austenpoppy

[austenpoppy]

Beautiful !!

so i rewatched titanic a couple days ago…

please mind the quality…if anything this is a colored sketch lol. i have the famous “jack, i want you to draw me like one of your french girls” scene(as well as the ~car scene~) all drawn out, so you guys let me know if that’s something youd wanna see on my twt account 😉

also, please give me lighting tips!!

[austenpoppy]

Okay, so first of all, thank you for providing us with truly interesting takes on the characters (and I'll also say very funny and surprising ones for a canon purist like me, given your propensity to enjoy and seriously consider the most outlandish Harry Potter ships one could think of). That said, I am a self-appointed Slytherin locket expert (locket that I sometimes refer to as my archenemy because I am dramatic like that), so you will excuse me if I disagree somewhat with your take and offer my reading of what went on with the locket.

To me, it's a grave mistake to consider the mental torture Ron went through with Voldemort-locket only through the lens of jealousy (or even through the lens of jealousy at all, really), and more particularly romantic jealousy. To me, his fear that Harry and Hermione might end up together is only the logical consequence of his low self-esteem, his deep insecurities regarding his self-worth, his place in his family and in the world, his fear of rejection and abandonment and his fear of invisibility. I will even say that it's secondary, that it's really not what was the crux of the matter here.

You wrote that his fears regarding his place in his own family, his relationship with his mother and how Harry fits in all of this should be viewed as "an additional strand" to his fear that Harry and Hermione would end up together. And yet, the very first thing that comes out of Voldemort-locket's mouth is that Ron has always been "least loved" by his mother, who allegedly "craved a daughter".

The idea that Molly "craved a daughter" was new to us readers, though it's not difficult to imagine how Ron came to that conclusion or how someone made him think that. His complex relationship with his mother, however, has been there since the very beginning, before he even met Harry, something that was hinted at from the very first time we're introduced to him. It's central to understand why Ron had self-esteem issues to begin with.

Before I dive into this, I want to say I'm not here to paint Molly as a bad mother or person; she's fiercely caring and kind, she raised seven amazing children, and she called Bellatrix Lestrange a bitch to her face before eliminating her. But even great mothers aren't perfect, because no one is, and people make mistakes.

Ron, as he said himself during his first encounter with Harry, is the sixth son in a family of seven. That means, as he told Harry, that he only gets the hand-me-downs of his brothers, and that he has trouble defining who he is, in the sense that he feels that no matter what he does, it'll never be good enough to be seen by his parents - so it speaks at once about his difficulty finding his own place in his family, and the fact that he lacks attention from his parents, both in terms of quantity and quality - and more particularly, from his mother, the one parent he spends most time with.

In fact, we're shown a quiet example of that not long after, as Ron looks at one of his dry sandwiches while Harry has all his wizarding sweets next to him and says: "She always forgets I don't like corned beef." Right after, Harry suggests that he could swap some of his sweets for one of Ron's sandwich, but Ron, who's not going to mislead his new friend on food quality, tells him that Harry shouldn't take his sandwiches because "it's all dry". And because that could paint his mother in a bad light in his mind, he adds that it's because Molly doesn't have a lot of time with the number of children there is at home that his sandwiches aren't good.

It tells you a lot of things about Ron's relationship with Molly in a few words. He clearly loves his mother and is protective of her, but there is also a quiet sadness that comes from him feeling somewhat invisible to her. He's internalized the idea that she doesn't have much time to give to him, that he's one among others, and all of those are stated as facts. It's interesting to see that to him, Molly "always" forgetting about his food preferences (or his colour preferences, which he'll comment on at Christmas of their first year), or not having a lot of attention to give to him specifically are facts of life that don't show anything necessarily bad about her, but her making bad sandwiches could.

In fact, when you look at it more closely, the "everyone" Ron refers to when he says "everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first" could be in particular applied to Molly. One of Molly's biggest flaws as a mother is her tendency to compare her children and their accomplishments. Five years after that first encounter with Harry, for example, when Ron is appointed Prefect, she is at first shocked before telling Ron that "everyone in the family" was a Prefect, referring to a sort of familial tradition that Ron somehow had to follow to be part of them and be on their level; it becomes something that's not just Ron's accomplishment, but something that was "ought to be", and somehow it becomes... not that big a deal, despite Molly's excitement. Ron then is just "another Weasley" once again, invisible in a mass.

I've seen very few people comment on the difference between Ron and Harry's first year of life, even if I think it had a definitive incidence on their development. Before people take out their scythes and torches, I'm not trying to insinuate that Harry's life was not terribly impacted by the abuse and neglect he suffered at the hands of the Dursleys, or that Ron's experience is comparable - it's more that Harry's life would've been much worse had he not spent about a year and three months being dotted on and adored by his parents for whom he was the firstborn.

Now Ron's first year of life had to be different. For starters, Molly already had five children to take care of when he was born, among which two-year old Fred and George, who had to be menaces even when they were babies. Then, she got pregnant with Ginny, and navigating a pregnancy while she already had children to take care of (and probably at least two rowdy children) means that she logically had a lot less time to give to baby Ron. Add on top the fact that Molly lost her brothers who were killed by Death Eaters in 1981 (so after Ron was born), plus of course the financial issues of the family (which before Ron's third year at school were dire, since just buying hand-me-down school furniture meant emptying their bank account the year before that), and you have a little baby who didn't spend much time truly receiving the attention he needed.

This is of course not Molly's (or Arthur's) fault, but this wasn't corrected as years wore one, and this is how Ron ended up looking at the Mirror of Erised, and seeing himself as a Head Boy and captain of Quidditch winning a Quidditch cup. Those things are only a representation of what he actually craved: being seen for himself, and even more so by his parents. And doing what his brothers had done but all at the same time was the only thing his childish mind could see would grant him what he wanted. He's internalized quite young the idea that he has to earn attention.

Of course, it didn't go that way at all. Ron became the best friend of Harry and Hermione, and became even more invisible. A lot of his formative experiences as a teenager actually worsened his self-esteem issues. In the classroom Hermione was the one who shone, but I don't think it really was a problem for Ron in itself, unlike the way people ignored him or shoved him aside to focus on Harry - even though, as Hermione pointed out, he "put up with it, and he never mention[ed] it" (or he did but in a joking manner, like this time he said the Ministry would have to dig him up first if they wanted to punish him for blowing up an Aunt because his mother would kill him first). There's only one example I can think of in the books of Ron being slightly bitter on screen about Harry receiving attention he didn't, and that was in The Goblet of Fire, right before the Yule Ball when he told Harry that he wouldn't have any trouble finding someone to go to the Ball with (his reaction to Slughorn favouring Harry and Hermione was a bit different, but I'll comment on that later).

However, being dismissed for Harry's sake clearly stung more when it came from family. Ron first comments on it in The Prisoner of Azkaban, when he's shocked and clearly nettled that Fred and George gave the Marauder's Map to Harry instead of him, "their brother".

Then there is also the difference between the way Molly treats Harry and the way Molly treats Ron. Again, this isn't an attack on Molly's character; we can all understand why Molly reacted the way she did to Harry, a kind child who didn't want to be a bother to the family who welcomed him as one of their own, who was orphaned from a young age and treated terribly by his relatives, and kept going through terrible experiences. She knew he needed tenderness, love, family, and she gave it to him whenever she could.

But there is as a result a sort of discrepancy: Molly treats Harry a bit more carefully, more delicately, almost with kid's gloves compared to Ron. It reminds me a bit of the way Fred commented during Harry's first Christmas at Hogwarts that Molly made "more of an effort" towards people who aren't family when he saw that Harry's sweater was more beautiful than his own or that of his brothers. Obviously, in this case Harry became family to Molly, but the point stands: Ron is the kid that Molly raised, the one she is charged to discipline and guide, the one she's responsible for, and it's obvious to her he knows he's loved; while Harry is the kid she comes to love like a son but that she can only show love to a few days or weeks a year, that she's not responsible for, and that she doesn't have to discipline.

There is this scene in the Goblet of Fire that shows a bit what I'm talking about, in which Ron discovers the dress robes Molly got for him. Ron is horror-struck upon learning they're his, and says he'll never wear them. Molly replies crossly that "everyone wears that", and when Ron retorts he'd rather go starkers, Molly tells him she got dress robes for Harry, too, and asks Harry to show those to him. When Harry takes his out, Molly comments fondly that she chose green ones to bring out the colour of his eyes. Ron replies angrily that Harry's are okay and asks why he couldn't have something similar. Molly is forced to admit she didn't have the money for it, and snaps when Ron still says he'll never wear the dress robes, telling Harry to take a picture of him if he goes naked because she could use a laugh, before leaving the room and slamming the door behind her.

