#superhero characters have so much going on

[erinwantstowrite]

bear with me here because i'm gonna ramble about something i've been thinking about for a while... and i'm not complaining, i'm just noticing

sometimes i think we've leaned so far into the vigilante side of the batfam that we miss out on what really makes their characters: detective work. we need more mysteries in their lives that don't lead up to some big bad "we already know who's doing it" or an "end of the world" or "yet again: this fucking guy." we need more stuff where spy movie music plays in the background and dumb adventures that don't lead up to some huge grand event with a big name villain. the shock factor stops being shocking or interesting in any capacity if we're like "Gah! the Joker! ... Again!" or whatever

does that even make sense? like "yeah sure they're blowing up a building again and there's hostages. oh look they're gonna poison the water supply." these aren't bad and that's not what i'm getting at because obviously this is a classic for comics. you need to have characters/antagonists that show up more than once and who can make a story better by being in it. and i did say to bear with me- that's because im tired. so like i hope im getting this across the right way? it's just that sometimes i don't wanna see a huge explosion, i want these motherfuckers solving a regular murder or a disappearance or regular corruption in a local office without it being tied to a grand reveal like "actually this person knows you as a long lost relative" or "they were at that circus can you guess which night they went?" that kind of thing? if you get me? like... more of the small time stuff makes the big stuff important, it makes it stand out more. at some point, the format gets repetitive even if you're switching up the villains. you can make these situations/mysteries still fun to solve for the characters and fun to read for the audience if you do it right

the concept of a detective dressed as a bat and having a sidekick in traffic light colors is inherently goofy as hell??? but that is what is so charming about it??? i think we have lost the balance between them being silly while also being intelligent with important conversations that criticize the world as we see it and teach lessons and can go over dark topics. nowadays it's always end of the world problems or just straight up the most gruesome true crime you can think of?? or they can ONLY do the dark stuff and the criticism without offering a balance of the good in the world. or we keep coming back to the FUCKING JOKER-

like yes they are vigilantes and with that comes a different level of their work, but their brand should be a mix between a black and white detective film that can get very nitty gritty and a classic spy movie, that kind of thing. at the end of the day, it's what makes them so different from the superheroes. that's what appeals to me.

seeing them in the big superhero groups is fun, don't get me wrong. it's always funny to see them standing next to people who are so powerful they never really fit in with anyone but each other, who chose to step up and use their powers for good. the Bats' specialty is Gotham and yet here they are stopping a god or whatever. and they do stop the god or whatever, all the while being an important leader and strategist to their teammates. they're important to have in these cases. but if there's a world ending event every time i pick something up, it's not as fun

the fact that they are so very human and not fantastical is why i like reading them. it's what makes the joke of people, even Gotham citizens, theorizing about them being cryptids, funny. they're fucking weird but that's because they're detectives. people who love to solve mysteries usually have a fatal flaw of curiosity. they forget the bounds between social interactions sometimes because they're used to working through problems or being intertwined with partners that understand them. but they're very much human. so human that it hurts them in many ways. and idk i've just been thinking about it lately and idk what point i'm trying to get across actually

it's just that in my eyes that's how it really is for Batman- a black and white movie narrated by a very serious man who took up a job to help people, one that has a deeper commentary on the world and viewed outwardly as pessimistic but actually has a deep hope for his city and who tries to help even the people who have wronged others. He's a stationary man in the belief that him being a constant can serve to soothe others and help them move forward. He stays in the middle of the path so he can tell everyone what is up ahead. he blends into the Gotham rainy night to serve justice but in a way that saves both the victim and the perpetrator. (the way he tucks a Robin into his cape is the same he does for Gotham with his mere presence.) and his background is actually so important to his story and yet people still somehow gloss over the lesson from it? he lost his parents because of a man who was on the opposite end of the spectrum to where he was in life. and yet he chose to help the people like the man that killed his parents. he could have done anything else with his power and money, but he instead is choosing to bring as many people up with him as he can. He's Mr. Serious that no one else can get a read on. and yet he walks into a room and he's already piecing together your life and what you're going through because he thinks it matters. he comforts people who have lost something or someone or themselves. I picture Batman and I don't picture a man trying to save the world, I picture a detective walking around a crime scene and trying to save at least one person every time he puts on the cape. and he put on the cape and became a vigilante because then he could go out of the bounds of what laws have been set up- and specifically, Gotham has other people in power who are corrupt, keeping the system that way. that's why Batman being a billionare and throwing himself into helping people at the risk of his own life is so important. he knows that if you are alive, you have something or someone to lose, no matter who you are. the dude is a bleeding heart but he doesn't know how to express it, in fear that if he gets too close, if he moves down the path with them, he'll be lost again

and then he's met with someone who should be a complete opposite, but isn't at all, because they're two sides of the same coin. his partner in crime, his son, a boy that is nothing like the black and white world that he sees. and that's the point in his life where he first sees that potentially getting lost is worth the risk. Robin is color and passion that needs guidance to move forward, but can not do so unless the stationary man learns to move with him. the kid is loud and reckless and you'd think he's from a different genre from the detective but they aren't so different, really. not when you look close enough. Dick grew up moving from place to place and seeing the world, knowing so many different people from different cultures. He's been learning to fly and jump and embrace the free fall his entire life. He's clever and he's sharp, and he thrives in the action and adventure. it's that perspective that compliments the stationary man. one is steady and the other pushes. he's the same genre but a different generation. and Batman introducing him to the way of life he chose for himself was another way he could save someone. because let's be real for a second? Dick would have gone down a very dark path had he not had Bruce, who understood, who saw not just himself in the kid but also saw who the kid has been his entire life until now. he saw Dick's parents, he saw the family he had in the circus, he saw the joy he had in what his family was doing. he saw the grief and the fire and the color that Dick's world was made of. because to Bruce, it always matters. Dick had to come to terms with Bruce's perspective to help anyone who they come across, to always give more chances, and it kept Dick from losing his color

