#i feel like i've fully explored his potential this way and that

[hooffuloftootsierolls]

Almost always feel like this but it's hitting stronger than ever today bc I remember back in February staying up til 5 am and getting to the bottom of the 'adam hazbin hotel' tag while listening to a specific playlist, now it's late at night and I'm listening to that playlist again and feeling that immense wave of grief over this stupid fucking man again.

Like, I don't think Vivzie will bring him back but even if she does I feel like she's gonna fuck up the potential he has one way or another so the only thing that really helps is fan content.

also adamsapple sure as hell isn't gonna be canon and i feel like i need to be hooked up to that ship with an IV so

Adam better come back, I can't stand grieving for this horrible fictional man

[longagoitwastuesday]

Kusakabe, dear, you're too beautiful to be saying that kind of stuff

[dr-spectre]

I need to talk about this moment from Shadow Generations because this broke me beyond comprehension in the best way possible.

(SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!)

Shadow smiling, like giving an actual genuine smile and not a cocky smirk, got to me. This mother fucker has been through hell, he was so down on himself on the ark because he was made to cure Maria yet he couldn't. G.U.N came in and killed someone he loved and it drove his creator mad, making him alter his memories so that they would wake up angry and bitter… and i bet it didn't even take that much manipulation to piss off Shadow either… just a few tweaks to his memory… Shadow then finally remembered Maria's true wish thanks to the help of a pink hedgehog. He had to face his prototype, a ghost from the past... Shadow briefly died after saving the world with the help of Sonic, he then contemplated if he was an android or not, finds out he is part alien, spends 06 trying to prove that's he's gotten over Maria and stop Satan himself, and then finally... he got to the chance to see his family one more time and....

I think this game fully cemented that Shadow is my favourite character in the entire Sonic series. He always allured me as a kid, with his black and red colour scheme, his demeanour, his voice, the way he skated around and the way his quills looked...

He smiles. He smiles because he gets to see Maria and tell directly to her face, "I'm gonna keep fighting for you. I'm gonna protect the world you love." And he finally got the closure that he needed BADLY!

In Shadow 05, he wanted to say goodbye to his past self because thinking about the past and Maria probably gave him so much grief and pain... But now? He changes his mind, he wants to fight for the good that Maria stood for, instead of saying "naw fuck her." While also acknowledging that he can be more than just Maria's wish and fulfil his endless potential as said by his creator/father Gerald. Plus, growth is not linear, seeing Maria and Gerald must have been seriously shocking to him and revert some of that growth from Shadow 05 and Sonic 06…

Shadow has always interested me and it wasn't until recently where I not only replayed Sonic Adventure 2 with a retranslated mod but also Heroes, 06 and Shadow Generations that I've come to truly love and respect this character.

Shadow is surprisingly so fucking well written and the way his story and arc were explored in Sonic Adventure 2 was insanely well done. Even the music was muffled and confusing, just like his memory and his anger. THE MUSIC REFLECTED WHAT HE WAS FEELING AND THINKING!!! THEY PUT IN THAT EXTRA EFFORT IN HIS FIRST APPEARANCE!!!

Not everything they've done with this character after Sonic Adventure 2 was perfect, but some of the stuff they did felt like they gave the character justice.

I am so proud of Sonic Team and what they've done for Shadow Generations. Good on you guys... you've made a game that has emotionally affected a lot of people. I'm proud of you...

[glitter-stained]

Ngl I feel bad -like genuinely- for people who can't enjoy characters or ships because of a canon OOC writing. And that's not in an "I pity you" sort of way, really. That almost happened to me: when I first got into the fandom, one of the first comics I read was Lost Days, which was unfortunately my introduction to Talia. Fortunately, I was very new to the fandom and her character and my perception of her was soon rectified when I found out quickly that this was OOC racist writing and I didn't really get the time to develop any discomfort with her character before my view was corrected (thank you, tumblr dc fandom who people like to denigrate) but I could have not been so lucky. First impressions are important, and I totally understand not being able to get past your introduction to a character. What if the first thing I first read about Dick was his time as a cop, or Steph doing blackface in a white saviour-ish run, or Tim being violently misogynistic? (pretty sure all of those are because of Chuck Dixon, fuck you Chuck Dixon). What if the first thing I read about Jason was one of so many of his terrible runs, he's my favourite blorbo and I could have been like "who tf is this 40 years old mf shooting children in the chest" don't think my image of him would have ever fully recovered. Same with ships I understand the frustration of liking a character and being so disappointed by their portrayal in a team-up that it disgusts you from the ship. People who hate Jayroy/Joyfire because of Lobdell's writing, who can't deal with StephCass after Batgirls 2022, etc I get it. And I'm sorry those writers took away the joy and pleasure you could have had in exploring those characters and the dynamics between them. And it could still happen! With any new character/relationship there's that risk. And I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty scared of giving the writers that power over me. Like yeah, I get it that's the point of writing, but who decides to give Morrison's Talia more power over Barr's Talia: dc editorial? The chronology upon which you stumble upon a comic? Sheer coincidence?

Absolutely terrifying. So many of these characters and ships have so much potential, and I think that's why I cling so much to the version of them that exists in my head like no, leave my Talia alone, you won't touch my Stephcass, get your grubby paws away from my Jayroy. It's like an everyday mantra "they can't take the sapphics from me, they can't take the sapphics from me, they can't..." Anyway, cheers to fanfic and AUs and the handful of mutuals that enjoy my personal brand of characterization cherry-picked from the quality comics I enjoy.

(But also it goes both way. Your introduction to the character/ship is very different from mine and mine is very different from yours, and you don't get to police shipping or even just shit on the ship just because it isn't for you. I'm weary of this mentality I've been seeing of "you shouldn't ship that because they don't interact in canon"/"their only canon interactions are ooc" because like, yeah? The point of shipping is not just to explore preexisting dynamics it's also often "i think those would complete/oppose eachother in an interesting way", that's the point. Don't yuck eachother's yums because of Scott Lobdell, do you really wanna give him that much power over your life?).

