#honestly doesn't make sense for tim to like him either

[luv-lock]

I know you said you didn't want to hear about Tim, but I'm just curious—You can delete my asks, if you want, I don't mind—Why is Tim being bi a problem?

Again, you can always delete/not answer, I was just curious.

I love your writing, though! Have a good day/night, my dear!!

Alright so I'm gonna explain that again.

First I have no problem with Lgbtq characters. Only if it helps. If you make a character or change a character just for the sake of them to be gay then it's a problem. Imagine if we had a character that was straight just for being straight, like it was their whole personality. It's fucking cringe and annoying.

I love John Constantine. He's bi. And his sexuality is not forced. It's not for political point or pissing fans off. And they actually did a good job at doing it with him. It's actually fit him to be a bisexual character. And even tho he's bisexual he have his main love interest and always, ALWAYS go back to Zatanna. Because that's what fans love. No one cares that he's bi. In the end of the day he have a very cute relationship and his sexuality don't effect his personality at all. He actually have chemistry with her and honestly their relationship melt my heart ngl. He's like "yeah she gonna fix my ass" and well she does. And most importantly, he's not gay washed. He's an actual bisexual character.

It's the opposite of what they did to Tim. And he's not bi, we probably never going to see him with a woman ever again, he's gay. It's gay washing alright?

First of all, it doesn't fit him to be into dudes. Sorry, it's just fucking don't. People look at his relationship with Conner and go "But he always was gay" STFU! It's the same as saying "oh Dick is gay because he have a close relationship with Wally" or "Bruce is gay because he and Clark are close"

You see how retarded that is?

There's literally no reason for him to be bi. I think the author said that they just didn't want Tim to be straight and in a relationship with a girl. Or something like that. I don't fucking remember. Like what's wrong with being straight?

They put Stephanie down just to give light to a creepy dude. What the actual fuck?

Yk yaoi lovers and Reddit freaks don't seem to understand that a relationship can actually make a character loved. Can actually make a character famous.

Imagine a YouTube couple that have chemistry and actually have a healthy relationship. Everyone love them, people follow them and they make money right? Then they suddenly break up and people don't care about either of them anymore. Because people love them together.

Stephanie and Tim's relationship are as long as Bruce's relationship with Catwoman. As loved as them. And now they suddenly ruin it. Yk Bruce also have a new love interest, you think she can ever replace Catwoman? Ofc not! Just like how no one can replace Stephanie.

Also when they changed his sexuality, it literally changed his personality and everything about him. He's now just a gay feminine dude that wants to suck dick. That's it. And I don't give a shit about it tbh. I'm not a freaky girl obsessed with gay dudes. And either are 95% of fans.

If they really cared about Lgbtq characters then why didn't they do something for Batwoman instead of ruining Tim who already had a healthy relationship?

Does that make sense now?

[moon-ayyye]

One trope that i find weird is that during batfam reconciliation fics, the batfam members use alfred as like the big red button to bring jason back, but i feel like that wouldn't actually work. at all.

Jason would HATE alfred after everything he did after he died. Canonically, it was alfred that made the "a good soldier" memorial case, bruce wanted it down but alfred insisted he keep it up, he was the one that gave tim the Robin suit THAT JASON DIED IN, and drove him to save batman and nightwing with NO training at all. He also helped keep up all the "jason was always doomed for a life of crime, and he was an angry child that got himself killed" narrative that was spun after DitF. Alfred pennyworth is batman's biggest enabler, and has stood by while bruce did all his bullshit, such as the whole UtRH arc, and RHatO #25, where he said that it was inevitable that jason would go back on the whole no killing agreement.

Alfred may care for all of Bruce's children, but his only grandchild is damian, as shown when he made him robin behind tim's back( the whole "dick made damian robin" thing is just to add to tim angst. Dick was infact against that whole shitshow). If it doesn't benefit bruce, his pseudo son/employer and landlord, he wouldn't give a fuck.

It's basically impossible to write a reconciliation fic at all without completely rewriting characters, especially jason and alfred. Jason believes that batman's mission is flawed and useless since he doesn't permanently stop crime, so he'd never fully give up killing, the whole reason there's a rift between him and bruce, and alfred isn't this doting grandfather that always sides with his grandchildren and bakes cookies and makes tea.

Also, one major thing the fandom forgets is that alfred is canonically a shitty father to julia, his bio daughter. He abandoned his own daughter for the waynes, he'd never prioritise bruce's children over him.

[prettiest-thing-in-the-morgue]

Hello! I readead Die Young and i love it! Also, I was thinking how Dick and others will react when find out Y/N is dead meanwhile they're having a family time together, i need to know.

Sorry if my english is not good, english is not my first language, thank you very much <3

Hi !! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thank you for your ask and your English is very good !!

read die young here

I genuinely believe that the batfam as a whole would be a mix of emotions. Angry because Bruce & Alfred literally hid the fact they had a sibling , remorse for the manner mc died and honestly concerned for Alfred & Bruce.

As much as batfam wants to pry more about mc - Bruce and Alfred would never talk about them - not because they hate the mc or don't want to tell batfam about them either - as seen Bruce often wonders if mc would like them and Alfred still integrates mc into batfam's life with their favorite treats.

Bruce & Alfred won't talk about mc because just thinking about them brings them both too tears - brings them too a deep emotional vulnerability that neither is ready to share with anyone .

They both mourn mc in silence - I'd like to think it's their sick way of coping with mc's death - having that control about how to mourn her . It's unhealthy - unhealthy - to mourn someone the way they do, and batfam tries to convince them both to see a therapist .

Though I doubt a therapist would help - because when mc died Alfred and Bruce lost a piece of themselves that cannot be replaced - mc came into a sensitive time for them both - Thomas & Martha's death feel so fresh , Bruce was loosing hope and him and Alfred were getting distant with each other , things were looking down and then suddenly god sends them both this cute little girl that brings them both together and finally Bruce and Alfred can call themselves a family only for her to brutally taken away from you.

It also doesn't help that mc can not be revived with the Lazarus Pit because she's been dead for so long and Bruce doesn't want his little girl going through anymore pain than she's already been through.

I feel like mc's death will bring batfam closer together though , they realize that life is short and fragile and that they should cherish each other more - differences aside . They'd join Bruce every death anniversary in visiting mc's grace to pay her respects- talking to her and telling her about what's going on in the family.

It's a touching moment for Bruce and Alfred when they do that because they know mc would of loved them .

Individually - the most impact is Jason - he knows how painful death is, and to know that level of brutality happens to a child, much less his sibling makes him feel angry and sorrowful.

Steph and Dick feel very protective of mc despite everything - they both have experience losing a child/sibling and feel sympathy for Bruce and Alfred - they both understand how painful it is - the blame the shame , the regret that haunts you.

Damian and Tim are sympathetic - Damian more so than Tim , both are usually not affected by gruesome deaths - trials of being an assassin and working on cold cases so much but what touches them is the fact that mc had a life , dreams - mc was a literal angel and it disturbs them that they ahd to die like that.

Cass & Duke - both are sympathic but are angry - they actively blame the teacher for mc's death - like how do you watch a child get brutalized like that and do nothing ? They feel a strong sense of injustice whenever they think about it .

[psychemochanight]

I know you hate labels on them, but if you HAD to label the Robins, how would you do it?

The first one, the second one, the third one...

Ok, out of jokes-

Dick: The first one.

With all that this implies: Dick being the one who founded the bases to follow, the one who made the mistakes that he later taught to correct, the one who saw the empty spaces that others later filled. The first one who had to be everything and learn on his own.

Jason: the DC experiment.

DC DIDN'T know how to deal with Dick's exit as Robin, it's like they never really planned on letting him out, but it happened. Jason became a character of trial and error.

At first he was an exact copy of Grayson, since the first one was successful... But obviously the fans didn't want a Dick Grayson with another name. So what did they do? They gave it a twist and did the opposite... It doesn't work well either.

And instead of continuing to try (even though Jason already had a fan base by that point), they chose to "get rid of" the character and then revive him as a "blank canvas."

