#yes the designs are from batman: universe

[ashoss]

Green lantern x Batman found family slowburn

200k words

ik you submitted this as a joke but im using it to post my batlantern cowboys :DDD

the comic panel i used as reference ^^

there was no way in hell i was drawing a horse sorry yall

[lilydvoratrelundar]

dc is doing a little mini relaunch after the current crossover finishes and honestly thank god because literally only two of their current ongoings interest me but there's a bunch of fun looking stuff happening in november that i might actually look at. and also it's starting series for several guys who should have had ongoings this whole time like the fucking JUSTICE LEAGUE

[gotham-daydreams]

Hello! How old was the reader (in the Batman!reader universe) when the rest of the batfam died, and how many years had passed before they'd appeared again?

Heya! And oof... exact numbers? I've got to think on that, but I will say that not everyone died at the same time! Though, I don't necessarily want to give away the order either, even if the first one is literally stated in the first chapter.

For the first to go, I would say the reader is around 12, so just a little older then Damian but not by much.

The second time around, and the reader is 17.

Third time, reader is 21 - and for the fifth and fourth time, the reader is 22. The reader loses their robin well into their early thirties. From my notes, the reader is around 36 when the batfam are dropped into their universe.

So, from their robin? Technically 2 years have passed, but from the last of the 'original' family to die? 14 years. From Batman! Reader's universe, everyone but Alfred (who is on the edge of his life anyways) has been dead for 14 years. And yes- this reader is quite old and basically Bruce's age, if not a little younger. Is that by design and to nudge at how similar they are to Bruce? Who knows!! I totally don't, despite being the author!

[chaoticladyfire]

Things I screamed about in ATSV (spoilers)

-Got to rewatch the film so I’m just going to add the colours changing to warmer tones when Gwen hugs her father. Not even ten minutes in and I was already crying.

-Realised that we missed the Gwen-Vulture fight BUT got to see Jessica Drew enter the scene like a bad ass in her bad ass bike and hearing the audience collectively say ‘me too’ when Gwen asked if Jessica could adopt her. 

-Screaming OSCAR ISAAC when Miguel spoke

-Lyla. Just Lyla.

- ‘Do you say anything other than no?’ ‘No-YES!’ more of miguel and jessica pls

-The Spot’s introduction. I didn’t see any promotional stuff, teasers or even trailers before watching this film so I had no idea who or what the The Spot was which was great because he really went from villain of the week to villain of the movie. And they clearly had a great time choreographing the fight scenes with him

-Miles’ heating up the beef patty while the spot and the convenience store man argue

-Miles patting the spot’s with a ‘good cow’ text

-Gwen and Miles both having to deepen their voices to avoid being recognised by their respective cop dads

-Miles saying that he can get two cakes when the counsellor says you can’t have your cake and eat it too and then bringing two cakes for his father’s party and neither of them saying what he wanted to convey. 

-Rio and Jeff scolding an annoyed miles but instantly smiling when a relative hugs them what an universal experience 

-Gwen teasing Miles for drawing her in his notebook almost obsessively but also breaking the biggest rule to spend time with him knowing the consequences. 

-As they went to talk, my friend leaned over and said ‘yeah I bet they will talk’ and when they only talked he groaned very loudly at which point I had to remind him Miles was only 15 

-Watching Jeff talk to Spiderman about his son not knowing his son is spiderman

-The DJ increasing the volume when Miles’ parents started scolding him in the middle of the party (the real mvp of the movie actually) 

-JK Simmons cameo that no one seems to be talking about??? Embarrassingly enough I had to literally scream into my friend’s ear for most of the people to realise it was indeed JK Simmons

-Just the entire Mumbattan scene. It was so exciting to see my city be represented like that, still a bit cliched in my opinion but not like Slumdog so obviously they have updated their views. Everything from the traffic gag to Pav’s rant about chai tea had the theatre howling. Also the detail of the thought boxes (?) and sounds being written in Hindi 

-Screaming DANIEL KALUUYA

-My friend and I are huge fans of the UK punk scene (her for the ideologies and myself for the music and fashion) so Hobie was a dream come true. He was already super cool with his guitar and mohawk costume but when he revealed his face it was just so amazing

-Gayatri is every indian’s dream girl with her modern shirt-flannel and jeans combo mixed with bangles and piercings I really wish we get to see more of her in the next movie. Anyway there was a lot of wolf-whistling and hooting for her and Pav

-Also Pavitr literally means pure I don’t know if they did that on purpose or not but I love it

-His pet name being Pav cured my soul

-’This is the most emotional I have seen him’ and Captain Singh has no emotions at all

-I want to see how they came up with so many spider designs because each was so unique and immediately endearing. My friend who is also a big dinosaur fan screamed DINOSAUR 

-Kind of obsessed with how detailed Ben Reilly’s arms are they did not need to go that hard with it

-Tom Holland’s Spider-Man being referred to as ‘the little nerd’ by Miguel

-When everyone was making puns about the Spot my friend leaned over and said ‘i wonder which hole the spot prefers’ it is a miracle we are still friends actually

-The Donald Grover cameo!!!

-Peter B Parker having a cute little baby with the love of his life is what he deserves

-Miguel O Hara is one step away from becoming a Batman-Spiderman 

-Hobie’s admiration for Mayday being the avatar of chaos Spider-baby

-Screaming ANDY SAMBERG

-I think they saw the appreciation for the art style in the previous film and then trebled it for this film and I cannot thank them enough for it

-Peter complaining about how Miguel breaks the Spiderman tradition of being funny and witty and Miguel being the first anomaly 

-Every scene with the Spot is very unnerving because as I said, you watch him transform from this joker to a literal void of vengeance and it is every bit of terrifying

-Miguel is a man suffering from the destruction of an entire universe because of his selfish actions and forcing that anomaly narrative on a fifteen year old boy who became a spiderman on accident and doesn’t want his father to die because of that. Unlike the Spot, who isn’t even human anymore, Miguel is drowning in grief and guilt and trying to ignore it by holding the weight of the spider-verse on his shoulder. I hated him so much for making a boy go through that but then I just couldn’t in the end. 

-Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire cameo!!! Hopefully we’ll get a fun Tom Holland one too in the next movie.

-’Let me guess, he died?’ being a therapist for Spider Men must be a fairly boring job after a few patients.

-I just loved the absolute of wrongness of the scene where Miles returns ‘home’. The rain and darkness. I didn’t really think about Rio asking Miles what happened to his hair because I thought she was referring to the rain (although of course she wouldn’t ask him why his hair was wet when it was obviously raining outside) but realised something was wrong when he didn’t know about comic con but she did because in the first film there’s a joke about Peter B Parker explaining the concept to Miles. 

- This movie is not good for my father related issues

-The glaring neon welcome sign when the gang end up in Earth 42

-How did Uncle Aaron get even scarier? 

-Miles being the Prowler is honestly a great twist I saw it coming but still felt the shock of the reveal

-Prowler Miles having an accented voice meaning his father probably died when he was young and he only had his mom growing up

-Can’t wait for the original spider team to return for the third film seeing as they brought back Spider-Man Noir and Spider Ham and Peni Parker

-Screaming WHAT when the ‘to be continued’ appeared because that cliffhanger is absolutely destructive. All that adrenaline and excitement just popped. I’m still oscillating between being impressed and being disappointed. 

I probably skipped over a lot of other scenes because these were the most memorable and I only watched the film once (unfortunate) but I can’t wait for the movie to hit streaming services and watch it again and again for all the other details I missed. Ill probably keep adding things as I remember

[thankskenpenders]

Sonic x ...DC Comics?!

We have our reveal of what our new Sonic comic crossover will be, and it's... not what I expected! We're getting a five-issue comic series mashing up Sonic with the DC Comics universe written by Ian Flynn, plus a slew of merch to go with it.

To be honest, I don't know how to feel about this? I don't feel the hype.

