#jason especially as revenge for their last argument

[remarcely]

Rumors start when Batman is seen entering a room at Wayne Manor, halfway through a gala, and five minutes later a ruffled looking Bruce Wayne exits, hastily rebuttoning his shirt

[celaenaeiln]

Thank you so much for debunking the whole "Dick was a super angry child" thing the fandom has been pressing hard for the last few years it's one of my pet peeve characterization for him. (The other him being a Playboy) Does he get angry of course he does he's only human but he's usually very level head and even if he was the "Angry Robin" when he first started he was 8 years old and just lost his parents! I feel like anyone especially a child would be hurt and angry then but he didn't want revenge he wanted justice. He was a sweet child who just wanted to make his parents proud.

og post in question

Yes!!

Actually another anon asked me about this too a while ago - that I'll be getting back to soon - and I began writing right away but then I just couldn't. I had to put it on hold because I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of evidence that Dick was a happy robin. Not A happy robin, THE happy robin. I was exhausted because I didn't know where to begin, there was just too much evidence. I needed to create a separate post first.

It makes me so mad when i see Angry Dick Grayson posts because it's not even an interpretation of events. There's nothing to debate, there's no doubt, there's no question, there's no confusion, there's nothing to contest - HE WASN'T AN ANGRY ROBIN.

Jason says it himself! And unlike people in the fandom who've never read a comic in their life but like running their mouth off, he would actually know because he studied Dick. He watched all of Dick's videos when he was Robin. 11 years worth of videos. And this is what he says about Dick's robin:

Suicide Squad: Get Joker Issue #1

Jason straight up says that Dick was the happy robin. And that's just Jason. There's still Tim, Damian, Bruce, Alfred, Clark, the Justice League, and the Titans who talk about it.

Frankly it boggles my mind when I hear people who write takes say that Dick was an angry robin because even if they've never read any of the robin comics, they should at least know what he was like from what the adult characters say right? Did they really never stop and wonder why Jason keeps talking about not being Dick when he argues with Bruce? Or why Tim was so obsessed with Dick aside from knowing him from the circus? Or why Bruce writes entire monologues about how Dick saved him? Or why Alfred goes on massive rants about how Dick was the best thing ever to happen to Bruce and him or why he started crying and mourning when Dick merely left as Robin? Did no one stop to consider when they started going around saying he wasn't happy?

Honestly Angry Robin Dick Grayson characterization is a black hole of logic and intelligence.

The reason it became so popular is because it's a logical fallacy and logical fallacies sound convincing. This particular argument is the hasty generalization logical fallacy. Hasty generalization is when a statement is made after one or two examples rather than relying on extensive research to back up a claim.

For example: I got sick after eating pizza from Aleano's. Therefore, I must be allergic to pizza.

Proponents of angry robin dick characterization choose one example from decades of writing to claim that he was angry after his parents died which-seriously? Besides you'll start to notice that people who write those takes will never provide evidence because it's near possible to find something that doesn't exist. Sure one or two out of context photos might be provided but that's the best they can do to support that type of characterization. As much as we wish we were magicians from Hogwarts, no amount of wishing is going to transfigure the hundreds of comics filled with happy robin to him being an angry monster.

Also it's ridiculous that type of character because they're saying that if he's upset that his parents died, then he's an angry character. But if the Joker's happy that random people died, then he's a psycho. What do they want?! And that's not even the whole truth of it either. Dick was massively sad more than he was angry. He was taken away from his circus family and is left alone like all the time now. His life changed in a second - he's depressed. But he was able to work through it and that's how Robin was created.

Dick was not Robin when he went after Tony Zucco. The reason Bruce made him Robin was specifically because he admitted he didn't want Tony Zucco dead.

The problem is people sometimes hyperfocus so much on one detail that they forget the big picture. They centered 11 years of Robin characterization around one moment.

Let's get the facts straight. Robin is a success story. The greatness of Dick wasn't just that he was the smart, the best of the ages, and the greatest athelete - no. His greatness is that he is able to move. ON. He can do what Bruce never could. He could move on and take his parents death and turn it into something positive. He was able to overcome grief and not dwell in the past.

That's why he was able to be happy. That's why Bruce couldn't. And that's why Bruce needed Dick because Dick made him happy.

Alfred says this about Dick as Robin -

Robin: Year One Issue #1

"The addition of Dick Grayson into the Master's crusade has made a difference in him." "I do believe I saw him smile. There have been occasions in the pantry when I could just discern the muffled sounds of laughter echoeing up from that dreadful cavern beneath the manor."

People don't seem to understand. Alfred never approved Bruce's tenure as Batman. He loathed it so much he punched Bruce for it. It was Dick's light and goodness that changed Bruce's mind because he saw how happy Dick made him and how happy of a child he himself was.

And Dick? He never changed his personality in or out of costume.

Robin: Year One Issue #2

"He doesn't seem to struggle to lead a normal adolescence." "He's had no need to develop the masquerade that Master Bruce felt necessary." "His personality remains the same with or without the mask and boots. "

He's not the troubled kid some people seem to think he is. He wasn't mean or selfish or cast aside or raging moodily in a corner. Actually in the Batman (1940) and Detective Comics, he was seen as a role model for how helpful and kind he was. He was actually the one who went out of his way to help troubled kids because of his kindness, goodness, and empathy.

Checkmate (2006) Issue #14

Checkmate is a member of Task Force X under Amanda Waller and an ally of Batman's. She knows him. She knows what Dick was to him and Dick even mourns about the time when Bruce used to be happy. It was his joy and personality that did that.

Of course my argument isn't to be taken one sidedly saying he was constantly happy 24/7, all the time, in every occasion - no. Emotions are a spectrum and no one feels one emotion all the time. Thats silly. But, your personality outlook is based on what you feel most of the time. Dick sometimes got angry, sometimes got sad, etc. But in a dichotomy between happy and angry there is no doubt, no question, that he was overwhelmingly on the happy side.

There's a reason why everyone calls him happy. It's because for an overwhelming majority of the time, he was the happy robin.

52 Issue #25

Way back in the Batman (1940) comic Dick says, "I became Robin, history's first sidekick. And there I was, the laughing boy daredevil--"

Batman and Robin (2009) Issue #9

You can call him crazy, excitable, feral, overexcellent, etc. But never forget that Bruce once went insane after locking himself in a simulator that emulated Robin Dick Grayson's joy.

The incontestable truth - Dick was a happy robin.

[arty-shadow-morningstar]

A Failed Betrothal (5)

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

[Masterlist]

(Part 1)(Part 4)

-----------

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

Damian shook his head at that thought.

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

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

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

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

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

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

3 years ago…

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

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

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

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

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

He nodded.

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

“How have you not captured him yet?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Very well. Meet me later.”

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

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

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

Present time…

(Words in bold are French)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh.

Oh.

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

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

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

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

The caffeine finally kicked in.

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

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

Introductions and alter egos were exchanged.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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(PART 6)

[celticcrossanon]

BRF Reading - 5th of February 2022

This is speculation only

Cards drawn on the 5th of February 2022

Question: What does Eugenie think of the Cambridges?

Interpretation: She likes them, she has fond memories of a shared past, and she is currently upset at them.

Card One: The Four of Cups. This is the card of emotional discontent, of not seeing or taking what is offered because you are so focused on what has gone wrong. In this deck it is my card for gossip, but in this reading the energy is firmly that of emotional discontent.

Eugenie is unhappy with the Cambridges. This isn't anger or plans for revenge, it is simply a feeling of 'I am unhappy with what you have done'. We saw from the last reading that she was unhappy with what she saw as William's treatment of her father, and I think this unhappiness comes from the same cause. The card shows Psyche listening to what her sisters say and letting that sow seeds of doubt about her marriage. In Eugenie's case, she has had seeds of doubt sown not about her marriage, but about her place in the BRF. She feels insecure. Doubts are niggling at her. She is unhappy over how her father was treated, and she is wondering if one day she might be treated the same. The energy from this card is of niggling discontent - I want to change this but I don't know how, I'm unhappy with my current situation - not overwhelming unhappiness, but the niggling of doubts that eat away at contentment.

The Four of Cups can be a card of going inwards, to adjust your emotions with respect to new information or a new phase of life. I think this is what Eugenie is starting to do - go inwards and think what do I want from the BRF? What position in this family will make me happy? - and so she is starting to sort out her reactions and deal with her unhappiness. This will happen slowly (Cups are not a fast moving suit, they are the third slowest suit in the deck), but this is the beginning of it.

Card Two: The Sun. This is a very positive card, the most positive in the deck. Having it appear in the spread makes all the other cards less negative in meaning. With respect to the Cambridges, this means that underneath the hurt she is feeling at the moment, Eugenie really does like them and admire them. She generally has a good and positive relationship with them. She may see them as 'being in the sun' with respect to the BRF, i.e. getting the good stuff, but she understands that is because of William's position as the eldest son of the heir to the throne. Eugenie does like the Cambridges and she does want to be on good terms with them.

Sun sounds the same as son, and that tells me that this is all about the sons in the family - Andrew and William. That is where the unhappiness of the Four of Cups comes from, and the Sun card says that unhappiness can be dispelled and will be dispelled if Eugenie continues on the path of going inwards and sorting through her feelings and reactions to her father's loss of status.

I drew two clarifiers for this card, and they were:

Clarifier One: The Five of Wands. This is a card of conflict, of arguments, of having to fight for something. The card shows Jason and Medea fighting a dragon for the golden fleece. This says to me that Eugenie is currently in conflict with William over the golden fleece i.e. her and her father's 'royalness' and status within the BRF. There isn't a huge fighting energy from this card. The energy is more that of squabbles and hurt feelings. It could erupt into a major conflict, but it isn't there yet.

Clarifier Two: The Six of Cups. This is a card of nostalgia, of children, of looking back fondly on the past. This tells me that Eugenie has very good memories of her past with the Cambridges, especially her shared childhood with William. Those memories from a strong bond of affection that underlies her current conflict with William.

Card Three: The World. This is the card of the end of a cycle, the successful completion of a project. With respect to Eugenie's feeling of discontent, this says that what is done is done, there is no going back. She can look back over the past and see what led up to her father's loss of status, but that decision is not going to be reversed.

With respect to the Sun card, the Sun is the ruler of Leo, the sign of royalty and of the lion of England, so here the World card refers to the current situation of Elizabeth's reign drawing to a close and the future ascension to the throne of Prince Charles, and then William after him. The King is dead, long live the King - it has that sort of energy of the inevitable ending of one cycle and the beginning of the next. In this sense it is a warning to Eugenie - she can indulge in her upset feelings for now, if she likes, but at the same time she needs to get them sorted out so she is ready for the future.

