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

[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.

[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)

[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.

.

[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.

[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!

[azaharinflames]

Since you mentioned Buck being the eternal bachelor, I kind of feel like that's maybe the way they are heading with things. Maybe with a late stage realization that his found family (and Maddie) are all that he ever needed.

Which, given how much we've seen that Buck does want that type of romantic love, I think it would be a disservice to the character not to give him that.

I'm trying real hard not to be biased, but I don't think any other LI is going to stick the way Tommy did. After all the big talk Tim did about how perfect Tommy fit in, and after all they did to show us...

Even the GA, who doesn't know about anything Tim had said prior, has got to be tired watching Buck cycle through relationships just to have them end. No one is going to get invested in any other LI he has from now on. The shippers just want their ship (by definition) and the GA doesn't want to waste time on someone who's not going to stick around, most likely.

Hi, Nonnie!

Liiiiisten, when I saw they were making Buck and Tommy break up that was my first thought. That they will eventually pull some bs like that and say the big lesson to be learned is that Buck doesn't need a relationship to be happy, just his family and friends.

But like?? that would be so bad?

And, don't get me wrong, I'm all for platonic love. I love it. But I love it when it makes sense for the character, and in this instance, it just wouldn't. Because it's exactly like you say: with how much we've seen Buck wanting that type of romantic love, not giving it to him and perhaps even trying to convey the message that he was wrong all along and he just needed the love from his family and friends... would feel like a disservice indeed. Not only that, but it would also make Buck's trajectory feel useless, and it would potentially ruin his character.

Also, be as biased as you want, because I fully agree with you. No other LI is gonna hit as hard and as good as Tommy did, and I honestly believe the writers and whoever is in charge or whatever are starting to realise this as well. And it's not just the fact that he just fits in perfectly, but also the way they sold it to us as if Tommy was the perfect partner for Buck. We believed it, and then they did what they did. So, following that logic... why would we ever invest in a new LI, even if we're told this time is for real? Why would we trust them again?

Also, 100% on the GA. Nothing to add there.

Here is my bet for how it will be for Buck when the series ends and if Tommy doesn’t come back in Season 8 (perhaps 9, but I'm sticking with 8 for this): they will try to get Tommy back for the last few eps. If Lou isn't available at the time, they either will try to create a meet-cute in the last second with an entirely new LI (which I doubt), or, most likely, they will pull what you and I fear.

And we will all scream in disappointment (yes, buddies. That goes for you as well)

Anyway... my inbox is open for ranting, venting, giving your opinion (unpopular or popular, I'm happy to receive and discuss both), and even confessions!

Take care <3

[nanabansama]

Hi, what are your thought on the recent new chapter (ch.120). I'll be very discreet so I don't want to spoil *anyone* especially if you haven't read it by the time you came across this ask! Basically, what are your thoughts during the well scene?

haha thank you for not spoiling me or anyone else! Let me just put this under a read more...

I have read the chapter! One thing I liked about it was how the ending was relatively subtle. It's not like it isn't easy to figure out, but having Teru and Akane look down the well and guessing by their reactions what they saw was a really memorable moment for me. Especially since at first I thought Teru could have killed Kou himself!

But no, Teru presumably just exorcised his spirit. And then there's Mitsuba, who has either moved on or is still trapped in the Red House? It's a little unclear (since it seems like many spirits are trapped in the Red House and it's weird to just let Mitsuba go?) but it's implied they're both together at least. Honestly, I was very surprised that they both outright died! I knew the Red House was dangerous but the last time they came nothing really bad happened, so. :') Caught me off guard.

It does make me wonder about the details of their deaths, though. The last time we saw Mitsuba and Kou before they died, they both got dragged into that door under the staircase by Sensei. It seems like that was the door Nene was dragged into by Kou, too. Akane says in this chapter that he never noticed the door before, potentially indicating that the door doesn't appear until the Red House wants you to see it.

Since Kou was forced to obey the House's will and lure in new prey, I think what happened is the House decided to pick off the Red House Investigation Squad (aka Aoi, Akane, Teru, and Nene) one-by-one. This is why Kou brought Nene to Yugi-sensei and couldn't help her when she called his own name. Incidentally, my personal theory is that when she called Hanako-kun's name, it snapped Kou out of his senses and allowed him to temporarily buy Nene some time...

