#robin hood and friends kinda vibes

[katatonicimpression]

It's the middle of the afternoon on New Year's Eve and I have fuck all to do so let's watch the Sam episode of What If?

DISCLAIMER: This is the first, and so far only, full episode of this show that I have ever watched. It did not inspire me to watch more. So, that's my bias I guess.

Background

There was some controversy about all of this. Sam appeared briefly in the zombies episode in the first season of this show. He's already a zombie and is quickly killed (re-killed?) by bucky, who makes a quip about it.

The line feels kinda off, like they're trying to recreate the banter between the characters in the live action (finding each other annoying etc) but it falls flat. There's no love there. In civil war (which takes place before the canon divergence in the show), their banter still has a level of camaraderie to it. They're riffing off each other, and fighting together and saving each other. It's weird to have bucky quip at the prospect of sam's death in a scene that takes place after those scenes.

It feels like reading one of the thousands of "incorrect quotes" posts on this app that write Bucky being horrible to Sam for no reason. It's the exact same emotional experience. Put a pin in that.

There was another controversy related to this, which is that in the same episode, Sharon also dies. Allegedly, one of the main writers (matthew chauncey) said that they should give her a particularly violent death because "no one likes her... he belongs with peggy". This is an open expression of violent misogyny so yeah that's fun. What a piece of shit... allegedly.

Sam does not appear in any other episode of what if s1. When s2 came out, his absence felt conspicuous, and many people commented on it. In particular, there's an episode of s2 that is vaguely medieval/robin-hood vibes, and Sam is noticeably absent from Steve's band of merry men. Steve's best friend, closest partner of over 50 years of comics isn't there. The falconry themed superhero is not in the medieval episode. People rightfully called bs.

The show felt similar to reading posts and fics in the fandom, and the way that people will minimise Sam's existence in Canon. Put a pin in that.

One person involved in making it (I think a writer but I can't remember and I searched for like ten minutes it's NYE gimme a break) responded publically to these complaints. They cited a supposed uncertainty over sam's future in the mcu (specifically whether he was cap or falcon) as a reason for not including him.

This was very funny, because 1) There was no ambiguity over whether Sam would be cap - it was a dead cert since Endgame what are you on? and 2) no one would've been mad if Sam had appeared as Falcon.

This response had the same vibes as when random fans say weird and ignorant things in Sam's tag and, when confronted, will offer weird excuses that don't make any sense. Pin it.

The other bit of context here is the (admittedly heavy) discussion of how What If launched Captain Carter, a decision that had to have been made around the same time that they decided to do samcap. I've talked before about this; it's complicated and the discourse is annoying. But ultimately, it comes across very badly for the mcu that they created a white female british captain america (not captain britain from Excalibur, but specifically a captain america character) specifically to launch near simultaneously with a Black captain america. It looks bad and I don't like it.

Anyway, so after this person who's name i can't find put their foot in their mouth, Marvel released a few stills from s3, revealing that Sam would be in one episode. People were happy to see him, and (aside from the VERY VALID CRITIQUE that WhatIf!Sam doesn't have the eyelashes he so clearly ought to) people were mostly placated.

The Episode

I love mark ruffalo but his voice performance in the opening scene is not it. Also the narration is mixed a lot louder than the dialogue... which is a jarringly amateur mistake. Ok whatever i'm gonna try to keep my salty complaining sam-focused

So, the show opens with a version of the opening samsteve meetcute from CATWS. But this time, without a mutual exchange of vulnerability. This time Sam is just offering Bruce comfort.

Then he literally gives him therapy.

Then he takes him to Louisiana to the boat, a redo of the sambucky scenes in tfatws. I'm not the first person to point this out, but there's a big difference here. Bucky came to louisiana uninvited with a (technically unwanted, but still very impressive) gift for Sam and then spent the day working on the boat as a gesture of friendship. He was performing acts of service (or however you express it) because he wanted to preserve and nurture this relationship. He knew he'd treated Sam badly and wanted to make it up to him.

Then, Sam invited him to stay the night (or, rather, accepts bucky's self-invitation to sleep in his house), because he's nice and welcoming and generous yes sure. But also because he likes Bucky back, despite everything. They both want to be friends and partners.

That's not happening here. It's just Sam offering Bruce his home because he is apparently motivated by a desire to help random white men he meets.

It reminds me of the countless fics and hcs that write Sam exclusively as a caretaker and therapist for bucky or other white characters. It reminds me of the takes that rewrite canon to make him be the one to pursue bucky with a desire to help and nurture him - a thing that has never happened in canon. Urgh. Pin that thought up with the others.

Oh and of course, we can't have a story about samcap without paying tribute to our holy special boy steve for a bit. Whatever it was just a few overly long shots.. still annoyed me though. Wow I really am a hater.

Oh and Bruce is the one with the arc? He's the one the episode is about? But his change of heart happens entirely off screen and with no implicit turning point? Lol. Lmao even.

And "friends who accept us for who we really are." I want to take this entire writers room aside because no. You can't end with a thesis statement that wasn't the theme of the story. Go back to school.

Am I Nothing but Negativity?

It was nice to see sarah again! Shame all she got to do was scream then get violently shoved to the floor.

Ok but in general, once the episode gets started in earnest, it's fine.

I did genuinely like seeing Sam again. I like him in the lead, even if the episode was about Bruce, Sam was still the main character and that was fun to see.

Mackie's voice performance is strong.

I enjoyed the 0.0003 seconds of sambucky. I liked seeing Sam and Monica together.

"The man wants to have tea with Lenin." This line is so bad it's good again. Yeah he probably would. And he'd be fine. Vlad would love the guy, everyone does.

I like the visual of Sam facing down a giant kaiju and just chatting to it. That's very sam coded. That and Sam with the shot of the monsters walking past him and him standing strong.

What is the Point of this Show?

There's nothing spectacular in this episode. The dialogue is astoundingly predictable, the jokes fail to be funny.

At times, the animation style (much like TDP which recently finished) feels like it's holding them back. A lot of the quieter, less actiony, shots are ugly frames with people walking less naturally than sims do. And they do have some more expressive stuff in the busier scenes, so it's not artistically empty, but it's not doing a lot for me either.

Maybe it's an interesting technique for those who know more about these things, but honestly regular 2d animation would've been (i assume) cheaper and potentially better. Then again, if it wasn't visually distinctive, what else would it have going for it?

Conceptually, a mcu what if show is an amazing idea, but in practice IN MY VERY BIASED OPINION, it's done very little with that potential. The comics offer such a rich trough of ideas that could be spun into very entertaining short episodes with versions of the characters that would otherwise not be able to encounter those story beats. Hell, Sam in particular has an entire massive part of his character cut from the mcu (his powers) that they could explore... and that would be really well suited to animation!

But they've stuck to the comparatively shallow mcu lore for most of it.

I've seen people express disappointment that it's ending after only 3 short seasons and I see why. This is obviously the sort of thing that you could do so much more with. But I also feel that the writing is uninspired and betrays a real lack of interest in the worlds of most of these characters.

I Hate its Vibes

So let's take a look at those pins, shall we?

We have:

Ignoring Sam most of the time

Mischaracterising his relationship with Bucky

Writing him as a caregiver, a nurturing therapist only

A lack of an internal world and motivations beyond his desire to help others

Ignorance over his character's history including his powers and the depth and longevity of his relationship with steve

Nonsensical excuses when faced with criticism, unintentionally displaying even more ignorance and incuriosity over the character

I mentioned that writers comment about sharon earlier for a reason. The vibes are not good. They are rancid. They are reminding me of every dumb post I've ever read on this site. Every weird jab at the character for stupid, racist reasons. Every fic with the "magical negro" trope. Every moron i can think of tbh.

