#yes i watch many red hood fan films i have a whole playlist. some are pretty fun!

[suhmayzooka]

19–Rant about a change they made to a character of your choice.

:)

jason todd's everything

OKAY i mentioned this briefly here but i do think one of the worst things done to jason was actually done to willis and catherine todd: namely, making willis a basic abusive drunk deadbeat criminal, and making catherine...Just an Addict

i hate RHATO for many reasons (i only touched the tip of the surface here but tldr I Hate Scott Lobdell so fucking MUCH), only one of them being the absolute disgusting retcons to the todd family. thank god for RCO so i don't have to give a sexual harasser a cent providing these screenshots

from rhato 2011 #0, our introduction to catherine and willis was catherine in labor crying "get it out already" because she "really needed a cigarette" and willis already jumping out of the picture to flirt with the hospital staff

willis drives drunk and runs someone over, goes back to catherine, fights, gets arrested, leaving jason to take care of catherine who's addicted to drugs, etc. this is all a very, very basic story that has been told over and over, because (unfortunately) many people have experience growing up in this kind of environment. especially in poverty. perhaps if written by someone who understood poverty, crime, drugs, addiction, the cyclical nature of it all, this may have been told well. unfortunately scott lobdell is a piece of shit and DC can't handle sensitive subject matter, so DC has given us the backstory that, i reiterate, REAL PEOPLE EXPERIENCE (i know because i know real people who had this upbringing—poverty, drugs, abuse, violence) as an excuse to make jason 'street trash' and dehumanize low income families.

but lynx, you just said that you know real people whose lives are reflected by this, shouldn't this be valid representation for them? isn't it realistic?

sure.... maybe, if all the surrounding stuff about jason's story doesn't make this all so CLASSIST and gross in retrospect.

it's not enough that jason escaped the cycle of poverty.... he had to be saved by batman lest he become a Bad Criminal like his father, because that's the only possible outcome to this. there's no reason willis was abusive or drunk or a criminal beyond the fact that he's poor, that he's a 'street rat.'

(side note, can some fans like,,, cool off calling jason a 'street rat' all the time? it's dehumanizing, and like. you know. there are real life people in these situations, they're not 'street rats,' they're the results of a failing system that perpetuates poverty. your anger should not be with 'street rats' but with the governments and the system that leaves vulnerable people behind while lining the pockets of millionaires and billionaires who won't ever step foot into east harlem or brownsville. go serve soup at the bowery for one day and look into the eyes of people stuck into the failing systems, of families coming in with their kids who are trying to do what they can to survive, they're not 'street rats' they're evidence that leaders don't give a shit. your privilege is showing. i digress).

the thing is... making willis and catherine like this isn't bad on its face. before i read DITF, i assumed this characterization was always like that, since both canon and fanon never seemed to indicate any differently.

OH how wrong i was. as i mentioned before, one thing about DC comics that i find... weird... is how comics from before 2000 can be more progressive or sympathetic than comics from the past 20 years.

THIS is how catherine and willis todd were APPARENTLY introduced originally, from batman #426 (part one of DITF):

"her name was catherine todd, a good woman who probably loved her son deeply, only wanted the best for him. willis todd probably loved jason also. maybe that's why he drifted into crime, hoping to give his son a better life. the poor fool realized too late that those kinds of shortcuts never pan out. catherine todd's life was cut short by a disease that didn't care just how much love she had in her heart. jason's dad fell victim to the vicious gangster he was working for, two-face."

wow! so from this... it seems that willis todd wasn't a piece of shit criminal, but someone who turned to crime out of desperation. to give jason a "better life." shocking.... this is ..... more in line with how poverty actually makes people turn to crime. being poor doesn't make someone turn evil just to be evil.

POV you're willis todd. your wife is terminally ill (and, i want to remind international DC fans, gotham is based in new jersey. no free healthcare. no universal basic income. if you want to be precise about when this specific comic was written, RONALD REAGAN was president. think about the circumstances going on). you have a kid. you are unemployed, and there aren't many work opportunities around you.

do you relocate to metropolis, since that city seems better than gotham? with what money?? most of what you do have is pooled with your wife's money to fund her medical bills, but remember this is america and the costs are piling up. additionally, you have to pay for your kid's necessities like food and clothes. you're not going to find an office job making more than minimum wage.

two-face comes along and, being a criminal, can pay you better than working at a random warehouse can. you just go along and follow his orders, and sure it's dangerous and you know you can be arrested but your priorities in life are catherine (until she dies) and then after that, your kid. to willis, and indeed many real parents who find themselves in this situation, crime is probably the most immediate solution; whether willis dies or gets arrested isn't as important as making sure he can put food on the table for just one more night.

let's just go back to catherine—i've seen some people speculate that "the disease" was actually just a euphemism for drugs and the comic was trying to be vague about that. here's how I would handle it if I worked at DC: catherine was sick from some terminal illness, but couldn't afford to pay the ungodly medical bills, so she turns to illegal drugs. you think living in high poverty just makes people turn to nonmedical opioid (the 'opioid crisis') because they're evil ne'er-do-well drug addicts? no!