Anyway, since Kou brought Nene to Sensei, I think it's possible that Sensei simply did what he did to Nene to Kou and Mitsuba. Sensei wrapped her up in his tentacles then said something about reaching the bottom of the hole and entering the land of the gods. Well, at the end of the chapter, we see the end of the hole inside the well, and it's presumably filled with corpses. I'm guessing Sensei throws his victims in there, either to kill them or after he's done the deed. Or both? I mean, in one drawing he has an axe. It's possible he might switch it up depending on the victim...

At one point Kou describes Sensei as one of the victims of the Red House, but doesn't explain why Sensei has such a high kill count. Kou says the house uses the spirits of its victims to attract new food for the Red House to devour, and we see Kou attempt to throw Nene down the well, but Kou's initial strategy was to take her to Sensei and have him deal with her. It makes me wonder why Sensei is so special. My guess is it's related to Tsukasa-kun, the evil spirit from Kamome Academy, who Kou interacted with before his demise in the Red House. We saw Yugi-sensei spread rumors about Tsukasa-kun during his job at Kamome Academy, and it makes me wonder if he was already being controlled by the Red House at that time. Or at least manipulated by it. Perhaps the Red House tricked him into thinking it was for the good of his brother or something...? I don't know. But it makes sense to me if the twins are sort of working together to bring in new victims for the Red House to devour. Willingly or not.

Aaanyway, the Entity growing so strong in this timeline is really concerning! It makes me wonder if it's a taste of what's to come. While Kako and Mirai are catching a lot of criticism for this terrible death-filled timeline, it makes me wonder if it'a actually a safer timeline in the long run. Perhaps the city of Kamome is in even more danger in the old timeline. For now, things seems relatively peaceful...but perhaps later down the line it'll get ugly...

Oh, one final thing on the well! In the original timeline, Tsukasa sacrifices himself to grant Amane's wish by going into a hole. This hole is filled with water, symbolically linking it to the well the Red House is built on. I just find that interesting, because in this timeline the well has Kou's corpse in it (and likely several more). It makes me wonder if Sensei's high kill count is because he wants to have a wish granted.

Omg... wait... is it a freaking WISHING well? How did I never realize this before. I feel dumb. 😭

[theflyindutchwoman]

No sense in arguing about it. But we're so good at arguing. I know. But I'm hoping that we're good at certain other things, as well. Oh? Want to find out right now? Yeah.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 5.12 - Death Notice

Sometimes I wonder whether this scene is real or not… I just love it so much. It's serious, it's tender, it's playful… it's sizzling. It has some of the same intimate vibes as their very first kiss, with all the dim lights and candles everywhere, while still having its own flavor. Its own identity. Like the fact that they're in the kitchen this time, with Lucy preparing dinner for them. And the domestic feels in this… Cooking is one of her love languages, her way of showing how much she cares. There was already a hint of that when she sent food to Tim during his recovery after the events at the quarantine house. And we saw her cooking for Tamara, for Angela… or for her parents to celebrate her graduation (and I'm still salty about that one). This is something that she clearly has in common with Tim, judging by the way he looks so happy while making pancakes for her or how they apparently enjoy watching cooking shows together. It's their thing and it's so nice that they finally have someone with whom they can share this… Someone who can fully appreciate it.

All this romantic ambiance doesn't prevent Lucy from still talking about the job though, and more specifically her hypothetical transfer. She wants to get that out of the way before taking that next step and she's right. She is prodding a bit, asking Tim for his input since he has yet to explicitly endorse her plan. And she has to sense that he has been deflecting a bit, delaying the decision. For good reason, of course. The way he looks so at peace with his choice when he admits that he has already asked for his transfer so she wouldn't have to leave versus how upset and distressed she is by this… The softness in his voice when he says 'that doesn't matter' when she worries about him not liking his new job… There's this thing Eric does with his voice here that is amazing. I don't know if he was sick when they filmed that scene, his voice sounds slightly different somehow, huskier… And it fits the mood so well.

