#then tim takes that to mean: the thing that is wrong is just fundamentally tim himself | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

captainlordauditor · 4 months ago

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1 and 5 for the fic asks?

Have you pulled inspiration from media sources other than the property your fic is related to (a plot point from a TV show that has nothing to do with the characters/setting of the fic, a line from a book, etc.)? If so, for which story? Why did you find that media source compelling?

Yes! I'm always on the lookout for interesting bits to work into my fic, but the most blatant that I've published is Civilian With A Badge. The title comes from this Terry Pratchett quote, that I felt was very on theme for Nightwing:

It always embarrassed Samuel Vimes when civilians tried to speak to him in what they thought was “policeman.” If it came to that, he hated thinking of them as civilians. What was a policeman, if not a civilian with a uniform and a badge? But they tended to use the term these days as a way of describing people who were not policemen. It was a dangerous habit: once policemen stopped being civilians the only other thing they could be was soldiers.

-Snuff

Pratchett had a way of cutting right down to the core of something in just a few sentences, and I think this is a very distilled version of what I'm trying to use Nightwing to say (or part of it, at least). If Nightwing is a more perfect vision of what Batman could be (and in many ways he totally is), then this is where Batman has failed and Nightwing succeeded. Batman frames his work as a war, his team as soldiers. But Nightwing isn't a soldier, and he can't be, because the framework of justice-doers as soldiers is what he's trying to dismantle. He's already fought through the corruption that happens through bribery and greed, but that doesn't mean that the systems that make Bludhaven what it is have been dismantled. It means that he now has to contend with the horrors of militarization and punitive justice.

In a way, this is what keeps Dick from ideologically turning into a cop even when he is literally a cop. Nightwing is not a cop. He's not a soldier. He is, fundamentally, a civilian with a badge. In this fic, he's retired from Nightwing and is working in Internal Affairs, but the same principle applies. There is no difference between Nightwing the superhero and Dick Grayson the IA lieutenant. In terms of demeanor, yes, but they are not cross purposes; they are both entities that exist as an extension of Dick Grayson and his desire to help and fix.

This fic also references another Pratchett quote, this one through Dick quoting Pratchett:

“I’ll take that as a no.” He tucked the lighter back into his pocket. “When my brother kills a man, he just does it. Just aims his gun, and blam. Says he doesn’t like to watch them suffer. And he reads so much, he’s got a quote for everything. What’s it he says about killing..? ‘The evil like power over people. A good man will kill you with hardly a word.’ You didn’t arrest me quickly, and you didn’t kill me when I started stalling. You’re enjoying this. Of course, there is the second reason, too.”

The unabridged quote is thus:

If you have to look along the shaft of an arrow from the wrong end, if a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. They want you to know you're going to die. So they'll talk. They'll gloat. They'll watch you squirm. They'll put off the moment of murder like another man will put off a good cigar. So hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word.”

-Men at Arms

Its use here is very deliberate and multifaceted. First, Dick is reminding Amy that if she goes through with killing him, she'd better spend the rest of her days looking over her shoulder. Dick is the merciful one in the family, and he's very likely been the wall holding back Jason, and possibly Tim and Damian, out of a desire to see things done the right way, with as little collateral damage as possible. By killing Dick, Amy is unleashing Hell not just on herself and her underlings, but on all of Bludhaven. And while it may (may - nature abhors a power vacuum) be better for the city in the long run, in the short run it's going to be very, very bloody.

Dick is also kind of nodding at the fourth wall here. This fic is written on its own as a oneshot, separate from the longer arc that I have planned out that contains Dick's death because I thought it would be more impactful that way. This fic is pulling on canon threads for Amy's characterization, but they're relatively subtle threads in a comic from 20 years ago. What both of these things mean is that a lot of readers aren't going to come into this fic with the idea that Amy's morality and Dick's morality are in conflict already in their heads. But Amy is, in multiple ways, very clearly the 'evil one' in this scenario. She's about to kill Dick, our hero; and she is doing it in a way that the text itself is calling out as self serving. Amy may be justifying it to herself as punitive justice, means to an end, but she is enjoying it, and Dick is calling her out on that. He's saying I know what you're doing, and now our audience does too.

The third layer is it's referencing times Dick has killed people. At this point in this universe he's killed Balsik, the Joker, and (by his own count) Roland Desmond. Dick has enough time and distance to be able to say that he knows a good man kills with hardly a word because he knows how he and Jason and Terry kill. So it's also a sign of growth, from where he is in canon to where he is in this future-fic, because he's a lot more self assured and able to set aside his guilt.

5. Is there a tiny detail in one of your fics that you feel goes tragically unnoticed?

This is SUCH a tiny detail and honestly probably went unnoticed because I had to cut most of it, but it's an important detail TO ME and nobody has asked me, so here you go. It's from the opening paragraph in Fly Straight And Do Not Waver:

“They say the Hero of Ferelden is an elf,” Hawke says one day over supper. They’re sitting in Anders’ clinic, hands washed with hastily boiled water, eating bowls of the stew Hawke calls hamin and Merrill knows as cholent. It’s a thick, slow cooked stuff with chickpeas, barley, and occasional chunks of some kind of meat - goat or miniature halla most probably, since the food stall it came from was in the Alienage. It’s not up to the cholent Maren makes, in Merrill’s opinion, but it’s warm and filling and she can buy some any time she likes instead of waiting for the rest day.

Okay actually it's two details, but they're about the same thing so it counts. The first is hamin versus cholent - Tzipporah Hawke's family is Arlathani elves from Tevinter, approximately analogous to Jews living in the Byzantine Empire, while Merrill was raised in Ferelden. Since they're on opposite sides of the continent, and Tzipporah's family are from the city and Merrill is Dalish, they have different traditions and dialects. Kirkwall is smack in the middle between the two, so I went with chickpeas over beans since we know Kirkwall has those.

But more important, why hamin in the first place? Who sells hamin as street food? How would you sell hamin as a street food? Since Kirkwall was originally built by Tevinter, I imagine it as having a lot in common with Ancient Rome in terms of the actual infrastructure. During some periods of Rome for example, horses were generally not allowed within city walls except after dark. This would explain the lack of horses in Kirkwall, and certainly fit with what we know about their streets (namely, twisty and confusing - and probably narrow, as well). But for our purposes I'm more interested in what Rome did have: namely, the thermopolium.

The thermopolium, or hot food place was a kind of permanent stall that sold food. It's essentially a counter with holes in the top you can put pots in, and then stoke a fire underneath. Hamin, which is cooked overnight and often for several hours into the day, would be a perfect dish to sell this way, because it's intended to get mushier and stewier as it cooks for a long time. It's also likely to be fairly popular; its ingredients are cheap, yes, but it's filling and known to the residents of the Jewish quarter Alienage as a beloved cultural dish. Merrill, coming from a traveling background where cooking something for 12+ hours is a rarity, is particularly likely to think of it as a treat now that she's living somewhere more permanent and can buy it any time she likes.

....but all that ended up on the cutting room floor because the worldbuilding about Kirkwall's street food isn't the point. Somewhere in my head there's a fic that is about Kirkwall's street food, though.

#asks #answers #da2 #nightwing #e427 #e 427 #fic writing #malkaleh #askbox meme #tzipporah hawke

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cleromancy · 2 years ago

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Something has been bugging me recently. Do you ever notice how people (particularly Jason stans) go on about how Tim victim blame's Jason for his own death, but fail to mention how Alfred and Bruce are guilty of doing the same thing in the past? Why do these two (especially Alfred) get a pass?