NOW let's get to jason. he's already an orphan when bruce meets him, stealing the batmobile's tires not out of an inherent evilness within him but because he needs money to survive. he says it himself, he doesn't want to be a criminal! did willis want to be a criminal? did catherine want to die? no! from batman #409:

"i don't wanna learn to be no crook. i just boost what it takes to survive..."

everything about this could make for a compelling story and why i hated HATED HATED cheer so much. jason KNOWS the relationship between poverty and crime because he's LIVED IT, more than bruce could ever understand.

jason is adamantly AGAINST the systems in power BECAUSE HE'S SEEN oppression and injustice. he's lived it.

making willis abusive severely diminishes any sort of sympathetic connection jason could have to petty criminals...which makes no sense because he was one. jason should not be killing random thieves or henchmen, his issues should always be with the people in power. including in crime. note that he DOESN'T go on an anti-drug, anti-crime crusade in UTRH (which, as a whole comic, does contain some war on crime propaganda, but overall miles better than the bad parents retcon). he DOESN'T think that all criminals deserve death; his issue with batman ISN'T that gotham is too full of criminals that should be killed, but if you read the retcons and the abusive willis todd it's easy to interpret that (URBAN LEGENDS CHEER MY BEHATED).

i think lost days should be included in every printing of UTRH because of how much emphasis it places on jason's compassion for the downtrodden; he's not just murdering people because hee hee the lazarus pit made him evillll but because they're oppressing others; he kills people in positions of power who are abusing the systems in place. (NIGHTWING ANNUAL 2021 MY BEHATED)

so much of that is just... it just doesn't come off the same if willis was abusive at the start.

now. even after my rant, i want to say there's an upcoming fan film about jason's upbringing as an "abused street kid", HOWEVER the creator has discussed many times that this is based on his own personal experience so i have a lot of hope that it'll be less misery porn than what DC wrote.

salty comics ask game!

[xiuhunsoo]

11 Questions tag

got tagged by @stanminseok​ @chenshirejams​ @angel-osh​ and @parkcyeollie

Paige’s questions:

1. if you could be anything other than human what would you be

a cat, like, that’s the dream

2. if you were a zumba instructor what would your playlist be

omg i actually did zumba once but i forgot about 99% of the zumba songs but shakira was fun lmao, tbh i’d probably ask my old zumba instructor for her cds daskdjaks

3. would you rather take a scooter to the ankle or walk on legos

walk on legos, since i’ve been through both of these several times before i’d really rather walk on legos

4. describe your favorite movie

superhero dude tells his life story to one of his best friends while the friend is actually just sleeping and the film shows his life story lmao (if you can guess what this is kudos to you)

5. worst second hand embarrassment experience you’ve ever had

my mum had tickets to this one ballet show for us both and we went to the venue only to find out we were a week late although both my dad and me asked her SEVERAL times if it was the right date a month before and the lady at the entrance just looked at my mum like she was crazy when my mum was so confident about the show being that day and i just wanted to disappear into a hole that moment bc i somehow KNEW sth wasn’t right when we got there and i only saw people that didn’t fit the show audience at all

6. what is your childhood dream job

.....flute instructor......goodbye

7. how would you explain to your bias why they are your bias

oh god i could write a novel about why i love sehun so much tbh let’s just say it were his looks that drew me in initially but i learned to love the rest just as much if not even more like he’s so hardworking and puts so much effort into dancing and exo and cares so much for vivi, exo and his other friends and family and fans and he’s so cute and softspoken and also funny <3

8. name a city that starts with the same letter as your middle name

amsterdam!

9. who do you share a birthday with that is famous

uhhhhhh no idea tbqh i’m gonna google OHHH tchaikovsky!!!!!  and the dude that played the dad in mary poppins haha also gary cooper and idk the rest

10. describe your mood with a color

idk sth like a mudded dark green? 

11. what is your superhero name

LOL ok fun story i once dreamt i was part of the avengers and my super power was baking and i had a gun that shot muffins, i couldn’t remember my superhero name when i woke up but thinking back to this i’ll go with “Muffin Blaster”

Ari’s questions:

1. Suho’s dad jokes or Jin’s dad jokes?

Suho lmao 

2. Johnny, NCT: yes or no? (for science pls)

yes

3. Favorite girl group song?

Red Light by f(x)

4. ‘That’s right, my type’, ‘Never don’t mind about a thing’ or ‘E-X-O’?