Okay, for one, cards on the table: I have more attachment to Marvel's cast of characters than DC's. Sue me. But it's not like I don't also like DC's heroes! I grew up watching the Batman movies and the Justice League cartoons and Adam West's Batman and whatnot. I loved Teen Titans so much as a kid that I was Robin one year for Halloween. DC's cool! People have been comparing Sonic to the Flash for years! So... why does this collab make me feel nothing?

Well, for one, it might be that I would prefer a series like this to be about Sonic and friends meeting the Justice League, as opposed to them being the Justice League. To me, personally, that just seems a little more interesting. Seeing how those characters play off of each other. People have been asking "who would win in a race, Sonic or the Flash?" for years, so that was kinda the thing I was latching onto as the impetus for this crossover. And yes, in the interview they tease the possibility of the actual characters meeting, but they're marketing it primarily via these mashup characters with Sonic and co. cosplaying as the Justice League, so I have to assume that's the main focus of the story.

But I'm also just sitting here like... why DC? Why is this the highest priority crossover to do with Sonic? It seems so arbitrary. Just mashing two random popular franchises together. It doesn't feel like something that resonates so heavily with Sonic that we just NEED this crossover to exist. The DC universe isn't something that has much of a thematic connection with Sonic. Like, you look at the TMNT x Naruto crossover, and THAT feels inspired. That's something you never would've thought would happen, but the second it's announced it seems so obvious, and the sick cover art sells the idea that it's gonna be something fun. (Hell, speaking of TMNT, that feels like a crossover that would've made way more sense to me. No, the single panel of the Archie comics they appeared in doesn't count.)

When the Sonic X DC thing is announced with a series of stock vectors of the Sonic cast cosplaying as the Justice League and the news that there will be a ton of merch for this, well. It just makes it seem like this is first and foremost a collab designed to generate new Funko Pops.

I don't know. I'm sure that whatever the actual story looks like, Ian will do his damnedest to make the comic fun. It'll probably be pretty decent. He's the perfect writer for this assignment. It's just not the crossover I would've requested. Maybe I'm just being a hater here. I know a lot of people are excited, with speculation about what other Sonic characters could take the roles of DC characters. Maybe showing something from the actual comic would've been a better sell. But, well, that's how I feel about it based on the announcement!

[theguywithaplan]

List of Video Games turning ten (10) years old in 2025

Alone in the Dark: Illumination (if you thought the AitD game from last year was bad, check this shit out).

Angry Birds 2 (yes, there was a 2).

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival (two AC games from 2015 and neither of them were what people wanted).

Assassin's Creed Syndicate (the Bri'ish one).

Atelier Shallie

Axiom Verge

Batman: Arkham Knight

Battlefield: Hardline (the last game from Visceral Games, the guys who made the Dead Space series).

The Beginner's Guide (the second game from the creator of The Stanley Parable).

Bloodborne (anything for the 10th anniver-- no. Never gonna happen).

Broken Age

Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash

Cities: Skylines

Crypt of the NecroDancer

Devil's Third (one of the rarest Wii U games ever).

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance

Disney Infinity 3.0

Dragon Ball XenoVerse (the first one. not the second).

Dying Light

Evolve (these guys would go on to make Back 4 Blood).

Fallout 4

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD

Game of Thrones (the Telltale game)

Guitar Hero Live

Halo 5: Guardians

Hatred (a game so edgy and terrible that it got itself kicked off of Steam).

Helldivers (the first one).

Heroes of the Storm (the Blizzard MOBA).

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

HuniePop (for all you pervs out there).

I Am Bread

Just Cause 3

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (the quintessential VR game)

Kerbal Space Program

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (one of the few Wii U games that hasn't been ported to the Switch. And probably never will be).

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Lego Dimensions (a crossover game with about a billion different franchises).

Lego Jurassic World

Life is Strange (controversial opinion: I sacrificed Chloe and felt nothing).

Mario Party 10 (the only MP on the Wii U)

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (back when the 3DS was single-handedly keeping MH alive)

Mortal Kombat X

Need for Speed (the reboot)

The Order: 1886

Ori and the Blind Forest

Pillars of Eternity

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon

Prison Architect

Rainbow Six: Siege

Rare Replay

Resident Evil: Revelations 2

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Rock Band 4

Rocket League

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (RIP Volition. You were too good for the modern day).

Shadowrun: Hong Kong

Skylanders: SuperChargers

Soma (the best horror game ever made. Play it if you haven't yet).

Splatoon

Star Wars: Battlefront (the EA reboot).

StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void (RIP StarCraft. You were too good for modern day Blizzard).

Steven Universe: Attack the Light!

Story of Seasons (the very fight one)

Super Mario Maker

Tales from the Borderlands (the best thing that Telltale EVER made).

Tales of Zestiria

Tembo the Badass Elephant (published by Sega and developed by Game Freak... the Pokemon guys).

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5

Total War: Attila

Transformers: Devastation (RIP PlatinumGames. You... kinda started sucking after Astral Chain).

Undertale (yep, it's happening).

Until Dawn

Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (just in time for the 4th game)

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (remember, kids: Nazi lives don't matter).

Xenoblade Chronicles X (finally escaping the Wii U this year).

Yakuza 5

Yo-Kai Watch

Yoshi's Woolly World

[songsofbat]

'cause i think you're so good, and i'm nothing like you

Once upon a time, Corus Wayne ended up in a universe with strangers wearing familiar faces. Upon realising this isn't their world and that their family wouldn't recognise them, they discarded their civilian identity in order to become a full time vigilante.

Now only going by Corvid, this psychic teen's trying to figure out who they are without the people who were their entire world.

-

Their identity as 'Corus Wayne' has been mentioned on their blog, but I consider the mentioning of that 'deleted'. It's not actually deleted, because I want to read those posts.

They're just Corvid, unless your character can somehow bring back deleted Tumblr posts, or was there when it happened.

They still have no intention of revealing themself as such.

Their new civilian identity is Stelle @starstruckechoes ! [ LINK ]

They do not openly acknowledge Slapstick despite sharing a body. @waynewayne-goaway [ LINK ]

Please do not refer to them as Stelle on this blog!

( Extras + link to old intro after the cut! )

[ OLD INTRO ]

ARCS:

[ ARRIVAL ] [ CALLA ] [ RECOVERY ] [ HOPE ] <- CURRENT ARC

Friends:

@/morganinez , @/vicenovirtues [ @/themageofstars is currently RETCONNED until I figure out what I want to do with her story the more it diverges from Tumblrverse. ]

(They... don't have many.)

Enemies:

NA.

CORVID IS 🕊 ANON.

THEIR UNIVERSE CHARACTER DESIGNS:

[ BATMAN/BRUCE WAYNE ]

---

Fun facts:

Corus's most used (active, not passive) ability is to make people not perceive them in order to 'vanish'. This does not work on technology (no mind for them to manipulate) or people immune to mind powers.

They can't read intent over text, and have grown reliant on their powers to figure out how to talk to people. They're trying to kick that habit.

Now that they're not actively pushing people away, Corus tends to lean more into trying to fit into other people's expectations. It still hasn't ended well.

They're not too certain about their current outfit, but they're currently trying to branch out. Yes, their latest cape has a night-sky effect to it in person unless, once again, your character is immune to said powers.

They still have their gadgets from their old universe! They're just saving them in case anything happens. They always have a batarang on them, though. And the bolas will stay, no matter what.

Tumblrverse, being a not very planned thing, means that their future vision doesn't work very well.

--- MUN ---

I love novella roleplay! I roleplay on both Tumblr and Discord, and I'm mainly active in the DC OC Official server. Feel free to reach out if you're interested in character dynamic planning or just one-shot alternative universes!

[coldbagelfanstatesman]

Ultimate Batman by FitMarshmellow

The main premise here is that this is a Bruce who never had an Alfred or some kind of guiding mentor after his parents' death. He was simply an angry soul in a tortured city. With no one to ground him in reality, it made the Batman persona not exactly darker than normal, but rather...

More pragmatic.

