dasha022

[dasha022]

Alright, let’s get started.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but lately I’ve been reading a lot of fanfics and crossovers, and as I go through the chapters, I can’t help but notice that many of them have an AI-like narrative style.😔

Okay, you might ask, “But how do you know it’s AI-style writing?” Let’s be honest—many of us have seen or even used AI to search for information or ask about new ideas , and after a while, you start to recognize the tone and structure it tends to use.

But for the past two weeks, I’ve been reading fanfics that genuinely feel like someone gave the AI a prompt and said, “Write me a full chapter,” then just copy-pasted the result and lightly edited two or three lines. And I don’t know… maybe it’s just me, but I can definitely feel the difference.

And this has been happening to me specifically with DC x DP fanfics.😐

[dasha022]

He was just fourteen.

Danny had moved on, taken the high road from his little place in Amity Park to Gotham. City of dark and damp, festering alleyways of crime. He left behind swooping battles with rogues and late nights catching up on late homework. He gave it up for a normie life.

Danny lives the right way.

In his apartment, paycheck to paycheck.

At his school, passing grade to passing grade.

He’s living his dream, he tells himself. He doesn’t have to fight evil, he whispers. Bats fly by his window at night. Sometimes, gas creeps in and the rest of the neighborhood screams. He can’t hear them over his own.

Isn’t it humiliating, having a grinning hero coddle you through triage as if you were just like everyone else?

Danny feels ashamed. For the first time, he feels a fiery pettiness pushing him to help.

He resists.

He studies for midterms instead, not like he’s much better at that than…

…he needs to stop thinking about it.

It doesn’t help when the very next night, he sees Red Robin grapple right past his window with a gaping wound in his side. He looks back down at his study guides and textbooks splayed out before him, filled with jargon and equations that would never apply in daily life. Equations doesn’t stitch wounds up. It’s stupid, but it sticks in his head and festers.

When he looks at them, even he only half understands them. Just like how he gets only half-decent grades, and places near the middle of his class.

He loves this.

But sometimes…

Sometimes it seems like he should be better at it.

If it’s his favorite thing, he should be amazing at it.

If he’s going to pursue something so useless when vigilantes risk their lives and swing with open wounds, he ought to be a prodigy.

Be better, or do something useful.

Save the world as a scientist, or save the world as a hero.

Either way, it feels like everyone’s suffering is his responsibility.

All these thoughts corner him deep into the night.

They push and prod him with visions of Dan and Freakshow, and he closes his eyes and can’t breath fast enough.

He falls asleep plagued by them. His dreams are filled with visions of him swooping in and saving Red Robin in a tight spot. He imagines countless victims vying for his help. He pictures himself saving every last one, stretching himself as far as he can just so he can help everyone.

The flowing ideas of being one of Gotham’s saviors, being the untouchable one amongst human vigilantes, lured him into sleeping far past dawn.

Far enough, that by the time he awoke, his alarm clock was screaming at him.

“Oh, goddamnit,” he cursed, smacking the thing till it stopped and stumbling out of his chair. His back ached from the hunched sleeping position.

“This sucks,” he muttered to himself, aggressively brushing his teeth and spitting into the sink.

No time to rinse his mouth out, he threw pants and a hoodie on before rushing out the door. He was beyond late—and what a wonderful start to his day.

He just managed to catch the subway train running to the University, and he nearly consumed billions of germs thriving on the subway floor when the train started moving. He staggered to the side and caught a hold of the pole, apologizing to those he bumped into.

“Do you see this shit, Dauna? All because you’s making me stand.”

For a heart-quickening moment, Danny thought the burly, potbellied man was talking to him.

A young woman in a seat evaded his gaze. “It’s just for one more stop, Andy,” she muttered.

“What’d you say, bitch? You wanna speak up?” A glob of spit from the man’s mouth landed on her cheek.

“I said, it’s just for one more stop! My foot hurts and I sat here first, okay? I’m sorry, but it ain’t worth pitching a fit over,” she reasoned, clutching her purse tightly.

The man eyed her handbag and made a swipe at it.

“Ugh—“ the woman struggled, but the man was stronger.

He waved it around and smirked cruelly. “Not so stubborn now, huh? Get outta my damn seat or I’ll empty this hog’s mound of a purse right here, woman.”

She didn’t budge, and he followed through with his word. He shook it like it was filled with money, when really all that came out was a precious few lipsticks, a ring, and coupons.

Danny watched in abject horror. He wanted to help—he should just tell that man off right then! Yet, something held him back.

She would be happy, perhaps, but what about when they went home together? Where Danny couldn’t see, wouldn’t he just take out his anger two-fold, leaving her worse off than before?

So Danny doesn’t budge. Danny glances away politely when the woman cries while he empties her stuff all over the place.

The only thing he can do is silently pick up the pieces and hand them back to her. She’s left to put them back together herself.

Danny feels empty when he steps out that train.

Was that really the right choice?

A sticky note flutters in front of his face—

You tried your best, Danny. It’s worth more than you think.

Clockwork? That’s Danny’s first thought, but surely, that couldn’t possibly be the case.

“Time, out,” a ghostly voice echoes across the station, eerily familiar.

A robed blue ghost floated out from behind a column, smiling slightly at Danny.

“Clockwork? But, I thought I—“

“I know your teenage self proclaimed your heroic days were over and left the Infinite Realms, but I thought for today, you might appreciate a familiar face and a head start to make it to class.”