LMAO LIKE... EVERYONES DONE IT. BRUCE ALFRED DICK BABS *SELINA* OF ALL PEOPLE ONE TIME... actually id have to double check that one idr exactly what she said about jason it might have just been that hes unhinged (<- also a thing everyones said at some point) but like. everyones freakin done it. or at least *implied* it.

tim is a special case for a reason though--and ill come back to bruce and alfred later--and its not just bc fandom wants a scapegoat to pin All The Victim-Blaming on. on a meta level tim was specifically created to be jasons opposite, and to ~rehabilitate the robin role and make robin palatable again to modern readers. (and to be clear this wasnt bc readers didn't like jason specifically--it was the idea of robin at all, and to a lesser extent just replacing the orig. jason just took on the mantle at a really unfortunate period in comics culture.) so the comparisons to jason are baked in right off the bat. and tim has to be "better". tim had to prove that a robin was necessary so that dc could keep having one, he had to justify it so that the blame didnt fall on bruce for getting a child killed (or yk even just out there fighting crime at all). theres also an element of class dynamics thats. i mean. jason was a homeless street kid and tims this fancy little distinctly upper middle class kid who replaces him, without derailing to get too deep into that the optics already arent fucking great.

but tims creation aside, just as far as how often it comes up... tim also takes the role of robin really seriously, and its everything to him, so he spends a lot of time thinking about it, what it means to wear the uniform & fulfil the role. so hes the one whos most frequently in the position to be thinking about jason, after bruce. so tim winds up being the one pushing the bulk of the bad/angry/impulsive robin narrative retcon dc wanted to push bc... its the most directly relevant to him. bruce doesnt have much narrative need to think about jason "failing" or not being good enough until under the red hood... except to be like "i dont have to worry about tim bc hes not like jason." lmao. and then you have tim who does not want to get killed, like jason did, so he spends time thinking about how to not end up like jason. which is a fundamental misunderstanding of how being a victim of murder works but i think understandable thing for a child replacement of another dead child to latch onto (particularly one as prone to arrogance & god-complex-itude as Our Timmy, lol). and both on a meta level and in-universe this is about shifting the blame off of bruce and onto the victim because tim needs to keep filling the role hes filling without it being bruces fault that jason died in the first place, bc reckoning with batman and child endangerment is not smth the comics had ever really planned on doing in a serious way.

but as for why singling tim out over bruce and alfred-- the kind of ppl who do this already generally think bruce sucks past the point of being interested in ~holding him accountable~ for absolutely anything... like "bruce sucks, everyone knows he sucks, enough said." i think the logic is generally like "if tims not a total shithead like bruce, then why is he doing shithead stuff like bruce does :/" and then pinning it all on tim as opposed to considering like "hey uhhh do you think maybe hearing stories about jason from bruce influences how tim thinks of jason over the years." if that makes sense

as for alfred. people do not want alfred to have any interiority or to ever have been mean or wrong bc then theyd have to actually think about the fact that bruce has a 24/7 domestic servant in his employ, which is just the. tip of the iceberg when you start thinking about alfred as a full character and not a convenient cardboard cutout to prop up whoever the narrative needs him to. also alfreds role in almost every batman narrative is strictly as support, almost no agency within the story to have a meaningful impact, and people generally respond to the character in kind.

finally i think tim mmmmight be the only character at least as of the reboot who ever talked *to jason* outloud style about certain things relating to jasons death... this answer is already getting too long so i dont want to get into depth about titans tower. but tt 2003 #29 is a great example of the comics pitting tim and jason against each other to make Jason look worse by comparison--for all that tim doesn't actually *say* anything victim blaming jason for his death, *and* for all that jason totally kicks tims ass in the fight and its not even close, on a meta level the story is 100% presenting jason as the bad robin, the robin who failed, Unlike Tim Drake, A *Good* Robin. (i accidentally reread the issue ... im going to make a post about it later probably. god i wish this fucking issue had been good)

but yeah i could probably go on and on even further but yeah, i think thats where people are coming from when they single timmy out. tim only exists at all bc of jason n would be fundamentally unrecognizable without having been crafted to be the anti-jason. and on top of that he has repeatedly been used by dc to make jason look worse (or rather jason was used to make tim look better), and a lot of my fellow jason stans understandably resent tim for it. i however am built different, and want them to kiss.

#dc #jaytim #i hope this is coherent im sleep deprived atm.#like moreso than usual #rambles #meta #jaytim text #jason text #text #asks

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pluckyredhead · 1 year ago

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Sorry if you’ve already mentioned this/been asked this before, but which version of Dick quitting being Robin (or Bruce firing Dick) do you think works best for their characters? And is that different from your personal preferred version of how Dick ends his time in the Robin role?

Honestly, I am not super well up on the differences between the versions, so I don't have a strong opinion on the actual canon!

In terms of how I think it would be most interesting for it to play out (and this may be supported by canon, I'm not sure): I think something messy and full of miscommunication provides the most story potential. Like, Dick angrily quits after a fight with Bruce and/or he does his dramatic "I'm not Robin anymore" striptease from NTT, and Bruce, somewhat reasonably (and somewhat pettily) is like "Okay, I'll make Jason my new Robin," and Dick is like "ExCUSE me?"

I just think it's more fun (for me, not any of the characters) if Dick is ready to leave, longing to leave, shouting angrily about how he's leaving, and when Bruce is like "Okay, so leave already," Dick starts clutching his pearls. Maybe Dick says he quits but he means working with Bruce, not giving up Robin. Maybe he doesn't want to be Robin anymore, but that doesn't mean Robin is no longer his.

Dick isn't wrong to want to grow up. And Bruce, who is great with kids but fundamentally incapable of communicating with a teenager or young adult, is not necessarily wrong to assume that Dick's done with the thing he, you know, said he was done with. But they're also both handling it all really poorly and leaving poor Jason, who would very much like to be excluded from this narrative, awkwardly stuck in the middle.

(This also gives us a Dick who resents Jason but is self-aware enough to know that he shouldn't take his Bruce issues out on a literal child, which explains why he was canonically basically totally absent from Gotham during Jason's tenure as Robin. And smart, sensitive Jason picks up on the fact that Dick is avoiding him but not the complicated nuances behind it, and assumes that Dick just doesn't like him. And then Jason DIES, and Dick is drowning in guilt for not having been around, and then overcompensates by being the most over the top big brother imaginable to Tim, and lonely touch-starved self-parenting Tim absolutely BLOSSOMS under all of Dick's noogies and brotherly advice and whatever, and then Damian comes along and Dick is forced into a parental role and that's his baby now and TIm's like "But...I thought I was your baby..." and fully loses his mind. Like. There's just a whole domino effect of drama to play with here.)

#batfamily

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olivia-anderson-fanfic · 2 years ago

