#c: action comics | i: 1

[martyrbat]

action comics #1

(ID in alt!)

[cloakedsparrow]

Bat Family 'Bruce is Tim's biological parent' AU Idea #1

Wherein Jack Drake: a) Regularly tags along on archaeological digs despite not being an archaeologist. b) Commonly smuggles home archaeological finds despite that not being legal. c) Does not believe in curses, hauntings, or any mythology despite the world that he lives in being populated with *gestures at comics* all that.

As a result, Jack is like a magnet for cursed objects and keeps smuggling the damned things home.

The first time little Timmy suspects this is happening, he knows his dad won't respond well to him suggesting the most recent package he sent home is haunted. He knows he'll respond even worse if he tries to get anyone else involved. So he sends his mom a private email explaining what's going on. Janet replies that he's right to be suspicious, that this has absolutely happened before, and that he was right to contact her. She tells him she's sending over a friend who can help and gives him a password that she'll tell the friend so he knows it's okay to let him in the house.

John Constantine shows up within the hour. Tim is certain he didn't drive there (the alert that someone passed through the gates never went off and no one put in a code to open them) but there is a cursed object in his house and John knew the password Janet gave him, so he's mostly just happy to have an adult there to handle the situation. Even if a somewhat bizarre adult.

John takes care of the cursed object and is impressed that Tim reacted to it much faster than most do. He gives Tim his card with instructions to call him if anything like what was happening starts to happen again or if anything else weird starts happening after his father has been to any digs or sent home any strange packages.

As Jack is the aforementioned cursed object magnet, Tim ends up calling John fairly often for someone who doesn't actively work with the occult and is, in fact, a child. John keeps praising him for catching on as quick as he does and giving him information to catch onto other types of mystical/magical wickedness. Tim gets really good at recognizing when magic/curses/spirits are at play.

Then, Janet dies and Jack goes into a coma. Tim is fostered by Bruce for a year and a half and doesn't have to worry about curses or haunted objects for all that time. When they do come across something of the occult, Bruce/Batman has his own contacts, so there was never a reason for Tim to bring any of it up.

Then, the events of Identity Crisis/Crisis of Conscience occur, and Bruce doesn't want to talk to Zatanna (his usual mystic go-to) if it can be helped. He doesn't want to call in anyone connected to most of the Justice League if it can be helped.

So when they come across a cursed object, Tim immediately identifies it and tells Bruce not to worry, he knows a guy who can handle it. The man knows his civilian identity, so they'll have to pretend Bruce bought the object as part of an action or estate sale lot.

John comes and handles it. Before he leaves he comments that he's glad Tim's biological father finally decided to step up and that Bruce better take good care of the boy.

When Tim explains that Bruce isn't his father, the look on John's face clearly shows that he's trying to figure out how to back-step, but not in the expected way. More in the 'I let on information i wasn't supposed to' way.

Which is how Bruce and Tim end up running a paternity test in the Cave at four am.

Alfred and Dick are delighted by the results.

[Alternative ending: John pulls Bruce aside to let him know that Janet told him Jack wasn't Tim's father and that both he and Bruce were on the short list and he hadn't known Jack died or he'd have contacted him already. They have to wait to find out which of them is the lucky one. Either Bruce turns out to be the father and John just lets Tim know he can still call him whenever needed or it turns out John is the father and they decide Tim should still stay with Bruce but John has visitations. Also, Tim might have been showing signs of his Homo Magi heritage when he recognized all these cursed objects. John insists on teaching him to use his magic despite Bruce's unease with it.]

[literaryvein-reblogs]

15 Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary

in response to:

1. Develop a reading habit. Reading is the most effective way to build your vocabulary. Read books, magazines, and newspapers that cover a wide range of topics, and pay attention to unfamiliar words. Look up their meanings and try using them in context. Vocabulary building is easiest when you encounter words in context. Seeing words appear in a novel or a newspaper article can be far more helpful than seeing them appear on vocabulary lists. Not only do you gain exposure to unfamiliar words; you also see how they’re used. In fact, 15 minutes is recognized as the ideal time for students to see positive gains in reading achievement; students who read just over a half-hour to an hour per day improve the most.

2. Utilize word lists. They are incredibly flexible tools that can help you organize your learning in a variety of ways. For instance, vocabulary can be grouped into small, easy chunks that can be revisited for maximum learning benefits. Research shows that a word needs to be seen up to 10 times before we really learn it, and researchers believe that staggered repetition is the best way to learn new vocabulary. Word lists help keep vocabulary terms in manageable chunks that a student can come back to as they gain mastery. I have posted some word lists HERE and will continue to add to this in the future.

3. Use the dictionary and thesaurus. Online dictionaries and thesauruses are helpful resources if used properly. They can jog your memory about synonyms that would actually be better words in the context of what you’re writing. A full dictionary definition can also educate you about antonyms, root words, and related words, which is another way to learn vocabulary.

4. Keep a vocabulary journal. Making a vocabulary journal is a great place to collect and interact with words you hear or see in your reading. Each page should be dedicated to a singular new word, including its definitions, synonyms, and antonyms. Review the journal regularly to reinforce your learning. 

5. Choosing appropriate vocabulary. It’s important to use words and expressions that fit the context so your meaning is clear. For example, different audiences for your writing will require different levels of formality: the vocabulary you use in an academic essay may not be effective for a blogpost targeting a popular audience. Consider the following questions to help you choose the most appropriate words for your audience and purpose:

a. What’s the exact meaning of the word? Words may be broadly similar in meaning but differ in important aspects of that meaning. Consider the difference between ‘the fragrance of flowers’  and ‘the odour of rotten eggs.’ Both words refer to the sense of smell, but fragrance has a positive core meaning while odour has a negative one. If you don’t know what a word exactly means, check it in a dictionary. b. Is the word attached to a feeling? Compare the two sentences: ‘The freeway snakes through the town’ and ‘The freeway meanders through the town’. In this example, snake indicates negative feelings about the freeway while meander doesn’t. c. What level of intensity does the word show? Many words with similar meanings describe different degrees of the same quality or action. For example, ‘comical’, ‘hilarious’ and ‘side-splitting’  show different degrees of funniness. Think about the intensity of what you want to convey when choosing words. d. Is the word formal or informal? Go for formal words and expressions in business communication and academic writing. In the following examples, the second expression in each pair is more formal than the first: (1) come up with / create (2) one after another / at regular intervals (3) huge / considerable (4) enough / sufficient e. Is the word polite? Words which describe negative qualities or sensitive issues too directly can be offensive. Good communicators consider the feelings of their audience. For example, when writing about childhood obesity, it’s more appropriate to use ‘children with weight problems’ or ‘children of an unhealthy weight’ than ‘fat children’. f. Is the word specific or general? Use words with specific meanings whenever possible to make your message clearer to your audience. For example, avoid overusing general verbs such as ‘be’, ‘do’, ‘have’ and ‘get’, especially in academic writing, as they don’t accurately convey specific ideas. It’s better to use a more specific verb or verb phrase to strengthen your message. Compare the impact of the verbs in these sentences: ‘To be successful, learners need to have high-level literacy skills.’ ‘To be successful, learners need to develop and demonstrate high-level literacy skills.’ g. What other words does the word often go with? Some words are frequently used together and therefore sound more natural in combination. This is called collocation. For example, we say ‘fast train’ not ‘quick train’, but ‘quick shower’ not ‘fast shower’. Similarly, it’s more natural to say ‘highly critical’ rather than ‘deeply critical.’

6. Play word games. Classic games like Scrabble and Boggle can function as a fun way to expand your English vocabulary. Crossword puzzles can as well. If you really want to be efficient, follow up rounds of these word games with a little note-taking. Keep a list of the different words you learned while playing the game, and then study that list from time to time.

7. Use flashcards. A quick way to build a large vocabulary is to study a number of words via flashcards. In today’s digital age, a wide array of smartphone apps make flashcards convenient and easy to organize. Aiming for one new word a day is reasonable. You can always go for more, but it may not be reasonable to assimilate dozens of English words every single day.

8. Subscribe to “word of the day” feeds. Some web platforms will provide you with a word a day—either on a website, an app, or via email—to help you expand your vocabulary. You can add these words to running word lists.

9. Use mnemonics. A mnemonic device is a form of word association that helps you remember words’ definitions and proper uses. For instance think of the word obsequious which means “attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery.” Break down that word into components: “obse” is the beginning of “obsessed,” “qui” sounds like the French word for “yes” (oui), and “us” is like the word “us.” So you can think of that big word obsequious as “obsessed with saying yes to us”—which is kind of what it means!

10. Practice using new words in conversation. It’s possible to amass a huge vocabulary without actually knowing how to use words. This means you have to take it upon yourself to put your personal dictionary into use. If you come across an interesting word in your reading, make a point of using it in conversation. By experimenting in low-stakes situations, you can practice the art of word choice and, with a little bit of trial and error, hone in on the right word for a particular context. Furthermore, speaking to native – or non-native – speakers of English (or any language you are learning) will guarantee you the chance to learn new words. Anyone who has ever wondered how to develop their vocabulary will know that the most important thing is putting your vocabulary to use and hearing what people say in return. This is how language works, and before long you’ll be finding ways to work those new words into your everyday use of the language.

11. Watch movies and TV shows. This simple activity can expose you to new words and phrases. When watching TV or a movie, pay attention to the dialogue and note any unfamiliar words. When the TV show or movie is done, look up the meanings of the new words and try to use them in context.

12. Build a story. Learning vocabulary words outside of their context is difficult, so why not create context with some creative storytelling? This can be an individual writing activity or you can do this in a group. A sample group activity: Choose a word list and determine an order in which your students or friends will take their turn. Every person gets to choose one word from the word list. You begin by writing the first sentence of a story; each student then uses their chosen word in a sentence to build on the story. This gets learners comfortable using the words in sentences, and putting those individual vocabulary words into a broader context. This is also an activity you can do via text, chat window, or email, which makes it perfect for remote learning.

13. Draw it. Sometimes the best learning activities are ones that don’t feel like a learning activity. This can be an individual activity but can also be used in group settings. Here’s a way to turn vocabulary acquisition into a game: Ask each student to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready, and tell them you are going to be playing a drawing game. Using the private chat feature of your remote learning software, choose one student and give them a word from your vocabulary list along with its definition, and tell them that they have 20 seconds to draw it. While the student is drawing it, make sure that you make their screen the main screen of the software. You can do a countdown to keep up the momentum, or play music while you wait. At the end of the time, the student shows their drawing to the other students: The first student to guess which vocabulary word has been drawn is the next student to draw. This activity is not only fun, but also benefits students who are visual or tactile learners.

14. Be aware of idioms. Idioms are commonly used word combinations or expressions. These have very specific meanings that are not obvious from the words they contain, e.g. ‘a piece of cake’, ‘get the hang of it’, ‘an Indian summer’, and ‘after a fashion’. Many dictionaries list and define idioms if you look up the component words. For example, try looking up ‘Indian’ or ‘summer’ to find ‘Indian summer’. Idioms are generally more appropriate for speaking and non-academic writing.

15. Practice, practice, practice. In many ways, vocabulary is like a muscle – it will get stronger the more you use it. The key to building a strong vocabulary is to use it regularly. Try using new words in your conversations, writing, and everyday life. The more that you use them, the more they will become a part of your everyday vocabulary.

Sources & other related articles: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

[writingoddess1125]

hiya!

Could you do Prince Nuada from Hellboy 2 and reader?

This one has taken me a while- Also thank you for reigniting the LOVE I had for Prince Nuada! Ugh! So sexy!!

I do hope this is to your liking since it did take some warping.

1. I gotta keep Nuada and Nuala alive so the ending didn't happen

2. Introduce elements from the comics aka Hellboy had adopted siblings.

OKAY ENJOY! I TRIED HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Half Breed

Prince Nuada x FemReader

Support me on Ko-Fi I'm poor!

After the fortunately failed suicide attempt from Nuala which had horribly injured both twins- Nuafa had been captured and the two rushed back to the Bureau for emergency treatment, Which fortunately allowed the Elves to survive the whole ordeal.

Nuada had been placed in custody of B.P.R.D first as a high level prisoner for many months after his attempt to wipe out humanity.

After being in solitary confinement for far too long a deal was struck with him to work for the organization due to his knowlege of the world and to get out of solitary help all that had been damaged.

He had agreed- begrudgingly and because Nuala insisted.. it had been nearly a year of this all- When something interesting took place.

Nuala and Abe walked down the corridors together, talking about recent books they had shared before Abe paused.

"Oh?-" He looked around calmly before seeing the warning lights come down shining blue instead of the normal red for emergencies.

"Is there an emergancy?" Nuala questioned, a bit nervous of what it could mean, But Abe gently touched her shoulder with his gloved hand.

"No no- Just a old friend. Everytime she visits her and Red play a.. Game of sorts like tag" Abe explained, Nuala smiling at hearing this. Nuada who had just returned from a mission turned the corner seeing his sister and the fish man, frowning but looking to the lights.

"Whats this?" He asked shortly, Abe repeating his answer from before.

"Warning lights for a Game?" He questioned, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Well they are only allowed to have this game once a year and for 5 minutes- mainly due to the property damage that always happens" Abe said truthfully as the elven twins looked surprised by this. A childish game causing property damage?

As if right on cue there was a loud crash the trio turning to see Hellboy running full force in their direction like a train.

"MOVE MOVE!" He yelled loudly, as he ran past them. This was the fastest any of them had seen him run even in a life or death situation, right as he was about to turn the corner a black boot came barrowing down on the side of his cheek, knocking him to the ground hard before the smaller figure ran down the hall Red had just gone through.

"You're it!" She yelled and the trio watched- There running past was a women. Dressed in all black leather tactical gear with her silver hair in a long braid, the ends a sunset gold- (Y/S/C) skin with unique etchings found in only elvish culture paired with amber eyes. It didn't take a genius to figure see what she was-

"Timer Abe!" She yelled, Abe looking to the small watch he carried.

"4 minutes and 26 seconds left- Also happy youve returned safely" He called out to (Y/N) who dashed down the hallway.

Nuada eyes widened as he couldnt help but follower her with his gaze, something about her drew him in. The trio sticking to the walls as they tried to follow the action- it was like a massive battle taking black between a giant and a tiny titan. While Red was slamming into walls cracking cement with his weight and arm- (Y/N) was doing flips and hung to the light fixtures above to keep an advantage.

"Happy to see you too!!!"

He could only describe himself as being mesmerized by her.. Every turn, giggle and jump just seemed to bewitch him and it terrified him.. It wasn't till a loud alarm snapped him his gaze making him jump a bit in surprise- the game was over it seemed and Hellboy returned with his sister, the demon clearly glum from losing.

Nuala eyes widened as she watched (Y/N) jump around Hellboy with a happy smile at winning the game. Figuring what she was but disbelieving of course even after this entire endeavor. A leath-fola. A Half-Blood Actually existed in this world? The embodiment of a union between a human and one of his own kind-

"I win Red! So that's 28 for me and 25 for you. Best luck next you!" She said cheerfully as Hellboy grumbled and pushed her head away with his small hand.

"Yada Yada short stack-"

She noticed the looks of the two meeting their gazes and Nuada immediately felt his heart beat pick up- Confused by the sensation he glanced to Nuala assuming it must be her however she seemed calm and relaxed.

"New Agents?" She questioned looking at the twins, Abe nodding with a 'smile'

"Prince Nuada of the Bethmora clan.. This here is my sister Princess Nuala" He introduced both formally, watching how her smile seemed to radiate as he spoke. It made him feel like he had had stepped into the sun for the first time in years..

"It's lovely to meet you both! It's so lovely to have new faces here in the facility" She said cheerfully, reaching out in a friendly matter and patting both twins on the shoulders.

It felt like Nuada had been shocked by the most pleasant bit of electricity that left him flustered and confused. His sister finally glancing at him as she felt his emotions and gaze a smile, a twinkle of what could only be described as mischief in her golden gaze.

"Yes.. new faces... now if you'll excuse me" Nuada said quickly before dismissing himself- trying to control the panic that was eating him on the inside and the warmth that bloomed in his body. He practically ran back to the space he was forced to call a room and lock himself inside. Nuada stood in his room pacing back and forth. His mind racing and heart uneasy- unknowingly for hours as he tried to calm himself from the sudden feelings that seemed to slam into him.

A knock on the door bringing him from his thoughts as he quickly opened the door, surprised to see his sister standing there in a evening gown.