Danny stared, flabbergasted. “You’re helping? You never help.”

“I think I should feel offended.” The ghost flickered to his child self and chuckled.

“Wait, no, I mean, thank you, just-I have a few questions I need to ask you,” Danny said.

“You’ve got ten minutes to make it to class, Daniel,” Clockwork evaded his request. He then took a step back and walked to the column he’d appeared from. “Remember, you’re always welcome in the Ghost Zone.”

He was gone.

Danny stared aimlessly for nearly an entire minute before he remembered Clockwork’s words. Ten minutes.

The two morning encounters were momentarily forgotten as Danny ran for his classes. He swerved around pedestrians and hopped over cars. Ultimately, he decided to take to the air for the fastest trip. Danny didn’t intend to get sidetracked, as this was one of his favorite classes, but when he saw Signal midair about to catch a projectile to the face, he couldn’t help hovering up and moving it out of the way.

Danny snickered at the silly expression on the hero’s face and flew extra fast to class, not regretting the delay at all.

Maybe it was okay that he got to enjoy the life of a normal citizen. Didn’t these people fight for students like him to bomb tests and cry over ice cream and throw stupid parties like normal people?

Danny Phantom would live his normal life to the fullest.

After all, he was just nineteen.

[dasha022]

"Jason was always vengeful and angry" he saved Harvey's life after learning he killed his father back when he was Robin. He had way more self control as a teenager than the grown ass man that adopted him.

The worst part about DC writers switching up Jaybin's personality is that it's so blatant that they've never picked up a book about him at all. This is a character defining moment, and it is NEVER brought up again.

[dasha022]

Superboy (1994) #85

isn't she so dreamy?? <3

[dasha022]

How Batman uses the idea of those "born for" vigilantism to justify working with Teen Vigilantes before and after the death of Jason Todd, and what it has to do with Stephanie Brown.

(DISCLAIMER: I'm not trying to condemn the concept of child/teen vigilantes in superhero comics, its a staple of the genre and dumb to condemn it like you would in the real world. I'm analyzing the times in which Bruce Wayne the character has questioned the concept himself, and the rationalizations he comes to about it)

By examining Bruce Waynes mindset immediately before, during, and after Jason Todd's deadly time as Robin, we can see how Batman rationalizes and justifies teenaged vigilantism.

When Dick Grayson as Robin is shot by the Joker, Batman essentially fires him from being Robin. Bruce entirely dismisses the concept of working with a "child" to fight crime. Batman seems to believe working with Dick as Robin is simply too dangerous.

Batman #408 (1940)

His Mindset at this point: Teenaged Vigilantism = Dangerous and Bad

But this, obviously, doesn't stick. It barely takes any time at all after this forBruce Wayne to take in Jason Todd and subsequently make him the second Robin.

Crime fighting with a 19 year old is too dangerous, but crime fighting with the 12 year old? Yeah, sure, why not!

There is an obvious contradiction, and a clear change in mindset.

In order to rationalize his choice to take in Jason Todd as Robin after firing Dick, Bruce Wayne must internally reendorse the concept of Teenaged Vigilantism. And he does so in a specific way:

Batman #410 (1940)

Mindset: If Jason Todd was not Robin, he would become a criminal and die

The dying part is specific as well. When confronted at first by Alfred, its more of an afterthought, something which would occur down the criminal "road" Jason was bound to end up on. But when he is later confronted by Dick, the idea that being Robin "saved" Jasons life takes center stage.

Batman #416 (1940)

It's no longer some distant crime related death Jason was on course for, it was an imminent death which Bruce was able to save him from.

Mindset: If Jason Todd was not Robin, his "self destructive energies" and lack of "self esteem" would have killed him.

This phrasing is SUPER interesting to me, because its not true in a very specific way.

1. Jason Todd wasn't really shown to have "Self destructive energies" before he became Robin. He was stealing to make a living, to stay alive. He never showcases a desire for "self destruction", unless you count his hitting Batman with a tire iron, and his interference in Ma Gunn’s heist. Which I don't.

2. It seems to imply Jason Todd might have died because of specifically "self destructive tendancies", which seems ascribes a small amount of passive potential suicidal ideation, which is also vastly unsubstantiated by anything we see from Jason before he becomes Robin. But you know who is a character who is deeply rooted in concepts of suicidal ideation? Batman. (I'm not going prove this point here, but this concept gets more firmly rooted in the upcoming years after this comic, Knightfall being a great example) Being Batman, Knightfall will establish, is pretty much all that keeps Bruce Wayne living. You could say that being Batman saved his life.

3. Bruce admits he took Jason on because he was lonely in this very same confrontation when Dick pushes him on this idea. This makes it abundantly clear why he needs this rationalization in the first place, his real reason for making Jason Robin appears to be somewhat selfish.

But what does this all mean? For one, it proves that Batman's primary explanation for why he took on Jason Todd is lowgrade BS. It also shows how Batman's rationalization has begun to veer into projection. He states that Jason was saved from his self destructiveness by becoming Robin, something that is certainly true for himself, but not really Jason.

We see this projection fully take root when Leslie Thompkins confronts Bruce. Not only is Jason Todd saved by becoming Robin, now he wasn't even chosen by Batman. It was, much like Bruce Wayne becoming Batman, inevitable. Something he was "born" to do.

