#Power of Compromise

[ink-spire]

Financial Harmony: Navigating Shared Goals Through Couple's Financial Planning

Picture this: you and your partner, hand in hand, embarking on life’s journey together. As you build a life filled with love, laughter, and shared dreams, there’s another crucial aspect that deserves your attention – your finances. Financial planning might not be the most romantic topic, but it’s a cornerstone of a strong and harmonious partnership. In this blog, we’ll delve into the significance…

[frownyalfred]

Homelander from the Boys shows up in the DC universe for all of five minutes and Bruce turns to Clark, ignoring the ongoing ranting from Homelander, and says “This is why I have contingencies.”

Clark, gritting his teeth: “Yeah, I see that now.”

Homelander in the corner: “—going to kill each and EVERY one of you fuckers, you degenerate—”

Bruce: “Are you going to go take care of that?”

Clark, head dropping into his hands: “Yeah. Give me a minute.”

[aingeal98]

More Jason and Cass thoughts (sorry but also not sorry) but if I was magically given full control over DC and could write what I'd want obviously I'd make Cass Batman but I've been thinking of what sort of reaction and role Jason would have in response. I think I'd write his version of "Congrats on the new job!" as a test, involving the Joker and civilians and gangs and Red Hood and a ton of explosives. Bruce failed me, and now he's given up. You're his successor, let's see how you handle this dilemma that freaked him out so badly he threw a batarang into my throat rather than let me avenge my own death in front of him.

So obviously Cass will overcome the traps and the puzzles. That's the fun part to show how competent both of them are and sprinkle in little character moments as we go. But then we reach the emotional crux of the matter, probably laid out as some sort of saw trap because it's Jason. Here I am, a victim of murder. You say nobody dies tonight but I did, and I want the man who did it dead. Not only did Batman fail to avenge me but he failed to stop the Joker from going on to create even more victims. What right do you have to stop me from getting justice for myself? What right does this man have to life after what he's taken from me and from countless others? I'm not trying to kill a random stranger, I'm specifically demanding justice for my own death that I never got while I was gone.

There are two ways this could go. The straightforward route if I knew my time on this run was limited would probably be a pyrrhic victory like the ones Cass's og series was so fond of. Just like Bruce in utrh, she acts on instinct and saves the Joker (and Jason this time) . A win technically, but she fails the test. Jason is once again vindicated but with nothing to show for it. The story ends with Cass sending the Joker back to jail and going back to the batcave, where the old Robin costume looms judgementally, highlighting her failure. It would be the most fitting end given their character molds, all tragedy and conviction and unstoppable force meets immovable object etc.

However... I think the option I prefer would be a little different. Cass levelling with Jason, a killer talking to a murder victim. She has no right to stop Jason from getting justice, she has no love for the Joker but she knows any death she allows to happen like this would devastate her, just like that death row inmate long ago she tried to break out but ended up letting go once the family of the victim talked to her and demanded justice. I think... In this specific situation, she'd just be honest. Morally she has no right sure. Personally she just really really doesn't want anyone to die. Give her one chance, please. Let her try it her way. Not demanding, not lecturing or insisting, just... Please. Don't do this. Let me try another way.

And then what? Jason asks.

In the end a deal is struck. Cass will take the Joker and lock him up, ensuring he never harms anyone again while also trying to rehabilitate him. But the second she fails and he gets free, Jason kills him and she won't stand in his way. It's the kind of deal that leaves both of them mildly disgusted and dissatisfied with themselves, neither of them naturally creatures of compromise when it comes to this specific topic. But Cass is willing to do anything to avoid death and Jason did not expect the new Bat to be so... Flexible? Kind of? Of course maybe she won't actually hold up her end of the deal and when the Joker gets loose she'll try and stop Jason from killing him and he'll get his miserable vindication, but right now this is something strange and new and he's mildly confused and curious about where it will go. He doesn't believe in her ability to contain the Joker forever but he's willing to let her try because her reaction to that future failure interests him. She's given him a sword of damocles to hang above her head and he didn't ask for it or expect it. It's the type of power he never thought the Bat would just... Hand to him.

The conflict ends with neither of them fully winning or losing. They both don't really know what to feel about this.

The thing is, the second Cass let's Jason kill the Joker she's hanging up the mantle. She's staking the Bat on this, because it's always go big or go home with her when it comes to saving others, even someone like the Joker. In this magical universe where I have unlimited power, Cass would lock the Joker in a secret bunker and have Leslie Thompkins talk to him daily, mostly because I think her pacifism speeches and debates in the comics would make a fun contrast to the Joker's evil sadism. (But what about his rights? Doesn't he deserve a trial and to be held in a regular prison? I'm going to be honest I think Cass would be very comfortable bending the rules on this specific situation. Morally questionable but I'd have fun with it. She's going to let Leslie treat Joker like her personal pet project to save his soul because yes she wants him to change but also she's got a city to save every night so go crazy Leslie, have fun.)

And the Batman series would continue with Cass as the lead, new challenges and new antagonists and every twenty issues or so for the first hundred we'll cut back to the Joker briefly if his chats with Leslie can help highlight some thematic element of the current arc. But bit by bit he'd slowly fade away onto oblivion, maybe getting referenced every hundred issues or so until eventually no one remembers or cares about him because there's so much else going on. Meanwhile Jason's got a good thing going as Red Hood, primarily based in Park Row and a tentative ally on the occasion when their vigilante work aligns. Unlike Joker he's a much more frequent character in the comics, and after say 10 years (this is my magical fantasy universe Cass's batman run is going to last for a very long time alright) when people think of DC characters they think of Red Hood long before they think of the Joker.