"Sister, what are you doing up? You should be resting.." He said softly, allowing Nuala into the room.

"I can not rest with you so worked up brother" Nuala said softly. The prince sighing as he realized he had kept her up and took a seat on the corner of the bed, Nuala sitting next to him as well.

"Well- It sounds like she is your fated partner" She pointed out and Nuada immediately felt anger in his blood.

"You're thinking about the leath-fola (Y/N)? Right?" Nuala said softly as she rubbed her brothers shoulder to comfort him. He frowned at being so obvious and also for the form of comfort.

"Yes- She... makes me uneasy" He says, lying a bit to avoid the words he wanted to use. Nuala smiling at this.

"Do not speak such foolish things-" He hissed, Nuala flinching at his harsh words.

"I am not fated to a mortal of all beings" He started but Nuala held up a hand.

"She is not a mortal however brother.. You saw" Nuada was ready to argue but couldnt- his face twisting up.. The damn half-breed was not his fated partner NOR was it going to be the siblings of the demon.

He would prove it...

For the first few weeks that (Y/N) was there, Nuada had been rude and snide. Hissing insults about her mixed blood, shoving past her or even straight up ignoring her. He expected she would take the abuse since she didnt say anything about it but he had been wrong- so terribly wrong.

It took only one time calling her "Dirty" in terms of her blood to get the hardest punch he had ever taken to the nose- It made his eyes water and fall to a knee infront of her..

She grabbed his silver hair and pulled him close so they were eye to eye-

"Listen here- Keep insulting me like this and I'm going to tear your ass a new one. I don't give a Flying fuck if your a price or whatever- I will fuck you up" She hissed at him-

Nuada felt more confused then he ever had before- The pain seemingly going with the fluttering warmth he felt in his face and blatant arousal that was Damm near impossible to miss- (Y/N) seeing his widened eyes and the flush of color on his pale face, like he was frozen and her own golden eyes traveled down at noticing some new movement.

"O-Oh-" Was all she said- Clearly just as surprised as Nuada was at this point. Her fingers carefully releasing his silver hair as warmth went to her own cheeks.

Nuada wanted a blade to the heart at this point...

[graysoncritic]

A (Negative) Review of Tom Taylor's Nightwing Run - What Went Wrong? Dick's Characterization

Introduction Who is Dick Grayson? What Went Wrong? Dick's Characterization What Went Wrong? Barbara Gordon What Went Wrong? Bludhaven (Part 1, Part 2) What Went Wrong? Melinda Lin Grayson What Went Wrong? Bea Bennett What Went Wrong? Villains Conclusion Bibliography

In the previous section, we explored not only who Dick Grayson is and why he is so beloved by his friends, but why many people — including Taylor and others at DC — have a hard time  understanding his character. By reducing Dick to a hero who is “good” and transforming into an “everyman” that anyone can project themselves onto, Taylor fundamentally removes that which makes Dick special, transforming him into a different character.

But there are other ways in which Taylor and DC mischaracterize Dick by erasing his history and transforming into a more “palatable” mainstream hero. That is what I wish to explore in more detail now. 

Let’s begin by examining how Taylor’s framing Dick’s story in Nightwing (and that of the Titans in Titans) as a coming-of-age tale contributes to a grand erasure of Dick Grayson’s greatness.

In Taylor’s run, Dick is treated as if he were a new superhero. However, even if this run (not the entire title that started in 2016 with Rebirth, but just Taylor’s run) were to become a new stand-in for the 1996 Nightwing solo in which Dick arrives in Bludhaven for the very first time, Dick Grayson should not be portrayed as someone new to vigilantism. Even if one were to generously interpret Taylor’s Dick as being only twenty-two years old after starting as Robin at twelve years of age and only recently having become Nightwing, Dick would still have a decade of experience doing detective and hero work. It is notable that most of that decade was spent with him leading the Titans, serving as Batman’s partner and second-in-command, and mentoring numerous young heroes.

(Wolfram, Amy, writer. Kerschl, Karl, illustrator. In the Beginning… Part Three. Teen Titans: Year One no. 03, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2008. pp. 09)

One of Dick’s core traits is that he is a natural, if at times reluctant, leader. Many key moments in his character history are defined by Dick feeling the weight of the responsibilities placed upon him and having to push through his personal reservations for the sake of others. 

Dick was the first child hero. He was the first sidekick. Out of universe and in universe. (In the introduction to  Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 years of Robin, Nightwing, and Batman, Kristen L. Geaman mentions that some argue Mister America from Action Comics #2 is, in fact, the first side-kick. However, this claim is debated since Mister America played more of a comedic and “Watsonian” role [as Dick Grayson Fan C suggested], and Dick was the one who popularized the formula of the role.) He was the proof that the concept of a sidekick — a partner — could work. Proof that kids could be trained into this life. Proof that they did not need powers in order to be a hero. That is one of the reasons why, in-universe, he is admired by so many characters – because he is the trailblazer who opened the doors for every young hero and side-kick that came after him. Dick’s history is also why he has so many connections — it is because he was the one who opened the doors for everyone else, mentored so many people, and partnered with those who were his age and those who were much older that he gained so much respect in the superhero community. 

And yet, that history is called into question in Taylor’s narrative when he frames Dick as a young, new hero who is just beginning to assess what he wants to do with his life. Not only is it bad storytelling to portray Dick’s connections without factoring in the experience tied into them, it also demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding of who Dick is, what he represents, and why he’s been so beloved for over 80 years.

This lack of appreciation and of respect towards Dick is extended to the other Titans in Taylor’s Titans (2023) run. As he himself pointed out, the first arc is called Out of the Shadows because, in his words, the Titans are “stepping out of the shadows of the Justice League.”

(Taylor, Tom [TomTaylorMade]. Twitter, 22 June 2023, https://twitter.com/jesswchen/status/1636971185782259716?s=20.)

And yet, to its fans, the Titans were never in the Justice League’s shadows. They were not inferior or subordinate to the Justice League, even if they may be less known. In-universe, the Titans may have modeled themselves after the Justice League and they may be allies, but the Titans are still an independent entity. From their very inception they defined themselves in contrast with how the Justice League operates. 

In fact, in JLA/Titans #02, Dick himself draws this distinction when arguing with Bruce and calling him out on his condescending behavior towards the Titans.

(Grayson, Devin; Jimenez, Phil, writers. Jimenez, Phil; Brown, Eliot R., illustrator. The Generation Gap. JLA/Titans no. 02, e-book ed. DC Comics, 1998. pp. 23)

Trying to repackage Dick and the Titans as newbie heroes who are only now experiencing independence demonstrates a lack of understanding of their history and who the Titans are meant to be. The Dark Crisis and The Dawn of the DCU attempt to frame Dick’s Nightwing series and Titans as coming-of-age tales, where only now the characters are stepping into adulthood. Taylor’s writing goes a step further and portrays them as making rookie mistakes, coming across as newbies, and as a result, erasing all of the rich history that have built these characters into who they are today.

As I mentioned above, even if we generously interpreted that Dick never lived in Bludhaven before, Dick should still have plenty of experience being a hero and living on his own. The moment in which he transitions from Robin to Nightwing (willingly or unwillingly depending on your preferred Nightwing origin story) is Dick’s coming-of-age moment. By the time he comes to Bludhaven, Dick already knows who he is, what he wants, and he knows how to care for himself. By the time Dick comes to Bludhaven, his internal struggles are not that of a young adult who just left the nest and does not yet feel like an adult, but rather that of an adult who knows his own abilities and is confident in who he is. 

And yet, in Nightwing #84, the first issue in Nightwing: Fear State, Taylor has Dick pondering on the responsibilities of taking care of Bludhaven. Right on the first page, he says “Fighting an entire corrupt system? Saving a whole city? There’s no training for that.” 

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Rodriguez, Robbi, illustrator.  Fear State Part 1 of 3. Nightwing: Rebirth. 84, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 03)

Except even the most basic knowledge of Dick’s character shows that he was, in fact, trained to save an entire system and to fight a corrupt system — he was trained to care for Gotham and to take out the corrupt systems that prevail in that city. Not only that, Dick has also been Batman, at which point he was also Gotham’s main protector. 

This mistake becomes even more outrageous when one considers that, though Taylor’s run is at times treated as a soft-reboot, Dick is still shown to have lived in Bludhaven while operating as Nightwing. This means that that generous interpretation I’ve been alluding to is not, in fact, compatible with the story as it is written. It is a falsehood, and therefore cannot be used to excuse the “new-in-town” approach Taylor uses when writing Dick. 

Dick’s apparent inexperience and, frankly, incompetence, is further highlighted by the amount of times Dick is saved by others, or the amount of times when he is dependent on others to do the work for him. These instances include, but are not limited to:

The people of Bludhaven answering Nightwing’s call when Heartless sets the tent city on fire in #81

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Leaping into the Light Part 4. Nightwing: Rebirth. 81, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 13)

Dick being knocked out with a single blow and then unmasked during his first attempt to investigate Melinda also in issues #81

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Leaping into the Light Part 4. Nightwing: Rebirth. 81, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 20 - 21)

Babs calling people to Dick’s rescue rather than trusting he could get out of it on his own in #82.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Leaping into the Light Part 5. Nightwing: Rebirth. 82, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 03)

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. The Battle for Bludhaven’s Heart Part Four. Nightwing: Rebirth. 95, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2022. pp 24 - 25)

In #90, when his building blew up and Wally came to save him, then proceeded to force him to rest away from Bludhaven instead of letting him take action.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Get Grayson Act Three. Nightwing: Rebirth. 90, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2022. pp 15)

And needing Babs’ help during a car chase in #106,

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Byrne, Stephen. The Crew of the Crossed Part One. Nightwing: Rebirth. 106, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2023. pp 16)

Which greatly contrasts how, in #113 of the Nightwing (1996), Dick handles a similar situation while simultaneously mentoring Rose Wilson.

(Grayson, Devin, writer. Chian, Cliff, illustrator The Scorpion and the Frog. Nightwing no 113, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2005. pp. 19)

The thesis of Taylor’s run is that people need to rely on one another — we have to be each other’s safety net. And while that is an interesting theme to explore and one that certainly speaks to Dick’s history of doing things on his own out of fear of putting others in danger, Dick should still, more times than not, be able to do things by himself. After all, this is not an ensemble piece — this is Nightwing’s story and as his fans, we want to read about him. Cameos are fine. They can be fun, in fact. But cameos are different from Dick constantly struggling and needing help whenever he faces a challenge – the former portrays Dick as someone with powerful connections that deeply love him; the latter portrays Dick as being incapable of doing things without someone holding his hand.

This is another thing that Waid understands about Dick and portrays it clearly in World’s Finest. When Kara explains to Clark what first attracted her to Dick, she emphasizes how, despite the fact he had no powers, he could still save himself. 

(Waid, Mark, writer. Lupacchino, Emanuela, illustrator. Scream of the Chaos Monkey. Batman/Superman: World’s Finest no. 12, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2023. pp. 06 - 07)

Being not just competent, but exceeding even the highest expectations is at the core of Dick’s character. And, as was pointed out in the previous section, it also serves to feed into his toxic perfectionism — he is one of the top tier heroes, therefore people expect excellence from him. Dick does not want to fail those who put their trust in him, and so he demands perfection of himself to the point of self-destruction.

Beyond that, we cannot give Taylor credit for trying to tell a story about Dick growing out of his perfectionist bad habits by learning to rely on others. After all, if Dick is constantly asking for help, then he is not resisting help. And that removes his chance for growth. A character arc requires development and change, which means one cannot start at the endpoint. Therefore, it cannot be claimed that Taylor’s intentions are for Dick to learn to rely on others, for he has been doing so without hesitation since the beginning. 

As a result, the story is not about Dick being Bludhaven’s safety net while learning that he also has a safety net of his own, but rather about Dick always relying on his safety net, always knowing it was there, and having them also shoulder the responsibilities he took when he named himself Bludhaven’s protector. There is no room for Dick to grow because he is already at the end of his journey. And there is no room for Dick to be the hero of his story because others are constantly coming to his rescue when things get too difficult.

Once more, I must clarify that I’m not saying that Dick is not loved, or that Dick is not important to many people. I’m simply stating that the way his relationships are built gives him very little room to rely on them. He is their safety net but he doesn’t trust them to be his safety net. Exploring this requires going into the nuances of each relationship, where conflicts are created, and where people hurt the other in the heat of an argument. It would mean dealing with the messiness of complex human emotions, forcing characters and the audience to sit with uncomfortable feelings as we get to the root of Dick’s perfectionism and his fears.  

In June of 2022 a reader on Twitter asked Taylor about his decision to have Dick constantly falling, for, as they pointed out, this makes Dick look incompetent.

(Jonathan [@Nightwingdagoat]. Twitter, 21 June 2022, https://twitter.com/Nightwingdagoat/status/1539267708310765568)

Taylor responded by saying that these instances were Redondo’s call, and that it was their attempt to humanize Dick.

(Tom Taylor [@TomTaylorMade]. Twitter, 21 June 2022, https://twitter.com/Nightwingdagoat/status/1539267708310765568)

In fairness to Taylor, the following criticism will then be directed primarily at Redondo who believed these instances were the best way to “remind people that Nightwing is human.” That being said, as Taylor appears to support such a position, and as he has written numerous incidents where Dick is conveniently knocked over by others, I do believe this can be directed at him as well. 

Simply put, to have a character constantly fall is a superficial and lazy way to humanize said character. Casual falls like this, after all, are not failures. They contribute little to the story and have very little consequence.  

Nothing happens once Dick falls. The bad guy doesn’t get away, the innocent civilian is not hurt, the crucial piece of evidence needed to crack the case is not destroyed. There are no lasting consequences for Dick to deal with, no conflict that can arise from these falls, no tension to make Dick’s future success more emotionally effective. Furthermore, these falls are completely out of Dick’s control, taking away any responsibility he might have for his mistakes. 

If the flaws that are meant to “humanize” Dick are falls which he bears no agency over, then he, the good guy, has no responsibility over his own “failures.” Said “failures” also end up having no consequences to the plot, which gives Dick no crisis to respond to (furthering his passivity), and this robs Dick of character development opportunities. 

It creates a stasis in the story where the only conflicts Dick faces are the ones against really bad guys that always – always – lose to Dick and his connections, and ones which do not ask for moments of introspection.

Despite almost never falling in The Untouchable, Dick is far more human there than in Taylor’s and Redondo’s run. This is because Dick is forced to face the consequences of his “failure” to capture the Judge twice in the past. Dick is constantly thinking about the Judge’s victims, forcing himself to carry their lives on his shoulder. He pushes himself to toxic lengths. Whenever the Judge escapes his grasp, the conflict evolves, the stakes are raised, and the tension builds. Dick’s desperation becomes visceral to the reader, and that is what humanizes him to the reader. Similarly, the emotional pay-off of the climactic battle in the end grows with each obstacle Dick faces.

(Humphries, Sam, writer. Chang, Bernard, illustrator The Untouchable: Chapter Four: Infiltration. Nightwing: Rebirth no. 38, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2018. pp. 09)

But Dick’s newbie incompetence is not the only way Taylor mischaracterizes Dick. It is by combining the lighthearted tone of his story, his depiction of Dick as a blank canvas “good guy,” his avoidance of conflict, and his attempts at answering difficult real-world problems that Taylor ends up creating a version of Dick Grayson that is utterly self-absorbed and lacking in foresight.

Telling and not showing is an immense problem in Taylor’s writing. There’s a difference between how a writer attempts to portray a character and how, given their actions in the context of the narrative created, the story shows them to be the complete opposite. In such cases, the story triumphs over the writer. This is why I claim that, though Taylor tells the reader that Dick is caring, intelligent, and a hard worker, he actually shows Dick as as selfish, incompetent, and naive.  

Take, as an example, how Taylor sidelines the Heartless storyline in favor of slice-of-life scenes. If Heartless was not there, perhaps those sweet moments could be just that. However, as in the world of the story there is currently a serial killed running around free, making orphans out of the youth Dick vowed to protect, the fact that Dick is not constantly working to catch Heartless is not only out of character, it makes it so it seems he doesn't care what happens to the people of Bludhaven (And now also Gotham, given #111, which was released as this essay was being edited). Rather than stopping crime and bringing justice to Heartless’ victims, Dick would rather spend his nights in his apartment, enjoying a relaxing evening with his girlfriend and his dog. 