Bruce has no real notions of idealism. He has no strict moral code, he just has his mission: eradicate crime in Gotham City.He's not a murderer, but he isn't opposed to self-defense (as far as he knows). He isn't necessarily opposed to gun, yet he finds himself unable to use them. He is a pulp adventurer in a noir city that always seems to be in shades of gray.

That is until he meets a rough street-kid who dared to take the wheels of his car--Jason Todd. This is the story of two wounded children in a city that took everything away from them, learning to overcome their trauma and become more than their darkest fears. The concept is that we start in a Miller-Like Gotham: Dark, gritty, noir, but with Jason and Bruce working together, healing each other, you see Batman and Robin and Gotham go in a different direction.

Their mission going from "Eradicating Crime" to "Making Gotham the greatest city in the world."So, while we start off with a pragmatic Batman and a darker Robin, over time, they become their archetypical selves--their greatest selves, as Gotham goes from grayscale to popping with color.

We see a Jason shaped by his life on the streets, without parentage, without mentorship, who would like for nothing but to show the world that they don't matter as much as they made him feel like he doesn't matter.

He's angry, violent, he's... exactly like Bruce.

And Bruce sees that. And for the first time in his life since his parents' murder, Bruce takes the leap and lets a person into his heart. Jason is a problem child, of course. He quickly takes advantage of Bruce's extended absences in the night to sneak off and take on the 2-Gang much to Bruce's chagrin. Once Jason finds out he's Batman, he demands to be taken with him, to be trained. Bruce is extremely reluctant, but between him sneaking out while he can't be around and him being alongside him where he can keep watch...

Bruce makes a risky decision. And that's how The Dynamic Duo is born. Jason's suit in this universe is actually a gift from Kal. It is made of impenetrable Kryptonian fabric in order to give him a layer of protection while out in the field.

On a greater meta-textual level, this story is about childhood naiveté and how it's necessary to the superhero genre.This Batman does not become the Batman we know until he gets a child's perspective. Until he finally reopens the door to the grieving child in his heart and finally lets him free. He goes from a man hell-bent on punishing the evils of the world to a man dreaming of a better one and making it happen.

All because one day, in an alley, he saw a lost boy...And wasn't afraid to show him that he was loved.

So broad strokes: We gradually go from Frank Miller Batman to Adam West Batman in one story!

Now on the design front, Batman is wearing a relatively classic costume paired with a Dracula collar for extra flair.Jason's Robin costume is a mix of his debut suit with Robin OYL and Red Robin, to give him a pop color feel, while keeping him in line with the pulp noir feel.

And yes, Jason is the first (and hopefully only) Robin Bruce will have. In a way, we'll get to see how he would've turned out if he wasn't in Dick's shadow and wasn't taken from the world too soon.

A Jason that could actually heal from his rough upbringing.

Not my idea, Art and Pitch comes from here: https://x.com/FitMarshmellow/status/1772322750796865885

[zahri-melitor]

Why did Red Robin fail as an alias that Tim was transitioned into? Did it ‘fail’?

I don't have any special insight on this one, but I can give you a bunch of reasons that made it unpopular.

The main one however? It's heavily associated with n52 Tim, and people don't like n52 Tim.

(Heads up going in - I will be using cover dates for all of this, because working with cover dates over publication dates is simpler for me)

Tim used 'Red Robin' as a name between August 2009 and July 2018. This splits up as follows with the major titles he was appearing in:-

2 years, 3 months (August 2009 - October 2011) in Batman Reborn pre-Flashpoint as Red Robin (Red Robin vol 1):

5 years, 1 month (November 2011 - November 2016) in n52 as Red Robin (Teen Titans vol 4 & 5, Batman Eternal, Batman & Robin Eternal):

2 years (August 2016 - July 2018) in Rebirth as Red Robin (Detective Comics):

I wanted to put the photos up to help clarify the differences between each of these versions.

Yes, there's overlap between the last two, because Teen Titans vol 5 finished several months after the start of Tynion's Detective Comics run. The two characters are essentially separate - switching over to Rebirth was a messy process that took several months depending on the title

The majority of appearances of 'Red Robin' as a character are of n52 'Tim Drake', who doesn't have the same backstory, parents or history as Robin as the characters either side of him. He's the one that most long term fans of the character would rather not talk about or think about.

Tynion's Detective Comics run between 2016 to 2018 was about taking the characters therein back to their pre-Flashpoint characterisation, as much as possible. And you can tell from the costume, Tim was 'Red Robin' in name only. He was wearing a Robin costume that simply happened to have an extra R on the crest. He looked like a Robin, acted like a Robin, was doing Robinlike work for Batman, and when Young Justice 2019 started he got a costume update that dropped the extra R from the top and he's been using Robin again ever since (less the attempt at using 'Drake' as a code name in 2020).

So why did it fail? Here's a bunch of reasons:

People don't like the cowl design on Tim: even Marcus To, the artist best associated with Tim as Red Robin before Flashpoint, perpetually draws Tim with the cowl down and often with part of the costume off for commissions and artwork.

People don't like the new 52 version of Tim.

Red Robin was a costume that Tim put on back in 2009 as a punishment to himself while was was doing 'unRobinlike' things looking for Bruce, and once that circumstance was over, there wasn't that much time during Reborn to really cement it as Tim's adult persona due to the universe getting cut off and rebooted.

New 52 Tim was largely not associated with the rest of the Bats for various editorial reasons, making him an outsider that's unusual compared to the rest of his characterisation since 1989.

To show the difference for Tynion's 'Tec run and convince all the fans that new 52 Tim was gone, they decided to make a very clear visual distinction between the characters. That visual distinction essentially was making Tim into a Robin again.

If you're looking at character storyline for Tim Drake, son of Jack and Janet, the story arc effectively goes: Batman Reborn, Convergence, Detective Comics, Young Justice 2019. Which is a story of Tim transferring himself back OUT of the Red Robin costume as he healed and no longer needed it as a temporary measure, and regaining his memories and history.

I mean, why would DC want to use Red Robin for Tim? It's got the difficulty that Jason has taken over effective ownership of the colour red for identification in the family purposes. It's associated with times of grief in Tim's life (because Tim explicitly wears red for loss: for Kon and for Bruce) and with storylines they've excised from his history. It's explicitly a form of self-flagellation.

It could have been Tim's Nightwing, but it's effectively ended up Tim's Grayson period. Something that happened and is referenced, but there are good reasons not to return to.

[pluckyredhead]

hi! i'm new to comics and i got in through reading your fics and wayne family adventures. i've since started reading more of the mainstream verse and i realized that most comic fans consider wfa to be totally fanon. you're one of the few i saw that disagrees. would you mind elaborating a lil on why? i'm too new to really form an opinion either way but i'd like to know your's!

(also yes i really did stalk your blog back years worth of posts i'm sorry! 😭😭)

Aw I love this! Welcome!

So I think it's really important to be clear on definitions here:

Canon means it's part of an official text. It's literally in a comic (or book or movie or other property) published or licensed by DC.

Fanon means it's made up by fans. That doesn't mean bad or good, it just means that it comes from fandom and is not part of the official text.

Wayne Family Adventures is an official licensed comic by DC, so by definition, it cannot be fanon. That doesn't mean everyone has to like it, but it's not a fan comic. It's an official DC product. It's not fanon.

Now, WFA isn't part of the main DCU canon. It takes place in a separate universe. The Jason in Batman #138 and the Jason in WFA are not the same and they are having very different experiences. (And I'm sure the Jason in WFA would be grateful if he knew.)

But that's no different than a comic that takes place in an alternate universe, like Dark Knights of Steel or DCeased, or a movie like Blue Beetle or a show like My Adventures with Superman. They all take place in their own universes, but all of those universes are canon. None of them are fanon.

What I think most people mean when they say WFA is fanon is that WFA draws on tropes and characterizations that are popular in fandom. Which...yes, absolutely. This is on purpose, and honestly, it pisses me off when people complain about it. (Not you, anon! Your question was lovely, you just triggered my unskippable cut scene of dialogue. Sorry lol.)