The Sun and The World are the two major arcana cards in this reading, and as such they are the main energy of the reading. Eugenie can be upset over the treatment of her father, no one is denying that, but in the end her father has been pruned back (the son of the monarch), the monarchy will continue shining (the Sun) and the cycle of monarchs will continue (the World). Is it worthwhile carrying her feelings of emotional discontent into this future? This is what she has to decide for herself.

Underlying Energy One: The Seven of Swords. This can be the card of deceit, the card of the thief, but it can also be the card of diplomacy, and that is the energy that I am getting from this card. The card shows Orestes using his wits and his guile to get into the city and palace to kill his mother. It is a dark situation and Eugenie needs to use her wits and her guile to navigate her current situation.

Does Eugenie intend to 'kill' not her mother, but the person she blames for her father's loss of status (William)? I don't know. I don't think Eugenie knows. This card is saying that at the moment she is lying low, assessing the situation, and using diplomacy to mask any intentions, good or bad, that she has for the future. With respect to the Four of Cups, this could include diplomatically refusing any positions or opportunities offered to her as she is not sure if she wants to take them up or not. I'm not getting any disguised malice from this card, but I'm also not getting any good intentions. The energy is very much that of speaking softly, lying low, and waiting to see what happens.

Underlying Energy Two: The Four of Pentacles. This is a card of hanging on to what you have for dear life, keeping it for yourself, not wanting to share with others. The card shows Daedalus hanging on to four golden pentacles and not sharing them with his nephew, and that is the energy I get from this card - hanging on to status and not being willing to give it up/let go of it. This was the secondary underlying energy in the last reading I did on Eugenie, and now it is showing up here again.

The energy is the same as in the last reading. Eugenie is worried that she will lose her HRH and her status within the BRF, and she is hanging on to that HRH and status for dear life. She does not want to let it go, and for some reason she sees it as being threatened. It feels like she is worried because of what happened to her father, a shock that brought home the fact that this could also happen to her. Eugenie is digging her heels in and in effect saying 'No, you can't have it, it is mine'. The loss of her status is a worry to her and it is the feeling that is driving this whole spread - the need to hang on to that status.

Conclusion: Eugenie is currently unhappy with William, but she also likes him and has fond memories of their childhood together. Her current emotional discontent springs for the loss of status of her father, a loss that she fears could happen to her. This fear is driving her actions.

She is having difficulty accepting her father's loss of status, and the fear that it could happen to her is one of the reasons she is having difficulty with it. She is in conflict with William about this - a minor conflict for now (pouty hurt feelings and petty acting out), but it could grow into a major one in the future.

Eugenie needs to go inwards and examine why this action has upset her so much and to come to terms with it. This can include looking back over the events that lead up to her father's loss of status and understanding how and why it happened, and accepting the possibility that she may lose her HRH under her uncle's reign. The monarchy will continue regardless of her hurt feelings. Charles will be the next king, William will be the king after him, and Eugenie has to asses whether it is worthwhile carrying her hurt feelings into the future, or whether it is better to examine them, reconcile herself to current events, and to let them go.

Eugenie's current stance is to lie low, speak softly, be diplomatic, and just watch and see what happens. This is not a bad position for her if she is working on the how and why of her hurt feelings, but it could be a cover for devious behaviour if she decides to hand on to her grievances and work against William and his father. The choice is hers and at this point in time there is no indication from the cards as to which way she will go, only that she is starting her internal work. However, the Sun card, as an overall positive card, makes me hopeful that she will sort herself out emotionally and go back to the previous good relationship she had with her cousin.

[idunnodudeijustwokeup]

BRUH THE NEIGHBOURHOOD REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF JASON. IM REALLY GLAD SOMEONE ELSE THINKS SO.

I KNOW RIGHT??????! I HAVE SO MANY HEADCANONS ABOUT THIS!!!

Rip 2 my youth; obviously there is his death which fits well. But then there is the lines “mamma there is only so much I can do, except for you to vitness” - and I keep imagine this as when he is stuck to the bomb and his mum has left with the joker.

“Tell my sister don’t cry and don’t be sad” I know it doesn’t fit with the canon timeline, but I image him saying that to Cass when he leaves the manor after yet another argument with Bruce

“Throw me in a box with the oxygen off” - Jason crawling out of his own grave

“What do I do? What do I do, I don’t belive it if I don’t keep proof, I don’t belive it if I don’t know you I don’t belive it if I ya on the news or on the Internet “ - Jason coming back from the lizards pits and hatin the world but also trying to figure out his broken mind. Fighting against the instinct to scream and fight but also wanting to belive his older brother and his dad when they say that he does have a home to come back to.

Then there is ‘Daddy issues’ and I mean, the name is self explanatory but still.

“It’s crazy what you do for a friend”- I feel like this is a line about Dick, and how he keeps fighting with him but he also keeps coming back to his brother. Especially after finding out he killed the joker for him even if Bruce brought him back.

“And if you were my little girl, I do whatever I could do” Jason despite his best attempts stil wants to be there and make sure that his younger siblings don’t get themselfs killed like he did, but he also wants nothing to do with any of it.

“But the rain never came so I made with the sun, the shade always comes at the worst times” I think this could be a lot of things but imagine it about the family that keeps pulling Jason back from the edge. How he is trying to be something else, something new but he keeps falling back into line even if he would deny it with his last breath.

‘Wires’ has a big Jason vibe as well.

Afraid : “when I wake up I’m afraid that somebody else might take my place” Look, I love Tim, I do. But look me in the eyes and tell me that it doesn’t hurt Jason a little bit everytime he sees Tim in the robin costume. That it’s doesn’t hurt everytime he walked through the manor and sees Tim feeling at home and being a part of the life in the manor that was ripped form Jason’s hands??

“Sell your soul, not your whole self” all the things he gave up in his hunt for revenge, yet there are quite few things that never really changed about Jason.

“Your so mean, I don’t like you, you make me wanna scream at the top of my lungs “ another argument with Bruce??

“Being me can only mean being scared to breath, if you leave me then I will be afraid of everything “ headcanon that Jason is afraid of small spaces after being locked in his coffin. Also, afraid of being all alone in the world again.

Anyway, I have a lot of thoughts and feels about JASONxthe neighbourhood

[365days365movies]

March 18, 2021: The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) (Part One)

Look, it’s Woody Allen again! Why is this elephant here?

Ah, right. The documentary on HBO, which I have not watched since I last talked about Woody Allen? Why? Well, from what I’ve heard, it’s not the most accurate documentary, and has a bit of bias loaded into it. And again, I don’t know nearly enough about the whole situation, but...I’m also not interested in potentially biased accounts. So, I’ll take the time to educate myself.

Shame that I rarely have any time, then.

Yeah, I just made one of the oldest jokes on the internet ever. Sue me. SUE ME I DARE YOU

You may be asking, then, why am I doing the whole movie thing? Well, in truth, this is a form of escapism for me. I mean, who doesn’t like sitting down and watching a good movie, putting away your worldly cares for about 2 hours so that you can dive into another world entirely? I mean, the worlds that’ve been built by film over the last century never ceases to amaze me.

From Avatar’s Pandora to Mustafar in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, to the Great Barrier Reef in Finding Nemo, or the world of Monsters, Inc. There are so many unique worlds, not to mention the characters who inhabit them, and the directors and filmmakers who craft and show them. I just love movies, honestly. Which I could literally be in the world of some of them, even for just 2 hours.

But enough of that, what’s this film about? Eh, whatever, LET’S JUST GET INTO IT! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/2)

We’re brought in on “Cheek to Cheek”, as sung by Fred Astaire, which is, not gonna lie, a guilty pleasure song of mine that I find myself singing in quiet moments. This leads us to a movie poster for the film, The Purple Rose of Cairo, which is being admired by Cecilia (Mia...Farrow). Ohhhhh.

You may remember Mrs. Farrow from her eponymous voice role in The Last Unicorn, which was made a few years before this film. And she’s also known for Rosemary’s Baby, The Great Gatsby, and...her marriage to Woody Allen, which ended in divorce and a massive lawsuit. Said lawsuit involved Farrow’s accusation of sexual abuse to their adopted daughter, Dylan. And that’s what the HBO documentary is about!

WOW. AWKWARD. Apparently, the two got married in 1980, and made thirteen films together, this one included. Which seems both awkward, and like straight-up nepotism, but whatever. Tim Burton did the same thing with Helena Bonham Carter, so whatever; it’s not unprecedented, is what I’m saying. Back to the movie, though.

Cecilia is a waitress, along with her sister (played by Stephanie Farrow, Mia’s actual sister). She’s new at the job, and not great at it. But, her and her sister still have nice conversations about films, as Cecilia’s quite the cinephile. After work, Cecilia meets her husband Monk (Danny Aiello), an abusive gambler who’s unemployed and not doing much about it. It’s the middle of the Great Depression, and things are hard all over. Monk seems to handle this by playing dice, and not particularly well.

Cecilia unsuccessfully tries to get Monk to see the newest movie with her, so she goes to see it alone that night. The film itself is a comedy about a rich Manhattanite named Henry (Edward Herrmann), alongside his wife Rita (Deborah Rush) and friend Jason (John Wood). They take a trip to Cairo, where they meet a young archaeologist named Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels), who’s there to seek the mythical Purple Rose of Cairo. They invite him back to New York with them, and he accepts. There, he falls in love with Kitty Haynes (Karen Ackers), a singer at the Copacabana.

Cecilia is head over heels in love with the movie itself, and dreams about it at work, before going to see it again with her sister. They go to an early showing, and when she comes home, Monk’s drunk and spending time with a woman named Olga. Understandably enraged by this, Cecilia packs up her belongings to move out. Monk tries to get her to stay, the abusive cheating douchebag that he is. She notes that he hits her, and he defends his actions. Monk’s a real piece of shit. And she leaves, despite his absolute shit. God, I hope she stays away.

Unfortunately, she’s essentially forced to come back to the apartment that night, and returns to work as well. But not for long, as she’s basically immediately fired. Now jobless and stuck in an extremely shitty marriage, she has nowhere to go...except for the movies. And she goes back over...and over...and over again, five times in a row that day.

But the seventh time she sees the movie...something happens. Something fascinatingly unusual. The film, specifically Tom Baxter himself, watches her back.

Holy shit, that’s awesome! Tom Baxter notices Cecilia in the audience, and before his “madcap Manhattan weekend” is set to begin, Tom notes that she must really love this movie, and also that he’s noticed her all 6 previous times she’s seen the film. And then...he leaves. He leaves the movie!