Of course, it is also because Ron himself has trouble seeing his own worth and because his school experiences do not help with that it becomes worse. There is a definitive escalation in regard to the depth of his problems. In the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron comments casually on the differences between Harry and he, and clearly enjoys attention when people give it to him after he sees Sirius above his bed. By the Goblet of Fire, Ron starts to crave attention and validation as a way to reassure himself about his own self-worth: he desperately tries to have Moody tell him that, just like Harry and Hermione, he could be a good Auror, is as I said a bit bitter that Harry will easily find someone to go to the Ball with, even lies after the Second Task for a brief moment to make himself out to be heroic (escalating the tale when he gets more attention, and giving up the act the moment Hermione comments on his lying).

Yet it's denied to him: the fake Moody doesn't praise him, and of course the attention he gets after the Second Task is based on lies so wanes quickly after Ron goes back to telling the truth. On top of that, he faces a lot of humiliations: he’s much more prone to be ridiculous under the power of the Veelas than Harry, discovers how ridiculous his dress robes are compared to Harry's, he is humiliated by Draco Malfoy in the Hogwarts Express, is soaked and drenched in water when he arrives at Hogwarts because Peeves drops “a large, red, water-filled balloon” onto his head, is once again humiliated in the Great Hall by Draco Malfoy who insults his parents, makes a fool of himself in front of Fleur Delacour to his greatest shame, has to go to the Yule Ball in his hideous dress robes and discovers his feelings for Hermione the very moment she's courted and then dates the wizarding Ronaldo (whom Ron was an idol of and spent the little money he had on!).

There's also this moment of humiliation that comes right after finding out that the money he gave to Harry to reimburse him at the Quidditch World Cup disappeared because it was Leprechaun gold. At the Quidditch World Cup, he was embarrassed but still happy when Harry offered him the Omniculars, upon the condition that Harry wouldn't give him any Christmas gift. And he was really glad to have the opportunity to give it back to him. So of course it touched him in his dignity when he found out that this money was fake; it's at this moment that Ron comments: “Must be nice…to have so much money you don’t notice if a pocketful of Galleons goes missing", and says "I hate being poor" - it's less about being jealous of Harry's money, and way more about feeling your dignity being taken away from you because of your poverty.

So when Order of the Phoenix arrives, it is already cemented in Ron's brain that he's unworthy, and clearly less worthy than Harry and Hermione. When he's appointed as a Prefect, he doesn't quite believe it's true, the Twins make fun of him and say out loud that to them it was obvious Harry would get it (especially Fred who says that "no one in their right mind would make Ron a Prefect"...sorry Fred I still love you), he doesn't defend himself from them, and though he's a bit defiant when Hermione is also shocked and has a lot of difficulty to recover from it but doesn't treat it as a mistake on her part, he never forgets her surprise (the "Always a tone of surprise" comes from that moment !). He admits that he never thought he could get the Prefect badge when Harry finally congratulates him, but even after he makes a lot of effort to ensure Harry isn't left out, conscious that it hurt Harry even if Harry didn't tell him so; there's this moment right before getting on the Hogwarts Express when Ron at first doesn't want to look at Harry when Hermione tells him they have to go to a Prefect meeting, and goes on to say that he'd rather be with Harry, that it's a pain to go there.

Then he feels presumptuous even trying to get on the Quidditch team - and this word is important, because it's the same one the locket will say to him three years later, albeit in a more general sense. He doesn't tell his best friends that he's training in secret, and when he's found out by Harry he expects him to laugh at him and even blinks when Harry doesn't. You should look at this moment and see a parallel of what the locket told Ron, when he took on the form of his two best friends and had them saying they were mocking him behind his back - it's the same idea.

During his first training, he apologizes every time he drops the ball. And his anxiety days before the first match spikes to a level that's worrying: he shakes from head to toe when he's mocked, drops his things, goes to the toilets to throw up. Of course, the first two matches go terribly, because of the public bullying and humiliation he's forced to endure. This moment isolates Ron: after the first match, he spends the day alone in the snow, depressed, and no one comes looking for him (except Hermione, but she didn't find him); after the second match, he's left on his own during the Gryffindor Party, while everyone looks from afar, sorry for him but some are also sure it'd be best for him to quit. And Ron believes that, too, and thinks it'd be better for the team if he quit (only Angelina doesn't let him...I love Angelina).

You don't see the parallel with "We were better without you, happier without you" ? You don't see a pattern forming ? The entire Quidditch arc in the fifth book is a microcosm of what went on with the locket, with of course much less big stakes, and way less dramatic circumstances (no war, no family in danger, no hunger, no cold, no near-death injury to recover from without medication, and no mental torture).

The Half-Blood Prince is only a continuation of the now established fact that Ron thinks himself less worthy, less lovable, ridiculous. Slughorn embodies on his own Ron's insecurity of being invisible, since he literally treats Ron as if he wasn't there while fawning upon Harry and Hermione: it's what truly stings for Ron; it's not just Harry and Hermione receiving attention he doesn't, it's him being deemed unworthy of it, and excluded as a result.

For about three to four weeks in this book Ron masks his internalized feelings of unworthiness/self-loathing/hurt feelings due to thinking others deem him as inferior with anger, engaging in a self-destructive pattern that will find its way back when he'll be tortured by the locket in the tent and starts a fight with Harry. The best example of that for me is when he "bellow[s] at everybody" so much during a training session that Demelza Robins cries, and yet sags the moment everyone leaves before saying "I resign. I'm pathetic." There's also him shouting at a transfigured Goyle/Crabbe after his fight with Ginny during which he felt humiliated, him getting snarky about the Slug Club in herbology, also him imitating Hermione after she said that him saving all his goals was evidence Harry had put Felix Felicis in his drinks.

I'm not going to go into why Ron dated Lavender because I wrote a lengthy essay about it, but all the paragraphs I wrote so far go to show this: Ron's mental torture with Voldemort-locket was entirely focused on his feelings of unworthiness, his fear of invisibility and rejection, and I'd almost say that his fear that Harry and Hermione would end up together is an afterthought in all this, definitely small potatoes compared to the rest.

The locket took the forms of Harry and Hermione for several reasons. One, they're the people Ron loves most in the world. Two, they're the ones he'd left (though it's not his fault) and the ones he was coming back to. Three, Harry is the one he's been compared to the most during all his teenage years, the one he felt he always fell short to, an embodiment of his feeling of inferiority; Hermione is the girl he loves, and she represents his hope for love in general as well.

When the locket tells Ron that Harry and Hermione were mocking "his stupidity, his cowardice, his presumption", that's because that's the way Ron saw himself, and because there's a part of Ron that expected them to - not because they'd be together as a couple, but because Harry and Hermione as individuals had to despise him. When the locket has Riddle-Hermione saying right after "Who could look at you, who would ever look at you, beside Harry Potter? What have you ever done, compared with the Boy Who Lived ?", that's because he thought he was worthy of no one's love and that he was invisible in general - but it hurt most if it came from Hermione.

When the locket had Riddle-Harry and Riddle-Hermione say they were "better without [him]", "happier without [him]", "glad of [his] absence", it was because there was a part of Ron that genuinely thought this was true in general, and not because he imagined Harry and Hermione would spend all their alone time making out.

And when the locket started by commenting on Ron's relationship with Molly, and carried on with the way Harry could maybe replace him, that's because his relationship his Molly is the basis upon which his self-esteem issues developed, the very origin of Ron's insecurities: Ron thought he was less worthy of his mother's love, and based on his inferiority complex towards Harry, his feeling of being invisible inside his own family, and the way Molly treated Harry with fondness, there was but a small step before figuring that maybe Harry would be someone whom Molly would finally feel proud of to have as a son (I do not want imagine how much Molly would've sobbed if she'd been there...).

But Ron destroying the locket isn't Ron banishing "his jealousy" - it's not about that. Why would he fall in the snow and sob if it was a moment of triumph ? No, if you remember, Ron got temporarily possessed right before destroying the locket, and Harry thought Ron would kill him. That's what it was all about: Ron wasn't banishing his self-esteem issues, he was saying that no matter how much they affected him, they'd never be bigger than his love for his family and friends, of his desire to do what was right.