[normal-nightmare]

When I first got into JayDick, this blog was the first one I encountered and I really enjoyed the posts about Gotham Knights JayDick (and why I got the game and wow y'all weren't kidding XD) and then post about RHatO annual #1 really sealed the deal. But all that to say that as I've been slowly devouring the comics I noticed a trend? (And please forgive my rambling thoughts as I get them out of my head and into the void)

But I noticed that fandom likes to give Dick a lot of shit about his thing with red heads and I'm side eyeing Jason like he also doesn’t have his own collection of red heads... literally the same ones as Dick (except for Artemis)?

Kori? Roy? Babs? (All exs even Roy imo)

Like you have him and Kori kiss in new 52 RHatO plus him saying that Kori loves Dick as much as Jason hated him 👀 when we all know there is a fine line between love and hate 👀

And then Babs, I know there were a few moments in Batman Eternal where she was implying she wanted a relationship with Jason as a means to get him to stay? (I mostly skimmed through Eternal but that's how I understood those panels) and then (spoilers for) Batman Three Jokers (again which I flipped through) where they share a kiss (and sidenote: Jason was hot as hell in this 😳)

And idk if I'm making sense but I find it interesting that the writers give Jason almost all of Dick’s exs as potential romantic partners? Isn't there a trope out there where Person A is jealous of Person B so they date all of B's exs when in reality all along A wanted B?

I hope you see the vision I'm trying to explain. 😆 like at the this point please give us canon JayDick this is ridiculous.

Oh my god yes ahigudhxyv I see what you're saying!! Like, there's SO much accidental setup for canon jaydick, even in the comics. I can't really explain it super well?? But they have such a complicated and emotional history, and it feels like they actively TRY to have a relationship with each other. They fuck up sometimes, or occasionally need outside help [glances at Artemis in that RHATO v2 annual], but they seem to really want a relationship with each other, whatever that may be. There's sooo much commitment in their relationship!! And there's so much yearning, too...

And yes, yes, there's a very fine line between hate and love :) hate isn't the opposite of love, indifference is. Jason has never truly HATED Dick, I think. The idea of him? The golden boy who gets all of Bruce's love? Definitely. But actually hating Dick? Yeah I don't think so.

Idk they feel so entangled in each other in a way that's hard to explain. Their relationship is complex, weighed heavy by guilt and grief and tragedy that they're only recently starting to clean off. But there's sooo much devotion and commitment. Their relationship can't really be described as fully platonic (not yet at least... 👀), it's too complex for that, but it's not explicitly romantic either. And it's certainly not familial, lol, I never got those vibes from them except for in fanfiction-esque comics (like Nightwing v4 107 lol). Honestly, their relationship is way too complex to be boiled down to simple labels like that. Hence why I recently found out that 'alterous' is a good label for their relationship!

Just... they're so complicated and it sucks that people don't wanna explore that because of the preconceived notion that they're brothers, nothing more, nothing less. Sure, legally they are, but they don't... act like it? They didn't grow up together, they weren't very close before Jason died, and they only recently started getting properly close. Jason also has his crush thing going on (seriously, how else am I supposed to interpret RHATO v2 annual 1??).

People are soooo afraid of even touching the idea that their relationship MIGHT be more complex than a familial one. This absolutely isn't me like, bragging or being prideful or anything, but my analysis on this sort of thing is rarely wrong loll. They're complex, and people love it that way, and I think DC is slowly starting to understand just how much people love them as a duo (and a couple- seriously, it's one of the most popular DC pairings. I like to joke it's the wincest of DC). Honestly? I feel like jaydick becoming canon one day would be a natural progression of their relationship. Especially since they seem to be getting paired up as a duo more often. Readers love them, comic artists and writers like them too- i feel like jaydick actually happening one day wouldn't be extremely surprising. Or. Well actually it would be because DC loves to push dickbabs and wouldn't dare make some of their most popular characters bisexual lmaoo. But still, they're a popular duo!! It'd only be natural for them to end up together loll.

And, honestly, I genuinely feel like Gotham Knights was going that way in terms of canon jaydick?? People love to say they were "soooo siblings" or platonic but like. God they were as FAR from platonic or familial as you can GET 😭 if you act like that around your family, I'm VERY concerned for you lmaoo. I genuinely feel like the writers were intending for jaydick to happen in a DLC given how much setup there is. Either that, or it was an Arcane Jayvik situation where the creator(s) considered them friends/brothers but told no one. God, what i wouldn't give to talk to one of the writers about that. Seriously though, there's no way they ACCIDENTALLY wrote them flirting. And how the fandom didn't pick up on it, I have NO clue.

Anyways 😭 I am SO sorry for yapping, I can't keep my mouth shut about them even if my life depended on it. I'm happy my blog is the first one you found when you got into jaydick <33

OH WAIT the thing about redheads you mentioned?? Extremely funny on Dicks side of that because JASON was canonically a redhead at one point loll. 10 points to jaydick shippers, as per usual.

Okay, actually shutting up now, I've yapped enough

[jewishgirlrevolt]

More 8x06 thoughts. Still processing

I've been trying to express my feelings about 8x06 on paper, and there's still so much swirling in my head. So apologies if this is too long and ranty.

The GA isn't happy for a lot of reasons. One was that Tommy did fit with the 118, he was friends with Eddie and Chim. Two: they were happy Buck was in a relationship, and it seemed like (at least in season 7) that he was finally off the hamster wheel. And they like Eddie and Buck's friendship and don't want to see them together. After all the BS takes I've seen from you-know-whos, I can't say I disagree at all.

It's like neither Buck nor the writers have learned anything from past love interests. Tommy is the one with the most potential because of how well he fits, and he clearly has a lot of abandonment issues. Hey, so does Buck. That could have been a great point to explore.

I don't think Buck needs to sleep around to explore himself. But I do think Buck never fully processed anything.

It's wild that Buck and Tommy dated for six months and NEVER had any real conversations about exes? Tommy does strike me as the kind of person who keeps people at arm's length, who maybe doesn't say much about his past unless he has to. He could have also held back because he was letting Buck set the pace. I know Tommy isn't a main character. But they could have done so much more with this and with him. Hopefully its not the end.