Please do not take this to mean that I consider a slice-of-life story to be inferior to other genres. My reason for highlighting this is not to undermine the value of slice-of-life, but rather to argue that such scenes do not live in isolation. They exist within the context of a larger narrative, and what would be sweet in a sitcom-style story comes across as something entirely different when other characters are facing life-and-death stakes. It does not matter how much the writer tells us that these characters are caring and compassionate — their lack of action and urgency portrays them as self-centered. 

Just as Taylor attempts to write the big climatic moments without properly building the momentum necessary to make them impactful, he similarly forgoes the work required to win the reader’s trust, and instead expects his audience to simply accept that important plot and character developments are happening off-screen. Rather than letting the audience experience the intrigue and devastation of the Heartless mystery by showing us how the horrors of these murders motivate Dick to continuously search for this cruel killer, Taylor instead advances these elements off-screen, opting instead to tell the reader they’ve occurred.

That is not to say that writers cannot streamline plots. They absolutely can and, in some cases, they absolutely should. However, streamlining a subplot is a far more complicated matter than just telling the reader said events happened off-screen and expecting them to simply accept it. 

While it is impossible to provide a precise checklist with the step-by-step guidelines on how to properly streamline a subplot, I believe one of the factors one must consider is whether that plot should be streamlined or not. Personally, I believe that Dick investigating the character who was meant to be this run’s main villain is too big and too important of a story to be played off offscreen.

Dick has hardly spent any time attempting to apprehend Heartless. Instead, as time of writing, his investigation of Heartless has practically nonexistent. Instead, after not focusing on him for the majority of the run, we are simply told by Dick and Babs that they’ve been keeping an eye on Heartless, even if their investigation is never shown to us. 

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Basri, Sami Nightwing. Nightwing: Rebirth. 111, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2023. pp 09)

If we, as readers, are to believe that Dick is the selfless detective and hero — the Heart of the DCU — that Taylor tell us he is, then finding and apprehending Heartless should be one of his top priorities. If Heartless was meant to be Nightwing’s big nemesis, then their confrontation should always be a source of great tension and conflict. Such importance would be demonstrated by showing Dick working towards stopping him at every moment he has free. But either those moments are not happening at all, or they are happening off-screen.

Having such an important conflict and such a crucial antagonistic dynamic develop does nothing to enrich the plot — in fact, it only detracts from them, for because we do not get to witness this relationship grow and we are only told that it is happening, the pay off that must come when Nightwing and Heartless finally have a big confrontation will be cheapened as a result. 

Heartless' actions are so brutal and create such urgency that not prioritizing Heartless' arrest makes it seem like Dick doesn't care about his victims. Batman doesn't wait around when the Joker breaks out of Arkham – he hunts the Joker down. Similarly, Dick didn't wait around on the Judge – he hunted him down. 

For Heartless to be the Big Bad, Dick should have put him in jail already and Heartless should have escaped. DIck should have faced him multiple times. He should have been Dick's priority because of how cruel and urgent his actions are.

Finally, there are three particular moments that I wish to discuss to illustrate how ambivalent Taylor is when it comes to Dick’s characterization, choosing to prioritize online discourse over who Dick Grayson’s established history and personality. 

The first one comes from a throwaway line. And yet, because this was a throwaway line that demonstrated how little thought Taylor gives to his main character. 

When Tim makes his first appearance in Taylor’s run in #80, Dick’s narration says that many would consider Tim to be the best Robin, and that he “totally gets it.”

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator.  Leaping into the Light Part Three. Nightwing: Rebirth. 80, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 09)

“Who is the best Robin” is a discourse that I, admittedly, care very little for. It serves no purpose other than to get fans to fight one another, bashing each other’s favorite characters in order to prop up their own. When posed on social media, this question becomes a thinly veiled attempt to generate high engagement. In reality, when people discuss “who is the best Robin,” they are, most often than not, truly arguing about who is their favorite Robin. But the question is framed in a way to be purposefully divisive, creating conflict within the fan community. The fact that DC plays into that divisiveness that requires their characters to be brought down so others can be lifted up for marketing material is concerning, but the fact that writers such as Taylor are letting that fan perception bleed into in-universe narration is nothing less than lazy writing that prioritizes online leaning into buzz over good storytelling.  

Naturally, as a Dick Grayson fan my opinion is that Tim is not the best Robin. Dick is. But my problem is not that Taylor said that Tim was the better Robin, but that I think Dick would never concede to the existence of a “best Robin.” In fact, not only do I believe that it is out of character for Dick to believe that one Robin can be defined as the best Robin, I would argue that Dick would be offended that such a question could be asked.

Dick, more than any of the other Robins, understands the purpose of a Robin, as he was the one who created the mantle. By seeing so many others inherit his family’s colors and his mother’s name for him, he also understands better than anyone that each person who becomes Robin has their purpose in their own unique way. Dick would understand how each of them made the Robin mantle unique, how they added to its mythos in their own way, and how all of their contributions are equally valid and equally important. He would never single out one of them as the best because he knows that Robin is about an ideal of justice by bringing light into the darkness. Most importantly, understanding how many Robins tied their self-worth to the mantle, Dick would never want others to feel as if they fell short of some arbitrary measure by proclaiming they are not “the best.” Dick would be against that measure, against the very idea of ranking Robins, as if they were interchangeable, as if they each didn’t make relevant contributions. He would hate the idea of the mantle he created in honor of his parents being used to judge and measure the worth of those he loves. Dick would argue that there can never be a "best Robin" because Robin is always about being your best self in the service of those who need your help, and you can't quantify that.

The concept of a “Best Robin” is a marketing strategy and a fan-oriented discourse that Taylor casually imposed into the narrative without considering whether his protagonist would adhere to such ideas. He prioritized internet discourse over characterization, and while the former may be immediately fulfilling as the page is cropped and shared a few thousand times in the first few days after publication, only the latter will leave an impression that will last decades. Taylor is embodying a current DC Comics trend to favor the former over the latter. As scholar Steve Baxi said in his review of Leaping into the Light, that page “doesn’t feel like Dick Grayson appreciating his brother, it feels like Dick Grayson saying what the audience wants to hear.” (Baxi, Steve, “TRADE COLLECTION REVIEW: Nightwing Vol. 1 - Leaping Into The Light” Comics Bookcase, August 2021)

Although they share similar problems, unlike the “Tim is the best Robin” throwaway narration, the second example I wish to discuss in detail became a big plot point in the beginning of Taylor’s run. I’m referring to the choice of having Dick become a billionaire due to the inheritance Alfred left to him.

To be more clear, my problem is not with the fact that Taylor made Dick into a billionaire (after all, Dick inheriting wealth from his parents is not a novel concept), but rather with Dick’s musings on the subject. (Dick’s financial situation is inconsistent across the years. While some like Dixon and Wolfman allude to him having a trust fund his parents set aside and that remained untouched until Dick’s adulthood, other writers like Humphrey who portray him as more middle class and sometimes struggling financially. Then there are the numerous times in which Dick was left homeless, implying that he did not have a safety fund to go to when tragedy struck.) On #79, Dick says, without a hint of irony, that he always thought that Bruce could do more to help Gotham with Bruce Wayne’s money than he does as Batman. 

(Taylor, Tom. writer, Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Leaping into the Light Part Two. Nightwing: Rebirth. 79, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 07)

This is a popular online discourse that reveals lack of knowledge about Batman and a naive understanding of how corrupt systems function. I understand we are currently very critical (and rightly so) of billionaires and the hoarding of wealth. I understand that this leads many — media critics and everyday fans — to analyzing how wealth is portrayed in the stories that resonate within our culture. But anyone who claims that Bruce has not used his wealth for the benefit of Gotham outside of funding his Batman endeavors has not engaged properly with Batman media. I’m not going to go into the merits of how Bruce’s wealth should or should not be portrayed and how DC has currently been handling this issue (that is the subject for an entirely different essay that is not relevant to this discussion), but I will say that Bruce has, canonically, used a lot of his money to fund safety net programs in Gotham, to invest in small businesses and on individuals, and in trying to make the city more affordable and kinder to those with less. 

Twitter user Ashley|TheBatFamily 🦇 (@TheBat_Family) created a comprehensive Twitter thread of examples. These are but some of the ones that stood out to me and that feel most relevant to this essay:

In Cataclysm, Bruce attempted to lobby the US government to offer aid to Gotham after the earthquake; 

Bruce used his money to rebuild the city during No Man’s Land;

Bruce invested in the people who were ready to start new businesses so Gotham could offer jobs to its people and rebuild itself without being fully dependent on others;

Bruce created scholarships so more people could attend university;

Bruce funds Leslie’s free clinic as well as other hospitals around Gotham;

Bruce invested on low-income housing developments in Gotham by working with local firms, providing accommodations to local residents so no one would be displaced;

Bruce expanded and modernized Gotham’s public transportation system;

Bruce ensured all Wayne properties were secured against earthquakes (which led to those residences being the only ones standing during NML);

Bruce funds libraries and museums;

Bruce funds green efforts not just in Gotham, but in other places by buying land and making them nature preserves;

Bruce funds orphanages and provided them resources (from educational supplies to toys for the children);

Bruce provided support for immigrants;

Bruce funds appeals for wrongful convictions;

Bruce provides employment for former convicts;

(Ashley [TheBat_Family]. Twitter, 13 October 2020, https://twitter.com/TheBat_Family/status/1316006509923520512.)

In short, Bruce Wayne has done everything and more that Dick claimed he wished to do for Bludhaven. There’s nothing novel about the idea. Batman narratives don’t put as much focus on these endeavors and do not place as much emphasis on Bruce’s philanthropy simply because they Batman stories are, at their core, detective stories first and foremost. Their focus is on investigation and crime solving (Though I would argue that Cataclysm and No Man’s Land put a lot of focus on issues of wealth, class, and examine Bruce’s financial responsibility towards the city).

But just because these examples are not the focus of the stories in which they are present, it does not mean that they do not exist. Neither does it mean that Batman stories do not engage with themes of wealth and class inequality, as well as systemic corruption. In fact, I would argue that many of the best ones know how to use Bruce’s privileged status to explore these issues. The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder, for example, brilliantly uses the Court and the Talons to engage with these themes. (An essay analyzing the Court of Owls through such a lens would be a fascinating study, especially when exploring the parallels and foils between the Court and the Talons, and Bruce and Dick. Alas, this is not the place for it.)

Dick, who not only has always been characterized as knowing Bruce better than most people,  but who was also raised by Bruce, would know about every single one of the examples listed above. Dick, of all people, had a front row seat to all the ways in which Bruce helped Gotham with his wealth, both in examples that were covered by the press, and the ones Bruce did secretly without taking credit. Dick attended countless fundraising events, press briefs, boardroom meetings. But most importantly, Dick would have witnessed with his very own eyes that lack of funding is not at the root of Gotham’s problems.  The problem in Gotham is not lack of money or safety nets, but rather, it is that its systems are so corrupt that pumping more funds into it will do nothing to help those in need. Instead, it will only further enrich those who are already in power. That’s why in this comic book world with comic book conventions and comic book logic, Batman is needed. Batman is a disruption to the system, forcing it to change, dismantling it from both the outside and the inside. In Dixon and Grayson’s Nightwing runs, Dick’s understanding of systematic problems can be observed in his motivation to become a police officer, as he joins the force with the goal to weed out the corruption and dismantle the system from within. Money alone cannot save a city if the foundation was purposefully designed to favor those on the top by taking from those at the bottom.

(Dixon, Chuck, writer. McCarthy, Trevor, illustrator The Threshold. Nightwing. 60, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2001. pp 22)

But of course, Taylor never takes a moment to wonder how being raised by Bruce Wayne would influence Dick’s perspective on this matter. Instead, he once more takes a popular online discourse and makes Dick say it out without considering characterization. A more in-character and canonically accurate approach to such a story moment would have Dick comment on all the ways Bruce used his money behind the scenes to help Gotham, and how he wishes to do the same for Bludhaven. A single line change would have demonstrated Taylor's willingness to engage with Dick’s character history rather than just copying the hot takes he sees on social media. 

Not only that, this change in dialogue would also establish Bruce and Dick’s closeness as it would show that not only is Bruce a source of inspiration for Dick, but that Dick is one of the few people who have seen this side of Bruce. That would have also made the hug between Bruce and Dick in the #100 more emotionally effective and thematically cohesive, especially as they are in front of Alfred’s grave.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Power Vacuum: Part Four: The Leap. Nightwing: Rebirth. 100, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2023. pp 44)

The truth is that Dick's Haven project engaged with issues homelessness only in the most shallow of manners. Rather than discussing the realities of this matter, it simply used it as a backdrop. It is an appropriation of hardships by someone who is unwilling to engage with the difficulties brought upon by said hardships. It is substance-less writing masquerading as social consciousness.

The third example I wish to cite which demonstrates Taylor’s lack of consideration for Dick’s character or his backstory comes when Haley is taken in #87. Dick’s internal monologue reads that “The last thing I’d want is for anyone to be threatened because they’re close to Dick Grayson,” referring to the fact that he is now a public figure thanks to the press conference he gave about his plans for Bludhaven. 

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator Get Grayson. Nightwing: Rebirth. 87, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 09)

The idea that Dick Grayson, billionaire Bruce Wayne’s first child, was unaware of the dangers faced by those associated with a public figure is laughable. The idea that the first Robin, who was often taken hostage by villains who wished to get to Batman (so much so that Frank Miller famously nicknamed him “Boy Hostage”), did not understand the threat posed to those who are close to powerful figures is insulting. After well over a decade as a superhero, and after well over a decade of being associated with a wealthy public figure, Dick should know better than most how such ties can put loved ones at risk. 

In-universe, this line makes Dick appear so self-centered that he does not take into consideration how his actions affect his loved ones. It makes him appear dense, unable to think through his actions and strategize contingency plans and safety precautions before taking such a giant risk. 

Out of universe, this betrays a lazy way of storytelling, with Taylor going for low-hanging fruits without thinking of how that might affect the characterization of his protagonist. Out of universe, a collection of throwaway, thoughtless lines like this demonstrates just how uninterested Taylor is in giving even the slightest consideration to who Dick Grayson is meant to be, instead putting his focus on the gimmick that will get him noticed on social media.

[xxtha-blog]

Why Horrortale Sans is Definitely Evil

Horrortale Sans is evil. This is the opposite of a defence post, I am calling out this character and his many misdeeds! I do not know how people legitimately defend his actions or claim he’s just a normal guy who tries really hard not to eat people. I do not think we read the same comic. This is a comprehensive deep dive into why Horror is evil.

First a chronological look at Horror’s dubious actions. Not all of theses are evil and some have good justification as standalone events, but provide wider context for things:

1. He has to be convinced into helping repair the Core which he knows is broken, and has inside info he knows could help get it fixed, only when Grillby begs him to because as revealed on another page, the loss of the Core means “the fire eats at [Grillby’s] very soul like acid, perpetually burning him alive”

2. He spends a total of 12 months trying to figure out how to repair the Core but based on Undyne’s statements about how he rarely works, either means he’s a. Not actually putting enough effort into it (if we believe her and not Sans) or b. Not telling Undyne and Alphys how his work is going which is probably pertinent information for them to have (If we believe Sans, but want a reason as to why Undyne has that impression)

3. He finally brings her a solution to the Core after knowing he’s going to die (but if you want to be generous, maybe it was just really bad timing and he really did only needed a few more days to bring her a solution) and claims it’s a “long shot” meaning he doesn’t even know if it will work.

4. Undyne, thinking that is an insane plan, tells him she has a different plan. Sacrificing him to save everyone. Sans makes it clear he would never let himself die to save everyone.

5. When a guard begs him to sacrifice himself to save his wife and children, Sans launches him into the stratosphere saying: “fuck off.”

6. Even though Undyne attacks him first, it’s actually Sans that takes out her head and eye first.

7. Sans brutally murders the guards who helped Undyne.

8. When Alphys, showing Sans that her plan has objectively work and he is not dead (bonus!!), Sans destroys the Core.

He destroys the thing that will keep him, his brother, and literally every person in the underground alive. Grillby now suffers eternally, and everyone will die a slow and painful death. This does not help him in any way, does not change the fact his head is broken, he does it purely out of malice. The equivalent of getting shot, surviving, and then nuking the town you were shot in. He does not take his eye back if you thought it was to take his eye back. It’s still in the broken Core.

9. He lobotomizes Alphys

10. He gets Aliza to become a cannibal

11. He tortures and maims Aliza (let’s her get cut in half by a bear trap, pulls her hair so hard it bleeds, let’s her freeze to death in a puzzle, sends her to Grillbys where she gets partially cooked alive, cuts her arm off)

Really great guy here.

