#his family always comes first for him especially JL!

[symphonyofsilence]

WWX stans saying he would have been the best uncle and Jin Ling's favorite uncle like we didn't see the man see Jin Ling go through the most horrifying event in his life and witness his uncle (who was also one of his two guardians) painful, traumatizing death after the said uncle was dismembered and after some really earth-shattering truths being unraveled, and LEAVE THE BOY THERE CRYING WHILE STARING AT HIS UNCLE'S COFFIN to go fuck in the bushes with LWJ. Like not an hour after the incident, or even a quarter of an hour. no. right after that whole shitshow happened!

(And JL accusingly asked JC why he let them go! JL...my boy... the real question is why did THEY choose to go?! When WWX had a traumatized nephew & a literally and figuratively bleeding brother to take care of, and LWJ had a traumatized brother who seconds ago WAS WILLING TO DIE WITH JGY and LWJ hadn't yet made sure that LXC's willingness has ceased since!)

And then WWX didn't even go to check on JL after that! While JL was a 15 y/o sect leader dealing with the power vacuum left after the scandals of the previous sect leader who was also coincidentally the Xiandu, & going through a power struggle with one of the worst sects out there.

WWX asks after Jin Ling from the Lan Juniors instead of going to see him himself! When he next sees JL it's said that the news of his struggles had reached Wangxian in Gusu, meaning that WWX hadn't dropped by to check on JL to hear of these from JL himself and he hadn't dropped by to check in on him even after hearing these news! He was only there bc JL had invited the Lan Juniors for a field trip!

WWX shows his love with drastic, big, dramatic, sacrificial acts like giving his golden core to JC or transferring Jin Ling's curse to himself, but since he himself loves to run away from his traumas and his responsibilities, he's not someone who can be counted on to help his loved-ones with their traumas and responsibilities. He didn't do it with Jiang Cheng and he didn't do it with Jin Ling. He never even talked to Wen Ning about Wen Qing and the Wen Remnants. (Or how WN feels about being a zombie forcefully brought back to life in a world that hates and fears him)

Maybe diplomacy is not his strength and he'll only make things worse by trying to help JL with his sect leader duties, but it wouldn't have taken anything from him if he had only stayed by JL at least for the night after the Guanyin Temple, not even doing anything, but just being there. (And I understand that narratively it might have been a point in the story where some readers might want to see the main couple sail off into the sunset together, but all it would have taken for the main couple to be shown as less of a dick was adding a phrase like "the next morning..." or even "later that day" or something like that before writing about them disappearing into the sunset...or the bushes.)

I love Wei Wuxian, but post-resurrection Wei Wuxian was really...not particularly an ideal family member.

[zahri-melitor]

I don't know if it's just me but it feels like alot of the points people use to criticise Tim are things that can actually be seen with early Damian writing. The too smart, dangerous, over-competent and slightly murderous character doesn't really fit Tim as a character even though he's ascribed to that and criticised for it but it can easily be seen with Damian.

I don't hate Damian as a character, but I get what you mean about it being tiring that DC keeps pushing him to the top of the totem pole especially since the way the do that is by making other characters seem incompetent and by ignoring other characters. Also correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Cass, Barbara or Tim have been on the Justice League but Damian as a teen younger than them technically is/was?

Oh boy. Late response on this, but I've been playing with it for a while.

Starting with the last point first: Tim’s actually the only one of those three who hasn’t been on a main universe Justice League at any point.

Barbara was a member of the JLA after the Morrison reboot for quite a while between 1998-2000. She’s also got the tendency to pop up in JL stories and events as one of the computer folk helping maintain their systems. She’s certainly more focused on her OWN team and I don’t think she’s ever been a member as Batgirl, but as Oracle? As Lian Harper says in Titans #1 (1999), she’s secretly running the League.

Cass was a member of Justice League Elite, a morally ambiguous Justice League spinoff coming out of one of the more confusing JLA arcs. She was placed on the team undercover as ‘Kasumi’ by Bruce essentially as a spy. In tone it feels like DC trying their hand at a The Authority ripoff before they gobbled Wildstorm up. Is it a good series? No, but it does mean Cass has been on a Justice League team with Wally, Ollie, and a bunch of Z-listers you’ve never heard of. (Someone is now going to defend oh Manitou Dawn to me and while I DO like her, she's a Z-lister, sorry)

Digression aside!

I think a lot of the time when people are arguing against a character, they are frequently complaining about the flanderised, fanonised version of that character that they trip over in fic all the time more than the character on page in comics. Not always! But those do tend to irritate people more.

In terms of "what people want to argue fanon Tim to be, Damian already is" sort of? I mean there are multiple fanon versions of Tim, but yes, "too smart, dangerous, over-competent and slightly murderous" is a common one among people who want to really insist Tim killed lots and lots and lots of people in Red Robin #8 (a reading I do not subscribe to). It is equally an okay but not great description of Damian, in that I would mostly place even early Damian as 'dangerously violent' not 'murderous' by BFTC.

I don't think it's great in terms of complete accuracy for either of them, but yeah, if you boil things down, it's closer to Damian's actual character than Tim's.

In terms of DC pushing them: yeah, Damian by being THE Robin between 2009 and 2019 or so got a solid editorial pitch as a central character, because 'Robin' as a title has that extra cachet outside of intense comics nerd circles. There were events and storylines that centred his position as The Robin, but equally it comes out in basic things like...which characters are prioritised to appear in anthologies! If we are writing a Batman Christmas story, let's have it feature Bruce and Damian, or Bruce, Dick, Damian and Barbara. And so on.

Now whether Damian's getting prioritised over every other 'kid' of the family is a murky discussion - there's a place for the conversation that certain writers in particular had a tendency to focus on Damian being Bruce's biological kid, over and above the adopted children - but generally it comes and goes in waves and with what stories are pitched. It's very clear when you read comics that some writers just like using particular characters more than others. There's often stories written where to make the story work, someone has to be left holding the idiot ball or being needlessly aggressive, to provide conflict, and writers who do this obviously have to choose someone to do it for them. If a story is centring Damian, generally he isn't going to be the one who finds out he's wrong after providing the conflict. If it's centring say Tim, then Damian might be used to push the narrative forward. And when a writer does like one character more than another, they might choose the one they don't intend to write often as the one who gets stuck being idiot ball.

TL;DR: on some occasions Damian might be being prioritised. On others he isn't. He got a lot of spotlight to himself during the 2010s; that's been more balanced since then (honestly Dick has been the one hogging spotlight for the last few years, if anyone).

[pyrorptrs]

<h1>Justice League Redesigns</h1>

My takes on initial Justice League designs, specifically the founding members!

Superman - Did my initial drawing of this design a year or so ago, so my memories on why I used certain aspects might be a bit fuzzy. Not a fan of how the New 52 and DCEU had been limiting Supes suit down to just a blue suit, a red cape, and maybe a belt, so I wanted to incorporate more of a classic look to him. So I added red trimming to the "shirt" to help give him a more bulked up look and made the usually trunks more of a pattern on the pants. I also gave him proper gloves since it seems weird that an investigative reporter wouldn't consider leaving fingerprints behind a bit of a problem (especially since a good chunk of his villains are super intelligent). I wanted to incorporated his cape into his symbol since it always seems odd to me when it's just drawn on top of his shoulders. I also tried to incorporate the diamond shape of his symbol on other parts of his suit like on the back of his gloves and his belt buckle. Yellow seems to kind of come and go in his pallet, so I figured if I was going to use it, so I tried to incorporate it as a more regular detailing throughout the suit, further color blocking his gloves, boots, and belt.

Batman - While Batman's colors tend to lean more into Greys and Blacks with maybe some yellow for detailing, I do like the darker Blue he used to sport in the comics and wanted to incorporate it while keep the later; so I used it not only for his gloves and boots and to line his cape, but I also gave him some extra padding on his costume that can double as storage for extra gadgets or to store evidence. I made his bat-symbol notably large and yellow since canonically it's typically reinforced to act as a false bullseye for grunts and tried to keep it somewhat squared off to standout from other bat-family members. Finally I tried to make his utility belt kinda boxy and bulky since it's usually a focus on a lot of his designs.

Wonder Woman - Took inspiration from a few different sources for my take on a Wonder Woman. I took a lot of inspiration from the DCEU version for the basic shape of the outfit, particularly the bracers/aegis, her sandles and grieves, the skirt, and how I shaped out her top. Gave her shoulder pads like the DCSHG version and tried to incorporate a bit of that blue hue into her hair. I also like the cape/shaw thing that the Arkhamverse version had and tried doing something similar. finally I tried to make her tiara a bit more armored to lean even more into her warrior princess look (plus I don't think she's used it as a weapon since the Super Friends days). I also tried to give her more of a tan to lean into her greek heritage.

Green Lantern 1 - Every JL needs a Lantern and since Hal Jordan is usually the first I figured I'd get him out of the way. Not much to say, mostly went with his more classic look, but updating it a bit to spread the white in his costume out a bit more.

Flash - Tried to add and change a few details on my take of a Barry Allen Flash, so that I can do a couple takes on Wally West versions when/if I get to him. kept that classic lightning lining on his boots and gloves and tried to incorporate another lightning pattern on his chest and helmet. I also tried to keep his boots and gloves predominantly red to further separate him from the classic Wally Flash suit, but still included some yellow bits to help highlight his hands and feet. I did try to make his cowl look like it's made of a harder material, but tried to avoid making it look TOO much like a helmet. I also added made the ear-dealies simple straight lines since I think it works better for Barry. finally I made the belt made out of simple rectangular shapes offset to get that lightning look without having it be actually lightning and also included them on his sides as pockets for proteins bars and such

Aquaman - I leaned heavily into taking inspiration from the BtBatB version of Aquaman for my take since I hate how hard a lot of other creators try to make him "cool". though since the Aquaman movie represented the orange part as "armor" I did also try to lean into that as well.

Martian Manhunter - Like Wonder Woman I took a lot of inspiration from all over the place for Martian Manhunter. I tried to take some DCAU inspiration for his face, Took some influence from the modern comics and Injustice for his general costume plus the symbol, I also tried to elongate his head like some of the mid-2000's-mid-2010's animated movies. I did also try to keep some of his classic blue mixed in with the black so it doesn't get as boring as it can get in some interpretations. finally I tried to make him a bit more gangly in terms of proportions to lean into his alien origins a bit more.

