assumes his dad isn’t okay with his sexuality and ends up verbalising it for the first time ever… and it turns out his dad was more shocked because, well, he just saw his son after said son had just fucked someone. The two bond for a bit and JV says Greg should do whatever makes him happy.

The scene is just a really heart-warming moment and well-done, in addition to playing with expectations. The southern dad having a problem with his son’s homosexuality is pretty played out, but this series has its roots in the south, from its characters to its dialogue, so it wouldn’t be out of place for that trope to be played straight — especially given that JV is very old. But Cates defies expectations — and rather than think that is what makes a good story, actually does something with it, delivering what one of my favourite gay scenes of the 2010s. Cates gets a lot of praise for his narratives, but I don’t think his dialogue and character work gets as much praise as it deserves.

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5. “Everything lives”, Secret Wars (2015) #9

Jonathan Hickman’s multi-series Marvel saga is a sight to behold. A grand story told across multiple series, spanning the entire Marvel Multiverse, the sheer scale of it is unprecedented and expertly executed. Secret Wars (2015) was the culmination of his Marvel work, but rather than a gigantic event that stood on its own, it — for better or worse — served as the grand finale to his saga and specifically an ending to his Fantastic Four run. Taken like that, it hits it out of the park.

Secret Wars (2015) follows the birth and destruction of Battleworld, a patchwork world created from the remnants of the multiverse by Doctor Doom. Doom saved what he could, but has taken to ruling over everything with an iron fist, and a surviving Reed Richards ends up fighting him for the right to fix the world — at great risk, possibly destroying what remains. The fight ends when Doom admits that Reed would have done a better job, and the Molecule Man ends the fight and gives Reed the power. There’s an epilogue where Valeria Richards explains what happened, but the last scene is of a smiling Victor von Doom, mask removed and face restored by his friend Reed.

This ending is a perfect ending to the themes of Hickman’s Fantastic Four run. The idea of believing in the future and not being fearful of saving what’s left, but instead building what comes next is the given a literalisation in the final battle between Reed and Victor. Reed and Franklin rebuild the multiverse together as one last act of father-son bonding, after the theme of fatherhood was so central to Hickman’s run. And, finally, Reed proves himself the better man, that his morality is what makes him who he is, as he gives Victor one last gift and a new lease on life, setting up stories for the future. This ending is so emblematic of all things good about Hickman that it was the perfect note for him to leave the universe on… but then he came back and reinvigorated the X-Men, and that’s also a great thing.

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4. “How could I ever forget you?”, DC Universe: Rebirth #1

It wasn’t too long ago that DC Universe: Rebirth #1 released and heralded the return of much of what made the pre-Flashpoint DCU so great. A return of love, legacy and optimism, Rebirth truly revitalised DC’s comics and moved things forward, while not neglecting the past. And it all took the form of the Flash fan from Blue Valley, Nebraska coming home.

After years of questionable output from DC, Rebirth was the much-promoted revitalisation of the line. It was leaked that Wally would be returning, but given that it’s literally the premise of the issue, it doesn’t really affect the comic — in fact, it probably got more people excited for the relaunch than anything (especially since they teased his return beforehand but excluded him from the Rebirth panel). And when Wally finally returned, it was glorious. Wally traverses the New 52 and laments the loss of what fans loved, while simultaneously embracing the new. And after Linda fails to remember him in this issue, Wally goes to say goodbye to Barry in a heartfelt monologue, and it’s possible this really was going to be the end for Wally, but then he’s saved from the Speed Force.

Wally is the perfect character to usher in the Rebirth era. He is a character defined by his connection to the Flash legacy, whose love for his wife Linda has saved him on countless occasions and he’s a character who has never been defined by the tragedy in his life. Wally is the character that was all about moving forward, embracing the new — he represents what was so great about the DCU. As a long-time Flash and DC fan, this was everything I wanted — essentially an apology for how these two things were treated for most of the 2010s. Johns’ dialogue is sentimental and earnest, and it really resonates as a result. There are a lot of meta moments like this in the 2010s, but this one landed with me the most.