what gets me is that the man who lives in the black and white world can actually see many different shades of gray (because black and white always needs the medium), whereas the boy in a world of color and light can get so focused on the bright that he can become single minded. and yet the boy sees a world of color and delves deeper into the lives of the peolle they come across and can be much more open minded, and the man in the black and white world sometimes forgets the shades of grey are right there. they are just like each other. they can exist without the other, but do they want to? because the black and white can be built up into the colored image, like the inking and shadows drawn on a comic book page before the colors are added in. they meet in the middle to complete each other. Bruce has been passing the story over to the next generation for a long, long time, even before his story was complete. and just like with the first Robin, it was so for every Robin afterwards. they each color in the lines differently, but that's what makes Robin so special, so unique. they are an art style that branches into their own life, but can not forget where they started: tucked into Batman's cape and the inky black of his world

and so detective work really frames their hunanity to me. the mysteries they get their hands on, the glimpses into the lives of Gotham citizens that they swore to protect, it's fascinating. it's what makes their story stand out compared to the people who can lift trucks or cast spells or run around the world in seconds. so yeah ig that's what i'm trying to say? that i want to read more of that? in both canon and fanon. cause even the small time villains we see can be like. AWFUL people and it takes out the fun of their gimmicks. and if it were any other day this would be a more coherent post but alas, it is not any other day

[glitter-stained]

So I don't have the kind of money to ever manage that but I just imagined going to Jim Starlin at a comic con and being like "oh my god I'm such a big fan of your work! 💖💖Well, I'll admit I haven't really heard much about your other stuff, I'm sorry, but I'm such a huge fan of your work on Jason Todd's Robin Run... ✨He's such a good and interesting character! I love his emotional depth and empathy towards women and how he was the one to call out the flaws in the judicial system and Batman's deontology, and the way the systems of power treat women -✨those parallel panels between the criminal and Batman in the dumpster slasher were very bold!✨ Robin as a concept is my favourite superhero💖💕, and your incarnation of Jason's robin run is my favourite!! 🥰🥰It's such a shame dc and the vote made you have to kill him though 😥 you must have been heartbroken. But thank god dc didn't give up on the concept of Robin altogether, that would have been terrible! And now Jason is back, so we can be glad the plan to get him didn't actually work ✨✨and now he's extremely popular, you gotta be so proud... 🥰🥰

[bellametre]

Some Ultimate G/T Favourites

I've wanted to do this ever since I saw @gullivertravelstowonderland post the idea. I added a category or two because there's some media I just had to include, but here we go:

Favourite Tiny: Spiller

This shy, wild, golden-hearted dreamboat catalyzed everything for me. I became utterly smitten at the age of nine and went on to watch him in every Borrowers adaptation ever—an obsession that’s still going strong.

Favourite Giant: Optimus Prime

I was so jealous of Shia LaBeouf back in 2007. I don’t even have the toys, but I’ve consumed nearly every comic, show, and movie Optimus Fine appears in. When June Darby in Transformers: Prime says, “And I wore heels and everything”? Same, girl.

Favourite G/T Movie: Ultraman: Rising

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, why are you still here? Go watch it. It’s about a snarky, size-changing superhero who has to look after a baby kaiju. If you need more convincing, just look up a picture of Kenji Sato.

Favourite G/T Show: George Shrinks

Fellow Canadians know this was the show back in the day. Banging intro, unique plot, confident little genius of a protagonist—seriously, this kid made me covet being four inches tall like nobody else. And no, his Zoopercar was not cheating.

Favourite G/T Book: Valiant

Sarah McGuire delivers here: a host of giants, a kick-butt heroine, a villain with a superiority complex, and an attractive lord who gets injured so badly that one of the giants has to “cradle him like an infant” to carry him to safety. Good stuff.

Favourite G/T Manga: Godaigo Daigo

For yet another story about giant heroes protecting cities from monsters, this was a pleasant surprise. Kounosuke showcases all kinds of G/T relationships—coworkers, friends, parents, and romance—and every arc absolutely slaps.

Favourite G/T Webcomic: Piper

The fact that Dr5spectre has been on hiatus for almost two years now is one of the greatest tragedies of our time. But I beg you—check out this comic, especially the AUs. The Goblin of Dornenholtz is so soul-filling it hurts.

Favourite G/T Song: Touchy Feely Fool

It definitely has to be AJR. Not only did I grin like a maniac when I watched the music video, but I like to think the lyrics are about a tiny person who wishes they didn’t have feelings for a giant anymore but simply can’t help themselves.

Favourite G/T Magical World: Roshar *Art by Rocío Sogas

This is probably one that isn’t very well known in the community, but Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive is full of great G/T moments, particularly between the main character Kaladin and his companion Syl, a shapeshifting spren.

Character I Would Like to Shrink/Grow: Loki (MCU) *Art by keiidakamya

Guys, we were robbed. He’s literally part Frost Giant! Yes, we got a taste of it in What If…?, but imagine how the movies could have gone if this had been a form he took when he gained or lost control of himself. Robbed, I tell you.