A character who had a lot of potential, but they didn't know how to handle him and now the most relevant thing about him is his death because DC doesn't know how to give him continuity.

Tim: the robin of the fans for the fans.

Tim is often referred to as a fandom self-insert, and honestly, it's understandable why.

It's the Robin that gave off vibes similar to the original that was the most loved at the time, but at the same time, had real characteristics that fans could identify with.

Tim is the one with the most "normal" story, he is the one who could be any civilian, the one who seems like he wasn't meant to be, but he was.

In my opinion, the one who best balanced his personality as Robin and as a civilian.

(And that the fandom decides to totally ignore haha </3)

Although DC needs to learn to let go of Tim and let him grow. At this point I think half of the fandom doesn't even know how old he is or what hero he is.

Steph: the Robin who deserves better.

I don't just mean story-wise, obviously none of the characters deserved the shit they suffered and deserve a better life... I mean in general.

The real forgotten Robin is Steph, not Tim, and I'm not going to discuss it with anyone.

They (DC) keep writing the same story over and over again, rewriting the other Robins' history (especially Dick), but never giving us more about Steph.

Give my girl her story. Just like Jason, she has so much potential, give her her moment to shine!

(although, here I have to open parentheses for this: Steph has a much more consistent story than Jason, her role is more defined, but it feels outdated at this point. And, in any case, I feel like Steph shouldn't even really be a "bat", but rather someone independent... Or similar to Nightwing at least, who doesn't wear a bat on his suit).

Damian: the one who deserves not to be Robin.

Let me clarify: "the one who deserves not to be Robin", not "the one who does not deserve to be Robin".

Damian needed to be Robin, it was the key point in his development and I think Dick did the right thing by giving him the role of Robin...

But I feel that he deserves to stop being Robin too.

I think he's going to stop being Robin? No, not with DC writing him. DC has a history of resetting their characters to a certain point, they always bring them back. I don't think they're going to release Damian soon.

But while every character deserves to have a life outside of being heroes, I feel like Damian deserves it the most out of all of them.

The others are adults who have already chosen this, but Damian is a child, a teenager by now... And letting him be something more than the one who was created to be in the underworld, I feel that is the best for him.

I think he should stop being a vigilante? I'm not that sure, but that his life should definitely NOT revolve around that.

"The mission" should not be HIS mission.

So... Yeah, that.

I'm not sure if this makes sense to you tho-

[paperbackpanic]

Hiii, if you’re still open to requests, may I suggest either Tim/masky or EJ (or anyone you prefer really) with a super femme S/O who’s just really crass. Like they love all things cute and pink but they’ll take every opportunity to say the most outrageous thing they can think of

EJ and Masky with a hyper fem s/o who says outrageous stuff

A/n: hii!! Omg I loved this request specially because I'm kinda like that? I mean my mouth sometimes runs faster than my mind and I end up saying outrageous things but it is not, like, on purpose most of the time and I really like dressing super fem! I also really love writing for EJ and Masky :D. Sorry for the long rant I'm kinda lonely and need to run my "mouth" out a bit, anyway I hope you enjoy!!

A bit of a content warning for NSFW and generally gross topics but nothing too explicit.

Eyeless Jack

🎀 honestly you too contrast so much is kinda comical. EJ is the dark serious silent type and you are a cute and pink agent of chaos who honestly can talk a lot, specially considering you take every opportunity to say absurds.

🎀 Is pretty hard to surprise/get him off guard but when he first meet you he was pretty surprised, he thought you would be the shy "feminine energy" super polite girl you being really crass caught him a lil bit off guard

🎀 He isn't bothered by the things you say, he honestly find the fact that you're crass quite interesting

🎀 Yap sessions Yap sessions!! You'll let all of your wildest thoughts run out of your mouth and EJ will sit and listen. He won't judge but sometimes a thing you said will generate a long philosophical discussion about why you think that and he usually says something like "you do/say that just because you like to go against the norm or is it something deeper?" to start it off

🎀 You asked him once if his semen could be dyed with food dye BEFORE it came out of his body. It technically can? But like only because you can "tint" the urethra a bit with the dye but it involves a catheter and he's not going to put one in his dick because you want to see how much food dye would take to make his cum neon green. No matter how much you tried to convince him he won't budge ☹️☹️

🎀 You know that scene in some random old movie that I don't know the name with Marilyn Monroe that goes something like that:

"I know more than 200 ways to kill a man"

"You could glue a jar filled with rats to someone's face and then light a torch on the bottom so it would start to heat up and the rats would try to run away by chewing the person face off ☺️"

"201"

That's you two.

🎀 The only time when he will ask you to shut up and be polite is when you need it for your safety. I mean not everyone likes crassness and the most violent creepypastas would kill you without a second thought if you irritate them too much so he'll make sure you know beforehand when it's dangerous for you to be your true self

🎀 As I said in previous headcanons Jack doesn't really see stuff so he doesn't have a solid opinion on your style of clothing, he likes the texture of it though. Ruffles are great to run his hands through

🎀 Over time he just kinda stopped listening your crassness like, not in the literal sense but sometimes people around him point out and he's just "oh I didn't notice" he just filtered out that what you were saying was crass and just registered "my s/o is talking"

🎀 Overall a pretty good relationship, you two balance each other very well

Masky

🎀 He doesn't really like people who are crass or being crass himself. He's too old for that, but he will put up with you out of love.

🎀 Overtime he grew used to how you are, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't look at you like you're insane when you say something particularly out of pocket. Like creeps usually do stuff that's not really polite or demure but they don't typically say stuff out loud (or at least they shouldn't)

🎀 Your cute style is really a pro in his list on why he put up with your bullshit. It might not look like it but he has a soft spot for cute things

🎀 yapping with him might be a little difficult, he will listen to you of course he's not a bad boyfriend but he will shut you down pretty quickly if you're trying to convince him of doing some weird experiment or saying something particularly absurd.

🎀 He will use stuffed animals, cute clothes, nice dinner dates etc. to bribe you to be at least less crass when the situation call for it. You will shut up and be polite and not crass if he just asks nicely but you can't help but exploit him a little on this aspect and I can't blame you

🎀 if you ask him, he will gladly give you some lessons on good manners. He likes you however you are but this is something he thinks you can work on...

🎀 shuts you up with kisses. I will not elaborate

🎀 He has a secret ranking of most outrageous stuff you said to him/near him is only 5 itens long but he likes looking at it from time to time when he's missing you.

🎀 Assuming the Creeps exist in the same universe as us and not in a separate one: you told him about Twink Masky. He did not like it. It was funny

🎀 Despite everything he loves your personality, even if your crassness can be considered a "flaw"

[yourtypicalhuman09]

Same anon who gave the 5 ideas here.

I'm so happy you loved my ideas I'm so happy!🥹 (I feel a bit anxious about asking, I'm not good at social media cues so I normally just read in silence)

I do have some more ideas that I didn't want to put so my post will not be too long. And I want to share them with you.

1. (I don't know if I gave that one yet or not) Reader and their friend (s) being game development studio. it'll also make sense because Reader knows how to code and hack and because they know psychology, that will help them develop great characters and storylines that will touch people hearts in both good and bad ways.

2. If the Reader ended up teaching their friend to code and hack (especially hack) that will show a great deal of trust in them because in reality hackers don't trust each other and it's hard to make a hacker teach you hacking.

3. (Connected to 1) The first game reader and their studio made was bad (but the idea of it was good) because they were just training and trying and decided to let the world see it and judge, criticize, give advice. They even asked for advice on how to make games in the first place and it ended up with some cyberbullying, but more people given a lot of advice, from other game developers, authors, artists, and every random stranger on the internet you can find, Some were from the Batfam. The studio listened and made the game great in the end, making it one of the most downloaded games. And one of the biggest reasons is the fact that people love having a part in making something, it makes them feel connected to that thing. (Maybe that was the reader's idea using the knowledgeable psychology.) imagine the reader seeing Tim praising their game to one of the bat siblings not knowing that one of its makers are living with him. Imagine when he finds out.