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Into the Unknown

If you're happy and you know it

(The sequel story that I will never do)

~~~~~

After a lot of debating over the ethics of leaving baby!Damian as a baby vs aging him up (and a rogue suggestion that they yank an alternate-universe Damian over right before he dies so they can all have their way), they decide to let him grow up naturally. In the end, baby!Damian is still a child and in the process of aging him up magically Damian would reexperience all of his traumas in basically a split second, which is just a lot of mental strain to put someone through. Beyond that, even after aging him up they still wouldn’t get the original Damian back, as the base person is so fundamentally different.

So, Damian basically gets to have a happy childhood with his parents and new extended family! Yay him!

I mean, sure, Damian has never truly known a world outside of the one he had been in, and his aunt and uncles are acting weird around him for reasons he can’t really comprehend, and his dreams are getting increasingly concerning and confusing, and his parents seem more quiet than usual even though they’re around more to hang out with him…

Did he do something wrong?

Meanwhile, Adrien comes from France to check on her and also chuck the Miraculous Box back at her in revenge. Marinette explains that she no longer wishes to do superheroing, but would be happy to help support him from the sidelines. Adrien is surprised, because she had been so interested like a year ago, but before he can be like “oh, good for you”, Gotham experiences its Giant Rogue Attack Of The Week and Adrien looks at the bats like Damn bitch you live like this? Gotham vigilante crew has now been adopted by a French demigod, congrats to them.

But, since Adrien is staying in Gotham, he and Marinette have to navigate this new dynamic between themselves where Adrien actually takes charge while Marinette is more of a healer character, staying out of sight during battles and only really cropping up at the end of fights to help victims and make sure her favorite Kitty doesn’t die. She has the condition that she will not enter a fight at all, as she refuses to leave Damian without a parent, and she will keep to it. So, Adrien is a little bit more careful, not wanting to risk it.

In that same vein, this old universe is still a cesspool of villains that didn’t exist in the original one. Joker, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze. And, as a Wayne, and a young one at that, Damian keeps getting targeted.

Until villains start dropping off the map. Under mysterious circumstances. And none of the bats can bring themselves to look into it. Because it’s much harder to brush off all of the deaths they have been indirectly causing by letting Rogues live when you know the person who has almost died personally. Even more so when that person that almost died is your little brother that closely resembles the little brother that you just found out ‘died’. When the person that almost died is the little brother that named that stuffed turtle you bought him Turtle because he’s too young to be good at naming things (and will never get better, because they had seen what he had named Alfred the Cat, and maybe the reminder just makes it more difficult).

In the meantime, Tim goes back to work as CEO and starts training to be a vigilante again. People at his job who hardly respected him before because of his age and the nepotism surrounding his hiring now don’t respect him at all after his sudden 6-month break. But that's just his day job, his cover. He's rich. He could quit at any time with very little repercussions.

When it comes to his vigilantism, if he works hard, he could get back into it in a few months, but he keeps watching his family members walk back home with bruises and cuts and more and he had forgotten just how bad it had gotten. Or, maybe he hadn’t forgotten, maybe he had just never realized, and his time as a civilian has altered his perspective.

But he has always been one to commit, and he can’t bring himself to sit by idly without helping, and it isn’t quite so dangerous when most of the major players have been forcibly removed from the equation, so he does it.

Until he comes back, bleeding all over the floor, yelling for Marinette, and Damian sees him. The kid stares at him with horrified, wide eyes. And it would be one thing if Damian didn’t understand, if it was something he would later realize was a close call, but Damian rushes forward to press his hands against the wound.

He realizes he can’t bring himself to do this to the kid.

But he can’t sit idly by while his family risks their lives, either.

So, he becomes a mechanic in this world, too.

And, with both Tim and Marinette off the streets, and Damian more or less safe, and a little bit of time where they get used to their 'new' lives…

Tim proposes. Properly.

They have a wedding. Damian is the little ring bearer. Adrien is a bridesmaid. After all of this time, after all that struggling, they finally get their happy ending.

#into the unknown #timari #timinette #maribat #shutterbug #timmari #tim drake #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #red robin #i cannot stress enough how much i will not be doing this btw #dont ask i will ignore u #i want to move on pls let me

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lucihens · 1 year ago

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this a very unnecessarily philosophical, potentially verbose, written by a barely 20 odd year old with the mental age of a 10 year old whose innate logic comes directly from the autism gremlin in her mind take on tim bradford. you have been warned.

it's interesting that tim thinks he's been lying to himself and is mad at himself for seemingly actually being what he thinks he fundamentally isn't, rather than what he thinks or thought he was. but he doesn't understand that he can't be fundamentally anything in respect to action and nature. he can't define who he is as a whole as one clear cut, unchanging thing that he lives by for the rest of his life. because that's the complete opposite of what human nature is in my opinion. his personality may be consistent. but his nature never will be. because it changes. ALL THE TIME. pretty much everyday your processes change even a little bit with new information you gain. who you are now is not who you were last week. and while you may have a strict and specfic moral law in which determines the way you act in the long run, the decisions you make and the way you act (short term) depend on the moment. so tim is saying that what he did in the moment back in the army, and what he did in the moment dealing with ray, and what he did in the moment lying to IA, was him going against his code and who he thought he was, and that must therefore mean that who he has been consistently in the past was actually all a lie, was him pretending to be something he wasn't just because he did somethings 'out of character'. i don't think he can understand that being as strict and by the book as he is is not actually a sustainable human trait. because many instances call for many different reactions. but him setting such rigid guidelines he must follow so he can actually consider himself a good man, has set him up to fail again and again in respect to his feelings of self worth. setting such high standards for himself that he'll never be able to live up to has made it so easy for his self-belief to falter, teeter, and completely fall off the edge. confusing his personality with his nature has made it practically impossible to realise that his actions, if flawed, reckless and bringing negative consequences, don't make him fundamentally flawed. fundamentally wrong and screwed up. he doesn't realise that actions merely add to the portfolio of a person's life, good or bad, and despite the contents of his biography, he is still worthy of love. because he is not fundamentally flawed, or a fraud, but a man who regularly shows empathy, and loves anyway, despite being told (by others, but mainly himself) he won't experience the same in return.

#i have always been bewildered by tim and the way he thinks since he's very black and white #but doesn't realise that all the colours of the rainbow are inside of him #i have an egotistical logic man in my brain who always thinks he's right #so if this is illogical to you blame him #but this is my inexperienced philosophy on the difference between fundamental personality vs enviroment influenced nature #i like to speak the things that flow out of my brain #so feel free to disagree #i am not always correct #but i love tim and i need him to realise he's a little dumb and unwilling to realise the true attributes of what makes a human #and that he's not wrong for doing what humans do #which is make mistakes and learn from them #and he's still allowed to be loved #because humans love each other despite what they do because it's fundamental to humans to be like this #you are not special baby #it's okay #you'll be fine #just like i am fundamentally tautologous #yet you like my posts anyway #i'm very sorry #especially if you loathe my lack of capital letter usage #goodnight #the rookie #chenford #tim bradford

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the-dreaded-deep · 1 year ago

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More contributions i carve into my walls at night:

And by @robbed-ghost

#YES CAUSE LIKE#when Damian was taught of the mantle of Robin being held it was every meaning of mentee and trusted right hand man in one phrase#it was the thing he was to aspire to be and the thing he must kill to take to be loved/taken in by his father#and when he really does go into the family he realizes that’s not the case and that it’s a gift passed down however unwittingly from dick#and at some point he almost didn’t have that BECAUSE of what he’d been taught about it being fundamentally wrong#and therefore everything he knew and hoped about and strived for for his father was useless if he didn’t get the mantle the right way#and by having him be dick’s Robin it’s like he finally got that hope of earning the mantle back.#because he got it from the man who actually intended it. the one who invented it and earned it. the one that understands it.#it’s about how when dick got it his mother was commenting on how proud she was of him and how magnificent it was to see him be himself#it’s not just family and son: it’s pride. like a constant ‘im proud of you. keep making me proud by being you—by being This.’#it’s something that goes beyond dad and kid and mentor and student it’s legacy and doing the previous generation proud with hard work#which is what Damian’s goals have always dumbed down to (no matter how hotheaded he can be about it)#when Bruce handed that title to Jason with little to no consultation from dick it was devastating to him because he wasn’t prepared#prepared to be proud or prepared for it to be taken away; either one is correct to some extent. it was Bruce silently doing away with truth#and using it as a placeholder for something simpler and less intimately felt. it was a name from dick’s parents first and foremost#when dick handed that title down to Damian after tim (who had had to take it and redefine it fundamentally even further than Jason had)#it was an encouragement and sign from dick to Damian of ‘I know you aren’t this. but I know the real you is so wonderful. make me proud.’#and Damian did and he understood innately that that was what dick wanted from him and what he needed to get his connection with his parents#back in a way. anyway. I’m abnormal about dynamics ❤️#damian wayne#dick grayson#dc#batfam