And no one can tell me that this is the reaction of someone who's well mentally:

Partly to change the subject, Harry said, "Speaking of Dumbledore, have you heard what Skeeter wrote about him?" "Oh yeah," said Ron at once, "people are talking about it quite a lot. 'Course, if things were different it'd be huge news, Dumbledore being pals with Grindelwald, but now it's just something to laugh about for people who didn't like Dumbledore, and a bit of a slap in the face for everyone who thought he was such a good bloke. I don't know that it's such a bug deal, though. He was really young when they -" "Our age," said Harry, just as he had retorted to Hermione, and something in his face seemed to decide Ron against pursuing the subject. A large spider sat in the middle of a frosted web in the brambles. Harry took aim at it with the wand Ron had given him the previous night, which Hermione had since condescended to examine, and had decided was made of blackthorn. "Engorgio." "The spider gave a little shiver, bouncing slightly in the web. Harry tried again. This time the spider grew slightly larger. "Stop that," said Ron sharply, "I'm sorry I said Dumbledore was young, okay?"

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K.Rowling

Like, how can Ron think his best friend is going to punish him by enlarging a spider, knowing he's arachnophobe, and all over a minor disagreement, if he's now comfortable within himself and confident about his place in the world ?

This quote, "Don't worry, it's me, I'm extremely famous", is often quoted by other Ron fans as proof that after the locket, Ron was fine. I never saw it that way, because Ron had already made that kind of self-deprecating joke in the past. I offer another reading of it: it was Ron shielding his children, nephews and niece from unwanted and uncomfortable staring, taking himself as the butt of the joke. And the reason neither Harry, Ginny, or Hermione laughed is because they knew exactly the story that'd gone on behind that joke (I'm sorry to make this funny quote a bit sadder, but well...).

As an aside 1 after that lengthy reply (sorry can't help myself), I'd like to say that you're right when you wrote that Ron always buried his insecurities toward his family's possible preference of Harry in the deepest of his soul because he knew Harry needed his family and wanted him to be part of it, but I'd also like to say that Ron actually makes a lot of effort in general not to let his insecurities "burden" his friends - there's a reason Hermione said that "he always put up with [being put aside]" and "never mention[ed]". There are very few examples of Ron showing that he was jealous of Harry's money/possessions (and they're nearly always brought on by a moment of humiliation), and very few examples of Ron showing Harry he was jealous of his fame and attention.

There are in fact more moments of Ron just not mentioning his problems/bad things that happened to him to focus on someone or something else.

As an aside 2, I'm sorry for all my friends on here, from my now two fandoms, who wondered about my disappearance. Years of fighting against myself have caught up to me in the last months, and well, I've been quite sick. I'll do my best, but I don't want to disappoint anyone if I don't answer or reply right away.

What do you think would happen in a Ronarry scenario where Ron notices he is still constantly overlooked by others like how its been his whole life, but knows that Harry is always gonna get more attention than him, and can see that his family do, to an extent, favour Harry more, atleast outwardly?

i mean, this is canon, isn't it?

one of ron's really interesting - and really underappreciated - character traits is the fact that while he's someone who really, really struggles with jealousy over lots of things in harry's life - his disposable wealth, his fame, the attention he gets chief among them - he clearly makes a huge effort to never let harry's relationship with his family be one of them.

to the extent that, even when the locket-horcrux spills that he does harbour a deep, dark fear about harry's position among the extended weasley clan... the text makes clear that this should be understood as an additional strand of his panic that harry and hermione are a couple, rather than a standalone concern about molly's relationship with harry:

"Your mother confessed," sneered Riddle-Harry, while Riddle-Hermione jeered, "that she would have preferred me as a son, would be glad to exchange..." "Who wouldn't prefer him, what woman would take you, you are nothing, nothing, nothing to him," crooned Riddle-Hermione, and she stretched like a snake and entwined herself around Riddle-Harry, wrapping him in a close embrace: their lips met. [DH 19]

indeed, ron is the person who establishes harry's role as surrogate weasley son, when he writes to molly in philosopher's stone to say that harry isn't expecting any christmas presents, and could she please send him some.

[i.e. one of the most adorable things he ever does.]

this is why i quibble with the view taken by weasley bashers [which i'm certainly not saying is what you're doing here, it just leads on from the question you've asked] that molly [and sometimes arthur, but usually she's the only person anyone's talking about... i wonder why...] dotes on harry inordinately in comparison to her other children - because he's famous or special or whatever reason people want to give.

this fails to take into account the crucial context that harry is an orphan who is abused by his adoptive family [which ron - as he makes clear in chamber of secrets - is horrified by]. he needs to be loved by molly and arthur more demonstratively than their other children - and, yes, this includes the ways that molly worries about/wants to protect him - because he doesn't have the security of knowing that someone cares about him without this explicit demonstration.

ron clearly understands this, right from the beginning of the series, and accepts and encourages it.

that doesn't mean that there's not a teeny tiny little morsel of resentment lurking in the darkest recesses of his heart, of course. but then we have to bear in mind that what happens after the locket spills all his secrets is... ron destroying it.

he symbolically banishes his jealously, and then he and harry actually speak openly about it.

in canon, this is mostly about hermione - and harry correcting ron's fear that he fancied her - but it also features ron coming to understand that his jealousy over harry's fame and importance is jealousy over a fantasy:

"You've sort of made up for it tonight," said Harry. "Getting the sword. Finishing off the Horcrux. Saving my life." "That makes me sound a lot cooler than I was," Ron mumbled. "Stuff like that always sounds cooler than it really was," said Harry. "I've been trying to tell you that for years." [DH 19]

and from this point onwards, ron becomes infinitely more comfortable in his own skin, until, by the epilogue, he doesn't care about the attention harry receives, and thinks it's funny:

"Why are they all staring?" demanded Albus as he and Rose craned around to look at the other students. "Don't let it worry you," said Ron. "It's me. I'm extremely famous."

i see no reason why the same thing wouldn't happen in a ronarry scenario.

the reason ronarry slaps as a pairing is because it's about two people who fundamentally enjoy being together. it's not a grand, dark, twisted romantic drama, filled to the brim with tension and angst. it's a laundry and taxes ship. they just like each other!

the canon arc of ron and harry's relationship needs only the most minor tweaks - i.e. you just make it so the horcrux convinces him that he's going to lose harry to hermione, and not the other way round - to turn it into something romantic.

which means that ron's canonical character growth - and him coming to understand that how the rest of the world perceives him in relation to harry doesn't matter, because he's pretty great as he is - would happen just as easily if they were a couple.

meaning that the adult ron isn't going to give a shit that harry gets fawned over at ministry parties and family dinners. he knows who it is that harry will always choose to come home to...

[austenpoppy]

For me the funniest part is the follow-up that was written years after in the Justice League of America comics.

Justice League of America #0

What's not to love ?

1. Dinah being so excited she took a photo and sent it to Diana.

2. Clark trying hard to be the voice of reason and moral standards and failing utterly and completely because Bruce did something he'd dreamed of doing for a while, and being unashamed to admit it before begging Bruce to show him how he did it just so he could vicariously live through the punch.

3. Bruce having no qualms about hiding Ollie's arrows.

4. Bruce having no qualms about showing the way he belted Guy.

5. Diana encouraging the chaos.

Who said DC had perfectly moral heroes, again ?

Justice League #5 (1987) by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis & Kevin Maguire

[austenpoppy]

People : "Dick can be too serious and autocratic as a team leader, look at the way he berated his team in Titans (1999) #13 !"

You mean, after the mission during which several members acted out more for themselves than for the team or were not completely focused on what they had to do ? As a reminder, Vic got tempted by Vandal Savage who was offering him a new body and went to see him, Roy was desperate to save Cheshire and lashed out at Dick, Kory was apparently more interested in her relationship with Dick (I love a lot of what Devin Grayson wrote, but her portrayal of Kory in Titans leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I mostly ignore it but still) than the task at hand plus ended Adeline's life and lashed out at Dick too (telling him he wasn't present enough when Dick'd just spent a month in "No Man's Land" to take back Gotham), even Donna got irritated by Roy...

Meanwhile, Roy as team leader when Kyle was late to his training session on Christmas Eve :

Green Lantern #57

Ah, and he put him on monitor duty, too.

Just to be clear, this isn't me criticizing Roy (though I find Roy turning into a drill sergent when he was a leader of the Titans hilarious), but this is more a way for me to challenge perceptions of Dick fans may have. In other words, though I may expand on the subject another time, Dick's outburst in Titans #13 was perfectly justified, and here I included an example of a leader being actually harsh, and that coming from a character who's generally very easy-going and perceived as such by other characters.