4. When Alfred notes that reader doesn't seem to be chasing the families approval anymore and seems to find their peace of mind and healing he feels happy for them, because them being happy makes his job easier and he still cares about them somehow (even when they are at the bottom of his list of priorities).

5. I don't know if the reader will move out or not but imagine if the family of the friend help them move out, get a job if they don't have one? move to college?

6. Imagine the Batfam finding out that the reader spends every holiday and occasion one should spend with their family with the family of their friend for years apon years. Imagine them breaking into the house of the family of the friend and finding so many family pictures with Reader in them were either seem to fit in perfectly like this is the true family. Finding they almost have no picks with Reader, and even the only family photo reader was in with the Batfam, the reader is there at the corner, with some space between them and the batfam.

7. About the funeral of the father friend of the reader. Imagine the reader talking about the father stepping in the shoes their own father refused to step in. How he did teach them every single thing a father is supposed to teach his child, and more. And how even though this man is not their father by blood he is their father in every other way and no one can replace his place in their heart.

Thank you for reading I hope it's not that long

And can I be known as "anon 🌞"?

Ahhhh 🌞anon tysm for sharing more of your brilliant ideas! Like i said i love hearing from my readers whether its good or bad things because i know i can always improve and add onto my original idea and Jesus you don’t disappoint. thank you for another set of amazing ideas! Honestly don't be afraid to send in any kind of ask (though i do know its easer said than done😅).

This totally makes sense and its a really good idea! I'd love to include this in my story but if it doesn't fit i can always write another fic later with this plotline.

This is really smart i never thought of it that way. You're so clever!

This is very detailed, I've said this to 🍰anon but you should definitely consider writing this! I'd love to write my version of your concept but you know the concept better than me and I'd totally read your idea! If you still want I can still write it for you after i finish my main fic!

This is a good perspective on reader and Alfred's relationship but I already have something in mind. thank you for sharing though!

Wow are you a mind reader or am i just that predictable😅. I was actually planning on doing this so good on you for figuring it out!

OMG as always you have such good angst ideas! I love the idea of the Batfam being jealous of friend's family.😂

Ahhh you did it again! I absolutely love this idea! Again if you don't mind I'll probably use it.

Don't you worry about the length of your asks I love your ideas! Feel free to ask anything 🌞anon have a good day/night!

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Wednesday wonderful fandom :) We have hit episode 4, I once again am SO happy this is back. Makes my Wednesdays so much better. I missed this show so much. Now I was legit resigned to have no real moment in this one. I really was. Not only that but I was ok with that too. The SL was really really good. I was enjoying Wes/Wopez getting some of the spotlight. I adore this show as a whole.

So I was down to enjoy this ep just for the SL they had lined up. I am thrilled we got a moment. Scaling the walls excited. I do my best to keep these first impressions as brief as possible. Since I do deep dives in the summer. When I really flesh my thoughts with the entire season in hand. But when we get good moments it's harder to be brief ha So bear with me if I'm a little longer than I have been. Let us begin shall we?

7x04 Darkness Falling

We start the day off with some good ole ass kissing from Ridley. The more this kid opens his mouth the more I dislike him tbh. So I'm with Tim groaning at his platitude. 'Oh god.' I'm cackling. I love this man so much you guys. Lucy is all smiles though of course. She wants to see the best in him because well it's Lucy. We all love this woman for her compassion. But their reactions are just so on point. Their Grumpy x Sunshine dynamic doing it's thing. Always makes me happy to witness.

I do love that Lucy follows it up with saying no one likes a suck up lmao My girl. I mean no one does.....They drive me absolutely insane. But this is her accepting what he has to say but also letting him know she isn't won over either. He has work to do. They both do really. Friggin miracle they're both still standing there.

We get to a gnarly crash and the rookies are put to work by Celina. Who is primary. You go girl. So excited for her this season. We can sense her stress as she attempts to contain and maintain the scene. She has Ridley take pics of the cars, which he messes up. Not getting every inch like she asked.

Telling him firmly but still kindly that she can't hold his hand. Texas giving him a hard time seeing this. Seth gets a little uppity with him. It's here we witness conflicting stories …..No matter the reasoning a cop who lies habitually is ick central for me. Makes me start to question his integrity. Gonna take a lot to come back from this IMO. Lucy looks very disappointed. I would be too. Also a little on edge wondering why he's lying?

First thing noticed when Penn was searching the car was the gun in the glove box....I knew when he said it was all clear it was going to bite him in the ass. It does immediately and royally so. We see bit by bit that confidence that he came in with slowly eroding. Tim is breaking this kid down in order to build him back up. He's gotta quit it with the Texas stuff. It only angers Tim even more. He doesn't want excuses he wants progress.

I know it may seem like Tim being extra hard on Texas. But D (makeitastrength) brought up a great point from 3x11 either last ep or before in the comments. On how Tim trains based on his trainee. And this boy needs to be knocked down a thousand pegs and then some. We see with each episode him changing I will say. Becoming more remorseful. Less cocky with Tim. The way he reacts to his punishment is proof of that.

Tim is right to do this to him. He’s not in Texas anymore. That is not a valid excuse for everything. Or ever honestly. I had a guy on my team who did the same thing. Would excuse his screw ups and say 'But in Tennessee we did this.' etc. One day we were on a ride a long. He did it again as an excuse. I told him you’re no longer in TN. You’re in CO now. Those rules don’t apply here. And it finally clicked and he stopped doing it.

Tim has to beat it into his brain he’s not in a small town anymore. Far from it….and he most definitely isn’t in Texas anymore either. Once he lets that go he will get better. Tim pegged him from day one about him needing to be deprogrammed first. That’s going to take the longest with him.

SOOOOO Seth is officially a liar..... I hate it so very much. Not only did he lie but he did it in front of Lucy earlier. Someone mentioned the possibility of him being a liar. It was in an ask D got I remember and I never thought of it. So Kudos to that person for spotting that early. I didn't clock that. Like at all. Cause I too am like Lucy in my empathy and believed him. Guess I shouldn’t have….Hiding more than I would like.

My gut is saying I would like him to wash out. Is that mean? Sure but also he's not giving anything positive right now. We haven’t see one since s3 with the Badger and Katie. But he’s Lucy’s rookie, so that’s the only reason I don’t actually want that to come to pass.. Idk how he’s gonna come back from this compulsive lying. I’m not a fan. Gonna take some really good development to make me forgive this.

I LOVE this final moment with Texas. Tim does a masterful job of not breaking. I commend Miles for saying he appreciates all Tim is doing for him. He can see that it isn't just to be harsh with him. There is a method to his madness. To quote Lucy from 1x04 'He's calculating not cruel.' He’s teaching this kid right.

Not only that he recognizes why Tim is so hard on him. Also he's being brought back down to earth. Especially about not knowing it all. Realizing how many holes he really has in his knowledge. Having an epiphany in this scene. It's amazing progress to see. You're growing on me Texas. On Tim too. You can see it in his eyes through out his speech. Excited to see how he continues to be molded.

There is so much to unpack in this scene. It's insane. First of all. Tim’s house! I've missed it. God it’s gorgeous. Holy hell. So glad Eric pressed to have it return. It's as beautiful and understated as he is. Also feral Caitlin must make appearance. Cause he is in street clothes after all. gimme gimme. AND In my favorite color no less. Only he could make such a plain shirt so god damn attractive. The way it tightens around his chest. Hot damn. I'm a puddle. Mmm wanna climb him like a tree. *fans self*

If that isn't enough to make me lose my mind we have Kojo! Return of our fav pupper. Their handsome fur baby making an appearance. Barking before Lucy even knocks on the door. Just knows his mama is near. Alerting Tim to get up and greet their visitor. Look at how excited our boy is when he opens the door and she's there. No one makes this man light up faster than Lucy Chen.

We see the disappointment on his face when he realizes it's work related. Hence the sassy reply about her question. Lucy, just letting her damn self in regardless of what Tim is saying though. They are in fine form here everyone. I’m so happy right now. Lucy airing her concerns about Seth to Tim. Saying how she can't shake the feeling something is off. I feel that way too...Giving me the ick hard.