Wayne Family Adventures is probably the single best idea DC has had in the 20 years I've been reading comics. (The second best was the kids and YA graphic novel lines.)

I just checked, and WFA has 1.3 MILLION subscribers. That's more than every floppy comic starring Batman sells in a month, combined. It's more than literally any superhero comic has sold in decades - in this century! The combined strips have over A HUNDRED MILLION VIEWS. That is bonkerstown. That is a readership like DC hasn't seen since the 1970s. That is unparalleled success, and it's introducing characters like Kate Kane and Duke Thomas to a whole new audience.

Now, WFA was clearly designed to appeal to Batfans who were active on social media and fanfic sites like AO3 and Wattpad, and Webtoon readers. The readership of Webtoon is mostly young and female. Fandom as a whole is mostly female. The writer of WFA is female.

And maybe I'm not being fair here, but when I see people dismiss WFA as "just fanon," I always catch a whiff of "It's not a real Batman comic. It's a girl comic for girls."

I have spent the past 20 years begging DC (and Marvel, DC is not alone in this) to see women as a viable audience - as their largest potential growth audience! I have watched in dumbfounded frustration as they ignored the juggernaut success of Raina Telgemeier and Ngozi Ukazu and Alice Oseman running rings around the NY Times bestseller list and counted a 50k shipment here and there as a resounding triumph. I have literally seen them throw out survey responses from women because "those women had an agenda." (This is a true story. 2011 was rough, y'all.)

And all of a sudden, they gave us a comic actually catering to women and young people and fandom, and they put it on the most popular, current, modern platform for comics availably - and it's brilliant. It's smart and funny and stunningly drawn and every episode makes clever, inventive use of the scrolling format. They FINALLY gave us a girl comic for girls, and it's a masterpiece.

And yes, it riffs on fanon concepts. It also has its roots firmly in mainstream DCU canon. It references deep cuts. CRC Payne and StarBite know their shit. Jason Todd being a bookworm may be a fanon staple, but he does plenty of reading - including Jane Austen - in the 100% canon mainstream DCU comics.

It's not going to be for everything, because nothing is. It's completely fine if you don't like WFA. No one has to read it or enjoy it. If you're into Batman for the darkness and the crime and the ongoing plotlines and the angst, WFA won't be for you, and that's totally fine!

But to finally, finally be valued as a reader by DC, to have them do something smart and innovative and so, so well executed, and have the exact people they made it for dismiss it out of hand because Bruce has a "World's Okayest Dad" mug or whatever? Yeah, that chafes.

[starwarsmum]

Maribat Mix Match Monster Mash day 6, I'll Kill You Either Way & Shadow

Marinette was part of a group of older magic users. She had been working with the Justice League Dark on and off for the past couple of years, ever since she had turned nineteen. She was by far the youngest member, but that didn't mean she was the weakest. 

In fact, she was well known as one of the powerhouses of the magical world, all because she was the conduit of Creation. She had had quite a difficult time juggling the various duties that came with being a recognised and respected magic wielder alongside her separate and growing reputation as a fashion designer. 

“Hey LB, we got a request from the bat crew to take a look at a problem they're having,” Zatanna said, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. “Are you free?”

“Yeah, just give me…one…minute…okay, yes, I'm done,” Marinette said, closing the book she was reading with a flourish and turning to face the older magic user. “Who's having a problem with what now?”

“Apparently one of Batman’s crew is having a problem with Spectre, and they need one of us to help out,” she replied, talking too casually. Marinette was instantly wary and gave Zatanna a hard look. The woman gave her a wince in return and her shoulders slumped slightly. “Look, they need one of us and you're the newest and one of our most effective magic wielders.”

“So I'm getting to deal with the bats - who hate magic wielders - because I don't have a history with them?” She tugged anxiously on a pigtail, worrying her lil between her teeth. “Why am I getting punished for being new?”

“No, I know, but honestly can you see Constantine trying to help them? Besides, the Bat in question is the youngest and we thought you'd relate better with him, given your own age.”

“...this is about Stabby? And you said Spectre, isn't he in the business of universal balance?” Marinette was beyond curious now, and confused when Zatanna nodded. “Okay, so you want me to go against someone who has the balance of the universe as his guide for the most violent Robin we've ever had because…?”

“Because he's not a bad person. When he was a kid, he lived with bad people that taught and trained him to do bad things, but he's grown since then,” Zatanna said, sounding passionate and earnest. Marinette could feel her resistance crumbling and sighed before relenting. 

“Okay, fine, but they start getting fussy about the whole magic thing and I'm lodging a complaint,” she said sternly. “When are the bats expecting me to meet with them?”

“Er, as soon as possible? They've sequestered Señor Stabby on the Watchtower, so as soon as you're ready we'll head on up.”

_ _ _

Marinette could count on one hand the number of times she had been on the Watchtower before now and none of them had been happy times. Every time, it had been one of the innumerable bats who had made her regret attending, blatantly annoyed that they didn't have her identity. 

So she was disgruntled to be back, and to help them no less. The only reason she hadn't outright refused was because the latest Robin had been semi-respectful of her wishes and always admonished the others when possible. Well, not Batman, but anyone else? He would shut down the invasive questions if he was in earshot.

Really, if it hadn't been for his harsh demeanour she would have wanted to befriend the young man. But he had been blunt and dismissive of her as a hero, even as he respected her privacy. Whenever he had accidentally complimented her - and it was obviously never done on purpose - he followed it up with a cutting remark about her shortcomings.

Stepping into the meeting room after Zatanna, Marinette gave a weak smile that probably came across as a grimace. She was still short enough that people didn't automatically notice her when she walked in behind someone else, in spite of the spandex suit. But the moment the big bad Bat himself noticed her he started objecting.

“Zatanna, what is Ladybug doing here? I thought you were aware of how grave a situation this was,” he said in his growling voice. Marinette coughed to cover up the snort that escaped her at his almost pun. It didn't go unnoticed. “She isn't even taking this seriously!”

“Oh come on, you cannot say things like ‘grave’ when we are discussing the Spectre and not expect someone to find the humour,” she insisted, feeling justified when the blue one, Nightwing, gave a stressed giggle. “See? But if you do not wish for my assistance, I understand and will be on my way.”

“Tt, that is not necessary,” Robin said, glaring at Batman in warning. “I apologise on behalf of my father, he is concerned for my well-being and it makes him unnecessarily combative.”

“...father?” Marinette was stunned and trying to maintain some semblance of calm as Batman gave Robin an exasperated look. Putting a pin in that, Marinette tried to regain a professional air. “Okay, whatever, I don't even want to try and unpack all of that. If you want my assistance I'm more than willing under the condition that nobody attempts to uncover my identity as a result of said help.”

“You would put your conditions ahead of the safety of another vigilante?” Red Robin said, clearly thinking it was a smart observation. Marinette merely raised an eyebrow which was, sadly, hidden behind her mask.

“You would put your curiosity ahead of the safety of your teammate?” she shot back, cocking a hand onto her hip and waiting as the young man flushed. “Yes, I am putting my safety first because believe it or not, I value my life, not to mention valuing the safety of the magic within my purview. If you want my help, you will follow my rules or face consequences.”

A short silence followed her statement but the bats eventually agreed. She listened carefully as they outlined the problem they were facing and Marinette grew more concerned the longer they spoke. She had heard of Spectre and knew that he was relatively single minded in his quest for justice.

Finally, they all agreed that Marinette and Robin would be holing up in a flat in Gotham until the threat was neutralised. While the idea of living with the youngest of the Gotham vigilantes filled her with anxiety, she was determined to help. Besides, she knew Zatanna had a couple of tricks up her sleeve that could help protect her identity.

_ _ _

“Thank you, for agreeing to help me,” Robin said as they set up the kitchen. Marinette made a non-committal grunt as she stowed different ingredients in their cupboards and refrigerator. They had portalled in as Pegabug and Robin from the WatchTower, and Marinette was making trips back and forth from her home in Paris.