Secondly let’s get some of the common defences out of the way:

1. Sans had a plan that would save everyone! Undyne was therefore making a bad decision by trying to killing him

a. Sans says his plan IS A LONG SHOT

b. Alphys explains Sans’s plan would have taken a lot of time and magic ie. time that would get a lot of other people killed

c. Undyne’s plan actually goes better that expected! What was assumed would kill Sans doesn’t end up killing him at all. Literally a win-win for everyone involved.

d. Undyne/Alphys’s plan works, and therefore objectively saved more people. 0 net casualties if Sans had a single ounce of humanity.

2. Sans worked really hard and Undyne betrayed him. Undyne should have told him first

Undyne doesn’t tell him because she doesn’t want to consider hurting Sans despite monsters dying. Moments before Sans shows up, a child dies in a mother’s arm. Then Sans explains his plan is to dismantle the Core, which ‘might’ work, and will take a lot of effort and magic to do so, which is time they do not have (it’s been 12 months. He has had 12 months.). He also blames Undyne for getting them into this mess and mocks her for letting people die. She then attacks him. They end up both losing half their head and eye in the fight, making them perfectly even. The core’s power is restored.

But, whether or not Sans feels betrayed or not is irrelevant to the fact that Undyne makes the most reasonable and moral decision in this moment and also Sans has kind of done everything in his power to not sell his idea and piss off the person he knows is considering killing him so big L on his part for that one.

It also does not in any way shape or form justify destroying the Core, which is probably the most evil thing you could possibly do in that scenario.

3. They both are at fault for the Core/Both Evil then

There is literally a world of difference between:

“Sacrifices 1 person who ends up not dying, to save everyone. Which succeeds.”

And

“Destroys the thing that will successfully keep everyone alive, thus dooming everyone including yourself to die a slow and agonizing death, because you are angry your friend tried to kill you in an effort to save everyone”

That’s not even including the 10 other things on my list that are definitely also evil, but I cannot take people seriously if they put these two things on some sort of a moral equivalence. Undyne is in the right. 1 person for everyone is a worthy sacrifice. If anything Undyne’s only flaw is waiting so long to do it.

4. (Unrelated to the Core incident) Sans is actually morally grey, he doesn’t eat humans like everyone else which is a complex character motivation

You’re right, Sans doesn’t eat humans. Instead he finds enjoyment in torturing them brutally, a much worse thing than eating to stay alive.

His fight with hunger is also entirely self-made. Both because it’s not morally wrong to eat another living being to survive (and it’s not cannibalism to eat a human as a monster) and because he is the reason this is still happening 7 years later. It is literally his fault he is hungry. There is no interesting moral conundrum here, he does not care about hurting people. He is just out of his mind.

In conclusion, Horrortale Sans is a deeply selfish and uncaring person. Whatever minor good deeds he does throughout the comic are so immensely overshadowed by his absolute depravity that they might as well not exist. He is the reason every single monster in that underground continues to suffer, including himself, and while in his mind maybe there’s some weird justification, no outsider observer should look at these actions and think, yeah, that was reasonable. Much less think Undyne or Alphys are somehow WORSE. He destroys the Core because he didn’t die after everyone is saved, solely to be vindictive. He does not gain anything by doing this. He doesn't even take back the eye he lost which is still in the broken core! He lobotomizes Alphys because he’s mad he looks like a freak. He murders people who wants him to help everyone stay alive. He maims and tortures children and no amount of not eating them afterwards makes that any less morally apprehensible.

None of this is meant to say you can’t like him as a character. It is just to explain why characterizing him as a poor lil guy who did nothing wrong, is a little… wrong.

i believe this is an extensive look into why Horrortale Sans is evil.

Thank you for reading :)

[leavemebetosleep]

do you have any good fluttercord fic recs?

OH BOY DO I. In no particular order (except of when I thought of them):

1: Non-Entity by Captain Wuzz: An AU in which, instead of being turned to stone, Discord was shot in the head with a magic arrow that takes away his sentience and magic for a 1,000 years. Fluttershy mistakes him for a wounded animal and brings him home. I loved it so much.

2: Chaotic Neutral by C-Puff: The magic is starting to fade from Equestria, and the Main 6 and Discord go on an adventure to find out why, and reverse it. A bit of AU, in the sense it was written before the show was done, so it diverts in some places because of that. Super sweet, and I love the character development here.

3: Time is Taller than Space is Wide by Dott. Can also be read on Ao3 if you prefer. Soulmate AU (?) fic with a Groundhog Day style twist. I rarely see fics play with the idea of what if Fluttershy and Discord's friendship had started when they first met, so this is fun.

4 & 5: Blank and it's sequel Reconnection by @geekcat. Can also be read on fanfic.net. AU in which, before Discord can choose friendship over ruling Equestria, Twilight remembers a "reformation" spell. He is stripped of his free will, and Fluttershy does her best to bring him back. If you don't like the idea of Twilight being a villain, you might not like this one, but I think her villain arc in this is done in a perfect way for her character. It's super heart wrenching in many places, but in a good way.

6: Our Fair Lady of the Chaos Lord, also by GeekCat Can also be read on fanfic.net. Fairy tale inspired AU in which Fluttershy is a princess who's father is pressuring her to marry noble knight Sir Big Mac. Wanting to be sure he's a good person, she makes a deal with the Chaos Lord, letting herself be "kidnapped" so she can test his character. You can guess who she falls for instead. Honestly I've enjoyed all of GeekCat's fics, so they're getting an extra mention. Check out the rest of their fluttercord fics if you like any of these.

7: The Draconequus with the Dragon Tattoo by A M Shark This is a major case of, strange premise, kick ass results. Basically an AU based off Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson, with Discord as Lisbeth, and Fluttershy as an amalgamation of Mikael and several other characters, but focusing more on the murder mystery aspect of that book, and less on the...everything else. If you're familiar with GwtDT, don't worry, there's no rape scenes. Again, it's more about the murder mystery part. If you're not familiar with GwtDT, then don't worry again, because you don't need to know the original to enjoy it. It's just Discord and Fluttershy playing detective and solving a murder together. It has two sequels, but I haven't read them yet, and it didn't feel right to rec something I haven't read.

8: The Corpse Bride by Bad Horse. Dark fic. No relation to the Burton movie. Fluttershy dies in a tragic accident, and Discord brings her back from the dead as his zombie wife. Her friends (sans Pinkie) are horrified. Has a fantastic twist ending. If you like some of the darker stuff, def worth a read.

Bonus: Comic rec: The Last Adventure by Eveeka. Taking place after the final defeat of Tirek, Cozy, and Chrysalis, Discord gets into a depressive funk after shouldering the hatred from Ponyville citizens for his latest actions, but also because his friends seem to never be available anymore. He starts to think maybe Equestria would be better off without him, as he can't seem to exist with out making everyone miserable, and decides to hide away in the Everfree forest. Fluttershy, worried when he doesn't show up for tea, asks her friends for help, only to discover there's a monster running lose there he and the rest of Equestria might be in danger from. This fic has two endings, so keep reading even when it seems like it's over. You've got one more ending left. This one nearly made me cry.

[halogalopaghost]

Okay so. I just saw someone had straight up posted all 8 pages of the ROTTMNT 40th anniversary comic and like...yo ho and all that, pirating is good and fine...but this is not the time. I have two points:

1: if you want more ROTTMNT, Nickelodeon only measures ONE FUCKING METRIC and it's MONEY. Reading the comic on tumblr, raving about it or trending the tag or engaging with the creators on twitter, none of that matters to them. They don't go on tumblr, engagement isn't actionable and more importantly it means jack diddly squat to board members and investors, who are the REAL target audience of literally everything. If you want more ROTTMNT, you HAVE to buy the fucking comic with your actual money

2: the publishing industry, both of comics and books, works a whole lot differently than the movie and TV industry. Pirating comics and books

a: directly takes money from the hands of artists and authors in the form of royalties,

b: lowers chances of landing on bestsellers lists, and

c: means you are less likely to see more of it because the industry measures success in money!!!!

That goes for all of you who want to see the 2003 series get the Saturday Morning Adventures treatment. You have to show up with cash in hand.

In summary: if you want to pirate the comics because you can't afford it or whatever, that's okay. I'm not making moral judgements here. But you should do it quietly, and wait a few weeks at least. I cannot even imagine being the artist who worked for weeks on that comic to see it on tumblr in full the day of release, that's just fucking awful. Be respectful and remember that if you want more of something, you DO have to pay for it.

[longwuzhere]

My Adventures with Superman Season 2 Easter Eggs

Welcome to another week of My Adventures with Superman! My hunch about the what happened last week was true and things are not going too well for the gang...

My Easter eggs lists for season 1 is here if you haven't seen it!

My season 2 episode 1 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 2 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 3 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman comic issue 1 post is here

My season 2 episode 4 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 6 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 7 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My Easter eggs and references for My Adventures with Superman comic issue 2 post is here

My season 2 episode 8 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 9 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 10 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My Easter eggs and references for My Adventures with Superman comic issue 3 post is here

Spoilers if you haven't seen the episode

To start things off we meet Kara on Earth! I talked more about her here. Shes's dressed similarly to Android 18 when she, 17, and 16 drive to Goku's house in episode 147 of Dragon Ball Z. While watching the episode I was wondering why does Kara's hair look so familiar? Then it hit me. Kara's got Sakuya Kumashiro's hair from Tenchi in Tokyo!

Shout out to recent DC characters enjoy ice cream for the first time like Wonder Woman in the live action movie and Justice League animated movie, and the new DC Super Hero Girls cartoon. As a mint chocolate chip ice cream fan, good first choice of ice cream to enjoy!

Perry puts Clark and Lois on a new beat for the Metropolis "Most Eligible Single" contest because Superman was chosen to be one of the five up for that title. Cat Grant self-invites herself to join the duo to figure out who Superman is through his love life. Lois is sweating bullets at this point. At the contest we meet the potential people for winning the title, Hank Henshaw, Chandi Gupta, Byrna Brilyant, and Silver St. Cloud. I talked more about Hank Henshaw here. We see a darker more bigoted side to him this time around. Will we see him get his cyborg body and become Cyborg Superman in this season or season 3? Who knows. Season 3 is confirmed though.

Dr. Byrna Brilyant is a very deep DC universe cut dating back to 1946, the golden age of comics. Back then Byrna Brilyant was an enemy to Wonder Woman going by the moniker, Blue Snowman.

Byrna in the 1940s makes her first appearance in Sensation Comics #59 (1946) [W: Joye Hummel, P&I: H.G. Peter], where she was a teacher who's father created this compound called blue ice, after his death, she uses it as a way to extort this town after freezing it over for monetary gain.

Byrna makes another appearance in 2010 in Power Girl #7 (2010) [W Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti, P&I: Amanda Conner, C: Paul Mounts, L: John J. Hill] where Dr. Mid-Nite and Power Girl are trying to stop Byrna from committing a robbery but the main bad guy, Vartox shoots a seduction musk rifle at Power Girl but the smell knocks out Dr. Mid-Nite and it works on Byrna, but not Power Girl. This all makes more sense if you read the comic.

Byrna's next appearance post-New 52 was in Superman/Wonder Woman #4 (2014) [W: Charles Soule, P: Paulo Siqueira, I&C: Hi-Fi, L: Carlos M. Mangual] where we see Wonder Woman and Hessia battling the Blue Snowman robots.

Byrna's latest appearance post-DC Rebirth is in DC: Love is a Battlefield #1 (2021) [W: Crystal Fraiser, P&I: Juan Gedeon, C:Ulises Arreola, L: Marshal Dillion, where Byrna is now gender fluid after interrupting a date between Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. Good on Wonder Woman for letting them go and hoping the realization there is a word for what Byrna was feeling would make them feel much better. So going forward if we meet Byrna again, I'll be referring to them with they/them pronouns, but if its New 52 continuity and before, Byrna will be referred to with she/her pronouns with the continuities to help clarify the pronoun usages.

Chadi Gupta is also another deep cut from the DC universe because she's reference to her comic counterpart from Justice League Europe.

Chandi makes her first appearance in Justice League Europe #47 (1993) [W: Gerard Joes, P: Ron Randall, I: Randy Elliot, C: Gene D'Angelo, L: Willie Schubert] where she's escaping her family and comes across the the JLE and wants to join them. Her energy projection and construct creation powers came in handy for the JLE in issue 50 where she and the rest of the JLE were able to fend off Sonar's attack and that earned her a spot on Justice League Europe as the superhero Maya.

Silver St. Cloud is probably one of the more prominent characters from the DC universe who showed up in MAwS. She got into the pop culture zeitgeist through the Gotham tv show when it aired.

Silver St. Cloud makes her first appearance in Detective Comics #470 (1977) [W: Steven Engleheart, P: Walter Simonson, I: Al Milgrom, C: Jerry Serpe, L: Ben Oda] where she meets Bruce Wayne at a party on his yacht. She eventually becomes one of Bruce Wayne's more prominent love interests and one of the few who were suspecting Bruce to be Batman thanks to his constant disappearing.

She shows up in post-new 52 in the maybe possibly out of cotinuity anthology, Legends of the Dark Knight (2014) digital comics, specifically as a cameo in issue #50, Dr. Quinn's Diagnosis [W: Jim Zub, P&I: Niel Googe, C: Kathryn Layno, L: Saida Temofonte], where Batman is getting psychoanalyzed by Harley Quinn.

If you want to read a comic with a fun appearance of Silver St. Cloud give Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1 (2017) [W: Tom King, P&I: Lee Weeks, C: Lovern Kindzierski, L: Deron Bennet] a read cuz goddamn is it noir AF and beautifully drawn (a while back DC superheroes crossed over with Looney Tunes characters and its very good. They have also done it with Hanna Barbera characters as well. Give those a read too! They're all fun!)!

The charity that MAwS Silver mentions was first mentioned in Superman #152 (1967) [W: Bill Finger, P&I: Al Plastino] where Superman is accepting a clock medallion for a charity event. In the comics Silver St. Cloud isn't usually working for charities, shes mostly a Gotham socialite.

At the event, the MC (who gives off Funky Flashman vibes imo), asked if anyone has questions and the first to jump on that was George Taylor of the Metropolis Star. I talked about the Metropolis Star here, but for George Taylor...

he actually makes his first appearance here in Action Comics #1 (1938) [W: Jerry Seigel, P&I: Joe Shuster, C: Strauss Engraving Company] where he is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Star.

In the silver age, George Taylor makes his first appearance in Superman #366 (1981) [W: Bob Eozakis, P: Kurt Schaffenberger, I: Frank Chiaramonte, C: Adrienne Roy, L: John Costanza] where he assigns Perry White on the Superboy scoop to see if he's active in Metropolis. In post-Crisis on Infinite continuity, George makes a cameo appearance in Adventures of Superman #451 (1989) [W,P,&I: Jerry Ordway, C: Glenn Whitmoore, L: Albert DeGuzman] where we see George's office door.

In the New 52 continuity, George Taylor makes his first appearance in Action Comics #8 (2012) [W: Grant Morrison, P: Rags Morales, I: Rick Bryant, C: Brad Anderson, L: Pat Brosseau] as editor-in-chief for the Daily Star where in the comic he's proud of Clark and encourages him to take the job at the Daily Planet.

Kara and Jimmy make it into the studio where Lois, Superman, and Cat Grant are and Kara confronts Superman showing off that she's the one in the armor. She is on a two-way radio communications with someone named Primus. Whether that is Brainiac's designation when Kara is on the field or its a different character all together, there is a Primus in the DC universe, not just in the Transformers universe. Btw this isn't Kara's first time siding with an evil faction, she was part of Darkseid's Female Furies in the 2004 Superman/Batman series, specifically in issue #11. You might have also seen it happen in the Superman/Batman: Apocalypse animated movie too.

Primus aka Pren makes his first appearance in Green Lantern #141 (1981) [W: Marv Wolfman, P&I: Joe Stanton, C: Carl Gafford, L: John Costanza] where he is the leader of the alien group, the Omega Men from the Vega star system. They jump Hal when he and Carol Ferris were on vacation thinking Hal is part of the Citadel, an extraterrestrial empire that is conquering the star system the Omega Men are in.