The show also did nothing to show Buck's growth in a relationship, aside from the fact that he kissed a boy and liked it.

8x01 showed us that Buck was competent, professional, and mature, and stupidly I was hoping that would extend to his relationship too.

I think Buck has to figure out what he wants out of a relationship, I hope we see more of Buck talking to Josh or Hen and then he and Tommy work on making a relationship that's lasting, honest, and full of love (if we're grudging up Abby, we can continue the red string here and make that nod too)

What also bothers me is they took 3 episodes to build Buck and Tommy and show us that they have chemistry and that Tommy shows up for Buck, they had two more moments where it was clear they were getting to know each other and were solid in season 7.

And then it took them 1 episode to tear it all down without ever showing Buck showing up for Tommy. They were supposed to be getting to know each other. But six months in, it's like they didn't even know each other at all... or actually. It's like Buck didn't know Tommy at all.

I find it frustrating that we got to see so little of them, and most of it was Tommy doing things for Buck, showing up for Buck, complementing Buck, and taking care of Buck. A relationship has to be a two-way street. You show up for me, I show up for you.

And I'm glad Tommy showed up for Buck. Buck deserves love. But so does Tommy. Tommy was clearly looking for love, IDk if he was looking for a family or anything long term. Maybe he was dealing with a bad breakup and Buck was adorable, and he thought, maybe this could be a thing for now, but he ended up falling for him, clearly, and panicked. But I think on some level he was looking for someone to show up for him too, even when things got hard. And maybe this is foreshadowing. I hope it is. But I refuse to get my hopes up about it, or about Buck's love life ever again.

[allthebooksandcrannies]

My parents and I have been getting back into Superman and Lois after only seeing the first season as it was coming out, and my mom asked me why I think it doesn't bother me so much when the characters are making objectively rash or illogical decisions/accusations, suggesting maybe it was because I was already so bought into the DC fandom in general that it didn't bother me.

At the time I didn't have an answer for her other than knowing that wasn't the reason, since it definitely does annoy and frustrate me, but I've been thinking about it. Bc yeah, I'm still enjoying the show a lot and am getting more and more into the show, while the last three shows I tried getting into with them, my dad and I both tapped out bc we were cringing too much at the characters choices. So what was different with Superman and Lois?

And I think the answer is Clark.

Not only because there is truth to my mom pointing out how much I love a well-written Superman (and Tyler being my favorite on-screen version of the character), but also bc Clark's usually the member of the main cast making the "best" choices: compartmentalizing in a crisis, prioritizing safety over ego or temporary emotions but also treating emotional health as important and worth occasionally taking careful risks for. He balances the paranoia and coldness of characters like early General Lane by knowing when to put his family and friends first, but he also can put aside the personal when needed, whether that's putting aside a grudge to team up with a former antagonist or being the voice of reason when Lois or one of the boys are making a dangerous or hurtful choice/behavior bc they're caught up in an emotional response.

And when this Clark does mess up, it's usually pretty justified and he still recognizes and apologizes for it without making excuses. And then he actually does better in the future bc he learns from his mistakes, which is so refreshing to see.

The other shows I was struggling to get into, the protagonist was either the problem or just as bad as the other characters with making decisions with easily foreseeable negative consequences for potential little reward, not learning from those mistakes and repeating them, and then acting like the very foreseeable consequences were totally unpredictable and not at all their fault. This makes it really, really hard to get invested in these characters and their shows bc I'm torn between second hand embarrassment and wanting to shout "I told you so" at the screen.

But i CAN root for Superman and Lois's Clark Kent. And the characters who are making choices that feel obviously unwise to me (an adult with adult regulation skills) are usually the teenage characters who are acting in completely age-appropriate ways for teenagers. The teenagers are written exactly like children of their age, with all the short-sightesness, emotional regulation issues, and black-and-white morality that goes with it. And these conflicts and character flaws make the story better bc the writers give them the respect they deserve. Yeah, a teenager is going to think that his first love is going to last forever, and yeah, his adult parents are going to know that's unlikely and immature, and yeah, that doesn't make it any less meaningful to him at that moment. The writers get teenagers and the way that everything is bigger to them bc of their life stage in a way that few shows tend to understand and fully explore, especially among shows not written solely for teens.

[crime-scene-psychic]

As I continue my Titans rewatch, I feel as though I've been unfairly harsh towards it. No, it's not perfect by any means. The writing goes from standing out, to half-way decent, and then to CW-levels of awful all in the span of a single episode. The special effects leave much to be desired for an HBO production. Sometimes the characters would simply Not Do That. It's literally impossible to see anything due to the lighting choices. Timeline? What's a timeline?

But it also gave me live-action versions of a lot of characters we haven't ever gotten the chance to see in that particular format. It gave me a pretty complex Dick Grayson character, something that, until that show, hadn't existed in a live-action sense either. The only other characterizations of that character that existed before Titans that were that complex were animated (namely the original Teen Titans and Young Justice, though they also didn't get a chance to truly develop the character as fully, in my opinion, because they were A. shows geared towards kids, and B. looking to focus on the entire team as a whole, which Titans sometimes had a hard time doing).

A lot of critique towards the end of the show came from people (rightfully so) complaining that the show focused too much on the Batfamily and that they should've just made a Batfamily show if that's what they wanted to focus on, which I agree. Don't get me wrong, I think a big reason why I can see so much potential in the show and why I enjoyed it so much is that it focused on the characters I loved so much. However, I realize that the show is called Titans, not Batfamily, so I totally understand why a lot of people were pissed. They signed up to watch the Titans, not whatever problems Bruce Wayne and his gaggle of children were dealing with.

I'm just biased and I recognize that.

Like, yeah, the show is far from perfect, but even with it sometimes focusing a bit more of Dick than other characters, I still feel like there are well-rounded story lines for the rest of the characters, at least the main cast, especially as it finds its footing a bit in the later seasons.

