#nor would Jason being a villain feel right

[transfemskullfucker]

Love how Batman has like, 3 rogues that directly challenge his ideologies and then the rest are just random ass people & insane fuckers that have nothing better to do with their lives

(Bonus rant in the tags if you want an actual response to this post)

ur telling me batman (a hero whose power is like 65% fear 35% money) has a villain who is all about weaponizing fear and he’s not the main villain? ur telling me batman (man with a secret identity so strong that there are questions of who the real person is at the end of the day and whose entire creed is about stopping One Bad Day™️) has a villain who is his childhood friend that has physically separated his dual violent-nonviolent nature and is all about duality and chance and he’s not the main villain? ur telling me batman (man with strong ideas about the Right Way to stop crime and who emerged from the destruction of his own family structure) has a villain who is his undead son/former sidekick who he couldn’t save and now disagrees with the way to address crime in gotham and he’s not the main villain? ur shitting me about this clown guy right

[timmydraker]

During a patrol in Gotham one night, Red Robin comes across a strange sight.

A young woman stands over a crumpled body with a sling shot primed and ready, aimed a man with a rather large hand gun. It’s clear she’s protecting the woman who looks like she’s been hit over the head and had her bag nabbed, as it’s ripped and contents are spilled everywhere.

The girl sits shaking, she isn’t scared at all, standing strong with a shard of glass aimed at the man’s crotch.

Tim jumps down and disarms the man smoothly before turning to the young girl, who upon closer inspection seems to be around thirteen years old.

“Are you hurt?”

She shakes her head and stares at him for a moment with awe in his eyes before her eyes widen and she turns to the person behind her, “But she is! That guy was cornering her and I tried to help but he hit her and-“

“Alright, I understand. Would you like to help me get her to the ER a few blocks away?”

The girl nods with a determination Tim remembers seeing in Dick and Jason in their Robin days and he smiles.

He doesn’t ask her what her name is because side he knows he’ll follow up and find something to feel guilty about, but the girl seems to have her own plans.

She shows up a couple of days later, standing on a tall building with a cheap Robin outfit on.

Tim is confused before he drops down and she gives a big grin and mock salute, “How can I help?”

Tim smiled a little before shaking his head, “Taking the title of Robin, are you?”

She nods, now more bashful, “Well, I want to help people. I don’t want to fight exactly, but… well, sometimes you bats are too busy with the villains to notice the little guy and- bro to say you’re a bad hero-“

“You’re right, it’s okay. We can only do so much and sometimes preventing more damage being done saves more lives, but there will always be a cost.”

She smiles, bright orange, and impressively curly, hair getting in her eyes and sticking to the poor quality glue of her fake domino.

“I want to help. I… can help, please.”

Tim answers after a solid minute of silence, “What is your name?”

She frowns, “Aren’t I supposed to have a secret identity?”

He smiles in answer, “Yes, but I know what you look like and I can find out, I’m asking out of politeness.”

The girl looks like she could pout and Tim feels strangely old at the sight, even if he’s still got a few months before he can even legally drink.

“Carrie. Caroline to be specific.”

Tim smiles, “Well, Carrie, here’s the deal. I will meet you here or somewhere like here every night and until, and only until, you can land a hit on me will I agree to let you help.”

While Carrie doesn’t look pleased she nods, a clear sense of hope in her eyes even as she looks nervous.

She looses the first fight, and the second and third and fourth, but she gets better and better.

Tim doesn’t tell anyone about Carrie Kelly, nor does he tell her that he does end up doing a back ground check and finds two dead beat parents more focused on weed than their incredibly skilled daughter.

When she proves to be relentless in her desire to save lives he sends her to a teacher to help her stay hidden and safe. He’s not like Bruce, he doesn’t send her overseas to some dangerous people, but close by and to someone he trust to not hurt her nor tell anyone else about the strange young girl whose managed to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Selina Kyle is more than happy to take in the girl when she watches her sling shot fire crackers at muggers.

When Carrie comes back and meets Tim on a rooftop, she not only manages to hit him but knocks him off his feet.

Tim grins at her, pride filling his mind and making him understand Bruce just a little more.

But unlike Bruce, he isn’t throwing her into the fight at all.

Tim Drake is the one who pays for her school pills while her yippie parents refuse to work or spend money on her, and sends her real time footage of medical lectures in various collages across the country.

Carrie doesn’t become Robin, nor did she even wear that suit after the second night and he gave her a basic training outfit that properly covered her eyes and hair, but she does become something else.

She becomes Cardinal, the vigilante that swoops in to save civilians and provide the medical care that saves hundreds of people and allows the ambulances and hospitals to have a chance.

When she makes her debut the other bats worry about a new kid making bad choices, probably inspired by them, but Tim ignores it if only because he’s actually proud of her and trust her in a way he hasn’t trusted teammates in years.

After a year of this, a young girl asks for a meeting with Mister Tim Drake at his company and, purely so he wouldn’t have to do more pointless numbers, he lets her in after she passes the security check.

The girl who comes into his office is barely ten, cute little clips in her dark bob hair and a big book bag almost half her size behind her.

Tim recognised her instantly once he sees the bright yellow shoes she’s wearing.

This little girl, name Mia Mizoguchi, has been stalking him and Carrie for a few months now.

After he enrolled Carrie at Gotham Academy, the young girl nicknamed ‘Maps’ had been asking Carrie a lot of questions. Carrie had been good at avoiding incriminating answers, but had fallen for the younger girls clever trap as she casually spoke out infomation that could help with cases and Carrie delivered it back to Tim.

As soon as he realised that Maps had done exactly what he had done and figured out who Carrie was he was impressed. Because even if Carrie was new to the game, she had a skill for tricking people into looking away from her and had done well to stay low.

Maps had made the connection back to Tim, apparently.

Luckily, unlike Bruce, he wasn’t ignorant to their little stalker and actually knew her family from a few galas and charities. To be fair, Tim also wasn’t clouded by grief, but as he lets the girl explain how she totally doesn’t know who Red Robin is but if she did know who he was she would want him to know that a new drug trade route was actually being covered by a cotton candy company and she has over sixty pages worth of proof.

When he shows up to The Nest (named by Carrie) with Maps behind him, he finds Cardinal waiting with an excited gleam in her eyes.

Due to her being so young, Tim doesn’t allow Maps to go into the field until she’s the same age as both he and Carrie were, but she’s quick to show her worth taking over coms and doing an insanely detailed level of detective work that Tim can’t help but be a little jealous of.

Just like Carrie, who has been trying with Selina about only becoming Catgirl if Catwoman stops being a criminal for a few weeks now, he sends her to someone else for mentor ship.

Maps is a sweet girl, but she loves to talk and has a lot of friends who have most of the same interest, so he sends her to the one bat member he trust most.

Cassandra Cain immediately tells Tim that he has to adopt both of them and can’t quite understand why them both having living parents matters.

It’s Cass who gives Maps her vigilante name, Sparrow.

[about-faces]

Saw a post from a Nightwing fan that was like “oh my god there’s someone out there who seriously would like to see Two-Face in the BatFam, WTF?! After what he did to Dick?! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

….

…

… Anyway, here’s why I think Harvey Dent should be in the BatFam.

For starters, I think it would be a wonderful way to incorporate Bruce’s long-standing love for Harvey in a situation where he gets to interact with a variety of young people who either have personal beefs with Harvey and/or have little sympathy/reason to care about him. We’ve already seen the potential of Harvey and Jason interacting and how fantastic that was for both characters.

I want to see Harvey (specifically a Harvey whose good side gets to be present and distinct, if not in complete control for the time being) interact with Dick, who hates him and—like some of his fans—completely disregards Harvey’s history of mental illness and internal struggles to overcome Scarvey. Extra points if they incorporate the Robin: Year One origin with Dick being beaten by Two-Face (which is not currently canon, btw), something that Harvey would never have done if he was in his right mind or even in control at the time. He was subsumed by his worst side to the point that Two-Face outright genuinely considered Harvey “dead,” but Dick neither knows nor cares about that, and I’d like to see that explored outside of a typical hero/villain environment.

I want to see Harvey interact with Damian and Cass, who each might have his own opinions about Bruce’s ongoing belief in someone’s inherent goodness, heroism, and worth, no matter how much blood is on one’s hands or how they were raised.

I want to see Cass and Steph both reckon with Harvey’s own history of abuse at a father’s hands, and how one tries to struggle against the cycles of violence. Is Harvey a victim of how he was raised, or is he a monster for not overcoming his trauma like they did? I want know if the compassion Cass extended to Clayface could also apply to Harvey. I want to know if either woman would have any empathy for Harvey, or condemn him as being reprehensible and irredeemable.

I want Babs to have a backstory where she, as a kid, knew and liked Harvey, and the two bonded over having alcoholic fathers, something which no one can understand if they haven’t experienced it.

I want to see if Duke has any feelings about a once-good man who was transformed into something he does not want to be, much in the way his own parents were victims of Gotham’s monsters.

I want Tim to better understand Harvey’s psyche, to see if he still thinks that Harvey is someone who “chooses” to become Two-Face again after every redemption attempt.

I want more interactions between Harvey and Jason, acknowledging them as twin symbols of Bruce’s failure who both became murderous mob bosses. How many orphans has Jason created? Why is Jason welcomed back in but not Harvey? Is it because Harvey nearly beat a Robin to death, just like Damian did with Tim? Is it okay to excuse/forgive a brainwashed child but not a severely mentally ill adult who had no control over his worst side? Why or why not?

I want to know which BatFam members would even notice all the ways that Bruce and Harvey are so similar, mirrors to each other with Harvey being the one who lost everything, including his own identity and sanity. I want to know what their takeaways would be, or if they’d even care. I want to know if any of them would realize that Bruce could easily fall like Harvey without the love and support they provide as a family, which Harvey lacks?