Yeah, so maybe I'm not being fair to this show. The episode was uninspired, but not bad. I liked seeing sam do things. If people gif him looking cool in it, I'll reblog it I guess. But I'm not gonna watch the rest of the show, and I won't mourn the fact that it's ending.

I guess my conclusion is that it's very funny that Marvel placated disgruntled sam fans with a still from this episode, and then when it finally comes out, it's everything we've ever complained about.

[anam-mana]

Here’s the things about Leander I find sus that I have not seen touched on. Where the hell is he getting the money for his operations from?

He finds people, kills monsters, has hired help and contractors (like Mhin), pays for peoples room board and meals, and is constantly offering folks drinks and accepts NO MONEY for any of this. It’s all “Bloodhound rates.” And he does it all as someone with no inherited wealth, as we know from Kuras that Leander grew up poor in lowtown.

What does Leander do to keep his operations afloat?

I’m pretty certain the full game will eventually touch on the question of money with Leander, seeing as he has a very distinct reaction to Vere buying champagne after Leander’s promise to treat the group, and how he follows that reaction up with immediately looking frantically towards the bartender.

It’s our first indication that Leander both has expenses and limited resources. And considering how Vere feels about Leander, we can safely guess that Vere was intentionally trying to push that button for him.

But again: what the heckity heck is he doing to pay for things like the MC’s rooms and board, Mhin’s contract, all these drinks on his dime for the bar patrons and the friend group, and who knows what else! (like, do the Bloodhounds get paid or are they working for free the way Leander does?)

A couple theories come to mind:

1. Leander’s Bloodhounds are not just good samaritans but a whole ass gang, who deals in the same underground stuff you’d suspect a gang to deal in.

2. Leander charges the rich people of Eridia for the same services he gives for free to the people of lowtown, making the Bloodhounds less a gang and more a mercenary group.

3. This one is the most far-fetched, but note the green colour motif of Leander and the Bloodhounds cloaks, and hero of the people vibes he has going for him. Is Leander running some kinda Robin Hood operation? Steal from the rich and give to the poor? Is that what his poster means by “as above, so below”?

But most importantly, I wonder if what he does to make money has anything to do with what makes him monstrous. Is he an “ends justifies the means” kinda monster doing awful shit and justifying it by helping the people of lowtown?

[nopecho]

If Whitney was designing his fursona, he would say that he's a wolf. he's actually a cat though or maybe a weasel or civet. Kylar is a fox or feline. Robin is a deer, but if he was designing his fursona, he'd be a dog (or a badger or a fictional species if he already knows about furries). Sydney is a mouse/rat or maybe a shrew.

Whitney as a weasel is an unbelievably funny image to me lol

The stark contrast between what you'd make your fursona and what animal you'd ACTUALLY be is an interesting topic.

But alas, it's the individual's job to determine what animal they'd be or jot, despite how others think what animal they are.

Kind of an interesting narrative ngl!

Whitney WILL 100% say he's a wolf. Which is kinda hilarious since it's considered a basic design. He half jokes that he's an Alpha to his friends, the biggest baddest wolf there is.

Sydney wouldn't see himself as a rat at all- honestly? As funny as it sounds I think he would vibe with a praying mantis! (Taking inspiration from the bugtopia characters here) or just a rabbit. Rabbit suits him too.

Kylar would probably see himself as a sly mfer of a fox, suits his interests. He may or may not have watched the furry Robin Hood.

Robin is tricky, I think he would like deer BUT he doesn't want to deny his holden retriever self, either. So we may have a hybrid on our hands!

Avery will probably say she's some fancy shit like a peacock. Expensive woman equals expensive bird.

Alex... Either he'd say he's a shepherd dog, or a cowboy (wink) honestly Alex as a cow is an interesting image. But I thinl he'd rather be a dog.

Now, Eden. Tough one. He's the most likely to say "what is this nonsense" when you ask what his fursona is. But if he HAD to choose, the lone wolf narrative fits all too painfully well. He's a wolf from the woods, once part of a pack that is now long gone.

[yumenoyousei]

New DC OC idea!!

I keep having in mind a Tamaranean OC who is obessed with Kory (like celebrity worship; Kory probably saved her at some point? Lost her family young because of Tamaran's destruction?)

She comes to Earth as refugee (in my hc, with so many aliens as heros, Earth has a lot of non-hero alien immigrants) and falls in love with Earth's pop culture and decides to stay.

She has no interest in being a hero (or a villain). She's a normal Tamaranean -so flight & strenght only- so I imagine her having a normal 9-5 job in the begining but then becomes a model or some type of influencer (?)

She somehow becomes friends with a lot of heros/anti-hero/villains but it's always like, by accident. She probably hooks up with some - I have Kon and/or Cassie and/or Rose in mind but I'm not sure yet 🤔 She'd def make a pass at Jackson Hyde and Conner Hawke

She is absolutely morally gray

She hates everyone who is rumored dating Kory because how dare they break Kory's heart and/or not beg for forgiveness if Kory left them. So she hates Nightwing & Dick Grayson (lol) and the Bats & the Waynes by association (again, lol) But I guess she would warm up to Red Hood and Red Robin eventually

(I low key have a scene where she befriends Arsenal (again, total accident) and thinks she wants to hook up with him until he mentions Kory and she understand that Kory and Arsenal were together and she suddenly start cussing him - She would end up being his friend anyway but no hook up)

Kory eventually befriends her and kinda adopts her as her lil sis (It takes time)

I dunno why but I have in mind that she kinda looks like Latto. She's petite for a Tamaranean (like 5'8", because I refuse that Kory is 5'9", Kory will always be 6'4" in my canon) so she's happy to be taller than most humans

Anyway, for now I don't have a story, I only have ✨vibes✨

[phoenixkaptain]

If you're taking prompts, could you write something about Tim being the most spiteful, feral teenager ever and the rest of his family wondering why the hell everyone presumes he's the sweet, well behaved one?

This isn’t precisely what you requested, but I did have an idea of something similar a little while ago! Only, it’s Tim being terrifying and everyone in his family realizing it, but Tim not understanding what they’re talking about.

I never finished it entirely, but I’ll share the opener, since I think it has the vibe:

Tim felt like he was perpetually exhausted. He’d felt this way since he was three-years-old and trying to work out the confusing mess of emotions that came with watching two people die the first time he went to the circus. His parents offered no support. In fact, they seemed to believe he would just get over it on his own.

Really, and people wondered why he became Robin. As though he was normal. Ugh.

The exhaustion had only gotten worse over the years. With every problem he solved, more anxieties crept into his mind, poisoning his thoughts. He couldn’t sleep unless he passed out. He could barely breathe when he saw any of his so-called “siblings.” Ra’s Al Ghul was still sending him thinly veiled threats, or maybe they were abnormal declarations of affection? Bruce seemed to think so.

Anyway, Tim was tired. There were times when he wasn’t, of course. There were times when he fought alongside Kon and Bart and Cassie, just like old times, and they all devolved into acting like fifteen-year-olds. Fighting criminals still gave him a sense of living, something he intellectually knew was adrenaline but also didn’t care. There was the thrill of a case solved, a plan gone correctly, his teammates working in harmony with him.

He probably should’ve been worried about it all. The only times he felt alive were when he was in mortal danger, after all. But, he’d come to accept that he might’ve lost a few screws when he let Ra’s Al Ghul kick him out of a building without full-proof backup. Even before then, really. He kinda tuned into it when he realized that he was trying to pull a mad scientist and clone his best friend.

