#I think gunn will be really good at writing him because he is good at writing outcasts

[rootbeerrex]

Jason and Bruce's first encounter in Batman #408 is blatantly mischaracterized so often that I have to do a double take every time I see anyone talking about it. I would like to say before I get into this that there's nothing wrong with disregarding canon, but you gotta know what you're disregarding or you just completely ignore the important character dynamics that are set up.

First of all, Bruce didn't see Jason stealing his tires and say "oh yeah, I'm adopting this kid." Yes, he did think it was funny and end up getting invested in Jason's life, but he had no intention to adopt or even interact with Jason again. He sends Jason to Ma Gunn's school, hoping that Jason can get an actual education and have a successful life.

People like to claim that Bruce was just lonely after Dick left and so he replaced him with the first kid he saw, and if you assume that Bruce just grabbed Jason off the streets after their first meeting, that seems pretty damning. but he DIDNT. he didn't initially want to make Jason Robin, he just wanted Jason to have a good life and get out of Crime Alley. (don't get me wrong, I still think it's fucked up that he made Jason Robin and failed to communicate with him about what that really meant and made him feel like he had to live up to Dick perfectly, but if we're gonna critiquing Bruce, we're gonna do it accurately.) He didn't even plan on interacting with Jason again in any meaningful way until he finds out that Jason isn't going to Ma Gunn's, and Jason explains that it's not a real school.

And after that he STILL doesn't make any decisions. It's not until after Jason tries to stop the heist at the museum completely separately from Batman that Bruce even takes in Jason himself.

And yeah, I really don't like the way he did this, but the narrative that Bruce just scooped Jason up off the streets because he wanted a new Robin is just straight up inaccurate. Yeah, I can totally admit that he probably felt at least a little lonely with Dick's absence and that affected his decision, but I think more importantly he saw himself in Jason and made his decision based on that.

The same way he recognized Dick's trauma with witnessing his parents' deaths, he recognized Jason's here. Do I think letting these kids fight crime is the best way to handle this trauma? of course not! but as explained earlier, he didn't originally intend to make Jason robin. And even more than that, these are comics, they don't have to be good choices that would be okay in the real world!

Okay anyway I forgot what my other points were and I just spent an hour writing this out and finding the panels, so uh here. Sorry I went on a little bit of a rant here.

[godsfavdarling]

It’s all you

my masterlist

+18!!!

pairing: Spencer Reid x male!reader words: 2k summary: You and Spencer just came back from your birthday dinner, and your boyfriend loves to quote poetry to you! warnings: smut, fluff, grinding, no use of y/n (idk what else) a/n: This was a request! I love the idea! This was my first time writing male!reader! I hope it’s kind of good? The poem Spencer recites is “The Hug” by Thom Gunn. I had fun writing this! I hope y'all like it! If anyone cares I promise I will eventually come back to my spencelle fic (maybe once the semester is over at my uni)!!! <3

The evening had settled into a comfortable quiet as you and Spencer lounged on the couch, the soft hum of the city beyond the window a distant murmur. The gentle light of the room cast warm shadows, adding to the intimacy of the moment. 

Spencer sat with his legs tucked neatly under him, a relaxed smile on his face as he looked down at you, your legs draped across his lap. It was just after midnight, and you had both just come back from dinner with friends.

"Tonight was really something," you said, your voice a low murmur. "I think it's been a while since we all let loose like that… Since you let loose like that."

Spencer chuckled, his fingers idly tracing patterns on your calf. "It’s your birthday," he began, his voice soft and contemplative. "I’m happy you're happy."

You smiled, feeling the warmth of his touch. "I’m happy. Very happy."

"Good," Spencer said, then leaned his head back, eyes on the ceiling as he spoke softly. 

“It was your birthday, we had drunk and dined

Half of the night with our old friend

Who'd showed us in the end

To a bed I reached in one drunk stride.

Already I lay snug,

And drowsy with the wine dozed on one side.”

You blinked, momentarily taken aback by the sudden poetry in his words. "Huh?"

Spencer looked at you, his eyes filled with a tender sincerity. "It's a poem. Made me think of this moment right now."

You felt a shiver run down your spine, both from Spencer's words and the way his hand absentmindedly traced circles on your thigh. There was something about Spencer that captivated you. 

Most people wouldn't expect him to quote romantic poems; they saw only the genius profiler, the encyclopedia of facts. But you knew the truth. Beneath his brilliant mind and analytical exterior, Spencer Reid was a romantic through and through.

He was perfect in his own unique way. His tousled hair, always slightly disheveled, and the way his eyes sparkled with excitement whenever he talked about something he loved, made your heart race. 

Spencer had a certain charm, an endearing blend of intellect and innocence. He was often clueless about the effect he had on you, and others, for that matter. His gestures of affection were genuine, uncalculated, stemming from pure love and admiration.

He had never harbored ill intentions; his love was pure and unwavering. He was the type to remember the smallest details about you (whether he wanted to or not he would always remember but still it was sweet).

As you lay there, your legs draped over his lap, you couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky. Spencer's hand continued its gentle patterns on your thigh, his touch a soothing reminder of his presence. He looked at you, eyes filled with a tenderness that made your heart swell.

"You know," you began, your voice soft, "most people wouldn't consider you a romantic."

Spencer's brows furrowed slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Really? I never thought about it…”

You smiled, reaching up to gently brush a strand of hair from his forehead. "That's because you don't see yourself the way I do. You have this incredible way of making everything feel... special. Your love, it's like poetry in motion."

A faint blush crept up Spencer's cheeks, and he ducked his head, a shy smile playing on his lips. "I just... I want you to know how much you mean to me. Sometimes words are all I have."

You leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "And your words mean the world to me, Spencer. You mean the world to me."

Spencer's eyes softened, his hand still tracing gentle patterns on your thigh. "You mean the worlds to me," he whispered.

You both laughed softly, the warmth of the moment making everything feel even more special.

"Do you remember the rest of that poem?" you asked, a mischievous glint in your eye as you shifted your position, straddling Spencer's lap.

Spencer's smile widened, his hands instinctively moving to your hips. "You know I do," he said, chuckling softly.

Your heart skipped a beat at the way he looked at you, a blend of love and amusement. "Then, tell me. Start over." you urged, leaning in closer until your faces were just inches apart.

Spencer's eyes sparkled with the familiar light of his vast memory, but now there was something more—an awareness of the intimacy of the moment. 

"It was your birthday," he began again, his voice low and velvety.

“We had drunk and dined

Half of the night with our old friend

Who’d showed us in the end

To a bed I reached in one drunk stride.

Already I lay snug,

And drowsy with the wine dozed on one side.”

You felt a shiver run down your spine, both from his words and the way his hands gently squeezed your hips. There was something incredibly hot about the way Spencer quoted poetry, the way the words flowed effortlessly from his lips. He had never thought about it that way, but it drove you wild.

“I dozed, I slept. My sleep broke on a hug,

Suddenly, from behind,

In which the full lengths of our bodies pressed:

Your instep to my heel,

My shoulder-blades against your chest.”

"That's so hot," you murmured, unable to resist pressing your lips to his. The kiss started soft and tender, but quickly deepened as the heat between you grew. Spencer suddenly broke it and continued.

“It was not sex, but I could feel

The whole strength of your body set,

Or braced, to mine,

And locking me to you

As if we were still twenty-two”

You couldn't help but be drawn to the soft, now raspier timbre of Spencer's voice. It was like music to your ears, a melody that stirred something deep within you. With each whispered word, each gentle breath, you felt yourself falling further under his spell.

As Spencer's hand continued its soothing motion on your thigh, you leaned in closer, your lips trailing feather-light kisses along his neck. You could feel the heat rising between you, a slow burn of desire that intensified with each passing moment.

His hands found their way to your waist, pulling you closer as you continued your ministrations. His touch was electric, sending shivers down your spine and igniting a fire within you. You moved your hips in time with your kisses, a silent rhythm of passion and longing.

“When our grand passion had not yet

Become familial.

My quick sleep had deleted all

Of intervening time and place.

I only knew

The stay of your secure firm dry embrace.”

Spencer's breath hitched as your lips found that sweet spot just below his ear, and you reveled in the small gasp that escaped his lips. Lost in the moment, you let yourself be consumed by the heady sensation of being so close to him.

You could feel his heart pounding in his chest, matching the rhythm of your own. He broke the kiss just long enough to look into your eyes, his breath coming in soft pants. 

"I never realized poetry could have this effect," he admitted, a hint of wonder in his voice.

You smiled, your hands cupping his face. "It's not just poetry, Spencer. It's you. The way you speak, the way you touch me... It's all you."

Spencer's eyes darkened with desire, and he pulled you into another kiss, more passionate than before. His hands explored your body with a newfound confidence, his touch sending sparks of pleasure through you.

With trembling hands, you began to unbutton Spencer's shirt, your fingers fumbling slightly with each small button. His breath caught in his throat as you peeled away the fabric, revealing the expanse of his chest beneath.

Spencer's touch was gentle yet firm as he helped you remove his shirt, his fingers grazing your skin with an electric intensity that sent shivers down your spine. With each article of clothing shed, the desire between you burned hotter, a relentless flame threatening to consume you both.

When it came time to remove your pants, you reluctantly pulled away from Spencer's embrace, causing him to emit a soft sigh at the loss of contact. You couldn't help but smile at his reaction, the affectionate gesture only fueling your desire further.

Quickly, you shed your own clothes, feeling a rush of exhilaration as you stood before Spencer completely exposed, completely vulnerable. 

But there was no fear in that vulnerability, only a deep sense of trust and intimacy that bound you together. With a shared understanding of each other's desires, you quickly helped Spencer shed his pants, eager to feel his skin against yours once more.

As the last barrier between you fell away, you were left completely exposed, your bodies laid bare before each other. But in that moment, there was no room for self-consciousness or doubt, only the raw, unbridled passion that pulsed between you.

With a hunger that bordered on desperation, you lowered yourself back onto Spencer's lap, his hands finding purchase on your hips as he pulled you closer. 

The heat of his skin against yours sent sparks flying. And as your bodies came together in a tangle of limbs and desire, there was no room for doubt or hesitation, only the overwhelming need to be as close to each other as humanly possible.

You started to move your hips, the urgent rhythm of your movements causing your now hard cock to graze against Spencer's. He hissed in response, the sensation sending a jolt of pleasure coursing through both of you.

“You okay?” you asked, your voice laced with concern as you pressed closer to him.

“Yes, please keep going,” Spencer murmured, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

With a nod, you wrapped your arms around him, pulling him tightly against you as you resumed your grinding. His arms enveloped you in a strong embrace, his touch sending waves of heat radiating through your body.

The room seemed to pulse with the rhythm of their desire, the air heavy with the intoxicating scent of your passion. The feel of Spencer's velvet skin against yours sent shivers down your spine, the sensation leaving you breathless and wanting more.

You were so close, the heat of your bodies pressing your cocks against your bellies, the friction sending sparks of pleasure. With each movement, you could hear the wet sounds of your bodies sliding against each other, the slickness of precum adding to the intensity of the moment. 

Beads of sweat formed on your skin, glistening in the dim light of the room as you both worked towards release.

Undeterred, you continued to grind against him, the need for release driving you forward. Spencer's gasps and moans filled the room, mingling with your own as you moved together in a frantic rhythm. Your hands roamed over each other's bodies, grasping and pulling, desperate for more of each other.

With each passing moment, the air filled with the scent of sex and sweat, the heady aroma only adding to the overwhelming desire. His hair became matted and messy, sticking to his skin as he lost himself in the heat of the moment.

And then, in a moment of pure ecstasy, you both tasted sweet release, your bodies tensing as you came together in a symphony of bliss. Waves of pleasure washed over you, leaving you breathless and spent, your bodies still pressed together in a tender embrace.

As you caught your breath, the room seemed to spin around you, the world reduced to nothing but the two of you lost in the aftermath. 