He turns to color, and he jumps out of the screen to sweep Cecilia off of her feet. And EVERYBODY sees this, including the people IN the movie and in the theatre. I also love the fact that as soon as he turns to color, a woman faints, which is super fucking funny to me for some reason. Tom runs off with Cecilia, free after 2,000 monotonous performances.

Now that Tom’s met Cecilia, he’s never going back. The audience and the film stars are in complete disarray, and without Tom present, the movie can’t go forward, and the film characters descend into arguments about whose movie this actually is. It’s uh...it’s fucking hilarious, actually.

The enthusiastic Tom Baxter goes with Cecilia to a closed amusement park, where Cecilia once again expresses confusion at the whole affair. He notes that she’s been looking at her with every one of his performances, although she doesn’t understand why. But he calls her fetching, and is clearly quite smitten with her. And she appears to be returning that affection.

When Tom tells her that Cecilia is in love with him, she notes that she’s married. Still, he asks her to meet him that night at the amusement park. After all, how many times does a movie character leave a movie to meet somebody? Not an everyday occurrence.

Meanwhile, the film characters continue to be freaking the fuck out. The Countess (Zoe Caldwell) and Larry Wilde (Van Johnson) show up as well. The audience appears to be enjoying this less than I am, and they start to backtalk the movie, calling it boring. The movie backtalks the audience right back, and it continues to be hilarious.

Eventually, this becomes an attraction in and of itself. They suggest turning the movie off, but that risks stranding Tom Baxter outside. It also means that the film characters wouldn’t exist, which Henry is EXTREMELY upset about. As the news arrives to cover the small theatre’s anomaly, the people in the film itself start to play pinochle, as a few people linger around to watch and interact with the characters. The theatre manager (Irving Metzman) calls the production company, RKO, and they get on the phone with a Gil Shepherd.

Meanwhile, Cecilia manages to get out of the house, despite Monk trying to keep her there to massage his back, the absolute douchebag. She goes and meets Tom, and they go dancing together. This is just as the actor who plays Tom, Gil Shepherd (Jeff Daniels) is called by RKO while he’s at a party. Gil seems like kind of a typical Hollywood jerk, but he’s interrupted by an agent, who tells him that they need to get control of...well, whatever the hell this is.

Apparently, RKO is telling Gil that if he can’t get “his creation” under control, then he’ll essentially be blacklisted, especially considering that there’s no telling what Tom’s doing out there. And what Tom is doing is attempting to pay for a meal with Cecilia, only to find that his money isn’t real money. The two dine-and-dash, and they escape in a car back to the amusement park. 

There, the two kiss, with Tom expecting the screen to fade out in preparation for them to make love. He’s surprised when it doesn’t happen, and it’s neat to see his adjustment to the world outside of films. He wants to continue with the lovemaking, but she’s still faithful to her husband. He stays at the park, and she returns home, where she still hasn’t told Monk about her new unemployment status.

The next morning, Gil and co. arrive at the small New Jersey town, and Gil ends up running into Cecilia, who confuses him for Tom. Gil realizes exactly what’s going on, and reveals who he is to her. The two start to talk, and Cecilia just fangirls EVERWHERE. She agrees to take him to meet his character.

Great place to pause, I think! See you in Part Two!

[mobius-prime]

203. Sonic the Hedgehog #135

The Tommy Trilogy (Part One): Agents of K.N.O.T.H.O.L.E.

Writer: Romy Chacon Pencils: Ron Lim Colors: Jason Jensen

Well, the title of this story kind of gives away the mystery of the cover image, huh? Sonic finds himself once again traveling to the Forbidden Zone in search of a undercover contact who just so happens to be a turtle. Interestingly, his narration as he makes his way into the bar that they're supposed to meet in notes that though the Forbidden Zone is apparently under Eggman's control, the Mobians that live there have refused to defect to the side of Knothole, instead keeping their heads down and hoping to not get involved. This is the first inkling we've ever gotten of a population besides Angel Island trying to stay neutral in the war, and since Eggman has more important things to focus on than the residents of a small out of the way town in the middle of nowhere they've been largely successful so far.

As this is going on, in some undisclosed location, Eggman and Snively talk about a mysterious project of theirs. Whatever they're creating, apparently the first hundred models of it failed, but their hundred-and-first is operational. Sounds suspicious… Back in the bar, Sonic slides into a booth across from a similarly hooded figure, reciting some code words, and who pops out of his cloak but Tommy Turtle! Yeah, turns out he survived the explosion at the factory a year ago, and only recently managed to message Sally and Sonic about his continued existence.

Now that's interesting. It seems Ceneca-9009 thought of everything, and tried to make sure that a Mobian once deroboticized can't be reroboticized, but somehow Eggman has found a way around that. Sonic and Tommy's conversation is then interrupted by none other than the same "friends" Tommy was hanging around last time we saw him - Sleuth Dawg, Drago, and the Fearsome Foursome, all roboticized once more! What a conveniently relevant conversation there, guys! The roboticized goons try to place the two friends under arrest, but Sonic easily dodges their attacks and begins kicking their metal butts with ease. He even gets his chance to throw in some sass here and there - but Tommy isn't doing as well as he is, being a noncombatant.

Sonic decides to hurry things along, finishing off his own opponents and rushing to Tommy's aid. However, he's startled to find that somehow, Drago and Sleuth have both disappeared from the scene, with Tommy looking perfectly unharmed. Tommy explains that he was able to hotwire the two of them and reprogram them to go throw themselves into the nearest lake, and that's good enough for Sonic. Together, the two leave the messed-up bar behind, with Sonic glad to have Tommy back and alive once more…

Anonymous

Writer: Romy Chacon Pencils: Art Mawhinney Colors: Jason Jensen

So what exactly is the deal with the roboticization thing, anyway? Time to find out in a story that clearly takes place before the previous one. A.D.A.M. gets Eggman's attention in his base and directs him into a room where stand the six villains of the story prior, all roboticized and awaiting commands. The twist? Eggman didn't do it. He's just as surprised as we are to see them standing there roboticized once more. Eggman is of course eager to find out who has managed to reverse the anti-roboticization effects on them, and has A.D.A.M. run diagnostics on their memory banks to find any useful information.

Several hours later, A.D.A.M. rouses Eggman from his nap only to give him the bad news - their memory banks are totally locked down from accessing information about who retransformed them. The only thing he was able to find was a brief image of their benefactor, which has been similarly censored out, leaving only the impression of someone Eggman-sized behind. The final piece of information A.D.A.M. is able to retrieve is that the person behind it has signed their work merely as "Anonymous," which only frustrates Eggman more, as he has no idea if this person is friend or foe. Hmm, so the famous hacker group is behind this, eh? Watch yourself then Eggman, they tend to not like fascists.

Mobius 25 Years Later: Dealing With the Devil

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Jason Jensen

It's time for another riveting piece of teen drama! Lien-Da, after dropping Salma off at home, is ready to interrogate Rutan about where he was last night. Rutan isn't looking forward to the repercussions of his actions, but is grateful when Dimitri steps in to give his two cents.

This sucks in so many ways. Like, how can you make me cringe so much from just a few lines of dialogue? Yes, teenagers often want to sneak off to make out with their crushes. Lien-Da should know this, especially as she appears to be a single mother with no father in sight, indicating Rutan is perhaps the result of a one night stand. But then Penders has to go and make it all weird and have Lien-Da get like, bizarrely feminist on Dimitri, and not the reasonable kind of "I just want equality" feminist, more the "rabid social justice warrior who takes offense at everything" kind of strawman feminist. When has any of this ever been established as part of Lien-Da's personality? Why did we need this weird "man, boys and girls are sooooo different" tangent? It's just… so weird and out of place.

For a moment, we actually take a turn into something mildly interesting - that is, the matter of how exactly Lien-Da and Dimitri got to be where they are today. Apparently, at some unspecified time in the past, when Eggman's empire was on the verge of crumbling, he captured Dimitri with the intention of using him to somehow fix everything. When Dimitri refused, Eggman took his revenge… somehow, which resulted in Dimitri becoming the disembodied head that he is today. Lien-Da thinks that he holds a grudge against her for not saving him from his fate, but he retorts that he's only angry because once he was incapacitated (and decapitated), she drove the Legion forward in her own self interest instead of following his vision… which we're not even sure what it was supposed to be in the first place. Again, all of this is extremely vague - seriously, this entire story arc seems to want to gloss over everything that could actually be interesting in favor of the awkward domestic dealings of heroes past their prime and their annoying, bratty offspring. Lien-Da cuts the budding argument off at this point to go right back to the clearly most pressing question of the evening - namely, what exactly Rutan was doing with his girlfriend last night.

I love how this entire thing comes across as though Penders thinks he's danced around the issue of teenagers boning oh so carefully, when really it's done with all the finesse of a drunk baby deer trying to navigate its way through a room full of glass figurines. Like, who do you think you're fooling, dude? A five year old could read this and know you're talking about sex. Furthermore I'm trying to decide if the shocking part is that Rutan was trying to get it on with his girlfriend at all, or if his mother's life lesson was merely not to lose his virginity in a park specifically. Either way, he's able to deflect her anger by relating what he overheard of the conversation between Knuckles and Rotor, which granted, isn't much. However, it's enough to catch Lien-Da off guard, and after thinking for a moment, she suddenly gets unnervingly sweet, saying that she believes him and sending him off with a firm "just don't do it again" to his room. Rutan catches the chill from her sudden attitude shift and leaves gratefully, and when Dimitri tries to talk to her, she brushes him off, clearly calculating her next move. Next thing we know, Julie-Su, chopping vegetables for dinner, finds herself getting a video call from Lien-Da asking to talk…

Again, though, I just have to point out that nothing we're seeing makes any sense here. Everyone is so scared of Lien-Da finding out anything important, but if she's so dangerous, then why hasn't she been arrested and incarcerated for her former crimes yet? Either she's a dangerous terrorist who should pay for her transgressions against echidnakind, or she's a reformed and upstanding member of society. You can't have it both ways, guys! And now, with the new information gleaned from her son, she's all ready to scheme and plot her way to… what, exactly? The only thing she knows as of now is that Knuckles and a friend of his met in a park at night so that the latter could make a request of the former. How does she know it's anything important at all? Remember, Rutan didn't overhear anything about spacetime breaking down, so for all Lien-Da knows, Rotor just wanted to ask Knuckles if he could borrow his hairdryer. There's nothing here to even begin to be suspicious about! This entire arc is held together with duct tape and Penders' tears, and there's so many weird plot holes that rely on us essentially just taking Penders' word for it that this person is bad, and that person is totally in character, and this other person is at all interesting. And I hate to say it, but we haven't even seen the worst yet! We've yet to see King Sonic and Queen Sally enter the picture, and once they do things only get weirder…

[kattaloop]

Lexa IS More Than A Symbol

I came to Tumblr for the Clexa GIFs and stayed for the very occasional long-form contribution. So I don’t know what’s being talked about and how, but a few friends asked me to comment on this. A week ago, @rivertalesien offered a lengthy reply to an anonymous question:

“Why is Lexa the one that people want to fight for but seems to be the only one kept dead? Not that ODAAT and WE had dead lesbians but they were cancelled and fan efforts brought them back like why is Lexa the only one who can't? She has to be more than a symbol though?“

I have my own thoughts on this issue, some of which I can’t publicly elaborate on. Let me just say that you’re right, Lexa absolutely is more than a symbol and should be treated as such. But what did River have to say about it all?