Tim does his best to put her mind at ease about Seth. Saying how comprehensive they are. They're invasive and he has to pass a polygraph as well. Tim slyly mentioning how they both know how illuminating those can be. Heh Tim’s liar detector joke. Love the little shots he takes and it earns a smile out of her. Little flirt. Well done babe.

I adore that her instinct is still to rely on Tim. When she’s worried or unsure. That is her go to. He is still her person in that regard. That inexplicable pull she can’t quite deny or ignore. Was hoping this whole Seth thing would lead her to Tim for advice. Just wasn't expecting it to be in his house. I'm tickled pink about it though haha

Feeling a surge of frustration and doubt, Lucy apologizes and starts to walk away. Like it's just hitting her what she's done. Showing up unannounced at his house, forcing her way in, asking his advice and flirting with him in the process. Her adrenaline wearing off and she is feeling vulnerable. She can feel that familiar draw of their banter. As she stated in 5x12. They're so good at arguing. Her immediate reaction is to retreat for a multitude of reasons. Kojo gets up and says hold on there mom not just yet.....

I love him getting up right away not letting her go without some snuggles. That a boy. You be our little Chenford cheerleader. Doing his best to keep her there. He resets the mood with this move. Lucy loving on Kojo makes my heart so happy. Also look at Tim. The man could power a city with that smile. He is melting into a damn puddle in front of her. Couldn't be happier to see them together again. Lucy letting Kojo know how much she misses him.

'Feeling's mutual.' OH. MY. LORD. Way to be transparent af my love. Do it more….Straight up using Kojo to say he misses Lucy. It's oozing out of him, how much he craves her presence. I cannot everyone. Let's not ignore the fact that Lucy looks at him sweetly in reply. Melting a little more each episode. It's a very telling look. Still a little guarded but happy none the less. I will take this win from her. So will Tim. Any positive moment with her is a win.

Tim nervously asking her to stay. *screams into a pillow* Sweet baby James. I'm so giddy I might faint. The little breath he takes before he asks. *heart clutch* So reminiscent of 5x08. This is everything. That man is so so gone for her. He wants her to stay more than anything. Ugh my heart. Look at him. Hands in his pockets. Being a little awko taco. Hoping against hope she will say yes. The only way he could be more transparent is if he wore a 'I love and miss Lucy.' sign. Holy cow. If you had any lingering doubts after last week this should obliterate that.

Lucy is stunned by his offer. Stands up right away with her 'Oh.' You can see she has to fight that magnetic pull of theirs. That need to be around him and stay. Melissa plays it so well. Fighting that urge. Knowing if she stays where it’ll end. Most likely in his bed... She can’t risk that. Can't risk hurting her heart like that again. Even though that same heart is dying to stay, her brain helps her bolt. Her nervous chuckle as she tells him no. Stumbling over her words to make a quick exit. Leaving both her boys behind. This hurt so good. Oh my lord. I am here for the slow burn everyone. I've said this many times. To get back to the summit that is them together it's going to take time.

When we do it's going to be so worth it. The delayed gratification will be unreal. We have to remember it's been FOUR episodes. Just four. I'm feeling no impatience at this point. This is going to be a lovely climb back to them. They can give me little moments like this as they make their way back all they want. I'm here for it and grateful to have them. I couldn’t be prouder of Tim for going for it though. Being the first to put himself out there again this second round. Just like he did in S5. Showing her he misses her with this offer. Testing their grounds by doing so. Think he could tell she wanted to. But wasn't surprised when she said no.

Goodness this made me giddy af. Also that man is a snack in that shirt. So she is strong to walk away from him. She all but runs when he is soft with her. Can’t say I blame her. Right now that way lies hurt. Also they need to have a real convo first. But hot damn I’m excited he went for it. Not once but twice. Saying he missed her inadvertently then asking her to stay. Ooooh I’m excited you guys! If you aren't I can't help you I really can't LOL Reaching down to pat the good boy with a sigh. His wingman really tried. Swing and a miss Timothy. But proud of you for giving it a go. I cannot wait till next week