I hope in the near-decent future we do get a Batfamily show (or, heaven forbid, because I would NEVER shut up about it) a Dick Grayson show, because just from New 52 and DC Rebirth there is SO MUCH MATERIAL and that's not even scratching the current runs. There's so much to do with these characters, especially Dick, and I can't help but with Titans getting canceled (I'm surprised it made it 4 seasons, in all honestly) feel unsatisfied. Even with what was able to do, I was still disappointed when it came to how they handled certain story lines (mainly Slade and Dick, because I really feel like they had a missed opportunity not including the Apprentice story line. Like, they could've made it the big secret Dick was keeping from the rest of the Titans in season 2, that during his time with the first Titans group he was forced to work with Slade, but they did the Jericho thing, which is fine, but I think if they'd stuck a bit more to the source material they would've been better for it, especially since the Apprentice arch is such a fan favorite).

I've been rereading some of the New 52 pre and post Forever Evil, mainly the Court of Owls run and the Grayson run, and there's so much untapped potential there! Just as I was revisiting Grayson, I couldn't help but think about how badass some of the panels would look in a live action show. We've barely gotten Court of Owls content, and when we do, they make it all about Bruce, which is fine, I guess, but Dick Grayson in the current Prime Earth lore was LITERALLY BORN to be a Court of Owl Talon and it's such a missed opportunity not to explore that further (which is probably one of the few grievances I had with Gotham Knights because if they were able to show Jason going through the Lazarus Pit again then GODDAMMIT they could've at least HINTED at Dick's ancestry!).

Side note, Court of Owls wouldn't have made much sense in Titans, but then again, they didn't seem too bothered playing fast and loose with the timelines, so why should I? It would've been a really interesting Dick Grayson arch, especially in comparison to Gar and Conner's time with CADMUS in season 2. Like I would love to see the Court sink their Talons into Dick and fuck him up a bit, but again, I'M BIASED!!!!

I hope with more and more people getting into the Batfamily that it'll lead to more content, especially live-action, but it just seems like studios aren't interested, which is insane because it seems everyone else is? I don't get why they're so hesitant. I talked about this in another recently long ass post, but I don't really get why studios are afraid to put Robin/Dick Grayson into the DCEU. He's such a cool character if done right and his fighting style is super sick to see live-action, as demonstrated in TItans. I love that they incorporate acrobats into his style, it's fucking awesome to see.

I dunno. Just back on my DC bullshit and thinking things. That's it.

[doink-boink]

I fully think that Zach does what he does because he is a VERY LONELY MAN. He makes robots to do his bidding (keep him company), he acts like he hates dealing with people but leaps at the opportunity to work with the other villains. He's also a genius whose ideas have been scorned since he was little, probably incredibly isolating for a guy who could have taken his ideas and used them in a good way if he was encouraged to do so. Major gifted kid to burned out adult vibes. I just feel like he has a lot of potential......

-Martincrushcameback

Yes!! Regarding leaping at the opportunity to work with the other villains, you can really see that in The Mystery of the Weird Looking Walrus!!

(More under the cut because I ramble for a good while)

He desperately wants Donita's approval as well as her friendship - of course that blows up in his face, not only because he didn't get her the pearl, but also because yknow. He's a big ol liar lol. I haven't watched the episode with it, (as I'm not on season 6) but you can see this when he compliments the Amphi-Trek XT!!

Zach stops himself short as he's about to compliment an invention that Aviva made because he wants approval from Paisley!

I want to explore this more in my fic, especially regarding WHY he and Aviva aren't close. They went science camp together, yes, but the show drops little details between them that implies that they might have actually been friends. Or at least, that's how I interpreted it!

In my AU I think that they were good pals up until Highschool, but Zach's decision to work with animals is what ends that friendship. He had no regard for their feelings and health, using them for his own gain. (Additionally, he starts to use animals/pursue that as concept as AVIVA began working in that field!! He wanted to connect with her, but ended up driving them apart.)

In typical Zach fashion, he refuses to stop what he's doing because it's getting him attention from others, maybe even the school itself, giving him the praise that he needs. His own ego ruins everything!! As it does in the show! Furthering "because it's giving him the praise that he needs" thing, I feel as though he isn't close WHATSOEVER with his parents.

At least, not in the typical fashion. AU wise, I think that Zach has a strained relationship with his father, but was very close to his mother! Want to make it a Moral Orel type deal with Clay's backstory where something happens and his mom is out of the picture, leaving him with his dad. Maybe this happens before he begins to use animals for his bidding? It would make sense! He wants some sort of attention that he isn't getting at home, some sort of acknowledgement that he's doing something good!

Aaaa!! There's so many things to explore with Zach as a character!! He's so fun man. And so very tragic at the same time lol

Also would like to bring attention to his CLEAR want to express his self worth!! I feel like he "looks up to Aviva" in his own weird little way in canon. Of course he is actively 'tearing her down' here, but you can tell that he KNOWS what she's capable of and wants the other villains (that's the context here, I believe it's Paisley's introduction to them) to believe that he's capable.

Even after this it's really clear to see that regardless of how he feels about her, he LIKES Aviva's inventions enough to steal them time and time again!

Dude. Dude just go work with her man it's for your own good... Wink wink nudge nudge I toooootallly won't do this in Somethings Never Change nooooooo

But genuinely, he would have so much to gain from WORKING WITH AVIVA. He wants her companionship so bad man.

Sorry this post got so unbelievably LONG lol, I've got a lot on my mind about these guys. Also apologies that I went on my own little sub tangent about my fic, hope it was okay!!

[jayladfanpage]

Hi! Tq for the help. Sort of fanon-just-getting-into-canon writer here. I've read Barr's Detective Comics Run + Starlin's run for Robin Jason and UTRH + Lost Days + Countdown to final crisis for RH Jason. Going to be reading more but this is where I am at.

I just wanted to know, how would you approach a story where Robin Jason and RH Jason meet? What are the considerations from canon someone should take writing it? They're complicated, both of them. I don't think RH Jason even likes it all that much but morso deems it as 'necessary' and has made himself a moral casualty.

I'd be happy to have another viewpoint on this! But basically although Jason was an angry teenager, rightfully so, about the unfairness towards victims and the justice system itself being rigged against poor people (the whole diplomat's son fiasco and even adtif discussing immunity) I think he was the type to still view his bleeding empathy and compassion as righteous. I think he'd be vv put off by murder? Atleast the extent to which RH Jason is doing it?