That’s right, my type but why choose when you can have all ;)

5. Would you spend a day with Jongin’s dogs or with Toben?

kdjasdkasdksa Jongin’s dogs bc three dogs I’m sorry Toben, I’ll come and spend time with you some other day

6. Have you ever felt personally victimized by our lord and saviour Zhang Yixing?

daily tbh but I love it

7. What would your ideal date with your bias look like?

We’d probably just walk through the city, get some bubble tea, nice food and then pet all the dogs we see on the way and watch a nice film at home 

8. Favorite season?

Winter is my time to shine

9. What’s your current ringtone?

I think it’s still Monster but my phone is on silent 99% of the time lmao

10. What pet do you wish you have?

CATS ALL THE CATS and a snake and an otter and a pig and.....I want a whole zoo

11. Your bias group’s favorite stage?

Mirotic cover by EXO-M, Candy, 살다가 and El Dorado at EXO’Luxion (I’m probably forgetting 34234938248923 other stages)

Ana’s questions:

1. what disney movie would you pick to watch w/your bias?

just classics or every disney film bc i’d choose inside out but classic wise probably robin hood bc it’s my entire childhood tangled or brave are great too

2. if you had to repeat a year in your life what year would you pick?

mmmmhhhh 2015 just so i could relive the exo concert, i’d probably put up with the rest of the mess that year was just for that or maybe 2002 when i went to italy with my family that was nice too 

3. what food would you cook if you had your bias over for dinner?

oh boy i’m not the best cook but i’d probably ask what he wants?? and if everything else fails i’ll make pasta or japanese curry

4. lu or that good good?

that good good, it’s my most listened to song on itunes dakjsdakdskad (it’s a fake counting though bc i didn’t have the same laptop since i started listening to exo, el dorado would be much higher otherwise

5. which three members of exo would you want on your zombie apocalypse team? (ex members included)

minseok, junmyeon and tao probably

6. who in exo do you want to get a solo album next?

KYUNGSOO or minseok, i’d pay mad money for that

7. if you could join as a member of any girl/boy group which group would you pick?

uhhhhhhhHHHH well it’s hard for me to be a member of a boy group lmao and girl groups are always so underappreciated lmao i’d probably choose f(x) though

8. you just won a one million dollar shopping spree. what store are you headed to?

co’ex artium lmao goodbye money

9. sehun’s rainbow hair or ksoo’s red growl era hair?

THAT’S FUCKING RUDE uGH sehun’s rainbow hair i’m too biased for this

10. which exo song do you think deserves an mv? describe how it would look.

EL FUCKING DORADO! ! !  !  !! I DESERVE THAT MV, it’d fit the pathcode theme so well, with their powers trying to find whatever the el dorado is and mysterious and a bit darker vibes i guess

11. would you rather be yixings musical muse or chanyeol’s?

yixing, my man

Robin’s questions:

1. Is there a day you’d like to relive because it was so good?

7th March 2015, the day that changed my entire goddamn life bc El Dorado and EXO live wow

2. What is your favorite time of the year (because of the weather, or holidays)?

Christmas time is the best, I always feel so warm and happy 

3. What would you do if you could do anything anywhere in the world for one day?

Go to an EXO concert again???? lmao but other than that I’d probably go and visit all my internet friends <3

4. Are there any idols/celebrities you think you’d get along with really well irl?

Me and Luhan are the biggest Iron Man nerds I know so yeah

5. Is there a movie that you always go back to?

so many omfg Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, Star Wars, LotR, Inside Out, Ponyo are just a few

6. Do you still like the songs that you listened to 10 years ago?

uhhh not really, some of them I can still listen to but I don’t go out of my way to do so

7. What small thing(s) in life do you enjoy/appreciate?

omg so many, food, seeing my friends, seeing pretty flowers, seeing pretty sunrises/sunsets, a good cup of tea or coffee, petting cute animals, baking

8. Is there anything you wish you had done as a kid, but can’t do anymore now because you’re “too old”?

not really

9. If you could go to anyone’s concert right now, who would it be?

EXO lmao although Luhan would be cool to see too

10. Do you have any recommendations for kdramas or other series that I need to watch?

......I watch so many things ahhhhhh depends on what you like I guess but kdrama wise my favs are It’s Okay It’s Love, Scholar Who Walks The Night and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bokjoo and I love Crime Scene atm where Minseok was a guest for three episodes

11. What music do you listen to, if you want to get hyped?

uhhh faster paced songs I guess, I have a playlist...

good lord that’s already so long and most people have been tagged so i’ll refrain from making my own questions sorry!!! but thanks for tagging me!!!! i love this