“First of all, the situations with ODAAT and WE are completely different: those involve complex negotiations with advertisers in order to cover the costs and where the show will be hosted. I know it’s fun to believe that fan campaigns had anything to do with it, but it is always, ultimately down to negotiations with advertisers and studios. It makes the producers and all look good to praise their audience for the “hard work” trying to save the series, but they all know better.“

It’s right to say that money is a driving force in any decisions the networks make. But you can’t isolate a show from the broader programing strategy, and, as far as I know, advertising deals are  bundled. As with any business, money isn’t the only deciding factor, either. Power and prestige have important roles in this game of film and television, and personal preference absolutely exists. As for fan campaigns, they add a voice, one that may have, and has, in the past, convinced executives to revisit the  issue in the first place. Would they have done the same thing without that little nudge from viewers? Maybe, but probably not.

“And Lexa is “kept dead” because, and this is only inference, but I think it’s a strong one: Jason Rothenberg lost a huge business/development deal as a result of the Lexa/Clexa fan drama.“

You did your research, I’ll give you that. But I’m unsure how well you understand the reality of this business. Considering that failed pilots are more common than green-lit ones. Considering that any pilot is a collaborative process with too many components in play than for an outsider to pinpoint exactly one reason as to why it failed. Considering that this industry, for all its rigid hierarchy and rules books, can also be one of the most unpredictable - one person leaves and the whole house of cards can crumble. Considering that you refuse to entertain the pros that would accompany Lexa’s return, pros that someone with Jason’s disposition might be equally interested in as in the more petty revenge fantasies.

“Jason Rothenberg spent the days, weeks and months after Lexa’s death cutting himself off from those fans who were hurt by his actions and no doubt working behind the scenes to make sure he didn’t lose his job over his unethical, unprofessional behavior. His supporters in the cast were openly derisive of Clexa fans who spoke out and a tone of trying to ignore or undermine the fan fallout was the given order. Showing real empathy and offering to work with the audience in order to heal the divide might have gone a long way for improving his image and the show’s. Rothenberg decided to hide instead.“

Yes to everything but the last sentence. You’re assuming - sorry, inferring. I happen to know that it was not his decision. Once again, isolating one aspect from its context and environment usually leads to wrong or, at least, incomplete conclusions.

“One very clear consequence of his queerbaiting is that Greg Berlanti, the very successful (and openly gay) producer of many DC shows including Supergirl, stepped out of a development deal for a new series tentatively titled The Searchers. The project was likely mostly Rothenberg’s, but without Berlanti’s backing, it was dropped. Story was that it was too “expensive” to produce, yet Berlanti went on to get a huge deal with the CW, producing Riverdale as well as the upcoming Batwoman. Would Berlanti want to be associated with Rothenberg after the Lexa debacle? Probably not and that’s probably closer to the real reason the deal went south.“

Except the queerbaiting isn’t even fully acknowledged, still. That’s a lot to base on “likely” and "probably.” Berlanti was already getting these deals. He also had his own issues to deal with. If the production was deemed too expensive, it doesn’t mean that there’s a conspiracy beyond the normal industry processes.

“Outside of The 100, he has no produced credits to his name and how he got the job of showrunner when he had no previous experience in any capacity in a writer’s room or on a production staff is certainly baffling. He very quickly proved he didn’t have the professionalism for the job and anyone else would have been dismissed.“

But he wasn’t dismissed, and that should tell you enough to not be baffled by the fact that they hired him, even without knowing the industry from within.

“The 100 went from 16 episodes to 13 because the order for renewal had already been given and the WB/CW put out feelers in the form of polls asking the audience directly: will Lexa’s death affect if you watch the show? Who does that unless they are seeking to reassure the advertisers that Lexa’s death wouldn’t be a big issue for long and spoil their investment?”

In conjunction with a noticeable drop in ratings and other measurable factors, this is probably a reasonable conclusion. They were hoping for a surge and were slammed, instead. There were a lot of whispers, but nothing I’d consider to be confirmed. What does this have to do with why they wouldn’t bring Lexa back? If anything, it suggests they know of her value.

“Fans are capable of all sorts of interpretations of a text (oh boy are we), but one thing that I think is generally considered across the board is that with season 4, the tone toward Lexa was more than a little OTT and a tad spiteful.”

I’m glad you acknowledge that much of this is based on interpretation. In summary, the praise Lexa received in S4 felt unauthentic, the Flame and Lexa were used as an emotional device, and Clarke’s actions were problematic. How’s that any different than post-307, when nobody seemed too bothered about losing their beloved Heda, when the Flame and Lexa were used as an emotional device, and when Clarke had sex as a coping mechanism and even questioned Lexa’s humanity? The latter were all written before the backlash. It mostly speaks to the show’s persistent issues with continuity, character development, and representation.

“This is just my interpretation, but with fans crying out for her return, pleading for a spin-off and so on, and generally being the most out-spoken fandom for LGBTQ rights and better representation in media (and a never-ending drag of Rothenberg’s name), is it likely that a production that never did anything to try and make amends ever going to give in to such pleas?”

As likely as any other production, to be honest. Allow me to go back to your earlier assessment. “They don’t care about fans’ pleas.” Would they bring Lexa back for the fans? Doubtful. “They care about their own benefit.” Would they bring Lexa back if it benefited them? Now we’re talking.

But they can’t just do it any odd way. As you also said previously, they know better. They may ignore us, but they watch us. They would’ve assessed the different scenarios. From a business point of view, they’d want to avoid another backlash. Then you have a diva showrunner to consider, and a guest star who is in work and, hopefully, wouldn’t return for a guest stint if it didn’t benefit her and Lexa. It’s a tricky balance, made even more difficult by a fandom that likes to tear itself apart over conflicting opinions every 3 months or so.

Considering all of those circumstances, I can’t think of a reasonable way to bring Lexa back other than at the very end. Which would benefit the production, but more importantly, a large number of fans, the tiny matter of representation, and ADC - if done right, which I give her enough credit to make sure before agreeing to anything. I’m not saying that it will happen or that it won’t happen. I’m saying that there’s a strong case for it happen, to balance out your rather one-dimensional approach.

“There is a cruelty to this because almost any other kind of story of this kind would involve a moment of catharsis, but that moment is constantly suspended, always dangled, but never in touch.”

Personally, I’d agree with that, but I can also think of writers who’d be into it. We’ve already established that Jason and his immediate team are lacking awareness and empathy. It makes little sense, therefore, to expect them to act differently, especially if they’re leading up to another shock twist. My guess is as good as yours on whether that’s something good or bad.

“They know what fans want and it’s arguable too that Rothenberg has twisted what the fans want for his own benefit: a spin-off of The 100, but one entirely about something decidedly unrelated to Lexa. Showing online fan interest might be one way of telling advertisers: see, there’s a demand for his work.”

No offense, but this makes no sense and it’s probably the most contradicting and subjective thing you’ve said thus far. If they know what fans want, then there’s nothing to twist. It’s actually part of the reason why the Lexa spinoff campaign started while the show’s still on air: to get the word out, to make sure they know exactly what and who we want, and what and who we don’t want. Jason started talking about a spinoff before 307, so there’s literally no ground for this argument, which also has no bearing on the question. So why bring it up?

“Unless advertisers demand it, is it likely that this unprofessional queerbaiting producer would do anything except the most spiteful of nods? That’s all he’s done at this point and the story this season looks more and more like they are going to finally close the book on any Lexa mentions ever again.”

Unless advertisers become involved in the creative process, this argument is also invalid. Thankfully, there are regulations in place to avoid that. And unless you know what motivates a person, you can’t speak to what they will or won’t do. Even if you did, you can’t be certain. Once again, this is a collaborative process even under the worst of circumstances. Things could go either way.

“Fight for Lexa, there is nothing wrong with her being a “symbol” of a fight for better representation.”

It feels wrong when you reduce her to a symbol, when you put her in the past, when you tell others to seek out other representation, when you dismiss her implied humanity. Our emotions in relation to Lexa are real, and that makes her real in all the ways that matter. What happened to “she’s more than just a character?” Well, she’s also more than a movement. Let’s not use their excuses when they kill of one LGBT character and put another on their place against ourselves.

“Keep using her light, but never forget where it really comes from, something Rothenberg will never understand: it comes from you.”

Now see, this is a great statement. I, too, believe that Lexa is a part of us. Her light guided me out of the complete darkness I had lost myself in, and it became part of my own light. I’ve never come across a character like that, or person, for that matter. A sentiment that still reverberates through the fandom and beyond. I believe that her light can help so many more people whom she wasn’t able to reach in the short time she was given. And so, part of my fight for better representation, better storytelling, will always be to let Lexa’s light shine again. She deserves to live. She deserves to have her story told!

[hollyoaksloversx]

Festival Frolics...

Rounding up a week in Hollyoaks (5th - 9th August 2019)

Another week, and it’s time for another death! Well, it has been a whole two weeks since the last one! Having received an abuse-filled letter from Laurie at the tail end of last week, Sinead went to visit him in prison. As Laurie informed Sinead that he would more than likely receive a suspended sentence, Sinead refused to be scared, and told her ex that whilst he was in court, she would be enjoying herself at a festival with Sami, Lisa and Cleo. However, Laurie’s hopes of escaping prison were dashed when he was sentenced to four years behind bars, and Diane was there to gloat as he was taken away. As Laurie was driven to prison, he was sharing a van with none other than Sinead’s Brother, Finn. The two men got chatting about their crimes, neither realising who the other one was. It was only when Laurie mentioned Sinead by name that the penny dropped for Finn, and he introduced himself as Sinead’s Brother, before lunging at Laurie. A fight broke out between the pair, distracting the driver, who lost control of the vehicle. Laurie had survived his fall from the school balcony a few weeks back, so of course, it was going to take more than a little crash to finish him off. With the driver and Finn unconscious, Laurie made his escape, and he knew exactly where he was heading...