Trauma changes people and grief is such a heavy driving force and I'd want to explore it but I feel iffy on many aspects.

How does RH Jason see himself? Does he see that love and open heart as weakness? It's a mess ;-; I feel my RH Jason characterisation isn't hitting at all. Does he have a moral compass (I don't think so???) Plus for all his love, he's also an asshole (imp information to me). Plus I just don't think Jason as a whole is suitable FOR vigilantism. It's an absolute mess. So if you have any input lmk! Tq.

— ヾ⁠(⁠*⁠’⁠Ｏ⁠’⁠*⁠)⁠/

OMG I LOVE LOVE LOVE TIME TRAVEL AUs!!!

I think a key part here is to not ignore Robin!Jason's anger. He was, generally, kinder and sweeter than Red Hood Jason is, but he was still angry and plagued by violent instincts. You can play this up, have Robin realize that if he continues on this cycle that he doesn't know how to break, he'll become Red Hood. He'll become apathetic to victims and grow hypocritial and, most importantly, alone. Jason, especially as Robin, is desperate for connection and affection. He would genuinely recoil at the idea of having no one that loves him -- it is, after all, what drives Red Hood to demand Bruce kill the Joker.

I do, yes, believe Robin Jason would be put off by the rampant murders. Not that Red Hood kills, I think after Felipe Garzonas he could realistically see himself becoming a killer even if you don't believe Jaybin pushed Felipe off, but he would be upset about the sheer extent of it.*

*You can tie in some of the Batman mythos here. Jaybin fully, throughly believes in Bruce's mission, fully believes that Batman is capable of saving Gotham. To see or know that Red Hood murders people would imply to him that he loses faith in Batman. It would break his illusion that Bruce is all-knowing and all-powerful, and that's GREAT angst potential.

Red Hood Jason believes himself to be right. Judd Winnick said on an interview something that's stuck with me-- Jason does not see himself as a crimelord. He does not see himself as a mass murderer or a villain. He believes himself to be a better Batman. Jason has full faith in his methods and his aggression, and he would not take kindly to anyone (especially a past version of himself) who told him he's wrong.

He does NOT view love and an open heart as a weakness. Red Hood is perhaps even more open with his emotions than Robin has ever been. He's loud about his feelings and he demands people listen to him, forces them to understand and sympathise with him. It hardly ever works, but he does try.

Lastly, Jason actually has a very strong moral compass, he's just wrong. He's headstrong and stubborn and sure of himself. He believes that his murders will change the world, he believes he's a good person. He thinks taking control of crime is the only way to truly stop it. He thinks if you're a horrible enough person then you're no longer a victim, you're a casualty.

None of that applies to himself, of course. He thinks he's good, and kind, and understands politics like nobody else does. He thinks he's saving people when he tells them to join him -- see Green Arrow (2001) #69-72 with Mia.

Hopefully this helps!! Don't be afraid to reach out again if you need anything else, and may the inspiration gods bless you!!<3

[blushingdread]

Ok, I love everything about the Hero/Opportunist fluff! It's absolutely beautiful!

But, how about we turn to the other side of the spectrum and maybe explore the potential for absolutely gut wrenching angst that this ship has.

Because I think Hero is a pretty forgiving guy, but old habits die hard for Oppy, and I can see this whole thing going downhill very quickly.

There are so many ways for this to go downhill

Like, when they all get separated from the Long Quiet and can go off and be individuals, it's only then that Mr. "I can't hate me, I love myself" realizes that he's the only person who does PLUS remembering all of Witch and Dragon and how badly the first worked out and how much the second has royally pissed off many of the voices (and remembering those few times he was genuinely looking out for everyone)

If he had realized Hero's crush before said character development, he'd pull a Wraith on Hero and try and worm his way into second command. Hero wouldn't be like crying how could you hurt, he knew this would happen. He just kinda feels like shit. He's already depressed and tried from remembering eveything, the only comfort he can remember from the worst time of his life is a terrible person, oh and also he needs to fight him off with a stick to keep him away from positions of power. He's just exasperated and midly resentful, but not even that much bc well... it's in the Opportunist's nature. Everyone saw this coming

Then, when Oppy finally hits his character development the only person who used to like him even a little and much to their chagrin greets him with a deep sigh and a "What." Leaving straight up all alone. Which I'm sure will not have lasting effects on him. He tries to cling harder and becomes a more frantic version of himself. Character arc speed run by having literally the worst thing that character can imagine, happening (being unanimously unwelcome and scorned)

Post starting the awkward hanging out phase, Hero would also be expecting at least a little backsliding but wouldn't take it too hard because Oppy committed to trying to be a better person and sounded genuinely sincere (when his lies are so obvious you could spot them outerspace). Honestly, it would only bother him if it lasted beyond Hero gently telling him that he's acting like a weasel, and that makes people not like him. I think Hero would force them to take a break if that ever happened because it would imply that Oppy was starting to see him as a mark, and he's not letting that become a full problem. Setting boundaries, ya know. The break would likely cause Oppy to immediately snap out of it, simply bc its, as I've mentioned, the exact opposite of what he wants and clearly that just made things worst and he won't do that again. He's not stressed stressed because he knows Hero is still there for him, but it is one hell of a wake-up call. No more bullshit, prommy (<- lying, even if he becomes a better person, there will always be bullshit

If Oppy FULLY backsided in the awkward talking phase, I think Hero would just feel sorry for him. Like, yeah, it hurts that he did that, and yeah, this sucks. But just. Do you know when Broken calls Skeptic a poor little voice? That's Hero rn. Like. You just can't do it, can you? That's sad

When their dating is when all the strong hurt happens. Hero's expectations are no longer at Princess and the Dragon for Oppy, which means he has actual trust to ruin. Insane. Least likely time for him to catch the chronic backstabber bug again, but if he did? If it's small, Hero would gently lead Oppy away and ask him why he's falling back on old survival and coping mechanisms. Are you good, babe? If it's BIG, then it's more like, "Of course you can't change." Where Hero gets more depressed that he got invested into something that maybe wasn't even real, or if it was real that wasn't important enough to stop him, and Oppy realizes that he just fucked up his only close genuine relationship (or his back to full weasel mode)

If Oppy had a genuinely good explanation, they could start all over and built trust again with the understanding that this wasn't happening a third time and that Hero definitely hasn't forgotten. If Oppy had REALLY good, like super good explanation, he'd be forgiven, with some hurt remaining. If he doesn't, then it's over. They can be cordial. Friends at most that's it.