Tim was very aware of himself. He could be suave and charming, but he was mostly a perpetually slouching young man with his hair grown out and his clothes mostly being stolen from his friends. He could keep up his poker face all the way to his death. He could lie to Batman. He faced death every evening and ran towards it.

He still remembered when Kon muttered that he was creepy. Tim still maintained that Kon shouldn’t have gotten distracted to the point that he didn’t notice Tim’s presence until Tim was right in front of him. Kon retorted that he had been eating cereal at the Kents’ farmhouse and that Tim shouldn’t have dramatically appeared from a shadowy corner. Tim told him that if they didn’t want people to dramatically emerge from a shadowy corner, they shouldn’t have any shadowy corners to begin with. Kon asked if Tim thought the Kents could afford lamps to put in all the corners of their house. Bart told them to stop arguing because even he wasn’t capable of following their leaps of logic.

Tim didn’t believe he was scary. Not like Batman or Nightwing (Nightwing was occasionally scary… when Dick felt like being so). Definitely not on Red Hood’s level, because Tim would have to be a criminal to be on Red Hood’s level. He was criminally disadvantaged when it came to comparing himself to Robin because Robin carried around swords. Oracle was a force of pure evil when angered. Black Bat was just scary in general.

Honestly, compared to anyone else in Gotham, Tim believed he was the one rogues worried about the least. He hardly ever went out, honestly, so they probably all forgot about him.

(There were some rumours, spread amongst the criminal underground, that there was a Gotham vigilante who was never caught on camera. Who was impossible to see coming and even more difficult to keep track of. Rumours said this vigilante wasn’t human, was metahuman or worse. They said the vigilante must’ve fallen in battle, because the vigilante suddenly reappeared like a demon, attacking ruthlessly and yet… Still no images of him. The rumours said he was a ghost, a vampire, or maybe even a demon.

Tim figured they were just being dramatic and told Dick to stop telling him about weird things that didn’t relate to anything. He’d asked if Dick knew why Hood kept laughing at him every time Tim saw him recently, not if Dick knew any fairy tales among criminals. Dick had stared at him blankly for a long time, then turned on his heel and left. Tim wondered if it was a bonding tactic. He wondered why Dick thought he needed to use bonding tactics on him. Tim was pretty sure any extra bonding was just overdoing it.)

Tim didn’t think much of himself in general, but in comparison to the other vigilantes in Gotham? There was no way he held even a candle to them.

Or, at least, he assumed.

[fairytale-poll]

LOSER'S BRACKET ROUND 1! MATCH 7 OUT OF 8

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Queen Red Riding Hood

General Propaganda:

She's a girlboss who is sometimes a little vain but still loves her friends and will do anything to save her kingdom. Also she was in love with a guy since she was like 8 and he continuously rejected her, and then she found out he was in love with her archenemy. So yeah, she needs this.

She's kinda spoiled and high maintenance but gets better. I just think she's a fun character

i loved the land of stories series as a kid and i especially loved red because shes sooo full of herself and wears beautiful dresses and expensive jewelry and stuff (she became a queen lol) but also she does come to genuinely care for people and her friends and has a good heart (even if she does brag about it) she’s a very funny character x)

She’s a great example of how sudden fame and wealth at a young age can go to your head, and she gets great character development about it. She has an entire giant chamber in her castle full of baskets (it’s unfortunately quite flammable). My most favorite detail about her is when she finds a wolf pup in the woods, she assumes it’s a dog and names him Clawdius (yes, spelled like that). Everyone else knows it’s a wolf but no one wants to be the one to tell her. She learns the truth and gets over it and now Clawdius is her guard wolf. (Oh also she had the original Big Bad Wolf made into a winter coat, and that’s the original reason Clawdius came to her) I love her, she’s married to a giant frog man, she got elected queen, please vote for her.

Queen Red ftw!!!!!!

As you can see from these little excerpts [Mod's note: click on link to look at the excerpts] that I managed to gather in less than ten minutes, you should vote for Queen Red :D

YESSSS VOTE FOR QUEEN RED, SHE DESERVES THIS SO MUCH

Vote for Queen Red TLoS!!! She's a girlboss who married a frog man :D

Loser's Bracket Propaganda:

Queen Red deseves to win so much, she's been through so much shit for the people she loves.

Queen Red Riding Hood is a bimbo who has moments of truly genuine and deep analysis and understanding also c’mon, Clawdius!! Her enemy is the Big Bad Wolf Pack and yet she still has her own good beloved pet wolf

Red riding hood (tlos) deserves to win because she accidentally got her friend put on a wanted list when she was a kid then she got elected queen at a young age let the power get to her head then she fell in love with a giant frog (HUGE) character development and he made her a better person by opening her mind a little and she should win because shes come for far and she deserves it

The Path sisters

General Propaganda:

Each of these girls deal with their personal demons- in this case, "wolves-" as they grow and mature on the path of life. Each of them represent a different stage of a young person's life as they go through the world and the different ways in which that world can turn on that young person when they allow themselves to get lost in a dense forest, culminating in their reflection on the life they led.

the path is just a really cool underrated game idk man

i just really really like the path 🤷‍♂️

I will admit I'm only familiar with The Path through Izzzyzzz's seminal video on the subject but her Vibes are pretty iconic

(Scarlet) Most underrated sister imo. Her story is hauntingly sad and has themes of "lost of childhood" in a completely opposite way from the original Red Riding Hood, a good twist on the story.

(Ruby) The most well-known of the Path girls and the most goth, I get very sad when I see her. I know "teen angst" is a joke but sometimes I see reminders of just how full of despair teenagers can be. Her self-destructive tendencies and her "Charming Wolf" are leading her down a path (pun intended) that could kill her if she is not saved in time. It's so easy to dismiss teenage impulsion but only the survivors can.

(Ginger) Girl is so queer. Love that for her.

(Ginger) lesbiam

(Robin) Little girl sees giant wolf and wants to take it for a ride. Nuff said. (Also her room is the scariest imo. A child learning about death and their own mortality is mundane but terrifying)

Loser's Bracket Propaganda:

The Path Sisters are just ones I know too much about because of watching a video essay about them and also I think they parallel the narrative of the original fairytale really well

[flashbic]

Hey you! It's your turn... How's Brad Dourif? Do you still rewatch LOTR? Any fanfic in progress?

I've noticed that you have been blogging about Cartouche. What drew you to that story?

I hope you are doing well!!

Heyyyy!! Not all that active in the Dourif fandom these days myself, but i mean, you follow me, you've probably seen me still reblog the occasional gifset :p A whole lot of trivia about the guy and the movies he's in still occupies space in my brain rent-free after all these years, ain't getting rid of that at this point. Actually did a whole LOTR rewatch around last fall and got to see a projection of Return of the King with a live orchestra playing the soundtrack! It was so, so good <3 (did i cry when they brought on a lady to sing Into the West? Yes.)

The Big Cartouche Fanfic is currently on hold because i'm stuck on it, so i've been focussing on small oneshots! Still, if you remember anything about the fics i wrote back then, you know i never did much beyond very short-form stuff; it's still wild to me that i managed to stay focussed enough to get to almost 50k on the same project.