At the festival, Sinead was having a brilliant time, until she went to kiss Sami and he pulled away. Feeling rejected, Sinead decided to head home. As she walked along a country road, a car pulled up alongside her, being driven by Laurie. A terrified Sinead was forced into the car, as Laurie attempted to convince her to take him back. As Laurie became more and more deranged, Sinead realised that her options were running out, and so she told Laurie that she would run away with him, on the condition that they returned to the village to collect Hannah first. Laurie agreed, but once in the village, Sinead attempted to make a run for it. Laurie gave chase, but his head injury sustained in the crash finally caught up with him, and he collapsed. Paramedics soon arrived on the scene, but there was nothing they could do, and Laurie was declared dead a short time later.

The following day, Diane and Sami were concerned when Sinead went into work as usual. However, Sinead had an ulterior motive for wanting to go in, as she headed to the mortuary to see Laurie’s body, wanting to make sure that he was dead. Once back at home, things seemed to be looking up for Sinead, as she and Sami finally decided to make a proper go of their relationship. However, their happiness was short lived, when Hannah turned on the TV to see news footage of Ste taking part in a far right rally...

Meanwhile, the festival also provided the setting for some drama for the teens. Whilst Ollie was busy modelling some appalling festival get-up, Juliet was trying to make Brooke do her dirty work for her, and sent her to the bar to get some drinks in. However, unable to lie, Brooke backed out, leaving Juliet furious, especially when Brooke told the barmaid how old Juliet really was. Wanting to take revenge on her ‘friend’, Juliet stole Brooke’s purse, and when Brooke went back to look for it in one of the tents, she suffered a sensory overload. Juliet felt immense guilt when she realised what had happened, and stayed with Brooke until the paramedics arrived. Later, whilst being checked over, Brooke mentioned some over symptoms she’d been experiencing recently. Although the paramedic was quick to reassure her that they weren’t connected to her ordeal in the tent, it was clear he’d touched a nerve when he jokingly asked if she could be pregnant...

As Brooke came to the realisation that she was pregnant, she attempted to get Ollie alone once back at home, hoping to share her news with him. However, she was dismayed to discover that he’d invited Juliet along too. As Juliet opened her bag, Brooke realised that she’d found the purse thief, and an argument broke out between the pair. A passing Cindy intervened and invited Brooke back to Mandy’s for a chat. Having come to know Juliet from their time living together, Cindy tried to make Brooke see that she wasn’t all bad, opting to tell Brooke about some of the things she’d got up to as a teenager. Brooke was especially interested to hear about Cindy’s teenage pregnancy, and pressed her for information. As Cindy spoke about concealing her pregnancy, and then going on to abandon baby Holly, it was clear that Brooke had had a brainwave...

In other news this week, Mitchell was on hand to comfort Scott when he was harassed by Sid and his mates outside The Dog whilst Jonny attempted to set Ste up with Jed again. Finally, Tom had a serious case of the green eyed monster as Peri and Prince enjoyed spending time together. However, Prince had a change of heart about their relationship when Tom pointed out that he could be judged harshly for moving on too quickly after Lily’s death. Deciding that Tom was right, Prince decided to leave the village to go travelling...

5 Things We Learned This Week:

1. It’s a dangerous world out there. Goldie was appalled by Prince’s plan to leave the village and travel the world, pointing out that he could be kidnapped or sucked into some ‘funny cult.’ Hang about, Goldie. Those things are just as likely to happen if Prince remains the village!

2. Some people ARE like their parents. It turns out that young Sid is just as bigoted as his Dad, Stuart, as he gave Scott a mouthful of abuse outside The Dog.

3. Some people have perfect timing. How clever of Sami to jump out of a taxi, just in time to save Sinead from Laurie’s clutches.

4. Money doesn’t really matter. How is Prince able to afford to go travelling? He was pleading poverty a few weeks back! 

5. The paramedics in Hollyoaks really have given up. After working on Laurie for all of 30 seconds, the paramedics informed Sinead that they’d done all they could. Well, if they were to revive him, some other disaster would surely befall him just weeks later. 

This Week’s Cast:

Brooke, Brody, Cindy, Cleo, Diane, Finn, Goldie, Hannah, Imran, Joel, Jonny, Juliet, Laurie, Lisa, Mitchell, Nana McQueen, Nancy, Oliver, Peri, Prince, Romeo, Sami, Scott, Sid, Sinead, Ste, Tom, Tony and Yasmine. 

Blasts From The Past:

Holly Cunningham, Lily Drinkwell, Hunter McQueen, Jacqui McQueen, Mac Nightingale, Donna-Marie Quinn, Jason Roscoe, Dirk Savage, Buster Smith.

[whumpbby]

About the Batman’s ‘no-kill’ rule

Listen, I understand why Batman (many capes in general, but especially Batman and his associates) has the no-kill rule and, listen, it’s a good rule. It’s a grand rule! It has a lot of sense and needs to be there. 

I just wish DC was better at relaying why it’s so important. Important enough for Bruce to sacrifice everything for it. 

I wish they would use something else than the same old posturing and the”If I kill a killer I’m no better!” or “I won't go down to their level!” because these are worn out slogans that make little sense when the verse presents villains that are unredeemable. (Like, the one thing I have against Daredevil show was that DD’s argument with Frank was so weak, because it led with a “Well, these violent murderers/rapists are people too and deserve a second chance!” because as a part of a group endangered by said criminals, I lean towards Frank’s logic=_=)  

In that case, objectively, we can say that Jason and those who see murder as permissible, are in the right - offing one person to save dozens of innocents makes sense and is the most logical choice, isn’t it? On a small, personal scale, yes, sure, a deranged murderer loses the ‘sanctity of life’ license. Who wouldn’t jump on a chance to kill Hitler or Stalin?

But the ‘no kill’ rule doesn’t come from the point of logic and ‘deserving’ and revenge. It comes from the bigger picture. 

The bigger picture is that everything Batman does in Gotham (not his fantastical world-saving adventures with the League, we’re focusing on a standard nightshift) happens in a grey zone of the law that he is permitted to operate in. It’s easy to forget with all the hype surrounding him as this undefeated uber-mensch, but Bruce isn’t backed by law enforcement - Gordon allows him to exist. Graciously. Had Gordon wanted it to happen, Batman would be out on his ass within a week. The police may not be able to catch him, but the moment Bat is considered a criminal himself, his Mission is officially over. He’s not a cop, he isn’t a soldier, he has no discernable and provable training to deal with situations like that and he is always.suspect. Always. 

(Realistically, the law wouldn’t even touch any of the criminals he’d brought in, because every bit of evidence he provided would be shot down in the court instantly (maybe sans a straight recording of the crime, and that’s a maybe) but we’re not talking RL, people can move across town on grapple-hooks in this universe ffs ;] )

So, say Batman kills the Joker and it gets out. 

Gordon cuts ties with him - he can’t, in good conscience, allow a vigilante who kills to operate in his city for many reasons other than it will encourage others to do so. Batman is done for - he can still go out at night and beat up petty criminals, but any benefit of the doubt he ever had is gone. Now he’s a Punisher. 

But also, please tell me that Bruce Wayne, stupidly intelligent, pragmatic, obsessive, controlling, mentally disturbed, able to compartmentalise to a horrifying degree, will stop there. On that one body. Bruce Wayne who - taking away these rare bouts of big issues like saving the world - is faced night after night with the mundane evil that will never go away, can’t be defeated once and for all and can barely be managed (abusers, child molesters, drug dealers, murderers, the whole shebang) realises that the world is better for the lack of one criminal already. Try to convince me he will stop there. That a man with a plan for everything and control issues to end all control issues, who can remain virtually uncatchable - won’t attempt to micro-manage the city (then the world) for the Greater Good. Hell, we saw him justify downright abuse of his own kids with the ‘Mission Comes First’ excuse, the Greater Good would open up the floodgates! Hell, Ra’s is working with a Greater Good in mind!

And he wouldn't stop at one, because it always escalates. Imagine a cop who was doing the worst shifts in the worst neighbourhood for the last 10 years, or a social worker who had seen it all and has nothing left to give of themselves - and present them with a loaded gun and a promise of invulnerability if they decide to use it. Think of how many ‘bad people’ would any of us get rid off if there were no consequences waiting. Hitler. Stalin. CEOs of Monsanto. Whoever. And B is smart enough to avoid any and all consequences if he decides to go there.

See how good Injustice’s verse looks after a powerful good man allowed himself to cross the line.  

And that’s what Batman is afraid of. Not that he will be as bad as the Joker or Two Face, or any of his villains. Bruce has the potential to be ten times worse than they all put together and knows that the only thing that’s standing between him and being a remorseless dictator is that.one.kill.

So, you know, I love Jason and I understand his POV and I agree with it, logically - but I also understand Bruce’s POV and agree with his choice. That’s why their conflict is so painful and so poignant, and there’s no way it can ever be resolved to mutual satisfaction. 

Now only if the writers stopped writing Bruce as a bi-polar sociopath and took Jason seriously for more than 2 issues at a time whenever they don’t need a punching bag for the Batclan or cheap angst... we could all live happily ever after=__= 

[askfreddiemercury]

Once ED-E and I made it to REPCONN and cleared out most of the feral ghouls, we realized that there was some sort of strange cult made of a bunch of non-feral ghouls. Their leader, Jason Bright, a glowing one, sent me on a quest to help him and his people get to the ‘far beyond.’ It involved clearing the basement of Nightkin to help get the rockets the test site still had up and ready for the ghouls to go on their journey. I had the option to screw the whole plan up but I didn’t do so because I’m not that kind of person. I managed to launch the rockets off with ease. What am I doing with my life? I’m supposed to be looking for that checkered suit asshat. Anyways.

~~~~~

I go back to Manny as the sun is starting to set.

Freddie: The ghouls are no longer at REPCONN.

Manny: Really? Unbelievable, man! I knew that wasn’t gonna be easy. But I had a good feeling about you. You look like you been through a lot.

Look huh?

Freddie: Now about the man I’m looking for…

Manny: Okay, I’ll tell you everything I know, like I promised. The guy you’re looking for, Benny, he was traveling with some members from my old gang. They were going to Boulder City.

At last, I get a name for the man who shot me.

Freddie: Where’s Boulder City?

Manny: It’s straight up Route 93 from here. Just keep following the road north.

Freddie: Any idea why they went that way?

Manny: No clue. I know Benny hadn’t paid up yet. Maybe that was where they were supposed to get square.

Freddie: Hm, well thanks, Manny. That’s all I needed to know.

Manny: Hope that helps. I owed you.

I make my way out of the dinosaur and into my motel room where I can finally rest up before I make my way to Boulder City. I tell ED-E to power down for today, he gently floats down onto the floor after doing so.