Detective #574

Mindset: I didn't chose Jason, he was chosen, he is just like me, we were born for this

This is essential. This mindset will show up again and again as a core part of Bruce's ability to rationalize working with child vigilantes once Jason has died.

Lets look at how his mindset has been evolving from before he meets Jason to his time as Robin progressing. Batman has gone from:

Teenage/Child vigilante Bad --> Child Vigilante Good because Jason would have become a crimial --> Child Vigilante Good because Jason would have died, I saved his life --> Child Vigilante is Good because I saved his life and Jason was meant to be Robin just like I was meant to be Batman, this is what we were was born to do

This is insane rationalization. But it works. For a while.

Then, Jason begins acting out, and putting himself in danger. Whoops. uh oh! How can Jason be saved by becoming Robin, if he is endangered by it? The balm for Bruce's semi-suicidal ideation was crime fighting, so if Jason is self destructive as Robin, does that mean Jason isn't like Bruce after all? Does that mean he wasn't born to be Robin? Was Bruce right in the begining? Is Teen Vigilantism Bad? Well, lucklily, the rationalization Bruce has built doesnt need to change too much in order to accommodate these new facts.

Batman #426 (1940)

See, this issue has not reverted back to being child vigilantism, it's the fact that Jason isn't ready yet.

Batman #426 (1940) / Batman #427

Batman latches onto this idea, he identifies it as "the problem". Is he wrong? No, not really. It does seem like Jason needs come to terms with his parents deaths. But this is important because it is still a rationalization for mindset he started with, still part of the reason he can be in favor of Teenage Vigilantism.

Then Jason Todd dies, as Robin. That truly breaks the underlying concept for this rationalization, that being Robin saved Jason Todd. The entire justification has fully shattered, and Bruce Wayne has lost a son. And, so because of this, in the wake of Jason Todds death, we see a full 180 revert back to the idea Bruce held onto at the end of Dick Graysons time as Robin: Teenage Vigilante = Bad.

Batman #428/ The New Teen Titans #55 (1984) / Batman #439

He has fully rejected the very concept of working with anyone, including the now adult Nightwing. He is literally right back where we started, with even deeper convictions against working with someone else (especially a kid) ever again.

But we all know this doesn't stick. He takes on 13 year old Tim Drake as Robin not long at all afterwards. As the 90's progress Bruces goes on to work with a huge variety of other vigilantes and partners, both teenaged and adult.

So how does he possibly justify this?

I believe he retrofits his rationalization for taking on Jason as Robin.

He adheres to a primary idea. The idea that some people are, like him, simply built for Vigilantism. That they, much like he once believed Jason was, "born" for it.

Mindset: Child Vigilantle is not always Good, but it can be Good. When its the right kind of teenager. Some Teenaged Vigilantes are meant to be Vigilantes just like I was meant to be Batman.

In this way, Jason Todds tragic murder is not a failure of concept, it a category error. Batmans mistake was not working with a teenager, his mistake was working with the wrong kind of teenager. Jason Todd was not built for vigilantism. But others are. This means he's still totally in the clear to work with teenagers, Tim Drake as Robin, then Cassandra Cain as Batgirl, and then eventually Stephanie Brown as Spoiler. So long as Bruce is able to believe they are "born" for it, that they are like Batman himself, meant to do this, and incapable of living a normal life, there is no contradiction, his rationalization holds.

But where’s the proof?

This mindset can be clearly seen and prominently seen when Stephanie Brown is fired as Spoiler.

When Steph is fired as Spoiler because she has moved in Bruce's mind from the "acceptable Teen Vigilante" category into the "unacceptable Teen Vigilante category". And the reasons he gives for this decision are exactly in line with the rationalization I've lain out. She is consistently contrasted to other teen vigilante characters who are fit for duty because he does not see her as "like him/them".

Detective #790

Notice how he jumps right from "Jason and Stephanie were/are not fit to fight crime" to "they could/can have a normal life" right to "unlike me and you, Cassandra Cain, who are stuck fighting crime forever". Much like how he originally justified his decision to work with Jason Todd as Robin through the idea that Jason and Bruce were both destined for this life, he applies the exact same idea, but this time, about himself and Cassandra Cain as Batgirl. And in contrast to them, and in directly comparison to Jason Todd, Stephanie is not meant for crime fighting.

Batgirl #38 (2000)

And Stephanie Brown is contrasted with Cass again, when Bruce first explains why he fired Steph to Cass. This is a consistent pattern. She is not like Cass. This is why she shouldn’t be a vigilante.

When he explains that he is going to fire Steph as Spoiler to Tim, he says something very interesting which invokes the same idea. In the list of three reasons he throw out that Steph shouldn't be Spoiler, he mentions that she is going to "throw her life away". When taken in combination with the other panels discussed, its clear to me that he means this is the common way the saying is used. That she is wasting her life by being a vigilante, that she should, as he mentions earlier, be living a normal life. But why is he saying this to Tim? If one of the reasons Steph shouldn't be Spoiler is her ability to lead a normal life, why the fuck is Tim exempt? I think it comes from a genuine belief that Tim is "like him". Unable to live a normal, non-vigilante life, "born" for crime fighting. Much like Cass, who we already saw him directly compare himself to in this exact same way. Thats why he can directly reference to Tim Steph's ability to have a normal life as a reason she shouldn't be a vigilante, he doesn't believe Tim fits the same category at all!