Is any of this realistic? Right now of course not. It's why I'd go with the pyrrhic victory if I actually got the chance, because it would be the best way to tell the story in the larger context of the Bat narrative. But it's my fantasy DC editor and writer daydream and I'm going to dream big. They're never going to be normal happy siblings, their personal demons will never fully let them be free and the looming possibility of losing everything they currently have narrative wise if Bruce comes back as Batman will always be there. But it's maybe the closest to peace they'll ever get. Unsatisfying and tame compromise that probably violates several laws and ethical codes but whatever. Cass has never read the Geneva convention and Jason's not going to shed tears over the Joker. Let him die relevancy wise if not physically.

[cubezart]

everyone seems to really like my squip so i drew a lil more

[utilitycaster]

I think the two most obvious foils for Ludinus Da'leth across all of Critical Role are Essek and Keyleth, which is both fascinating given how different those two characters are from each other (Essek being a foil in terms of isolation, single-mindedness, harm in the name of ambition, knowledge, and other such wizard themes; Keyleth being a foil in terms of people who have lost something at a young age to the gods and bear resentment for it, political leadership, belief that the world belongs to mortalkind, and longevity) but also it's extremely funny that they both are the partners of Liam's character.

[cto10121]

Book Fiyero: *immediately recognizes Elphaba and stations himself at the backdoor to prevent her from evading him, stalks her halfway across town to her aerie (even though at that point in time she was only a college friend he hadn’t seen in five years), insists on seeing her again, instinctively goes to comfort her when she first cries, gets sucked into increasingly deep and fraught conversations with her about collateral damage and freedom fighter terrorism, calls her the “most individual, the most separate, the most real” DURING AN ARGUMENT, says he adores Elphaba’s looks IN THAT SAME ARGUMENT, doesn’t understand Elphaba’s “being born with a talent or an inclination for goodness is the aberration” comment because (implied) he sincerely believes Elphaba isn’t evil, changes his mind about the plight of the Animals all by himself but doesn’t mention it to Elphaba because he is afraid she would distance himself from him, buys scarves for both his wife and Elphaba even though only Elphaba likes scarves, is so concerned for Elphaba and her dangerous Lurlinemas Eve mission that he stalks her instead of staying at his club or just leaving town altogether, and is so worried about her that he returns to the aerie just to see her*

Also Book Fiyero: Am I in love with Elphaba?

[mollysunder]

Vi and AU!Silco both sort of ended up in the same place. Their both with a partner that assaulted them (Silco's situation escalated into attempted murder), abandoned them, and then gave them a non-apology for what happened. And now Vi has a drinking problem no one talks about and Silco came to community function (which his kids were participating in) already drinking from his flask, and then he took a flute of even more liquor. They're so depressing in a parent-child duo making the same mistakes unbeknownst to both because they live in different timelines way.

[pratchettquotes]

Having washed and dressed in his own private bathroom,* Moist went to see his wife, practising his smile on the way and endeavoring to look cheerful. You never knew with Adora Belle.** She could be quite acerbic. After all, she ran the whole clacks system these days.

Terry Pratchett, Raising Steam

* Separate bathrooms of course being the key to any happy marriage.

** "Spike" to her fond husband. Her brother had called her Killer, but he meant it in a nice way.

[my-pjo-stuff]

I can't believe I'm saying this right now, but somehow Rick really managed to write one of the most realistic representations of a revolution I have ever seen in non-historical media. And completely on accident too!

[rishioutpost]

Do I think we're getting Tales of the Clones? Probably not. Clone Rebellion? Probably not. Do I want either of those things? Uh....maybe? I might? I would love it. Do I want it? Is it going to dig us further into the current canon pit? Yes.

I would love a clone show but I feel like it has the power to throw off my delicate balance of "actually I can live with how the clones are handled because I have peace, love, and beautiful nostalgia glasses" to "aw man what the hell I'm going to my corner"

Regardless, I'd consume every episode like a starving man.

[lastoneout]

I'm not gonna kid myself and believe anything is gonna come of this bcs we live in hell and the case could be made that it wasn't legally a death threat, BUT if you ever needed proof that midterm elections actually matter, well here ya go. Arizona's voters spoke and now Chris Mayes is going after Trump for his comments about how his voters should shoot Liz Cheney in the had in our state, something I doubt her 2022 opponent would have done. She's also being hella proactive about protecting poll workers and locations ahead of next Tuesday, we're a swing state and it's SO fucking important that we have someone in charge who is going to do her best to make sure the votes are counted safely and accurately, as they fucking should be. Voting for her was a choice I'm glad to have made.

[anonymousmink]

I have no excuses for myself 😭 I just… I think he’s neat…

Bonus Glûg, who does not get paid enough:

Reblogs are loved but please don’t repost! I’m on the bird app @unknownmink

[nerianasims]

Divorce has never been as high as 50% for any demographic in the United States. Except probably Scientologists. Maybe big celebrities?

If you marry someone, it is much more likely than not that you'll be married to them until one of you dies. Particularly you, looking at this on Tumblr -- wait till age 25+ to marry, get a bit of post-high school education and/or have outside income, and it is over 75% likely that if you choose to marry, that marriage is gonna be for life.

Scary, huh? Maybe it's more comforting, in a weird way, to believe the lie that over 50% of marriages end in divorce. "Til death do us part" makes you think of death, after all.

[jentlemahae]

the left’s obsession with moral perfection is one of the reasons why the right has been able to rise everywhere during the past decade or so

[henshenggg]

it's immensely funny to me that ppl are so scandalized by comparing jgy to wwx when wwx himself is the first one to make the comparison

[pip3dream]

sorry to disappoint but i don’t believe in taller!ty supremacy nor taller kit i just want them to be the same height😀