And also a reminder that context matters when you show comic panels. I've seen this one panel of Dick being unhappy with the team's performance in Titans #13 as proof that Dick is domineering as a leader when there's very little evidence to support this.

[austenpoppy]

For Dick :

Annual 2 is a stupid retcon that doesn't make sense. Dick proposed to Kory after getting raped by Mirage in NTT, as a way to prove to her she was the only one for him - and at that time he was hanging very tightly to Kory as his last source of happiness. They tried to get married within a month, maybe less, and all Dick wanted was to get married; I'm not sure he would've gotten to Gotham unless he had to out of absolute necessity.

Plus Babs was a bit older than Dick in the New Earth continuity, not the same age as him (and the way Dick was written as Robin ?? Awful).

Thinking this is Dick's character would be like saying Wally West can be characterized from "Heroes in Crisis", Cass from all evil Cass issues, Superman from "Injustice", and Bruce from that time he fed rats to Dick. It would also negate Babs' argument to Dinah that she shouldn't go back with Oliver and marry him in Birds of Prey.

On top of that, the very point of Dick and Babs' entire romance as depicted by Chuck Dixon was that Babs had pushed people away after she got shot because they were reminders of someone she couldn't be anymore. It was one of the reasons she broke up her engagement with Jason Bard (Birds of Prey #19). She blew off Bruce and her father in Oracle : year One (Batman Chronicles #5). She admitted to Dick she'd given up on a lot of things after having to use a wheelchair, like "Dancing. Skating. Feeling carpet on bare feet" (Nightwing 1996 vol. 2 #38), including Dick.

DickBabs, for me, as depicted in New Earth, is about childhood friends who reconnect after some time spent apart, after one decided to leave behind the world of his mentor (a reflection of their relationship) and the other got crippled for life and had to reinvent herself entirely, and the first wants them to be close again while the second hesitates because that very closeness is a reminder of what she's lost.

But if you mix Annual 2 in-between, none of their dialogues in Nightwing volume. 2 or Birds of Prey makes much sense anymore.

Trying to decide what is canon and what isn't is hard for comics, but retcon (for a continuity) + doesn't match with previously established canon + chronologically incoherent timeline + out of character behaviour = non canon.

Other example : before Garth's wedding (still New Earth continuity), Donna said that Roy and Dick were fighting over her when they were teenagers. Literally all established canon, including flashbacks in Teen Titans vol. 2, show that it was mainly Wally and Roy trying to woo Donna. Therefore it's not canon. See what I mean ?

Bruce; my kids are so innocent and can do no wrong!

Dick: cheated on Kori with Babs while engaged

Babs: hacked the American government for petty reasons

Helena: framed a semi innocent man for guilty man to walk free because of plan

Cassandra: killed and revived a man with one two punches to teach him what death feels like

Jason: is a crime lord

Tim: blew up LoA bases and prob killed thousands

Steph: stole a million dollars from Bruce

Damian: almost killed a zookeeper to free a tiger

Duke: blew up a warehouse because it would make his job easier

(This all happened that day)

[austenpoppy]

Eh, I'd rather not get involved in ship wars. I said I loved both Dickkory and Dickbabs and I meant it, so you're also talking to a Dickbabs shipper.

Frankly, I'll say it : both ships are good, both ships have their problems, and both have been written in ways that feel off at times.

Shippers are much the same : on both sides I've seen good takes, takes I heavily disagree with, and people who vilify one character unfairly. I dislike it a lot when people say that Dick is written as incompetent when he's with Babs, for example. Or say that Babs is like Bruce (are you kidding me ?).

I'm not going to say we should all sit by the campfire and sing "Kumbaya, my Lord", but recognizing these two ships are the most iconic ships associated with Dick, that Babs and Kory are both interesting and well-rounded characters, that Dick is great in both of those, and above all that there are much worse ships than either of those would be a good start (Helena × Dick, anyone ??).

Thinking about shipping problematic pairs from last night…

Something that really annoys me is how everyone goes off on Nightwing Annual 2, but mention Dick and Kory’s wedding as a shitstorm of epic proportions, and you get crickets.

I own Nightwing Annual 2. In print. I paid above the cover price for it. (And I read comics digitally. I don’t own single issues in print much at all - couldn’t even fill a short box with my collection. Trades, yes, issues no.) Yes, it is heinously out of character for Dick to have cheated on Kory with Babs, no question. And the scene when Babs comes to the door to see Dick and is lied to by Kory, and leaves in tears and then Kory lies to Dick about it? Also very out of character for both of those women. Both of those moments are really serious missteps of writing, that is for sure.

Aside from those two parts, which I pretty much skip over when I read it anyway, I really like the book. Joe Bennett and Jack Jadson’s art is beautiful. It always is, but Bennett’s Babs is extra stunning and an A+ to them for remembering how tall Kory is. (Their run on Birds of Prey is also my favorite art on that book.) In terms of story, I love the rest of the memories Dick and Babs recount - getting locked in the safe together, Babs POV of when Dick tried to tell her how he felt about her, and the ending is heartbreaking and beautiful.

But, I mean, really. To like this book publicly is to rain down a storm of fandom haterade on yourself. Which, to be honest, fine. That kind of thing doesn’t really bother me in and of itself. It’s just the hypocrisy of it all. New Teen Titans 97-101 is at least as bad - worse, IMO - in terms of characterization for Dick and Kory and no one ever says boo about it. Dick hits total random strangers because fighting with Kory makes him angry. He gets physical with her, and she blasts him with starbolts. Straight up domestic violence. And still, crickets! I have a 13-page NOVEL about how many problems I have with the way DickKory has been written, at least half of which revolves around that engagement/wedding… (a lot of which is really angry and I hesitate to publish but had to write out for myself.)

But why? Is it because - other than TT!RobStar - there aren’t many real DickKory shippers left to either excuse or renounce it? Is it that DickBabs is an “actively sailing ship” and all of us shippers feel like we have to trip all over ourselves to make an exception of Nightwing Annual 2 so that people won’t hate our ship?

Like, what’s the deal here?

[austenpoppy]

Dick and Bette Kane - part 3

Part 1

Part 2

Bette started Titans West again with Gar after they dealt with Madame Rouge's daughter. Dick saw Bette months later, when she, Cyborg and Gar were invited to a party given in Donna's honour, though Dick and her weren't shown interacting.

Titans #25

Months after that, Gar and Bette went to New York, and run across a Wildebeest - an actual Wildebeest, not the crooks who were using costumes. They had a fight with the creature, and some Titans arrived right at the end of the fight.

Titans #35

Have you paid close attention to the panel above ? Upon seeing Dick, Bette immediately started fawning ("Nightwing ! It's so good to see you !") and tried to go in for a hug/touch Dick. Dick wasn't happy about that, when he'd been smiling a few seconds before that.

Titans #35

LOOK AT HIS FACE

That's what it suggests to me :

Fortunately, it seems like Bette'd matured ever since her and Gar'd started Titans West again. While they were there, Liberty Belle's lover (Liberty being Jesse's mother) was killed, and the Titans started an investigation, discovering Liberty herself had disappeared.

During a meeting, Bette took the situation seriously, and was the one who remarked that Liberty was capable physically of having done the crime. Jesse came in right at this moment, and became outraged that anyone would accuse her mother. And Dick actually defended Bette (though telling Jesse to calm down was a bit insensitive, and considering Dick's own reaction to Tim suggesting Bruce could've killed Vesper Fairchild... Well it hadn't happened yet, but still) !

Titans #35

Dick's last interaction with Bette on page in the New Earth continuity, as far as I'm aware, happens just an issue later. It's not really significant, apart from the fact that Bette was standing next to Dick and that Dick seemed to be treating her more seriously... probably because Bette herself was taking the job more seriously.

Titans #36

Bette was present when many people were there to rebuild Titans Tower and Dick and Gar had a fight, but I don't think it's extremely relevant, except perhaps it shew Bette Dick wasn't perfect.

Anyway, to conclude this little series, if you have a character to pick Dick's been consistently uncomfortable around and "petty" against, I suggest you forget Helena and Jean-Paul and focus on the one and only Bette Kane, Robin admirer, Hollywood idol, failed but tenacious superheroin, pro tennis player, and Dick's first stalker.