· · ·

Ahh this was so much fun! I hope some of you feel inspired to try this; I think it would be a great way to find more quality (or not-so-quality) G/T content. There’s so little of it out there, after all.

[que3rduckling]

My Pitch for Absolute Robin

For one, I think it is important for the Robin in this universe to be Dick Grayson. I have seen someone on TikTok saying it should be Stephanie Brown and while I do agree with many of the points they made and I do believe that that would make an interesting story, I believe that Dick being the first Robin and ergo Batman’s first sidekick is very important to his character. (As well as me being a huge Dick Grayson fan who would LOVE to see him in it)

I want the Absolute Robin to have the same approach to him as the other superhero’s so far, that being taking away some key aspect of the character. For Dick, I think the key aspect of his character that should be taken away is Haley’s Circus. I want this Dick to have never grown up in a Circus and never was an acrobat. Instead I want him to have been raised to something of the likes of an assassin. While I do not know if Snyder will or should introduce the Court of Owls into the current story he is telling with Absolute Batman, but I do believe that Dick should have been raised to some of the like of The Gray Son. Him being this prophesied greatest assassin, being raised so that he can full-fill this prophecy.

Dick doesn’t enjoy the life he is currently entrapped in, not wanting to hurt people but instead help them, and having a lot of built up anger due to this.

Dick should also be aged up a bit. Instead of being around 9 when he becomes Robin I want him to be around 15. Also Bruce should not be adopting Robin, more so mentoring him.

Alright let me set the scene:

Batman is messing up operations for everyone in Gotham with his arrvial so Dick, a trained and prophesied assassin, is sent out and tasked with killing him. Dick does not want to but does not have much of choice and goes out to do so. He hides in the darkness, face covered by a mask to shield his identity and age, watching Batman. He waits for the perfect moment to strike and does just so. Using his agility to his advantage and dancing around Batman, striking blows all around him. You could also say he looks like Circus performer putting on a show. At some point he slips up, misses a hit or something, and Batman gets the upper hand. He slams Dick into the ground. He’s about to hit Dick with a ruthless hit when he sees that the mask covering the boys face is cracked, and a young boys scared eyes stare at him through the crack. He stops. He stares at this kid who can be no older than 15. Dick uses this moment of pause to kick up and escape.

Later as Dick is being yelled at for not completing the mission he finally decides he’s has enough. I mean if there is a man dressed up as a bat, helping and saving people, why can’t he? If I man dressed up as a Bat is able to start taking down the organizations that have caused Dick so much pain, why can’t he?He has the skills to do it. He has the anger to do it. He has the fight in him to do it.

He escapes that night. Dick uses his pre-existing knowledge of The Bat and his detective skills to figure out where he is. He emerges from the shadows, presenting himself to Batman. No mask this time. Him and Bruce stare at each other for a moment before Dick breaks the silence. Dick says how he is fed up with the organizations that are ruining this city. He wants to take revenge against the place that took away his family, his childhood, his life. He tells The Bat that he has insider knowledge of the area, how they can help each other to take them down. Dick tells him how he will do this whether or not Batman agrees, so it would be more effective if he did. All Bruce sees is another hurt kid. A kid who lost his family to the corruptness of this city, just like he did.

This city spares no one, he knows that. But maybe he can help give this kid closure. Guidance. He’s going to help this kid. He accepts the kids offer. He set some ground rules though and Dick reluctantly agrees.

Dick knows he some sort of superhero identity. One separate from the one he has been forced to use all his life.

He decides he will be called Robin, his mother’s nickname for him and one of the last things he ever heard her say before the separated from each other by assassins. He does not know if she is alive or not but if she is he hopes she’ll hear the name and know that he is still out there. He chooses to have bright yellow, green and red on his costume because he is spent to much of his life in the shadows , hiding. He is going to be seen now. He is going to be a beacon of light in the darkness that is Gotham.

——-

That is my pitch for Absolute Robin! I left the organization that trained Dick purposely vague because I never quite decided if I would want it to be a new one or be the Court of Owls. So you guys can decided which one would be better!!

Also some ideas I have that I couldn’t quite fit into main story I was telling:

- Dick lives one of Bruce’s safe houses, but a separate one from where he lives in

- Dick is still quite acrobaty Just Never being properly trained to be a circus one

- Dick was originally from outside the states but the organization that trained him forcefully separated him from his family and brought him to the states

- He never saw his parents die and hopes they are still alive but knows deep down their not. (Bc their not)

- Mary and John used to be in Haley’s Circus but left when Mary became pregnant with Dick and decided to settle down

Hope y’all liked this!! (Sorry it was so long 😭😭)

[the-l-is-silent-yall]

A non-exhaustive list of things I accidentally predicted in Just Dance

In honor of my current fic being known as "the time I accidentally sorta predicted Night Swan taking ALL the Just Dancers in JD24 story mode with this idea coming to me in early to mid 2023", here are some other things I predicted:

Mihaly turning into a panda: in my fic about Mihaly's childhood days, there was a running joke about Mihaly becoming convinced they'd become a panda when they grew up. While the idea came to me earlier than that, it was first published in my fics on August 10th, 2023, weeks before Never Be Like You leaked in mid-October.

Mihaly looking up to Night Swan because they liked ballet, rather than any more sinister/shady reason: when we first saw the Night Swan poster being ripped in Never Be Like You, my first instinct was to make jokes about how they had it up for target practice. But then, I wrote it into the fic (twice) that there wasn't anything shady in their past, they just REALLY liked ballet. First hinted at in a oneshot published on October 14th 2023, then in my book about Mihaly's childhood on November 25th that same year, I definitely breathed a sigh of relief during littlesiha's lore week when Aurore confirmed it was due to her "dance skill, charisma, and elegance".