Robin #106 (1993)

So why the fuck does Stephanie move categories? She was acceptable earlier? What changed?

I've already done an in-depth explanation for what the subconscious underlying reason Bruce fires Stephanie: she simply is no longer useful to as a balm for his loneliness. I highly recommend checking out the post here if you are interested in the breakdown of why and how.

But in addition to that, it’s clear to me that it also has a weird amount to do with Jason Todd.

Stephanie simply and clearly reminds Bruce of Jason Todd. He points out their similarities in personality, and it’s worth mentioning the similarities in their circumstances as well (mothers who struggle(d) with drug addiction, and fathers who were criminals).

As we saw in Detective #790, their personality similarities led to Batman associating Steph with Jason. This makes sense, this association would only grow as he got to know her over the time she is sanctioned as Spoiler.

I believe this association leads to him eventually placing her in the same category as Jason, as not "born" for vigilantism at all, and as capable of having a normal life.

But it also serves as a clear way to rectify his mistakes with Jason. It’s his way of “making up for” his role in Jason's death. It’s his second chance. Never mind that this second chance leads to his assessment of Stephanie having very little to do with Steph herself, and a whole fucking lot to do about Bruce’s guilt over Jason’s death.

This is especially brutal because it seems to come from a place of genuine care (and a selfish desire to assuage his guilt too), but Stephanie doesn't get the tender moment of explanation and grief and regret that Cassandra hears. She doesn't get to know this.

What she gets, is to be told point blank that she is fired because she just isn't good enough. She gets to hear that she lacks the "skills and talent" from the same man who originally came to her to train her because he finally saw and recognized her potential. She gets told she will never be good enough by the guy who told her that she could learn and improve under his instruction. She gets two sentences. She has to fight for any more.

I cannot emphasize enough the fact that she had to track Bruce down to get an explanation for why he was suddenly ghosting her. He didn't even have the decency to tell her himself. Stephanie had to track Bruce down just so she could find out that he gave up on her.

Stephanie gets a blunt lie about why she is fired. And Bruce Wayne gets to feel good about "correcting" a mistake that had nothing to do with Stephanie. Stephanie gets cut off from her friends. Bruce Wayne gets to reconcile with his team. Stephanie gets to feel worthless. Bruce Wayne gets to feel justified.

[dasha022]

THE FEELS I love Jason and Dick's early relationship!

And I never knew how accurate the fanon was on this part - this issue pretty much covers it all in a short time:

Dick super angry at Bruce getting a new Robin, check!

Takes it out on Jason first/they get off on the wrong foot, check!

Then he goes and has a good ol' screaming match with Bruce, check!

Followed by Dick putting his feelings aside and accepting Jason as his little brother!

And giving him his phone number... which Jason will call in his time of need... and not get an answer... 😭

Anyway this issue was perfect, it's Batman Vol 1 #416

[dasha022]

I'm crying... 😞😭

"Stephanie Brown is jealous!"

I personally believe Stephanie Brown is insecure and it's less that she is jealous of other girls her love interests interact with (primarily Tim. Only Tim as far as I know.) but it's that she doesn't think she's good enough for Tim so she constantly worries he'll find someone "better" than her and leave her.

(There's a lot of panels to prove this, unfortunately I cannot find them all in my 1k comic panels I've collected in my poor gallery, and also I'm only allowed ten images.)

She has trust issues because looking back at her love life and adult role models:

Dean, her former boyfriend who got her pregnant, ditched her after the earthquake, and left her to run off and not come back till after the pregnancy and then attempts to get back together with her.

Her Father, who famously was abusive and in and out of both her Mother and hers life, and whenever in it he was abusive.

Her Mother who she played a parental role to most of her life.

Her Mother's brother/ her own Uncle who was a criminal and creep toward Stephanie before she busted him as Spoiler.

Her Father's friend who sexually assaulted her when she was a tween before she ran away to hide in her school during summer break, only to run back home when hearing a men's choir in the school, and she hid under her bed with a knife and chips by the door so she could sleep and eat safely.

Her Gymnastics coach who she looked up to, possibly the only adult she felt she could trust, turned out to be a drug dealer who indirectly (or directly, depends on how you look at it) caused a schoolmates death when said kid overdosed. She later busted him as Spoiler, but was deeply hurt and expressed so directly.

Batman himself, who Stephanie liked as a kid, she liked that her Dad hated him, and she'd sit on the roof of her home and hope to see him. In person though, he's dismissive and constantly pressures/ straight up tells her to stop the Spoiler thing. He only lets her become Robin in an attempt to draw Tim back, and even refers to her as a "Fail" when it comes to Robin because she wasn't Robin for the "right" reasons.

So, anyways, I think Steph's paranoia and overall distrust to her boyfriend she only knows in mask and disguise, and even later when she does learn the identity of Tim Drake, I think her anger and "jealousy" is warranted. Note, she never "cheats back" when she thinks Tim cheated, sure she doesn't confront him, but given her past? I doubt that's ever gone well before. So, she does what she did when she wanted to get back at her Dad, to atone for his actions, to bust the people who did her wrong... She dawned a costume and sought out approval from the next adult figure she could find.

So, like, I kinda don't like the idea that Stephanie is "jealous" because, she's not. She's traumatized and hasn't ever been able to genuinely "trust" anyone before.

[dasha022]

- Masterlist -

Here it is people of Tumblr, I'm gonna update this masterpost whenever there are new parts on the AUs and other stories that I post here in Tumblr. Fandoms will vary.

