#what about the responsibility she has to her friends and family who are also vigilantes??? who did not reveal their identities????

[sssammich]

💖

i’m starting with one even though frankly i want to send you all of them

i'll send you a document with a response to all of them how's that

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series?

god where would i even start

well i guess i'll pick one

personally, as in my personal opinion, i just don't believe in kara coming out as somehow the next best step for her. this matter of being your 'full self' just screams 'nobody knows what work/life balance is' lmao. this is what we call 'vocational awe' in libraries LMAO i get what it's trying to do in that this has been the series-long crusade for kara. who is she? kara danvers? or supergirl? and i have posited elsewhere that kara danvers is her default setting, not supergirl. so supergirl's role in kara's entire life is a cape/persona she dons...and then takes off. so i think the bigger identity reconciliation should be between kara danvers and kara zorel, not the hero but the alien. she's superpowered because she's alien first, etc etc. but idk how to explain that without writing an essay right now so i will withhold.

the point is i just didn't think it was a satisfying end for her to come out as supergirl to the world to satisfy the juggling of her two identities. i think she should have just done a better job juggling them LOL like i think it's important to determine how to be your most authentic self but i don't know if it needed to be done at the face of revealing your alien identity. because i still think that the target on her back just gets infinitely larger??? what's the point of keeping 4 years of secrets to lena at that point? couldn't she have reached that conclusion sooner if that was the case? i think she could have expressed her authentic self by marie kondoing what's the most important parts of her life and how to let the *right* people in, not *every single person* in. also like idk from a logistics standpoint, kara should have just hired a fucking assistant for herself to keep things organized. the issue here is that she keeps working 40 hour work weeks for both jobs. and also to accept editor in chief? like those people leave work early. the solution was for kara to have hired an assistant, maybe 2. like the reason why she's conflicted is that she's working 2 jobs? she doesn't need to combine those 2 jobs and announce to the world that she's doing them as 1 big job. ETHICALLY she was citing herself???? god the integrity of everything should be put to question lmao

what would have been more compelling to me myself and i is if she really took a look at her time as supergirl and wondered if she should maintain the cape or not. like did she do as much good as she hoped? what about the people who had died or who had gotten hurt or whose lives and situations were otherwise sacrificed on her behalf? is this the life for her? is this something she wants to keep doing because she wants to or because she feels she has to? she feels a responsibility and i think that's fascinating for a character, and she thinks that there's a duty to uphold to the humans of national city because she has these gifts. but i think the ending should have been kara determining the future of supergirl, the superhero, and not how to mix the two and count that as authenticity.

tangentially, it is oh so interesting to me that this authentic speeches comes from cat and lena to be the ones to convince her to stop hiding herself? two people who are notoriously private people???? who are essentially living private and public lives??????? funny how that goes i guess

anyway it's fine obviously and if you liked it then that's also great and it's an intentional high note feel good ending yes yes good great. i am not trying to yuck your yum at all, but based on how i have since engaged with the show, it's pretty clear the writers and i simply did not share a vision lmao

ask game

[gothamnewsnetwork-official]

Gotham Recap - Gotham vs Condor, The return of Falcone, and much more

Hello and Welcome to Gotham Reports newest column; Gotham Recap. In this series we are taking a look at the daily developments of Gotham City, that which aren’t enough to fill an article and that which have their own articles along the way.

Tonight we’ll be taking a look at our top stories as well as some hot up-and-comings to keep an eye on.

To start off with, let’s take a look at a major conflict between Golden Condor ( @the-goldencondor ) and Netizens across America.

Golden Condor (see related articles) is a C-tier vigilante in Gotham City known, prior to this incident, mostly for being incredibly rude and very mysterious, as well as having a rather murky past with our one and only Cowled Crusader; Batman (see related articles).

While troll pages (see related articles) aren’t uncommon and rude washed up celebrities (see related articles) are a dime-a-dozen nowadays, the thing that makes Golden Condor stand out is his willingness to threaten, intimidate, and maim anything that he does not consider to be worth his time.

His page regularly consists of responses to asks, these responses consisting of him insulting, belittling, and generally aggravating the person who asked. When not sticking his nose up at his supporters, his activities involve threatening and maiming reporters (see related posts), and thirst posting about the Big Bat himself (see related posts).

This is where the drama comes in, as approximately seven hours ago he responded to an ask on Batman, where the anonymous requester asked what his thoughts on the Dark Knight were. To this he responded as follows -

“..He’s fine. I wish he shared my views on things, and stop hanging out with that damn “Man of Steel”.

A good fuck, though.”

This, while not being the most child-friendly response, does not warrant a negative response. It was only when a young girl, Lian Todd-Harper ( @lian-todd-harper ), replied with asking what Mr. Condor meant by the post that this story started developing. Mr. Condor responded first with saying

“It means I want to—“

Cutting himself off before he could finish. Ms. Todd-Harper prompted him to follow his thought, to which he responded by asking if the girls parents had spoken to her yet about ‘the birds and the bees’, a famous euphemism for intercourse and sex-ed.

Before continuing, we would like to point out Ms. Todd-Harpers age; she is six. Not even in 2nd grade, this is not a question or a topic we deem appropriate for someone so young, especially if it is being brought up by masked strangers.

It was only then that the post began to be noticed, with well known hero-variant of Spider-Man ( @totally-not-peter-parker ) (see related articles), responding by counselling Mr. Condor to speak no more on the subject, advice that was promptly ignored as the reject Vigilante proceeded to begin his explanation of the ‘birds and the bees’ and he calls it to the child.

The post went viral, causing uproar among the family and friends of Lian but also the general populace of Gotham City, with Mr. Condor coming under fire for what we are dubbing ‘misconduct and harassment’. This had led to a torrent of criticism, accusations, and death threats against Mr. Condor (see related posts).

He has responded to each in his regular fashion, brazenly and unapologetic, rude if we may be so bold, though this reporter finds it hard ti muster any sympathy for the man as he was warned multiple times of the consequences for such an action.

As far as we are aware, the criticism has not let up and there appears to be many campaigns and bounties for his head.

In other News, resident mob boss Carmine ‘The Roman’ Falcone (see related articles) has been spotted frequenting a deli on the outskirts of crime alley.

This comes after Mr. Falcones 3-year radio silence both in the criminal world and the world of politics (see related articles), but with new blood overtaking him in both settings he may have returned to attempt to resolidify his standing in the underworld as his career in politics, though not uneventful, is lacklustre at best.

Nevertheless this journalist recommends investing in face shields and covering any accessible skin while in his part of the city.

Finally, a new cryptid (see related articles) has popped up in Gotham City. The journal has received multiple reports of citizens seeing a large, translucent, silver figure hovering around construction sites and murder scenes.

Those who have spoken to it claim it is searching for a child, feasts only on iron and salt (a concerning pairing given the recent outbreak of Vampirism within Gotham), and speaks of a host of mysterious characters. It has also been heard speaking of ‘sparing’ some citizens from the ‘wrath of the child’.

Though we do not know the origin of this cryptid or what it could mean by its ominous warnings, we advise all civilians to avoid provoking it and to refrain from carrying any metal or salt on their person.

Let us know your thoughts on the topic (here)

Gotham Reports is certified in fair, unbiased, and reliable reporting.

[ayaspen]

Is “Across The Spider-Verse” a great sequel ? Yes.

One thing to know about me, is that I’ve always been a spider-man girlie, granted I wasn’t even born when the Raimi’s trilogy dropped, and it took me twelve years after to discover that Spider-Man was not actually blonde (my younger brain always thought he was for some reason) but there’s no denying that Spider-Man has always been a pop culture symbol, even if you don’t know his story, there’s no way you haven’t heard or seen pictures of the masked vigilante who swings around the city with his webs.

And although there were different interpretations to his story, he was always the ordinary kid in Queens (or in our case Brooklyn) who’s got too much power in his hands and is struggling what to do with it, to later become the masked vigilante who saves people and understands the responsibility he have toward his people.

When Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse dropped in 2018, people had mixed reviews on the subject, (and I was a middle schooler who stumbled upon the trailer by accident but was intrigued nonetheless) I think people were afraid that this was going to end up not meeting their expectations, and boy did it exceed them!

The movie did very well (and for good reasons!), and managed to re-introduce the story of The Spider-Man with a twist, in this case introducing the Spider-Verse, and everyone went nuts about it, from the music to the animation to the well-crafted story. The movie was one of the best movies of that year, if not of all times.

But what happens when that movie has a sequel ?  4 years later and with a very enthusiastic fan-base ? Will it be a disappointment or another win ? 

Today, I’m ready to say that Across The Spider-Verse is as good if not better than the original, and here’s why…

Hello and welcome to Butterfly Scribbles, I am the Butterfly in question, and today we’re going to cross the multiverse…I mean the Spider-Verse, my bad!

So ladies and gentlemen, let’s do this again one last time!

(This review may contain spoilers for the movie, so If you haven’t seen it, I highly encourage you to do so, and then read my review after, have a nice time!)

PLOT:

Miles Morales, is very much accustomed to being “Brooklyn’s one and only Spider-Man”, he loves his job, but him leading a double life starts to interfere with his life as Miles and his relationship with his family (and his grades), which leads to him feeling the loneliness this job imposes and starts terribly missing his spider friends.

After that he gets a visit from his best friend Gwen, and learns that there’s a whole universe full of Spider-people teaming up to protect his very existence which leads to a great conflict and a “Spider-hunt” to stop him from going to change his fate and protect the people he loves most in his life, all while redefining his story and doing what he thinks is his role as a hero.

I think the plot of the movie does a really great job of solidifying Miles as his own hero, he is constantly put into situations that tests his morals and beliefs of what he thinks he is doing right, while everyone is treating him like some ignorant teenager, there’s even a great scene where miles stand up for himself and says: “Everyone keeps telling me how my own story is supposed to go, Nah, Imma do my own thing” which is nothing if not great character development.

The twists at the end of the movie are also sure to leave you feeling blown away!

Characters:

Miles:

Like I said before, this movie gives the best arcs to its main hero, Miles goes through a journey of self discovery and finding himself all while struggling with the distance he creates with his family, especially his mom whom he keeps lying to, and her trying to understand what is going on with her son, to the point where she’s scared of him moving away from her.

Miles also feels like an outcast even with his peers, when he discovers the Spider-Verse, Gwen and Peter are against him joining the team for his safety, Miles then feels pressured to prove himself in order to gain respect and inclusion, which does not end up really well.

In the end, he chooses to do it his way, and decides to have fate in his powers and do what perceives to be the right thing, and save people when he has the chance to do so, even if it means having to deal with bigger consequences.

Gwen:

Gwen was one of the fan favorites after the release of the first movie, but the sequel gives more depth to her character, and expands upon her struggles, how she lost her best friend, peter parker, how he looked up to her and wanted to be “special” like she is, also justifying her choice to not be involved in friendships anymore.

Gwen also has an ongoing conflict with her dad, the captain of the city, who hates Spider-Woman and is leading a manhunt against her, blaming her for the murder of Peter, and how that creates a conflict with her father as Gwen, which leads to a confrontation and an identity reveal.

I think it was very smart to include Gwen as one of the protagonists of the movie for obvious reasons, now we know more about her, we sympathize with her as a heroine, and its show 

the similarities her and Miles are experiencing, establishing her role to be more than a love interest and I’m all here for it!

Other characters: 

I think the highlight of this movies is the hundreds of Spider-people we see, each with their own personality, costumes and very funny cameos too! 

My favorites have to be Spider Girl (Peter’s baby), Spider-Woman, Pavitr and Spider-Punk!

Animation and Music:

I think it’s necessary to have a whole section on this review dedicated to praise the animators and the song mixers for this movie, and It’s safe to say that without these two, the magic of the film wouldn’t be the same, I mean just imagine if It wasn’t an animated movie! and If it didn’t have such great singles like “What’s Up Danger”! 

truly a tragedy.

The animation for this movie specifically was really amazing, they combined multiple coloring styles to create the personality of each story like Gwen’s watercolor world in the start of the movie, the battle scenes are epic especially in the Spider hunt scenes with Miles and Miguel.

For the Score of the movie, I personally like the last track “Across The Spider-Verse (Start a Band)” track,I think the music really fits the last and best moments of the movie!

In conclusion, and If you haven’t got it yet, I’m In LOVE with this movie! (I mean, why else would I write a whole essay about it right ?) It’s the perfect sequel to a perfect first, and I’m convinced it’s the best movie of the year and one of the best superhero movies ever !

So if you haven’t watched it yet, I highly encourage you to do so, because It is a great watch even for people who know nothing about Spider-Man.

If you did, well let me know in the comments so we can talk about it even more, cause I’m not even close to being done with it yet!

[rose-of-oz]

OC HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE — Day Twelve: The Final Girl

In which Dot Watanabe and her crazy little found family of former Army Rangers have barely been on the run from the government, just starting up their little vigilantes-for-money business, for a full year when they find themselves hunted by a former enemy. This man, a hitman left over from a crime syndicate the team took down while still in the Army, is on a mission to kill the team responsible for the deaths and imprisonment of so many of his colleagues - and for the most part, he succeeds in a terrible way.

Hannibal, the man who’d saved Dot from being thrown out of the Army, who’d always treated her like his own child. B.A., the closest thing to a big brother she’d ever had, who let her drive his van even when it pained him and protected her even though he knew she didn’t need it. Face, one of the most annoying people she’d ever met but also her best friend. Even Murdock, with his wild eyes and gentle hands and sun-bright smile, who Dot had loved more than anything…

All gone. All dead by the former hitman’s hand, struck down and bleeding out in Dot’s arms by the pull of his trigger. Dot is the only one left.