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3. “Did we do a good job, son?”, FF (2011) #23

While Jonathan Hickman is known for his epic scope, I think what doesn’t get enough attention is his keen eye for human emotion. His aforementioned Fantastic Four run spans the multiverse, but at its core is about family. The larger than life scale of his run lends a grandeur to the sentiment, but in the end, the stories are about family — and it all ends with Reed and Sue talking to their son in his bedroom, before he’s gone forever.

There’s comic book science involved, obviously, but an adult Franklin Richards spends the day with his younger self before telling his past parents that he needs to return to his own time. What follows is a heartfelt, earnest scene that anyone who even has a passing interest in parenthood can relate to — Reed and Sue tell Franklin about their worries, their concerns if they did things right, and ask Franklin if they were good parents, and Franklin tells them yes.

Hickman’s Fantastic Four run was about the family, but a running element was Reed and Franklin’s relationship, and how they just aren’t similar. Sue expresses the concerns that a mother would express, but Reed getting to the root of it is a beautiful way for Hickman’s run to end. After he neglected Franklin and they’ve bonded, after he gained a broader view of his children, he’s finally able to reconcile his parenting with every other part of him.

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2. “You’re the fastest man alive!”, The Flash (2016) #50

Yes, another Wally West moment. After Wally returned in DC Universe: Rebirth #1, it was assumed by many that he would be given a greater role in the DC Universe. Instead, he appeared in a mediocre-to-bad Titans series where nobody seemed to know what to do with him. After several badly received stories, Wally was returned to the Flash book, where he was given a lot of prominence and importance, and Joshua Williamson showed a strong love and affinity for the character. Then came “Flash War”, a story that I dreaded for its tagline of “there can only be one fastest man alive”, and anyone familiar with DC’s heavily contrasting treatments of Wally West and Barry Allen can tell you why.

However… “Flash War” was great. It mined Flash lore for interesting ideas, tackled the plot point of Wally’s forgotten children when it seemed like writers forgot about them, and delivered a triumphant moment of Wally. As Barry and Wally start losing sight of a Speed Force-empowered Hunter Zolomon, Barry speaks the words that we all knew to be true — that Wally is the fastest man alive. Wally catches up to Hunter and, in a way that gets to the core of the character and what the Flash legacy means to him and to readers, defeats Hunter.

The epilogue issue that followed was also great, with some great meta-commentary, but I’m keeping it to one issue per series. So, make it an honourable mention. And sure, what followed “Flash War” for Wally was terrible and speaks of how badly creators can screw up characters, but for a brief time, Wally West was where he belonged — with his family, as the fastest man alive. Instead of Titans encouraging him to let go of his memories, The Flash has him embrace them and his past, because that’s what makes him who he is.

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1. “Dawn”, Silver Surfer (2016) #14

Dan Slott’s Silver Surfer run is a joyful ride through the strangeness of space and is a soaring tribute to the Silver Age. However, at its core, Silver Surfer is about the relationship between Norrin Radd, the Sentinel of the Spaceways, and Dawn Greenwood, an average girl from Earth. This moment typifies that in the best way possible.

After Norrin and Dawn travel to before the Big Bang, they are stranded and decide to live their lives there. They get married and Dawn eventually passes away from old age, and Norrin doesn’t. As the old universe dies, Norrin travels through the event and ends up in the current universe once again, throwing Dawn’s essence into the Big Bang, creating the signature red and black dots of the power cosmic from her ladybug motif. Later, we see that every species has the same word for the sun rising: “Dawn”.

This moment is a perfect ending to a perfect run. It is goofy and weird, but also epic and heart-warming, paying tribute to Jack Kirby’s art and honing in on what made this run so great. If Dan Slott’s Silver Surfer was a tribute to the Silver Age, this moment is a testament that, for all the high concepts and strangeness, the Silver Age was about joy and wonderment.

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There you have it, my personal best comic book moments of the 2010s. Probably nobody is going to agree with me on these, but these are the ones I liked the most. There were others, but I had to be a bit strict, so this is what is left. Hopefully the 2020s will have just as many good moments, and of just as high a quality. But I don’t know, I don’t have 2020 vision.

(Sorry).

As the decade comes to a close, I've decided to look at the best moments in comic books from the 2010s, a decade which delivered some of my favourite moments in comics. So far, I've looked at the biggest shake-ups in comics status quos in the 2010s. Of course, I think those were important.

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