Danny and Damien are friends (also known as: Damian has a crush on Danny). Danny Phantom x DC comics AU. Dead serious ship (Damian x Danny). PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 PART 6 PART 7 PART 8 PART 9 PART 10 PART 11 PART 12 PART 13 PART 14 PART 15 PART 16 LAST PART

Dr. Danny M.D. Danny Phantom x DC comics AU.

PART 1 PART 2 PART 3

Not Batman's sidekick. Danny Phantom x DC comics AU. PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 PART 6 PART 7 PART 8 PART 9

To babysit a mafia boss. Trash of the Count's Family x Katekyo Hitman Reborn Crossover. PART 1 PART 2 PART 3

Accidental Crime Lord/Mob Boss Danny. Danny Phantom x DC comics AU. Oneshot.

Danny is Dick and Barbara's kid. Danny Phantom x DC comics AU.

PART 1 PART 2 PART 3

Fem!Damian (Talia) x Danny. Danny Phantom x DC comics AU. Dead Serious ship (fem!Damian x Danny). PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5

Damian & Danny are dating (Damian has a crush on Danny second part). Danny Phantom x DC comic AU. Dead Serious ship (Damian x Danny). PART 1 PART2

How I think Danny looks in "Damian has a crush on Danny" and "Damian and Danny are dating" (ART)

Damian and Danny practice (ART).

PROMPT: Growing Pains.

PROMPT: Pretty Witchy Danny.

PROMPT: Danny Phantom x MARVEL.

PROMPT: DANNY PHANTOM X DC COMICS, ARCANE AU.

[dasha022]

Tim, after a long night of patrol, staggers into his penthouse-and into a very, very odd situation.

There's a red-headed girl, who apparently managed to dodge all of his security, sitting on his coffee table and staring at a black-haired boy who's unconscious on his couch.

There's blood on the floor, tinted green in the ambient city lights leaking from the windows.

He only manages to make the barest of noises and push the panic button hidden in his watch before the girl's attention snaps to him.

"According to our parents medical files, they needed a donor to have kids. We have the same father. That makes you our older brother." Her breathing is starting to get erratic, and it's very very clear how tired she is.

"How did you get in here-?"

"-And you're the only relative we have that won't hurt us."

Ah. Well.

First things first, then.

"Is he injured?"

Or, Danny gets caught and injured (vivisection? gunshot wound? up to writer!) and Jazz not only gets him out, but smuggles them both into Gotham using multiple ghosts help. She goes to the only thing she can think of; their technically older brother, with enough money to buy the Ancients and apparently (according to the news articles) enough goodwill to provide medical treatment and protection until they can get their feet under them. @simplestoryteller

[dasha022]

-------So

Let’s put this on the table — no filters, no velvet gloves.

Marvel and DC haven’t been writing stories, but fragments disguised as narratives.

Note 👉 Don’t get mad before reading the whole thing — let me peel this onion with fire first."

(ಠ_ಠ) 🔥 1. Mainstream comics aren’t stories — they’re living franchises

The current structure of big publishers like DC and Marvel isn’t designed to tell stories with a beginning, middle, and end. It’s designed to:

●Keep an IP relevant

●Never allow a definitive closure

●Rewrite whenever convenient

●Feed the market with what “sells,” not what makes sense

That’s why you have a thousand versions of Batman, five reboots in 20 years, and timelines that look like Schrödinger diagrams on acid. (¬_¬)

The result? You’re not reading a story. You’re consuming loose pieces of pop mythology you’re expected to assemble with reader faith! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

---

(￣ー￣；) 🧩 2. These series are puzzles… that sometimes don’t even fit

Each writer comes in to play with the toys the last writer left behind, but:

●There’s no coherent continuity

●There’s no emotional follow-up for characters

●There’s no real responsibility in psychological development.

●There are retcons that erase everything with no explanation

And if something written in the '80s is “inconvenient” or doesn’t match today’s ideology? It’s erased, reinvented, or ignored.

The result? Readers are left with a bag of anecdotes that don’t form a whole — just the illusion of one.

(｡•́︿•̀｡)🎭 3. Characters don’t evolve — they get recycled...

🦇 In the Bat-Family:

Bruce Wayne is the same in '89, New 52, Rebirth, Future State, and Elseworlds... and also not.

Every writer rewrites him in their style, but the character can’t truly grow or change — because that would compromise the “brand.”

Dick Grayson has been Robin, Nightwing, Batman, Agent 37, and back again. His entire arc is a constant loop of "leaving the nest" and being pulled back in. The illusion of freedom, never the reality.

Jason Todd is a victim of this: killed, resurrected, betrayed, forgiven, re-betrayed, cleaned, tainted again, and cleaned once more.

Narratively solid? No.

Emotionally explosive? Yes.

Coherent? Absolutely not.

Intentional? Only if you understand: the business isn’t storytelling — it’s product-selling.

(╥_╥)

Barbara Gordon was one of the most powerful disabled characters in comics as Oracle… then was put back in the Batgirl suit. They erased growth for aesthetics. One of the few times "representation" was reversed.

Tim Drake has been the "smart Robin," Red Robin, then maybe not, then renamed "Drake" (a branding flop so hard it still echoes). He’s constantly redefined but never allowed to mature into anything solid. (╥_╥)

Damian Wayne swings between bratty killer, redeemed hero, forgotten son, edgy loner, then brat again. His "growth" resets every two years.