When she was finally done, she turned to face Robin to lay some ground rules. So she was more than a little surprised when she faced him and he was missing his mask. She flushed as she got caught in the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen.

“I thought it would be expedient to get this over with,” he said after an awkward silence. 

“Right, of course,” she said, tearing her gaze away. Calling for her detransformation, she felt the wash of magic as it rolled away from her. She held out a hand to him and tried to will calm into her voice. “You can call me Bridgette, if you want.”

Damian relaxed slightly as he took in the young woman before him. She was short, with mousy brown hair and hazel eyes. She looked to be of Indian descent and was looking at him nervously. He felt an absurd amount of relief that she was not as appealing to him now that she did not have gorgeous wide blue eyes, and black hair that gleamed blue in certain lights. He was unsure how he would have handled the close quarters with Ladybug if she had been as attractive as a civilian.

“You may call me Damian,” he answered. “I assume we will be able to stay relatively separate during our stay here, but in case it is relevant, I am a vegetarian.”

“Oh, cool, that's good to know,” Bridgette said, her voice a lot lower than it was as Ladybug.

Over the next couple of days, Damian and Bridgette settled into a comfortable routine. Bridgette would go out in her civilian form to get food and other household necessities, and Damian remained inside at all hours of the day. Whenever she was gone, he found himself more on edge, suspicious of every dark corner and empty room.

It was very domestic, and frustrating for Damian, but he had to admit that he didn't dislike her company. All of the qualities that he admired in Ladybug shone through, and he found that he gravitated towards her. She would ask him questions about why Spectre was after him, and make plans to help capture their adversary so that she could keep him safe.

On the third day of containment, Bridgette mentioned that they should probably make a plan for if Spectre found them in their temporary abode. As she discussed an evacuation plan which involved him using Kaalki - a miniature horse that powered the Miraculous of teleportation - a small red bug-thing floated in Bridgette's face.

“Guardian, is it really wise of you to share so much information with him?” The tiny thing squeaked, and Damian had to work very hard not to jump. Bridgette gave the creature assurances, although Damian wasn't sure what he had done to earn her trust.

At their shared meal that evening Bridgette mentioned that she would need to leave the following afternoon, and gave him a phone number to contact her on if something happened whilst she was away. 

_ _ _

On the day after her trip back to Paris for a fashion show, Marinette felt like she was drained both physically and mentally. The amulet that changed her appearance and voice used her own powers to fuel it. She needed to end the threat of Spectre before it went too far and she ended up a liability instead of a help.

“What do you think to showing up somewhere you're supposed to be as a civilian to draw him out,” Marinette asked while they were watching television. She tried to force down a blush when he turned and looked at her, cursing his attractiveness. “Because I don't know about you, but I have real life things to be doing. And as lovely as this has been, it's not really sustainable long term.”

“This has been enjoyable for you as well?” Damian asked, head tilting slightly. He had a pleased look on his face and she bit her lip to stop herself from agreeing too fervently. “I can see the point of it, we would just need to be cautious of any civilians becoming involved.”

They quickly discussed all of the places Damian was supposed to be in the next couple of days and settled on his work at an animal shelter as being least likely to have collateral damage. That meant they had twenty-six hours to make the plan as foolproof as possible, and Marinette was determined to get this right.

_ _ _

Watching Damian interact with the animals at the shelter was the last straw. Marinette could handle his polite manner. She could handle the respectful way he managed their close quarters. She could just about handle the admiration she could hear in his voice when they were discussing strategies.

But this green-eyed, tall, muscled man, who happened to be her age, talking softly to a blind dog so he didn't spook it? Letting it sniff his hand and lean into it so he could pet it? The way he calmed down animals before giving them necessary medications and comforting them afterwards? It was too much and she had to admit - to herself, no-one else - that he was perfect.

She felt guilt gnawing at her insides for deceiving him with Zatanna’s amulet, but she sure as hell hadn't wanted to give him her identity up front. But now…if the mess with Spectre got straightened out, she could see herself pursuing something more with this man.

About two hours into the night shift that Damian was taking, Spectre appeared. Marinette felt when the man entered the shelter and called for her transformation. She shoved Kaalki at Damian and made him transform as well. 

“You cannot hide him from me,” came a deep voice, and Marinette swung around to keep herself between the two. “Damian Al Ghul-Wayne’s crimes are numerous and I will kill him either way. He must pay for the crimes he has committed in his youth.”

“You're not touching him while I'm here,” she snarled back at him, swinging her yoyo in a wide arc. “Damian may have committed crimes in his youth, but he is not that person anymore. And it is my understanding that he was led astray by others during that time. We cannot punish the man for a child's mistakes when they were forced upon him by his guardians.”

“He is a murderer,” Spectre rumbled, his hood obscuring his eyes as Marinette stared at him. “He is an assassin and ended the lives of many with no remorse.”

“He is remorseful,” Marinette declared. “Damian Al Ghul-Wayne is a changed man, I swear it upon my own honour as Ladybug, superheroine of Paris and Guardian of the Miraculous.”

“You would forfeit your own soul alongside his, should he fail?” The sentence cut through her but she refused to waver. When she nodded, Spectre paused before withdrawing slightly. “Very well. I shall be monitoring you, Damian Al Ghul-Wayne, and if you should return to your previous nature, both yours and Ladybug's lives are forfeit.”

_ _ _

“Well that was a little anticlimactic,” Marinette said once they were safely back in their shared apartment the next morning. “I thought there would be a fight, or something. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we don't have to take on someone so powerful, but it almost feels like it was too easy.”

“You think it a light measure that you have bound your fate to mine?” Damian asked, eyebrows raised. 

“Well it's not like you're going to go out and turn to a life of crime now, is it?” She retorted, rolling her eyes. They were sitting together on the sofa they had shared for the past week. “Just keep doing your thing and we'll be fine.”

He paused before leaning towards her and speaking in a low voice. “Perhaps we should…continue to spend time together. So that you can be sure that I do not cross any lines.”

Heat tingled up her spine as she also leaned forward, their breath mingling. She wasn't sure who closed the distance but their lips met in a soft kiss. It was gentle and warm, not dispassionate but nor was it a searing kiss.

When they pulled apart, her eyes fluttered open again, almost immediately getting caught by his green ones. He moved in once more but she pressed her forefinger to his lips to make him pause.

“Before we go any further, I have to-”

“Ladybug, wait!” Marinette jumped as Tikki streaked into the room, looking at her Kwami bewilderedly. Damian looked annoyed but not angry. “You should leave your amulet in place, guardian, he has been tricking you.”

“What do you mean-”

There was a banging on the door and Marinette looked at it, confused. Hardly anyone knew who lived in this apartment, and nobody from Marinette's life. Damian tensed further when they heard a familiar growling voice demand to be let in.

“Hello, Batman, to what do I owe this…pleasure?” Marinette asked, anxiety and worry building in her gut. The feeling strengthened when he didn't seem surprised by her appearance.

“They were spying on you, Ladybug,” Tikki said immediately, holding out a tiny electronic device. Marinette took it, a cold spreading through her as she turned it in her hands. “That device was embedded in the door. I apologise that I did not find it sooner, Guardian.”

“We put in safety measures to ensure that our teammate would remain unharmed,” Batman growled at Tikki. Marinette felt her hackles raise immediately, and she pinned Damian with a glare. “But since we are on the subject, what are you hiding that you needed to use magic to disguise your identity? There is nobody of your description ever having lived in Paris.”

“You thought I would take no precautions because you told me you wouldn't pry?” Marinette asked derisively as she strode towards the door, heart aching. She had thought that Damian had been sincere, that he was a good person. She had put her own soul in jeopardy to vouch for him and she squashed the bitter thought that she shouldn't have. “I hope that your curiosity was worth it, messieurs, do not ask me for favours in future.”

Damian watched Ladybug stalk out of the building and wanted to follow, to explain that he had had no part in this treachery. She stopped in the doorway to deliver her parting line and she looked directly at him. His breath caught at the utter betrayal in her eyes.