Remember A Lonely Place of Dying? Harvey without Gilda and Batman without Robin, both evenly matched in a mutually-suicidal death spiral, broken only when Tim emerged in Bruce’s life? Would Tim draw those parallels? Would any of them? Would it even matter?

Because not all of the BatFam can or should have empathy for Harvey. No family, not even the BatFam, should end every disagreement with Full-House-style hugs and apologies. Sometimes you just hate or don’t even care about other family members, and that’s fine! But I still want to see those relationships explored and hashed out within the context of family.

On top of it all, I want some acknowledgement that Harvey was Bruce’s first and only ally back in Batman: Year One before Gordon came around to Bruce’s side. That Harvey was the ONLY person in Gotham trying to fight against the forces of the mob and cops alike before Bruce returned and Jim rolled into town. That he, as Batman’s ally and the youngest DA in Gotham history, was the original Boy Wonder of Gotham City. That Bruce’s failure to save Harvey has hung over each and every one of his relationships and connections in the BatFam.

Finally, I want to see Harvey in the BatFam because I want to know that, no matter what you’ve done or become, there will still be some people out there who are holding out for you to come back. That you may not be forgiven by all or even most of them, but you’re still worthy of love. And even if/when Harvey loses his battle with himself again, I want some of the BatFam to react with sympathy, some having changed their perceptions about the man they only knew as Two-Face. That maybe, occasionally, the criminals they fight aren’t monsters but just broken people, lost to some combination of circumstance, upbringing, mental illness, and personal choices. I want to see them reckon with that. I think that would be important.

And okay yeah sure I’d also like to see Harvey take them all out for pizza and games at Chuck E Cheese’s or something like that. I just think that’d be neat.

Anyway. I hope that all makes more sense now for anyone still wondering. I’ll finish up with proof that Harvey being in the BatFam has actually been touched on in comics, from the gatefold cover of Hush (that’s Harvey, not Hush, with the bandages), DC Future State, and DC Bombsells.

So there’s a fuzzy sort of precedent for Harvey fitting in with the BatFam. I just hope someone at DC will eventually share my vision, even if some BatFam fans never will.

[valzhanginator]

calypso having an emotion-centered character and being viewed & getting treated as the ‘evil woman’ is actually a reflection of how every woman's emotions are villainized when they’re shown vividly and are a main part of their character in popular media.

in general media and riordanverse specifically, women with emotions are always looked down upon because showing emotions is regarded as a dramatic act so when a female character shows and acts on their emotiotions they get degraded and instantly despised because of it. this is done with every single female character while male characters who show emotion are treated like saints and found worthy of self redemption. this happened with annabeth when she didn’t want to believe luke was the bad guy and wanted to try bring him back because she was manipulated by him her entire life, meanwhile luke, who did batshit crimes like causing hundreds of innocent deaths, manipulating little girls by flirting with them, admitting his crush to a 16 year-old at his ripe age of 23, is remembered as a hero and considered ‘redeemed himself’ after sacrificing himself while annabeth was called insufferable when she didn’t believe he was evil in the first place. let’s not forget piper, who’s a lesbian that was forced into a relationship with a man by a goddess and thought she was in the wrong for not feeling right with jason. during the entire relationship she was experiencing a very hard comphet and couldn’t figure herself out because of the fake memories, everybody was bashing her when she was acting confused, when she was, in fact confused. i have a longer post about this specific topic, so if you guys wanna check it out it’s right here. 

 coming back to calypso, first we need to clear out the misconceptions about her curse on percy that affected annabeth. she wasn't blind nor was personally attacking annabeth, her curse was to make someone feel like how she was feeling all time and that’s why percy and annabeth couldn’t reach out to one another while being right next to each other. annabeth’s blindness came from the titan she defeated in the sea of monsters and is actually the first curse to be put by the arai on them, so it has nothing to do with calypso. the curse was affecting annabeth because she happened to be the person percy loved and was right next to him. if percy was there alone either percy would feel alone and abandoned or the curse wouldn’t affect him at all, since there’s no person he can go back to save. and the curse itself wasn’t even a death wish type of curse she just wanted to be heard, be acknowledged and wanted free off her island. not to forget the curse wasn't harming or killing any of them yet it’s still demonized more than by literally every other thing that happened in the books. nothing luke has ever done is seen as evil as her curse just because it was by her and i’m pretty positive if something like this was shown in pjo by luke it would be glossed over and romanticized in the fandom. further proof of how a male character's actions get brushed off and forgiven easily but soon a female character does something even slightly questionable they get villainized on the spot.

she is also despised because she doesn't let everyone's favorite man get away with his misogynistic stuff. calypso doesn't treat leo any worse than he treats her. whenever she starts arguing it is a response to something leo has said or done, which in the most case she's in the right but leo gets so much slack from his past and being fandom favorite to be held accountable for the way he treats people. he's always been written as a misogynist, he never treated any women with any respect. he always had some sort of disrespect for every female character he seems have some sort of closure with like piper, hazel, calypso, the list goes on, but yet calypso is always expected to be more 'tolerable and understanding' bc of his trauma, as if every single character in the series isn't written upon a single trauma they had and have their character built on it. and he always had a problem dealing with others and their emotions and instead of expecting him to be working to change that, calypso is expected to adjust his manners.

oddly enough, she's also expected to show some gratitude towards leo for saving her, when she never asked him to do so and not for a second believed that he was actually going to come back when he said he would. is she grateful that he came back and freed her? yes. should she feel any obligations to make him feel greater because of it? NO. everything leo did for calypso was his and only his choice and nobody else's. calypso is happy that he did so, but expecting her to tolarate every single thing he does solely because of that is wrong.

[newx-menfan]

Why Hellion Going Evil in NYX Makes Total Sense

(Finally posting it since I get Q’s a lot about why I am fine with “EVVIIILLLL Hellion”… might do a “second part” to go more into WHY Hellion is different from the rest of the NXM)

I have seen a lot of people argue that Hellion going bad feels WRONG ( https://screenrant.com/marvel-krakoan-hellion-mutant-villain-fan-reaction/)…. AND listened to the Cerebro podcast and others mention that they would have liked to see other NXM characters “Go Bad” as well…

Yet fundamentally…I don’t see characters like “Elixir” or “Surge” or “Wallflower” going down the same path despite the same amounts of trauma…because frankly… I just think there’s just something DIFFERENT about Julian…

Nor do I see NYX as completely a “betrayal of his character”…

Hellion, for better or worse…has a personality and sort of rebelliousness, that taking this kind of path…just kind of makes sense….

So here’s a write-up on *WHY* I think Hellion going rogue, objectively, makes the MOST sense:

———————————————————————

“The Tower”… or why Hellion ISN’T Quentin 

Often when talking about Julian…people KIND of just write him off as simply “privileged white male…sexist…Marvel’s version of Draco Malfoy”….

While he OFTEN gets compared to Quentin Quire- I would argue the whole POINT of Kid Omega was that he was the “anti-Kitty”. The darker version on “the gifted kid”.  The character that brutally represented the flaw of being highly intelligent and thinking of yourself as “mature” when you’re still just a teenager… but whose emotional intelligence and development is still lagging painfully behind. 

Quentin was the “true-r” version to the saying, “too smart for your own good”…

Hellion, in contrast…has a bit more vague sort of a flaw.

He is more “lost” than Quentin. Hellion constantly questions and examines the “social order” of the X-Men. He debates more on what is “moral” and “what is crossing the line” and has more of a “morality crisis” than QQ.

He wants free will. 

We see it in “Mercury Falling”- Julian OBVIOUSLY weighs Laura’s plea to kill Kimura…he just ultimately decides that it doesn’t align with his core values. The same thing happens with the King Maker; Hellion ultimately rejects a life of “Fame and Glory” because doing “what is morally right” matters more.

Julian is truly radical in the way that QQ isn’t, in the fact that Hellion always BELIEVES in what he is saying.

Quentin, in my opinion …is often more “contrarian for the sake of being a contrarian”; you aren’t ever FULLY sure WHAT Quentin believes. He will say whatever will get a RISE out of someone…even if he doesn’t actually believe it.

Julian, is on some level ALWAYS TRUTHFUL…even when he is being brutally mean. He is a character that, for better or worse, will never lie to you. 

Julian also objectively HAS a greater emotional intelligence than Quentin and we see it CONSTANTLY; Julian can be nurturing and a good friend. He is VERY in touch with his emotions…sometimes in a very negative way. 

Where Quentin tries to kind of “divorce” himself from his emotions or downplay them…Julian is a tidal wave of feelings.

Julian is ALWAYS 100% himself.

I think the BEST comparisons to Hellion…would be “Melchior Gabor” from the play and musical “Spring Awakening”, “Don Quixote”by Miguel de Cervantes, or “Jason” from the myth “Jason and Argonauts”…

Julian is more akin to a traditional kind of “tragic hero”; he’s more similar to characters like Oedipus or Othello, than more “modern” character types like Quentin…

In BOTH the play and musical adaption, Melchior’s radical curiosity, rejection of social norms and rejection of religion affect others lives around him; Melchior, while a LIKABLE and sometimes HUMBLE person; fails to consider that other people may have different feelings and beliefs than his own…

Melchior’s fatal flaw isn’t so much his intellect… it’s his emotions, his boredom, and his arrogance. It’s his self-absorption. 

Don Quixote flat out ruins his life to uphold some unrealistic version of chivalry; refusing again and again to listen to Sancho, the Barber, or the Priest…

Jason’s flaw in the Greek epic myth, is obviously his pride. His NEED to be RIGHT and that NEED often obscuring everything else…Jason is CONSISTENTLY BLINDED by the idea that what he is doing IS RIGHT and everyone, including Medea, should just automatically fall in line…

The definition of “Ego” is- a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance.