Cassandra Cain, the silent Batgirl with one of the most unique arcs in DC, was shelved for years and then constantly rebranded — because DC didn’t know how to market someone not snarky, not white, and not loud.

(;_;)

---

🕷️ Over at Marvel:

Peter Parker is a man frozen in high school values. Every time he matures (marriage, business, mentorship), he’s pulled back to broke, unlucky, single Spidey — because that’s what sells. One More Day exists not for story reasons, but because editorial said Peter being married made him “unrelatable.” (◎_◎;)!!

Jean Grey is a resurrection machine. Her arcs about identity and control are potent — and then tossed into the dumpster every time they need a Phoenix event. She doesn’t evolve — she combusts, resets, and repeats.

Scott Summers went from straight-arrow leader, to revolutionary, to pariah, to dead, to forgiven, to neutered sidekick again. His journey gets rewritten so often you’d swear he has multiversal amnesia.

Logan / Wolverine is always dying, healing, mentoring, rejecting, accepting, losing control, and getting tamed. He’s a raw wound that never closes, not because the story demands it — but because the brand does.

---

(－_－)

🦹 Even villains get the rinse-and-repeat:

Lex Luthor has been a genius CEO, a mad scientist, a savior, a cosmic god, and back to bald businessman. Every time he becomes too interesting, he's reduced to "jealous of Superman" again.

Magneto has been a monster, a victim, a revolutionary, a martyr, a villain again — depending on the political winds or writer’s taste. He could be literature. Instead, he’s a moral ping-pong ball.

Harley Quinn went from tragic codependent to feminist icon to Deadpool-lite to multiversal gimmick. Her narrative depends less on who she is and more on what’s trending.

---

🌀 Even when they break the mold… they glue it back together

Wally West had a complete arc: legacy, mentorship, struggle, triumph. He became the Flash — and people loved him. But editorial nostalgia for Barry Allen erased that progress.

Wally's reward for years of growth? Trauma, erasure, villainy, cleanup, erasure again.

X-23 (Laura Kinney) stepped up to become the new Wolverine in a heartfelt, earned transition. It worked. Until Logan returned, and she was demoted again — not for failure, but because the original had to reclaim the name.

---

This isn’t growth. (｡•́︿•̀｡)

It’s character taxidermy: make them look alive, pose them for emotional impact, but never actually let them change.

No change is permanent, because change means resolution, and resolution means closure, and closure?

Bad. For. Business.

\(￣ー￣)/

So.. instead of arcs (ﾟヮﾟ)

(¬_¬) we get loops.

Instead of evolution (ﾟヮﾟ)

(¬_¬) we get emotional rearrangement.

Instead of characters (ﾟヮﾟ)

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ we get branded templates with interchangeable emotional beats!!

(－_－) 📚 4. The Illusion of Complexity Is Just That: An Illusion

Many fans defend comics by saying:

(¬‿¬ ) > “They’re complex stories — you just have to read more to understand.”

.... (╯°益°)╯彡┻━┻ — Let’s not confuse complexity with inconsistency disguised as depth!!

Many arcs are poorly written or simply abandoned. Massive concepts are introduced — Crisis on Infinite Earths, Zero Hour, Flashpoint, Final Crisis, The Forge, The Button, Dark Nights: Metal, Doomsday Clock, Dark Crisis, The Dark Multiverse, Heroes in Crisis, Future State, Convergence...

Then what happens? (ﾟヮﾟ)

(╯°益°)╯彡┻━┻ — They either fizzle out, end with a reboot, get retconned halfway through, or are rewritten by the next creative team with a handwave like: “This is canon now.”

The result? The reader is left in limbo — fed excitement, not meaning.

Ideas are stacked on top of each other without stable foundations.

Characters evolve — and then devolve.

Events build up stakes — and then erase them.

It creates the illusion of complexity, but what we’re really navigating is a maze built from editorial decisions — not narrative growth.

(；へ：) 👥 5. The reader becomes the real writer

Because you have to put the puzzle together, justify contradictions.

That’s why the community is divided:

'80s fans, '90s fans, Snyderverse fans, Rebirth fans, animated canon fans…

They’re all reading different things — even if it’s the same character.

And everyone argues from a personal lens because there is no actual thread.

Why? Because that thread doesn’t exist.

What exists is a floating continuity that only works when it supports your argument.

---

⚖️ 6. Is it all bad? No. But it’s manipulative. (╬ಠ益ಠ)

This isn’t about saying comics have no value.

Some arcs are brilliant. Some writers work miracles.

But the publishing system isn’t built for comics to work like solid sagas or structured novels.

It’s built so there’s always something else to buy, but never something to conclude.

It’s a cycle without closure.

An amusement park with no exit.

A “story” that always has another version that contradicts it.

---

💀 My conclusion:

Comics are (now at day) editor-driven franchises. They exist to keep you inside.

That’s why you, me, and so many readers end up writing essays, theories, and reinterpretations:

Because we want a story a good one.... But we just get pieces.

Can that chaos be loved? Yes.

But can it be called structured narrative?

Let’s be honest…

No. (ᇂ_ᇂ╬)

[dasha022]

Danny’s Crushes Weren’t About Love, They Were About Self-Worth

Let’s stop pretending Danny Fenton was just a hopeless romantic.