I feel like Dick and Damian definitely do regard each other as father and son to a certain extent but in a way that is so tied to Bruce's "death" that they'll never actually say it. Damian will just keep referring to Dick as his Batman, a role that has only ever meant father to him, and Dick will refer to Damian as his Robin, a name that has only ever meant son.

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tim-han-reviews · 7 months ago

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Tim Han Success Insider: Know your values and your goals will become clear. 🙏

We've all been there. Standing at a crossroads, surveying all the paths laid out before us, our minds buzzing with, "What's next?" It's an illustration of life's inherent unpredictability, the ceaseless questions we grapple with, the endless pursuit of goals that seem to shift and sway like shadows in the mist.

That confusion, that overwhelming sensation of being lost is something we all experience from time to time. But there is a compass within each one of us. It's called our values. Your values are the magical stars that guide you through the pitch black night, the unwavering lighthouse on a stormy sea.

Many folks get startled with the notion of setting goals. And why wouldn't they? Goals can be intimidating, they can seem colossal; like towering mountain peaks piercing the sky, impossible to conquer. But here's the thing. If you throw away the map and start with understanding what values drive you, you're not acting blindly anymore. You are guided by your inner compass. You'll set goals that are aligned with your personal truth and essence.

Imagine someone who values compassion and making a difference in the world. They might set a goal to volunteer at a local shelter, to work in a Relief Organization, or even to helm their own NPO someday. These goals, they’re a translation of their values into tangible objectives. Isn't that wonderful?

Have you ever dared to articulate your values? As Success Insider, we often preach the importance of introspection. Try sitting down, void of distractions and dwell on this. Ask yourself what means the most to you. What are the fundamental principles that echo in your heart?

And while you’re in this process, pay attention to the wisdom you might find in unexpected corners. Reflect on the people you admire, perhaps a successful entrepreneur or a visionary artist. What values do they uphold? And does that resonate with your journey?

Take the example of some of our LMA course's brightest sparks. One recent success story is of a woman who discovered her innate passion for creativity during the course. To her surprise, she unearthed a deep-seated affinity for art and design, something that was lying dormant under her daily routine. This revelation spurred her towards setting a goal of becoming a freelance graphic designer. Aligning her values with her ambitions, she turned her life around.

See, comprehensive courses like the LMA are the journey to your inner self. Learning about yourself is not an intuitive process; it can take time, effort, and a lot of self-love. Preferably, under the guidance of someone who's walked this path before, their footsteps serving as your guide. Having someone to trust, offering wisdom and knowledge; it can be a game-changer.

But be warned. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' solution here. Your values are uniquely yours and that's the beauty of this journey. It’s what separates you from the crowd. It’s your personal brand of magic.

No matter what stage of life you're in, remember, it’s never too late to sit back and meditate upon your values. You might have been walking a path that felt wrong because you were unknowingly pursuing goals that strayed from your true values. This realization might just be the turning point.

Have faith in yourself. Place your trust in your values. Align your goals. As I shared earlier, you're never lost. You simply need to look within.

There's an age-old adage that sums this up perfectly, "Know thyself." Such simple words but they hold profound wisdom. Your values, your goals, they're two sides of the same journey - a journey within, towards self-discovery and self-fulfillment. So take that step, delve into your soul, find your compass. I promise, the journey will be worth it. The paths will become clear, goals will form, and you'll find yourself walking with purpose, with conviction, and with an unyielding belief in yourself.

You, my friend, are capable of extraordinary things. Just remember to align your values, to know thyself and everything else will fall into place. And isn’t that a magnificent revelation?

#Tim Han #Tim Han Reviews #Success Insider #SuccessInsider #Success Insider Reviews #LMA Course #LMA course reviews #Motivation #inspiring quotes #love #writing #words #quotes #thoughts #success

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khionefr0st · 3 years ago

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im gonna put this here bc at this point this acc is just me screaming into the void and sometimes the void screams back

I’m gonna preface this with the fact that what anon did here is wrong even if what they say isn’t. Just stop barging into other people’s spaces, or going into their askbox/interacting with them when you know they disagree with you and trying to convince them of a different viewpoint in fandom.

Anyway, to the point - if the nature of two characters’ relationship hinges on technicalities like whether they call each other brother/sister in canon, or the batfam wiki, or their adoption papers by the same dude instead of the actual nature of their relationship, which for some of them, does not fit siblings at all, then you could hardly call them siblings, even by the standards of canon itself.

Like someone could just as easily make the argument that since Jason died, his adoption papers under Bruce are no longer valid. He isn’t any longer adopted by the same dude because those papers were never renewed – and they never had to be, because Jason was already pretty much an adult by the time he decided to show up in Gotham again. In the same comic where Bruce adopts Tim as his son, he admits that he didn’t adopt Dick as a son, but a ward. Does this make Jason and Dick any less of brothers? Does it make Dick any less of a son to Batman?

And some would respond to this with “well, technically-“ and it would be an argument about technicalities all over again, and it would still be the wrong damn basis for judging the nature of any character’s actual relationship.

Take Jason and Tim. They did not grow up together. On the contrary, Jason has done things to Tim that would drive any two people apart – and at that time, they barely had any connections to each other besides Jason’s resentment towards Tim, and Tim knowing Jason as Robin but never really knowing him. And then the reboot happened, and none of it was ever addressed properly. We didn’t get an arc where Jason apologized to Tim. Just a throwaway line in a N52 comic where Jason acknowledges that Tim is kind of similar to him, and he realized he wasn’t his enemy. They bond more in the N52 RHATO run, but none of it is especially in a familial way. At best, in canon, they’re amicable coworkers for the same dude, no matter how many times they call each other brother or how you argue that Bruce still has their adoption papers.

Same can be said about Tim and Damian – sure, they have the same dad. Does it make them siblings? Not by a long shot, because the nature of their relationship needs more development than mere technicalities for it to happen. And for the love of god please realize that having the same father figure does not make people tantamount to siblings.

Because that’s the problem with some of you – it’s that you force them into these boxes of typical nuclear family dynamics, like since this is the dad, all his kids are siblings, and because some of them share the same siblings, that means they all see each other as siblings! When the batfamily is a found family and fundamentally does not fit into conventional family relationships.

At best, the “batfamily is a traditionally nice, good, loving family” is a headcanon with surface-level canon content to support it (like WFA, or some moments in Nightwing). But looking at their actual, genuine interactions with each other in the past? The actual moments that relationships should be based on?

Some of them are hardly siblings, no matter how hard you try and force them to be.

Plus, Babs can definitely see Bruce as a father figure. She can definitely be a mother figure and/or a sister figure to Steph and Cass. This doesn’t mean she can’t date their sibling, Dick. Stephanie doesn’t have to be adopted by Bruce to see him as a father figure, and you can definitely think she does see a dad in Batman. Steph isn’t any less of a sister to Cass or Duke. Doesn’t mean she can’t be shipped with their brother, Tim. Doesn’t mean someone can’t reinterpret Steph and Cass’ relationship as a romantic one, either. Because, again, they do not fit conventional nuclear family dynamics.

The reason Tim doesn't have to accept Damian or Jason as his brother is because the fundamental difference that separates found families from nuclear families is that they are not born into the relationship - the relationship happens because they make it work. Their bonds are not forged by a link in blood - they are forged by choice, and with effort. Without those things there is no relationship, no matter how many parental figures or siblings you share.