"a boost to my ego"…

The definition of “Pride”, in comparison, is a bit more complex- a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.

"the team was bursting with pride after recording a sensational victory"

The fundamental difference is that an egotistical person BELIEVES they are naturally superior to others…a prideful person WORKS to be superior to others…

Wounding the Ego is a wounding of the “head”…wounding of Pride is a wounding of the “heart”…

Quentin’s greatest flaw is 100% ego…he sees himself as “intellectually” and “evolutionarily” superior…anyone or thing that threatens that belief…gets verbally CUT DOWN!

Julian, in contrast, is just plain PRIDEFUL. Julian on his WORST days is more akin to Don Quixote stabbing at windmills than intellectual elitism.

Hellion fixates on WHO he associates with to an unhealthy degree. If you’re deemed “worthy”, you have his undying loyalty…if you’re deemed “unworthy”…well, get ready for him to be the biggest DICK imaginable to you…

A good example of this was his friendship with Elixir- when he SAW Josh as “heroic”, he was VERY complimentary and supportive TO Josh… 

When Julian found out Josh was an ex-Reaver… that he didn’t MATCH up with Julian’s sense of SELF and IDEALS…he turned completely, refusing to even hear Josh out…

Hellion was ESPECIALLY NASTY to David, in PART, because Julian sees DAVID as someone who didn’t EARN his intelligence…he didn’t EARN his spot in the X-Men…(David IS obviously intelligent but Julian adamantly refuses to admit it!) 

Hellion in the Hellions book REPEATEDLY MENTIONS his parents being new money and self sufficient- he feels PRIDE that his parents built a successful life and business from nothing; that turns out to be TOTALLY UNTRUE, but it STILL SPEAKS to Julian’s core psychology. Julian PRIDES hard work and essentially people “going their own way”…

Hellion FIXATES on winning that damn trophy…on accomplishing THAT achievement…

When Emma has Surge lead- it’s not his EGO that’s injured, (he still fully believes he’s the better choice)…it’s his PRIDE…it’s his ACCOMPLISHMENT that is “stolen”…

He loves Laura… until she essentially turns on him over Karima and acts cold and distant to him…establishing herself as “just like everyone else” and is no longer on the pedestal he put her on in his mind…  

In many ways, I would say PRIDE is a much NASTIER flaw.

The tragedy of ego is its a state of constant suffering; Morrison’s QQ is tragic in the scenes where he’s talking to Beast about fear of growing up or when he’s high on “kick”, because inevitably Quentin will always somewhat suffer from insecurity and doubt in himself. His sense of self is always in turmoil and dependent on his intelligence and powers.

Julian has for the most part, a good sense of self-esteem. Sure, it sometimes takes a couple hits; but for the most part, he is fairly confident in himself.

Julian’s flaw is he believes in himself A LITTLE TOO MUCH. He is TOTALLY blinded by his own self-assurance.

Melchior in the play and musical ends up blamed for Moritz death and expelled; his actions lead to Wendla’s death, and the play ends with him haunted by remorse and debating about killing himself….

Jason in the myth ends up with Medea killing his bride, his children, and dies after falling out of favor with Hera for abandoning Medea…

Don Quixote forswears his chivalrous beliefs and dies alone from a fever..

Julian IS, in some ways MORE INSUFFERABLE because you are dealing with someone who lives by A VERY SOLID CODE. There is no “negotiating” with Julian. 

Instead of insecurity and the “God Complex” Kid Omega has- Julian is constantly afflicted with a “Savior/Hero Complex”. He is CONSTANTLY putting himself and others on an UNREALISTIC pedestal, that is doomed at always tip over and fall. 

If Hellion was a tarot card…it would undoubtedly be “the Fool” or “the Tower”…not because he’s stupid…but because he is perpetually blinded by his own pride and assurance that things will go how he WANTS them to GO…

Idealism can very quickly turn into foolishness, recklessness, or being gullible…

Resisting change can quickly turn into upheaval and disaster…

It admittedly… makes total SENSE that a hard core Savior Complex would go completely array…and end up as a sort of “Magneto”. 

[maykitty]

Jason Todd x Hero!Reader: Not good enough (Part 3)

Warning: mentions of killing and jealousy

“Tell me what's wrong NOW” he didn’t like to guess nor if people were keeping something from him. “Jason, I’m not good enough for your love,” you said sadly. “Why do you say that?” Jason asked. “I’m not a born killer like Rose or Artemis nor am I at the highest beauty standards like Starfire”. “I feel angry enough to fight when I think about the other girls. That's not a healthy way of thinking Jay,” you confess.

Jason was quiet than spoke, “You know why I like you, because I know you will stay”. Jason started to list down why his other relationships didn’t work. “Rose has her own demons she needs to deal with including finding her own identity away from Slade and finding her mother. It’s why she only comes and goes as a playful flirt.” “Artemis has her issues as well like being failed owner of the Wonder Woman title and as a mercenary it was inevitable she would leave after the outlaws broke up even those there was love between us”. “Isabel and Babs couldn't handle my life whether due the no-kill rule or being kidnapped by villains”.

“Starfire only sees Dick Grayson when she looks at me so she will always leaves for him”.

Jason wraps his arms around you and holds you close. “I know you wouldn’t betray me when I’m vulnerable with you.” Jason kisses you to help your worries. “Thank you, Jay, I needed that,” you said, wiping your tears with your palms. “Come on, let’s watch a movie. I make the popcorn you choose the movies” he replies. Later, you two spend the night watching movies together. Everything that effected you earlier was in the past and right now your thinking of the present with him.

[aalghul]

read boywonder and exploded died (in a bad way)

talia... what have they done to you... what do they always do to you... ‘there is no honour in assassin’s work’ talia... where are u... the apple of my eye, i adore her sm very close to sending pipebombs to GM everyday waow...

watching people talk about how good this was for talia feels like chewing glass. boy wonder was clearly written by someone who has not read anything involving talia prior to grant morrison and doesn't care about her outside of whatever can justify her becoming an abusive backstory for damian.

boy wonder completely disrespects her struggle during the time when she was so conflicted because she wanted to be loyal to her father but wasn't sure if she believed in him entirely anymore. the struggle existed because talia knew she would not abide by nor aid him if she did not agree with him. because talia has her own moral compass and beliefs that she follows. juni ba disregards this very important part of her journey to instead make her an entirely different character apparently did not disagree with ra's at any point before her own son was threatened (going as far as making her uncaring towards damian's former caretaker to show us how twisted her way of thinking is. mind you, this is supposedly the same talia who cried the first time she accidentally killed someone and has risked her life to help strangers, the JLA, jason todd, etc). she has to be turned into a different person just because boy wonder needs her to be framed as a somewhat sympathetic villain who gets what she deserves by having her son leave her for a better family. her "happy ending" is knowing that damian's other family is making him happy, which she never could because the story deems her incapable of that.

along these lines is another thing i found insulting: juni ba insinuating that talia's love for bruce may have been caused by talia wanting to please her father, who wanted bruce as an heir. when in reality, ra's only took notice of bruce after talia fell in love with bruce. it was because talia was outspoken enough in front of her father to bring up bruce that ra's cared about him at all. it was because talia had been off in cairo studying medicine that she had been caught up in a scheme that took her to bruce. all of those were her own choices, and juni ba wants us to question whether any of it was real because he doesn't believe talia has ever had agency. all because he himself clearly has never read talia outside of recent comics.

related to the above: juni ba insists talia wanted to be the heir to the league of assassins. pre-GM talia has never expressed this. she's never even implied it. from everything we've seen, it's pretty clear she would never want to nor would she able to stomach so much death. because it's canon that talia's heart hurts for everyone she sees killed. but, again, juni ba does not care about this whatsoever because his story is about damian and the bats. talia's characterization is always acceptable collateral damage when it comes to damian and the bats.

the more I think about it, the more I hate juni ba's misinterpretation of her. people so readily accept things like boy wonder and WFA when it comes to talia because they know so little about the most foundational parts of her character and it's really upsetting that big projects will continue to give such ooc stories as the best case scenario for talia. this is equivalent to someone writing a story where bruce decided to not take in dick or jason because the mission's more important than one kid. that would make bruce a different and less compelling character, right? that's exactly what happened to talia here (and in wfa and in everything GM wrote and in pretty much every story written since then). these are very integral parts of her character. if boy wonder as a story can't function without talia being so thoroughly destroyed? it was never a story worth telling (and it really isn't. because it's truly not a good story at all, which makes talia being wrecked for it even worse).

it makes me so angry because things like this are exactly why people don't see talia the same way they see selina or bruce or any other character ever! she continues to be pushed into the role of the harmful past who can only atone for her mistakes by now becoming an obsolete observer.

[perseus-jackass]

Fellow Jason Todd Liker and Tim Drake HATER 🤝 I swear every time I see one of those "Jason sees widdle baby Tim and feels SOOOOO bad for him and even thinks Tim suffers the most out of everyone" I lose a year off my life

But more than that!!! The worst possible Tim take!!! Is that he's MIXED ASIAN!!! (and for the record I'm southeast Asian myself)

Like hmmm why might one possibly headcanon specifically Tim Drake as part-Asian? Is it because Tim's short and skinny (and fEmInInE) instead of big and muscular like the other men in the Batfamily? Or maybe because (fanon) Tim's a natural at hacking and just sooo smart and could excel in school without trying even though he hates it! Is it because (fanon) Tim's parents are EVIL and NEGLECTFUL and expect him to be perfect but his best is never enough for them? Maybe just that they're rich? Or is it, maybe just maybe, because your favourite little guy just being white is ""too boring"" and so you look towards the ""acceptable"" ""model minority"" so you can claim you headcanon Tim as mixed race (white and light-skinned Asian, of course, can't have him be mixed but with any of the uNdEsIrAbLe traits such as skin darker than paper or monolids or anything like that!)