There was nothing else in the world but the two of you, locked in a dance of desire and devotion. And as you pressed your lips to his, the world fell away, leaving only the intoxicating warmth of him.

[friendbreakfast]

theres never a time where the Scooby Gang hating on Scrappy will make sense, i feel. like think about it. in-universe, what did Scrappy ever do to make them hate him that isnt what he already did when they used to like him?

literally all the jokes in modern Scooby Doo where the entire gang is like "oh we don't talk about Scrappy ¬¬" feel so meanspirited for something that just literally does not make any sense.

the ONE TIME Scrappy did something evil was because James Gunn hated him for no reason other than "he was written into the show at a time where the writing was less good", and it was in a movie that isnt even canon to the cartoons, so even that cant be a reason for the characters to hate him.

like i dunno, i might not care about Scrappy himself that much (i dont dislike him either) but what i do care about, is that the characters are basically mandated to never ever bring up a part of the series' history unless its to shit on it for absolutely no reason and act OUT OF CHARACTER at that to be mean to a character that is literally a CHILD, where the writers could instead like, write Scrappy better? the writers could bring Scrappy back and make him better as a character instead of just ragging on his existence every time they get to even aknowledge he existed.

like they brought back Flimflam, a character from a show Scrappy existed in, and a character most people also agreed SUCKED in that show and was just as if not more annoying than Scrappy.... yeeeet Flimflam was written better there, and people really liked him in that movie. and yet still, the only time they mention Scrappy in that movie is like "Hey, where's Scrappy?" and everyone answering "Who's Scrappy??" like COME ON, you FIXED FLIMFLAM and couldnt bother doing the same with the one most overhated character? so overhated, the trope that means "character everbody hates" is called THE SCRAPPY.

like come on, isnt that exaggerated levels of hate??? am i wrong on thinking this??

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

My Jason Todd Rec List and Character Manifesto! (Edited and updated 28/01/2024)

This is a fuckin mess my ghouls, but I got categories and I got opinions and who can stop me from typing em out? Certainly not @lazaruspiss who is the reason this thing got made!

The format is gonna be

title and page numbers (No #s if I'm recommending the whole title) picture Summary and general notes My estimate of how unhinged he is in this portrayal What his morals are like; note this isn't about whether he's a protagonist or antagonist

Since cream rises to the top, let us start with:

The Creme de la Creme

The best of the best. The most fun, the most compelling, the most interesting looks into his character.

Green Arrow (2001) #69 - #72

This one really does have it all. Jason runs rings around both Batman and Green Arrow at the same time, all the while going after a goal neither of them ever truly figures out in large part because this story wasn't afraid to let Bruce be either wrong or lying about Jason's motives. It also wonderfully leverages the ways in which the Bats and the Arrows are really good foils for each other. I think I'm going to be turning over the ways these interactions went down for a long ass time. I've been really wanting to go page by page for a comparison between the way Jason treats Mia in this and the way Jason treats Tim in the Titans Tower showdown. Bottom line for this one: It's just so good!

Jason's sanity level: Six out of Ten hinges affixed. He's got a solid grip on things, is reasonably level headed, only problem is he might have completely forgotten how to interact with other human beings outside of combat. Love him for that.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Sympathetic Villain. Decidedly willing to mow down some "brain donors", and his goals are pretty morally grey, but he clearly still has a strong code of ethics.

Joker: the Man Who Stopped Laughing

With Jason's return to being an antagonist after a long stint in the Hero bin comes his return to being really fucking dangerous and whip smart! My boy quotes serious philosophy that gives him a real point to make against non lethal vigilantes and cops! I also think the part where he lets himself be arrested just... it says so much and all of it is wonderfully interesting and feels fitting for his character. He's kept deeply human, and just all of this portrayal gels together really well.

At the time of writing, this comic isn't finished yet, so I'm going off of like 12 issues in which he appears less than the Joker, but what is there is phenomenal, even with Gotham War having... Minorly Derailed Jason's role in things, and one or two inevitable scenes where ya just have to accept that he's not as trigger happy as he should be because DC is married to the Joker.

Also I like that he's friends with my favorite, Stephanie Brown :3 and he and Rose's chemistry is nice. On top of all that? It's a fun comic. Like, I generally hate the Joker, but I found myself enjoying watching the Joker do his Joker things in this one.

Jason's sanity level: Nine out of Ten hinges affixed. Level headed, calm, careful, really the only reason this isn't a 10/10 is cause he's obsessively focused, which like, honestly is pretty reasonable I think.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Clearly Justified Antihero. I almost put down Hero on this one, but ultimately he is just far enough over the line with how he treats the less threatening of the rogues like Killer Moth.

Batman (1940) #408 - #411 Jason's debut featuring Ma Gunn's School and his first ever outing as Robin fighting Two-Face

Just LOOK at this PRECIOUS BOY! I wanna pinch him on his cheeks and give him a handful of these bad boys

Jason has a ton of personality to him right out the gate. The first story has Ma Gunn as the villain and she's a lot of fun. The second story in here with Two-Face is also enlightening with regards to Jason's early personality, even if it's not quite as fun.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero.

Under the Red Hood would be next if it wasn't already filed under ->

Foundational Texts

This is the shit that defines Jason as a character. Much is mutable in any given comic, but somehow, someway, all depictions of Jason are impacted and informed by these three stories. Enough has been said about all of them that I'm gonna keep it brief.

Red Hood: The Lost Days

Jason's sanity level: Eight out of Ten hinges affixed.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Antihero. He kills some incredibly nasty people, while also doing some genuinely heroic shit. The only places where his morals deteriorate are in the presence of Batman and the Joker.

Under the Red Hood

Jason's sanity level: Four out of Ten hinges affixed. Remember how his morals deteriorated in the face of Batman and the Joker? Yeah, that's mostly because he's way, way too personally invested to think straight about them. He's strategic as fuck, but this is not a stable man's strategy for dealing with his issues.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Sympathetic Villain. He is a revenant, a vengeful juggernaut, and breaks an awful lot of eggs making this brilliant disaster of an omelette.

Batman (1940) #426 - #429 A Death in the Family

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero.

Joker becoming an ambassador to Iran plotlines count: One too many.

Solid Storylines

These ain't the vaulted heights, but not everything has to be the Sistine Chapel. They're solid, and if you're wanting more Jason I do certainly recommend them.

Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer and Countdown to Infinite Crisis

Jason is in what I like to call his Purposeless Depression Era during this. It's after his plans in Under the Red Hood fail and he's really just got no place to go, no place to be, and in fact is keenly aware that on a cosmic level, he truly does not belong in this world anymore. He's supposed to be dead. There's something I find quite neat about this team up, with Donna Troy and Kyle Raynor and Bob, it's out of the ordinary for Jason, it's not bat related, and the ways he fits and doesn't fit with the other characters are just neat.

I especially recommend Gotham by Gaslight. The plot will be a lil hard to follow if you haven't read the others, but Jason by the end hopes to return to Victorian Era Steampunk Gotham and the moments of him hoping to literally leave his universe behind are both sweet and sorrowful.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. He's just sad and lonely.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero. Even if only Donna is willing to tentatively try to see him that way.

Robin (1993) #177 and one page of #182 and the front half of #183

Despite how much Jason is known for it, I think this is the only time we see him trying to run organized crime outside of Under the Red Hood (and uh debatably Battle for the Cowl). Short lil string of appearances, but critical for understanding how he's seen by Tim during this era if you care about that, and it really cemented my understanding of Jason being strangely honest and forthright.

I think the major way other Bats fail to comprehend him is that they expect him to manipulate through lying, which just isn't his style. He doesn't lie about his motives; he doesn't obfuscate his tactics; he doesn't hide how he's feeling. Hell, he doesn't even try to lie his way out of prison! I could not tell you why this series of interactions gave me this impression but it is why I have such faith that when Jason says something, he probably just means it, even when characters like Dick or Tim assume otherwise.

Pity this was the lead up to Battle for the Cowl.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. He's even attempting to pick himself up out of his Purposeless Depression Era slump at the start.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Antihero.

Nightwing (1996) #118 - #122 aka Brothers in Blood aka the One Where Jason Gets Tentacles

COWARDS and KNAVES will tell you "the tentacles are so icky and everyone is so OOC" or whatever but again they are KNAVES and COWARDS because bitch this shit is GREAT

Jason: Wow! My bestest big brother killed someone who deserved it, so now I (the person he's rejecting only because I kill people who deserved it) have a real chance at being his family again!! :D Hooray! :) Dickie-Bird why don't you look happy to see me? :) Dickie-Bird I went out of my way to get us matching outfits and stalked your work and killed people in your name so it's nice and easy to make room for me in your life! :) :) :)

Dick:

Jason's sanity level: Two out of Ten hinges affixed. My mans is off his rocker and I adore him like this. Frankly, the entire storyline is unhinged, and it only feels appropriate that Jason is similarly bonkers in yonkers.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Villain. You can sympathize with him, and he is still trying to carry out justice, but I have to call it for straight villain when he's threatening to bomb a building full of innocent people.

Batman and Robin (2009) #23 - #25

I don't have much to say about this one. It's good. The above page is pretty much the highlight.

Wait actually I do have something to say and it is that I would like to lick Jason's abs, pls & thx, because the other highlight is that Winick clearly believes in redeeming Jason's value as a villain through sex appeal and it is working lmao

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. Certifiably sane, he's passed all his psych exams!

Jason's moral compass bearing: Villain. He threatens to bomb a train station full of innocent people. While he does do that in service of freeing himself and Scarlet, thus making it not completely self centered, I still gotta put him firmly in Villain.

Nightwing (2016) 2021 Annual

In high contrast to the previous two in which Jason acts as a villain to Dick, this one has them working together and the tentative peace and cautious trust they've got going is interesting to me. This Team Z era Jason is interesting to me in general, though I don't know much about him.

Jason's sanity level: Nine out of Ten hinges affixed. He's quite chill, but there's just this little edge to him that says his relationship to violence is a little too casual a little too deep to really be fully hinged.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Edgy Hero.

Your Mileage May Vary

These stories I can't recommend without major caveats or warnings, but I still think are worth mentioning.

Gotham War (It's such a mangled mess that I'm just gonna link a reading guide.)

So, the main problem here is that Gotham War spans five different titles and had three different authors whose renditions of Jason do not feel cohesive or even coherent. The funny thing is though, each rendition has real merits, and while it doesn't go far enough in condemning Bruce's horrifying treatment of Jason for many people's tastes, I have to point out that it's one of the only comics to condemn an instance of Bruce mistreating Jason at all. The fact that the other Robins come to his defense is a HUGE thing! The bar may be in Hell, but it did clear the bar!

Due to how disjointed it is, I'm going to very loosely separate Jason out into two versions of himself. Think of these not as hard lines, but more a spectrum he slides across depending on what author has him that issue.

Jason Primus combines the ideas in Jason's Under the Red Hood speech about controlling crime rather than trying to stomp it out with his more Heroic modern interpretation. He's a chill, funny, smart guy whose protectiveness over the mooks is really charming.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero.

Jason Secundus is much more violent, not used to working with other people, and paranoid and antsy in a way that causes him to take it out on people who really don't deserve it. This is a compelling take on him, though I like him closer to Jason Primus. His trauma has clearly shaped him a lot, both for better and for worse.

Jason's sanity level: Seven out of Ten hinges affixed. Jason's moral compass bering: Anti-Hero, most of this focuses on him antagonizing two former Joker goons which kinda doesn't work well cause they're mostly scarecrow goons actually and also at one point he hurts them in a way that borderline just seems like stress relief. It's nothing worse than what we see Batman himself doing countless times, but it's still jarring because we've been made to strongly sympathize with the goon in question.

Batman: Three Jokers <- I read it while typing this up, so I got a lotta thoughts

Guh, this one is just fucking sad

So, I don't mind a story being blunt with its message as long as the message actually holds up. Unfortunately, this three parter's attempt at the cycle of violence lesson is... bad. Real bad.