Payphone having a split screen that showed where Rasputin was during the wedding while The Bride destroyed everything on the other side: I have no comment. I am still just in awe. This was from June 1st.

Calling that the official Eva Chase loredump using Telephone's footage was a red herring, and Rasputin was still the one to break the Gaga coaches out: this was a private conversation so unfortunately I don't have the receipts for this one, but my exact words - dated July 19th at 1:22 PM, were "I'm just not gonna panic about it until I hear the words 'Eva broke them out in Telephone' explicit". This was of course LONG before we saw the ending of Payphone that suggests he was involved after all.

Bang Bang showing Epsilon's face: Also a private conversation, which took place over a call, in which I said something to the effect of "the leakers probably aren't showing us much of Bang Bang because there's something they wanna 'gatekeep', like either showing us who his ex is or showing his face". Not long after, we got the preview showing his face. Admittely this one is less cool because I'm pretty sure the avatar with the half-face-reveal had leaked by this point but SHHH I'M COUNTING IT

K/DA (specifically Seraphine) perhaps being a little less noncanon than initially stated: During Aurore's official interview, the K/DA routines were specifically singled out as being non-canon, along with the Disney routines. My response was to just...ignore this, and have one of the characters prominent in my fic series just casually cosplay Seraphine and dance to MORE. This came out at the end of August 2023. And wouldn't you know it? Seraphine's avatar shows up on a card in Poker Face alternate, quietly implying that K/DA and Seraphine DO exist in the Danceverses in some capacity (likely as fictional characters in-universe as well, but I'm not expecting it to be addressed officially).

Grace breaking up with Ari but eventually getting back together: I had spent summer 2023 writing a fic about the Wannabe coaches being superheroes in high school, with Ari as the antagonist. Just one of those ideas that started as a sarcastic joke, but I inadvertently got attached to it, y'know? Anyway, in the finale of the fic, Grace dumps her for her actions, but they get back together during a timeskip. Now, this was before even VAMPIRE came out, or was even leaked - although I did later incorporate Vampire into it as a bonus chapter shortly after 2024 Edition's release because- I'm gonna save that tangeant for later actually and move onto how much I lost my freaking mind when Grace and Ari were revealed to be going through a rough patch in canon. One Last Time matched that even further when Grace dumped Ari, but then got back together with her.

Lilith being WLW: What can I say? I knew in my heart that that wasn't a straight woman all along. I talked about my WLW ship involving Lilith on September 2nd 2023.

Whenever, Wherever coming: I had saved Whenever, Wherever to my Spotify with the idea of potential Just Dance ties back in April...which was before even the ESRB accidentally revealed it.

Conclusion: Y'all gotta start listening to me more often /j

[jesncin]

These are such great additions!

I think another thing to consider is that bigger stage productions are insanely expensive investments. And because of that, a lot of humbler productions who make their way to larger venues often have their edge and bite sanitized off for mainstream. Coupled with how Broadway is in-accessible to a majority of people in the world through price and lack of pro-shoot recordings for international viewers- theater has its own hierarchy problems.

The Wait in the Wings documentary goes over this, but part of Ride the Cyclone's struggle was that it covered a taboo subject, and that it was born out of a punk, counterculture environment. While the show was gaining prominence and publicity, people recognized Ride the Cyclone's value. But by the time it was getting close to entering mainstream, all people could talk about was how incompatible it was with Broadway. Which to me, is like criticizing an indie comic because it would never fit in traditional publishing. That's a terrible metric for quality and resonance.

It wasn't until Gen Z got a hold of Ride the Cyclone through slime tutorial recordings, did Ride the Cyclone find the audience it truly resonated with; one that was constantly exposed to death through growing up with a pandemic and exposure to news via social media. The humor and out-of-the box music just clicked with younger people.

American Superhero comics has suffered from a history of self censorship, and the changing attitudes of who they're for. They're constantly struggling between broadening their audience or relying on the same old white guy readership to get by. For DC, The New 52 was all about edge, so Rebirth is meant to be a return to form. But for the most part, we've entered a performative era.

Cape comics want to be more inclusive, but not to the point it would deter its conservative readership and lose money from that audience, so they'll never commit to consistently go that far. There's outliers (SSTK, Alan Scott Green Lantern, etc.) but for the most part they play it frustratingly safe and market it as groundbreaking.

Vertigo comics began as an imprint of DC comics so the creators could explore more mature topics with adult content that would've been restricted under DC comics. That's how we got so much social commentary and politics out of works like og Hellblazer. It only makes sense that when John Constantine is assimilated into the bigger, restrictive world of DC comics that his radical roots end up sanitized to fit a superhero mold- walking pride ad and quippy MCU style remarks galore.

Yet even modern stories that feel like a return to form such as Spurrier's run and Dead In America have that layer of respectability on top of everything. Sure Spurrier's Hellblazer will talk about racism, but he'll portray Rural Country Bumkin White People as the racists because that's the most comfortable people to portray as racists. And American cops. Only them though. The British cops are noble people of color. They'll include Noah, a Black disabled character who communicates through BSL, but not include nuances specific to Deaf/HOH culture and how that intersects with Blackness. They can't even draw people facing him when he's signing.