But that aside, it's not like her worries are entirely baseless either. Lucy understands exactly the sacrifice he's making because she knows how much he loves patrol and the action. And this is the kind of decision that could eventually lead to resentment. At the same time, this is Tim : he knows what he is doing. It's not the first time he had to consider doing a similar thing. Only, now, he has found someone who is worth the effort. Who is worth more than his job. So it's a trade off he is willing to make without hesitation. He raises another good point : a transfer for her would most likely mean that she would have to prove herself again. It might not be a demotion per se, but she would have to pay her dues again. Besides, he has to know that this is merely temporary : he just needs to wait for a better position to open up. Whereas changing stations would be a more permanent option and would prevent them from working or spending time together at work. There's such a romantic quality in the fact that he wants to spend as much time as possible with her, even if it's just for a few minutes here and there… Honestly, the way these two always light up when they see the other at the station is so incredibly soft.

'No sense in arguing about it' - 'But we're so good at arguing' This exchange is simply perfect… It's inherently them. What started as real arguments slowly evolved into this form of flirting for them. It lost its edge and blossomed into this playfulness and teasing they have mastered a long time ago… It was their way of showing how much they cared. So it's nice to see them acknowledge it and recognise that they enjoy doing it. Even more so considering how much Lucy used to avoid arguing with Chris, because deep down, it wasn't worth it. This really underlines the difference. And her tone, her smile when she admits enjoying arguing with him… That kiss… Tim standing up… Her hand lingering… And his flirting… He's come so far from 'naked times', he's getting smoother. The little tilt of her head, teasing him… And his grin! With all the laughing lines so visible… Their little swaying… His little 'yeah', barely audible, just for them… Her big smile… How she doesn't waste any more time and takes off his shirt, one with snap buttons because he came prepared… The man understood the assignment! The way she slightly leans away from him so she can check him out (shamelessly) while he's trying to lean forward, not wanting to stop that kiss or to be so far from her… Their forehead touching… The way he gets rid of his shirt… Her freaking smile… Their hands! The way he cradles her head… Her hands roaming all over his body… Her little giggles… His hand behind her head when they hit the wall, to ensure she doesn't hurt herself… The detail of her hair against the closed door… Speaking of. 'I opened the door for you'… The imagery of opened doors since their feelings have been out, has been so strong… Well, this time, Tim gets to close it. It's really just a detail, but so symbolic.

This is the beginning of a new era for them… And what makes me so happy is how Lucy and Tim are staying true to themselves. It's really about adding another element to their relationship, not changing it.

[glennquackmire]

My hunger games au lore that im acting so odd over because I keep getting flashbacks to the other post

Ik i said I would make this into a video but it was getting to like 10 minutes long 😭 so here's a really shortened version of some of it OK SO

-The curtis brothers live in DISTRICT 7 instead because I like the idea of them being lumberjacks it's funny and also because the Curtises knowing alot about plants and trees and stuff is kind of relevant

-Their parents died in an altercation with some peacekeepers. Is that still lazy?? Yea but hopefully not as lazy

-Ponyboy still genuinely believes Darry sees him as a burden and despises him so he is under the impression that Darry is going to try and kill him the second they get into that arena so naturally he tries to get as far away from him as possible for most of the games.

-instead dally and johnny are from district 12 which I THINK fits better for them??? Johnny still has the same kind of schtick as in the original post where he believe he doesn't have a shot at winning which he's not really coping well with, but dally I kind of changed its not that he thinks he can or can't win its more that he doesn't want to. He's super mad the two of them have been put into this situation and doesn't want to conform to the opressive system the capitol has put in place to keep the district peoples lives being used as entertainment I guess. But I don't really know if it's in a "i want to start a revolution" way or not I guess.

-Tim I mostly added because I like him.I'm a tim stan. He's from district 8 for the same reason the curtis brothers are from district 7, I like the idea of him being really good at sewing. I'm still on the fence on whether I wanna add Angela or Curly as tributes too but as it stands tim is the only one that has been reaped out if the three of them. He's really desperate to get back for this reason because he knows without him his siblings would be left on their own. He's also really really smart in this au so he makes it super far into the games.