But this bastard is going to regret leaving her for last. Because now Dot has had time to analyze his methods - his favorite positions to shoot from, what guns he uses and how they can be dismantled. Because he underestimated how deeply and fiercely Dot cared for her teammates, her family, and how far she would go to hurt those who hurt the people she cares about.

Because this man - this murdering, doomed man - has forgotten a very important saying: “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”. And Hell cannot even imagine the fury when one of the greatest snipers the American military has ever seen is on a mission to kill the man who took her family away from her.

It’s all come down to this, the last stand. There’s two people left, or at least two important people left; the killer and the final girl. She’s fought tooth and nail, and grief has made way for rage. At first she was just another potential victim, now she’s in the killers way and she won’t go down easy. In the beginning she just wanted to survive, but like Laurie Strode now she wants revenge. Which OC becomes the monsters monster?

General Taglist: @hiddenqveendom, @auxiliarydetective, @foxesandmagic, @artemisocs, @reyofluke-ocs, @endless-oc-creations, @stanshollaand, @ginevrastilinski-ocs, @luucypevensie, @carmens-garden, @arrthurpendragon, @fakedatings, @impales, @claryxjackson, @dancingsunflowers-ocs, @eddysocs, @lucys-chen, @oneirataxia-girl, @ocappreciationtag.

[fardell24b]

Spider Quinn 07: Ashes to Ashes - Part 7

Quinn heard a knock at the bedroom door. Just as well she wasn’t doing something SpiderGirl related. She opened it and found Jenna holding a hairbrush. “Jenna?”

“Quinn. I’m not going to need this anymore,” Jenna said, waving the hairbrush.

“Oh. What about Mom or Daria?”

“I thought you would appreciate it more.”

Quinn took the brush. “Thanks,” she said with a smile. “But I already have a lot of brushes.”

“Oh.”

“But I think I know someone who doesn’t have many.”

“That’s fine,” Jenna said.

But Quinn could tell that she was disappointed. “But, I could keep it.”

“You don’t have to,” Jenna said in a reassuring tone.

Quinn nodded with a smile. She decided to change the topic. “So, there’s a reason you did all this?”

“Lots of reasons,” Jenna said. “My life hasn’t been that great. I didn’t have friends at school, and I fell into the wrong crowd at College. Ended up abusing various substances, not just alcohol, and got into a few bad relationships…”

“You don’t need to say more,” Quinn said, after Jenna trailed off and was quiet.

“And I lost various family members. Which is another reason I came in here.”

“I have Mom, Daria and Stacy, Tiffany, and now Tori,” Quinn said.

“And that’s good. But you probably need more help.”

“I’ll think about that.”

“A good idea,” Jenna said. She then said good night and left the room.

Quinn then went back to what she was working on.

SpiderGirl emerged from the side bedroom window in the early hours. She then walked on the roof and sat above the spare room. She could hear sounds coming from below. Jenna was still having nightmares. But then she also was having nightmares. There were many nights when she had awoken from reliving that moment when her father became still on the side of the road beside his car. She shook her head and focused on listening to Lawndale.

She soon heard sirens near the Big Strawberry. She headed in that direction.

Peterson saw SpiderGirl arrive. “I knew you would be here,” she said.

“What do you have?” she asked.

“Overdose,” Peterson said. “A friend called it in, said that the person was tripping and wanted to climb the Strawberry. Unfortunately, the ambulance wasn’t able to make it in time.”

SpiderGirl was annoyed. It was something she saw occasionally on the news in Highland, but not yet in Lawndale. “I’ll get all the dealers!” she declared.

“I’m afraid that more would come,” Peterson said in a tone of defeat.

SpiderGirl knew that tone from those Highland news reports. She approached the victim. “Not again!” she said. “Lawndale will be CLEAN!”

“Simply saying that won’t help,” Peterson said. “I know you averted a deal yesterday, but you can’t be everywhere.”

“I know,” SpiderGirl said quietly. “But I’ll try.”

Peterson watched as the metahuman vigilante swung away. She hoped that she would be able to make some difference. She didn’t want Lawndale to get worse, although she knew that it would before things got better.

SpiderGirl patrolled various parts of Lawndale until the pre-dawn glow appeared in the eastern sky.

Lawndale Sun-Herald

Friday December 12, 1999

Mayor Promises No Tolerance of Crime

Quinn couldn’t get back to sleep. The image of the dead addict was now prominent in her mind, although it wasn’t any where near as prominent as her father saying ‘With great power comes great responsibility’.

As soon as the alarm went off she jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom.

“Oh, has Jenna been keeping you awake?” Daria asked when she came out.

“A little,” Quinn said. “I do have nightmares, sometimes,” she admitted quietly.

“Me too,” Daria said. “Obviously not like yours. I miss Dad a lot.”

The two sisters then hugged. It more being Quinn throwing her hands around the other than the two actually hugging.

Daria didn’t fight it

“Thanks,” Quinn said as she released her sister from the hug.

Jenna was already ready to leave when the two sisters came down. “Thanks for having me,” she said to Helen.

“You can give me a call when you get back,” Helen said.

“I shall,” Jenna said as she hugged Helen. She waved to Daria and Quinn and then left.

“Constant change,” Quinn mused as she left the house with Daria.

“That’s life,” Daria said.

“This time last week, I wouldn’t have expected that I would dissolve the Fashion Club.”

“Wasn’t that Stacy and Tiffany as well?” Daria asked.

“Yes. But I had hoped that Sandi and I would still be friends.”

“Quinn, she has seen you change due to grief and she’s not sure what to make of it. It says a lot about the other two that they have stuck with you.”

“It does, doesn’t it? Now there’s Tori, although I don’t know her well,” Quinn said.

“I’m sure that she’ll stick around. She may have a reputation for gossip, but I haven’t heard her disparage people much.”

“That’s true.”

“And I still have Jane,” Daria said.

“I’m sure she’ll stick around.”

The day at school was relatively normal. It seemed that Sandi had paused her rumormongering.

That evening, there was another call from the Gupty’s. “Hello,” Helen said.

“Lauren Gupty here.”

“I’ll put Quinn on.”

“Thanks.”

“Mrs. Gupty?” Quinn asked when she had grabbed the phone.

“Evening Quinn. Lester and I need to be out again tomorrow night.”

“I can be there,” Quinn responded.

“Thanks.”

Lawndale Sun-Herald

Saturday, December 13, 1999

Overdose victim found at Big Strawberry

Quinn brought Jenna’s hairbrush with her to the Gupty’s. She was sure that Tricia would appreciate the gesture.

“That’s pretty,” Tricia said once Quinn took it out of her handbag.

“It belonged to a person who pretended to be an old friend of my mothers. Would you like it?”

“That person won’t mind?”

“I think she'd be happy knowing I gave it to someone with such pretty hair,” Quinn responded.

“Wait…”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ll keep it. Anyway, Tad and I finally have a Nintendo. Would you like to play?”

“I have played Mario Paint,” Quinn said.

“Sounds boring,” Tricia said.

“Not as boring as it sounds. Besides, Stacy has a PlayStation.”

After an hour or so playing Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Tad and Tricia were tiring. “Time to get ready for bed.”

“Sure,” Tricia said as she turned the system off.

After leaving the Gupty’s later that night, SpiderGirl patrolled that part of Lawndale, hoping that she was making a difference. She owed Tad and Tricia, and others she babysat that much. ‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility,’ she thought as she passed by that house again.

[teensadventuresstudio]

The story of Pommel Creed (P.Creed welcome home -Assasin's Creed)

takes place in renaissance, in Italy, where a young man named Wally Darling lives, he has a sister named Julie Darlin and his two brothers, the oldest Jon darling who always got into trouble and his younger brother Beau Darling who loved collecting feathers.

Everyone loved Wally, he was seen as a king, everyone surrounded them .... but the King of France became jealous, because Wally was loved by everyone and everyone said that he should be the king, Wally was always very Humble and Charitable, his heart was bigger and he was not bitter, he always forgave everyone. until one day the King found out that the Serpent Clan, a rival house to Wally's house, died of envy of him, because they possessed valuable relics that were hidden inside the house, so the coveted king also proposed a deal with the Serpents, kill Wally and bring his family to strength and these relics, that I will make them sick and not kill them for it, and that happened, they surrounded Wally's family.

Wally y went to the secret room to get the family relic, as his father had asked for the ceremony of passage so that his brother Jon would now be responsible for the job of serving the house and be the next to inherit the Snitch Family Farms, the golden snitch was the most used relic at the ceremonies, he put it in his pocket, but when he left he saw that his parents were caught and his 2 brothers too, he tried to make his sisters flee to the house of the friend of the family while he took the time to bring the people of the Clan of the serpent, however he was kidnapped, they spaced him until "death" leaving his left eye blind with an X-shaped scar and they hanged his two brothers and his father, already his sister and mother fled to his family friend's house desolate by the deaths.

3 years passed.... and Wally woke up, he didn't know how he survived, he just tried to find the relic but it was gone, those idiots took it, he then took his necklace from his father who gave it to him, a gold necklace in the shape of an ancient apple coat of arms, he held it tight.... so he tried to return home, he was received by Boris who said that his 2 brothers and his father had been killed, that the cities were taken by the clan and that many are being killed for this, Wally's life fell to the ground, he couldn't stand to hear that, he wanted justice, he wanted the blood of his enemies, he wanted to free his city and what was left of his family... so the friend, seeing the determination of the boy, decided to teach him about his family's secret, the art and of being a "pommel Punisher", he then improved his stealth and combat skills with a friendship to give justice deserved to the death of his family and his people.... he was no longer Wally but the fearsome Eks Wally the Punisher of the pommel.

(i spent a little bit on assassin's creed - ezio auditore)

Eks Wally: all his enemies call him Eks Wally, this nickname stuck in the city, everyone loves Eks Wally, Eks Wally is a great vigilante, he tries to help the city to re-establish itself, and regain justice for the family, stop this Dictatorship of the king and recover the stolen relic, he is a stealthy and skillful assassin, all his enemies fear him, he has his qualities intact ... but he messed with his family with a flaming sword.

Julie Darling: julie is her younger sister she is only 5'56" tall she is petite but very strong and protective of her siblings, she is determined and can be stubborn at times, she always prioritizes the well being of her siblings can get upset when they try to get into something bigger than them.

Boris: Boris is the best friend of the loyal family, wise and attentive, he is not the main character, but he is the tutor and great master of the family's Punisher arts, he always helped Wally's father, Ezio, in his travels and combats, and now he is passing the sword to Ezio, so that he can get justice for the family and save the City from Dictatorship, he is always calm, patient and calm, he saw Wally and his brothers grow... because he made a promise to take care of E's family zio forever, until his death.

The story of Pommel Creed (SC welcome home -Assasin's Creed) my au - @teensadventuresstudio

[valentinehorrors]

You're my only desire

(TW: bl00d mention)

Something was wrong.

Casey already knew he was different than other people, a little more insane and more willing to put himself in danger, yes. He was stupid, something else that was not new information.

But truly, he put himself in a very stupidly dangerous situation.

At first, he thought that Mikey was just isolated. Keeping secrets that were driving him insane, that all he needed was someone he could be honest to. That's who Casey wanted to be, someone Mikey didn't have to hide to.

Then shit got complicated. Because the more Casey learned about Mikey, wanting to be his one friend, the more he realized there was a reason Mikey was hiding.

Then his own thrill seeking, danger loving, stupid side kicked in. Casey has always been well-meaning, a good heart, but willing to do whatever needs to be done. Mikey was a whole new shade of gray that Casey was not ready for.

The more Casey thought about it, the more he fought himself over it. Initially, Casey thought that Mikey had just been dealt a bad hand, a shitty as hell hand. The human wasn't sure what he would do if he had the same needs as Mikey, would he have done anything different?

Mikey isn't really malicious right? At least, Casey hopes he's not. Besides, he's not really in a place to judge, he's pretty fucked up in the head too.

After all, his first thought at seeing Mikey, bloody, surrounded by torn apart bodies, was "that's kinda hot." It probably also helped that he had kinda saved him. A bunch of thugs and none of his vigilante gear, if Mikey hadn't had shown up...

Yeah, okay, a lot of mixed feelings. Mainly two feelings actually, the feeling of "Holy shit this guy can kill me" and "Holy shit this guy will kill anyone for me."

But there's also... "If I don't stay, there's not gonna be anyone else able to reel him back."

He felt bad whenever he had that thought though, he didn't want that to be the soul reason of their friendship, because truly it wasn't. Besides, even if it came to that, he had no idea if he would even be able to.

Little did he know, he wasn't going to be needing confirmation for much longer.

"So, you don't like April? Like at all?" It was another one of their late night talks, same rooftop. They were leaning against each other, back to back. Mikey's shell wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world but Casey didn't really mind or care. Said human was also preoccupied with Mikey's kusarigama. He was curious and the turtle let him fiddle with it.

"No. I greatly dislike her." Mikey said, as cold as ever.

"Like why though? She's chill ain't she?"

"Originally, it's because she was someone new to take into account. A lot is taken into consideration when it comes to my mask, part of the reason it works so well is because I know how my family works. Someone new added risk, she could catch on to my tricks, or find some discrepancy. Unlikely, but possible. She was an unpredictable variable that annoyed me."

Casey hummed in response as he swung the blade by the chain, careful not to hurt himself or Mikey. At least he thought he was being careful, then Mikey grabbed the handle before the blade could collide with Casey's shoulder, without needing to even turn his head. Casey chuckled nervously as he took it back and continued fiddling with the chain. "But anyway, why now?"