So yes, Jason is still Bruce’s son, not because of any damn adoption papers or because he called his other kids bro/sis, but because Bruce loved him like a son and Jason loved him like a father, and they've both put in the time and commitment in the past to prove that to each other.

I’m not doing this to justify shipping, because the justification for that is do whatever the hell you want in fiction. I don’t care if you still see them as siblings and neither should anyone. Fiction is held to different standards than reality, and fanworks are held to different standards than canon. It is a waste of time to make it your business to form an opinion on what everyone personally ships and doesn’t ship in a spin-off of a universe that doesn’t exist.

I’m saying this because I need people to understand that happy, conventional batfamily is hardly canon. They are complex, and yes there is love and family to be found there, but their familial connections don't limit them. I think it’s a disservice to the narrative and the inherent versatility of their relationships to pretend like the batfamily is founded on traditional family dynamics. And yeah, also because “Actually, in canon-” has been used again and again to attack people who choose to make them have romantic connections instead of familial ones (including DickBabs and TimSteph shippers somehow), and half the time, like in the post above, they’re not even right because they ignore nuance and actual canon history for the sake of trivial and arbitrary criteria.

And even if it was canon, it’s not something you can weaponize against people who choose to see their relationships in a different way from you. Nothing is stopping anyone from rewriting canon either and choosing to say “Well in my headcanons and works they’re not related.” Canon or not, nobody has the authority to barge into that space and yell “Actually they’re siblings!” (And nobody has the authority either to barge into someone else’s askbox and say “No they aren’t!”) I promise you, it does not matter. If SPN, GoT and Greek Mythology didn't normalize incest some batfam slashfic between two members of a found family certainly isn't going to do it. Stay in spaces you’re comfortable with and do away with those you aren’t.

Last P.S. if you really want to read healthy and good canon family dynamics, read Flashfam.

#batfam #batcest #jaytim #jaydick #fandom discourse #KhioRants #that will be the tag from now on when I do this kind of thing #tagged for your blocking pleasure #long post

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michellethestan · 3 years ago

Text

Our Flag Means Jesus Christ Superstar

At C2E2 on Sunday, Con O'Neill shared that he and Taika both thought of Jesus Christ Superstar and the famously-charged relationship between Jesus and Judas in that show when thinking about the relationship between Ed and Izzy in Our Flag Means Death. (He also said they scream-sang to the soundtrack together on their first day in the makeup trailer and I would give my non-existent left nut for any footage of this event.)

Here's the video:

This set my brain on fire because I am an extreme and obnoxious lifelong Jesus Christ Superstar fan and one of the first goofy things I did in OFMD fandom was casting a JCS AU. As my brain burned, I started thinking about all of the parallels between JCS and OFMD.

So, presenting Way Too Much Thought about Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Rock Opera about the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and David Jenkins' There's No Heterosexual Explanation for this Story of Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet! I am not at all religious, so if you're looking for any takes on whether or not Edward Teach is actually God, you've come to the wrong place. I am merely a woman with an English degree and too much time on my hands.

Since we all know the plot points of OFMD, I am going to do this by JCS song. If you're unfamiliar with JCS, the wiki is below. Basically, though, it is a rock opera about the days leading up to Jesus' crucifixion, released as a concept album in 1970. Eventually it was staged, there are two movies (ignore the awful 2000 version), John Legend was Jesus on the live TV version, it tours all over, and it is Incredibly Campy. The relationship between Jesus and Judas is famously charged, and different productions choose to take that to different levels.

I'm going to use the album songs (with one notable exception) and visuals from the 1973 movie.

At its core, I see JCS as being about the conflict between Judas and Mary Magdalene and their versions of an ideal Jesus. Sound familiar? It's telling Jesus' story, but it does so via the interpersonal and internal conflicts these two people had during the last days of his life.

Ed is Jesus - For years, he has been leading a movement. He has reached a moment where the masses are seeing him as a mythical figure, King of the Jews/Blackbeard, but he's not sure that is what he wants.

Izzy is Judas - Our guy's right hand man. He has been there since the start and sees himself as a protector as well as someone with an outside perspective on the hero. Izzy wants Ed to continue being the myth of Blackbeard because it is the way they will survive. Judas, conversely, wants Jesus to take it down a notch because he is becoming too much of a myth and that will get him killed.

Stede is Mary Magdalene - (I'm not a prostitute, mate!) The new person to the group, offering our hero a way forward that does not have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Stede offers Ed retirement and a soft life. Mary offers Jesus a soft and comfortable life as well, but it is one where he does take up the mantle as the Son of God.

(A Note before we get going. Both Our Flag Means Death and the 1973 Jesus Christ Superstar film star BIPOC actors: Taika Waititi as Blackbeard, Ben Vereen as Judas, and Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene. This is fundamentally part of the stories the productions tell. People far more qualified than I have written about Edward Teach as a Maori man, the diverse OFMD cast, and about the diverse casting traditions in Jesus Christ Superstar. There is a deep dive to be written about the race of these six principle actors (and their supporting casts) and how that impacts these stories when JCS is read as an influence on OFMD. Without the qualifications to take that on, I am sticking essentially to song lyrics and script. I realize this is a huge gap in this analysis, and I would love for someone to help me fill it!)

We're skipping the Overture because it's just an overture and it is very good but still. You can listen to it if you want.

Heaven on their Minds

The show opens with Judas. Jesus, the apostles, Mary, and co. are together outside of Jerusalem, and Judas is concerned about the level of fame they are reaching and the danger Jesus is in from authorities.

Listen Jesus I don't like what I see.

All I ask is that you listen to me.

And remember, I've been your right hand man all along.

You have set them all on fire.

They think they've found the new Messiah.

And they'll hurt you when they find they're wrong.

Of course, the big difference here is that Judas wants Jesus to tone it down so he doesn't get hurt, whereas Izzy is trying to keep Ed as Blackbeard going so he doesn't get hurt.

What's the Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying

The Apostles want to know what's happening. When are we leaving, who are we fighting, etc. While they bother Jesus, Mary is trying to comfort him.

Mary that is good,

While you prattle through your supper,

Where and when and who and how.

She alone has tried to give me

What I need right here and now.

Here we introduce the foil to Izzy/Judas. Almost immediately, with his finery and his lunacy, Stede offers Ed a different way of life.

You're a fucking lunatic and I like it.

We also get the first conflict between Mary and Judas, when Judas attacks Jesus for allowing Mary to comfort him.

It seems to me a strange thing, mystifying

That a man like you can waste his time on women of her kind.

Yes, I can understand that she amuses,

But to let her kiss you, stroke your hair, that's hardly in your line.

It's not that I object to her profession,

But she doesn't fit in well with what you teach and say.

It doesn't help us if you're inconsistent.

They only need a small excuse to put us all away.

Izzy, of course, immediately wants Stede out of the picture. He wants Stede out of the picture so badly he tries to sabotage them from the start. He doesn't respect Stede as a man or as a pirate, and is worried about what associating with Stede will do to Blackbeard's reputation.

Jesus stands up for Mary's presence, just like Ed decides they're staying on Stede's ship for now.

Who are you to criticize her?

Who are you to despise her?

Leave her, leave her, let her be now.

Leave her, leave her, she's with me now.

If your slate is clean, then you can throw stones.

If your slate is not, then leave her alone.

"Sorry not sorry." - Jesus/Ed.

Everything's Alright

Mary's first big number! She is soothing a stressed Jesus, offering him myrrh ointment (fine things!) and the idea that he deserves to be taken care of.

Sleep and I shall soothe you, calm you, and anoint you.

Myrrh for your hot forehead, oh.

Then you'll feel

Everything's alright, yes, everything's fine.

And it's cool, and the ointment's sweet

For the fire in your head and feet.

Close your eyes, close your eyes

And relax, think of nothing tonight.

Of course, Judas doesn't want this version of Jesus. He wants to get back to their roots, sees the use of the ointment on Jesus as a waste, and doesn't like a version of Jesus that is the pampered son of God.

Woman your fine ointment, brand new and expensive

Should have been saved for the poor.

Why has it been wasted? We could have raised maybe

Three hundred silver pieces or more.

People who are hungry, people who are starving

They matter more than your feet and hair!

We see this most/first in the clothes-swap scene, where Izzy is just so disgusted by the idea of Ed being anything other than Blackbeard that he literally leaves. Jesus stands up for Mary against Judas and says she's staying and Judas has to deal with it. Ed stands up for Stede and says they're staying on the Revenge and Izzy just has to deal with it.

The clothes swap scene is not the only sequence where Stede comforts Ed, of course. Just as Mary takes it upon herself to comfort Jesus at pretty much every opportunity, Stede becomes that comfort for Ed. The panic attack after the Fuckery is Stede reassuring Ed that the weight of being Blackbeard does not have to be on his shoulders. He can relax and sleep well, because Stede sees the real him. He's willing to forget a whole entire murder plot for Ed.