One time a few years back I stumbled across a blog that loved Jason and Tim, but hated Dick and Damian and would say they're eViL towards Tim and whatnot. They also happened to like Asian Tim (I forget if mixed or not), but, and I am NOT joking nor exaggerating, said something along the lines of them therefore headcanoning (or saying? I forget exactly) that "Tim is(/should be) addicted to tea and white rice". I am aware they are an outlier even among Asian Tim likers. But. I. Hello???

I am an Asian Tim hater!! In addition to what you said which I agree with they always use Cass, you know THE CANONICALLY MIXED ASIAN CHARACTER, as a prop. It’s always “Tim and Cass are twins!!” But all Cass is there for is to be a caretaker for Tim.

AND YOURE SO RIGHT ABOUT IT ALWAYS BEING LIGHTSKINNED ASIAN FOR TIM. He’s ALWAYS Chinese or Korean. I think Korean Tim pisses me off the most bc the people that write that STILL say him and Cass are twins. Like. That’s not. Just no.

Oh my god??? That person sounds insane. Notice how they villainize an Arab boy and a Romani man? Yeah. That tea and rice thing is crazy. Like do they not… do they not hear themself? UNHINGED

Bffr if ANY batfamily member other than Cass is Asian AND IS CASS’ TWIN, it’s Jason “lady shiva might be my mom” Todd.

[cookeybg]

Gotham Possesses

A cryptid Batfamily AU in which Gotham is the main character and follows its journey to consciousness as it follows its Bat and Birds. Chapters are short and a bit gloomy.

Main Characters: Gotham, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd (more characters pop up later, will add them then.)

No romantic relationships

Stuff to know: Cryptid Batfamily, grim, Melancholic mood (let me know if I should add more tags)

Word Count: 557

[Here's my table of contents]

Chapter 5 - Gotham Slept

Her Bat had always kept his secrets close. He had always prided the perceived control he had over himself. He always planned. He always prepared. Eventually his mission drove a wedge between him and her bird. Her bird was fed up, she could feel his frustration, his captivity and so she let her bird fly outside of her loving embrace. Her tendrils had extended farther than the city limits. Learning from the land, observing, absorbing, twinning and reaching until she touched another city. Bludhaven, it was called. Silently it slept, dormant. She led her bird there, close enough to keep the tether taut but lose enough to feel free. Unsure if the city would ever wake. Unsure if she was the only one aware. Relieved that her bird was within her grasp. Time ticked by and her Bat met a boy, small, with cracks but he made her Bat laugh. He brought him to the Manor and she watched curiously. He knew her differently than they, intimately. He had crawled within her muck and clawed and fought his way up just to be able to breathe, to eat. He had only known warmth in brief lucid windows and knew of the pain brought by meaty fists. He had been witness to the horrors brought on by need and even participated in a few. He was a survivor of a different kind. The boy would learn to fly, she knew. Some things are certain and her connection to her Bat, the tether, compelled. Her shadows embraced him. The boy donned the colors of her bird, of Robin, and her Bat’s loneliness was assuage. The new bird was not as graceful nor did he ride the skies as if he belonged, but he made up for it by being quick and clever of her streets. She watched them dance, aware of not being the only one, but too focused to care. She wove around him, caressing his hair, unable to do much else for him but lighten the burden of protection from her Bat. She made it harder for the villains, to see, to hear. Everything else was a learned skill, taught by her Bat. The day she felt her Bat’s pain, it was all consuming. In a wooden casket lay a shattered bird, the cracks finally given way. Cold, stiff and without warmth he was placed within her soil. The Bat blamed himself, claimed that he should have been better, should have done things differently. Her Bat blamed her, claimed that she took and took and took. She cried relentlessly, screamed and lit the skies. He was wrong. Wrong. Wrong. She would give back. She always did. Lightning struck her soil, tearing a spark of shadow from her. It did not work. She had given her shadow to the other bird once before and she would do it again. She struck again and again until a connection was formed. A rope to bind him to her. She called the vermin that slunk in her sewers and they dug. The bird took a breath, nearly drowning himself, but he had clawed his way up before and so he did again. The bird came out wrong. Twisted and confused. The bird was stolen, taken from his nest. She was too weak to hold onto him and in her exhaustion, Gotham slept.

Let me know what you guys think! I wrote this instead of working on my other fic. I just can't seem to get that chapter right.....

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

There are two dorks within me:

(I am neither well rested nor sober, forgive this being messy af)

Dorkus Primus sees Gotham War's plotline as being critically about the fact that there are more lines to cross than just killing and that if you (as Batman has in many many renditions of him) treat killing as the ONLY line you will not cross (also like a lot of Cops and Coppaganda does) then you ain't a hero! You will treat criminals in monstrous ways if you are willing to do anything except kill!!

Hurting Jason was very clearly meant to be one of those lines! Feeling like Batman is the villain in this one is the point!!

And like the Zur thing seems to be about grappling with how Batman is fundamentally not an answer to the challenges that the criminals themselves are facing because 'fuck em up and let the hospital and justice systems sort em out' does not do anything to help the criminals!!!! The Distilled Essence of Batman's reaction to seeing a dead criminal was to go hurt other criminals just as our own criminal "justice" system has no answer other than to hurt other criminals or victim blame the dead criminals.

Bruce, the side of human compassion, was willing to consider Selina's plan after seeing results because no matter how realistic or unrealistic Catwoman's scheme might be in logistical terms, if you accept the comic's premise that it was working, then it is factually more compassionate! People who commit crimes deserve compassion! Even if, or especially if, they continue to need to operate outside the law in order to survive! Batman and Bruce being separated out is key.

It also makes a TON of sense to have Jason in the center because he has many times been used as the Bad Apple Cop who kills criminals and thus legitimizes Batman's justice as being repairative even though... it... it does not... uh... seem to have actually been repairative in any comic I've read. And yet! Due to Jason's history he has a rich potential to be someone who is far far more sympathetic to his fellow criminals. Arguably has been in several versions of him.

Sidenote: I would LOVE to see him take up 'controlling crime' in the direction of doing shit like making sure all dealers gave free clean needles to their customers or shit like that, not that I have any hope of that ever happening

Thus Dorkus Primus thinks that it is 10000000% utterly critical that no vigilante or villain kills anyone and that no one else dies for the rest of the story to keep it being about the other lines one should not cross and how criminals are entitled to way more human rights than just their lives!!!

Dorkus Secundus says that it would be off the chain sick-nasty (positive) if Bruce killed Jason again and the fact that he died at the end of Under the Red Hood (technically unconfirmed but like wow is the evidence real stronk) was finally addressed when Jason is inevitably resurrected and actually breaks down and/or slips up and admits that this was his FOURTH stint walking in the resurrection direction. Also any version of him getting declared Officially Immortal in the Jack Harkness way would be reaaaaally dope!

...Shit actually the Superboy Prime method of resurrection has a LOT in common with the Bad Wolf method... sleepy thoughts for a decidedly different day!

[jaxxsoxxn]

Jason Peter the first flash was talking to Hal, Wally and Barry about the mission. They all just did with the suicide squad help as well, helping take down the villain, they had to face against

I have to met that was the most chaotic mission  I think I have ever faced my existence, being the flash well welcome to Gotham city Hal how said with a salute well, I can’t be all that bad right Barry Barry ?

Barry didn’t answer Jason question to occupied with something else across for them was Harley Bart, and Captain boomerang Harley and Bart with sitting in the couch, talking about anything about the whole mission.

Captain boomer, and the other hand, was lenient edge, of the couch, talking to Bart and Harley, with a beer in his hand, drinking it Jason was confused what was very looking at over there until he realized Barry was looking at that poor man’s behind Jason slept Barry‘s head without any warning smack

Ow what the hell was that for Barry ask confusing looking at the first the flash with a confused look.

Young man has anyone told you it’s pretty rude to look at someone’s behind what Barry was more confused until he looked back at boomerang and realized oh wait no I didn’t mean to no no no no that’s not. Don’t lie to me Barry I seen too many. Awful men looking at my woman’s behind and I had to give them a lesson to respect their manners like I’m doing to you

One second Hal and Wally starts laughing oh, this is the best day of my fucking life how said with a choked laugh it seems nice and innocent angel got in trouble looking at his rouges. Ass How does it feel buddy pal? You should make him apologize Wally said laughing even harder

You know, that’s a pretty good idea Wally what Barry said horrified excuse me young man over there. Wait wait no no no no no no no I promise I won’t do it again just please I’m begging, you no

——🦋





Usually I try to go through my asks from the oldest to the newest, but I can't help myself, I adore this prompt :} so it'll be first! Also thank u for that, Butterfly anon <3

---

Jay wasn't huge on helping Suicide Squad at first, but after a few times Bart and Barry came back all jumpy and excited, even he had to rethink his stand on the TFX missions. In the end, it was better to be close to the possible danger.

So here he was, now after their first mission together, standing next to Wally, Hal and Barry, while the rest of their merry group watched a silly cartoon next to them. At this point, their conversation strayed back onto the topic of their little "get together". It's not that Jay didn't see the trio a lot, but time was different for every speedster in some way. Barry, so alike Bart, hated the way a second could last days, so he usually tried his best not to be "faster" in that way and took time traveling risks only when needed - or so he said.

"...and like usual, it'd be way smoother without your hot-headed temperament, Hal - right Barry?" a softly delivered joke went through the Flash, making the younger speedster stop and look at the man. Jay noticed that the blue eyes were staring at something on their left, so he followed them with his own glare.