He wasn’t.

He was a kid with an identity crisis trying to feel enough in a world that kept making him feel invisible.

The three girls he crushes on Paulina, Sam, and Valerie aren’t just love interests.

They’re mirrors.

Each one reflects a different version of who Danny thinks he needs to be in order to be worthy of love.

Paulina = “If she likes me, then I matter.”

Danny’s crush on Paulina isn’t about her personality. He doesn’t even know her.

He’s obsessed with the idea of her: popular, pretty, untouchable.

She represents validation, not intimacy.

To him, being loved by Paulina would mean he’s finally "somebody."

Paulina is a fantasy.

She reflects Danny’s craving for external approval.

Sam = “You’ve always been there.”

Sam is loyal. Smart. Principled.

She sees the real Danny, but he doesn’t really see her until Paulina’s not an option anymore.

He doesn’t grow toward her, he just defaults to her.

Their relationship feels more like comfort than growth.

Sam is familiar.

She reflects Danny’s emotional safety net, not his transformation.

Valerie = “You can’t lie to me.”

Valerie is the only one who truly matches Danny’s inner conflict.

They’ve both experienced loss. They both wear masks.

She doesn’t pedestal him. She challenges him.

Their connection had the potential to force real change if Danny had the courage to face himself.

Valerie is the mirror.

She reflects the version of Danny that’s ready to evolve but scared to.

So what do these crushes say about Danny?

They show us that Danny didn’t understand love he understood longing.

He didn’t want to be close to someone.

He wanted someone to prove he was worthy of closeness.

Paulina = Fantasy 💄

Sam = Familiarity 🖤

Valerie = Growth 💫

Danny wasn’t choosing between girls.

He was choosing between who he was, who he pretended to be,

and who he had the potential to become.

[dasha022]

Why Tucker and Sam Would’ve Made a Better Couple Not Only For Themselves But Also For Danny, and For the Entire Story

Let’s be honest: the show never really gave us space to consider Tucker and Sam as a romantic possibility. But once you actually slow down and look at the dynamics between them, it becomes really clear that not only would they have made a strong, balanced couple. They also would’ve made the story so much better.

This isn’t about forcing ships. It’s about seeing missed opportunities for character growth, emotional complexity, and real storytelling potential.

Tucker and Sam Balanced Each Other Naturally

Sam is driven, intense, and grounded in principle.

Tucker is lighthearted, confident, and emotionally intuitive.

Where Sam sees systems to challenge, Tucker sees ways to adapt and move through them.

They’re opposites not in conflict, but in harmony.

She’s earth. He’s tech. She’s activism. He’s innovation.

She can be rigid. He can be avoidant. But together? They’d challenge each other in ways that feel safe, not performative.

They Already Had Chemistry The Writing Just Didn’t Frame It That Way

In the episode 'Mystery Meat' , they have a literal ideological debate about meat vs. vegetarianism. It’s petty and hilarious, and it shows how naturally dynamic their relationship already was.

In the episode 'Attack of The Killer Garage Sale' we find out Sam is secretly rich in a scene with Tucker, not Danny.

In episode '13' Tucker tries to reinvent himself and lose his identity. It’s Sam who calls him out and grounds him again.

They had friction. Dialogue. Challenge. And trust.

The story just never let those moments be romantic, but that doesn't mean they weren’t meaningful.

Tucker Deserved Emotional Depth, And Sam Deserved to Be Seen

Tucker was constantly pushed into the “comic relief” zone.

He was smart, confident, emotionally stable, and yet, he was never allowed to lead, to grow, or to be chosen. He was there to support.

Sam, on the other hand, was flattened into “the edgy girl who secretly likes the hero.”

Instead of letting her be complex, the show locked her into a trope. Danny didn’t really see her. He just ended up with her.

Why Sam and Tucker? They saw each other.

He never tried to fix her. She never tried to shrink him. They just existed side by side, exactly the kind of foundation that makes a good romance real.

Danny Would Have Benefited From That Pairing, Too

If Sam and Tucker had a slow burn romantic arc, Danny would’ve had to do the one thing he never truly did in the show:

Look at himself.

It would’ve forced Danny to grow outside of his emotional safety net. He wouldn’t be the center of their triangle he’d be part of a trio where everyone had their own life, their own growth, and their own relationships.

Tucker x Sam would’ve freed Danny up to explore other dynamics like Valerie. Or himself. Or, better yet, his own trauma, his double life, and what it means to actually be seen when you’re split between two worlds.

It Would’ve Opened the Door to So Many B-Plots

Imagine:

-Sam and Tucker building something on their own while Danny’s off ghost fighting

-Tucker navigating the social ladder while Sam questions why he cares at all

-Sam challenging Tucker’s materialism, Tucker challenging Sam’s judgmental streak

-Actual romantic tension in the group that doesn’t rely on Danny being the center of it

Their relationship could’ve deepened the world, added real stakes, and given us a second love story that wasn’t about fantasy but about balance.

Tucker and Sam Were Already the Most Emotionally Mature Characters Compared to the Rest of Their Peers

Tucker knew who he was. Sam knew what she stood for.

They weren’t chasing popularity or validation they were already living in their truth.

That’s why their love wouldn’t have been loud or dramatic.

It would’ve been steady. Soul rooted. Safe.

The kind of love story that doesn’t scream but lasts.

Conclusion

Sam and Tucker didn’t need to “complete” each other.