[poorlittleyaoyao]

I actually laughed reading about how novel!wwx judges others but he is a little mean. Novel!wwx is actually an asshole! And I too am surprised that jl didn't even spare a thought for his auntie! There's a whole paragraph about how he wants to forgive jgy and wwx (very beautiful) but what about qs? I put in the 'wtf' box, where there's also lxc's treatment at the end of the novel where lwj 'leaves him be' because 'he can't do nothing to help him'. I know that lwj isn't the best at comforting people but his brother is in seclusion! In a similar situation he was 13 years ago!

I mean... at the end of the day, the reason Jin Ling never thinks about Qin Su is that this canon itself doesn't especially care about its handful of women. It's why Jin Ling thinks about his father but not his mother, it's why Wen Ning doesn't mention his sister outside of a story about how poor Wei Wuxian has suffered ever so much, and it's why Wei Wuxian doesn't think about either of the above people. And unfortunately, since every Doylist answer has Watsonian repercussions, it means that these guys come off as jerks who don't give a shit about their mothers and sisters and friends who cared so deeply for them. The drama makes an effort, but even it stumbles in the end, IMO.

(Having typed that all out, I wonder if that's a factor in my Jiggy brainworms: in a story full of guys who regularly forget their female family members, we've got this little guy whose driving motivation is honoring his mother. And yet, because we can't have nice things, he is simultaneously responsible for a good chunk of the chronicled violence against women in the series.)

LXC's treatment is part of the novel problem of it being Wangxian: The Book. Which honestly isn't even a problem, because that is exactly what the novel is supposed to be! It's not a gen fantasy epic that happens to contain romance; it is specifically a romance so people expect it to be Wangxian: The Book.

I was complaining awhile ago about Novelxian's blithe attitude towards his traumatic experiences (both those he experienced and those he inflicted), and one of the anons who messaged me posited that this was better for the story, because it meant Wangxian could have their romance unimpeded by baggage. I boggled for a bit because it was so diametrically opposed to my own preferences that it was completely alien to me. It was eye-opening, too, because once I thought about it, that anon's perspective is probably much closer to the average audience member's than mine is, and that's fine. Because this is, after all, the romance novel Wangxian: The Book!

Going to back to LXC, the problem is more that the surrounding plot and characters are actually really damn interesting in a way that doesn't always mesh with the desired romance tropes. Acknowledging the love interest's permanently traumatized elder brother or the ramifications of the power vacuum that just opened up following JGY's death and the adjacent scandals would REALLY bring down the vibe when it's time for Wangxian: The Book to send its couple off to their cottagecore happy-ever-after. So instead, our heroes just go "well, best not to mention it!" and look like assholes because, as with the deaths mentioned in the first paragraph, the story itself doesn't want to dwell on it.

[seriouslycromulent]

What I've Been Up To (Larroquette love)

A couple of weeks ago, I started watching a lot of films and TV shows centered around John Larroquette. This is not out of character, of course. If you've visited my blog before, you might know I spent a fair amount of time gushing over him in 2022 after I finally made my way through The Librarians series for the first time, and followed it with a re-watch of the original Night Court.

After that, I watched him in Boston Legal, only to get sucked into a vortex of awesomeness called James Spader. (What can I say? Like most nerds, I have an obsessive personality.)

I've since left that rabbit hole, and leapt into a few others throughout 2023. And now I'm back to gushing over JL.

Maybe it's the new Night Court TV series. Maybe it's the overwhelming increase in great fanfiction that I've come across recently. Maybe it's because the world seems to be constantly on fire and I need a salve to help soothe my psyche. Maybe it's a combo of all 3.

Either way, I'm still leaning in, and I just want to thank my fellow nerds for sharing sources and leads on where I can find more Larroquette goodness. I'm not blowing smoke here either. I truly appreciate this.

Not only because I'm slowly running out of things to watch, but because it's nice to know there are others out there who see what I see in him. You don't know how rare that is.

Anywho! Back to geeking out. Here is a rundown of films, TV shows and TV mini-series-esque things that I've watched starring JL in the past 4 weeks:

* Walter and Henry (watched on Tubi) It was ok. I didn't dislike it. I am a fan of James Coburn and it was nice to see John play a saxophone. I remember him mentioning that he played reed instruments in his musician days back in NOLA. So I'm going to assume that he didn't have to take lessons to sell those scenes.

* Some of the McBride film series (watched on trial version of UP Faith & Family streaming service) These weren't bad. Somewhat Hallmark-y, but I would actually like to see the rest of them, especially the ones JL directed. But about 4 or 5 of them aren't available for streaming, and those include the ones he directed. The ones I saw include - - McBride: Anybody Murder Marty? - McBride: Tune in for Murder - McBride: It's Murder, Madam - McBride: The Chameleon Murder - McBride: Murder Past Midnight

* Camera Store (watched on Tubi) I know JL said in an interview that he didn't like shooting this film, but I thought it was really thought-provoking. You can tell by the reviews on IMDB that some people didn't like the slow burn of the story. But for those of us who like day-in-the-life character pieces, it was very well done. One person described it as a modern-day Death of a Salesman. And I'd say that's pretty accurate. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's certainly worth a watch.

* The 10th Kingdom (watched on Amazon Prime) I think this miniseries was a big deal back when it came out in 2000, but I never saw it. I'm not sure why because I've always been a big fan of fantasy. However, now that I've seen it, I can't say I loved it all that much. So maybe that's why I didn't watch it back in the day. I think it had a great premise, and I loved how they wove a lot of different fairy tales into one big story that played out over 10 episodes (or five 90-min episodes on Amazon).

But I think I had trouble trying to figure out who the audience was supposed to be for this. I'm guessing they wanted it to be for the whole family, but some of the dialogue skewed far older at times and it left me wondering the rest of the series. Especially when it came to things on the topic of virginity, infidelity, and sexuality in general. It was just every now and then, the characters would say something that made me go, "What was the TV rating on this again?!" Also some of the scenes between JL and his daughter were incredibly dramatic, but very out-of-place with the rest of the series' tone. They were good scenes, but it's like it became a completely different series for like 20 minutes. But ... oh well. I'm glad I saw it and can now reference it in the future.

* Wedding Daze (watched on UP Faith & Family) Talk about Hallmark-y! Well, I think this one actually was a Hallmark movie to be fair. The subject matter definitely wasn't my cup of tea, but overall, the cast wasn't bad. Well ... JL, Karen Valentine, French Stewart, and the actors who played the daughters weren't bad. Everyone else was kinda ... m'eh. But it's not bad if you like these types of stories. Interestingly, one of the actors who played one of his daughters (Jaime Ray Newman) also played opposite him in one of the McBride films. It was the McBride: Murder Past Midnight one. In it, she actually came on to JL's character at one point in the story. I looked it up. She shot the Wedding Daze film first, so the McBride role came later. I'm sure that scene was interesting to shoot. All in all, I can't say I recommend Wedding Daze though.

* Chuck, ep. 202 and ep. 414 (watched on Amazon Prime) I've heard about these episodes for years, but I never took the time to check them out because I wasn't a big fan of Chuck. I basically gave up halfway through the 1st season. But for the love of JL, I made myself watch these 2 episodes where he guest starred as super spy Roan Montgomery. And what can I say? They weren't bad. I actually enjoyed them for the most part. It was also fun to see Lesley Ann Brandt playing another sexy badass. (Methinks, she's been typecast.) I also imagine John probably liked playing the scenes where he was tied up. To be fair, he probably enjoyed the whole thing. He looked like he was having fun pretty much the whole time. Still not a fan of the show though.

* Sanford and Son, ep. 505 (watched via a link provided by another fan) Having grown up on reruns of this show, I loved learning that JL was a part of it, even if it was early in his career and he probably has very little memory of it. After I watched it, I told my mom about it, and she said she remembered that episode after all these years. So that episode definitely had some staying power for a young actor, I think. I mean, how many actors can say they played a white version of Lamont Sanford? LOL! It was a funny episode that kind of gave you a behind-the-scenes look at what the TV soundstages of the 1970s used to look like. Plus, it had Robert Guillaume in it too. Thank you fellow JL fan for sharing it!

---

OK. That's it for now. As I mentioned before, I don't have a lot left to watch that's available featuring our guy. Madhouse and Richie Rich are both on Tubi, but I saw those back in the '90s when they came out, and I don't really think they warrant a rewatch.

There are a lot of things in the shared folder I could enjoy, but I'd have to download them and I don't know if my computer memory can take it. Which sucks because I'd really like to watch Baa Baa Black Sheep. My mom remembers that show too. We'll see what I decide next.

I'm sure I'll land on something else before this obsession quietly gives way to another one in a month or so. Until then, watch this space face.

[truly-morgan]

[The way of the househusband AU]

XiCheng | Mo Dao Zu Shi Modern AU 28-12-2021

[the way of the househusband, but make it #xicheng >:3]

Where Lan Xichen was high in the Lan triads, powerful and feared, gaining the name of Zewu-jun. The last story about Zewu-jun was how he beat up many people from rival groups before just... disappearing!

stories of him being killed, sent to jail or moving to another country are travelling around while no one in the Lan group will confirm anything.

But lxc isn't dead, far from it.

He is playing house husband for a hard-working salaryman He fell head over heels for the beautiful Jiang Cheng the very moment he saw him, taking his nephew out as a reward for being a good boy.

Cue a scary, but polite, man trying to seduce the tired uncle.

Jc is a bit unsure at first, but quickly finds the man intriguing and nice.

Wanting to be with jc without pulling him into a world he doesn't belong in is what caused him to want to get out of it.