At first glance, their dear superhero was just looking at the rest of their team. Bart and Harley were sat on the couch, younger ranting about something connected to Johnny Bravo, which was playing in front of them.

While it was a sweet sight, Jay couldn't help, but notice that the thing in actual first plan wasn't them, nor the couch, but Captain Boomerang, bent over the back of the couch, lazily sipping a beer. His long body was strung up in some places, making the t-shirt a tight fit over his back. But if it'd be that what caught Barry's eyes, Jay wouldn't find even a small issue with it, but the glaring wasn't ending on the upper part of Boomer's body - it was on the lower part. If Flash would have Superman's powers, he'd burn the Rouge alive.

Jay couldn't help the automatic response of slapping Barry upside his head, a disappointed grimace on his face.

"Ow, what was that for?" Flash looked at him, obviously confused, until Jay answered his question.

"Barry, I cannot believe you from all people would stare at someone's... behind like that." the older man's tone was softly quiet, yet still offended.

If Hal and Wally wouldn't be who they are, maybe they wouldn't catch his words. But usually when you put a space cop and one of beacons of hope together, you should expect them to catch things others don't.

Barry hates that fact right now, his face burning from embarrassment, when they side glance at the same place he was looking at, noticing the Rouge bent over.

"No, no, no, no! It's not like-!" he scrambled to explain, before Jay shot him a judgy look.

"Barry, do not lie to me, you were eyeing him like he's a steak! I've met a lot of men who couldn't stop looking at others like that, but I cannot believe you, my boy, would be one of them." he shakes his head lightly. "I just- I didn't even think you of all people would need to learn some manners!"

While Barry gets redder, almost matching his suit, Hal and Wally can't contain their laughter.

"Oh my stars, it's the funniest shit. Did- Did our beloved sweet angel got caught staring at Boomer's ass?!" GL shook hysterically, while laughing with his whole body. His left hand landed on Flashes arm, shaking him while the owner hid his face. "How does it feel ending up on the dark side, huh?"

Wally, before his mentor could react, chuckled and said jokingly:

"You should make him apologize, Jay, that'll teach him!"

The older Flash considered it visibly, before nodding his head in agreement, making Barry freeze in his place in fear.

"You know what, that's not a bad idea-"

"No, no, no, no-! Jay, please, you know me! It was just a moment of weakness, it won't happen again! C'mon, please, no- I'll stop, I swear, I will-!"

[marauderundercover]

Hanging by a Thread (3)

Prev

Throughout dinner, Tim tries his hardest not to stare at the Manor’s newest residence, but it was hard. Especially with her sitting right between Bruce and Damian. Pursing his lips, Tim wracks his brain in an attempt to remember any of the confidential information he’d glanced at before blowing up Ra’s bases a couple years ago. Nothing was coming to mind. In his defense though, he was more focused on bringing Bruce home and less focused on the possibility that Bruce and Talia had another kid together. And one younger than Damian. Subtly glancing at his younger brother, Tim frowns. Neither Damian nor the new girl had made any attempt at conversation with the other the entire time. But if she was younger, surely they knew each other?

“So, Marinette, Alfred tells me that your parents own a bakery in Paris?” Bruce says suddenly, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Tim’s eyes narrow. Did Bruce not see it? Glancing over at Jason, Tim raises an eyebrow. The older man shrugs, visibly fighting off a scowl. The girl, Marinette, nods slowly.

“Um, yes. It’s why they didn’t leave Paris, too.” She says, frowning down at her plate. Tim frowns.

“Is something wrong in Paris?” He asks. Marinette’s eyes widen slightly, scanning the room until she spots Alfred. He gives her a small smile.

“I didn’t share the details your grandmother gave me with anyone other than Master Bruce, Miss Marinette. It is your choice if you wish to talk about it.” Alfred says, his tone gentle, but a clear warning in his eyes. Tim fights the urge to scowl. He’d just look at the info in the Cave later if he had to. He wouldn’t interrogate a kid. Well, he would but not in front of Alfred-

“There’s uh, a villain? In Paris now.” Marinette says softly. Everyone’s attention snaps to her.

“Just one?” Damian asks, eyebrows raised. Marinette’s eyes narrow and her gaze turns cold.

“Oui, but we’re not Gotham. We don’t have experienced heroes. We have two people who showed up right after the villain. Two people who obviously have no idea what they’re doing, by the way.” She huffs out, glaring at her plate.  

“Has no one called the Justice League?” Damian presses. Marinette looks up at him and scowls.

“We did. The first day that Hawkmoth was there, almost everyone in Paris called, but no one came. No one. And once we figured out what Hawkmoth does, the Mayor ordered that no one else call the League.” She says, stabbing at her food instead of eating it.

“Marinette,” Dick says softly. She glances up and Tim’s slightly taken aback to see her eyes were bright with tears. “You don’t have to talk about this.” He adds. She frowns, her shoulders slumping as she closes in on herself.

“But that’s the whole point of me being here. So I can talk about things and be frustrated and upset without getting turned into a villain.” Marinette says.

“I’m sorry, what?” Jason asks, voicing what everyone was thinking. Marinette blinks.

“Hawkmoth controls people with negative emotions.” She says flatly. “That’s why my parents sent me away. It’s why the Mayor doesn’t want the League coming in. Any negative emotion: sadness, anger, frustration, anything. It can be used against you.” Tim frowns, a million possible plans running through his brain as he tries to think of a solution.

“And yet, your parents thought they should stay. Do they think they can resist this, Hawkmoth?” Damian asks, and Tim purses his lips to keep himself from saying anything. Damian’s questions were valid, but if the look on Marinette’s face was anything to go on, he was obviously pressing the wrong buttons.  

“They said they just needed to protect me. Apparently when they- when they took me in,” She pauses, her gaze growing distant as she sets down her fork. “Apparently, they promised my birth mother that they would protect me and keep me safe. This was them keeping their promise.” Tim makes eye contact with Jason across the table, tilting his head towards Bruce (who was still obviously suddenly oblivious). Jason nods, and Tim feels his shoulders relax slightly. If anyone could push Bruce’s buttons enough to make the man admit that this was clearly his daughter, it was Jason.

---

“So Marinette is obviously your kid, right?” Jason says bluntly, arms crossed as he stands next to the Batcomputer. Bruce glances over at him and frowns.

“I didn’t even adopt her, Jason. She’s here as Alfred’s guest.” He says. Jason blinks.

“Are you seriously telling me you don’t see the similarities?” He asks. Bruce raises an eyebrow.

“Similarities between?”

“You, Dami, and Marinette.” Dick says, applying his mask glue as he walks over. “You can’t honestly tell me that all those glances at Marinette during dinner were just because you’re worried about her villain situation.” He adds. Jason narrows his eyes.

“B, were you gaslighting me?” He asks. Bruce rolls his eyes.

“I was not gaslighting you, Jason. I just- well-” He tries, but Alfred cuts him off.

“He was instructed not to do a DNA test on Miss Marinette without her explicit consent. She is my guest here, and will be respected as such.” He says, his tone firm. “Her grandmother is one of my dearest friends. She told me that Marinette was not aware that she was adopted until shortly before she came here. If she decides she wants to find her birth parents, then I will allow a DNA test. Otherwise, leave her hair on her head.” Jason’s shoulders slump. He may be a reformed crime lord, but even he wouldn’t go against a direct order from Alfred. Even if he wouldn’t let them do a DNA test on Marinette, there was no doubt in Jason’s mind that the kid was related to Bruce.

“Are you saying that you believe that girl upstairs is my sister?” Damian asks, suddenly appearing, arms crossed.

“You can’t honestly tell me that you don’t see the similarities, Damian.” Tim sighs. Damian scowls.

“There are no similarities. You are simply seeing things.” He says, sticking his chin up. Jason snorts.

“Kid, I would literally eat my boot if that girl isn’t related to Bruce.” He says, holding his hands up in surrender when Alfred opens his mouth. “I didn’t say I was gonna do a test or anything. Just that if it happens at some point, I’m not gonna be surprised at the results.” Alfred quirks an eyebrow, but leaves, probably to check on Marinette before she goes to sleep.

“Do you really see the similarities too?” Bruce asks quietly, looking intently at Jason and Dick. Jason nods immediately.

“DNA test your first instinct when ya met her?” He asks quietly. Bruce nods.

“Alfred forbade it right away.” He says with a frown. Dick frowns, looking thoughtful.

“You may not like it Bruce, but why don’t you just call Talia?” He suggests quietly, stealing a glance at the Demon Spawn who was beating the shit out of a practice dummy. “It’s about time for her to make a trip to stalk Damian at school anyway.” Jason nods at Dick.

“He has a point. You know she makes a point of checking in every couple of months. Just expedite the process.” Jason says with a shrug. Bruce purses his lips, but nods slowly. Silently, Jason hoped that Marinette wasn’t Talia’s kid. Just because he knew it would upset Bruce, and probably Damian. And once Marinette found out, she’d probably be upset too. Especially since Talia kept Damian til he was eight, and she obviously didn’t keep her. Jason drags his hand over his face and sighs. Things just got complicated.

Next

Permanent tag list: @stainedglassm  @laydeekrayzee @doll246 @queenz-z @deathssilentapproach-blog @literaryhiraeth @unoriginalmess @crazylittlemunchkin @buttercupsbitch @toodaloo-kangaroo

Story tag list: @laurcad123 @trying414 @maskirovka @buginetye @ascetic-orange @weird-pale-blonde-person @queralouspegasus @cult-leader-in-training @etherealangelcastiel @lex-am @nightmarewasteland @ae-vixrose @plz-excuse-my-inner-gay @thewondersoflebanon

[bobbie-robron]

Robron Fanfiction Recommendations (Sep-2022)

The below are/were recommended during Sep-2022 on Twitter. Enjoy!