[austenpoppy]

Dick and Bette Kane - part 2

Edited to add new panels

Part 1 :

Dick and Bette didn't really run across one another for years after Titans West disbanded. Dick was leader of the New Titans then carried on his solo hero career, while Bette remained at the periphery of the superhero community without truly accomplishing anything, though she put herself in the spotlight. In Guy Gardner : warrior #29, she's seen by other heroes on television as she apparently thanks adoring fans (you'll understand the importance of this later).

Guy Gardner : warrior #29

"He" put them into podes showing them virtual realities that were supposed to be about what they wanted most, according to Dick's files. Dick freed himself, Wally did too, and Dick freed Gar. Then they, along with the soul of Raven, inspected their environment and deduced that all former Titans had been captured.

It's interesting to note, though, that during all that time Bette was still trying to impress Dick, and was still somewhat in contact with the Titans. In "Hawk and Dove - Annual 1", she tried to call Dick to tell her about a tennis match she'd just won. Kory was the one who answered, and though Bette called Kory by her name she had to repeat her name and even spell it for Kory (and she thought of Kory as a bimbo, so I suppose she was jealous).

Dick was apparently "not there" (was he really not there or did he not want to talk to Bette ?), and Bette said it was a shame because she "knew" he liked to follow her matches/career (she was deluding herself).

The call ended when someone knocked at her door. Bette wanted it to be someone "tall, dark and famous", and she couldn't help but fantasize that Dick was there. Later on, after an adventure with former members of Titans West and people like Dove, Dove complimented Bette on her skills, and Bette said "Now if I could only convince a certain Titan !" (meaning Dick).

Months or years after, Dick and Bette were both at a Christmas party thrown by Guy Gardner after Dick left the Titans, but the next time Dick truly saw Bette was in the JLA/Titans crossover. Vic had become this almost thoughtless technological being, and captured anyone who'd ever been a Titan in a misguided quest to find his family again.

Dick saw Bette in her pode, and immediately said : "Bette ? Man...Somedoby was thorough." And the "thorough" isn't just in italics, it's underlined. The level of derision and distaste hidden in that comment is unreal. There are other people who didn't spend much time among the Titans, like Pantha, Leonid (Red Star), or Terra II. But the one whose importance to the Titans Dick decided to undermine was Bette.

"Even her ?... Wow..."

JLA/Titans #2

Dick stayed behind to help free the others from their virtual realities. He was very sympathetic to the people and friends he helped, except for Bette.

It's very funny and a bit creepy that "Vic"'s file for Bette and what was important to her basically had two items : "she's very good at tennis" and "she's obsessed with Dick", so the pode had her playing a tennis match against a rather fawning Dick (in his short pants, since she'd mostly known him as Robin) at her beck and call. I mean, it's truly weird. It could have just shown Dick being interested in her - but no, he had to be at her feet, too.

Even weirder is that Bette was actually engrossed by the virtual fantasy. Like, it'd been years. She could've, should've outgrown her attraction/obsession with him at that point. But nope, instead she was playing along and asking the virtual Dick to "bend over" more so that she could ogle his butt.

Dick came right in the middle of it, and he wasn't impressed. He just deadpanned "Flamebird. Sorry to interrupt your game...". Was Dick chanelling Alfred there ? This is exactly the kind of sarcastic and snide remarks Alfred could've come up with - not that Dick can't do it on his own. Obviously, the point was that there was no true game to interrupt, and that Dick wasn't sorry at all for preventing Bette from enjoying the fawning virtual Dick.

JLA/Titans #2

After the crisis was aborted, Bette was seen talking with Toni and Helena (with whom he'd already slept with and been manipulated by) about what made Dick so physically attractive. Bette was the one who mentioned his butt. Dick passed them by and was uncomfortable again.

JLA/Titans #2

Weeks later, Gar was framed by Madame Rouge's daughter for crimes she'd committed, and was arrested. Bette, arguably at her most likable, wanted to help him (using her "Titans" card to get to him) and tried to bail him out, though to no avail.

Unbeknownst to Bette and Gar, Dick went to L.A. to investigate himself. He deduced who the next victim would be, and went to their address, only to be faced with someone impersonating Gar. A fight erupted, and Dick quickly deduced that it was indeed an impersonator. In the chaos, Bette, who'd just understand with Gar what exactly was going on, had heard that a fight had started at Dick Dickerson's house, and had decided to come over to help (knowing Dick was there mind you), barged in and kicked the impersonator in the face.

I don't know what's funnier. The fact that after all those years Bette couldn't help but still call Dick "handsome" as soon as she saw him, her goofy entrance with the corny line "Flamebird to the rescue!", or Dick's open displeasure at seeing her ("Oh no. Not her..."). The fact that Dick, who values teamwork and is usually the one telling people to let aside their personal conflicts while working with other people would take the time to openly express his distaste for someone in the middle of a fight is hilarious.

Beast Boy #3

When Bette came to land in front of Dick, he begrudgingly acknowledged her (as you can guess from the use of the ellipsis before her name and the discontent look on his face).

Bette started cheerfully explaining the situation to Dick, but he'd already found out all of it on his own, so he tried to tell her that he knew everything already, but she kept going. So he repeated that he did know what was going, only she kept going.

The escalation of Dick's answers is very funny. His first "I know, Bette..." is normal. Then as she kept going his second "I know, Bette..." put an emphasis on the "know". And as she kept talking, he literally put his hand on her mouth to shut her up while loudly exclaiming "I KNOW, Bette" (the letters being written in a bigger size).

Dick remained fairly polite considering the situation, but everything about his behaviour couldn't have been more obvious if he'd screamed at the top of his lungs "BETTE WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY ?"

Then he told her to stand aside and protect herself while he finished the fight, showing he didn't trust her abilities as a crimefighter (to be fair, no one did). Of course the impersonator used the distraction provided by Bette's arrival and her conversation with Dick to throw them in the pool and escape.

Beast Boy #3

Dick was not happy about that. He immediately told Bette that he hadn't needed her, implying that if she hadn't been there/hadn't been distracting him, he would've caught the impersonator ("I had him, Bette..."). Honestly it's probably true, but also I'm pretty sure Dick wouldn't have made that comment had it been anyone else - he could've also completely ignored Bette to focus on their enemy, and he generally tends to reassure people about their mistakes... Unless he thinks people aren't truly committed to crimefighting/a team, which is probably what he thought of Bette.

I say that because right after, Dick noticed that the police'd just arrived, and told Bette : "Forget it. We've got company. You're the publicity hound. DEAL WITH IT." And when Bette answered the police officer's question, she tried to turn to Dick for confirmation, only Dick'd already vanished.

So he left her to deal with the police on her own by referring to her appetite for public attention, openly calling her "a publicity hound" (calling her out on her attention-seeking behaviour). Then he told her harshly to "deal with it" (implying that since she wanted publicity so badly and sought it out, she was the one who should have to talk to the police), washing his hands off of her, and disappearing without a word after that.

LMAO

"You keep making publicity stunts. You wanted publicity so badly, Bette ? Well then here comes the police. ALL FOR YOU, Bette, and no goodbye."

Beast Boy #3

After that, Bette and Dick met up to free Gar out of prison. Dick bailed him out while Bette was waiting in a car (she was the driver). She drove Dick, Gar and his cousin to a place they could stay at, Dick and Gar had a conversation while Bette and Gar's cousin waited by the car. Then once Dick and Gar were done, Dick told her he wanted to have a word with her. Below is their conversation.

Not included here is Gar's cousin being interested in Bette, and Gar telling him it was a lost cause because she only had the hots for Nightwing.

Beast Boy #3

As you can see, Bette started the conversation by happily mentioning their previous team-ups, as if they were former partners who'd worked together for a long time but hadn't seen each other for a while. And Dick immediately invalidated that by saying there hadn't been that many "old times", putting a distance between him and Bette.

XD YOU TELL HER DICK

Then Dick said what he'd wanted to tell her : that he didn't think she was made to be a super-heroin, and that she should "hang up" her costume. One could be indignant on Bette's behalf, and say Dick had no right to tell her what she should do.

Personally I think he was right, in that moment at least, that he was doing her a favour. He'd done that job since he was a child, he'd done it over a decade, and much longer than many superheroes. Bette hadn't done anything much as a superheroin, and seemed more preoccupied with her status as a superheroin, what it brought, rather than crimefighting itself. It's a shame, as I said when I presented Bette in part. 1, because Bette was a very competent woman, with a unique talent in tennis (for example).