Primus/Pren NuParr makes his New 52 first appearance in Deathstroke #9 (2012), but gets a more prominent role in the Omega Man limited series from 2015 [panel from The Omega Men #1 (2015) W: Tom King, P&I: Barnaby Bagenda, C: Romulo Farjardo Jr., L: Pat Brosseau]. In this continuity, the Citadel is now a corporation that was exploiting Krypton's destruction by by selling stabilized planet cores to other worlds. This comes at a cost where the Vega star system is enslaved by them and those who resisted we killed and the survivors formed the Omega Men.

And with that another episodes Easter eggs and references are done! Come back next week to see what episode 6's Easter eggs and references are! In case you missed it:

My Easter eggs lists for season 1 is here if you haven't seen it!

My season 2 episode 1 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 2 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 3 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman comic issue 1 post is here

My season 2 episode 4 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 6 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 7 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My Easter eggs and references for My Adventures with Superman comic issue 2 post is here

My season 2 episode 8 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 9 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 10 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My Easter eggs and references for My Adventures with Superman comic issue 3 post is here

[grimace-writes]

New Kid in Town *.•.*• No. 2

GN!Reader x Task Force 141 (feat. Alejandro + Roldolfo)

| No.1 | No.2 | No.3 | No.4 | Masterlist |

Summary: The Reader must show the team what they are made of during a sparing session with Ghost.

Word count: 1449

(3rd Person POV | They/Them so anyone can read :) | Early to Mid Twenties) [Unfortunately contains Google translated Spanish...I apologize (˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ ) Also the Reader is written to be a badass, they deserve it]

[Enjoy! (๑ º ᗜ <; ๑) ノ♡ ]

-——————⋆ ˚｡⋆ ˖⁺‧₊˚｡⋆ ˖⁺‧₊˚°˖✧˚ʚ🦋ɞ˚✧˖° ˚₊‧⁺˖ ⋆˚₊‧⁺˖ ⋆ ˚｡⋆——————-

Their 141 and MSF friends were really like their own little found family, who functioned mostly by themselves in their own little corner of the base. There were plenty of other teams that shared the other factions of the base, though it seemed rare to see them as Price and the gang were higher on the food chain. The captain made sure they all participated in training with the recruits or other teams for missions, along with helping the other teams on certain larger missions. Seeing as {Y/N} was still fresh meat themselves, they were exempted from participating in group training until the next week. Price wanted to gauge their skill first hand before releasing them to the populous.

“Thanks for the meal, guys..It was good. I hope whatever I make will be up to par like this..” {Y/N} said standing from their place at the table to grab all the empty dishes.

“I’m sure it’s going to be just fine and you are very welcome.” Rudy says, handing his plate to them with a smile before grabbing the leftovers to pack up.

“Sí, estaba delicioso. Gracias, mi amigos.” (*Yes, it was delicious. Thank you, my friends.*) Alejandro joined in collecting the dishes to help with cleaning.

Price, Gaz, Soap, and Ghost stayed seated as the three went to the kitchen with the mess from the table. {Y/N} rinsed and scrubbed the plates as Ale wiped and put them away, he made sure to explain where each item went. Ghost and Price seemed to be talking about work things as Price’s eyebrows furrowed when {Y/N} glanced at him as they put dishes away. {Y/N} met the Captain's gaze which softened the older man’s expression, “Mind coming over here a sec, {C/N}?”

{Y/N} nodded, excusing themself from their task wiping their hands dry before making their way over to the two superior officers. “Yes?”

“With the day still young, Ol’ Ghost here suggests we start your training early. This will give us the opportunity to get a head start on your training regime, if you are up to it that is. It’d be understandable if you need a full day to get settled, though we’d have to start tomorrow at the latest.” Price paused to finish the remnants of coffee in a mug that read ‘World’s Greatest Boss’ in comical lettering as he let {Y/N} mull over the options. It didn’t take long for their answer, they were eager to get started mixed with the anxiety they felt earlier fed their decision.

“Good choice, hen. You two can discuss the details more at the training halls, for now best go back to your previous task.” Price them a smile, cheekily sliding his empty mug towards {Y/N} causing them to snort as they took the glass.

˚☽˚｡⋆⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

{Y/N} sighed, wiping the dampness from their hands on the front of their pants. They went to the restroom before they went to the session, which separated them Soap and Ghost who were walking with them to the training halls. With a quickened pace they made their way through the halls to their destination, Ghost stood alone by the sparring mats in a room filled with various types of gym equipment.

“Thanks for your patience, sir.” They said jogging over to him, “Where did the sergeant go?”

A pair of silent footsteps made their way to the pair, making a direct beeline towards {Y/N}, who had their back to their attacker. The person held out a ‘knife’ going to sneak attack them, though their plan was foiled by {Y/N} slamming their heel into his foot. With swift action they rounded a kick backwards, hitting the person in the stomach sending him to the floor. They held their fists up to shield themselves from anymore onslaught, a deep grimace in their face as they looked to their attacker.

Soap laid on his side groaning, one hand on his stomach, the other holding his foot. Ghost looked dumbfounded as Soap began to laugh, “That's pure class! How did ya dae that?"

"I took self-defense classes during intermediate (middle) school, then Karate and gymnastics as my electives all throughout secondary (high) school," {Y/N} picked up the discarded rubber knife pointing towards Soap and straightened their posture. They earned themselves confused looks (well eyes in Ghost’s case), which made them feel a little self conscious. “What can I say? I was a military brat, raised by two overprotective commanders who wanted to make sure no one could ever hurt me.”

‘Plus my mentor made sure I could survive any circumstance during the summers, but that’s a story for another day.’ They thought to themselves with a shiver of the memories of those days.

“You’re need for private sessions makes more sense, now” The poor beaten up Scottish man said, he was hoisted up by Ghost. Soap groaned when he put pressure on his foot but was fine otherwise (his pride was more damaged than anything). “You really are something else, best to rein in those feral tendencies, huh? Though one of these days, you mind showing me how ya dae that?” Mactavish walked over to {Y/N} to give them a friendly victory shake, which they gladly took with a smile.

“Maybe, suds.” They said jokingly back.

{Y/N}’s actions made the silent lieutenant more intrigued by them, their skills and techniques seems to match the intel in their file. He felt like he was going to have to take their match more seriously now, it broke his cold persona making him chuckle. “{C/N}. You may have been able to defeat an opponent sneaking up on you..” Ghost crossed his arms leaning back into his full height, tilting his head to the side to stare down at them. “..Let’s find out how good you are against an opponent head on.”

{Y/N} placed their hands on their hips, matching the lieutenant’s gaze before making their way onto the actual training mate. They held the rubber knife to Ghost as he walked over, he shook his head in response.

“Nope, you are going to be the attacker for this exercise.”

{Y/N} gave him a confused look for a second, the plan they quickly came up with went out the window. Having the new prompt they quickly formulated a new plan, with Soap it was easier to find his weak spot and exploit them (plus natural instinct for self preservation). Ghost’s masked expressions mixed with the overall difficulty to read his body language, made this a harder challenge.

‘Attacking the lieutenant, this is a life or death moment..Fight like you are gonna die..’ {Y/N} thought as they moved into an offensive position, Ghost grunted in satisfaction as he matched them in defense.

‘My only chance will be to catch him off guard, he’s probably expecting me to run up and attack..Perfect.’ They stepped forward letting their guard down, making their way to the very confused lieutenant. Ghost held his guard as they twirled the knife in their hand quickening their pace. Once they were at arms length the lieutenant went to swing at them, not taking any chances for them to gain any more ground towards him. {Y/N}’s slid their foot back into a slight fencing lunge, narrowly avoiding Ghost’s fist from colliding with their face, they harshly clapped their hands upwards towards Ghost’s face. This abnormal technique caused Ghost to blink briefly, giving them the tiniest advantage they were gambling for.

{Y/N} grabbed his extended arm, which made Ghost tense and held himself grounded, allowing them to swing through the small space between his legs. They let him go as they slid quickly twisting their body, pouncing up to hop on his back and wrapped their legs around his waist. Ghost grunted as Y/N held the knife against his throat, their other arm wrapped under his arm as they rested their head on his shoulder. “I think I handled myself pretty well, Lieutenant. I win..”

A loud whistle followed by group clapping ran through the empty space, Price and Gaz snuck in to join Soap to watch the match. {Y/N} released Ghost as they gently got off him, feeling awkward with the peanut gallery seeing them clinging to the lieutenant. They cleared their throat taking a step away from Ghost, an expression explaining how they felt clear on their face.

“You did good..” Ghost’s voice cut through praise of the others, he wasn’t the type to easily give out compliments. {Y/N}’s chest filled with pride, “Thank you, sir.”

To be continued..

-——————⋆ ˚｡⋆ ˖⁺‧₊˚｡⋆ ˖⁺‧₊˚°˖✧˚ʚ🦋ɞ˚✧˖° ˚₊‧⁺˖ ⋆˚₊‧⁺˖ ⋆ ˚｡⋆——————-

Author's Note: If you recognize the technique that inspired the Reader’s, you get 5 gold stars ⭐. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story. Let me know what you thought of it, Love Love~ (o´ ω `o)💕💕

| No.1 | No.2 | No.3 | No.4 | Masterlist |

[doamarierose-honoka]

Batman is back with a vengeance. Three years after HBO Max and Cartoon Network first announced Batman: Caped Crusader — the adult-oriented animated series that was eventually canceled by the since-renamed Max streaming service, only to then be picked up at Prime Video — the new Batman TV show is about to hit the small screen. Set in 1940s Gotham City, Caped Crusader is described as "a reimagining of the Batman mythology through the visionary lens" of executive producers Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond), Matt Reeves (The Batman and The Penguin), and J.J. Abrams (Alias and Lost).

"We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back, to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City," Timm, Reeves, and Abrams said when announcing the series in 2021. "The series will be thrilling, cinematic and evocative of Batman's noir roots, while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters. We cannot wait to share this new world."

Below, ComicBook is shining the Bat-Signal on everything we know so far about Batman: Caped Crusader, including the voice cast, release date, and the rogues who will populate the first solo Batman animated series in more than a decade.

Where Can I Watch Batman: Caped Crusader?

To watch Batman: Caped Crusader on Amazon's Prime Video, you'll need either a Prime Video subscription ($8.99 per month with ads, or $11.98/mo for ad-free) or an Amazon Prime membership ($14.99 per month with Prime Video ads, or $17.98/mo with ad-free Prime Video).

Batman: Caped Crusader Release Date

All episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader will premiere Thursday, August 1st, on Amazon Prime Video.

How Many Episodes Is Batman: Caped Crusader?

Batman: Caped Crusader season 1 consists of 10 episodes. In 2023, Prime Video announced a two-season order for the new series.

What Is Batman: Caped Crusader About?

The official description: "Welcome to Gotham City, where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human — the Batman. His one-man crusade attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications."

Who Voices Batman in the Batman: Caped Crusader Cast?

The Batman: Caped Crusader voice cast includes Hamish Linklater (Midnight Mass) in the title role as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets) as Catwoman/Selina Kyle, Jamie Chung (Gotham) as Harley Quinn/Dr. Harleen Quinzel, and Diedrich Bader — a DC veteran whose credits include episodes of Batman Beyond, 2006's The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and the Max adult animated series Harley Quinn — as Two-Face/Harvey Dent.

Announced cast members in as-yet-unrevealed roles include Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), Toby Stephens (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Reid Scott (Venom), Dan Donohue (For All Mankind), Gary Anthony Williams (Hailey's on It!), Jason Watkins (The Crown), John DiMaggio (Futurama), Krystal Joy Brown (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Michelle C. Bonilla (9-1-1: Lone Star), Eric Morgan Stuart (Fallout 4), Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), and Minnie Driver (The Witcher: Blood Origin).

Batman: Caped Crusader Villains

A cast announcement video revealed Linklater's Batman voice and the Dark Knight's rogue's gallery: The Penguin, Catwoman, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, the pyromaniac Firebug, Natalia Knight (in the comics, a reformed career criminal with photosensitive skin known as Nocturna, the mistress of the night), the phantom criminal called Gentleman Ghost, and Clayface (the Golden Age Clayface of the 1940s was Basil Karlo, a once-famous character actor and makeup expert turned costumed killer). Caped Crusader reimagines Dr. Harleen Quinzel as Asian American — and Bruce Wayne's psychologist. Here, her alter-ego as the jester-costumed Harley Quinn is independent from the Joker, who is noticeably absent from the roundup of Batman characters.

Batman: Caped Crusader Characters

Batman – A cold, remorseless avenger of evil, seemingly more machine than man. Forged in the fire of tragedy, every fiber of his being is dedicated to the eradication of crime. (The Batman suit is influenced by the character's earliest appearances in Detective Comics, by creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger, with longer, narrow ears, a collared cape, and with black gloves rather than the original purple.)

Bruce Wayne - To the public at large, Bruce Wayne is a shallow dilettante, apparently wasting his parents' vast fortune on frivolous pursuits and hedonistic pleasures. In fact, he's an elaborate facade, carefully constructed to divert attention from his activities as Batman.

Selina Kyle / "Catwoman" – Selena Kyle is a blithe and pampered heiress whose family lost their fortune after her father was imprisoned for embezzlement. Despite having the silver spoon yanked from her mouth, Selina refuses to quit living in the lap of luxury and becomes Catwoman as a "fun" way to maintain her lavish lifestyle.

Dr. Harleen Quinzel / "Harley Quinn" – Despite a personable and bubbly demeanor, Dr. Harleen Quinzel is a brilliant psychiatrist who treats some of Gotham's elite. However, as Harley Quinn, she is a different person, entirely. A creepy, quiet, calculating menace who secretly dispenses her twisted justice to the truly despicable among her elite clientele.

Commissioner Jim Gordon – Former beat cop close to retirement, Gordon was hired to play along with the corrupt system and run out the clock till he can draw a pension. But they've sorely underestimated Jim Gordon. His unassailable character brings him into conflict with dirty cops and crooked politicians, alike. Not to mention, he has to reckon with a deranged vigilante beating up Gotham's criminals.

Clayface – Thanks to his "unique" facial features, screen actor Basil Karlo has been forever typecast as a B-movie heavy. Frustrated by the limitations his appearance put on both his career and personal life (he fell hopelessly in love with his co-star), Karlo turned to an experimental serum that promised to change his face. However, not only does this serum ultimately disfigure his face, but it ruptures the last of his sanity – creating the tragic, vengeance seeking villain, Clayface.

Batman: Caped Crusader Creators

Batman: Caped Crusader comes from Warner Bros. Animation (My Adventures with Superman, Bat-Family), Abrams' Bad Robot Productions (Lovecraft Country, the Star Trek films) and Reeves' 6th & Idaho (2022's The Batman, The Batman – Part II). Along with Abrams, Reeves and Timm, Batman: Caped Crusader executive producers include head writer Ed Brubaker (DC's Batman comic, Gotham Central), James Tucker (Justice League Unlimited), Daniel Pipski (The Penguin), Rachel Rusch Rich (Castle Rock), and Sam Register (Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One and Part Two).

[magicalbuttertarts]

Smut Prompt List 1 - Now Closed.

I was plentyoffandoms on here before, and deleted that account and all my writing with it.

I am now just writing for wrestlers.

Main Masterlist

Pick a number from one category

The wrestler of your choice.

If you wish for the wrestlers real name to be used or just their wrestling name.

If the reader is m, f, or a member of the lgbtq+. Or if it is another wrestler

Please be 18+

Send to my ASKs.

Once picked, it will be crossed out until I write it & then it will have a link to the story, with the requested ship next to it.

These won't be very long. A few hundred words.

Guidelines are here for my requests, including for this prompt list.

Please let me know if you wish to be added to the tag list for this.

Prompt list is from here

A: Vanilla

Heavy kissing/Heavy Makeout - Judas Icarus x f/Reader

Dryhumping/Clothed sex - Nick Wayne x f/Reader

First Time - Nick Wayne x dom! f/Reader

Oral Sex - Grayson Waller x f/Reader

Sex

Doggy Style - Gabe Kidd x f/Reader

Rimming - Sami x Bottom!Jey

With Toys - Julia Hart x f/Reader

Multiple Partners - The Noise x f/Reader

Trying a new Position - Darius Martin x f/Reader

Anal Sex - Judas Icarus x f/Reader

Phone/Video Sex - Mariah May x f/Reader

Masturbation

Face-Sitting - Sami x Jey

Mutual Masturbation - Judas Icarus x f/Reader

Requester's choice.