Jason in it is neat! This is a good Jason portrayal somehow despite literally everything about the way this comic frames him! The narrative expects us to believe he is a danger to society on the cusp of becoming another Joker, because he *checks notes* shot the Joker dead, shot at a Joker loyal guy, and roughly interrogated an injured child abuser. At no point does he show signs of wanting to hurt innocent people. At no point does he show signs of doing any hurting without premeditation or a need to defend himself. I'm baffled by this.

My kingdom for a fucking CRUMB of nuance, I swear, smh...

I hear a lot of people hate his one sided romance towards Barbara. This is understandable as it squanders the opportunity to have a female character not be stuck as the narrative sponge for man emotions. I like it from the perspective of a Jason fan, and give condolences for the Barbara fans. It's not healthy, and good fucking job on the janitor sweeping away his letter to her so poor Babs doesn't have to deal with that shit, but I do like Jason's desperation to be loved by someone, anyone, who might show him compassion.

Jason's sanity level: Six out of Ten hinges affixed. He's sad, he's lonely, he needs some PTSD specific therapy, he's a bit creepy about his crush on Barbara, but quite frankly he has it together a lot more than the narrative would like us to believe. The way the other characters treat him like he's some kind of monster just waiting to snap and start maiming people indiscriminately makes me really uncomfortable.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Antihero. Quite frankly I'm tempted to say Hero out of spite.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #1 - #43

There are three transcendental character moments in this run that I think make it worth reading even if not all of it's your cup of tea. On the other hand though there are some big issues that could very easily be deal breakers. Oh and anything after #43 is a wasteland and #43 is included purely for the implication that being transgender made a woman immortal.

The narrative structure is really heavily dependent on rule of emotional impact/cool/allegorical usefulness. Many events will not make any fucking sense based on petty things like basic logic or the laws of physics, but they do work just fine in the area of what makes the story more fun or the emotional beats hit harder. Stronger than average suspension of disbelief is necessary for the reward of getting a lot of stuff that's, like, just really fuckin cool.

The romantic side plot with Artemis is... odd. Either the author, Scott Lobdell, intended to write Jason as a desperate loser trying to date his uninterested lesbian friend who he co-parents with, or he accidentally wrote a romance so awkward and comp-het that I cannot wrap my head around reading it as reciprocated. This works for me because I have a lot of fun reading Jason as a desperate loser who's not even actually in love with her, he just is desperate to cling to the closest thing he's ever gotten to a nuclear family and in denial about being either aro/ace or gay.

Now, lets explore a lil bit of the whole Jason is a loser angle, cause it's not the whole story, there are many points in which Jason gets to be a badass motherfucker, but he is much, much less of the hypercompetant, highly determined, murderous threat he used to be. Almost none of the newer renditions of Jason are. This Jason in particular though is very soft and cuddly, and fits the archetype of man trying to be the edgy bad boy but who secretly just wants a hug and a warm glass of milk.

If I were to describe my personal Jason in a few sentences I would say that he is someone who loves himself viciously. He feels he has been wronged and is willing to burn down the world to rectify that. He will hold your ass at gunpoint and demand the hugs and warm glasses of milk that he fucking well deserves!

This Jason is about as far away from that as you can possibly get. I still like him though, and I do not count him as being a different character, because when you start with emotional logic that goes like this:

It wasn't my fault + I deserve better = I get to burn the world down in order to get better

It becomes extremely difficult to ever stop burning the world without also deciding "It was my fault" or "I don't deserve better". Jason is meant to have changed a lot, and this is a plausible evolution of the Jason I prefer.

Finally, the handling of Bizarro, a mentally disabled character, is a sensitive enough topic that your mileage will vary, even if I can't think of a bad thing to say about it. Jason and Artemis are really pretty good about treating him with respect, giving him help where he needs it and autonomy where he's capable of taking it. They raise him, but don't control him, and he is literally three days old when they find him so this isn't infantilization. It takes the framing of Lenny from of Mice and Men and Flowers for Algernon and rejects them in a way that I am satisfied with. You'll just have to read it for yourself to see if you're satisfied as well.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. I kinda wish he was more unhinged.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero. He even saves a puppy and gives them pats.

Knight Terrors: Robin

Have you ever been in the mood for a syrupy sweet hurt/comfort fanfiction in which Jason and Tim were magically forced to talk about how much they like each other in order to overcome their own insecurities? Do you wish that existed as a lavishly illustrated two issue comic?

If you answered yes to those two questions then congratulations! It does exist, this is it, go have fun!

If you think that sounds like ham fisted garbage turning what should be several long arcs of serious reconciliation and deeply meaningful character moments into two issue fan service schlock then condolences! I wish you all the best in denial, as all comic fans sail that river sooner or later and I shall join you upon it someday.

What category do I fall into? Well I think this is definitely ham fisted, but I won't kick a boar out of bed as long as they ain't a bore, and this little ditty is certainly entertaining.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed.

Jason't moral compass bearing: Hero.

Batman and Robin Eternal

This is a decent portrayal of Jason in his modern, much friendlier, and much more bat family integrated rendition. He has some fun moments in it, and I like his staby bracers.

I don't like this comic. It commits the most dire of writing sins: Being boring. I think about Jason every second of every minute of every day; if your comic that majorly features a good portrayal of him cannot hold my attention, then something has gone very wrong. Hopefully one of you will like it more than I do.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Hero.

Suicide Squad: Get Joker! (Content warning for suicide, skip to the hot take if this'll get to ya - also spoiler warning cuz I can't discuss this properly without discussing the ending)

A three issue miniseries in which Jason is inducted into the Suicide Squad on a mission to kill the Joker. He's highly competent as a team leader, grounded, intelligent, and uses measured violence in a way that is satisfyingly tactical. The squad they threw together honestly has some pretty neat chemistry as a whole, and the characters were appropriately messy and quite likable.

This isn't higher on the list because it thinks it earned it's ambiguous ending, and frankly, it's wrong about that. Ambiguous endings live and die by the question they make the audience sit with - It has to be worth losing out on the emotional payoff of a solid ending.

The question of "If you left Jason in a room with the Joker and a gun with one bullet, would he shoot the Joker or himself?" is a really shitty question. Like, did the authors not realize that just on a logistical level, Jason could leave the room and find a second bullet after shooting the Joker? Like, seriously, even if we accept the premise that Joker's speech got to Jason, there are no reasons for him not to choose the "both" option. The only way I can imagine this working is if the Joker is actually the fucking Purple Man from Jessica Jones using mind control.

So we exchanged the validation of literally all our protagonists' struggles/sacrifices paying off for... the vague implication that Jason unforgivably betrayed his teammates, himself, and the entire world because he was so eager to die that he couldn't wait ten fucking minutes. If I loved the Joker I might feel differently about it, but as is, I felt insulted.

This would have been Solid Storylines or maybe even Creme de la Creme if not for that implication. It's not boring though! The rest of it up to the end is honestly pretty damn good, if a bit convoluted, and much of the ending's sour taste can be assuaged by getting out a sheet of paper and doodling Jason opening Joker's head with a handgun and then going out for icecream with the team.

Jason's sanity level: Ten out of Ten hinges affixed. He's a sad, sad lad tho.

Jason's Moral Compass Bearing: Anti-Hero, forced to be much more violent than he wants to be.

A Hot Take

I bet you thought the tentacles were the hot take! HAH! MuahahaahhHAHAHAH - Prepare now, puny mortals, to witness me defend Pill Helmet Jason AND his fashion choices!

No, I am not talking about Winick's redo late in the game, we've already been over that one. I mean I will defend Grant Morrison's flop era, three foot head gear wearin, goofy ass, unwashed ass, "how to build ur brand" reading maniac

It's time to talk about Batman and Robin (2009) #1 - #6

The interpretation of one scene makes or breaks this Jason:

If you believe he is being insincere and manipulating her into putting all her emotional eggs in the basket of his crusade, ignoring her wellbeing in favor of his 'brand', then this is probably the worst mischaracterization of Jason ever written.

If you believe he is being sincere, genuinely comforting her in the only way that he's got to deal with his own trauma, giving her real affection and not pushing her to take either option with the mask because he trusts her to make that decision for herself, then this gets Jason very right.

No matter what Morrison might have intended, I choose to believe it's the latter. This is terrible advice to give a trauma victim, but it makes perfect sense for Jason to believe that about his own trauma, and thus to pass that maladaptive view along. He doesn't try to assure her that the mask can come off safely or that he'll get her a doctor because he really can't promise her either of those things. It would be cruel to her to pretend that he's got a solution. Jason can't undo the damage that was done to her any more than he can force a dead Bruce to kill the Joker.

Instead he offers her purpose, and reassurance that she's gonna look badass if she never does take it off, and protects her when she's in trouble.

You can claim this is just him acting out his chosen Hero role, but like, WHY would he have chosen to method act that role 24/7 if he wasn't trying to BE a Hero who protects people like Scarlet? There's nothing in it for Jason to fake this.

I also think if he was being written out of character as a manipulator we would have seen him use a romantic or sexual angle which he absolutely doesn't do.

Dickie, you are such a funny Batman, they never shoulda brought Bruce back tbh.

Instead, he seems to be taking a more parental role, in a near perfect reflection of how Bruce took him in when he was a kid. Just he's doing it his way, meaning that whenever Scarlet goes further with the violence than Jason seems to want to, he backs her up instead of chastising her.

Speaking of violence and morals, Let the Punishment Fit the Crime is a coherent moral position to take, even if you (understandably) disagree with it, or disagree with what punishments fit which crimes. It's basically the same moral position as every other version of Jason there's ever been! Like, is he even killing more people than he used to in stories like Under the Red Hood? No, I don't think he is.

The branding thing is weird, lil annoying too after a while, but ultimately it still makes sense. And brings me around to my promised defense of his fashion choices.

First of all the symbolic importance of the fact that he wears white cannot be overstated in my mind. Will I elaborate? No, this post is way too long already lmao! Second off, it's supposed to be silly. I believe the silliness was a conscious, calculated choice, and the right one to make.

Jason doesn't believe that fear works, he's not trying for pure intimidation, and he knows that he's going to have to appeal to people in his bid to be seen as a Hero. Making himself seem big but non-threatening, a bright patch in the night, makes real sense.

Take a look at this view of Jason from Scarlet's POV when he comes to rescue her from the cops after she kills her dad:

He's got a smoking gun in his hand and he just shot two people dead, yet we're hard fuckin pressed to find him intimidating aren't we?? Cornball dialogue, and the silliest fuckin hat in the universe, because he's not meant to be from this era, he's emulating the Golden and Silver age comics and all their goofiness. He's trying to be the older, happier, sillier batman that used to exist (at least in his head), while doing what he believes is right and necessary.

The costume makes sense dammit!

Also it just doesn't look bad, I can't provide an argument for this, it's just true!!

Also also every one of these fuckers should be wearing a helmet too, this is basic brain safety, if you're gonna go around antagonizing fuckers with guns you need to make your head at least nominally bulletproof, it's that simple!!!

Now... do I recommend you read this? (This section was rewritten on January 28th, 2024)

Yes, with significant caveats. There's a reason I chunked this in with YMMV.

First is the Batman typical ableism of just really fucked depictions of mental illness. I normally wouldn't warn for this because everyone knows most of the rogues and will be aware of what they bring to the table, but Professor Pyg is obscure enough I wouldn't expect people to know, and the way he's written just... hurts. Like there's just something about him that is painful to read as someone that's got several schizophrenic friends who are near and dear to my heart. I would hesitate to recommend it to any of them the same way I'd hesitate to recommend Silence of the Lambs to most other trans people.