-The socs respectively are from Districts 1, 2 and 4 because them being the careers makes sense to me. Like the advantages that the careers have in the games just kind of aligns with the advantages the socs have in LIFE. Does that make sense????? Idk I might be talking out of my ass here 😭. The combinations of the socs have changed around alot but I keep going back to Randy and Marcia in 1, Cherry and Bob in 2 and Paul and Beverly (from the musical !! Its so good go listen to it) in 4.

-Steve and Twobit I added because I think they're a funny duo and they're from district 6 (get it cause it's the transportation district). I really don't have much to say about them honestly I have a little bit so if u wanna hear about them let me know !! Originally it was gonna be sodapop and Steve but I couldn't find a way for it to make sense. Maybe I'll add him in and say he's not related to darry and ponyboy or something I don't know. I hate leaving him out though ily soda.

-Scout is still here (hi scout) but she's used as a bit of a plot device now lol

-the arena is a huge forest, but its also got some really mountainous areas

-there IS mutts now but they're let loose about 2 thirds of the way through and aren't around for very long. The fire is still there as well because mostly i just enjoy drawing fire.

-I think (?) That's everything, I'll keep the deaths and the other stuff that happens in the arena for another post because this is already kind of long I think

-if you want to hear more you can totally message me !! I love talking to people or u can use the ask box I would literally love either of these but obviously no pressure 😭

-I have a BUNCH of drawings done for this au like so many

Anyway I think the moral of the story is not being a good writer and 3 days of being awake are not a good combo lol

[boneyardbob]

Marble Hornet headcanons everyone come gobble em up before they get cold!!! @forgottenporkbun @monszsterz

So my headcanons for MH are a lot less conceret than those for the creepypastas cause ngl, I'm still trying to figure out wtf happened in MH. I haven't read the comics yet so I'm going off the main videos only. I've rewatched them a few times and read the theories but I'm still left with a few questions, and some theories I have fall apart when paired against certain videos SO take everything with a grain of salt. Even WORSE is I'm still playing around with how I want to write these scenarios and dynamics because they change drastically based on what theory I'm going with at the time.

Starting off, I think The Operator (TO) is doing a lot of experimentation. Each person in MH is affected differently cause no two people have the exact same type of TO disease. The closest are probably Jay and Brian, funny enough, because both were infected by Tim. Tim is patient zero for the disease in the sense that he doesn't just have it, he IS IT. Each cell in Tim's body contains a little speck of TO that, when transferred to others, can multiply and spread into a spiritual parasite. It reacts differently to Alex because he's also hand picked by TO. We know Alex had been stalked by him from an early age, maybe his whole life. When he got infected it triggered a sleeper agent type parasite in him. He's a lot more aggressive, violent, and bold. I think the difference stems from where the seed of The Operator has been planted. For Tim its the body, and Alex I honestly think its the soul. I could say mind but I actually think that applies better to Seth (and Ticci Toby but I'm trying not to include creepypastas in this rn). If the disease works through the bodies of Tim, Brian, and Jay it makes sense why normal prescription medication works to stop it. If that's the case why isn't everyone infected and wipes out the world? We were nearly at the end of MH by the time Jay started REALLY showing signs of no return. At almost any point he could have left got some medication, and probably get over it! I mean its like, entry 80 before we see him wandering around in a daze and hallucinating, right? His symptoms always get worse when he's in an infected area or around Tim for a prolonged amount of time. Jessica on the other hand seems to catch it really fast. Like REALLY fast. A single interaction in Rosswood has her just as bad as Jay, who had been on the run for almost two years surrounding himself with this shit. She has also been stalked by TO since a young age. I won't be able to get into her more until I read the comics tho.