B: Romantic

Extensive talking during foreplay/sex - Jey Uso x f/Reader, Dominik Mysterio x f/Reader, Nick Wayne x f/Reader

Body worship - Gabe Kidd x f/Reader, Darius Martin x f/Reader

Suprise visit at job/work/etc - Nick Wayne x f/Reader

Overly romantic gestures. - Matt Jackson x f/Reader

Romantic lighting/decor - Tonga Loa x f/Reader

Romantic music playing during sex

Taking a trip - Damian Priest x f/Reader

Massage

First "I love you" - Grayson Waller x f/Reader

Tantric sex was requested, but can't find it anymore.

Slow sex - JJ Gale x dom! F/Reader

Heavy eye contact - Travis Williams x f/Reader

Spooning - Travis Williams x f/Reader

Hand holding during sex - JJ Gale x dom! F/Reader

Requester's choice - Grayson Waller x f/Reader

C: Goofy

Dared to have sex - Damian Priest x f/Reader

Laughing during sex - Nick Wayne x f/reader

With food - Grayson Waller x f/Reader

In costume

Giggly sex - Orange Cassidy x f/Reader

Comical roleplay

Oral sex under kitchen table - Darius Martin x f/Reader

Failed lap dance/strip tease - Judas Icarus x f/Reader

Watching porn & making fun of the scene - Nick Jackson x f/Reader

Distracting other person with sex - Darius Martin x f/Reader

Ridiculous dirty talk in public - Judas Icarus x f/Reader

Finding out partner writes smut & acts out their favourite story. - Liv Morgan x f/Reader

Sexting gone wrong - Nick Wayne x f/Reader

Birthday sex - Colten Gunn x f/Reader

Requester's choice

D: Hardcore

Rough sex - Joe Hendry x f/Reader

Cumplay - Darius Martin x f/Reader

Intense roleplay - Tama Tonga x f/Reader

Pegging/strapon

Sloppy, dirty sex - Sami x Bottom!Jey

Jackhammering - Dan Moloney x f/Reader

Breath play - Gabe Kidd x f/Reader, Eddie Kingston x f/Reader

Double Penetration - Roman Reigns x f/Reader x Tama

Spanking - Darius Martin x f/Reader

Fisting - Mariah May x f/Reader

Cock/vagina worship - Damian Priest x f/Reader & Rhea Ripley x f/Reader

Object penetration - Judas Icarus x f/Reader

Squirting - Dan "Drilla" Moloney x f/Reader

Face-fucking - Luke Jacobs x f/Reader

Requester's choice - Gabriel Kidd x f/Reader

E: Kinky

Painplay - Demon Finn Balor x f/Reader

Fetish fulfillment - Darius Martin x f/Reader

Exhibitionism - Sami x Jey

Sensory deprivation - Action Andretti x f/Reader

Extreme bondage - Jey Uso x f/Reader

Dom/Sub - Tama x f/Reader

Play Party -

Knifeplay - Damian Priest x Reader

Humiliation - f/reader x the elite (bucks & kenny)

Orgasm denial - Judas Icarus x f/Reader

Gags - Drew McIntyre x f/Reader

Begging - Sami x Bottom!Jey

Aftercare - Nick Wayne x f/Reader

Safeword used - Dan Moloney x f/Reader

Requester's choice

F: Situational

In elevator - Tama Tonga x f/Reader

At work - Nick Wayne x f/Reader

Knowing someone can hear - Gabe Kidd x f/Reader

At movie theater - Wheeler Yuta x Daniel Garcia

In a restaurant - David Finlay x f/Reader

Against a wall - Grayson Waller x f/Reader

In a car -Darius Martin x f/Reader

Public transport - Anna Jay x f/Reader

Shower sex - Nick Wayne x f/Reader

Outdoors - El Phantasmo x f/Reader

In front of a mirror - Connor Mills x /Reader

On a specific holiday - Tonga Loa x f/Reader

At a partner's parents house - Nick Wayne x f/Reader

In a bath tub - Liv Morgan x f/Reader

Requester's choice - Nick Wayne x f/Reader

[ineffable-opinions]

MAME & Queer Cultures

MAME & BL Literacies Part 3 Other parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

In this post I want to discuss the response TharnType generated and reflect on BL genre and MAME as a creator centered on this discussion led by @waitmyturtles focused on plurality of queerness. I try my best to address the following points that @waitmyturtles has raised about TharnType and MAME. As usual, critiques and corrections are welcome.

1. Focus on physical relationship between leads

It is no coincidence that there weren’t many “high heat” live action BL from Thailand. It was by design and sexism played a not so small part. MAME deserves credit for challenging that head on.

It was not obvious to industry leaders when TharnType aired that fans wanted “high heat” content.

This is precisely due to lack of BL literacies. BL has a separate sub-genre of pleasure training/conditioning. There are ero-BL. After yaoi boom, BL is considered as a porn genre too.

2. How survivors of sexual assault receive the show

Sexual assault as a theme in BL, handled in a myriad of ways, has been the case since the inception of the genre. It was during the publication of JUNE magazine that the importance of depiction of sexual assault in BL became clear to the editor through response letters from readers.

But sexual assault as a theme is always controversial. There are those who think that it always gives the wrong message. There are variety in opinions on what is the right way to go about it. BL being an accommodating genre has space for all sorts of treatment of the genre. Even in live action, there is good variety in terms of how the theme is treated. But not everything is everyone’s cup of tea. (If I manage to do a companion post on different treatments of sexual assault as theme, I’ll link it here.)

This being the case it is understandable if someone like how MAME handles sexual assault. Similarly, it is understandable if someone doesn’t like it at all. But what’s not understandable is “natural tendency to criticize and blame MAME for our needing to have conversations about safety towards queer family”. Unfortunately, this type of takes have the implication of infantilization of audience as though they are without faculties of discretion and are incapable of making judgements. It also has the added implication of demonizing all media concerning queer people that deals with sexual assault. If MAME’s approach is deemed “unsafe” for queer population, based on that judgement, where does BL and gei comi that offer erotic treatment of sexual assault fall? What about queer people producing and consuming them?

3. yaoi origins of BL

Some clarification of what the terms mean: “Yaoi” aka 801 refers to self-published (doujinshi) BL - this is what Nekoyashiki produces and sells at the comic convention in Kabe Sa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shouninyokkyuu wo Kojiraseteiru (2022) which is based on a BL manga by, Minamoto Kazuki, a gay mangaka (artist).

source

There was a yaoi boom right before BL commercialization took place. The term is in popular use among Thai fu-people (BL fans) as they use the Y from yaoi to mark the genre.

Yaoi is borrowed by the English-speaking fu-people to categorize BL with sexual content, as opposed to shonen ai (another loan word with very different meaning in past and present Japan) as a category of BL without sexual content.

4. yaoi origins are themselves problematic, as created by a majority cishet female artist base

Frankly, this is an old argument with sexist and xenophobic roots and is indicative of unfamiliarity with gei comi and gay pinku cinema which are popular in Thailand just as it is in other parts of the world. Thailand’s indie gay movie industry (reddit post by @virtualtadpole) too deals with “problematic” themes and they are inextricably linked with Thai BL. 

5. many in the queer community still consumed this media, as the West was producing next-to-nothing by way of queer love and/or queer perspectives.

Western-centrism aside, Thailand and other BL producing nations have been producing BL in non-live-action forms: novels, comics, animation, etc. as well as translation and subs for these from one language to many others for decades now.

Live action boom didn’t happen in a vacuum. Just because a bunch of westerners discovered BL through live action doesn’t mean that it holds true for everyone. MAME’s own success as a novelist is what motivated and funded her venture into live action production. Danmei author Chai JiDan’s venture into live action production is a comparable track.

6. common stereotypes held by Asian nations

I don’t think there are any common stereotypes among Asian nations. The stereotypes @waitmyturtles encountered while growing up are probably stereotypes NRIs holds, under the influence of the culture in the region they reside in. Also, Indian queerness is very different from western forms of queerness.

For example, it is only the upper-class, westernized queers who adopt LGBTQ+ identification and presentation. There are those who float between westernized forms and indigenous forms, such as a transgender person who is loosely linked to a hijra group without having actually initiated into the community. [Hijra is an intentional kinship system with a hierarchical guru-chela relationship. Identification as hijra indicates membership in a hijra community.] There are wide variety of indigenous queer practices such as masti and there are different stereotypes and worldviews associated with them.

Some of the examples @waitmyturtles gave throws light on some flawed yet popular ideas about Thai queerness:

a) Tharn repeatedly and casually calling Type “his bitch”

No Tharn didn’t. Tharn calls Type his “wife” (เมีย). The use of that term by Thai queer men is well documented.

Narupon Duangwises and Peter A. Jackson in their 2021 paper Effeminacy and Masculinity in Thai Gay Culture: Language, Contextuality and the Enactment of Gender Plurality note insertive partner or fai ruk being called “husband” (phua) and receptive partner or fai rap being called a “wife” or mia in Thai gay culture.

In the book Male Homosexuality in 21st-Century Thailand based on longitudinal ethnographic study of Thai queer men, JWL van Wijngaarden highlights the difference between referring to one’s partner as “wife” and simply as “boyfriend” (faen) and how much more the former is valued.

It is callous to refer to something that is a part of Thai gay culture “an Asian stereotype” just because it doesn’t fit into western perspective. I am surprised that @waitmyturtles went there given one of the Indian/South Asian form of queerness, the Kothi-Panthi queer culture, also use such forms of endearment.

The perception that the term is a pejorative is popular in English-language discourse thanks to some popular ethnocentric takes. Notable exception being this detailed post by @thebroccolination.

Also, the way Aof Noppharnach shamed the use of the term เมีย ‘wife’ in Bad Buddy in spite of its usage by queer people, especially the little people among them, is evidence enough of the contempt and disregard he can bring in through his positionality as an “auteur” which is very unfortunate.

b) Type’s queerphobia and use of slur

I think it is dealt with in the series itself. It is a recurrent source of conflict, inflicting hurt on Tharn and others.

What this MAME show does best is the portrayal of rampant heterosexism and anti-queer sentiments prevalent in the society. I was impressed by the way it was portrayed in the series:

Techno’s friends approach Type, drawn in by his good looks. We get to know that they operate a cute-boys (khio-boi) page on social media.

Quick side note:

[T]he cute-boy culture on social media platforms, notably Facebook, that has developed over the past decade. This culture is characterized by the widespread presence of Facebook pages with names that include the terms ‘cute-boy’ or sometimes ‘sexy-boy’, with or without a hyphen, featuring images of appealing and delightful youths, predominantly high school and undergraduate students.

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have become valuable resources for production studios to discover and cast cute-boys for Y-series, with modelling agencies occasionally acting as intermediaries.

Bunyavejchewin, P., Tungkeunkunt, K., Kamonpetch, P., Sirichuanjun, K., & Sukthungthong, N. (2024). Socio-demographics, lifestyles, and consumption frequency of Thai ‘Boys Love’ series content: Initial evidence from Thailand. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2307697

more on this topic by @virtualtadpole

End of side note.

Type reacts violently to being groped by Techno’s friend. The social media post calling out Type’s behavior attracts sympathy for him from a homophobic classmate. Through this no-perfect-victims set up, MAME address queerphobia and heterosexism internal and external to Type. When Type confronts Tharn during this debacle, he highlights the pitfalls of the situation which I think is a nuanced portrayal of rampant heterosexism.

c) Techno

Through Techno’s interaction Tharn, MAME highlights an important issue: invisibility of androphilic “man”. Techno comments that Tharn is the first masculine presenting androphilic male he has met, even though he has several queer friends.

This is in part due to skewed presence of androphilic male characters in mainstream media.

In mainstream Thai soap operas and movies, androphilic men are presented as effeminate, overreactive, with a passionate but unrequited interest in men.

(source)

Countering this perception is the hegemony of masculine aesthetics in urban Thailand’s queer culture.

The English word “man” has been borrowed into Thai gay-speak to denote acting in a masculine way. Man describes a masculine presentation of either gay-identified or heterosexual males and contrasts with the Thai term phu-chai, which also translates as “man” but is used in the specific sense of denoting the gender role of a heterosexually identified male.

Many Thai gays believe that effeminate gay men, or gay sao, will experience discrimination and prejudice because of their feminine characteristics and behaviours. Thai gays also think that performing gender-normative forms of manhood are useful in establishing sexual and romantic relations with other gays. These expectations are associated with the culture of images, known in Thai as phap-phot, by which many homosexual men feel compelled to act in accord with normative male gender roles.

(Source)

This is in contrast to Techno’s queer friends who blur the lines between the masculine and feminine domains. His use of the word kathoey in the end of episode 1 is case in point.

Moreover, the need for social conformity for Thai gays in terms of their gender performance is an urban phenomenon. Ethnographic study by Wijngaarden traced the rapid adoption of more masculine gender performance by gay men who moved from rural setting to urban for the purpose of education and employment. Ambiguity in gender performance is more accepted in rural setting where there is gender-based understandings of homosexuality. Also, gay dating scene in urban areas seem to assign value to masculine presentation.

d) Promiscuous gay - Countered within the narrative.

e) Lhong

He is a yandere (a rarity in Thai BL) albeit a different one from Kengkla in Love By Chance. Lhong is set up to lean towards the crazy rather than the romantic-obsessive. So, his approach is very different from that of Kengkla as he is the villain in this narrative. His crazy-love Tharn motivates him to deliberately isolate him from everyone else. It is in line with his characterization to employ every weapon in his repertoire against his rivals Tum and Type. Gang rape in this case is a multipronged approach employed to extract max harm. It is brutal and yandere characters are created so that they can deliver all that brutality.

TharnType is an odo BL (one with royal road narrative progression). Such a narrative is not set up where all wrong-doings are punished. Take for example KinnPorsche, another odo BL, where the ending can’t be organized crime gets the main characters in jail. Most of the time in odo BL involving crimes, victims are basically cannon fodders. So, characters are not bothered much by the crime. But here Tum is an important character, someone designed to make audience root for him. Hence the audience can't dismiss the crime.

While Lhong is let go, it is meant as punishment. He is in an earthly badro of his own making and reincarnation is only possible once he has given up on Tharn completely, let go of all that he was previously entangled with. But it is not wrong to want the narrative to punish Lhong in other ways. If TharnType was a sweet BL, it would have gone there.

7. Geography of queerness

The assumption that “gay culture” thrives in cities is most likely correct. But that is not the only form or mode of queerness. What TharnType offers is not a helping of urban gay culture. Instead, it gives an interplay of different queer cultures, centred on characters who are from different socio-economic, racial and geographic backgrounds. Techno’s engagement with masculine urban gay culture, Tharn’s conditional acceptance in Type’s household, Type’s own struggle with queerness and Kom’s story – all of them engage different strands of queer praxis.

-

There are two more points @waitmyturtles discussed that I have already wrote about in Part 1:

How could MAME be writing about sexual assault

Queer content from MAME versus queer content from queer creators since MAME harms queer community through perpetuating stereotypes

-

This review generated good amount of response and I want to discuss some of those too. That will be the fourth part of this series on MAME & BL Literacy.

-

Finally, a quick note on this recent post by @waitmyturtles where this one line stood out to me:

If MAME wants to take on a healthier stance of equity, and to play around with more realistic depictions of what it means to be queer in Thailand, then go for it, girl.

I don’t think MAME is in anyway doing anything very different with Love Sea or Wedding Plan. The Y novel Wedding Plan: The Groom's Evil (Love) Plan started serialization on the platform dek-d in 2016, years before any of her works was adapted into live action and got popular globally. But it is likely that western/westernized fandom couldn’t relate to or even understand the non-urban modes of queerness in her earlier shows.

As I conclude I want to highlight the hegemony of LGBTQ+ model of queerness. In India, westernized queer people sometimes don’t even know about indigenous forms of queerness. As a result, thousands of year old forms of queerness is relegated to the margins within a marginalized community. Hijras can be found in every metro in India. Yet, hijra community rights (legal recognition for the association between guru-ma and chela) are not even in the periphery of legal battle and political movement spearheaded by the likes of Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju as well as Uday Raj Anand and Parth Mehrotra. (This is not to underplay their valuable contributions.) Hijras can get married legally but most of their other rights and opportunities are tied to their communities which are not legally recognized.

Other parts of MAME & BL Literacies essay series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

[literaryvein-reblogs]

I hope this doesn't sound confusing, but is there a way to strike a balance between using "simple" words and "complex" words? Like, trying to write something that isn't too simple or too verbose.

I think context is the keyword here.