They didn’t need to “fix” each other.

They just needed space to be seen as more than background characters orbiting Danny’s fantasy arc.

Their relationship wouldn’t have just been good for them it would’ve been good for the entire story.

Because love that’s built on balance, challenge, and mutual recognition?

That’s the love story we were never given but absolutely deserved!

[dasha022]

Danny and Valerie Should’ve Happened.

Here’s Why It Matters.

Danny x Valerie wasn’t just a potential romance it was a missed opportunity to deepen both characters and the show.

Valerie had everything Danny wanted and lost it.

Danny wanted popularity, recognition, visibility.

Valerie had those things…until her life fell apart.

They were mirrors of each other at different points in the arc:

-Valerie had the status, then lost it.

-Danny felt invisible, then gained powers.

And yet, both were haunted by their losses.

Both were trying to find themselves after their lives were shattered by ghost powers.

They were on the same emotional level.

Valerie had to grow up fast. She worked. She struggled. She kept secrets.

Danny was still figuring things out, but he could grow if the writing let him.

Together, they could’ve challenged each other.

Balanced each other.

And found connection in the one thing no one else understood: the weight of a double life.

Their potential romance wasn’t just about love. It was about healing.

Valerie didn’t know Danny was Phantom.

Danny didn’t know how to tell her.

That tension? That secrecy? It wasn’t just drama. It was a setup for growth.

When Valerie meets Dani (Danny’s clone), she shows kindness, protectiveness, acceptance.

That’s how we know she would’ve accepted Danny if she had all the facts.

She didn’t hate him she hated being lied to.

Imagine if they had worked through that.

Imagine a slow-burn friendship into love.

Imagine trust, betrayal, truth, forgiveness.

That would’ve been a story.

Pairing them up would’ve also freed Sam and Tucker to grow beyond Danny.

The Sam x Danny romance flattened both characters.

Tucker became comic relief. Sam became the default love interest.

But if Danny and Valerie had been explored more…

-Sam and Tucker could’ve had their own B-plots, growth arcs, maybe even each other.

-Valerie wouldn’t have existed in isolation.

-Danny would’ve matured through tension, not fanservice.

Danny and Valerie weren’t doomed.

They were interrupted.

By poor writing.

By a rushed end.

By a fear of complexity.

Their story was never about “opposites attract.”

It was about two people dealing with trauma in opposite directions, realizing they’re not alone.

They could’ve been the show's emotional anchor.

But instead, they became a “what if.”

And honestly? That’s a loss.

[dasha022]

A baby holding a baby, Bruce thought numbly.

oh, the humanity by @halfagone

I'm so happy I finally got to draw this! I've been wanting to since almost a year I'm pretty sure ✨✨ This fic lives rent-free in my head. I think that the moment where Bruce looks up and sees "a baby holding a baby" is what solidified my love for the DPxDC fandom!

[dasha022]

Batman #319 - "Never Give Up the Ghost!" (1980)

written by Len Wein art by Irv Novick, Bob Smith, & Glynis Wein

[dasha022]

Being carried swiftly by mama

[dasha022]

Finding Andy (Curry)

Danny zips around the massive dark aquarium with a net carefully snatching up all sorts of colourful marine life before going up and gently depositing them in smaller tanks that Sam prepared.

"You do realise this is extremely illegal, right?"

"Taking these poor endangered fish from their homes is extremely illegal. We're righting a wrong here Danny, and you still owe me one"

Danny sighs and goes back down but keeps talking.

"I just don't want to be accused of stealing again"

"Tucker got us covered, we'll be fine. You just keep fishing Danny, I think we're almost done. "

Danny carefully goes through the dark depths of the aquarium again and it's then that he sees a much bigger shape dart away from him.

Sam said this entire thing was filled with poached endangered marine wildlife so everything in it needs to be retrieved. Aka, Danny goes in pursuit.

It takes some doing but eventually Danny gets a hold of it and it's worryingly little girl shaped.

He holds the little girl in front of him and just kinda looks for a second at this squirmy child that can apparently breathe underwater.

"Sam! Sam, holy Fffffffuudge"

"What!? What??"

"There is a baby in the aquarium!" He holds up the squealing little red head who has apparently decided what's happening now is funny actually.

"A baby!?"

"In the aquarium!" He points down at the water.

"Why is there a baby in the aquarium!!?"

"How am I supposed to know?! Maybe these weirdos accidentally fished up one of Aquaman's people?"

"Oh my god, we need to bring her back!"

"How the ff-frick-" the little girl giggles and goes, "Fik!" Making Danny wince,  "-are we supposed to do that, I don't know where Atlantis is at Sam"

"Call the justice league?"

"Didn't they disband again not too long ago?"

"... shit, you're right"

Danny rushes to cover the little girls ears while hissing, "language" and Sam slaps a hand over her mouth.

"Sorry..."

Danny floats in a circle above the water bouncing the child who seems fascinated with his glowing white hair, "Okay, okay, here's an idea. Jazz has her drivers license. We'll do an impromptu road trip to the east coast"

"... yeah, sounds good, let's go"

Sam holds the little girl as Danny stacks up all the tanks filled with fish and they quickly leave the premises.

"Can I just say I love you hair little miss, Naturally dark red? if only I was that lucky."

The now empty tank is surrounded by a gaggle of awkwardly shifting henchmen.

"So who is gonna tell the boss we lost the princess?"