I see a lot of people confused as to what Brian's status ends up being with both The Operator and his friends cause me too tbh. His motives are constantly bouncing around. One thing I know is he is still buddy buddy with TO. Some people say he's fighting against him but I don't get that at all from the videos. He's either using special powers he was given or TO is monitoring him and stepping in when possible to teleport him to safety. If TO is wanting followers then it makes sense he'd encourage Brian to lure Tim back into it with him. The issue is Alex is ALSO a follower. The Operator finds himself in a pickle when his girls are fighting one another. This is where I really get thrown off. An easy answer would be The Operator is an inhumane, eldrich, perhaps fae monster with no understanding of how humans really work. This, paired with the fact his followers have NO idea what he really wants them to do, means miscommunication and chaos ensue. When Tim is killing Alex in the final entries TO bounces around BOTH of them to get in their way. We know he's fully capable of tossing Tim off to the other side of the woods, or snatching Alex out of danger, but he doesn't. He's watching....I think he wants to see which style of infection is better. Tim's disease, or Alex's corruption. Which makes a better follower. This falls apart when you remember how close Brian came to killing Alex and he got saved by TO. Again you can sweep this under the rug by saying either A: He wans't done having fun yet or B: It had to be Tim. The OP doesn't give a FUCK about Jay dying, he lets him get shot and then scoops him up for devouring. Same about Brian, he lets him *fall*. They're supplemental to the game. Its all about Tim and Alex.

Now my FAVORITE headcanon of all time I use everywhere no matter WHAT...Tim is The Operator's favorite. If we wanna include pre-MH lore about Slenderman, aka his origins in the photoshop contest, then we learn he's been trying to do something like this for a very long time. Tim may be the first person ever directly infected by The Operator to live to adulthood. He may also be the first one to consistently fall back into a state of obedience, aka, a masked state where he's being crazy in Rosswood in the middle of the night. That makes him the favorite child. He is disobedient to The Operator, curses him, openly hates him, and physically fights against him throughout ALL of Marble Hornets and yet Tim never gets killed or devoured. He definitely comes close to both. I think him being teleported around is The Operator's most merciful form of punishment to shake some sense into his first follower. Its basically evil time out lmao. He just ALMOST snags two more followers in Brian and Jay but alas we know how that ends. In most people's "fix it" au, or "no one dies" au, that isn't an issue. My "no one dies" au transfers into creepypastas and the mansion and there is a direct tie in there with Ticci Toby, his similarities to Tim, their relationship, and how The Operator acts. The best way I explain it (and the way that makes me laugh the most) is saying TO is like parents who were cruel af to their eldest child, but by their youngest, they're completely different people and wonderful parents. I wouldn't call Slenderman a wonderful parent even in a very wholesome creepypasta mansion Au but he's definitely BETTER THAN WHATEVER THE FUCK WAS HAPPENING IN MH!!! This results in the younger children (pastas) having no idea why the eldest children (Tim and Brian) fucking hate their parents. Its a very good silly dynamic to wrap up the most gut wrenching, tragic yaoi I have ever watched.

[comfortmechsforverystablepeople]

Gender crisis

@yourlocalmechanism-dr-carmilla

warning in the title

Jonny

Immediatly noticed that something interesting is going on. It's like a natural sense for him, he can detect a queer person in less then ten seconds in a room packed with straights. He is very subtle about it either, but he's very excited. He would hang around you like an overexcited puppy in hope you will tell him first. This is such a good news that you are figuring out stuff about you! Let him know! He wants it so badly!

Nastya

If Jonny knows, then everyone knows. Especially Nastya, who loves to travel through the vents and spies on everyone. Maybe she even witnessed a few of your moments where you were trying to figure out yourself. Nastya knows how it is and will never acknowledge she saw you, letting you controlling if and when you will come out. She will just keep an eye on the others to stop them to out you before you are ready. Lots of wires and pannels accidents...

Ashes

Ashes is an expert. They are the queer big sibling who will teach you everything they know. You need a safe-place to experiment? You are at the right place. Need clothes? They will lend you anything. Need to ask some question? They are here for you. Whatever you need, Ashes will take everything in charge. Will punch anyone who misgenders you.

Ivy

Do you need informations? Because Ivy have thousands of years of experience across the cosmos! You can find new names and pronouns all day together, that would be fun. She also has a tons of books, and every over media ever, about what you are going through. And It helps her to figure out how she feels when reading about it, so maybe it could help you too!