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon Mike."

"... You."

Casey paused, turning his head to try to look at Mikey. Ending up way closer than anticipated, the human's head on the turtle's shoulder. Mikey's own eyes at the same time turning to Casey, that familiar shiver going through him. "Me? I'm why you hate April?"

"Yes... It's no secret Casey. I'm... attached to you..."

"Obsessed more like." Casey lightly joked

"As though you don't enjoy it."

Casey's not sure why he blushed at that, other than he's fucked in the head. "Shut up. Still, it's just joking. Don't think she's into me at all either. I just like pushing at her buttons and sometimes she fucks around right back. Just teasing."

"I am allowed to still not like it, or her." There was a slight furrow of his brow, it was the most Casey had ever seen of Mikey aside from his unnerving smiles.

"Oh shit," Casey paused, thinking over his words, "you... really hate her huh?..."

Mikey nodded, "That doesn't mean I want you to stop being her friend. Don't misunderstand. Besides, it would be far too suspicious if you changed your dynamic so drastically."

Casey chuckled nervously once again "right..."

There was a tension in the air the second the girl's name was brought up. Casey had been worried but as the conversation moved on and the tension dissipated, he dismissed it.

He really shouldn't have.

Casey wasn't exactly sure how he did it, but he knew Mikey was watching him almost 24/7. Sometimes it was even a comfort to feel that familiar shiver pass through him. He recognized the difference now, knowing when he was simply cold versus Mikey watching him.

But something felt off today, he wasn't sure what it was, but something was up. Mikey usually just checks in on him every once in a while, but this time he swore Mikey's eyes just didn't leave him at all. He's not necessarily complaining, the whole situation had a thrill that Casey could never resist, Mikey was right about that.

It was just a thrill. Just some fun. Yes, Casey knew that Mikey was deadly, he saw it first hand. Hell, he had been pretty shaken up initially. But clearly Mikey had a handle on his darker side and his whole hunger thing. It was just a thrill. Mikey was always so mindful of his mask and keeping up appearances, he'd never endanger it.

...

Casey never thought he'd walk in to the lair, and see a kusarigama blade over the girl's neck.

[trckstaer]

𝐓𝐑𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 :

— genuinely one of the longest posts I have ever posted.

A brief note that every single one of my muses has a half-blood verse and a daemon verse that I am always excited to use !

˖ ࣪⭑ . . . Marvel

May Parker's home for injured vigilantes. Head emergency room nurse May who, after realising her nephew is a vigilante adopts a ' as long as you do it under my roof so I can make sure you're safe ' policy, starts having other heroes dropped on her fire escape to patch up. Also, her cancer storyline would be epic to write.

Uncle Ben who lives and loses his arm in the shooting but is around enough to help Peter when he needs it, keep him good and moral without having to die to make sure it happens, makes space so Peter can fix up his suit whilst he works late in the garage.

Peter realises he is very genuinely the lamest Spider-Man in every universe. He has no special talents, cannot do ballet, annoys the fuck out of Miguel and burned all bridges with the billionaire he knew post accords.

Make Matt use his senses, and explore the world around him with them. Very rarely does he get the chance to just sit with them ; during the day he has to act like a regular blind person, and as Daredevil it's all about adrenaline and moving fast. Also, I am a sucker for one-night stand threads with him, because he is a player until he gets his person.

Frank being forced to be soft and gentle with your muse and taking care of them when they're hurt is super important to me however, I also adore the threads where the Punisher just gets to be insane and talented with his weapons in a fight.

Dadpool taking care of his daughter and being responsible and careful and still insane. Wade breaking into the spiderverse and being the fucking worst. Deadpool meets deities when he's waiting for Lady Death to send him back post-mortem.

Someone being kind to Vanessa, treating her gently and asking to see her skin, not the disguise that Copycat and Xavier thought up together for her to wear.

Slice of life in the Hellhouse stuff ! People are confronted with the reality of what Weasel goes through in a day of getting mercenaries weapons and jobs. Weasel vs Spider-Man stuff where he finally gets to confront Peter Parker.

I'd be really into a thread where Hawkeye is forced to drop his dumb guy act and people are reminded that he is a highly competent spy and archer with abilities beyond what is publicly known.

College years Rhodey being the exhausted roommate of one Anthony Stark. Rhodey mourning his sister. Rhodey learning to be a good uncle and primary carer to his niece Lila.

Let Happy Hogan date one of his bosses, boy has never met an authority figure he didn't fall immediately and deeply in love with.

Despite raising his two sons, Vision finally finds people that help him understand and find respite from how alone he so often feels.

After the death of his momma, Harley Keener who is raising his baby sister and selling his inventions on the black market, all while running his family farm alone is suddenly confronted with being moved out to New York for college and someone stepping up to help him finally.

Johnny Storm makes a good, reliable friend who finally helps him shake that horrific loneliness he is constantly plagued with, helps him deal with the trauma and addiction and also is just good at making sure the trouble he gets into is lighthearted.

After being stranded on a planet ( very possibly earth ) Nebula very quickly grows a beautiful and extravagant nursery of plants and tries to ignore how she doesn't really fit in anywhere.

Very tired, very grumpy, teacher Wolverine who honestly doesn’t want to be there but also doesn’t want the grief he’d get from his coworkers if he tried to quit the academy.

Bubbly, over-excited teacher, Kid Omega, who’s on strict probation because of the whole trying to start riots thing, but still won't stop talking to the kids about why policing minorities is a problem. 

˖ ࣪⭑ . . . Mythology

Biblical Mythology

Famously irresponsible Gabriel being the last eligible angel left to take on the role of leader of Heaven, them being forced to go back despite the last time they were there being the day they fled after losing their wife and children in the war. Them having to take care of something even when it's hard.

Imprisoned Uriel having visitors in any form, maybe souls who escaped their Heavens or other angels sneaking in or ! Her escaping and being taken in by the people who find her on earth, being confused and gullible.

Tired of endlessly partying and fighting, Balthazaar finds offers up his services as an archivist for the hunters instead, documenting everything he can remember about Heaven no matter how painful.

Greek Mythology

Ares takes care of something on earth and falls completely in love with a mortal, finding them so beautiful and hiding them away so Aphrodite has no chance of finding them and becoming jealous, living as much of their life with them as he possibly could — going so far as to abandon all of his duties to stay by their side.

Any and all interactions with the other Gods. Persephone who is seen as a child far too often for her liking, instead of the incredibly powerful and dramatic Goddess that she is, proving everyone wrong and being part of the solution.

The other strategic and intelligent Gods taught Phobos about wisdom and war when he was young and him looking up to them and crushing on them for the whole of his life.

After being cursed by the fates for spreading dread to the entire human population instead of just soldiers as he was meant to, I think it would be really cool to do a thread where Deimos first starts losing his mind and gaining his incredibly difficult-to-deal-with amounts of empathy and is found doing not-so-great by another muse.

˖ ࣪⭑ . . . Literature

The Shadowhunter Chronicles

No longer a vampire and only newly a shadowhunter, Simon struggles to find places where he fits in because neither group is warm to him ; the downworlders not trusting him anymore, and the shadowhunters not trusting him yet.

University professor Ragnor Fell being manic and obsessed with how intelligent his students are and unable to stop talking about it to his friends, whether he's working at a mundane school or at the shadowhunter academy.

Your muse opens the door to Catarina who is exhausted, with her little girl ( Madzie ) in tow, who starts her introduction with the sentence ' it has been a week and a half since I have had a conversation with someone who was not a patient in the emergency room or four, please can I come have a coffee ? '

The Riordanverse

A verse to explore what would have happened if Thalia had claimed the prophecy to spare both Percy and Nico a miserable fate once she saw how much it meant to the camp.

Dark Percy. I am desperate to explore a verse in which maybe Percy can’t save his mom and so turns his back on the gods in order to join Luke, especially once he's told about the prophecy and realises Chiron's plan had been to raise him like a lamb to slaughter.

Resurrected as a God in order to be punished for eternity, Luke is sent to Camp Half-Blood to serve his time there as a carer of the half-bloods he would have fought in the war had they been older at the time he brought Kronos back.

The Hunger Games

In a lot of the discussions I have about Cato post the end of the rebellion, I talk about the boy who is barely an adult who sits on his porch and watches the woods all day almost paralysed in fear but I want a thread where someone gets through to him and proves to him that it is worth making amends where he needs to and healing and learning to be a person with the aid of your muse.

More than anything, I want threads where someone is kind to Katniss, and in return, Katniss is kind back. After losing everything, and trying to heal over all of her grief, there is a forceful part of Katniss that wants to learn to be nice and gentle because she doesn't have to be a defence between herself and her people anymore.

˖ ࣪⭑ . . . Television

Stranger Things

Someone notices how Heather is living, how her parents don't talk about her or how she does everything for herself, way sooner. I want a thread where Heather offers support to someone and in return there is another voice ( an actual friend unlike all the people that call her a friend but really just use her for status, sex, or parties ) to fill up the silence she's usually surrounded by.

It would be super exciting to write literally any thread with Jason post-season 4 : his recovery where someone finally forces him to get out of bed and start doing his physical therapy, something during his manic period when he finally tasted freedom in college and goes a little mad with it and then comes back to Hawkins in the holidays covered in tattoos and piercings with hickeys on his neck, kind Jason who is good and worked to make amends in the town before going off to medical school and then starts working at a hospital's pediatric unit where he bumps into a familiar face from his past and their kid.

Vampire Eddie coming back to Hawkins to check on his Uncle after his reputation was saved and he was proven innocent. The government provides him money and coolers of something to make up for the abandonment he faced by them in the Upside Down. Him making it big time with Corroded Coffin. Eddie goes to the gay bar an hour and a half out of town with the handkerchief in his back pocket and runs into a familiar face.

Raised in Hawkins but having fled as soon as she could, Susan moved back with just her daughter Max as soon as she realised the type of man Neil was. She finally claims her dad’s house with the promise to herself that she would get rid of any trace of him in there. It gives her the ability to pay attention to Max the way a mom should.

The way that Benny keeps his diner open late for the truckers that bring him a lot of business, but also because Benji's diner was the only place that was open late enough for Benny to get some rest when his abusive piece of shit dad kicked him out at night, and he wants to be able to offer that respite wherever he can to whoever needs it.

Similarly, the open door policy that Wayne Munson enforces consistently for the sake of other kids like his boy Eddie and his old partner Robbie. Steve needs to escape from that big empty house ? Maxine finding it hard to sleep with her mom on the night shift ? Literally any kid who needs a safe space ? He just wants them to know they can knock on his door and sleep on the pullout sofa bed if they need a place.

Supernatural

Any and all Benny Lafitte being the lord of purgatory threads.

Bobby’s junkyard being operational and a known hunter-safe camp where he ends up being a surrogate dad for most of the time, but also finally having help with the stuff that’s a little more difficult from his chair.

The Last of Us

Maybe a verse where Joel managed to save Sarah but the two grew apart because in a world where she lives, Joel never has to angelify her. They talk and Joel helps with his grandbaby whenever he can but at the end of the day, they are both traumatised and Joel made mistakes as a dad. I want a thread where Joel still goes out to deliver Ellie, but has a reason to go home again after.

Very slowly, Bill relaxes around your muse and starts trusting that things are going to be okay at least for a while and as long as he keeps up his defences around the village. He even goes as far as to let the occasional desperate survivor stay as long as they didn't touch his supplies or arsenal and didn't pose a risk.

The Walking Dead

It would be cool to do a thread where Negan is locked under house arrest and raising Dylan as best he can, taking care of her and only occasionally seeing any other living people. Your muse drops off one of his deliveries of formula or whatever for his baby girl and Negan convinces them to stay for a while.

Any and all threads where Lori proves she is worthwhile : threads where something the kids have learned from her saves the day, threads where she is willing to risk herself to help the babies, threads where her experience as a mother helps the new mothers. Threads where she paints and helps people relax just a little by teaching them to as well.

Doctor Who

The Doctor saving everyone for once and is furious after and having to explain that the reason why is because he couldn't even do that for his own people, not even for his own husband, his own children.

Hannibal

Really really into the idea of Hannibal teaching someone to cook. No matter at what part of the verse — pre-fall, post-fall, in a beach house in another country and your muse knows him by another name — I think the idea is super fun. Whether or not your muse knows he's a cannibal, I think there's room for Hannibal to be charming and seductive and snarky.

FBI agent Jack Crawford getting to show off that he is damned good at his job, no matter what's happening with Riley or Bella, him proving that he was given his role for a reason. Also I have been obsessed with the idea since I read about it but Jack figuring out Will's confliction before it becomes obvious because he was a profiler once and a good enough one to be head of his department.

Sherlock

Any and all explorations of John's past and how it affects his present. His time as a Captain in the army makes up so much of who he is now and how he is even with his daughter Rosie, that it seems strange how little it came up in canon.

Merlin

Being captured and returned to Camelot whilst pregnant with her son, Morgana being held captive because at this point in the story, she is still seen as an easily manipulated girl who fell down the wrong path. Merlin tells her about his magic and the two of them commiserating with each other. Morgana trying to make amends.

Good dad verse where Uther loves his son more than he hates magic, he realises this when he catches Merlin saving Arthur for the first time and captures Merlin secretly. Alongside his paycheck, he gives the sorcerer books on magic that had been long since banned and in return, Merlin is to continue keeping his boy alive — as long as the magic stays a secret.

Just the general adventures of first knight Leon, him trying to decide whether magic is good or evil based on his own experiences with it rather than the fact that Uther helped raise him after his sister died.