The Chains of Freedom (2017) 99.3K words, brokenspell77

Robert has started working as a prison officer at HMP Hotten whose Governor is none other than his soon-to-be father-in-law Larry. Robert is assigned to E wing and this is where he he gets his first look at Aaron who is serving his fourth year of a 25 prison term for murder and is also under the thumb of the top dog, Jason. Taking an interest in Aaron right away, Robert sees something in him and makes an effort to help him which leads to being more than a prisoner and prison officer and offering something Aaron lost a long time ago… hope and a possible future outside the walls of the prison… together.

The Fine Art of Dating (2016) 3.6K words, lullabelle_moon

Robert and Aaron are two mates just having a drink out… in town. They get to talking about what a hypothetical date would entail for them. But the question in the end is, are they actually on a date now?

The Love That We Stole (2017) 23.9K words, interwebconvos

Aaron writes little notes to himself on his arm. Those notes are now appearing on his soulmate’s arm… Robert! Unfortunately, Robert is with Chrissie with no intention of leaving her so that means hiding those writings from her. What also adds to the situation is that neither know they are each other’s soulmates (at least at the start)… Robert believing it’s a woman while Aaron, well… he thinks it’s Finn even if he’s not his type. Soon enough a third party sticks their oar in and causes problems…

Journey Beyond series (2016) 24.3K words, moonlighten

Soulmarks, so-called cryptic matchmakers, marks (words) on one’s body that when spoken at the right time and the right way, identity who your soulmate is. For Robert, the soulmark is something ugly and the words inscribed are hard to accept and he’d rather ignore (as does Chrissie as she apparently isn’t her soulmate). Enter Aaron, while he does see the words, doesn’t read them out load��� not until a pivotal moment in their story… and the bond is rejected! Six stories with the last part still a WIP to this day but an acceptable ending still.

The Muse (2017) 6.1K words, zoeteniets

Fashion designer Robert is down a model for his latest show and it’s his sister that brings scowly Aaron into the picture (even those he’s not the usual fey and ethereal type he normal uses) as a fill in. While he’s ‘not his type’ for the runway, Robert can’t get his mind off Aaron so much so new ideas begin to take shape centering around Aaron. In the end, he uses the guise of needing a model for a fitting at his studio. Will Robert finally act on his feelings for Aaron and will he reciprocate them?

Lost myself again and i feel unsafe (2015-2016) 10.7K words, reinacadeea

Soulmates: 1 in 1000 find theirs. It’s lifelong and forever. But for Robert and Aaron… well, Robert went ahead and married Chrissie even though he & Aaron solidified their connection the first time together. Now, both are suffering physically with lovesickness. When a harrowing event occurs, the connection they’ve kept secret from almost everyone might not remain so much long changing the course of their lives… forever.

Too hard, heart first (2016) 6.1.K words, finkpishnets

Superpowers AU. Robert is not a hero nor is he a villain. He just is but that doesn’t stop him from saving a bloke (namely Aaron) hanging outside of a 27th floor building. It also doesn’t help when his family is believing he set it all up because, you know, he isn’t a hero and because of past actions. That doesn’t stop Aaron from wanting to go out with Robert and becoming more with him.

Arch Enemy (2015) 17.9K words, bexcj

Robert has returned to the village with wife Chrissie and Lachlan in tow and winds up working at David’s to make ends meet (the Whites are not the rich HF lot). When Aaron steals from the shop and taunts Robert continuously about working there, the animosity only grows. When circumstances cause David to close the shop and put it up for sale, this gives Robert the chance to take a risk rather than playing it safe… and also learn why Aaron hates him so much… or does he?

The Swan Prince (2017) 22.2K words, zoeteniets

Once upon a time… there were two princes from two kingdoms who dislikes each other since childhood. As they grew up, so did their feelings and they slowly began to realize it was not dislike but poor attempts to be liked by the other. When Robert proposes to Aaron for reasons aimed at the kingdom alone, Aaron turns him down and leaves. Unfortunately for Aaron, his departure leads him on the course of being curse… into a swan. Will Robert be able to find him and admit his love for Aaron or will evil forces keep them separated. Robronized version of The Swan Princess.

A little too soon (2015) 25.4K words, dirtylittlegreasemonkey9384

It’s been several months since the lodge/Aaron outing Robert and they are officially together as boyfriends. But the thing is that while they are good together, the effects of the lodge are not so much in the past for Aaron while for Robert, there is still that niggling about that final outing. After a drunken rant over Vadam ‘making fun of him,’ the two decide they need a pause to get their heads together. Now it’s seven months later, one of them is getting his head straight while the other has been privately spiraling alone…

When I’m weak, i draw strength from you (2015) 21.5K words, reinacadeea

Aaron is called by social services when Gordon and Sandra have died since he is the only remaining blood relative to his brother, Elliott, which he doesn’t know. Aaron makes the decision to be parent/caretaker to the nine year old and gets much needed support and help from Robert especially with finding a home for him and Elliott - Jacob’s Fold. Robert’s sexuality is still not fully known in the village but when social services threaten to take Elliott from Aaron because of his recent mental issues, Robert has a decision to make…

Laying with Law (2017) 20.K words, NotForOneSecond

Aaron has a lot going for him. He lives in a penthouse, has a long-standing boyfriend, Kyle, has power and he’s opening up another new nightclub which is getting a lot of publicity. But that is only one side of his life. He is also a drug dealer known as Dust. At the opening of Echo, he spots an old mate, Robert, and it doesn’t take long at all for them to get it on after only first a lunch then an after hours meetup. But Robert is holding back something big. He’s told Aaron he’s in law but that’s it. He doesn’t tell him he is a copper on a task force to bring in a big business drug dealer Carl Logan (who unbeknownst to him, has a connection to Aaron)…

[redhead-batgal]

Type: One-Shot

Pairing: Fem! and Vigilante! Reader x Jason Todd/ Red hood

Content: cursing, a claustrophobic reader, little bit of angst, some fluff and a bit of violence

Y/N: Your Name, L/N: Last Name, V/N: Vigilante Name

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angry wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how you were feeling. Enraged, infuriated and pissed off came close but not close enough. This feeling was so strong and so vivid you could practically see it, hell you could probably taste it.

Unlike how most people describe anger, yours wasn’t a red. No it was white, an icy hot white that seemed to drench every single one of your senses. White was in the corners of your vision, It was clinging to every single sound, it was in each smell, sharp and clear. You could feel it dancing on your skin like electricity, it covered your tongue and coated your cheeks.

It was everywhere. 

And at the moment the icy white seemed to be invading your lungs and slowly turning into a dark black. Such a dark and dense color it began to be hard to breathe. You were in fact in the last place you’d like to be at the moment. Which just so happened to be locked in a closet. 

It didn’t help that you weren’t alone. While yes, being alone would mean you would have to go through it alone. Go through the feeling of all the walls closing in on you as the air gets thinner and your head begins to spin as your brain fries from panic, as your entire body began to spasm and you blacked out from hyperventilating. But at the moment you would have preferred to be alone rather then let him, see you go through all of that. It was bad enough he had seen you slip up the week before while on patrol. 

You had been patrolling with Batgirl and Black Bat, this was usually what you did. Since you didn’t get along very well with Robin, and Red Robin, well he scared you a tiny bit due to one patrol in which you saw him consume ungodly amounts of caffeine. You couldn’t keep up with Nightwing and were informed by Robin that Batman thought you talked to much. Batgirl and Black Bat seemed to to be the perfect fit.

However on the night in question you sort of wished they hadn’t been. It would have been easier to explain why you messed up and he wouldn’t be able to hold it over your head. It had been a dumb move but you were bored, patrol had been relatively quiet with Black Bat taking care of nearly any threat that appeared before you or Batgirl could even respond to the comm. Oracle had just informed the three of you to be on the look out for Penguin. He had been recently making many trips to a abandon warehouse. The three of you had been asked to make sure nothing happened. Of course you decided that divvying up assignments would be perfect so all three of you could see some action. Neither Black Bat nor Batgirl had argued so you each took an area to watch. 

It had nearly been an hour since you had spilt up. There was no action on your end. You had just begun to give up hope when

“I see Penguin,” Batgirl whispered into the comm.

Excitement coursed over your veins and you found yourself bouncing up and down, you nearly threw yourself across the rooftops so you could join Batgirl in the fight. However-

“It looks as if he’s just casing the place... somethings off. What do you say Black Bat? Is something off?” 

You didn’t want to hear that, Penguin was here, obviously something was happening more then likely it was illegal and you were itching to punch someone, Shaking your head you bounced from the balls of your feet to your heels. 

One click came over the comm from Black Bat. She, agreed with Batgirl, leaving you the odd man out... well odd woman.

“I think we should just wait for now,” Batgirl remarked.

Begrudgingly you agreed, at the moment nothing was happening and you knew that if you charged in fists swinging and weapons raised Batman would have your head. 

“Fine.” You sighed

It took you a minute but you moved yourself so that you could watch Penguin without “technically” leaving your post. Penguin stood a couple hundred feet from the door to the warehouse, surrounding him was close to twenty goons.  He appeared to be talking to them and looking at his watch, suddenly one of the goons stepped up to him and whispered in his ear. Penguin nodded and waved a hand. All of the goons including himself began to move into the warehouse. 

There were upsides and down sides to this. 

Downside number one: You couldn’t see them anymore

Downside number two: This could be a trap

However there were more upsides then down.

Upside number one: You got to move into the warehouse

Upside number two: More then likely this was some kind of deal going down and you would get to punch a dude in the face

Upside number three: You were finally gonna see some action. 