Secondly this comic is Extremely Gay (a definite positive!) however it is Extremely Gay in a way that kinda requires some onboarding and analysis to properly parse and that is actually why this post was edited:

The first time I read this comic, my impression was that it was vitriolically homophobic. Considering that at the time I had heard many things about Grant Morrison, and none of them good, I went with my gut. I put here that while I would defend Jason's characterization, I couldn't in good faith recommend something so bigoted, detailed what felt bigoted, and went on with my day.

Then a while later I saw a post that I suspect was talking about this one saying something along the lines of "How the hell could you call Grant Morrison, who gave us so many of our most iconic gay characters, homophobic? The racism and such I can understand but homophobic? No."

To which my initial response was a resounding: Wha??? Like, genuinely how was I supposed to read this and not get homophobia out of it?? But I went and looked Morrison up and yeah sure enough the guy's queer so I dug deeper and mulled it over until I figured out what the fuck I was missing. So, this section is a correction and an apology about that earlier homophobia claim. Sorry about that.

The styling of this queerness are highly akin to that of the John Waters movie Pink Flamingos which I'll let Matt Baume explain better than I ever could. This guy right here is pretty much the perfect example, Hell, he's even literally named The Flamingo.

Essentially it's queerness is all aggressive, unapologetic, and designed to be provocatively shocking, which can be jarring if you're not ready to flow with it. Also he likely had to arrange a lot of things to get around censorship, same as Judd Winick did. For instance the fact that Dick spoke the same circus lingo as the police precinct destroying troupe of Very Queer Freakshow Workers was meant to imply that Dick is Very Queer too. Pretty sure he would've said that in a far less convoluted way if he could've.

So, with the bulk of my initial reservations about this comic disproven... I have no choice but to straight up recommend it to anyone who thinks they can jive with this vibe of storytelling!

Jason's sanity level: One out of Ten hinges affixed. Obsessive, not taking care of himself, possessed of some really maladaptive trauma coping frameworks, completely unhinged. My condolences to his mental health, but I do love to see it.

Jason's moral compass bearing: Antihero. It's weird because this is undeniably a much darker comic, and Jason certainly feels darker, but in terms of what he actually does, and what the other characters do, his violence is honestly very tame.

So, cards on the table, here is the core of who Jason is to me:

He's got clear moral motives and a drive to help as well as harm, though violence and harm are the main ways in which he tries to improve the world.

When confronted he does not back down; he does not let himself be overshadowed or silenced. He is confident in his decisions and every bit of push back is already accounted for in his head.

Everything he does is premeditated. He is not impulsive. His plans may sometimes be unhinged but they are methodically planned.

He is painfully sincere, the way fire is painfully hot.

He desperately desires love and connection, but it will take many years of constant rejection and fighting before he is willing to accept any kind of compromise to his ethics for the sake of civility.

Under all the hurt and combativeness, he's a pretty goofy guy! He's got a sense of fun and likes to be flamboyant and silly when he can!

He's a villain, a hero, a protagonist, an antagonist, and everything between the extremes. He exists as a powerful counter-thesis to Batman, and as such DC can't ever fully answer the question of what to do with him. He exists in this waffling limbo state as his morals are debated, stretched, refuted, turned on their head. I think that makes him a wonderfully fascinating character to love.

I hope you enjoyed this and, like, go have fun reading comics!

[cephalog0d]

Okay, but like. There's the whole joke about Bruce recruiting children to be his sidekicks, but honestly there's only really one that fits that.

And it's Jason. And the whole story there is, frankly, unhinged. Aaaaand then he died.

(I'm specifically talking about "first post-crisis origin stories" here because Jason and Dick, in particular, have both had multiple major retcons and revisions over the years, and some of them dramatically change how things happened.)

Like okay. Going backwards, you've got Duke who joined/led a whole Robin-based gang at a time when Bruce wasn't even Batman. You've got Damian and Cass, who were both literally born into the world of masks and capes and heroes and villains, so they weren't ever really not going to be part of it. Steph might have taken inspiration from previous heroes but she made her own identity and repeatedly refused to stop involving herself in the vigilante lifestyle. Tim, obviously, basically strong-armed Batman into letting him be Robin, despite Batman's protests.

Dick's a little more complicated just because there's so many versions, because that's what 80 years of comics and multiple universe reboots will do, and there's kind of a general trend that earlier pre-crisis versions were more of Batman being like "hello, child, would you like to be my sidekick" and later versions have leaned harder and harder into the idea that Dick was absolutely going to do this anyway, regardless of what Batman had to say about it. But even in the first post-crisis version, the flashback in Batman Year 3, Dick says he wants to find a way to keep people like that from hurting others again. When Alfred questions Bruce's offer to train him, Bruce says that Dick should learn to do things the right way if he's going to do it. It's not hard to extrapolate that, much like later versions of the origin story, Dick was going to get himself into this one way or another. (Batman (1940) #437)

And then there's Jason. Whose backstory has also had a lot of (sometimes major) revisions over the years (remember when his adoption was, like, some kind of Joker-originated long con? Fucken Nu52, man). But the original post-crisis version is pretty straightforward. Steals Batman's tires, gets caught and sent to Ma Gunn's Secret Criminal School, intervenes when Batman goes to investigate, immediately gets offered the chance to be Robin based entirely on that.

Which is itself kind of unhinged. That Bruce saw this kid who was living on his own stealing tires and went "Hey you would make a good Robin" as his very first instinct.

But if you've never read Jason's post-crisis origin, or it's been a while, it's honestly even more unhinged than that because that arc starts with Dick getting "fired" as Robin specifically for the reason that he got shot by Joker and Bruce freaked out about how the Robin identity has too many enemies and therefore Dick, a legal adult with approximately a decade of training and experience, should not use the identity anymore.

(And it's specifically about the Robin identity, in this version, because when Dick says he's not going to stop the crime fighting thing Bruce's response is basically "I know and I didn't expect you to". Honestly I could also say a lot about this version of the Robin/Nightwing transition vs. later ones and how this one definitely feels like the Heavy Hand of DC Editorial in the fact that they had no contact for so long afterwards, because the interaction really doesn't feel like it warrants that in this case compared to some later versions, but that's a whole other too-long ramble.) (Batman (1940) #408)

And then a few weeks later Bruce turns around and picks up a random kid, a literal child, and goes "Hey you would make a good Robin!"

And I think a lot about how fucking wild that is. And it's not like the people writing just didn't notice. Dick's big argument with Bruce when he finally comes back to Gotham and meets Jason isn't about the fact that Bruce took in another kid, or even necessarily about Dick feeling proprietary over the Robin identity, the thing he's angry about is that Bruce said it was too dangerous for him, an adult, someone who has trained with Batman for a decade and was already highly physically trained before that for his whole life, to be Robin, and now Bruce has turned around and painted that target onto some random new kid. He pushes, repeatedly, trying to get Bruce to justify himself and this absolutely irresponsible decision, and Bruce gives a lot of answers about how Jason was on a bad path and needed this outlet and eventually just admits that he missed having a partner. (Batman (1940) #416)

And like. Dick's right, is the thing. He is 1000% in the right in this argument. If he can't be Robin anymore because of the danger, how in the hell is it anything like a good idea to hand it over to someone way younger, way less trained, way less experienced, and expect that that wouldn't end in tragedy?

And then it did.

And yeah, Bruce, it is kinda a lot of your fault.

[boyfridged]

pls expand more on the rehabilitationist v abolitionist dispute comment!

as a preface of sorts: this post is written with marxist theory of criminology in mind, and i relate to many concepts that stem from it. i consider batman as a series to be one of the most politically inclined texts when it comes to superhero comics as a whole, so imo it is imperative that it introduces many different outlooks on the topic of jurisprudence. and it is an approach that used to be pretty popular.

btw. if anything is unclear in terms of theory –– ask.

okay so, to answer the question: there's so much that contributed to this stray thought, and i think i hinted at a lot of it before on this blog, but let me just dump some of my thoughts in a disorganized manner... (maybe one day i will write about it in a more coherent way):

batman as the title needs an actual genuine counterweight to bruce's worldview, one that does not target the no-kill rule. enough with the no-kill discourse, really, i think in many ways it's almost... a detail, and i think the fixation on that detail leads to watering down the whole dilemma. (especially that bruce did not always treat is as a complete dogma and i preferred it that way.) what is more interesting i believe, is that bruce is a rehabilitationist – despite his vigilante work, he is dedicated to the idea of the legal system being a viable solution to crime. and, what is even more important, in his mind, crime is equal to a moral failure. i talked about it at length in my post about eoc, but let me just copy the relevant fragment in here:

bruce, while obviously caring, is still bound by his belief in the legal system and deontological norms. he is benevolent, but he is also ultimately morally committed to the idea of a legal system and thus frames criminals as failing to meet these moral (legal-adjacent) standards (even when he recognizes it is a result of their circumstances). in other words, he might think that a criminal is a good person despite leading a life of crime.

and of course, criminals need to be "corrected" and rehabilitated in order to be able to function in society again. the deviant behavior has to be eliminated.

i don't doubt that at the time when it was introduced, bruce's rehabilitationist philosophy was a radical one when compared with the prevailing popularity of the concept of retributive justice. but in the year of our lord 2023? the view that you can simply "fix" the system by aiding it in some ways is not radical at all. the system in question was mostly built around sustaining that corruption as a goal. and there are (or used to be) some characters, like leslie, who are “vigilante-critical” (among others) because of that reason.

enter jay. jay is very much in a position that makes it clear that the law is not usually on the side of the poor and marginalized. of course, he is only an ~11 year old, so of course he has no language to express most of these worries; he probably does not know anything about the rehabilitationist vs retributive vs reperative justice in a theoretical sense anyway. i doubt he knows that abolition exists as a concept; he might be well-read, but probably not in these categories. but he has certain intuitions; intuitions that i already talked about in the earlier mentioned eoc post. and these intuitions are that crime does not define morality. he does not consider himself wrong for stealing; he is not conflicted about willis being a criminal and grieves him easily; there’s no word of him being resentful to dealers. he has his own idea of justice that seems to be very much affected by his trouble with authority, the intention behind the crime, and perceived harm (this is imo one of the reasons he takes issue with ma gunn specifically). i think this setup is something that could lead to him taking an abolitionist point of view later on, since he seems frustrated with the label of “crime.”

obviously, at this point, jason’s disinterest in crime as something to contempt is seen as a problem (both by the editorial and in-universe); a problem that has to be fixed. and within his tenure of robin, we see him “learning” to ascribe to bruce’s moral code; which makes sense, because he is a kid, and because he trusts bruce. and so, i think his perception in this period does shift to accommodate the rehabilitationist outlook.

the garzonas’ incident, jay’s growing cynicism at the end of his robin run, and the red hood era altogether might suggest that jason, disappointed in the limits of this approach actively takes to the retributive standpoint instead. it’s def true insofar that the writers are not politically educated enough to understand the nuance that (imo) should naturally arise in his storyline. for example: the particular caveat in garzonas’ case is the position of power that felipe occupies and that grants him immunity. bruce, naturally, looks for the ways to bring justice by exploring other legal paths to solve the issue. jay goes with it despite being visibly unhappy. and i think this gets us to the core of the issue which is power and the system– the fact that the system is simply built to make it difficult to incarnate the higher-ups. diplomatic immunity exists for a reason, sure, but the fact that it allows people to get away with wrong-doing is not a side-effect; it's the goal. and so, felipe garzonas cannot be deemed a criminal, but willis and even jay at age of 11 were. the pattern repeats when it comes to the joker, who later uses diplomatic immunity to exploit the role to continue fucking with bruce. so the issue is not that the system does not work. the issue is that the system was built not to work.