Hero would eventually pull himself up and move on, Oppy would NOT, at least for a long time and even then I still think he'd be a little *paws at Hero* plz like me again

[smolstarthief]

Sooo... I guess my AU is getting more fleshed out than I expected b/c now I'm gonna consider incorporating P3/P4 Arena/Ultimax elements into it! Namely the Shadow Ops and some of the lore. Buckle up guys! Also I can't thank @dancingpurge enough for giving me insights whenever I have questions since my knowledge on P3 is slim and very rusty admittedly!

So... Here's what I was thinking:

Jayce starts to grow worried when he notices that Viktor's health gets bad when he uses his Arcane abilities too much. Especially when he slowly stops resting in-between.

Part of the reason for lack of rest is primarily being him secretly exploring Maruki's Palace after first encountering it and his powers were his best form of defense. Even before that though, he has slowly started getting excessive with it (especially upon discovering that he CAN use it in the real world and not just limited to the Metaverse like they initially thought).

While Viktor gets more invested in Cognitive Psience (especially after he starts regularly meeting Maruki), Jayce starts to dive into more about the Metaverse and any other forms of research involving it in a bid to find a way to help him.

This rabbit hole leads to him discovering info about the Kirijo Group and rumors about human experimentation along with the Dark Hour. As horrified as he feels about that, he thinks the current head (Mitsuru) is his best lead to maybe helping Viktor.

He was able to arrange a meeting after some hurdles (basically proving that he's trustworthy enough). He explains his situation, already prepared to be called crazy but she was thankfully able to somewhat understand. She also does confirm the rumors after a couple more meetings with bit of hesitation and making it clear that it's the greatest shame within her family name. But she's slowly taking things in a better direction and even acts as a leader of the Shadow Ops.

They then make an exchange: Jayce gives her the notes he secretly took regarding Viktor's powers so that she can commission a dampener to be made so that Vik can better control his abilities without the risk of death while she hands him some of the research she was able to find so that he can better understand things a bit even though the setting of P3 is much different from P5.

She does warn him about one thing: With what he has told her, there's a possibility that if further used too much then Vik's powers could actually make his own Persona go berserk and out of control. While it won't kill him, it WILL accelerate the deterioration of his life partially b/c of his past frail health.

That being said, she offers both of them a spot in the Shadow Ops. Complete with accommodations such as a better home and pay. The downside being they'd have to move away if they accepted. She allows Jayce time to think about it and talk to Viktor since she can see potential in both of them and can even help Viktor better hone his abilities.

Part of the later conflicts is Viktor misunderstanding things and his old feelings of resentment, insecurities, and even abandonment start to resurface as a result (Maruki's machinations was not helping either). Kind of a deconstruction of their dynamic which I have read some occasional small analysis on how it can border on co-dependent and Viktor still having immature tendencies (at least compared to Jayce which again, is something I've observed a bit after looking back at some scenes).

The thing is that Jayce wanted to talk to him about it but ended up getting too caught up with everything to find the right moment to do so. Especially with Shido later looming over them which then culminates into a raid into their home and getting attacked when they walk in after that televised calling card. Viktor, of course, was also very stubborn too.

This conflict was also kinda inspired by a question I saw on my Twitter TL once that's best summarized as: Would Viktor (if fully) be forgiving of Jayce should they survive and just be teleported somewhere? Which was a very interesting question to me because on one hand, probably. Just wouldn't be willing to forgive himself for a while if anything. BUT on the other hand, I feel like he probably would bottle up a lot of negative feelings when you think about what things were like in his perspective. He wouldn't HATE Jayce but I can imagine some resentment for a while too so why not a mix of both in the case of this AU? His general conflict is his inner negative feelings regarding Jayce despite loving and caring about him still along with his unwillingness to forgive himself for what he did as the Herald.

They do accept Mitsuru's offer after resolving things and are much happier after joining. Basically tying into 3rd Semester's main themes regarding healing and moving on with your life and starting over.

Not sure about having Evokers involved or not since I vaguely remember reading an old fic where there was a moment where Joker uses one and gains a different Persona though not in a good state of mind. I'm not sure for certain how using an Evoker could effect someone who already awakened in P5's setting and method.

I guess if they are then Jayce finds one in the case Mitsuru gave him. Probably for him to study and maybe take apart for a closer look. Viktor unfortunately ends up finding it the night before his own boss fight ("Herald of Eden") and takes it while Jayce was sleeping along with the notes on how it's used... You do the math on what he would try to do out of desperation if that makes sense. Like I said, I'm not sure about including the Evokers yet so that could be scrapped.

Although, the Evoker idea does sound like an interesting deep dive admittedly as that could be the final nail on the coffin to Viktor losing full control of himself and his Persona as he could only handle so much.

That's about it so far! I'm on a roll guys! 😄

[kaqcuille]

Apparently!

Kartik didn't actually play Manjulika mostly, it was a stunt double named Pia Soni, who was the faceless dancer in the intro, and then the masked manjulika. She also claims to have done the climax tandav to the Sonu Nigam song, and in her comments under her reels says that Kartik's face was added using vfx.

That means he just did the dance as Debu in the green dress during the flashback and just at the end while attaining moksha apparently

Idk why this made me so sad like I got really attached and impacted by a mainstream actor playing a transwoman's role or a feminine role and they couldn't even care to have him do the full thing! Couldn't he have trained in classical dance and done it himself? He's trained hard for his other movies like Chandu champion so why was this done like this?

I mean I hope this lady is not telling the truth fully because I don't wanna believe he didn't do like 90% of it, especially the dance as the ghost

But she has pictures with the cast and director and photos of getting ready

Maybe she was just a body double due to Kartik's double role in the same scene?