What I do is I just write using my current vocabulary, so that I'm able to convey what I mean as accurately as possible. And if I want to sort of elevate my writing, that's when I might swap out some simpler words with more "complex"/poetic words, or maybe even phrases. But I make sure I'm using the appropriate vocabulary. How do we do this? I'm just going to copy and paste here an excerpt from this writing resource to answer this question:

It’s important to use words and expressions that fit the context so your meaning is clear. For example, different audiences for your writing will require different levels of formality: the vocabulary you use in an academic essay may not be effective for a blogpost targeting a popular audience. Consider the following questions to help you choose the most appropriate words for your audience and purpose. a. What’s the exact meaning of the word? Words may be broadly similar in meaning but differ in important aspects of that meaning. Consider the difference between ‘the fragrance of flowers’  and ‘the odour of rotten eggs.’ Both words refer to the sense of smell, but fragrance has a positive core meaning while odour has a negative one. If you don’t know what a word exactly means, check it in a dictionary. Also look up sample sentences that use your "complex"/fancy word, and see how it is actually used. But, once you truly know what a word means, wordplay can be your friend. b. Is the word attached to a feeling? Compare the two sentences: ‘The freeway snakes through the town’ and ‘The freeway meanders through the town’. In this example, snake indicates negative feelings about the freeway while meander doesn’t. c. What level of intensity does the word show? Many words with similar meanings describe different degrees of the same quality or action. For example, ‘comical’, ‘hilarious’ and ‘side-splitting’  show different degrees of funniness. Think about the intensity of what you want to convey when choosing words. d. Is the word formal or informal? Go for formal words and expressions in business communication and academic writing. In the following examples, the second expression in each pair is more formal than the first: (1) come up with / create (2) one after another / at regular intervals (3) huge / considerable (4) enough / sufficient e. Is the word polite? Words which describe negative qualities or sensitive issues too directly can be offensive. Good communicators consider the feelings of their audience. For example, when writing about childhood obesity, it’s more appropriate to use ‘children with weight problems’ or ‘children of an unhealthy weight’ than ‘fat children’. f. Is the word specific or general? Use words with specific meanings whenever possible to make your message clearer to your audience. For example, avoid overusing general verbs such as ‘be’, ‘do’, ‘have’ and ‘get’, especially in academic writing, as they don’t accurately convey specific ideas. It’s better to use a more specific verb or verb phrase to strengthen your message. Compare the impact of the verbs in these sentences: ‘To be successful, learners need to have high-level literacy skills.’ ‘To be successful, learners need to develop and demonstrate high-level literacy skills.’ g. What other words does the word often go with? Some words are frequently used together and therefore sound more natural in combination. This is called collocation. For example, we say ‘fast train’ not ‘quick train’, but ‘quick shower’ not ‘fast shower’. Similarly, it’s more natural to say ‘highly critical’ rather than ‘deeply critical.’ Additionally, be aware of idioms. Idioms are commonly used word combinations or expressions. These have very specific meanings that are not obvious from the words they contain, e.g. ‘a piece of cake’, ‘get the hang of it’, ‘an Indian summer’, and ‘after a fashion’. Many dictionaries list and define idioms if you look up the component words. For example, try looking up ‘Indian’ or ‘summer’ to find ‘Indian summer’.

But if you have a wide vocabulary that people have difficulty understanding you, maybe you can do the opposite of this and swap out the too complex words with simpler ones, haha!

Lastly, when you read through your work whilst editing, ask yourself: Does this sound natural? Does it sound like your literary voice? Do you recognise yourself in this written work? Or do the simple/complex words you've inserted sound too unfamiliar?

Hope this helps, dear Anon. But if anyone has a better answer for this, do let us know.

[bisupergirl]

random bits of trivia about pre-crisis kara bc shes my babygirl:

she was a bridesmaid at ray palmer and jean loring’s wedding (justice league of america #157)

her favorite genres of music are jazz and rock (supergirl vol 2 #8)

she called acting her real ambition, and it was her life-long goal to become an actress (supergirl vol 1 #1)

she’s been in two movies and a soap opera (action comics #372, adventure comics #391, the superman family #208-222)

her favorite meal is veal marsala (all-new collectors' edition #c-58)

she was a psychology major at lake shore university (supergirl vol 2 #1)

her birthday is september 22, making her a virgo (super dc calendar 1976)

she was named after the kryptonian goddess of beauty (action comics #314)

she has 5 living parents (zor el and alura [who survived argo city’s destruction by escaping to the survival zone in action comics #309-310], fred and edna danvers [who adopted her in action comics #279], and hippolyta [who adopted her in supergirl vol 1 #9])

she has owned two cats named streaky and only the first one had powers (she adopted streaky i in action comics #261 and streaky ii in supergirl vol 2 #6)

she never actually lived on krypton (being born years later on the surviving chunk of argo city) and only learned about it from stories her mother would tell her (action comics #252/314)

after landing on earth she was raised and primarily lived in california before later moving to florida, new york, and illinois (midvale, san francisco (obv), and vandyre university are all located within CA [adventure comics #406, supergirl vol 1 #1/4], and stanhope is driving distance from midvale and “state tech” so i’m assuming its also in california [action comics #318])

in total she's had three jobs (camera operator/reporter, student advisor, and actress) and attended three colleges (stanhope college, vandyre university, and lake shore university). she was also a part of a sorority while attending stanhope college (action comics #318).

[wanderingmind867]

I know people probably won't read this post, since my dc comics reading list/order is just such a long, long list of things. But I wanted to share this, to demonstrate how out of control this is getting. I'm not remotely close to done writing this thing, although i'm slowly getting fed up with trying to write this stupid thing down. Because it's so frustrating. I'm probably never gonna read half of the stuff i've written down on my list, so you know. That can make me pretty frustrated. Still, i'm gonna probably keep working on the reading list. Even though it is tiresome, and intensely boring sometimes. sigh...

Wonder Woman:

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 1 (All-Star Comics #8, Sensation Comics #1-24, Wonder Woman #1-7 and Comic Cavalcade #1-5)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 2 (Sensation Comics #25-48, Wonder Woman #8-15, Comic Cavalcade #6-13, DC Special #3 and The Big All-American Comic Book #1)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 3 (Sensation Comics #49-69, Wonder Woman #16-25 and Comic Cavalcade #14-22)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 4 (Sensation Comics #70-91, Wonder Woman #26-36 and Comic Cavalcade #23-29)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 5 (Action Comics #142, Wonder Woman #35-47 and Sensation Comics #90-104)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 6 (Wonder Woman #48-71 and Sensation Comics #105-106)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 7 (Wonder Woman #72-97)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 8 (Wonder Woman #98-123)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 9 (Wonder Woman #124-149)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 10 (Wonder Woman #150-176 and The Brave and the Bold #63 and #78)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 11 (Wonder Woman #177-189, The Brave and the Bold #87 and Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #93)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 12 (Wonder Woman #190-204, The Brave and the Bold #105 and World's Finest Comics #204)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 13 (Wonder Woman #205-223)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 14 (Wonder Woman #224-238 and World's Finest Comics #244-247)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 15 (Wonder Woman #239-249, World's Finest Comics #248-252, All-New Collectors Edition #C-54 and DC Special Series #9)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 16 (Wonder Woman #250-273 and Adventure Comics #459-464)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 17 (Wonder Woman #274-287)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 18 (Wonder Woman #288-304)

DC Deluxe Collections: Wonder Woman Vol. 19 (Wonder Woman #305-325)

Green Lantern:

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Lantern Vol. 1 (Showcase #22-24 and Green Lantern #1-5) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Lantern Vol. 2 (Green Lantern #6-13) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Lantern Vol. 3 (Green Lantern #14-21) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Lantern Vol. 4 (Green Lantern #22-29) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Lantern Vol. 5 (Green Lantern #30-38)

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Lantern Vol. 6 (Green Lantern #39-47)

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Lantern Vol. 7 (Green Lantern #48-57)

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Lantern Vol. 8 (Green Lantern #58-67)

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Lantern Vol. 9 (Green Lantern #68-75)

Hawkman:

DC Deluxe Collections: Hawkman Vol. 1 (The Brave and the Bold #34-36, #42-44 and Mystery in Space #87-90) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Hawkman Vol. 2 (Hawkman #1-10) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Hawkman Vol. 3 (Hawkman #11-21) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Hawkman Vol. 4 (The Atom #31, #37 and The Atom and Hawkman #39-45) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Hawkman Vol. 5 (Detective Comics #428, #434, #446, #452, #454-455, #463-468, #479-480, #500, Showcase #101-103, DC Super-Stars #14 and World's Finest Comics #256-259, #261-262, #264-270 and #272-282) ✓

The Justice League:

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 1 (The Brave and the Bold #28-30, Justice League of America #1-6 and Mystery in Space #75) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 2 (Justice League of America #7-14) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 3 (Justice League of America #15-22) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 4 (Justice League of America #23-30) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 5 (Justice League of America #31-40) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 6 (Justice League of America #41-50) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 7 (Justice League of America 51-60) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 8 (Justice League of America #61-67 and #69-70) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 9 (Justice League of America #80-83, #90-92, #94 and #100-102) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 10 (Justice League of America #103-113) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 11 (Justice League of America #116-126 and #128-129) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 12 (Justice League of America #131-139 and DC Super-Stars #10) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 13 (Justice League #140-148) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 14 (Justice League of America #151-160 and Showcase #100) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice League of America Vol. 15 (Justice League of America #161-162, #173-180, #183-186, #192-200 and DC Comics Presents #17) ✓

The Flash:

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 1 (Showcase #4, #8, #13-14 and The Flash #105-109) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 2 (The Flash #110-114 and #116-119) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 3 (The Flash #120-126 and #128-131) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 4 (The Flash #134-142) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 5 (The Flash #143-152) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 6 (The Flash #153-161 and #163-165) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 7 (The Flash #166-176) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 8 (The Flash #179-191) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 9 (The Flash #193, #195-198, #200-201 and #206-208) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 10 (The Flash #209, #211 and #215-220)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 11 (The Flash #221-230)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 12 (The Flash #231-241)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 13 (The Flash #246-251, #258-259, #266-269)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 14 (Adventure Comics #459-460, #464-466, DC Special Series #1, #11 and The Flash #281-284)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 15 (The Flash #285-295)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 16 (The Flash #296-309)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Flash Vol. 17 (The Flash #310-320)

Kid Flash:

DC Deluxe Collections: Kid Flash Vol. 1 (Kid Flash stories from The Flash #110-112, #114, #116, #118, #120, #122, #125, #127, #130 and #133) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Kid Flash Vol. 2 (Kid Flash stories from The Flash #135, #138, #144, #149, #164, #167 and #173) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Kid Flash Vol. 3 (Kid Flash stories from The Flash #204, #207, #209, #211, #216 and #265-266) ✓

The Atom:

DC Deluxe Collections: The Atom Vol. 1 (Showcase #34-36 and The Atom #1-5) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Atom Vol. 2 (The Atom #6-13) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Atom Vol. 3 (The Atom #14-22 and Hawkman #9) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Atom Vol. 4 (The Atom #23-30)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Atom Vol. 5 (The Atom #31-38)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Atom Vol. 6 (The Atom and Hawkman 39-45) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Atom Vol. 7 (Action Comics #425, 427, 430, 433, 435, #438-439, #442, #447-448, #453-455, World's Finest Comics #260 and Detective Comics #432)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Atom Vol. 8 (DC Special Series #1, Action Comics #487, 489, #513-514, #521-524, #530-533 and Detective Comics #463-468 and #489)

Aquaman:

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol. 1 (Adventure Comics #167-168 and #170-199) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol. 2 (Adventure Comics #200-228) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol.3 (Adventure Comics #229-259)

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol. 4 (Adventure Comics #260-280, #282, #284, Detective Comics #293-300, World's Finest Comics #125-129 and Showcase #30-33)

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol. 5 (Aquaman #1-7, #10 and The Brave and The Bold #51)

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol. 6 (Aquaman #11-20)

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol. 7 (Aquaman #21-28 and #30)

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol. 8 (Aquaman #31-39 and The Brave and The Bold #73)

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol. 9 (Aquaman #40-48)

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol. 10 (Aquaman #49-56)

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol. 11 (Adventure Comics #435-437, #441-452, Aquaman #57-63 and DC Special Series #1)

DC Deluxe Collections: Aquaman Vol. 12 (Adventure Comics #460, #464-466, #475-478, Action Comics #517-518 and World's Finest Comics #262-264)

Martian Manhunter:

DC Deluxe Collections: Martian Manhunter Vol. 1 (Detective Comics #225-273 and Batman #78)

DC Deluxe Collections: Martian Manhunter Vol. 2 (Detective Comics #274-325)

DC Deluxe Collections: Martian Manhunter Vol. 3 (Detective Comics #326, House of Mystery #143-173 and The Brave and the Bold #50 and #56)

Green Arrow:

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Arrow Vol. 1 (More Fun Comics #73-107, Adventure Comics #103-117 and World's Finest Comics #7-28)

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Arrow Vol. 2 (Adventure Comics #118-145 and World's Finest Comics #29-42)

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Arrow Vol. 3 (Adventure Comics #146-178 and World's Finest Comics #43-59)

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Arrow Vol. 4 (Adventure Comics #179-206 and World's Finest Comics #60-73)

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Arrow Vol. 5 (Adventure Comics #207-249 and World's Finest Comics 74-94)

DC Deluxe Collections: Green Arrow Vol. 6 (Adventure Comics #250-269, World's Finest Comics #95-134, #136, #138, #140 and The Brave and The Bold #50 and #71)

Captain Marvel/Shazam:

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 1 (Whiz Comics #2-15)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 2 (Whiz Comics #16-20, Captain Marvel Adventures #1 and Special Edition Comics #1)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 3 (America's Greatest Comics #1, Whiz Comics #21-24 and Captain Marvel Adventures #2-3)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 4 (America's Greatest Comics #2, Whiz Comics #25, Captain Marvel Adventures #4-5 and Master Comics #21-22)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 5 (America's Greatest Comics #3, Whiz Comics #26-29 and Captain Marvel Adventures #6-10)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 6 (America's Greatest Comics #4, Whiz Comics #30-33 and Captain Marvel Adventures #11-14)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 7 (Whiz Comics #34-37 and Captain Marvel Adventures #15-17)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 8 (America's Greatest Comics #5-6, Whiz Comics #38-40 and Captain Marvel Adventures #18)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 9 (America's Greatest Comics #7-8, Whiz Comics #41-46 and Captain Marvel Adventures #19-26)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 10 (Whiz Comics #47-57 and Captain Marvel Adventures #27-38)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 11 (Whiz Comics #58-69, Captain Marvel Adventures #39-50 and Captain Marvel Adventures Wheaties Miniature Edition #1)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 12 (Whiz Comics #70-87 and Captain Marvel Adventures #51-74)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 13 (Whiz Comics #88-101 and Captain Marvel Adventures #75-88)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 14 (Whiz Comics #102-122 and Captain Marvel Adventures #89-109)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 15 (Whiz Comics #123-143 and Captain Marvel Adventures #110-130)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 16 (Whiz Comics #144-155 and Captain Marvel Adventures #131-150)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 17 (Shazam! #1-18)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 18 (Shazam! #19-20, #25-35 and All-New Collectors Edition #58)

DC Deluxe Collections: Shazam Vol. 19 (World's Finest Comics #253-282 and Adventure Comics #491-492)

Captain Marvel Jr:

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 1 (Master Comics #23-32 and Captain Marvel Jr. #1)

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 2 (Master Comics #33-37 and Captain Marvel Jr. #2-6)

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 3 (Master Comics #38-45 and Captain Marvel Jr. #7-14)

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 4 (Master Comics #46-51 and Captain Marvel Jr. #15-20)

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 5 (Master Comics #52-57 and Captain Marvel Jr. #21-26)

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 6 (Master Comics #58-64 and Captain Marvel Jr. #27-33)

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 7 (Master Comics #65-76 and Captain Marvel Jr #34-46)

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 8 (Master Comics #77-88 and Captain Marvel Jr #47-58)

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 9 (Master Comics #89-106 and Captain Marvel Jr. #59-76)

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 10 (Master Comics #107-117 and Captain Marvel Jr #77-89)

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 11 (Master Comics #118-125 and Captain Marvel Jr #90-105)

DC Deluxe Collections: Captain Marvel Jr Vol. 12 (Master Comics #126-133 and Captain Marvel Jr #106-119)

Mary Marvel:

DC Deluxe Collections: Mary Marvel Vol. 1 (Captain Marvel Adventures #18 and Wow Comics #9-38)