another tangent: of course, you may note that the concept of the separation of powers (the judge, the jury, and the executioner) that bruce is so fond of is supposed to remedy the problem of the abuse of power. and it is, without a doubt, something necessary within the democratic system. still, i believe jason quoting arendt explains why he doesn't care for it in the slightest; in the man who stopped laughing #8 jay says: “you familiar with hannah arendt’s concept of schreibtischtäter? desk murderers? it’s people who use the state to kill for them, so they don’t have to get their hands dirty. you should read up on it. i think you’d find it very relatable.” arendt's work emerged in a very specific context, but jay makes it into something more definitive; a trait of the penal system as a whole; you can bring as many people into the workings of the justice system as you want to; but ultimately, most of them will act in the interest of authority, without a second thought (this also explains why he considers that making decisions on who lives and dies yourself is better than blindly following the rule of law.) (<- btw it links very well with the idea of autonomy as a predisposition to be moral since you need it to be an active member of the society. anarchists such as wolff have written lots of that.)

i'd say all of this leads us to the point where jason has great potential to come to the conclusion that abolition is the way to go. the ones in power will not get punished within that framework anyway, and the ones at the "bottom" of the socioeconomic ladder remain victims of it. months, months ago i had anons arguing with me, saying that comicbook characters don't have to be so socially aware and that even people irl rarely are; and i am also willing to indulge the narrative and say that jason is terribly confused regarding it all for now, because of how his childhood went and as a result of his personal trauma. nevertheless, characters are often vessels for ideas, especially in titles like batman; and bruce, for example, is allowed to have a developed a sound ideology on jurisprudence. why not jason? especially that all the motivations are there; the setup is there too. that's just another great incentive to actually make use of his origin story.

an extra disclaimer is that abolition is not the answer to all and that it requires so many reforms on all levels... and i don't think jay would be satiated with the mere idea of restorative justice that usually accompanies it, because that still leaves us with the problem of those in power maintaining it and (in the fictional context) supervillains (who very often do occupy those spaces) prevailing... but you know. abolition is very compatible with general revolutionary principles. who says he can't kill in that name if retiring is not a way to go (though my preferred timeline would include retirement for jay at least for a while... but i digress!)

to conclude, i think it's a conflict much needed not just for the sake of any progression of batman in terms of philosophy, but also because the ways jason was initially introduced (even pre-crisis) suggested that he was supposed to grow to be critical of bruce even as robin, while being on good terms with him too. and that's definitely a kind of dispute that is much more productive and nuanced than just going back to the no-kill rule over and over and over again when the source of it is much more interesting.

i hope you got anything out of my rambling. i rest my case for now:)

[cologona]

If you won some sort of lottery contest and DC allowed you to write a comic run for any character, any topic, no limits, what would your comic be like?

What kinda plot and characters would you want to etch into official DC canon? (Or would you prefer to write an elseworlds kinda thing?)

-redhoodinternaldialectical from the "main" blog

Sorry it took a while to answer this, I got pretty carried away! Jason is my favorite character and the character I know most about, so of course I'd write about him. This is going to be pretty long winded and fanfic-y, hope you don’t mind!

First things first I’m making both UTRH and Lost Days mostly canon again. Jason was a crime lord who did Mean Crime Lord Things for a while and that’s what I’ve decided everyone is referring to when they gesture vaguely to his villainous past.

I’m also bringing back the original “big boob” backstory where Jason makes Bruce laugh on the anniversary of his parents’ death. Catherine was an opioid addict due to illness, Willis was the person who taught Jason about cars (and thus how to jack tires) and Faye Gunn is no longer Jason’s grandma. (I really disliked Ma Gunn’s “redemption” in RHATO.) Just in case, I’m also reiterating Sheila’s role in Jason’s death.

Here’s a few lines I came up with for the Todds:

Jason keeps the letters Willis sent him from prison - the ones Ma Gunn hid- in the same picture frame that holds his Robin graduation photo with Bruce. He loved and resented Willis in equal parts, but mostly he regrets not having gotten more time. It’s all the same with fathers.

Catherine is curled up in bed, her expression is half a grimace. She asks Jason, who is reading a picture-book by her side, to get her ‘medicine’ for her. Jason doesn’t know how else to help her feel better so… that’s exactly what he does. In a moment, he returns with a small heart shaped box and a cup of microwaved soup.

If I can imply in some way that Catherine is in denial about the possibility of her dying I’d like to do that too.

I’m also doing a total overhaul of the All-Caste.

Essence is getting proper Tibetan braids, Ducra is going to wear a khampa chuba instead of her current old coat, and the Acres-of-All are getting reimagined as a towering Ziggurat with all the murals, pillars, curtains, and ornate trim befitting a monastery! The All-caste of memory will be bright and fantastical, but the ruins of the present will be dark and spooky.

Some references for what I'm talking about.

I’m also reframing the “Absolute Evil” part of the All-blades’ description to be an epithet for the Untitled. The sword is not literally judging Goodness and Evilness anymore; now they cut through negative psychic energy Jujutsu Kaisen style. I don’t think I need to spell out a justification for Jason being able to summon them whenever, but for any sticklers I’ll just say it’s because Jason- like the Untitled- has a lot of bad feelings and trace amounts of Dionesium in his system (among assorted other chemicals.)

Since Lost Days is being brought back that means instead of spending an entire 3 years with the All-Caste, Jason only spent a few weeks with them during his world-wide training arc. Ostensibly because a little magic would give him an edge over Batman. Ducra wouldn’t normally just give away powerful magic weapons to any chump with a free weekend, and she knew Jason was dangerous, but since the All-Blades are so specific and the ritual to attain them nigh-unsurvivable she saw an opportunity to use Jason. Sure she's one of the Good Guys, but she's not called a conniving old witch for nothing hoohoo!

Now a few plot ideas for a vague overall mini-arc.

First, Jason goes to ugly lengths to protect or prevent consequences from finding one of his family. Maybe someone threatens their secret identity…? The ‘opponent’ should be someone innocent and/or noble but not easily bought or fought. Maybe Vicki Vale, another Hero, or some kind of wealthy heir. The point is to cast doubt on if Jason’s return to the Bats is really so unquestionably redeeming. Jason has pretty much chosen to betray his morals for them after all.

Then, Jason chooses not to kill a villain who shortly afterwards victimizes more people and skips town before he can get caught. Basically a rehash of Diplomat’s Son except the Garzonas figure gets away. It’s technically a win for Batman- his presence kept Gotham safe after all. But it doesn’t feel like a win, especially not to Jason.

And finally, Jason frames himself for various murders committed by victims against their abusers. Maybe kick the story off with one of Ma Gunn’s boys killing her and telling the cops it was Red Hood in a desperate bid to avoid jail.

Obviously Jason can’t be allowed to do this long-term. It’s a bad precedent to set, an obstruction of justice, etc… Jason hasn’t broken The Big Rule though, and Bruce can only act so sanctimonious when those same complaints could be are made about him as well. There’s no way this ends any other way than Batman running Red Hood out of Gotham again and they both know it, but neither deviates from the path set before them.

One or two “monster of the week” issues where Jason fights various assassins and bounty hunters sent by his more influential enemies might be good- one should occur right after the above story. A consequence for his “return to form” so to speak. Batfamily fans may appreciate a scene where Bruce says something indicating that he ran Jason out for his own safety as well as Gotham’s. Batman may be able to hide in Bruce Wayne’s skin during the day but Jason’s only identity is that of Red Hood, and at times that makes him vulnerable in a way other heroes aren’t. This + some panels contrasting the generic mercenary look of Jason’s guns and equipment with the Bats’ spandex future-tech will be great for showing how separate Jason is from the Bats.

Now while Jason’s out of Gotham again there’s this detail in one of RHATO’s flashbacks that I want to expand on- that being how he used to be able to summon a lot more All-blades.

Red Hood Outlaw 34

“I had a lot of soul back then” - implying that he has a lot less soul now…!?

Jason’s been through a lot, in life sure but also more recently. Fight scenes where the All-blades take the form of daggers would not only be cool and evocative of the wavy dagger Talia gifted him way back when, they’d be good visual sign of his declining emotional state.

Later on as his soul ‘shrinks’ further, I’d give him a pair of mystical guns through which he can channel his All-blades into bullets. If it’s another gift from Talia I’m thinking dark brass revolvers with paisley filigree and a red Endless Knot charm hanging from each handle. If they’re from Essence or S’aru I’m thinking black lacquer and silver cloud-patterned ornamentation, with red coral embedded on either side of the gun. Beautiful Bayonetta-style guns with glowing red veins and a cowboy flair!

antique guns which inspired me

As for what he’s using the All-blades (All-bullets?) for, I think it’d be fun to have Jason exorcising some ghosts. He can solve various murder mysteries, figure out why this place or that person is haunted, and get into fights with horrific otherworldly creatures. Jason is an interesting character to do this premise with because he might just determine that some some spirits should get their revenge, and act on behalf of a ghost rather than erasing it.

I’m not sure whether I’d want to have Essence join him or not… On one hand it only makes sense that Jason would help Isabel and Essence find a way to free themselves from the Blood Blade, and that goal would provide his character with some direction. Then again, Essence/Isabel could be cool as antagonists. Jason might see some ghosts as valid but Essence probably wouldn’t see any merit in appeasing manifestations of lingering resentment. She’s similar to him in that she also turned her back on her family, but she’s different in that she did it because she believed so wholeheartedly in their cause. She’s old and sort of a Jedi, but she’s hot-blooded and she’ll never not be Ducra’s daughter in the same way it seems Jason can never escape Batman’s shadow. I bet she has some real juicy sunk-cost fallacy type thinking too, that’d be fun to dig into.

Anyways I think this is a pretty good set-up to explore the politics/morality of forgiveness. What makes the difference between an injustice and a hatchet that ought to be buried? When is forgiveness empowering and when is it coerced? Who is it that must forgive? Justice vs Revenge, that whole kind of thing.

Other than the supernatural stuff I want Jason working with Talia, and I’m reintroducing Sasha to the post-52 continuity. Duela is getting nixed.

I don’t really have any specific plot ideas for Talia, but I would like to establish Jason as one of her associates. With Lost Days back they have basis for an actual relationship again. They’re not always on the same side but Jason can sometimes do tasks for Talia (outside the purview of Ra’s and the LOA), and Talia can occasionally support Jason with various social power-play type moves.

An instance of Jason getting into a fight with one of the Bats because he’s doing a favor for Talia would be great! I wouldn't write Talia as an evil evil bad horrible dragon lady, so it shouldn’t be a huge blow to Jason’s status as a Good Guy. Also I like the idea of Jason and Talia’s relationship mostly being inferred through their actions supporting one another, rather than directly showing much ‘on-screen’ interaction between them.

Also it’ll be interesting to go into Bruce, Dick, and Damian’s reaction to finding out that they’re not the only ones Jason is loyal to. Bruce thinking Talia was a bad influence on Jason (like fanon), silently frustrated because what he really wants is for Jason to be a full Bat-Believer (like the good old days…). Dick being fine with Jason never falling fully in-line with Bruce, provided that at the end of the day his loyalty belonged to his family.

-brief topical detour to talk about Sasha-

The new timeline of events is that Jason and Sasha met as fellow patients while Jason was in his Vague Villain era. They escaped the hospital building together (Sasha in her bloody dress, and Jason naked save for his skimpy hospital gown dhoti) and having no one else they stuck together. They got close but at some point Sasha lost her memories, giving her a chance at a fresh start. This was around the same time Jason “redeemed” himself and so just like Max Dawkins, ‘Numbers’, and Gabby Christiensen -Sasha became another person from Jason’s past that he didn’t let himself have a relationship with.

Sasha was just old enough that she didn’t have to be sent into foster care, so with some help from Wayne Foundations she got her GED and her feet underneath her. Now… she goes to work, goes to her physical therapy appointments, fights with her mother over the phone, and yes- sometimes she goes to the club.

The new Sasha still has spiky red hair but her face looks entirely normal save for a subtle scar tracing around her jawline and chin- the edges of where her mask used to sit. She wears dark makeup and even darker clothes. She’s prone to false memories and dissociation. She’s lost most of her ability to feel pain. She can’t watch certain shows she used to love anymore because they trigger her. She never returned to Russia. She doesn’t have many friends.