Lowering yourself into a crouch you quickly spoke into the comm.

“I’m gonna go in.” “V/N, don’t. Something about this doesn’t seem right.” 

“I’ll be fine, besides how else are we supposed to see what’s going on?” 

There wasn’t a reply, though your weren’t really paying attention close enough to notice. You had begun bounding your way towards an open window you had spotted earlier while scanning the perimeter of the building. You vaulted in through the window just barely making it; internally you thanked Nightwing for insisting upon doing acrobatics for part of your training and made a mental note to ask him for some more lessons later. 

The warehouse wasn’t completely empty, it had two levels, the top was covered in boxes filled with packing peanuts. You briefly remembered Red Robin saying something about this place being owned by a former packing company, however at the time you weren’t really paying attention. In your defense Red Robin, at the time, had an mini army of at least fifty cups of empty coffee at his feet. 

Creeping past the boxes you settled yourself in between two large ones watching at Penguin and his goons stood in the middle of the room. 

“Where is he boss? Didn’t he say he’d be here?” One of the goons asked with a slight sneer.

Another rolled his eyes and scoffed, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t show, would make the boss look like an even bigger idiot.”

Penguin shot the man a look then he raised his umbrella, opened it slightly and a gunshot rang out. The goon fell down dead, a tense feeling came over you however, instead of jumping down and trying to apprehend him you stayed where you were. Someone else was coming, you may be impulsive at times but you weren’t a complete idiot. 

It wasn’t long before you heard doors open, it hadn’t occurred to you that the comms might not be working, you just thought that Black Bat and Batgirl were just either hiding as well somewhere in the warehouse or were waiting for you to say something. 

You can’t say that you weren’t surprised when you saw him. As far as you heard he was going straight, hell you where then when he told Batman himself that he was going to follow the Bat rules. You wished it didn’t hurt as much as it did, but seeing Red Hood walk into the warehouse stopping just before the center felt like someone shot you. 

He was alone and you could tell from his body language that this wasn’t exactly a friendly meeting, that and the fact that all of Penguin’s goons drew there weapons at the sight of him. 

“You rang?” Red Hood remarked.

Penguin narrowed his eyes and looked Red Hood over. He lowered his umbrella and took a step forwards.

“You came alone?”

“Does it look like I have backup?” 

Penguin didn’t reply, he just looked up and began to look around the second floor. For a moment you thought he spotted you, but he kept scanning the floor. After looking it all over he looked back to Red Hood, then remarked, 

“Search it.”  

Your stomach dropped and you knew you had to get out of there, normally you wouldn’t mind jumping into a fight, but Red Hood’s business was his own. No matter how much it hurt and no matter how much you wanted to know, it was none of your business. 

Slowly pushing yourself to your feet you waited until Penguin’s goons began to climb the stairs. Turning to go back the way you came you found yourself face to face with Scarecrow. 

Of course it just had to be Scarecrow, the one villain who had a toxin that could leave nearly everyone incapacitated. 

“Shit.”

Scarecrow laughed slightly remarking, “What do we have here?”

The next thing you knew something was being sprayed in your face. Instinctively you backed away from the liquid coming at you. Taking four steps back you suddenly noticed that the ground wasn’t beneath your foot anymore. Then you stumbled backwards and began to fall. 

After that everything was a blur, you faintly remember hearing Red Hood shout,

“Damn it.”  

Before everything disappeared and the nightmares took over. You awoke the next morning only to discover that had it not been for Red Hood you would have died. A rookie mistake, Scarecrow had snuck past into the warehouse as you were watching Penguin. Had you been paying attention to your surroundings instead of trying to find a reason to jump into the fight, you wouldn’t have been caught so off guard. 

Not paying attention to your surroundings also got you into the mess you were currently in. 

You, had been avoiding him, Red Hood- Jason Todd ,for the past few days. Not only was it embarrassing that you made such a dumb mistake but, the fact that you had to be rescued got under your skin. You prided yourself on not being a damsel in distress yet it seemed that you had times where you were one. It didn’t help that you felt violently angry at him, he was supposed to be going straight and yet he was meeting up with Penguin and Scarecrow. Every time you saw him you turned and nearly ran in the either direction. It had been working just fine until this evening.

You had been in the library of Wayne manor, grabbing a book off the shelf when Jason came in. Seeing him you felt a sharp spark of white anger, however instead of acknowledging his presence you decided to ignore him. A poor choice really, a petty one, and at the moment you didn’t care. 

You began to browse the shelves when you spotted him moving towards you. Continuing to ignore him you moved down the aisle. He followed and you turned sharply moving into the next aisle. 

“Y/N.”

You almost looked up, you almost blew it, however after many months of ignoring a persistent Tim Drake and an even more persistent Damian Wayne, you learned how to ignore someone when they called your name. 

Moving down the aisle towards the back of the library, you should have noticed Tim loitering in the corner and Dick at the very end of the last aisle. But you didn’t, you were too keen on keeping away from Jason.

“Y/N, are you seriously avoiding me?” 

You couldn’t keep it together, every fiber of your being wanted to shout YES, Yes! of course. Why wouldn’t you be avoiding him, you were angry with him, so very righteously angry... or so you thought. 

You made it to the end of the aisle and you stopped, had you been paying attention you would have noticed the open door just behind you and how Tim was right behind Jason as he got closer. You went to leave, to move to yet another aisle when Dick moved into your path. 

You side-stepped in a hope to slip past him but he followed you. Letting out a frustrated grunt you gave him a slight glare. 

“Move Dick, I need to get pass.” 

“Sorry Y/N, but no.” 

You blinked and raised an eyebrow in confusion, Dick took a step forwards and took the books from your arms. You opened your mouth to shout protests when he shoved you straight into the room behind you. Your back bounced against the wall and your stomach flipped as you realized it was a closet. A second later you saw Jason stumbling towards you. 

It seemed that he too got shoved into the closet, he slammed into you and you once again hit the back wall. The door slammed shut and you heard a faint click. Your stomach dropped and suddenly everything was dark. 

“You two,” Dick remarked from the other side of the door, “are going to make up and you are not coming out of there until you do.” 

You felt Jason pull away from you and then heard quiet cursing's. A light flickered on and you saw how small the room was, it was just the two of you alone together in a very tiny room. All the air went from your lungs and it began. You sank to the ground as the world around you began to spin. 

Instantly Jason was sitting across from you not fully seeming to understand you were having a panic attack. And that lead up to this moment the anger was being taken over by the panic. Your hands were shaking and you eyes closed, you could feel his gaze on you as you tried to steady your breathing. But everything was spinning and the enclosing walls followed you, dancing on your eyelids as you felt your empty stomach revolt against you. Had you eaten something you would probably be hurling it up. Instead your entire body shook as you pushed back dry-heaving's. 

Clenching your fists you let your nails dig into your skin trying your hardest to let the pain yank you out of the attack. But as your palms became slick with blood nothing happened. Opening your eyes you felt a fierce wave of panic come over you as you frantically looked around, trying your hardest to find your way out. 

You wanted to lunged towards the door, but you were stuck. The room was so small, you could feel Jason’s legs pressed against yours, your heart began to beat erratically and you swung a bleeding fist towards the door. Weakly banging against it you wanted to cry out but the words caught in your throat. So you decided to try and bang your fist against any and every thing you could, starting with the walls that seemed to be getting closer and closer with every breath. 

“Woah, woah, woah. Sweetheart calm down,” Jason remarked grabbing onto your wrist. 

You shook your head feeling tears beginning to form in your eyes, hands shaking even harder you felt your entire body begin to shutter. Squeezing your eyes shut you choked back sobs. Pressing your fists your eyes you tried to force back the tears. A heavy feeling cloaked your lungs and it felt as though you were trying to swallow a brick. 

You felt hands on your wrists, gently pulling them away from your face. Your eyes flew open and you began to once again look around erratically.

“Hey,” Jason said softly, “hey Y/N, look at me. Hey look at me, Y/N.” 

You forced yourself to focus on Jason, he locked gazes with you and then you tried to continue to look for a way out.

“Eyes on me doll,” He stated and you looked back at him, “that’s it, Atta-girl. Now breathe with me, innnnn and outtt.” 

He slowly began to breath and you took a deep breath in keeping your eyes on him, then let it out. Jason nodded and you breathed with him for a little while, slowly calming down ever so slightly. Still shaking however much calmer, he let go of your wrists and you clench your fists again. 

“Your safe, don’t worry. Everything’s gonna be okay. I’m gonna get us out of here alright?” 

At first you didn’t respond, then Jason pressed his forehead against yours and you could see his eyes, you were closer then you’ve ever been before. They were a pretty color, a greenish-blue, though at the moment they looked more green then blue. You also noticed how he had very light freckles across his cheekbones. If you weren’t freaking out you would have blushed, been embarrassed by how close he was, you would have probably taken a mental note about the freckles and how beautiful his eyes were. However, all you could think about was how small the room was. 

Very gently touching your forearms, Jason stared you dead in the eyes.  “Alright?”

You could only nod and grab onto his shirt in return. He blinked for a moment before his hand was off of your arm and around your waist. 

“Is this-”

You nodded once again before he could finish his question, he pulled you in closer, your legs squishing against each others as you pressed you head against his chest and closed you eyes. All you wanted was to get out of there, to be able to breathe and stop panicking. You felt Jason pull you into his lap and then he began banging on the door. 

“I swear to fuck that if you to dumbasses don’t open up this damn door I’m going to murder you in your sleep.” 

You could hear Tim and Dick quietly talking on the other side of the door. Probably contemplating whether or not they should open up. Merely thinking about the door make your heart pick up pace again and your restarted breathing quickly. Jason hesitated before he banged on the door again shouting,

“If you don’t open this door right fucking now, I’m going to break it down.” 