And more! We have two concrete "fine things" being used for pleasure here - myrrh ointment and marmalade. Both Judas and Izzy see waste and carelessness where Mary and Stede see the value in indulgence. And both Judas and Izzy want the fine things gone for more practical things. Judas wants to sell the ointment to give the money to the poor, what he argues is Jesus' whole original message. The marmalade, of course, is taking the place of literal gunpowder that pirates need to, you know, survive.

I will also just point out that "marmalade" and "myrrh ointment" sound... not really very similar but at least both start with M.

This Jesus Must Die

The authorities in Jerusalem want this rabble-rouser Jesus out of the picture. They're very moody and discussing what to do with him, deciding that he needs to die to send a message. We don't really see this happening about Blackbeard until the very end of the show, but we can assume based on the whole Being A Notorious Pirate Thing that the English authorities would do anything to take him down.

The important thing here is that Ed and Jesus are both wanted men. Izzy/Judas and Stede/Mary are offering conflicting ways to stay alive. Both think they have the solution and are trying to woo their guys to their sides.

Hosanna and Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem

First of all, these are bops. Just getting that out of the way. Hosanna is Jesus entering Jerusalem and Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem is the masses worshipping him, basically. Our OFMD parallel is Blackbeard with his Nine Guns - The myth of the hero far outstrips the man at this point. But what is he going to do about it?

Jesus warns the worshippers that things are about to get bad. Blackbeard starts thinking maybe he'll steal Stede's identity and sail off into the sunset.

If you knew all that I knew, my poor Jerusalem,

You'd see the truth, but you close your eyes.

But you close your eyes.

While you live, your troubles are many, poor Jerusalem.

To conquer death, you only have to die.

You only have to die.

Hmmm what's that, Jesus? We have to die to get out of this? You don't say.

Pilate's Dream

Pilate has a premonition that he's about to go down in history as The Bad Guy who Killed Jesus. (Yup.)

Then I saw thousands of millions

Crying for this man.

And then I heard them mentioning my name,

And leaving me the blame.

Badminton declares he's going to get vengeance on some Cat Bandits.

On my honor, I’ll ride these “Cat Bandits” straight into hell.

There are people hunting down our hero, in other words.

The Temple

In this scene, Jesus finds that a temple is being used for basically everything other than worship and he flips his lid and clears all of the sinners out. It is Very Dramatic.

What happens next is what parallels to OFMD, though. After the heathens are cleared from the temple, Jesus is surrounded by people with leprosy begging him to heal them. It's eerie and A Lot.

See my eyes, I can hardly see.

See me stand, I can hardly walk.

I believe you can make me whole.

See my tongue, I can hardly talk.

See my skin, I'm a mass of blood.

See my legs, I can hardly stand.

I believe you can make me well.

See my purse, I'm a poor, poor man.

Will you touch, will you mend me Christ?

Won't you touch, will you heal me Christ?

Will you kiss, you can cure me Christ?

Won't you kiss, won't you pay me Christ?

Jesus tries his best to heal them, but ultimately panics.

There's too many of you...Don't push me.

There's too little of me...Don't crowd me.

Heal yourselves!

What does this have to do with Ed? I hope you're asking that since you've read this far. The beggars are... Calico Jack! And not because he is a walking embodiment of disease. This sequence represents Jesus making his choice - is he going to be Judas' version of Jesus or Mary's? Is he taking on the mantle of Son of God or is he going relax it a bit? Calico Jack is a similar turning point for Ed. Is he going to be the old Blackbeard, or is he going to stick with Stede? Jesus hasn't really made his choice here - he tries to fix the temple and heal everyone but he is still overwhelmed. Of course, we know what Ed chose.

Everything's Alright (Reprise)

A bop. A reminder that Stede and Mary are going to take care of their men. Thanks, Mary. Thanks, Stede.

I Don't Know How to Love Him

Just imagine Stede singing this about Ed. That's it, that's the comparison.

I don't know how to love him.

What to do, how to move him.

I've been changed, yes really changed.

In these past few days, when I've seen myself,

I seem like someone else.

I don't know how to take this.

I don't see why he moves me.

...

Yet, if he said he loved me,

I'd be lost. I'd be frightened.

I couldn't cope, just couldn't cope.

I'd turn my head. I'd back away.

I wouldn't want to know.

He scares me so.

I want him so.

I love him so.

To elaborate a little, what's key here is Mary realizing that she is also being changed by loving Jesus and that they are on a path together now. She realizes that she is in awe of the myth of Jesus but in love with the man.

Damned for All Time/Blood Money

Judas turning in Jesus to the authorities. He's panicking. The only way to save Jesus is to give him up and hope that he is able to survive. He has even deluded himself into thinking that Jesus will actually be glad that he's made this decision.

Now if I help you, it matters that you see

These sordid kinda things are coming hard to me.

It's taken me some time to work out what to do.

I weighed the whole thing out before I came to you.

I have no thought at all about my own reward.

I really didn't come here of my own accord.

Just don't say I'm ... damned for all time.

I came because I had to; I'm the one who saw.

Jesus can't control it like he did before.

And furthermore I know that Jesus thinks so too.

Jesus wouldn't mind that I was here with you.

I have no thought at all about my own reward.

I really didn't come here of my own accord.

Just don't say I'm ... damned for all time.

Annas, you're a friend, a worldly man and wise.

Caiaphas, my friend, I know you sympathize.

Why are we the prophets? Why are we the ones

Who see the sad solution - know what must be done?

I have no thought at all about my own reward.

I really didn't come here of my own accord.

Just don't say I'm damned for all time.

Sound like someone we know?

The Last Supper

Oh here we go, things are heating up. Of course, The Last Supper is The Last Supper. The apostles have a lovely song about how they want to write everything down so people will talk about them when they die. That's a normal way to talk about your friend, right?

Fanfiction and the start of the Eucharist aside, The Last Supper is when Jesus announces to the team that he knows what they've been up to. He says that soon Peter will deny him and that he knows Judas has betrayed him.

Of course, when Izzy goes off to sell Ed out, Ed doesn't know it's happening because he is not a prophet. But I made this anyway because it works.

JESUS: Peter will deny me in just a few hours.

Three times will deny me,

And that's not all I see.

One of you here dining,

One of my twelve chosen

Will leave to betray me.

JUDAS: Cut out the dramatics!

You know very well who.

JUDAS: To think I admired you.

Well now I despise you.

This song also reinforces Judas' conviction that Jesus wants him to do this. Judas believes he is acting in both of their best interests and that turning Jesus in will stop the train and everything will be fine. Izzy truly believes that he is only selling out Stede. Stede has done something to his boss' brain, and once he's out of the picture Ed will go back to normal.

Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)

Jesus leaves his sleeping apostles and goes off to, basically, freak out and yell at his dad who is God.

I only want to say,

If there is a way,

Take this cup away from me

For I don't want to taste its poison.

Feel it burn me,

I have changed.

I'm not as sure, as when we started.

After walking around yelling at Dad a bit, he gets it out of his system and gets back on track. This is where he chooses to be a martyr.

By accepting his martyrdom, he might be accepting Judas' betrayal on the surface, but he's actually accepting Mary's version of himself. The authorities aren't going to slap him on the wrist and let him go. They are going to kill him, as we all know. That is what Mary was actually pulling for, even though she didn't realize it at the time.

This is akin to when Ed calls for the Act of Grace. In that moment, Izzy's plan falls apart - calling the British isn't going to save Blackbeard, it's going to destroy him. And this is what Stede was actually pulling for, even though he didn't realize it at the time.

Alright, I'll die!

Just watch me die!

See how I die!

...

God, thy will is hard,

But you hold every card.

I will drink your cup of poison.

Nail me to your cross and break me,

Bleed me, beat me,

Kill me.

Take me, now!

Before I change my mind.

The Arrest

Judas, must you betray me with a kiss?

Judas famously kisses Jesus to identify him to the Roman soldiers. If you are Going For It in your production of Jesus Christ Superstar, this can be very lustful. This is a man who loves his hero giving him up to the people that have been chasing him, probably realizing as he does it that things are about to go Very Wrong but having no way to stop it.

Peter's Denial

People who saw Jesus being led away see Peter and Mary, and accuse Peter of being an accomplice of that rabble-rouser Jesus. He denies knowing him three times.

Welp.

Pilate and Christ

Oh, Pilate, if only you remembered your little premonition. This is basically a song just to explain why Pilate doesn't have jurisdiction over Jesus and is sending him to...

King Herod's Song (Try it and See)

This song is, in a word, chaotic. King Herod tells Jesus he'll spare his life if Jesus admits to calling himself King of the Jews. It's very campy. It's amazing.

Herod demands Jesus perform miracles, Jesus won't do it, and Herod sends him back to Pilate to deal with because he decides Jesus is a fraud. This one really doesn't match up in OFMD. Oh well!

Could We Start Again Please

Meanwhile, in the movie and on the stage, Peter and Mary lead a song freaking out about what's happening. They've realized this whole thing went too far and Jesus is about to be killed, and are asking to start over.

This is Stede realizing slowly at the Privateering Academy that he has ruined Blackbeard. This comes out of order in the shows, but I'm going by JCS order. So I'm also doing the gifs in JCS order instead of OFMD order.