Some wouldn't believe that the great Zewu-jun was now a house husband, cooking diligently for his husband, taking care of the house, loving two little boys after another one joined the weird family.

jc and the boys even got used to how weirdly lxc could speak sometimes as if he was talking about criminal activities. but this makes him endearing to jc, who finds it funnier than anything when he knows what he's talking about. The boys sure seem to be amused too.

lxc: then you cut it into little pieces, stuff it into the little bag and dump it into hot what, then the job is nearly done

oyz parent: *looks concerned*

oyz: mister lan xiao long bao are the best!!

ljy: of course, my baba's cooking is the best😤

teacher 1: Who is this scary-looking guy? Should we call the cops?

teacher 2: I don't know, I think we-

ljy: baba!!😮☺️

jl: shushu came to get us?

lxc: the boss is doing overtime 😔 but like this, we can surprise him with a good dinner, will you help me 🤭🤫

kids: yay!!

yes, I've finally started reading the 6 volume of the way of the house husband I bought this semester, and I just thought lxc could work well too 🤭 although we just gotta imagine that himbo looking scary to other people smh

also OF COURSE lxc has a cute apron with a bunny on it that the big boss (aka a-cheng) gifted him soon after they moved in together, he takes great care of it and always uses it

oh and of course all the older ladies on the street also love lxc because they find him funny and love seeing a good husband working so hard for his family. also, they love sharing tips with someone who needs it and gossiping around 🤭

I really wanna draw this now 🤭 maybe if my hands don't hurt too much once I get back from work I'll try drawing this little family adding some more for 3zun: jgy was in the triad because of jgs, taking his step-brother (jzx) path of quitting, especially after lxc just decided to quit they meet again when jgy comes by to see how jl is doing with jc, having heard that he had found someone to live with (and want to make sure that person would be safe for little a-ling).

what a surprise than to find back an old friend because of a-cheng ☺️

nmj is either still in the triads or the nie clan got disbanded after his father died and some other gang used that to attack. maybe NHS saw how it affected his family too much and left it happen (they are much happier now anyway)

maybe they meet again by "accident" when nmj "happens to be passing by the neighbourhood" (totally not jgy telling him where Zewu-jun was and him wanting to make sure he was alive and well)

nmj 100% approves of jc after seeing how he treats lxc with all the love and cares in the world.

Original

[meimei-bunnie]

Was thinking about Jiang Cheng last night, and what I understood of his character– and especially of his relationship with Wei Wuxian, because obviously, every aspect of his character is shown through the lens of their relationship owing to the fact that Wei Wuxian is the main character.

I don't think it's a bad thing, but I do wish that we could have got some serious in-depth of a lot of characters from their own perspectives, but it works for me and my overactive brain to fill in the gaps.

I genuinely feel heartbroken over their relationship because I know that the love is there, and always will be. Even if it's now tainted with too many harsh words and spilt blood, the love is still there. The problem lies in how Jiang Cheng was raised.

At first, I used to think that Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan are not that bad of parents but after thinking over it, I have realised that they are not good either. In fact, when it comes to Jiang Cheng, they did a terrible job. JFM essentially neglected JC because of his similarity to his mother, leaving him craving for love. YZY on the other hand, constantly put him down by comparing him to WWX.

Both of these things became a core part of how JC thinks and feels. He never received unconditional love from his parents, and his relationship was strained with WWX, but he still loves them all. He is a classic Slytherin, in my opinion. He is definitely ambitious and loves his cultivation but another thing that I characterize Slytherins by is the difference in which they treat those inside their circle and outside their circle.

So, for JC, the people inside this circle are: JFM, YZY, WWX & JYL (and afterwards JL, but that's inconsequential to this post since I'm focusing more on the JC before WWX's resurrection). Even if they treat him badly, he loves them to death. He would go to the world's end for them, and all he wants in return is for them to be by his side.

Which is what WWX fails to do after the Wen situation. (I'm not blaming him, I totally support WWX's decision; I'm just painting it from JC's pov.) At a time when he had lost his parents and JYL was getting married and going away, the only tether for him was WWX– so when he chose the Wens (outsiders, for JC) and demonic cultivation over him, it was betrayal for him.

I believe there are 3 feelings that ruined their relationship, from JC's side: ① betrayal ② jealousy ③ loneliness.

The feeling of betrayal ties in to the loneliness heavily. At the root of everything is the fact that JC struggles with love; he loves deeply, but doesn't quite know how to express it at times because his own parents were lousy at doing that. (I wanna give him a tight hug so bad ugh.)

The jealousy... Well, that's the factor that ruined it the most. And I believe that if only JFM had looked past the fact that JC's mother is YZY, and had loved him as freely as he did WWX, and if YZY had not constantly compared them, then JC could have grown up without the compulsive need to constantly compare himself to WWX. It's not that he does it on purpose, but something that's wired in him because of the glaring difference in them that his parents keep pointing out, whether it's with his actions or her words.

The thing is... WWX was literally the worst person to compare himself to. He was literally a genius, a prodigy, a once-in-a-generation kind of cultivator. And also a classic Gryffindor example. Brave, reckless and strong sense of justice. That's what marks the main difference between them.

JC would choose his family/inner circle over justice. WWX would choose justice over his family/inner circle.

Those feelings of betrayal, jealousy and loneliness come out in the form of misplaced anger and hatred in the 13 years WWX is gone on every person who does demonic cultivation. I feel like JC was trying to find him too, but it was in equal parts love and equal parts hatred.

The point in the climax when he gets angry at WWX and mocks him about how good he is, and constantly better than JC that he even gives away his golden core– that scene hurt me so much. I was really upset with him, but well, his words struck me. Even now, he is still comparing himself to WWX. He has always tried to catch up to the image of WWX, in hopes of gaining his mother's pride and his father's love and even long after they are gone, he feels the need to prove himself to the rest of the world that he is Jiang Cheng. He is Jiang Wanyin, heir to the Yunmeng Jiang clan and worthy of leading them.

It's literally no secret how much he despises that everyone sees him as someone 'not Jiang like'. Their motto doesn't match him. But WWX does. WWX gets his father's love freely. WWX is the talented cultivator that everyone praises and sees, and it's never him. Never JC.

He spent his entire life trying to catch up to WWX, then chasing him in hatred, only to realise that he never could. No matter what he did, he would never measure up to WWX. And he is grateful, he is thankful for what WWX did, but it came out in the usual way all his feelings do: anger and derision. That scene hurts, but it made me finally understand JC.

Honestly, my biggest takeaway from all this was that JC deserved better parents. I love him and I love WWX and I want their relationship to be better desperately but knowing that with all that has happened, I also know it's going to be really really hard. I still want to believe in my own hc that post-canon, they sit down and talk like mature adults and get all this out of the way.

Be the brothers they always should have been, even if they can't be the Twin Heroes of Yunmeng anymore.

(Sorry this got a little long hahaha~)

Edit: And I just want to add that JC never needed to compare himself or 'catch up' to WWX. That's where his parents failed him. Nobody telling him that he is enough and wonderful and loved as he is. I would love to jump in and just, give him a tight hug and say all these things to the younger JC. That I'm proud of him. That's he's enough.

[kim-ruzek]

Do you think they will get Hailey and Jay back together now that Tracy is leaving?

What are your wishes or hopes for Adam, Kim, Kevin and Makayla in the upcoming season?

I hope so. I do think they will, especially as the only reason they had upstead go through the uncertainty of the relationship last season was to give Hailey more room in her future storylines but with her leaving, that's no longer a consideration.

I suppose it always goes down to how they decide to have her exit, but I can't see them going for an unhappy exit, especially when JLS would definitely be willing to come back for a cameo.

Now! For what my wishes are:

I need to first mention that my wish for my burzekwater is that they get their detective badges Especially now we'll be losing Hailey.

For Burzek just in general first: I want that hospital scene, I want Kim mother henning Adam because she is not doing well at all being on this side of things. I want an ily - a true parallel to Kim's first shooting, with also a cute scene with Mack to parallel her second shooting. I want them to continue to be the amazing couple they are and give us those small domestic moments so i can squeal over them being together (although I say that like I do smile stupidly to myself whenever they interact in a very neutral way now they're together because they're fucking together!) In my possibly asking for too much dream wishes is for a new burzek engagement (with Kim instigating it in some way at least).

For Adam: I want him to formally adopt Mack too, be the legal dad in every sense of the word.

I want to see him struggle with the shooting, not only because shootings are traumatic but also because it was done by a kid - and I want to see Kim help him through this. I also want him to not shut down when dealing with the trauma. And I'd like the trauma to ebb and flow throughout the season. Possibly have Adam be a bit disillusioned to everything because he tried so hard and he couldn't save the kid.

I could see him very much becoming go to work, get what needs to be done and that's it, just following routine and go home - with home being the one place he's really thriving in, or even him questioning his place in the force. I very much wish that his main arc for this season is very much revolving around the shooting.

For Kim: I very much want to see her helping Adam through things, especially with her learned experiences. But I also don't want them to forget her own trauma, and that how almost losing the love of her life after finally letting him in would really emotionally wreck her. I think a lot of this will be mitigated by her helping him, but I still hope we see the effects.

Saying all that, I also really want one of her main arcs for this season to be professional strides for her - without her getting injured or MORE trauma dumped on her. Especially with this being Hailey's last season. I want her helping Adam to be an important arc for her as well, obviously, but her individual one I really want to see her being that awesome cop.

For Kevin: Similarly, I'd love to see the same thing in Kevin's arcs. I very much want to see more scenes with him and Torres as i dig them working together. I'd also love to see more of his father, because I think the arc of Kev rebuilding a relationship with him is such an important and interesting one.

I feel like a broken record saying this, but ROMANCE! I want to see a proper romance for him. A mature one, not build on lies or is a position of conflict in his life. Just a very nice relationship that builds up Kev, instead of causing more strife in his life.

I'd also like to see him potentially helping Adam with his trauma, especially if Adam is questioning his position in the force, I'd love to see Kev helping with that side of things.

For Mack: Just more cute family scenes. An adoption by Adam. Her being like ew at her parents kissing. Her being sweet to an injured Adam. Ending the season learning she's going to be a big sister because I'm pregnant!Kim trash.

Thank you for asking!!! This was very fun to answer. I'm half certain I've forgotten like half a dozen things because honestly my wish list is SO SO long and I've had many months of thinking and brain storming what I want, so don't be surprised if I add to this.

[fisticuffsatapplebees]

Okay everyone. Sit down. The fact this prompt has infected my brain literally from the day it was posted has resulted in an idea. (I’ve been thinking about and craving this prompt for ages but my brain is smooth and its has given me very little to share for that amount of time) For a bit of vague context, I’ve always liked the idea of Danny having one of those stock episodes where your hero has to break out/rationalize/deconstruct a dream world that's designed to give them everything they want. I mean we literally have Nocturn right there guys. This post by @coffeecakecafe has a beautiful comic about this idea which lives in the back of my brain rent free.

  This next part is irrelevant to the current prompt but please indulge me. I also like the idea that to get out of a dream Danny has to face his trauma and recreate his accident. Just. Him having to push past these counterfeits of his friends and family to face and accept something that's hurt him and learn to live with this part of himself with the added angst of how exactly he does that. Cuz it’s Danny, the angst king.