Whenever I read stories with John Constantine in them and they feel lackluster I always outwardly ask myself "are we really going to be outdone by a bunch of white guys writing Hellblazer in the 80s??" because come on. There's so much more diverse talent and perspectives in the industry since then but they can't shine because it still has to sell to a mainstream audience in the end.

I'm pretty sure your experience with Spirit World and Xanthe Zhou is reflective of most people's experience with the character. At first people are impressed by the novelty of the representation, but then they move on and forget about it. Xanthe's tag hasn't been active since their debut year with Spirit World. I finally got into Spirit World because I'm friends with a Xanthe superfan haha.

It's easy for the comics community to dunk on whatever new thing Tom King is writing, or talk up a fantastic comic! But stuff like Spirit World burns bright for a second and withers away because it really was lots of theatrics and little substance. At the end of the day, loving or hating something means you care about it. Something that is mid though? Even if you enjoyed it, it doesn't stay with you.

And it's a shame because I think characters like Xanthe should have critical discussion! At least for representation alone, I don't want a Chinese non binary character to (ironically) be forgotten and sidelined. Yet I also don't want this character to stagnate the way they're written right now (and just have fandom say "read it! It's important! Because representation!"). The beauty of these characters is the potential for another writer to come along and do something great with them. But with the state of comics being nothing burger now? Those chances are slim.

It's why I think Ride the Cyclone has a big piece of what Xanthe's missing. It may not have the backing of mainstream musicals, but something about it resonated in the younger generation especially. It was willing to have an uncomfortable conversation about death and dying at a young age, when a generation was exposed to death on the regular. Meanwhile Spirit World is a weird comic about death that wants to talk about death as little as possible. Outside of saying "you take nothing with you when you die, so you better remember people!" it's squeamish about the subject. So all we get is just "you should read Spirit World because representation, some popular characters cameo in it and uh, yeah that's it." That's a story for no one.

Spirit World, Ride the Cyclone and Death. A weird comparative analysis

Gonna combine my musical nerd and cape comics fixation together for a rambling meta thought. I've been reflecting on how taboo the topic of death is in media after getting into Ride The Cyclone (highly recommend watching the slime tutorial and Waiting in the Wings' documentary on it) but also contrasting that musical with how Spirit World handled similar topics.

Both stories cover characters whose lives were cut short from a tragic circumstance, but while Cyclone directly talks frankly about how each character uniquely grieves over their lost life (and eventually accepts death)- Spirit World uses death as largely an aesthetic to a generic fantasy superhero adventure.

[spoilers for Ride the Cyclone and Spirit World]

Spirit World is about non-binary, half dead half living Envoy Xanthe Zhou, as they go into the Spirit World with John Constantine to rescue Cassandra Cain Batgirl. They eventually go toe to toe with the spirit of a bitter dead poet.

Ride the Cyclone is about 6 choir teenagers who die in a roller coaster accident in their small town. In the afterlife, they are given the chance to vote which one of them they believe should be resurrected.

For Spirit World, do we even know how Xanthe feels about being "half dead"? What does that even mean? They died as (what looks like) a 3 year old, and have clearly aged 15 more years since then. So they can age? Do they need to eat or drink (they're seen with a drink in a Pride comic)? Xanthe keeps mentioning they're half dead and half living, but the comic doesn't seem to want to discuss what that means. How would Xanthe feel that they were essentially given a job as an Envoy the minute they died as a very young child? Was this even a choice?

We've already covered the numerous plot holes in Xanthe Zhou's poorly thought out backstory so I won't go over that again. But honestly apart from the thematically loose "the dead shouldn't be forgotten" moral, a lot of how death is presented in Spirit World feels so superficial. When Xanthe is formally introduced as this cool character with a giant sword hanging around a gravesite, fighting all these hopping vampire creatures... this scene would play out the same if you swapped the setting with a forest and zombies as bad guys.

The Spirit World is less an afterlife for the spirits to move onto and more an MMORPG setting for our superheroes to travel across and fight generic evil beings and encounter eviler, bigger, boss battles at the end. Then there's the poet clout villain whose problems are just easily solved by Xanthe promising to remember her. I've already covered what a lost opportunity thematically this character was in my last Xanthe essay, but this time I want to contrast her with Ride the Cyclone's Jane Doe. I also want to compare Xanthe with Noel Gruber afterwards.

Ride the Cyclone's musical numbers follow each character performing a song reflecting their wishes, and musings on life (this sounds depressing but the musical handles all this with comedy and wit), hoping to prove themselves as worthy of a second chance at life. Of the characters, Jane Doe is the mysterious odd one out. The accident decapitated her, leaving her to enter the after life with no memories and the people of the living unable to identify her.

You might see where I'm going with this. So in Spirit World, Wan Yujing was this famous poet mourned by an entire empire. She only goes monster mode when a handwave-y "time erodes all" happens in the Spirit World and she is eventually forgotten- so she becomes desperate to demand to be reincarnated by the Jade Court. Because her clout ran out. Again, I already made the critique in my previous essay that this villain would better link to our protagonist if she was a queer poet whose poetry was being purposefully straight washed as an act of queer historical erasure. But I want to bring up how truly unsympathetic this villain is. She gets Shakespeare levels of clout but still demands more because she isn't getting reincarnated fast enough. Xanthe promises that as an immortal "half dead half living" person that they will remember Wan Yujing, so she too can be immortal in some way.

I think about all the Jane Doe-s in the Spirit World who don't get to be famous poets that have Empires remembering who they were. People who died anonymously without a past. In Cyclone, the main character chooses Jane Doe as the person who should be brought back to life. Our cast of teens come to terms with the fact that while it's tragic that their lives ended shortly, they conclude "to say that if one dies young, they die needlessly... that is to discount the years we had. We had a life, she didn't. That's my vote." Since Jane Doe has no memory of who she is, it's only fair that she is given that second chance.