~~~~~

Not long after I fall dead asleep I wake to the sound of a gun going off. Is that Manny? Strange. I best go check that out. I leap from my bed and run over to the T-Rex, once inside I run up the stairs and open the door but instead of Manny I see a man in a dirty white shirt. He didn’t notice me even if when that door is kind of loud due to age. I tapped his shoulder and he quickly turns around with his sniper pulled out.

Freddie: Woah! Friendly fire!

He quickly puts it away.

Boone: Goddamn it! Don’t sneak up on me like that. What do you want?

He says very angrily with me. This guy looks like he hasn’t slept in ages but honestly who sleeps these days anyway.

Freddie: Were you expecting visitors?

Boone: Yeah. I guess maybe I am. But not like you. Huh. Maybe it should’ve been you I was expecting all along.

Why does it sound like everyone is flirting with me? Guess my head isn’t right yet.

Boone: Why are you here?

Freddie: Oh I just like meeting new people.

Boone: I think you’d better leave.

Freddie: Come on man, I’m just making friendly conversation.

Boone: I don’t have friends here.

Not getting rid of me that easily. I have to get this guy to open up just a little.

Freddie: Well, I’m not from here, buddy.

Boone: No. No you’re not, are you? Maybe you shouldn’t go. Not just yet. I need someone I can trust. You’re a stranger. That’s a start.

See what I mean?

Freddie: You only trust strangers?

Boone: I said it was a start. This town… Nobody looks me straight in the eye anymore.

Freddie: What do you need me to do?

Boone: I want you to find something else for me. I don’t know if there’s anything to find, but I need someone to try. My wife was taken from our home by Legion slavers one night while I was on watch. They knew when to come and what route to take, and they only took Carla. Someone set it up. I don’t know who.

Woah, this got dark fast.

Freddie: You’re trying to track down your wife?

He gives me an angry expression.

Boone: My wife’s dead. I want the son of a bitch who sold her.

Okay!

Freddie: How do you know she’s dead?

Boone: I know, all right? And that’s all you need to know.

He snaps at me and I raise my hands up to calm him down.

Freddie: What do I do if I find this person?

Boone: Bring him out in front of the nest here while I’m on duty. I work nights. I’ll give you my NCR beret to put on. It’ll be our signal, so I know you’re standing with him. And I’ll take care of the rest. I need to do this myself.

Freddie: Alright, Boone, I'll see what I can do.

Boone: Good. I’ll make it worth your while. And one more thing. We shouldn’t speak again. Not until it’s over. No one in town knows that I know what happened to my wife. Best they never know. Or the Legion will be after me next.

He hands me his beret and I make my way out of the dinosaur. Boone’s putting a lot of faith into me and hopes I can find whoever sold his wife to the Legion. I have to ask around and look around to find solid evidence on who did it. I’ve got your back, Boone.

~~~~~

First, I check in with Cliff Briscoe, owner of the little shop in the dinosaur. He says that he and Carla didn’t speak much. Said she was in his store once but didn’t stay long. He also said that Boone did most of the buying for them. He goes on to say that she had a look on her face like she’d smell something sour, but that the shop always smelled as fine as it always does. Secondly, I go find Ranger Andy. Said Carla was a knockout and that whenever Boone walked around her, he always had this funny grin on his face like he couldn’t believe his luck.

Ranger Andy: I knew we couldn’t. That wasn’t the only reason she stuck out. That girl never minced words. If she’s had better food or hospitality, she’d let you hear it. Trouble was, she usually had. I don’t think she meant it. She really was a sweet girl. I think she just wanted to remind herself that there are still nicer places in the world than Novac. Who could blame her for that?

Seems like Andy thought kindly of Carla, so not that person I’m looking for.

Next, I find Manny in his room. He tells me that Boone and he used to be snipers for the NCR but now their not a friendly terms.

Freddie: Why are you in bad terms with Boone?

Manny: Me and his wife, we didn’t see eye-to-eye on some things. We had some pretty big arguments. One day she turns up missing, and he hasn’t said a word to me since.

Boone must think Manny had something to do with his wife going missing. He tells me that he had a problem with Boone’s wife trying to take him away from Manny, he obviously had a big problem with some city lady taking his best friend away.

Manny: Believe me. When I heard the news my first thought was, I owe somebody, big. I figured Boone would come around after a while. But he hasn’t. And I’m starting to think that if he doesn’t find her, things will never go back to the way they were.

Freddie: Just how many people hated Carla?

Manny: Man, everybody. That girl didn’t have one friend in this whole town. She didn’t want any. She wanted to sit in her room all day and make herself miserable. And she went out of her way to be rude. She upset a lot of people. You wouldn’t have liked her, either.

I feel like Manny is taking a few liberties with this story, she couldn’t have been that awful. I thank him anyway and finally decide to check up Jeannie, the owner of Novac.

Freddie: What can you tell me about Boone’s wife?

Jeannie: How should I put it? I guess you could say she was kinda like a cactus flower. Real pretty to look at, but there was just no getting close to her. She never did take living here. She liked the big lights and fast living of New Vegas. I got the feeling she was trying to get Boone to leave with her, but I guess she got tired of waiting. I know he thinks she was kidnapped, but I’m not so sure she didn’t just run off on her own. You could tell she was thinking about it ever since they arrived.

Well, that whole story sounds like a bunch of brahmin shit! Something isn’t adding up with Jeannie’s story, so far I’ve heard that she loved Boone quite a lot and he loved her. Why the hell would she just get up and walk off? Especially with how dangerous the Mojave is. I think Jeannie is hiding something and I intend to find out. I wait around the main office until Jeannie walks out to go to her room. I’ve seen a safe just behind the desk there, maybe there’s something inside that could help me.

I get up to unlock the safe and once I’m in I see a piece of paper, after reading I found out that it’s a bill of sale… For Carla… I read that the Legion came by and offered to buy her off of Jeannie, she gave them rights of ownership and sale for one thousand bottle caps. Things get worse as I go on and read “...and those of her unborn child for the sum of five hundred bottle caps…”

Boone was right all along, Jeannie was annoyed with Carla because she was a bit of a snob and sold her as a slave along with her unborn child. This is the most horrifying thing I’ve heard so far. All because she didn’t like her?! Well, it’s time for Boone to get his revenge.

~~~~~

I go to Jeannie’s room and knock on the door, she opens the door.

Freddie: Hey, Jeannie, Come with me. There’s something you should see, in front of the dinosaur.

Jeannie: Okay. If that’s what you think.

Yeah, I do think that.

I lead her out of Novac and right in front of the nest like Boone said. She looks around at nothing while I put it on Boone’s beret and he takes the shot right then and there. I’m caught off guard.

Freddie: Fuck!

I jump out of the way as Jeannie falls to the ground, her head was completely blown off. Talk about some shot. I rush back to the dinosaur and up the stairs where Boone is waiting for me.

Boone: That’s it. How did you know?

I hand him the bill of sale.

Freddie: I found this in her safe, Jeannie did it.

Boone: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It’d be like them to keep paperwork.

Boone takes his beret back but gives me another 1st Recon beret he had with him.

Boone: Here. This is all I can give. I think our dealings are done here.

Freddie: What will you do after this?

Boone: I don’t know. I won’t be staying. I know that. Don’t see much point in anything right now, except hunting legionaries. Maybe I’llwonder, like you.

Freddie: Hey, why don’t you come with me? Let’s go after the Legion.

Boone: You don’t want to do that.

Freddie: We’ll kill more with two of us.

Boone: Yeah. That might be true. And that’s reason enough for me to take you up on it. I suppose. But this isn’t gonna end well.

<Boone has given you the Spotter perk, this will help you see enemies from far away or even the dark much better>

Boone: Fine. Let’s get out of here.

Freddie: Great. We heading to New Vegas. I have a score to settle. Wait, the name Benny doesn’t mean anything to you does it?

Boone: No.

I put on the beret that he gave me.

Freddie: Since you gave me this one, do you ever take yours off?

Boone: No.

What an open book this guy is.

Freddie: Alright. Let’s go then, I just need to go grab ED-E real fast. Been asleep this whole time. Poor little buddy.

[thornfield13713]

Bruce and your Robin of choice?

I’ll go with Dick, as getting that first relationship hashed out is going to be the key to figuring out most of the other relationships within the Batfamily.

1. Bruce did not intend for Robin to be a thing. He was twenty-eight when Dick came into his life, having been Batman for seven years, and honestly just wanted to give the kid a good home because the Gotham foster care system? Not brilliant. Really, amazingly not-brilliant, and the city authorities weren’t going to let Dick stay with the circus. Then Dick found his way into the Batcave. Even then, Bruce wasn’t planning ‘sidekick’. Then Dick started sneaking out after him in a homemade costume, hiding in the back seat of the Batmobile (yes, the Batmobile has a back seat, otherwise how is Bats supposed to transport multiple villains back to Arkham?) and Bruce couldn’t find a lasting way to stop him other than to make damn sure that if he was going to go out and pick fights with criminals, he would at least be protected while he did so. (He may have been just a little bit impressed by the kid’s tenacity. Not that he’ll ever admit it.)

2. Neither of them actually talks about or defines their relationship outside their own head much. Bruce doesn’t want to presume on anything or insult the memory of John Grayson, Dick…feels similarly about not wanting to replace his father, at least to begin with. But on some level, they do consider themselves as father and son, although this was only really formalised when Dick was eighteen, and about to go off to college in Bludhaven. The adoption itself was a long time coming, and most of the superhero community who don’t know their real identities tend to assume that Dick and Bruce are biological father and son, and Batfamily policy is to just let them assume what they like.

3. Dick is kept very carefully out of the spotlight for most of his early life, for reasons of Bruce leaning on the paparazzi. It doesn’t work on everyone, and the coverage of the fostering arrangement itself was splashed all over half the society pages in every paper in Gotham, but it’s enough that he can at least go about his life semi-normally most of the time between school, home and his…extra-curricular activities. It’s also kind of useful, given how most of his friends are from suspiciously far out of town and questions might be asked about how they got there so quickly. Bruce is pretty insistent that the press stay well away from Dick - no interviews, minimal coverage, no harassment, and he’s got a very sharp team of lawyers with which to ensure that.