But the idea is that when Tim tells him he’s not going to chase him, to indulge him, anymore, that Danny just silently breaks. He says nothing but a barely audible, broken, “...okay.” before Tim leaves and he’s alone again. He takes it as the final confirmation that no one will ever truly love and accept him, that he’s too broken and damaged for anyone to even care. That even if they do they’re better off without him. And he just breaks. So he just disappears off the face of the Earth and into the ghost zone.

Then he goes to Nocturn (I always like the headcanon that Nocturn either was never really trying to hurt Danny or that they end up on better terms because I’m projecting my love of the idea of finding comfort with this personification of Dream itself.) and he asks Nocturn to put him to sleep. To just let him dream, let him leave everything behind. Nocturn promises that he’ll be safe here and no more harm will come to him before doing it. (The dream might not be the everything you wanted kind of dream. I, at least, imagine it as something that regularly shifts. It probably includes a lot of space stuff.)

Cut to Tim who never expected Danny to actually stop let alone just disappear off the face of the earth. It’s a whole “never know what something means to you until it’s gone” situation and now he’s desperately trying to find him again. (Maybe this counts as Danny rejecting him and he feels it, in whatever way fits the particular soulmate AU, and maybe now he’s making connections) Only issue is the “disappearing off the face of the Earth” thing is more literal than he knows so nothing works.

Then it’s the, ‘part of the Batfam/JL gets yeeted into the ghost zone and have to get help to get out’, thing. Tim is ecstatic to learn that Danny is apparently from and in this realm, at least at first. None of Danny’s rogues (or anyone really, Danny becomes the blorbo of the realms, kid need so many hugs) are happy about these people who hurt him being here especially Tim and especially if you go with Danny having had a core break. Despite this they come to the conclusion that Danny is the only one likely able to help them get back to the right universe (and willing. Danny has never been good at not helping someone.) The rogues explain it’s not going to be as simple as it sounds and where and what state Danny is in. They probably explain what a core break is as well and the JL (*cough* Tim *cough*) are left to process the implications of everything.

Next up, sleeping beauty parallels.

When they arrive they have to talk to Nocturn before they can get anywhere near Danny. Then you get Tim appealing to Nocturn for a second chance or even just to get one chance to talk to him. Nocturn eventually lets Tim dreamwalk into Danny’s dream where he has to try and convince Danny to wake up. At first Danny refuses to listen to him, he’s too scared of being hurt again but Tim is over here desperately apologizing (in the real way. That he’s sorry he ever hurt Danny and if he wants him too he will leave and make the JL find another way. Danny being happy is what is most important to him.) and Danny eventually decides to take the risk of pain for the chance of happiness (of love and acceptance.) Then you get all your healing and hugs and romance. 

Geeze, that took a while to write out. Anyway, I hope that this came out even semi-coherently cuz it was just me throwing up my brain rot. Also have very little experience writing posts. I literally downloaded Tumblr because I kept seeing Danny Phantom fic on Ao3 and it piqued my interest. Then I learned what it was about and the Phandom and its little dead boy infected me immediately. I quickly came to the conclusion that the Phandom exists mostly on tumblr and got myself a tumblr account. Then I realized, wait I suck at interacting with people and failed to really post or reblog anything because then people would perceive my existence. And as more than a shadow that sometimes leaves a reply on a post *le gasp*. (I then discovered it was easier for me to post through memes, apparently. So now I’m a meme gremlin.)

So yeah.

@jellowpool @im-totally-not-an-alien-2 @stealingyourbones @ashoutinthedarkness @rhyme-is-sublime @butterflypeachgrove @omnicrafts @victoria-has-no-secret @weegle @genies-stuck-in-a-lamp-send-help @always-be-a-stranger @welcometosasakiworld @shepardking @thatoneweirdshipper @tomatolearinggamedeveloper-blog @bubblecookies16 @lovelyvictorscorner @eihwaz-y-d @tomatolearinggamedeveloper-blog @phantoms-world-and-more @dyinggirldied @desatu @ashoutinthedarkness ...thoughts?

@gilbirda Ok, so you made a snippet of on of your AUs a while back (braindead rejected! soulmate i think) and I haven't been able to think of much else since. So my brain made a little thingy for you!

------------

1. Tim takes a risk one day by writing back to whoever was doodling on his body, with a glittery purple gel pen, asking them to stop trying to contacting him.

All the person asked was, "Why?"

Tim never answers.

2. Danny faces constant rejection from his peers, authority figures, his parents and sister neglect him and now his own soulmate doesn't want him. They hadn't even met before he was rejected. Jazz finds out about Dannys powers and tries to reach out but Danny rejects her pretty violently due to his own pain. Then the episode where Sam and Tucker ditch him for Gregor happens and he gives up.

The two people in his life that has had pretty much complete control over his life and trajectory just abandoned him and he does not take it well. He ripped the symbol off his chest, disappeared and never came back.

3. Danny zooms into a new dimension/universe/whatever to avoid his former friends and family from being able to track him only to land in a place called Central City and immediately getting roped into helping Captain Cold who gives him a normal domino mask and they end up working together for a while.

4. Danny somehow overhears one of the speedster talking on the phone about his friends brothers soulmate issue at some point and they perfectly describe the interaction that happened between Danny and his soulmate all those years ago, down to the glittery purple gel pen and the types of doodles Danny had made as a kid and the things he said.

Danny learned one of his soulmates belonged to a group of detective vigilantes in a place called Gotham. Unfortunately he was spotted by the speedster and Danny had to bounce.

5. The Flash made reports to the Justice League about a meta teen who hes been having trouble with for a while and can't seem to pin down. He only asked for tips though as he "could handle it himself."

6. Danny leaves for Gotham and learned about Catwoman and Batmans weird Master Thief and Greatest Detective dynamic and decided that's what he wants to do. He was going to make his soulmate chase after him one way or another. Someone was going to want him even if they were wanting him behind bars.

He begins robbing bank vaults and museums, leaving no trace or clue as to what happened until he starts leaving a calling card of sorts.

7. Jason, who's been on the outs with his family lately meets this spunky white haired meta kid running around with a sci-fi mask/visor thing and giving supplies to homeless encampments and keeping the less fortunate alive and befriends him. He learns that this is the guy everyone has been searching for and just...tells no one. Jason is all for a Robin Hood vigilante, and really, its kinda funny to see his family squirm.

8. Phantom and Catwoman rob the same museum at the same time but for different things. They stare at eachother from where they're both still crouched from thier respective landings until Danny breaks the tension with "I didn't see you if you didn't see me?"

Catwoman laughs, amused. "Sure."

9. Danny finally narrowed down which of the batfam is his soulmate and introduced himself to them as Phantom.

The first thing Danny did was hit on Tim. Tim is flustered but otherwise doesn't really respond to it and tries to fight Phantom into submission, so of course Danny ghosts him by disappearing through a roof mid fight. Danny made a big show of his intangibility in that fight and made it seem like it was the only power he had but he was very skilled with it and he wanted to impress him.

10. Phantom becomes well known to the underbelly of Gotham. Mostly the homeless and nightworkers. But Danny was open and friendly. Never judging and always ready to lend a helping hand. Even better. He never came to collect on favors.

Over time, they became loyal to him.

11. Danny gets framed for a series of murders and the whole gang (minus Hood) are trying to capture him, thus, motorcycle chase scene. They use the white of his tires to tell when he's gone intangible due to all the dirt falling off the wheels. Nightwing jumps onto the bike and shocks Danny with his encrizma sticks right before Danny grits out "bye bye birdy~" and makes a big show of taking in a deep breath and holding it.

Nightwing is forced to jump off the bike as Danny runs through the concrete abutment of the overpass and coming out the other side

12. Danny meets Tim and Duke in his civilian form while he was at a Wayne tech conference. Danny had been asked about one of his inventions and was trying to show off the blueprints and explain things and thats why he was there in the first place. Duke of course, was internally screaming because that's the guy thats the guy they've been hunting for nearly a year but can find nothing on.

Red Robin confronts Phantom that night on a rooftop and Phantom laughs at him, "Thats why I was avoiding Signal for so long. He'd see my magical girl form and know instantly."

RR holds out a pair of handcuffs and says "Its over Danny." Phantom smirks and says, "I don't think it is, Tim" before jumping off onto a different roof and disappearing into the night. Tim is shook.

13. Danny over hears Robin berating RR at an old clocktower and intervenes, "Little Wayne, you do realize you were the first person I figured out, right?"

Damian proceeds to lose his mind.

14. Tim accidentally finds a material that Phantom can't phase through and quickly gets to work making things he can use against Danny. What he doesn't know is that Danny can phase through it he just pretended he couldn't because he wanted to see what would happen/what Tim would do.

Danny can sense the material and it feels really wierd to him, but doesn't harm him at all.

15. RR manages to knock Phantoms visor off his face and realizing it was made of tech he swipes it and brings it back to the cave for study.

He wasn't ready for all the information on the computer. Not only was his nemesis(?) from another plain of reality (he thinks Danny is from the ghost zone) but he was once a superhero with his own Rogues Gallery and human city to protect. Which begs the question, why did he become a Phantom thief?

16. The Joker hears about Phantom giving the bats the run around and comes to a misunderstanding about which bat he's been messing with which ultimately ends with Joker saying that he is Batmans ultimate nemesis and Phantom asking what that had to do with him? The misunderstanding is cleared up when Phantom complained about Joker even thinking that he was flirting with Batman because "Ew! He's an old man!"

Joker still got a few shots in for the heck of it but so did our ghost boy but they were no longer enemies.

17. The whole batfam had been freaking out about finally capturing Phantom and celebrating and plotting on how they were gonna get him to keep his mouth shut about thier identities until Jason came in,

Jason: Need help?

Phantom: Please?

Jason: *escapes with Danny*

Batfam: What?! No!!! Why?!

18. The batfam have only a vague idea of the Robin Hood thing going on. They know he's doing it just not to the extent its gone to. They find out later on that Phantom had been working with RH and his gang to sell off the items and most of the profits go to helping people. Other times he strait up gives jewelry and whatnot to children and working girls because "Everyone deserves something pretty, and even if its not your style you can keep it for a rainy day"

Phantom quickly gains a following and Danny doesn't even know about it. Clueless indeed.

19. Dannys main motivation in this is essentially just playing Cops and Robbers with Red Robin. Nothing else really matters to him. Not the robberies, not the fact he's working with a crime lord, not even his own safety matters much to him anymore. Hes readily zooming down the path of self destruction and Hood starts telling his family stuff, but only because he was genuinely worried about "Casper" crashing and burning.