I've always enjoyed capes-et-épées stories (i guess the closest english term for that genre would be "swashbuckler"? I dunno that sounds more "pirates" to me"), but a lot of period pieces tend to focus more on court intrigues and rich people backstabbing each other, which tends to be less my jam*? The old Cartouche cartoon took this kind of setting i liked, and mixed it with more of a Robin Hood vibe! And they have a whole cute ensemble cast! It's also one of those rare-ish kids shows where the main characters are actual adults, and that probably drew me to it back then too. Falconi, the one character i draw a whole lot, has always kinda remained a bit of a comfort character to me; look back far enough on my blog and you'll find little drawings of him every couple of of years! He's a angry guy with a sad backstory, what can I say, im a simple man writing him a big stupid redemption arc has been very entertaining, i have feelings about it

* i say that, but i HAVE been reading a whole lot of History books for about a year now and the ones that include all the petty, ridiculous details about these people are My Favorites. PLEASE, Jean-Christian Petitfils, tell me more about the time Philippe d'Orléans whacked himself in the face with a tennis racket, this is the content i crave

Anyways, what lead to this current bout of absolute brainrot is i was reading up on the show, and then opened a few wikipedia pages for the couple of characters who are named after real people. Then on my birthday i went to the bookstore and they just. happened to have a very neat biography of Philippe d'Orléans?? (it's the Thierry Sarmant one, it has pictures) And now i have far too many books and know a whole lot of trivia about a very niche time period. It's been a good time! For me, anyways, because everyone else who knows me probably thinks i've been insufferable. It's the hyperfixation, babey!~

Hope you're doing well too, my friend! Namarie!!

[wandamaximoffappreciationblog]

Some thoughts on OUAT…

So I have to say I’m actually really enjoying the show overall. I had watched as teen but never managed to get past season 2. I loved Zelena last season and although I do wish Elsa was utilized a bit differently, I’m still liking her.Im also really liking Killian. Also I think Robin Hood is kinda hot ngl I don’t blame Regina for her thing with him. I have mixed feelings with Regina most of the time and actually am surprised that I don’t really ship swanqueen. It’s okay if people do but I kind of get more friends vibes off it. I’d love to discuss the show with anyone who likes it!

[mjmagics]

a note (k&t23)

Hey! This is a note for my book Kittens and Titus. It is simply a personal introduction on why I’m rewriting K&T, and my connection to the characters. I will not be offended if you chose not to read this! Also this is copied from googledocs and I’m too tired to format this how it is in there so please ignore titles of tv shows and comics not being bold or italicized.  

A Note from the Author 

Hello everyone! This is my Damian Wayne fanfic I wrote back in 2018/2017. I used an OC named Jade Constantine who was John’s adopted daughter and also Rachel Roth’s half-sister. She was a little Mary Sue if you ask me, and I honestly think Kittens and Titus (2018) was bad writing but it was crazy popular! 

I was introduced to comic books rather young, and the difference between a Tiny Titans comic and normal comics seemed to be ignored by the adults around me (I only remember getting in trouble for reading Red Hood and the Outlaws when I was 11. I started reading comics around the same age I learned how to read. I have a very specific memory of how I learned of Damian Wayne and his very fucked up story. 

I was between the ages of six and eight, and in the bathroom doing my thing. I liked reading my mom’s Calvin and Hobbes comics but there was only Garfield and I was not vibing with it. (As I’m thinking back on it ever since iPhones came to be I have never seen magazines or comics in a bathroom). Since I didn’t want to read the Garfield comics I picked up a Batman comic. It happened to be the 1987 Batman: Son of the Demon. I saw some crazy shit, but if you have seen Son of Batman which came out in 2014 you're pretty caught up as far as I can remember. 

I reread that comic over and over becoming obsessed with this son of batman. He legit is only shown as a baby in Talia’s arms once and also in a test tube when he was being created (I think. The last time my eyes were on this comic I was a child). I often liked to pretend I was Bruce Wayne's secret daughter and one day he and Dick Grayson would come to save me from my miserable life, so Damian was like my twin brother in my head for a while.

In 2009 or 2010 DC went through a new rebranding (I think) and Damian became Robin! I was ten at the time and a Robin my age was so EXCITING. All I could ever think about when playing pretend with friends is how I wanted to be Damian’s friend (or better yet, girlfriend). 

I spent most of my childhood in a dissociative state, and so most of my childhood memories are obscured by the ‘make-believe’ moments I spent in my head having a grand time helping protect Gotham. Although it may have not been the best for my future, it was a great coping skill for lil Mara.

My history with Jade Roth is very long, nearly as long as my love for Damian. I grew up watching Teen Titans and Young Justice (as previously stated) and my favorite character in TT was Raven. I spent a lot of sixth grade super dissociative due to problems in my life so at times when I felt scared I would pretend I was Raven. I even started talking in a raspy voice just like her. 

Summer after 6th grade (I think it would be 2012) I made a friend who also played make-believe with the DC characters and we decided to be friends. Our OCs lived in Gotham and were dating the batboys! 

She had used the storyline of Bruce Wayne’s long-lost daughter whose mom was rich and died so she had a bunch of money, and I came up with Rain, Raven’s little sister, who (simply for convenience) lived with an older Rachel and Garfield and moved to Gotham City to go to Gotham Academy from a scholarship given to her by Bruce Wayne (lol kinda sounds a bit like Artemis Crook). I named my character Jade at first, but as I had a Soul Eater OC named Jade I couldn’t keep using the same name (according to this friend). I was also obsessed with Avatar: The Last Airbender at the time and I wanted to be a water bender. In my head, I combined Raven and water bending and I came up with the Character Rain. I just decided on Rain since I was depressed and rain and storms were depressing just like me (oh god I was so cringy, no wonder I had no friends). 

I wasn’t very creative back then but I did write a short story on MissLiteratie (I think) and Qoutive called “set fire to the rain” like the Adelle song that was released in 2011. Rain was a hero with the team in Young Justice, so her love interest was between Dick and Conner. 

Rain and my friend’s OC were based on an image we saw once in a Nightcore video. It was two emo girls standing next to each other holding hands. If I find it on Youtube I’ll probably link it because it’s just so cringe but also so 2012. 

The final part of this story is my friend was kind of a bully, and she laid claim on Jason Todd and Tim Drake. (This may have been where my hatred for Tim came from as I found him to be the most attractive Robin [please remember I was 11]). Anyways, my friend said we could share Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne was all mine. 

Of course I hyperfocused on Damian. 

The friendship between the two of us didn’t last long. We both ended up in foster care and if this friend ever reads this, I hope you’re doing well.

I wrote Kittens and Titus in 2018, but I started it in 2017 with a friend. I was 16 at the time and working through trauma my therapist suggested writing this story for the character I was desperately connected to. I did a whole revamp of Jade, making her have the ability to create crystal on her body, similar to how Kirishima Ejiro of My Hero Academia activated his hardening quirk. I changed her hero name to Crystal to try and erase my embarrassing past with Rain.

 I wanted it to be a whole series where Damian and Jade aged together, fell in love, hated each other, and eventually returned to one another in the end. I only got through book 1, and I haven’t reread the book since 2021, so I can’t recall if they had even dated expressed feelings or any of that other shit. 

I’ll also be taking out some personal headcanons of other characters that I had put in due to the young age I'm having the characters start at but eventually, they will probably be implemented again. 

I don’t know how far I’ll get in this, but I am definitely doing Kittens and Titus and probably finishing up the second book. 

I’m now 21, soon to be 22, and I know Damian grows up, but this story will stay when they are young. I did change Jade Roth up a lot, giving her a whole new backstory and life outlook. I think she makes a lot more sense, and the newer characters I’m adding in will help Jade Roth, now known as Jade Knutzvig, seem more real. 