And then she was gone, the door closing heartbreakingly softly behind her. The apartment they had been sharing for the past week - had it only been a week? - instantly seemed duller without her. He finally turned to look at his family, all of whom were in some degree of panic.

“-walked out on this assignment, we should revoke her Justice League membership,” Tim was arguing. “And we'll need to have someone come and take over, move him to a more secure location-”

“We will deal with that momentarily, she knows our identities, she's a risk,” Bruce was saying, evidently frustrated with how this had played out. “We will all have to be in more secure locations in case she decides to share that information-”

“I am not at risk,” Damian said quietly. “Bri- Ladybug has already secured my safety and Spectre has been dealt with. You have destroyed any possibility of having her as an ally and you risked my own life to do it.”

“She would never have walked out on a job half-finished,” Dick said immediately. The others nodded in agreement, but Damian snarled at them.

“If that is the case then you had no reason to worry about finding her identity,” he hissed, anger getting the better of him. “Either she is trustworthy enough to have been allowed her privacy, or she is a dangerous anomaly and you risked my life to try and get information about her. You cannot have it both ways.”

Unable to bear the guilty looks of his family, nor the empty feeling that hollowed his gut, Damian stalked out of the apartment as well.

_ _ _

The past two months had been tense. And brutal. And Damian wasn't sure how he was supposed to return to his normal life after everything that had happened with and because of Ladybug. The relationship with his family was strained, although they were slowly building trust back.

A few days after everything had happened, Zatanna had stormed the Watchtower to speak with Batman. She had sworn and raged, ripping into the Justice League founder as she detailed exactly how badly they had messed up. His father had tried to defend his actions but Zatanna had coldly informed them that there was no need to find her identity any longer because Ladybug had resigned from the Justice League Dark.

“Two entire years of working with her, gaining her trust and getting her to agree that working with us was in the world's best interests, and you absolute boneheads screw us over in a week!” She screamed. “So thank you for that! You are damned lucky she resolved your issue with Spectre before she left, because I'm not sure I would bother!”

Looking back on the interaction hurt as he got ready for the annual Halloween gala. He had promised to attend on the premise that he would not need to attend another until Christmas, but he was regretting it today. There was supposed to be a family friend in attendance which was why Bruce had insisted he be there, for their public image.

The gala started much as it always did - loud and filled with obnoxious people. He saw a lot of the usual crowd and gave brief greetings as he worked his way to his favourite corner. It wasn't unusual for the youngest Wayne not to mingle and he was ever more grateful for his outward persona.

He scanned the crowd once more and saw his family chatting with a loud purple haired man who was practically hanging off of Bruce's arm. He grit his teeth before deciding that greeting the ‘old school friend’ of Bruce's would be best done sooner rather than later.

As he approached, he saw a stunningly attractive young woman standing next to the purple haired man. She looked bored, with an underlying discomfort or sadness that resonated within him. He watched as she was introduced to each of his brothers and sisters, her head nodding every now and then.

“Ah, and here's my youngest!” Bruce said with forced cheer. “Miss Dupain-Cheng, this is my son, Damian. Damian, this is my friend Jagged Stone and his niece, Marinette.”

“Good evening,” Damian said, trying to keep his voice cordial. This woman had no idea that he was angry with his family and she didn't deserve to have his anger directed at her.

Strangely, the moment he spoke she froze. He could see the tenseness in her shoulders before she turned to look at him, and she seemed to pale as she looked at his face. She whispered a quiet hello but turned around just as abruptly. 

Damian was confused by the dismissal but decided to take advantage, giving a curt farewell to his family and informing them that he would be leaving soon to get an early night.

Bruce frowned after Damian, already turning to apologise to his guests. Marinette seemed shaken by his rudeness and he didn't want to mortally offend her. “He doesn't socialise well normally, but he is a little miffed with us currently,” he explained, making sure to look appropriately charming and dejected.

“Oh no, mate, what happened?” Jagged said, sounding concerned. Marinette looked curious but also wary - for what reason, Bruce couldn't tell.

“We had a difference in opinion during a recent stalker issue,” Bruce said smoothly. “We had to hire an unknown bodyguard and to keep him safe we kept an eye on them. He decided that meant we didn't trust him, but honestly we're mostly just glad that he's still around to be mad at us.”

“I'm sorry, I must excuse myself,” Marinette said suddenly, giving them all a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Bruce nodded but she moved away from them hastily. Jagged watched her go with a furrow in his brow and Bruce asked if everything was alright.

“Yeah, I'm fine, just worried about Nettie,” the rockstar said. “She's been in a funk for a while now and I was hoping that coming out tonight would help.”

“Marinette will be fine,” Jagged's partner, Penny, said as she joined them. She gave Jagged a kiss on the cheek before continuing. “I'm pretty sure she's nursing a broken heart, you know what rotten luck she has with boyfriends.”

“But that's just it, she hasn't had a boyfriend since that whole thing with Henry!” The pair began to bicker and Bruce began to zone out from it.

Meanwhile Marinette was walking quickly after Damian. She had recognised him instantly, just the sound of his voice making her heart pound and mouth dry. When he had stormed off, she had been relieved, at least until Bruce (Batman, she thought absently) had jovially commented that Damian hadn't actually been a part of the complete violation of her trust.

She caught sight again of his broad shoulders at the bar. She slid next to him cautiously, ordering her own drink. He didn't seem startled when she appeared but he did seem curious. She turned and smiled at him nervously, more a quirk of her lips than a true smile.

“I believed that I had made a poor first impression,” he remarked after his drink arrived. She felt the butterflies in her stomach take flight again and stared at her hands, shrugging. “Apologies, I do not mean to be rude but…why did you follow me to the bar?”

“Maybe I just wanted to get a drink,” Marinette replied, daring to glance at him. She thanked the bar staff as her drink was handed to her and she turned fully towards the man who had so thoroughly enchanted her before. He looked at her sceptically and she chuckled drily. “Or maybe your father mentioned that you were mad at your family for something and it made me curious about your side of things.”

“Tt, my father should not have mentioned it,” Damian said, glaring at his own drink. Hope fluttered in Marinette's veins, her hands tightening around her glass. “My family is incapable of trusting my judgment and have destroyed my reputation with someone I care deeply for. They have earned my ire, even if they believe differently.”

“How did they destroy your reputation?” Marinette asked quietly, looking up at him and getting caught in the same green eyes that had been haunting her for the past two months. He seemed to hesitate so she motioned with her head for him to follow her. “Maybe we could step onto the balcony?”

Damian didn't know why he was talking to this woman. He didn't know why he was following her to the empty balcony, but he felt at ease with her. Perhaps it was because she had similar features to Ladybug, her blue eyes and dark hair making him ache in a familiar way.

“My father hired a security guard for a recent problem I had,” he said, wanting to present his side clinically. He wanted this woman to agree that he was right, that he hadn't overreacted to the absolute invasion of privacy. So he launched into a fairly precise recounting of the issue, only omitting the magical aspects.

“And the timing of the revelation meant that she believed me to be party to the deception,” he said hollowly. Marinette seemed to be shocked by the story and he regretted being quite so open with everything. He was ready to apologise for his forwardness when she blew out a breath.

“I mean, in my defense, you looked really guilty,” she said, grimacing. He frowned at her, not quite sure what she was saying. “And I was about to take the charm I was wearing off and tell you my actual name when Tikki stopped us.”

“...Ladybug?” He whispered, setting his glass on the balcony rail as he turned to look at her fully. She nodded and he felt like he was short-circuiting. She seemed to hesitate at his lack of reaction and he immediately grabbed her upper arms. She held still as he let his eyes sweep her face.

“Surprise? Sorry, I know you probably would have preferred I just stayed out of your-”

She was cut off by his mouth covering hers, his hand cupping her cheek almost possessively. She reached up to twine her arms around his neck, pulling herself flush against him. In between kisses, he murmured soft apologies, his other hand pressing firmly against her lower back.