20. No one knows why Phantom is fixated on Red Robin. He refuses to tell them. Red thinks its just because he's the smartest of the bats and he's not entirely wrong.

21. Danny legit started scheduling his heists with Tim to ensure they're both free after one couldn't make it too many times which blew the birds mind. Phantom must have been just that confident that he would always win. The bats eventually think Danny will stop stealing if RR isn't in the city for a long period of time. Danny more or less followed him and stole stuff from whatever city Tim was in. If there wasn't any museums or banks then Danny would steal a local landmark. Tim still wasn't sure how Phantom stole an entire building that one time but it had never been seen since.

22. Hood grows to be very protective of our favorite ghost boy. They bond and are actually really close. Danny admits he always wanted an older brother.

23. Tim goes off world for a while to see how Danny would react and Danny just...drops off the radar. No one knows where he is and after a week or two they start getting worried.

Tim returns after three months and Danny reappears two weeks after him with a tan and keepsakes from the places he visited on his vacation. Tim later screams into his pillow.

24. Tim has made it his personal mission to figure out who Danny really is, why he's fixated on him, where he came from, ect. Hes trying so hard but can't find anything. Its almost like he didn't exist before. Tim suddenly got an idea after Phantom accidentally got hit in the face and got a nosebleed. Tim saw green blood and immediately realized Danny might not even be human. Fortunately for our little ghost, he thinks he's an alien. A Martian specifically. Tim manages to snag a good sample from treating Phantoms wounds. Ghostboy was so focus on his core thrumming and mentally comparing it to his heart racing that he didn't even notice.

25. Tim later freaks out because the meta is freaking made out of Lazarus water.

The entire batfam was not happy to discover this and decided to work together to pressure Phantom into telling them what he was and what exactly he wanted.

[reileinaxiu]

MDZS Fanon Pet Peeve: the Jiang heir

Warning: Some cursing and expletive language.

I just noticed/realized is that there are fics out there with JWY, the bane of all matchmakers and decent women in all the land, would actually make his head disciple or any other person who wasn't Jiang blood into his heir.

Yes the classist, bigoted, JWY, naming some cultivator he recruited in the war to inherit his position as Sect leader.

I'm sad to know that there are actually fics out there that portray JWY as someone who could care less about the background of their heir and choose them for competency. Or worse. Choose them because they were apparently surviving Jiang disciples that WWX had trained because apparently sentimentality (which JWY never had).

I think worst of them all is when they think JWY would actually appoint WWX as the Jiang heir especially post canon.😱

See where I'm going here? That just goes to show how those writers understood him. Which is to say not at all.🧐

That's why I'm always struck by some fics that show JWY as dying a bitter single unlikeable person that he truly is at the end of the book. Those were particularly good 😊. I found more realistic compared to the drivel that I cannot unread.

I sometimes wish my brain can do selective amnesia so I can unread all the OOC JWY fics I've read in my dark history. 😓

Let's take a look at why he would never allow someone who was at least not his own child or blood relative to become an heir of YunmengJiang and why he shall remain a bachelor for the rest of his lonely angry lifespan.

First of all, I don't think it was really mentioned, but I doubt JWY is the last Jiang besides JL.

He might be the last main line Jiang there is within immediate succession. Maybe he had relatives who married out to come back to bolster the ranks or there were non-clan Jiang disciples who were not prevented from nighthunting were out on a hunt and escaped the massacre to rejoin the sect.

How many besides the main clan are actual gentry? Not a lot unless they married in or they were civilian gentry that joined (I'm calling it civilian gentry cause there was the Mo Family who were a non-cultivation family ruling their village)

I'm guessing not a lot in the Jiang Clan too. The Sect more or less survived the war but the Jiang Clan was probably down to JFM, JYL, and JWY. With JYL marrying out and JFM and YZY dying, the Jiang Clan was unfortunately left with JWY to continue the bloodline. Sucks for them.

YZY would probably roll in her grave, claw her way out of hell, and become a fierce corspe just to make sure that no one other than her children or her grandchildren were to inherit the throne of sect leader. And I believe JWY would think the same as her or seek approval from his parents even after death. Nor would he grant the Jiang name to anyone that wasn't his blood related family. Plus I think he'd rather slit his own throat than adopt some child.

Another thing is the tag Adopted WWX that gets me annoyed sometimes. In the novel he was never adopted he was just taken in as a ward and treated like nuisance. So it confounds me that people actually write how WWX was always in the clan registry or that JWY had the option of naming WWX as Jiang Heir.

If in the novel JFM couldn't deign to give WWX at least legal familial support through adoption why would JWY?

JWY who blamed WWX for a lot of things he never did and still blames him. Who couldn't even look at WWX's relationship with LWJ without sneering in disgust. Would actually give him a position of power that means the most to his egotistical life. Yeah nuh uh. 😑

As for a Jiang heir, he also would never appoint any of his disciples that position. Much less if they were rogue cultivators or backgroundless civilians that he recruited during the war. Much lesser if they were trained by WWX of all people.

He treats all of his disciples like subordinates where his command was unquestioned. What WWX was not are the qualities he looks for in his disciples. JWY would prefer all of his disciples to stay far away from any behavior WWX had. His disciples didn't blink an eye to when WWX was being dragged into an inn to most likely be tortured to death.

As long as JWY lives and breathes and has the final say so he would never appoint, WWX or any of his disciples Jiang heir. Only by some miracle he actually gets married and has a child will the Jiang Clan have an heir because he is mostly like to die single. Also YunmengJiang sect would probably be fine under temporary leadership of someone who is not the Jiang Clan heir.

So why would he forever remain a single fermented grape?

JC stans are probably the only ones that would marry him and those don't exist in the MDZS universe.

One. He was blacklisted by all the matchmakers in Yunmeng.

I would say it takes skill to become rejected by an entire region of eligible families and their daughters. But no he is just an ***hole who can't keep his opinions to himself and aims to be as rude and derisive as possible towards perfectly fine ladies. In the audio drama he insulted a lady's choice of colors and perfume for smelling like, and I quote, "noxious poison". I mean wtf?! If that's how he treats all the females then it's no wonder he's not married yet. Plus three more off screen blind dates that went horrible.

Two. He will never marry because he has standards.

Standards he will probably not budge on. Those were: naturally beautiful, graceful and obedient, hard-working and thrifty, coming from a respected family, cultivation level not too high, personality not too strong, not too talkative, voice not too loud and must treat Jin Ling nicely.

The last one is the only relatively reasonable standard he has set. The rest is just him being picky he might as well get a doll dress it in red and marry it.

Three. No one in their sane state of mind would marry someone with the reputation of a rabid dog.

JWY, has gone on to torture people of inconsequential backgrounds, to death, for years. I say inconsequential because I doubt he would target people who had societal backing. People like Xue Yang who was under the Jins and proven to be a homicidal demonic cultivator with a record of massacring entire clans who he did not pursue because he is a coward.

The slightest suspicion not always with verified proof a person gets dragged to Lotus Pier to be flayed to death with a lightning whip. He barely even proves any of his victims to be demonic cultivators before whipping them or interrogating them further. Lots of firm connotations and even secondhand accounts of people being violently whipped on the the docks of Lotus pier.

WWX as MXY was already allegedly proven to not be possessed but JWY still insists on dragging him to Lotus Pier.

WWX dodged a bullet when LWJ was there to protect him.

Someone tell me if I'm not too far off and this is a viable argument that JWY will remain heirless or at least single for the rest of his f***ed up natural life? And would never name a Jiang heir that doesn't meet his requirements. Maybe even add to this discussion. Much appreciated 😌.

References:

https://modao-zushi.fandom.com/wiki/Jiang_Cheng

Jiang Cheng | Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation Wiki - Fandom

[jiaoji]

That post about WWX choosing JC over LWJ is honestly so cringe, like, WWX saving JC out of guilt? Love?? More like out of pity and bc his first instinct is to save ppl. This situation will be quite similar to how WN saved JC (& JL) in guanyin temple although he's aware that this angry prune led a siege to kill his family while knowing that they're only the weak, old, and young. If both JC and LWJ were in danger at the same time, no doubt that WWX will prioritize LWJ first, the only situation where he chooses JC is if he knows that LWJ can save himself and doesn't need his help.

Can you imagine what JC will be going through tho, knowing that he's pathetic enough to need WWX to save his life, again. I guess he owes WWX a debt now (another one added to his collection)

JC stans can't accept that WWX has already moved on with his life lmao, especially those who ship ch*ngxian.

This little shit even had the audacity to come on the anti tag and spread shit.

I bet that even if LWJ was capable of saving himself, WWX would think about his husband every second that he is saving JC, and don't giving a fuck about his inability to be greatful.

They just like to forget how WWX always don't give a fuck about JC because he had LWJ, The Love of His Life and the man who see him as a equal and always is on his side.

[anotherkindofmindpod]

Thank you for another really interesting episode!

I especially enjoyed your comic take on the whole ghost-in-the-machine thing with John Lennon’s socials. What a minefield.

The “In My Life” posts were poignant, and it would be nice to think the estate might have had something to do with them even if this is unlikely…

Must admit to a flight of fancy in which the whole thing is Sean Lennon* trying to live down being the teenager who grinned maniacally (so he says) as he asked Paul about HDYS — “one of the first times I ever actually spoke to him for more than just a hi or a handshake”.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/sean-lennon-interview-john-lennon-songs-gimme-some-truth-1071779/

“I really regret saying this, but I said something like, “What do you think of ‘How Do You Sleep?'… It was, like, the one thing you shouldn’t say.”

 Paul was “very nice” about it, apparently. Which makes me imagine him saying something soul-crushingly sweet like, “I prefer ‘Beautiful Boy’.”

But SL’s cover of “Here, There and Everywhere” really was very touching. :)

*I mean, he has the password, right? And plausible deniability…

Thank you for another really interesting episode!

I especially enjoyed your comic take on the whole ghost-in-the-machine thing with John Lennon’s socials. What a minefield.

The “In My Life” posts were poignant, and it would be nice to think the estate might have had something to do with them even if this is unlikely…

Must admit to a flight of fancy in which the whole thing is Sean Lennon* trying to live down being the teenager who grinned maniacally (so he says) as he asked Paul about HDYS — “one of the first times I ever actually spoke to him for more than just a hi or a handshake”.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/sean-lennon-interview-john-lennon-songs-gimme-some-truth-1071779/

“I really regret saying this, but I said something like, “What do you think of ‘How Do You Sleep?'… It was, like, the one thing you shouldn’t say.” You betcha.