Since this is comics, her reintroduction will come by way of a dramatic fight. Sasha will regain her memories one day and show up out of the blue to fight Jason, angry and heartbroken that he abandoned her. He tries to explain himself but she just says look what they did to my face, referring to the facial reconstructive surgery she was given while amnesiac. She’ll be difficult to fight, not only because being a partial Dollotron gives her enhanced strength but also because she’s being reckless and the longer they fight the more strain and damage her body accrues.

After Jason apologizes and they reconcile (they will both cry) Sasha can become a recurring side character that Jason visits, keeping him grounded and up to date with Gotham. I think it'd be cute for her to bid him farewell by saying she’ll hold the city hostage until he comes back. (Is Sasha going to become Jason’s love interest? No. If I give Jason a love interest it’s going to be Numbers.)

--Going back to the previous topic, I want Sasha’s return to be part of this greater arc of Jason addressing his "shrinking soul" problem. My brain is a little fried now so I’m not exactly sure how but she is related. I think she ought to be.

Jason wants Bruce to be right. He would like for his problem to be fixed by going home and saying sorry. But at the end of my run I want him to face the reality that it’s not about that.

...Perhaps it should be about Jason 'abandoning' Gotham? I don’t really want the final thesis of my run to imply that Jason’s soul would just be fixed if he killed Rogues though, and Jason always came back whenever a big disaster was happening so it doesn't quite fit anyways… Jason does believe in the value of “pure” heroes it’s just not what he’s supposed to be. Whatever his problem's “about” , it ought to prompt Jason to stop taking Bruce’s shit. I'm saying the man is literally breaking Jason's spirit.

I’m sympathetic to Bruce but I wouldn’t write him as a nice father. I would also have scene where a younger Bat accuses Jason of being overdramatic despite 'not even having it the worst’. I don't know who 'has it the worst' but I want to make a statement that you don't need to win the pain-race to be fed up.

Ah anyways, now my brain is really fried. I hope this post was coherent all the way through, I neglected to edit and organize my thoughts as much towards the end. Thank you for asking me such a great question, I had a lot of fun thinking about it! :D

[midwestmade29]

Highest Bidder 💸

I wrote this one because I'm missing a certain cowboy and I'm anxiously awaiting his return 🥺 I am considering writing a continuation, but I'd love to know what you guys think! If you'd like more with this story, please let me know 🖤

Word count: 1.9k Divider by: @firefly-graphics GIF credit: @lonelyvampx

Disclaimers: None! Pure fiction, pure fluff! 🙂

This story is written from the POV of Hangman Adam Page 🤠

When Hangman's original arrangement changes, it ends up working out for the better...

I’m not totally sure how I let the chairman of the AEW charity foundation talk me into doing this, but here I am. Pacing back and forth behind the curtain waiting for the emcee to call us all out on stage, trying to down my glass of whiskey in hopes it’ll calm my nerves. When they first asked me to be a part of this live charity auction, I laughed in their face before realizing they were serious. 

“All you have to do is show up, look handsome and stand on stage while we auction off a one-time date night with you. All the money will go to our foundation. Come on Page, one night with some young lady in exchange for money for charity! Please say you’ll do it,”

Loud applause and high-pitched whistling brought me out of my thoughts, a voice speaking entirely too loudly blasting through the speakers as they introduced the auction.

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Our live auction! Trust me, you’re not going to want to miss the lineup we have for you all tonight. Let’s bring em’ out,”

All 13 of us walked on stage in a single file line, every pair of eyes from the audience on us as we took our seats. I had been given the number 7, so there were 6 others ahead of me which meant I had to sit and be patient until it was my turn to get this over with. 

Each of the guys before me were getting decent bids from pretty nice-looking ladies. That is, everyone except for Austin Gunn. Poor sap ended up with a 70 something year old lady on his arm! She did seem spunky and fun despite her age. There were still a couple of guys ahead of me when my mind started to drift onto other things like whiskey and where I could get some. I must’ve zoned out longer than I thought when I heard the emcee make a joke at my expense.

“Well, it would appear that our cowboy is a little hard of hearing, but don’t let that stop you from bidding!” he teased. Seriously, where did they find this guy? “Come on up lucky number 7 and introduce yourself to everyone,”

I begrudgingly put one boot in front of the other until I was at the end of the catwalk standing next to the jackass emcee. I gave him a glare before taking the microphone from him and turning on my charm. 

“Good evening, everyone,” I greeted into the microphone.

A wave of flirty giggles and whispers went through the crowd before I continued my introduction.

“I’m Hangman Adam Page. An anxious millennial cowboy that likes whiskey and horses. I can’t do a cartwheel for shit, and I once tried to buy an upside-down frozen yogurt shop. Please be kind with your bids, remember this is all for charity,” 

All eyes were on me as some waited on the auctioneer to start and others trying to figure out if what I just said was true or not. The ones that really know anything about me got the joke.

The auctioneer started the opening bid at $50 causing the entire room to hold up their auction paddles. My eyes grew large as he continued raising the amount, more than half the room was still bidding even when he got up to $1,000. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but so far, I’m bringing in the biggest amount of the evening.

When the auctioneer slammed his gavel down, a date night with me had officially been sold for $1,300! I was handed a rose to give to the winner after they walked up on stage. Loud applause roared through the room as a tall blonde woman walked up the steps and embraced me tightly, making me stumble backwards a little from the sudden impact.

She held me close for entirely too long, whispering in my ear, “Hi cowboy, it’s nice to meet you. We’re going to have fun together; I just know it. One of my favorite songs is Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy after all,”

I cringed and handed her the rose, the woman then kissed my cheek and winked before making her way back to her table. At this point I’d gladly trade this lady for Austin’s 70-year-old date.

As I walked backstage, I repeated, “This is for charity. This is for charity,” in my head several times while my eyes searched the area for the cocktail cart. No bottle of whiskey was going to be safe from me tonight.

It was now Friday, the day I had been wishing that time would somehow forget, but no such luck. I was sitting at the table AEW had reserved for myself and the auction winner, swirling the ice around in my whiskey glass while I waited on my date to show up.

She was able to pick the location for our date after offering the chairman of the foundation an extra $300 to do so. Apparently, money was her thing but punctuality was not when I looked at my watch and noticed she was 10 minutes late. Although, I can’t say I’d be too upset if she forgot about it or changed her mind.

Just as I placed another drink order with the waiter, I noticed the hostess walking towards the table with some girl I’d never seen before trailing behind her.

“Here you go miss,” the hostess smiled as she pulled out the girl’s chair for her. “Enjoy,” She walked away before I could say anything. 

The girl and I sat in silence for a few moments just looking back and forth at each other. I decided to speak up after the waiter brought me my drink. 

“Um, I don’t mean to sound rude, but you have the wrong table. I’m actually waiting for someone else to arrive, so before this gets any more awkward, let me flag the hostess down,”

“That won’t be necessary, because I am your date,” the girl replied, absolutely certain of herself. 

I scoffed slightly at her remark before offering my rebuttal, “No, the woman I’m expecting is tall, blonde, and far older than either of us. She won an auction and if I remember correctly, she doesn’t look a thing like you,”

My poor choice of words made the girl’s face fall, but she recovered quickly. 

“Well, Mr. Page, while I may not be the blonde you were expecting, I am indeed your date for tonight. The auction winner is a friend of my mother’s, and she came down with the flu, so she had me come in her place. I’m starting to question her sanity though for having bid so much money to spend an evening with you and your silver tongue. I’m Y/N by the way. It’s lovely to meet you,” 

It's been a long time since someone has put me in my place like this, and that’s exactly what the little spitfire sitting across from me did. I can’t say that I’m mad about it either. 

“I’m sorry, I was raised better than to treat a lady like that. If I can be honest with you, I really wasn’t looking forward to having this date with your mother’s friend. She’s rather-”

“Flirty? Promiscuous? Bold?” Y/N interrupted.

“Yes, definitely,” I chuckled. “I only did the auction because it was for a good cause. Your mom’s friend got to choose the location of our date, and this isn’t really my scene. I don’t think her and I would’ve had much in common anyways,”

Y/N sat and thought over my confession for a moment, and I took the time to sit and get a good look at her. She had dark hair with light eyes, I could tell she was on the shorter side when she walked up with the hostess. She had to be about my age, possibly a year or two younger but something about her told me that she has an old soul. My attention was focused on her full, pink lips when she started to speak again.

“I see. And what exactly is your scene, cowboy? The rodeo? Or perhaps sitting around a campfire and howling at the moon?” she teased. After my little mistake earlier, she knew she had the upper hand here and was taking full advantage of it.

“A rodeo? Never been to one. Howling at the moon? Now that’s actually therapeutic,” I quipped, earning a bright smile from Y/N in return.

The sound of her laugh made me feel like a million bucks, something inside of me urged me to make her do it again. Before I had the chance, our waiter came to the table to check in. Y/N surprised me when she told them that we wouldn’t be placing an order, and we were ready for the check. 

While we sat and waited for the waiter to return with my credit card, I was a little sad that Y/N was cutting the evening short. She surprised me again when she asked her next question.

“Do you um, want to go get a burger or something? Fancy places like this aren’t really my scene either. I know a great place not far from here if you’d like to go. I’ll even throw in a howl or two at the moon if that’ll help seal the deal,”

“Okay, you weren’t kidding. This really is a great burger,” I praised as I took another bite.

Y/N really knows her stuff! When we were both finished, it was my turn to show off a little bit too. The last time AEW was here for Dynamite, I needed a quiet place to get away and breathe. The hustle and bustle at the arena had really gotten to me that night, so I was on the hunt for some place I could think and clear my head, and that lead me here. A small park on the outskirts of town where the only thing around was the blanket of stars above and the sound of nature in the background. 

For the third time tonight Y/N surprised me when she agreed to come here with me. She doesn’t know me and got thrown into this date mess just like I did, but she still wanted to come. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many stars around here before! It’s amazing how many there really are when you’re not surrounded by city lights,” Y/N said in awe as she looked up at the sky. 

“It’s good to step away from all the noise and brightness from time to time. Back home I like to saddle up and ride a horse out to the meadow and stargaze there. Talk about amazing,” I gushed.

We fell into a comfortable silence until I saw Y/N shiver. “You cold? Here, you can have my jacket,” 

Y/N stopped me before I had it all the way off. “Um, actually we should probably get going. I believe my mom’s friend only paid for a couple hours with you at the auction, I’d hate to take up any more of your time,” she suggested as she stood up. “If you tell me where you’re staying, I can give you a ride there if you’d like,”

I felt a tinge of something when I saw Y/N walk back to her car. Oddly enough, the night that I was dreading all along actually turned out to be pretty amazing. I hated to see it end. There was something about this girl that captivated me in the short amount of time we had spent together, so I had to think fast and figure out a way to see her again.

[justafriendofxanders]

Been mulling over this, and I think I would have enjoyed watching the s5 Fred plotline swap Wes and Gunn's places. Like (and idk if this is controversial or not) but I actually found that Wesley's unrequited crush on Fred made him sympathetic and interesting, but only when those feelings were unrequited. Like it could be sweet, but you could also see that ways in which he could never really see her because of this crush. And that was interesting to me! That the more he loved her, the farther she got from him, and also that Wes seemed to have made peace with the fact that she'd never reciprocate romantic feelings for him. Y'know, your classic chaste knight trope.

If Fred HAD to die in s5 to make way for Illyria, I would have preferred the season being about Fred and Gunn dancing around starting a relationship again. It could explore how both of them have been dealing with their fallout since s4, which always had bigger issues for them to deal with than their relationship. Imagine if they were the will-they-won't-they of s5! If they were the drunk flirty couple in Life of the Party, and they made each laugh and fell back into a comfortable groove together until someone wondered aloud why they broke up in the first place, and then they remembered and everyone got awkward about it. Anyways, they'd eventually talk through their issues and be making tortured eyes at each other during meetings until Fred finally made a move on Gunn like she does with Wes, and they'd realize they loved each other just before Fred gets infected.