I hope you enjoy the story, and for those who have already read kittens and titus, please bare with me while I continue this story I’m reconnecting with. I also want to clear up one last thing: DAMIAN AND JADE WILL GET TOGETHER BUT NOT RIGHT AWAY. THIS FIRST BOOK TAKES PLACE IN THE MATTER OF A FEW MONTHS AND I DONT SEE DAMIAN AS THE TYPE OF KID TO FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE HE BARELY KNOWS. IF THIS BOTHERS YOU DO NOT READ. I UNDERSTAND IT CAN BE FRUSTRAITING, WHICH IS WHY I AM LETTING YOU KNOW. 

Enjoy. 

[otakusheep15]

TWST OCs (wip)

I’m having brainworms about my half-thought-out Twst OCs, and I thought I would share some of the concepts I have in mind! These are totally free to use if anyone wants to steal them (just tag me if you do!)

Also fair warning: this is so messy because it's mostly just word vomit. I would include art of them, but I don't know how to draw and Picrew is very limited in what it can do, and I doubt I could find all of the traits for beastmen/merfolk. If I ever feel inspired, I might try to flesh them out more. They also don't have names, so sorry if it gets a bit confusing.

I have one NRC Oc based on Robin Hood, specifically the fox version. He’s a fox beastman (obviously) known for pulling pranks on people. I go back and forth on whether he should be in Octavinelle or Scarabia since he’s really smart, but I think the trickster/thief vibe would go better with Octavinelle. He’s kinda like Ruggie in the sense that he grew up poor, but instead of working multiple jobs and sucking up to people, he resorts to petty theft so that he can provide for his community, which also ties into the benevolence of Octavinelle. I don’t have a name for his unique magic, but I feel like it would be tied to his ability to steal things without people noticing. Something like Pick Pocket maybe.

Besides him, I have three RSA OCs because I love the concept of RSA and I really hope we get more content from them.

My first one is based on Bambi from the movie of the same name. He's a deer beastman. Since we don't have any dorm confirmations for RSA, I obviously can't assign any of my RSA OCs a dorm. However, if he were at NRC, he would be in Heartslabyul I think. He's quiet and a bit shy, definitely jumpy. He's also kind and likes making friends. Pretty similar to Neige in a way, but more shy and not as good with animals. He's vegan because that just makes sense in my brain. Unique magic would be something related to nature (or fire/guns if we want irony).

My second one is based on the jellyfish from Finding Nemo. He's a jellyfish mer. Very much an airhead. Just imagine that one sprite of Floyd where he has that distracted smile and he's bobbing around a bit, and that's him all the time. He likes to go with the flow, and he's not the best student. I have no clue what NRC dorm he'd be in tbh. His unique magic would be something like Molly's epithet in Epithet Erased if you've seen that. It's basically something that can "dumb down" his surroundings, including people (by hypnotizing them) and items (by shrinking them down into nothing) because that just fits his vibe to me.

My last (and most recent!) one is based on Lady from Lady and the Tramp. He's a cocker spaniel beastman from an upper-class family. Very rich and spoiled, but still kind. He's a bit naive, but mostly because he's sheltered. If he were at NRC, he'd be in Pomefiore. This is also the only OC I ship with anyone because I think he'd be cute with Ruggie (for full Lady and the Tramp vibes). He's a top student and very popular. Definitely considered a pretty boy, but not in a negative way. I think he wouldn't have his unique magic yet because he never thought about trying to discover it before coming to RSA.

[ice-cream-writes-stuff]

Hello, love your blog. What are your thoughts about Yandere Batfam with an civilian s/o who’s very optimistic and sweet?

[Oh hell yes. ]

Batman/Bruce Wayne:

The play boy billionaire doesn't try to interfere with your life all to much. He does occasionally, "check in" with you when he's Batman. Watching you get home from getting groceries when on patrol so no one is suspicious.

But you notice.

"Hi Batman," you say with a smile. Watching the superhero/vigilante eyes widen from the dark shadows of Gotham. Rummaging through one of your bags, pulling out a box of store bought cupcakes.

"Thanks, for looking after me and all!" You say politely, nodding at him as he cautiously takes the dessert. His mind barking at him.

You noticed him.

His efforts.

You shouldn't have.

-

Nightwing/Dick Grayson:

The eldest of former Robin's would easily spot you from the crowd of pedestrians. Often showing off when a villian approaches and beating them to a pulp when they ruined your normal schedule.

Nightwing would talk to you without the mask frequently. Wanting you to love him for him, without the black and blue costume. Bringing out all his charm and some that Bruce taught him. Sure your friends and all, but he wants, no, expects more.

"Hey~!"

"Hiya Dick!" You greet him warmly, your cup of coffee burning your hands as you wait for the train. "I didn't know you would be taking the train today?"

"Yeah, cars in the shop." He said with a bashful grin. You scoff, but laugh at him. "Isn't it always?" You say with a eye roll, sipping your coffee as Dick scoots closer to you.

-

Red Hood/Jason Todd:

Jason was one for romance, but in stories. Color him suprised when he met you. To him, you make him belive there's hope for normalcy in his odd life. He wants to protect you from the blood and screaming in the streets of Gotham. Knowing that this city will chew you up and make you someone you wish you weren't.

Sure, he's not the hero-ing type, not much, anymore. But he'd rather kill villains and even innocent people to make sure your safe.

"WOW, that looks ruff buddy. You doin' okay?"

You ask Jason, noticing the splotches of red coloring his clothes. A simple book in his hand as he chuckles. "I'm good, don't worry. Fell on some paint earlier in the day."

-

Red Robin/Time Drake:

The Red Robin has you on his phone page, laptop, whatever device, has you on it. Definitely the creepy shy guy next door kinda vibe. In his normal attire, he's vying for your attention whenever he has a chance. As Red Robin, he flaunts himself like Dick and Jason. Only of you are around.

"Hmh?" You hear the shutter of clicks from above, looking up from the street road. You see a black mask and white dots stare down at you. You raise a hand and wave as more clicks follow after.

You shrug it off and continue your way. Knowing the boy wonder was probably taking photos of the streets for super hero purposes.

-

Ronin/Damien Wayne:

Much like his father. He watches over you constantly and has started fights over you like Jason. To which your non-the-wiser. Damien is pretty much all of the batfam yandere tendencies, he did learn for them and it is inherented

"Damien, you and I know both know that was dumb." You mutter, Damien scoffs at you. "They dishonored you, they should've gotten a worser punishment." "You and your chivalry.."

-

[Hope you like it!]

[lonksadventures]

“And how do we know you aren’t working for the Snow King?!”

Yeah that’s right bandit squad time. Shubble, Fwip and Katherine a chaotic bandits that cause problems for the Snow king and his followers. Kinda Robin Hood vibes? They rob Scott believing him to be a servant of the snow king but after some talking agree to help him on his quest.

Shubble: A gnome girl who fled her home after the snow kings magic froze the hearts of her people. She sought refuge in a cave that was home to the Mother wolf, protector of the hunt. The Mother Wolf accepted the gnome into her pack and gifted her the spirit of a wolf. She may be small but she will absolutely steal your kneecaps.

Katherine: a nymph from the noble family of house Blossom. Blessed by the Overgrown, she hopes to bring back spring to the icy wastes. Peace, love and plants is all good but sometimes smacking people with a sword is more effective.