Paul was “very nice” about it, apparently. Which makes me imagine him saying something soul-crushingly sweet like, “I prefer ‘Beautiful Boy’.”

But SL’s cover of “Here, There and Everywhere” really was very touching. :)

*(I mean, he has the password, right? And plausible deniability…)

Hello @this-swan! To be fair, it's totally possible Sean has the password :) Regardless of the John Lennon social media, I do find Sean's relationship with Paul fascinating! Paul has always seemed affectionate towards Sean and Sean has always seemed respectful and kind of in awe of Paul. I found Sean's birthday posts to Paul even more interesting than the JL "In My Life" ones...

There was also this great quote from the 2021 New Yorker article by David Remnick:

There is also Sean's 2010 quote about Paul:

“I’m just so excited when I’m around him. It’s like when you see a white buffalo and you just hold your breath – you’re just hoping that it’s not going to end. Because,’ he adds quietly, ‘it’s the closest I can come to hanging out with my dad. Every second I’ve ever spent with Paul has been really meaningful to me. He was my dad’s best mate for a long time. And my dad didn’t have many friends, you know?’ (Article from the London Telegraph about Sean in November, 2010. )

I have LOTS of thoughts on the Lennon/McCartney family relations, but for now I'll just offer these quotes. Thanks for listening and writing in! -P

[cristinacclearwater]

Just had a thought.

Gotham doesn't like Outsiders taking her Robins. HER Birds and Bats. So, is that the reason Justice League or 'Metas' isn't allowed in Gotham? Because she will take vengeance on them for thinking they could take what belongs to her.

Just the idea that Teen Titans have competitions going on where they bet Gotham's favor (not really, but like who she likes more, excluding Nightwing)

And then comes Just Us (just Conner and Bart) in Gotham for Halloween, mixing up with Mr. Myzxipsx (i don't know how to spell his name) and she decides She Likes Them. They're Funny!

Then just shenanigans.. Like JL pulls short sticks to decide if a member needs to go Gotham because Gotham would 100% try to kill them (And no Tim. They are adults. They can handle it) then comes Titans trying to find excuses to go Gotham. Sure, she would not be happy and they may need to deal with a concussion or two, but it will definitely be worth it to win that Bet.

Then there are YJ, who are welcomed. Like they just stroll in as if Gotham's their own city. Sure they take her Bird away to go on adventures, But they always ask permission first and They Bring HIM BACK!!!

They treat Gotham as Tim' main Parent, above Bruce, Jack, Dana or Janet. Tim's Gotham's child FIRST. Granted, Kon and Bart misunderstood when Tim told them that "He Belongs to Gotham first" but it worked in their favor because now they are the only heroes she approves interacting with her Birds. If they ever introduce another friend/family/little brother to Gotham, Gotham's willing to give that person a chance.. A small one but a chance to prove themselves worthy of her Birds. Which is more than JL or Titans ever got.

So later, Cassie, Anita, Cissie, Greta, Jon and all who came after them just try to visit for the first time with Kon or Bart. Just to have them do the introductions. No it can't be a Bat because then Gotham becomes Possessive.

Of course, Kon and Bart knows the honour granted to them. Tim made sure of that and shows them the powerpoint presentation where he goes over all the Etiquettes, advantages and disadvantages, how to make sure they don't anger her by accident.. Tim made the PowerPoint especially for them as it was a new case and these two don't have the advantage of being Gotham's own. She just likes them as a parent has a favourite among their children's friends.

So thoughts?

I had a Batman AU thought that I wanted to share involving eldritch?sentient!Gotham. Gotham is alive, old and deeply rooted magic of ??? origin (that doesn't appreciate being poked and prodded so attempts to discern what she is have ended badly), and she is... mercurial, to put it diplomatically. She can favor or sabotage people on a sliding scale of intensity - basically good or bad luck on the lower side of the scale (finding a $20 bill vs stepping in a gross puddle kinda thing), and on the higher side it's things like a bullet missing when it shouldn't or a piece of building falling onto someone. She also has boons, things she grants certain people - primarily Bats, but there are a few Rogues that have their own boons because again, mercurial. Boons bind someone to Gotham, make them always find their way back and eventually need to come back, but if you're close enough to Gotham for her to offer a boon, it's probably your home.

Batman is her... warlock? Paladin? He's pledged his life to protect Gotham and is in tune with her, and he protects the city and keeps it in balance, and she grants him her favor constantly and has given him a powerful boon (able to hide in whatever shadows there are, even slight ones, and virtually disappear in them even if you're watching him). When he takes Dick in and Dick creates the Robin mantle, Gotham loves it, and Dick gets his own boon (able to land where he intends to, can't be killed/seriously hurt from a fall).

Jason though is her absolute favorite son, her pride and joy. He's born of Gotham, steeped in the city, of it and for it, and he loves Gotham and when he becomes Robin he fights to make her better and bring light to her. She gives him the boon that he knows every part of the city instinctively. He can move through it easily, knows the streets and buildings by heart, knows on some level what's happening in different places (not always exact, usually gut feelings), and he can always hide in it when he chooses.

Then he dies. (Away from Gotham, because if he'd been in Gotham she never would have let it happen.) Gotham and Batman are a wreck together, they're angry and grieving and losing it, everything is coming apart and it's Bad. (The Joker had a boon from Gotham, because he's also of Gotham, and she's not good or evil but simply is. However when he killed HER favorite son, she tore the boon and her favor from him and wrecked what was left of his mind. He still feels chained to Gotham and Batman, but this is no longer a city that loves him.)

This is when Tim pushes to become Robin, and both Gotham and Batman hate it. They both want to lose themselves in the rage and grief, but Tim won't let them. Batman/Bruce comes around first, but Gotham is still seething, and she sabotages Tim at every turn: things that should hold his weight break or creak loudly, shadows never seem to hide him, evidence gets lost or trails go cold when he tries to follow them, buildings constantly crumble around him, goons always seem to get hits on him that he should be able to dodge or avoid, he gets pitched into the harbor CONSTANTLY.

It gets to a point that Bruce is seriously considering firing Tim purely because it's notably more dangerous for him as Robin than it ever was for Dick and Jason (even though he and Dick both try to convince Gotham to calm down and lay off). Tim eventually tracks down the best place to communicate with Gotham directly (much as she tries to deter him) and they get into a fight (reminiscent of Tim getting into fights with Bruce to make him get his shit together).

Tim argues that if he hadn't stepped in, Bruce would have either gotten himself killed or crossed a line he couldn't come back from, and it would have destroyed him AND the hope left in Gotham. He would have been considered a criminal and likely would have become a Rogue, with no 'Batman' to step up and stop him. He argues that Batman needs a Robin to fight for and protect, and without one he'll backslide and get worse again, and if that happens, Gotham will be torn to shreds. Tim points out that Jason loved Gotham and fought for her, and it's disrespectful of his love and his memory to let everything fall to pieces after he fought so hard for her.

It's enough to convince Gotham to back off on her sabotage, though she's still hurt and sulking. Bruce still isn't sure about Tim not having Gotham's favor, much less a boon of his own, but Tim argues that he'll get good enough to keep up with or without Gotham's help - which he does.

Over time though, Gotham watches Tim fight to protect Gotham and Batman, and she admits she was wrong in how she treated him. She slowly starts to extend her favor to him and eventually approaches him and offers him a boon. Tim, however, turns her down. He's seen how badly Jason's loss and Gotham's grief and anger affected those closely connected to her, and he knows taking the boon will tie him to Gotham permanently. He believes those connected to Gotham and Gotham herself need someone who can be more objective and keep a level head, and he's secretly kind of worried that if something happens again, if Bruce and the Bats eventually tire of him and don't need him, he'll be trapped in Gotham. He also just doesn't totally trust Gotham even though he loves her.

Gotham's hurt, obviously, but she understands and doesn't lash out, recognizing it's her own fault. She does give him her favor though and swears to never rescind it, even when she's upset with him. Tim's gotten this far without her favor or a boon, but it's nice not to have to worry about getting dunked in the harbor for the third time in one week anymore (though she hasn't done that in a year or so).

Then Jason returns, and Gotham is having THE BEST time. Her baby boy! Is back! He's bigger now, and he's a lot angrier and hurt in a lot of ways, but he's! Back! She's a little worried about how angry he is at Batman and the other Bats, but Jason is her favorite and she can't turn him away or deny him. She still favors him, she just... makes sure she favors the Bats enough too to keep them all on an even playing field. They'll work it out. Tim managed to get her to calm down, so she's confident her current Robin will help the family again.

Then Jason goes to the Titan Tower after Tim, and initially she assumes they'll talk and things will be better, but when Jason comes back she sees that he went and ATTACKED Tim.

It's the first time she's ever been angry at Jason, and she drops a brick on his head (while he's wearing his helmet, he's still her favorite), and she threatens to collapse the ceiling of his apartment. They get into a fight. Jason came away from his fight with Tim thinking Tim was impressive as Robin, but he doesn't want him in the suit so he still went through with beating him unconscious. He DID notice Tim doesn't have Gotham's boon, so he doesn't understand why she's so upset he roughed the kid up.

Gotham is pissed and a pissed Gotham is hard to communicate with outside of raw emotion, so eventually after suffering several indignities of light sabotage, getting caught yelling at the street or a building while the manhole cover or windows rattle angrily, Jason goes to find Tim and ask "hey what the FUCK" (haven't fully figured how this changes Jason's interactions with the rest of the Bats, but he is begrudgingly impressed that Tim made it through the start of his tenure with Gotham actively sabotaging him, then argued an eldritch city into behaving, then turned down her boon and STILL came out of it with her undying favor).

(Gotham, in this AU, is NOT a fan of the al Ghuls at all. Primarily Ra's, at first, because he wants to purify Gotham/control her, and she is NOT a fan of that thanks. He's tried attacking her (destroying parts of the city), threatening her, trying to determine the origin of her magic, enslave her, trying to bargain with her, seducing her, and she is having NONE OF IT. Going into Gotham is a nightmare for anyone with the League, because while it can be difficult for her to get a hold of them, once she does she sabotages the HELL out of them. Getting cut on rusted rebar, falling off ledges, sinkholes opening up under them, one of them managed to get bitten by a rat and catch the bubonic plague. Ra's has, on one memorable occasion, been knocked into an open manhole and then almost drowned in sewer water that carried him out into the harbor where something (possibly Croc) tried to eat him, and he broke his arm while climbing out.