4. The worst fight they ever have comes when Dick is nineteen, after the death of Jason Todd. Both are angry, grieving, blaming themselves - Dick especially, as he was the one who suggested that Jason take over being Robin - and on top of that, Dick is desperately trying to hold Bruce back from breaking his one rule and killing the Joker in revenge, ironically using the argument that Jason wouldn’t want Batman to destroy everything he stands for in his name. It is the one and only time any of their fights ever escalate to the physical, as Dick at one point decked Bruce before storming out.

5. Bruce honestly could not be more relieved that Dick did not turn out like him. Less obsessive, less willing to achieve his ends at almost any cost, more willing to consider people. Bruce tries, but during depressive episodes he tends to push people away, and he doesn’t trust as easily, nor is he trusted in turn as readily as Dick is. He’s pretty certain that when Dick takes up the cowl, he will surpass Bruce as Batman, even if he isn’t quite there yet.

[aprilmmourning]

“It’s me and you, babe, till the end.” Chapter 30

Negan x OC // word count: 3271

Summary: Mostly Emilia and Negan talking, reminiscing.

Notes: Fucking finally, am I right? Anyway, this chapter(and a few upcoming chapters) will be a little more laid back, probably. I’ll try. Need some quiet before the big storm you know.

tags: @miss-nori85

"Don't say shit like that," she said, starting to get a little irritated now. She tried her best to tolerate the way he spoke about them but even she had a point when it was enough. Negan responded with a scoff, "That's the truth baby." "Well, yeah, but," she started but gave up and pursed her lips instead, her hand idly stroking his hair. "Shit, I got a headache now, thinking about all that fucking shit, goddamn it," Negan cursed and moved away from her to lie on his back and started rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Give me your hand," she said and held hers out, waiting. "Why?" "Just give it to me." Negan gave her his left hand and she took it into both of hers, then with her thumb and fingers, applied pressure to the area between his thumb and index finger, squeezing the soft spot. Negan frowned, staring at what she was doing. "Is it working?" she asked, smiling. "Is what working?" "It's a pressure point," she said, squeezing harder, "Should take the headache away." Negan closed his eyes and after a few moments spoke, "I think it's working," he said and smiled. Emilia smiled, continuing what she was doing, "Good." She did that for a while, thinking about the hundred questions she wanted to ask and debating if she should even start, god knows he got annoyed easily. "When did you learn that?" he asked, promting Emilia to turn her attention to him. He was lying there with his eyes closed, his hand in hers. "Read it somewhere, I don't even remember." "In Alexandria?" he asked, then cleared his throat. Emilia thought about it for a moment but couldn't recall. "Before that I think," she answered, then remembered she read about it in a book while they stayed at the prison. "How did you meet Rick?" he asked and Emilia rolled her eyes. Real smooth. She decided to simplify it, not give him every detail. "Um, I was alone, hiding from a small group of roamers in a store somewhere when uh..." She remembered that day, vaguely though, it was so long ago, "Glenn and Daryl were on a run and they took me to Rick and..." she stopped, not being able to continue after she mentioned Glenn. "Glenn was a good person, Negan," she muttered and carefully glanced at him and saw that he was now frowning, then after a moment, sighed. "That was unnecessary, I can agree on that, but as I've told before, they forced my hand baby. You weren't there." Emilia pressed her lips together so she wouldn't say anything, even though she wanted to. Plus there were a million other questions she wanted to ask, she just didn't know where to start and if she even should. "How's the headache?" she asked instead, trying to ignore the tension in the air. Negan hummed and she took it as that he was feeling better so she stopped, then moved so she was lying on her back too, her head resting on his arm and pulled the covers over her, "Everything is so fucked," she muttered as she finally settled down and got comfortable. She heard Negan scoff next to her, "Damn right," he said, then pulled her closer and rested his hand on her chest, starting to caress her collarbone with his finger. "Who was that woman who was crying when you were bashing Jason's head in?" she asked, trying to sound casual. "Huh?" Negan asked, his voice getting sleepy and she realized he will probably fall asleep any minute now. "There was a woman..." "His girlfriend probably, don't know," Negan answered before she could finish what she started to say. "Is she one of those who would want revenge or..." Emilia said, trying to suggest that she was a little worried now. Melissa was crazy enough, who's to say that the woman wouldn't march up in there and shoot her or something. Negan sighed, "You're so fucking paranoid," he muttered. "Well, I have reasons, remember Melissa?" "Should I kill the girlfriend too? Just in case, so you could sleep at night?" Negan asked, the tone of his voice sounding a little annoyed now, "Should I kill everyone around here?" "Probably," Emilia muttered, not really meaning it, she just got annoyed for a second too. Negan chuckled, "There's the biggest goddamn guy I could find outside that door just for you, and you're still worried?" "You sure he wasn't someone's brother that I got killed? Melissa's secret boyfriend?" she asked, a smile forming on her lips, her thoughts getting ridiculous. "Goddamnit Emilia. I'll get you a gun, that'll make you happy?" Negan asked and Emilia looked to see him smiling now. "Of course," she said and smiled, "I can tell you from experience that people are far scarier and dangerous these days, I don't think I'm being overly paranoid here, I'm just being cautious." "Shit, you're starting to scare me too now, speaking like that," Negan said and opened his eyes, then turned his head to look at her, "What people are you talking about? Besides these assholes here." Emilia sighed, not wanting to dwelve into that topic, "All sorts of people, never mind." She inched closer to him and tried to turn so she could rest her head on his chest, but had trouble with it since she had to lie on her right side where her wound was. She somehow found a position where it didn't hurt at all, or wasn't that uncomfortable and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Hope they're all dead, the people you're talking about," Negan muttered as he moved a little too and rested his hand on her waist. "They're gone alright, or I wouldn't be here," she answered, already thinking of something else to talk about, trying to pick out the next question and ask it before he'd fall asleep. "Tell me about Amber," she said, holding her breath, hoping he didn't get mad. Negan sighed, "What?" he mumbled in response. "Amber, is she going to be okay?" "Probably," he answered, "I know you don't care, why are you asking?" "Why shouldn't I care?" she asked, thinking that she did care, she felt bad for her. "You really care?" he asked, "Huh, strange." Emilia scoffed, frowning, "Why is that strange?" "Well, the way I remember you used to not give a shit about anyone that didn't matter, that's why I liked you." "What?" she asked and couldn't help but chuckle. "Except the time you were too scared for anyone to find out that we were secretly fucking behind everyone's back. Though that was a goddamn fun time, remember?" She did remember and cringed at the memory, it had been an awkward mess at that time, now she just couldn't help but laugh about it. "The look on everyone's faces was priceless. Especially Crys, it was the first time I saw her speechless," she said and started grinning. Remembering Crys, she felt a little sad, but the memories were all good. At first they didn't tell anyone, deciding to keep it a secret. Emilia found it awkward, since Negan was the neighbor to her parents first and foremost, they even called him their friend but she knew Negan couldn't stand her step-father Jim. He later admitted that he only came around in hopes of seeing her.  Emilia couldn't help but roll her eyes when she realized Negan had steered the topic of the conversation away from Amber so quickly, she didn't even notice. "I did give a shit about people, what are you talking about?" she asked, a little offended that he'd say that. "Friends and family yes, everyone else were invisible. Can't say that I don't agree with that philosophy myself." "Well, now that you point that out," she said, starting to agree with him, "No wonder I didn't have much friends," she joked. The friends she did use to have, they were everything to her, she didn't need a hundred of them. "Now think about how fucked the world is, and then think about that is it worth having friends who are dropping like flies," Negan muttered in response. Emilia clenched her jaw, annoyed that he always found a way to remind her how he wanted to kill everyone she cared about and how she shouldn't care. "Negan, I can't just stop caring, just because you want me to." "Why not? It's easier than you think." "Is it? Who have you stopped caring about then?" "Well, shit. Does it count that I stopped, then got her back and continued caring?" he said and Emilia couldn't help it, she started laughing, his argument failing miserably. "You're an idiot," she said then realized what he had said, "Wait, you stopped? What do you mean?" she asked, her smile dropping. Negan sighed, "I thought you were dead and that sucked balls, that bummed me the fuck out, until I decided not to think about it. Easy peasy." "Oh... Well, great. Meanwhile I was a total mess," Emilia said and started thinking about the times before, before Negan stepped through the gates of Alexandria and how she almost passed out when she saw him and realized he was alive. "Didn't say I wasn't a mess," Negan muttered. Emilia thought for a bit, picking out her next question. Her head was resting on his chest, his steady heartbeat slowly starting to lull her to sleep. "What's going to happen with your wives?" she asked after a few moments of silence. She had to admit, she felt relieved when he told her that he'd stop going to them and that he had not gone to them since she arrived, it made her smile. Negan groaned, "I have no fucking clue baby, I don't give a shit about that right now." "They're gonna speak, right? You did once mention that you have a reputation to hold. Such a man, with six-I mean, five wives," Emilia said and bit her bottom lip, feeling like that last part wouldn't be that appreciated. "You making fun of me?" Negan asked, his speech a little slurred which made Emilia think he wasn't even paying that much attention to what she was saying. "I wouldn't dare," she answered jokingly. "I really gotta get you that goddamn gun, now that they're out of a job, they're gonna blame you," Negan said and chuckled, "Put them all out of work, now that's gonna make for some interesting gossip." "Goddamn it," Emilia said, smiling, "By the way, Jason did wonder why you kept me around after everything, don't remember his exact words though." "Told you, you keep making me look bad, running around acting all crazy," Negan answered. Emilia scoffed, "Yeah, I'm the crazy one, thanks for putting up with me," she said sarcastically. "You're welcome baby." Emilia scoffed again, smiling, then yawned. "I'm gonna let you sleep now, but I haven't run out of questions," she said, shifting until she felt comfortable. Negan's arm tightened around her waist as she settled down and he sighed, "I have some too but I'm sure I'm not gonna get any damn answers from you," he muttered, "Maybe that guy you're so worried about will be a little more cooperative." "Don't," Emilia said, disappointed he'd insinuate anything. "Shh," Negan said, patting his hand on her waist, "Don't worry your pretty little head," he mumbled. Emilia didn't answer, just waited and mulled things over until his breathing slowed down and he fell asleep. Her wound started iching a little, which meant that it was starting to slowly heal and since she was in no mood to move, she tried to ignore it. She opened her eyes and stared out the windows, Negan's heartbeat and slow breathing relaxing her and she focused on that, finally feeling sleepy again. She had slept so much, but felt as if she was making up for all the times she wasn't able to sleep, which felt like years. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she hadn't had nightmares in a while. It felt strange to sleep that well. Even in Alexandria she usually felt a little uneasy when sleeping, especially after the Wolves attacked, every little noise making her think they were under attack again.