I get that Spirit World is choosing these "larger than life" characters as villains, but it's at the expense of their own supposed themes. Of all the people to die and face off our hero as the villain, a character who's essentially an influencer but somehow has an entire empire forget about her anyway feels thematically hollow.

Modern Superhero comics are suffering from a specific problem right now; they're not really about anything. Characters don't feel like people with interior lives informed by the context of who they are. Class, race and bigotry are only touched upon as lightly as possible. Queer characters are now Pride ads with no personhood or flaws. They punch gentrified crime and fight for no one in particular. Even recent adapted media such as My Adventures with Superman and Caped Crusader follow this. Superman fights white-washed xenophobia, while Batman fights gentrified, white-washed classicism. It's why comics like Superman Smashes the Klan, Catwoman Lonely City and Alan Scott Green Lantern stand out so much. It's been a while since these characters talked about anything that matters. Don't get me wrong, slop that's about nothing exists in every industry. But when these characters and worlds historically used to have more bite- it's especially obvious.

If I could be playfully conspiracy theory-like for a second; I believe Xanthe Zhou was pitched so that DC Comics can buff out their Pride Anthology or AAPI anthology with a new younger character. The company will give this character one limited series, but that's it. Xanthe will appear in the larger DC universe whenever big magic plots happen, but that's it. Maybe they'll get a YA graphic novel. I would love to be proven wrong, but the problems with Xanthe are baked in the dough.

Because they don't feel like a person, Xanthe feels more like an industry planted Pride ad. They're designed to be the most palatable and marketable image of Asian androgyny. They literally have no flaws to grow out of, and their backstory makes no sense. They weren't built to be a sustainable solo character.

So I want to contrast Xanthe Zhou against Noel Gruber from Ride the Cyclone. Because they're both queer characters whose lives were cut short at a young age.

In a dramatic lament, Noel Gruber expresses how if he had a chance to live, he'd want to live the horrible cinematic messy life of a French sex worker woman in post-war France. He struggled as the only gay boy in a small town and never got to kiss a boy before he died. It's a look into a queer life that could've been lived, one with all the messy texture and self destruction Noel couldn't have but desires. We get to see how death and queerness intersect into rich, unflattering, gender-messy themes. "I want to be that fucked up girl." Noel sings.

But what's Xanthe's deal? They died as a 3 year old, got brought back, avoided their family at all costs for 15 years, and then had a transphobic confrontation with their family when they're invited to dinner way later. If Xanthe grew up in a transphobic household, how did they ever figure out they were non-binary when they were 3? Could they even verbalize it? Or did they instead figure out their queerness after they died? But how is that possible when they already held a level of familiar resentment towards their family's transphobia as if they've had several fights about it? It's hard to picture a 3 year old having multiple heated debates about gender with their parents for this level of resentment to make any sense.

Details aside, how does Xanthe's queerness intersect with themes of death and grief? Well, it just doesn't. This scene ends with Xanthe's sister telling them that she bothered remembering them even though their parents moved on from their death (which makes no sense since the parents wanted to have dinner with a random 18 year old they correctly assumed was their long dead "daughter" but whatever). Honestly, the only reason queerness exists in this family drama is so that Xanthe has a tense relationship with their family. The story would be exactly the same if Xanthe was a troublemaker that brought shame to their family. Who they are isn't specific to whatever grief exists in the comic.

When people give the critique that modern Superhero comics aren't about anything anymore, we usually think of these comics as "lacking political bite and commentary". We don't often think of something like Death to be political. And even though it is in many ways, it's also a social taboo to talk about. Death is an uncomfortable thing to confront, even in the safety of fiction. It's what made Ride the Cyclone such a difficult stage musical to market.

So how does a modern mainstream comic like Spirit World fit into that? It just sits there in this non-committal way. Yes, this is a story about a trans teenager who died, but only in a cool Superhero Origin Way, not in any way that would make readers uncomfortable. Bury Your Gays is a stereotype after all, so we can't talk about how queer people feel about death. We don't get to know how Xanthe feels about death as a non-binary Asian American. Especially if it's messy. It's the reason why Wan Yujing's character can never commentate on themes of historical queer erasure. God forbid superhero comics be about something.

I think about how, in the original Hellblazer run from the 80s, John Constantine had an elderly gay friend who was diagnosed with AIDS but was killed by a homophobic hate group. The comic openly talks about the sheer amount of gay people dying of the epidemic, a looming threat that informs John's queer life. It's such a culture shock, to contrast these early comics with how John Constantine is written in Spirit World. A character stripped of his own queer history and is at the mercy of incessant slutty bi jokes. Where is the desire to talk about how death informs a queer person's life? The mourning of a lost generation to the AIDS crisis? Something John lived through?

How about how any of this intersects with being an Asian American queer person? Queer people of color are often erased or purposefully excluded from queer history and communities. As a Queer Asian American, what does it mean to have identities that are often perceived to be in conflict with each other? Would your queer Asian ancestors even be remembered? Cultural differences with how you'd mourn your communities? But answering any of these questions means an uncomfortable conversation for Spirit World. For Xanthe. It threatens to be about something.

Which makes it all the more silly that, of the two stories, a musical about teenagers dying from a rollercoaster malfunction is more willing to have that uncomfortable conversation. You should ride the Cyclone.