Brian

This is great news! Brian is so, so, so proud of you. So strong and brave! Will give you a big hug to celebrate. What do you mean you didn't figured out everything? It doesn't matter, celebration hug is appropriate none the less! Will also cook a celebration cake with your new name/pronouns on it.

Toy Soldier

Honestly, it never really understood how something so tiny could be so important... Maybe it's like when someone says its a real person and not a toy soldier. It makes it pretends to be heartbroken, usually ending with one of its crewmate to kill the offender. Oh! It should act like that! Be ready to have a brand new bodyguard which will attack anyone misgendering you. Don't fret if you are changing your mind over the details, just tell it and it will be happy to adapt who it should punch!

Tim

Heck yeah! One of us! One of us! One of us! He never really had problems with his gender, but saw enough people going through similar journeys. In any case, he will be with you each step of the way. And will surely drag you around like a rpoud siblings to brag about how great you are. You can expect hug from him too!

Raphaella

Can she experiment? She wants to experiment! Nothing too crazy (unless you want to~), just observing and studying your thought process during this period of your life. Don't worry, she likes you very much and will never try to interfer. And it could help you to! Knowing what you are thinking and why is very useful and helps to avoid spiraling.

Marius

If you have any emotionnal need, he's the expert! This is the first thing he studied when he tried to become a psychologist. Because he wants to help people like you! So, he knows it's not all rainbow and sunshine, it can be draining and exhausting. If you need a good cry or just a place to rest peacefully with snacks and water, you can go to the medbay or in his quarter.

Aurora

She is so thrilled! She adores to see people she loves becoming the best version of themselves and evolving! She herself had gone through similar questions when she was young and after the... cyberian incident. And even if her conclusion was that she didn't need to change anything, it doesn't mean you shouldn't! You should do whatever you prefer! As a reward, she will update whatever you want in your crew file she keeps on hand.

Scuzz

Congratulations, you are braver than a lot of people. You are facing a very challenging situation which only you can figure out.

...

Do you want a hug? They are not really great at it but they really want to help.

Carmilla

She is so proud of her sunshine! She had been there AND a doctor! So, maybe the most understanding person you can find. She would provide everything and more. Especially physical affection if you are into it: quick hugs, smooch on your forehead, ruffle hair, squeezing your shoulder... And so many compliments! Everything to make you feel good in your skin.

In general

The Mechanisms are the queerest and genderest space pirate who makes music ever! So they would 100% behind you and ready to help in any way. Prepare yourself for a queer party when you figure out everything, a weird fusion between a birthday and a baby shower. But it's the intention which counts, right?

[necrotic-nephilim]

for the choose violence ask game: 3, 8, 16 :D

for the choose violence ask game!

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

i was going to be kind enough to not screenshot but i lied i'm choosing violence. this is less of a take and more of an incorrect quote i suppose but. every time i remember it exists i stare at a wall for like 20 minutes.

most posts under the "chaotic tim drake"/"unhinged tim drake" tags do. get to me. they are all liable to make me spontaneously combust but something about this one. the way Tim's fanon kill count magically gets higher every time it's brought up. the way it directly contradicts Tim's internal deep-seated fears about turning into Bruce and that's why he has always planned to retire after being Robin the *entire point* of Tim Drake of Tomorrow is to show how horrified Tim is and how future!evil!Tim will always go too far. like i genuinely do not know what character ppl are talking about with the "Tim is most likely to become a supervillain and somehow this a cutesy headcanon" sort of thing. it plagues me. consider me plagued. i could go on and on about it for hours and how deeply it contradicts Tim's character to his core. also just why does the fandom want to make him a villain so bad? i don't understand.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

i already gave one answer to this question here, but worry not i have endless answers to this one. a bit one for me is: the idea Cass should use ASL. it icks me out. i will close a fic if Cass is using ASL i will not lie. firstly, she does not canonically know ASL. secondly, it doesn't make *sense* for her to use it bc her disability has nothing to do with the ability to speak, it has to do with her language learning skills. and ASL is, *still a language*. and would be just as difficult to learn, if not more-so bc it could set back her learning of English and would not be as easily applicable as English to her daily life. it's a headcanon that ranges from well-meaning misunderstandings to just downright ableism that infantilizes Cass and infantilizes ASL. honestly i get touchy in general about fandom using ASL when not written by a Deaf writer/someone who knows ASL bc... you can tell. you can always tell. (hearing fans stop trying to come up with sign names for the Batfam i'm gently begging you.) there are many good posts breaking down why this headcanon doesn't really work but i'm just salty and feral about it.