They eventually broke apart, and Damian thanked whatever gods had made him choose the dark corner of the balcony for their conversation, because they were completely hidden from the ballroom. She looked up at him in the dark and he found himself memorising the lines of her face anew. 

A sudden loud noise from the ballroom made them both jump, though not enough to let go of each other. They edged towards the doorway of the balcony and relaxed when they realised it was just Jagged Stone starting a set for the gala.

“I thought I would never see you again,” Damian said softly, reaching for her again. 

“I mean, that was the plan,” she admitted begrudgingly. “And if I'd known who you were, I probably would have told Jagged I had to miss this party. But I'm really glad I came.”

“You didn't know who I was?” Damian asked, confused and a little stunned. “But Spectre gave you my full name, how could you not know who I was? Not to mention that I am fairly famous.”

“I mean, in Gotham, sure,” Marinette said teasingly, hand coming up to run through his hair. “But I'm from France? And I only really follow fashion, so you weren't familiar to me on sight.”

He fell quiet and leaned into her touch. His arms circled around her waist again and pulled her flush against him. He was slightly overwhelmed by the circumstances but relieved that he had found her again. She pulled lightly on his hair as her fingers ran through it and he sighed, content.

Part 2

[gothamcitycentral]

i was thinking about you while watching the batman 2004 the other day. have you seen that show, and, most importantly, if you have what are your thoughts on their version of killer croc?

YES I have watched it it’s my favorite Batman series I love talking about it

I vibe hard with 2004’s Croc. Very distinctive portrayal, from design to Ron Perlman’s southern voice performance. I like the bit of poking fun they do with Croc’s variety of depictions with the comments about no one knowing his origins. I think the way they play him as this crafting powerhouse is great, they don’t rely on the “brawn without brains” trope to make him easy to beat. The previously mentioned Louisianan twang they give him gives a lot of personality and allows him to be humerus without him being a Joke. This Croc is charming, intimidating, and fun to have on screen. It’s great

The show’s comic run is very kind to him I should mention. Understanding him as someone who has been treated very unkindly for a very long time. This is the only animated universe to really get and utilize the appeal of modern comics Croc.

I’ve talked about his design before also

[lokiondisneyplus]

Loki season two seemed like a conclusion to an engaging character arc of one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) original villains. It capped a redemption arc where the titular character finally achieved what he’s been looking for all this time, but with a twist. At PaleyFest 2024, attendees watched a screening of the season finale followed by a panel featuring the cast and creatives. Stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, and executive producer and writer Eric Martin and executive producers and directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead looked back at the Disney+ series.

Many anecdotes where shared including the previously reported stories of Di Martino’s special Sylvie costume that allowed easy access for feeding and pumping while filming season one. The actress used the same costume the next season because she had recently given birth again. Di Martino also retold the origins of her character working at McDonald’s in season two. When producers asked where she saw Sylvie next, she responded about fancying a burger.

Hiddleston then talked about which characters he studied while developing Loki. It’s no surprise that he drew inspiration from some well known villains including Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber from Die Hard, Jack Nicholson’s Joker from Batman, and James Mason’s Phillip Vanddamm from North by Northwest. Much like Loki, all there were focused on control and revenge. 

In the season finale, Loki realizes what he must do in order to save his friends. Hiddleston also shared how he got into the right mindset to film his awe inspiring scene where he finds his Glorious Purpose. He went back and watched the God of Mischief’s journey throughout the MCU.

“The experience of watching it reminded me that these are not just scenes I played, but they are all chapters of my own life. It reminded me of the friendships I made and the experiences I had in different parts of the world. I was filled with such gratitude for the whole of it, for the journey.” Hiddleston continued, “I realized that in this moment, Loki is redefining his Glorious Purpose and he’s discovered it because he’s found friends that he loves and wants to care for. Loki is doing it for his friends and the people he loves. And I thought to myself, well, Tom. Do it for your friends and the people you love.”

We’ve already heard of costume designer, Christine Wada, and her magic with Sylvie’s outfit. Hiddleston discussed Wada’s approach to the final God Loki look we see in the finale. 

“It would be distinctly different from everything that had come before. All the other costumes in the MCU are elaborate and armored and detailed with embellishment almost as an expression of who he wants to project in the world. This is more humble and almost monastic. Yes, in a way he’s a king finally ascending the throne. Perhaps he’s more like a monk at the end of time. Something monastic and humble about it.”

During Loki’s moment of self sacrifice to repair the Loom, we see him grasping the various thread-like timelines and weaving them together. It’s as if he is turning these “burdens” and wrapping himself with them. Moorhead shared some insight into the scene itself.

“Loki is learning the importance of the connection between people so it’s a visual metaphor of course for the things that are most important to him, which is connection to the people at the TVA, his friends and all that. Something he didn’t have coming into season one… He’s becoming the Loom by the end of it and so we should have him physically start to become the Loom when he gets into this very humble looking God Loki.”

[nitewrighter]

I think one of the reasons dc/warner bros like to push Batman (other than “cool/dark/edgy”) is ironically, it’s the easiest hero to sell toys of. As a character with no powers, he has to make do with tech, that means accessories! He can’t fly and doesn’t have super speed, ergo the Batmobile or batwing, or a bat jet pack! He needs different suits for different jobs, so that justifies variant figures! With other heroes, you’d just get the figure and that’s it. Why would the flash need a car? Why would Superman need power armor? If you’re old enough to remember, or research back enough, you’ll know the stupidity of the Superman mobile, or the just sad justice jogger. You could have a super figure’s eyes light up to show heat vision, but that’s about it. I guess you could have a green lantern toy line with construct accessories, but clear green plastic might be flimsy or too expensive, I don’t know. I’d think this was why they gave Wonder Woman a sword and shield, cuz they thought the lasso was lame, if not for BoYz DoNt LiKe GiRl HeRoZ! (Convo for another time, but even as a kid I hated that, and I was a boy)

So tldr, one of the reasons dc pushes bats is once upon a time they saw dollar signs at the idea of bat ji Joe.

Also the fact that you can make Batman Merch out of anything just by making it black and/or gray and just slapping a Batman logo on it--it's just probably a lot easier than finagling around other hero's color schemes.

Thinking about the Batsketball again...

But on a lore level, yeah, Batman is basically the "Cool Toys" superhero. You pretty much have every person in the DC universe commenting on how many "Cool toys" Batman has, or how much of a manchild having all those "Cool Toys" makes him. Like, I hate hate hate Frank Miller and of course I would fight him any day of the week, but the one thing All Star Batman and Robin had going for it was the GIANT BEAUTIFUL JIM LEE ILLUSTRATED BATCAVE PULLOUT MULTI-PAGE SPREAD. Like I need you to picture me in bed, giant glass of ice water on my nightstand, absolutely fucking miserable as I trudge through the worst fucking Batman characterization of my goddamn life, and then, AND THEN-- I go, "Oh, this is a pull-out," I carefully unfold it because library book, and then my jaw drops. I literally felt all the 8-year-old boy parts of my brain activate, and then you have young Dick Grayson's voice narrating it with five little words: "And it just. keeps. going."

A thing I really do like about all of Batman's tech and toys is they're all very tactile, and one of the things that's making Arkham Knight very fun as I'm playing through it is this factor of figuring out which of your little gadgets to use in which situation, and you're so proud of yourself when you figure out when the game expects you to use a certain gadget without the game cuing you to do so, or when you get a new gadget and then go back to all the parts of the map you previously weren't able to access without it (Baby "Square shape goes in Square hole" brain activation...) and the game also has very fun sound and vibration design and camera work to make using the various doodads feel very tactile even as it's happening in the game, but okay, let's take all those factors and pivot to Superman.