[bleh1bleh2]

Batman #411

New Teen Titans v2 #020

[stealingyourbones]

Gotta love when folks write Superman incredibly anti-clone even though he had good reason in the beginning to Not Like Superboy (HES A WINDOW INTO WHAT CLARK WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHOUT THE KENTS) and decide that forever on he’ll be spiteful towards clones even though he literally Does Not Care if you’re a clone unless you’re Superboy.

[sciderman]

I swear I have read your big post regarding Peter Parker's neurodivergence and why it is best to avoid labelling him, but he definitely has a weird brain

Can't find it and feel kinda sad about it cuz I deeply related to it

i know exactly which post you're talking about and i can't find it either! i've raked through my archive, and it's just - nowhere to be seen. i think tumblr eated it (it happens.)

really, tumblr's search functionality is so so useless, i don't know what to tell you. there are plenty of keywords i can search to find it that post, but the search functionality actually just does not work!

undiagnosed audhd-addled peter parker, my darling, my light, my life, my everything.

i think peter parker's such an interesting creature to write, because a lot of people will point to a certain behaviour about him and say "this is an autistic thing, right?" but a lot of those behaviours are actually, in my head, tied to certain traumas in peter's life too.

people say "oh, the food thing, peter's a picky eater because he's autistic" and yes, absolutely. but also it's tied to his trauma with his parents.

peter gets overstimulated, and yes, it's an autism thing, but also he was bitten by a radioactive spider and his senses are dialled to 11.

it's a similar case i've found for myself, too – where a lot of friends i have kind of diagnose me because i have autistic traits, but actually - i'm hesitant to claim the label or pursue diagnosis because, actually, i know where these certain behaviours come from, and they come from certain traumas. there are events i can pinpoint in my life and say "yep. that's where this behaviour comes from."

so - i think there's a lot of overlap between trauma and autistic traits. the brain is very complex! i think the reason for that overlap is maybe as simple as the fact that people with autism and people with trauma are both doing the same thing - developing behaviours to protect themselves or soothe themselves. so - i think it's nice to be able to see a character like peter parker, who may or may not be autistic, but recognise behaviours in him and see yourself in him.

people who go undiagnosed for whatever reason - people who are really good at masking - so good, in fact, that they have no idea they might be on the spectrum - everyone and anyone at all can look at peter parker and recognise themselves. because i think we discredit the thought that every single brain does the same thing! develops certain behaviours in order to survive. every brain has that same software - we've just all been faced with different hardships that we need to overcome, and that's were all the differences come in.

autism is a spectrum, i guess - everyone falls into it to some degree. and i think events in your life probably push you along on it. but i don't know, i didn't study brain science. probably what i'm saying is very stupid and uninformed. of course there's brain chemistry involved. but i know people in my life living with autism and certain events in their life have exacerbated certain behaviours or made coping with it a lot more difficult. so maybe trauma is a catalyst.

[furornocturna]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! I LOVE YOUR ART!! Your style is so cool and Luigi looks simply adorable! Lookit him!

I’m glad you loved my ramblings! I return to offer more, if you so desire…

I love the idea of Luigi’s wardrobe having some more “dapper” apparel in it. Wanting emulate his Count/father plus he just looks good. But that wouldn’t be his only form of dress. Luigi is fully allowed freedom in clothing choice, having a broad variety of both formal and casual dress, along with more familiar overalls and dungarees for when he gets up to Mr. L’s mechanic work. Mimi is wholly responsible for the size and variety of Luigi’s closet, and teaching him how to have good taste in fashion.

Mr. L absolutely does exist albeit very differently in this. A “superhero” persona to hide his identity both for the protective reasons you listed, but also for Luigi to have versatility in going on both reconnaissance and combat missions and not be recognized. But another idea I’ve weaved into it is still incorporating magical interference. This Luigi grew up having learned the ability to act from both Mimi and Dimentio, so he knows how to play a convincing persona, but would still struggle with being able to follow through with hurting the heroes. Especially if he’s gotten to know them more from interacting with them on prior undercover missions.

Dimentio uses a combination of artful manipulations and secret spellcasting on Mr. L’s mask to get Luigi in the mindset/motivations to have actual malice toward them to follow through with disposing of their enemies. It ultimately fails however as Luigi’s own will and inner magic is able to override the spellwork.

Luigi just has that effect. You can’t not love him!

Nicknames! That’s really cute and a great way to set up angst for the messy truth coming out. I also created another for Dad!Bleck to use, “mon petit cœur” French endearment meaning “my little heart” (which, fitting for the themes of love and hearts; and I’m making Bleck fluent in French because guys, his character is the most dramatic, romantic and lovelorn in the French translation. Making Luigi trilingual in this au! He learned Italian from Dimentio :)… have fun with that).

Yeah, their fight is… oof.

And on the subject… I’ve had these ideas for ages and I’ve actually written a bunch of scenes out for them?

In relevance to the thread, I screenshotted (sorry for the awkward cropping, posting on mobile) ones specific to one of their father-son interactions:

And from their fight:

I wish I didn’t have to go into work rn so I could infodump more on this. There’s so much more in store to share on this, the dynamics for Luigi’s other relationships in the castle, particularly with Dimentio (this one… prepare yourselves). But also the new bonds he ends up forming with the heroes as worlds clash and collide along with Luigi’s uncertainty on whose side he’s on anymore…

He wants answers.

And so does Mario, for that matter.