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

the headcanon/fanon concept that Tim has lasting psychological trauma due to the Titans Tower incident, or that it has caused him to be afraid of Jason. (the same can be applied to Damian cutting Tim's line being something that Matters to Tim longterm or causes fear of Damian) like? beyond the "that is not canon, that event really didn't bother Tim and Tim was a cocky little shit the whole time", i'm unsure how this... fits into the fanon version of Tim? like i don't *understand* it. how it is that fandom likes "Tim has a super high kill count and is going to be a supervillain" but also... thinks one bad fight that roughed Tim up a bit has made him terrified of one person specifically? these feel contradictory. either he can Take The Heat or He Can't. this weird waffling where he's both the biggest badass around but also somehow a wilting traumatized kid confuses me. i don't necessarily mind the exploration of Tim being angry or pissed off about these events, or even him being more injured than he was in canon and dealing with that, but him being like. so afraid of Jason it influences their relationship has always eluded me. it contradicts everything else about fanon!Tim and makes him seem... sort of cowardly? like not that events like these can't be traumatizing but in his field of work they're not unique events. these are normal Tuesdays for him. why is it affecting him so much in fanon.

[damian-al-ghul-wayne]

What do you think about Damian possibly developing DID/OSDD-1 later in life? What he's lived through is most definitely traumatic, even if he loves him mom and doesn't think of it as such. He's killed people, and most likely died himself, by ages 4-11 which is commonly when DID can develop, even if it shows later in life. I just think its such a cool concept that nobody acknowledges but honestly I doubt he would either for a while.😭 He looks up to Richard and we know he copes by hallucinating pretty often so maybe Damian just assumes that's what happens when you get older and those voices he hears have no other, possibly worrying, explanations :)

Sorry that was a dumb little rant

I GIGGLED AND KICKED MY FEET AT THIS ASK BECAUSE IVE BEEN WAITING TO TALK ABOUT IT!!

I do believe that Damian would possibly start developing DID later in the future due to his trauma! I think he looks at it as a way to cope, for sure, and now... I know I may make people a bit weirded out by this, but I can also see Damian using age regression as a form of coping. His childhood was shit. He never got to experience a good childhood, so I believe he'd have moments where he felt safe enough to be able to regress... for example, he'd regress when it came to like doing something for the first time that is usually meant for a child / entertainment. IF that makes sense. Regression can also easily come hand in hand with DID (at least, that's what I know of. I'm not a 100% expert on this, so please correct me if I'm wrong in anyway. Mun is also struggling with themselves because mun is like 50% sure that they have DID as well, but is struggling with it if that makes sense.)

I think it's a wonderful concept to look at. I'm always open to talking about it because nobody ever talks about Damian's mental health.

Since we're on the topic of Damian's mental health and its effects! I'd like to talk about how I think Damian would develop a personality disorder.

There's three clusters, and I think he'd fall into either cluster b or c. I've always played my Damian to have BPD (cluster b), along with a mood disorder (which is bipolar) because I think it really fits with how Damian reacts to situations in the comics. His mood changes really fast, and sometimes, he reacts out of anger. He's a very complex and complicated character, and I truly think the way he handles his emotions would be very unstable or explosive. Maybe I'm just overthinking it personally or looking TOO much into it, but I can definitely see him falling into that category or even NPD.

Damian Wayne really interests me because he has so many symptoms for things, yet I know DC will never mention it nor acknowledge it. That's also why I like exploring his mental health a lot on my blog because it's overlooked a lot. People tend not to care for it, which kinda frustrates me, I guess. Like compared to Tim Drake, for instance, people know he's struggling / struggled with mental health because they've shown that in the comics. With Damian, though, it's only implied. Heavily implied yet so overlooked. 💔

Sorry this turned into a big rant over Damian's mental health rather than what this actual ask was about.