Lord Gwaine who has to go home and claim his land and titles once his sister becomes gravely ill or else risks losing his knighthood. I so desperately want to write Gwaine as his intended, bratty self.

˖ ࣪⭑ . . . Original Characters

I think it would be cool to have Elaerea meet someone who, in a better reality, would have been a bigger part of her life such as Sansa when she spent time at the vale or Jon or Ned. Also, maybe threads between her and other Targaryens or even Bran since they both have the power of sight ( even if Elaerea's is so much less broad ).

Any threads where MJ gets to spend time with the rest of the Watson family. Any threads where he gets to interact with the spider-verse. Any future threads where we see MJ in soft domestic situations with their Spider-Man ( maybe even with their own Mayday ).

I want Edie to have friends who can help her be a normal woman who gets to do ordinary young adult things like going to bars and painting her room. Edie needs to be able to make her own choices and prove to herself that she is worth more than who her father or brother was.

Workaholic Melanoë being very gently coaxed into having fun and being reckless. Cautious Noë letting loose and fighting a jerk who tries to push her around. Counselor Noë helping your muse cope a little better after a battle.

I would be really invested in threads where people witness Mercury reading aloud and manifesting things into reality, and them surprising him by not asking anything of him once they know.

Any and all interactions where Mapone gets to talk to other legacy kids, because whilst I love and obsess over the idea of her being a brat to the older trying to help train her, I also like the idea of her making friends and getting into trouble with the others.

Candace Nelson being a general nuisance to herself and others: ditching school and ending up in trouble and needing rescuing, teaching your middle aged blorbo slang, and generally being a teenager.

[spocks-evil-godmother]

just a bullet point list of me whining about netflix's wednesday because i didn't like it :(

i'm not tagging as wednesday because i don't want to yuck on the yum of the fans but i just need a catharsis after... THAT

Mitch's List of Problems with this dang tv show:

I think my big complaint, the overall issue, my central grumble, if you will, is that this show is a hard-boiled detective story that isn't very funny. this is not a deal-breaker for everyone and i know it. but it definitely ticks me off. i think, for me, the central value of the addams family is NOT in its ability to be edgy or goth or cringe or whatever, but in its ability to parody family life as it is commonly constructed. the simplicity of the original cartoons captures these moments well and with good humor—a grandma making cookies that are only spooky shapes, blowing out a wall to get a good view of the cemetery, pride in a "negative" report card, "'are you unhappy my darling?' 'yes, yes, completely <3'" It works! It is a spirit that I think the 1964 series and the 90s films adequately respond to as comedies about families.

You know what is not in the spirit of comedic family parody? Hard-boiled detective stories. Which is perhaps a silly point of me to get wrapped up on, but also! I cannot fucking get over it. as a recap for anyone not familiar with the hardboiled detective genre, it arose largely as a response to classic detective fiction (see: sherlock holmes) in which the detective is operating in a world that tends towards order and logic, is temporarily disordered by xyz heinous crime, but is restored to its ordered state by a helpful detective. Hardboiled detectives, on the other hand, operate in a world where we are assuming inherent disorder—at the end of the day, people are selfish and bad, innocence is transient at best, and you can't trust anyone. Hardboiled detectives tend to focus on justice and power. They often operate in a vigilante capacity. And to win against the chaotic and dangerous power of crime, the detective himself must also become chaotic and dangerous. These detectives often tend to be antiheroes as they take on the weight of certain immoralities for the sake of the greater good. (this is the tradition that batman came out of.)

so there is a joke! there is a joke and i see it. in a genre sense, it is a funny concept to make a hardboiled detective (who happens to be wednesday addams) who believes in doing crime to stick to her personal code of justice and that she is alone in this dark world, and then put her in a setting where everyone wants to be her best friend. i see the joke and i understand the joke but personally i don't think the joke landed very well.

AND THEN???? Like, where do we land, what is the point! When there are other characters who are genuinely sympathetic and are beacons of light who want to cooperate, but the sake of the genre demands wednesday's isolation and rejection of all around her.... I DON'T KNOW. WRITE YOUR GENRE BETTER TIM!!!!

the pilgrim stuff i also disliked. i don't think a single pilgrim-themed thing was handled well.

i also don't love the way that "outcasts" are an apparent class of person in this world. To me....... it feels like they are writing about a caste system but then doing no worldbuilding about it. Normies are apparently fully aware of the existence of werewolves and vampires and so on, but i truly did not find the clout of the social hierarchy to be compelling. also i don't understand why gomez addams is not a normie. is this a school for supernatural creatures and also people who wear black? why is that an oppressed class.

and yet DESPITE the fact that outcasts are an apparently distinct and valuable group of people, there is no love for weirdos in this show????? i felt like wednesday kept staking her claim as the One True Weirdo in the show and that everyone else's weirdness was completely discounted. I get that wednesday has a natural antagonism with weems, thornhill, and the psychiatrist because she hates authority. but i cannot think of a single character who truly expressed a love of weirdness in others. And the interesting thing is, that's actually usually Morticia's job!! One of my favorite lines in the addams family musical is this part where lucas is making his introductions and that his name is lucas, and that he is named after an uncle who got his leg pulled off in a logging accident or some such and morticia says, "oh, what a beautiful story!" There is no mutualism of admiration in the wednesday universe (which makes sense for a hardboiled detective, as everyone is her enemy), but it's actually devastating to me. the closest person i can think of is is Ms. Thornhill, but, as we discover in the end, she can only compliment that which she wishes to destroy. i remain very disappointed on this point because loving the strange is kind of.... the point????

this whole point will be in bold because i am so mad. WEDNESDAY'S REJECTION OF THE SNEED IS UNFORGIVABLE TO ME. i am a crafter and so that whole thread kind of broke my heart generally, but i think it was the solidifying moment where i realized that wednesday would just never get her head out of her asshole. i want to be the kind of person who supports women's wrongs. Wednesday is manipulative, self-centered, and blinded by her emotions. All this I could forgive. But when someone isn't strange and unusual on your own terms (and they put a lot of work into that, by the way), you suddenly are allergic to being unique??? JUMP IN A WELL WEDNESDAY

The mayor. The coroner. The way those particular men of color were used as props. Just has a racist air around the whole thing. tim burton has always had an issue with class and hates writing about poor people but I dunno. This felt especially thoughtless for one of his projects.

the only thing i thought was funny was pugsley eating potpourri. which is a little sad to me.

I don't know if Tyler being the Hyde was predictable on purpose or not but it made me mad that like… they somehow used that to make him less interesting. Like ooohhhhh when Tyler was a small town barista who liked pretty girls and watching Legally Blonde he was Special and Important but when it turns out he's a monster then there's nothing relevant or redeemable in his personality ever again! WHERE IS THE LOVE FOR THE WEIRDOS I ASK THIS AGAIN. I have to tell you all that all of the Wednesday/Enid shipping from when the first season dropped left me WOEFULLY unprepared for how much this show is ANTI MONSTERFUCKING. It's not even a little bit of a monsterfucking show. What a fucking nightmare.

I knew Christina Ricci would also be evil when she was introduced but I am sad for her that her whole character was just horny for pilgrim justice instead of something more delectable.

AND THEN. They killed Principal Weems. My favorite character. (If you are wondering why I watched eight hours of this show when I didn't like it. Principal Weems. So I have no reason to watch the next season, alas.) UGH.

Things I Liked Because It Seems Fair to Say:

thing almost dying

morticia and gomez

eugene <3

principal weemssssssss

I feel like I am out of touch with the teenage experience and so cannot adequately appreciate how it must feel to feel completely justified in thinking you are the only person on earth who has ever felt different so you may also take that grain of salt.

Anyways. I cannot believe this show.

[hersterical]

Alright, I literally cannot stop thinking about these friendships.

Right from the get go Miles and Sokka have similar “I’m super awkward so I try to be cool and emulate older male figures who I respect but then I’m actually so much cooler and more like those role models than anyone realized once I just start being myself” vibes. So many of the themes explored with these characters are so similar!!!! I love it. But also both of them being these huge science nerds. Put them in a room with The Mechanic! And Hakoda! And Peter B! Can you imagine all the wild crap they would come up with? All of the unintended consequences they forgot to consider because they were just too excited about the science! I think Miles and Hakoda (and maybe Peter as well but only due to experience) would be the voices of reason in that group and that is such a scary thought. Miles could teach Sokka the Shoulder Touch (he tries it on Suki and her reaction is anywhere from laughing to flipping him over on his back) (I also think that Suki and Gwen would really get along while we’re on the subject). A+

And Katara and Hobie!! Adagdhjsksjdk!!!!!!! They would feed off of each other in the scariest, most intense way imaginable. I do think Hobie would try to help Katara to take a step back and think through her plans, but if they have any time to get into a discussion I think Katara could get him up to her level of recklessness. He would have been her literal biggest supporter in her duel against Pakku. And these two just literally can’t stop adopting people into their found family. With these two feeding off of each other their army on The Day of Black Sun/at the end of AtSv would’ve been twice as big. Can you imagine a Katara who is taught by Hobie how to properly channel her anger? Hobie would’ve backed up every single one of Katara’s hope speeches in his own style. There’s also a 50/50 chance that Hobie could’ve convinced Katara in season 1 that Jet was bad news (don’t get me wrong, Hobie at Katara’s age probably would’ve been just as taken in by him as she was but he has experience with charismatic leaders who seemingly offer you everything you could want) (Katara would probably also briefly develop a crush on Hobie. Like the kind of crush you don’t actually expect or even necessarily want something to happen with but this is a person you feel safe with as you’re figuring out what what you do and don’t like). They also have legendary arguments. Their political opinions are in perfect alignment roughly 95% of the time but when they’re not the results are explosive (one time literally). More often their arguments are more about the execution of how to incite a rebellion/confronting one of the others for acting stupid (Hobie believes a little too strongly in letting people learn things the hard way than Katara is usually comfortable with). Katara would be able to see the weight of too much responsibility too soon resting on Hobie’s shoulders better than anyone else just because he’s way too good at hiding behind his cool guy image and yeah, she is the mom friend. She’s the mom friend in all of the best ways (and in some of the not the best ways as well) and seeing the struggles her friends are going through that the others don’t is what she does. It also helps that Hobie is also the mom friend and so that’s just another way they understand each other (political activists/revolutionaries+mom friend= Katara and Hobie). I also think Hobie thinks Katara is unintentionally hilarious. She’s mad about it at first but eventually grows to appreciate it. And let’s not forget that Katara has already dealt out some masked vigilante justice on her own in canon, imagine if she was friends with Spider-Man! If this happens while the gaang is in Ba Sing Se then they could run into The Blue Spirit while they’re out and team up without any of them realizing (it’d be funny if Jet and Zuko stayed together and were vigilante partners as well in this scenario. But Jet would be recognized immediately because even if Zuko convinces Jet to wear a mask it wouldn’t be a full mask and Jet would rather die than part with his hook swords). They would keep their vigilantism a secret from the others because Toph would draw too much attention, Aang can be sneaky but he can’t lie or keep a secret to save his life, and Sokka would be the one holding the brain cell in this situation and insist that they knock it off (if Miles is there he would definitely join them obviously). There are so many ways in which Katara and Hobie are similar, but what I think is the most significant way is that they both have a natural talent in recognizing when others are in need and offering up their own considerable wells of emotional and mental strength in order to nurture the strength within others.

current twitter trend is saying two characters from different universes that would be besties and i feel very strongly about these two

[thebadtimewolf]

20. What kind of individual relationships do they have with others, and how do they behave in them? How are they different between intimate relationships like friends, family, and lovers versus more impersonal relationships?

42 character development questions!

CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS.

20. What kind of individual relationships do they have with others, and how do they behave in them? How are they different between intimate relationships like friends, family, and lovers versus more impersonal relationships?

[it's a long response, so small writing but it's still long so it goes under the cut.]

The Vigilante, at least as far as this blog goes, had a lot of romantic-based or romantic-rooted relationships that may stem from friendship or basic connection in similar interests. Even to those that do not like her, it all goes back to what she considers a simple approach.

key words: what she considers a simple approach. Most if not all interactions involve her mid-through some scenario before unrelated to how they meet others.

It varies upon person. She's more adaptable, more matching one's energy/vibe/reaction until she becomes comfortable enough to show more and more of herself. The exception being that if she is fobwatched (or in more cases than not, partially fobwatched) where she is more verbal, more open.

As far as behavior goes, it depends on both the when and who. if she is far older and fully embraced of herself, tapping into all of her genetics - not just putting her recessive gene (gallifreyan) as her whole thing by default - then she comes across as nostalgic. Detached but very.... coveting towards those she once knew [the duchess incarnation]. There's also the eldritch part of her - becoming unfazed in actions where - if it was any other human or alien muse, they would realistically die or would want to avoid the other muse entirely - she leans heavily into being sensually into it. She wants to be around depravity if her partner/s are into depravity. If her partner is horrified of what they are doing/becoming, she'll do her best to imbue it as their new normal so, they won't feel ostracized (just in case it's permanent) around her.

Currently, she is sort of doing this now. That is to say, she thinks of herself as a monster. Not in a 'I want to change and not be that anymore' way but rather in a 'I am that and it's up to the other person to know their own hard nos and to tell her what those are' way. Asssumptions are out, bluntness is in. Just because the writer may know this do. not. mean. she is automatically in the know. there has to be a vocal exchange. an openess that - yeah, it's gonna make the other uncomfortable - but highly needed. she has dropped the mask of human social dos and donts now, including human common sense versus alien common sense. Luckily, hopefully, she surrounds herself with those that speak their mind - good or bad.