Fwip: a former Counts son. He lived in a land surrounded by glowing red pillars that wardens off the winter snow, but when his childhood friend betrayed him he was forced to flee. He continues to use what little of the red stones he could find , along with some knowledge from a certain wizard to create strange and deadly gadgets. Diplomacy goes especially well if you have TnT on hand :)

If yall have any ideas for other character and stuff please let me know!! This whole au is just for funsies and I just want people to have a good time with it :D

[just-an-aussie-fandom-hermit]

Some #Only in Gotham posts because I’m stressed and this is my coping mechanism

Guys guys guys

So I was in Central City today visiting some friends earlier this morning, and then the city gets attacked by these... aliens? Weird reptillian cryptids?? Who knows, but they were not happy nor friendly. We were all at this nice cafe just vibing in the outdoor area when this bipedal, green-gray reptile thing pops out of the manhole outside the cafe and goes absolutely feral. He was super close to my group so I grab my croc repellant (for non gothamites, its’ basically pepper spray but really bad-smelling to ward off croc if he ever shows up) out in an instant and I sprayed it right in the face.

Then I grabbed the nearest thing—some poor old guy’s metal walking frame—and whacked the reptile in the back of the head and it crumpled basically instantly.

And after the JL had stepped in to deal with the rest of them (not many, from what I’ve heard, but better safe than sorry I guess), heaps of people were freaking out about it because, well, this is Central City, they don’t get this kind of crime, they’re not prepared for this, yada yada.

Then that manhole pops up and everyone freaks out again because “oh god they’re back” but it’s just Batman dragging a bunch of tied up reptiles out of the sewers using some kind of winch set-up. It was almost comical—a daisy chain of reptiles being lifted out of this manhole in Central City by our favourite Goth Cryptid.

The cops were completely floored. The civilians didn’t know whether to be more scared of Bats or the reptiles. I mean, it was literally the middle of the day, and it’s rare to see Batman in daytime in Gotham but I guess this was an extenuating circumstance, so I guess I see why they were scared.

Batman just looks down at me standing over an unconscious reptilian holding the can of croc repellant and he’s just like “I’m guessing you’re from Gotham.”

I was like “yeah. Can’t escape the damn cryptids wherever I am.”

And tHEN he LAUGHS. Like, it was a small and quiet snort but it happened and I’m still shook. I have officially joined the “I made Batman laugh” squad. I can ascend peacefully now.

He seemed super embarrassed but asked if my friends and I were okay before he turned on his heel and stalked over to Flash and Woner Woman, a daisy-chain of reptiles in tow.

#lmao #onlyingotham #Batman #IMadeBatmanLaugh #ITookDownAReptileCryptid #GothamIsWeirdOkay #WeGottaBePreparedForAnything

———

I just heard this Metropolis guy try and trash Bruce Wayne to his friend at this diner and like five seperate people (myself included) turned around to roast the hell outta him. Like, yeah, he’s a billionaire, which is a whole can of worms I don’t wanna open right now, but he’s basically the only reason this city’s still standing and functioning (especially after the quakes and the no-man’s-land bs). His kids—most are poc and would not have thrived in the system—are all successful and work with their communities to better other people’s lives. Bruce Wayne is basically the only reason I got through high school (and am now in college); a scholarship is the only reason most of my friends have enough money to make rent. He “accidentally” spilled wine on Lex Luthor when he made a sexist remark. Also, didn’t it come out recently that he’s basically been funding the JL o at least is a major financial backer? An icon. You can shut your mouth, Jeremy.

One girl Instagram lived the whole exchange (she was filming beforehand I think) and it was magical.

Later on, Robin (the newest one, with the swords) shows up and he’s like “thank you for defending the honour of Mr Wayne”. I was like “kid,,,, you don’t need to thank me but you’re welcome”. he just kinda looks at me for a second and says “you eat free tonight” and chucks a bunch of dollar notes at me and disappears into the wilderness (ie. an alleyway). It was so surreal.

#GiveWayneABreak #BruceWayne #LetTheManLiveHisLife #GothamitesProtectTheirOwn #EvenTheBatkidsAreProtectiveOfHim

———

Yeah so....... I just saw some of Two-Face’s goons about to enter a bank, weapons drawn, and I’m scared because their boss is in Arkham, and the Rogues’ most loyal people always get antsy and trigger-happy when their bosses are off the board. I’d dialed 911 when I first saw them and ducked into an alley.

But then I see one of them stop dead in their tracks—Goon A we’ll call him—and says “hey, Wayne’s in there”.

Goon B: “Oh, we’re not meant to go after Wayne. Pack it in fellas.”

Goon C: “Huh? why not?”

Goon A: “Boss-man said so. Wayne used to be his best bud. Helped him campaign to be DA and stuff. Went to college together. Nice man.”

Goon B: “Got no problem wth that. Wayne’s the only reason my boys got through school. Besides, we mess with Wayne, the boss and Harley will be on our asses.”

Goon C: “Huh. Fair enough. We’ll go to the other location then.”

And then they just,,,, left.

#EvenTheRoguesWannaProtectHim #BruceWayne #HarveyDent #TheGuysGotCaughtAfter #IToldDetectiveMontoya #AndSheJustSighedForAReallyLongTime #OnlyInGotham #GothamIsWeird

———

Today I was in a Zoom call with some of my coworkers on the other side of the world, sitting in the kitchen facing the living room, when Red Robin comes crashing through my window. I just kinda turned around to see if he was badly injured (he wasn’t, couldn’t even see any blood) so I just continued on with what I was saying and he sheepishly left through the same window.

My coworkers are looking at me like “Jacob are you okay??” And I’m like, “yeah man, that was just Red Robin, he has unfortunate luck with windows. Soon enough one of the other Bats will come knocking with a replacement or a cash refund. Though, I should probably just invest in plexi-glass.”

One of my coworkers went on a bit of a rant about “vigilantes causing property damage and disrupting the peace” and i’m like “Mark I’d rather Batman crashing through my door or window once a month to getting buried in my twenties in his abscence,” and he was like “yeah, fair enough” so we just continued with our call.

After my call, Blonde Batgirl shows up and apologises for the window. I ask about plexi-glass and if Red Robin is alright.

She’s like “yeah he’s fine but he’s getting Bat-Lectured for being reckless which is why I’m here. Also from what Oracle can tell you should be able to get plex-glass installed within the week.”

#OnlyInGotham #GettingBatLecturedDoesNotSoundFun #ThanksOracle #BatmanDontBeTooHardOnTheKid #Gothamite #MeanwhileInGothamCity #GothamCity #RedRobin

———

So, Red Hood piggy-backed me up to my apartment yesterday because my heel broke when I was fleeing from these guys trying to mug me (or worse) and I sprained my ankle. He carried me up four flights of stairs and helped me get into my apartment and wrap my foot properly.

I told him to take some of my nana’s lasagna (because our local vigilante needs to keep his strength up! Man’s gotta eat, and from what I hear he’s not swimming in cash) and he got real quiet for a while before saying “yeah, sure”.

So he ate some lasagna while I called in sick to work (who were very understanding, surprisingly).

Then after a little while he’s like “bye” and jumps outta my window.

An icon.

#RedHood #OnyInGotham #WeStanALegend #IHopeYouLikedTheLasagna #MyNanaSaysSheWillMakeMoreForYou #GrowingUpInCrimeAlley

[bad-exo-imagines]

EXO AND WHAT DND PLAYER THEY WOULD BE

No I do not accept any other opinions

XIUMIN

Neutral Good Human Bard

Now here me out. Xiumin is a pal, a buddy, a friend. He won't actively go out of his way to start trouble he's just trying to live his life. As for a bard, he just uses his powers to make other people smile. One of the weakest players in terms of combat but for sure a valuable asset considering he has one of the highest wisdom stats.