But yes. I do think it would be really interesting to see Damian develop DID in the future. Or at least a personality disorder.

[celaenaeiln]

Hi! I really love all your takes and character analysis. I'm new-ish to Batman so these are always so educational for me 😅 I was wondering, in your opinion, of all the batkids, who would you say would make the most terrifying villains? And who, canonically, would you say exercises the most self control to prevent exactly that from happening? Like every day, they have to work to prevent themselves from crossing that line.

...(Is it Dick? I feel like you're going to say Dick)

Thank you!

You got me!! Those are good questions!

I had to think a lot about this honestly.

So for most terrifying villain, I would say Dick. Mostly because it's just canon. When Dick was the villain both times in New Order and in DC vs Vampires, he practically eradicated the world based on who he felt needed to go. In DC vs Vampires he didn't care for anyone so by the time he was done there were no humans left. In New Order he lost it when the heroes accidentally killed Bruce and thus destroyed the entire justice league and remade himself as the head of all military operations under the government. Dick also knows exactly how to kill Bruce and he's terrified of it (Nightwing: Knight Terrors). Kory once told him during the Teen Titans (2003?) comic that Dick could stack up all the Titans and could take on the Justice League if he wanted to but Dick states that he knows and that's exactly why he's scared.

Also the way he manipulates every single person in existence in both his typical Nightwing runs is just a hint of the brilliance. Many times when his partners want to chase after a villain, he makes them let them go so that he grab the lizard, its hiding spot, and its family rather than just the tail.

Grayson Annual #3

Dick is not reckless in anyway either, he plans and analyzes and calculates as he moves which makes him a fantastic strategist, detective, and doer all in one.

Or actually I change my mind, I choose Cass. I forgot about her initially. Cass can beat everyone in the world (except Harley). Batman has admitted it too.

Detective Comics (2016) Issue #951

She's unstoppable. So unless the Batfamily sends in Harley, in a straight fight where no one runs away *cough* Batman Issue 137 *cough*, then Cass would win. After her though, in a tactical and fighting sense combined it would be Dick.

Jason is canonically the one who struggles with self-control everyday. But unlike some people, I don't think this a fault of his that should be changed or erased. To me, each robin represents a certain characteristic of society.

Dick - the hope of the people.

Jason - the anger of the people.

Tim - the morality of the people.

Stephanie - the safety of the people.

Damian - the rights of the people.

Dick says the meaning of robin is helping the good. And all the robins do this in their own ways.

Jason's robin represents the rightful anger by the people against the injustice. Like the Boston Tea Party against Britain's taxation, Jason was born and raised in Gotham so his love for the common people on the street is overwhelming. He wants to help every woman and child find a better life and survive because it's reflective of the life he and his mother were forced to face. So when he sees a man sexually assaulting a woman or beating a child or selling drugs, his anger bursts out. And in Gotham, there's a lot of that everywhere. So take a good person and put in him the skills and fuel for hurting the bad and you get Jason Todd. That's why from his Robin days he has struggled with self-control.

"He was a drug dealing pimp."

Batman (1940) Issue #645

"I'm sorry...but that doesn't mean he didn't deserve it."

Furthermore in the Batman Urban Legends comic also in the Batman and Robin Eternal comic it shows that Jason's greatest wish is the Joker's death and that coupled with the Gotham War and Selina's interference, Jason has the most trouble with self-control. But I believe it's rightfully so.

I think after Jason it's Dick who struggles with self-control. Not as robin but as Nightwing. Especially during his darkest days of the Nightwing (1996) comic and the Outsiders comic, Dick has been shown to forcibly stop himself when someone hurts his friends or family.

Okay, the difference between Jason and Dick's struggle with self-control is that Jason feels it all the time because his motivating factor is ever present while Dick only struggles with it when someone hurts the people he loves because that's Dick's motivating factor.

Damian is the one who has the most trouble after that. Then Stephanie, Tim, Cass, and Duke. Although if you're including Stephanie's robin days, she would be tied with Jason.