Thank you x1000 to everyone who interacts with these. With your likes, comments and reblogs. They make my whole day every time a notification comes in. Biggest smile on my face. You're all the best. See you all in 7x05 :)

~~~

Side notes-Non Chenford

'How secure you are in your marriage.' I’ve been saying that since Wes heard the tapes. Oh Wes, what happens when you marry a beautiful, strong and independent woman.

'Being a woman is consistently terrifying.' If that isn’t the truth…. Line of the season for Angela right there.

The Sorority girls kicking the shit out of that guy was incredible. When I saw the blood on the floor I was worried. Then to see all those woman kicking, punching and stabbing that dude. Was epic. Angela telling them they have her recommendation if they ever was join the LAPD LOL

I wanna cry for Wes with this SL. Letting a killer back onto the streets. Doing his job or not that weighs on a person. Their psyche and conscience. He gave me such anxiety as he raced the the scene. Gah just breaking my heart when Angela checks in on him. Well done Shawn for this gif above. We don't get to see him flaunt his chops a whole lot and I'm happy to see they gave him the chance. He was fantastic in this ep.

Bailey took the phone number and let him go. Props my friend. More balls than your husband. When it comes to people I love I get very gray. I'm all about black and white like Tim but also like Tim, when its someone I love those start to blur to protect them. So kinda don't blame her for taking the insurance of his number.

Locking her away isn’t the answer my dude. It’s insulting to think she can’t handle herself if I was her. Be better to be together and tackle it as a team. But that’s just me.

‘You’re a grown ass woman not baby sitting you.’ Wade Grey I adore you sir.

Nyla being on her own making my heart palpitate. It felt very last of us if you’ve ever played that game and know the stress of it lol It was good but also anxiety inducing.

Loved the Nyla and Lopez hug I love it. Always happy to see this bad ass duo together.

7x05 looks good with the serial killer SL. Have a WILD theory of maybe it being Seth? I highly doubt it is. But dude be sus af right now. If that was true could bring up PTSD for Lucy with Caleb and all that. But that's a crazy road to go down. But had to get it off my chest on the off chance he ends up being involved somehow.

[soleminisanction]

Hi! I just read your thoughts on Robin and Damian and how his addition to the canon may have changed the reader's perspective on what Robin actually means.

You keep mentioning like, "Robin" adventures/stories and how Damian doesn't really have any? Aside from maybe Juni Ba's comic which I gotta admit is one of my favorites.

Would you mind explaining what exactly makes a Robin story a Robin story in your eyes?

I had to mull over the answer to this one for a bit, because it's a little hard to put into words. And I'm glad I did 'cause I wrote a whole like, 700 word post, mulled it over, decided it didn't really answer your question, and rewrote it better. And longer. This is so long. I hope it makes sense.

--

So, there's two answers to this question, one of which is obvious but doesn't happen very often -- and honestly probably shouldn't -- and the other of which requires me to explain another piece of the private meta-crafting that's been haunting my mind palace.

The obvious answer is: A Robin story is a story about being Robin. That is, a story which explores or interrogates either the purpose/nature of Robin as a role/legacy, or the relationship the character currently using said mantle has with that role/legacy. The Boy Wonder is a prime example, as it's fundamentally about Damian coming into his own as Robin by learning from his predecessors and drawing on their collective strength to overcome his personal demons, both internal and external.

Compare that version of the story to, say, the Son of Batman movie, which draws from the same time period and source material, but you can tell from the names alone that the focus is completely different. Robin in that movie is just a token thing, arbitrarily given to Damian to "teach him discipline," while all the real narrative focus goes to the drama around his parentage and the League. Hell, Nightwing's only really there as a hook to the main villain, Deathstroke.

Or consider that one obnoxious storyline from the New 52 where Damian sets up "fights" with the older boys. That also could've been about genuinely testing Damian's values against those who had come before, but instead it was mostly just a series of one-sided Reddit arguments where he destroys his opponents with Facts™ and Logic™ to prove he's the Specialist of the Special Boys and then Nightwing crowns him the Once and Future Robin. Robin, in that context, is just a prize to bolster Damian's self-image.

It's not that Damian couldn't have this kind of Robin story. Obviously not, The Boy Wonder is a thing, and fantastic precisely because it feels like something Damian has needed for a long, long time. But when you compare that one admittedly stellar offering to Tim's career -- built on a foundation of these kinds of stories and then sprinkling more of them throughout his 26-36 years (depending on how you count) -- or even to the handful that Jason got in his 5 active years, plus those that Dick got in the years right before the Nightwing transition and the flashback stories both of the later two have gotten since... it's a noticeable absence.

But. The vast majority of Damian's writers are clearly not interested in exploring that particular angle with him. They are, at the best of times, too enamored with the Son of the Bat or, at the worst, too enamored with Damian himself and how cool/edgy/badass they can make him seem.

And the thing is, like I said at the top, you do not want every Robin-leading story to be one of these naval gazing "what does it mean" stories. That would get tedious real quick, like how every new Batman writer feels the need to do their Grand Treatise on What It Means to Be Batman. But you need some of it, especially for a character like Damian, because of answer number two.

--

The second answer to your question is: A Robin story is a story in which the main character fulfills the role of Robin. And this is the one that's kinda nebulous and hard to define, because it means a lot of things. There's a certain amount of vibes to it, a level of "if you know it, you know it when you see it." So, here's where I need to bring in one of my other ideas.

DC has pretty much settled on six “core Robins,” five from the mainstream universe, one Elseworld. They’re the ones featured in the big anniversary cover that now serves as the article illustration on Wikipedia (even if it is bullshit that they gave Jason pants).

Now, I personally maintain that you can further sub-divide these six into two even groups: the iconic Robins (Dick, Tim and Carrie) and the idiosyncratic Robins (Jason, Steph, and Damian). Idiosyncratic (for those unfamiliar with the $10 word) simply meaning: unique, out-of-the-ordinary, and individual. They go against the grain, and that grain is set by the icons.

I don’t think anyone’s going to fight me on the idea that Dick is an iconic Robin, given that he is the original that the whole legacy split off from. Tim, meanwhile, is the character who not only ensured that the legacy would endure past the Dark Ages attempt to wipe it out, he’s the one who defined what the legacy meant separate from Dick and made it modern—if you have any pop culture conception of “what it means to be Robin” beyond short pants, pixie boots, and “Holy catchphrase, Batman!” it almost certainly came from Tim. Between the two of them, they've been active as Robin for 80% of Robin's 85-year career -- 50% Dick, 30% Tim. (Damian is sitting at 19% -- these totals will not add up to 100% because of career overlap.)

It is safe to say that the two of them pretty much define what it means to be Robin, and this follows with the way they often get used in the other Robins' stories as proxies for the role of Robin itself. (See: their portrayals in The Boy Wonder compared with Jason's, and basically everything Jason did to Dick and Tim during his villain era.)

(As for Carrie, I include her in this group because if you can read around the mild clusterfuck that is the DKR universe, she serves a role in that story very similar to the one Tim does in the mainstream universe, even while she’s bouncing between all the same legacy codenames and costumes that Steph has worn and also Catgirl and Batman.)

The idiosyncratic Robins, on the other hand, are those who deliberately break the mold in one way or another. This is not a criticism or a bad thing. Like shading in a drawing, the contrast between the icon and the idiosyncratic adds depth and complexity to the legacy -- think, the contrast between Clark, Kara and Jon vs. Kon, Linda and Chris, or Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart vs. Guy Gardner and Kyle Rainer. Or heck, Barbara vs. Cass.

But. This means that, by definition and design, the idiosyncratic Robins are in contrast with the role they're being written to fill. Think about how easy it is to tell when a writer is writing "Robin classic" instead of Damian, because of how completely out of character he is -- like in Batman Ninja. With Jason it's less obvious but if it goes on long enough you'd start to notice that he's missing his rough edges (as he often is in fan fictions). This should also be the case with Steph, like in all of her WFA flashbacks, but people don't like to acknowledge how much she's been tokenized and bowdlerized over the years.

With Dick and Tim though? They slip into Robin's role in any story perfectly, no matter how unfamiliar the writer might be with their specific character, precisely because they're in the iconic mold. This does not mean they are generic, because Robin does have a role in the narrative and certain set traits -- confident but not arrogant, witty but kind, capable but still vulnerable enough to need Batman's protection sometimes, a certain level of general optimism and youthful naivete, etc.

In short, the role of Robin is a specific narrative niche that Dick and Tim (and Carrie) slip into easily because Dick created it, and Tim and Carrie designed specifically to fill it. Jason and Damian were created in contrast and conversation with it (Steph is another story entirely) and thus do not fill the role as easily, with Damian in particular being such a stark contrast that he borders on being the anti-Robin.

--