Just here to vibe with others. Probably brings snacks to share and is just an overall vibey kinda person.

SUHO

True Neutral Human Rogue

Doesn't know what he's doing but saw the game as a way to bond. Is only a rogue because he thought being anything else was too complicated. Thinks things out logically and rationally, kinda being a buzz kill in a sense because he's constantly trying to outsmart the dungeon master by using logic.

DM: You encounter a misty forest that is haunted due to all the people who go in there-

Suho: THEN WHY DID WE EVEN GO NEAR HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Is a note taker. You best believe he has a whole notebook dedicated to this campaign and probably has started making notebooks for the others as well. Outside players think its cause he's immersed in the story and everything, but in reality its cause he will forget and will ask the other guys for help on things later.

Would end the campaign as an NPC Inn Keeper because he got to confused and overwhelmed.

LAY

Neutral Good Firbolg Druid

Thinks speaking to animals would be a fun thing to do and he likes how the Firbolg look. He thinks they're the cutest things in the world. Is the kind to want to attempt to befriend and name every animal they meet, even if they're a huge monster.

DM: In the distance you hear the roar of a mighty dragon-yes Lay?

Lay: Is he friendly?

DM: no he is not.

Lay: I want to try to be friends with him

DM: Lay no-

Lay: His name is now 龙.

DM: *sighs* what does that mean?

Lay: Dragon :)

Raises his hand in the meeting and waits patiently until called on. Another vibes person. Likes to add sound effects to combat scenes. Puts in just enough of his attention span to understand what's happening currently, but will immediately forget once he leaves the table. If he's healing someone he will literally make sounds as if he's healing them irl. Very immersive player.

BAEKHYUN

Chaotic Good Elf Wizard

No surprise that his alignment is a bit on the chaotic side, but he likes to do the whole Robin Hood bit where he makes his own laws and has his own morals, but still respects the laws if he sees fit. And if those laws don't coincide with his morals a.k.a are not put in place to help those who are less fortunate than those making the laws...well have fun trying to recover from your home suddenly burning down and you now have to life as a beggar.

Definitely has a preference for fire elemental spells, but primarily uses light spells because he feels that blinding the enemy in combat is better than to kill them directly because according to him "if we don't manage to leave a scratch on him, at least he'll never see the light again."

Hyperactive player. Very loud and wants to talk to all of the NPCs. Very high charisma stats so he's the information gatherer. And he's just also a huge gossip and is more involved with everyone's stories than his own. Poor DM had to make a whole separate list of notes for all the NPCs and their backstories in case Baekhyun asked. Other than that he's chill.

CHEN

Lawful Neutral High-Elf Archer

Wanted something more aestheticslly pleasing for once, seeing as he usually plays fighters above anything else. Loves the grace and height that comes with being a High-Elf, but he mainly uses his character to refer to Baekhyuns character as a "cretin" and no matter how much Baekhyun will beg the DM to have him stop, the DM will never disallow something that entertaining. Chen also likes to not engage directly in combat so he mostly likes to play the back and talks shit.

Hes just a shit talker. He loves to do it. It fuels him, but the minute they match the energy back he turns whiny and annoying, much to the annoyance of the DM. Sometimes brings his baby to the meeting because he couldn't get a babysitter. Has to constantly make sure that his baby isn't trying to pick up the dice to eat it, but should she roll the dice or place it down on the table covered in drool, the DM will honor whatever number it landed on.

CHANYEOL

The Dungeon Master

Here me out. He likes to tell exaggerated stories and is actually really good at telling them. Everyone in the group loves him and he makes sure that everyone goes to meetings by reminding them (aka he blows up the group chat 2 days, one day, and every hour of the day of). Is the only one who could handle everything but still have a goofy smile on his face. He just likes to play with his best friends and in turn he makes the game as enjoyable as possible.

When he's not Dungeon Master however he is 100% an Chaotic Neutral Orc Fighter.

D.O

Chaotic Evil Dwarf Monk

He missed the first meeting and Chanyeol made him his character. He rarely shows up frankly. Chanyeol basically has his character burn down towns and then reclaim their soil using the charred bits of human remains as a fertilizer. D.O is 100% okay with this.

When he does show up D.O is just very quiet the entire time. He likes to listen to the stories unfold but he's a listener more so than a player.

KAI

Neutral Good Tiefling Barbarian

Another big, strong, softie character. Is only a Tiefling cause he wanted to stand out and be different. Being a Barbarian he's the physically strongest character out there, and is very intimidating looking, but has the biggest soft spot for children in game. Man damn near adopted a whole ass orphanage. What Lay is to animals, Kai is to children he wants them ALL and by the end of the game he's adopted at least 25 kids.

As a player he loves to inhale all the snacks Xuimin bought and is a very expressive person. He has a horrible HORRIBLE habit of laughing whenever he's not supposed to though. He laughed the first time Chanyeol announced D.O's character, but quickly stopped after his character bit Kais' character's ankles.

SEHUN

Lawful Evil High-Elf Fighter

He believes he should have been the Dungeon Master and in turn has decided that his main goal of the game is to get as many people to believe that the current law system is garbage and that he is the only leader they should follow. Has a massive following because of this.

Honestly makes Chanyeol rip his hair out. He hates this character so much because of how good Sehun is at playing him. Hes an argumentative little shit and a brat on top of it so hes constantly throwing fits when things don't go his way. Hes great at charming the pants off of people though, much to Chanyeols bitterness.

[miscellaneous--bones]

hey look i finished those ocs! i might still add more to the roster, and i still need to draw Montgomery's unicorn and Lillith's dragon, but for now here they are!

I'm gonna ramble about them and the process of making them under the cut, and at the end of it I'll be putting the individual designs so you can see them better :)

ok so for one, theres a lot of red and purple? I didn't actually mean to do that, but it looks kinda nice, so i'm not complaining?? but idk! its just funny that one of the two colors can be found in every design if not both. kinda ties them together tho? idk im vibing w/ it i think

uh, anyway, the names! @danzoid07 helped with them a lot, but i did switch around a couple. at first Montgomery and Mortimer's names were switched but i changed 'em because ''Morty'' sounds more like... sleazy?? that isnt the right word but Montgomery came from Ricky Montgomery and his music is very NOT the energy i wanted the salesman to give off. (its not really what i wanted the wizard to give off either- more atlas or laurence than anyone, but Morty sounded closer to the salesman then the wizard.)

speaking of atlas, originally their name was Kelton- which whent to Kelly- and i really liked that but later i found the name Atlas in a tiktok and thought it fit better

character wise, i have some plans for like, back story and stuff? what i know right now is that Lillith and Laurence were a prince and princess of neighboring kingdoms and were meant to be wed to join the two kingdoms, yknow the drill, but they were childhood best friends and both of them are very gay plus Lillith really wanted to be a knight (which she'd been training for in secret for like. most of her life?) but yeah! so the two ran away together :) the other version of their story would've been just about the same except Lillith would've been like, a guard or something, who was supposed to protect Laurence's room and they just ended up being friends or something, but i think i like the other one better idk