Superman doesn't have the Batcave, he has the Fortress of Solitude, and the Fortress of Solitude is not a Toy Chest like the Batcave is. The Fortress of Solitude is not a teenager's basement room to brood. The name itself is very intentional: It's Superman saying, "Yes, I save humanity, but I need breaks from it, I need a space to contemplate my work and my heritage, as well as get some distance from it for perspective, or else I will go fucking bonkers." And it's not just a house or a trophy room, either, it's a museum, it's an archive. I think about the Grant Morrison commentary about the bottle city of Kandor being a family heirloom like a snow globe or a music box--beautiful and yet distant, and that also sets a lot of the mood for the Fortress of Solitude: If the Batcave is a big toybox full of robot dinosaurs and a batarang target range and a lot of tactile stuff, then the Fortress of Solitude is a lot more, "You can look but please please please do not touch unless you really know what you're doing." You touch one crystal in the Fortress of Solitude and Jor-El's giant hologram head pops up booming 'KAL-EL, MY SON, THESE ARE THE PRECIOUS RECORDED HISTORIES OF OUR PEOPLE--' and you're like "Oh Jesus fuck how do I turn this off---"

One of the things I've come to really like in recent comics is how, as Superman has embraced having a family, that the Fortress itself feels warmer and more dynamic--Lois is using it as a space to research and write a book about Krypton, Kara tinkers with Kryptonian technology, Jon spent stints there as a toddler in Superman: Space Age, Krypto is there... It's actually kind of reflected how museums have become a lot more dynamic and kid-friendly in recent years. It's still clearly a space they all respect, but there's a much stronger element of enrichment than, "Look at this thing behind glass."

But anyway, yeah, Superman's stories are really more, like, fantastical than Batman's, so it goes to reason that Superman-play is more daydreaming and broad imaginative concepts while Batman-play is more physical and tinkering. So Batman in general is more likely to have lots of toys.

[everythingisawayoflife]

TOP THREE TIMMYS LETS GO WOOOOOOO

these are my top three tim drakes (animated at least, i’m not well versed in the comics enough to pick my favorite tim runs in the comics)

3. batman unlimited

unpopular opinion but i lowkey fw this red robin suit. normally condom cowl is like love/hate but the fact tim has hair peeking out at the back implies a mullet and i kind of love that. its also one of the better designs in these movies (cause that nightwing suit is kind of a mess in my opinion why does he have ski jump hair like zayn from the adventurous adventures of one direction) we never got to see this guy without his mask on so that makes me sad. i also love this tim cause he’s kind of dumb. like he’s not NOT smart in this but he’s kind of stupid and it makes me laugh.

2. gotham by gaslight tim

the robins may not have had a lot of screen time but i soaked every single bit of it up. tim is tiny and full of rage (but not really, more like fear). he is INCREDIBLY small and i want to put him in my pocket and kiss his teensy forehead. he really is just a little boy and i want to see my little boy! i want dc to explore this universe further simply bc i fw the idea of bruce adopting them all at these ages and they already know each other previously. like it was my favorite part of the movie and might be one of my fave batman movies. like give me a sequel with all three of them + selina as their mother and i’ll be a happy happy camper.

1. TNBA tim

if anybody pays attention to my blog or ao3, you’ll know that THIS IS MY GUY. my boy here. this is my son who i just happen to love diagnosing with colds, flus, and other ailments. and yes, i am aware that he is basically tim in name only and is jason’s carbon copy but do i care? nope! i love timmy todd with all of my heart and soul and yearn for more of him. the people crave for timmy todd (the people being me). i would read a MILLION comics featuring timmy todd and the TNBA universe if i could. with the exception of some things (cough cough brubabs cough cough), I LOVE TNBA. i love tim and bruce’s relationship, they are so father-son i could write a paper on it. and im pretty sure ive read all the BTAS/TNBA comics that ran with the show and a little afterwards and even read a small comic/advertisement about tim having allergies and allergy meds making him sleepy!! dick and tim also have a sweet brotherly relationship in the comics and i fw it so hard!! DC give me more comics of this tim and my life is yours!!!! i would ask for more episodes of TNBA but not without kevin. NEVER without kevin. kevin conroy you are so missed. also - i love that the joker jr storyline gives tim’s story more edge and tragedy as everyone seems to love for batman and co. but as a protective mother, the joker jr storyline makes me so sad :((

i could also do this for dick…hmm…thinking…

[thephoenixandthecrocodile]

Thoughts on Episode 6 - Part 2

I didn’t realize one could just summon a sea worm, haha

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with Numenor’s legal system? XD

Poor Earien ☹ She just wants her father to comfort her, to acknowledge that he feels her pain. That hug nearly broke my heart

So basically Isildur’s stupidity kept both Elendil and Earien so distracted, they somewhat worked as father-daughter but now that he’s gone, they’ve lost the one thing uniting them and all their pain, loss, and anger is coming through.

Also, Elendil, can’t you see how much Earien loves you? She went to the woman she blames for Isildur’s death to save your life!

“What about my heart?” Just kiss already, Miriel and Elendil!

Disa, I love you so much!

I don’t know if the cape swish and interpretive dance was required to call the bats or if it was just Sophia having fun with the scene, but either way I adore it!

And it’s confirmed: Disa is canonically Batman in the Rings of Power universe

Also those bats are fucking huge!

Disa and Durin: official power couple of Middle-Earth

“They’ll be back and they will be more of them” Well, I guess you need to find more bats and soon.

My gods Miriel’s dress is fucking gorgeous! Whoever designs her wardrobe has been on fucking fire this season

I wonder if the kaiju creature was screaming, “AH IT’S MIRIEL. I LOVE YOU!!!”

“Strange worms tossing women out of the sea is no basis for a system of government.”

Seriously though MIRIEL IS MY QUEEN AND GODDESS. She’s such a bad ass and fearless. I love her so much.

Ooo Pharazon and the Palantir

Poor Adar already knows that Galadriel and Gil-Galad would gladly wipe him and his children out. He can’t fucking trust anyone

Soooo if Adar knows that Elrond has Nenya, then does that mean we’re getting an Adar/Elrond scene? I need Adar to have at least one scene with every cast member before he dies. It’s a requirement, JD and Patrick! You hear me?

Not sure what you thought you were doing there Galadriel revealing everything

So Adar basically emptied all of Mordor to take on Sauron?

One thing I really love this season is how paranoid everyone is about doing what Sauron wants, when doing nothing may even be worst. It makes us, as viewers, understand why Sauron is so dangerous even when he’s at his weakest (no army, no stronghold, etc.)

Poor Eregion ☹ Under attack and thinking their lord has abandoned them because he’s currently trapped in Sauron’s lala land illusion

Celebrimbor: Don’t mind me. Just drawing rings, lalala

Also, again Celebrimbor missing a siege because he’s so concentrated on his pet project is understandable.

Just drawing rings, lalala

Oh my god I died laughing when Sauron slid to the window and asked “How’s your progress” XD

Yes, Celebrimbor fight back and push that deceiver to the wall! You will not regret that later

It looks like Suaron hurt Celebrimbor when he grabbed his arm. Poor Brimby ☹

Sauron, you fucker. When bullying doesn’t work, time for some hocus pocus and flattery

God the relief on Celebrimbor’s face when he “sees” that everything’s “ok”.

“I came to Eregion, not because the Valar needed you. I did.” Knife stabbed directly into heart and twist. This is why Celebrimbor goes back to work. He is needed, he is needed by this majestic, scary, powerful being beyond anyone on Middle Earth. He is needed and wanted because he can make true beauty, beauty that will rival the most beautiful thing in the world: the Silmarils. Sauron is such a fucker for saying this to Celebrimbor, but also I need Celebrimbor and Annatar to have one on screen kiss before the end. Please?

Celebrimbor looks at Sauron so hopefully during this speech, it’s heart breaking.

And Feanor’s fucking hammer! Ahhhhh

That fucking transition from illusion to reality is fucking terrifying and amazing and I can’t believe it was all practical

And then you focus on Sauron’s footsteps and his welcoming of the attack with outstretched arms. Fucking beautiful

I’m really excited to see how JD and Patrick handle a siege. They obviously have big shoes to fill considering the siege of Minas Tirith and Helm’s Deep, but I’m excited. ^_^