You heard cursing coming from the other side of the door and then a click, your eyes flew open and you watched as the door swung open. Lunging forwards you tumbled out of the closet. Air filled your lungs but you didn't stop there. No, you scrambled to your feet and went barreling out of the library down the stairs and out the door. Once you made it outside you took a deep breath in, fresh air sharply stung your lungs and you nearly collapsed into the grass crying with relief. 

It had been a lesson of sorts for you, learn to watch your surroundings... and don’t assume things. You didn’t exactly know what was going on at the warehouse but you did know that despite your previous disbelief, you believed Jason. He was going straight now, staying clean and following Bruce’s rules. Because there was no way he could be nice enough to help you through a panic attack, get you out of a closet and... save your life all while being bad and killing people. 

Though you’d never admit it, you might be a little biased, after all you might have a teeny, tiny, eensy-weensy little crush on him. It didn’t help that you found yourself wanting to spend more time with him, of course it wouldn’t be locked in a closet but... it wasn’t so bad. Being alone together. 

Blinking you lay down on the grass staring up at the sky, there were no walls here to come in on you, nothing really to suffocate you. Closing your eyes you took in deep breaths and let them out. You heard the sound of a door opening and the grass crunching slightly. Opening your eyes you saw Jason standing above you.

“You okay?”

“Much better now, thank you.” You replied taking in yet another breath

He nodded and looked as if he were about to turn and go when he let out a sigh. Closing your eyes you waited to hear the sound of him leaving, it never happened. Peeking an eye open you found him staring at you.

“You know Penguin asked to meet with me that night. He said it was a peace meeting… turns out he and Scarecrow planned to ambush me.”

You blinked in confusion. You hadn’t told anyone that you saw him in the warehouse and as far as you were concerned everyone thought he just swooped in and rescued you. Something you suddenly realized he was doing a lot of. Why was he explaining what happened to you.

“You didn’t have to tell me that,” You began as you gave him a confused look, “it’s not really my business.”

Jason shrugged then rubbed the back of his head. Nodding he remarked,

“Yeah, but I just thought you should know I am going straight. Following the old man’s rules and all.”

This only confused you more.

“Why? I didn’t tell anyone that you were meeting Penguin, and I wasn’t planning on it.”

Jason shrugged as he turned to leave, pausing for a moment he sighed.

“I don’t know doll, I just don’t like the idea of you seeing me as a bad guy.”

A weird feeling began in your chest, it wasn’t like butterflies or any kind of fluttery things. It was a warm and soft kind of feeling.

Smiling up at him you rolled your eyes and said,

“Well Jason Todd, I could never see you as a bad guy.”

He blinked and then smiled back shaking his head.

“That makes me very happy, Y/N L/N.”

With that he walked away and the warm feeling began to spread from your chest throughout your entire body all the way down to your toes and up to your ears.

It seemed it wasn’t as small of a crush as you wanted to believe. Feeling a slight blush begin on your cheeks, you covered your face as you realized being alone with him wouldn’t be so bad. As long as you were alone together

[ahugenerdynerd]

So I think a lot of us can agree that Titans isnt a great show. But not just with their portrayals of the characters but also with the writing.

I personally can forgive what Titans has done with the different takes of the characters, don’t get me wrong it’s still shit but that’s not what this post is about.

The show is just packed full of bad writing. This coming from someone who has studied film for over 4 years. But anyone who knows anything can see how bad the writing is.

(I will be waiting to pass judgment on season 3 until the entire season is out, so this will be focusing of season 1 and 2)

Analysis under the cut

Firstly they will establish something, only for them to completely forget about that fact next episode. Case and point in episode 7 of season 2 Dick finds out that Deathstroke has been stalking them and is in the tower. After that he rushes back, visibly distraught with a gun in hand dramatically declaring that Deathstroke was there in the building. Only for in the very next episode for that fact to have been completely forgotten and now they’re all just leaving and it never gets brought up again.

This isn’t the only time something like this has happened but it’s the most glaringly obvious one.

Something that they also do which is most prevalent in season 2 is the spacing of the events between episodes. Titans will dedicate entire episodes just for one part of the story. This may work for some shows, specifically sitcoms that are aired on tv. Shows like The Big Bang Theory or Friends that viewers generally aren’t going to be watching in the correct order so they’re made to be stand alone episodes. But Titans isn’t a sitcom nor is it being aired on tv. What they really should have done is spread these scenes out over several episodes as flashbacks rather than to condense them down into one episode. Because by having the full flashback episodes it makes the show feel disjointed and they interrupt the drama and the suspense. It’s like getting to the climax of a film only to be interrupted by a 40 minute ad. You end up not really caring for the episode because you just want to know what happens with the cliffhanger from the previous episode. When really the events of these flashback episodes should be the most important and interesting part of the show. Where we get to see what happened between the Titans that made them brake up and character backstories and the like.

I think the most disappointing use of this is with the episode ‘Connor’. Rather than condensing Conners entire backstory up to meeting the Titans into one episode leaves a lot to be desired. I would have much preferred to have seen his backstory of escaping Cadmus and his relationship with Eve spread out over sever episodes in tandem to what was happen with the main cast. It would have created a lot more build up and anticipation for him finally meeting up with the rest of the Titans. Whereas what we got was one episode where we could easily guess exactly what was going to happen and where too distracted by Jason supposedly falling to his death to really appreciate the episode.

Secondly, is the shows pacing. It is all over the place. Season 1 was especially bad when it came to this and season 2 was only marginally better. Obviously I’m going to be talking about what happened with Trigon.

Fist of all the decisions for Trigon to be the big bad of the fist season was an interesting decision to say the least. But let’s forget about the comic book aspect and look at what made this season so bad writing wise.

Basically it all boils down to set up and pay off. The set up obviously being how the show sets up the climax, in this case the battle against Trigon. And the pay off basically being how rewarding the climax feels for the audience. With good writing you will have a pay off that is equal to or greater than the set up. If there’s not much set up then it’s easier for the pay off to be worth it for the audience. However in Titans case they set up the battle against Trigon right from the get go slowly building it up over the season, painting him as this neigh unbeatable force. Admittedly Titans was already of to a bad start with their decision to include Trigon in the first season what with the comic fans already knowing about his character and having to live up to the pre existing show Teen Titans as well as the animated movies. In a way they set themselves up for failure.

However where they really let themselves selves down was with the pay off. After having all this build up for the battle against Trigon, the final product falls extremely short. Where they really went off was not including the finale for the season in the actual season but instead moving it to the fist episode of season 2. I don’t know about any one else but when I went into season two after how season 1 ended I was expecting a majority of the episodes to be about the trying to defeat Trigon. But not even 40 minutes in and he’s defeated. This felt extremely unrewarding and underwhelming after waiting an entire season and the time in between to find out what’s going to happen next, only for him to be defeated almost immediately with little to no fuss.

This battle should have definitely been drawn out more. Taking place over several episodes or at least and entire one, where all of the Titans have to work together and struggle to defeat him. Rather than Raven just going out there herself and beating him instantly. There was no reward there. It was just over.

They had a similar problem in season 2 with Deathstroke, one of the Titans main villains. Going through all this build up and emotional turmoil only for him to just be stabbed and oh look he’s dead. You don’t just kill Deathstroke.

Side note: no one checked for a pulse, so I am personally of the opinion that he wasn’t actually dead but was just laying there playing dead hopping no one realised

Finally in this list of examples of bad writing is their tendency to introduce something new out of nowhere with no previous foreshadowing. The most obvious example being in season 2 episode 7 where out of no where we find out that Dick is hallucinating seeing Bruce. This came out of absolutely no where when there should have really been some build up to this. Maybe we could have seen Dick acting oddly, or Talking to no one or really anything. But we got nothing. It felt like someone had just come up with the idea on the day of filming with no previous forethought. Not to mention the fact that it basically only lasted the one episode, with it briefly coming back in episode 11.

Tl:dr: Titans had so much potential to be a great show but they just fell short with the writing. Everything just feels very rushed and not very thought over and they definitely could have done better.

P.S There is definitely still good writing in Titans however. Mostly to do with their portrayals of mental health. So don’t take this post as me just dissing on Titans. Maybe I’ll write another post about the good writing or analysing their camera usage, idk.

[algumaideia]

Disclaimer: maybe all I'll say on this post is only valid to how I'm writing Octavian right now. I also might be saying bullshit regardless.

I think Octavian wanted to be invisible. I know that doesn't make sense, because his whole deal in HoO was to be the savior of Rome, and he was really invested on CJ politics, he was an augur and the centurion of the first cohort. But the thing is: he mostly got negative attention by his peers, he was hated, bullied, othered. And that is why he was in this quest for positive acknowledgment by CJ. But I think that deep down Octavian knew this positive attention he wanted wasn't really good. I mean look how badly it affected Jason. It is not like it would make Octavian good either and I think he knew it. He was in a bad situation trying to go to another bad situation. And the only way to don't get neither negative nor positive attention is to get no attention. Be invinsible. That is why I have the headcanon that Octavian went to CJ garden and layed down between the flowers in a way that made him feel invisible. It is the only way to have peace, to be safe of all the bad and toxic things that come with being CJ hero or villain.

I think Nico is the opposite of Octavian. He tries to not be seen, to be in the background, to not call attention on himself. But what he truly wants is to get some positive attention, to be loved, welcomed, liked, not excluded, avoided, feared. And it is not like that he doesn't try to connect with people, to help, to be friendly. But I feel like he prefers to go to the background bc it is safier, because it is his option. Octavian couldn't not be seen, but Nico can.

And I think it is sad that Nico couldn't be the hero (remember how people treated him after tlo) and Octavian also couldn't.