It would still have some of the same tragic themes of canon Fred/Wes (relationship that never got enough time), but it would give more resolution to the Fred/Gunn storyline we've been following. Also it would give Fred something more to... talk about? And reflect on? As she awaited her impending death? Like she doesn't spend enough time in a relationship with Wes to feel that loss the same way he does, but with Gunn, there's more that SHE can comment on wrt the loss of their relationship and the roles they played in each other's lives. Also if her parents have to come back later in the season ignorant of her death, maybe they're out of town and there's a part where she tries to write them a letter or something. Something that explores more of her feelings on the situation. Maybe it follows up on the avoidant feelings she feels in Fredless or the helplessness she feels in Supersymmetry. Pick your poison!

And! Instead of Fred's death being indirectly Gunn's fault, I think it'd be interesting if it was indirectly Wesley's -- like if Fred was doing something clearly dangerous and Wes tried to protest, and she'd pull the "Oh, but little ol' me? 🥺" act and Wes would fall for it hook, line, and sinker. So, like the Gunn situation, not really his FAULT but definitely something he could beat himself up over. To make it fit with the themes of s5 better, you'd probably flavor it "corruption by working under W&H" somehow. Like if, idk, part of Fred convincing Wes was both of them agreeing they needed to do questionable science things in order to do good.

Anyways, this also gives Gunn an excuse to go after Wesley in a reversal of canon. There's this comment by JAR on how Gunn holds himself to such a high standard and how he sees s5 Gunn as just being exhausted by trying so hard all the time, so he ends up taking shortcuts. I feel like having Fred's death be an emotional turning point could keep those same themes while reframing them. Like if Gunn spent the first half of the season desperately trying to hang onto the group's original values, even when it hindered them, and the frustration he'd feel at the perception that OTHER people's failures had cost Fred her life. Of course he'd get pissed! Going after Wes would be Gunn's moral "failure" in the season, the point where he abandons his values because he feels like all that hard work and self-restraint has been for nothing.

I feel like this has a better flow for Gunn and Wesley's character arcs in general and specifically while working for W&H -- W&H corrupts Wes by furthering his renegade, "If you try not to get anybody killed, you end up getting everybody killed" thing, while it exacerbates Gunn's need to be in control of a situation/himself, lest he lose another person he loves.

On the Fred front (again, working on the assumption that Fred must be Illyria'd in this season), I wish her death was partially because of actions SHE'D taken. Like if she'd gotten Gunn's arc, where she struggles to feel useful and becomes fearful of "losing" what she brings to the table, so she does something risky like trying to bring back Illyria to try and gain its knowledge. I feel like it could bring together themes of her episodes in s3 and 4 -- the struggle to feel like she belongs in Fredless, and the fight to reclaim agency/control in Supersymmetry.

Idk! I guess what I'm saying is that I would've liked seeing everyone be a slightly more active participant in their own tragedy. I think there's a way in which Fred herself becomes symbolic of AI's innocence in s5 (and her death the subsequent loss of it), rather than that "innocence" being something everyone's capable of losing or failing.

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

I Am All In Rewatch - Episode 2x4

Well, you know, I'm in a bad mood, right? I'm in a bad mood. I lost my woman and I'm taking it out on poor Sean Gunn. Who's actually giving me a lot of business, but wait a minute, these are free refills. Right. I don't think he's paying for them....[And then you had your pivotal moment, at least in my mind where we got to see a different side of you and you sparked up and you were like sweet and not grumpy. And just really happy, Like, oh my gosh. And you gave him as many free cups of coffee as he wanted. Yeah. It was really nice thing. You just like totally changed. I loved it. Then I wanted you with her. Like, I was like, I'm all in for her. And that's what I'm all about.]...Right. She'll keep. Cause I said, I'll come in the morning and move it or I'll move it now I'll get it out of the yard. And I, yeah, I didn't move it. And I, I hit myself in the head like, oh, I'm sorry. You had to come back and see that. And the reminder of what could have been with Max and the whole thing. So he was being very self-deprecating I guess at that point...Yeah, it was, you know, it's good writing. What can you say? We just, we just try not to screw up the lines and not run into the furniture. Right?....Right. She comes in. Yeah. She finally comes in and there's that scene. Yeah. It's very nice. Yeah, it was, it was a nice, it was a nice tender scene between those two where, you know, the feelings are very raw and he's very relieved and he's feeling like he's feeling lucky. You know? I don't think he feels lucky a lot. Like he dodged, I think it's one of those moments where he, you know, he was, he, he didn't want to admit to himself how devastated he was, but once she's back on the market, he's like so happy. So relieved. Cause he's got maybe another shot..I don't even remember filming these scenes. I do not remember filming this stuff. It's like you work, you know, you work so often and you're working your short-term memory. Right. And cause you have to right, you got to clear out the junk to be able to retain the new stuff the next day that you don't, I don't remember any of this shooting, any of this stuff and I'm watching it like, is that really me? I, so it's, it's an odd experience. I mean it's, it's of kind of great because it's so far removed from what had happened. That I'm not sort of, you know, I'm not so hypercritical of it as I normally would be, but, but thank you for your kind words it's they were, I, you know, there were all nice scenes to shoot with Lauren. They were all tender and nice and you know, fraught with tension, fraught with love and know it was, it's very nice. Very nice experience. -Scott 

[jayladfanpage]

Thank you so much for your insights, they are lovely and so so helpful, sending so many many hearts to you. you are absolutely lovely, this is an emoticon of me holding those hearts.

❤️❤️❤️╰⁠(⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠´⁠꒳⁠`⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠) <{for u!}

I think I'll have to also pick what Robin Jason I am portraying since I'm very partial to Barr's run. Is it early Robin Jay? Is it 14-15 and his life is tumbling, he's more disillusioned than ever and 'secure' (don't know if that's the right word, basically more prone) enough to lash out to him. As you said, early post-crisis Jason has such deep trust in Bruce. How he got into Bruce's car just after the whole Ma gunn's plotline, and the 'Robin? Robin.' panel! That inherent trust in Bruce is so important. And the deconstruction of it and Bruce's adherence to a legal system + institutionalised justice is also so imp for a older Robin Jason.

Still. He'll trust him so much. That's important.

Thank you sm for your comments!! again!! RH is still a headache for me I think due to lack of reading haha. Lost Days + UTRH + Countdown to final Crisis are my current basis and I think I might be a little soft in my interpretation of him. Also! You're so right about the moral compass thing! I am now thinking morso on the lines of 'his morality is not dictated by a dogma but just whatever feelings he has.' so it's like more arbitrary than Bruce's impartial code and embedded in relationships, societal standings, his view of the world etc etc

I don't think that's ever changed even since childhood but his execution of it is currently also affected by grief, immense pain and so much more. Which doesn't make him wrong, but it doesn't make him right.

But yeah! I think I do go a little softer in my interpretation of 'Mr. 8 heads in a dufflebag' to a certain extent, I'm really happy I realised that! I'd love to make him more rounded with the atrocities he commits haha. He's a bleeding open wound! A flood of emotions! He's so open about it, he takes the lump in his throat and throws it into the fire for everyone to witness! I have to acknowledge that! He thinks he's right! Thank you for all those comments! Feel free to add anything more! Thank you so much for your suggestions and time!

— ヾ⁠(⁠*⁠’⁠Ｏ⁠’⁠*⁠)⁠/

Thank you for all the hearts!! I will treasure them :)

If you want to base your Robin mostly on Barr's run, I'd recommend going younger? Barr and Starlin were writing Robin Jason at pretty much the same time, but Starlin's feels older and heavier than Barr's run. So if you're going for sweet baby Jay i'd wager like 13 is a good age (which would be exactly 10 years in the past for Red Hood Jason! He's canonically 23 right now!) But older Jaybin would be more angst forward, and Red Hood would see all the things 15yo Jaybin is doing that will eventually lead to all the horrible things that happen to him. Up to what you want to achieve, really!

That thing about Jason's morality being based on his feelings is PERFECT! He's a deeply, deeply emotional person, and absolutely cannot view real life without the rose-colored glasses of his trauma and what he thinks is righteous anger.

You are very kind and it was/is a delight to help you!!! I would love to read the finished fic whenever you do post it (you're not forced to send it to me of course, I'm just saying this because I adore time travel AUs)

[jupitermelichios]

my dc movies hot take is that the green lanterns should get split into essentially home and away teams for the new universe, with John being the GL who appears in league stuff, and Jess and Guy being the lanterns appearing in any green lantern stand-alone movies

this is primarily because when John gets adapted to other media his defining character trait is always that he's the competant one, and that's very useful in a team story, but makes a shit protagonist for an origin story, and people are not familiar enough with the lanterns to skip the origin story movie

my pitch for the GL solo movie would be that it's about Jess getting called up after the deaths of hal and kyle in a 'nobody wants to talk about it' pre-movie disaster. guy is assigned to mentor her but is initially fucking awful at it because he's massively traumatised from hal and kyle's deaths.

(jess is absolutely tailor made for origin 'coming into her power' type storylines, and guy is both mentor shaped and the most capable of starting the movie as a grumpy kind of agressive mess and then actually working through that without either end of the character arc feeling ooc. i'm just fully haymitch abernathy-ing this man because i know he can take it)

over the course of the movie, jess will slowly uncover the truth that the disaster in question involved hal going paralax (this would not be widely known - most people on oa think hal died fighting paralax, and only guy knows that actually hal got possessed by paralax and him and kyle had to kill him before he blew up the planet or whatever), and also he's not actually dead he's coming back to try it again, but no one will believe her, except guy, so they both have to work through some stuff to build a solid working relationship and defeat paralax and save the world

i honestly don't really care if you save hal at the end of the movie or permakill him, i think you could give either pretty good emotional resonance, but personally I think you save him, and have him basically fuck off in self imposed exile to star in an animated series for a couple of seasons

(kyle probably just stays dead, tbh, and simon never appears, because there's a limited number of human GLs you can fit into the smaller scale of a movie universe, so someone's got to go. if you really can't resist including kyle, the injustice-verse gives us precedent for a recently evil hal being haunted by the ghost of a GL corps member, so he could just follow hal around in his animated series as a ghost forcing him to talk about his feelings, he'd probably be quite good at that)

anyway marvel continue to refuse to hire me despite me making multiple posts on tumblr.com about how good i'd be at writing marvel movies, so i guess this is my pitch to dc. james gunn i know you're reading this you can have this concept for free if you promise to make a we are robin movie

[danwhobrowses]

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 - Quickfire Review

Finally. It's been longer than intended for me to watch this movie, I should've been writing this last week but I had the completely baffling scenario where the cinema people came in and say they 'didn't have the feature'. But finally I went and watched it so here are my quick thoughts on the matter.

Spoilers for the Movie

So I unsurprisingly enjoyed this a lot, I wouldn't say it's the best Guardians film, I think the first still sneaks the top spot, but they are all hits and it's the best MCU film since No Way Home.

I was quite surprised with a lot of things, but Rocket being on death's door for two thirds of the film was the most unexpected, paired with no character dying. I'm not too mad about the latter mind you, it was just surprising.

I read a non-spoiler review though that said that Adam Warlock wasn't in it enough, and while I can see why people may think that, I thought the limited time he had worked in his favour. The infant-like mentality - set up by the Sovereign saying he was awakened early - did add to the comedy and he was never gonna be comic accurate given that Vision stole his whole Infinity Stone shtick. While him joining the new Guardians made sense, I will say that Phyla-Vell felt a little thrown in there though but it was just a mid-credits scene so it won't mean that much.

The High Evolutionary is great though, like pure maniacal god complex, which helps to stand out against other MCU villains who often get painted with a layer of sympathy or manipulation. Chukwudi Iwuji depicted the role brilliantly and if Marvel do get put in a corner with Kang they can easily slot him into the role. For new side characters I also felt that all of Rocket's old buddies did well, Linda Cardellini especially as Lylla.