I've been living to see you

Dying to see you but it shouldn't be like this

This was unexpected, what do I do now?

Oh, could we start again, please?

Could we start again, please?

I've been very hopeful so far

Now for the first time I think we're going wrong

Hurry up and tell me, this is all a dream

Or could we start again, please?

Could we start again, please?

I think you've made your point now

You've even gone a bit too far to get your message home

Before it gets too frightening, we ought to call a halt

So could we start again please?

Could we start again please?

Judas' Death

Of course, Izzy doesn't die, and Judas does. Dramatically, after first running back to the authorities and trying to undo what he did.

I don't believe he knows I acted for our good

I'd save him all this suffering if I could!

Don't believe ... our good ... save him ... if I could

Izzy may not die, but he certainly has a moment where he realizes Ed is giving everything up and his plan has failed. Izzy is forced to watch Ed sign away ten human years to the British, and it is because of what Izzy did.

Christ! I know you can't hear me

But I only did what you wanted me to

Christ! I'd sell out the nation

For I have been saddled with the murder of you

Even more tragically, Judas reprises Mary's "I Don't Know How to Love Him." Imagine Izzy singing this in a deleted scene where he watches Ed and Stede be rowed away from the Revenge.

I don't know how to love him

I don't know why he moves me

He's a man - he's just a man

He's not a king - he's just the same

As anyone I know

He scares me so

When he's cold and dead, will he let me be?

Does he love me too? Does he care for me?

Ow. Sorry Iz.

Trial Before Pilate

It's a trial. Before Pilate. Some other guys go on trial, maybe you've heard of them.

Jesus stoically accepts his punishments, first the 39 lashes and then the crucifixion. Ed is also stoic when he thinks he's the only one in trouble, and of course after Stede is in danger he's not so stoic. Mary isn't crucified, so that doesn't really line up, but it's still two trials. Not much else to say here, really.

Superstar

The Big Number!

This is our climax, Judas in heaven appearing to Jesus and asking him, was it worth it? Shouldn't you have listened to me and ditched that Mary lady? (And why did you decide to come down to earth when you did instead of in 1971 when we have mass media? And also, is Buddha all he's cracked up to be? (It was the 70s, what do you want.))

Episode 10, of course, has the confrontation between Izzy and Ed. Is it worth it, being Stede's version of you? Can you survive like this? Where is the real Blackbeard?

And, who is Blackbeard, anyway?

Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ,

Who are you? What have you sacrificed?

Jesus Christ Superstar,

Do you think you're what they say you are?

The Crucifixion

Also known as:

Obviously, Ed doesn't die, and Jesus, you know, famously does.

But Ed does bury the soft part of himself, Stede's part, in an effort to continue on as Blackbeard.

And, let's not forget, Jesus does also famously un-die.

Let's hope that bodes well for Ed in Season 2.

Final Thoughts

As I got to the end, I started thinking about the "winners" and "losers" in the Judas/Mary and Izzy/Stede conflicts, such as anyone can really be declared a winner when the end result is the willing self-destruction of the person they love.

Jesus is silent before Pilate and Herod, knowing that God's plan is playing out as was intended. Could he have changed it, had he listened to Judas? Could he have prevented Judas' fate had he filled his closest confidante in? But if he had done that, would Judas still have played the role he had to play? (I'm not a religious scholar so I don't have the slightest idea. I'm just a woman with an English degree and too much time to think about OFMD and Jesus Christ Superstar.) In turning away from Judas' warnings and accepting Mary's version of himself - the one that is allowed comfort and rest and to be "just a man" albeit briefly - Jesus accepts that he'll die. Then, after everything and not portrayed in this show, he comes back to life as Mary's version. Judas goes down in history as, well, Judas. (Not even going into what's happened to Mary's reputation because do I look like Dan Brown to you? She doesn't win, either, is all I'm saying.)

Then we have Ed, who quite literally sheds Izzy's version. He signs his pirate life away for ten human years in order to be allowed comfort, rest, and to be "Just Ed." Shaves his beard, kisses his man, makes a plan to run away. That's the "death" he accepted. It's even the "death" he tries to continue when he returns to the Revenge, only to be shaken back to "life" as Blackbeard by Izzy. Stede won briefly, but then Izzy gets a second shot. And we end with Ed reembodying the myth. I don't subscribe to the framing that Ed, Blackbeard, and The Kraken are different people - they're all facets of Edward Teach. Will his ultimate "resurrection" be an acceptance that the real Edward is some mix of all of these versions? With neither Stede nor Izzy the "winner" of that battle?

That's it!! "It."

If you read this far:

Thank you I love you

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did

Find me on twitter @ michellethestan

Let me know your thoughts about how this 1970s rock opera about Jesus is actually about gay pirates

If you have footage of Con and Taika singing Jesus Christ Superstar in a makeup trailer you have to give it to me as payment for this

#ofmd #ofmd meta #ofmd and jesus christ superstar #our flag means death #jesus christ superstar #con oneill done something to my brain #if anyone has footage of con and taika singing jesus christ superstar get at me #seriously #ofmd meets jcs #extremely long post #blackbeard #stede bonnet #ed teach #gentlebeard #izzy hands #con oneill #c2e2 #taika waititi

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doublel27 · 2 years ago

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Anon is right tho. I mean it's lovely how much carlos loves TK and how he's not afraid to show it but we need to see the same effort from tk too. Now, don't get me wrong I'm not trying to hate on TK or tarlos I know they love each other equally but unfortunately they're not showing that. Like I was really hoping for tk to call carlos his soulmate but I guess we can't have everything.

Sorry for the rant but this episode is kind of let down for me and I'm sad because I was so excited for this episode and now it's 5am and I can't sleep 😅

Firstly, I want to start by saying that it sucks to be disappointed by something you were looking forward to. Especially something like a television show that is usually a comfort and is very much controlled by real people.

Second, dear nonny, I would like to say as much as I enjoyed this episode my feelings are not without some critique. I have sucked my spouse into Lone Star with me and our major critique is one that has been a problem with this show for a long time.

Tim Minear and the writers room over-write for their episodes and then film all of they and sometimes in editing/post production they’re so intent on fitting everything in that things feel very surface or not fully fleshed out. I felt that way about all of tonight’s storylines. There was more to mine, but it all got left very shallow.

That being said, I do fundamentally disagree about TK not showing love back to Carlos in this episode.

First, I’m going to start with context. TK was just told by his father that he has a 1 in 4 chance of having a genetic neurodegenative disease that could take him (if they have the gene) anytime in the next 5-20 years.

And Huntington’s is no joke. It’s like taking Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS and sticking them in a blender with steroids. It’s devastating and relentless and there’s a reason Robert is asking Owen to help him live out the end of his life instead of his wife and children. And TK is a medical professional who understands exactly what the progress might be.

And so he doesn’t lie and he doesn’t hide it, but he stays up until Carlos is off shift to have the conversation because TK loves Carlos too much to want to burden him with the reality of this disease.

But this is one of the first times all season that TK has been the one who needed comforting. So I’m not surprised that Carlos is the one that said the soulmates line. Because TK needs reassurance that this isn’t a line too far for Carlos.

TK has been doing that for Carlos all season.

TK looked Carlos straight in the face when Carlos explained the Iris situation and just said “alright, what do we have to do.” Many members of the fandom wanted him to be mad or petty or jealous or have feelings and while there were feelings, TK put Carlos first and helped to take care of the barriers in their way.

When Carlos was kidnapped and didn’t come home, TK was the one who tirelessly advocated that something was wrong. He figured out the pharmacy connection and then he literally saved Carlos’s life and had very romantic conversation as they loaded into the ambulance.

TK then, a man who has been having conversations about having kids since season one, faced with the fact that Carlos didn’t want kids gave up his dream and plans for fatherhood because Carlos is more important. Like…he cooked fucking dinner (how many phone calls with Tommy and Paul were there to get that together) and told Carlos it didn’t matter if Carlos was ever ready for kids because Carlos is all the family he needs. That’s a level of conflict that often leads to broken engagements and divorce.

This is all THIS season. Seasons two and three TK gave every romantic speech this couple had. Carlos is just getting here with words this season. And it’s beautiful growth for both of them.

#911 lone star #tk strand #carlos reyes #tarlos #911 lone star spoilers #doublel27 talks #anon reply #anon ask #i’m sorry but i’m also not #tk strand loves carlos reyes with his whole being #enough to sacrifice his dreams for carlos #like idk what you’re watching #be disappointed sure #but it’s just not even textually based

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batstorm93672 · 3 years ago

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"Let me go ahead, it'll be easier to catch him Batman"

"I said no Jason"

Damian stopped and looked at his father who didn't seem to even get what he said as he kept talking into his comm. Damian looked back down, at his gloved palm. What did it mean being called someone else? It's not the first time. It is never the first time, he was called Steph, Dick, Tim and Jason before. He was always shocked at that moment.