Talia got a reluctant pass since she seemed more interested in Bruce than Gotham and Bruce reciprocated, but Gotham doesn't appreciate Talia's attempts to lure Bruce OUT of Gotham. When she finds out Talia kept Jason away? AND convinced him to go after Tim? Talia is on the permanent shit list too.

When Gotham finds out about DAMIAN, Talia can't set foot in Gotham without having SEVERAL chunks of building being dropped on her from above.

Though when Damian DOES show up, Gotham is quick to claim him and offer him a boon. He's the son of Batman, he's a future Robin, and if he's given a boon, he's tied to Gotham and can't easily return to the League (mostly Talia and Ra's). Win win!

Except then he attacks Tim, and learns VERY swiftly that it's not good to piss off the sentient eldritch city you accepted a boon from. He's laid up with a migraine and all kinds of awful symptoms of an illness (nothing fatal but definitely awful) until Tim recovers, and then Tim gets to play mediator between the Bats and Gotham AGAIN as he tries to explain to Damian the nuances of Gotham as an entity and what being one of her favored/booned actually means, AND lecturing Gotham about sabotaging another Robin/giving him a boon without making sure he understood what he was accepting.)

HI 👋 Fabulous AU you've got here.

I particularly enjoy how complicated Tim's relationship with Gotham is. In fact, Tim's later years could be misunderstood by the Bats as Tim being her favorite (hear me out).

If Gotham never states who her favorite is, all the Bats see is that Tim, despite not having a boon, has Gotham on his side against the other Bats (really, Tim just isn't attacking/harming the others like they are to him, but it's about perspective).

It's also kind of heartbreaking that Tim has an additional condition that sets him apart from the Bats. He's the only one to be immediately hated by Gotham. He doesn't have a boon (though later that's a choice). He is consistently reaching out to Gotham to actually communicate and fix their issues.

Might I add an additional part for extra angst? We'll take the fanon idea of Tim stalking his heroes from a young age.

Gotham sees that another being idolizes her paladins and grants him the small boon of his camera never making a sound, being unnoticeable, and the flash never being visible unless Tim wants it to. Tim is okay with being stuck in Gotham due to his parents never taking him abroad with them

After Tim forces his way into Robin, though, Gotham rips this away from him, destroys any need for him to stay (she wants him to leave her alone to her own rumination), and actively sabatoges him.

Because it was taken from him once, because he's felt the pain of that loss, because the sudden emptiness was a gaping hole he had to spend years coping with, he never wants a boon again. He doesn't know if he'll be able to handle the sudden deprivation once more.

This is the start of him not trusting that anything lasts (especially since a retracted boon was so rare it's only been rumored in the past [since Gotham doesn't care for "good" or "evil" it's harder to get on her bad side]).

I'm curious what all of the boons alloted to each person are (very curious if/what Commissioner Gordon's)

[arty-shadow-morningstar]

A Failed Betrothal (5)

This is going to be the last part I am going to post in a while. My school is finally starting up again and I am sure to be swamped with homework. Without further ado. Enjoy ❤

[Masterlist]

(Part 1)(Part 4)

-----------

Damian laid in bed, thinking about the recent turn of events. Lady, who told them that they can call her Marinette since they might as well get acquainted while the Waynes were in Paris. She had found out Jason’s identity after a few google searches and by extension, the rest of the Bats while they both were taking a shower. It had taken a few arguments and one sentimonster attack that cut one of the arguments short to trust the Dupain-Chengs with their secret identities. His bride was apparently a superhero too. Has been for a few years. In a different world, he might have actually dated her out of his own free will and fought crime with her together.

Damian shook his head at that thought.

That was the curse talking. Get a hold of yourself, Wayne. Resist. Don’t think about Marinette and her blue eyes.

Back to the akumas, Paris had been under the control of a magical terrorist for years. Lady Noire, formerly known as Ladybug, formed a team to battle against him. He also found out about the Guardian who chose Marinette and someone else, who wasn’t spoken about much except that his name was Chat Noir and she now wields his ring temporarily, to fight against Hawkmoth as partners. The same Guardian that promised her hand-in-marriage in exchange for protection from the League of Assassins. Sabine, the Blue Reaper, had to be restrained from killing the old amnesiatic man by her bear of a husband who was reluctant to do so and also wanted to help her.

Hawkmoth also had a partner who went by the name, Mayura, with a power similar to his and could create sentimonster out of negative emotions. Their top suspect was Gabriel Agreste, with much evidence pointing his way but they had difficulty trying to confirm it and had the time to gather evidence to do it. The local authorities were helpful but getting a search warrant for a famous, rich designer who was a known recluse with circumstantial evidence is not possible.

After informing their father of their kidnapping and the situation in Paris (and racking up the Dupain-Cheng's phone bill), they were told to stay there and help as much as they can. Tim, who was coming to Paris for a vacation (suspicious), got his plans hijacked and was now going to help uncover Hawkmoth’s identity.

When the Justice League had reached out a few years ago, they were rebuffed by the Mayor. Nightrunner got into contact with the one of the heroes, Ladybug who asked for a meeting outside of Paris with Wonder Woman and Batman came along, to assess her. They didn’t expect a young girl to be Paris’s heroine.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 years ago…

“Bonjour, Princess Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Hippolayta, it is an honour to meet you. And you too, Batman.” The spotted heroine greeted both of them with Nightrunner besides her. Their meeting point was in the gardens in the Palace of Versailles.

“The pleasure is all mine, Ladybug. But I am confused as to why you have refused the Justice League’s help.” Wonder Woman was worried that the Ladybug Miraculous was active again and for many good reasons.

“I would be glad for some help but Paris is run by an incompetent fool. He wants no one outside of Paris to think that the city is unsafe due to Hawkmoth and keep the tourism numbers high. The other reason is that my Miraculous Cure can restore any physical damages done during a fight and involving you might result in more damages than I could cure. But I also think it would be better if there were less powerful heroes in Paris, akumas amplifies one’s power and I don’t want to fight you after you had a bad day.” Ladybug explained. Nightrunner murmured in agreement.

“Do you know how Hawkmoth operates?” asked Batman. He had read reports of the situation but wondered the true extent of it.

“Have Wonder Woman explained to you about the Miraculous?”

He nodded.

“Hawkmoth has the butterfly miraculous, and it has the power of transmission. In the right hands, they would be used to grant ordinary people powers as the user’s champions. But in the hands of Hawkmoth, he targets people with high negative emotions, a girl after a bad break-up or a student with a failed grade. He grants them powers to use for revenge or some obscure version of justice. In return, he asks for mine and Chat Noir’s miraculous. With our two miraculous, he can make a wish but wishes always come with a price so it is best if we keep it out of his reach.”

“How have you not captured him yet?”

“Hawkmoth is a coward who rarely comes out to face us. I have never met him face-to-face. He uses people to get what he wants. Not very honourable. The Mayor has refused to help my attempts to stop him or prevent more akumas because his bratty daughter isn’t given a Miraculous to be a hero. I don’t have the time or resources because I am still in school and have other obligations outside the suit. I can’t tell my family and ask for help because the Guardian’s ,the one who gave me the Miraculous in the first place, secret identities rule and some magic thing that makes me unable to tell them.”

The adults were all horrified at what the girl was going through.

“We could help in other ways. Not fight the akumas but provide you the resources to track down and capture him. Do you have any training? From the footage we have seen, you know martial arts and how to use some weapons.”

“I was raised in a forgotten temple somewhere in Asia with brutal training everyday before I ran away. I met someone on my way out who took me in and adopted me.” She said it seriously enough that they have no room for doubt.

“Batman, she just said she was adopted. She may have the features but the answer is no.” Wonder Woman said with a knowing look in her eyes.

“I wasn’t thinking about it. She has a duty to Paris right now and I am not going to take away from her life here. I don’t adopt every black-haired and blue-eyed child I see.” Batman denied.

“I am confused.” Ladybug said, tilting her head.

“Batman here has a bad habit of adopting kids with a tragic past, especially kids with black hair and blue eyes.” Nightrunner explained to his fellow Parisian hero.

“Well, Mousier, you will have to fight my parents for custody. While I have training, Chat Noir doesn’t and he hinders the battles with his ‘help’. I would give him some but he sees them as dates even though I have told him it’s not.”

“His incompetence is a liability. Why is he your partner?”

“The Guardian chose him too like he chose me through some stupid trial I somehow passed the requirements for. I am just hoping that there is a really good reason for choosing Chat Noir. I have some questions on how you are-”

“Ladybug, what are you doing?” A sharp voice cut in. An old man who appeared to be dressed as a tortoise landed in front of them.

“Master Fu, this is Princess Diana of Themyscira and the world’s greatest detective, Batman. I am asking for their help in finding Hawkmoth.” Ladybug explained, confused why Master Fu looked upset.

“Ladybug, that was extremely foolish of you. This is a matter of the Order. You shouldn’t have involved other heroes in it. We can resolve this on our own. I apologize on behalf of her for wasting your time.”

“But, Master-” “We will talk about this later, Ladybug. You are young and don’t understand things yet.”

“Guardian, with all due respect, my mother was a Ladybug wielder herself and the Amazons will lend a hand to any miraculous holders in need.”

“It is appreciated but Ladybug, Chat Noir and I can do it on our own. Come along, Ladybug.”

“Let me at least apologize for my mistake, Guardian.”

“Very well. Meet me later.”

“I am sorry but it looks like I have to fight Hawkmoth without your help. That being said please don’t try to look further into Hawkmoth’s identity and leave any notes of your leads in the mouth of the gargoyle on the northside of Notre Dame where I usually rest after I finish patrol. Salut, Princess Diana, Batman, Nightrunner.” She left using her yo-yo to swing away after giving them a wink.

Batman smirked. He had to give it to Ladybug, she was clever and resourceful and Diana was right, he wanted to adopt her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Present time…

(Words in bold are French)

Now that the previous Guardian was out of the picture, the Miraculous team would gladly accept any help they can get.

Damian and Jason had picked up Tim from the airport and they had already set things up in one of the Wayne penthouses in Paris. Less chance of nosy maids than in a hotel.