Again though, this could still work if Damian had more of the first kind of Robin story, the one that examines his relationship with the mantle. This is essentially how they make Cass work -- she's very different from Babs or any other interpretation of Batgirl who's come before or since. But she's also very aware of her legacy and often has stories about being in conversation with it, through her own self-reflection and also by playing off both Bruce and Barbara. Those stories, balanced with the ones exploring the unique aspects of her character, are what make her such a stand-out.

Damian really only gets stories exploring the unique aspects of his character, the Son of the Bat part. He doesn't get the stories he needs to ground him as Robin, to justify why he's squatting in a role that doesn't suit him and that he doesn't really fill in narrative sense. And while that would be fine if he wasn't in that role, as it is it's a bit of a sticking point for his character -- especially for people who actually, y'know, like Robin and don't really want to see those stories replaced with Son of the Bat stories. We can have both! I would personally prefer they be with separate characters, but still.

[oldwritingm]

I wish I could go on a date with Nina :( but I might make a part 2 of this if you guys want :3

Creepypasta/MH - Dates With Them

Characters: Nina the Killer, Jeff the Killer, Tim/Masky, "Ticci" Toby

Nina the Killer

I feel like you have a good mix of types of dates with Nina

Some of them are super impromptu; like she'll pop her head in your room and tell you to be ready to leave soon

And then you'll head out for ice cream or to the mall or smth :)

But she also likes to plan things sometimes, particularly romantic things

Like picnics or romantic walks at night

Or, if you're also crazy, midnight murder sprees <3

She always seems to have the perfect outfit for whatever occasion though

And, if you're dating her, so will you

She would have showered you with enough gifts (and taken you to the mall enough times) that you also have like. the PERFECT outfit for a specific occasion

So neither of you really have to worry about what to wear

But Nina still does; specifically when it comes to planned dates

She'll fret over what to wear for at least a day, having long private fashion shows in her room until she finds the perfect one

She's always super confident in whatever she wears, practically beaming when you meet up to get going :)

And she will combust if you mention her outfit; she knows she looks great, but to hear it from you is just <33

Ofc she always compliments you too!!

But for more casual dates sometimes she will stop you like "ok you are NOT leaving the house like that. come on, I'll help you pick something that actually suits your stunning beauty."

No you don't have a choice when that happens ^

Dw though, she'll pick something nice that you both like and that fits your aesthetic :3

Jeff the Killer

Dates with him are always a surprise

In many ways...

There's no way to know what he's planning or when he's planning it or if it's even planned at all

Like, sometimes you'll just be out for a walk and he'll say:

"This is a date btw."

"What?! You could've told me beforehand, I would've worn something nice..." >:/

And he just laughs, because he thinks you're still gorgeous in your hoodie and jeans :)

But another way that his dates are a surprise is because his concept of a "date" is so broad and obscure

One time he literally just took you to look at this old truck that crashed in a creek

That was it. That was the date. You walked a short distance and just looked at the truck for like 45 minutes

Jeff rarely plans his dates ahead of time

The most of a head's up you're going to get is a text saying "dinner at 8"

(you got the text at 6)

("dinner" is most definitely either McDonald's or some trashy two-star hole-in-the-wall buffet)

Needless to say, Jeff isn't very romantic in the traditional sense

But for all his weirdness and un-romantic date planning, he still loves every second he gets to spend with you

He loves that you're beautiful in whatever you're wearing, he loves that you laugh at whatever lame joke he makes...

Maybe that's why he doesn't feel the need to do something showy... you're already perfect when you're casual :)

But he's also just lazy and kind of a dirtbag

Tim/Masky

Dates with him are rare

Unless you're the one planning them; he's not going to be the one initiating them in most cases

He just doesn't know how to plan a date

And he's nervous he'll get it wrong :(

But at the same time, sometimes he just really wants to go out and do something with you

So sometimes he'll ask you out for a meal, or for a drive

Something pretty quick and casual; something easy that's hard to screw up

It'll seem impromptu, but in reality he would've been planning to ask you for days at least

You guys definitely have a few favorite diners, or some scenic routes to drive

Honestly that just makes it even easier for him; he'll just shoot you a text:

"Dino’s tonight?"

And ofc you'll say yes; you both love Dino's :) (or whatever little diner)

If and when he does do something romantic, it’s rarely as big as a whole date

Like he’ll get you flowers or smth, but it’s super rare that he’ll take you on a really romantic date

But sometimes he will :o

And he’ll dress up and act a perfect gentleman, complimenting you, getting you little gifts, holding your hand…

It’s like he’s trying to make up for all his un-romanticness in one night

And maybe he is tbh :(

“Ticci” Toby

Toby just likes spending time with you; it doesn’t really matter what you’re doing :)

As long as it’s at least vaguely interesting to him, he’s cool doing whatever

So oftentimes he’ll be the one asking you what you want to do for dates

He doesn’t really have a set “date night” for you two, but he tries to have one every now and again

It’s usually when he has an idea that he decides it’s time for a date night

(Or just when he feels like going on a date with you)

Sometimes he’ll see a cute date in a movie (or when stalking “people watching”) and decide he wants to try it with you

Especially if it looks like fun, like a paintball game or trying a crazy new restaurant

But he also likes the sappy stuff, like a home movie night or stargazing

It ends up being pretty boring for him, but the way his heart races when you hold his hand is more than enough to keep him on board :)

Toby likes to do romantic gestures, no matter what kind of date you’re on

At first it was only because “it’s what people who date do” (stuff he saw in movies)

But he found himself actually enjoying your reactions, so he made a habit of doing those kinds of things

Getting you a bouquet of your favorite flowers, kissing your hand, pulling out your chair for you…

(grinning wildly at your subtle reactions all the while)

It almost makes him seem like a gentleman

But then he’ll spend the date yapping about the most unhinged shit and you’ll be reminded that he’s. Like that

But hopefully that’s what you’re really into if you’re dating him :)

Thank you so much for reading! Take care duckies <33

(divider by saradika)

[nightmare-foundation]

it is only complex bc abuse is always done with purposeful intent. that is the textbook definition. who accidentally abuses someone? you don’t have to label his emotional incompetence as abuse. cause it’s not. that makes no sense… cause his character isn’t one dimensional. it’s literally just a character flaw, even if it hurts someone’s feelings. just like how jason is a hypocrite and dick practices escapism instead of dealing with his problems. majority of the times when he’s fighting another bat or bird, it’s either mutual or out of his control, so yeah ima give him grace by ignoring highly ooc comic runs. cause no one’s character is consistent, especially if you’re the freaking batman. idk, speaking generally when u literally get to build-a-bruce wayne is mainly just a skill issue, so maybe u just want him to be abusive?

Anon, abuse can absolutely be unintentional. You can unintentionally hurt people like that. Abusers don't always look at the people they abuse and think "I'm hurting and abusing them"- a lot of the time they really aren't aware they're being abusive and even think they're being helpful. I'm not saying some abusers go "whoopsie daisy!" And slip up like how you'd accidentally drop a vase. I'm saying the abuse Bruce puts the batkids through, especially Dick, is something he's doing not knowing he's being abusive or neglectful.

As an abuse victim, yes this is possible. My dad is abusive, but he isn't at all aware of it. Does he still love me to absolute bits? Of course. I don't doubt that he loves and cares for me. Is he still abusive? Absolutely. This is the case for Bruce.

His emotional incompetence is absolutely a character flaw, but how he goes about it with his kids is harmful. Take this example:

>Robin: Year One #3

This is just after Dick was nearly beaten to death by Two-Face. Bruce is genuinely afraid here, he's blaming himself for what happened to Dick and thinks that firing Dick will keep him safe. But he communicates absolutely none of this to Dick; he just yells at him, fires him, and then gives him the cold shoulder for months. Dick feels like such a failure that he runs away, thinking that Bruce doesn't want him around anymore. And i don't think this is ever really rectified or resolved. Dick becomes Robin again, but Bruce insists that he follow orders like a "good soldier".

And this incident still weighs heavy on Dick years later, thinking of it as his failure, especially since the whole situation was so traumatizing.

>Robin #0

And this is just one example of Bruce being emotionally incompetent and hurting Dick in the process. There's also the entirety of Batman #416, Batman #408, and NTT #55, all separate incidents where Bruce is unable to communicate and hurts Dick in the process. This is very present throughout their entire relationship, and there's far, far more examples of Bruce's emotional immaturity/incompetence being harmful, not just to Dick, but to the rest of the batkids as well (I believe it's one of the reasons Jason ran off to find his birth mother).

Bruce pretty much never communicates, not even to offer praise. This is something that frequently comes up and is even joked about (Dick being weirded out in Batman: Under the Red Hood when Bruce thanks him), but is a strong point of insecurity for the Robins. In fact, Dick wasn't even sure what Bruce really thought of him, if he thought about Dick at all (Gotham Knights #14). Jason also doesn't believe Bruce loves him, thanks to the sheer differences in communication styles and beliefs (which, honestly, the tragedy of that warrants it's own post), and I believe Damian has stated that, if it made Bruce happy, he'd stop existing (I'm not sure what comic it's from, so take this with a grain of salt). I'm not sure about Tim, honestly, since I haven't read his comics, but I wouldn't be surprised if the pattern continued with him too.