Does his father ever consider the fact that he is Damian? That his name is Damian, that he is his own being in comparison to his other family members? Does Bruce ever take that into account? Or will he always be someone else? His urge and struggle to be worth lest he fails and is no longer wanted, Dick called it abuse, Damian called it normal upbringing.

"Tim you have to wait, sometimes things aren't that clear, bad guys have ways of setting traps and even if it feels safe sometimes it's not"

Another name. Not his. Just another name. Damian looked at his feet, kicking some dust about. Batman didn't really notice when he called him different names and even if he did, Damian couldn't tell because Batman got silent after doing so. Never bringing it up and Damian is horrible at trying to bring it up as well so it's never addressed.

Damian kept petting Titus as he read his book, Stephanie was on her phone scrolling through whatever, Jason was also reading and Tim was on his laptop. It was a comforting silence until Dick's footsteps drew close. "Hey Timmy what are you reading?" Damian kept quiet "Oh my bad Dames. Thought you were Tim" "Tt. Apparently so does father, might as well be one of you instead of myself" Dick frowned a bit as everyone looked up at Damian "He's doing it again?" "I was called Jason and Tim recently, you two as well on different occasions" Jason put a bookmark on his page as he looked at Damian "How bad is it?" "I... I've been compared enough times, I need to speak with him, I tire of twiddling my thumbs and waiting for him to make the first move" "Are you sure? He's not the best at social conversations with us" "I know, but... Richard-" Damian looked at Dick who kept standing in the doorway "-you have said that communicating with one another is a fundamental part of relationship" "Yeah I did" "So I shall go to father" "I believe in you" Damian got a little brighter with that confidence, walking out towards Bruce's study.

Knocking, Damian felt his hands become sweaty as time seemed to slow down.

Cease at once, I am Damian Wayne, son of the Bat and Demon. I must speak to father as one

"Come in"

Damian opened the door, Bruce was going through papers "Damian. Is there something I can help you with? Do you want to hang out?" Bruce always leaped at the idea of his children bonding with him. Most likely his sorta crappy childcare and wanting to redeem himself (Damian thought he was bad at times, but he means well and everyone knows this no matter how much they all make fun of him) "I wished to ask on our outings, you have called me by my siblings names more so the ones who have deemed the name Robin before... if I have done something wrong I wish to know how you want me to improve" Bruce looked surprised "What? No, you didn't do anything wrong. Why would it mean you did something wrong,"

"What else could it be? Obviously I've messed up as the others have before, I just have to do better and prove that I'm Damian the blood son who won't make mistakes and prove my worth lest I become irrelevant"

Bruce looked hurt and he moved the papers in front of him away "Damian, do you feel like that all the time?"

Damian felt his cheeks burn a bit, did he say something wrong? Is this not how he was supposed to feel on the matter? "Is this... wrong of me? I am supposed to be Robin, a perfect warrior for you" "Damian you are my child-" "Why can't I be what everyone wants?!"

Damian wanted to bite his tongue, he didn't mean to shout "I'm sorry--" "Damian, who I need is you. You are my son and I love you. Calling you a different name during patrol isn't my intention, I love every one of you and sometimes I get caught in a moment. I think on something else and I get confused, but that doesn't mean I love you any less Damian"

"I am still useful... right? Why else would you keep me for this long?"

"Because I love you, not just as Robin. But as Damian Wayne, my son whom I love and cherish with all my heart just like everyone else. You don't need to compare yourself with them. I love you as you are son"

Damian smiled a bit and went around the desk to hug his father as much as he could "I love you too father"

#damian wayne #damian wayne has feelings and he wont admit it #jason todd #dick grayson #tim drake #robin #bruce wayne #batman #stephanie brown

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danny-chase · 4 years ago

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Reasons I know the Batgirls writers didn't do research warnings for salt I'm freaking annoyed as hell

Cass throwing a fight because Babs asked her to keep a low profile is absolutely laughable. In Batgirls (2000) - which mind you, isn't a hard read, it's less than 100 issues and all available on DC's own app, she gives 0 fucks about her secret identity and it takes her realizing she wouldn't be able to live with Babs to actually care about it being a secret (she literally broke into the CIA without her mask on). That she went back for her stuff makes sense, but she would have just clocked the guys in the first place.

Cass being "the gloomy one" - they literally looked at her aesthetic and assigned her one personality trait. Like oh come on. Read 3 comics with her character and you'd know that's not what she's like. She's stilted and awkward in this, whereas in her solo she's fluid and does what she thinks makes sense in the moment.

Similarly Steph being the "happy" one. Look, Dixon be damned, at least he gave her some amount of depth in Robin. Steph is not just cheery all the time, she's had legitimately traumatic things happen to her. She had to give up a child for adoption. Her father abused her. She had a close call with being sexually assaulted by her piano teacher as a child. She has a temper. This Steph has no mode other than happy. Even in her Batgirl series where she was noticeably more cheery, she still had moments of disappointment, worried about things, and felt more human than this

"We barely slept" skejendb in what world is Cass waking up early like come on.

Steph just being there to be Cass's hype man and constantly being cheery feels so wrong. Like yes is the old stuff she was always impressed by Cass's abilities, but there was always the underlying comparison of skill level between the two. It wasn't just "Oh wowwie cass, you're so cool!!!" It was "Cass can do this. And I can't" because Cass was testing her, making her try too, and it genuinely came from a place of her loving Steph and not wanting to see her getting hurt (once the two got to know each other).

Fundamental misunderstanding that the Batgirl mantle means "girl", as in "not an adult". Like... really? Barbara in Batgirl: Year One had graduated college, and iirc was serving in Congress when she was Batgirl before. It says in the first issue of Cass run that she's 17. Steph is in college when she's Batgirl. I would let the 13-14 comment slide because it's not actually a part of the comic but it's so blatantly obvious they're supposed to be children in this run. And Cass and Steph are not children. In fact even in Rebirth Detective Comics, Steph at the end along with Tim went on a roadtrip where they had implied (lied) to Bruce they were going to go start their freshman year. Iirc they slept together. And now Tim's like 20 and Steph is 14? Holy age gap Batman editorial!

Steph worrying so much about Babs approval. Like since when? The girl who got stone walled and cut off from the Batfamily because she didn't meet Bruce's ridiculous standards, and started patrolling during the day without backup because she wanted to be a hero cares about doing things Barbara's way? Someone who they haven't even established a relationship with? Like no offense DC, but Steph's interacted with Babs not all that frequently, I for a second don't think she's going to give too many shits about Babs approval

Steph comes off as a complete amateur who's never done any of this stuff before. Way to erase character development DC and repeat her shitty writing that was eventually used as an excuse to kill her off! Can you hear me clapping! Wonderful job! And while I'm here this is about batgirls, but fuck you seeley for calling Steph the failure as robin, because if you'd actually read those comics you'd notice how BRUCE NEVER GAVE HER A REAL SHOT. Because you're pretty much hit over the head with the "he's only using her to get Tim back subtext"

Going to Babs instead of doing something themselves is very ooc for both Steph and Cass as established in prev points. In what case would Barbara workaholic Gordon dismiss them like that either. "Go to bed you're delirious?" From the character that used to have surveillance cameras on the joker she constantly used to watch? Yeah laughable.

Barbara used a cane on (1) page and they put her bed atop a flight of stairs and the apartment is four stories up (implied in the beginning they had to walk up them sooo no elevator). It doesn't feel like they put much thought into how that would work out, or care about returning her to a wheel chair anytime soon with all those stairs everywhere. She treats Steph and Cass like her children when we've had 0 build up for a relationship with either of them. She fell asleep at her desk (Barbara sleeping is laughable).

I've seen comics treat Babs worse but I've never seen Cass or Steph this infantized. Congrats Batgirls writers, I hope selling out to fandom 1-D characters gets you good sales, and you had to do no work researching the characters so it's a double win! Thanks for ruining characters I like. It's literally not even hard to read either of there Batgirl series, congrats on tripping over the bar that was below the ground.

Edit: @fancyfade pointed out it was one of Steph's dad friends that assaulted her, which then led into being upset with her piano teacher latter (if i was writing batgirls, you better bet I'd have reread that issue)

Edit 2: I know invisible disabilities exist. This is better rep than none at all. But imo, she's not Oracle again until she's paraplegic again.

#negativity #salty rant #genuinely loathe when female characters are sacrificed towards making the book appeal to the generic female or whatever #i wouldn't have liked this as a kid pfftt i would have taken one look at the boys comic and been like i want this one instead #stuff like this is why i had my I'm not like the other girls phase and hated pink and whatever #fuck dc #all my homies hate dc #the rage #i feel after reading that #it makes me want to scream and quit dc all together

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