She still asks if it's okay because consent is everything.

As for friends, she has many friends mentioned here or there that she visits from time to time. She just doesn't bring them up unless something reminds her of them.

Impersonal, she is more blunt. Tell very much what she knows, what she does and what she likes, and what she continues to do. Which in some cases come across as villainous or rude. At least she'll apologize for blurting it out but not out of genuine care, just because it was supposed to be to herself not to them. If she kills in front of them and wasn't doing it in a way to protect someone, instead of worrying about witnesses, she tend to just use what is on her to clean herself up. She doesn't know them and it is obvious she does not care. It doesn't take much for her to lean more into the dominant gene aspect of herself to render herself eating bullets unfazed, gleefully enjoying being cut apart and so on and so forth since human weapons (unless altered by aliens (unfortunately silurians and sea devils do not count as aliens, just earthlings) themselves) don't leave scars. That and she built up an endurance to that... as a kink... but mainly from her background fighting in battles on her homeworld (nyintr) than her homeplanet (gallifrey).

Family is different. While she's highly protective, guarded and careful when it comes to Pim: this cannot be said towards her siblings and mother and father. She tends to keep at least her eldest sister, mother, and father in the dark in terms of her relationships. Her father is at least the most understanding put of three. As far as her other siblings, Vin and V, she has the strongest closest sibling dynamic but highly parasitic if they stay constant in each other's spaces in a day-to-day than the agreed upon monthly. Which is due to the source of their origins and how far V and their mother went to make sure they are what they are. Extended family however, is met with mostly distain. As well as anything relating to Gallifreyan or Nyintiran lifestyles which are severe opposites to the point that it is laughable to consider them opposites at all.

However, the Vigilante does not mind introducing people to her family if it as least brief. A week at best. Extended family can go, except her aunt. She was more sympathetic than her now-fraternal twin sister.

[makethatelevenrings]

Shovel Talk // B. Wayne x gn!reader

Requested? Yes!

WARNINGS: brief discussion of sex

Summary: It was the first time Bruce Wayne was introducing his partner to the world...and his kids. His very inquisitive, highly trained, pain-in-the-ass kids.

The steady, firm press of the hand against your lower back was the only constant of the night, it seemed. You were whisked to and fro to talk to various people with a tight smile on your face and honey on your tongue. Your partner kept close to your side as he warmly informed each person that you were his. Your appearance came as a surprise to Gotham society and also to Bruce’s family. Only Stephanie greeted you with a brilliant grin and a quick hug.

“So,” Tim said to the blonde as the Wayne clan sidled up next to their friend. “What’s their story? How do you know them?”

Stephanie smirked, wolfish and sharp, and tossed back the champagne that was in her hand. “Hmmm, the great detectives don’t know something? It must be eating you up. I could put you out of your misery…”

She considered her options and then shrugged. “Or I could go bully some rich assholes. Have fun! Toodles.”

Stephanie placed her champagne flute on a table, gave a little finger wave to the gaggle of fellow vigilantes, and escaped into the crowd of people. Dick glanced at Damian, Tim at Duke, and Jason at Cass. Unspoken words flowed between the pairs and they nodded.

They would figure out who this mysterious figure hanging off of their father’s arm was by the end of the night. They were determined.

Bruce finally left your side to speak with investors, leaving you to stroll through the gala on your own. It was then that the first team decided to strike.

“Hi!” Richard Grayson appeared in front of you, one hand on Damian Wayne’s shoulder. “I’m Dick and this is Damian. You are…?”

“Y/N,” you replied smoothly. “Your father has told me plenty about you two.”

“That’s interesting because we’ve heard nothing about you,” Dick said cheerfully. “How did you and Bruce meet?”

You grinned and clasped your hands in front of you. “We met at a charity event in the East End a few months ago. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you. I guess he wanted to make sure I was a good fit before he introduced me to you all. How is school going, Damian?”

“Quite well,” the youngest Wayne answered. “My art class is highly stimulating.”

“Your father told me that you liked art. Have you ever been to the art museum in the city?”

“Richard has taken me once or twice.” Damian shifted his weight on his feet.

“I don’t know much about art, though, so Little D was doing all the talking,” Dick added.

“I fear my education regarding the history and styles of art is lacking.”

You shrugged. “I took a class or two on art history in the past and I’ve got a friend at the museum who gives tours. Wanna go with me someday? We’ll make Bruce buy us ice cream and everything.”

Damian glanced up at Dick, as if searching for his brother’s approval, and then back at you. He shrugged and almost appeared shy as he responded. “That would be agreeable.”

You turned to the oldest Wayne next. “You’re welcome to join us, Dick. I hear there’s an excellent photography exhibit on Cirque du Soleil right now.”

Dick blanched and he was clearly taken off guard by your response. A shy smile flitted across his face and he lost that handsome, rakish media appearance he usually kept up. “Yeah, that would be great.”

He racked his brain for something else to say, but Dick could see that you were earnest in your attempt to bond. How many times had this family scared off a potential love interest thanks to their hypervigilant secret life? And if Bruce of all people were comfortable with you, then you had to be something special.

Dick made his decision and planted his hands on Damian’s shoulders, steering him towards the hor d'oeuvres table that his other siblings crowded around in their attempt to look inconspicuous in their snooping.

“Thank you, Y/N. I see some investors we need to talk to but have Bruce set up a day for us, okay?”

“Of course. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

The next kid you ran into was Bruce’s favorite child…and his trouble child. Jason intercepted you at the dessert table just as you were stuffing a truffle into your mouth. You glanced up at him with a wide-eyed expression and then merely held out a truffle in a peace offering. He grunted but accepted the sweet without an argument.

“So…you’re bedding the old man.” You choked slightly at his words and coughed to clear your throat before pounding on your chest.

“I mean, yeah, but he’s not paying me if that’s what you think,” you said once you could breathe properly. “Do you ask about the sexual behavior of everyone or am I just the lucky one?”

He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall as he studied you carefully. “He’s not paying you? Really? How’d he get you to stay?”

“Oh, I would dump Bruce in a heartbeat. But then I would lose Alfred’s cooking and I’m not a masochist. Well, actually, I’m dating Bruce Wayne so maybe I am a masochist.”

He snorted at your comment and nodded. “Alright, that’s fair. What’s your schtick though? I mean, Bruce Wayne could have anyone he wants. Why you?”

“That’s a fair question.” You handed him another dessert, this time a mini bundt cake. “I’d like to think he keeps me around because I’m smart, invested in Gotham, and decently attractive. But between you and me?” You leaned in close so you could lower your voice and Jason took the bait, following suit and craning his neck down so he could hear your whisper.

“I know his deepest, darkest secret.” A flash of uncertainty crossed his features but you forged ahead. “The back of his left knee is the only spot on his body where he’s ticklish. He shrieks like he’s in a horror movie or something. You’re welcome.”

A wicked grin spread across his face and Jason stood up straight, his gaze clearly seeking out his adoptive father in the crowd. You patted his bicep and he darted out into the crowd with a mumbled thanks tossed in your direction. A muted shriek rose from the crowd seconds later and you hid your grin behind the glass of lemonade in your hand.

Turning to grab a final dessert, you nearly jumped a foot in the air at the sight of the girl staring at you. Cassandra raised an eyebrow at your reaction and bit down on the cupcake in her hand. You pressed a shaking hand to your chest and sucked in a long breath before flashing a smile in her direction.

“I like your shoes.”

You both glanced down at the bright purple converse on her feet and she grinned. There had been a fight with Alfred and Bruce that she won. While converse weren’t deemed “gala appropriate” or “formal”, Stephanie had gifted them to her and Cass loved them. “Thanks.”

And just like that, she melted into the crowd too.

You were chatting with Stephanie when the last two sidled up to you. Steph groaned at the sight of Tim and Duke with their shit-eating grins but you offered them a gentle smile.

“Hello boys,” you greeted. “I figured you would be showing up soon.”

“You probably know why we’re here,” Tim said, getting straight to the point. You shared a glance with Stephanie and leaned back against the wall.

“You each get three questions. Hit me with it.”

Duke perked up. “Who’s your favorite member of the Justice League?”

“Green Lantern.” Your smirk grew at the thought of Bruce’s face if he heard you say that.

“Not Batman?”

You pointed a warning finger at him. “I’ll allow that as a follow up question, but that’s the last follow up question you get. Still have two more. And no, not Batman. I might be from Gotham, but I have taste.”

“Social security number?” Tim asked. You gave him an unimpressed stare and leveled your hand up in the air before flipping your thumb down in the style of a Roman emperor deciding the fate of a gladiator.

“Try again, Timbo,” Stephanie snickered.

“Fine. Occupation.”

“Nonprofit director for a food insecurity program in Gotham. Duke?”

He considered his options for a moment and then nodded to himself. “Favorite place to eat in Gotham?”

You ignored Tim’s mutter of “this is an interrogation, Duke!” and winked at Duke. “Probably Ernie’s Burgers over on 7th. You ever try it?”

Duke grinned and raised his fist. You accepted the fist bump. “If you don’t tell Bruce, I’ll break you out of school one day and we’ll go get some burgers.”

Tim intercepted between the two of you and crossed his arms over his chest, trying and failing at looking as intimidating as Jason did. You merely raised an eyebrow at him and he deflated quickly.

“Okay, okay. Where do you currently live?”

“A studio apartment over in Otisburg. If you want, you’re welcome to stop by. I’ll try and keep your favorite snacks stocked.”

He wasn’t buying it, however. Tim was the hardest kid to crack it seemed. You looked at Duke once more and he pointed to Tim. Alright then. Two in a row.

“What is your biggest fear?”

Stephanie stiffened beside you but you accepted the question with ease. You absentmindedly played with the ring on your finger and tilted your head to the side in thought.

“Losing the people I love,” you said simply. Your gaze strayed for a moment to glance at the tall, imposing man who chatted easily with investors. Your relationship with Bruce was both new but also building for a long time. The first meeting between you two was less than ideal, but your tentative partnership and later friendship built into an undeniable attraction. And, seriously, there was a lot of denial on both parties' end.

“What are your intentions with Bruce?” Duke’s final question snapped you out of your thoughts and you couldn’t stop yourself from barking out a laugh. Stephanie dissolved into a pile of embarrassment and giggles beside you and Tim looked positively stricken.

“Am I…am I getting a shovel talk right now?” you wheezed.

“Do you need a shovel talk?” Tim asked. You shook your head and waved them off, leaning onto Stephanie for support. The blonde wiped a tear away and snickered once more.

“They don’t have a clue, do they?”

“Not one bit.”

When the night came to a close and you were seeing out the last of the guests, you found Bruce waiting for you at the base of the stairs that led to the manor. He wrapped his jacket around your shoulders as you joined him on the steps.

“Did you have a good evening?” he asked.

“Yesit was. Thank you. And the kids were darling. Damian’s an adorable sweetheart.”

His eyes narrowed at your comment and he hummed. “Yes, a regular angel.”

“You really told them nothing?”

Bruce turned you in his arms and tilted your chin up so his lips could press against yours. You tucked yourself closer to him, both savoring the body heat he offered and the rich scent of his cologne. Resting your head on his shoulder, he swayed the two of you back and forth slowly.

“They’re watching from upstairs right now, aren’t they?” you whispered.

“Mhm.” His hand traced lazy strokes up and down your back. “I’ve trained them all for years and no one caught on.”

“Think Stephanie told them yet?”

Bruce rested his chin on the top of your head and sighed. “No, we would hear it.” He drew your hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to the ring that sat on your finger. To some, it would appear that billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne was moving quickly. Proposing already to his mysterious partner? What would the tabloids say!

But under the moonlight and the warm lights of the manor with the eyes of all of his kids watching, the two of you knew better. The ring glinted for a moment and then, briefly, flashed blue.

You had lied to Dick. While you had met Bruce at a charity event, you had met Batman long before that on the decks of the Watchtower when Hal introduced you to the Justice League.

If there was one thing the Bat of Gotham needed, it was hope.

Tag list: @someoneimsure​ @perpetual-fangirl900​ @visagebrise​ @alexxavicry​

[dannyphantom1234]

I didn’t know if I was allowed to add to this but I had been through this hyper fixation and still currently attached to it longer than planned— but here are more of your interested in any of these? I love these authors and try to support them.

DC x DP recommendations;

Remember, Remember(to think before you jump)

By Assassination_Midoriya

(Danny is a failed clone from the Court of Owls, and was sent away and miraculously(lol) got adopted by the Fentons. But when something with the portal accident knocks the old memories loose, what will Danny do once he discovers Dick Grayson’s secret? And, through connection and memories, the rest of the Bat’s secret identities?)

Alternate Ways to Live and Die

By

Katlover98

(Basically Danny is an alternate version of Jason. One-shot).

Safehouse

By

Elizabehta_Beilschmidt

(When she is offered help from a random dude in the streets of Gotham, Dani accepts it even though he might be secretly a creep, because who could turn down a warm shower and free food?