And ALL of this stems from Bruce being emotionally neglectful. A lot of issues in the batclan comes from this, honestly. Neglect is, by definition, abuse, even if it's just emotional neglect. This is often paired with Bruce miscommunicating if not outright being verbally abusive (such as yelling at Dick, as seen above), or even physically abusive (Nightwing #30, NTT #55, and at least half a dozen other instances with Dick alone).

Speaking of, I also don't believe Bruce being physically abusive is actually OOC, mostly because it's a trait that's been present since the Golden Ages, and Bruce is the one who decided beating up criminals was a good alternative to therapy. Bruce in general has a lot of anger issues, and is a pretty violent person. This is nothing new, and if you don't count the Golden Ages as canon, it's been at least present since the 80s. It's been consistent over a long period of time, and because of that, i really don't see Bruce being physically abusive as OOC, except for in certain cases (such as RHATO #25 and Gotham War, both incidents that I don't believe are in character when it comes to Bruce's opinions on Jason killing based on previous comics).

I don't really "want" Bruce to be abusive. I think it'd be better if he wasn't, but at this point, the batkids' characters hinge on him being abusive or at the very least neglectful, otherwise, aspects of their characters don't particularly make sense. Also, all of this is stuff I've picked up on as I slowly get through comics and read more meta posts. I'm not the kind of person who makes things up, and if I'm proven wrong about something, I typically reevaluate my thoughts, step back, and admit that I'm wrong. And so far, I really haven't seen any real evidence towards the "Bruce isn't abusive" column beyond people saying "these comics are out of character"- which is subjective.

Also, I only don't like it when people say that he's not abusive and then list things that are abusive. Mostly because it's genuinely dangerous.

Also also, I'm not saying Bruce is irredeemable or an awful person. He certainly isn't great, but he's absolutely capable of change and he loves his kids to death. There's almost nothing he wouldn't do for them (except kill, obviously, which is honestly something I agree with him on). I think he's stubborn and hot-headed, but once he actually sees the harm he's caused, I think he's fully willing to change, even if it's hard for him. Bruce is far from heartless. He cares a lot! He's just fucked up and has a ton of unresolved trauma that messed up his parenting. I really can't state how much I believe Bruce cares for and loves his family.

Anyways, at the end of the day, I believe Bruce is abusive. Abuse has a lot of nuance to it, and to a lot of people, abuse is always done intentionally and knowing that what they're doing causes harm. But this isn't always the case. Bruce is, imo, a really good depiction of an abuser who genuinely loves his kids and thinks he's doing right by them. And I honestly prefer his character this way; Bruce is WAY more interesting to me if he's fucked up like this.

Sorry this took a minute to answer, I have a lot of thoughts on this topic.

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

Too Dangerous for Kids

So, recently I had reason to go back and read Jason's post-crisis debut comic Batman (1940) #408 and it clicked really hard that basically the central theme of Jason becoming Robin was that Robin was too dangerous a job for kids. Before he becomes Robin, Dick got injured, badly, by the Joker, and Batman swore to never endanger another child like that, which is the reason Dick stops being Robin at all

Batman (1940) #416

And I'm friggin realizing now that the posing in Death of the Family is straight up a mirror to this scene of Dick having been shot?? I'm losing my mind???

Batman (1940) #408

Like, look at this in universe magazine shot with this talk on the radio compared to Bruce holding Jason and tell me this was not deliberate????

Batman (1940) #408 and Batman (1940) #428

And THIS TALK?????

Batman (1940) #408

I just... HMMMM, idk there's something very fascinating to me that the theme of 'this is too dangerous for kids' has been there in Jason since day zero.

It also makes me sympathize a lot with poor Dick who got fired "cause it's too dangerous for a kiddo out there", when he was no longer a child, and then WHAT DOES BRUCE HAVE WITH HIM NOT EVEN A YEAR LATER?!

Batman (1940) #416

He's devastated by the realization there's a new Robin, then harsh and critical of the new Robin because he's sure they're gonna screw up and get hurt

Batman (1940) #416

Not because he wants his old job back

Batman (1940) #416

Despite his misgiving about the mantel being passed on at all, at the end of it, he still gives Jason his respect and acceptance into the role

Teen Titans (2003) #29

And this has such fascinating parallels to Jason's reaction to finding out there's a new Robin after him!

Red Hood: The Lost Days #4

He is devastated by the realization there's a new Robin, then attempts to brutally dissuade the new Robin from keeping the mantel because he's sure they're gonna screw up and get killed

Teen Titans (2003) #29

Not because he wants his old job back

Teen Titans (2003) #29

Despite his misgiving about the mantel being passed on at all, at the end of it, Tim still has his respect, and perhaps even his acceptance into the role, although he was far too violent about it to actually properly give the role over like Dick did for him.

Teen Titans (2003) #29

Neither of them have a petty, jealous reaction of you replaced me, but instead have a tangled mess of "I was sloppy, I wasn't good enough, I got hurt, and now you put an even less prepared child in the line of fire?!" Jason is wildly more violent about it, but at the core I feel like the sentiments are the same, and it kinda makes sense because really the end of their times as Robin were very similar to each other, just Jason's was wildly more violent!

I can't help but wonder if maybe part of Jason's reasoning somewhere along the line was "Now I finally get why Dick was so harsh on me back then." And... honestly I don't think it is. Cause while it would make sense it just doesn't seem to be a parallel either of them is conscious of.

It's just this fascinating set of reflections neither one seems to see.

[magpod-confessions]

I know sexism in fandom is a thing, but I mostly encounter a lot of very vocal love and positivity for female tma characters (not to say that's the case in all forums ofc). Which is good, obviously.

Basira, Georgie and Melanie are important characters, but they all come along later and honestly throughout a lot of Canon kinda feel like an anti-jon wall. If you happen to be a fan who doesn't vibe with that sentiment, its less appealing to engage with a big portion of the female characters. It's not wrong or right to find yourself empathising more with Georgie or Martin etc etc, none of thecharacters are all good or bad so it's personal how a listener is gonna feel. But to me it sort of unfortunately feels like, since the (majority of significant) women are kind of aligned in one group, youre more likely to either into all of them or none of them. I hope that makes sense? Like I'm very much not coming after anyone.

Also some other thoughts on sexism: sasha has less time, less backstory, and is less developed than say Tim. So she has less content. Someone saying "if you do an ao3 search for fics that include sasha but not Tim, there isn't many, so sexism!" doesnt make much sense to me. The workplace is the only context we have for sasha, and Tim is her coworker and friend. A fanfic featuring sasha but NOT Tim (or any other magnus staff!) would have to create a lot of backstory wholecloth, and not everyone wants to do that. I love her in fanon, but we gotta acknowledge it really mostly is fanon.

As for Helen vs Michael. Michael's backstory is more developed, he was played and manipulated, its pretty damn tragic. Helen is dope! But if you want that flavour of angst and tragedy, Michael has more to work with.

I think it comes down to the type of fan you are and what you prefer to engage with! I suspect jonny has tried to make this less of a factor in tmagp and is focusing on giving more background to female characters from the start. Not trying to insinuate anything shitty abt him either.

.

[diamondcitydarlin]

----LOTS OF SPOILERS FOR THE FILM BELOW BE AWARE---

The thing that's driving me kinda CRAZY about the sequel though is how perfectly it sets up a personal arc for Lydia to be intertwined with Beej's. Like I said in my reaction post after seeing the film last night, I feel like Lydia as a character doesn't really get much of an arc or a resolution by the end of the story, as most of the plot is focused on repairing her relationship with her daughter, with Delia, maybe even her ex-husband to a certain extent, and for as much as she's rid of someone actually preying on her (Rory) we have no reason to believe she's found inner peace or really discovered herself or isn't still constantly popping pills to help with the 'gift' of sight she still has to deal with. There's so much about her left unresolved that Tim is either going to have to make another film about or I will have to fanfic about. But again, what's also fascinating is the way the beats of Lydia's story become tangled up with Beej's by the end of this, and also the ambiguous suggestion that there might be some kind of red string of fate linking them together across life and death and centuries (my kingdom for Beej saying "I've crossed oceans of time to find you" in a deep sexy Dracula voice and Lydia being like "plz shut the fuck up" LMAO)

Like, the 'psychic connection'. The thing that makes Lydia able to see and interact with Beej in places other than the house/model in Winter River. At first I think we're led to believe these are genuine hallucinations she's having, but ofc that's debunked when Beej reveals he's aware of these sightings and has been participating in them on purpose. Does this suggest that their first marriage may have been binding in some way that didn't release him from death, but allowed him more range to manifest so long as he was attached to her? That's not really addressed or explained, but I feel like it opens the possibility of being a thing (as so many fanfics have had happen before, I LOVE it tbh)

Also, the parallel of them both having had predatory exes that tricked them into 'selling their souls' (one in a figurative sense, the other literally lmao). I'm honestly shocked more conclusions weren't drawn from that conspicuous parallel in the film itself, because it's VERY interesting. It seems almost to suggest they're both meant to safeguard each other's souls (which is why I'm still bitter we didn't get Lydia defending him from Delores, I think that would've been a nice follow up to Beej saving her from Rory, even if she was just doing it out of a sense of obligation).