The plot itself was very emotive, centering mainly around Peter and Rocket being haunted by their past (the former having to also confront Gamora during it all), and Nebula's struggle to express herself. While this did leave Drax, Mantis and Groot to mainly hover around the side, and Cosmo and Kraglin to hover wayyyy far back over the side. Rocket's backstory though is brutal, and Peter's development towards acceptance and seeking out his family on earth was a solid payoff. I do especially like that neither of the daughters of Thanos ended up with Peter at the end, Gamora found her home in the Ravagers yes but she took home some lessons from the Guardians, and Nebula and Peter would've felt a little forced.

While the Guardians splitting at the end makes sense, and Drax getting some respect as a parental figure was nice, I do feel like Mantis going alone was perhaps the most bitter of the group going their separate ways, I enjoyed her character but she wasn't given a lot of substance, and I feel she was a little depowered here compared to when she sedated Ego and Thanos in previous movies. I hope at the least given how Star Lord will at least return that the Guardians will reunite once more, even if it's for another Holiday Special.

Also can't talk about Guardians without the music, and it's quite good, I suppose it's the quality you expect from the film after so many movies. Starting with Creep was a unique call, but I did enjoy them using Dog Days Are Over for the final scenes of the movie. Since You've Been Gone by Rainbow always puts me in a good mood though, mainly because of the Pot Noodle commercial that used the song.

I could probably dig into it more, but this is meant to be 'quickfire' and this is the eighth paragraph so in conclusion, really good movie, it has emotional weight and comedy, its focus on animal cruelty does make you pensive, the new characters were fun, and the conclusion will leave you content but also hopeful, despite Gunn setting sights on rebooting the DC universe, to see the group again.

[queer-whatchamacallit]

This could 100% be similar to other peoples’ ideas, but I propose a ghosts high school au in which the inhabitants of button house are part of a history club

They’re all really passionate about learning about their specific time period, and considering me, who’d have guessed that I’m saying it’s a special interest for some of them

Robin, Mary, Humphrey, Kitty, Thomas, and Fanny are all seniors, Captain, Pat, and Julian are juniors, and Allison is a freshman

Aside from Julian, Fanny, and Pat, people think the group is kind of weird, so they don’t really interact with them a lot

Allison and Mike have been dating since like 7th grade and they both just moved to this school from the smaller of the two middle schools on the other side of town

Mike isn’t in the club, but loves hearing about their shenanigans

Their full names are Robin Stone, Mary Vernon, Humphrey Bone, Kitty Bellamy, Thomas Thorne, Steph Button, Laurie or Captain Gunn (everyone is missing out on the comedic genius of giving Cap the surname Gunn), Pat Butcher, and Jules Fawcett (I stole a couple of these from here: https://images.app.goo.gl/52CwxSMMdEnXi2mMA )

Some headcanons about the crew:

Robin started the club

He originally called it the paleontology club and started it with his brother who graduated

After this, he and Mary who were already friends made it into a history club where she added her knowledge of Middle Ages and the witch trials

Mary is pyrophobic and Robin can be something of a pyromaniac

People should really know not to date Thomas by now

He will write you poems, but he will also be the most overbearing guy you have ever seen

Captain’s pretty much grown up around army people, so his interest in history probably started the earliest of everyone

From kindergarten to now, he could often be seen reading something about ww2 or the army

Mary, Humphrey, Pat, and Captain are autistic (I go back and forth on everyone else lmao)

Only Humphrey is diagnosed

Mary wears eye makeup, but she always forgets and rubs her eyes, smudging it all over her face

Humphrey has severe dyspraxia

For several years now, Captain has not been seen without a fidget toy in hand for longer than 10 minutes

Thomas keeps a note book in the breast pocket of his button up

Mary’s other special interest is Mori kei, cooking, and various crafty stuff

Julian is infamous for the time him and several other students were caught having sex together on school grounds and got suspended

Fanny’s on the speech and debate team and she’s in triple advanced math

Robin’s actually really good with people and strategy type stuff, but he’s never been good at school

Robin’s favorite class is astronomy

Allison is Fanny’s 2nd cousin in law

Cap and Fanny grew up in really stifling, high-pressure environments, and can sometimes have trouble understanding the perspectives of those who didn’t

They sort of bonded over this shared experience

Even if Kitty’s older than him, Captain sometimes takes a sort of mentor role with her because her parents never really let her learn how to do things and he’s very street smart

They don’t really have a club leader, but Pat tends to run activities and Cap coordinates keeping the club alive and raising funds for their yearly after school field trip to the local museum

Thomas and Humphrey are on the soccer team

[omegawhiskers]

Collision 29/10/23

A Classic Main Event

A lot of people thought MJF vs. Kenny Omega for the main event of Collision should of been kept for a PPV, but MJF was going to surpass Omega as the longest-reigning World Champion, so you have to do this match or it makes Kenny seem like a chump who doesn't value his title reign. I was reserved because I thought the The Man in the Devil Mask, Samoa Joe or Bullet Club Gold would get involved, leading to a DQ. This didn't happen. Instead, we got a match that will go down as a classic. Before I jump into the main event, let me share my thoughts on the rest of the show.

We got decent contest between AR Fox and Jay White, despite how I feel about both wrestlers. Fox has had many stop/starts and I feel they dropped the ball when they turned him heel and then back to face. This is meant to be his redemption arc, but it doesn't feel like a redemption story to me.

I feel White has been overshadowed by Juice Robinson. Also, with all the targets on MJF's back, Jay feels a bit lost in the shuffle.

Fox showed off some great aerial offense in this match, but it was not enough as Jay won with the switchblade. MJF tried to steal his belt back but failed.

The Bullet Club Gold stuck around as The Gunns squashed Brandon and Brent (The Boy's). I guess this is to give them more momentum when they wrestle for the ROH Tag Team Titles. There were quite a number of squash matches tonight.

The ROH World Television Title was on the line as Joe finished Rhett Titus off with the Coquina Clutch, in a short and dominant bout.

It turns out that Bryan Danielson has a shoot broken orbital bone and will be out for the rest of the year. Claudio Castagnoli is not happy about this and vows to avenge his BCC teammate by beating the shit of out Orange Cassidy and Kazuchika Okada.

Claudio comes to the ring fired up and easily defeats Tracy Williams. I like this side of Claudio, and now he has a mission over the next few weeks.

Ryan Nemeth knocked on CJ Perry's door. I really like Ryan and I do hope Dolph signs and tags with his brother. Unfortunately, Ryan doesn't get to speak with Perry as Miro answers the door and beats him down behind closed doors. Did Miro stick her name on the door just so he could beat up whoever knocks?

The AEW Women's World Title was on the line in a Fright Night Fight as Hikaru Shida defended her title against Abadon. This may have been one of the worst matches I've seen in a while, and that's disappointing to write. Shida is great (I loved her Ada Wong costume), but this week just hasn't been good for her. This match was slow, long and just unimaginative. Toni Storm came out post-match to flaunt. I think it's clear that Shida is keeping the belt warm for Storm.

Ricky Starks and Dax Harwood had a great match. During their bout the lights went out, and The House of Black appeared in the crowd. Dax gave Starks a sickening piledriver. Ricky returned the favour with his own piledriver to pick up the victory. This was a bizarre ending because Ricky just kicked out of the same move moments earlier. There was a post-match brawl as The House of Black came to the ring, but La Faccion Ingobernable came to save the day. I didn't think expect them to be faces, but I'm glad they are.

The story also progresses with Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale, and Skye Blue. Kris and Willow try to get answers from Blue, but she blows them off.

At this point, Collision as whole was mediocre, thanks to the main event, this was about to become a top tier episode.

Omega hit the ring with Bret Hart inspired gear. Excellent choice by The Cleaner.

MJF would start with his strut, ‘’sportsmanship’’ chant, followed by a poke to the eye and a loud cheer from the crowd. Omega got the upper hand when he tossed MJF out of the ring followed with a dive over the top rope. Max would deliver with his own drive over the top rope striking Omega on the outside. A fantastic set of moves were traded back and forth. If things weren’t crazy enough, MJF received and snapdragon suplex on the side of the ring, followed by Omega sending MJF threw a table.

Both men traded insane move, after insane move, after insane move, and I was starting to think this was going to end in a time limit draw or a TKO.

At one point Don Callis came out with a screw driver in hand but that didn’t slow Omega down as I really thought he was going to win title, but MJF would end up getting the clean victory with the heat seeker. Callis coming out was the only criticism I had of this match; he just didn't add anything.

This may have been one of MJF's best match to date. I think these two worked on another level here. Next year I would love to see another Max/Omega match.

[elrondhalfelven]

Thoughts on Rocket’s origin stories? I mean the OG, the 2012/13 retcon, the Cates run and the film ofc (Telltale and SE optional)

oh man rocket’s backstories is kind of a whole mess. i probably need to gather my thoughts more but fuck it and i’m also mainly going from memory so feel free (all of you!!!) to correct me if i get stuff wrong! i wouldn’t say i’m a rocket expert and i’m mainly just going to ramble.

comics first. the og is absolutely batshit insane. ranger rocket and clowns and asylums. it’s bananas. once rocket made his Grand Return in a:c and gotg 2008 it’s also… never really referenced again right? except for his brief stint in the annihilators post 2008 run. i think it’s unique but equally i can understand why they would want to ground it more (as much as a talking raccoon can be grounded) as gotg went on. it’s also why peter’s earlier adventures have been brushed to the side, but i think it’s notable that ewing is the guy who brought both of these aspects back in a way (more on strange tales in a minute!).

the young series was yeah. idk. blackjack and rocket acting divorced i guess and the moment where rocket breaks down after realising he IS the only one of him was emotional but overall that series was really unfocused and messy and I wasn’t a fan of how rocket was written in it, even though the art was great. cates i thought did ok but it didn’t really give anything people weren’t expecting?

the more recent strange tales comic by ewing had it as if rocket had false memories (?) of his og shenanigans and the reality was much darker (in line with what cates put on page, darker, experiments etc) and was something he didn’t WANT/couldn’t remember. i guess you could call it mcu synergy but seeing as the mcu hadn’t explored any of it it’s also not quite right. more a ‘grounded’ retcon. the false memories aspect is a way to make it all fall in line even if it’s confusing. i think ewing does a good job of writing rocket and i’d like to see him take a real crack at making his multiple origins work in tandem.

overall in general though i LOVE the overarching idea that rocket was made as this experiment because it puts him in line with other, more ‘perfect’ (debatable but certainly on the surface) experiments he finds himself allied with, adam, phy. i wish these kinds of similarities was something explored more, but equally i like that it’s never expressly signified despite being so obvious once noticed.

so i actually think more came from telltale than people give it credit for. I think even so much of gotg3 came from that game. even having lylla in the lab and wanting to see the sky. very heartbreaking the first time i played it and rocket breaking down to peter over lylla was really, REALLY moving. made me tear up. there’s no way gunn wasn’t inspired by this in vol. 3. same can be said of vol. 3 i guess. made me cry and i liked that the relationship between rocket and the “scientists” that made him was given a face and explored w rocket and the high evolutionary, unlike in the cates run and the games.

eidos game i think also did a good job though some of rocket talking about his past didn’t always feel earned when those conversations would trigger at the beginning of the game. i liked that they brought in his og origins by making it stories he would tell the other experiments while he was captured. i also liked his fear of water beginning almost as a joke in the early hours of the game but developing into a significant aspect of his trauma and something that he has to overcome. that was a nice moment. beyond that making his origin story be the kree is kind of insane to me because what the hell would the kree want with a raccoon super soldier. guess we’ll never know!!

ultimately i think comic rocket is a mess right now and something needs to be done about it (get ewing on the phone for all your guardians needs x) and the adaptations all benefit from being more focused.