@severalratstiedtogether come get ur food

I love seeing so many people share their appreciation of Team Bleck being a family and wholly adopting Luigi as one of their own. Now I’d like you all to consider:

What if… Count Bleck found Baby Luigi while he was separated from his twin, and then he and the other raised him as part of the family into adulthood?

NOW THATS INTERESTING... we don't know the timeline at all of when count bleck lost timpani and also recruited the other minions so you could really get flexible with this one i imagine

a grown-up luigi encountering the red-clad hero of prophecy and being so startled because it's the first time he's ever seen someone who looks like him...

[kideternity]

There’s something really fascinating about the fact that one of the major themes that keeps appearing in Amazon is that of like, xenophobia? Like xenophobia against Amazon? Amazon is often persecuted and mistreated by the people he's trying to protect just because he looks and acts “strange”. He was attacked by a group of men who tried to kill him because they thought of him to be a murderer, he was later arrested by the police and then hounded by paparazzi for being “weird” or “suspicious”, A scientist learns of him and gets the idea he should literally study amazon- treat him as a specimen to be dissected then as a real person- he’s later harassed and literally restrained by another mob of people all because some random lady thought him simply playing with her son was something Nefarious / lead to something nefarious. Even Ritsuko, one of the major supporting characters, has a major part of her character be about overcoming her negative assumptions and thoughts about Amazon (There’s one episode, though i'm unsure if the subs cross over to all versions, where she literally tells him to Leave Japan and go back to the Amazon Jungle because he’s the reason all of the trouble came to Japan in the first place. Sounds awfully familiar to certain talking points, doesn’t it)

All of this occurs simply because Amazon does not fit into the ideal of the average Japanese citizen. He wears little clothing, he acts very erratically and energetically, and most imperatively of all he has a language barrier in that he can't communicate like speak Japanese fluently. Amazon is not in anyway a bad or dangerous person, but due to the culture/environment he was raised in and how that differs to what people expect as the norm, he’s more likely to be perceived as a threat.

I can not confidently say this was intentionally built into the show, but considering the innately political nature of Kamen Rider, at least Showa era Rider, I would be inclined to believe it’s more likely than not that Amazon's persecution by others is meant to at least tie in some way to a commentary about the deeply harmful nature of xenophobia. It makes Amazon's feelings, as well as his choice to still choose to care for others and to help them, a lot more impactful + heart wrenching for me personally. He’s literally just trying his best and so many people hate him. Cut the guy some fucking slack.

[silverwhittlingknife]

hiii! i just wanted to reach out n let you know that i just spent the last few days speed reading all your ao3 work bc i literally couldn't put it down. the way you write dick really just scratches my brain in the best way possible. he's a little (read: very) neurotic and it just. his motivations are so clear in your work, not in the sense that there isn't tension and anxiety but in that his core personality, his drive to help and the anger and trauma that has built him, his need to always be performing and catering to those around him, it comes across sososososos SO well. he was the first character that got me into comics and since then i've kinda stopped reading him bc i have lots of issues w tom taylors run (not the point so i digress) but you have really inspired me to go back and read more of his old stuff so thank you! you have such a clear grasp on his character and its something i admire very much! ur very very talented! and i really appreciate you sharing ur art! hope ur doin well :)

HI THIS IS SUCH A NICE COMPLIMENT???? <3333 This is so nice & sweet & it made my whole day!!! THANK YOU I AM HUGGING YOU ACROSS THE INTERNET AHHHHHH

he's a little (read: very) neurotic and it just. his motivations are so clear in your work, not in the sense that there isn't tension and anxiety but in that his core personality, his drive to help and the anger and trauma that has built him, his need to always be performing and catering to those around him

YEAH IT's HIMMMM i love this description <333

THANK YOU YOU ARE LOVELY & KIND PLS ACCEPT THIS DOG PICTURE AS TOKEN OF MY GRATITUDE

[criticalgay]

ppl on from reddit are insane but not in a insane theories way more in a I think you don't have enough media literacy to watch a show like this insane

[consumeroflemoans]

(Click for hq)

Kyuki (久輝)

The result of this create your own monster OC challenge (these were my results)

I wanted to make a more modern take on the kitsune. Like instead of old Japan, what if there was a young kitsune existing in cities?

They’re known for punishing greed and boasting in many stories and I’d like to think they’d continue that legacy, hiding in the shadows of alleyways and slipping hidden through the streets, tricking and humiliating anyone they deem worthy.

They’re still closer to an anti-hero than a true hero. They don’t particularly care who they hurt as long as they gain amusement. The only ones they care for are people who manage to gain their favor (which usually amounts to anyone willing to buy them food. They don’t need to eat but human street food is delicious)

[oldtvandcomics]

I watched X-Men (2000) last evening. Still awesome. But also, it made me think.

Just how much *ehm* point is there in trying to keep bringing these heroes with us forward in time? Wouldn't it be better to leave them as a period piece?

Like, with the Holocaust being such an important part of Magneto's backstory, at least him and Xavier are pretty firmly anchored in time. And of course we can start making up all the excuses about why they are immortal / not ageing, but how much sense does it make? I also seem to be noticing an ongoing trend in newer X-Men media, at least on the big screen, where they aren't allowed to be traditional heroes any more, and instead all the focus is on the genocide. Which, I understand, that is 100% absolutely the direction the story is headed. Also, that post about how with the world being as it is, we can't really pretend any longer that Magneto is not right. So yes, I understand where they are coming from, but also, it isn't fun any more, is it?

Maybe the X-Men would be best as a period piece set somewhere between the 1960's and the early 2000's AT THE LATEST.