And idk, on the whole I feel a lot of Lydia's personal struggle at this point in her life is defined by a need to feel 'normal'. I get how that can seem odd coming from the teen girl that confidently described herself as 'strange and unusual', but this is 30 years later, after several failed relationships, after becoming a mom and struggling with a strained relationship with her daughter because of her oddity, idk, I think it's a good case study on how society forces women to conform lest they be a bad daughter or a bad mom or a bad wife, etc, but I think it's obvious she's just fighting her 'strange and unusual' nature and the more she does that, the more difficult her life will be.

To me, that suggests her path to happiness has actually a lot to do with Beej, or very well could. Who else is going to understand her true nature the way he does? Who else is going to unashamedly encourage her to be balls to the wall weirdo like she REALLY is??? Who else can truly set her free that way??? Like I'm gnawing on wires here yall, if nothing else Tim gave us SO much fanfic material to work with on this one.

[thatstupidone]

Alfred had caught everyone in the batfam trying to cook at some point.

Bruce

He was trying to cook Dick his favorite food after a particularly bad patrol night, but he didn't actually know Dick's favorite food or how to cook. Bruce had his phone in one hand covered in raw chicken and opened up on a recipe, and in the other hand he had..sugar? The kitchen was an absolute mess.

Alfred came in and immediately kicked Bruce out to take over. After he was done he sent Bruce back in the wash the dishes and clean up. Bruce never tried to cook again.

Dick

Wally had given him a recipe to try, since the speedster was always eating he knew all kinds of good foods. Everything was going surprisingly well as Dick followed the recipe step by step to not mess up- until it was time to cook the food in the oven.

Alfred walked into a smoke filled kitchen and a panicked Dick holding a burning pan of food. Luckily nothing had been damaged, but Dick smelled like smoke for the next week and was never allowed *unsupervised* in the kitchen. Alfred surprisingly was okay with helping him learn to cook though.

Jason

He was trying to cook a nice meal for Roy after they both got into a pretty bad fight during a joint patrol. He also maybe wanted to impress Roy too. He ended up spilling multiple items, used the wrong seasonings, and undercooked the meat.

Alfred showed up before Roy could eat it, probably saved them all a hospital visit honestly. He did promise to help Jason remake what ever he was trying to make, but sent them both to rest while he cleaned up. They ended up getting sandwiches from Alfred.

Tim

Since his parents were never around, and he had no one to cook for him Tim actually learned how to. Once getting adopted by Bruce he never really cooked anymore(other then at the tower for his teammates), but he would often bake!

Alfred liked Tims chocolate chip cookies and allowed him in the kitchen whenever with a promise to clean up. No one else knows, they just never question the baked goods that show up every once in a while.

Damian

He sucks at cooking. Like, under cooked or over cooked food, either no seasoning or too much, he doesn't know what taste good with what. However, Damian is amazing at baking. He can easily bake the most complicated things and it always turns out so good. He doesn't bake a lot though, but sometimes during special occasions he will for others. He probably learned how to bake only out of spite or something.

Alfred has seen him baking once or twice now, always leaving him be since he looks so peaceful when in the kitchen. He absolutely loves it when he will come in after Damian had left and finds some baked good with a little note written for him. Highlight of his week/month.

Duke

Don't let him in a kitchen. Let him in there and you will be replacing everything. No one has ever figured out exactly what he does in there but Tim and Dick are sure it's radioactive experiments at this point.

Alfred takes a week off everytime he sees Duke walking into the kitchen alone. He had given up on trying to stop the boy. He just leaves before whatever mess can happens, and returns once the kitchen is out back together. (Sometimes the batfam sends him in just got the purpose of getting Alfred to take a vacation.)

Barbara

She isn't the *best* at cooking, never having thought to learn past the basic skills, but she likes to help Alfred cook sometimes! It helps her relax on stressful days, the easy routine that sets into place when she joins Alfred.

Alfred likes having Barbara's help. He will have her doing good prep as he does other things before starting to cook. Sometimes he will teach her some things, maybe even give her a recipe that only he knows. Whenever she attempts to cook alone with him only watched and gets the meal perfect Alfred has a sense of pride!

[confusedhummingbird]

I feel like a big flaw of Cassie's is she's not very good at seeing layers of gray. She's very black and white. Good and Bad. Now I'm not complaining about this flaw. It's very interesting especially given she started as a young fangirl of heroes. But it's just interesting how much this thinking continues even as she ages. I'll list a few examples.

Vanessa Kapatelis: Now I completely understand her anger and hatred towards Nessie. She killed her friend. Destroyed her school. Attacked her Mom's work. Attacked her home. And outted her identity as Wonder Girl. Her anger is justified and makes sense she's never gonna be Nessie's best friend. However it's stated over and over again that Nessie is brainwashed and clearly in need of help. Now Cassie does help her because she's still a hero. But she's judging Vanessa constantly. Clearly has this image that she's a crazy bitch who's just evil even when visiting Vanessa's Mom and even insults her in front of her Mom. Again I'm not saying that Cassie's anger isn't valid or warranted. And she's well within her rights not like Vanessa and even welcome to insult her if she wants. She feels anger and pain towards the death of her friend and she's right since her friend is dead and Vanessa is responsible. Hell I'd probably feel the same.But Nessie is also a victim and according to both Diana and Julia this isn't the real Nessie and Cassie either doesn't seem to grasp that or doesn't care. To her, Vanessa is just evil and she's justified to punch her and insult her even in front of her Mother and Diana who considers Nessie her little sister.

Rose Wilson: Cassie just can't stand Rose. Views her as a psycho murder and much like with Vanessa she doesn't acknowledge the brainwashing Rose was under by her own father. She has this predisposed notion about Rose and refuses to budge on her opinion.

Damian Wayne: Now this isn't as bad as with Rose or Nessie but like them she has this predisposed notion about Damian and just views him as an arrogant brat and a "Problem child" and "Dead Weight". Now part of this is also her loyalty to Tim and she's not the only member who is like this to Damian. But this is about Cassie so we're gonna focus on her. Cassie feels like Damian needs to "Earn their respect" when Damian is a 10 year old child and that's not how that works with a child raised in a cult his whole life (Something you'd think Cassie would get given she was in a cult at one point)

And it's also interesting at this point that she's 17 at this point. She has seen and done things that many would consider evil or psychotic (Joining a cult and attacking the president's plane during Amazon's attack) and even her mentor and sister, Diana, has killed someone at this point. Plus all the people the Amazons Attacked during Amazon's Attack but she still cared about the Amazons and Artemis. But these just seem to be exceptions to her rules instead of her changing more of her views. She's still very much black and white minded.

I honestly love Cassie Sandsmark very much and it's very interesting when you think about this flaw of hers and how she thinks about people in general.

Thank You for reading!

[pickles-likes-ducks]

excerpt from my first published fic

again, really just trying to get my content out there😅

this fic did SO well on ao3, like wayyy better than I ever could have imagined. I'm honestly really proud of it haha

Damian’s POV    "It has been a while since I last saw you. Older Kent said your birthday has passed. You are... fourteen now?"    Jon tilted his head slightly. It vaguely reminded Damian of Titus when he was a puppy. "Uh. Yeah. I am." Damian suddenly remembered that birthdays were somewhat of an important event in people’s lives. He often forgot, considering he rarely even remembered his own birthday, and he never had celebrations as a child.    "How... was your birthday? Did you, ah, get good gifts?" That’s a normal thing to ask, right? Father said Damian was improving in his social skills, but he still got weird looks sometimes at his formal grammar and inadvertently rude behavior.    Jon smiled. That was good. "Yeah, I did!" Jon talked about all the presents he got, and the two of them chatted for hours longer than either intended.    Damian felt oddly content sitting next to Jon. He had a small sense of… admiration? attraction? for Jon. He had described this feeling to Drake once, and Tim had theorized that, since Damian was callous-unemotional, the contentment and the sense of feeling drawn to Jon was probably his body’s way of expressing romantic attraction. Damian was thankful it was dark; he could feel his face heat up slightly at the thought of having romantic feelings towards Jon. He mentally shook his head and decided to just sit and enjoy the quiet peace. 

A/N --- For reference, since Damian typically calls everyone by their last names, Jon is "Kent", Konner is "Older Kent", and Clark is "Old Kent". Ma and Pa have bribed Damian with farm animals and convinced him to call them Ma and Pa (Though he typically calls them "Ma Kent" and "Pa Kent". He's too formal for this world). Super random, but I decided to make Damian slightly callous-unemotional (often called child psychopathy). It's really mild for him, bc I didn't want to make him an actual psychopath, but it still mutes his emotions. He doesn't really feel joy, more like contentment, and he doesn't feel pain really, he just knows when he should* feel pain and plays it off as though he is hurt. He gets frustrated sometimes, but never actually that angry. He was just raised to be a violent kid, so he often lashes out bc of that mentality growing up, but he's not actually an angry person.