DC Deluxe Collections: Mary Marvel Vol. 1 (Wow Comics #39-46 and Mary Marvel #1-4)

DC Deluxe Collections: Mary Marvel Vol. 3 (Wow Comics #47-51 and Mary Marvel #5-9)

DC Deluxe Collections: Mary Marvel Vol. 4 (Wow Comics #52-58 and Mary Marvel #10-19)

DC Deluxe Collections: Mary Marvel Vol. 5 (Mary Marvel #20-28)

The Marvel Family:

DC Deluxe Collections: Marvel Family Vol. 1 (Marvel Family #1-10)

DC Deluxe Collections: Marvel Family Vol. 2 (Marvel Family #11-20)

DC Deluxe Collections: Marvel Family Vol. 3 (Marvel Family #21-30)

DC Deluxe Collections: Marvel Family Vol. 4 (Marvel Family #31-40)

DC Deluxe Collections: Marvel Family Vol. 5 (Marvel Family #41-50)

DC Deluxe Collections: Marvel Family Vol. 6 (Marvel Family #51-60)

DC Deluxe Collections: Marvel Family Vol. 7 (Marvel Family #61-70)

DC Deluxe Collections: Marvel Family Vol. 8 (Marvel Family #71-80)

DC Deluxe Collections: Marvel Family Vol. 9 (Marvel Family #81-89)

Kid Eternity:

DC Deluxe Collections: Kid Eternity Vol. 1 (Hit Comics #25-42 and Kid Eternity #1-3)

DC Deluxe Collections: Kid Eternity Vol. 2 (Hit Comics #43-60 and Kid Eternity #4-18)

Spy-Smasher:

DC Deluxe Collections: Spy-Smasher Vol. 1 (Whiz Comics #2-20, Spy-Smasher #1 and America's Greatest Comics #1)

DC Deluxe Collections: Spy-Smasher Vol. 2 (Whiz Comics #21-33, Spy-Smasher #2-6 and America's Greatest Comics #2-4)

DC Deluxe Collections: Spy-Smasher Vol. 3 (Whiz Comics #34-40, Spy-Smasher #7-11 and America's Greatest Comics #5-6)

DC Deluxe Collections: Spy-Smasher Vol. 4 (Whiz Comics #41-83, All-Hero Comics #1 and America's Greatest Comics #8)

Bulletman:

DC Deluxe Collections: Bulletman Vol. 1 (Nickle Comics #1-8, Master Comics #7-22, Whiz Comics #25, Bulletman #1-3 and America's Greatest Comics #1)

DC Deluxe Collections: Bulletman Vol. 2 (Master Comics #23-30, Bulletman #4-7 and America's Greatest Comics #2-4)

DC Deluxe Collections: Bulletman Vol. 3 (Master Comics #31-41, Bulletman #8-12 and America's Greatest Comics #5-8)

DC Deluxe Collections: Bulletman Vol. 4 (Master Comics #42-71 and Bulletman #14-16)

DC Deluxe Collections: Bulletman Vol. 5 (Master Comics #72-106)

Ibis the Invincible:

DC Deluxe Collections: Ibis Vol. 1 (Whiz Comics #2-38, Ibis #1 and America's Greatest Comics #4)

DC Deluxe Collections: Ibis Vol. 2 (Whiz Comics #39-50, Ibis #2 and All-Hero Comics #1)

DC Deluxe Collections: Ibis Vol. 3 (Whiz Comics #51-72 and Ibis #3-4)

DC Deluxe Collections: Ibis Vol. 4 (Whiz Comics #73-103 and Ibis #5-6)

DC Deluxe Collections: Ibis Vol. 5 (Whiz Comics #104-155)

Mister Scarlet:

DC Deluxe Collections: Mister Scarlet Vol. 1 (Wow Comics #1-30 and America's Greatest Comics #1-7)

DC Deluxe Collections: Mister Scarlet Vol. 2 (Wow Comics #31-69)

Minute Man:

DC Deluxe Collections: Minute Man Vol. 1 (Master Comics #11-22, Minute Man #1-2 and America's Greatest Comics #1)

DC Deluxe Collections: Minute Man Vol. 2 (Master Comics #23-49, Minute Man #3 and America's Greatest Comics #2-7)

Isis:

DC Deluxe Collections: Isis Vol. 1 (Shazam! #25 and Isis #1-8)

Plastic Man:

DC Deluxe Collections: Plastic Man Vol. 1 (Police Comics #1-33 and Plastic Man #1-2)

DC Deluxe Collections: Plastic Man Vol. 2 (Police Comics #34-55 and Plastic Man #3-4)

DC Deluxe Collections: Plastic Man Vol. 3 (Police Comics #56-70 and Plastic Man #5-9)

DC Deluxe Collections: Plastic Man Vol. 4 (Police Comics #71-86 and Plastic Man #10-15)

DC Deluxe Collections: Plastic Man Vol. 5 (Police Comics #87-98 and Plastic Man #16-22)

DC Deluxe Collections: Plastic Man Vol. 6 (Police Comics #99-102 and Plastic Man #23-30)

DC Deluxe Collections: Plastic Man Vol. 7 (Plastic Man #31-52)

DC Deluxe Collections: Plastic Man Vol. 8 (Plastic Man vol 2 #11-20)

DC Deluxe Collections: Plastic Man Vol. 9 (Adventure Comics #467-478, Super Friends #43, #45, DC Comics Presents #39, The Brave and The Bold #76, #95, #123, #148 and World's Finest Comics #273)

The Freedom Fighters:

DC Deluxe Collections: Freedom Fighters Vol. 1 (Justice League of America #107-108, Freedom Fighters #1-15, Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2, Secret Society of Supervillians #15 and Black Lightning #11)

Doctor Fate:

DC Deluxe Collections: Doctor Fate Archives Vol. 1 (More Fun Comics #55-98)

DC Deluxe Collections: Doctor Fate Vol. 2 (DC Special Series #10, The Flash #306-313, 1st Issue Special #9, The Brave and The Bold #156, Showcase #55-56, World's Finest Comics #208 and DC Comics Presents #23)

The Phantom Stranger:

DC Deluxe Collections: The Phantom Stranger Vol. 1 (The Phantom Stranger #1-6 and Doctor Thirteen stories from Star-Spangled Comics #122-130 and House of Mystery #7) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Phantom Stranger Vol. 2 (Showcase #80 and Phantom Stranger #1-9) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Phantom Stranger Vol. 3 (Phantom Stranger #10-16, Doctor Thirteen stories from Phantom Stranger #12-16 and The Brave and The Bold #89 and #98) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Phantom Stranger Vol. 4 (Phantom Stranger #17-26, Doctor Thirteen stories from Phantom Stranger #18-19 and #21 and Spawn of Frankenstein stories from Phantom Stranger #23-26) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Phantom Stranger Vol. 5 (Phantom Stranger #27-30, #33-41 and Doctor Thirteen stories from Phantom Stranger #34 and Adventure Comics #428) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Phantom Stranger Vol. 6 (Saga of the Swamp Thing #1-15, DC Super-Stars #18, Justice League of America #103 and Batman and The Outsiders #8) ✓

Deadman:

DC Deluxe Collections: Deadman Vol. 1 (Strange Adventures #205-216, The Brave and The Bold #79 and #86, Aquaman #50-52, Challengers of the Unknown #74) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Deadman Vol. 2 (Adventure Comics #459-466, The Brave and The Bold #104, #133, Superman Family #183, DC Comics Presents #24 and DC Special Series #8) ✓

The Spectre:

DC Deluxe Collections: The Spectre Vol. 1 (More Fun Comics #52-70) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Spectre Vol. 2 (More Fun Comics #71-101 and All-Star Comics #2)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Spectre Vol. 3 (Showcase #60-61, #64 and The Spectre #1-4)

DC Deluxe Collections: The Spectre Vol. 4 (The Spectre #5-10 and The Brave and the Bold #72 and #75)

Air-Wave:

DC Deluxe Collections: Air Wave Vol. 1 (Green Lantern #100, Action Comics #488, #511-516, #524-527, #533-535 and DC Comics Presents #55)

Black Canary:

DC Deluxe Collections: Black Canary Vol. 1 (Flash Comics #86-104, DC Special #3, Adventure Comics #399, #418-419 and The Brave and The Bold #61-62)

Justice Society of America:

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 1 (All Star Comics #3-6) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 2 (All Star Comics #7-10) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 3 (All Star Comics #11-14)

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 4 (All Star Comics #15-18)

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 5 (All Star Comics #19-23)

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 6 (All Star Comics #24-28)

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 7 (All Star Comics #29-33)

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 8 (All Star Comics #34-38)

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 9 (All Star Comics #39-43)

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 10 (All Star Comics #44-49)

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 11 (All Star Comics #50-57)

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 12 (All Star Comics #58-67 and DC Special #29)

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 13 (All Star Comics #68-74 and Adventure Comics #461-466)

DC Deluxe Collections: Justice Society of America Vol. 14 (Showcase #97-99, DC Super-Stars #17, Batman Family #18-20 and Wonder Woman #271-321)

Seven Soldiers of Victory:

DC Deluxe Collections: Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives Vol. 1 (Leading Comics #1-4)

DC Deluxe Collections: Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives Vol. 2 (Leading Comics #5-8)

DC Deluxe Collections: Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives Vol. 3 (Leading Comics #9-14 and a script for #15)

DC Deluxe Collections: Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives Vol. 4 (Adventure Comics #438-443 and Justice League of America #100-102)

Zatanna:

DC Deluxe Collections: Zatanna Vol. 1 (DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #5, Hawkman #4, The Atom #19, Detective Comics #336, #355, Green Lantern #42 and Justice League of America #51) ✓

Etrigan:

DC Deluxe Collections: Etrigan, The Demon Vol. 1 (The Demon #1-16)

DC Deluxe Collections: Etrigan, The Demon Vol. 2 (Detective Comics #482-485, The Brave and The Bold #109, Batman Family #17 and DC Comics Presents #66)

Amethyst:

DC Deluxe Collections: Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld Vol. 1 (Legion of Super-Heroes #298, Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld #1-12, Amethyst annual #1 and DC Comics Presents #63)

DC Deluxe Collections: Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld Vol. 2 (Amethyst #1-16 and Amethyst Special #1)

Elongated Man:

DC Deluxe Collections: Elongated Man Vol. 1 (The Flash #112, #115, #119, #124, #130, #134, #138 and Detective Comics #327-346)

DC Deluxe Collections: Elongated Man Vol. 2 (Detective Comics #347-383)

DC Deluxe Collections: Elongated Man Vol. 3 (The Flash #206, #208, #210, #212, Detective Comics #426, #430, #436, #444, #449, #453, #456-457, #462, #463-468, #488, #500, Justice League of America #182 and Adventure Comics #459)

Arion of Atlantis:

DC Deluxe Collections: Arion of Atlantis Vol. 1 (Warlord #55-62 and Arion, Lord of Atlantis #1-8)

DC Deluxe Collections: Arion of Atlantis Vol. 2 (Arion, Lord of Atlantis #9-18)

DC Deluxe Collections: Arion of Atlantis Vol. 3 (Arion, Lord of Atlantis #19-28)

DC Deluxe Collections: Arion of Atlantis Vol. 4 (Arion, Lord of Atlantis #29-35 and Arion Special #1)

Human Target:

DC Deluxe Collections: The Human Target Vol 1. (Action Comics #419-420, #422-423, #425-426, #429, #432, Detective Comics #483-484, #486, #493, #500, #515, #518, Batman #349, #351-352 and The Brave and The Bold #143-144)

Teen Titans:

DC Deluxe Collections: Teen Titans Vol. 1 (The Brave and The Bold #54, 60, Showcase #59 and Teen Titans #1-11) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Teen Titans Vol. 2 (Teen Titans #12-24 and The Brave and The Bold #83)

DC Deluxe Collections: Teen Titans Vol. 3 (Teen Titans #25-33, The Brave and The Bold #94 and World's Finest Comics #205)

DC Deluxe Collections: Teen Titans Vol. 4 (Teen Titans #34-43)

DC Deluxe Collections: Teen Titans Vol. 5 (Teen Titans #44-52)

Doom Patrol:

DC Deluxe Collections: Doom Patrol Vol. 1 (My Greatest Adventure #80-85, Doom Patrol #86-89) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Doom Patrol Vol. 2 (Doom Patrol #90-98) ✓

Part of DC Deluxe Collections: Doom Patrol Vol. 3 (Doom Patrol #99-108, Challengers of the Unknown #48 and The Brave and The Bold #65) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Doom Patrol Vol. 4 (Doom Patrol #109-120) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: Doom Patrol Vol. 5 (Showcase #94-96, Superman Family #191-193, DC Comics Presents #52 and The New Adventures of Supergirl #7-9) ✓

The Creeper:

DC Deluxe Collections: The Creeper Vol. 1 (Showcase #73, Beware The Creeper #1-6, Justice League of America #70, Adventure Comics #445-447, 1st Issue Special #7, Super-Team Family #2, World's Finest Comics #249-255, Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2 and The Flash #318-324)

Bat Lash:

DC Deluxe Collections: Bat Lash Vol. 1 (Showcase #76, Bat Lash #1-7, DC Special Series #16 and Jonah Hex #49, #51-52)

Firestorm:

DC Deluxe Collections: Firestorm Vol. 1 (Firestorm #1-5, Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #1, The Flash #289-304 and DC Comics Presents #17)

DC Deluxe Collections: Firestorm Vol. 2 (The Fury of Firestorm #1-9)

DC Deluxe Collections: Firestorm Vol. 3 (The Fury of Firestorm #10-19 and annual #1)

DC Deluxe Collections: Firestorm Vol. 4 (The Fury of Firestorm #20-29 and annual #2)

DC Deluxe Collections: Firestorm Vol. 5 (The Fury of Firestorm #30-40 and annual #3)

Black Lightning:

DC Deluxe Collections: Black Lightning Vol. 1 (Black Lightning #1-12)

DC Deluxe Collections: Black Lightning Vol. 2 (World's Finest Comics #256-259 and #261, DC Comics Presents #16, Justice League of America #173-174, Detective Comics #490-491 and #494-495 and The Brave and the Bold #163)

Metamorpho:

DC Deluxe Collections: Metamorpho Vol. 1 (The Brave and The Bold #57-58, #66 and #68, Metamorpho #1-4 and Justice League of America #42)

DC Deluxe Collections: Metamorpho Vol. 2 (Metamorpho #5-17)

DC Deluxe Collections: Metamorpho Vol. 3 (Action Comics #413-418, World's Finest Comics #217-220, #226, #229, 1st Issue Special #3, The Brave and the Bold #101, #123, #154 and DC Comics Presents #40)

The Metal Men:

DC Deluxe Collections: The Metal Men Vol. 1 (Showcase #37-40 and The Metal Men #1-6) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Metal Men Vol. 2 (The Metal Men #7-15 and The Brave and The Bold #55) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Metal Men Vol. 3 (The Metal Men #16-24 and The Brave and The Bold #66) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Metal Men Vol. 4 (The Metal Men #25-32) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Metal Men Vol. 5 (The Metal Men #33-44) ✓

DC Deluxe Collections: The Metal Men Vol. 6 (The Metal Men #45-56) ✓

Blue Devil:

DC Deluxe Collections: Blue Devil Vol. 1 (Blue Devil #1-10 and The Fury of Firestorm #24)

DC Deluxe Collections: Blue Devil Vol. 2 (Blue Devil #11-19 and annual #1)

DC Deluxe Collections: Blue Devil Vol. 3 (Blue Devil #20-31 and DC Comics Presents #96)

Red Tornado:

DC Deluxe Collections: Red Tornado Vol. 1 (Detective Comics #493, World's Finest Comics #265-270, #272 and Red Tornado #1-4) ✓

Ambush Bug:

DC Deluxe Collections: Ambush Bug Vol. 1 (DC Comics Presents #52, #59 and #81, The New Adventures of Supergirl #16, Action Comics #560, #563 and #565, Ambush Bug #1-4, Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer #1, Son of Ambush Bug #1-6, Secret Origins #48 and Ambush Bug Nothing Special #1)

Misc:

DC Who's Who Omnibus Vol. 1 (Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #1-26, Who's Who: Update '87 #1-5 and Who's Who: Update '88 #1-4) ✓

DC Who's Who Omnibus Vol. 2 (Who's Who in the DC Universe #1-16, Who's Who in the Legion of Superheroes #1-7 and Who's Who Update '93 1-2) ✓

Wonder Woman: Black and Gold Collection (Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #1-6)