Bilal had already handed over all the evidence he could find. He was also one of the Miraculous team’s trainers when Sabine couldn’t make it. Jason and Damian were going to help in training and be back-up heroes when needed. (Bilal wore a miraculous once to help out. And that one time was weird enough to last him a lifetime and he was never doing it again.)

Sadly, all the magic users who were allies or part of the JL were busy with other missions or MIA so they couldn’t break Damian’s curse yet. Bruce didn’t see the problem with the curse so unless it causes major problems or someone is free to break it. They couldn’t go back to Gotham until they got the necessary things in order so it looks like they were going to be in Paris for a while.

The next morning, Tim was nowhere to be found. Because they were paranoid Batboys, they tracked his phone to see him at the Dupain-Cheng’s bakery with Marinette and a group of other people, having breakfast.

“There you are, Replacement.” Jason shouted as he entered the bakery, “So, this is where you were? I see you have already figured out who Ladybug is and met her.”

Marinette looked at Damian and Jason, then at Tim and back at them again.

Oh.

Oh.

She face-palmed as she connected the dots and realized what the nagging feeling she had around Tim was about.

“Oh my Kwamis, you are Tim Drake, adopted by Bruce Wayne aka Batman. Jason and Damian are your brothers. And judging by your build, you are Red Robin. I feel so stupid.”

Thankfully, there were no customers around yet to hear some of the world’s most important secrets being out.

“I am- We are not- Bruce isn’t- How?! How the hell did you find out? And you are Ladybug?!” Tim was floundering at Marinette’s words and the caffeine from his first coffee of the day hadn’t kicked in yet. He looked at her friends, who were looking at the Wayne boys with shocked expressions….and looked similar to the rest of the Miraculous Team.

The caffeine finally kicked in.

“Oh my God. I was talking to the entire Miraculous Team and I didn’t know it. That means Chloe Bourgeois is a hero. That bratty blonde I met as a child is a hero.”

“Speak for yourself, Timothy, my childhood friend is a hero too. I can’t believe we are all heroes.” Chloe said in total disbelief.

Introductions and alter egos were exchanged.

Nearly everything went swimmingly if it weren’t for Chloe jokingly elbowed Marinette and said, “You get to date a hero too. No need to worry about flaking out on dates.”

“What do you mean dates? Dupain-Cheng and I aren’t dating.” Damian said, “My mother wanted us to marry each other, not date.”

“Mari, looks like you need some explaining to do.”

Marinette gave the short story on how she met Damian and Jason.

“So you guys are absolutely not dating? Cool. Tim, are you still open to being Mari-bug's fake boyfriend?” Chloe asked. Tim looked at her incredulously.

“You called me all the way here to fake-date your friend. Why? Not that I am complaining about her or anything.” “There is this boy in our class, Adrien Agreste and he has a little obsession with Marinette.” Chloe explained. “Romantic Soulmates.” Nathaniel chimed in, doing air-quotes.

“So I volunteered on your behalf to be my best friend’s long-distance boyfriend in America who has video-call dates with her once a week. You are going to have little romantic dates coincidently where our classmates are going to be, especially Adrien. It might put him off from pursuing Marinette for a while. After you leave, we are just to mention you every now and then to prevent him from getting any ideas.”

Damian felt a hot, burning sensation in his chest and clenched his jaw at the thought of Marin- Dupain-Cheng holding hands, cuddling and doing all those romantic actions with Drake of all people. (No, he wasn’t jealous. Not at all. Don’t be stupid. )

“Tch, Drake is going to be busy trying to find Hawkmoth. He can’t go around Paris, being Dupain-Cheng’s boyfriend. Besides, he can’t be a proper boyfriend even in his most lucid moments. I will be her boyfriend instead.”

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(PART 6)

[vrishchikawrites]

i also really hate shovel talks in general. and while i find the idea of any of the jiangs giving lwj a shovel talk really annoying bc who are they to give a shovel talk when they have been the main ppl to hurt wwx for years, i actually hate it more whenever the lans or sometimes the nies give wwx a shovel talk.

one because they are their own people who can make their own choices and live with the consequences, and two because in a made up scenario where wwx and lwj end up hurting each other, lwj will always have his family as a support system. he will always have people to fall back on when he needs it. a lot of the times wwx does not have that. if he needs support, if he needs protection, who would he turn to? so why is the more vulnerable person in this scenario the one who gets a shovel talk? as if he is not the one who would come out worse in the this scenario.

so yeah, just in general i really dislike shovel talks but i especially hate it when writers write wwx into a vulnerable position and then decide to have him receive a shovel talk

Almost everyone who knows me well in this fandom knows I have an issue with this. I LOVE LWJ. I absolutely trust him with WWX and I believe that there's no scenario where LWJ would ever hurt or abandon WWX.

But WWX is definitely the more vulnerable of the two. He is the one that lacks support. He is the one that is without family, without elders, without any sort of foundation. LWJ is, quite literally, his entire world. (Yes I know there are wn and LSZ and the juniors, but of all, only JL has enough social, political, or economic power to do something if WWX is in a fix and even that is not guaranteed)

I have mentioned this makes me uncomfortable. It is one of the reasons why I am 100% not ok with LXC raging at him in canon and there being no sort of resolution for it.

I clock out of any fic where WWX gets the shovel talk without it being framed as something unjust. LWJ is a catch but WWX, despite being of a lower social position, is the most superior match.

Miss me with that shovel-talking Lans bs. I will judge any writer that frames it positively as a protective family thing and something wwx just has to endure very harshly.

Yes, LWJ suffered for his love but it wasn't WWX's fault. Very clearly, it was the circumstances and LWJ's reaction to his first love. The poor kid had no clue LWJ was in love. He didn't even have time to examine his own feelings.

Shovel talks. Gah.

Leave WWX alone.

[tallochar]

I have personal headcanons.

My take is:

Damian would at some point leave to make his own identity and that Bruce would lowkey go to pieces over it, especially if it happened after a hard fight about morals (Damian has them and they are solid but it does not mean they will always align with Bruce's to a T and that causes friction between them) and if Damian left for New York / possibly moved in with Jon and / or Jon's family for a while while he got his feet underneath him.

Tim tried to step in when Bruce started spiraling.

Tim first appealed to Damian (though he would not look up to Damian the way he did to Dick something might have still happened that impressed onto Tim the idea that Batman needs a partner and that Damian was a good counterweight to him, epsecially with Bruce spiraling right now) and when that failed Tim then went to Alfred.

Alfred refused to step in but propped Tim up as a good choice of crime fighting partner for Bruce / morality pet / parentified support for all the shit Alfred does not want to personally do.

Damian disagreed, Bruce agreed to tentatively give Tim a trial training runbut nothing more until he re-assessed.

During this trial run, Tim's mother dies and his father goes into a coma, leading to Bruce taking Tim in (not adopting, just as a temporary ward).

Damian is Not Happy about that either but he is also not homicidal the way he was in canon as he is both older, has been with Bruce longer and is more secure in being his father's oldest son and blood heir. Also, Tim has parents and does not claim Bruce as a father (and turned to Damian first, and then it was Alfred who championed him), so that helps, though they still do not have the greatest relationship.

I do not think Damian would have been Robin (no meaningful connection there for him) and Tim would not have taken Damian's title as Heir of Batman or Son of Batman, as he is neither and wants neither, but we can filch ideas from current canon now and use that line from Janet about her favourite poetry containing a line about Robins and have Robin originate from Tim.

So Tim does well enough in his trial run to qualify and debuts as Robin. His main conflict with Bruce is that Bruce is very isolated in this period, JL notwithstanding, and Tim does what Tim always does and starts very soon teaming up with other people.

Bruce is cranky and disapproving about this. Damian is cranky and disapproving in general (why is Father letting a severely undertrained child out in the streets) but also reluctantly getting Little Brother-Ed by Tim.

Something something Tim also hangs out a lot with reverse order YJ though that is less of a parent sanctioned thing with parent-Tornado meeting and more Tim teaming up with them and exchanging letters with Cassie and Kon and Bart dropping by to see them on their own / taking whoever is needed over for a team up.

Then the Joker kills Tim and it happens in such a way that is similar to the Bane-running-Bruce-to-the-ground-and-breaking-his-back way except Joker organizes things to keep Bruce too busy and spread thin to prevent Tim from dying.

[Shades of Joker Junior can be thrown in this except rather than killing Joker Tim pulls a "what he did with future!Bad!Bat!Tim" and kills himself rather than giving in to the Joker, keeping Tim's morals intact)

(The way I see Tim coming back is both earlier than Jason did and way less homicidal, taking on Red Robin because he died soaked in his own blood and as a contrast to his more innocent Robin days. He also does not go on an homicidal spree, but instead he goes on a team building spree.)

(What got Tim killed was Bruce's refusal to have allies, now Tim is going to give all bats and all of Gotham all the allies.)

(He hangs out with Helena, he works with Babs, he teams up with Selina and Eddie when Eddie is doing his detective thing, he gets along with Ivy, he is couch surfing with YJ who are now clinging to him so incredibly hard, he shows up for all the other Bats and especially so if they are cranky about it, he mooches food off Alfred regularly, etc. etc.)

(Bruce desperately wants Tim to come home and stop hanging around all these disreputable types [says the hypocrite *stares at Selina and Bruce*] and is getting familied [term borrowed from @zahri-melitor ] and networked whether he likes it or not).

I would, personally, place Duke post Tim in the period between Tim's death and his return and have him be inspired by Tim and Bruce grabbing Duke to keep him from getting into further trouble without training.

I have no idea how one can make Tim Drake join the family in a Reverse!Robins, and I'm not even saying this as a critic but more like genuine confusion.

The reason Tim joins the family is all because of Dick Grayson.

Tim was a fan of the flying Graysons and that's how he figured out Batman and Robin's identities.

Tim saw the way Robin helped Batman and it's the reason he ended up joining the family when he knew Dick wouldn't take on the mantle again.

Neither of these things are possible in a Reverse!Robins au because Robin shouldn't even be a thing before the arrival of Dick, so Damian would probably have a whole different name for himself like "The Shadow" (for the league of shadows) or "batlad/batkid". And this aside, Damian is way too similar to Bruce attitude-wise and nothing like Dick Grayson who, because of how he was, managed to be like a light in Batman's life and the reason why Tim knew Batman needed Robin (aka. Dick Grayson).

Batman with Damian is the same depressive man he was before Dick except now he'd have a kid (which might lead him to a change with Alfred's insistence that the child needs a father, but it'd take longer than ideal.)