When she had stayed still for a decent amount of time, she decided to slowly get up. She managed to do that without waking or stirring Negan, and found the robe from the floor. After that, she searched for her boots and put them on, then slowly exited the room, closing the door behind her quietly. Her next mission was to grab a bottle of water from the small crate that was next to the door, she was feeling thirsty. She drank half of a bottle, then went and put it on the coffee table for later. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and went to the door, then opened it. Rob had been leaning his head against the wall, his eyes closed and they popped open as soon as she opened the door. He cleared his throat, then when he saw it was her, he sighed, looking relieved it was her instead of Negan. "Bathroom?" he asked with a deep voice. Emilia nodded and stepped out the room, carefully closed the door behind her and started walking. Rob followed, making so much noise walking, his footsteps echoing through the hallways. Emilia glanced back at him a couple of times. Was he sleeping? She wondered if he often slept on the job. Can you blame him? He's probably bored to death. "I can give you a few books to read by the way, if you want," Emilia said, glancing back at him for a moment. "Excuse me?" Rob asked. Emilia glanced back again, he looked confused. "You looked bored, I can give you a few books to read if you'd like." "Uh, that's probably not allowed miss, books are a privilege, I'll have to give up some points." Emilia raised her eyebrows and looked ahead, they were almost there, "Really? Huh," she answered, she did not know that. "That sucks." She found the thought strange. Need points just to read books? No wonder people go insane, they're bored. "I'll ask Negan, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Emilia said, stopping at the bathroom door and glanced back at Rob, who had already got in position. "Don't, miss, he'll think I asked..." Rob said and made a face. Emilia raised her eyebrows, surprised at his reaction, "Um...Okay, sure, I won’t," she said and nodded at him before entering the bathroom.

She hadn't planned on it, but once she was there, she decided to take a quick shower. She was doing fine until she was almost ready and got the bandages wet, then decided to remove them anyway. The wound needs some air, right? She tried to think since when was the last time she went to the doctor's and why hadn't he checked up on her. It felt good after she had taken the bandages off and stood under the streaming water, gently rubbing around the wound to clean her skin. It stung a little, but it wasn't that bad. She couldn't say that about the wound, it would take a lot of time to heal. She sighed, cursing at the fact she got shot in the first place.

Soon she was done and ready to go, but she had to think how to get to the doctor. When she exited the bathroom, Rob immediately stood up straight and looked ready to leave. "Hey, uh..." Emilia started, then narrowed her eyes, thinking. "Yeah?" Rob asked, glancing around uncertainly. "You heard that I got shot, right?" "Yeah, I saw it actually," Rob answered. Emilia raised her eyebrows, surprised, "You did?" Rob nodded. Emilia shook her head, "Anyway, I need to see the doctor but I have a feeling Negan wouldn't like it if I went down there myself," she said, hoping Rob would put the pieces together. "I can't leave," he answered. "I won't go anywhere, Negan's right there in the room with me," she argued, "You'll let someone know then. Trust me, I don't want us to get into trouble, I really don't." Rob looked hesitant, "I mean... I guess, if he's there... You ask him." Emilia sighed, "He's sleeping and I won't be the one to wake him up over such a small thing," Emilia said and started walking back, Rob following. "You won't be gone for too long, he won't even know. And if he gets mad for some reason, don't worry, he'll know it's my fault anyway," Emilia said and smiled, trying to convince him to not be so scared over such a small thing. When Rob didn't say anything, she glanced back and he looked surprised. "So, what do you say?" "Uh, I'm not sure miss." Emilia sighed, starting to persuade him but stopped when she saw one of the wives walking towards them, the redhead. Damn it. "Can she go?" Emilia muttered, turning to Rob. "I reckon she can," Rob said and started smiling, probably pleased he got off he hook. "Joan," he called out when she got closer. Joan. "Y-yes?" she asked, carefully eyeing Emilia up and down before looking at Rob. "Go to doctor Carson and tell him to come up, she uh..." "Took my bandages off," Emilia said, "Oh, tell him to knock quietly this time." Joan didn't know what she was talking about, as evident from her expression. "Negan's sleeping," Rob said. Joan nodded slowly, "Um, why am I asked to do this again?" "I'm not allowed to leave. Enough questions, go," Rob said with a stern tone. Emilia was glad he did that, because she wouldn't have known what to say to Joan. She was thinking that Joan just happened to be there when she heard footsteps again and soon Sherry appeared from the same place Joan had just a minute ago. Damn it. Well... I was bound to bump into one of them sooner or later. Emilia felt strange there, wearing nothing but a robe and boots, her hair dripping wet. "I have to get back," she muttered and passed Joan, who looked at her with an odd expression. Sherry didn't disappoint either, she looked at Emilia with an odd expression too but at least this time she didn't try to speak to her. She smiled and nodded at Sherry when she passed her. "Joan, get going," Emilia heard Rob's voice boom behind her but she didn't look back or stop, she kept walking. She heard Sherry ask Joan where was she going but Emilia walked around the corner before she could hear anything else. She glanced back again to see Rob half-jogging to catch up with her and she remembered, "Oh and Negan wanted me to tell you that if someone should come, send them back down, he doesn't want to see them today. Even if he agreed to meet with them, tell them no," Emilia said, hoping Rob would believe the lie. Negan's gonna kill me. "Sure," Rob said, a little out of breath. Emilia nodded, "The whole day, no interruption, only emergencies. And food," she said, walking towards the door. "And tell the doctor to knock guietly please, don't want to wake Negan up. I'll be right behind the door, waiting." Rob nodded, then got into his position on the chair. "Thanks," she whispered and smiled, before stepping in and quietly closing the door.

Chapter 31

[wrestlingisfake]

Hell in a Cell preview

Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon - This is a “hell in a cell” match, so the entire ringside area will be enclosed by a 20-foot high cage with a roof to discourage entry and/or escape.  Ordinarily the only rule in this type of match is that you can only win by scoring a fall in the ring, but this time there’s an added stipulation that falls count anywhere.  Emphasis on “anywhere”--given Shane’s proclivity for daredevil stunts from high places, it’s a safe bet the action will find its way outside of the cage.

This feud has been brewing for months with Owens blaming Shane for a series of events that affected his earlier rivalry with AJ Styles.  Since Shane is the commissioner of the Smackdown brand, which would make a straight-up fight risky, Owens baited him into taking the first shot.  That created the legal leverage to get this match, where Owens can clubber Shane all he wants without fear of repercussions.  However, Owens may have taken things too far with a brutal assault on Shane’s father Vince.  Between Shane looking for revenge and Owens heeling on all cylinders, the question is which of them will go more sickhouse on the other’s ass.

Shane’s gimmick is that he’s not a real wrestler but since he knows that he does lots of stunts and tricks and highspots to even the odds.  Anyone who’s created themselves in a WWE video game and tried to beat the Undertaker on hard mode understands the appeal of that concept: It’s tough work running around, staying one step ahead, desperately bending every rule, and getting the most out of every weapon.  Trouble is, after nearly two decades the man has an aura that has to be protected, which gets harder and harder as he gets older.

The clear goal here is to set up some crazy Shane dive, and Owens is there to build a 20-minute match around it and carry Shane through it.  It’s a compliment to Owens’s skill that they’ve tapped him for this role, and it’s worth seeing how much he can get out of it.  But even if he can make chicken salad out of chicken shit, it’s still just chicken salad, not chicken Parmesan.

This is Shane’s second cell match in 18 months, and coming off of being utterly destroyed in the last one you’d think it’d be kind of pointless for him to just get killed again.  On the other hand, a Shane win sets up nothing for the future and potentially damages the credibility of a key star in Owens.  Shane hasn’t won a one-on-one match since 2006, and it’d be pretty foolish to start betting on him now.  I predict he dives off the cage onto a table, and Owens rolls him up right there for the pin.

Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - Nakamura is challenging for the WWE championship, after losing his first title shot due to interference from Mahal’s henchmen.  This match is not in a cage, even though that would make sense given that every single Jinder Mahal title match ends with interference.  I’m about 90% certain this match will just end with interference so Mahal can retain, so what’s the point?

Any two of Kofi Kingston & Big E & Xavier Woods vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso - The Smackdown tag team championship is on the line; the entire New Day trio holds the title, but only two of them can wrestle in a title match.  However, this is another hell in a cell match, so there is no rule to prevent the third man of the New Day from getting involved.  (Technically the officials would lock the legal participants of the match in the cage, and the odd man out of the cage.  But if the New Day find a way around that, nobody’s going to stop them.)

These teams have fought each other on-and-off for years, and you can make the argument that they’re the two most enduring tag teams of the 2010s.  In theory you’d use the cell to end the rivalry once and for all.  In practice, Smackdown doesn’t really have any other teams for these guys to fight, so it’s hard to imagine they won’t be rematched again by the end of the year.

If the New Day can’t find a way to exploit the obvious three-on-two advantage in a no-disqualification environment, they’re going to look pretty damn dumb, so I figure they have to retain.

Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair - Natalya defends the Smackdown women’s title.  They’ve been kinda doing a slow burn with Charlotte since she switched over from Raw, like it’s inevitable that she’s going to ascend to the top of the division and dominate the Smackown belt like she did the Raw version.  In light of the recent Ric Flair health scare, I could see WWE rushing the title on Charlotte for a feel-good moment, although WWE sucks at feel-good moments so you never know.

Randy Orton vs. Rusev - I haven’t been keeping up on things but I hear Rusev declared RUSEV DAY~! but then Randy Orton RUINED it, so I hope Rusev beats his ass.  I bet he won’t, though.

AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin - Styles defends the US championship.  I gather they’ve been where Corbin is choking a lot and if he loses here it’ll look especially bad, so he’s in a must-win situation.  The problem with that they’ve never protected Corbin so this scenario could describe every major program he’s ever been in.  If you’re gonna push Corbin, a US title run right about now would make sense, but WWE doesn’t seem nearly as interested in pushing Corbin as they’d lead you to believe. I can see this going either way, which is pretty scary for Corbin.

Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler - Roode recently came over from NXT with his fancy sing-along entrance.  Ziggler recently returned from...uh, doing nothing in particular...to bitch about how fancy entrances are overrated.  So now they gotta fight.  Roode is going to win.

Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable vs. Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley - This is scheduled for the pre-show.  Gable was going nowhere after his tag team with Jason Jordan was broken up, so they paired him up with Benjamin with kind of a “what the hell, let’s see what happens” mentality.  Ryder and Rawley have been losing a lot and approaching some kind of tipping point on what to do about it, but we don’t yet know where that’s headed.  So expect to see Benjamin/Gable win and the Hype Bros kinda stare at each other like “really?”