Although this dude, Jason, may be an okay guy to talk to after all. But why does he smell like death?)(one shot)

Son of the Hood

By Shynnohwen

https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shynnohwen/pseuds/Shynnohwen

(Danny was gone. The GIW had wrecked his core and Jazz was left grieving with her family and friends, all devastated. They hunted the monsters that destroyed her brother, hunted them all the way to the Himalayas and destroyed the Guys in White but Jazz felt like it was a hollowed out victory.
Grieving and anguished she stole Vlad's booze and wander off, runs into a guy hiding a body and deciding to spend a weekend running amok with "Jason" (a nice jerk that left without even saying goodbye and who she really should not have developed feelings for).
Then she discovered she was pregnant, and Clockwork told her he had placed Danny's ruined core in her so he could be reborn.
Skip nearly seven years later and Jazz is the mother of a rambunctious six (and a half!) year old boy who is the reincarnate of her brother and she just moved to Gotham with her family to go to school.
Jason meanwhile runs into a kid that tries to steal his wheel and pay for it with coco, a duck candle and a literal piggy bank... and then reunites with a blast from his past... and she has a tinier version of him attached to her hip.)

Protector

By

Chromatographic (Lia)

(Danny's been learning how to protect what's his with diplomacy as well as sheer power. So when someone mistakes him as an easily targeted civilian? Well. They can't hurt him, but if he doesn't do anything they might target his people.

Being a ghost makes it so much easier to scare off a threat.)

Family introductions

By

Half-dead Ham (Grima101)

(Danny and Tim have been dating for about a year now, figuring out their relationship between Tim’s vigilante duties and Danny’s Ghost King responsibilities. Danny is taking a small (unauthorized) break from his paperwork to find his bf flat on his ass sick trying to go on patrol. The only way to stop him was to take his place, and Danny was lucky they're the same size.)

Yes, He's the King of the Infinite Realms of the Dead, But He's Also an Introvert

By

bongo_balderdash

(When Duke mentions a boyfriend none of the family have heard of before out of the blue one day, there's a mad scramble to find out more. He likes space, he's known Duke for years- and apparently, he's shy. But surely, it's only a matter of time until they finally meet him.

In hindsight, maybe they should've asked if this mysterious boyfriend was human first.)

(One shot)

Contretemps

By

Olive_of_Vanders

(Prompt: Time/Dimension Travel

Danny enters a natural portal by accident – it's really not his fault it opened up in front of him! What is this "Got-ham" place anyway?)

(One shot)

Blood on the Crown

By

SkylarkSky

(She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his brow, a covenant between them, a secret promise that she would tear the world asunder if it meant keeping him safe.

“Close your eyes, have no fear.
The monster’s gone, he’s on the run.”
She turned to the whimpering man before her.
“And your mommy’s here.” 
She didn’t hesitate this time.
“Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.” 
The knife glinted in red as the man choked on his blood.
“Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy."

AKA: The fic where I accidentally make surprise single teenage mother Jazz, an overprotective serial killer. (She's cool with it)

Jason is definitely swooning, cause that shit is hot.)(has a lot of chapters and still updating I think?)

Rooftop Express

By

EmeraldsAndAmethyst

(Danny Fenton just wants to help his big sister be comfortable in Gotham. But he is getting so done with not being able to fly around freely. Danny tries to do things on the up and up but just progressively accidentally starts looking more and more like a new rogue trying to get set up. His parents must be retired super villains, which might not mean anything. But the rest of the evidence isn't very promising.

And then he finds a half-ghost no one knew anything about. Befriending him in the suit instead of out isn't helping his 'definitely not a super villain' case in the slightest.)

(Probably still updating, but it caught my attention).

A Second Life

By

Die_Erlkonigin6083

(He wakes up with no memories. He knows things, but he doesn’t know why. Who is he? And how did he get here?)

(Danny reborn into the dc universe with sis and friends/future significant others. Lots of chapters and a very good read. Think it’s finished updating?)

That Feeling When You (Accidentally) Seduce Your Landlord to Avoid Eviction

By

halfagone (milkywxy)

(Jason finds out the building his favorite safehouse is located in has been recently bought out. He could easily move, but he doesn't do easy. He'll just have to find a way to stick around, even if that means growing closer and catching feelings for his impromptu landlord.

Meanwhile, Danny is pretty sure he hit the jackpot for surprise tenants.)

(One shot)

Eldritch Toddler

By

halfagone (milkywxy)

(Bruce is not prepared for when John Constantine hands over a young boy who has been de-aged. While Constantine goes off in search of the one responsible, Bruce and his family are left to care for the child. Danny is a sweet kid, he isn't fussy either! This should be fine. They quickly learn to take Constantine's warnings seriously.

Day 3/November 16th: Eldritch Identities | The worst person to put in charge of teens is another teenager)

(One shot)

Prodigal of Lazarus

By

sherashalala

https://archiveofourown.org/users/sherashalala/pseuds/sherashalala

(The al Ghul heir died, which is how Damian al Ghul inherits the title of heir. By technicality, he gets to keep that title even if the eldest son is revived two years later.

Some things happens, and eventually Danny is tasked to escort his younger brother, the heir, to their father. They didn't... exactly tell him he's also to be delivered to Bruce Wayne.

To be fair, they could really work with their method of communication!)(idk if it’s still updating? But it’s an interesting concept).

!New Hyperfixation!

I've been binge-watching Danny Phantom for a day and I'm obsessed. It is literally soo good and it has started to mix with my DC hyper fixation so now I'm scrolling through the DC x DP hashtag and have been for the past hours scrolling on AO3 for Fanfics

So here are the fanfics I'm currently reading <3 includes Ships!!

'When We're Older' by haleswallows [Relevant tags: Jason Todd/Danny Fenton, Slowburn, 5+1 Things]

Blobs! In Space! by BooBean (NinaBeena) [Relevant tags: Ghost King Danny Fenton, Mild cannibalism (?), Haunted Watchtower, John Constantine, Batman ensemble, Tears in reality]

Red is Hood's Favorite Color by mango_sushi98 for TheRandomSith [Relevant tags: Jason Todd/Jazz Fenton, Ecto-Contaminated | Liminal Jason Todd (Danny Phantom), Ghost Cores (Danny Phantom), Ghost King Danny Fenton, Protective Jazz Fenton, Good Sibling Jazz Fenton, Batfamily Members (DCU) & Jazz Fenton, Batfamily Members (DCU) & Danny Fenton]

Cow Love by SIRDUCK__o7 [Relevant tags: Halfa | Half-Ghost Damian Wayne (Danny Phantom), Halfa | Half-Ghost Danny Fenton, Ghost Prince Danny Fenton, Obsessive Batfamily Members, Ecto-Contaminated | Liminal Batfamily Members (Danny Phantom and DCU), Bad Parent Maddie Fenton, Good Parent Jack Fenton (Danny Phantom)]

Send by: The Traveler

Addressed to: You my dear reader

[incorrectbatfam]

Stepmom!Selina?

She sees what she's getting into from a mile away, but she welcomes it because Bruce's kids are a part of him, and she loves all of Bruce.

The kids all see it coming too, and while some (Damian) take longer to warm up to her, she's welcomed into the fold with open arms.

Selina's got a heart as big as her partner and while she's not always perfect, you can see how much she cares.

As a former foster child herself, Selina understands Duke's unique experiences and traumas from the foster care system, so whenever he needs to talk, she's the first one he goes to. Sometimes he doesn't want to (or need to) talk, so they'll watch boxing matches or she'll teach him little bits of Mandarin. If the kitchen isn't busy, they'll try their hand at new TikTok recipes, and film themselves either succeeding or debunking the original poster.

Being raised in isolation to be a human weapon meant Cass missed out on a lot of the things daughters typically learn as children/teens. The evening of Cass's first gala, she didn't know the first thing about doing her own hair and makeup. She's braved assassin armies, but her self-made disaster of bobby pins and eyeshadow nearly drives her to tears. Selina swoops in, wipes Cass's face with gentle reassurances, and walks her through step-by-step.

Selina considers it a privilege to have watched Dick grow from the spunky little Robin to the man he is today. Even though he's taller than her, she still ruffled his hair when he does a good job. She also keeps the first ever birthday card he gave her, which includes a pop-up bat signal and scented stickers, and remembers all of his favorite radio stations. Also, when Bruce does something, Dick goes tattling to Selina.

For a while, Carrie mooched off of her siblings' Netflix profiles, but everyone got tired of her messing up their algorithm and she was forced to make her own. She soon realized how much freedom she had because no one could see what she was watching. Selina caught on to the power trip and started researching and watching snippets whenever a new show comes out. That's how she stopped a bunch of preteen girls from watching Squid Game.

Tim often gets overlooked as not just the middle child, but the child who appears put-together and regularly takes on adult responsibilities. Selina, however, remembers that he's still a teenager. She regularly checks in and gradually teaches him that it's okay to let go and act his age. Selina encourages him to call his Young Justice friends outside of missions and take small acts of rebellion against Bruce. When Tim and his boyfriend snuck out to a famous lover's lookout, Selina gave them the car keys and covered for them.

She noticed that Jason really enjoys hanging out with Harley Quinn, bonding over not just Joker trauma but other shared interests like music taste. After Harley turns to the antihero side, Selina discusses with Bruce and they start inviting Aunt Harley and Aunt Ivy to dinner. The first time they do that, Harley is so excited that she baked a three-layer cake just for Jason. Literally, in strawberry frosting, it said, "THIS CAKE IS FOR JASON ONLY." Finding someone that Jason can relate to remains one of Selina's proudest accomplishments.

She's trying her best, but she makes mistakes too. For instance, although Wayne Manor has plenty of kitchen space, Selina does her cooking at Harley and Ivy's because Ivy can offer her fresh plant-based ingredients that suited Damian's needs. When Alfred's not available, she sends Damian to school with healthy, flavorful vegan lunches shaped into Cheese Viking characters. One time, she was tasked with bringing brownies to a PTA meeting. Incidentally, Harley was simultaneously baking a... different kind of brownie for a block party (you can see where this is heading). When an angry superintendent demanded to know who was responsible, Selina wisely kept her mouth shut and thankfully, so did Damian.

Cullen loves concerts, but he's a huge introvert who gets anxiety when he's left alone in a crowd. Selina becomes his concert buddy, and she'll go as all-out as he does. Sometimes that's showing up to a garage band dressed-down in hoodies and sunglasses. Other times it's painting their faces and looking like they just came out of a Hot Topic blowout sale. She even listens to the discography beforehand so she can blend in. Selina learns a lot about Cullen through this, because nothing says more about a person than the music they listen to.

Harper, though looking rough around the edges, turns into a giddy little kid at interactive science museums. During one of these trips, Harper got distracted by the giant Newton's Cradle so she didn't notice a fourth grade field trip sweeping up Selina. When they reunited at the gift shop, a chaperone had given Selina a school t-shirt and she was put in charge of grading ten kids' assignments. Harper laughed so hard that she spewed lemonade on the museum owner. Neither of them will let the other live that day down.

Selina and Barbara openly talk about guy stuff, and Selina is more than happy to offer advice in times of need. They're both pretty liberal talking about that stuff, and one time they did a tier ranking of all the Gotham Rogues based on how effective their gimmick is (Joker was the only S-tier). They then proceeded to get into a debate on whether or not Man-Bat and Killer Croc should qualify for the list, which led to them staring each other down at dinner while the other family members sat around them confused.

Steph's school offered a Mother's Day breakfast. Although Crystal Brown was doing her best and wanted to make it, she was scheduled a double-shift that the breakfast fell right in the middle of. Selina reached out to Crystal and with permission, went in her place. Afraid that Steph would publicly reject her, Selina sat in the parking lot for ten minutes as Bruce amped her up over the phone. Steph, thinking that no one would no up, was ecstatic and said that she couldn't have thought of anyone better. They enjoyed stacking up waffles and making the girls who bully Steph envious.

Long before she and Bruce got married, Selina made it clear that she would not be relegated to the gender-typical role of a homemaker, and Bruce happily concurred because it's 2021. They knew that to give Alfred a break, they'd have to take on some chores themselves. Instead of dividing up a boring old chore chart, they find ways to make cleaning fun and collaborative. They'll dance around the halls in mop slippers, play "guess the stain", and race their roombas. The kids see this and start modeling the behavior in their own ways—Dick swings from high places to dust them, Damian trains his pets to pick up garbage, and Cass and Duke compete to see who can clean the most bathtubs.

Some parts of the Manor are due for redecorating, so Selina and Alfred make a day trip out of interior design sketches, flipping through furniture catalogues, and looking at paint swatches. It sounds boring at first, but the menial tasks meant they had plenty of time for conversation, and she finally understood why everyone respects him. They also made room in the afternoon for a stroll through the park and afternoon tea, where he told her and her only the secret to a perfect scone.

The other Justice League partners welcome her into the group too. Whenever Selina's in Metropolis, she joins Lois and Ma and Pa for Sunday brunch where they share what their kids have been up to. Iris shows her life hacks to cooking large batches of food in a short time. Selina and Dinah discover an online store dedicated to selling vigilante gear and go on a Cyber Monday spree for their whole families. Steve Trevor, Diana's partner, teaches Selina how to fly with the invisible jet so she can surprise Bruce with the batplane.

After overcoming their initial conflicts, Selina and Talia hold a high amount of respect for each other. Talia sees Selina as not just a capable combatant, but a worthy partner to her former beloved and stepmother to her son. Selina, after spending all that time with the kids, understands the motherly love that Talia holds for Damian and makes it abundantly clear that she would never try to replace Talia in the boy's life. Regardless, looking after all those kids is hard, so they are very much open to the idea of co-parenting.

(Selina doesn't know it, but all this makes Bruce fall in love with her all over again.)

[allmightluver]

**bnha spoilers** I'm just sat here with renewed realisation of what All Might is going through. 40 years. /40 years/ he held and refined that power and dedicated his every waking (and sleeping if Vigilantes is anything to go by) moment towards the goal of defeating AfO and creating a society in which people could feel happy and safe. And now as it turns out AfO is still alive, society is broken and he has given a literal piece of his soul to this young boy leaving himself with only phantoms

Yes. I don’t think people quite grasp what all he’s going through.