Idek why this is so upsetting to me ugh but I thought yall would understand this very very niche thing lol

Anyway here's her Instagram account you can look at her bts reels and comments: https://www.instagram.com/piaaasoni24?igsh=MWEzZ253a3A3dGFsbA==

I've literally dm-ed her to confirm 😭

Hey! Sorry we took a while to answer this, but you raised many important points that we (the mods) had to discuss and come up with an answer that covered everything we wanted to say.

So, first of all, we agree with your main point! It would have been much nicer if Kartik Aaryan had learned and performed the dance himself. This movie is far from perfect at representing various identities, not just trans. You would have noticed this yourself, but bollywood has a track record of being bad with representation and the movie itself does other reps very wrong. To name just a couple, overall Bengali rep (randomly using Bengali words and sounds intermixed with Hindi) and using bits of Hukkus Phukkus (a Kashmiri song) out of cultural context. It's not a movie where the makers put a lot of thought into any of the identities they represented!

So then, how do we at the kaqcuille look at this movie? When we interact which SKTKS or BB3, we do it not because either are 'good rep' but its because we find potential for exploration in their stories and character arcs. We've adopted them because we want them and their queer identities treated right in a way that appeals to real queer people (us).

It is understandable if you feel betrayed by the double's IG post when Debu's dance was such an important point in your gender journey. That frustration is understandable, it would have held so much more meaning had KA did it himself. That being said, doubles and small time actors rarely get recognition for the work they put in and a part of us is ok if the double gets due credit for a standard industry job that she did in a mainstream movie!

We also understand having high expectations of KA as an actor because of the work he puts in in his dance numbers and movies in general. But we recently found out that for dance sequences in SKTKS where his abs show, KA was starved and dehydrated for hours and that left a bad taste in all our mouths. We had to take a moment before we could go back to appreciating the work he put in for SKTKS. It is valid to have high expectation of actors and we wish doubles and extras were unionized and getting due credit for all they do and what actors are expected of by current movie standards didn't come at the cost of exploitation. But we must remember when we interact with Bollywood's content, that there is an underlying exploitative, capitalist industry and we are going to see intersection of a myriad of issues when mainstream Bollywood chooses an identity or storyline for its character(s).

We understand and agree with your main points and hope this answer provides some more dimensions to think about as you wade through this 💜

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

Definitely not an attempt to change your mind about the scene or how it makes you feel, I also have my own characters and scenes I can't be sympathetic about for my own reasons (Mahiru and Kirumi come to mind). Just wanted to talk a bit about how it makes me feel and why.

I don't necessarily think that thinking the "You're alone and you always will be" was deserved has to be at odds with being sympathetic toward Kokichi. I think it was entirely deserved and that's part of why it hurts for me on a deep and personal level. Kokichi did it to himself, he pushed everyone away and made them hate him on purpose, he has no one to blame but himself. When I think about the lengths he went to in order to make the others hate him, and I imagine that in the context of a VR style post-game that's when it becomes an emotional punch in the gut for me. At the time his own emotional needs and feelings didn't matter and in a way he was self sabotaging by hurting others without needing to really think about the potential long term effects, but after all is said and done, if Kokichi had to realize that he's still alive and now he has to deal with the consequences of pushing everyone away, that's when it hurts. He's alone and he did it to himself and he can't blame anyone if they want nothing to do with him, and that's exactly why I can emphasize as someone who once lashed out and pushed people away because I was hurting, it gets to me because if someone said that to me it might break me, maybe even more if I fully deserved it.

I can totally see what you mean! Kokichi's self sabotage and isolation are really really interesting to me. Its part of why in my own vr post-game headcanons he makes himself hard to find, unable to cope with having to face the consequences of everything he did and also no longer able to keep up as strong of a facade (it broke down beyond repair in the exisal hanger, he's just too tired now).

Through how you're describing it, I can see why this scene can be so good for Kokichi angst. And this is kinda what I meant by "besides the angst that only lives in my head" (i guess not only mine!)- exploring it as something that just further drove the wedge between him and the group and worsened his self isolation- or as a consequence to what he had been doing to himself, still cutting deep- thats cool! I want to see more of it!

I guess it comes down to the fact that most fan art I've seen about this moment that focuses on Kokichi as the sympathetic figure rubs me wrong for a couple key reasons. One is just because of my own personal emotional experience of ch4, I find it Extremely difficult to connect with art sympathizing with him during this chapter. Before and after I can do it, but I get too blinded by everything that happened to Gonta in ch4 to really sympathize with him in the moment.

The second thing is the delivery. The work that triggered that post last night was a comic of Shuichi berating himself for ever saying something like that to kokichi- cause god forbid Kokichi face any consequences for the things he did, right? Cause everyone should immediately forgive him and he should be treated as a saint, right? Sorry, I just think it ignores the very interesting exploration possible in Kokichi having to overcome his self-isolating tendencies and realize that its okay to rely on others, or that he needs to face the things he did and how he hurt people. This is a trend I see a lot in older (2017-2019ish) v3 fanworks that is a massive pet peeve of mine in general. Kokichi should be allowed to have the flaws the he has, cause fanworks that explore them are SO GOOD.

I've also unfortunately seen it in a lot of older kokichi fanworks that feel OOC to me, where he like, goes back to his room and cries his eyes out over how mean shuichi was to him, or other things along those lines. It goes so against my own view of how Kokichi experiences his emotions (extreme repression! "Hit the reset button on your feelings and you'll feel okay in no time", anyone?) that it makes me black out from cognitive dissonance.

So yeah, I really like how you described it anon!! I wish more fanworks actually got into that moment in this way.

[misc-obeyme]

I'm curious now. Could you tell us more about your Brainrot over Barbatos "cosmic powers"? Or his time travel abilities?

Do you ever think he's old as time itself? (Google said Time itself is 14 billion years old). I wonder if he's the FIRST demon to exist right after the Demon king.

Anon, are you sure you want to get into this with me? Because when I tell you I've thought about it way too much...