Morty and Monty are twins, Morty is a traveling salesman who has a big cart and probably over prices things at least a little bit, he can be an asshole sometimes but yknow, not totally malicious, first example being Erica :) shes an assassin or hitman or something like that, with robin hood vibes who kills off like, shitty people- usually like abusers or otherwise shitty people but yeah Monty became kind of her... home base? in a way? idk if its necessarily like a dad or an uncle or whatever else, but some kinda of similar role idk but they have matching coats :)

uhhh and then Montgomery! hes a wizard, grumpy ass old mans who doesn't much like people :) hes the type who will act like an ass to those around him but will cry at any show of affection from those he cares about, etc. think Stanley from Gravity Falls? something like that. he has a unicorn! his unicorn's name is Quincy, and i dont know much about them yet but originally they were supposed to be the one that Lillith and Laurence ran away on, but then i switched it so Lillith could get a baby dragon (which has not been named yet lol)

anyway i'm gonna finish it all off with talking abt Atlas and Laurence and then Lillith and Erica because of course. so Atlas is the vagabond of course and i think he found Lillith and Laurence first while they were in a little bit of trouble and he took the two and gave them a place to stay (probably at Monty's? i assume they're friends) but anyway point is Atlas and Laurence are pining, 100%, and they're both so shy about it and i love them. Lillith and Erica when they met i think they kind of had a rivalry? i mean, a hitman and a knight, they'd totally butt heads, until of course they had some kind of heart to heart and found common ground in wants to help and protect people, and all that, and then they're pining too, except Erica is probably got enough of a fuckin head on her shoulders that she'd just say fuck it so they could stop dancing around eachother lmao

anyway! yeah :) that was a lot. but i'm gonna do those individual pics now

[stxleslyds]

Have you watched the Teen Titans animated series or Young Justice? If so, what do you think about their characterization of Dick Grayson?

And while we're at it, what about the animated movies? How does his characterization compare there?

Hi! Thank you so much for the ask!

I have to be honest, Teen Titans wasn’t a show that I was able to watch when it came out because I didn’t have cable tv yet and by the time that I had it I was actually into other TV shows, I watched a few episodes from what I believe was the last season but I didn’t really like the Titans lineup so I didn’t pay much attention to it. So, I can’t really say anything about his characterization there.

Young Justice I have watched! I believe I watched it for the first time in 2018 on Netflix. I loved the first season, it was amazing and it kinda made me want to read DC comics again. I had “taken a break” from reading DC because I was consuming another type of content, mostly MCU and Marvel Comics. I watched seasons two and three but I didn’t like them as much as the first one because I felt like there were too many characters and it overwhelmed me a little bit.

So, to answer your question, I love Young Justice’s characterization of Dick Grayson (as Robin, Nightwing, and just Dick). Although the universe where YJ is very different from the comics one, they did make an excellent job developing Dick and the other team members in the first season.

It was weird seeing Dick in the YJ team instead of the Titans one but I am glad that they did it that way because they took their time to develop Dick and then Tim as the Robins in the different seasons.

Dick not being the leader of the team was also weird but it led to so many interesting plotlines for him. I also felt that their take on Dick Grayson was very in tune with the times in which the show came out he was very tech-driven (which he used to be in comics but then they gave that characteristic to Tim and took it away from Dick) and is Bat training was shown plenty, he truly seemed like one of the most valuable assets for the team even though he was the youngest and he had no powers.

His personality felt real for his age in the show, he was funny and smart, his acrobatic skills were there. I really loved the way they handled his change of mind when it came to wanting to lead the team at all costs and wanting to become Batman in the future. That episode was wonderfully done and seeing that therapy session that Dick had still makes me feel sad for him.

He was friends with everybody and tried to make everyone feel welcome which I think is also very in tune with Dick Robin in comics. He seemed to be learning from everyone and every experience too which was also nice. The Circus episode really showed us another side of Dick, he was being protective of his first family and he was also starting to feel comfortable as a sort of co-leader of the team. He had a very deep connection with his teammates and that was also similar to his relationship in comics with the Titans.

As I said before I really couldn’t enjoy the other two seasons the same way that I did the first but the Dick Grayson that I saw in them was a really cool one, it did give me Outsiders (2003) vibes from those seasons so I am a little bit biased. But I really liked the idea of Dick and Kaldur having this secret plan that could help everyone in the end even though it might have cost them their friends. When that situation repeated itself in the third season I still sided with Dick (and the people that were on “his” team), it really felt like Dick could see the bigger picture of the problems that they were facing, I wouldn’t say that Dick puts the mission in front of everything else though, that’s Batman’s thing. Dick really just wanted everyone to be okay and he saw that people were trying to solve the problem inefficiently, which would eventually get more people hurt. He was very selfless but also realized that by doing what he did he didn’t only help to save the world but he did make some people think twice before trusting him completely.

That last scene where Dick calls everyone for a meeting and he is surprised when everyone shows up is a very Dick Grayson scene, people really understood that as a team leader Nightwing had to make some very difficult decisions so when he called, they all showed up. Bruce saying that Dick commands more respect than he realizes was so true and iconic of him.

One of my favorite episodes was “Private Security” where Dick teamed up with Will, Roy, and Jim harper, it was super fun and it also had some very interesting moments that showed how Dick was grieving the death/disappearance of his friend, and how he needed someone to tell him that he was going to be okay and that there were people who needed training and he was the best option to do it. That interaction between Dick and Will made me remember Dick and Roy’s chat at the beginning of Outsiders (2003).

Overall, I really enjoyed Dick’s characterization in that show, it respected the original material and made Dick a solid character even though he had differences from his comic counterpart.

-

I have seen very few animated movies from DC that had Dick as a featured character. I watched: Under the Red Hood, Son of Batman, Batman vs Robin, Batman: Bad Blood, Teen Titans: Judas Contract, and Batman: Hush.

In those movies, Dick’s characterization hasn’t been consistent, in each movie they manage to get something right but they butcher everything else. Mostly I enjoy Dick’s interactions with people, he had a fun moment with Damian, Kory, Bruce, and Selina. But he is never the real center of these stories so they kinda throw him to the side and nerf him a bit too much.

In “Bad Blood” he was Batman to Damian’s Robin but that movie didn’t do much for their relationship. He kinda is reduced to Batman’s most loyal friend or something like that, there isn’t much depth to him or his characterization.

He really wasn’t loved or respected in these movies, “Batman vs. Robin” had the Court of Owls as the main enemies but they didn’t use Dick as a plotline, they had Damian and Bruce having a conflict instead.

“Batman: Hush” was a mess, from every point of view, Dick was done dirty in that scene in the cemetery (I can’t really remember if it was a cemetery the place where he got dosed with fear(?) gas and Selina had to save him), he is treated as if he were an unexperienced vigilante, it is very sad to see.

Also, they had this very annoying “trope” where Dick dislocated his shoulder someway, somehow in every movie. I don’t know why that was, but it happened too often.

-

As you can see, I haven’t watched that much DC animated content so, from what I have seen Dick’s best characterization is the one from Young Justice, I think they did a great job mixing their own version of Dick Grayson with his comic counterpart. They really respected and worked with the original material.

But! “The Lego Batman” needs to have a special mention because this movie was a gift from the gods. This is a masterpiece, it’s Dick Grayson makes my heart melt, I adore that little Robin, he makes me happy. Bruce and Joker’s relationship is a perfect dramatization of what Batman and Joker’s relationship is in comics and I will be forever glad that DC took the initiative and made fun of themselves like that.

It is just the perfect comfort movie!

Another special mention is “Batman: Under the Red Hood” but I am not mentioning it because of Dick’s appearance there, I just think that this movie is neat and amazing and that everyone should watch it. It has Jensen Ackles voicing Jason! Best Jason Todd/Red Hood that we have ever had out of comics!

Anyway, I am sorry it took me so long to answer your ask, I hope you have a marvelous week!