It’s been shown recently to us that some, if not most, heroes have underlying ambitions in becoming a hero. Whether for money, glory, fame, popularity, doesn’t matter. They’re ultimately in it for themselves. Toshinori’s intentions from the beginning have been the most pure- he wanted to be a symbol that people can look to and know things will be ok. A symbol of hope. This boy was only around 14 years old when he decided this. What kind of 14 year old sees the world that clearly? Sees that people have no hope, that a veil of darkness covers them. The only thing I can think of is- Toshinori did not have a good childhood. Something had to have happened to a boy that young to stop seeing the joy in life so early, and see the world’s flaws. Truthfully, I believe he was an outcast- due to his quirklessness. Most likely an orphan, perhaps abandoned by his parents, as we’ve never seen him have any family. I do truly believe Toshinori has been alone all his life. I don’t doubt more could have happened to him as a child before he met Nana. 

Some may argue that Izuku is the same age, and therefore it shouldn’t be that hard to see why Toshinori wanted to be a hero at such a young age. BUT, Izuku had someone to look up to, ever since he was a child of four years old, to inspire him to be a hero his whole life *cough cough* All Might. Izuku also was quirkless, much like Toshinori, and an outcast because of it (hence where I assume Toshinori was much the same). But ultimately, Izuku wanted to save people because he saw his hero do it. It really wasn’t until Izuku was a bit older, has been in UA, has been on rescue missions, has seen what the heroes see, that I think he’s truly realized how dark the world really is. Toshinori didn’t have that. He didn’t have someone to inspire him as a child, someone to look up to, a hero to inspire him to help others. At that time, heroes hadn’t become as popular as they are in present times. Toshinori saw the world for what it was, on his own, at a tender age. I think that day Nana ran into this blonde hair kid, she eyed him up, noticed his scraggly form, looked into those captivating blue eyes, and saw a man who’s lived through the world’s horrors- experienced the worst it has to offer-, and wants to save everyone he can from the same fate, all in a 14 year old boy. 

Then after only a few short years with the woman he saw as his mother, she’s killed in front of him because of his own weakness- he wasn’t strong enough yet to protect her. The only other person his life, Gran Torino, literally abused him. He beat him to a pulp, taking his own emotions out on a teenager, and I doubt Toshinori said anything of it. He probably thought he deserved it. He’s still afraid of Gran Torino to this day, remembering the beatings and expecting more for his failures- even if he doesn’t know what they are surely he’s at fault for something, but he’s the only person who’s stood by his side for this long. Even while at a distance, and spouting nothing but criticisms along the way. But Toshinori had to put aside his own emotions to be that hope for everyone. He left everything he knew to go to a new country on his own, to learn how to be a hero, to be that hope for someone.

Vigilantes showed us just how hard he worked. Toshinori literally stayed awake with no sleep for days on end- 3 in the chapter I’m referencing- because people needed help, people needed saving, and no one else stepped up. He fought villains, rescued civilians, repaired damage, cleared rubble, (even accept and eat food that was against his dietary restrictions after his injury) whatever the public needed, all while draining himself further. He worked himself to the point of exhaustion because he had no help, once literally falling asleep while mid-leap across the city because he simply could go no further. 

^^These happen in succession of each other^^

No one stepped up to say “Hey, Mr. Number 1, you’ve been working hard lately. Let me help you!” No one tried to take over his position. Even the Number 2 hero, Endeavor, never tried to take some of his burden. His only goal was to try to be better than All Might in terms of power- he was never trying to be the hero that the people relied on All Might for. Everyone relied on him when things looked grim. He was the back up plan. And all of this happened before Toshinori’s injury. 

The only thing he ever wanted to do- help people- he can’t do (at least the way he’s always known how to). The ability to save people has been taken from him in the most gruesome way. He was finally able to fight the man that killed Nana, and in a rage that I’m sure echoed with all of the emotions of the previous users, he smashed that man’s head like a grape. But not without consequence. Several organs are gone. The pain is excruciating. He wears that man’s mark on his body for the rest of his life, never truly able to rid himself of the filth.

Then we have Nighteye’s betrayal. The man that helped him as a sidekick, the man that grew to be his only friend. Now some people may ask why Toshinori flipped like he did to Nighteye looking into his future when he was concerned about him making it through his injury. What I believe is Toshinori didn’t want to know when he would die (and really, who does). Now he knows he’s on a time limit, knows the clock is ticking. Time is running out to keep the world at peace, and with him as he is now, how long can this go on? 

I think the betrayal, doing something that Toshinori specifically asked him not to do, is what hurt the most. How can he trust Nighteye anymore? He already can only count on one hand the people he can trust, let alone befriend.

He’s wasted away into a skeleton, a shell of the man he used to be. He can’t over exert himself without his only lung bleeding in protest. It’s canon in the side books that he really doesn’t eat much, which isn’t good for his diet without a stomach now (he’s supposed to have several small meals a day). He is quite literally punishing himself by starving. (Granted, he doesn’t feel hunger anymore.) He’s a sick man, beyond medical help at this point. They can only stabilize him and hope for the best. For five years now he’s in constant pain, every day. He loses blood like sweat. Surely his veins are bruised and collapsed with how many times he would have needed to be hospitalized. Whether from losing too much blood, being too dehydrated or starved from “forgetting” to eat, or an organ failing as body continues to fall apart. “...even as my body rots and grows frail...” - Toshinori People are bound to stare at him as he walks down the street. A tall, willowy, skeleton with a grimace on his face and blood stains on his clothes as he coughs up more into his own hands. There would be the ones who outright ignore him when they walk by, the people who offer pitying smiles and sympathetic glances or just outright stare, and then ones who are afraid of his appearance- children screaming at the mere sight of him and running to their parents to hide from the monster. Each one is another knife in Toshinori’s side, an ache in his chest. If only they knew who I really am.

Losing Nighteye took a toll on his hero work as well. Mirai was a huge help in the past, and took care of all Toshinori’s paperwork, while also reminding him to take care of himself. Without him, Toshinori was even more buried beneath his responsibilities. Plus, now he was on a time limit. He even snapped briefly in his first meeting with Tsukauchi, accidentally revealing himself as All Might because he was under too much pressure, and telling the detective he literally couldn’t handle doing everything by himself (who graciously took over the paperwork side of things for him). 

He was living a double life now, having to lie to people left and right about who he was while in his small form, about how he became so sickly, why he was here in the first place who the heck is this skinny old guy. Surely he had multiple visits to the doctor while continuing to repair the damage done by AFO (there’s a limit to how much the body can handle at once. And things I’m sure continued to fail as time went on). Then he would be bedridden for as long as the doctors could keep him strapped to a bed, until he couldn’t take the people’s cries for help any longer, and would jump into action. (It’s also revealed he has something of a super hearing- able to hear danger- which may have been a form of danger sense of OFA that was never fully unlocked?. Either way, he surly could sense disasters happening while he could only lay and heal from his latest surgery. Those poor doctors must have had to re-stitch him several times). People blame him for not preparing society for his retirement, that he failed in passing on the torch so to speak, but in reality he did everything possible to keep society from falling for 40 years, doing all within his power just to keep things afloat. He is only one person. One human being, he can’t do everything despite trying to. Society failed All Might.

People blame him for not being a good teacher. He didn’t exactly have the greatest teacher himself to learn from. He’s never had to teach anyone anything, he just punches! He’s learning. And for his own credit, he’s an incredibly wise man, he has years of experience under his belt, and an intelligence score of 6/6, scoring up there with Nezu! He may not always have the right way to bring something up, but he’s doing his best. Yet even he blames himself for Izuku not being able to control his quirk better. Every time the boy hurts himself, it’s just another tally on the chalkboard of Toshinori’s failures. He himself knows the boy deserves better, better than him. Useless. Pathetic.

Then his friend from America, Dave, essentially became a villain trying to preserve Toshinori’s legacy after Toshinori told him about his injury. Dave went behind his back, threatened people, injured people (pretty sure people died), all for Toshinori’s sake. Something he didn’t want to begin with. Having to put your only other friend in jail for trying to help you surely couldn’t have been easy.

Oh, by the way? All For One isn’t dead. All Might will fight him again, publicly, have his weakened form exposed to the world, and have his own emotions toyed with as he finds out about his master’s grandson in the villain’s hands. Would Nana hate him for leaving her son alone like she’d asked, and dooming her grandchild to be raised by the greatest villain? Could he have done anything to save him? But Toshinori isn’t allowed to feel, he has to smile and push his own feelings aside once again, because there’s a villain to be fought, and only he can fight him. Despite coming out on top, he’ll have suffered severe head trauma, broken left arm, destroyed right arm, and several cuts and bruises that are sure to scar. And then, his quirk, the only thing that’s been allowing him to help people, the gift given to him that he carefully held for 40 years and molded into his own until his very consciousness was permanently carved into it, blows out like a match in the wind. And he’s done. Used up. Empty. Broken. Hollow. Alone, again.

He overhears his student, Bakugo, admit that he blames himself for All Might’s retirement. If he hadn’t been captured, All Might wouldn’t have had to save him, and he wouldn’t have had to fight AFO. Of course Toshinori knows that’s not true, his time was about to run out anyway. It would have happened one way or another. But how can he explain to this child that he wasn’t the cause of his hero, the world’s greatest hero, fighting for his sake, bleeding for his sake, being forced into retirement to keep him safe. Every time Bakugo sees the bandages covering Toshinori’s body is another reminder of the pain and sacrifice Toshinori willingly gave to keep him safe. Toshinori wasn’t held when his mentor died. He wasn’t told it was ok to be sad, that grief and mourning was a natural process, that it takes time to heal. He wasn’t told it was ok to cry. Instead his feelings were beaten out of him as he wondered if Gran Torino blamed him for Nana’s death. He already blamed himself How then, does he comfort a child mourning for him? For what he lost.

And then he gets the call to come to the hospital. Mirai, Nighteye, his old sidekick friend, has been gravely injured, much like he himself was only a few years ago, and most likely won’t survive the night. And to his horror, Nighteye is happy to see him, smiles at him, says he doesn’t hate him for what happened, only wants Toshinori to be happy. He can’t accept that, at least let him apologize, reconcile his sins before it’s too late! But it is. Another fractured piece of his heart gone.

Of course, seeing your students beat up and their arms completely destroyed must have hurt. Instead of being able to save these kids, they’re the ones that hurt themselves to save everyone else. And if Bakugo had kept OFA, things could have been very different (especially with what we know now of OFA and people with quirks). Toshinori wasn’t mad at Izuku for transferring it away, he’d never regret choosing Izuku, and I believe he still would have stayed by Izuku and Bakugo’s side should it have stayed in Bakugo, doing whatever he could to help.

As he tells Aizawa, “I’ve decided to live,” -that statement seems so melancholy, besides obvious reasons. It sounds more like another task he has to accomplish. He didn’t die he was supposed to die with the AFO fight, and now the whole life he lived is over. The world has no use for him anymore. If not for Izuku, he’d have nothing left keeping him here. But because his boy made him promise to live, he’ll do so. Though it almost seems like he says those words with regret. “I’ve decided to live.” Not, “I’m going to live!” “Nothing can kill me!” “I won’t go down without a fight!” No. “I’ll live if I have to, only because you asked me to.” The man is obviously and outwardly depressed. He has so many things against him. No doubt has severe PTSD, anxiety, among others. Not to mention his own physical health. Every day hurts. It’s painful to be alive. Why would he torture himself if he doesn’t have to? For you, my boy. You’re the only thing keeping me here. The only light in my dark world.

He tries to help Izuku find out the previous holder’s quirks, to help his boy in any way he can now that he’s worthless, and goes days on end without sleep, running his body into the ground. He even forgets Christmas. Only to find that by giving the boy the same gift he had received, he may have just doomed him to an early death, among psychological torture (danger detection). (Granted, he really doesn’t know how everything works, and he’s afraid to talk to anyone about it). His boy could live only half a life.

It’s only been a few months since he retired, and society has fallen into shambles. People are blaming him. People are dying. He watches helplessly as his colleague fight his fight for him, and end up battered, bruised, crippled, dead. He students, his boy, battle the monster he should have killed. Children are bleeding. This shouldn’t happen. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Is everything he worked for, everything he fought to protect, to build up, to inspire, is all for naught?! Did he live a foolish dream and doom the world? Was all the the friends he lost, tears he shed, the organs he destroyed, the pain he endures on a daily basis from the hole in his side, and the blood he continues to bleed every day, for nothing? The public, the ones he protected for so long, mourn his absence, but surely there are those among them who also blame him. The statue from his last fight in Kamino one that he never asked for was decimated in a mock of his catch phrase- the one that was supposed to give hope.

Now he can feel his own vestige speaking with Izuku in the OFA realm, even with out OFA in his own body anymore. His clock as nearly reached it’s limit, Nighteye’s prediction is due any day now. The only thing he wants is to see his boy smile at him, to give him some shred of hope. Yet the child remains unconscious, and Toshinori can’t even hold his hand from the bandages covering his arms. Will he still be able to fight? Is there any coming back from this now? Did I break him?

With all Toshinori has been through, I’m honestly surprised we haven’t seen him just outright break down. Anyone, anyone, else should have crumbled under the pressure of holding up the world for 40 years alone. And instead of being able to pass it on to someone when he can no longer bear its weight, it simply falls to into the abyss. People don’t credit All Might enough for everything he’s done. Most don’t realize the sacrifices he’s made. His character is so unbelievably profound and deep, it’s more than just the “I am here!” people focus on. He’s a deeply troubled, layered, complex character. And I can’t find fault within him.