I think there are a lot of possibilities for what the game means when it says that Barbatos has been around since before the Devildom took shape. I think that's what most of us are thinking of when it comes to considering how old he truly is. There's this general idea that the game hints at that Barbatos is far older than anyone and knows a lot about everything. It's implied that he had a younger phase or time of his life when he was less refined and restrained. It hints that there is so much more to his story.

Could there be something actually waiting for us that the devs have considered regarding Barb's history? Possibly. But considering their track record, I'm not sure if we'll ever actually find out what that might be. And if we do, it might be somewhat underwhelming.

That leaves us to speculate what it could be. And I've seen many different takes on it, some I like and some I'm like meh about.

For myself, I have considered multiple possibilities, especially in regards to his powers. What does it mean to be able to manipulate time? To be able to see a vast array of potential timelines? To move through them?

I explore some of this in The Threads That Bind. The curse that MC is hit with causes them to be able to see this sort of in between place where Barbatos can see the streams of different timelines.

But I also explored a slightly different take on it in a drabble where MC asks him if they meet in every timeline.

It's a concept that's so complicated and so twisty that you can write about it in multiple ways and still never fully explore all it could mean.

I tend to go with whatever works best for the scenario I'm writing. In Threads, I kept the ideas consistent with each other, but outside of a longer story like that, I find it fun to see how those powers can work in different ways.

That being said, I generally think about it like there's one main timeline - the one he's in. And then there are many other timelines and he exists in all of them. For instance, we have Timeline A and Timeline B. Barb A can see Timeline B and Barb B in that timeline and vice versa. They're aware of each other but they exist separately.

However, Barb A can also see the various ways that his own timeline can change. Every choice causes it to branch. So while he can see timelines like Timeline B that start separately from his, he can also see branches from his own timeline. Thus creating something like a Timeline A-1, a branch where a Barb A-1 now exists and makes different choices and changes in ways Barb A does not.

But this can get complicated and kinda brain hurty, so sometimes I just scrap all of that and think about it more in terms of vibes. Or perhaps in a more muddled way, such as the "time soup" description offered up by the game itself.

I like to think that Barbatos understands these complexities in a way that's natural to him. He just has the ability to feel and understand it all by instinct. Maybe he explains some concepts to MC in ways he thinks they'll understand or in ways that make them feel like their own current existence isn't meaningless. But he can never really explain it to them in a way that would allow them to understand it like he does.

I also like the idea that he deliberately shuts off his ability to tell what happens in the future. I mean we know he does this and that he'll only travel through time with Diavolo's permission. (Though really it's more like at Dia's request.) It's just so badass to be able to tell how each decision you make will change the course of your future and decide that you'd rather be surprised.

As for his age, I think it makes sense for him to be as old as time itself. But I do think he could potentially be slightly younger than time. His understanding of it doesn't mean he had to exist for all of it. Or maybe he traveled back to the beginning just to witness it all for himself.

If time is a soup, Barb's age probably is, too.

And I like to think he existed before the first Demon King. I think he's older than the Devildom, therefore older than its ruler.

I think Barb is more powerful than the demon kings ever were, but prefers not to have that particular rank or title. He's more of a working in the shadows type of guy.

But of course these are just my own thoughts. Well this is the tip of the iceberg of my thoughts a;dlkjfasdflj. Ask me next week and I might say something completely different lol!

[wateroflifefrommountains]

Oh No, Grappling Hooks!!

I've figured it out, Cassandra Cain's kryptonite. What item was used to incapacitate her during the 1st few issues of Batgirls? It was a grappling hook, she got tied up in it. Bruce probably looked into the fight and learned that despite Cassandra's ability to read body language and, in turn, dodge bullets, she CANNOT dodge grappling hooks. That's why when he decided to take her out he didn't hesitate in using it against her.

Do you want proof? It worked, didn't it?

LOL. Seriously, I dislike it when that happens but after I vent, and I vent like a MADMAN, mind you, I try to recall Stan Lee's discussion about who would win in a superhero fight. "There's one answer to all of that; it's so simple. Anyone should know this! The person who'd win in a fight is the person that the scriptwriter wants to win!"

We all knew it was going to happen. It was predictable and disappointing. It was predictably disappointing, but we were able to brace ourselves for it so the blow was not as hard.

This makes me feel a little bit better until the cringe gets to me and I start rambling again. We can demand better stories and more consistent characterizations. This is a given; however, the writers are gods of their stories and who wins is decided by the narrative they wish to tell. Gotham Wars is a conflict between Bruce and Selina as well as the stress and psychological damage the mantle places on Bruce. Hurting his kids, going too far, becoming the thing he wished to defeat, that's what the story wants to show us.

Now for the theory crafting and storytelling practice, what if they didn't turn on Batman? What if we are looking at this like an epic War Story but it's actually just Family drama? It was clear that Dick and the rest wanted to talk to Bruce before escalating any further. They are not on Selina's side per se; rather, they just do not want a war.

Here is the Thesis for Batkids [aside from Jason]. They are uncertain about what to do, but they don't want Bruce to go too far. Jason on the other hand wants to escalate things and is fully on Selina's side. [It still upsets me that Cassandra and Duke's thoughts on this were never shown]

Jason being Jason confronts Bruce and tries to beat his message into his father's skull. Bruce reacts not only by fighting back but by insinuating Jason's death. This is when things got out of hand. This is the point when his kids decide to stop Bruce, but they are not questioning the mission by stopping him here. He uttered a threat to his kid's life. That's something Bruce/Batman wouldn't do and his family knows this. So when they realize that it needs to stop, they tell him to back off and stand down.

Now that I've reread it, this could explain the battle. Bruce is not holding back and is treating his kids as criminal threats; on the other hand, his kids still treat him with care and want him to stop hitting Jason and take a damn mental health break.

The way they all get bodied is silly and uncharacteristic [rage-inducing even] but that may be intentional as they are shown as the centrists in all of this. There is a twist in the middle there though and that may lead to other things. I can't believe I am writing this, but Gotham Wars might get better. It might explore the other Batkids and if this is copium talking, then I saw potential where there was none and fabricated a good story in my head at least.