And Dick was more graceful than I would've been in his place considering the way Bette'd treated him, telling her she had heart and was brave (also "spunk" ? Was that Dick's inner Alfred again ?).

Bette stammered that she did try to do the best she could. Dick went on to say that he was flattered that he'd "inspired" her to do this, but that it'd gone too far.

LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE

It wasn't a sarcastic comment, but Dick wasn't really flattered she'd started crimefighting because of him. That's obvious because of the inverted commas used to frame the word "inspired" (the shade those inverted commas signal). Those inverted commas signal that Dick was doubting Bette's real reasons for becoming a crimefighter, that he had to wonder whether she'd become a hero simply because she had the hots for him and wanted to be closer to him.

He then said "You're a good kid, Bette [NDLA : how much younger than Dick is she supposed to be here ? Is she Gar's age, that is about three years younger ? Seems to me she should be around the same age as Dick; the use of "kid" is strange]. You've got a bright future ahead of you. But it isn't in spandex. Anyway, I've gotta run. Take care of yourself."

Again, it may not seem that way at first glance, but in my opinion Dick's wording couldn't have been much kinder. Being a crimefighter is exceptionally dangerous, and can put others in danger too. Dick recognized Bette's good qualities, told her that she had a "bright" future, but simply not as a hero. And he told her to take care.

Bette's obstinated refusal to quit after Dick left is fascinating for me (interestingly, this mini-series is what made Bette a more compelling character as far as I'm concerned). Did she refuse to quit out of defiance ? Was it a way to prove to Dick she was capable ? Did she simply didn't want to give up on her dream ? Had her ambitions gone past the one who'd inspired her and that she still had a crush on ?

There's still a part three to do, but it's going to be shorter.

Part 3

[austenpoppy]

Dick and Bette Kane - part 1

I started writing this as an answer to the people who claim they love Dick's "petty" side/him not being welcoming to specific people he supposedly has a grudge against. The problem is, those same people tend to mention Helena Bertinelli or Jean-Paul Valley as examples of that happening, when it doesn't reflect at all the relationship he had with either of them in the New Earth continuity (which is generally the one being referred to).

I will do a breakdown of Dick's relationship with those two in separate posts, but it got me thinking about a "heroic" character Dick's been consistently uncomfortable around in that same continuity, and one he openly doesn't appreciate much : Bette Kane, a.k.a Flamebird. Yet people do not seem to ever list her among the characters Dick's not very fond (for very good reasons).

Bette Kane's an interesting concept as a character, because she's not a very good super-heroin, but she's extremely competent in other areas of her life. As a teenager, she began playing tennis in competitions, and she was so good at it she quickly became "a pro", and was considered something of a celebrity.

Yet Bette dreamed of something very different. She openly admired Robin (Dick) and wanted to imitate him by becoming a super-heroin of her own. She even designed her costume as a tribute to him, and chose the code name Flamebird. That's somewhat ironic considering Flamebird was originally Nightwing's partner back when Nightwing was an identity Superman had used.

Bette as Flamebird's New Earth origins are recounted in Secret Origins, vol. 2 annual 3, which is focused on a mental attack Dick suffers at the hands of the Gargoyle. Here Gargoyle narrates one of the first acts Bette did as Flamebird, which was saving Navy men hanging to lifelines attached to an air-craft carrier that was being lifted into the air. Other super-heroes helped resolve the situation, and that teamwork is what prompted the creation of Titans West.

Secret Origins, Vol. 2 Annual 3

Interestingly, you can see that Dick wasn't really aware of how much he'd inspired Bette, and this mental fight with the Gargoyle happened several years after his first meeting with Bette as leader of the Titans, and years after his first meeting with Bette at all.

At first glance, this may seem surprising, given that Bette was obsessed with Robin and wasn't remotely subtle about it. After becoming Flamebird and rescuing the Navy men, she was part of the unofficial first meeting of Titans West along with Gar, Hank, Dove, Charley, and Lilith. And her first reaction was to be delighted at the idea of seeing "Robin" again, calling him "a cute hunk". When Lilith asked her to tone it down and be serious, she instead went further by commenting on Dick's legs.

Secret Origins, Vol. 2 Annual 3

Then when it became clear the newly formed Titans West would have to seek help and go see the official Titans in New York, all Bette cared about was that she was going to work with Robin.

Secret Origins, Vol. 2 Annual 3

When the two teams finally met, it wasn't love at first sight. Once they finally started discussing the case they were working on, Dick suggested a plan of action that involved the two teams splitting up. Bette cut him off as soon as he said it to contradict him and affirm that she was going with him, which she ended up doing.

Her behaviour was honestly creepy. She cut off Dick just because she'd decided that she was going with him. She didn't refer to him by his code name, but only by the part of his body she'd commented on before, calling him "legs". She took his face between her fingers. And the sentence "I've waited too long for this", coupled with the nickname, would've made my skin crawl. It sounds like she'd fantasized about Dick for a while, was going to have what she wanted no matter what, and had no problem announcing it out loud.

Secret Origins, Vol. 2 Annual 3

After the case was over, the two teams had a fight over what team had done more to solve it, and over the legitimacy of Titans West. Wally criticized the way they'd come into the headquarters like they belonged, Bette said they did because they were Titans too, and appealed to Dick to validate her opinion - calling him "legs" again, which implies that this was the nickname she gave him the entire time they worked together.

Dick said he wasn't sure whether it was a good idea for the others to be Titans, because he wasn't sure he would be able to lead two teams, one of them long-distance. Members of Titans West were affronted by Dick's speech, including Bette. She went with the others, talking to Dick again to tell him that "[he'd] never know what [he'd] missed", making her departure partly about a romantic/sexual golden opportunity Dick didn't take. Appreciate the fact that she called him "Robin" again now that she was irritated by him.

Secret Origins, Vol. 2 Annual 3

Titans and Titans West had a couple other team-ups before Titans West disbanded, during which Bette learned Dick's secret identity. From the way Bette acted during the one team-up recounted in details in New Titans #56, we can deduce that every time she met Dick she kept trying to seduce him, persistently, relentlessly, in obnoxious ways that sometimes border on sexual harassment.

It was well-known that Bette was obsessed with Dick - not like Bette was trying to be subtle about it, she had no problem making her intentions clear and that publicly. There's a panel I couldn't include in which Hank scoffs at the idea that Lilith "trusts" Dick and tells Charley that "she's got the hots for him. Just like Bette."

I'm sad I couldn't include it because there's this hilarious exchange after in which Hank bemoans "Man. That burns me. What's he got that I haven't ?" and Charley answers "Look in the mirror and weep" (lmao).

But as I was saying, Bette kept trying to hit on Dick. In the panel below she asked him whether he needed help (the "sure" implying it's not the first time she asked the question), only to say that it was "[his] loss" when he said no. Dick was very polite in his answer, thanking her for her offer, but was turning her down all the same.

New Titans #56

Not long after, Dick told off Hank and Charley who'd gone in an argument over leadership and about their association with the Titans, before having the conversation about Dick I mentioned above. Bette immediately cheered him on, calling him "handsome" as she got close to him. Dick ignored her.

New Titans #56

During a fight she called out to Dick to warn him about an assailant, and had to sneak in a comment about his butt (whoever said this kind of things was recent was lying). Dick was clearly uncomfortable, answering with an embarrassed "Uhh, thanks, Flamebird" - the "uhh" plus the two commas in a three-word sentence indicate he didn't know what to make of her comment. He also corrected her to make sure she knew he'd seen the assailant she was talking about. It was a way for him to reaffirm his skills as a crimefighter (she's not the first one he said those things to), but also a way for him to reject her attention.

New Titans #56

She was also very physical around Dick. I can't include all panels of her, but she seemed to be near Dick most of the time, would touch his shoulder for no reason when they came in a lab, or, like in the panel below, latch onto his arm. Dick wasn't shown shaking her off, but he wasn't seen reciprocating either.

New Titans #56

So in the end, it's not a surprise Dick had no idea Bette'd wanted to become a super-heroin because she'd been inspired by him. Not when most of their interactions revolved around her attraction for him, not when she kept making comments about his looks.

As an aside, this is one of the reasons I can't take seriously anyone who says it's Devin Grayson's fault if Dick's been sexualized. Hard to do that when you have an entire character who could've been one of the best tennis players in the world but decided to become a crimefighter because she was obsessed with Dick, and kept gushing over his legs and butt. Dick's been dealing with that kind of things since the 80's, guys.