[bigskydreaming]

Brain topic du jour is reflecting on the frankly weird as fuck pattern in Dick’s life where....he barely ever experiences losses one at a time. Most of the loss he’s experienced in his life is compounded by him losing multiple people and other elements of stability all at the exact same time.

1) When his parents died, in some continuities this is coupled with him losing his extended family of his aunt and cousin as well, with his uncle left comatose and on life support for years before he eventually died as well. Even in continuities without Richard, Karla and John, the loss of Dick’s parents is compounded by the additional loss of his circus family in the sense that he was taken away from them by the state and their constant reassuring presences in his life were no longer comforts he was able to rely on.

2) When Jason died, Dick didn’t just lose his brother, as the tragedy was compounded by Bruce’s reaction. I’ll never be able to gloss over the effects of NTT #55, personally, because I think its too key to Dick’s entire characterization and the specific direction his character took in the years that followed this, to like....disregard that Bruce however unintentionally, while lost in his own grief, added to Dick’s own sense of loss for Jason in probably the worst way possible. As by kicking Dick out and telling him to leave his keys, Dick - having no way to know or guess that they’d ever reconcile, just like he never actually went back to the circus being a regular presence for him - to Dick, this was in essence the equivalent of his childhood tragedy all over again. Losing not just one family member, but his whole family in one sweep, and all the comforts and stability offered by a home he was forced to leave. Even Dick’s contact with Alfred was minimal for awhile, because why would the guy who basically JUST saw history repeat itself and was like, well I know how THIS tends to play out.....why would he think that if Alfred felt forced to actually choose between his loyalties to Bruce and Dick respectively, that Alfred would pick Dick over the man he’d known and raised from childhood himself?

3) Titans Hunt. I know I harp on this one a lot, but you can’t deny that it fits the pattern. Dick didn’t just lose one friend and teammate.....he lost Joey, he lost a good four or five lesser known Titans who nevertheless were people he viewed as directly HIS responsibility to keep safe. With these tragedies compounded by the fact that though comics played out a lot more slowburn and extended stories over years back then, like.....the aftermath of Titans Hunt was still everpresent and directly died into Dick’s reactions and emotions during the Mirage storyline and everything that happened with the failed wedding and his breakup with Kory AND the fact that he was literally forced off the team he’d basically founded, by the government agency that took over the team and appointed Roy as its leader in his stead.

3) Graduation Day. The second time the Titans disbanded it was again not due to a singular loss, because Dick didn’t just lose Donna at this point, but also Lilith died in the exact same story and though Lilith is criminally underused, like, she’s also one of Dick’s oldest friends. She was literally the first Titan to join after the original five. This then led into the Outsiders era, where Dick was shown to still be reeling from the losses of this story for an extended period of time, and in a fun parallel to the Titans Hunt aftermath, Dick was also ousted from his leadership of THIS team by essentially a vote of no confidence by his teammates (and uh, Bruce too, literally).

4) The Blockbuster arc. Where Dick’s emotional state was due to a continued string of multiple losses. He lost his apartment building and almost every one of the neighbors he’d built a community out of, as we’d been shown him actively involving himself in their lives and vice versa for YEARS before this point. Then he lost his circus, his childhood home, burned to the ground and with dozens of deaths - both spectators and actual performers Dick had known and loved as a child. Then he lost his relationship with Barbara, his sense of self-security and autonomy to Tarantula, he lost another teen vigilante who died in his colors, the mantle HE’D created, when Stephanie was believed dead in War Games, and it all culminated in losing the city he’d invested himself in as his CHOSEN home, the place he dedicated himself to protecting, when Chemo blew it up.

Oh just for the record - my nonexistent passport to the magical kingdom of Narnia for a fic that raises the point when bringing up Tim’s losses in the Red Robin era, that like.....ALL of the above happened at literally the EXACT SAME TIME as all Tim’s referenced losses occurred. Obviously Steph meant more to Tim than Dick on a personal level, but I also included her largely as an anchor point to the timeline, to show how that death, and not long after that Jack Drake’s and then Superboy’s.... occurred right smack in the middle of one of the absolute WORST periods of Dick’s life. To be clear, I don’t intend this to suggest that no actually, Dick had it harder than Tim - nah. 

No thank you. Hard pass. I hate that sort of thing even in support of my own faves over other characters. No, instead the thing I’d love to see explored more is just in light of the SPECIFIC angle fics take here - that Dick’s actions while Bruce was lost in time showed an obliviousness to everything Tim had lost lately - for literally ANYONE to bring up or introduce into the timeline here an awareness of everything Dick had lost AT THE EXACT SAME TIME PERIOD. To establish that actually, Dick didn’t just ‘not understand what it was like’ - rather, its more accurate to say that nobody in universe around this time ever shows an awareness of Dick’s own losses and says oh wait, that doesn’t track then. 

Because obviously, with this stuff put in proper perspective, Dick understands VERY VERY WELL the exact thing we’re accusing him of not understanding by being oblivious to Tim’s losses that he’s not actually oblivious to because he tries to talk to Tim about them all the time, while meanwhile its everyone else who has absolutely mum to say about the fact that Dick’s emotional state is compromised to hell and back at this point, not JUST because of losing Bruce, but also because *gestures wildly* literally ALL OF THE ABOVE in the exact same time frame Tim’s extended losses happened in.

And okay I am going to indulge in slight tiny itty bitty pettiness and point out my ire that so many fics set during this time tend to recite listicles of Tim’s losses, with Steph, Kon and Jack Drake at the very top of said list....while paying no attention whatsoever to the fact that STEPH WAS LITERALLY BACK BY THE TIME THE RED ROBIN SERIES HAPPENED. She’s LITERALLY a person Dick sends to check up on Tim after Tim turns Dick away when he tries himself. How are you gonna stress the impact Steph’s loss has on Tim when you’re not even acknowledging STEPH’S RIGHT HERE IN THE EXACT SPECIFIC CANON STORY YOU’RE CITING??? I just. afhioskhflafhlafhklfahlfa. 

And not to put too fine a point on it, but you know who ELSE was also back at the same time? CONNOR. Superboy LITERALLY was already back to life by the time the Red Robin series even began. Like, the issue where a resurrected Kon and Cassie (Wonder Girl) have a heart to heart about the fact that Tim and Cassie ‘connected’ during his absence and Connor stresses that this doesn’t bother him or make him feel negatively towards either of them at all, because hello, he was literally dead at the time, why would he mind that two of the people he loves most in the world sought comfort in each other? Yeah, that issue? Literally came out BEFORE Tim even became Red Robin.

I MEAN. I’m just saying, when people constantly take shots at Dick’s choices during this period because of how much Tim had lost before Bruce already, in order to shift focus away from the fact that Dick lost Bruce every bit as much as Tim did......and you repeatedly emphasize the SAME three names as the focal point of Tim’s losses while paying no acknowledgment whatsoever to everything Dick lost at the exact same time Tim lost these three.....it quickly becomes kiiiiiiinda relevant in my opinion THAT TWO OF THE THREE NAMES CONSTANTLY MENTIONED AS BEING TIM’S LOSSES ARE NO LONGER EVEN LOST BY THE TIME THE SUBJECT COMES UP. Again, I’m just saying! Pettily, mind you! I am aware of the pettiness, I just beg awareness of like *again gesticulates wildly at all of the above* ALL THAT!

LOL.

But I digress.

5) When Bruce was believed dead while he was lost in the timestream. Again, Dick didn’t just lose the father who had been the only parent in his life for almost TWICE as long as his first parents......this was coupled with the loss of numerous other sources of stability in Dick’s life. There’s the matter of his personal sense of identity and self-expression....Dick FOUGHT against becoming Batman, trying to handle Gotham in Bruce’s absence as Nightwing for as long as he could, because he knew being Batman was very much NOT going to be good for him. He put so much of himself into building his identity as Nightwing, establishing himself in that role, that self-image, that yes, I maintain it was an actual LOSS for Dick, to feel like he had no choice but to give that up and everything it meant to him and his own life, in order to essentially live Bruce’s life for him in his absence. 

Because it wasn’t just being Batman that Dick was struggling with at this time....he also had to act as the patriarch to the Wayne family, essentially raise Bruce’s ten year old son, step into Bruce’s old role in Wayne Enterprises, all while getting no acknowledgment for any of this, for literally LIVING his father’s life instead of the life Dick had worked so hard to build for HIMSELF....because of course Dick’s actions and struggles couldn’t even be advertised beyond the family and close friends, because the whole point of him doing all this was so that nobody else even realized that Bruce wasn’t really there anymore. Dick didn’t just assume Bruce’s responsibilities. Dick assumed Bruce’s life, so thoroughly that most people didn’t even put together that Bruce was ‘dead,’ between Dick handling Bruce’s actual roles and responsibilities while Hush made public appearances as him. 

Like, when you’re living someone else’s life so completely that nobody can tell they’re even gone....how on earth does that leave any time or space for you to have ANY kind of life of your OWN, y’know? Not to mention the fact that like in so many times previously....all this meant that Dick couldn’t even afford to let his grief for his own losses show, because he wasn’t supposed to be grieving any losses in the first place, that was the whole point of the con!

Additionally, couple this with the fact that throughout this time period, Dick didn’t have Tim to lean on at all, because it was never that Dick kicked Tim out or neglected him or didn’t care....he’d actively stressed how much he needed Tim, because the partner Tim was convinced Dick chose ‘over’ him - Dick was the first one to admit back then that he DIDN’T trust Damian yet, couldn’t afford to, because he was all too aware that Damian didn’t give a fuck about him yet and couldn’t be guaranteed to step in to have Dick’s back - because that required mutual trust that Dick literally just hadn’t had time to build yet. And add to THAT the fact that during this time, Jason was actively antagonizing the family and Dick in particular at every turn, trying to bring them all down and basically write over what all of them saw as Bruce’s legacy with Jason’s own version of what he thought that should look like.

Also also, take into account that unlike how often we see fanon depict Dick as just too stubborn or proud to ask for help, there’s the fact that he actually had very few avenues TO ask for help! As already established, he DID ask Tim for help. Not like Jason was an option at this time, and Dick’s friends weren’t actually just sitting waiting in the wings and groaning about the fact that Dick was trying to do all of this solo....nah, they kinda had their own problems, which Dick was all too aware of?

Like the fact that in the wake of Final Crisis, it wasn’t just Bruce that was believed lost. Many other key Leaguers like Martian Manhunter were dead or lost, with others struggling to fill the gaps left in their absence. Cry For Justice happened right after Final Crisis too....that story where Lian was murdered? So it wasn’t like Dick was remotely going to try leaning on Roy when Roy had just lost his freaking DAUGHTER and very much wasn’t handling it well (and not to overshadow Roy’s loss at ALL, but please let’s not act like Dick - who had literally been the person to put a baby Lian in Roy’s arms for the first time and had known that girl for pretty much her entire life - like, it shouldn’t be used to detract from Roy’s loss at all, but it shouldn’t have to, to just acknowledge that Lian’s loss right at this exact time was painful as fuck to Dick, who’d loved his niece like crazy.)

The pattern of compounding, concurrent losses in Dick’s life. I’m just saying. Its there.

And it extends into the New 52 as well, where Forever Evil came right on the heels of Dick losing his circus in THIS continuity to the Joker, just as a way to hurt him in Death of A Family. And with the aftermath of Forever Evil and Dick’s own literal death, being like....the complete loss of Dick’s entire life, even though he was revived quickly. That didn’t mean he got to live HIS life though, since Dick Grayson was believed dead and he was told had to remain so, so its like fuck whatever he actually wanted to do as he went about on the Spyral mission aka something that pinched his own sense of morality and personal agenda at every turn and was kinda the last thing a therapist would recommend for a trauma recovery period, lol. And like, for all the focus that was paid to how Dick’s family were hurt because they believed they’d lost him when he was actually alive, let’s not forget that for all intents and purposes, Dick DID lose his family in the wake of his resurrection because he was flat out told over and over that due to what ‘he’d LET happen to him’ he was an ACTIVE danger to them, and thus wasn’t allowed by Bruce to contact any of them or lean on them to any degree, until Bruce got amnesia and stopped blocking Dick’s pleas to return home by just not being there to pick up the secret phone line at all. 

(And omg, the obliviousness that just EMANATES off the hot takes that Dick had a ‘choice’ in all this and he still CHOSE to do what Bruce told him....like. LOLOL, stop being pissy about me bringing up the term abuse apologism when its literal victim blaming to paint the guy who had to be beaten into ‘agreeing’ to the Spyral mission in the immediate wake of the trauma of DYING, all while his father vocally blamed him for his own suffering and the ‘threat’ he now posed to his family, keying directly into the guilt complex Bruce knows damn well is at the core of most of Dick’s motivations.....fucking please. There’s no choice in all that. That’s active emotional, mental and physical abuse aimed at directly manipulating Dick’s actions, delivered by the guy who knows Dick best in the world and whose approval - particularly when Dick is at absolute rock bottom aka Current Location - matters more to Dick than just about anything because his sense of self-worth has more in common with dog shit than actual dog shit does. Or something. Idk. That analogy got away from me. But like. You get it.)

BUT. I. DIE. GRESS. (I guess).

Aaaaaaanyway, so yeah! That repeating pattern throughout Dick’s life of ‘loss? What loss (singular)? My losses only come in groups, lolol, fuuuuuun’ - mmmm. Yeah. So that’s what’s on MY brain right now. Thoughts?