Part 2

Part 3

[austenpoppy]

Sherlock Grayson

Flash, vol. 2 #104

"But then, I'm no detective. If Dick Grayson were here, he'd already know who tore the room apart - and which one of them wore the eyepatch."

"Now I really wish Dick were here. This is his kind of gig, not mine."

Sherlock Holmes ? Batman ? For Wally, they have nothing on Dick Grayson.

Alternate title : Wally West randomly desperate for his best friend

Alternate title 2 : Wally West simping for Dick Grayson's intelligence

Alternate title 3 : Wally West prays for Dick Grayson's presence every time there's detective work to do

[austenpoppy]

Gotta disagree with that one. First, Dixon didn't completely ignore the Titans. We have to remember that when Dixon's run started, Dick was taking a break from the Titans after everything that had happened (Titans Hunt, Mirage raping him, his failed wedding with Kory, having to step down as leader...) and he was trying to stand on his own two feet again and to feel confident in himself after his self-esteem got shattered pretty badly.

On top of that, Roy had built a team that included Mirage, one that Donna joined later. There is no way Dick would've been comfortable interacting with that team. And Titans 1999 started...well, in 1999. For about three years there was no team Dick could've been a part of. I think it's partly the point of the team-up between Dick, Garth, Roy and Wally in Titans vol. 2 that the Titans hadn't seen each other for some time and wanted to spend more time with one another after the mission (though we know Dick and Wally did see each other, and that Roy came to see Dick for help regarding Jade).

Despite that, Wally made two appearances before Grayson's run - which isn't bad, considering Dick's first appearance in the Flash vol. 2 after a small cameo in #1 is pretty much in #81. Dick called Wally for information early in the run, and Wally came to check up on Dick when Dick was depressed after "Last Laugh". And Dick told Tad Ryerstad he belonged to the Titans.

Titans 1999 worked well on that front because it included elements from each character's solo run/stories, instead of it being the other way around as you suggest (Dick's busy schedule and learning how to be a cop, Wally's double, Bette and Gar starting Titans West again...).

Grayson started writing for Nightwing before freaking Winick wrote Graduation Day and the abomination that is The Outsiders. Winick had a specific story and characterization in mind that he wanted for "Dick's" character - never mind that it was the contrary of everything Dick represents. For the two to work, Grayson would've had to completely adapt her story, and have Dick pull away from everyone and being emotionally distant with pretty much everybody. Not just Grayson, in fact, but every writer who frequently included Dick (Gotham Knights, Batman, Robin, Birds of Prey...).

Strangely enough, the one comic that includes Dick having a truly similar characterization to the Outsiders is the Titans/Outsiders crossover leading to Dick's departure of the Outsiders (that's irony, just in case). Even appearances of Dick among Outsiders in other comics (such as Green Arrow) could be a team-up Dick sometimes had with Outsiders, as his characterization in those comics isn't as jarring as the one in Outsiders.

But yeah, I'd find it unfair and for Grayson and for Dick if Grayson had had to adapt to Winick. For Grayson, because she had a story to tell (and her story had flaws, but at least Dick was in character for most of it). For Dick, because I'm not down for a character being nerfed in his own solo series for a writer who doesn't bother with his history (which is very obvious considering the way he had Dick leave the Outsiders the first time, and this departure had zero relevance to Dick's solo story and was incoherent with it because Winick couldn't bother).

I'm Winick's writing first hater, in case it wasn't clear.

It's not just Dick, either. In Graduation day I know Tempest is there, and you have to wonder why the hell Garth is part of the team considering he was forced by Dolphin to quit without so much as a goodbye in Titans 1999. There's Roy calling for Helena in Outsiders, Winick ignoring all established canon about the relationship between Dick and Helena. Saying Dick's not caring enough only for Jade to be the most cold-hearted @#€% ever. Including Kory for zero reason other than having "Dick" sleep with her after he was supposedly raped by Tarantula.

Dick had a hard time in his Nightwing run because Grayson also had a story to tell, and that story was about Dick's life being gradually destroyed to shatter his sense of identity at the most emotionally challenging moment and have him question it.

As an aside, Roy's appearance in the Nightwing run can totally work if Dick wasn't part of the Outsiders, or even if he only helped occasionally.

I really wish Donna's death was mentioned at least once during the Grayson run because everything else is happening but I think Donna's death is also part of the reason why he had such a bad time that year and you can read it in the Outsiders but also... I really wish we got to see it acknowledged in his solo.

And to be fair, this might just be a consequence of Nixon just absolutely ignoring the Titans except for some hallucinations but she brought back Wally and Roy at the end ? And she was writing Titans 1999 right before.

[austenpoppy]

Dick and Kory spending Christmas' eve at Wally's house

The Flash, vol. 2 #87

Kory and Dick are the only Titans seen at this party, which underlines the close bond Dick and Wally share (let's not lie Dick is Wally's best friend), but also Wally's own friendship with Kory (when Wally celebrated his 20th birthday in Cuba, Kory was seen on page but Dick wasn't).

On the other hand, it shows Dick was not at Wayne house for Christmas this time, during a period he was particularly estranged from Bruce (unless Dick and Kory drove or flew all the way from the Midwest to the East coast).

But also, Dick playing the guitar at Wally's Christmas party (Wally wasn't even there lol) and having a duo with Piper (Wally's communist other best friend) who's playing the flute was not on my wish list for Christmas, but I'm still glad I got it.

[austenpoppy]

Wally having beef with Roy over Dick leaving the Titans

Flash, vol. 2 #83

Flash, vol. 2 #96

I find this funny because it wasn't exactly Roy's fault and Wally knows it. The government was threatening to disband the Titans if Roy didn't take over as leader, and Wally was there when Roy very reluctantly tried to convince himself this was the right thing to do.

I imagine that what really got Wally angry is that Dick wasn't supposed to leave the Titans when they had that discussion. Of course, being told by Roy after all they'd been through that he had to step down as leader of a team he'd led for years did feel like a huge betrayal for Dick, and it's sure that the vote of no-confidence from the remaining teammates didn't help protect his remaining self-esteem.

Dick lashed out pretty badly at Roy because he was at the end of his rope emotionally (after Titans Hunt, the deaths of Charly, Joey, Raven, Danny, Arabella; the destruction of Vic's body until he was barely more than a walking machine; Clark disappearing; getting raped and sexually harassed by Mirage; getting dumped by a depressed Kory over it; the failed wedding with Kory getting attacked and having this thing hurting her so badly after... Who wouldn't ?). But immediately after he loudly announced that he was leaving the team and that he knew not to stay where he wasn't wanted, Dick admitted to Donna he'd been "acting crazy". And later on he never blamed Roy for what happened (that I remember at least) !

Wally had to hear the story, but he unanimously decided that it was the Titans' fault and that they were the ones who'd made Dick feel unwelcome (not entirely false, but certainly not the whole story), that they "ousted" him.

My guess is that this is partly because Wally has boundless faith in Dick (seriously, every time you have Wally's inner monologue mentioning Dick it's like Wally's talking about a Superbat); partly because he can't imagine a world in which Dick would willingly give up on the Titans; partly because he was angry at how badly it affected Dick - and he was one of the first heroes to see Dick after he left.

The truly funny part is that while Dick forgave Roy pretty quickly, Wally held a grudge for weeks if not months after. And as you can see, he moved on from seeing this as the Titans' fault to considering it was Roy's.

Usually, Roy and Wally are close friends, and they have a bond that exists outside of Dick, though ironically it's been partly built on not wanting to be bossed around by him. They share many personality traits : they have a carefree exterior, they're pretty easy-going, both can be show-offs, before Wally met Linda he was quite the playboy (though never as much as Roy)...

All of that went through the window (though fortunately not forever) when Wally decided it was Roy's fault Dick wasn't with the Titans anymore (and when you know Roy wanted Dick to come back later and practically begged him to stay it's almost sad). He wasn't Wally's friend anymore, he was "the guy who kicked [his] best friend off the team".

Yeah. Wally decided to have beef with Roy on Dick's behalf when Dick wasn't even angry at Roy and hadn't been for a long time.

If Dick and Roy ever had a huge falling-out, Dick's definitely getting Wally in the divorce.

[austenpoppy]

Are you still writing "Nightfall"? I love the first chapter of that fic.

Hi ! Thank you for the ask !

Yes, of course I am. I've spent too much time on this to ever abandon it. Chapters 2 and 3 are already written, I just need to find the courage to send them to my old pal so that she can tell me what she thinks. I'm so glad you loved the first chapter, thank you !

It's the very first time this blog is dedicated to another character than Ron, so I understand why that may feel like I'm giving up on him. But I'm still in the Harry Potter fandom and there's no world in which Ron isn't one of my favourite characters, so there's that.

Hope that reassures you !

[austenpoppy]

Donna and Dick - two sides of the same coin

"There are two ways to dispel the darkness..."

"To shine a light..."

"I can feel a bright energy in one of you [...] One of you...Donna."

"The pain you bear, that you carry within you. The anger. Release it and let the bright energy within you shine."

"I'm talking about the energy of the soul. 'God''s positive light. Release it, Donna. [...]. Use that light to help you vainquish Eclipso's darkness."

Or to draw the darkness in...

"Nightwing's alone against the dark as it corrupts him and drags him deeper."

"Even though we operated in the dark, it all started with a light. After my parents died, my whole world had gone dark and I felt so lost."

"I must let the darkness in...Take it on myself..."

"[...] So I made a speech to make sure our friends and family knew we'd keep a light out for you. That our hope would burn in the darkness as long as the candles were lit...That your legacy would live on. Those candles made them feel safe, the same way this one did for me when I first took the vow."

"After I put on the cape and cowl for the first time, I was alone in the streets of Gotham against the darkness as it tried to drown me. But that candle was never the light in the dark for me...it was you."

"The heroes didn't need candles and speeches. They only needed the throughline that unites us all. It's why you were able to contain the spread of the darkness within yourself until the infinite earths were restored and Pariah's darkness faded away. Only you could do that."

[austenpoppy]

Reminder that Tim saved her life when he revived her after killing her xD.

In the Nightwing compendium, there's a random Green Arrow comic thrown in, and basically in that comic, Lady Shiva comes to fight Green Arrow (Connor Hawke), and as she’s about to kill him, Tim shows up and asks her not to, claiming she owes him for saving her life. She decides to honor his request, but she says to him, once you grow up, we'll fight for real. The point of this post is to establish my conspiracy theory that Tim is intentionally staying seventeen forever to avoid this.

[austenpoppy]

I read Scarescrow : year one and I have a lot of thoughts (including the fact that Dick's the real MVP of this story, and also wtf do you mean Scarecrow's fear gas had Dick see two Batmen like the meanings this could have have you thought this through writer) but first, can we talk about the fact that Bruce is absolutely deranged ?? How come no one ever mentions this ?

Scarecrow : year one #2

Dick and Bruce have been investigating Scarecrow's murders and attacks, found out his identity, and managed to prevent him from killing his father. During that encounter, Dick hit Jonathan Crane in the back, allowing Bruce to hold him, until Dick picked up an object Scarecrow'd thrown at Bruce and got hit by fear gas.

This made him see Scarecrow as another Batman (the significance of Dick's greatest fear being Bruce at that age I have no words), which of course gave an opportunity to Scarecrow to confuse Dick while fighting Bruce. Bruce tried to use a mace can against him, but this made Dick think Scarecrow was going to gas Bruce so he threw himself at Bruce thinking this was Scarecrow, and Scarecrow escaped.

After that, Dick and Bruce knew Scarecrow's next victim would likely be his mother, and they interrogated Mr. Crane to know where his former lover lived.

So that's the next scene, right, and Bruce is casually looking at his miscroscope to analyze Scarecrow's costume while Dick is wondering when they're going to save Karen Keeny, growing impatient and worried for her safety. And Dick gets ready to go, and Bruce's first question is "Where're you off to ? It's late." Like, okay, I get it, it's a normal question and they couldn't be sure Scarecrow was going to try to off his mother that same night, but at the same time why is he so casual about this ? Were you thinking Dick was going to drink a glass of eggnog and go to bed, Bruce ?

Dick explains that he's afraid they might be too late to save Karen, and walks toward the door to leave. Bruce calls out to him once, but Dick ignores him so Bruce shouts "Hey ! I'm talking to you !". And, like, again, this could very well be the words of a parent annoyed that their kid's ignoring them but I can't help but find this funny, though I can't quite put my finger on why.

Is it the way those words could also be said by a five-year old to their parent or by a twelve-year old to their friend ? Is it the emphasis on the word "talking" as if it was an out of the ordinary thing to do for Bruce ? Is it the fact that he could've said "come back here !" but chose "I'm talking to you" after only saying one word before that ?

Then Bruce is paraphrasing a basketball player, and I get the point, I really do. He's right to tell Dick it's important to be prepared for one's opponent, but there's something so dramatic about the way he stands there against the light quoting Ed Mcauley as if he were Yoda imparting wise words. He couldn't just explain that if they faced Scarecrow now without preparation, they might get hit with the fear gas again and lose, could he ?

From that Dick concludes Bruce is afraid of facing Scarecrow, and Bruce answers that yes, he is, that those who aren't afraid and "do what [they] do" are like Scarecrow, that is murdering sociopaths. And, you know, it is a great lesson. It's great to teach Dick that it's normal to be afraid of an encounter with someone dangerous, that he should be afraid.

But why is then asking Dick if he wants to be like him ? Just what is the point of that question ? Does he really think this'll work as a rethoric tactic to convince Dick not to go ? How are the two things related ? "You're not afraid to face Scarecrow without being prepared enough, Dick ? Well that's the kind of things that defines this man we've been tracking who drugs people into ripping their own insides out of fear. You wouldn't want to be like that, right Dick ? So stay inside !".

My brave little Dick then goes on to say that it doesn't matter, he has to try to save this woman no matter what, and this is the moment we enter the twilight zone and Bruce goes into deranged territory.

He starts this speech about how Dick blew his chance to capture Scarecrow and won't get another one. And I sort of get the meaning, I guess it was supposed to be about the idea that Dick wouldn't come out okay if he faced Scarecrow again and the conditions stayed the same. But why is he acting like he's talking to a soldier who failed ? Especially considering Bruce himself admitted after Scarecrow escaped that he shouldn't have used the mas can, that it'd confused Dick.

It reads as : "You failed, soldier. You will not get another chance to prove yourself. Let your general do the work."

Then he goes on to say "He doesn't want you anyway, he wants me." Like, hello ? What have you been smoking, Bruce ? Since when has this ever been the point ? I guess you've been angsting about the similarities between Scarecrow and you since the beginning of the story, but why in the world are you making this about what Scarecrow wants ? What about Scarecrow made you think "This man's become my archnemesis and I will not let my son and trusted partner come help me !" ? The two Batmen ? Is this anger and fear about what Dick saw when he was hit with the gas ? I'm just... fascinated by the arguments being used.

I'm obsessed about this "anyway". Why did you use "anyway", Bruce ? Does that mean there might've been a point in Dick's coming if Scarecrow'd wanted him there ?

Why is Bruce sounding like a woman in love with a toxic man and who's berating her rival ?

And all this time, because I haven't even mentioned the worst part yet, he's doing this speech while beckoning Dick, only to pinch a pressure point in his neck to make him unconscious ??

What the hell ?

My man couldn't calmly explain his plan to Dick. Have a discussion about patience. Ground him in the cave. Call Alfred to watch over him. Trap him in that office. Ask him to trust him. Just incapacitate this 12 or 13-year old child (at most, Dick was probably younger than that) without making him unconscious. Do any of those things before going for more extreme methods. No, no, he goes straight for the Vulcan nerve pinch !

And we're not really shown what happened after, and I'm morbidly curious. Did Bruce tell Alfred about this ? Did Bruce carry Dick somewhere so he could rest while he was unconscious ? Did this fucker leave his office while Dick was unconscious on the floor ?

All we know is that when Dick woke up, he and Alfred took an helicopter to go to Bruce, and the most likely interpretation is that when Dick woke up, he alerted Alfred to the situation and they both went there as reinforcements, cursing about Bruce being obsessive and refusing help.

Dick went inside the house, walked in there confidently and cheerfully, Bruce asked him how he was feeling (because he's made this boy unconscious damn it Bruce why are you like this), Dick dismissed the nerve pinch as just another Tuesday before going straight to the baby to hold her and taunting Bruce because he could.

Bruce ended up holding the baby, visibly disgruntled, Dick cooed and marvelled at that while holding Bruce's arm with both of his own. He asked Bruce if he'd like to have a little baby, and Bruce replied by asking Dick whether he'd like to have another Vulcan nerve pinch. And it is funny, but also there's nothing normal about this ??

Scarecrow : year one #2

Never, ever get it into your head there's anything remotely normal about Bruce.